Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Chinese premier meets Putin on bilateral ties Xinhua) 08:34, May 17, 2024 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) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) Flash The condition of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot Wednesday, is still serious, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak said 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." The Saudi government has issued strong warning to persons intending to perform this years Hajj without the approved type of visa. All prospective pilgrims are required to obtain a Hajj Visa but, over the years, some visitors who get into Saudi Arabia through normal visitors visa, try to take advantage of their presence in Saudi Arabia to invade their country's Hajj camps. It is this practice Saudi authorities have threatened to punish severely this year. In a letter to all countries and copied to the Chairman of Ghana's Hajj Board, Ben Abdallah Banda, Saudi's Ministry of Hajj says it has put in place stringent measures to fish out such illegal pilgrims and a severe punishment of a heavy fine and deportation awaits them. The letter also stated that the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued a 'fatwa' to all Muslims prohibiting performing Hajj without a permit. Read letter below: Honorable Chairman of Hajj of the Republic of Ghana- may Allah preserve him. May the peace and blessings be upon you. SCHOLARS OPINION REGARDING PERFORMING HAJJ WITHOUT A PERMIT I hereby wish to inform your outfit that the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued a 'fatwa' to all Muslims prohibiting performing Hajj without a permit. This is in line with its bid to achieve the public interest and prevent harm to all pilgrims. The Council recommended, through its statement, the need for pilgrims to adhere to the regulations and instructions that were issued to enable Muslims to perform the Hajj ritual in safety, ease and tranquility. And in support of that Fatwa The Ministry of Interior in the Kingdom issued statement on 25-10-1445 AH in which it clarified the penalty for performing Hajj without a permit, and that the penalty is a fine of 10,000 riyals, in addition to expulsion of residents and visitors who violate the rules from entering the Kingdom. In the same context, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah monitored advertisements of companies and fake accounts on social media claiming their ability to enable people to perform Haj rituals through Umrah, tourist, work, family, transit and other types of visas at attractive prices. And in reality, this category of visas does not enable a person to perform Haji, but rather exposes them punishment and accountability. The Ministry has issued a statement warning all stakeholders against these fake advertisements and not to lured by fictitious companies and offices that claim to have commercial Haj, and other misleading names. Accordingly, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah hopes that you will cooperate in publishing the said fatwa' and the resulting fines, and raise awareness among your citizens and residents of the necessity of adhering to the instructions and regulations concerning obtaining a Hajj visa before coming to the Kingdom, and that non can obtain Hajj visas except through your Pilgrims Affairs Office, and with the approval of Ministry of Haj and Umrah. Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration. DR. TAWFIQ BIN FAWZAN AL-RABIAH MINISTER OF HAJJ AND UMRAH Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video This pledge was made by the Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare on behalf of President Akufo-Addo at the 3rd African Media Convention (AMC) on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Addressing an audience comprising over 2,000 media practitioners, policymakers, scholars, and stakeholders from across the African continent, Madam Osei-Opare said the pivotal role the media in shaping public opinion, fostering democracy, and driving positive change means governments must do what it can to support it continuously. "The media is a vital pillar of democracy and plays a pivotal role in informing, educating, and empowering citizens," stated Osei-Opare. "We must recognize the invaluable contributions of journalists and media organisations and ensure they have the support they need to carry out their work." She highlighted the critical need for enhanced support and resources for the media to enable it to effectively fulfil its crucial mandate. Mindful of the role the media plays as the fourth estate of the realm, the Chief of Staff emphasized the imperative for collaboration between government, media stakeholders, and civil society to address pressing challenges facing the media landscape, including press freedom, misinformation, and environmental sustainability. Information Minister-designate Fatimatu Abubakar who is also Co-Chair for the Convention affirmed the government's dedication to supporting the media industry. Madam Abubakar outlined various initiatives implemented by the Ghanaian government, including media capacity enhancement programmes and mechanisms to combat misinformation. "We recognize the vital role of the media in our society and are committed to providing the support and resources needed to ensure journalists can perform their duties effectively," stated Abubakar. She said the government will do all it can to fortify the media ecosystem and uphold its pivotal role in advancing democracy, promoting accountability, and fostering sustainable development. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Acting Director General of National Road Safety Authority(NRSA), Ing. David Osafo Adonten has stated that they are planning to engage the Driver and Vehicle License Authority (DVLA) to organize compulsory training for drivers. The training by the National Road Safety Authority and the Driver and Vehicle License Authority will curb down the number of road accidents on our roads. Ing. David Osafo Adonten in an interview with Peace FM News at a launch of the book "Right Turn: Challenges, Opportunities and an Urgent Call to Road Safety in Ghana" said each and every driver being it private and commercial driver must go through serious training to have enough knowledge about road safety related issues. According to him, there has been an increase in accident cases this year compared to last year and all these accidents were caused by overtaking and speeding on our roads and many human factors. He called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo Dampare to deploy more police officers to some check points on our roads because most of the drivers on our roads don't adhere to some measures from the Authority and provide police officers an end to numerous accidents on our roads. The Author of the book, Dr. Paulina Agyekum also spoke about the purpose of the book and how it is going to help drivers and students, saying the book is designed to create awareness about the safety nature on our roads and to educate the public on the damages accounting to road accidents in the country. Source: Prince Baffour Asamoah/Peace FM Newsroom Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, has called on the various stakeholders to consider mainstreaming gender in the grant of mining leases and concessions under a decentralised scheme, to make it easy to process and obtain a mining lease within a short time. He said the Sustainable Development Goals recognise womens land rights as an explicit, crosscutting catalyst for ending poverty, reaching food security and improved nutrition. He noted that the treaty and other conventions have been ratified by many countries and integrated into Ghanas domestic laws. He stressed that mainstreaming gender is a prerequisite in land restoration. The Regional Minister was speaking at a round table discussion on gender issues in post-mining land restoration. It was to provide the platform for knowledge and experience sharing, networking, and the adoption of best practices to improve the traditional ways of handling gender issues in post-mining land restoration. He noted that the Western Region is one of the areas in Ghana with rich mineral resources where mining has been a major occupation for multinationals and artisanal miners for decades. Therefore we, as stakeholders in the mining and land restoration space, must engage in a dialogue to evaluate the situation and propose best practices for policy considerations, he noted. He said usually, the focus is on mining companies that plan and execute a mining concession. However, also disturbing is the issue of small-scale unregistered operators often referred to as galamsey operators. These actors are not well-regulated, and may not engage in mine planning and closure, hence may not commence any land restoration efforts at all, he indicated. The Regional Minister therefore stressed the need for modalities to restore vast degraded forest lands by illegal miners, to help combat the effects of climate change. I want to task the management of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to design tailor-made projects and programmes through research and policy proposals to restore degraded lands in the Western Region, he stated. He mentioned some of the approaches to gender mainstreaming as supporting gender-responsive policies, laws, regulations, and interventions that protect and enhance womens rights. The minister was convinced that policy proposals that would be issued at the end of the programme will reflect the needs and aspirations of the inhabitants in the mining communities, particularly, women. Source: dailyguidenetwork.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Professor of Linguistics, Prof. Kofi Agyekum has cautioned politicians to refrain from their unwholesome habits that potentially jeopardize Ghanas democracy and peace. Opanyin Agyekum, as he is affectionately called, advised the political leaders and actors not to allow their pursuit for power cloud their sense of judgment in that they will do anything, even to the detriment of the masses, to acquire power. He spoke in relation to the violent clashes recorded at some centers in the ongoing limited registration exercise by the Electoral Commission. The exercise which commenced on Tuesday, May 7 and will end on Monday, May 20 has been characterized by some pockets of violence as at some registration centers, some persons were seen brandishing guns and machetes and sparking a brawl among themselves. These clashes are said to have some political undercurrents and addressing the issue on Peace FMs Kokrokoo show, Opanyin Agyekum asked the politicians to note that as they incite riots in order to come into power, they should remember three significant things of life that every human cannot escape from. He listed the unpredictability of the future and death, stressing every political actor should reflect on these things and revise their ways. When they remember the future, they should also remember death because there is death. It awaits all of us. So, in our going in and out and us inciting childrenwhat can you do when death comes? Lastly, they should remember their Maker. Remember there is God who is watching all our activities, he stated. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia says voting for his main opponent, John Dramani Mahama to be president will be a waste of time. He explained that the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) constitutionally has only one term to be president and will have nothing to lose if he doesn't fulfil his numerous promises. Dr Bawumia told the clergy in the Northern Region during his Bold Solution tour that, Mr Mahama would not be accountable to the people if voted for to be president. For me, because I am looking for an 8-year term, I have to work very hard in the first four years so that when I come back, you will say, oh yes, you did what you said you were going to do. We will give you another four years. But for my main opponent [John Dramani Mahama], when you give him four years, that is it. He doesnt have to come back again. You wont see him again, especially after he takes his honeymoon, you will not see him after four years. So you will get more accountability from me than from him, he said. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Upper East Regional Council of Imams and Zongo Chiefs has praised the flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for his compassion and openness to everybody regardless of the person's religious or political background. In a citation presented to Dr. Bawumia on Friday, the Council described the presidential candidate as one "who is welcoming to everyone regardless of their political and religious inclinations". The Imams and Chiefs also commended Dr. Bawumia for fulfilling his promises following numerous supports he has extended to communities and individuals. The citation also described Dr. Bawumia as the "best Vice President" Ghana has ever had. Read citation below: Dr. Bawumia is a man who opens up to all regardless of religious affiliation - Upper East Council of Imams and Zongo Chiefs The Upper East Regional Council of Imams and Zongo Chiefs have praised the Flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for his compassion and openness to all, regardless of the person's religious or political background. In a citation presented to Dr. Bawumia on Friday, during a a meeting with the NPP Flagbearer, the Council of Upper East Regional Imams and Zongo Chiefs, described Dr. Bawumia as one "who is "welcoming to everyone regardless of their political and religious inclinations." The Imams and Chiefs also commended Dr. Bawumia for keeping to his promises, following numerous support he has extended to communities and individuals. The citation also praised Dr. Bawumia for his works as Vice President, describing him as tje best Vice President Ghana has ever had. Below is a text of the full citation presented to Dr. Bawumia. We, the coalition of Imams and Zongo Chiefs of Upper East Region do present to you this citation of honour in recognition of your immeasurable and valuable contributions to us and the region at large. You have shown us over the years that you you are indeed a man of action, one who delivers on his promises and welcoming to everyone regardless of their political inclination, religious or tribal backgrounds. These qualities have added to the reasons why you have been the most effective and impactful Vice President ever in the history of Ghana's politics. It suffices to say, that, you have brought respect, recognition, and intellectual discourse into Ghanaian politics and that you have become model for many in our Zongo communities for which your political contributions thus far, have made your name (Bawumia) in our Zongos to be indelibly written. Just as your digitalization agenda is felt by the young and old in the country, so it is worth your various personally financed projects in the Zongo communities of Upper East Region. You are not only an asset to the to NPP and Zongos, but a national asset and one that must be jealously guarded. We wish you Godspeed and pray for Allah's guidance and favour on you. We pray to Allah to let your campaign messages be understood and accepted by the Ghanaian electorates and grant you your utmost desires to ascend to beyond where you are. Peace be unto you. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Coalition of Upper East Imams and Zongo Chiefs has honoured Vice President and NPP Flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for his immense contributions to the development of the country as well as the Zongo community of the Upper East Region. In a citation presented to Dr. Bawumia on Friday during a meeting with him, the Council upheld the qualities of the Vice President stressing "you have shown us over the years that you you are indeed a man of action, one who delivers on his promises and welcoming to everyone regardless of their political inclination, religious or tribal backgrounds". Below is the full citation presented to Dr. Bawumia: COALITION OF IMAS AND ZONGO CHIEFS: CITATION I HONOUR OF ALHAJI DR. MAHAMUDU BAWUMIA We, the coalition of Imams and Zongo Chiefs of Upper East Region do present to you this citation of honour in recognition of your immeasurable and valuable contributions to us and the region at large. You have shown us over the years that you you are indeed a man of action, one who delivers on his promises and welcoming to everyone regardless of their political inclination, religious or tribal backgrounds. These qualities have added to the reasons why you have been the most effective and impactful Vice President ever in the history of Ghana's politics. It suffices to say, that, you have brought respect, recognition, and intellectual discourse into Ghanaian politics and that you have become model for many in our Zongo communities for which your political contributions thus far, have made your name (Bawumia) in our Zongos to be indelibly written. Just as your digitalization agenda is felt by the young and old in the country, so it is worth your various personally financed projects in the Zongo communities of Upper East Region. You are not only an asset to the to NPP and Zongos, but a national asset and one that must be jealously guarded. We wish you Godspeed and pray for Allah's guidance and favour on you. We pray to Allah to let your campaign messages be understood and accepted by the Ghanaian electorates and grant you your utmost desires ro ascend to beyond where you are. Peace be unto you. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Flash 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. [Photo/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. Newly-extended promotion offers spacious accommodation, hundreds of Marriott Bonvoy bonus points and exclusive members-only benefits for stays from now to 31st July 2024 Phuket, Thailand, May 16, 2024 Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort, the award-winning resort nestled just steps from the Andaman Sea, is inviting discerning travelers to Stay Elevated, Stay Elite with a rewarding promotion that allows guests to unlock amazing benefits and hundreds of bonus points when they book a premium room on the islands sunset coast. In this newly-extended offer, which runs from now to 31st July 2024, explorers who book a stay in the resorts stylish Deluxe Balcony or Deluxe Balcony Ocean View rooms, immersive Pool Access rooms, or chic One Bedroom Suites will enjoy an elevated vacation with myriad rewards. With spacious accommodation and daily breakfast for up to two adults and one child, Stay Elevated, Stay Elite is the ideal option for couples and families alike. And thats not all; Marriott Bonvoy members who book direct will enjoy exclusive rates, mobile check-in, complimentary Wi-Fi, and a 10% dining discount at the resorts five popular restaurants and bars. For truly rewarding stays, Marriott Bonvoy members can achieve bonus points that grow exponentially from the second night onwards. So, the longer the guest stays, the more they earn! Five hundred bonus points will be earned by customers who book a second night, followed by 1,000 additional points from the third night onwards with a maximum of 2,500 bonus points per stay! Following the resorts recent success in the International Hotel Awards 2023-24, when it was Highly Commended in the Large Hotel Thailand category, Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort is now inviting the worlds travelers to stay, dine and unwind in style, just steps from the soft sands of Patong Beach. Nestled in the heart of Phukets most dynamic tourism district, this impressive sea-facing resort features three idyllic outdoor pools, two vibrant restaurants, a chic beach club, two bars, a colorful kids club and endless views of the azure Andaman Sea. Guests who book with the Marriott Bonvoy App or on marriott.com can access exclusive rates at thousands of extraordinary hotels around the world. Not a member yet? To sign up for free, please visit https://joinmarriottbonvoy.com/hktfp. To learn more about Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort, please call +66 (0) 76 645 999 or visit www.fourpointsphuketpatong.com. For Thai customers, please call 076 645 999 or visit our Thai website at www.th.fourpointsphuketpatong.com. 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: A prototype of the vacuum printer onboard Orbital Matters Replicator CubeSat. Credit: European Space Agency Europe's newest rocket soon launches, taking with it many space missions each with a unique objective, destination and team at home, cheering them on. Whether into Earth orbit to look back and study Earth, peer out to deep space or test important new technologies, Ariane 6's first flight will showcase the versatility and flexibility of this impressive, heavy-lift launcher. The Replicator mission, from Warsaw, Poland, and Berlin, Germany, based startup Orbital Matter, will launch on Ariane 6 to demonstrate a new 3D printing technology in orbit, potentially opening the door to new space structures that wouldn't have been possible otherwise, made using fewer resources. The name "Replicator" is a homage to the many forms of advanced manufacturing methods in science fiction, capable of making complex products, ready to use: Star Trek's kitchen microwave-like Replicators could synthesize meals on demand; the Von Neumann Probe is a conceptualized spacecraft capable of exponentially self-replicating; and in the Stargate series, Replicators are a highly advanced machine race capable of reproducing themselves indefinitely. Orbital Matter doesn't plan to churn out burgers or machine-like people, their long-term goal is to become the first construction company in spaceone day manufacturing large elements of space infrastructure directly in orbit, on the moon and Mars, while reducing costs and increasing access to space. Their new method of 3D printing has been developed to work directly in a vacuum and under microgravity, without requiring heat to be generated during manufacturing. As there is no atmosphere to cool down parts via convection cooling, like blowing on a spoonful of hot soup, it takes a long timemonthsfor parts to cool down just through irradiation (simply waiting for the soup to lose heat). Orbital Matter's process prints without heat, making it much faster to build structures in a vacuum. 3D printing, or "additive manufacturing," was first tested in space on the International Space Station in 2014 and has proven useful for the on-demand manufacturing of tools and spare parts. So far, no 3D printing technology has been shown to work in the significantly harsher exposed conditions outside of the Space Station, in "open" space, limiting its use. Manufacturing directly in space means large structures could in principle be built with fewer materials, as they don't need to withstand the rigors of launch. This could mean large space-based solar power plants, communication antennas, larger telescopes for science missions and even larger space stations could all be built in orbit. Such structures could provide real benefits, from making electricity cheaper, greener and more accessible for remote areas to reducing the cost of communication and increasing access to it, furthering our general knowledge of the universe and making space tourism cheaper and more accessible. ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen on his Huginn mission, after installing the Metal 3D Printer in the Columbus Modulea first for the International Space Station. Four different prints are planned to understand how 3D printing in metal differs, if any, from the same prints made on Earth. The printer uses a high-energy laser to heat the metal and add metal layer by layer in order to print objects. The technology demonstrator is led by Airbus Defense and Space as prime contractor for ESA. Credit: ESA/NASA Orbital Matter has already demonstrated that their 3D printing technology works in a vacuum on Earth, but with the Ariane 6 first launch, they will perform their first in-space demonstration: their three-unit CubeSat (10x10x30 cm) will print a 50 cm-long beam while at an altitude of 580 km, out of a custom polymer material. "Thanks to the ESA PUSH opportunity, we're demonstrating our 3D printer in orbit a remarkable 12 months ahead of schedule," says Jakub Stojek, CEO of Orbital Matter. "This is a great example of how European technological independence can be built in space, by fostering rapid prototyping for startups across Europe." Robert Ihnatisin, Chief Technology Officer at Orbital Matter adds, "Ariane 6 will act as a catalyst for the renewed launch capabilities of Europe, and our experiment during its inaugural flight could help Europe become a leading player in in-space manufacturing, as we demonstrate it is indeed possible to 3D print in exposed space." Orbital Matter has been assisted throughout the planning and development of their mission by Paris-based launch provider RIDE! space, who took part in ESA's PUSH tender and were selected to organize a contest where the winner would receive end-to-end launch management and procurement of one or several deployers. RIDE! provides a digital platform to handle end-to-end launch services, from scouting for launch opportunities to assessing performance, price and level of service. Besides the platform, the company offers support with instrument qualification, documentation, transportation, launch integration, promotion and much more. "We're delighted to be part of European space history with our presence on Ariane 6 maiden launch," explains Valentin Benoit, RIDE! CEO. "The whole team is working hand-to-hand with Orbital Matter to finalize the launch campaign of this ambitious and disruptive 3D printing in space mission. I would like to thank Arianespace, ESA's Space Transportation and CIC teams (Commercialization, Industry and Competitiveness) for their support during launch preparations." Ariane 6 has been designed for all possible futures. At its core is maximum versatility. It can put any satellite or payload into any orbital path. This is made possible with the new restartable Vinci engine that will power up the Ariane 6 upper stage again and again, stopping and starting to insert missions into any orbit they need to be. It will save enough fuel for a final burn to deorbit and reenter safely back through Earth's atmosphere, or reorbit into a nearby "graveyard orbit." 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: Wildfire season has arrived in full force in Canada, prompting evacuation orders and alerts in several towns in British Columbia and Alberta due to the danger of uncontrolled blazes. Hazardous smoke from the fires has also triggered air quality alerts in Canada and the northern US. This Copernicus Sentinel-3 image shows the smoke from several fires in northeast British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, captured on 11 May 2024. Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2024), processed by ESA Wildfire season has arrived in full force in Canada, prompting evacuation orders and alerts in several towns in British Columbia and Alberta due to the danger of uncontrolled blazes. Hazardous smoke from the fires has also triggered air quality alerts in Canada and the northern US. Satellite technology, including the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite and ESA's Fire Atlas, plays a crucial role in monitoring these wildfires. The 2023 wildfire season in Canada was one of the worst on record. Over the course of the fire season that started early and ended later than usual, blazes burned an estimated 18.4 million hectares. The impact on the environment, especially air quality in both Canada and the U.S., was profound. With the 2024 wildfire season already in full swing, Canadian authorities are bracing for a challenging summer. Wildfire season in Canada typically runs from April until September or October when cooler temperatures dampen fire activity. The early onset of these wildfires, caused by unseasonably warm temperatures and dry conditions, has raised concerns about a potentially prolonged and severe fire season ahead. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Agency, there are around 130 wildfires currently burning across Canada, mostly in British Columbia and Alberta. This animation uses data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite to show the concentration of carbon monoxide over Canada. Black circles in the image show the identified fire pixels from ESAs World Fire Atlas which uses data from the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite to detect fires globally. The extremely high concentrations of carbon monoxide, depicted in dark shades of orange, can be linked to active fires during this time period. Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2024), processed by ESA Data from Copernicus Sentinel-5P reveals the extent of air pollution caused by these wildfires. Equipped with the Tropomi instrument, the satellite provides high-resolution data on air quality by measuring gases and aerosols, including air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. Smoke from the fires can travel vast distances, degrading air quality far from the source of the flames. ESA's World Fire Atlas, an essential tool in wildfire monitoring, utilizes data from the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite to detect and map active fires globally. Working like a thermometer in the sky, the Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) on board Sentinel-3 measures thermal infrared radiation to take the temperature of Earth's land surfaces which is used to detect the fires. The data, which is represented in "pixels" indicate that 258 fires have been detected in Canada in 2024 (data up to 13 May). In contrast, during the 2023 wildfire season, the Atlas detected 19,487 wildfires. As the wildfire season progresses, ESA's World Fire Atlas continues to be a valuable resource in tracking new fire outbreaks. 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: Sustainable resource management in the circular economy with emphasis on resource recovery and waste reduction. Credit: Elsevier The chemical industry is a cornerstone of global development, driving innovation, and providing essential products that support our modern way of life. However, its reliance on unsustainable fossil resources has posed significant threats to global ecosystems through climate change and chemical pollution. A commentary, 'Catalysis at the Intersection of Sustainable Chemistry and a Circular Economy', published in One Earth co-authored by Griffith University researchers puts forth a transformative solution: catalysis to leverage sustainable waste resources, ushering the industry from a linear to a circular economy. "If we look at recent statistics, the chemical industry contributes a staggering US$5.7 trillion to the global economy and sustains 150 million jobs worldwide, excluding refined fossil fuels," said Professor Karen Wilson, one of the lead authors and Director of Griffith's Center for Catalysis and Clean Energy. "But it remains the largest industrial energy consumer and the third-largest emitter of direct CO 2 emissions globally." In 2022, the industry emitted 935 million metric tons of CO 2 during primary chemicals production. Moreover, its operations have led to significant water contamination and the release of toxic chemicals into the environment, perpetuating a cycle of ecological harm. Co-lead author Professor Adam Lee, also based at Griffith, said, "Catalytic processes could minimize reliance on finite fossil fuels and curb CO 2 emissions significantly by harnessing agricultural, municipal, and plastic waste as feedstocks. "This feedstock transition not only mitigates environmental damage but also addresses vulnerabilities in the industry's supply chain, which are susceptible to geopolitical and natural disruptions." Professor Wilson added, "Catalysis has historically played a key role in transforming fossil resources into essential fuels and products, and now offers a beacon of hope for revolutionizing the chemical industry and promoting a circular economy." However, the authors acknowledge that this vision demands concerted innovation in catalyst formulation and process integration. "Prioritizing Earth-abundant elements over precious metals will unlock sustainable catalytic systems for the efficient conversion of organic waste into benign and recyclable products," Professor Wilson said. "Already, pioneering initiatives such as the co-location of different industries in Kalundborg, Denmark to foster symbiosis have demonstrated new collaborative models to improve resource efficiency and waste reduction." "Catalysis offers a pathway towards sustainability, enabling us to transform waste into valuable resources and pave the way for a circular economy," Professor Lee added. In the One Earth commentary, the team explored sources of catalysis for sustainable and circular chemical processes through the following lenses: Catalysis to enable waste biomass utilization Catalysis for circular polymers Catalysis to remediate chemical pollution 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: Canua Island, a private floating beach denounced as 'an ecological aberration' by its opponents, has been unveiled off the French Riviera. A controversial private floating beach anchored off the French Riviera has entered service despite opposition from local politicians and environmental groups, its backers said on Friday. "Canua Island", a 1,750 square-meter (18,800 square feet) motorized platform boasting a restaurant, bar lounge and freshwater swimming pool, was inaugurated Thursday night off Mandelieu-La Napoule on the Cote d'Azur in southeastern France. The luxurious two-story platform set on a trimaran and anchored 600 meters from the seafront can accommodate up to 350 people. Opponents of the 16-million-euro project have denounced it as "an ecological aberration". Environmental groups have long battled for increased protection for sea life and the coastline of the highly developed Cote d'Azur, long considered a playground for the rich and famous. The owners were denied permits to operate last year, but they took the case to court and were granted authorization to launch the project. The project had initial support from just one local commune, Mandelieu-La Napoule, but was contested by the head of the broader Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region, Renaud Muselier, a member of President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party. On Friday, around 20 mayors, including those of Nice and Toulon, signed a letter denouncing "this commercial exploitation of the marine environment". But the owners stress that the project is safe, with the engines running on biofuel, a desalination system producing freshwater and all waste being recycled on land. Due to the controversy, the floating beach will not be open to the public this season. Based at La Seyne-sur-Mer, near Toulon, it will be available for private events such as weddings on the Cote d'Azur. The owners have already received around 30 booking requests. 2024 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Graphical abstract. Credit: Current Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.059 A study involving the University of Cambridge has used virtual recreations of the earliest animal ecosystems, known as marine animal forests, to demonstrate the part they played in the evolution of our planet. Using state-of-the-art computer simulations of fossils from the Ediacaran time periodapproximately 565 million years agoscientists discovered how these animals mixed the surrounding seawater. This may have affected the distribution of important resources such as food particles and could have increased local oxygen levels. Through this process, the scientists think these early communities could have played a crucial role in shaping the initial emergence of large and complex organisms prior to a major evolutionary radiation of different forms of animal life, the so-called Cambrian "explosion." Over long periods of time, these changes might have allowed life forms to perform more complicated functions, like those associated with the evolution of new feeding and movement styles. The study was led by the Natural History Museum and is published today in the journal Current Biology. Dr. Emily Mitchell at the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology, a co-author of the report, said, "It's exciting to learn that the very first animals from 580 million years ago had a significant impact on their environment, despite not being able to move or swim. We've found they mixed up the water and enabled resources to spread more widelypotentially encouraging more evolution." Scientists know from modern marine environments that nutrients like food and oxygen are carried in seawater, and that animals can affect water flow in ways that influence the distribution of these resources. To test how far back this process goes in Earth's history, the team looked at some of the earliest examples of marine animal communities, known from rocks at Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada. This world-famous fossil site perfectly preserves early life forms thanks to a cover of volcanic ash (sometimes referred to as an "Ediacaran Pompeii"). Although some of these life forms look like plants, analysis of their anatomy and growth strongly suggests they are animals. Owing to the exceptional preservation of the fossils, the scientists could recreate digital models of key species, which were used as a basis for further computational analyses. First author Dr. Susana Gutarra, a Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum, said, "We used ecological modeling and computer simulations to investigate how 3D virtual assemblages of Ediacaran life forms affected water flow. Our results showed that these communities were capable of ecological functions similar to those seen in present-day marine ecosystems." The study showed that one of the most important Ediacaran organisms for disrupting the flow of water was the cabbage-shaped animal Bradgatia, named after Bradgate Park in England. The Bradgatia from Mistaken Point are among some of the largest fossils known from this site, reaching diameters of over 50 centimeters. Through their influence on the water around them, the scientists believe these Ediacaran organisms might have been capable of enhancing local oxygen concentrations. This biological mixing might also have had repercussions for the wider environment, possibly making other areas of the sea floor more habitable and perhaps even driving evolutionary innovation. Dr. Imran Rahman, lead author and Principal Researcher at the Natural History Museum, said, "The approach we've developed to study Ediacaran fossil communities is entirely new in paleontology, providing us with a powerful tool for studying how past and present marine ecosystems might shape and influence their environment." More information: Susana Gutarra et al, Ediacaran marine animal forests and the ventilation of the oceans, Current Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.059 Journal information: Current Biology 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: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2024), processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO or ESA Standard Licence Captured on 7 May 2024, this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image shows part of New Zealand's North Island. New Zealand lies in the South Pacific Ocean and comprises two major islandsNorth and Southand a number of smaller islands. Much of North Island's terrain in this image is dominated by lush vegetation, with darker green areas denoting dense forested zones. Urban centers appear in gray. Toward the top of the image, the city of Auckland can be seen as a large, gray area adjacent to the Hauraki Gulf to the east and the Manukau Harbor to the west. Auckland is the country's most populous city and its largest port. A focal point for transportation, the city is also served by New Zealand's leading international airport, which can be spotted in the center of Manukau Harbor. Moving south, the largest gray area in the middle of the image is Hamilton, one of the country's most important inland centers. It straddles the Waikato River, the longest river in New Zealand, which can be seen as a dark, winding line across the bottom right of the image, bisecting Hamilton into two nearly symmetrical parts. As it winds its course, the Waikato meanders through a patchwork of agricultural fields that cover the plain between Auckland and Hamilton. The green and brown hues of the fields shift according to the crop type and their various stages of growth. Before entering the Tasman Sea, south of Auckland, the Waikato River forms an estuary, which feeds a network of marshes and creates numerous small islands. On the coast, bright, turquoise colors in the Tasman Sea suggest the presence of sediment being carried into the ocean by river discharge. The swirls in the sea show how the currents transport sediment. A number of lakes and wetlands can be spotted near the center of the image, including the Whangamarino Wetland, an extensive mosaic of swamps and bogs, visible as a dark brown area east of the Waikato River. The Kopuatai Peat Dome, the largest, unaltered peat bog in New Zealand, is clear to see as the brown, elongated feature just south of the Hauraki Gulf. 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: Reconstruction of the ritual sacrifice of a horse at Paprotki Kolonia, modern Poland. Credit: Mirosaw Kuzma. Horses crossed the Baltic Sea in ships during the Late Viking Age and were sacrificed for funeral rituals, according to research from Cardiff University. Published in the journal Science Advances, studies on the remains of horses found at ancient burial sites in Russia and Lithuania show that they were brought overseas from Scandinavia utilizing expansive trade networks connecting the Viking world with the Byzantine and Arab Empires. Up to now, researchers had believed sacrificial horses were always locally sourced stallions. But these results reveal horses from modern Sweden or Finland traveled up to 1,500 km across the Baltic Sea. The findings also show that the sex of the horse was not necessarily a factor in them being chosen for sacrifice, with genetic analysis showing one in three were mares. Dr. Katherine French, formerly of Cardiff University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion, now based at Washington State University, explains the aims of the project. Credit: Cardiff University A scientific technique called strontium isotope analysis was used on horse teeth from 74 animals to identify where they had originated. Soil, water and plants have a chemical makeup reflecting their underlying geology. The chemical signature is absorbed by animals on consumption and remains locked in the hard enamel of their teeth, allowing archaeologists to trace their life journeys hundreds of years later. Horse sacrifices were highly visible and symbolic public rites across pagan prehistoric Europe, persisting the latest among the Baltic tribes, up to the 14th century AD. Offering pits might include multiple horses, single complete horses, or partial animals. In many Baltic cemeteries, horses were buried separately from humans, but there are numerous examples of horses with overlain human cremations. Dr. Richard Madgwick, also based at Cardiff University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion, explains the results of their research. Credit: Cardiff University Lead author Dr. Katherine French, formerly of Cardiff University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion, now based at Washington State University, said, "This research dismantles previous theories that locally-procured stallions were exclusively selected for sacrifice. Given the unexpected prevalence of mares, we believe the prestige of the animal, coming from afar, was a more important factor in why they were chosen for this rite. "Viking Age trade routes stretched from modern Iceland, Britain, and Ireland in the West all the way to the Byzantine and Arab Empires in the East. The presence of a trader's weight in one horse grave points to the key role of horses in these vibrant trade networks." Reconstruction of a sacrificial horse deposit at Paprotki Kolonia, modern Poland. Credit: Mirosaw Kuzma. Project lead Dr. Katherine French uses column chromatography to collect strontium isotopes from horse dental enamel samples. Credit: Cardiff University Dr. Katherine French investigates a horse mandible to select a dental sample at the University of Biaystok. Credit: Cardiff University. Co-author Dr. Richard Madgwick, also based at Cardiff University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion, said, "Pagan Baltic tribes were clearly sourcing horses overseas from their Christian neighbors while simultaneously resisting converting to their religion. This revised understanding of horse sacrifice highlights the dynamic, complex relationship between Pagan and Christian communities at that time." More information: Katherine French et al, Biomolecular evidence reveals mares and long-distance imported horses sacrificed by the last pagans in temperate Europe, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado3529. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ado3529 Journal information: Science Advances 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: Schematic of the experimental set-up. The ion beam is directed onto a free-standing graphene film in transmission geometry. Credit: Nano Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00356 Two-dimensional materials such as graphene promise to form the basis of incredibly small and fast technologies, but this requires a detailed understanding of their electronic properties. New research demonstrates that fast electronic processes can be probed by irradiating the materials with ions first. A collaboration involving researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Duisburg-Essen has shown that when graphene is irradiated with ions, or electrically charged atoms, the electrons that are ejected give information about the graphene's electronic behavior. Moreover, the Illinois group performed the first calculations involving high-temperature graphene, and the Duisburg-Essen group experimentally verified the predictions by irradiation. This research was reported in the journal Nano Letters. "Irradiating materials and observing the change in properties to deduce what's going on inside the material is a well-established technique, but now we are taking first steps towards using ions instead of laser light for that purpose," said Andre Schleife, the Illinois group lead and a professor of materials science & engineering. "The advantage is that ions allow highly localized, short-time excitations in the material compared to what laser light can do. This enables high-precision studies of how graphene and other 2D materials evolve over time." When an ion collides with a 2D material, energy is transferred to both the atomic nuclei and electrons. Some of the electrons are given enough energy to be ejected from the material. The features of these so-called "secondary electrons" are determined by the characteristics of the electrons in the material such as their temperature and distribution of energies. "There's a delay between the ion's 'impact' and secondary electron emission, and that's the key piece of information that we were after in our simulations," said Yifan Yao, the study's lead author and a graduate student in Schleife's research group. "We did this for graphene at absolute zero with no thermal energy present as well as graphene that has thermal energy and a higher temperature. We're actually the first to be simulating 'hot' graphene like this." The Illinois group performed calculations based on graphene irradiated with hydrogen ionsbare protonsand computed how secondary electrons were released over time and their resulting energy spectrum. These results agreed well with the Duisburg-Essen group's results that used argon and xenon ions. In addition, the computational study provides insight into the underlying mechanisms of secondary electron emission. High-temperature graphene released more secondary electrons, and a careful examination of the charge distributions indicated that the atomic nuclei in the material's lattice rather than the material's electrons are responsible. According to Schleife, the promise of this technique goes beyond precision 2D material measurements. "Looking years into the future, there's a possibility that ion irradiation can be used to deliberately introduce defects into materials and manipulate them," he said. "But, in the near term, we have shown that irradiation can be used as a high-precision measurement technique." More information: Yifan Yao et al, Nonequilibrium Dynamics of Electron Emission from Cold and Hot Graphene under Proton Irradiation, Nano Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00356 Journal information: Nano Letters 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: Shawn Bhimani, assistant professor of supply chain management at Northeastern, says it is imperative that the U.S. companies comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act to eradicate abuse. Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University The Biden administration has added 26 more companies to the list of Chinese textile traders and manufacturers whose goods are blocked from entering the United States because of their alleged ties to forced labor. The banned imports, known as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, names businesses that are said to be involved in exploiting forced labor in China's Xinjiang region. The announcement brings the total number of banned companies to 65. The act, passed by Congress in 2021 and enacted in June 2022, prohibits the import of any goods made in Xinjiang from entering the U.S. Shawn Bhimani, assistant professor of supply chain management at Northeastern University, says 90% of the cotton in China is grown in Xinjiang. Other industries, he says, such as solar and electronics, are also tainted by the Uyghur human rights abuses. Bhimani leads Northeastern's Supply Trace project, an open-access digital platform that uses machine learning and shipping dataas well as on-the-ground investigationsto link forced labor to international trade transactions. Northeastern Global News spoke to Bhimani about the evidence the U.S. government has of the alleged human rights violations in China, as well as how Supply Trace helps companies and consumers to make ethical decisions. His responses have been edited for brevity and clarity. How do you define 'forced labor' and how big is this problem globally? The International Labor Organization defines forced labor as "all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily." If I was to simplify, its people working against their will. Forced labor is estimated currently at 27 to 28 million people globally [comparable to the population of Australia]. It is a subset of what some people refer to as modern slavery. Where in the world does forced labor happen most? The highest problems of forced labor occur in India [11 million people] based on the 2023 estimates by the Global Slavery Index. China is also on their list. China is much more in the news and in focus right now because of multiple political discussions that are happening this year. Part of it is tariffs that were levied against China two days ago by the Biden administration. Part of it is because the Chinese government has been committing human rights abuses against the Uyghur population for many years. Because of that, the U.S. Congress passed in 2021 the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which prohibits the importation of any goods made in whole or in part, in Xinjiang [province] from entering the U.S. That law was enforced in June of 2022. The U.S. government continues to build out credible evidence and a list of entities that should be avoided in business transactions. Recent testing shows that of goods coming into the U.S. 20% of the apparel was still being made with Xinjiang cotton. How does the US government know that these human rights abuses, including forced labor, are happening? We have victim testimony. People who are from that region are able to provide testimony of the atrocities that are occurring, which are not limited to forced labor. Additionally, we are able to leverage the fact that shipments coming out of China into the U.S. and other Western markets are traceable. As part of our Supply Trace project, we trace shipments from factories in China with known links to Xinjiang and make it clear that those factories are shipping to the U.S. companies in our pilot phase of the platform. As we grow, there will be companies all over the world that are buying these products made by victims of forced labor. We use shipping records of goods that travel by ocean freight. We also look at investigations performed on factories within China, where we look at their public disclosures on where the materials come from and who their customers and clients are. How can American companies vet their supply chain? It is imperative that companies comply with the [Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act] and the list of banned companies. About 90% of the cotton from China is from Xinjiang, which means that there's a 90% chance that any cotton that China exports has Xinjiang fibers in it. There are so many other industries such as solar or electronics or others that are tainted by bigger human rights abuses in China. When it comes to other countries, and other areas [of China], there are business advisories or recommendations of where companies should consider exercising caution. They can do this by vetting their supply chain by mapping it, by understanding known areas of risk and performing due diligence for example, factory investigations to ensure that there's no forced labor happening out of the facility. They need to think about corrective action and in the case of Uyghur human rights abuses, they need to change their sourcing locations. Many companies don't know where to start. They don't know what to do with the list. They don't even know sometimes if their suppliers are connected to Xinjiang. So what we do is we create an open-access website where they can see a map of their supply chain based on shipping records. We use machine learning to connect the dots for them. We also provide resources if a company realizes they are connected [to forced labor] on what to do about it. How can consumers figure out if a brand was produced with forced labor? Supply Trace is open to everyone. It is an equal access platform, so anyone anywhere in the world can access it. There is no paywall. You type in the name of the brand or a factory and see potential risk and make better, more informed decisions. Sometimes products do not ship directly from China to the U.S. They go through a third-party country before they arrive in the U.S. This story is republished courtesy of Northeastern Global News news.northeastern.edu. Flash An aerial drone photo taken on April 9, 2024 shows the scenery of Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea. [Photo/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. 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: James Lee from Pexels Considerable progress has been made in curbing the trade of big cat-derived products in South Korea, but some illegal trade remains, reports a new study led by a UCL researcher. Published in PLOS ONE, the study by international conservation charity ZSL, UCL and the Tiger and Leopard Conservation Fund in Korea (KTLCF) heralds a major success for conservation action to protect endangered tigers and leopards, while warning of the ongoing risk of small-scale illegal trade within the country. The researchers found that the South Korean trade in big cats and their body partsincluding critically endangered Sumatran tigers and Amur leopardshas significantly reduced since the early 1990s, when the country was one of the main manufacturers of tiger bone derived products. Attributed to well-implemented trade bans, consumption changes resulting from South Korea's rapid economic growth and decreased social acceptability of such trade, the reported decline provides hope and vital insights for tackling unsustainable wildlife trade across the globe. Lead author, Ph.D. candidate Joshua Elves-Powell (UCL Geography, UCL Biosciences and ZSL's Institute of Zoology) explained, "Our work offers a reason for optimismjust 30 years ago, South Korea was one of the world's most important markets for tiger bone, with around 750 skeletons worth of bones imported into the country between 1970 and 1993. Ending this large-scale and deeply unsustainable trade is a major conservation success. "At the same time, it's clear that action is needed from the South Korean government to address the small-scale, illegal trade that persists to this day, yet remains largely overlooked." Drawing on over 30 years of records from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and insight from experts in wildlife conservation, trade policy, customs and law enforcement, the researchers identified important changes since the 1990s. Elves-Powell added, "Overexploitation for body partsfor a range of uses including within some traditional Asian medicine and as status symbolssits alongside habitat loss as a key reason that many big cat species are under threat. For example, critically endangered Amur leopards are native to South Koreaalongside regions of China and Russiabut by 1970 they had been hunted to extinction within the country." South Korea joined CITES in 1993 and introduced a commercial trade ban the following year, making the trading of tiger bone illegal. None of the 14 experts interviewed for the study reported any evidence for ongoing large-scale trade since this ban, including by criminal organizations. However, with incidents of small-scale trade still occurring, tiger bone winealong with tiger and leopard skinspersist as the items of most concern for illegal trade since the 1994 ban. The researchers have flagged three key areas of concern. Firstly, multiple open attempts to sell big cat-derived products online in South Korea were identified. This mostly took the form of individuals advertising old bottles of tiger bone wine, claiming to have inherited or been gifted the products prior to the trade ban. However, the researchers note that such sales are still illegal under South Korean law. Secondly, between 1994 and 2016 customs officials in the US and New Zealand intercepted several illegal imports of big cat products from South Korea, with one case involving 1,200 tiger-derived "traditional medicine" products. However, the researchers note that further trade may be ongoing elsewhere, as the U.S. and New Zealand are some of the few countries to publicly report illegal trade to CITES. Finally, tour companies have reportedly taken South Korean tourists visiting Thailand and Vietnam to sites illegally selling tiger-derived products and encouraging tourists to buy themunderscoring the need for tour operators to fully comply with local wildlife legislation. Elves-Powell added, "There's still more progress to be made, but current evidence suggests a major shift around public attitudes to trade. Despite the long history of using and trading big cats in Korea, including for traditional medicinal practices, these recent changes highlight how strict bans can help reduce demand by introducing a social stigma towards trade. This is especially effective when accompanied by increased public concern and decreased social desirability of wildlife products." Elves-Powell also highlighted the global implications of the study. "Several recent reports of big cat trade linked to South Korea involved foreign nationals trying to smuggle products from Africa and the Russian Far East through Incheon International Airport. "Here in the U.K., we have some of the most well-connected airports in the worldand as hubs for international travel, vigilance at these sites is key to catching the illegal movement of wildlife across borders. By directly intercepting illegal tradecoupled with policies and initiatives to reduce demandwe can tackle this global threat to wildlife." The research is part of ZSL's wider work protecting big cat species across the globesuch as contributions to the international roadmap to end tiger farming, and community engagement in India and Nepal to reduce conflict between people and wild tigers. Meanwhile, ZSL's two conservation zoos, London and Whipsnade Zoo, are part of breeding programs for several threatened big cat species, including for Sumatran tigers and African lions. More information: Joshua Elves-Powell et al, Turning the tide on big cat trade: Expert opinion on trends and conservation lessons from the Republic of Korea, PLOS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299783 Journal information: PLoS ONE 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: First author, Ivan Hidalgo-Cenamor, discussing the platform. Credit: Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia A team of researchers from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC) in Portugal, together with Abo Akademi University in Finland, the AI4Life consortium, and other collaborators, have developed an innovative open-source platform called DL4MicEverywhere. The paper, "DL4MicEverywhere: Deep learning for microscopy made flexible, shareable, and reproducible," was published in the journal Nature Methods. This platform provides life scientists with easy access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) for the analysis of microscopy images. It enables other researchers, regardless of their computational expertise, to easily train and use deep learning models on their own data. Deep learning, a subfield of AI, has revolutionized the analysis of large and complex microscopy datasets, allowing scientists to automatically identify, track and analyze cells and subcellular structures. However, the lack of computing resources and AI expertise prevents some researchers in life sciences from taking advantage of these powerful techniques in their own work. DL4MicEverywhere addresses these challenges by providing an intuitive interface for researchers to use deep learning models on any experiment that requires image analysis and in diverse computing infrastructures, from simple laptops to high-performance clusters. "Our platform establishes a bridge between AI technological advances and biomedical research," said Ivan Hidalgo-Cenamor, first author of the study and researcher at IGC. "With it, regardless of their expertise in AI, researchers gain access to cutting-edge microscopy methods, enabling them to automatically analyze their results and potentially discover new biological insights." The DL4MicEverywhere platform builds upon the team's previous work, ZeroCostDL4Mic, to allow the training and use of models across various computational environments. The platform also includes a user-friendly interface and expands the collection of available methodologies that users can apply to common microscopy image analysis tasks. "DL4MicEverywhere aims to democratize AI for microscopy by promoting community contributions and adhering to FAIR principles for scientific research softwaremaking resources findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable," explained Dr. Estibaliz Gomez-de-Mariscal, co-lead of the study and researcher at IGC. "We hope this platform will empower researchers worldwide to harness these powerful techniques in their work, regardless of their resources or expertise." The development of DL4MicEverywhere is a great example of the collaborative environment in science. First, it was developed with the purpose of allowing any researcher worldwide to take advantage of the most advanced technologies in microscopy, contributing to accelerate scientific discoveries. Second, it was made possible only through an international collaboration of experts in computer science, image analysis, and microscopy, with key contributions from the AI4Life consortium. The project was co-led by Ricardo Henriques at IGC and Guillaume Jacquemet at Abo Akademi University. "This work represents an important milestone in making AI more accessible and reusable for the microscopy community," said Professor Jacquemet. "By enabling researchers to share their models and analysis pipelines easily, we can accelerate discoveries and enhance reproducibility in biomedical research." "DL4MicEverywhere has the potential to be transformative for the life sciences," added Professor Henriques. "It aligns with our vision in AI4Life to develop sustainable AI solutions that empower researchers and drive innovation in health care and beyond." The DL4MicEverywhere platform is freely available as an open-source resource, reflecting the teams' commitment to open science and reproducibility. The researchers believe that by lowering the barriers to advanced microscopy image analysis, DL4MicEverywhere will enable breakthrough discoveries in fields ranging from basic cell biology to drug discovery and personalized medicine. More information: DL4MicEverywhere: deep learning for microscopy made flexible, shareable and reproducible, Nature Methods (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41592-024-02295-6 Journal information: Nature Methods This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An adult Red-throated caracara (Ibycter americanus) vocalizing and perching on a branch of a tree in the Upala's (Alajuela province) rain forest of Costa Rica. Credit: Pablo Camacho Caracaras are an inquisitive, gregarious, highly intelligent group of predatory birds in the falcon family, whose quirks go largely unnoticed by the public. Caracara researchers, however, say it's time for that to change. In a caracara-focused issue of the Journal of Raptor Research, long-time caracara researcher Joan Morrison and co-author Miguel D. Saggese, from Western University of Health Sciences, present salient reasons for expanding research efforts on the nine species of living caracaras. In their paper, "Assessing Knowledge of the Caracaras: Compiling Information, Identifying Knowledge Gaps, and Recommendations for Future Research," they present findings from a literature review that revealed alarmingly large knowledge gaps in the field of caracara research. Several species have hardly been studied at all. While caracaras are generally listed as species of Least Concern, this may be inaccurate given the lack of completed research on their population trends and basic life histories. Caracara researchers are calling all colleagues to rectify these gaps at a time when new technology is increasing research possibilities, and several caracara species are expanding their ranges into more urban centers. Caracaras live exclusively in the Americas. Of the nine living species, only the Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) reaches the United States. The rest range throughout parts of Central and South America, where they fill the niche usually held by crows and ravens in North America. Caracaras are scrappy, plotting, and adaptable. They are scavengers, and therefore suffer from an arguably undeserved negative reputation, which results in human persecution and likely limits them from appearing in conservation discourse. To establish an understanding of caracara research to date, Morrison and Saggese conducted a thorough literature review on all the research published on caracaras between 1900 and 2022. They categorized their findings by research topic and species, offering a revised picture of what we know (and don't know), about these birds. The species most studied were those with broad ranges and significant overlap with humans, such as the Crested and Chimango (Milvago chimango) Caracaras. In fact, 82% of the sources identified focused on the Crested Caracara. The least studied species were the forest-dwelling Black Caracara (Daptrius ater) and Red-throated Caracara (Ibycter americanus). Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and the U.S. have conducted most of the studies on caracaras thus far. Overall, foundational gaps still exist in basic life history information for many species, even though the tools exist to conduct such projects. It is the interest and funding that are lacking. A juvenile Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango) perching on a roof top in Mar del Plata city, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Credit: Franco Bogel These findings are important because caracaras face a disproportionately high number of threats compared with other birds due to their life history, ecology, and reputation. Dangers include entanglement, poisoning, leg-hold traps, and unfortunately, direct human persecution. As top predators and scavengers, caracaras are agents of prey regulation and biomass removal, which are important ecosystem services. Recent population crashes of Old World vultures have made it undeniably clear that without vultures, rotting flesh and disease remain on the landscape for longer periods of time, which impacts both human and ecosystem health. Little was known about vultures at the time of these crashes. Few were interested in them. Sound familiar? The Old World vulture crashes demonstrate the importance of scavengers, and the unpredictable danger of knowledge gaps. Morrison and Saggese encourage collaboration between vulture and caracara biologists to bolster collective knowledge and prevent similar consequences from occurring in the Americas. Morrison says, "If we have a similar message, that these birds are interesting, we can work towards eliminating the persecution and negative reputation," and she says now is the time for increased research efforts. "There are new advances in technology making research on rare and remote species more possible. There has simply not been enough attention given to this group and we argue there should be." Saggese points out that ignorance has already led to the disappearance of one caracara species, and as such, "we need to start looking at them as a group." The Guadalupe Caracara (Caracara lutosa), endemic to Guadalupe Island, was intentionally eradicated by goat herders in the 1890s. Limited understanding and misperceptions often result in such undeserved hostility towards scavengers, something that more research can help prevent. Human-caracara conflicts (both real and perceived) are likely to increase given their expansion into areas inhabited by humans, so understanding the causal effects of these interactions is a timely priority. An adult Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) eating road kill (A European Hare hit by a car) along a highway near Calafate, Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Credit: Miguel D. Saggese Nestling Crested Caracaras (Caracara plancus) in southern Patagonia, Santa Cruz province, Argentina. There this species nest in native shrubs, exotic trees and human-made structures. Credit: Miguel D. Saggese Moving forward, Morrison and Saggese recommend additional research on basic natural history, foraging ecology, and evolutionary biologyspecifically on the evolution of cognition in caracaras given their puzzle-solving abilities and use of play to investigate novel objects. Caracaras are ideal research subjects: brazen, social, easily intrigued, and big enough to fit with GPS transmitters. For up-and-coming conservation biologists, caracaras offer an untapped realm of research innovation, and an opportunity to aid in conserving a fascinating group of birds. As Saggese reminds us, "we cannot conserve what we don't know." More information: Joan L. Morrison et al, Assessing Knowledge of the Caracaras: Compiling Information, Identifying Knowledge Gaps, and Recommendations for Future Research, Journal of Raptor Research (2024). DOI: 10.3356/JRR-23-39 Provided by Raptor Research Foundation This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Companies tend not to clamor for more regulatory oversight, as a general rule. One remarkable exception would be the relatively small group of companies that voluntarily file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Although not required to file due to their small size or private ownership, these companies do so willingly, at considerable time and expense. About 1,600 companies have made this choice since 2006, when the SEC introduced mandatory disclosure of voluntary-filer status. Bret Johnson, associate professor of accounting at the Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University, explains, "Voluntary filing seems to be a very transitory status. Generally, we see companies that are preparing to become a mandatory filer, or that are delisted temporarily but are hoping to get back into the public markets again." Johnson's paper, in Accounting Horizons (where he also serves as an editorial review board member), looks at how the SEC handles the added responsibility of reviewing voluntary filings. Given limited resources, the SEC's mandate to prevent investor harm could theoretically result in the agency overlooking volunteers, because they are less economically impactful on the whole. (The paper was co-authored by Richard A. Cazier of the University of North Texas.) With a focus on voluntary filers between 2006 and 2021, the paper dives into the SEC's monitoring process and explores the reasons behind companies' voluntary SEC filing decision. The evidence suggests a lower likelihood of SEC review for voluntary filers, on average. However, financial statements and related disclosures are reviewed just as frequently for voluntary filers as for mandatory filers, and if a comment letter is ultimately issued, the resolution process is similarly rigorous for both groups. Johnson states that, "The voluntary SEC filers are less likely to get a comment letter overall, which implies a lower level of scrutiny. But when we split on different types of scrutiny, we did not find a significantly different level of scrutiny for the voluntary filers within that category." When it came to comment letters specifically related to Regulation S-X issuesin other words, the audited portion of the filings, including financial statements and associated disclosuresthere was no notable difference in frequency between voluntary and mandated filers. Therefore, in Johnson's view the SEC's approach to voluntary filers is "very tailored or customized to focus on what are arguably the most important parts of those filings". Despite this targeted oversight, voluntary filers had roughly the same level of subsequent restatement risk as the mandated cohort. This suggests that for voluntary filers, less comprehensive oversight did not equate to lower reporting quality. The researchers also hypothesized that voluntary filers were motivated by a desire to boost investor confidence by "bonding" to a stronger regulator. Their hunch was confirmed by the finding that companies with a weaker native regulatory environment, such as those headquartered in foreign countries with less investor protections or U.S. states with looser merit review, were more likely to be voluntary filers than an otherwise comparable subset of companies. In addition to bonding, Johnson speculates that voluntary filers may benefit from SEC guidance, as they prepare to assume or reassume mandated-filer status. He says many of them tend to be "messy filers," meaning that, "they have a lot of potential problems, a lot of issues with their accounting, their disclosure, they don't have sophisticated internal processes because they're small on average." These smaller companies rely on the SEC staff when they have these issues. Johnson states that they sometimes have to "hold their hand" since "the disclosure requirements are complex, there's a lot of SEC specific regulations that don't apply to other private companies so it's a learning curve to a lot of these smaller companies." From the SEC's point of view, applying strategic scrutiny to voluntary filers helps fulfill the agency's societal mandate. As Johnson says, "The SEC feels compelled to dedicate some resources to the oversight of voluntary filers even if the number of investors is smaller on average compared to a mandatory filer." "The SEC cares about the little people just as they do the big, more sophisticated, institutional investors that can take care of themselves." More information: Richard A. Cazier et al, Regulatory Oversight of Voluntary SEC Filers, Accounting Horizons (2024). DOI: 10.2308/HORIZONS-2023-124 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain In the fast-paced world of modern business, technology plays a crucial role in shaping how companies operate. One area where this impact is particularly significant is in the organization of production chainsspecifically the way goods are made and distributed. A new study from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business advances understanding of the U.S. production chain evolution amidst technological progress in information technology (IT), shedding light on the complex connections between business IT investments and organizational design. Advances in IT have sparked significant changes in how companies design their production processes. In the paper "Production Chain Organization in the Digital Age: Information Technology Use and Vertical Integration in U.S. Manufacturing," which published April 30 in Management Science, Chris Forman, the Peter and Stephanie Nolan Professor in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and his co-author delved into what these changes mean for businesses and consumers. In running a manufacturing plant, a key decision is how much of the production process is handled in-house and how much is outsourced to other companies. This decision, known as vertical integration, can have big implications for a business. Advances in information and communication technology, such as those brought about by the internet, shifted the network of production flows for many firms. Forman and Kristina McElheran, assistant professor of strategic management at University of Toronto, analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data of over 5,600 manufacturing plants to see how the production chains of businesses were affected by the internet revolution. Their use of census data allowed them to look inside the relationships among production units within and between companies and how transaction flows changed after companies invested in internet-enabled technology that facilitated coordination between them. The production units of many of the companies in their study concurrently sold to internal and external customers, a mix they refer to as plural selling. They found that the reduction in communication costs enabled by the internet shifted the mix toward more sales outside of the firm, or less vertical integration. "The internet has made it cheaper and faster for companies to communicate and share information with each other. This means they can work together more efficiently without the need for as much vertical integration," said Forman. While some might worry that relying on external partners could make businesses more vulnerable, the research suggests otherwise. In fact, companies that were already using a plural governance approach before the internet age seem to be the most adaptable to these changes. Production units that were capacity-constrained were also among those that made the most significant changes to transaction flows after new technology investments. "Technology is continuing to reshape the way companies operate and are organized," Forman said. "More recently, changes in the use of analytics in companies have been accompanied by changes in organizations, and the same is very likely ongoing with newer investments in artificial intelligence." The research highlights the importance of staying ahead of the curve in technology. Companies that embrace digital technologies now are likely to be the ones that thrive in the future. And while there are still many unanswered questions about how these changes will play out, one thing is clear: The relationship between technology and business is only going to become more and more intertwined in the future. More information: Chris Forman et al, Production Chain Organization in the Digital Age: Information Technology Use and Vertical Integration in U.S. Manufacturing, Management Science (2024). DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2019.01586 Journal information: Management Science 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: Carbon emissions linked to fires each year in the month of May since 2003, in Canada and British Columbia. Rain and cooler weather have halted the advance of a huge wildfire threatening the Canadian city of Fort McMurray in a major oil-producing region, officials said Thursday. There was no immediate threat to oil sands mines but production of more than 2 million barrels per day could be in jeopardy if the situation worsens. Meanwhile, greenhouse emissions from the fires across Western Canada have hit a new high. Alberta Wildfire spokeswoman Josee St-Onge told a news conference a fire southwest of Fort McMurray was still considered out of control, after scorching almost 21,000 hectares (52,000 acres) of forest. But it has not gotten any closer to the city since Wednesday when it was 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) away. "The wildfire was much less active thanks to cooler temperature and reduced winds," St-Onge said, "providing a good window for firefighters to make progress" battling the blaze. Of course, she added, the threat has not dissipated. "It will take time and hard work to put out a wildfire of this size," possibly months, she said. A smokey haze continued to linger over the city on Thursday. Storm clouds rolled in, further darkening the skies as streets remained mostly empty. "The next few days will be very important," mayor Sandy Bowman said. This handout image courtesy of Kosar shows smoke and flames from the fire near Fort McMurray, Canada on May 14. If all goes well, more than 6,000 residents who were ordered evacuated last weekend may be allowed to return home as early as next Tuesday. Rystad Energy said in a research note that oil companies including Suncor, Canadian Natural Resources and Syncrude have not yet indicated any impact to their operations near Fort McMurray. But it estimated that output of more than 2.1 million barrels per day "could be at risk should conditions materially worsen." Some, such as Imperial Oil, told AFP this week they have reduced staffing to essential levels. In Manitoba, where 550 people remained under evacuation orders, federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan announced Can$256 million over five years for new equipment to fight wildland fires across Canada. "We live in new reality today," he said. "While wildfires have always occurred across Canada, what is new is their frequency and their intensity." This handout image released by BC Wildfire Service shows smoke columns from the Truax Creek wildfire on May 12. According to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, an early start to the wildfire season saw record carbon emissions from fires of 15 megatonnes in the first two weeks of May. Emissions in British Columbia, where 123 fires are currently burning and 4,700 people remain under evacuation orders, have already surpassed twice the previous highest recorded in May 2023, it said in a statement. 2024 AFP TRENTON The state Department of Community Affairs is open to discussing an extension of the state takeover of Atlantic City past 2026, and is working with another state agency and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to help fund improvements to public housing in the resort, its acting commissioner said Thursday. In response to questions from state Sen. Vince Polistina, R-Atlantic, Jacquelyn Suarez also said her department is open to discussing future changes in how the city is funded. The questioning happened during a Judiciary Committee hearing in which her nomination to be DCA commissioner passed. Her nomination is expected to be voted on in the full state Senate on Monday. Some residents of the Atlantic City Housing Authority's 420-unit Stanley Holmes Village have been living without reliable heat and hot water for two years, Polistina said. He asked Suarez what the DCA can do to help. "HUD has told us to stay out of it, that we have no oversight or purview of the Housing Authority, and I respect that," Suarez, of Sea Girt, Monmouth County, said in response to questions by Polistina. "However, I'm not comfortable to have folks living in Atlantic City in conditions I wouldn't want anybody from my family living in." Suarez said she is working with DCA Assistant Commissioner Janelle Winter, Executive Director of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency Melanie Walter and HUD to find ways to assist. "We have been sitting down (and) conversing about ... how we can overlay resources to come up with a solution to move residents forward," Suarez said. She and Walter also have been discussing ways the mortgage finance agency can help rehab some of the Housing Authority's properties, Suarez said. Gov. Phil Murphy named Suarez, also director of the Division of Local Government Services, acting commissioner after the death last year of DCA Commissioner Sheila Oliver, who also was the lieutenant governor. The DCA oversees the state takeover of Atlantic City under the Municipal Stabilization and Revitalization Act of 2016 and 2022. Moody's recently upgraded the city's bond rating one notch, Suarez said, citing the state's oversight through MSRA and the continuation of the casino payment-in-lieu-of-taxes plan, which guarantees a consistent funding stream. Both are due to sunset in 18 months, or be renewed. "Moody's also said if it was clear they would continue beyond 2026 the city would have seen a two-tier increase as opposed to one," Suarez said. Investment Alternative Tax revenues that used to go to the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority have gone to the city for years to pay down debt, and that has stabilized finances, Polistina said. "That should be ending in about 18 months," he said. Suarez said she is open to talking about the future of IAT use as well. Murphy taps Suarez to lead Department of Community Affairs A central figure in New Jersey's oversight of Atlantic City will serve as the new commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs, Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday. The Legislature first passed MSRA in 2016 because the city was facing bankruptcy. "MSRA was absolutely necessary for fiscal stability ... in tandem with the PILOT of 2017. They are inextricably intertwined," Suarez said. After a brief stint as Interim Chief of Police, Tim McCloud has been selected for the permanent position. According to a news release, McCloud will be sworn in during the Rock Island City Council meeting on Monday, May 20, pending approval by the council members. He was selected for the permanent position by City Manager Todd Thompson. Tim McCloud will serve as a strong and reliable chief of police for the City of Rock Island, Thompson said in the release. He brings three decades of experience, integrity, vision and collaboration to the job. His approach to community policing and leadership will serve the department and community well. McCloud holds a masters degree in law enforcement and justice administration from Western Illinois University. He is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy and obtained certification through the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police in 2020. He joined the department in 1994 and was appointed deputy chief of police in 2021. He moved to the interim chief position on April 26, following the retirement of Richard Landi. I consider it to be the highest honor and privilege of my career to be serving as your chief of police, McCloud said in the release. I look forward to strengthening our partnership with the members of this great community to help make Rock Island the safest its ever been. Rock Island Police Chief Richard Landi retires A federal jury on Thursday convicted five members of a Rock Island-based criminal organization of racketeering after a two-week trial in U.S. District Court, Davenport. Don Christopher White Jr., 38; Raheem Jacques Houston, 31; Deaguise Ramont Hall, 34; Devell Carl Lewis, 36; and Simmeon Terrell Hall, 35, were found guilty of one count each of racketeering conspiracy. Houston also was convicted of being a felon in possession of firearms, while White was convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition. Deaguise Hall and Simmeon Hall were each also convicted of distributing cocaine base, commonly known as crack. Sentencing for each of the men will be scheduled at a later date. According to the indictment, the men also were engaged in a shooting incident at Neckers Jewelers and the ambush of three Davenport police officers on May 31 and June 1 of 2020 during the riots in Davenport. According to court documents, the men charged are members and associates of a criminal organization known as the Arsenal Courts Posse, Zone Fifth, Fifth Street Mafia, Rock Town Money Getters and Money Team. These are the first of 14 people charged in the enterprise to go to trial. The indictments against each of the members accuses the 14 of conspiring to engage in what federal authorities said was a yearslong pattern of violence including murder, attempted murder, robbery and drug trafficking. The Arsenal Courts reference is to the apartment complex in Rock Island where the enterprise started in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At that time, members and associates of the enterprise referred to themselves as the Arsenal Courts Posse. According to federal authorities, Arsenal Courts is where the organizations members lived or frequented. Between 2009 and 2011, the younger members and associates began referring to themselves as the Zone Fifth, or Fifth Street Mafia. The indictment alleges that the objective of the enterprise was to distribute illicit drugs, obtain money and things of value, and earn and maintain respect in the Quad-Cities. To those ends, the indictment alleges the members committed murder and robbery, trafficked in illicit drugs and threatened others with violence. The shooting incident at Neckers Jewelers occurred at 12:13 a.m. June 1, 2020. Officers responded to a report of shots fired at 4007 E. 53rd St. Numerous casings of several different calibers were recovered. Shortly afterward a gunshot victim arrived at UnityPoint Health-Trinity Bettendorf. The victim was struck multiple times in the legs and was taken to University Hospitals, Iowa City, with serious injuries. A handgun was recovered from the vehicle in which the victim went to the hospital. A magazine for the gun was found at the scene at 4007 E. 53rd St. Surveillance video at the scene showed multiple people approaching the business, one of them carrying a brick. Some of the people can be identified in the video. The video recorded other cars arriving and the people walking away from the business. There was an exchange of gunfire. Several people involved in the shooting can be identified from the video. After the shots were fired, they ran to the vehicles and fled the scene. At 2:55 a.m., June 1, 2020, officers responded to the area of 1400 Myrtle to investigate a suspicious vehicle. Three officers were in an unmarked pickup police vehicle that was in the alley when about 13 shots were fired at their vehicle. The officer driving the vehicle was struck twice, with one shot striking his holstered gun and another shot hitting him in the leg. Other rounds struck the headrest behind the officers head. An officer returned fire, and the suspects got into a vehicle and drove off. The wounded officer was taken to the hospital while other squads pursued the suspect vehicle. During the pursuit a handgun was thrown from the suspect vehicle, which eventually crashed in the 1900 block of Mound Street. Seven firearms, plus ammunition and magazines, were seized from the vehicle. Arrested from that vehicle were White, Houston, Deaguise Hall, and Lewis, as well as Lashawn D. James Hensley, 31, aka Lil Shawn, of Rock Island, and Michael Linn Cross, 31, aka Mikey, of Davenport. White, Cross and Deaguise Hall were identified as being at the shooting outside Neckers Jewelers. Back at the scene of the ambush, police located the body of Marquis M. Tousant, 23, of Rock Island, who was killed in the gunfire by a police officer. Underneath his body, police found a semi-automatic handgun and around his body were multiple shell casings. Tousant also can be seen on video with a gun at the shooting outside Neckers Jewelers. The other nine men awaiting trial on racketeering and other charges in the case are Rasheem Damonte Bogan, 32; Ricky Lee Childs Jr., 39; Timothy Justin Beaver, 29; Devante Atwell French, 31; Kylea Dapri Cartwright Jr., 27; Cortez Deangelo Cooper Jr., 30; as well as Hensley and Cross. Another man involved in the case, Brandon DeShane Branigan, 33, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 11 in U.S. District Court, Davenport. Last year, Bogan, Houston, Lewis and Cooper were among six men sentenced to federal prison after being convicted in an Illinois Quad-City crack cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Bogan was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, while Houston received a prison sentence of 10 years, Lewis received a prison sentence of 10 years and six months, and Cooper was sentenced to 10 years and five months. Also sentenced in that case were Christopher William Pullman, 35, who received a 15-year prison sentence, and Brandon Jerome Pullman, 33, who received a 10-year prison sentence. DES MOINES Cheered on by students at the Horizon Science Academy in Des Moines, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law directing more funding to charter schools and announced a new grant program for the schools on Friday. Charter schools are publicly funded, do not charge tuition and have many of the same regulations as public schools, but they are independent of their local school districts. Charter schools can set enrollment caps and obtain waivers to avoid certain requirements of public schools, and they often focus on specific subject areas, like science or arts. Charter schools provide another school choice for parents and guardians looking for the education that is best suited for their childrens abilities and needs, Reynolds said during a ceremony at the Des Moines charter school. ... Twenty-two of the nations top 100 public high schools are charters. But today, Iowa has just five public charter schools which serve less than 500 students in the state. Reynolds said the new law, along with a $7 million grant program for charter school infrastructure, will broaden opportunities for charter schools in the state. Under the new law, Senate File 2368, categorical funding for professional development and early intervention costs will follow students to their charter school. Currently, those funds stay with their district of residence. The law also states that public school districts that sell property must sell it to an educational institution like a charter school, private school, public university or community college if that institution is the highest bidder The public schools cannot restrict the sale of the property to another educational institution. The law allows students who attend online charter schools to participate in extracurricular activities in their district of residence, and allows the district to charge up to a $200 fee. It also allows charter schools to enter into agreements with school districts to offer activities that the charter school does not offer. In addition to the new law, Reynolds announced on Friday she would direct $7 million in federal dollars from the 2021 American Rescue Plan to provide grants for charter school infrastructure projects. The grant program will award up to $500,000 for new charter schools and up to $200,000 for existing charter schools. The application period opens June 3. Reynolds signed a law in 2021 that revamped the charter school approval process, allowing schools to apply to the state Board of Education rather than the local school district. There were two charter schools in Iowa before that law, and three more have opened since, including Horizon Science Academy. Reynolds said eight groups applied to open charter schools in Iowa this year, and two plan to open in August. Horizon Science Academy is nearing the end of its first year of instruction. The school offers instruction for grades K-3, and starting next year it will add fourth grade and pre-school. Christine Hensley, the chair of the Horizon Science Academy governing board, said students test scores have improved dramatically in the last year at the school. Laura Cannon, the principal at Horizon, said the small class sizes and charter structure allows the school to do things differently than public schools. She said the new funding will allow the school to access more instructional support. Being part of this experience is so amazing because we can kind of navigate and do things a little bit differently than public schools, she said. Parents are super supportive and really weigh in on their students' education. I'm out front every single day, greeting parents, and so it really is building that true community partnership. The bill was approved with only Republican votes in this years legislative session. Democratic Rep. Sue Cahill said during debate in April that she worried the bill would create winners and losers by prioritizing charter schools over public schools. She also said the bill would require school districts to sell property to a direct competitor, if that competitor offered the highest bid on a property. Were taking away the authority of our communities to make decisions about the needs of their own communities, she said. The taxpayers of our school districts have entrusted us to protect their interests. This division takes away the voice of the taxpayers in a school district. Districts where student-teacher ratios are still behind pre-pandemic levels Districts where student-teacher ratios are still behind pre-pandemic levels Low salaries, lack of support keep potential teachers away Districts with high instances of poverty continue to bear the brunt of understaffing Citizens and employers who engage with the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission are often navigating challenging circumstances. Thats why the commission operates under a set of core values that encourages its employees to work under the highest standards of quality and compassion, according to Evelyn McGill, executive director of VWC. The state agencys mission is to assist injured workers, victims of crimes and employers by getting them the assistance, protection and compensation that they are afforded by the Virginia Workers Compensation Act. We want our core values to be front and center in how we serve each other internally and how we serve the public, McGill said. This year, VWC returns to the list of Top Workplaces for the fourth consecutive year, its second in the top spot for midsize organizations. McGill said that the leadership team has tried to create a culture where everyone feels like a valued participant. She and her colleagues have a shared vision to be a national leader as Virginias most effective and innovative state agency. Staffers often use the hashtag #WeWorkAsOne when communicating to underscore the importance of partnership and community spirit, values that help them accomplish important work with their combined efforts. This reaffirms for employees a sense of purpose and worth. If they feel that they can reach their true potential, they will enjoy their career experience and invest their talent in the work that they perform, McGill said. Part of creating a workplace where employees feel valued and included is listening, according to McGill. I make a lot of decisions every day and I dont have all the answers, McGill said. As decision makers, we want to make the best decisions and we have to be willing to listen to different views. McGill said that she welcomes those other perspectives, even when theyre at odds with how she is approaching a topic. She believes that this sends a message that all employees views are important, that leadership is willing to listen and that everyones input helps make better decisions. Serving others is at the heart of VWCs mission, and this humanitarianism transcends the interactions with people and employers that seek their help. Agency employees also give generously to causes such as the American Cancer Societys Relay for Life and Feed Mores canned food drive, among others. They have also participated in card drives to offer best wishes to those suffering from breast cancer and sickle cell anemia. As human beings, we recognize the importance of helping those in need, McGill said. Although VWC has consistently demonstrated that its efforts are earning accolades, McGill cautions that now is no time to be complacent. We are public servants, and we are here to make a difference, she said. Yes, weve won many awards but there is much more work to be done. KILL DEVIL HILLS Jack McCombs grew up near Wawas original dairy farm in Pennsylvania and remembers his dad shouting Waaaa waaa in a singsong voice every time they passed the sign. Those were the days of home milk delivery, and McCombs recalls bottles of fresh milk at his house, frozen on top during winter days. Being 6 years old at the time, those things stick out in my mind, he said. McCombs, now an Outer Banks resident, was on hand for a community preview Wednesday, a day ahead of Wawa opening its first store in North Carolina at 1900 N. Croatan Highway. He said he was shocked when he returned from the Vietnam War and saw the Wawa dairy in Folsom, Pennsylvania, had become a Wawa Food Market. Today, the family- and employee-owned Wawa chain operates 1,050 stores in seven states and in Washington. The closest store to the Outer Banks was in Chesapeake. The Kill Devil Hills Wawa, at the corner of Fourth Street and U.S. 158, begins a 10-year expansion into North Carolina that will include 90 stores across the state. By the end of 2024, Wawa will have 10 stores in Kill Devil Hills, Rocky Mount, Elizabeth City, Greenville, Wilson, Goldsboro and Lumberton, said Jay Ratcliffe, the companys area manager for northeastern North Carolina. Next year, Wawa plans to open 11 stores in additional counties, including Robeson, Pitt, Cumberland, Onslow, Johnston, Pender, Nash, Brunswick and New Hanover. Over the next eight to 10 years, Wawa plans to build and open six to eight stores per year reaching a total of 90 in the state. Wawa will invest more than $7 million per store and employ, on average, 140 contractors, the company said in a news release. Its an aggressive build plan, Ratcliffe said. Once open, each store will employ an average of 35 associates with Wawa expecting to create more than 3,000 long-term jobs in North Carolina. Wawa chose the Outer Banks for the first North Carolina store because of its proximity to Virginia, as well as the local sense of community, said Kim Dowgielewicz, director of store operations. The 6,000-square-foot store has eight gas pumps, 52 parking spaces and two underground tanks. It is set to open at 8 a.m. Thursday with free shirts for the first 250 customers, a hoagie building contest between local first responders and charities and a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. The chain got its name from the town where it opened its first dairy operation Wawa, Pennsylvania in 1902. Wawa is said to be a Native American word for Canada goose, and company officials played on that connection for the new store about a mile from the Wright Brothers National Memorial, where Wilbur and Orville made their famous first flight. A Spotsylvania County elementary school teacher was arrested Thursday after suspected illegal drugs were found in her classroom, police said. Candyce Leigh Carter, 35, a second-grade teacher at Spotswood Elementary School, is charged with possession of illegal drugs, felony child endangerment and felony child neglect. Sheriffs Maj. Troy Skebo said a school resource officer noticed that Carter appeared to be under the influence of drugs on Thursday. A search of her classroom later turned up a white powdery substance. None of her students appeared to have been exposed to the substance, Skebo said, but were checked by medical personnel out of an abundance of caution. The classroom was professionally cleaned after the discovery. Meanwhile, Carters husband was found in a vehicle in the school parking lot with a 2-year-old child. Kristopher Donald Carter, 34, appeared to be under the influence of narcotics and required medical attention, Skebo said. Kristopher Carter was charged with felony child endangerment and placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail under a $5,000 bond. His wife was jailed under no bond. It was at least the second time this month that an elementary school employee in Spotsylvania was arrested in an incident at a school. Gloria Joan Jackson, 73, a behavior interventionist at Cedar Forest Elementary School, is charged with misdemeanor assault and battery after an allegation that she assaulted a child at the school. Skebo said the case is still under investigation and he is unable to release more details at this point. Which states have the worst substance abuse problems? Which states have the worst substance abuse problems? Drug deaths are rising Fentanyl's damage has been widespread Which states have the worst substance abuse problems? Gov. Glenn Youngkin is trying to quell a furor among Virginia military families by creating a task force to address budget changes that he originally advocated to a state program. The program pays for tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for family of military service members killed or severely disabled while on active duty. Youngkin issued an executive directive on Wednesday night to create the task force, three days after he signed a new two-year budget that would limit eligibility for the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program. The budget also commits state tax dollars to ease the financial burden on colleges and universities that have been paying for it. Youngkin said in Executive Directive Seven: Although the General Assemblys program eligibility changes are a good-faith effort to ensure the sustainability of (the program) for our military families, I have heard from General Assembly members from both sides of the aisle that some of these changes may result in unintended consequences. He wrote that he has also heard that the efforts to ensure the long-term health of the program ... would greatly benefit from thorough public engagements with our veteran community, especially our Gold Star families (of service members killed in active duty). Families raise concerns Youngkin has also been hearing from those families. This week, some accused him of betraying his promise to make Virginia the countrys most veteran friendly state by backing off a commitment to paying the cost of higher education for the survivors and dependents of service members killed, taken prisoner or suffering a disability of 90% to 100% while on active duty. Whatever credibility the governor had in terms of fulfilling his commitment to making Virginia the most veteran friendly state in the country was effectively crushed, said the Friends of VMSDEP the Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program in a statement. It came in response to the governor immediately signing the new budget after lawmakers passed it Monday during a special session. The directive does not allay the families concerns. We are not satisfied that could be the bottom line, said Caitlin Goodale-Porter, a disabled former U.S. Army and Coast Guard officer who lives in Stafford County. The military families that depend on the program want the governor and legislature to strike the budget language that limits eligibility for benefits they say they have earned. It is an earned benefit and we take great pride in that as veterans, Goodale-Porter said. In issuing the directive on Wednesday, Youngkin noted that the legislature had rejected an amendment he had offered to the budget it adopted in March that would have created a work group to study the benefits, costs and future of the program, first established in 1996. Limit to undergraduate degrees But the new eligibility standards - among them, limiting participation to four-year undergraduate degrees and making the state the "last dollar" source of help after federal financial aid programs - were part of Senate Bill 347, which Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Orange, said he introduced at Youngkin's request before he realized the scope of the proposed changes. Reeves, chairman of the assemblys Military Advisory Council, said he then persuaded the Senate to change the bill to a study of how to ensure the programs long-term viability. The Senate voted unanimously to adopt the revised legislation, which then died in the House Appropriations Committee. The proposed changes remained in the budget compromise that the assembly adopted and the governor signed on Monday. Reeves and three other members of the Senate noted their objections in a limited debate before passing the spending plan on a 39-1 vote. When we make a promise to the people of Virginia ... we have to stand by that promise, said Reeves, who contended that the changes to eligibility would almost make (the program) useless. The budget includes $40 million for the program over two years to partly offset the cost of waiving tuition and fees at state colleges and universities. The appropriation marks the first time that the state has provided direct aid for the programs costs. The budget also includes more than $19 million to pay for annual stipends of up to $2,200 per year to offset the cost of room and board, books and other supplies. Programs costs rise Youngkin, in his directive, said participation in the program has grown from 1,385 students five years ago to 6,107 students in the last school year. Program costs have risen from $11.9 million to $64.8 million, with projections to reach $180 million in the 2025-26 school year. The cost of the VMSDEP waivers has historically been borne by our state-supported institutions of higher education, the directive states. This expense is mitigated by increasing tuition and fees for tuition-paying students. But supporters of the program challenge the projections for future participation and costs. They say the new guidelines are unworkable because of conflicts between the program and federal programs for student aid and educational assistance for veteran dependents. This program is not a handout, Reeves told the Senate. Its not something to be taken lightly. Its something thats been sacrificed for, in blood and bodily capabilities. But the program has grown in ways that Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, said he had not intended. In 2019, McPike sponsored legislation with Del. Luke Torian, D-Prince William, now chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, to expand eligibility to the spouse or child of a veteran with at least a 90 percent permanent, service-related disability. Previously, those benefits were available only if a veteran was disabled in combat, an act of terrorism or a peacekeeping mission. McPike said he never intended the program to pay for medical school or other post-graduate studies. Our idea was to make sure the undergraduate opportunities are made for all Virginians and veteran families who have served, he said. So I do think there are probably some curbing and reforms to make sure these resources are available to every Virginia veteran family as our budget constraints tighten, he said. Sen. Tara Durant, R-Stafford, said that does not excuse how the changes were made, without going through formal committee review and public comment. Families really feel blindsided, Durant said. Goodale-Porter, speaking for the families, agreed. Legislating through the budget is not legislating, she said. Its being asleep at the wheel. Photos: Gov. Glenn Youngkin is keynote speaker at VMI's 2023 graduation 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-01 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-02 France 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-05.JPG 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-06 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-07 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-08 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-09 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-10 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-11 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-13 051723-rtd-met-vmi2 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-17 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-20 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-23 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-25 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-27 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-28 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-29 051723-roa-news-vmigrad-30 Truck crushed by concrete pole: Riviera Maya driver killed in single vehicle crash Riviera Maya, Q.R. The driver of a private pickup truck was killed early Thursday morning when his vehicle was crushed by a pole. Highway motorists who saw the man speeding along the road said he suddenly lost control of his truck and hit the highway median. It was shortly before 6:00 a.m. when Riviera Maya drivers reported the single-vehicle accident to emergency services. At the scene, police and paramedics found the driver, the sole occupant of the truck, dead behind the wheel. A crane was brought in to remove the heavy post from the truck. Photo: May 16, 2024. The driver was traveling the Riviera Maya highway toward Playa del Carmen when he hit the concrete median from where he slammed into a palm tree and concrete CFE pole. While the palm tree snapped and fell to the ground, the broken concrete post landed on the truck, crushing the cab. A concrete post landed on the truck, killing the driver. Photo: May 16, 2024. National Guard Highways were at the scene to direct traffic around the accident site. A crane was brought in to remove and upright the heavy concrete pole from off the truck. The driver has not been identified. The Roanoke Police Department and the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia reached a settlement agreement this month in a lawsuit related to an immigrants visa situation. The female immigrant made no request for monetary compensation in her filing, the ACLU-VA confirmed Friday. Instead, in accordance with the settlement agreement that was reached May 8 according to online court records, the ACLU-VA said the police department has agreed to recertify the womans U visa a form of immigration relief for noncitizen survivors of violent crimes or human trafficking. When people harmed by qualifying criminal activity cooperate with law enforcement agencies to investigate that crime, the U visa provides them with a pathway to citizenship, according to ACLU-VA news release. The police department has also agreed to adopt a U visa certification policy that ensures the department responds to all requests for certifications in a consistent manner, according to the release. Immigrant survivors of crime have rights in Virginia, ACLU-VA Immigrants Rights Attorney Sophia Gregg said. Police departments should not arbitrarily refuse to issue U visa certifications, and thanks to todays settlement, immigrants in Roanoke will finally get what the law promises them. In 2012, the female immigrant, identified only as Jane Doe in the sealed lawsuit, helped Roanoke police investigate and prosecute her partner, who had physically abused her, the ACLU-VA said. When that case was over, the department provided her with a U visa certification. When the woman became eligible to adjust her status to become a lawful, permanent resident, she was required to obtain a recertification of her U visa from the police department. But the department didnt respond to her request, because, the ACLU-VA said, the department claimed state and federal law did not require it to do so. That was false, as in 2021, the Virginia General Assembly enacted a law requiring local law enforcement agencies to respond to U visa certification requests by either certifying or denying them with a written explanation for why the applicant does not qualify, Fridays news release reads. The law additionally established a timeline by which agencies must respond, and it requires that every agency publish the procedures by which they will do so. The Roanoke Police Departments new policy, plus explanatory videos in English and Spanish, is published on the citys website. The ACLU-VA said the settlement in Roanokes case will not only effect Jane Doe, but all U visa applicants in the city. Virginia is home to 1.1 million immigrants who suffer harm from a crime at rate of approximately 9.2 out of 1,000, Fridays release concluded. Congress created the U visa specifically to protect people whose immigration status made them reluctant to come forward for assistance from law enforcement. Brian Schwenk received a degree in psychology from Roanoke College last week. In a few months, hell be going to the Dominican Republic, where hell spend just over two years teaching with the Peace Corps. Outreach is nothing new for Schwenk. During his time at Roanoke College, he founded a food donation program called Pass On Hunger, where students could use their unused meals on the university meal plan to help feed the homeless. On meal plans, students would have to pay for 19 meals a week. They cant choose to pay for less, and they generally only use maybe 11 of those meals, Schwenk said. So I thought it would be good to donate those meals that the students dont use. The program started small, with Schwenk approaching people in the dining hall himself, asking if they were willing to donate meals. Hed then pick up the food and deliver it to the Rescue Mission of Roanoke. Eventually, Schwenk worked with the university to create a more stable system for the donations, where the unused meals could be exchanged for money, and used to buy ingredients that could be delivered to the shelter instead. While Schwenk didnt start doing major outreach until college, he said it was always in his character to try to help people. This is my most public sort of outreach Ive done, but Ive always held these values, Schwenk said. Ive always been the type of person where, if I see an opportunity to make an improvement in the world around me, I work to do it. Schwenk has also worked with Blue Ridge Literacy in the past, teaching English to immigrants from several countries, experience that will help prepare him for his work in the Dominican Republic. A lot of the people I taught there had never learned to read, even in their own language, Schwenk said. So this was their first time learning to read at all. This will be the first time Schwenk will teach children. In his experience, to teach anyone to read, and to create interest in continued reading, its best to have a light touch. I find the best way to do it is not even trying, Schwenk said. Once you teach people the basics, and let them guide themselves, they become interested in reading by themselves. His ultimate goal, beyond teaching, is to put together a library while hes working with the Peace Corps, to increase access to books, and keep promoting literacy. What draws Schwenk to outreach and the reason he chose psychology as his major are the same, he said. Growing up on a farm in Floyd County, he met a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds and cultures who worked the land. From that, he developed an interest in people that brought him to the Peace Corps. I really like people, Schwenk said. Ive met a lot of people from different places who are very interesting and who have taught me a lot. The Roanoke Times In collaboration with the city of Roanoke, the non-profit PedalSafe ROA is now hosting the 2024 Roanoke Ride of Silence on Tuesday, May 21, at 7 p.m., according to the organization. The event was rescheduled after inclement weather on Wednesday. The Ride of Silence is held in May- National Bike Month- each year to show respect for and honor the lives of those who have been killed or injured riding bicycles on public roads and streets. Each year, people of all ages in hundreds of locations worldwide take to the roads in a silent procession. The Ride of Silence aims to raise awareness among motorists, police, and city officials that cyclists have a legal right to the public roadways and that safe roadway design extends to all users, not just motor vehicle users. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isnt aware of these rights or of cyclists themselves, according to a PedalSafe news release. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 1,100 cyclists were killed on American roads in 2022 the highest number since reporting began in 1975. In Virginia, just under 12 cyclists are killed each year on average. The Ride is a family friendly event that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph, wear helmets, follow the rules of the road, and remain silent during the ride. There are no registration fees and all are welcome to participate. The rescheduled Ride of Silence will start at Cardinal Bicycle and Cafe in Grandin Village on ride silently at 7 p.m. in a slow-paced five-mile ride through downtown Roanoke, returning back to Cardinal Bicycle Grandin. For more event information: pedalsaferoa.org. Afghanistan can no longer vote at the United Nations as a result of a dispute over $900,000 (710,000) in membership dues that have gone unpaid since the Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021. The Afghan delegation at the UN is a holdover from the Western-backed Ashraf Ghani administration which was toppled by the Taliban. The UN does not recognise the Taliban government in Kabul. This means the Afghan delegation cannot vote on General Assembly resolutions until the payment is made, or the UN accepts that the situation amounts to special circumstances. Speaking to The Independent, the Afghan delegations head Naseer Ahmad Faiq said he hoped the suspension of voting rights could be resolved without having to stump up the missing $900,000. It is a technical, and more so, a general rule for all member states, according to Article 19 of the UN Charter, that member states running behind on financial contributions to the organisation cannot vote in UNGA if the amount owed is equal to or more than the contributions for the previous two years, he said. If the delegation can explain that the non-payment of its dues is beyond its control because of the absence of a legitimate authority at home, and thus constitutes a special circumstance, the UN would refer the issue to its Committee on Contributions, which looks after expenses paid by member states. The committee is expected to meet next month and could make a decision on the restoration of the Afghan delegations voting rights by October, Mr Faiq said. If the committee decides in the delegations favour, its voting rights could be restored by the end of the year through a UN resolution. In the meantime, Mr Faiq said, Afghanistan can still participate, can still talk at the table. The Comoros, Ecuador, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, and Venezuela have also fallen behind on payment of their UN dues. But the Comoros, Ecuador and Somalia have explained their inability to pay and have thus been exempted from a suspension of their voting rights. The Afghan delegations explanations so far this year have been deemed inadequate by the UN, however. Afghanistan, like other UN member states, is required to contribute to the organisations annual budget. Kabuls dues are approximately $200,000 a year in membership fees as well as other small payments, and are supposed to be paid at the start of the year. The dues have gone unpaid since before the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The development comes at a time when the Taliban is desperate for international recognition of its regime in Kabul, and therefore begs the question could the Taliban get a seat at the UN table if they were the ones to make the outstanding payment? On balance, and based on the body of UN resolutions and repeated calls by member states for an inclusive government and respect for human rights, especially those of women and girls, it could be surmised that its because states do not consider the Emirate [the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Talibans name for the country] legitimate that they have rebuffed its attempts to be recognised and admitted to the United Nations, Thomas Ruttig, co-founder of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, said last December. On Friday, former vice president Amrullah Saleh offered to clear the unpaid dues to restore the Afghan delegations voting rights. The suspension of Afghanistans right to vote in the United Nations has nothing to do with not paying our countrys membership fee. If so I am ready, I will pay the past indebtedness and membership fee for the next three years, he said. Its not clear, however, if an individual like Mr Saleh would be allowed to settle a countrys dues. This article was amended on 22 May 2024. It originally stated that Afghanistan owed $9m in outstanding fees to the UN, but that was inaccurate. The correct figure is $900,000. SIOUX CITY A Sioux City man was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in federal prison on child pornography charges. In December, a jury in U.S. District Court in Sioux City found Anthony Tucker, 35, guilty of receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. After completing his prison sentence, Tucker will be on supervised release for five years. There is no parole in the federal system. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip in January 2022 from Google that accounts belonging to Tucker contained more than 90 images and three videos of child sexual abuse material. This is part of Sly as Fox, a short series about the perils of underestimating Fox News in 2024. It is always sort of heartwarming when a person fulfills their peak potential. Many of us never do so, after all, and instead spend our lives caught in the frustrating gap between ability and opportunity. When someone is able to bridge that gap and become their optimal self, it should count as cause for celebration. And so I am genuinely glad to see that former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is now doing the work that he was always meant to do: posting crackpot videos to the internet for an audience of angry loons. It presumably came as the shock of Carlsons life when, in April 2023, he was abruptly ousted from Fox News upon the sudden cancellation of his prime-time program there, Tucker Carlson Tonight. After all, Carlson was the unquestioned alpha of Foxs talent roster, and his show often rated as the most popular prime-time show in all of cable television. He used his platform for many interesting purposes: to applaud political strongmen, to whitewash the events of Jan. 6, and to propagate a series of dark ethnonationalist theories that echoed themes long sounded in the least reputable corners of the internet. His formula was Trumpism without Trump, as the New York Times put it in a long 2022 profile, and it worked very wellright up until the day when his bosses, for whatever reason, decided that they had had enough. While the justifications for his departure remain murky, the ramifications were as clear as day. Carlson was off the air, and because he was still under contract to Fox Newsthe contract reportedly runs through 2024he could not seek employment at another media outlet. Sidelined on the brink of a general-election campaign, facing sudden irrelevance upon the loss of his prominent platform, Carlson decided to follow in the footsteps of many deposed mainstream-media icons before him: He took his talents online. Advertisement Within weeks of leaving Fox News, Carlson announced that he would independently produce a version of his show for broadcast on Twitter, now X, a website that is not known for having shows. In the first episode, he pretty much picked up where he had left off on cable: carrying water for Vladimir Putin, sneering at mainstream-media groupthink, and calling Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, sweaty and rat-like, a comedian turned oligarch, a persecutor of Christians, a friend of BlackRock. Theres, uh, a lot to parse there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Twitter, Carlsons debut logged 114 million views within a week of its releasea number that seems much less impressive when you realize that a view only means that a logged-in user watched at least 2 seconds of a video with at least half of the video player visible on the users screen. This inaugural episode was met with a cease-and-desist letter from Fox News, and while Carlson neither ceased nor desisted, it ultimately didnt matter, because Tucker on Twitter did not sustain its initial momentum. Advertisement i have the declining Tucker Carlson on Twitter *video views* stats for you (# of times the video played for at least 0:02). Announcement: 28.9M Ep. 1: 26.7M Ep. 2: 13.9M Ep. 3: 22.1M Ep. 4: 10.2M Ep. 5: 6.4M Ep. 6: 8.5M Ep. 7: 5.5M Ep. 8: 3.8Mhttps://t.co/c29SLOQzGL Matt Binder (@MattBinder) July 7, 2023 Advertisement Carlson seemed to be learning the same hard lesson that many other would-be multiplatform demagogues have learned: The internet is already oversaturated with perfervid dog-whistling about shadowy globalist cabals. Carlsons VDARE-lite punditry was a novelty on mainstream cable television. On Twitter, though, he was just another wingnut with a webcam. But rather than reading the room and deciding to sit back and count his money while waiting for his Fox contract to expire, Carlson instead chose to double down on his online ventures. Advertisement In December 2023, with seed capital from an anti-woke venture capital firm and in collaboration with his college roommate and co-founder of the Daily Caller, Neil Patel, and the former executive producer of his Fox News show, Justin Wells, Carlson launched a website called the Tucker Carlson Network, or TCNnot to be confused with the cable network TCM, which also likes to present things in black and white. (On Wednesday, Semafor reported that Wells is leaving TCN.) Advertisement I spent much of this past week poking around on TCN, which is perhaps best understood as a streaming service meant for the sorts of people who thought Heather Heyer had it coming. While I do not fully understand how this venture is allowable under the terms of Carlsons Fox News contract, I suppose its possible that Fox took a look at TCNs output and decided that there are some eyeballs that just arent worth competing for. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The website features various Tucker-centric programs covering various Tucker-approved topics, such as systemic racism against white Americans, the Biden administrations alleged war on Christianity, and the many ways in which the QAnon Shaman got jobbed by the feds. Some TCN content is paywalled, and to access it you have to subscribe, for either $9 per month or $72 per year. Your subscription also buys you other perks, such as the opportunity to ask the host questions that he might subsequently choose to answer on camera, in an advice segment called Ask Tucker. (I want to discipline my kids but Im worried about turning into Tony Fauci. What do I do?) The networks logo resembles a red pill, as in the metaphorical medicine that alt-right podcasters urge their listeners to swallow so that they might stop feeling bad about being bigoted incels. Advertisement TCNs shows are all pretty similar. Carlson opines on current events and conducts interviews with an ideologically predictable roster of guests, such as mixed martial artist and alleged cultural cancelee Gina Carano; former Times reporter turned vaccine skeptic Alex Berenson; Joe Biden sexual-assault accuser Tara Reade; and Twitter user Catturd. He also interviewed the notorious mid-2000s internet jackass Tucker Max, whom Carlson inaccurately described as being a beautiful prose stylist. (I suppose I should not be surprised that Americas two most irritating Tuckers know each other.) Carlson also interviews heavier hitters, such as Andrew and Tristan Tate, the sibling social-media influencers who are each currently facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania; Jeffrey Epsteins brother Mark, who refused to appear on camera; and Vladimir Putin, whom Carlson traveled to Russia to meet earlier this year, and who subsequently disparaged the host for conducting a softball interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Putin was a big get for Carlson, no doubt about it, even if the interview made the host look more like a credulous tourist than a serious journalist. And yet most of Carlsons guests on TCN are neither as prominent nor as important as Putin. The host isnt sitting down with world leaders every week; hes sitting down with the sorts of guests whom you can also find on plenty of other alt-right online shows and podcasts. After poking around the Tucker Carlson Network for the better part of a week, I couldnt help but wonder: Who, exactly, is the website for? Earlier in this column I speculated that Carlsons audience was made up of angry loonsbut as I already mentioned, theres already a lot of competition online for these peoples attention, and many of these outlets do not require said loons to spend $9 per month to get their cortisol fix. The whole vision is to create the next media company that is purpose-built for the 2020s and 2030s, one of Carlsons financiers told the Wall Street Journal. The pitch seemed somehow both ominous and empty, much like many of Carlsons monologues. I might not be an anti-woke VC, but I do know enough about media to say that actual next-generation media companies generally arent built around middle-aged race-baiters interviewing cranks and weirdos from their paneled living room. Thats a podcast, not a viable startup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Podcasts and online shows can be lucrative, thats for sure, and perhaps Carlsons intention is simply to bigfoot some of the other alt-right commentators who have staked their claims in that space. But to play in the same sandbox as people such as Joe Rogan and Alex Jonesin a recent appearance on Rogans show, Carlson implied that Jones may be some sort of prophetCarlsons going to have to keep matching or exceeding them thematically. The farther he goes over into true wingnut territory, the harder it becomes to build an actual media company around him. Advertisement Whats Carlsons endgame here? A March interview that Carlson conducted with ex-CNN guy and current NewsNation host Chris Cuomo perhaps offers a clue. It ran for almost two hours, and while I confess to only skipping around in it instead of watching the whole thing, the unmistakable impression I got from the conversation is that these are two guys who really miss their old platforms. Seen in that context, you begin to understand that the Tucker Carlson Network is primarily meant for Tucker Carlson himself. Its a vanity project designed to keep the host busy as he counts down the days to when he can return to cable once again. Advertisement For now, though, hes working hard to remake his cable persona for the needs and desires of the alt-right internet. Although a new program called The Tucker Carlson Show just launched this weekCarlsons first two guests were podcaster Dave Smith and ayahuasca enthusiast Aaron Rodgers, who announced, inaccurately, that Carlsons interview with Putin had been awesomeTCNs flagship show up to now has been Tucker Carlson Uncensored, in which the host monologues a bit and then generally chats with a guest. While the shows title implies that the host was in fact censored in his previous job, the Tucker Carlson Uncensored episodes I watched were all thematically similar to his Fox News output. Advertisement If there is a discernable difference between this new, free-to-speak-his-mind version of Carlson and his ostensibly muzzled predecessor, I suppose it is that Uncensored Tucker hardly even bothers to camouflage his true opinions and intentions. The Ukraine skepticism and careful Putin apologism that pervaded the last year or so of his Fox show has become a full-fledged effort to portray Ukraine as the real enemy. And while Carlson spent countless hours on Fox News fanning the flames of xenophobic nativism, on Uncensored hes doing stuff like interviewing white nationalist Lydia Brimelow. You get the picture. Carlson is no longer wasting any time trying to hide the ball, which I suppose is why Im happy for him. In becoming an internet video guy, Carlson has emerged fully from the shadows and stepped fully into the unflattering light of his own biases. There is something to be said for self-actualizationif only so that the rest of us can see who someones true self was all along. 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) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share 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. A selection of short feel-good stories from Slovakia. Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled Share Every week The Slovak Spectator brings you a selection of three short stories from across Slovakia from which pessimism and negativity are absent. Brooklyn-based restaurant with Slovak roots Situated in Brooklyn, the most populous borough of New York City, is a restaurant serving pierogi (normally known as pirohy in Slovak) whose recipes originate in the eastern Slovak village of Litmanova, situated near the border with Poland. One of the owners of Babas Pierogies is Helena Fabiankovic, an American with Slovak-Ruthenian roots. When starting the restaurant with her partner Robert Gardiner, she took inspiration from her grandmother, Julia Hlinkova, who arrived in the US in 1969, with recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Among the traditions the family kept after arriving in NYC was to cook pierogy every Friday, as Forbes magazine wrote in 2022. The only difference was that the ingredients on hand were a bit different than the ones she would find in her homeland of Slovakia, the official website of the restaurant reads. Thus, the Babas Potato flavoured pierogi was created, which incorporates American cheese with potatoes as the filling. These days, the restaurant, opened in 2015 as Brooklyns first handmade pierogi restaurant, serves a variety of traditional and non-traditional fillings as well as vegan variations and a handful of innovative dessert options. Parents and enthusiasts paid for the first public observatory in Bratislava The new observatory is situated on the roof of a Bratislava-based school. (Source: Deutsche Schule Bratislava) A new public observatory was opened in Bratislava in late April. Situated on the roof of Deutsche Schule Bratislava, a German international school, it is the very first to be located in the capital. Its ambassador is the first Slovak astronaut, Ivan Bella. Im extremely happy that the rule that Bratislava is the only capital in Europe which does not have its own observatory intended for the public will cease to apply, Bella said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. The DSB Observatory was built thanks to the efforts of parents of children who attend the Deutsche Schule Bratislava, the Education Ministry wrote on Facebook. They collected about 200,000 via various fundraisers. The capacity of the observatory dome is 20 people, and it houses two telescopes one for night observation and the other for observing the Sun, TASR reported. It will be run in cooperation with the Slovenske Planetaria civic organisation, and is set to be used by the astronomy club and its private members as well as children, young people and university students. It is expected to open its doors to the general public in autumn or at the end of the year. The captivating beauty of poppies Drivers and cyclists who take the road running between the districts of Lucenec and Rimavska Sobota in southern Slovakia are currently being rewarded with a magnificent view. The road is lined with fields full of blossoming red and violet poppies. Ive always been fascinated by the fields full of sunflowers, but blossoming poppy is also really beautiful, Mirka Kovacsova, who passed by with her husband, told the MY Novohrad regional newspaper. Those who stop by to take a picture should remember they should not enter the field, in order to avoid destroying the plants. Nice shots can be taken directly from the road, the newspaper noted. Five feel-good stories published by The Slovak Spectator to read: The fossil of a previously unknown species of gecko was found in south-west France in 2023 by an international team that included Slovak palaeontologist Andrej Cernansky. Afterburn, an action movie starring Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson, is currently being filmed at various locations around Slovakia. The film, set a decade after a solar flare ravages technology across the globe, has been adapted from a graphic novel series of the same name. The museum in Cerveny Klastor, eastern Slovakia, will take you back to the time when the buildings on the site, designed for quite contemplation and prayer, were first put to use. Those who find themselves enchanted by the cloisters can experience a monastic life for themselves. Forests, mountain meadows, waterfalls, bison, wolves and complete darkness are all found in the Poloniny area. Besides its natural beauty, visitors can also experience the warm hospitality of the local people. Check out the tips for visiting this part of eastern Slovakia. The European Commission added Trencianska borovicka JUNIPERUS', a spirit drink from Slovakia, to the register of Protected Geographical Indications (PGI). Political meme of the week (Source: SME/Mikulas Sliacky) With a meme titled And whats new with you?, caricaturist Mikulas Sliacky responds to the current situation in society following the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico in Handlova, a mining town in western Slovakia, on May 15. Fico was taken to hospital where he underwent extended surgery. Even though his health condition has been stabilised, he remains in a serious condition. Meanwhile, the attacker has been charged with attempted murder. You can send me your tips on good news stories about Slovakia or funny memes at: radka.minarechova@spectator.sk. Thank you! Submissions have now closed for the 2024 class of the Sprudge Twenty, but before we announce this years nominees, theres one more interview from 2023 wed like to share: Marcus Young of Goodboybob Coffee Roasters. Watch this space for a 2024 announcement in the coming days. From the moment I met Marcus, he was among the most encouraging coffee professionals I had ever met. He is constantly uplifting, encouraging, and connecting people together in this industry for the overall good and the individual good. Its funny because he flies under the radar quite a bit when it comes to the hype in the industry, yet almost everyone knows him and has positive things to say. He is also a loving father, husband, and professional, always open to sharing his knowledge with others and wanting to see good things done in the coffee industry and the world. Nominated by Erica Escalante What is the quality you like best about coffee? The people are pretty incredible. No matter where in the value chain they work, Ive found folks working in coffee to be kind, creative, passionate, and are generally dedicated to making the world a better place. Working in coffee, I find I am constantly learning and becoming a better person. That happens because of my peers, colleagues, and mentors. What was your first coffee job? In the early 1990s I worked at one of the first Starbucks cafes in San Francisco, this was shortly after the non-compete with Peets expired, and Starbucks was just moving into the City. That was a brief stint, but some of training was focused on cupping, discussing origin terroir, and discussions of flavor in espresso. It was just the hook I needed to come back to coffee many years laterwhere I worked as a store manager at Peets Coffee in Portland. What is your current role in coffee? Executive VP of Coffee. Did you experience a god shot or life-changing moment of coffee revelation early in your life? Before my career in coffee I managed a number of software projects during the era of dot com 1.0. One of my clients was a coffee roaster who was launching a social enterprise and self importing Guatemalan coffees. Our meetings were often focused around tasting coffees (rather than software which he was paying me for). Those sessions showed me how unique coffee could be, even from the same country. His business was also focused on using coffee to support rural Guatemalan communities, and operating as a social enterprise fundraising tool for local non-profits. This balance of sensory experience and social impact was life-changing, and showed me that coffee could be so much more than whats in the cup. What issue in coffee do you care about most? I care deeply about two issues in coffee. My primary motivator is understanding and working to address the challenges of those who grow coffeeboth farm owners, but also seasonal workers. Having spent time living and working amongst farmers in Rwanda and traveling extensively in coffee-lands has shown me first hand the challenges faced. The real battle is how to make the business more equitablewhen there are so many systemic challenges facing everyone working in coffee. Low profit margins for retailers, slim margins for specialty roasters, importers and exporters feeling the pinch from financial institutions are just some of the challenges we as an industry face. I want to see baristas earn a comfortable living wage, I want coffee to be an accessible luxury for our customers, and I want coffee producers to thrive equally. This is the challenge that drives me. Do you often make coffee at home? If so, tell us how you brew! Yes! The ritual of making coffee at home is the best. Ideally I go right from bed to the kitchen to make a batch of coffee. The quiet moments weighing my coffee, filling the tank on my brewer, and then the noise and aroma of the coffee grinding are the perfect preview to my first cup. I brew using a Breville Precision Brewer. I like the silent and quiet moments. What cause or element in coffee drives you? Enjoying a coffee while traveling with producers, followed closely by the quiet and focused work at the sample roaster and cupping table. Who inspires you in the world of coffee? This is such a hard question! Im inspired by so many folks working in coffee. Generally those folks who take a stand to make coffee more equitable are those who most inspire me. My mentor David Griswold, the founder and former owner of Sustainable Harvest has played a huge role in my career. We first met 20+ years ago while I was working at Peets and he was traveling with Fatima and members of the Soppexcca cooperatives Las Hermanas womens group (based in Nicaragua). I was immediately captivated by his model of relationship coffee and the investments he and his company made in farming communities. Im equally inspired by Asterie Mukangango, a Rwandan farmer and president of the Nyampinga cooperative. She is a force of nature, who has done so much to elevate her cooperative, improve the livelihoods of the members, and brought amazing coffee to the global market. When I first met Asterie I was in Rwanda working on behalf of a development project to benefit women farmers. I asked her about herself and her cooperative, and asked what would be most beneficial to you and your cooperative? She immediately responded that I should buy her a coffee washing station. I was floored, as this wasnt even in my mind as we started working together on accessing markets and other activities. However, a little less than two years later, thanks to her persistence and the early successes of Nyampinga cooperative, I helped them source and purchase a Penagos depulper, which eventually was installed at their own coffee washing station. If you could drink coffee with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why? I miss my friend Asterie Mukangango, and would like nothing more than to sit with her and a cup of coffee. To share Rwanda Nyampinga roasted by goodboybob coffee roasters would be honor. Thank you. May 16, 2024 (Oakland, Calif.) Mr. Espresso, an Oakland-based, family-run coffee roaster, will celebrate the first anniversary of The Caffe by Mr. Espresso in downtown Oakland with a week-long celebration from May 28 to June 1. Throughout the week, The Caffe will bring back five favorite chef collaboration coffee drinks from its first year of business. The Caffe regularly collaborates with local chefs to create innovative specialty drinks inspired by flavors from all over the world. In addition to amplifying the talent of these chefs, Mr. Espresso donates ten percent of sales for each of the drinks to Oaklands Community Kitchens. Since The Caffe opened, this has resulted in over $1,000 given to Community Kitchens to help the organization provide meals for marginalized communities. For the anniversary celebration, The Caffe will offer one chef collaboration coffee drink every day of the week, with all five available on June 1. There is also an opportunity for customers to taste their way through the drinks with a special Giro di Caffe passport in pursuit of a Mr. Espresso-themed Grand Prize. Finally, The Caffe will offer $1 espresso shots made with Mr. Espressos signature Neapolitan Blend every day from Tuesday, May 28 through Saturday, June 1. The chef collaboration schedule is below: Tues., May 28, will feature Chef Tu David Phus Ca Phe Sua Matcha, Vietnamese-style coffee with matcha foam. Chef Tu is a cookbook author and filmmaker. Wed., May 29, will feature Chef Nelson Germans The Big Apple, a spiced apple latte with housemade spiced-apple syrup, oat milk and coconut-cream foam. Chef German is the chef-owner of Sobre Mesa and alaMar in Oakland. Thu., May 30, will feature Chef Nora Harons Kopi Avocado, a Balinese-inspired coffee drink made with fresh, whole avocado. Chef Haron owns SanDai and Kopi Bar in Walnut Creek. Fri, May 31, will feature Chef Denise Huynhs Vietnamese Egg Coffee, a coffee drink made with egg yolks and condensed milk and topped with custard. Chef Huynh is the owner of Tay Ho Oakland. Sat., June 1, will feature Chef Mike Woods The Bussdown, a toasted marshmallow candied yam latte. Chef Woods is a restaurant consultant in Oakland. Located in downtown Oakland, The Caffe by Mr. Espresso is Oakland-based Mr. Espressos first branded retail destination. The Caffe is a nod to both Italian coffee culture and the modern American coffee drinker, featuring Italian-style oakwood roasted coffee in an award-winning space. Upon entering The Caffe, guests are greeted by a 17-foot-wide wood slab bar crafted out of a centuries-old Valley Oak that was felled by the wind in 2009 then carefully dried for later use. Hanging above the bar is a dramatic wood installation that was created by local design icon jones | haydu and assembled piece by piece. The use of wood throughout The Caffe is an homage to the oak wood that is still used to roast Mr. Espresso beans. The entire space is oriented around the bar, with its coffee equipment and baristas at the center of the action, aligning itself with the Italian style of ordering and drinking coffee while standing at the bar. In addition to serving typical coffeehouse drinks, The Caffe offers sips of the unexpected, like Nocciola-tte made with hazelnut praline paste, Butterscotch Latte, Horchata Cold Brew, and the Italian chilled and shaken espresso drink, the Shakerato. An innovator in the coffee industry, The Caffe regularly partners with renowned local and national chefs to collaborate on seasonal, limited-run espresso drinks, pushing the boundaries of the standard coffee menu. The Caffe by Mr. Espresso is located at 1120 Broadway, Oakland, California, just steps away from 12th Street BART station. Initially, the Caffe is open Monday through Friday: 7:00 am 4:00 pm, Saturday: 9:00 am 3:00 pm, and closed Sunday. More info at thecaffeoak.com. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/us-house-passes-bill-to-compel-delivery-of-withheld-weapons-to-israel-1118485351.html US House Passes Bill to Compel Delivery of Withheld Weapons to Israel US House Passes Bill to Compel Delivery of Withheld Weapons to Israel Sputnik International The US House of Representatives passed a bill to compel the provision of certain arms to Israel withheld by the Biden administration over a prospective large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. 2024-05-16T23:37+0000 2024-05-16T23:37+0000 2024-05-16T23:37+0000 world us joe biden israel gaza strip arms supplies palestine-israel conflict israel-gaza conflict palestine killings of civilians https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/10/1118485193_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_3f710a7dda8db20973567c424cfb3b12.jpg House lawmakers passed the bill, dubbed the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, on Thursday in a vote of 224 in favor and 187 opposed. The legislation condemns US President Joe Bidens decision to pause the weapons shipments and withholds funds from the State Department, Defense Department, and National Security Council until the arms are delivered. However, the White House said that Biden would veto the bill if it reaches his desk; US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday that the legislation is not going anywhere in Congress. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240515/biden-sending-1-billion-arms-package-to-israel-in-latest-flip-flop--report-1118439991.html israel gaza strip palestine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International weapons shipments, us arms, arms deliveries, arms supplies, american weapons, us munitions, genocide, ethnic cleansing, humanitarian disaster, humanitarian catastrophe, humanitarian ceasefire, israel-hamas conflict, gaza strip crisis, shelling of gaza, gaza devastation, israel-palestine conflict, palestine-israel conflict, israeli-palestinian conflict, palestinian-israeli, zionist regime, zionists, killings of civilians, civilian infrastructure, civilians dead, civilians die, israel kills civilians, civilian casualties, civilian deaths, indiscriminate shelling, indiscriminate killing, war crimes https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/japans-tepco-starts-6th-discharge-of-treated-water-from-fukushima-nuclear-power-plant---reports-1118493202.html Japan's TEPCO Starts 6th Discharge of Treated Water From Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant - Reports Japan's TEPCO Starts 6th Discharge of Treated Water From Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant - Reports Sputnik International The operator of Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), started the sixth discharge of treated water into the ocean, a day after China and Russia raised safety concerns over the water's possible nuclear contamination, Japanese media reported on Friday. 2024-05-17T09:06+0000 2024-05-17T09:06+0000 2024-05-17T09:06+0000 asia japan fukushima tokyo tokyo electric power company (tepco) https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/106091/77/1060917747_0:156:3001:1844_1920x0_80_0_0_d0ef4c01be8914cb18618a35ccfbe04f.jpg Earlier in the day, Tokyo lodged a protest with Moscow and Beijing over the wording of a joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, about the "nuclear-contaminated" water being discharged from the Fukushima NPP, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said. TEPCO is planning to discharge 7,800 tonnes of water through June 4 after ensuring that the radioactivity levels meet both its own and the Japanese government's standards, the Kyodo news agency reported. On April 19, the plants operator launched the fifth round of treated water release from the facility, which was scheduled to run until May 7. On April 24, TEPCO reportedly resumed the treated water discharge into the ocean following a pause due to a power outage. Japan started releasing part of the estimated 1.34 million tonnes of Fukushima nuclear power plant treated water into the ocean in August 2023 despite an outcry from neighboring countries and local fishermen. In total, more than 31,000 tonnes of mildly radioactive water was released during the 2023 fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2024. The entire process is expected to take at least 30 years. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240419/japan-launches-5th-round-of-fukushima-treated-water-discharge---reports-1118010077.html japan fukushima tokyo Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International japan's tepco, tokyo electric power company, safety concerns, fukushima nuclear power plant https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/kremlin-says-no-plans-to-strengthen-putins-security-measures-after-murder-attempt-on-fico-1118493344.html Kremlin Says No Plans to Strengthen Putins Security Measures After Murder Attempt on Fico Kremlin Says No Plans to Strengthen Putins Security Measures After Murder Attempt on Fico Sputnik International There are no plans to strengthen security measures of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. 2024-05-17T09:09+0000 2024-05-17T09:09+0000 2024-05-17T09:09+0000 russia dmitry peskov robert fico kremlin russia vladimir putin https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/08/11/1112666454_661:0:4302:2048_1920x0_80_0_0_04b0e85094571f3ff63efec4afba3008.jpg "They [security measures] are at the usual level, what must be done is being done to ensure the safety of the president," Peskov told the Life.ru news portal, adding that no additional measures are envisioned. Fico, 59, was shot Wednesday after a government field-meeting in the Slovak city of Handlova. The prime minister was taken to a hospital in a life-threatening condition and underwent an emergency surgery. Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak said on Thursday that doctors had managed to stabilize his condition, but the situation is still serious. 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/20240516/slovakias-fico-remembers-circumstances-of-assassination-attempt---president-elect-1118484712.html russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International strengthen putins security measures, slovak prime minister robert fico, russian president vladimir putin https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/over-100-drones-intercepted-over-russias-territory-overnight---mod-1118488755.html Over 100 Drones Intercepted Over Russia's Territory Overnight - MoD Over 100 Drones Intercepted Over Russia's Territory Overnight - MoD Sputnik International Russian air defense systems and the Black Sea fleet intercepted 102 Ukrainian drones and destroyed six drone boats overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. 2024-05-17T04:40+0000 2024-05-17T04:40+0000 2024-05-17T04:40+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine russia black sea ukraine russian defense ministry ukrainian drone attacks on russia drone strike drone https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/04/14/1118032863_0:70:3391:1977_1920x0_80_0_0_bf0c34f01737c454a474664bb7f2e12e.jpg "Last night, a number of attempts by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks with the use of aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats of the Ukrainian navy on the territory of the Russian Federation were foiled," the ministry said in a statement. The ministry said air defenses intercepted 51 drones over Crimea, 44 drones over the Krasnodar Territory, six drones over the Belgorod Region and a drone over the Kursk Region. Russian warplanes also destroyed six drone boats in the waters of the Black Sea, the statement read.Earlier, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian territory, emphasized that Kiev continues terrorist activities, but that the Russian military is on alert and doing everything necessary.Ukraine has been sending drones and missiles into Russia almost daily since it launched its counteroffensive in early June 2023. The United Nations said in August last year, following a botched drone strike on Moscow, that it did not want to see any targeting of civilian infrastructure. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240513/russian-air-defense-destroys-dozens-of-ukraines-drones-storm-shadow-missiles-1118404874.html russia black sea ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International air defense, drones intercepted, black sea fleet, destroyed six drone boats https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/patriot-games-why-zelenskys-lobbying-for-us-air-defenses-wont-stop-ukraine-from-losing-1118503575.html Patriot Games: Why Zelenskys Lobbying for US Air Defenses Wont Stop Ukraine From Losing Patriot Games: Why Zelenskys Lobbying for US Air Defenses Wont Stop Ukraine From Losing Sputnik International New US arms aid has had little impact on conditions in the Ukrainian battlespace, with Russian forces cracking open heavily fortified Ukrainian defenses in the Donbass, and pushing into Kharkov region. To stem the assault, President Zelensky has asked the US for more Patriot batteries. They wont help, says a leading Swedish air defense expert. 2024-05-17T17:05+0000 2024-05-17T17:05+0000 2024-05-17T17:05+0000 analysis volodymyr zelensky antony blinken military & intelligence vladimir putin kharkov ukraine kiev patriot patriot missile https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/0c/1118393078_0:0:2110:1186_1920x0_80_0_0_f0466831fb9dd37baf67cb28d58a47f5.jpg Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants more Patriot missiles.The first: the decision on the [aid] package was crucial. For us very important to get it as quick as possible [sic]. The second point is air defense the biggest deficit for us. I think that is the biggest problem, Zelensky said.In a testy interview with ABC News a day later, Zelensky warned that without Patriot missile batteries, Kiev could lose Kharkov Ukraines second city, to the Russian offensive.Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the Biden administration was working on delivering an additional Patriot air and missile defense system to Kiev, with European countries reportedly agreeing to source additional Patriot systems for Ukraine from their own stocks.Russian President Vladimir Putin soothed the Kiev regimes worst fears on Friday, telling reporters in Harbin, China that Russia has no plans to storm the city at this stage, and that Russias advance into Kharkov region is the Kiev regimes fault, because they have shelled and continue to shell residential neighborhoods in border areas, including Belgorod.Russian forces have made steady, careful advances into northern Kharkov region in recent weeks, taking control of border areas and targeting Ukrainian troops and equipment in air and long-range missile attacks including artillery and missile-launching installations. Russian operations in Kharkov expanded dramatically in early 2024 after Kiev escalated its missile, drone and artillery attacks on infrastructure targets and cities, including Belgorod, a major city situated near the border with Kharkov region.The Patriot missile batteries Zelensky is pleading for arent the be-all, end-all wonder weapon he characterizes it as, with Russia regularly destroying components of the pricey $1.1 billion systems using Iskander and Zircon missiles. In March, then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported that in the first three months of 2024, Ukraine had lost five Patriot launchers.Patriots No Match in Face of Total Russian Air SuperiorityTwo Patriot systems would of course greatly improve Ukrainian capability on the Kharkov front, but only for a while and regionally, says Mikael Valtersson, a former Swedish Armed Forces officer and air defense expert.On top of that, they also have no effect on Russian drones and artillery, which play an important role in the Russian offensive, he said.Russias total air superiority in the Ukrainian battlespace has been a very important contributing factor to the success of its recent ground operations, the observer said. That explains Kievs desperate search for the means to shore up its air defense capabilities, he stressed.Valtersson isnt sure Kiev would actually send any new Patriots it gets to the Kharkov front anyway, since there are many more important holes to fill in the Ukrainian air defense. The observer doesnt rule out that Zelenskys appeal might be an attempt to get any new Patriot systems at all into Ukraine, by claiming that they are needed to save Kharkov.Kievs problem, Valtersson says, is that Patriots are expensive, high-end products with a long queue of clients, meaning if they are sent to Ukraine, someone else wont be getting theirs, or someone will be left without air defenses.To stand any chance, Ukraine would need a lot of new Patriots, and quickly, along with a steady flow of replacements to compensate any losses. If its only a couple more, it will make only a small difference for Ukraines prospects in the continued fighting, Valtersson summed up. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/nazi-pizza-third-reich-iconography-spotted-at-parlor-where-ukraine-hosted-blinken-1118487174.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/russia-wont-accept-any-ultimatums-on-ukraine---putin-1118496846.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/this-isnt-going-to-last-much-longer-russias-plan-to-disintegrate-ukraines-army-1118488139.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240509/us-defenseless-against-russian-hypersonic-missiles-and-iranian-drones---explosive-dod-testimony-1118360351.html kharkov ukraine kiev Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Ilya Tsukanov Ilya Tsukanov News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Ilya Tsukanov why does zelensky want patriots, can patriot missiles save ukraine, can russia destroy patriot missiles, how many patriot missile systems has russia destroyed https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/putin-harbin-represents-close-ties-between-russia-and-china-1118489846.html Putin: Harbin Represents Close Ties Between Russia and China Putin: Harbin Represents Close Ties Between Russia and China Sputnik International Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Chinese city of Harbin as an important scientific and educational center that embodies the close ties between Russia and China. 2024-05-17T05:43+0000 2024-05-17T05:43+0000 2024-05-17T05:52+0000 world vladimir putin russia harbin china eef https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/10/1118464752_0:0:2685:1510_1920x0_80_0_0_6173c8cd84e7a7ee44298681757830d5.jpg Speaking at the opening ceremony of the VIII Russian-Chinese EXPO and the IV Russian-Chinese Forum on Interregional Cooperation, Putin said it was symbolic that these events were being held in Harbin, one of the largest scientific, educational, and innovation centers in China. "By the way, we drove through the city center, its historical part preserves, and you can feel it well, preserves the Russian trace as well. After all, our specialists from Russia, engineers, and scientists once made a remarkable contribution to the economic development of the city, the creation of its industrial base, the construction of large plants and factories, infrastructure facilities," Putin added.The Chinese partners are invited to visit the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in September, where cooperation with Russia, including in the territories of advanced development, could be discussed, Vladimir Putin said."I would like to take this opportunity to invite Chinese friends to the ninth Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held in Vladivostok in early September. There, it will be possible to continue a detailed discussion of the possibilities of cooperation with Russia, including in the territories of advanced social and economic development, where convenient preferential regimes for external investors are being created," Putin said.The regions of Russia's Far East and the northeast of China have great cooperation potential, Putin said added.Russia supports China's intention to localize production on its territory and is ready to provide benefits to investors, Putin said."Large-scale joint projects are also being implemented in the field of industrial cooperation, Chinese automakers are actively entering the Russian market... I would like to emphasize that Russia not only welcomes the attitude of Chinese business to localize production on our territory, but is ready to provide investors from China with economic benefits, assistance and support, as well as access to a unique Russian technological base, our highly qualified personnel," Putin said.Vladimir Putin said that he discussed in detail with Chinese President Xi Jinping the prospects for diverse cooperation between Russia and China.The partnership between Russia and China ensures energy security and increases the well-being of the peoples of the two countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said."The Russian-Chinese indissoluble partnership directly contributes to the growth of the economies of both countries, reliably ensures energy security, stimulates the creation of new industries and high-paying jobs, improves the well-being and quality of life of our citizens," Putin said during the opening ceremony of the eighth Russian-Chinese Expo and the fourth forum of inter-regional cooperation in Harbin.Russia can supply Chinese economy with affordable energy, Putin said."Russia is ready and able to continuously and reliably supply the Chinese economy, enterprises, cities and towns with clean, affordable energy, electricity and heat," Putin added.Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a state visit to China from May 16 to 17. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/putin-visits-city-of-harbin-during-stay-in-china-1118486465.html russia harbin china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International ties between russia and china, russian president vladimir putin, scientific and educational center, chinese city of harbin https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/putin-in-beijing-canadian-wildfires-israel-and-censorship-1118485082.html Putin in Beijing, Canadian Wildfires, Israel and Censorship Putin in Beijing, Canadian Wildfires, Israel and Censorship Sputnik International President Joe Biden invokes executive privilege to keep recording of his special counsel interviews from Congress. 2024-05-17T04:14+0000 2024-05-17T04:14+0000 2024-05-17T14:34+0000 political misfits robert fico china russia israel wildfires donald trump pentagon ukraine debate https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/10/1118485593_0:0:1920:1080_1920x0_80_0_0_4b675d1af537bede09fe9d242e767116.png Putin in Beijing, Canadian Wildfires, Israel and Censorship Sputnik International President Joe Biden invokes executive privilege to keep recording of his special counsel interviews from Congress. Independent investigative journalist Christopher Helali joins Misfits hosts Michelle Witte and John Kiriakou to discuss the attempt on the life of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and how it is being covered in the media. He also discusses the lack of a post-war plan for Gaza, the state of Israeli public opinion on the war, and the significance of Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to China to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.Scientist and professor emeritus of natural resources and ecology Guy McPherson discusses why Canadas wildfire season is so intense, so early, and how these fires affect the rest of the world. He also talks about the proliferation of junk studies among well-known scientific journals, and how for-profit journals and educational institutions threaten to throttle scientific advancement.Writer and editor of the Polemicist Jim Kavanagh discusses the ongoing hush money trial of former President Donald Trump, a Senate fight over defense spending, a court fight over Louisiana redistricting, discussion among Democrats over ticket splitting amid ongoing anxiety over President Joe Bidens poor polling, how coverage of Israel is causing chaos within both mainstream and independent news organizations, the bipartisan effort to protect American democracy from third party voices in debates, and an update on the case of Julian Assange ahead of his final court hearing Monday.The Misfits also discuss more hearings at the International Court of Justice over Gaza, a new spy story out of Switzerland, and the FBI interrogation of an academic for his position on the war in Gaza at a Detroit airport.The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comCatch us in the US at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM china russia israel ukraine Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Michelle Witte https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/11/1082103644_0:1:240:241_100x100_80_0_0_aa1e89cc3422c54bfdeb46decb112e73.jpg Michelle Witte https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/11/1082103644_0:1:240:241_100x100_80_0_0_aa1e89cc3422c54bfdeb46decb112e73.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Michelle Witte https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/02/11/1082103644_0:1:240:241_100x100_80_0_0_aa1e89cc3422c54bfdeb46decb112e73.jpg political misfits, biden rating polls, xi putin meeting, who tried to killl robert fico, julian assange latest https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/russia-china-can-do-lots-by-joining-forces-in-high-tech-areas---putin-1118492787.html Russia, China Can Do Lots by Joining Forces in High-Tech Areas - Putin Russia, China Can Do Lots by Joining Forces in High-Tech Areas - Putin Sputnik International Russia and China can do a lot by joining forces in high-tech areas, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. 2024-05-17T09:00+0000 2024-05-17T09:00+0000 2024-05-17T09:00+0000 world vladimir putin russia china rosatom xi jinping https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/11/1118492625_0:117:3225:1931_1920x0_80_0_0_923cc5098c90b222354c89c1a5ee55c1.jpg "Together, by joining forces, we can certainly do a lot," Putin said at a meeting with students and teachers of the Harbin Institute of Technology. Experiments at the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider Faility (NICA collider) located in the city of Dubna not far from Moscow will make it possible to make world-class discoveries and reach progress for the benefit of humanity, the president said. "The Harbin university is a source of personnel for the nuclear industry of China and, by the way, its graduates are actively involved in the implementation of Rosatom projects for the construction of power units of Russian design on the territory of China at the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant and the Xudapu Nuclear Power Plant. The construction of these important energy facilities is progressing according to the schedule," Putin added.Russian President Vladimir Putin is on a state visit to China from May 16 to 17. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/russian-chinese-partnership-constantly-improving-diversifying-due-to-new-areas---putin-1118473086.html russia china Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russia, china, russian president vladimir putin, forces in high-tech areas https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/russia-has-no-plans-to-take-kharkov-under-control-now---putin-1118494702.html Russia Has No Plans to Take Kharkov Under Control Now - Putin Russia Has No Plans to Take Kharkov Under Control Now - Putin Sputnik International Russia has no plans to take control of Kharkov, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with students and teachers of the Harbin Institute of Technology. 2024-05-17T10:07+0000 2024-05-17T10:07+0000 2024-05-17T10:38+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine vladimir putin russia kharkov volodymyr zelensky russian defense ministry https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/03/04/1093587103_0:0:3129:1761_1920x0_80_0_0_8c983442d1dbee0bacd5e53ef949590f.jpg "As for Kharkov, there are no such plans as of today," the president said.Russia is making gains in the fighting in the Kharkov region, he also said, adding that the Russian armed forces are moving every day strictly according to plan.Putin blamed the Ukrainian forces for what was happening in Kharkov region. On May 12, Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the "extremely difficult" situation in the Kharkov region for the Ukrainian military amid Russia's advance. Last week, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its North battlegroup had taken control over the villages of Gatyshche, Krasnoe, Morokhovets, Olenekovoe, Borysovka, Ogurtsovo, Pleteneevka, Pilna and Strelecha in the Kharkov region. The head of Russia-controlled territories in the Kharkov region, Vitaly Ganchev, said that the Russian troops were now controlling the western and northern parts of the border city of Volchansk, while Ukraine was sending reinforcements. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240514/russian-armed-forces-take-full-control-of-settlement-of-bugrovatka-in-kharkov-region---mod-1118423630.html russia kharkov Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International take control of kharkov, russian president vladimir putin, russia has no plans to take kharkov https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/russia-launches-28-group-strikes-on-ukraine-in-past-week---defense-ministry-1118498090.html Russia Launches 28 Group Strikes on Ukraine in Past Week - Defense Ministry Russia Launches 28 Group Strikes on Ukraine in Past Week - Defense Ministry Sputnik International The Russian armed forces have carried out 28 group strikes with precision-guided weapons and drones in the past week on Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Friday. 2024-05-17T13:14+0000 2024-05-17T13:14+0000 2024-05-17T13:14+0000 russia's special operation in ukraine russia russian ministry of defense russian defense ministry ukraine kiev donetsk people's republic donetsk region donetsk lugansk https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/04/19/1118106226_5:0:937:524_1920x0_80_0_0_98eee55bd5a5908d27a06071c69e547a.jpg "From May 11 to May 17... the Russian armed forces carried out 28 group strikes with precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles, hitting Ukrainian command posts, military airfield infrastructure facilities, air defense facilities, arsenals, and fuel bases, as well as production workshops and storage sites for unmanned boats and attack drones," the MoD said in a summary. The Russian Black Sea fleet has destroyed 25 Ukrainian unmanned vessels, the ministry added.Ukraine Loses Up to 3,725 Soldiers in Donetsk RegionRussia's Battlegroup Yug has defeated Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), with Ukraine losing up to 3,725 soldiers in this area over the past week, the MoD noted."The units of the Battlegroup Yug continued to advance into the enemy territory during active combat operations, defeated manpower and equipment ... in the Donetsk People's Republic ... repelled nine counterattack [by Ukrainian troops]," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the Ukrainian armed forces "lost up to 3,725 servicemen over the past week."Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr has improved its frontline positions, Kiev lost up to 2,475 soldiers and four tanks, including an Abrams, while Russia's Battlegroup Vostok has repelled two counterattacks and Ukraine lost up to 965 soldiers, the ministry said.The Russian Battlegroup Sever has repelled 21 counterattacks in the Kharkov region, while Ukraine has lost up to 1,175 soldiers in the past week, the ministry added.Battlegroup Zapad has repelled 37 Ukrainian counterattack in the Lugansk People's Republic and in the Kharkov region in the past week, while Kiev has lost up to 960 soldiers. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/this-isnt-going-to-last-much-longer-russias-plan-to-disintegrate-ukraines-army-1118488139.html russia ukraine kiev donetsk region donetsk lugansk kharkov Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Sputnik International russias special military op in ukraine, special military operation, special military operational zone, special op zone, russian troops in special op zone, ukraine casualties in conflict, total ukrainian losses, how many people did ukraine loose, how many people did kiev loose, new russian weapons in ukraine, advanced russian weapons, russian defense ministry statements, latest russian military statements, what did shoigu say about ukraine, donetsk peoples republic, nato in ukraine, is nato in ukraine, russian drones, drone warfare, new military drones, uavs in ukraine, ukraine crisis, ukraine conflict https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/shooting-of-slovak-prime-minister-reveals-hateful-rhetoric-against-ukraine-heretics-1118484831.html Shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Reveals Hateful Rhetoric Against Ukraine Heretics Shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Reveals Hateful Rhetoric Against Ukraine Heretics Sputnik International Western media has "explained" the shocking incident by Fico's independent political position, which demonstrates the pressures faced by foreign leaders who refuse to toe the NATO party line. 2024-05-17T05:53+0000 2024-05-17T05:53+0000 2024-05-17T06:51+0000 analysis europe robert fico irakli kobakhidze mindia gavasheli slovakia ukraine georgia guardian nato https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e7/0c/11/1115647162_0:0:3072:1728_1920x0_80_0_0_887fc643585eba56addabe8e1b13f965.jpg Slovakia remains at a political standstill as the country awaits news of the health of Prime Minister Robert Fico.The Slovak leader, who was elected head of the countrys parliament in October, was shot yesterday in a brazen assassination attempt while greeting supporters in the town of Handlova. The gunman fired five shots at the Prime Minister at close range, striking him in the shoulder and abdomen. Fico was immediately airlifted to a nearby hospital in the city of Banska Bystrica and underwent surgery under a medically-induced coma as doctors described his wounds as life-threatening.Fico survived the five-hour operation, but officials continue to describe his condition as serious.The incident has shed light on the tenor of the political discourse in Slovakia and throughout Central and Eastern Europe as the question of military support for Ukraines war against Russia remains a highly contentious issue. The gunman, Juraj Cintula, confessed to interrogators that he targeted Fico over opposition to the Prime Ministers political policy. Fico has repeatedly rejected calls for the country to send armaments to Kiev.The Slovak Prime Minister had previously warned about the potential for polarization in the country to boil over into political violence, claiming in a video message just over a month ago that the rhetoric of opposition media outlets could result in the murder of some of the leading government politicians.Mindia Gavasheli, the editor-in-chief of Sputniks US bureau, joined the Fault Lines program Thursday to offer insight on the situation from the ground in the Slovak capital of Bratislava.Ficos allies immediately blamed the controversy over the issue for instigating the attempt on the Prime Ministers life. Opposition politician Zuzana Caputova, the countrys outgoing president, recorded a message with president-elect Peter Pellegrini of Ficos party urging calm and calling for an end to the hateful rhetoric she claimed had overtaken Slovak politics.The assassination attempt comes as protests rock the Georgian capital of Tbilisi over a planned foreign agents registration law mirroring legislation in the US and various other countries. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, like Fico, is often labeled in Western-aligned media as authoritarian and pro-Russian. Kobakhidze has charted a similar course to Fico on the Ukraine proxy conflict, promising his governments firm commitment to humanitarian support for Ukrainians but rejecting calls to provide arms to controversial President Volodymyr Zelensky.As in Slovakia, Kobakhidzes independence on the issue has led to controversy, with the Georgian Prime Minister recently criticizing the tenor of coverage from US-backed media outlets. Kobakhidze has accused the US and its allies of color revolution tactics, attempting to overthrow or politically damage the leader in retribution for his claimed pro-Russian stance.Similar media narratives have surrounded Fico, who is stigmatized as a relic of Slovakias Soviet-aligned past for his opposition to the arming Ukraine. British newspaper The Guardian described Ficos Slovakia as close-minded, corrupt and out of sync with the liberal west.Like [Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor] Orban, Fico spreads pro-Russian propaganda and tries to muzzle independent media, wrote the liberal tabloid outlet two weeks ago, characterizing Ficos attempts to reform state media as an authoritarian power grab.Whether in Georgia or Slovakia, the narrative remains the same. Citizens are left with the option between the ostensibly open, liberal and free West or the stigmatized, pro-Russian leadership of those who question whether it is in their countrys interest to support a proxy war hundreds of miles away.Ukrainians faced a similar choice in 2014, when Western countries characterized the overthrow of another pro-Russian leader as a victory for liberal values. The country has been engulfed in violence ever since.Years later, voters in Georgia, Slovakia, and elsewhere naturally seek to choose a different path. They will first have to overcome objections from the West and their media allies, who insist on respect for freedom and democracy as they define it. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/russia-strongly-condemns-attack-on-slovakias-fico-calls-it-great-tragedy---kremlin-1118465787.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240407/ukraine-war-critic-pellegrini-wins-presidential-election-in-slovakia-1117786044.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240320/slovakias-pm-fico-in-eus-crosshairs-as-new-headache-1117453408.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240318/slovak-prime-minister-urges-parliamentary-vote-against-sending-troops-to-ukraine-1117398960.html slovakia ukraine georgia russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 John Miles https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/19/1116388787_0:0:1316:1316_100x100_80_0_0_77e70d36afd983012b1c5d38ddb84156.jpg John Miles https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/19/1116388787_0:0:1316:1316_100x100_80_0_0_77e70d36afd983012b1c5d38ddb84156.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 John Miles https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/19/1116388787_0:0:1316:1316_100x100_80_0_0_77e70d36afd983012b1c5d38ddb84156.jpg assassination attempt, slovakia's fico, slovak fico, robert fico, slovak prime minister, fico alive, fico talks, fico survived, fico lives https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/talking-about-this-for-years-ukraines-corruption-is-partly-responsible-for-their-defeat-1118484565.html Talking About This for Years: Ukraines Corruption is Partly Responsible for Their Defeat Talking About This for Years: Ukraines Corruption is Partly Responsible for Their Defeat Sputnik International Meanwhile, Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky has criticized the West for hesitating to send aid to his regime, and has cited it as the reason for his military failures. 2024-05-17T07:17+0000 2024-05-17T07:17+0000 2024-05-17T07:17+0000 analysis volodymyr zelensky ukraine russia corruption ukrainian crisis russian forces https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/04/12/1117993898_0:361:2921:2004_1920x0_80_0_0_e3b75493df3619c575c1de64f48d276c.jpg Sputniks Jamarl Thomas reported on Thursday that Ukraines loss of territory and inability to build a defense is the result of them embezzling funds. Meanwhile, Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky has criticized the West for hesitating to send aid to his regime, and has cited it as the reason for his military failures.On Thursday, Andrii Telizhenko - a Ukrainian whistleblower and a former diplomat - joined Sputniks Fault Lines to discuss the corruption in Ukraine.You know what they were building? They were building roads. They're not building fortifications. They're officially building roads that border Russia, he continued. That's where they're [using] money, because building roads can make much more money than you can make on fortifications.Kiev previously allocated almost 38 billion hryvnia ($960 million) to build a multi-layered network of fortifications yet Ukrainian troops testified that those lines of defense do not exist, according to a recent Sputnik report which cited the Associated Press.This week, a chairwoman for the Ukrainian anti-corruption group Mezha reported that Kharkov's Department of Housing and Community Services in regional military administration had 7 billion hryvnias, or $176.5 million, to build fortifications to hold back the Russian advance. She found that much of this money was embezzled.Multi-million contracts for the construction of fortification structures, for which a total of 7 billion hryvnias [roughly $176 million] was spent, were [transferred] by the Kharkov Regional State Administration to dummy companies, said Martina Bougslavets.There's no morale on the Ukrainian front lines right now. The moral is: 63% of Ukrainians don't want to fight because they know how you cannot get your body back, you're not going to get compensated, how you are going to lose your life and that's it. Your family is going to be on their own. That's why the men are not going to go fight, because there's corruption in Ukraine, said Telizhenko.On Tuesday, it was reported that US Secretary of State Antony 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.They hate him and they hate what he's becoming. And because of the losing of the front lines, in Ukraine, today, they understand they lost. This war should have never happened. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240504/corruption-speeded-up-ukraines-retreat-more-than-weapons-shortage-1118257014.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/living-in-an-alternate-reality-blinken-performs-with-rock-band-in-kiev-bar--1118462731.html ukraine russia Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Mary Manley https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e6/01/0b/1092187887_0:0:2048:2049_100x100_80_0_0_0c2cc4c84f89aff034cc55bb01fb6697.jpg ukraine, zelensky, russia, corruption, embezzlement, western media, west admits, western media admits, western media acknowledges, russian forces, ukrainian losses, ukrainian crisis, russian dominance, russian domination, air superiority, ukraine losing, ukraine is losing, us arms for ukraine, russia is winning, russia winning, russia wins, ukraine retreats, russia advances, russian drones, russian drone attacks, russian strategy https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/this-isnt-going-to-last-much-longer-russias-plan-to-disintegrate-ukraines-army-1118488139.html This Isn't Going to Last Much Longer: Russias Plan to Disintegrate Ukraines Army This Isn't Going to Last Much Longer: Russias Plan to Disintegrate Ukraines Army Sputnik International Russias military is transitioning from an active defense towards taking the offensive, says one analyst, with the goal of gradually thinning out and collapsing Ukraines armed forces. 2024-05-17T07:20+0000 2024-05-17T07:20+0000 2024-05-17T07:20+0000 scott ritter antony blinken volodymyr zelensky ukraine russia kharkov analysis ukraine crisis ukrainian crisis ukrainian conflict https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/03/15/1117462079_0:107:3046:1820_1920x0_80_0_0_5ae9ca2925e54fb4868d52025e4004c4.jpg US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Kiev this week, ostensibly in order to voice the Biden administrations support for Ukraine as the country faces challenging conditions amid its Western-backed proxy war against Russia.Blinkens itinerary included a stop at a military-themed pizza parlor and an unexpected performance by the top diplomat and amateur guitarist, who treated locals to a performance of Neil Youngs Rockin in the Free World. Blinkens musical stunt was met with mixed reviews, with some Ukrainians questioning its appropriateness given the countrys current struggles on the battlefield.Like many other politicians Blinken appears to have misinterpreted the 1989 rock hit as a patriotic anthem, noted a critical review by NBC News. In fact, the free world is Youngs ironic reference to Americas failings, including homelessness and gun crime.Former US Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter joined Sputniks The Critical Hour program Thursday to weigh in on Blinkens impromptu concert as the Russian army continues to make gains in the northern Kharkov region.I'll just say he has to work on his, c, d, f, b minor transitions, said Ritter of the secretary of states guitarwork. If we look at the depth of what he was saying I think he said we got another $2 billion we're going to give [Ukraine].The former UN weapons inspector agreed with analysis offered by Stephen Byren on the Moon of Alabama blog claiming Russias recent offensive towards Kharkov is intended to disintegrate the Ukrainian army. Moscow has been engaged in a war of attrition against the country, Ritter noted, with the ultimate stated aim of demilitarizing Ukraine and ending the threat it poses as a proxy for NATO and Western interests.Kievs refusal to surrender means Russia is forced to grind down its military, he claimed.We've been talking about military math, said Ritter. I've been talking about that all along, how Ukraine is consuming resources, manpower and material at a much greater rate than they can replenish it. And Russia is accumulating resources at a much greater rate than Ukraine can diminish them. And so Russia's getting stronger everyday Ukraine's getting weaker.They're not just wearing down the Ukrainians, but they're putting the Ukrainians into a classic horn of a dilemma, meaning they don't have enough forces to defend the area they were already defending. And now a new frontier opened up, and they have to decide what forces they're going to strip from where to send north, weakening the line that they're stripping [and] giving the Russians more opportunities.The result, Ritter said, is the gradual thinning out of Ukraines armed forces until its military is split and collapses.Additionally Ukraine faces political collapse, he claimed, as President Volodymyr Zelenskys term comes to an end next week. It will come to a head on May 20th, when the legitimacy of the Zelensky regime or what passes for legitimacy collapses altogether because his term runs out, said Ritter. There was no presidential election. He will be ruling as an unelected dictator. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240514/why-blinkens-surprise-visit-to-ukraine-is-bad-omen-for-zelensky-1118429166.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240227/putin-was-right-western-complicity-in-ukraines-terrorism-proves-wisdom-of-special-operation-1117001814.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240516/scott-ritter-belousovs-appointment-signals-revolution-in-russian-military-affairs-1118462070.html ukraine russia kharkov Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 John Miles https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/19/1116388787_0:0:1316:1316_100x100_80_0_0_77e70d36afd983012b1c5d38ddb84156.jpg John Miles https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/19/1116388787_0:0:1316:1316_100x100_80_0_0_77e70d36afd983012b1c5d38ddb84156.jpg News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 John Miles https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/01/19/1116388787_0:0:1316:1316_100x100_80_0_0_77e70d36afd983012b1c5d38ddb84156.jpg russia offensive, russia ukraine offensive, russia kharkov offensive, ukraine endgame, ukraine army collapse, ukraine military disinitigrate, ukraine armed forces split, ukraine war of attrition, russia wins, ukraine loses, russian advance, russian offensive https://sputnikglobe.com/20240517/why-does-deepening--russia-china-arctic-partnership-bother-nato-1118496230.html Why Does Deepening Russia-China Arctic Partnership Bother NATO? Why Does Deepening Russia-China Arctic Partnership Bother NATO? Sputnik International Russia-China deepening Arctic partnership seen as 'security threat' by NATO. 2024-05-17T17:50+0000 2024-05-17T17:50+0000 2024-05-17T19:00+0000 world russia arctic arctic northern sea route rosatom alexei likhachev arctic council northern sea route liquefied natural gas (lng) https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e8/05/11/1118495078_0:160:3072:1888_1920x0_80_0_0_f46900e0b032c13deb22e8307ffb91a5.jpg Russia and China will set up a joint commission for the development of the Arctic Northern Sea Route (NSR), Rosatom nuclear corporation head Alexei Likhachev has revealed.Rosatom lead the project on the Russian side, while China's Ministry of Transport will oversee its share of the work."Our task is to create in the shortest possible time a joint program for expanding Chinese transit along the Northern Sea Route, as well as for a number of other projects in the interests of using this global artery, which, of course, has enormous development potential," Likhachev noted.During President Vladimir Putins state visit to China Moscow and Beijing released a joint statement, expressing interest in preserving the Arctic as a territory of peace, low military-political tension and stability.In recent years, Russia has expressed its concerns about increased NATO military activities in the Arctic, warning of the risk of unintended clashes in the region. Moscow is also prepared to withdraw from the Arctic Council if its activities do not meet Russia's interests.Moscow has lambasted moves by the United States to expand its claims to the continental shelf in the Arctic as lacking international legal basis.Over the past years Russia and China have boosted cooperation in the Arctic, an increasingly important economic region. The scale of this interaction prompted a private US intelligence report to warn of significant implications for US national security.Russias increasing willingness to allow the PRC in the Arctic demonstrates the realness of their no-limits partnership and its potential counterbalance to U.S.-led alliances, the report claimed.The report by Strider Technologies cited open-source data, noting that:Concerns were also voiced by members of the US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee at a hearing late in 2023. As part of the new aggressive response by the West in the region, two unprecedented military exercises by the US and its NATO allies were held simultaneously in various parts of the Arctic in March. Thirteen NATO countries participated in the Nordic Response 2024 exercise held in Finland and Sweden, near the border with Russia. The US Army also conducted a training event near Fairbanks, Alaska, close to Russia's borders.Russia-China Arctic CooperationRussia-China interaction in the Arctic is making impressive strides, particularly as Beijing took on a key role as Moscow's technological partner in the development of the region under the US-pushed Western sanctions regime. Areas of joint interaction include:Russian-Chinese collaboration in the Arctic region focuses on joint development of the Northern Sea Route and related coastal infrastructure, as well as energy and scientific cooperation.From the outset, Beijing recognized that the Northern Sea Route could complement its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, serving as an extension of the strategic project.Cargo traffic via the Northern Sea Route has reached a record 35 million tons since the start of 2023. Since 2013, Chinese shipping company COSCO was the main international operator on the NSR, making over 100 voyages over the past decade.Russia is in the process of implementing a federal project to develop the NSR with new port facilities, oil, LNG and coal terminals, and ice-class vessels to boost cargo traffic to 110 million tons by 2030. Russia's Northern Fleet with its nuclear-capable submarines is based in the Arctic.Over the past decade China is estimated to have invested in excess of $90 billion in Arctic energy and mineral projects, primarily in Russia.Chinese companies have long been involved in Yamal LNG, an integrated project encompassing natural gas production, liquefaction and shipping. Investors from China controlled about 30 percent of NOVATEK's Yamal LNG project, and become the largest foreign co-owners of its second liquefied natural gas plant, Arctic LNG-2. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and China National Petroleum (CNP) each have a 10% stake.Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin highlighted the close ties between the two countries in the region last year, singling out Yamal LNG, located on the Yamal Peninsula above the Arctic Circle, as a flagship of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the Arctic.The US has made efforts to torpedo the Arctic LNG-2 project as both Russia and China remain "direct competitors" in this field, pundits told Sputnik earlier this month.An estimated 80 percent of Russia's natural gas and 17 percent of its oil production lies in the Arctic. The Russian Arctic continental shelf is believed to contain 17 billion tons of oil and 85 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves.Despite the West ostracizing Russia over Ukraine, when it comes to the Arctic even NATO members do not seem eager to slam the door, a recent Reuters report said. Norway, which took over the Council's chair last year, has been keen to keep limited cooperation alive with Russia through the Arctic Council, the news agency reported. Two Russian vessels took part in a virtual training exercise in March involving a simulated oil spill off northern Norway.The seven council members all of them currently also NATO members suspended their cooperation with Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. But that also meant freezing a third of the Council's 130 projects.Since Russia accounts for about a third of the Arctic region and nearly 70 percent its economic activity, this prompted fears the Council itself might collapse, Reuters said. That could jeopardise Arctic security and undercut efforts to tackle environmental, climate and other scientific issues.The Arctic Council's secretariat said in February it would resume working group meetings on scientific matters in a virtual format, with Russias participation.Western countries are not interested in the collapse of the Arctic Council, since without the participation of Moscow any cooperation in the region is doomed to failure, According to scientific director of the Russian International Affairs Council Andrei Kortunov.Three key agreements of the Arctic Council on cooperation in aviation and maritime search and rescue in the Arctic, on joint efforts in response to marine oil pollution in the Arctic and on strengthening international Arctic scientific cooperation would become irrelevant without Russia's involvement, warned Katerina Labetskaya, Lead Researcher of the Department of International Political Problems of IMEMO. https://sputnikglobe.com/20240315/war-games-in-arctic-whats-driving-the-wests-new-passion---1117347307.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240416/why-us-scheme-to-kill-russias-arctic-lng-2-is-dead-in-the-water-1117963468.html https://sputnikglobe.com/20240207/russia-may-forge-partnerships-with-asia-and-mideast-to-explore-arctic--expert-1116646347.html russia arctic Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 2024 Svetlana Ekimenko Svetlana Ekimenko News en_EN Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 1920 1080 true 1920 1440 true 1920 1920 true Sputnik International feedback@sputniknews.com +74956456601 MIA Rossiya Segodnya 252 60 Svetlana Ekimenko russia's arctic lng 2 gas liquefaction project, competition between russia and the us in lng production, us sanctions against companies linked to the arctic lng 2 project, us icebreakers, russian icebreakers, how many icebreakers does russia have, who controls arctic, Trainer Jodie Cullen surpassed a $10 million milestone after scoring a double on the Thursday, May 16 evening card at Flamboro Downs. Travis Cullen piloted both of Jodie Cullen's students to their respective victories. Yourtheone ($15.70) upset in the $10,500 conditioned pace, winning every pole en route to victory by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:53.2 for owners Ronald & Jodie Cullen and Travis Cullen. Bet The Bb ($2.70) followed the same trip in race nine's conditioned pace worth $8,800, winning gate-to-wire by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:54.1. Travis Cullen bred and owns the winner. Jodie Cullen has 1,354 wins to go along with her earnings plateau in addition to being tied for second in the standings at Flamboro so far this year for wins. Slayin Theday Away ($9.50) and Eddie Green won the $8,000 first leg of the Prospect Series for sophomore trotting colts from gate-to-wire in 1:59.2 by 5-1/2 lengths. Keelan Green trains the Muscle Mass-Babeivegotyoubabe colt for Celestey Hill. To view Thursday's harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results - Flamboro Downs. (Standardbred Canada) The track record for three-year-old trotting geldings at Plainridge Park was re-written on Thursday afternoon, May 16 after Spaaaazano put on a sparkling gate-to-wire performance to claim victory in the $136,986 Bunker Hill Trot. North Americas leading dash driver, Aaron Merriman, sent Spaaaazano to the front and seated the field in a :27.2 quarter. Once in control, Merriman slammed on the brakes with a :30.1 second panel and basically won the race there. Spaaaazano then sped to the three-quarter pole in :27.4 as Show Me (Andy Miller), on the pegs, and French Kronos (Mattias Melander), in the breeze, chased closest from behind. Spaaaazano circled the final turn and hit the stretch in full flight and then bolted to the line on top by 2-1/2 lengths, winning in 1:53.2. The time was a new lifetime mark for Spaaaazano and also replaced the old track record of 1:53.3 set by Khaosan Road exactly one year ago in this race. The stakes record is 1:53, set by the colt Jonas K S in 2022. The victory was the win in only the second start of the year for Spaaaazano ($4.80) and it pushed the 2023 Ohio Sire Stakes stars lifetime earnings to $322,150. Spaaaazano (Coraggioso-Grace N Charlie) is owned by his trainer Chris Beaver, in partnership with Spaaaartners and Ontario-based owners Bill Manes and Leo Fleming. Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Monday, May 20 with post time at 4 p.m. (Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts) Trevor Henry drove a pair of winners at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday, May 16, securing a new milestone plateau of $80 million in career driving earnings. Gino Cicero's Hope N Glory ($112.60) was Henry's first triumph of the evening, a massive 55-1 upset in the opener. The Lookslikeachpndale-Merry Maiden filly won her first career race in the $17,000 conditioned trot with a 2-3/4 length score in 1:56.2. Though impressive on his first score, it was race eight winner Tactical Seelster to get Henry across the wire of the milestone with a win in the $12,000 claiming pace. Henry and the Sheldon Rose student got away fourth through the opening panel in :27.2 before pulling first over en route to the :55.4 half. Tactical Seelster achieved the lead along the pylons before the three-quarters in 1:24.4, then went on to score by 3-3/4 lengths in 1:53.4. Catchmeonthebeach (Louis-Philippe Roy) took second with The Serpent (Tyler Borth) third. Rose owns the four-year-old State Treasurer-Titania Seelster gelding. Tactical Seelster won his fourth race from 19 starts this year and his 12th career tally from 51 starts. He paid $4.60 to win. Trevor Henry has 7,583 career victories in addition to achieving the $80 million milestone feat. To view Thursday's harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park. (Standardbred Canada) A week from this coming Sunday, May 26, Harrahs Philadelphia will be holding its annual Super Sunday, with three US$100,000 Invitationals (pace, trot, mare pace), a US$50,000 Invitational, and a preliminary round of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts. There are no such big-money races on the schedule this Sunday, May 19, but it does contain three horses of national interest two of which may be racing seven days afterwards. Ruthless Hanover, who last season paced the fastest mile ever on a five-eighth mile track, 1:46.3, at Philly, makes his seasonal debut in the fast-class pace. Now seven, the altered son of Captaintreacherous, trained by Tom Cancelliere and owned by his brother John, has made only 54 career starts, but hes made the most of his 22 victories, including his win in the Auger Memorial on Super Sunday 2023. In that race he laid down supersonic splits of :25.2, :53 and 1:19.2 en route to his world record clocking. Ruthless Hanover has had two qualifiers to prep for his 2024 bow, in the latter missing a half-length to A Rocknroll Star in 1:50.4 at The Meadowlands. Andrew McCarthy has been tapped for the fifth race driving assignment behind Ruthless Hanover. A race later, the star distaff (pictured above) Twin B Joe Fresh, winner of more than $1.4 million at two and three while battling the great Sylvia Hanover, makes her first start of the year against a field of fellow four-year-olds, her opposition being all males. Twin B Joe Fresh is well-remembered by eastern Pennsylvania fans for her memorable clash with Sylvia Hanover in last years Lynch Memorial at Pocono, where the pair duelled through a :25.4 third quarter before Sylvia Hanover lapsed from stride, with Twin B Joe Fresh taking full advantage. Twin B Joe Fresh, who has a mark of 1:48.2, comes to this race off a pair of qualifiers at The Meadowlands, the latter a win in 1:51.2. She also has drawn post four, with Dexter Dunn to be in the bike for trainer Chris Ryder; those two are also co-owners with Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak. Sundays first race features the horse who recorded the fastest mile of the local season, 1:49.1. That would be North America Cup eligible Total Stranger who accomplished the feat while breaking his maiden. A son of Bettors Delight and a full brother to champion Tall Dark Stranger, Total Stranger, good but not a winner at two, came out of the box roaring for trainer Nancy Takter and the partnership of Judith Taylor, Caviart Farms, and Chuck Pompey, Like the other two other horses featured in this release, hell start from post four, with the meets leading driver, Tim Tetrick, to be piloting him. Ruthless Hanover might defend his Auger title on the 26th, and Twin B Joe Fresh, who beat older mares in the Fan Duel last year, might be in the Betsy Ross mare pace, but Total Stranger is Ontario-sired, and thus cannot be in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes on Super Sunday. Of note, the first leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series is set for Saturday, May 25 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Sunday post times at Philly are 12:40 p.m. A free program courtesy PHHA is available here. (PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia) Standardbred Canada (SC) would like to advise members that its main office in Mississauga, Ont. will be closed on Monday, May 20 in observance of Victoria Day. The office will resume regular operating hours on Tuesday, May 21. Standardbred Canada would like to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. (Standardbred Canada) Power blinked off in the downtown Scottsbluff area at about 3 p.m., then was out for several minutes at about 3:30 p.m According to an alert issues by Region 22 Emergency Management, Scottsbluff Fire Chief, Tom Schingle advised of the crash. In order for NPPD to make the needed repairs, power in the area was out for a period of time. Some estimates were that about 5,000 customers were affected. China's top legislator holds talks with speaker of Moroccan House of Representatives Xinhua) 08:36, May 17, 2024 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) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) Three Scottsbluff High School seniors signed letters of intent to pursue training and careers in diesel tech on Wednesday. Milo Coop, Edgar Torres and Erick Flota-Mendoza will all walk in Scottsbluffs graduation ceremony on Sunday, and all three young men have clear visions for their immediate future thanks to the SHS Diesel Tech program. SHS internship director Derek Deaver spoke highly of the three graduates, who have honed their skills and developed strong relationships with area businesses through local internship opportunities. Those skills and relationships have opened doors to achieve even more. Theyve all committed to go on and further their education with the help of our partners, their sponsors, Deaver said. All three graduates have already spent some time working at their sponsor companies, who are all partners in the SHS Diesel Tech program. Coop signed his intent to attend Southeast Community College in Milford, where he will participate in the John Deere tech program thanks to his sponsorship from 21st Century Equipment. Coops manager at 21st Century complimented his work ethic and compatibility with the company and its team members. Coop will continue working there over the summer before heading off to Milford in the fall. Torres will also attend Southeast and study John Deere construction and forestry in partnership with Murphy Tractor. His instructors praised the knowledge and skills that he brought into the program, which were further developed and refined through hard work. Flota-Mendoza, partnered with Aulick Industries, will study diesel tech and fabrication at WyoTech in Laramie, Wyoming. He was praised for his growth and willingness to learn both truck repair and custom fabrication as a member of the Aulick team. All three graduates vocalized their intent to return to the Scottsbluff/Gering area to continue along their career paths after finishing their programs. The SHS Diesel Tech program is a community driven effort made possible by industry partners like Floyds Truck Center, Aulick Industries, Murphy Tractor, 21st Century and NMC Cat. Those companies offer instruction and internship opportunities for students in an effort to incentivize them to return and work in their hometown. Program coordinator Cheyanne Marcy discussed the intent of the diesel tech program in Scottsbluff. Started in 2021, the program is the result of a community-wide effort to address a shrinking but highly necessary and specialized workforce in an agricultural area. Were excited to keep adding numbers of graduates who keep coming back to our community, she said. This program really started because of talks about retiring (diesel) techs and the shortage thats coming. She went on to praise the three signees, who are exactly the sort of graduates the program was engineered to produce. In her eyes, they are both enhancing their own lives and performing a vital service to their community. You truly are the entire goal of this program, Marcy said. We want every student to learn these skills, but we also want to see you taking this next step and really amplifying your career. You truly are filling the pipeline to help our community continue to grow. Scottsbluff High School graduates will be held at 1 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium. A Cowlitz County Superior Court jury found Heather Annette Hughes guilty of seven charges Thursday afternoon for her role in supplying a minor for sex in 2017 to a former Longview business owner. Hughes, 49, was found not guilty of one charge promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor and pumped both her fists in excitement. Still, she could potentially face more than 20 years in state prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 18. The jury found she was an accomplice to Jay Douglas, the owner of Longview used car dealership Triangle Motors, who was convicted in 2021 of raping and molesting the same young girl in Hughes case. Presiding Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Patricia Fassett revoked Hughes bail after the verdict was read, and she was taken into custody. Hughes did not testify. Though she was arrested in 2018, she wasnt considered competent to stand trial until January, according to court records. She told The Daily News Wednesday she considered the case to be the biggest blessing, but didnt explain why. She was found guilty of second-degree rape of a child, two counts of second-degree child molestation, promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor, commercial sexual abuse of a minor, second-degree human trafficking, and second-degree dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. A question of notes In his closing arguments, Cowlitz County Prosecutor Jacob Eugene Lervold described Hughes and Douglas relationship as a business transaction for drugs; Hughes found girls for Douglas to have sex with and he gave Hughes drugs. Lervold said such acts with the then 12-year-old girl occurred at Douglas home and his dealership. The business was destroyed in a fire in 2019 when Douglas was on bail, but he was never charged in the incident. Before one assault, the prosecution explained how the victim felt dizzy after eating pizza, so Douglas helped her upstairs where Hughes helped the young girl change into lingerie. But Hughes defense attorney, John Carlson Terry of Vancouvers Andrews Terry Jeffers LLP, questioned the evidence. He said Hughes confessions to law enforcement were not recorded and the victims statements about sexual assault changed over time. Longview Sgt. Tim Watson, the lead investigator for the case, took the stand Wednesday, saying Hughes told him she was tasked to find females to have sex with Douglas. Watson said she also took sexual photos of the victim after Douglas requested them, and within their relationship dynamic, she was the one in charge. Those photos were found on a computer at Triangle Motors in attachments to emails that Christopher Prothero, a former digital forensic investigator of the Vancouver Police Department, retrieved from the computers desktop recycle bin, he told the jury Wednesday. During cross-examination, Terry questioned Watson about how he documented his first interview with Hughes at her residence. Watson responded that he had neither taken notes nor recorded the interview but wrote a report shortly after the interaction. Watson said he did take notes during the second and third interviews at the Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorneys Office and transferred them into the report, but that they were not verbatim. So, in all three interviews, youre summarizing essentially the highlights of what was discussed, said Terry, to which Watson replied, thats a fair categorization. Terry said any context that may have existed is now lost to your interpretation, would you agree with that? Watson replied, I only have my interpretation to document. More testimonies Kimberly Copeland of Legacy Health, who conducted a forensic interview and physical examination on the victim, also testified on Wednesday. As part of the states evidence, Lervold played an audio recording of a 2018 interview between Copeland and the victim, in which she said Hughes took photos of her and that Douglas played porn on TV while she was present. The victim said Hughes had the mind of an 11-year-old. Kristen Mendez, a child forensic interviewer from the Childrens Justice and Advocacy Center, testified on Wednesday that the victim told her of a sexual encounter with Douglas in which Hughes was sitting in a chair eating ice cream during the act. Douglas was convicted of child rape, child molestation and possession of child pornography in 2021. 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. 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: This image of a Transonic Truss Braced Wing airplane represents a digital model created by Aviary, a new computer modelling tool aeronautical engineers can use to innovate new aircraft designs, The Aviary code builds on NASAs decades of experience using highly advanced computer code for aviation. Aviary is a resource created by NASAs Transformational Tools and Technologies project. Credit: NASA NASA has created a new digital modeling tool for aeronautical engineers to innovate new aircraft designs, building on decades of experience using highly advanced computer code for aviation. Using this tool, researchers can create simulations of conceptual aircraft featuring never-flown technology and receive detailed data about how it would work. Named "Aviary" for enclosures where birds are kept and studied, the tool creates virtual models of airplanes based on information provided by the user. In this analogy, Aviary is the enclosure, and the birds are the virtual airplane models. Researchers can input information about an aircraft's shape, range, and other characteristics. Then, Aviary creates a corresponding digital model of that airplane. Aviary is a significant leap in progress. Unlike past aviation modeling tools, Aviary can link with other codes and programs to expand and customize its capabilities. "We wanted to make it easy to extend the code and tie it in with other tools," said Jennifer Gratz, who leads Aviary's integration and development. "Aviary is intentionally designed to be able to integrate disciplines together more tightly." Aviary is free and accessible to all. The code continues to grow as contributions are made by the public. The code is hosted on GitHub, along with its key documentation. Building Aviary from a legacy Aviary is a descendant of two prior modeling tools created by NASA decades ago: the Flight Optimization System, and the General Aviation Synthesis Program. These older legacy codes, however, were comparatively limited in terms of flexibility and detail. "The older legacy codes were not designed to handle these more modern-day concepts such as hybrid-electric aircraft," Gratz said. "They viewed certain systems as more separated than they really are in the vehicles we envision now." Aviary bridges that gap, enabling researchers to seamlessly incorporate detailed information reflecting the more integrated, enmeshed systems needed to model newer aircraft. The team began creating Aviary by taking the best parts of the legacy codes and merging them, then adding in new code to make Aviary extendable and compatible with other tools. "That's one of its most important characteristics," Gratz said. "Aviary is flexible enough that you can decide what you want to learn more about, then configure it to teach you." Expanded capabilities Learning specific, tailored information ahead of time can inform researchers what direction the aircraft design should take before doing costly flight tests. Instead of having to use built-in estimates for certain parameters such as a battery's power level, as would be done with past tools, Aviary users can easily use information generated by other tools with specific information catered to batteries. Another capability Aviary touts is gradients. A gradient, essentially, is how much a certain value affects another value when changed. Say a researcher is considering how powerful a battery should be to successfully power an aircraft. Using older systems, the researcher would have to run a separate simulation for each battery power level. But Aviary can accomplish this task in one simulation by considering gradients. "You could tell Aviary to figure out how powerful a battery should be to make using it worthwhile. It will run a simulated flight mission and come back with the result," Gratz said. "Older tools can't do that without modification." Aviary can simulate all these concepts simultaneouslyno other modeling tool can easily consider prior legacy tools, separate tools introduced by users, and gradients. "Other tools have some of these things, but none of them have all of these things," Gratz said. What's more, Aviary comes with extensive documentation. "Documentation is another important part of Aviary," Gratz said. "If nobody can understand the tool, nobody can use it. By having a good record of Aviary's development and changes, more people can benefit. You don't have to be an expert to use it." NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ames Research Center in California, and Langley Research Center in Virginia contributed to Aviary. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Researchers in India have developed a tool that can estimate the remaining useful life of an otherwise obsolete laptop computer based on quality grading of two of its main componentshard drive and rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The work, published in the International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking, focused on developing a decision support tool (DST) that could improve sustainable laptop remanufacturing practices. Gurunathan Anandh, Shanmugam Prasanna Venkatesan, Sandanam Domnic, and Santosh Awaje of the National Institute of Technology in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, discuss the concept of remanufacturing, the process of disassembling, assessing, and repairing or replacing components to restore functionality to a device. Remanufacturing could be one solution to the environmental and economic challenges we currently face. However, successful remanufacturing needs accurate information about the device's components, which presents its own challenges. The team turned to machine-learning algorithms such as Random Forest (RF) to help them predict remaining useful life and K-means clustering for the quality grading of components. The researchers' approach uses well-known spreadsheet software, Microsoft Excel, as its interface and is supplemented with Python scripting. By making such choices, the researchers hope their system should be accessible to practitioners with varying levels of expertise. The practical use of the research will fill the gaps needed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the laptop remanufacturing process. By using an approach based on data and machine learning, the team suggests that remanufacturing can be guided for the repair, replacement, or necessary disposal of the main components. This would not only reduce waste and give a new lease of life to old equipment but could improve profitability for the companies involved in remanufacturing. The next step will be to extend the method to other laptop components and perhaps to other types of device. More information: Gurunathan Anandh et al, Remanufacturing of end-of-life laptop based on remaining useful life prediction and quality grading with random forest and cluster analysis, International Journal of Process Management and Benchmarking (2024). DOI: 10.1504/IJPMB.2024.138350 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: United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain, right, celebrates with local organizers at a UAW vote watch party on April 19, 2024 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Workers at Mercedes-Benz's Alabama business are expected to learn Friday if they will shift into a union shop, following a contentious federally-administered election. Some 5,200 workers at the Mercedes auto manufacturing plant and battery complex near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, have since Monday been voting on whether to join the United Auto Workers. The outcome could mark a second triumph in the American South for UAW President Shawn Fain, after Volkswagen workers in Tennessee voted decisively to become a union shop in April. The win last month was a landmark for the labor group in a region historically hostile to organized labor. For the Mercedes workers, voting concludes Friday morning with election results expected to be released by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in the afternoon. "We're optimistic," said Robb Lett, a production team member in the Mercedes battery plant who has been part of the union organizing drive. "We were expecting a lot of pushback" from Mercedes, added Lett, an Alabama native who has been at the plant since 2014. Labor experts say another UAW win would bolster campaigns of labor organizers at other factories in the South at Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and other automakers, while a loss could slow down the push. 'Union busting'? Workers who back the union have filed complaints with the NLRB. They alleged that the company unfairly retaliated against staff over union activity and surveilled workers, among other charges, said the NLRB which is overseeing the election. The UAW has also filed a complaint under a new German law on global supply chain practices, charging the company with a "clear human rights violation" over allegedly firing one pro-union worker with cancer and forcing employees to attend meetings in which plant leaders railed against the union. Mercedes has come under scrutiny over its conduct during the vote and in the period just ahead of it. Progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders blasted the company on social media platform X, posting a photo of a banner hung at the plant urging workers to vote against the union. "That's not being 'neutral' as (Mercedes) claims to be. That's union busting," Sanders said. "I say to Mercedes: Stop intimidating your pro-union workers. End your union busting." The company "fully respects our Team Members' choice whether to unionize," a Mercedes spokeswoman said in an email. "We believe open and direct communication with our Team Members is the best path forward to ensure continued success." The historic VW vote came after the UAW's strike last fall on Detroit automakers General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. The strike resulted in large wage hikes and lifted the profile of Fain, who enlisted President Joe Biden to appear with autoworkers on the picket line. The UAW success with the Detroit companies lent momentum to the drive in Alabama. "It gave us something tangible to point to," said Lett, who became active in the drive during the COVID-19 period and aftermath, when workers faced long shifts and unpredictable scheduling due to heavy turnover. "There are real things that have been won," he said. But UAW's progress has sparked heavy opposition from southern politicians, who argue the union will undermine the region's success in drawing large companies. On the eve of the VW vote, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and other Republican governors released a joint letter denouncing the UAW campaign. "Unionization would certainly put our states' jobs in jeopardy," said the letter, also signed by the governors of Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. 2024 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Arthur Mensch, cofounder and CEO of Mistral AI, attends the UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit in Bletchley, England on Nov. 2, 2023. The Competition and Markets Authority said it's looking into Microsoft's partnership with France's Mistral AI and the company's hiring of key staff from another startup, Inflection AI. Credit: Toby Melville/Pool Photo via AP, File British regulators said Friday they don't need to open a competition investigation into Microsoft's partnership with French artificial intelligence company Mistral, a month after asking for industry feedback on the deal. Microsoft announced earlier this year that it was partnering with the buzzy French startup in a move that that could lessen the software giant's reliance on ChatGPT-maker OpenAI for supplying the next wave of chatbots and other generative AI products. The Competion and Markets Authority said in a brief update that the tie-up "does not qualify for investigation" under U.K. merger rules. The watchdog had said in April that it was seeking comments from "interested third parties," before deciding whether to carry out an in-depth antitrust investigation. By deciding not to probe the deal, "the CMA confirmed that the structure of the partnership between Mistral and Microsoft does not grant sufficient rights/influence to Microsoft," Alex Haffner, competition partner at U.K. law firm Fladgate, said by email. The watchdog is still looking into Microsoft's hiring of key staff from another startup, Inflection AI, as well as Amazon's $4 billion investment in San Francisco-based Anthropic. It didn't provide updates on those reviews, which were announced at the same time last month. Nor has it issued an update on its review of Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI since it asked for comments on that deal in December. 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Spiritual Formation in the Wider Sense When I was a young Christian, I was told by a well-respected pastor and seminary teacher that there are two views on the composition of a human being: dichotomy (body and spirit), or trichotomy (body, soul, and spirit). The spirit is that part of our being that can get connected with God. That explains why churches, Chinese churches in particular, are fond of the words spiritual () and spirituality (). A Christian book is called a spiritual book (), Christian music is known as spiritual music (), a devout Christian is called a spiritual person (), and so on. From this perspective, a Christian can dismiss Chinese culture for the lack of spirituality, as the term spirituality () did not exist in premodern Chinese culture. All they can see in Chinese culture is deplorable superstition; they dont see any spiritual depth among the Chinese pagans and heathens. Many Western missionaries in nineteenth and twentieth century China were the first advocates of such a harsh view. I submit that Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism are not just philosophies; they are spiritual traditions that many Chinese are still very proud of. A Chinese Christian might wonder, how can that be so? These schools of thought do not even recognize the existence of spirit in human nature! More and more scholars agree that confining spirituality rigidly to the life of the spirit (pneuma) is too restrictive (e.g., Ewert Cousins, Sandra M. Schneiders). Some evangelical writers agree; Dallas Willard is the best example of this broadened perspective. Part of their contention is that in the Bible there are several words that refer to the nonphysical part of human nature or our inner person. In the Old Testament, we have soul, spirit, and heart, whereas in the New Testament, there is one more word: mind. These words should not be understood in a scientific manner, with precise definitions and mutual exclusivity. On the contrary, biblical writers often use these words in parallel and interchangeably. In the Bible all these four words are sometimes used to refer to our inner person or the core of our being. (I have consulted Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, 2000; HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, revised and updated edition, 2011; and New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, 2006.) But among the four, the word heart is used in this sense far more extensively. In the Old Testament alone there are 814 references to the human heart (HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, 2011, p. 368). A textual analysis of such usages is way beyond the scope of this essay; any interested reader can easily conduct such a word study with the help of an online concordance. Interestingly, the very well-known New Testament scholar N. T. Wright also focuses on the heart alone in his After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters (2010, 118-123). Dallas Willard (19352013) is a distinguished American writer on Christian spirituality. For 48 years, he taught in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Southern California (19652013); hence, he has a broader horizon to articulate Christian spirituality vis-a-vis non-Christian spiritualities. His book Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (first published in 2002) is an invaluable source for our reflection on Christian spirituality in the context of human spiritualities. For Willard, heart, spirit, and will (or their equivalents) are words that refer to one and the same nonphysical dimension of human nature, with different emphases. And heart refers to its position in the human being, as the center or core to which every other component of the self owes its proper functioning The heart is where decisions and choices are made for the whole person (pp. 2324). With this broader perspective, Willard helpfully reminds us, Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up Spiritual formation, without regard to any specifically religious context or tradition, is the process by which the human spirit or will is given a definite form or character. It is a process that happens to everyone. The most despicable as well as the most admirable of persons have had a spiritual formation. Terrorists as well as saints are the outcome of spiritual formation. Their spirits or hearts have been formed. PeriodNow and throughout the ages this has been acknowledged by everyone who has thought deeply about our conditionfrom Moses, Solomon, Socrates, and Spinoza, to Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Oprah, and current feminists and environmentalists (pp. 12, 6). Accordingly, Willard defines spiritual formation generally as the renovation of the heart, hence the title of this book. With this wider understanding, Christians can connect our discourse on spiritual formation with non-Christians by both establishing the discontinuity as well as continuity between Christian and non-Christian spiritualities. We, very rightly, continually preach this possibility and necessity [of spiritual formation] from our pulpits. Disagreements have only to do with what in our spirit needs to be changed and how that change can be brought about we can say, in a preliminary manner, that spiritual formation for the Christian basically refers to the Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself (pp. 6, 15). Willard provides a very helpful lesson for us to learn. We need to articulate our gospel of the renovation of the heart contextually; Socrates, Spinoza, Freud, Oprah, and others would not ring the bell for East Asian peoples. We need to engage with East Asian spiritualities, first and foremost, by acknowledging their historic contribution to the cultivation of the human interior life. Without such contributions, Chinese civilization would be in the same fate as Babylonian and Egyptian civilizationsthey would be museum exhibits only. Willard generously admits this. The shaping and reshaping of the inner life is, accordingly, a problem that has been around as long as humanity itself; and the earliest records of human thought bear eloquent witness to the human struggle to solve it (p. 12). In a footnote to this sentence, Willard concedes, There is, of course, an ocean of literature from Eastern thought on the formation of the human spirit (p. 282). What a magnanimous and graceful acknowledgment! All Christians working in or for Asians should take this observation very seriously. In an online essay, Idaho Springs Inquiries Concerning Spiritual Formation, Willard replies to a number of frequently asked questions. The eighth question is, Isnt spiritual formation a human project, equally well expressed in many traditions other than the Christian? Willard replies, Much that is good is to be found in every great human tradition of spiritual formation, and the Christian will do well to respect what is good wherever it is found. Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17, NIV). If we cannot afford to be generous, we possess little. Theologically this view can be justified by the doctrine of common grace. Gods grace has been extended to East Asian peoples through Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist spiritualities, and we had better respect them. Disrespect reveals our cultural chauvinism. We should not erect an artificial barrier to sharing the gospel of Jesus by insisting on a Western language that non-Christians in Asia are not familiar with. Jesus is the answer, yes, but to what questions? East Asian people have a rich tradition of spiritual formation in the general sense of renovating the heart. Historically, they place a heavy emphasis on self-cultivation (the cultivation of the interior self). Can the Christian gospel reply to their spiritual questions in their terminology so that the answer can make better sense to them? In the rest of this essay, I will focus on neo-Confucian spirituality, a common heritage of the peoples in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Spiritual Formation in Neo-Confucianism In the Song and Ming Dynasties, there were two rival schools of neo-Confucianism, the Cheng-Zhu () School and the Lu-Wang () School. Both schools agreed that the heart was the master of ones life and placed heavy emphasis on the cultivation of the heart. In terms of subsequent influence, however, Zhu Xi (11301200) was widely acknowledged as the most influential Confucian thinker in the last 1,000 years for China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Part of his influence was due to the fact that he was instrumental in creating a much shorter canon of Confucian classics, known simply as the Four Books, which consist of the Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean. The Great Learning is placed as the very first book, instructing learners on what genuine learning is all about. In the preface Zhu Xi explains that in very ancient times, at age eight boys would start the elementary learning (xiao xue ). Then at age 15 they would be enrolled to higher learning (da xue ), which is about the way of self-cultivation and governance of men through the fathoming of principle and rectifying of the mind (De Bary and Bloom, p. 723;). However, in subsequent times there were no more sage-rulers; hence there was no more transformation of the people through education (jiao hua ). Consequently, the deterioration of personal morals and social customs became widespread. This short treatise, the Great Learning, is brought to the forefront to address this issue. For Zhu Xi, learning is not only an intellectual exercise; it is, above all, the learning to be fully human. The first chapter of this treatise is subsequently very famous because Zhu Xi sums it up as the articulation of the three intended learning outcomes (pp. 725-726; ) and the eight successive steps in cultivation (). The former consists of three goals of learning: (1) clearly manifesting luminous virtue (), (2) renewing people (), and (3) resting in the utmost good (). The eight successive steps can be divided into four stages: Acquiring knowledge: investigation of things, extension of knowledge (); Ordering of interior life: rectification of heart, making intention sincere (); Cultivation of personal life: self-cultivation, regulating family life (); Rendering public service: governing a state, bringing peace to all-under-Heaven (). Since the time of Confucius and Mencius, rendering public service has been a firm commitment of Confucian teachings; there is nothing new in Zhu Xis exposition in this regard. What is new is the emphasis that a good public and social life begins, and only begins, with ones interior life properly formed. Everything starts from the heart. In the commentary, Zhu Xi explicitly affirms that the heart is the master of ones person (p. 727; ). However, the human heart is often malformed; hence the rectification of heart () is called for. In his political writings the rectification of the heart is a constant refrain. Only if the heart is rectified can personal, familial, and social life be rectified. Only when the emperors heart is rectified can his ministers hearts be rectified. Only when the entire imperial courts hearts be rectified can the governance of the nation be rectified. Can we hear the loud and clear echo of the renovation of the heart here? As for another short treatise, the Doctrine of the Mean, again, Zhu Xi clearly sets up his education agenda in the preface. In the very first paragraph, he reminds us that in very ancient times there was The Message of the Heart (xinfa ), a 16-word, four-phrase message from an ancient text (p. 732): The human heart is prone to error. () But the Dao-heart is subtle. () Remain discerning and single-minded. () Keep steadfastly to the Mean. () (Ching, p. 114) This cryptic saying exhibits a profound realism on the strife and turmoil of human interior life, that is, the conflict between the Dao-heart and the human heart. In the second paragraph, Zhu Xi elaborates on the complexity of the struggle of our inner being: As I have maintained, the heartis one and only one. But if we make a distinction between the human heart and the heart of the Way (Dao), it is because consciousness differs insofar as it may spring from the self-centeredness of ones individual physical form or may have its source in the correctness of ones innate nature and moral imperative. This being so, the one may be prone to error and insecure, while the other may be subtle and barely perceptible These two [tendencies] are mixed together in the square-inch of the heart, and if one does not know how to order them, the proneness to error becomes even more prone, and the barely perceptible becomes even less perceptible, so that the sense of the common good [impartiality] of Heavens principle [in the mind of the Way] is unable in the end to overcome the selfishness of human desires (De Bary and Bloom, pp. 732733). In other words, the turmoil of society and of the warfare of the world that we know all too well begins with the turmoil and perpetual warfare within the human heart (the warfare between the Dao-heart and the human heart). The intended learning outcome of Confucian teaching is therefore making sure that the heart of the Dao is master of ones self and that the human heart always listens to its commands (p. 733). A Chinese Christian cannot agree more and should add that our Bible speaks of the Dao too in the beginning of Johns Gospel. In other writings Zhu Xi has another way of explaining this perpetual conflict; it is between the nature of Heaven and Earth and the nature of psychophysical endowment (). The goal of learning is to transform the psychophysical endowment ( Chan, 1963, pp. 624625). Again, do we hear the call for the renovation of the human heart? For a Christian, such a struggle is all too familiar, reminding us of the famous passage in Romans 7. In an article entitled Spiritual Formation and the Warfare between the Flesh and the Human Spirit, Willard says early in this article, The problem that confronts us here is not, we should note, one that is peculiar to Christians. It is a severe difficulty at the heart of humanity. It is the problem of not doing the good that you would sincerely say you intend to do, that you clearly wish you would do, and that you grieve over and regret not having done. It is a fundamental problem for all who see life clearly and think deeply about it. So in conversation with an East Asian non-Christian who is cultured in Confucianism, a Christian does not have to start from the Bible. Instead, the conversation can begin with Zhu Xis program of spiritual formation. Zhu Xi produced many writings that cannot be summarized in this article. I only want to draw our attention to a very succinct short treatise entitled Neo-Confucian Terms Explained (), authored by Chen Chun (), one of Zhu Xis eminent students. It is divided into two parts, and part one consists of the following 14 terms: ming (), nature (), heart (), feelings (), capability (), purpose (), will (), humanity, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness (), loyalty and faithfulness (), loyalty and empathy (), one thread running through all (), sincerity (), reverence (), respectfulness and reverence (). Please note that they are all terms relating to our interior life, and that is half of the book, half of the key terms in understanding Zhu Xis thought. The deep spirituality of Zhu Xis thought should not be missed. For hundreds of years Korean lives (personal, familial, social-political) were guided by Zhu Xis instructions. The major spokesman of Zhu Xi was a Confucian intellectual Yi Hwang (, 15011570), who is more commonly known by his title () as Toegye (). One of his best-known works is the Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning (), published entirely in Chinese. In ten diagrams, with succinct explanation, he summarizes Zhu Xis thought on spiritual formation. It was presented to King Sonjo in 1568 on the eve of his retirement from public service. In the prefatory Address to the King Toegye explains why he chooses the diagram form to express his ideas. He hopes that each diagram is to be made into a screen to be placed where Your Majesty spends his quiet leisure. And perhaps another copy might be made in a smaller format as a handbook which Your Majesty might always keep on his desk (Yi, p. 33). Each diagram can serve as, in contemporary terms, a spiritual exercise. If one takes up one diagram for consideration, he should entirely focus his attention on that diagram, as if he did not know there were any others; if one takes up one matter for practice, he should entirely focus his attention on that one matter as if ignorant that any other existed. Whether morning or night, there should be constancy; from one day to the next there should be a single continuity. At times one should go over [what one has learned] and become steeped in its savor in the restorative atmosphere of the early predawn hours when the mind is clear; at others he should deepen his personal experience of it, nurturing and cultivating it in his intercourse with others in daily life. (Yi, pp. 3435) Diagrams eight to 10, in particular, are practices for the formation of the heart. Below is diagram eight, The Learning of the Heart. Let us take a quick look. (Source: 198950.) At the center of the upper section is the heart () which Toegye specifies as the master of the entire person (). At the center of the lower section is reverence (, rendered as mindfulness by the English translator) which Toegye specifies as the master of the heart (). The entire lower section of the diagram is about two major types of cultivation efforts () of reverence. On the left-hand side (right-hand side in the Chinese diagram) is the summary of the negative method: human heart > desires/lusts > overcome and return, recovering the errant heart, rectifying the heart. On the right-hand side is the summary of the affirmative method: heart of the Dao > principle of Heaven > preserve the Dao heart, nurturing the heart, exhaustingly realizing the heart. This is a very accurate summary of Zhu Xis thought. A Christian understands this way of thinking. There are two complementary approaches to Christian spiritual formation in Pauls letters: put off the old self (negative) and put on the new self (affirmative). Furthermore, in this diagram the master of the heart is jing (, reverence, mindfulness in this translation). A Christian can raise the question of how this reverence arises and whether there is an object of reverence. A Christian can also propose that the Bible has a similar idea known as the fear () of the LORD. Toegye is not buried in history and long forgotten. The English translator tells us that of all his writings [this book] has perhaps been the best known and most popular. It went through some 29 printings during the Yi dynasty, and now circulates in at least three modern Korean translations (Yi, p. 24). Furthermore, today Toegyes portrait is still on the 1,000 South Korean won banknote (equivalent to the American one dollar note); this shows how famous he is in South Korea. In other words, evangelism in South Korea does not have to start with The Four Spiritual Laws; thats too American. Instead, one can start with the 1,000 South Korean won banknote. Something similarly creative can also be thought about in other places influenced by Confucian culture. For example, in a previous essay I started by bringing our attention to a sensational bestseller Yu Dans Personal Takeaways from the Analects () in China in 2006. Part two of this book is entitled The Way of the Heart (). A Christian should read it and use it as a bridge to talk about spiritual formation. Christians should be respectful of Chinese culture, as Dallas Willard reminds us, If we cannot afford to be generous, we possess little. One can contend that Zhu Xis ideas of spiritual formation are inadequate, but that is not the same as asserting that Confucianism has no idea of spiritual formation. This essay is a sequel to Taking Chinese Spiritualities Seriously. WORKS CITED (most quotations are adjusted) Chan, Wing-tsit. A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963. Chen Chun. Neo-Confucian Terms Explained. Translated by Wing-tsit Chan. New York: Columbia University Press, 1986. Ching, Julia. Personal Cultivation. In The Religious Thought of Chu Hsi, 112131. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. De Bary, Wm. Theodore and Irene Bloom, eds. Sources of Chinese Tradition. Volume 1: From Earliest Times to 1600. Second edition. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. Willard, Dallas. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. 20th anniversary edition. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2021. Willard, Dallas. Idaho Springs Inquiries Concerning Spiritual Formation. From The Great Omission. New York: HarperOne-Harper Collins Publishers, 2006. Accessed April 23, 2024, https://dwillard.org/articles/idaho-springs-inquiries-concerning-spiritual-formation. Willard, Dallas. Spiritual Formation and the Warfare between the Flesh and the Human Spirit. Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 1, no. 1 (2008): 7987. Wright, N. T. After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters. New York: HarperOne, 2010. Yi, Hwang. To Become a Sage: The Ten Diagrams on Sage Learning. Translated, edited, and with commentaries by Michael C. Kalton. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988. 2006 1989 Originally published by ChinaSource. Republished with permission. Dr. Ping-cheung PC Lo holds a PhD in Religious Ethics (Yale, 1990) and a PhD in Philosophy (SUNY at Buffalo, 1982). After completing a 31 year career of teaching and administration at Hong Kong Baptist University, he and his entire family relocated to Southern California in 2021. He taught for one year at Logos Evangelical Seminary before being recruited to be the first Academic Dean of the Chinese Studies Center at Fuller Theological Seminary (the Center was set up in 2021, replacing the China Initiative). He is concurrently appointed as the Dean and Rebecca Stephen Professor of Chinese Studies, offering one Chinese Studies course per year. CHAPMAN Bader Memorial Park south of Chapman will host a Family Wilderness event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Hosted by the park and the Prairie Plains Resource Institute, the event will include free fishing and since its Nebraska Game and Parks free fishing day, no fishing license will be required. With seven ponds and two rivers to choose from, the park offers numerous fishing opportunities. Frequently fish caught include catfish, blue gill, Asian carp, small and large mouth bass. Dont have a pole? Dont worry, the park has poles and tackle available in the office. Near the picnic shelter the park features an accessible pier and wildlife viewing platform with a pavement sidewalk. Park amenities include six miles of hiking trails, a sandy beach for swimming, picnic areas and shelters, hiking access to the Platte River, playgrounds, beach volleyball nets and more. Other activities include make-and-take birdhouses, nature walks, wildlife education, prizes and more. Food including sloppy joes and hot dogs will be available. No park passes are required. For more information, contact the park, 898 Bader Park Road, at 308-986-2522. The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) from its headquarters (pictured) in Barbados, has opened an investigation into a matter in relation to one of its 2024 examinations. Not for the first time, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has found itself, during an ongoing examination, having to initiate an investigation into an issue surrounding one of its examinations. This time around, 2024, CXC has confirmed that it has launched an investigation into the distribution of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Principles of Accounts Paper 02. According to a statement released by the CXC, concerns have been raised regarding the circumstances at specific examination centres. But even in the face of no or sparse details, the council moved to assure candidates and parents that these matters were being handled with the utmost urgency. The council committed to taking appropriate action to address the situation, on conclusion of their investigations. This recent development and confirmation came just two days after the CXC had cause to respond to rumours circulating on social media, alleging the leak of an examination paper. Barbados Today reported that the Barbados-based CXC categorically dismissed these claims, labelling them as hoaxes. In a brief statement, the regional exam body said: "CXC frowns upon attempts by persons to spread false information and create panic for candidates preparing for examinations. News and updates from CXC can be found on our website cxc.org and official social media pages. It warned, "There are serious penalties for obtaining examination question papers or related material beforehand, including cancellation of results, disqualification and debarment. Please review our guidelines to ensure you are familiar with our regulations. In reaching out to candidates and their families, the council has appealed to them to be vigilant and to rely only on official communications from the CXC for accurate information regarding the examinations. (Sources: LOOP News, Barbados Today) Bereft parishioners in a French town found a statue of Mary beheaded and church benches set ablaze on Tuesday (May 14), less than two months after a report surfaced of nearly 1,000 hate-crimes against Christians last year in France. Local firefighters put out the fire before removing the charred benches and chairs from the Roman Catholic Church of Sainte-Therese in Poitiers, reported La Nouvelle Republique. There was soot damage to the walls, floors and artifacts, all requiring specialized cleaning. The Rev. Albert Jadaud, who in July celebrates 50 years in the priesthood, noticed nothing suspicious when he arrived at 8:30 a.m. that day. At 11 a.m. I had an appointment with a fire safety officer, Jadaud told La Nouvelle Republique. We opened the sacristy and, just as I wanted to go to the choir, he told me not to come. The church was full of smoke. As hes a former Paris fireman, he took the necessary measures. The church temporarily closed to the public, and the incident forced a funeral service to relocate to Migne-Auxances. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up It was not the first time vandals have targeted the church building, as a church official in 2022 found other decapitated statues. The vandalism followed a report of nearly 1,000 hate crimes against followers of Christ in France in 2023, according to an official from the French Ministry of Interior. On March 20, Frances Ministry of the Interior and Overseas published statistics showing that racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes and offenses increased by 32 percent in 2023. The publication did not specify how many of those were anti-Christian hate crimes. Camille Chaize, a spokeswoman for the ministry, confirmed almost 1,000 known anti-Christian hate crimes an interview with French Christian radio station fcr.fr. Responding to a question from the radio host about incidents affecting Christians, she said 90 percent of them targeted properties such as church buildings and cemeteries. The remaining 10 percent involved attacks on 84 Christians, according to Chaize, although it was not clear if the assaults were verbal or physical. The Ministry of the Interior, which issued the original report that Chaize cited, stated that, as in previous years, the majority of these crimes and offenses as well as these fines, recorded by the security services, are insults, provocations or defamation (61 percent of offenses and almost all of the fines). In total, national police and gendarmerie services recorded 15,000 offenses of an anti-religious, racist or xenophobic nature in 2023. As a result, authorities nationwide mobilized 10,000 security forces for Holy Week at Easter, according to the Observatory for Intolerance and Hatred Against Christians in Europe (OIDACE). Despite the lack of specificity from the French government on the nature of the anti-Christian hate crimes, the increase in such incidents in recent decades remains concerning, said Anja Hoffmann, executive director of OIDACE. Christians from the country have reported both violence and pressure from different sources, Hoffmann told Christian Daily International. On the one hand, the French laicite often translates into a radical secularism demanding an exclusion of religion from the public sphere and ones job, which can amount to restrictions of religious freedom, Hoffmann said. On the other hand, there are certain areas classified as neighborhoods under the influence of radical Islam where being a Christian or a Christian convert is often met with intimidation, discrimination or violence. OIDACE recorded quite worrying cases of anti-Christian hate crimes in France since the beginning of this year, she said. This includes five arson attacks, several cases of severe vandalism and the defacing of public crosses and even a cemetery with Islamist writings that included the slogan, Today is the land of infidels, tomorrow the land of Islam. Hoffmann said that French police have ramped up security around Christian festivals such as Easter because of the worrying trend for church buildings and celebration feasts to become targets for terrorism and violence in the country. According to French police data from the past years, anti-Christian hate crimes amount to almost three incidents per day, with a rather stable number of around 1,000 anti-Christian hate crimes recorded per year, she added. May 21, 2024 correction: an earlier image featured in this article showed St Georges Church in Descartes in France that was not a target of hate crime. The Eastern Caribbean Group of Companies (ECGC) said it has reduced the price of animal feeds, a move set to benefit farmers in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). In a press release, the ECGC said farmers across the OECS region will benefit from the move, which will see the company lower prices by up to 10% across all its markets under its East Caribbean Feeds brand. The company said in the press release that farmers in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Barbados should benefit immediately from the price reductions. The press release said: "ECGC CEO, J. Robert Cato, while making the announcement, noted, "The price reductions on our animal feeds are ECGCs way of showing our solid support for farmers success across the Caribbean. "Cato explained that ECGC can offer reductions to farmers through a combination of market intelligence, data-driven grain procurement on the futures markets, and improved efficiencies at its feed milling plants, the press release stated. ECGC said that since the grain crisis of 2022, it has made a transformative shift in how it procures grain to ensure wheat, corn, and soya are acquired at the best possible prices. The company said it is also focused on manufacturing efficiencies and has focused on reducing costs and improving uptime at its plants. The company said it has been working with the aim of ensuring food security regionally and is collaborating closely with the Ministries of Agriculture and Ministries of Trade across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean Sates (OECS), as well as distributors and farmers, in aligning objectives to increase farmer production while maintaining the highest quality product. ECGC said it practices an intense programme of engagement and expertise, with the companys representatives carrying out targeted training seminars and consultation sessions for farmers across the Caribbean in coordination with experts from the Agriculture Ministries in each territory. CEO J. Robert Cato added, "We focus on a premium feed product and work closely with our farmers to develop animal nutrition. I can proudly say that at ECGC we use no antibiotics, no growth hormones, and no animal by-products in our feeds, according to the press release. According to a Reuters report of May 9, civilian contractors have arrived in Haiti to build living quarters for a Kenyan-led international security force meant to counter gang violence in the Caribbean nation, the U.S. militarys Southern Command said. The U.N. Security Council approved in October the creation of the Multinational Security Support mission to help Haitian police wrest back territory from alliances of gangs who control most of the capital Port-au-Prince. Kenya pledged 1,000 officers to lead the force last July, but their deployment has been repeatedly delayed, first by court challenges and then by a surge of violence in Port-au-Prince that forced the Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign in March. Kenyan President William Ruto told Reuters last week that the swearing-in of a transition council in Haiti on April 25 had addressed that concern and Kenya was discussing how to proceed. U.S. military aircraft flew civilian contractors to Haiti from May 3 to May 5 to secure equipment and supplies arriving in the country, Southern Command said in a statement to Reuters. "Additional contractors who have recently been transported are there to set up the temporary living area for the eventual arrival of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission, it said. Jamaica, the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Bangladesh have also pledged personnel to the force. The Kenyan contingent that will deploy reassembled this week for the first time since the Kenyan government announced in March that the deployment would be delayed, said a Kenyan security official, who asked not to be named. A Kenyan government spokesperson said in a text message that the deployment was "on course but did not respond to a question about when it would happen. Superintendent of Police Mr. Junior O. Simmons (2nd from right) receives his award from ASSL representatives, in the company of RSVGPF Commissioner of Police (Acting) Enville Williams (right). Mr. Junior O. Simmons, Superintendent of Police of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF), is the winner of the 2024 Top Caribbean Community Policing Officer Award. He received the award on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, during the 38th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), held in Belize City, Belize at which Acting Commissioner of Police, Mr. Enville Williams was in attendance. , The Award is a collaboration between the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) and Amalgamated Security Services Limited (ASSL), and is part of the ACCP/ASSL Regional Recognition Awards Programme, which accords annual honours/recognition in three categories: Top Caribbean Community Policing Officer, Top Caribbean Crime Fighter, and Top Caribbean Career Move. Each award comes with a trophy, a round trip, and a cash prize of USD 5,000, which the recipient directs towards a charitable cause or initiative of their police forces choosing. The awards acknowledge officers who have made significant strides in reducing crime, strengthening community relationships, enhancing safety and security, and contributing positively to their police force, their community, and the Caribbean as a whole. In support of his worthiness as ably qualified for the award, a release from the RSVG PF says this about Superintendent Simmons: "His career is marked by significant contributions in a variety of critical areas including Beat and Patrol, Special Branch, Narcotics, and Family Court, as well as leadership roles in several district stations. This wide-ranging expertise not only highlights his dedication to public safety but also underscores his versatility and unwavering commitment to the highest standards of law enforcement. "In his role, Superintendent Simmons has excelled in promoting community policing within the organization and across communities in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. As one of the primary liaisons between the RSVGPF and the public, he has been instrumental in reviving dormant Neighborhood Watch Groups and forming new ones. His efforts are pivotal in rebuilding the RSVGPFs image and trust with the community, engaging with schools, faith-based organizations, civil societies, and other critical stakeholders to enhance the relationship between the police and the public. "Superintendent Simmons has been a driving force behind several key initiatives, including the RSVGPFs community walkabouts, concerts, and the National Firearms Amnesty. His tireless fforts have positioned him as a role model within the police force, earning him respect from colleagues and the wider community. His leadership extends to the Police Youth Clubs (PYC). But Superintendent Simmons, who enlisted on July 15, 1993, is no stranger to awards. On his passing out as a police recruit, he was bestowed with awards as the Best Recruit, the best at Police Duty Subjects, and he received the Commissioners Trophy and the Baton of Honour. He is known to have made significant contributions during his tenure tovaious divsions of the police force, including but not restricted to: Beat and Patrol, the Special Branch, Narcotics, the Family Court and Complaints and Public Relations. THE VINCENTIAN joins with the RSVGPF in recognising and congratulating Superintendent of Police Mr. Junior O. Simmons "for his remarkable achievement in winning the Top Caribbean Community Policing Officer award. Winsbert Quow, manager/CWSA, did not hesitate to remind disobliging citizens that the Authority could resort to using its legislative clout against them. The Central Water and Sewerage Authority (CWSA) on Tuesday warned those misusing scarce water resources that the company can use its legislative clout against them. Winsbert Quow, the CWSAs General Manager, issued the warning during a media conference, held on Tuesday, May 14. Quow noted that there were persons who persisted with washing their vehicles, power washing their homes and more, despite the water rationing measures that have been activated by the authority. He made it known that while the company will try its best to speak to persons about their water misuse, the CWSA will have to take measures to restrict their water access if citizens continue to be so indiscriminate. "And our supervisors opine that they are still seeing people that are using hoses to wash their vehicles, wash pavements; someone said that some people are still power washing their pavements during this time. You know, yesterday I was driving home and I saw someone using a hose in the public to wash their SUV, said the CWSA General Manager. "Now, our legislation gives us the authority to take measures to reduce the wastage of water if we are seeing that occurring. . of course, well be sensitive, well speak to you first, but if the practice continues, we may have to take measures to restrict your supply in the interest of the public good, Quow warned. He said that a combined effort from the CWSA and the general public is required in order to navigate these times of low water availability. Depleting resources Quows warning came amidst a period of (water) rationing that began on April 2, occasioned by a depleting water supply at the 12 water supply sources operated and managed by the CWSA. And even though the CWSA official said they were hopeful that the rains would return during June the rainy season - they were preparing for the "worst-case scenario, given the especially dry season currently being endured by citizens across the state, and generally in the region. And with this in mind, Quow did not hesitate to say, " if it gets to the point where you cannot supply based on the fact that the reservoirs are so low, then you have to look into the possibility of trucking waters to some communities. In fact, THE VINCENTIAN has been reliably informed that this measure has already been activated to serve some areas that are among the worst affected areas. And as far as an explanation for the current scenario was concerned, Quow posited that the unusually low water availability was due to a combination of reduced rainfall and higher than usual temperatures. Coping with the challenge Marco Audain, senior engineer at CWSA, also addressed the press conference, and explained what he and his team have been doing to confront the challenges. "Weve been doing a lot of manoeuvring, ..using the Jennings Water source supply to assist the Montreal system, Audain said but warned that it was getting close to the point "where our sources are critically low. The Jennings system normally feeds the southeast coast. The senior engineer admitted, "the usual manoeuvres are no longer sufficient to ensure that customers have a 24/7 water supply. He painted an honest picture, saying, "We are working arduously to do all we can to use all resources available to us but, unfortunately, we are in this position where it is very difficult. We have to be disrupting our customers quite often. One friend of THE VINCENTIAN shared that there were no indications that this "water crisis was going to ease up anytime soon. He referred to the fact that we were already into the third week of May and there were no signs of any rainfall, "not even to wet the lips of the earth. THE VINCENTIAN joins with the CWSA in the appeal to all citizens to adhere to the restrictions on water usage during this period of crisis. Party at the commemorative event (from left) Assistant Director of PAHO - Rhonda Sealey-Thomas, Minister of Health in Jamaica - Christopher Tufton, Director of PAHO - Jarbas Barbosa Da Silva, Minister of Health Belize Kevin Bernard, and SVG Ministry of Health Rep. Arlitha John-Duncan. St. Vincent and the Grenadines are among three of the latest countries in the Americas to receive certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) in recognition of having eliminated the mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis (EMTCT). The other countries are Belize and Jamaica. The milestone was marked at a commemorative event organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Kingston, Jamaica on last Tuesday 7, with support from UNICEF and UNAIDS and with the participation of health ministers from the three countries. "This achievement is a testament to years of dedication, hard work, and collaboration among governments, health professionals, and communities, said PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, at the event. He also acknowledged the "remarkable resilience displayed by the three countries, ensuring the adaptation and continuation of essential services despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I trust that the celebration today will inspire other countries to reinvigorate their commitments, towards a generation free of HIV and congenital syphilis. In 2010, countries of the Americas committed to the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis and endorsed the regional strategy, which was updated in 2016 under the PAHO Plan of Action for the Prevention and Control of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections. To meet elimination targets, countries focused on strengthening prevention and treatment services within primary health care and in maternal and child health, updating guidelines, ensuring the effective screening of pregnant women, monitoring cases and following-up with HIV and syphilis exposed infants. Globally, 19 countries and territories have now been certified for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis, with 11 of them located in the Americas. In 2015, Cuba made history by becoming the first country in the world to achieve the dual elimination of HIV and syphilis. This was followed by Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Montserrat and St. Kitts and Nevis in 2017, and Dominica in 2020. Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment, St. Clair Jimmy Prince commended the dedication and commitment of healthcare workers on achieving certification by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the dual elimination of mother to child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and syphilis. "This achievement signals to the world that ending paediatric HIV and congenital syphilis through the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV and syphilis is achievable. The Ministry will continue to work towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, the health minister affirmed. You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has bolstered its brokered premiums by 61% year-on-year in 2023, crossing the $2 billion threshold, said Arif Amiri, CEO of the DIFC Authority. He said that the DIFC, as a premium (re)insurance hub, has strengthened its capabilities, servicing people and businesses in the region for the last 20 years, a WAM report said. With the highest gross written premiums (GWP) recorded in its 20-year history, close to $2.6 billion, DIFC is continuously reviewing and fine-tuning its competencies to cater to an evolving risk landscape. DIFCs (re)insurance industry has further been bolstered through its rate of cultural innovation, access to new markets through advantageous geographical connectivity, time zone advantages, and new distribution techniques, he said. Plethora of opportunities Indeed, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region offers a plethora of opportunities for the insurance industry, he added. With low insurance penetration by comparison to other global markets, the MEASA region is relatively nascent, bolstered by favourable demographics and increased technological adoption. Being a dynamic geographic region, the insurance sector has long recognised the need to build extensive knowledge capabilities, ensuring local markets adhere to the latest international standards, thereby optimising client servicing. Most importantly, these capabilities build trust; a hallmark of the insurance value proposition. As a premium (re)insurance hub, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has strengthened its capabilities, servicing people and businesses in the region for the last 20 years, he continued. He described the rise in the number of Managing General Agents (MGAs) in the Centre as a significant trend in this direction. Specialised intermediaries "MGAs are specialised intermediaries, vested with underwriting authority from (re)insurers. Due to their robustness, resilience and flexibility, MGAs can cater to specific needs and can penetrate markets in a more efficient, cost-effective way. This makes MGAs attractive to more underserved countries and reinsurers looking to build a localised portfolio without incurring significant investment costs. As a result, reinsurers have increasingly participated in the creation of MGAs over the last five years, as they offer a vehicle to specialise in specific lines of business. This positions MGAs favourably in the insurance industry, as a win-win for all partners in the value chain. The growing number of MGAs also strengthens DIFCs position as an insurance hub. According to our latest data, established international, regional and start-up MGAs in the Centre now account for 43% of the sector, contributing considerably to DIFCs premium growth." Similarly, insurance brokers play a pertinent role in the insurance value chain by understanding the needs of their clients and connecting them with suitable coverage options. As such, they provide fit-for-purpose, comprehensive insurance and risk management solutions, that are tailored to the needs of their clientele. Through this convergence of demand and servicing, DIFC, he said, is today home to a broad range of world-class insurance brokers, five of whom are among the top ranked entities by AM Best. By co-hosting globally renowned events such as the Dubai World Insurance Congress, "DIFC stimulates innovation and thought leadership within the industry, offering opportunities for continuous engagement, market access, transparent communication, and talent development, he said.--TradeArabia News Service A sharp escalation in police raids, arrests and fines in the past two months have traumatized Baptists in southern Kazakhstan, raising concerns about the future of religious liberty in the country. The raids are reminiscent of persecution during the previous rule of President Nursultan Nazarbayev from 1991 to 2019, a legal expert in Kazakhstan told Christian Daily International. The practice of raids, persecution, and fines against religious minorities often occurred during the adoption of amendments to the law on religious activities, said the legal expert, who fears Kazakhstan could tighten religious laws soon. So, on one hand, this situation is very reminiscent of the old methods of the old regime, he said. But it could also be a provocation against the new government [of President Kassym-Jonmari Tokayev], as the precedents in southern Kazakhstan described by Forum 18 occurred during the collection of information about the state of religious freedoms by the U.S. Embassy, to show that the regimes of Nazarbayev and Tokayev are equally authoritarian. Such an opinion also has its place. Persecution of evangelicals in Kazakhstan looks set to worsen under the new regime, he said. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up Currently, the Kazakhstani authorities have repeatedly announced that there will be a tightening of the law on religion in the near future, the source said. Forum 18 recently reported that police raided four worship meetings in three unregistered Protestant churches in Shu District, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, in March and April. Officers reportedly filmed worshippers and demanded written statements to explain their activities at the churches. They also meted out seven summary fines. What has been happening in the last month in Shu [District] has aroused serious concern among evangelical communities, which have experienced persecution for their religious activity, the local Council of Churches Baptists reported in a press statement in April, according to Forum 18. The council noted that the Baptist activity is not illegal or extremist. Police raided Shu Baptist Church on April 14, and two days after a second raid on April 30, officers questioned the Rev. Andrei Boiprav, 77, in the yard of his Shu village home. Police accused the church leader of illegal missionary activity, although the fellowship meetings took place in a prayer house with only members of his church. The pastor refused to sign a record of the alleged offense. His case was pending in Shu District Court with an unspecified date. In a joint statement, church members said they feared actions against the pastor could cause a threat to his life and health, as his condition was in a medically confirmed unsatisfactory state, according to Forum 18. Officials took photos and filmed us, church members said in the joint statement after the first raid. They havent yet issued any fines, but they conducted explanatory work on the necessity of registering the church. Police claimed the second raid on the church arose from a complaint by neighbors, but members said they queried area residents and could find no evidence of a complaint. Two officers came into the prayer hall and listened to the whole of the first sermon, and half of the service, the church members said of the second raid. The others talked with church members. Officers demanded that those present write statements indicating why they attended the worship meeting. One of the officers almost apologized, to members, saying the order for the second raid came from the religious affairs department, and we have nothing against you, according to Forum 18. Even so, the next day police doled out summary fines of 184,600 Tenge (US$418) to three church members who were pressured into writing statements admitting participation in an unregistered, halted, or banned, religious community or social organization under Article 489, Part 10 of the Administrative Code. Two of the fined church members, Mikhail and Andrei Boiprav, are sons of church leader Boiprav SR. I do not agree with the record of an offense because it contradicts the Religion Law, Mikhail Boiprav said in a statement to police. Church members did not understand the reason for the fines, according to Forum 18. Police also raided another Protestant church meeting in the village called The Children of God. Further details on this raid were not disclosed. Illegal Missionary Activity In the nearby village of Konayeva, police on March 3 arrived at the worship service of an unregistered Baptist church and filmed and interrogated members, Forum 18 reported. Court records show the officials started to film the course of the meeting and the hall, going along the rows and filming the faces of all those present at the worship service. They ignored the requests to stop filming and to explain their actions, according to Forum 18. Operational Officer D. Umbet reportedly claimed police intruded into the service after an anonymous call they had received with a request to check who was meeting at this address and what kind of meeting it was, according to Forum 18. He interrogated church members, including whether they met voluntarily or not, and demanded written statements. Police summarily fined two church members and the Rev. Valter Mirau, 47, after the raid on Miraus home where the church meets. Pastor Mirau gave a statement to police officers saying the church met voluntarily. The next day, March 4, Inspector O. Sadyrbayev summoned the pastor and two other church members and indicted them. PastorMirau later received a fine of 369,200 Tenge (US$838), equal to an average wage for two months, for leading an unregistered, halted, or banned religious community or social organization under Administrative Code Article 489, Part 9. The two church members received summary fines of 184,600 Tenge (US$418) from Inspector Bekkali Dzhaksylykov on March 5 and 6, under Part 10 of the same code. It relates to participation in an unregistered, halted, or banned religious community or social organization. All three Baptists paid the summary fines, which are reduced by half if paid immediately. They appealed in three court hearings in April and May, but judges at Shu District Court and Zhambyl Regional Court rejected the cases. Pastor Mirau also was fined 369,200 Tenge (US$838) for carrying out missionary activity without state registration under Part 3 of Article 490 in the legal code. At a court hearing in Shu District Court on March 27, Pastor Mirau said the church met regularly in his home, and that he did nothing against the law and did not violate the law. The pastor asked for a just decision, but Judge Tazhibayeva found him guilty and fined him. He lost a subsequent April 30 appeal at Zhambyl Regional Court. Religion Official Blames Police Shu District police did not respond to Forum 18s queries about the legal reasons for the raids and fines of the Christians. Saule Baibatshayeva, an official in charge of overseeing non-Muslim communities at the Religious Affairs Department of the Zhambyl Regional Akimat (administration), however, knew about the police raids, according to Forum 18. The watchdog reported that Baibatshayeva claimed she and her colleagues tried to stop police. The police are to blame, Baibatshayeva reportedly said. They take their own measures under the Administrative Code. There was no order from us. Baibatshayeva told Forum 18 that her department always defended believers, although she did not disclose how the local administration would challenge the police raids and fines. Those fined know me, she reportedly said. Our task is to defend them. Baibatshayeva claimed that her department told police not to touch unregistered Council of Churches Baptists. Let them hold services in their own premises, she said. Only if they do something outside their territory will they be touched. Fined for Preaching In Almaty city, preacher Sergei Orlov faces a heavy potential fine for missionary activity without state registration under Article 490, Part 3 of the Administrative Code after speaking in an apartment in honor of International Womens Day on March 8. A stranger at the meeting filmed Orlov giving a message about women in the Bible. Religious Affairs Department official Almaz Zhanamanov refused to disclose reasons for the administrative case, which police initiated following a complaint on March 13 by an unknown woman about the meeting, according to Forum 18. Orlov appealed, but Judge Galiya Kasymova of Almaty Inter-District Specialized Administrative Court, denied it on April 19, Forum 18 reported. The court case against Orlov is pending. Forum 18 cited data showing 203 administrative prosecutions against individuals and organizations exercising freedom of religion or belief in 2023. Some 172 of these resulted in punishments, mostly large fines and subsequent convictions. Of the known administrative prosecutions in 2023, officials brought 25 (against 20 persons, four companies, and one charity) for meeting for worship without state permission, hosting such meetings, or maintaining places for such meetings, Forum 18 stated. Tightening Feared The law on Religious Activities and Religious Associations, adopted in 2011, prohibits any religious gatherings without official state registration and requires the creation of a legal entity for religious gatherings. Some Baptist churches are officially registered in the country, the legal expert told Christian Daily International, but others refuse to do so on the grounds of religious liberty. He said registering a religious association in Kazakhstan is extremely difficult, as officials refuse to register churches on various formal grounds. They may do this to show that Muslim communities outnumber others, he said. The population of Kazakhstan is estimated to be about 74 percent Muslim. There are other practical obstacles to formally registering churches, acknowledged by international human rights and religious freedom experts, he said. For example, to establish a legal entity (an officially registered congregation), 50 citizen founders are required, which is a very challenging task for small communities, he said. In recent years, he added, authorities in Kazakhstan have rarely enforced the prohibition on unregistered gatherings against evangelical Christian Baptists, who prefer to suffer fines rather than register because it contradicts their religious beliefs. Tighter religion laws and the expected crackdown on Christians could come about for varied reasons, he said. I assume that amendments to the law on religion are more a result of pressure on the Kazakhstani authorities from Russia than a real threat from Islamic radicals, although radical Islamic teachings do have a wide distribution in western Kazakhstan and southern Kazakhstan, he said. The indirect evidence that this is Russian pressure on the Kazakhstani authorities is the statement by the Russian Defense Minister Shoigu [recently replaced as defense minister by Andrei Belousov] that there are many dangerous non-profit organizations in Kazakhstan, suggesting that the Kazakhstani authorities should deal with them. He also blamed pressure from Russia for the turbulent violations of religious expression in the wider region. Also, amendments to the law on religion in Kyrgyzstan, which tighten religious freedoms, were also adopted under pressure from Russia, he said. The situation in Georgia regarding human rights violations is also a result of Russian pressure. He summarized that these are just assumptions, and that the main issue at present remains unwarranted police raids against peace-abiding Christians in Kazakhstan. The real situation is that there have been several raids in southern Kazakhstan, and church ministers and parishioners have been fined, he said. Mastercard has signed an agreement with The Benefit Company, Bahrains leading fintech company and the national electronic payment infrastructure operator, to explore opportunities for collaboration in driving innovation and financial inclusion in the countrys dynamic payments ecosystem. Under the terms of the agreement, the two partners aim to co-create innovative digital payment solutions, powered by advanced technology, to address the rapidly evolving needs of consumers and businesses, said a statement from Mastercard. The collaboration supports the efforts of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) to accelerate the development of the countrys digital economy, it stated. "At Benefit, we are proactively working to strengthen Bahrains position as a regional financial hub in line with the strategic objectives of The Economic Vision 2030," remarked Abdulwahed AlJanahi, the CEO of Benefit. Benefit, he stated, is a leader in electronic payments, fund transfer, business process outsourcing services and support. The companys mission is to provide innovative business and lifestyle solutions that are essential in everyday life, inspire and energise individuals, institutions, and society to unleash new opportunities. "Our partnership with Mastercard will leverage our complementary capabilities and expertise to develop and launch seamless and secure financial offerings that make life easier, smarter, and more efficient," he added. Dimitrios Dosis, President, EEMEA, Mastercard, said it was committed to harnessing the power of public-private partnerships to advance digital transformation in the region. "As one of the most dynamic and innovative countries in the Middle East, Bahrain is a key market for us, and forms a crucial part of our Mena growth strategy. We look forward to working with Benefit to empower its corporate and individual customers to realize their ambitions and unlock their full potential," he added. In 2023, Benefit processed over 345 million electronic fund transfer transactions through BenefitPay, Bahrains national electronic wallet payment system, and its services Fawri, Fawri+ and Fawateer. This marks a significant 37% increase in transaction volume compared to the previous year, consolidating the company's position as a driving force in the Kingdom's digital financial landscape. Damac Properties, a leading luxury real estate developer in the UAE, has announced the successful launch of Phase Two of Lagoon Views within the vibrant and strategically-located Damac Lagoons development. Following a record sell-out of Phase One, the latest release aims to cater to the growing demand for comfortable and modern living in a serene waterfront setting. Phase Two introduces 600 Mediterranean-inspired one and two-bedroom apartments spread across nine buildings nestled in Damac Lagoons. The interiors of these residences are designed with neutral colour schemes, enhancing the sense of understated luxury and creating a calming atmosphere. Large balconies extend the living spaces, allowing residents to enjoy a serene connection to the outdoors and breathtaking views of water features and promenades. Holistic living experience The development also provides a holistic living experience, with convenient access to shopping and dining options, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities. Residents have access to an array of premium amenities, including a fully equipped gym, swimming pool, yoga and spa facilities, an outdoor cinema, and a beach club, seamlessly blending luxury with cultural opulence. Mohammed Tahaineh, General Manager of Projects at Damac, said: The city continues to attract those seeking a luxurious lifestyle that merges modern conveniences with upscale living. Phase Two of Lagoon Views is perfectly positioned to meet this demand. Nestled within the holistic and self-sustained Damac Lagoons community, this new phase enriches life for homeowners by integrating nature, stunning waterfront views, architectural excellence, and a comprehensive range of amenities. Residents will have the opportunity to indulge in the finer aspects of life and create unforgettable daily experiences. Upon completion, Damac Lagoons will feature over 8,000 luxury homes spread across thematic clusters like Venice, Morocco, and Santorini. This expansive development is strategically positioned providing seamless access to Dubai's popular destinations like Downtown Dubai and Business Bay. It is also just a 35-minute drive from the Dubai International Airport, offering unparalleled convenience for travel.--TradeArabia News Service Bahrain Airport Services (BAS) today (May 8) honoured 122 of its dedicated employees - who had put in 10 to 40 years of service - during its annual Long Service Award ceremony. The event was held at Movenpick Hotel Bahrain, under the patronage of the Chairman of the Board of Directors Nabeel Khalid Kanoo and was attended by board members, executive management and the management team at BAS, said BAS in its statement. This highlighted the companys deep appreciation for the contribution of its long-serving employees, it stated. Expressing his deep appreciation for the honored employees, Kanoo said: "We are immensely proud of our long-serving employees who have dedicated their time and talents to the success of the company. Their loyalty, commitment, and unwavering support have been instrumental in shaping our companys growth and achievements over the years." "This remarkable achievement is a testament to the lasting relationships fostered within BAS, and its commitment to recognising the valuable contributions of its employees," he added. BAS said it remains committed to providing various initiatives that will help develop employees skills, which in turn creates a motivated work environment for its employees. The company recognises that a motivated workforce is instrumental in driving innovation, productivity, and overall success, it added. Bayer, a leading global life sciences company, and Huma Therapeutics Limited, a leading global digital health company, have announced the launch of their innovative heart health screening tool in Saudi Arabia. This marks the first global launch since the Bayer Aspirin Heart Health Risk Assessment went live in the US in 2023, and is aimed at supporting key objectives of the Vision 2030 national strategy for Saudi Arabia. The Bayer Aspirin Heart Health Risk Assessment is a digital-only tool that rapidly evaluates an individual's risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) over the next decade, without the need for invasive blood tests and blood pressure measurement. Good predictive ability Huma developed the algorithm by leveraging 15+ years of longitudinal data from over 500,000 individuals from the UK Biobank Dataset. Clinical validation of the algorithm in the European Society of Cardiology found that the Heart Health Risk Assessment had very good predictive ability when compared to the standard of care. The launch of the Heart Risk Assessment in Saudi Arabia aligns with the countrys Vision 2030 healthcare sector transformation strategy, which has made the reduction of the clinical and economic burden of cardiovascular disease a national priority. Cardiovascular diseases, like stroke and heart failure, are among the leading causes of death in Saudi Arabia, and the Vision 2030 strategies aim to reduce the disease burden through prevention. Bayer has set a similar intention, through the companys mission of Health for All, Hunger for None and long heritage in heart health to create comprehensive initiatives around cardiovascular disease prevention, advancing access to life-saving solutions for all. This launch in Saudi Arabia is an early step in the companys long-term, global plan. Additional healthcare initiatives In addition to the Heart Health Risk Assessment, Huma and Bayer are separately supporting additional healthcare initiatives in Saudi Arabia in support of Vision 2030. Huma has recently launched a diabetes care pathway within the Seha Virtual Hospital, an ambitious and innovative telemedicine platform launched by the Saudi Ministry of Health in order to expand care access and improve care delivery as part of the Vision 2030 objectives. Bayer has committed to screening 1,000,000 citizens who might be at risk to develop cardiovascular disease as part of the Protect Your Heart campaign in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Health. The launch of the Heart Health Risk Assessment tool also aligns with the recently introduced Biotechnology Strategy of Saudi Arabia. This strategy aims to leverage advanced technologies, such as digital health tools, to improve healthcare outcomes and foster innovation in the country's healthcare sector. Digital-first healthcare Dan Vahdat, CEO and Founder of Huma, said: Saudi Arabia is fast becoming a world leader in digital-first healthcare. Having recently achieved Saudi FDA Class C regulatory clearance for our disease-agnostic, configurable Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) platform, Huma is well-positioned to support the ambitious healthcare transformation put forward by the Ministry of Health as part of Vision 2030. We are proud to be supporting heart health at scale with the launch of the Heart Health Risk Assessment and we look forward to further collaborations with the Ministry of Health as part of our commitment to fostering a healthier future for the people of Saudi Arabia. Mohamed Galal, Vice President of Middle East and Pakistan at Bayer, said: "Cardiovascular diseases pose a significant burden globally, and the Middle East is no exception. Bayer is dedicated to working in collaboration with governments and key partners to address this challenge and improve the quality of life for the people of the Middle East. Our partnership with Huma to expand the Heart Health Risk Assessment tool to Saudi Arabia underscores our commitment to leveraging digital health solutions for preventive care. By enhancing access to heart health screening and promoting early detection, we aim to contribute to the efforts of Vision 2030 in reducing the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and ensuring a healthier future for the region. Key step Maged ElShazly, Bayers Managing Director & Country Commercial Lead Consumer Health in Saudi Arabia, commented: "Our collaboration with Huma is a testament to Bayer's commitment to advancing digital health solutions that can make a real difference in people's lives. The launch of the Heart Health Risk Assessment tool in Saudi Arabia is a significant step towards achieving the goals of the Vision 2030 strategy. We are proud to be part of this initiative that prioritises prevention and early detection of cardiovascular diseases, which are among the leading causes of death in the country. We look forward to continuing our work with Huma and the Saudi Ministry of Health to further support the health and wellbeing of the Saudi population." Beyond Saudi Arabia, Bayer and Huma plan to bring the Heart Health Risk Assessment to Latin America next year.--TradeArabia News Service PureHealth, the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East, has announced the launch of Sakina, a dedicated vertical for mental health. The initiative aims to empower positive mental health and provide access to holistic mental health care, emphasising PureHealths dedication to ensuring that individuals live longer, happier and healthier lives. Sakina offers a wide array of services including outpatient mental health hubs, neurodiversity centres, inpatient institutes, specialised satellite clinics, along with homecare. These services will enable customisation of specialised psychiatry services for diverse populations, from initial screening and early intervention to the complete rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals. World-standard secondary and tertiary care services will be offered to assist at-risk populations including the elderly, children, people of determination, womens mental health, and those struggling with addiction and eating disorders, to foster an inclusive and empowering environment. Curated care and support In addition, Sakinas offering will also extend through digital companion, Pura, PureHealths comprehensive, highly-personalised AI-enabled longevity app, that is tailored to offer curated care and support, monitoring and tracking, as well as tertiary care provision, including a full spectrum of psychiatry services for addicts, geriatrics, people of determination, and children. Dr Noura Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH), said: In line with the Department of Health Abu Dhabi's dedication to safeguarding the mental and physical well-being of all community members, mental health remains at the forefront of the Departments areas of priorities. DoH continues to work alongside valued partners and healthcare providers to achieve our vision of creating A Healthier Abu Dhabi. We commend our partners at PureHealth for their commitment to mental health and look forward to witnessing the prosperous benefits that the Sakina platform will bring forth for all community members. The Department remains dedicated to ensuring citizens and residents have access to world-class mental healthcare services in accordance with international standards and best practices. Upskilling top talents Additionally, we remain focused in attracting, retaining and upskilling top talents which are the core custodians delivering these services. As well as deploying groundbreaking research and innovation to advance this field and develop cutting-edge services, that contribute to delivering quality care to all patients and enhancing outcomes. Shaista Asif, Group Chief Executive Officer at PureHealth, said: Mental health is not only an essential facet of community, it is a major component of non-communicable diseases and is a key factor affecting life expectancy, which is why at PureHealth, in line with our vision of longevity, we are focusing on giving equal, if not more, importance to taking care of our mental well-being alongside our physical well-being. The mind is one frontier which is still largely undiscovered and is a critical part of a holistic approach to social health and happiness. Therefore, a focused approach in bringing the best-in-class care in this field will ensure we as a nation promote a society where mental well-being is at the core of our population. We recognise the importance of nurturing a robust and all-encompassing healthcare systems that caters to the holistic needs of our community, which includes mental health services and as such, Sakina will offer consultation liaison to bridge the gap between mental health and physical health. Asif continued: Guided by the unwavering support of our nations visionary leadership, PureHealth is resolutely dedicated to shaping Abu Dhabi into a society that excels both physically and psychologically. We remain steadfast in our mission to dispel misconceptions surrounding mental health, removing the stigma, and fostering a culture that embraces a healthy lifestyle conducive to longevity and happiness. Holistic mental healthcare Dr Zain Al Yafai, CEO of Sakina, commented: Sakinas purpose is to make holistic mental healthcare accessible at all levels within the UAE. By harnessing SEHA's comprehensive network of clinics and hospitals and cutting-edge digital technologies, providing a spectrum of inpatient and outpatient services from home care and therapies to catering to those with additional needs, Sakina has adopted a model of mental healthcare delivery that is embedded in the communities and that substantively supports all individuals, including the most vulnerable, in their pursuit of care that can meet them wherever they areat home, on the move, and right in their communities. The Sakina network will be supported by 34 satellite clinics, two mental health hubs, two specialised neurodiversity centres, and nine integrated clinics. Sakina will also staff over 500 clinical professionals including physicians, allied health staff, and Sakina trained nurses, along with 77 administrative support staff. Psychiatric assistance and resources will be accessible through a tiered care approach, focusing on children and adolescents between the ages of 0 to 10 and 10 and 18 respectively, and adults (including seniors) across the life span of all mental health concerns. PureHealth has partnered with numerous public and private organisations to enhance accessibility, raise awareness, foster social connectivity and create innovative mental health services. These services encompass school-based mental health programmes, crisis helplines, and corporate wellness initiatives. Furthermore, SEHA, a subsidiary of PureHealth, plays a crucial role in executing a significant aspect of this policy, which revolves around shifting mental health treatment from specialised facilities to community and primary care settings.--TradeArabia News Service TruKKer, renowned for its unparalleled expertise in land logistics across 10 markets in the Middle East, Turkey & Eastern Europe, has unveiled its latest venture Omnilog, an integrated freight forwarding company. The launch marks a strategic expansion of TruKKer's capabilities, leveraging its robust experience in hauling for the major enterprises. Powering over 1,200 large-scale enterprise clients with Menas largest land freight ecosystem, TruKKer's evolution into Omnilog signifies a remarkable augmentation of services, serving as a beacon of holistic logistics solutions and services. Omnilog emerges as a seamless and integrated freight forwarding solution, aimed to connect major trade lanes in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The company is poised to facilitate consolidated, value-creating offers for clients seeking efficiency and reliability in their global trade endeavours. Multi-Modal Freight Solutions Omnilog caters to diverse shipping needs with a comprehensive range of multi-modal transportation options. From swift air freight to cost-effective sea freight and efficient land freight, the company ensures flexibility tailored to client requirements. The services are live across the markets of UAE, KSA, and Turkey with plans for wider regional expansion. Sustainability at the Core As a responsible global player, Omnilog prioritises sustainability. The company is committed to investing in eco-friendly practices, ensuring its operations align with environmental consciousness. End-to-End Logistics Expertise Omnilogs wealth of knowledge in end-to-end logistics solutions stems from its seasoned leaders Omnilog aims to revolutionise global trade by seamlessly connecting major trading lanes empowering businesses worldwide with simplicity and reliability. Strategic Expansion and Industry Impact Omnilog benefits from TruKKer's established presence and robust network, promising an impactful entry into the freight forwarding sector. The company aims to set new industry standards by combining technological innovation, sustainable practices, and a client-centric approach. Ingo Kloepper, Managing Director at Omnilog, said: "Omnilog is the next evolution of integrated logistics services, a visionary expansion of TruKKer, the regions leading freight ecosystem. With a strong international framework and elevated service levels, Omnilog is poised to rewire global connectivity, making supply chains more reactive and real-time. Gaurav Biswas, Founder & CEO of TruKKer, stated: TruKKer has gained strong market leadership in scale and reliability, powered by a digital freight network. Following our success with land freight, it is imminent that we focus on more consolidated services for our clients. We are excited to launch air and sea freight services with OmniLog and wish the best to the team. Dynamic expansion Muataz Alsafi, CDO, TruKKer, added: "Beyond our established land freight capacities, Omnilog, our freight forwarding entity, marks a dynamic expansion. This strategic evolution enhances our connectivity between the East and Mena regions, elevating our network to assume new responsibilities and become innately flexible. Hakan Arikan, Regional MD and Exec Committee member said: TruKKers expansion in Turkey and its trading markets has been rapid over the last two to three years. Turkey is an industrial economy and a hub for international freight transit. Omnilog is enabling our teams to offer complementary services to address their supply chain needs and challenges.--TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabis non-oil exports to Poland have soared 253% in 2023, reflecting success of efforts made by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) to deepen economic relations. This was announced at the 2nd Business Forum between Abu Dhabi and Poland, held in Silesia Region, Poland. The event, which brought together senior government officials and industry leaders from both parties, marked a pivotal moment in bilateral relations, highlighting the strides made to date and the promising opportunities ahead. The forum was attended by Jakub Chestowski, Marshal of the Silesia Region, Jakub Sawek Ambassador of Poland to the UAE, Mohammed Al Harbi, UAE Ambassador to Poland. Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, Undersecretary of ADDED, led the Abu Dhabis delegation, which included senior officials and executives from different government entities and private sectors companies in education, healthcare, energy, industry, technology, food and beverage and AgriTech. Various sectors Discussions during the forum delved into various sectors, including renewable energy, technology, healthcare, and infrastructure, showcasing possibilities for collaboration. Participants engaged in lively discussions, shared insights, and explored potential joint ventures, reaffirming the belief in the limitless potential of cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Poland. The forum also provided invaluable insights into Abu Dhabis trade facilitation solutions and industrial sector, highlighting Abu Dhabi Industrial Strategys (ADIS) programmes and incentives to attract investors and manufacturers. It served as an opportunity for participants to gain a comprehensive understanding of Abu Dhabis industrial landscape and explore avenues for investment and partnership. In his keynote speech at the forum, Rashed Abdulkarim Al Blooshi, Undersecretary of ADDED, said: This forum shows a significant stride towards fortifying the bonds between Abu Dhabi and Poland. Through this collaboration, we aim not only to enhance bilateral relations but also to chart a path towards a more prosperous future, one that transcends boundaries and fosters mutual prosperity for both nations. It is within this framework of cooperation and shared vision that we sow the seeds for lasting economic ties. To further enhance bilateral relations, ADDED and Silesia region signed an MoU last year to develop economic, industrial, technological, and trade relations between the two sides. Sustainable growth Ahmed Khalifa Al Qubaisi, CEO of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has emphasised that the Chambers participation in the Abu Dhabi and Poland Business Forum for the second time is a testament to its commitment to bolstering the bilateral ties between the two countries, underscoring the Chamber's dedication to fostering sustainable economic growth and prosperity. He pointed out that the forum's significance as a dynamic platform for communication, sharing knowledge, and for building direct partnerships among international businesses. During its participation in the forum, the Abu Dhabi Chamber will hold numerous business meetings with senior officials and business leaders in Poland in addition to B2B meetings by private sector companies participating in the Forum under the umbrella of the Abu Dhabi Chamber, he said, adding that the Chamber will sign two cooperation agreements during the forum, which will promote economic and trade cooperation, build new partnerships, and increase investment across several promising sectors. Poland holds a significant place within our economic collaboration plans, Al Qubaisi remarked, reiterating the Chamber's commitment to harnessing all efforts and provide all necessary facilities for Polish businessmen, entrepreneurs, and investors, while ensuring ease of access for Emirati businesses to Polish and European markets. Our Commitment aligns with our mission to make Abu Dhabi the first choice for doing business in the Mena region by 2025, he added. Shining example Dr Ali Husain Makki, Executive Director of Logistics and Trade Facilitation Sector at ADDED, said: This forum is a testament to the strength of bilateral relations between Abu Dhabi and Poland and the ample cooperation opportunities in different sectors. Our partnership stands as a shining example of what can be accomplished through mutual understanding and shared vision. To facilitate trade and ensure ease of doing business, we have launched various initiatives, including reducing costs and requirements, simplifying procedures, and enabling seamless integration of government services. Our initiatives to offer businesses and entrepreneurs a compelling proposition are paying off as number of new businesses and flow of investments are witnessing a remarkable rise. We urge investors and business leaders from both sides to capitalise on these solid grounds. The cooperation between the UAE and Poland stands on a deep bed of history with over 20 standing agreements reflecting the strong partnership between the two countries. This forum underscores the enduring friendship and growing economic ties between the UAE and the Republic of Poland. It serves as a platform for deepening economic and cultural relations, fostering innovation, and promoting sustainable development. The 2nd Business Forum between Abu Dhabi and Poland concluded with optimism and determination towards building a stronger partnership between the two nations. It laid the groundwork for continued collaboration and friendship, paving the way for mutually beneficial opportunities and shared prosperity. --TradeArabia News Service Dubai International Chamber achieved a growth of 48% in the number of multinational companies (MNCs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) it attracted to the emirate in the first quarter, which increased from 25 in Q1 2023 to 37. This increase reflects Dubais growing attractiveness among global investors and position as a leading destination for businesses operating across diverse sectors. The companies attracted during the first three months of this year included eight MNCs, which increased from five in Q1 2023, representing YoY growth of 60%. A total of 29 SMEs were attracted to Dubai in Q1 2024, an increase of 45% compared to the 20 that were attracted during Q1 2023. Dubai International Chamber also supported the expansion of 21 local companies into new global markets during Q1 2024 through various programmes and initiatives. The chamber assisted these companies with exporting to new countries, establishing their presence overseas, and engaging in joint ventures with local businesses in their target markets. The number of companies assisted with international expansion increased by 200% compared to Q1 2023s figure of seven businesses. Stepping up efforts Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai International Chamber, commented: We are continuing to step up our efforts to attract international companies and investors to the emirate, while advancing the expansion of local companies into promising global markets. These activities form a key part of our drive to contribute to advancing sustainable development and achieving the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33). He added: The chamber's growing network of 31 international representative offices plays a central role in promoting Dubai as an ideal city for global talent, high-net-worth individuals, and companies of all sizes across diverse sectors. Our offices are central to our plans to consolidate Dubais position as a leading global destination for foreign direct investments and a launchpad for expansion into new markets worldwide. During the first quarter, the chamber hosted two In Focus sessions for private sector companies to explore trade and investment opportunities in Senegal, Morocco, Vietnam and Indonesia. The In Focus initiative provides a platform for Dubai businesses to engage with public and private sector leaders from selected markets to promote cross-border partnerships and drive mutual business growth. First-hand information Participants benefit from access to first-hand information on doing business in the targeted countries and regions, in addition to expert guidance on every stage of their international expansion. The topics covered range from timely market intelligence and business introductions to company set-up processes and successfully concluding partnership agreements and business deals. The chambers In Focus events serve as an introduction to the New Horizons initiative, which enables Dubai-based companies to join tailored trade missions and participate in pre-arranged B2B meetings in targeted markets to explore investment opportunities and economic partnerships. During the first three months of this year, Dubai International Chamber also arranged a meeting with Emirati entrepreneurs in diverse sectors to support their efforts to expand into global markets. The productive session highlighted the various programmes and services provided by the chamber to enhance the competitiveness of local businesses in international markets.--TradeArabia News Service Air cargo demand from Asia Pacific origin points partially rebounded in week 19 from the dip in tonnages around Labour Day holidays and Japans Golden Week in the first few days of May. Tonnages from some origin regions have yet to bounce back and even Asia Pacifics partial rebound is weaker than it was in the equivalent week last year. However, global and Asia Pacific tonnages remain higher this year overall. According to the latest weekly figures and analysis from WorldACD Market Data, total worldwide tonnages were flat in week 19 (May 6 to 12), after dropping by -9% the previous week because of public holidays in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Central & South America (CSA). The equivalent week last year saw a +9% tonnage rebound following a -9% decline the previous week, based on the more than 450,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACDs data. Relatively stable Despite the tonnage volatility in recent weeks, due to Easter and Eid holidays, Mothers Day in various countries, and Labour Day holidays, average worldwide rates have remained relatively stable in recent weeks, settling in week 19 at $2.49 a kilo, which is around +2% higher than the same week last year and significantly above pre-Covid levels (+41% compared to May 2019). Examining the demand patterns of the main global regions in weeks 18 and 19 reveals a mixed picture. After tonnages from Asia Pacific origins fell by -13% in week 18, they partially bounced back in week 19 (+8%). That contrasts somewhat with the behaviour of the Asia Pacific market in weeks 18 and 19 last year, when tonnages dropped in week 18 by around -16%, WoW, but recovered almost completely the following week (+18%, WoW). One of the differences is the dynamics of the market in China, where tonnages last year fell by -18% in week 18 but almost fully recovered the following week (+19%, WoW). This year, in a market buoyed by large volumes of e-commerce goods, tonnages ex-China dropped by a more-modest -8% in week 18 but saw a smaller recovery in week 19 (+2%, WoW). Nevertheless, those tonnages this year ex-China are significantly higher than last year (+14%, YoY, in week 19). Very small recovery Meanwhile, tonnages from North America and from Middle East & South Asia (MESA) origins each made a very small recovery (+1%), week on week (WoW), in week 19 this year, after recording a modest WoW drop ex-North America (-3%) and slight growth (+1%) ex-MESA in week 18, respectively. But tonnages from Africa (-1%) and Europe (-4%) saw further minor declines, while those from CSA dropped a further -21% after tonnages had spiked in the weeks leading up to Mothers Day in various countries on 12 May, related to flower shipments. 2Wo2W comparisons Reflecting the declines in tonnages around Labour Day holidays, the combined global tonnages of weeks 18 and 19 are down by (-7%) compared with the previous two weeks (a 2Wo2W comparison), although they are up +9%, year on year (YoY). MESA (+8%) was the only origin region to record 2Wo2W increases in tonnages, but tonnages were up, YoY, from all the main origin regions except CSA (-5%), led by MESA (+20%) and Asia Pacific (+17%), with Africa (+5%), Europe (+3%) and North America (+3%) recording smaller YoY gains. On the pricing side, on a two-week combined basis, the combined global rates levels in weeks 18 and 19 were up slightly, on both a 2Wo2W (+1%) and YoY (+3%) basis. On a YoY basis, rates from origin region MESA remain highly elevated (+44%) compared with this time last year, linked to strong demand developments combined with supply issues caused by disruptions to container shipping, and rates from Asia Pacific origin points remain significantly up (+12%), YoY. But average rates from Europe (-22%) and North America (-13%), remain well below last years levels.--TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Lab (ADIA Lab) and Minsait have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for future research collaboration on the sustainable and ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI). Under the terms of the MoU, the organisations will identify key research topics related to the use of AI technology in areas such as green AI, smart cities, healthcare, digital finance, and quantum computing, a WAM report said. Researchers from Minsait and ADIA Lab will work together to produce scientific papers and other publications that propose the sustainable and ethical use of AI. Impactful and aligned Dr Horst Simon, Director of ADIA Lab, stated: Collaborating with Minsait enables us to leverage our research capabilities in real-world applications, ensuring that AI advancements are both impactful and aligned with global standards of sustainability and ethics. "This partnership with ADIA Lab aims to foster innovation and create advanced AI solutions tailored to the needs of different sectors," said Luis Abril, CEO of Minsait. "Together, we plan to push the boundaries of AI technology to new heights."--TradeArabia News Service 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. Stay informed with The Christian Daily Newsletter Sign up 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." Featuring a series of innovative sessions and workshops, the renowned Future Festival will be held at the Expo City Dubai from June 5-6, 2024, bringing together industry professionals and global tech enthusiasts to discuss the revolutionary implications of artificial intelligence and other trend predictions. Organised by Trend Hunter, a leading trend platform and innovation accelerator, it is being held in collaboration with DXB Live, the integrated event management and experiential agency of Dubai World Trade Centre. The summits agenda will align with the UAE's National Strategy Artificial Intelligence 2031, which reflects the country's vision of becoming a global leader in AI by 2031. The event also aims at highlighting the importance of investing in relevant industries and individuals to drive innovation. This will be accomplished through a series of engaging sessions and workshops in which participants will delve into critical topics influencing the future of AI and its implications on various industries, including food and beverage, mobility, hospitality, and medicine. More importantly, this years event features a distinguished lineup of keynote speakers who have made a significant impact in their respective industries, such as Dr Jassim Al Awadi, Digital Transformation Principle from DU, Dr Haythem Riahi, Co-Founder and CEO of Circe Biotics, Mariam Hashem, Head Solutions and Partnerships of GE Healthcare, and Aram Petrosyan, Founder and CEO, Goodini Real Estate. Jonathon Brown, CSO of Trend Hunter, will explore the concept of 'Imagined Orders' and their impact on shaping behaviour and fostering cooperation. Based on in-depth interviews with innovation leaders, he will present a thoughtfully curated set of innovation strategies and methods, such as Adidas' well-known Project Funeral, aimed at encouraging constructive methods for assisting teams in handling failure. Khalid Al Hammadi, Senior Vice President of DXB LIVE, said: Artificial intelligence has the potential to fundamentally disrupt Middle Eastern markets with innovative services and business models. AI is becoming more and more prevalent in today's world, which is why it is critical to comprehend both the various applications and benefits of AI. As a result, events like the Future Festival play a key role in uniting innovators and enthusiasts to interact, share knowledge, and initiate real change in the field. We therefore look forward to making the most of this opportunity, as well as driving innovation, maximising potential, and assessing trends and prospects for 2024 and beyond." Major sessions in focus will include Jeremy Gutsches keynote addresses 'The Accelerated Pace of Change,' 'A.I. and the Inflection Point,' and 'Keys to Creating the Future' in which actionable strategies will be introduced for driving innovation, dealing with change, and overcoming obstacles in the age of AI. Attendees will gain insights into fostering high-performance cultures, optimising performance amidst uncertainty, and overcoming obstacles to sustainable growth. The Megatrends session, in which Trend Hunter breaks down the worlds fast-moving trends based on relevant consumer choices, and the Innovation and Trend Hunting Panel session that sheds light on the intersection of success, innovation, and the evolving influence of AI, is also scheduled to take place during the conference. Jeremy Gutsche, CEO and Innovation Expert at Trend Hunter, said: In an age of rapid change, it is critical to establish a culture of high performance and adaptability to ensure sustained growth. At this years Future Festival, participants will gain insights into empowering their teams to innovate and embrace change, especially about the evolving implications of AI. This is also in line with the UAEs National Strategy Artificial Intelligence 2031, which reflects the countrys vision of becoming a global leader in AI by 2031. Together, we hope to develop a shift in mindset that is crucial to achieving success and evaluate concrete strategies that can turn goals into quantifiable results. Additionally, participants will have access to the Healthcare Technology session which is a nuanced evaluation of the industry, Innovation Tactics session which aims to comprehend case studies, best practices, and ideas for accomplishing objectives, Food and Beverage Leisure session to explain the ongoing transformation in the industry, along with the Food Leisure session to discuss how AI impacts the CPG, restaurant, and culinary industries. Other sessions include Future Tech and the Next Frontier, which will be led by Sean Scharf, CCO of Trend Hunter, and will highlight the transformative influence of AI on creativity, efficiency, and consumer interaction. In addition to providing insights into a smarter, more innovative future, Sean will also discuss the profound effects of AI on the workforce, consumer experience, and everyday life. Likewise, the Reflection and Reprioritisation session will distil the most significant learnings and insights from the event for participants. According to International Data Corporation, annual spending on AI in the Middle East and Africa is anticipated to increase by 32%. The UAE stands to benefit the most from this, especially as the technology sector is set to contribute approximately $97 billion to the country's GDP. The UAE is also committed to achieving the goals outlined in the UAE Centennial 2071, and has begun integrating AI into government operations, which promises to improve efficiency and effectiveness, positioning the country as a global leader in AI applications. Assuming that automation is extensively implemented in each industry, the UAE could benefit from an increase in economic output of AED 335 billion. With its valuable insights into the rapidly evolving world of technology, Trend Hunter the largest community for trend spotting across industries will also play a key role in supporting this influential forum. As expectations rise, the 'Future Festival' will serve as a point of inspiration, allowing participants to embark on a journey of knowledge and collaboration. TradeArabia News Service Zayed International Airport welcomed a senior Chinese delegation to officially inaugurate a pop-up event that is taking place from May 6-20, and inviting travellers to embark on an immersive journey into the heart of Shanghais vibrant culture and cosmopolitan allure. Meet Me in Shanghai pop-up event at the airport is an interactive experience, the launch of which was attended by the Deputy General of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, CEO of Shanghai Airport Authority, and dignitaries from the Chinese Culture Centre. Their visit highlights the strong economic and cultural ties between Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, while also enhancing tourism and trade opportunities. Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: "We are delighted to welcome our partners from the Chinese Tourism Board and Shanghai Airport Authority, a key connection hub that plays a significant role in strengthening the relationship between the two cities. As Abu Dhabis new gateway to the world, we are excited to host the 'Meet Me in Shanghai' pop-up at Zayed International Airport which exemplifies our dedication to enhancing our passengers airport experience, complementing our exceptional airport facilities and services. This exciting and interactive event serves as a cultural bridge to Shanghai's captivating allure and renowned landmarks, engaging a diverse global audience and igniting enthusiasm for travel. The direct connection between Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, with five weekly flights, is an important route between the two cities, offering convenience and seamless connection for travellers. Zhang Qi, Deputy General of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, said: We extend our sincere appreciation to Abu Dhabi Airports for their support, and we hope this event can establish stronger cooperation between Shanghai and Abu Dhabi. In this regard, we warmly welcome Abu Dhabi Airports and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi to come to Shanghai and set up promotional events to increase the attractiveness of both cities. Feng Xin, President of Shanghai Airport Authority, said: On 12 December 2023, Shanghai Airport Authority signed an MOU with Abu Dhabi Airports, which aims to mutually encourage communication and cooperation of airport management, operation, and marketing. The launch of 'Meet Me in Shanghai' pop-up event is the first promotional event to inaugurate the MOU, and it is surely a very meaningful one. This time, the event has been jointly organised by airports, tourism authorities, and local airlines from both Shanghai and Abu Dhabi, which is a strong gesture to show confidence and ambition to spur the vitality of air travel and tourism market between the two cities by all the participating parties. We envision that through our collaborative efforts, a warm and amicable relationship between Shanghai and Abu Dhabi will be fostered, leading to increasing flights that will bring us closer together. TradeArabia News Service British Airways has announced it will resume flights to Jeddah from November 4, ending a five-year hiatus. The announcement was made during the Great Futures expo in Riyadh, a premier event aimed at fostering business ties between the UK and Saudi Arabia, a report said. Tickets are now available for the service. The flights will operate year-round from London Heathrow to Jeddah, using the Boeing 787 fleet, Saudi Gazette said. This route, operating four times a week, will complement the existing daily flights between Riyadh and Heathrow Terminal 5, enhancing the airline's connectivity within the Kingdom. Colm Lacy, British Airways Chief Commercial Officer, said: "For years, we've bridged connections between families, friends, and businesses across both countries. The renewed flights signify our commitment to reinforcing these bonds and seizing business opportunities across the two nations." Mazen Johar, CEO of Jeddah Airports, and Majid Khan, CEO of the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, in a joint statement, said: The reintroduction of British Airways' direct flights from London to Jeddah will boost our air links with the capital. This initiative, supported by British Airways extensive network across the UK, Europe, and North America, allows travellers to explore Saudi Arabias unique offerings and supports our growing sectors of tourism and aviation." An independent candidate has joined the race for the Wyoming House of Representatives held by Rep. Jeanette Ward. Republican Julie Jarvis announced in April her campaign for Wyomings House District 57 seat which covers the south portion of Casper. Ward, a self-described political refugee from Illinois, won the seat in the Nov. 2022 election after moving to Wyoming in 2021. She is seeking reelection. Ward is a member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and brought forward 5 bills during the 2024 legislative session. Bills sponsored by Ward included one that sought to prohibit discrimination based on a persons vaccination, face covering or medical testing status; one that sought to codify the definition of a male, female, boy, girl, mother and father based on their sex determined at birth; and one sought to prohibit the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization from having any jurisdiction in Wyoming. All of Wards bills failed introduction or were not brought forward. Tyler Cessor announced his campaign as an independent on Thursday. I care deeply about our shared values of freedom, responsibility, and smart, limited government, Cessor said. I believe our government works best when leaders are honest, and when they care about their community more than their personal gain. Cessor is the development director for the Wyoming Outdoor Council, a conservation nonprofit and previously served as the executive director of ART 321 in Casper. He has also served in the Wyoming Army National Guard, and on the Wyoming Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Wyoming ENGAGE Council serving next generations and on a committee for the Wyoming Department of Healths State Health Improvement Plan, according to a press release from his campaign announcement. Cessor in a letter to residents of District 57 took aim at Ward. This year, Jeanette Ward tried to force a costly, wasteful extra legislative session. This is government overreach and overspending at its worst. She showed how underprepared and incapable she was at getting a balanced budget passed. We need leaders who care about Wyoming, not those who see it as a rebound state they can take over after failing to influence the state they came from. Cessor added that he would approach the seat with a voice of reason and a focus on sound governance. Im eager to buckle down and deal with the task of good governance. I believe in smart, responsible government and this has never been more important for our state, Cessor wrote. Im not interested in adding to the pile of unconstitutional, unenforceable bills that will just end up in court and cost you and Wyoming more money. A small state government takes care of the essentials, and lets local communities maintain strong local control. Information about Cessors campaign is at www.TylerCessorforhd57.com. Information about Jarvis campaign is at https://jarviswyo.com/. Information about Wards campaign is at https://jwforw.wixsite.com/keepwyomingfree. CHEYENNE Nearly two-thirds of the 31 large cities and towns (over 2,000 people) in Wyoming added residents between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023 when the largest city, Cheyenne, added the most residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. These new estimates provide a look at how the population has changed in each of Wyomings incorporated communities since the 2020 Census. For cities and towns with population over 2,000, Mills demonstrated the fastest annual growth (2.1%), followed by Pinedale (1.9%) and Sheridan (1.8%), while Cheyenne (585), Sheridan (338), Casper (236) and Gillette (218) showed the most numerical addition from 2022 to 2023. Three cities, Rawlins (-138), Wheatland (-66) and Kemmerer (-43) experienced population declines of more than 1%. Rawlins is the only place that lost more than 100 residents during the year. As of July 1, 2023, 68.7%, or 401,086 people, in Wyoming lived in incorporated places. Nearly half of the states residents lived in 11 cities and towns with a population of more than 10,000. Wyomings total population grew 2,428, or 0.4%, in 2023, and this growth rate was the same as the combined population change for these 11 large cities. In 2023, Wyomings large cities mostly reversed COVID-19-induced 2021 and 2022 population declines, said Wenlin Liu, chief economist with the state of Wyomings Economic Analysis Division. Many people with telework capabilities chose to relocate to less-populated and lower-cost areas during the pandemic. 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. Eight years after Sir Elton John and David Furnish's 2016 show in Tate Modern, the iconic duo is back inside a major London museum headlining a new exhibition they dubbed: "Fragile Beauty," where they showcased their phenomenal taste in art and fashion through photographs. The highly anticipated show opened last Wednesday, May 15 at London's famed Victoria and Albert Museum. John and Furnish arrived at the event donning custom and opulent pieces from renowned fashion house Gucci, which is consequentially the pair's partner for the exhibition. About V&A Museum's 'Fragile Beauty' Exhibition Opening this coming Saturday, May 18 for the general public, John and Furnish's latest offering to the art and culture scene is a testament to their passion for photography and dedication to sharing that fervor with the world through their extensive collection. The exhibition showcases more than 300 rare prints from 140 various big-name photographers, making the collection V&A Museum's biggest temporary photography show in its entire history. That said, the highlighted pieces are only a fraction of the pair's personal collection of over 7,000 photos. Nonetheless, all of John and Furnish's owned pieces explore the common thematic connection between vulnerability and strength, something the show focuses on. As for the period covered by the exhibition, it spans from 1950 to today, with a headlining installation that comprises 149 of Nan Goldin's prints from her "Thanksgiving" series. It also amalgamates the work of photography's numerous global frontrunners, which include Robert Mapplethorpe, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Zanele Muholi, Ai Weiwei, and Carrie Mae Weems. In addition, new pieces from Tyler Mitchell, Trevor Paglen, and An-My Le are also showcased at the exhibition, all of which mingle with some of John's very first acquisitions like his fashion photographs taken by Horst P. Horst, Irving Penn, and Herb Ritts. Sectioned through eight themes, "Fragile Beauty" is the manifestation of John and Furnish's three-decade-long commitment to the arts and was made possible by their uniquely appreciative eyes as collectors, something visitors can experience for themselves soon. For more information on the "Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection," in partnership with Gucci, click here. 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. The publics access to state records in database form was significantly bolstered when the Arizona Supreme Court declined last week to review a lower-court ruling in a case involving reporter Amy Silverman and the Arizona Daily Star. Specifically, Arizona agencies cannot refuse to release database records because the IDs that connect the records are themselves health care identifiers. They must now create an encrypted version of the identifiers so the data is still useful. In June 2023, the Arizona Court of Appeals ruled in Silverman v. AHCCCS that state agencies cannot obscure the connecting keys between data tables (as protected health-care information) without making an encrypted substitute for the key. That appeal arose from a special action filed by the First Amendment Clinic as counsel for Silverman and the Star against the Arizona Heath Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). The agency had refused to provide such encrypted keys in response to Silvermans public records request to review public database records to see how the agency determines benefits eligibility. AHCCCS filed a petition for review with the Arizona Supreme Court. On May 7, the high court denied that review, leaving the Court of Appeals ruling as precedent for similar public records requests in the future. This is a huge victory for journalists across the state and for the public, said David McCumber, executive editor of the Arizona Daily Star. It would not have happened but for Amy Silvermans dogged reporting and the great work of the First Amendment Clinic. All of us at Arizona Daily Star are thrilled with the result. Silverman and the Star were represented by the First Amendment Clinic at Arizona State Universitys Sandra Day OConnor College of Law. This is an important win for the public and for journalists, since most records are kept in databases, said Gregg Leslie, a professor of practice and the director of the First Amendment Clinic. Removing the keys that connect all the information in a database renders the data useless. AHCCCS had maintained that providing the encrypted keys was not required by the Arizona public records law because it would amount to the creation of a new record. The Court of Appeals rejected this argument and held that requiring the agency to use a one-way cryptographic hash function to redact the non-disclosable data substituting a unique hashed value that masks protected information without destroying its function in the database is necessary to ensure a requestor receives, to the extent possible, a copy of the real record. Silverman and the Star filed the underlying special action complaint nearly three years ago in June of 2021, though Silvermans initial public records request to AHCCCS was made over four years ago in February of 2020. The Star and Silverman requested these records while reporting a year-long project, State of Denial, co-published with the non-profit investigative newsroom ProPublica as part of its Local Reporting Network. Silverman wanted to examine rejection rates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities applying for lon-term care through AHCCCS, the states Medicaid agency. The database information was an essential element in her reporting. State of Denial went on to win a Presidents Award from Lee Enterprises and was a finalist for several national reporting awards. Silverman was named 2020s Virg Hill Journalist of the Year by the Arizona Press Club, the states top journalism award, for her work on the project. US-based geologist and UK art history expert Ann Pizzorusso has allegedly cracked one of the longest-standing mysteries in art history: the location where Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" painting is set. Ann Pizzorusso's 'Breakthrough' on 'Mona Lisa' Pizzorusso, who is a self-professed "oil drilling and gem hunting" professional, said that the unclear landscape behind the famous and equally enigmatic sitter is actually an iteration of the northern Italian city of Lecco. The expert announced her findings at a recent geology conference held in Lecco, saying that she zeroed in on the southwestern Alps visible from the city as a key "piece" in the whole art mystery "puzzle." As per The Guardian, Pizzorusso matched the elements of the "Mona Lisa" background to the city's 14th-century Azzone Visconti bridge, the Alps surrounding the area, and Lake Garlate, which the Italian polymath was recorded to have visited five centuries ago. The geologist backed up her claims by retracing Leonardo's footsteps across the northern part of Italy by using his field notes as a cross-reference. This is not the first time the art historian has researched the potential geological counterparts of Lenoardo's depictions, as she has presented prior findings of such in her 2021 book: "Geologic Representations in the Virgin and Child with St. Anne." In addition to this, she also published information in the 2017 academic paper: "Leonardo's Geology: The Authenticity of the Virgin of the Rock." Pushback from Other Art History Experts However, some of Pizzorusso's contemporaries diverge from her claims, one of whom being fellow UK art historian Martin Kemp. Kemp told CBS that Leonardo wasn't necessarily depicting "specific, identifiable landscapes," saying, "He's looking at real things with incredible intensity, but he then remakes them in painting." "Why he should put a landscape of Albinor or a landscape of Arezzo or a landscape of wherever is completely unclear," he continued. University of Virginia art history professor Francesca Fiorani concurred with Kemp, telling The Art Newspaper that: although Leonardo spent a tremendous amount of time studying varying elements of landscapes, most of what he depicts in his paintings are just "his personal imaginary rendition of nature." "To claim otherwise means not understanding how Leonardo's mind worked and how he painted," she added. The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer: County Attorney Laura Conovers motto is she is data driven and results oriented. This is a catchy slogan that should be applied to her handling of felony cases and management of the human and financial resources of the Pima County Attorneys Office (PCAO). Numbers may be boring, but they matter. Unfortunately, the data reveals Conovers results have been abysmal in three regards: First, data published by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission (ACJC) reveal that PCAO under Conovers administration has become inefficient and is violating the Arizona Supreme Court rule that enforces the constitutional right to a speedy trial for defendants and victims. In 2019, before Conover took office, the average time to complete a felony case was 150 days, below the 180-day requirement in the rule. In 2023, three years into the Conover administration, the average time to disposition for felony cases increased to 268 days a serious violation of the rule and constitutional speedy trial guarantee that is harming both crime victims and defendants. What is the result of this inefficiency and violation of speedy trial rights? Defendants spend more time in jail costing us taxpayers money; meanwhile victims must endure ongoing lack of closure. The Arizona Supreme Court has had to issue an edict to Pima County Superior Court to stop granting PCAOs requests for extensions of time (continuances) and require Conovers prosecutors to get into court and do the work of adjudicating felony cases in a timely manner. Second, data reported by ACJC also demonstrate Conover has mismanaged funds allocated to her office by the State of Arizona to reduce the burden on Pima County taxpayers and ensure speedy trials. Fill the Gap Funds are specifically provided to PCAO to reduce felony case processing times. In 2023, Conover declined to spend these funds to expedite case processing, leaving more than $350,000 of unused funds on the table. This unspent amount is larger than that of all 14 other county attorneys unspent funds combined. This fiscal year, Conover also declined to spend Criminal Justice Enhancement Funds, leaving approximately $500,000 on the table. Remarkably, Ms. Conover still made several requests to the Board of Supervisors for additional local taxpayer funding. What is the result of this financial mismanagement? Attorneys, support staff, diversion specialists, and victim advocates have not been hired. Valuable community services, such as diversion to treatment, are not being provided in many cases. Caseloads have exploded, and experienced attorneys have left Conovers Office in droves, some willing to commute an hour away to work as prosecutors in neighboring Pinal County instead. Third, Pima Countys published Termination Reports and Vacancy Reports reveal a mass exodus of employees from Conovers office. There has been a 100% turnover of the entire hand-picked leadership team Conover put in place when she took office. The directors of her diversion and specialty court programs quit. An average of 16 attorneys each year have quit, with an ongoing vacancy rate of 20%, despite the Board of Supervisors allocating significant salary increases. When Conover was elected, PCAO had 363 employees, but by February 2024 its staff had shrunk to 315. When Conover was elected, PCAO had 24 Victim Advocates; by February 2024 there were only 15. This negatively impacts PCAOs ability to provide valuable crisis intervention services, especially to sexual assault and domestic violence victims. What is the result of this mass exodus of experienced personnel? Victims do not receive crisis support. Public safety is reduced. Many suffering from substance use disorders and mental illness fail to receive diversion with connection to treatment and wrap around services. These are the data and results that demonstrate Laura Conovers mismanagement and ineffectiveness as County Attorney. The data show we need to elect Mike Jette to be our new Pima County Attorney. James D. Watts Jr. Tulsa World Scene Writer Follow James D. Watts Jr. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Related Content How I Got Here: Shannon Smith knows the power of what food can do For years, Tulsa chef Shannon Smith would tell anyone who asked that she had no desire to write a cookbook. Or any other sort of book, for that matter. I would say, Im not a writer, Smith said. Thats why I wish I knew what was it that happened six years ago to set me off on this process to this. Smith nods in the direction of the large tome that rests on a table in her south Tulsa home. It is a copy of her soon-to-be-released cookbook, The Hidden Table: The Recipes, People and Stories Ive Discovered While Traveling the World. Travel has been an important part of Smiths life for many years, but in the past 15 years, she has focused her journeys on immersing herself in the everyday culture of the places she visits, bypassing the usual tourist sites to meet with local people and learn about the food they eat and the methods they use to cook. She has shared the literal and figurative fruits of her times abroad through regular posts to her website, chefshannon.com, and in what she describes as experiential dinners that she hosts regularly. It is a five-course dinner, and with each course I tell the story behind each dish, Smith said. Its something of an immersive thing, as if were spending a night in Morocco or India or Mexico. Yet all that did not quite prepare her for the challenge of funneling years of travels, hundreds of meals and scores of memories into a coherent book. I was told that I needed some kind of a theme, that I needed to narrow the focus of the book more, Smith said. About two years ago, I was traveling with my friends Valerie and Evan Wei-Haas, and they said they had an idea for the books theme. They came up with The Hidden Table, Smith said, because I would try to seek out people and places who were a little off the beaten path, and that most other people would never know. The dinners we would share might be served on someones dining room table, or around a campfire, or on top of a hay bale. Smith laughed, then said, Of course, it meant I had to rewrite everything. The Hidden Table contains 12 chapters, with each chapter devoted to a particular place Smith has visited specific countries such as Italy or Spain, or regions such as the Caribbean and the myriad islands and cultures contained within it. Each chapter also deals with a particular culinary theme. The chapter on New Mexico, the only U.S. location in the book, deals with Smiths love of chile peppers; the Greece chapter is, Smith said, about my discovery of salt its history, its many diverse forms and the incredible impact it has had on our food. Smith said some of the 120 recipes in the book require ingredients that might be unfamiliar to some cooks, but everything necessary to make these dishes can be found in Tulsa with a bit of exploring. We have a lot of really wonderful international markets in Tulsa that I go to all the time, she said. But I still always come back with suitcases full of ingredients I came back from one trip with about 60 kilos of different kinds of salt. All the photographs in the book were taken by Valerie Wei-Haas, a much in-demand Tulsa photographer, who has collaborated with Smith for about a decade. While discovering, making and sharing food is her primary focus, Smith did not set out to follow a culinary career. Her first career was as a seamstress, but after a divorce, Smith needed to find a job that would provide a steady paycheck in order to retain custody of her children. I found a job teaching young people in an apartment complex how to cook, she said. I had a degree in home economics, so I had some background in cooking, but I knew I needed to learn how to cook better. She began taking cooking classes at a local kitchenware store call the Savory Chef, where she studied under chef Scott VanTuyl, whom she describes as my mentor. When I started working at the apartment complex, I was told that half the residents were Black, and the other half were from Russia, and they didnt get along at all, Smith said. But once we got together, cooking together and eating together, I began to see them develop friendships. And that was my first revelation about how food brings people together. Thats also something she sees again and again in her travels. When the people I meet see that Im not there for myself, that Im truly interested in them and how they live, they are very open with me, Smith said. Im the sort of person whos happy to talk to strangers, and I think they are a little flattered at my curiosity about them. Ive made a lot of friends over the world this way. In keeping with her philosophy of giving back, Smith said a portion of sales from the book will be donated to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. The Hidden Table is available for pre-order from Smiths website, chefshannon.com. Cost is $39.95. The Tulsa World is where your story lives 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 It was unclear on Thursday whether a proposal to cut state revenues generated by income taxes remains on the table as legislative leaders continue to hammer out a budget for fiscal year 2025. The cut, prioritized by Gov. Kevin Stitt and House Speaker Charles McCall, dominated earlier discussions of leaders as they met in an ongoing budget summit at the Capitol, but it was hardly mentioned in talks Wednesday or Thursday. At his weekly press conference on Thursday, Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat was asked whether the House had abandoned the proposal to eliminate income taxes paid by lower-income Oklahomans and to reduce the current 4.75% rate incrementally for others if certain revenue benchmarks are realized in the future. They have not definitively said they have, but it appears they have. Theyre no longer booking it, Treat responded. McCall canceled a planned meeting with the press Thursday and issued no comments about the tax cut proposal or about budget negotiations. Except for a brief appearance Wednesday morning, he skipped negotiations Wednesday and Thursday. He is scheduled to meet with other House and Senate leaders when talks resume Friday. Treat declined to predict when the House and Senate might resolve their differences. We made quite a bit of progress today in actually eliminating a lot of expenditures, he said. Theres always something that breaks, and things just fall into place. We havent had that moment yet, but that could happen this afternoon. It could happen (Friday) or Monday. The Senate and House moved close to agreement Thursday on addressing millions of dollars in deferred maintenance needs of colleges and universities in Oklahoma. Leaders tentatively agreed to a commitment of $350 million to address needs ranging from leaky roofs to worn out wiring in aging buildings across various campuses. Last fall, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education reported nearly $1.5 billion in needs. Campus administrators, they said then, were struggling to stay ahead of problems, with some having to commit up to 30% of recent annual budgets to maintenance and repairs. Some $60 million worth of project needs were reported across four campuses of Tulsa Community College. The Senate had initially proposed an allocation of $500 million, while the House had proposed $335 million. Treat, R-Oklahoma City, and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Chuck Hall, R-Perry, said the upper chamber was willing to allocate less this year but would need assurances that funds will be fairly distributed to colleges and regional universities as well as to the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. Treat added that the Senate would not agree to a plan that wont address needs immediately. He said the Houses position so far has been to defer deferred maintenance. The House has it where no payments will go out for five years, he said. We will not agree to that. We believe deferred maintenance has been an ongoing problem that we need to address and not delay. Questions also remain as to percentages of the funds that would be dedicated to OU and OSU versus two-year colleges and regional universities. That is a moving target, Treat said. I do want to point out that we came down $150 million, (but) we need to make sure the formula (for allocating it) is pretty airtight. Our official position is still $500 (million). Our move is based on (the House) agreeing to a formula that we find most advantageous to (immediately) addressing deferred maintenance. House Budget Committee Chairman Kevin Wallace said there was substantial agreement on the matter. Theres a great need to address deferred maintenance in the state. Theres no doubt about that, he said. Negotiations continued between House and Senate leaders on other budget issues, including possibilities for funding a proposed $2,500 stipend for school support staff employees, potential funding for workforce development, funding for the governors closing fund to help coax new business and industry to Oklahoma, strategies for funding pay increases for county sheriffs deputies, funding for a pay increase for judges, and potential funding for a Legacy Capital Fund. The Tulsa World is where your story lives Removing humanities from the high school curriculum and tying accreditation to high-stakes testing and the implementation of faith-based moral values are not going to improve public school outcomes. There is still a chance to rein in the controversial, and possibly unconstitutional, administrative rule changes requested by State Superintendent Ryan Walters. If not, then the Republican supermajority will have accomplished nothing of value for public education. This legislative session, lawmakers have tinkered with graduation standards, Reading Sufficiency Act and teacher degree training changes. They havent addressed the real problem: staffing and resource shortages. Ignored is how the state crested 5,000 approvals for emergency certified teachers this past school year. This is on top of the 4,574 approved last year. These are untrained teachers being put into classrooms. Oklahoma has at least 35,000 certified teachers who opt not to teach. They are working in other professions or choose retirement. This isnt just about pay but also respect. Instead, lawmakers passed a slew of changes to graduation requirements in House Bill 3278. It eliminates fine arts and foreign language credits and adds a math credit. Districts get flexibility on how to define math. Supporters say only college-bound students need humanities. We disagree and worry that districts will simply cut those offerings to save money. The move was made with assistance from chambers of commerce due to workforce shortages. The question becomes: Is the mission of a school to have ready-made employees or well-rounded, educated people? We prefer emphasizing knowledge and independent thinking over pre-cut skills determined by corporations. But, in the end, it doesnt matter if a student must take an extra statistics or calculus course if there isnt an educator there to teach it. Pending now are administrative rules requested by Walters in House Joint Resolution 1061, which sailed through the House Administrative Rules Committee 7-3. The slew of rules would change the way accreditation has been handled for more than 30 years. At its core, the rules tie school accreditation to the single-day, high-stakes state testing, including scores from special needs and limited English speakers. As more states and universities are turning away from testing, Walters elevates its importance. At least 60 districts would immediately receive deficiencies. A section defining foundational values is rooted in moral language of the Christian faith, including that the Creator gives parents their children and that good and evil are real and universal. It instructs that mankinds duty (is) to pursue such virtues whose ultimate author is our Creator, having created all men equal Public schools are not the place for these teachings. Committee Chairman Republican Rep. Gerrid Kendrix of Altus called the consequences just a deficiency and said he assumes that districts will get funding and staffing as a remedy. If the meager assistance received by Tulsa Public Schools from the state this past year is a guide, that assumption is wrong. As Republican leaders dither at an impasse over possible (additional) tax reductions, how about funding the needs in our state, including getting trained teachers back into classrooms? The Legislature ought to reject the administrative rules and focus in the future on the dearth of educators, who are at the heart of schools. The Tulsa World is where your story lives The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has released 27,200 taels of SJC-branded gold bars, equivalent to approximately one metric ton, to the domestic market over the course of four auctions. One tael is equivalent to 1.21 troy ounces. One of the SBVs four auctions took place on Thursday, when 16,800 taels were put up for grabs. Eleven entities placed bids, including Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC), DOJI Gold & Gems Group Joint Stock Company (DOJI), Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ), Phu Quy Gold Silver Jewelry Gemstone Company, Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ACB), TPBank, HDBank, Sacombank, VPBank, Eximbank, and Asean Jewelry Joint Stock Company. The starting price for the bullion at the auction was set at VND88.89 million (US$3,462) per tael, some VND15.6 million ($608) higher than the global price. All the 11 bidders won the bids during the auction, with the most expensive price at VND88.92 million ($3,466) and the cheapest at VND88.89 million. The global price of gold stood at $2,389.4 per ounce, equivalent to VND73.32 million ($2,858) per tael, on Thursday afternoon. SJC, the largest gold firm in Vietnam, was selling gold for VND90 million ($3,507) per tael on Thursday afternoon, down VND200,000 ($7.8) against the day before. The buying price was VND87.5 million ($3,411) per tael. Bao Tin Minh Chau Company listed its buying and selling prices at VND87.55 million ($3,412.5) and VND89.5 million ($3,488.5) per tael of SJC gold bullion, respectively, the same day. At DOJI, a tael of SJC-branded gold was on sale for VND89.7 million ($3,499), down VND200,000 from the day before. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The shortage of human resources in the information technology sector is concerning in many countries, including Vietnam. However, according to Howard Silby, general director of NAB Innovation Centre Vietnam, the current lack of IT professionals presents only a short-term challenge while the Southeast Asian countrys IT workforce has demonstrated stupendous growth and potential. On May 9, Silby sat down with Tuoi Tre News to discuss manpower issues in Vietnam, as well as the role of Australian businesses in building a sustainable human resource pool in the nation. Australian businesses see Vietnam as an ideal IT talent provider one of the many reasons the bank decided to expand its NAB Innovation Centre Vietnam with a new office in Ho Chi Minh City last month. What is your assessment of the potential of Vietnam's IT workforce? We are a subsidiary of NAB but operate as a stand-alone Vietnamese company. We help deliver great digital experiences for NAB customers. Vietnam is a tremendous market for us to be in, which is something we recognized about five years ago. We think there is an awful lot of IT talent here. Over 50,000 IT students graduate each year in Vietnam. Like many banks, we used to outsource a lot of our IT work to companies like Capgemini, Accenture, and IBM. Historically, a large part of our tech workforce has consisted of non-NAB employees, which is typical for the banking industry. We eventually made the conscious decision that we actually wanted to have our own tech workforce and part of that was creating two centres: one in India and one in Vietnam. We are very happy with the talent that we have hired here. We are seeing tremendous productivity in Vietnam. How do you think businesses like NAB can contribute to efforts to improve the quality of Vietnam's IT workforce? That is something we really want to be a part of. Obviously, Vietnam and Australia have upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. One aspect of that partnership covers technology and digital innovation. We know there are other Australian organizations here in Vietnam, particularly strong education organizations, but we see ourselves at the forefront of trying to help that partnership between Australia and Vietnam when it comes to digital skills and technology skills. We carry out lots of training and a lot of internships, but we also want to do more and better understand initiatives from the government so that we can better help with their agenda. We hope to see more two-way exchanges between the two countries. According to TopDev, by 2025, Vietnam will need an additional 150,000-200,000 IT professionals each year. What do you think the government needs to do to solve this issue? From what I have seen, the Vietnamese government is focusing on all the right things. The fact is that they have a very clear focus on innovation and digital technologies. That is a tremendous thing. If there is a way to do more vocational training and more partnerships between universities and workplaces like ours, then I think that would help bridge the gap in terms of the skill shortage. What we do know is that, typically in the past, the skills shortage sounded quite alarming but the market shifted to fill that gap. I believe that this will not be a problem for Vietnam in the long term and it will find those skills. There may be a very short-term bump. What we have seen here is for our young graduate technologists, it is incredible how quickly they can learn new skill sets. Obviously, we use a huge range of modern technology tools and coding languages, but young people tend to quickly learn new skills that they might not have picked up during their university education. So, I think we can actually fill the gaps quicker than we think. Can you elaborate on the future goals of the NAB Innovation Centre in Vietnam? Our goal is to continue to be productive and to produce fantastic solutions for our customers. We want to attract and retain top talent to help us achieve that. We are also considering other services that we could provide to NAB as well, including digital marketing or helping NAB with other aspects of its operations. All that is a reflection of the fact that NAB is really delighted with what we are doing. We are also looking forward to expanding, not just in Ho Chi Minh City but also in Hanoi. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A high school in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City has suspended a teacher who had six students hit their classmate with a plastic tube as a punishment for being late for school. The teacher, named D., was suspended from work from Friday, Duong Van Thu, principal of Nguyen Thi Dieu High School in District 3, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on the same morning. Other teachers will cover her classes starting next Monday, Thu added. The suspension for D. is meant to facilitate a review of her responsibilities, the principal said. Previously, the parents of K., a student in the 12A1 class at Nguyen Thi Dieu High School, reported to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that D., his homeroom teacher, instructed six of his classmates to hit him using a plastic tube after he was late for school on May 13. D. even asked the students in charge of hitting K. to use more force when they were gentle. The school board and its representative board of parents then convened a meeting with K.s parents and D., where both the two boards and the teacher apologized to the family. The school also pledged to prevent a repeat of such an incident. However, the meeting failed to console K.s parents. Reportedly, May 13 was designated for 12th-grade students at Nguyen Thi Dieu High School to review their documents ahead of the important national high school graduation exam. Despite being reminded by D. beforehand, K. arrived late to school, missing the opportunity to review his records. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Hundreds of visitors flocked to the Lotus Festival in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam on Thursday evening to explore and shop for a wide selection of One Commune One Product (OCOP) items. The festival, held at the square of the Van Mieu Park in the provincial capital city of Cao Lanh, features a display of 100,000 lotus pots, a river decorated with lotus-shaped miniatures, and an art exhibition, among others. This years edition includes some 30 events, such as a lotus-themed international conference and a seminar in which participants will discuss measures to increase the value of the local lotus sector. A stage decorated with thousands of lotus pots at the opening ceremony of the second Lotus Festival in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam on May 16, 2024. Photo: Dang Tuyet / Tuoi Tre Speaking at the opening ceremony, Pham Thien Nghia, chairman of the provincial administration, said that this Mekong Delta province boasts 59 lotus products meeting OCOP standards. Local craftsmen have created multiple lotus-inspired products to enhance the value of the plant, like paintings on lotus leaves and premium lotus tea that Vietnamese officials chose as special gifts for international guests. On May 7, the province exported its first batch of 15 metric tons of lotus roots to Japan. Dong Thap is actively working to promote lotus products to more markets in South Korea, Myanmar, mainland China, and Taiwan as part of the provinces efforts to help its lotus items go global in the years to come. Dong Thap is striving to promote itself as the 'lotus land,' the chairman said. Nghia added that this festival represents another milestone in the province's efforts to enhance lotus-related trade and tourism, aiming to transform Dong Thap into a safe, friendly, and attractive destination. A Vietnamese map made of 5,000 lotus pots in the Khong Tu Lake at the Van Mieu Park in Cao Lanh City, Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam. Photo: Courtesy of organizer Lotus-shaped miniatures are seen floating in a river at the festival. Photo: Dang Tuyet / Tuoi Tre An art performance at the opening ceremony of the second Lotus Festival in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam on May 16, 2024. Photo: Dang Tuyet / Tuoi Tre Visitors throng the second Lotus Festival in Dong Thap Province, southern Vietnam on May 16, 2024. Photo: Dang Tuyet / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Border guards in Ha Tinh Province, north-central Vietnam busted a transnational gold trafficking ring, detaining four suspects and seizing four kilograms of gold last week. A guard said on Friday that three of them reside in Hai Duong Province, northern Vietnam and the other is a resident of Dak Lak Province, located in the Central Highlands region. At 4:00 on Saturday last week, the border guards at Cau Treo International Border Gate in Huong Son District, Ha Tinh Province stopped a pickup truck with four men on board heading from Laos to Vietnam for examination. The forces discovered four kilograms of gold inside the vehicle without legal papers of origin. Four men were arrested for transporting gold illegally from Laos to Vietnam. Photo: T.M. The suspects admitted having bought the amount of gold worth VND7.2 billion (US$282,560) from the Laotian capital city of Vientiane to sell it in Vietnam, seeking to earn profits due to the far difference between the global price and the domestic rate in Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! On Sunday 60 Minutes speaks with Nick Gibson, brother of Belle Gibson. Big Brother For all the wrong reasons, everyone knows of Belle Gibson. A decade ago, she claimed that shed beaten terminal brain cancer by rejecting conventional treatment in favour of natural remedies. Her cure made her a hero of the wellness industry. And not only did she love the worldwide attention her inspirational story attracted, she profited from it to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. But this medical miracle was all a lie, a twisted invention of the charlatans mind. Today, the pain inflicted by Belle Gibsons deception still hurts her many victims, including her big brother Nick Gibson. In an emotional interview with Dimity Clancey, he describes how his life has been destroyed by his heartless sister. Reporter: Dimity Clancey Producer: Sheree Gibson Gangsters Paradise It might sound strange, but the crime capital of Australia is currently Dubai. Thats because this glitzy mega city in the Persian Gulf has become home to nearly all of our biggest organised crime bosses. Their thinking in moving offshore is that theyre out of reach of federal and state policing authorities, but if they watch 60 Minutes this Sunday, they might want to think again. As Nick McKenzie reports, an enormous leak of Dubai property records has revealed not only their residential addresses, but also how the city has become the perfect destination for crooks, and suspected criminals, from all around the world to do their dirty business. Reporter: Nick McKenzie Producer: Amelia Ballinger Troubles at Home Its almost unimaginable. Last November, a 12-year-old girl in Victoria was charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a 37-year-old woman to death. On Thursday the charges were dropped though, because being so young, it was determined the girl didnt have the mental capacity to be held criminally responsible for her actions. However, whats important to know about this case is that at the time, she was the responsibility of the state. The girl was living in whats called residential care; homes that are supposedly supervised, safe places for vulnerable children. But theyre not. On assignment for 60 Minutes, Nines Christine Ahern meets a very brave young woman who wants Australia to know whats really happening in residential care homes. This now 20-year-old says she suffered enormously and is demanding immediate changes to the system. Reporter: Christine Ahern Producer: Laura Sparkes 8:40pm Sunday on Nine BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's University of Ghent (UGent) is severing ties with three Israeli educational or research institutions which it says no longer align with UGent's human rights policy, its rector said. Pro-Palestinian protesters in Ghent have been protesting against Israel's military offensive in Gaza and have been occupying parts of the university since early this month. The university's rector, Rik Van de Walle, said in a statement that ties were being cut with Holon Institute of Technology, MIGAL Galilee Research Institute, and the Volcani Center, which carries out agricultural research. "We currently assess these three partners as (very) problematic according to the Ghent University human rights test, in contrast to the positive evaluation we gave these partners at the start of our collaboration", Van de Walle said. Partnerships with MIGAL Galilee Research Institute and the Volcani Centre "were no longer desirable" due to their affiliation with Israeli ministries, an investigation by the University of Ghent found, and collaboration with the Holon Institute "was problematic" because it provided material support to the army for actions in Gaza. A spokesperson for the university said the move would affect four projects. The three Israeli institutions did not immediately comment. The protesters told Belgian broadcaster VRT they welcomed the decision but regarded it as only a first step. They said they would continue their occupation of parts of the university "until UGent breaks its ties with all Israeli institutions". The actions mirror those of students in the United States and elsewhere in Europe, calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire and for schools to cut financial ties with companies they say are profiting from what they regard as the oppression of Palestinians. (Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by Timothy Heritage) LONDON (Reuters) - The European Union said on Friday it was suspending the distribution of four Russia-linked media outlets in the EU, despite a warning from Moscow this week that any such move would draw swift retaliation. The ban applies to Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti news agency and Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspapers, on the grounds that they "have been essential and instrumental in bringing forward and supporting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine", the European Council said in a statement. The measure is part of a planned 14th package of sanctions against Russia over its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bloc has previously imposed sanctions on Russian state-owned media Russia Today and Sputnik. The EU had signalled the move earlier this week, prompting Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to warn: "We will respond with lightning speed and extremely painfully for the Westerners." It was not clear how Moscow would hit back. In an interview with Izvestia, the head of the international department of the Russian Union of Journalists (RUJ) called the EU ban "unlawful" and said the matter should have been decided by a court. Timur Shafir said the ban would prevent Russian-speakers living in parts of Europe once under Soviet control from accessing what he called "alternative information" on world events. (Reporting and writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei share over 7,000 standards Xinhua) 08:42, May 17, 2024 An intelligent connected bus runs on a road in Rongdong area of Xiong'an New Area, north China's Hebei Province, March 29, 2024. The new area aims to relieve Beijing of non-essential functions related to its status as the nation's capital, while also advancing the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. (Xinhua/Mu Yu) 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. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) German defence industry says it will need government help to reduce dependence on China FILE PHOTO: The flags of Germany and China are seen ahead of a meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Berlin, By Sabine Siebold BERLIN (Reuters) - German arms producers will need help from the government if they are to reduce their dependency on Chinese materials and still be able to compete with U.S. companies, Germany's defence industry association said. Hans Christoph Atzpodien, head of the Bundesverband der Deutschen Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsindustrie (BDSV), said the U.S. defence industry had, under government pressure, widely shed their dependency on Beijing in recent years. German arms producers have not been forced to follow suit, but are bound to come under pressure to do so sooner or later, Atzpodien said. "If we don't follow their (U.S.) example, we will eventually come under pressure (to do so)," he told Reuters in an interview this week. Berlin's awareness of the situation has increased but the domestic defence industry is still waiting for concrete steps to be taken, he said. "One could consider establishing national reserves for resources that are especially crucial," he said, alluding to existing oil and gas reserves. "One could also follow the American example and use public money to reduce dependencies (on China) in the making of defence products, paying a premium for goods that have been manufactured without Chinese raw materials." CHINA STRATEGY U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled steep tariff increases on an array of Chinese imports, and Germany is also concerned by the flood of cheaper imports from China. Berlin outlined the need to reduce strategic dependencies on Chinese goods in its first China strategy announcement last year, citing "unfair practises" and political differences. The U.S. overtook China as Germany's most important trading partner in the first quarter of this year, according to Reuters' calculations based on official data. Anxiety about alleged Chinese spying - dismissed by Beijing - has also grown, with three German nationals arrested last month on suspicion of handing over technology with military applications. Atzpodien warned that German arms producers' business would be at risk if war broke out between China and Taiwan, which China says is part of its territory. He said that such a war could trigger sanctions on Beijing that German companies would have to comply with, or China would cut exports of raw materials used by the defence industry. Under such scenarios, U.S. arms makers would have an advantage as, having reduced their dependency on China, they could offer their products "sanctions-free". The German defence industry depends heavily on Chinese raw materials such as rare earths, with Beijing mining 69% of rare earths globally and processing 86%, according to official figures. China also dominates the mining of other resources crucial for the defence industry, with a share of 74% for graphite and 78% for wolfram, according to the figures. China also accounts for more than 90% of global magnesium processing - essential for the production of aluminium - and more than 80% of germanium. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Editing by Friederike Heine and Timothy Heritage) Far right political party Chega leader Andre Ventura talks to the press after meeting with Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Belem Palace By Catarina Demony LISBON (Reuters) - A comment made by a far-right lawmaker in Portugal's parliament on Friday that opponents have criticised as racist has sparked a storm over whether or not such remarks should be considered as protected free speech. Andre Ventura, leader of the Chega party, said that Portugal should be able to build a new Lisbon airport - announced by the government this week - in less than 10 years. "Istanbul airport was built and it was operational in five years," Ventura said. "The Turks are not exactly known for being the hardest working people in the world." Lawmakers from left-wing parties said those remarks were racist and had no place in parliament, calling on parliamentary speaker Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco to condemn them. But Aguiar-Branco, from the ruling centre-right Social Democrats, said lawmakers had the right to express themselves and that he would not censor them. In response, Socialist lawmaker Alexandra Leitao asked Aguiar-Branco during a debate in parliament if he would allow politicians to say that a "certain race or ethnicity is dumber or lazier or less worthy" than others. Aguiar-Branco replied: "In my opinion, they can." "Freedom of expression is enshrined in the constitution," Aguiar-Branco said. "Judgment of the political discourse made here (in parliament)... will be done by the people at the polls." Isabel Mendes Lopes of Livre said comments made in parliament could have direct consequences on people's lives, adding: "Racism is a crime." The anti-immigration, populist Chega is the third-largest political party in Portugal, having quadrupled its parliamentary representation to 50 MPs in the March general election. Ventura was fined in 2020 for discriminatory remarks against the Roma people, and was also condemned for comments made about a Black lawmaker. At the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, he organised a demonstration to deny racism was a problem in Portugal. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia could deliver oil as well as gas to China along a planned route via Mongolia, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. Putin, wrapping up a two-day visit to China, said he and his hosts had confirmed their interest in moving forward with the proposed gas pipeline, the Power of Siberia 2. "Moreover, it's possible to lay both a gas pipeline and an oil pipeline in the same corridor," Putin said, appearing to revive an idea that was discussed as far back as 2018. However, he said there were also other options for supplying Russian energy to China including by tanker along the Northern Sea Route via the Arctic. "All options are possible, they are all acceptable and economically feasible. It's necessary to choose the best one. I am sure this work will also be completed," he told a televised news conference. Despite Putin's upbeat comments, and after years of discussion about the proposed Power of Siberia 2, Russia and China have yet to reach agreement to go ahead and build it. Putin's energy point man Alexander Novak said in a television interview they expected to sign a contract soon. The project has taken on added urgency for Russia as it bids to ramp up gas shipments to China to make up for the collapse of its exports to Europe because of the war in Ukraine. Putin said it was a complex process including questions of pricing, but that China's growing economy needed energy and there was no more reliable supplier than Russia. The project would also be immune to Western sanctions, he said. "Nobody can get in the way of this, neither sanctions on tanker fleets or even sanctions on financial institutions. We will buy and sell everything in our national currencies. So the interest from both sides is confirmed." The pipeline would carry 50 billion cubic metres of gas per year from the Yamal region in northern Russia - almost as much as the now idle Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea that was damaged by explosions in 2022. Russia currently sends gas to China through the Power of Siberia 1 pipeline, which began operating in 2019 and runs through eastern Siberia into northeast China. Experts say that as China is not expected to need additional gas supply until after 2030, Beijing could drive a hard bargain on price for a second pipeline via Siberia. Moscow has not said how much the 2,600 km (1,600 miles) Power of Siberia 2 would cost or how it would be financed. Some analysts have put the cost at up to $13.6 billion. (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Mark Potter) By Ben Blanchard and Fabian Hamacher TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwanese lawmakers shoved, tackled and hit each other in parliament on Friday in a bitter dispute about reforms to the chamber, just days before President-elect Lai Ching-te takes office without a legislative majority. Even before votes started to be cast, some lawmakers screamed at and shoved each other outside the legislative chamber, before the action moved onto the floor of parliament itself. In chaotic scenes, lawmakers surged around the speaker's seat, some leaping over tables and pulling colleagues to the floor. Though calm soon returned, there were more scuffles in the afternoon. Lai, who is to be inaugurated on Monday, won January's election, but his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in parliament. The main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), has more seats than the DPP but not enough to form a majority on its own, so it has been working with small Taiwan People's Party (TPP) to promote their mutual ideas. The opposition wants to give parliament greater scrutiny powers over the government, including a controversial proposal to criminalise officials who are deemed to make false statements in parliament. The DPP says the KMT and TPP are improperly trying to force through the proposals without the customary consultation process in what the DPP calls "an unconstitutional abuse of power". "Why are we opposed? We want to be able to have discussions, not for there to be only one voice in the country," DPP lawmaker Wang Mei-hui, representing the southern city of Chiayi, told Reuters. Lawmakers from all three parties were involved in the altercations, and traded accusations about who was to blame. The KMT's Jessica Chen, from the Taiwan-administered Kinmen islands that sit next to the Chinese coast, said the reforms were to enable better legislative oversight of the executive branch. "The DPP does not want this to be passed as they have always been used to monopolising power," she told Reuters, wearing a military-style helmet. Taiwan is a rambunctious democracy and fighting does on occasion take place in parliament. In 2020, KMT lawmakers threw pig guts onto the chamber's floor in a dispute over easing U.S. pork imports. The clashes raise the prospect of more turmoil - and parliamentary conflict - ahead for Lai's new government after it takes office. "I am worried," said the DPP's Wang. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Fabian Hamacher; Editing by Tom Hogue) HA NOI Following a difficult 2023 with slow economic recovery and tightened regulations on alcohol restrictions during traffic, brewers business activities have improved in the first quarter of the year. Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco) reported a net revenue of nearly VN7.2 trillion (US$282.2 million), marking a 16 per cent growth from the previous year. The gain can be attributed to higher consumption and price increases last year. The company achieved a profit of over VN1 trillion, a modest 2 per cent increase from the same period. Similarly, Sai Gon - Mien Trung Beer JSC recorded a net revenue of over VN327 billion, a significant increase of 29 per cent year-on-year. The growth was driven by an increase of over 7 million litres in consumption. After subtracting costs of good sold and expenses, the company's profit before tax amounted to nearly VN30 billion, an impressive 49 per cent increase. Hanoi Liquor and Beverage JSC (Halico), the owner of Hanoi Vodka, said that its profit after tax reached VN465 million. This marked the brewers first profitable year after eight consecutive years of losses. In 2024, Sabeco's leadership aims to prioritise brand building and market development. The company will focus on strategies for brand, product and distribution, aligning with consumer trends. It will also enhance the distribution system, improve product quality through research and development and strengthen the supply chain. Additionally, Sabeco plans to expand into modern trade and online sales channels, while emphasising take-out and on-premise consumption. Other beer producers are also aggressively targeting the retail consumption channel to boost business efficiency. They are establishing direct distribution to stores and agents, providing greater benefits to traditional distributors. In collaboration with retailers, most beer companies are launching captivating promotional programmes in supermarkets and retail outlets. Meanwhile, Heineken Vietnam is intensifying its marketing efforts for non-alcoholic beer, leveraging the participation of celebrities, driver communities and automotive enthusiasts. The brand is also expanding its "0-degree stations" concept in select highway rest stops and high-traffic areas to widen the reach of this product line. According to the Vietnam Beer - Alcohol - Beverage Association (VBA), beverage companies are currently operating at less than 80 per cent of their pre-pandemic capacity. In light of this, the VBA recommends extending the deadline for increasing special consumption taxes and maintaining a stable tax policy for the beverage industry, particularly for beer and alcohol companies. There is also a need for supportive policies to help businesses overcome immediate challenges, recover and foster production growth, the VBA added. VNS HA NOI There remains room for Vietnamese and Chinese firms to better foster cooperation in the electric and energy sectors, a Chinese official said. Many Chinese electric enterprises have entered the Vietnamese market, specialising in buying and selling electricity or providing electrical equipment, Pan Yue Long from the China Electricity Council said. During the opening ceremony of the International Exhibition on Electric and Industry in Viet Nam (ENE Vietnam 2024) on Thursday, Long said that to facilitate bilateral cooperation between the two countries, Viet Nam and China need to unite to set green energy standards, improve green investment and financial market mechanisms and together develop a healthy business and investment climate. In the future, cooperation between China and Viet Nam in the fields of electricity and energy production will move in a new direction with the efficient use of green energy. Scientific and technological innovation will play a core role in these new areas of cooperation, Long said, adding that China's electric enterprises are willing to share scientific and technological innovation results and practical experiences with Viet Nam. According to Long, Chinese enterprises that are participating in the three-day exhibition are displaying advanced technologies and products in the two sectors. "We look forward to interacting with Vietnamese and international partners at the exhibition, learning from each other's strengths, and promoting deeper cooperation," he said. Vice President of the Vietnam Electrical Engineering Association Mai Quoc Hoi described the event as a good chance for Vietnamese enterprises to share their experience, advertise their products and expand their market share, in addition to fostering technology transfers and grasping new investment opportunities. ENE Vietnam 2024, which is taking place at the Hanoi International Exhibition Centre, has attracted 150 international and domestic exhibitors including those involved in power generation; the transmission and distribution industry; electrical wires and cables and energy-saving solutions. A seminar on cooperation in electric development between ASEAN nations and China and a business matching event will held alongside ENE Vietnam 2024. The event has been organised by the Vietnam Electrical Engineering Association, the Vietnam Advertisement and Fair Exhibition Joint Stock Company, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Electric Power Industry Office and the China Electricity Council. It is expected to welcome over 8,000 visitors. VNS HCM CITY Meeting market standards and regulations, encompassing certification requirements and mandates for clean, safe, and environmentally responsible products have emerged as crucial factors for success in penetrating international markets, particularly the US, a two-day conference, titled "Penetrating Global Market with a focus on the US Market," heard in HCM City. As an intitiative of the Improve Private Sector Competitiveness project, the conference sought to provide businesses with insights to exploit market prospects for Vietnamese agricultural products and foodstuffs in the US, emphasising the requisite certifications and standards for export ventures. Industry experts stressed that market entry remains a formidable hurdle not only for small and medium-sized enterprises but also for larger corporations. Vietnamese enterprises consistently aspire to access established markets like the US and EU, but face an array of challenges beyond supply capacity and competitive pricing, they said. Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, deputy head of the small and medium-sized department at the Enterprise Development Agency, said the US market is huge for Vietnamese companies especially with its consumption habits changing after COVID-19 pandemic. Vietnamese exporters need a good understanding about regulations and requirements in export markets, she said. Companies must have a good consultant to understand more about overseas markets to access them, and they need to be proactive in seeking information and establishing a roadmap, she added. The speakers at the conference spoke about how Viet Nam's agricultural sector, in the era of international economic integration, has seamlessly integrated into the global agricultural value chain, propelling the nation into the group of top 15 agricultural exporters globally and second in Southeast Asia. Despite the prominence of Vietnamese seafood, agricultural products, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, and beverages in exports, trade barriers do persist. A notable gap exists among Vietnamese businesses in the understanding of food and pharmaceutical safety regulations, and import protocols in discerning markets such as the US. Insights from leading e-commerce platforms like Amazon, market consultants, and successful exporters were exchanged at the conference, shedding light on effective export pathways. Experts from the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service provided perspectives on how businesses could navigate practical requirements, fortifying their business plans and export strategies. The Enterprise Development Agency has undertaken various support initiatives under the aegis of the Improve Private Sector Competitiveness project in Viet Nam. The project is funded by US Agency for International Developments (USAID) and is managed by the Enterprise Development Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment Its training modules on market expansion, consulting services, digital transformation, financial accessibility, and more have been well received by businesses, catalysing notable interest and participation in these capacity-building programmes. VNS HA NOI With a decrease of 14 per cent in export value in the first four months of this year, Vietnamese phones and components have lost their position as the number one export group to the Chinese market. According to the latest preliminary statistics from the General Department of Customs, Viet Nam's exports to the Chinese market reached US$17.7 billion by the end of last month, an increase of 10.9 per cent over the same period last year. The figures confirmed that China continues to be Viet Nam's second largest export market, following from the US. There are five groups of export products to China, which account for a turnover of over $1 billion by the end of April, three more than the same period last year. These three product groups are cameras, camcorders and components with an export turnover reaching $1.88 billion, up 102.8 per cent year-on-year; fruits and vegetables reaching $1.16 billion, up 44.6 per cent; machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts reaching more than $1 billion, up 7 per cent. The remaining two billion-dollar groups are computers, electronic products and components, accounting for $3.98 billion, up 23.5 per cent; and phones and components at $3.47 billion, down 14 per cent. The last export group, phones and components, are the only one to post a decline in turnover compared to the same period last year. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam is undergoing significant change as it shifts from a traditional telecommunications infrastructure to a robust digital infrastructure. This includes the transition from conventional communications infrastructure to advanced digital economy infrastructure and from conventional information technology to cutting-edge digital technology. In an official dispatch addressed to various units to mark World Telecommunications Day on May 17, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications (MIC) Phan Tam highlighted the theme for the 2024 celebration as 'digital creativity for sustainable development.' The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) urged member countries to undertake initiatives that promote technological innovation, offering applications, connectivity and digital transformation. Telecoms technology, as well as ICT, could play a crucial role in addressing pressing global challenges such as climate change, hunger eradication and bridging the digital divide. These advancements contribute to the attainment of the sustainable development goals established by the United Nations and its member countries by 2030. Tam called upon agencies to raise awareness among individuals and businesses about the pivotal role of ICT and digital technology in the industry's development strategy. According to Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications, in 2024, significant transitions are anticipated from IT applications to digital technology; automation to artificial intelligence; processing finite information to leveraging infinite digital data to generate new value; individual software to digital platforms; processing and assembly in manufacturing Make in Vietnam products. These trends serve as both a direction and a driving force for network operators. From a global standpoint, revenue generated by digital applications accounts for more than 50 per cent of total telecoms revenue and contributes to an annual network growth rate of approximately 10 per cent. While new investments in 5G technology directly create 10 per cent growth, it is important to recognise that this growth extends beyond 5G alone; it encompasses the entire 5G ecosystem. Encouraging network operators to venture into various industries to create digital applications, drive digital transformation and foster the development of the digital economy is also a vital aspect of the country's industrialisation and modernisation process. Embracing digital transformation and implementing digital applications within these industries serve as effective means to enhance labour productivity. To realise this goal, the Ministry of Information and Communications has awarded licences to establish networks and provide terrestrial mobile information services using 5G technology to telecommunications carriers. The director of the ministrys Department of Telecommunications, Nguyen Thanh Phuc, said: With the successful auction of the right to use the radio frequency mentioned above, the MIC has officially licensed to establish a network and provide terrestrial mobile communication service using 5G technology from April 11, 2024. Businesses will quickly deploy 5G nationwide in 2024, forming a new infrastructure to promote the development of digital economy - digital society - digital government in Viet Nam. The ministry also announced that Viet Nam would deploy 6G technology, positioning the country among the first ten nations worldwide to establish a dedicated 6G Steering Committee. Viet Nam aims to stay at the forefront of 6G technology developments, aligning itself with global leaders in this field. While the 6G network is still at the research and development stage, it is expected to be officially unveiled by 2028 or 2030 at the latest. Experts believe that 5G networks have already demonstrated their potential to be used in areas such as autonomous vehicles, drones and smart cities. These technologies are expected to advance further with the integration of 6G capabilities. While the 5G network focuses on building a user-centric information ecosystem, the focus of the 6G network will be on unlocking the potential of future technologies. Viettel has already initiated research into the manufacture of 6G equipment while actively participating in 6G patent activities. In contrast, VNPT will concentrate on researching the 6G ecosystem. MobiFone representatives have also confirmed their involvement in 6G research groups. According to Pham uc Long, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, there are five global manufacturers of 5G equipment currently and several major world powers have initiated research into 6G technology. Viet Nam has set a clear goal of actively participating alongside the global community in the development of 6G, including with research, joint production and simultaneous rollout. Long said: "Viet Nam is committed to global 6G standards. The MIC in collaboration with businesses, is actively engaged in research and driving the advancement of this technology. The government will invest in laboratories to support businesses in their research and production of 6G equipment. Opportunities exist for all nations, but success will be attained by those who seize them. By laying the foundation today, we aim for success in the next decade. Without taking action now, we risk having nothing in ten years' time. Researching and producing 6G equipment will pave the way for a new industry in our country." VNS Demonstrators walk past the Tesla factory in Gruenheide, Germany at the end of a May 11 protest. A local council in Germany approved a plan by the Texas-based automaker to expand the grounds of its first plant in Europe, which has drawn persistent protests this year. Patrick Pleul/AP Activists occupy an area in the forest in Gruenheide, Germany on March 1. A local council in Germany approved a plan by electric carmaker Tesla to expand the grounds of its first plant in Europe, which has drawn persistent protests this year. Cevin Dettlaff/AP BERLIN A local council in Germany approved a plan by EV maker Tesla Inc. to expand the grounds of its first plant in Europe, a proposal that has drawn persistent protests this year. Councilors in the Gruenheide municipality just outside Berlin voted 11-6 Thursday evening with two abstentions in favor of the plan, German news agency dpa reported. The proposal was scaled down to require the felling of fewer trees than originally intended. Austin-based Tesla wants to add a freight depot and logistical space to its factory, which opened in 2022. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In a nonbinding vote in mid-February, residents of Gruenheide rejected Teslas original proposal, which would have meant clearing more than 247 acres of trees. Activists have been protesting in a forest near the plant since February over concerns about water and deforestation. Hours before the council meeting, a court ruled that police cant clear away tree houses that activists have built in the area for now. Stop Tesla, a group backing the protest, said Friday that it was disappointed by the councils decision and vowed to keep on demonstrating. We must stay to protect the water and the forest as long as our protection is needed, it said in a statement. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The state government in Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin, welcomed the councilors' decision. The regional economy minister, Jorg Steinbach, described it as a strong signal for the future development of Gruenheide and Tesla. In March, a suspected arson attack on an electricity pylon, claimed by a far-left group, knocked out power supplies to the factory for nearly a week and interrupted production. HA NOI Gold businesses must implement electronic invoices connected to the tax authorities before June 15, or else their licences will be withdrawn, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. At a meeting on monetary and fiscal policies held on Thursday, the PM urged government ministries to carry out measures aimed at narrowing the gap between domestic and international gold prices. The solutions outlined by the Government include intensifying inspections, increasing monitoring and taking strict actions against any violations. The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) is required to continue reviewing Government Decree No. 24/2012 on gold business management. Regarding electronic invoices in gold transactions, the PM has set a strict deadline of June 15 for businesses to comply. Failure to implement electronic invoices connected to the tax authorities will result in their business licences being revoked. The Government has repeatedly emphasised the requirement for such invoices, with the prevalent issue of small-scale transactions involving precious metals lacking proper invoices, documentation and transparency. According to the Tax Administration Law, businesses and household businesses were obligated to implement electronic invoices from July 1, 2022. Information from the representative of the General Department of Taxation reveals that currently all businesses engaged in gold and silver trading have adopted these electronic invoices. However in reality many jewellers do not issue invoices and customers are paying in cash. In addition several gold businesses opt for lump sum payments, a situation that leads to significant tax revenue losses. Gold monopoly elimination At the economic and social press conference in HCM City on Thursday afternoon, Le Thuy Hang, the CEO of Saigon Jewellery, Silver and Gemstone Company (SJC), said that Decree No. 24/2022 had been very effective. But while acknowledging the positive role it had played thus far, she suggested that the gold monopoly provision could be removed from the decree, as it did not bring any advantages to SJC or any individuals or groups. Hang added that since the Government introduced Decree 24 in 2012 to regulate the gold business, SJC had not been involved in the production or importation of raw gold. Hang emphasised that SJC was committed to selling a certain amount of gold to each individual to maintain market supply, even if other gold businesses might choose not to sell. She stressed that it was never the case that a customer comes to the store and cant perform transactions. "Our company is exclusively focused on the trade of gold, silver and gemstones, with our activities limited to processing scrap gold. The management of all gold bar-related operations is under the jurisdiction of the SBV, Hang said. The CEO added that SJC's inability to import raw materials and produce SJC gold bars resulted in demand exceeding supply. She suggested the elimination of the monopoly on gold bars to align with the current situation and facilitate gold trading businesses producing their own gold bars, this would mean supply sources could diversify. In that scenario, consumers would be able to make their purchasing choices based on the reputation and brand of the businesses. SJC won the previous four successful gold bar auctions. In the auctions held on April 23, May 8 and May 14, it won a total of 6,000 taels, which accounted for over 40 per cent of the overall volume. On the domestic market, SJC gold prices are quoted at VN87.5 million per tael for sellers and VN90 million for buyers. On May 10, prices hit an all-time high of over VN92 million per tael. At the current prices, the domestic gold price is VN16-17 million higher than the international price. VNS HCM CITY US company Marvell Technology, Inc., which offers infrastructure semiconductor solutions, has announced the opening of a new design centre in a Nang City. It also plans to launch a design centre and high-tech laboratory in HCM City. The two facilities will focus on high-speed data centre, optical connectivity, storage and analogue and mixed-signal semiconductor technologies. These are critical to building infrastructure to meet the growing performance and power requirements of an artificial intelligence and cloud data centre. Matt Murphy, chairman and CEO of Marvell, said: We are excited with the momentum weve gained since we announced our design centre plans last year, including our progress in adding top engineering talent to our team and expanding our number of sites. Viet Nam is rapidly becoming the centre of semiconductor innovation and we are committed to being part of that. Marvell committed to a 50% growth in workforce in Viet Nam in the next three years at the US Viet Nam Innovation and Investment Summit held last year during US President Joe Bidens two-day visit to Ha Noi. The payroll increased by 33 per cent between December 2023 and May 2024. Its Vietnamese team contributed to designing and creating Marvells Nova 2, the industry's first 1.6 terabits per second optical digital signal processor. Loi Nguyen, executive vice president of cloud optics at Marvell, said at a press conference on Wednesday: The company is committed to attracting the best and brightest engineering talent to its semiconductor design centre, and to contributing to the growth of the countrys semiconductor community. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam wants to deepen the traditional reliable relations and strategic partnership with France, particularly the French Development Agency (AFD), said Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha while receiving AFD Deputy Director General Marie-Helene Loison in Ha Noi. During the reception, Ha appreciated the results of AFD's activities in Viet Nam as well as changes in its organisational apparatus for wider and more effective access to new development fields. Ha said that besides institutionalising mechanisms and policies on green transition and just energy transition, Viet Nam needs advice on techniques, institutional improvement, technology selection, governance models, and financial resources in the fields of energy, transportation, agriculture, and urban areas. Such advice will help Viet Nam to determine actual needs, and plans for effective use of domestic resources, loans, and sponsorship sources, Ha said. He noted that AFD's studies on green transition, climate change response, and energy transition will provide "solution packages" for investment, science and technology, and technical infrastructure development in Viet Nam. Regarding green transition and just energy transition, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the Government of Viet Nam is discussing with partners to soon pilot several offshore wind power projects, adding the country also promotes the participation of the private sector in renewable electricity production. "AFD's research results can also support French businesses to find investment and business cooperation projects in Viet Nam," Ha said. For her part, Marie-Helene Loison affirmed that AFD and its partners are always ready to provide technical advice and support for Viet Nam to improve the legal framework, find financial sources to implement important socio-economic development programmes and projects in Viet Nam, especially in the fields of energy transition, climate change response, and green transition. Since 2019, AFD has coordinated with the Vietnamese side to implement a project to research the socio-economic impacts of climate change in Viet Nam and the climate change adaptation strategy. The two sides have launched Phase 2 of the project with priority given to assessing the socio-economic impacts of the energy transition process in Viet Nam. - VNS Le inh Thang, chief finance auditor of the State Audit of Vietnam, speaks to au Tu (Investment) newspaper about effective management, exploitation and utilisation of natural resources and minerals. Could you elaborate on the reason why the mining sector's annual GDP contribution has declined and why its growth rate has been below target for a number of years? Geological and mineral resources are both important for socio-economic development and long-term national reserves. The Politburo issued Resolution 02-NQ/TW (dated April 25, 2011) on the strategic orientation of the minerals and mining industry towards 2020 and a vision to 2030. It requires State management of natural resources and minerals to be planned, investigated and focused. For socioeconomic development, natural resources and minerals must be used responsibly, economically and efficiently. The mining sector's current contribution trend to the GDP is downward. Its share of the GDP decreased over time, from 9.73 per cent in 2005 to 7.79 per cent in 2011 and just 4.25 per cent in 2015. The contribution declined from 2.93 per cent in 2022 to only 2.48 per cent in 2023. The mining industry's contribution to GDP decreased in the first quarter of this year, with a negative growth of 5.84 per cent when compared to the same period in 2023. That's encouraging since it indicates that the economy has progressively become less reliant on natural resources. The services and construction also contributed to the diminishing contribution. Do you find the negative growth in the mining industry to be regrettable? I agree with this. Viet Nam, a nation endowed with abundant and diverse natural resources, has seen a negative rise in the mining industry. This explains why the GDP growth in 201115 and 201620 did not reach the expected level. Due to a shortage of raw materials, the mining industry's negative growth has a significant impact on a number of other businesses, most notably construction, public investment in socioeconomic infrastructure and civil construction. Due to the high cost of building materials, public investment has not kept pace with demand and the cost of flats and social housing has remained high. I believe that in order to support economic growth during this time and in the years to come, attention must be directed into strengthening the mining industry. Recognising the special role of natural resources in the national development, which resolution has been issued by the Party? Resolution 10-NQ/TW on strategic orientations for geology, minerals, and the mining sector to 2030, with a vision to 2045, was released by the Politburo on February 10, 2022. The resolution makes it very clear that the management of planning, exploration, exploitation, processing and use of minerals must have a strategic vision, meeting the requirements of socio-economic development in the immediate, medium and long terms. In order to explore and utilise minerals as common building materials in line with reality, regulations pertaining to the auctioning of mineral mining rights must be reviewed, amended, supplemented and completed. We must strictly inspect and control mineral exploitation activities, ensure fairness, publicity, transparency, combat negativity and waste of resources and increase revenue for the budget. Priority should also be given to obtaining licences for the common use of minerals as building materials while building infrastructure. To develop the mining industry, it is necessary to adjust the natural resources tax rate for some minerals to encourage investment in advanced and modern technology to exploit and process mineral mines with challenging geological conditions, low content, and inadequate technical infrastructure Furthermore, regulations must be strengthened to incentivise companies to collaborate with overseas enterprises and employ cutting-edge, contemporary technology for mineral processing. It is well known that the State Audit has frequently carried out specialised audits in the fields of minerals and natural resources. Could you share the outcome? Since 2013, audits have consistently regarded mineral management and exploitation as a primary concern. The State Audit has carried out three theme audits. We carried out a theme audit on the State management of mineral extraction activities in 2022 at Vietnam Cement Corporation, Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industry Group, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and 25 localities. It demonstrated the numerous constraints still present in the contemporary management and use of natural resources and minerals. Minerals and natural resources are in danger of running out due to resource use, which is nevertheless wasteful. Many areas use natural resources and minerals for economic growth; as a result, they mine minerals carelessly and indiscriminately, harming the environment and upsetting ecological equilibrium. This is notably the case for firms that mine coal, metal ore and building materials. We have presented a proposal to the National Assembly, Government, ministries and local authorities, maintaining that advancing the mining sector aims at economic expansion. However, as mineral resources are limited, they should only be used when the necessary technology is available. After being exploited, they must be processed, refined, and used as locally as possible to prevent waste, and reduce the amount of crude exported. VNS By Bui Van Nghi On the evening of May 7, 2024, in the compound event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the ien Bien Phu victory, and the 35th year of the Viet Nam - Brazil diplomatic relationship, the Vietnamese Embassy in our capital Brasilia was honoured to pay homage to Ho Chi Minh - an excellent Vietnamese person. When he was alive and after death, the Vietnamese people respectfully call him Uncle Ho, a term passed down through many generations. Ho Chi Minh lives in our cause forever! is a time-honoured phrase. The vitality of Ho Chi Minh passes through space and time. Though Ho Chi Minh was the president of Viet Nam, his prestige and influence are unlimited. He is the most renowned revolutionist in Asia, and known for many things: travelling abroad for nearly 30 years, fluency in many languages, and having many jobs. No other leaders in Asia could boast of being a journalist, poet, military leader, diplomat, hero of national liberation, and world cultural celebrity at the same time. If there is one word that sums up Ho Chi Minh's legacy, it is vitality. This vitality means that every preschool student in 2024 knows the great man as Uncle Ho. This vitality means that primary school pupils still try to perform Five things Uncle Ho taught children, and to become Uncle Hos obedient children. This vitality is the name of Ho Chi Minhs Pioneers and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. This vitality is a symbol of the 80-year-old Vietnam Peoples Army, with the forces still called Uncle Hos soldiers." This vitality is seen in the Ho Chi Minh medal, Ho Chi Minh prize for art and literature, and Ho Chi Minh prize for science and technology. This vitality is the campaign Follow the moral mirror of Ho Chi Minh in living and learning and the slogan Follow the example of grandiose Ho Chi Minh in living, learning and working. This vitality is the inspiration, and motivation for Vietnamese people and the disadvantaged worldwide to overcome challenges and storms. The vitality of Ho Chi Minh is the strength of international solidarity and the beauty of humanism. The strong belief in Ho Chi Minh, the Ho Chi Minh generation, and Ho Chi Minhs thought, gives the Vietnamese comfort, inner fire and strength. Uncle Hos mausoleum in Ba inh square is a destination for all Vietnamese people and foreign visitors when they come to Ha Noi. Vietnamese leaders, and Vietnamese organisations see the mausoleum as the sacred place to report on their achievements after signifcant events. The mausoleum looks upon Ba inh Hall (The Congress House later), near Thang Long royal citadel - the sacred land of the capital of a thousand years of civilisation. The shrines to worship Uncle Ho are everywhere in my country and across the world. The altars for Uncle Ho are put in the most solemn places in people's houses, offices, companies, and embassies. In any place where Vietnamese live, there are pictures, statues, and the worship of Uncle Ho. Ho Chi Minh is a great man who is respected nearly absolutely. He is even reckoned to be a saint by some. Vietnamese people are proud that they are children of the dragon, grandchildren of immortal sages, children of Lac and the grandchildren of Hong. The people naturally call one another fellow-citizens, and the children of Uncle Ho. Ho Chi Minh is the father of Viet Nam polity today. He enhances the position of Viet Nam, making the country luxuriate in the light of its own peace and culture. The culture of Ho Chi Minh is the culture for the future. VNS *Vietnamese ambassador to Brazil (also covering Peru, Guyana, Bolivia, and Suriname) MOSCOW Nhan Dan (People) newspaper has set up a stall exhibiting a wide range of books at the ongoing 19th Saint Petersburg International Book Fair in Russia. On display at the Vietnamese stall are books on President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, the ien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954) and the Vietnamese culture and people, along with works by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. This years fair features 250 stalls, representing the 225th birth anniversary of Aleksander Pushkin the Sun of World Poetry, and celebrating the Year of the Family in Russia. Saint Petersburg Mayor Alexander Beglov emphasised the role of books, affirming that the fair is a rendezvous for book-lovers. Vyacheslav Kalganov, Deputy Chairman of the External Relations Committee of Saint Petersburg, expressed his delight about Vietnams participation, as well as his impression of the country's socio-economic development. Nguyen Quoc Hung, director of the Russian-Vietnamese Cooperation Development Fund, said the translation of General Secretary Trong's books into Russian helps Russians understand more about Vietnam's guidelines and policies, while contributing to strengthening the strong friendship between the two countries. The event will run until May 19. VNA/VNS HA NOI Viet Nam Fine Arts Museum (VNFAM) has opened an exhibition displaying President Ho Chi Minh paintings by overseas Vietnamese artist ao Trong Ly. The exhibition entitled The Sentiment of An Overseas Vietnamese Artist towards Uncle Ho is held by VNFAM in collaboration with the Vietnamese Association in Nakhon Phanom Province in Thailand. It celebrates the 134th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minhs birthday which falls on May 19. Some fifty paintings illustrate Uncle Hos revolutionary career, from the early days as he left to find a path to save the country, through every step and milestone of his special history. "We see from these artworks the image of an outstanding leader with his simple life, compassionate love and care for people from all walks of life," said Nguyen Anh Minh, the VNFAM's director at the opening ceremony. All the paintings were drawn by Ly, a collection started in 2018, when he started managing the Memorial Site of President Ho Chi Minh in Nakhon Phanom Province. With his heartfelt love and profound gratitude towards Uncle Ho and based on the photos and documents he found, Ly created the artworks hoping to provide Vietnamese people in Thailand, as well as Thai people themselves, with a better understanding of President Ho Chi Minhs life and career. During his revolutionary career, President Ho Chi Minh used to live in Thailand and was active there between July 1928 until November 1929, devoting himself to teaching Vietnamese expats of his patriotism and revolutionary ideals. I hope that the exhibition visitors will have a good impression of Uncle Ho. It is a chance for me to express my respect to him, " Ly said. Ly was born in 1951 in Nakhon Phanom. He used to be chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Nakhon Phanom Province and is currently one of the heads of the Vietnamese Association's Consultation Section in Thailand. Ly will present all the paintings to the museum after the exhibition. The exhibition opens daily at 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. VNS Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked relevant agencies to urgently research and establish a national registration system for carbon credits to enable Viet Nams carbon market development project. Voice of Vietnam (VOV) asked associate Professor Nguyen Thuong Lang about the issue. In a recent decree, the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of developing a carbon credit market in Viet Nam. What is your assessment of this? In order to establish financial sources to enable the net zero goal and take advantage of Viet Nam's advantages in this field, I believe that creating the carbon credit market is a crucial step. The instruction was released at an appropriate time although, in my opinion, it could have been issued sooner, as several other nations have already taken the same course. Certain evaluations indicate that the carbon credit market in Viet Nam is expanding. We will lose out on opportunities if we don't keep up with the pace of this market and the cost of making up for lost time will be higher. By expanding the market, we can connect the Vietnamese market with other nations, mobilise resources more efficiently and use market mechanismsrather than Government decreesto drive the process of reaching the net zero goal. We will be able to use the market to regulate instead of relying on Government intervention. The provision of carbon credits is a goal shared by many investors in industrial zones, as well as those in renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. How would you evaluate the chances of Viet Nam in establishing a market for carbon credits? Everyone has realised that this market has the potential to be successful. Organisations that possess the ability to offer these carbon credits ought to seize the chance to pursue financial gains, particularly marginal gains that are anticipated to rise. Industrial parks, industrial clusters, and local areas have lots of potential (for example, forest potential), and we can then more strongly activate the credit market. By converting resources into capital, we can change the energy structure while also generating conditions for resource regeneration. We can implement sustainable development goals on the basis of local and available resources, with minimal support from the State, especially from the budget. What is our countrys biggest difficulty when we build and participate in this market? In my opinion, the main challenge is a lack of understanding of the carbon credit market and its profitability. In addition to increasing awareness, we need to improve communication, information sharing, analysis , and impact assessments. In order for everyone to actively engage in this, we need to enhance the procedures and guidelines to guarantee that the corridor is comprehensive and unambiguous. We should learn from international experiences and participate in the international carbon credit market. In particular, I believe that in order to stay up to date with the development trends in this loan market, we need to be proactive in receiving technical support from international organisations like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Foreign nations can also help alongside our domestic organisations. Which nations and markets do you think we should learn from? I believe that the market for carbon credits has existed for a considerable amount of time in developed nations, particularly in Northern Europe and in other European nations like Germany, Finland and Sweden. Regarding Asia, I believe that one nation that has bravely engaged in the creation of carbon credits is South Korea while Japan has a model we could also follow. China is focused on swiftly developing the market because it has also taken proactive measures. We should be selective in learning from other countries' experiences, picking the ones we can best apply to ours. Which path should Viet Nam take first in order to quickly enter the carbon credit market? Although we now have a directive, I believe that we also need a legal instrument to issue a legal corridor in a timely, clear, consistent , and targeted manner. To encourage and urge everyone to participate in this, we need to have a process in place, along with written instructions that are in-depth. There will be a steep price to pay if we slow down the progress. VNS HA NOI A total of 52 saving books, worth over VN 412 billion (US$16.1 million) in the name of the mother of Phan Quoc Viet, CEO of Viet A Technology Corporation will remain confiscated, an appeals court ruled yesterday. The trial council of Ha Noi High Peoples Court made the ruling on Thursday morning when it ran the three-day appellate trial of the high-profile Viet A COVID-19 test kit scandal, after the mother of Viet asked the court to lift the confiscation order claiming the money was hers. The trial council said that the first-instance court determined that the money Viet obtained and transferred to his mother originated from illegal profits through the sale of COVID-19 test kits, so the council trial of the appellate court would continue the confiscation to ensure enforcement of the judgement. Previously, am Thi Trinh, Viets mother, said between 2008 and 2018, she lent Viet money for business activities, totalling approximately over VN400 billion ($15.6 million). According to her, the source of the money came from her business activities, accumulated over many years, and she also borrowed from her friends. She also added that she inherited 1,000 taels of gold from her parents. In October 2021, Viet transferred a total of VN450 billion ($17.5 million) to his mother. His mother used part of it to repay debts to her friends, while the remainder was deposited in banks as 52 savings books, worth a total of VN412 billion. Regarding the source of this money, Viet claimed it came from various sources of income, primarily from the sale of the COVID-19 test kits. Then, the trial council raised the question that why the loans were taken out in 2008 but only repaid in 2021. Viet explained that previously he got no money to repay to his mother because "the money was all tied up in projects." By 2021, with income from selling the COVID-19 test kits, Viet finally had money to repay. Additionally, the money also came from trading medical equipment and other products of the company. The trial council continued asking whether there was a contract with official confirmation from authorities when he borrowed the money from his mother or not. She said that because of their relationship, "they did not anticipate something like today happening, so they did not make a notarised contract." The trial council said if Viet borrowed the money from his mother, it would be a different civil relationship, but the essence of the money he obtained was from illegal profits, so it had to be revoked. However, she continued to claim that she did not know whether the money was illegal or not, she only knew she lent her son money and then she received the money when he repaid to her. She claimed no involvement in her son's criminal activities, so she requested the cancellation of the seizure of 52 savings books. In the meantime, Viets wife, Ho Thi Thanh Thuy also submitted the court to cancel the seizure of two saving books, worth VN20 billion ($780,000), in the name of their common children. Also at the court, former Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long admitted to accepting bribes of US$2.25 million as stated in the first-instance verdict, without further defence. The amount of $2.25 million was fully returned during the first-instance trial. Additionally, his family also paid an additional VN1 billion ($39,000) to address the consequences of the case. Defendant Tran Thanh Phong, former Deputy Director of the Finance and Accounting Office, of Binh Duong Provinces Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who was the only one among the 11 defendants of the case to receive a suspended sentence but still appealed for a reduction in punishment. The presiding judge already requested clarity on the content of the appeal that he wanted to ask for waiving criminal liability or seeking exemption from punishment. Phong said that he was merely following orders from superiors and did not benefit from the case. Therefore, Phong persisted in maintaining his appeal, hoping for the appellate court to consider exempting him from criminal liability. The three-day court is schedule to wrap up on Friday. VNS BEIJING A high-ranking delegation from Ha Noi led by Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong is paying a working visit to China from May 15-24. At a meeting with Liu Wei, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Beijing and President of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee School, on May 16, Phong said that Hanoi has always paid great attention to developing friendship and cooperation with all localities of China, especially Beijing. He thanked Beijing for supporting the organisation of training courses for officials for the Hanoi Party Committee in the 2025-2030 tenure on the basis of the memorandum of understanding between the the Hanoi Party Committees Organisation Commission and the Beijing Municipal Party Committee School. Phong highly valued the relations between Viet Nam and China in general, as well as the partnership between Ha Noi and Beijing in particular, expressing his hope that the Ha Noi-Bejing relationship will become a model in the locality-to-locality cooperation between the two countries. Briefing the host on Ha Nois socio-economic situation, he said that during this visit, the delegation aims to learn Beijings experience in preserving and promoting values of heritages, developing cultural industries, and local press management. Phong proposed a number of future cooperation orientations between the two cities, including maintaining bilateral exchanges and meetings at all levels and expanding collaboration in culture. Hanoi asked for Beijings assistance to the Thang Long Ha Noi Heritage Conservation Centre in restoring ancient palaces serving the research, conservation and promotion of values of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel World Heritage, focusing on restoring Kinh Thien palace. At the same time, the two sides should strengthen partnership in personnel training, while working together to increase communications on the significance of the Viet Nam-China comprehensive strategic partnership and the Ha Noi-Beijing relations through people-to-people exchange activities, especially for youngsters, he said. Phong also underlined the need for the two cities to bolster bilateral economic and investment partnership. Ha Noi welcomes and backs Beijings enterprises to invest and expand operation in the city, especially in new areas such as digital transformation, green growth, renewable energy, circular economy, and environmental protection. He took the occasion to invite leaders of the Party Committee and administration of Beijing to visit Hanoi in October on the occasion of the 30-year partnership between the two cities and the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Liberation Day of Ha Noi. For his part, Liu said the Ha Noi delegations visit contributes to realising the common perceptions reached between leaders of the two cities and expanding the cooperation between the two sides. He held that Beijing and Ha Noi boast great potential and conditions to strengthen their friendship for common benefit. Beijing agreed to work with Hanoi to make bilateral ties deeper. Agreeing with Phongs proposals, Liu suggested that the two cities focus on strengthening collaboration through the Party channel, exchanging experience in city governance, maintaining exchanges and boosting cooperation in economy, digital transformation, training, youth exchange, and expanding partnership to new areas such as culture, communications, and tourism. The two sides concurred to continue promoting bilateral relationship, making it a model in locality-to-locality cooperation between Viet Nam and China. Following the meeting, the Hanoi delegation and Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai attended the closing of a training course for officials planned for the Hanoi Party Committee in the 2025-2030 tenure at the Beijing Municipal Party Committee School. Later the same day, they attended an art programme and a photo exhibition to mark the 30th anniversary of the Ha Noi-Beijing friendship. As scheduled, during their stay, the delegation will visit Shaanxi province and Guangzhou city in Guangdong province. VNS Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Hensley, who has been selected for promotion to lieutenant general, will be the next commander of the 16th Air Force. Air Force photo Air Force Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy is the current commander of the 16th Air Force, a position hes held since July 2022. Air Force photo A conceptual rendering depicts a 16th Air Force campus being proposed at Port San Antonio. At far left, the existing Boeing Center at Tech Port can be seen. At center right in white is what the Port is now calling Innovation Tower, a new office building its working to develop. Port San Antonio Jim Perschbach, president and CEO of Port San Antonio, speaks during a panel discussion at Boeing Tech Port about the future of mobility at Port SA. Jessica Phelps The Air Forces cyber headquarters in San Antonio is slated to get a new commander wholl lead the agency as it prepares to take on more responsibility and potentially move to a new campus on Port San Antonio. Air Force Maj. Gen. Thomas Hensley was selected for promotion to lieutenant general and named the next commander of the 16th Air Force, the Defense Department announced Friday. Hensley is currently deputy commander of the unit at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland thats focused on information warfare. Hell assume command from Lt. Gen. Kevin Kennedy, whos led the organization thats also known as Air Forces Cyber since July 2022. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The 16th Air Force is responsible for 49,000 people across the nation at nine Air Force wings and a technical applications center. It uses information from various military capabilities including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; cyber and electromagnetic warfare; weather; public affairs; and information operations. In February, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall announced sweeping changes to the service to better position it to counter countries such as China and Russia, an effort it calls Great Power Competition. According to the plan, the 16th Air Force would be elevated to a standalone service component command and no longer fall under Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The Air Force said the changes reflect the importance of the cyber mission to the Joint Force and across the Department of the Air Force, but it has otherwise offered few details about what the plan entails and has said it could be months before such details are available. The proposed changes for the 16th Air Force are among 24 initiatives impacting units across the force as part of the services so-called reoptimization. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Amid those looming organizational changes, Port San Antonio officials are courting the Air Force and community leaders with a proposal to build a new headquarters for Air Forces Cyber on the Ports property. The idea, Port San Antonio President and CEO Jim Perschbach said, is to build a $1 billion-plus facility for Air Forces Cyber and its partner agencies using an intergovernmental support agreement. Such arrangements are commonly used for municipalities to provide support on military installations. This process would allow us to operate at more commercial construction speed and to build a facility, we think, (for) about a billion dollars less than what it would cost under typical military construction processes, Perschbach said this month. The Port, he said, could provide a schematic design of the campus south of Billy Mitchell Boulevard and Gen. Hudnell Drive in about 18 months at a cost of roughly $14 million. The entire project would cost $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In a statement last week, JBSA said its evaluating potential solutions to fix failing infrastructure. HCM CITY Many opportunities for co-operation exist between HCM City and the South Korean province of Gyeongsangbuk in areas such as investment, trade and cultural exchange. Nguyen Thi Le, Chairwoman of HCM City Peoples Council, welcomed a delegation from the Gyeongsangbuk Provincial Council from South Korea, led by its chairman Bae Han Chul, on Friday. Le expressed her joy with the strong development of Viet Nam and Koreas bi-lateral relationship, demonstrated through exchanges in many areas such as politics, economy, trade, investment, culture and education. The two countries officially elevated their relations to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in December 2022, 30 years after the official establishment of their diplomatic relations (December 22, 1992 December 22, 2022). She said that HCM City considers South Korea as one of its closest and most trustworthy partners. The country is currently the citys fourth largest investor, with nearly 2,200 projects under operation at a total investment value of US$5.5 billion. Around 80,000 Koreans and 2,000 Korean businesses are in the city, contributing to its development and fostering co-operative relations between the two countries. HCM City has established friendly and co-operative relations with eight Korean localities, including Gyeongsangbuk Province. In the past few years, the city and Gyeongsangbuk have had many effective co-operation activities, such as working trips, supporting each other during the COVID-19 pandemic, cultural exchanges and trade facilitation. Le hopes that the Gyeongsangbuk Provincial Council will encourage South Korean businesses and investors to look for co-operation activities in HCM City in key areas such as infrastructure development, innovation, bio-technology, automation, green economy and clean energy. Bae Han Chul said that South Korea and Viet Nam have a rich history of cultural exchange, and the two countrys relations are growing stronger. Gyeongsangbuk has advantages in industry, information technology, high-tech agriculture and tourism. Gyeongsangbuks strengths are areas that HCM City is paying attention to, which makes for great co-operation opportunities between the two localities. The province also has a provincial representative office in the city, and many businesses from the province are partners with Korean corporations in Viet Nam, which will facilitate investment, trade and cultural exchange activities between HCM City and Gyeongsangbuk. VNS BINH DUONG The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the Peoples Committee of the southern province of Binh Duong organised the Meet Korea 2024 programme on Friday in the lead up to the 32nd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and the Republic of Korea (RoK). The event, attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang, Korean Ambassador Choi Youngsam, leaders from southern localities and many Korean firms operating in Viet Nam, was an opportunity for the two sides to evaluate their cooperation outcomes in the past 32 years, and discuss orientations for future development. In her speech, Hang stressed that the Vietnamese Government treasures contributions made by foreign investors, including those from the RoK, to the socio-economic development of Viet Nam. She expressed her hope that the two countries will continue enhancing cooperation across the areas of hi-tech electronic device production, semiconductor, tourism and people-to-people exchange. Discussions at the event are expected to contribute to the sustainable development and prosperity of the two nations, she underlined. Over the past more than three decades, the bilateral ties have borne fruit in various domains, particularly economy. The East Asian country is now a leading economic partner of Viet Nam as it has poured a total of US$86 billion in investment into the country. Their cooperative relations have also thrived in tourism, labour and trade, among others. According to Chairman of the Binh Duong provincial Peoples Committee Vo Van Minh, investors from 65 countries and territories have registered nearly $40.6 billion in some 4,300 projects in the province, with the RoK being the 5th largest with nearly 800 projects worth $3.4 billion. The province commits to creating the best conditions for Korean firms who run business in the locality, he said, adding it prioritises investors boasting considerable experience in the advanced technology industry, semiconductors, and state-of-the-art electronic products. On this occasion, Binh Duong signed several cooperation deals with its Korean partners. VNS HA NOI Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on May 17 received newly-appointed Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki who came to present his credentials. Congratulating the ambassador on starting his tenure in Viet Nam, Xuan believed that with his experience in diplomacy and his contributions to the Vietnam-Japan ties in various previous positions, the ambassador will continue to contribute to promoting bilateral relations in the coming time. She affirmed that the State, ministries, agencies, and localities of Viet Nam will create favourable conditions for the ambassador to complete his duties. Stressing Viet Nam considers Japan a leading and long-term partner, the leader noted that in the coming time, the two sides should continue to practically and effectively implement their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was upgraded in November 2023, ensuring the interests of the two countries' people and making positive contributions to peace, stability, and development in the region and the world. The two countries will enhance political trust through contacts and exchanges of delegations at all levels; continue to coordinate and support each other at regional and international forums, and promote Mekong - Japan cooperation. Regarding economic cooperation - the main pillar of the two countries' relationship, the Acting President asked the two sides to continue to strengthen economic links and ensure economic security through investment and trade cooperation. She hoped that Japan will continue to support Viet Nam in its industrialisation and modernisation process, building an independent and self-reliant economy and implementing three strategic breakthroughs; provide new generation official development assistance (ODA) for Viet Nam in the fields of strategic infrastructure development, climate change response, and health care. Besides, the two countries will promote cooperation in new fields such as semiconductors, digital transformation, and green transition. Welcoming Xuans suggestions, the Japanese ambassador stated that Japan will support Viet Nam at the United Nations and regional and multilateral cooperation mechanisms to which Viet Nam and Japan are members. The diplomat said that the Japanese Government supports Viet Nam in realising its goal of becoming a developed, high-income country by 2045 with ODA loans as well as expanding cooperation in the fields which are strengths of both sides. He expressed his wish that Viet Nam will continue to improve the business and investment environment and create more favourable conditions for Japanese businesses to operate in the country. - VNS HA NOI Three new vaccines including a dengue fever vaccine, a vaccine against shingles and a pneumococcal 23 vaccine have been licensed by the Ministry of Health (MoH). The newly licensed vaccines are the Qdenga Vaccine to prevent dengue fever, the Shingrix Vaccine to prevent shingles and the Pneumovax 23 Vaccine to prevent 23 strains of pneumococci. Bach Thi Chinh, Medical Director of the VNVC Vaccination System, said that all three new vaccines were produced by major pharmaceutical companies in the world, including Takeda in Japan, GSK in Belgium and MSD in the US. The VNVC Vaccination System will be bringing these new vaccines to serve the Vietnamese people at a system of nearly 200 VNVC centres nationwide. Associate professor Tran ac Phu, former Director of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the MoH, said that the licensing council had considered and assessed the three vaccines safety and effectiveness before being used in Viet Nam. Phu assessed that the vaccines had been used in many countries around the world, adding that the licensing in Viet Nam was very good news. Doses The Qdenga Vaccine against dengue fever, produced by Takeda pharmaceutical company, is effective in more than 80 per cent of cases and against all four dengue virus groups. The vaccine is for children four years old and older, and it is administered in two injections three months apart. The Shingrix Vaccine to prevent shingles is produced by the GSK Pharmaceutical Company and has an efficacy rate of over 97 per cent. It is for people aged at least 50, or for those over 18 years of age and older with a high risk of shingles due to immunodeficiency. The schedule for this vaccine is two shots, from two to six months apart. The Pneumovax 23 Vaccine, produced by MSD Pharmaceutical Company, has a protective effect of more than 90 per cent. It is for children from two years old and adults with an one-shot vaccination schedule. Director Chinh said: "The use of these vaccines will help reduce the number of illnesses and deaths in both children and adults, reduce overcrowding due to hospitalisation and post-treatment care costs. Plus people will not need to travel abroad to get advanced vaccines but can benefit domestically. Risks Last year Viet Nam recorded more than 172,000 cases of dengue fever, of which 43 people died, according to the MoH. Dengue fever has four virus groups and does not create cross-immunity, so each person can suffer from the disease four times in their life. Subsequent infections will be more severe due to the influence of cross-immune complexes. If not treated promptly, patients, especially high-risk groups such as children, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and obese people, can experience fatal complications including heart failure, kidney failure, shock, multiple organ failure and brain haemorrhages. For pregnant women, dengue fever can cause fetal distress, premature birth and stillbirth. Shingles is caused by the Varicella Zoster virus, which is also the cause of chickenpox. The disease leaves many complications for people over 50 years old, especially people with many underlying diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, diseases requiring long-term use of corticosteroids, cancer, immunosuppressive drugs and HIV. In particular, after the bullous lesions caused by shingles have healed, up to one in five patients (according to numbers from the US) can still suffer from prolonged pain called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). This can reduce the ability of the person to work and impacts their general health, psychology and ability to sleep well, with treatment for the problems complex and expensive. Pneumococci are the common cause of the most dangerous invasive pneumococcal diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis, as well as non-invasive pneumococcal diseases such as otitis media, nasopharyngitis and sinusitis, with mortality rates from 10 to 20 per cent. The disease is especially dangerous for high-risk groups such as children under five years old, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems due to chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, tuberculosis, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, who can have a mortality rate of up to 50 per cent. According to 2017 estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO), globally 600,000 children under five years old died from pneumococcal diseases, accounting for 10 per cent of deaths in this age group. Pneumococci also have a very high rate of antibiotic resistance, making treatment difficult. VNS Multi-level Benefits This partnership not only ensures a seamless transition to high-quality academic opportunities for promising students but also enriches the teaching resources and methods for all involved. As a result, it contributes to sustainably enhancing the quality of the future Vietnamese workforce. Triple Benefit Partnership in Education Development Within the framework of educational development activities, the partnership between universities and high schools that share a common philosophy, vision, and stringent quality standards is always regarded as a "multi-benefit" initiative. Not only does this partnership provide a seamless transition to high-quality academic opportunities for potential students, but it also enriches the teaching resources and methods for all involved. This contributes to sustainably enhancing the quality of the future Vietnamese workforce. Elevating these collaborative relationships to a new level, many universities have been bold in offering attractive scholarship packages to high school students. This initiative broadens access to high-quality higher education for students with potential and corresponding abilities. According to educational experts, this advanced partnership will support early career orientation for students with the potential for university-level training, preparing them psychologically and financially to pursue their passions. For universities, it allows early engagement with potential candidates for admission, ensuring a high quality of incoming students that align with the established standards. Diversity in High School Coverage As one of the pioneering universities in Vietnam that emphasizes the importance of partnerships with high schools to deliver multifaceted value, British University Vietnam (BUV) has established and annually maintains Key Partnership Scholarship programmes for its strategic partner high schools. This scholarship is part of the BUV Scholarship Fund with the motto "Here for the Future of Vietnam." Most recently, on May 12, BUV officially awarded nearly 50 scholarships to talented students within a network of 15 strategic partner high schools across Hanoi. Notably, this year's scholarship recipients come from a diverse array of public and private high schools located in various districts, ensuring equal opportunities for all potential candidates. Present in the list of public schools are five institutions with strong academic traditions in the capital, including Viet Duc High School, High School for Educational Sciences, Kim Lien High School, Tran Phu-Hoan Kiem High School, and Phan Dinh Phung High School. Among the private schools are ten renowned for their diversity, creativity in education, and student development. These include Edison High School, FPT High School, Greenfield High School, Marie Curie High School, Vinschool Imperia, Vinschool Ocean Park, Vinschool Smart City, Vinschool Times City, Vinschool The Harmony, and Wellspring High School. "We are delighted to continue to accompany and welcome many talented new students from our network of high school partners who share our orientation towards sustainable educational development. The excellence of these students will continue to be nurtured in BUV's 5-star training environment, and they will serve as living proof of the effectiveness and humanity of BUV's cooperative educational initiatives for Vietnam's education system and society," said Mr. Christopher Jeffery, Pro-Vice Chancellor (International, Strategy & Engagement) at BUV, during the scholarship award ceremony. Mr. Do Van Nam, Secretary of the Youth Union at Tran Phu - Hoan Kiem High School, emphasized the importance of the partnership between the two schools, stating, "Collaborating with British University Vietnam for nearly 15 years, I have seen that the Key Partnership Scholarship Programme provides a valuable opportunity for our students to study in a modern, dynamic international environment right here in Vietnam. This partnership has motivated many generations of students in their studies and encouraged their active participation in community activities. I believe this will be the foundation for their future success. Expressing her immediate love for BUV, Mai Thao Vy, the Key Partnership Scholarship winner from Tran Phu - Hoan Kiem High School, initially hesitated to apply due to financial constraints. However, this was a precious opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. I made an effort to learn from the smallest things, like how to write an essay or build a personal portfolio. Ultimately, coincidentally on my birthday, BUV gave me the best 18th birthday gift ever. Through this, I want to tell my peers: Never give up! Mai Thao Vy shared. On the same day, BUV awarded 45 Starleo Scholarships to 45 students across four Schools: Business; Computing and Innovative Technologies; Communication and Creative Industries; and Hospitality and Tourism. This supports students in realizing their aspirations to study and develop in an international environment. Embracing the lions brave spirit, BUVs Starleo mascot, these students demonstrated determination to surpass conventional limits, excelling in academic achievements and actively participating in community activities aligned with their passionate fields of study. After six years of continuous operation, the BUV Scholarship Fund has granted thousands of scholarships and financial aid worth nearly VND300 billion, empowering outstanding individuals from various provinces nationwide, regardless of their backgrounds and strengths. Scholarship students have continued to demonstrate remarkable achievements during their time at BUV and beyond graduation. This initiative continues to be the cornerstone in fulfilling the aspirations of numerous young talents aspiring to pursue a world-class international education programme right here in Vietnam. British University Vietnam is the first and the only higher education institution to be certified with an overall rating of 5 stars on the following criteria: Teaching, Employability, Academic Development, Facilities, Social Responsibilities, and Inclusiveness. Additionally, BUV is the first and only university in Vietnam and the ASEAN region, and one of 22 universities outside the United Kingdom, to achieve QAA accreditation. QAA regulates the performance of all universities in the UK as well as those delivering British higher degree programmes elsewhere in the world to guard heritage and maintain a high level of quality. HA NOI Brian Minh Tran, a Vietnamese student whose birth name is Tran Tuan Minh and was born in 2002, has been selected by Forbes Magazine to the list of "30 Under 30 Asia" of 2024. Forbes magazine on May 16 announced the list of "30 Under 30 Asia" of 2024, including 300 talents under 30 years old in many fields in Asia, who are working in many different fields and creating a positive influence in their professions and fields of activity. This year, Viet Nam has four people on the list, including Brian Minh Tran; ong Van Hung, 27, owner of the channel "Mother-made Cuisine" with more than 1 million subscribers; Pham Tuan Huy, 26, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and Phan ang Hoang, 23, a fashion designer. Brian Minh Tran, a third-year university student majoring in Business Administration at VinUni University, was honoured in Social Impact. Minh is co-founder and chair of UpYouth, a non-profit organisation focused on supporting student entrepreneurs in Viet Nam. Founded in 2020, UpYouth hosts workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs with guest speakers from well-established startups and companies like Vingroup and Vietnamese startup Sky Mavis, developer of blockchain-based video game Axie Infinity. UpYouth says more than 30,000 students have benefited from its workshops. UpYouth also runs an incubator, which the organisation says has helped 30 student startups raise a combined US$3.5 million. Outside of UpYouth, Tran is assistant to the global deputy CEO at VinFast, the car unit of Vingroup. VNS HCM CITY - The Prime Minister expects to approve the investment policy of the HCM City - Moc Bai expressway project this week, allowing the city to start the project before April 30, 2025, and complete it by the end of 2027. Phan Van Mai, chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee said the new expressway was expected to reduce traffic pressure on National Highway No. 22 and contribute to the economic and social development of the city, Tay Ninh Province, and neighboring countries as well as shorten the travel time of passenger and freight transport between the southeastern region and Cambodia via Moc Bai International Border Gate. After the Prime Minister approves the investment policy, HCM City would urgently carry out tasks such as site clearance, investor selection, and other preparatory work to ensure the project could start construction before April 30 next year. The construction project of the HCM City Moc Bai expressway in the form of PPP has a total length of around 50 kilometers in the first phase. The expressway will start from Ring Road 3, Cu Chi District, span over the Vam Co River and link up to Moc Bai International Border Gate in Tay Ninh Provinces Ben Cau District. VNS HA NOI The Viet Nam Academy of Social Sciences should bolster international collaboration in the fields of research and education to achieve breakthroughs and become a key research centre on par with other leading countries. Associate Professor, Nguyen Tai ong, from the Institute of Philosophy, told a scientific seminar titled 'Development Solutions for the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences' that the country could become a key research centre comparable to those in other advanced countries. At the seminar on Friday morning in Ha Noi, ong said the academy needed to encourage international organisations, foreign experts and scientists to engage in research, teaching and learning activities in Viet Nam. Additionally, there must be a training strategy to enhance scientific capabilities, adapt to new realities in Viet Nam's socio-economic development and engage in international exchange and integration to elevate the position of the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences in the future. The seminar was organised to celebrate the Vietnamese Science and Technology Day (May 18, 1963 - May 18, 2023). Speaking at the event, Nguyen uc Minh, Vice President of the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the institute's primary goals were to research fundamental issues in social sciences; provide scientific recommendations for the Party and the State in formulating directions, strategies, planning and policies for the rapid and sustainable development of the country; advise on development policies in the field of social sciences and train high level people in accordance with the law. Minh added that in order to become a key research centre on par with others in advanced countries, the institute needed to enhance the quality of high-level human resource training, nurture talent in higher education institutions and research facilities, identify key research areas and prioritise research in the fields of science, technology and innovation. Minh urged scientists, officials and employees of the institute that they needed to continue to ignite a passion for scientific research and maintain and enhance the institute's position in the national scientific research endeavour. Nguyen Cao uc, from the Institute of Americas Studies, said that it was necessary to focus on improving the quality of basic research to increase the number of scientific publications meeting international standards. One suggestion was to create open and flexible mechanisms to attract and recruit talents in the field of social sciences in order to build a team of leading experts in the field of humanities and social sciences. At the event the academy also honoured and commended units and individuals who made outstanding contributions to scientific and technological activities in 2023. VNS HCM CITY More than 360 Boehringer Ingelheim Viet Nams employees volunteered their time across Ha Noi and HCM City to support underprivileged communities and animal rescue organisations, reaffirming the company's longstanding dedication to social responsibility and sustainability. These community volunteering activities were part of the Value Through Innovation Day (VTI Day), one of the highlights in Boehringer Ingelheims cultural calendar celebrated globally every May to support less fortunate people and rescue animals. VTI Days theme inspired employees to take actions that deliver value through innovation, benefiting patients, animals, communities and the planet. By embracing this theme, Boehringer Ingelheim Viet Nam continues to fulfill its purpose of transforming lives for generations to come. This year, the company conducted a series of volunteer activities at care centers for orphans, elderly and disabled people as well as animal rescue stations in Ha Noi and HCM City. During the day, Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnams employees visited, prepared meals, engaged in handicraft work, helped clean up the area, repainted walls, planted flowers, and supported the care of approximately 1,500 children and the elderly, as well as 500 dogs and cats in various locations in Ha Noi and HCM City. Last year, the company approached and supported nearly 500 people in need and 300 cats and dogs. In addition to community outreach, Boehringer Ingelheim Vietnam is committed to leading the way in healthcare in Viet Nam. The company has also pledged to long-term co-operation with the Ministry of Health to address unmet medical needs and improve the quality of life for Vietnamese people. Boehringer Ingelheim also remains dedicated to increasing the number of patients treated in stroke-ready hospitals and optimising the quality of stroke care through the Angels Initiative. In particular, the company has collaborated with organisations like the World Stroke Organization (WSO), Vietnam Stroke Association (VNSA), and HCMC Stroke Association (HSA), and is committed to saving lives and improving the well-being of stroke patients in Viet Nam. Through the Angels Initiative, 108 stroke-ready hospitals have been established, with over 53,000 stroke patients treated. With the goal of improving animal health, the company has worked closely with veterinarians, pet owners and health authorities to implement the program "STOP Rabies" to pursue a rabies-free status. The programme focuses on raising community awareness about the importance of rabies prevention through vaccination and education, both of which are of paramount importance. On April 20, Boehringer Ingelheim employees and sixty veterinary students from Nong Lam University assisted with the rabies vaccination campaign and promoted prevention against the disease. Since 2021, this initiative has successfully vaccinated 26,500 dogs and cats. VNS The move cements BW's strong foothold in Greater Hanoi, while expanding ESRs Asia Pacific footprint in the high-growth Southeast Asian region. BW and ESR have announced the commencement of construction of two double-storey projects with a total gross floor area (GFA) of 270,000 sqm in Bac Ninh. The first project, BW-ESR Nam Son Hap Linh Logistics Park (NSHL), will deliver a GFA of approximately 112,000 sqm of modern ramp-up logistics facilities for lease. With convenient access to National Highway 1, NSHL is situated just an hours drive from Hanoi Central Business District (CBD), making it a prime delivery base for third-party logistics players, retailers, and e-commerce companies to serve Greater Hanoi. With a clear height of 9 metres and a floor loading capacity of 2.5 to 3 tons, NSHL is designed to cater to a wide range of industries in need of high-quality warehouse facilities in the area. NSHL is situated just an hours drive from Hanoi CBD With a GFA of 162,000 sqm, the second project, BW-ESR Yen Phong Industrial & Logistics Park (YPE), offers two institutional grade products ramp-up ready-built warehouse spaces with modern specifications similar to NSHL as well as ready-built factory spaces equipped with cargo lifts. YPE is well-placed to serve tenants from electronics and other related high value-added sectors. The park is located within the established Yen Phong manufacturing hub, which hosts a significant electronics cluster anchored by powerhouses, such as South Korean technology giant Samsung and American semiconductor company Amkor. Noi Bai International Airport is just a 30-minute drive from YPE, offering customers excellent connectivity to the global supply chain. With a clear height of up to 7 metres, floor loading of up to 2 tons, and varying unit sizes, the factory space is designed to accommodate customers various production requirements. YPE offers two-storey, ready-built warehouses with ramps and a cargo lift NSHL and YPE are scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2025. In addition to NSHL and YPE, BW and ESR are currently developing Project Nam Dinh Vu, a one-storey ready-built factory project with a GFA of 72,000 sqm located in Nam Dinh Vu IP (Phase 1), Hai Phong province. The project started construction in December 2023 and is expected to be completed in July 2024. BWs CEO Lance Li remarked, We have received increasing leasing enquiries for ready-built space in the North, due to its strong infrastructure, established electronics and other high-tech manufacturing clusters and its strategic geographical proximity to China. These two projects, being BWs second and third double storey projects in Bac Ninh, serve as part of our key strategy to accelerate the expansion of BWs footprint in the Northern Key Economic Region, in response to rising customer demand. Being Vietnams leading and fastest-growing for-rent logistics and industrial space provider, we are also taking the lead in the industry to intensify land use in prime locations by building more floor area vertically, thereby making better use of scarce land resources that are in close proximity to Hanoi. Jai Mirpuri, head of Southeast Asia, ESR Group, shared, Our two additional project starts in Vietnam attest to the continued success of our partnership with BW and our positive outlook on Vietnams industrial and logistics real estate. It is a market poised for robust growth driven by the confluence of favourable macroeconomic factors and the diversification of supply chain activities into Southeast Asia. In line with this growing market trend, we are fully committed to driving our Groups Southeast Asia growth engine for regional scale, and to deliver high-quality spaces to meet the needs of multinational enterprises and domestic customers looking to expand their operations in this region. Vietnam attracted nearly $36.61 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2023, a rise of 32.1 per cent year-on-year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment. The disbursed foreign investment in Vietnam reached $6.28 billion in the first four months of 2024, the highest in five years, according to the General Statistics Office. This year's prominent investment hotspots in the country include the northern provinces of Haiphong, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, Hanoi, and Bac Ninh. In addition, according to the e-Conomy SEA 2023 Report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, the digital economy in Southeast Asia is projected to reach around $45 billion by 2025, driven by high economic growth expectations. E-commerce is set to drive the GMV growth of the national digital economy in the next two years. This positions Vietnam as an appealing investment destination for e-commerce and last-mile delivery related businesses. ESR scoops up strategic equity stake in BW Industrial ESR Group Ltd. (ESR), through its wholly-owned subsidiary, has acquired a strategic equity stake in BW Industrial Development JSC (BW). BW breaks ground for new logistics centre in Bac Ninh BW Industrial Development JSC, Vietnams leading industrial real estate developer, on January 25 opened a new logistics project in VSIP Bac Ninh 2 Industrial Park, marking the start of its development plan to kick off 12 new projects in 2024. Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, was seen interacting with friends and community members during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, posed for a portrait during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, was seen interacting with friends and community members during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, was seen interacting with friends and community members during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer People were seen viewing a piece by Jesse Trevino during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Friends of Elizabeth Rodriguez, famed San Antonio artist, and community members were seen during a benefit fundraiser at Progreso Hall on May 13, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Rodriguez, who was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, auctioned off her own art, including her ex husbands work Jesse Trevino, along with other donations in order to raise money to get admitted to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Christopher Lee/Christopher Lee/Staff photographer Like too many cancer diagnoses, Elizabeth Rodriguezs came after a whirlwind of tests within days after getting herself to a doctor. For about a year, the San Antonio artist ignored a chronic cough, headaches and exhaustion. She hid it all exceedingly well. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I should have been listening to my body, she said Monday, before a community of artists put on a fundraiser to help her get to M.D. Anderson in Houston for treatment. Part of her treatment. I should have checked a long time ago, she said. But you know, theres no sense in even thinking about that, obviously, to be as far along as I am. Rodriguez is a realist and acknowledges the tumors inside her lungs and brain must have been happening more than a year ago. Two years. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The last time I wrote about her was in March. She was reeling from the success of her one-night-only exhibition, Las Munecas en la Calle Guadalupe, a remembrance of the prostitutes that used to work on that street. The provocative show drew over 500 people who descended on her fascinating home, an old motel on the citys West Side that once served as a brothel. Giant Mexican papier-mache dolls decorated the building. Viewers made their way inside her home which she shares with her husband, artist Andy Villarreal to see the lavish show. It was a happening event. It was March 16. Advertisement Article continues below this ad She and Villarreal then went to Mexico City to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. We went to cafes and went to parks and took it easy more than last time, she said. Her initial lab work done, she blamed her breathing issues and tiredness on the citys high elevation. ELAINE AYALA: The devastating reason some children wore white carnations on Mothers Day They hadnt told me I had cancer, she said. In her follow-up appointment, a doctor just kind of blurted it out. It was the first time she heard, Stage 4. By April, time was unraveling in a surreal duality, at once in an out-of-control rush of force, then in deliberate measure. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On Monday, she was front and center at the fundraiser. People bought lots of art. Others were making donations to a GoFundMe account. Halfway through the event, it was at $14,000. A $4,000 pledge not yet included. Rodriguez already knew she was headed to Houston on Wednesday and that shed be there for a week, potentially for chemotherapy on her lungs. It must have hit some viewers that the fundraiser was at Progreso Hall, across the street from the Virgen de Guadalupe veladora sculpture by the late Jesse Trevino, a man she divorced after their marriage she said had become a business arrangement. In the latter part of his life, himself dealing with cancer, she said she produced Trevinos work. He trained her for it, she added. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Its an old story in the art world and in the world of highly successful writers, when muse becomes trainee and then stands in for the artist. Rodriguez didnt tell me this because shes facing a life-threatening diagnosis. Shes revealed as much to others in the past. But when faced with mortality, perhaps such candidness becomes easier to face and easier for the listener to face, too. Rodriguezs diagnosis includes brain tumors for which shell receive radiation treatment in San Antonio, she said. Shes optimistic, as her friends know her to be, but some were holding back tears as Rodriguez posed for selfies Monday. No one could miss her large-scale paintings, one of them titled Vietnam War. It depicts Trevinos dog tag swinging like a pendulum across the canvas, showing movement and speed. Its set against a chaotic clash of colors and lines. He gave her the dog tag in lieu of a wedding band, she said. She displayed the actual dog tag, just one, alongside the painting. They belong in a museum. As far as I could tell, no one bid on it. Her goal was to show it along with another painting she did after their divorce. It depicts her hard-worn hands reaching up to the sky, Trevinos prosthetic arm extending from hers. The prosthetic arm became part of his body when he lost his painting arm as a result of his war injuries and learned to paint with his other hand. Its her hands on his work, from conception to composition to execution. He taught me so much, she said. He was generous with his knowledge. But thats where it also ended. This will be an unpopular story for Trevino fans who admire his journey and his art, especially what may be his most important work, Mi Vida, now at the Central Library. Go see it and say a little prayer for Elizabeth Rodriguez, though it might be hard to see how terribly sick she is. On the day of her fundraiser, she was up at 6:30 a.m. She picked up her medication from the pharmacy, bought flowers for the fundraiser and was feeling like herself. I have my moments. Im not going to lie, she said. Pham Hoang Son, Permanent Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People's Council, speaks at the event (Photo: VNA) 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 connecting 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 96 billion VND, 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. Thai Nguyen hails foreign investment Thai Nguyen is becoming a conducive location for foreign-led investments and expansion. Thai Nguyen setting stage for investment The northern province of Thai Nguyen has been implementing diversified and synchronous solutions to engage foreign capital, making the province a successful destination for investors. An engine fire breaking out on a Garuda Indonesia plane on May 15, 2024. (Photo: Twitter) Hanoi - A jetliner taking 468 people from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia made an emergency landing on May 15 due to an engine fire, the Garuda Indonesia airline said, in the latest incident in the archipelago's airlines safety record. The Indonesian flag carrier said the Garuda-1105 flight to Madinah - operated by a Boeing 747-400 - returned to its original airport in the Indonesian city of Makassar at 5.15pm with all passengers unhurt. Garuda president director Irfan Setiaputra said that the decision was made by the pilot in command immediately after takeoff, considering engine problems that required further examination after sparks of fire were observed in one of the engines, This plane was grounded for a safety probe. Meanwhile, passengers were all redirected to accommodations before boarding a replacement flight later on the same day. Indonesia flood death toll rises to 41 The number of people killed by flash floods and cold lava flow from a volcano in western Indonesia over the weekend has risen to 41 with 17 more missing, West Sumatra disaster mitigation agency reported on May 13. Marvell made a commitment to grow its workforce by 50 per cent in Vietnam within three years during last years US-Vietnam Innovation and Investment Summit, attended by Marvell chairman and CEO Matt Murphy. Marvell is currently ahead of schedule, increasing its staff by more than 30 per cent growth in just eight months. The company has also expanded its physical footprint in Vietnam with a new location in Danang, adding to its offices in Ho Chi Minh City, demonstrating the companys commitment to creating a world-class semiconductor design hub in the country. "We are excited about the momentum weve gained since we announced our design centre plans last year, including our progress in adding some top engineering talent to our team and expanding our number of sites," said Murphy. "Vietnam is rapidly becoming a centre of semiconductor innovation, and we are committed to being part of that." A new Marvell design centre facility in Ho Chi Minh City, which is expected to open within the next year, and other Marvell engineering facilities in Vietnam are focused on high-speed data centre optical connectivity, storage, and analogue and mixed-signal semiconductor technologies. These are critical to the build-out of accelerated infrastructure to meet the rising performance and power requirements of AI and cloud data centres. "Marvell has been part of the technology ecosystem in Vietnam for over ten years. The company is committed to attracting the best and brightest engineering talent to its semiconductor design centre in Vietnam, and to contributing to the growth of the countrys semiconductor community," said Loi Nguyen, executive vice president of Cloud Optics at Marvell and a native of Ho Chi Minh City. Marvell to set up new facility in Vietnam Marvell Technology, Inc., a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, will open a new facility in Vietnam by the end of 2024. Central city calls for investment from Intel, Marvell and Synopsys The central city of Da Nang has called for cooperation and investment programmes from Intel, Marvell Technology Group and Synopsys in building the city into a global semiconductor manufacturing centre. On May 15, vice president of Huawei Group responsible for the Asia-Pacific region Zhengjun Zhang shared with Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang his keen interest in Huawei's participation in developing 5G networks, digital transformation, AI, and green transformation in Vietnam. Earlier, during a session with Chinese businesses in the green development and digital economy sectors on May 14, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasised, Vietnam's government is committed to listening, supporting, and creating favourable conditions for effective, long-term, and sustainable investment of foreign enterprises in Vietnam. Their success is Vietnam's success. Yadea Company built the first foreign-owned electric motorcycle manufacturing plant in Vietnam in 2019 in Bac Giang province. The company is constructing its second factory with total capital of over $100 million, and expects it to be completed by 2025. Liu Jia, general director of Yadea for the Asia-Pacific region, said, "In the future, we will establish an research and development (R&D) development centre for the entire Southeast Asia region in Vietnam. Products manufactured in Vietnam will be for domestic consumption and export." Companies at the beginning and end of Chinese industrial chains are also encouraging others to invest in Vietnam and establish integrated supply chains for production and business operations. Yang Yong, general director of Talway Vietnam Co., Ltd., said, "We use about 40-50 per cent of raw materials and components purchased in Vietnam, and about 20-30 per cent of our suppliers are Vietnamese enterprises." Beijing-based BOE Group in early April received permission from Ba Ria-Vung Tau province to invest in a smart terminal equipment factory in Phu My 3 Industrial Park. With a total investment of $277.5 million, the Chinese group will assemble and produce screens for computers, TVs, electronic price boards, and motherboards. BOE is expected to recruit thousands of Vietnamese labourers in 2026 for its second project in Vietnam. This vibrant Chinese investment is also flowing into northern provinces. On April 4, Geleximco Group and the new energy vehicle brand Omoda & Jaecoo signed a joint venture agreement to build a factory in Thai Binh province with a capital of over $800 million and a capacity of 200,000 vehicles per year. In Bac Ninh province alone, more than half of the 105 foreign-invested projects licensed in the first quarter of 2024 were from China. This Chinese investment wave will help meet the demand for components of terminal product manufacturers in Vietnam, and allow domestic enterprises to join the Chinese supply chain. Chinese display maker BOE expands operations in Vietnam with $300 million investment The China-based display maker Beijing Oriental Electronics Group (BOE) is set to invest $300 million in Vietnam's smart terminal project. Chinese companies explore partnership opportunities with Vietnamese counterparts Chinese companies are gearing up to establish connections with Vietnamese businesses at the Economic and Technological Programme for Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. Scene of the fire at the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi 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 May 14, about 6.5 billion VND (270,000 USD) 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-Vietnam Friendship Association, whose executive board conveyed their regards and donated 5,000 PLN (1,270 USD) during a meeting with embassy leaders on May 14. 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. Philippines deports 165 suspected scammers, Illustrative photo (Photo: khaleejtimes.com) Hanoi The Philippines immigration bureau on May 15 announced that it had deported 165 Chinese citizens who were accused of working in an online scam centre based in Bamban in the north of the country. A statement from the immigration bureau said that the group were flown to Shanghai on May 14 and forever barred from returning to the Philippines. The deportees were among hundreds of employees, both Filipino and foreign, rounded up by an anti-crime government task force in a raid of an office compound in Bamban on March 14. They were involved in "scamming activities" and did not have proper travel documents. Across Southeast Asia, scam centres have mushroomed, with crime syndicates luring, kidnapping, or coercing workers into predatory online activity, AFP reported. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the scam industry is raking in unprecedented sums, the equivalent of billions of dollars. Victims have reported traveling across the region, often on the pretence of romance or high-paying jobs. They were forced to cajole people into ploughing money into fake investment platforms and other ruses. Food security tops agenda in new ties with Philippines Vietnam and the Philippines will increase their bilateral trade and investment ties, with a focus placed on rice exports to help ensure food security. Philippines warns of scorching heat The national weather bureau of the Philippines on April 8 warned of a scorching heat index of up to 51 degrees Celsius in at least nine areas across the country. The exhibition was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) as part of activities to celebrate the day. A VNSteel representative introduces the companys plans for 'green steel' to the PM The event was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat, leaders of other ministries and agencies, localities, and a number of embassy representatives. The exhibition attracted hundreds of attendees and displayed research results and products in defence, banking, agriculture, industry, transportation, healthcare, social sciences, and humanities. VNSteel had an opportunity to introduce its plans to convert to 'green steel' to the PM, and the company is looking forward to exchanging the latest research on technology and learning initiatives with its partners. A company representative said that the business has built a long-term strategy to adapt and minimise CO 2 emissions during the production process. "Compared to other domestic steel production enterprises, currently 82 per cent of the companys crude steel output is from electric furnaces and 18 per cent from blast furnaces. Our production focuses on downstream, so emissions are low compared to the industry average," he said. VNSteel's sustainable development strategy until 2050 is divided into short-, medium- and long-term goals. To reduce carbon emissions by 5-10 by 2025, it is focussing on operational efficiency and the quality of input materials, while reducing its consumption of coke. To achieve these goals, the representative said the company needs support from the government and ministries and agencies. VNSteel has proposed increasing expenditure on research and development into green energy sources and renewable energy as input for steel production and applying emission reduction technology. The group is hoping for preferential policies to develop and apply green technology, along with for mechanisms related to carbon emissions in the steel industry. As one of the biggest steelmakers in Vietnam, VNSteel is aiming to produce 3.13 million tonnes of finished steel products this year, with consolidated revenue of VND31.5 trillion ($1.31 billion). April showed positive market signs for VNSteel when consumption of steel products rose 43 per cent on-month and 74 per cent on-year. Domestic steel demand expected to rebound amid warming real estate market Domestic steel demand is anticipated to rise this year due to the civil construction recovery and the positive impacts of the global steel market. Steelmaking can become climate-neutral process Steel is one of the worlds most-used materials and a central part of the global economy. Steels carbon footprint touches almost every industry, from automotive and construction to machinery, transportation and energy. This makes steel a global priority for decarbonisation. The carrier has reportedly been negotiating with foreign aircraft charting units to lease up to three aircraft to allow a resumption of operations by June, as requested by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV). Pacific Airlines is not the only airline to have curtailed the size of its fleet for financial reasons. Bamboo Airways, which used to operate 30 aircraft during its peak and held nearly 20 per cent of the domestic market, has returned 22 aircraft for debt rescheduling in light of its business restructuring plans. The airline is currently operating just eight narrow-body Airbus 320/321 aircraft, whereas the minimum scale for an airline to be profitable is about 30 aircraft. By the end of April, Vietnamese airlines' fleet consisted of 213 aircraft, 18 fewer compared to 2023; in which the actual number of aircraft in operation ranges from 165-170 aircraft, a drop of about 4050 units compared to last year's average. During the upcoming peak summer period from June to August, local airlines will operate 178 aircraft, a reduction of 38 units compared to last year, as more than 40 AirbusNeo aircraft belonging to Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet have been grounded due to a global engine recall by manufacturer Pratt & Whitney (PW). PW still has no information about what support and compensation it can offer the two airlines, causing further disruption in operations. Although the demand for travel at home and abroad has recovered well since early 2023, the six airlines that possess air transport business licences have not all posted positive results. The outbound travel market witnessed a strong recovery last year as 12.6 million international visitors came to Vietnam, nearly 3.5 times more than in 2022, exceeding 57 per cent of the original target of 8 million. In the first quarter (Q1) of this year, Vietnam welcomed more than 4.6 million foreign visitors, up 1.7-fold on-year. Vietnam Airlines Q1 consolidated financial report noted that the company posted nearly $1.18 billion in revenue, showing a 25 per cent jump on-year. After deducting costs, it counted $185 million for the same period, compared to the $1.5 million losses incurred a year ago. Vietjet reported $741.3 million in consolidated revenue and $22.5 million in consolidated profit in Q1, equal 38 per cent and 212 per cent jump on-year. Similarly, Vietravel saw a 42 per cent jump in revenue which approximated $20.5 million in net profit, marking the first time the company made a profit for three consecutive months since commencing operation more than three years ago. The remaining airlines continue to struggle to pay salaries to flight attendants, pilots, and other workers. Another factor is that despite higher ticket prices on local routes in the year to date, it is still not enough to cover actual expenses. For instance, between January and April, on the three key domestic routes of Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi-Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City-Danang, the ticket price of Vietnam Airlines rose around 20 per cent, 28 per cent and 15 per cent respectively; while prices at Vietjet increased by about 18 per cent, 40 per cent and 27 per cent, and Bamboo Airways passengers saw their airfare grow by 2.1 per cent, 24.4 per cent, and 22.5 per cent on the same respective routes. "If an airline operates domestic and international routes with low frequency, it will find it very difficult to grow its revenue," said one airline representative. "In addition, airfare price increases could prompt many passengers to pivot to other means of transport that are more affordable, such as rail and road." In addition, increased pressure from the surging exchange rate of the USD against other currencies has dampened the enthusiasm for travel. Armed conflicts in some countries and regions have disrupted the supply chain of products, materials and equipment for the aviation industry, as well as prolonged flight schedules and routes. "These issues have exacerbated the burden on airlines and other aviation businesses," said Dinh Viet Thang, head of the CAAV. Vietnam: a real estate market rebound in the making Mortgage rates peaked at as high as 16 per cent at some banks in early 2023 but subsequently dropped dramatically. They are now comparable to levels that prevailed before the governments aggressive policy rate hikes last year sent borrowing rates soaring. Nevertheless, a full revival of sentiment and transaction activity is not likely until mid-2024. Vietnam's construction industry expected to rebound Vietnam's construction industry is expected to grow steadily over 2024, following its lull period, according to the latest report by Research and Markets that was released on January 16. "The Ministry of Healths approval of the dengue vaccine in Vietnam marks a significant milestone in our collective fight against this mosquito-borne disease and is a pivotal moment for both Takeda and public health in the country," said Katharina Geppert, country manager of Takeda Vietnam. "Given the substantial health risk posed by dengue in the country, vaccine as an additional preventive tool to complement the existing measures in the integrated management of dengue holds great hope for reducing the burden of the disease. We will continue collaborating with regulatory agencies, healthcare professionals, medical societies, academia, government agencies and other partners to make the dengue vaccine widely available and combat the growing burden of dengue in Vietnam," Geppert said. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that poses a significant global public health threat, with prevalence in over 125 countries. In late December 2023, at a conference summarising disease prevention activities in the southern region of Vietnam, the Ministry of Health (MoH) representative highlighted the looming threat of a dengue fever epidemic in 2024, after the MoH reported a significant increase in dengue fever cases in Hanoi compared to Ho Chi Minh City in 2023, signalling a concerning trend. On April 25, the MoH announced that the country has recorded over 16,000 cases of dengue fever, with one reported death. Meanwhile, the Department of Preventive Medicine under the MoH, recently announced that Vietnam was affected by all four types of the Dengue virus. In 2023, type DENV-2 accounted for 88 per cent of cases, while in 2024, it accounted for 70 per cent. Associate Professor Pham Quang Thai, deputy head ofthe Communicable Diseases Department under the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said that the significant economic and societal impact of dengue, extending beyond health risks to affect individuals and communities. "Dengue fever is very different from other infectious diseases, as it puts the entire population at risk, regardless of age or prior to the disease exposure. Treatment costs can strain household incomes, while long-term psychological effects and social security implications further compound the challenges. The escalating number of dengue patients has placed immense pressure on healthcare facilities in the country," said Dr. Thai. "Apart from vector control, early detection, proper organisation of treatment, and strengthening of facilities and equipment are crucial in saving lives and reducing the mortality rate, the approval of the dengue vaccine is very much welcomed as it will enhance the methods for preventing and protecting the people of Vietnam from dengue," he added. The vaccine is anticipated to be available in vaccination centres across Vietnam, starting September. To-date, Takedas dengue vaccine has been approved in more than 30 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. The vaccine has also been introduced into the National Immunisation Programmes of Brazil and Argentina. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by its commitment to patients, people and the planet. Takeda Vietnam enhances effectiveness of dengue prevention and control The Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City joined hands with Takeda Vietnam to host a workshop on Innovating and enhancing the effectiveness of dengue prevention and control for public health on September 23. Experts come together to enhance dengue prevention strategies in Vietnam On September 28, Takeda Pharmaceuticals (Asia-Pacific) Pte., Ltd. (Takeda), in collaboration with The Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, held the conference Orientations and Solutions to Enhance Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever Prevention Effectiveness in Vietnam, attracting many top-notch experts from the healthcare industry. Thailand okeys 10-year EEC visa for foreigners. (Photo: bangkokpost.com) Bangkok - Thailands cabinet has approved a special 10-year visa for executives and experts working in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) to support the development of targeted industries in the country. Deputy government spokeswoman Rudklao Intawong Suwankiri said the cabinet passed the proposal from the EEC Office for the EEC visa, aiming to attract specialists in various fields to work in the corridor. This visa is valid for 10 years, allowing multiple entries and exits, but does not exceed the duration of the employment contract. Initially the visa allows entry and stays in Thailand for up to five years. There are four categories for the EEC visa: specialists, executives, professionals, and spouses and dependents. In addition to this special visa, specialists residing and working in the EEC can benefit from a special personal income tax rate of 17 per cent, compared with the current progressive income tax rate in Thailand which has a maximum rate of 35 per cent. The EEC is located in three provinces in eastern Thailand including Rayong, Chonburi, and Chachoengsao. Under the EEC development plan for 2023-2027, Thailand aims to attract an average annual total investment of about 2.8 billion USD and turn the region into a hub for technology, manufacturing, services and connectivity with neighbouring countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Key sectors attracting investment to the EEC include health services, digital, electric vehicles, biotechnology, circular economy, and green economy. Thailand, China sign mutual visa waiver agreement Thailand and China on January 28 signed an agreement to waive visa requirements for each other's nationals within the framework of Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Bangkok. Annasofia Scheve covers trending news for the Express-News. She can be reached at Annasofia.Scheve@express-news.net. Annasofia has bachelor's degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Missouri. She is an Ohio native, and wrote for Cincinnati Magazine and the Cincinnati Enquirer before joining the Express-News in 2023. President Biden initiated a temporary, 24-month duty-free period in June 2022 to facilitate certain imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam to ensure a steady supply of materials while the US' domestic solar manufacturing was ramped up. Since then, US solar manufacturing and deployment have both grown dramatically. According to the White House, President Bidens 'Investing in America' agenda has catalysed a clean-energy manufacturing and deployment boom in the US. In response to this, China has further ramped up its solar capacity and began dumping artificially cheap modules and components onto the global market to circumvent trade enforcement measures in an attempt to put other countries manufacturers out of business. Domestic solar panel groups remain overshadowed Although the United States has frozen tariffs on Vietnamese solar panels for the next two years, the influx of cheap Chinese goods means there may not be enough domestic companies to take advantage of it. Overseas investors boosting rooftop solar presence at IZs Many foreign investors are funding rooftop solar panels in Vietnam to meet the increasing demands of industrial zone developers and transition towards sustainable energy sources. At the court (Photo: VNA) Hanoi The People's Procuracy on May 16 proposed the court reject appeals for reduced sentences from former Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long and General Director of Viet A Technologies JSC Phan Quoc Viet in the Viet A case. Long, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison at the first-instance trial in January for accepting bribes to benefit Viet A, had requested a lighter sentence. The People's Procuracy argued that the initial sentence was already lenient, considering the large bribe amount and the severe consequences caused by his actions. Similarly, the procuracy proposed rejecting Viet's appeal for a reduced sentence denied. Viet was sentenced to 29 years in prison for bribing officials and violating bidding regulations. He offered an additional 200 million VND (8,600 USD) to compensate for the case's consequences, on top of previously returned bribes. The first-instance trial, held from January 3-12, involved 38 defendants. It resulted in sentences ranging from 24 months to 29 years in prison for various offenses related to the COVID-19 test kit scandal. Other high-ranking officials convicted included former Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh and former Deputy Minister Pham Cong Tac, who received three-year sentences for mismanagement of State assets. The High People's Court in Hanoi started hearing the appeals of former Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and 10 other defendants in the COVID-19 test kit fraud that occurred at Viet A Technologies JSC, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Technology and related agencies and organisations, on May 15. According to the Connecting the UK and Vietnam in Agriculture, Food and Drink report by Edelman Global Advisory (EGA) and sponsored by the British Embassy Hanoi, the Unitted Kingdom is Vietnams third-largest trading partner in Europe, with bilateral food and drink exports growing significantly in recent years. UK food and drink exports to Vietnam jumped 97 per cent in 2020-2023 to reach $154 million. Export of Vietnamese counterparts to the UK followed the same trend, with an increase of over 21 per cent to $630 million during the same period. The top three export products of the UK are Scotch whisky, seafood and confectionary, while imports from Vietnam to the UK primarily comprise tropical fruits, coffee, and nuts. The report also pointed out that the UK - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement has brought immense opportunities for the agriculture, and food and drink sectors. The majority of F&B product categories now benefit from a phased reduction and eventual elimination of tariff rates by 2031. Building upon this, the UK's full accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), scheduled to take place in 2024, will pave the way for even more exciting agri-food trade opportunities. For Vietnam the benefits are already clear. Exports of agri-forestry-fishery exports to CPTPP member countries increased 32 per cent in just three years from $2.2 billion in 2019 to $2.9 billion in 2022. "The agri-trade relationship between the UK and Vietnam continues to flourish. British consumers can already enjoy a wealth of Vietnamese produce, which feature abundantly throughout British supermarkets and the rapidly expanding Vietnamese restaurant scene in the UK. In the opposite direction, UK produce is enjoyed by Vietnamese consumers every day, based on its reputation for high-quality, and produced to world-leading standards of food safety, human health and animal welfare," said Iain Frew, UK Ambassador to Vietnam. In recent years, Vietnam has undergone a profound transformation in its culinary and shopping sectors. This is being driven by robust economic growth, rapid urbanisation, evolving consumer preferences, lifestyle changes, and increased exposure to global cuisines. Vietnamese consumers, especially those living in cities, are becoming more selective, seeking convenience, quality, and health-conscious options in their F&B choices. Higher demand is also observed among the emerging middle class for organic foods, eco-friendly options, and imported products, even at a higher price point. A survey of 1,000 people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, conducted by EGA, reveals that purchasing decisions track consumers appreciation for imported products adhering to higher food safety standards and offering clearer nutrition instructions than domestic options. British F&B products, renowned for their stringent quality standards and nutritional value, resonate well with Vietnamese consumers. There exists substantial preference for British F&B exports to Vietnam, particularly in segments like premium chocolates, speciality teas, craft beers, and healthy snacks. The survey by EGA showed that British food products are most commonly associated with beverages, dairy and confectionery. It suggests that more efforts need to be made to bring the UK's signature "from farm to table" products closer to Vietnamese consumers, such as seafood, meat, and poultry. UK-Vietnam trade pact already demonstrating value The United Kingdom-Vietnam trade relationship is poised to reach new heights, buoyed by the celebration of 50 years of UK-Vietnam bilateral relations last year, guided by the continued implementation of the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), and further boosted by the UK joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Vietnamese agri-exports to UK continue forward motion Vietnam is boosting exports, especially agro-forestry-fishery products, to the British market thanks largely to a bilateral trade deal. The UK is committed to reducing emissions to 51 per cent below 1990 levels by 2025, and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. What action is the UK undertaking to reach these targets? What lessons could Vietnam learn from the UK? Iain Frew, British Ambassador to Vietnam The UK was the first country to bring in a legally binding emissions reduction target with the UK Climate Change Act back in 2008. The act not only created targets, but also put in place a framework to ensure the UK government acts on those targets from now until 2050. This law covers both reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to climate change impacts. This legislation provides an important reference point for governments of all countries, including Vietnam long-term thinking and action is needed for a challenge as big as climate change. The UKs action on climate change includes significantly investing in renewables like wind and solar. Last year, those power sources contributed over 36 per cent of generation to our electricity grid. Thanks to this, we are due to fully phase out coal in the power sector later this year this is remarkable given the history of the UK, the birthplace of the coal-powered Industrial Revolution. Another important lesson from the UK experience is involving the private sector. The Climate Change Act and our net-zero target send a strong signal to businesses that they will need to innovate and reduce their emissions over the coming decades. We directly incentivise industries to reduce their emissions by putting a price on carbon via our Emissions Trading System. The UK is also a centre for green finance, which is helping to mobilise private finance towards sustainable projects through innovations like green bonds. Vietnam and the UK have agreed to expand climate collaboration. Could you share more about the performance of related programmes and their impacts in the Southeast Asian nation? The UK is proud to co-lead Vietnams Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with the EU, alongside our partners Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, the United States, and 11 international Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero banks. The aim is for the JETP to mobilise $15.5 billion to support Vietnams energy transition. We hope that by also supporting policy reform and the enabling environment, it will unlock even more green finance, enabling Vietnam to achieve its ambitious net-zero goals. The JETP is now in an exciting phase. Its Resource Mobilisation Plan was released in December, and the UK is supporting the JETP Secretariat to implement the plan through our UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) programme. Our priority now is to identify the first projects to get JETP funding, which could be things like improving the energy grid in a province or building solar farms. The UK PACT programme is also working on green finance with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the State Securities Commission. We are supporting the development of a new environmental, social and governance framework so that businesses can understand and report their climate-related financial risk more effectively. We will be expanding UK PACT in Vietnam over the next few years, with further work in the energy, agriculture, and green finance sectors. Another interesting UK programme is the Climate Finance Accelerator. This initiative helps low-carbon businesses attract investment through training from green finance experts. So far, we have worked with 20 businesses in Vietnam, and we hope the lessons learned will enable more Vietnamese businesses to roll out their innovative ideas and secure private investment. Climate change is increasingly affecting countries in the Lower Mekong, which is attracting more stakeholders engagement. Should there be a common mechanism to coordinate stakeholder engagement and regional cooperation? The climate risks in the Lower Mekong Delta are huge the World Bank estimates that if we do nothing, 40 per cent of it could disappear underwater by 2050. This would obviously have devastating social, economic, and environmental impacts for Vietnam. To take meaningful action we need international partners, the national government, provinces, communities, and farmers to work together. Coordination between everyone can be challenging, but it is essential. The World Banks Mekong Delta Working Group involves various government and international partners, and this has the potential to be a crucial tool in tackling the coordination challenge in the Lower Mekong region. Nevertheless, more needs to be done to pool resources, share knowledge, distribute and align work, and track progress against our goals. The UK would be a very supportive member of further coordination efforts for this region. What climate actions should Southeast Asia prioritise? The countries of Southeast Asia share common challenges in terms of climate adaptation, as the temperature goes up they all face extreme heat, rainfall, and sea-level rise. As fast-growing economies, meeting their emissions reductions commitments will also be challenging. However, the changes needed to build a resilient and low-carbon future have huge benefits for health, nature, and businesses. The climate transition also offers opportunities for the countries of Southeast Asia. Tackling this challenge and realising this opportunity will require significant action in every sector, so it is hard to prioritise. However, energy is a big emitter in the region, so transitioning to low-carbon sources is extremely important. Infrastructure and buildings will be key to this, with green investments now paying off over the decades ahead. Low-carbon public transport also comes to mind, as it can have a triple benefit by improving peoples health, lifestyles (with less time spent commuting), and reducing emissions. And we should not forget the land that underpins all economies promoting sustainable agriculture and forestry practices can reduce emissions while also providing natural solutions to the impacts of climate change like flooding, landslides, and droughts. To help with the challenge in the region, the UK is working closely with ASEAN, having signed the ASEANUK Plan of Action in 2022. The 110 million ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility supports the development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure, such as renewable energy, clean transportation, or urban infrastructure. We are now developing plans for a new multi-year climate programme, which will build on previous UK support around issues such as green finance and energy demand to support a green transition in ASEAN, including Vietnam. EU and France provide $78.5 million for Quang Nam and Quang Tri to tackle climate change The central provinces of Quang Nam and Quang Tri will receive financial support worth 72.3 million ($78.5 million) from the EU and France to tackle the impacts of climate change. Renewable energy leading solution to climate change mitigation in ASEAN Investing in renewable energy sources is as a palliative measure for ASEAN to mitigate climate change, according to Vice President of Infrastructure Solutions at Malaysian-based Vertiv Chee Hoe Ling. Australia strengthens climate and energy cooperation with Vietnam Australia's Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Jenny McAllister will travel to Vietnam to drive cooperation on climate and the energy transition under the recently signed Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Australias Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040. On May 14, VNDirect disclosed a decision of the company's Board of Directors on the acquisition of shares in Goldsun Food JSC. Upon completion of the acquisition, Goldsun Food JSC will become an affiliated company of VNDirect. The deal value has yet to be revealed. Goldsun Food is one of the pioneering companies in the culinary field in Vietnam. Through 11 years of establishment and development, Goldsun Food has affirmed its leading position in the food and beverage industry with 13 big brands such as Tasaki BBQ, ThaiExpress, Hotpot Story, Tasaki BBQ, Shushi Kei, and many others. As of present, Goldsun Food operates over 170 restaurants, serving 2.4 million guests per year. King BBQ is the company's flagship brand, with 70 restaurants nationwide. Since its inception in 2011, King BBQ has started the trend of Korean barbecue restaurants in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Thai Express is currently operating 11 restaurants, including 10 locations in Hanoi and one in Binh Duong. Hotpot Story, BukBuk, and Tasaki BBQ chains have 39 outlets, eight outlets, and seven outlets, respectively. According to Statista, the food and beverage sector in Vietnam recorded a total revenue of over VND590.9 trillion ($23.2 billion) in 2023, indicating an increase from the year before. During that year, full-service restaurants accounted for the largest revenue share among all food service establishment types in this sector. VNDIRECT sign off syndication with foreign financial institutions VNDIRECT Securities Corporation has announced its enrollment into the $75 million offshore unsecured syndicated loan with the greenshoe option to increase the total limit up to $200 million from foreign financial institutions. VNDirect cyberattack causes big splash on stock market The online securities trading system at VNDirect Securities Company (VNDirect) is likely to have suffered from a data encryption hack for extortion. Kevin Young appears in court Thursday, the last of three murder defendants to be tried in the 2012 killing of Rakim Tarik Charles. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Prosecutor Jason Garrahan right, questions SAPD Sgt. Raul Cardenas during testimony in the murder trial of Kevin Young on Thursday. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Defense attorney Karen Corby confers with prosecutor Jason Garrahan during the murder trial of Kevin Young on Thursday. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Senior District Judge Maria Teresa Tessa Herr, presiding by assignment, listens to attorneys during the murder trial of Kevin Young on Thursday. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Kevin Young leaves court during his murder trial Thursday. Young is accused of killing Rakim Tarik Charles in 2012. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News A Bexar County medical examiner testified at the murder trial of Kevin Young that the man Young is accused of helping kill possibly was paralyzed as he bled to death in a car. Dr. Stephanie Dreikorn, an assistant Bexar County medical examiner, told the jury on Thursday that Rakim Tarik Charles, 23, was shot in the upper right side of his back, just under the shoulder. The bullet severed his spine and aorta, traveled between his ribs and through his lungs and settled in the left chest wall, she said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Young, 36, is one of three men who were accused in the death of Charles, and the last to be tried. Christopher Cooper, one of the co-defendants, has since died. Adrian Antoine Dunn, 31, the shooter, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2018. Young is being tried 12 years later because he began serving an unrelated prison sentence before he was indicted in the Charles killing. Prosecutor Jason Garrahan asked Dreikorn to show the jury on herself where Charles spine was cut, and she pointed mid-chest. He asked whether that would cause the body to lose feeling. If (the spine is) transected at that level, its likely he lost some movement, Dreikorn told he jury. Charles died at the scene, in a parking lot at a Northeast Side apartment complex, on July 16, 2012. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Testimony established that he had been contacted by his cousin, Laski Charles, who was then Youngs girlfriend, because the men wanted to buy some marijuana from him. Laski Charles has testified that Young told her that Dunn accidentally shot her cousin. Prosecutors allege that Young, though not the one who shot Charles, is guilty of murder under the law of parties because he was there and involved in the drug deal that led to the killing. Pictures of evidence shown to the jury included a gallon-size plastic bag that contained a little more than four ounces of marijuana. Defense attorneys contend that Young did not shoot Charles, had no idea that Dunn was going to shoot Charles, and that Young told authorities that Dunn panicked and accidentally shot Charles when he reached down for something on the floorboard of the car. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The jury hearing the case had to leave the 187th District Court several times for hearings outside their presence because of objections by prosecutors and defense attorneys. At times, many of the witnesses had trouble answering questions because so much time has passed since the killing. The trial is being heard by Senior District Judge Maria Teresa Tessa Herr, who is presiding by assignment. Both sides are expected to rest and close Friday, and the jury could begin deliberations. If convicted, Young faces up to life in prison. WATERLOO Cedar Valley native Cierra Newman feels the need to give back to the community she grew up in by preserving buildings that were constructed long before she was born. Newman is renovating 319-321 East Fourth St., converting the top floor into two apartments and renovating the first floors commercial space. Tour De Loo showcased her project, along with five other downtown properties, on Thursday. The event put on by Main Street Waterloo highlights new, renovated, and rehabilitated spaces. The two-story building Newman is calling Martin Lofts, to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.s visit to Waterloo in 1959, was built in 1917. From then until 1944, Schunemans Drug Store occupied the space. After that, the National Tea Company and Food Store took over. The building held law offices from the 1980s until 2018. When Newman decided to name her project after the civil rights icon, she realized Martin held another significance. Hope C. Martin was the real estate developer who worked on the building. Martin was famous for the humpbacked California peanuts he sold in the storefront. Newman, who currently lives in Maryland with her Waterloo-raised husband Landon, rehabbed their historical home and wanted to do something for her hometown. Our job while were (alive) is to put these beautiful buildings that have been here long before we got here in the best place possible for the next person, she said. She plans to do this by applying for historic tax credits, which would give her money to rehab the space if she retains its historic integrity. If awarded, the former upstairs law offices would become two apartments. One would be 900 square feet with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, while the other would be a one bedroom, one bathroom 600-square-foot apartment. Both apartments have original wood floors and oak woodwork. The hallway has an original mosaic tile floor. She is expecting the work to cost around $750,000. Her dream is for Veridian Credit Union to occupy the commercial space on the first floor, stating that there will be no nearby branch after the Logan Avenue Hy-Vee closes in June. We all have a responsibility to give back to the community that, like, gave us our start, she said. I dont know if Id call it paying it forward, but its just giving back to the community that gave you your wings, essentially. The nonprofit working on saving the Walnut Street Baptist Church is also basing its project around the idea of community. The 415 Walnut Collective has a goal of reimagining the church on 415 Walnut St. into a place to help residents whether that be for arts and culture, food or living spaces. In 2016, residents who called themselves the Walnut Neighborhood Development Coalition met to focus on housing and development in the area. A large landmark in the neighborhood is the church that has been out of commission since 2010. The building was erected in 1908 and designed by Clinton P. Shockley. The church had been on the property since 1896. With a growing congregation one of the largest Baptist congregations in Iowa the new church held 1,400 worshippers and hosted evangelists such as Billy Sunday. The building housed the Walnut Street Baptist Church until the 1970s when the congregation now called Walnut Ridge Baptist Church moved to its location on Ansborough and Ridgeway avenues. Faith Temple Baptist Church moved into the space until it relocated to Hackett Road due to extensive work and money needed to repair the church. Now, hopes to reform the church into a multitude of spaces for the community to enjoy will cost about $10 million, according to Matthew Gilbert, a member of the 415 Walnut Collective. Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity bought the church for $40,000 in 2019 on behalf of the neighborhood housing coalition. The 415 Walnut Collective has received about $50,000 in personal donations from residents and local foundations and will be applying for historic tax credits. For projects of this size, they take time, Gilbert said. (The) project actually needs to be involved with the community, to have their buy-in but to also find a place where they can belong. He said just throwing money at the project wont do any good if no one wants to use the building. The nonprofit will apply for tax credits next spring. Across the bridge, another property highlighted is in no shape to tour yet. The Central Battery building, 217-221 West Fifth St., is riddled with dead pigeons, bird droppings and shallow standing water. It also holds belongings left behind by artist Richard C. Thomas. Thomas came to Waterloo from New Orleans after being uprooted by Hurricane Katrina, only to be retraumatized by the Cedar River flood two years later in 2008. He had hoped to turn the former warehouse into an art studio, store and cafe. Thomas is known for creating the large mural that stretches over Lafayette Street on the East Park Avenue parking ramp. Thomas lost ownership of the building last year. The city of Waterloo acquired the building through the 657A process, which allows governments to claim vacant or dilapidated buildings. The three-story building, built in 1912, features unique white and green bricks on its facade. Noel Anderson, the citys community planning and development director, said the building was shown to some developers who seemed interested in rehabbing it. He said if a developer doesnt bite in the next few years, the city will likely demolish it. The tour also highlighted the newly renovated Fourth Street Pedestrian Bridge, Sullivan Plaza at the Waterloo Convention Center and ISGs new office at the Art Bloc building on Cedar Street. Photos: Tour de Loo 2024 051624jr-tour-loo-1 051624jr-tour-loo-2 051624jr-tour-loo-9 051624jr-tour-loo-3 051624jr-tour-loo-4 051624jr-tour-loo-5 051624jr-tour-loo-6 051624jr-tour-loo-7 051624jr-tour-loo-8 051624jr-tour-loo-10 Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed a bill that would have increased the penalties for violating Iowas open meetings law over concerns that a section of the bill would have created a loophole for government bodies to meet in private. The bill, House File 2539, would have raised the penalty for violating Iowas open meetings law to up to $12,500 for a knowing violation and up to $2,500 for unknowingly violating the law. The controversy over the bill came in a last-minute amendment added by Senate lawmakers just before they passed the bill during the last week of the session. Iowa government bodies, boards and commissions are generally required under law to meet in public and follow certain transparency rules. Existing law allows members of a body to gather for ministerial or social purposes if they do not discuss policy. The amendment sought to expand those exceptions to clarify that members of a government body attending the same event hosted by a political party, candidate or civic organization would not be considered a meeting. But, as government transparency groups noted in letters to Reynolds this month, the amended language does not carry over the qualification that policy cannot be discussed at those gatherings. The result, they said, was a loophole that would have allowed government bodies to hold private meetings, hosted by political or civic groups, to discuss official policy. In a letter accompanying her veto, Reynolds indicated she agreed with those concerns, but said she hoped the Legislature would continue pursuing bills to strengthen transparency. It was the only bill Reynolds vetoed this session. Although well-intentioned, the amendment to the definition is unnecessary and will cause confusion, Reynolds, a Republican, said in the letter. Open meetings laws need to be clear; otherwise, their application and enforcement will be inconsistent and varied. In letters sent to Reynolds this month, the Iowa Public Information Board and Iowa Freedom of Information Council warned that the bill could weaken Iowas open meetings law. Instead of clarifying that members of government boards could attend events of political parties and civic organizations without violating Iowas open meetings law, the actual language in the enrolled bill can be interpreted to not include the statutes existing prohibition on deliberation of public policy issues when government board members attend social or ministerial gatherings, said Randy Evans, the chair of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, in a May 14 letter. Erika Eckley, the Iowa Public Information Board executive director, said the amendment was unnecessary for the stated goal, because the existing law already allows members of a public body to attend a civic or political event as long as they do not discuss policy. Lawmaker: Veto 'won't sit well' in Scott County Rep. Gary Mohr, R-Bettendorf, introduced the bill in the House in response to concerns he had about Davenport's $1.6 million settlement agreement with the former city administrator without a public vote from the city council. He said he was disappointed that the governor vetoed the bill and wished she had reached out to him before making the decision. Mohr said he would have preferred Reynolds sign the bill and have lawmakers fix any ambiguities next session. "I don't quite understand why the governor would veto that bill. I think it's important that we increase those penalties five-fold," he said. "And we're going to continue to have things like what's happening in Davenport happen in other areas, people withholding public records." Mohr said Quad-Cities residents reached out to him with transparency concerns over Davenport's separation agreements and over records relating to the partial building collapse in May 2023. He said the current law is inadequate to deal with major violations of the law. "My introduction of the original bill was in response to the public outcry, that this isn't right, and the public wanted something done about it," he said. "That's why I think it won't sit well in Scott County, because the Scott Countians are the ones who encouraged me to introduce the bill in the first place." Rep. Brent Siegrist, a Republican from Council Bluffs who managed the bill in the House, said House lawmakers would revisit the legislation next year. He said he thought the House version of the bill was stronger before Senate lawmakers amended it. The Senate saw fit to change it right at the last couple hours, and had they not done that the bill would have been signed and we would have had much stronger open record laws, he said. So well go back at it next year and try to get the House version passed again. Erin Murphy of the Gazette Des Moines Bureau contributed to this report The World Health Organization (WHO) was completely wrong on COVID-19: Asymptomatic spread? Wrong. PCR testing? Wrong. Mortality rate? Wrong. Quarantining healthy people? Wrong. Natural immunity? Wrong. Vaccine efficacy? Wrong. Vaccine injury? Wrong. Yet, this month, the Biden Administration plans to approve the proposed WHO pandemic international agreement that would surrender U.S. sovereignty during other future politicized pandemics. Online fact-checkers claim the WHO treaty wont undermine national sovereignty while ignoring the International Health Regulation (IHR) amendments that would grant the WHO authority to require medical examinations, proof of prophylaxis, proof of vaccine, mandate contact tracing, quarantine and treatment, create a system of global health certificates (vaccine passports), and allow the WHO to override decisions made by sovereign nations regarding health measures. However, U.S. Senator Ron Johnsons bill S444 and Rep. Tom Tiffanys bill HR1425 would require the Senates review and super-majority approval before ratifying international health treaties. States like Utah, Florida, and Louisiana have also acted to preserve the U.S. Constitution amid global biosecurity totalitarianism. A network of unelected financial elites and their bureaucratic puppets are pushing the WHO pandemic treaty to subjugate free nations with global collectivism. They must fail. Tell your political representatives to defend health freedom. Jeffrey Fischels, Cedar Falls The President of Russia signed decrees on the appointment of members of the Government of the Russian Federation and directors of services . By Decree No. 382 dated May 14, 2024, the head of state appointed: Lavrov Sergei Viktorovich Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation From TASS material : For more than 20 years as minister, Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov became the real embodiment of domestic diplomacy, the face of the era. This is due not only to his record political longevity. Lavrov is appreciated because under his leadership the voice of Russia sounds loudly and adamantly on the international stage. All this time, the head of the diplomatic department has been working on building a multipolar world system, where Moscow plays a decisive role. This process is not painless and has its price, but the current confrontation with the West has once again shown the inevitability of this revolution. On the other hand, Russias rapidly strengthening ties with the countries of the global South clearly indicate that Lavrovs efforts are achieving their goal. WtR The 2024 West Regional Classic Firefighter Challenge got underway on Thursday. If you're unfamiliar with the event, it's a chance for firefighters to come together and compete, showing off their emergency firefighting skills to the community. For the event, they built a massive course with a series of challenges for the firefighters to conquer. Back in 1978, Dr. Paul Davis did research with the Maryland Institute of Fire to better understand firefighter fatigue, what they go through and the strain that is put on their body. These tests eventually turned into a fun competition that's now worldwide. They start the challenges in full firefighting gear from head to toe, everything they would wear in an emergency fire situation. They begin at the bottom of a tower with a 42-pound hose that goes over their shoulder, then they climb four stories to the top of the tower where they then have to haul the hose all the way to the top of the tower. But it doesn't end there. Jacqueline Belluomini, the Captain with Las Vegas Fire and Rescue tells us the next steps in the challenge. Once we come off, we come over here to the forcible entry," she said. "Its a 160-pound slug that we hit with a nine-pound mallet. Weve got to move it six feet behind us and after that we take off and run 75 feet around delineators to grab a charged hose line, bring it all the way back down to hit a target with the nozzle. To end the challenge, they pick up a 175-pound dummy and drag it 106 feet to finish the race. Clearly this is a ton of work to finish the race. But everyone participating wants to prove they are the best of the best at firefighting, and these are just a few skills to show the community what they can do, but in a fun way. As for how strenuous the race is? Captain Belluomini explains You hate yourself in the first five seconds. You've hit that complete exhaustion within five seconds before you even make your first turn, and then you just have to go all the way up there. You have a job to do so you are literally fighting yourself, fighting the fatigue, fighting the voices in your head that are telling you youre tired, just trying to push through every point that your body naturally wants to take a rest and take a break. You have to push that aside and push yourself harder. Firefighters from all over the country participate in this competition. They say this is the type of competition where the firefighter brotherhood kicks in and everyone starts helping one another. Captain Belluomini tells us about some of the preparation before the race. The night before, when we have our open practice, when were warming up before, the older guys who have been doing this for a while, if someone is struggling with a skill, we will help each other. 'Hey try this, this might work a little better for you. Check your feet on this. Put your hands here. Try this technique when you lift,'" she said. The Captain says she's even seen some firefighters forget some of their gear and other firefighters will share their own to help them finish the race. She say's this race is a huge bonding moment for all the firefighters, and they often stay in touch after the competition because lifelong friendships are built during the event. Even though it's a competition, the firefighters say it's also a great way for the community to watch them in action. This gives everyone a chance to come out and see what we do," said Captain Belluomini. "I mean, we are going up the stairs. We are pulling hose up, we are trying to break doors down, and if we have to drag somebody out, absolutely this is what we have to do. Picking up guys that are bigger than we are. Everything on this course weighs more than me but you still have to be able to do it. Captain Belluomini also tells us what it's like being a woman in firefighting. She says it's an industry where you have to prove yourself, but both the men and women are very supportive of one another. When you're out here doing it everyone wants you to do well, she said. "So being able to train and do these things actually made me better at my job, and gave me the confidence to do my job and made me able to finish and do... so they dont think when I walk in to the station, they dont think 'oh, we have a female in here.' No, we just have another fireman. She tells us the competition is all about the firefighters getting out there, doing their best and having fun with it. From left to to right, San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association President Joe Jones, former legislative director Rudy Morales and negotiations committee member Joe Alderete III, wait at Thursday's City Council meeting for City Manager Erik Walsh to brief the council about the citys ongoing labor contract negotiations with the firefighters' union. Jessica Phelps Five City Council members who pressed for a closed-door meeting to discuss contract negotiations with the firefighters' union got their wish albeit a week late and after calling for a new city attorney. Council got an eight-minute briefing on the state of the contract talks Thursday, and then shuffled off to a closed-door executive with city staffers session presumably to parse what theyd heard in open session. They talked for more than two hours. It was an unexpectedly quiet end to seven days of rancor, which featured a war of words between the five council members and City Attorney Andy Segovia and lots of behind-the-scenes maneuvering. Advertisement Article continues below this ad ON EXPRESSNEWS.COM: Segovia appears likely to emerge unscathed from revolt As bargaining between the city and the union hit a wall over sharply divergent pay proposals, council members are clamoring to give city staff their two cents about the labor agreement in the making. Several council members asked to recess into a closed-door meeting on May 8 to talk candidly about the contract negotiations, but Mayor Ron Nirenberg said they could get individual updates from Segovia and City Manager Erik Walsh. The five dissidents tried forcing a meeting. When Segovia denied their request, they questioned his suitability and demanded to meet with Walsh about Segovia. Segovia responded by issuing a statement that seemed to suggest a council member had leaked information from a previous executive session. But one thing about Segovias comment was clear: he lacked faith that council could keep private conversations about contract talks to themselves. Advertisement Article continues below this ad At least two of the five council members who pushed for Thursdays discussion District 7 Council Member Marina Alderete Gavito and District 10 Council Member Marc Whyte were satisfied with the session. This was great, Whyte said. I appreciate the city manager really taking our concerns to heart. And today we really went over things in detail. I was happy we did. Council members Melissa Cabello Havrda, Teri Castillo and Jalen McKee-Rodriguez had also demanded a meeting to talk about the contract talks. Nirenberg said any discussions about how the contract affects the city budget will be held in open session. Walsh said it is too soon to tell how councils feedback would help shape the citys proposal. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I think we have a lot of work to do as staff to follow up with some of the questions that council had, and well need to have further conversations with them, he said. But at the end of the day, this process has to move along at the table. By the numbers Thursday was councils fourth closed-door discussion about the union negotiations. The San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association hasnt said yet whether it will enter nonbinding mediation to iron out a new contract, as the city has called for. The unions latest salary proposal seeks what it calls an equity adjustment of $7,500 to all union members pay and a 4% raise, effective Oct. 1, the start of the contracts first year. That would be followed by a $4,000 infusion on top of a 4% raise the second year, and a $2,000 bump and 4% raise in the third year. Under that proposal, the base pay for an entry-level firefighter would rise from $57,576 currently to $80,128 by Oct. 1, 2026, according to city estimates. The citys most recent salary offer would boost base pay by $2,400 in the first year of a five-year contract, followed by a 5.86% raise. Firefighters then would receive a 4% raise in each of the next four years of the contract, which would put base pay at $74,149 by Oct. 1, 2028. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The City Council has largely backed pay raises for firefighters, though its unclear exactly how much of a compensation hike theyd agree to. City staff claims the current union proposal 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 union President Joe Jones said is only for future consideration. The U.S. Coast Guard says early estimates show a barge collision in Galveston, Texas, may have spilled up to 2,000 gallons of oil in surrounding waters. The barge had drifted away from the tugboat pulling it and crashed into a bridge on Wednesday. The Coast Guard said Thursday that the impact caused the span to partially collapse and cut off the only road connecting Galveston to Pelican Island. State officials say early cleanup efforts have not identified any impacted wildlife. The bridge was struck by the barge around 9:50 a.m. when a tugboat backing out of Texas International Terminals, a fuel storage operator located next to the bridge, lost control of two barges it was pushing, said David Flores, a bridge superintendent with the Galveston County Navigation District. The current was very bad, and the tide was high. He lost it, Flores said. One of the barges hit the bridge and two telephone poles, he said. The tugboat was pushing what are called bunker barges, which are fuel barges for ships, Flores said. The collision resulted in oil spilling from the barge into the bay and crews were working to clean it up, he said. Aerial video showed portions of a rail line that runs parallel to the bridge on top of the barge. Flores said the rail line only serves as protection for the structure and has never been used. Pelican Island, which is connected to Galveston by the bridge, is home to a large shipyard, Texas A&M University of Galveston, and Seawolf Park, a former immigration station that now attracts tourists to its iconic fishing pier and decommissioned U.S. Navy vessels. The accident came weeks after a cargo ship crashed into a support column of the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, killing six construction workers. Fire trucks drove over the bridge to Pelican Island on Wednesday as workers and law enforcement officials looked at the remnants of the collapsed rail line. Aerial footage showed a large piece of broken concrete and debris from the railroad hanging off the side of the bridge and laying on the barge that officials said rammed into the passageway. A statement posted on the City of Galveston's Facebook page said there were no reports of injuries and that the island is currently inaccessible to car traffic. Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation are also enroute to inspect the roadway and determine if there is damage, the statement said. The bridge will remain closed until it is deemed safe to use. One business, Baywatch Dolphin Tours, said they were seeking the university's approval to shuttle people off the island and were planning how to provide a long-term service while bridge repairs are underway. Opened in 1960, the Pelican Island Causeway Bridge was rated as Poor according to the Federal Highway Administrations 2023 National Bridge Inventory released last June. The overall rating of a bridge is based on whether the condition of any of its individual components the deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert, if present is rated poor or below. In the case of the Pelican Island Causeway Bridge, inspectors rated the deck in Satisfactory Condition, the substructure in Fair Condition and the superstructure or the component that absorbs the live traffic load in Poor Condition. The bridge has one main steel span that measures 164 feet (50 meters), and federal data shows it was last inspected in December 2021. However, its unclear from the data if a state inspection took place after the Federal Highway Administration compiled the data. The bridge had an average daily traffic figure of about 9,100, according to a 2011 estimate. (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.) Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in 9 to 5 and the nasty TV director in Tootsie, has died. He was 92. Coleman died Thursday, May 16, his daughter, Quincy Coleman, told The Hollywood Reporter. No other details were immediately available. The great Dabney Coleman literally created, or defined, really in a uniquely singular way an archetype as a character actor. He was so good at what he did its hard to imagine movies and television of the last 40 years without him, Ben Stiller wrote on X. For two decades Coleman labored in movies and TV shows as a talented but largely unnoticed performer. That changed abruptly in 1976 when he was cast as the incorrigibly corrupt mayor of the hamlet of Fernwood in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, a satirical soap opera that was so over the top no network would touch it. Producer Norman Lear finally managed to syndicate the show, which starred Louise Lasser in the title role. It quickly became a cult favorite. Colemans character, Mayor Merle Jeeter, was especially popular and his masterful, comic deadpan delivery did not go overlooked by film and network executives. A 6-footer with an ample black mustache, Coleman went on to make his mark in numerous popular films, including as a stressed out computer scientist in War Games, Tom Hanks father in Youve Got Mail and a fire fighting official in The Towering Inferno. He won a Golden Globe for The Slap Maxwell Story and an Emmy Award for best supporting actor in Peter Levins 1987 small screen legal drama Sworn to Silence. Some of his recent credits include Ray Donovan and a recurring role on Boardwalk Empire, for which he won two Screen Actors Guild Awards. (MUSIC INTRO) [00:00:01] Bob: This week on The Perfect Scam. [00:00:03] Victor Font: EMS works so closely with police and fire that it's almost like a universal brotherhood, you know of shared experiences. And you learn the lingo, you learn how to talk to people who you work with that closely, and I really believed I was talking to police officers because they answered me like any other police officer would have that I might have worked with in the past. (MUSIC SEGUE) [00:00:32] Bob: Welcome back to The Perfect Scam. I'm your host, Bob Sullivan. It's really easy to find personal information about anyone and everyone these days. You've probably heard a lot about data breaches at big companies. I mean if you've never googled yourself, you should probably do that right now. But you might be surprised to find there are plenty of other sources where criminals can find out information about you that they can use to invent a very believable story that leads to a perfect scam. And one of those sources can be Uncle Sam. Victor Font has enjoyed a long career in information technology, first in New Jersey, and then in North Carolina. In fact, he's even written a book called The Cybersecurity Primer. He's spent a lifetime making people aware of the risks they face online, and that's why he was floored by what happened to him earlier this year. But before we get to that, I want you to know something else about Victor that makes him special. [00:01:37] Victor Font: I was an EMT. I was part of the New Jersey paramedical pilot program. I was one of the first 500 paramedics to graduate from the New Jersey State Department of Health Training Program. Uh, we got paramedicine started but before you can enter the paramedic program, the law back then was that you had to work as a volunteer EMT for at least one year and have it, all your hours documented. So I did my volunteer time in Union City Volunteer Ambulance Corps. [00:02:09] Bob: What attracted you to doing this? [00:02:11] Victor Font: I've always had an interest in medicine. In fact, I had enrolled at St. Peter's College between high school and college, I was enrolled at in the Premed Program at St. Peter's, and my father had a stroke right after graduation, high school graduation, and I didn't have a choice. I had to drop out of college and go to work to take care of my family. [00:02:33] Bob: So ever since that moment you, since you were in high school, you wanted to be involved in medicine in some way, and this was a way to scratch that itch, right? [00:02:41] Victor Font: Exactly. [00:02:42] Bob: I don't know if you've ever known someone who works as an EMT. It's quite a calling. They rush out whenever anyone needs help in urgencies. They work under tremendous pressure, and they often do it with little or no sleep. [00:02:59] Victor Font: Well, back then, we were part of the pilot program. There weren't a lot of medics. I had two fulltime jobs. I worked at Jersey City Medical Center fulltime, and I worked at Clara Maass Medical Center fulltime because there weren't enough paramedics in the state to fill all the roles. So it was Belleville, Clara Maass, I worked the 11-7 shift and then I would drive to Jersey City and work 8-4. [00:03:25] Bob: When did you sleep? [00:03:26] Victor Font: We were actually allowed to sleep on the job if we weren't actively on a call. [00:03:32] Bob: Oh my God, but your, your version of sleep was sleeping in the firehouse basically, right? [00:03:36] Victor Font: Basically. It's naptime, eating meals very quickly because as soon as you sit down to eat, you're almost inevitably going to have a call to respond to. So it, it's just one of those things. It, you know, but I was young. I had a lot of energy, and uh, it worked. [00:03:53] Bob: So you can already tell Victor is a caring person. He's also a man who takes his obligations seriously. He has a special needs brother who until recently lived with his family. And our story begins on a very difficult day for Victor. Not long after his family realized they just couldn't care for his brother at home any longer. [00:04:17] Victor Font: This has to do with my brother. He's 10 years younger than me. We had to put him into a group home. He lived with us for 27 years, and when his health needs became too extensive for me to be able to handle here at home, we had no choice. We put him in a group home and the only available bed in North Carolina was in Charlotte. [00:04:38] Bob: There was a dispute with the group home about where his brother's Social Security payments should be deposited, and it dragged on and on. Victor had to spend endless hours on the phone with the Social Security Administration. Red tape is bad enough, but red tape on top of heartache is just the worst. [00:04:59] Victor Font: I am my brother's representative payee, and I had been his representative payee since 1995, which means I have the responsibility of making his financial decisions because he's not capable of making those decisions himself. I had just come back from the bank that morning to open up another custodial account for my brother, and the bank refused to do it because they wanted to see an original award certificate from Social Security that said I was the representative payee. Now the problem with that is that I was a representative payee since 1995. That award program didn't start until the year 2000. So there's no such letter for me. And the bank wouldn't buy it. So I came home, I was trying to figure out my next steps, I was really, you know, feeling down because this shouldn't be so difficult. So I decided to chill out a little bit. I sat down in my living room. I turned on my PS5, I started playing a video game, and the phone rang... [00:06:06] Bob: What now, Victor thinks. [00:06:08] Victor Font: Normally, my habit is not to answer the phone unless it's for a person who's already in my contact list. But this phone number came in from Smithfield, North Carolina, and my daughter and her family live the next town over, Selma. And I was thinking, well maybe this has something to do with them, 'cause I know they go to the uh, aquatic center there for the kids, swimming lessons, whatever. [00:06:34] Bob: So Victor picks up the phone and he could never have predicted what he heard next. [00:06:41] Victor Font: I'm greeted by a person identifying himself as a Wake County Sheriff's officer, and that a warrant had been issued for my arrest, it's coming across his desk and, and so on and so forth. [00:06:53] Bob: And arrest warrant? That doesn't make any sense. [00:06:58] Victor Font: Now I didn't believe him at all at first. He, he was asking me to confirm my email address, and I said, "Why do you need me to confirm my email address? I don't understand that. And he said, "I need you to confirm the email address." "Is, is this is your email address," and he, he's yelling at me over the phone. I said, "Yeah. Now why do you want to know that for?" I shouldn't have said, yes, that that was my email address. He said, "Well look at your email." And I open my email, and I see a warrant sent to me. [00:07:25] Bob: Victor scans the pdf attachment in his email. His eyes glaze over the two-page document. It's on court letterhead, it's got his name on it, a judge's signature, and his head starts to swim. [00:07:39] Victor Font: I'm saying, "What is this about?" And he starts talking to me that this was my PPP loan application was flagged as fraudulent. The federal government is looking for recovery and asking the local sheriffs' departments to handle the warrants. The warrant was supposably an arrest warrant for failure to appear in court. And I said, "I have, I have no, no knowledge. I was never subpoenaed to go to court," and so on and so forth. He says, "Well, look at the warrant." And I'm reading it and, and it sure says that and, and signed by a judge. At that point I, I said, "I have no idea what this is about. What are you talking about?" [00:08:20] Bob: What are you talking about? A PPP loan? Before we go on, let me remind you what those were. During COVID, the federal government instituted several programs to protect individuals and small businesses who lost their income. PPP loans, Paycheck Protection Program Loans, were given to companies so they could pass the money on to employees, rather than lay them off. [00:08:44] Victor Font: I'm actually a, a single-member LLC, my business, and when PPP was available, it was not available to folks like me at the beginning because I had no employees. But towards the last two or three months of the program, there was so much money leftover in the PPP funds that the Biden Administration opened it up to sole proprietors and single-member LLCs. So I said, "Well, let me see if I can qualify," and I went through; I received $10,500 as a forgivable PPP loan. That is what they were referring to. [00:09:25] Bob: You might recall that there have been a lot of high-profile news stories about fraud and pandemic relief programs, and in particularly the PPP loan program, so there were some aggressive efforts to investigate fraud. Victor had heard about those and he immediately worries he's somehow caught up in that, but how could that be? [00:09:45] Victor Font: That's what they were going after. A loan that had already been forgiven and the way that you had to file that paperwork, you had to provide tax returns, you had to prove your income, and they average it for the last year, whatever it was, and I knew I couldn't imagine how it could be a fraudulent application. [00:10:07] Bob: Victor had long ago filled out all the right paperwork and his loan had been forgiven. But the man on the other end of the phone insists he is under arrest for fraud. And he seems to know everything about Victor's loan, how much he received, the date of the loan, even the bank that issued the loan, and now he's told Victor is technically under arrest already, but there's a way to fix this problem quickly. Victor just has to pay back the loan right now. [00:10:36] Victor Font: There's another document that he sends that they're allowed to do what they call an unaccompanied arrest and adjudication or whatever the term they used. And it meant that I had to stay on the phone with them until I went through all the gyrations of sending them the money through a bitcoin machine, and uh it, it was one of those things that you know I didn't know what to do. [00:11:03] Bob: Victor is feeling totally overwhelmed. This conversation is even worse than the conversation he was having with the bank over his brother's Social Security payments. But something about the way this man is talking to him on the phone, he really feels like he's in big trouble. [00:11:20] Victor Font: I worked closely with EMS. EMS works so closely with police and fire that it's almost like a universal brotherhood, you know of shared experiences. And you learn the lingo, you learn how to talk to people who you work with that closely, and I really believed I was talking to police officers because they answered me like any other police officer would have that I might have worked with in the past. As we're driving around talking, I said, "So tell me,"... um, oh, by this time they handed me over to the second guy. I got passed over to a person who identified himself as the sergeant who would talk me through the process of paying the bail and surrendering myself for processing at Wake County Sheriff's Department. As I'm on the phone, saying, "How, how many people do have in Wake County that uh have been flagged for fraudulent..." He said, "Oh, we have over 900 people." And you know what, I believe him. I think he was telling me the truth about that. And then I said, "How many people are on the phone with your right now? Are you tracking on the phone?" He said, "We have 16 people online with us right now." [00:12:29] Bob: Oh my God. [00:12:30] Bob: So he asks the sergeant, what does he have to do. [00:12:34] Victor Font: So first they wanted $11,500. I said, "There's no way I can come up with that money." And they said, they put me on with the watch commander who said he can lower the amount to $5000, or 5500, or whatever it was. And I said, "Okay, that's reasonable." [00:12:54] Bob: Victor gets in his car and follows their instructions very carefully. [00:12:59] Bob: So you, you paid 5500. How, how did they, how did you make payment? [00:13:02] Victor Font: They want you to go to the bank, take out cash, and then go to a bitcoin machine and submit the cash to a bitcoin wallet that they provide for you. [00:13:12] Bob: And, and you did that before the close of business that day. [00:13:15] Victor Font: Yes. [00:13:17] Bob: Those instructions include a very clear warning: Do not tell anyone why you need the cash. In particular, don't tell the bank. So Victor gets the cash, goes to the bitcoin machine and makes that payment, and he thinks he's put this behind him until... [00:13:35] Victor Font: "Oh, You just got flagged, uh it's red-flagged and we can't do this right now. You're going to have to go pay the rest of it." And it was a nightmare. [00:13:45] Bob: So he sends the rest of the money to get to that original total, $11,500, using the same way, through a bitcoin machine, but then there's more bad news. [00:13:56] Victor Font: And when the second one goes through, they send you a note that says, "You've been red-flagged again, uh because the payment has to be done in one lump sum." [00:14:07] Bob: Oh goodness. [00:14:09] Bob: He's told the court doesn't accept the combination of the two payments. He'll have to make a single payment to end the investigation, but not to worry because he'll receive a refund check for the two payments he's made. [00:14:21] Victor Font: "You can pick it up at the US District Court Clerk's Office, and then convert it to cash and pay it all at one time." At this point, it's after 5, banks are closed. I had nothing, I, I can't do anything, and he said, "Well, the watch commander's back on the phone." He says, "Go home, keep in mind you're still under arrest. Do not get stopped by the police because you will spend the night in jail. We'll resolve this in the morning." [00:14:45] Bob: We'll resolve it in the morning. Ugg, so Victor has to spend the entire night worrying about this, worrying about getting arrested, worrying about his brother, about his brother's finances. And he's also got just a bad sinus headache. [00:15:00] Bob: I mean how did you sleep that night? What did you feel like? [00:15:03] Victor Font: Anxious. I got very little sleep that night thinking about what is going on, what the, what could this possibly mean? You know we've gone through some, the pandemic was devastating, and then we had a number of serious medical life happens events in, in our family. Basically wiped us out, you know, and we were just starting to rebuild, just starting to get some cash flow running. I had to suspend my business, my IT business for two, almost two years while I took care of medical needs of family members. I had very little time to work. It was, things were just starting to turn around and starting to look good again. We were starting to get a little bit of cash flow back in. The business is starting to get some more uh recognition, then this happened and there was just a, one of those really hard blows that, that come. Uh you know it's not like I'm loaded with uh money that I could afford 11.5 going out. I, I couldn't. And that, that's been a big setback. [00:16:09] Bob: After a long night of tossing and turning, Victor heads to court the next day to finally straighten it all out. He plans to get that refund check and make the lump sum payment and put all this behind him. [00:16:21] Victor Font: I got up early, the US District Court in Raliegh opens at 8:30 in the morning. And I said, look, this stuff, let me go to the court. And I got up early. I was at the court at 8:30. And trying to get into a federal court these days is a TSA nightmare anyway. It's, it's the same kind of thing. When I got there, went through security, I went to the court clerk's office, and I asked if there was a check there for me? And they're looking at me and they said, "Look, you know, that's not part of our normal process. But we do get checks here on occasion." And I said, "Well I'm supposed to have a check here." "Well maybe it just hasn't been delivered yet." [00:16:58] Bob: No check. Hmm, Victor thinks that supervisor on the phone certainly sounded confident. But something about the court clerk's voice makes him wonder. So he asks... [00:17:10] Victor Font: "Can you please check something for me? Can you please check my name to see if it's in the court docket?" It wasn't. There was nothing. I was never, my name has never appeared on the federal court docket. [00:17:22] Bob: Never on the docket? Oh no! [00:17:27] Victor Font: And I started laughing. I had no other response, I started laughing. [00:17:31] Bob: Laughing instead of crying because Victor has realized the whole thing is a lie. But the information the caller had was so real; he knew everything about the PPP loan. Well, Victor learns, he isn't alone. [00:17:46] Victor Font: At that point, the clerk told me that they had been receiving calls for the past few days about this, and they didn't know anything about what was going on. So it was, in my mind, a relatively new scam in Raleigh. [00:17:59] Bob: A relatively new scam; criminals armed with details about PPP loans intimidate recipients into sending fraudulent payments, claiming the now-forgiven loans must be repaid. The court clerk gives Victor some advice on what to do next. [00:18:15] Victor Font: And I found out later that, you know, a lot of people are being affected by this. After the court clerk, she recommended that I call the US District Attorney's Office, and she actually gave me the name of the receptionist there; they, they were good friends. And she said, "Just go ask for this person. She'll tell you exactly what you need to do." [00:18:34] Bob: So Victor calls the District Attorney's Office, he fills out a form at the internet crime complaint center, but he's told there's nothing anyone can do about the money. [00:18:44] Bob: When your spider sense turned out to be correct, I mean you, you laughed in irony I'm sure, but tell--, tell me more about what that's like, what's that moment like? [00:18:52] Victor Font: Well for me it was just like, I can't believe this just happened. I, I mean I was dumbfounded, especially I had done so many online cybersecurity webcasts and podcasts. I did live presentations on this stuff before the pandemic, and I've helped raise the risk awareness of, of cybercrime for thousands of people. And I got caught, and that's, to me, the irony of it, because it can happen to anyone. And as I really started thinking about who they are targeting, and the struggles that small business owners had during the pandemic, and how these PPP loans were lifelines, they literally put food on my table, I just got angry at that point. And I said, I want to do something to get this out and let people know that this is happening. [00:19:45] Bob: So how did the criminals know so much about Victor and about all the details of his PPP loan? [00:19:52] Victor Font: Apparently, when government money is involved government money is involved, they publish everything online. Crooks don't even have to go to the Dark Web. After this all, was all over, I did a search online and I looked up all the PPP loans that were issued during that program in my zip code. And there were hundreds and hundreds of them. And can you see the amounts, you see the bank that lent you the money, you see the date you received the money, the date it was forgiven. It's all online. US government publishes this stuff. So... [00:20:27] Bob: So I'm, I'm actually look--, I'm looking at your, yours right now, actually and obviously we won't play any of the details, uh but I just went to the pandemicoversight.gov website, and here it is, date approved 2021-05-14. Does that sound right? [00:20:42] Victor Font: That's right. [00:20:43] Bob: Yeah, for, that's a low 5-digit number for a bank that's from a large state. Does that all sound right? [00:20:49] Victor Font: Yep. [00:20:50] Bob: Yeah, wow, that's remarkable. What does that feel like to suddenly look and you, you had no idea this was public information, right? [00:20:56] Victor Font: No. I had no idea. And, and that was a shock. [00:21:00] Bob: So, what feeling are you left with given that this money of yours has now been stolen and obviously it hurts, well what--, how do you feel about it right now? [00:21:09] Victor Font: Well, I, it's one of those things, I mean the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. I can't do anything about recovering that money. I just have to work, and if I have to take on another part-time job or something else to make up the difference, I'm going to have to do that, and I'm 69 years old, so uh, you know, I don't have a lot of options at this point. [00:21:28] Bob: And you were anxious to talk with us which I'm very grateful for. Teall me why. [00:21:32] Victor Font: Why? Because you have a national audience, and because the people that are being targeted by this scam are just like me. They're folks who have been struggling through the pandemic, who have had a lot of impact because of what was going on and, and the, the loss of business and, and everything else when in person meetings stopped. And then just the fact that a lot of small business owners I know personally are in my age group. I've got folks that are doing things that in their 60s and 70s trying to just make ends meet, supplement their Social Security and so on and so forth. And it just got me angry that the most vulnerable are the ones that are being targeted. I just want people to know that these people are so professional. I had a friend who worked in um, he was a corrections officer in Rahway State Prison in New Jersey. And he told me one day that the criminals are planning 24/7 of how to get over on the guards, how to escape, how to do this, how to just be bad. Where the guards work there 8 hours a day, they go home, and they don't think about work again. Well, these criminals are as fulltime professions. They are very well-practiced, in fact, if they were in a movie, they would probably be up for Oscars or at last earn a SAG card, but they are that well-trained and uh, don't fall for it. The police are not going to tell you over the phone that there's a warrant. If it's true, they will deliver it to your home. They will subpoena you. And you just have to be aware that, you know, law enforcement procedures are very different from what these scammers do. You get anyone identifying themselves as a police officer on the phone, just hang up. [00:23:29] Bob: You, you know what your, your friend, who worked in the prison, that, that's a really strong and fascinating piece of advice. I, I used to give talks on cybersecurity myself and I also used to have a dog and a big yard. And when I first got my dog, I didn't, I had a fence, but I didn't realize the fence was not good enough for this dog who would find a way to dig under it or whatnot, right, so I would repair that and then I would go to work. And then I'd get another call from a neighbor that he had gotten out again. And I realized same, same as you said, you know what, I have my Saturday afternoon to like look for holes in my fence, my dog had all day. He'd just walk around looking for another way to get out of the yard. And that's a lot what these criminals are like. [00:24:08] Victor Font: That's exactly what they're like. They just want to hurt people. And they have no remorse, they have no conscience. [00:24:14] Bob: Is there, first of all, I'm sure what you want is to warn people, uh, but I wonder if there's any advice, sort of the wisdom of hindsight that you might give to, to somebody in a situation like this. [00:24:23] Victor Font: Yes. Absolutely do not answer your phone if they're not in your contact list. Send it to voicemail. If it's important enough for them to talk to you, they'll leave you a message. [00:24:35] Bob: As taxpayers, we want government records to be open for inspection. But open government rules are often intentioned with the needs with private citizens to maintain their privacy. Public PPP records gave criminals fodder to attack Victor. Criminals use public records to attack the vulnerable in other ways too. To talk about this problem a little bit more, we wanted to speak with Jessica Tunon who has spent years working as an advocate for privacy rights when it comes to government records. Several years ago, Jessica was being harassed by a former romantic partner and discovered how wide her digital footprint was. When she tried getting her phone number and other personal information off the web, she discovered something very few people know. While so much attention rightly, has gone toward private companies like data brokers, government agencies also expose personal information like what happened to Victor. She then went on a 5-year crusade to do something about that, and well, we'll let her tell you what happened. [00:25:39] Jessica Tunon: First, anything with government is very much, I don't know how you say, convoluted or... [00:25:47] Bob: Convoluted is a good word, I think. [00:25:48] Jessica Tunon: ...that with the information that we provide, we're not actually aware of where that goes. Whether you have a driver's license, whether you have a utility bill, or anything with a government service, we're not privy to where that information goes and how often it is shared, and why it is shared. There are disclaimers, but the disclaimers are not necessarily shared as well. And if there is a data breach or anything that happens, we're not actually aware of that as well. There are a lot of laws that are there, but not all of them are to protect us as citizens. [00:26:34] Bob: There are plenty of government databases full of information on private citizens that can be searched. Property tax records, for example. Voting registration records. [00:26:45] Bob: I'm just wondering what it feels like when you have made a determination that you, you want to be private and then you go online and you see Uncle Sam is exposing my personal information. What does that feel like? [00:26:57] Jessica Tunon: That's a great question. It feels as if there's no protection. [00:27:02] Bob: When Jessica first determined she really needed to scrub her online presence, she began to find all these places where government websites were exposing her to potential stalking. I asked her to talk about what it was like to get that information removed. [00:27:17] Jessica Tunon: Well first, so, you know about voter registration, one I didn't realize that, and that it was made public. You know you get the, any inserts in the mail, and you're like, oh, how did they get my information? And then to actually contact them personally to find out, okay, why is that information shared? And is there an opportunity for me to unshare that? And if there, I can unshare that, what do I need to do? There's just a lot more steps than I had ever realized of something that I was not aware of, you know, once you sign up for something, the lengths you need to go to to actually get that removed and who you need to talk to. [00:27:57] Bob: I, I can't even imagine calling, you know, Mr. Voter Registration, whoever that is, and saying, "Remove my information from a, a website please." Like were you successful at any of this? [00:28:07] Jessica Tunon: Yes, I was actually. [00:28:09] Bob: Real estate transaction information is public too. This is something many homebuyers come to learn the hard way. [00:28:18] Jessica Tunon: One is that, yes, I purchased a home; however, when I purchased a home did I, was I aware of that information and where it would be shared? And they're shared between different entities. So it's not just purchasing a home, it's every single paper that goes along with purchasing a home. And you get so excited to have this, you know, opportunity to purchase something and have the financial to do that and, and then you also have to be aware of everything that goes along with it, and who else would want to know that you purchased a home and why. [00:28:52] Bob: And I know uh, many people have had the experience of buying a piece of property, and then you get bombed, mail-bombed with spam of all sorts, you know. Um, but that's a very low-level risk. There are, there are greater risks. Can, can you help, help us understand what those greater risks might be? [00:29:06] Jessica Tunon: The greater risks of one, your home itself and knowing where you live. Every time you do anything, that also, that information's out there and not only is it out there but then that information is sold, and you don't who know that is sold, or how often it's sold or how much information is actually there to make it easily available to others... [00:29:30] Bob: So I think one of the points I hear you making is whatever the mechanics of government are, we need people to be aware that this information will end up in a public place because it's just not what you're thinking when you're, when you're file--, filing for a loan like Victor did. [00:29:43] Jessica Tunon: That is very true. Yes, and oftentimes you look at government as a protector, and not necessarily for marketing or a business, and so that information that you might think is there protecting you and they are giving you that opportunity which is a wonderful opportunity having a business and then having resources to be able to continue your business and you don't realize everything else that goes along with it. [00:30:09] Bob: So I know there was a time when you were working pretty fervently and actively on efforts to remove this kind of information both from corporate and from, from government websites. Can you talk to me about those efforts? [00:30:20] Jessica Tunon: Yes. I talk about the effort of trying to get my information no longer made public or to no longer have, in this case a, a romantic partner message me, the lengths to go to is quite extensive by phone number, by address, by anything that's online. So whether it is a professional instance or personal, the lengths that you can go to to have your information not shared is hard and then once you perhaps reach out to companies to ask them that you don't feel safe and you want your information blocked, they may not necessarily understand your plight. [00:31:04] Bob: Did you reach out to government agencies as well? [00:31:06] Jessica Tunon: I did. I reached out to many agencies not realizing that government itself also shared my information. Um, I was, there's no fine line in that as well, you know once you have a, a mailbox and you do a change of address, and if you do it, instead of having it temporary you do it permanent, that information is made public, or just a home made public, or driver's license, that's made public. [00:31:33] Bob: This all sounds so exhausting. [00:31:35] Jessica Tunon: It has been very exhausting. And to be honest, it's government that is the one who doesn't share with you that once you sign up, you know to do a change of address, or you have a driver's license, or a utility or credit, that's not shared where that information's going and why it's going to somewhere else, you know. When you want to become a voter, the fact that that information is made public, all the things that you would not think your information was just made public is, and so that awareness changes things greatly. [00:32:06] Bob: It certainly doesn't sound fair that you have to do all this work. You didn't ask for any of this. [00:32:10] Jessica Tunon: No, I didn't ask for it, and not to say that I needed to even go through all this, and you know, to the extent that I did. [00:32:17] Bob: As we're talking about it now, it seems like pretty obvious and simple that if you are say a victim of domestic violence, you don't want your address to be in public tax records, but yet you had to spend years and talk about it until the point people were sick of you talking about it in order to get something done about it which is telling to me. It's telling that I think it explains how hard it is to convince people this, there's a real problem here. Would you agree? [00:32:41] Jessica Tunon: Yes. [00:32:42] Bob: But Jessica didn't just complain. She learned that some states had actually passed laws protecting victims of partner violence and others from exposure by government records, so she worked to get such a law passed in Washington DC where she lives. [00:32:58] Jessica Tunon: Yeah, that was actually one of the success stories. Uh, because of that, there was an opportunity to even have a, there was a hearing that done, um, learning about this program in Washington DC called the Address Confidentiality Program. And not realizing that, of that being confidential, because you know when you vote, there's that information is shared when you vote of, you know, where you live and your first name and last name and what party you belong to. And then to find out there was even more people who also wanted to learn all-, um, about it too. And so to have um, an opportunity to speak with my uh city council and others, not only within DC government but nonprofits and for-profits and concerned citizens like myself, but being able to learn more about what information is shared and what isn't shared and testifying about laws that, you know, could potentially protect you as well. [00:33:54] Bob: I think you are understating your role in this just a little bit. You were a pretty prominent advocate for Washington DC to pass a new regulation requiring Address Confidentiality Programs, right? [00:34:07] Jessica Tunon: Yes. I was one of many. I, I did testify for that, yes. [00:34:12] Bob: What is an Address Confidentiality Program? [00:34:15] Jessica Tunon: It's an opportunity for people who are victims, and we're going to use the word victim v. survivor, but in this case, uh, we use the word victims of um, cyberstalking or domestic violence or anything in your life that where you feel unsafe and having the opportunity to not have your information shared publicly. And a lot of it is actually through government agencies and being able to be a part of that, to sign up for that and to know that my information is not going to be shared by government agencies is, makes you feel a lot safer. [00:34:51] Bob: Many of these laws allow victims to obscure their home address by providing an alternative dummy address for tax records, for example. [00:34:59] Bob: Yeah, but uh, if I remember correctly, I mean you worked on this for at least five years. It must have felt great when Washington DC did this. [00:35:05] Jessica Tunon: Oh my goodness. Can I tell you how happy? (laugh) [00:35:07] Bob: Yes, please tell me how happy. [00:35:08] Jessica Tunon: You can probably hear in my voice how happy I was. Um, I spent, I don't want to even share how many hours in time and how many people I spoke with within government with outside of government. Anyone who'd pretty much listen and friends of mine who no longer wanted to listen and ask me to share something else. And I was just so excited that this was happening, because this was something I had worked on personally with, with my own time for an extended period of time, but then also to be able to show that other people can feel safe themselves, um that really was like the best thing. And so in me sharing my own situation and what I went through then, you know, having others you know share on other people's behalves, and people who had reached out to me separately because they read an article, or they saw me testify or anything like that, and that person that was going through this process, not similar to mine, but in their own, in their own way, you know their, their support team you know would reach out to me and ask if there's anything that they can do, and how they can help them, which was really wonderful to have people out there that also wanted to help others. It's a really hard process and something hard, you know, difficult to even go through. [00:36:24] Bob: Doesn't of states now offer Address Confidentiality Programs. You can search on the internet for the best way to sign up. [00:36:31] Bob: The sad truth is most people do not realize how large a group it is of folks who really, it might be a life-or-death situation for them if someone that they don't want finds out where they live or what their phone number is or, or what name they're using even. There's a lot of people who are on, trying to keep those things secret for domestic violence reasons, partner violence reasons, other reasons. The rest of us who can, lucky enough to not have to worry about that, I think do not realize how large a universe that is. Can, can you help those folks understand, because you've heard from these people how, how, how many people are in this situation. [00:37:03] Jessica Tunon: Yeah, and it's not just the situation that, to your point, not just the situation is in, but it's also the family members or the neighbors or anything like that also. Making them aware of that information because or else if you've been a victim or not, you never know when it might happen to you. So being able to be aware of the fact that your information that is what you think is just provided easily, what you think is shared to a small group of where that can go and need to. [00:37:33] Bob: You said something really important which is, okay, so however sad this is, someone who's a victim of partner violence today, that's a, a fairly obvious need to keep your information private. Victor had no way of predicting the way that his personal information would have been used against him because he applied for a PPP loan. So privacy, that doesn't just impact what we can imagine as a bad thing today, but there are unknown bad things coming in the future that we have to worry about, right? [00:37:57] Jessica Tunon: Yes, yes. And when there is a breach, regardless if it's government or a company, and the breach as in, the information that you do share within any organization, that information that goes out and who it's made public to and how soon that entity, whether it be government or a company, how soon they need to share that your information was given out and what way it was given out. There's also not any law of how soon you will find out my information was shared and what was shared. There is opportunity to unshare it, um, there is no, as far as I know, there is no real law about that information. [00:38:38] Bob: You know this opportunity to unshare, you've used that phrase a lot, and I like, it's something, it's a phrase I don't really, I haven't really heard before. Can you tell me what you mean by an opportunity to unshare? [00:38:49] Jessica Tunon: So if I am going to sign up for say the, you know, in this instance or something that's government related, you can actually ask the government to not share your information. They do provide an actual line somewhere or a website or a phone number for you to go to so that that information is not made public. The extent of how long it takes, that I don't know. The cost sometimes, maybe you purchase a home or do something like that, you know, there might be more percent to that, but there are opportunities for you to do that. Again... [00:39:26] Bob: I, I didn't realize that was a thing, when you buy a house there's some form you can fill out so that you don't get a bunch of marketing after your mortgage closes? [00:39:31] Jessica Tunon: No, there's not, oh, I wish, I had looked into that. No. Um, that would be, no, but creating a trust, putting your, your the title in a trust, then yes, you can. [00:39:44] Bob: Ah interesting. [00:39:45] Jessica Tunon: And some banks honestly don't like that necessarily um, but even you know for in that situation, 'cause that information is made public, but yes, there are ways of going around it, but not all banks may want you to have that opportunity to go around it and may not, you know, provide that. So there are ways of, again, going around that, but that may take timing, finances to be able to do that. [00:40:10] Bob: But citizens can request that other government agencies unshare their information. [00:40:16] Jessica Tunon: Uh yeah, so if I wanted to have it, you know, removed, you just have to contact whoever it is and say, "Oh, can I remove this information," and say why. And then in the case for this, there is a way to remove yourself from it, who's already sold it and where it's gone, that's a different story, but going forward, there are ways of doing that. It might be a request that you need to make because of it, and what happened to you, so you might have to share your story or share, but as far as I know, you, you are able to get that removed. [00:40:45] Bob: It doesn't sound easy though. [00:40:46] Jessica Tunon: Oh, nothing's easy, no. (laugh) I, again, I'm not going to, I can't share the amount of hours and days and the people I've spoken to regarding the, and the fact that even I've gone through what I've gone through, you know, there's one data breach and my information's shared again. [00:41:05] Bob: That sounds frustrating. [00:41:06] Jessica Tunon: Yes, it is, because that happens often, and you don't understand why is that information shared or how or, you know a lot of even you know in government when you want to upgrade when they upgrade from say one database to another database and how that information might be shared, because there's an organization that, you know, helps government with that information. But there's one click that someone might do and that information's being shared again. [00:41:34] Bob: God. So... [00:41:35] Jessica Tunon: Which has happened. Yes. [00:41:36] Bob: Yeah, I'm sure, and I'm sure you must sit there pulling your hair out when that happens. [00:41:40] Jessica Tunon: (laugh) [00:41:41] Bob: I'm impressed you still have hair after all this, honestly. [00:41:44] Jessica Tunon: Yeah, and it's the thing is that, you know, when you sign up for things and you, you just don't know where that information's going. So any time you sign up for anything, you have to know and ask, but then, even then there's a breach that happens and where that information goes, so just know that every time there's a breach or there's a data migration that happens, the fact that someone may have checked you off as private and then made public because whatever reason, that is going to happen, so it's just knowing that, those things do happen, right. We, everyone is human, and there is no real law to protect you. [00:42:21] Bob: Let's say you're talking to the next government bureaucrat who, for good reasons, is working on making sure that information government taxpayer information is public. Well what would you say to that person so that they could keep all these other concerns in mind? [00:42:35] Jessica Tunon: I put that on the webpage the first thing I would write. (laugh) In bold and which, you know, if it's um, it, you know, accessible to everyone to be able to read, but I would put that on the first thing is that this information and how it's shared, and that you have an opportunity to unshare it. [00:42:50] Bob: Okay, so somebody listening to this program is thinking, I want to protect myself better, you know, Jessica's my hero. How I can be like her? What would you suggest to them? [00:42:58] Jessica Tunon: First, find out where your information is at. I don't know how many people just do a search on themselves, and where that is, and then you know contacting the companies to do that. So you actually can block your information but it might not be done as easily as you anticipate and it might be more time consuming and even when you do do that, they might share your information again. [00:43:20] Bob: It becomes kind of a part-time hobby, doesn't it? [00:43:23] Jessica Tunon: It did. It actually did. (laugh) And again, I, I can't even show you how many hours or how much time or how many conversations I had with people who just didn't want to talk to me anymore because that's all I could think about and talk about. [00:43:36] Bob: Yeah, but you, do you google yourself like once a month, once every six months? [00:43:40] Jessica Tunon: I do it once a month, and... [00:43:43] Bob: How often do you find something that makes your skin crawl? [00:43:45] Jessica Tunon: Every time. [00:43:46] Bob: Every time. [00:43:46] Bob: Every time. And that's why, unfortunately, we all have to take our own privacy seriously. All have to fight for it on a regular basis. Search for yourself online. Contact companies and government agencies publishing information about you that you don't want public because, like Victor, you never know when it might come back to hurt you. Now you won't always be successful, there will always be tension between the need for public records and the need for privacy, but it's important to, at least be aware of what anyone, what any criminal can learn about you. And most of all, never talk to someone who calls you unexpectedly on the phone, no matter how believable their story is. For The Perfect Scam, I'm Bob Sullivan. (MUSIC SEGUE) [00:44:43] Bob: If you have been targeted by a scam or fraud, you are not alone. Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360. Their trained fraud specialists can provide you with free support and guidance on what to do next. Our email address at The Perfect Scam is: theperfectscampodcast@aarp.org, and we want to hear from you. If you've been the victim of a scam or you know someone who has, and you'd like us to tell their story, write to us. That address again is: theperfectscampodcast@aarp.org. Thank you to our team of scambusters; Associate Producer, Annalea Embree; Researcher, Becky Dodson; Executive Producer, Julie Getz; and our Audio Engineer and Sound Designer, Julio Gonzalez. Be sure to find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. For AARP's The Perfect Scam, I'm Bob Sullivan. (MUSIC OUTRO) END OF TRANSCRIPT Mary Marble, 4, was killed in a shooting on Windsor Hollow on May 8. Ken Branca The 4-year-old killed in last weeks deadly shooting of a Northeast Side home has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office. Mary Marble died from a gunshot wound to the head after two men fired dozens of rounds into their home in the 67000 block of Windsor Hollow on May 8. Two adults, 25 and 27, and two other children, 7 and 8, were also wounded during the shooting. Sheriff Javier Salazar said the remaining family members were hospitalized but are now stable. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Marbles aunt, Jamett Zamora, created a GoFundMe for the family and said her nieces life was taken senselessly. Please help. RIP my baby girl you will be truly missed, Zamora wrote. The fundraiser is asking for donations to help the family. Advertisement Article continues below this ad At the time of this report, the two shooters seen on surveillance video have not been found. Veronica Crow, 51, was arrested Thursday and charged with murder in the death of her husband. Police said she shot him him while he slept on the living room couch. Gabriella Ybarra A San Antonio woman is accused of killing her husband while he slept. Veronica Crow, 51, was arrested Thursday and charged with murder. She is accused of fatally shooting her husband, Damian Crow, 49, at their Northwest Side home in the 8400 block of Pico De Aguila. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Crow shot her husband in the head with a pistol at least once while he slept on the living room couch around 3:55 a.m. Thursday. One of their adult children was in the home at the time. Salazar said officers were able to recover the pistol at the scene. Cheil India has launched a campaign which aims at brightening every moment through the awesome features of Galaxy A55 5G and A35 5G. The campaign films featuring the dynamic duo of Shanaya Kapoor and Rohan Gurbaxani encapsulate the spirit of Generation Z in todays swift socialising scenario. Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G combine the users personality and lifestyle with iconic design and advanced technology. Galaxy A55 5G and A35 5G come with innovative features such as Object Eraser and Nightography for flawless shots. These smartphones focus on what Gen Z values most and empower users to express themselves. The new Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G perfectly align with their fast-paced, connected lives, providing them with the tools to create and share their stories effortlessly. Commenting on the campaign, Aditya Babbar, Vice President, MX Business, Samsung India, said, Galaxy A series democratizes innovations by making them accessible to all. With the introduction of Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G, we are democratizing flagship-level features, experiences and affordability. In our new campaign, we are proud to showcase how Galaxy A55 and A35 5G continue to push boundaries, delivering cutting edge technology that empowers creativity and elevates user experience." Talking about the campaign, Vikash Chemjong, CCO, Cheil India, said, "We believe that everyone deserves awesomewhether it's awesome meetings, awesome memories, awesome ambitions, or simply an awesome life. And, when you finally get an awesome phone, you get one step closer to achieving the rest. The Galaxy A55 5G and A35 5G campaign film, highlighting the awesome camera, will be amplified across all digital and social media platforms, as well as in retail stores. Speaking about the campaign, Sanjeev Jasani, COO, Cheil India, said, Social media is an active part of todays Gen Z lives. Our Galaxy A55 5G and A35 5G films for Samsung are targeted at them as we highlight the awesome experiences of the device as it empowers Gen Z to level up their world, one awesome Galaxy A Series feature at a time. Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G come with an iconic design featuring a linear camera layout encased in an elegant glass back and a key island frame design for an easy and intuitive grip. The Galaxy A55 5G is available in Awesome Ice Blue and Navy Blue, providing a modern and cool color palette that appeals to a wide range of users. Meanwhile, the Galaxy A35 5G comes in three striking colorsAwesome Ice Blue, Navy Blue, and Lilacgiving users more options to express their personal style. Customers can own the Galaxy A35 5G at just INR. 1723 per month and Galaxy A55 5G at just INR. 1792 per month through Samsung Finance+. Emoha, India's premier eldercare brand, celebrates five years of revolutionizing the eldercare space with the launch of a groundbreaking initiative. Fuelled by a recent funding, Emoha is poised to extend its reach to the senior citizen segment of India's population. In a landmark move, Emoha partnered with Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Limited (ABHICL), the health insurance joint venture of Aditya Birla Capital, a leading diversified financial services conglomerate in India. This collaboration will empower ABHICL to offer personalized senior care solutions to its corporate clients and group mediclaim policyholders, thereby extending Emoha's comprehensive services to a wider audience across the nation. Through this partnership, Emoha reinforces its commitment of providing exceptional care and support to every elder in need, and aims to transform the landscape of eldercare in India, championing independence and dignity for the aging population. The collaboration with ABHI will empower Emoha to forge a path towards a future where senior care is not only accessible, but also tailored to address the unique needs of each individual in the family. Strengthened by recent investments, the company is poised for rapid growth, having raised USD 11mn in the Pre-Series B round at the platform level. With its propositions, Emoha aims to empower both seniors to live more independently and working generations to provide optimal care to their loved ones." Talking about recent collaborations Mr. Saumyajit Roy, Co-Founder & CEO of Emoha Added, "Our new strategic partnerships with ABHICL will allow us to significantly expand our reach and offerings for the elderly across India, ensuring holistic care for their emotional, physical and financial well-being. Group mediclaim policies typically cover the employee, their spouse, and children, but often exclude the parents of the employee. Emoha bridges this gap by offering care to the employee's parents. The recent funding is a testament to the confidence in our mission and approach. This investment will fuel our expansion plans, enabling us to forge more strategic partnerships and introduce innovative service offerings. We are committed to revolutionizing the eldercare landscape, ensuring that every senior citizen in India has access to personalized care that fosters independence and dignity. Under this partnership, ABHICL will extend the benefits offered by Emoha to its group mediclaim policyholders, thereby ensuring complete healthcare coverage for parents of its employees. Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Mayank Bathwal, CEO of Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Limited, said, "We are happy to collaborate with Emoha and integrate their innovative services into our offerings for our group mediclaim policyholders. By combining Emoha's tech-driven personalized care model with our comprehensive health insurance solutions, we will further enhance the standard of elderly care and ensure holistic coverage for the entire family. Talking about investments and future plans Mr. Pankaj Arora Chief Growth Officer (CGO), Emoha added, "Young adults often face immense stress juggling work and caring for aging loved ones. Emoha is here to change that. With a mission to revolutionize eldercare in India, we're committed to serving 2 million elders this year. By partnering with corporations, we offer tailored eldercare solutions, empowering employees with peace of mind to focus on their careers and personal lives. Our comprehensive services ensure their loved ones receive high-quality care, fostering independence and dignity. This creates a win-win: employees gain peace of mind, boosting productivity and engagement, while companies benefit from a happier, more focused workforce. Together, let's build a future where eldercare is a shared journey, creating a more supportive and compassionate society for all. Emoha provides comprehensive in-home and doorstep services to seniors, empowering them to live independently and with dignity. Since its inception in 2019, Emoha's community-centric and technology-driven approach has transformed the eldercare landscape, touching the lives of over 60,000 seniors across 120 cities in India. By offering essential support and companionship, Emoha ensures the safety and well-being of the elderly through a network of dedicated caregivers and specialized services. The company's expansive reach includes organizing thousands of events and life-saving initiatives, making it a trusted partner for families and a frontrunner in eldercare solutions. Google is requesting a non-jury trial in the ongoing anti-trust lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in January 2023. The DOJ alleges Google has abused its dominance in the online advertising market and seeks to force the company to divest its ad manager suite. This request highlights the growing tension between tech giants and regulators over fair competition in the digital age. Google argues that the technical intricacies of online advertising make a jury trial impractical. The company claims a judge would be better equipped to understand the nuances of the case. The DOJ lawsuit centers on Google's vast influence in the online advertising ecosystem. Google's ad network, encompassing the disputed ad manager tools, is a significant revenue generator, contributing 12% to the company's income in 2021. The DOJ argues this dominance stifles competition and potentially harms consumers. Google, on the other hand, maintains the DOJ's case oversteps the boundaries of antitrust law and doesn't address the realities of the competitive online advertising landscape. This is not the first time a big tech company has faced antitrust scrutiny. Regulators worldwide are increasingly concerned about the power wielded by major tech platforms. The outcome of this case could set a precedent for future antitrust actions against tech giants and their practices in the online advertising market. JK Maxx Paints proudly unveils its new brand campaign, #SingleBrandSharmaJi, aimed at solidifying its position as a premium home beautification solutions provider. Rooted in a legacy of trust and excellence spanning two decades, JK Maxx Paints builds upon the success of JK WallMaxX Wall Putty as the undisputed leader and custodian of beautiful walls and homes. Recognized for its strong distribution & market presence, brand leadership, commitment to quality & innovation, JK WallMaxX Wall Putty enjoys the unwavering trust of consumers nationwide. Understanding customers' evolving needs, JK Maxx expands its portfolio to now offering a complete range of decorative paints and finishes. The campaign resonates deeply with JK WallMaxX customers who prioritize trust and consistency in their choices. Featuring renowned actor Jimmy Shergill as Sharma ji, a discerning homeowner who values quality & fervent brand loyalty, the campaign underscores the reliability of JK Maxx Paints as the preferred choice for home beautification needs. Nitish Chopra, Dy. Business Head of JK Maxx Paints (JK Cement Ltd.), expressed excitement about the campaign, stating, "we are delighted to introduce our latest campaign, #SingleBrandSharmaJi, which encapsulates the essence of JK Maxx Paints and our unwavering commitment to trust, excellence and quality. With over two decades of leadership and innovation in enhancing wall aesthetics, exemplified by our flagship product JK WallMaxX Wall Putty, we are poised to elevate the standard of home beautification with JK Maxx Paints." In addition to television, the campaign will leverage various digital platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to reach a wider audience. JK Maxx Paints offers a diverse range of wall, wood, and metal paints, as well as textures and designer finishes, combining aesthetics with durability and protection. Grounded in core values of quality and customer satisfaction, the products offer superior performance, longevity, and visual appeal. Menaka Menon, current National Strategy Head, DDB Mudra Group has been elevated, for spearheading the south office. She will lead strategic thinking and operations for clients based out of the Bengaluru office. Ranji Cherian who successfully ran and scaled the south office for more than 16 years will now be leading Client Excellence at the group. Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group, said, We believe that everything we do is built on strong strategic pillars; be it our work or how we do our work. In her new role, Menaka will use her strategic background to add more value to our clients business, while building a strong culture of creativity in the office. Over the last few years, some of our best work has come from our South office and Im really excited to work with Menaka to push us to newer heights. Commenting on her new role, Menaka Menon said, I am super excited about this new role and look forward to further strengthening the South operation and building a strong, closely knit team, geared towards creating great work that has the power to move people. With over 23 years of experience in business and strategy, she has experience across advertising, broadcast media and strategic consulting. Menaka has spent over 15 years in advertising with stints at agencies such as FCB, VML, and Leo Burnett. MilkBlitz, a leading micro-dairy producing premium, pure, single-origin, A2 buffalo milk, recently launched its corporate website and brand logo in collaboration with Mumbai-based digital agency, Rite KnowledgeLabs. MilkBlitz's innovative micro-dairy business model ensures the availability of fresh, nutrient-dense, A2 buffalo milk, locally, without any processing or treatment. Rite KnowledgeLabs, the visual communication and digital design & content partner of MilkBlitz, has created the visual identity. This includes its corporate logo, visual communication and corporate website, which reflect the company's unique business model, farm design and micro-dairy concept. Shailesh Bisht, Co-Founder and Director of MilkBlitz, said, "We are excited to launch our new corporate website, developed in collaboration with Rite KnowledgeLabs. This partnership marks a significant milestone for MilkBlitz as we advance the A2 milk industry with our innovative single-breed, micro-dairy model. We value the agency's comprehension of our business vision, evident in the young and fresh visual design of our logo and overall digital communication. The positive feedback from our stakeholders underscores the effectiveness of our new website in conveying our story and value proposition, enhancing engagement even before their physical visit to our farm." Zahara Kanchwalla, Co-Founder and CEO of Rite KnowledgeLabs, said, "Collaborating with a dynamic start-up like MilkBlitz on their brand-building journey and digital asset creation has been immensely fulfilling. We are delighted to have played a part in developing MilkBlitz's visual identity and corporate website, amplifying their brand footprint in the digital realm. We extend our gratitude for entrusting us with this mandate and eagerly look forward to nurturing our partnership further." The inaugural micro-dairy, located on the outskirts of Lucknow, has begun supplying milk to prestigious B2B buyers, such as renowned hotel chains, upscale sweet shops, and milk cooperatives like Amul and Mother Dairy. Phase 1 of the project involves establishing micro-dairies around the trinity cities of Lucknow, Varanasi, and Ayodhya. These areas are evolving into religious tourism hubs and experiencing a growing demand for pure, premium-quality, and nutrient-rich foods. The client's partnership with Rite KnowledgeLabs is a strategic move, tapping into the expertise of a full-service, content-first digital firm. Rite KnowledgeLabs specializes in crafting powerful business narratives through research-led content, usability-driven UI-UX design and development, and digital execution. Central to their offerings is "Storytelling as a Service" (SaaS), where they create compelling stakeholder narratives as part of their reputation program offerings for clients. Rite KnowledgeLabs today has a portfolio of esteemed brands, both on annual retainers and project-based engagements. Their clientele includes Microsoft India, AM International Singapore, HDFC Bank, HDFC Mutual Fund, GE in India, GE Aerospace in India, Orient Paper CK Birla Group, Goldberry Wealth - Franklin Templeton DAS GmbH Germany, National Stock Exchange (NSE), Barclays Bank (CSR), dsm-firmenich, Green Brilliance Solar USA, Symphony Air-Coolers, Capital India, and reputed agritech start-up Staragri, among others. Ricardo Delgado covers the Hill Country for the San Antonio Express-News. He can be reached at ricardo.delgado@express-news.net. He previously worked for The University Star at Texas State University. Federal Office of Communications Biel/Bienne, 17.05.2024 - On 17 May 2024, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the Convention on Artificial Intelligence (AI) at its 133rd Ministerial Session, which was attended by the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) Ignazio Cassis. The aim of the convention is to ensure compliance with the legal standards applicable to AI in terms of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Switzerland was actively involved throughout the negotiations, which lasted a year and a half. The complete text is available in German, French and Italian. Please click on the desired language in the navigation menu above. Address for enquiries Federal Office of Communications OFCOM Press service, +41 58 460 55 50, media@bakom.admin.ch Publisher Federal Office of Communications http://www.ofcom.admin.ch Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Bern, 17.05.2024 - Switzerland organised a meeting of the UN Security Council on 17 May 2024 to strengthen collaboration between the scientific community and the council. Incorporating science into the council's decision-making process can foster mutual trust and help prevent conflicts, promoting sustainable peace a key priority for the Federal Council during Switzerland's Security Council membership in 202324. The informal UN Security Council meeting convened by Switzerland aimed to enhance collaboration between the scientific community and the council. The insights gleaned from this partnership must be leveraged to prevent conflicts and promote peace. Science can help the UN Security Council make informed decisions and fulfil its global peace and security mandate, particularly in the face of the interconnected challenges of climate change, pandemics, economic crises, and conflicts. At the Security Council briefing today, the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) foundation explained that gathering data and evaluating peacebuilding initiatives can uncover trends and yield useful insights. This provides the basis for anticipating new conflicts by recognising early warning signs. These insights can also guide the formulation of recommendations and strategies for resolving and preventing conflicts, as well as mediating between conflicting parties. With conflicts at their highest level since the Second World War, the global community must refine its tools to build trust among nations and promote lasting peace. Engaging the scientific community and leveraging science diplomacy can help to restore trust and promote peace. Evidence-based, shared knowledge can provide a basis for a collective understanding of global challenges. A commonly accepted normative framework enhances both trust and predictability. Science plays an important role here: "Science and new technologies offer us the opportunity to better anticipate and understand today's risks and tomorrow's opportunities," Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis told the Security Council in New York on 3 May 2023. According to Switzerland's Foreign Policy Strategy 202427, science can make an important contribution to diplomatic efforts in the context of good offices, peacebuilding and international organisations. Switzerland's leading position in international rankings in the areas of education, research and innovation provides a solid foundation for its science diplomacy efforts. This also helps strengthen the international profile and competitiveness of Swiss actors in the fields of education, research and innovation and to implement cooperation projects worldwide. Address for enquiries FDFA Communication Federal Palace West Wing CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55 E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch Twitter: @SwissMFA Publisher Federal Department of Foreign Affairs https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html Days before Facebook became a public company on 18 May, the hype behind the social network giant went into overdrive. Investors salivated over a rare chance to make quick profits. The 900 million plus fans who had turned Facebook into a global giant wondered publicly what was in it for them. In the event, Facebooks crowning achievement as a public company was an anticlimax and even almost turned into a disaster. Yet the flotation showed the twin power of stock markets: an ability to raise capital for business expansion (a massive $16 billion for Facebook), along with a potential to destabilize economies. With African stock exchanges becoming important sources of investment capital for large corporations, Facebooks experience has revived the debate on whether exchanges are capable of promoting economic growth. If such practices could happen on the worlds biggest exchanges, critics ask, how can Africas fragile economies withstand the whims of markets? Positive outlook As European economies struggle with a debt crisis and sluggish growth expected in the US and elsewhere, investors are eyeing Africa as the next frontier thanks to a surging economy and positive growth estimates. Indeed, Africa could be on the brink of an economic take-off, much like China was 30 years ago, and India 20 years ago, says the World Bank. This year, sub-Saharan Africas economy is forecast to expand by 5.9 per cent, ahead of North Africas growth of 4.2 per cent, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Seven African countries are expected to be among the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world for the period 2011-2015. Perceptions of Africa among investors are becoming more distinctly positive over the long-term horizon, says Ernst & Young, a global business consultancy company, in its 2011 Africa Attractiveness Survey, with capital investments there set to reach $150 billion by 2015. The World Bank reckons that investors looking for opportunities in Africa can expect some of the highest investment returns in the world. InvestingInAfrica.net, a website that monitors African stock markets, reports that as of May 2012, six stock markets (Kenya, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia) had three-year returns of at least 27 per cent in dollar terms. Zambia topped the chart with a whopping 57 per cent, thanks to a growing economy boosted by rising commodity prices. It was still up 18.3 per cent last year when Africas stock market was hit with the global recession. Today, there are 23 stock exchanges in Africa, up from 18 a decade ago. The newest is the Rwanda Stock Exchange, which officially opened its doors to the public about three years ago. Markets are too small Except for the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the continents biggest in terms of the number of listed companies and market value, African stock markets are still small and often dominated by a handful of large corporations. For example, the conglomerate Dangote Group makes up about 30 per cent of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Trading in shares is less frequent, and when it happens, it is usually limited to a few firms. Many do not have access to reliable and up-to-date information technology; in some, trading is done manually. Lack of liquidity is a major weakness, and in many cases, the general public does not have confidence in the integrity of stock exchanges. These problems, many of them deep-seated, cannot be fixed overnight. They require time and resources. Nor are they the only weak spots institutional flaws are equally harmful. The destabilizing effects of introducing stock markets into economies with underdeveloped legal, regulatory and monetary systems can produce economic instability that outweighs potential gains, noted Michel Isimbabi in a research paper on African stock markets. Without these safeguards, critics charge, traders could use stock markets to gamble and speculate. Yet Isimbabis study, published in the US-based Johns Hopkins Universitys SAIS Review, concluded that notwithstanding these criticisms, there is strong evidence that a stock market can be an essential part of a developing economy. A number of studies by the IMF also arrived at the same conclusion: if supported by the right policies and reforms, stock markets can help African companies expand operations, in turn contributing to economic growth. Increased investment flows Luckily, environments favourable to the growth of stock exchanges are beginning to take root in Africa. Political stability now exists in many countries despite recent setbacks in Mali and Guinea-Bissau even in post-conflict countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote dIvoire. In its latest survey, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, a group that supports good governance in Africa, says that political stability in sub-Saharan Africa has dramatically improved in recent years. Sound economic policies and accountable institutions too are a must. Along with political stability, the World Banks 2012 Global Economic Prospects report attributes increased investment flows to Africa to higher commodity prices and improved macroeconomic stability. Rwanda, for instance, is now one of Africas fastest-growing economies, thanks to its pro-business policies and a positive investment climate. South Africa and to some extent Kenya has a long history of investor-friendly policies. And the continents sleeping giant, Nigeria, even in the face of current bombings by the Boko Haram group, is gradually getting its act together, guided by reformist finance minister and former World Bank managing director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. In contrast, countries with high levels of risk, such as weak investment laws or lack of respect for property rights, have learned the hard way. Zimbabwe comes to mind. Uncertainty over the direction of its economic policies has seen the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange once one of Africas biggest and most active shrink in both size and value. The small size of African stock markets and the absence of liquidity are often cited by foreign investors as the major impediments to investing in the region. Experts have recommended merging them into regional exchanges as one solution. A regional exchange should mean more liquidity the lifeblood of exchanges by making stocks available to a wider range of investors, argues The Economist, a British weekly magazine. Regional integration is slow But so far, there has been little progress on regional integration. Cooperation among exchanges is still limited to technical and regulatory issues. The modest market value and size of Africas two regional stock exchanges one made up of five countries in Central Africa and the other representing eight in West Africa, with both sharing common currencies limit their attraction to investors. The most recent attempt towards regional integration is last years partnership agreement between FTSE, the British stock market index, and 16 of the 22 members of the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) to launch the FTSE-ASEA Pan Africa Index in 2012. The index will help to improve the visibility of African stocks and also provides an opportunity for investors to access African equities, Siobhan Cleary, the JSE director of strategy and public policy, said in response to questions from Africa Renewal. Even with obvious rewards such as a bigger market size, low costs and more liquidity, the conditions for regional integration are yet to mature. According to financial experts, progress would require African countries to harmonize their trading laws and accounting standards, set up convertible currencies and establish free trade among members. Also, nationalism still plays a part: countries tend to treat stock markets as national symbols and therefore are not rushing to relinquish control. True, stock exchanges are not the only entry for investors to buy into African companies, nor are they so far fully up to the task. Yet with the right policies and incentives, African countries can encourage the growth of their stock exchanges to become important vehicles for future Facebooks to raise capital for business expansion. Partnership efforts result in interruption of disease transmission in nine regions within five countries in Africa World Health Organization commends the MECTIZAN Donation Program on its contribution to near-elimination of river blindness from the Western Hemisphere MSD has donated over one billion treatments to nearly 117,000 communities in Africa, Latin America and Yemen Longest running donation program of its kind aims to tackle a leading cause of preventable blindness LONDON, United-Kingdom, October 11, 2012/ Today on World Sight Day, 25 years after MSD (known as Merck in the U.S. and Canada) ) started the MECTIZAN Donation Program (MDP), the company celebrates with partners important progress in the elimination of river blindness, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness worldwide. In October 1987, MSD made the decision to donate the medication MECTIZAN (ivermectin) for the treatment of river blindness (onchocerciasis) as much as needed, for as long as needed to eliminate the disease as a public health problem. In 1998, Merck expanded the MDP to include the elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF), in African countries and Yemen where it co-exists with river blindness. World leaders come together to discuss the role of MDP in establishing a platform for disease control in a landmark event titled: Disease Elimination in the 21st Century. Logo: World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr. Margaret Chan said, Twenty-five years after the donation of MECTIZAN through the MECTIZAN Donation Program, we are now close to eliminating river blindness from the Western Hemisphere. This remarkable achievement is also considered feasible in parts of Africa where we once hoped only to control the disease. Thanks to this donation and to the commitment of endemic countries, NGOs, UN agencies, and the donor community, we can now envision a world free of this blinding and disfiguring skin disease. The MDP is the longest-running disease-specific drug donation program of its kind. For 25 years, the MDP has donated MECTIZAN for the treatment of river blindness. The disease is transmitted through the bite of a black fly and can cause intense itching, permanent skin and eye lesions and, over time, blindness. Over one billion treatments have been donated to more than 117,000 communities in 28 countries in Africa, six countries in Latin America and in Yemen. To date, disease transmission has been interrupted meaning no new cases have been identified in four of the six affected countries in Latin America and nine regions in five African countries. It is wonderful to see the MECTIZAN Donation Program continuing strong after 25 years, making a difference in the world as it gets closer to achieving its long-held goal of eliminating river blindness, said Kenneth C. Frazier, President and CEO of MSD. We are humbled by the great work of the alliance of partners to protect future generations from a disease that carries devastating implications for people, families, healthcare systems and local economies. The success of this program is proof that by working together we can successfully tackle the worlds most pressing health problems even for regions and diseases that are too often neglected. The MDP has been made possible through a unique private-public partnership which includes WHO, the World Bank, the Task Force for Global Health, the African Program for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), and the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA), as well as ministries of health, non-governmental development organizations and local communities in endemic countries. To date, MSD has donated $5.1 billion worth of MECTIZAN tablets and invested approximately $45 million in direct financial support for the MDP. According to U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Twenty-five years after MSDs unprecedented donation of MECTIZAN, significant progress has been made to reduce the suffering caused by river blindness. In Africa, where it was once thought the disease could only be controlled, strides are being made to completely eliminate the disease from a number of countries. And in the Western Hemisphere, The Carter Center and its partners are close to eliminating river blindness. Thanks to MSD, the commitment of endemic communities, and strong partnerships, we can now envision a world someday free of river blindness. Tuberculosis (TB) compound library to be made available to help stimulate research into TB Investment in GSKs Tres Cantos Open Lab to be doubled with an additional 5m funding awarded Detailed data from GSK clinical trials to be made available to researchers to further scientific understanding and knowledge LONDON, United-Kingdom, October 11, 2012/ GSK ) today announced new measures to further advance its commitment towards greater openness, transparency and collaboration. Speaking at a meeting hosted by the Wellcome Trust in London today, GSK CEO Sir Andrew Witty will outline new steps to build on the encouraging signs of progress resulting from GSKs open innovation approach to R&D, designed to help develop new solutions for the worlds most serious health challenges. Over the past few years, GSK has been making fundamental changes to its business model to become more open to sharing its intellectual property and knowledge, and to forming partnerships to help stimulate more R&D into diseases that most affect the worlds poorest people. Building on that progress, today GSK will set out new measures to help develop new and faster-acting treatments for tuberculosis (TB), a huge global health need where R&D has been at an impasse, and to support independent research into diseases of the developing world. GSK will also outline new commitments to share detailed clinical trial data to enable additional scientific inquiry and analyses to further scientific knowledge and help bring benefit to patients. Commenting ahead of the meeting, Andrew Witty said: As a truly global healthcare company, I believe we have a responsibility to do all we can at GSK to use our resources, knowledge and expertise to help tackle serious global health challenges. However, the complexity of the science and the scale of the challenge mean that we cannot solve these problems alone. We need to take a different approach one focused on partnership, collaboration and openness. By being more open with our clinical trial data, we also hope to help further scientific understanding. I am pleased with the progress we have made so far to evolve our business model but we recognise there is more we can do and the new initiatives outlined today will enable us to build on this work. Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, said: In its commitment towards more openness and collaboration, GSK is setting an example of how the pharmaceutical industry must adapt to help drive forward medical advances. Real breakthroughs do not come out of nowhere, but are borne of scientists sharing their knowledge and learning from each other. GSKs moves are bold and innovative, a very positive sign of its commitment to tackle some of the greatest health challenges facing the world today. GSKs TB compound library to be made freely available GSK scientists have screened the companys entire pharmaceutical compound library of more than two million compounds for any that may inhibit tuberculosis (TB) bacteria and will publish in a scientific journal the results of this process about 200 promising hits that could act as new starting points for the discovery of new medicines for TB. This is the first time a pharmaceutical company will have made public its own proprietary compounds which have demonstrated signs of activity against TB. It is hoped this will encourage others to pursue a fully open approach to research in to a disease that causes around 1.5 million deaths around the world every year. This builds on a similar work carried out by GSK in 2009 to place all of its malaria compounds in the public domain. Since the publication of this data in 2010, GSKs anti-malarial dataset has been shared with research institutions around the world, resulting in a number of promising research projects now underway. An additional 5m funding awarded to GSKs Open Lab In a further move to foster the sharing of scientific knowledge and learning across the scientific community, GSK will double its funding for its Open Lab at Tres Cantos, Spain, awarding it an additional 5m. The Open Lab was established in 2010 to allow independent researchers access to GSK facilities, resources and knowledge to help them advance their own research projects into diseases of the developing world. Two years since the Open Lab was established, there are now 16 research projects in the portfolio. For example, iThemba, a company supported by the South African Government, has worked on a project at the Open Lab to identify potential new compounds against tuberculosis (TB), specifically multidrug, extremely drug resistant TB and co-infection with HIV-AIDS. There are further projects underway at Tres Cantos looking at TB, malaria, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and sleeping sickness. The majority of these projects are supported by the Tres Cantos Open Lab Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit organisation established with 5 million in funding from GSK. Overseen by a board of leading scientists, the Foundation provides funding and support to researchers to help them develop and advance new ideas that could lead to new medicines to treat diseases of the developing world. Researchers supported by the Foundation are encouraged to share their work to ensure their discoveries are also accessible to other researchers. Detailed data from GSK clinical trials to be made available GSK is fully committed to sharing information about its clinical trials. It posts summary information about each trial it begins and shares the summary results of all of its clinical trials whether positive or negative on a website accessible to all. Today this website includes almost 4,500 clinical trial result summaries and receives an average of almost 10,000 visitors each month. The company has also committed to seek publication of the results of all of its clinical trials that evaluate its medicines regardless of what the results say to peer-reviewed scientific journals. Expanding further on its commitments to openness and transparency, GSK also announced today that the company will create a system that will enable researchers to access the detailed anonymised patient-level data that sit behind the results of clinical trials of its approved medicines and discontinued investigational medicines. To ensure that this information will be used for valid scientific endeavour, researchers will submit requests which will be reviewed for scientific merit by an independent panel of experts and, where approved, access will be granted via a secure web site. This will enable researchers to examine the data more closely or to combine data from different studies in order to conduct further research, to learn more about how medicines work in different patient populations and to help optimise the use of medicines with the aim of improving patient care. This initiative is a step towards the ultimate aim of the clinical research community developing a broader system where researchers will be able to access data from clinical trials conducted by different sponsors. GSK hopes the experience gained through this initiative will be of value in developing and catalysing this wider approach. KIGALI, Rwanda, October 25, 2012/ Hundreds of leaders and scholars from Africa and around the world will gather in Kigali, Rwanda, from October 30 to November 2 to debate the continents prospects for sustainable and inclusive growth in the context of the international economic crisis. Organized each year by the African Development Bank (AfDB) ), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the 7th annual African Economic Conference ) will be held in Kigali under the theme Inclusive and Sustainable Development in an Age of Economic Uncertainty. The conference is the most comprehensive event held each year on Africas economy and development, discussing macroeconomic prospects, as well as trade and finance and development policy in a global context. Africa has grown strongly over the past decade. Having weathered the economic crisis, the continents average growth is expected to rebound to 4.8 percent in 2013. The region now faces the challenge of translating that growth into effective poverty reduction and sustainable human development, through employment creation, the establishment of quality social services, and expanding opportunities for political and economic participation. The conference will examine the possibility of pursuing these objectives in the face of a worsening international economic environment, volatile food and fuel markets, and falling levels of exports, remittances and official aid. African policy-makers are by and large continuing to realize their quest for growth and improved well-being in their countries, said Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank. However, in a difficult international environment, the question is how to meet the investment requirements to continue to forge ahead. Participants will examine the key drivers of growth in Africa. With a growing number of countries on the continent producing or exploring for oil, the conference will look at the possibility of using profits from extractive industries to spur economic diversification and investments in social capital and human development. Africas vast natural wealth can create opportunities to accelerate human development, said Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. It can provide the basis for infrastructure development, economic diversification, new jobs and businesses, and the domestic resources to fund quality services and social protection. Trade with developed and emerging economies presents additional opportunities for growth and so does regional integration, which can unleash the full potential of Africas investment and business environment. To that end, the participants will look at how barriers can be removed and regulations improved to allow people to benefit from trade. With the number of youth in Africa set to double by 2045, and 27 percent of them currently unemployed, the conference will also look at the potential behind Africas present and future workforce. Creating employment for young people isnt just crucial for social cohesion and stability. It creates a virtuous cycle of productivity, innovation, economic growth and fulfillment, said ECA Executive Secretary Carlos Lopes. The African Economic Conference is organized as a series of open thematic debates, combined with sessions that review policy research from across the continent. The conference provides a will provide a uniquely open forum for political leaders, academics and emerging talents from the continent to discuss solutions to Africas most pressing development challenges. Ghatkopar billboard collapse: Owner of EgoMedia Bhavesh Bhide arrested, brought to Mumbai 2 The owner of Ego Media, the company responsible for installing the massive billboard in Mumbais Ghatkopar area which collapsed earlier this week in the face of strong winds and rainfall, leaving 16 dead and 75 injured; was brought to Mumbai in the early hours of Friday for further legal proceedings, police said. Bhavesh Bhide, the owner of the company that put up the giant billboard, was arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch from Udaipur in neighbouring Rajasthan on Thursday. Owner (of the company that put up the billboard) Bhavesh Bhinde, who was arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch from Udaipur, has been brought to Mumbai, a police officer confirmed on Friday. As many as 16 people are confirmed dead and another 75 injured in the billboard collapse in Ghatkopar, an officer said earlier. Expressing grief over the loss of lives in the incident, the commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhushan Gagrani, on Thursday informed that the rescue operation had been completed. Its saddening that 16 lives were lost in this incident. The rescue operation has been completed. The operation was delayed as there is a running fuel station in the area, Gagrani said. Earlier, Mumbai Police registered a case under IPC sections 304, 338, 337, and 34 against owner Bhavesh Bhide and others at Pantnagar police station. The billboard in the Ghatkopar area on May 13 came crashing down amid strong winds, leaving 16 dead and several more trapped underneath. Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel as war in Gaza drags on 2 The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah this week struck a military post in northern Israel using a drone that fired two missiles. The attack wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah has regularly fired missiles across the border with Israel over the past seven months, but the one on Thursday appears to have been the first successful missile airstrike it has launched from within Israeli airspace. The group has stepped up its attacks on Israel in recent weeks, particularly since the Israeli incursion into the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. It has struck deeper inside Israel and introduced new and more advanced weaponry. This is a method of sending messages on the ground to the Israeli enemy, meaning that this is part of what we have, and if needed we can strike more, said Lebanese political analyst Faisal Abdul-Sater who closely follows Hezbollah. While the cross-border exchanges of fire have been ongoing since early October, complex attacks by Hezbollah began a few days after Irans unprecedented drone and missile barrage attack on Israel in mid-April. In the past two weeks, Hezbollah has escalated further in response to the Israeli incursion into the city of southern Rafah in the Gaza Strip, a Lebanese official familiar with the groups operations said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to detail military information to the media. The Thursday afternoon attack by a drone carrying missiles came just days after Hezbollah launched three anti-tank guided missiles at an Israeli military post that controlled a surveillance balloon flying over the border. They released camera footage afterward to show they had hit their mark. Hours later, the Israeli military confirmed that the spy balloon had been shot down over Lebanon. The night before, Hezbollah had carried out its deepest attack in Israel to date using explosive drones to strike at a base in Ilaniya near the city of Tiberias about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Lebanon border. The Israeli military said the attack did not hurt anyone. Abdul-Sater, the analyst, said the Iran-led coalition known as the axis of resistance, which includes the Palestinian militant group Hamas, has warned that if Israeli troops launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah in an attempt to go after Hamas, other fronts will also escalate. Yemens Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed Wednesday that they attacked a US destroyer while Iran-backed militants in Iraq have said they fired a series of drones toward Israel in recent weeks after having gone relatively quiet since February. Hezbollahs use of more advanced weaponry, including drones capable of firing missiles, explosive drones and the small type of guided missile known as Almas, or Diamond, that was used to attack the base controlling the balloon has raised alarms within the Israeli military. Hezbollah has been escalating the situation in the north, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani. Theyve been firing more and more. In adapting its attacks, Hezbollah has also managed to reduce the numbers of fighters lost compared with the early weeks of the conflict. The group has lost more than 250 fighters so far, compared with 15 Israeli troops since fighting broke out along the Lebanon-Israel border a day after the Israel-Hamas war started on October 7. According to a count by The Associated Press, Hezbollah lost 47 fighters in October and 35 in November, compared with 20 in April and 12 so far this month. The official familiar with the groups operations said Hezbollah had reduced the numbers of fighters along the border areas to bring down the numbers of casualties. While Hezbollah continues to fire Russian-made anti-tank Kornet missiles from areas close to the border, it has also shifted to firing drones and other types of rockets with heavy war heads including Almas as well as Falaq and Burkan rockets from areas several kilometers (miles) from the border. Over the weekend, Hezbollah said it had launched a new rocket with a heavy warhead named Jihad Mughniyeh after a senior operative who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on southern Syria in 2015. Eva J. Koulouriotis, a political analyst specialized in the Middle East and jihadi groups wrote on the social media platform X that Hezbollahs recent escalation likely has several goals, including raising the ceiling of the groups demands in any future negotiations for a border deal, as well as raising military pressure on Israels military in light of the preparations for the battle in Rafah. Israels Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed in a speech last week that we will stand, we will achieve our goals, we will hit Hamas, we will destroy Hezbollah, and we will bring security. On Monday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reiterated in a speech that there will be no end to the fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border until Israels military operations in the Gaza Strip come to an end. The main goal of Lebanons front is to contribute to the pressure on the enemy to end the war on Gaza, Nasrallah said. His comments were a blow to attempts by foreign dignitaries, including US and French officials, who have visited Beirut to try to put an end to the violence that has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. A day after Nasrallah spoke, Canadas Foreign Minister Melanie Joly visited Beirut and told Lebanons private LBC TV station that she was pushing for a cease-fire. We need the people living in the south of Lebanon to be able to go back to their homes, she said. We need to make sure that the Israelis living in the northern part of Israel are able to get back to their homes also. Hezbollahs deputy leader Naim Kassim warned Israel in a speech over the weekend against opening an all-out war. You have tried in the past and you were defeated and if you try again you will be defeated, said Kassim, referring to the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah 34-day war that ended in a draw. 5 Israeli soldiers killed, 7 injured in Gaza by errant Israeli tank shelling Xinhua) 08:55, May 17, 2024 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) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) People walk over broken glass to cross Louisiana Street on Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer This story has been updated to reflect that seven people died during the storms Thursday. Paul Garza wanted to see for himself where his sister-in-law was killed. From the street in the 7100 block of Avenue O, he could see the toppled tree that fell on Christin Martinezs vehicle. The hatch was still open showing a stroller for her months-old baby. The mother of four rushed outside during the storm to move their only vehicle, often used to ferry the children, he said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad She was a good mom, Garza cried. She was just being considerate. It wasnt supposed to be like this. LIVE STORM UPDATES: Details released on Houston storm deaths, more than 700K still without power Martinez is one of seven people who died across Houston on Thursday evening that police were investigating in connection with the sudden and severe storm that tore through the region. Two came when trees fell on vehicles, a third when a crane fell on top of a cement truck and a fourth with an undetermined cause of death, according to Christopher Hassig, commander of the Houston Police Department's homicide division. Representatives of the sheriff's office on Friday provided details on three deaths they're investigating that might also be connected to the storms. Martinezs husband heard the tree crack amid the high winds but it was too late to save her. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The tree was on the truck, Garza said. Construction worker killed trying to shelter in truck Texas Concrete worker Francisco Hernandez and a colleague sought shelter in their trucks at a job site in the 7300 block of Wingate, along Buffalo Bayou, as the wind picked up. It was so sudden, said Pablo Bolanos, a plant operator for the company. Two cranes plunged to the ground as the worst of the storm hit, hitting their respective concrete trucks and landing across the nearby railroad tracks. Advertisement Article continues below this ad One of the workers was injured, while Hernandez was killed. Bolanos said Hernandez, who had worked at the company for two years, had a wife and three children. 'She was my life': Man mourns wife outside barbershop A half hour of chaos and heartbreak followed the first hint of a storm at Kenneth Rolands north Houston barbershop. The sky grew dim as the lights flickered off and on, Roland said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The building owner, Lydia Guerrero, stepped outside to move her car. Her husband went after her as the wind picked up. He returned in a hurry, pleading for help to save her from a mess of fallen tree branches. She was unconscious and bleeding. It happened so fast, Roland said. Roland and a customer ran outside to carry Guerrero inside. The mother of another customer, Kenya Steward, started CPR, while others dialed 911 repeatedly but their calls stretched on for at least 15 minutes with no answer. One of Guerreros family members rushed over and drove off to flag down a police officer instead. He returned five minutes later with a police officer, Roland said. She could not be saved. Guerreros husband, Erasmo, fought back tears Friday as he helped Steward search for the car keys she dropped in the storms aftermath. He and Guerrero, a teacher, had been married for 30 years. Advertisement Article continues below this ad She was a great person, he said in Spanish. We never fought, we lived a good life. She was my life. Man killed by tree in backyard A man was killed in his backyard in the 6800 block of Main during the storm. Residents at the home declined to comment Friday amid cleaning and firing up a grill. The man and two others were in a backyard when two ran inside after hearing a loud storm noise. When they tried to call him, he didnt respond. They went back outside and found him under a fallen tree. He was pronounced dead around 7:20 p.m. A neighbor, David Beagan, felt grateful to be alive. A towering tree fell on his home, too. Were not going to sit here and whine, Beagan said. Were blessed. Everything we lost can be fixed or replaced. Man collapses while moving power pole Representatives for the Harris County Sheriffs Office on Friday confirmed they were also investigating at least one death connected to the storms. A man was driving in the 12400 block of Kilkenny Glenn Drive when he saw a downed power pole and another person already trying to move it, said senior deputy Thomas Gilliland, spokesman for the office. The man got out of his vehicle and tried to help move the power pole when he collapsed suddenly. Emergency responders arrived and transported the man to HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress, where he was pronounced dead, Gilliland said. Home fire leads to death Investigators believe a trailer in the 150 block of Cypress Meadows Drive, north of the Sam Houston Tollway, burned to the ground and led to the death of an 85-year-old woman when lightning struck it, according to Angelique Myers, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office. A witness called and told dispatchers around 6:50 p.m. Thursday about a trailer on fire, officials said. Man runs out of oxygen during storm A 60-year-old man was found not breathing in the front seat of his truck near the Cloverleaf subdivision early Friday morning, Myers said. A woman had called dispatchers around 7:40 a.m. that morning said her husband had gone to the truck to plug in his oxygen tank because their home lost power because of the storm. Lmage: PTI The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned hearing on former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Sorens interim bail for election campaigning till May 21. A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta listed the matter for further hearing on May 21. When the hearing began, the Enforcement Directorate sought time to file a reply to the petition. The court asked the ED to file a reply by the next date of the hearing. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, for ED, said that Soren was arrested long before the elections. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal for Soren stressed interim bail and apprised the court that one phase of the Lok Sabha poll is over, the fifth phase is on May 20 and the third phase is scheduled for May 25. He also said that there is no material to show against Soren in the case. The top court said that it will not pass any order unless it is prima facie satisfied. Soren has approached the top court against the Jharkhand High Court decision which rejected his plea challenging arrest in a money laundering case. Jharkhand High Court has rejected Sorens plea challenging arrest in a money laundering case on May 3. Soren in his plea before the High Court has claimed that his arrest was unwarranted and his remand in the matter was arbitrary and illegal. Hemant Soren, who has filed the petition through advocate Pragya Baghel, called his arrest illegal and malafide. In the meantime, he has sought interim bail. After a prolonged moment of speculation in the media and a hide-and-seek drama, former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chairperson Hemant Soren was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in the land scam case in January. The probe pertains to huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by forging official records by showing fake sellers and purchasers in the guise of forged or bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land valued in crores. Despite the United Auto Workers failure in todays union election at Mercedes-Benz plants in Alabama, the final outcome could still be delayed by challenges. Workers at the plants in Vance and Woodstock voted to reject UAW as its union representative, with 2,642 ballots cast against unionization and 2,045 in favor, the National Labor Relations Board announced Friday shortly after 2:30 p.m. There were 51 challenged ballots that wont be counted, as well as five void ballots. The losing side is more likely to file a challenge when a union election comes down to a small number of votes, said Abe Walker, an assistant professor of Sociology who researches the labor movement at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Any potential challenge from either side would depend on the margin of victory, he said. If the vote is close, challenges become more likely because violations could make the difference between a win and a loss. Its always possible to find a small cadre of anti-union workers who claim their rights have been violated, and thats all it takes to challenge an election. UAW could file a challenge based on allegations of union busting that its already reported against Mercedes. While Mercedes has denied the allegations, the National Labor Relations Board is currently investigating them. Alabama Mercedes-Benz union vote results: Live updates Nearly 5,100 workers were eligible to cast ballots this week to decide whether to unionize at the Mercedes auto plant in Vance and the electric battery plant in Woodstock. If the vote had passed, they would become the first vehicle factories in Alabama to be represented by UAW. UAW is making a major unionization push in the South, focusing efforts on Alabama and other right-to-work states. In right-to-work states, employees can join a unionized workplace without automatically joining the union or having to pay dues for representation. After the results were announced on Friday afternoon, NLRB spokeswoman Kayla Blado said UAW and Mercedes have five business days to file any objections with the NLRBs regional director in the southeast. If that happens, the appeals process could drag on for years. If no objections are filed, the election result will be certified, and UAW will have to wait one year to file for a union election for a similar bargaining unit, Blado said. If objections are filed, the Regional Director will review the objections and decide if there should be a hearing about the objections, she said in an email. If any objections are sustained after a hearing, this election will be rerun. Read more about the Alabama Mercedes union battle If the NLRB finds that Mercedes engaged in illegal anti-union behavior leading up to the election that could have influenced the results, then another election can be scheduled, Walker said. Or, he said, the NLRB could issue something called an immediate bargaining order, which would force Mercedes to recognize UAW as the workers bargaining representative but thats rare. The union has made six charges against Mercedes, alleging the company surveilled employees at the Vance plant, disciplined them for discussing unionization at work, stopped them from distributing union materials, discharged union supporters, forced employees to attend anti-union meetings and made statements suggesting that any union activity was futile. This type of conduct is prohibited but not uncommon in the lead-up to an election and, in fact, has become part of the standard anti-union playbook, Walker said. By filing these [unfair labor practices], the UAW lays the groundwork for a potential challenge if the election is close. On the other hand, if the UAW wins, it will likely drop its ULPs to focus its energy on negotiating a first contract. And if those alleged violations are found to have merit but dont impact the votes outcome, the NLRB can still impose penalties on Mercedes. These processes can get complicated and messy and often involve challenges and counter-challenges on both sides, Walker said. Challenges take a long time to work their way through the system. Just take the unionization efforts at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer for example. The first election in 2021 was a historic push for U.S. warehouses at the time. And it still remains unresolved. After the mail ballot election had lower turnout and more votes were cast against the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, the union filed 23 objections to the election results, including that Amazon installed a mailbox onsite that appeared to be surveilled. The NLRB held a hearing on the matter, and approved a second election for March 2022 which Amazon objected to. More than 6,100 workers were eligible to vote in the election. Only 875 voted for the union, while 993 voters were against the union. Now, 311 of the challenged ballots are still outstanding, which the NLRB is still counting. In late April, a monthslong hearing began to decide the fate of the unionization campaign at the Bessemer warehouse. An NLRB administrative law judge will determine the outcome, which could trigger a third election. Editors note: This story was updated throughout after the vote failed. A convicted felon is back in a Florida jail after he was found by deputies searching for him. He was hiding. In a dryer. According to the Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriffs Office, 31-year-old David Jerome Jackson of Pensacola was wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into a dwelling, damage to property and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon -- all stemming from an incident in mid-March. Friday morning, deputies received a tip regarding Jacksons whereabouts. They went to the home, assisted by the warrants unit, and began searching for Jackson. Having searched most of the home without finding Jackson, deputies went into the laundry room, where they discovered Jackson folded, not so neatly, inside a remarkably small dryer drum, according to the release from the sheriffs office. The sheriffs office clearly had fun with the odd location of their suspects hideout, describing the look on Jacksons face as a combination of guilt, embarrassment and warm hosiery. The release said once Jackson was removed one limb at a time from the dryer, deputies removed three dryer sheets, two mismatched socks and a crumpled-up tissue from his surprisingly wrinkled Star Wars shirt. Jackson was taken into custody and transported to the Escambia County Jail, where he is being held in lieu of $120,000 bond. Jackson spent seven years in a Florida state prison after convictions for purse snatching, three counts of grand theft auto and two counts of burglary. He was released in July 2020, according to the Florida Department of Corrections. The ECSO, however, offered a reminder that the charges against Jackson are only allegations. As always the case, all suspects are presumed innocent and free of static cling, they wrote. Both conservative and liberal voters in the United States regularly agree that too many families struggle to make ends meet. Often, that includes struggling to pay for child care, or making tough decisions about whether to work or to whether to stay home. In 2022, more than 1 in 10 young children had a parent who had to quit, turn down or drastically change a job in the previous year because of child care problems, according to recent reporting from AL.com, The Seattle Times and the national Education Reporting Collaborative. And that burden falls most on mothers, who shoulder more child-rearing responsibilities and are far more likely to leave a job to care for kids. The issue is often discussed broadly, but state and federal politicians really do have the power to make real-world change possible for local families. Whats on the table? This virtual event, hosted by Education Lab journalists at AL.com and The Seattle Times, will bring national politicians Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Lisa Hamilton, CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, within reach of everyday parents and working families. Britt and Murray, both of whom began their legislative careers as parents of young children, will discuss policy options on the table in Washington, D.C. -- and opportunities for common ground across the aisle. Hamilton will share takeaways and recommendations from the annual KIDS COUNT report, which in 2023 found that 13% of families had to change jobs due to child care issues, and that shortcomings in the child care system had cost the country billions of dollars. Journalists Daniel Beekman and Trisha Powell Crain will moderate the conversation, which will take place Wednesday, May 22, at 3:30 Eastern/2:30 Central/12:30 Pacific. Watch the event on the news organizations social channels, including AL.coms Facebook page or YouTube channel. Follow this Facebook event to get an alert when we go live. To submit questions in advance, go to this form or email alabamaedlab@al.com . Alabama elected officials took delight in the workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance voting against joining the United Auto Workers union in a setback to organized labor in the state. The workers in Vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly! said Gov. Kay Ivey shortly after unofficial results showed workers voted 2,045 to 2,642 against union representation, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Alabama is not Michigan, and we are not the Sweet Home to the UAW, Ivey said -- a variation of a line she used earlier in the week when she signed a state bill that could lead to revoking economic incentives on companies that voluntarily recognize labor unions starting next year. We urge the UAW to respect the results of this secret ballot election, Ivey continued after the vote. I am proud Alabama is home to some of the greatest automakers in the world, and I am grateful to these companies who provide good pay, benefits and opportunities to many men and women across our state. As I have said, automotive manufacturing is one of Alabamas crown jewel industries and number one in the country, and we are committed to keeping it that way. UAW President Shawn Fain addressed the anti-union criticism from Ivey and other Alabama elected officials during a news conference shortly after the vote. At the end of the day, shame on them, Fain said. How you say you represent people, citizens say they want something ... this is all about one thing: its about corporate greed. Thats what this all goes back to. Obviously, when they pick a side in this battle, they show whos side their on. Theyre not on the side of the working class, theyre not on the side of the workers they represent. Theyre on the side of the companies and the billionaire class and they show it in their actions. Iveys sentiment was echoed among the Republican members of the states congressional delegation. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, alluded to Sweet Home Alabama in his reaction to the failed union vote: Alabamas auto workers can see straight through the UAWs empty promises, he said. I hope [UAW President] Shawn Fain will remember, a southern man dont need him around, anyhow! Alabamas auto workers can see straight through the UAWs empty promises. I hope Shawn Fain will remember, a southern man dont need him around, anyhow!https://t.co/WjlIrqMESX Mike Rogers (@RepMikeRogersAL) May 17, 2024 This is great news for Alabama and for the employees at Mercedes, tweeted Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville. I fully believed that unionizing would ultimately lead to job losses and possible plant closure. All we have to do is look at what happened in Michigan over the decades. This is great news for Alabama and for the employees at Mercedes. I fully believed that unionizing would ultimately lead to job losses and possible plant closure. All we have to do is look at what happened in Michigan over the decades. https://t.co/pOaXyxbNnU Robert Aderholt (@Robert_Aderholt) May 17, 2024 Good, added Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Mobile. The UAW has no place in Alabama. Good. The UAW has no place in Alabama. https://t.co/m5wAIabGbd Rep. Jerry Carl (@RepJerryCarl) May 17, 2024 The future of the auto industry in Alabama is bright! said Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise. The future of the auto industry in Alabama is bright! https://t.co/p4sWXLxzok Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) May 17, 2024 Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, called the results [g]reat news for the state of Alabama and Mercedes employees. Alabama is open for business! Palmer tweeted. Great news for the state of Alabama and Mercedes employees. Alabama is open for business! https://t.co/mDUpAQqt7X Gary Palmer (@USRepGaryPalmer) May 17, 2024 The labor unions Alabama campaign followed a landslide win last month with 73% of auto workers at Volkswagens factory in Chattanooga choosing UAW representation. Read more about the Alabama Mercedes union battle Production and maintenance workers voted in the secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Boards Region 10 Atlanta office. Employees started voting on Monday. Workers at Mercedes-Benzs automotive plants east of Tuscaloosa have voted against being represented by the United Auto Workers union. The workers voted 2,045 to 2,642 against union representation, according to the National Labor Relations Board. There were 51 challenged ballots that will not be counted, because they will not change the outcome of the election, the NLRB stated. There were five void ballots. The total number of eligible voters was 5,075. Each side has five business days to file objections to the election, alleging that there was interference in the election. If no objections are filed, the election result will be certified, and the union will have to wait one year to file for a union election for a similar bargaining unit. If objections are filed, the NLRB Regional Director will decide if there should be a hearing about the objections. If any objections are sustained after a hearing, this election will be rerun. UAW President Shawn Fain, speaking after the vote, said what happens next will be up to the workers. They wanted justice. They led us, they led this fight, Fain said. What happens next is up to them. Fain called the losing vote a bump in the road and said the effort had some gains, including improvements to safety, salary and the recent resignation of Alabama CEO Michael Gobel. If the majority of workers had voted yes, the Mercedes plant in Vance, its main automaking plant in Alabama, and the electric battery plant in Woodstock, would have become the first vehicle factories in the state to be represented by UAW. The labor unions Alabama campaign followed a landslide win last month with 73% of auto workers at Volkswagens factory in Chattanooga choosing UAW representation. Read more about the Alabama Mercedes union battle Production and maintenance workers voted in the secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Boards Region 10 Atlanta office. Employees started voting on Monday. Follow us here for the latest on todays vote count throughout the day. Live updates: 2:33 p.m. The vote stands at 44% for and 56% against the union, with 4,687 ballots cast. 2:20 p.m. With less than 1,000 of the ballots expected to have been cast in the union vote counted, the mood at an UAW gathering is moody, somber and largely silent. Few workers are present and most of those who are not waiting in silence are the journalists waiting to report on what looks to be the failure to organize Alabama Mercedes workers. The vote stands at 44% for and 56% against the union, with 4,377 ballots cast. Roughly 5,200 ballots were thought be submitted. 2:18 p.m. The vote stands at 45% for and 55% against the union, with 4,333 ballots cast. 2:12 p.m. The vote stands at 44% for and 56% against the union, with 3,739 ballots cast. 2:05 p.m. No matter the outcome of todays union vote, the election could be delayed by challenges, leaving unclear whether the United Auto Workers will negotiate on behalf of thousands of employees. The losing side is more likely to file a challenge if the election comes down to a small number of votes, said Abe Walker, an assistant professor of Sociology who researches the labor movement at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. Its always possible to find a small cadre of anti-union workers who claim their rights have been violated, and thats all it takes to challenge an election. 1:41 p.m. The vote stands at 45% for and 55% against the union, with 1,995 ballots cast. 1:33 p.m. The vote stands at 44% for and 56% against the union, with 1,608 ballots cast. 1:06 p.m. Union officials expect about 5,000 ballots to be cast. Initial results with only 295 votes cast is 51% no, 49% yes. 12:28 p.m. If UAW membership is approved, workers wont pay membership dues until they have completed the bargaining process and vote to approve the first contract. After that, each individual worker will then decide if they want to pay dues. Dues are 2.5 hours of straight time pay per month but overtime is not factored in the equation. 12:25 p.m. Rick Webster, a Mercedes employee, said during a press conference held during the vote tally that today is the first hurdle. Weve got a long fight ahead. Weve got to keep that same energy up that we had leading into the vote. The historic nature of the vote did not escape Webster. I mean, were going to make history today. I mean, the last time that this was done on the first go by a group of workers was 1941, he said, referencing the historic vote that unionized Ford, the last major U.S. automaker to recognize unions. Its going to mean the world to us. Its going to be life changing. For those who voted no, Webster urged cooperation. We still have to work together. No matter how this goes, it does not matter. At the end of the day, we are still fellow employees, he said. Noon Kristina and Andrew Hall came from Chattanooga to support the Mercedes workers. Andrew is the team lead in the paint shop at VW.Williesha Morris Kristina and Andrew Hall came from Chattanooga to support the Mercedes workers. Andrew is the team lead in the paint shop at VW. Ive got to say, when yall win, Im going to be optimistic. When yall win, youre going to be part of something like Chattanooga. Youre going to be at the birth of a union. Everything in the contract is up for grabs. Thats an exciting time, Kristina said. Because our grandfathers and great-grandfathers did this years and years and years ago. And now we are actually doing it for the first time, Andrew added. 11:35 a.m. More focus from outside the U.S. Bangladeshi workers from all sectors are calling the Comrades in #Mercedes plant to vote YES to @UAW. Join Union as Union is family. In solidarity from Bangladesh!@IndustriALL_GU pic.twitter.com/LJJdq4lh9V Nazma Akter (@NazmaAkter73) May 16, 2024 10:48 a.m. The union push gets support from workers outside the U.S. Bangladeshi workers from all sectors are calling the Comrades in #Mercedes plant to vote YES to @UAW. Join Union as Union is family. In solidarity from Bangladesh!@IndustriALL_GU pic.twitter.com/5NnTzhpnPh Nazma Akter (@NazmaAkter73) May 17, 2024 10:13 a.m.: Covering UAW Mercedes vote in Vance today for @aldotcom. Unofficial vote count available here: https://t.co/BtYvdaQeGT pic.twitter.com/6xFcwu39lu Willi Morris (@WillieshaMorris) May 17, 2024 9:45 a.m. Voting has ended. The count is expected to begin soon. Original article continues below: The automaker has previously said it looks forward to participating in the election process to ensure every Team Member has a chance to cast their own secret-ballot vote, as well as having access to the information necessary to make an informed choice. Mercedes didnt allow media access to the Vance plant on Friday. Company spokeswoman Felyicia Jerald cited space limitations in the area where the vote will be tallied in an email to AL.com. Alabama is not Michigan The focus on Alabama is the current wave of UAWs $40 million push in organizing labor unions at auto plants across the South. Union organizers and workers view a successful vote as a ripple effect that would both improve working conditions at the plant and sustain the regions growing push toward more unionized workplaces. The region and, in particular, deep South states like Alabama have historically had a reputation for stronger resistance to unionization. Wafa Orman, associate dean at the University of Alabama at Huntsvilles College of Business, pointed out that one strategy in Alabama over the years has been for employers to shut down already-unionized or potentially unionizing workplaces, and then sometimes reopen with non-union workers in a different location. It does appear that the governor and perhaps some other businesses are nervous that if wages and the cost of employment rises enough in Alabama, that will ruin the advantage that Alabama has currently over other states and employers to come here, she said. Theyre concerned about that advantage that we have not being quite as large as it is right now. Alabama is one of 27 right-to-work states, which means that employees can join a unionized workplace without automatically joining the union or having to pay dues for representation. The state reported 156,000 union members in 2023, which made up 7.5% of the workforce, below the national rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But those same numbers point to an interesting trend starting in 2021: as Alabamas unionized workforce grew from 5.9%, the national rate started dipping. In the Southeast, Alabama has climbed to the second highest share of union members, behind Kentuckys 8.8%. Opponents, including Alabamas government leaders, see a unionized workplace like the auto plant as a threat to jobs, company profits and the states ability to recruit more businesses. Gov. Kay Ivey called UAW corrupt, shifty and a dangerous leech and a looming threat to Alabamas economy. Earlier this week, Ivey also signed legislation that allows the state to withhold economic incentives from companies that voluntarily recognize unions or dont hold secret ballots in union elections. While this wont impact the current election, any companies that violate these provisions would have to repay its incentives starting Jan. 1, 2025. Alabama is not Michigan, Ivey said on Monday. Huntsville Tuscaloosa theyre not Detroit. We want to ensure that Alabama values, not Detroit values, continue to define the future of this great state. The Alabama discount Mercedes first opened the Vance plant in 1993, after scoring a $253 million economic incentive package from the state. It was the first auto plant to locate in the state and has powered Alabamas ascent to becoming the No. 1 automotive exporting state in the U.S. Haeden Wright, a senior organizer for Jobs to Move America who lives near Vance and has worked on the campaign, said she doesnt think Mercedes workers reap the benefits that the company has. Theyre taking state money, but the workers arent really getting to take advantage of that, she said. People shouldnt be expected to be treated worse and paid less than people doing the same jobs in other parts of the country. The Alabama discount thats been given to companies at the expense of actual Alabama working class people has to change. This push by UAW is unique because of how the union reorganized its organizing from a largely top-down approach to more active, direct work, said Stephen Silvia, author of The UAWs Southern Gamble and politics and economics professor at American University. The campaign originated with Mercedes workers themselves, who then approached UAW asking for their support with organizing, workers and advocates have said. About 70% of the employees signed union authorization cards by April after UAW launched the card drive late last year. A banner reminding Mercedes workers of the upcoming union vote outside of the employee entrance. Workers will decide whether or not to join the UAW.(Williesha Morris / wmorris@al.com) That supermajority is what UAW views as the magic number to request an election. Under federal law, workers can request unionization if 30% of workers sign the cards. Meanwhile, the National Labor Relations Board is investigating six charges filed against Mercedes at its Vance plant. The charges allege that the plant surveilled employees, disciplined them for discussing unionization at work, stopped them from distributing union materials, discharged union supporters, forced employees to attend captive audience meetings and made statements suggesting that any activity was futile. Mercedes has denied the claims have merit. Additionally, the NLRB is investigating three charges filed against Hyundai for alleged actions at its Montgomery plant, where a union campaign is also underway. Those charges allege that the company fired an employee, confiscated, and prohibited distribution of union materials, and intimidated union supporters, all of which Hyundai has denied. William Thornton contributed to this report. This is an opinion column. I grew up believing Thomas Jefferson, silly me. He argued that when a person assumes a position of public trust, he should consider himself as public property. Its bigger than him. Or her. You have to believe it, or democracy falls apart. Trust in government goes to hell, voters yawn, power is bought and sold, and we the people you the people dont get your due. So when a longtime sheriff like Mike Blakely goes to jail, sent by a jury of his peers and constituents, we have to respect the verdict and the sentence, like it or not. We have to at least pretend to honor the system. If we value it at all. In 2021 Blakely, a Democrat from Limestone County, was sentenced to three years on breaches of the public trust. He took out more than $29,000 from a safe that held cash from people he held in his county jail, and called it an interest free loan. He stole $4,000 from his campaign account. He broke laws that put other people behind bars. Maybe even behind his bars, where they put money in his safe. Those are real crimes. By a man entrusted with upholding the law. A month ago the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles the most punitive agency of its kind in America, a board that last year paroled fewer than one out of every 10 eligible parolees despite shamefully overcrowded prisons simply let Blakely go. He had served a little more than one year of his three-year sentence. Perhaps influenced by a crowd of Blakely supporters, the parole board voted 2-1 to let him out. Parole board members Darryl Littleton and Gabrelle Simmons, who voted for his release, have been more reasonable about paroles than their predecessors, which I generally appreciate. Board chair Leigh Gwathney who just says no more than Nancy Reagan ever did wanted him to finish his sentence inside. She is consistent if nothing else. Id like to hope best case scenario the decision is a sign of an evolution of the parole board. If there is hope it is in an understanding that some inmates are redeemable, that people are not the sum of their worst moments. Id like to hope it is progress, that the board will find reason for more second chances. But for the moment all I see is the contrast. I see Tony Derrell Fults, a guy who served two years on a third-degree burglary charge who was denied parole in April. No one showed up to speak for or against him, according to the minutes. Or James Edward Hallford, who served 17 of 20 years for crimes of receiving stolen property and was left behind bars last month. His wife spoke for his release, but it did no good. Jonathan Lee Howell was denied release after serving two years on a pair of third-degree burglaries. It is unclear from the minutes if anyone spoke for him, but it doesnt appear so. Are they worse than a corrupt cop? It is hard to process. Because a parole board that appears to pick and choose on the basis of popularity or politics seems as broken as one that refuses to let anybody out. And appearance is important. Especially when it comes to public officials. A parole board that treats corruption as a forgivable offense but considers other property crimes to be lifetime mistakes along with growing weed in your backyard, missing a meeting with a parole officer or protecting yourself from an abuser is not just cruel, but corrupt. The powerful must pay the price they earned, through their own corrupt and criminal actions, or pretty soon the justice system becomes a popularity contest or a partisan sham. Its not just the parole board. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall Mr. Flaw & Order recently thumbed his nose at the jury that in 2019 convicted a former white Montgomery cop to 14 years in prison for his killing a black man, and the judge who sentenced Aaron Cody Smith to 14 years in prison. Marshall just took over the case and let the guy go with a plea deal. Because he wanted to. Which seems a lot like a whole different kind of corruption. Weve seen enough favoritism and partisanship and looking the other way as these guys talk of law and order and punch down at those who cannot defend themselves. Its why Alabamas attempt to redraw and gut the ethics law in the recent session raised eyebrows, why national team sport politics is off the rails. It is why Alabama has been, pound-for-pound, as corrupt as any banana republic in recent decades. Weve seen three governors convicted of crimes. Weve seen a speaker of the house imprisoned (and released early) for using his office for personal gain. Weve seen a chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court twice removed from office. Weve seen judges abuse authority and legislators sell their souls. Six former Jefferson County commissioners were punished along with dozens of contractors, some of them as part of a scam that led to what was then the largest municipal bankruptcy in the world and one that continues to cost the people of the whole metro area. Politicians have soaked inmates, sewer customers and taxpayers in the name of everything from computer help for kids to healthcare for the homeless and a heritage of hope. Like we are a bunch of saps. All while politicians sing and dance about being tough on criminals. Corruption is not a petty crime. These are serious offenses that affect us all, that cost us money, that rob us of confidence that our government can and will act responsibly, on our behalf, for all. Lord knows we need that confidence, if the republic is to survive. These crimes should be treated at least as seriously as many of those that keep Alabama prisoners locked up for life. I dont care that Mike Blakely was a likable guy, who brought a big crowd, who may have done good things at other points in his life. The standards for release must be the same for all. Or the system is failed. Or as Jefferson also said, we will look to a not-so-distant future when a corruption will have seized the heads of government, and be spread by them through the body of the people, when they will purchase the voices of the people, and make them pay the price. Maybe we are already there. John Archibald is a two-time Pulitzer winner. Below is the podcast player followed by the newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox each day here. Child labor at a poultry plant Federal investigators are trying to stop chicken from being sold that they say was produced by child labor at an Alabama poultry plant, reports AL.coms Amy Yurkanin. Court documents say that on May 1, Labor Department investigators discovered oppressive child labor at Mar Jac Poultry in Walker County. Mar Jacs lawyers said the employees used forged documents and passed the E-verify system, and that the company terminated those employees after it learned their ages. The companys representation also claimed that stopping the sale of the chicken theyd produced would create an undue hardship for those who work at the plant since theyd have to endure a shutdown. Mar Jac employs more than a thousand workers at the Walker County plant. The New York Times has reported on increases in the hiring of child workers whove immigrated from Mexico and Central America. Mar Jacs headquarters are in Gainesville, Ga. Officer shortage If you think youve had trouble hiring positions at your business, heres a peek at the personnel situation at the Birmingham Police Department. The city has a budget to pay 720 police officers, reports AL.coms Joseph D. Bryant, and on an April report there were 296 unfilled positions. Two hundred ninety-six badges arent being worn right now in a city that in recent years has seen some of its highest-ever homicide totals. Birmingham City Council President Darrell OQuinn said that more emergency calls with fewer police officers has meant slower response times. Earlier this week the city council approved the creation of a Citizens Observer Patrol. The plan is for up to 200 volunteers to help patrol neighborhoods and report crimes (but not make arrests). Deangelo Hall is the president of the Birmingham Fraternal Order of Police. He said hed rather see the city work at hiring officers than bringing in volunteers. Were having three-year, five-year, nine-year and 13-year vets packing up and leaving, he said. So obviously there are some issues there that weve got to iron out. Were trying to iron out a couple of things and present a plan to the mayors office. Good home investments If youre looking to buy into a growth home market -- and who isnt? -- there are a couple Alabama cities, according to a study from GoBrankingRates.com, that are projected to outpace the others in expected home values by 2033, reports AL.coms Warren Kulo. The study looked at areas where homes are pricing below the national median price of $333,910 and had anticipated annual growth rates higher than the projected national average of 1.7% It landed on 14 locations, and the two in Alabama were Daphne and Huntsville. (You cant get much farther apart that that, geographically.) Daphne was seventh on the list. Its homes are valued just $5,000 below the national average, but had an expected one-year growth of 3.3%, which is likely to close that gap. At No. 12, Huntsvilles average home value is $286,064, and its projected one-year growth is 3.9 percent. Topping the nation, by the way, was Columbia, Mo., with its average home price of $271,245 and projected yearly growth rate of 6.4%. More Alabama News Born on This Date In 1902, classical music composer, conductor and teacher John Vincent of Birmingham. The podcast The assistant principal at McAdory Middle School charged in a 2013 triple homicide of three Montgomery residents in Georgia has resigned. Keante Harris, 45, is charged with malice murder in the slayings Cheryl Colquit Thompson, 32, Quinones King, 33 and Rodney Cottrell, 43. Harris was booked into the Jefferson County Jail last week on a fugitive from justice warrant and remains held. He appeared in a courtroom earlier this week and has another court date set for May 28 before Jefferson County District Judge William Bell. Harris submitted his resignation to Jefferson County Schools, which was accepted on Friday. Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin read this statement at the board meeting following the acceptance of Harris resignation. One of the personnel actions you just approved was the resignation of Mr. Keante Harris. Had he not submitted it, we would have begun termination proceedings in accordance with our policies. Although the charges Mr. Harris faces are very disturbing, his guilt or innocence will ultimately be determined by a jury. Whatever the outcome of the legal process may be, I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the victims families. They are in my prayers. From the school districts perspective, I consider our involvement in this matter now closed, and I will have no further comment. Keante Harris is one of four suspects charged in the case. All were taken into custody over a two-day period last week. The others charged are Kenneth Thompson, Kevin Harris, and Darrell Harris. Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen said all three victims were tortured and murdered in Clayton County and dumped in Fulton County. The victims were found dead Jan. 13, 2013, near Union City, Ga. The discovery was made about 5:45 a.m. that Sunday in the northbound exit ramp to Flat Shoals Road. Colquitt-Thompson, her uncle, King, and her boyfriend, Cottrell, were found dead in Thompsons Dodge Charger off Interstate 85 in the northbound exit ramp to Flat Shoals Road in Union City, Ga. Colquitt-Thompson, found in the trunk of the vehicle, died from ligature strangulation, Tami Sedivy-Schrober, special investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiners Office, previously told AL.com. King and Cottrel were both found dead in the backseat of the vehicle and died from asphyxia. The sheriff said the victims were lured to a home on Magnolia Drive in Jonesboro where they were forced into the residence at gunpoint. Later, they were loaded into the back seat of a Dodge Charger and taken to Fulton County. A man stands on his balcony near a fallen tree in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Mayor John Whitmire and Fire Chief Samuel Pena survey damaged buildings downtown on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A man uses a chainsaw to cut up a tree that tore off the facade of this house at 27th and Ashland on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Isiah Turner, a volunteer with Trae the Truths Relief Gang, cuts branches from a tree that fell onto the roof of Carrie Turners home in the 200 block of De Haven, in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least five people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer The entire roof of a house on Hogan Street came off after Thursdays storm Friday, May 17, 2024 in Northeast Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Children play amongst fallen tree branches at an apartment complex in the 4600 block of Sherwood in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Residents at the 174-unit Pleasant Hill Village Retirement Community in Fifth Ward line up for food provided by rap artist Trae tha Truth and his ReliefGang in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least five people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Olga Amaya, right, and Carlos Sanchez, from two families, grill tortillas for dinner because they lost power Friday, May 17, 2024 in Northeast Houston. A tree fell down in front of their house on 1700 block of Fulton Street during Thursdays storm. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Adrielle Palmer serves food, brought in by Trae tha Truth and his Relief Gang, to the residents at the 174-unit Pleasant Hill Village Retirement Community in Fifth Ward in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least five people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Residents of a northeast neighborhood of Houston wait for the city to remove wires tangled in a tree that fell into the yard due to a severe storm with high winds on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Carrie Jenkins stands in her living room by the light of her open front door, the only light in her home since she has been without power since the night before, in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least five people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Glass debris from windows blown out of damaged buildings downtown on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A tree fell through the roof and damaged a science lab during Thursdays storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. Two more classrooms in a portable building also sustained damages at the school. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Rap artist Trae the Truth and his ReliefGang serves pizza to residents at the 174-unit Pleasant Hill Village Retirement Community in Fifth Ward, that was without power in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least five people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Tree service crews climb atop an SUV to cut apart a tree that fell on it at an apartment complex in the 4600 block of Sherwood in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A worker works on a street light that was damaged downtown on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Families at the Ravenswood apartment complex on Amelia Road in southwest Houston are looking for a place to stay after several units' roofs caved in during deadly storms on Thursday, May 16. Cleanup was ongoing on Friday. Ralph Green/Houston Chronicle Trae tha Truth, out doing storm relief work with his ReliefGang, cuts branches from a tree that fell onto Carrie Jenkins roof in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least five people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Families at the Ravenswood apartment complex on Amelia Road in southwest Houston are looking for a place to stay after several units' roofs caved in during deadly storms on Thursday, May 16. Cleanup was ongoing on Friday. Ralph Green/Houston Chronicle A worker digs out bricks from a collapsed wall near Commerce and Main Street downtown on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Emilia Kobina, left, and Denise Kobina stand near a fallen transmission line tower along the US 290 feeder road as they walk Emiliaa dog, Zaid, in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A Magnolia Park residents truck is damaged by a fallen tree after a severe storm with damaging winds hit Houston on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Glass in a truck is blown out in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Tree removal workers moving tree debris after cutting down trees in the back of Ajay Singhs house Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. An electrical post fell onto Singhs roof so he had to put a tarp over the roof. Singh said he doesnt have water or power so he will be staying at a hotel. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Edgar Perez stand outside and an apartment that suffered damage and a fallen brick wall in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Tree removal serviceman Ricardo Vidal cuts down an uprooted tree on Harvard Street near East 7th Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer David Figueroa, left, and Delmy Suazo toss bricks to a pile as they work to clean up debris after a wall came down at an apartment complex in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer David Figueroa, tosses bricks to a pile as as he works to clean up debris after a wall came down at an apartment complex in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A portable classroom is damaged from Thursdays storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. The portable building sustained roof and ceiling damages. Two portable classrooms were damaged and one regular classroom also sustained damages from a tree fell through the roof. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Workers repair a damaged street light downtown on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Daniel Beagen walks through his damaged back yard Friday, May 17, 2024, at his home in Houston. A neighbor died during the storm. Im not going to sit here and whine about this, were blessed, were absolutely blessed, he said. Everything we lost can be replaced. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Tree removal serviceman Jose Navarrete removing an uprooted tree that went over the fence on Harvard Street near East 15th Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Stray dogs wander after a storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A sheet of metal is tangled up with the anchor wire of an electrical post at Stude Park Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, center, speaks alongside Houston Mayor John Whitmire as they update the public after Thursdays storms which brought damaging winds and rains to the Greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle) Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Neighbors survey damage around their homes near Bingle Road in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Broken windows are seen following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A resident in a northeast neighborhood of Houston repairs damages to his roof after a severe storm with damaging high winds passed through on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Houston Mayor John Whitmire, right, speaks alongside Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo as they update the public after Thursdays storms which brought damaging winds and rains to the Greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer A crane sits on top of a cement truck at an address where authorities say a man was killed when a crane fell on the cement truck he was sitting in during the previous nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A Dominican Sisters Of Houston helps a sister to get her car out of a tangled situation after an uprooted tree bringing down wires and is blocking Norhill Boulevard near White Oak Drive Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Customers wait in a darkened dining room for their to go orders at Anitas Honduras Restaurant that lost power in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Workers remove a downed tree on Omar Street in the Heights on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. (Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle) Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle A Houston police officer walks back to his vehicle after clearing people away from a damaged tire shop at the intersection of Sowden and Bingle in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Customers wait in a darkened dining room for their to go orders at Anitas Honduras Restaurant that lost power in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Broken windows are seen following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A car driving around a fallen tree, which blocks one southbound lane, on Studemont Street at Washington Avenue Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A snapped tree blocks one lane on southbound Studemont Street at Washington Avenue Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A woman films storm damage with her cell phone Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer People walk over broken glass to cross Louisiana Street on Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A woman crosses a street covered with debris and broken glass following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A crane sits on top of a cement truck at an address where authorities say a man was killed when a crane fell on the cement truck he was sitting in during the previous nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle) Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Broken windows are seen following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle) Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Neighborhood kids check out an uprooted tree thats blocking East 15th Street near Arlington Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Emilia Kobina, left, and Denise Kobina stand near a fallen transmission line tower along the US 290 feeder road as they walk Emiliaa dog, Zaid, in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Emilia Kobina, left, and Denise Kobina stand near a fallen transmission line tower along the US 290 feeder road as they walk Emiliaa dog, Zaid, in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Tree removal serviceman Jose Navarrete removing an uprooted tree that went over the fence on Harvard Street near East 15th Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Tree removal serviceman Jose Navarrete removing an uprooted tree that went over the fence on Harvard Street near East 15th Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Tree removal serviceman Jose Navarrete removing an uprooted tree that went over the fence on Harvard Street near East 15th Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Daniel Beagen looks out his broken window Friday, May 17, 2024, at his home in Houston. A neighbor died during the storm that damaged his home. Im not going to sit here and whine about this, were blessed, were absolutely blessed, he said. Everything we lost can be replaced. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Daniel Beagen walks through his damaged back yard Friday, May 17, 2024, at his home in Houston. A neighbor died during the storm. Im not going to sit here and whine about this, were blessed, were absolutely blessed, he said. Everything we lost can be replaced. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Jose Vasquez wipes away sweat as he cuts up a large pecan tree that fell on a house Friday, May 17, 2024, near North Main Street in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Jose Vasquez wipes away sweat as he cuts up a large pecan tree that fell on a house Friday, May 17, 2024, near North Main Street in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A cyclist rides past a fallen transmission line tower along the US 290 feeder road in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A window of Travis and Erin Haggards new house was blown in after the storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. The Haggards bought this new house and was waiting to remodel the house. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A Magnolia Park residents truck is damaged by a fallen tree after a severe storm with damaging winds hit Houston on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Tree limbs fell and sat on a roof of a house at East 7th Street and Harvard STreet Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A Magnolia Park residents truck is damaged by a fallen tree after a severe storm with damaging winds hit Houston on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer A Magnolia Park residents house is damaged by a fallen tree after a severe storm with damaging winds hit Houston on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer United States Postal Service Letter Carrier Paris Washington walks around an uprooted tree uprooted that crushed Neil Peakes car on Harvard Street and East 7th Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Peake said 30 seconds after his son took the trash can inside, the tree fell over Thursday night. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer The roof is blown away from the structure on East 7th Street near Harvard Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A woman stands on her balcony under a fallen tree in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer David Figueroa, left, and Delmy Suazo toss bricks to a pile as they work to clean up debris after a wall came down at an apartment complex in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A tree is seen toppled over on an apartment building in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Efrain Jimenez helps to cut down a tree that fell on a Magnolia Park residents house after a severe storm with damaging winds hit Houston on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Laura, who wishes not to give her last name, tries to save her haus plants from last year from the bottom of an uprooted tree while tree removal serviceman Ricardo Vidal cuts down the tree on Harvard Street near East 7th Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Bayron Angeles cleans out a bedroom in the aftermath of a severe storm, where the roof of the home was torn away, on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Juan Angeles, left, cleans out a bedroom in his apartment in the aftermath of a severe storm, where the roof of his home was torn away, on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Efrain Jimenez and Eduardo Lopez work to cut down a tree that fell on a Magnolia Park residents house after a severe storm with damaging winds hit Houston on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Brandon Angeles cleans out a bedroom under a water-damaged ceiling in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Efrain Jimenez and Eduardo Lopez work to cut down a tree that fell on a Magnolia Park residents house after a severe storm with damaging winds hit Houston on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Kenneth Roland, a barber, talks about his experience providing first aid to a woman who died the night before during a storm, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A tree uprooted and crushed Neil Peakes car on Harvard Street and East 7th Street Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Peake said 30 seconds after his son took the trash can inside, the tree fell over Thursday night. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Juan Angeles, left, cleans out a bedroom with his daughter, Samara, after the roof of the apartment was damaged in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Erasmo Guerrero pauses while talking about his late wife, Lydia Guerrero, who was killed the previous night when a tree branch fell on her during a storm, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Edgar Perez stand outside and an apartment that suffered damage and a fallen brick wall in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer John Weinel, 45, cuts down a tree that fell in front of his house after a severe storm with damaging winds hit Houston on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Maria Castillo cleans up water and debris from a broken window at her apartment in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Crews work to clean up debris after a wall came down in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Crews work to clean up debris in the aftermath of a severe storm at the Ravenwood apartments in the 7900 block of Amelia Road on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Fallen trees litter the street in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Adam Velazquez walks past an SUV that had its back window broken out in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Glass in the back of an SUV is blown out in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Virginia Ramirez surveys damage in the aftermath of a severe storm, that caused a tree in her yard to fall across the her street, on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Virginia Ramirez surveys damage in the aftermath of a severe storm, that caused a tree in her yard to fall across the her street, on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Virginia Ramirez takes photos from her front yard in the aftermath of a severe storm, that caused a tree to fall across the her street, on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A Houston Police Department patrol car blocks off the intersection of White Oak Drive and Norhill Boulevard due to downed wire Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. A tall 18-wheeler drove past the intersection and brought down the already low-hanging wires to the ground. (Yi Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle) Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Janet Melgar, left, and Veronica Caal make to go orders using the light of her phone and an open door after losing power at Anitas Honduras Restaurant on Hempstead Road in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Residents of a house on Norhill Boulevard near White Oak Drive assess their neighborhood Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. A tree on their property was uprooted in Thursdays storm and brought down wires, as well as blocking Norhill Boulevard. (Yi Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle) Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Customers wait in a darkened dining room for their to go orders at Anitas Honduras Restaurant that lost power in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Ada Duarte takes to go orders using only the light of her phone after losing power at Anitas Honduras Restaurant on Hempstead Road in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A Dominican Sisters Of Houston helps a sister to get her car out of a tangled situation after an uprooted tree bringing down wires and is blocking Norhill Boulevard near White Oak Drive Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. (Yi Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle) Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer An uprooted tree and downed wire is blocking Norhill Boulevard at White Oak Drive Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A tree sits on top of a vehicle at an address where authorities say a person was killed when a tree fell on her car during a storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A person walks up to check out an uprooted tree and downed wire thats blocking Norhill Boulevard at White Oak Drive Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. (Yi Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle) Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A Houston police officer walks back to his vehicle after clearing people away from a damaged tire shop at the intersection of Sowden and Bingle in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A sheet of metal is tangled up with the anchor wire of an electrical post at Stude Park Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. (Yi Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle) Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A cyclist stops to take a photograph of a sheet of metal that got tangled up with the anchor wire of an electrical post at Stude Park Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. (Yi Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle) Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Ethan Martinez, 12, right, and his grandfather Raymond Baeza, bending over, and his grandfathers brother, Lewis Beaza, standing, clear debris at Martinezs great-grandmothers house after a storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle) Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Stray dogs wander after a storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle) Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A television photojournalist shoots footage of damage at a tire shop at the intersection of Sowden and Bingle in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Esther Ramirez, 88, eats breakfast on her porch as her two sons and great-grandson help clean debris from her yard after a storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. That was terrible, that wind was crazy, she said. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Dionysius Torreros, of the City of Houston, works on clearing a tree that toppled across Bingle Road in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer City of Houston crews work on clearing debris that fell across Bingle Road in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer City of Houston crews work on clearing debris that fell across Bingle Road in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Julio Ferrera, left, Jose Martinez and Amalia Mendoza clear debris after a storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Amalia Mendoza walks among downed trees Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle) Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Antonio Mendoza clears debris after a storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Jose Martinez, left, and his neighbor Antonio Mendoza clean up damage after a strong storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Broken windows are seen following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A man surveys damage from a storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Two men clean debris and broken glass after last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A man works in a building with broken windows Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A woman films storm damage with her cell phone Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A woman crosses a street covered with debris and broken glass following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A woman films storm damage with her cell phone Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A man works as broken glass covers the sidewalk Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A Houston Police officer walks near the downtown headquarters Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer People walk over broken glass to cross Louisiana Street on Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Broken windows are seen following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Houston Police officers survey damage from last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Broken windows are seen following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A large tree blocks a road after a storm Friday, May 17, 2024, near North Main Street in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Broken windows are seen following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, left, exchanges words with Houston Mayor John Whitmire as they update the public following Thursdays storms which brought damaging winds and rains to the Greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Houston Mayor John Whitmire, right, speaks alongside Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo as they update the public after Thursdays storms which brought damaging winds and rains to the Greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle) Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Houston Mayor John Whitmire listens as Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo updates the public after Thursdays storms which brought damaging winds and rains to the Greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle) Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer A resident of a northeast neighborhood is seen behind a mound of roofing scraps torn off the roof of his home by a severe storm with high winds on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, center, speaks alongside Houston Mayor John Whitmire as they update the public after Thursdays storms which brought damaging winds and rains to the Greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Residents in a northeast neighborhood of Houston repair damages to a residents roof after a severe storm with damaging high winds passed through on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer People look at a collapsed wall near Commerce and Main Street downtown on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Windows blown out of a walkway of a damaged building downtown on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Windows blown out of a damaged building downtown on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A Houston police officer wears a helmet to protect himself from more debris and falling glass out of windows blown out of damaged buildings downtown on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Houston Independent School District F. Mike Miles gives a press conference regarding to the storm damage assessment of the school district while a tree in the courtyard fell over Thursday night and damaged a classroom Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. Miles said the school district is planning to be back on Monday. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Follow along below for live updates on the aftermath of the storm. Here's a recap of Thursday night's coverage. To support our journalism, please consider subscribing to the Chronicle. Advertisement Article continues below this ad President Joe Biden approved a Major Disaster Declaration in light of the recent storms that hit the greater Houston area, opening the doors to quicker federal aid for residents affected by high winds and flooding after Gov. Greg Abbott requested it on May 15. The declaration, which considers the severe weather and flooding since April 26, allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to offer financial support, like emergency home repairs to locals. Low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration can also go to residents from seven counties: Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker. Abbott's request for FEMA's Public Assistance program is under review. The program would make 26 counties eligible for grant funding to support emergency repairs for facilities damaged during the severe weather. "The partial approval of my Presidential Disaster Declaration request is a crucial step in the right direction in helping Texans rebuild and recover from recent severe weather events," Abbott said in a news release. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Hidalgo said she would have more details regarding the application for the aid Saturday in a social media post. "It's a big win for our community to be able to secure all the various federal resources available," Hidalgo posted. - Hana Ikramuddin 9:20 p.m. Many residential streets barricaded by fallen trees during Thursdays storm were lined with human-height piles of trunk stubs and leafy limbs by Friday evening. In the Heights, where swirling gusts threw some of the areas oldest trees into houses and roadways, neighbors help made quicker work of cleanup. Still, one downed tree on Ashland Street kept six people busy into the early evening a skeleton crew compared to the 18 friends and family helping earlier. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We had like five chainsaws going at one point, said Matt Weidert, a father of two who said he was sheltering with his family in his kids bathroom Thursday when the winds threw his neighbors centenarian Post Oak through his fence, slicing his water main. He brought out a cooler of beer the next morning for the multigenerational family and friends who started lugging wood around 9 a.m., though not for the chainsaw-users. Families walking their kids and dogs stopped to say hi, and one crew of contract workers even gave them a hand between paid gigs. Weider, who described himself as a weather nerd, said he was watching the radar Thursday night, but the strength of the winds that tore across his block still caught him by surprise. He said theyd been fortunate the tree did not fall on either house. Others in his area were not so lucky one home a few blocks away had its facade pulled off entirely by a tree. The Post Oak that was ripped from the yard of Weider's neighbor Kenneth Lester was massive for the species, over 100 feet tall and thick, likely one of the oldest in the neighborhood. Im still kind of shell-shocked about it, Lester said. Its not like losing a family member or anything, but its part of that nature. Advertisement Article continues below this ad As chopping wound down throughout the area where most homes remain without electricity, some people were packing up to spend the night away while others set up to grill in driveways and parking lots before another evening downpour. - Rebekah Ward 9:15 p.m. The day after a devastating storm swept through the city, leaving at least seven people dead and hundreds of thousands without power some possibly for days or even longer Houstonians picked across the wreckage of felled trees and shattered windows to assess the damage and begin rebuilding. This is a wow event, I keep telling myself, Wow, and Ive seen a lot, Mayor John Whitmire said Friday as he toured downtown with public safety officials, warning the public to stay away from the area. This is striking as to the intensity and the suddenness of this storm. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The severe weather crashed through Thursday evening, with torrential rainfall and winds peaking at 100 mph downtown and a confirmed tornado near Cypress with peak winds of 110 mph, according to the National Weather Service. In a city scarred by years of natural disasters from storms to flooding to a freeze that knocked out power for days it was a sobering reminder just two weeks ahead of hurricane seasons official kickoff. Many restaurants and bars are waiting for their electricity to come back on while others have suffered damages to their property following the severe storm that swept through the Houston region. For other establishments, its business as usual. Here is a running list that the Chronicles food team will continue to update throughout the weekend. The opening hours could easily change, so it is best to double check with the individual spots on social media or online for updates. - Bao Ong 7:00 p.m. HISD and the Houston Food Bank will be hosting two mobile food distributions that start at 9 a.m. and will last until supplies run out. The first distribution site will be at Houston MSTC High School, 9400 Irvington Blvd. The second will be at Austin High School, 1700 Dumble St. All families impacted by the weather are welcome, according to HISD. The National Weather Services storm survey team in Waller County confirmed another EF1 tornado occurred Thursday night southwest of Waller. -Roberto Villalpando 6:30 p.m. Investigators believe a trailer in the 150 block of Cypress Meadows Drive, north of the Sam Houston Tollway, burned to the ground, leading to the death of an 85-year-old woman when lightning struck it, according to Angelique Myers, spokeswoman for the sheriff's office. A witness called and told dispatchers around 6:50 p.m. Thursday about a trailer on fire. A 60-year-old man in northeast Harris County also died after he ran out of oxygen during the storm. The man was found not breathing in the front seat of his truck near the Cloverleaf subdivision early Friday morning, Myers said. A woman called dispatchers around 7:40 a.m. that morning saying her husband had gone to the truck to plug in his oxygen tank because their home lost power due to the storm. Emergency responders pronounced the man dead at 7:56 a.m., Myers said. Read more here. - Matt DeGrood, 6:01 p.m. Multiple law enforcement agencies across Harris County had plans Friday to increase patrol officers in the wake of sudden and severe storms that swept across the region late Thursday. Representatives for the Harris County Sheriff's Office and Precinct 4 Constable's Office confirmed they would increase patrols in areas most affected by the storms. Constable Mark Herman said deputies would be deployed to areas without electricity and would focus on traffic enforcement at intersections. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez confirmed patrols would be increased and that deputies were working to contact homeless people to assess their conditions as the sun went down Friday. - Matt DeGrood, 5:36 p.m. Pastor E.A. Deckard said the Green House International Church in Greenspoint would be serving 200 meals from The Brisket House, 600 cheeseburgers from Whataburger, 250 meals from Raising Canes and 250 pizzas for anyone looking for a hot meal Friday evening. Deckard urged the public to visit the church, located at 200 W. Greens Rd., beginning at 5:30 p.m. to take advantage of the free food. The event will last until 8 p.m. "We're always going to be here in your time of need to serve you," Deckard said. - Shakari Briggs, 5:24 p.m. HISD Superintendent Mike Miles surveyed the damage at schools hit hardest by Thursday's storm and said it was so severe that a few may not be able to open in time for class on Monday. Nearly half of the district's campuses were still without power Friday afternoon and dozens have sustained wind and tree damage. Four HISD schools sustained such severe damage that they may not be ready to open Monday, and others may remain closed if power isn't restored. The exact number of schools that may remain closed Monday is still unknown because the cleanup process is ongoing, Miles said. Even on Monday, if we don't have power in some schools, even if the building isn't affected, we probably will not send kids to those schools, but let's wait and see how that turns out before we make any decision about that, Miles said. Read more about the damage across HISD here. - Megan Menchaca, 5:07 p.m. Some Cypress-Fairbanks ISD campuses sustained significant damage including some at which exterior wind damage and fallen trees. Its maintenance, operations and facilities teams are still assessing the damage, spokesperson Leslie Francis said. There are still widespread power outages. Klein ISD spokesperson Justin Elbert said Klein buildings saw no major storm damage. Eight out of 52 campuses were stll without power as of 3 p.m. Friday. - Nusaiba Mizan, 4:58 p.m. Houston Grand Opera's free performances of "Madame Butterfly" Friday and Saturday night at Miller Outdoor Theater were to go on as planned. The shows begin at 8 p.m. The local production stars soprano Raquel Gonzales as Cio-Cio, a young Japanese woman who falls in love with and marries an American naval lieutenant, but she is betrayed. Tenor Eric Taylor plays the lieutenant and the Houston Grand Operas own Teddy Poll will conduct. While all of the covered seats for Friday's show have been claimed, any seats that are empty 10 minutes before the show will be released to the public. For more information, email CustomerCare@HGO.org. - Melissa Aguilar, 4:44 p.m. Following Thursday evenings deadly storm, Comcast is offering free WiFi hotspots to Houstonians as major internet and cell service providers continue to report disruptions. By 1 p.m. Friday, around 300,000 Comcast customers were unable to use their internet service, according to Ilona Carson, a Comcast spokesperson. To help Houstonians access the internet, the company has opened up all of its operational WiFi hotspots in the city. Residents can enter their zip code on the companys website to find the nearest hotspot. - Yilun Cheng, 4:33 p.m. Some of the most impacted areas include Bridgeland,Timbergrove and Lazybrook, which fall in Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones' district. People clearing residential debris can use public dumpsters in Tomball and Hockley that will be open on Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or reach out to the commissioner's office for help by emailing service@hcp4.net or calling 832-927-4444. "Our crews have been out around the clock picking up debris. Please keep calling if you want us to go to your neighborhood," Briones said Friday. County community centers in Precinct 4 are available for residents without power to recharge their batteries and cool down, including Peckham, Burnett-Bayland, Tracy Gee and Hockley. - Jen Rice, 4:24 p.m. Families in southwest Houston are without a place to stay after the roofs of several apartment units collapsed as families sheltered from thunderstorms Thursday evening. Quan Angeles, a resident of Ravenswood apartments, 7960 Amelia Road, said he wasnt home when thunderstorms hit but his wife and kids were. When she called me she said that our roof fell and they were trying to rush to get downstairs," Angeles said. Residents, family and friends were gathered at the apartment complex Friday helping clean up, removing wreckage and providing water to people in need. Angeles said he was driving to rush back to his family during the storm because his wife and kids were scared. Hes been a resident at the complex for 13 years and said he is thankful his family survived but hes also sad and not sure what to do next. I lost everything. he said. Juan Herrera, who lives in the same complex, said his roof collapsed as he sheltered with his family during the tornado. He said they could feel the entire home shake as water came through the ceilings. Both families said they are looking for help and resources at the moment. They have reached out to the apartment complex about moving into another temporary unit but were told there was nothing available due to other units having similar issues. - Ralph Green, 4:18 p.m. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo missed a call from President Biden as she took a helicopter tour of damaged parts of the northwest county. But she said she plans to follow up with Biden and his team to combine a disaster request for the recent floods with those Thursdays devastating storm. He very kindly reached out to ask how he could help, and we are advocating for the state of Texas, Hidalgo said of Biden. The aim, with combined disaster declarations already signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, is to put all of the damages from the floods and the strong storms into a single federal request. That amount, pending certification of some amounts, could be enough to trigger federal aid for businesses, help for homeowners and potentially repayment of costs the cities and counties incurred from the weather. We really have a case to make, Hidalgo said. Austin Appleton, manager of disaster recovery for Harris Countys engineering department, said more damage assessments are to take place during the weekend, to calculate the total tally of lost structures, damaged roads and other potential losses. The good news about all this is with the flooding about two weeks ago and the winds yesterday, we have not seen the level of damage we have expected, he said. Asked if her afternoon tete-a-tete with Houston Mayor John Whitmire strained efforts to cooperate when the city and Harris County need to work together, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo demurred. I dont think I even want to give that any air right now, she said. There are still trees on homes. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said there is some optimism power outages in the region could be repaired in days not weeks after a conversation with CenterPoint Energy officials about the potential to bypass damaged transmission lines. Hidalgo cautiously called the discussions good news as the downed transmission lines are a critical component of restoring electricity for hundreds of thousands of customers experiencing an ongoing outage. CenterPoint, she said, is examining whether it can bypass the damaged lines to bring power another route into the region. It is good news, it is hope, certainly better than we were thinking, Hidalgo said. She said it is possible during the weekend officials could determine if a bypass can bring homes back online. - Dug Begley, 3:59 p.m. Flaring events were reported at Exxon Mobils facilities in Beaumont, but the company could not be immediately reached. Chevron said in a statement that its Pasadena refinery suffered minor damage Thursday night but it did not significantly impact our operations there. Were still waiting for reports to come in, but it doesnt sound like the storms had a major impact on operations, said Matthew Blair, Tudor Pickering Holts managing director of refining, chemicals and renewable fuels. Theres been some reports of flaring but I havent seen any full shutdowns. - Amanda Drane, 3:18 p.m. The severe thunderstorm that moved through the Houston region Thursday evening knocked out power to many pharmacies, but customers at several large chain pharmacies can fill their prescription at another location. Walgreens said it is working to reopen the stores that are closed due to power outages, but encouraged customers can use the Walgreens Store Locator to find another pharmacy in their area. H-E-B said customers can go to any open pharmacy to request a prescription fill. If delivery is available and weather conditions allow, they can request delivery via the My H-E-B app or by calling the pharmacy. There is a 10-mile radius for deliveries, an H-E-B spokesperson said. A Kroger spokesperson said customers who are unable to get their prescription at their local pharmacy can fill it at another location. Customers can locate their closest open pharmacy by calling customer service at 346-223-5900 extension 3. Kelsey-Seybold has 18 pharmacies across Greater Houston, but its Memorial Villages and Summer Creek Clinic locations are closed due to power outages. Patients who need their prescriptions today can have them transferred to another location by calling the 24/7 Contact Center at 713-442-0000 and asking to speak with someone on the pharmacy team. - Evan MacDonald, 3:08 p.m. While much of the Heights area looks completely different than most days after a thunderstorm uprooted several trees, leaving many without power, Friday afternoon was busy as usual on White Oak Drive. Restaurants such as Onion Creek had a line out the door as people, filling the rest of the restaurant, were looking for food options that werent affected by the power outage. A hopscotch away, Christians Tailgate was also filled with people chatting and sipping their favorite hard drinks. Patrons lined the bar, while staff rushed to replace empty kegs. - Michael Garcia, 2:37 p.m. Travis Haggard assesses his pool after last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. The Haggards bought this new house and was waiting to remodel the house. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Some Houstonians dealing with storm damage and power outages headed out to get food and supplies Friday morning. Many found stores ready to help. Here's a running list of stores we've confirmed are open. Chronicle staff could not reach the Kroger store at 1035 N Shepherd or the Whole Foods at 101 N Loop W. - Chevall Pryce and Michael Garcia, 2:24 p.m. Some school districts, including Alief, Pearland, Tomball, and Lamar, reported no storm damage to district buildings. Alief, Tomball, and Crosby school districts said students will not have to make up canceled May 17 classes on another day. Channelview ISD will apply for a missed school day waiver with the Texas Education Agency, its spokesperson wrote. Alvin ISD experienced a partial power outage Friday morning at Walt Disney Elementary School, a spokesperson wrote, but campuses were otherwise unaffected and classes continued. Some Tomball and Crosby school district facilities were without power as of Friday morning district spokespeople said. The majority of Channelview ISD campuses did not have power as of noon Friday. Its spokesperson wrote that trees were down across the district, and operation staff are evaluating damage to facilities. Spring Branch ISD said it is still assessing its facilities Friday morning. - Nusaiba Mizan, 2:15 p.m. Corey Flores, a Briargrove Elementary School parent, said Briargrove parents are postponing a protest that was scheduled for Saturday at City Hall. Briargrove parents have said some of their teachers were asked not to return next academic year on the basis of performance, part of widescale job departures in Houston ISD. HISD reported Friday at noon that 136 campuses were without power and dozens sustained storm damage. The district, which canceled classes Friday, said the clean-up process is on-going. - Nusaiba Mizan, 2:05 p.m. Carolyn Rivera pulled out a binder labeled NAC short for Northeast Action Collective, a grassroots organization in which neighbors help neighbors in northeast Houston and flipped to her roster. There, the names of people who lived nearby were listed, along with their medications. Rivera runs one of the Northeast Action Collectives Hub Houses, meaning her home is stocked with supplies for neighbors in the case of a storm. If theres (a medication) they need, we try to have it if its over the counter. The first person she got on the phone was Larry Duplechin, 73. Im not doing good, he said. While he had been sitting at his kitchen Thursday evening, outfitted with crisp white cabinets he had installed himself, he became aware of a roar. And then, suddenly, a BOOM. His living room was gone. With it, the door to his house. He was trapped inside. Two Northeast Action Collective organizers, Felix Kapoor and Andrew Barley, arrived and the three walked down to Duplechins house, where his nephew and brother were removing debris. Already, they had removed enough for him to emerge. My God, Larry! Rivera exclaimed. What? Duplechin asked, standing within his kitchen, which was exposed like a dollhouse. A chandelier hung from the beam that divided the untouched portion of his house from the part that was destroyed. How did you get through this? Barley brought over waters and snack-sized packages of peanuts, and Kapoor asked if he could call contractors to help (though Duplechins nephew is also a contractor). Duplechin explained that he wasnt getting upset about the situation. He looked at his living room. My favorite pastime is watching TV, he said. Its a real flat screen now. - R.A. Schuetz, 1:53 p.m. Families at the Ravenswood apartment complex on Amelia Road in southwest Houston are looking for a place to stay after several units' roofs caved in during deadly storms on Thursday, May 16. Cleanup was ongoing on Friday. Ralph Green/Houston Chronicle Storm survey teams from the National Weather Service have confirmed an EF1 tornado near Cypress with peak winds of 110 mph. The team members in northwest Harris County are still determining the tornado's intensity and path length. Another survey team in downtown Houston has determined that the area was hit by significant straight-line winds that blew out windows on the exposed north and west sides of buildings. Winds in this area peaked at around 100 mph, according to the team's early findings. Meanwhile, the survey team in the Baytown area found widespread wind damage from straight line-winds of 90 to 100 mph. Large hardwood trees had been snapped and the team observed roof and vehicle damage across the area. - Roberto Villalpando, 1:40 p.m. Mayor John Whitmire encouraged Houston residents to stay out of downtown Friday night if possible, and to exercise caution and limit their drinking if they do come into the central business district. Whitmire toured damaged areas with Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones, Police Chief Larry Satterwhite, Fire Chief Sam Pena and Downtown District CEO Kris Larson, pausing to speak to reporters at the corner of Milam and Dallas, where shards of broken glass covered the ground. We need to get out of here, and encourage people to not to put their lives in danger, Whitmire said about being downtown. I wanted to be here with the commissioner and all the stakeholders to demonstrate the (recovery) activity downtown and also expose the dangers. Sheets of glass are still falling from these buildings. Satterwhite said theres a risk glass could fall on pedestrians, but the heavy sheets also break and expand once they hit the ground and can pose a threat then too. Mayor John Whitmire and acting police Chief Larry Satterwhite and fire chief Samuel Pena survey damaged buildings downtown on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Whitmire said crews are working to repair broken windows, clean up debris and fix streetlights downtown, but visitors should expect faulty street signals and a lack of light generally. The city has 2,500 traffic lights out, including many downtown. It will take several days to clean up and restore those devices. Anyone who goes to the Astros game or other downtown events should treat it like a work zone, he said, and consider how they can avoid endangering those workers. He recommended Astros fans use Interstate\ 10 to get home rather than venturing downtown. This is a wow event, I keep telling myself wow, and Ive seen a lot, Whitmire said, citing Hurricane Carla in 1961. This is striking as to the intensity and the suddenness of this storm. As he walked around, Whitmire wondered aloud what could have happened if the storm struck during business hours. - Dylan McGuinness, 1:27 p.m. The City of Houston will open five cooling centers following Thursday nights storm, according to the Houston Office of Emergency Management. Stude Community Center at 1031 Stude St. will be open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday Kingwood Community Center at 4202 Rustic Woods Dr. will be open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday Acres Home Multi-Service Center at 6719 W Montgomery Rd. will open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center at 4410 Reed Rd. will open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday Metropolitan Multi-Service Center at 1475 W. Gray St. will open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. - Abby Church, 1:19 p.m. Houston ISD reported that nearly half of its campuses are without power as of Friday afternoon and dozens have sustained wind and tree damage following severe storms Thursday. HISD which canceled classes Friday said the clean-up process is still on-going and it did not have an estimate of when the power would be restored to the 136 campuses without power. The district said it is working with CenterPoint Energy, city and county officials to ensure it can safely serve approximately 184,000 students on Monday. HISD's appointed Superintendent Mike Miles plans to visit some of the campuses that sustained more extensive damage, such as Robinson, Paige, Sinclair and Pugh elementary schools, to evaluate the extent of the damage at those schools and establish a plan for school operations next week. -Megan Menchaca, 1:01 p.m. The Astros and Dash both will play their home games as scheduled Friday night, a day after heavy storms tore through Houston. Minute Maid Park, which had rain roar through the openings in the stadium's retractable roof Thursday, suffered minimal cosmetic damage to the exterior, according to the Astros. The Astros play the Brewers at 7:10 p.m., while the Dash face Portland at 7 p.m. at Shell Energy Stadium. - Matt Young, 12:55 p.m. Lanes of Interstate 10 near North Main in downtown Houston were closed so Texas Department of Transportation crews could assess and repair an overhead sign bent by Thursday's powerful storms. Crews began the work shortly after 10 a.m., at times closing all westbound lanes of the freeway. They reopened some lanes, but are alternating with at least two lanes closed as of 11:30 a.m., TxDOT spokesman Danny Perez said. Highway workers are fanned out around the Houston region assessing any damage and seeing where power outages are affecting traffic signals. Perez called the scouting "really important" because the same power outages keeping hundreds of thousands of Houstonians in the dark are keeping TxDOT and other crews blind to problems. "We have multiple cameras that are out because of the power, so we have to go out and see around the region," Perez said. Power loss is also the reason for darkened traffic signals -- monitored in the region by dozens of agencies including Houston Public Works, Harris County and TxDOT. Drivers should stop at any flashing or inoperable signal and treat it like an all-way stop, taking turns through the intersection. Along with the power, officials expect it to take days to test and bring traffic signals back. "If it was a signal issue, they would go to flashing," Perez said. "So if they are out, that is the outage. Then we have to see if signal boxes come back or if there are problems. We won't know until power is restored." - Dug Begley, 12:41 p.m. The Houston Chronicle's interactive map shows current street hazards in Houston after Thursday's deadly storm. Enter your address to search for closed roads, problems with traffic signals and more near you. - Matt Zdun, 12:40 p.m. Houstons Solid Waste Department will halt its Friday collection services due to disruptions from Thursday evenings storm, according to a news release. Solid Waste will suspend its garbage, recycling yard and tree waste collection services, and advises residents to call the citys 311 line to report storm debris that needs to be collected. The department will conduct Fridays routes on Saturday with recycling, yard and tree waste collections happening on customers next regularly scheduled collection day. Solid Waste will return to its normal schedule Monday, according to the news release. - Abby Church, 12:33 p.m. The plant, at 8600 Park Place, was one of many chemical facilities and refineries that flared large amounts of gases throughout the city during the severe storm. "Due a power outage caused by severe weather, there may be unusual flaring at our facility," TPC Group's Houston operations team posted on the region's Community Awareness and Emergency Response dashboard just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Nearly 13 hours later, at 8:18 a.m., they issued the all-clear for the incident. The facility sits within half a mile of more than 2,000 homes and has for 80 years produced raw materials used to make tires and other plastic products. It sells fossil fuel derivatives including cancer-causing 1,3-butadiene as well as butene and fuel products, among others. - Rebekah F. Ward, 12:27 p.m. It appears power stayed on along the Houston Ship Channel and Houstons oil refineries were largely unscathed by the storm aside from some flaring, said Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates in Houston. Gasoline and diesel prices should be unaffected, he said. Thats good news for the consumer that the refineries stayed in operation and we shouldnt have a supply impact because of the storm, Lipow said. - Amanda Drane, 12:16 p.m. Mayor John Whitmire huddled with Police Chief Larry Satterwhite and Fire Chief Sam Pena Friday and headed downtown to start reviewing damage from Thursday nights windstorm. This isnt show business, Im here to learn, Whitmire told the chiefs, though reporters were assembling to tag along. The crew started out at police headquarters on the corner of Polk and Travis, and trekked around the central business district from there. Can you imagine the intensity it took to come in between these buildings, Whitmire said as he watched crews clean a slate of broken glass scattered across the corner of Milam and Dallas. People should avoid downtown, we dont need people coming down here just to look. The crew had to reroute out of concern broken glass from windows on the TotalEnergies Tower could continue falling to the street. - Dylan McGuinness, 12:13 p.m. Several Houston area colleges and universities, including Prairie View A&M University and San Jacinto College, that closed Friday due to the severe storms have reported minimal damage to campus buildings. Candace Johnson, a Prairie View A&M University spokesperson, said the school experienced minor damage, with a few uprooted trees and downed branches throughout campus. She said only a few of the universitys buildings were still in the dark, but the school hopes to have power restored to those buildings soon. Rice University did not report any major damage from the storm, although crews have been on campus Friday cleaning up any debris, spokesperson Chris Stipes said in a statement. Amanda Fenwick, the San Jacinto College spokesperson, said the SJC North Campus is without power, but there is no other damage reported at any of their campuses. The University of Houstons main campus, as well as UH at Sugar Land and UH at Katy, all remained open Friday for normal operations. The school reported damage to Technology Bridge Building 3 and told employees who worked there not to report to the building until further notice. - Megan Menchaca, 12:05 p.m. Kroger staff member Mark Dolormente holds the entrance door open for a shopper who purchased several bags of ice. On Friday morning, several people lined up to purchase emergency items at the Kroger on 20th Street in the Heights. Michael Garcia/Houston Chronicle Around 10:30 a.m., several people lined up to grab emergency supplies at Kroger on 20th Street in the Heights, grabbing cases of water, bags of ice and cold cuts to keep themselves fed for a few days. Kroger staff member Mark Dolormente stood in front of the entrance, allowing people to enter one by one, to control the line, yelling we can only take card(s). Mary Young, who was making her way to Kroger from her Houston Heights Tower apartment on 19th Street, said she was shopping for cold cuts because her apartment is without power and she had nothing to eat. She said Thursday nights storm downed many limbs and trees around her apartment complex and even brought water into some parts of the building. It was pretty bad, Young said. - Michael Garcia, 11:53 a.m. At least five Houston hospitals have said they are fully operational Friday, but some clinics and health centers are closed. Ben Taub, Lyndon B. Johnson, the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baylor St. Lukes Medical Center and MD Anderson Cancer Center are all open as normal Friday, according to spokespeople for the hospitals. Harris Health said its Dialysis Center and Endoscopy Center at Quentin Mease and Infusion Therapy and Radiation Therapy at the Smith Clinic are also open as normal. However, Harris Health closed 13 facilities, including Aldine; the Ambulatory Surgical Center at LBJ; the Pediatric and Adolescent Center at CE Odom; Cypress; Danny Jackson; Gulfgate; Margo Hilliard; Northwest; Nueva Casa; the Outpatient Center at LBJ; Settegast; and Sunset Heights. Harris Health also delayed the opening of 17 more facilities until noon Friday. The Katy VA Clinic is closed on Friday. The VA said it is calling patients with Friday appointments to reschedule them. Harris County Public Health and the Houston Health Department each said their sites are closed Friday. - Evan MacDonald, Julian Gill, 11:40 a.m. Gov. Greg Abbott said state officials are working with local authorities to respond to the harsh storms that ravaged the Houston region Thursday night. Abbott amended a severe weather disaster declaration to include more counties that could be affected by serious storms. The declaration, which he issued earlier this month, includes Harris and surrounding counties. The governor said the Texas Division of Emergency Management and the Public Utility Commission are working to help impacted Texans and restore lost power. "Our hearts are with the families and loved ones of those who tragically lost their lives due to severe weather in Southeast Texas, and we remain in contact with local officials to do everything we can to protect Texans and help our communities recover, Abbott said. He encouraged Texans who sustained storm damage to report it online at damage.tdem.texas.gov. - Cayla Harris, 11:27 a.m. The Harris County Sheriffs Office on Friday confirmed they were investigating a fifth death connected to the storm. A man was driving in the 12400 block of Kilkenny Glenn Drive when he saw a downed power pole and another person already trying to move it, said senior deputy Thomas Gilliland, spokesman for the office. The man got out of his vehicle and tried to help move the power pole when he collapsed suddenly. Emergency responders arrived and transported the man to HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress, where he was pronounced dead, Gilliland said. - Matt DeGrood, 11:10 a.m. As the National Weather Service prepared to issue a tornado warning Thursday night that included downtown Houston inside the Loop, forecasters also revised a severe thunderstorm warning that bumped up wind estimates to 80 mph and added a destructive tag that would activate alerts on cell phones in or near the warning area. After several high-profile severe weather events, the weather service started using the words destructive and considerable in their severe weather alerts to better convey the intensity and power of the thunderstorms. Rain and wind sweep through before the game between the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics Minute Maid Park on May 16, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images) Logan Riely/Getty Images Even with the severe storm tearing through downtown Houston, the Astros and Oakland As game started at 7:10 pm. as scheduled Thursday night. Rains were so heavy, water blasted through openings in Minute Maid Parks retractable roof, which doesnt have an air-tight seal. Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier warmed up in the bullpen located in right-center that was getting soaked with rain during pregame. He said the bullpen mound he usually uses was getting particularly drenched, so he switched to the other one that was a little drier. He still got rained on indoors a bit. "It didn't really affect me, but yeah there was a lot of water there, something I hadn't seen before," Javier said. "I was a little bit confused there." By the time the game was over at about 9:30 p.m., the bad weather already had passed, but downtown still was littered with glass and debris from damage done to the buildings. As fans prepared to leave the stadium, an announcement was made advising people to avoid driving through downtown if possible and to stick to highways as they made their way home. The ballpark, which never lost power because of its backup energy supply, seemed to withstand the storm aside from some fencing being knocked down outside. - Matt Young, 10:50 a.m. Houston Mayor John Whitmire, right, speaks alongside Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo as they update the public after Thursdays storms which brought damaging winds and rains to the Greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer After holding separate news briefings during recent floods, Hidalgo and Whitmire managed to present a united front on Friday by speaking from the same podium but the tension between them quickly surfaced. Hidalgo always delivers her remarks in both English and Spanish. This time, she took a break between the two so Whitmire could speak. As she was planning to deliver her remarks in Spanish, Whitmire seemed to invite Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones to speak. Hidalgo cut in saying all four precincts in Harris County had been impacted not just Briones' area and moved to give her Spanish remarks. When Whitmire appeared poised to push back, Hidalgo shut him down: "Now is not the time." - Jen Rice, 10:40 a.m. Restoring power to the areas hardest hit by Thursday nights storm is expected to take several days or longer, CenterPoint Energy said in a Friday morning statement. In certain parts of our service area where the damage to our infrastructure was significant, our restoration efforts are expected to take several days, and some of the hardest hit areas could take longer," said Lynnae Wilson, CenterPoint's senior vice president of electric business. We are mobilizing all our available resources, as well as mutual assistance resources from nearby utility companies, to begin the process of quickly and safely restoring power to our customers. We appreciate our customers patience and understanding as we focus on the important work ahead, Wilson said. The hardest hit areas include the 290 corridor from Jersey Village to Waller, according to CenterPoint. Restoration work is expected to continue through the weekend and into early next week. Information on particular areas will be provided to customers as repairs begin, CenterPoint said. The statement noted that restoration times may be delayed as crews continue to assess damages. A person walks up to check out an uprooted tree and downed wire thats blocking Norhill Boulevard at White Oak Drive Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Nearly 922,000 customers lost power at the heights of outages, according to CenterPoints statement. CenterPoint serves approximately 2.6 million customers across the Houston area. As of 10:20 a.m. Friday, CenterPoint was reporting more than 716,000 customers without power from 3,620 active outages in the Houston area. Around 92,600 customers had power restored in the previous few hours. More than 35% of customers in the City of Houston and around 20% of customers in Harris County are without power as of 10:20 a.m., according to CenterPoint. An active outage refers to each incidence electrical equipment is damaged and causing power losses, according to CenterPoint spokesperson Logan Anderson. One active outage can, and often does, affect numerous homes and businesses. - Claire Hao, 10:33 a.m. Currently, 740,000 customers are without power, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a Friday morning joint news conference with Mayor John Whitmire. The recovery timeline will be different for everyone. "For many, many people, it's going to be weeks and not days," Hidalgo said. Hidalgo urged people to check on elderly neighbors and take caution when cleaning up debris. "If you've never used a chainsaw, today is not the day to start," Hidalgo said. - Jen Rice, 10:16 a.m. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, left, exchanges words with Houston Mayor John Whitmire as they update the public following Thursdays storms which brought damaging winds and rains to the Greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Houston Public Works has received, as of 8 a.m., 750 reports of traffic signals out across the city, according to department spokeswoman Erin Jones. While some of those could be duplicates for the same malfunctioning or powerless signals, it represents a wide swath of the city, with roughly 2,300 signalized intersections. Dionysius Torreros, of the City of Houston, works on clearing a tree that toppled across Bingle Road in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer At some major streets where lights are down, notably frontage roads, crews have placed signs alerting drivers to the need for a four-way stop. Traffic is oozing through some congested areas, as those out and about made their morning commutes. At any flashing or inoperable signal, a driver should treat it as a stop sign. - Dug Begley, 10:15 a.m. Houston Public Works is asking residents to conserve water and wastewater usage to limit the strain on the citys system after Thursdays storm. A number of the citys water plants lost electricity, but all are operating normally on generator power. Erin Jones, a spokesperson for the department, said pressure appears to be normal throughout the citys system, though there have been anecdotal reports of water loss. The city is asking residents to report any water shortages to 311. - Dylan McGuinness, 10 a.m. After storms swept the Houston area Thursday night, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will need to decide whether or not to declare the storm a disaster, opening up a flood of federal funding for cleanup and recovery. Typically, Gov. Greg Abbott would request what is known as a major disaster declaration, which would allow residents and local and state governments to file for emergency assistance for everything from water damage to crisis counseling services. FEMA would then review the situation on the ground to determine if the damage was of such severity that it is "beyond the combined capabilities of state and local governments to respond." So far this year FEMA has declared 28 major disasters nationwide, mostly from storm damage across the northeast over the winter and flooding along the West Coast. - James Osborne, 9:54 a.m. Thursday wind speeds in some parts of Houston approached 80 miles per hour, according to data from the National Weather Service. See where wind speeds were highest in this interactive map. - Alexandra Kanik and Justin Ballard, 9:45 a.m. Families check out damage in Woodlands Heights on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Jill Karnicki/Houston Chronicle Storms cannot stop Houston from being Houston in the morning. Without power or water, residents trekked the next logical place: Starbucks. The drive-thru line at the location along Shepherd, on the western edge of Montrose, snaked onto the street. So did the one at the Dunkin' Donuts a few blocks north at San Felipe. A tree, presumably, knocked out the power at Cade Sessions' Heights home. He fled south to Dunkin' for breakfast. "You go to one part of the city and it looks like everything got torn up," Sessions said. "You go a couple streets over and nothing." Until his power comes back on, Sessions said his plan was to just grab and go. "I mean, what else can you do," he said. - Dug Begley, 9:38 a.m. The National Weather Service will have three survey teams out in the Greater Houston area Friday to verify reports of tornadoes, after storms tore through Southeast Texas Thursday, uprooting trees and damaging buildings. As of 9 a.m. Friday, the weather service had not confirmed any twisters but did suspect a few areas may have experienced one. Of the three survey teams out Friday, one will start in Baytown, another in Cypress, and a third will be in Harris County, where a news conference is scheduled. In Cypress, for instance, a driver posted video on Facebook of what appeared to be a funnel cloud Thursday night. - Roberto Villalpando, 9:29 a.m. A US Postal Service truck is flipped on its side at the intersection of Bingle and Sowden in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Paul Garza wanted to see for himself where his sister-in-law was killed. From the street in the 7100 block of Avenue O, he could see the toppled tree that fell on Christin Martinezs vehicle. The hatch was still open showing a stroller for her months-old baby. The mother of four rushed outside during the storm to move their only vehicle, often used to ferry the children, he said. She was a good mom, Garza cried. She was just being considerate. It wasnt supposed to be like this. Martinezs husband heard the tree crack amid the high winds but it was too late to save her. The tree was on the truck, Garza said. Martinez was one of at least four people who died in Thursday's storm. - Nicole Hensley, 9:17 a.m. Several businesses and apartment complexes were left without power on Mangum Road in the northwest Houston area after massive transmission towers collapsed. Del Mar Lanes bowling alley general manager Eddie Magee said that he had more than 100 customers in the building when the storm first hit the area yesterday around 6:20 p.m. We had a full house of league members and when the power started flickering everybody ran to the door and basically locked the door because the wind was blowing the doors open, Magee said. And we sat there and watched the storm come by. Trees and debris could be seen scattered on streets early Friday, sending drivers on unexpected detours. Crews are out working to clear power lines from roadways. Magee said he and a few workers watched the towers and power lines fall. I was just trying to keep them in the building, a lot of them were trying to leave the building and we were trying to keep them in and everybody safe, he said. He said Del Mar Lanes has been without power since the storm and will be closed Friday. He hopes to open tomorrow depending on the power situation. - Ralph Green One of the Thursday storm deaths came in the 7300 block of Wingate, according to police. A person working on a construction project was sitting in a cement truck when a portable crane fell during high winds and landed on the truck. Emergency responders pronounced the person dead around 7 p.m. Another death happened when the storm suddenly hit in the 6800 block of North Main St., according to witnesses. A man and two others were in a backyard when the two ran inside after hearing a loud storm noise. When they tried to call the third person, he didnt respond. They went back outside and found him under a fallen tree. He was pronounced dead around 7:20 p.m. Emergency responders received a third call from a man who said he and his wife had been at a barbershop when the storm arrived, police said. The woman left to get their vehicle so they could leave and when the man went outside a minute later, he found her lying on the ground with a tree limb on top of her. Emergency responders didnt find signs of trauma and she was pronounced dead around 7:30 p.m. One woman was killed inside a vehicle in her driveway, according to police. A witness said shed gone outside to move the vehicle because of the storm and that, after hearing the loud sound of a tree falling, shed been found inside the vehicle with the tree on top of it. She was pronounced dead around 7:20 p.m. - Matt Degrood Epiphany Catholic School principal Nicholas Morgan speaks to during the eighth grade graduation ceremony, held by candlelight after the churchs power was knocked out mid-ceremony on Thursday, May 16, 2024 in Katy. Claire Goodman Eighth graders at Epiphany Catholic School in Katy had a memorable graduation Thursday night after power to the church and surrounding area was knocked out mid-ceremony. The graduation continued by candle light, using emergency lanterns and the churchs ceremonial candles. Epiphany priest Father Tom Lam had earlier in the evening given a homily speech to the children about bittersweet moments and the importance of personal sacrifice. Well, I did say sacrifice was important, he joked as the children and families scrambled to adapt to the darkness. - Claire Goodman Many Heights residents woke up to downed trees near their properties Friday morning. The trees busted windows, broke fences and blocked driveways. Near the intersection of White Oak Drive and Harvard Street, Larry Gardner was helping his neighbor, whose driveway was blocked by a downed tree on his property, sawing the tree down to clear a path. On the other side of his house, another tree was uprooted, laying in between his house and his neighbor's backyard. Water puddled in his backyard, a problem he suggested could be because of a sprinkler system. Gardner didnt hear any of the trees falling down during the storm, when he hid with his wife in their closet. He chuckled as he recounted how he first scoffed at the idea of needing to find cover. I said, Im from Oklahoma, Gardner said laughing. But then the floors started to shake. And I didnt tell her, but I thought, Well, Im glad we are in the closet. Two houses down, Robert Locklair began trying to clear a tree, which damaged a couple of his neighbors windows caused slight gutter damage, in front of his house. We heard some noise, Locklair said, recounting his experience Thursday night. And I couldnt tell if it was a thunder crash or a collision. But, I know what it is now. While both Locklair and his neighbor saw some damage caused by the downed tree, he said it could have been a lot worse, noting he saw CenterPoint vehicles working on a house with a gas leak earlier in the morning. Thats kind of scary, he said. Locklair said he hoped to clear the tree from his property in the next couple of days. - Michael Garcia The San Jacinto River Authority has closed Lake Conroe. The lake level has risen to 202.56 feet and officials are currently releasing water at a rate of 8,090 cubic feet per second. Normal pool for the lake is 201 feet. The authority will continue to pass through storm water and runoff received in the Upper San Jacinto River Basin until Lake Conroe returns to normal pool. According to the City of Houston, Lake Houston is currently at 43.14 feet (normal pool is 42.4 feet) and discharging water over the spillway. Normal pool is 42.4 feet. Gates on Lake Houston will remain open until Lake Houston returns to normal pool. Total inflows into Lake Houston are at 18,175 cubic feet per second and outflows are at 12,692.6 cubic feet per second. Lake Houston gates have and will remain open until the gate that is stuck partially open is repaired. Jason Millsaps, the executive director of Montgomery County's Office of Emergency Management, said there is no flooding danger at the current release. He said the authority may increase the release later today and that could cause some minor flooding in the area FM 2854 and the San Jacinto River but nothing further downstream from there. - Catherine Dominguez Hundreds of thousands of people are still awaiting word about when their power will be restored. Houston Mayor John Whitmire on Thursday night said it could take up to 48 hours for repairs to be made across Houston, but Centerpoint Energy, which maintains power lines in the region, hasn't released a detail estimate on its restoration timeline. Instead, Centerpoint warned its customers to "prepared for extended weather-related power outages." Houston police Friday morning were investigating two deaths caused by falling trees, a third that came when a crane fell on a cement truck and a fourth with an undetermined cause of death, according to Christopher Hassig, commander of the department's homicide division. Officials urged people who were in immediate danger to call 9-1-1, but Whitmire said the city was also working to clear a backlog of emergency calls caused by the storm. Multiple agencies were providing support to Houston, including the sheriff's office and individual county commissioners. Whitmire strongly urged people not to travel west through downtown Houston because of dangers of glass that had fallen from multiple skyscrapers. Everyone is coming together, thats what we do best in Houston." Whitmire said. - Matt DeGrood Thursday's storms took down countless trees and large branches around Houston, in some cases blocking roadways. City officials are urging residents to call 311, Houston's non-emergency help line, to reported downed trees, or use the 311 online portal. Several businesses and apartment complexes were left without power on Mangum Road in the northwest Houston area after massive power line towers collapsed. At least three power line towers near Del Mar Lanes bowling alley are smashed and lying on the ground. Trees and debris could be seen scattered on streets early Friday, sending drivers on unexpected detours. Crews are out working to clear power lines from roadways. Business owners on Magnum Road were busy clearing storefronts of debris. - Ralph Green Neighbors looking at a building under construction that collapsed during last nights storm on Memorial Heights Drive Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. According to a neighbors security camera, the building collapsed at 6:31pm Thursday. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A building on Memorial Heights Drive near Memorial Park collapsed at 6:31 p.m. Thursday, according to a neighbor's security camera. Neighbors came out to see the damage on Friday morning. As the sun rose Friday, people around Houston were still trying to grasp the extent of the damage from Thursday's storm. -Yi-Chin Lee City of Houston employees are out conducting damage assessments and working to clear fallen trees and power lines from roads. Drivers should stay off the roads, officials said in a post on X: Houston's Heights area looked unrecognizable Friday, filled with debris and numerous trees uprooted. The trees took down down power lines in the process. Resident Elish Flynn, who lives at an apartment complex near Heights Boulevard and 18th Street, went about her normal routine on Thursday evening and said she was surprised by the storm. I was folding laundry and then it just got super dark, Flynn said while walking her dog Friday morning. And then I looked out the window and the rain was kind of sideways. A tree lies in the middle of the street in front of Flynns apartment complex, holding down a power line. Since 6 p.m., Flynn said she has been without power, like hundreds of thousands of other Houston residents. I guess I dont have to work, she said. A building under construction that collapsed during last nights storm on Memorial Heights Drive Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. According to a neighbors security camera, the building collapsed at 6:31pm Thursday. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer There are nearly 700,000 power outages on Friday morning in Harris County, according to the Chronicle's power outage tracker. Waller and Montgomery counties are also showing a large number of outages. CenterPoint Energy's power outage tracker was not functioning on Friday morning. The Houston Independent School District canceled school Friday due to storm damage and power outages, as did many other Houston area school districts. "Due to the widespread damage across Houston, HISD has coordinated with the city of Houston and is closing all campuses Friday, May 17," the district said in a statement. "Schools will reopen Monday, May 20." Here's a list of school closures: Houston ISD Cy-Fair ISD Spring Branch ISD Sheldon ISD Crosby ISD Aldine ISD Channelview ISD Hempstead ISD Galena Park ISD The landlord of a downtown business sued by the City of Birmingham has asked a judge to join the lawsuit against CRU Birmingham, a bar at 2300 First Ave. North. PFS Birmingham I LLC, which says it is the landlord for the property in the Fix Play Building, filed a motion on Friday asking to join the case against CRU, which the city filed on May 8 seeking the declaration of a public nuisance and requiring operators to take necessary steps to eliminate criminal activity or be prohibited from operating. The landlord says it had sent a letter of lease termination a day before Birmingham filed its lawsuit. PFS is aligned with the city and its goal of preventing further criminal activity in and around the premises, the motion said. Due to concerns relating to CRUs operation of its business in the premises, and due to multiple defaults under the lease, on May 7, 2024, PFS sent a letter to CRU (the Lease Termination Letter) terminating the lease and demanding that CRU turn over possession of the premises to PFS, the motion said. The motion said that Cru assigned its lease rights to the Gated Family LLC and provisions were added regarding safety requirements. Beginning the last weekend of April, however, Landlord became aware of CRUs operations in the premises leading to criminal activity, excessive noise, and the disruption of traffic, all of which have affected the other businesses and residences located in and around the Fix Play Building, the motion said. Birmingham sued the owners and operators of Cru, saying the business has been used as a breeding ground for illegal activity. Birmingham police, city officials have said, have responded to calls related to a person shot following an altercation on the property, multiple traffic issues created by patrons, including exhibition drivers, and excessive numbers of people loitering at the property. City also sued Shell station The city had also filed a lawsuit against Third Avenue Ventures, operators of a Shell station on Third Avenue North that was at the center of a shooting incident in which more than 150 shots were fired. City Attorney Nicole King attended a hearing with Circuit Judge Pat Ballard on Wednesday in that case. We worked with the property owner to get some things established security-wise that would benefit the community as a whole, King said. At a heated House Oversight Committee hearing Thursday night, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., insulted Rep. Jasmine Crocketts appearance, accusing the Texas Democrat of having fake eyelashes, according to news reports. The exchange began during a hearing on whether to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt when Greene asked if any Democrats on the panel were employing the daughter of the judge overseeing former President Trumps New York hush money trial, according to The Hill. Crockett questioned what that had to do with Garland. I dont think you know what youre here for, Greene replied. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., moved to strike Greenes words and make her apologize, NBC News reported. Are your feelings hurt? Greene replied Greene asked why Ocasio-Cortez did not debate her, saying she did not have enough intelligence for a debate. Ocasio-Cortez called Greene baby girl and said its pretty self-evident why she did not debate her. Greene agreed to strike her words but refused to apologize. Questioning a ruling Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., made about Greenes comments, Crockett asked: If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Uh, what now? Comer asked. I have no idea what you just said. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Crockett she was out of control and to calm down. Dont tell me to calm down, Crockett said. If I come and talk shit about her yall gonna have a problem. The exchange ended with the panel voting to allow Greene to continue speaking. A Birmingham man was convicted a second time in the shooting death of another during a Center Point home invasion more than four years ago. A Jefferson County jury on Thursday convicted 24-year-old Frank Steele of felony murder in the Oct. 13, 2019, slaying of 21-year-old Benjamin Gonzalez. A jury in 2023 convicted Steele of capital murder, but Jefferson County Circuit Judge Stephen Wallace several months later granted the defendant a new trial based on defense claims of juror misconduct. Authorities learned some jurors used Google to try to determine the distance between locations that had been mentioned in testimony, which is prohibited. Prosecutors did not object to the defense claim. Jefferson County sheriffs deputies were dispatched just before 7 p.m. that Sunday to the 1800 block of Martinique Drive N.E. Neighbors called 911 after hearing shots fired in the area of the apartment complex. Gonzalez was pronounced dead on the scene. Steele was taken into custody within days. The charge was initially a capital crime because it involved a burglary, but it was not a death penalty case. Steele had been sentenced to life in prison without parole but now faces a sentence of 20 years to life in prison in the conviction of a lesser. Sentencing will be held Aug.6. The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Warren Brooks and Nick Taggart. Steele was represented by Adam Danneman, Paul McDaniel, and Madeline Hillsmith. Authorities are asking for the publics help identifying the suspect in a Birmingham store robbery. The holdup happened Tuesday at Gallery Smoke at 9121 Parkway East. Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the suspect robbed the clerk at gunpoint. The victim was not injured. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Tipsters can remain anonymous and are eligible for a cash reward. Authorities are searching for information in the death of a man at a Gadsden home. Police said the death is suspicious. The victim has been identified as Daniel Joseph Garmon Sr. Garmon was found dead Thursday at a house in the 2300 block of Forrest Avenue. No additional details have been released. Central Alabama Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is asked to Gadsden police or Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867) or 1-833-AL1-STOP (251-7867). An Indiana man was detained for allegedly sexually assaulting his co-worker Thursday night at a traveling fair near Fultondale Elementary School, police said Friday. While detaining Michael Wiley, 34, of Evansville, Indiana, Fultondale police learned Wiley had outstanding warrants out of Gallatin County, Illinois for two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and 13 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. Officers were dispatched to the Ultimate Fair in front of Fultondale Elementary School at 11:53 p.m. Thursday on an alleged sexual assault. Wiley and the victim were employees of the fair, police said. Fultondale detectives obtained a fugitive from justice warrant for Wiley, who is being held pending extradition. Further information was unavailable. Jatahj Malik Malcom, the suspect charged in connection with the May 5 shooting at 708 Bar and Grille, turned himself into the Huntsville Police Department Violent Crimes Unit on Thursday. Malcom, 25, was wanted on five first-degree assault warrants related to the incident. The shooting occurred on Sunday, May 5, around 11:30 p.m. at 708 Poplar Ave. Huntsville Police responded to the scene following reports of gunfire. Officers found five individuals with gunshot wounds. During the investigation, it was discovered an altercation had taken place between the suspect and one of the victims. The suspect, identified as Malcom, reportedly pulled a handgun and fired multiple rounds, striking the initial victim and four other patrons inside the club. Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage and spoke to additional witnesses who later provided crucial information. All five victims who were transported to the hospital were treated for their injuries and have now been released. The Huntsville Police Department said assistance in publicizing the search by the community and the media for Malcom ultimately led to his surrender. The investigation remains ongoing. Scott Turner reports for the Huntsville Times. A teenager was arrested Thursday on a murder charge in connection with the May Day shooting that killed three people and injured 15 others in south Alabama, the Baldwin County Sheriffs office said. Tyquan French, 19, is the second suspect arrested in the case, said Maj. Tony Nolfe with the sheriffs office. Baldwin County deputies were alerted to gunshots about 9:30 p.m. Saturday at a May Day event in the Stockton community, which was held in an open field on Upper Bryants Landing Road and attended by an estimated 1,000 people. Witnesses told investigators the event had been peaceful until an argument began between an unknown number of people, leading to at least one person brandishing a weapon and firing multiple rounds into the large crowd. Frenchs arrest comes a day after 24-year-old Robert German Brown Jr. of Mobile was taken into custody. Meanwhile, investigation into the Stockton shooting continued. Our job is far from complete, Capt. Andre Reid told AL.com on Wednesday. We will continue to work diligently until we have identified every shooter, and they are charged and in custody. With that, we still need help from witnesses and victims who attended this event to accomplish that. We are asking for the publics assistance to provide information and details that will help move this investigation forward and secure a successful prosecution. Anyone with information or who may have captured video of the shooting is asked to contact the Baldwin County Sheriffs Office at 251-972-8589, option 7. A central Alabama high school was vandalized by 11 students who participated in a senior prank, the district superintendent said Thursday. The 11 seniors trespassed at Wetumpka High School on Tuesday when they vandalized several areas, Elmore County School District Superintendent Richard Dennis told WSFA. Dennis did not outline the specific damage done by the students, who he said would be punished. He also did not provide details on what discipline the students face. Senior pranks of this nature are inappropriate and destructive and may limit participation in school activities, he said, according to WSFA. We encourage students to make responsible decisions to avoid jeopardizing opportunities to celebrate the successful completion of high school. On Friday at 1:11 a.m. the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch in effect until 3 a.m. for Baldwin County. Tornado watch vs. Tornado warning: Know the difference When it comes to tornadoes, understanding the distinction between a Tornado watch and a Tornado warning can be a matter of life and death. Here's a breakdown: Tornado watch: Be prepared! A Tornado watch is your advance warning that conditions are ripe for tornado formation. It's your signal to review your emergency plans, ensure your supplies are in order, and identify your safe room. While it doesn't indicate an imminent tornado, it's a heads-up to be prepared to take swift action if a Tornado warning is issued or if you suspect a tornado is approaching. Tornado Watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center and often encompass a broad area, potentially spanning multiple counties or even states. Tornado warning: Take action! A Tornado warning signifies that a tornado has been spotted or detected by weather radar. This is the real deal there's an immediate threat to life and property. Your response should be swift: move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, away from windows. If you're in a mobile home, a vehicle, or caught outdoors, seek the nearest substantial shelter and shield yourself from flying debris. Warnings are issued by your local forecast office and pinpoint a much smaller area, typically the size of a city or a small county, where a tornado has been identified, either by radar or by trained spotters and law enforcement. Knowing the difference between these two alerts is essential in staying safe during tornado season. Stay informed, have a plan, and act promptly when danger approaches. Get ready for tornadoes Stay weather-ready: Keep an eye on the weather forecast to stay informed about tornado risks. Tune in to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio for updates on tornado watches and warnings Sign up for alerts: Know how your community sends warnings. Some communities have outdoor sirens. Others depend on media and smartphones to alert residents of severe storms capable of producing tornadoes. Establish a communication plan: Have a family plan that includes an emergency meeting place and related information. If you live in a mobile home or home without a basement, identify a nearby safe building you can get to quickly, such as a church or family member. Choose a secure shelter: Pick a safe room within your home, such as a basement, storm cellar, or an interior room on the lowest floor without windows. Establish a communication plan: Conduct a family severe thunderstorm drill regularly so everyone knows what to do if a tornado is approaching. Make sure all members of your family know to go there when tornado warnings are issued. Don't forget pets if time allows. Secure your home: Consider reinforcing your safe room for added protection. You can find plans for fortifying an interior room on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website. Extend a helping hand: Encourage your neighbors and loved ones to prepare for possible tornadoes. Consider taking CPR training to be of assistance in case of injuries. What to do when a tornado strikes When a tornado strikes, taking swift action is crucial to ensuring your safety and minimizing potential harm. Follow these guidelines from the weather service: Stay informed: Remain vigilant and stay updated by listening to local news broadcasts or a NOAA Weather Radio for tornado watches and warnings. At home: If you are at home and a tornado warning is issued, make your way to the basement, a designated safe room, or an interior space away from windows. Don't forget to ensure the safety of your pets if time allows. At work or school: Follow your tornado drill and proceed to your tornado shelter location quickly and calmly. Stay away from windows and do not go to large open rooms such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, or auditoriums. Outdoors: When you are outdoors and a tornado is approaching, seek immediate refuge inside a sturdy building. Remember that sheds, storage facilities, mobile homes, and tents are not safe options. If there is sufficient time, make your way to a secure structure. In a vehicle: It is not safe to be in a vehicle during a tornado. The recommended action is to drive to the nearest shelter. If reaching a safe shelter is not possible, either crouch down in your car and cover your head, or leave your vehicle and seek refuge in a low-lying area like a ditch or ravine. Always keep in mind that taking swift action and following established safety procedures are crucial for your well-being when a tornado threat is imminent. Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service. 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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 anticipated they would 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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. Palmeri 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. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 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. English News Green development injects new impetus into China-Hungary mutually beneficial cooperation Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 14 Mai 2024 "Green transformation is a global trend, and the development of new energy is crucial for restructuring global energy supply. China has provided us with excellent opportunities in this field, and the deepening of green cooperation between our two countries has achieved mutual benefits and win-win outcomes," said Marton Bokay, deputy state secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Economic Development. By Yu Limin, Zhang Huizhong, People's Daily Hungary is the first European country to sign an inter-governmental cooperation document on Belt and Road cooperation with China. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been aligned with Hungary's "Opening to the East" policy, resulting in fruitful cooperation across various sectors. Significant achievements have been made in green development areas such as new energy vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products, injecting new impetus into the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Hungary. The automotive industry is one of the pillars of Hungary's economy. More than 10 out of the top 20 global automobile manufacturers have established vehicle manufacturing plants or automotive component production bases in Hungary. To embrace green transformation in the transportation sector, the Hungarian government launched an electric vehicle development plan in 2016. Chinese electric vehicle companies have been closely cooperating with Hungarian counterparts, and their brand recognition has been continuously increasing. In April 2017, an electric bus factory of Chinese new energy vehicle manufacturer BYD in north Hungary's Komarom officially started production. It is BYD's first electric vehicle factory established in Europe. In September 2022, Chinese electric vehicle maker NIO's first overseas factory was put into use in Biatorbagy, Hungary. The factory serves as NIO's manufacturing, service, and research center for charging products in Europe, providing local consumers with battery swapping stations. In January this year, BYD set up a new energy vehicle production base in Hungary's Szeged, which is the sixth Chinese automotive manufacturing plant in Hungary and is expected to offer thousands of job opportunities. "Hungary has a mature industrial chain for automotive manufacturing. While leveraging Hungary's advantages in the industry, we are bringing advanced manufacturing techniques and highly automated production lines to the Hungarian market from China, so as to support the electrification of the Hungarian automotive industry and promote technological exchange and innovation between China and Hungary," said an executive from BYD. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said that the automotive manufacturing sector is a pillar industry in Hungary, and attracting Chinese investment is crucial for strengthening Hungary's position in global new energy vehicle development. Power batteries are key components of new energy vehicles, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the total vehicle cost. With advantages such as fast charging, long range, and high safety, Chinese lithium-ion batteries have become an important aspect of China-Hungary cooperation in the field of new energy. In March 2022, Chinese lithium-ion battery company EVE Energy Co., Ltd. (EVE) announced a plan to build a factory in Debrecen, Hungary to produce cylindrical cells. Five months later, Chinese battery manufacturer and technology company CATL also announced to build a battery plant in the city, which will become one of the largest battery factories in Europe once completed. Additionally, other Chinese power battery companies and related material enterprises, such as SEMCORP, Huayou Cobalt, and Sunwoda, have also started building factories in Hungary. The investment of Chinese battery companies like CATL in Hungary has stimulated the development of the Hungarian battery industry, and factories built by Chinese carmakers including BYD in Hungary have also promoted the development of the local automotive industry, said Andrea Nagyne Boda, head of the International Cooperation and Development Finance Department at the Ministry for National Economy of Hungary. Hungary-China cooperation projects not only benefit the Hungarian people but also contribute to the entire Europe's enjoyment of the benefits of new energy, Andrea added. Hungary's electricity import stands at around 30 percent. In order to diversify the country's energy supply, the Hungarian government has been actively exploring solar energy resources and developing the photovoltaic industry. In June 2019, China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC) under China General Technology (Group) Holding Co., Ltd., invested in a 100 MW solar park in Kaposvar, Hungary, which is one of the largest renewable energy facilities in Hungary. Since its operation in 2021, the solar farm has generated over 140 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, which is equivalent to saving 45,000 tons of standard coal and reducing 120,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions on an annual basis. CMC implemented a series of environmentally friendly measures when the solar farm was constructed. For instance, it replaced impact piles with spiral pile photovoltaic brackets to minimize land damage. It hired landscape experts for ecological planning and conducted large-scale greening around the factory area. Kaposvar's mayor Karoly Szita said that the Kaposvar solar farm is not only an exemplary collaboration in clean energy between Hungary and China but also a testament to the friendship between the two countries. "Green transformation is a global trend, and the development of new energy is crucial for restructuring global energy supply. China has provided us with excellent opportunities in this field, and the deepening of green cooperation between our two countries has achieved mutual benefits and win-win outcomes," said Marton Bokay, deputy state secretary of the Hungarian Ministry of Economic Development. Dans la meme rubrique : < > Progress made in desertification control along Yellow River Basalt rocks made into national flag carried by Chang'e-6 probe Prospering telemedicine a reflection of China's rapid internet development Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) English News Prospering plush toy industry brings new vitality to Ankang, Shaanxi province Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 14 Mai 2024 By capitalizing on its resources, seizing market opportunities, breaking away from traditional industrial development paths and embracing an innovation-driven development model, Ankang has successfully blazed a new trail in the plush toy industry, revitalizing the local economy and enriching its residents. By Zhang Tie, People's Daily In the city of Ankang, located in the south part of northwest China's Shaanxi province, a burgeoning plush toy industry has taken shape, one that's bringing economic vitality and abundant employment opportunities. The sight of workers stitching together colorful fabric pieces to make cuddly plush toys has become a common scene in the city's Hengkou Demonstration Zone, where the Heng'an Toy Factory is located. Each day, over 30,000 of these plush toys are "born" at the factory, a testament to the remarkable growth of Ankang's plush toy industry. It was on Jan. 23, 2018 that the first "made-in-Ankang" plush toy rolled off the production line. Yet, in just over five years, the city has attracted more than 800 related enterprises, providing nearly 20,000 jobs and generating an annual output exceeding 6.1 billion yuan ($844.1 million). This has made the city one of China's four major plush toy production hubs. The success of an industry in a particular location depends on how well it aligns with the local conditions. Situated in the Qinling-Bashan mountainous region, Ankang has seen nearly one million people relocate from the mountains to urban communities as part of various resettlement and poverty alleviation programs. The plush toy industry, which can absorb a large labor force, provides an ideal opportunity for these relocated residents to find stable employment and increase their incomes. Additionally, Ankang is an important water conservation area for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, and the plush toy industry perfectly meets environmental protection standards. By capitalizing on these local conditions and matching supply with demand, the plush toy industry naturally became an eco-friendly industry that creates benefits for the people in Ankang. In the factory of Shaanxi Hengtong Fiber Ecotechnology Co., Ltd.(Hengtong Fiber), discarded plastic bottles are transformed into soft, cotton-like PP (polypropylene) filling material for plush toys. In the past, Ankang lacked the capability to produce this crucial stuffing material locally. However, in March 2021, the establishment of Hengtong Fiber extended the plush toy industrial chain in Ankang, reducing transportation costs for raw materials by 5 percent and enhancing the overall efficiency of the industrial cluster. Today, the cluster encompasses upper stream sectors like filling cotton, fabrics, buttons, and decorations. It also branches into trendy collectibles, cultural tourism, and intellectual property (IP) development. The growth of the plush toy industry has extended the supply chain, streamlined logistics, and built a comprehensive value chain. Integrating this "chain-based" philosophy throughout the development process, while pooling industry resources and cultivating an industrial cluster has undoubtedly been a valuable experience of Ankang. For an industry to progress and expand, continuous innovation is essential. In Ankang, enterprises have developed new materials and varieties of plush toys by utilizing locally abundant resources such as silkworms and moso bamboo. Collaborating with renowned museums and scenic spots, the city has launched special IP development projects that combine plush toys with cultural and creative products. Additionally, industrial tourism routes have been introduced, featuring plush toy plazas, themed hotels, and themed blocks, providing visitors with an immersive and memorable experience. By staying attuned to industry trends, increasing research and development investments, and continuously improving innovation capabilities, Ankang has managed to stand out in the fierce market competition. The rapid transformation of Ankang into China's fourth-largest plush toy production base within just a few years can be attributed to the synergistic efforts of both "visible and invisible hands," namely the functions performed by the government and the decisive role played by the market in allocating resources. In October 2017, after conducting research, a poverty alleviation working group in Ankang, part of a Jiangsu-Shaanxi Poverty Alleviation Cooperation Project, submitted a report recommending that Ankang seize the opportunity presented by the relocation of the plush toy industry and transform itself into a hub for creative toys. This report laid the foundation for the future development of Ankang's plush toy industry. The city has established a 100-million-yuan fund for supporting the cultural and creative plush toy industry, organized creative design competitions, built an innovation base for the cultural and creative plush toy industry, and constructed a "dry port" and utilized the China-Europe freight train service to reduce logistics costs. The prosperity of Ankang's plush toy industry is exactly a result of a combination of external demand for industry relocation, internal demand for employment and wealth creation, and objective conditions for industrial development, as well as with the decision made by local authorities to vigorously develop the industry. By capitalizing on its resources, seizing market opportunities, breaking away from traditional industrial development paths and embracing an innovation-driven development model, Ankang has successfully blazed a new trail in the plush toy industry, revitalizing the local economy and enriching its residents. Dans la meme rubrique : < > Progress made in desertification control along Yellow River Basalt rocks made into national flag carried by Chang'e-6 probe Prospering telemedicine a reflection of China's rapid internet development Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is divisive, as it emphasizes differences based on race, ethnicity, biological sex, gender identities, etc., which is opposed to the time-tested, traditional military culture emphasizing unity, teamwork, selflessness, sacrifice, and assimilation into the warrior ethos. May 1969, a commercial bus full of sleepy recruits stopped during darkness at Fort Ord, CA. Two Drill Instructors (DIs) jumped on the bus and started screaming, get off my bus, you dirtbags, and line up outside. A diverse assortment of now wide-awake young men lined up in four rows and then shuffled/marched to sterile appearing billets with a platoon of 50 recruits in each open bay, gray double-decker bunks with sheets and a wool blanket on both sides of an aisle running down the middle of the bay. They were awake until 0200 scrubbing the billet floors and latrine; up at 0530 the next day. The next day they marched with DIs yelling commands, to the long quartermaster warehouse to be issued clothing and gear. But, first a stop at the barber building with a line of barbers ready to buzz hair off which they did quickly leaving about 1/4 inch on the top and almost none elsewhere. Inside the quartermaster building there was a long countertop with mostly civilians on the opposite side manning issue stations; the recruits moved from one station to the other getting standard Olive Drab issue clothes which they stuffed into duffle bags. Sizes for fatigues, socks, t-shirts, boots, etc. were based on the calibrated eyeball estimate of the QM guy behind the counter. The heavy duffle bags were carried back to the billets where the contents were arranged in foot and wall lockers, dress right dress, according to the SOP, inspected and enforced by the DIs. All of this was done to erase the back on the block civilian mentality and quickly replace it with youre in the Army now and dont forget it mindset. No more personal identities, no more its about me, it is now about the Green Machine, your ass is mine and your personal identity as a civilian does not matter; it no longer exists -- you are now part of the machine -- you have one color -- Green. What was done in basic training was all about Assimilation and Inclusion into the military; a trainees Diversity did not matter. What mattered was giving up their past identity and becoming a part of the team -- the Green Machine. Everyone was included regardless of race or ethnicity. Assimilation into the team grew with shared hardships, further motivated by group punishment imposed by DIs; when a trainee screwed up, normally everyone paid a price. Everyone dropped for 25, everyone ran extra distance, everyone was up until midnight cleaning the latrine -- that is applied Assimilation. After a few weeks, real bonding developed to the point when a trainee started to fall out of a run, others would automatically drop back and pull him along to the finish. Camaraderie was developing according to the DI's plan. The DI's objective was to break down trainees by suppressing their past identities and molding them into soldiers, believing in a common set of values, mission, and purpose. It was about removing the focus on self and putting the focus on selfless service with loyalty to each other and the mission; that was done by sharing challenging physical and mental hardships in Infantry Basic Training. The physical training (PT) was tough, as it served two purposes: one was to build the necessary physical strength and stamina to survive in combat, the other was to bond the team by creating mutual trust and confidence in each others physical abilities and motivation to succeed. One of the seven PT test events was the 150-yard man-carry where a trainee of equal weight would hoist another and run 150 yards, a timed event. This simulated carrying a fallen comrade under fire to safety and no one wanted to fail the test and let their buddy down. When approaching the end of eight weeks, some trainees had painful stress fractures in their feet due to the man-carry, but they refused to be medically recycled; they were determined to graduate from Infantry Basic Training on time with their platoon. Today 68% of our military is overweight and/or obese. How many of them could hoist someone of equal weight and run 150 yards carrying a battle buddy to safety? How can one soldier trust another, recognizing this reality? This sad state of physical condition is representative of low standards of performance and readiness coming from DEI. The bonding in basic training was reinforced by the reality frequently emphasized by the DIs saying within a year, 90% of you will be fighting in Vietnam. The point was driven home by the DIs further saying you had better pay attention to this or youll get your ass shot off, or worse yet your buddys. This model of assimilation had been battle tested for centuries long before America came along and proven to work when civilians from diverse backgrounds are successfully assimilated into a homogeneous fighting force, leaving their back on the block identity behind. Conversely, DEI is divisive by focusing on self and self-identity as a member of an identity group based on race, ethnicity, gender, etc. This is opposite of the DIs battle-tested model of team building and unit cohesion based on a common mission, selfless service, and sacrifice. Contrary to the DEI slogan that Diversity is Our Strength, the historical truth and battle-tested reality is: Unity and Assimilation are Our Strengths. Maj. General Joe Arbuckle, USA (Ret.) graduated from college in 1968, and entered the Army in 1969 as a private. Following training as a combat engineer, he was later commissioned upon graduating from Engineer Officer Candidate School in 1970. Having volunteered for duty as an Infantry Officer, he served a year in Vietnam on Advisory Team 22, embedded with the South Vietnamese Army. He has commanded at every rank from Lieutenant to Major General, specializing in the missile field. Image: PickPik The world is watching New York City turning into a banana republic. A lot of investors and job creators are watching too. They are wondering about their money, and what a partisan AG and DA will do to their investments if they dont want to pay to play. I remember a Mexican investor once telling me that he invests in the U.S. because he trusted the judicial system, no matter who was president. My guess is that investors are looking at New York City now and wondering, Why? Believe it or not, but New York City may be arresting an ex-president over a bookkeeping entry. Its a bad plot but it may happen. The case is weak but there are lots of Trump haters out there who cant get enough of him, as Eli Lake wrote: But missing from this wall-to-wall coverage is any mention of the underlying crime that Trump falsified business records to advance his campaign. And that is a fatal flaw in the case, because New York law stipulates that falsifying business records can only be charged as felonies (as Bragg has done) if its done to further another crime. Trump has not been charged with another crime, though Bragg has floated the theory that the business records were falsified to deprive 2016 voters of information about his tryst with Daniels. A crime based on a theory? Stalin would be proud. Did you hear the one about show me the man and I will find you the crime? Is the public going to accept this type of justice? I dont think so, which is why President Trumps ratings are up. The combination of a more successful Trump presidency and these banana republic tactics will make 45 number 47. My guess is that Alvin Bragg didnt think that this hush money would be the only one that got a court date in 2024. He probably thought that his case would be an appetizer to the Big Three: Georgia, the documents, and January 6. Unfortunately, Mr. Bragg has picked a legal fight with Republican presidential nominee over an untested legal theory premised on the testimony of a convicted liar. Mr. DA, tally me banana. P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos. Image: Free image, Pixabay license. During the height of the violent 2020 BLM riots, Daniel Perry, a U.S. Army Sergeant, found himself in the middle of one of those riots in Austin, Texas. An armed man aggressively approached his car, so Perry fired, killing Garrett Foster. However, in the Peoples Republic of Austin, that act of self-defense saw Perry tried, convicted, and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Now, though, hes a free man, thanks to an unconditional pardon, including the return of his right to bear arms. Despite efforts to paint Foster as a victim, the undisputed facts werent complicated. Perry, a ride-share driver in his off hours, dropped a passenger off on Congress, the main street in downtown Austin. He then headed to Fourth Street, a busy area, to be available should another request for a ride come in. He was unaware that a BLM riot was afoot, although he had expressed before his belief rioters had put themselves at risk of a violent response through their actions. (He expressed them in crude, jocular fashion, but they were still legitimate statements about self-defense.) The moment Perry got onto Fourth Street, people attacked his car. Foster approached Perrys car carrying a rifle and used the rifle to indicate that Perry should open his window. Because Foster was acting authoritatively, Perry thought Foster was a member of law enforcement and complied. However, he quickly realized that Foster was a rioter who was in the act of raising the weapon toward Perry...so Perry fired, at which time someone else in the crowd started shooting at Perry. Perry was able to escape and immediately called the police, for whom he waited and with whom he cooperated fully. Those are the facts, and they were supported by video footage and police records. Texas laws take self-defense very seriously. Penal Code Section 9.31 makes it clear that, on the facts, Daniel Perry was justified in using self-defense, and Section 9.32 adds that, once a person believes he is at imminent risk and has an right to be at the location in which violence finds him, he has no obligation to retreat. Daniel Perrys conduct met every metric of reasonableness, given that Perry had done nothing at all while Foster was waving a gun at him as Perry sat in his car. Perry should have walked away a free man. But Austin, Texas, is one of the most progressive (i.e., socialist) cities in America, and the prosecutor got into office thanks to George Soros money. So, of course, Perry was charged with murder. It helped that the district attorney, Jose Garza, allegedly told the lead investigator to withhold exculpatory evidence from the grand jury that indicted Perry. Then, during closing, the prosecution made an argument that effectively nullified Texas law: During closing arguments in Perry's murder trial, defense attorneys said Perry had no choice but to shoot Garrett Foster five times as he approached Perrys car with an AK-47 rifle. Prosecutors countered that Perry had plenty of choices, including driving away before he fired his revolver. (Emphasis mine.) Under Texas law, Perry didnt have to make that choice. He had the right to act instantly in his own defense. Now, with the full concurrence of the Texas parole board, Daniel Perry is a free man thanks to Governor Greg Abbotts pardon. In the proclamation, Abbott emphasizes Texass broad self-defense laws, its stand your ground principles, Perrys reasonable actions in the face of imminent threats to his life, and Garzas improper behavior. But thats not where this should end. Currently, Garzas job is on the line as a Travis County resident tries to use a newly passed Texas law aimed at reining in rogue prosecutors who refuse to enforce duly passed laws (i.e., refusing to indict people for abortions banned under Texass pro-life laws). However, thats not enough. If Garza gets the boot under the new law, hell go on to a profitable career as a Democrat operative. Perhaps hell run for higher office or hell get a comfortable gig at a big, Democrat law firm. MSNBC will have him on speed dial. Thats all wrong. Garza deliberately acted to deprive a man of his liberty by withholding exculpatory evidence and by misleading the jury about the state of the law in Texas. What he did was not about justice; it was about politics. Garza needs to be prosecuted for criminal fraud against Perry and against the people of Texas. (Im sure that there are other laws that could apply, as well.) A free nation cannot survive when its legal system is no longer used for justice but is, instead, used for political ends. When justice breaks down, society breaks down. Ill close with Moses: And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is Gods... (Deuteronomy 1:16-17; emphasis mine.) Image: YouTube screen grab. The drift of European countries away from the failed immigration policies of their socialist predecessors reached the Netherlands with the election of Geert Wilders as their new leader. Wilders will lead a coalition of four parties with a clear agenda of sweeping away the disastrous results of an open border that has flooded the Netherlands with a mass migration from the Middle East. That in turn has brought lawlessness from the rising migrant count leaving the silent majority exposed to behavior that they objected to with their votes. Wilders announced that his country is in an asylum crisis which requires stronger border controls and internal changes. The Netherlands will opt out of the E.U. open border asylum system. It will introduce a tougher approach to terrorism including local street terrorism. That will include deporting criminal migrants in order to make life safer for the Dutch people. Wilders announced that he will set his country on a new course based on "Hope, Courage and National Pride." Geert Wilders is also a longtime friend of Israel. He has stated that he will move his country's embassy to Jerusalem. Barry Shaw is with the Israel Institute of Strategic Studies Image: Rijksoverheid/Phil Nijhuis, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) // CC0 public domain Allow me to provide a brief timeline of events, for contexts sake. In 2021, Hertz announced that by 2024, 25% of its rental fleet would consist of electric vehicles; with this in mind, the company also announced that it would be purchasing 100,000 Teslas by 2022. In November of 2023, news emerged that Hertz was nowhere near attaining its ambitious goals, and the onboarding of E.V.s into the fleet would be slower than originally planned, because of astronomical repairs costs and price cuts in the E.V. industry. In January of this year, it looked like Hertz had reneged altogether when the company started selling off its E.V.s in a fire sale, with the intention of purchasing more gas-powered vehicles. By March, the CEO who was largely responsible for the debacle resigned in disgrace. All of this brings us to where we are now, and, checking in on Hertzs progresser, more like regress, we find that things are not going wellat all. Heres the story, from Lawrence Hodge at Jalopnik, published yesterday: Hertzs Used Teslas Are Glitchy, Damaged Nightmares (Update) Hertz gambled and lost when it placed its big EV bet on Tesla a few years ago. It was a chance for the rental car company to shake up the industry, instead the company bought 30,000 Teslas, got scared away by depreciation and expensive repairs and now wants to get rid of them. This made for incredible used EV buys, especially when you factor in the used EV tax credit of $4,000. People scrambled to Hertz dealers buying them up. One salesman at a Hertz dealer in Smithtown, New York told New York Magazine that they were selling as many as 30 Teslas a week at one point. A slowdown came when buyers finally started to realize just what they got themselves into. Now, Hodges piece includes the testimony of Bijay Pandey, via the original item at NYMag: [A]lmost immediately, there were problems. After getting a temporary title, he [Pandey] found the car wasnt reading voltage correctly. Soon, a body shop found a quarter-size hole in the undercarriage he hadnt seen before, which led to revelations of deeper issues inside. The high-voltage battery pack is damaged and could cause extreme safety concerns, a Tesla technician texted him. Because the hole was exterior damage, it wasnt covered by the warranty, which meant a $13,078.58 repair bill. Hertz said that it would swap the car for Pandey, but for about two months he waited making $500 payments on his auto loan before getting a replacement. I realized why they were trying to get rid of those Teslas, he said. If anything happens to a Tesla, then the bill is too high. Pandey cant be the brightest guy, because Hertz explicitly cited repair costs as a reason for selling off the fleet, a fact which was covered in the media for months, but nonetheless, his E.V. ownership experience highlights serious (safety and financial) concerns. It is clear that damage to the battery can occur, and a small hole can cost five-figures to repair; now consider road debris, or little bits of gravel or rock kicked up into the undercarriage at high speeds. Especially when you think about these cars having been rentals, in which drivers are less concerned with wear and tear because its not their vehicle, and theyre not the ones paying to maintain it. And, what about this: E.V.s are typically purchased by wealthy leftists, and where do wealthy leftists largely live? Well, along the coasts, and all the sand and saltwater air that comes with living near the ocean, which means rust, and rust means holes in car metal. Now, wealthy leftists dont have a problem forking over $15k in car repairs, but when a hole in the battery means a great risk of thermal runaway, its still a safety concern. Yet, how many of the Teslas that people are now buying from Hertz came from coast-state rental locations? I suspect a good amountCalifornia leads E.V. registration by far, and it would make sense that leftist metro locations would be the sites that kept the most Teslas on hand. I cant imagine Hertz would have kept their E.V. stock in the flyover statespeople dont have the money for E.V. rentals, and the charging infrastructure is basically nonexistent. Take a look at this item, from San Diego just yesterday: Firefighters made quick work Wednesday of a fire that engulfed several vehicles and damaged a structure at a Kearny Mesa car-sales lot. SDFD officials said an electric car was in a service bay when it burst into flames for unknown reasons. Several workers used fire extinguishers to try to put out the fire, but the flames continued to grow. As the blaze burned into the service bay and another vehicle, SDFD crews arrived and put water and foam on the fire. E.V. battery fires are inextinguishablefirst responders just keep it as cool as possible until it extinguishes itself. Then you hope it doesnt reignite, but you cant know, because you dont know how much has burned, so post-fire E.V. vehicles must be kept separated at scrap yards in the event they spontaneously combust again. And of course, unlike gas cars, burning lithium batteries release highly toxic fumes, which makes exposure to a burning E.V. a serious health concern. E.V.s arent just nightmares for the owners, but everyone else too! Can we let the market kill this product yet or what? Image generated by AI. Pope Francis represents the Catholic Church, its doctrine, and its storied almost two-thousand-year history. However, Pope Francis has consistently derided Catholic teachings on climate change and sexuality. In both cases, he speaks like a social Marxist, not the head of the Catholic Churchand hes apparently at it again with his upcoming interview on 60 Minutes. The Churchs strength, always, has been two-fold: Its fealty to its core religious doctrines and the glacial slowness with which it changes. Its teachings are meant to be primary and eternal, rather than to move with the fads of the moment. Changing those teachings is an enormously consequential act because each change raises doubts about the churchs prior infallibility. Youre not a spiritual or cultural bulwark if you change policies according to the polls and the whims of the crowd. However, theres long been a movement within the church itself to force a fundamental change upon it. That movement is Liberation Theology, which tacks Marxism onto Catholicism. Liberation Theology was profoundly influential in Latin America beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, just when Pope Francis was coming of age religiously in Argentina. Reading how leftist Wikipedia describes the doctrine will help you understand that its the fulfillment of Marxism, as you can see through the terms I emphasized (hyperlinks and footnotes omitted): Liberation theology is a theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed . It engages in socio-economic analyses , with social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples and addresses other forms of perceived inequality . Liberation theology was influential in Latin America, especially within Catholicism in the 1960s after the Second Vatican Council, where it became the political praxis of theologians such as Frei Betto, Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff, and Jesuits Juan Luis Segundo and Jon Sobrino, who popularized the phrase "preferential option for the poor". The option for the poor is simply the idea that, as reflected in canon law, The Christian faithful are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor. It indicates an obligation, on the part of those who would call themselves Christian, first and foremost to care for the poor and vulnerable. As you can see, Liberation Theology has nothing to do with the church as a spiritual caretaker. This is pure Marxism, trading on oppressor and oppressed as seen through the Marxist economic lens. By the 1980s, the Latin American Church was starting to dive into the whole racial oppression issue, which the Vatican explicitly rejected along with Liberation Theologys focus on Marxist precepts over spiritual guidance. Also in the 1960s, while the Latin American church was obsessed with incorporating Marxisms economic and racial ideology, the church in Western Europe, which was then a racially homogenous and affluent area, was already working to bring homosexuality and pedophilia into Catholic doctrine. Pope Francis represents the culmination of both these trendseconomic and social Marxism. Hes also tossed in Gaia worshipthe antithesis of Biblical monotheismvia the vehicle of climate change madness. You can see all this in his tirades against the free market, against the imaginary horror of climate change and, above all, in his constant efforts to normalize homosexuality and transgenderism, both of which fly in the face of the churchs support for the Bibles narrative about Gods creation of man and woman...and only man and woman. (And isn't baptizing someone as the opposite of their biological sex a lie before God?) There is also the little problem of the myriad Biblical strictures against homosexuality. Now, the Pope has upped the ante by contending that American bishops who insist upon maintaining traditional church doctrines are suicidal. Conservative, he says, means one who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that. Nope. Conservative means conserving something worthwhile...such as the Churchs eternal teachings. Refusing to abandon two thousand years of Catholic doctrine, according to the Marxist Pope, is a suicidal attitude. He castigates the churchs own teachings as a dogmatic box. In the same interview, Francis explains that, while he still opposes blessing same-sex unions, what he actually did was authorize blessing the people involved in those unions. What Francis said is pure sophistry. If youve got a priest standing there blessing two people who are going through the form of a traditional marriage ceremony, everyone understands that the blessing goes beyond the individuals and extends to the ceremony itself. Marxism corrupts everything it touches. Pope Francis reflects that fact and hes exposing the rot with his statements and sophistry on 60 Minutes. Once, the Catholic church stood for something unique, intangible, and permanent. Under Pope Franciss aegis, it's beginning to stand for nothing at all. UPDATE: A friend sent me this link with information that was new to me, although I am not at all surprised: Communists had a very active plot to seed the seminaries to destroy the Catholic Church from within. Image: Pope Francis. YouTube screen grab. A group of migrants cross the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. A surge of migrants started early in the week and continued through Thursday. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News Defense attorneys say hundreds of migrants arrested in recent months near Eagle Pass were following signs they believed pointed the way to federal agents, to whom they could claim asylum. Instead, they were led to Department of Public Safety troopers. In some cases, attorneys say, their clients walked through open gates onto the property, a county-owned hydropower plant north of the city. Hearst Newspapers spoke with one woman who claims state officers waved her and the group she was with onto the property and told them to climb the fences blocking it. READ MORE: Supreme Court delays Texas deportation law for a second time Advertisement Article continues below this ad Attorneys say the plant, where arrests started in September and spiked in March and April, is just one example of properties where troopers have appeared to funnel migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. Even as border crossings declined across the entire U.S.-Mexico border in recent months, Texas troopers arrested more than 450 migrants for trespassing at the plant. We continue to see this pattern of people being arrested on properties for trespassing when theyre trying to turn themselves in for asylum, and when state law enforcement is waving them onto the property or telling them to enter the property, said Amrutha Jindal, executive director of Lone Star Defense, which appoints lawyers for migrants. Eagle Pass is the epicenter of Gov. Greg Abbotts multibillion-dollar border crackdown, where troopers have strung up miles of razor wire on the riverbank, erected a floating buoy barrier in the water and seized a local park to make hundreds of migrant arrests. As crossings at the park slowed late last year, state troopers turned their focus to other properties in the area. The arrests picked up on a nearby ranch, where troopers pressed charges against more than 600 migrants before the property owner asked them to stop. Most recently, they have spiked at a nearby farm, where large groups have crossed into Texas. Advertisement Article continues below this ad DPS said its troopers are not misleading anyone, but instead following ever-shifting crossing patterns that fluctuate depending on the time of year and actions taken by Mexico. We deploy our focus wherever we need to go, said Ericka Miller, a DPS spokeswoman. We were at the hydro plant area because we were seeing crossings happening in that area. Mike Banks, the states border czar, recently described the states strategy as plugging holes on a sinking ship during a policy summit hosted by the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. Since the border operations start in March 2021, he said troopers and state soldiers responded to surges in migration around El Paso, before moving to Brownsville as crossings picked up there. They eventually ended up in Eagle Pass, which was among the busiest crossings in the nation last year. Since then, state GOP leaders passed a new law that would empower police to arrest migrants for illegal entry and tap judges to deport them. It is stalled pending litigation. Trespassing arrests at the power plant date back to September, but they reached a peak in the months after state soldiers seized a public park in January, sparking a heated standoff with the Biden administration. There were 333 arrests on the property from February through April, according to figures provided by Lone Star Defenders. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Among those charged was Morelia Valladares-Rodriguez, 27, a Honduran migrant now living with family in Baltimore. Valladares-Rodriguez, who was arrested in November, said she and her 20-year-old sister were traveling with a large party of other migrants when they reached the power plant. Valladares-Rodriguez said officers began waving at them and told them to climb over a fence to reach the area where police were stationed. They listened, believing the officers were Border Patrol agents, but she said they were immediately arrested and told the property owner had signed an affidavit that gave the officers authority to arrest them and charge them with trespassing. Miller, the DPS spokeswoman, said troopers do not encourage migrants to enter private property. She said state officers direct migrants to go to a port of entry where they can cross legally. Jaime Iracheta, the Maverick County attorney prosecuting trespassing arrests under Operation Lone Star, said he was not familiar with Valladares-Rodriguezs case, but he said that all law enforcement officers are told not to waive any individual onto private property. In fact, people are told to turn around and go back as they are committing a crime, Iracheta said. He said if his office were made aware of an instance in which troopers did encourage migrants to enter a private property, we would likely dismiss such a case. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Valladares-Rodriguez, who bonded out of state jail and was transferred to federal custody before being released to make her asylum claim, recently pleaded guilty to the state charges. She said she could not make the trip back to Eagle Pass from Baltimore to fight the charge. She said she felt ashamed about having this incident on her criminal record. It feels like were stained now because of it, she said in Spanish. We had no other options. And whether we pled guilty or innocent, we were scared of being held there again after those ugly days (in jail). Brenda McCalip, the Maverick County water district manager who oversees the hydropower plant, said there are no trespassing signs posted in English and Spanish throughout the property. We have signs all over our power plant saying no trespassing, violators will be prosecuted, she said. But defense attorneys say their clients were confused because of green cross signs left on the property by Border Patrol last year, which Jindal described as an international symbol for humanitarian aid that many migrants thought would lead to federal agents. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The signs were put up by Border Patrol throughout the property at a time when crossings were higher and led to a nearby highway, where it was easier for agents to transport migrants. Jindal said her investigators visited the power plant last month and found the green arrow signs started right near the open gates of the power plant and led to an apparent DPS staging ground further into the property. Miller said the agency had nothing to do with the signs. Were not setting up next to the signs, were not setting up after they see the signs and getting them as theyre trying to get aid or anything like that, she said. Crossings have been significantly lower this year after reaching record highs in December. That has especially been true through much of Texas, as crossings have picked up in parts of Arizona and California, which Abbott has cited as evidence that his multibillion-dollar border security initiative is working. Still, crossings have remained high in the El Paso sector, which includes two far-west Texas counties, as well as New Mexico. The sector logged 30,393 crossings in April, the third most that month, according to the latest federal data. What a remarkable command of the obvioussomeone give these journalists some Pulitzersseen today in a cooperative report published by Reuters and titled Donald Trump wants to control the Justice Department and FBI. His allies have a plan. Ummm, yeah, thats kind of what his presidential run indicated, because thats the role of the presidenthe would (again) be the executor of the executive branch, meaning hed be responsible for carrying out the laws passed by the legislative branch, a duty ostensibly carried out using federal executive agencies, like the DOJ and the FBI. Nothing about that has changed since this nation was founded 250 years ago. Where have these Reuters journalists been? Perhaps the complete abdication of Joe Biden to carry out on-the-books laws in the best interest of the nation, muddied the waters for the media peeps with room-temperature IQs and no original thoughts? Who really knows. But, according to the three authors of the report, heres what Trumps diabolical plan apparently entails: First: flood the Justice Department with stalwart conservatives unlikely to say no to controversial orders from the White House. In the words of Jacobim Mugatu, I feel like Im taking crazy pills! Federal agencies taking controversial orders from the White House is a Democrat legacy. Wasnt it Barack Obamas White House that issued controversial (and illegal) orders to spy on a presidential nominee? Remind me which DEA backed off from investigating and taking down a billion-dollar Hezbollah drug trafficking enterprise? From Politico: In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States, according to a POLITICO investigation. What were the political loyalties of the 51 former intelligence officials who promised that the Hunter Biden laptop from hell was Russian propaganda? Whose FBI coerced social media companies into censoring conservatives and our news? From CNBC: A federal appeals court on Friday limited the scope of a district court ruling that restricted communications between government agencies and social media companies, while also finding that [Biden] several agencies likely violated the First Amendment. J6 tactics? Gretchen Whitmer kidnapper agents? Targeting parents and Catholics who spoke up at school board meetings against disgusting LGBTQ++ pornography in classrooms and libraries? Labeling the Gadsden and Betsy Ross flags as indicators of domestic terrorism? FISA warrants to spy on American citizens because of their limited government political leanings? I could go on, and on, and on. Whats funny though, is in all the get Trump lawfare campaigns, none of the charges or accusations have to do with Trump previously using the DOJ or FBI to wage personal vendettas, or take down political opponents, because thats not his style. Heck, Democrat pundits everywhere are now saying that what were seeing in the Alvin Bragg trial is obvious political persecution. Again, are these Rip Van Winkle journalists who just woke up after a twenty-year nap? How are they so out of the loop? Oh, and this is Phase II of Trumps little control the executive scheme: Second: restructure the department so key decisions are concentrated in the hands of administration loyalists rather than career bureaucrats. Trump loyalists? Do these journalists perhaps mean to say tough-on-crime merit-based hires who, instead of entrenched DEI bureaucrats festering in the fetid D.C. sewer system, might actually decide to prosecute...traitors who may or may not have laundered taxpayer dollars through Ukraine, or illegally hidden assets overseas? Monsters who traffick children for sex? Those who commit felonies by illegal entry into this nation? Or, any other obvious heinous betrayal of morality? The horror! But as a colleague noted, theres a hidden clause in the Constitution (the same one authorizing abortion and gay marriage) that says that the executive office has power only when a post-modern Democrat holds it. Image from YouTube. One of the things weve seen in videos of the anti-Israel protests is a parade of young, white women with jihadi wraps on their heads, screaming and chanting for the cause of Hamas, a Muslim terrorist sect that proudly tortures, rapes, and kills women just like them. Looking at these images, Heather MacDonald recently wrote an essay for City Journal, in which she asks the question that is on our minds: Why are all these plump, unhappy white girls protesting for Hamas and against Israel? Ms. MacDonald offers: One possible reason is that women constitute majorities of both student bodies and the metastasizing student-services bureaucracies that cater to them. Another is the sex skew in majors. [snip] In progressive movements, the default assumption now may be to elevate females ahead of males as leaders and spokesmen. But most important, the victim ideology that drives much of academia today, with its explicit enmity to objectivity and reason as white male constructs, has a female character. The female influence has increased inside and outside of the academy. The left is dominated by a grievance narrative founded on the idea that women are oppressed and that its up to the government to keep them safe. Indeed, the women involved have no tolerance at all for risk and no ability to analyze risk, which is an immature approach to life. They are instinctively censorious and intolerant of anyone who would disagree, especially when the disagreement is grounded in the Bible. (Witness the uproar about Harrison Butkers impressive speech, which is grounded in core Catholic principles.) MacDonald points out that the womens craziness has a firm basis in ignorance: The protesters demands for LGBTQ justice extend only to docile Western powers. They give their Middle Eastern idols overt homophobia a free passif they even know about it. Thus, these women ignore that they are supporting an ideology that produced 1,400 years of violent conquest and terrorism that impacted women disproportionately because of Muslim sexual habits and misogyny. The result is soft white women cheering for the barbarians who would rape and torture them with exaltation and kill them without a scruple, while hollering Allahu Akbar. The protests provide a canvas for all sorts of apparent personality disorders, everything from narcissists to dependents to borderlines to histrionics. These gals are the spoiled products of bad parenting and a morally corrupt culture. Once sees no signs of maturity, temperance, or virtue. Its just a big tantrum. Ms. MacDonald concludes: Theater requires the willing suspension of disbelief. But to take seriously the narcissistic melodramas played out on campus quads today requires active commitment to untruth... These mediagenic morality plays are well-rehearsed; they spring from hundreds of such theatrical interactions over the last several decades between self-involved students proclaiming various forms of victimhood and co-dependent student-services bureaucrats who need performative conflict to justify their jobs. MacDonald isnt the only person noticing these things. Rob Henderson, a psychologist, also asked why Western women are moving hard to the left. Objectively speaking, he notes, women are doing very well whether in academia or the workplace. The differences in earnings have closed and, indeed, younger women often have higher earnings than men in major metropolitical regions. He adds that, As these gaps [in education and income] have narrowed, we might have expected men and women to become more alike in other ways, including their cultural values and politics. Yet we are seeing the reverse. Henderson attributes the womens drift to feminism generally and to the MeToo movement that imbued them with angry grievance and hostility, all founded on a Marxist idea of oppression, with the focus on tarring all men as dangerous and patriarchal (kind of like actual Muslims). By the end of his essay, though, Henderson simply cops out. He claims that none of whats happening to women has anything to do with what theyre taught. Instead, he argues that, in an affluent society, when in which gender roles and ideological values arent constrained by basic survival needs, women will instinctively seek socialism because they can: The freer people are and the more fairly they are treated, the more differences tend to grow rather than shrink. Thus, we shouldnt be surprised that Gen Z men and women are diverging along political lines to a greater extent than earlier generations did. There is one truism, though, about affluent cultures. In the mid-1970s, Sir John Bagot Pasha Glubb wrote something interesting about the rise and fall of empires. The manly virtues are revered in the early stages of an empire/nation. However, as affluence grows, so do pacificism, hedonism, nihilism, and the rejection of the manly virtues. At that point, with women and feminized men ascendant, the culture usually collapses. If these crazed, ignorant women dominate our culture, were doomed. John Dale Dunn is a physician and attorney in Brownwood, Texas. Image: Protesters at Cal Poly in Humboldt. X screen grab. Sony and its PlayStation handheld consoles were for better or worse, ahead of their time, but there may be some light at the end of the tunnel for those wishing for a new model because a new rumor suggests that Sony is working on such a device that is capable of playing PS4 games. Since the inevitable downfall of the PS Vita, Sonys second handheld, those who know its true value have been chomping at the bit for Sony to come out with another. If Sony had just released the PS Vita closer to the time that Nintendo released the Switch, it could have done much better. Fast Forward to 2023 and Sony released the PlayStation Portal. A new ambitious handheld with an 8-inch display nestled between two sides of a DualSense controller. The only issue for some is that the Portal is just a dedicated Remote Play device. It doesnt play PS5 games natively. The PlayStation Portal is a great handheld and it serves its purpose, but its not inaccurate to say that PlayStation fans want a handheld that plays games natively, as opposed to streaming them. Those fans might be getting this handheld in the future. Sony is currently working on a PlayStation handheld that plays PS4 games Sony making a handheld that plays games natively would potentially be a big hit. Upon the announcement of the Portal, a lot of online discourse revolved around hopes that it wasnt just for Remote Play. So the demand is there. According to Resetera, Russian Journalist Anton Logvinov, Sony is working on this handheld. If youre not familiar with Logvinov, he was one of the first people to mention that Sony was going to port its first-party games to PC. This was accurate. So his claims of a PlayStation handheld carry some weight. That being said, this is still just a rumor. Its worth noting that Sony may be working on a handheld for native gameplay. But its also possible that the device never launches. PS5 games may not be compatible If this handheld does indeed exist, it still might not be what everyone is hoping for. Logvinov doesnt just mention the handheld is being worked on. He also references PS4 games specifically with regard to the native gameplay support. What isnt mentioned is PS5 games. However, there have been past rumors that Sony was working on a handheld that could run both PS5 and PS4 games natively. So theres still a chance this new in-development will do the same. In fact they could also end up being the same handheld. If that happens to be the case, then Sony may launch it with PS4 game compatibility first, and patch in PS5 game compatibility later. A lot is still unclear. If the new PlayStation handheld is real though, PlayStation fans will hopefully be happy. The Portal is successful and has exceeded Sonys expectations. But theres no doubt many fans want a handheld for native games. It would be the right time, too. With the popularity of the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and other PC handhelds, not to mention a rumored Xbox handheld, Sony would be smart to consider its own. OpenAIs ChatGPT is getting Google Drive and OneDrive integration. Certain users can plug in their cloud storage services using the new Connect Apps feature. Connect Apps for ChatGPT offering Google Drive and OneDrive integration Google has been aggressively infusing its Gemini AI into most, if not all, of its products. From Gmail to Google TV, and Android to Google Docs, Gemini will have a deeper impact on the way users interact with Google products. At this years Google I/O, the search giant indicated it has doubled down on Workspace integration with Gemini. Google implied this was a strategic step moving forward. OpenAI is also rolling out connected apps to some ChatGPT Enterprise users. Kind of funny that they put Google Drive above Microsoft OneDrive, considering who they are partners with#ai #news https://t.co/kMY2R5K18i pic.twitter.com/gI5mAYdxOF Kristi Hines (@kristileilani) May 15, 2024 Now Microsoft-funded OpenAI is offering Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive integration with ChatGPT. A new prompt is popping up for certain users, suggesting they can access files in ChatGPT from the cloud. The newly introduced Connect Apps feature allows users to bring in documents and spreadsheets for analysis and insights within ChatGPT. Previously, users had to drop in a file or its contents. Moving forward, it would have the ability to select files from Google Drive and OneDrive. How does the Connect Apps feature work and who is eligible? ChatGPT had reportedly started showing a prompt for Connect Apps. Tapping on the prompt leads users to another page where they can plug Google Drive and OneDrive into ChatGPT. Moving forward, users would get Add from Google Drive in the attachment menu. When entering a prompt, users could rely on the familiar File Picker, which would integrate content from Google Drive and OneDrive. Context Connectors are finally functional on ChatGPT (but not available publicly yet) https://t.co/zPxIgEkXcv pic.twitter.com/pscmZxzxVM TestingCatalog News (@testingcatalog) May 8, 2024 Needless to say, neither OpenAI nor Microsoft has formally announced the Connect Apps feature. Hence, it is not clear how the companies plan to take this feature forward. For the time being, the Connect Apps feature is showing up for a few Enterprise users. Non-business or personal ChatGPT users havent indicated spotting the Connect Apps prompt. ChatGPT may be limiting the new feature to Enterprise or Business users. However, it does offer to integrate Microsoft OneDrive for Business and Personal accounts. Hence, OpenAI may gradually allow general users to plug in their cloud storage services for easier and quicker access in ChatGPT. According to a new report, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 could actually offer better cameras than the Galaxy S24. The information comes from kro, though that tipster doesnt have the best track record, so keep that in mind. It may be wise to take this info with a grain of salt. Theres some hope the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will offer better cameras than its predecessor He did not share any specifics, but just because he said theyll be better, it doesnt mean that he meant on the hardware. Perhaps he was suggesting that the performance will be better, that would make much more sense. In any case, a well-known tipster, Ice Universe, did say a while back that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 will have the same camera setup as the Galaxy Z Fold 5. That information is easily plausible due to his exceptional track record. So chances are well get the same hardware yet again. In other words, a 50-megapixel main camera (f/1.8 aperture, OIS) will be backed by a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (123-degree FoV), and a 10-megapixel telephoto unit (3x optical zoom). A 4-megapixel under-display camera on the main display will be included, and a 10-megapixel selfie camera on the cover display. Samsungs competition has improved a lot in the camera department Considering that the (foldable) competition has boosted their camera setups, this may not be the right call for Samsung. The OnePlus Open and OPPO Find N3 have an exceptional camera setup and performance, while the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro also has a great setup. There are several other phones with compelling cameras, and well likely see more this year. Samsung needs to step up its game in order to keep up. Some hardware improvements are needed in the camera department on its foldable smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is expected to become official on July 10 in Paris. Samsung didnt officially confirm that just yet, though. The Galaxy Z Flip 6 will launch alongside it, and the companys very first smart ring is also expected. Google will soon add much-needed search functionality to the Android Photo Picker. The absence of this basic function has been causing a lot of friction for Android device users since Android 13. Why does Android Photo Picker lack a Search function? The Android Operating System has a lot of room to grow, especially in terms of security and privacy. However, Google had improved the Android Photo Picker to ensure apps and services didnt have access to the entire Photo Gallery app and all its contents. Before Android 13, users had to grant apps full access to the media gallery even if just one image was needed. In other words, apps could waltz into the Gallery app even if they needed access to one or two items. To address this security and privacy concern, Google created the Photo Picker API in Android 13. This limited-access API lets users choose exactly which media items to share with an app thats requesting access. Although the Photo Picker app worked well in limiting apps access to the media gallery, it lacked a simple yet critical function. Google is now reportedly remedying the same by adding the Search function to the Android Photo Picker API. Local and cloud search function for Photo Picker Android smartphone users have enjoyed large onboard storage capacities. Hence, most of the users choose to store their photos and videos locally. For such users, the Android Photo Picker API doesnt cause much hindrance. Currently, Photo Picker has two tabs: Photos and Albums. For multimedia stored locally, this may be sufficient. However, users may still have to scroll extensively and carefully to locate their desired content The issue is exacerbated for users who are increasingly relying on cloud storage services. Managing media stored in the cloud is quite cumbersome because Photo Picker doesnt offer a way to search through cloud libraries like Google Photos. As Google offers both, Google Photos and Android Photo Picker, it isnt clear why the company omitted the Search function. Google has now reportedly confirmed that the Photo Picker API in Android will allow users to search media stored locally and in the cloud. Which Android versions will get searched in Photo Picker? Google has merely confirmed that the Photo Picker API will get a search function. The company hasnt indicated any timeline for the deployment of the feature but did mention the feature will roll out later this year. The Photo Picker is one of the actively used features. Hence, Google could add the search function to several Android versions. The Photo Picker is currently available natively on all devices running Android 11 and above. However, owing to continuous updates to the Google Play Services, devices running older versions of Android, going back to Android 4.4, have the Photo Picker API. It would be interesting to see if Google adds the AI-driven search function it recently unveiled. Googles Gemini AI is set to enter academia. The search giant will grant schools access to Gemini AI, and the company has promised it wont pull students and academicians data to train the Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) Schools to gain access to Google Gemini AI with Workspace for Education accounts Google is infusing Gemini AI in Google Workspace, which includes Google Docs, Gmail, and other productivity and collaboration platforms. The company is also plugging Gemini into other products such as Android, Google TV, and many more. The Google Workspace suite offers Education accounts. Google has confirmed that it will allow schools access to Gemini AI via the Workspace for Education accounts. When given a choice teachers choose Gemini as their favorite LLM I am shocked when this happens As of May 23rd schools can add Gemini for Google Workspace to their existing Workspace for Education edition for users 18 years and older! AI in all Google Docs, too! pic.twitter.com/1oTh2fCwdt Holly Clark The AI Infused Classroom (@HollyClarkEdu) May 16, 2024 Gemini for Google Workspace will reportedly be available starting May 23, 2024, which is a mere week away. Google is offering two tiers. The lower-cost Gemini Education has a monthly usage limit. The second tier is called Education Premium. It offers complete access to Workspace AI tools. Additionally, this pricier plan also offers AI notes, and AI summaries for Google Meet as well as data loss prevention. Googles Gemini AI plan for schools promises extra data protection and privacy https://t.co/MjHMbnERq1 pic.twitter.com/tIwPzciVah Livio Andrea Acerbo (@AcerboLivio) May 16, 2024 Google hasnt indicated the pricing of these two plans yet. However, the company has stressed that it has put in additional data and privacy protection barriers. Google has promised it wont use data thats generated while using Gemini for Education accounts, to train its AI. The company wont share the data with third parties either. Google has further assured that it is offering these data privacy protections on Workspace for Education accounts for free. Will Google grant schools access to the latest Gemini 1.5 Pro Google has announced Gemini 1.5 Pro. The company claims it is the best model for general performance. Google assures Gemini 1.5 Pro has a two-million-token-long context window, which is supposed to be the longest of any large-scale LLM. Lots of news coming from Google I/O this weeklike Gemini coming to Google Workspace for Education https://t.co/j8OhKweKiz Deploy Learning (@DeployLearning) May 16, 2024 If thats not enough, Google has also announced Gemini Flash, a Gen AI thats optimized for snappier performance and quicker responses. Despite these advances, Google will offer the older Gemini 1.0 Pro to schools under the Gemini AI for Education accounts. It is important to note that Google will grant access to Gemini AI to educators and students over the age of 18. In other words, the company seems to be prohibiting children and teens from using its Gen AI. Google has updated some of its Android apps with enhanced accessibility features. The search titans Lookout, Look to Speak, Maps, and Project Relate Android apps have received the new features. The company has released new features to celebrate the 13th Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The new updates coincide with Apples newly introduced accessibility features, including Eye Tracking, Vocal Shortcuts, and Live captions. Apple announced the new functionalities just a day before Google. Google adds Find mode to the Lookout Android app to offer more accessibility features Lookout is one of Googles Android apps to get new accessibility features. The app is designed to help blind and low-vision Android users identify objects around them and read documents. The company has now released a new Find mode for Lookout, which provides a new way to find specific objects. The feature is currently rolling out in beta version and allows identifying items from seven categories like seating and tables or bathroom. The Lookout app will now tell you how far you are from the selected object and which directions to go as you scan the room with your phones camera. Notably, the updated Lookout app now also offers an AI-generated description of an image you capture directly within it. Googles Look to Speak, Maps, and Project Relate apps are also getting new functionalities Apart from Lookout, Google has also enhanced the accessibility capabilities of the Look to Speak, Maps, and Project Relate applications on Android. The app allows you to choose prewritten & customized phrases with your eyes. Once you select the phrase, it is spoken aloud. In the new update, theres a new text-free mode. It lets users also select personalized emojis, symbols, and photos in the phrases. As for the other apps, Maps on Android and iOS allows users to easily filter reviews, which are related to wheelchair accessibility. Notably, the company is also adding wheelchair accessibility information to Maps on desktop devices. The brand has updated the Project Relate Android app, which helps users with speech impairments to speak. The new update to the app lets users import text from other apps to create custom prompts for voice training. The company will be releasing more accessibility features for its Android apps in the near future. Google will enhance the ease of use of Passkeys in Android 15 thanks to Gboard and an improved Android Credential Manager. The company wants to take the passwordless experience to a new level that encourages many more to adopt it. They will also make the Credential Manager compatible with Wear OS 5. Passkeys is a system that seeks to simplify the login process on multiple platforms. Once you set Passkeys on compatible services, you can log in with a PIN, fingerprint, or face unlock, just like you would on your phone. Now, during Google I/O 2024, the company announced a tweak that will make the system even more practical. Android 15 wants to promote the use of Googles passwordless system Normally, before entering the PIN to log in using Passkeys, you must confirm that you are accessing the correct account by clicking on a Continue button. Then, you will go to another page where you can complete the unlock. However, this will change in Android 15, becoming a single-page process. This will speed up the process since you can complete it with just one touch instead of two. Google also thought about those who have multiple accounts on the same platform. There will be a More options button that will allow you to choose the account you want to access. The new Passkeys functionality will be available with the improved Android Credential Manager that Android 15 will bring. Gboard will show Credential Manager results on Android 15, including Passkeys Gboard will also help make it easier to use Passkeys in Android 15. Google Keyboard suggestions will show your credentials saved in Credential Manager whenever you tap relevant fields on login screens. This will help in those cases where you accidentally dismiss the Credential Manager pop-up. Additionally, Wear OS 5 devices will be compatible with the Android Credential Manager. This means that you can also access compatible services with Passkeys from your watch. This is in addition to the other common login options: passwords and Sign in with Google. Israel's Chief of Defense, Yoav Gallant, said that Israel has no plan of action for what's to follow once Hamas is removed from Gaza. Amid heightening tensions in Israel regarding the course of the war, the defense minister has accused Israeli leaders of dismissing his requests to discuss a replacement to Hamas rule in Gaza. "Since October, I have been raising this issue consistently in the Cabinet, and have received no response," Gallant said in his live speech. "The 'day after Hamas' will only be achieved with Palestinian entities taking control of Gaza, accompanied by international players, and establishing a governing alternative to Hamas' rule," he added. "Unfortunately, the plan was not brought up for discussion, and worse, an alternative discussion was not raised in its place." The discourse over the "day after" in Gaza came about when Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari was asked at a news conference Tuesday whether Israeli troops had been sent to seize areas of Gaza they had initially retreated from because there were no governing replacement to Hamas, reported NPR. Hagari stated that a successor for Hamas could pressure the militant group, but that it was a question for Israel's leaders. Meanwhile, in a video released by his office on Wednesday, Netanyahu said that discussions about a "day-after" strategy are pointless until Hamas is annihilated and that some of Israel's efforts to replace Hamas are under wraps. Several hard-right members of Netanyahu's governing coalition called for Gallant's resignation. The notion comes after Gallant, a member of Netanyahu's Likud party, challenged the prime minister in March of last year when calling on him to drop plans that aim to weaken Israel's judiciary powers. As a result, Netanyahu relieved Gallant of his duties but was forced to reinstate the defense minister when massive street protests erupted. With Netanyahu lacking to declare a solid plan for replacing Hamas, several thousand Israeli settlers and their supporters, including senior ministers in his own government, rallied Tuesday for Israel to build Jewish settlements atop the ruins of Gaza's destroyed cities and to encourage Palestinians to emigrate. "It's either us or them. We have to clear out Gaza," said Chanie Luz, an Israeli originally from Queens, NY. "There's a lot of room in the world for the people of Gaza. They can be absorbed in any country in the world. They cannot stay here. We can't live with them. They want to kill us." When asked whether she was prepared to settle in Gaza, she said, "I would love to build a vacation village on the coast of Gaza. I love the sea." Last month, a leak revealed eight different model numbers for Samsungs first-gen Galaxy Ring, hinting at its availability in eight sizes. Another model has now popped up on a certification listing. This likely means the ring will come in nine sizes, corresponding to the US ring sizes 5 to 13. The new smart ring is expected to debut in July. Samsung may launch the Galaxy Ring in nine sizes The Galaxy Ring has been a long time coming. After years of leaks and rumors, Samsung officially teased the device during the Galaxy S24 launch in January. It then brought the wearable to the MWC 2024 in late February, giving us a better look at it. The company still refrained from revealing its specs, sizes, and availability details. Subsequent reports said Samsung plans to launch the Galaxy Ring in eight sizes, with the US size 13 being the biggest. Last month, we got to know the eight model numbers for the deviceSM-Q500, SM-Q501, SM-Q502, SM-Q505, SM-Q506, SM-Q507, SM-Q508, and SM-Q509. The Bluetooth SIG has just certified them all, plus another one, SM-Q503. If you look closely, SM-Q503 fits perfectly in the previously spotted model numbering scheme for the Galaxy Ring (SM-Q504 may not exist). Joining the dots, we get nine different variants of the product, likely indicating nine sizes from US ring sizes 5 to 13. Samsung seemingly wants the Galaxy Ring to be a perfect fit for people of all sizes. The Bluetooth SIG listing confirms Bluetooth v5.4 support for the device (all sizes). It is the newest Bluetooth standard, so Samsung is equipping its first smart ring with the best connectivity features. The rest of the specs are under wraps, though. Its unclear if all sizes will boast the same set of sensors and health features. The bigger ones are likely to have a bigger battery. The ring may debut in July in three colors Rumors say Samsung will announce a market release for the Galaxy Ring at its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event in July. The wearable may be available in three colorsCeramic Black, Platinum Silver, and Gold. We are still awaiting details on the pricing structure and availability. It remains to be seen how prices will vary as we move up the sizes. Samsungs next Galaxy Unpacked event may take place on July 10 in Paris, France. Less than two months of waiting now before we get to know more about the Galaxy Ring from the Korean firm. The event will also bring the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Watch 7 series, and probably the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Sony suspects that big tech companies are using its music to train AI models and is not happy about it. Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are among the main ones pointed out by the Japanese giant. Sony is now requesting information to investigate the situation. One of the most controversial topics regarding generative AI is copyright. In the end, AI models are trained based on existing content, from which they can create new content. This is true with everything, whether its text, videos, or, in this case, music. Companies like Google and OpenAI already offer tools that can generate music thanks to the power of AI. Sony wants to know if 700 companies used licensed music to train AI models Sony represents some of the biggest and most influential artists in the music industry. As the BBC reports, the company has rights to the music of Adele and Beyonce, among many others. Now, Sony has sent a letter to more than 700 companies to find out if they have used licensed music to train AI models without authorization. The company claims to have reason to believe that this was the case and will seek to enforce its rights. In the letter, Sony requests the following information from the companies: Details of songs it owns that were used to train AI systems How the songs were accessed e.g. through online streaming services The number of copies made of the songs, whether the copies still exist, and how long they existed for Why it was necessary for such copies to exist for the amount of time they did assuming they existed in the first place Sony defines copies as even a fragment or portion of music. If music licensed by the company has been used, the letter indicates that they are willing to reach commercial agreements. The legislation in this regard is still unclear Its noteworthy that the current legislation on the training of AI models is not yet totally clear or set worldwide. AI-powered services have taken the world by storm, and legislation tends to act much slower. Nana Nwachukwu (lawyer at AI ethics firm Saidot) says that using music for this purpose without permission may constitute a copyright infringement in EU countries. The EU is said to be working on new legislation in this regard. According to Nwachukwu, this future legislation will include the obligation to publicly disclose detailed summaries of the training data employed, adhering to copyright holders opt-outs, and ensuring that all data usage complies with EU copyright laws. Meanwhile, in the United States, there are some open individual cases related to the use of content for AI models without authorization. The cases are related to personalities and companies such as George RR Martin, Sarah Silverman, and Universal Music. The sentences could set key precedents for judging future similar cases. In recent months, multiple reports have been suggesting that the upcoming flagship Exynos SoC will be more efficient than its Snapdragon counterpart. Now, a new report claims that the Galaxy S25 series will be powered by a 3nm Exynos chipset. According to the source, the 3nm chip would be the Exynos 2500. Samsung may implement this SoC in the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+. Some reports last year suggested that the company would begin using a one chipset strategy. That is, future devices in the Galaxy S series would be powered by either Exynos or Snapdragon in all markets. However, this possibility has lost strength over time. 3nm Exynos chipset for Galaxy S25 reportedly more efficient than Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 The Exynos 2500 chipset would be present in the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+ that will arrive for most markets in the world. Meanwhile, the versions heading to the US and some other regions would be powered by the future Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. On the other hand, the Galaxy S25 Ultra would continue to mount Qualcomms next flagship SoC worldwide. Business Korea also insists that industry analysts predict that the Exynos 2500 will be more energy efficient than its Snapdragon counterpart. This would be a great milestone in the recent history of Exynos chipsets. After all, the company has been lagging behind Qualcomm for many years, especially in this section. Fortunately, the Exynos 2400 (4nm) of the Galaxy S24 series has already brought notable improvements to this section. The Galaxy Watch S7 series may bring the first 3nm Samsung chipset According to leaks, Qualcomm will also make the leap to 3nm this year. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset is said to be manufactured on TSMCs 3nm process. Mediatek also plans to launch 3nm flagship chipsets manufactured by TSMC. Interestingly, Samsungs first product powered by a 3nm chipset wont be a phone. More specifically, they would be the Galaxy Watch S7 series devices that will arrive this year. TikTok is definitely one of the most controversial platforms lately. The short-form video platform is seeing an increase in scrutiny from parents and politicians in different countries around the world. The US recently gave TikTok an ultimatum to sell the app or face a ban in the US. France has joined the growing list of countries banning TikTok, leading to more people in New Caledonia seeking VPN services to bypass the restrictions. France banned TikTok to quell protests that have risen in its South Pacific territory Yesterday, May 15th, 2024, the French government declared a state of emergency and banned TikTok after several days of violent unrest in New Caledonia. New Caledonia is a French territory in the South Pacific with a population of over 200,000 people. TechRadar reports violent clashes in the region, causing at least four deaths and numerous injuries prior to the ban. According to Politico, French lawmakers passed a law granting voting rights in local elections to residents of New Caledonia with over 10 years of residency. This move by the lawmakers did not sit right with some natives of New Caledonia. They felt that such a law would weaken the representation of the Kanak people, who are the indigenous people of New Caledonia. So, people took to the streets to protest the new law. VPNs are helping people in New Caledonia bypass the TikTok ban It seems that people in New Caledonia are using VPNs to bypass the restrictions set by the French government. Proton VPN reports a 150% surge in signups for its VPN services since the restrictions began. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows your network to mask its IP address. In many cases, VPN services can assist you in accessing content like Netflix series available in other regions. This is because your device can report its location as being in that specific region, even if its not physically located there. The first aid trucks began moving through a new U.S.-built temporary pier off the Gaza Strip on Friday, ferrying much-needed food and other supplies to Palestinians caught in the heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas over the past seven months, according to reports and the U.S. military. U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said the first shipments of humanitarian assistance began moving along the pier around 9 a.m. local time in Gaza. No U.S. troops went ashore. "This is an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza via a maritime corridor that is entirely humanitarian in nature, and will involve aid commodities donated by a number of countries and humanitarian organizations," Central Command said in a statement. Troops finished installing the floating pier on Thursday, Central Command said, noting that the United Nations will coordinate the aid distribution in Gaza. International aid agencies have been clamoring for more supplies to be sent into the Palestinian enclave, and the United Nations warned earlier this month that a "full-blown famine" has taken hold amid dire shortages of food and fuel. The U.N. said fuel deliveries via land routes have nearly ceased, making it difficult to ship supplies to the people in Gaza. "It doesn't matter how the aid comes, whether it's by sea or whether by land, without fuel, aid won't get to the people," U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said, the Associated Press reported. A spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the humanitarian assistance needed in Gaza goes beyond what can be delivered through the pier. "I think everyone in the operation has said it: Any and all aid into Gaza is welcome by any route," spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters in Geneva on Friday, the AP reported. The aid "cannot and should not depend on a floating dock far from where needs are most acute," Laerke said. Israel fears that Hamas will use the fuel for its own military purposes, but has insisted that it is not hindering the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza. The Home Office made an alarming catalogue of failures handling an asylum seekers case before he murdered a pensioner in a terrorist attack, the shadow home secretary has said. Ahmed Alid, 45, stabbed Terence Carney, 70, to death in the Hartlepool town centre in revenge for Israel declaring war on Hamas on October 8. Conservative MP for Hartlepool, Jill Mortimer, said he was a failed asylum seeker who should never have been in the town. After his sentencing Yvette Cooper, the Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, called for a major overhaul of the UKs asylum and immigration system that shockingly took three years to process Alids claim. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called for a major overhaul of the system (Gareth Fuller/PA) She said: These were the most appalling terror attacks and all our thoughts are with the victims, their families and the local community. Ahmed Alid is responsible for these terrible crimes, but we cannot ignore the alarming catalogue of failures in the way the Home Office dealt with his case. Ms Cooper criticised that Alid was not challenged by Border Force staff when he entered the UK unlawfully in 2020, and that his case was not fast-tracked. No attempt was ever made to return him to his home country despite his history of failed asylum applications in other European countries, she added. She said: This deeply troubling case shows we need a major overhaul of the UKs asylum and immigration system, with a new Border Security Command to tighten security checks, an end the shameful delays in the asylum process by making speedy decisions where people have already had claims refused elsewhere, and a new Returns and Enforcement Unit with additional staff to swiftly remove people with no right to be here. At Teesside Crown Court Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Alid was seeking revenge on Israel in by murdering Mr Carney. She told Alid he hoped to frighten the people of Britain and to undermine the freedoms they enjoy and to intimidate and influence the British government. Minutes before attacking Mr Carney he attempted to murder his housemate Javed Nouri, which Mrs Cheema-Grubb said was an an attempt to punish him for converting to Christianity. Ms Mortimer said after Alid was sentenced: The murder of Terrance Carney is a tragic case, and my thoughts remain with the victim and the victims family. I hope that todays sentencing has brought them some closure. Conservative MP Jill Mortimer (centre) leaving Downing Street (Yui Mok/PA) Mr Carney was a victim of a failed asylum seeker who should never have been here in Hartlepool in the first place. Murderer Ahmed Alid had been turned down asylum in Germany and had been in the asylum system for years travelling around Europe. He will now spend the rest of his life inside our prison system. I continue to pressure the Government to enforce the removal of people whose asylum claims have been turned down and to speed up the vetting process, so that these people who travel across Europe making multiple asylum claims in multiple countries are under no circumstances granted stay in the UK. In the last year 26,000 people were returned to their home countries and the Government continues to increase the overall capacity for removals in detention centres and the number of caseworkers to process these removals. The Rwanda scheme has been extended to include failed asylum seekers. These important actions will come into place with urgency, to ensure that no community needs to suffer like ours has again. A pilot programme has unveiled the level of abuse directed at MSPs with almost 500 posts passed to Police Scotland. After the death of MP Sir David Amess, the Scottish Parliament set about ensuring the safety of elected members, including increasing their level of security. And a programme set up last year has shown that, for the 38 participating MSPs, 461 threats were deemed serious enough to be passed to Police Scotland. On average, each MSP was on the receiving end of 12 abusive posts which were reported to police in less than a year. It is understood there were no direct threats during the trial period which ran from mid-June last year to the end of March but abuse generally centred around protected characteristics such as gender, sexual orientation and race. In total, the tool used by Holyrood officials found almost a quarter of a million 245,420 online comments which met the search criteria for threatening or abusive language but, following an investigation by a security analyst, just over 8,000 were deemed to be abusive. Some 7,661 comments were deemed abusive but did not rise above the criminal threshold. Of those treated as abusive or threatening, the vast majority 6,621 were directed towards members of the SNP, while 592 were directed at Scottish Tory MSPs, 501 towards the Greens, 282 for Labour and 114 for the Lib Dems. Most were considered general abuse, but 452 the second highest category were deemed to be of a racial or religious nature. The majority of both the criminal or non-criminal abuse was directed towards men, but according to Holyroods director of operations and digital Lynsey Hamill, the picture is more nuanced than the figures suggest. Our search terms are geared towards language and phrases that are physically threatening or directed towards protected characteristics, she said in an email to MSPs. Often, however, well see abuse of female MSPs that is belittling, or of a personal nature, but is not necessarily physically threatening. That said, we are still seeing online misogyny and that is reflected in our data. Given most abuse is reactive, female MSPs have indicated that they are posting less content or avoiding certain topics, or even turning away from social media altogether. Ms Hamill added: The trial has revealed the scale of online abuse directed at MSPs, including the number of posts which meet a criminal threshold for reporting. Our findings are sobering. Members in the trial covered all Scottish regions and all Members received abuse albeit at differing volumes. With a general election expected this year, as well as controversial international incidents like the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the US election, Holyrood officials expect it to be highly likely we will see a significant rise in online content that is concerning. As such, the Scottish Parliament has made the trial permanent, and will recruit a second security analyst in a bid to accommodate up to 80 MSPs. SNP MSP Rona Mackay welcomed the seriousness with which Holyrood officials treated the safety of elected members. These figures show how prevalent this form of abuse is with keyboard warriors thinking it is acceptable to abuse elected members online with no consequences, she added. Nobody should need to put up with any form of abuse whilst doing their job. Such abuse can have a devastating impact on peoples lives and is completely unacceptable. While a spokesman for the Scottish Greens said politicians should look at themselves to stem the issue. The scale of abuse revealed by these figures is truly shocking. Facing threats and bigotry must never be accepted as a normal part of serving in Parliament, he said. Its not just social media and sections of the press pouring fuel on this fire. The language used by certain politicians about other parties is quite clearly putting their colleagues in danger. Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells who said abuse has impacted on her work said the project paints a stark and deeply concerning picture. She said: This has also gone beyond those who hide behind anonymous social media accounts and impacted upon my work as a MSP in the past, including changing the way I went to work. This level of abuse should not simply be accepted as part of the job as a MSP. Everyone has a duty to call out the vile remarks directed at politicians including misogynistic and violent threats aimed at women and ensure we can do our jobs without living in fear. Martin Whitfield, Scottish Labours business manager, said: We all want Parliament to be an inclusive place where anyone, no matter their background, can feel safe to represent their community. We support the Scottish Parliament in its efforts to ensure that online abuse never becomes part of the job. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: Police Scotland has an important role in ensuring Scotland is a safe and welcoming country for all who live and work here. Nobody deserves to be the target of threatening and hateful communication online and any criminality is investigated thoroughly. US star Billie Eilish released her bold new third studio album titled Hit Me Hard And Soft on Friday. The theme of the album while similar to her previous two in criticising toxic beauty standards, the pressures of global stardom, and ruthless online commentary is an outlier in that it is centred around love and its accompanying heartbreak. Eilish, who did not release any singles in advance, planned for the album to be listened to chronologically so it hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically, while bending genres and defying trends along the way, her website said. The 22-year-old exhibits mostly subdued vocals across the album, contrasted with track Lunch featuring a funk beat with lyrics about a lust for a lesbian partner. While the fourth track on the record titled Birds Of A Feather is focused around romantic infatuation. The song was teased ahead of the albums release during the trailer for hit Netflix LGBT+ series Heartstopper, about the romance between rugby player Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and unpopular Charlie Spring (Joe Locke). Meanwhile unrequited love is the theme of sixth track The Greatest, which builds into a longing power ballad. Eilish previously said shooting the cover for her album left her in the worse pain of her life, as she was on her back underwater with a door open above her held down with a weight. The album cover was created a few days after her Grammy song of the year win for Barbie hit What Was I Made For?. The song also earned Eilish an Oscar for best original song this year, alongside brother Finneas OConnell, having scooped their first Academy Award in 2022 for their James Bond track No Time To Die. Her debut record When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was released in 2019, while the follow-up titled Happier Than Ever was released in 2021. Eilish, known for her advocacy of environmental causes, previously said she will limit the amount of vinyl records she releases for her new album. Her website said the standard black variant is made from 100% recycled materials, while the rest use Eco-Mix or BioVinyl. Last month, Eilish announced a new tour in support of the album, with UK dates scheduled for 2025. A student accused of carrying out a hammer attack at a public school has told a jury he has no memory of the incident and was sleepwalking at the time. The 16-year-old was wearing just his boxer shorts when he attacked two boys and a housemaster at Blundells School in Tiverton, Devon, the court was told. Exeter Crown Court heard that the teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had armed himself with three claw hammers. The teenager accepts he carried out the attacks but says he is not guilty of attempted murder because he was sleepwalking. Giving evidence on Friday, he told jurors he remembers going to sleep on the evening of June 8 last year. Representing the boy, Kerim Fuad KC, asked him: What was the next thing you remember? The boy replied: I remember being in the room. The room was covered in blood. What I could see was blood. I didnt hear anything. I remember walking out to the corridor. Mr Fuad asked: Are you aware of having sleepwalked in the past? The boy replied I have, and told the court his mother found him at the bottom of a staircase at their home around 10 years ago. Mr Fuad asked the boy what he could remember after the incident at Blundells School, which happened shortly after 1am on June 9. The boy said: I knew something really bad had gone on and everyone was looking towards me. I didnt remember doing anything so the only rational thing I was thinking was that I was sleepwalking. The boy described himself as scared and anxious after being arrested and taken to custody in a police car. Asked why he replied no comment to questions in police interviews, he said it was on the advice of his solicitor. The boy told the court he kept two hammers by his bed for protection, with a screwdriver and a Swiss Army knife that he owned also in his room. Mr Fuad asked: What did you need protection from? The boy replied: The zombie apocalypse. He told the jury he had seen depictions of zombies in films and TV series such as The Walking Dead. Mr Fuad asked: Did you think the apocalypse was real? The boy said: Yes, I did. Mr Fuad asked: Do you think it is real now, today? The boy replied: Yes, I do. Asked to explain what a zombie apocalypse was, the boy said: The end of the world. He told jurors he had spoken of his fears about zombies to friends but they might have perceived it as a joke. Mr Fuad asked: Why did you need protection from them? The boy replied: Zombies are vicious creatures. Previously, the jury was told that the two boys were asleep in cabin-style beds in one of the schools boarding houses when the defendant climbed up and attacked them. Housemaster Henry Roffe-Silvester, who was asleep in his own quarters, was woken by noises from the boarding house and went to investigate. When he entered the bedroom, he saw a silhouetted figure standing in the room who turned towards him and repeatedly struck him over the head with a hammer, the court heard. Both boys suffered skull fractures, as well as injuries to their ribs, spleen, a punctured lung and internal bleeding. Mr Fuad asked the defendant whether he intended to kill Mr Roffe-Silvester and the two boys. He replied: No. The boy said: I feel very terribly sorry for all three individuals because of what I did to them. I feel very sorry for everyone, the families and themselves. Mr Fuad asked: Were you awake when you did these things? The boy replied: No. Mr Roffe-Silvester suffered six blows to his head. The defendant, now aged 17, denies three charges of attempted murder. The trial continues. The British Museum has recovered 268 more missing objects following thefts at the institution. The museum announced on Friday that a total of 626 items, out of around 1,500 missing or stolen objects, have been found across the world including in Europe and North America and taken back to be housed in its London collection. A last update from the body in February stated that more than 350 artefacts had been returned after the objects, which included classical Greek and Roman gems and jewellery, were taken. George Osborne said the team at the museum had refused to give up in the search for the objects (Ian West/PA) Chairman of the British Museum trustees and former Chancellor George Osborne said: Few expected to see this day, and even I had my doubts. When we announced the devastating news that objects had been stolen from our collection, people understandably assumed that was it we were unlikely to ever see more than a handful of them again. Thats usually the history with thefts like this. But the team at the British Museum refused to give up. Through clever detective work and a network of well-wishers weve achieved a remarkable result: more than 600 of the objects are back with us, and a further 100 have been identified in total almost half the stolen items that we could recover. Ten of the gems on display as part of the Rediscovering Gems exhibition (Lucy North/PA) Its a great result but were not resting here the hunt goes on for the remaining missing objects. I urge anyone with any information to follow the example of all whove helped us and get in touch. There are also around 500 artefacts that have been damaged, which includes an estimated 350 objects having gold removed and around 140 being harmed by tools. Following the furore over the thefts being disclosed in August 2023, the director of the museum Hartwig Fischer resigned, and was replaced by former Victoria and Albert Museum head Sir Mark Jones in the interim. In March, outgoing National Portrait Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan was announced as the permanent director of the British Museum. Recovered gems (British Museum/PA) The institution is continuing to display some of the recovered gems to the public through the exhibition Rediscovering Gems until June 15 in room three. Legal proceedings were launched in March against former curator Dr Peter Higgs, who was dismissed in July last year. Dr Higgs, who worked within the Department of Greece and Rome for more than 30 years, and who has been investigated by the Metropolitan Police but not charged, did not attend the hearing at the High Court in London due to poor health. The court heard that Dr Higgs intends to dispute the claim and Mrs Justice Heather Williams ordered him to return any stolen items he may have. The Government would back sustainable increases in the number of international students at British universities, the Chancellor has said. Ministers have come under pressure to cut international student numbers as part of a wider effort to reduce net immigration to the UK, but university leaders have warned that such a move would be calamitous for the sector. The Government has already sought to cut numbers by placing new restrictions on the ability of foreign students to bring family members with them. But on Friday, Jeremy Hunt suggested the Government would welcome some increase in international student numbers, provided it was driven by a desire for education and not immigration. He told reporters: We have rightly introduced some changes that ensure that people are coming to this country because they want to study as some of the brightest and best from around the world, not as a vehicle which is primarily to bring their families over and to settle in the UK, which is not the point of the exercise. I think we will see some reductions in migration flows as a result of those decisions being taken, but that does not mean that we wont continue to support sustainable increases in international students coming to the UK. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the Government would support sustainable increases in foreign student numbers (Aaron Chown/PA) His comments follow calls from some Conservative MPs for further cuts to international student numbers, including by scrapping the graduate visa. The visa, which allows foreign students to live and work in the UK for up to two years after graduating, is seen by some MPs as a backdoor for longer-term immigration to Britain. On Tuesday, the Migration Advisory Committee found no evidence of widespread abuse of the graduate visa route and warned some courses would become less financially viable if the number of international students was cut. Downing Street said the Government would respond to the report in due course, but added it was working to reduce migration levels. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: (The Prime Minister) has said before that British students should be the priority for our education system and universities and student visas must be used for education, not immigration. Universities reported earlier this week that applications from international students had already fallen by a quarter following the new restrictions. Dame Sally Mapstone, president of Universities UK, said further restrictions were unnecessary and would be calamitous not just for institutions, but actually for the UK as a whole. There was a manifest failure of the UK and Irish governments to adequately respond to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, Irelands president has said. A wreath-laying ceremony was held in Dublin to mark the 50th anniversary of the deadly attacks on May 17 1974 when three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one in Monaghan town. No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. It remains the biggest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. The ceremony took place in Talbot Street, Dublin, where an official memorial honours the 35 people killed in the bombings, including two unborn babies. Another 300 people are estimated to have been injured in the blasts. President Michael D Higgins said: Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings of 1974 were crimes of a particular level of savagery, executed consciously upon workers and civilians with total disregard for human life and suffering. Like the families of so many other victims and survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict, so many of you here today have been trying to find answers about what happened. The memorial in Talbot Street (Brian Lawless/PA) Mr Higgins said it is a matter of profound regret and unacceptable that no one had been held accountable for the atrocities. The president said systemic failures at state level include possible collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitaries, the disappearance of important forensic evidence and a refusal to supply information. He said: The manifest failure of both the British and Irish governments to initiate suitable responses in the aftermath of the attacks has left a legacy that cannot be left unaddressed. I share with the relatives gathered or represented here their feeling of being abandoned and failed by the system, of their being denied justice for the loss of loved ones. Mr Higgins said the relatives need more than an empathetic ear, adding: Justice demands that they deserve the truth no more, no less. Taoiseach Simon Harris arrives for a wreath-laying ceremony (Brian Lawless/PA) The president also criticised the current British Governments Legacy Act, saying: The enactment of that unilaterally sourced legislation has resulted in families who have spent decades fighting for an effective investigation into their cases of not only facing further uncertainty and delays but of the deprivation of legal rights. Mr Higgins said there was a collective responsibility to deal with legacy issues in an ethical manner, adding: A strategy of feigned amnesia, or hoping time will deliver one, is simply not an option, nor is any strategy of continuing the protection of previous evasions or failures to act. It is not morally acceptable, nor is it politically feasible, to request that those affected by such tragedy should forget about the past, draw a line or move on in the name of any naive desire for a supposed closure that may never be attainable. He said the families call for the full truth to emerge should be supported, however embarrassing or painful it may be. Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the ceremony (Brian Lawless/PA) Irelands premier Simon Harris and deputy premier Micheal Martin also attended the event organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Sir Iain Livingstone, who leads the Operation Denton operation, were among other attendees. Former Irish premiers Leo Varadkar and Bertie Ahern were also present. Mr Harris said: Today, 50 years on from that dark day, I remember all those who lost their lives and were injured, and think of their families. I know their hurt has been compounded by a lack of truth and of justice for the victims since, and of immediate support for the families in the difficult years that followed. Today, we honour the memories of those who died, the more than 300 people injured, and the bereaved, both those living and those who have died in the years since. Cathy Ellis arrives for mass at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) Today, Dublin and Monaghan remember. Mr Higgins will lay another wreath in Monaghan on Friday evening, where local minister Heather Humphreys will represent the Government. Before the Dublin ceremony, Mr Martin and Mr Boutcher attended a memorial Mass at nearby St Marys Pro-Cathedral. Leading the service, Archbishop Dermot Farrell read out the names of those killed in the bombings. Calling for reconciliation, he added: Pray that those with the power to be able to deliver that justice, which will ultimately bring peace, will come quickly so that all may be fully healed of that awful atrocity and tragedy. A message from President Higgins on a wreath (Brian Lawless/PA) Earlier, Mr Martin pledged that all Government-held files in connection with the bombings should be released to inquiries. He said: Ive a general view that any files we have in Dublin, or within the Department of Justice or in An Garda Siochana, should be released to all inquiries in respect of atrocities in Northern Ireland. Today is a very poignant day and the Justice for the Forgotten group has been extraordinary in their efforts they have made to focus attention many decades on, on what was the worst atrocity, in what was a terrible time in Ireland when there was murder and mayhem across the land. Earlier governments from the 1990s on, we had two inquiries and both those inquires made it very clear that they didnt get full co-operation, particularly from the British state. Mr Martin told RTEs Morning Ireland radio programme that the Legacy Act had created a huge challenge. The family of a British man killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza have paid tribute to his larger than life presence and his legacy. James Jim Henderson, 33, was among seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers who died when their convoy was hit outside the Deir al-Balah warehouse last month. In a statement released by Devon & Cornwall Police, his family described him as an incredible man who had died doing something that mattered to him. They added they would never comprehend his loss as the former Royal Marine had so much more to achieve in his life. Mr Henderson, from Cornwall, formed part of WCKs security detail and died alongside fellow British veterans John Chapman, 57, and James Kirby, 47. The family statement said: Its not the size of the candle but the brightness of its flame that counts and this couldnt be more true than when we think about Jim. Whilst he was taken from us far too soon, and with so much more to achieve in his life, we gain comfort in knowing that he lived every minute of his time on earth, to the fullest extent. James had a strong passion for rugby and followed his dreams by joining The Royal Marines and seeing front-line action in Afghanistan, while people were at the heart of everything he did and drove him to be better, his family said. The statement continued: It was this drive that took him to Gaza in support of World Central Kitchen, and those so badly affected by the conflict in the region. Whilst we will never comprehend his loss, we know that he died doing something that mattered to him, he was making a difference and for that, at least, we are grateful. Above all others, those that mattered most to Jim were his fiancee Jacqui, and his family. Proud does not come close to expressing how we all feel for what Jim achieved, and we know would have gone to achieve. Whilst mourning the loss of him, and what he would have undoubtedly continued to do with his life, we also reflect on his legacy and the many people who will continue to benefit from what he started. We love him. We miss him. We celebrate his achievements. We know that his flame will continue to burn brightly in each and every one of us as we look to a future without his larger than life presence in it. Mr Hendersons funeral will take place in Truro, Cornwall on May 22. The funeral of his colleague Mr Kirby was attended by hundreds of people in Bristol on Wednesday. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others over the incident, calling it a serious mistake. US film director Francis Ford Coppola received a lengthy standing ovation after the world premiere of his sci-fi epic Megalopolis. Ford Coppola hugged the films leading stars, Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza and Giancarlo Esposito, and threw his straw hat into the crowd after the first official screening at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. The film marks a decades-long passion project for The Godfather director, who is said to have had the idea for the story more than four decades ago. DB Sweeney, Grace VanderWaal, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Francis Ford Coppola, Romy Croquet Mars, Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel at the Megalopolis premiere (Doug Peters/PA) After the film debut, Ford Coppola reportedly received a seven-minute standing ovation, telling the audience it is impossible to find words to tell you how I feel, in a video from US outlet Deadline. Ford Coppola, whose wife Eleanor died last month, introduced members of his family to the crowd, before describing the film stars and crew as all my family. That is who we should pledge our allegiance to, our entire family and the beautiful home earth that we have, that is my wish, that the children should inherit a beautiful world from us. The most beautiful word I think in any language is speranza, hope (in Italian). US actor Richard Gere was among the stars celebrating Ford Coppola at the end of the film. Francis Ford Coppola at the Megalopolis premiere (Doug Peters/PA) Gere, 74, who starred in Ford Coppolas The Cotton Club in 1984, said of the film: Totally crazy of course, the movie is crazy and only a crazy man could make that movie. Hollywood stars descended on the red carpet for the world premiere in Cannes. In the film, 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. 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. 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. Nathalie Emmanuel on the Megalopolis red carpet (Doug Peters/PA) The White Lotus star 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. 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. Donald Trump's former attorney adviser John Eastman, widely viewed as the architect of the scheme to use fake slates of electors to overturn the 2020 presidential vote, has pleaded not guilty in an Arizona election interference case. "I, of course, plead not guilty," Eastman said following a brief hearing in Phoenix Friday, CNN reported. "I'm confident that, with the laws faithfully applied, I will be exonerated at the end of this process." Eastman was released from custody without conditions. He and over a dozen other Trump allies have been indicted in the case for their alleged attempts to upend the 2020 election to turn the former presidents defeat into victory, contradicting the vote. Trump was not named in the Arizona court action, but is believed to be the unidentified "unindicted co-conspirator 1" referred to in the court papers. Eastman is also a co-defendant with others in a separate case in Georgia, where prosecutors have accused Trump of working with lawyers and aides to overturn the 2020 presidential election there. Eastman also pleaded not guilty in the Georgia case. Eastman came under fire for his written strategies on how to overturn the election often referred to as "coup memos" by critics which he wrote after Trump's defeat. They detailed ways in which then-Vice President Mike Pence could overturn the election results, despite no evidence of election fraud, including rejecting legitimate electoral votes. He later characterized the strategies as simply ideas for "internal discussion" for the White House legal team. A Callifornia judge earlier this month rejected Eastman's request to reactivate his law license while he fights disbarment. A new scheme which requires developers to boost nature has been launched without having all the elements in place to deliver it, the National Audit Office has warned. The biodiversity net gain scheme requires developers to finance the creation of habitat that not only replaces what has been lost to development, but boosts habitat overall by 10%. Under the programme, which applies to England and started to come into force in February, the gains for nature should ideally be on site. Conservationists say the scheme could if done well help threatened wildlife such as dormice (Peter Byrne/PA) If that is not possible, they can be delivered off-site by the developer, or purchased through a new private market for credits to pay for work elsewhere. The Environment Department (Defra) estimates the first-of-its-kind national policy would deliver 1.4 billion in annual social benefits to people, and would deliver a measurable improvement to habitat, which would make a small contribution to reversing declines in nature in England. Conservation groups have said the measures if done well could help declining nature from hazel dormice to meadows, reduce flooding and increase access to green spaces, but have raised concerns about its delivery. Now the National Audit Office (NAO) has released a report warning there are risks to the long-term effectiveness of the policy. The spending watchdog warned that Defra was relying on a private sector market for biodiversity credits or units emerging, so developers could purchase them to meet their obligations to deliver nature improvements. But the department did not know how rapidly the market could scale up or if it could satisfy demand, with just two sites offering a total of 35 hectares (86 acres) of habitat gain on the official register by May. If there are not enough credits of the right type or quantity available on the private market, Defras solution is for developers to buy statutory credits from government body Natural England. But the NAO warned the Government did not yet have a mechanism for spending the income from these sales for boosting wildlife. The report also found varying levels of readiness among local authorities which could receive either 26,807 or 43,467 each in funding from Defra to help them prepare for the policy. It warned there were risks associated with ensuring compliance with and enforcing the policy, with doubt over whether local authorities would be able to carry this out effectively. It added councils had not received additional funding for compliance and enforcement. The Government is also still developing its approach to monitoring and evaluating how well the policy works, with key information currently missing, such as gains for nature that are being delivered on-site, the report said. Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: The statutory biodiversity net gain scheme is the first national scheme of its kind to build requirements for enhancing biodiversity into planning approval. However, it was launched with risks to the long-term effectiveness of the policy. These include uncertainty about whether the fledgling market for biodiversity units scales up to satisfy developers demand, risks to enforcement and gaps in its information. Defra must address these issues, including by plugging gaps in its information so that it can effectively evaluate the schemes success. The report concludes that Defra launched the policy before having all the elements in place to ensure it is a success in the long term. It has a long way to go before it can be confident that damage to nature from developments would not be understated and the benefits to enhancing biodiversity would actually be delivered, the report said. Becky Pullinger from The Wildlife Trusts, said: Following so much delay and uncertainty, the implementation of biodiversity net gain (BNG) finally got the ball rolling for both natures recovery and home building. However, many factors underpin the success of the scheme, such as the ecological expertise of local authorities, and the percentage requirement of the scheme itself. She urged the Government to support councils and housebuilders to go beyond the 10% gain, which she said would barely ensure no net loss of nature. Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, called for Defra to ensure that biodiversity gains were actually delivered and maintained, warning cash-strapped local authorities could not be expected to police the programme properly without additional support. He added: With public funds in short supply, and a 5.6 billion boost in annual spending needed for nature, its essential that Government acts decisively to drive private investment. That means expanding legal duties on polluters to pay, and supporting Local Authorities with extra ecological advice and expertise to ensure that investments really do make a difference for wildlife. Catherine Spitzer, chief executive of Environment Bank a BNG provider, said: Whilst the BNG regulations are only just beginning to bed-in, the private sector is already brining forward high quality BNG units for developers. She added it was very clear that a strong, vibrant market is starting to take shape. Darren Rodwell, environment spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said: Biodiversity net gain has fantastic potential for local communities and the environment. It is important that councils are properly funded and that the Government quickly put in place measures to ensure the land is available for BNG off-site, for instance by allowing BNG on council-owned land in the short term. Dame Helen Mirren will host the D-Day 80 national commemorative event in Portsmouth. The Ministry of Defence, Royal British Legion, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Normandy Memorial Trust will celebrate the work of UK and other forces at the port city, where the Allies left for the beaches of Normandy during the Second World War. Dame Helen, who won the best actress Academy Award for The Queen, will present the event, which takes place on the eve of the 80th anniversary. It is broadcast through the BBC One programme D-Day 80: The Allies Prepare, which is presented by Womans Hour host Anita Rani and John-James Chalmers, a veteran and sports presenter. The event in June will feature spoken word testimony by well-known faces and military personnel as well as performances from musical stars and the tri-service orchestra. Actress Helen Mirren will host the event in Portsmouth (Doug Peters/PA) BBC chief content officer Charlotte Moore said: The 80th anniversary of D-Day is an important moment to reflect and pay tribute to those who were involved in 1944. We have a wide range of distinctive programming that will bring people together to commemorate across the BBC, including full live coverage of events from both sides of the Channel as well as special documentaries and editions of some of our most popular programmes on television and radio. BBC One will also have the programme D-Day 80: Tribute To The Fallen, which will be presented by former Desert Island Discs host Kirsty Young at the Bayeux War Cemetery in Normandy, France. Young will be joined by special guests for the 90-minute show as tributes take place in the French location and on Southsea Common in Portsmouth. The around 4,600 headstones will be individually illuminated across the Commonwealth War Graves Commissions Bayeux War Cemetery to commemorate the fallen. Kirsty Young will anchor the coverage in France (Ian West/PA) To mark Operation Neptune, D-Day 80: We Will Remember Them will also air on BBC One, providing coverage of the event at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, which is being organised by the Royal British Legion and the Ministry of Defence. It overlooks Gold Beach, the code name given to one of the places where the Allies landed on June 6 1944. Broadcasting House host Paddy OConnell, whose father Guy served during D-Day, will provide commentary, while BBC News presenter Sophie Raworth reports live from the British Normandy Memorial, joined by special guests. Other BBC programming includes special editions of The One Show, Antiques Roadshow, Bargain Hunt, Countryfile and Newsround. Actors will lip-synch the recorded accounts from British, American, German and French perspectives in BBC Twos D-Day: The Unheard Tapes and surviving veterans will speak to the BBC News show D-Day: We Were There. D-Day 80: The Allies Prepare will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 10.15am to 1pm on June 5 ahead of D-Day 80: Tribute To The Fallen airing later that evening. D-Day 80: We Will Remember Them airs on June 6. Irish president Michael D Higgins has laid a wreath in Monaghan close to the spot where a bomb devastated the town centre 50 years ago. A ceremony was held to mark the anniversary of the deadly attacks on May 17 1974 when three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one in Monaghan town. The service on Friday evening was watched by some survivors of the atrocities and families of victims as well as hundreds of people who had gathered in the centre of the town. The names of the victims were read out and the bells of St Patricks Church tolled at 6.58pm, the exact time the Monaghan bomb exploded, before Mr Higgins laid the wreath on behalf of the people of Ireland. Local TD Heather Humphreys laid a wreath on behalf of the Irish Government before prayers were said and a tree planted. No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings, but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. A commemorative event also took place in Talbot Street in Dublin earlier on Friday, where an official memorial honours the 35 people killed in the bombings, including two unborn babies. President of Ireland Michael D Higgins during wreath laying ceremony at the Memorial to the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings (Brian Lawless/PA) It was the biggest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. Another 300 people are estimated to have been injured in the blasts. Delivering her address in Monaghan, Ms Humphreys said the Irish Government was committed to ensuring justice and access to information for all Troubles victims. She said: This Government and our political system has made clear that the British Governments ongoing refusal to release the relevent documents related to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings remains a fundamental barrier to achieving justice. This week, for the fourth time, the Dail supported a motion calling on the British Government to look afresh at the urgent request for access to information. We are committed to doing everything possible to ensure access to justice and to information for victims of the Troubles, north and south and to continue to press the British Government to respond positively to our collective calls for answers. It is enormously disappointing that so many years on the British Government have failed to respond adequately in any way. Speaking earlier at the event in Dublin, Mr Higgins said there was a manifest failure of the UK and Irish governments to adequately respond to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. He said: Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings of 1974 were crimes of a particular level of savagery, executed consciously upon workers and civilians with total disregard for human life and suffering. Like the families of so many other victims and survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict, so many of you here today have been trying to find answers about what happened. Mr Higgins said it is a matter of profound regret and unacceptable that no-one had been held accountable for the atrocities. The president said systemic failures at state level include possible collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitaries, the disappearance of important forensic evidence and a refusal to supply information. He said: The manifest failure of both the British and Irish governments to initiate suitable responses in the aftermath of the attacks has left a legacy that cannot be left unaddressed. I share with the relatives gathered or represented here their feeling of being abandoned and failed by the system, of their being denied justice for the loss of loved ones. Mr Higgins said the relatives need more than an empathetic ear, adding: Justice demands that they deserve the truth no more, no less. The president also criticised the current British Governments Legacy Act, saying: The enactment of that unilaterally sourced legislation has resulted in families who have spent decades fighting for an effective investigation into their cases of not only facing further uncertainty and delays but of the deprivation of legal rights. Mr Higgins said there was a collective responsibility to deal with legacy issues in an ethical manner, adding: A strategy of feigned amnesia, or hoping time will deliver one, is simply not an option, nor is any strategy of continuing the protection of previous evasions or failures to act. It is not morally acceptable, nor is it politically feasible, to request that those affected by such tragedy should forget about the past, draw a line or move on in the name of any naive desire for a supposed closure that may never be attainable. He said the families call for the full truth to emerge should be supported, however embarrassing or painful it may be. Irelands premier Simon Harris and deputy premier Micheal Martin also attended the event organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. People during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Memorial to the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings (Oliver McVeigh/PA) PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Sir Iain Livingstone, who leads the Operation Denton operation, were among other attendees. Former Irish premiers Leo Varadkar and Bertie Ahern were also present. Before the Dublin ceremony, Mr Martin and Mr Boutcher attended a memorial mass at nearby St Marys Pro-Cathedral. Leading the service, Archbishop Dermot Farrell read out the names of those killed in the bombings. Calling for reconciliation, he added: Pray that those with the power to be able to deliver that justice, which will ultimately bring peace, will come quickly so that all may be fully healed of that awful atrocity and tragedy. Donald Trump has the right concern about European defence spending, David Lammy said as he resisted calls from Labours London Mayor Sadiq Khan to challenge the Republican presidential candidate on his views. The shadow foreign secretary said some countries are not committing enough money and that the UK could share a common cause with the US in pushing for that to improve. Mr Trump prompted alarm in western capitals earlier this year when he suggested he would encourage Russia to do whatever the hell they want to Nato allies failing to meet their financial obligations. Mr Lammy has sought to build diplomatic relationships with both Democrats and Republicans ahead of the US election this year, promising that Labour would work with whoever returns to the White House to preserve the transatlantic special relationship. However, in an interview with Politico published earlier this week, London Mayor Mr Khan said Britain should call out Mr Trump as a racist, sexist and homophobe. Sadiq Khan has been heavily critical of Donald Trump (PA) Asked whether he would heed his party colleagues advice, the shadow foreign secretary told an Institute for Government event on Friday: This is a profoundly serious moment and it requires seriousness. That seriousness means that the special relationship between the United Kingdom and our American friends is core not just to our own national security, but security of much of the world. So, just like Wilson, Nixon, Blair, Bush, whoever is in the White House in a big election year in the United States or whoever is in No 10 in a big election year in our own country, of course we must work together. The truth is that youre going to be hard-pressed to find any politician, particularly politicians who were on the back benches, who havent had something to say about Donald Trump. I take very seriously the responsibility of being on the front bench and the responsibility of finding common cause on behalf of the national interests of this country. Mr Lammy also expanded on recent remarks in which he described the former presidents approach to Nato as misunderstood, saying he had been referring specifically to European defence spending. Donald Trump has criticised some Nato members for not paying enough on defence spending (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) He (Mr Trump) in his own unique way, I think, is concerned about burden-sharing across Europe that is a concern shared by my friend Barack Obama, it is a concern that has been echoed since Kennedy, and it is the right concern because it is still the case that there are European countries not spending as much as they should on defence and that needs to improve, and that is something where the United Kingdom can join common cause with the United States, the shadow minister said. It marks a shift in tone from 2017 when the Labour frontbencher described Mr Trump as racist and a Nazi sympathiser, saying he would protest on the streets if the then-president visited the UK. Mr Trump has repeatedly denied accusations of racism levelled against him but railed against what he describes as political correctness. The London Mayor said earlier this week: (Donald Trump is) 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. Mr Lammy also indicated that Labour would not pursue a trade deal with the US unless the White House changed its position because it feels pretty clear to me that America has set its face against trade deals. Thats not particular to the United Kingdom, but the political establishment, both Democrat and Republican, is not focused on trade deals at the moment and therefore I think unless that changes we would be expending a lot of effort unnecessarily, he said. Elsewhere in his remarks, Mr Lammy made a series of pledges aimed at putting expertise at the heart of the UKs foreign policy agenda. He promised that Labour would establish a college of diplomacy, teaching courses in areas such as languages and artificial intelligence (AI) which would be open to all of Whitehall as well as foreign mandarins from friendly countries as part of a Foreign Office shake-up. 5. Excellence upgrade and rebrand the Diplomatic Academy to become a new College of Diplomacy, open to diplomats from overseas. Courses in core skills, like languages, but also climate science and AI Finn Baker (@FinnBaker3) May 17, 2024 The college, which would replace the Diplomatic Academy, would seek to set the global gold standard for both diplomacy and development, Mr Lammy said. Leading figures from the arts, culture and academia would also be brought together as part of a new soft power council, he told the event. The council would work alongside the British Council and BBC World Service to advance the UKs national interests, he said. Mr Lammy said: At present neither the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) nor the National Security Council is delivering the sharp, coherent international strategy which the country urgently needs. Without such strategy, we should expect to be buffeted by the tides of superpower competition, not only between the United States and China, but also by the many rising powers who are threatening our competitive advantages economically and militarily. A Metropolitan Police officer who manhandled and wrongly arrested a woman for bus fare evasion in front of her young son has been found guilty of assault. Pc Perry Lathwood, 50, of Normans Bay, East Sussex, grabbed Jocelyn Agyemang by the arm, causing bruising injuries during the arrest on July 21 last year in Whitehorse Road, Croydon, south London. Ms Agyemang was dropping her son off at her mothers house before heading to an appointment in Marylebone scheduled for 12.30pm. Police officers were helping ticket inspectors on a bus in Croydon at the time. After she and her son disembarked the bus at around 11am, she was asked to show she had paid her fare by a bus inspector. At Westminster Magistrates Court, Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram ruled it was not necessary for Lathwood to grab the womans arm, arrest her and handcuff her. He continued: She was difficult but there were not reasonable grounds to suggest arrest was necessary. The officer made an error of judgment and overreacted. Handcuffing inflamed the situation even further. I find you guilty of assault. Metropolitan Police constable Perry Lathwood arriving at City of London Magistrates Court (Victoria Jones/PA) Lathwood, who wore a blue checked suit in the dock, did not react as the judge gave his verdict. Mr Ikram said Lathwoods claims that he acted to protect Ms Agyemangs child were fanciful and that he simply did not believe him. The officers evidence lacked all credibility, he added. Paul Jarvis, prosecuting told the trial Lathwood put a hand on the woman, but she moved away, so he then grabbed her arm and arrested her for fare evasion. A crowd gathered, with people filming the officer and asking him why he had arrested her. Mr Jarvis said Lathwood continued to hold her, demanding she tap her card. He also handcuffed her. Another officer took her Oyster card from her hand and went away with it to see if she had paid. It was confirmed that Ms Agyemang had paid her fare and she was de-arrested at the scene. There was no necessity for an arrest, he said. Ms Agyemang said she felt very violated by the incident. I just felt like they did not care, she said. I just felt a bit degraded because I had not done anything wrong. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said the verdict presented a huge setback to our ability to rebuild trust with Londoners. He continued: We will learn the lessons from this and we apologise to the woman and the wider community who were deeply affected. Anyone who has seen the footage of this incident will be upset by how it escalated into a traumatic situation for a mother and her child. Since this incident happened, we have stopped our involvement in supporting Transport for London fare evasion operations, but we continue our presence on the bus network tackling violent crime. Scotland Yard said it did not intend to consider an accelerated misconduct hearing for the officer. Rick Prior, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said they would be considering our legal options. Police officers have no issue with scrutiny and accounting for their actions and use of force, but this has to take into account the dynamic and split-second challenges we face and the reality of our role. Colleagues across London, keeping the capital safe as you read this, will be discouraged, dismayed and disheartened today. And worried that they too can be handed a criminal conviction for doing the roles the public and society expects of them. For doing their job. Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regional director Mel Palmer said: Any use of force by officers should be reasonable, proportionate and justifiable in the circumstances. This was a high-profile incident that caused significant concern, particularly in the Croydon community, after footage of the incident was published online. We carried out an independent and impartial investigation to establish the facts surrounding this incident, including the actions of the police officers involved. The decision to refer a file of evidence to the CPS to consider criminal charges is not something we take lightly and this was done after careful consideration of the evidence, including liaison with the CPS. The police watchdog said it will now liaise with the force to progress disciplinary proceedings for the officer. Lathwood, who is attached to the Metropolitan Polices Road Traffic Policing Command, will be sentenced at the same court on June 14. Nat Sciver-Brunt has revealed she missed Englands T20 match against Pakistan on May 11 to undergo egg-freezing treatment. Sciver-Brunt, 31, who has been married to former England international Katherine Sciver-Brunt since 2022, plans to start a family in the future. Katherine and myself would love to start a family but Id also love to keep playing cricket, Nat Sciver-Brunt said on the Under The Lid podcast. Englands Nat Sciver-Brunt in action in September 2023 (Joe Giddens/PA) In the period between getting back from New Zealand and this tour starting, I thought it was a great time for me to go through the egg-freezing process, creating embryos and whacking them in the freezer for future years. Both Katherine and Nat Sciver-Brunt said they hoped to carry babies. Katherine Sciver-Brunt added on the podcast: For me it feels like I need to go now, thats different for me. Nat very much wants to go to the Olympics in 2028. So freezing them now and having some really good healthy eggs to come back to rather than tapping into a 36-year-olds eggs, why not have younger ones? Its a really great thing to be able to have the choice because its not cheap and its very invasive. But if you can do it, then its a great thing to do because it puts your mind at ease and it doesnt put you under pressure to have to stop. You can concentrate on doing the thing you love to the best of your ability. A Moroccan-born terrorist who murdered a Hartlepool pensioner in revenge for Gaza had his asylum application rejected three weeks after the killing, it has emerged. Ahmed Alid was jailed for life on Friday and told he would serve a minimum of 45 years for killing 70-year-old Terence Carney and attempting to murder housemate Javed Nouri. The 45-year-old, who had failed to find refuge in at least eight other European countries, claimed asylum in the UK in 2020 after arriving from the Netherlands. But more than three years later his application had still not been settled by the Home Office, in October last year, just days after the Hamas offensive in Israel, he launched his own terror attack on UK soil. After repeatedly stabbing Christian convert Mr Nouri at the Home Office-approved hostel in Hartlepool, where they both lived, he went out into the street and murdered Mr Carney. On Nov 3, three weeks after the murder, the Home Office formally rejected Alids asylum application. Sentencing him at Teesside Crown Court, the judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Alids intention had been to advance a religious and political cause, namely that of Islam and the independence of Palestine. She said: You attacked and murdered Terence Carney in a terrorist act. You intended it as revenge for the actions of a foreign country, Israel and to intimidate and influence the British government in its international relations. You hoped to frighten the people of Britain and to undermine the freedoms they enjoy. Alid, caught on CCTV, murdered a passer-by in the street - UNPIXS The judge also said Alids attack on his housemate had been an attempt to punish him for converting to Christianity. She went on: Those who genuinely seek refuge in this country will embrace the values we hold dear. These values include respect for the dignity of each person as an individual, with freedom to choose their political opinion without intimidation, and whether to observe a particular faith without fear or oppression. Patricia Carney, Mr Carneys widow, said her husband went out walking early every morning because he enjoyed the peace and quiet on the streets. In a statement read to the court during the sentencing hearing, Mrs Carney said: Tess was doing what he had always done and enjoyed doing he was taking a walk on a street he believed to be safe and a chance encounter with this man ended his life. She said she had been with Mr Carney from a young age and although they had been living separately for a few years, they were still very much together. Life forever changed Mrs Carneys statement added that she could no longer go into town because it was too painful to be near the spot where her husband was murdered. From that day on, my life would be forever changed. I dont feel anything anymore, she said. Mr Nouri, 31, said that since the attack, he did not trust anyone or anything and all thoughts and feelings I had of being in a safe country have gone. His statement added: I would expect to be arrested and killed in my home country for converting to Christianity but I did not expect to be attacked in my sleep here. How is it possible for someone to destroy someones life because of his religion? During his police interview the day after the murder, Alid admitted he had launched his attacks because Israel had killed innocent children. Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting, told the court: In other words, he said he had committed the attempted murder of Javed Nouri and the murder of Mr Carney in revenge for what he believed to be the killing of children by Israel. He swore by Allah that if he had had a machine gun and more weapons, he would have killed more victims. Alid admitted Mr Carney was innocent, justifying the attack by saying Britain had created the Zionist entity of Israel, adding: They killed children and I killed an old man. 01:05 PM BST Thats all for today Thanks for following our live coverage of Ahmed Alids sentencing. Here is a brief summary of what happened today. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 44 years and 52 days. Judge ruled his attack to be terror related Psychiatric reports had found no evidence of psychosis Alid intended killing as revenge for Israels response to the Hamas attack Check the website for the latest updates. 12:45 PM BST No evidence of serious mental illness Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said psychiatric reports had found no evidence of psychosis or any other serious mental illness in Ahmed Alid. She said he was deemed to have a minor mental illness called an adjustment disorder which would have affected his judgment and was caused by pressures including his tension with housemate and Christian convert Javed Nouri, the drawn out decision of his asylum application and the emotional impact on his religious sensibilities of Israels response to the Hamas attack. The judge said this offered very limited mitigation as it was not sufficiently linked to such a serious level of violence. She told Alid he had shown no genuine remorse or pity for his victims. 12:43 PM BST Alid hoped to frighten the people of Britain Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told Ahmed Alid he had hoped to frighten the people of Britain and undermine the freedoms they enjoy when he murdered Terence Carney in a terrorist attack. She said he intended it as revenge for Israels response to the Hamas attack and to influence the British Government. The judge added that the attack on Alids housemate Javed Nouri was an attempt to punish him for converting to Christianity. 12:42 PM BST Alid would have killed more if police hadnt stopped him Alid would have killed more people after stabbing 70-year-old Terence Carney if police had not stepped in, according to Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, who is head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East. Mr Dunkerley said: Our investigation has shown that Alid was acting alone. There was no wider threat. He had radicalised himself looking at online media, and this galvanised his extreme views to the point that he then took it upon himself to go out and attack innocent members of the local community in some form of retribution for what was happening in Gaza. He said Alid was unknown to counter-terrorism police. 12:31 PM BST Judges remarks Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, ruled that Ahmed Alid had committed terrorist offences when he carried out his attack. She said due to time his time spent on remand, Alid would serve 44 years and 52 days in prison. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said he had waited to assault Mr Nouri when he was asleep and vulnerable, and that the life he had started to build in this country was shattered by what happened. She said Alid then attacked an unarmed and elderly man who was unable to defend himself. The judge told Alid the jury had seen through (his) lies after he claimed the explanations he gave to the police had been mistranslated and that political and religious causes were not his actual motivation. 12:29 PM BST Alids lawyer rang 999 for help over his aggression When being questioned following his arrest, Alid became agitated and got into a struggle with two female detectives, one of whom pressed a panic button that did not work. The situation was so frightening, Alids own solicitor rang 999 to ask for help, before officers were able to force entry into the room and subdue him. Alid denied murder, attempted murder and assaulting the two officers, claiming he did carry out the stabbings but without intention to kill or cause serious harm. He was found guilty of all four charges last month. 12:28 PM BST Housemates complained to authorities about Alid During Alids trial, jurors heard his housemates noticed he had watched a lot of coverage of the Hamas attacks on Israel and began carrying a knife. Concerned, Mr Nouri complained to housing bosses, the Home Office and Cleveland Police, and a manager warned Alid to behave or risk being thrown out. During his police interview the day after the murder, Alid told police he launched his attacks because Israel had killed innocent children. 12:27 PM BST Nouri does not trust anyone or anything since attack Javed Nouri, 31, said since the attack, he did not trust anyone or anything and that all thoughts and feelings I had of being in a safe country have gone. I would expect to be arrested and killed in my home country for converting to Christianity but I did not expect to be attacked in my sleep here, his statement read. How is it possible for someone to destroy someones life because of his religion? Mr Nouri said he now struggled with mental health problems and had had to move cities, losing all his friends. He added: I want to tell Ahmed: You are a weak person, because of your religion you attack someone in deep sleep and an old man who struggled to walk. 12:25 PM BST Deliberate targeting Doorbell camera footage showed Mr Carney, who was out walking in the town centre, cry out No, no as he was stabbed by Alid. Prosecutors at Teesside Crown Court said it was not a frenzied attack but a deliberate attempt to target Mr Carneys body repeatedly before he walked off, leaving his victim for dead. 11:55 AM BST Alid commited terror offence This was a terror offence it is also necessarry to allow for an increas to take into account of the attempted murder, a court heard. The minimum terms Alid must serve is 44 years and 52 days. 11:52 AM BST Alid showed no remorse Alid showed no signs of genuine remorse or pity towards his victims or regret for the outcome, a court heard. 11:48 AM BST No Psychosis in Alid Psychosis and any other serious mental illness have been excluded, a court heard. The diagnosis is of a minor mental illness called an adjustment disorder which would have impacted on the defendants judgement. The judge said the adjustment disorder provides very limited mitigation to the circumstances. 11:45 AM BST Religious murder exceptionally high seriousness Murder done for the purpose of advancing a religious or political cause is an offence of exceptionally high seriousness, a court heard. The judge said: It is on par with the murder of a police officer murdered in the execution of his duty. This is because these crimes go beyond the murder of an individual as they attempt to undermine or destroy foundational components of an ordered democratic country. 11:42 AM BST Alid claims Zionists killed more people than he had Alid claimed Zionists had killed more people than he had, adding: Zionists must go because they are killing innocent people. He justified his attack saying the United Kingdom was liable for what was happening in Palestine. 11:40 AM BST Alid claims Carney made racist remark towards him Alid claimed Mr Carney had made a racist remark towards him and felt he after he was to blame for the incident. He claimed he was walking through the street shouting free Palestine and Mr Carney shouted at him. Alid said he blamed Mr Carney for the attack and said he felt the elderly man was responsible for Israels actions in Gaza. 11:36 AM BST Carney died of massive internal bleeding Terrance Carney enjoyed walking in the peace of early mornings and was close to his wife and daughter, a court heard. He saw Alid approaching him while carrying a 20cm knife and shouting allahu Akbar. Alid then attacked an unarmed elderly man who was unable to defend himself. Mr Carney could be heard pleading for mercy in CCTV footage. He sustained six stab wounds and died of massive internal bleeding. 11:31 AM BST Alid shouted Allahu Akbar as he stabbed Nouri Alid shouted Allahu Akbar as he stabbed Javid Nouri while he lay in his bed, a court heard. Mr Alid tried to murder Javed Nouri as he slept because he regarded him as an apostate for converting from Islam to Christianity. The court heard Alid waited until Mr Nouri was asleep to carry out the attack. 11:28 AM BST Alid laughed and praised God upon hearing of Hamas attack Ahmed Ali Alid laughed and praised Allah when he heard Hamas had killed women and children, a court heard. Mr Nouri said Alid was watching terrorist news after the Hamas attack on Israel. The defendant would also keep a knife to hand in the kitchen despite not using it. 11:23 AM BST No history of mental health issues Alid has no history of mental illness, a court heard. He was born in Morocco in 1979 and ran a business in Algeria before leaving in 2007. Alid had no lawful right to enter the country in 2020 when he travelled from Holland to England. 11:18 AM BST Alid yawns while victim impact statements read Ahmed Alid, sitting in the dock next to an interpreter, yawned continuously as the victims personal statements were read to the court. Patricia Carney added: At 10am on October 15th our daughter Nicola went to his house for Sunday lunch and knew something was very wrong. From that day our lives were changed and would never be the same again. I dont feel anything any more. If I was younger and had many more years left to feels this way I am not sure how I would cope. I still talk to Tez and tell him how I feel and as a family we are all trying to get through this as best we can, it has affected all of us. 11:12 AM BST Javed Nouri impact statement Addressing Alid in his personal statement, which was read to the court, attempted murder victim Javed Nouri said: You are a weak person. Because of your religion you attacked someone who was in deep sleep and you attacked an old man who struggled to walk. These are the actions of a weak man. 11:10 AM BST Carney impact statement Patricia Carney said she and her husband had chosen to live separately but remained close friends and saw each other almost every day. Mrs Carney said her husband was a private man who liked to walk in the early hours while it was quiet and there was no one to see or speak to. The family suspected something was wrong when Mr Carneys daughter, Nicola, went to Mr Carneys home for a weekly Sunday dinner, but there was no response. 11:06 AM BST Terence Carneys widow reads impact statement Terence Carneys widow Patricia said in a victim impact statement that she and her husband had been married for 50 years. She said: He was doing what he enjoyed, walking on streets he believed to be safe and a chance encounter with this man ended his life. The last moments of his life were caught on CCTV and I did not want that to be my last memory of him. I am now hoping things will get easier, that I will be able to get my life back on track because that is what Tez would have wanted. 11:00 AM BST Hello and welcome to our live coverage Were bringing you the latest updates from the sentencing of Ahmed Alid, an asylum seeker who murdered a pensioner and tried to kill a Christian housemate for the sake of Palestine. Israel flags The BBC has apologised after one of its senior presenters suggested Tel Aviv was Israels capital, contradicting its own guidelines. The broadcaster initially defended the error, prompting accusations of systemic anti-Israel bias from one of its former directors, but later apologised. During a pre-recorded interview for BBC Radio 4s flagship Today programme, Gary ODonoghue, the corporations Washington correspondent, used Tel Aviv as a metonym for Israels government, rather than Jerusalem. It is a common journalistic practice to use a nations capital city as a metonym for its centre of government but Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, is the site of Israels parliament and all its main administrative arms. The status of Jerusalem as Israels capital is disputed internationally, with most countries, including the UK, choosing to base their embassies in Tel Aviv. In 2021, the BBC issued guidance that stated that: The Israeli government should not be referred to as Tel Aviv. According to a report by Camera Arabic, a media-monitoring organisation, it has since made the mistake 34 times. Following Mr ODonoghues reference to Tel Aviv, a complainant asked if there had been a change in the BBCs official position. However, the broadcaster did not acknowledge that it had made a mistake. Danny Cohen, former director of BBC TV: 'The BBC has a serious problem with impartiality, which its senior management are clearly unwilling to address' - BBC A BBC spokesman said: There has been no change to our policy we have reminded journalists of the position. Danny Cohen, a former director of BBC Television, said: A mistake does not happen 34 times. The BBC has a serious problem with impartiality, which its senior management are clearly unwilling to address. Andrew Percy, Conservative MP, said the BBC has run a consistently biased narrative of hate against the state of Israel since the start of this conflict. He added: It is hardly surprising therefore that it cant name the correct capital of Israel. The incident occurred in mid-April during an item on the reaction from Washington following Irans drone and missile attack on Israel. Mr ODonoghue said: The events of the weekend, with the close military cooperation involved, have served to bring Washington and Tel Aviv closer together. When asked to comment on the presenters remark, the BBC complaints team initially said: BBC News tries to use language that makes sense to our audience, within the context of the story were reporting. While we report that Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital, this isnt widely recognised by the international community, with most foreign embassies being in Tel Aviv. Therefore, in some reports there might be mention of correspondence between Washington and Tel Aviv, for example. Viewed as occupied territory East Jerusalem is viewed by the UN as occupied territory, which Palestinians want as the capital of a future state of Palestine. It has also been the focal point of Jewish life for more than 1,000 years. In 2018, the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem, officially recognising the city as Israels capital. Rishi Sunak described Jerusalem as Israels historic capital in 2022 and said there is a very strong case for the UK embassy to move as well. The BBCs Arabic service has frequently made the mistake of referring to Tel Aviv as Israels capital. Since it publicly pledged to stop in January 2021, the service has made the error a total of 35 times, Camera Arabic, a media-monitoring organisation, reported. A Camera Arabic spokesman said: While the BBCs practice of falsely naming the Israeli capital and seat of government Tel Aviv withered somewhat in English-language coverage in recent years, in Arabic it still occurred at a more-or-less steady pace of once a month since mid-2020. Sadly, with an editor of the BBCs English edition clumsily excusing it in hindsight, it now seems that this bad habit is trickling back into the English-language coverage. The corporations official guidelines on the subject state: The BBC does not call Jerusalem the capital of Israel, though of course BBC journalists can report that Israel claims it as such. If you need a phrase you can call it Israels seat of government, and you can also report that almost all foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv. A BBC spokesman said: Our reference to Tel Aviv in this news bulletin was an error, for which we apologise. We would like to assure you that this wasnt indicative of any form of bias. The point has been raised with senior editors at BBC News, who have reminded our journalists to use language which adheres to the BBC style guide. Whistleblower Lara Hall: 'I think the whole charity system is broken and open to exploitation' The Charity Commission has failed whistleblowers who raised allegations of exploitation and sexual abuse in the religious aid sector, its oversight body has found. An investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has uncovered significant injustice and maladministration in how the Charity Commission handled complaints about two Christian charities. The findings have caused an extraordinary row with the Charity Commission, which tried to stop the reports from being published before launching a legal claim against the Ombudsman for acting outside its power. The Ombudsman responded by invoking what a source there said was a very rare power to request Parliament to compel the Charity Commission to comply with the reports recommendations. The permanent secretary at the department of culture and a committee of MPs were briefed about the stance taken by the Charity Commissions outgoing boss, Helen Stephenson CBE, and chairman Orlando Fraser, who backed a High Court action to judicially review the Ombudsmans findings. Pauline Latham OBE, Tory MP for mid-Derbyshire who is supporting Lara Hall, one of the whistleblowers, called the refusal to comply astonishing. After being contacted by The Telegraph, the Charity Commission said it would implement recommendations regarding Ms Halls case, including apologising and paying her compensation. Pauline Latham, Tory MP for mid-Derbyshire, says the refusal of the Charity Commission to comply is 'astonishing' - Getty/Justin Tallis However, the Charity Commission is still persisting with a judicial review of criticism of its handling of a complaint by a second whistleblower about concealment of abuse at a Catholic-run school. A spokesman for the Ombudsman said: The Charity Commission failed to properly handle concerns regarding serious safeguarding issues of sexual exploitation and child sex abuse at two separate charities. It found that the Charity Commission had failed to follow guidance about complaints and responded with a lack of openness and transparency. Ombudsman Rebecca Hilsenrath said it is important that the Commission apologises for its mistakes and reassures [both whistleblowers] that it will put things right. Ms Hall, 35, had escaped an abusive relationship in Pakistan and worked in Australia as a volunteer for the Essex-based British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA). The charity was run by Wilson Chowdhry, who had an affair with Ms Hall while championing her case here and abroad. Mr Chowdhry, 49, resigned from the charity citing moral failures, but was accused of continuing to be involved with the trustees, who turned on Ms Hall when she complained. Carried on under new name During the investigation by the Charity Commission, Ms Hall was told that the BPCA was shutting down but it carried on under a new name, with Mr Chowdhrys wife and former business associates as trustees. In 2022 the Charity Commission closed the case despite continued concerns about the trustees ability or willingness to implement measures around safeguarding and conflicts of interest including personal benefit. The Ombudsman upheld Ms Halls complaint and criticised the Charity Commission for its approach leading to a significant and serious exacerbation of her vulnerabilities and emotional ill health. Ms Hall said: I think the whole charity system is broken and open to exploitation. Vulnerable people should feel safe reporting their concerns. Damian Murray had accused Catholic priests running a school he attended in the 1970s of concealing abuse. St Marys College in Blackburn, Lancashire, was owned and run by Marist priests through a charity. Mr Murray, now 65, complained to the trustees about the abuse. He raised concerns with the Charity Commission, but felt his allegations were not investigated properly. Failed to understand The school had closed in 2022 and the abusive priests named by Mr Murray were dead. Later he raised concerns about the way the Charity Commission had dealt with his complaint. The Ombudsman found the Charity Commission had failed to understand and consider all the issues around Mr Murrays serious allegations and could not demonstrate [how] it took account of the types of factors its risk assessment and safeguarding guidance suggest were relevant. The Charity Commission continues to contest the findings and recommendations. Mr Murray said the Charity Commission was unaccountable, intransigent, incompetent and completely unfit for purpose. In a statement, the Charity Commission said: We accept there are important lessons for the Commission to learn from these cases, including in the way we communicate with those who raise complaints about charities. We are concerned that the PHSOs wider position cuts across our jurisdiction and would undermine our ability to do our job effectively. Mr Chowdhry, the British Asian Christian Association and the Marist Fathers did not respond to questions. Mick Lynch, the RMT leader, said the pay offer was inadequate - Lucy North/PA Seafarers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), which supports the Royal Navy, will strike on Sunday in a dispute over pay. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said more than 500 of its members will walk out for the day in protest at a 4.5 per cent pay rise, which the union says does not reflect the value and sacrifices of staff. Civilian seafarers work on board RFA vessels, which provide logistic and operational support to the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. The RFA fleet consists of 13 ships crewed by 1,700 sailors. Mick Lynch, RMT general secretary, said: RFA members have reached their tolerance limit towards poor pay and conditions for UK seafarers, despite the vital work that they perform. Management has remained inflexible throughout the negotiations and has failed to present an improved offer that meets our members expectations. RFA must acknowledge the gravity of the situation and avoid a crewing crisis by showing respect for the role and sacrifices of merchant seafarers, who play a crucial part in long deployments away from home on operations worldwide. We have made efforts to reach a negotiated settlement with management, but now we have no choice but take strike action. A naval supply ship refuelling a Royal Navy frigate (L) - Alamy The walk-out comes after Grant Shapps said the RFA may have to relinquish the right to strike. The Defence Secretary warned in May the issue requires looking at. He said: We cant have a military fighting machine subject to the ordinary rules of industrial relations. It just doesnt work. Thats why the Armed Forces are not able to strike. We do need to look at that. It is not satisfactory to have armed forces, or even armed forces auxiliaries in support, who are subject to ordinary employment laws, for obvious reasons. The number of sailors in the RFA has decreased in recent years, with many vessels operating a Tailored Scheme of Compliment model; the minimum level of crew possible to run the ship safely. In some cases this has meant ships operating up to 30 per cent under strength. Crew shortages mean many ships do not go to sea, but are instead held at extended readiness in port. As Republican lawmakers continue to attack Hunter Biden's past international business dealings, former Trump administation senior White House adviser Jared Kusher just nailed down a $500 million luxury hotel deal in Belgrade, Serbia, officials have revealed. Investment firm Affinity Partners controlled by Trump's real-estate developer son-in-law and backed by a $2 billion Saudi sovereign fund investment has officially secured a 99-year permit to develop a luxury compound on the Belgrade site. Negotiations to develop the site reach back to 2013, Politico reported, before Donald Trump became president and he appointed Kusher as a senior aide, even though neither had any experience in politics. The deal will be carried out in partnership with Richard Grenell, also a former Trump administration aide. Grenell first proposed that American investors redevelop the bombed-out site of the former Yugoslav Ministry of Defense while he was a serving as a special envoy to the Balkans, the New York Times reported. The project is hugely controversial in Serbia because of the sensitive historical significance of the spot. The former army and intelligence center on the site was targeted by American bombing in 1999 during NATO's assault on Serbia amid that nation's bloody conflicts with other former Yugoslav countries. Protests against the project erupted in Belgrade on Thursday. But the development plan is backed by what Politico characterized as the Serbian "political elite." Goran Vesic, Serbia's construction and infrastructure minister, hailed Affinity as a "reputable American company" interested in developing the former Federal Secretariat for National Defense, which has long been a goal of Serbian leaders, Vesic noted in a statement. To assuage critics the site will include a memorial, according to Vesic. That may be a difficult juggling act since criticism of bombing at the site by both the U.S. and NATO would likely be expected to be part of any memorial. Joe Biden's son, Hunter, has come under heavy criticsm for business dealings while his father was vice president. But similar scrutiny has not been brought to bear on Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump or her husband Kushner, even though they were both senior White House aides, while Hunter Biden never held a White House role. In 2018 China granted 18 trademarks to businesses linked to Donald and Ivanka Trump while they were both working in the White House. And just months after Trump lost the White House, Kushner secured $2 billion from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund for a new investment company he launched after currying favor with the Saudis while he worked in the White House for his father-in-law. The sovereign fund is controlled by Sauid Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who U.S. intelligence determined ordered the dismemberment murder of Washington Post columnis Jamal Khashoggi, thought Trump defended the prince from the White House. Kushner will be recieving "concessions" from Sebia for the new project, the Times noted, raising concerns about a close family member of a potential future president financially profiting from a foreigh government. "It is a conflict of interest in the most stark sense: The president of the United States needs to be advancing the interest of the United States and not the financial interests of family members," Adav Noti, executive director of Campaign Legal Center, which tracks ethics issues in the federal government, told the Times. up to late March, 99% of the money placed with Kushner's firm by investors has come from foreign sources, according to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Times reported. High tide at the harbour in Brixham. Photograph: Kevin Britland/Alamy Cases of an illness caused by a microscopic parasite in a Devon harbour town could continue for a further two weeks, experts said, with businesses predicting thousands of pounds of losses as school half-term approaches. The comments came as the UK Health Security Agency confirmed that cases of cryptosporidium infection in the Brixham area had more than doubled from 22 to 46, with more than 100 others reporting symptoms of the disease. About 16,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area have been told by South West Water (SWW) not to use their tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first. Residents and visitors have reported falling ill and business owners spoke of their deep concern that one of their busiest times the half-term break at the end of this month could be wrecked. Carrie Toms, 46, the head of bookings at Harbour View guest house, said: It has affected business, people have been very concerned about it. Weve had a few cancellations. Sian, who runs the Sandy Toes gift shop, said: Lots of people are saying they wont come down because of the water situation. Obviously I rely heavily on tourism. If I dont have a good tourist season, Im in big trouble. Sally Everton, of Visit Devon, said it was a major concern that people would steer clear of Brixham and the wider area. Tessa Govier, 67, a senior care worker at a nursing home, said she was horrified by what had happened. I think its put a lot people off coming here. Ive heard that people have cancelled bed and breakfast bookings. Michael Smith, co-owner of the Venus cafe at Broadsands, near Brixham, said there had been a 40% drop in business in the last two days while Wall Park touring caravan campsite said customers had contacted the park saying it was too risky to visit. SWW issued a boil water notice for Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham after water tests showed small traces of the parasite, which causes sickness and diarrhoea. The companys chief customer and digital officer, Laura Flowerdew, said a faulty valve was a potential source. It has not put a date on how long it believes the outbreak will last but Paul Hunter, professor in medicine and infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia (UEA), told the BBC residents should expect to see further cases for at least 10 days to two weeks. The health secretary, Victoria Atkins, said there would be very, very hard questions for South West Water to answer over the outbreak of cases of cryptosporidium. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Exeter University, Atkins said: There will be very, very hard questions for South West Water to answer. At the moment I think we probably need to give them the space to conduct their investigation; we know that they have identified the source. The public will want to know how on earth that source happened, what was the chain of events that led to this, because of course we all understand the expectation that we all have when we turn our taps on is that (we get) clean drinking water and we want to be able to trust it. Initially the company was criticised for offering 15 compensation to customers. It subsequently increased this to 115 and said it would continue to keep the level of compensation under review. Flowerdew 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. The company has set up two bottled water collection points, at Paignton and Brixham, where customers can collect bottled water. It continues to deliver bottled water for customers who cannot collect. Proposals being drawn up by allies of the former president could involve illegal migrants from El Salvador or Honduras being sent to Guatemala - HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump is reportedly planning to launch a scheme to deport illegal migrants similar to the UKs Rwanda policy. Allies of the former president have been drawing up plans to send migrants who illegally cross the southern US border to a third country for processing. It follows a similar proposal by the UK in which any asylum seeker entering illegally could be sent to Rwanda to have their claims processed there. Mr Trumps team hopes to have a full plan for illegal migration ready to launch on the first day of his presidency if he wins the US election in November, the Wall Street Journal reported. The scheme could involve illegal migrants from El Salvador or Honduras being sent to Guatemala. A similar scheme was first set up by the first Trump administration in 2020, and deported 1,000 people, but was later ended under Joe Bidens tenure in the White House. The scheme is thought by some advisers to be a solution to the US migrant crisis, which saw more than 2.4 million people attempt to cross the southwestern American border in 2023. Mr Trump has made a mass deportation policy a central feature of his 2024 campaign, declaring that he hopes to remove almost 20 million people 6 per cent of the US population. The former president has also pledged to revive his plans for a border wall, and endorsed the use of the National Guard on the Texas border by Greg Abbott, the states Republican governor. The UK first announced its Rwanda scheme in April 2022, but it has since been mired in legal difficulty after being challenged in the courts. Last month, the Government passed legislation to declare that the East African nation was a safe country to send migrants in an attempt to shut down appeals by migrants and human rights charities. The first flights are scheduled to take off at the end of June or early July, but Home Office sources have suggested the planes may have fewer than 10 passengers because of ongoing litigation. The US and UK have similar issues with long backlogs in migrant processing, which experts have warned create additional incentives for migrants to make the dangerous crossing over the English Channel and Rio Grande. Mr Biden has proposed new staff to ease the migrant backlog and to police the border itself. The issue is expected to be one of the major debates of the presidential election campaign, with Mr Trump claiming that illegal migrant animals are responsible for violent crime. Mr Trump has made a mass deportation policy a central feature of his 2024 campaign, declaring that he hopes to remove 'almost 20 million people' - Eric Gay/AP A former Trump administration official told the Wall Street Journal that the logistical challenges of launching a mass deportation campaign will be really significant if he wins a second term. The deportations, modelled on a similar policy by Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s, will require new legislation in Congress and are likely to be beset by the same legal challenges faced in the UK. The plans for a Rwanda-style scheme have been drawn up by outside advisers, not by the official Trump campaign. Mr Trump is known for using advisers and policy officials from outside his campaigns orbit. A programme at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has drawn up several plans for his second term that have not been officially confirmed by the former presidents team. Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, Mr Trumps senior advisers, told the Wall Street Journal: Despite our being crystal clear, some allies havent gotten the hint, and the media, in their anti-Trump zeal, has been all-too-willing to continue using anonymous sourcing and speculation about a second Trump administration in an effort to prevent a second Trump administration. Unless a message is coming directly from President Trump or an authorised member of his campaign team, no aspect of future presidential staffing or policy announcements should be deemed official. Dutch PVV far-right leader Geert Wilders Six months ago the Netherlands was the latest European country to see a major breakthrough for the populist Right. In the general election the anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) became the largest party in the Dutch Parliament, with a quarter of the seats. (Dutch politics is notoriously fragmented). Two days ago a new government, at last, was formed. The leader of the PVV, Geert Wilders, will not be Prime Minister, but he and his party will be the senior party in a coalition with another populist party, the Farmer-Citizens (BBB) and two parties of the centre-Right, the New Social Contract (NSC) and the Dutch Liberal party the VVD. They are promising the toughest immigration system anywhere. This shows not just a shift to the Right overall in Dutch politics, but an even more significant movement within the broader European Right. It is the national populists who are now the dominant force, replacing Christian Democrats and Right Liberals. The Netherlands is just the most recent example of this kind of movement. The size of the populist upsurge and its spread across most of the EU will almost certainly be confirmed in the European Parliament elections in June. According to polls, Right populist parties will make gains in every country, at the expense of Greens and the Left. They are projected to come first in nine countries (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, France, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia) and come second or third in another nine (Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden). This rise in populism is leading to electoral breakthroughs or gains in one country after another (Poland is the major exception where the centre-Left has recently regained power). In the next few years it will almost certainly reach the two core countries, with victory for the National Rally (RN) in France and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) joining a government coalition there. Given this, what impact if any will this tectonic political shift in Europe have on British politics? I have already argued that the evolution of European politics will produce a sudden shift in sentiment and attitudes within UK politics. Simply, the centre-Left will stop having support for the EU and the European project as one of its defining features. Instead the UK left will, I believe, become Eurosceptic and hostile to the direction of EU politics. For a long time and particularly since the 2016 Brexit referendum, the British Left has seen the EU and European politics more generally as the embodiment of a left-Liberal kind of politics and values. This is contrasted to the supposed Right-wing and populist turn of British political life, particularly under Boris Johnson. Making the UK. more like Europe and even rejoining the EU has been the goal. This is becoming ever harder to sustain. The evidence mounts with every election that most of Europe is moving towards exactly the kind of politics that the UK centre-Left abhors. Eventually it will become impossible to deny this. The relationship of the British left with Europe will be like a marriage in which one party desperately tries to ignore or deny the evidence that their partner is becoming something they no longer love or even hate until suddenly realisation comes and love abruptly becomes dislike or even hatred. The turning point might be as soon as the election next month but is more likely to come in a few years, with a decisive turning France or Germany. What though of the British Right? Will it have a mirror image change and become pro-Europe? This is more complicated. The vote to Leave in 2016 was complex. It was not a vote for a single clear alternative (hence many of the problems that have followed). For some leaving the EU was about following a radical free-market liberal route with the goal of creating a free market national capitalism or global Britain. People with such beliefs, if they are consistent, will still reject the supranational EU project, even if (as is likely) it takes a populist turn. They will also reject the dirigiste economic policy of the populists. The other different project and reason for leaving the EU was to assert national identity, to adopt a policy of national economic interventionism, and to do things such as regaining control of borders to tighten immigration controls. If Europe in general moves in that direction then once again aligning with the EU becomes attractive for that kind of politics, as Europe will no longer be identified with Left-liberal cosmopolitanism. Quite the opposite in fact. The first kind of UK Right has some major figures and a lot of money. The second has far more voters and increasingly also has money. What it lacks so far is organisation. This, though, will change rapidly after the next election here. European politics is changing its basic orientation before our eyes. This is bound to have an impact on both sides of UK politics, given the centrality of attitudes towards Europe to political identity here. The results will be turbulent and interesting. Western Australia Labor Senator Fatima Payman has broken her silence to defend herself against claims her use controversial phrase from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free is antisemitic. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian Labor senator Fatima Payman has rejected claims her use of a politically charged phrase promoting Palestinian freedom is antisemitic, describing these accusations as a moral absurdity. In an email to Guardian Australia, the first-term Western Australian senator clarified her interpretation of the phrase from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free is that it means a desire for Palestinians to live in their homeland as free and equal citizens, neither dominating others nor being dominated over. Payman had used the phrase in a statement on Wednesday marking the Nakba an Arabic phrase meaning the catastrophe that refers to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians around the time of the establishment of Israel in 1948. Speaking to SBS and Capital Brief, Payman accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and questioned how many deaths would prompt prime minister Anthony Albanese to declare enough before she concluded using the phrase. The Israeli government maintains that its military operations are a legitimate response to the Hamas attacks, and has dismissed allegations it is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza as false and outrageous. Paymans comments drew two days of criticism, including a bipartisan Senate motion condemning the phrase and Coalition senators linking its use to the support of terrorism. Related: Coalition senator accuses Labors Fatima Payman of supporting terrorists before withdrawing claim Payman broke her silence on Friday evening in a statement to Guardian Australia, responding to claims made by the peak national body for the Australian Jewish community the chant was antisemitic, saying it called for the destruction of Israel and the ethnic cleansing of its Jewish population. On Wednesday the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), Alex Ryvchin, said the chant was an old Arab supremacist slogan calling for the destruction of Israel and the ethnic cleansing of its Jewish population. Ryvchin said Payman should immediately apologise for stoking hatred in such a vile way and reconsider her position if she cant refrain from using racist slogans at a time of extreme tension in our society. Related: From the river to the sea: where does the slogan come from and what does it mean? Payman said the peak body needed to understand the implications of calling the chant antisemitic, referencing the founding charter of the ruling Israeli Likud party, which said between the sea and the Jordan river, there will only be Israeli sovereignty. That sovereignty has come at an actual extreme loss of Palestinian lives and the destruction of any peaceful prospects, she told Guardian Australia in a statement. The slogan of the dispossessed, from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, is not a call for the annihilation of Jews. Rather, it asserts a desire for Palestinians to live in their homeland as free and equal citizens, neither dominating others nor being dominated over. The Labor senator said it would be wrong for all criticisms of the policies of Israel to be labelled as antisemitic despite those criticisms coming from Israelis or Jews themselves. Like crimes being investigated by the accused, it is a moral absurdity, Payman said. Palestinian authorities report that 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its military response to Hamass 7 October attacks, when about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage. The criticism continued on Friday with opposition leader Peter Dutton calling for Payman to be booted from her seat on the parliamentary foreign affairs committee and sacked from the Labor party. I dont understand why the [prime minister] doesnt sack this senator, and the sooner the better, Dutton told 3AW radio. The science minister, Ed Husic, supported Paymans right to express her concern, saying it takes a lot of guts to go out on an issue as tough as this as a first-term member of parliament. Husic, however, said she shouldnt have used the phrase. Fatima chose to use that, I wouldnt have done it, and I dont think she should have, he told Sky News. Guardian Australia contacted the prime ministers office to clarify whether Albanese had spoken to Payman since the comments were made. A spokesperson pointed to comments made by Albanese on Thursday, where he said he hadnt yet spoken to the senator. The prime minister has said the phrase is not appropriate. The shipment includes shelter kits for people displaced by the conflict - US Army via AP The first British aid has reached Gaza using the temporary pier built by the US army to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the coastal enclave. UK aid is now being delivered to people through the temporary pier off Gaza, Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, said on Friday. The first British aid shipment included shelter kits for people displaced by the conflict. More aid will follow in the coming weeks, but we know the maritime route is not the only answer. We need to see more land routes open. The US militarys Central Command earlier said its troops had finished installing the pier and the first aid deliveries came early on Friday. No American troops went ashore in the operation. The aid effort is expected to be scaled up to 150 lorries a day. Gaza, however, needs hundreds of lorries a day to deal with worsening shortages of food and other supplies. The Biden administration announced the plan to build the pier earlier this year in a desperate attempt to increase the flow of aid to Gaza. US officials confirmed in April that a famine had begun in the Gaza Strip. The Trident Pier, a temporary installation built on the Gaza coast by the US to deliver humanitarian aid - US Central Command/via REUTERS Over the past months, the US had been pressuring Israel to increase the number of lorries it was allowing into Gaza through the land border crossings. But Washington only managed to achieve an incremental increase in the amount of aid getting in. Deliveries of food and other supplies were further threatened when the IDF took control of the Rafah crossing in the south, closing it off completely. Aid groups insist that the floating pier is no substitute for the land routes that could be easily used to bring in the food, water and fuel that Gazans desperately need. Halima Begum, chief executive of Oxfam UK, on Friday urged Israel to step up efforts to get more aid into Gaza, describing the US pier as a costly solution. The most effective way to scale up life-saving supplies and humanitarian aid is through land borders, Ms Begum told The Telegraph during her visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. There are diplomatic efforts underway to get Israelis to cooperate to open more border crossings, and thats why Americans are pushing ahead with the pier. If the crossings were open, they would not need to try a more expensive route of getting aid to the Gaza Strip. She also joined a growing choir of critics of Israel who are trying to stop the assault on Rafah. However you define the operation in Rafah at the moment, from the perspective of people struck trying to avoid being killed, theres no way out, theres no way safe, she said. Weve been talking to staff and partners whove been evacuated so many times and displaced so many times before inside the Gaza Strip. Weve lost words to describe the catastrophe. Aid groups say hat the floating pier is no substitute for the land routes that could be easily used to bring in the food, water and fuel that Gazans desperately need - Arron Hoare/RN Israel on Friday faced fresh scrutiny over its handling of the war in Gaza as it presented its argument to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as part of South Africas genocide case against it. An Israeli attorney insisted that the IDF needed to operate in Rafah, claiming it was a Hamas stronghold. Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman also told the court a country that wants to commit a genocide wouldnt have made the effort that Israel has undertaken to reduce civilian harm. The hearings at the ICJ were briefly interrupted by a protester who shouted out liars as Ms Tourgeman was making her case. Earlier on Friday, G7 nations, excluding the US, signed a joint letter urging Israel to comply with international law in Gaza and do more to address the humanitarian catastrophe. The letter was sent to the Israeli government and urged it to let humanitarian aid reach Palestinians in Gaza through all relevant crossing points, including the one in Rafah. Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, on Friday described the war in Gaza as the deadliest in his time in office for civilians, journalists and aid workers. He called on Hamas to release all Israeli hostages but said nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Hospitals are 11% less productive than they were before Covid, the review concluded. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA Strike action and the social care crisis have left thousands more people trapped in hospital beds with nowhere to go while other patients struggle to access the care, nullifying an increase in funding and NHS staff, it has been reported. A damning internal review of NHS efficiency carried out last year has reportedly revealed that, despite a 20bn increase in funding since 2018 and 15% more doctors and nurses on the NHS payroll, the health service was carrying out only slightly more routine treatments than it was before Covid. Julian Kelly, the NHS finance director, said productivity was still lower than it was pre-pandemic, with staff struggling to discharge patients and unable to cope with the delays to procedures and appointments triggered by striking NHS staff, the Times reported. About a third of this productivity reduction stemmed from statistics not capturing improvements such as an increase in the number of patients sent home on the same day, the newspaper said. Yet hospitals were still 11% less productive than before Covid, the review concluded, and the number of people in hospital for more than three weeks had risen 15% on pre-Covid levels. The rise in staff numbers masks the true picture of what has been happening to staffing levels in hospitals. While the number of inexperienced junior staff has increased, older, more knowledgable nurses and doctors have quit the NHS. Last July, the Guardian revealed a growing exodus of highly experienced NHS doctors and surgeons to foreign healthcare systems, including Ireland, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, where they can double their salary and enjoy better working conditions. NHS leaders suspect this has worsened productivity and are reportedly planning a training and management blitz to help improve the situation. They are also promising a host of other improvements, including modernising computer systems. In March, a damning report by MPs found that the government had brought adult social care in England to its knees with years of uneven funding and a woefully insufficient plan to fill thousands of staff vacancies. A report by the General Medical Council last year warned that a growing number of doctors plan to leave the profession this year due to burnout and dissatisfaction. Layla McCay of the NHS Confederation said: Health leaders recognise they have an important role to make the best of the resources they are given, adding that clearly the NHS has further progress to make. However, she said that improving productivity will forever be a challenge if the government does not wake up to the scale of the populations health problems. The bodies of Itzhak Gelerenter, Shani Louk and Amit Buskila have been recovered The Israeli military says it has retrieved the bodies of three Israeli hostages from Gaza including Shani Louk, the 23-year-old German Israeli, who was pronounced dead last year. In a joint operation between the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet security agency, the bodies were recovered from an undisclosed location in Gaza on Friday, Daniel Hagari, the IDF spokesman, said. Shani Louk, Amit Buskila, 28, and Itzak Gelerenter, 57, were abducted along with 200 others by Hamas from a music festival in the Negev desert on Oct 7. The military believes the three ran away together from the party site to a nearby road junction where they were killed by Hamas gunmen and their bodies taken into Gaza. Until Fridays announcement, Buskila and Gelerenters relatives believed their loved ones were still alive as they had not received an update from the IDF suggesting otherwise. Louks family were told at the end of October that she had died after a bone from the base of her skull was recovered and identified. The family were told the injury she suffered was too severe to be survivable. The German-Israeli tattoo artist became one of the most recognisable faces of the Oct 7 massacre when footage circulated online, showing the young woman lying unconscious and half-naked in the back of a pick-up truck in Gaza surrounded by jeering attackers. Louk was identified in the video by her trademark tattoos and dreadlock hairstyle. Her father said on Friday, the news of her body being recovered and returned to Israel brought him closure. We are devastated and grieving but there is relief, Mr Nissim told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper. She brings light to us, both in her life and death. We will return all our hostages The IDF broke the news to the family earlier on Friday, he told local TV: I asked to see pictures, and I saw a picture of her she looks perfect as if she were alive. The IDF did not say where the bodies were found but Israeli troops were operating this morning in Rafah in the south and Jabaliya in the north of Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said in a statement on Friday he was heartbroken by the news. I congratulate our brave forces who, with determined action, returned our sons and daughters home, he said. We will return all of our hostages living and deceased alike. The bodies were retrieved two weeks after hostage talks between Israel and Hamas broke down. A group representing many families of the hostages on Friday urged the government to take steps to resume the negotiations: The return of bodies is a painful and stark reminder that we must swiftly bring back all our brothers and sisters from their cruel captivity the living to rehabilitation, and the murdered to a proper burial. Families have received proof of life from only a handful of hostages in Gaza so far, and many of those abducted into Gaza are feared to be dead. Hamas has admitted that some of the Israelis were captured by rival militias or civilians who poured into southern Israel and said it did not know the whereabouts of many of them. During the last round of hostage talks with Israel, Hamas baulked at the suggestion of releasing 40 female, underage or wounded hostages, saying it did not have that many hostages in that category. Hamas killed 1,200 people in its surprise attack on southern Israeli bases and communities on Oct. 7 and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Some 129 hostages remain captive in Gaza. Lorenzo Alonzi was representing Daniel McFarlane, a former medical student who was convicted of rape A leading defence lawyer has been fined 2,000 after claiming in court that his rapist client fell in love with the wrong person and suggesting his victim was a narcissist. A Faculty of Advocates committee upheld six of 11 complaints against Lorenzo Alonzi, claiming he had repeatedly crossed the line in his cross-examination of the complainer, Ellie Wilson. Mr Alonzi was representing Daniel McFarlane, a former medical student who was convicted of raping Ms Wilson and sentenced to five years in prison in July 2022. During cross-examination, he asked Ms Wilson whether she had narcissistic personality disorder, which she did not. Fell in love with the wrong person After McFarlane had been convicted, Mr Alonzi told the court that his client fell in love with the wrong person and that it was difficult not to imagine some sense of injustice in it all. Mr Alonzi was also told to pay Ms Wilson 1,000 in compensation with a Faculty of Advocates complaints committee finding that she had been caused considerable upset and distress. Ms Wilson, 26, brought the complaint and has waived her right to anonymity. She said she was pleased to have been vindicated but described the fine and compensation order as paltry when taking account of Mr Alonzis income. Lorenzo Alonzi was representing Daniel McFarlane, a former medical student who was convicted of rape Mr Alonzi received 175,000 in legal aid fees, including VAT, for criminal cases in 2022-23, figures show, and 144,000 the previous year. A ruling, which Mr Alonzi could yet challenge with an appeal, said that despite the findings against him, the lawyer does not appear to clearly and unequivocally accept any wrongdoing on his part or offer an unreserved apology to the complainer. Disappointed, but not surprised Ms Wilson said: Im disappointed, but not surprised, to see that Mr Alonzi takes no accountability for his actions. Regardless, I dont doubt that this will send a strong message to others who wish to use their privileged position as a lawyer to traumatise victims in courts. This behaviour is unacceptable and it will not be tolerated. Im proud of myself for having endured this arduous process when the odds were all stacked against me. Survivors who are brave enough to come forward do not deserve to be treated in such a dehumanising and humiliating way. McFarlane was convicted of two charges of rape between December 2017 and February 2018 while he was a student at the University of Glasgow, where Ms Wilson was also studying. He was convicted with the help of a recording Ms Wilson had secretly made, in which he confessed to raping her but said people believed his denials. Unsatisfactory conduct The Faculty of Advocates found that Mr Alonzi had repeatedly engaged in unsatisfactory conduct during the trial. After he repeatedly crossed the line during cross-examination, he then exacerbated matters in remarks to the jury and during his plea in mitigation. The ruling added: He engaged in a course of inappropriate behaviour, which he persisted in even after the heated cross-examination phase had ended and he had time to reflect. The committee considers the conduct that has given rise to the upholding of some of the issues of complaint risked causing significant damage to the reputation and standing of the Faculty of Advocates. It added: The committee considers that the only substantive mitigation comes from the fact that the member has an otherwise impeccable disciplinary record extending over some 34 years. Ordeal made worse by treatment Ms Wilson has said her ordeal was made worse by her treatment in court and has become a campaigner for the rights of victims of sexual abuse. Last year, the Scottish Government announced a pilot scheme, after Ms Wilson launched a public campaign, allowing complainers in sexual offence cases to access court transcripts for free. A Faculty spokesman said: The process remains ongoing, therefore it would not be appropriate for the Faculty of Advocates to comment on this matter, beyond confirming that a right of appeal exists for both parties. Mr Alonzi was approached for comment. Victoria Atkins insisted medical staff must feel free to speak up about patient safety concerns 'without fear of recrimination' - Shutterstock The NHS must end its culture of closing up when things go wrong, the Health Secretary has warned, as she ordered an investigation into its handling of whistleblowers. Victoria Atkins said speaking up about patient safety concerns must become the norm, not the exception, and that medical staff must feel free to do so without fear of recrimination. Writing in The Telegraph, Ms Atkins said she had asked officials in the Department of Health and Social Care to look into the issue of whistleblowers being targeted by NHS managers. The Telegraph has unearthed evidence that doctors and nurses are paying a heavy price for fulfilling their duty to raise any concerns they have about patient safety. In some cases they are bullied, harassed and eventually leave the medical profession in despair as managers try to avoid scrutiny over patient deaths or avoidable harm. Millions of pounds are being spent by the NHS to investigate the whistleblowers themselves and to fight legal battles with them rather than trying to fix the problems they identify. Ms Atkins said she had been shocked to read The Telegraph reports about the treatment of whistleblowers, adding that: It cannot be right that NHS management spends millions of pounds fighting doctors who have concerns over patient safety. Protestors outside the Royal Society of Medicine at a conference to discuss whistleblowers and patient safety - JULIAN SIMMONDS for the telegraph NHS trusts already have to employ a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, whose job is to ensure whistleblowers are listened to and treated appropriately, but Ms Atkins concedes that there is still more to be done. Doctors groups want changes in the law to give further protection to whistleblowers, including a new criminal offence of causing detriment to whistleblowers. Justice for Doctors, a self-help group, also wants the DHSC to require hospitals to bring in an independent medical expert to assess whether a whistleblower has a case. Ms Atkins said treating patients was the focus for the vast majority of workers across the NHS, including managers, but the culture of closing up when things go wrong must end. 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. Many doctors say it is inadequate and does not prevent hospital managers from effectively marking their own homework by investigating whistleblowers complaints internally. The British Medical Association also warned this week that senior managers are more concerned with protecting personal and organisational reputations than they are with protecting patients. The Telegraph has spoken to 52 whistleblowers who between them say they have raised concerns about more than 170 patient deaths and almost 700 patient harms, though the true number of avoidable deaths is astronomical, one consultant has said. The doctors and nurses who spoke to The Telegraph described tactics being used against whistleblowers that included being suspended from work, sometimes for years, while their own behaviour was being investigated. It is vital that we protect whistleblowers and put safety first Victoria Atkins The NHS sees 1.6 million people every day. The vast majority receive good, safe, quality care. But when standards fall short, staff must be able to blow the whistle and the NHS must listen, then act. I will never put protecting reputations ahead of protecting patient safety. Every concern should be investigated, and every staff member should be free to raise them without fear of recrimination or damaging their career. That is why this government is building an NHS that encourages speaking out, protects whistleblowers, and always puts patient safety first. We have all been shocked to read the reports published this week in The Telegraph. It cannot be right that NHS management spends millions of pounds fighting doctors who have concerns over patients safety. That is money that would be better spent on the front line of healthcare, treating patients. For the vast majority of workers across the NHS - from porters to consultants and managers - that is their focus. But the culture of closing up when things go wrong must end. Fortunately, that is changing, and we are making it easier for staff to speak up when things look like they are going wrong. Every one of Englands NHS trusts now has a Freedom to Speak Up Guardian a dedicated member of staff who lends an ear to colleagues who want to speak up and supports them to do so. They have already handled more than 100,000 cases, and we can take confidence from the fact that more than 8 in 10 staff who spoke out to give feedback said theyd feel comfortable doing so again. Speaking up will become a routine part of business Understandably, many NHS staff feel more comfortable talking to someone outside of their trust or hospital. So, we have established an independent National Guardian to help drive positive cultural change across the NHS so that speaking up becomes a routine part of business. This includes the introduction of Speak Up Direct, which is a confidential, independent national helpline where they can turn to for guidance. Support is of course helpful, but blowing the whistle still requires a huge amount of bravery and whistleblowers deserve to be protected. Thats why, in 2018, we enhanced legal protections for whistleblowers to prohibit discrimination against job applicants on the grounds that they have spoken up in the past. This ensures whistleblowers are better protected throughout the hiring process, so they have the freedom to get on with their careers and lives. A safety-first culture starts at the top, which is why we have introduced new, standardised background checks for NHS board members, preventing irresponsible leaders from covering their tracks by jumping between organisations. I have asked my officials to look closely at these NHS whistleblower cases to identify the common themes and to consider what possible action could be taken to address the issues. This is to ensure a positive culture that encourages speaking out within the NHS becomes the norm, not the exception, across England. This Government has continued to make improvements to the whistleblowing framework to make it more robust and increase support for whistleblowers, but we know there is more work to be done. This is why we last year announced a review of the whistleblowing framework, which will examine its effectiveness in meeting its intended objectives, which are to enable workers to come forward to speak up about wrongdoing, to protect those who do so against detriment and dismissal, and support wider cultural change, in which the benefits of whistleblowing are recognised and lead to action among employers and others. The evidence for this review is being gathered externally, using a broad range of perspectives, views and experiences surrounding whistleblowing to inform the research. The Government will consider the findings and implications for whistleblowing policy, with a view to publish the evidence and next steps in due course. This Government will always protect whistleblowers and put safety first. A safe and supportive environment is the bedrock of our plan to deliver a faster, simpler, and fairer NHS for patients and staff. Victoria Atkins is the Health and Social Care Secretary Dana Abuqamar, 19, claims Palestinians are not being afforded the right to freedom of expression A Palestinian student who said she was full of pride after Hamas launched its attack on Israel faces deportation. Dana Abuqamar, 19, a law student at Manchester University, had her visa to stay in the UK revoked in December after she was filmed just a day after the Hamas terrorist attack saying she was really full of joy and proud that Palestinian resistance has come to this point. Suella Braverman, the then home secretary, and Robert Jenrick, at the time the immigration minister, ruled that her presence in the UK was not conducive to the public good and revoked her visa, meaning she has no right to remain. Ms Abuqamar is, however, understood to be fighting the decision on the basis that rescinding her student visa has violated her human rights on the baseless accusation that she is a risk to public safety. It is thought Ms Abuqamar is taking legal action as there is no formal right of appeal to the revocation of a visa. Under the rules, an individual is expected to voluntarily leave the UK. If they fail to do so, they face removal by immigration enforcement. The Home Office would only say that it did not comment on individual cases. In a video released this week, Ms Abuqamar confirmed she was appealing the decision and said her remarks in October, which were publicly condemned by policing minister Chris Philp, had been misrepresented. The UK government has revoked the student visa of Dana Abuqamar, a Palestinian law student and leader of the Friends of Palestine Society at the University of Manchester, following her speech in a university demonstration. Abuqamar said that her visa was revoked on the grounds of pic.twitter.com/WSMAN7F2mO Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) May 15, 2024 She told Middle East Eye: 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. 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: Its 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 to be an asset to my community. So saying I pose a threat to national security is a completely baseless claim. Human rights appeal The final year law student said she had made a human rights appeal, citing freedom of expression as a fundamental human right in the UK. She has said it appears Palestinians like herself are not being afforded that right. Ms Abuqamar added: We must reject the double standard in the application of human rights by public authorities and rise against this oppression. On Oct 8 Ms Abuqamar was speaking to Sky News in Manchester when she praised the assault on Israel. She said: 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. However after widespread condemnations, including from Chris Philp, the policing minister, she claimed her comments had been misrepresented, and later told BBC: The death of any innocent civilian should not be condoned ever and we dont condone it at all. Ms Abuqamar told the broadcaster 15 of her relatives had died in an Israeli strike on a residential building in Palestine. A Home Office spokesman said: It is a longstanding government policy that we do not comment on individual cases. Thursday's storms damaged homes and property across the region. Here's what you need to know about insurance coverage. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer People move a car port off a vehicle after it was damaged following heavy winds and rains that ripped through the region, Thursday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Efrain Jimenez and Eduardo Lopez work to cut down a tree that fell on a Magnolia Park residents house after a severe storm with damaging winds hit Houston on Friday, May 17, 2024. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer After the severe storm that swept through the Houston region Thursday, thousands of area residents are facing high-price repairs to fix damage caused by fallen trees, high winds and rain. Here are some things to know if your home, vehicle or other property was damaged during the storm. What should you do first? Document the damage to your property and surrounding areas with photos, video and notes. Be detailed when you do so: Houstonians who have been through previous storms recommend that you specify the brands of any items damaged, for example. Then, reach out to your insurance company to begin the process of making a claim. Advertisement Article continues below this ad If there is a downed tree leaning on your roof or blocking your driveway, your homeowners insurance may cover its removal. However, it may be more efficient to contact the city if you need a tree removed. Houstons Office of Emergency Management is encouraging residents to submit a service request through its online portal; alternatively, you can call 311 to make the report. LIVE UPDATES: Hidalgo says some could be without power for weeks What kind of damage does insurance actually cover? The Texas Department of Insurance notes that your homeowners policy likely includes some coverage for wind damage, unless you live along the coast, in which case you might need to have a separate windstorm policy. (While carrying such a policy isnt required by state law, TDI notes, it is required by many lenders for Texans along the coast, including a small portion of southeastern Harris County.) Comprehensive car insurance policies likely include coverage for storm and flood damage. If your car was flooded, TDI recommends that you consult a mechanic before trying to start it, to avoid causing more damage and to identify any issues that arent readily apparent. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Texas chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture said your home insurance policy might include some coverage for downed trees, even if the tree or its branches fell in the yard and didnt damage anything else. Many home insurance policies also cover at least some portion of damage to the actual trees, shrubs or plants, as long as the damage was caused by a covered peril, ISA said. MORE ON THE STORM: Heres what to do if you have a downed tree after the Houston storm What if a neighbors tree fell on your property? Under state law, according to TDI, its likely that youll have to turn to your insurance even if your house or car was damaged by a branch from a neighbors tree. Advertisement Article continues below this ad If your neighbors tree falls on your house, their homeowners policy probably wont cover the damage and tree removal, unless your neighbor was at fault. Your neighbor isnt responsible for acts of nature, TDI explains. If your neighbors policy doesnt pay, you can file a claim under your own policy. That said, as a matter of community and longstanding Houston tradition its considered nice to check on your neighbors and to help them with cleanup if possible, regardless of where any debris originated. Alisdair Cameron, the Post Office's chief financial officer, was surprised when told that Jane MacLeod 'won't co-operate' with the inquiry - MARK THOMAS/ALAMY A FORMER top Post Office lawyer who oversaw Alan Batess High Court battle against the business is refusing to co-operate with the statutory inquiry. Jane MacLeod, who was the organisations general counsel from 2015 to 2019, was listed to appear next month, but her name later disappeared from the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry schedule. The Telegraph understands she is living in New Zealand and is refusing to appear in-person or by videolink to assist the inquiry. While the inquiry has statutory powers, it cannot compel her to give evidence while she is abroad. Ms MacLeod held the top legal role while the Post Office sought to win a High Court case against Mr Bates, former sub-postmaster, and 554 of his peers. More than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongfully prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 as a result of the Horizon scandal, which saw the faulty software incorrectly recorded shortfalls in their accounts. Alan Bates and his wife, Suzanne, attend the Post Office inquiry in April. The lawyer who oversaw the case against him is refusing to co-operate with the inquiry, it has been revealed - LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES Mr Bates went on to win the case, with his campaign to expose bugs, errors and defects in the Horizon system going on to inspire the ITV drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office. The revelation of Ms MacLeods refusal to co-operate came as Jason Beer KC, the lead counsel to the inquiry, questioned Alisdair Cameron, the organisations current chief financial officer, on why what Ms MacLeod told the Swift review an important 2016 report that identified several major issues with the Post Office was not shared with him. Mr Cameron told the inquiry he recalled that Ms MacLeod had claimed this was because of legal privilege, but then added that the inquiry would hear from her if she disagreed. Mr Beer then said: Were not going to hear from her. She lives abroad and wont co-operate. Wow, Mr Cameron said in response. Seema Misra, a former sub-postmistress who was pregnant when she was imprisoned after being prosecuted by the Post Office, called the move disgusting. Former post office workers celebrated outside the Royal Courts of Justice after their convictions were overturned in 2021, but the investigation into the Horizon scandal continues - YUI MOK/PA Mrs Misra was eight weeks pregnant when she was handed a 15-month sentence in November 2010 after pleading guilty to false accounting and being convicted of theft by a jury. She began running a branch in West Byfleet, Surrey, in 2005 but was prosecuted over an alleged shortfall of 74,000. She said: Its disgusting of her not to attend and do what she can to assist the inquiry. Its just arrogance and I fear it will give other witnesses ideas. Ms MacLeod told the BBC earlier this year that she could not comment on papers showing the Post Office knew its defence in the Bates litigation was untrue. She said at the time that she supported the ongoing public inquiry and was assisting it, but did not comment further. On Friday the inquiry heard that Mr Cameron believed Paula Vennells, the former Post Office chief executive, did not believe there had been miscarriages of justice carried out by the body and could not have got there emotionally. Original sin Mr Cameron, who took over as interim chief executive following Ms Vennellss departure in March 2019, said he believed his predecessor was unwavering in her conviction that sub-postmasters had not been wrongfully convicted. In a document shown to the inquiry for the first time on Friday, Mr Cameron also wrote that the Post Offices original sin was its self-absorbed and defensive culture. Ms Vennells, who was promoted to chief executive in 2012, resigned and left weeks before Mr Bates won his High Court victory in April 2019. Part of Mr Camerons document, entitled What went wrong?, read: We should have been tackling these issues 10 years ago. However, I do not believe that an earlier settlement was practically possible because the serious claimants believed there had been a miscarriage of justice and required recognition and an apology as much as they wanted money. Paula did not believe there had been a miscarriage and could not have got there emotionally. Never deviated When Mr Beer KC asked what gave him this perception, Mr Cameron, who has been taking time off on medical leave since April 2023, said: Everything she said at the time. She seemed clear in her conviction from the day I joined that nothing had gone wrong, and it was very clearly stated in my very first board meeting. She never, in my observation, deviated from that or seemed to particularly doubt that. Mr Beer KC then asked: So she was unwavering in her conviction that there had been no miscarriages of justice? As far I was concerned, yeah, Mr Cameron said. When asked if she continued to hold this view when Mr Cameron drafted the document in 2020, he responded: As far as I know, as I say I wasnt shed left the business in 2019. The Telegraph has approached Ms MacLeod for a comment. Putin's remarks came after talks with Mr Xi, who called on Thursday for an 'early' resolution to the conflict in Ukraine - ALEXANDER RYUMIN/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK Vladimir Putin has said Russia has no plans to capture the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv as he discussed the possibility of peace talks with Chinas President Xi Jinping. Russian forces have been advancing in Ukraines northeast in a new front in the war. But rather than wishing to seize the countrys second-largest city there, Putin claimed his forces are creating a buffer zone in Kharkiv to prevent long-range Ukrainian attacks across the frontier. When it comes to what is happening around Kharkiv, that is their fault too because they have been shelling and sadly continue to target residential neighbourhoods in the border areas, including Belgorod, Putin told reporters on a state visit to China. And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a buffer zone. This is what we are doing. Asked if Moscow had plans to seize control of Kharkiv, he replied: As for Kharkiv, there are no such plans as of today. Russian forces have advanced as far as six miles deep since small groups of highly mobile units crossed over the border last week. Putins remarks came after talks with Mr Xi, who called on Thursday for an early resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this, he told the assembled media in Beijings Great Hall of the People. Chinese calls for peace It was the first time the Chinese president appeared to direct his words to his Russian counterpart, though not the first time China has called for peace. In February last year, it published a 12-point peace plan setting out general principles for ending the war but without getting into specifics. Mr Xi reiterated Chinas proposal for the timely convening of an international peace conference endorsed by Russia and Ukraine, with the equal participation of all parties, and a fair discussion of all proposals. The Russian leader praised Beijing for trying to end the conflict in Ukraine and said he was willing to hold peace talks. He blamed the West for sinking a ceasefire deal that had been worked up by Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Turkey in 2022. They wanted to gain the advantage on the battlefield, achieve strategic defeat but it didnt work out, he said of the West and Ukraine. Are they sick in the head? Putin described the aborted Istanbul peace deal, which would have seen Ukraine commit to not joining Nato and significantly downsizing its armed forces, as the possible basis for peace, repeating previous talking points. In recent months, with Russia making gains on the battlefield, Putin has repeatedly claimed Moscow is prepared to hold peace talks with Kyiv. Of course, we shall proceed from the reality taking shape on the ground. That goes without saying, Putin said. But these calls have been dismissed by Ukrainian and Western officials, who believe the Russian president is not genuine in his apparent push for negotiations. Kyiv and some 50 countries, including Ukraines most ardent Western allies, will meet for a peace summit in the Swiss resort of Burgenstock next month. Putin said the upcoming conference was designed to pressure Moscow into agreeing an ultimatum, but signalled he was ready to engage with the event. But we are ready to discuss (peace) we never refused to, he said. Zelensky criticised the US for blocking Ukrainian troops from using Western weapons to hit Russian territory - AFP On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraines president, said Russian troops had only managed to reach the first of Ukraines three lines of defence in the Kharkiv region. Today, our defence forces have stabilised the Russians where they are located, he said after a visit to Kharkiv on Thursday. The deepest point of their advance is 10km. We understand that there will be tough battles ahead and the enemy is preparing for it, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraines commander-in-chief said on Friday, adding that Russia had so far failed to break through those defences. Ukraine has attempted to halt Russian advances in Kharkiv by sending reinforcements, but its commanders are wary that this could open up new gaps in other parts of the front. Mr Zelensky also criticised the US for blocking Ukrainian troops from using Western weapons to hit Russian territory. I do not think that there should be any prohibitions because this is not about the Ukrainian offensive using Western weapons on the territory of Russia, the Ukrainian president was quoted as saying by Pravda news. Russia has focused its main efforts on Vovchansk, according to Oleg Synegubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, who accused Moscows forces of attempting to destroy the Ukrainian border town. The enemy has actually started to destroy the city. It is not just dangerous to be there, but impossible, he told reporters. The official added that Moscow was now gaining ground near Lukyantsi, a village much further west that Kyiv pulled back from earlier this week amid heavy fire. Richard Rankin plays the third screen iteration of Edinburgh detective Rebus - Graeme Hunter/BBC The Doctor is not the only shape-shifting character to regenerate on screens of late. Last seen on ITV in the Noughties, first in the guise of John Hannah, then Ken Stott, after nearly two decades away Rebus (BBC One) is now incarnated as Richard Rankin. No relation to the characters creator Ian Rankin, he doesnt share much DNA with other Rebuses either. Though the Edinburgh detective remains a rule-flouting loner, this ruggedly handsome Rebus 3.0 is practically a pin-up. Rebirthed into a present day of smartphones and galloping inequality, the new young(ish) Rebus will perhaps set off head-spins and conniptions among scholars of the novels. While the dark stones of Auld Reekie glower as impassively as ever, everything else has been tossed up in the air. Take Rebuss daughter, Sammy. She was a child in Knots and Crosses, the first novel published in 1987. She still is in 2024, and through her there are touching glimpses of his vulnerability. As for his sidekick Siobhan Clarke (Lucie Shorthouse), she becomes a newbie on the so-called accelerated leadership pathway, and just off the detective course. I hear its a whole week now, quips Rebus drily. The knotty case theyre investigating has all the staples: thugs, drugs, guns, torture. Its made knottier than usual for Rebus by the involvement of his combustible brother, Michael (a riveting Brian Ferguson). Michael cameoed as a drug-dealing hypnotist in Knots and Crosses but here is rebooted as a struggling veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq. In a searing diatribe he speaks for other old soldiers traumatised by civilian life: Thats what youre really not allowed to say that you enjoyed a war. Its no surprise this crops up in a passionate, clever script by Gregory Burke, who researched and wrote the hit play Black Watch (which Richard Rankin acted in). The nimble plot, all fat deftly excised, grips through to the final frames. No character goes to waste: not the woman Rebus shouldnt be sleeping with, not even the dull super-rich wine-nerd that Rebuss ex-wife and daughter now live with. Theres a generous side order of mordant comedy too, particularly when gangster-cum-informant Ger Cafferty (Stuart Bowman, wonderful as an all but Jacobean villain) rants about the undesirability of a united Ireland. Fun is had with a hoodlum called McJagger, who is touchy around references to the Stones. Not that this Rebus would know much about Mick and Keef. At one point he is accused of having no cultural hinterland. I have the culture of not liking things, he reasons. There you go, thats my culture. Youd hope hed watch this and like it. Rankin has lashings of charisma. Requiring no previous knowledge of the character, it is a most welcome revival. Rebus is on BBC Scotland on Friday at 9pm, and BBC One on Saturday at 9pm; all six episodes are available on BBC iPlayer now The Stone of Destiny, on display in the new Perth Museum - Jane Barlow/PA A sandstone fragment discovered in a cupboard at SNP headquarters really is part of the Stone of Destiny, tests have revealed. A series of studies carried out on the piece of stone, which was gifted to Alex Salmond in 2008, led experts to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that it is a genuine missing part of the artefact. The shard was given to the former SNP leader by Prof Sir Neil MacCormick, a late academic whose father helped finance an infamous heist of the stone from Westminster Abbey in 1950, during which it was split into two parts. Mr Salmond denied that he had possession of the piece, after cabinet papers from 2008, released to the public 15 years later, revealed he had been given it. It later turned up in a cupboard at SNP headquarters in Edinburgh. The confirmation of authenticity paves the way for the piece to be reunited with the larger stone, which is the flagship attraction at the new 26.5 million Perth Museum. Murdo Fraser, the business and tourism spokesman for the Scottish Tories, called for the fragment to go on display. The Stone of Destiny in Edinburgh Castle, en route to Westminster for the coronation last year - Russell Cheyne/Getty He said: Now that its been authenticated, this fragment should be on public view, after years of it being stashed away in a cupboard in an SNP office. Im sure that people will want to see it alongside the Stone in Perth, in the splendid new museum which was funded thanks to the UK government. The SNP should also explain why they treated a piece of Scottish history as if it was their personal property. The Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, was used at the coronations of ancient monarchs of Scotland, before it was captured by Edward I, known as the Hammer of the Scots, in 1296. The stone was taken to London, where it remained until the 1950 theft by Scottish nationalist students, which led to a UK-wide search. After being split in two which may be when the fragment was created and later repaired by a Glasgow stonemason, it was left at Arbroath Abbey in 1951. The stone was returned permanently to Scotland in 1996, but was temporarily taken back to London last year for the Coronation of King Charles. Non-destructive scientific analysis Historic Environment Scotland tested the piece on behalf of the royally appointed Commissioners for the Safeguarding of the Regalia who are responsible for the preservation of certain important historic items. A series of non-destructive scientific analyses of the sandstone fragment were carried out and compared with previous analyses of the main part of the stone. This included microscopic analysis examining the fragments grain structure, texture, shape, compaction and colour. The results showed that there was a high degree of certainty that the fragment had been part of the original stone. Taking into account the family connection of the person who gifted the fragment in 2008, it was concluded that it was beyond any reasonable doubt that the fragment is genuine. In March this year, the SNP requested that the small piece of stone be reunited with the rest of the block at Perth Museum. The Commissioners will ultimately decide where the fragment will go. John Swinney, the SNP First Minister, has recused himself from decisions about the fragment in a bid to avoid accusations of a conflict of interest. The SNP was approached for comment. David Wakeling, partner and head of A&O Shearmans Markets Innovation Group. Photograph: Rick Pushinsky/The Guardian The legal services industry in the UK has historically been one of the largest in the world, with revenue expected to grow to almost 40bn by 2028. But the sector is in a state of flux as US law firms look to grow market share in the UK and Europe, while a report by Thomson Reuters suggests it is becoming harder to stand out as legal work becomes commoditised. In addition, a growing number of UK clients are looking to keep more activity in-house to improve efficiency and cost savings. Multinational, newly merged law firm A&O Shearman is one company innovating to stay ahead part of its mission is to be the worlds most advanced in its sector. An integral part of this is delivering legal services in new and flexible ways and optimising technology. This drive prompted the organisation to become an early adopter of AI, allowing it to successfully carve out a competitive advantage in a traditional industry. As David Wakeling, partner and head of A&O Shearmans Markets Innovation Group (MIG), explains, the company started its generative AI journey in November 2022, when it began trialling a generative AI tool designed for law firms, named Harvey. As lawyers, were extremely focused on risk management. My team and I looked at generative AI, and we quickly realised it was going to be really disruptive for the global legal industry, as well as carrying with it quite a lot of risks. When deploying Harvey, Wakeling and his team focused on the governance needed to enable safe deployment. They introduced a feedback loop to understand how lawyers were using the AI tool, as well as to capture any concerns they had or challenges they were experiencing. We did an incremental rollout, piece by piece, and developed governance around deployment, to ensure that it was done responsibly and in a way that was trustworthy. We made it our objective to roll it out to 2,000 lawyers across 43 jurisdictions by Christmas Eve 2022. The feedback from lawyers painted a very clear picture: We could quickly see that this technology was going to augment, rather than displace the lawyer, says Wakeling. AI can hallucinate bringing up incorrect or misleading results meaning that human decision-making and judgement, tailored to the specific industry sector in which the lawyer operates, is paramount. After the successful trial, the technology was integrated into the firms global practice, making A&O Shearman the first firm in the world to deploy generative AI at enterprise level. This led A&O Shearman to partner with Microsoft and Harvey to develop its own generative AI contract negotiation tool that leveraged its unique company knowledge. We wanted to create an AI tool for lawyers that streamlined contract review and negotiation, while also managing the risk of hallucinations. We did this by grounding the AI output in high quality benches of legal knowledge in other words, a bank of gold standard precedents. We wanted to make sure the lawyer had a really good work product, which is quality assured, says Wakeling. The result was ContractMatrix. Wakeling says lawyers have long worked in Microsoft Word, meaning that they are familiar with the Microsoft environment. We made ContractMatrix a Word add-in because we wanted it to be operated from the natural workspace of the lawyer. The idea is you hit the app, ContractMatrix opens, and your benches and previous deals are immediately accessible to you. It was so logical to build it in that environment. The tool speeds up many manual tasks, associated with drafting contracts, that a lawyer usually undertakes during their working day. No one went to law school for manual process exercises this is about enabling lawyers to focus on tasks that require strategic thinking and decision-making, says Wakeling. From a business perspective, its more productive and more efficient. The firm currently has more than 1,000 of its lawyers using ContractMatrix, and Wakeling estimates that the tool saves seven hours on average for each contract review, which is a productivity gain of about 30%. Thats pretty significant, he adds. Wakeling says that ContractMatrix, which runs on Microsoft Azure, was made by our lawyers, for lawyers One of the biggest advantages afforded by ContractMatrix is the ability to access gold standard precedents in seconds. We can find precedent contracts and bring those up to the screen with a couple of prompts of an AI engine, says Wakeling. That is huge for lawyers because the whole legal system is based on precedent, so if you can get the best precedents quickly, that is extremely impactful. ContractMatrix runs on Microsofts cloud computing platform, Azure, which was an additional pull for partnering with Microsoft. As John ODonovan, chief technology officer at A&O Shearman, explains, the law firm has a large IT infrastructure and a huge amount of information based in existing data centres. Its quite an intimidating job for a law firm to manage and organise such a vast infrastructure; you really need to be in the data centre business. The opportunity to move its infrastructure into Microsoft Azures cloud computing platform enabled A&O Shearman to centralise its technology. When you build things in an on-premise environment, you have to buy lots of infrastructure, such as new servers, and that restricts you. By moving from on-premise to a cloud environment, you can scale quickly and easily according to your needs. This also enabled A&O Shearman to scale ContractMatrix as software as a service for client and wider market use. As Wakeling says, this has presented a unique opportunity for the law firm to differentiate itself with, what is effectively, a new business. Were a law firm focused on the deployment of legal AI to clients, with Microsoft as the common infrastructure of delivery. Clients know how to use Microsoft Azure and we can deploy it for clients in-house legal functions through that environment, so it is very enabling. ODonovan adds that lawyers rely on Microsofts suite of tools such as SharePoint and OneDrive in their everyday work, and this creates further opportunities for A&O Shearman to build on that within the wider Azure environment. Microsoft has really invested in legal technology in the last couple of years, and we see that in the use of other tools like Power BI [a data visualisation tool augmented by AI]. So we can use those platforms to build customised tools and workflows for our firm and our clients were not having to develop them from scratch. We are also able to help Microsoft to make products more relevant to the legal market, so its a mutually beneficial partnership. A&O Shearman has invested heavily in improving the firms technology capability over the years. The company ramped this up when generative AI appeared. We hired loads of developers and added some data scientists, but we also realised we needed to upskill certain functions, says Wakeling. Our risk committee needed to be upskilled, as did some of our board members. All members of our risk committee now consider AI in their day-to-day work. The firms investment in generative AI touches everyone in the company, from marketing and finance to project managers, and the technology is transforming the business. AI provides some very generic capabilities, such as using Copilot for Microsoft 365 [a Microsoft AI assistant designed to enhance business productivity] to take and distribute meeting notes, says ODonovan. People used to have to do these things manually, so there are some simple, huge efficiencies being gained. But our use of AI now goes all the way through to augmenting the very specific skills and knowledge of our lawyers. ContractMatrix, which was made by our lawyers, for lawyers, is a prime example of this. A&O Shearmans integration of AI has also prompted it to overhaul its graduate recruitment process, chiefly by asking graduates questions around AI, such as how they would write the prompts if they were given a certain research task. Were looking at their logic and prompt engineering, says Wakeling. And then were saying: How do you validate the output and look for errors? So were asking them for a different skill set right from the beginning of their careers. Were thinking about whats going to make graduates good lawyers in the coming decades its no longer about learning by rote; its more strategic. The innovation doesnt stop there. Allen & Overys very recent merger with Shearman & Sterling has also been enabled by working with Microsoft, helping with the integration of systems and data. For example, ODonovan cites Microsofts cross-tenant synchronisation capability, which allowed A&O Shearman to reroute the two legacy firms companies email addresses to the new email domain, as well as manage communication between the two organisations through Teams. These technologies have been invaluable in taking two large law firms and bringing them together, he says. A lot of work is required in a merger, which usually takes years, but weve been able to do some things fairly quickly by taking advantage of these technologies. Related: Staying in the fast lane: how Confused.com is leveraging AI and cloud technology to improve customer experiences Wakeling and his team are looking at opportunities to apply generative AI beyond contract negotiation, such as to due diligence, litigation discovery and mergers and acquisitions. Thats where were starting to turn our attention, he says. A&O Shearmans unique experience of developing and deploying AI systems also means that a large number of clients have approached it for advice on how to deploy AI safely within their businesses. Since last summer, we have had incredible demand from clients for our global expertise on the key issues around AI deployment, as well as for advice on AI-related disputes, AI collaboration agreements and AI-focused transactions. Our tech expertise on building and deploying AI systems, unusually, sits at the centre of our AI legal advisory group. This is so valuable as clients want to know what responsible AI looks like in practice. Wakeling adds that it is likely that future apps his team develops will be devised in tandem with Microsoft. It has certainly set a very good precedent for how one of the best tech companies can work very successfully with one of the best law firms. Read more Gennady Daskal is no stranger to blood and guts. Until last month, the 27-year-old was working in an abattoir in central Ukraine, killing pigs and cows for a living. Now, after being conscripted, he is preparing to enter a very different kind of slaughterhouse. As part of a rookie infantry assault unit, he is being trained up for the Donbas frontline the gruelling combat zone that many nickname the meatgrinder. I got my draft papers, so here I am, he told The Telegraph, as he practised shooting rifles and grenade launchers at a range in a Donbas clay-pit. Of course Im worried, because I know many guys whove died already maybe 10 or 20. But what can you do? Like other conscripts in the 22nd Mechanised Brigade, Mr Daskal tries to channel his inner warrior. His callsign is Pitbull, and he flashes a cheery, gold-toothed grin. But asked about his wife and children back home, and suddenly he chokes with emotion. Of course shes worried, he says, tears forming. And the kids want me to come back as soon as possible. Conscripts in the 22nd Mechanised Brigade rookie infantry assault unit being trained for the Donbas frontline - SIMON TOWNSLEY Right now, the odds of Mr Daskals children getting their wish are not great. For one, life expectancy is short in front line infantry units, where casualty rates can be as high as 70 per cent dead or wounded. For another, an end to the war now seems further away than ever, with Russia intensifying its Donbas campaign and opening up a new front line last week on the north-east border around Kharkiv. That Ukraine is facing its toughest period since the war started was acknowledged last week by Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, who admitted during a visit to Kyiv that things were very difficult. He was there to demonstrate Americas continued support after Washington finally signed off a $60 billion aid package, following nine months of political deadlock. Manpower shortage But lack of weapons is just one of Kyivs problems right now. Equally worrying is the growing shortage of soldiers to use them. As Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraines intelligence chief, admitted last week: All our forces are either in Kharkiv or in Chasiv Yar. We dont have any reserves. Hence Ukraine now resorting to tough new mobilisation measures, as death, injuries and combat fatigue sap its front lines. New laws that come into effect on Saturday increase penalties for draft dodgers, while the draft age has been controversially lowered from 27 to 25. The Donbas frontline around Chasiv Var is known as the 'Meatgrinder' - SIMON TOWNSLEY But conscription isnt just affecting the young, free and single, as a glance at the 22nds new recruits makes clear. Some are men in their 50s who should be contemplating retirement and struggle to do more than a few press-ups when asked. Others like Mr Daskal are family men, who have had to tell their young children that Daddy is not going to be around for a while. I have a six-year-old boy hes too young to understand everything, but he knows theres a war and has been told that his fathers going to be a hero, says Oleh Gorpenyuk, 38, a factory engineer. We didnt talk much about the war before I left I just played lots of games with him and tried to spend as much time together as possible. The 22nds rookies are likely to get their first taste of combat around Chasiv Yar, which Moscows forces have had their eye on ever since capturing Bakhmut, 10 miles east, this time last year. A run-down clay-mining town of 10,000, its sole claim to fame used to be that it was the birthplace of the late Joseph Kobzon, a Communist-era crooner dubbed the Soviet Frank Sinatra (not least because of his alleged links to organised crime). Junior Sgt Nikita, brandishing the sporting shotgun that he uses to shoot down Russian drones - SIMON TOWNSLEY Like Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar has now acquired a notoriety as a Donbas Passchendaele, combining the trench horrors of the First World War with 21st-century drone warfare. Both sides in the conflict now rely massively on first-person-view (FPV) drones: explosive-carrying mini-drones that can stalk individual soldiers across the battlefield like giant, deadly mosquitoes. Last week, Ukrainian troops stationed in Chasiv Yar said that despite the US military aid tap being turned back on, they were still being outgunned both in terms of drones and artillery. Wavering morale The Russians are pushing very hard and recently weve had to fall back from our positions, said Junior Sgt Nikita, brandishing a sporting shotgun that he uses to shoot down Russian FPVs. Morale is up and down, we have little victories and little defeats, but we have nothing like enough new people joining the ranks. In such an environment, he said, fortune favoured only the suicidally brave or the simply suicidal. Because the Russians have more troops and tanks than us, they can afford to do kamikaze attacks, and we just dont have enough artillery to stop them. Because of the FPV threat, most frontline soldiers now spend nearly all their time in dug-outs cramped, earth-walled shelters that are freezing in winter and sweltering in summer. They feel like being in a ready-dug grave, and sometimes prove to be just that, thanks to Russias new 250-kilogram glide bombs, which are powerful enough to penetrate deep underground. Some recruits are men in their 50s who should be contemplating retirement and struggle to do more than a few press-ups - SIMON TOWNSLEY In such an environment, it is no surprise that todays Ukrainian army now also has psychologists as well as old-school chaplains. A lot of people have just seen too many dead or injured, says Julia (not her real name), 28, the 22nds resident shrink, who operates from a practice in an abandoned home. Its especially traumatic for people whove recently mobilised and havent yet experienced combat, then suddenly they see something horrible. We remind them to think of themselves, not of comrades whove been killed, as if they live only in that world of the dead, their minds can get stuck there forever. Tough as it is on the newcomers, longer-serving troops are desperate for others to take over. While their minds and bodies may still be just about intact, marriages are often fraying. Bodies and minds Some are just saying: Ive done enough, Ive fought here for two years, said Vladislav Pinchuk, a 31-year-old commander fighting in Chasiv Yar. They also come under pressure from their wives, who have friends whose husbands have worked out how to be transferred off frontline duty, and ask their own partners why they cant do the same. The husbands say: Look, we are killing Russians and this is an important job Vladislav Pinchuk, a 31-year-old commander who has been fighting for more than two years - SIMON TOWNSLEY But I know one guy whose wife divorced him she said: OK, if you want to be in the war, stay there. Among the grizzled veterans at the 22nds training ground last week was Tom Brewer, 65, a former US soldier who lost an eye from a grenade injury in Afghanistan. Now a Republican State Senator in Nebraska, he is proof that at least some politicians in his party still care about Ukraine. Since the conflict started, he has made four fact-finding trips here to keep fellow US politicians properly informed on the war. He says Ukraine is paying the price for nine months of US political squabbling, and supports Kyiv being given whatever US weapons it requires. He also makes it clear, though, that his trips to Ukraine are no longer just a question of altruism. The lessons that Kyivs troops are so painfully learning around Chasiv Yar are ones that Western nations will also have to learn if Russia is not stopped soon, he says. This is now a drone war that neither the US nor Nato is equipped to fight, and we are going to fill a lot of body bags if we dont figure that out, he said. Gennady Daskal, 27, worked in an abattoir in central Ukraine, killing pigs and cows for a living, until a month ago - SIMON TOWNSLEY And like Ukraine, we are going to have to think about conscript armies ourselves, otherwise we simply wont have the manpower to fight. Its a rough experience, but people also bear in mind what will happen to their families if they live under the Russian thumb. That is a prospect already facing 22nd Brigade conscript Ignat Zarechnyi, 41, a former delivery driver from Kharkiv, who now has Russian troops barely 25 miles from his home city. My wife cried when she heard I was being mobilised, but she realises there is no other option, he said. My eight-year-old boy also knows there is a war on. But he doesnt know Im going to fight Ive told him Im just going to a nearby town to work for a while. Sir Keir unveiled a new six-point pledge card similar to that of Sit Tony in 1997 - Leon Neal/Getty Images Europe Sir Keir Starmer is Blair without the flair, Nigel Farage has said as he accused the Labour leader of aping the former prime minister in absolutely every way. Comparisons have been drawn between Sir Keir and Sir Tony Blair after Thursdays launch of a New Labour-style pledge card, designed to appeal to centrist voters. Challenged on claims he was trying to emulate the former premier, Sir Keir insisted he was not a Sir Tony copycat. But Mr Farage, the honorary life president of Reform, said the likeness was obvious, down to the identical styling, albeit it without the charisma integral to Sir Tonys brand. He told GB News: Well, of course, hes like Tony Blair. Hes aping Tony Blair in absolutely every way. It was Blair back in 97 that came up with the five point pledge card. Theres Starmer today, walking around the stage very much as Blair would have done. Do you notice the shirt? The rolled up shirt? Its absolutely identical. Now look, there is an argument that if you find a winning formula, you keep using it but I just put this to you folks. This is Blair without the flair. This is almost a charisma free zone. Echos of New Labour Speaking in Essex to launch Labours general election campaign on Thursday, Sir Keir tried to frame a vote for Labour as the only way to secure change. The event saw a new six-point pledge card unveiled that distilled the promises at the heart of Labours election campaign what Sir Keir dubbed first steps for change. In their shortest form they are: Deliver economic stability; Cut NHS waiting times; Launch a new Border Security Command; Set up Great British Energy; Crack down on antisocial behaviour; and Recruit 6,500 new teachers. The idea of a so-called pledge card was pioneered by Sir Tony in the run-up to New Labours landslide election victory in 1997, with the aim of efficiently communicating his core policies. During Thursdays event, Sir Keir talked about changed Labour, which had echoes of Sir Tonys New Labour. The crime pledge was also focused on antisocial behaviour, an area Sir Tony championed with the introduction of ASBOs or anti-social behaviour orders. The Telegraph asked the Labour leader how he responded to the charge that he is a copycat Blair, a claim sometimes thrown at him critically from the Left of his party. Sir Keir said: The first thing I would say about Tony Blair, which is more important than whether he took his tie off, is he won three elections in a row. And what Blair did in 1997 is what [Harold] Wilson did in 1964 and [Clement] Attlee did in 1945, which was to take the Labour Party from opposition into power. And the thing that unites them was the ability to glimpse the future and to persuade people to go on that journey to a changed future. Sir Keir joked about how people often try to compare him with the Labour leaders of the past, saying that he does not have a secret tattoo of any of them and is his own man. He added: In that way there are similarities because I do think you have got to glimpse the future, you have got to understand the challenges ... but it is not copycat because we are now 27 years on from 1997. The challenges we face now are not the same as those faced by Tony Blair. Humanitarian assistance has begun to arrive in Gaza along a US-made pier, but the US aid chief said the new sea corridor could not be a substitute for land crossings, and warned that deliveries of food and fuel entering Gaza had slowed to dangerously low levels. The White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby, confirmed on Friday that truckloads of humanitarian aid, including food from the United Arab Emirates, sent by ship from Cyprus, had been unloaded on the Gaza coast and handed over to the control of the UN. Kirby told reporters at a White House briefing: Hopefully by the time were done here, some of that stuff will actually be in the mouths of some hungry people. The Associated Press, however, quoted an unnamed UN official as saying distribution of the shipment had not begun as of Friday afternoon. The UK said the aid delivery unloaded on Friday also included 8,400 kits to provide temporary shelter made of plastic sheeting. The head of the US Agency for International Development (USAid), Samantha Power, said the US would use the sea route to deliver metric tons of life-saving aid, including nutrient rich food to support thousands of Gazas most vulnerable children and adults; and critical supplies such as plastic sheeting for shelter, jerry cans to hold clean water, and hygiene kits. But, Power added: The pier that opened today does not replace or substitute for land crossings into Gaza, every one of which needs to operate at maximum capacity and efficiency. Every moment that a crossing is not open, that trucks are not moving, or where aid cannot safely be distributed, increases the terrible human costs of this conflict. Related: Who is going to distribute it?: the key flaw in USs plan to build aid port in Gaza In the past two weeks, food and fuel entering Gaza has slowed to dangerously low levels barely 100 trucks of aid a day entered Gaza, far less than the 600 needed every day to address the threat of famine, Power warned. Much more must be done to save lives and alleviate the widespread suffering. Israeli military operations around the southern city of Rafah have led to the closure of a nearby crossing point from Egypt, and the interruption of almost all land deliveries through another southern gate at Kerem Shalom. Meanwhile, trucks heading for the northern crossing at Erez have been ambushed and looted by Israeli extremists in recent days, with little attempt by the police to protect the convoys. Although the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have yet to launch an attack on the centre of Rafah, the UN said on Friday that nearly 640,000 people had been displaced from the city, many of them going north to Deir al-Balah, where, it said, conditions were dire. The maritime route involves shipments of aid being inspected by Israel at the Cypriot port of Larnaca, then transported by large ships to a floating dock a few kilometres off the Gaza coast. There, aid pallets are loaded on to trucks that are taken by smaller vessels into the shallow coastal waters; then the trucks drive on to a floating, 500-metre causeway to a marshalling yard dug in to the sand. The capacity of the route is intended to be 90 truckloads of international aid into Gaza each day, eventually building up to 150 truckloads a day. The aid is formally handed to the World Food Programme on the coast, but it is unclear how it will be distributed around Gaza. It would have to pass through an Israeli checkpoint to reach northern areas where famine is most severe. Renewed fighting was reported in the northern areas on Friday, as Israeli tanks and planes took part in an assault on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. Residents said that Israeli armoured vehicles had reached as far as the market in the town, and had thrust as far as the market at the heart of Jabalia, which the IDF had previously claimed had been cleared of Hamas fighters. The reports said bulldozers were demolishing homes and shops in the path of the Israeli advance. Tanks and planes are wiping out residential districts and markets, shops, restaurants, everything. It is all happening before the one-eyed world, Ayman Rajab from western Jabalia was quoted as saying by Reuters. Late on Friday, one person was killed and eight injured in an Israeli airstrike on the West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian health ministry said. The IDF said a fighter jet had targeted a building in Jenin as part of a counter-terrorism operation against a terrorist squad that was under surveillance and planned an attack in the near future, adding later that a senior terrorist had been killed. The Al-Quds Brigade, the armed wing of militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, confirmed in a statement that one of their members was killed and several others wounded during the Israeli raid. Meanwhile, Kirby said that 17 doctors with US citizenship who had been trapped in Gaza were able to leave on Friday. Twenty doctors were initially reported to be stuck inside the coastal strip. I wont speak for the other three, but I can assure you that any of them that wanted to leave are out now, Kirby said. Power said that the US was leaning on Israel to ensure there would be no repeat of the bombing of an aid convoy on 1 April, in which seven workers for the World Central Kitchen were killed. In light of unconscionable attacks on aid workers since the war began, we will continue to press the Israeli government to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, she said in a written statement. Kirby insisted, however, that the White House was not concerned about Israel bombing the aid coming through the maritime corridor. We are not worried about the Israelis striking the convoys of trucks that are coming off of that pier, he said. They are actually participating in helping marshal that material ashore, and then get it into Gaza. So thats not a concern. The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, followed by a stop in Israel for a meeting with the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Kirby said Sullivan would restate US opposition to a large-scale Israeli assault on Rafah, and would continue to press for more targeted operations against Hamas. Robert Halfon Robert Halfon has the answer to restoring the partys electoral fortunes: replace its oak tree logo. The Conservative MP says he has told party bigwigs many times that its tree logo looks like broccoli. He tells me on this weeks Choppers Political Podcast: Its always been my dream that the party gets rid of the broccoli and has a ladder as its symbol. We help people climb the ladder. Do readers have any better ideas? The Kiwi Dowager Henrietta Russell, Dowager Duchess of Bedford has just become a New Zealand citizen. Henrietta, 84, whose husband, Robin Russell, was the 14th Duke of Bedford, swore her oath of allegiance to the King and sang the New Zealand national anthem at a ceremony at Matamata Town Hall. I fell in love with New Zealand when I was 11. I was 51 when I eventually arrived here, she said, describing New Zealand as the most straightforward, normal country she had been to. It feels like England used to. England doesnt feel like it used to when I was a child. Its not that bad, mlady. Bumpy landings Its a big weekend on the remote island of St Helena, where Napoleon is buried and scores of Commonwealth politicians and their aides are attending the British Islands and Mediterranean Region conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Politicians from Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Gibraltar and the Channel Islands are on the island, 1,200 miles off the west coast of Africa. Some delegates are staying in locals homes as there are not enough hotel rooms. Those travelling may want to take sick bags. St Helenas airport is notoriously prone to cross-winds and landings can be bouncy, says my spy. There is no chance of popping home, either, if the debates on climate change and regional development start to drag. Infrequent flights means they are stuck there for a week. Thats a lot of time staring at noddies, terns and humpback whales, he says. Pass the binoculars! Solemnis Tory Roll up, roll up! Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin has put out a call for more MPs to sign up to join the 120-strong parliamentary choir. It includes 20 former and current parliamentarians but peers outnumber MPs. Jenkin is offering a glittering prize: performing Beethovens Missa Solemnis at the Royal Festival Hall on June 26 to mark the choirs 25th year. Perhaps some of Jenkins Tory colleagues who are quitting as MPs at the election might consider it; after all they will have more time on their hands. The wrong song Paul Burrell, the former royal butler, is cross that God Save the King was played when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex , below, visited Nigeria this week. Why was the national anthem played at their visit? It wasnt a royal visit, he told GB News. Its not only embarrassing for them, its embarrassing for the world and certainly embarrassing for our country. Perhaps Harry and Meghan, who live in California, should ask for the Star-Spangled Banner next time? Photographing Somerset Veteran war photographer Sir Don McCullin has revealed he feels deeply uncomfortable about his work over the years recording the suffering of others. He covered conflicts around the world including Chad, Uganda, Vietnam, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland but now prefers taking snaps of the Somerset countryside. Ive been stealing other peoples suffering with my camera, he told the Sir Harry Evans Investigative Journalism Summit in London. And its brought me a certain amount of recognition, which I feel deeply uncomfortable about. I have made mistakes but this is a way of correcting my mistakes. The scientist and the comedian Comedian Jimmy Carr has been expanding on what he described as his odd friendship with the late physicist Stephen Hawking. Obviously, we didnt chat a lot about astrophysics because I dont know enough about astrophysics, he told the Where Theres A Will Theres a Wake podcast. So we chatted about girls and drinking. The pair first met at Cambridge University and bumped into each other years later at an awards evening. Carr says he told him: I wrote a joke about you, and I said, Oh, Stephen Hawking, half man, half computer. I bet when he dies, its a virus. Hawking laughed. He had a lovely twinkle. Peterborough, published every Friday at 7pm, is edited by Christopher Hope. You can reach him at peterborough@telegraph.co.uk The names Harry and Meghan have fallen out of popularity - Chris Jackson Harry has fallen out of the top 10 baby names for the first time in nearly 20 years, new data show. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released its latest baby name data, revealing the most popular and unpopular names used in the UK. Among those to have fallen out of favour include: Harry, Henry, Meghan and Archie. Harry has been in the top 10 consistently since 2004, when it was ranked 11th place. However, the latest data show in 2022 it dropped out of favour and ranked in 15th place. Noah was the most popular name for boys for the second year in a row, after replacing Oliver in 2021, which is now in fourth place behind Muhammad and George. James Tucker, head of health analysis at the ONS, said Olivia has been the most popular girls name since 2016, with Amelia and Isla unchanged from their spots at second and third place since 2021. Olivia has consistently made the top three since 2006, and was the top girls name for every English region and Wales in 2022, except for London where Amelia was the most popular. The only new entry into the top 10 for girls names is Isabella. Theodore, Theo and Freddie, are three new entries for the top 10 boys names, replacing Harry, Archie, and Henry. Harry is one of a handful of names which has been in the top 100 consistently since 1904. However, the name Harry has declined by 46.7 per cent since 2018, from 5,031 to 2,403. This was just ahead of the decline of William, which is down by 40.1 per cent, from 3,015 to 1,806. Its ranking at number 15 is the lowest it has been recorded since 1998. Boys named Archie declined from 3,990 to 2,403 between 2021 and 2022, while those named Henry fell from 2,912 to 2,624. And despite an initial boost in popularity in the name Meghan, following the engagement of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, it now marks the second biggest decline in names for baby girls, down 83 per cent, from 101 babies to 17. Combined with the other spelling of Meghan Megan this has fallen from 644 to 143 since 2018. In 2018, the year following the engagement of the Prince and former Suits actress, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the number of women named Meghan more than doubled, increasing from 49 to 101. Elizabeth is the only girls name to feature in the top 100 every year. Analysis by The Telegraph has also found that for girls names, the biggest declines have been Alexa, which has dropped by 91 per cent since 2018 amid the rise of Amazons virtual assistant. Ottilie and Ophelia are the biggest movers, up 35 places to make it into the top 100 for the first time. Fatima and Nova are also new to the top 100, and Eloise has made a re-entry into the list, having last been seen in 2006. However, in another royal blow, Beatrice, left the top 100 for 2022, as well as Anna, Amber, Holly and Heidi. The ONS also published data on birth characteristics for 2022 on Friday showing that the percentage of full-term live births with low birthweight (under 2.5kg) has increased to 2.9 per cent from 2.6 per cent in 2021, in England and Wales; this proportion increased across all English regions. Data also show that babies from the Black ethnic group continued to have the highest stillbirth rate at 6.5 per 1,000 births, compared with 3.5 for the White ethnic group. Baby names going extinct Analysis also shows that names at risk of going extinct include: Claude, Clifford, Barry, and Clive, having fallen from the top 100 in the past 120 years but now rank 4,000th or higher. The name Nigel officially became extinct in 2022, with no babies (or fewer than three for identity protection reasons) given the name in that year. This is the second time since 2016 this has happened. The name had previously peaked in 1964 as the 23rd most popular name. Meanwhile, the names Horace, Leslie, Melvyn, Glenn, Graeme and Iain join Nigel in having previously been in the top 100 but now rank a statistical zero. The name Donald peaked in popularity in 1934, when it ranked 18th, and is now at 1,879th, with just 12 people given the name last year. However, this is up from just four in 2020 when Donald Trump, the former US president, failed to secure a second term. In terms of girls names, Bertha, Muriel, Gertrude, Phyllis, Gladys, Fanny, Jill, Annette, Brenda and Linda are amongst the many female names that have fallen out of favour and below 4,000th in the ranking. In the 1980s, four different spellings of Lindsey (Lynsey, Lyndsey, Lindsay and Lindsey) were in the top 100. In 2022, just three baby girls were named Lindsey. Meanwhile, Karen, which drastically declined in popularity in recent years as a result of a social media stereotype, was given to just four baby girls in 2022. A tree service crew climbs atop an SUV to cut apart a tree that fell on it at an apartment complex in the 4600 block of Sherwood during Thursday's storm. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Edgar Perez stands outside an apartment damaged in Thursday's storm that battered the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer The deadly storm that hammered Houston on Thursday evening with hurricane-strength winds will likely leave insurance companies paying massive claims, though its too early to estimate of how much damage the storm caused. As of Friday afternoon, city and county officials had confirmed five deaths as a result of the storm, and roughly one-third of Harris County residents were still without power. In addition, many Houston-area residents were confronting serious damage to their homes, vehicles and other properties as a result of downed trees and flying debris. Storm survey teams from the National Weather Service said that downtown Houston was buffeted by winds of about 100 miles per hour, and it determined that in Cypress, the storm was a tornado. The Texas Department of Insurance says that totting up the damage will take months rather than weeks or days. Advertisement Article continues below this ad TDI does not make damage estimates after weather events. Well have actual data of insured losses based on what insurance companies report to us, but that information is not available until about six months after an event, Ben Gonzalez, a spokesperson for the agency, said. Further, he added, the reports from insurance companies will necessarily be incomplete: That information will only address insured losses from claims. There may be many more times the amount of damage in uninsured or self-insured damage. Previous storms have shown that to be the case: A 2011 impact report on September 2008's Hurricane Ike, prepared by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service put the total cost of that storm at $29 billion, with the total insured damages landing at about $12 billion, according to the Insurance Council of Texas. This weeks storm came as many Houstonians have been startled by sharp increases in their home or auto insurance premiums, partly as a result of the regions exposure to such events. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, which provides policies of last resort to homeowners in coastal counties and the bit of Harris County east of Texas 146, said that as of midday Friday it had fielded several hundred claims from people who hold policies under TWIA or the Texas FAIR Plan, which it also administers, providing home insurance in areas where risk makes it difficult to get on the normal market. Its too early to extrapolate from that, explained Aaron L. Taylor, TWIA senior legislative and external affairs specialist. Many people who have sustained damage from the storm will have more urgent things to do before filing their insurance claim. Hippo, one of the home insurance providers operating in the region, made a similar point. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Prof Yoshua Bengio says some officials are 'too often being swayed by companies which would rather avoid the overhead of regulation and are racing ahead without sufficient care' - Shutterstock The world has no strong protections in place to protect against the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), a major report announced at the Prime Ministers AI summit last year has warned. Experts from 30 countries authored the first inaugural International Scientific Report on Advanced AI Safety focused around general purpose AI, such as ChatGPT. Its capabilities have been improving particularly rapidly, the report says. General-purpose AI is different from so-called narrow AI, a kind of AI that is specialised to perform one specific task or a few very similar tasks. The report says that the current approach to managing risks from forms of AI like ChatGPT rely on developers of the technology to be able to assess the potential harms. However, it warns that current assessment methods have limitations and cannot provide strong assurances against most harms. The world leading experts also admitted that there is very limited understanding of the inner workings, societal impacts and capabilities of general-purpose AI. The interim report has not yet involved major input from technology and AI companies. The research team was led by Professor Yoshua Bengio, an AI expert, and its publication comes as debate around AI regulation has intensified around the world. Prof Bengio told The Telegraph he was concerned most of the worlds governments were sleepwalking and not sufficiently conscious of the magnitude of the risks. He said he believed some officials are too often being swayed by companies which would rather avoid the overhead of regulation and are racing ahead without sufficient care. Three main categories of risk The report identified three main categories of risk around AI: malicious use, risks from malfunctions, and systemic risks. Malicious use could involve large-scale scams and fraud, deepfakes, misinformation, assisting in cyber attacks or the development of biological weapons, the report suggests. The potential risks from AI malfunctions included concerns around bias, where it had been unintentionally built into systems and then leads to it impacting different people disproportionately, as well as fears around losing control of AI systems, in particular any autonomous AI systems. Among the concerns around potential systemic risks were its possible impact on the job market, concerns over the concentration of its development in the West, and China creating an unequal system in terms of access to the technology, as well as concerns about the risks AI poses to privacy through models being trained on personal or sensitive data. The impact on copyright law and the climate impact of AI development an energy-heavy process were also highlighted. It concludes the future around general purpose AI is uncertain, with both very good and very bad outcomes, and that further research and discussions were needed. The report is set to be a starting point for discussions at the next AI summit the AI Seoul Summit taking place virtually and in South Korea next week. Michelle Donelan, the Technology Secretary, who will co-host the second day of the summit with Lee Jong-Ho, the Korean Minister of Science and ICT, said: When I commissioned Professor Bengio to produce this report last year, I was clear it had to reflect the enormous importance of international cooperation to build a scientific evidence-based understanding of advanced AI risks. This is exactly what the report does. Building on the momentum we created with our historic talks at Bletchley Park, this report will ensure we can capture AIs incredible opportunities safely and responsibly for decades to come. The work of Yoshua Bengio and his team will play a substantial role informing our discussions at the AI Seoul Summit next week, as we continue to build on the legacy of Bletchley Park by bringing the best available scientific evidence to bear in advancing the global conversation on AI safety. This interim publication is focused on advanced general-purpose AI. This includes state-of-the-art AI systems which can produce text, images and make automated decisions. Pilots of the "Sharp Kartuza" division of FPV kamikaze drones prepare drones for a combat flight on May 16, 2024 in the Kharkiv region, 8 km from the border with Russia. - Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised the US for blocking Ukrainian troops from using Western weapons to hit Russian territory as it battles a major ground offensive in Kharkiv. I do not think that there should be any prohibitions because this is not about the Ukrainian offensive using Western weapons on the territory of Russia, the Ukrainian president was quoted as saying by Pravda. This is defence. Its just like the preventive sanctions we discussed before the full-scale invasion. This is the same thing. This is a warning [to Russia]. Washington has doubled down on its refusal to allow Ukraine to strike targets inside Russian territory with US weaponry, despite repeated pleas from Ukrainian officials. According to Pravda, Mr Zelensky told reporters on Friday that he wanted to use the weapons in grey zones areas that have been evacuated of civilians by Russian authorities in a bid to avoid civilian casualties and bring the Americans around to the idea. They have almost no civilians on their side of the border. For obvious reasons, Mr Zelensky said. It comes after Ukrainian drones struck naval bases and oil facilities overnight in one of Kyivs largest attacks of the war. Russian officials claimed to have intercepted more than 100 air and sea drones, but footage from the attack showed oil refinery and storage facilities ablaze. In Ukraine, forces shot down 20 drones dispatched by Russia in an overnight attack. The drones were shot down over the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa and Mykolaiv. Smoke and fire rise from a refinery after a drone attack in Tuapse, Krasnodar Region, Russia, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released on May 17, 2024. - Reuters/Handout Russian channels show burning fuel depots at the Novorossiysk railway terminal - X/Yarotrof A 16-hour long air raid alert in Kharkiv region was lifted early on Friday morning. Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkivs regional governor, said at least five drones had struck Kharkiv, Ukraines second largest city. Later in the day, Vladimir Putin, has claimed that Moscow has no plans to capture Kharkiv City and that the ground assault into the region was intended to stop Ukrainian cross-border shelling. As for what is happening on the Kharkiv front, this is their fault, because they have shelled and continue to shell residential neighbourhoods in border areas, including Belgorod Putin told Russian reporters on a visit to China. Putin said that his forces advancing in the Kharkiv region are creating a buffer zone to protect Russian border regions. Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by officials upon his arrival at the airport of Harbin, China, May 16, 2024. - Sputnik/Matvei Fyodorov/Pool via REUTERS Civilians are dying there. Its obvious. They are shooting directly at the city centre, at residential areas. And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a buffer zone. That is what we are doing. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, today conceded that Moscows forces have managed to advance six miles deep in one area of Kharkiv. The armys commander in chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Moscows week-long operation has expanded the active area of fighting by almost 43 miles. 03:30 PM BST Todays live blog is now closed Thats all for today, thanks for following along. Here is a summary of the day as Russian forces continue to gain ground around Kharkiv: Ukrainian drones struck naval bases and oil facilities overnight in one of Kyivs largest attacks of the war. Russian officials claimed to have intercepted more than 100 air and sea drones, but footage from the attack showed oil refinery and storage facilities ablaze. Ukraine destroyed three Russian warplanes and apparently put a fourth out of action with a long-range Atacms missile strike earlier this week, satellite imagery has shown. Russias Belbek airbase, located on the occupied Crimean peninsula, was hammered by Ukrainian forces for two consecutive days. A 16-hour long air raid alert in Kharkiv region was lifted early this morning after officials reported Russian drone strikes and a missile warning in the city if Kharkiv. Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkivs regional governor, said at least five drones had struck Kharkiv, Ukraines second largest city. Russian forces captured as many as 40 civilians in Vovchansk, the focal point of fighting in the Kharkiv region over the past week, and are using them as human shields, Ukrainian police alleged. Russian forces have advanced 10 km into Ukraines Kharkiv region in one area but the situation has stabilised as of Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said as cited by RBC-Ukraine media outlet. Today, our defence forces have stabilised the Russians where they are now. The deepest point of their advance is 10 km, Mr Zelensky told journalists. Ukrainian troops are preparing to defend Sumy, Kyivs commander-in-chief said on Friday, where officials believe Russia will soon launch an assault. We realise that there will be heavy fighting ahead and the enemy is preparing for it, Kyivs army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said. Russian forces have started to destroy the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk and all but 200 of its residents have fled due to fighting, the regions governor said today. The enemy has actually started to destroy the city. It is not just dangerous to be there, but impossible, Oleg Synegubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, is reported to have said in a briefing. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has claimed that Moscow has no plans to capture Kharkiv City and that the ground assault into the region was intended to stop Ukrainian cross-border shelling. Putin said that his forces advancing in the Kharkiv region are creating a buffer zone to protect Russian border regions. Russian forces have expanded their offensive operations in Kharkiv and forced Ukraine to deploy more reserve troops, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Kyivs commander-in-chief, said on Friday. The enemy expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometers, thus trying to force us to use an additional number of brigades from the reserve, Syrski said. Moscow has warned the West that it is playing by fire by allowing Ukraine to use Western missiles and weapons to strike Russia and said that it would not leave such action unanswered. Russia said that its army is still advancing in Kharkiv and that it had seized 12 villages since it launched its newest ground assault a week ago. A top Russian diplomat said today that the United States had long since entered into a state of indirect war with Moscow and was playing with fire over Ukraine by behaving in such a way that the situation could spin out of control. Andrei Kelin, Russias ambassador to the UK, also today said that London is a de facto participant in the Ukraine war because of the weapons it is supplying to Kyiv. The UK is also sharing real-time intelligence to Ukraine, he said. 03:24 PM BST Moscow tells the West it is playing with fire by allowing Kyiv to strike Russia with its missiles Moscow has warned the West that it is playing by fire by allowing Ukraine to use Western missiles and weapons to strike Russia and said that it would not leave such action unanswered. The foreign ministry said in a statement that it saw the hand of the US and the UK behind a recent spate of attacks and blamed Washington and London for escalating the conflict by authorising Ukraine to use long-range rockets and heavy weapons they had supplied against Russian targets. Once again, we should like to unequivocally warn Washington, London, Brussels and other Western capitals, as well as Kyiv, which is under their control, that they are playing with fire. Russia will not leave such encroachments on its territory unanswered, the statement said. The US this week doubled down on its stance that it does not want US weapons to be used for cross-border strikes. 03:03 PM BST EU confirms broadcast bans on four Kremlin-controlled media The European Union on Friday imposed broadcasting bans on four Russian-controlled media, including an outlet at the heart of a probe into alleged interference in the European Parliament. The organisations targeted were the Voice of Europe website, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, and newspapers Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. The formal announcement of the sanctions confirmed a decision taken earlier this week by ambassadors of the blocs 27 member states. That came despite a warning of retaliation from Moscow against Western journalists working in Russia. These media outlets are under the permanent direct or indirect control of the leadership of the Russian Federation, and have been essential and instrumental in bringing forward and supporting Russias war of aggression against Ukraine, and for the destabilisation of its neighbouring countries, the EU said in a statement. The Russian Federation has engaged in a systematic, international campaign of media and information manipulation, interference and grave distortion of facts. The additions brought to 17 the number of Russia-linked media organisations subjected to broadcast bans in the EU since Moscows 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The bans cover all means of transmission and distribution in or directed at EU member states, but do not stop journalists from the outlets working in the bloc. 02:47 PM BST Pictured: Evacuations from Kharkiv continue a week into the offensive This handout photograph taken and released by Ukrainian Emergency Service on May 17, 2024, shows rescuers evacuating civilian people from Russian shelling in Kharkiv region. - Handout / Ukraine Emergency Service / AFP 02:44 PM BST Russian diplomat accuses US of playing with fire over Ukraine A top Russian diplomat said today that the United States had long since entered into a state of indirect war with Moscow and was playing with fire over Ukraine by behaving in such a way that the situation could spin out of control. Sergei Ryabkov, Russias deputy minister, made the comments in an interview with state media TASS. We warn that they are playing with fire. They have long been in a state of indirect war with the Russian Federation, Ryabkov told TASS, referring to the United States. They somehow fail to realise that, in order to satisfy their own geopolitical ideas, they are approaching a phase in which it will be very difficult to control what is happening and to prevent a dramatic crisis. Andrei Kelin, Russias ambassador to the UK, also today said that London is a de facto participant in the Ukraine war because of the weapons it is supplying to Kyiv. The UK is also sharing real-time intelligence to Ukraine, he said. 02:31 PM BST Casualty toll in Kharkiv increases Below we reported that the governor of Kharkiv says a Russian air attack has killed and injured civilians. He has now updated that casualty toll to two dead and 13 wounded. We will bring you more on this attack as we get it. 02:23 PM BST Russian air attack on Kharkiv kills one, injures four Russian guided bomb attacks on Kharkiv has killed one civilian and injured four others, according to the regional governor. There were two strikes in the Kholodnohirskyi district of Kharkiv, said Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkiv governor. All five were civilian men, he added. 01:52 PM BST Russia claims to have taken 12 villages in Kharkiv over past week Russia said today that its army is still advancing in Kharkiv and that it had seized 12 villages since it launched its newest ground assault a week ago. The defence ministry listed the villages that it claims to have captured as: Borisovka, Bugrovatka, Gatishche, Glubokoe, Krasnoe, Lukyantsy, Morokhovets, Ogurtsovo, Oleynikovo, Pletenevka, Pylnaya and Strecheya. Kyiv conceded today that Russias new assault expanded the area of active fighting by almost 70 kilometres. 01:23 PM BST Protests in Kyiv against discrimination of LGBT+ community Participants hold placards as they attend a rally against discrimination of the LGBT+ community, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 17, 2024. - REUTERS/Alina Smutko Participants hold placards as they attend a rally against discrimination of the LGBT+ community, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 17, 2024. A slogan reads, "It's not a crime to be a lesbian". - REUTERS/Alina Smutko 01:08 PM BST Zelensky signs law allowing some convicts to serve in Ukraines army Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has signed a law allowing some categories of convicts to serve in the army, parliaments database showed on Friday. A separate law enhancing fines for those not abiding by army mobilisation rules was signed as well, its entry on the parliaments website showed, Reuters reported. More details to follow. 01:05 PM BST Tough battles ahead in Kharkiv Russian forces have expanded their offensive operations in Kharkiv and forced Ukraine to deploy more reserve troops, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Kyivs commander-in-chief, said on Friday. The enemy expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometers, thus trying to force us to use an additional number of brigades from the reserve, Syrski said. The enemy launched an offensive well ahead of schedule when he noticed the rotation of our troops, however, he failed to break through our defenses. However, we understand that there will be tough battles ahead and the enemy is preparing for it. 12:50 PM BST Recent Ukrainian drone strikes in Russian territories 12:33 PM BST UK is a de facto participant in Ukraine war, says Russian ambassador Russias ambassador to Britain said on Friday that London was a de facto participant in the Ukraine war because of the weapons it was supplying to Kyiv and said it was also sharing real-time intelligence too. Andrei Kelin, Russias ambassador to Britain, made the comments to Russias Rossiya-24 state TV channel. 12:32 PM BST Watch: Russian naval bases hit in massive Ukrainian drone attack 12:26 PM BST Russias defence ministry reshuffle unlikely to affect Ukraine war, says MoD Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine 17 May 2024. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/1NsPGy2eF6 #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/R6LqVvQBQY Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) May 17, 2024 11:54 AM BST Russia sets its sights on capturing border village of Lyptsi 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. 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. Read more from James Rothwell here. 11:45 AM BST Putins state visit to China continues In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin visits the Church of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the northeastern city of Harbin on May 17, 2024. - Alexander RYUMIN / POOL / AFP Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng (L) tour an exhibition of the 8th Russia-China Expo and the 4th Russia-China Forum on Interregional Cooperation, in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China, 17 May 2024. - SERGEY BOBYLEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock 11:34 AM BST Capturing Kharkiv is not part of plan, says Putin Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has claimed that Moscow has no plans to capture Kharkiv City and that the ground assault into the region was intended to stop Ukrainian cross-border shelling. As for what is happening on the Kharkiv front, this is their fault, because they have shelled and continue to shell residential neighbourhoods in border areas, including Belgorod Putin told Russian reporters on a visit to China. Putin said that his forces advancing in the Kharkiv region are creating a buffer zone to protect Russian border regions. Civilians are dying there. Its obvious. They are shooting directly at the city centre, at residential areas. And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a buffer zone. That is what we are doing. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, today conceded that Moscows forces have managed to advance six miles deep in one area of Kharkiv. The armys commander in chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Moscows week-long operation has expanded the active area of fighting by almost 43 miles. When asked if Russian forces planned to take control of nearby Kharkiv, Ukraines second biggest city, Putin said: As for Kharkiv, there are no such plans as of today. 11:28 AM BST Pictured: Russias Tuapse oil refinery ablaze following massive Ukrainian drone barrage overnight Smoke and fire rise from a refinery after a drone attack in Tuapse, Krasnodar Region, Russia, in this screengrab obtained from a handout video released on May 17, 2024. - Reuters/Handout 11:13 AM BST Russia has started to destroy Vovchansk Russian forces have started to destroy the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk and all but 200 of its residents have fled due to fighting, the regions governor said today. The enemy has actually started to destroy the city. It is not just dangerous to be there, but impossible, Oleg Synegubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, is reported to have said in a briefing. He said, according to AFP, that Russian forces were trying to surround the town, which had a population of around 18,000 before the war, and that Ukraines forces were resisting. But he warned Russia was now gaining ground near Lukyantsi, a village much further west that Kyiv pulled back from earlier this week amid heavy fire. 10:29 AM BST Putins visit to China heads into second day Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by officials upon his arrival at the airport of Harbin, China, May 16, 2024. - Sputnik/Matvei Fyodorov/Pool via REUTERS Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the opening ceremony of the 8th Russian-Chinese Expo on May 17, 2024 in Harbin, China. - Getty Images 10:22 AM BST Ukrainian troops preparing to defend Sumy, commander in chief says Ukrainian troops are preparing to defend Sumy, Kyivs commander-in-chief said on Friday, where officials believe Russia will soon launch an assault. We realise that there will be heavy fighting ahead and the enemy is preparing for it, Kyivs army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said. Russia launched the Kharkiv offensive to force Ukraine to throw additional reserve brigades into fighting, Syrskyi added. Since the beginning of Russias week-long assault on Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials have said they believe that as soon as the situation stabilises, Russia will attack in the Sumy region, north of Kharkiv. Russian forces managed to advance six miles deep in one area in Kharkiv over the past week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnky said on Friday, stressing that his forces have now stabilised where the Russians are. Syrskyi said that Russian forces expanded the area of active combat by almost 43 miles by launching the Kharkiv offensive a week ago. 10:16 AM BST Ukraine needs long-range weapons to defend Kharkiv, German FM says Ukraine needs more long-range weapons to fight off Russian advances, the German foreign minister said today, describing the situation around Kharkiv as highly dramatic. Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting in Strasbourg, Annalena Baerbock said that it is importnat to cut off Russian supply routes and give Ukraine weapons that can be used over medium and long distances. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said today that Russian forces were able to advance as far as six miles deep during their offensive in Kharkiv, but said that the situation had stabilised. Moscows forces were halted by Ukraines first line of defence, Zelensky said, adding that they did not reach any concrete fortifications. Baerbock said the Germany is working with other partners on the issue of long-range weapons, but said that overall it is an extremely difficult situation. 10:06 AM BST India and Russia trade growth is not temporary, Indian FM says Indias growth in trade with Russia should not be seen as a temporary phenomenon as more economic opportunities are emerging, Indias foreign minister said on Friday. New Delhi has emerged as one of the top buyers of Russian sea-borne oil since Western nations imposed sanctions and halted purchases in response to the war. For long, we have looked at Russia from a political or security perspective, Reuters reports S. Jaishankar, Indias foreign minister, as saying at an industry conference. As that country turns eastwards, fresh economic opportunities are presenting themselves ... the spike in our trade and new areas of cooperation should not be regarded as a temporary phenomenon. Trade between India and Russia stood at $65.7 billion in the financial year ending March 2024, a 33% jump over previous year. 09:46 AM BST Footage shows fuel depot fires at Russias Novorossiysk railway terminal Russian channels show burning fuel depots at the Novorossiysk railway terminal - X/Yarotrof 09:40 AM BST Russian forces have advance 10km into Kharkiv, Zelensky concedes Russian forces have advanced 10 km into Ukraines Kharkiv region in one area but the situation has stabilised as of Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said as cited by RBC-Ukraine media outlet. Today, our defence forces have stabilised the Russians where they are now. The deepest point of their advance is 10 km, Mr Zelensky told journalists. 09:37 AM BST Russia captured 40 people in Vovchasnk to use as human shields, police say Russian forces captured as many as 40 civilians in Vovchansk, the focal point of fighting in the Kharkiv region over the past week, and are using them as human shields, Ukrainian police alleged. Reported in the Kyiv Independent, Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department in the Kharkiv police, told Ukrainian TV on Friday that most of those taken captive were elderly. They were captured when trying to escape Russian shelling, Bolvinov said. People are kept in basements, interrogated, and those conducting the interrogations call themselves FSB employees, he is quoted as saying. Yesterday Ihor Klymenko, Ukraines interior minister, claimed that Russian forces have executed some of those held captive and are preventing evacuations. 09:07 AM BST Amid 16 hour air raid alert, Shahed drone hits railway infrastructure in Kharkiv The administrative building is on fire after a Shahed-136 unmanned kamikaze drone attack on the railway infrastructure on May 17, 2024 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The air alert in Kharkiv on May 16-17 became the longest since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. - Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images 09:02 AM BST Kharkiv faced longest air raid alert in the war overnight A 16-hour long air raid alert in Kharkiv region was lifted early this morning after officials reported Russian drone strikes and a missile warning in the city if Kharkiv. Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkivs regional governor, said at least five drones had struck Kharkiv, Ukraines second largest city. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the citys Osnovyanskyi district had been hit, triggering a fire. There was no immediate word on casualties or damage. Public broadcaster Suspilne said an air raid alert had been in effect for more than 16-1/2 hours in the city, the longest recorded since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 08:46 AM BST Ukraine military says it downs all 20 drones launched by Russia Ukrainian forces shot down all 20 drones Russia dispatched in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian military said on Friday. The drones were shot down over the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa and Mykolaiv. Ihor Terekhov, Kharkivs city mayor, reported four explosions during the attack, writing on the Telegram messaging app that one of the strikes caused a fire. The attack damaged five buildings, one of them belonging to the district administration, Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkivs regional governor, said on Telegram. Three drones were shot down over the Poltava region with no casualties or infrastructure damages, Filip Pronin, its regional governor, said. Also on Telegram, Vitaliy Kim, Mykolaivs regional governor, said there had been no casualties after the overnight attacks. 08:23 AM BST Satellite imagery show three destroyed Russian jets at airbase in Sevastopol Satellite imagery of the Belbek airbase in the occupied port city of Sevastopol on Thursday shows three destroyed Russian jets and a destroyed fuel storage facility. Ukraine has not commented on the attack. Moscow did not comment on the earlier attack, but said today that it had successfully repelled a massive enemy attack on Sevastopol, in which dozens of drones and more than five naval drones, were destroyed. It would mark the second attack in as many days on Belbek airbase as Kyiv strikes back at Russia, whose forces are continuing to advance along the frontlines making territorial gain. A satellite image of a destroyed fuel storage facility following an attack at Belbek Airbase, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Crimea May 16, 2024. - Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS This image released by Maxar Technologies shows a closer view of a destroyed MiG 31 fighter aircraft at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea, Thursday, May 16, 2024. - Satellite image, 2024 Maxar Technologies via AP According to analysis by news agency AFP, Moscow seized 278 sq km (107 sq miles) of Ukrainian territory between 9 and 15 May as it pushed on foot into the Kharkiv region - figures it based on data from the Institute for the Study of War. If the analysis is correct, it would mark the largest territorial gain by Russia in a single operation since mid-December 2022. 08:09 AM BST It could take a day to restore power in Sevastopol following drone attack, Russian-installed governor says Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, which is the main base for Russias Black Sea Fleet, said the overnight drone attack damaged the citys power plant. He said it could take a day to fully restore energy supplies and warned residents that power would be cut to parts of the city. Communal services are doing their best to restore the power system as quickly as possible, he said in a statement. Razvozhayev also announced that schools in the city would be closed temporarily. 07:57 AM BST Good morning Hello and welcome to The Telegraphs live blog on the war in Ukraine. Follow along as we bring you all of the latest developments. First up this morning: Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Russian naval bases Ukrainian drones struck naval bases and oil facilities overnight in one of Kyivs largest attacks of the war. Russian officials claimed to have intercepted more than 100 air and sea drones, but footage from the attack showed oil refinery and storage facilities ablaze. One clip showed a drone diving into a target in the Russian port of Novorossiysk, where Russias Black Sea Fleet had relocated from Crimea under threat of Ukrainian missile strikes. Another drone struck a family driving near the border in Russias Belgorod region, killing a mother and her four-year-old son, the regions governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. In the coastal town of Tuapse in the southern Krasnodar region, two drones hit an oil refinery, sparking a large fire. The Russian-controlled port of Sevastopol on the annexed Crimean peninsula suffered a partial blackout after debris from downed drones fell on an electrical substation, the citys Russian-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said. The founder of a plumbing firm accused of faking stories of good deeds to raise millions of pounds said he has complained to Ofcom over the BBCs investigation, claiming there is a witch hunt against him. A BBC probe published on Thursday claimed Depher CIC, a social enterprise, used images of vulnerable people without their consent and faked stories about acts of kindness. Founder James Anderson, a plumber from Burnley, was also accused by the broadcaster of spending company money on a house and car, which he has denied. Mr Anderson told the PA news agency he apologised and has held (his) hands up about mistakes made by the company, but said he has submitted a complaint to the communications regulator over the BBC investigation, claiming online trolls sent doctored images to the broadcaster. The BBC report said Depher CIC claimed Mr Andersons help saved an elderly woman from suicide a woman the broadcaster said had died years earlier. Mr Anderson claimed the screenshot of a social media post used in the BBC article, which shows him sitting next to an elderly woman with an emoji over her face and words suggesting he prevented her from committing suicide, had been constructed by individuals online. I do believe I am being set up in a witch hunt by these individuals from Twitter and Facebook to send over doctored pictures to the BBC, he said. Somewhere, someone has actually constructed all this and sent it over to the reporter. I did not put that post out saying she had tried to (take her own life). James Anderson said he is apologetic over the mistakes which have been made (Handout/James Anderson) Ive sent a complaint to Ofcom and Im waiting for them to come back to me because Im going to go all the way with this because that is totally wrong. Mr Anderson said he has apologised for mistakes such as using the same photos without putting dates on and not safeguarding individuals correctly. I am so apologetic for that, I really am, I should have been more cautious on the pictures weve shared, more cautious on the information we put out there, he said. On my behalf, I am very sorry, that is my mistake and a mistake I have to live with and rectify. The company is under investigation by the Fundraising Regulator to determine whether it breached regulations, while the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) said it has received four complaints about Depher CIC which are under review. On Friday, the British Citizen Award rescinded an accolade it awarded to Mr Anderson, saying his actions do not align with our values, which Mr Anderson said was up to them and their choice. PA first spoke to Mr Anderson in 2019 when he went viral after a picture of a bill for 0 to a 91-year-old woman with acute leukaemia was shared online a story he stands by. The receipt for the free boiler repair was accompanied by a note reading: No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible. Mr Anderson said the picture was accurate, adding: Obviously I supplied the free service. The family posted the photo, not me. The BBC also accused Depher of using company money to purchase personal items such as a house and a car. Asked where the money raised in donations had gone, Mr Anderson said: Every penny that has been donated has gone to members of the public and gone to people who need it, Ive got no fear of that. Every single penny has gone on food, gas, electric, boilers, repairs, everything thats needed for people in the community. If people feel that theyve been scammed, they feel theyve been scammed because of a lie, not because of the truth, and I can prove where the money has gone. Mr Anderson said he is taking steps to rectify his mistakes, including enlisting a social media manager to operate the companys online platforms, with Mr Anderson saying he will never touch it again. He added: Please dont judge us by mistakes because weve done a lot of good all over the United Kingdom. A spokesperson from the British Citizen Awards said: We pride ourselves in recognising individuals across the UK who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a positive impact on their communities and charities. The information that has come to light about James Andersons actions do not align with our values and we have therefore informed him of our decision to rescind the award. A BBC spokesperson told PA: The investigation is made in line with the highest editorial standards and is firmly in the public interest. The allegations have been thoroughly and independently investigated, and we include interviews with a range of people. Mr Andersons position, including his apologies, is referenced throughout. PA has contacted Ofcom for comment. Two police officers who drove away for a kebab on a two-hour break on the night of the Manchester Arena terror attack have been handed final written warnings. The Manchester Arena Inquiry had heard that suicide bomber Salman Abedi may have been challenged if a British Transport Police (BTP) officer had been present. An investigation into the BTP officers was launched following a complaint by families of the victims relating to evidence heard at the inquiry. A report by Sir John Saunders, chairman of the inquiry, into security arrangements at the venue concluded there were significant failures by all five BTP officers on duty at the arena on May 22, 2017. The five on duty had been instructed by their sergeant to ensure at least one was present in the City Room when the concert ended. But they failed to follow orders. 22 people were killed in the Manchester Arena bombing (PA) At 7.27pm, Police Constable Jessica Bullough and a PCSO colleague drove five miles from Victoria Station to south Manchester to get a kebab, and were off duty for two hours and nine minutes, the inquiry heard. It meant that when Abedi made his final approach to the City Room, dressed all in black and walking almost bent double, carrying his heavy rucksack bomb, no officers were patrolling the area around the arena. If a BTP officer had been present, Abedi may have been challenged after a member of the public, Christopher Wild, reported his concerns to Showsec stewards about half an hour before the explosion, the inquiry was told. The same officers were praised for their response after the blast running into the City Room foyer to help those injured. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) directed an investigation into the actions of two police constables and two police community support officers (PCSOs) who were responsible for patrolling the arena on the night of the attack in 2017. They found one of the police officers and one of the PCSOs, who is now employed as a BTP police constable, should be disciplined for the timing and length of their refreshment breaks, as well as failing to follow instructions from a senior officer. A misconduct meeting found the case proven against both individuals. They were given final written warnings which will remain in force for the next two years. The police watchdog also recommended BTP apologises to the families of the victims for the shortcomings in the policing operation on the night. This was accepted by the force, the IOPC said. The watchdog found no persuasive evidence to suggest longer breaks had also been taken at other Arena events. The evidence showed BTP officers were given clear instructions about the lengths of refreshment breaks, the IOPC said. IOPC regional director Mel Palmer added: Nothing can bring back the lives lost, or make up for the pain and suffering experienced by the bereaved, but it is important that the actions of the police are thoroughly scrutinised, mistakes are acknowledged and lessons are learned. That is why we have carefully reviewed the steps taken by BTP to address the areas for improvement identified in the inquiry report, and also recommended that the force apologises to the complainants. This investigation has also ensured the two individuals whose actions fell below the standards expected by the public, and who ignored instructions from a senior officer, have now been held accountable. Another BTP officer who was the subject of the complaint retired before the investigation began. We reached the view that the evidence indicated there would have been no case to answer for either misconduct or gross misconduct, had they still been serving, the IOPC said. A provisional decision has been made in relation to the other PSCO and will be finalised at a later date. Between 1.3 3.3 million people in the UK are impacted by hoarding. (Getty Images) (Getty) We're all guilty of holding onto items we no longer want or need - old concert tickets, the slightly too big shoes you bought five years ago and have still never worn and every piece of art/scribble your child did at nursery. But if you find yourself regularly tripping over your clutter, unable to perform typical every day tasks or feeling overwhelmed by the space it is taking up in your home and your head, you may have a problem with hoarding. Different to just collecting stuff, hoarding is actually way more common than you might think impacting approximately 2-5% of the population that is potentially between 1.3 3.3 million people in the UK affected. Back in 2018 hoarding was classified as a medical disorder for the first time by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a move psychiatrists hoped would help the NHS identify those struggling with hoarding disorder. In order to mark the end of National Hoarding Awareness Week (13-17 May 2024) we spoke to the experts about recognising the signs you may a problem with hoarding and how to overcome it. What is hoarding disorder? When it classified it as a medical condition the WHO defined hoarding disorder as being "characterised by accumulation of possessions due to excessive acquisition of, or difficulty discarding possessions, regardless of their actual value". It adds: "Accumulation of possessions results in living spaces becoming cluttered to the point that their use or safety is compromised. "The symptoms result in significant distress or significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning." Excessive clutter can make it hard to do every day things many take for granted, such as eating at the table or sleeping in bed. Extreme hoarding can impact every day life. (Getty Images) (Getty) In the most serious hoarding cases, homes can become unsanitary, either because it has become impossible to clean or because the person's clutter has made it so. In rare cases extreme hoarding may also cause a danger to life. In 2022 the London fire brigade attended over 1,000 hoarding-related fires events that led to over 180 injuries, and tragically, 10 deaths. People who hoard (and their families) can feel a sense of shame and often dont get the support they need. It is worth noting, however, that not everyone who is living amongst an abundance of items and clutter would be given the diagnosis of hoarding disorder. What causes people to become hoarders? Experts say hoarding behaviour can stem from a range of issues some psychological, behavioural and some practical. Megan Karnes, founder/chair of HoardingUK the UK National Charity supporting people who hoard says hoarding behaviour is a complex, co-morbid mental health issue which typically involves a subjective trauma triggering what is framed clinically as Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorder. "Despite being a highly intelligent group, the distress caused by attempting to discard overwhelms the persons ability to do so," she adds. While it is not known exactly what causes hoarding Sarah Miles, Minds head of information content says there are lots of theories. "Different people will have different reasons for their own experiences, and it's likely to be due to a combination of factors," she explains. For some of us, hoarding might be a coping mechanism to manage difficult feelings. We might have anxious thoughts that mean its hard to make decisions about getting rid of objects. Or we might be able to connect our hoarding to a traumatic event that has happened in our lives, to a physical health problem like dementia, or to a mental health problem." Experts suggests starting small when tackling hoarding behaviours. (Getty Images) (Getty) How to recognise if you're experiencing hoarding disorder As everyone will have a different experience of hoarding it can be difficult to spot the signs at first. "Some of us who hoard do not know we are doing it, or we cant see how it impacts our lives," Miles adds. "However, it usually starts small and builds up over time." Miles says you might be experiencing hoarding if you find it difficult to get rid of things you own. "Even if they aren't worth anything or you dont have any space for them," she adds. "You might not be able to use parts of your home because they're so cluttered, but the thought of getting rid of things causes you emotional distress. "This could be impacting other areas of your life, such as your relationships with family or friends." The NHS says someone who has a hoarding disorder may typically: keep or collect items that may have little or no monetary value find it hard to organise their items have difficulty making decisions struggle to manage everyday tasks, such as cooking, cleaning and paying bills become extremely attached to items have poor relationships with family or friends Tackling hoarding behaviours can be life changing for those impacted. (Getty Images) (Getty) What can you do if you think hoarding is impacting your life? If you feel distressed by hoarding and its impacting on your day-to-day life, Miles suggest speaking to your GP. "They can talk to you about the support options available," she adds. There are things you can do to help yourself cope too. For example, you might find it helpful to start small, like throwing away one thing per day," Miles continues. "You could make a plan, such as scheduling an hour per week for cleaning." You might find it useful to come up with some rules, such as getting rid of items you havent used in the last year. "Different rules work for different people, but these can help to make decisions easier, Miles adds. "Minds website includes lots of helpful information about hoarding, including some suggestions for ways you can manage it and any difficult feelings." The NHS says the main treatment for hoarding disorder is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), where the therapist will help the person try to uncover what makes it difficult to throw things away and the reasons why the clutter has built up. Anyone struggling with hoarding can refer themselves directly to an NHS talking therapies service without a referral from a GP. Join the fight for mental health. Get involved in Minds campaign to make sure there is #NoMindLeftBehind. Read more about mental health: Watch: Inside worst hoarder house where owner had piled up rubbish for 30 years The Tanaiste has said that all Government held files in connection to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings should be released to inquiries, as he paid tribute to those who died in the blast on the 50th anniversary. He made the pledge as Irelands Justice Minister said the anniversary of the atrocity on Friday brought a new determination to find out what happened on May 17 1974. On that date three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one exploded in Monaghan town. Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the 50th anniversary of the bombings was a day to remember and reflect (Liam McBurney/PA) No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. Mr Martin said on Friday: Ive a general view, that any files we have in Dublin, or within the Department of Justice or in An Garda Siochana should be released to all inquiries in respect of atrocities in Northern Ireland. Today is a very poignant day and the Justice for the Forgotten group has been extraordinary in their efforts they have made to focus attention many decades on, on what was the worst atrocity, in what was a terrible time in Ireland when there was murder and mayhem across the land. Earlier Governments from the 1990s on, we had two inquiries and both those inquires made it very clear that they didnt get full cooperation, particularly from the British state. The Tanaiste told RTEs Morning Ireland radio programme that the British Governments controversial Legacy Act has created a huge challenge for legacy issues. It has resulted in something we thought wed never be doing now, referring British legislative act in terms of legacy to the European Court Convention (on Human Rights) in respect of non-compliance, he added. Taoiseach Simon Harris said it was 50 years on from a dark day (Brian Lawless/PA) An official memorial in Dublin honours the 35 victims of the bombings, which included two unborn babies. It remains the greatest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. Mr Martin and PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher attended a memorial mass at at St Marys Pro-Cathedral in Dublin on Friday morning. Leading the service, Archbishop Dermot Farrell read out the names of those killed in the bombings. Calling for reconciliation, he added: Pray that those with the power to be able to deliver that justice, which will ultimately bring peace, will come quickly so that all may be fully healed of that awful atrocity and tragedy. The service will be followed by a commemoration event at the Talbot Street memorial where President Michael D Higgins will deliver an address. Irelands premier Simon Harris and deputy premier Mr Martin will also attend the event, which has been organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. Mr Higgins will also lay a wreath in Monaghan on Friday evening. Minister Heather Humphreys will represent the Government. Earlier Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that the families of victims of the bombings remain firm in their quest for justice 50 years on. Ms McEntee said it was a day to remember and reflect. She added: Fifty years have passed since that dreadful day on the streets of Dublin city centre and Monaghan town. It is as incomprehensible today, as it was all those decades ago, to think that bombs could be planted so callously, with no regard for human life. Three bombs exploded in Dublin city centre and a fourth in Monaghan town. The scale of the attack was without compare, it is the greatest loss of life on a single day of the Troubles. Such a large scale tragic and unjustified loss of life continues to effect countless families. Tanaiste Micheal Martin said unanswered questions remained over the atrocities (Brian Lawless/PA) Despite the passage of time, they continue to feel the loss of their loved ones deeply. The minister said the families loss had been compounded by the frustration and hurt of unanswered questions. Ms McEntee added: The survivors and the families of the victims remain firm in their quest for justice and for information about what happened to their loved ones. The Government is fully committed to seeking out the truth behind those events and, hopefully, to secure some measure of comfort for the victims families and the survivors. This landmark anniversary brings with it a new focus and desire to establish the truth of what happened on May 17 1974. The Government for our part, will continue to pursue all possible avenues to uncover the truth of what happened on this day in 1974. Taoiseach Mr Harris said: Today, 50 years on from that dark day, I remember all those who lost their lives and were injured, and think of their families. I know their hurt has been compounded by a lack of truth and of justice for the victims since, and of immediate support for the families in the difficult years that followed. Today, we honour the memories of those who died, the more than 300 people injured, and the bereaved, both those living and those who have died in the years since. Today, Dublin and Monaghan remember. Earlier, Mr Martin said the Dublin and Monaghan tragedies live on in families in Ireland and abroad. He said: The loss and suffering of families was magnified by inadequate investigation at that time. The Barron and MacEntee inquiries answered some questions and raised some more, including the possibility of collusion. I have been following up with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chris Heaton-Harris) on the provision of sensitive material which may help answer some of those questions. The Home Secretary has vowed to put more sex offenders behind bars after thousands of police officers were specially trained in investigating rapes. James Cleverly hailed the figure as a significant milestone in the bid to overhaul how rape and sexual offences are handled. It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was forced to reject claims that rape had effectively become decriminalised, instead insisting in the Commons earlier this week that significant improvements had been made in police probes. According to the College of Policing, 4,540 police officers in England and Wales have completed specialist training on investigating rape and sexual offences. This is more than double a target set by the Government to train up 2,000 by May, amid efforts to boost the number of successful rape investigations. Mr Cleverly said the Government has gone further than ever before to protect women and girls (Lucy North/PA) Mr Cleverly said exceeding the target was another significant milestone in our efforts to transform the way the criminal justice system deals with rape and sexual offences. While visiting a training centre for police in Durham, he told the PA news agency the course has significantly improved the polices ability to investigate rape, which he branded a very positive step. We have gone further than ever before to protect women and girls, but we are not slowing down. Building on the progress we have made so far, we will continue to drive up prosecutions, protect victims and put more sex offenders behind bars, he added. (PA Graphics) Labours shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the limited progress but warned: It has been far too slow and goes nowhere near far enough to tackle serious violence against women and girls or to reverse all the failings of the last 10 years. Adult rape prosecutions are at their highest level in 13 years, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures. There were 2,558 prosecutions last year, up 44% on 2022 (1,778). In 2023, 636 convictions and 627 sentences for adult rape were recorded still slightly below the most recent peak in 2016, PA analysis of the data shows. But according to Home Office figures for the same period, the proportion of suspects being taken to court for rape is still among the lowest levels recorded, with a charge rate of 2.6%. Baroness Newlove is the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales (PA) The Victims Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Newlove, said the number of officers being specially trained was a positive step towards a more supportive criminal justice system for victims of rape and sexual assault, but stressed it was vital the Crown Prosecution Service and police continued to work together to make sure the work has lasting impact as she called for sustained resourcing and leadership to be dedicated to the programme long term. Officers have completed new in-depth training, known as the rape and serious sexual offences investigative skills development programme which means victims of often complex offences will receive better support throughout the process as their perpetrators are brought to justice, the Home Office said. The College the body responsible for police training said officers have now been trained in each of the 43 forces across the two nations but has not disclosed how many officers per force have received the training. New police recruits also now face mandatory training on responding to rape and sexual offences. The announcement marks a year since Home Office-funded Operation Soteria was rolled out across forces to improve how police investigated sexual offences. As Mr Cleverly met with police, he heard from a woman who was raped 20 years ago and now trains officers on how to speak to victims. Part of the work being carried out is to create a supportive environment, Mr Cleverly said as he urged victims to come forward and report sexual offences to police. The more people that come forward, the more investigations can be pursued, the more offenders and criminals can be brought to justice. There is still of course, a long way to go. We seek constant improvement, but it starts with reporting and thats why we want to encourage victims to come forward, he said. Andy Marsh, chief executive of the College of Policing, said trained officers now have a better understanding of the psychology of offenders, and how they manipulate victims and the course focuses on the whole story and not just the incident in insolation. Our training ensures officers are taking a victim centred approach, and as a direct result an increasing number of individuals are rightly being brought to justice for these very serious offence, he added. A woman who ran a multimillion-pound touting business which bought and sold tickets on an industrial scale has been jailed for four years by judge who said she acted out of greed. Maria Chenery-Woods, who was known as the Ticket Queen, was the driving force behind Norfolk-based TQ Tickets Ltd, which used dozens of identities to buy tickets for high-profile acts such as Ed Sheeran and Lady Gaga and sell them on secondary ticket websites, often at highly inflated prices, a judge said. The 54-year-old was jailed at Leeds Crown Court on Friday alongside her employee Paul Douglas, who was given a prison sentence of two years and five months. Chenery-Woodss husband Mark Woods and her sister Lynda Chenery, who is also Douglass ex-wife, were given suspended prison sentences by Judge Simon Batiste. Chenery-Woods and Douglas admitted fraudulent trading but Woods and Chenery were convicted by a jury earlier this year which heard how TQ Tickets sold ticket worth more than 6.5 million between 2015 and 2017. But Judge Batiste said this figure only covered part of the period the company was trading and did not include hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of unsold tickets trading standards officers found when they raided its offices in the Norfolk village of Dickleburgh. Judge Batiste said: What was being done was purely to maximise profit and out of greed. He said: Your aim was to rinse or fleece customers out of as much money as you could. The judge explained how TQ Tickets used a file of more than 100 identities to buy tickets from primary selling sites like Ticketmaster. These identities included a 10-year-old child, a dead relative and some who were completely fake. Judge Batiste explained how the firm created a web of criminality as they also corrupted students and other young people into buying tickets for them. The firm would then resell the tickets often at vastly inflated prices on secondary ticketing platforms such as Viagogo. Judge Batiste said on Friday: Some secondary ticketing sites and, indeed, possibly some primary sites, were complicit in what you were doing. But that provides no mitigation. During the trial, the jury heard statements from Mr Sheerans manager Stuart Camp and promoter Stuart Galbraith, who described the extensive measures they went to as they tried to prevent the re-selling of tickets at inflated prices for the singers 2018 UK stadium tour. Following the verdicts, Mr Galbraith said: Todays verdict is good news for live music fans, who are too often ripped off and exploited by greedy ticket touts. The case of those involved with TQ Tickets follows an almost identical prosecution by National Trading Standards of a married couple who ran the London-based firm BZZ. BZZs Peter Hunter and David Smith were jailed for four years and two and a half years respectively in February 2020, following a landmark trial, and they were subsequently ordered to pay back more than 6.2 million by the court. Tickets to Ed Sheeran gigs were sold at inflated prices (Aaron Chown/PA) On Friday, Judge Batiste said the TQ Tickets case was if anything, more serious than the BZZ offending. The judge said the actions of TQ Tickets, which included speculatively listing tickets for sale before they had even sourced them, sometimes led to fans being refused entry to venues or with poorer tickets than they paid for. The jury heard that in the period June 2015 to December 2017, the firm had sales in excess of 6.5 million on secondary ticket platforms. The firm bought 47,000 tickets during that period, using 127 names and 187 different email addresses. In one message shown to the jury, Douglas said to Chenery-Woods that the purpose of the business is to simply rinse consumers for as much profit as they are willing to pay. The judge said Douglas was Chenery-Woodss lieutenant and told him that he revelled in the amount you could rinse unsuspecting customers for. He said Douglas bought and sold tickets on an industrial scale. Chenery-Woods, of Dickleburgh, near Diss, Norfolk, and Douglas, 57, of Pulham Market, Norfolk, admitted three counts of fraudulent trading earlier this year. Chenery, 52, and Woods, 60, both of Dickleburgh, were found guilty of the same charges. Woods was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work and told he must observe an electronically monitored curfew between 8pm and 6am for four months. Chenery, who sobbed uncontrollably as she was sentenced, was given a 21-month jail sentence, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work with a 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement. The defendants will now face a confiscation hearing on December 2. Lord Michael Bichard, chairman of National Trading Standards, said: Having spent hard earned money on tickets for highly anticipated live events, too many people discover too late that theyve been the victim of a scam, turning excitement into distress. Todays sentencing marks another significant milestone in our work to combat online ticket touts, which has already resulted in landmark prosecutions, and sends a clear message that criminals trying to rip off honest fans risk prosecution. 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. In the Mississippi Delta, farms, wildlife refuges and churches dot the landscape alongside the Magnolia State's country highways. In some ways, the region looks on the surface in 2024 as it did in 1954. Yet a quick drive reveals that even though the area's population has long been on the decline, something in the Delta has increased over the last seven decades the number of private schools. In Tunica, a private school opened its doors in 1964. The next year, Deer Creek School opened in the former white-only Arcola Public School that had been consolidated with Hollandale. Today, 96% of Deer Creek's students are white, even though the school-aged children living in its neighborhood are majority-non-white. Indianola Academy also opened in 1965. Today, Black students make up less than nine percent of the private school's student body, but nearly two-thirds of school-aged children in the surrounding neighborhood are Black. MORE: Resistance to Brown school desegregation decision 'purged' Black male educators: Experts These schools are just three of the dozens of private K-12 institutions that were developed throughout the Delta in the years since the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. The decision, which was announced 70 years ago on Friday, ruled that public school segregation was unconstitutional. It overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine, which allowed for segregated public spaces and had been the basis for deciding discrimination cases for over 50 years. But seven decades later, while racial mandates no longer dictate enrollment, schools across the country remain segregated for a variety of reasons. The Brown v. Board of Education decision and subsequent rulings were met with significant resistance from some elected officials and members of the public throughout the following decades. In southern states like Virginia, some public schools even closed their doors to avoid complying with court-ordered integration. PHOTO: Nettie Hunt and her daughter Nickie sit on the steps of the Supreme Court. Nettie explains to her daughter the meaning of the high court's ruling in the Brown Vs. Board of Education, 1954. (UPI/Bettmann via Getty Images) "These small, rural schools in the South, in particular, were the most resistant to school desegregation," Virginia Commonwealth University professor Genevieve Siegel-Hawley told ABC News. The Southern Education Foundation found that between 1950 and 1965, the South had the largest growth in American private school enrollment. Many of the independent schools created during this time were later called "segregation academies." "They were basically a place to educate white children and keep the school system white, and so what they did over time was they ended up draining enrollment from the [public] schools," said Mara Tieken, associate professor of education at Bates College. Today, the Delta still has some of the country's largest racial disparities between public and private education, according to an ABC News analysis. National Center for Education Statistics data shows that in Mississippi's North Bolivar Consolidated School District, private school students are 125 times as likely to be non-Hispanic white as public school students are. In Hollandale, that number jumps to 200. And in Yazoo City, private school students are 932 times as likely as public school students to be non-Hispanic white. "The earlier kids learn to care about one another and to share with each other, and to listen to each other's needs and perspectives, the healthier our society and our democracy will be," Siegel-Hawley said. 'You still have really racially segregated schools' While the Delta might be an extreme example, racial disparities between traditional public schools and schools that operate outside the conventional system can be found nationwide. In Chicago and Houston, roughly 45% of white students attend private schools compared to just 13% and 7% of non-white students, respectively. "A lot of the folks with economic means, who are more likely to be white, are now sending their kids to private schools at a higher rate," said University of California Merced associate professor Whitney Pirtle. PHOTO: 9-year-old African-American student Linda Brown as she walks past Sumner Elementary School, Topkea, Kansas, 1953. (Carl Iwasaki/Getty Images) ABC News' data analysis found that private school students are about 36% more likely than public school students to attend a school where four out of five students are the same race as they are. "White flight" to private schools leaves urban public schools disproportionately non-white compared to the students who live in their districts. At the typical city public school, white and Asian students are underrepresented by about 20% and Black students are overrepresented by nine percent, the data showed. At the time of Brown v. Board of Education, charter and magnet schools publicly funded institutions that can differ from traditional district schools in structure and curriculum largely did not exist. But today, these schools exacerbate segregation in many districts, according to ABC News' analysis of NCES data. In Philadelphia, just 38% of public school students attend their designated neighborhood school and this rate is on the decline. Nationally, when compared to all public school students living in their district, Black and Asian students are the most underrepresented at charter schools, followed by Hispanic students. Black students are especially underrepresented at charters in suburban and rural districts. MORE: Exclusive: Members of 'Little Rock Nine' reflect on 70 years since Brown v. Board of Education In the Los Angeles Unified School District, one of the largest in the country, the typical district-affiliated charter school is more than four times as white as the students who live locally. "Charter schools do pull money that could go to public schools," Pirtle said. "We thought that charter schools might be an answer, it might increase access. But I think an unintended consequence of that is that it still was extracting resources from the folks who had the biggest need for those resources." Magnet schools were created in the 1960s to encourage voluntary desegregation by attracting diverse students with a shared interest or learning style. But today, they are more than twice as likely as non-magnet schools to have at least one racial group represented at double its district rate, ABC News' analysis found. PHOTO: Attorneys who argued the case against segregation stand together smiling in front of the Supreme Court Building, after the High Tribunal ruled that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) Magnet schools pull a different but also racially unrepresentative slice of public school students. Black students tend to be overrepresented and Hispanic students are slightly underrepresented at magnet schools in many cities and towns alike, data showed. In other places, magnet schools have disproportionately white and Asian students. In Hartford and Bridgeport, Connecticut, the vast majority of students are Black or Hispanic. But the typical magnet school in Hartford has three times the rate of white students and five times the rate of Asian students as the district overall. In Bridgeport, the typical magnet is five times as white and 50% more Asian than the students who live in the district. "Choice seems to perpetuate segregation," Tieken said. Tieken said that efforts to desegregate American education peaked in the 1980s, explaining that she thinks school segregation is now on the rise. 'Outdated and unhelpful' In 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education was decided, American suburbia was reaching unprecedented levels, with new neighborhoods popping up outside cities across the country. While many of these new communities were not far from cities, they often were in separate school districts, creating a pattern that still exists today in some parts of the country with nearby school systems having vastly different demographics. "The Northeast and the Midwest are defined by lots of tiny school districts in a bigger metropolitan area, and that fragmentation fragments family choices about where to live and send their kids to school," Siegel-Hawley said. In some cases, these racial differences can even appear within the same county. In suburban Burlington County, New Jersey, non-white students make up roughly 75% of public school students in Beverly, where the population has largely been declining for decades. Three train stops away, around 75% of the students in the growing community of Cinnaminson are white, according to federal data. "Families have unequal purchasing power to get into these exclusive, high-wealth school districts [where] they can't afford a house," Siegel-Hawley said. "That reinforces school segregation too, because they can't access the district because of the housing policies." A 2019 EdBuild report found that in communities where school districts are run locally, the system of financing education through local property taxes has led to major racial and economic gaps between districts. Pirtle said this "is really an outdated and unhelpful way to fund schools." 'A pretty unique opportunity' In states where district lines are drawn at the county level, each school within a district can have vastly different demographics from other nearby schools. These disparities often result from residential segregation within the district. Residential segregation has persisted across America for decades, driven by economic disparities and a history of redlining a racially discriminatory practice of grading neighborhoods by perceived lending risk, which was banned by the 1968 Fair Housing Act. The legacy of redlining and its effects on school segregation are evident in Birmingham, Alabama, and its surrounding area, where neighborhoods given the highest grade nearly a century ago are still 94% white, and zones marked in red as "hazardous" are about 80% Black. In the Jefferson County School District, which serves primarily rural areas outside Birmingham, 41% of public school students are white. However, nine of the district's schools each have a student population that is at least 90% white. ABC News' analysis found patterns like this in rural areas nationwide. PHOTO: The Mississippi Delta has some of the country's largest racial disparities between public and private school students. (Jared Kofsky/ABC News) To Tieken, despite their current segregation, districts like these composed of towns with different populations present the ability to increase diversity within individual schools since students already live in the same district. "Rural districts actually have a pretty unique opportunity ... if they're pulling together several small towns," she said. "Oftentimes people value an integrated education. We just need to give them the political tools to be able to enjoy that." Some scholars say that even when schools make progress in integrating their student body, segregation can often still exist within the walls of the building if programs such as gifted or remedial classes do not resemble the school's demographics. "You don't really see that as segregation because all the kids are going to the public school down the road, but it can play out in that way," Pirtle said. Concerns have been raised each year since Brown v. Board of Education over whether America's schools are still too segregated, but researchers are divided on how to level the academic playing field. "We have not committed to addressing any of [the problems] for decades, so the scope and landscape of school segregation is not surprising because of our lack of intentionality to tackle the underlying system," Siegel-Hawley said. Controversial efforts were made decades ago to create more integrated school environments, such as busing students to distant neighborhoods or consolidating districts. PHOTO: In rural areas of Jefferson County, Alabama, outside Birmingham, residential segregation contributes to segregation among public schools. (Jared Kofsky/ABC News) In 1966, Massachusetts developed the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity to desegregate classrooms in and around Boston by enabling Black students to attend suburban schools, but the initiative was met with protests and, on some occasions, violence. Although its effectiveness has been questioned in recent years, METCO still exists today and researchers have touted it as a unique way to bring together diverse students across Boston and its suburbs. Siegel-Hawley said Cambridge, Massachusetts, Berkeley, California, and Jefferson County, Kentucky, have made particularly strong strides recently when it comes to creating systems of voluntary integration that bring students of all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds from different neighborhoods together to learn. "Desegregation is getting the numbers right," Siegel-Hawley said. "Integration is that work within the school around truly sharing power and resources and seeing everybody as equally worthy of dignity and belonging." 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education, many schools remain segregated: Data analysis originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Interview: Xi's Serbia visit brings win-win benefits to future of China-Europe ties: expert Xinhua) 09:11, May 17, 2024 BELGRADE, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Serbia's mutually beneficial relationship and mutual respect with China, epitomized in the recent visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, exemplify values much needed in today's European political landscape, said Aleksandar Pavic, a Serbian political expert. Commenting on the outcomes of the visit, he said that Xi's visit brings a great deal to Serbia. "It raises our diplomatic profile very much in Europe. It raises Serbia's importance in international relations," he said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua. "China is one of the leaders of the developing multipolar world. The multipolar spirit is something that Europe needs more of because that is the spirit of cooperation and equal partnerships, rather than the zero-sum game that we are all tired of," Pavic said. Xi's visit, he said, has great significance to Serbia and Europe in general both symbolically and practically as the surrounding countries will be able to see the benefits of Serbia's cooperation with China. "If you ask both the Serbian people and the Serbian government, we are all for expanding relations with China, to further develop it in the way that it has been developed. I think that the possibilities for future cooperation are almost limitless," he said. The Chinese approach with win-win cooperation and mutual respect is actually something that Europe needs more of, Pavic said. Regarding the joint statement of Xi and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic about developing a community with a shared future between the two countries, Pavic said that the Chinese vision of building a shared future for the new era is well-known worldwide and very positive. "It's a vision of mutual peaceful cooperation, without unnecessary competition which could turn into conflicts, and it is something that shouldn't be a controversy," he said. On Serbia's ties with China, Pavic said that the more countries become part of it (the shared future), the better it will be for the whole world. Pavic also praised the economic benefits and new opportunities stemming from the measures announced during Xi's visit to support the building of the China-Serbia community with a shared future. "I think China is a leading economic power in the world now. It offers us great new opportunities. Of course, it offers China a kind of base for trading with Europe," he said. Moreover, Pavic applauded opportunities for young people in the exchange programs agreed upon between Serbia and China. "Since China is at the forefront of many academic and scientific disciplines, our young people can benefit tremendously from these sorts of exchanges." Recalling that Serbia-China relations have been on the upward progression for the past decades, he predicted that this positive trend will accelerate even more after Xi's visit. "This visit is an inspiration for even better relations. I expect them to improve once again. I do not see any boundaries to this relationship. As far as China and Serbia are concerned, I think that both sides are really eager to improve relations even more," Pavic said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) The Galleria's renovation could be complete by next year. Marie D. De Jesus/Staff photographer The Galleria will soon be getting a multimillion dollar renovation. Michael Wyke/Contributor The Galleria, with its ice rink, opened in 1970. Courtesy of The Galleria The Galleria will undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation aimed at attracting high-end retailers to the Houston shopping center, owner Simon Property Group said this week. The renovations will modernize sections of the mall stretching from Nordstorm through the Westheimer entrance. The project will also focus on elevating the aesthetics of valet entrances on the north and east sides of the Galleria. Additionally, multiple entrances will get a facelift with new doors, flooring and lighting; updated landscaping; new or upgraded railings; and ceiling enhancements including new materials, painting and lighting. Simon will also install 155,000 square feet of new flooring high-gloss porcelain tiles with a marble design to provide consistency throughout the mall. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Although Simon did not disclose a capital cost for the Galleria project, the work is part of the real estate giant's plans to invest $800 million into redeveloping several properties nationwide as it evolves to changing consumer demands and habits. Simon is reinvesting in this classic, beloved property to further cement the Galleria as a global leader in the luxury retail space, Velda Turan, senior vice president of luxury leasing at Simon in a statement. We are literally and figuratively lifting luxury to the next level and expanding this offering to level two to meet the strong demand from these brands. The renovations to Texas biggest mall are expected to begin this summer and be complete by early 2025, Simon Property said. Over the years, Simon has invested several hundred million dollars into revitalizing the Galleria, most recently with a $250 million upgrade in 2017. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Several high-end brands have expanded or enhanced their stores in the mall over the past five years, underscoring how they see the potential for growth in Houston. Currently, Louis Vuitton is expanding and renovating its store; Gucci is growing into a two-story space expected to complete by 2025; Prada is moving to a larger space this year; and Fendi is expected to begin a major expansion soon. In just the past two years, Dior, Amiri, and Dolce & Gabbana opened at the Galleria, and Saint Laurent renovated and doubled its store size. New-to-Houston brands like Maria Tash (which makes jewelry for celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Doja Cat) and Alo Yoga are among the malls latest tenants catering to well-heeled shoppers. These companies can find customers in the metros soaring population of millionaires who have helped make Houston one the wealthiest cities globally, according to Henley and Partners. MORE RETAIL COMING? Tilman Ferttita buys prime property for potential River Oaks District expansion Advertisement Article continues below this ad About 30 million diners and shoppers visit the 2.4 million-square-foot Galleria annually, Simon said. By Nandita Bose and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden launched a fresh bid to bolster support from African American voters on Friday, looking to seal up cracks in the Democratic coalition that carried him to victory over Republican Donald Trump in 2020. Biden visited the popular National Museum of African American History and Culture in downtown Washington and greeted his audience by declaring, "Black history is American history." He and Vice President Kamala Harris later will meet privately at the White House with the Divine Nine, a group of historically Black sororities and fraternities. Harris joined one of those sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha, when she attended Howard University. On Thursday, Biden met with families who had relatives involved in the Supreme Court's landmark May 17, 1954, Brown v. Board of Education ruling 70 years ago that led to the desegregation of schools. "We learn better when we learn together," Biden said at the museum. All this is leading up to Biden's commencement speech on Sunday at Morehouse College in Atlanta, a historically Black school that was the alma mater of slain civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. He will attend an event on Saturday in Georgia focused on engaging Black voters. Democrats are deeply divided over Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, fraying the coalition that he relied on four years ago to beat Trump. A New York Times/Siena College poll released early this week found Trump winning 20% of the Black vote, a sign that he has made inroads into a bloc of voters who have overwhelmingly voted for Democrats. Biden singled out Trump and other Republicans for attacking programs aimed at improving diversity, equity and inclusion. Biden joined Atlanta radio show host Darian "Big Tigger" Morgan on Wednesday and had some sharp criticism for Trump, the former president who is trying to regain the office in the Nov. 5 election. "Look, Trump hurt Black people every chance he got, Biden said. Black unemployment, uninsurance rates went up under Trump. Trumps tax plan reinforced discrimination. Typical white households got double the cut of the typical Black household. They botched COVID-19 response, leaving Black people dead and Black-owned businesses shuttered. Some Morehouse faculty members and students had wanted the college to withdraw its invitation to Biden over his administration's staunch support for Israel's war in Gaza, where the death toll has mounted to more than 35,000. But the White House said the visit would go ahead as planned on Sunday. Biden has taken steps that benefit Black Americans, such as expanding access to healthcare coverage, and has fostered economic gains that led to record low Black unemployment rates and the Child Tax Credit expansion, which helped cut childhood poverty in half in 2021. Opinion polls show the Nov. 5 election shaping up to be a close match between Biden and Trump, making turnout among Black Americans - who comprise sizable populations in key battleground states like Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania - a crucial aspect of Biden's path to victory. Biden's reelection campaign, in a memo released by senior adviser Trey Baker, said Biden is not taking a single voter for granted. "We are not, and will not, parachute into these communities at the last minute, expecting their vote. Every day, from now until election day, we will continue working diligently to ensure that come November, Black voters send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris back to the White House to continue delivering for Black America in unprecedented ways," he said. (Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland, Editing by Franklin Paul, Doina Chiacu and Jonathan Oatis) Sean Diddy Combs apologized on Sunday for physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, two days after CNN published exclusive hotel surveillance video from 2016 in which Combs appeared to grab, shove, drag and kick her. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video, he said in a video statement posted on Instagram. I was disgusted then when I did it. Im disgusted now, he added. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. Im so sorry. But Im committed to be a better man each and every day. Im not asking for forgiveness. Im truly sorry. Combs had previously denied Venturas allegations of assault, which were the basis of a now-settled federal lawsuit filed by Ventura in November. Meredith Firetog, an attorney for Ventura, said in a statement on Sunday following the release of Combs apology: Combs most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt. When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday. That he was only compelled to apologize once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words. The surveillance footage, compiled from multiple camera angles dated March 5, 2016, appears to show the rapper, producer and business mogul during an incident that, according to Venturas complaint, occurred at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles. CNN verified the location based on publicly available photos of the former hotels interior. In the video, Ventura exits a hotel room and walks to a bank of elevators. Combs, holding a towel around his waist, runs down a hall after Ventura. He grabs her by the back of the neck and throws her to the floor. Still holding his towel closed with one hand, he then turns to kick her, the video shows. As Ventura is on the ground, Combs retrieves a purse and suitcase from the floor near the elevators. He turns around and kicks Ventura again as she lies motionless on the floor. About four seconds transpire between the two kicks, according to the video. He then briefly drags Ventura by her sweatshirt toward a room before walking away. Ventura is then seen slowly standing up. She gathers items from the floor and moves to pick up a phone on the hallway wall near the elevators. Combs, still in a towel and socks, returns. A mirror directly across from the security camera shows Combs appearing to shove Ventura. Seconds later, he sits down on a chair, grabs an object off a table and forcefully throws it toward Ventura. Combs is seen walking away, then turns toward Ventura once again when an elevator door opens and someone appears to exit. Ventura, who reached an undisclosed settlement with Combs, declined to comment on the video obtained by CNN. Douglas H. Wigdor, another attorney for Ventura, said: The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light. The Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office issued a statement Friday on the 2016 surveillance video. We are aware of the video that has been circulating online allegedly depicting Sean Combs assaulting a young woman in Los Angeles. We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch, the statement posted on Instagram reads. If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted. As of today, law enforcement has not presented a case related to the attack depicted in the video against Mr. Combs, but we encourage anyone who has been a victim or witness to a crime to report it to law enforcement or reach out to our office for support from our Bureau of Victims Services, the district attorneys office said. The Los Angeles Police Department is aware of the video but does not have an open investigation involving Combs, the department told CNN in a statement early Saturday. The LAPD did not respond to CNNs question on whether a report was ever filed regarding the assault. When contacted by CNN, a representative for InterContinental Hotels said on Friday, This hotel is no longer under IHG management, and we do not have any access to prior incident records or footage. Venturas lawsuit Combs and Ventura, a model and singer known for songs like Me & U, were in an off-and-on relationship from 2007 2018. The two were photographed together at the Los Angeles premiere of the film A Perfect Match on March 7, 2016. According to Venturas complaint, which cited the altercation as occurring around March 2016, Combs became extremely intoxicated and punched Ms. Ventura in the face, giving her a black eye. After Combs fell asleep, Ventura attempted to leave the hotel room, but he woke up and followed her into the hallway of the hotel while yelling at her, the complaint said. He grabbed at her, and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her, causing glass to crash around them as she ran to the elevator to escape, the complaint alleged. After Ventura got in the elevator, her complaint states that she took a cab to her apartment. Upon realizing that her running away would cause Mr. Combs to be even angrier with her, and completely stuck in his vicious cycle of abuse, Ms. Ventura returned to the hotel with the intention of apologizing for running away from her abuser, the complaint claims. When she returned, hotel security staff urged her to get back into a cab and go to her apartment, suggesting that they had seen the security footage showing Mr. Combs beating Ms. Ventura and throwing glass at her in the hotel hallway. Sean "Diddy" Combs with Cassie Ventura attend the premiere of "The Perfect Match" in Los Angeles on March 7, 2016. - Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images/File The complaint alleges Combs paid the InterContinental Century City $50,000 for the hallway security footage, one of a number of allegations made in the November lawsuit in which Ventura claimed she was raped in 2018 and subjected to years of repeated physical and other abuses by Combs. Ventura, who was formally signed to Combs label, claimed in her suit that he exerted his power and influence over her throughout the course of their professional and romantic relationship. According to the complaint, she was 19 when they met and Combs was 37, and their business relationship lasted until 2019. It detailed claims that Combs was physically violent toward Ventura and forced her to engage in various sex acts with other men during that time. Ben Brafman, an attorney for Combs, said in a statement to CNN on the day it was filed, Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations. The suit was resolved the following day. A decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing, Brafman told CNN in a statement at the time. Mr. Combs decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best. Details of the settlement were not disclosed. Ongoing legal issues Since November, Combs has faced five other civil lawsuits accusing him of a range of sexual misconduct and other illegal activity. He has denied the allegations, and the cases remain active. Authorities searched Combs homes in California and Florida in March as part of a federal investigation carried out by a Department of Homeland Security team that handles human trafficking crimes, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. The investigation stems from many of the same sexual assault allegations put forth in the civil lawsuits, according to a second law enforcement source familiar with the searches. Police cars are seen behind caution tape outside the home of US producer and musician Sean "Diddy" Combs in Los Angeles on March 25, 2024. - David Swanson/AFP/Getty Images Aaron Dyer, an attorney for Combs, issued a statement at the time, calling the searches a gross overuse of military-level force. This unprecedented ambush paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits, he said. There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name. CNNs Kevin Flower, Megan Thomas, Elizabeth Joseph, Rebekah Riess and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this story. Editors Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with intimate partner violence, there are resources available, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A previous version of this story misstated when the searches of Combs homes took place. They occurred in March. This story has been updated with additional information. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Sen. John Fetterman says the wild and chaotic scene inside a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing Thursday night, which featured lawmakers lobbing multiple appearance-related insults at one another, was worse than an episode of The Jerry Springer Show. In the past, Ive described the U.S. House as The Jerry Springer Show,' the Pennsylvania Democrat said in a Friday post on the social platform X. Today, Im apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show,' Fetterman said. His comparison to the sensational, typically brawl and expletive-filled 1990s talk show came a day after an epic clash during Thursday nights Oversight Committee hearing. During the hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) of sporting fake eyelashes. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) moved to take down Greenes words, calling them disgusting and absolutely unacceptable. Later in the hearing, Crockett appeared to throw a veiled jab Greenes way, saying, If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Ocasio-Cortez struck back at Fetterman for drawing the TV slugfest parallel, saying on social media to her Democratic colleague in Congress, I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a both sides issue. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one, Ocasio-Cortez said. Its not the first time that a political fracas has drawn comparisons to The Jerry Springer Show. Springer himself panned a 2020 presidential debate between Joe Biden and then-President Trump. During the heated showdown, Trump repeatedly attempted to interrupt the then-Democratic presidential nominee. Several years ago TV Guide honored me by naming The Jerry Springer Show the worst show in the history of television, Springer told ITK at the time. After watching Tuesday nights debate, the torch has now been passed. The Jerry Springer Show aired from 1991 to 2018. Springer died last year at 79. Updated at 11:42 a.m. EDT For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. C.W. Newell Of all the dishes film fanatics attempt to recreate, none is more eye-catching than the movie version of ratatouille celebrated in Pixar's hit by the same name. In the movie, ratatouille has the nostalgic power to transport one of the central characters back to a time when they felt safe, loved, and nurtured. Isnt that what comfort food is all about? This lovingly-made masterpiece makes a perfect light and healthy summer dinner with a fresh summer salad and bread. It's also stunning alongside a roast chicken or seared scallops. However it is served, make sure to take plenty of pictures of your work of art! What is ratatouille? In French Provencal cuisine, ratatouille is a rustic stew made from eggplant, zucchini, tomato, bell pepper, onion, garlic, herbs, and olive oil. This layered version, known as confit byaldi, was first mastered by French Chef Michel Guerard. It was recreated in the movie Ratatouille with the help of the films renowned consulting chef, Thomas Keller. Though it is different from traditional ratatouille, it is very delicious, easy to make, and oh-so pretty! Do you need a mandoline to make layered ratatouille? No, you don't need a special slicer like a mandoline to make ratatouille. The tool is great for quick, even slices of zucchini and squash, but you can also just use a regular kitchen knife. Since the tomato flesh and eggplant skin are so delicate, they are better off sliced with a trusty chefs knife or serrated knife. Even slices make for a show-stopping presentation and even cooking. If you're really serious, try using a ruler! Yields: 4-6 servings Prep Time: 45 mins Total Time: 2 hours Ingredients 1/4 c. olive oil, divided 1/2 yellow onion, chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided 1 tsp. ground black pepper, divided 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 (15-oz.) can crushed tomatoes 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, divided 3 roma tomatoes 1 slender eggplant (petite Italian, Japanese, or Chinese) 1 medium zucchini 1 medium yellow squash Fresh basil leaves, for serving Directions Preheat the oven to 375F. In a large skillet pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, teaspoon of the salt, and teaspoon of the black pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and lightly golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of the thyme. Spoon the sauce into a 2-quart casserole dish. Using a sharp knife or serrated knife, slice the tomatoes and eggplant into -inch-thick slices. Use a sharp knife or a mandoline to slice the zucchini and yellow squash into -inch-thick slices. Shingle the sliced vegetables on top of the sauce in an alternating pattern, working from the outer edge to the center of the dish. Brush 2 tablespoons of the oil on the vegetables and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, teaspoon salt, and teaspoon black pepper. Cover the dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover the dish, and bake until the vegetables are tender and lightly golden, about 20 minutes more. Allow the dish to cool for 5 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and serve hot or warm, sprinkled with basil. Tip: If you cant find a slender variety of eggplant, like Japanese or Chinese eggplant, dont despair! This recipe will still be beautiful and delicious with larger Italian eggplant. Depending on the size of the eggplant, cut each slice in half or quarters to match the size of the other vegetables. You Might Also Like 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. NewsNation and The Hill share a parent company, Nexstar Media Group. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi NEW DELHI (Reuters) - With new photographic and video evidence, an Indian court battle over the origins of the world famous butter chicken is set to get spicier. Two Indian restaurant chains have been sparring since January at the Delhi High Court, both claiming credit for inventing the dish in a lawsuit that has grabbed the attention of social media users, food critics, editorials and TV channels across the globe. The popular Moti Mahal restaurant chain said it had the sole right to be recognised as the inventor of the curry and demanded its rival, the Daryaganj chain, to stop claiming credit and pay $240,000 in damages. Moti Mahal said founder Kundan Lal Gujral created the cream-loaded dish in the 1930s at an eatery in Peshawar, now in Pakistan, before relocating to Delhi. That "story of invention of butter chicken does not ring true" and is aimed at misleading the court, Daryaganj said in a new, 642-page counter-filing reviewed by Reuters. Daryaganj says a late member of its founding family, Kundan Lal Jaggi, created the disputed dish when he helmed the kitchen at the relocated Delhi eatery, where Gujral, his friend-cum-partner from Peshawar only handled marketing. Both men are dead, Gujral in 1997 and Jaggi in 2018. Evidence in the non-public filing includes a black-and-white photograph from 1930s showing the two friends in Peshawar; a 1949 partnership agreement; Jaggi's business card after relocating to Delhi and his 2017 video talking about the dish's origin. By virtue of the friends' partnership, "both parties can claim that their respective ancestors created the dishes," Daryaganj says in the filing, calling the dispute a "business rivalry". Moti Mahal declined to comment. The judge will next hear the case on May 29. A key point of contention, which the court will have to rule on, is where, when and by whom the dish was first made - by Gujral in Peshawar, Jaggi in New Delhi, or if both should be credited. Butter chicken is ranked 43rd in a list of world's "best dishes" by TasteAtlas, and bragging rights about who invented it can matter, brand experts said. "Being an inventor has a huge advantage globally and in terms of consumer appeal. You are also entitled to charge more," said Dilip Cherian, an image guru and co-founder of Indian PR firm Perfect Relations. Moti Mahal operates a franchisee model with over 100 outlets globally. Its butter chicken dishes start at $8 in New Delhi, and are priced at $23 in New York. Late U.S. President Richard Nixon and India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru are among the famous clients to have visited its primary outlet in Delhi. Daryaganj started in 2019 and its butter chicken costs $7.50. It has 10 outlets, mostly in New Delhi, with plans to expand to other Indian cities and Bangkok. In its 2,752-page Indian lawsuit, Moti Mahal had also accused Daryaganj of copying "the look and feel" of the interiors of its outlets. Daryaganj has retorted with photographs of restaurant interiors which the judge will review, claiming it is Moti Mahal that has copied its "design of floor tiles". (Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) Multiple Supreme Court showdowns. Closed-door negotiations. And millions of dollars in litigation. After months of legal and legislative skirmishes around the country, much of the redistricting drama of the 2024 election cycle is behind us. And it has ended pretty close to where it began: Just a handful of seats could determine which party controls the US House of Representatives, where Republicans now hold a threadbare majority. In North Carolina, newly empowered GOP state legislators took an aggressive approach with their map-drawing, crafting lines that are expected to allow their party to flip at least three seats now held by Democrats. But, in recently concluded redistricting in New York, Democrats, who had final say over the map, adopted a more modest position essentially turning just one Republican-held seat a deeper shade of blue. In the South, Democrats are expected to gain two seats as a result of Voting Rights Act rulings out of Alabama and Louisiana. But a protracted battle over the congressional map in another Southern state, Georgia, has not changed the partisan balance of the states US House delegation heading into November. Its amazing that with all of the states where weve had things going on and with all the different lawsuits, we are really only talking about a small number of districts that are guaranteed to change hands as a result of this entire shuffle, said Nick Seabrook, a political scientist at the University of North Florida and the author of the 2022 book One Person, One Vote: A Surprising History of Gerrymandering in America. We have actually emerged nationally with a pretty fair map, he said. I certainly think that there are ample opportunities for either party to win. Adam Kincaid, the president and executive director of the National Republican Redistricting Trust, sees a tick to the right under the new landscape, with the likely net addition of two more House seats that former President Donald Trump would have carried in 2020. But he cautioned that it was still a tight map and a tight electorate. From top to bottom, the country is a 50-50 country right now, Kincaid said. (Although Republicans control the House by a narrow margin, under the map used in the 2022 midterm elections, 17 of those GOP lawmakers were elected in communities that backed President Joe Biden in 2020.) Democrats, meanwhile, say they emerged in a stronger position after wielding the nearly 60-year-old Voting Rights Act to prevail in legal fights in deep-red Alabama and Louisiana. Federal judges ordered lawmakers in those states to give Black residents more opportunities to elect House candidates of their choice. Alabama and Louisiana are just two states once thought to be unreachable in the fight for fairness that have quickly become more representative as a result of the legal actions, John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said in a statement. Im confident the House map will remain highly competitive going into 2024. Heres a state-by-state look at the recent redistricting disputes and where they stand: Louisiana Facing a court-ordered deadline, the Republican-controlled state Legislature in January approved a map with a second Black-majority district that is expected to be in effect for this years elections. The action, viewed as a win for Democrats, endangers the seat now held by Republican Rep. Garret Graves. The implementation of the new map follows a protracted legal battle over the states congressional district lines. Although Black people make up roughly a third of the states population, Louisiana has just one Black lawmaker who is also the lone Democrat in its six-member US House delegation. A federal judge threw out the states Republican-drawn map in 2022, saying it likely violated the Voting Rights Act. Republican officials in the state appealed to the US Supreme Court, which put the lower-court ruling on hold until it decided the Alabama case, which it did in June this year. Once the high court had weighed in on the Alabama case, the legal skirmishes again lurched to life in Louisiana. A federal court had given the GOP-controlled state Legislature until the end of January to draw a new map, after deciding that the lower court had ruled correctly that the state lawmakers map improperly diluted the voting power of Louisianas Black residents. If the Legislature had not acted by that deadline, the lower court could have proceeded to a full trial to resolve the map in time for this years elections. A dozen non-Black voters filed a legal challenge to the Legislatures map, arguing it was an illegal racial gerrymander, and a three-judge panel agreed. That set off a fresh appeal to the US Supreme Court, which on May 15 paused the panels ruling in an order that will likely allow the Legislatures map to be used in this years elections. New York Republicans flipped four US House seats in New York in the 2022 midterm elections, victories that helped secure their partys majority in the chamber. Then, a ruling by the states highest court appeared to jeopardize those gains by potentially making it easier for Democrats to pick up as many as six GOP-held seats. In the end, however, the Democratic state lawmakers, who hold ultimate control of the redistricting process, settled on a map that made only modest adjustments to the status quo lines. First, a bit of history: A state court judge oversaw the process of drawing the map used in the 2022 elections following a long legal battle and the inability of New Yorks bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission to agree on new lines. But Democrats scored a court victory last summer when a state appellate court ruled that the redistricting commission should redraw the map. Republicans appealed that decision, and oral arguments were held in November before New Yorks Court of Appeals, the states highest court. On December 12, the Court of Appeals ordered the state to once again restart the mapmaking process. As a result, New Yorks redistricting commission created a new map, but the Democratic-controlled state Legislature tinkered with the commissions lines, as permitted under state law. The Legislatures final product ended up putting a Central New York seat held by Republican freshman Brandon Williams at greater risk for his party. It also shored up for Democrats Tom Suozzis Long Island seat, which the party flipped in a February special election to succeed expelled former Rep. George Santos. Leaders of both political parties say they can live with the maps modest approach, which still puts the Empire State at the epicenter of the battle for the House. But some progressives have criticized New York Democrats, who hold supermajorities in the state Legislature, for not taking a more aggressive approach. Former New York Rep. John Faso, a Republican who had been a key player in litigation over redistricting, said the map drawn by Democrats has no material differences from the current map. This turned out to be much ado about very little, he added. North Carolina North Carolinas legislature, where Republicans hold a supermajority, has drawn new congressional lines that observers say could prove a windfall for the GOP and boost the partys chances of retaining its House majority next year. The states current House delegation is split 7-7 between Democrats and Republicans. A map that Republican state lawmakers approved put three House Democrats in what one expert called almost impossible to win districts. The affected Democrats were Reps. Jeff Jackson, who currently represents a Charlotte-area district; Wiley Nickel, who holds a Raleigh-area seat; and Kathy Manning, who represents Greensboro and other parts of north-central North Carolina. All three opted not to seek reelection to the House. A fourth Democrat, Rep. Don Davis, saw his district retooled to become more friendly toward Republicans while remaining competitive for both parties. State-level gains in the 2022 midterm elections gave the GOP new sway over redistricting in this swing state Republicans flipped the state Supreme Court, whose members are chosen in partisan elections. Last year, the new GOP majority on the court tossed out a 2022 ruling by the then-Democratic leaning court against partisan gerrymandering. A map that had been created after the Democratic-led high courts ruling resulted in the current even split in the states House delegation. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper does not have veto power over redistricting legislation. A group of Black and Latino residents of North Carolina filed a lawsuit alleging that the GOP-approved map intentionally discriminates against minority voters in violation of the US Constitution. Alabama In one of the cycles highest-profile redistricting cases, a three-judge panel in Alabama approved a map that created a second congressional district with a substantial Black population. Before the court action, Alabama which is 27% Black had only one Black-majority district out of seven seats. The fight over the map went all the way to the US Supreme Court which issued a surprise ruling, affirming a lower-court opinion that ordered Alabama to include a second Black-majority district or something quite close to it. Under the map used for the 2024 election, the states 2nd District now loops into Mobile to create a seat where nearly half the population is Black. The high courts 5-4 decision in June saw two conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, side with the three liberals to uphold the lower-court ruling. Their action kept intact a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act: that its illegal to draw maps that effectively keep Black voters from electing a candidate of their choice. The ruling reverberated around the country and affected the outcome of similar court cases underway in Louisiana and Georgia that centered on whether Republican-drawn maps improperly diluted Black political power in those states. Given that Black voters in Alabama have traditionally backed Democrats, the party now stands a better chance of winning the newly reconfigured district and sending two of its members to Congress after Novembers elections. The new map also could result in two Black US House members from Alabama serving together for the first time in state history. Georgia Georgia Republicans, who hold a governing trifecta in the state, finalized a new congressional map last year that safeguarded their partys dominance in state politics and dashed Democrats hopes of adding an additional US House seat. The new map complied with an order issued by US District Judge Steve Jones to establish an additional Black-majority district. But it preserved the GOPs 9-5 edge in Georgias US House delegation by moving the Atlanta-area district represented by Rep. Lucy McBath, a Black Democrat, farther into Republican territory. Jones had ordered state lawmakers to draw a new congressional map by December 8, arguing that the Republican-controlled legislature improperly diluted the political power of Black voters in their establishment of district boundaries following the 2020 census. In that ruling, Jones said state lawmakers earlier map had violated the Voting Rights Act. In a big win for Republicans, Jones in late December ruled that the new legislature-drawn map that preserved Republicans 9-5 advantage fully complied with his order. A separate federal case in Georgia challenges the congressional map on constitutional grounds. Florida A state judge in September struck down congressional lines for northern Florida that had been championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, ruling that the Republican governors map had improperly diluted Black voting power. This case, unlike the Alabama fight decided by the US Supreme Court, centers on provisions in the state constitution. The judge concluded that the congressional boundaries which essentially dismantled a seat once held by Al Lawson, a Black Democrat, that connected Black communities across a northern reach of the Florida violated the states Fair Districts amendments, enacted by voters. One amendment specifically bars the state from drawing a district that diminishes the ability of racial minorities to elect representatives of their choice. But in December, a state appeals court upheld the map DeSantis had advocated, saying the plaintiffs failed to present any evidence that the earlier version of the district which connected Black communities from Jacksonville to Tallahassee contained a singular cohesive community that would have a right to protection under Floridas constitution. The case is now before the all-Republican state Supreme Court, where DeSantis appointees hold most seats. The disputed map appears likely to remain in place for this years elections after the court denied the plaintiffs request to speed up the case and hold arguments before the congressional candidate qualifying period in April. In a separate case centered on whether the map violates the US Constitution a federal court sided with DeSantis. Observers say that in the end, the outcome of the state litigation is more likely than the federal case to determine the future of the North Florida district, given the state constitutions especially strong protections for the voting rights of racial minorities and the lower burden of proof required to establish that those rights were abridged. Kentucky The Kentucky Supreme Court in December rejected arguments from Democrats that a map drawn by the states Republican-controlled legislature violated the state constitution as an extreme partisan gerrymander. The dispute centered on lawmakers decision to move Kentuckys capital city Democratic-leaning Frankfort out of the 6th Congressional District and into an oddly shaped and solidly Republican 1st District. Doing so helped shore up the GOP odds of holding the 6th District, represented by Republican Andy Barr. Under its previous lines, the 6th District was a more competitive seat. (Democrat Amy McGrath came within 3 points of beating Barr in 2018; last year, Barr won a sixth term under the new lines by 29 points.) A lower-court judge had ruled that the Republican-drawn map did not violate the states constitution, and the states high court, in a December 14 ruling, agreed. South Carolina A redistricting case pending before the US Supreme Court centers on the future of a Charleston-area seat held by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who made headlines last year for joining House GOP hard-liners in voting to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker. Last year, a three-judge panel concluded that the lines for the coastal 1st Congressional District, as drawn by state GOP lawmakers, amounted to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The Republican lawmakers appealed to the US Supreme Court. During oral arguments, several justices in the courts conservative majority expressed skepticism that South Carolina officials had engaged in an improper racial gerrymander and seemed inclined to reinstate the lawmakers map. The 2024 elections will proceed under the current map, the three-judge panel ruled in March. The judges, in part, cited the delay in the high court issuing a decision. New Mexico Republicans in New Mexico argued that the congressional lines drawn by the Democrats who control state government amounted to an illegal gerrymander under the states constitution. At stake: a swing district along the US border with Mexico. If Republicans had prevailed, the 2nd District seat now held by a Democratic Rep. Gabe Vasquez could have become more favorable to Republicans. But a state judge in October upheld the map drawn by Democrats, and the New Mexico Supreme Court affirmed that ruling. Utah The state Supreme Court, in a case it heard in July, is considering whether it even has the authority to weigh in on map-drawing decisions by the GOP-controlled state Legislature. Republican state officials have argued that the courts power over redistricting decisions is limited. Advocacy groups and a handful of voters are challenging a congressional map that further carved up Democratic-leaning Salt Lake County between four decidedly Republican districts. Doing so, the plaintiffs asserted in their lawsuit, takes a slice of Salt Lake County and grafts it onto large swaths of the rest of Utah, allowing Republican voters in rural areas and smaller cities far away from Salt Lake to dictate the outcome of elections. This story and headline have been updated. CNNs Ethan Cohen and Renee Rigdon contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, left, exchanges words with Houston Mayor John Whitmire as they update the public following Thursdays storms, which brought damaging winds and rains to the greater Houston area during a press conference at Houston TranStar, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer With many residents still in the dark following Thursday's storm, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo warned it would be "weeks and not days" before power is restored for some. Hidalgo held a press conference alongside Mayor John Whitmire at Houston TranStar on Friday, seemingly a show of unity after the separate news briefings they held during floods earlier this month. The storm took out 10 transmission lines, seven of which were in Harris County. Advertisement Article continues below this ad STORM LIVE BLOG: Houston storm death total rises to 5 as state plans to send resources to region Repairing that damage "could take weeks," Hidalgo said, adding that Centerpoint is bringing in thousands of workers from outside the area to help. Hidalgo said when she asked weather officials why they didn't see the massive wind event coming, she was told it was "at the peak end of an unlikely scenario to happen." Harris County hasn't seen such strong wind since Hurricane Alicia in 1983, Hidalgo said. Though the county judge was in Washington D.C. during the storm, she said she was able to get a seat on a plane Thursday night and arrive back in town by 3 a.m. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Neighbors survey damage around their homes near Bingle Road in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A US Postal Service truck is flipped on its side at the intersection of Bingle and Sowden in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. Brett Coomer/Staff photographer A man carries water on his shoulder as volunteers at the Memorial Assistance Ministries distributed water and ice, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston. As of Saturday afternoon, 486,000 people in the Houston area remained without power after a Thursdays thunderstorms killed at least seven people. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Jose Guzman, front right, gets food and water in the aftermath of a destructive storm Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston. Guzman lives with his 75-year-old mom and his daughter. Its nice, he said, adding that hes never received food aid before. Many Houstonians are still without power as temperatures climb. Staff and volunteers with Houston Independent School District and the Houston Food Bank worked in the heat to help residents around the school. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A volunteer sweats as she gives away food to people in the aftermath of a destructive storm Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A box of food aid sits during a distribution in the aftermath of a destructive storm Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston. Many Houstonians are still without power as temperatures climbed. Staff and volunteers with Houston Independent School District and the Houston Food Bank organized the food giveaway to help residents around the school. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Laundry-4U employees install new sheet metal siding along the roof of the business, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Laundry-4U employees install new sheet metal siding along the roof of the business, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Ramona Saldana and her husband Jose get food and water during a distribution in the aftermath of a destructive storm Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston. She said a tree fell on their house during the storm. Many Houstonians are still without power as temperatures climb. Staff and volunteers with Houston Independent School District and the Houston Food Bank worked in the heat to help residents around the school. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Margaret Cantu waits in the heat to get food and water from volunteers Saturday, May 18, 2024, at Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center in Houston. Im trying to forget the storm, it really scares me, she said. Cantu, 68, lives with her 70-year-old husband. She said they dont have power. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Andrew Hallard, a mechanic with Harris County Precinct 4, works through the heat to distribute food and water in the aftermath of a destructive storm Saturday, May 18, 2024, at the Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center in Cypress. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A woman keeps track of the number of vehicles served with food and water in the aftermath of a destructive storm Saturday, May 18, 2024, at the Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center in Cypress. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Cecil Haney, a fleet manager with Harris County Precinct 4, works through the heat to distribute water and food in the aftermath of a destructive storm Saturday, May 18, 2024, at the Richard and Meg Weekley Community Center in Cypress. Volunteers said the community center was still without power. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A line of electric trucks from Tennessee and Kentucky at the AMC Gulf Pointe movie theater at Beltway 8 and I-45 on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston, as help comes in after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening, knocking out power to nearly a half a million people. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Workers sit along on of several lines of tree trucks from Tennessee and Kentucky stage in a separate lot from the large number of electrical trucks at the AMC Gulf Pointe movie theater at Beltway 8 and I-45 on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston, as help comes in after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening, knocking out power to nearly a half a million people. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A line of electric trucks from Tennessee and Kentucky at the AMC Gulf Pointe movie theater at Beltway 8 and I-45 on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston, as help comes in after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening, knocking out power to nearly a half a million people. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Women pass a chopped up tree on the trail at Memorial Park on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A man walks around a fallen tree on the trail at Memorial Park on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A tree bucket truck pulls into a parking lot staging area for electric trucks and tree trucks from Tennessee and Kentucky at the AMC Gulf Pointe movie theater at Beltway 8 and I-45 on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston, as help comes in after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening, knocking out power to nearly a half a million people. Karen Warren/Staff photographer Several propane tanks await refill at 2650 Tidwell Road on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A line of people wait to refill their propane tanks at 2650 Tidwell Road on Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston, after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday evening. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A man checks his laundry at the Pine Shadows apartments, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Daniel Valdez places a fresh bag of ice in a cooler his brought on foot from his apartment as volunteers at the Memorial Assistance Ministries distributed water and ice, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston. As of Saturday afternoon, 486,000 people in the Houston area remained without power after a Thursdays thunderstorms killed at least seven people. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Hector Garcia, owner of OSO Coffee Co., gives a fist-bump to Erica Mata, a regular at the small Navigation Boulevard establishment, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston. As soon as we could, we started up the generator so people could have some relief, Garcia said, whose business hasnt had power since Thursday. There was a line around the block this morning. pEople are coming to charge their phones, just get some relief. For us, as a small shop, we needed to be open - if nothing else for our employees. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Hector Garcia, owner of OSO Coffee Co., hands a pair of puppuccinos to Lucia Maynec, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston. As soon as we could, we started up the generator so people could have some relief, Garcia said, whose business hasnt had power since Thursday. There was a line around the block this morning. pEople are coming to charge their phones, just get some relief. For us, as a small shop, we needed to be open - if nothing else for our employees. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer A man takes a photo of damaged windows along the side of Wells Fargo Plaza, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer CHRONICLE TRACKER: Texas power outages Hidalgo said the county has taken the unprecedented step of requesting that damage be combined from two weather events flooding that occurred earlier this month and Thursday's storm in hopes of meeting a threshold for residents to receive federal assistance. The damage from flooding alone was unlikely to reach the minimum requirement. "At that point, we will certainly have enough affected individuals," Hidalgo said. Hidalgo urged people to check on elderly neighbors and take caution when cleaning up debris. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "If you've never used a chainsaw before, today is not the day to start," Hidalgo said. Whitmire thanked first responders for their work and said overnight Houston received 50 officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety to boost the city's law enforcement resources downtown during the ongoing power outage. "We don't have power, which means you don't have burglar alarms," Whitmire said. "Don't even think about it if you're a bad guy." Though Hidalgo and Whitmire spoke from the same podium on Friday, the tension between them quickly surfaced. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Hidalgo, who always delivers her remarks in both English and Spanish, took a break after speaking in English so Whitmire could have a turn at the mic. Then, when Hidalgo was planning to deliver her remarks in Spanish, Whitmire invited Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones to speak. Hidalgo cut in saying all four precincts in Harris County had been impacted not just Briones' area and moved to begin her Spanish remarks. "I'm glad I made the approval list," Whitmire shot back. "Mayor, this is a disaster," Hidalgo said. "This is not the time." Advertisement Article continues below this ad Police have shot dead an armed attacker who was trying to set fire to a synagogue in the northern French city of Rouen, according to authorities. A male suspect entered the building early Friday morning and threw what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail, the local mayor said. The man climbed on top of a trash bin and got to the second floor of the synagogue, then threw the projectile into the building causing a fire, Rouen mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol told journalists at the scene. He was [quickly] brought down by security forces before trying to wrestle with them. He then tried to assault security forces with a knife, a long knife, the mayor said, adding it was then when security forces opened fired and killed the suspect. No one was hurt during the attempted attack, according to Mayer-Rossignol. Police arrived very quickly, partially because they saw the suspect on security cameras, he said. The local prosecutors office has launched two inquiries, one into the arson and the other into the police firing of arms, Mayer-Rossignol said. Chmouel Lubecki, a rabbi at the synagogue, told CNN affiliate BFMTV on Friday morning: Unfortunately, we were expecting this. We all have this worry inside of us, but when it actually happens, it is still shocking, he added. Frances Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted his support for the police who intervened. Early this morning, police officers in Rouen killed an armed individual clearly intent on setting fire to the citys synagogue. I congratulate them on their responsiveness and courage, Darmanin said. Rouen authorities had increased police presence at the citys synagogue following the October 7 attacks in Israel. Security measures have ramped up at Jewish institutions across France in response to tensions around the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. Darmanin last month announced additional security at synagogues and Jewish schools. As Passover approaches and given the current international situation, I have told local officials to significantly step up security at places visited by our Jewish compatriots, especially with regards to synagogues and Jewish schools, the minister wrote on X. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Jason O'Rear / Gensler San Francisco Big Tech firms are renowned for their unique and often large office spaces. Google's headquarters is a top tourist attraction, while Pinterest's Dublin office has its own pub. Take a look at some of the coolest tech firm offices. Big Tech firms are often commended for their striking offices, some of which have entire campuses. Take, for example, Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California. The Googleplex campus is even counted as a top tourist attraction thanks to its state-of-the-art buildings. The entrance to the main building has a T-Rex sculpture, which reminds employees not to become dinosaurs, CNBC reported. Major tech companies use their office spaces to represent their corporate identity visually, and it's yet another way they can attract top talent, the Californian design-build firm Ingenuity says. "If the goal is to appear cool and future-facing, which is the case with most tech companies, a drab and outdated office space will not do much to support this," the firm said in a website post. A good office design has also been said to contribute to employee satisfaction and boost productivity. Take a look at some of the coolest Big Tech offices. Nvidia's 'Voyager' headquarters in Santa Clara. Gensler/ Jason O'Rear Photography The futuristic headquarters comprises a 500,000-square-foot building called Endeavor and a 750,000-square-foot building called Voyager. Both are "Star Trek" references. Nvidia paid just over $374 million in May for the land, which includes eight buildings and two parking facilities where its headquarters is based, but it already owned the Endeavor and Voyager buildings, The San Francisco Standard reported. The shape of the roof was designed to bounce sound without reverberation. Gensler/ Jason O'Rear Photography The project's design principal, Hao Ko, previously told Business Insider that its design concept is "rooted in that idea that people do their best work when they are provided with a choice." Ko told BI the ceiling material was selected to help absorb noise. An expansive "four-acre workspace" also incorporates lush parks and "treehouses" designed for communal gatherings. The interior looks like a future spaceship. Gensler/ Jason O'Rear Photography Ko also said Nvidia challenged the Gensler team to create spaces that are inspired by the surrounding nature. There's plenty of greenery and outdoor space to work. Jason O'Rear / Gensler San Francisco According to Ko, "By refining the design of the workplace based on how people use it, we will continue to drive more innovation and a more resilient future." Spotify's office in New York. Aaron Thompson The music and audio streaming platform occupies several floors of the World Trade Centre in New York. The building has several podcast recording booths. Aaron Thompson There's also an arts and crafts room and a separate events space for new product launches. There's even a space to listen to some records. Aaron Thompson It has some fun features including a "that's so 90's" gaming room, a separate arcade games room, and an artist listening room. The New York Business Journal reported that the office has several statues of cats around it called "The Podcats." Mattias Stalhammar, Spotify's senior director and global head of workplace, told the publication that the statues are placed around the building as a nod to its pet playlist and its many podcast categories. The Googleplex campus is located in Mountain View, California. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images The company set up bee hives around its headquarters in 2010 to support the local bee population. Googlers also get access to fresh local honey and some of them even help with beekeeping and collecting honey. The campus is spread out over 2 million square feet. A building on the Google campus in Mountain View, California. Shutterstock It's Google's second-largest square footage assemblage of the company's buildings after its 111 Eighth Avenue building in New York City, which is 2.9 million square feet. Googleplex's architect Clive Wilkinson designed it after winning a competition in 2004, KQED reported. He worked directly with Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to develop the plans. It has a sand volleyball court. Justin Sullivan Wilkinson told KQED in a 2022 interview that some of the cool on-site features have made Googlers overly dependent on the firm, which he said was "dangerous." There's a small pool where Googlers can take a dip. Erin Siegal/Reuters The Googleplex designer reportedly said, "This notion that you can provide everything that would support a worker's life on campus might appear to be extremely generous and supportive but it also has a whole range of potentially negative impacts." Apple's headquarters is referred to as the 'spaceship campus.' Justin Sullivan Another tech giant that has an eye-catching office space is Apple. Its Cupertino headquarters, Apple Park, is a marvel of modern architecture and design. With its sleek and circular design, it's no wonder people liken it to a spaceship. There's an auditorium named after the late cofounder and former CEO Steve Jobs. People walk through the Steve Jobs Theater prior to an event at the Apple Park campus. Nic Coury/AFP via Getty Images The complex, designed by architecture firm Foster and Partners, debuted in 2017 when the iPhone X came out. It's place on a hill and the highest point of Apple Park. Arup, a structural engineering company that worked on the HQ, made headlines this year after reportedly being targeted in a deepfake scam. "Our financial stability and business operations were not affected and none of our internal systems were compromised," Arup told the FT. There's also a workspace resembling a Celtic forest Pinterest The area has a cool feature that reflects the weather outside through sounds. When it's sunny outside, you will hear birds chirping in this workspace, and raindrop sounds when it's raining outside. It's programmed to change every 20 minutes. The forest area has soft seating and workstations, complete with a second monitor and keyboard. The forest also has hidden features like decor resembling moss, mushrooms, and animals. Pinterest's Dublin office has its own pub Pinterest The pub has Guinness on tap and offers bar snacks. Kathy Aberin, Pinterest's director of workplace design and construction, told Business Insider that not having a pub and not having Guinness was a non-negotiable for the Dublin-based workers. Read the original article on Business Insider WASHINGTON Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Friday that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito should recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election after a new report said an upside-down American flag flew outside his home in the days after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and before President Joe Biden's inauguration. Some Trump supporters who were present at the Jan. 6 riot, fueled by former President Donald Trump's baseless claims that he had won the 2020 election, appear to have similarly displayed the flag around the time of Jan. 6 attack. Flying an upside-down American flag a symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movement clearly creates the appearance of bias. Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection," Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement. The Supreme Court is currently weighing two cases that touch upon Jan 6: Trump's presidential immunity claim in his election interference case, and an appeal brought by a man prosecuted for his role on the day when a mob of Trump supporters charged the U.S. Capitol. Rulings are due by the end of June. The New York Times reported Thursday that it had obtained photographs from the period after the 2020 election and conducted interviews with Alito's neighbors. The images showed, the Times said, that the flag flew upside-down outside his home on Jan. 17, 2021, three days before Biden's inauguration. The Supreme Court didnt respond to multiple requests for comment by NBC News. The report was the latest in a series of news stories that have raised questions about the court's ethical standards, with Alito and fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas frequent targets. Thomas has not stepped aside from the two Jan. 6 cases despite that fact that his wife, conservative activist Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, backed Trump's efforts to overturn the election results. In 2016, liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg faced considerable criticism, and later apologized, when she was critical of then-presidential candidate Trump in several media interviews, calling him a "faker" among other things. She did not step aside from any cases involving Trump or his administration. An upside-down U.S. flag is used as a symbol of distress, according to U.S. flag code. Oath Keeper Jason Dolan who pleaded guilty in 2022 to Jan. 6-related crimes also flew an upside-down American flag outside his Florida home in January 2021. Photos taken outside the Capitol during the riot show an attendee waving an upside-down flag. The Times also cited some Twitter accounts that recommended flying the flag upside down as a sign of distress after the 2020 election. It is unclear how broadly the symbol was otherwise used in the Stop the Steal movement or if the Alitos knew about the possible connection to Stop the Steal. The Times said it obtained the photos from neighbors who noticed the flag and took photos. The Times' report said that employees at the high court heard about it. In an emailed statement to the Times, Alito didn't deny that the flag outside his house flew upside-down and said it wasn't his decision. I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag, Alito said. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. The Times said interviews showed Alito's wife, Martha-Ann Alito, had been in a dispute with neighbors on the same block who displayed an anti-Trump sign on their lawn. Fox News' Shannon Bream said that Alito told her the disagreement started after a neighbor displayed a "F--- Trump" sign on their lawn, which was within 50 feet of a school bus stop. According to Bream, Alito said that after his wife brought it up to their neighbor, the neighbor put up a sign blaming Alito's wife for the insurrection. The justice said the neighbor later addressed his wife using vulgar language, "including the c-word," according to Bream. After that, Alito said his wife was distraught and hung the flag upside down "for a short time." Stephen Gillers, an expert on judicial ethics at New York University School of Law, said he doubted Alito knew the relationship of the upside-down flag to the "Stop the Steal" movement. While Alitos explanation for how it happened is hard to believe, it is more credible than the view that he knowingly chose to fly the flag upside down knowing its meaning, Gillers said. Based on what has been reported, Alito would not be required to recuse, Gillers added. The recently adopted Supreme Court code of ethics states that justices shouldn't engage in political activity and justices are supposed to step aside from cases if their impartiality can be questioned. The code, however, is only self-enforcing. Charles Geyh, a professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, said the likelihood Alito will recuse himself in those cases is at or near zero. He added that recent research confirms the Supreme Courts legitimacy is declining because the Court is perceived as being driven less by the rule of law than by ideological agendas. Gillers said of Alitos case, This doesnt help. Texas officials say residents in Houston may not have power back for weeks after deadly thunderstorms slammed the region Thursday. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the storm was known to have killed four people and may have killed a fifth person. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the search and tally of casualties was ongoing. The storms brought hurricane-force winds of up to 100mph in parts of the city, where they shattered windows, flipped vehicles and knocked out power for close to 1 million customers. The winds at times reached the same strength as Hurricane Ike when it hit Houston in 2008. A tornado also tore through an area of Harris County, leaving behind a path of destruction. Hidalgo provided an update to community members in a press conference Friday, but said at this time the city is still working to gather all the facts. Theres a lot we know and a lot we dont. Please give us until tomorrow 24 hours for more certainty, said Hidalgo. LIVE: Judge Hidalgo Gives a Severe Weather Update https://t.co/ImQWVQFOrn Office of Judge Lina Hidalgo (@HarrisCoJudge) May 17, 2024 Hidalgo said the city does not yet know the extent of damages, updated fatality or injury numbers or when power will be back. It will take an entire day for CenterPoint Energy, which services the area, just to assess power damages. At the peak, over 900,000 residents lost power, mostly in Harris County, and that number is still well over 700,000 as of Friday afternoon, Hidalgo said. Ten transmission lines were down, eight of which were for Harris County. Hidalgo asked for patience as she suggested that the outages will not be a quick fix. We are going to have to talk about this disaster for weeks, not days, she said. For some folks, the luckier ones, it might be days, not hours. If you are tied into the transmission lines that fell that can take weeks to restore, Hidalgo said. A storm brought down transmission power lines in Cypress, Texas. Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP While debris and trees have been cleaned up from major highways, that is not the case for residential roads and neighborhoods. If residents see any downed trees, they are urged to call 311 to report them or any other road blockages. Residents are also being warned about potential gas leaks. If you smell gas, the first thing you need to do is get out, Hidalgo said. Then, call 1 (800) 752-8036 to report it. Sixteen Harris County libraries will be open Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. They will act as cooling centers, offer activities for kids, access to computers and places people can charge their phones. In a press conference late Thursday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire had urged residents not to venture out. Stay at home tonight. Dont go to work tomorrow unless youre an essential worker, Whitmire said. Stay at home, take care of your children. Debris fills the feeder road near Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 near downtown Houston after severe storms passed through the area. Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP Schools in the Houston Independent School District were closed Friday. Whitmire also said most traffic lights were out. Power was also knocked out in neighboring areas of Louisiana. Earlier Friday, 160,000 residents reported outages in the state, according to PowerOutage.us. Now that number is just above 70,000. Storms are expected to move into Mississippi and Alabama by Saturday morning. Spanish police seized 1.8 tons of crystal meth from Mexico's Sinaloa Carte in the nation's largest seizure yet, officials said on May 16, 2024. Spanish police seized 1.8 tons of crystal meth and arrested five people from Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel earlier this month. The raid at the eastern province Alicante marked the country's largest crystal meth seizure and second largest in Europe, Spain's national police said in a news release Thursday. The leader of the cartel's operations in Spain was among the five people arrested. Officials also seized cash, abundant documentation, a detonating weapon and five vehicles, according to police. The cartel members installed a complex hydraulic system in a van to hide drugs in an effort to transport the narcotic. Video posted on X (formerly Twitter) shows officials uncovering packs of methamphetamine under the floor of the van. Desarticulada la infraestructura en Espana del cartel de Sinaloa con la intervencion de 1.800 kilos de metanfetamina, la segunda mayor aprehension de #Europa Operaban desde #Tenerife, #Madrid, #Valencia y #Alicante y han sido detenidas 5 personas pic.twitter.com/YUiu2HtJeD Policia Nacional (@policia) May 16, 2024 The cartel has operated in Tenerife, Alicante, Madrid and Valencie, the release said. Cartel shipped cocaine through washing machines In early 2023, police opened an investigation into the Tenerife-based group that trafficked cocaine from the peninsula to the Canary archipelago, police said. Investigators arrested one of the people who shipped household appliances with cocaine hidden inside through legal companies unaware of what they were carrying. Police uncovered 53 pounds of cocaine hidden in washing machines. Agents then learned that person was responsible for the trafficking operations out of the Valencia province and used a second vehicle as shuttle to "detect possible police controls," police said. 'Biggest-ever seizure of crystal meth in Spain' "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, said according to CBS. "Among those arrested is a Mexican citizen linked to the Sinaloa Cartel." Duarte implied the suspect received the narcotics in Spain before distributing them throughout Europe, CBS reported. The organization also stored shipments of methamphetamine in houses within the Valencia region and then distributed them throughout Europe using vehicles with false bottoms, according to Duarte. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spanish police uncover 1.8 tons of crystal meth from Sinaloa Cartel Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro (Texas) on Thursday accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) of having an alliance with white nationalists after he pardoned an Army sergeant who was previously convicted for shooting and killing a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester in 2020. Before Daniel Perry murdered a veteran in 2020, he told a friend he might go to Dallas to shoot looters. A year before, he wrote, to [sic] bad we cant get paid for hunting Muslims,' Castro wrote in a statement Thursday. Governor Abbotts alliance with white nationalists is putting dangerous people on our streets. The remarks came shortly after Abbott announced Thursday he issued a pardon for Daniel Perry, who was found guilty in April of last year in the death of Garrett Foster during a July 2020 protest in Austin, Texas. Perry, who is white and worked as an Uber driver at the time of the incident, had dropped a passenger off in downtown Austin and tried to move his car through a crowd of demonstrators when he said Foster, who was legally armed with an AK-47, aimed his rifle at him. Perry, who was also legally carrying a gun, fired at Foster, claiming he feared for his life. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, angering conservatives who argued he acted out of self-defense. Abbott subsequently asked the states parole board to review Perrys case. The board, appointed by Abbott, handed down a unanimous recommendation to pardon Perry, prompting the governors Thursday proclamation. Perry will be granted a full pardon and restoration of full civil rights of citizenship as part of Abbotts proclamation. Prosecutors argued Foster did not raise a gun, pointing to eyewitness accounts that dispute Perrys claims. Documents released last year showed Perry also shared racist content in private messages, including one where he likened BLM protesters to monkeys. I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo, he wrote. I was on the side of the protesters, he said, until they started with the looting and the violence. Other messages included white supremacist memes and Perry discussing the prospect of traveling to Dallas to shoot looters. Castro has served Texass 20th Congressional District since 2013, representing about half of San Antonio, located about 80 miles outside of Austin. The Hill reached out to Abbotts office for comment. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. woman hugging a dog For the Dogs Pet parents, just how great is your state for your dog? Our Fit Pets released a survey that names the top states for dog owners. The website analyzed this criteria: access to parks and nature, dog-friendly rentals, access to veterinarians, the number of dog sitters, and the states crime rates. These states made the top ten. DjelicS/istockphoto #1: Vermont Vermont wins as number one state for pups. There are 62 veterinarians per 100,000 people, which is more than the state average in other places. And if you're looking for a pet sitter, Vermont is a great place to be the state ranked fourth for highest number of dog sitters. Of course, the outdoor lifestyle also helps, as pups are more likely to get plenty of activity. christiannafzger/istockphoto #2: Colorado With an abundance of outdoor activities, it's no wonder Colorado is the second best spot for dogs. This state wins for the highest number of dog walkers per 100,000 residents: 24. That's 251.3 percent higher than the state average of seven. Related: 14 Types of People Who Should Never Own a Dog Matthew H Irvin/istockphoto Wyoming Another outdoorsy locale is one of the top spots. It comes in third because there's plenty of space to roam the survey showed that only 9.8 residents share every single kilometer of parks and wildlife areas. The state average is a lot more, at 50.723 people per that amount of nature. For more fun pet content, please sign up for our free newsletters. thinair28/istockphoto Oregon Yes, the weather can be rainy, but that's not stopping dog owners from getting their pets outside. Not surprisingly, the state scores high in the nature category. 400tmax/istockphoto Washington Right behind Oregon is Washington, which ranks high for dog sitters at 16.73 dog sitters per 100,000 residents. The state also comes with high scores for safety when dog walking. Grace Ulven/istockphoto #6: Montana This outdoorsy state came in second to Wyoming for access to nature. It's also the state with the second highest amount of veterinarians per 100,000 residents. Barna Tanko/istockphoto #7: Utah Dog owners in Utah enjoy ample outdoor space, which the state scored high for. Utah also scored high for dogwalking safety, beating out top 10 states like Montana. Michael Overstreet/istockphoto #8: Idaho Idaho come in third place in the nature score, which makes sense given the large amounts of open land. But if you need a dog sitter, you may have a "ruff" time finding one Idaho has the lowest number per 100,000 residents of all the top ten states. mountinez/istockphoto #9: Maine Maine scored the highest of all the states when it comes to dogwalking safety. The state also has a somewhat larger than average amount of veterinarians than other states. GoDogPhoto/istockphoto #10: Arizona Finally, Arizona rounds out the top 10 thanks to offering one of the highest amounts of rental homes that are pet-friendly. Nearly half of rentals are labeled as such, and the state beats other states' averages by having about 68 percent more pet-friendly rentals available. If you're curious who came in last, Louisiana is number 50. The state has a very low score for amount of dog sitters as well as dog walking safety. This article was originally published on Cheapism woman hugging a dog by Samson Katt (None) More From Cheapism Former President Trump on Thursday pointed to recent remarks from a CNN legal analyst to bolster his argument that he should not be found guilty in his hush money trial in New York. Trump, speaking with reporters following a day in court, listed off a series of news outlets and their respective analysts who have expressed doubts over the case against him, including CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. It was a very interesting day, it was a fascinating day, and it shows what a scam this whole thing is. And I think that seems to be the way everyone even CNN and [MSNBC] they have quotes over here, Trump said, pointing to a pile of papers in his hand. Throughout the trial, Elie Honig, this is a statement he just made Would not have even charged this case,' Trump added. Honig, who frequently joins CNN segments to break down the former presidents legal battles, expressed concerns this week about the prosecutions star witness, Michael Cohen. Cohen, Trumps onetime fixer and attorney, was grilled Thursday by Trumps defense team during cross-examination. During CNNs live coverage of the trial Thursday, Honig remarked, I dont think Ive never seen a star cooperating witness get his knees chopped out quite as clearly and dramatically as what just happened with Michael Cohen. A day earlier, Honig, who previously served as a federal and state prosecutor, suggested Cohens public dislike of Trump would be a bonanza for the former presidents legal team. The fact that Michael Cohen so obviously and over the top is consumed by hatred for Donald Trump, and wants him in prison, is celebrating and is selling T-shirts is outrageous. We sort of take it for granted because this has just been Michael Cohens public persona for the last five, six years. This should be a bonanza for cross-examination, Honig said Wednesday after hearing the Trump teams questions for Cohen. The Hill reached out to CNN for further comment. CNN host Anderson Cooper also said Thursday that Cohens cross-examination exposed serious doubts about his credibility, pointing to an exchange in which Trump attorney Todd Blanche accused Cohen of lying about an alleged call with Trump. I think its devastating for Michael Cohens credibility on this one particular topic, Cooper said. If I was a juror in this case watching that, I would think, This guys making this up as hes going along, or hes making this particular story up, he said of Cohen. Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to reimbursements made to Cohen for a payment made to porn actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to stay quiet about an alleged affair. The former president has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied any affair. The former presidents super PAC, MAGA Inc., echoed his argument in a statement Thursday, writing in an emailed statement, Even CNN and MSNBC Know That Alvin Bragg Had An Awful Day. The super PAC pointed to remarks made by other journalists about Cohens testimony, including MSNBC anchor Ari Melber, who said Thursday, I think the punches are building cumulatively. I think Tuesday there were bruises, and today there is blood. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former Houston Police officer Gerald Goines, right, leaves after a hearing at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Seventeen bullet holes can be seen on the front entrance of 7815 Harding Street, where five Houston Police officers were shot while serving a warrant Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, in Houston. Godofredo A. Vasquez/Staff photographer Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg arrives to court for a hearing in the case of former Houston Police officer Gerald Goines at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Lawyers for former Houston police narcotics officer Gerald Goines urged a judge to consider quashing two more felony murder indictments weeks before he goes to trial over the 2019 Harding Street raid deaths. The request filed earlier this month prompted Goines legal team and prosecutors to return to the 482nd District Court to argue whether the indictments, variations of what the judge quashed in March, properly specify the allegations enough for a yet-to-be-picked jury. Once picked, they will hear evidence about the no-knock warrant and shootout that led to the deaths of homeowners Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas. The defense argued during a March hearing, when the judge ended the original indictments, that the documents were flawed and unconstitutional. Prosecutors said then and again on Thursday that they are not required the spell out the underlying offense, in this case tampering with a governmental record. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Prosecutors have, regardless, made recent strides to tweak the new indictments. Appellate prosecutor Jessica Caird acknowledged issues with portions of the new indictment but said the case against Goines can proceed whether or not the judge approves their amendments, which remove two paragraphs. The judge has not ruled on their request. The district attorneys office in March chalked up the decision by Judge Veronica Nelson in March to quash the original indictments to attempts by Goines' defense team to delay his trial. The office also rebuked the judge for entertaining another look at the request, which Nelsons judicial predecessor considered a year earlier. The judges ruling forced prosecutors to seek new indictments, although the office could have appealed her order as well. In a rare show, District Attorney Kim Ogg observed the entirety of the hearing Thursday from the courtrooms gallery. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We brought these charges in good faith and after five and a half years, we believe that its high time the public know how these people were murdered and what was behind Harding Street and the botched drug raid, Ogg said after the hearing. The judge reminded both sides in court that she has no plans to postpone the June 28 start of jury selection for the trial. A federal judge last month urged Oggs office to take Goines to trial before their civil rights litigation goes before a jury. Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube, one of Goines lawyers, said the case has derailed toward theatrics with statements that likely werent intended for the court but possibly the audience members. Goines deserves his prompt date in court, she said. The defense attorney also took exception to a vast list of around 130 law enforcement officials, former Chief Troy Finner included, who prosecutors revealed could testify in Goines trial about a range of topics. The prosecutors noted which officials could likely testify or may testify but without any certainty, records show. Advertisement Article continues below this ad DeBorde Hochglaube was unable to find about 40 of those individuals mentioned in the evidence, she said. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. The family of Ruben Vardanyan, who has been illegally detained in Baku, call on the international community to demand for Ruben Vardanyans and the 22 other Armenian prisoners unconditional release. The Azerbaijani court has once again extended the pre-trial detention of Ruben Vardanyan, Armenian philanthropist, and former State Minister of Artsakh, who has been illegally detained in Baku since September 27, 2023. For eight months, the Azerbaijani authorities have flouted international law and human decency by keeping Ruben incarcerated without trial and without any proper process. They still refuse to say when any proper trial or hearing will take place on their so called charges. This decision to extend his detention by another five months without any due process is another gross violation of his basic human rights. While the international pressure on Azerbaijan continues to grow through the European Parliament resolution, US congress sanction bill and the French Senate resolution, we, the Vardanyan family, call on representatives of the international community - government, business and civil society - to demand for Ruben's unconditional release and the 22 other Armenian prisoners if Azerbaijan is to maintain the privilege to host COP29, which Azerbaijan has proclaimed to be the "COP of peace," the familys statement reads. Jared Genser, the Vardanyan familys international legal counsel stated that the extension of pre-trial detention is a flagrant violation of Ruben Vardanyans rights. The repeated extensions of pre-trial detention without an individualized and specific determination to justify the denial of bail is another flagrant violation of Rubens rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a treaty to which Azerbaijan is a state party. The only explanation for the extended delays is this case is political and that Azerbaijan doesnt have any actual evidence against Ruben to put him on trial. Therefore, he should be immediately and unconditionally released, said Genser. ACA Pacific has signed an distribution agreement with data recovery vendor Redstor for Australia, New Zealand (A/NZ) and the Pacific Islands. Redstors platform offers the ability to backup infrastructure, cloud-native workloads and software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based data through one application. The agreement, ACA said taps into its commitment to improve its solution offering with a cloud-first data recovery solution, with both parties committed to deliver training and support. Redstors innovative technology complements our extensive expertise and commitment to adding real value, ensuring that our partners and their customers have access to the most advanced tools for data safety and business continuity, said ACA Pacific A/NZ general manager Mark Gill. Redstor CEO James Griffin added that the partnership would see the vendor expand its presence in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. In January, ACA Pacific expanded its portfolio through a deal with GCN Group, giving it access to products from over 400 vendors around the world. New Delhi: In an urgent hearing on Friday evening, the Supreme Court sought a response within a week from the Election Commission on a plea by an NGO seeking a directive to upload polling station-wise voter turnout data on its website within 48 hours of the conclusion of polling for each phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The top court, urged earlier in the day by lawyer Prashant Bhushan to hear the plea urgently, assembled in the evening after an Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) function to bid farewell to Justice A.S. Bopanna. Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud termed the request of the poll panel seeking time to respond to the plea as "fair." The bench said the Election Commission should be given reasonable time to respond and listed the matter for hearing before an appropriate bench during the summer vacation on May 24, a day before the sixth phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the poll panel, said the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has levelled "absolutely false allegations" in the plea. He noted that a recent judgment by another bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, had addressed issues also part of the present case. The Justice Khanna-led bench had on April 26 rejected pleas for reviving paper ballots and 100 per cent cross-verification of votes cast on electronic voting machines with voter verifiable paper audit trails. Bhushan opposed Singh's submission, arguing that the issue relating to voter turnout data was not part of the earlier petition. Earlier in the day, the CJI had asked the counsel appearing for the Election Commission to take instructions, indicating that the matter would be heard at the end of the board. ADR had filed an interim application last week in its 2019 PIL, seeking directions to the poll panel to upload "scanned legible copies of Form 17C Part-I (Account of Votes Recorded)" of all polling stations immediately after the polls. The NGO requested, "Direct the Election Commission to provide tabulated polling station-wise data in absolute figures of the number of votes polled as recorded in Form 17C Part-I after each phase of polling in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections and also a tabulation of constituency-wise figures of voter turnout in absolute numbers in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections." New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) leader Sonia Gandhi made an emotional plea, entrusting her son Rahul Gandhi to the people of Rae Bareli, her former constituency, declaring, "Rahul will not disappoint you." She thanked the people for allowing her to serve as MP for 20 years. "Everything I have is because of you. So, brothers and sisters, I am giving you my son. Consider him as your own," she said. The rally at Rae Bareli was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and their alliance partner, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. Trying to connect with the voters emotionally, Mrs Gandhi asked the people to embrace Rahul Gandhi as one of their own. "I have imparted the same lessons to Rahul and Priyanka that Indira Gandhi and the people of Rae Bareli taught me: to respect everyone, protect the vulnerable, and fight against injustice for the people's rights. Do not be afraid, because your history of struggle and traditions run deep," she said. Sonia Gandhi was first elected MP from Rae Bareli in 2004 and represented the seat until earlier this year when she vacated it upon being elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Rahul Gandhi is contesting from Rae Bareli this time. Mrs Gandhi also thanked the people of Rae Bareli for their support over the years. "You gave me the opportunity to serve you as MP for 20 years. This is the greatest asset of my life," she said. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav stated that the BJP had faced defeat in the first four phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, and the people of Uttar Pradesh had cornered the saffron party in the state. He criticised the BJP's handling of the farm bills and urged voters to reject the BJP. Yadav accused the BJP of failing to fulfill promises of job creation and alleged deliberate leaking of question papers to avoid providing employment opportunities. "The papers for every exam were leaked, not just one, but more than 10 exams' papers," he asserted. Patriarchate spokesman Farid Jubran tells AsiaNews: the community "happy and surprised" by an "unexpected" visit resulting from the patriarchate's diplomatic efforts. An "emergency" situation in which "food, doctors and medicines" are lacking. The humanitarian initiative of the Knights of Malta to meet the population's needs. The embrace with the vice-parish priest and the Greek Orthodox bishop. Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - "Now I am here with you, I love you and I accompany you, I follow with attention the news" coming from your community. "And be assured that we are working for a just, complete and true peace". These are the words that the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins, Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, addressed to the faithful of the Gaza parish during the first visit that the cardinal - accompanied by parish priest Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, who was also unable to reach the Holy Family for months - made to the Strip. It was an unexpected two-day visit, but welcomed with joy by the hundreds of Christians who have been guests of the parish since the beginning of the conflict launched by Israel against Hamas, in response to the 7 October attack. "They were very happy, surprised," the patriarch's spokesman, Farid Jubran, tells AsiaNews. "Very few knew about it, the deputy parish priest [Fr Yusuf Asad] and a few other people, but everyone felt very happy and encouraged in this witness of their faith. "The Gaza community is certainly not living an easy situation" and a situation of "worry, fatigue, tension and uncertainty about what will happen in the future" prevails, Jubran continues, however "they have a lot of faith" that allows them to face the difficulties. 'The emergency,' he adds, 'is first of all physical because of the need for medicine, doctors, food. They don't even have hygiene products, the necessities of everyday life, which are missing and cannot be found. Then there is the aspect of lack of belonging, because everyone experiences the condition of being a refugee in a closed place' and does not know 'what happens outside, to their families, friends and relatives'. According to the data provided by the Patriarchate, there are currently at least 500 refugees in the Holy Family parish compound in Gaza, the vast majority of whom are Catholics. Another 200 are guests of the Orthodox Church of St. Porphyry. Before the conflict erupted in October, there were 135 Catholics in the Strip, of whom there are now about 90 left after a small number managed to leave the war zone in recent weeks. In addition to Card. Pizzaballa, since the first days of the conflict Pope Francis himself has followed the evolution of the situation with attention and concern, launching repeated appeals for peace and keeping in daily contact with the vice-parish priest and the nuns who have remained in the parish all this time. Card. Pizzaballa entered the Strip yesterday through a secret passageway and there is the utmost secrecy about the organisation and channels that allowed him to get the go-ahead from the Israeli government and army, which has been fighting a bloody war in Gaza against Hamas for months. "One must consider that very few people," the patriarch's spokesman continues, "whether religious, politicians or ambassadors have had the opportunity to enter Gaza" and the cardinal "is the first" of this calibre and authority to do so. "And he went," he adds, "to bring a message to the people, to give them a great signal of encouragement". This morning the cardinal "is still" in the Strip, the spokesman confirms, and at the moment "it is not yet known whether he will return [to Jerusalem] today or tomorrow", extending his stay by one night. What is certain is "that the Gaza parish priest Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, who is accompanying the Patriarch on his visit, will be able to stay with his faithful in the Holy Family. For months," Farid Jubran emphasises, "he was prevented in his role" because at the outbreak of the war he was in Bethlehem on 7 October returning from Rome and the Israeli authorities had so far not allowed him, despite repeated requests and entreaties, to return to his people. "At least they have this encouragement, this element of strength: Pastor Romanelli is absolutely determined to stay". On his visit, Patriarch Pizzaballa is accompanied by Brother Alessandro de Franciscis, Grand Hospitaller of the Sovereign Order of Malta, by Fr Romanelli, missionary of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, and by a small delegation of others. Yesterday, the Cardinal presided at Mass in the Church of the Holy Family and visited the Greek Orthodox parish of St. Porphyrios, where he met the Archbishop of Gaza, Alexios of Tiberias, and the parish priest Fr. Silas Habib. "The Patriarch," explained the spokesman, "had long wanted to go to Gaza, there had been various attempts to enter, but this time the opportunity to enter actually presented itself. We cannot elaborate more, say in detail how he entered, from where he entered, but the opportunity presented itself and he took advantage of it. We can say with certainty that this visit is the fruit of the work of the Patriarchate and confirms once again the bridging, peaceful role of the Church, which seeks first and foremost to maintain its presence'. As the cardinal emphasised yesterday in his homily at Mass, they are going through "many difficult moments, tragic situations" but have remained "firm in their free choice to remain in this land and we are with you". "This whole visit," said Farid Jubran, "is a significant moment for the Patriarch both personally and as a pastor, and for all his people. From the photos I have seen, one of the most touching moments was the meeting with the elderly, then the embrace with the vice-parish priest, and again the meeting with the Greek Orthodox bishop in the Saint Porphyrios complex". Finally, the visit also represented the first stage of a joint humanitarian mission by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Sovereign Order of Malta (SMOM), in cooperation with Malteser International (an NGO that is part of SMOM) and other partners. A joint initiative aimed at delivering essential foodstuffs and medical assistance to the population of Gaza. "The Patriarchate strongly supports this humanitarian project with the Knights of Malta," the spokesman concludes, "and we hope that it will continue in the near future. (Photo by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem) Today's news: Vietnam has lost billions of dollars in foreign aid due to the ongoing anti-corruption campaign; Japan approved joint custody of children for divorced couples; South Africa appealed to the International Criminal Court demanding an end to the military operation in Rafah; The problem of natural disasters in Tajikistan. INDIA The UK has imposed further controls on all spice products imported from India. In recent weeks, Hong Kong and Singapore had reported finding carcinogenic substances in powdered spices sold by two Indian companies. In an order dated 8 April, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had raised the maximum permitted limit of pesticide residues in spices and herbs. VIETNAM Vietnam has lost at least USD 2.5 billion in foreign aid over the past three years and could lose another billion due to bureaucratic red tape and the ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which has created administrative paralysis as officials, fearful of breaking the rules, are taking decisions more slowly. This is stated in a document by the United Nations, the World Bank and some Western donors. The potential losses correspond to about 1% of the Gross Domestic Product. JAPAN This morning the Japanese parliament approved a bill introducing joint custody for divorced couples with children, a practice already widely used in many countries. Until now, custody was allowed to one parent, usually the mother. The legislation will enter into force within two years and will have retroactive effect. SOUTH KOREA The Seoul High Court rejected a request by striking doctors to suspend the government's plan to increase the number of medical places. This gave the government the green light to make all the necessary changes for next year, but the striking doctors are continuing to strike, even though they have less and less support from the public. SOUTH AFRICA - ISRAEL South Africa has asked the International Criminal Court to order Israel to stop its military offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza, which began 10 days ago. Israel will provide its response to the court today. South Africa has also requested access to Gaza for aid workers, journalists and investigators. The court is already considering a case filed in January by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. TAJIKISTAN Tajikistan's Civil Defence service released statistics on the population living in areas at risk of natural disasters such as avalanches, landslides and floods, affecting 72,000 families and more than 400,000 people who need to be relocated to safer territories, abandoning their often squatter homes. RUSSIA-UKRAINE The Russian Ministry of Culture has expressed its non-objection to handing over the 'Chersoneso in Tauride' memorial museum in Simferopolis to the Russian Orthodox Church, as requested by the Crimean Metropolitan, Tikhon (Sevkunov), who has already opened a men's monastery next to the Unesco heritage museum in recent months. A portable classroom is damaged from Thursdays storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. The portable building sustained roof and ceiling damages. Two portable classrooms were damaged and one regular classroom also sustained damages from a tree fell through the roof. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A portable classroom is damaged from Thursdays storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. The portable building sustained roof and ceiling damages. Two portable classrooms were damaged and one regular classroom also sustained damages from a tree fell through the roof. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Houston Independent School District F. Mike Miles gives a press conference regarding to the storm damage assessment of the school district while a tree in the courtyard fell over Thursday night and damaged a classroom Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. Miles said the school district is planning to be back on Monday. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Pugh Elementary School is photographed Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A tree fell through the roof and damaged a science lab during Thursdays storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. Two more classrooms in a portable building also sustained damages at the school. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A tree on the school field is snapped due to Thursdays storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A portable classroom is damaged from Thursdays storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. The portable building sustained roof and ceiling damages. Two portable classrooms were damaged and one regular classroom also sustained damages from a tree fell through the roof. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer Houston ISD reported that nearly half of its campuses are without power as of Friday and dozens have sustained wind and tree damage following severe storms Thursday. State-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles closed school Friday because of the safety of our kids," and he was aiming to have all HISD schools open by Monday after 136 campuses lost power. However, he said district was probably not going to be able to open all campuses by then, given the extent of the power outages and storm-related damage. ABout 122 campuses remained without power Friday night. Four HISD schools sustained such severe damage that they may not be ready to open Monday, and others may remain closed if power isn't restored, but the exact number of schools that may remain closed Monday is still unknown because the cleanup process is ongoing, Miles said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad HISD said is working with CenterPoint Energy, city and county officials to ensure it can safely serve approximately 184,000 students next week. Miles said the district plans to inform parents over the weekend about whether their childs school would be open or closed on Monday. Even on Monday, if we don't have power in some schools, even if the building isn't affected, we probably will not send kids to those schools, but let's wait and see how that turns out before we make any decision about that, Miles said. Miles visited the four campuses that sustained the most extensive damage Sinclair, Pugh, Robinson and Paige elementaries Friday to evaluate the extent of the damage and establish a plan for school operations next week. THE REPORT CARD: Subscribe to the Houston Chronicles weekly newsletter recapping HISD news A portable classroom is damaged from Thursdays storm Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. The portable building sustained roof and ceiling damages. Two portable classrooms were damaged and one regular classroom also sustained damages from a tree fell through the roof. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer At Pugh Elementary, a tree split in half and partially fell into a science lab, leaving the room with a hole in the roof and debris and storm water gathered on the floor. The storm also ripped the majority of the shingles off the roof of two second grade classrooms in a separate building and caused several of the ceiling tiles and other debris to fall to the floor. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Keith Garcia, principal of Pugh Elementary, said the damaged rooms would likely be unusable for the rest of the year, and the campus would have to merge the second grade classrooms when classes resume. However, he said once the campus is able to reopen, he hopes resuming the school routine will provide children some normalcy after the storms. What's sad about this community is that this is the area where we feel it the most, Garcia said. We want the community members to be like Man, what can we do to help? and I think the safest bet is if the (students) come back to school and have normalcy, theyll get that continuation of Hey, we got hot food here. LIVE STORM UPDATES: Harris County Judge Hidalgo says power outages could last for weeks HISD also reported that two Westside High School students were injured when their bus got stuck in the storm on the Hardy Toll Road, but it was not aware of any other injuries involving HISD students or employees due to the storms. Miles said winds from the storm picked up the bus and slammed it back down. He said one student fractured her shoulder and another student, along with the bus driver, sustained cuts from glass, and they are now at home and recovering. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Houston Independent School District F. Mike Miles gives a press conference regarding to the storm damage assessment of the school district while a tree in the courtyard fell over Thursday night and damaged a classroom Friday, May 17, 2024 at Pugh Elementary School in Houston. Miles said the school district is planning to be back on Monday. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer The district has also postponed its Educators of the Year event planned for Friday evening, but it plans to share a new date for the event as soon as possible, according to a media release. Briargrove Elementary School families organized a protest by City Hall after some of their teachers were asked not to return next academic year, parents said. Corey Flores, a Briargrove parent, said this protest was postponed due to storm damage. HISD postponed an in-person campus staff hiring event to June 1, according to a Facebook post by the district. The district will give access to all pre-registered teacher candidates to "a virtual hiring opportunity." Unless there are special cases decided by the pontiff, the Church will no longer issue declarations on the supernatural nature of such phenomena, but will only issue a non-committal recognition of their pastoral value when there are no mystifications. These phenomena are associated with many shrines in Asia. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Faced with stories of apparitions, the Church, as a rule and unless specifically indicated by the pontiff, will no longer rule on the supernatural nature of these phenomena. In an expedite way, local bishops, always involving the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, will from now on simply establish whether signs of an action of the Spirit are recognised and whether there is any pastoral value in recommending the dissemination of the message, even through pilgrimages. The changes come with the new Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena, approved by Pope Francis and released today by the Vatican. The new procedures acknowledge that Many times, these events have led to a great richness of spiritual fruits, growth in faith, devotion, fraternity, and service. In some cases, they have given rise to shrines throughout the world that are at the heart of many peoples popular piety today. However, the new rules also aim at avoiding cases of opposing judgments on the same phenomenon expressed by the Church at different times and various levels. Signed by the prefect of the dicastery, Card Victor Manuel Fernandez, and the secretary, Mgr Armando Matteo, the new rules are centred on the desire to keep their faithful always attentive to the signs of the divine presence in our midst, but also to protect the faithful from all deception. As a rule, writes Card Fernandez, these potential conclusions do not include the possibility of declaring that the phenomenon under discernment is of supernatural origin that is, affirming with moral certainty that it originates from a decision willed by God in a direct way. Instead, a nihil obstat is granted that is, the acknowledgment of the absence of objections which indicates that the faithful are authorized to give [the phenomenon] their adhesion in a prudent manner. While if it is no longer a declaration on the supernatural nature of the facts, it is a help which is proffered, but its use is not obligatory. The new norms will now recognise for six different possible outcomes at the end of the investigation into each phenomenon; in addition to the nihil obstat, which corresponds to a fully positive evaluation of the phenomenon, there are five other specific outcomes, in cases in which bishops and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith identify in the messages or in the way of managing the forms of this devotion, reasons for caution or even doubts. The last outcome entails declaring an event as not supernatural, for those cases in which it is evident that the phenomenon is not supernatural based on concrete evidence, such as the confession of an alleged seer or credible evidence of falsification. These new rules concern phenomena that also closely affect the spiritual experience of many Christian communities in Asia, where many shrines have sprung up in places that the devotion of the faithful has linked to Marian apparitions. Among the 15 on which the Church has formally spoken, one is in Japan, Our Lady of Akita (pictured), where the Virgin appeared to Sister Agnes Sasagawa, a Buddhist convert to Christianity. In 1988 then Card Joseph Ratzinger, in his capacity as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that the messages of Our Lady of Akita are reliable and trustworthy. Along with this example, the Churches of Asia have also preserved many other stories of supernatural phenomena, often to comfort populations affected by suffering and persecution. The remembrance of Marian apparitions is associated, for example, with the Shrine of Velankanni, India, where, according to tradition, Our Lady revealed herself to a Hindu boy in the 16th century, as well as Our Lady of La Vang, in Vietnam, where the Virgin brought comfort to local Christians during the great persecution in the late 18th century. Chinese Catholics remember Marian apparitions that took place in 1900, during the wave of violence against Christians associated with the Boxer Rebellion, above all Our Lady of China, also known as Our Lady of Donglu, in the Diocese of Baoding (Hebei), where the Marian devotion has long been the target of repression by Chinese authorities against underground Catholic communities. by Steve Suwannarat According to the Israeli army they were killed immediately on 7 October during the attack on kibbutz Be'eri. The fate of six other Bangkok citizens believed to be in the hands of Hamas remains unknown, as does Nepalese student Bipin Joshi, Meanwhile, thousands of Thais are trying to find work again in Israel as farmers. Bangkok (AsiaNews) - Two of the Thai citizens so far believed to be prisoners in Gaza have died. Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Sudthisak Rinthalak were actually killed immediately on 7 October, during the Hamas attack on Israeli territory, while they were employed in agricultural work on the Be'eri kibbutz four kilometres from the border with the Strip. Announcing their death at a press conference last night was Israel Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari. "On 7 October, Hamas terrorists brutally murdered 39 Thai citizens and kidnapped 31 others, taking them to Gaza," Hagari said, recalling that other foreign nationals had also been kidnapped. Of the Thais, 17 had been released at the end of November during the one-week truce by returning home, followed by another six in December. The foreign ministry in Bangkok confirmed that it had been informed by its embassy in Tel Aviv of the deaths 'based on available evidence' and informed the families. The ministry called for 'the immediate release of all remaining hostages, including the six Thai nationals in Gaza, to allow their safe return home' and urged the parties to 'put as much effort as possible into negotiations leading to an urgent solution to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza'. There were 30,000 Thais in Israel on the eve of the massacre, the largest foreign labour migrant community along with the Filipino community. Many were employed in agriculture in the areas close to the border with Gaza and thus most exposed to Hamas action. In recent days, the Thai Employment Department reported that 30,000 Thais are seeking to return to Israel, while the department is working on the quota of 5,000 jobs in the agricultural sector made available by Tel Aviv for the second half of the year. Besides the Thai hostages, in the hands of Hamas in Gaza remain the young Nepalese student-worker who arrived in Israel less than a month before being captured. His family has repeatedly urged the Kathmandu government to work towards his release. The issue was also raised a few weeks ago during the visit of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the Himalayan country. Champion local news. Join our community of readers who value daily beat reporting and in-depth stories alike. Your membership allows us to continue the legacy of local, independent journalism in the Roaring Fork Valley. With your support, we can remain a free and accessible source of news for everyone, always without paywalls or corporate influence. Together, we can ensure that vital local stories are told. About 450,000 members on Texas Children's Health Plan may have to change insurance providers by 2025, if the state upholds its decision to exclude Texas Children's from a major Medicaid contract. Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer The Texas Childrens Health Plan is pushing back on the potential loss of a major state contract to provide Medicaid STAR and CHIP coverage for children in low-income families and pregnant women, as well as some other adults. The loss of the contract would mean most of its 450,000 members throughout Southeast Texas will have to find new insurance plans by next year a disruption that health plan officials say will be especially burdensome for a vulnerable population. The contract awards have not been finalized. It makes absolutely no sense to me or anybody else Ive spoken with, Texas Childrens Health Plan President Michael Murphy said in an interview with the Chronicle. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He worries that patients will lose access to health care providers and case managers they have come to trust. All those bonds are going to be broken and have to be reestablished, he said. Medicaid STAR covers low-income children, pregnant women and families, while CHIP covers children in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford to buy private insurance. Both programs cover regular doctor visits, prescription medication, hospital care and other services. In addition to a widespread effect on patients, a contract loss would strike a devastating financial blow to the health plan, a nearly 30-year-old nonprofit affiliated with Texas Childrens Hospital. The plan was created for the sole purpose of serving the Medicaid and CHIP population in the area. Texas Childrens has protested the decision and sued the Texas Health and Human Services Commission over what it calls a flawed process for awarding contracts. Two other childrens hospital-affiliated plans in Texas have filed their own protests after failing to secure a contract. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In its protest, Texas Childrens Health Plan acknowledged that its business may not be sustainable without a Medicaid and CHIP contract. On Monday, however, Murphy told the Chronicle that it would not have to shut down. We would have to take a serious look at the business, as weve done at present with all the different changes going on, and decide what adjustments we need to make, Murphy said. But no, we would not shut down as a result of (the contract loss). In a statement, Texas HHSC said it expects a transition to a new health plan will be as seamless as possible for members and their providers. How did we get here? States are tasked with administering their own Medicaid programs, but most rely on managed care organizations, like Texas Childrens Health Plan, to coordinate care for Medicaid patients through different networks of health care providers. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Texas HHSC periodically starts a competitive bidding process to determine which managed care organizations will take on that responsibility in different regions of the state. Texas Childrens Health Plan has maintained a contract with the state for 25 years to serve Medicaid and CHIP patients in southeast Texas. But when Texas HHSC started the current bidding process in 2022, the agency had developed new criteria to evaluate managed care organizations. Health plans that did not receive contracts say the new criteria did not fairly evaluate their historical performance and gave other national for-profit insurers a competitive advantage. What is Texas Childrens saying about the problem? In its protest, Texas Childrens detailed a list of problems with the current bidding process. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The health plan said Texas failed to weigh important factors in its scoring, including the plans historic performance and commitment to the Medicaid and CHIP programs. Murphy pointed to a recent report card published by the state in March that shows Texas Childrens is among the highest performing plans in the Houston area. HHSC also failed to give preference, as required by state law, to organizations that traditionally serve a high number of Medicaid patients, Texas Childrens said in its protest. Instead, the process gave large, for-profit conglomerates a leg up, according to the protest. Texas Childrens highlighted one example of the advantage: Multiple national insurers went through a separate bidding process for a different Medicaid program, STAR PLUS, before organizations submitted proposals for the Medicaid STAR and CHIP programs. The childrens hospital plans did not submit a proposal for STAR PLUS, but those who did could have used the feedback to refine their proposal for the STAR and CHIP contract, according to Texas Childrens and other health plans that did not receive a contract. All the health plans that submitted proposals for STAR PLUS scored higher on their proposals for the STAR and CHIP contract, records show. The unfair advantage is not speculation, said Jason Neerman, vice president for business development at CareSource Bayou Health, one of the organizations that did not receive a STAR and CHIP contract. The improved scores, he added, unquestionably illustrate the extreme advantage they obtained from inside information. Advertisement Article continues below this ad HHSC did not respond to questions about the alleged bidding advantage by press time. Additionally, one national insurer, Aetna, caught a glimpse at other organizations' proposals during the bidding process for the STAR and CHIP contract, the Texas Tribune reported last month. Texas HHSC said it sent them the documents in error, according to an email cited in the Texas Childrens protest, and asked them to destroy the documents as a courtesy. Aetna, which was one of the five organizations tentatively awarded a contract for the service area that includes Houston, referred questions about the error to HHSC. We remain confident in Aetnas ability to deliver excellent service and value across these Medicaid contracts, a spokesperson said. Whats going to happen to Texas Childrens Health Plan members? If the Texas Childrens protest fails, it will have an opportunity to appeal. If the states contract decision is upheld, then many of the 450,000 members on the Texas Childrens plan will have to find new insurance plans by September 2025, when the current contract expires. Based on the tentative contract awards for the Houston area, members will have to choose from plans offered by Molina Healthcare, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Wellpoint (formerly Amerigroup) and Community Health Choice. Its not yet clear how those plans might differ from those offered by Texas Childrens. Beyond losing its core membership, theres another reason why childrens health plans are worried. Without funding to administer the STAR and CHIP program, they may not have the financial cushion to support members covered by STAR Kids, which serves children and young adults with disabilities. Texas Childrens Health Plan is one of the states largest administrators of STAR Kids, with 27,000 members over a coverage area that extends to the northeast reaches of Texas. The population is comparatively small and volatile, with complex medical issues that often involve nine to 15 pediatric specialists. Jasmine Lyle hugs her dog Roscoe on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at her campsite in the Heights neighborhood in Houston. Lyle and her partner say police shot her dog when they came into their campsite in the middle of the night. The dog had wounds to its head, shoulder and leg, and it struggled to walk and lay down. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Roscoe, a one-and-a-half-year-old dog in the Heights, was shot by a Houston Police officer searching for a burglary suspect, according to police and the dogs owners. Jasmine Lyle said she, her partner and Roscoe awoke, panicked and confused, around 3 a.m. on May 3. Men were shouting outside for them to come out, and from within the tent where they were living off of White Oak Bayou, they could see bright flashlights pointed at them, she said. They opened the tents door, and Roscoe, who was on a leash, exited first, said Lyles partner, Chris Sharp. The next thing they knew, the dog had been shot through the ear and into the shoulder. Roscoe disappeared into the woods while Lyle was detained by the police, and Sharp, who did not match the burglary suspects description, ran after him, Sharp said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Roscoe rests in the shade as a wound heals on his ear Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Houston. Roscoes owners Jasmine Lyle and her partner Chris Sharp say that police shot Roscoe when they came into their campsite in the middle of the night. The dog had additional wounds to its front shoulder and leg. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A Houston Police Department spokesperson said that the dog was aggressive in nature and tried to bite the officer and the owner was asked to control the dog more than once before the officer fired. HPD policy authorizes officers to use any response necessary, including deadly force, to prevent someone from being attacked by an animal. "Any dog would bark," Sharp said. "What do you think any dog would do woken up at 3 in the morning?" Lyle was distraught by Roscoe's injury, saying the brindled, 55-pound pup of a blue nose pitbull and black German shepherd is "like my kid because I can't have kids anymore." She and Sharp spent hours searching for Roscoe upon her release. Roscoe rests in the shade with Jasmine Lyle and her partner Chris Sharp on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, along Heights Boulevard in Houston. The pair say police shot their dog when they came into their campsite in the middle of the night. The dog had wounds to its head, shoulder and leg, and it struggled to walk and lay down. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer The Chronicle has requested footage from the officers' body-worn cameras during the incident. The police department estimated the request would take until October to fill due to a backlog and understaffing after multiple officers were promoted out of their positions working with body-worn camera footage and another officer died. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Veterinary Emergency Group stabilized Roscoe, but two bones in his shoulder and upper leg are now broken, Sharp said. According to Sharp, it would cost upward of $8,000 for the veterinarian to do surgery to mend the bones. Its much cheaper around $300 to amputate the leg, but he would rather see if the bones could mend on their own before contemplating that option. Officers were responding to a burglary call that morning at a nearby luxury apartment complex, Assembly at Historic Heights, police said. Someone had broken the windows of the leasing office. By the time Houston Police Department officers arrived, a Precinct 1 deputy was already there and said a male suspect had run off into the woods. That's where the officers came across an encampment. Roscoe looks up at Jasmine Lyle on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at their campsite in the Heights neighborhood in Houston. Lyle and her partner say police shot her dog when they came into their campsite in the middle of the night. The dog had wounds to its head, shoulder and leg, and it struggled to walk and lay down. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Jasmine Lyle hugs her dog Roscoe on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at her campsite in the Heights neighborhood in Houston. Lyle and her partner say police shot her dog when they came into their campsite in the middle of the night. The dog had wounds to its head, shoulder and leg, and it struggled to walk and lay down. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer The suspect is still at large, police said Tuesday. Lyle and Roscoe had just moved to the new encampment because police had cleared her previous encampment days before. She thought the new encampment was the perfect location because its in the woods where the police (us) leave alone. Advertisement Article continues below this ad After police let her go, she searched for her dog but could not find him. We didnt find him until daylight, she said. He had gone to our old camp, and he was curled up where we would find him. They were dissatisfied with what they heard from the governor, Hayk Ghalumian. Nevertheless, they decided to restore traffic through an adjacent highway blocked by them on Thursday morning hours after the government resumed preparations for the land handover. They gathered outside the village administration house to discuss their further actions. I didnt really care about this meeting, said one woman. At the meeting, I only told them that I will not leave my home. Ghalumian refused to talk to the press after the short meeting held behind the closed doors. The protesting villagers demanded on Thursday that he meet them in the presence of journalists. The government announced on Wednesday night that senior Armenian and Azerbaijani officials signed another protocol formalizing the handover of border areas adjacent to several Tavush villages. Kirants would he affected hardest as it would lose not only agricultural land but also some of its houses and a key bridge connecting it to the rest of the country. The bridge is part of one of Armenias two main highways leading to Georgia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has said that the government will build a road bypass in the next few months. Speaking to state television late on Thursday, the secretary of Armenias Security Council, Armen Grigorian, said that only four structures in Kirants, including a house and a village shop, will fall under Azerbaijani control. People have ownership certificates which they [the authorities] now say are false, said one local man. But how are they going to pay compensations based on false documents? Many other Kirants houses and the village school would move to within a few dozen meters away from the new Azerbaijani border posts. The villagers view that as a grave security risk. This explains why Kirants was the epicenter of angry protests in Tavush sparked by the initial announcement of the border deal on April 19. Security forces cleared a protest camp there on May 2 to allow military and other officials to prepare for the land transfer. The process was suspended on May 7 as the protest leader, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, and his supporters marched to Yerevan to demand Pashinians resignation. 17 May 2024 16:31 (UTC+04:00) By Farman Aydin, AZERNEWS Vitaly Balasanyan, a criminal who killed Azerbaijanis and once worked as the 'chairman of the security council' of the so-called regime in Garabagh, tried to grab public attention with his dull statement to the local press in Yerevan. He mentioned the return of the people of Garabagh but calling it 'artsakh', and peevishly claimed that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President Ilham Aliyev, and Russian President Vladimir Putin are responsible for this issue. He also referred to the capitulation document signed by Armenia before Azerbaijan on November 10, 2020, through the mediation of Russia, and touched on the issue of the implementation of its articles. Balasanyan says that the provisions of the document 'must be implemented'. The question is whether the document talks about Garabagh, or, as he mentioned, artsakh in his own manner. In general, according to international laws, a claim against the territory of a country and an illegal change of topographical name are considered crimes. Balasanyan tries to follow in the footsteps of Arayik Harutyunyan, Ruben Vardanyan, and others who are imprisoned in Baku. However, he still cannot imagine what fate awaits him with these confident actions. Another issue in the document is related to the activity of Russian peacekeepers, which are considered necessary only if Armenians are present in Garabagh. Otherwise, the presence of Russian peacekeeping units in Garabagh is an additional waste of money and time. At this time, we return to the main issue, which is the living of Armenians in Garabagh according to the current conditions: First of all, it should be noted that the Armenians who left Garabagh for Yerevan with their own volition unequivocally renounced Azerbaijani citizenship. Everyone remembers that until September 2023, Azerbaijan repeatedly appealed to the Armenians in Garabagh regarding citizenship. Despite various negative responses, Azerbaijan once again appealed to the Armenian community in Garabagh. However, the appeals remained unanswered, and as a result, Armenians had to decide for themselves whether to leave the territories. Whether the Armenians living in Garabagh are ethnic Garabagh residents is still a separate issue. We know that thousands of Armenian refugees from Lebanon and Middle Eastern countries were brought to Garabagh during the occupation. At that time, Armenia tried to claim that it outnumbered Azerbaijanis in Garabagh, based on an artificial demographic indicator, before the eyes of the world community. However, Azerbaijan has statistical data on Armenians living in Garabagh during the Soviet period, and citizenship passports are issued based on these statistics. In addition, terrorist organisations and some criminal groups that once operated in Garabagh had close relations with the residents living there. For example, many videos obtained by drones prior to anti-terrorist measures clearly show that civilians also played a role in smuggling weapons into the Garabagh region. In this regard, the Republic of Azerbaijan is still continuing the investigative search and has put those criminals on the list of internationally wanted people. Certainly, the so-called artsakh politician Balasanyan, who spoke to thickets of microphones, is wanted by Azerbaijan himself, and he, like the others, is expected to be among those in Baku prison. One thing that should not be forgotten is that the local residents of Armenia no longer believe in Balasanyan and similar elements who are trying to disrupt security in the South Caucasus. Armenia is still unable to recover from the heavy consequences of its defeat in the Second Garabagh War. During the negotiations on the return of 4 villages in Gazakh to Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia appealed to the local people with the following statement: "Today, Armenia should give the territories belonging to Azerbaijan. Otherwise, it may cost more for Armenia." It seems that the Armenian leadership has learned from its mistakes in 2020, but the elements of the so-called regime still persist. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 19:36 (UTC+04:00) Fatima Latifova Read more Following the terrorist attack against the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran in January of last year, one of the main focus of the negotiations between Baku and Tehran was the issue of security. During the last few months, the expectations of Azerbaijan were conveyed to Tehran within the framework of contacts and negotiations between the officials and relevant institutions of the two countries. Today, Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to the local media inquiry on the work carried out in the direction of restoring the activities of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He said that the new location of the embassy has already been determined. "Currently, appropriate measures are being taken to create the necessary conditions for the Embassy in the said venue and building. After the mentioned works are completed, it is planned to restore the activity of the Embassy in the new venue, Aykhan Hajizada noted. However, at a time when Tehran wants to normalise relations with Baku, some media outlets affiliated with SEPAH continue to use threatening rhetoric. Thus, Kayhan newspaper, which is the press organ of Iran's religious leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei's office, published threatening statements against Azerbaijan in its article on the Gaza issue. In the article, it reads, "If you ignore it, it's your turn after Israel!" published with the title. Also, in some parts of the article, Israeli-Azerbaijani relations were touched upon, and it was emphasised that more than half of Israel's energy needs are met by Azerbaijani oil. At a time when relations with Azerbaijan are normalising, the irresponsibility of the Tehran office is not accepted unequivocally. Apparently, Iran wants to announce that it will not give up its anti-Azerbaijani policy. In the published blackmail article, it was demanded to stop the transportation of oil from Azerbaijan to Israel. The author of the article claimed that if Azerbaijan stops selling oil to Israel through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Israel's economy will collapse. It is worth noting that the economic and political relations established between Azerbaijan and other countries, as well as trade, should not be in the interest of the third state. It should be taken into account that Iran itself did not raise a voice for Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani lands and the displacement of nearly 1 million people, more than half of whom are Muslims, for 30 years. Tehran seems indifferent to what is happening in the areas close to its border, but it activates the principle of "justice" in the events in distant regions. It should be noted that Azerbaijan voted for the independence of Palestine in the UN vote. Baku is in favour of ending the ongoing war in Gaza, and is even ready to provide financial support for the reconstruction of the region in the future. Tehran ignores these facts and acts only with the thought of doing evil. On the other hand, the arrest of people serving Iran's agency network in Azerbaijan also worries this country. Periodic protests draw the attention of Muslims in Azerbaijan in the wrong direction and create conditions for the implementation of insidious plans under the guise of religion. However, it should not be forgotten that Azerbaijan is one of the countries that shows maximum tolerance for the religious freedom of all its citizens. There are thousands of mosques, churches, and synagogues here. It is unacceptable that Iran is trying to brainwash the Muslim population living in Azerbaijan, turning the Islamic religion and, most importantly, people's beliefs into a tool in politics. The fact that the Islamic Republic did not take any action against Iranian citizens who called Azerbaijanis to "religious brotherhood" on social networks and spread the idea of establishing a "Karima" state in Azerbaijan is an indication that the steps taken are in line with the state's interests. Iran literally tries to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan through such so-called organisations that raise slogans under the motto of "freedom". Tehran should not forget that the Syrian option does not work in the South Caucasus, and to provoke people with religious slogans, on the contrary, further harms Iran's reputation. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 10:40 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more KamART Art Gallery will host art exhibition "Azerbaijani National Cuisine" by young artists on May 20-21, Azernews reports. The exposition to be presented at Shah Palace Hotel reflects the diversity of Azerbaijani cuisine: these are meat dishes and pastries, dolma, kebabs, dairy dishes and flour products, snacks, pickles and sweets, syrups and preserves - interesting and colorful compositions reflecting the cuisine of different regions. Along with food, the paintings show the interior of the house, household items, dishes, carpets, and tablecloths located there. Also in the paintings you can see tandir, oven, saj and barbecue used in preparing Azerbaijani cuisine. Along with this, the works also depict historical monuments belonging to different regions. The author of the idea and curator of the project is the director of the gallery, Kamala Jafarzade. The President of the National Culinary Association, Honored Cultural Worker Tahir Amiraslanov, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Rashad Jabarov and laureate of international projects Samir Gafarov took part in the project and advised the authors. The exhibition consists of 55 art works on canvas from 26 artists. The exhibition will also feature a catalog of works from the exhibition. The main purpose of the exhibition is to draw attention to the cultural heritage and culinary traditions of Azerbaijan and support talented young artists. On March 16-17, the exhibition was presented in Tokyo with the support of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Japan and aroused great interest. Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az. ---- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 12:44 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more The Azerbaijan Culture Ministry has received the prominent actor, film director, People's Artist of Azerbaijan Abdul Mahmudbayov, Azernews reports. At the meeting on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the People's Artist, on behalf of the staff of the Culture Ministry and the cultural community of the country, Abdul Mahmudbayov was congratulated on his anniversary and wished all the best. At the event, it was noted that the state shows great attention and care to all spheres of culture, including cinema. The activities of cultural and art figures who contributed to the development of national cinema are highly appreciated. For his services in this area, Abdul Makhmudbayov was awarded the honorary title People's Artist and was awarded a personal presidential pension. It was noted that the images that the actor embodied in the movie found a great response from the audience. Also at the meeting, the work of Abdul Makhmudbayov as a director was highly praised. Honored Artists Jamil Guliyev, Baba Vaziroglu, Orhan Fikratoglu and others present at the meeting spoke about the creative activity of Abdul Mahmudbayov. Then Abdul Mahmudbayov was awarded an Honorary Diploma of the Culture Ministry for his contribution to the development of Azerbaijani culture. Abdul Makhmudbayov expressed gratitude for the attention and congratulations. ---- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 14:36 (UTC+04:00) To promote the art and schools of carpet weaving in Europe, which are closely related to the rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, the lifestyle and ancient traditions of our people, on May 15, 2024, the opening ceremony of the exhibition of Azerbaijani carpets "Genetic Code of Memory-Azerbaijani Carpets," was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Latvia and "Azerkhalcha" OJSC at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga within the framework of events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Latvia, Azernews reports. At the exhibition's opening ceremony, Elnur Sultanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Latvia, underscored the historical significance of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Latvia, which is being celebrated in 2024. He expressed his delight at the opportunity to present, for the first time in Riga, the exquisite examples of the national art of carpet weaving, a heritage preserved by the Azerbaijani people for centuries. The Ambassador stated that this exhibition will strengthen the active cultural relations established between our countries. He noted that the performance of Azerbaijani tar, presented to the exhibition's guests, gave the event a special flavour. Azerbaijani carpet weaving, tar making, and performing arts have been included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. E. Sultanov emphasised the value of the three carpets, woven in a modern style by "Azerkhalcha", that were donated to the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design of Latvia. This generous act, made possible by the order of "PASHA Holding" Limited Liability Company and "PASHA Bank" Open Joint Stock Company, will ensure the permanent display of Azerbaijan's carpet weaving art in Latvia. This significant contribution will undoubtedly enhance the promotion of Azerbaijani culture in Latvia. At the event, Emin Mammadov, Chairman of the Creative Group and the Board of Management of "Azerkhalcha" OJSC, emphasised Azerbaijan's strong commitment to its national moral values and efforts to showcase its culture globally. He highlighted the significance of carpet weaving in Azerbaijani folk art, stating that it has become a symbol of the people. Mammadov also underlined the special place of Azerbaijani folk-applied art, particularly carpet weaving, in the nation's cultural history. He discussed the various carpet weaving schools showcased at the exhibition and emphasised "Azerkhalcha" OJSC's primary goal of preserving and further developing the tradition of carpet weaving. Mammadov mentioned that the company collaborates with local and foreign artists and designers to create contemporary carpets based on traditional designs, contributing to the continuous development of carpet art. He also discussed the company's efforts to preserve and develop the art of carpet weaving, pass it on to future generations, and provide employment opportunities for weaving women, particularly those living in rural areas. Agnese Latse, the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Culture of Latvia, Inese Baranovska, the head of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, and Iveta Derkusova, the deputy director of the collections of the Latvian National Art Museum, delivered a comprehensive speech at the exhibition. The speakers emphasized that the display of the unique collection of carpets at the exhibition was a significant event in the cultural life of Latvia. They expressed their gratitude for the three carpets donated to the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design by "PASHA Holding" LLC and "PASHA Bank" OJSC. During the speeches, it was also mentioned that the similarities between the ornaments of Azerbaijan and Latvia attract attention, reflecting the mutual cultural connection that has influenced the cultures of both countries. It was noted that the 150th anniversary of the birth of the prominent Latvian artist and ethnographer Yuliy Straume was celebrated this year. The display of handcrafts featuring unique carpet patterns collected by Y. Straume during his trip to our country at the exhibition embodies the deep cultural ties between our countries. The speakers expressed confidence that the Latvian public will welcome the exhibition and play an essential role in developing cultural relations between the two countries. The event was attended by members of the Latvian government and Parliament, heads of diplomatic missions, representatives of local cultural, social, and media organisations, and members of the Azerbaijani community living in Latvia. At the exhibition, a captivating film showcasing the art of carpet weaving and renowned carpet weavers was projected on the big screen. Additionally, an Azerbaijani carpet weaver demonstrated the intricate weaving process live, providing a unique insight for the participants. Before the exhibition on May 14, Emin Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of Management of "Azerkhalcha" OJSC, and Asmar Babayeva, creative director, held a presentation on Azerbaijani carpet making at the Latvian Art Academy. They spoke about Azerbaijani carpet weaving art and schools, and the company's weaver visually showed the weaving process to the participants during the event. The exhibition will last until September 15, 2024. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 10:00 (UTC+04:00) Fatima Latifova Read more According to the training plan of the Land Forces for 2024, the Artillery units held live-fire tactical exercise, Azernews reports. 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. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 13:00 (UTC+04:00) Nazrin Abdul Read more To foster a culture of environmental stewardship and sustainability among youth, the "Clean Lake" Youth Eco-Action and Forum convened in Goygol, Azernews reports. The gathering attracted over 120 enthusiastic young participants, along with representatives from diverse organisations. Throughout the forum, panel discussions were organised on various topics, including "identification of Azerbaijan as one of the five national priorities for socio-economic development until 2030 as a country of clean environment and green growth," "activities of young people in the "Clean Sky" cleaning campaign in the last year," and "Environmental health, restoration, and the increase of greenery, as well as efforts to ensure efficient use of water resources and sustainable energy sources." Young people's questions were addressed during these panel discussions. In a tangible display of commitment, following the forum, youth actively engaged in planting 100 pine trees (Eldar sam) in a specified area within the Goygol region. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Downed transmission power lines are shown near Grand Parkway and West Road after the storm hit Cypress Thursday evening. Melissa Phillip/Staff Photographer Restoring power to the areas hardest hit by Thursday nights storm is expected to take several days or longer, CenterPoint Energy said Friday. In certain parts of our service area where the damage to our infrastructure was significant, our restoration efforts are expected to take several days, and some of the hardest hit areas could take longer, said Lynnae Wilson, CenterPoints senior vice president of electric business. LIVE UPDATES: Tornado hit Cypress and roofs ripped off Houston apartments Advertisement Article continues below this ad We are mobilizing all our available resources, as well as mutual assistance resources from nearby utility companies, to begin the process of quickly and safely restoring power to our customers. We appreciate our customers patience and understanding as we focus on the important work ahead, Wilson said. By around 5 p.m. Friday, more than 589,000 CenterPoint customers were without power in Harris County, according to CenterPoint's outage tracker, down from more than 700,000 earlier in the day. There were 4,430 active outages. An active outage refers to each incidence electrical equipment is damaged and causing power losses, according to CenterPoint spokesperson Logan Anderson. One active outage can, and often does, affect numerous homes and businesses. Meanwhile, one customer home or business often includes numerous people. Nearly 28% of customers in the city of Houston and around 15% of customers in Harris County were without power as of 8 p.m. Friday, down from 35% and 20% late Friday morning, according to CenterPoints outage tracker. Nearly 922,000 customers lost power at the height of outages. More than 340,000 customers have been restored in the last 24 hours, according to a 7 p.m. Friday update from CenterPoint. Restoration work is expected to continue through the weekend and into early next week. CenterPoint has mobilized a workforce of approximately 2,000 field workers and support staff. Numerous Texas utilities have sent their crews to Houston to help, including San Antonio's CPS Energy and Texas-New Mexico Power. Information on particular areas will be provided to customers as repairs begin, CenterPoint said, noting that restoration times may be delayed as crews continue to assess damage. The company serves approximately 2.6 million customers across the Houston area. The hardest-hit area was likely over the U.S. 290 corridor from Jersey Village to Waller, in the north region west of I-45, according to CenterPoint. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Strong winds caused significant damage to the regions electric system, including in Bellaire, Cypress, Baytown, Greenspoint, Humble and Spring Branch, according to CenterPoint, which planned to deploy mobile generators at certain substations to enable the company to temporarily restore power to certain areas. Harris County Lina Hidalgo on Friday afternoon revised a statement she made earlier in the day that complete restoration of service could be a matter of weeks and not days, saying after conversations with CenterPoint officials that outages could be repaired in days, not weeks if the utility is able to bypass damaged transmission lines. Hidalgo said officials could determine during the weekend if a bypass can bring homes online. Thursday's storm took out 10 transmission lines, including seven in Harris County, Hidalgo said Friday morning. Multiple are located on the west side of the county and around Cypress, which could see longer restoration times because they depend on those lines, she said in a Thursday night statement. Metal transmission lines carry power over long distances; wooden distribution lines are more commonly found near homes. Anderson, the CenterPoint spokesperson, said, the more accurate description is days. She said CenterPoint's smart meter technology can isolate issues on its system and, when able, reroute service around sections that can't carry electricity because of storm damage. CenterPoint shared a photo of a toppled transmission line affecting 115,000 customers in northwest Houston Friday afternoon on X, formerly Twitter. Advertisement Article continues below this ad CenterPoint said it would prioritize restoring outages impacting critical infrastructure first, such as hospitals, police and fire departments before restoring service to areas that affect the most customers and those where people have reported depending on lifesaving equipment. Severe weather may have damaged customer-owned equipment as well, CenterPoint said. Customers should check their weatherhead, the point where power enters the home, which is often a pipe located on the side of the building, the company said. If that equipment is damaged, customers will need to ask an electrician to make repairs before CenterPoint can restore their power, according to the utility's statement. The company's downtown office is closed, with more than 500 windows blown out by the storm's strong winds, Anderson said. CenterPoint employees instead gathered at another location to coordinate emergency operations. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 17 May 2024 12:14 (UTC+04:00) Fatima Latifova Read more A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, Switzerland, regarding the organization of the Parliamentary meeting within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - COP29, Azernews reports. According to the information provided by the Parliament to Trend, the document was signed by the Speaker of the Milli Majlis, Sahiba Gafarova, and the General Secretary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Martin Chungong. Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Chairman of the Milli Majlis noted the importance of the signed document and said that the Parliament meeting will support the events to be held within the framework of COP29 on the parliamentary platform. According to him, this event will allow parliamentarians to exchange ideas and come up with proposals and new ideas in the fight against climate change. The speaker expressed confidence that the meeting will be held at a high level with the joint efforts of the Azerbaijan Milli Majlis and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, who said that Azerbaijan is proud to host such a prestigious event as COP29, noted that this is an indicator of the recognition of our country's efforts in the fight against climate change not only on a national, but also on a regional and global scale. Martin Chungong happily recalled his visit to Azerbaijan and his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev and thanked the head of state of Azerbaijan for his support. He stated that this document was created as a result of the negotiations with the Milli Majlis and said that the Parliament meeting will be a historic event in terms of parliamentary diplomacy and joint struggle against global challenges. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 15:16 (UTC+04:00) Ali Asadov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, met with a delegation led by Temesgen Tiruneh, Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Azernews reports. During the meeting, Ali Asadov emphasised that Azerbaijan attaches vital importance to the development of relations with African states, including Ethiopia. The sides hailed the cooperation between the two countries within international organisations. Highlighting the importance of seizing available opportunities to strengthen bilateral ties, the two underscored the dynamic collaboration in public services and social innovations in recent years. They stressed the significance of a Memorandum of Understanding signed during the visit of the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister. This MoU envisions the establishment of centres in Ethiopia based on the "ASAN Xidmet" concept. The meeting also saw discussions on expanding relations between Azerbaijan and Ethiopia across various sectors. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 17:11 (UTC+04:00) Ulviyya Shahin Read more The accreditation commission of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), renowned worldwide in the field of architectural education, has visited the Azerbaijan Architecture and Construction University (AzACU), Azernews reports, citing AzACU. The purpose of their visit is to accredit the Architecture Faculty of AzACU for the next five years. It was noted that the rector of AzACU, Gulchohra Mammadova, met with members of the accreditation commission. The rector stated that RIBA accreditation holds significant importance for AzACU. Professor Gulchohra Mammadova, recalling the accreditation process conducted in 2019, highlighted that this process provided the university with extensive experience, as well as the opportunity to formulate a modern approach to architecture education, develop a competitive strategy, and utilize contemporary teaching methodologies. Professor Gulchohra Mammadova further added that over the past five years, AzACU has achieved significant success. She said, "During the RIBA accreditation, we gained valuable experience. Aligning the criteria of the Architecture Faculty with the criteria of RIBA accreditation laid a solid foundation for our future successes. Over the past five years, the number of students in the Architecture Faculty has increased, the level of competitiveness has risen, new modern specialties have been introduced, the quality of education has been further improved, and bilateral diploma agreements have been signed with two prestigious European universities (Politecnico di Milano in Italy and the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom). I believe that the next accreditation will bring us new successes." Professor Karl Meddings, speaking on behalf of the commission, expressed his gratitude for the conditions created for accreditation and stated his satisfaction with being in Baku. Subsequently, discussions were held regarding accreditation-related matters. During the discussions, clarity was provided on issues such as the university's financial mechanisms, the level of scientific research, development strategy, vision for the future, and other directions. The commission has been reviewing the necessary documents and criteria for accreditation for the past two days and conducting meetings with both the faculty of Architecture and other staff members of the university. It should be noted that AzACU passed the RIBA accreditation for the first time in the EAEU region in 2019 for a period of five years. Following the successful accreditation by internationally influential organizations like RIBA, AzACU stands alongside prestigious architecture education institutions in countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, France, China, South Korea, Denmark, Poland, and others. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 17:16 (UTC+04:00) The French side must apologise for the recent remarks about Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson of Azerbaijans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as he responded to a question from the local media regarding the reference to Azerbaijan as a dictatorship by Gerald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior of France. Such statements against Azerbaijan by France are completely unacceptable and have been strongly rejected by us. Fundamental rights and freedoms are completely secured in Azerbaijan, in contrast to France, where human rights are grossly violated, protesters are killed during riots, and there is widespread Islamophobia and attacks on Muslims, as well as anti-Semitism, he said. Azerbaijan has always been shaped and grown as a society committed to democratic values since the restoration of its independence. Azerbaijan is a country where people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds coexist in a friendly and secure environment. The French side must apologize for this remark. Should this not be the case, it will lead to further negative consequences for the relations between Azerbaijan and France, Aykhan Hajizada added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 17 May 2024 21:19 (UTC+04:00) By Alimat Aliyeva The Ministries of Transport of Kazakhstan and Latvia today signed a Memorandum on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TMTM, Middle Corridor), Azernews reports. "Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Marat Karabayev met with his Latvian counterpart Kaspars Briskens. During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the current state and prospects for the development of the transport sector in Kazakhstan and Latvia, and a Memorandum on the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route was also signed," the ministry said. Karabayev noted that Kazakhstan and Latvia are actively developing transit and transport cooperation. One of the significant aspects of cooperation is the permanent joint working group on transport. "This group covers a wide range of issues in the field of rail, road, air transport, transit and logistics," the head of the ministry noted. According to the Kazakh Minister, today the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route has acquired a special role as an alternative to other routes. This is evidenced by a twofold increase in cargo transportation volumes by the end of 2023. "In order to increase the capacity of TMTM, as well as eliminate bottlenecks on the route, work is being carried out to improve infrastructure and terminal facilities, expand port facilities, increase rolling stock, remove administrative barriers and create favorable conditions for carriers, which will increase the capacity of TMTM to 10 million tons per year by 2025," Karabaev shared. He also invited Latvian investors to jointly implement infrastructure projects. "We are ready to strengthen cooperation in the field of transport and logistics to mutually increase the volume of transit cargo flows, establish and develop transport routes, share best practices in the field of multimodal transportation and logistics processes," he stressed. According to the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, today Latvia, along with Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia and Hungary, have expressed interest in joining TMTM. Within the framework of the International TMTM Association, a Roadmap has been signed for the simultaneous elimination of bottlenecks and the development of the Middle Corridor until 2027 with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye. During the official visit on January 31 of this year, a similar Memorandum on the development of TMTM was signed with Romania. The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route is an international transport corridor running through China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and further to Turkiye and European countries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Zip Code A snapped tree blocks one lane on southbound Studemont Street at Washington Avenue Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A car driving around a fallen tree, which blocks one southbound lane, on Studemont Street at Washington Avenue Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer A man looks at a fallen tree resulting from a severe storm on Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer People move a fallen tree out of the street at Prairie and Travis Street downtown after a strong thunderstorm moved through on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. Karen Warren/Staff photographer A car is visible under a fallen tree in downtown Houston on Prairie near Travis after severe storms moved through the area Thursday, May 16, 2024 Kirk Sides/Staff photographer A large tree is seen after it fell on a home after heavy winds and rains ripped through the region, Thursday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer A large tree is seen after it split and fell onto a car and part of a home after heavy winds and rains ripped through the region, Thursday, May 15, 2024, in Houston. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Hurricane Beryl's powerful wind gusts toppled many trees as it swept through Houston on Monday, sending them falling into homes, bayous, yards and streets. So, who's responsible for cleaning them up? Houston city officials encourage residents to report downed trees and debris to 311 if they are blocking a public right-of-way. The city, though, will not remove trees from private properties. Homeowners must find help elsewhere if they cannot remove the trees themselves. Advertisement Article continues below this ad There are a slew of tree removal companies in Houston and some nonprofit organizations, like Trae tha Truth's "Relief Gang," that help residents clear trees and other damage after storms. LIVE UPDATES: Houston is in for a day of dangerous heat while more than 1.7 million are still without power What happens if a neighbor's tree damages my property? When a tree falls across property lines and damages a house, car or other property, it can cause confusion about who should take responsibility for removing the debris and paying for the damage. In almost all cases, the person whose property sustained damaged is on the hook, according to Ryan Marquez, director of the University of Houston Law Center's Civil Practice Clinic. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "Normally its going to be the person whose property the tree falls on," Marquez said. "If it falls on your house, its usually considered an 'Act of God.'" The exception, Marquez said, is if the tree was known to be diseased or damaged in some way and the property owner had reason to know that before the storm. In one case after Hurricane Ike, a client's trailer home was ruined by a fallen tree. There had been prior complaints about the tree, though, and the property owner was warned to take it down. That provided a clear example of when the responsibility shifts, Marquez said. To submit a service request for a tree blocking a street or sidewalk, visit the City of Houston's website. The Biden regime is at it again tryiing to usurp the power of Congress by doing an end run around Congress by executive fiat. The issue this time is trying to impose EEOC rules that radically change Title VII of the Civil Rigts Act to put the "rights" of so-called transgenders ahead of the rights of everyone else. Eithteen states are standing up to Biden's power grab and have filed suit to stop it, led by Tennessee.. This comes as Peru has just classified transgenderism as a mental illness. https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2024-05-15/peru-declares-transgenderism-mental-illness Under the new rules, companies would have to allow biological men to use womens restrooms and locker rooms, force employees to use "preferred" pronouns, allow employees to dress as the opposite sex, and other mandates. They are changing what Congress passed back in 1972 without even asking Congress. Under our separation of powers, Congress is supposed to make the law, and the executive branch only enforce it, but Dictator Biden seems to think he can make the law, too. Sadly, North Carolina's radical left Attorney General (and Democrat nomiinee for governor) Josh Stein, has refused to join this common sense lawsuit. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/05/16/18-states-sue-biden-administration-over-transgender-workplace-mandates/ These "gender neutral" spaces are a threat to womens privacy as shown by a recent case in Colorado, where a peeping tom was in a "gender neutral" dressing room at a major departmnet store surrepticiously photographing women as they undressed. One saw him photographing her as she was taking her pants off and held him in a headlock for 20 minutes until police arrived. https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2024/05/16/watch-colorado-woman-wrestles-peeping-tom-in-gender-neutral-dressing-room/ A physician in East Norwich, N.Y., has been ordered to close his practice and surrender his license for illegal opioid prescription, News 12 Long Island reported May 16. From 2020 to 2021, Alan Nelson, MD, prescribed at least 92,700 milligrams of oxycodone to a patient without a medical purpose. He pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful distribution of oxycodone and was sentenced to six months in prison and three years of supervised release, according to the report. He also must pay a $20,000 fine. The New York State Medical Department required Dr. Nelson to surrender his license April 24. Victoria (Texas) Eye Center, Victoria Surgery Center and Victoria Vision Center alerted patients of a data breach, according to a May 17 news release. The practice on March 21 found certain computer systems were inaccessible because of a malicious file encryption. VEC launched an investigation and found an unknown party gained access to a "limited number" of systems and files. VEC hasn't recieved reports of any fraudulant misuse of information affected by the breach. Optum's ASC arm, Deerfiled, Ill.-based SCA Health, quietly purchased at least two cardiovascular providers in 2023, National Cardiovascular Partners and Pivotal Healthcare. National Cardiovascular Partners comprises 21 cardiac catheterization and vascular labs. The platform was previously owned by Fresenius Medical Care, which confirmed in a January news release that it sold the organization. The group is now listed as part of SCA Health on the company's website. "Our evolved partnership with NCP exemplifies the opportunity for achieving successful collaboration, resulting in clinical expertise and strategic business outcomes," cardiologist Andrei Damian, MD, said on the site. SCA Health also acquired Pivotal Healthcare in July 2023, according to Pitchbook. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.-based cardiovascular care platform has 11 affiliate practices and 14 locations, according to the company's website. As of 2023, the most recent available information, SCA Health has more than 320 ASCs making it one of the largest ASC chains in the U.S. Becker's has reached out to SCA Health and will update this story if more information becomes available. Broken windows are seen following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle) Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A crane sits on top of a cement truck at an address where authorities say a man was killed when a crane fell on the cement truck he was sitting in during the previous nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle) Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Neighbors looking at a building under construction that collapsed during last nights storm on Memorial Heights Drive Friday, May 17, 2024 in Houston. According to a neighbors security camera, the building collapsed at 6:31pm Thursday. Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer At least seven people died as a result of Thursday evening's powerful storm in Houston, according to Mayor John Whitmire's office and the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Houston police Friday morning were investigating two deaths caused by falling trees, a third that came when a crane fell on a cement truck and a fourth with an undetermined cause of death, according to Christopher Hassig, commander of the department's homicide division. A powerful thunderstorm tore over Houston starting around 6:30 p.m. bringing high winds and rain across wide swaths of the city. The sheriff's office later confirmed they were investigating the death of a man who collapsed while moving a power pole. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Whitmire said the storm produced 100 mph winds, comparable to the strength of Hurricane Ike, which struck the city in 2008. Police provide more information on deaths Police investigators Friday morning said one of the deaths came in the 7300 block of Wingate. A person was working on a construction project and sitting in a cement truck when a portable crane fell during high winds and landed on it. Emergency responders pronounced the person dead around 7 p.m. Another death happened when the storm suddenly hit in the 6800 block of North Main St., according to witnesses. A man and two others were in a backyard when two ran inside after hearing a loud storm noise. When they tried to call the third person, he didnt respond. They went back outside and found him under a fallen tree. He was pronounced dead around 7:20 p.m. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Emergency responders received a third call from a man who said he and his wife had been at a barbershop when the storm arrived, police said. The woman left to get their vehicle so they could leave and when the man went outside a minute later, he found her lying on the ground with a tree limb on her. Emergency responders didnt find signs of trauma and she was pronounced dead around 7:30 p.m. One woman was killed inside a vehicle in her driveway, according to police. A witness said shed gone outside to move the vehicle because of the storm and that, after hearing the loud sound of a tree falling, shed been found inside the vehicle with the tree on top of it. She was pronounced dead around 7:20 p.m. Crews continue working on power It could take 48 hours for power to be restored throughout the city, Whitmire said Thursday. Whitmire and public safety officials urged people to stay off the streets throughout the evening. He said traffic lights were down across much of the city, and roads are blocked by debris and live power lines. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "Itll be a long night," Whitmire said. Acting Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite said that police officers would be patrolling shopping centers, pawn shops and "dark areas of Houston" while the power remains out. "Stay home were youre safe," Satterwhite said. Help us by honoring what the mayors request is. Houston Fire Department Chief Sam Pena said firefighters were responding to multiple gas leaks and downed power lines. He urged people who smelled gas in their homes to leave immediately and then call first responders. Officials urged people who were in immediate danger to call 9-1-1, but Whitmire said the city was also working to clear a backlog of emergency calls caused by the storm. Multiple agencies were providing support to Houston, including the sheriff's office and individual county commissioners. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Whitmire strongly urged people not to travel west through downtown Houston because of dangers of glass that had fallen from multiple skyscrapers. Everyone is coming together, thats what we do best in Houston." Whitmire said. Houston TV station ABC13 reported that one of the deaths happened on North Main and the 610 Loop. The storm left hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power throughout the Houston region. New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Dental365 has been active in their expansion throughout Pennsylvania since making their first addition in the state in 2023. The company first entered Pennsylvania with the acquisition of the six-location group practice in September 2023. In January, Dental365 brought in another group with six locations. Dental365 is continuing to be active in the state, adding a 13th Pennsylvania practice in April. Entering Pennsylvania was a "logical step" for Dental365, based on proximity to the company's New York headquarters. "It's a really diverse state. It has some concentrated urban areas and there are many rural [areas] where there's a lot of need, and it's just filled with hardworking, good people," Robert Kolts, DDS, senior vice president of clinical affairs at Premier Care Dental Management, the parent company of Dental365, told Becker's earlier this year. "It's an area where it's not overly saturated with dental support organizations and there's a need for increased access to providers." The DSO is looking to ride the momentum it has built in Pennsylvania and is looking to strengthen its position in the state. "We are looking at probably another 10 additional practices [in Pennsylvania] that we're evaluating specifically," said Dr. Kolts. "We're looking really to repeat what we've done in other areas, which is to build an ecosystem." Dental365 has been successful in building an ecosystem in other states in the Northeast, supporting more than 100 total practices across New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in addition to Pennsylvania. The shedding of service lines at Mount Sinai's Beth Israel Hospital is hurting the quality of patient care, The New York Times reported May 16. Leaders of the hospital, part of New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System, have been eyeing a closure for years because of financial losses. In September 2023, Beth Israel announced its plan to gradually shutter, but conflicts with community members, the state's health department and a judge have caused delays and more problems, the Times reported. In October, the hospital said it planned to fully close by July 12. Two months later, the New York State Department of Health ordered the health system to stop cutting services and closing beds without authorization. Since then, Beth Israel has ended its stroke and cardiac services and routinely transferred patients out of its emergency department reasoning that voluntary staff departures have left some services unsustainable. A New York judge has also temporarily blocked Mount Sinai from closing Beth Israel, and the state's health department said the system's closure plan is incomplete and needs revision. In April, the department told Mount Sinai its "proposed date of closure may need to be adjusted to reflect this new plan." The "slow death," as the Times put it, is negatively affecting patient care. When patients show up to the hospital for a historical service only to be transferred, care is delayed and more harm can happen like for George Faust, 76, who entered Beth Israel's ER with a collapsed lung and broken ribs in January before being moved to two other hospitals and dying. A few weeks later, a man with signs of a stroke arrived at the ER, but there was a delay in the stroke team responding and he was transferred, state investigators said. The hospital disputed this, saying he was examined within 9 minutes, the Times reported. A spokesperson for Mount Sinai told Becker's the system has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the hospital, but with losses higher than $1 billion, "financial realities require us to make decisions based on what is best for our health system" and close Beth Israel. "No system could continue to sustain losses of this magnitude," the spokesperson said, adding that the healthcare industry is moving away from community hospitals and toward new, community-based models of care. Mount Sinai said it is losing $15 million a month to keep Beth Israel open, a cost that could rise if it is forced to reopen service lines, the Times reported. "Refusing to allow a failing independent, nonprofit hospital to close is unconstitutional," the hospital told the Times. The CDC is warning of a possible mpox resurgence after a deadlier version of the infection has "ravaged" the Democratic Republic of Congo, The New York Times reported May 16. There are two main types of mpox: Clade I, the current dominant type in Congo, and Clade II, which caused the 2022 global outbreak. Both clades have circulated in Africa for decades with sporadic outbreaks. Clade I has a mortality of roughly 5%, compared to less than 0.2% for Clade IIb, which spurred the U.S. outbreak. Although there have been no cases of Clade I outside of Africa so far, the escalating epidemic poses a global threat, experts told the Times, just as infection in Nigeria set off the 2022 outbreak. Mpox is showing signs of resurgence in the U.S. with the number of cases this year nearly double the tally of cases from the same period last year. The CDC is encouraging high-risk Americans to become vaccinated before the resurgence hits in force and is urging clinicians to be alert for possible cases in travelers from Congo. Adults in Congo tend to be infected with mpox through animals or close, sustained contact with infected people, but for the first time last year, scientists discovered sexually transmitted Clade I mpox among sex workers and their contacts. O2 apologises for any distress caused to former employee with chronic pain and mobility issues An O2 sales adviser who claimed the companys failure to meet his needs as a disabled person cost him his job has received a 160,000 payout. Eamon Bowen (40) worked for O2, which is owned by Telefonica Ltd, in Belfast and in the north west. But his life changed after he was diagnosed in 2014 with Spondylolisthesis, a degenerative disc disease which causes him chronic pain, exhaustion, sleep and mobility issues. He had to take periods of sick leave, after which he was referred to occupational health, who made various recommendations to help him back to work. Mr Bowen was unhappy that these were not acted on, and took a disability discrimination case. While it was settled with no admission of liability, O2 has apologised for any distress he experienced. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, which supported the case, said Mr Bowen was keen to work and managed his condition, working from home during the pandemic. Eamon Bowen Mr Bowen returned to work in-store following lockdown in June 2020 but found it difficult as he spent most of his working day on his feet. He took more sick leave, again being referred to occupational health who made recommendations to help him work including a phased return to work, reduced working hours and use of a support chair on the shop floor. But Mr Bowen said the recommendations werent implemented appropriately and he tried to discuss this with his employer. However, he felt he had no choice but to resign, leaving his job in November 2021. He said: I enjoyed my job, I wanted to work. Occupational health made recommendations time and time again to help me to return to and remain in work, but these were not fully implemented. In the end, without these supports and adjustments it became impossible for me to continue working. I believe their failure to fully implement occupational healths recommendations and to talk to me about my needs as a disabled person cost me my job. Im grateful to the Equality Commission for helping me to challenge how I was treated. Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner at the Equality Commission, said employers must carefully consider all recommendations made by occupational health and communicate with affected staff to ensure their needs are understood. Its also important that all staff, particularly line managers, know that the law says reasonable adjustments have to be considered. In settling the case, Telefonica apologised to Mr Bowen for the upset, distress and injury to feelings that he experienced. The company also affirmed its commitment to the principles of equality in employment and ensuring they comply with equality law. They agreed to work with the commission to review policies, practices and procedures. An O2 spokesperson said: As one of the UKs largest businesses with a broad and diverse workforce, we have a range of measures in place to support employees who have a disability or specific needs, such as making layout changes for wheelchair users, hiring sign language interpreters for employees with hearing difficulties, and providing specialist equipment where appropriate. We have apologised to Mr Bowen for any distress caused in this case, and we are pleased to have mutually reached a settlement. The Kings personal wealth has jumped by 10 million to 610 million in the last year, according to analysis by The Sunday Times Rich List. Charles, who acceded to the throne less than two years ago, ranks 258th in the list of the UKs 350 wealthiest people and families, up from 263rd place in 2023. The oil on canvas titled Cottage, Woman and Child will be offered in Chorleys Modern Art & Design sale on May 21 and carries an estimate of 4,000-6,000 A painting by the renowned Northern Irish artist Markey Robinson is set for auction from the private collection of one of the most instrumental Irish art patrons in history. Mr Robinson was born in Belfast in 1918 and died there at the age of 80 in 1999. He had studied at the citys College of Art. I hadnt been to Connemara in more than 30 years. I was living in Madrid at the time and had been invited to a wedding in Leenaun, the village at the apex of Irelands only true live fjord, Killary Harbour in Co Galway. The sense of entering a mythical depiction of Ireland, wild, wet, desolate, dramatically beautiful and a wee bit Norwegian, following the long drive from hot, bright, central Spain, felt dreamlike. Shakari Briggs is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at shakari.briggs@houstonchronicle.com. Before joining the Chronicle in November 2023, she worked for Spectrum News as a digital journalist based in her hometown. Shakari comes to the Houston newsroom with experience in broadcast reporting and producing as a former multimedia journalist and associate producer. The Dallas native has also worked at small to medium-sized newspapers throughout her career. Her reporting on the rise and fall of a shopping mall won an Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors Contest award. She also earned an Arkansas Press Association award for freelance reporting. A Belfast man who allegedly played an integral role in acquiring and disposing of cars used in the bid to kill a top PSNI detective is to be granted bail, a High Court judge ruled today. Phones and cash suspected to be linked to West Belfast UDA. Photo credit: PSNI A quantity of cash and multiple mobile phones were seized by police carrying out searches of three properties in north Belfast today. Officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force said the searches were part of an ongoing investigation into suspected criminality linked to the West Belfast UDA. Said items were removed for forensic examination. Detective Inspector Corrigan said: Todays searches reflect our ongoing commitment to safeguarding local people. We will continue to work with our partners in the Paramilitary Crime Task Force to disrupt the activities of those who make their living from crime. They use a regime of fear to exercise control over the most vulnerable in our society, and care nothing about the lives ruined along the way. Im keen to thank communities for their continued support, and would encourage anyone with information regarding criminal activity to contact us on 101. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org The Paramilitary Crime Task Force is a multi-agency task force set up in Northern Ireland to protect communities by tackling all forms of criminality linked to paramilitarism. It consists of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the National Crime Agency and HM Revenue & Customs. A giant child puppet that has become an international symbol of young people fleeing conflict and persecution has joined school pupils from both sides of Northern Irelands community divide on a visit to Belfast. Little Amal is a 12ft puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee. The artwork was created to represent children fleeing war, violence and persecution across the world. Local children wave at Little Amal in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) Since 2021, Amal which means hope in Arabic has travelled to 160 towns and cities in 15 countries and been welcomed by an estimated two million people. On Friday, the puppet made an appearance at a peace wall in Belfast that separates the nationalist Falls Road with the unionist Shankill Road. Children from St Marys Primary School on the Falls side of the wall and Malvern Primary School on the Shankill side joined together to greet Amal and an identical puppet and exchange flowers with them. Amal will take part in a number of events in Belfast before making the short journey to Co Londonderry for events in Derry city. Shoplifting and possession of weapon offences have increased in the last year while crime in general has reduced across Northern Ireland, according to the PSNI. The force said anti-social behaviour is now at a record low, with 45,358 incidents in the year up to April 2024 shown in the latest statistics. It's a decrease of 1,943 (or 4.1%) offences when compared with the previous 12 months. Overall, there were 7,067 fewer crimes recorded compared to the previous 12 months. This is down by 6.3% from 2022/23 which is the equivalent of nearly 600 fewer crimes every month, according to police. Theft offences overall have increased by 3.5 per cent or 25,514 such incidents over the past year. Shoplifting has increased by 1,468 recorded offences since the previous year, a rise of 19.5 per cent. Possession of weapons offences are also on the rise since the previous year, with 117 incidents, representing an increase of 9.6 per cent. While drug offences more generally have fallen, trafficking of drugs offences have increased - with 1,162 offences overall, they're up by 91 from the previous year or 8.5 per cent. Speaking on the reduction in crime levels overall, Deputy Chief Constable Chris Todd said: These very welcome reductions should come as reassurance to the public that Northern Ireland remains one of the safest parts of the UK to live, work and do business. These efforts are all the more remarkable given the significant resource pressures which our officers and staff have found themselves working under throughout this period. My colleagues have proven yet again that despite resource challenges, they continue to do their best to keep people safe. However, I have some concerns that our ability to repeat such a strong performance is going to be at risk if we are unable to find a more effective and sustainable way to fund policing in Northern Ireland. We are now well into a new financial year and are still without a budget allocation. As the Chief Constable has made very clear to the Policing Board and others, our ability to support victims and investigate crime is being stretched to breaking point, and the burden is being felt by our officers and staff," he said. The deputy chief constable said he's concerned about some areas of crime which need to be addressed. While the overall decrease in crime is welcome, we are never complacent. There are some areas of concern particularly relating to hate-motivated incidents and shoplifting. We also continue to proactively track reports of violence, abuse and intimidation against women and girls and targeting neighbourhood policing resources to locations where they have reported feeling unsafe. As a result, we are arresting, on average, 73 people a month for the new domestic abuse offence, 15 people for stalking and since new legislation was introduced in June 2023, 77 people for non-fatal strangulation. Although domestic abuse crimes have reduced, incident reporting remains high which shows a willingness from victims to engage with us earlier so safeguarding measures can be taken before the behaviour escalates. We will continue to use every power available to us and send a strong message to all potential perpetrators, that despite the current financial challenges, we remain committed to doing all we can to keep people safe. Here are the more than 1,000 internal text messages between some of the DUP's most senior figures which were published by the Covid Inquiry but then deleted. A public meeting is held at Conlig Orange Hall by Jamie Bryson and Jim Allister on April 18th 2024 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Jim Allister has taken aim at a High Court ruling this week over the Illegal Migration Act, but has laid his blame for it on the part of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The families of the victims killed in the Dublin and Monaghan bombs have accused the British and Irish governments of forgetting about those who lost their lives in the blasts. Families gathered around the official memorial honouring the 35 people killed in the bombings, including two unborn babies, on Friday afternoon. United in grief and their campaign for truth, many of them spoke about their long fight to find out what happened on May 17, 1974. Alice OBrien lost her sister Anna, her brother-in-law John and the couples two young children in the bomb on Parnell Street. The Memorial to the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings on Talbot Street (Brian Lawless/PA) Weve been forgotten for 50 years, so hopefully now we might get the files (on the case) off the British government, she told the PA news agency. Ms OBrien claimed the UK and Irish governments wound down the investigation into the murders in 1974 as they were trying to preserve the troubled Sunningdale powersharing agreement in Northern Ireland. There was no-one brought to justice, even though they knew who done it, they had identification of people and they still done nothing, she said. Ms OBrien said she still has vivid memories of the day of the bombings. I was only 15 when it happened and then when they went down to identify the bodies it was like a slaughterhouse in the mortuary, she said. She said she hopes the Denton report in 2025 will finally deliver truth for the families. Annas other sister, Cathy Ellis, said that she remembers her mother being told about their deaths. I was only six and was jumping around, she said. Weve been asking for the truth for years but are not being heard. This could have been sorted out a long time ago. My kids are all grown up and I didnt ever like them coming into town. Was always afraid. I was waiting for something to happen. Michelle OBrien, whose mother Anne Byrne was killed in the 1974 atrocity, said the families had been treated disgracefully by the state in the 50 years since. Not a day that goes by that we dont think about her, she said of her mother. Its the governments who have forgotten about them. Its the people in power that have forgotten about the fact that these people were murdered in cold blood. She voiced anger at the suggestion closed files on the bombings held in archives in Dublin will not be released for another 50 years. Apparently theres files that have been closed here for the next 50 years, she said. Now I wont be around in 50 years time, neither will my dad, my dads 88 this year. He was 37 when he lost his wife and was left to raise two kids. On the state response to the bombings and the subsequent campaign for justice, Michelle OBrien said: Its just a disgrace. Its an absolute disgrace. I cannot believe that we have been left for so long asking the same questions. And no matter what politician you meet, theyd promise you the sun, moon and stars. They dont even give you the stars. They give you nothing, nothing. Ms OBrien expressed hope that Operation Denton, an investigation headed up by former Police Scotland chief constable Sir Iain Livingstone, would provide some answers when it is due to report next year. But she said it is unlikely the families will ever get justice. I just cant believe that were at the 50th anniversary and were sitting here looking for the same answers, still asking the same questions, she said. Ive been campaigning for 33 years for truth and for justice. We wont get justice now because Id say anybody who was involved is either dead or too old to be sent to prison. Aidan Shields, whose mother Maureen was killed on Talbot Street, said identifying his mother in a morgue hours after the blast is something no-one should live through. Mr Shields, who is on the committee for Justice for the Forgotten and director of the Pat Finucane centre, said: On the day of the bombs, my mother was working in Fairview and my father worked in Guineys. People attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial to the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings(Brian Lawless/PA) Mammy came in to surprise him (and collect him) as there was a bus strike at the time and she parked the car around the corner on Gardiner Street and walked round to surprise him. My dad had pulled the shutters down on the shop a few minutes before 5.30pm, and that might have saved the lives of staff and customers who were at the shop at the time. But he didnt know that his wife was outside the shop to collect him, and then he wouldnt recognise her when he walked out of the shop either (after the blast). Much later that night, I went to the city morgue and I had to identify her and that was an experience that no-one should have to live through. Events will be held on Friday to remember the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings (Niall Carson/PA) The families of victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings remain firm in their quest for justice 50 years on, Helen McEntee has said. Irelands Justice Minister said the anniversary of the atrocity on Friday brought a new determination to find out what happened on May 17 1974. On that date three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one exploded in Monaghan town. No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. Justice Minister Helen McEntee said it was a day to remember and reflect (Liam McBurney/PA) An official memorial in Dublin honours the 35 victims of the bombings, which included two unborn babies. It remains the greatest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. A church service will take place at St Marys Pro-Cathedral in Dublin on Friday morning which will be followed by a commemoration event at the Talbot Street memorial where Irelands president Michael D Higgins will deliver an address. Irelands premier Simon Harris and deputy premier Micheal Martin will also attend the event, which has been organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. Mr Higgins will also lay a wreath in Monaghan on Friday evening. Minister Heather Humphreys will represent the Government. Ms McEntee said it was a day to remember and reflect. She added: Fifty years have passed since that dreadful day on the streets of Dublin city centre and Monaghan town. It is as incomprehensible today, as it was all those decades ago, to think that bombs could be planted so callously, with no regard for human life. Three bombs exploded in Dublin city centre and a fourth in Monaghan Town. The scale of the attack was without compare, it is the greatest loss of life on a single day of the Troubles. Such a large scale tragic and unjustified loss of life continues to effect countless families. Despite the passage of time, they continue to feel the loss of their loved ones deeply. The minister said the families loss had been compounded by the frustration and hurt of unanswered questions. Ms McEntee added: The survivors and the families of the victims remain firm in their quest for justice and for information about what happened to their loved ones. The Government is fully committed to seeking out the truth behind those events and, hopefully, to secure some measure of comfort for the victims families and the survivors. This landmark anniversary brings with it a new focus and desire to establish the truth of what happened on May 17 1974. The Government for our part, will continue to pursue all possible avenues to uncover the truth of what happened on this day in 1974. Taoiseach Simon Harris said it was 50 years on from a dark day (Brian Lawless/PA) Taoiseach Mr Harris said: Today, 50 years on from that dark day, I remember all those who lost their lives and were injured, and think of their families. I know their hurt has been compounded by a lack of truth and of justice for the victims since, and of immediate support for the families in the difficult years that followed. Today, we honour the memories of those who died, the more than 300 people injured, and the bereaved, both those living and those who have died in the years since. Today, Dublin and Monaghan remember. Tanaiste Micheal Martin said unanswered questions remained over the atrocities (Brian Lawless/PA) Tanaiste Mr Martin said the Dublin and Monaghan tragedies live on in families in Ireland and abroad. He said: The loss and suffering of families was magnified by inadequate investigation at that time. The Barron and MacEntee inquiries answered some questions and raised some more, including the possibility of collusion. I have been following up with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chris Heaton-Harris) on the provision of sensitive material which may help answer some of those questions. The Duchess of Edinburgh inspects the guard of honour (Andrew Milligan/PA) The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh took part in a special Church of Scotland service during a visit to Edinburgh. The Ceremony of the Keys was held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Friday, to mark the start of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The guard of honour, Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland marched during the ceremony. Chief Constable of Police Scotland, Jo Farrell also attended, and journalist, TV correspondent and British Army reservist Major-General Alastair Bruce. The Duke of Edinburgh during the Ceremony of the Keys (Andrew Milligan/PA) During the Ceremony of the Keys the Lord High Commissioner, in this case the Duke of Edinburgh, as the Kings representative, receives the keys from the Lord Provost. He was previously Lord High Commissioner in 2014, as Earl of Wessex, and represented his mother, the late Queen. The Lord High Commissioner is the sovereigns personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and is appointed by the sovereign to attend proceedings on his behalf. The Duke, who was granted the title previously held by his father on his 59th birthday last year, will make the opening and closing addresses to the Assembly and carry out a number of official functions throughout the week. 2024 Chinese Film Week in Romania kicks off in Bucharest Xinhua) 10:03, May 17, 2024 Guests cut the ribbon during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Chinese Film Week in Bucharest, Romania, May 15, 2024. (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. (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. (Photo by Cristian Cristel/Xinhua) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) A crane sits on top of a cement truck at an address where authorities say a man was killed when a crane fell on the cement truck he was sitting in during the previous nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle) Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Broken windows are seen following last nights storm Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Houston. (Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle) Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Did Houston have tornadoes on Thursday night or not? Heres what we know so far, and what it takes to be a twister officially. Storm survey teams from the National Weather Service on Friday had confirmed two EF1 tornadoes with peak wind speeds of 100 to 110 mph: One was near Cypress in Harris County and the other in Waller County, according to preliminary findings. The weather service had three survey teams out in the Houston metro area on Friday to verify reports of tornadoes, after storms tore through Southeast Texas on Thursday, uprooting trees and damaging buildings. Advertisement Article continues below this ad OUTAGE MAP: Check our power outage tracker for real-time updates across Texas counties and Houston The first twister struck in Waller County, starting at 5:44 p.m. Thursday about 5 miles south-southeast of Pine Island. With estimated peak wind speeds of 100 miles mph, the tornado lasted only about a minute, cutting a path only 0.71 mile long and 100 yards wide, the weather service said. It destroyed a large metal barn, rolled trailers and left metal debris strewn across 1,000 yards to the southeast. Trees fell in different directions, from south to northwest. The second tornado began at 6:08 p.m. Thursday near Cypress, about 8 miles west-northwest of Jersey Village, in Harris County. Like the Waller County tornado, this twister lasted only a minute, packing peak winds of 110 mph and cutting a path only a 0.77 mile long and 100 yards wide. It touched down near the intersection of Tuckerton and Greenhouse roads, before tracking southeastward through the Highlands subdivision, the weather service said. No deaths or injuries were reported in either tornado. Advertisement Article continues below this ad One weather service storm survey team in downtown Houston had determined that the area was hit by significant straight-line winds that blew out windows on the exposed north and west sides of buildings. Winds in this area peaked at around 100 mph, according to the teams early findings. Meanwhile, the survey team in the Baytown area found widespread wind damage from straight line-winds of 90 to 100 mph. Large hardwood trees had been snapped and the team observed roof and vehicle damage across the area. Later on Friday, the weather service determined that Thursday nights storms constituted a derecho event, based on the length of the path of destruction and intensity of the winds. Some Houston residents might already know derecho means straight ahead in Spanish, and its meaning in meteorology is not that far off. A derecho, which is a widespread, straight-line wind storm, can produce damaging winds over areas hundreds of miles long and more than 100 miles across, according to the weather service. What qualifies as a tornado? Starting with the basics, a tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends from the base of thunderstorm clouds and touches the ground. Although they are recognizable by a funnel-shaped cloud, a cloud of debris also can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel cloud is not visible, the weather service says. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Tornado winds can reach 300 mph and damage paths can be wider than a mile or even 50 miles long. The weather service said some tornadoes develop extremely fast while others may dissipate just as quickly. Most tornadoes are on the ground for less than 15 minutes. WEATHER HISTORY: Here are some of the worst tornadoes to hit the Houston area since 1950 Once the weather service using onsite damage inspections, observations from Doppler radar and other data confirms a tornado has occurred, the agency then calculates how strong of a tornado it was by surveying the damage and comparing it to damage to similar objects at certain wind speeds. The weather service then uses the Enhanced Fujita Scale to compare the tornado to previous events. On the lowest end, an EF0 tornado can have gusts 65 to 85 mph, while the highest-rated, EF5, can produce gusts stronger than 200 mph. What about Thursday nights storms? CenterPoint Energy on Friday said that the series of storms Thursday night damaged transmission and distribution electric systems. They cited wind gusts of 65 to 85 mph and sustained winds equivalent to a tropical storm. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The hardest-hit area was likely over the U.S. 290 corridor from Jersey Village to Waller (e.g., North region west of I-45) where there was strong evidence of a tornado based on Doppler radar data, CenterPoint said in a statement. Its true that Thursdays storms had traits suggesting that it had spawned tornadoes. For instance, Doppler weather radar can detect the circulation linked to thunderstorms that can produce a tornado. Thats typically when the weather service issues its tornado warnings. Because radar can only indicate rotation aloft in the atmosphere, forecasters rely on storm spotters on the ground to confirm whether the radar signature is associated with a tornado. But many of the key ingredients for tornado formation also were present Thursday night: Advertisement Article continues below this ad Atmospheric instability, in which you have warm, moist air near the ground interacting with cooler, dry air aloft. Wind shear, or change in wind speed and/or direction as you go higher into the atmosphere. Steve Buscemi was walking in midtown Manhattan on May 8 when a stranger punched him in the face, police said (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) A man wanted in connection with the random attack on actor Steve Buscemi on a New York City street earlier this month was arrested on an assault charge on Friday, police said. The 66-year-old star of Boardwalk Empire and Fargo was walking in midtown Manhattan on May 8 when a stranger punched him in the face, city police said. He was taken to hospital with bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye, but was otherwise OK, his publicist said at the time. Police charged a 50-year-old homeless man with second-degree assault on Friday in the same precinct where Buscemi was attacked. Steve Buscemi was taken to hospital with bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye (PA) Authorities announced on Tuesday that they had identified the man as the suspect and were looking for him. Buscemis publicist did not immediately return a message. In previous comments, they said the actor was another victim of a random act of violence in the city and that he was OK. In March, Buscemis Boardwalk Empire co-star Michael Stuhlbarg was hit in the back of the neck with a rock while walking in Manhattans Central Park. Stuhlbarg chased his attacker, who was taken into custody outside the park. A destroyed MiG 31 fighter aircraft at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, in Crimea (Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies via AP) A massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea early on Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol and set a refinery ablaze in southern Russia, Russian authorities said. The drone raids marked Kyivs attempt to strike back during Moscows offensive in northeastern Ukraine, which has added to the pressure on outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces who are waiting for delayed deliveries of crucial weapons and ammunition from Western partners. A Ukrainian intelligence official confirmed to The Associated Press that Ukraines Security Service and Military Intelligence conducted a joint operation to strike Russias military infrastructure sites in Novorossiysk, on the Black Sea coast, and occupied Sevastopol. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorised to comment publicly. The Russian Defence Ministry said air defences downed 51 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, another 44 over the Krasnodar region and six over the Belgorod region. It said Russian warplanes and patrol boats also destroyed six sea drones in the Black Sea. A destroyed MiG 31 fighter aircraft and fuel storage facility at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol (Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies via AP) Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, which is the main base for Russias Black Sea Fleet, said the drone attack damaged the citys power plant. He said it could take a day to fully restore energy supplies and warned residents that power would be cut to parts of the city. Communal services are doing their best to restore the power system as quickly as possible, he said in a statement. Mr Razvozhayev also announced that schools in the city would be closed temporarily. Earlier, Ukrainian attacks damaged aircraft and a fuel storage facility at Belbek air base near Sevastopol, according to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies. In the Krasnodar region, the authorities said a drone attack early on Friday caused a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse which was later contained. There were no casualties. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted refineries and other energy facilities deep inside Russia, causing significant damage. Ukrainian drones also attacked Novorossiysk, a major Black Sea port. The Krasnodar regions governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, said fragments of downed drones caused several fires but there were no casualties. A damaged house after a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) Belgorov governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, killing a woman and her four-year-old child. Another attack set a fuel tank ablaze at a gas station in the region, he said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops were fighting to halt Russian advances in the northeastern Kharkiv region that began late last week. The town of Vovchansk, located just five kilometres (three miles) from the Russian border, has been a hot spot in the fighting in recent days. 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. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Russia has also been testing defences at other points along the roughly 1,000-km (620-mile) front line snaking from north to south through eastern Ukraine. That line has barely changed over the past 18 months in what became 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. By starting the new offensive, Russian troops expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometres (about 45 miles), in an effort to force Ukraine to spread its forces and use reserve troops, Ukraines military chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday. In the Kharkiv region, Russian forces have advanced 10 kilometres from the border, President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he talks to students of the Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, northeastern Chinas Heilongjiang Province, on Friday (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscows offensive in Ukraines Kharkiv region aims to create a buffer zone but he has no plans to capture the city. Speaking to reporters on Friday on a visit to Harbin, China, Mr Putin said that Moscow launched attacks in the Kharkiv region in response to the Ukrainian shelling of Russias Belgorod region. I have said publicly that if it continues we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone, he said. Mr Putin said Russian troops were advancing daily in according to plan. He added that Russia has no plans to capture Kharkiv for now. It came as Ukraine announced it will allow prisoners to join the armys depleted ranks and approved a fivefold increase in fines for draft dodgers. By starting the new offensive, Russian troops expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometres (about 45 miles), in an effort to force Ukraine to spread its forces and use reserve troops, Ukraines military chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday. In the Kharkiv region, Russian forces have advanced 10 kilometres from the border, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Friday. Mr Putins comments on his trip to China were his first on the offensive launched on May 10, which opened a new front in the war and displaced thousands of Ukrainians within few days. Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, left, visit the Russian-Chinese EXPO in Harbin, in northeastern Chinas Heilongjiang Province, on Friday (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) It came hours after a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Russian-occupied Crimea early on Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol while damaging aircraft and fuel storage at an airbase. In southern Russia, Russian authorities said the attack also set a refinery ablaze. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed two laws on Friday, one to enable prisoners to join the army and another that increases fines for draft dodgers by five times, one day before a controversial mobilisation law goes into effect. The legislation permitting prisoners to be enlisted allows parole from serving a sentence and further enlistment for military service under a contract during a special period for certain categories of people charged with criminal offences. It does not include those convicted of crimes against Ukraines national security. The updated legislation sets fines of up to 25,500 hryvnias (513) for common citizens and 51,000 hryvnias (1,026) for civil servants and legal entities for ignoring a draft notice or failing to update personal information with the military draft board in a timely manner. Previously, the administrative fines for avoiding mobilisation during special period constituted up to 5100 hryvnias (102) for common citizens and 8500 hryvnias (170) for civil servants and legal entities. Lightstock Since becoming a Christian, most people have faced many challenges to their faith. In fact, one of the most significant challenges most Christians face after giving their life to Christ is navigating tricky family relationships. For example, for some people, when their parents found out they had become a Christian, they were upset. Perhaps they wanted them to maintain the family religion, and when they refused, this culminated in several verbal attacks and fights. Two years into this turbulent relationship, their parents threw them out, causing them to drop out of school and find a job. However, due to the support of loved ones and friends, they were able to get through that challenging time. Although this is one of the most severe examples of a challenge people have to face after becoming a Christian, saying they're no strangers to challenges and trials to test their faith is an understatement. The spiritual life of a Christian has its share of ups and downs, and sometimes, life is so challenging that it's hard to have faith. Jesus helps us define faith in Matthew 17:20, saying that all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed, and anything is possible. Still, when life throws several curveballs, it's challenging to believe that God is for us and wants what's best for us. It's easy to get dejected and down during these times, but what helps us to become more spiritually mature is turning towards God during difficult times and not turning away from God. Here are some ways to strengthen your faith during challenging times. Be Part of a Community One of the best reminders to strengthen your faith is to encompass yourself with other like-minded sisters and brothers in Christ. As previously mentioned, turbulent family relationships can test our faith at the beginning of our faith journeys. If it weren't for the church family's prayers, love, and support, most people wouldn't survive those trials. Community allows us to see the tangible expressions of Christ in our lives. In challenging times, they'll flood you with gifts, cards, and people saying they're praying for you. Additionally, a family in the church can learn about your situation and offer to let you stay with them in their home if you need it, which allows you to move forward with your life goals, like graduating from college. If it weren't for your church family's support and love, you wouldn't be where you are today. We're not meant to go through life alone. God Himself exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From the apostles to Adam and Eve, no one in the Bible does life alone. Therefore, finding a local church and attending church regularly is essential. Hebrews 10:25 reminds us not to give up the habit of meeting together. Instead, we should encourage each other. Being within a community with other believers will help us get through challenging times. Above all, it reminds us that we're not alone and everyone is going through the same issues. Pray Praying sounds like an easy fix, but prayer is one of the most powerful weapons we have when our faith is being tested. The devil wants to tempt us to reject God and not pray. He may use our sadness or anger as a weapon to keep us from being intimate with God. However, it's in those trials that God wants to be present with us the most. God desires to walk with us daily in our lives. Even if we're mad at God because of our situation, sometimes the only thing that can get us out of bed is to know that we're praying to the One who can fix the situation. This might be counterintuitive, but prayer is the only productive thing we can do during challenging times. Pour out your feelings and heart to God, and let the Holy Spirit heal your broken wounds. God wants to be with us in our trials, but we have to let Him in. Remember God's Promises In the Old Testament, people stacked rocks along their path as a memorial to remember what God had done. As people walked down the path and saw the rocks, they would remember that God was with them, as we read in Joshua 4. Take a moment and remember all the ways God has been with you in your life. If you can't remember, ask God to remind you of the minor and large ways He has been with you. Are there times when God showed up in ways you would never imagine? When our faith is being tested, it's essential to remember all the ways God is with us. Not only will it remind us that we're not alone, but we'll know that God can be at work when we don't see Him or feel His presence. Love Others In challenging times, looking inward and becoming selfish is easy because it's easy to focus on our circumstances and difficulties. However, the antidote to selfishness is focusing on others. Think about people who may have it worse than you. Are there people who are dealing with even worse circumstances? If you're unsure, look through your social media feed. There are always people dealing with worse challenges than you. You might be having financial issues, but consider the person who's suffering from cancer. The unbearable pain might be, at times, more than they can bear. In what way can you be a witness to them and show them the love of God? When we remove the focus from ourselves and put it on someone else in need, not only does it feed our soul, but it also helps us be the tangible expressions of Jesus that others are to us. Challenging times are never easy, but when we live in community, remember all the ways that God has been faithful, take the focus off ourselves and love others, we find that challenges become much more bearable. Not only this but at the end of the challenge, we become more spiritually mature and show the fruit of the Spirit through the Christlike character God wants for us. The al-Qaeda affiliate had been dormant in the country for a long time. Malaysian police chief Razarudin Husain (front right) inspects the area where a suspected member of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant group killed two policemen and injured a third before being killed at the Ulu Tiram Police Station in Johor Bahru, Johor state, Malaysia, May 17, 2024. UPDATED at 7:04 a.m. ET on 2024-05-18 Malaysian security analysts raised concerns Friday about the resurgence of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant group following a long dormancy, after a suspected member killed two constables in a pre-dawn attack at a police station in Johor. Movements such as JI, a Muslim extremist group affiliated with al-Qaeda, tend to stay underground for extended periods as they wait for the right moment to strike and make a point and now may be that time intelligence experts said. The place where the attack took place, the Ulu Tiram district in the southern state of Johor, resonates with security analyst Mohd. Mizan Mohammad Aslam. A religious school, now defunct, Madrasah Lukmanul Hakim located in Ulu Tiram, used to be a very important meeting point for terror group members between 1996 and 1997. At the peak of its glory, the school was a breeding ground for militant ideologies and extremism, the expert from the National Defense University of Malaysia told BenarNews. JI ideology [has been] there in Ulu Tiram all along. It has never gone. The followers, the people there, they continued to indoctrinate those living among them, he added. Such ideologically violent movements will stay dormant, and when the time is right they will launch attacks, Mizan said, adding that the suspected JI member may have chosen this time for the attack because some extremist politicians were spreading religious hatred in Muslim-majority, multi-religious Malaysia. Even though the suspects affiliation with JI is uncertain, Munira Mustaffa, a counter-terrorism expert, said the attack would worry Malaysians. The attackers reported connection to a former JI member, an organization associated with significant terrorist activities in the past, raises public concerns, Munira, from the Chasseur Group, a security consultancy, wrote in a newsletter. The incident at the Ulu Tiram police station has sparked fears of a possible resurgence of JI in Malaysia. Early-morning attack According to Malaysias police chief, moments before Fridays attack, a couple first created a diversion before the suspect arrived behind the police station. A little before 2:45 a.m, this duo came to lodge a police report about an incident that allegedly took place two years ago, which was not logical, Police Inspector-General Razarudin Husain said. It seems unlikely anyone would come at a time like that to report something that happened that long ago. While two police officers were taking a statement from the couple, the suspect arrived, armed with a machete-like weapon called a parang, and began to cause a commotion. One of the two officers who were taking a statement from the couple went out back to see what was happening and the suspect slashed him in the neck, killing him and taking his gun. Following this, two mobile patrol vehicle policemen, having just completed their patrol, returned to the police station and engaged in a gunfight with the suspect, Razarudin said. One of our officers sustained a gunshot wound to his cheek, with the bullet penetrating his head [and killing him], while another was shot in the shoulder and waist, Razarudin said. The injured policeman is in the hospital. Suspecting their possible involvement, police arrested the couple as well, in addition to the suspects family members. After initial investigations, it appears that the 34-year-old suspect is a member of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the nations police chief told the media, as he withheld the suspects identity. His father is also a member of JI. As a result, we have detained five family members of the suspect aged between 19 and 62 to assist in the investigation. Upon checking the attackers home in Ulu Tiram, a suburb about 17 miles from the countrys border with Singapore, the police found parts of scripture from the Islamic holy book the Quran pasted on the walls. Razarudin suggested that the suspects motive could have been gaining access to the police stations armory to steal weapons for his alleged cause. JIs professed cause is to set up a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia governed by Islamic law. On Saturday, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution provided reporters with information to correct the age of the main suspect, saying he was 21 years old and not 34. Bullet casings marked with numbers by the police are seen at the site of an attack at the Ulu Tiram Police Station in Johor Bahru, Johor state, Malaysia, May 17, 2024. [S. Mahfuz/BenarNews] According to another analyst, a potential religion-related reason could shed light on the attacks timing dissatisfaction that a secular government is in power. It is one of many things that could trigger the extreme action. The sentiment is backdated to 2018, Dina Zaman, co-founder of Iman Research, a think-tank, told BenarNews. She was referring to when a coalition government that included a secular alliance, Pakatan Harapan, came to power. Pakatan currently heads another coalition government. Back then, they were saying having Pakatan Harapan as a government is not good for the country, Dina said. They said, they are going to let the Pakatan government enjoy their day but one day, the government will know that they are there. The last time JI was linked to an attack or incident in Malaysia was in 2001, when an associate group, the homegrown radical Islamic Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), attacked a police station in the state of Kedah to steal firearms. Southeast Asian network Jemaah Islamiyah, which is also banned in Indonesia and Singapore and designated a terror group by Washington, is widely blamed for attacks in the Philippines and Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, and the Jakarta hotel bombing in 2009 that claimed 12 peoples lives. In fact, the 2009 twin-suicide bomb attacks on two hotels in Jakarta were masterminded by a key Malaysian JI leader, Noordin Mohammed Top. He was killed later that year in a standoff with police in the Indonesian city of Solo. JI in Malaysia has been mostly dormant since then, with a few suspected members arrested in the last decade. The wreckage of the Sari night club and surrounding buildings, which were damaged in a bomb attack, are seen in this aerial view Oct. 15, 2002 in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. [Achmad Ibrahim/AP file photo] However, in neighboring Indonesia, where JI is based, while there have been no major attacks in recent years, counterterror police say they have arrested numerous suspected members over the years. They have also claimed they have thwarted militant strikes by these suspects with many of these detentions. In 2019, Indonesian authorities arrested the leader of JI, Para Wijayanto, at a hotel outside Jakarta. Blamed for Indonesias deadliest terrorist attack, the Bali bombings of 2002, Para had been on the Indonesian government's most-wanted list since 2003. Meanwhile, Chasseur Groups Munira said Fridays attack could have been inspired by similar attacks in Indonesia. Given the pattern of police station attacks in Indonesia previously, it is possible the attacker attempted to imitate those methods, she said. Ideology still alive Aizat Shamsuddin, who has worked closely with former militants, said the credo of groups like JI stays with those who used to be members. We have learned that there is a risk that these groups will regroup even after some of their members or leaders are arrested and captured, Aizat, the founder of a campaigner group, Initiative to Promote Tolerance and Prevent Violence, told BenarNews. What we have witnessed today is that the ideology among the [former] members is still alive. This report has been updated with new information about the age of the main suspect. A Philippine lawmaker urges Manila to take Beijing again to an international court over its new policy. Members of the media take footage of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel blocking a Philippine Coast Guard vessel on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas (Ayungin Shoal) in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. The Philippines hit back Friday against what it called Chinas illegal new order authorizing its coast guard to detain foreign boats and people suspected of trespassing into Beijing-claimed waters in the disputed South China Sea. The Chinese coast guard on Wednesday issued Order No. 3, which will take effect on June 15 and authorizes its personnel to hold foreign nationals for up to 30 days and as many as 60, in some cases. The orders release took place amid rising bilateral tensions over the waterway and as a Philippine civilian resupply convoy sailed toward Scarborough Shoal, which lies within Manilas exclusive economic zone, but is also claimed by China. This is another illegal action of China -- the mere fact that they claim full sovereignty over our own exclusive economic zone and (that) they are trying to justify their imaginary nine-dash line, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Jay Tarriela said during a press briefing Friday, as he rejected that Beijings new policy applied to waters within Manilas EEZ. According to a Mandarin-language document shared by the Chinese Embassy in Manila to reporters, the order covers administrative cases that occur in the waters under the jurisdiction of China. While the document makes no direct mention of the South China Sea, Beijing claims the waterway almost in its entirety. Under the order, foreign vessels may be seized and a foreign person may be detained with the approval of the person in charge of the coast guard agency if they are suspected of illegal entry and exit, assisting others to illegally enter and exit the country, and of endangering national security and interests, among other activities. Foreigners may be exempted from detention if they are pregnant or nursing an infant, below 16 years old, and older than 70 years old, among others, according to excerpts from the order that were translated into English. Administrative cases that occur in waters under the countrys jurisdiction shall be under the administration of the Coast Guard agency in accordance with the law, and shall be under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard agency corresponding to the place where the violation was committed, the order stated. The new order also prohibits unauthorized conduct of surveying and mapping activities in waters under Beijings jurisdiction, and warns that such circumstances are considered grave or serious. Illegal action At the press briefing, Tarriela warned China against repercussions of implementing its new order. China will also have to understand the fact that once they implement this law that they are saying now, its not just the Philippines that will be affected by this. They have to implement it on waters where Vietnamese, Malaysians, Indonesians, and other Southeast Asians are pressing on the nine-dash line claim of China, he said. Its a very big problem for them. Aside from the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia also have overlapping claims to the South China Sea. Taiwan is also a claimant. On Friday, a lawmaker and a security analyst urged the Philippine government to file a case against China before an international court over the new policy. If any country has a right to arrest foreigners, it is the Philippines. China is the one trespassing in our territorial waters and our exclusive economic zone, and now it has the gall to say that they would arrest non-Chinese in our waters, House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro said in a statement. The Philippines should expedite filing a case against China again in the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the United Nations. The international community, especially the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] should also speak up against Chinas blatant disregard of Philippine sovereignty, the 2016 arbitral ruling, and the [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea], she also said. In 2016, the Philippines won a landmark international arbitration case against China that stemmed from a bilateral standoff over Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing has virtually controlled since 2012. On Friday, the civilian convoy returned to Luzon island after an advance boat had delivered food and fuel to Filipino fishermen who were fishing near the disputed shoal, organizers said. A Philippine Coast Guard ship is seen in the background as boats belonging to a civilian convoy sail toward Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, May 15, 2024. [Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews] We see the defiance of the Filipino fisherfolk. The main reason why they went to Scarborough Shoal is to fight for their fishing rights, the [sovereign] rights of our country, security analyst Chester Cabalza told the ABS-CBN news program Dateline Philippines on Friday. The mere fact that China has pronounced the new law which they will implement by June means that theyre afraid. Theres fear in China right now because theyve seen civilians coming to [Scarborough Shoal], he said. Geopolitical analyst Don McLain Gill called the new Chinese policy illicit and baseless. China is quite notorious for using lawfare as a means to [establish] its de facto exclusionary policies in the greater South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea in particular, Gill told BenarNews on Friday. The West Philippine Sea is how Filipinos refer to South China Sea waters that lie within the Philippine EEZ. From its foreign fishing ban to the recent announcement, Beijing tries to illicitly enforce so-called laws in other countries EEZ as a show of force. However, this doesnt change the fact that such enforcements are illegal and clearly against UNCLOS, Gill said. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council did not immediately respond to BenarNews requests for comment. BenarNews also tried to contact the Chinese Embassy to seek clarification and comment, but was unsuccessful. The Philippine Coast Guard detains MT Hyperline 988, a foreign vessel under the flag of Sierra Leone, May 16, 2024. [Philippine Coast Guard] Meanwhile on Thursday, as the Filipino civilian convoy was heading back to Luzon, the Philippine Coast Coast Guard said it had detained a Sierra Leone-flagged ship, the MT Hyperline 988, on suspicion of having turned off its automatic identification system (AIS), and its seven-member crew. All seven crew members were Chinese nationals, the PCG said. An editorial video on the lack of regional flood control planning in the San Jacinto River basin. Houston Chronicle Days after the swollen rain clouds of Hurricane Harvey finally dissipated in 2017, then-Harris County Judge Ed Emmett was ready with a sweeping call to action. The normally pragmatic Emmett swung big. Likening the post-Harvey push for flood regulation to the pre-World War II construction of the Addicks and Barker dams in west Houston, he floated more than a dozen ideas to improve flood control, from new reservoirs to limiting development in flood plains to more restrictive drainage regulations. One of Emmetts best ideas which this editorial board endorsed was the creation of a regional flood control district consisting of partners in multiple counties with the power to levy taxes to plan and coordinate projects. We cant continue to say these are anomalies, Emmett said at the time. Youve got to say, 'Were in a new normal, so how are we going to react to it? ' Advertisement Article continues below this ad Seven years later, the new normal isnt so new anymore and a key component of Emmetts grand plan never came to be. By virtue of our regions unique geography and lax regulations in neighboring counties, northeast Harris County is essentially the storm drain for southeast Texas. While weve been spared from another major hurricane since Harvey, the web of rivers, creeks and reservoirs that slope southward from the San Jacinto River Basin to the Gulf of Mexico continue to flood many of our neighborhoods, even when the brunt of the rain doesnt fall within Harris County borders. Even under sunny skies two weeks ago, several neighborhoods in northeast Harris County were inundated with claggy, brown water from the San Jacinto River. These floods were mostly due to runoff from multiple heavy rain storms that began on April 28 across parts of Montgomery, Walker and San Jacinto counties. That water snaked through several reservoirs Lake Livingston, Lake Houston and Lake Conroe, all of which are designed to provide drinking water and recreation, not flood control and eventually released downstream, putting low-lying parts of many neighborhoods such as Kingwood, Channelview and Forest Cove underwater. In Harris County, more than 200 people had to be rescued. In Montgomery County, it was nearly 400. Residents on Dunnam Road in Kingwood, TX recover from floods the week prior on May 10, 2024. Sharon Steinmann In the aftermath of these storms, local officials pointed fingers. At Harris County Commissioners Court last week, Commissioner Tom Ramsey blasted Montgomery and Liberty County leaders for failing to ensure adequate drainage and development regulations. He criticized the San Jacinto River Authority for not planning its water releases earlier to soften the risk of flooding downstream. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo urged neighboring counties to adopt the same flood mitigation standards as Harris County, saying its the fiscally responsible thing to do since it would help avoid the steep costs of search, rescue, cleanup and rebuilding. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Harris Countys neighbors did not take kindly to the criticism. Liberty County Judge Jay Knight threw up his hands, noting his county has aging drainage infrastructure that gets overwhelmed during severe storms. Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough retorted in a statement to us, We dont place blame in Montgomery County on weather events as Mother Nature caused them. While Mother Nature is indeed a fickle mistress, drainage regulations are generally not in her purview. Ramseys and Hidalgos underlying points are valid. Ever since Harris County adopted some of the most restrictive and far-reaching flood and development regulations in the state, they have implored their neighbors to follow their lead. Yet, Montgomery County hasnt adopted the same minimum standards for elevation and detention and hasnt updated its floodplain maps since the early 1990s. Harris County is expected to finally release its updated maps later this year. Liberty County has permitted enormous, sprawling developments such as the controversial Colony Ridge, on razed forests and wetlands, removing crucial natural sponges that soak up runoff, and effectively allowing water to trap people in their homes. Nobody is calling for all new development to be halted just that it proceed responsibly. Kaitlyn Hennessey, 26, tends to her 2-year-old on May 10, 2024 as she an other residents on Dunnam Road in Kingwood, TX recover from floods the week prior. Sharon Steinmann Until that happens, residents such Kaitlyn Hennessey will be left just where a member of this editorial board found her two weeks ago: assessing the damage of her Kingwood home that flooded because of the elevated San Jacinto River. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A 2-year-old runs past debris from flooding on Dunnam Road in Kingwood, TX on May 10, 2024. Sharon Steinmann A mailbox resembling a home on stilts is pictured on Dunnam Road in Kingwood, TX on May 10, 2024. Sharon Steinmann I feel like they need to figure out where the problem is, and try to fix it, she said. People shouldnt have to move because somebody upstream doesnt have their stuff together. Emmetts idea for a regional flood control district was based in part on the Houston-Galveston Area Councils Transportation Policy Council, which coordinates transportation planning efforts in a region that currently includes eight counties. A regional flood control district would be a similarly configured single authority with the power to levy taxes and take charge of all major flood control, drainage and water management issues. Such an entity would also be able to apply to the federal government for grants to support funding these projects, which are often too costly for smaller counties to shoulder on their own. While HGAC has a Regional Flood Management Committee, it is not a regulatory body or a taxing entity able to raise money to fund large-scale projects; it simply advises local governments on flood management. The framework for a regional flood control district already exists. The Texas Water Development Board in 2020 designated 15 regional flood planning groups across the state to identify specific flood risks that would be incorporated into a statewide flood plan, which will be sent to the Legislature this coming September. The San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group, which consists of representatives from 11 counties including Harris, Montgomery and Liberty, last summer approved a regional flood plan that lists two dozen ideas for administrative, legislative and funding strategies for floodplain management. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Residents on Dunnam Road in Kingwood, TX recover from floods the first week of May 2024. Sharon Steinmann All that planning will amount to nothing but reports collecting dust on a shelf unless the Legislature creates a regional flood control district to fund the recommendations and put them into action. State lawmakers were more than willing to create a similar Gulf Coast Protection District to help fund and manage the Ike Dike a massive coastal barrier that will take an estimated 20 years to build. Given that every severe rain storm can quickly spiral into a disaster for our region, voters should demand that their state representatives and senators act with urgency next session to create a regional flood control entity. Few understood this better than Emmett, a former state rep himself who knew that a patchwork of local flood control laws would never be adequate. Yet Emmett told us last week that when he lost reelection in 2018 to Hidalgo, the momentum for regional flood control fizzled. Well need Hidalgo, Ramsey, Houston Mayor John Whitmire and other local leaders to finish the job this time. MANCHESTER The Wilburton Inn, that bastion of Northshire hospitality, innovative professional theatre and sanctuary for all matters canine including Jetson, its very own Canine Concierge appears to be at it again, merging all three into a fun-filled weekend, and spreading the wealth evenly for its guests, and the surrounding community. The historic Manchester destination will host two concert presentations of the Off-Broadway musical romantic comedy, A Dog Story, with music and lyrics by Gayla D. Morgan and book by Eric H. Weinberger, and directed by Frank Galgano, with musical direction by Matt Castle. Family innkeeper Melissa Levis, a longtime New York City performing artist herself, said one performance will be tied to a special weekend package, for this Friday through Sunday, named Spring Doggie Slumber Paw-ty, which will be for hotel guests only. The second show will be open to the general public. A Dog Story is such a heartwarming show, and the weekend package will include admission to the Saturday show at 4 p.m., where hotel guests can also bring their pet pooches, Levis said. Following the show, we will also offer guests a wine reception, and an exclusive Q and A with author Gayla Morgan, as well as members of the productions cast and crew. Other events which are included in the weekend package include a Saturday morning doggie stroll, a birthday party for the Wilburtons own Jetson, a campfire/pajama party, and a doggie fashion show. We have a woman whos already arrived from West Virginia, Levis said. She drives 10 hours each way to celebrate our Canine Christmas Doggies Slumber Party weekends, and this is the first time shes come to Vermont in the summer. But shes here for a full 10 days to celebrate with us, and she is going to be our party planner, making the amazing costumes and prizes for all the dogs. Then, on Sunday, the public as well as their pet canines will be able to take in the shows performance at 1 p.m. General admission seating tickets are $30 per person and are available at MourningDovesRising.Square.Site and SeaglassTheatrical.com, as well as before the performance at the venue. Each pups price of admission is a happy tail wag, Levis said. A Dog Story will be produced by Francine Gordon of Mourning Doves Rising LLC, a New York City performing arts firm, who will also make tickets for the Sunday public showing available on its website. Lyricist and composer Morgan said that A Dog Story connects viscerally with audiences, and since its 2014 world premiere, she and co-creator Weinberger have been able to help it evolve and mature, while still staying true to the story. The premiere was already funny and charming, but on its way to off-Broadway, the dramaturgical input we received as writers, during readings and New York rehearsals and the preview process, translated into more three-dimensional characters than existed in the premiere script and score, Morgan said. Each role developed an arc, Morgan continued, as songs were tossed, songs were added, jokes were improved, dialogue was sharpened. By its opening off-Broadway in late 2016, the show was tighter, funnier, and even better able to make audiences care about the four people in it, and of course, the puppy, Morgan said. Ah yes, Cupid, the puppy! The story itself involves Roland, an ambitious attorney, who believes he must be married to get the partnership he badly desires. So he follows the advice of his best buddy, Guy, and gets a puppy named Cupid as a chick magnet for his Hamptons vacation. The plan worked! Roland is ecstatic when Cupid leads him to gorgeous businesswoman Blair, but not quite as excited when Cupid leads him to Miranda, a dog trainer who is patient with puppies but not their owners. But through first dates, angry tangos, and a sudden vanishing, Roland ends up realizing theres so much more to life when you get a dog! The cast include Jack Dossett as Roland Newman, Lucia Padilla Katz as Miranda Kunkel, Trey Forsyth as Guy Lassiter III and Erin McMillen as Blair Beaumont. The show is recommended for ages 12 and up, but Morgan added that the Manchester production will be pared down for costuming and be acted very informally, so there should be little to no concern about the adult suggestiveness that the fully staged production engenders. There are a couple of scenes with innuendo, all implied, nothing graphic, Morgan said. But since we wont be costuming to any extent and staging is very limited, the scenes that have the greatest spice in fully staged productions will be less spicy during these concert presentations. More than anything, though, Morgan said the emotional connection between audience members and their canine companions should reign supreme. I want everyone to be smiling, after wiping a tear or two from their eyes, humming one of the songs from the show, and hugging their pooches extra tightly, she said. Sen. John Cornyn took flak from Texas Republican convention delegates for working with Senate Democrats on gun safety legislation in the wake of the Uvalde elementary school massacre. (Lola Gomez/Dallas Morning News/TNS) Lola Gomez, MBR / TNS Right side of the gun debate Regarding "Big Bad John Cornyn turns gun-shy as Biden closes the gun show loophole | Editorial," (May 14): Sen. John Cornyn should be ashamed by the fact that gun violence is the number one killer of kids and teens in America. As the parent of an elementary schooler, I fully support closing the gun show loophole, which has allowed individuals who sell guns via mail order, flea markets or gun shows to sell without first conducting a background check. That loophole could allow felons, juveniles and the mentally unstable ready access to these weapons. The Biden administrations action does nothing to impact individuals who are legally authorized to carry guns. They are still free to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Why is Cornyn going back on the best thing hes ever done for my family (passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act)? Keeping the loophole in place means keeping convicted criminals' ability to access firearms, no questions asked. Why would any sane person support this? Why is Cornyn so willing to go out on a limb for criminals and so unwilling to do more to protect innocent kids? Advertisement Article continues below this ad Two years ago, soon after the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, I attended the protest against the National Rifle Association convention. The sign that stood out to me said, Please, just make it harder. We are begging you Sen. Cornyn. Please just make it harder. Laura Kennedy, Houston Sen. Cornyn opposes the policy of universal background checks to include internet and gun show sales. A McCourtney Institute for Democracys latest Mood of the Nation Poll shows that 86% of Americans, and a majority of Republicans, support this policy. So who opposes it, besides Cornyn and a few other like-minded elected officials? The NRA, thats who. Their mantra must be "any weapon, to any person, at any time." Oh, and let me say that I am a gun owner. I would like to ask the senator one question: Why should someone who cannot walk into a brick-and-mortar gun store and purchase a weapon due to an inability to pass a background check be able to purchase weapons freely at a gun show or on the internet? It is a simple and seemingly logical question. Virtually every American believes that there are people in this country who should not be able to own guns convicted violent criminals, people who are mentally ill, so on. President Barack Obama issued an executive order that basically said if you are collecting federal disability payments and your disability is mental illness, you will not be able to pass a background check to purchase weapons. President Donald Trump signed into law a bill passed by the Republican majority to reverse that policy. Any weapon, to any person, at any time. Advertisement Article continues below this ad When will Republicans get on the right side of gun laws and put people ahead of special interests? We are not talking about banning Americans from gun ownership here, just some sensible and popular policies. Rob Hellyer, Houston Immigrants Regarding "Economy looking good? Thank the immigrants among us. | Editorial," (May 12): Your latest assault on this countrys sovereign right to govern its own immigration seems to confuse legal with illegal, and cedes that right to people who crossed illegally. This editorial argues our economy needs these immigrants to "take jobs that native-born Americans simply wont do." There are no such jobs. Who do you think manned our nursing homes, harvested our produce and cleaned our hotel rooms (to use your examples) before this influx? The same hardworking, tax-paying, law-abiding citizens who made this country what it is. Advertisement Article continues below this ad If we do want more immigration, it is our right, not would-be immigrants' right, to decide that. The president takes an oath to enforce the laws. Do you really think that applies any less to immigration than to any other laws? Dan Flatten, Houston Im 89 years young and have never written a letter to the editor until this week, having sent you an earlier one regarding the paper's need to have balance in their articles and editorials and now this one! Your editorial on immigrants was right on point. Immigrants have made this great country what it is. My family came legally to the U.S. from England to Tennessee and then to Gods Country (to those of you from New York and California, that is what we call Texas). Your editorial did not stress legal immigration. I agree that our dysfunctional Congress and presidents both present and past have failed miserably to pass into law a realistic reform of our immigration laws. I hope that is a top priority for our next administration. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Terry Townsend, Conroe If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom. With identity theft, constant vigilance is required. The compromised personal information can be used at any time by the criminals. The method of use and timing is determined by whoever holds the data, whether that be credit cards, loan applications, or just online purchases. This story has been modified to correct the spelling of Xiaoxia Weng. LENOX Ever since the 2012 closing of the Japanese restaurant Fin, the downtown Restaurant Row has lacked Asian cuisine. Thats about to change with the arrival of Yao, offering a modern Asian fusion menu with 45 seats, including a 10-seat sushi bar, at 9 Franklin St., opposite the popular Haven cafe. The Select Board approved an all-alcohol restaurant license for the establishment on Wednesday night, with members voicing enthusiasm over the prospect of sushi and other Asian cuisine in a long-vacant downtown space. Yao owner Xiaoxia Weng, who goes by Wendy, said she plans to open in about two months, with lunch and dinner hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Attorney Jeffrey Lynch, appearing with her at the Select Board meeting, pointed out that Wendy was a co-owner of Koto Hibachi Steakhouse on Dalton Avenue in Pittsfield, and the former owner of Enso Asian Bistro, operated from 2015 to 2019 at the now-demolished Dakota restaurant site on South Street in Pittsfield. The location previously hosted Da'Koto Steak House from 2013 to 2015 after the Dakota went out of business. Weng and her husbands JCMA LLC, managed by Mengyao Chen, purchased the Franklin Street property, formerly owned by fallen crypto exec Ryan Salames North Sandy Brook LLC, for $600,000 last Monday, according to Middle Berkshire Registry records. She brings with her a wealth of restaurant management experience, Lynch said, looking forward to coming into Lenox and introducing their experience in the restaurant business. He noted the site has been vacant for many years. It previously housed the Lenox Pizza House, and a four-week run of Asian Breeze in mid-summer 2011. This is a great opportunity for Lenox, a little bit of diversity, in terms of the type of offerings there, Lynch noted. Im excited to see that building put back into operation, Wendy and her husband will be a great addition to downtown. Me and my husband have worked in restaurant for more than 15 years, she told the Select Board. We want to bring our best Asian cuisine to the neighborhood. A postcard shows a typical railroad crane, but not in Pittsfield, from decades ago. In 1896, a similar heavy-duty, steam-powered crane was responsible for the collapse of the Junction Bridge in Pittsfield. This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle. You are the owner of this article. Millennials are gobbling down plant-based burgers, prompting meat producers to question the health benefits of "ultra-processed imitations." (Evan Sung/The New York Times) Evan Sung/NYT Increasingly, vegans, vegetarians and others looking for meat alternatives are seeing a new option on the menu: patties that look, taste and even appear to bleed like beef hamburgers, but are actually made of soy, pea protein and other ingredients. Now, a leading plant-based meat company called Impossible Foods plans to rebrand, in order to reach a wider audience. From now on, Impossible Foods says that all of its green cardboard packaging will be switched to red, in a bid to appeal to the carnivorous cravings of meat eaters, according to a March 2024 news release. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Some of the plant-based meat substitute industrys woes can be attributed to politics. Many consumers associate plant-based meat substitutes with veganism, animal rights activism and left-wing politics. Impossibles CEO, Peter McGuinness, said in 2023 that his company has an elitist reputation and that the companys rebranding is a rejection of wokeness. The so-called wokeness of Impossible and other plant-based meat substitutes shows the symbolic power that food can have in politics. As communication scholars, we study and teach our students about the persuasive power of symbols. Even innocuous items like the food we eat are symbols that come with attached meanings and values. Amid the highly polarized politics in the U.S., plant-based meat substitutes and their analog, real meat, have become weapons in a symbol-laden political battle between some conservatives and liberals, sometimes nicknamed the Meat Culture War. In other words, while an Impossible burger might literally be a soy patty, it is also a symbolic threat to the right-wing ideological order, a symbolic stand-in for the left-wing villain of the week. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Food, politics and culture People who are higher income, younger and live in the suburbs are most likely to have tried plant-based meat substitutes, Gallup polling shows. A rural Mississippi corner store probably wont sell Impossible sausages, but an urban California Whole Foods probably will. In some cases, conservatives have attached even more meaning to plant-based meat substitutes. Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, for example, produced a documentary in 2022 featuring the Raw Egg Nationalist, a prominent far-right influencer, who said that Impossible, Beyond and other plant-based companies are part of a soy globalist conspiracy to criminalize meat consumption and weaken citizens through poisoned food. The Raw Egg Nationalist also wrote in 2022 that plant-based meat substitutes and eggs are perverted products pushed by elites to bring civilization to the brink of madness. Foods political symbolism is not new. Depicting East Asian men as effeminate rice eaters was used as a justification for European colonial rule in Asia in the 1800s and for later stoking anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. And during the Iraq War in the mid-2000s, some U.S. restaurants renamed french fries as freedom fries to protest Frances refusal to join the war. Advertisement Article continues below this ad More recently, some people have derisively called men who consume soy-based proteins soy boys. In response to calls for meat reduction, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst has proposed banning the trend of Meatless Mondays to combat the Lefts War on Meat. Impossibles appeal to the political right likely wont be solved with a quick repackage. Thats because their issue is related to a deep-seated conspiratorial ideology embraced by some people in far-right political circles. Sure, some studies in consumer psychology suggest that brand color impacts consumer preferences. For plant-based meats in particular, consumers perceptions of the products eco-friendliness and tastiness is somewhat affected by packaging color in this case, typically green. A color shift may nudge a wayward carnivore to take a taste of an Impossible brat, but thats a bandage, not a solution. You are what you eat The symbolic connection between consuming the right foods and U.S. political identity is strong. Advertisement Article continues below this ad During the 2012 election, political analyst Dave Wasserman argued that who controls the Senate would come down to Cracker Barrel diners, who tend to favor options like chicken and dumplings, country fried steak and meatloaf, versus Whole Foods shoppers. He correctly noted that electoral districts that are also home to a Whole Foods were more likely to vote blue, while districts with Cracker Barrels were more likely to vote red. Ten years later, in the summer of 2022, social media went wild when Cracker Barrel offered an Impossible sausage patty on its menu. Some people then posted on Cracker Barrels Facebook page, lambasting the restaurant chain. As one person wrote, We dont eat in an old country store for woke burgers. Plant-based meat substitutes are often used by conservative commentators as a symbolic stand-in for Big Government and are seen as a threat to individual liberty. At the 2019 Conservative Political Action Conference, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz declared his wish to see PETA supporting the Republican Party now that the Democrats want to kill all the cows. At a 2020 rally in Des Moines, Iowa, then-President Donald Trump cast the anti-meat conspiracy in even more nefarious and illogical terms, saying that they want to kill our cows! You know why, right? That means youre next. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In 2021, a survey found that 44% of Republicans actively believe that there is a movement in the U.S. to ban red meat. A larger conspiracy These fears overlap with the populist right-wing conspiracy theory of The Great Reset, meaning the belief that wealthy elites are weakening citizens particularly white men to subject them to tyrannical control and subjugation. A 2023 article in The American Conservative argued that Impossible was at the forefront of a collective vegan madness that has seized our media and political classes not to convince people but to compel them. In the online backlash to Cracker Barrels new Impossible sausage item, some commentators similarly suggested that Cracker Barrels 5G sausages were controlled by Bill Gates. Psychology andgender scholarship has found that traditional forms of masculinity associated with right-wing ideologies correlate with high meat consumption. Right-wing males consume red meats at higher volumes and with greater frequency than other demographics. As communication scholars, were confident that what Impossible cant do is repackage in a way that will attract right-wing carnivores. The Meat Culture Wars wont end because of red wrappers or meaty descriptors. Theyll only end when, collectively, other items become perceived as an identity threat and globalist conspiracy and people forget about fake meat. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. Want to stay up to date on our most recent thought-provoking editorials, columns and Letters to the Editor? Our Opinion-focused 'SaysHou' newsletter delivers our weekly highlights, directly to your inbox. Sign up now. Muller is an assistant professor of Communication Studies at Texas State University. Rooney is a doctoral candidate at The University of Texas at Austin. 'Ek (1) ne Bees (20)' programme to screen 5 lakh people for hypertension Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMC&H) has launched the largest ever cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) outreach programme, the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) in private sector in Ludhiana. The initiative named 'Ek (1) ne Bees (20)' has galvanised volunteers and trained them to identify high blood pressure patients. Under the programme, one volunteer screens 20 people every week. DMC&H has developed training infrastructure to train medical students, nursing staff & senior secondary students to spread awareness and has so far screened more than 1 lakh people. The DMC&H now targets 2000 volunteers in both urban and rural areas so that more and more people can be screened. The hospital has also involved corporates, schools, NGOs, and others in this outreach programme. This is a one-of-a-kind initiative across the country where students of class XI and XII under the supervision of doctors were trained to identify CVDs and treat the patients. Buoyed with success, DMC&H is now intending to train the guards, security personnel, and support staff of different localities. The Government of India has launched IHCI to control CVDs. An estimated 20 crore people nationwide have high blood pressure but less than 2 crore have it under control which is around 10 percent. The government intends to raise it to 25 percent by 2025. The India Hypertension Control Initiative is a multi-partner, five-year initiative between the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), State Governments, WHO India, and the non-government organization Resolve to Save Lives. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, speaks during a press conference at the southern border at the Humanitarian Respite Center, July 19, 2019 in McAllen, Texas. Delcia Lopez, MBI / Associated Press Federal officials have charged U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and his wife for allegedly accepting bribes from two foreign entities and money laundering, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, which unsealed the indictment on Friday. Investigators allege the longtime congressman and his wife, Imelda, took roughly $600,000 in bribes between 2014 and 2021 from a bank headquartered in Mexico City and an oil and gas company owned and operated by the government of Azerbaijan. In exchange, Cuellar who has denied all wrongdoing allegedly used the powers of his office to influence legislative action that would help the bank and promote foreign policy that would favor Azerbaijan, a former Soviet state. Both Cuellar and his wife face a maximum penalty of 204 years in prison if convicted. The charges against them include bribery of a federal official, conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and violating the ban on public officials acting as agents of a foreign principal. Investigators say the bribes were laundered through a series of front companies and middlemen into a shell company owned by Imelda Cuellar. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In a statement on Friday, Cuellar said he and his wife are innocent, and he still plans to run for reelection this fall. Derek Hollingsworth, an attorney for Cuellar's wife, said the couple appeared in court around 1 p.m. A judge gave them each a $100,000 unsecured bond and restricted their travel. The actions I took in Congress were consistent with the actions of many of my colleagues and in the interest of the American people, Cuellar said in the statement. Without providing context, Cuellar said that he proactively sought legal advice from the House Ethics Committee before I took any action. He said he also requested a meeting with federal prosecutors to explain the facts, but they declined to discuss the case. Chris Flood, Cuellar's lawyer, expressed concern about the DOJ's agenda in pursuing the charges, noting the case could harm his client's reelection bid. "Congressman Cuellar is not guilty," Flood said. "Any allegation that he's a foreign agent is ludicrous." Advertisement Article continues below this ad The 54-page indictment claims the Cuellars used the bribes to pay off tens of thousands of dollars in personal debts, including taxes, credit card bills and car payments. The couple also purchased a $12,000 custom gown, used $7,000 as a down payment for a new car and splurged at restaurants and retail stores. The document is a play-by-play accounting of the Cuellars alleged scheme to rack up money from foreign governments in exchange for political favors. The indictment references several third parties, including both individuals and companies, that allegedly served as intermediaries between the governmental entities and Imelda Cuellars fake companies. For example, beginning in at least May 2014, investigators allege the Cuellars negotiated a sham contract with a Mexican bank, eventually through a U.S.-based affiliate, and used a Mexican official as a middleman. Almost a year later, Cuellar and the official allegedly exchanged messages about finding another intermediary to further disguise the bribe payments, the indictment states. In one message, the Mexican official told Cuellar that we need to find another scheme for the bank because it was not recommended to enter a contract directly with the Cuellars shell company. The official suggested using a Mexican company in Mexico as a new middleman, but Cuellar replied, Prefer American. After the shell company received the money, Imelda Cuellar periodically wrote checks to her husband for rent. They were deposited into the couples joint bank account. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In exchange for the payments, Cuellar allegedly pressured executive branch officials to soften anti-money laundering policies that would have negatively impacted the bank. The indictment says Cuellar also backed a bill amending money-laundering laws that was supported by the bank and its affiliates. In January 2022, the FBI raided Cuellars home and campaign office. ABC News reported at the time that the investigation was part of a wide-ranging federal probe relating to Azerbaijan and several U.S. businessmen, but Cuellars attorney told reporters that year that the Democrat was not a target of the probe. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries office said Friday that Cuellar will take leave as ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee while the case continues. Like any American, Congressman Cuellar is entitled to his day in court and the presumption of innocence throughout the legal process, Jeffries spokesperson Christie Stephenson said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Cuellar is a member of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, and he has a long relationship with the nations ambassador, Elin Suleymanov, whom he has credited with helping to establish a partnership between Texas A&M International University and the Assembly of the Friends of Azerbaijan. He also has ties to a Houston-based businessman who was convicted of lying to Congress about Azerbaijans role in funding a 2013 trip to the western Asian nation for 10 lawmakers, federal records show. Kemal Oksuz, who pleaded guilty in that case, was a regular campaign donor to Cuellar and other Texas politicians and in 2015 enlisted Cuellar to establish the partnership. Cuellar and his wife had been issued subpoenas for information including records related to Oksuz and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic, ABC reported in early 2022. Cuellar has represented South Texas in Congress since 2005. He is among the most moderate representatives in the U.S. House and the only anti-abortion Democrat. The congressman faced two difficult primary challenges in 2020 and 2022 from a more progressive Democrat, immigration attorney Jessica Cisneros, but eked out a victory both times. In November 2022, he beat a Republican opponent by more than 13 percentage points. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Cuellar did not have a Democratic primary challenger this year. He has two potential Republican opponents, Jay Furman and Lazaro Garza Jr., who are headed to a runoff at the end of this month. Cayla Harris covers Texas politics and government for the San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at cayla.harris@hearst.com. She also served as training director of the Hearst Fellowship Program, a two-year initiative allowing early career journalists to rotate through local newsrooms. She previously covered New York state government for the Albany Times Union. She grew up in New Jersey and is a 2019 graduate of the George Washington University, where she studied journalism and Spanish. There was a manifest failure of the UK and Irish governments to adequately respond to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, President Michael D Higgins has said. A wreath-laying ceremony is taking place in Dublin to mark the 50th anniversary of the deadly attacks on May 17th, 1974, when three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one in Monaghan town. Advertisement No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. Advertisement It remains the biggest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. The ceremony is being held in Talbot Street in Dublin, where an official memorial honours the 35 people killed in the bombings, including two unborn babies. Another 300 people are estimated to have been injured in the blasts. President Higgins said: Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings of 1974 were crimes of a particular level of savagery, executed consciously upon workers and civilians with total disregard for human life and suffering. Advertisement Like the families of so many other victims and survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict, so many of you here today have been trying to find answers about what happened. The memorial in Talbot Street. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. Mr Higgins said it is a matter of profound regret and unacceptable that no one had been held accountable for the atrocities. Advertisement The president said systemic failures at state level include possible collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitaries, the disappearance of important forensic evidence and a refusal to supply information. He said: The manifest failure of both the British and Irish governments to initiate suitable responses in the aftermath of the attacks has left a legacy that cannot be left unaddressed. I share with the relatives gathered or represented here their feeling of being abandoned and failed by the system, of their being denied justice for the loss of loved ones. Mr Higgins said the relatives need more than an empathetic ear, adding: Justice demands that they deserve the truth no more, no less. Advertisement Taoiseach Simon Harris arrives for a wreath-laying ceremony. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. The president also criticised the current UK governments Legacy Act, saying: The enactment of that unilaterally sourced legislation has resulted in families who have spent decades fighting for an effective investigation into their cases of not only facing further uncertainty and delays but of the deprivation of legal rights. Mr Higgins said there was a collective responsibility to deal with legacy issues in an ethical manner, adding: A strategy of feigned amnesia, or hoping time will deliver one, is simply not an option, nor is any strategy of continuing the protection of previous evasions or failures to act. It is not morally acceptable, nor is it politically feasible, to request that those affected by such tragedy should forget about the past, draw a line or move on in the name of any naive desire for a supposed closure that may never be attainable. He said the families call for the full truth to emerge should be supported, however embarrassing or painful it may be. Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the ceremony. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tanaiste Micheal Martin also attended the event organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Sir Iain Livingstone, an adviser to Operation Kenova, were among other attendees. Former taoiseach's Leo Varadkar and Bertie Ahern were also present. Mr Harris said: Today, 50 years on from that dark day, I remember all those who lost their lives and were injured, and think of their families. I know their hurt has been compounded by a lack of truth and of justice for the victims since, and of immediate support for the families in the difficult years that followed. Today, we honour the memories of those who died, the more than 300 people injured, and the bereaved, both those living and those who have died in the years since. Cathy Ellis arrives for mass at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. Today, Dublin and Monaghan remember. Mr Higgins will lay a wreath in Monaghan on Friday evening, where local minister Heather Humphreys will represent the Government. Before the Dublin ceremony, Mr Martin and Mr Boutcher attended a memorial Mass at nearby St Marys Pro-Cathedral. Leading the service, Archbishop Dermot Farrell read out the names of those killed in the bombings. Calling for reconciliation, he added: Pray that those with the power to be able to deliver that justice, which will ultimately bring peace, will come quickly so that all may be fully healed of that awful atrocity and tragedy. A message from President Higgins on a wreath. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. Earlier, Mr Martin pledged that all government-held files in connection with the bombings should be released to inquiries. He said: Ive a general view that any files we have in Dublin, or within the Department of Justice or in An Garda Siochana, should be released to all inquiries in respect of atrocities in Northern Ireland. Today is a very poignant day and the Justice for the Forgotten group has been extraordinary in their efforts they have made to focus attention many decades on, on what was the worst atrocity, in what was a terrible time in Ireland when there was murder and mayhem across the land. Earlier governments, from the 1990s on, we had two inquiries, and both those inquires made it very clear that they didnt get full co-operation, particularly from the British state. Mr Martin told RTEs Morning Ireland that the Legacy Act had created a huge challenge. The families of victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings remain firm in their quest for justice 50 years on, Helen McEntee has said. The Minister for Justice said the anniversary of the atrocity on Friday brought a new determination to find out what happened on May 17 1974. Advertisement On that date, three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one exploded in Monaghan town. No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. Justice Minister Helen McEntee said it was a day to remember and reflect. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA. Advertisement An official memorial in Dublin honours the 35 victims of the bombings, which included two unborn babies. It remains the greatest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. A church service will take place at St Marys Pro-Cathedral in Dublin on Friday morning, which will be followed by a commemoration event at the Talbot Street memorial where President Michael D Higgins will deliver an address. Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tanaiste Micheal Martin will also attend the event, which has been organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. Advertisement Mr Higgins will also lay a wreath in Monaghan on Friday evening. Minister Heather Humphreys will represent the Government. Ms McEntee said it was a day to remember and reflect. Advertisement She added: Fifty years have passed since that dreadful day on the streets of Dublin city centre and Monaghan town. It is as incomprehensible today, as it was all those decades ago, to think that bombs could be planted so callously, with no regard for human life. Three bombs exploded in Dublin city centre and a fourth in Monaghan Town. Advertisement The scale of the attack was without compare, it is the greatest loss of life on a single day of the Troubles. Such a large scale tragic and unjustified loss of life continues to effect countless families. Despite the passage of time, they continue to feel the loss of their loved ones deeply. The minister said the families loss had been compounded by the frustration and hurt of unanswered questions. Ms McEntee added: The survivors and the families of the victims remain firm in their quest for justice and for information about what happened to their loved ones. The Government is fully committed to seeking out the truth behind those events and, hopefully, to secure some measure of comfort for the victims families and the survivors. This landmark anniversary brings with it a new focus and desire to establish the truth of what happened on May 17 1974. The Government for our part, will continue to pursue all possible avenues to uncover the truth of what happened on this day in 1974. Taoiseach Simon Harris said it was 50 years on from a dark day Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. Taoiseach Mr Harris said: Today, 50 years on from that dark day, I remember all those who lost their lives and were injured, and think of their families. I know their hurt has been compounded by a lack of truth and of justice for the victims since, and of immediate support for the families in the difficult years that followed. Today, we honour the memories of those who died, the more than 300 people injured, and the bereaved, both those living and those who have died in the years since. Today, Dublin and Monaghan remember. Tanaiste Micheal Martin said unanswered questions remained over the atrocities. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. Tanaiste Mr Martin said the Dublin and Monaghan tragedies live on in families in Ireland and abroad. He said: The loss and suffering of families was magnified by inadequate investigation at that time. The Barron and MacEntee inquiries answered some questions and raised some more, including the possibility of collusion. I have been following up with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chris Heaton-Harris) on the provision of sensitive material which may help answer some of those questions. A woman kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a Limerick father of one, told her attacker in court: I refuse to let (you) destroy the rest of my life. Denis ODonovan (38) can be named after the judge lifted reporting restrictions in the case. Advertisement The woman told ODonovans sentencing hearing on Friday: He is a dangerous sexual predator and everyone should know his name. ODonovan, with an address at Ballyryan, Donohill, Co Tipperary, is well known in the construction industry as a machine operator and building site groundworker. He had pleaded not guilty at his trial last April to one count of falsely imprisoning the woman, as well as three counts of sexually assaulting her, and one count of assault causing her harm, on the night of January 17th, 2020. A jury at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court did not accept ODonovans pleas, and convicted him on all but one count of sexual assault. Advertisement Detective Garda Chris Cowan told the sentencing hearing that ODonovan imprisoned and sexually assaulted the victim while he was on bail for an aggravated burglary in which he used an axe to break into another womans house as she slept, at 2am on March 17th, 2019. He pleaded guilty in relation to the 2019 incident, and received a three-year suspended sentence. ODonovan has previous convictions, mostly for public order offences which were mostly related to him being intoxicated. Prosecution barrister, Lily Buckley BL, told the court that on the night in question, ODonovan called to the victims rural home, and when the woman ventured outside with a torch to see who was there, ODonovan pulled her into his car and kept her against her will. Advertisement ODonovan drove the woman to an isolated area and started to choke her, with his two hands around her neck. She was pinned, her hips were wedged between the two front seats and she was being choked, Ms Buckley said. Escape ODonovan pulled down the victims pants and underwear and repeatedly sexually assaulted her while holding her down against her will. The woman made her escape when she asked ODonovan if she could get more comfortable in the car. Advertisement After fleeing the car, the woman was so desperate to get away she ran through briars in a ditch. She stayed there listening out for (ODonovans) car, and ultimately she returned to her house and made a 999 call and alerted gardai. The woman was medically examined at a Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) and was found to have sustained bruising and trauma around her genitals, knee, thigh and shin, as well as scratch marks on her face and arms. Marks on the victims neck were consistent with being choked, the examination found. Advertisement The victim told gardai that she was not expecting ODonovan at her home, and she denied his claims that he had called to her home to drop off cannabis. ODonovan was arrested on two occasions, and denied he had sexually assaulted the woman. He was charged after his DNA was found in salvia discharge discovered on the victims underwear. ODonovans DNA was also discovered on a cardigan the woman was wearing on the night, and damage to the cardigan was found to have been consistent with a struggle. The DNA results produced by Forensic Science Ireland strongly supported that ODonovan had sexually assaulted the victim, the court heard. Gardai also found the victims torch in the briar covered ditch where she had hid from ODonovan, as well as car tyre marks in the area where he had assaulted her. No words can ever fully describe the absolute terror Fighting back tears, the woman read a victim impact statement to the court, describing the attack as absolutely terrifying, traumatising, degrading and disgusting. I was dragged into his car, driven at speed down the road, and had to try to escape by jumping out of a moving car, only for him to grab me with both hands, choking me violently, pinning me down with one hand on my throat while he sexually assaulted me in a disgusting, degrading way. No words can ever fully describe the absolute terror of being choked, and believing I was going to die. After the attack I couldn't eat or sleep, I used to stay awake at night listening for fear of him returning. A year after the attack, I couldn't cope with the trauma anymore. I was suicidal and was going to kill myself, I had it all planned, I had a breakdown and ended up in hospital, spending weeks in a secure mental health unit. I have suffered panic attacks, flashbacks and nightmares since the attack on an almost daily basis, and I became confined to home because the fear and panic was overwhelming. She added: I changed from being a happy confident person who loved the outdoors, hiking and walking to not being able to leave my house for years. has taken everything I enjoyed about life away from me. The physical injuries from that night have healed, but the trauma will stay with me for the rest of my life After all of this, for him to put me through a trial which was so daunting, as I had never been to court in my life before all of this, to have to sit and listen to his outrageous and disgusting lies, felt like another attack. He has taken years of my life that I will never get back. He may be going to jail, but I feel like I've been in jail the last four years. The physical injuries from that night have healed, but the trauma will stay with me for the rest of my life. It has been an incredibly difficult and dark time in my life, but today I am a stronger person for surviving everything he (ODonovan) has done to me and I refuse to let him destroy the rest of my life. The woman said she wanted to thank the Director of Public Prosecutions for bringing the case against ODonovan, as well as the judge and jury at the trial. She also thanked a friend for supporting her and gardai. Judge Dermot Sheehan said he needed time to consider his sentence and remanded ODonovan in continuing custody for sentencing on June 7th. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help. A former soldier, who was convicted last month of sexually assaulting two colleagues, has told a military court he is unsure if he can ever forgive himself for his offences. The 44-year-old former non-commissioned officer (NCO) said drinking inappropriately on the night of the incident, during which he sexually assaulted other military personnel two and half years ago, was the biggest mistake of my life. Advertisement He told a pre-sentence hearing of a court martial on Friday that he had not touched another alcoholic drink since that occasion. The former soldier was found guilty of seven charges at a limited court martial held in McKee Barracks in Dublin last month following a two-week trial. The name of the accused and his victims, as well as the location of the military base where the offences occurred, cannot be published due to extensive reporting restrictions imposed by the military judge, Colonel Michael Campion, on foot of an application by counsel for the Director of Military Prosecutions. The former NCO was convicted of three charges of sexual assault involving two victims. Advertisement All the offences took place between 2am and 5.30am on November 13th, 2021. The court heard the accused had been the victim of an alleged assault following a drunken row with a friend on the same night. The defendant was found guilty of sexually assaulting a female colleague who came to his assistance by placing his hands on her leg, without her consent, and moving them up her thigh. A short time later, he again sexually assaulted her by placing his hand on the inside of her leg and moving it towards her groin. 'Highly intoxicated' The NCO was also convicted of sexually assaulting a male colleague by putting his arms around him in a hugging gesture which caused the victim to apprehend that the accused was attempting to kiss him. Advertisement He was also found guilty of a count of assault on each of the same two victims and of two offences of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, contrary to Section 168 of the Defence Act 1954. They related to an inappropriate gesture he made simulating oral sex to another member of the Defence Forces, as well as being in possession of an empty bottle of alcohol in a prohibited part of the military base. The court martial, before a judge and military board composed of five members of the Defence Forces, heard the accused was highly intoxicated and agitated following the row. Counsel for the defendant, Kathleen Leader SC, had claimed the NCO was entitled to a special verdict of guilty by reason of insanity as it was likely he had suffered concussion from blows to his face during the row with his colleague and was not responsible for his actions. Advertisement At the latest hearing, the accused said he had spent his military career by helping, protecting and healing people. That is all Ive ever been about, he said. He apologised profusely for creating the drama which had resulted in the matter before the court and for causing harm, hurt and upset. Everything I do has been the complete opposite. I was putting fires out in the Defence Forces for some time, he observed. Advertisement The former solider said he was saddened by his actions, which he described as unforgiveable. He added: I have to deal with the consequences. Im not sure if Im able to forgive myself. Commenting on his behaviour on the night, he stated: It is not who I am. Its not who Ive been, and I think anyone who knows me would know that. In response to questions from Col Campion, the accused said words could not match how sorry he was, adding he is heartbroken for everyone who has been affected by his actions. My apology is massive, he replied. The court martial heard he was actively involved in a number of charities, while several former members of the Defence Forces also provided character references. Col Campion heard the defendant had seven previous findings against him for disciplinary matters in the Defence Forces, including two for being absent without leave, one for being disobedient to a superior officer and one for being intoxicated. It was also confirmed that he has no criminal convictions in civilian courts. The soldier resigned from the Defence Forces in 2022 after a military career of over 22 years. He informed the court that he had resigned from a civilian job following his recent conviction and intended to become a full-time carer for his elderly mother. The case was adjourned to a date in early June to allow for the preparation of victim impact statements. An easier route for people from the Republic of Ireland to get British citizenship has moved a step closer to becoming law in the UK. The British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Bill, which has passed the UK's House of Commons, received its second reading in the House of Lords on Friday with cross-party support. Advertisement The private members bill will allow Irish nationals to register for British citizenship after five years of living in the UK without the need for an English language or Life in the UK test. Advertisement Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, people born in Northern Ireland were given the right to choose to be Irish citizens, British citizens or both. The Irish Government introduced a simple process whereby anyone born on the island of Ireland, anyone whose partner was born on the island of Ireland, or whose grandparents or great-grandparents were are entitled to an Irish passport. This will cost them 80. Those born in the Republic of Ireland living in Northern Ireland, or anywhere else in the UK, have the right to work, study and vote in the UK, but they have to follow the same process towards citizenship as any other foreign national. Advertisement This means they have to pass an English language and Life in the UK test, as well as pay a 1,630 naturalisation fee. DUP peer Lord Hay of Ballyore, who was born in the Republic but moved to Derry at the age of six, branded this an anomaly that was missed or overlooked when the Belfast or St Andrews agreements were being negotiated. He told peers the process is lengthy and costly, and said it is unjust for Irish nationals who have spent years in Northern Ireland to pay the fee. Lord Hay said: We have an opportunity in this Bill to right a great wrong. Advertisement The House knows our history, our relationship in these isles and how they have intertwined, and this Bill gives us the opportunity to provide the finished piece of that relationship jigsaw. For anyone who was born in the Republic of Ireland, but has made their home in the UK and who satisfy the residency test, should be able to avail of UK citizenship. Lord Hay (Northern Ireland Assembly/ PA credit) Advertisement UUP peer Lord Rogan branded it an abomination that this easier route to citizenship is not already available for Irish nationals. He said: As chairman of the UUP on Good Friday 1999, I accept my share of the responsibility that people born in the Republic of Ireland were not included in the Belfast Agreements definition of people of Northern Ireland and did therefore not benefit from its birthright provisions on identity and citizenship. It should have been corrected long before now. DUP peer Lord Browne of Belmont branded the current route to citizenship a costly, over-bureaucratic and uniquely discriminatory process, and said it was simply wrong for Irish people to have to pay a naturalisation fee. He said: This is contrary to the spirit of reciprocation offered through the Belfast and St Andrews agreements. I am pleased that this Bill now provides the opportunity to address this imbalance and to provide parity of treatment to allow Irish-born citizens resident within the United Kingdom to identify with their Britishness. As of the 2021 census, there were 324,670 Irish-born people living in the UK. To be eligible for British citizenship, they must have lived in the UK for five years, not have been absent for more than 450 days in the last five-year period or 90 days in the last year, and not be in breach of any immigration laws during that time. It will apply to those living in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and British overseas territories. UK Home Office minister Lord Sharpe of Epsom reiterated the UK governments full support for the Bill. He said: Many of the immigration-related requirements for naturalisation are designed for those who require formal permission to enter and live in the UK and those are not applicable to Irish nationals. Equally, the UK has a unique relationship with Ireland and the close historical links, geographical proximity and shared institutions between the two countries mean that those who could make use of this Bill would, in our view, already have sufficient knowledge of language and life in the UK, and be further reinforced, of course, by five years qualifying residence. So, as such, being expected to pass the Life in the UK test or demonstrate competence in English is inconsistent with the reality. He added that the issue of the fee is being considered. The Script have announced a new album and world tour, which will include a date at the 3Arena. The band will release their new album Satellites on 16th August, with their new single 'Both Ways' out on Friday. Advertisement The Script will perform at the 3Arena on November 15th, and will play the SSE Arena in Belfast two days earlier. Tickets go on general sale from 9:30am on Friday, May 24th. Fans who pre-order Satellites from the bands official store before 5pm on Tuesday, May 21st will receive access to an exclusive pre-sale for tickets for the UK and Ireland tour dates. The pre-sale on Ticketmaster will open at 9:30am on Wednesday, May 22nd. Other venues on the tour include the new Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, the O2 London, Milan, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam. Israel has strongly denied charges of genocide, telling the United Nations top court it was doing everything it could to protect the civilian population during its military operation in Gaza. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) wrapped up a third round of hearings on emergency measures requested by South Africa, which says Israels military incursion in the southern city of Rafah threatens the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza and has asked the court to order a ceasefire. Advertisement Tamar Kaplan-Tourgeman, one of Israels legal team, defended the countrys conduct, saying it had allowed in fuel and medication to the beleaguered enclave. Israel takes extraordinary measures in order to minimise the harm to civilians in Gaza, she told The Hague-based court. Judges enter the International Court of Justice (Peter Dejong/AP) Advertisement A protester shouting liars briefly interrupted Ms Kaplan-Tourgemans final remarks. The hearing was paused for less than a minute while security guards escorted a woman from the public gallery. South Africa told the court on Thursday that the situation in the beleaguered enclave has reached a new and horrific stage and urged judges to order a halt to Israeli military operations. The court was holding a third round of hearings on emergency measures requested by South Africa since it first filed its genocide case at the end of last year. According to the latest request, South Africa says Israels military incursion in Rafah threatens the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza. Advertisement 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. Judges will now deliberate on the request and are expected to issue a decision in the next few weeks. Israels deputy attorney general Gilad Noam (left) at the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, Netherlands (Peter Dejong/AP) Advertisement ICJ judges 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. Most of Gazas population of 2.3 million people have been displaced since the fighting began. The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. Advertisement More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, Gazas Health Ministry says, 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. (Photo : Unsplash/Dima Solomin ) Meta, Facebook's parent company, is the subject of a significant investigation by the European Union regarding potential violations of the bloc's strict online content regulations regarding child safety risks. Meta's Probe Under EU Commission The European Commission, the EU's executive body, announced that it is investigating whether Facebook and Instagram, owned by Meta, might encourage behavioral addictions in children and create what is known as 'rabbit-hole effects.' The commission also expressed concerns about age verification processes on Meta's platforms and privacy risks associated with the company's recommendation algorithms. A Meta spokesperson informed CNBC via email that the company is committed to providing young people with safe and age-appropriate experiences online. The spokesperson cited over 50 tools and policies Meta has developed over the past decade to protect them. The spokesperson added that addressing these concerns is a challenge faced by the entire industry, and Meta looks forward to sharing details of its efforts with the European Commission. READ ALSO: Meta, X, Tiktok CEOs Grilled Over "Blood in Your Hands" in Children's Online Safety Hearing The EU's Digital Services Act The commission stated that its decision to launch an investigation follows a preliminary analysis of Meta's risk assessment report submitted in September 2023. Thierry Breton, the EU's commissioner for the internal market, expressed in a statement that the regulator is not convinced that Meta has taken sufficient measures to comply with the obligations outlined in the Digital Services Act (DSA) to reduce the risks of adverse effects on the physical and mental health of young Europeans using its platforms. The EU announced that it will conduct a thorough investigation into Meta's child protection measures as a priority. The bloc can gather further evidence through requests for information, interviews, or inspections. The EU's initiation of a DSA probe enables it to pursue additional enforcement measures, such as interim actions and non-compliance decisions. It can consider any commitments Meta made to address its concerns. Meta and Other Tech Companies's Scrutiny over Children's Online Safety Meta and other major US tech companies have long faced scrutiny from the EU since the introduction of its Digital Services Act, a pioneering law aimed at addressing harmful content. Companies with violations could be fined up to 6% of their global annual revenues. However, the bloc has not yet imposed fines on tech giants under this new law. In December 2023, the EU initiated infringement proceedings against X, formerly known as Twitter, due to suspected inadequacies in addressing content disinformation and manipulation. The commission is also probing Meta for suspected breaches of the DSA concerning its management of election disinformation. In April, the bloc initiated an investigation into the company, expressing concerns that Meta has not taken sufficient measures to address disinformation before the upcoming European Parliament elections. In addition to the EU, other authorities are also taking action against Meta regarding child safety concerns, with the attorney general of New Mexico suing the company, alleging that Facebook and Instagram facilitated child sexual abuse, solicitation, and trafficking in the US Meta spokesperson stated that the company utilizes "sophisticated technology" and implements other preventive measures to identify and address predators. RELATED ARTICLE: EU Suspecting DMA Non-Compliance, Probes Tech Giants Apple, Google, Meta in a Regulatory Battle 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea early on Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol and set a refinery ablaze in southern Russia, Russian authorities said. The drone raids marked Kyivs attempt to strike back during Moscows offensive in northeastern Ukraine, which has added to the pressure on outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces who are waiting for delayed deliveries of crucial weapons and ammunition from Western partners. Advertisement A Ukrainian intelligence official confirmed to The Associated Press that Ukraines Security Service and Military Intelligence conducted a joint operation to strike Russias military infrastructure sites in Novorossiysk, on the Black Sea coast, and occupied Sevastopol. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorised to comment publicly. The Russian Defence Ministry said air defences downed 51 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, another 44 over the Krasnodar region and six over the Belgorod region. It said Russian warplanes and patrol boats also destroyed six sea drones in the Black Sea. Advertisement A destroyed MiG 31 fighter aircraft and fuel storage facility at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol (Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies via AP) Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, which is the main base for Russias Black Sea Fleet, said the drone attack damaged the citys power plant. He said it could take a day to fully restore energy supplies and warned residents that power would be cut to parts of the city. Communal services are doing their best to restore the power system as quickly as possible, he said in a statement. Advertisement Mr Razvozhayev also announced that schools in the city would be closed temporarily. Earlier, Ukrainian attacks damaged aircraft and a fuel storage facility at Belbek air base near Sevastopol, according to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies. In the Krasnodar region, the authorities said a drone attack early on Friday caused a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse which was later contained. There were no casualties. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted refineries and other energy facilities deep inside Russia, causing significant damage. Advertisement Ukrainian drones also attacked Novorossiysk, a major Black Sea port. The Krasnodar regions governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, said fragments of downed drones caused several fires but there were no casualties. A damaged house after a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) Belgorov governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, killing a woman and her four-year-old child. Another attack set a fuel tank ablaze at a gas station in the region, he said. Advertisement Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops were fighting to halt Russian advances in the northeastern Kharkiv region that began late last week. The town of Vovchansk, located just five kilometres (three miles) from the Russian border, has been a hot spot in the fighting in recent days. 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. Thanks to Ukraine's Defense Forces and our efforts, we were able to instill more confidence in the Vochansk direction. But Russian shelling continues, and threats remain. Today, the head of the Vovchansk local administration was wounded. We also continue to counter Russian pic.twitter.com/FGaoiaS25E Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) May 16, 2024 Russia has also been testing defences at other points along the roughly 1,000-km (620-mile) front line snaking from north to south through eastern Ukraine. That line has barely changed over the past 18 months in what became 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. By starting the new offensive, Russian troops expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometres (about 45 miles), in an effort to force Ukraine to spread its forces and use reserve troops, Ukraines military chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday. In the Kharkiv region, Russian forces have advanced 10 kilometres from the border, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy told reporters on Friday. Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscows offensive in Ukraines Kharkiv region aims to create a buffer zone but he has no plans to capture the city. Speaking to reporters on Friday on a visit to Harbin, China, Mr Putin said that Moscow launched attacks in the Kharkiv region in response to the Ukrainian shelling of Russias Belgorod region. Advertisement I have said publicly that if it continues we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone, he said. Advertisement Mr Putin said Russian troops were advancing daily in according to plan. He added that Russia has no plans to capture Kharkiv for now. It came as Ukraine announced it will allow prisoners to join the armys depleted ranks and approved a fivefold increase in fines for draft dodgers. By starting the new offensive, Russian troops expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometres (about 45 miles), in an effort to force Ukraine to spread its forces and use reserve troops, Ukraines military chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Friday. Advertisement In the Kharkiv region, Russian forces have advanced 10 kilometres from the border, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy told reporters on Friday. Mr Putins comments on his trip to China were his first on the offensive launched on May 10, which opened a new front in the war and displaced thousands of Ukrainians within few days. Vladimir Putin and Chinese vice president Han Zheng, left, visit the Russian-Chinese EXPO in Harbin, in northeastern Chinas Heilongjiang Province, on Friday (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Advertisement It came hours after a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Russian-occupied Crimea early on Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol while damaging aircraft and fuel storage at an airbase. In southern Russia, Russian authorities said the attack also set a refinery ablaze. Mr Zelenskiy signed two laws on Friday, one to enable prisoners to join the army and another that increases fines for draft dodgers by five times, one day before a controversial mobilisation law goes into effect. The legislation permitting prisoners to be enlisted allows parole from serving a sentence and further enlistment for military service under a contract during a special period for certain categories of people charged with criminal offences. Advertisement It does not include those convicted of crimes against Ukraines national security. The updated legislation sets fines of up to 25,500 hryvnias for common citizens and 51,000 hryvnias for civil servants and legal entities for ignoring a draft notice or failing to update personal information with the military draft board in a timely manner. Previously, the administrative fines for avoiding mobilisation during special period constituted up to 5100 hryvnias for common citizens and 8500 hryvnias for civil servants and legal entities. The British Museum has recovered 268 more missing objects following thefts at the institution. The museum announced on Friday that a total of 626 items, out of around 1,500 missing or stolen objects, have been found across the world including in Europe and North America and taken back to be housed in its London collection. Advertisement A last update from the body in February stated that more than 350 artefacts had been returned after the objects, which included classical Greek and Roman gems and jewellery, were taken. George Osborne said the team at the museum had refused to give up in the search for the objects (Ian West/PA) Chairman of the British Museum trustees and former UK chancellor George Osborne said: Few expected to see this day, and even I had my doubts. Advertisement When we announced the devastating news that objects had been stolen from our collection, people understandably assumed that was it we were unlikely to ever see more than a handful of them again. Thats usually the history with thefts like this. But the team at the British Museum refused to give up. Through clever detective work and a network of well-wishers weve achieved a remarkable result: more than 600 of the objects are back with us, and a further 100 have been identified in total almost half the stolen items that we could recover. Ten of the gems on display as part of the Rediscovering Gems exhibition (Lucy North/PA) Advertisement Its a great result but were not resting here the hunt goes on for the remaining missing objects. I urge anyone with any information to follow the example of all whove helped us and get in touch. There are also around 500 artefacts that have been damaged, which includes an estimated 350 objects having gold removed and around 140 being harmed by tools. Following the furore over the thefts being disclosed in August 2023, the director of the museum, Hartwig Fischer, resigned, and was replaced by former Victoria and Albert Museum head Sir Mark Jones in the interim. In March, outgoing National Portrait Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan was announced as the permanent director of the British Museum. Advertisement Recovered gems (British Museum/PA) The institution is continuing to display some of the recovered gems to the public through the exhibition Rediscovering Gems until June 15th in room three. Legal proceedings were launched in March against former curator Dr Peter Higgs, who was dismissed in July last year. Advertisement Dr Higgs, who worked within the Department of Greece and Rome for more than 30 years, and who has been investigated by the Metropolitan Police but not charged, did not attend the hearing at the High Court in London due to poor health. The court heard that Dr Higgs intends to dispute the claim and Mrs Justice Heather Williams ordered him to return any stolen items he may have. The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has again denied that her country has exported any weapons to Russia, labelling outside speculation on the countries arms dealings as the most absurd paradox. The US, South Korea and others have accused North Korea of supplying artillery, missiles and other conventional weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for advanced military technologies and economic aid. Both North Korea and Russia have repeatedly dismissed that. Advertisement Foreign experts believe North Koreas series of artillery and short-range missile tests were meant to examine or advertise the weapons it was planning to sell to Russia. On Friday, Kim Yo Jong called outside assessments on the North Korean-Russian dealings the most absurd paradox which is not worth making any evaluation or interpretation. We have no intention to export our military technical capabilities to any country or open them to the public, she said in a statement carried by state media. She said North Koreas recent weapons tests were purely performed as parts of the countrys five-year arms plan launched in 2021. She added the recently tested weapons are designed to attack Seoul, the South Korean capital. Advertisement We dont conceal the fact that such weapons will be used to prevent Seoul from inventing any idle thinking, Ms Kim said. South Koreas Unification Ministry responded by saying it is fully ready to repel military threats by North Korea in step with its military alliance with the US. Deputy ministry spokesperson Kim Inae also said illegal arms dealings between North Korea and Russia must be stopped immediately. Any weapons trade with North Korea would be a violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions that Russia, a permanent UN Security Council member, previously endorsed. Advertisement In March, South Korean defence minister Shin Wonsik said North Korea had shipped about 7,000 containers filled with munitions and other military equipment to Russia since last year. In return, Mr Shin said, North Korea had received more than 9,000 Russian containers likely filled with aid. In January, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said North Korea-supplied missiles had been fired on Ukraine. At the time, Ukraine officials also said an investigation of the debris of a missile found in its northeastern Kharkiv region showed the weapon was likely to have come from North Korea. In May, the White House also said Russia was shipping refined petroleum to North Korea at levels that exceed UN Security Council limits. The deepening North Korean-Russia ties come as both countries are locked in separate confrontations with the United States North Korea over its advancing nuclear program and Russia over its protracted war in Ukraine. Advertisement Since 2022, North Korea has conducted a provocative run of missiles tests, prompting the US to expand its military drills with South Korea and Japan. Foreign experts say North Korea likely thinks an enlarged weapons arsenal would boost its leverage in future diplomacy with the United States. Slovak prime minister Robert Fico has undergone another operation two days after being shot multiple times and remains in serious condition, officials said on Friday. Mr Fico (59) was attacked as he was greeting supporters after a government meeting in the former coal mining town of Handlova. A suspected assailant has been arrested. Advertisement Miriam Lapunikova, director of the University FD Roosevelt hospital in Banska Bystrica, where Mr Fico was taken by helicopter after he was shot, said Mr Fico underwent a CT scan and is currently awake and stable in an intensive care unit. She described his condition as very serious. She said the surgery removed dead tissue that had remained inside Mr Ficos body. Hospital director Miriam Lapunikova outside the FD Roosevelt University Hospital, where Robert Fico is being treated (Denes Erdos/AP) Advertisement I think it will take several more days until we will definitely know the direction of the further development, Robert Kaliniak, the defence minister and deputy prime minister, told reporters at the hospital. Mr Kaliniak stressed that the government continues to work. The ministries are working on all their duties, nothing is frozen or halted, the country goes on, he told reporters. The state is stable and today the patient is stable as well. Mr Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. His return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform led to worries among fellow European Union and Nato members that he would abandon his countrys pro-Western course, particularly on Ukraine. Advertisement Earlier on Friday, the man charged with attempting to assassinate Mr Fico was escorted by police to his home. Local media reported that it was part of a search for evidence. Markiza, a Slovak television station, showed footage of the suspect being taken to his home in the town of Levice on Friday morning, and reported that police had seized a computer and some documents. Police did not comment. Prosecutors have told police not to publicly identify the suspect or release other details about the case. The suspects detention will be reviewed at a hearing on Saturday at Slovakias Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok, outside the capital Bratislava. 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 southwest. Advertisement Government authorities on Thursday gave details that matched that description. They said the suspect did not belong to any political groups, though the attack itself was politically motivated. Police escort a man, believed to be the suspect for Wednesdays assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, from his home in Levice, Slovakia (TVNoviny via AP) Slovakias presidential office said on Friday that it was working to organise a meeting of leaders of all parliamentary parties for Tuesday. Advertisement Outgoing president Zuzana Caputova announced the plan together with president-elect Peter Pellegrini, who succeeds her in mid June, in an attempt to reduce social tensions in the country. At the start of Russias invasion, Slovakia was one of Ukraines staunchest supporters, but Mr Fico halted arms deliveries to Ukraine when he returned to power, his fourth time serving as prime minister. Mr Ficos government has also made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting a move critics said would give the government full control of public television and radio. That, coupled with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that Mr Fico will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path. Thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country of 5.4 million to protest against his policies. Mr Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the murder of politicians, and he blamed the media for fuelling tensions. Before Mr Fico returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were the focus of police investigations, and dozens have been charged. His plan to overhaul of the penal system would eliminate the office of the special prosecutor that deals with organised crime, corruption and extremism. The Vatican on Friday radically reformed its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena, insisting on having the final say in whether the events are worthy of popular devotion. The Vaticans doctrine office overhauled norms first issued in 1978, arguing that they were no longer useful or viable in the Internet age. Advertisement Nowadays, word about apparitions or weeping Madonnas travels quickly and can actually harm the faithful if hoaxers are trying to make money off peoples beliefs or manipulate them, the Vatican said. The new norms reframe the Catholic Churchs evaluation process, by essentially taking off the table whether church authorities will declare a particular vision, stigmata or other seemingly divinely inspired event supernatural. Instead, the new criteria envisages six main outcomes, with the most favourable being that the church issues a noncommittal doctrinal green light, a so-called nihil obstat. Advertisement Pilgrims pray at the Roman Catholic shrine in Lourdes, southwestern France (Bob Edme/AP) Such a declaration means there is nothing about the event that is contrary to the faith and, therefore, Catholics can express devotion to it. The revised norms allow that an event might at some point be declared supernatural and that the Pope can intervene in the process. But as a rule the church is no longer in the business of authenticating inexplicable events or making definitive decisions about their supernatural origin. The Catholic Church has had a long and controversial history of the faithful claiming to have had visions of the Virgin Mary, of statues purportedly weeping tears of blood and stigmata erupting on hands and feet mimicking the wounds of Christ. Advertisement When confirmed as authentic by church authorities, these otherwise inexplicable divine signs have led to a flourishing of the faith, with new religious vocations and conversions. That has been the case for the purported apparitions of Mary that turned Fatima, Portugal and Lourdes, France into enormously popular pilgrimage destinations. Church figures who claimed to have experienced the stigmata wounds, including Padre Pio and Pope Franciss namesake St Francis of Assisi, have inspired millions of Catholics even if decisions about the authenticity of them has been elusive. Francis himself has weighed in on the phenomenon, making clear that he is devoted to the main church-approved Marian apparitions, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, who believers say appeared to an indigenous man in Mexico in 1531. But Francis has expressed scepticism about more recent events, including claims of repeated messages from Mary to seers at the shrine of Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, even while allowing pilgrimages to take place there. Advertisement I prefer the Madonna as mother, our mother, and not a woman whos the head of a telegraphic office, who sends a message every day at a certain time, Francis told reporters in 2017. But the phenomena has also been a source of scandal. That was the case when the Vatican in 2007 excommunicated the members of a Quebec-based group, the Army of Mary, after its founder claimed to have had Marian visions and declared herself the reincarnation of the mother of Christ. The revised norms acknowledge the potential for such abuses, and warn that hoaxers will be held accountable, including with canonical penalties. The new norms warn that claiming mystical experiences for profit or as a means to control others or to commit abuses against them is to be considered of particular moral gravity. Advertisement Pope Francis in his popemobile (Paulo Novais/Pool Photo via AP, File) The new norms envisage a more articulated investigation process after a bishop receives word of a possible supernatural event in his diocese. He forms a study commission of theologians and canon lawyers to gather information and evidence, interview the alleged witnesses and come to a recommendation that he submits to the Vaticans Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for approval. He can choose among six general outcomes: the green light nihil obstat to allow and even encourage popular devotion, or gradually more cautious approaches if there are doctrinal red flags about the reported event. The most serious envisages a declaration that the event is not supernatural or that there are enough red flags to warrant a public statement that adherence to this phenomenon is not allowed. Whereas in the past the bishop often had the last word unless Vatican help was requested, now the Vatican must sign off on every recommendation proposed by a bishop. In an explanatory note, the head of the Vaticans doctrine office, Argentine Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, acknowledged that the Vaticans previous way of handling reported apparitions often led to considerable confusion among the faithful. At no point are the faithful obliged to believe in the particular events, he said. The church gives the faithful the freedom to pay attention or not, he said at a news conference. That confusion has been laid bare even in recent times concerning the purported visions of the Madonna at a Carmelite convent in Lipa, Philippines, which were said to have been accompanied by a shower of rose petals. In 1951, Pope Pius XII confirmed a decision by the then-Holy Office that purported visions had no sign of supernatural character or origin. The Vatican came to that decision after the convent prioress confessed to having participated in the deception at Lipa, and some of her nuns testified that they had seen deliveries of roses to the convent and had received orders from the prioress to burn the petal-less stems. But for decades, Filipino bishops glossed over the definitive nature of the Vatican ruling after the Vatican urged them to keep its role in the evaluation quiet. So the bishops suggested in their communications to the faithful that the jury was still out, according to documentation made public last year by the Filipino bishops conference. As a result, some Filipino faithful continued to venerate the image of the Madonna at Lipa, prompting the Vatican in a series of increasingly exasperated decrees to demand that the Lipa archbishop heed the original 1951 ruling and put an end to the devotional events. The latest decree, from July of last year, demanded the Lipa archbishop cancel plans to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the purported apparitions, saying it would not be advisable for you to authorize the aforementioned celebration under any form. Advertisement Eating outJapanese Love sushi rolls? Try onigiri, the lunchtime upgrade thats sweeping Melbourne Japans soul food is creeping onto cafe menus and into convenience store fridges in Melbourne. And these rice balls have a few bonuses that our beloved handrolls dont. Emma Breheny 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 Despite spending a year searching for the perfect rice, Kantaro Okada could not make any money at his Japanese cafe selling onigiri, the rice balls with various fillings that are as common in Japan as sandwiches are here. We were in the red. We couldnt break even for the first six months, says Okada. Onigiri Kitchens salmon and nori-wrapped onigiri sounds similar to a sushi roll, but are quite different. Justin McManus That was five years ago. Now his North Melbourne cafe, 279, is one of about a dozen casual spots in Melbourne and Sydney that are offering onigiri, once only found at a handful of Japanese restaurants in Australia and now part of a new wave of Japanese convenience food. Onigiri are made by moulding warm rice around a variety of fillings into the shape of a ball or triangle, then wrapping it in a piece of nori (seaweed). Advertisement While still seen as a specialty item, onigiri taps into Australians love of hand-held, takeaway sushi and has the potential to become just as loved. Comeco owners Yu Ozone and Masa Haga, who describe onigiri as soul food. Edwina Pickles In fact, onigiri are served and eaten in Japan in a similar way to our sushi rolls. Theyre portable, widely available, a speedy yet healthy lunch, and a favourite of both children and adults. For Japanese people, I believe the soul food is onigiri, says Yu Ozone, co-owner of Comeco Foods in Sydneys Newtown. Japanese people eat onigiri as a meal and also as a snack. Its like the sandwich for Australians. Onigiri have an edge over sushi rolls and that other grab-and-go lunch, the sandwich, for several reasons. Advertisement Firstly, theyre healthier because the rice isnt seasoned with sugar, vinegar or salt, unlike sushi rice. The rice for onigiri only requires salt. Secondly, many onigiri are fresher. Most spots offering onigiri make each rice ball to order, and for only a few more dollars than your average food court sushi roll. Finally, onigiri are gluten-free and yet are still very filling compared to salads and other common gluten-free lunches. Five onigiri essentials to know No chopsticks required - just pick it up and eat it with your hands. Its gluten-free Unlike sushi rolls, theres no sugar (or vinegar) in the rice Traditional Japanese fillings include furikake, a crunchy mix of sesame seeds, seaweed, dried fish flakes and other salty sprinkles, or the more powerful umeboshi (pickled plum). Somewhere in between are cooked salmon, soy-marinated seaweed, or mentaiko and tarako (types of cod roe). Grab and go theyre as portable as a sandwich but remember, the longer the seaweed is in contact with the rice, the softer it gets. The other bonus is that onigiri are much cheaper than the tricked-up sandwiches now taking Melbourne and Sydney by storm. Advertisement Onigiri Kitchen in Melbourne has found so much success with its first store on Little Collins Street and its office catering that its set to grow to four locations by the end of the year, including one on popular Degraves Street, once a hub for espresso bars and French-style cafes. Okada and Ozone think the fact that more Australians travelling to Japan is a big part of the foods current wave of popularity here. If youve been to Japan and youve been to a convenience store, its hard to miss onigiri. Id be surprised if someone hadnt tried it, Okada says. Onigiri Kitchen will expand from one shop to four by the end of 2024. Justin McManus The secret to good onigiri is good rice. You want soft and fluffy cooked rice with a non-sticky surface that crumbles gently when bitten into, with just the right amount of saltiness, says Ozone. Advertisement In its quest for the perfect grain, 279 cafe trialled 20 varieties of rice and 10 different rice cookers, and it continues to test and tweak to this day. The businesses spoken to for this article use quality varieties such as masshigura or koshihikari, both highly ranked by the Japan Grain Inspection Association. Traditional onigiri fillings are usually pickled or preserved ingredients, such as umeboshi (salted pickled plum thats intensely sour) or takana (lightly pickled greens). Western-influenced fillings include tuna with mayonnaise or even fried chicken. Onigiri being moulded by Comeco Foods co-owner, Masa Haga. Steven Siewert If some of these sound like what youd put in a sandwich, the similarities dont end there. Onigirazu is an onigiri spin-off that looks like a sandwich using rice instead of bread, with a nori (seaweed) wrapping around the outside. Advertisement Kaede cafe in Abbotsford, Melbourne, has offered onigirazu since 2021. Owner Yuki Murata says theyre the perfect bridge between Australia and Japan because they have more filling and less rice. Other venues, including Domo 39 and Kura Kura in Sydney, and Onigiri Kitchen in Melbourne, are trying to recreate the true Japanese convenience store experience, through the same triangular packaging for onigiri or grab-and-go fridges. Domo 39 in Sydney styles itself on Japanese convenience stores, with onigiri (top) ready to grab and go. Steven Siewert Five places to find onigiri in Melbourne Chookas This sweet hideaway from hectic Sydney Road serves up to a dozen different rice balls, mainly with traditional Japanese fillings, such as bonito flakes (salty) or pickled plum (sour). Coffee is great and theres the added bonus of dining in one of the archways of this unique Spanish Mission building. Advertisement 1 Ballarat Street, Brunswick, instagram.com/chookascoffee 279 A near-religious devotion to coffee meets an equally careful approach to musubi (aka onigiri), which can be as minimal as a rice ball with threads of salted kombu seaweed throughout, or as loaded as fried chicken with egg and Japanese mayo. Considered, calm, charming: its one of Melbournes best. 279 Victoria St, West Melbourne, 279victoriast.co 279 cafes onigiri with mentai mayo and shiso miso. Justin McManus Kaede The most convincing argument that rice balls and sandwiches have more in common than not is onigirazu: a flatter version of onigiri thats folded around its filling, then cut in half, just like a three-point sandwich. This homely cafe offers two choices teriyaki salmon or a rainbow of pickled veg on their own ($7.50) or with miso soup. Advertisement 325 Johnston Street, Abbotsford, instagram.com/kaede_abbotsford QQQ St Kitchen Settling on even three onigiri from the dozen or so made fresh each day might induce feelings of anxiety. The Danny, containing salty bonito flakes, kelp seaweed and shiso leaf, is a popular choice, or theres barbecued pork belly, and Japanese curry with egg and kale with chilli sauce. 4 Peel Street, Collingwood, instagram.com/qqqst.kitchen Onigiri Kitchen wraps each rice ball individually for freshness. Justin McManus Onigiri Kitchen Tiny triangular parcels channel the little pouches you find at Japans convenience stores, but the fillings here are far more local. Vegetables come from the owners farm in Melbournes east and might be combined with cooked tuna, karaage chicken or an array of pickles. Office catering is also available. Advertisement 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. Loading 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. (Photo : Unsplash/Sunder Muthukumaran) Microsoft has reportedly asked its cloud computing and AI employees in China to consider relocating due to Washington's crackdown on Beijing's access to advanced technology. Microsoft Offering An Optional Transfer to Chinese-Based Staff According to unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Microsoft has offered its mostly Chinese engineering staff the chance to transfer to countries like the US, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. According to one individual, the employees, including those from the Azure cloud computing team who were informed earlier this week, have until June 7 to make a decision or to remain with the China team. Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, the tech giant maintains offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou, located in the eastern Jiangsu province, where it has also halted hiring. Microsoft extended the relocation offer to around 700 to 800 machine learning and cloud computing employees. According to one source cited by the WSJ, CNBC was unable to independently verify the report. In a statement to CNBC, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that the company had offered an optional internal transfer opportunity to a subset of employees but did not provide details on the number or affiliation of the staff affected. The spokesperson emphasized that Microsoft remains committed to the region and will continue its operations in this and other markets where it has a presence, noting that the potential transfers would not impact operations. READ ALSO: Ex-Google Engineer Busted Working with Chinese Companies, Faces Four Theft Counts for Stealing AI Trade Secrets China's Threat to Training AI Models Microsoft employs around 7,000 engineers in its Asia-Pacific research and development division, with most of this workforce in China. The move is part of US efforts to prevent China, over the past two years, from limiting its ability to purchase and develop advanced chip-making equipment necessary for training AI models that could be used for military purposes. US-China Tension Over AI Regulation Recent reports indicate that the Biden administration is now seeking to implement new guardrails on the export of advanced AI models, including the large language model that powers Microsoft-backed ChatGPT. Currently, limited government oversight prevents companies like Microsoft, one of the most prominent players in cloud computing and AI in the US, from selling or providing AI model services to foreign entities. The US reportedly has concerns that AI models, which analyze extensive data to generate content, could be utilized for cyber attacks or the creation of biological weapons. Microsoft released a report earlier this year indicating that state-backed hackers from Russia, China, and Iran had been utilizing tools from OpenAI to refine their skills and bolster their hacking efforts. Even as other Western tech firms faced challenges due to stringent regulations, Microsoft has maintained a significant presence in China for over three decades, hosting its most extensive research and development (R&D) center outside the US. RELATED ARTICLE: Microsoft Advancing Product Development and Research, Launches "Microsoft AI London" to Facilitate The AI Economy 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. 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. An industrial behemoth with harbourside views, the White Bay Power Station was at risk of demolition or death by neglect, rain and bird poo despite its heritage listing. Now a $100 million remediation of the former coal-fired power station that kept Sydneys public transport running until 1984 has won the highest honour, the Judges Choice, at the 30th annual National Trust (NSW) Heritage Awards. The two-year conservation by Placemaking NSW with heritage and conservation architects from Design 5 was hailed as a once-in-a-lifetime conservation project of exceptional historic, technical and social significance. Against all the odds and after decades of neglect, these impressive efforts have saved building structures, and internal and external spaces of exceptional historic, aesthetic, technical and social significance that were destined to be lost, the jury said. This years sellout NRL Magic Round is set to be the biggest yet, with more than 140,000 sporting fans expected to descend on Suncorp Stadium. With the Brisbane Comedy Festival and Paniyiri Festival also running, this weekend is not the time to send a having a quiet one message in the group chat. The coming days will be Brisbane at its best and a taste of whats to come for the Olympic city. Midtown in South Brisbane. Credit: Morgan Roberts If youre flying in from interstate or simply blowing in from elsewhere in Queensland for Magic Round and havent planned your pre- and post-game itinerary, this guide will help you get the most out of Brisbane on one of the citys busiest weekends of the year. Close to the stadium A spokesperson said that although the protests had been relatively peaceful, the university had considered the risks associated with the encampment and decided the protesters must go. The encampment at Monash Universitys Clayton campus was packed up with little resistance on Friday afternoon. A university spokesperson said protesters had agreed that staff and security could help them pack up and end the encampment. However, Monash protester Madeline Curkovic said that while the campers had agreed to leave, they had not planned to do so on Friday. She said the university had forcibly dismantled the camp despite some students telling them to stop. We are going to rally next Tuesday at 1pm in solidarity with those in Rafah and against the actions of the university, Curkovic said. Melbourne University rescheduled classes at the Parkville campus building for a third day owing to what it says is unmanageable disruption. The student protesters argue they have not stopped anyone entering the building and disrupting classes is not their intention. Third-year history student Mercedes Scott said calling in police to clear the sit-in would be an overreaction by the university. Its a completely peaceful protest, were not disrupting classes. We havent blocked any doors, security, cleaning, staff members, students, theyre all allowed in the building, Scott said. Calling police on a peaceful protest is not reasonable its an intimidation tactic, its a threat, but were going to stand our ground. Scott, who is taking part in the sit-in, said a number of students agreed to escalate their protest by moving inside on Wednesday. Scott said before the sit-in, the university had refused to meet organisers from the UniMelb for Palestine group, which has been camping out on the South Lawn for three weeks. The group is demanding the university end research partnerships with weapons manufacturers Lockheed Martin, Boeing and BAE Systems, which they say are profiting from Israels bombardment of Gaza. Protesters renamed the Arts West building Mahmoud Hall in honour of Palestinian student Mahmoud Alnaouq, who they say intended to study at Melbourne University on a scholarship this year but was killed alongside 19 family members in Gaza on October 20. Protesters have renamed the Arts West building Mahmoud Hall, in honour of a Palestinian student who they say intended to study at Melbourne University on a scholarship this year but was killed in Gaza on October 20. Credit: Justin McManus More than 35,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began in October, according to Hamas officials. Tensions on university campuses around the country have been mounting in recent weeks as tent cities of students protesting against Israels military action in Gaza grow. On some occasions, the encampments have attracted counterprotesters supportive of Israels action in response to the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7. University of Melbourne deputy vice chancellor Michael Wesley said on Thursday a significant proportion of demonstrators occupying the building were neither students nor staff and that a group of professional activists was influencing the campus protest. The university has issued an order for anyone not affiliated with the university to leave the campus. A Melbourne University poster that states members of the public are prohibited from attending protests on university grounds. Credit: Alex Crowe The spokesperson said on Friday that the university was concerned about the escalation and disruptive intent of some, including external actors. There is no doubt that this group has under-estimated their intimidatory impact on members of our community, they said. The campus was quiet on Friday morning with protesters who had slept in the building on roll-out camp mats stirring about 8.30am to fetch coffee and other supplies. Other students gradually arrived at the leafy campus making their way to class by 9am some curious about the occupied building and its poster-covered windows, others hardly giving it a second glance. Deputy Opposition Leader David Southwick speaks to the media at the University of Melbourne on Friday. Credit: Justin McManus Victorian Liberal Party deputy leader David Southwick attended the university on Friday to meet a small number of Jewish students who he said felt intimidated and harassed by the encampments. Those students declined to be interviewed. Southwick, who is Jewish, said police should be called in to break up the camp. How long are we going to let this be where students are actually having classes cancelled? Are we going to turn around and say the campus is no longer open? he said. If students dont feel safe on campus, then I think the police do need to step in. Seven members of the Monash nine. Credit: Joe Armao Southwick also said the truth has been stretched about the nature of the universitys relationship with weapons manufacturers. 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. 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. 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. Students walk through the doors at the Arts West building at the University of Melbourne on Friday. Credit: Justin McManus The debate over the slogan from the river to the sea has also caused tension in Canberra this week. On Wednesday, Labor senator Fatima Payman said Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and finished a speech using the slogan. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday its use went against the governments position calling for a two-state solution, while NDIS Minister Bill Shorten said Paymans place on the foreign affairs committee should be reconsidered. Albanese said freedom of expression and freedom to protest was important, however there was no place for protests done in a disrespectful way. Loading Asked about the students demonstrating at universities, Albanese said he believed everyone should protest in a peaceful manner. We have a right of freedom of expression in this country. Thats really important. I say this if people want to advance their cause, they need to be respectful, not attack others, not be disrespectful, Albanese said. How people demonstrate their political views is very important. And there is no place for some of the disrespectful ways in which some of these activities are happening. Whether it be in some university campuses, or indeed, outside my electorate office. The news Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has walked back his barely five-month-old decision to abandon the 2032 Games intergovernmental leaders forum after recent shifts in direction by the state government. While there will always be differences of opinion, its important we work together to deliver an incredible Games and a legacy that benefits Brisbane, the region and our state, Schrinner said in a statement. 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 I want to thank Premier Steven Miles for his decision to establish an Independent Delivery Authority and working collaboratively with our council to ensure this new model suits all stakeholders. The father of Australian rugby league player Payne Haas has been arrested in the Philippines and is accused of running enough drugs in Indonesia to qualify for the death penalty. Gregor Johann Haas was arrested in Cebu City on Wednesday and now faces extradition. An image of Gregor Johann Haas circulating in Indonesian media. The Australian citizen was arrested on Wednesday. Indonesian authorities said they had been hunting the 46-year-old since last December after police discovered five kilograms of crystal methamphetamine at an undisclosed location. In a post to Instagram, police also linked Haas to Mexicos infamous Sinaloa drug cartel. Brussels: 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 US weapons. As a result, Ukrainian officials have asked their US and NATO counterparts to help train 150,000 recruits closer to the front line for faster deployment. So far, the US has said no, but General Charles Brown Jr, chair 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. US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown Jr. Credit: AP 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 defences to protect the trainers instead of critical Ukrainian infrastructure near the battlefield. Brown briefed reporters on his plane en route to a NATO meeting in Brussels. Jerusalem, Cairo: The Israeli military said its troops in Gaza found the bodies of three Israeli hostages killed by Hamas during its October 7 attack, including German-Israeli Shani Louk. A photo of 22-year-old Louks twisted body in the back of a pickup truck ricocheted around the world and brought to light the scale of the militants attack on communities in southern Israel. The military identified the other two bodies as those of a 28-year-old woman, Amit Buskila, and a 56-year-old man, Itzhak Gelerenter. From left, Itzik Gelernter, Shani Louk and Amit Buskila. The Israeli military said its troops in Gaza found the bodies of the three Israeli hostages. Credit: Hostages Families Forum Headquarters via AP All three were killed by Hamas while fleeing the Nova music festival, an outdoor dance party near the Gaza border, where militants killed hundreds of people, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a news conference. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths heartbreaking, saying, We will return all of our hostages, both the living and the dead. The situation is insurrectionary. We are heading straight for civil war, warned Louis Le Franc, whose position as French high commissioner makes him President Emmanuel Macrons top representative in New Caledonia. Adding to the drama, France has accused the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan of fomenting the unrest that has so far led to five deaths in a tiny territory with a population equivalent to Hobart. French authorities have estimated that 5000 people participated in the riots, with 200 arrested. Sheima Riahi, a 33-year-old New Caledonian radio journalist, says she has never seen anything like it. All streets in the residential neighbourhoods are barricaded, says Riahi, who lives in Le Mont-Dore, a commune on the outskirts of Noumea. There is a lot of worry, anxiety and fear. Food products are starting to run out, she says, leading to huge supermarket queues. Milk, rice and pasta are being rationed. Hospitals and pharmacies are struggling to cope, with some patients unable to access crucial dialysis services. Adding to the sense of danger: New Caledonia has one of the highest firearm rates in the world, with 42 guns per 100 people. Long queues outside a supermarket in New Caledonia after this weeks riots. Riahi says that, for New Caledonians older than herself, the past week has brought back memories of a traumatic period locals call les evenements, or the events in English. Stretching from 1976 to 1988, this era saw conflict regularly break out between French authorities and pro-independence Kanak rebels. Roadblocks, gun battles and property destruction flared when Frances centre-right government launched a land distribution scheme that favoured Europeans over Kanaks. The violence peaked in 1988 when Kanak rebels took 27 French police officers hostage in a cave on the island of Ouvea. The subsequent rescue mission led to the death of 19 hostage-takers and two members of the recovery team. Riahi grew up in the period of relative stability that followed, as France granted more power to New Caledonia and put the territory on a potential path to independence. In 2018, 2020 and 2021 voters opted to remain part of France. Independence activists encouraged a boycott of the 2021 poll, which took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and still harbour hopes of breaking away from France. Under the current rules, New Caledonians have French nationality, vote for the president of France and can vote in European Parliament elections. Retaining ultimate control of New Caledonia buttresses Frances claims to be an Indo-Pacific power, and provides access to its vast nickel reserves. This weeks burst of unrest was triggered by politicians in Paris pushing ahead with a plan to extend voting rights to French citizens who have lived in the territory for 10 years or more. Framed as a pro-democracy measure, the change would dilute the electoral power of the Kanaks, who represent around 40 per cent of the territorys population and could crush the dreams of those who long for independence. Smoke rises during protests in Noumea, New Caledonia. Credit: AP France has pointed that finger at Azerbaijan for encouraging the unrest, noting the sudden emergence of Azerbaijani flags alongside Kanak symbols in New Caledonian protests. This isnt a fantasy. Its a reality, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told television channel France 2 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. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada fired back: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. France and Azerbaijan have had increasingly frosty relations in recent years, driven in part by Frances increasingly close ties to Azerbaijani rival Armenia. Based on her conversations with New Caledonian women, Nicole George instead emphasises the huge gulf in wealth and status between the territorys Indigenous and European populations when explaining the unrest. Kanaks are significantly more likely to live in poverty and be unemployed. That fosters a lot of resentment, grievance and polarisation, she says. Young Kanak people see self-determination as opening up the possibility of a different future. Stark inequality persists despite New Caledonia being the worlds fourth-largest producer of nickel, putting it ahead of Australia. The territorys nickel industry, however, is ailing, with three processing plants on the verge of collapse. This has added to the sense of despair on New Caledonia, which has a population of around 270,000 people. The Coalition had recently pledged that it will focus on making sure that there are enough skilled and temporary skilled visas for those people that had skills in building and construction in order to support local tradies when it came to increasing the supply for new housing. By Yoon Ja-young Woori Financial Group is recruiting teenagers from multicultural families to participate in its global language and culture experience program in Vietnam. Since 2014, Woori has been operating the program that supports teenagers from multicultural families to visit motherlands of their parents. Aiming to nurture the teenagers as global leaders, the program has been welcomed as a representative support program in the financial industry for multicultural families. Those wishing to participate in the event should make application at the Woori Multicultural Scholarship Foundation's website, or woorifoundation.or.kr, by June 7. The foundation will select a final 30 participants , considering factors such as the reason for application and family environment. The selected teenagers will be offered Vietnamese language education from June to September. Additionally, they will visit the Hanoi area in Vietnam from Aug. 5 to 11, and participate in various activities in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. In Vietnam, they will also visit Woori Bank, tour Hanoi University campus and engage in volunteering for local children. The Woori foundation sponsors the language training and cultural experience programs. The foundation was set up in 2012 to support the settlement of multicultural families in Korean society. It operates diverse programs such as scholarships, and an orchestra and choir to help children and teenagers integrate into Korean society. 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. HDFC Bank's group head for Treasury, Arup Rakshit, said this is a longer duration credit facility which has been availed by the lender. | Image credits: Bloomberg HDFC Bank on Friday said it has raised $500 million from IFC for onlending to underserved women borrowers. The country's largest private sector lender will extend finance for income generation, fostering financial inclusion and socio-economic growth, as per an official statement. It will extend the microloans to self-help groups and joint liability groups of women enrolled under the Sustainable Livelihoods Initiative (SLI) of the lender. HDFC Bank's group head for Treasury, Arup Rakshit, said this is a longer duration credit facility which has been availed by the lender, and it will help in boosting the bank's efforts in empowering women. The statement said even though the non-banks have a deeper reach and serve two-thirds of the microfinance market, banks' extensive reach and lower funding costs can be leveraged to extend microloans to women. "Access to financial services is key to empowering women and strengthening the economy," IFC's regional director for South Asia Imad Fakhoury said. Over the last 20 years, IFC (International Finance Corporation) has made 650 microfinance investments totalling $6.2 billion, the statement said. BYD SHARK, BYD's first pickup truck, makes its global debut and is officially launched in Mexico. Equipped with DMO Platform, BYD SHARK achieves enhancements in safety, power, off-road capability, intelligence, and comfort. BYD SHARK will land in more countries and regions in the near future. On May 14, BYD launches its first pickup truck, BYD SHARK, in Mexico. Positioned as a new energy intelligent luxury pickup, BYD SHARK features the DMO Super Hybrid Off-road Platform, representing the latest addition to BYD's product portfolio. This model, developed for the global market, marks BYD's first global product launch outside of China, promising to redefine the global plug-in hybrid pickup market with advanced technology and diverse user-centric features. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515345632/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) The product launch, themed Hybrid Power, Wild Spirit, showcased an immersive display of innovative intelligent experiences and all-terrain extreme off-road scenarios, transforming into a 'technological theme park' brimming with exploratory fun and interactions. With over 1000 guests in attendance, the event witnessed the debut of BYD SHARK. Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD and CEO of BYD Americas, stated, "As a global leader in new energy technology, BYD remains committed to crafting innovative solutions for users worldwide. With the introduction of our inaugural new energy pickup, BYD SHARK, we're poised to redefine the conventional fuel pickup landscape through advanced technology, providing users with a lifestyle characterized by boundless opportunities. BYD is now ushering in the era of the global new energy pickup." Harness the Power of Design to Create Personalized and Functional Pickup Trucks As a mid-to-large size pickup, BYD SHARK boasts a wheelbase of 3,260 millimeters, with a wheelbase ratio of 59.7%, ensuring a spacious and opulent riding experience. Guided by BYD Design Director, Wolfgang Egger, the vehicle's design draws inspiration from sharks, seamlessly blending futuristic technology with raw power. The vehicle features full-length LED lights at the front, reminiscent of a sharks open mouth, exuding a fierce and captivating presence. Its side proportions, marked by fluid body lines, mirror the graceful movement of a shark through deep waters. At the rear, a through-type tail light, inspired by a sharks tail fin, elegantly underscores the fusion of natural and technological aesthetics. The interior design is created by Michele Jauch-Paganetti, BYD Interior Design Director, drawing inspiration from spaceship consoles. Boasting a 10.25-inch LCD instrument panel and a 12.8-inch adaptive rotating screen, BYD SHARK's cabin sets a new standard for functionality and modern ambiance. Moreover, the rear row seats, featuring a 27-degree recline angle, revolutionize the conventional design of pickup rear tows, delivering a blend of comfort and luxury technology within its intelligent cockpit. Utilize New Energy Tech to Enhance the Versatility and Reliability of Pickup Trucks The DMO Super Hybrid Off-road Platform, a core technology of BYD SHARK, stands as a revolutionary innovation, seamlessly combining rugged off-road capability and safety features with the comfort of an SUV, all while maintaining impressive energy efficiency. This technology innovatively integrates a non-load-bearing frame designed for hybrids, the worlds first longitudinal EHS drive assembly, Cell to Chassis (CTC) technology, rear-wheel drive assembly designed for pickup trucks, and double-wishbone independent suspension at the front and rear end, perfectly balancing performance and comfort. In terms of power, BYD SHARK, with its dedicated rear-drive powertrain, EHS electric hybrid system, and a 1.5T high-power engine, reaches a peak power of over 430 horsepower, equivalent to a 4.0L V8 engine. Its acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers is in only 5.7 seconds, far surpassing other models in its pickup category. Moreover, harnessing the prowess of intelligent electric AWD, BYD SHARK can precisely adjust the torque distribution between its front and rear wheels in milliseconds, aligning with the optimal adhesion coefficient across diverse road surfaces. The robust power combined with precise electronic control marks a paradigm shift from conventional fuel-based AWD systems, delivering a heightened level of reliability and ease to pickup users seeking off-road adventure. Also, the DMO technology aids pickups in transcending the conundrum of elevated energy consumption and environmental pollution. Compared to other fuel-powered pickups in its class, the BYD SHARK achieves a 40% reduction in fuel consumption, even when operating at low battery levels, reshaping the perception of pickups as high-energy consumption vehicles. Additionally, as a plug-in hybrid model, BYD SHARK, boasting dual fuel and electric power modes, attains remarkable endurance. Garnering a comprehensive cruising range of 840 km under the NEDC conditions, alongside a pure EV endurance of 100 km, it effortlessly accommodates urban commuting and interstate travel. Beyond its exceptional performance and driving experience, BYD SHARK prioritizes supreme safety. Integrating the ultra-high safety Blade Battery and a high-strength steel frame through CTC technology, it ensures robust protection. The Blade Battery functions both as an energy unit and a structural component, fortifying both battery and vehicle safety with multi-layered defense. Moreover, a 22% increase in body torsional rigidity significantly enhances handling and stability, bolstering reliability on challenging off-road terrain. BYD SHARK boasts a front and rear double-wishbone independent suspension system, balancing driving agility and passenger comfort to provide an unmatched driving and riding experience. Built upon the DM super hybrid technology architecture, the motor-driven mode encompasses over 80% of the comprehensive working conditions, allowing a serene and smooth journey. Furthermore, BYD SHARK offers enhanced expandability and more extensive modification opportunities for every users individual needs. With the VTOL (vehicle-to-load) function, the vehicle transitions into a "mobile power station", catering to a myriad of outdoor power demands and scenarios, thus amplifying convenience and enjoyment for pickup enthusiasts. Leverage Smart Tech to Improve the Sophistication and Convenience of Pickup Trucks Led by intelligent technology, BYD SHARK's intelligent cockpit can integrate with a vast and diverse ecosystem. Empowered with voice control capabilities, users can effortlessly manage driving modes, adjust air conditioning settings, control music playback, and execute other intelligent operations through simple voice commands, greatly enhancing driving convenience and comfort. With BYD Cloud Service, users can remotely manage their vehicles via mobile devices, easily enabling personalized settings such as pre-activating the air conditioning and adjusting seat ventilation and heating. Moreover, BYD SHARK introduces NFC digital key technology, allowing users to access the vehicle without a physical key, using only a smartphone or other intelligent devices, thereby enhancing the intelligent new energy vehicle experience. The application of the head-up display feature guarantees that drivers have constant access to crucial driving information, thus notably enhancing driving safety. Furthermore, the vehicle incorporates a 540-degree ultra-wide-angle panoramic view camera, enabling the driver to observe the surroundings and underside of the vehicle, simplifying path selection during off-roading. Ushering in the Global New Energy Pickup Era with BYD SHARK Leveraging over two decades of profound expertise in the realm of new energy automobiles, the new energy intelligent luxury pickup BYD SHARK emerges as a beacon of sustainability and technology, setting new standards in the new energy pickup sector. In the upcoming future, BYD SHARK will land in more countries and regions, delivering a revolutionary driving encounter to global users. BYD has consistently embraced a development philosophy rooted in the "technology-based, innovation-oriented" principle. Guided by its globalization strategy, BYD is accelerating the popularization of new energy automobiles across numerous countries. Currently, its new energy vehicle footprint now covers over 80 countries and regions, including Japan, Germany, Australia, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates, making great achievements in various markets and leading the wave of technological innovations in the global automobile industry. About BYD BYD is a multinational high-tech company devoted to leveraging technological innovations for a better life. Founded in 1995 as a rechargeable battery maker, BYD now boasts a diverse business scope covering automobiles, rail transit, new energy, and electronics, with over 30 industrial parks in China, the United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Hungary, and India. From energy generation and storage to its applications, BYD is dedicated to providing zero-emission energy solutions that reduce global reliance on fossil fuels. Its new energy vehicle footprint now covers 6 continents, over 80 countries and regions, and more than 400 cities. Listed in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges, the company is known to be a Fortune Global 500 enterprise that furnishes innovations in pursuit of a greener world. About BYD Auto Founded in 2003, BYD Auto is the automotive subsidiary of BYD, a multinational high-tech company devoted to leveraging technological innovations for a better life. Aiming to accelerate the green transition of the global transportation sector, BYD Auto focuses on developing pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The company has mastered the core technologies of the entire industrial chain of new energy vehicles, such as batteries, electric motors, and electronic controllers. It has witnessed in recent years significant technological advancements, including the Blade Battery, DM-i Super Hybrid Technology, e Platform 3.0, CTB Technology, e Platform, BYD DiSus Intelligent Body Control System, and DMO super hybrid system. The company is the world's first carmaker to stop the production of fossil-fueled vehicles on the EV shift and has remained top of new energy passenger vehicle sales in China for 10 years in a row. For more information | BYD | www.byd.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240515345632/en/ GMI Cloud, the emerging GPU cloud platform designed for AI and ML workloads, is accelerating access to NVIDIA GPUs. Its new On-Demand cloud compute offering, available today, is built for companies that are serious about leveraging AI and unlocking the door from prototyping to production. Users can access GMI Clouds On-Demand GPU computing resources almost instantaneously. The Surge in Demand for Compute The current surge in demand for AI compute power requires companies to be strategic in their approach. In a fast-evolving landscape, organizations are being asked to pay a 25-50% down payment and sign up for a 3-year contract with the promise of getting access to GPU infrastructure in 6-12 months. The AI shift has forced companies to need more flexible computing power. Instant GPUs, Infinite AI Leveraging its ties to Realtek Semiconductors (TPE: 2379) and GMI Technologies (TPE: 3312) as well as Taiwan's robust supply chain ecosystem, GMI Cloud is able to ensure quicker deployment and higher efficiency in operations. The physical presence in Taiwan cuts the GPU delivery time down from months to days compared to non-Taiwanese GPU providers. GMI Cloud is poised to become the most competitive new entrant in this market. Our mission is to empower humanity's AI ambitions with instant, efficient GPU cloud, said Alex Yeh, Founder and CEO of GMI Cloud. We're not just building a cloudwe're creating the backbone of the AI era. GMI Cloud is dedicated to transforming how developers and data scientists leverage NVIDIA GPUs and how all humans benefit from AI. Why It Matters Technology leaders are seizing the opportunities presented by the growing AI wave, and organizations of all sizes are hitting walls when it comes to accessing compute power. Startups, for example, dont have the budget or long-term forecasting to pay a down payment for a large GPU installation. They need the flexibility to scale up or down based on their traction. This requires the option to pay for GPU as an operating expense rather than locking in capital that could be spent on hiring competitive AI talent. On-Demand access provides an instant, cost-effective, and scalable option for teams that need access to GPU compute, without requiring special skills to set up the infrastructure. Large enterprises face hurdles as well. Enterprise data science teams, for example, require the flexibility to experiment, prototype, and evaluate AI applications to get ahead of competitors before the AI wave passes them by. However, not every enterprise is ready to commit to the long-term contracts and unproven capital expenditures required for larger compute reserves. The flexibility of instant GPU access allows those data science teams to run several prototyping projects that require processing large datasets or fine-tuning models without taking significant investment risks. Get Started Now GMI Cloud is a GPU cloud platform, powered by NVIDIA, with a rich Kubernetes-managed preloaded software stack designed specifically for AI and ML workloads which includes prebuilt images with NVIDIA TensorRT and will soon support all NVIDIA prebuilt containers including inference servers like NVIDIA Triton. With competitive pricing offered at $4.39/hour for NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs, GMI Cloud offers affordable on-demand access compared to larger organizations charging up to 4X that cost for on-demand in an effort to lock users into larger reserve packages. The instance type and size is purposefully designed to efficiently deploy, fine-tune, and inference models ranging in size from Llama3 8b, 70b, Mixtral 8x7b, Google Gemma, Stable Diffusion, and more. About GMI Cloud Instant GPU availability meets infinite AI possibilities with GMI Cloud, a venture-backed digital infrastructure company formed as an offshoot of Realtek Semiconductor and GMI Technology. As the leading AI-native GPU cloud, we provide rapid access to the latest GPUs meticulously optimized for AI and ML workloads. Our platform ensures seamless scalability and top-tier performance, designed to cater to the dynamic needs of startups, researchers, and enterprises alike. With GMI Cloud, experience the power of on-demand GPUs and unlock unlimited AI potential, enabling you to innovate faster, smarter, and more cost-effectively. To learn more, visit gmicloud.ai. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240516003832/en/ Partner with us for Press release distribution and get best in class service, guaranteed postings on tier 1 media and maximum reach Reports of NK soldiers in Ukraine may show Russia's 'profound' desperation: US official Jacobs has announced the creation of 100 jobs over the next two years in Ireland, at the official opening of its new state-of-the-art office in Sandyford, Dublin. The office opening, officiated by Minister for Finance Michael McGrath TD, also coincides with Jacobs celebrating 50 years in Ireland. 'Global Business' "Although were a global business, our operation here is an Irish success story," said Jacobs CEO, Bob Pragada. "We have huge confidence in Ireland, and we are ambitious for our continued business growth here and are committed to building skills for the future and investing in a new office in Dublin. New Roles Jacobs is the largest provider of engineering, procurement, construction management and commissioning, qualification and validation services in Ireland, employing more than 1,200 people in Dublin, Cork and Belfast. The new roles, in engineering, project management, construction management, commissioning and qualification, will be created over two years and support projects in high-growth sectors including critical infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and semiconductors. During the past 50 years, Jacobs has supported the delivery of more than 50 billion worth of award-winning critical infrastructure projects for clients in Ireland. 'Stellar Track Record' Jacobs has delivered countless major manufacturing and infrastructure projects that have been central to Irelands economic success and societal progress over the last 50 years," said Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath. "The company has a stellar track record and has rightly been acknowledged with numerous awards for the quality and innovation that is a hallmark of its work. As Jacobs embarks on its latest chapter, I am delighted to open their new office in Dublin and announce 100 new jobs in Ireland to support its continued growth in Ireland and internationally. Source: www.businessworld.ie China, Serbia showcase ironclad friendship during Xi's second state visit 10:45, May 17, 2024 By Zhou Ting ( People's Daily Online Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on May 7 for a state visit, marking the second stop of his European tour and his second state visit to the country in eight years. The visit garnered significant media attention, with over 15,000 news reports published between May 5 and May 12. Many foreign media outlets highlighted the ironclad friendship between China and Serbia by reported details of the visit, such as the arrangements made for the Chinese delegation and the exchange of state gifts. Serbia's warm reception of Xi was the most eye-catching aspect of the visit. Foreign media outlets reported on the detailed arrangements made by Serbia, showcasing the country's thoughtfulness hospitality towards President Xi and his delegation, who had journeyed from afar. According to The Spectator, a British magazine, thousands of Serbs gathered outside the Palace of Serbia on May 8 to welcome Xi, chanting "China, Serbia." "The red flags start at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport and run all the way along the motorway into the centre of Serbia's capital. This is Serbia's way of showing that it is proud of its 'ironclad friendship' with China - and welcoming Xi Jinping to Belgrade," a BBC article stated. Serbian daily newspaper Politika reported on May 7 that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic prepared Serbian wine and Chinese songs, including "What a Beautiful Jasmine Flower" and "Me and My Country," for the state banquet. In addition to the touching details highlighted by foreign media, the exchange of state gifts between the two countries added another heartwarming chapter to the heartwarming story of the China-Serbia friendship. Eight years ago, during Xi's first state visit to Serbia, workers from Serbia's steel producer Smederevo Steel Plant presented Xi with a custom-made commemorative plaque featuring the plant's silhouette. Pakistan Today, a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper, noted that the round steel plaque "symbolizes the ironclad friendship between China and Serbia." The continuous improvement in the operations of Smederevo Steel Plant, acquired by Chinese steel manufacturer HBIS Group in 2016, is an important testament to the two countries' friendship, according to an article published on the website of Bastille Post, an online newspaper based in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. During his recent visit to Serbia, Xi presented Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with steel sculptures produced by the Smederevo Steel Plant. The sculptures feature the Temple of Heaven in Beijing and the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade, symbolizing the unshakeable China-Serbia friendship. Serbian newspaper Vecernje Novosti also reported that Serbia issued special commemorative stamps with the theme "Friends from Afar" to welcome its Chinese friends. Cultural exchanges between China and Serbia are like a long river continually nourishing the flower of friendship between the two peoples. As cultural cooperation between the two countries yields more splendid fruits in the future, they will jointly compose an even more magnificent chapter of their ironclad friendship. Zhou Ting is a professor at the Communication University of China. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Former President Donald Trump may like to "solve" North Korea's nuclear quandary if reelected, a former U.S. official during Trump's presidency said Thursday, noting how to address the issue is "unpredictable." Allison Hooker, former senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, made the remarks, underscoring that leader-level diplomacy with North Korea is the "right " approach given that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is the "top decision-maker." "I think he (Trump) looks at North Korea and thinks ... we could give that another go," Hooker said during an online forum hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "He'd like to see that problem solved, whether that's the nuclear problem or the threat problem, or whatever it is ... but how we get there is unpredictable," she added. With Trump seeking to win the White House in the Nov. 5 election, questions have emerged over whether he would resume personal diplomacy with Kim in what is dubbed a "top-down" approach that led to three in-person meetings between the leaders, including their first summit in Singapore in 2018. Hooker underlined her support for that top-down approach. "I think leader-level engagement is the right approach with North Korea," she said. "Kim is the top decision-maker and I still think that that is the best approach if you are going to get any major policies implemented there, any of your major breakthroughs there." The former official also said that Trump, if reelected, may want to see North Korea knock on the door for the resumption of dialogue. "I don't think President Trump is going to be the one knocking on the door," she said. "The right circumstances and situations would have to occur to have that reengagement." Hooker raised the possibility that the North Korean leader could opt to return to dialogue when he determines it serves to advance his regime's strategic goals and interests. "I think Kim is opportunistic, and if he sees where it would be more beneficial to him or North Korea will advance other goals, then we can see him pull back and reengage," she said. "But the point is to reengage from a position of great strength. I think that's what he is working on right now ... to continue to build that platform, that position of strength." On the campaign trail, Trump has boasted his personal ties with the North Korean leader, saying he "got along very well" with Kim. His remarks have raised speculation that Trump could restart direct contact with Kim should he return to the White House. While Trump was in office, Hooker was involved in key engagements with North Korea, including the summits in Singapore in 2018 and Hanoi and at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in 2019. She also served as a senior analyst for North Korea in the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research from 2001 to 2014. (Yonhap) State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, Canada Postal Code The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un dismissed allegations of military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow on Friday, emphasizing that North Korean weapons are solely intended to target Seoul, not for exports to Russia. The statement by Kim Yo-jong, who serves as the vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, came amid suspicions that North Korea has supplied weapons to Russia to support its war in Ukraine. "We have no intention to export our military technical capabilities to any country or open them to the public," Kim said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), saying such allegations are "the most absurd paradox." Kim said North Korea's tactical weapons, including multiple rocket launchers and missiles, are intended to deter South Korea from engaging in "any idle thinking," in an apparent reference to the South Korea-U.S. joint military drills. North Korea has long denounced the allies' military drills as rehearsals for an invasion against it, while Seoul and Washington have rejected such claims, describing their exercises as defensive in nature. "What is most urgent for us is not to 'advertise' or 'export' something but to make the war readiness and war deterrent of our army more perfect in quality and quantity and to make the enemy unable to overcome the inferiority in military capability," she said. North Korean leader Kim has recently inspected sites of weapons development, but he did not issue any bellicose messages against South Korea, spawning speculation that the North has been ramping up arms production for exports to Russia. On May 10, he oversaw a test-firing of controllable shells for "the technically updated version" of the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system. The weapon system is believed to target South Korea's broader capital area. Over the weekend, Kim paid a visit to major defense industrial enterprises and inspected the modernization of production lines and production plans for the year. He also inspected a new tactical missile weapons system earlier this week and called for an "epochal change" in war preparations by attaining arms production plans. South Korea's unification ministry said Friday that North Korea's denial of providing weapons to Russia, despite clear evidence, is showing that the regime is aware of the illegality of such actions. "We must once again emphasize that the arms trade between Russia and North Korea is an illegal act that violates the U.N. Security Council resolutions and undermines international norms," said Kim In-ae, deputy spokesperson at the ministry, during a press briefing. (Yonhap) A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill Thursday to reauthorize and update the 2004 North Korean Human Rights Act aimed at promoting rights and freedom in the reclusive state. More than a year after its introduction, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs endorsed the bill, raising hopes for its congressional passage this year. It is led by Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Ami Bera (D-CA), the chairperson and the ranking member of the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, respectively. First adopted in 2004, the legislation is updated and reauthorized periodically. It was extended in 2008, 2012 and 2018 with the last extension expiring in September 2022. "(North Korean leader) Kim Jong-un oppresses the North Korean people through torture, imprisonment, starvation, and forced labor every single day. These gross human rights abuses cannot be tolerated," Kim said in a release posted on Bera's website. "Holding authoritarian regimes accountable and supporting freedom-loving people trapped under their rule are top priorities of mine as chairwoman of the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee," she added. Bera voiced expectations that the legislation will strengthen the United States' commitment to promoting human rights in the North. "North Korea's oppressive regime continues to commit heinous human rights abuses against its own people, including arbitrary detention, forced disappearance, torture, and severe restrictions on freedom of religion and belief," Bera was quoted as saying in the release. The Senate version of the bill has been introduced by Senators Marco Rubio and Tim Kaine. The bill calls for the promotion of human rights and humanitarian assistance for North Korean people and the increase in the flow of information not controlled by the regime in Pyongyang among other activities. (Yonhap) North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Friday, the South Korean military said, a day after South Korea and the United States staged combined aerial drills involving advanced stealth jets. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected what are presumed to be short-range missiles fired off the eastern coastal city of Wonsan at 3:10 p.m. toward the East Sea. It did not provide further details on flight range and other capabilities as an analysis is currently under way. "Our military has ramped up monitoring and vigilance against additional launches, while closely sharing information related to North Korean ballistic missiles with the U.S. and Japanese authorities," the JCS said in a text message to reporters. The launch comes after the North fired 600-mm super-large shells, considered to be short-range ballistic missiles, toward the East Sea on April 22. North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong-un has guided tactical drills simulating a nuclear counterattack involving "super-large" multiple rocket launchers for the first time. Pyongyang's latest missile launch comes a day after two South Korean F-35As and two U.S. F-22 Raptors carried out joint combat drills over the central region of South Korea in an apparent show of air power against evolving North Korean military threats. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a joint statement opposing "acts of military intimidation" against North Korea by the U.S. and its allies during their summit in Beijing. (Yonhap) Ministry of Unification calls Pyongyang weapons exports to Moscow illegal By Kwak Yeon-soo North Koreas denials of providing Russia with weapons to be used in its war against Ukraine, despite clear evidence to the contrary, shows that the reclusive regime is concerned about damaging its image further in the West and the potential for tougher sanctions, according to experts, Friday. In a statement carried by its state-run media earlier in the day, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said North Korean weapons are intended to target Seoul, not for exports to Russia. We have no intention to export our military technical capabilities to any country or open them to the public. Our tactical weapons, including multiple rocket launchers and missiles, will be used to prevent Seoul from inventing any idle thinking, Kim was quoted as saying by the Norths official Korean Central News Agency. South Korea and the United States accuse North Korea of supplying artillery, missiles and other conventional weapons to Russia to support its war in Ukraine. U.N. sanctions envoys to North Korea confirmed that Russia used North Korean Hwaseong-11 series ballistic missile in the Jan. 2 attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Kim rejected the allegations of North Korea-Russian arms exchange, calling it the most absurd paradox. Kims statement suggests that North Korea is concerned about international sanctions. I believe sanctions are still an effective tool. North Korea fears that if it admits its arms dealings with Russia, it may turn its European allies into enemies, said Park Won-gon, professor of North Korean studies at Ewah Womans University. Yang Moo-jin, the president of the University of North Korean Studies, said North Korea wants to stop the spread of information about the arms exchange with Russia because both countries are subject to Western sanctions. It is part of North Koreas propaganda approach to develop a voice in global affairs. Kims statement comes amid Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping holding talks in Beijing, the West pressuring North Korea and Russia with sanctions and South Korea planning to stage Ulchi Freedom Shiled, a joint annual military drill with the U.S. in August, Yang said. Experts said it is reasonable to speculate that Pyongyang is not only developing weapons for military purposes but also considering exports to Russia. The North Korean leader has recently conducted inspections at weapons development sites. Last Friday, he oversaw a test-firing of controllable shells for the technically updated version of the 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher system. The weapon system is believed to be targeted at South Koreas broader capital region. It may be true that North Korea is honing existing weapons to attack Seoul, but we cannot rule out the possibility of the country pulling weapons from its stocks and shipping them to Russia after further testing and deploying, Yang said. However, Park said North Korea may potentially experience shortages domestically. Im skeptical about North Korea providing the updated version of the 240-millimeter multiple rocket launcher system to Russia. I dont think the country can keep up its production goals. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Unification condemned North Koreas illegal arms dealings with Russia. Arms exchange between Pyongyang and Moscow is a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. Arms exports to Russia must stop immediately, the ministrys deputy spokesperson Kim In-ae said during a press briefing, Friday. A crash involving a school bus and vehicle occurred in the 5000 block of Ooltewah Ringgold Road. No injuries were reported. A Collegedale fugitive turned themselves in on two active warrants. A Collegedale fugitive was located at the Hamilton County Jail. The individual was booked on a failure to appear warrant. A Collegedale/Hamilton County fugitive was booked on a Collegedale warrant and transported to the Hamilton County Jail for multiple warrants with them. A driver in the 9300 block of Apison Pike was arrested for driving on a suspended license and an active theft warrant. A Collegedale fugitive was apprehended by a bondsman.The individual was booked on a warrant for driving charges. A traffic stop in the 5000 block of Little Debbie Parkway resulted in a person arrested for driving on a revoked license, possession of drug paraphernalia and active warrants out of Rutherford County. Hamilton County Deputies requested a K9 on a traffic stop in the 12000 block of Highway 58. K9 Krino was deployed and alerted to the presence of narcotics. This led to the discovery of drug paraphernalia. Officers were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle in the 9500 block of Salisbury Lane. Officers located the vehicle and found nothing suspicious about it. Officials of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) expressed expectations for greater space cooperation with Korea on Thursday, as the two countries are widening the scope of their alliance beyond its longstanding security focus. Mark Clampin, NASA's astrophysics division director, and John Wisniewski, a NASA scientist for the SPHEREx, a future space observatory, attended an event on bilateral space cooperation at the Korean Embassy in Washington. The event took place as Seoul is preparing to launch a full-fledged national space agency, called the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), in Sacheon, some 300 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 27. KASA is to serve as NASA's counterpart. "We fully expect that as we get to the future, there will be more collaborations," Clampin said. "I am sure that there will be other opportunities in the future to further develop the relationship." Wisniewski underscored the importance of Korea's expertise in collaborative projects as he responded to a question of benefits that NASA gets from cooperation with Korean scientists. "Everybody has their strengths," Wisniewski said, noting that the SPHEREx, expected to launch in February next year, covers an "incredible" breadth of science. "Everyone brings their own expertise. If you pull those all together, it makes a stronger product." The state-funded Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) has made contributions to the SPHEREx program in terms of legacy sciences, calibration facilities and other areas, according to a KASI official. Asked to give tips for the soon-to-be-launched KASA, Clampin underlined the need to "learn lessons" from failures. "Every time we do a new mission, we've got to take time to think about what do we learn from doing this if we do it right," he said. "Quite often, we've made mistakes along the way. You have to make it a learning process as you go along." In his congratulatory remarks, Korean Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong said that Korea is largely a newcomer in the space domain but will work hard to "catch up." "We are catching up soon, maybe sooner than you expect," he quipped. The event came as Seoul and Washington have been seeking to broaden the scope of their alliance to cover a wide range of areas, including technology, space and economic security. (Yonhap) Tennessees seasonally adjusted unemployment rate made its way into record territory in April, matching the all-time low rate of 3.1%, according to new data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). The state first set the record in April 2023, and for three consecutive months that year, the jobless number held steady at 3.1%. Employers were hiring in April and grew the states workforce by 5,100 nonfarm jobs for the month. The Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector accounted for the largest increase of new jobs. The Education and Health Services sector saw the next largest increase, followed by the Leisure and Hospitality sector. Tennessee employers created a large number of new nonfarm jobs over the last 12 months. Of the 15,800 created jobs during the year, the Education and Health Services sector was responsible for much of that job growth. The Leisure and Hospitality sector saw the second-largest increase in employment, followed by the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector. TDLWD has prepared a complete analysis of the April unemployment data, which is available here. The nations seasonally adjusted unemployment rate had an uptick in April to 3.9%, which was an increase of 0.1 of a percentage point. In a year-to-year comparison, unemployment across the U.S. was up by half a percentage point. With the school year winding down, the state encourages young people between the ages of 14 and 24 to take advantage of YEP, Tennessees Youth Employment Program. The state-funded initiative can open the door to meaningful work exploration and paychecks totaling $4,000. Young Tennesseans can work during the summer or into the fall as part of this year-round program. Details about YEP and how to join are available at YEPTN.com. The state of Tennessee will release county-by-county unemployment data on Thursday, May 23, at 1:30 p.m. CDT. The Bethlehem Center is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all eligible children free of charge. To be eligible to receive free meals at a residential or non-residential camp, children must meet the income guidelines for reduced-price meals in the National School Lunch Program. Children who are part of households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly foods stamps) benefits or benefits under the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) are automatically eligible to receive free meals. Acceptance and participation requirements for the Program and all activities are the same for all regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. Meals will be provided at the sites and times as follows: Bethlehem Center, 200 W 38th Street, Chattanooga, Tn. 37410 Breakfast: 7:50-8:30 a.m. Lunch: 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/ complaint_filing_cust.html , and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: Charges have been lowered from attempted first-degree murder to attempted second-degree murder in a case in which three undercover gun team officers were caught in a crossfire. The incident happened in the early morning of April 17 in the area of McCallie Avenue and Glenwood Drive. General Sessions Court Judge Alex McVeagh said he did not find pre-meditation in the case in which Marlon Eberhardt, 23, and Delzmon Gladden, 20, are charged. The pair had been assigned bond of $350,000 each. Judge McVeagh lowered the bond for Eberhardt to $300,000. Gladden had a prior misdemeanor conviction and that sentence was ordered into execution. Officers in an unmarked car were conducting an operation and were stopped at a traffic light directly in front of the gas station at 101 Glenwood Dr. when shots rang out. Some hit their vehicle, though no one was hurt. Officers saw a silver Chevrolet Impala traveling west on McCallie Avenue directly south of the gas station. It was traveling slowly with the rear passenger side window down and someone shooting out of the window toward the officers. Police said there was a gray sedan parked at the gas station that was the possible target of the shooter. Officers said they heard at least nine shots fired and were in fear for their lives. The officers followed the Impala until it was stopped by another police vehicle. Police determined that Gladden was the shooter and Eberhardt was the driver. A loaded gun and multiple loaded handgun magazines were found in the vehicle. Video showed the driver of the sedan at the gas station got out and left in another vehicle. The identity of the intended target is still not known. Attorney Jonathan Turner argued for a $10,000 bond for Eberhardt, saying he was eligible for diversion with no criminal record. He said there was no evidence of a conspiracy to go after anyone, and he said two others in the car were let go and driven home by police. Prosecutor Austin Schofield said the car ran a red light, then came back to the shooting scene. Attorney Turner denied that was the testimony. The prosecutor said, "Frankly, it's a miracle that we don't have somebody dead. There were probably dozens of people in the shooting zone." He did agree to the bond reduction to $300,000. The following 1985 article by the Pride of Moreland, Georgia in 2024 will possibly appear outdated in light of the alleged booming economy claimed by some Americans and its denial by those adversely affected by the present cost of goods and services. In Shoot Low Boys- Theyre Riding Shetland Ponies (Ballantine Books), Lewis Grizzard discusses spending and saving practice by two pre-teenage youngsters in his lifespan: Brad, age eight, and his sister Linda, age eleven, recently received gifts of fifty dollars each from their grandparents. Brad wanted to spend his money on candy; fifty smackers will buy a lot of Reese's Cups. Linda wanted to spend hers on rock tapes; fifty dollars worth should keep her gyrating till she's sixteen. Brad and Linda's mother, however, didn't want her children blowing their first serious amounts of money on frivolity. "I wanted them to use their money to learn a lesson," Karen said. "I convinced them that the way to accomplish the American dream was to put their money in a savings account. I explained that the bank would pay them for using their money." The kids agreed, and so the next morning they all headed down to the bank to open an account. At the bank, however, the kids were told they couldn't have their very own savings accounts because the minimum amount needed was one hundred dollars. Bank policy, it was explained to Karen. She tried to talk them into pooling their money and opening a single account, but sibling rivalry won out and the kids wouldn't go for that. A few days later, the grandparents heard of the ordeal, were impressed and decided to give each child another fifty dollars so they could have their own savings accounts. Back to the bank. This time they were told that Brad and Linda couldn't open their own accounts because they didn't have social security numbers. "The government is afraid somebody will make some interest and they won't get any of it," explained a bank official. Frustrated for a second time, the kids burst into tears. "I didn't know what to tell them after that," said Karen. I thought teaching the children to save now would make them more likely to do the same when they were older." To try to make amends to the kids, Karen took them on a shopping spree for candy and rock tapes. It was the only thing left to do. Besides, the children will learn another valuable lesson about money: EASY COME, EASY GO. (The application of the last four words in 2024 is a matter of speculation?) * * * Jerry Summers (If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com) As of today, the petition to Save Moccasin Bend is at 3,142 signatures. Ive been active in global sustainable tourism for much of my career. I am currently on a remote Croatian island that the Greeks colonized in the 4th Century B.C. Residents and their government are committed to preserving their archaeological sitesfor future generations, for tourism and, most important, to honor their ancestors. In Albania, I learned that work on a foundation for a new hotel several years ago revealed a nearly intact floor-size ancient mosaic that hadnt shown up in archaeological studies. To expedite construction, the builder was directed to destroy the mosaic and build over it. Had they preserved the mosaic, perhaps even under glass in the hotel floor, it could have become a significant tourism draw and recognition of their heritage. Instead, what I saw was a bland building. In recent months, Ive told historians, archaeologists and tourism professionals in Turkey, Greece, Croatia, Albania and Northern Macedonia about Moccasin Bend. Their initial response is amazement that we have an archaeological site that pre-dates their own by millennia. When I tell them about the states current plans, they respond in shock. Ill paraphrase what several officials told me, Its so typically American. Putting short-term financial benefits ahead of honoring its past and preserving something that will inform and attract people for generations to come. Most of your constituents do not want the hospital to stay on Moccasin Bend. Relative to preserving our heritage, they care little about financial savings now, and they will care even less in a few years, especially given the loss of long-term tourism revenues. What we do want is a Moccasin Bend Archeological District that reflects the vision and commitments made by you or your predecessors 60 years ago. The judgment of future generations - and of many of the worlds archaeologists and historians - lies greatly in your hands. James D. Johnson Host Lamont J. Whitaker opened The 2024 Jewel Awards ceremony with a musical medley photo by Elliot Walker Christian Heritage School performs a song from their Best Musical-winning production of The Addams Family photo by Luke Wilson The cast of Fiddler on the Roof from Chattanooga Christian School perform a song from their production photo by Luke Wilson Gracia Wright and Jazhel Arostegui sing in the closing number of The 2024 Jewel Awards ceremony photo by Elliot Walker Previous Next Local high school theatre students packed the Walker Theatre on Saturday for the first annual Jewel Awards, presented by the Tivoli Theatre Foundation. Part of the Foundations newly formed education department, The Jewel Awards seeks to support, encourage, and grow high school theatre programs and connects them to The Broadway League Foundations National High School Musical Theatre Awards. The evening was hosted by actor Lamont J. Whitaker, who is currently on tour with The Book of Mormon. Chattanooga Christian School set the record with nine wins for their production of Fiddler on the Roof, including Best Music Direction and Best Choreography, and Christian Heritage School took home the top award of Best Musical for their production of The Addams Family. The evening featured performances from each production as well as six Best Actor and Actress Finalists: Jazhel Arostegui (Christian Heritage School), Haven Gee (Signal Mountain High School), Charlie Stebbing (Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts), Ethan Stoddard (Chattanooga Christian School), Baleigh Wadel (Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts), and Gracia Wright (Christian Heritage School). Ultimately, Jazhel Arostegui and Gracia Wright earned the Best Actor and Actress wins. Both students will travel to New York City this summer to compete in the Jimmy Awards and will perform in a showcase at Broadways Minskoff Theatre on June 24. The Tivoli Theatre Foundation also presented the first Excellence in Theatre Education Award to Mrs. Lori Wortman of Boyd-Buchanan School. Mrs. Wortman was selected for this award because of her deep care for her students and community. One student said about her, She creates a space where we are free to fail, because in failure, we grow [into] the strong person we were created to be. Mrs. Wortman will receive a classroom grant of $1,000 to continue her work in theatre education. For a full list of awards and winners, visit www.tivolichattanooga.com/education/jewelawards As millions in federal pandemic relief funds begin to dry up and local funding continues to stagnate, CARTA Chairman Johan de Nysschen encouraged the board of commissioners to re-kindle relationships with county and city officials, the custodians of funding, he said. We are going to have to engage, he told them Thursday at their May meeting. I think that we need to have a very carefully crafted approach now. We are on the brink of going out of business. That's what it means. Thats what fiscal cliff means, he said, but I cant imagine that Chattanooga would contemplate a future without CARTA. Mr. de Nysschen said that funding from the county and city has remained flat for five years, in effect a 20 percent funding decrease and erosion of purchasing power. President and CEO Charles Frazier, who was hired in January, presented a few solutions in his First 100 Days report to the board. He prioritized composing a compelling strategic plan to attract funding from local government and other partners, he said. He also listed a separate Incline Railway master plan and paying for a CARTA-wide initial infrastructure design. Mr. Frazier told the board that CARTA must also fix its foundation by adding new key staff positions and modifying its routes. He wants new data, gathered with modern technology, to assess efficiency and possible expansion zones for fixed routes, Care-A-Van paratransit service and the CARTA Go microtransit service. If youre not measuring it, we cant manage it, he said. The opportunities for success are abundant, Mr. Frazier said, but the foundation of the organization must be fixed first. Mr. Frazer said funding partners and investors want evidence that CARTA is controlling costs and eliminating waste. The term fiscal cliff emerged in February as Mr. de Nysschen questioned the sustainability of the transit agencys new and problematic on-demand microtransit service, CARTA Go. Chairman de Nysschen labeled CARTAs fiscal cliff an existential threat. Saving isnt enough, he said. Mr. Frazier had told the board in March that CARTA has been getting by with the use of one-time federal ARPA funds, but those are running out. The amount remaining is just over $4 million. CARTA received a total $10,784,808 in ARPA funds to help navigate through the COVID pandemic. Despite the fiscal woes, the CARTA board passed a 2024-2025 budget that tops $31 million - an increase of 12.67 percent from current spending. It relies on $1,126,523 of ARPA funds. Raising prices for Incline tickets CARTA will host a pubic hearing regarding an increase in Incline tickets, from $15 to $20 for adults and from $7 to $10 for children. The increase hits a pre-determined cap of 25 percent, plus a $1.25 ticket charge for capital expenses. In talks with Rock City, the park had recommended offering an Incline annual pass for $75, which would include parking at the St. Elmo lot, it was stated. The hearing is May 22 at 5 p.m. at the CARTA Shuttle Park South conference room on Market Street by the Choo Choo. Incline keeps the lights on CARTA General Manager of Planning and Grants Phil Pugliese reported that the Incline lost $150,000 in sales, or 48 percent, in April. The attraction was closed for 18 days in the month to replace the main cable. Chairman de Nysschen blasted the decision to perform the maintenance in high season, but Mr. Frazier said delays in the cables delivery had made the schedule unavoidable. Seriously the Incline is the largest source of our revenue, Chairman de Nysschen said. It keeps the lights on. Expanding the citys paid parking zone CARTA will ask City Council to approve expansion of the paid parking zone. Then the CARTA board will vote more specifically where and how to expand it, adding to CARTAs parking revenue. CARTA CFO Sonja Sparks reported that parking revenues were up $81,000 in April due to the fifty cent-per-hour increase in metered parking fees, effective Oct. 1, 2023. The board discussed ways to fill available parking to capacity. There is a lot of availability in our lots, said board member Corey Evatt. The CARTA operations committee will present a comprehensive study of parking expansion in June which will address signage, real-time inventory technology and long-term agreements with local hotels. New fare boxes The board voted unanimously to support Mr. Fraziers first two steps toward new fare boxes, which might eventually mean cashless buses. Mr. Frazier recommended that CARTA conduct its own Title VI study to evaluate local accessibility with cashless buses. He also asked for a mobile ticketing pilot program. We dont want people to be inconvenienced and end up without access, Chairman de Nysschen said. Mr. Frazier said that a new fare-collection system was presented to him as a priority when he was hired, but replacements for the fare boxes CARTA has now arent available to buy, it was stated. Im hearing from the board we should do this quickly, he said. The cashless study would set the purchase of fare boxes back by six to eight months, said Annie Powell. Ms. Powell is the director of grants, technology and research and the DBE coordinator. But the road to cashless buses may be even longer than that. In her presentation comparing pricing and services of different fare boxes, Ms. Powell held up as system examples Dayton, Ohio, and Knoxville. She said Dayton is the only city in the nation with cashless fare boxes onboard its buses, a system it implemented in 2021, and Knoxville plans to finish converting to cashless this fall. Mr. Frazier and Mr. de Nysschen hinted that cashless buses will soon become the norm in the rest of the country. Board member Corey Evatt said buying fare boxes first would put the cart before the horse. CARTA looks to Knoxville, whose transition has required a new bus terminal, hubs, ticket vending machines, and other infrastructure. Knoxville works with Masabi, a fare collection firm that has partnerships with retailers who sell bus tickets and reload smartcards. This is a big undertaking and I just dont know that we are ready to entertain the conversation, he said. We do not have the infrastructure available for people. The reliance on cash is huge, he said. Mr. Evatt said Masabis prefab system may not fit Hamilton County. All of downtown Chattanooga only has three Masabi retailers, he said: One Dollar General, one Circle K and one Speedway, not to mention the cost of a new bus terminal, hubs and ticket vending machines throughout the route. Dalton's new city charter was signed into law by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. The charter was finalized and approved by the Dalton mayor and council last November after more than a year of work by city leaders and staff to revise the founding document. It was submitted to the state legislature earlier this year and approved before reaching Governor Kemp's desk.Officials said, "The city's leadership began the process to draft a new charter in 2022. The previous charter had not been revised since the 1970s, and much of the document was more than 100 years old, with some sections dating back to Dalton's founding in 1847.Many sections of the charter were out of date and no longer reflected current practices or current state laws. The city worked with its legal counsel from the Minor Firm as well as city department heads and staff to draft a new charter and then fine-tune the document after input from elected leaders and the public. The process involved a thorough review of city ordinances and state law to ensure that there were no conflicts with the new charter.""It was a project that was 50 years in the making," said City Administrator Andrew Parker who oversaw the effort to draft the new charter. "Once it was approved by the general assembly and recently signed by the governor into law, it was a small celebration internally because for those involved in the elected body and the staff that had a hand in putting it together, that was kind of special to see it had made it finally through the process finally of being signed into law.""Hopefully this charter will serve the city for the next 50 years before it ever needs to be updated again," Mr. Parker added.Officials said, "The process of revising and rewriting the charter included a great deal of public input along the way. City leaders held multiple work sessions and public hearings with citizen committees and residents to solicit feedback on the new document. The resulting document featured changes that were extensive enough that they could not be enacted solely by a vote of the mayor and council, and instead needed to be enacted by the Georgia General Assembly. However, Dalton residents will likely not notice any changes to the way the government works now that the new charter is law.""No, the old charter didnt necessarily correlate to the practices of today where you have working committees appointed by the council that provide oversight to various departments and functions of city government and then you have an administrator that provides operational management to the city and so [the new charter] basically just cleaned up some of those practices," Mr. Parker said. "It doesnt really change a whole lot of the day to day function, it just modernized it to what were doing today."In future meetings, the mayor and council will be reviewing the city's Code of Ordinances to ensure they work in concert with the new charter. Sheriff Austin Garrett offers the ceremonial welcome Pastor Jeffrey Wilson of New United Missionary Baptist Church, and a Sheriffs Citizens Academy graduate, offers the invocation prayer Tennessee Highway Patrol Lieutenant Stoney Morton leads the Pledge of Allegiance Keynote speaker Judge Tom Greenholtz, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy TV Host & Journalist Mr. Chip Chapman with WDEF News Channel 12 HCSO Sergeant Chris Walker (Honor Guard) HCSO Patrol Deputy Julian Chambers (Honor Guard) Chattanooga Police Department Honor Guard Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Presenting Rose Sheriff Austin Garrett and Honor Guard Deputies Marcus Dotson and Ben Haynes presenting the HCSOs Wreath HCSO Sergeant Ed Merritt playing the bagpipes Sheriff Austin Garrett with members of the HCSO and CPD Honor Guards Sheriff Austin Garrett and County Mayor Weston Wamp with family members with loved ones honored during the ceremony Previous Next Friday morning Sheriff Austin Garrett and the men and women of the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office joined with Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy and the Chattanooga Police Department to co-host the 2024 Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony at the site of the Hamilton County Law Enforcement Memorial. In addition to HCSO and CPD personnel, law enforcement agencies throughout the county and region also participated in the ceremony as they collectively honored those amongst their ranks who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the communitys safety.This years ceremony was held in conjunction with National Police Week. During National Police Week, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation gather in Washington, D.C. at the site of the National Law Enforcement Memorial to recognize the countrys fallen law enforcement heroes who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Numerous family members representing the fallen law enforcement personnel were in attendance at this mornings ceremony.The keynote speaker was Judge Tom Greenholtz, Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.The Hamilton County Law Enforcement Monument, located on Market Street next to the Hamilton County Courts Building, bears 74 names of law enforcement personnel who have been killed in the line of duty from not only Hamilton County, but Marion, Bradley, Sequatchie and Grundy counties. There are also several names listed from federal and municipal law enforcement agencies, including the ATF and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.This year, Chattanooga Police Department Sergeant James Michael Russ was added to the Hamilton County Law Enforcement Memorial Wall. Sergeant Russ passed away on Dec. 2, 2023.Todays Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony, held in conjunction with National Police Week, allows our profession and our community the opportunity to honor and recognize the men and women in law enforcement who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our safety while standing in the gap between good and evil. Today and every day, we remember our heroes and their families for their sacrifice, said Sheriff Austin Garrett."As this is National Police Week, please join us as we remember the sacrifice of our communitys fallen law enforcement personnel," officials said. Special agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have arrested and charged a former deputy of the Bledsoe County Sheriff's Department in connection to the sexual assault of an inmate in his custody. At the request of 12th Judicial District Attorney General Courtney Lynch, agents began investigating the allegation on Oct. 31, 2023. During the investigation, agents determined Christopher Peyton Watson, 28, assaulted the inmate during transport on Oct. 30. The department no longer employs Watson. On Friday, agents arrested the Graysville man and charged him with one count of rape and one count of sexual contact with an inmate. He is in the custody of the Bledsoe County Sheriffs Department. Korea and Britain will jointly host an artificial intelligence (AI) summit in Seoul next week, the science ministry here said Friday. As a follow-up to the AI Safety Summit held in England last November, the AI Seoul Summit will kick off Tuesday with leaders of major countries and global tech firms attending, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. It will comprise of the leaders' session, which will be themed on "building on the AI Safety Summit: towards and innovative and inclusive future," and the ministers' session, where AI safety and sustainable development of AI will be discussed. In detail, government, industry and academic officials from 19 countries plan to attend the ministers' session to discuss global cooperation on AI safety and discuss measures to respond to possible risks involving AI in the future, such as massive energy consumption, according to the ministry. On the second day, the AI Global Forum will also take place, solely hosted by the Korean government as proposed by President Yoon Suk Yeol during his keynote address to the U.N. General Assembly last year to launch a new AI global governance structure. "The AI Seoul Summit plans to propose safety, innovation and inclusiveness as three goals of AI governance to international society," Song Sang-hoon, deputy minister of the office of ICT policy at the science ministry, said, noting the event will help the country reflect its AI and digital vision in the global initiative. (Yonhap) Meghan Markle took home the best souvenir from Nigeria. At the close of a three-day trip to the West African country alongside Prince Harry, the Duchess of Sussex revealed what she left with as a keepsake. And, no, it doesnt fit a suitcase. Meghan called her memories from visiting Nigeria the best souvenir The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first official international visit since leaving royal life and moving to Montecito, California, with their May 10-12, 2024, trip to Nigeria. Reflecting on all they did, Meghan called her and Harrys time there really meaningful. It was such warm hospitality, and it was a really meaningful trip, she told People. It was incredibly memorable and special. Meghan went on to reveal memories as the best souvenir from the trip. That alone is the best souvenir to take with usall the memories weve made, she said. Meghan did, however, leave with at least one souvenir that could fit in her luggage. The 42-year-old received a traditional Nigerian skirt featuring blue stripes, which she wore the following day with a white button-down shirt and gold-heeled sandals. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Andrew Esiebo/Getty Images for The Archewell Foundation Traveling to Nigeria has helped Meghan understand her heritage Although the trip largely centered around marking 10 years of the Invictus Games, it also included a personal element for Meghan. A DNA test revealed shes 43% Nigerian, which she shared with listeners during a 2022 episode of her Archetypes podcast. (Meghan has a new podcast in the works, however, its reportedly been shelved until 2025. Meghan made multiple nods to her heritage throughout the trip. On one occasion, shortly after arriving, she described Nigeria as my country. Later, during a womens leadership panel she co-hosted, Meghan reflected on the humbling experience of learning more about her roots. Never in a million years would I understand it as much as I do now, she said. And what has been echoed so much in the past day is, Oh, we are not so surprised when we found out you are Nigerian. It is a compliment to you because what they define as a Nigerian woman is brave, resilient, courageous, beautiful, Meghan added, later telling People shes eager to share what shes learned with her and Harrys children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 2, as well as her mother, Doria Ragland. More international trips may be ahead for Harry and Meghan after Nigeria It seems Harry and Meghan are thinking about going back to Nigeria. In a thank-you message on their Archewell Foundation website, they said it would hopefully the first of many memorable trips. Meanwhile, Harry told the publication its especially important that he and Meghan meet people in person. Being able to be on the ground that, to us, is what its all about, he said. 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. Theres only so much one can do from home and over Zoom. So we look forward to traveling 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. Harry and Meghan were invited to Nigeria by Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, the countrys minister of defense. They met Badaru at the 2023 Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, where Nigeria competed for the first time. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent a 'whenever and wherever' message to Prince William and King Charles with their Nigeria trip, a commentator claims. Prince Harry and Meghan Markles trip to Nigeria said it all. A commentator says the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sent a message with their three-day visit to the West African country. But not necessarily one Harrys father and brother, King Charles III and Prince William, will welcome. Rather, one they probably dont like at all. Harry and Meghans Nigeria trip likely has Charles and William worried On the heels of Harrys stint in London, England, marking the Invictus Games anniversary, he and Meghan traveled to Nigeria. Tom Quinn told the Mirror that whatever Harry and Meghan did, whether delivering a speech or touring a charity, it resembled an official royal visit. When you look at what Harry and Meghan got up to on their Nigeria visit, he said, it is easy to see why the senior royals are worried. 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. The king and Prince of Wales have likely been scratching their heads and brainstorming how to control this nightmare situation. Meghan and Harrys 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, dont like it one bit. The Sussexes sent a we dont need your permission to be working royals message So what message did the Duke and Duchess of Sussex send with their Nigeria trip? For Charles and William, its as if Meghan and Harry are saying, We dont need your permission to be working royals. We will do it on our own terms whenever and wherever we like, Quinn told the publication. Harry and Meghan left royal life in 2020. Although their Nigeria trip may have looked like an official royal visit, it wasnt. They were invited by Nigerias minister of defense, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Badaru. Harry and Meghan met Badaru at the 2023 Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, which saw the country represented in the competition for the first time. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images William, Charles, and the British government likely want it made clear that Harry and Meghan didnt represent them in Nigeria Harry and Meghans message aside, William and his father, along with the British government, likely want to get something across. This, royal expert Jennie Bond told OK!, seems to be a rather strange halfway house. I think both the king and the prince, and indeed the government will want it to be made clear that Harry is not representing either the royal family or Britain on this trip. The king and Prince William are firmly of the belief that you are either in or out of the working royals. Indeed, it seems the message has been received. Multiple reports of Harry and Meghans Nigeria trip not being official have surfaced. The British High Commissioner Richard Montgomery reiterated it wasnt a royal tour. They are visiting in a private capacity, not an official one, he said. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close At an archaeological site in the United Kingdom, an extraordinarily rare object made out of a once-valuable purple substance from the Roman era was discovered. Archaeologists unearthed the artifact during excavations in 2023 at a Roman bathhouse in the city of Carlisle, which is located in northern England. After testing the objects soft, purple substance, they found that it contained beeswax and bromine. This indicated that the object was made from Tyrian purple, a pigment that was considered to be of high value in ancient times. The dye is created from several species of predatory sea snails that inhabit the Mediterranean region. The process of making Tyrian purple was extremely challenging and time-consuming work. Thousands of marine snails had to be collected, and experts estimate that up to 12,000 individual mollusks were needed to produce just one gram of dye. So, of course, the pigment was expensive. In fact, it was even worth more than gold. Only the wealthiest members of society were able to afford it. According to Frank Giecco, an archaeologist involved with the excavations at the site in Carlisle, finding an intact sample of Tyrian purple is quite unusual. Its the only example we know of in Northern Europepossibly the only example of a solid sample of the pigment in the form of unused paint pigment anywhere in the Roman empire, Giecco said. Examples have been found of it in wall paintings (like in Pompeii), and also some high status painted coffins from the Roman province of Egypt. It is thought that Tyrian purple was first manufactured in the 2nd millennium by the ancient Phoenicians, a civilization of the Mediterranean region that occupied the area now known as Lebanon. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. Centuries ago, a set of magical texts were created in Egypt that aimed to change the lives of those who utilized their powers. The texts date back between the fourth and 12th centuries A.D., and they were written on papyrus, paper, parchment, and shards of clay. Two researchers from the University of Wurzburg in Germany have been studying the texts for the past five years. The texts were said to have magical powers that could curse enemies, heal illnesses, bring about love or hatred, and allow those who used them to see into the future. It is believed that the texts may have been worn in an amulet around the neck or hidden in an enemys home, depending on what purpose they were being used for. They were also written in Coptic, a language that represents the final stage of the ancient Egyptians. Coptic was spoken in Egypt since around the second century A.D. Following the Arab conquest of Egypt in the seventh century, the language was slowly replaced with Arabic over time. Prior to the Arab conquest, the Romans ruled over Egypt for hundreds of years. Now, the Coptic magical texts have been featured in a book titled Papyri Copticae Magicae. The book also includes translations and background information. One of the researchers, Korshi Dosoo, said, These texts are unique historical documents as they testify to ancient peoples lived experiences: the language they spoke, the emotions they felt, the spiritual beings they turned to in moments of crisis, their social environments, and the realities of everyday life. Sign up for Chip Chicks newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox. This week on The Bulletin, hosts Mike Cosper and editor in chief Russell Moore talk with David Zahl of Mockingbird about artificial intelligenceGPT-4o and AI priestsand the need for embodied presence and wisdom. Next, they tackle the latest challenge in church polarization, this time in the Presbyterian Church in America. Last, special guest Ericka Andersen joins the show to shed some light on the hidden struggles of women who are alcohol-dependent. Todays Guests: David Zahl is the director of Mockingbird Ministries and editor in chief of the Mockingbird website. Born in New York City and brought up elsewhere, David graduated from Georgetown University in 2001, and then worked for several years as a youth minister in New England. In 2007, he founded Mockingbird in NYC. Today David and his wife Cate reside in Charlottesville, Virginia, with their three boys, where David also serves on the staff of Christ Episcopal Church. He is the author of A Mess of Help: From the Crucified Soul of Rock N Roll and coauthor of Law and Gospel: A Theology for Sinners (and Saints). His most recent book, Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do About It, appeared in 2019 from Fortress Press. Sign up for The Daily Briefing Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. Email* Sign Up This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thanks for signing up. Please click here to see all our newsletters. Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again. Ericka Andersen is a freelance writer, podcast host, and owner of Pitch and Publish Writing Company. She is the author of Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church and the Church Needs Women and Leaving Cloud 9: The True Story of a Life Resurrected from the Ashes of Poverty, Trauma and Mental Illness. She has been published multiple times in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, and more. Ericka is a weekly columnist at World magazine and a freelance reporter for Christianity Today. Prior to freelancing, Ericka worked for National Review magazine, the Heritage Foundation, and in communications for the US Congress on Capitol Hill. Resources Referenced: SobrietyCurious.com The Bulletin is a production of Christianity Today Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Producers: Clarissa Moll and Matt Stevens Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill and Raed Gilliam Editing and Mix: TJ Hester Music: Dan Phelps Show Design: Bryan Todd Graphic Design: Amy Jones Social Media: Kate Lucky Ask ChatGPT how to improve your spiritual life, and the natural-language processing artificial intelligence chatbot has plenty of suggestions. But Americans are skeptical that artificial intelligence, or AI, has much to offer in the way of reliable religious guidance. Sixty-eight percent of people dont think AI could help them with their spiritual practices or promote spiritual health, according to the latest research from American Bible Society (ABS). Fifty-eight percent say they dont think AI will aid in moral reasoning and only one out of every four people say they feel optimistic about the impact the technology will have. Americans are more fearful than hopeful about artificial intelligence, said John Farquhar Plake, an ABS program officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series. People dont know how AI will change the culturebut theyre mildly uneasy about it. ABS surveyed about 2,500 people for its annual report on Scripture engagement and related topics. While technology has been a regular part of the survey, this is the first year ABS dedicated a set of questions to the topic of technology that performs tasks traditionally associated with human intelligence. AI is rapidly evolving, and currently includes everything from Amazons virtual assistant Alexa to chatbots running large language models that can pass the bar exam. People are pushing the technology further every day, and some Christians who work in tech are excited about the possibilitiesdreaming of algorithms that might one day help people grow, learn, and go deeper in their faith. It is not difficult to imagine how pastors and church leaders can use these tools for the work of daily ministry, A. Trevor Sutton, a Lutheran pastor and the author of Redeeming Technology, recently wrote. It wont be long before generative AI technology is woven into the background of our church lives. And yet a majority of Americans are uncomfortable with that idea. Questions about using AI to understand the Bible or connect to God reveal that many feel a great deal of uncertainty about the advancing technology, Plake said. Few religious people sounded excited about the idea of replacing their current devotional practices with technology-enhanced Bible studies. People who are most connected to the Bible and have had their lives deeply impacted by studying and understanding the Bible are somewhat skeptical that that experience can be replicated by a machine learning model or a generative AI model, Plake said. Practicing Christians who maybe know their pastor or minister or their priest very well, theyre skeptical that that personal touch and that real relational engagement with Gods Word and Gods people can be replicated by a technology like this. People who are less engaged with a religious community and less likely to spend time reading Scripture were more optimistic about the potential of AI, according to the survey. Those who want to read the Bible but are not currently doing soa group ABS calls the movable middlecan imagine that the tech might give them a place to start. It can be daunting, Plake pointed out, to pick a book with more than 700,000 words for the first time and look for the answers to lifes biggest problems. For someone like that, AI could be a godsend. You can ask an AI, Where did Jesus say and Give me a summary of that, Plake said. Then open the book or open your favorite Bible app, turn to that page or that chapter and verse and read it for yourself. Derek Schuurman, a computer scientist who teaches at Calvin University, said there are some obvious ways that AI will contribute to peoples spiritual lives. The technology is a great tool for Bible translation and is already being used to accelerate translation projects. AI can provide transcriptions of sermons in real time, producing captions for people who have hearing impairments. There are probably thousands of other uses that churches will find too, from pairing sermon themes with worship songs to scheduling volunteers for church activities. Schuurman has been getting a lot of questions about AI, though. Many people have utopian fantasies about the potential benefits and many fear a kind of Frankenstein scenario, where the thing that scientists created turns on humanity and becomes an existential threat. He doesnt think either of those views is right. The Bible is unequivocal in its rejection of anything in creation as either the villain or the savior, Schuurman told CT. Instead, the computer scientist thinks Christians should focus on the role they have to play in shaping the technology and establishing the moral framework for its use. The church, I think, has something to say about justice and about loving our neighbors and about cultivating spiritual disciplines and practices in our lives, Schuurman said. Some of the anxiety about AI might just be a stage of the technological development, according to Brad Hill, the chief solutions officer at Gloo, a technology platform for ministry leaders. Its actually quite normal at this stage in a new technology for people in the church, people of faith, to have reservations, he said. We saw this with the internet, we saw this with broadcast TV, even the printing press. And there are reasons for that, Hill said. When things are changing quickly, people dont know what they will lose. Right now, the developing technology produces programs that seem to possess a lot of knowledge but lack wisdom. Hill said he wouldnt personally rely on ChatGPT for spiritual input, for example. I trust ChatGPT to help me with recipes or administrative tasks, Hill said, but I would take its input with large grains of salt when it comes to anything spiritual. But Hill and Gloo have chosen to pursue the positive potential and encourage Christians to find ways to use AI rather than avoid it. AI is really important and arguably could be one of the most important technology advances in our generation, he said. We have a moral imperative as believers to understand how we might use it redemptively and how we might use it for good. So far, though, most Americans are skeptical thats really possible. Franklin Graham speaks at a ceremony where a statue of his late father Billy Graham was unveiled on Thursday. The late evangelist is one of just four Americans who have received the nations three highest congressional honors. Kent Nishimura / Getty Images Salvation in Christ Jesus was offered in National Statuary Hall May 16 at the unveiling of a statue of the iconic late global evangelist Billy Graham, which has John 3:16 and John 14:6 carved in its base. Friends, Gods grace is undeserved, but through Christ it is freely given. And it is by trusting in Gods sacrifice that we are saved, US Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) said in the unveiling ceremony. If youve not made a decision for yourself, I hope, I pray, that you will. US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and members of Grahams family joined the North Carolina Congressional delegation in unveiling the statue that replaces that of early 20th-century North Carolina governor and staunch white supremacist Charles Aycock. Sign up for The Daily Briefing Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. Email* Sign Up This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thanks for signing up. Please click here to see all our newsletters. Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again. Today, 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, Cooper said. Not that Rev. Graham was perfecthe would have been the first to tell us that. But he believed, as many of us do, that there is redemption, and he gave his life to remembering that message. US Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) honored Graham as a trailblazer in race relations. During an era in the 1950s when leaders in the South openly embraced segregation, it was Billy Graham who spoke out against it, Tillis said, describing Graham as having been a staple in the Tillis family. He insisted in his sermons that they be integrated. He shared his platform with Black ministers, including one named Martin Luther King Jr. Rev. Graham was blessed with the gift that bridged differences, Tillis said, and brought us all together. In his prayer, US Senate Chaplain Barry Black described Grahams life as the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless day, and like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth. Kent Nishimura / Getty Images Billy Graham statue in the US Capitol The late evangelists son Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritans Purse, said his father would have been uncomfortable with such laud, but thanked leaders for bestowing the honor. He would want the focus to be on the one he preached, Franklin Graham said. He would want the focus to be on Jesus Christ the Son of God. His father believed the Scripture inscribed on the statues base, Graham said, and indeed the entire Bible cover to cover. He didnt understand it all, but he certainly believed it all, every word of it. The Southern Baptist evangelist led hundreds of thousands to Christ through a decades-long global ministry of evangelistic crusades, authored 33 books and counseled several US presidents. He and Ruth, his wife of 64 years until her death in 2007, had five children and numerous descendants. Speakers extolled Grahams life and legacy, remembering him as the leading ambassador of the Kingdom in our lifetime, as Johnson put it, and as a man, in Coopers words, who treated all with dignity and respect. Sculpted by Charlotte-based artist Chas Fagan, Grahams remarkable likeness stands 7 feet tall, bronzed and holding an open Bible in his left hand, his right gesturing palm-down above the page. His Bible is open specifically (to) Galatians 6, verse 14, said Johnson, who himself held Billy Grahams study Bible during his closing remarks. The Southern Baptist from Louisiana noted that imprisoned men at Angola in his home state made the plywood casket Graham was buried in after his death in February 2018 at the age of 99. Rev. Graham humbled himself to care for the poor, and prisoners, the forgotten, the lost and the least of these, exactly what the Scripture tells us to do, Johnson said. He believed that even the poorest sinner could be a co-heir with Christ. And those men who made his casket had come to believe that message too. And they believed it through the influence of Billy Graham and the Graham family. The North Carolina General Assembly approved the statue in 2015. Graham joins Civil War-era N.C. Gov. Zebulon Vance in comprising North Carolinas Statuary Hall statues. Each state is allotted two. Graham joins three other Americans who have received the nations three highest honors of the Congressional Gold Medal, lying in state and having a statue in the Capitol, Johnson noted. Others are Presidents Gerald R. Ford and Ronald Reagan, and Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks. A senior foreign ministry official called for Japan on Friday to help ensure that Naver can make its "own decision without external pressure," after Tokyo implicitly demanded the tech company sell down its stake in the operator of the Line messaging app. Second Vice Foreign Minister Kang In-sun made the call during a meeting with Taisuke Mibae, deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, after Tokyo instructed LY, which runs Line, to "review its capital relationship" in the joint venture with the Korean internet portal giant following a data breach of user information. Seoul has requested Tokyo be sure there are no "unfair discriminatory measures" against Korean companies that are based in Japan, amid growing concerns the issue can negatively affect the improving bilateral relations. Kang reiterated the government's firm position again to Mibae, the ministry said. "Vice Minister Kang also requested the Japanese government's special interest and caution so that Naver can make fair and autonomous decisions without any adverse treatment or external pressure," the ministry said. Aside from the Line issue, the two sides also discussed bilateral economic cooperation and agreed to continue close consultations to move the relationship forward into a future-oriented manner, the ministry added. (Yonhap) Home News 5 people overdose outside Alabama church that ministers to homeless Five people almost died on Wednesday night outside the Church of the Reconciler United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, after experiencing drug overdoses, officials have confirmed. "It was reported that multiple people were complaining of being sick and five people were transported to area hospitals," the church, co-pastored by Revs. Adam Burns and Sarah Smoot, wrote in a statement posted to Facebook Thursday. "We understand the sickness our beloved community members were battling was the disease of addiction. Five people nearly lost their battles with this terrible disease and experienced overdoses." Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service confirmed responding to a report of multiple people feeling sick at the church, which specializes in outreach to Birmingham's homeless community, at around 9 p.m. in the 100 block of 14th Street North, Al.com reports. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Four of the overdose victims were taken to UAB Hospital, while the fifth person was transported to Princeton Baptist Medical Center. Church officials said members of the community helped prevent fatalities as they were quick to call 911 and support of the victims. "It was not reported how quickly, and valiantly other community members responded to the life threatening situation. Because of their calls to 911 and care given until the paramedics arrived, each person experiencing an overdose was given a chance to survive," the church statement reads. The church was unaware of the current health status of the overdose victims. "We will keep them in our prayers and hope that they enter long term recovery very soon," the church added. Provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics show that there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2023, a 3% decrease from the 111,029 deaths estimated in 2022. It is the first annual decrease in drug overdose deaths in the U.S. since 2018. In recent years, however, agency data has shown an increase in overdose deaths in Alabama, WKRG reported. In 2019, the state had nearly 800 drug overdose deaths. That number increased to 1,029 in 2020 and 1,408 in 2012. Nearly 70% of those drug overdose deaths were attributed to opioid use. At least one critic of the Church of the Reconciler accused it of being a haven for drug addicts and prostitutes. The church admitted in its statement that the property attracts many people from vulnerable populations because of services they provide for people in need such as their meal program and other ministries. "We at Church of the Reconciler UMC do not believe that prayers are enough and that is why we welcome all people experiencing the consequences of poverty into our ministry. We do not tell people that are usually thought of as problems and eyesores in the downtown community to leave our property," the church noted. "Instead, we open our doors Monday through Thursday from 9am until 2pm to form relationships with the most vulnerable in downtown Birmingham so that we are trusted to help people begin the journey of recovery." Church officials suggested that critics who don't want to see the homeless in the neighborhood should try investing their time in helping to minister to them so they can improve their lives. "If you are tired of seeing homeless people in downtown Birmingham like we are, then we invite you to give of your time to offer positive and encouraging relationships to people struggling with the consequences of poverty," the church said. "Our community is a rich, untapped resource of hardworking, resilient people who are ready to contribute to the magic of this city. Come discover what's preventing them from moving forward. You may be the one that inspires the call to the Recovery Resource Center for someone in our community. We want to see people thrive and flourish in life, and we hope you'll join us in this meaningful work." Home News Billy Graham statue closer to replacing segregationist NC gov. in US Capitol A statue of the famed evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham is one step closer to being installed at the U.S. Capitol to replacing that of a former North Carolina governor who was a racial segregationist. North Carolinas Statuary Hall Selection Committee unanimously approved a model of the late evangelist last week, with its official approval pending a vote from a congressional committee. The approved statue design was by Chas Fagan, who has created multiple notable sculptures including former President Ronald Reagan in the Capitol, The Charlotte Observer reported. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe If approved, Graham will replace a statue of Charles Aycock, a former governor of North Carolina whose statue has been represented at the Capitol since 1932. A lawyer by profession, Aycock was elected governor of North Carolina in 1900 and served until 1905. He died in 1912 while campaigning to become a U.S. senator. Although Aycock was known for his support of education reform, he also advanced white supremacist agenda items such as racial segregation and black voter disenfranchisement. The National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol Building has 100 statues, two from each state meant to honor notable figures. Last month, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee announced the draft fiscal year 2021 funding bill, which called for removing the statue of Aycock and others from the Capitol. The bill includes language directing the Architect of the Capitol to remove statues or busts in the U.S. Capitol that represent figures who participated in the Confederate Army or government, as well as the statues of individuals with unambiguous records of racial intolerance, stated the committee in July. The Architect is instructed to work with the States who contributed Confederate statues to return them to the donor State. Efforts to add a statue of Graham to the Capitol to replace Aycock go at least as far back as 2015, when North Carolina lawmakers first passed a bill calling for the replacement. We are talking about someone who has affected positively millions and millions of Americans and people around the world, said state Rep. John Blust, who supported the legislation, in 2015. What more could you want out of someone to represent our state in the United States Capitol? The effort in support of the Graham statue gained more traction in 2018, following the death of the famed evangelist several months before his 100th birthday. If approved, Graham would not be the only clergyman honored in the Capitol. One of Hawaiis two statues is that of Father Damien, a 19th century Catholic missionary who ministered to lepers. Home News California district to pay $360K after firing Christian teacher who opposed trans pronouns policy A California school district has agreed to pay $360,000 to settle with a Christian teacher reportedly fired for refusing to use the preferred pronouns of trans-identified students. The Jurupa Unified School District agreed to a settlement with Jessica Tapia, a high school teacher who was fired last year when she refused to follow school policies, which she felt conflicted with her religious beliefs. These policies included requiring teachers to use students' preferred pronouns and hide students' chosen gender identity from their parents. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Advocates for Faith & Freedom, a law firm that helped to represent Tapia, announced the settlement on Tuesday, with Jurupa USD agreeing to pay Tapia $285,000 and $75,000 for her attorneys' fees in return for Tapia no longer seeking employment with the school district. Both sides agreed not to file additional litigation. Julianne Fleischer, legal counsel for AFF, said the settlement should serve as "a reminder that religious freedom is protected, no matter your career." "If the school district's actions were legal, no teacher of faith would be qualified to serve as a public school teacher. Jessica's story is one of faithful courage," stated Fleischer. "She fought back to ensure her school district was held accountable and that no other teacher has to succumb to this type of discrimination." A JUSD spokesperson told Crisis in the Classroom, "This settlement is not a win for Ms. Tapia but a compromise of a disputed claim." "The settlement certainly does not state or prove any illegal action or discrimination by the District," the school district spokesperson continued. "The District continues to deny any illegal action or discrimination against Ms. Tapia. As is clear from the settlement agreement, the District has not admitted any fault or wrongdoing against Ms. Tapia." In January 2023, Tapia was fired from her job as a physical education teacher at Jurupa Valley High School after her superiors found out that she opposed the policies for trans-identified students. Tapia filed a complaint against the school district in May 2023, claiming that their actions violated her First Amendment rights and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination based on religion. "The directives required Ms. Tapia lie to parents about their children's gender identity, refer to students by their preferred pronouns, refrain from expressing her religious beliefs with students or on her social media, and allow students to use the bathroom or locker room that matched their preferred sex," read the complaint, in part. "Because Ms. Tapia was unable to comply with the directives due to her religious beliefs, she requested an accommodation from the District. JUSD refused to provide her with any accommodation and subsequently terminated her employment with the District." Home News Pope Francis claims Pope Benedict XVI defended him over same-sex civil unions stance: report Pope Francis has reportedly claimed in a new book that his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, defended Francis' support for legal civil union protections for same-sex couples to prelates. Excerpts of the pontiff's new book, The Successor: My Memories of Benedict XVI, which is slated for publication in Spanish on Wednesday, maintain that Benedict XVI defended Francis on the issue in front of an undisclosed group of cardinals, according to Reuters. "They showed up at his home to practically put me on trial and they accused me in front of him of backing same-sex marriage," Francis said. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The former pope reportedly helped the cardinals to "distinguish" Francis' views on the issue, explaining to them that his position was "no heresy," according to Francis' recollection in the book. Pope Francis, who endorsed civil unions for homosexual couples while serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires, became the first pontiff to do so in 2020. "Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God," Francis asserted during an interview for the film "Francesco." "Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it," he added. "What we have to create is a civil union law; that way, they are legally covered." The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith sent shockwaves through the Roman Catholic Church last December when it issued "Fiducia Supplicans," which permits priests to bless "couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without officially validating their status or changing in any way the Church's perennial teaching on marriage." After the guidance drew opposition from Catholic bishops, mainly in Africa and Eastern Europe, the Vatican subsequently released five pages of clarification to the guidance. The Vatican insisted that "the document is clear and definitive about marriage and sexuality," adding that the "non-ritualized form of blessing" authorized by the declaration "does not intend to justify anything that is not morally acceptable" but instead amounts to a "response of a pastor towards two persons who ask for God's help." Other Catholic prelates pushed back against any claim that Benedict would have supported the guidance. Cardinal Gerhard Mueller of Germany claimed during an event marking the first anniversary of Benedict's death last December that the declaration "never would have happened [under Benedict] because it was so ambiguous," according to Reuters. Mueller, who served as the head of the Vatican's doctrinal office before Francis removed him in 2013, denied the metaphysical existence of marriage between two members of the same sex. "There is no homosexual matrimony," he said. "It does not exist, it cannot exist, despite ideologies we have [today]," he said. In 2003, Benedict XVI who was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and prefect of the Vatican's doctrinal office signed off on a document asserting that compassion for homosexuals in the Church "cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions." Other portions of Francis' new book detail the political maneuvering behind the 2005 papal conclave that led to Benedict's election following the death of Pope John Paul II, according to The Associated Press. Francis, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, claims some of his fellow cardinals "used" him to siphon votes away from then-Cardinal Ratzinger during the 2005 conclave. "They told me afterward that they didn't want a 'foreign' pope,'" said Francis, who ultimately supported Benedict's election. Home News Jewish students suing their universities want colleges held accountable for antisemitism A Jewish student who says he was threatened by a Harvard employee wielding a machete testified during a congressional hearing this week addressing allegations of antisemitism on college campuses. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government held the hearing Wednesday to address reports of antisemitic incidents amid a series of anti-Israel protests on college campuses throughout the country, many of these protests included demonstrators setting up encampments on university property, prompting several college leaders to seek help from law enforcement. Shabbos Kestenbaum, a graduate student at Harvard University in Massachusetts, and Eyal Yakoby, an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, testified that their respective universities are not safe for Jewish students and are suing the universities for failing to address hatred of Jews. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania did not immediately respond to The Christian Posts requests for comment. During his opening testimony, Kestenbaum said his family has ties to Germany, and that the Nazis arrested his great-great-grandfather, Rabbi Yosef Breuer, while Kestenbaums great-great aunt hid under the bed. On the night of Kristallnacht, a wave of antisemitic violence the Nazis carried out against the Jews, the familys historic Breuer synagogue burned to the ground. My story of antisemitism, therefore, is deeply painful, and it is deeply personal, Kestenbaum said, warning the subcommittee that Kristallnacht did not begin with things like book burnings and broken windows. Kristallnacht began with a pernicious ideology that swept across German society, the Harvard graduate student said. Kristallnacht began with the acceptance and normalization of Jew-hatred. The graduate student recalled hundreds of Harvard students and faculty members setting up an anti-Israel encampment on the first day of Passover, demanding that the university divest from the Jewish state of Israel. Kestenbaum said the demonstrators cheered after replacing the American flag on campus with a Palestinian one, saying they chanted about globalizing the intifada. Kestenbaum contends that the protesters established their own rule of law on campus by appointing people to serve as safety marshals, who would follow Jewish students like him. The safety marshals would often record Jewish students like Kestenbaum and monitor their movements. The student recounted that he tried to contact Harvards administrators many times to discuss these issues, but nothing was done. Harvard agreed to meet with the students and establish initiatives such as a Palestinian studies department as part of the university's negotiations with the protesters behind the encampment. I am a Jewish student and have thus far been unable to meet with President Alan Garber or my dean, Marla Frederick, to discuss the pervasive anti-Semitism on campus, Kestenbaum said. Only those who call for the ethnic genocide of Jews, violate school policy, and send mask thugs to follow Jews are given the honor of having a seat at the table. At one point during the hearing, Kestenbaum spoke about the Harvard employee who demanded the graduate student debate him about whether the Jews were responsible for the Sept. 11 terrorist attack against the United States. In a video created by the same person, the employee held up a machete, threatening Kestenbaum. To this day, Harvard has not yet acknowledged to me what they will do to protect me and what they have done to discipline the staff member, the student testified. Yakoby filed a lawsuit against his university, stating during his testimony that "Bigotry, violence, and harassment have become part of Penn's daily syllabus." The Jewish student recalled an anti-Israel encampment that was allowed to remain on campus for weeks and how the demonstrators would chant things like "Al-Qassam make us proud." Al-Qassam is the armed wing of Hamas, the terrorist group that killed at least 1,200 people in a surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7. In response to the invasion, Israel launched an offensive to eradicate the terror group and secure the release of the over 240 individuals it took hostage. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says that over 35,000 people have been killed since the war began, but those figures don't differentiate between combatants and survivors. The United Nations says about 52% of those killed have been women and children. "While students walk to class, they are met with masked individuals screaming at them, 'Go die,' 'You are Hitler's children,' and 'nazis,'" Yakoby said. "One member of the encampment wore a sweatshirt with two rats surrounding a Jewish star." "This is not just an issue for Jews it is an issue for all Americans," the undergraduate student said. "On Oct. 7, Israel was physically attacked, but ideologically, every free country had been infiltrated. Because the same people who wave the flags of Hamas are burning the flag of the United States." As Yakoby recalled, the University of Pennsylvania's president declared the anti-Israel encampment violated the school's policies within 24 hours of its assembly, but the encampment remained. Four days before the anti-Israel camp was disbanded, the university released a statement saying that it had heard reports of demonstrators planning to escalate the situation, which included occupying buildings. "To be clear, the university knew about documents circulating within the encampment having instructions for violence, there were terroristic threats, and they waited at least four days to do something," Yakoby said. "On top of that, once the encampment was cleared, the university found weapons within the encampment." Near the end of the hearing, Kestenbaum asserted that Jewish institutions should not allow Harvard recruiters "within 50 feet of their school" until the university implements policies to hold people accountable for antisemitism. "It's not that Jewish students don't feel safe at Harvard," he said. "Jewish students are not safe at Harvard." Likewise, when asked the same question about whether he would advise a Jewish high school senior to attend the University of Pennsylvania, Yakoby urged it to enforce its rules. "Unless the university enforces their own rules between now and graduation, then no Jewish student, no one that doesn't support the pro-terror encampments that are happening, should step foot on Penn's campus," he said. Home News Peru prompts backlash after declaring transgenderism a mental illness The government of Peru classified transgenderism and nonbinary gender identities as a mental illness last week, prompting backlash from LGBT advocacy groups. Peru President Dina Boluarte signed the decree last Friday, changing language in the country's Essentials Health Insurance Plan to reflect that trans-identifying people have a mental disorder. A spokesperson for the Peruvian health ministry maintained that the change was made to "guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health" for those suffering from gender dysphoria, according to The Telegraph. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe The move prompted pushback from some LGBT groups, such as OutfestPeru, whose director, Jheinser Pacaya, took to X to express his disapproval. "100 years after the decriminalization of homosexuality, the [health ministry] has nothing better to do than to include trans people in the category of mental illnesses," Pacaya wrote. "We demand and we will not rest until its repeal." The group Red Peruana contends that the decree is hurtful to the country's trans-identifying community and exhibits an "outdated" view of gender identity, as noted by the LGBT news outlet PinkNews. Percy Mayta-Tristan, a medical researcher at the Scientific University of the South in Lima, told the Telegraph that the government's move failed to take into account the complexity of gender identity issues. "You can't ignore the context that this is happening in a super-conservative society, where the LGBT community has no rights and where labeling them as mentally ill opens the door to conversion therapy," the researcher was quoted as saying. The rights watchdog Human Rights Watch said in a statement that the decree "employs obsolete classifications related to gender identity and sexual orientation that the World Health Organization (WHO) replaced in the most recent International Classification of Diseases, published in 2019." The Peruvian government issued a statement last week explaining that LGBT individuals would not be expected to undergo so-called "conversion therapy," which was banned in the country by a resolution in 2021. During his show on Thursday, Daily Wire host Michael Knowles noted the "irony" of the outrage over the decree. "It's prompted outrage, but there's an irony because Peru did not declare transgenderism or mental illness to 'own the libs' or anything like that," he said. "Peru declared it a mental illness so that people who suffer from this confusion can get medical treatment." "So the irony is that this declaration was meant to mollify and pacify the LGBT element of the community, and they were angry about it because they're angry about everything. They're always screaming and crying and demanding more nonsense," he continued, adding that transgender interventions are typically very expensive. Knowles further argued that gender dysphoria was universally acknowledged as a mental illness until politics seeped into the psychiatric field in recent years. "This isn't even making Peru an outlier here to say that transgenderism is a mental illness we all know it is but even in America, we currently define transgenderism as a mental illness," Knowles also said, referring to "gender dysphoria" being listed as a mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders until 2013. "It might be the only mental illness that we universally acknowledged to be a mental illness, implicitly or explicitly, and then encouraged it," he said. "I guess that makes us a crazy country. If you're the kind of country that encourages craziness and subsidizes crazy and mandates craziness as a matter of law, I guess that makes you a crazy country, doesn't it?" Home News Rise in police raids, arrests sparks concern among Baptists in Kazakhstan A sharp escalation in police raids, arrests and fines in the past two months have traumatized Baptists in southern Kazakhstan, raising concerns about the future of religious liberty in the country. The raids are reminiscent of persecution during the previous rule of President Nursultan Nazarbayev from 1991 to 2019, a legal expert in Kazakhstan told Christian Daily International. The practice of raids, persecution, and fines against religious minorities often occurred during the adoption of amendments to the law on religious activities, said the legal expert, who fears Kazakhstan could tighten religious laws soon. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe So, on one hand, this situation is very reminiscent of the old methods of the old regime, he said. But it could also be a provocation against the new government [of President Kassym-Jonmari Tokayev], as the precedents in southern Kazakhstan described by Forum 18 occurred during the collection of information about the state of religious freedoms by the U.S. Embassy, to show that the regimes of Nazarbayev and Tokayev are equally authoritarian. Such an opinion also has its place. Persecution of Evangelicals in Kazakhstan looks set to worsen under the new regime, he said. Currently, the Kazakhstani authorities have repeatedly announced that there will be a tightening of the law on religion in the near future, the source said. Forum 18 recently reported that police raided four worship meetings in three unregistered Protestant churches in Shu District, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, in March and April. Officers reportedly filmed worshippers and demanded written statements to explain their activities at the churches. They also meted out seven summary fines. What has been happening in the last month in Shu [District] has aroused serious concern among evangelical communities, which have experienced persecution for their religious activity, the local Council of Churches Baptists reported in a press statement in April, according to Forum 18. The council noted that the Baptist activity is not illegal or extremist. Police raided Shu Baptist Church on April 14, and two days after a second raid on April 30, officers questioned the Rev. Andrei Boiprav, 77, in the yard of his Shu village home. Police accused the church leader of illegal missionary activity, although the fellowship meetings took place in a prayer house with only members of his church. The pastor refused to sign a record of the alleged offense. His case was pending in Shu District Court with an unspecified date. In a joint statement, church members said they feared actions against the pastor could cause a threat to his life and health, as his condition was in a medically confirmed unsatisfactory state, according to Forum 18. Officials took photos and filmed us, church members said in the joint statement after the first raid. They havent yet issued any fines, but they conducted explanatory work on the necessity of registering the church. Police claimed the second raid on the church arose from a complaint by neighbors, but members said they queried area residents and could find no evidence of a complaint. Two officers came into the prayer hall and listened to the whole of the first sermon, and half of the service, the church members said of the second raid. The others talked with church members. Officers demanded that those present write statements indicating why they attended the worship meeting. One of the officers almost apologized to members, saying the order for the second raid came from the religious affairs department, and we have nothing against you, according to Forum 18. Even so, the next day police doled out summary fines of 184,600 Tenge (US$418) to three church members who were pressured into writing statements admitting participation in an unregistered, halted, or banned, religious community or social organization under Article 489, Part 10 of the Administrative Code. Two of the fined church members, Mikhail and Andrei Boiprav, are sons of church leader Boiprav SR. I do not agree with the record of an offense because it contradicts the Religion Law, Mikhail Boiprav said in a statement to police. Church members did not understand the reason for the fines, according to Forum 18. Police also raided another Protestant church meeting in the village called The Children of God. Further details on this raid were not disclosed. Illegal missionary activity In the nearby village of Konayeva, police on March 3 arrived at the worship service of an unregistered Baptist church and filmed and interrogated members, Forum 18 reported. Court records show the officials started to film the course of the meeting and the hall, going along the rows and filming the faces of all those present at the worship service. They ignored the requests to stop filming and to explain their actions, according to Forum 18. Operational Officer D. Umbet reportedly claimed police intruded into the service after an anonymous call they had received with a request to check who was meeting at this address and what kind of meeting it was, according to Forum 18. He interrogated church members, including whether they met voluntarily or not, and demanded written statements. Police summarily fined two church members and the Rev. Valter Mirau, 47, after the raid on Miraus home where the church meets. Pastor Mirau gave a statement to police officers saying the church met voluntarily. The next day, March 4, Inspector O. Sadyrbayev summoned the pastor and two other church members and indicted them. Pastor Mirau later received a fine of 369,200 Tenge (US$838), equal to an average wage for two months, for leading an unregistered, halted, or banned religious community or social organization under Administrative Code Article 489, Part 9. The two church members received summary fines of 184,600 Tenge (US$418) from Inspector Bekkali Dzhaksylykov on March 5 and 6, under Part 10 of the same code. It relates to participation in an unregistered, halted, or banned religious community or social organization. All three Baptists paid the summary fines, which are reduced by half if paid immediately. They appealed in three court hearings in April and May, but judges at Shu District Court and Zhambyl Regional Court rejected the cases. Pastor Mirau also was fined 369,200 Tenge (US$838) for carrying out missionary activity without state registration under Part 3 of Article 490 in the legal code. At a court hearing in Shu District Court on March 27, Pastor Mirau said the church met regularly in his home, and that he did nothing against the law and did not violate the law. The pastor asked for a just decision, but Judge Tazhibayeva found him guilty and fined him. He lost a subsequent April 30 appeal at Zhambyl Regional Court. Religion official blames police Shu District police did not respond to Forum 18s queries about the legal reasons for the raids and fines of the Christians. Saule Baibatshayeva, an official in charge of overseeing non-Muslim communities at the Religious Affairs Department of the Zhambyl Regional Akimat (administration), however, knew about the police raids, according to Forum 18. The watchdog reported that Baibatshayeva claimed she and her colleagues tried to stop police. The police are to blame, Baibatshayeva reportedly said. They take their own measures under the Administrative Code. There was no order from us. Baibatshayeva told Forum 18 that her department always defended believers, although she did not disclose how the local administration would challenge the police raids and fines. Those fined know me, she reportedly said. Our task is to defend them. Baibatshayeva claimed that her department told police not to touch unregistered Council of Churches Baptists. Let them hold services in their own premises, she said. Only if they do something outside their territory will they be touched. Fined for preaching In Almaty city, preacher Sergei Orlov faces a heavy potential fine for missionary activity without state registration under Article 490, Part 3 of the Administrative Code after speaking in an apartment in honor of International Womens Day on March 8. A stranger at the meeting filmed Orlov giving a message about women in the Bible. Religious Affairs Department official Almaz Zhanamanov refused to disclose reasons for the administrative case, which police initiated following a complaint on March 13 by an unknown woman about the meeting, according to Forum 18. Orlov appealed, but Judge Galiya Kasymova of Almaty Inter-District Specialized Administrative Court, denied it on April 19, Forum 18 reported. The court case against Orlov is pending. Forum 18 cited data showing 203 administrative prosecutions against individuals and organizations exercising freedom of religion or belief in 2023. Some 172 of these resulted in punishments, mostly large fines and subsequent convictions. Of the known administrative prosecutions in 2023, officials brought 25 (against 20 persons, four companies, and one charity) for meeting for worship without state permission, hosting such meetings, or maintaining places for such meetings, Forum 18 stated. Tightening feared The law on Religious Activities and Religious Associations, adopted in 2011, prohibits any religious gatherings without official state registration and requires the creation of a legal entity for religious gatherings. Some Baptist churches are officially registered in the country, the legal expert told Christian Daily International, but others refuse to do so on the grounds of religious liberty. He said registering a religious association in Kazakhstan is extremely difficult, as officials refuse to register churches on various formal grounds. They may do this to show that Muslim communities outnumber others, he said. The population of Kazakhstan is estimated to be about 74% Muslim. There are other practical obstacles to formally registering churches, acknowledged by international human rights and religious freedom experts, he said. For example, to establish a legal entity (an officially registered congregation), 50 citizen founders are required, which is a very challenging task for small communities, he said. In recent years, he added, authorities in Kazakhstan have rarely enforced the prohibition on unregistered gatherings against Evangelical Christian Baptists, who prefer to suffer fines rather than register because it contradicts their religious beliefs. Tighter religion laws and the expected crackdown on Christians could come about for varied reasons, he said. I assume that amendments to the law on religion are more a result of pressure on the Kazakhstani authorities from Russia than a real threat from Islamic radicals, although radical Islamic teachings do have a wide distribution in western Kazakhstan and southern Kazakhstan, he said. The indirect evidence that this is Russian pressure on the Kazakhstani authorities is the statement by the Russian Defense Minister Shoigu [recently replaced as defense minister by Andrei Belousov] that there are many dangerous non-profit organizations in Kazakhstan, suggesting that the Kazakhstani authorities should deal with them. He also blamed pressure from Russia for the turbulent violations of religious expression in the wider region. Also, amendments to the law on religion in Kyrgyzstan, which tighten religious freedoms, were also adopted under pressure from Russia, he said. The situation in Georgia regarding human rights violations is also a result of Russian pressure. He summarized that these are just assumptions, and that the main issue at present remains unwarranted police raids against peace-abiding Christians in Kazakhstan. The real situation is that there have been several raids in southern Kazakhstan, and church ministers and parishioners have been fined, he said. This article was originally published by Christian Daily International. Home News US Capitol unveils statue honoring Billy Graham: 'One of our dearest treasures' WASHINGTON Faith leaders and politicians on both sides of the aisle gathered to honor the late evangelist Billy Graham as a sculpture paying tribute to the North Carolina native was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol Thursday. Hundreds attended a private ceremony revealing the 7-foot statue, which will be part of the National Statuary Hall Collection and installed in the Crypt one level below the Rotunda, where public tours of the U.S. Capitol begin. The event featured speeches from U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Graham's son, Rev. Franklin Graham, CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Evangelical humanitarian organization Samaritan's Purse. Grammy-winning Christian musician Michael W. Smith performed the son "I Surrender All." Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Johnson revealed the statue alongside North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, the Graham family and several members of the state's congressional delegation. Remembering Graham as "the leading ambassador for the kingdom of our lifetimes," Johnson remarked, "This truly is a historic moment." "There are only four people in the history of our country who have received the three highest honors here," Johnson said. "Those three honors are a Congressional Gold Medal, having lied in state upon their passing and having a statue here in the Capitol to be honored," he noted. Johnson identified the late Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan and civil rights activist Rosa Parks as the other recipients of all three honors. Like many others in his family, Franklin Graham is also an evangelist and is grateful for his father's recognition in Statuary Hall. "My father would be a little uncomfortable with this being here because he would want the focus to be on the One that he preached," Graham said. "He would want the focus to be on the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God." Graham insisted that the family is honored that their "earthly father will be here in this Capitol pointing to the future generations to our Heavenly father and his son, the Lord Jesus Christ." Billy Graham, who died in 2018 at the age of 99, is now one of the two statues representing the state of North Carolina in the National Statuary Hall, which contains statues of notable people from each of the 50 states. Graham's statue replaces that of the late Gov. Charles Brantley Aycock, which had been one of the two statues from the state since 1932. The other statue representing North Carolina depicts Zebulon Vance, who served as a governor and U.S. senator from the state beginning in the Civil War era. The Vance statue dates back to 1916. According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Graham preached to 215 million people across six continents and provided counsel to 12 American presidents in his lifetime. Cooper, a Democrat, cited Graham as one of the several treasures bestowed on the U.S. by his home state. "Our state has given this nation its first flight, its first public university, its rich farmland," he asserted. "Today, North Carolina gives the nation a symbol representing one of our dearest treasures, the Rev. Billy Graham: a man of faith, a man of North Carolina." "The Rev. Graham was known as a minister to millions, the pastor to presidents, a selfless man of God who lived out his calling by preaching and teaching across the world, always returning to his beloved home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina for respot," he added. "He brought together people of different faiths and different races." "Today, 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. Not that Rev. Graham was perfect, he would have been the first to tell us that. Instead, he realized that he and all of us here today have feet of clay. We are imperfect." Cooper expressed gratitude that Graham "believed as many of us do that there is redemption, and he gave his life to delivering that message." "The Rev. Billy Graham also recognized that the responsibility of public servants such as us and especially that of the president of the United States was so immense that whoever was in that office deserved a presumption of good faith, the power of prayer, the gift of his wisdom, friendship and advice." Cooper praised Graham's willingness to work with politicians on both sides of the aisle, saying he didn't seek to "bludgeon or deify any political candidate or party." "Instead, he would use his magnetic, loving and persuasive gifts to counsel and lift in prayer political leaders of both parties," Cooper said. "He did not seek to attack other religions, and he treated all with dignity and respect. In fact, he once said, 'Racial prejudice, antisemitism or hatred of anyone with different beliefs has no place in the human mind or heart.'" Cooper urged public officials to "honor his legacy not just by unveiling this statue but by being humble, humble enough to know that our public service is not to honor ourselves but to serve our country and strengthen our democracy and humble enough to put aside personal aggrandisement, to do better for our country, not for personal gain." Home Opinion Ask Chuck: Vacation clubs, timeshares, or none of the above? Dear Chuck, Were a large family who vacations 10 nights per year over spring break and summer. In your opinion, is a vacation club (like Marriott) a good purchase, or should we look at purchasing a timeshare resale? Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Looking for Vacation Savings Dear Looking for Vacation Savings, First, it is a joy to hear you are a large family that is intentional about spending time together on vacation. I can also appreciate your desire to find the best possible value for using the money that goes into your vacation budget. I assume that you are currently selecting a desired location where your family would like to spend their vacation. Then you do your research and select the best value option for a hotel, Airbnb, VRBO, or campsite. Lets discuss your interest in joining a vacation club or timeshare to save money. Know the real costs There are several things to consider in your analysis. A good decision will be determined by your familys needs. Ive read that vacation clubs are a modern form of a timeshare. Typically points-based, members purchase points and then spend them at resorts within a companys portfolio. Traditional timeshares are often a fixed week at the same resort. Then there are travel clubs, which offer a variety of services for free or paid memberships. This website offers a vast amount of information. We will look closely at each option. The initial offers to join a club or timeshare always appear to be great bargains. The key is doing your research and understanding the long-term costs. It is difficult to recover the initial buy-in costs unless you happen to find an incredible resale deal. Just remember that timeshares rarely appreciate over time like a home. They are not considered an investment because they have limited potential to grow in value and come with high costs and fees. There is limited marketability, and they should not be purchased with the expectation of gaining income or capital appreciation. In addition, owners are at the mercy of property management. Vacation clubs Vacation clubs grant members access to their properties and resorts for an upfront fee. Many work on a points-based system for location, dates, and accommodation at resorts, villas, condos, or hotels. Exclusive privileges may include discounts, priority booking, member-only events and amenities, concierge assistance, and vacation planning. Some exchange programs allow the trading of points for stays at affiliated properties. Annual dues or maintenance fees cover operating costs, property maintenance, and ongoing services. Here are some key points on vacation clubs: Expect an upfront membership fee or purchase price. Plan for annual dues or maintenance fees. You have flexibility of destination and timing. They appeal to the adventurous who like exploring new places. Resale can be challenging. Memberships can vary in length; some have long-term commitments. Timeshare resale A timeshare resale can be purchased from an existing owner at a lower cost than purchasing from a resort or developer. Its possible to find great deals, but you are limited to what is on the market. A propertys reputation, amenities, and quality are important. Some resale companies offer exchange programs that allow you some flexibility. If the property has already been developed, you can begin using the timeshare immediately. However, the initial purchase price can be deceiving. You must factor in property taxes, maintenance fees, and exchange fees, which can all increase annually. Plus, if you decide to sell, restrictions and fees can be imposed, along with the risk of depreciation. Here are some key points on timeshare resales: Resales can be purchased at a significantly reduced price. Transfer fees and closing costs are incurred. There are annual fees. Be prepared for property taxes and other ownership expenses. There is less flexibility you must use a specific property or properties. These appeal to traditionalists who desire familiarity. There is usually, but not always, a market for resale. Owners typically have a perpetual or long-term contract. Maintenance fees may be required, even if you are no longer using the timeshare. One drawback to purchasing a timeshare resale is the risk of dealing with fraudulent sellers. Deal only with a reputable broker or company before making any purchase. If the property sounds too good to be true, take special precautions! Here is an article on scams and how to avoid them. CNBC reports that the timeshare industry is valued at more than $10 billion. One study found that 85% of buyers regret their purchase, and many go to the resale market to escape ownership. According to Brian Rogers, owner of Timeshare Users Group, a consumer advocacy and timeshare resale website, Our general rule of thumb is most timeshares sell for between 0% and 10% of their original retail purchase price. And the majority of that focus is unfortunately on the 0%. Watch this. Three thousand complaints were filed with the Better Business Bureau on two of the largest timeshare companies under Wyndham Destinations: Travel + Leisure and Hilton Grand Vacations. Marriotts vacation club NerdWallet.com reports that ownership in Marriotts vacation club starts at around $25,000. Maintenance fees include anticipated operating expenses, like repairs, insurance premiums, and real estate taxes. Points not used one year can be rolled over to the next, and borrowing points from the next year is allowed. There are family-oriented experiences through the Sheraton Vacation Club, which is just one of several clubs offered through Marriott. Ask yourself if this is the kind of vacation that will benefit the entire family in the long run. Can you afford the costs year after year? This website answers questions specifically about the Marriott Vacation Club. None of the above I, too, like saving money on a vacation, but I also like having the flexibility to vacation where I want during a time that fits my schedule. For that reason, I have never been interested in these. Although clubs and timeshares work for some people, I cannot recommend them. Consider working a loyalty program with a VRBO or Airbnb owner with a property in your family's favorite destination. Ask if they will offer you discounts for your loyalty to their specific location each spring and summer. Id like to invite you to join a free Crown Bible study on the YouVersion app. We have several devotionals regarding money and stewardship that will help bring Gods Word into your daily life. Home Opinion The power of persistent prayer Have you ever called out to someone for help and they didnt answer you? Maybe you were in a restaurant and couldnt get the attention of a server. Hello? Excuse me. Sorry. Hello. (My wife is much more patient with that situation than I am.) Or these days, maybe youre in the emergency room at the hospital waiting (and waiting) for your turn to see a doctor. In Matthew 15, we encounter a woman who actually came to Jesus for help and didnt get the quick answer she was hoping for. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely. But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. Tell her to go away, they said. She is bothering us with all her begging (Matthew 15:22-23, NLT). At first, Jesus didnt even respond to her. Not even a word. Did He disregard her desperate need because she was a Gentile or because He was too busy? Not at all. Jesus knew what this lady was made of. He knew she had strong faith. He knew she would rise to the challenge. And He already knew what He was going to do. But He allowed this situation to unfold in order to show His disciples (and us) what real faith looks like and how persistent faith in God can overcome obstacles. The disciples thought the Lord was bothered by this lady as they were bothered by her. They thought He was irritated by her persistence. But they were wrong. Jesus didnt send her away. In fact, He wanted to draw her out. Then Jesus said to the woman, I was sent only to help Gods lost sheep the people of Israel. But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, Lord, help me! Jesus responded, It isnt right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs. She replied, Thats true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters table. Dear woman, Jesus said to her, your faith is great. Your request is granted. And her daughter was instantly healed (Matthew 15:24-28, NLT). Maybe you can relate to this woman. You have prayed and asked God for something perhaps something very close to your heart and He hasnt given it to you. You have prayed for months, maybe for years, but it hasnt happened and you are wondering why. Jesus didnt answer this desperate Gentile woman at first. And why does it seem like Jesus doesnt answer us in our worries and troubles? Lets consider two possibilities. Spiritual warfare Consider this: Sometimes the reason you dont get an answer as quickly as you would like is because of a spiritual battle raging in the unseen world that you know nothing about. In Daniel 10 we have the story of the prophet praying over a situation. And it went on for days. But then Scripture gives us the backstory. An angel had been immediately dispatched to the prophet Daniel with an answer but was held up along the way, sidelined by a powerful demonic power identified as the prince of Persia. The heavenly messenger, powerful as he was, could not overcome this super demon. So, God dispatched a mega-angel named Michael to free up the messenger who then brought the answer to Daniels prayer. But in Daniels reckoning, the process took 30 days. You and I dont really know whats going on behind the scenes in this thing we call reality. We know there is an invisible supernatural world co-existing with our natural world. This invisible supernatural realm is the world of God and Satan, angels and demons. Sometimes your prayers may not be answered as quickly as you would like because of a battle raging behind the scenes. The apostle Paul tells us clearly, For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12, NLT). So, keep praying and dont give up! Keep battling in faith. Unconfessed sin Another reason your prayer may not be answered is because of unconfessed sin in your life. Nothing will bring your prayer life to a stop faster than that. Psalm 66:18 (nlt) says, If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. When you and I become aware of sin in our lives, we need to confess that sin. The Bible says, If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9, NLT). What great news! But if we refuse to confess that sin to God, agreeing with Him and calling it what it is, we may find there is a barrier separating us from the Lord. With this in mind, its a good thing to pray periodically, Lord, is there anything in my life that is not pleasing to You? David wrote, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life (Psalm 139:23, NLT). Sometimes we will say, I am not worthy to pray. I hate to break this to you, but even on your best day you werent worthy. You never will be worthy, so get over worthy. Your access to God is not based on your merit. It is based on His sacrifice. Gods love for you is not dependent on your progress but on His perfection. That means you can go to God anytime, no matter what you have done, just as the woman in Matthew 15 did. She said, Lord, have mercy on me. And finally, He did. Your prayer may not be answered quite yet because God wants you to keep praying. Learning from her example, we need to find the will of God and pray with persistence. Here is the key to having your prayers answered in the affirmative. You need to get your will aligned with Gods will. The objective of prayer is not to get God to do what I want Him to do. The objective of prayer is to get my will in alignment with Gods will. Imagine you are in a little boat, floating ten feet away from the dock and trying to land the boat. So, you throw your rope around a pillar of the dock and start pulling. But whats happening here? Are you pulling the dock to your boat or are you pulling your boat to the dock? Clearly, you are pulling your boat to the dock. In prayer, its not like I am trying to lasso God. No, I am taking hold of Him and I am pulling myself closer to Him. I am aligning my will with His will. Then I start praying for things and I start seeing answers because now I am praying the way He wants me to pray. Dont give up. Even if it seems like there is a barrier. Even if it seems like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. Dont back off. When the woman from Tyre couldnt seem to get the Lords attention, she didnt let it deter her. She pressed on, and that pleased the Lord. In Luke 18:1 (NLT), Jesus said that we should always pray and never give up. It doesnt get much clearer than that. New Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koichi Mizushima said Friday he will do his best to improve bilateral relations between the two nations, calling Seoul an important partner for Tokyo. Mizushima made the remarks upon his arrival at Gimpo International Airport, west of Seoul, to begin his tenure as the top envoy. He is replacing the outgoing envoy, Koichi Aiboshi. "Relations have steadily progressed under the leadership of the two leaders since last year," he said, adding that he will work diligently to enhance this momentum. Relations between the two neighboring countries have significantly improved since President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May 2022. The administration has emphasized the importance of cooperation for the benefit of future generations. His appointment comes ahead of a trilateral summit involving the leaders of South Korea, Japan and China, which is widely expected to take place in Seoul on May 26-27. The envoy also highlighted that Seoul is an "important" partner for Tokyo in dealing with various tasks in the international community. Noting that next year marks the 60th anniversary of South Korea and Japan normalizing diplomatic relations, Mizushima said he will strive to achieve further development of the relationship. But when asked by reporters about controversies surrounding the popular Line messenger app, Mizushima remained silent. Local tech giant Naver has faced apparent pressure from the Japanese government to sell its stake in the operator of Line, the biggest messenger app in Japan that Naver developed, following a massive leak of user information last year. Later in the day, Mizushima submitted a copy of his credentials to Seoul's foreign ministry and made a courtesy call on First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun. When asked about whether he has any message from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the diplomat briefly said, "Not today." Kim congratulated Mizushima on his appointment, expressing hope that relations between the two sides could be strengthened in light of the 60th anniversary of normalizing diplomatic ties, the ministry said. Kim also asked the Japanese diplomat to play an active role in the two countries' maintaining of stable bilateral relations. The 62-year-old diplomat served as a minister at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul from July 2017-2019, before becoming the top envoy to Israel in January 2021. (Yonhap) Home Opinion Ultimate question: Does Israel have the right to exist? Is it just me or did President Biden throw Israel under the bus, presumably because the Muslim vote for his re-election is pretty shaky? Biden threatened Israel that the U.S. would withhold further weapons should Israel invade Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas. I dont think its just me. As Gary Bauer, founder and director of American Values, commented: Biden is withholding military assistance, approved by Congress and that he signed into law, for Israel because he is afraid that he will lose the election if Israel finishes off Hamas. That is exactly what Pelosi accused Donald Trump of doing with aid to Ukraine. Bauer notes that Biden removed sanctions from Houthi terrorists and from the Iranian regime, which is still the largest sponsor of terrorism in the world. Yet he is leaving Israel high and dry, as it fights a must-win war for its national survival. Get Our Latest News for FREE Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know. Subscribe Again, I dont think its just me. The excellent political cartoonist Gary Varvel wrote in his newsletter recently: By refusing to give military aid to Israel, President Biden is supporting Hamas. All of the recent protests on campuses in favor of Hamas appear to be working. Rep. Ilhan Omar, an active Muslim and member of the Squad, tweeted (on X): This is what young people across the country were protesting for and finally the needle has moved in a significant way. I hope we see more progress, but dont ever let people tell you that your voices are meaningless, and your actions are worthless. The arc of what is possible is always within us to bend. Some of those pro-Palestinian student protesters tried to spoil the comedian Jerry Seinfelds commencement address at Duke over the weekend. They walked out on his speech, shouting, Free Free Palestine. Meanwhile, at Columbia, a student was barred from the school recently for a threat of violence. He tweeted (on X): Zionists, they dont deserve to live comfortably, let alone Zionists dont deserve to live.The same way we are very comfortable accepting Nazis dont deserve to live, fascists dont deserve to live. What a lot of these young pro-Palestinians dont realize is that ultimately, the position of Hamas calls for the death of Israel. We keep hearing the phrase From the River to the Sea. What does that actually mean? It means that the modern state of Israel belongs to the Palestinians. The Jews have no claim on the land. As Victor Davis Hanson notes, When student protestors scream From the river to the sea, that is not advocacy for a two-state solution. It is a call to eliminate the state of Israel lying in between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Seaand its 10 million Jewish and Arab citizens. The Hamas charter is a one-state/no-Israel agenda, which we saw attempted on Oct. 7. Someone might say, We need more dialogue. How can you have dialogue with someone who does not agree with your right to exist? Last month, I spoke again with New York Times best-selling author Robert Spencer on the radio about the anti-Israel protests at Columbia protests. For this piece, I asked him for a statement about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at large. He told me, The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs is not based on land. It is based on Islam. The Quran says, Drive them out from where they drove you out (2:191). Although its actually a historical myth that Israel drove the Arabs out, it is widely believed, and makes destroying Israel a matter of obeying a divine command. This means that while Palestinians might accept Israel in some form as a step toward realization of that goal, ultimately they can never allow Israel to exist at all, no matter how small it may be. All of this is ironic in light of Israels historic claim on that land. As the late Dr. Charles Krauthammer once noted, "Israel is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago." Why cant there be lasting peace in the Middle East? Israel, a tiny nation-state, no bigger than New Jersey, is surrounded by hostile neighbors that dont want it to continue to exist. Israel is constantly having to deal with enemies from without and from within. The Judeo-Christian principle of just war applies to them that is, that they have the right to defend themselves from those who would try to destroy them. The ultimate question is: Does Israel have the right to exist? Of course, it does. Therefore, it has the right to defend itself. Its too bad the current administration and many in the culture at large are acting like fair-weather friends based on shifting political winds. Christians in France see 'worrying' surge in hate crimes Bereft parishioners in a French town found a statue of Mary beheaded and church benches set ablaze on Tuesday, less than two months after a report surfaced of nearly 1,000 hate-crimes against Christians last year in France. Local firefighters put out the fire before removing the charred benches and chairs from the Roman Catholic Church of Sainte-Therese in Poitiers, reported La Nouvelle Republique. There was soot damage to the walls, floors and artifacts, all requiring specialised cleaning. The Rev. Albert Jadaud, who in July celebrates 50 years in the priesthood, noticed nothing suspicious when he arrived at 8:30 a.m. that day. "At 11 a.m. I had an appointment with a fire safety officer," Jadaud told La Nouvelle Republique. "We opened the sacristy and, just as I wanted to go to the choir, he told me not to come. The church was full of smoke. As he's a former Paris fireman, he took the necessary measures." The church temporarily closed to the public, and the incident forced a funeral service to relocate to Migne-Auxances. It was not the first time vandals have targeted the church building, as a church official in 2022 found other decapitated statues. The vandalism followed a report of nearly 1,000 hate crimes against followers of Christ in France in 2023, according to an official from the French Ministry of Interior. On March 20, France's Ministry of the Interior and Overseas published statistics showing that racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes and offences increased by 32 percent in 2023. The publication did not specify how many of those were anti-Christian hate crimes. Camille Chaize, a spokeswoman for the ministry, confirmed almost 1,000 known anti-Christian hate crimes an interview with French Christian radio station fcr.fr. Responding to a question from the radio host about incidents affecting Christians, she said 90 percent of them targeted properties such as church buildings and cemeteries. The remaining 10 percent involved attacks on 84 Christians, according to Chaize, although it was not clear if the assaults were verbal or physical. The Ministry of the Interior, which issued the original report that Chaize cited, stated that, as in previous years, "the majority of these crimes and offences as well as these fines, recorded by the security services, are insults, provocations or defamation (61 percent of offences and almost all of the fines)." In total, national police and gendarmerie services recorded 15,000 offences of an anti-religious, racist or xenophobic nature in 2023. As a result, authorities nationwide mobilised 10,000 security forces for Holy Week at Easter, according to the Observatory for Intolerance and Hatred Against Christians in Europe (OIDACE). Despite the lack of specificity from the French government on the nature of the anti-Christian hate crimes, the increase in such incidents in recent decades remains "concerning," said Anja Hoffmann, executive director of OIDACE. Christians from the country have reported both violence and pressure from different sources, Hoffmann told Christian Daily International. "On the one hand, the French laicite often translates into a radical secularism demanding an exclusion of religion from the public sphere and one's job, which can amount to restrictions of religious freedom," Hoffmann said. "On the other hand, there are certain areas classified as neighborhoods under the influence of radical Islam where being a Christian or a Christian convert is often met with intimidation, discrimination or violence." OIDACE recorded "quite worrying cases of anti-Christian hate crimes in France" since the beginning of this year, she said. This includes five arson attacks, several cases of severe vandalism and the defacing of public crosses and even a cemetery with Islamist writings that included the slogan, "Today is the land of infidels, tomorrow the land of Islam." Hoffmann said that French police have ramped up security around Christian festivals such as Easter because of the worrying trend for church buildings and celebration feasts "to become targets for terrorism and violence in the country." "According to French police data from the past years, anti-Christian hate crimes amount to almost three incidents per day, with a rather stable number of around 1,000 anti-Christian hate crimes recorded per year," she added. Christian Daily International By Jon Dunbar The local punk label World Domination, Inc. (WDI) has released devastating news: IT'S A FEST! (IAF!), its beach music festival, held last year and in 2019 on Incheon's Hanagae Beach, will not be proceeding as planned. Instead, it will be moved to indoor venues in Seoul, where it will be held under the subtitle "Escape to Sinchon." "We are very sad to announce that due to some problems with (Incheon and Hanagae), ITS A FEST! will not be able to happen at Hanagae Beach this year," Jeff and Trash Moses, organizers of IAF, said in an online statement released in English and Korean April 30. The cancellation turned out to be no fault of their own, and the festival was merely collateral damage in an unrelated bureaucratic kerfuffle. The organizers stressed that they look forward to cooperating with Hanagae again in the future. "Hanagae was having some problems with the local government. So they decided not to have any big events this year. That included ITS A FEST! but theyve already said they want us back next year and for the long term," Jeff Moses told The Korea Times on May 17. Although IAF was held at a public stage and charged no entry fee, WDI had been selling rentals for bungalows at the beach. They promised to refund everyone who had made reservations for this year's festival, which was scheduled for June 14 to 16. "IAF! will carry on as a weekend-long event at a brand new live music venue in Sinchon," they said. "All the international bands are still coming, and the lineup is mostly unchanged. Because we are moving to a live house for this years festival, we will be selling tickets. We promise to keep it affordable." The festival will begin on Friday, June 14, with an acoustic show held at Beer O'Clock. For Saturday and Sunday, the festival moves to the newly opened venue Baby Doll. The acoustic night is free, but the second and third days are not. One-day tickets cost 30,000 won and two-day tickets are 50,000 won. The organizers emphasized that the venue capacity is limited, so people wishing to attend should book their tickets early in advance. "We are all disappointed to not be at Hanagae Beach this year, but we can still make this one of the best weekends of the year," Jeff, who is also the frontman of the punk band ... Whatever That Means (WTM), said in a follow-up statement released May 8. "We're not frustrated or resentful about the situation with Hanagae and Incheon," said Trash, who is in the bands WTM and Monkey Gang War. "We're just going to focus on having a precious and joyful weekend together in June." This year's festival has three bands from overseas Singaporean skate punk band Iman's League, and Japanese bands the Skippers and Tortionals. "The show must go on!" Iman's League said in an online post. "Thumbs up to (WDI) for pulling this off despite the setbacks." It also includes 15 local acts playing various styles of punk, hardcore, reggae and ska. There have been a few changes to the lineup since it was first announced back in March. For one, the Geeks and Tom Tom Tom have dropped out. "When the plan for IAF! changed, we gave every band the chance to opt out," Jeff told The Korea Times. "And for them, it was better to opt out. We were sad to lose them, but life happens. No hard feelings." On the bright side, 444 and Redemptions have been added. The organizers expressed hope that the festival will be able to return to Hanagae Beach next year. "Building a punk rock festival for our scene has not been easy, but we promise to keep working hard and are thankful for your continued support," they said. Visit wdikorea.com/store to book tickets. Aboneaza-te la rubricile dorite si primeste zilnic notificari pe email cu link-uri la articolele care au fost adaugate in ultimele 24 de ore. Notificarile vor fi expediate la adresa indicata mai jos. Daca doresti sa schimbi adresa - o poti modifica editand informatia de profil aici. Black Equity Organisation (BEO) will celebrate its second anniversary this month, having launched to promote economic, legal, social and political equity for Black communities in Britain. Timi Okuwa has been involved with the charity since 2022, when she joined as its director of partnerships and programmes. Last year, she became its interim chief executive for eight months before taking up the role permanently in December 2023. Okuwa was born in the UK and also grew up in Nigeria so experienced the aftermath of colonialism, the arbitrary borders and boundaries that were set and still impact not just Nigeria, but Africa. She says studying US authors such as James Baldwin, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker also contributed to her passion for social justice. I wrote my dissertation about the experience of Black African American writers in the US and was always very curious about not just about colonialism, but also the transatlantic slave trade, because again, there are references to that in Nigeria. And Ive always been somebody that believes in fairness and justice. Okuwa worked for a number of years in both the public and private sectors, and then wanted to do work that was more aligned to my purpose and things that I cared about. If you ever got me into a room where wed be arguing about something and it came to race everybody was like thats Timis thing. So, finding out that an organisation like BEO was here to do that, for me that just felt like it was aligned to my values and to my mission. Transformative Black Lives Matter movement BEO was set up after the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement gained greater prominence in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. It registered as a charity in 2021, with trustees including Labour MP David Lammy and business leader Vivian Hunt, before officially launching in May 2022. Okuwa says the BLM protests were transformative and a unique moment in time. Everybody then had to look and say: What role am I playing in enforcing or maintaining this systemic racism within different spaces? Protests are really helpful and they amplify it so that everybody sees it. People who arent interested necessarily in social justice all of a sudden are thinking: Whats going on in Bristol? Why are people throwing that statue? BEO has secured long-term funding from organisations such as Lankelly Chase, and Okuwa says the BLM movement led to many funders looking at the work that they funded and whether they are funding not performatively, but in a way that can actually affect long-term change. Okuwa says the response to BLM was transformative, though adds the work needs to persist. Its about making sure that thats not just a moment in time, and making sure that we continue to make sure that that energy that we saw at that time is still mobilising and still pushing organisations, governments, corporates, communities, funders, all sorts of people that can make a change. Its not just for one party to make change. You do need to have that consistent group of people who can affect change within a system, to continue to work together to do that. You can go much further when you work with others When living in Hackney, north-east London, with her family, Okuwa recalls people using racial slurs. Okuwa says she wants BEO to make change for individuals, but also to focus its work on dismantling institutional and systemic racism. An organisation like BEO is not just here to ensure that theres inclusion and reduce those kinds of one-to-one interactions, but its actually the institutional and the systemic racism thats embedded within organisations, embedded within policies and so on, that is therefore then the experience not just of an individual Black person, but more generally. Okuwa says there is power in a collective voice and would like to see more collaboration between organisations in the sector and outside. For example, BEO and Sky have a 1m partnership, supporting Black British entrepreneurs. BEO is also working with campaigning organisation Operation Black Vote on a project to create Black Britains Mandate, which will include priorities for the next government based on suggestions from Black people of Caribbean and African heritage living in the UK. We do work in partnership. Im very, very passionate about this. Ive been married for a very long time, and I know that you can go far on your own but you can go much further when you work with others. And so, one of the biggest aims for BEO is strategic convening, bringing together lots of different organisations who are doing this work and have been around before we even came here. Importance of inclusion Okuwa says equity is important as an acknowledgement that were not all starting from the same place. But inclusion for me is just as important because if Im feeling psychologically safe in certain spaces, it means that I can then show up as myself. Okuwa worked in professional services firms, and sometimes felt pressure to speak up as the only Black person in the room. You see something and think: Woah, whats that about? So you feel like you have to speak up and be that person. But it can be quite draining to continue to do that because youre doing that in addition to your work. Okuwa says she would like to see organisations mandated to report their ethnicity pay gaps in the same way that those with more than 250 employees currently do so for their gender pay gaps. Where organisations have succeeded in reducing gaps, Okuwa says other organisations can learn from their interventions such as EDI strategies, retention rates, and progression opportunities. If you do want to have diversity in your organisation, its got to be mixed with learning from what other organisations have been doing to address these issues. Weve had a startup mentality As a fairly new charity, Okuwa says BEO has had a startup mentality which means they are building something from the ground up, of boldness and resilience. This means there has to be flexibility and adaptability in the work BEO does, she says, but the charity has a clear strategy in place for the next few years. Its Dismantling Systemic Racism strategy is long-term but the first three years are focussed on raising awareness of systemic racism, highlighting how it impacts Black communities, as well as ensuring Black communities know their rights and use their power to hold institutions to account. Two years in, BEO is now in a strong place and part of this is due to having funders committed to supporting the organisation. The CEO says having a strong team is just as important as having long-term funders who can make sure that the work that were here to do, can be consistent. BEO received money from individuals, foundations and key partners at its launch, which has since continued. The charity now has a range of donors and funders which have extended multi-year, unrestricted and core funding to BEO. Indeed, in the year to March 2023, its income grew five-fold to 2.78m, up from 579,000 the year prior. On her ambitions for the charity, Okuwa says: I want BEO to be seen as one of the main voices for Black Britain, for Black communities in the UK; that we are seen as an organisation that partners want to work with, allies want to work with, policymakers want to work with. Okuwa emphasises that BEO is an apolitical, nonpartisan organisation that is also data driven and insights driven. All of the projects that were doing are here to make sure that we can make that systemic change and make sure that were here for the long-term. Im very keen to make sure that we are seen as an organisation that raises awareness of Black peoples rights so that they know their power. sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector, Sign up for The Media Today, CJRs daily newsletter. Joe Biden and Donald Trump may have just taunted each other into a pair of presidential debatesbut in doing so, they further undercut the power of news organizations to make sure the debates are run in a way that best serves the voters, rather than the candidates. Biden kicked off a flurry of activity Wednesday morning with a video message to Trump challenging him to debate, while tweaking him for being stuck in court for his criminal trial much of the week. Make my day, pal, Biden said, doing his best Clint Eastwood impression. Lets pick the dates, Donald. I hear youre free on Wednesdays. Trump quickly responded with a similarly dated pop-culture reference, posting: Just tell me when, Ill be there. Lets get ready to Rumble!!! This led to a frenzy from the TV networks, which scrambled to put together bids to bring the two candidates in. Biden and Trump quickly accepted a June 27 CNN debate proposal. They also agreed to a September 10 debate on ABC. Bidens team has agreed to a vice presidential debate with CBS. Trump and his team havent committed to that one yet, but are pushing for more for the top of the ticket. Trump announced he had accepted an October debate offer from the conservative Fox News and challenged Biden to join him. His campaign asked for additional dates as well. Sign up for CJRs daily email We propose a debate in June, a debate in July, a debate in August, and a debate in September, in addition to the Vice Presidential debate, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, the Trump campaigns cocampaign managers, said in a memo. Additional dates will allow voters to have maximum exposure to the records and future visions of each candidate. At least Trump and Biden now look like theyll debate, which had appeared less than likely the past few months. But its still not a sure thing. Trump has a long history of messing with the debates. He completely spurned debating his rivals during the 2024 primary, forced the cancellation of one of his scheduled debates with Biden in 2020 when he refused to appear remotely while he had COVID, and declined to appear at the final 2016 GOP primary debate before voters headed to the polls. Biden isnt a lock, either. His team says that hell only debate if its just against Trumpsuggesting hed back out if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were included. 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, Biden campaign manager Jen OMalley Dillon said in a Wednesday statement. Well see Donald Trump on June 27th in Atlantaif he shows up. CNNs proposed debate parameters say that a candidate will be included if they receive at least 15 percent in four separate high-quality national polls and are qualified to appear on enough state ballots to theoretically win 270 Electoral College votes. Say what you will about RFK Jr., but hes winning about 10 percent of the vote in national polling averages and his campaign says theyre gathering enough signatures to get him on the ballot in most states. Kennedy accused Biden and Trump of colluding to keep him off the debate stageand hes right. If Kennedy does qualify, what happens then? Does Biden pull out? Might another network agree to his demands in order to steal CNNs reflected prestige and ratings? If that happens, will Trump agree? If all this sounds messy, its just one of the major consequences of arranging the debates in an ad hoc manner, while circumventing the Commission on Presidential Debates. The CPD has governed debates for the past nine presidential cycles. That doesnt exactly make it some hallowed, centuries-old pillar of democracy, but it has established two important dynamics: It forced the news networks to work together rather than compete with each other for debates, making it easier for them to resist presidential candidates demands about specific debate rules, like how long theyd run and whether moderators could cut off candidates microphones if they talked past their allotted time. It also guaranteed a lot more eyeballs, since the debates were carried by every network rather than being given exclusively to one. CNNs debate will be held far earlier than in previous years (and before either candidate will officially be his partys nominee). That also makes it long before most voters are tuning in to the election enough to engage with a debateand long enough that whatever happens wont be fresh in voters minds come the fall election. CNN claims that its available in eighty million US households, but even if we take the network at its word on that figure, that means fifty-seven million American homes wont be able to watch the debate on TV. (The network says it plans to stream it online.) As the Commission on Presidential Debates put it to the Associated Press on Thursday, it was created specifically to ensure that such debates reliably take place and reach the widest television, radio and streaming audience. Without the commission controlling things, and the various news organizations respecting and backing its process, candidates can dictate which networks they debate on, when those debates happen, and how they are run. Thats great for the two major-party nominees and the networks that get exclusives on the debatesbut not good for just about everyone else. Other notable stories: Earlier this week, CJRs Jon Allsop reported that The New Yorker had restricted UK readers online access to a story about Lucy Letby, a British neonatal nurse convicted of murdering seven babies, to comply with a court order limiting coverage of the ongoing case, but that the print edition would still be available in the country. The Times of London now reports that British legal authorities have discussed the article. Press Gazettes Bron Maher spoke with lawyers about possible ramifications for The New Yorker; one pointed out that British law makes no distinction between digital and print publication, though another said that courts cannot enforce contempt orders against companies that are not incorporated in England. (The New Yorker no longer has a corporate entity in the UK, per Maher, though Conde Nast, its parent company, does.) On Wednesday, Edith Chapin, NPRs editor in chief, outlined plans to enhance and strengthen editorial operations at the broadcaster, including by adding a new level of editorial review, known as the Backstop, to be managed by a new group of senior editors. According to Benjamin Mullin, of the New York Times, the announcement angered many NPR staffers, with some seeing it as an unnecessary bottleneck and others suggesting that it looked like a defensive response to recent criticism from Uri Berliner, a former editor who publicly accused NPR of inflexible left-wing thinking. (Chapin denied this.) Per Mullin, Michel Martin, a top NPR host, asked Chapin to identify who is funding the new initiative during an internal meeting; Chapin wouldnt say. In media-jobs news, the Marshall Project, a nonprofit newsroom that covers criminal justice, announced that Susan Chira, its editor in chief, will step down early next year. Elsewhere, Justin Wellswho produced Tucker Carlsons show on Fox News, then took over as president of Carlsons independent media company after Fox ousted the pair last yearis leaving that role to launch his own company, though he will reportedly continue to advise Carlson. Andafter the New York radio station WABC canceled a show hosted by Rudy Giuliani over his penchant for election liesMediaite reports that the right-wing network Newsmax could also ax Giuliani, though Newsmax strongly denied this to CNN. For Drilled and The Nation, Molly Taft went through a cache of internal oil and gas industry documents that were subpoenaed by Congress, and reported on what they reveal about the industrys attempts to manipulate the press. The documents provide lessons for journalists dealing with oil companiesto know that theyre keeping notes on you, your outlet, your potential opinions on climate action, and whether or not you can come around to their narrative, Taft writes. Journalists now know that Big Oil has a playbook, and its our responsibility to study it and factor that into our coverage. And Nieman Labs Hanaa Tameez spoke with The Intercept about how increasingly stress-inducing subject lines in a recent email fundraising campaign (sample: Were not exaggerating. If people dont pay for it, journalism will die) helped the site to add more new recurring donors than it had targeted. A shorter, two-week campaign with direct language is less likely to spam subscribers and turn off potential donors, in the organizations view, Tameez writes. Donating also comes with a perk: no more emails. Cameron Joseph is a freelance political reporter with recent work in The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and Politico Magazine. A recipient of the 2023 National Press Foundation Dirksen Award for distinguished reporting of Congress and the 2020 National Press Club award for excellence in political journalism, he previously worked for VICE News, Talking Points Memo, the New York Daily News, The Hill and National Journal. SCA Claim Services named Max Alwag as its quality assurance director. Alwag will lead a quality assurance team of licensed adjusters tasked with the review of claims. The teams responsibilities include cycle time compression and loss cost reduction, prevention of errors and oversights, ensuring files are written to carrier standards and streamlining claims processing. Alwag has more than 30 years of experience in the collision sector. He was previously a general manager at Caliber Collision. Before that he was with Crash Champions. SCA Claim Services is a national appraisal and adjusting company providing services to insurance carriers, financial services companies, adjusting companies, municipalities and other organizations. SCA also has a specialty unit that appraises heavy equipment and commercial vehicles, and a residential and commercial property damages unit. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- President Joe Biden called Defendant Donald Trumps bluff and taunts, challenging him to two debates on Bidens terms, which Trump swiftly accepted. At the same time, Senator Mitt Romney could be called Mitt Ford or Gerald Romney after calling for Biden to pardon Trump for his 4 indictments. Wednesday, Biden posted a video taunting Trump to Make my day, pal for two debates. Stand Back and Stand By was Trumps message to the Proud Boys in the last Trump-Biden debate in 2020. And it was Trumps position on debates since, standing back and by, taunting Biden to debates anytime and anyplace, complete with an empty debate podium at his rallies. This is what Biden said in his video invitation: Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020 and since then hasnt shown up for a debate. Now hes acting like he wants to debate me again. Well make my day, pal. Ill even do it twice. So lets pick the dates Donald. I hear your free Wednesdays Trump quickly accepted replying: Lets get ready to rumble. CNN and ABC were ready too. CNN was first to offer a date of June 17 to host the first debate and ABC soon followed with a date of September 10 for the second debate. Both were promptly accepted by the candidates. CNNs debate moderators will be Dana Bash and Jake Tapper. ABC will have Linsey Davis and David Muir as moderators. As per the stipulations of President Biden, the debates will not be before a live audience and each candidates mic will be killed when the other is speaking to avoid interruptions, as Trump often did to Biden in their last debates to the point Biden said to him, will you just shut up. Both candidates were no fans of the Commission on Presidential Debates setting them up and refused to participate in debates sponsored by them. There main justified gripe with the CPD is that they scheduled the debates too late, the first one set for Sept 16, after early voting already started. The Biden campaign also balked at the CPD not enforcing its own debate rules. Its debatable if President Biden should have and should still pardon Trump, as Sen Romney said. In an interview with MSNBC 11th Hour host Stephanie Ruhle, Romney said if he were President, he would have immediately pardoned Trump after the the Department of Justice indicted him. Had I been President Biden, when the justice Department brought on indictments, I would have immediately pardoned him. Why? Well, because it makes me, President Biden, the big guy and the person pardoned a little guy. With a red tie tied too long and too orange skin bronzer to match orange prison jumpsuits if convicted. Memorial plaque honoring former Soviet expert to China unveiled in Russia Xinhua) 11:14, May 17, 2024 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. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) Former Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup was designated as a witness Friday for trials concerning an ex-Marine investigator's alleged insubordination over a probe he had led into a young Marine's death. Lee stepped down from his ministerial post in October 2023 amid allegations that he improperly influenced a probe into the death of the Marine. In March, he was appointed as the Korean ambassador to Australia, but he resigned in less than a month as the controversial appointment fueled negative public sentiment ahead of the April 10 parliamentary elections. The court martial in central Seoul accepted the request from Col. Park Jung-hun's defense attorneys during the fourth hearing on his alleged insubordination over the probe into Cpl. Chae Su-geun's death last July during a search mission for downpour victims. Last October, military prosecutors indicted Park for allegedly handing over the probe results to the civilian police despite orders from Lee and the Marine Corps' top commander to wait for more legal deliberations. The court designated Lee as a witness, citing his involvement in Marine Corps Commandant Lt. Gen. Kim Kye-hwan's order to Park to hold off on the handover. "The defense's request for a witness is accepted as it could serve as the basis for determining whether the given order was justifiable," the court said. In a statement sent to the press, Lee said he will attend a hearing on a designated date to testify but reiterated that relevant orders were given based solely on his authority as minister and his own judgment. Lee is also a subject of an investigation by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) filed a complaint against him and an unspecified presidential official for allegedly exerting undue influence in the military's probe into Chae's death. The DPK has separately pushed for a special counsel investigation into allegations that the presidential office and the defense ministry interfered in the military investigation, with the opposition-controlled National Assembly passing a bill mandating the special counsel probe on May 2. In a press conference last week, President Yoon Suk Yeol voiced reservations about a new probe, saying if the ongoing investigation by the police and the CIO is insufficient, he "will be the first to call for a special counsel probe." The remarks have raised speculation over whether he could veto the bill, prompting Park's lawyer to call on Yoon to accept the special counsel probe before attending the hearing. "We have always called for a special counsel probe from the start," Kim Jeong-min told reporters in a press conference. "Rejecting the special probe and resolving this problem through the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials is ... a delusion." Lee Jun-seok, the head of the minor opposition New Reform Party who also attended the press conference, told reporters Yoon appears to be greatly misjudging the political situation, apparently referring to the possibility of him exercising his veto power. (Yonhap) Four liberal student activists attended a court hearing Friday in connection with their attempt to break into the presidential office in central Seoul in January. The hearing took place at the Seoul Western District Court, four months after 20 members of the Korean Progressive University Student Union (KPUSU) were apprehended while attempting to trespass at the presidential office compound in the Yongsan district. Before the attempt, they had staged a protest outside the compound, demanding a special probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee and a meeting with presidential officials. At that time, police requested arrest warrants for 10 of them but the court rejected all of them. One of the students attending the court hearing is among the 10 students whose arrest warrant was dismissed in January. The Seoul Yongsan Police Station recently applied for an arrest warrant for the four KPUSU members, including those who were not present at the scene of the attempted trespass. (Yonhap) By Jung Min-ho Authorities in Suwon are increasing safety measures for the public upon the return of Park Byung-hwa, a serial rapist who had spent 15 years in prison for raping 10 women. At a meeting held in the city governments disaster and safety control room on Thursday, Mayor Lee Jae-joon said he would use all means necessary to ensure the safety of all residents. He then approved measures such as installing additional surveillance cameras in and outside the building where Park resides and increasing the number of police patrols there. This comes after Park moved into a studio complex at Ingye-dong, a busy area in the vicinity of many administrative buildings, hotels and shopping facilities. It remains to be seen whether those measures will relieve residents' anxiety. When Park, 41, was released from prison in 2022 after serving a 15-year sentence, he moved into a studio complex in the city of Hwaseong, which triggered fierce protests from nearby residents. The building owner, who was unaware of Parks criminal record, later filed a lawsuit to evict him but a court eventually dismissed the request. At the time, Jeong Myeung-geun, the citys mayor, called for stronger legal measures to better protect residents and spoke with many lawmakers and journalists. Park recently moved to Suwon, the city where he sexually assaulted 10 women in their 20s, including a pregnant woman, between 2002 and 2007. The release of Park in 2022, along with that of another infamous sex criminal, Cho Doo-soon, aged 71, also in the same year, ignited a political debate over whether Korea should enact its own version of Jessicas Law. Such legislation would aim to restrict where sex offenders can reside, with the goal of protecting the public and minimizing opportunities for these individuals to commit repeat offenses. But faced with opposition from the Democratic Party of Korea on grounds of the right to freedom of movement, such a bill proposed by the Ministry of Justice has never been able to reach a plenary session of the National Assembly. A recent court ruling against striking doctors will likely accelerate the government's push to markedly raise medical school admissions, but doctors have vowed not to back down to continue a standoff despite deepening chaos in the health care system. On Thursday, the Seoul High Court rejected a request from trainee doctors, medical professors and other opponents to block the government's plan to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000 starting next year from the current cap of 3,058. The decision paves the way for the government to finalize the first medical school quota hike for South Korea in 27 years, aimed at addressing chronic shortages of doctors. "The government will swiftly push for the revision of school regulations for the quota expansion and other requirements for college admissions for the 2025 academic year," Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said in a televised briefing Thursday following the court's decision. The government decided to allow medical schools to exercise flexibility, and about 1,500 seats are expected to be added at medical schools nationwide combined next year, which is to be finalized by end-May. Doctors, however, said they will not change their course and prepare to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Medical professors plan to hold a general meeting next week to discuss their next steps, including the adjustment of hospital operation schedules, as the current walkout by their junior colleagues is widely expected to prolong. A majority of trainee doctors have remained off the job since Feb. 20 in protest of the government's quota hike plan, and medical professors, who serve as senior doctors at major hospitals and have filled the void of trainee doctors, have taken a weekly day off amid fatigue and mental stress. The professors have also submitted resignations. "Nothing has been and will be changed. We will not back down, and the government will also continue to push for the plan," a trainee doctor said. Lim Hyun-taek, chief of Korean Medical Association, said his organization will issue a statement Friday after reviewing the verdict. The health ministry on Friday once again appealed to doctors for returning to work, as the suspension of training for more than three months would make them disqualified for a test to become fellow doctors under current regulations. "The government will create good environments where trainee doctors can focus on their training and education. We want to join hands with doctors for devising a decent training system," Deputy Health Minister Jun Byung-wang said, noting that the government will extend state funds for those programs. The ministry also called on striking doctors to take "necessary measures" to explain their "inevitable reasons" for leaving their hospitals so as to prevent possible career disadvantages. Striking doctors must return to hospitals by May 20 if they want to apply for the test, but exceptions can be allowed under law if they have inevitable reasons. Korea needs to add up to 10,000 doctors by 2035, given population aging and a shortage of physicians in essential but unpopular specialties, such as pediatrics and emergency departments, and in remote rural areas, according to the health ministry. But doctors say simply having more doctors will never help resolve the current situation, and the drastic increase in the medical school quota will rather compromise the quality of medical education and ultimately the quality of the country's medical service. The prolonged walkout has disrupted the country's medical service as hospitals have been forced to significantly reduce surgeries and treatments for patients. "The government will mobilize all resources available to maintain the emergency medical system," Lee Han-gyeong, an interior ministry official, told a press briefing Friday. "Each regional government has also been beefing up their emergency response system to brace for the possible worsening of the situation," Lee said, calling for doctors to return to work. The head of the National Human Rights Commission said Friday that Korea should no longer tolerate discrimination against and hate of sexual minorities. "We should safeguard the dignity and value as humans as well as the basic democratic values of diversity and human rights protection. That is an uncompromisable duty," Song Doo-hwan said in a statement marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. He also voiced concerns over the recent abolition by regional councils of ordinances for students' human rights for reasons of "encouraging homosexuality and causing confused sexual identities." "It it very worrisome as such actions appear to imply that sexual minorities would not be acknowledged as members of our society," he noted. (Yonhap) In an aerial view, brand new Tesla cars sit parked in a lot at the Tesla Fremont Factory in Fremont, California, April 24, 2024. As part of Tesla's massive restructuring, the electric-vehicle maker notified the California Employment Development Department this week that it's cutting approximately 600 more employees at its manufacturing facilities and engineering offices between Fremont and Palo Alto. The latest round of layoffs eliminated roles across the board from entry-level positions to directors and hit an array of departments, impacting factory workers, software developers and robotics engineers. The cuts were reported in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act filing that CNBC obtained through a public records request. Facing both weakening demand for Tesla electric vehicles and increased competition, the company has been slashing its headcount since at least January. CEO Elon Musk told employees in a memo in April that the company would cut more than 10% of its global workforce, which totaled 140,473 employees at the end of 2023. Previous filings revealed that Tesla would cut more than 6,300 jobs across California; Austin, Texas; and Buffalo, New York. Musk said on Tesla's quarterly earnings call on April 23 that the company had built up a 25% to 30% "inefficiency" over the past several years, implying the layoffs underway could impact tens of thousands more employees than the 10% number would suggest. According to the WARN filing, the 378 job cuts in Fremont, home to Tesla's first U.S. manufacturing plant, included people involved in staffing and running vehicle assembly. There were 65 cuts at the company's Kato Rd. battery development center. Tesla didn't respond to a request for comment. Among the highest-level roles eliminated in Fremont were two environmental health and safety directors, and a user experience design director. In Palo Alto, home to the company's engineering headquarters, 233 more employees, including two directors of technical programs, lost their jobs. Tesla has also terminated a majority of employees involved in designing and improving apps made for customers and employees, according to two former employees directly familiar with the matter. The WARN filing shows that to be the case, with many cut from the team at Tesla's Hanover Street location in Palo Alto. Tesla faces reduced demand for cars it makes in Fremont, including its older Model S and X vehicles and Model 3 sedan. Total deliveries dropped in the first quarter from a year earlier, and Tesla reported its steepest year-over-year revenue decline since 2012. An onslaught of competition, especially in China, has continued to pressure Tesla's sales in the second quarter. Xiaomi and Nio have each launched new EV models, which undercut the price of Tesla's most popular vehicles. Tesla's stock price has tumbled about 30% so far this year, while the S&P 500 is up 11%. Musk has been trying to convince investors not to focus on vehicle sales and instead to back Tesla's potential to finally deliver self-driving software, a robotaxi, and a "sentient" humanoid robot. Musk and Tesla have long promised customers self-driving software that would turn their existing EVs into robotaxis, but the company's systems still require constant human supervision. Other recent job cuts at Tesla included the team responsible for building out the Supercharger, or electric-vehicle fast-charging network, in the U.S. Tesla disclosed plans in its annual filing for 2023 to grow and optimize its charging infrastructure "to ensure cost effectiveness and customer satisfaction." Tesla said in the filing that it needed to expand its "network in order to ensure adequate availability to meet customer demands," after other auto companies announced plans to adopt the North American Charging Standard. Since cutting most of its Supercharger team, Tesla has reportedly started to rehire at least some members, a move reminiscent of the job cuts Musk made at Twitter after he bought the company and later rebranded it as X. Musk told CNBC's David Faber last year that he wanted to rehire some of those he let go. Read the latest WARN filing in California here: Boaz Weinstein, founder and chief investment officer of Saba Capital Management, during the Bloomberg Invest event in New York, US, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Boaz Weinstein, the hedge-fund investor on the winning side of JPMorgan Chase's $6.2 billion, "London Whale" trading loss in 2011, is now taking on index fund giant BlackRock . On Friday, Weinstein's Saba Capital detailed in a presentation seen by CNBC its plans to push for change at 10 closed-end BlackRock funds that trade at a significant discount to the value of their underlying assets compared to their peers. Saba says the underperformance is a direct result of BlackRock's management. The hedge fund wants board control at three BlackRock funds and a minority slate at seven others. It also seeks to oust BlackRock as the manager of six of those ten funds. "In the last three years, nine of the 10 funds that we're even talking about have lost money for investors," Weinstein said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" earlier this week. At the heart of Saba's "Hey BlackRock" campaign is an argument around governance. Saba says in its presentation that BlackRock runs those closed-end funds the "exact opposite" way it expects companies to run themselves. BlackRock "is talking out of both sides of its mouth" by doing this, Saba says. That's cost retail investors $1.4 billion in discounts, by Saba's math, on top of the management fees it charges. BlackRock, Saba says in the deck, "considers itself a leader in governance, but is crushing shareholder rights." At certain BlackRock funds, for example, if an investor doesn't submit their vote in a shareholder meeting, their shares will automatically go to support BlackRock. Saba is suing to change that. A BlackRock spokesperson called that assertion "very misleading" and said those funds "simply require that most shareholders vote affirmatively in favor." The index fund manager's rebuttal, "Defend Your Fund," describes Saba as an activist hedge fund seeking to "enrich itself." Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun speaks briefly with reporters as he arrives for a meeting at the office of Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) on Capitol Hill January 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. Boeing shareholders voted to re-elect the outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun to the board of directors, a preliminary tally on Friday showed, as he sought to reassure investors that the manufacturer is on the path to stability amid its latest safety crisis. Calhoun in March said he will step down by year's end, months after a door plug panel blew out midflight from a Boeing 737 Max 9, ushering in new scrutiny of the manufacturer's safety and quality control issues. Boeing also replaced its board chair and the head of its commercial airplane unit in the shakeup. Boeing's new chairman, Steve Mollenkopf, told shareholders at the company's annual meeting Friday that he has consulted with investors and customers on Calhoun's successor. Proxy advisor Glass Lewis had recommended that shareholders vote against Calhoun and two other board members. Boeing's latest problems have driven down deliveries of new aircraft, frustrating airline executives who have complained about having to change their flight schedules and scale back staffing. It has also further strained Boeing's relationship with its regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration, which has ramped up inspections of the manufacturer. Earlier this week, the Justice Department said Boeing violated a 2021 settlement that protected the company from criminal charges tied to the two fatal 737 Max crashes, opening Boeing up to potential U.S. prosecution. Student protests against the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict have brought battalions of police in riot gear to college campuses, enraged some billionaire donors, and led to canceled graduation ceremonies. One constant refrain at these protests is the call for college endowment funds to divest from Israel and the many American companies that do business there. Tech companies such as Google and Amazon and defense contractors such as Boeing and Lockheed are on that list. "These endowments are famously opaque," said Alison Taylor, clinical associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. "So there is very often not any information publicly available about what is happening to these funds. And that is, in fact, one of the student demands as well." Putting divestment into practice, though, is a tall order. Some universities, such as the University of California, Berkeley, agreed to review their investments. However, many universities have ignored the calls to divest from Israel or companies that do business there. "Universities are reluctant to divest on any issue because it might lower the returns on their endowment, which would affect their ability to serve the needs of future students," said Witold Henisz, professor of management at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. "If we introduce greater risk or lower returns in the endowment, there'll be less funds available to cover ... tuition assistance, to cover the running costs of the university for students who may not even be born yet." Watch the video above to learn more about how divesting from Israel and companies who do business there would actually work, and how it would affect the tens of billions of dollars at stake in college endowment funds. Kuniskis will be replaced by Chrysler brand CEO Christine Feuell, who will lead Ram in addition to Chrysler, and Matt McAlear, who will be promoted from Dodge's sales lead to brand CEO and a member of Stellantis' top executive team. The appointments are effective June 1, the company said. During his tenure, Dodge reestablished itself as a quintessential American muscle car brand . The brand did so with vehicles such as the more than 700 horsepower Challenger and Charger Hellcat models and controversial Challenger Demon drag race cars. Kuniskis, who has led several of the carmaker's brands in North America, is best known for leading Dodge for most of the last decade or so. He is considered the "father" of Dodge's high-performance Hellcat models and "the unofficial spokesman" for American muscle cars. DETROIT Stellantis ' Dodge and Ram brands CEO Tim Kuniskis is retiring after a nearly 32-year career with the automaker and its predecessors, the company announced Friday. The changes come as Stellantis carries out a restructuring, including layoffs and cost cutting. It has struggled with U.S. sales, which declined 1.2% last year in a market that grew 12.3%. The company was the only major automaker to report a yearly decline, according to Motor intelligence data. "I want to take the opportunity to warmly thank Tim for his passion, commitment and contributions to Stellantis and in defining the vision of the future electrified Ram and Dodge brands. I wish him well in his retirement," Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said in a release. "I am confident that Chris will continue the work of Tim in leading the iconic Ram brand. Matt will bring a fresh perspective, while continuing to draw on the heritage of our iconic Dodge brand and leading the transition of the brand toward a sustainable future." While the company did not invest in all-new products for Dodge, Kuniskis, a salesperson and marketer, was able to grow awareness and sales of the brand's Charger, Challenger and Durango vehicles over the years. Dodge often sparked interest by increasing V-8 engine performance or announcing new "buzz" models. Kuniskis has been a member of Stellantis' top executive team since the company was established through a merger of Fiat Chrysler and French automaker PSA Groupe in January 2021. He also served on the top board for Fiat Chrysler, under late CEO Sergio Marchionne. Kuniskis' departure is the latest in a string of changes to the company since the automaker was established. Recent changes have include a shuffle of Jeep's top executives; North America head Mark Stewart leaving to become CEO of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co .; and a shakeup late last year of the company's international operations like the South America and Asia-Pacific regions, including China. Attorney John Eastman, the architect of a legal strategy aimed at keeping former President Donald Trump in power, gets out of an SUV to talk to reporters after a hearing in Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. The attorney John Eastman pleaded not guilty Friday in the Arizona case charging him and other allies of former President Donald Trump with crimes related to their attempt to undo his 2020 election loss in the state to President Joe Biden. Eastman is the first of 18 defendants in the case to be arraigned in a state courthouse in Phoenix. Arraignments of the other defendants, including former Trump House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, are scheduled for the coming weeks. Eastman, Meadows, Giuliani, and more than a dozen other people including Trump are separately charged in Georgia state court crimes connected with their efforts there to undo Trump's 2020 defeat. Frontier Airlines said it will stop charging customers a fee to change their flights, taking a page from larger competitors as the Biden administration issues stricter rules targeting so-called "junk fees." The change is part of an overhaul announced on Friday of the budget airline's longtime pricing model, which brings customers in the door with eye-catching low base fares but charges a fee for everything else such as seating assignments and carry-on baggage. That model is shared by fellow discounter Spirit Airlines . Frontier said it will start offering packages that include some of those add-ons, among others, such as early boarding. While some fares will still allow travelers to add on options a la carte, "we expect that option to be a minority of customers," Frontier CEO Barry Biffle told CNBC. A new "economy" bundle that comes with a carry-on and a seat assignment will start at $30 more than a basic fare, while a "premium" bundle that offers those perks plus earlier boarding will be $50 more than the basic fare. For at least $100 more than a basic fare, "business" bundle travelers will also be able to check two bags and get a seat at the front of the plane with more room. Last month, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule that requires airlines to tell customers about fees, including those for checked or carry-on baggage, up front, a change the DOT said would save travelers more than half a billion dollars a year. Frontier currently charges up to $99 to change flights if the change is made within a week of the trip, according to the airline's website. Larger rivals Delta , American and United scrapped change fees during the Covid-19 pandemic for travelers who were booked in standard economy class and above. Southwest Airlines does not charge customers to change their tickets. "The truth is the big four [U.S. airlines] all have no change fees on the majority of their products, so we were not as desirable," Biffle said. He said change fees were a "top complaint" of travelers. Travelers who buy the cheapest option on Frontier will still have to pay to change their flights. Frontier also said flight credits would be valid for 12 months, up from three months, starting with tickets issued on Friday, and that it will reintroduce live phone support for travelers flying within 24 hours or to elite members of its frequent flyer program. The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority cleared Microsoft's artificial intelligence partnership with Mistral of regulatory concerns after previously inviting views on whether the arrangement qualified as a merger. The CMA said in a brief update Friday that the deal "does not qualify for investigation under the merger provisions of the Enterprise Act 2002." A CMA spokesperson said the regulator found that, based on evidence provided by Microsoft and Mistral and additional industry feedback, it does not believe Microsoft has "material influence" over Mistral. "Investment and partnership are essential to new players in the AI economy," A Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC in an emailed statement. "We welcome the CMA's determination that our fractional investment and partnership with Mistral AI does not qualify as a merger or acquisition." Mistral was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC. Mistral, a French AI firm founded in 2023, won a 15 million euro, or $16 million, investment from Microsoft earlier this year. Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. tech giant receives a minority stake in Mistral, while the French company adds its large language models to the U.S. tech giant's Azure cloud computing platform. BofA Securities has screened for 20 of Asia's "most important stocks," selected from the constituents of the MSCI Asia Pacific Index. Each stock's importance is measured by "multiplying the index weight and the extent to which the stock performs differently from same Index (the volatility of relative return versus the MSCI Asia Pacific Index over the preceding ten years)," the analysts wrote in a May 10 note. The stocks have a market cap of at least $20 billion and a minimum average daily turnover of $20 million. Back-testing shows that the investment bank's list of top stocks "would have outperformed in 16 of the last 29 calendar years, and that they tend to outperform in rising markets." "In recent years, they would have meaningfully outperformed in 2019-2020, but meaningfully underperformed in 2021-2022. These are important stocks investors need to get right," BofA's analysts said. Here are 10 stocks from the investment bank's list, which stand out for having substantial upside potential, according to FactSet's consensus price targets. Top stocks Among the names that turned up on the bank's screen is Hong Kong-based life insurance company AIA Group . All 30 analysts covering the stock are bullish and give it either a buy or overweight rating at a target price of 89.72 Hong Kong dollars ($11.50). This gives the stock upside potential of 42.0%. South Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix also turned up on the screen. Of the 41 analysts covering Samsung Electronics, 36 have an overweight or buy call. Analysts' target price on the stock is 103,211 Korean won ($76.61), or 32.0% potential upside, according to FactSet data. And 35 of 39 analysts covering SK Hynix have a buy or overweight rating on the stock. Their average target price is 233,378 Korean won, implying nearly 20.9% upside potential, FactSet data shows. CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report. OpenAI has disbanded its team focused on the long-term risks of artificial intelligence just one year after the company announced the group, a person familiar with the situation confirmed to CNBC on Friday. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said some of the team members are being reassigned to multiple other teams within the company. The news comes days after both team leaders, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike, announced their departures from the Microsoft-backed startup. Leike on Friday wrote that OpenAI's "safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products." OpenAI's Superalignment team, announced last year, has focused on "scientific and technical breakthroughs to steer and control AI systems much smarter than us." At the time, OpenAI said it would commit 20% of its computing power to the initiative over four years. OpenAI did not provide a comment and instead directed CNBC to co-founder and CEO Sam Altman's recent post on X, where he shared that he was sad to see Leike leave and that the company had more work to do. On Saturday, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman posted a statement attributed to both himself and Altman on X, asserting that the company has "raised awareness of the risks and opportunities of AGI so that the world can better prepare for it." News of the team's dissolution was first reported by Wired. Sutskever and Leike on Tuesday announced their departures on social media platform X, hours apart, but on Friday, Leike shared more details about why he left the startup. "I joined because I thought OpenAI would be the best place in the world to do this research," Leike wrote on X. "However, I have been disagreeing with OpenAI leadership about the company's core priorities for quite some time, until we finally reached a breaking point." Leike wrote that he believes much more of the company's bandwidth should be focused on security, monitoring, preparedness, safety and societal impact. "These problems are quite hard to get right, and I am concerned we aren't on a trajectory to get there," he wrote. "Over the past few months my team has been sailing against the wind. Sometimes we were struggling for [computing resources] and it was getting harder and harder to get this crucial research done." Leike added that OpenAI must become a "safety-first AGI company." "Building smarter-than-human machines is an inherently dangerous endeavor," he wrote. "OpenAI is shouldering an enormous responsibility on behalf of all of humanity. But over the past years, safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products." Leike did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The high-profile departures come months after OpenAI went through a leadership crisis involving Altman. In November, OpenAI's board ousted Altman, saying in a statement that Altman had not been "consistently candid in his communications with the board." The issue seemed to grow more complex each day, with The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets reporting that Sutskever trained his focus on ensuring that artificial intelligence would not harm humans, while others, including Altman, were instead more eager to push ahead with delivering new technology. Altman's ouster prompted resignations or threats of resignations, including an open letter signed by virtually all of OpenAI's employees, and uproar from investors, including Microsoft . Within a week, Altman was back at the company, and board members Helen Toner, Tasha McCauley and Ilya Sutskever, who had voted to oust Altman, were out. Sutskever stayed on staff at the time but no longer in his capacity as a board member. Adam D'Angelo, who had also voted to oust Altman, remained on the board. When Altman was asked about Sutskever's status on a Zoom call with reporters in March, he said there were no updates to share. "I love Ilya ... I hope we work together for the rest of our careers, my career, whatever," Altman said. "Nothing to announce today." On Tuesday, Altman shared his thoughts on Sutskever's departure. "This is very sad to me; Ilya is easily one of the greatest minds of our generation, a guiding light of our field, and a dear friend," Altman wrote on X. "His brilliance and vision are well known; his warmth and compassion are less well known but no less important." Altman said research director Jakub Pachocki, who has been at OpenAI since 2017, will replace Sutskever as chief scientist. News of Sutskever's and Leike's departures, and the dissolution of the superalignment team, come days after OpenAI launched a new AI model and desktop version of ChatGPT, along with an updated user interface, the company's latest effort to expand the use of its popular chatbot. The update brings the GPT-4 model to everyone, including OpenAI's free users, technology chief Mira Murati said Monday in a livestreamed event. She added that the new model, GPT-4o, is "much faster," with improved capabilities in text, video and audio. OpenAI said it eventually plans to allow users to video chat with ChatGPT. "This is the first time that we are really making a huge step forward when it comes to the ease of use," Murati said. Kim attends Buddhist event amid growing doubts on reshuffle of prosecutors By Nam Hyun-woo First lady Kim Keon Hee finds herself at the heart of a heated political debate as she resumed official appearances following nearly five months of maintaining a low profile, evading opposition-led offensives concerning allegations surrounding her. Kim accompanied her husband President Yoon Suk Yeol at a celebration of the return of 14th century Buddhist relics at a Jogye order temple in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, after the Jogye order requested Kim's presence due to her playing an important role in bringing the remains back. Kim's presence came three days after the first lady resumed appearing in public with her attendance at an official lunch between Yoon and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the presidential office in Seoul, Thursday. It was her first official appearance in 153 days, after she accompanied Yoons trip to the Netherlands in December last year. On April 5, Kim cast her ballot during the early voting period for the April 10 general elections and engaged with the first ladies of Romania and Angola during Yoons respective summits with the leaders of the countries. However, those meetings were held behind closed doors. Kim's low-profile stance was widely interpreted as efforts by the presidential office to mitigate controversies surrounding the first lady, including her acceptance of a Christian Dior bag from a pastor in 2022, aiming to prevent them from impacting the general elections in April. After Yoon issued an apology for his wife's handbag scandal during his press conference on May 9, the presidential office opened the first lady's official activities to media, though the prosecution is set to launch a full-scale investigation and the opposition is maintaining its skeptical view on her. The opposition also seeks to table a special counsel probe bill on her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scandal in the upcoming 22nd National Assembly, despite Yoon having vetoed a similar bill passed by the 21st Assembly. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is raising suspicions that Kim is resuming her official activities due to a perceived leniency from the prosecution in its ongoing investigation. "None of the suspicions surrounding the first lady were addressed, and the public's anger is growing as the prosecutors who were investigating Kim at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office were replaced with Yoon loyalists," the DPK said in a commentary, Sunday. "What she should face is the law. If she has nothing to hide, she should cooperate with a special counsel probe and directly address the public's suspicions through apologies." DPK floor leader Rep. Park Chan-dae said Friday that the reshuffle seems to be "a miraculous coincidence." After the ruling party lost in the general elections, Prosecutor General Lee One-seok ordered an investigation into Kims luxury bag scandal. However, an unexpected reshuffle of senior prosecutors, including those in charge of the case, was carried out," Park said. "And Kim showed up at an official event on Thursday... Seeing how everything is clicking into place, it is natural for anyone to suspect that the prosecution promised to go easy on the investigation into Kim. During an interview with broadcaster MBC, Friday, minor opposition Reform Party Chairman Lee Jun-seok said, "She should understand that pending political problems such as special counsel probe bills stem from her own actions." It would be inappropriate to tell the first lady to do nothing, so I hope she will engage in volunteer work or fulfill the diplomatic responsibilities expected of her role," Lee said. But still, I believe there should have been a proper explanation when she halted her official appearances. For example, if she had talked about a need for self-reflection regarding her actions, her absence would have been meaningful. However, she did not make any explanations for her absence from the public eye or her subsequent return." According to the presidential office, Kim will continue attending public events to serve her role as the first lady, meaning that she will likely appear at the upcoming trilateral summit between Korea, China and Japan, and accompany Yoon at diplomatic events. A version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. The rich have taken "quiet wealth" to a new level, turning to private purchases of mansions, art and classic cars designed to avoid attention, according to experts. Auction companies and luxury real estate brokers say wealthy buyers and sellers are increasingly turning to private sales and off-market listings to avoid social media and prying eyes. While public auction sales are declining in the art world, private sales done behind closed doors between discreet buyers and sellers are growing. Last year, while combined public auction sales for Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips fell by 19%, private sales increased by 4% at Sotheby's and 5% at Christie's, totaling $2.4 billion across the two auction houses. CNBC reported in February that Christie's had sold a Mark Rothko painting for over $100 million to hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin, even as public auctions continued to decline. Classic cars are also seeing a shift to private sales, especially with the most expensive and rare models. RM Sotheby's, the classic-car auction company, has sold trophy Ferraris, Porsches and other trophy cars by public auction for more than 30 years. But its newly formed RM Sotheby's private sales division has seen its sales more than quadruple over the past four years, according to Shelby Myers, global head of private sales for RM Sotheby's. Private sales, where cars are discreetly brokered between buyer and seller without an auction or public price, now account for nearly a third of revenue, he said. "We've definitely seen a trend where people want to transact privately," Myers said. "Discretion today is key. People can buy without the whole world staring at them." The rise in private sales for classic cars, art, real estate and other markets is being driven by social media, technology and cooling prices for collectibles. When a work of art or classic car comes up for auction, the results, and sometimes the seller, are highly public, spread over social media and blogs. Collectibles experts say sellers don't want to risk putting a treasured item up for auction only to have it stumble publicly on the auction block. "It's very public now when someone loses money on a sale, and no one wants that," Myers said. "Up until a few years ago, you could buy a car at auction and the prices wouldn't be splattered all over social media." Collectors who like to show their cars at events and award shows are also shying away from auctions since viewers are more likely to be able to figure out how much the owner paid. "The car enthusiasts used to be a relatively small, tight-knit group," Myers said. "Now when a major collector shows their car, it spreads like wildfire over blogs and the internet. And everyone can see who the owner is and what they paid." In real estate, many of the biggest deals in Manhattan, Malibu, Aspen, the Hamptons and Palm Beach are now in private or "off-market" sales. Also known as "whisper" or "pocket" listings, off-market properties are not listed on multiple listing services or public websites but are shopped around quietly among a select group of brokers and buyers. A townhouse in Manhattan's Greenwich Village sold this year in an off-market deal for $72.5 million, making it the most expensive townhouse ever sold downtown. A 13,000-square-foot mansion in Palm Beach sold off-market for $60 million, making it one the most expensive non-waterfront homes ever sold on the island. And Aspen's first sale of over $100 million Patrick Dovigi's mansion on Red Mountain to billionaires Steve Wynn and Thomas Peterffy was off-market, with the broker representing both the buyer and seller. Los Angeles is considered the birthplace of off-market deals, starting in the 1980s and 1990s when celebrities and movie stars wanted to avoid overzealous fans visiting their listed homes. Over time, according to Douglas Elliman real estate agent Ernie Carswell in Los Angeles, wealthy, not but famous, sellers have joined in on the off-market craze. "Even the average multi-millionaire or billionaire likes the idea of selling without the media and privacy invasion," Carswell said. Carswell said he currently has a billionaire client in New York who wants a special property in Los Angeles, so Carswell is looking at a mega-mansion owned by a Middle Eastern billionaire who is offering it only to select buyers. He's also working on a deal in Palm Springs with a celebrity selling a home he didn't want to be publicly shown to a billionaire buyer who doesn't want any photos of his new home on the web. "They don't want burglars to know how to get to the bedroom, or how much land there is or how to get through the hedges," Carswell said. "I blame technology." Carswell said off-market listings don't make sense for properties under $5 million since they have a larger possible buying pool and benefit from broader marketing. But for special mega-homes in Malibu, Bel Air or Beverly Hills priced over $20 million, the list of potential buyers is smaller, and most are already known to the brokers, which makes an off-market agreement more appealing. That makes broker relationships even more important especially to the wealthy, Carswell said. "Never before has the need for a skilled, connected real estate professional been more valuable, especially at the high end," he said. Still, some brokers say even for pricey properties, sellers who go private don't get the highest price since they're limiting their pool of potential buyers. "They're leaving money on the table," said real estate broker Noble Black of Douglas Elliman. "There is a valid reason for not listing, you want privacy and discretion. But you're paying a premium for that." Sign up to receive future editions of CNBC's Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank. Lone Pine Capital made new bets on some high-performing power producers and one big streaming company in the first quarter, a new Securities and Exchange Commission filing shows. Lone Pine, founded by Stephen Mandel in 1997, added a $446.7 million position in Vistra Corp. and a $161.9 million stake in Constellation Energy in the first quarter. Vistra shares have more than doubled already in 2024, soaring 141% through Thursday, while Constellation, the largest owner of nuclear power plants in the U.S., has advanced 85%. Both stocks have benefited from intense artificial intelligence-related electricity demand. The Greenwich, Connecticut-based hedge fund also built a stake in Spotify worth more than $445 million at the end of March, according to the filing. The stock is up more than 59% this year. Lone Pine also added new positions in drug and medical supplies distributor McKesson and mobile tech company AppLovin , worth about $368 million and $300 million, respectively. The new additions came as Lone Pine significantly cut its holdings in three big tech companies: Meta Platforms, Taiwan Semiconductor and Amazon . Meanwhile, the hedge fund slightly raised its stake in Microsoft. Mandel slashed his holding in Meta by more than 25% in the first quarter, when the stock soared 37%. Meta tumbled 11% in April, almost all of which came when the Mark Zuckerberg-led platform gave a lighter forecast in its first-quarter earnings report. Still, the Instagram and Facebook parent amounts to roughly 8% of the hedge fund's entire portfolio, making it Mandel's largest holding, according to InsiderScore. Microsoft is Lone Pine's third-largest position, trailing Taiwan Semiconductor, which Lone Pine reduced by 11%. Amazon is the fourth-largest holding, even after the hedge fund cut its stake in the e-commerce retailer by about 18%. One company that saw a sizable increase was tobacco maker Philip Morris International . Mandel more than doubled his stake in the stock, which is up 7% this year. The hedge fund completely exited positions in UnitedHealth Group and GE Aerospace , which began trading in its current form in April after spinning off its GE Vernova power business. Mandel, who is not involved in day-to-day management at the firm, is one of the so-called "Tiger Cubs" mentored by legendary hedge fund pioneer Julian Robertson. Associate Justice Samuel Alito poses during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. Erin Schaff | Pool | Reuters The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday and others urged Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from considering cases related to the 2020 election including the question of former President Donald Trump's immunity from criminal prosecution because of controversy over an upside-down U.S. flag that flew outside Alito's home more than a week after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitiol. Judiciary chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., suggested that the conservative Alito was adding to ethical concerns about the court after The New York Times report on Thursday detailing a photo of the flag displayed in that manner outside the justice's Virginia home on Jan. 17, 2021, three days before President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was due to be sworn into office. Alito told the Times his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, hung the flag upside-down after a confrontation with a neighbor after the election, which Trump has falsely claimed to have won. Some Trump supporters who argued that he won the 2020 election displayed the flag in that same manner during the invasion of the Capitol and at protests and rallies. Under the U.S. Flag Code, "The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property." Durbin in a statement said, "Flying an upside-down American flag a symbol of the so-called 'Stop the Steal' movement clearly creates the appearance of bias." "Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former President's immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering," Durbin said. The Supreme Court is expected to soon rule on Trump's claim that he has presidential immunity from prosecution in a federal case in Washington, D.C., in which he is charged with crimes related to his attempt to undo Biden's 2020 electoral victory. Alito and the other justices heard oral arguments in that case in late April. Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. Olivier Douliery | AFP | Getty Images "The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust." White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, when asked about the controversy Friday, told reporters, : "I don't want to comment on the specific report, on that reporting." "What I can say more broadly is that the president believes that the American flag is sacred, you've heard him say that, and is owed proper respect in honor of the brave men and women who have defended our country for generations, and we should be respecting that flag, we should be making sure that it is respected in that way, it is sacred," Jean-Pierre said. "As for anything else, the conduct or recusing himself that is something for the court to decide." The advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said the hanging of the flag at the Alito home calls into question his objectivity in a recent Supreme Court decision that overturned a Colorado high court ruling that had banned Trump from that state's election ballot this year due to engaging in insurrection by inciting the Capitol riot. The riot for hours disrupted a joint session of Congress that was meeting that day to confirm Biden's victory over Trump in the Electoral Congress. "This appears to be a staggering ethical violation and calls into question Justice Alito's objectivity in Trump v. Anderson and other cases," said CREW President Noah Bookbinder, using the name of the Colorado case. "Justices are supposed to avoid even the appearance of bias," Bookbinder said. "We don't know exactly who put the flag up, but we know that it remained there for days." "Not only did Justice Alito fail to avoid the appearance of bias, he also spent years ruling on cases pertaining to the 2020 election and the attack on the Capitol despite having made a public display of apparent affinity with those who sought to overturn democracy as we know it." In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, 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 and opening of China-Russia Years of Culture at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on May 16, 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday was quoted as saying that capturing Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv is not part of Moscow's current plan. Speaking at a news conference in China, Putin said that Russian forces operating in the area may be forced to create a "sanitary zone" to shore up Russia's own security, according to Russian state news agency Ria Novosti. His comments come as Ukrainian forces scramble to hold off Russia's latest push to make further gains in Ukraine's northeastern region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that the country's defense forces had "stabilized" the situation around Kharkiv after Russian forces advanced 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into the northeastern region. An air raid alert in Kharkiv lasted more than 16-and-a-half hours, Reuters reported, citing Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne. It marked the longest recorded air alert since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russian authorities on Friday said that a massive Ukrainian drone attack set a major Russian oil refinery ablaze and caused power outages in Crimea's largest city of Sevastopol. Vietnam forfeited at least $2.5 billion in foreign aid over the last three years and may lose another $1 billion because of administrative paralysis, the United Nations, the World Bank and Western donors told the government in a letter seen by Reuters. Vietnam forfeited at least $2.5 billion in foreign aid over the last three years and may lose another $1 billion because of administrative paralysis, the United Nations, the World Bank and Western donors told the government in a letter seen by Reuters. The previously unreported figures from the unpublished document, dated March 6, highlight frustration among foreign investors over regulatory hurdles and lengthy approval procedures that have caused prolonged deadlock as the Communist-ruled country is gripped by an escalating anti-corruption campaign and political turbulence. "Approximately $1 billion in development funding is awaiting approval, with an additional $2.5 billion returned due to funding expirations," said the letter, sent to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh effectively signaling potential losses worth nearly 1% of the country's gross domestic product. The expired funding could delay much-needed projects, such as infrastructure upgrades, and donors stressed in the letter that much more may have been lost in additional funds that have been "deterred by the protracted approval processes." Two senior foreign officials interviewed by Reuters directly linked the administrative hurdles to the "blazing furnace" anti-graft drive, echoing similar comments from other diplomats and officials in recent months. The anti-graft drive has created a sort of paralysis, in which bureaucrats are slow to approve or advance initiatives because they fear accidentally violating complex regulations. Amid those constraints, the country is struggling to spend even its own public funds, having failed to invest about $19 billion from 2021 to 2023, one-quarter less than it had planned, according to the finance ministry. The letter was sent by the heads of the U.N. and World Bank in Vietnam and is co-signed by 18 ambassadors, including from the United States, the European Union and Japan, and the head of the Asian Development Bank in the country. Vietnam's prime minister's office and the investment ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The U.N. and the World Bank said they kept working closely with the government on projects, with the U.N. acknowledging in a statement to Reuters that there were "challenges" for the use of funding. Gone are the days when wine tasting was confined to local wineries or national borders. Today's consumers crave authentic wine experiences in the land where it's cultivated. In Europe, where the wine economy is predominantly export-driven, tasting rooms tend to be family-operated. That means there may be just one person serving visitors, and appointments are often hard to schedule. The United States, Australia and South Africa take a more open-door approach, with wineries built to accommodate tourism and walk-in visitors. No matter where your wine travels lead you, consider these questions before heading out: What kind of wine do you like? What type of experience are you interested in? Do you need to make an appointment? Will there be food on-site? How will you get there? Wine touring in the Old World France Of France's 11 wine regions, Bordeaux, Burgundy (or Bourgogne) and Champagne are the most eminent. Bordeaux is known for lush reds such as cabernet sauvignon, while Burgundy champions pinot noir and chardonnay wines. Champagne produces sparkling wines made from chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier grapes. While in Bordeaux, visitors can stop at the Cite du Vin wine museum, explore elegant chateaux and dine in Michelin-star restaurants. Bordeaux is the only city in Europe with wineries within the city walls. Some are accessible via bike or tram. Chateau Angelus in Saint Emilion, France is listed as a "Chateaux to Visit" on the website of Viniv Bordeaux. Georges Gobet | Afp | Getty Images Burgundy is home to spectacular landscapes covered by vineyards and dotted with centuries-old chateaux. An area of its vineyards, called The Climats, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region of Champagne is worth a visit and not only for the bubbles. Wine tours at some of the older producers may include a view of the ancient underground cellars used to escape the German soldiers during World War I. Montagne de Reims, one of the five sub-regions of the Champagne wine region. Pakin Songmor | Moment | Getty Images Most in-demand French tasting experiences must be booked in advance. Also, hours of operation vary from region to region. Travelers should consider hiring a driver in Burgundy and Champagne. Alternatively, river cruises, like those on the Rhone, are an excellent way to see these magnificent wine regions. Italy Tuscany, one of the oldest wine regions in Italy, is a beautiful region of rolling hills, cypress trees, olive orchards and vineyards. Chianti classico is the main attraction in Tuscany, but Montalcino's brunello is a huge draw for aficionados. Though both are made from Sangiovese grapes, the flavor profiles are quite different. The vineyards of the Chianti wine region in Tuscany, Italy. Zodebala | E+ | Getty Images Wine festivals are an easy way to enjoy regional wine in Italy. In Tuscany, the village of Greve hosts the Chianti Classico Wine Festival in mid-September. Also in the fall, the town of Alba in Piedmont hosts a wildly popular wine and truffle festival. Parking can be tough, so visitors can consider carpooling or traveling via taxi. Hired drivers are recommended in Tuscany; the area is mountainous with lots of curves and narrow roads. Similar to France, visitors should book appointments in advance. Wine touring in the New World Wine tourism in the New World is casual and easy. Appointments are rarely needed, and most tasting rooms are open seven days a week. The United States California is renowned for wine tasting, though almost every state in the continental U.S. has a wine region or wine tourism area. Napa Valley, known for its bold cabernet sauvignon, is the premier wine region in the United States. Visitors can drive between vineyards, bike the Napa Valley Wine Trail, or book a ride on the vintage Napa Valley Wine Train. Visitors tasting wine at Napa Valley's Freemark Abbey winery. Kim Kulish | Corbis Historical | Getty Images Sonoma is a vast region with rolling hills and 50 miles of rugged coastline best known for pinot noir and chardonnay, plus some zinfandel in the warmer appellations. Tasting rooms are spread out, so more time is needed to explore it. The best way to visit both regions is to book a driver, ideally one with contacts at the wineries. While it used to be the norm to book in advance, many visitors now walk in for a tasting. However, appointments are still preferred. Other states with bustling wine tourism include Texas, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and New York. Australia Wine tourism in the land "Down Under" is cutting-edge. Most of the wineries and tasting rooms are referred to as cellar doors. A few regions to consider are Yarra Valley in Victoria; Barossa Valley near Adelaide, and Margaret River about two hours south of Perth. Wine at Helen & Joey Estate at the company's "cellar door" in the wine region of Yarra Valley, outside of Melbourne. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Wine tourism in Yarra Valley is convenient, with cellar doors open daily and wineries less than a mile apart. On-site dining and even accommodations are very common, making this area easy to visit. Many large producers host concerts and outdoor events, that showcase the region's chardonnay, pinot noir and some sparkling wines. Margaret River offers great surfing as well as wine tasting. Visitors can look for unoaked chardonnay and Bordeaux blends. Its winding roads are known for frequent kangaroo crossings, and drivers are recommended. Barossa is one of the older wine regions in Australia, with some 200 cellar doors within two hours of Adelaide. Here, wine tasting can come with koala and kangaroo sightings. Many grape varietals are grown in the valley including grenache and riesling - ensuring there's something for most palates. South Africa South Africa may be considered a new world wine region, but Constantia, a top destination for wine tasting, is centuries old. Opened in 1685, Groot Constantia is South Africa's first wine farm. It sits among other vineyards that make up the Constantia Wine Route, a 20-minute drive from Cape Town. A sightseeing wine tour bus passes a vineyard in the Constantia wine region of South Africa. Education Images | Universal Images Group | Getty Images The nominee for chief of the anti-corruption investigation body pledged a thorough probe Friday into an alleged interference case related to the death of a young Marine, saying President Yoon Suk Yeol could, in principle, be subject to a summons. Oh Dong-woon, a former Seoul High Court judge nominated to head the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), made the remarks at a parliamentary confirmation hearing, saying he will investigate the case thoroughly according to the law and principles "without the slightest" mistake. The CIO has been investigating allegations that Yoon's office and the defense ministry inappropriately interfered in a military investigation into the death of Cpl. Chae Su-geun during a search mission for downpour victims in July 2023. Oh said that for a president, there are regulations for exceptions from criminal prosecution unlike for the general public, but Yoon can "indeed be a subject of investigation." During the hearing, lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) renewed calls for a special counsel probe into Chae's death, pointing to mounting suspicions about the presidential office's possible involvement. Meanwhile, the ruling People Power Party defended the CIO's ongoing investigation into the Marine's death as "proceeding well compared to other cases." "Asserting that a special counsel probe is needed is akin to arguing that the CIO investigation is lacking, and that the agency is unable or unwilling to investigate properly," Rep. Jang Dong-Hyeok said. During the one-day hearing, Oh also said he will aim to "protect the prosecutors at CIO from external pressure so they can perform their duties solely based on the law and principles." "We will put our utmost efforts to protect the political neutrality and independence of the CIO and to eradicate corruption among high-ranking officials in strict accordance with the law and principles and ensure transparency and public trust in government officials," he said. Oh's confirmation hearing comes four months after the inaugural CIO chief, Kim Jin-wook, retired following a three-year term. The CIO was created in 2021 to uproot corruption among high-ranking officials. Oh served as a judge from 2002-2017. Oh's confirmation hearing is widely seen as a formality because his formal appointment does not require the endorsement of the National Assembly. In Korea, the prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires parliamentary approval. (Yonhap) Older American Indians experience higher levels of cognitive impairment than previously thought, according to a recent study. Cognitive Impairment in Older American Indians Researchers have discovered that 54% of older American Indians have some form of cognitive impairment, with 10% of these people suffering from dementia. This figure reveals a significant health disparity compared to the general American population. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia. The research highlighted that both vascular injury and Alzheimer's disease are major contributors to cognitive impairment among American Indians. Contributors to Cognitive Impairment The study identifies untreated hypertension and diabetes as leading causes of vascular injury, which, along with Alzheimer's disease, significantly impacts cognitive health. The findings showed the need for targeted prevention strategies. Dr. Amy S. Kelley, deputy director of NIH's National Institute on Aging, stressed the importance of addressing health disparities to develop effective solutions for older adults. Comparison with Other Groups Previous research, which relied on medical records, estimated that cognitive impairment levels in American Indians were similar to non-Hispanic whites. However, the new study employed more direct methods, including surveys and personal assessments, revealing higher impairment rates. Among the 216 American Indian participants aged 72-95, 35.3% had mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 10.3% had dementia, and 8.8% had other cognitive impairments. In contrast, 45.6% showed no signs of impairment. The findings suggeted that older American Indians have higher rates of MCI and dementia compared to other groups. Vascular Risk Factors The research also indicated that vascular brain injury markers were more prevalent than Alzheimer's markers in cases of MCI. This suggests that both Alzheimer's disease and vascular injury are significant contributors to cognitive impairment. Dallas Anderson, PhD, MPH, an NIA program director and neuroepidemiologist, pointed out that vascular risk factors like hypertension and diabetes are modifiable and should be prioritized to reduce cognitive impairment risk among American Indians. Study Methodology The study was conducted by a team from the Huntington Medical Research Institutes in Pasadena, California, and the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. It utilized data from the NIH-funded Strong Heart Study, a long-term population-based study of American Indian Tribes across three U.S. regions. The ancillary study included detailed cognitive testing, neurological exams, and brain imaging conducted over two visits, approximately seven years apart. Overall, the findings underscored the urgent need for tailored interventions to address the high prevalence of cognitive impairment among older American Indians, highlighting the importance of managing vascular risk factors to improve cognitive health outcomes. By Nam Hyun-woo Minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP) Chairman Cho Kuk proposed a plan, Friday, to shorten President Yoon Suk Yeols single, five-year term by revising the Constitution, urging the president to honorably agree with the shortened term. During a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, the party presented the constitutional amendment plan, featuring the proposal to make the president serve a maximum of two four-year terms. The RKP has secured 12 out of 300 seats in the upcoming 22nd National Assembly. I propose holding a national referendum on the issue ahead of the local elections in June 2026 and consolidating the next presidential election with the local elections," Cho said. Holding the presidential and local elections concurrently can significantly curtail the waste of national resources. We can reduce the waste of national resources by holding the presidential and local elections at the same time. After amending the Constitution, we can introduce an additional clause to shorten the term of the incumbent president. The proposal is in line with the partys campaign to impeach Yoon. Cho has been promoting the idea of impeachment, stating that the president can be ousted if there is "evidence that he is not abiding by the constitutional order." Given the bitter experience of impeaching former President Park Geun-hye in 2017 and the ensuing political turmoil, pundits say not only politicians but also the general public has become more cautious about the issue of impeachment. Against this backdrop, the RKPs push to shorten the presidents term is viewed as a strategic move to potentially facilitate a de facto impeachment. Should President Yoon honorably agree to shorten his term and endorse the constitutional amendment we propose, he will be remembered in history as a president who contributed to changing the countrys Constitution, despite any past failures, incompetence or irresponsibility within his administration, Cho said. The proposal came amid the main opposition Democratic Party of Koreas (DPK) own push to amend the Constitution to include the spirit of the 1980 democratic uprising into the full text of the Constitution. At the same time, the DPK, which has secured 175 seats for the upcoming Assembly, is floating the idea of weakening presidential veto power, thereby targeting Yoon. Meanwhile, the ruling People Power Party also welcomes stipulating the spirit of the 1980 democratic uprising into the Constitution, but flatly refused to oppose any limits on the presidential veto power. "The presidential veto power is the essence of the principle of separating legal, administrative and judicial powers, and limiting the veto power is equivalent to disavowing the Constitution," PPP floor leader Rep. Choo Kyung-ho said. With ongoing conflicts in regions like Israel, Gaza, Russia, and Ukraine, alongside economic uncertainties in today's world, it's common to feel inundated by distressing headlines and graphic imagery. While staying informed is crucial, constant exposure to such content can strain mental well-being. According to Iliyan Ivanov, a professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, exposure to violent images has detrimental effects on the brain, with no positive outcomes. For adults who have experienced trauma or who have mood disorders, the effects can be triggering. "People with some level of anxiety might have some apprehension about what may come next because the situation is so fluid and uncertain," Ivanov told CNBC Make It. "There is always this sense like: 'What else might be coming? Something terrible is going to happen.'" To mitigate the negative impact of relentless news coverage, mental health experts recommend the following strategies: Select Reliable Sources Alison Holman, a professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine, advises reading news judiciously. Holman, who specializes in trauma and media exposure research, suggests to "Identify sources of news that are reliable and trustworthy," news sources that deliver factual information. She recommends selecting two to three top-tier sources to stay informed effectively. Set Time Limits Holman emphasizes that staying informed doesn't require consuming extensive hours of coverage. Instead, she recommends allocating specific time slots in the day, such as 15 to 20 minutes in the morning and evening, to read news updates and stay abreast of current events. Holman clarifies that it's not about reducing news consumption but rather avoiding excessiveness, urging people not to ignore important information. Prioritize Text-Based Content Ivanov underscores the profound impact of graphic images on our psyche, noting that visual cues significantly influence the brain, accounting for 80% of information intake. He cautions against platforms like YouTube, which inundate viewers with endless streams of videos, often containing distressing content. "Do I need to see thousands of people dying? Of course not," Ivanov asserts, advocating for prioritizing written articles over graphic videos to comprehend the severity of events without exposing oneself to unnecessary trauma. Similarly, Holman highlights the importance of opting for textual news content over visual media, even from reputable sources. She points out that while a source may be credible, not all of its published material may be suitable for consumption. Listen to Your Body According to Holman, individual needs and capabilities vary, and it's essential to listen to your body's cues. "Are you starting to feel tension in your neck or shoulders?" she said. "Is your breathing becoming more shallow? You don't want to let yourself get caught up where you're barely breathing." She emphasizes that physical sensations such as tension in the neck or shoulders, along with shallow breathing, may indicate it's time to disengage and pursue other activities. Holman advises against becoming so absorbed in the news that you neglect self-care, urging people to pay heed to their body's signals to identify triggers and prevent overwhelming reactions. Find Balance Holman recommends prioritizing activities that bring joy or relaxation to balance out the impact of consuming news. "Find something else to do," Holman suggested. "Find some guilty pleasure. Whatever helps you process what you're learning. Just don't allow yourself to get isolated and sucked into the news by yourself." Holman emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy balance and engaging in activities that promote well-being amidst challenging times. By implementing these strategies, people can navigate the news landscape more effectively, staying informed while safeguarding their mental well-being amid the challenging times. Do sitting U.S. presidents become pals with the Saturday Night Live comics who impersonate them? Surprisingly, the answer is sometimes yes. Gerald Ford did a clumsy Im Gerald Ford and youre not to show America he was in on Chevy Chases joke (even though he really wasnt). Dana Carvey and the first George Bush struck up an unlikely friendship, with Bush inviting the comic to the Oval Office to cheer up his staff after he lost to Bill Clinton in 1992. Don't Miss As for Clinton? He took the next step, inviting his SNL doppelganger Darrell Hammond to write comedy with him. Im in the Oval Office in full Clinton drag, with the fake putty nose and the whole thing, Hammond told Howard Stern back in 2001. He wanted me to play a clone in a sketch he was doing for the Washington Correspondents (Dinner). Clinton even wanted Hammonds help writing the sketch, the comic told Stern. I didnt think that was what was going to happen, but lo and behold, you walk in and hes like, Do you think yada yada yada would be funny if I said that? (Remember, Clinton was in office when Seinfeld ruled prime time.) Hammond believes Clinton would have made a great comedian. His jokes worked really well, Hammond told Stern. And not only that, he was a really good stand-up. This cats pretty good with the spoken word. Stern wanted to know if it was a strictly work situation or if Hammond struck up a friendship with the president. Friends in the sense that once he sent me a box of M&Ms, said Hammond. When my baby was born two days later, she got a letter from him: Dear Mia, welcome to this world. Because in this next century, every person matters, north and south, east and west. Hammond shared some of his secrets for developing a killer Clinton impression, including studying videotapes to pinpoint the Clintons mannerisms. Along the way, he discovered 37 hand gestures. Advertisement You picked up 37 different hand gestures, marveled Stern. I quit at 37, Hammond replied. One other key was Hammond realizing that Clinton was also doing an impression. When I was learning Clinton, I learned it by doing (John F.) Kennedys inaugural address because I realized that Clinton was doing Kennedy, Hammond explained. Advertisement Stern could see it, noting the similarities between the two presidents hand gestures. The only difference is that, as Clinton explained the time that I was with him, Kennedys hand went down, mine goes up. I ascend, he descends. Lorne Michaels agrees with Stern that Hammonds Clinton was uncanny. Darrell inhabits characters. His Bill Clinton is Bill Clinton, Michaels said in SNL oral history Live From New York. When you saw Clinton, we could not not think of Darrell. Its nice to know that Netflix still has money in the budget for their upcoming LGBTQ+ comedy documentary Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution after paying Dave Chappelle $20 million per special as he tries to turn the entire transgender community into a punchline. On June 18th, Netflix will release their examination of the careers of certain queer comedians in a film they describe as, A feature length documentary that explores the history of LGBTQ+ stand-up comedy, considering its importance as an instrument for social change over the past five decades. Among the many legendary comics featured in the documentary are Eddie Izzard, Lily Tomlin, Tig Notaro, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Billy Eichner and Hannah Gadsby, the lattermost of whom Chappelle called out by name in his controversial and Grammy-winning 2021 Netflix special The Closer. Despite the combative relationships that many Netflix-beloved comedians have had with the LGBTQ+ community, the streamer is now putting on their ally-hat in order to appeal to progressive comedy fans and promote comedians who have had to field questions about Chappelles ongoing war on the transgender identity ever since signing their own Netflix deals. Don't Miss Netflixs efforts to platform comedians at every end of the social and political spectrums is, in many ways, a win for those who believe that comedy should be a space where artists from all walks of life can freely express any viewpoint, but it also serves a much more cynical purpose it allows Netflix to double-dip on the free marketing that comes from endless internet drama surrounding humors place in the political debates that have infiltrated all cultural discourse. Netflix Comedy might as well be Colonel Parker selling I Hate Elvis buttons. Advertisement Ahead of last weeks Netflix Is A Joke Festival in Los Angeles, Robbie Praw, Vice President of Stand-up and Comedy Formats at Netflix, explained his approach to picking and choosing comedians to promote on the platform, saying, At the end of the day, we want to give people options. Advertisement Some peoples favorite thing to do on a Saturday night may be to watch a Dave Chapelle special, Praw explained. For some people, it may be Taylor Tomlinson or Mae Martin or Sarah Silverman or John Mulaney or Chris Rock. And we dont want to block those choices for our members. And, for many, many others, its Ricky Gervais, who devoted roughly 20 minutes of his most recent Netflix special, Armageddon, to complaining about critics who werent amused by his attacks on trans activist ideology in the Netflix special before it. Advertisement The trailer for Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution opens with the high-minded platitude, An artist who is able to take their lived experience and then use it for some social change, they are the ones that have the ability to change the world. Most of the performers featured in the teaser talk about the adversity all queer comics face in their careers, and the tone of the video echoes the documentarys rebellious title as images of gay rights protests flash across the screen to the sound of those inspiring voiceovers. As a company, Netflix has made it clear that they want to appeal to both sides of the picket line in the comedy content they produce, and both the revolutionaries and the reactionaries should be free to use the platform for social change in either direction. Even YouTube's like counter on Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution reflects Netflixs dream for their comedy wing right now, it sits almost perfectly even in likes and dislikes. Advertisement Advertisement For Netflix Comedy to consistently stand by the hateful rhetoric that their top-billed comedians voice in their specials and simultaneously claim to champion the rights of their A-listers targets is as much an exercise in free speech absolutism as it is a paragon of corporate hypocrisy. To them, it doesnt matter who wins the fight over LGBTQ+ rights in America, so long as Netflix is the battleground. These pretzels are making me thirsty! Part of the brilliance of Seinfeld is that, as opposed to other multicam sitcoms wherein each and every character is expected to over-act their wackiness to rile up the laugh track, so many of the most hilarious moments in the shows history came from actors playing it perfectly straight. Jerry himself is more than happy to fill the role of the shows resident straight man, and, when the show invites serious thespians on to play guest roles, they allow dramatists to demonstrate everything they learned in theatre school through monologues delivered deep from the fathoms of their soul. Don't Miss Here are the best dramatic speeches in Seinfeld history to stir your immortal being, starting with 5 J. Peterman Jostles Elaine Out of Her Opium Addiction In all fairness, just about any scene starring the eccentric fashion mogul J. Peterman could have made it onto our list, but, in The Shower Head, the stakes were higher than theyd ever been in Elaines relationship with her strange boss as he urged her to kick her poppy dependence by revealing his own dance with the devil. Elaine maintains that she never had any such drug habit but we all know that the toll road of denial is a long and dangerous one, and shes not ready to pay the price. 4 The Van Wyck Remains Unbeaten Early in her career, Julia Louis-Dreyfus dropped out of drama school to take her short-lived job at Saturday Night Live, but her recounting of her near-victory over the Van Wyck Expressway in The Bus Boy is good enough to be her senior thesis. Seriously, the breathwork alone makes this monologue worthy of at least an Emmy nod, and its a damn shame that JLD doesnt get nearly enough opportunities to show her dramatic chops. A five-car pileup has never felt so grave. 3 The Little Girl From Panama Finally Gets Her First Cashmere Sweater Advertisement Advertisement Bridget Siennas emotional reaction to George Costanzas attempts to buy her silence with tainted wool in The Red Dot was straight out of a Tennessee Williams play. This speech has everything thats contained within the human condition desire, heartbreak, triumph and, ultimately, disappointment. Too bad Evies eye was better than her taste in men, and she spotted the titular red dot within moments of putting on her dream sweater. If only Clarence Thomas met the same fate as Costanza when his own workplace sins were uncovered. 2 George Saves the Whale Advertisement Advertisement George just wanted to be an architect, but, in The Marine Biologist, he was forced into the title role when he tried to trick an old crush into finding him attractive. Despite the seas anger and his own complete lack of experience dislodging Titleists from blowholes, George didnt just ace the most dramatic marine biology emergency of his life he also issued one of the most moving closing speeches in television history. A hole in one, indeed. Today, Twitter officially changed their URL from one of the most recognizable brand names in the world to the letter X, and thats still not as embarrassing as Elon Musks continued attempts to convince his captive audience that hes a comedy genius by ripping off other peoples jokes. Two years ago, Musk made an ass of himself after the popular satirical video game news website Hard Drive called him out for repeatedly tweeting screenshots of their article titles and cropping out the sites name in Musks disappointingly successful attempt to convince his barely-literate horde of fanboys that he could somehow come up with a headline as snappy as, Zodiac Killer Letter Solved by Opening It With VLC Media Player. After Musk refused to credit Hard Drive for their own creation and accused them of being woke, the humorists clapped back with the banger, Elon Musk Admits He Wants to Travel to Mars Because No One Hates Him There Yet. This week, Musks Twitter beef was with a more serious news organization after Reuters reported on the pattern of reckless engineering that led to the malfunctioning of the first Neuralink implant in a human patient, the news that a federal court ordered Musk to testify in the Security Exchange Commissions investigation of his Twitter takeover and how Musk is currently having a hard time convincing Tesla shareholders to pay him $56 billion after the stock lost nearly 25% of its value over the last six months. In response, Musk posted his spin on a popular meme format originating from an entry in the webcomic Cyanide & Happiness. Don't Miss Theres just one problem the Apartheid plagiarist couldnt help but cut off the watermark when he posted his pathetic attack on journalism, and the original creators might just make like the SEC and see him in court. To Musk's credit (something he'd never give us), it does appear that, although he removed the watermark from the Cyanide & Happiness comic that has become one of the most popular meme templates on Twitter, he may have actually thought up this meme himself as opposed to stealing the joke from someone funnier than him. After all, the searing burn of I'm dumb is exactly as infantile and uninspired as his usual clapbacks expect for Musk to respond to Cyanide & Happiness co-creators Dave McElfatrick and Rob DenBleyker's tweets by calling them pedo guys. Advertisement Advertisement Now, I'm not a copyright lawyer, and neither are the Musk dick-riders who rushed into McElfatrick's replies to educate him on their personal definition of fair use. However, I highly doubt the Irish-born cartoonist was serious about joining the ranks of investors, former employees and government regulatory bodies that are currently involved in legal proceedings against the Twitter don. That said, simply by triggering Musk's fanbase, McElfatrick has already achieved a goal that the world's richest man has spent his life failing to reach he made us laugh. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had voiced frustration over global skepticism on his will for denuclearization, stressing he had no intention to use nuclear weapons, a memoir written by former President Moon Jae-in showed Friday. The details of exchanges between Moon and Kim during their first summit held in April 2018 were shared in the book, of which the title translates into "From the Periphery to the Center." It recounts significant diplomatic events, such as Moon's summit meetings with Kim and former U.S. President Donald Trump, during his five-year presidency that ended in May 2022. During the 2018 inter-Korean summit, Kim was quoted as saying by Moon that he "has no intention at all to use nuclear weapons" and that he "does not want his daughter's generation to shoulder" such a burden. In the memoir, Moon recollected some symbolic moments during the historic inter-Korean summit. During a private conversation on a footbridge, Moon said he encouraged Kim to handle the North Korea-U.S. talks well, while Kim asked the former president how he could persuade Washington and make the United States accept Pyongyang's sincerity. Moon also gave assessments of his North Korean and U.S. counterparts. On Kim, the former president said the North Korean leader was "completely different" from how he was depicted in the media, saying he was a polite and respectful person whom Moon felt he could talk to. Moon said Trump was "far from being ideological" and had a "practical" attitude for dialogue, which were favorable traits for the former president who was pursuing a peace process on the Korean Peninsula, according to the memoir. The former president still said it is "very regretful" that Kim defined inter-Korean ties as relations between "two states hostile to each other," saying this is "not an attitude of a national leader who seeks peace." The North Korean leader made the statement at a year-end party meeting and vowed not to regard the South as a counterpart for reconciliation and unification. (Yonhap) Security researchers have warned about a new cyberespionage campaign that targets artificial intelligence experts working in private industry, government and academia. The attackers, likely of Chinese origin, are using a remote access trojan (RAT) called SugarGh0st. The timing of the recent campaign coincides with an 8 May 2024 report from Reuters, revealing that the US government was furthering efforts to limit Chinese access to generative artificial intelligence, researchers from security firm Proofpoint found in their analysis. It is possible that if Chinese entities are restricted from accessing technologies underpinning AI development, then Chinese-aligned cyber actors may target those with access to that information to further Chinese development goals. Its worth noting though that Proofpoint has not confidently linked this to a known threat actor, much less a state-aligned one, and for now it attributes the activity to a temporary UNK_SweetSpecter alias. Pro-choice demonstrators gather outside the house of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 9, 2022. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images The protest outside of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitos home on Monday night began with a slow march through the leafy streets of Fort Hunt, a suburb south of Alexandria, Virginia. About 100 abortion-rights advocates, trailed by a police car, arrived at the justices Federal-style home around dusk. The advocates chanted and lit a row of votive candles in the empty street. The press snapped photos. By the time it was dark, the protest was over, and everyone went home. A rumor had been circulated the previous week that Alito, who wrote the draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade, was so threatened by the possibility of such a protest that he had to be spirited to an undisclosed location. (It seems he was not frightened by anti-abortion protesters cheering him on outside his home a few days before, holding signs that read Alito Rocks and Alito Just Brilliant.) Congress, apparently equally threatened, took swift legislative action to extend additional security protections to the justices families. Experts weighed in on the legality of protesting a justices home. Editorial boards fretted about protesters infringing on the private lives of people in power. Tame as they were, the protests likely were jarring: Like the other five conservative justices, Alito lives in a wealthy suburb outside of D.C. It is a place where residents believe their Zip Code and property taxes have secured them the right to be left alone. A protest, even an uneventful one, violates that unspoken but vigilantly enforced expectation. The six conservative Supreme Court justices live in a C-shaped arc that fans west from the D.C. metropolitan area. The communities in which they reside look and feel strikingly similar majority white, mostly single-family homes, with an annual household income of $150,000-plus. These are also communities that have fought, vigorously, to keep people who live closer to the city from easily accessing their doorsteps, by blocking new housing or obstructing the expansion of transit. Chevy Chase, Maryland, where Justices Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts live a few blocks from each other, fought the construction of the Purple Line through the D.C. suburbs for years in one of the most epic NIMBY battles in U.S. history. Shut Down DC, the organizers of Mondays vigil which required people attending the protest to pre-register and submit to vetting warned that Alitos house was not Metro-accessible, and coordinated carpools to a centrally located hospital. Even then, reaching the neighborhood from this public parking lot required a long walk down arterial roads with no shoulders, no sidewalks, and no street lighting, making for a dangerous return trip at night. Over the past week there have also been protests held in front of House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosis San Francisco mansion (as there often are) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumers Brooklyn apartment (as there often are) without similar outrage. In the past, protesters have tacked eviction notices to Pelosis door to protest the expiration of the federal moratorium and a right-wing influencer climbed over a small barrier on the property to draw attention to Pelosis opposition to the border wall. My house, theres protests three, four times a week, Schumer told the New York Daily News yesterday. But, so long as they are peaceful, thats okay with me. (Schumer, who lives in a building with a doorman, voted to extend security measures to Supreme Court families, and Pelosi, who also has heightened security, has signaled she will do the same when the bill reaches the House.) Pelosi and Schumer have homes on gridded streets in their densely populated, transit-adjacent districts. Protest is heavily and often violently policed in their cities, but property lines are not as sacred: It is often harder for lawmakers to draw a clean line between their homes and the public square. The suburbs are designed to very explicitly delineate these things. Your home is your castle. And, sometimes, a fortress. At Alitos house, which, like the homes of most high-ranking public figures, is blurred out on Google Street View, some front-yard foliage has been added to create a privacy screen, yet the perimeter, like other lots on the block, was mostly unsecured (perhaps to retain its curb appeal?). That changed in just the last week, as a new fence has been erected its tall, but not Supreme Court tall to fortify the backyard. In anticipation of this increased policing, the approach to the protest has changed as well. Today, instead of coordinating gatherings in front of the conservative justices homes, organizers will be conducting walk-bys on each of the conservative justices blocks. Simply walking down a public street wont trigger the same accusations of targeting justices residences, but it will be very clear in certain instances that people arent just out for a casual stroll. Alito, like four of the six justices, lives on a cul-de-sac. Vito Acconci in his Dumbo studio space. Its contents are now the subject of a legal dispute. Photo: Justin Lane/The New York Times/Redux What happened to the estate of the artist and architect Vito Acconci almost feels like one of his performances. In the 60s and 70s, Acconci helped hone the form with simple experiments like masturbating under a gallery floor or following strangers. In 1971, he wrote a note that, before his death, he would drop off a key in an envelope and the first person to pick it up will be free to use my apartment, and its contents, any way he wishes. Acconci never dropped off a key, but in 2017, he died without a will. A long legal process over back rent has left his studio at 20 Jay Street, in Dumbo and its artwork, archives, and idiosyncratic library under the temporary control of its landlord, Two Trees, a company that has tempered its image as a gentrifying force in Dumbo by subsidizing rents for artists, like Acconci himself. He was a tenant since 1998, but by 2019, his estate had stopped paying rent. In April 2023, Two Trees won a judgment for $410,165.08, and this Spring a judge ruled that it could collect that by taking a chunk of what Acconci left behind to sell in a commercially reasonable manner. Usually, in a case where art is ordered to be sold to settle a claim, the attorney Judd Grossman has sent the sheriff in to take art, go sell it at auction, get your money and get out. And thats not at all what this process has looked like. Grossman specializes in art-world fights, and was hired by Two Trees to unknot this one. He says the issue is that Acconci didnt leave a stack of artwork intended for sale: He left behind a meticulous archive of a life in New Yorks avant-garde poetry, performance, and design scenes. Much of the more than 2,500 square-foot space at 20 Jay Street is filled with rows of metal filing cabinets and flat-files, where Acconci stored documentation about every work he had made over the 50 years, in folders marked with his trademark white chalk capital letters on black paper. A Sothebys executive, who helped Maria at the beginning of the process, told Aartnet that it was not an archive as much as a work of art in itself. And his library was just as calculated, organized by general ontological categories such as Time, Space, Matter, Body, Life, Mind and Signs, according to an article in Frieze that described how Acconci suggested that his library might be the single best piece he ever did. Selling any individual work could mess with record-keeping and preserving the artists legacy, and then theres the problem of how to deem it an Acconci. As far as authenticity and integrity of a work to be sold, you obviously want the blessing of the estate, said Grossman. But the estate is on the other side of the lawsuit, and sees whats happening as a calculated cash grab. The archive was not supposed to be sold, ever, said Maria Acconci, Vitos widow. She says whats in the studio is almost a single work. Thats why this is so upsetting to me because its basically destroying Vito. If you dismantle the studio, its destroying him. And I will not let that happen. She called the landlords seizure a premeditated short selling scheme. Maria Mirabal came to New York from Dallas to study at Pratt, but ended up falling in love with Acconci from afar, after seeing a show of his work in Barcelona in 2004. She sent an email, and they met after one of his talks. He had a childlike intensity that made it easy to forget their age gap more than 40 years and she quickly fell into a role as his protector, she said. People would call me The Vito Whisperer, asking her to accompany him to exhibitions and events. He proposed early in their relationship, but they didnt marry until 2014, she says. Meanwhile, they were working together as artists: reading spare poetry at the same museums, putting together a retrospective of his work at MoMA PS1. If I woke up, I was like, Oh my God, I have an idea. And then we would immediately just jot it down and work on it. Vito and Maria Acconci at the Museum of Modern Art in 2016. Photo: Christopher Gregory/The New York Times/Redux But if any blue chip artist was likely to fail to plan for his death, it might have been Acconci. He started off as a poet and seemed actively disinterested in money, sometimes finding himself in debt to gallerists who loaned him cash, pleading with him to photograph his performances so he would have something to sell. Teaching at art schools kept him afloat, even as he pivoted to escape the art world and found his own design firm (of which one of its enduring works is the architectural institution, the Storefront for Art and Architecture, which he designed with Steven Holl). In a 2016 interview, Maria said she had to convince him to do the MoMA retrospective because Vito does not like to go back to his past. When he died, in April 2017, it was sudden, Maria said. Still, she immediately knew what he would have wanted, telling the press about plans for a center devoted to his work. That summer, she fought in court to be named as his executor, then went public with a partnership with Pace Gallery and Sothebys to represent his estate. Which is when things turned sour. She says Pace was depositing money in the studios account to pay the rent. (Pace did not respond to that claim, but said it has not represented the estate since 2021.) Meanwhile, she says the landlord raised the rent from a subsidized $7,000 to a market rate of $12,000 in April 2019. Maria and the studios operational director Joshua Selman said that Two Trees suggested that Studio Acconci apply for a grant to subsidize their rent, but they said Two Trees and its Cultural Affairs department rejected that application. Two Trees says she wasnt even able to make rent eight times at the subsidized $7,000 level since Acconcis death. After providing deeply discounted space for more than two decades, Two Trees worked with the estate for years after Mr. Acconcis death to explore every potential avenue to accommodate the estate and protect this collection, said the managing director for Two Trees, David Lombino. 20 Jay Street is managed by Two Trees. In 2004, Acconci started renting here taking an office in suites 215 and 216 and using suite 250 for storage. Photo: Google Maps In the meantime, she stopped paying. The buildings managing agent, Gloria Arce, said in an affidavit that Two Trees had attempted to negotiate extending the lease, but on February 25, 2020 they gave the studio a month to move out. That was difficult timing; the pandemic put a strain on the work of the Studio and the estate, but a moratorium on evictions pushed the order back until May 2022. Its not clear that the estate or the studio has the money to pay the backrent theyd need to satisfy the judgment. In January of this year, Acconci Studio filed for bankruptcy. The filing says that in addition to the judgment that Two Trees won, the studio owes $132,874.83 on a storage unit in Jersey City. Maria says her personal accounts were frozen and she no longer expects loans from Pace. Sothebys didnt respond to a request for comment. All my funds are going to lawyers to fight this, Maria said. A bankruptcy filing gives a peek into the studio at 20 Jay Street. From left: Photo: Pick & Zabicki LLP Photo: Pick & Zabicki LLP A bankruptcy filing gives a peek into the studio at 20 Jay Street. From left: Photo: Pick & Zabicki LLP Photo: Pick & Zabicki LLP But the bankruptcy failed to delay Two Trees from moving forward. In February, the landlord won a ruling that gave them permission to enter Acconcis units and safeguard the property, including without limitation artwork, sculptures, fixtures, equipment, and furniture contained therein. The problem is, Maria Acconci says, every part of the studio constitutes a sort of archive that she thinks should not be broken up. Right now, no one is trying. The landlord and the estate seem to be at a standstill, and the units are left as they once were, as if each side is waiting for the other to cave. To Maria, thats a silver lining. Yes, this has been a horrible nightmare, but guess what? Nothing has been touched. And in those seven years, Ive kept everything just as it was. It looks like Vito never left. The Two Trees lawyer, Judd Grossman, says the studio has been left intact out of the landlords interest in working together. The whole goal here is to not break up anything. Its to do with Marias blessing and to try and figure out the best way for everybody. She would like to someday move it all into a new space one that isnt owned by Two Trees. If someone asks her to authenticate against her will, she plans to refuse, saying, Yeah, they came from the studio, but theyre just things now. And thats what he would want anyway. He was a rebel. 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. In Gloversville, the Women in Christian Service and the Mission Team at North Main Street United Methodist Church on Main Street earlier this Germany, Sweden express caution on tariffs on Chinese EVs Xinhua) 13:23, May 17, 2024 STOCKHOLM/BERLIN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have cautioned against tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) following Washington's announcement of hefty levies. Scholz and Kristersson expressed reservations about possible European tariffs on Chinese EVs when asked on Tuesday at a press conference in Stockholm whether they support the EU to follow suit. On Tuesday, the United States announced new tariffs on a variety of imports from China, including EVs, in addition to existing tariffs under Section 301. The additional levy will raise tariffs on Chinese EV imports to 100 percent this year. Last October, the European Commission launched an anti-subsidy investigation into the imports of EVs from China. "50 percent of electric car imports from China come from Western brands that produce cars there and, in that regard, that's maybe a difference compared to North America. There is an exchange from both sides. European and even some North American manufacturers are successful on the Chinese market, and we have to take that into account," said Scholz, stressing the importance of trade between the West and China. "When it comes to import duties, I think that we (Sweden and Germany) essentially have a consensus that it is a bad idea to start dismantling global trade," said Kristersson. "A broader trade war where we stop each other's products is, in principle, not the future for large industrialized countries like Germany and Sweden." According to statistics from the European Federation for Transport and Environment, around 20 percent of all-electric cars sold across the EU last year, or 300,000 units, were made in China. More than half of them come from Western carmakers, such as Tesla, Dacia and BMW, which produce them in China for export. Major German carmakers also signaled opposition to the possible tariff increases. "The politicians are now calling for trade restrictions on Chinese car manufacturers. This is an absurdity," BMW CEO Oliver Zipse told German media Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Tuesday. Proposing restrictions on EVs shows a sign of short-sightedness, as it risks incurring countermeasures from the trading partner, leading to a more difficult availability of essential raw materials for European EVs, said Zipse. He warned that European carmakers should refrain from repeating past mistakes in the auto industry. "The European market previously feared the Japanese flooding with cheap cars, then the Korean. And now it is the Chinese," he said, stressing that the European market is not "flooded" with cheap Chinese electric cars, which only have a share of 0.8 percent in Germany. Zipse warned against superficial statistics. For example, around 20 percent of EVs in Europe were imported from China last year, while "more than half did not come from Chinese companies at all." Regarding the EU's anti-subsidy investigation on Chinese EVs, Hildegard Mueller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, told Xinhua that new tariffs and barriers were not the right way forward. "We believe that building up new tariffs and sliding into mutual protectionism is the wrong way to go. Rather, we need to talk to each other so that it is equally possible for companies in both countries to approach mutually, produce there and sell there," said Mueller. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) By Lee Min-hyung Jente, a Seoul-based online luxury shopping platform, has teamed up with Valex Expert Cargo to ensure safer luxury goods delivery for customers, the two firms said Friday. The partnership came amid growing demand for secure delivery services for people purchasing expensive goods via online or mobile shopping channels. Valex's delivery vehicles are equipped with top-tier security systems. This allows Jente to deliver their high-end luxury fashion products to customers with complete confidence, ensuring protection against any loss or damage, according to Jente. Valex also provides premium services, including 100-percent in-person delivery, and operates a 24-hour monitoring system throughout the week. These measures ensure the safest possible delivery for customers, the company said. Jente also assured that customers will receive full compensation through insurance in the event of any loss during delivery. They pledged to strengthen their position in the nations luxury market through the latest partnership. We are very delighted to provide Valex's premium delivery services for our customers, Kim Jeong-yeop, chief operating officer Jente, said. Jente will do its utmost to build its own luxury product ecosystem for every single shopping process of customers ranging from purchase to delivery and even repair. Valexs executive director Jang Yong-seok also promised to provide most reliable and trustworthy services for Jentes customers. Valexs premium delivery is best-fit for luxury products, so Jentes customers will be able to enjoy our reliable delivery service when purchasing goods from the shopping platform, Jang said. We will also continue striving to maximize our customers experiences. Jente, established in 2020, is recognized as a third-generation luxury shopping platform in Korea. The company directly sells over 7,000 luxury products from European designer brands and offers a free return service once a month for all customers. In 2023, Jente reported robust sales of 48.8 billion won, making it the largest player in the industry. 13 workers die from 9 fatal industrial accidents in just 5 months By Park Jae-hyuk Calls are growing for fundamental measures to be implemented to prevent the recurrence of fatal industrial accidents at shipyards, as worker deaths have increased rapidly this year amid soaring shipbuilding orders in recent years, according to industry officials, Friday. As of Friday, reports indicated that at least 13 shipyard workers lost their lives in nine industrial accidents this year. In comparison, during the first five months of the previous year, it was reported that three shipyard workers died while at work. Among the nine deaths reported this year, several accidents occurred at the shipyards of Koreas three largest shipbuilders HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Hanwha Ocean rather than solely at small- and medium-sized shipyards. In response, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Wednesday that it took a series of measures to make domestic shipyards safer. We plan to meet the owners of small- and medium-sized shipyards on May 21 and 23, offering emergency safety education for them until the end of this month, the ministry said in a press release. In addition, we will carry out a thorough inspection of shipbuilders on May 22. Between February and March, the ministry carried out a special labor inspection of Hanwha Ocean, as two fatal industrial accidents occurred at its shipyard within just two weeks in January. The shipbuilder is facing a fine, due to safety violations uncovered during the inspection. Unionized shipyard workers, however, complained about the government measures, claiming that they were not effective enough to prevent shipbuilders from outsourcing dangerous work and neglecting the necessary safety measures. Multilevel subcontracting has still remained at shipyards, amid the growing shipbuilding orders, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions members in the countrys southeastern region said in a recent press conference. The increasing use of migrant workers is causing difficulties in communication and has also raised the risk of fatal accidents. One of the two workers who died from an explosion at Dae Sun Shipbuilding & Engineering on May 13 was a Vietnamese national. In addition, one of the two workers who died from a fall off of a 123 ton structure at Kumkang Heavy Industries on May 9 was a Cambodian national. Asking major shipbuilders to take responsibility for industrial accidents that killed their subcontracted workers, the unionized shipyard workers also urged management to allow laborers to participate in safety inspections of their workplaces. Experts agreed that shipbuilders should increase their investments in safety measures, as the inflow of inexperienced and migrant workers has increased rapidly amid the recent shipbuilding industry boom, which came several years after experienced shipyard workers left their workplaces during the previous recession. A subcontracted diver, who died on May 9 while swimming to remove barnacles from ships at HD Hyundai Samhos yard, was 22 years old. His death came seven months after he started working for the shipbuilders subcontractor. Multilevel subcontracting has actually been rare these days, Korea Labor Institute research fellow Park Jong-shik said. The Serious Accident Punishment Acts enforcement in 2022 caused a shortage of competent safety managers as demand for them grew rapidly. The researcher added that it will take time to make domestic shipyards safer. Korean shipbuilders should have braced for the inflow of inexperienced workers, when they began to win more orders a few years ago, Park said. The companies also need to think about ways to convince skilled workers to stay. An official from one of Koreas major shipbuilders said that it is difficult to make shipyards as safe as other manufacturing plants, considering the use of heavy machines and many workers working in high places. We have therefore regularly conducted safety education and checked the health of workers, the official said. HD Hyundai Samho even started teaching the cultures and languages of Vietnam, Nepal, Thailand and Uzbekistan to its Korean employees, so that they can better communicate with their foreign peers. Starmers pledges lack all credibility. So, just like Martin Luther King, Sir Keir Starmer has looked over the mountain and he has seen the promised land. In a speech, he laid before us the glories in store for Britain should Labour win power. Freedom from anti-social behaviour. An end to the small boats. A greener country. A stable economy. Slashed NHS waiting times. More teachers in schools. Who wouldnt vote for a party that could transform what it clearly considers a failing, little island into an idyll? Yet the fear remains Sir Keir is more like Ed Miliband than MLK all puff and no substance. He unveiled a New Labour-style pledge card with six commitments that, if enacted, could improve the everyday lives of voters. But while these promises were long on idealism, they were blandly vague on detail. Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer (pictured) addresses guests and supporters during a launch event on May 16, 2024 Missing was any exposition of how or when hed achieve any of these goals or, crucially, how to pay for them. Then there is a gaping credibility gap. Why should anyone have confidence that Sir Keir can deliver these positive reforms given his track record? His party has voted against a raft of measures to tackle crime. His pals in the Left-wing migration lobby have sought to scupper crackdowns on illegal immigration. And Labours paymasters in the trade unions have done their best to drag back economic progress with their interminable strikes. Meanwhile, Sir Keir has performed so many U-turns that its hard to know what he believes in, if anything. The public is right to doubt his principles. Despite Labours vast poll lead, there is still time for the Tories to persuade voters that Sir Keir cannot be trusted in No10. The bottom line is, every Labour government in history has left office with two achievements: unemployment higher than when they took power and the public finances left in a worse state. Sir Keir still has much to do to convince the public he can break this unhappy habit. No defence for Keir A GLARING and troubling omission from Sir Keirs key policy goals is defence. At a time when Labour is trying to reassure voters that it is no longer ambivalent towards national security, this does the opposite. The world is more perilous than it has been for decades. President Xi of China and Russias Vladimir Putin the Wests great rivals are forging deeper military ties. Russia continues its assault in Ukraine. Former Labour party leader Ed Miliband pictured at a party conference in 2023 Slovakias prime minister has been gunned down by an assassin, increasing the risk of wider war in Europe. Gaza is in turmoil. All these threaten British interests and security. If the polls are right, Sir Keir could be in No10 within months. Yet his pledges signal that defence of the realm is dangerously low down on his priority list. Our enemies can only be emboldened by such shocking complacency. Protect our post RISHI Sunak has promised that postal services will be protected if the Royal Mail is sold to a Czech billionaire. But havent we been here before? Every takeover of a major British company by a foreign firm seems to follow the same depressingly cynical pattern. First the deal is announced, with solemn pledges to safeguard the business in this country. But after it is signed off by spineless ministers and toothless regulators, their vows are exposed as shameful lies. If Daniel Kretinsky does buy the Royal Mail, he must abide by guarantees not to run it into the ground on pain of large fines. The postal service is a vital national asset not some foreign magnates plaything. He bounced in expecting a cosy chat. An hour later, the Prime Minister left the Loose Women studio after a bruising encounter that didn't quite go according to (HIS) plan. Keen to promote the government's proposal to stop primary school pupils finding out anything about sex until they are 9 (even though one in four 7-9 year olds have a smart phone), he seemed unprepared to reveal how he discovered the facts of life. Did mum and dad spill the beans to young Rishi? We are no wiser. If you're going to legislate about our children's sex education, then be prepared to disclose your own experiences. Like many politicians, Rishi Sunak is full of facts and figures - but not so skilled in engaging with the real, messy, disorganised world of potential voters: single parent families, tenants in poor housing and the two million pensioners scraping along in poverty. He's got a line on every government policy and initiative but seems to lack the common touch, preferring to pitch up each day for photocalls with toddlers, cows and tractors rather than real people. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chats to Janet Street-Porter on 'Loose Women' Like many politicians, Rishi Sunak is full of facts and figures - but not so skilled in engaging with the real, messy, disorganised world of potential voters Earlier in the week the PM was pictured barbecuing sausages promoting British produce after his 'Farm to Fork' summit. Are tasty bangers enough to win over disenchanted voters? With the Tories trailing by around 20 points in all the opinion polls, it probably seemed a good idea at Sunak Central to appear on Loose Women to woo an audience who range in age from teenagers to pensioners, following his cosy chat with Alison Hammond on This Morning the other week. Sadly, this time the Prime Minister forgot one basic rule - never underestimate the skills of daytime telly presenters. Especially when your interrogators are four experienced journalists - myself, Jane Moore, Kaye Adams and a former social worker, Judi Love. This was never going to be fluffy. Rishi started out by pretending to be thrilled to get a Loose Woman mug - and admitting he was a bit scared. I told him his instincts were correct. Then, the interview started and he fell at the first hurdle, failing to understand that repeating a prepared policy statement (about the need for new controls regarding the teaching of sex education) - over and over again as the answer to every question - was never going to wash with four women used to discussing everything from domestic violence to mental health. Our audience expects the real unvarnished truth. They expect to hear life experiences, not waffle. That's why the programme has millions of loyal fans. Voters can't seem to connect with this bloke who smiles a lot, undoubtedly works hard and has a strong sense of duty, but who is - although this might be utterly unfair - fabulously rich. How can he understand our problems? Pictured: Rishi Sunak wearing Adidas Samba trainers in an interview with LBC Rishi Sunak poses for a photo with the Loose Women panel when he appeared on the show on May 16 Rishi started out by pretending to be thrilled to get a Loose Woman mug - and admitting he was a bit scared Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with Janet Street-Porter and Jane Moore New research amongst the Tories indicate that the more we see of Rishi, the more he annoys us and reminds us what we are lacking in our own lives. The publication of a Rich List today reveals (thanks to his wife's shares in her family's tech company) he is now wealthier than the King, with an increase in earnings of 120 million in the past year- giving Mr and Mrs Sunak a nest egg of 651 MILLION POUNDS! That's not going to play well on the doorstep, and his appearance on Loose Woman was a crucial chance to reveal that behind the grin and the enthusiastic puppy-like charm, was a caring person who understood why ordinary people are thoroughly cheesed off with politicians, and the Tories in particular. To bridge that monumental gap in the polls, drastic action and a complete rebrand is essential. On this week's showing, the message isn't getting through to mission control at Project PM. In the flesh, Rishi Sunak is like a perky pixie. When we met before the show he bounced into the green room keen to embrace and hug us all - even me, renowned for not hugging B-listers and creepy junior celebs. I made an exception in his case, and can report it's a bit like cuddling the brainy school monitor (at primary school). I'd worn my Adidas Sambas in solidarity, because the PM clearly loves trendy leisurewear and was recently ridiculed (unfairly in my opinion) for being photographed in box-fresh blue and white Sambas. He immediately perked up, admiring my colour choice (retro brown with mustard stripes, still available at 89 online, a snip for a millionaire), revealing that he has many pairs. This was probably the most genuine moment of our encounter. Talk to Rishi about trainers and you get a spark of real life. Talk about pensioner poverty and the lights go out. I happen to know how well regarded the PM was in his North Yorkshire constituency when first elected an MP. I lived a few miles away and when my friend's pub was struggling, Rishi and his dad would have a meal once a month to support them. William Hague was a popular MP and a hard act to follow, but Rishi worked hard and won over the locals. How things have changed! His boyish enthusiasm has seen him dismissed as resembling 'a children's TV presenter' which is not just patronising but untrue. But the lights seem to have dimmed and the performance seems a trifle desperate - with idiotic warnings like his recent 'stormy times ahead' speech seeming to be concocted by AI bots rather than coming from the heart. Rishi Sunak chats behind the scenes on ITV's daytime television show 'Loose Women' The stormy times aren't ahead, they're a living hell for millions of voters already, as Judi Love reminded him. Families who can't eat and pay the rent. Kids who walk to school scared they won't get home again unscathed. Hard to get this across to someone who has multiple homes and sweet girls in posh schools in a nice postcode. I truly believe that Rishi Sunak doesn't care about pensioners, otherwise why would he have frozen the threshold for paying tax while doling out a rise in the state pension? One million more pensioners will be paying tax they can ill afford. Meanwhile 2.4 billion of unclaimed pension credits and housing benefits go unclaimed in a year, because there's no commitment to making the process easy and transparent. When I told Rishi 'you hate pensioners' he seemed genuinely shocked, but his default reaction with any difficult question is an embarrassed smirk. He simply can't understand why we've not grateful, and that will be his downfall. I interviewed Tony Blair twice when he was PM - he talked a lot of pie-in-the-sky Big Tent tosh but, my god, he was charismatic and convincing. He even had books about religious theory lined up on the shelf behind his head to let you know he had 'depth'. Cherie couldn't wait to take me round Downing Street and show me how she'd redecorated the kids' bedrooms, even revealing their own purple sheets. The Blairs knew you had to feign 'normality' for voters to believe in you. Rishi is a rum fish. He won millions of fans during the pandemic with his Eat out to Help out campaign and furlough initiatives, but has the top job taken the wind out of his sails? His bruising encounter on Loose Women is a taste of what he'll encounter on the doorstep come the next election (which he told Loose Women might be in November). I hope lessons have been learned. But somehow I doubt it. Imposter: The Man Who Came Back From The Dead airs next week on Channel 4 Nicholas Rossi's ex-girlfriend has claimed he made her 'a prisoner in her own home' after she met the conman on a dating app. Michelle Minnaar tells her side of the story in a new documentary on Channel 4 titled Imposter: The Man Who Came Back From The Dead. American sex offender Rossi faked his own death in 2020 in Rhode Island, US, but was found to be living in Glasgow under the name of Arthur Knight while undergoing treatment for Covid-19. Mr Rossi, 36, was deported to the United States in January after spending two years fighting extradition from Scotland. His claims of mistaken identity were rejected by Scottish judges. Victims from four US states, as well as alleged victims from Canada and England, have come forward and earlier this week Rossi appeared at a district court in Utah, where he was warned he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Ms Minnaar claims she had a turbulent five-week relationship with the fraudster which saw him move into her home in Essex when he arrived in the UK in June 2017. Nicholas Rossi's ex-girlfriend Michelle Minnaar said he made her feel like a 'prisoner in her own home' in a new Channel 4 documentary American sex offender Rossi faked his own death in 2020 in Rhode Island , US, but was found to be living in Glasgow under the name of Arthur Knight while undergoing treatment for Covid-19 The food blogger, from Pretoria in South Africa, originally met Rossi on dating app GoCupid when he was living in the US, and she was based in the UK. At first, she said he seemed 'funny and well-spoken', saying he was a Harvard-educated lobbyist and even had a Wikipedia page and YouTube videos of his speeches. He soon began raising the prospect of visiting her in England - even saying he wanted to move to the UK, all before they actually met. Speaking in the documentary, Ms Minnaar said: 'I felt a bit bamboozled but if he stayed for a few days that should be ok.' She paused, then added: 'Then the drama started.' What was meant to be a brief visit for the couple's first meeting turned into Rossi staying in Ms Minnaar's house for five weeks. Before long, he started demanding money from her. The mother-of-two recalled: 'From the moment he walked in it was manipulation and gaslighting. 'He wanted cash. Lots of it. He splashed my cash like water.' Ms Minnaar gave him a few hundred while he tried to 'settle' in the UK, but he demanded more and more and even said she should dress 'smarter' like him. Ms Minnaar met Rossi on dating app GoCupid, where Rossi used the name Nicholas Alahverdian She said she was soon victim to blackmail and even rape by the notorious fraudster She said: 'I felt like a prisoner in my own house because this guy won't leave.' She added: 'I think he's an evil parasite that will jump from victim to victim.' The frightening situation peaked when he blocked her in her bedroom as she was trying to leave, before raping her. Ms Minnaar previously said Rossi told her 'he was framed' when she confronted him about being on the US sex register. She said she 'couldn't believe it' when she saw online he was facing extradition charges claiming he is a 'serial liar' who 'relies solely on people feeling sorry for him' due to his 'intense victimhood facade'. Shortly after Rossi moved into Ms Minaar's home, she found out he was on the sex offenders register following a previous conviction in Dayton, Ohio - but he told her he was 'framed by a woman who had a boyfriend'. Ms Minnaar told MailOnline: 'During our whirlwind relationship, I saw online that he was on a US sex offenders list. 'When I confronted him about it, he told me he'd previously met a girl and they had sex. She later told him she had a boyfriend. She then reported it to the police and framed him for sexual assault. 'He was a serial liar. Now I look back at the time we spent together there were so many red flags. He is a master manipulator. Now I look back, how he was allowed to travel to the UK is beyond me!' Rossi - the man 'who came back from the dead' - is the subject of a new Channel 4 documentary Nicholas Rossi departs Edinburgh Sheriff Court after his extradition hearing on July 12, 2023 Michelle said Rossi had seemed chatty and interested before he flew to the UK to meet her Ms Minnaar claimed she was raped by Rossi after refusing to have sex with him during their relationship. She also alleged he 'stole 3600' from her. After Rossi arrived at her home, she realised 'he was not who he seemed' and maintained a 'strange relationship' with her daughter while ignoring her son who suffers with autism and global developmental delay. Rossi is believed to have met his current wife, Miranda Knight, in Bristol in 2019 and married her in early 2020, assuming the name Arthur Knight. They moved to Glasgow shortly afterwards but in 2021, Rossi became so ill with Covid that he had to be hospitalised at the city's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Imposter: The Man Who Came Back From The Dead airs next week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on Channel 4. Two young girls have hit out about the cost of living crisis after an ice cream van tried to charge them 9 for two ice creams. Twins Marnie and Mylah, from Burnley, were walking in a park when they thought they would stop for an ice cream. The cost of living has hit many households in the UK, with families having to cut back on non-essentials and making their pennies and pounds count. But the eight-year-olds didn't quite realise how much goods had shot up in price until they arrived at the ice cream van, saw the price and got a big shock. Their mother asked them what had just happened when one of the twins said: 'There's an ice cream van there selling just two ice creams with chewing gums in for bloody 9. Twins Marnie and Mylah were fuming when they found out how much ice creams in the park now cost The pair got a huge shock when they realised how much ice creams now cost in the UK Marnie and Mylah are four-time European and world champion dancers. Above: The duo pictured at a competition holding trophies '[He's] gonna get nowhere! The one that comes down my street is either 1 or 2. He's gonna get nowhere with that. He should know.' World champion dancers Marnie and Mylah were standing at the van with cash in their hands ready to pay when they realised that not only were the prices extortionate but that they only accepted card payment. They went on to say: 'He only does bloody card. I'm stood there with my cash. [It's] bloody well bad.' But the feisty youth hadn't finished her rant and ended it by saying: 'I bet he can hear me!' Prices for a single 99 flake have spiked to shocking highs of 5.75 - showing the drastic shift as Britain's favourite cone becomes unaffordable for much of the country. The delicacy - said to be named after an Italian phrase that describes it as being top-class - is a staple of the country's parks and beaches. But vans in London, Birmingham and Newcastle all breached 3.50 for a single cone last month. At one popular tourist attraction in Coventry, a mother forked out 5.70 for a twin ice cream with a flake. Outside a stall on the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park, which is run by the Royal Parks charity, prices for a 99 are edging towards 6 - with extra toppings costing 25p extra. The clip of the twins went on to become a viral sensation, racking up thousands of views on Instagram and millions on TikTok. The eight-year-olds didn't quite realise how much goods had shot up in price until they arrived at the ice cream van and saw the price The twins hilariously fumed about the situation and quickly became social media stars Many said they found Marnie and Mylah hilarious and wanted more content from them People took to social media to comment on the two girls, asking their mother to post more content of their hilarious opinions The duo - who have been dubbed the 'famous ice cream twins' - were hailed 'sassy', 'adorable' and 'brilliant' by users, who said they wanted to see more content about their opinions on things. One wrote: 'I need more videos of them talking about their day and opinions! So entertaining. Such enthusiasm. Made me smile.' Another penned: You MUST post more videos like this! Your girls are hilarious.' A third said: 'Awesome. Please post more videos of them talking about their days.' A fourth commented: 'I want this girl describing literally everything in life for me from now on please.' The Duke of Westminster, who is set to marry his fiancee Olivia Henson this summer, has bagged himself the top spot on the under 40 rich list for the second year in a row. Hugh Grosvenor, who lives in Cheshire, once again led the list and is estimated to have a staggering 10billion in the bank. The Sunday Times Rich List 40 under 40 also included Lady Charlotte Wellesley in the second spot with a whopping 2.2billion, along with Herman Narula, who has 780 million to his name. Once described as one of Britain's most eligible bachelors until he got engaged to Olivia, 31, last year, the 33-year-old inherited his wealth from his father, who passed away suddenly died aged 64 in 2016. And as the Duke gears up for his lavish wedding on June 7 at Chester Cathedral, which will include the Prince and Princess of Wales among the guests, his standing as the richest person in the UK under the age of 40 means it could be the party of the summer. Hugh Grosvenor, who lives in Cheshire, once again led the list under 40 rich list and is estimated to have a staggering 10billion in the bank The 7th Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor proposed to his girlfriend of two years Olivia Henson at his family home at Eaton Hall, Cheshire, it was announced on 23 April, 2023. The couple can be seen here in an official photo released to mark their engagement) Hugh was just 25-years-old when he received 9.3billion from his late father, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor. On top of the fortune, he also received a vast global property empire, which includes 300 acres of land across Mayfair and Belgravia as well as estates in Oxford, Scotland and properties around the globe. Born on 29 January, 1991, Hugh Grosvenor was born as the Earl of Westminster, but assumed the title of Duke when his father passed away in 2016. In April 2023 he announced his engagement to his girlfriend of two years, Olivia. A statement by the couple said: 'The Duke of Westminster and Miss Olivia Henson are delighted to announce they are engaged to be married. 'The couple, who have been together for two years, recently became engaged at the Duke's family home at Eaton Hall in Cheshire. 'Members of both their families are absolutely delighted with the news.' Elsewhere Hugh has previously represented the country at Olympic Skeet Shooting competitions both internationally and in the UK. The Duke also supports the rehabilitation of wounded or injured members of the Armed Forces and donated 2.5million to the Health Service when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, but said he was so 'humbled' by the work of doctors and nurses he wanted to give another 10million. Hugh also has strong connections with the British and Russian royal family. A close friend of Prince William and Prince Harry, Hugh Grosvenor is the godfather of Prince George, the future King. His baptism ceremony was also attended by King Charles III, who was named as one of his godparents. Through his mother Natalia, Mr Grosvenor descends from the Russian Imperial House of Romanov, with relations to Nicholas I of Russia. The late Queen is pictured with the late Duke of Westminster Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, who died suddenly in 2016 Prince William (R) is greeted by General Timothy Granville-Chapman (2R), Hugh Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster (2L) and John Peace (L) as he arrives to attend the official handover of the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre Grosvenor has ownership of the family seat Eaton Hall (pictured), as well as a property empire that includes 300 acres in Mayfair and Belgravia, as well as land in Cheshire, Oxford, Scotland and Spain The Prince of Wales is also expected to be a guest of honour at Hugh's wedding to Olivia Henson, 31, next month - the most anticipated society event of the year. Last April, he proposed to his Olivia at his family seat, Eaton Hall in Cheshire. A statement by the couple at the time said: 'The Duke of Westminster and Miss Olivia Henson are delighted to announce they are engaged to be married. 'The couple, who have been together for two years, recently became engaged at the Duke's family home at Eaton Hall in Cheshire. 'Members of both their families are absolutely delighted with the news.' Olivia descends from the Hoare banking family as well as the Marquesses of Bristol and the Dukes of Rutland, according to the Telegraph. The outlet also says her uncle is the Grand Master of Scottish freemasons and her father is stockbroker Rupert Henson. And it seems she is already beginning to make the 11,000-acre Eaton estate her home, setting up a honey business there ahead of their marriage. Raised at Eaton Hall, Cheshire, Hugh Grosvenor was privately educated at Ellesmere College before obtaining a BSc in Countryside Management from Newcastle University. After his graduation, Grosvenor worked in estate management at the food and agriculture company Wheatsheaf Group, an investment business based in the Eaton estate and owned by the Grosvenor Group. Afterwards, he held an account manager position at sustainability company bio-bean, which turns coffee-related waste into bioproducts such as biofuels and logs. One long-standing friend said: 'Hugh's not a networker or a schmoozer, nor is he the slightest bit boastful. 'He was raised to recognise that a lot of people almost everybody in fact would try to get close to him because of his money.' 'He's no wallflower and he likes a party as much as anyone. But he knows where to draw the line and would never do anything to embarrass his family. Princess Ingrid Alexandra looked regal in her military uniform as she joined her parents to celebrate National Day. The Norwegian royal daughter of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 50, and Crown Prince Haakon, 50, looked sharp as she waved from the balcony at their Skaugum estate in Oslo during Norwegian Constitution Day. Ingrid Alexandra, 20, who started her military training in January, is set to serve a year at the Engineer Battalion in Brigade Nord and will go to Skjold camp in Indre Troms. However it appears the princess took some time out of training to join her parents and their dog Molly to celebrate their national day as they waved at the children's parade. Earlier in the day, the princess donned an elaborate Norwegian traditional black gown with a white blouse. Princess Ingrid Alexandra looked regal in military uniform as she joined her parents to celebrate National Day today Her brunette locks were styled in a straight centre parting, while her neutral makeup enhanced her naturally pretty features. Princess Mette-Marit wowed in a traditional red and white ensemble as she waved a Norwegian flag from the steps of her residence. Prince Haakon opted to wear a man's bunad suit; traditional Norwegian costumes featuring knee socks and white shirts, as well as pops of red - which features prominently on the country's flag. They were also accompanied by their pet pooch Molly, whose neck was adorned with neckerchiefs in the red and blue colours of Norway. However their son Sverre Magnus, 18, was not seen during the celebrations. The holiday, which is celebrated on May 17th every year, marks the signing of the constitution declaring Norway an independent kingdom in 1814. The constitution declared Norway to be an independent kingdom in an attempt to avoid being ceded to Sweden after DenmarkNorway's devastating defeat in the Napoleonic Wars. Celebrations, which take place nationwide, include parades as well as the royal appearances where the family greet crowds of the public. It comes after Princess Mette-Marit and her daughter Princess Ingrid were seen visiting King Harald at Rikshospital in March. The Norwegian royal daughter of Crown Princess Mette-Marit , 50, (left) and Crown Prince Haakon, 50, (right) looked sharp as she waved from the balcony at their Skaugum estate in Oslo during Norwegian Constitution Day Ingrid Alexandra , 20, who started her military training in January , is set to serve a year at the Engineer Battalion in Brigade Nord and will go to Skjold camp in Indre Troms Princess Ingrid (right) donned an elaborate Norwegian traditional black gown with a white blouse Norway's royal family donned traditional dress to celebrate their country's National Day today Crown Princess Mette-Marit , 50, (left) appeared in great spirits for the Norwegian Constitution Day alongside her husband Crown Prince Haakon, 50, (right) at their Skaugum estate in Oslo The royal pair were also joined by their daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra , 20, (centre) and their dog Molly as they waved at the children's parade Mette-Marit, Ingrid Alexandra, and Crown Prince Haakon waved from their balcony alongside Queen Sonja and King Harald V of Norway The family changed their clothing later on in the day and greeted the children's train during the Norwegian Constitution Day celebrations Princess Mette-Marit wowed in a traditional red and white ensemble as she waved a Norwegian flag from the steps of her residence They were also accompanied by their pet pooch Molly, whose neck was adorned with neckerchiefs in the red and blue colours of Norway Mette-Marit looked focused as she drove her Tesla to the University Hospital to visit her father-in-law with daughter Ingrid Alexandra. King Harald, 87, was rushed back to Oslo onboard a medical evacuation plane after being hospitalised for an infection during a private trip in Langkawi, Malaysia. 'He will stay in the hospital for a few days for treatment and rest,' the royal household said in a statement. King Harald, Norway's monarch since 1991, is Europe's oldest living monarch. He has repeatedly been hospitalised with infections in recent years and has undergone heart surgery. The mother and daughter appeared positive as they made their way to Rikshospital - with Ingrid flashing a smile at photographers. It was previously said that the king was expected to be on sick leave for two weeks. Crown Prince Haakon, who married Princess Mette-Marit in 2001, has been presiding in his father's absence. The 87-year-old King had been hospitalised for an infection while on a private trip in the resort island of Langkawi. He received a temporary pacemaker. A medical plane believed to be transporting the King took off from Langkawi on Sunday afternoon, after police escorted a convoy that included an ambulance from the hospital to the airport, as reported by AFP. Crown Prince Haakon and his daughter Ingrid Alexandra during the celebrations of the National Day at the Palace Balcony in Oslo Prince Haakon opted to wear a man's bunad suit; traditional Norwegian costumes featuring knee socks and white shirts, as well as pops of red - which features prominently on the country's flag Mette-Marit, Prince Haakon and Ingrid Alexandra greeted the children's train during Constitution Day celebrations Queen Sonja was travelling with the King, who would be checked into the hospital Rikshospitalet, upon his return to Norway, the royal household said in a statement. 'The king will be on sick leave for two weeks,' it said. 'The crown prince will in that period be regent and take over the King's constitutional duties.' Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, 50, had already been presiding in his father's absence. King Harald has repeatedly been hospitalised with infections in recent years and has undergone heart surgery. He caught a respiratory infection in January, days after dismissing speculation that he might abdicate, following the lead of distant cousin Queen Margrethe II in Denmark. Two days before Harald's 87th birthday last week, the palace announced that the King would be undertaking a private trip abroad, without specifying the destination or dates, according to the Norwegian news agency NTB. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre said that he was 'sad' to hear of the king's hospitalization and wished him a 'speedy recovery,' NTB said. Despite Harald's precarious physical condition, the royal is certain that he wants to continue as Norway's reigning monarch. He's been revered as a directorial heavyweight behind the legendary Godfather trilogy and a beacon of 70s cinema. Megalopolis - which premiered at Cannes Film Festival last night - is centered on a superpowered architect ( Adam Driver ) who attempts to rebuild New York City into a modernist utopia. But the latest offering from infamous Hollywood screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola , 85, is being slammed as 'bloated', 'boring' and dubbed a 'head-wrecking abomination' by critics. It also features the talents of an ensemble cast that includes the likes of Shia LeBouf, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza and Laurence Fishburne. In addition to directing the feature, Coppola 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 - and some have even given it a measly ranking of one star out of five. But the latest offering from infamous Hollywood screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola , 85, is being slammed as 'bloated', 'boring' and dubbed a 'head-wrecking abomination' by critics The issues don't stop there - crew members working with Coppola have also come out to accuse him of 'wasting time', smoking marijuana in his trailer and 'pulling women to sit on his lap'. Staff even claimed moments on the disasterous set left them asking: 'Has this guy ever made a movie before?' Speaking to The Guardian, one insider said that Coppola rattled tech-savvy production workers by insisting on old school methods which took hours. They recounted actor Adam Driver's first day, capturing a scene where his body is fused with futuristic material. The director reportedly insisted on using mirrors and projectors to achieve the effect, as he did with his movie Dracula 30 years earlier, instead of letting staff do it digitally - which would have taken ten minutes. 'So they basically strapped Adam Driver into a chair for six hours, and they literally took a $100 projector and projected an image on the side of his head,' they said. 'I'm all for experimentation, but this is really what you want to do the first day with your $10m actor?' They also found that Coppola had staff exhausted with his indecision over designs, and would keep changing his mind and idea on the movie's vision. Another source told the outlet that the filmmaker would allegedly show up with no plan in place for how to shot a big sequence. Speaking to The Guardian , one insider said that Coppola rattled tech-savvy production workers by insisting on old school methods which took hours Coppola would then 'whip up something that didn't make sense', leaving the crew 'trying to make the best of it' 'He would often just sit in his trailer for hours on end, wouldn't talk to anybody, was often smoking marijuana,' they claimed. 'And hours and hours would go by without anything being filmed. And the crew and the cast would all stand around and wait.' Coppola would then 'whip up something that didn't make sense', leaving the crew 'trying to make the best of it'. 'This sounds crazy to say, but there were times when we were all standing around going: "Has this guy ever made a movie before?"' a third remarked. He was also branded as 'unpleasant'. Insiders also commented on Coppola's 'old school' behaviour towards women, claiming that he pulled women down to sit in his lap. Elsewhere, it was alleged that while shooting a 'bacchanalian nightclub scene' for the movie, he tried to 'kiss some of the topless and scantily clad female extras' - in an attempt to 'get them in the mood'. Executive co-producer Darren Demetre however told the Guardian that Coppola 'successfully produced and directed an enormous independent film'. Referring to his behaviour while shooting the celebratory club scene, Demetre said Coppola 'walked around the set to establish the spirit of the scene by giving kind hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background players'. Megalopolis - which premiered at Cannes Film Festival last night - is centered on a superpowered architect who attempts to rebuild New York City into a modernist utopia. Pictured from left to right: Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Francis Ford Coppola, his grandaughter Romy Coppola and Adam Driver This was allegedly to 'help inspire and establish the club atmosphere'. Demetre insisted that he wasn't made aware of any complaints during filming. Amid the making of the movie, Coppola was also dealing with the illness of his wife Eleanor Coppola, who died at the age of 87 last month. Eleanor had been present on the set of the movie 'until her illness prevented her from being there,' a spokesperson told the outlet. As well as the turbulent behind-the-scenes, Coppola's movie has failed to impress critics - despite getting a ten-minute standing ovation at Cannes on Thursday. Giving it only one star, Kevin Maher of The Times slammed it as 'all hot air and waffle held together, barely, by film-making at its most threadbare'. Meanwhile, ranking it two stars, Peter Bradshaw, for The Guardian, said the movie came across as 'a passion project without passion: a bloated, boring and bafflingly shallow film, full of high-school-valedictorian verities about humanity's future'. However, not everyone was as quick to trash the film - The Telegraph awarded it a respectable four stars. Robbie Collin said it was a 'full-body sensory bath movie which follows a struggle for power among the elites of New Rome'. Here, FEMAIL looks at the mixed bag of reviews Megalopolis has been attracting... THE TIMES Rating: Kevin Maher of The Times panned the movie, dubbing it '138 stultifying minutes of ill-conceived themes' and 'half-finished scenes'. He also trashed the actors' 'nails-along-the-blackboard performances'. The critic then took issue with the movie's 'bizarre' exposition and said it's also 'not a great movie' for women, men or 'human beings in general'. GUARDIAN Rating: Peter Bradshaw said that while the film was 'ambitious and earnestly intended' - and 'has some flashes of humour and verve' - it was ultimately 'a Coppola failure'. Writing for The Guardian, he was also unimpressed with the cast's acting and 'inexpensive-looking VFX work'. However, Peter added that the film 'does ask a valid question' about the sustainability of 'the US empire'. The critic only awarded it two out of five stars. THE TELEGRAPH Rating: Ranking it at four stars, Robbie Collin of the The Telegraph was full of praise for Aubrey Plaza's 'fantastic' performance in the movie. However, he found that it was clear that it's clear that the film had undergone several metamorphoses. 'The final result does feel like something that has been stretched, wrung and kneaded to a degree where straightening the thing back out again would be impossible, and also largely beside the point,' the reviewer wrote. DAILY MAIL Rating: Awarding the film only one star, the Daily Mail's Brian Viner was full of praise for the vision - but not the execution - of Megalopolis. 'The 85-year-old director has been rightly feted this week on the Riviera. He is an industry colossus, whose 1970s output alone The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now elevates him to the top tier of filmmakers,' he penned. 'But with that mighty talent comes a mighty ego, and a clear expectation that "Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis: A Fable", to give it its complete and vainglorious title, will make us marvel anew at his genius. 'Let us weep at his hubris instead. 'It's not that there isn't a powerful springboard for his story: the notion that America in the near future, and New York City in particular, might be comparable with Ancient Rome as decline and decay set in. He calls his metropolis New Rome, a place undermined by greed, and men intent only on enriching themselves.' He however found the plot 'wildly confusing' - and branded it a 'mega-flopolis'. THE INDEPENDENT Rating: Writing for the Independent, Geoffrey Macnab said that Megalopolis, despite its mixed reviews, is 'no car crash'. 'Francis Ford Coppola's self-funded $120m (94m) epic, certainly isn't another Godfather or Apocalypse Now, but it's at least bursting with ideas,' he wrote. But the critic - giving the movie three star - found that despite a stellar cast, most big names offer 'mannered and occasionally throwaway performances' which don't gel well with the director's storytelling. FINANCIAL TIMES Rating: The Financial Times's Raphael Abraham awarded the film one star - claiming viewers have witnessed a 'spectacular fall from grace from another great of 1970s cinema'. He remarked on Coppola's 'painful labour of love' as being riddled with 'aggressively theatrical, lines delivered with arched eyebrows and histrionic gesturing'. Sue Radford hit out at her husband for damaging their new motorhome The mother of 'Britain's biggest family', has berated her husband for damaging their 40,000 caravan during their Scottish mini-break. Sue Radford said she was 'fuming' at Noel for scratching their motorhome, which they purchased in 2022, during their trip to visit family and friends near Edinburgh. Noel said he reversed into the plot and realised his parking was wonky, so he attempted to straighten up and ended up hitting one of the taps that provides water to the motorhome. Realising his mistake, he said: 'I caught the back end of the camper and scratched it. I thought oh my god.' The mother of 22, who lives in Morecambe, Lancashire, could be heard in the background saying: 'Tell them what you did. I'm fuming. The mother-of-22 said she was 'fuming' at Noel for scratching their motorhome during their trip to Edinburg , where they were visiting family and friends 'Not being funny but people say women drivers are really bad, I just don't believe it.' Upon showing the damage to the side of the caravan, Noel admitted some of the scratches were deep. The father then joked that he made a 'new friend' after a woman in the plot next door witnessed him damaging the caravan and never told Sue. But there was another time Noel had a near miss when he was driving the large vehicle. He said: 'I moved as far as I could over to the left and this transit van was going the opposite way. '[We] didn't really move over so we smacked wing mirrors and it's broken the indicator bit on it so I need to get that fixed as well.' Noel said the recent damage 'wasn't bad' adding that it would probably rub out but Sue was adamant that he would be going to get it fixed. 'You'll be sorting that out. You will be sorting that out. I think I should drive this now. How have you done that? 'I'm gonna book him in for a proper eye test. I'm telling you now, I don't understand how you've done it.' Noel also joked that his wife would have to purchase some driving lessons alongside the eye test. Noel said the recent damage 'wasn't bad' adding that it would probably rub out but Sue was adamant that he would be going to get it fixed Fans found their bickering hilarious as they rushed to the comments to express their thoughts on the video Sue, star of Channel 5's 22 Kids & Counting, recalled a third time when driving a minivan, Noel also hit a bollard on the side of the road. Fans found their bickering hilarious as they rushed to the comments to express their thoughts on the video. One wrote: 'Sue and noel u two are hilarious. I guess u will be sorting the damage out Noel.' Another penned: 'Bit of harmless bickering to ease the tension never hurt anybody! Youre a legend Noel. Love to all from Australia.' A third said: 'Oh NoelSpecsavers will deffo be able to help you out.' A fourth commented: 'Comedy Gold you two, never laughed so much at one of your vlogs.' Prince Gustav and Princess Carina of Denmark have revealed the unique name they have chosen for their baby, who was born via surrogate last month. The pair have decided to call their daughter - whose birthday was on April 26 - Mafalda, a spokesperson has confirmed. The moniker has Italian and Portuguese origins and means 'mighty in battle'. It is also a version of the the name Matilda. It is believed that the couple may have taken inspiration from Princess Mafalda of Savoy - who according to Tatler is an ancestor of Gustav's - and was alive from 1902 to 1944. The royal descending from the Italian royal family died in a concentration camp, although it is not confirmed why she was imprisoned, during Germany's rise to fascism and in World War II. Gustav and Carina (pictured in 2012) were banned from marrying as a result of a legal clause set by the royal's grandfather Prince Gustav Albrecht, but they were able to overthrow the rule and tied the knot in 2022 Theories have ranged from the princess being outspoken against Adolf Hitler, to mysterious tales that she was embroiled in the mysterious death of his ally. The name could also be a nod to Carina's love of literature, as there is a cartoon character called Mafalda, which was created in the sixties by Argentinian artist Quino. In some of the cartoons, Mafalda, who is six years old, speaks about humanitarian issues such as world peace. Gustav - who is Queen Margrethe's nephew - and Carina both 55, have been together for more than 20 years and tied the knot in Germany two years ago. The couple spent years fighting a strict inheritance rule set by the Prince's Nazi grandfather in the 1930s, which prevented them from marrying. They had their first child via a surrogate in the US last year and they were both present during the childbirth. At the start of this month, the Palace announced that the pair have had their second baby via a surrogate. Confirming the news to German media outlet Billed Bladet, the said: 'Their Highnesses, Prince Gustav and Princess Carina, have become parents for the second time. The couple named their daughter - who was born on April 26 - Princess Mafalda. Above: The pair pictured in 2011 It is believed that the couple took inspiration for the moniker from Prince Gustav's ancestor, Princess Mafalda of Savoy. Above: The couple pictured in 2010 'They have had a daughter. Everyone involved is doing well and is very happy. The child was born on Friday 26 April.' Prince Gustav is the son of Queen Margrethe's sister Princess Benedikte and her husband Prince Richard - who passed away in 2017 at the age of 82. Gustav and Carina were banned from marrying as a result of a legal clause set by the royal's grandfather Prince Gustav Albrecht. In the 1930s, he set up his will to prevent relations from inheriting family property if they marry someone not of Protestant, noble and Aryan descent. By 1944, he went missing while serving as an officer in the German Army, during a mission near Orsha, Belarus. The soldier was declared MIA and no one sought an official declaration of death until Gustav was born in 1969. Gustav's father Prince Richard was able to inherit property because his wife - Princess Benedikte of Denmark - met the strict and controlling criteria. However, Carina Axelsson, 55 - who is an American author best known for the teen fashion detective series Model Under Cover - has Swedish and Mexican heritage, and hence didn't satisfy the will's agenda. Pictures from the Christening, shared by the royal household's Instagram account, show the proud godparents smiling for a photo with the new parents and their then two-month old son Another sweet snap shows Princess Benedikte admiring her grandson in a cot as she fondly pinches his cheek at the christening last year Crown Prince Frederik (far left) and Princess Mary (far right) attended the couple's wedding at Berleburg Castle in Germany Before meeting Carina at a dinner party, Gustav had been engaged to Elvire Paste de Rochefort, who came from an aristocratic French family. However, their nuptials were called off just two months before the wedding. Gustav reportedly met Carina in 2003 and the author later moved into the Schloss Berleburg estate with him. Carina and Gustav welcomed their first child in June last year via surrogate. The Palace said in a statement at the time: 'Princess Carina & Prince Gustav are very happy & grateful for this opportunity & thanks everyone involved who has helped to find a legally legal path to follow.' The Prince and Princess name their baby Prince Gustav Albrecht of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. The pair had a christening for their child and had King Frederik's eldest son, Prince Christian of Denmark, as a godparent alongside Princess Theodora of Greece, 40, actress Ellen Hillings, 56, Prince Franz-Albrecht, 40, Arabella Gaggero and Prince Carl-Anton. Orange wine has taken social media by storm and is appearing in UK hotspots It's time to forget red and white - orange wine is here and it's set to become the drink of the summer. The 'delicious and versatile' beverage has taken social media, trendy bars and even UK supermarkets by storm - with retailers reporting a massive spike in sales compared to last year. Surprisingly, orange wine actually has nothing to do with the citrus fruit and is made from white wine by extending contact with the grape skins, which creates its distinctive colour. The natural wine can be thought of as halfway between a white and a red, while techniques for making it date back to around 5,000 years ago in Georgia - though it has only recently become popular in the UK. Sales for orange wine on Ocado have soared by 99 per cent this year - with searches also up 80 per cent - as the drink becomes the trendiest tipple for the summer. Forget red and white, orange wine is here to stay! Pictured: Mads, a London food blogger, has orange wine Christian Streatfield, wine buyer at Ocado said: 'Orange wine is increasingly popular with our customers. 'Unlike typical white wine production, the grape skins remain in contact with the juice during fermentation, producing complex flavours and textures, as well as that deeper colour. 'The resulting wine is delicious and versatile, with something to offer both red and white wine fans.' And those on TikTok have flocked to the social media platform, desperate to try out the new viral sensation for themselves. Daria Afshar bought a bottle of Solara Amber Natural Wine after seeing it trending on social media. In a TikTok video she said: 'I just saw this on Instagram and we both really wanted to try it. 'It's a little tart but refreshing for summer. It's like if Aperol was a wine. This is yummy - orange wine is your new summer drink.' One user based in New York, posting under the username @sarabyoself, predicted 'orange wine is officially the wine of the summer' while showing off her aesthetic set-up with a bottle of the orange. Daria Afshar reviewed orange wine on her TikTok account, comparing it to Aperol One user based in New York, posting under the username @sarabyoself, predicted 'orange wine is officially the wine of the summer' Kristina and her friends visited the newly opened Oranj wine bar in Shoreditch, which is now known for its selection of orange wine Those on TikTok have flocked to the social media platform, desperate to try out the new viral sensation for themselves Meanwhile Liberty Rose May even attempted to make her own orange wine at home, although she did use the fruit rather than the traditional method. Others have filmed their reactions to tasting orange wine for the first time, while its unique colouring makes for the perfect photographs for influencers post online. London hotspots have been quick to jump on the trend, with any popular wine bar keen to offer a range for orange wine seekers. The recently opened Oranj wine bar in Shoreditch is even named after the beverage and offers a wide selection, as well as reds and whites. And Aldi was keen to jump on the trend and started stocking an 'orange rose' wine earlier this year - which it claims to be a supermarket first. The bottle of the Specially Selected Rosorange hybrid wine, which retail at 9.99, have reportedly been flying off the shelves. A description says it 'has all the personality of an orange wine, but unlike others of its kind, it comes with a pleasing softness, made possible with the addition of the refreshing rose.' Orange wine is made by extended contact between the juice and the skin, resulting in a unique colour in many different shades One TikToker even made her own orange wine at home - but used the actual fruit Orange wine - also known as amber wine or ramato - has more body and flavour than a white wine. Its popularity has also been put down to curiosity and helping people learn more about the wines the drink. Helena Nicklin, ambassador at Ocado drinks added: 'Interest in orange wine is continuing to grow and it's easy to see why: the intriguing colour aside, there's the natural and historical element to it. 'It is, after all, how wine was first made over 3000 years ago. 'Orange wine is also an incredibly versatile wine style, sitting somewhere between a heavier white and a light red, with lots of texture as well as fruit and aromatics, making it ideal for food pairing or sipping alone.' The head of Kakao, the operator of Korea's top mobile messenger, said Friday she will buy shares of the company worth 200 million won ($147,383) every year over the next two years in a bid to boost shareholder value. "I will purchase 100 million won worth of Kakao's shares twice a year during my term," Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a said in a letter to shareholders. "I will not sell those shares while serving as the CEO." Shin started her two-year term in March. She explained the move is aimed to enhance shareholder value, which has been underestimated by the company's sluggish stock price in recent years. Her announcement came as Kakao's stock price plunged to about one-fourth of its record high of over 170,000 won tallied in June 2021. Its shares closed 0.75 percent lower at 46,450 won on the Seoul bourse Friday. The company has faced a series of controversies, including a contentious sell-off of stock options by its executives, and stock manipulation allegations involving its founder, Kim Beom-su, and former CEO Hong Eun-taek. She pledged to help Kakao restore market trust by strengthening its ethics management and improving business quality, in particular, in advertisement and commerce. Additionally, Chung unveiled Kakao's long-term business plans focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) business and global expansion. She aims to increase the company's overseas sales, which currently account for 20 percent of the total, driven by rising popularity of its content business, like webtoons. Kakao will also focus on developing AI-driven services leveraging AI technologies, including a large language model and an image-generating AI model, Karlo, developed by its affiliate Kakao Brain. (Yonhap) As a maths teacher, Rebecca Joynes should have understood the laws of probability better than most. Having been arrested for having sex with one of her 15-year-old pupils, she then fell pregnant by another of her teenage charges while on bail. What were the chances of her convincing a jury her accusers were liars and she had been guilty of nothing more than poor judgment? Her conviction today at Manchester Crown Court for six child sex offences provided the clearest of answers. But as she was released on bail and warned she faces jail when sentenced in July, questions remain. Rebecca Joynes, 30, claimed that her journey from teacher to pregnant paedophile began following a break-up with her boyfriend of nine years Foremost among them is why a 30-year-old woman from a good family, with no previous convictions, would destroy her life with the sort of repeated behaviour that was not just desperately ill-judged but clearly illegal. Joynes claimed that her journey from pedagogue to pregnant paedophile began following a break-up with her boyfriend of nine years. Described as a possessive, controlling and jealous 'nightmare', friends have told the Daily Mail how she had accused the fitness instructor of cheating. Having qualified as a maths teacher, her new 'dream' job in a secondary school was disrupted by Covid. Living alone in a rented flat 50 miles from home, when school life restarted Joynes was flattered by the attention of her pupils. Boys in her Year 11 class nicknamed her 'Bunda Becky' a slang reference to her bottom and told her she was 'sexy'. While she says she knew it was wrong, she admitted to liking the attention, engaging with them via the Snapchat where messages are deleted once read. 'As a professional teacher I should never have engaged in anything like that,' she admitted. The rest is history. But what should not be forgotten in all of this is who the real victims are. As the prosecution reminded the jury, had Joynes been a man they would have had not a 'shred' of sympathy for her nor for a defence that portrayed the two schoolboys as being 'up for it' and the ones wanting sex. Because while the two boys showed a degree of youthful bravado in the run up to encounters with their 'fit' teacher, both quickly realised how wrong it was. The younger boy Boy A had been groomed by Joynes, the court heard, who picked him up in her white Audi A1 and bought him a 345 Gucci belt in Selfridges before having sex with him. As for Boy B, who was 15 when they first kissed and 16 when she took his virginity, he told detectives: 'Now I think about it, it was emotional abuse,' adding that he had called her a 'nonce'. 'She just basically mentally abused me. Then I sacrificed 18 months for a paedophile.' As for their child, one wonders how one day the circumstances of her birth will be explained to her. Her ex boyfriend, pictured with Joynes, told the Daily Mail he had dated her but had 'no idea' about the court case Boys in her Year 11 class nicknamed her 'Bunda Becky' a slang reference to her bottom and told her she was 'sexy' Doubtless the detail that Joynes broke the news she was pregnant to Boy B by playing a Victoria's Secret sex game and then handing over a baby grow saying 'I Love My Daddy' will be omitted. But more than that is the immediate impact on the child's upbringing. Every day during the ten-day trial, Joynes arrived with a pink baby's bonnet tucked in to her waistband. While some saw it as a blatant attempt to garner sympathy, she claimed she liked to have a memento of the baby close to her at all times. 'There's a baby in this case who has done nothing wrong and is entirely innocent of all wrongdoing and you will obviously want to see her before the sentence is passed, I do understand that,' said Judge Kate Cornell. 'But you must be under no illusion what's going to happen on the fourth of July.' After being found guilty of six charges of engaging in sexual activity with a child, including two while being a person in a position of trust, Jane Wilson, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: 'Rebecca Joynes is a sexual predator. 'Joynes was entrusted with the responsibility of teaching and safeguarding children. She abused her position to groom and ultimately sexually exploit schoolboys. Her behaviour has had a lasting impact on them.' Born and raised on the Wirral, Joynes enjoyed a middle-class upbringing in a loving family. The elder of two daughters, she was raised in a four-bed semi purchased by her parents, Stuart and Mel, for 56,500 in the mid 1990s. Similar properties sell for north of 500,000 now. Joynes excelled at gymnastics, winning a national acrobatics title aged 12. She was educated at Pensby High School and Liverpool John Moores University where she studied sport and exercise science and joined the cheerleading club. By then she was she dating a boy who had attended a local grammar school. A rugby player and gym-goer, he shared her interest in fitness. Photographs on her social media show them abroad for a two-week summer trip. Having graduated, rather than joining the family 'firm', Joynes decided to become a teacher. In 2012 her parents had set up a popular cafe in nearby Heswall. The business thrived, doing well enough for Mr and Mrs Joynes to celebrate their 50th birthdays with a trip to Barbados, travelling Virgin Upper Class. While helping out at the cafe, Joynes began a two-year Teach First programme the scheme gives 'on the job' training in more challenging schools and took a postgraduate course in secondary maths. In 2018 Joynes started work at a school in Greater Manchester and moved in to a modern flat on Salford quayside. But Joynes then suffered a double blow. She separated from her boyfriend, telling the court she found it difficult coping with the split. It also made going back home awkward as there was a risk of bumping in to him. While the boyfriend was not named in court, a schoolfriend told the Mail their relationship had not been easy. 'They went out for a long time when they were very young childhood sweethearts,' he said. 'But he said she could be a nightmare. She was very jealous and insecure. She thought he was cheating on her. Becky always wanted to know where he was and who he was seeing a lot of the time.' Her ex boyfriend told the Daily Mail he'd dated Joynes but had 'no idea' about the court case. Next, Covid struck. The various lockdowns saw schools shut for months at a time during 2020 and early 2021. Joynes admitted that she 'struggled massively'. It meant when she returned to school in September 2021, classroom routines were a novelty to both her and her pupils. But what happened over the coming weeks was more than just a blurring of boundaries. According to Joynes, boys in her class started making flirtatious comments. Rather than take them to task she admitted she had let her 'guard down'. 'I think I was obviously lonely and I liked the attention at the time, which sounds awful,' she told the court. Boy A, who was attending booster maths sessions, began messaging her after Joynes had given him the first ten digits of her 11 digit mobile number, telling him to work out the final, missing one. Hardly the greatest of mathematical challenges. 'I don't like maths get too distracted now,' Boy A wrote in one message, with Joynes writing back: 'Better had be the work.' The pupil replied: 'Of course it is Miss. What else would it be?' Arrangements were made to meet up after school one Friday in October. Boy A went home, told his mum he was going to stay with a friend, changed out of his uniform and was picked up by Joynes at a pre-arranged point in her Audi. The pair went shopping at the Trafford Centre where the teacher bought him belt and drove him to her apartment. Asked what he was expecting to happen, Boy A told police: 'I don't know. If you ever see her she is good looking. I remember her saying you might as well come to my apartment, and I said, I may as well stay. She said, 'OK. That works for me.' On the journey Boy A recalled saying he was not old enough to drive, to which Joynes laughed: 'Stop saying that'. Once in the flat they quickly moved to the bedroom where they kissed. He told the court: 'As she was getting undressed she said: 'No one had better find out'.' Having had sex once, a few hours later he suggested doing it again. 'She was like, 'I don't mind. Whatever you want',' he said. When he said he was worried she might get pregnant, Joynes replied she did not think it possible as she suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome. In her defence Joynes accepted that she should not have taken the schoolboy to her flat. But she claimed they did not have sex and that he had slept on the couch after telling him she 'was not the type of person who goes around sleeping with people'. As for traces of the boy's semen found on the sheets, she claimed they must have got there when he was left alone in the flat for a few hours the following morning. Joynes pictured outside Manchester Crown Court alongside her father Stuart Over that weekend rumours about the two spread around the school Boy A having messaged a friend. An anonymous tip-off to Childline followed and on Monday morning police visited the school. The boy, who had a love bite on his neck, initially claimed it was 'just banter'. But when his mother discovered he had not stayed with his friend, he admitted what had happened. Joynes was suspended from school as police investigated. She appeared at court and was bailed on condition she did not contact any child under 18. But it then emerged she was in a long-term sexual relationship with a second pupil, Boy B, by whom she was pregnant. They had begun messaging soon after Joynes' suspension, when Boy B was also only 15. He said he did not think Joynes would meet up because she had been arrested but that the messages quickly turned sexual. 'Get your tits out', Boy B wrote on one occasion. Joynes replied 'not tonight' which the boy took to mean she would in the future. Joynes later sent him a photo of her bottom in just a thong. When he asked if they could meet, she invited him to her flat. The boy told police that the first time they met they had only kissed, with Joynes whispering in his ear about waiting until his 16th birthday. That milestone duly passed, he told his parents he was off to watch a Manchester United game one evening. Instead, Joynes picked him up and whisked him back to her apartment. 'I'm legal', the nervous teenager told her. Afterwards he said Joynes praised his performance. He claimed they went on to have sex around 30 times 'in numerous different places'. Like Boy A, Joynes told him she could not have a baby and they had unprotected sex. When she discovered she was pregnant she planned a 'date night' involving a scratchcard of sexual activities, rose petals and hidden notes around her flat. Boy B said: 'At the end it was a baby grow. It said something like, 'Best Dad' and I was like, 'What the f***!' She started crying and I started crying, because we were undecided whether to get rid of it or not. Joynes enjoyed a stable, supportive upbringing in the Wirral town of Heswall 'That was probably the lowest point, we were irresponsible. It's my own fault. I also thought, 'what the f*** am I going to do?' I can't hide a kid. I had hid the relationship for 18 months from my parents.' The relationship had been punctuated by frequent rows, as Joynes became jealous and controlling, and the teenager began to question what was happening. 'I have realised how wrong it was,' Boy B told police. 'She's really pretty, she's really smart, she's really funny. I knew in my head, I would say to her, 'You're a weirdo, you need help. You're a nonce. You should go and find someone your own age, you are pretty enough'. 'I kind of think she was playing a game with me. I did love her, to be honest, and she said she loved me.' Once Joynes turned up at a pub where he was with friends including girls and he went out to her car. 'She was crying her eyes out and she said, 'If I lose this baby, it's your fault'. She was just crying, 'Why does this always happen to me?' She's got trust issues.' Joynes also went through his phone, crying and screaming if she thought he was 'cheating' on her. Boy B initially lied to police, saying he had been 16 when he first kissed her. But realising he was the 'victim' he told the truth. Joynes denied kissing him when he was 15, saying he went to her flat to do homework. She admitted later having sex with him, but claimed it did not start until he was 16 and she had been dismissed from the school. The timing is important because while the age of consent is 16, when it involves a child and their teacher it is raised to 18. She added she thought Boy B genuinely cared for her and became her 'best friend'. Later, when pregnant with his child she wrote a letter, telling him: 'Every inch of you is perfect. You are all I ever dream about.' A dream that was to end in disaster for all those involved. From teacher to convicted sex offender, separated from a child she has barely seen. An improbable story with a very predictable ending. Additional reporting: James Tozer But he refused because it was 'too difficult for him,' a new book claims John F. Kennedy Jr. refused to call Princes William and Harry following Princess Diana's tragic death - despite being urged to do so by his wife, Carolyn - because it was 'too difficult for him,' a new book has claimed. In an upcoming biography titled, Once Upon A Time: The Captivating Life Of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, author Elizabeth Beller takes a deep dive into the life of the woman who stood alongside 'America's prince' JFK Jr.. The explosive book promises to share the true identity behind the multi-faceted woman who had locked people in with her fiercely independent attitude as it lifts the lid on the other side of Carolyn that the public didn't see - one that saw her begging her spouse to ring the royal brothers during a difficult time. Elizabeth highlights Carolyn's 'compassion' as she shares that she urged JFK Jr. to call Prince William and Prince Harry following their mother's 1997 death, however, the attorney refused to pick up the phone because of Diana's extremely public passing. John F. Kennedy Jr. refused to call Princes William and Harry following Princess Diana's tragic death - despite being urged to do by his wife, Carolyn (seen with JFK Jr. in 1999) Elizabeth highlights Carolyn's 'compassion' as she shares that she urged JFK Jr. to call the princes following their mother's 1997 death (Princess Diana seen with her sons in 1988) In an excerpt obtained by People, Elizabeth, whose book is set to be released on May 21, shared what transpired in the days after Princess Diana's death. The Princess died due to a fatal car crash during a high-speed chase by photographers in Paris. Carolyn was furious about the Royal's passing, especially because she had struggled with paparazzi herself. Elizabeth wrote: 'Carolyn tried to get John to call Princes William and Harry to give his condolences when it came out that Diana had hoped for her sons to emulate John's modesty in the face of media obsession.' However, JFK Jr. didn't see the benefit of ringing the boys at first as he 'didnt know them and thought that their situations greatly differed.' The excerpt read: 'He had met [Princess Diana] once or twice, and the fact that she had died while being chased down by paparazzi, he was aware of the fact that their [he and Carolyn's] lives were becoming overwrought with attention and he was upset. 'Carolyn's suggestion was lovely that he call them. He was, by all accounts, a lovely, gracious person, but maybe that moment was too difficult for him to be able to reach out and say something to someone who's just lost their parent in a very public and dramatic way.' JFK Jr. didn't see the benefit of ringing the boys at first as he 'didnt know them and thought that their situations greatly differed' (JFK Jr. and Carolyn seen in 1995) Carolyn was furious about Diana's passing because she had struggled with paparazzi herself In an upcoming biography titled, Once Upon A Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, author Elizabeth Beller takes a deep dive into JFK Jr.'s wife's life The upcoming biography shows Carolyn - who died on July 16, 1999 - in a different light as she was previously described as 'icy' by headlines. Carolyn died when a plane, being flown by JFK Jr. and also carrying her sister, Lauren, crashed into the waters off of Martha's Vineyard. Elizabeth revealed: 'The press attention really terrified her. There was a vulnerability. And I think somehow the press attention and scrutiny just touched a nerve and it stole a lot of her joy. 'She had a lot of compassion, and she was very caring and a good friend.' Carolyn and JFK Jr. - the second child of US president John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis - started dating in the early 1990s, and they quickly became one of the most talked about couples on the globe. Of course, the public already had an immense fascination with the Kennedys, but Carolyn's bold fashion choices and her ability to turn even the simplest looks into a chic ensemble only drew people in even more. The Princess died due to a fatal car crash during a high-speed chase by photographers in Paris (seen with Prince William in 1991) Carolyn died when a plane, being flown by JFK Jr and also carrying her sister, Lauren, crashed into the waters off of Martha's Vineyard (seen in 1999) Not only did Carolyn - who worked as the director of publicity for Calvin Klein's flagship store in Manhattan - dominate the red carpet any time they attended an event, but she would also turn the New York City streets into her own personal catwalk when running errands or walking their dog. Paparazzi would often camp outside of the couple's New York City apartment in the hopes of catching a glimpse of them, and many became obsessed with seeing what she'd wear next. And 25 years after the couple's death, people around the world continue to praise the spouse of JFK Jr. for her envious fashion and stunning looks. Once Upon A Time: The Captivating Life Of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy will be released on May 21. For the past two years, twins Georgia and Melissa Laurie have celebrated a special secondary birthday on June 6. There is a cake with candles, and a collective sense that the celebration is, if anything, more significant to them than their 'real' birthday, marking a reforging of their extraordinary bond. Because it was on June 6 three years ago that Georgia rescued her twin from certain death following a terrifying crocodile attack which had seen Melissa dragged under water in a Mexican lagoon. With a courage that would inspire even the most fearless warrior, Georgia placed herself in the most extraordinary danger, plunging into the water to try to save the life of her twin while risking her own. Not once but twice she confronted the 10ft, 150kg reptile, punching it repeatedly on the nose while trying to keep her drowning twins head above water. Melissa Laurie was dragged into a Mexican lagoon by a 10ft crocodile three years ago Fearless twin sister Georgia plunged into the water, risking her life to try to save Melissa It was the most visceral thing, but I was fighting for someone I loved, she says. I remember thinking we had so many memories to make together in the future and nothing was going to take that away from us. It was primal, visceral. I was literally screaming get off my f***ing sister. It is little wonder, given this exemplary bravery, that Georgias courage made headlines around the world. And now it is to receive royal recognition after the Palace announced that the 31-year-old will be among the first candidates to be given a Kings Gallantry Award, newly minted by King Charles III to recognise acts of supreme civilian courage. Needless to say both twins are thrilled, the medal a final proud marker on a sibling journey which, they reveal to the Mail, has navigated a number of bumps along the way. For a few years there was a bit of a wedge between Mel and me, because I was in a difficult relationship with a man who tried to isolate me from my family, says Georgia now. I felt like wed lost so much time together, and I wasnt going to lose any more chances to make memories. Their closeness is certainly unmistakable during our interview. Seated side by side, they turn to each other frequently and on occasion finish each others sentences. Identical at birth today Georgia is one inch taller, with longer hair they were always close, although they developed distinctive personalities growing up alongside older sister Hannah, 36, in Sandhurst, Berkshire, with mum Sue and their telecommunications consultant father Sean. Georgia is more outgoing and confident, the one who would get into scrapes, and Melissa is more reserved, although shes grown in confidence as shes got older, Sue, 64, who has accompanied her daughters today, recalls. Theyre definitely different in personality and people say they balance each other out. These differences, Melissa reflects, played in their favour during the terrifying attack. I really believe that our personalities also helped with what happened, she says. Georgia has struggled with her breathing when shes overly anxious, so I think she might have drowned if she had been attacked, and I am not sure whether I would have had Georgias instinct to fight. Melissa suffered an open fracture on her wrist during the attack and had fluid on her lungs Either way, both confide they have always been sensitive to each others pain, relating an incident when, as children, one twin touched a cactus and the other said ow (although neither can remember which way round). After school, Georgia qualified as a dive master and an online teacher of English to foreign students. Melissa, meanwhile, studied animal management at college and went on to work at Longleat, although both also spent time together working as cabin crew for BA. By then, Georgia had become involved with a man who not only cheated on her but also, over time, isolated her from her family. For her part, Sue recalls Melissas dismay at what she saw as her twins increasing distance: But of course, that wasnt the problem. It was very difficult. When the relationship ended, the twins seized the opportunity to reconnect again, travelling to India before opting for an extended trip to Mexico in early 2021. Intended as an eight-month excursion, the duo planned to return in time for Hannahs wedding in November, and after flying into Cancun, at the start of March, they embarked on the Gringo Trail, a popular travel route. They spent four weeks in the pretty highland town of San Cristobal before heading to Puerto Escondido, a resort on Mexicos Pacific coast. Today, Melissa recalls how she and Georgia argued not long after arrival. The psychological recovery has proved difficult, with both twins suffering from PTSD Georgia was staying out late, and I wanted for us to get more early nights and to make more of the day. I think we just got burnt out, didnt we? she says. Georgia in turn says the row proved something of an epiphany and she recalls messaging her family in its wake to apologise for being out of touch. I said I was going to try a lot harder now, I love you all, she recalls. And then obviously we went on this trip. The trip in question was billed as a day in nature, including birdwatching and a boat excursion, alongside the chance to swim in the Manialtepec Lagoon. Hosted by a guide as it turns out unlicensed Georgia recalls him assuring them there were no crocodiles. And so it was that the twins, together with two brothers they had befriended called Ani and Gopal, started swimming in the lagoons clear water around 5.30pm under a bright blue sky. Their guide was elsewhere with others on the trip. Not long afterwards, one of the brothers spotted something in the distance. It looked like a log at first, recalls Melissa, who was closest to it. Then I could make out a head and eyes as it started gliding very quickly towards us through the water. Realising it was a crocodile, the panic-stricken group swam as fast as they could towards land, Melissa bringing up the rear. You could feel the fear in the air, says Georgia. Just this intense sense of peril. I remember thinking there was no way we would all get out alive. As Georgia continued swimming frantically for safety, Ani had arrived at a bankside and was pulling Melissa up with one hand at which point the crocodile appeared from underneath, bit Melissas other hand which was still in the water and dragged her underneath. I had my arm locked in its jaws and it was literally thrashing me around in the water, Melissa recalls now. I remember thinking I was never going to see my family again, what a horrible way to die and how will Georgia repatriate my body. Then the lights went out. Today, Georgia can still remember her sisters chilling screams. I honestly thought that was it, she was dead, she recalls. Yet despite every bone in her body telling her to flee, another instinct was stronger. I thought even if she was dead, I cant leave her body, I had to find where she was. Georgia clambered onto some nearby mangroves to get a better view but, unable to spot Melissa, returned to the edge of the water, where she heard one of the brothers shout that they could see a body. And then suddenly Mel just floated very slowly round the corner into me, face down, she says. An unlicensed tour guide told the sisters there were no crocodiles in Manialtepec Lagoon Screaming her name, Georgia turned her sister over, to find her unresponsive. She then started flailing her arms and legs about like she was having a seizure, Georgia recalls. I was desperately trying to get her to calm down, worried she was going to alert the crocodile again. Too late: it was already on its way, swimming towards them at speed but this time Georgia was determined to meet it head on. I went into a frenzy, like one wild animal fighting another, she says. Id heard you should punch a shark, so I did the same on the crocodiles snout, it was like hitting steel. To her astonishment, the crocodile suddenly moved away, but the relief did not last long: as an exhausted Georgia tried to work out how to drag her sisters body to a nearby boat, keeping her head out of water, she saw the crocodile return again. I remember thinking this was it, that both of us might not survive, she says. The crocodile grabbed a barely conscious Melissa, plunging her into a death roll in which the reptile frantically spins its prey under water to disorientate and drown it while biting her upper thigh and buttocks. I was punching it over and over again and then it released Melissa and bit my wrist, but before it did it showed its teeth and gave this really loud hiss, like a direct display of its power. It was terrifying but I kept punching it and eventually it let me go. To Georgias dazed amazement, the crocodile swam away as a boat summoned by Ani who had also called the emergency services arrived alongside them. Dragged on board, Georgia realised she was bleeding from her wrist and her sister was coughing up blood. She was slumped over my shoulders, and drifting in and out of consciousness, she recalls. I wanted to try and keep her present, so I sang Stand By Me and Bob Marleys Three Little Birds over and over. Melissa, meanwhile, was convinced she was dying. It was almost like Georgias fight had ended but I had my own fight now. I could feel death hovering above me, just waiting, she recalls. I said to her, quite a few times, Georgia, hug me, Im dying. After a 30-minute boat trip the twins were met by paramedics who rushed both to hospital. Melissa was wailing out in pain at this point, recalls Georgia. I went in to see her and she looked up at me with these glazed eyes. Doctors told Georgia that her twin had an open fracture on her wrist, that there was something wrong with her abdomen, and that she had fluid on her lungs which could lead to pneumonia. 'What I did was just a necessary action to save Melissas life, like anyone would,' says Georgia By this point, Melissa cannot remember much except being desperate to be put out of her pain. On the boat pain was my friend, keeping me alive, but when I reached the hospital, all I wanted was for the pain to stop, she says. Her wish was granted in the grimmest way: several hours later Melissa had to be put in an induced coma after her breathing deteriorated. It was left to Georgia to break the news to her parents, making the call at 4am British time. Mum answered and I asked if she was sitting down, then told her Melissa had been attacked by a crocodile. And there was a long pause, and no one really reacted. I think they were just in absolute shock, she says. With complex Covid rules in place it would take an anguished Sue and Sean a week to arrive at Puerta Escondido, during which time Georgia herself in a different hospital room on an intravenous drip to ward off infection had to face more devastating hurdles alone. Not long after being admitted, she was told Melissa had developed sepsis and had only a 50-50 chance of surviving. Every time a doctor walked past my heart would sink, I was so scared they would tell me she was gone. Only on day five, when doctors said they were going to take out Melissas breathing tube, did Georgia feel able to breathe easier herself. Their subsequent reunion was as emotional as you would expect. When I first walked into the room and saw Melissa she burst out crying, Georgia says. That feeling of reuniting was absolutely amazing. Melissa says she just could not believe what her twin had done to rescue her. The overriding feeling was just this immense gratitude, she says. Not that the road to recovery was easy: Melissas body still bears the scars from her ordeal, from the spiralling patterns of puncture marks on her leg to a five-inch scar on her abdomen. She has ongoing gastric issues to this day from a laparotomy [abdominal surgery] procedure. Its left that area quite sensitive so when I get stressed actually it can be quite painful. Other than that, I think weve both been lucky, she says. The psychological recovery has proved more challenging: both have suffered PTSD, and only now feel able to return to full-time work, starting jobs as cabin crew later this year. We did struggle a lot with disassociation, not really feeling connected to ourselves, to family, to friends, says Georgia, whose own bite on the wrist is now fully healed. Its just your brains way of coping, you just switch off as a way of managing the trauma. For a long time after we got back, it was putting one foot in front of the other, like survival mode, but now we are trying to look ahead and make plans. It is one reason that the twins have signed up for a fundraising swim in of all places the River Thames, aiming to complete eight miles in its murky waters this August to raise money for PTSD UK and a Mexican charity that provides medical training to impoverished communities. Arent they terrified? Melissa admits that even getting in a swimming pool for their first training swim was tough. It was pretty triggering, especially doing front crawl, which reminded me of trying to escape the crocodile all over again, she says. At the same time I feel like we both need to reclaim the water. That sentiment is shared by Georgia, who still seems to be in shock that her own courage will be formally acknowledged by none other than the King later this year. She received the news on Valentines Day in an envelope marked Private and Confidential. I opened it and I literally said No way, she recalls. Its quite difficult to come to terms with because part of me doesnt feel like I really deserve it. What I did was just a necessary action to save Melissas life, like anyone would. To donate to the twins charity swim, go to: justgiving.com/team/crocodiletwinsbigswim The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh appeared to be in high spirits as they took part in the Ceremony of the Keys - while visiting the Scottish capital. Prince Edward, 60, and his wife Sophie, 59, were all smiles as they made a visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and took part in the tradition, which happens every time the monarch or their official representative makes an official visit to the city. The late Queen's son was also seen walking alongside senior British Army reservist Major-General Alastair Bruce for the occasion. He then received the keys to the City of Edinburgh from Lord Provost Councillor Robert Aldridge during the event. Photos from the day showed Sophie and Edward beaming as they were greeted by the ornate ceremony. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh appeared to be in high spirits as they took part in the Ceremony of the Keys - while visiting the Scottish capital The Duchess was effortlessly elegant in an emerald dress with textured patterns. The A-line skirt, collar detail and cinched waist made for the perfect sophisticated ensemble. She teamed her outfit with beige stiletto heels and accesorised with a matching green clutch. Sophie pulled her blonde tresses back into an effortless updo and kept her make-up chic and summery. Meanwhile, Edward was dapper in a navy suit and salmon tie, sporting black leather shoes to finish the look off. Earlier this week, the couple become the first members of the royal family to visit a new memorial statue of Queen Elizabeth II. The Duke and Duchess were on a visit to Oakham, Rutland in the East Midlands. They went to the town's library, which is now home to the first memorial statue of the late monarch, Edward's mother, which features her beloved corgis at her feet. The pair were the first royals to see the eye-catching seven-foot bronze statue, and the Duchess couldn't resist petting the corgis as she spoke to crowds. Prince Edward , 60, and his wife Sophie, 59, were all smiles as they made a visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and took part in the tradition, which happens every time the monarch or their official representative makes an official visit to the city Edward received the keys to the City of Edinburgh from Lord Provost Councillor Robert Aldridge during the event Photos from the day showed Sophie and Edward beaming as they were greeted by the ornate ceremony The couple looked to be in high spirits as they received the keys to the city during today's event The Duke looked delighted as he received the keys to the city during the ceremony at the Palace The couple were seen taking in the ceremony as they enjoyed a visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse The Duke and Duchess appeared to be in great spirits as they attended the event in Edinburgh on Friday Edward and Sophie took a moment to look at the statue in silence and take in the meaningful tribute to the late monarch. Sophie was dressed for the weather in a smart cream coat, which she paired with green straight-leg trousers and an orange bag. She looked as elegant as ever as she twisted her blonde tresses into a stylish updo, and added a tangerine-coloured bag to accessorise. Meanwhile her husband also dressed smartly for the occasion, adding a tweed blazer to his look. The Duchess was effortlessly elegant in an emerald dress with textured patterns. The A-line skirt, collar detail and cinched waist made for the perfect sophisticated ensemble She teamed her outfit with beige stiletto heels and accesorised with a matching green clutch. Sophie pulled her blonde tresses back into an effortless updo and kept her make-up chic and summery The late Queen's son was also seen walking alongside senior British Army reservist Major-General Alastair Bruce for the occasion Sophie opted for a deep green gown as she took in the ceremony at the Palace of Holyroodhouse The event saw the Duke and Duchess receiving the keys to the city as they made a visit to the Scottish capital The Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh took place today, as the Duke and Duchess visited They arrived at Oakham by helicopter before making their way to Oakham Castle just after 11am, where they met children from local primary schools. There, they were welcomed by the leader of the town council and presented a double horseshoe - a tradition for royals visiting the area. Despite the inclement weather, crowds flocked to see the younger brother of King Charles and waved Union Jack flags. Prince Edward showed his friendly and personable nature as he spoke to locals at the Salon in Oakham, who had sat underneath an umbrella to watch him go by. 'Is this home is it?' Edward joked as the delighted crowd burst into laughter. A luxury London hotel has come under fire for serving up a very ordinary English breakfast for a princely sum. The Wolseley hotel in Piccadilly currently charges customers 24.50 for a traditional fry-up...but has fallen foul of the aficionados at englishbreakfastsociety.com. A member of the organisation, which celebrates the history and traditions of the fry-up, said the plate they were served up this week was an example of 'how not to do a high end English breakfast.' Posting on social media platform X, @FryUpSociety shared a photo of a meagre-looking brekkie, which according to many of the more than 90,000 people who've now seen it, committed a multitude of crimes, ranging from the cost to the positioning of some of the items. Burn! The 24.50 Wolseley English breakfast: Chairman of The English Breakfast Society, Guise Bule, said the plate was an example of 'how not to do a high end English breakfast' The fine dining plate, which was surrounded by silverware, showed one sausage, a large portion of beans, some rather moist-looking scramble egg, a mushroom, half a charred tomato and a black pudding that looked possibly a tad overcooked. Comments about the breakfast have come thick and fast since. One person wrote: 'Taking the Mickey. Thats barely worth 7 or 8 quid. Is that one sausage? Nothing beyond bog standard. 'For that kind of money Im expecting fried potatoes or potato rosti, delicious sausages, homemade beans, lovely sourdough smothered in butter. I can do better myself.' The hotel opened in 2003, but was bought out by Thai hotel group Minor International in 2022 Another added: 'That looks distinctly below average..Id be very upset paying twenty four notes for that!' Many were upset at exactly what went where on The Wolseley plate, with one person writing: 'Im more upset about the absence of a fried slice - and beans should never touch the egg, the sausage us there to act as a barrier.' Another breakfast fan agreed, penning: 'Thats poor. Oh and letting the beans touch the scrambled eggs is criminal.' Others disliked the beans too, saying they 'didn't belong' on an English breakfast at all. And one joker teased: 'You'd think they would let you have both halves of the tomato at that price.' Guise Bule, Chairman of The English Breakfast Society, told MailOnline that there were 'incredible' English breakfasts to be had at higher price points in the capital, including at The Hawksmoor and Fallow restaurants. Bule said: 'They both sell a 25 breakfast and they put lots of effort into making them something special. 'The reason we blasted The Wolseley isnt because we object to the price point, its because we object to a supposedly high end restaurant making a mockery out of our tradition at that price point.' Bule added: 'We try to showcase what is best about the contemporary English breakfast tradition and expect a well established restaurant like the Wolseley to do the same.' The Wolseley declined to comment to MailOnline. The Wolseley's founders, who no longer run the hotel, Chris Corbin and Jeremy King met in the 1970s when they worked at the famous Langan's Brasserie and Joe Allen's respectively. Pictured: An interior view of the The Wolseley restaurant in London The hotel, which sits next to The Ritz, has long entertained A-list celebrities and British politicians since first opening its doors in 2003. It was bought by Thai hotel group Minor International two years ago, after it paid a multi-million pound sum to beat an offer from Jeremy King - who co-founded the hotel with his business partner Chris Corbin. Corbin and King met in the 1970s when they worked at the famous Langan's Brasserie and Joe Allen's respectively. They bought Le Caprice and turned it into a star-studded hangout where Princess Diana was a regular. They then opened showbusiness haunt The Ivy, before working their magic on fish restaurant J Sheekey. Their restaurants became known for the three 'C's: cuisine, celebrity and chic. The pair opened London's first successful grand cafe - The Wolseley - in a grade II-listed vintage car showroom-turned-bank in 2003. The establishment quickly became a popular haunt with celebrities, including Kate Moss, Emma Watson and the Beckhams. When it comes to style, we are all inspired by what we see; whether it be a well-dressed celebrity, a blow-your-mind catwalk presentation or even a fashionable passerby. As fashion editors, we're moved by all of the above, and then some. We're exposed to under-the-radar labels; we get a first-hand look at collections months before they hit stores; we attend VIP events; we're tapped into brands with chic-yet-cheap offerings and we shop a lot. To share our knowledge, FEMAIL brings you Style Swoon, a weekly series of the latest, greatest and on the verge. We hope this series will serve as a buying guide and point of inspiration for all. Today we focus on new releases just in time for summer. On Wednesday, May 15th, The RealReal celebrated the launch of their edit with Editor-In-Chief of Interview Magazine, Mel Ottenberg, with actress Molly Ringwald Molly radiated in a yellow one-shoulder dress, accessorized with a white handbag and matching shoes Cool resale edit On Wednesday, May 15th, The RealReal celebrated the launch of their edit with Editor-In-Chief of Interview Magazine, Mel Ottenberg. The celebration included a Real Talk panel featuring actor and longtime vintage enthusiast Molly Ringwald, editor Lynette Nylander, and The RealReals Chief Creative Officer Kristen Naiman, and took place at The RealReal's SoHo boutique. Discussions included muses that inspire them, their lasting impact on culture today, creatives over the years, and more. Molly radiated in a yellow one-shoulder dress, accessorized with a white handbag and matching shoes. Her signature red hair was styled in sleek pin curls and her beautiful porcelain skin was brought to life with a berry colored lipstick and blush. Her signature red hair was styled in sleek pin curls and her beautiful porcelain skin was brought to life with a berry colored lipstick and blush Attendees included industry friends, models, influencers, and celebrities, including actor Mischa Barton Ottenbergs super select assortment of vintage goods inspired by his all-time favorite collections and muses is now available to shop on TheRealReal and in their SoHo boutique The RealReal, the worlds largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goods Attendees included industry friends, models, influencers, and celebrities, including actor Mischa Barton. Mischa looked trendy in a plunging yellow top paired with an army green skirt, and topped with a navy trench. Her long hair was styled straight and parted down the middle. Models Daria Strokous, Ava Dash, and Madhulika Sharma, stylists Beverly Nguyen, Jaime Kay Waxman, and Solange Franklin, and influencer Christina Grasso, amongst others, were also in attendance. 'Prada spring/summer 1996 was the first thing I looked up when starting this edit for The RealReal, as that show is always the one for me, and there they were: a runway jacket and skirt in the ugliest, greatest Prada fabric ever, a favorite that I've been truly obsessed with for almost thirty years.' Ottenbergs super select assortment of vintage goods inspired by his all-time favorite collections and muses is now available to shop on TheRealReal and in their SoHo boutique. The RealReal, the worlds largest online marketplace for authenticated, resale luxury goods. One of Mel's favorite seasons from a heritage fashion house is Prada's spring '96 collection; he included this Vintage Prada 1996 Blazer and mini skirt. 'Prada spring/summer 1996 was the first thing I looked up when starting this edit for The RealReal, as that show is always the one for me, and there they were: a runway jacket and skirt in the ugliest, greatest Prada fabric ever, a favorite that I've been truly obsessed with for almost thirty years.' Logan Hollowell Jewelry launched a new 100% silk collection that is perfect for a balmy summer night Elegant warm nights Logan Hollowell Jewelry launched a new 100% silk collection perfect for a balmy summer night. The Silk Series is made up of 10 styles, ranging from $295 to $695 including an assortment of tops, skirts, midi, mini and floor-length dresses in addition to the perfect everyday slip dress. Like the jewelry, the ready-to-wear collection is influenced by the beauty and magic of nature. The Silk Series is made up of 10 styles, ranging from $295 to $695 including an assortment of tops, skirts, midi, mini and floor-length dresses in addition to the perfect everyday slip dress. The color palette consists of timeless neutral hues, with exclusive limited-edition colors being introduced. Each color is carefully selected to resonate with the natural elements found in the LA-based brand's jewelry, infusing the collection with an added layer of depth and sophistication. The color palette consists of timeless neutral hues, with exclusive limited-edition colors being introduced Just in time for when the sun's rays are the strongest, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses has new updates including Meta AI, new styles, and point of view video calling for WhatsApp and Messenger. Stylish and smart sunnies Just in time for when the sun's rays are the strongest, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses has new updates including Meta AI, new styles, and point of view video calling for WhatsApp and Messenger. With the original design flying off the shelves, Ray-Ban Meta has launched new styles designed to fit more face shapes. As well as new featuresincluding updates to Meta AIto make the glasses even more social, fun, and useful. Skyler frames offer up an iconic cat eye design inspired by an era of iconic jet-set style, designed to suit smaller faces. Skyler comes in Shiny Chalky Gray with Gradient Cinnamon Pink Lenses and Shiny Black with Transitions Cerulean Blue Lenses, which are now available for pre-order. With the original design flying off the shelves, Ray-Ban Meta has launched new styles designed to fit more face shapes. As well as new featuresincluding updates to Meta AIto make the glasses even more social, fun, and useful A new low bridge option has also been added to the collection. There are hundreds of different custom frame and lens combinations on the Ray-Ban Remix platform, so you can mix and match to make the high-tech glasses your own. Bonus: new styles are designed to be prescription lens compatible. Bonus: new styles are designed to be prescription lens compatible Hats imitating art Contemporary artist Sally King Benedict, known for her sought-after abstract paintings, has partnered with popular artisan accessories brand, Freya, on a collection of hats. The collaboration between the two bespoke brands is now available for preorder. 'I have always been drawn to Freya due to their artisan handwoven products. I loved the idea that my sketches were going to be hand embroidered on each hat an incredible culmination of art and fashionjust in time for sunny weather,' explains Sally King Benedict. The timely collaboration includes two limited edition styles priced at $380 each. Contemporary artist Sally King Benedict, known for her sought-after abstract paintings, has partnered with popular artisan accessories brand, Freya, on a collection of hats The second design, entitled Gaia, the goddess of earth, features one of the artists iconic colorful faces and is adorned with a soft suede chin strap and Freya-branded brass cord bolo tie. 'I was delighted to befriend Sally King Benedict several years ago as I had long admired her work,' said Linsay Radcliffe, co-founder, Freya. 'The joy and creativity of her paintings reflects our shared brand values. Its been rewarding to observe how our Ecuadorian artisans provide a new wearable context for her painting using intricate hand embroidered stitches on straw.' The first design, entitled Hemera which means Greek Goddess of Daylight nods to Benedicts former iterations of the sun and moon with a golden embroidered face and ivory recycled sari-silk braided ribbon. The first design, entitled Hemera which means Greek Goddess of Daylight nods to Benedicts former iterations of the sun and moon with a golden embroidered face and ivory recycled sari-silk braided ribbon. The second design, entitled Gaia, the goddess of earth, features one of the artists iconic colorful faces and is adorned with a soft suede chin strap and Freya-branded brass cord bolo tie. FEMAIL looks at the trends at dominated Australian Fashion Week on and off the runway Advertisement You didn't need a ticket to a show to catch a glimpse of the hottest fashion trends this year, with notable Australian Fashion Week attendees all too keen to flaunt their weird and wonderful sartorial takes outside each venue. As hundreds descended on Carriageworks in Sydney's inner-west throughout the week, people-watching was at its finest with the country's most fashionable sashaying in front of eager paparazzi and passers-by. Outfits varied from simple and chic to downright bizarre - but there were a few stand-out trends across the board. In 2023, Barbie pink was everywhere but now fashionistas have ditched the girly hues for fire hot red. Red tights and sock were huge while others went for head-to-toe scarlet outfits. There were some noticeable footwear trends, too, with many oversized boots and extravagantly embellished Crocs raising eyebrows throughout the week. Other standout fads included double denim garbs in a variety of shapes and sizes as well as kitschy patchwork crochet co-ords and bared bellies and midriffs. As fashion week wraps up for 2024, FEMAIL takes a look at the trends that dominated both on and off the runway. As hundreds descended on Carriageworks in Sydney for Australian Fashion Week, outfits varied from simple and chic to downright bizarre. However, there were some standout themes across the board including Crocs (pictured) In 2023, Barbie pink was everywhere but now fashionistas have ditched the girly hues for fire hot red. Red tights and sock were huge while others wen for the daring shade in head-to-toe outfits DOUBLE DENIM Jeans are no rare sight at any fashion week however, this year, denim was taken to new heights as many donned the versatile fabric from head-to-toe. The trend is reminiscent of Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears' iconic all-denim red carpet look at the 2001 American Music Awards but with a much-needed modern twist. Stylish Aussies dressed up the otherwise casual and practical material with some donning matching maxi skirts and bandeau tops. One woman paired a pair of straight leg jeans with a tailored denim shirt while keeping her accessories simple. Influencer Bella Varelis was all smiles in a pair of wide-leg jeans and a backless halter top she accessorised with a red shoes to add a pop of colour and gold beaded bag. Actress Marlo Kelly turned heads as she made her fashion week debut in a denim jacket and high-waisted jeans with a silver metallic handbag and black boots. Jeans are no rare sight at any fashion week however this year denim was taken to new heights as many donned the fabric from head-to-toe Influencer Bella Varelis (left) was all smiles in a pair of wide-leg jeans and a backless halter top while Actress Marlo Kelly (right) turned heads in a denim jacket and high-waisted jeans with a silver metallic handbag and black boots RED SOCKS AND STOCKINGS Bright red hosiery was a noticeable addition to many outfits spotted at Carriageworks both on and off the runway. Red or colourblock tights were all the rage in the 1970s thanks to London designer Mary Quant and have been seen more recently on international runways from Saint Laurent to Gucci and Balenciaga. Now Australian fashionistas are making it their own - either by dressing up a minimalist outfit or to make their bold looks even more delightfully outrageous. Designer Emma Mulholland on Holiday sent multiple models down the catwalk in sneakers with ruby sock while Akira had a styled a patterned dress and strappy red heels with vermillion tights. Outside in the crowd, solid and patterned red socks were spotted in a variation of styles and are sure to be seen more and more on clothing store shelves in coming seasons as the trend takes hold. Bright red hosiery was adding an eye-popping element to many outfits spotted at Carriageworks. Red tights were all the rage in the 1970s thanks to designer Mary Quant and have been seen recently on international runways Designer Emma Mulholland on Holiday sent multiple models down the catwalk in sneakers with ruby sock wile Akira had a styled a patterned dress and strappy red heels with vermillion tights Now Australian fashionistas are making it their own - either by dressing up a minimalist outfit or to make their bold looks even more delightfully outrageous RED HOT REVELRY It wasn't just the hosiery - the daring hue was everywhere proving red is the new pink as fashionistas leave the Barbiecore trend back in 2023. Some opted for entirely red ensembles with whole outfits as well as shoes, tights and bags in the fiery shade while others took a more subtle approach with scarlet dress or accessories. Desordre Boutique director Shannon Thomas attended the Bec and Bridge show in a red angular Atelein dress which she wore with a pearl necklace, black bag and a beige jacket. Red was a noted feature during the Next Gen show which highlights emerging Aussie designers. One model hit the catwalk in a crimson jacket and mini skirt co-ord while another had a sheer lace maxi dress worn over black pants. At Karla Spetic, all eyes were on the cheeky see-through red lace numbers including a body suit, mini dress and max skirt. It wasn't just the hosiery, the daring hue was everywhere proving red is the new pink as fashionistas leave the Barbiecore trend back in 2023 Red was a noted feature during the Next Gen show which highlights emerging Aussie designers. One model hit the catwalk in a crimson jacket and mini skirt co-ord while another had a sheer lace maxi dress worn over black pants At Karla Spetic, all eyes were on the cheeky see-through red lace numbers including a body suit, mini dress and maxi skirt that paraded down the runway BELLIES BARED Exposed bellies are one of the big 'trends' to emerge this year, as toned tummies were on proud display down the catwalk at many shows. Punters were quick to follow suit. Nicol & Ford presented daring looks including one dress that let the red lace fabric hang right down to the thigh and P.E. Nation showed off midriffs with low rise trousers and crop tops. The winter chill didn't deter revellers from daring to bare with many outfits leaving bellies and midriffs on full display. Social media personality Jade Brycki made her baby bump the star of the show in not one, not two but three outfits she donned to watched the shows; she joked on Instagram that her 'belly had become (her) personality'. Nicol & Ford presented daring looks including one dress that let the red lace fabric hang right down to the thigh and P.E. Nation showed off midriffs with low rise trousers and crop tops The winter chill didn't deter revellers from daring to bare with many outfits leaving bellies and midriffs on full display. Social media personality Jade Brycki (right) made her baby bump the star of the show in not one, not two but three outfits she donned to watched the shows; she joked on Instagram that her 'belly had become (her) personality' QUIRKY CROCS Crocs are a divisive footwear choice but fans wore them with pride this fashion week; many proclaimed that they are determined to 'make ugly the new beautiful'. Fantastical outfits were paired with the quirky shoes in platformed heels and were, of course, decorated with lots of colourful or bejewelled jibbitz. Fashion week punters were fully embracing the comfort of Crocs instead of risking a broken ankle in sky-high heels. Fashion influencer, Lizzie Cao, was spotted strutting in her black Crocs Mega Crush Sandals on the way to the Karla Spetic show. TikTok star Sam Todd walked through Carriageworks in her extravagantly decorated neon yellow Croc while Aichark went for barbie pink siren Crocs. Crocs are a divisive footwear choice but fans wore them with pride this fashion week; many proclaimed that they are determined to 'make ugly the new beautiful' Fashion influencer, Lizzie Cao, was spotted strutting in her black Crocs Mega Crush Sandals. TikTok star Sam Todd walked through Carriageworks in her extravagantly decorated neon yellow Croc while Aichark went for barbie pink siren Crocs BIG AND BULKY BOOTS A pair of black boots is a winter essential for most but the wardrobe classic was seen all over Carriageworks in eyebrow-raising oversized designs. Many were safe from the rain and walking through puddles with their wellington-like footwear, especially those who opted for the style with a flared neck. Black was the go-to boot colour for most however they were seen in all sorts of colours from white to brown and even metallic gold. Baggy boots with a loose fit around the calf and contrastingly thin heel strode down the catwalk at Acler. One model donned them in a shiny disco gold and another in an amethyst purple. A pair of black boots is a winter essential for most but the wardrobe classic was seen all over Carriageworks in eyebrow-raising oversized designs Baggy boots with a loose fit around the calf and contrastingly thin heel strode down the catwalk at Acler. One model donned them in a shiny disco gold and another in an amethyst purple PATCHWORK AND CROCHET Get your grandma started on your next trendsetting outfit. This week guests united in the belief that crocheting and knit work are seriously in right now. Not just reserved for homemade blankets at nan's house, the unique pattern was a notable fad among the Carriageworks crowds. The style never quite made it mainstream when it was seen on multiple International fashion week runways, including at Moschino, and Dolce and Gabbana, back in 2017 - but the Aussies are bringing it back in a big way. TV personality and podcast host Jessica Rowe posed up a storm in her patchwork crocheted pants and matching top while supporting her daughter Allegra who made her runway debut at the Rory William Docherty show. Musician Thelma Plum looked cosy sitting front row at the Romance Was Born show as she donned a colourful crocheted floor-length dress with long sleeves and a bunched neckline. An Aussie eatery has opened its first store in New York and Americans are lining up around the block to try it. The Australian-owned chain Fishbowl has 46 stores across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria and has now established itself in New York under the name ThisBowl. New Yorkers are waiting up to half an hour to get their hands on one of the healthy takeaway joint's tasty Asian-fusion salad bowls with many saying they are 'worth the hype' - and it's made Aussies mad. Aussies have been complaining about not being able to get a foot in the door because of the queues as well as the eyewatering $17USD or $25AUD price per bowl. Others have been questioning whether the style of food ThisBowl serves is really an Australian invention but the owner was quick to dispel any concerns. Americans are obsessed with Australian-owned takeaway chain Fishbowl which has opened in New York under the name ThisBowl. Customers are lining up around the block for a salad bowl Australian woman Ruby who lives in New York wanted to have a taste of home so visited the ThisBowl store but was disappointed to find a line out the door. 'It's huge here and everyone keeps talking about it and I'm like it's OURS. New York, you have all your own s***, leave me to Fishbowl,' she ranted. Aussie expat Simona had similar thoughts. 'Nothing could have prepared me for the amount of rage I have felt over the past week watching Americans post TikToks about trying Fishbowl aka ThisBowl for the first time in New York,' she said. ''I got mine with avocado, I really highly recommend it, you guys, it's so fresh'. We know. We invented it, it's ours.' Australians living in New York are claiming Fishbowl as their own but the flack hasn't stopped Americans from raving about the tasty Asian-fusion salad bowls Many disputed Simona's claim the poke-style salad bowls were an Australian 'invention'. 'I'm Aussie but Fishbowl isn't even Australian. poke bowls are Hawaiian,' one woman pointed out. 'Your food is in our city, how about we share?' another hit back. 'When I went by thinking it would be a normal experience and the line was 160 people. I'll just go to Sydney for it,' a third said. 'I meanIt's the same thing as a poke bowl,' a fourth wrote and someone replied: 'How is Fishbowl poke? They are more like salads than poke'. Fishbowl co-founder Nic Pestalozzi responded to the criticism they had stolen another culture's food to news.com.au. 'Firstly, we're not poke and don't claim to be, poke is from Hawaii, and is a very different style meal to the salads we serve,' he said. One New York foodie dubbed ThisBowl as the city's 'most viral spot for lunch' and another called it a 'flavour explosion in my mouth' 'We serve salads, they're full of vegetables, and an array of proteins. Poke is all about raw fish, it's great, but it's not what we do.' But the flack hasn't stopped Americans from trying and rating ThisBowl. One New York foodie dubbed ThisBowl as the city's 'most viral spot for lunch' and loved the 'overflowing bowls of fresh veg, warm sushi rice, salmon crudo miso eggplant all piled high with tones of house-made toppings'. 'People are right in calling this one of the best lunch options and eve quick dinners because we are going to be craving their bowls and can't wait to work through their whole menu, definitely worth the hype,' they said. Another said they were hesitant to try ThisBowl because of the price which usually costs between $13-$18 in Australia but said the generous serving made it worthwhile. 'RUN DO NOT WALK. I swear to god the flavour explosion in my mouth,' she wrote. A beloved Sydney restaurant has announced it's shock - albeit temporary - closure after eight years of delighting Australian foodies with decadent Italian food. Big Poppa's in Darlinghurst is an award-winning late night restaurant that sees Aussies dine on modern European cuisine, gourmet cheeses, and wine. The spot is typically home to non-stop hip hop music until 3am every night of the week. While Big Poppa's managed to keep its doors open through 21 months of redevelopment in the area, the dozens of roadblocks and construction workers in the way have dampened the experience for workers and customers alike. The restaurant just revealed it will cease serving patrons on Sunday 19 May. Big Poppa's in Darlinghurst is an award-winning late night restaurant Big Poppa's revealed it will cease serving patrons on Sunday 19 May Foodies need not worry too much - Big Poppa's will reopen once construction is complete, though the restaurant is unable to provide a specific date at the moment. 'It is with a heavy heart that we must announce that Big Poppas is closing down temporarily, until the redevelopment of the block around us is complete,' the restaurant said online. 'We need to be able to trade without any roadblocks and we feel at the moment there are too many in our way. 'We are hoping that the construction is completed as quickly as possible and we can reopen our doors with some exciting new neighbours!' The restaurant promised they would '100 per cent be back' as soon as possible. Over 1,000 foodies rated the restaurant five-stars and praised the 'immaculate vibe', top-notch service, and mouth-watering food. 'Iconic! So perfect for date nights - as soon as you walk in you're greeted with friendly smiles and delicious aroma of pasta,' one said. 'What am I going to do? Where am I going to go?' another wailed. 'My 30th birthday celebration won't be the same without 2am ragu,' a woman wrote. 'Really looking forward to the reopening, can't wait to eat more of the pastas and cheese boards,' a man said. Twenty years ago, Massachusetts became the first state to legalise same-sex marriage. And this weekend, as Venus (love) moves to converge with Uranus (innovation), and the Sun links with lucky Jupiter, the cosmic message focuses on all-embracing love. If we follow our hearts, are prepared to take risks, and share bold ideas, we can find ways to turn them into something beautiful... and real. Need to know your more? These spookily accurate birth charts, based on your unique birth placements will tell you everything you need to know. Simply enter your birth details and receive a completely personal Personal Birth Chart made just for you. Read more horoscopes from MailOnline. ARIES March 21 - April 20 The problem with wiping out difficult aspects of our past is that it stops us learning from those experiences. But if we over-focus on them, we can't move on. The weekend brings a chance to change a pattern of behaviour. You can find a way to benefit from a situation that has been working against you. And discover how to profit from a connection that has been problematic. How are you going to do this? You just need to alter your mindset. And under this weekend's auspicious cosmic climate, that's going to be easy-peasy. A powerful cosmic climate is working in your favour right now. You can make a positive transformation and achieve what youve been hoping for. A personal birth-chart report will tell you whats really possible... and when and how. Download yours now! Oscar Cainer (pictured) tells us that this weekend, as Venus (love) moves to converge with Uranus (innovation), and the Sun links with lucky Jupiter, the cosmic message focuses on all-embracing love TAURUS April 21 - May 21 We're astonished when we see illusionists make something disappear and reappear. Yet the fact that a tiny acorn grows into an oak, or that the highest mountains on the planet were once submerged by an ocean, doesn't make much of an impact on us. Surely nature's transformational abilities are more impressive? With Venus converging with Uranus, and the Sun converging with Jupiter (all in your sign), a process of transformation is taking place your world. This weekend can be remarkable. Get ready to be amazed! Discover your inner light, the one that shines regardless of the weather in your 'Guide to the Future'. GEMINI May 22 - June 22 Your weekend might not be looking perfect. But, if you're prepared to be enthusiastic about whatever comes your way, you'll learn a lot. So, that's the attitude you need to foster. Where you're anticipating difficulties, expect surprisingly positive events. That scenario that historically has always been challenging? If you approach it in a different way, you've got the power to transform it. If you're as honest, caring, kind and fair as you can be, and look for opportunities to have fun, under this cosmic climate, you'll find them. Learn the hidden secrets of the planets and how they affect your life and shape your future. Start your journey of self-discovery here! CANCER June 23 - July 23 Humans are natural philosophers. We tend to think things happen for a reason. And if we don't know what the reason is, we blame ourselves for our lack of insight. We think that if we keep searching for it, we'll find it. So how are you going to explain the reason why things are due to work out for you this weekend? What have you done to deserve the gifts coming your way? Suppose, instead of wondering why what's happening is happening, you set out to enjoy yourself? You definitely deserve to have fun. And that's what's on offer! Now, do you want to know more about whats going to happen to you, when its going to happen and why? Get yourself a full, spookily accurate horoscope birth-chart report, and youll find out. Download your Birth Chart report here! LEO July 24 - August 23 In one key area of your world, you've been struggling to make progress. Obstacles keep popping up. Working out where they are, and how to circumnavigate them has been challenging. You get so far, then discover a problem that seems insurmountable. This experience has affected your expectations in other parts of your life. You've reset your goals and made them easier. Which means you're making moderate gains (rather than big ones). This weekend, don't turn down an exciting proposition. It could change everything. There are powerful changes in store for you soon. What are they? How can you best prepare for them? Find out in a full horoscope birth-chart. It's full of amazing predictions about you and your future. Get yours now. VIRGO August 24 - September 23 If we find a successful formula, we're supposed to stick with it. But the problem with this approach is that we can end up living our lives following a set of rules that worked at the time, but which need revising. You're being restricted by an old mindset. It's time for a change. The weekend's cosmic climate brings insight and inspiration. The right kind of progress, towards the kind of satisfaction you only dream of, is possible. If you're prepared to move out of your comfort zone, you'll find a delightful new level of comfort. Wish you could fulfil more of your potential? A Personal Profile, based on your exact date of birth, reveals your secret gifts and blessings. Click here! LIBRA September 24 - October 23 What should you be worried about? Who do you need to be wary of? Which rules have to be followed? And which ones can you bend or ignore? As your ruler links with rebellious Uranus, you're not in the mood to conform. But even if no one notices your defiance, you can't escape your own conscience. This weekend, as long as you adhere to your usual high standards, don't hold yourself back. You've got responsibilities to honour. But there's still room for innovation. Make sure you allow yourself the freedom to have fun. Give me your date of birth and I will tell you something wonderful about your future. Download your personal horoscope here. SCORPIO October 24 - November 22 Humans can be modest at one moment and full of self-importance the next. We tend to swing between extremes. And one of life's challenges involves finding a balance between them. In an ideal world, we can be weak and strong. Simple but complex. Courageous, yet willing to learn. It's not easy. But even the act of seeking this kind of equilibrium brings a sense of satisfaction. Under this powerful cosmic climate, if you go beyond the obvious, a potentially tricky situation can be transformed into something special. Find out what the planets have in store for you. Instantly download your Year Ahead chart. Now! Click here! If we follow our hearts, are prepared to take risks, and share bold ideas, we can find ways to turn them into something beautiful... and real SAGITTARIUS November 23 - December 21 Take your place at the front of the stage under the spotlights, and accept the applause being offered. You deserve it. Hopefully you feel justified in receiving such a public show of approval. Yet part of you is uncertain about the way people are responding to you right now. You're expecting criticism, not plaudits. You don't feel you've done enough. So, it's time to stop being harsh on yourself. This weekend, the Sun's link to your ruler, Jupiter, brings affirmation that enables you to enjoy the positive feedback that's coming your way. Now is the right time for you to take an in-depth, up close and personal look at your life. To get your full horoscope based on your date, time and place of birth, click here. CAPRICORN December 22 - January 20 You're not afraid of hard work. But even determined Capricorns know that hard work alone doesn't guarantee success. Self-belief is a valuable asset too. But even though you have these qualities, if your judgement isn't good, you know you won't get very far. This weekend, as Venus (love and creativity), converges with innovative Uranus, it brings insight and objectivity. Your recent efforts weren't in vain. Your trust was well-placed. Your sense of purpose is justified. And when the right chances arise, you'll recognise them. Reveal the astrological secrets of the coming year, today. For a complete set of totally personal predictions download 'Your Guide to the Future'. AQUARIUS January 21 - February 19 As Venus, the planet of love, converges with your ruler, Uranus, the sky has a gift to give you. But your ability to accept and appreciate it depends on what you expect it to be. You're confident about a certain plan. You know what you need to do to get things to work out in the way you want them to. And it would help if a very specific development took place. So... the challenge is going to involve letting go of this idea. Be more flexible and imaginative. When this weekend brings an unexpected occurrence, it's a good idea to embrace it. To find out what the planets have in store for you over the coming, critical next few months, download your Guide to the Future, now. PISCES February 20 - March 20 The Rosetta Stone was discovered over 200 years ago. A large piece of granite, inscribed in three different languages, scholars were able to use their knowledge of one language to work out previously indecipherable hieroglyphs. They found a key to history's forgotten secrets. This weekend, you don't need to dig around to find a special message. The cosmos is beaming one into your world. If you apply someone else's insights to your life, you'll find a solution to a bewildering problem, and discover the treasure hidden within. Want to know what the coming year has in store? Let me calculate your full personal horoscope from your exact date, time and place of birth. Click here! By Park Jae-hyuk Shares of all nine listed affiliates of HLB, a Kosdaq-listed biotech company, plunged on Friday to their daily price floors, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected a new drug approval for Rivoceranib, the Korean firms liver cancer treatment. HLB Chairman Jin Yang-gon said on his companys official YouTube channel on Friday morning that he received a complete response letter (CRL) from the FDA at 6:45 a.m. that day, regarding the combination therapy of Rivoceranib and Camrelizumab, an anticancer drug made by Jiangsu Hengrui, HLBs Chinese partner. A CRL is a notice issued by the FDA indicating that an application will not be approved in its present form. After the live streaming, investors of HLB affiliates, who anticipated a U.S. approval, dumped nearly 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) worth of the biotech company's shares, indicating their disappointment at the decision. Before the announcement, HLBs stock price rose gradually throughout this year from 43,050 won on Jan. 2 to 95,800 won on Thursday, allowing the pharmaceutical firm to become the second-largest company on the secondary Kosdaq market in terms of market cap. However, HLBs market cap fell below 9 trillion won on Friday from over 12 trillion won a day earlier. Jin attributed the FDAs rejection mainly to problems related to Camrelizumab, saying that the U.S. authorities appear dissatisfied with the Chinese firms response to criticism of its manufacturing process. The FDA did not mention any problems related to Rivoceranib, he said. Jiangsu Hengrui needs to fix some problems, so we will talk with the company immediately to settle this matter. The chairman added that the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War blocked the FDA officials from inspecting Russian and Ukrainian hospitals, where clinical trials had been done to check whether the therapy is also effective for Caucasians. All of our employees did our best to meet the expectation of our shareholders by getting the new drug approval from the U.S. this time, he said. We deeply apologize for another delay in the launch of our new drug. A Canadian waitress revealed her fury after an Australian family 'forgot' to tip her after an expensive meal. Zarya recently served an Australian family whose bill came to $200CAD ($216AUD) - but they simply paid their dues and left without leaving the customary 18 to 20 per cent extra in tips. 'I'm never serving Australians ever again,' the young waitress declared. 'Bye.' While it is common to tip servers in the US and Canada, countries like Australia, New Zealand, and most European nations do not follow the same custom. Australians pushed back against Zarya's TikTok, claiming they travel to other countries 'for a holiday, not a charity trip'. A Canadian waitress revealed her fury after an Australian family 'forgot' to tip her after an expensive meal A 20 per cent tip would've set the family back an extra $40 on top of the $200 bill. The minimum wage in Canada is $17.30, which is roughly $19AUD - $4 less than the minimum wage Down Under. Zarya revealed that one of her friends who was present at the restaurant gave her an extra $30CAD ($33AUD) to supplement her meagre earnings. She worked for five hours and received $83CAD, and then an extra $150CAD in tips. 'I understand you're not from this country, but still. Get with it,' she said about the ungrateful patrons. 'I went out of my way for that Australian family.' Several Australians shared their opinions on the matter. 'Honestly, it was probably just too expensive to tip after,' one said. 'In Australia we pay for our food, not your wages. Talk to your boss,' another wrote. 'Australians also only tip for good service, so if plates are dumped down and I'm waiting there is no way I'm tipping 18 per cent. Standard tips in the US are ridiculous!' an Aussie said. But many claimed the Australian family was in the wrong. 'Don't go to another country if you can't follow the customs and norms there,' one said. 'People should research cultural norms about the countries they visit to avoid embarrassment,' another wrote. 'I was tipping heaps in Hawaii as an Australian,' a man shared. 'A lot of [servers] live off tips. It seems counter productive and even toxic to not tip as a form of protest to the government's outdated system. But they have no problem spending money on the system for a holiday,' a woman added. Norovirus cases have soared to their highest seasonal level in five years amid a nationwide surge, alarming figures suggest. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) chiefs received 1,237 lab-confirmed reports of the vomiting bug in England in April. It means cases for this time of year are 75 per cent above levels seen pre-Covid. Health chiefs blamed the rise on the recent spell of cold weather and warned people not to work for at least 48 hours after symptoms end. Experts also suggested the spike in norovirus, which can also cause diarrhoea, could be a result of Covid restrictions and new strains. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) chiefs received 1,237 lab-confirmed reports of the vomiting bug in England in April. It means cases for this time of year are 75 per cent above levels seen pre-Covid The illness can appear similar the symptoms of Covid, with both viruses causing chills, fever and headaches The UKHSA figures show most cases were among the over-65s. Its data is based on positive laboratory reports and NHS hospitals reporting suspected and confirmed norovirus outbreaks. Actual case numbers will be even higher. By contrast, there were 4,027 lab-confirmed reports at the end of January, when the bug is typically at its peak Amy Douglas, a norovirus epidemiologist at the UKHSA said: 'Norovirus levels were higher in April than we would usually see at this time of year and have been increasing. 'This is likely due to a combination of factors, but the colder weather we have had won't have helped. 'Norovirus can cause dehydration, especially in vulnerable groups such as young children and older or immunocompromised people, so if you do get ill it is important to drink plenty of fluids. What is norovirus? Norovirus, the winter vomiting bug, is a stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea. It usually goes away in around two days. The main symptoms are nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting. Some people also have a high temperature, a headache and aching arms and legs. Symptoms usually start one or two days after being infected. People can usually manage their symptoms at home. However, in severe cases, some people may need to be hospitalised with the elderly and children most at-risk. The NHS recommends drinking lots of fluids and avoiding dehydration. The virus is spread through close contact with someone with the virus, or eating food that has been prepared by them. It can also be passed on by touching objects that are contaminated with the virus and then touching your mouth. Norovirus can pile pressures on hospitals because infected patients need to be isolated in single rooms or wards need to be closed to new patients to contain the spread. Advertisement 'If you have got diarrhoea and vomiting, you can take steps to avoid passing the infection on.' She added: 'Do not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped and don't prepare food for others in that time either. 'If you are unwell, avoid visiting people in hospitals and care homes to prevent passing on the infection in these settings. Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces will also help stop infections from spreading. 'Alcohol gels do not kill norovirus so don't rely on these alone.' Experts today suggested Covid restrictions could also be partly to blame for the current surge, as fewer people have been exposed to norovirus than usual since the start of the pandemic. Our bodies may be less well-equipped to fight off the infection after years with little exposure to them, according to their theory. The same reason was partly blamed for the unprecedented spike in scarlet fever cases, which in 2022 ballooned to the highest number reported since the 1950s. But they also cautioned new strains of the bug could be behind the rise. Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Government's vaccine advisory panel, at the University of Bristol, told MailOnline: 'The larger than usual recent numbers may still be related, at least in part, to the drop in numbers during the Covid lockdown period. 'We are still seeing unusual epidemiology in terms of numbers of cases and seasonality of numerous infections, post pandemic. 'The relatively poor weather during the spring may also have contributed. 'Sometimes we see emergence of new strains of norovirus against which people have little or no immunity from previous infections. 'Around 17 per cent of the very recent cases have been due to a strain called G.II.17 which has only emerged quite recently. So this too may be contributing to the higher than usual number of cases.' He added: 'There are also vaccines on the horizon with one about to announce results of a phase three trial. 'So, we may have the tools to prevent or at least reduce this problem in the not-too-distant future.' Meanwhile, Dr David Allen, an associate professor in virology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told MailOnline the 'unseasonal rise' in cases 'is an interesting and important observation'. He added: 'Norovirus is a diverse group of viruses with many different types. Experts today suggested Covid restrictions could also be partly to blame for the current surge, as fewer people have been exposed to norovirus than usual since the start of the pandemic. Our bodies may be less well-equipped to fight off the infection after years with little exposure to them, according to their theory 'People can get norovirus many times because infection with one type of norovirus may not protect against the other types, and protective immunity after infection may not be long-lasting.' He said: 'There is a lot we still do not understand about how people respond to norovirus infection and how responses to one type of norovirus relate to others. 'Other important factors are that we still do not fully understand the ongoing changes to the epidemiology of norovirus following the Covid pandemic. 'Changes in sampling, testing and reporting patterns to national surveillance systems can influence data in ways that are hard to monitor.' Norovirus can pile pressures on hospitals because infected patients need to be isolated in single rooms or wards need to be closed to new patients to contain the spread. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, while some sufferers may also have a fever, headache and aching arms and legs. Most people get better within two to three days and can manage their condition at home through rest and drinking plenty of fluid. However, in severe cases, some people may need to be hospitalised with the elderly and children most at-risk. A boy who accidentally swallowed a 10cm pencil, miraculously passed it painlessly less than 24 hours later. Sharing details of the bizarre incident in a medical journal, doctors told how the 7-year-old suffered no ill side effects. The unidentified boy from Nepal, waited 4 hours before seeking medical attention. But it is unclear why he ingested the pencil in the first place or if he had ever done it before. Medics, from Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, said they believe the case is the first of its kind. Sharing details of the bizarre incident in a medical journal, doctors told how the 7-year-old suffered no ill side effects. The unidentified boy from Nepal, waited 4 hours before seeking medical attention. X-ray scans of the boy's chest and abdomen revealed the pencil was lodged in his stomach X-ray scans of the boy's chest and abdomen revealed the pencil was lodged in his stomach. But doctors noted his bladder habits were 'normal' and he was 'active and playful' throughout the ordeal. The boy was kept under observation for eight hours, advised to drink plenty of fluids and allowed only to eat a banana. A second scan then showed the pencil was near his ileocecal junction, a muscle valve that separates the small intestine and the large intestine. He was scheduled to have another x-ray eight hours later but while waiting, his mother suddenly revealed the boy had passed the pencil 'as a single long piece'. Medics confirmed this was the case and a third scan found no traces of the object in his gastrointestinal tract. The boy was discharged the following day and required no follow-up appointment. The boy was kept under observation for eight hours, advised to drink plenty of fluids and allowed only to eat a banana. A second scan then showed the pencil was near his ileocecal junction, a muscle valve that separates the small intestine and the large intestine Writing in the journal, Radiology Case Reports, medics said ingesting 'foreign bodies' was common among kids aged six months to six-years-old. Around 80 to 90 per cent of cases of 'gastrointestinal foreign bodies' pass involuntarily with no interventions required. However, it can be 'very difficult' for a long and sharp foreign body to pass naturally because of four major narrowings in the abdomen, they added. A toothbrush for instance, 'has never been reported to come out of the gastrointestinal tract spontaneously and only once it did reach the colon with multiple injuries', they said. Wooden foreign bodies often cannot also be identified with an x-ray because of its radiolucency. But in this case, scans were able to pick up the inner graphite coating of the pencil. We all get stiff joints from time to time and will often put it down to age and or having slept in a funny position. This is what Natalie Garcia, 29, from New York, thought when she woke up one morning to find her middle finger was 'frozen'. Doctors echoed this, telling her the problem was likely a fracture or small bone breakage. Yet, two months later, Ms Garcia found herself sat in her doctor's office receiving the news of nightmares: her 'fractured' finger was in fact a rapidly-growing tumor. The diagnosis sparked the beginning of a grueling journey that saw her endure seven months of potent chemotherapy and eventually surgery to remove her finger. Natalie Garcia woke up one morning to find she couldn't move her finger, and doctors initially thought it was fractured When they realized it was in fact a tumor, she had it removed, but within a month, it had grown back and doctors attempted to remove it again. The second time was less successful, and the mother of two eventually had her finger completely removed 'When she said the word tumor, my jaw dropped. I thought I had a fracture,' Ms Garcia said. 'I didn't know you could have a tumor in your finger.' The ordeal began on January 1 last year, when Ms Garcia woke up to find she couldn't move her finger. It did not hurt but was slightly bent but she could not fully straighten it. Two or three days later, the digit became swollen, so she went to urgent care where doctors gave her ibuprofen. The physicians did an X-ray to find out why her finger was still not moving, but couldn't find anything and told Ms Garcia she was fine. She returned home, but was called back hours later after doctors reviewed the X-ray again and informed her of a tiny fracture on her finger that they had missed at first, and advised her to see an orthopedic surgeon. But when she returned to the hospital and underwent X-ray, she said the whole medical team began 'freaking out.' 'It looked like someone took an eraser and had erased part of my bone,' she said. She was referred to a hand specialist for an MRI scan, who told her she wasn't sure what it was but thought it was a benign tumor. In April, a hand tumor specialist recommend she underwent an open biopsy, where doctors cut open her finger to remove a small bit of the tumor to test it. She had a ray amputation, which is when doctors bring the remaining fingers closer together to make it less obvious that one is missing The results confirmed it was a benign tumor, but it was an aggressive type of giant cell tumor, so doctors removed it during surgery in May. Ms Garcia had a tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) - a rare type of tumor that grows in the joints and is not usually cancerous. Ms Garcia's was growing on both her finger bone and joint. In very rare cases, TGCTs can turn into cancerous tumors. Around 43 people out of every million in the world are diagnosed with TGCT each year. Doctors still do not know what caused the tumor to develop in the first place. GOT A HEALTH-RELATED STORY? EMAIL: Health@dailymail.com Advertisement The next month, her finger started getting swollen and growing a lump. The doctor said 'Oh my God, the tumor is back. This is very aggressive, we just removed it.' She had surgery again to remove the second tumor. 'It was a fail,' she said. 'I was very disappointed after surgery.' The doctor told her she would also have to take a chemotherapy pill or have her finger amputated. In September 2023, the surgeon was unable to fully remove the tumor. Feeling like she had no other choice, she started on the chemotherapy pill, with she stayed on until April 2024. At first, her tumor started shrinking. There were a handful of times when she could not take the medication due to the delivery not having arrived, during which she said the tumor grew 'so fast.' The medication then stopped working and the tumor began regaining size again, causing her finger to become crooked. Doctors told her they could not save her finger and she would need to get it amputated because the tumor would always keep growing back. She had a ray amputation, which is when doctors bring the remaining fingers closer together to make it less obvious that one is missing. 'I think this was the best decision even though it was a very hard decision and I am still grieving my finger,' she said. Rumbles: A Curious History of the Gut By Elsa Richardson (Wellcome Collection 18.99, 336 pp) Its funny how much a life can change in one terrible instant. For the young French-Canadian outdoorsman Alexis St Martin, that instant came on June 6, 1822, at a fur-trading post on Mackinac Island, between Michigan and Canada. A shotgun was accidentally fired from a distance not over three feet, according to an eyewitness directly into St Martins torso. He keeled over, his midriff a mess of torn fabric and flesh. If you didnt know what would later happen and who would have, at the time? youd have simply said he was lucky to be alive. For alive he was. A US army surgeon called William Beaumont rushed to St Martin and kept him that way. And as if that wasnt remarkable enough, Beaumont discovered something downright astonishing while investigating the victims wounds. A gaping hole had opened up in St Martins side that allowed access to his digestive system. This fistula to give it its medical name persisted in such a way that any interested observer could dangle food directly into St Martins stomach and witness all the gut juices in action. An illustration of Dr William Beaumont tapping into the stomach of Alexis St Martin So, naturally, thats what Beaumont did in experiment after experiment. The surgeon now had a front-row seat to one of the natural worlds most important, most hidden processes. His patient had become a living biology lab. It gets worse. Beaumont subsequently trapped St Martin into his employ, and declined to stitch up the hole as hed promised, all so he could continue his dubious research over years. At one point, he even licked the unfortunates stomach wall in order, in the words of the academic Elsa Richardson, to judge its acidity. Eurgh. St Martins is just one of the many stories in Richardsons Rumbles, a brilliant new cultural history of the gut. This book comes at an apposite time. If there has been one particular health movement over the past few years, its been the rise of huge interest in the gut: All those books, apps and yogurts designed to tend the delicate microbiomes in our tummies. If you want to be happier, healthier and more attractive, modern science tells us, then youve got to start paying attention to whats going on in the gurglier regions of your body. Except, as Rumbles makes clear, people have been paying attention to those regions and how they connect with the rest of the human body for centuries. Millennia, even. No less a figure than Galen the classical physician whos considered the father of modern medicine believed that the sophisticated structure of the human digestive system is what enabled humans to have a culture in the first place. Animals, you see, are slaves to the random urges and expurgations of their bellies. Whereas we can pace out our poos, and get stuff done in the meantime. And human culture has responded in kind giving the gut a prominence that, even though we dont often care to think about it, is undeniable. Phrases such as gut instinct and theyve got guts speak to that prominence, as well as demonstrating how weve always had a sense that, somehow, this confederacy of organs does more than just process our grub. US Army Surgeon Dr William Beaumont, left, and his patient Alexis St Martin In this respect, the culture has always been ahead of the science. Its a relatively recent discovery, for instance, that the gut has an independent nervous system and can function quite freely from the brain. But that old Greek, Plato, would have told you that the stomach has a mind of its own and is responsible for baser emotions such as anger and lust. Our bowel movements have even moved the course of politics and civil engineering. Back in 1858, when the WCs lining the Thames dumped their contents directly into the river, a particularly hot summer caused noxious vapours the Great Stink to rise from the water and engulf the Houses of Parliament. For once, the politicians werent the only reason to hold your nose in Westminster. The book reveals that St Martin lived for another 58 years, dying in 1880 aged 78 A debate was had, then a bill drafted and ratified to construct a proper sewer network under the capital all within 18 days. This is, apparently, a parliamentary record, proving that MPs really can do things when they put their noses to it. The subsequent sewer network, masterminded by Joseph Bazalgette and completed in 1875, is still in use today. Such is the history of our guts. Good things come from the muck, but worse things, too. Speaking of which, what happened to St Martin and Beaumont the man with the hole in his belly and the surgeon exploiting him in the end? Well, Beaumonts research truly did expand the scientific communitys knowledge of the gut and its functions. But the better news is that St Martin managed to escape his white-coated captor. He died in 1880, aged 78, more than a half-century after that one terrible instant. Royal Mail is expected to post losses of almost 1m a day as its takeover by a Czech billionaire hangs in the balance. The postal service which is owned by International Distributions Services (IDS) will unveil an annual loss of 313million next week, according to estimates by City analysts. Although this is far less than the 1billion loss it posted the year before, it lays bare the crisis still engulfing Royal Mail. IDS bosses this week said the company was 'minded' to accept a 3.5billion takeover offer from Daniel Kretinsky. The Czech tycoon's offer marked an increase of almost 16 per cent on the previous rejected bid put forward by his EP Group last month. Kretinsky known as the Czech Sphinx already owns 27.5 per cent of IDS, co-owns West Ham United and holds a stake in Sainsbury's. Proposal: IDS bosses this week said the company was 'minded' to accept a 3.5billion takeover offer from Daniel Kretinsky But he was yesterday told he must pass national security tests and meet trade union demands to avoid his takeover plans being scuppered. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the Government would examine 'risks' posed by the offer. This appears to suggest that Kretinsky's bid will be called in by the Government for scrutiny under the National Security and Investment Act. But he also faces growing pressure to guarantee that vital services are protected with Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch asking for cast-iron guarantees that its six-day a week service is maintained and campaigners demanding that the sale must be blocked. The boss of the Communication Workers Union threatened strike action if its demands on working conditions and the universal service obligation are not met. But it is not all bad for IDS and there are expected to be some signs of improvement in Royal Mail's results. The company lost 319million in the first half of the year suggesting it managed to squeeze out a tiny profit in the second half. This compares to a particularly rough 2022 when the group was hit by industrial action. Overall, IDS is expected to post profits of 3million for the year to the end of March as its Netherlands-based parcels business GLS bolsters its balance sheet. Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, said GLS was the 'jewel in the company's crown'. 'It's highly likely that EP Corporate Group sees plenty of long-term opportunities here,' she added. IDS's group revenues are expected to hit 12.4billion. The company will post its results on Thursday. IDS shares yesterday slid 0.6 per cent, or 2p, to 320p. Cartier owner Richemont is the latest luxury goods group to be hit by a slowdown in demand. The Swiss company, whose brands also include Montblanc, posted a 1 per cent fall in sales for the three months to March 31. Face of Cartier: Actress Elle Fanning Demand in China, in particular, has waned. Sales in the Asia Pacific region slid 12 per cent in the most recent quarter, Richemont said. The group said Nicolas Bos would take the new job of group chief executive as it looks to shake off its economic woes. Thames Water's biggest shareholder has slashed the value of its stake to zero as the crisis engulfing Britain's largest water supplier deepens. The Canadian pension fund Omers said it would make a 'full write down' of its investment in Thames. The 31.7 per cent stake in Thames parent company Kemble was valued at as much as 990million at the end of 2021. This was cut to 700million last year as concerns started to mount over the firm's debt pile. But the pension fund has said it is now worth nothing. The update came just a day after Michael McNicholas, a managing director at Omers Infrastructure, quit his role as non-executive director of Thames. Running dry: The Canadian pension fund Omers said it would make a 'full write down' of its investment in Thames The move by Omers to distance itself from Thames underlines the scale of the crisis at the UK's biggest water company as it fights for survival. The future of the company, which has an 18billion debt pile, has been in doubt since shareholders last month refused to hand over 500million amid a row with regulator Ofwat. The utility group, which has 16m customers, said shareholders withheld cash because they said demands by regulators left its business plan 'uninvestable'. Thames wanted to hike customers' bills by 40 per cent to fund an 18.7billion investment plan but Ofwat blocked the rise. The parent company also defaulted on debt repayments last month. Thames Water was privatised in 1989 under Margaret Thatcher, when she sold the nationalised water and sewage industry for 7.6billion. But taxpayers could foot the bill if the Government is forced to bail out Thames, which is facing administration if it cannot raise fresh funds by the end of next year. Thames has said it aims to spend at least 1.1billion on 'projects benefiting the environment'. Ofwat will publish a ruling on all water companies' five-year plans including water bills on June 12. Tesla's chairman has dismissed as 'c**p' claims she is too close to Elon Musk as his 44billion pay deal hangs in the balance. Robyn Denholm is trying to convince shareholders to support the billionaire's pay package after a Delaware court struck it down in January. The court found that Musk's compensation as Tesla chief executive was inappropriately set by the company's board. Kathaleen McCormick, from Delaware's Court of Chancery, said Musk controlled the board through his personality and influence meaning that his pay package could not be set through a fair process. Denholm, who has been chairman since 2018, was also accused of a 'lackadaisical approach to her oversight obligations'. Big bucks: The pay deal, which was set in 2018, was the biggest ever in US corporate history But she is battling to convince investors ahead of Tesla's annual meeting on June 13 to vote in favour of the pay package. She argues that the bumper payout is critical to the electric car maker's future growth. Denholm, 60, told the Financial Times: 'The vote's pretty important for us as a company, but I also think it's important for corporate America as well.' She also dismissed the court's findings about her relationship with Musk as 'absolute BS' and 'c**p'. The pay deal, which was set in 2018, was the biggest ever in US corporate history. Late night comedy hosts are having field day with the Donald Trump hush money trial with its cast of seedy characters from a porn star, a convicted fixer, tabloid publisher, president and playboy playmate. As the scandalous testimony goes into a fourth week, the liberal comedians have been serving up jokes pulling from its salacious testimony about sex, secret payments, pseudonyms and Trump's wild 2016 campaign. The jury may not have reached a verdict in the case yet, but in the court of late-night comedy, judgement has been rendered and the ex-president is the butt of ongoing jokes. Writers with Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers and more have been handed a goldmine of material as the ex-president stands trial on 34 charges of falsifying business records. It's the first of four criminal cases against Trump to go to trial and perhaps the only one to took take place before the election. Donald Trump in the Manhattan criminal court on May 16 And as liberal late night show hosts have made no secret of their dislike for the former president, no material from the courtroom has been off limits. Stephen Colbert celebrated his 60th birthday with Michael Cohen taking the witness stand this week in the Manhattan criminal court, the final and star prosecution witness in the case. Colbert celebrated his 60th birthday with Michael Cohen taking the witness stand this week in the Manhattan criminal court, the final and star prosecution witness in the case. On Monday, Colbert summarized the case as the 'faking business records to cover up banging a porn star trial' and described Cohen as a 'former fixer and silly putty who isn't feeling that silly these days.' 'As far as this affecting his marriage goes, according to Cohen, Trump wasn't worried about Melania leaving him, saying "don't worry, how long do you think I'll be on the market for? not long,"' Colbert noted with a grin. 'Coincidentally, not long is how Stormy described it,' Colbert joked, referencing porn star Stormy Daniels' description of alleged sex with Trump from the witness stand last week. On Wednesday, Colbert seized on the reports of Trump having his eyes closed during Cohen's cross-examination. 'This is supposed to be the final standoff with his worst enemy, and Trump is asleep,' before showing a Star Wars fight scene edited to show Darth Vader in a nightcap sleeping. The Daniels testimony had late night hosts giddy as they cover the case. Colbert gleefully said she took the stand to 'do what she does best and that is to spank Donald Trump.' He went on the recount the coverage of Trump and Daniels' 2006 hotel meeting and alleged sexual encounter on his show after Daniels went into great detail on the meeting in court. Colbert focused on Trump reportedly saying Daniels reminds him of his daughter and joking about Daniels recalling how she was startled to find Trump pose on the bed. Colbert also happily read courtroom reports on air including Daniels' zingers like when she countered during cross-examination if the sex with Trump hadn't been real 'I would have written it to be a lot better.' 'So in addition to hearing about it, the jury got to see her spank him in real time,' Colbert said. Stormy Daniels' testimony about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump at a hotel in 2006 has been a trove of jokes for late-night shows as Trump's hush money case continues The Daily Show's Jordan Klepper also served up a joke about the alleged spanking saying 'that poor, poor magazine. Hasn't print media suffered enough?' Daily Show correspondents also got in on the action. 'Imagine if every time you committed a crime, the prosecutors could put your ex on the stand and describe your most mediocre hookup in grave detail,' Troy Iwata said appearing outside the courthouse on the show. 'And then a stenographer in a cardigan wrote it all down and then Jake Tapper broadcasted it on national television.' Jon Stewart took aim at the television coverage of the trial described it as 'penis to penis coverage.' On Daniels' testimony of 'missionary sex' he deadpanned 'no wonder Trump has locked up the evangelical voting bloc.' Seth Meyers also zeroed in on the details of sex position, silk pajamas and spanking details of the testimony. 'Even news anchors can't report the news without turning red,' Meyers said. Late night hosts also seized on prosecutors saying Daniels' testimony would not include descriptions of genitalia. 'It would be so funny to hear it described with him in the room,' Meyers declared. 'Just for the chance that during Stormy's testimony, Trump would sneak a glance down at his pants, and the courtroom artist would capture the moment.' Jimmy Kimmel reveled in the fact his show was brought up during the trial. It was introduced into evidence because Kimmel had Stormy Daniels on his program in 2018. He replayed a clip from his own interview with the porn star and questioning why he wasn't asked to testify, joking he would be able to keep Trump awake amid reports the former president has been falling asleep in court. 'Whether Trump's fallen asleep or not, one thing is for sure, the courtroom sketch artist hates him,' Kimmel said on his show showing one of the many drawings of Trump in the courtroom. A sketch of Donald Trump in court as Michael Cohen is cross-examined by Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche on Tuesday in the hush money case Kimmel also appeared on Seth Meyers' show on Monday where Meyers congratulated Kimmel for being mentioned during the trial. Kimmel thanked him but countered it didn't compare to making so much fun of Trump during the White House Correspondents' Dinner that he ran for president. Meyers was the headliner at the infamous 2011 dinner where Trump was in the audience before Trump launched his first presidential bid for the White House. 'I was excited to be mentioned,' Kimmel told Meyers. 'I don't know why I was excited to be mentioned, but I was definitely excited t be mentioned.' The pair also took pleasure out of the fact Trump 'hates' them, joking that they would head down to the courthouse and wait with the public to get into the courtroom to watch the trial. Donald Trump in the Manhattan criminal court on May 14, 2024 Donald Trump at his rally in Wildwood, NJ on May 11, 2024 where he ranted about Bruce Springsteen, talked about eating hot dogs and praised fictional serial killer and cannibal Hannibal Lecter as a 'wonderful man' Meanwhile, Trump's visit to Wildwood, New Jersey over the weekend on one of his days off from court also provided a trove of content for late night hosts. During rally, Trump called Hannibal Lecter as a 'wonderful man,' bashed Bruce Springsteen and talked about eating hot dogs. When Trump returned to court this week, a reporter shouted out a question bringing up Trump's Lecter remarks at the former president walked through court. '"Why Hannibal Lecter?" is such an amazing question to yell at a presidential candidate,' Meyers said on his show, playing the clip. 'By the way, that question nestled between to other questions about his criminal trial for defrauding voters by paying hush money to a porn star. For any other presidential candidate getting asked the question, "Why Hannibal Lecter?" would mean you're in a five-alarm s**t storm but for Trump just a normal Monday,' Meyers went on. Michael Cohen headed to court to testify against his former boss Donald Trump on May 13 The late night host also delved into the Cohen testimony this week. 'Trump really thought if he ended up getting divorced for the third time after an affair with a porn star, he'd crush it on the dating scene,' Meyers said laughing 'What would his Tinder bio say? Love hot dogs, hates Springsteen, will definitely cheat.' Slovak authorities charged a man Thursday with attempting to assassinate Prime Minister Robert Fico, saying he acted alone in a politically motivated attack that left the longtime leader in serious but stable condition. Ficos pro-Russia views have contributed to deep divisions in the small European country that borders Ukraine, and the shooting attack Wednesday shocked the nation and reverberated across the continent weeks ahead of elections for the European Parliament . While President-elect Peter Pelligrini and President Zuzana Caputova urged people to dial back the sharp rhetoric that has characterized the country's political debate, some Fico allies took aim at Slovakias media for contributing to the polarization. Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok asked journalists to reflect on how they had covered Fico's policies. He referred to the suspect who was charged with premeditated murder as a lone wolf who did not belong to any political groups, though he said the attack itself was politically motivated. I can confirm that this person is not a member of any right-wing or left-wing radicalized party, Estok said. Fico, 59, was in serious but stable condition a day after being shot multiple times, a hospital official said. Pellegrini said he spoke to Fico and that his condition remains very serious. Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. 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 Russia's invasion, Slovakia was one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters. Fico halted arms deliveries to Ukraine when he returned to power, his fourth time serving as prime minister. 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. That, coupled with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that Fico will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path. Thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country of 5.4 million to protest his policies. 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 mall in the countrys southwest. 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. Estok said the suspect cited his dissatisfaction with several of Fico's 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 country's 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 Caputova, the outgoing president and a rival of Fico's. Pellegrini, the president-elect, called on political parties to suspend or scale back their campaigns for European elections, which will be held 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 civilized ways of discussing among each other, Pelligrini said. Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the murder of politicians, and he blamed the media for fueling tensions. Grigorij Meseznikov, a political scientist who heads the Institute for Public Affairs think tank in Bratislava, said he disagreed that media played any role in inciting violence against Fico. We have very good and independent media in Slovakia, he said. The media is doing its job. Before Fico returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were the focus of police investigations, and dozens have been charged. His plan to overhaul of the penal system would eliminate the office of the special prosecutor that deals with organized crime, corruption and extremism. Zuzana Eliasova, a resident of the capital, Bratislava, said the attack on Fico was a shock to the nation and an attack on democracy. 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. 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 as Fico was greeting supporters at an event Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova, nearly 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital, government officials said. Fico returned to power in Slovakia last year after having previously served three terms 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. Condemnation of the attack came from both Fico's 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, 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 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. (AP) A retired policeman is on a mission to solve one of Australia's most baffling missing persons cases, which began 17 years ago with the disappearance of an entire household who were members of a doomsday cult. Barry McIntosh, whose interest in the case is personal, served 35 years with Victoria Police and hopes to search a remote patch of Western Australian bushland with cadaver dogs. Mr McIntosh is the uncle of Chantelle McDougall, who was last seen alive in July 2007 with her British-born partner Gary Felton, their six-year-old daughter Leela and friend Tony Popic. Ms McDougall, 27, had fallen under the spell of 45-year-old Felton, a self-styled spiritualist who had assumed the identity of an English workmate called Simon Kadwell. At the time of their disappearance, Ms McDougall and Leela had been living with Felton in a rundown farmhouse at Nannup, about 280km south of Perth, with 42-year-old Mr Popic. A retired policeman is on a mission to solve one of Australia's most baffling missing persons cases. Chantelle McDougall (left), her daughter Leela (front), Leela's father Gary Felton (centre) and their friend Tony Popic (right) were last seen in July 2007 Barry McIntosh, the uncle of missing mother Chantelle McDougall, served 35 years with Victoria Police and hopes to search a remote patch of Western Australian bushland with cadaver dogs Mr McIntosh is convinced Felton was involved in the deaths of his niece, her daughter and Mr Popic and is determined to find their bodies. '[Felton] spoke of providing Chantelle and Leela with a drug that would provide a peaceful death and that Tony would bury them all,' he says. 'Tony would then walk into the bush to take his own life.' The charismatic Felton - 'Si' to his acolytes - was the founder of Truth Fellowship and had 40 online followers of what has been described as an international doomsday cult. Felton called his followers The Forecourt and spoke to them through a chatroom known as The Gateway where they would discuss teachings from his book, Servers of the Divine Plan. That book warned about Earth's pending doom but promised a new world of higher consciousness once a 75,000-year 'cycle' had run its course. Neighbours at Nannup said 'off the planet' Felton was obsessed with electromagnetic fields and deeply paranoid. Felton, who did not work and relied on the subservient Ms McDougall and Mr Popic for financial support, slept during the day and stayed up all night on his computer. Ms McDougall, 27, had fallen under the spell of 45-year-old Gary Felton (above), a self-styled spiritualist who had assumed the identity of an English workmate called Simon Kadwell At the time of their disappearance Ms McDougall and her daughter had been living with Gary Felton and Tony Popic in a rundown house at Nannup, about 280km south of Perth Nannup local Eleanor McKie would later tell an inquest that Felton had brainwashed her friend Ms McDougall, who talked about 'not belonging or wanting to be here'. Felton told members of The Forecourt he was planning a suicide pact with Ms McDougall and Mr Popic which would involve the murder of his daughter. He had also spoken of moving to Brazil with his Nannup 'servers' to live an alternative lifestyle in an Amazonian commune. Felton was last seen on July 13, 2007 with Ms McDougall, Leela and Mr Popic at Busselton, a coastal city about 60km north-west of Nannup. They sold a car to a dealer for $4,000 and drove off in a waiting vehicle. Three days after the group walked out of the house, landlord Elizabeth Crouch found a note on the front door which said: 'Gone to Brazil'. Ms Crouch said the group had sold their dogs, given away their chickens and left the property spotless. They had taken all their clothes but left behind their credit cards, furniture and electronic gadgets. Immigration records showed no sign of any of the foursome ever having left the country and their bank accounts have remained untouched. Barry McIntosh (above) worked in Victoria's major crime squads including homicide. He has reviewed the investigation into the disappearances of his niece, her daughter and Tony Popic Mr McIntosh is convinced Felton was involved in the deaths of his niece and her daughter Leela (above) as well as Tony Popic and is determined to find their bodies If the missing four did die as part of a suicide pact, they were not the only followers of Felton to meet an unfortunate demise. Canadian backpackers Alixander Fominoff and Kirk Helgason, both aged in their 20s, were devoted to Felton's teachings and visited him on a trip to Australia. On July 24, just 11 days after the foursome was last seen, Ms Fominoff killed herself in her homeland. A month later on August 26, Mr Helgason and his girlfriend died of an overdose in the US. The last phone calls from the Nannup address and Mr Popic's mobile were used to book trains and buses to Kalgoorlie and Northcliffe under the name Jay Roberts. Kalgoorlie is 790km north-east of Nannup, and Northcliffe about 100km south. Months after the group disappeared, prison workers found a woman's T-shirt near Northcliffe which was seized by police but never forensically tested. Police initially suspected the foursome had fled to New Zealand before making their way to South America. Ms McDougall's parents Jim and Cathy initially believed their daughter was hiding out somewhere under the control of her spiritual guide. Felton, who did not work and relied on Ms McDougall and Mr Popic for financial support, slept during the day and stayed up all night on his computer at their rented house (above) 'I think he's probably got them hiding somewhere while he is up to his usual tricks of getting money off people by scamming them over the internet with this cult stuff,' Mr McDougall said in 2010. A year later detectives investigated whether the foursome had made it to Brazil and were onboard a plane which crashed four days after their last sighting. Tan Airlines flight 3054 from Porto Alegre to Sao Paolo had veered of the runway upon landing and burst into a flames, killing all 187 passengers and crew as well as 12 people on the ground. A joint Australian-Brazilian investigation concluded the foursome was not among the dead, despite more than 70 of the bodies being badly burnt they could not be identified. In 2013, police revealed a man identifying himself as Mr Popic booked into a backpackers hostel in Perth just two days after the group left Nannup for the last time. That man had caught a train to Perth from Bunbury the afternoon he arrived at the hostel and caught another train to Kalgoorlie the next morning. Police investigated whether the missing four were killed when a flight from Porto Alegre to Sao Paolo crashed in Brazil on July 17, 2007 (above), killing all 187 passengers and crew onboard Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Balfour said the man could have been Mr Popic, Felton, or someone else entirely. 'It's such a bizarre story and we have as little an idea of their whereabouts today as we did in 2007 when they disappeared,' Senior Sergeant Balfour said at the time. 'There's no evidence to suggest they are dead, just as there's no evidence to suggest they are alive. 'We know that Tony was very protective of Chantelle and Leela but we also know they were obedient, submissive to Kadwell. 'He had a very persuasive way of talking and I think if he had suggested something they would have gone along with it.' A coronial inquest was held at Busselton in December 2017 when conflicting evidence was given about Felton's state of mind. One witness said Felton did not believe suicide even existed, instead writing that people could move between a physical and spiritual realm. The Australian Federal Police released this computer-generated image of what Leela McDougall might look like in 2017. Next to that image are her grandparents Cathy and Jim Before moving to Nannup, Felton had been head of a harem in Perth where he engaged in sexual relationships with three women including Ms McDougall. Justine Anne Smith, who had been part of that domestic arrangement in Perth, said the guru had never considered suicide a 'spiritual diver'. 'I believe it is more likely they are in hiding,' she told the inquest. 'It is strange they would want to hide their suicide.' In May 2018, Coroner Barry King said he could not establish beyond reasonable doubt that any of the missing four had died. Mr King found there was uncorroborated and vague evidence suggesting Felton had stolen money in the past, which could provide a motive for his disappearance. He had skimmed through some of Felton's writings and encountered language 'grandiose and replete with hyperbole and unsupported assertions, some of which appeared bizarre'. Mr King said investigative opportunities such as examining the T-shirt found near Northcliffe and the surrounding bushland had not been followed up. 'Chantelle was a loving mother and would not have taken the life of her daughter Leela,' Ms McDougall's uncle wrote in a GoFundMe appeal. Leela is pictured with Gary Felton Mr McIntosh, who worked in Victoria's major crime squads including homicide, received a copy of the investigation file after he inquest and has conducted a review of those documents. He has now launched a GoFundMe appeal to raise $5,000 so he can travel to Western Australia to make further inquiries and undertake his own search, particularly around Northcliffe. 'Despite two police investigations and a Coroner's inquest, Chantelle and Leela remain missing,' he wrote. 'My sister and brother-in-law, Cathy and Jimmy McDougall, have lived for the last 17 years without knowing where their daughter and granddaughter are and what their fate was.' Mr McIntosh said it was presumed his niece was dead and buried somewhere in the Western Australian bush with her daughter and Mr Popic. 'I will attempt to utilise cadaver dogs to search a particular area of bush that Western Australia Police failed to properly identify,' he wrote in his appeal. 'We are not a rich family and cannot self-fund my investigation, please help end the uncertainty for my sister and brother-in-law. 'Chantelle was a loving mother and would not have taken the life of her daughter Leela. Leela was a bubbly and cheeky six-year-old girl who loved swimming and her dogs.' Mr McIntosh is seeking $5,000 to pay for travel, hiring a vehicle and accommodation in caravan parks. A disabled passenger who was illegally refused an Uber ride with her assistance dog has said she is 'tired' or being discriminated against. Humira Mohamed, who has been provided with a registered support dog to help with crippling anxiety, said she is forced to 'beg' for her rights on a daily basis, with supermarket staff, taxi drivers and restaurant workers unaware that equality laws mean she cannot be turned away because of her dog. The 26-year-old writer this week won a court case brought by Transport for London (TfL) after magistrates ruled Uber driver Jitu Miah was wrong not to let Miss Mohamed and five-year-old assistance dog Peanut get into the back of his vehicle in the early hours of January 22 last year. He was fined 311 and ordered to pay court costs after being found guilty of refusing to carry out a booking for a disabled person accompanied by an assistance dog, contrary to the Equality Act 2010. Miss Mohamed said she was pleased to have had her rights acknowledged by the courts, but said she was 'exhausted' at having to constantly educate staff in public-facing roles. Passenger Humira Mohamed, a 26-year-old writer from north London, pictured with assistance dog Peanut, said she was able to book another Uber within the hour, without any issues Uber driver Jitu Miah was fined 311, ordered to pay 450 in costs, and a further 124 in victim surcharge for refusing to take Miss Mohamed and Peanut in his vehicle She told MailOnline: 'It's an everyday occurrence. I have a lot of meetings in public places for my job, and I'll have him (Peanut) with me and restaurants often will kick up a fuss or whatever. And it's just really embarrassing. 'I feel like it shouldn't be my job to educate everyone on the law. And it's quite exhausting, feeling like it's me versus everyone who doesn't know the law. 'It feels like I'm having to beg for my rights, or Uber drivers often make me feel like they're doing me a favour. 'I've had people before take me (as a passenger) and then say: 'Just so you know, I didn't have to do this, I'm only doing it because he looks like a fine dog, in the future, you need to order an Uber Pet.' 'And it's really frustrating having to be schooled in that way.' Miss Mohamed was accompanied by Peanut as she gave evidence in Miah's trial at City of London Magistrates' Court, describing how she was 'in a state of disbelief' that the driver left her on the street after refusing to honour her booking, which was made through the Uber app identifying her as a disabled passenger. Miah said his family was allergic to pets, but did not have an exemption certificate to that effect. The law states that service providers must make reasonable adjustments to policies for disabled people. This includes amending 'no dogs' and 'no pets' policies to allow access for assistance dogs. Miah told investigators Miss Mohamed, who is tee-total, had become rude and aggressive, though magistrates said they believed the victim's evidence that she had remained calm throughout, and had offered to show documentation that proved Peanut was a working dog. Miss Mohamed, a write from north London, pictured with her registered assistance dog Peanut pictured at Christmas time Passenger Miss Mohamed 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 She said: 'This has happened multiple times, with Ubers, it happens at the supermarket. 'You get to the front door, the security guard will look at your papers and decide whether or not to let you in. 'Usually they do, sometimes they have to go ask the manager because they don't know the law. Fine. 'But then once you're in, random people within the supermarket will be like: 'No, you can't be in here, no dogs.' 'And I find that really hard because you have someone at the front door whose job it is to decide whether I'm allowed to be in here, and I'm in here now. So please just let me do my shop.' She described having to give evidence as 'nerve-wracking', and said she would 'rather not' have to be at court. But she said she felt a determination to give evidence in the case because she did not want others with less visible disabilities to face prejudice. She said: 'The reason I came to court was the thought of someone else being refused. 'Hopefully, the more people are prosecuted or they have to be responsible for their actions, people will stop being questioned on their assistance dogs.' She said she hoped the case would raise awareness of the multiple use of assistance dogs, and urged those in a public-facing role to read the Equality and Human Rights Commission's guide for businesses on the use of such medical aids. She said: 'I just wish that people had to have that in their training, rather than me walking around London, having to educate everyone. 'These kinds of interactions are really anxiety inducing in themselves. You know, they play on my mind for the rest of the day, week, whatever, with people that refuse you to eat in those restaurants 'Sometimes if I feel like I'm having a good day in terms of my disability, I'll just leave Peanut at home because I don't want that stress of refusals. 'It's weird because he's here to help me through my anxiety. But him being here invokes people's prejudices, and that makes my anxiety worse.' Miss Mohamed (right) pictured with Lynn Mongameli at the Youth To The People X World Vegan Day event Uber driver Jitu Miah leaving City of London Magistrates Court after being fined for failing to take Miss Mohamed in his vehicle last year Miah, 46, told the court he did not see the dog when he was talking with Miss Mohamed as he arrived to collect her. He said he only became aware she was apparently with an assistance dog at the last moment, after he had already decided to cancel the fare out of concerns for his safety, citing Miss Mohamed's alleged aggression. But Miss Mohamed said she had been 'so calm'. She told the court: 'I had been playing board games, I just wanted to get home. 'I said: 'I'm going to report you.' '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.' She told the court she was able to book Miah, giving evidence with the assistance of a Bengal translator, said he remained polite at all times. 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. Tony Caetano, prosecuting for TfL, told the court: 'Mr Miah said he didn't see the dog. '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. He was ordered to pay 450 in costs, and a further 124 in victim surcharge, in addition to the fine. 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. Police bosses failed to find a public Twitter account belonging to disgraced Cambridgeshire policeman Mark Coteman in which he mocked Muslim women and gay people years before he was hired, MailOnline can exclusively reveal. Mark Coteman was this week found guilty of gross misconduct after he sent disgusting messages about Jimmy Savile and Harvey, the 21-year-old son of Katie Price, with colleague PC Oliver Austin - who was handed a final written warning. The account, which is in Coteman's name and features photographs of him and his family, was active from 2012 until 2016 and features dozens of sexually explicit, as well as racist, sexist, homophobic and ableist posts which are still viewable today. Posts used slurs to refer to disabled people, including 'r*****' and 'm*****', as well as the homophobic slur 'f*****'. Coteman did not join the police until 2019, raising questions over how vetting staff missed it. When alerted to the account by MailOnline, Cambridgeshire Constabulary's Chief Constable Nick Dean said the force 'does not have a record' of the account. But he added: 'It is clear from this page that he behaved in a manner that is inconsistent with the standards of professional behaviour prior to joining policing.' PC Mark Coteman (pictured) was fired from the force after being found guilty of gross misconduct Coteman has a public Twitter account filled with abuse and offensive content that police admit they failed to find during vetting procedures Coteman was dismissed from the force in a gross misconduct 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. 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 that in a post as early as November 2012, Coteman shared a photograph of an Asian baby in a carrier bag with the caption: 'Did someone order a Chinese?' In October 2013, Coteman mocked Muslim women as he wrote: 'Tonight for Halloween I'm going to wear a pacman suit and chase women in burkas around the town centre'. A week later, a post read: 'Cambridge is like a swimming pool - foreign students and children beware!' In December 2014 he also targeted the Jewish community, writing: 'Going to come and celebrate Hanukkah with you IRA style'. 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 The account, which contains countless offensive tweets, was active from 2012 until 2016 Another post shared by the former officer said: 'It's Friday and your [sic] a f*****'. He also posted other memes targeting the LGBT+ community. Multiple tweets from the account also mocked people with achondroplasia, commonly known as dwarfism. In January 2013 Coteman wrote: 'Thought that young boy was very competent on his mountain bike especially as it was a little 2big [sic] and no stabilisers. Turns out it was a m*****'. A year later, he shared a meme which featured a picture of two women with achondroplasia which said: 'Tag a friend that's into m***** threesomes.' He also shared a meme made up of a picture of a woman with the tagline: 'Tag someone who would lick her' as well as multiple other sexually explicit tweets. Coteman, previously hailed as a 'hero' after helping to save the life of a man threatening to jump off the top of a car park, this week was sacked from the force in disgrace. PC Mark Coteman and PC Oliver Austin, from Cambridgeshire Constabulary, were found guilty of gross misconduct during a hearing this week MailOnline yesterday revealed 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. In response to posts from Constable, Chief Constable Nick Dean said: 'Former officer Mark Coteman was vetted in June 2019 and while open-source checks were carried out at that time, the force does not have a record of this Twitter account. 'It is clear from this page that he behaved in a manner that is inconsistent with the standards of professional behaviour prior to joining policing. 'The vetting process now requires individuals to proactively provide details/usernames of all their social media accounts to ensure the highest levels of integrity. 'The public's trust and confidence in policing remains a top priority for Cambridgeshire Constabulary and in October last year we launched Operation Protect, in response to the Casey report and more recently the Angiolini inquiry. 'Operation Protect involves a number of checks including a review of the Police National Database's current records to establish if there is any match to HR records and a review of the Police National Computer trace markers for all police officers, specials and staff. 'It also includes a review of historic criminal investigations, a review of historic Honesty and Integrity outcomes and an assessment of whether individuals meet the requirements outlined in the updated Vetting Code of Practice. 'The recently revised Code of Ethics also outlines the professional behaviours that the public can expect to see from officers, staff and volunteers. A key part of this work is empowering our colleagues to have the confidence to challenge and call out behaviour that has no place in our organisation along with an approachable Professional Standards Department who will ensure support is provided. 'We know the majority of people in policing are here to serve the public, do a good job and make a difference. That small minority who do not uphold our standards of behaviour have no place in policing.' Following the misconduct hearing he had 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.' Two brothers who quit their jobs to sell pizzas from the back of a van have recorded record sales of almost 30m as their empire of restaurants has expanded across the UK. Thom and James Elliott now serve up to 50,000 artisan pizzas a week and count Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former PM Boris Johnson among their fans. They both visited their Pizza Pilgrim chain during the Covid pandemic to show how restaurants were adapting to making sure customers were safe to return and eat out after lockdown restrictions had been lifted. In just over a decade the brother's company has gone from a single van equipped with a pizza oven to 22 Neapolitan Pizzerias with further outlets due to open in Scotland and Wales later this year. Thom and James Elliott now serve up to 50,000 artisan pizzas a week and count Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former PM Boris Johnson among their fans In just over a decade the brother's company has gone from a single van equipped with a pizza oven to 22 Neapolitan Pizzerias with further outlets due to open in Scotland and Wales later this year Just over a decade ago the brothers spotted the growing demand for street food, and having grown up helping out in their parents' pub, decided to give up their 9-5 jobs and learn art of making traditional Italian pizzas. James, 40, quit his job in marketing while his young brother Thom,38, walked away from his career as a producer with the BBC. The pair travelled to Italy on what they describe as a 'six-week pilgrimage' to learn as much as they could about making pizzas and where to source the best ingredients. Their travels were filmed for an Apple TV series called James and Thom's Pizza Pilgrimage. While in Italy they bought a three-wheel Piaggio Ape van and drove it back to London where it was converted to become a mobile pizza restaurant. Pizza Pilgrims was launched in 2012 and was an instant success as it traded at Berwick Street market in London's Soho. Two years later the Elliott's opened their first pop up restaurant and have since grown 22 pizzerias with nine locations in London and sites in Leeds, Brighton, Nottingham and Cambridge. Then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak visit to Pizza Pilgrims in West India Quay Co-founders of Pizza Pilgrims, brothers Thom (L) and James Elliot, pose for a photograph in one of their restaurants amid the coronavirus disease The chain was saved by launching a 'Pizza in the Post' scheme where customers were sent the ingredients to create at home Proving there is a lot of dough in the pizza business the most recent accounts show revenue has increased by 37 per cent from 21m to 28.7m. Pre tax profits have doubled from 300,000 to 700,00 with a hot honey pizza and the more traditional pepperoni the best sellers. While the artisan chain is booming the brothers admitted the Covid pandemic had a devastating effect as they were forced to close all their restaurants during lockdown. They were saved by launching a 'Pizza in the Post' scheme where customers were sent the ingredients to create at home. Within a year they were posting out 10,000 kits at 25 each. Recalling the launch of the scheme James told the Financial Times lockdown was 'cataclysmic' for the company. He said: 'We went from our busiest week in February 2020 to zero turnover the next month. Everyone but the managing director and finance director was on furlough. Then my brother came up with the idea of selling Pizza in the Post, because everyone was stuck at home. Both Sunak, then Chancellor, and Johnson paid a visit to the Isle of Dogs branch as part of a promotion in July 2020 to show how restaurants would admit customers while enforcing social distancing, including orders being taken using a QR code at each table Pre tax profits have doubled from 300,000 to 700,00 with a hot honey pizza and the more traditional pepperoni the best sellers 'We made up pizza kits with two dough balls, tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, parmesan and flour. 'We put 100 kits up for sale on Instagram on a Wednesday, and they went within one minute. 'The next day we put up another 100. They went within 20 seconds. On the Friday we made up 1,100 kits and sold them in 45 minutes. 'They cost 25 and were enough for two people. 'Nine months later we were selling 10,000 kits a week. Some weeks we were almost turning over more than the pizzerias in 2019. 'The strategy captured the moment and saved the company. It meant we had continuous cash flow. We were also able to un-furlough more than a hundred staff, almost a third of our workforce.' Both Sunak, then Chancellor, and Johnson paid a visit to the Isle of Dogs branch as part of a promotion in July 2020 to show how restaurants would admit customers while enforcing social distancing, including orders being taken using a QR code at each table. Video of the visit with Boris and Rishi sat side by side was posted to the official No 10 website. Having weathered Covid, Pizza Pilgrims, which now employs 480 people, made its first 1m profit in 2022. The multi-million-pound business now plans to open restaurants in Cardiff and Edinburgh. Despite being millionaires, the brothers use their social media accounts to promote the business rather than any show of wealth. Thom lives with his wife Jemma in a 1.5m detached home near the seafront in Hove, East Sussex while his brother lives in London with his partner. While business is booming they still have a long way - and many pepperoni pizzas to go before they can match the sales of Domino's, the world's biggest pizza chain who have revenues of over 4bn a year. Up to 500 prisoners are set to be released early after SNP ministers announced they would use emergency powers to tackle overcrowded jails. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said she was taking the controversial step to release criminals serving less than four years in response to the critical risk facing the countrys prisons. The move comes after Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, warned that a prison population of more than 8,300 presents a risk, and a trade union said the situation was becoming so dangerous that prison officers could lose their lives while at their work. The sudden announcement by Ms Constance sparked a furious backlash from victims groups, who warned of the risk of reoffending and the negative impact on those who have suffered at the hands of criminals. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: The SNPs early release of up to 500 prisoners comes with a public safety risk. In a statement to MSPs, Ms Constance said she had hoped that emergency powers would never need to be used but insisted she had no choice after the severity of the crisis led to the warning from Ms Sinclair-Gieben. She said: The 8,348 individuals in custody this morning represent one of the highest prison populations ever recorded in Scotland. There is now a critical risk to the continued safe and effective operation of the estate, with multiple prisons essentially full. Angela Constance said there is now a critical risk to the continued safe and effective operation of the estate, with multiple prisons essentially full. A trade union said the situation was becoming so dangerous that prison officers could lose their lives while at their work. Gieben, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, warned that a prison population of more than 8,300 presents a risk, and a trade union said the situation was becoming so dangerous that prison officers could lose their lives while at their work. The sudden announcement by Ms Constance sparked a furious backlash from victims groups, who warned of the risk of reoffending and the negative impact on those who have suffered at the hands of criminals. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: The SNPs early release of up to 500 prisoners comes with a public safety risk. In a statement to MSPs, Ms Constance said she had hoped that emergency powers would never need to be used but insisted she had no choice after the severity of the Ms Constance said MSPs have no choice but to act if we are to avoid an unprecedented crisis developing. The measures come into force on May 26 and, if they meet the legal requirements, Ms Constance will seek approval from MSPs within the following two weeks. The Justice Secretary said there has been a rise of 400 incarcerations since March 18, with the total figure now 8,348. She has claimed the reason for the increase is unknown, with government documents stating the crisis could not have been anticipated and it places us in an unprecedented situation. Ms Constance plans to address the spiralling crisis by ordering the phased early release of the around 300 to 500 inmates who are serving sentences of under four years and who have 180 days or less left to serve. Some of those who could be released have committed violent crimes. They will be released over a six-month period. The only offenders who will not be considered are those with terror-related convictions or convictions for sexual or domestic violence. Prison governors will have the power to veto individual releases. Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said the last time this was done in Scotland shows that we are only transferring this crisis to reoffending, drug deaths and further pressure on support services. She said: Rumours about emergency release plans have been rife for some time, and only confirmed today with little notice. Surely we could have spent that time planning for this and taking into account victims views? During the pandemic, 40 per cent of prisoners who were released early 142 convicts out of a total of 348 went on to commit further crimes. Scottish Conservative deputy justice spokesman Sharon Dowey blamed the spiralling situation on the SNPs abject failure to revamp the prison estate. The Prison Officers Association said it was clear that the minister recognises ... our prisons are in a state of crisis, while the Community union, which represents prison officers in the private sector, including at HMP Addiewell and HMP Kilmarnock, said staff were at breaking point. Steve Farrell, the unions regional officer in Scotland, said: Im not over-exaggerating when I say we could have prison officers who could lose their lives while at their work. Its becoming that dangerous. A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: Our population... has increased rapidly in the past few weeks, in a way which was not anticipated. We stand ready to work with the Scottish Government, and our partners, to act upon the decisions reached. Rape victims blast sentencing guidelines Victims of rape and sex assault have condemned soft touch sentencing guidelines for younger offenders in damning research commissioned by the quango that devised the guidance. The Scottish Sentencing Council (SSC), set up by the SNP Government, created guidance for sheriffs and judges which has led to a more lenient approach for offenders aged under 25, on the grounds their brains may not have matured. A study commissioned and published by the SSC yesterday found that most victims of rape and sexual assault interviewed were critical of perpetrator age, either young or elderly, as a mitigating factor in sentencing. It added that some were critical of such an allowance being made when, as an adult, they would be deemed old enough to consent to sex, vote and buy alcohol. An SSC spokesman said: This is an important piece of work and we will consider its findings. The daughter of a man found dead in Michael Barrymore's swimming pool more than 20 years ago has slammed the former TV star after he bragged about moving to Spain. Barrymore, 72, beamed as he said in a TikTok video that he is already on the hunt for his 'dream villa' along the Spanish coast and that he is making the move to improve the quality of his life. Barrymore was previously one of the UK's top stars, but his decades long career ended after the death of Stuart Lubbock, 31 in March 2001 following a party at his 2 million mansion in Roydon, Essex. A post-mortem revealed he had suffered severe internal injuries which suggested he had been sexually assaulted. No one has been charged in relation to his death. Paige Lubbock, daughter of Stuart Lubbock, said Michel Barrymore has 'no shame' Stuart Lubbock (pictured) was found dead in Michael's swimming pool more than 20 years ago Paige pictured as a baby with her father Stuart Lubbock - she was just four when he died Mr Lubbock's eldest daughter Paige, who was aged four when he died told MailOnline: 'Barrymore is living the high life while we are the ones who have suffered. It's disgusting the way he's boasting about moving to Spain and he should be ashamed of himself. 'We've never known the truth about how my dad died and never had justice. But Barrymore doesn't care, he never has. He's never shown any interest in our family, only himself. It's cruel. I don't want to talk about him that much because it's quite sickening the way he is behaving.' She added: 'I was very young when my dad died and don't have any memories of him. It's not been easy growing up without a father. We would like to see the investigation reopened and for Barrymore to tell us all that he knows. But I don't think that will ever happen.' In his video, Barrymore told his 2.7 million followers on TikTok: 'Hey guys, yes I am moving to Barcelona. I'm 72 now and I realise that quality of life is more important to me than anything, so I'm going to Spain. 'I love the place. It's not the Spain that I grew up with, there's all the package resorts that we all know, this is the mainland Spain, It's amazing. 'The culture there and the people and just the art and everything. I started looking around Girona and the Catalonia area for houses back in March.' He continues: 'I've flown out a couple of times already to look for places and see what I like. Once I decide which villa I like, I probably maybe around Lloret de Mar, of course I'm gonna take Dave with me and of course I'm going to take you guys with me. Barrymore was previously one of the UK's top stars, but his decades long career ended after the death of Stuart Lubbock, 31 in March 2001 following a party at his 2 million mansion in Roydon, Essex Following Mr Lubbock's death at his mansion (pictured), Barrymore virtually disappeared from public life Michael was previously one of the UK's top stars but his decades long career ended after the death of Stuart Lubbock in 2001 following a party at his Essex home Explaining why he is deciding to move ship, Michael said: 'Hey guys, yes I am moving to Barcelona. I'm 72 now and I realise that quality of life is more important to me than anything, so I'm going to Spain' Captioning his post, he wrote: 'Never be afraid to change your life for the better #michaelbarrymore #movingabroad' 'So don't worry, I'm going to vlog everything and you're going to join me all the way through this entire story. 'Until I find the villa of my dreams, I'm going to find out as much as I can about it, download Duolingo, learn the language. I can't wait.' Captioning his post, he wrote: 'Never be afraid to change your life for the better #michaelbarrymore #movingabroad'. Paige, 27 hit back: 'I've not seen the video and neither has anybody else in the family because we're really not that interested in Barrymore. We don't speak about him, and we don't speak about my dad's death. It's still very painful for us because it had a big effect on all of us.' Following Mr Lubbock's death, Barrymore virtually disappeared from public life. He lost his job at ITV in 2003, and he was rarely seen again until he appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2006 - managing to finish in second place. A series of career revival attempts followed but they were often overshadowed by the ongoing investigation into Mr Lubbock's death. Barrymore and others were arrested and questioned on multiple occasions, but no charges were ever filed, and the star ultimately sued Essex Police for wrongful arrest, although he dropped his compensation claim of 2.4m after a court ruled, he was due 'nominal' damages. Michael was previously one of the UK's top stars but his decades long career ended after the death of Stuart Lubbock in 2001 following a party at his Essex home (pictured on his show Strike it Lucky in 1986) But the TV personality has been taking his career back into his own hands by building a loyal fan base on the social media app TikTok. Michael posts multiple videos per day and often receives messages of love and support. Barrymore has always denied any knowledge of what happened. In more heartbreak for the Lubbock family, Stuart's father Terry died following a battle with cancer in 2021 after mounting a decades long campaign for justice. His friend, and publicist, Harry Cichy, paid tribute to the 'tenacious' father following his death who 'thought about Stuart every waking hour'. Mr Cichy said that he had 'died sad, because he's died knowing people never knew the truth about what happened' but said his 'fight for justice won't stop'. He added: 'I knew him for 16 years. He thought about Stuart every waking hour, seven days a week. 'No one could have fought harder for their son.' McCormick was seen stroking Van Duyne's arm during the State of the Union READ MORE: Georgia Republican files for divorce from glamorous oncologist Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick and Rep. Beth Van Duyne have developed a particularly cozy relationship just as McCormick and his wife have filed for divorce. Footage from the March 7 State of the Union address shows McCormick stroking Van Duyne's arm, and sources say this is commonplace for the seemingly smitten pair. They've been caught arriving at and leaving late night events together, and multiple eyewitnesses have seen the pair holding hands just off the House floor. Insiders have disclosed new details to DailyMail.com regarding the nature of the pair's supposed relationship which has blossomed on Capitol Hill. It's hard to miss handsome McCormick and tall lean blonde Van Duyne strolling the halls of Congress, making quite the standout pair in a building filled with old men, staff say. Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick and Rep. Beth Van Duyne have developed a particularly cozy relationship just as McCormick and his wife have filed for divorce McCormick, a year and a half into his first congressional term, filed for divorce from his oncologist wife of 12 years, Dr. Debra Miller, on May 3. A mutual restraining order was also filed, DailyMail.com exclusively reported on Thursday. McCormick and Miller, his second wife, share seven children and live in Suwanee, Georgia. Miller, meanwhile, has practiced medicine for over 30 years. With her her long, blonde locks it's hard to miss the similarities between her and Van Duyne. 'Rich clearly has a type,' said one source close to the congressman. When approached about the reasoning for the divorce, Miller texted DailyMail.com: 'I'm sure that he will not be forthcoming.' Van Duyne has two children with her ex-husband, Chris Wallach, her college sweetheart from their time at Cornell. The pair divorced in 2012 after 17 years of marriage. As a single mother, she was mayor of Irving, Texas from 2011 to 2017 and also served in the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Trump administration. She hasn't been free from scandal in recent years. In February 2021, Richard Dillard, communications director for her 2020 campaign, took his own life in front of Van Duynes home in Irving, Texas. She's known to love to party and enjoy a nice glass of wine, according to sources with knowledge. As one of the younger female members of Congress - which is largely dominated by older men - she sparkles among weathered congressmen and has an infectious personality. One GOP member told DailyMail.com they had seen McCormick and the colleague 'holding hands under the table' at a weekly lunch. In addition, the member also disclosed that they witnessed Rich 'grab the small of her back' on the House floor during votes. Another two eyewitnesses say they have seen he and Van Duyne holding hands, with one witnessing it as the pair were leaving votes. Footage from the March 7 State of the Union address shows McCormick stroking Van Duyne's arm, and sources say this is commonplace for the seemingly smitten pair Rich McCormick pictured smiling at Van Duyne during a press conference at the Capitol last June Beth Van Duyne is seen walking with Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the basement of the Capitol Texas Republican Van Duyne's office declined to comment on her relationship with McCormick Rich McCormick is relatively new to Congress 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 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.' Miller, meanwhile, has practiced oncology for over 30 years. A third witness told DailyMail.com they had seen the female colleague holding on to the arm of McCormick while walking out of the Longworth Office building late at night. 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.' Texas Republican Van Duyne's office declined to comment on her relationship with McCormick. Rich and his soon-to-be ex-wife were pictured together as recently as over the Christmas holiday. 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.' 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 baby girl who was left abandoned in a store by her pregnant mom has been identified by police. Officers responded to calls of a baby, believed to be between seven to nine months old, left in a business at 2000 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Lomita earlier this week. When authorities arrived, they were told by staff that the baby's mother had entered the store and asked for a taxi. As an employee arranged for a cab, the woman went to the bathroom. As soon as the car arrived, the woman came out for the bathroom, got in the vehicle and left the young child behind in a shopping cart, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department said. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department responded to calls of a baby, believed to be between seven to nine months old, left in a business at 2000 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Lomita earlier this week The baby was then taken by responders and placed under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services as officials launched a search. The Sheriff's Office soon released photos of the infant and the mother on their social media pages - asking the public to help identify them. Later, the Sheriff's Office said in a statement that detectives had identified the duo and spoke with family members. Authorities have yet not revealed the name or any other details about the baby or the pregnant mother. When authorities arrived, they were told by staff that the baby's mother had entered the store and asked for a taxi. As an employee arranged for a cab, the woman went to the bathroom 'Detectives spoke with family members of the abandoned infant who identified her and the biological mother. 'The investigation is ongoing. There is no additional information available at this time,' the statement read. Officials have requested that anyone with more information about the case to contact the Lomita Sheriff's Station. So, that's it? Not since Stormy stumbled out of a Nevada hotel room has anyone been so underwhelmed. For four weeks, botoxed cable news hosts have been consumed, a presidential election has been hamstrung and those eating lunch have been revolted by sloppy, salacious testimony flowing like raw sewage out of a courthouse in lower Manhattan. It's here that the first former US president in history has been put on trial for the crime of well, we still don't know exactly. According to the Democratic hacks in the Manhattan District Attorney's office, our 45th Commander-In-Chief once ordered a mental midget to pay a professional knob-polisher for her silence and then criminally cooked the books to hide the alleged game of hide-the-pickle. We were assured that Gotham's portly, bail-phobic DA and his lead prosecutor recruited from the upper echelons of the Biden Justice Department no less knew what the heck they were doing. Though, on Thursday, the last day of the prosecution's case, it still looked weaker than Harvey Weinstein's long jump. If there was ever final proof that this Trivial Trial of the Century is nothing more than the utter debasement dare I say political pornification of the US legal system, it's this: It all hinged on the word of a for-hire, screw-job artist and Stormy Daniels. So, as this courtroom abomination wraps up, let's review the carnage and mourn the decomposing republic that we're leaving to our children. If there was ever final proof that this Trivial Trial of the Century is nothing more than the utter debasement dare I say political pornification of the US legal system, it's this: It all hinged on the word of a for-hire, screw-job artist and Stormy Daniels. For four weeks, botoxed cable news hosts have been consumed, a presidential election has been hamstrung and those caught eating lunch have been revolted by sloppy, salacious testimony flowing like raw sewage out of a courthouse in lower Manhattan. Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford, otherwise known as Stormy Daniels, the rode-hard-put-away-wet heroine of this sordid tale, was supposed to blow (Reader: All puns are unintentional unless otherwise noted) Trump's defense out of the water. Portraying herself as a damsel in distress, Stormy wearing a black shawl and her hair in a bun nervously testified that she was, in fact, a victim on the night in question when she allegedly rendezvoused with Donald J. Trump for dinner at his hotel room in July 2006. One animated corpse at MSNBC compared her to a 'modest nun' on the witness stand. (I'd like to know where he went to Catholic school.) Ms. Daniels claimed the future president answered the door in his silk pyjamas before she playfully spanked him with a rolled-up magazine. (Isn't this the plot of Stormy's 2013 hit, Sex Door Neighbors? No wonder Judge Juan Merchan asked her to speak more slowly. He must be a fan.) Daniels who has admittedly logged more miles than the Daytona International Speedway suggested she was intimidated by Trump's 'bodyguard right outside the door,' and 'blacked out,' when he dropped his trousers, which must be an occupational hazard for a woman in her line of work. Ms. Daniels claimed the future president answered the door in his silk pyjamas before she playfully spanked him with a rolled-up magazine. (Isn't this the plot of Stormy's 2013 hit, Sex Door Neighbors?) Cohen is currently shopping a new reality show called 'The Fixer,' which sounds like a back-alley dog-neutering service but who am I to question such a paragon of integrity? I'm not one to slut shame (Surely, you remember me in Naughty Needlepointers 3), but that reaction is about as believable as a surgeon barfing at the sight of blood. Stormy went on to testify about sex positions and whether rubbers were used eliciting a national gag reflex and leaving us with the haunting question: Why in God's name did we have to know this? The answer is: We didn't. Daniels's testimony didn't advance the trial it served a political purpose. It humiliated Trump. But wait the prosecution had yet to call their secret weapon. Their Great Pasty White Sweaty Hope. Trump's former lawyer and self-proclaimed 'fixer' Michael Cohen. He's currently shopping a new reality show called 'The Fixer,' which sounds like a back-alley dog-neutering service. But who am I to question such a paragon of integrity? Cohen is in the business of anti-Trump hackery and business is booming. He admitted on the stand that he's made over $3 million from his Down-With-Donald books and his anti-Trumpery extends to selling shirts and prostituting himself on TikTok to any idiot who will pay $5.99 a month to hear his drivel. He even admitted to approaching Manhattan prosecutors in 2021 to offer his testimony in exchange for a reduced sentence. Cohen is in the business of anti-Trump hackery and business is booming. He admitted on the stand that he's made over $3 million from his Down-With-Donald books. Above all else, Cohen is a liar - a convicted perjurer, who has told tall tales under oath to Congress, to the IRS, and all manner of courts and judges. Why stop now? During cross-examination by Trump's lawyer on Thursday, Cohen denied that he was hoping to be in Trump's 2020 White House or even nominated for Attorney General of the United States. 'My jaw hit the floor when I heard him denying that,' said former Trump staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin. 'It was widely discussed that he was angling for Attorney General or to be White House counsel.' A former Trump campaign aide said Cohen told him straight up that he wanted the job. 'He was pretty clear that he wanted to be White House counsel,' said Bryan Lanza. At least this pointless trial is good for some laughs. But the real 'Columbo moment' came when mild-mannered Trump attorney Todd Blanche caught Cohen in a game of telephone that cut straight to the heart of this case. Cohen testified that he called Trump's bodyguard on October 24, 2016 to discuss the 'resolution' of the 'Stormy Daniels matter.' Ah ha! The smoking gun! But 'that was a lie!' Blanche declared. The real 'Columbo moment' came in court when mild-mannered Trump attorney Todd Blanche caught Cohen in a game of telephone that cut straight to the heart of this case. Indeed, Blanche got Cohen to admit that he called Trump's bodyguard that October night to complain about harassing phone calls that he was receiving from a 14-year-old prankster. Cohen sloppily insisted the call had two purposes - but the damage was done. Another seed of doubt was planted in the minds of jurors, who are already being asked to trust a man with zero credibility. Look, I get it, porn star sex is icky (especially the condomless variety, disgust bro!), and having a drooling buffoon, like Cohen, run point on your bad decisions is, in itself, the baddest decision. But being a phenomenally horrible judge of character is not a crime. Using the legal system to interfere with a presidential election should be. Residents of a small town outside Dallas have forced a developer to back down from plans to tear up lush green farmland in their community and turn it into a shopping center. The Haggards, one of Plano's most notable families, own the 13.5 acre portion of the farm that they wanted to fashion into a Sprouts grocery store, retail space and approximately 33 townhomes. The Fairview Farm Land Company, headed by a member of the Haggard family, appealed to the city of Plano to rezone this land so the new development could go forward. But homeowners rallied against the idea, sending hundreds of opposition messages to Plano officials, NBC Dallas Fort Worth reported. The 13.5 acre portion of the Haggard farm that was to be transformed into a Sprouts grocery store, retail space and approximately 33 townhomes All the pressure from locals appeared to force the hand of Fairview Farm Land Company and in a shock move, it sent a request to the city requesting to withdraw its rezoning application. 'While we were hopeful that our proposed development would be seen as a positive addition, it is clear that is not the case and we dont want to proceed with something that does not have full community support. Thank you for your consideration,' the company wrote through a proxy. The Plano Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to accept the request, rendering the proposed shopping mall dead in the water. 'Its just such a residential neighborhood, we wanted to keep it that way,' said Sara Stettler, a resident who owns a home near the Haggard farm. 'We have plenty, plenty of empty strip malls available so we didnt feel like it needed to be built here,' she added. Sara Stettler, pictured, was against the new use of the land, preferring it be kept residential if anything Christina Day, Plano's director of planning, said it is not typical for a developer - in this case the Haggard family - to invest time and resources, come this far in the approval process and abruptly withdraw. 'Its not unheard of but it is rare,' Day said. 'It doesnt mean they cant bring a new case forward at some point,' she added. The 13.5 acre area is already zoned for single-family homes or townhouses, just not retail, which means the Haggards could move forward with a revised proposal that's solely residential. Over the years, the Haggard family has sold or developed slivers of their undeveloped land. The developers folded and declared the project would not move forward without the full support of the community In 2021, the city council approved a massive new mixed-use development on 124 acres of Haggard farmland on the eastside of the Dallas North Tollway. Construction is well underway and the new area will contain a a hotel, a restaurant, commercial buildings and housing, NBC Dallas Fort Worth reported at the time. Day acknowledged that despite the approval in 2021, which also garnered massive community opposition, the city does have policies to limit retail shops from popping up and overwhelming the area. 'Weve long had policies to limit retail zoning and retail development where possible in the city and thats because we realize that we have three times the national average of retail,' said Day. Stettler urged her fellow residents to continue organizing, as future developments altering the character of Plano aren't out of the question. 'If its something not right for Plano then we need to make our voices heard, and in this regard, it worked so were really happy they listened,' Stettler said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Moscows offensive in Ukraines northeastern Kharkiv region aims to create a buffer zone but has no plans to capture the city. Putins comments on a trip to China were his first on the offensive launched on May 10, which opened a new front in the war and displaced thousands of Ukrainians within few days. It came hours after a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Russian-occupied Crimea early Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol while damaging aircraft and fuel storage at an airbase. In southern Russia, Russian authorities said the attack also set a refinery ablaze. Speaking to reporters Friday on a visit to Harbin, China, Putin said that Moscow launched attacks in the Kharkiv region in response to the Ukrainian shelling of Russias Belgorod region. I have said publicly that if it continues we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone, he said. Putin said that Russian troops were advancing daily according to plan" and said that there were no plans to capture Kharkiv, for now. Ukrainian troops were fighting Friday to halt Russian advances in Kharkiv region that began late last week. The town of Vovchansk, located just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border, has been a hot spot in the fighting in recent days. 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. By starting a new offensive in the north of Kharkiv region on May 10, Russian troops expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometers, in an effort to force Ukraine spread its forces and use the reserve troops, Ukraines military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Friday. Meanwhile, the drone raids on Crimea marked Kyiv's attempt to strike back during Moscow's offensive in northeastern Ukraine, which has added to the pressure on outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces who are waiting for delayed deliveries of crucial weapons and ammunition from Western partners. A Ukrainian intelligence official confirmed to The Associated Press that Ukraines Security Service and Military Intelligence conducted a joint operation to strike Russias military infrastructure sites in Novorossiysk, on the Black Sea coast, and occupied Sevastopol. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The operation targeted ships and vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and was conducted by aerial drones built in Ukraine, the official said. At least three fighter jets were destroyed, according to satellite imagery of the airbase provided by Maxar Technologies. The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 51 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, another 44 over the Krasnodar region of Russia and six over the Belgorod region. It said Russian warplanes and patrol boats also destroyed six sea drones in the Black Sea. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, which is the main base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, said the drone attack damaged the citys power plant. He said it could take a day to fully restore energy supplies and warned residents that power would be cut to parts of the city. Communal services are doing their best to restore the power system as quickly as possible, he said in a statement. Razvozhayev also announced that schools in the city would be closed temporarily. Earlier Ukrainian attacks damaged aircraft and a fuel storage facility at Belbek air base near Sevastopol, according to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies. In the Krasnodar region, the authorities said a drone attack early Friday caused a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse which was later contained. There were no casualties. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted refineries and other energy facilities deep inside Russia, causing significant damage. The Krasnodar regions governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, said fragments of downed drones around the port of Novorossiysk caused several fires but there were no casualties. Belgorov Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, killing a woman and her 4-year-old child. Another attack set a fuel tank ablaze at a gas station in the region, he said. In addition to Kharkiv, recent Russian offensive 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. According to Syrskyi, the Ukrainian military commander, having strengthened their grouping in the northern region, Russian forces are now concentrating their efforts to advance near the village of Lyptsi, as well as the town of Vovchansk. Syrskyi also said he inspected the units that are preparing for defense of the Sumy region. On Tuesday, the head of Ukraines Military Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, reportedly said that the Russian army had plans to start offensive actions in Sumy. Russia has also been testing defenses at other points along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (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. (AP) A 'scared, humiliated' teenage woman who had her breasts exposed in a casino while being restrained by four security guards has been ordered to pay compensation. Jayda Ellen Punter, 18, appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Thursday on three assault charges and one charge of failure to leave premises. Ms Punter, 18, and a friend arrived at The Star casino in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast around 3.55am on May 27, 2023. The court heard Ms Punter drank a few shots even though she was aware she should not mix alcohol with her prescribed various medications for anxiety, ADHD and PTSD. Police prosecutor Sophie Gorrick told the court Ms Punter and her friend were refused entry as they smelled of alcohol and ordered to to leave. Ms Punter decided to go to the bathroom before leaving the premises, the court was told. Not long after Ms Punter entered the bathroom, a female security guard also entered and banged on the stall door, reported the Gold Coast Bulletin. The court heard three more male guards entered the bathroom and physically restrained Ms Punter (pictured) in a 'crucifix hold', causing her shirt to be ripped off An undressed Ms Punter was then removed from the bathroom in full view of patrons and taken into police custody during the incident at The Star casino in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast (pictured) The court was told Ms Punter still had her skirt down and no underwear on, and opened the door to see a male security guard had also entered the bathroom. The situation escalated with Ms Punter becoming distressed and calling the security guard a 'paedophile', Ms Punters lawyer Michael Gatenby told the court. The court heard three more male guards entered the bathroom and physically restrained Ms Punter in a 'crucifix hold', causing her shirt to be ripped off. A crucifix hold is a martial arts position where one of the opponent's arms is controlled using the legs, and the other using the arms, effectively putting the opponent in a position resembling a crucifix. 'Her breasts are very clearly exposed and her skirt is down and its indicated that she wasnt wearing any underwear,' Mr Gatenby said. 'Theres four men sitting on top of her while shes in a state of undress.' Mr Gatenby said Ms Punter bit a guard who had his arm around her neck and kicked two security guards in the stomach and knees. An undressed Ms Punter was then removed from the bathroom in full view of patrons and taken into police custody. Mr Gatenby told the court: 'She accepts that she placed herself in that situation. But she described herself as being scared, humiliated and felt like she was treated like an animal.' 'Again, I am not suggesting anything unlawful,' Mr Gatenby repeatedly told the court. He said Ms Punter had been seeing a psychiatrist for three years, who advised she does not struggle with alcohol use. Mr Gatenby told the court the incident was out of character. Ms Punter pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning bodily harm, two counts of common assault and one count of failing to leave premises of a licensed building. Magistrate Louisa Pink sentenced Ms Punter to 18 months probation for the assaults, fined her $150 for failing to leave and ordered her to pay $1,200 in compensation. Two friends who were forced to camp on their own land after being priced out of the housing crisis now face being evicted off the site. Nathaniel Muller bought the two-and-a-half-acre block of land near Castlemaine in central Victoria in 2020, intending to use it for camping. But he now lives on the site with his friend, single mother Beck Myers and her two children aged seven and ten, after renting became unaffordable. Yet Mount Alexander Shire Council plans to evict them from the property amid concerns it has 'serious' constraints and is not suitable to live on. Council workers are set to visit on Friday to ensure Ms Meyers and Mr Muller are complying with council's instructions. Beck Meyers, who camps on two-and-a-half-acre block of land near Castlemaine in west central Victoria in 2020 with her two children and friend Nathaniel Muller, previously accused the council of not showing 'compassion' after it moved to evict them from the site Council workers are set to visit the site (pictured) on Friday to ensure Ms Meyers and Mr Muller are complying with council's instructions Poll Do you think the Nathaniel and Becks should be allowed to stay camping on their land? Yes No Do you think the Nathaniel and Becks should be allowed to stay camping on their land? Yes 1285 votes No 97 votes Now share your opinion Ms Meyers previously accused the council of not showing 'compassion'. 'There has been so much press about how the council is becoming so much more compassionate about people's living situations and the affordability of rent, so I feel surprised and dismayed at just how uncompassionate they are,' Ms Myers told the Midland Express. 'Given the housing crisis, it feels a bit ludicrous to me. 'We've got everything here, we're not causing harm, we're complying with our waste system and we could just be adding to the burden and the strain that's on society to find housing for everyone.' Mount Alexander Shire Council infrastructure and development director Michael Annear said that the council had spoken with the pair several times over the years. Single mother Beck Myers and her two children aged seven and ten, moved into the campsite on their own land after renting became unaffordable Mr Annear insisted the block was not suitable to live on due to concerns including bushfire risk, cultural sensitivities, environmental impact, and the fact it is in a farming zone. 'Unfortunately it's got to a point where we've had to ask them to look at moving out this week,' Mr Annear told the ABC. 'We will be talking to them and we'll go to that with compassion. 'We will talk to them and listen to their situation.' Daily Mail Australia approached Ms Meyers for comment. She told the ABC she was open to finding somewhere else to live. 'Somewhere bushy in someone's big backyard or property is ideal,' she said. 'We are also open to a short-term rental, but I can't keep up with current rental prices, so it would have to be $190 max per week.' A man who was allegedly kidnapped and held captive by his neighbour for 26 years just 100 metres from home is in 'good health' but remains shocked after being freed earlier this week, his family said. Omar Bin Omran, from El Guedid near Djelfa, 150 miles south of Algiers, was just 19 when he disappeared in 1998 on his way to a vocational school at the height of Algeria's civil war, prompting fears amongst his family that he had been killed. But the truth was under his grieving family's nose the entire time: now 45, a bearded Omar was found in a sheep pen, covered by bales of hay by his family after they stormed the neighbour's house following a tip-off on social media. Speaking to Algerian media, the missing man's cousin Khaled Reggab said his relative was not in a 'critical' state but that he is 'shocked, more than shocked' having spent more than a quarter of a century in captivity. Mr Reggab appeared to confirm stories reported elsewhere that Omar's dog had pined for him outside the neighbour's home for two weeks after he went missing - before allegedly being killed by the captor to silence its whines. Omar Bin Omran at the moment he was found in a sheep pen in El Guedid, Algeria, earlier this week after 26 years of being held captive Omar pictured as a young man around the age at which he disappeared in 1998. His family believed he was killed in the civil war 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' And he added that the family was in a 'catastrophic' shock following the news that Omar was alive - which came more than a decade after his mother died without ever knowing the truth. 'I have no information about him but according to what I saw his health condition is good, it is not critical,' Mr Reggab told Echorouk News. 'His psychological state is shocked, and more than shocked, he is afraid, especially since he was detained, meaning he is not accustomed to being (outside). 'Omar is still under therapeutic and psychological care at this minute. I see them (his family) in a catastrophic shock.' The missing man's story has shocked the world after it was first reported earlier this week. He was discovered on May 12 after a relative of the alleged captor posted on social media, reportedly following an inheritance dispute, to say he was at the house. His family stormed the residence, just yards from their own, and found the shocked man, now 45, beneath a pile of hay. The alleged culprit, a 61-year-old doorman working in El Guedid, was taken into custody after attempting to flee. 'This is a true tragedy and we thank God that we were able to find our son,' one of Mr bin Omran's uncles, Karim Rgueb, told local media outlet El Djazair N1 in remarks reported by The National. Mr Reggab confirmed some aspects of the story - including that a dog belonging to the family was killed two weeks after Omar went missing. The culprit is suspected to be Omar's kidnapper, thought to have killed it to silence its whines outside his home. Omar's cousin continued: 'The property owner is using it on the basis that it is a stable. He is about 100 metres, only 100 metres (away) on the same street. 'The dog was frequenting the house of the owner of this residence for more than a week - and this story was confirmed by all of Omar's friends and even those closest to the family - until it was killed two weeks later.' Questions have been asked by those reading Omar's story about why, in more than 25 years, he did not seek to escape. Algerian media has reported that he is said to have told relatives he was under a 'spell'. Mr Reggab said: 'This matter is puzzling. The (sheep pen) belongs to the residence and he has some sheep. It has piles of hay and Omar was covered with all this hay. 'Even when we asked him, why didn't you shout or try to resist or leave the house and so on, his answer was very simple. He said literally 'I was not able to even speak or even walk.'' Omar came from the town of El Guedid, near Djelfa, around 150 miles south of Algerian capital city Algiers This is the area where Omar was found. His cousin said he had been kept in a 'warehouse' type building that was being used to hold sheep Locals were seen gathering in the street close to where the discovery was made earlier this week The Algerian Ministry of Justice said the investigation was still ongoing, adding that the victim was receiving medical and psychological care after the crime it described as 'heinous'. 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. Mr Reggab said that, contrary to earlier reports, Omar did not find out his mother had died whilst in captivity. He added: 'She said: 'I still feel that my son is in... El Guedid. It was a great sadness even though she had a feeling her son was not far from her.' 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.' 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. 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 case of Omar's discovery, more than a quarter of a century 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' 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.' 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. Algeria's civil war raged for a decade from 1992, as the government sought to repel attacks by armed Islamist rebel groups following a military coup on the eve of the country's elections. The Labor senator who went rogue and defied the party line to accuse Israel of genocide has found an ally in Lidia Thorpe. Senator Thorpe is no stranger to inter-party rows, having split from the Greens to sit as an Independent over their stance on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. She has now spoken up for 28-year-old first-term senator Fatima Payman, who sparked controversy this sitting week for speaking up about the ongoing conflict in Gaza. 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, and described the ongoing conflict in Gaza as a 'genocide'. 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.' The Coalition and Labor united to condemn that phrase, agreeing on a motion urging senators to 'refrain from inflammatory and divisive comments, both inside and outside the chamber at all times'. But senator Payman has found a supporter in Ms Thorpe, who took to X on Friday morning to describe Labor's treatment of her as 'appalling'. Senator Thorpe is no stranger to inter-party rows, having split from the Greens to sit as an Independent over their stance on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament 'Senator Payman was speaking from the heart about something she cares about,' Ms Thorpe said. 'The way Labor has treated her for it is appalling. People voting next year should remember this. 'A vote for Labor is a vote for a candidate who will be silenced and forced to give up their values.' Ms Thorpe called on the Prime Minister to 'listen to Palestinian people and educate himself' about the 'from the river to the sea' slogan. She said it is an 'anti-apartheid message' and is not related to anti-Semitism, as has been claimed. 'Its about ending the violence, oppression and discrimination against Palestinians so people can live together equally in peace,' she said. 'We should be worried that politicians are policing speech and clothing, and be alarmed that Labor are choosing to condemn an anti-apartheid message.' Ms Payman 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. She appeared in the Senate on Thursday sporting a pro-Palestine badge 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 Ms 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 said 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. The body of a woman has been recovered from waters off a popular tourist town's jetty as a desperate search was launched for another woman who jumped into a river. A search operation began for the first woman in the early hours of Friday in the Far North Queensland town of Palm Cove, about 25km north of Cairns. Police had been called to the Palm Cove Jetty about 2.30am when a woman entered the water but did not resurface. A police spokeswoman said no details were available at this time about the circumstances. Police had been called to the Palm Cove Jetty (pictured) about 2.30am when a woman entered the water but did not resurface (Picture: David Draycott) Water police, surf lifesavers and local police were involved in the search. About 7am on Friday, Surf Life Saving Queensland volunteers found the body around the northern headland near Buchans Point Beach. In a statement, police say investigations remain ongoing, but the incident is not being treated as suspicious. Police will prepare a report for the coroner. Meanwhile, an urgent search has been launched for a woman who jumped into the Bremer River at Ipswich and did not resurface. Emergency services responded about 5.45am on Friday to reports a woman had entered the river but was not seen again. Police have closed one lane of the David Trumpy Bridge as they search for the woman. Motorists are advised to use alternative routes to avoid delays. A grandmother will spend a year behind bars after she scammed $382,000 out of four people, including her best friend, all to fund a gambling problem. Viviana Leonor Varas, 63, learned her fate on Thursday at Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court after she admitted to the elaborate scam she ran from September 2016 to March 2021. Varas had told her victims her great-great-grandfather had set up a trust in the US and urged them to invest. Her web of lies also saw her falsely tell her victims she had cancer, was a former Wall Street stockbroker and that her mother had died during the Covid pandemic. Varas' best friend, who she met in 2016 while living in the same building in Pyrmont, handed over $145,000 across two years which she thought was going to be invested. When the friend eventually asked for her money back, Varas gave her a cheque for $104,000. Viviana Leonor Varas, 63, learnt her fate on Thursday at Sydney 's Downing Centre Local Court after she admitted to the elaborate scam she ran from September 2016 to March 2021 But the cheque bounced and Varas then told her to contact her solicitor who told her he didn't do 'that kind of work'. The friend reported Varas to police in 2018, saying she had befriended her and her family and even knitted clothes for her children. 'She just really integrated herself into my life and said you're just like a daughter to me. She just groomed me and at my most vulnerable time,' she told the court, news.com.au reported. Varas had also lied to her friend and told her she was undergoing cancer treatment. The grandmother met another one of her victims at the Star Casino about 10 years ago. She befriended her and the woman sent her $100,000 all up to invest. 'It makes you feel really stupid. She makes it out that she's a multi-millionaire and then when I spoke to her best friend's family, she was just poor as anything. She's done this to a lot of people,' the victim told the publication outside court. Varas swindled nearly $400,000 from four victims but a court heard she has shown little remorse for her actions Another victim also met Varas at the same casino and lost a total of $27,000 to the conwoman after she claimed to be an 'investor' while throwing $1,000 bets down at the poker table. Three of her victims had been present in court for Varas' sentencing but the fourth chose not to come. He and his wife lost $105,000 of their savings and moved to regional NSW. The victim said his wife had suffered 'suicidal thoughts' after the ordeal. When Varas' web of lies eventually unravelled, the court heard her long-term partner, children and grandchildren all cut ties with her. Magistrate Christine Haskett said Varas had shown no remorse for her crimes. The magistrate told the court she was not suffering from cancer nor had her mother died, and had 'little insight into the damage' she has done to her victims. Varas had also told police her victims knew of her gambling habits but denied she was addicted. Her lawyer had tried to argue she did have stage one lung cancer back in 2015, however Magistrate Haskett disregarded this as Varas had claimed to be receiving treatment in 2020. 'Lies about family trusts; lies that she worked on Wall Street. Documents that were promised but never produced. She told people she was arranging her mother's funeral and she's still alive,' the magistrate said. Varas was ordered to pay back every dollar she'd swindled, but the court heard she has no assets. She will be eligible for release from prison in May next year. If Michael Cohen is done in by any of the receipts surfaced by defense lawyers in court, it would be a cruel twist if it happened with intimidating text messages he sent to a teenager. Its the kind of bullying that Cohen testified for years he did on behalf of his onetime client, Donald Trump, before he says he turned over a new leaf. But on Thursday, he was forced to confront his own texts threatening to sic the Secret Service on someone who was placing repeated harassing phone calls to him. That wasnt Trump lawyer Todd Blanches reason for bringing it up. Blanche wanted to establish that Cohens testimony Tuesday about an Oct. 24, 2016 phone call at 8:02 pm might not be as Cohen remembered it. He had testified Tuesday that that is when he spoke to Donald Trump to tell him the Stormy Daniels situation was taken care of, shortly before Election Day. But Blanche dug up concurrent texts with Schiller about running down the kid who called him repeatedly. The Dope forgot to block his call, Cohen wrote Schiller at 7:48 minutes earlier. Michael Cohen had to answer for a text echange with a teen who made repeated harassing phone calls. He brought up the Secret Service and asked to talk to the teen's parents Blanche ripped into Cohen, his voice rising, about how he could be sorting out the porn star payoff while simultaneously tracking down the teen. You finalized the deal with Stormy Daniels. You said were going to move forward and you said yes, Blanche intoned. 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 intoned. Here are some other key takeaways from the trial: Cohens lies are piling up Michael Cohen has lied. A lot. And lawyer Todd Blanche has been getting him to admit it himself. He lied to Robert Mueller. He lied to a congressional committee about a Moscow tower he was exploring while working for Trump. He even lied when pleading guilty to his crimes. Blanche was able to argue that because Cohen is consistently denying one part of his guilty plea the tax evasion charge. He says he acted under 48-hours of pressure to make a deal with his wife facing possible indictment. As part of that plea, Cohen had to tell a judge that he wasnt being pressured to put forth his plea. 'You do feel like you were induced to plead guilty?' Blanche asked him. 'I never denied the underlying facts. I just did not believe that I should have been criminally charged,' Cohen responded. But it wasnt long before he let down part of his defense. Judge William H. Pauley III had asked Cohen in court 'did anybody offer you any inducements or thereaten or force you to plead guilty.' 'And you said no?' Blanched asked him. 'I accepted responsibility, Cohen tried again. 'That was a lie?' Blanche asked. 'Correct,' he acknowledged. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche finally tore into Cohen on Thursday Cohen is being confronted by his own denials of a Trump Organization payoff to porn star Stormy Daniels Texts between Cohen and daughter Samantha Blake Cohen reveal disappointment at trouble even scoring Trump inauguration tickets Texts with daughter point to trail of resentment Anyone who has travelled in New York and D.C. political circles knows what its like to score a top invite or to be left on the curb feeling like a has-been. Texts with his daughter reveal the personal toll of Cohen being shunted aside by the president he had helped steer to the White House. Blanche asked Cohen about a text from his daughter Samantha Blake Cohen that new White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trumps new people were walking all over you. Cohen was even having a 'hard time getting tickets to the inauguration,' Blanche said, drawing from the family texts. 'I believe so,' said Cohen. Cohens defense was that although he wanted to be considered for a gig for his ego, he landed where he wanted with an influence peddling job that allowed him to make millions as attorney for the president. 'There's a way that I could monetize that, which I did,' he testified. Whether the jury buys it may depend on how much stock they put on a grinning Cohen who posed for a photo behind the White House podium on a visit there. Cohen challenged by his own denials of $130,000 payoff Blanche finally gets to the $130,000 payments that Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels through an LLC he helped set up. Its the subject where prosecutors spent hours going through tedious paperwork to establish the trail. But Blanche has his own paper to rely on. One is a statement by Cohen stating that none of the funds came from the Trump campaign or the Trump Organization. Another is a letter furnished by a law firm to the Federal Election Commission. Blanches next move might be to establish that the $130,000 wasnt even a campaign contribution at all. The defense wants to call former FEC chair Bradley Smith, a conservative legal scholar whose opposition to government regulation of campaign finance helped the push to took down major campaign finance reforms in the landmark Citizens United case. Trump's entourage might help him outside the courtroom, but not inside Trump is keeping the media guessing about who will compose his daily court entourage. He's already trotted out senators, the House Speaker, and now a gaggle of conservative House Freedom Caucus members. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has had to deal with his own issues with prosecutors, ended up seated up front in court with Eric Trump, and was in the shot inside the courtroom as Trump railed against the case. But Trump's expanding entourage might be wearing thin inside the 15th floor courtroom where Trump's freedom could be on the line. Prosecutors raised complaints about disruptions with their security details, and Merchan seemed sympathetic. The way GOP members have given Trump talking points could catch the judge's notice as a way to get around his gag order. Judge Merchan is looking for the exits Judge Merchan told lawyers to be ready for summary arguments as soon as Tuesday. That comes despite Todd Blanche refusing to rule out testimony by former President Trump himself. Merchan was even willing to give up one of his precious Wednesdays, which he uses for other court matters rather than the Trump trial. (President Biden mocked Trump this week by saying I hear youre free on Wedndesdays when challenging him to a debate). He's also gaming out how to avoid long breaks in the rhythm of the trial, a sign he may have eyes on completion before Memorial day. The UK watchdog has tightened its scrutiny of Indian spice imports amid allegations there has been a pesticide contamination. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has applied for extra controls on all spices imported from India because of safety concerns over the cancer-causing pesticide, ethylene oxide. Last month MDH and Everest products were recalled from Singapore and their sales were suspended in Hong Kong over the issue, yet both brands continue to say their products are safe. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, aniseed, fennel, coriander, ginger, saffron and turmeric will now be subject to the increase in border control scrutiny. Last month MDH and Everest products were recalled from Singapore and their sales were suspended in Hong Kong over the issue, yet both brands continue to say their products are safe The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has applied for extra controls on all spices imported from India because of safety concerns over the cancer-causing pesticide, ethylene oxide '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. The FSA has stated that it has 'applied extra control measures for pesticide residues in spices from India', including ethylene oxide, which is known to cause cancer and sterilisation in high quantities. While the US, New Zealand, Australia and India have also said that they are conducting their own investigations. Christopher Elliott, a food security professor who led the Government's response to the horse meat scandal told the Telegraph: 'There is so much evidence that spices [in relation to spices generally] contain some dangerous pathogens and can also be subject to massive fraud. So I think it's a glaring loophole in the border model.' 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. 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. Across the range of spices generally they have been known the be mixed with non-edible products, such as chilli powder and paprika can be combined things such as brick dust and chemical dyes to enhance their red colour. The former home secretary was at Cambridge to speak with the protesters today This is the bizarre moment Suella Braverman is blanked by pro-Gaza activists who have set up camp outside Cambridge University and forced bosses to move graduation ceremonies. The former Home Secretary was filmed walking around the camp trying to engage with the protesters about what 'their message is'. In the clip Ms Braverman introduces herself to one group of three masked protesters and says she is 'keen to understand your views and what you are protesting about.' But when the camera pans around all three stand with their arms crossed staring blankly ahead, in complete silence. She presses on with a new group, who are all also masked, this time asking specific questions: 'What's your message to Israel? To Hamas? Do you think the hostages should be released now?' Yet again all her questions are met with blank stares and silence and she is forced to move on. Suella Braverman was bizarrely blanked by masked pro-Gaza activists at the Cambridge University encampment But when the camera pans around all three stand with their arms crossed staring blankly ahead, in complete silence The strange interaction happened earlier today when the former home secretary was on walking around the student camp trying to engage with the protesters about what 'their message is' The strange interaction came as the university revealed it has been forced to move this week's graduation ceremonies to an undisclosed 'alternative location' as a result of the process. 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 that it had taken the 'very difficult decision' to hold the events at an undisclosed 'alternative location'. The activists 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.' Anthony Albanese is set to pocket a tidy $1million profit from the sale of his inner-Sydney investment property after his tenant complained about getting kicked out. On Wednesday, Jim Flanagan publicly 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 the city's inner-west. Mr Albanese wants to sell up as he prepares for his wedding to partner Jodie Haydon but Mr Flanagan claimed the eviction caught him by surprise and was misaligned with the government's messaging about the housing crisis and assisting renters. Since then it has emerged comedian Chrissy Flanagan, the tenant's ex-partner, is the surprising reason why the rent on the home remained at a bargain $680 a week when comparable rents in the area were a few hundred dollars higher. But despite the embarrassing rental row, Mr Albanese will have the last laugh with the property likely to sell for north of $2million after he bought it for about $1million just under a decade ago. 'I've had changes in my personal life so I've decided to sell the property,' Mr Albanese said. The townhouse in Dulwich Hill in Sydney's Inner-West is set to reach north of $2million when it is sold, netting Anthony Albanese an almost $1miilion profit after the $1.17million purchase in 2015 Mr Albanese said he wanted to sell the investment property because of changes to his personal life, specifically his upcoming wedding to Jodie Haydon (pictured together) His tenant of four years at reduced rent, Jim Flanagan, publicly complained his eviction didn't align with the government's messaging about renter assistance Mr Albanese bought the townhouse for $1.17million in 2015. According to CoreLogic data it is now worth between $1.96million and $2.21million. In a recent TikTok live video filmed in March, Ms Flanagan revealed the reason the rent was kept so low on the property is 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. 'My name is still on the lease because I don't want his 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 (left) said she had a personal relationship with Mr Albanese (right), saying 'I'm like semi friends with him' 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 in 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 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. 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 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. He rents out his former home in Marrickville, which has a backyard pool, for $1,350 a week. A top Pentagon official warned a counterpart in Beijing on Thursday about its increasing cooperation with Moscow, even as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were pledging closer economic and military ties. The U.S. Defense Department said that Ely Ratner, its assistant secretary for Indo-Pacific security, had expressed "serious concern" over the ties during a video link with Major General Li Bin, the director of China's Central Military Commission office for International Military Cooperation. Ratner also pressed Li over escalating tension between China and the Philippines near a contested South China Sea shoal as well as Moscow's ties with North Korea. "Ratner underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, and he raised concerns over dangerous PRC actions against lawfully operating Philippine vessels in the South China Sea," the Pentagon said in a readout. "He also discussed the relationship between Russia and [North Korea], as well as serious concern over the PRC's support for Russia's defense industrial base that enables Russia's war in Ukraine." The last point is one that many Washington policymakers, including Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, have flagged frequently in recent weeks. The issue has become more pressing as Russia's military advances deeper into Ukrainian territory. Haines told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on May 2 that "China definitely wants Russia to be working with them and we see no reason why [the Kremlin] wouldn't." She also testified that China's economic exchange with the country, while not providing lethal weapons, has allowed for a "reconstitution" of Russia's military. Putin arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day trip that started with a pledge to "further deepen mutual military trust and cooperation." That cooperation includes an expansion of the scope of joint military exercises, scheduling regular joint maritime and air patrols, and strengthening coordination under bilateral and multilateral frames. Putin and Xi also pledged to build closer ties in their energy and finance sectors. Ratner's discussion with Li on Thursday was the latest high-level military-to-military exchange that follows pledges by Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit in November to resume such dialogues - even as the subjects of the talks, Russia's war against Ukraine in particular, reflect the deep divide between the two sides. Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with China's defense minister, Admiral Dong Jun, the first such communication with his Chinese counterpart in over two years and the first since Dong was appointed in December. The contact followed a protracted period of tension, diplomatic snubs, rhetoric and near misses in the South China Sea between the two militaries. Austin is expected to meet in person with Dong in Singapore later this month, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing an anonymous source. Read the full story at SCMP Teenagers could soon be taking the wheel across Britain's railways by qualifying as train drivers, as the government has announced plans to lower the minimum age. Ministers are keen to attract young train drivers into the cab in a bid to tackle the UK's widespread railway staffing crisis and 'build resilience' in the sector. Under the new apprenticeships, school leavers could be transporting passengers from as early as this summer, while earning up to 60,000 per year. The Department for Transport says the proposals should help provide a more reliable rail service when staff are sick or on annual leave. Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, said: 'We want to open the door for young people considering transport as a career, and this proposal could give school-leavers a clear path into the sector. 'By boosting age diversity in the sector and attracting more drivers, we can help support reliable services while creating opportunities for more young people.' The Department for Transport says the proposals should help provide a more reliable rail service when staff are sick or on annual leave (stock) MP Huw Merriman (pictured) said the DfT wanted to open the door for young people considering a career in the sector On London Underground trains the minimum driving age is already 18, but despite this, the number of people entering into the industry 'remains relatively low'. The average age of a train driver is currently 48 and the workforce is projected to shrink as more train drivers retire. Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners said the proposals would have a 'positive impact' on encouraging more young people into the sector. Ministers are keen to attract young train drivers into the cab in a bid to tackle the UK's widespread railway staffing crisis and 'build resilience' in the sector (stock) He said: 'Taking forward these proposals would meet a long-standing aspiration for the industry which would have a positive impact on getting more young people into the railway. 'With driver shortages and an ageing workforce, it is critical to secure the skills we need for the long-term to help improve reliability for the customer. 'By lowering minimum age requirements for train drivers, working on the railways should be seen as a more attractive career choice for school leaders, including those from diverse backgrounds.' The vast majority of her ill-gotten gains came from Facebook, now Meta Barbara Furlow-Smiles will go to prison for five years and three months A former DEI boss at Facebook and Nike got hit with more than five years in prison after she pleaded guilty in December to stealing over $5 million from both corporations. Barbara Furlow-Smiles, 38, served as Lead Strategist, Global Head of Employee Resource Groups and Diversity Engagement at Facebook from about January 2017 to September 2021. During that time, she swiped more than $4.9 million from the social media giant to 'fund a luxury lifestyle in California, Georgia, and Oregon,' said the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. 'Furlow-Smiles shamelessly violated her position of trust as a DEI executive at Facebook to steal millions from the company utilizing a scheme involving fraudulent vendors, fake invoices, and cash kickbacks,' US Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said. After she was terminated from Facebook, she got hired at Nike as a diversity, equity and inclusion leader, only to start up a nearly identical scheme. Former diversity executive at Facebook and Nike, Barbara Furlow-Smiles (pictured), was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for stealing more than $4.9 million from Facebook and over $121,000 from Nike Furlow-Smiles stole more than $121,000 from Nike. She managed to swindle Facebook, now Meta, by being a trusted member of their staff who had access to company credit cards. The former diversity executive linked PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App accounts to her Facebook credit cards and used those accounts to pay friends, relatives, and other associates for goods and services that were never provided to Facebook. She covered her tracks by submitting fake expense reports, claiming that her associates worked on programs or events for Facebook when that was all bogus. The other facet of her fraud was bring on vendors whom she was personally connected with to purportedly do work for Facebook. Furlow-Smiles would approve fake invoices from the vendors, and once Facebook paid them, she directed the vendors to send her a portion of the money they received. The so-called vendors included Furlow-Smiles' friends, relatives, interns from a former job, nannies and babysitters, a hair stylist, and even her university tutor. It's not clear if any of these people will face charges. With Facebook's money, she also paid upwards of $10,000 to an artist for specialty portraits and more than $18,000 to a preschool for tuition. She also got the company to make payments for her benefits in other ways including payments of more than $18,000 to a preschool for tuition Once these individuals received payment from Facebook, they'd send Furlow-Smiles the money back so she could pocket it. They would either electronically send the money to her or her husband's bank accounts or send her cash wrapped in t-shirts. It isn't clear if Furlow-Smiles was let go from Facebook because of this fraud, but during her tenure at Nike from November 2021 to February 2023, she got right back to work getting herself kickbacks through accomplices. 'She carelessly continued her fraudulent schemes at Nike, thinking she was untouchable. As a result, she not only threw away a lucrative career, but will serve time behind bars for her excessive greed,' FBI Special Agent Keri Farley said. Furlow-Smiles will spend five years and three months in prison, as well as three years of supervised release. She's also been ordered to pay back both Facebook and Nike. She has been at the center of a scandal over her past relationship The Georgia Court of Appeals has given a green light to Donald Trump's case to remove Fani Willis from his election fraud trial in the latest blow to the Fulton County DA. Willis has courted controversy while prosecuting the county's election interference case against Trump after it was revealed she had a past relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. She escaped with just a slap on the wrist after Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dramatically ruled she could stay on the Trump election interference case if Wade removed himself. Trump and eight of his co-defendants charged in the Georgia state court have since urged the appeals court to overturn McAfee's March ruling. Now the court has given Trump's appeal the green light to go ahead, but there is not yet a set timeline for when the case will be heard. Georgia's appeals court has agreed to hear former President Donald Trumps bid to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the election fraud case The court's decision to hear the appeal before trial could cause further delays in the case, one of four criminal prosecutions facing Trump as he seeks to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 5 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty and accused prosecutors of a politically motivated effort to damage his campaign. The court's decision to hear the case follows testimony inside McAfee's courtroom, which featured an acknowledgement from Willis and former special prosecutor Nathan Wade that they had a sexual relationship. Lawyers for Donald Trump and multiple co-defendants tried to establish that the affair began before Willis brought Wade onto the case and said it posed a conflict of interest. But Willis said the relationship became romantic later. Following a dramatic evidentiary hearing with claims and counter-claims about lavish trips and cash reimbursements, McAfee gave the state two options: either Willis and her entire team step back from the case, or Wade remove himself from it. He slammed Willis for a 'tremendous lapse in judgment' and for acting in an 'unprofessional manner', and found that while there was no actual conflict of interest, there was at least the appearance of one. Wade stepped back hours after the judge's decision in March. Scandal-hit special prosecutor Nathan Wade quit his ex-lover and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' case against Donald Trump Trump has pleaded not guilty and accused prosecutors of a politically motivated effort to damage his campaign Humiliating as it was for prosecutors, McAfee's decision allowed the election interference case to go forward. Had it been reassigned to prosecutors in another county, it could have delayed the case even more, or even resulted in a different indictment. Wade told ABC News: 'Workplace romances are as American as apple pie. It happens to everyone. But it happened to the two of us.' It was his first interview since stepping down from his post. The state supreme court's decision is nearly certain to cause delays in the criminal trials for Trump and his codefendants, who are charged in a broad racketeering conspiracy for his election overturn in the state. Trump has successfully delayed each of his four criminal trials If that happens, it would just be the latest victory on the calendar for Trump, whose lawyers have managed to put off his criminal cases as Election Day nears. Trump's D.C. January 6 case remains stalled while it awaits a Supreme Court decision on his claims of presidential immunity. On Tuesday Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that his classified documents case in Florida was postponed indefinitely amid a series of clashes over classified documents issues. Even his Stormy Daniels case, which is playing out this week in Manhattan, suffered a delay. Trump lawyer in the Georgia case Steven Sadow indicated in a statement that he won't relent in the effort to bump Willis from the case. 'President Trump looks forward to presenting interlocutory arguments to the Georgia Court of Appeals as to why the case should be dismissed and Fulton County DA Willis should be disqualified for her misconduct in this unjustified, unwarranted political persecution,' Sadow said in a statement. Rishi Sunak has called on China to use its influence over Russia to end the war in Ukraine. But as President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin put on a show of unity in Beijing yesterday, there seemed scant chance of No 10's request being passed on. The pair greeted each other warmly to discuss plans to boost their anti-West alliance. Unbowed, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said yesterday: 'We would urge China to encourage Russia to cease the illegal war against Ukraine. China has previously spoken out about the importance of protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine - something we have engaged China in at all levels.' Western officials are increasingly concerned over China's support for Russia, which has let Putin boost production of military hardware. Superficially, China presents itself as a neutral observer of the conflict in Ukraine. But while it has stopped short of providing weapons to its ally, Western officials say China has provided drone and missile technologies and shared satellite images. Rishi Sunak has called on China to use its influence over Russia to end the war in Ukraine President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin put on a show of unity in Beijing yesterday, there seemed scant chance of No 10's request being passed on. The pair greeted each other warmly to discuss plans to boost their anti-West alliance Putin's visit to Beijing came as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to the north-east region of Kharkiv, where Moscow's forces have seized more than 100 square miles in only a week Russia has also received Chinese turbojet engines, machine tools, microelectronics and optical components, dismissing back-corridor pleas by the US, the UK and France to stop these supplies. On the first state visit of his new term in office, President Putin will spend two days in the Chinese capital. Yesterday, Putin thanked Xi for his role in Ukraine and its 'peace plan', which includes Russia retaining territory it has seized. Speaking in Tiananmen Square, Putin said: 'We are grateful to our Chinese friends and colleagues for the initiatives they are putting forward to resolve the problem.' In turn, Xi thanked Putin for his support, saying: '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.' Putin's visit to Beijing came as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to the north-east region of Kharkiv, where Moscow's forces have seized more than 100 square miles in only a week. He described the situation there as 'extremely difficult' but 'still under control'. More Britons are forking out on private healthcare 'out of desperation' of NHS failings, research shows. Data from the Nuffield Trust think-tank shows the number of people paying out of pocket for hospital care has spiked since the pandemic - with the biggest rises occurring in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It came as plans revealed that NHS England is set to offer cash incentives to trusts that do not leave patients waiting in A&E for 12 hours or more. Up to 150million will be dedicated for hospitals with the 'highest performance' under the new guidelines, which also encourage the use of virtual wards to free up space in emergency departments. More Britons are forking out on private healthcare 'out of desperation' of NHS failings, research shows. Stock photo Between September 2019 and September 2023, paid hospital admissions were up 218 per cent in Northern Ireland, 124 per cent in Wales, 80 per cent in Scotland and 20 per cent 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. And the Scottish National Party has also come under over its health service performances. In 2023, 12,000 people in Scotland died waiting for am ambulance, an increase of 70 per cent over the previous four years. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt pledged almost 6billion in new funding for the NHS in England during the Spring Budget. But Mark Dayan, of the Nuffield Trust, said: '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, it's 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 per cent of all elective activity, it's clear that the sector is key to ensuring NHS patients can get the timely, high-quality care they need.' A spokesman for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland said: 'The Department of Health and wider health and social system is acutely aware that NI's waiting lists are too long. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt pledged almost 6billion in new funding for the NHS in England during the Spring Budget '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 spokesman 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 spokesman 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 30million 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 1billion 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 First World War soldier whose remains were identified after he was found with pieces of tartan and a thistle brooch has been laid to rest 109 years after his death. Private David Gemmell, who served with the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), was buried with full military honours in France with members of his family in attendance. The bodies of two unknown men were found in 2019 by a farmer ploughing his field in Cuinchy in northern France. That led to an investigation by the Ministry of Defences Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the MOD war detectives. The British front line was in the area between January 25 and February 6, 1915 Major Patrick Marshall (right) presents a flag to the grandchildren of David Gammell whose remains were identified after he was found with pieces of tartan and a thistle brooch has been laid to rest 109 years after his death Items discovered with the remains confirmed the casualties were British, while tartan fragments and a thistle brooch suggested a Scottish regiment. A spoon found with a service number on it helped in the search and DNA testing confirmed one of the bodies was that of Private Gemmell, 37, from Dundee. He was buried on Wednesday at the Commonwealth War Graves Commissions (CWGC) Woburn Abbey cemetery in Cuinchy. MOD war detective Tracey Bowers said: The spoon with the service number 3800 narrowed down the list of candidates. But a spoon found near a casualty doesnt always mean they were the owner. In this case, following DNA, we were able to confirm the identity of 3800 Private Gemmell, who was killed on January 25. It is believed the two soldiers were either sleeping in a dugout or holding the line when they were killed. Despite DNA testing, the second casualty has not yet been identified but research is ongoing. The Gemmell family said: It is a privilege and honour to be here to see our grandfather and great-grandfather buried. A beautifully emotional occasion, we were here not just to remember Private Gemmell but the unknown soldier alongside him. We would like to thank all those involved, in particular the regiment, JCCC and the local community. The military party and other invited guests stand with the family of Mr Gemmell Private Gemmell first enlisted in 1895 when he was 17 and served for six years. The mill worker re-enlisted in September 1914, soon after the war broke out. Following his death there were several heartfelt newspapers notices from his family. Words from one of these were used by his relatives as their personal inscription on their loved ones headstone. The Rev Geoffrey Berry, chaplain to the Black Watch, conducted Wednesdays service. Xavier Puppinck, France area director of the CWGC, said: We are profoundly privileged to stand here today, united in reverence as Private David Valentine Gemmell is laid to rest. His selfless sacrifice and unwavering service are forever etched in the annals of history and in the sacred stones of the Commonwealth War Graves, Woburn Abbey Cemetery. May his legacy endure under our unwavering care. Daniel Perry was released from a Texas prison about an hour after Governor Greg Abbott pardoned him for killing a Black Lives Matter protestor dead during the 2020 riots. Perry was convicted of murder last year for shooting protestor Garrett Foster in Austin in July 2020. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Abbott requested the state parole board investigate Perry's case in April 2023 - 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.' Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's home displayed an upside-down American flag, symbolizing MAGA's 'Stop The Steal' campaign, as the Supreme Court weighed a 2020 election case. The inverted flag has been used as a sign of support for former President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. A photo shows the upside-down flag flying outside the Justice's home on January 17 2021, days after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, according to a new report in The New York Times. Dozens of the rioters on January 6 carried similarly inverted flags and chanted slogans like 'Stop the Steal.' The report raises concerns about Alito's impartiality as the Supreme Court considers two major cases related to the attack, including charges faced by the rioters and whether Trump has immunity from prosecution on election interference charges. An upside-down American flag, a symbol associated with former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud, was displayed outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2021 Judicial experts said the flag outside Alito's home clearly violates ethics rules set to avoid even the appearance of bias. At the time the flag was flying, the court was still considering whether to take up cases over the 2020 election. It ultimately rejected them over dissent from three conservative justices, including Alito, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush. He wrote that the court's consideration of the cases would have no impact on the 2020 election but 'would provide invaluable guidance for future elections.' Alito, for his part, acknowledged the presence of the flag at his home in Alexandria, Virginia, but said it was placed there by his wife. 'I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,' Alito said in an emailed statement to the newspaper. 'It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor's use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.' Martha-Ann Alito had been in a dispute with another family in the neighborhood over an anti-Trump sign on their lawn, and neighbors also interpreted the flag as a political statement, the Times reported. It isnt clear how long the flag was flying. Judicial ethics codes focus on the need for judges to be independent, avoiding political statements or opinions on matters they could be called on to decide. The inverted flag (file photo) has been used as a sign of support for former President Donald Trump 's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him The Supreme Court had long gone without its own code of ethics, but adopted one in November 2023 in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices. The code lacks a means of enforcement, however. Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia, told the newspaper that flying the flag upside down is 'the equivalent of putting a `Stop the Steal sign in your yard, which is a problem if youre deciding election-related cases.' Even if it was placed by his spouse or someone else living in the home, 'he shouldnt have it in his yard as his message to the world,' she said. The Supreme Court has warned its own employees about public displays indicating partisan leanings, the newspaper reported. The court did not respond to questions about whether those rules apply to justices. The U.S. Flag Code states that the American flag is not to be flown upside down 'except as a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property.' It has been used as a protest symbol on both the left and the right on a range of issues over the decades. It took off as a symbol of Trump's 'Stop the Steal' campaign as he spread false claims that the election he lost to President Joe Biden had been stolen. It comes as another conservative justice, Clarence Thomas, has ignored calls to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election over his wife, Ginni Thomas, support for Trump and as public trust in the Supreme Court is at its lowest point in at least 50 years. Currently serving a mandatory life sentence for her horrific murder A former US marine already serving a life sentence for brutally murdering his wife by stabbing her and setting her on fire will face court for allegedly raping her. Brian Earl Johnston, 37, will appear before a committal hearing later this year over allegations he repeatedly raped his estranged wife Kelly Wilkinson just weeks before her horrific murder, reported the Courier Mail. Johnston was handed a mandatory life sentence in March 2024 for the shocking murder of his long-time partner on April 20, 2021. He set Ms Wilkinson on fire after ambushing her in the backyard of her home at Arundel on the Gold Coast about 6.40am. The mother-of-three suffered life-threatening burns and could not be saved by emergency services. Multiple stab wounds were also discovered on Ms Wilkinson's body. Johnston was found two blocks away on a front lawn in a 'semiconscious state' with serious burns to his hands and airways. Brian Earl Johnston, 37, will face a committal hearing later this year over allegations he repeatedly raped his estranged wife Kelly Wilkinson just weeks before her horrific murder Ms Wilkinson was stabbed and set on fire by Johnston after being ambushed in her backyard Ms Wilkinson had expressed fears for her safety to police just weeks before her murder The rape allegations were made in early 2021, only days before Ms Wilkinson's death. The court brief filed by police revealed that Johnson allegedly digitally raped Ms Wilkinson on February 10, 12 and 13 2021 at her Arundel home. On each occasion it is alleged Johnston 'overpowered' Ms Wilkinson in a bedroom before she could escape. Ms Wilkinson allegedly confronted Johnston after the second occasion and said, 'What you have done to me is sexual assault'. Johnston allegedly replied, 'You can't rape your wife.' Ms Wilkinson then allegedly responded, 'I have a right to say no'. Johnston was arrested and charged on April 12, 2021 and granted watch-house bail. He walked free from Southport Police Station without having to apply for bail in a courtroom hearing. Ms Wilkinson had expressed fears for her safety to police in March 2021 and Johnston was placed under a protection order. Johnston was ordered to appear in court on April 30, 2021. He murdered his wife eight days after his arrest and nine days before he was due in court. At Southport Domestic Violence Court on Friday, Magistrate Jane Bentley set the matter down for a two-day committal hearing on August 27 and 28, 2024. The court heard Johnston was currently suffering from smallpox and is in isolation. He will be eligible to apply for parole in 17 years, taking into account the three years already spent in custody. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 An 18-year-old mother has been arrested after she allegedly photographed herself stomping on her 10-month-old baby's head to win her ex-lover back. Alicia Brea, from Hollywood, Florida, was taken into custody and charged with one count of child cruelty after she sent the picture to her friend and the child's father. Deputies from the Broward County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call made by Brea's friend after she received the photo on May 9. Officers soon arrived at the accused's home but did not see any visible injuries to the baby. Alicia Brea was taken into custody and charged with one count of child cruelty after she sent a picture of her stomping on her baby's heard to her friend and the child's father According to the police report, Brea was asked to sign a consent form to allow responders to go through her phone and read her messages. After thoroughly searching her phone, officers reportedly found the picture of Brea stepping on her child's face. They discovered that the accused had clicked the images after breaking up with the baby's father and sent them to see if he would 'come back to her'. '[Brea] stated she was upset with her baby's father and sent him a picture of her stepping [with her right foot] on the baby's head to see if the baby's father would come back to her,' the affidavit read. '[Brea] stated she and the baby's father had broken up earlier today and [she] was very upset. 'The baby was wearing the same outfit [in the photo] when officers made contact.' Police discovered that the accused had clicked the images to after breaking up with the baby's father and sent them to see if he would 'come back to her' Brea was later released on $20,000 bond and ordered by the judge to wear a GPS monitor, not have any contact with the child, undergo a mental health evaluation within 10 days and comply with the recommendations given by the doctor Authorities later said the accused claimed she had also sent more pictures of the child unharmed to the father - to prove that she 'would never hurt the baby'. The young child was then given to Child Protective Services and Brea was transported to the Broward County Jail. She was later released on $20,000 bond and ordered by the judge to wear a GPS monitor and not have any contact with the child. Brea was also told to undergo a mental health evaluation within 10 days and comply with the recommendations given by the doctor. Haydon helped cover up the 'bodies in the barrels' murders Snowtown murders accomplice Mark Ray Haydon has been released into the community, days ahead of the end of his 25-year sentence for helping cover up Australia's worst serial killing crime. The Department of Correctional Services said Haydon, 65, was moved to an address in the community on Thursday. An interim extended supervision order was imposed in the South Australian Supreme Court on Wednesday and takes effect when Haydon's parole expires next week. He has been at the Adelaide Pre-Release Centre while serving parole, which was granted in February, and was allowed into the community on day release. Haydon's prison sentence expires on May 21, exactly 25 years after he was taken into custody with convicted killers John Bunting and Robert Wagner, who are both serving life sentences without possibility of parole. Snowtown murders accomplice Mark Ray Haydon, 65, has been released into the community Haydon's release comes days before the end of his 25-year sentence for helping to cover up the 'bodies in the barrels' murders (pictured at the time) The state government is continuing its bid to have Haydon declared a high-risk offender, and is awaiting a report on his mental health. The report, however, will not be available until June or July, government lawyers have already told the court. Parole Board chair Frances Nelson told the Advertiser on Friday that Haydon had already been released from the Pre-Release Centre and moved to an undisclosed location. Ms Nelson told the ABC the new address had been 'very carefully vetted' by SA Police, Community Corrections and the Parole Board. 'It is best that he is settled into the community whilst he is still subject to parole because his head sentence finishes early next week,' she said. 'The thinking behind releasing him now is to get him settled in the community while he is still subject to his parole conditions. 'I confirm the location is in the community because, as of Monday or Tuesday next week, he is going to be in the community anyway.' Haydon helped convicted killers John Bunting and Robert Wagner cover up the murders of 12 people in the 1990s (pictured, the barrels containing human remains stored by Haydon) Haydon will have strict bail conditions that he will have to abide by (pictured, Haydon before his arrest) The interim supervision order imposes conditions modelled on his parole order, including living at an approved address, reporting weekly to a community corrections officer, abstaining from alcohol and illegal drugs, not contacting victims or their families, not communicating with the media or co-offenders, and undertaking recommended treatment after a psychological assessment. Haydon must also wear an electronic transmitter and adhere to a 9pm-6am curfew. The serial killings were exposed in May 1999 when police found eight dismembered bodies in acid-filled barrels in the vault of a disused bank at Snowtown, north of Adelaide. Two more bodies were found buried in a backyard at suburban Salisbury North, while detectives later linked two further deaths to Bunting and Wagner. Haydon was found to have assisted his friends cover up their crimes by storing the bodies of murder victims in barrels in his shed, and later renting the infamous Snowtown bank. A committee hearing descended into chaos as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Marjorie Taylor Greene a 'baby girl' and the pair traded personal insults in a fiery debate. The fight broke out on Thursday night as the House Oversight Committee voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena. Greene started the fight by making a snide personal comment about Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, criticizing her 'fake eyelashes'. AOC then stepped in and the pair traded jibes before AOC said to Greene: 'Oh girl, baby girl... don't even play.' Chairman James Comer desperately tried to maintain order, at one point even saying, 'I have two hearing aids, I'm very deaf,' in a plea to get everyone to stop shouting. Over the years AOC and Greene have clashed many times with Greene previously accusing AOC of acting like a 'teenage girl', calling her a 'chicken', and labelling her a 'little communist'. Marjorie Taylor Greene started the fight at the committee hearing on Thursday night by making a personal comment about Rep Crockett's 'fake eyelashes' AOC then stepped in, calling for Greene to apologize and for her comments to be taken down. The argument quickly escalated with the pair trading personal jibes Thursday's fight broke out during a committee hearing over whether to hold Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over an audio recording of President Biden's interview with special counsel Ben Hur. But the hearing quickly spiraled out of control with representatives taking potshots at each other and shouting over one another. The antics were caught on camera with video showing Greene first taking aim at Rep Crockett. Greene asked if 'any of the Democrats on this committee are employing Judge Merchan's daughter?' She was referring to Rep Dan Goldman, who has taken on the services of a political consulting firm that employs the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Trumps criminal trial in New York. Crockett replied to Greene: 'Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland.' Greene then said: 'I dont think you know what youre here for I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading.' She was then cut off by Chairman James Comer calling for order. AOC then stepped in, calling Greene's words 'absolutely unacceptable' and asking her: 'How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person?' Crockett later shouted at Greene, who repeatedly told her to 'calm down' She called for Greene's words to be 'taken down', a procedure which allows a speaker to take back or amend their comments if they are deemed out of order. Green retaliated, asking AOC: 'Are your feelings hurt?' AOC responded, repeatedly saying: 'Move her words down.' Greene then said, 'aww' to which AOC replied: 'Oh! Girl, baby, girl, don't even play!' Greene then said: 'Baby, girl? I don't think so,' and AOC replied: 'We are gonna move and we are gonna take your words down.' Chairman Comer suspended the hearing while they decided whether to strike Greene's words. While they discussed, AOC could be heard saying 'No way is that being allowed' and 'not today.' She added: 'We're not going to do a smarmy apology. She has to actually apologize. And that needs to be up to Ms. Crockett as well. It needs to be sincere.' Greene later said she would strike her words but refused to apologize and went on to call AOC 'not intelligent'. As the shouting continued, Comer was forced to gesture to his ears and say, 'I don't know if you noticed, but I have two hearing aids. I'm very deaf.' Throughout the fiery exchange other representatives were shouting and jeering while Comer called for order. Crockett then later attempted to clarify whether Greene's personal attack on her was allowed by the committee. She asked Comer: 'Im just curious. Just to better understand your ruling. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?' Greene responded telling Crockett to 'calm down' repeatedly, which prompted Crockett to start yelling and say 'don't tell me to calm down, you're talking all this noise, but you can't take it'. As the shouting continued, Comer was forced to gesture to his ears and say, 'I don't know if you noticed, but I have two hearing aids. I'm very deaf, I'm not understanding, everyone is shouting. I am doing the best I can.' Crockett later posted on X: 'So MTG wanted to talk about my appearance in COMMITTEE?! 'This is what happens when mentally deficient people who cant read and follow rules or just dont give a damn somehow end up in CONGRESS!' The committee eventually voted to hold Merrick Garland in criminal contempt meaning the motion now moves to the full House for a vote. Earlier Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines to also recommend Garland be held in criminal contempt. 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. Throughout the fiery exchange other representatives were shouting and jeering while Comer called for order Republicans have seized on 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.' AOC and Greene have a long history of animosity. AOC and Greene have a long history of animosity. In 2021, Greene took aim at AOC, calling her a 'little communist' and 'not an American' and then labelled her a 'hate-America terrorist sympathizer' In 2021, Greene took aim at AOC, calling her a 'little communist' and 'not an American' and then labelled her a 'hate-America terrorist sympathizer'. AOC immediately replied on Twitter, saying 'first of all, I'm taller than her'. Greene repeatedly demanded AOC debate her, telling reporters: 'She's a chicken. She doesn't want to debate. I don't think the debate has been agreed to yet.' The pair clashed again last year, when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accused Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of acting like a 'teenage girl' after the New York Democrat accused the Georgia Republican of 'trafficking in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.' 'I have repeatedly asked you to debate me, but you have been a coward and can't even respond. But you go on CNN and lie about me,' Greene tweeted. 'When are you going to be an adult and actually debate me on policy instead of run your mouth like a teenage girl?' At least four people have been killed after hurricane-force winds, life-threatening flooding and torrential rains destroyed the city of Houston, Texas, yesterday. While the National Weather Service office issued a tornado warning for the city yesterday, it was winds reaching over 70 mph that toppled trees, blew out windows and left over a million people without power. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said in a news conference that two people were killed by downed trees and a third died after a crane toppled over. He did not clarify how the fourth person died. The victims are yet to be identified. While the National Weather Service office issued a tornado watch warning for the city yesterday, it was instead over 70 mph winds that toppled trees, blew out windows and left over a million people without power Workers clean up damage inside a downtown restaurant after a severe thunderstorm passed through Houston BREAKING: Widespread damage in Houston after severe storms roll through; windows blown out of skyscrapers downtownpic.twitter.com/SDEEcWmGMe Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 17, 2024 Videos and images show windows being blown out in downtown buildings Whitmire has advised residents to stay at home on Friday instead of driving into work and asked only essential workers to make the dangerous commute. Schools have also been closed due to the widespread power outages and disabled traffic lights. 'Stay at home tonight, do not go to work tomorrow unless you're an essential worker. Stay home, take care of your children. 'Our first responders will be working around the clock,' the mayor told the panicked public. A car crushed by falling bricks from a fallen building wall sits in a downtown parking lot in Houston A damaged building is shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) People were seen running for shelter as record-breaking rains fall over the city along with debris destroying houses and cars Videos and images show windows being blown out in downtown buildings, cranes swaying in the wind, people running for shelter as record-breaking rains fall over the city along with debris destroying houses and cars. The Houston Fire Department has advised locals to leave their homes immediately and call 911 if they smell gas in their house. According to FOX Weather, nearby counties near Houston are also dealing with electricity loss. The storm has caused major flooding in the city of Bryan - causing 20 drivers to be rescued from the rising level of water, according to CNN. The mayor has said it would take 24 to 48 hours for power to be restored in some areas. The pair would have divorced their partners A friend of Mr Hill said they once planned to date Russell Hill and Carol Clay made a pact to divorce their respective partners to be together but he backed out at the last minute, one of his friends has told a jury. Mrs Clay, 73, and Mr Hill, 74, were camping together when they disappeared from Victoria's Wonnangatta Valley in March 2020. Greg Lynn is accused of killing the couple at Bucks Camp and then dumping their remains at bushland on the Union Spur Track near Dargo. Mr Lynn, 57, returned before the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday as three long-term friends of Russell Hill were called to give evidence at the estimated four-to-six-week trial. The former Jetstar pilot is facing trial in Victoria's Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to the murders of Mr Hill and Ms Clay. Robin Ashlin, a friend of Mr Hill's for more than 25 years, told the jury on Friday they spoke on the night he vanished and he was 'happier than a pig in s**t' Prosecutors allege Carol Clay and Russell Hill were murdered while camping together in Victoria's Wonnangatta Valley Greg Lynn is facing trial after pleading not guilty to killing the couple at Bucks Camp in March 2020 Mr Ashlin first met Mrs Clay at a camp site at Timbarra in 2019 when Mr Ashlin had gone with his wife to visit another friend, James Francis, and Mr Hill was also there. He never mentioned the meeting to Mr Hill's wife, but she later told him Mrs Clay had 'been on the scene' for more than 20 years. The pair had been childhood sweethearts and Mr Ashlin understood there was a pact between Mr Hill and Mrs Clay to divorce their respective partners so they could be together. 'Apparently they were childhood sweethearts, Carol went off and got married and so did Russell to Robyn,' Mr Ashlin told the jury. 'Carol divorced her husband, but Russell backed out.' He said he was shocked to find out about the affair because it seemed out of character for Mr Hill. 'What is the go with one on the side - one is enough trouble,' Mr Ashlin said. Mr Francis, who was friends with Mr Hill for a decade, said he met Mrs Clay several times as Mr Hill brought her on joint camping trips. It was his understanding that Mr Hill did not want others to know about the affair. Both Mr Francis and Mr Ashlin spoke to Mr Hill on March 20 - the day the couple were allegedly killed - through amateur radio. Mr Hill was 'like a pig in s***' and couldn't have been happier camping in the Wonnangatta Valley, Mr Ashlin said. Mr Francis also told the jury Mr Hill seemed like his usual self in their last interaction. Mrs Clay, 73, and Mr Hill, 74, were childhood sweethearts and had been close for more than 20 years, a close friend of Mr Hill told the court on Friday The jury was told their campsite was found burned after their disappearance The pair's disappearance prompted an extensive search and rescue operation, with their remains discovered 20 months later. Prosecutors allege Mr Lynn killed the pair 'without lawful justification', likely after a dispute with Mr Hill, while his defence argued the couple's deaths were a tragic accident. This is a case of two accidental, tragic deaths ... in circumstances which were not of Mr Lynn's making, and not of his choosing,' defence barrister Dermot Dann KC told the jury. 'You will hear this from his own mouth - in the face of that disaster, he made a series of terrible choices.' On Friday, the 15-person jury heard from George Kozlowski, Rob Ashlin and James Francis, three members of the same amateur radio group as Mr Hill who communicated almost every night. In colourful evidence, Mr Ashlin said he had a lengthy conversation with Mr Hill on the evening of March 20 after Mr Hill had asked for advice on how to leave the Valley in a direction he didn't normally go. 'He wanted to go out the other way to Dargo and probably stop at Ollies Jump Up (another campground) ... He knew I knew the way,' he said. The jury was told Mr Hill had spent much of his working life logging in the Wonnangatta Valley and 'knew every nook and cranny'. Mr Lynn outside the Supreme Court of Victoria at the start of his murder trial in Melbourne George Kozlowski and Rob Ashlin were called to give evidence on Friday Mr Ashlin said Mr Hill did not log on for their group's regular conversation at 6pm the following evening and he received a call from Mr Hill's wife, Robyn, that weekend. He told the jury she asked him to check-in as she had not heard from her husband and the pair stayed in contact over the following days. 'Normally you don't worry about it on the weekend or something ... but because he was out bush,' he said. 'On Monday I said: 'I think its time you go to the police - something's not right.'' The disappearance of Mrs Clay and Mr Hill prompted an extensive search and rescue operation, with their remains discovered 20 months later Mr Ashlin, a friend of Mr Hill's for more than 25 years, told the court that Mr Hill and Mrs Clay made a pact to divorce their respective partners to be together but that Mr Hill backed out Mr Ashlin told the jury he'd met Mrs Clay only once when visiting another friend as a camping spot. 'Even though I was told Carol was a friend, blind freddy could see how they looked at each other - there was a relationship or there was a bit more going on,' he said. Another radio club member, James Francis, said he'd first been introduced to Mrs Clay while camping with the pair for about two weeks. 'I'll be bringing a woman with me and she's not my wife, is that OK?,' he told the jury Mr Hill had asked. 'What they told me around our many campfire chats is they'd met as teenagers and had a romantic relationship and drifted apart. 'My understanding is Carol was a family friend pretty much throughout life.' Mr Francis said he'd last spoke with Mr Hill over radio about 8am on March 20 and he seemed 'perfectly normal'. 'I made the assumption Carol Clay was with him, but no I didn't ask,' he said. Mr Francis, a semi-retired electrical engineer, was asked whether a pilot, Mr Lynn's occupation, would have been experienced enough with communication devices to use a high frequency radio. 'They would use a similar type of radio and presumably know how to operate it,' he said. In his opening remarks, crown prosecutor Daniel Porceddu said they would rely on Mr Lynn's alleged post offence conduct as an 'implied admission', including that he did not call for assistance on Mr Hill's radio or report the deaths. The trial, before Justice Michael Croucher, will resume on Monday. Former President Donald Trump will head to Minnesota on a day off from his hush money trial for a Republican fundraiser on Friday night in a traditionally Democratic state that he boasts he can carry in November. Trump will headline the state GOP's annual Lincoln Reagan dinner, which coincides with the party's state convention, after attending his son Barron's high school graduation in Florida. Trump will use part of the day granted by the trial judge for the graduation to campaign in Minnesota, a state he argues he can win in the November rematch with President Joe Biden. Donald Trump has a day off from court on Friday as he returns to Florida to attend his son's graduation Trump will appear at Friday's dinner in Minnesota after going to see his son Barron's graduation from the private Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida No Republican presidential candidate has won Minnesota since Richard Nixon in 1972, but Trump came close to flipping the state in 2016, when he fell 1.5 percentage points short of Hillary Clinton. Trump returned to Minnesota several times in 2020, when Biden beat him by more than 7 points. 'I think this is something Trump wants to do. He believes this is a state he can win. We believe that's the case as well,' David Hann, the chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota, said in an interview. Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota, a Biden ally, said the Trump campaign is 'grasping at straws' if it thinks he can win the state. 'The Biden campaign is going to work hard for every vote,' Smith said in an interview. 'We're going to engage with voters all over the state. But I think Minnesota voters are going to choose President Biden.' Trump will appear at Friday's dinner after going to see his son Barron's graduation from the private Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. Then-President Donald Trump and Barron wave as they board Air Force One in August 2020 Barron Trump towers over his parents in a photo from January 2024 following the funeral of Melania Trump's mother Amalija Knavs The former president had long complained Judge Juan M. Merchan would not let him attend the graduation before Merchan agreed not to hold court Friday. Hann is co-hosting Friday's dinner along with Trump's state campaign chair, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who represents a central Minnesota district. Hann said Emmer was instrumental in bringing the former president to Minnesota. The dinner coincides with the party's state convention. Tickets started at $500, ranging up to $100,000 for a VIP table for 10 with three photo opportunities with Trump. Hann declined to say how much money he expects it will raise, but he anticipates a full house of around 1,400 people. All the money from the dinner tickets will go to the state party, Hann said, though he added that some money from photo opportunities may go to the Trump campaign. Experts are split on whether Minnesota really will be competitive this time, given its history and the strong Democratic Party ground game in the state. But Hann said there's 'great dissatisfaction with President Biden' in the state, noting that nearly 19% of Democratic voters in its Super Tuesday primary marked their ballots for 'uncommitted.' 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 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 That was at least partly due to a protest-vote movement over Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war that has spread to several states. In an interview aired Wednesday by KSTP-TV of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Trump said his speech would focus on economic issues. And he repeated a false claim he made in March to KNSI Radio of St. Cloud that he thought he actually won Minnesota in 2020, even though theres no evidence that there were any serious irregularities in the state. 'We think we have a really good shot at Minnesota,' Trump told KSTP. 'We have great friendships up there. We've done a lot for industry. We've done a lot for everything in Minnesota. Worked hard on Minnesota. Tom Emmer is very much involved.' King Charles' personal wealth has jumped by 10million to 610million in the last year, making him much richer than his mother Queen Elizabeth II who was worth 370million. The monarch, who acceded to the throne less than two years ago, ranks 258th in the list of the UK's 350 wealthiest people and families, up from 263rd place in 2023. Calculations by the Sunday Times Rich List suggest the monarch has benefited from a boost to the net worth of his properties. His inherited private estates Sandringham in Norfolk and Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, which belonged to his mother the late Queen, are said to account for much of his financial fortune. Only personal assets - not the Crown Estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, nor the Crown Jewels which are held in trust by the King for the nation - are included by The Sunday Times when assessing the sovereign's wealth. King Charles ' personal wealth has jumped by 10million to 610million in the last year, according to analysis by The Sunday Times Rich List The late Queen's wealth was said to be 370million in 2022, with Charles now estimated to be worth 240million more than his mother The Sandringham Estate in Norfolk (pictured) is said to account for some of Charles' financial fortune Balmoral Castle (pictured) also makes up a large sum of King Charles' huge fortune The King's estimated wealth, which is said to come from inheritance, property and investing, dwarfs that of Elizabeth II. The late Queen's wealth was said to be 370million in 2022, with Charles now estimated to be worth 240million more than his mother, rising from 600million to 610million in 2024. The personal wealth of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty has surged by more than 120million to 651million from 529million, overtaking the King this year. As the Prince of Wales, Charles received a private income of around 23million a year from the Duchy of Cornwall. It was used in part for non-official expenditure for himself and his family and for the official cost of personal staff, his office and official residences. The news outlet's annual rich list was released on Friday, and will be included in a 76-page special edition of its Sunday magazine. It reveals the wealth of the 350 richest individuals and families in the UK, based on identifiable wealth, including land, property, other assets such as art and racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies. Anthony Albanese's tenant still hasn't found a place to live as eviction day from the Prime Minister's sleek $2.2m Sydney townhouse grows nearer. Jim Flanagan has been given notice to quite the plush pad in the hip inner city subrub of Dulwich Hill. But he admitted to Daily Mail Australia on Friday: 'It's very difficult finding anywhere'. After an intense week in the spotlight and copping flack after he begged the PM to let him stay there, Mr Flanagan says he's backing off giving any more interviews. Outside the PM's investment property - which he wants to now sell - Mr Flanagan insisted he hadn't intended to attack his landlord. Instead, he said he was only trying to bring renewed focus on the rental crisis facing would-be renters in Australia right now. 'I have no issue with Albo,' he said. 'I just wanted to to talk about the issue of rental housing and cost of living. 'I just wanted to make that point,' he said striding towards the door of the PM's discounted two-storey home. He again bemoaned the lack of affordable rentals before firmly shutting the property's stylish glass front door. Daily Mail Australia can reveal Mr Flanagan has been renting the gleaming house with slick finishes and all mod-cons for a bargain basement price of $680 a week. Jim Flanagan, (above) outside the townhouse he rents from the Prime Minister on Friday, says he doesn't want to talk anymore about it, but said he had 'no issue with Albo' Inside Mr Flanagan's bargain rental from Albo is a sleek modern kitchen, three bedrooms and two bathrooms for the amazing price of $680-a-week in Sydney's trendy inner west Mr Flanagan (left outside Albo's house on Friday) has had no luck finding a rental to replace the PM's very economic $680 a week three bedroom, two bathroom inner west home Mr Flanagan, 45, has lived in one of Mr Albanese's investment properties in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Dulwich Hill for four years on a Covid-reduced rent which the PM has not increased since the pandemic's end. The bar and record shop owner rented the three-bedroom, two bathroom house - which features a gleaming modern kitchen and was built in 2014 - for a reduced rate compared to other nearby similar properties that are a few hundred dollars a week higher. But when Albo decided to sell the home ahead of his forthcoming wedding to partner Jodie Haydon, Mr Flanagan claimed it was a 'crippling blow' and went on national television, lashing out at the 'power imbalance' between landlords and renters. But Australians turned on Mr Flanagan after it was revealed Mr Albanese had given his tenant plenty of notice and had refused to raise the rent. It then emerged the reason the rent was so low was that Mr Flanagan was living there on a lease signed to his ex-partner Chrissy Flanagan, who was 'semi friends' with the PM. Mr Flanagan was branded 'entitled' by critics online who told him 'to get a grip on reality'. On Friday he was in a hurry to get back indoors at the home - but answered one final question before he firmly shutting the door on any further debate. Asked about the rent on his Lazy Thinking bar, which is a two minute walk from the Albanese townhouse, Mr Flanagan said: 'That's a whole other thing ... very tough as well.' Mr Flanagan opened the bar as an independent music artist venue six months ago, following the December 22 closure of The Sausage Factory restaurant he ran with his ex-partner at the same address. The only reason Jim Flanagan is getting the bargain base rate of Albo's sleek $2.2m house is because his ex is mates with the PM (above Chrissy Flanagan with Mr Albanese) The pair - who were not married, but coincidentally share a surname - had opened the restaurant in 2017 inside an old butcher shop in Dulwich Hill's main street. Since parting ways, Ms Flanagan runs a social club featuring sausage-making classes, sewing and choir singing called Chaotic Social in Petersham. At Lazy Thinking, Mr Flanagan runs 'a music venue and record store that does really excellent food and great drinks' although he has cut back the full menu and on Sundays serves lamb rolls. 'Well always do the anchovy toast,' he wrote. In an Instagram post just before he made news as the PM's disgruntled renter, Jim Flanagan celebrated 'the most exciting and rewarding six months of all of my days' of Lazy Thinking as a live music venue. 'Its quite a lot of work so people telling me they really love it doesnt get old. I feel weve possibly built a little bit of magic here,' he said in the post. Since issuing Mr Flanagan with a 90-day notice to vacate - Mr Albanese has revealed her wanted to sell the investment property because of changes to his personal life, specifically his looming wedding to partner Jodie Haydon. Mr Flanagan, who is on a month-to-month lease, received the eviction notice from his real estate agent on May 8. '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,' he said in a TV interview this week. JIm Flanagan does not want to be drawn any further on the issue of Albo's house, but the PM said the bar owner had refused to speak with the property's agent Inside Albo's house, built in 2014, are slick and gleaming finishes, wooden floors and three bedrooms plus two bathrooms The interior of Jim Flanagan's bar 'Lazy Thinking', a two minute walk from Albo's home where he hosts live music and serves lamb rolls on Sundays However, Mr Albanese then revealed that Mr Flanagan has 'refused to have discussions with the real estate agent' about the issue. Chrissy Flanagan revealed in a recent Tik Tok video that her relationship with the PM was warm and that the low rent on the Dulwich Hill house was protected by her nominal hold on the lease. '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. '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.' Online, one commenter remarked that Mr Flanagan had enjoyed 'close to four years of sub-market rent. That's a pretty fair bite at the cherry no matter who your landlord is.' EXCLUSIVE A 48-year-old Estonian lawyer is still fighting to stay in Australia based on his de facto relationship with a 104-year-old woman, weeks after she died in a nursing home. Mart Soeson says he would still be with Elfriede Riit if she had not succumbed to a deadly infection last month and wants to remain living in Sydney so he can visit her grave. Ms Riit, who was also Estonian and fled Europe after World War II, had previously been married to Mr Soeson's grandfather. Mr Soeson was beside Ms Riit on April 13 when she peacefully crossed her hands on her chest and said her final farewell to her partner of more than a decade. 'We were together to the end,' Mr Soeson told Daily Mail Australia on Friday. Mr Soeson was speaking before he resumed explaining why he should be granted a permanent residency visa at a hearing before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. A 48-year-old Estonian lawyer is still fighting to stay in Australia based on his de facto relationship with a 104-year-old woman, even though she recently died. Mart Soeson (right) and Elfriede Riit (left) lived together until she moved into a nursing home The Department of Home Affairs rejected Mr Soeson's visa application in December 2018 due to concerns his romantic commitment to Ms Riit was not genuine. Ms Riit's death represents another obstacle in Mr Soeson's bid to not be returned to his homeland. The tribunal's presiding member David Barker addressed Mr Soeson's recent personal loss in his opening remarks before hearing more evidence on Friday. 'I note the passing of Ms Riit and I express the tribunal's condolences regarding that,' Mr Barker told Mr Soeson. Mr Barker then explained Mr Soeson could still seek a partner visa under provisions in the relevant legislation which covered an applicant's 'sponsor' dying. For the visa refusal to be overturned, the tribunal would need to be satisfied Mr Soeson's de facto relationship with Ms Riit would have continued if she were still alive. Mr Soeson would also need to show he had developed close business, cultural or personal ties while in Australia. 'If she wouldn't die our relationship would be continuing,' Mr Soeson told Mr Barker. 'And if she would live I would be together with her as well.' Mart Soeson says he would still be with Elfriede Riit if she had not succumbed to an infection last month and wants to remain living in Sydney so he can visit her grave Mr Soeson, who works as a painter, said he had close links to Sydney's Estonian community and had adopted local customs such as observing Anzac Day. 'I have a job here,' he said. 'My home is here. I gave up my meaningful life in Estonia with my career and family ties to be with Elfriede in Australia.' Mr Soeson said there were plenty of reasons he should not be sent back to Estonia. 'I have friends here,' he said. 'I have my partner. Elfriede is dead now and she's here. My grandfather as well is here, buried here.' 'I have my reasons to be here. I have my reasons to visit my close ones in cemetery as well.' At an earlier hearing before the tribunal in February, Mr Soeson was grilled for three hours about the nature of his union with Ms Riit and what they meant to each. He admitted the pair did not share a bedroom and had never had sex but insisted their half-century age difference was irrelevant. Mr Soeson met Ms Riit in early 1996 when he came to Australia to study advanced English and she invited him to stay in her home at Bankstown. Ms Riit, who like Mr Soeson was born in Estonia, fled Europe after World War II and had previously been married to Mr Soeson's grandfather Ms Riit knew of Mr Soeson as the grandson of her late husband Alfred - she had been his second wife - who, like her, left Estonia when it was annexed by the USSR. It was not love at first sight and 'nothing happened overnight', according to Mr Soeson, He eventually returned to Estonia but repeatedly came back to Australia in the following years to see Ms Riit and their bond grew gradually. Mr Soeson said what would become an 'exclusive committed long-term' relationship with Ms Riit first became romantic in January 2013 when she was 92 and he was 37. 'What started out as a wholesome bond I had with my late grandfather's widow slowly but surely turned into a very meaningful and loving relationship,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Every urge I tried to fight regarding our future did not mean anything when I truly thought about how happy she made me.' Mr Soeson said he entered a de facto relationship with Ms Riit in September 2018 when he was 43 and she was 98. The couple lived together at Ms Riit's home until she was forced to move into an aged care facility on doctor's orders in September 2022. Mr Soeson said he and Ms Riit had not shared a bedroom or ever had sex but insisted their half-century age difference was irrelevant Mr Soeson would regularly visited the nursing home where he brought his lover her favourite foods including chocolate and berries. They attended concerts and chapel services, watched television together and went out to have coffee with friends and to visit medical specialists. At the tribunal, Mr Barker said Home Affairs had not been satisfied Mr Soeson and Ms Riit were in a legitimate de facto relationship. One of the problems with Mr Soeson's visa application was that he had sometimes referred to himself as Ms Riit's grandson when dealing with government agencies. Mr Barker observed that sex was an important part of most couple's lives and asked Mr Soeson if he and Ms Riit had ever discussed not being physically intimate. 'We didn't talk about it,' he said. 'We never thought about this, to be in sexual relationship.' The couple had not shared a bedroom because Ms Riit's snoring disturbed Mr Soeson. Ms Riit would also wake screaming from nightmares about World War II and the brutal Soviet occupation of Estonia. Mr Barker said when Ms Riit attended the tribunal in January she 'did not appear oriented in time or place' and was 'quite distressed' by her surroundings. Friday's hearing concluded with Mr Barker telling Mr Soeson he would make a decision in coming weeks about his visa application. Russia's diplomacy with the West is in crisis management mode and is focused on trying to ensure that tensions do not spill over into a large-scale conflict, a top diplomat said this morning. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned in an interview with the TASS news agency that security guarantees which Russia had sought and discussed with the West in 2021 were no longer relevant and that Moscow had no trust in the NATO military alliance. '(NATO) continues the manic advance of the alliance towards new frontiers... they are literally ready to balance on the brink of a direct armed conflict with us,' he said. 'We warn that they are playing with fire. (The US) have long been in a state of proxy war with the Russian Federation. 'They somehow cannot understand that they are approaching a phase when it will be very difficult to manage what is happening and a landslide crisis. 'Diplomacy in this direction is working, I would say, in crisis management mode and in... preventing a slide to a really large-scale conflict,' he concluded. Russia launches Sarmat ICBM A Ukrainian officer observes the firing of a 152-mm Self-Propelled Howitzer 2S3, towards Russian positions at the frontline, near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine Gunners from 43rd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire at Russian position with a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned in an interview with the TASS news agency that security guarantees which Russia had sought and discussed with the West in 2021 were no longer relevant The comments from Ryabkov today come just hours after the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament yesterday 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. Meanwhile, 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.' Your browser does not support iframes. 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. Your browser does not support iframes. 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 2028-2012. 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. Aid deliveries to Gaza via a newly-constructed temporary pier began on Friday, with around 500 tonnes of aid expected to enter the Palestinian territory in the coming days, the US military said today. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid began moving ashore around 9am local time, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, adding that no US troops went ashore. 'This is an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza via a maritime corridor that is entirely humanitarian in nature,' it said. Photos released on Thursday by CENTCOM showed humanitarian aid being lifted onto a barge in the nearby Israeli port of Ashdod. From here, aid will travel in land under Israeli protection before being distributed by aid groups. The Friday shipment is the first in an operation that military officials anticipate could scale up to 150 truckloads a day entering the Gaza Strip, though experts warn this alone cannot resolve the crisis - with 500 trucks entering daily before the war. The US military finally announced the completion of the pier on Thursday, some two months after US President Joe Biden ordered its construction, with an estimated cost of $320mn (252mn). The deliveries on their own are not expected to solve the crisis - but may help alleviate it Humanitarian aid is lifted by a crane onto a barge on May 16 Overhead view of the pier on May 16, with aid deliveries into Gaza to begin today The final construction on Thursday will see a complicated delivery process for Palestinians facing famine to receive aid, to bolster the supplies being dropped in by land and air. Fraught with logistical, weather and security challenges, the maritime route is not considered a substitute for far cheaper land-based deliveries that aid agencies say are much more sustainable. But the Pentagon said humanitarian aid would nevertheless soon begin flowing and that no back-ups were expected in the distribution process, which is being co-ordinated by the United Nations (UN). 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. Still, there remain 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.' The arrival of occasional aid convoys has slowed to a trickle since Israeli forces took control last week of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. The wider Palestinian enclave is now facing famine after an Israeli siege brought dire shortages of food as well as safe water, medicines and fuel for its 2.4 million people. The UN has said that opening up land crossing points and allowing more trucks convoys into Gaza is the only way to stem the spiralling humanitarian crisis. 'We desperately need fuel,' UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. 'It doesn't matter how the aid comes, whether it's by sea or whether by land, without fuel, aid won't get to the people.' The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said Thursday it was facing 'significant distruptions' to its humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip due to Israel's recent ground operations in Rafah. 'What we are witnessing in Rafah is nothing less than a humanitarian catastrophe,' said Kiryn Lanning, IRC Team Lead for the occupied Palestinian territory. 'The ongoing Israeli bombardment, combined with the closure of the Rafah crossing, has led to critical fuel shortages and severe movement restrictions, paralysing all humanitarian operations. 'Fuel, crucial for everything from health care services and food production to powering electricity and operating essential municipal functions such as water wells and sewage pumps, is in dire shortage. 'Without it, Gaza is teetering on the brink of becoming a complete disaster zone. The reopening of this border crossing and the increased flow of aid are essential to avert an irreversible collapse.' 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 (Pier pictured May 16) A ship is pictured off the coast of Gaza near the temporary floating pier, May 16, 2024 Undated photo shows US Navy personnel constructing a 'JLOTS' temporary pier Israel maintains that 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. Israel also fears Hamas will use the fuel in its fight against Israeli troops. 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 a series of Hamas attacks on the main crossing, Kerem Shalom, have disrupted the flow of goods. There has also been violent protests by Israelis disrupting aid shipments. Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push against Hamas around that city on the Egyptian border, raising fears about civilians' safety while also cutting off the main entry for aid into the Gaza Strip. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is between life and death two days after an assassination attempt that sent shock waves across Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public radio on Friday. The shooting - allegedly carried out by 'lone-wolf' gunman Juraj Cintula, 71 - was the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years, and has drawn international condemnation. Political analysts and lawmakers say it has exposed an increasingly febrile and polarised political climate both in Slovakia and across Europe. 'We are praying for the prime minister and root for Slovakia,' Orban said. 'We wish him a speedy recovery and return to work. Robert Fico is between life and death.' Orban said even if Fico recovers, he would be out of work for months at a critical time in the run-up to European Parliament elections due early next month. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is between life and death two days after an assassination attempt that sent shock waves across Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public radio on Friday. Pictured: Security scramble to tackle the shooter to the ground Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is bundled into a car moments after being shot The shooting - allegedly carried out by 'lone-wolf' gunman Juraj Cintula, 71 (pictured) - was the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years, and has drawn international condemnation Graphic depicting the events around the shooting of Slovakian PM Robert Fico 'We are facing an election that will decide not just about members of European Parliament but along with the US election can determine the course of war and peace in Europe,' Orban said. 'In that situation we would have badly needed Robert Fico and a pro-peace Slovakia.' Slovakia's President-Elect Peter Pellegrini said on Thursday that Fico remains in a serious but stable condition and is able to speak a little. Slovak doctors are expected to meet on Monday to assess Fico's health and discuss the possibility of transporting him from the central Slovak city of Banska Bystrica to the capital Bratislava, local media reported on Friday. The aktuality.sk news website attributed this information to a hospital director. The hospital in Banska Bystrica did not immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted by Reuters news agency. Cintula, meanwhile, is facing life in prison if convicted of the 'lone wolf', 'politically motivated' attack after being charged on Thursday. The assassination attempt has prompted Fico's populist allies 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 past having rallied against communism, migrants, and violence and links to a group called the Slovak Conscripts - a pro-Russian Slovak militia. The shooting attack on Wednesday shocked the nation and reverberated across the continent weeks ahead of elections for the European Parliament. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (pictured speaking earlier this week) told public radio on Friday that Fico is 'between life and death'. 'We are facing an election that will decide not just about members of European Parliament but along with the US election can determine the course of war and peace in Europe,' Orban said Fico is seen being transported from a medical helicopter after he was shot on Wednesday Security personnel are seen apprehending a suspected gunman after Slovakia's Prime Minister Fico was shot in Handlova on May 15, 2024 The assassination attempt has prompted Fico's populist allies 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 suspect - believed to be a poet and retired security guard - has a muddled political past Fico's own pro-Russia views have contributed to deep divisions in the small European country that borders Ukraine. While Pelligrini and current President Zuzana Caputova urged people to dial back the sharp rhetoric that has characterized the country's political debate, some Fico allies took aim at Slovakia's media for contributing to the polarization. Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok asked journalists to 'reflect' on how they had covered Fico's policies. He referred to the suspect - who was charged with premeditated murder - as a 'lone wolf' who did not belong to any political groups, though he said the attack itself was politically motivated. 'I can confirm that this person is not a member of any right-wing or left-wing radicalized party,' Estok said. Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. 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 country's pro-Western course - particularly on Ukraine. At the start of Russia's invasion, Slovakia was one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters. However, Fico halted arms deliveries to Ukraine when he returned to power, his fourth time serving as prime minister. Fico's government has also made efforts to overhaul public broadcasting - a move critics said would result in the government's full control of public television and radio. That, coupled with his plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that Fico will lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path. Thousands of demonstrators have repeatedly rallied in the capital and around the country of 5.4 million to protest his policies. Slovak police have provided little information on the identity of the suspect. But unconfirmed media reports suggested it was Cintula - a 71-year-old retiree who was known as an amateur poet - and who may have previously worked as a security guard at a mall in the country's southwest. At a news conference on Thursday following a meeting of Slovakia's Security Council, ministers gave more details about the man, while still not naming him. Newly elected President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, said on Thursday that the PM was millimetres from death Estok said the suspect cited his dissatisfaction with several of Fico's 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. Those remarks stood in contrast to a news conference earlier in the day when the country's 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 Caputova, the outgoing president and a rival of Fico's. Pellegrini, the president-elect, called on political parties to suspend or scale back their campaigns for European elections, which will be held 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,' he said. 'And if not consensus, then please, at least civilised ways of discussing among each other.' Fico said last month on Facebook that he believed rising tensions in the country could lead to the murder of politicians, and he blamed the media for fueling tensions. Grigorij Meseznikov, a political scientist who heads the Institute for Public Affairs think tank in Bratislava, said he disagreed that media played any role in inciting violence against Fico. 'We have very good and independent media in Slovakia. The media is doing its job.' Before Fico returned to power last year, many of his political and business associates were the focus of police investigations, and dozens have been charged. His plan to overhaul of the penal system would eliminate the office of the special prosecutor that deals with organized crime, corruption and extremism. 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 wife of the man suspected of launching an assassination attempt on Slovakia's PM - leaving him in critical condition - has been put under police protection Zuzana Eliasova, a resident of the capital, Bratislava, said the attack on Fico was a 'shock' to the nation and an attack on democracy. '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. 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 as Fico was greeting supporters at an event Wednesday in the former coal mining town of Handlova, nearly 85 miles northeast of the capital, government officials said. Fico returned to power in Slovakia last year after having previously served three terms 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, Orban. In 2022, Fico was charged with organised crime offences and faced questions after an investigative journalist was shot dead in 2018. Jan Kuciak was working on a story about the activities of the Italian mafia in his country and their links to people close to Fico when he was assassinated. The murders of Kuciak, 28, and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova brought down Fico's government at the time. However, the 2022 organised crime charges were later dropped and he went on to be re-elected in 2023. The PM was shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava Condemnation of the attack came from both Fico's 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,' 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 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. Teaching was her 'dream job', Rebecca Joynes told her trial but by betraying the trust placed in her by the families of not one but two pupils, she had destroyed her career regardless of today's verdicts. Known as Becky, the 30-year-old enjoyed a stable, supportive upbringing her parents attended every day of her trial while her academic achievements ought to have made her an ideal recruit to her profession. Instead, the former cheerleader today joins the soaring numbers of teachers facing a lifetime ban from the classroom over what has been dubbed 'an epidemic of unacceptable behaviour'. Raised in a 500,000 semi-detached house in the upmarket Wirral town of Heswall, which traces its roots back to the Doomsday Book, she attended well-regarded Pensby High School motto 'Care, respect, inspire'. Her parents, Stuart, now 54, and Mel, 55, set up a successful tea room, Isabelles, over a decade ago, with Joynes and her younger sister also having spells working at the family business. Rebecca Joynes, 30, enjoyed a stable, supportive upbringing in the Wirral town of Heswall Joynes' parents Stuart, now 54, and Mel, 55, have attended every day of their daughter's trial Teacher Rebecca Joynes is pictured smiling and loved up with her ex-boyfriend It has earnt a stellar reputation in the area, with Mr Joynes pictured online with customers including former Tory minister Edwina Currie and helped the couple to fly Virgin Upper Class to Barbados as a joint 50th birthday treat. In social media posts, Joynes was described by her dad as a 'perfect child in every way' who from 'child to adult was always at the top', the Manchester Evening News reported. A childhood friend described Joynes as 'always very quiet' and said they were 'shocked and very upset' for her family, adding: 'I would never have thought she would be capable of something like this.' Someone else who knew Joynes as a talented athlete at West Kirby Gymnastics Club, told The Times: 'She was a quiet and polite girl who never caused any trouble.' Joynes and her ex-boyfriend were together from the age of 15 and broke up before the pandemic. In 2013 Joynes studied for a degree in sport and exercise science across the Mersey estuary at Liverpool John Moores University, where she is understood to have joined the cheerleading club, before settling on an ambition to teach maths. Joynes underwent a two-year programme with Teach First, a charity aimed at tackling 'educational disadvantage' as well as a postgraduate course in teaching maths. Then at the age of 24 she landed a full-time job at a school in a deprived part of Greater Manchester in September 2018 the school is not being named to protect the identity of her victims, who have lifelong anonymity. On 'World Teachers' Day', she was given a thank you note from a pupil for helping them with their maths. She is understood to have been in a long-term relationship with her childhood sweetheart, travelling together for a dream two-week holiday to California in 2015, and posting pictures together as recently as 2017. One photograph showed her smiling and loved up with her ex-boyfriend enjoying a summer holiday on a balcony overlooking a sun-kissed sandy beach in one snap. In another she looks fresh-faced and stares into the camera grinning with her former beau as they stand next to Arnold Schwarzenegger's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Joynes has brunette hair in all the snaps - unlike the blonde-streaked locks the 'pretty' maths teacher has been displaying at Manchester crown court during her trial. The carefree happy photos are in stark contrast to the downcast mood the maths teacher has displayed while being supported by father as she arrived at court the last two weeks. At her trial, Joynes admitted she had been 'stupid' to swap messages with male pupils and invite them back to her rented one-bedroom apartment in Salford Quays. She told jurors she had 'struggled massively' during the Covid pandemic, which struck halfway through her second year of teaching. Her desire for affection followed the messy end of a nine-year relationship, she said, although the name of her ex was not given in court. Joynes told the court that she 'was lonely and liked the attention' after the end of her nine-year relationship Joynes showed up to court each day with a baby's bonnet tucked into her clothing - she gave birth to one of her student's child Rebecca Joynes pictured with her father Stuart and mother Mel, who run a cafe selling tea and cakes in Heswall Joynes denied six counts of sexual activity with a child, two of them while in a position of trust but was found guilty This week her ex-partner declined to comment to Mail Online about his relationship with Joynes, saying he hadn't been following the trial 'I was lonely and liked the attention,' she said. This week her ex-partner declined to comment to Mail Online about his relationship with Joynes, saying he hadn't been following the trial. Following the disruption of Covid, regular face-to-face lessons at the school resumed in September 2021, the jury were told. But boys in her Year 11 class began referencing her appearance, she said, telling her she was 'so sexy' and dubbed her 'Bunda Becky' a slang reference to her bottom. The boy with whom she would go onto taking back to her flat for a one-night stand later told police she was 'obviously good-looking', saying it was 'definitely' something which 'everyone' talked about. Some of the text messages Joynes sent to Boy A which showed them discussing to meet up together Instead of clamping down on the 'banter' and requests for her phone number, jurors were told she instead gave him the first ten digits as part of an exercise on probability the following month. The teenager, referred to as Boy A, had his own phone in class, and rang the potential numbers until hearing her handset go off on her desk, he said. Within days they were exchanging messages, and by the end of the week he was bragging to friends that he had just had sex with his teacher. It was the start of a 'brazen' whirlwind of betrayal which was only fully exposed nearly two years later when a fellow classmate confessed they had been in an 18-month sexual relationship and that Joynes, by now sacked from her job, was expecting his child. To compound the self-inflicted personal tragedy, the baby was taken away from her within 24 hours of being born earlier this year following an emergency court hearing. 'At the moment I have got contact with her three times a week for three hours,' she told the court through sobs. 'That's it.' Both boys were 15 when Joynes began taking each one into her flat and both had been communicating with her on Snapchat where messages are deleted and not recoverable by police. In both cases, the activity was a secret from their parents and they both flirted with her, Boy A calling her 'sexy' and Boy B sending her a message saying: 'Get your t*** out.' In a letter, she wrote to Boy B, saying: 'Every inch of you is perfect. You are all I ever dream about.' She also wrote: 'I know we are struggling right now and are both extremely stressed but I really hope we can work something out to keep this going for a while longer.' In October 2021, she picked Boy A up in her car before collecting her dog from a doggy day care centre, dropping the pet off at her parents before taking him to the Trafford Centre. The boy with whom she would go onto taking back to her flat for a one-night stand later told police she was 'obviously good-looking', saying it was 'definitely' something which 'everyone' talked about Joynes pictured outside Manchester Crown Court alongside her father Stuart Joyce blamed the ending of her previous nine-year relationship in court and admitted she had felt lonely and 'like the attention' from the teenagers The sacked maths teacher arriving at Manchester Crown Court on May 16 The jury were shown what was 'crystal clear' CCTV footage of Boy A pulling out various belts at the Gucci concession Selfridges. Joynes wearing a turquoise jacket - could then be seen placing her bank card down on the counter before Boy A put on the belt. Further CCTV footage shows the pair arriving at her apartment where the boy told police they had sex twice. Boy B told police they began kissing when he was only 15, the court heard but Joynes claimed sexual activity only took place after he turned 16 and she had been sacked as a teacher. Boy B told police he attempted to follow her on Snapchat in about February 2022, and that she later send him a photograph of her bottom covered only by a pair of knickers. Messages became more 'flirtatious' and he too agreed to come round to her apartment. Initially he sat 'nervously' on her couch, but then they 'started kissing' before going into her bedroom and having sex, Boy B told police. Boy B also told police that after going to Joynes' fifth floor apartment for the first time, as he sat on the couch he told her: 'Am I not even going to get a kiss?' In the following months they had sex 'numerous times at different places' on an estimated 30 occasions, he said. He said they didn't use protection when they went on to have sex as she told him she had polycystic ovary syndrome. The jury was shown video interviews Boy B gave to police after Joynes was arrested for a second time, in which he described losing his virginity to her at her luxury Manchester apartment. 'Obviously, it was my first time, so I was nervous,' the youngster said. Afterwards, Joynes told the teenager, who feared he hadn't performed very well, 'it's your first time, it was great'. On a 'date night' the night before she was arrested for a second time Joynes sprinkled rose petals around her flat and set up a sex game of 'surprises' for the boy, the court was told. The game involved an Ann Summers scratchcard of sexual activities and hidden notes, which led him to discover she was expecting his baby. 'At the end it was a baby grow,' the boy said. 'It said something like, 'Best Dad' (on it) and I was like, 'What the f***!' 'She started crying and I started crying, because we were undecided whether to get rid of it or not. 'That was probably the lowest point, we were irresponsible. It's my own fault. I also thought, 'what the f*** am I going to do?' 'I can't hide a kid. I had hid the relationship for 18 months from my parents.' Recalling the moment to police, he said: 'She was crying. She was saying, 'I don't know if I can do this on my own.'' Boy B's older brother had been aware of the relationship but he'd been 'stupid', thinking it was 'funny', and failed to tell their parents, the jury were told. Boy B said he 'did love' Joynes but the relationship soured and she became jealous and controlling, even accusing him of cheating on her with other girls. He said eventually he realised the relationship was wrong and that he'd 'sacrificed 18 months for a paedophile.' Boy B said: 'I would say to her, 'You're a weirdo, you need help. You're a nonce'. 'You should go and find someone your own age, you are pretty enough'. 'I kind of think she was playing a game with me. I did love her, to be honest, and she said she loved me. 'Now I think about it, it was emotional abuse. She just basically mentally abused me. It was mental warfare. I sacrificed 18 months for a paedophile.' Her conviction comes after shocking figures last year revealed that the number of teachers banned from the profession for life over sexual misconduct allegations surged sixfold in the wake of the pandemic to a five-year high. Figures uncovered by the i newspaper under Freedom of Information rules showed 35 teachers were handed prohibition orders by the Teaching Regulation Agency over sexual misconduct allegations in the year to March 2022, up from six the previous year. It marked the highest figure since it began recording the statistics in 2018. In response, Stephen Morgan, Labour's shadow schools minister, called for action 'to tackle this epidemic of unacceptable behaviour'. The Department for Education responded that it had 'strengthened guidance for schools on how to deal with reports of sexual abuse'. Throughout her two-week trial on charges of unlawful sexual activity with two pupils, one person was never more than a few feet away from Rebecca Joynes her devoted father Stuart. Every morning outside court, the 54-year-old tearoom owner always immaculately dressed would be at her side as she arrived, usually with an arm around her waist. As their daughter's sexual encounters with 15-year-old boys were spelt out in intimate detail at Manchester Crown Court, Mr Joynes and Mel, his wife of 32 years, would be sitting in the public gallery just a few feet from members of both her victims' families. Just how close Joynes was to her parents became clear during her evidence. She gave her account of how she first brought a schoolboy to spend the night at her one-bed apartment in a soft but confident voice. Stuart Joynes walked his daughter Rebecca into court every single morning she was on trial - her parents attended every day Rebecca Joynes pictured with her father Stuart and mother Mel, who run a cafe selling tea and cakes in Heswall The 54-year-old tearoom owner often showed his support for his daughter - on trial for sexual offences against two of her students - with a comforting arm around her waist Rebecca Joynes tried to cover her face as she left Manchester Crown Court with her father, Stuart, after being found guilty by jurors of having sex with schoolboys Rebecca Joynes pictured with her father Stuart and mother Melanie on May 7 Her betrayal of every golden rule of pupil safety came after she 'struggled massively' during the Covid pandemic, which came after a nine-year relationship came to an end. 'I was lonely and liked the attention,' she said. 'I have to own up to that.' However for the first time she became tearful and had to pause as she spoke of seeing her mother and father after first being questioned by police in October 2021. Joynes wiped her eyes as Judge Kate Cornell told her: 'Just take your time.' The Audi-driving teacher who was then aged 28 - said she'd had to stay in a hotel room as her Salford Quays apartment was still a 'crime scene'. At 5.30am, her parents arrived and told her they were taking her back to Heswall in the Wirral, which she referred to as 'home' despite having her own flat. 'I don't think I got out of bed for a while,' Joynes said. 'My mum and dad were really supportive once I'd opened up to them about the situation.' The tea-room has a stellar reputation in upmarket Heswall, with Mr Joynes pictured online with customers including former Tory minister Edwina Currie The family business has a stellar reputation in the town and the couple's children worked stints in the tearoom Joynes told the court her parents were 'really supportive' of her when she told them about the police investigation Joynes had been released on bail under strict instructions she must not to contact any child under 18 Joynes denied six counts of sexual activity with a child, two of them while in a position of trust but was found guilty Joynes said they let her work in the family business, Isabelles, adding: 'I tried to surround myself with people who cared for me.' Their generosity also featured in her evidence, with Joynes mentioning a designer bracelet they had bought her she claimed Boy A had admired it and initially asked her to buy him jewellery before instead agreeing on a 345 Gucci belt. The tea-room has a stellar reputation in upmarket Heswall, with Mr Joynes pictured online with customers including former Tory minister Edwina Currie. Established 12 years ago, the business has evidently been a success, with Mr Joynes sharing photographs on Instagram of flying Virgin Upper Class to Barbados as a joint 50th birthday treat for him and his wife in 2019. This week one woman who used visit the cafe regularly with her toddler told Mail Online that Rebecca Joynes had always seemed 'very overly nice', adding that she now found her behaviour 'a bit strange'. Maths teacher Rebecca Joynes and her father Stuart leave court after she was convicted of having sex with two schoolboys Rebecca was supported by her parents throughout the trial The prosecution told jurors Joynes was attempting to 'garner your sympathy' by showing up to court with a baby's bonnet The teacher blamed her illegal relationships on being 'lonely during Covid' and the breakdown of her nine-year relationship 'You can be nice, that's fine, but to be just over the top, then it's a bit odd,' she added. But in 2022 she started spending more time back at her apartment, saying she 'didn't enjoy living in the Wirral' after a difficult end to a nine-year relationship. 'He lived around the corner,' she said. 'I couldn't go on walks.' It was in the weeks which followed that she began inviting the second pupil back to her apartment the beginning of an 18-month sexual relationship which ended when she confessed she was expecting his baby, the court heard. Right from the start of the trial, Joynes who revealed the baby daughter fathered by her schoolboy lover was taken away from her within 24 hours of her birth - always had a pink knitted bonnet sticking out of a pocket or her waistband. According to the prosecution, the hat was a 'pretty naked attempt to garner your sympathy', with jurors told that Joynes was 'aware of the optics here'. A refugee with a history of violence is facing deportation from Australia after losing an appeal over a brutal assault that left a man with a severed earlobe. Jok Gar, 21, was sentenced last December to two years in prison with a non-parole period of 16 months for the unprovoked attack, in which he and another man savagely beat a man in Melbourne and stole his phone. A knife was used in the September 6, 2022 attack, with the victim's face slashed and his earlobe partially severed. Gar and his co-accused Tyler De Silva left the man unconscious and bleeding, with police discovering them in the toilets of Southern Cross train station at 4.30am. De Silva was handed a lighter sentence of six months due to having an intellectual disability - he has an IQ of 48 - childhood epilepsy and 'severe neglect issues' in his upbringing, the Geelong Advertiser reported. Jok Gar (pictured), a refugee with a history of violence is facing deportation from Australia after losing an appeal over his sentence for a brutal assault that left a man with a severed ear Gar's appeal cited the 'manifest' differences in the two sentences, but Supreme Court justices Karin Emerton and David Beach said Gar's initial sentence had been 'lenient'. The judges said the attack was 'both dangerous and callous', and that 'it was not the applicant's only act of random violence against a stranger on the streets of Melbourne'. They also said there was 'no reason to believe that (Gar's) prospects of rehabilitation are other than very poor'. A decision on the case had been reserved following a hearing on April 16, but in the meantime Gar was told his refugee visa, which he received in 2009, had been cancelled. His lawyers said the visa cancellation and the risk of deportation after he has served his time behind bars, were grounds for another appeal. But the judges disagreed, saying Gar still can apply for the visa cancellation to be reversed. 'We see no good reason to reduce (Gar's sentence) on the ground that the visa cancellation will make the applicant's imprisonment more burdensome,' justices Emerton and Beach wrote. The judges also cited Gar's history of violent crime. In January 2023, he pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault of a woman in Geelong West, and four months later in May he was convicted of attacking a stranger 'without provocation' in Melbourne's CBD in the early hours of New Year's Day, 2022. Gar's appeal to the Supreme Court (pictured) failed, with justices Karin Emerton and David Beach saying his initial sentence had been 'lenient' That assault caused fractures to the victim's skull and facial bones. Gar went into prison as a medium security prisoner but has been reclassified as maximum security due to his behaviour in jail, which has involved assaults, fights, verbally abuse and spitting on guards. He also 'stomped on another prisoner' and poured milk and urine under another inmate's cell door. Gar was born in Egypt to Sudanese parents and arrived in Australia when he was six. British shot girls working on the infamous Magaluf strip have told how they have been forced to headbutt drunken partygoers who have sexually assaulted them. Magaluf reps, many of whom are women in their early 20s working for around 10 per hour, have opened up about the vile misogyny they face 'on a daily basis'. Just days after the Balearic Islands toughened up drinking laws to crack down on boozy tourists, dejected-looking reps claimed the abuse they face is 'part of the job', while others admitted girls need to have a 'thick skin' to work in Magaluf. One girl told how she only started working in Magaluf because she had to 'flee a pervert boss' from a yacht job in nearby Palma, while another ended up with cuts and bruises after fighting off a man who had groped her breasts. A third rep working on the Magaluf strip said that she was slapped in the face and called a 'fat s**g' by a British man after simply offering him a free shot. On Thursday night, MailOnline witnessed men grabbing shot girls inappropriately, kissing them on the face and shouting sexual remarks from bars and terraces. Magaluf reps, many of whom are women in their early 20s working for around 10 per hour, have opened up about the vile misogyny they face 'on a daily basis' Cerys Rodgers (pictured) said: 'Everyone's very money-hungry. They aren't very nice to you but you have to find the right people' Clodagh Fitzgerald (pictured) said that bouncers were always around to sort out any bad behaviour Tori (pictured) said that she regrets coming to Magaluf 'at least once every day' Tori, 21, told MailOnline that working along the strip is 'crazy', adding: 'I deal with s**t on a daily basis. The other day some guy came up to me and grabbed my t**s so I headbutted him and then I fell over and cut my knee. It happens all the time.' She added: 'I just feel like "give over haven't you got a wife and kids at home?" Trying it on with girls all the time, it's just ridiculous.' Tori said that she regrets coming to Magaluf 'at least once every day' but then her mind changes. 'You just have to get yourself back into it,' she said. The 21-year-old, from Leicester, said that she is planning to spend the whole season in Magaluf. 'It's tiring, draining, but better than England,' she added. She continued: 'It is what it is, you just get used to it or I just headbutt them. A lot of the bouncers are really good. If they see someone they will get involved, they don't let girls get taken the p*** out of.' When asked what she would say to the drunken lads who harass shot girls, she laughed and said: 'I'd tell them to die.' One man was seen playing with a shot girl's hair while she was working One man leered over a shot girl, and repeatedly asked for a kiss Shot girls admitted they need to have a 'thick skin' to work in Magaluf MailOnline has seen dozens of partygoers drinking in the street and avoiding fines, despite the new rules Shortly after speaking to MailOnline, Tori was approached by a group of men wearing sailor hats and one of them grabbed her face and kissed her on the cheek. Afterwards, she said: 'It's just part of the job. I got him in, didn't I? And he bought some shots.' Working slightly higher up on the strip near a silent disco club was Cerys Rodgers, 22, who revealed she only ended up working in Magaluf because she was forced to escape a job on a yacht in Palma, the capital of Majorca. 'I literally fled the yacht. I was running with all my cases in tears because the guy on the yacht was a perv,' she said. 'I knew someone in Ayia Napa and I asked him if he knew anyone in Magaluf and he sorted me out a job.' Cerys, who had originally travelled to Majorca to work as a yacht stewardess in Palma, said that she feels people in Magaluf are 'quite strange'. 'I've not really met anyone like it before,' the 22-year-old from Sheffield, said. 'Everyone's very money-hungry. They aren't very nice to you but you have to find the right people.' One woman said: 'You do get old men sexually harassing you but there's lots of security and bosses watching you' Partygoers in Palma, Magaluf and Llucmajor in Majorca and San Antonio in Ibiza now face hefty fines for drinking in the street One worker told how most girls are on a round 10 per hour and often do not get a commission for dragging tourists into bars to buy drinks Rowdy Brits have vowed to defy the crackdown and accused Majorca of trying to 'kill' Magaluf When asked if she ever feels uncomfortable, she said: 'Not when I am sober, but if I am drunk then they are quite scary. I feel vulnerable if I am drunk, but if I am witnessing them when I am sober I think "Ah I can take them!". 'People just don't give a f***, they come to Magaluf for a few days they are away from their wives and kids and they will do anything, they are not ar**d. Another shot girl, who did not want to be named, revealed: 'I've been groped and I got slapped on the face and called a fat s**g by a British lad when I tried to offer him shots. 'You have to have a thick skin to work here.' A fourth female rep, Ruby, said: 'I love it here. But you do get old men sexually harassing you but there's lots of security and bosses watching you. They ask if you are OK.' As she spoke to MailOnline, two topless men on a quad bike beeped at her while she handed out drink vouchers in a bikini. The island of Majorca is attempting to curb rowdy behaviour by toughening laws which were first introduced in 2020 Dejected-looking reps claimed the abuse they face is 'part of the job' Dozens of male and female reps line the Magaluf strip hoping drunken tourists will follow them in on the promise they will get free shots with the drinks they buy And shot girl Amy admitted: 'I get hassled all the time by lads.' Yawning after a long night on the strip, she added: 'It's just part of the job. It's Magaluf.' Speaking about inappropriate behaviour from drunken men, Magaluf rep Clodagh Fitzgerald, 23, said: 'I think it depends on the person, I am thick-skinned anyway so I more or less get out and f*** off. 'Everything that's not normal is just normal here. There's always security around to make sure nothing will happen. 'Last year everyone seemed a bit more crazy, I think everyone's kind of settled this year, well so far anyway. She added: 'I've been here for about a month and a half now but I was here last year as well at the same place. I love it, I love meeting new people and being away makes you appreciate it being home as well so much more when you do go back.' Dozens of male and female reps line the Magaluf strip hoping drunken tourists will follow them in on the promise they will get free shots with the drinks they buy. One worker told how most girls are on a round 10 per hour and often do not get a commission for dragging tourists into bars to buy drinks. The mayor of Calvia, the Majorcans region in which Magaluf sits, has urged Brits to keep coming to Magaluf Magaluf has long been known for its heavy drinking culture and debauchery on the late-night strip When pressed on why everyone is so desperate to get tourists to come to their bar, she said that competing reps can 'make more money if you are good at your job'. Magaluf has long been known for its heavy drinking culture and debauchery on the late-night strip. But the island of Majorca is attempting to curb rowdy behaviour by toughening laws which were first introduced in 2020. Partygoers in Palma, Magaluf and Llucmajor in Majorca and San Antonio in Ibiza now face hefty fines for drinking in the street. Any tourists found breaking these rules could end up with fines anywhere between 645 and 1,290. But the fresh ban has also seen party boats banned from getting closer than one nautical mile (1.852 km) of the designated areas. And shops which previously had to stop selling alcohol at 9.30pm in areas of 'excessive tourism' must now shut completely at this time. The Balearic Islands has vowed to spend 16million (13.7million) on enforcing the street drinking ban as well as on security, inspections and educating tourists. The Balearic Islands has vowed to spend 16million (13.7million) on enforcing the street drinking ban The government is also putting money into on security, inspections and educating tourists The strict rules will be in place until December 2027 The strict rules will be in place until December 2027 - by which point the government is confident the law will no longer be needed. Despite the rules coming in last weekend, MailOnline has seen dozens of partygoers drinking in the street and avoiding fines. Rowdy Brits have vowed to defy the crackdown and accused Majorca of trying to 'kill' Magaluf. Restaurant owners have told how boozy tourists are 'destroying their paradise' and claimed the new rules do not go far enough. They said they want fewer drunk people and more families. But the mayor of Calvia, the Majorcans region in which Magaluf sits, has urged Brits to keep coming to Magaluf. 'My message is all the British are really welcome in Calvia, that is very important,' Mayor Juan Antonio Amengual told MailOnline. 'It's not the same message you have heard in the other government.' Sadiq Khan has urged Keir Starmer to 'call out' Donald Trump branding him a 'racist, sexist homophobe'. The London Mayor risked derailing Labour's efforts to extend an olive branch ahead of the presidential election in November. With the race between Mr Trump and Joe Biden too close to call, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has been insisting Labour could work with the Republican if he wins. Mr Lammy suggested that the former president's views on NATO were 'misunderstood'. However, Mr Khan told Politico that the UK should not be 'rolling out a red carpet' for Mr Trump - with whom he has a long-running feud. Sadiq Khan has urged Keir Starmer to 'call out' Donald Trump branding him a 'racist, sexist homophobe' The London Mayor risked derailing Labour's efforts to extend an olive branch to Mr Trump (pictured) ahead of the presidential election in November 'I'm quite clear, I understand on Trump,' the mayor said. 'He's a racist. He's a sexist. He's a homophobe. And it's very important, particularly when you've 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, I'd call him out and I'd explain to him why those views are wrong.' Mr Khan added: 'I worry about a Donald Trump presidency,' 'You know, I've been speaking to governors from America. I've been speaking to mayors from America. Of course, we'll have a relationship whoever the president is. But we shouldn't be literally rolling out a red carpet for a state visit. 'It's really important that we of course, have good relations with Democrats and Republicans. But I lost count of the amount of Republicans I've spoken to who are also worried about a Trump presidency.' Mr Khan also taunted Mr Trump about his own election victory, when he trounced Tory rival Susan Hall to get a third term last week. The mayor said: 'Listen, I've got more latitude as a mayor to just to say what I feel about Trump, and I make this point. He called me a 'stone cold loser'. I've won three. How many has he won?' Mr Lammy was asked after a speech this morning whether he would heed Mr Khan's advice. 'This is a profoundly serious moment and it requires seriousness. That seriousness means that the special relationship between the United Kingdom and our American friends is core not just to our own national security, but security of much of the world,' he said. 'So, just like Wilson, Nixon, Blair, Bush, whoever is in the White House in a big election year in the United States or whoever is in No 10 in a big election year in our own country, of course we must work together. 'The truth is that you're going to be hard-pressed to find any politician, particularly politicians who were on the back benches, who haven't had something to say about Donald Trump. 'I take very seriously the responsibility of being on the front bench and the responsibility of finding common cause on behalf of the national interests of this country.' During his first term in office, Mr Trump flirted with the idea of leaving NATO and repeatedly pushed for European nations to increase their own spending. Earlier this year, he suggested a US under his leadership would not defend NATO allies who failed to meet the target of spending 2 per cent of GDP a measure of the size of the economy on defence. Mr Lammy described Mr Trump as 'racist' and a 'Nazi sympathiser' in 2017, saying he would protest on the streets if the then-president visited the UK. But on a visit to Washington earlier this month he said that if he became foreign secretary he would put the UK national interest first and 'where I can find common cause with Donald Trump, I will find common cause'. With the race between Mr Trump and Joe Biden too close to call, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy (pictured) has been insisting Labour could work with the Republican if he wins A conservation charity has accused Britain's zoos of 'gross neglect' after a probe finds exotic animals were left outside for long periods without adequate shelter. Research by the Aspinall Foundation found a total of 3,074 breaches of animal welfare standards. The 18-month-long investigation focused on public-accessible areas between July 2021 and January 2023 and looked at 29 European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) accredited establishments to see if they were meeting EAZA's animal welfare requirements. EAZA sets out welfare guidelines across its 400 member zoos and has an accreditation programme to ensure members are meeting the standards - however the charity claims that the research raises concerns over the guidance and accreditation system. The report stated how a total of 162 mammal species were impacted mentally and physically across the zoos it assessed and the number of alleged breaches per zoo ranged from between 1 to 418 - calling it 'gross neglect'. One of the main issues the undercover investigation identified was regarding furnishings within enclosures, with 90% of the zoos visited being found in breach this guideline, according to the report. Four British zoos had alleged breaches, according to the report. Research by the Aspinall Foundation found a total of 3,074 breaches of EAZA animal welfare standards. Pictured: An elephant in one of the zoos assessed The 18-month-long investigation focused on public-accessible areas between July 2021 and January 2023 looked at 29 European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) accredited establishments to see if they were meeting EAZA's animal welfare requirements. Pictured: An elephant in one of the zoos assessed EAZA sets out welfare guidelines across its 400 member zoos and has an accreditation programme to ensure members are meeting the standards - however the charity claims that the research raises concerns over the guidance and accreditation system. Pictured: An animal enclosure in one of the zoos assessed The report stated how a total of 162 mammal species were impacted mentally and physically across the zoos it assessed and the number of alleged breaches per zoo ranged from between 1 to 418 - calling it 'gross neglect'. Pictured: A polar bear in one of the zoos assessed Chester Zoo had a total of 12 alleged breaches - this included claims that elephants were left outside with no shelter for five hours and wild dogs and tapirs were apparently had a lack of bedding. Colchester Zoo had 17 alleged breaches. According to the report, ostrich, rhino and zebra were allegedly left outside without adequate shelter for six hours. Africa Alive! in Suffolk had a total of 20 alleged breaches and Belfast Zoo had 31, according to the report. British zoos must also be inspected by the government and the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquarium to ensure they are meeting requirements. Sosto Zoo, Hungary, is run by EAZA chairman Endre Papp and had 418 alleged breaches which was the highest of all the zoos investigated. According to the report, the zoo breached EAZA guidelines by keeping spectacled bears inside concrete-walled enclosures with no bedding or shelter, among other issues. Another alleged issue across several zoos was poor drainage problems resulting in water-logged enclosures. This meant animals from typically dry climates were left in wet conditions. The report also highlighted another common alleged issue of arboreal species not having resting places that were of appropriate height. Researchers observed several species of leopards lacking climbing structures. Chester Zoo had a total of 12 alleged breaches - this included claims that elephants were left outside with no shelter for five hours and wild dogs and tapirs were apparently had a lack of bedding. Pictured: A camel in one of the zoos assessed Colchester Zoo had 17 alleged breaches. According to the report, ostrich, rhino and zebra were allegedly left outside without adequate shelter for six hours. Pictured: A lion enclosure in one of the zoos assessed Africa Alive! in Suffolk had a total of 20 alleged breaches and Belfast Zoo had 31, according to the report. Pictured: An animal in one of the zoos assessed Sosto Zoo, Hungary, is run by EAZA chairman Endre Papp and had 418 alleged breaches which was the highest of all the zoos investigated. Pictured: An elephant in one of the zoos Some 21 of the zoos assessed housed elephants and in 20 of these, at least one alleged issue was discovered including elephants locked inside or outside, not provided adequate shelter, or elephants displaying repetitive behaviour. Damian Aspinall, chairman of The Aspinall Foundation, who instructed the 18-month investigation said: 'I believe in the reality of conservation, not the perception of conservation.' He also accused EAZA of being a 'pointless organisation'. Will Travers (OBE) founder of Born Free has seen the report and said: 'Trust is incredibly important. According to the report, the zoo breached EAZA guidelines by keeping spectacled bears inside concrete-walled enclosures with no bedding or shelter, among other issues. Pictured: A bear in one of the zoos assessed Another alleged issue across several zoos was poor drainage problems resulting in water-logged enclosures. This meant animals from typically dry climates were left in wet conditions. Pictured: What appears to be a pond area in one of the zoos 'The general public should be able to trust that if a zoo is accredited with EAZA is adheres to the highest standards of animal welfare, conservation, education, and public safety. This report profoundly challenges that notion of trust. 'I am personally shocked by what the Aspinall Foundation's report has revealed. It's time for change.' Mike Jordan, Director of Animal and Plants at Chester Zoo, said: 'The authors of this report have made a host of erroneous assumptions based on a brief five-and-a-half-hour-long visit back in 2021, during which they only saw a mere fraction of our zoo and none of the many behind-the-scenes areas that the animals have access to. 'Meanwhile, day in, day out, we deploy scientists, behaviourists, conservationists and teams with decades of expertise to provide us with scientific confirmation that the animals in our care have everything they need and are in the best of health. 'Chester Zoo is globally renowned for its outstanding animal welfare standards and we're constantly striving to raise the bar in this area. If there was anything in this report that was of concern then we'd of course take it seriously and address it. Some 21 of the zoos assessed housed elephants and in 20 of these, at least one alleged issue was discovered including elephants locked inside or outside, not provided adequate shelter, or elephants displaying repetitive behaviour. Pictured: An enclosure in a zoo Damian Aspinall, chairman of The Aspinall Foundation, accused EAZA of being a 'pointless organisation'. Pictured: An enclosure at one of the zoos Mike Jordan, Director of Animal and Plants at Chester Zoo, disputed the findings. Pictured: A tiger enclosure at one of the zoos in the report 'However, having looked at the claims made against Chester Zoo in detail, it's clear that the report is laden with inaccuracies and based on a lack of understanding and knowledge, with non-expert opinion incorrectly presented as fact. 'As a not-for-profit, our work is hailed by the IUCN the world's leading authority on conservation - for the vital role we play in species conservation. Never has nature been so in need of our help and conservationists should be working together for the benefit of nature, not against each other. 'We'd very much like to invite the researchers back to Chester for a proper visit - to meet with our experts and provide them with a full 360 look at the whole zoo so they can learn more about our species-saving work.' Sosto Zoo owner, Laszlo Gajdos, told The Times that the Aspinall Foundation's visit was during a period of construction at the zoo and that the report contained 'extremely harsh and dangerous criticism'. He added: 'Sosto Zoo has been named Europe's best zoo in the under 500,000 visitors category three times for the past decade, which Anthony Sheridan, an independent zoo expert fellow and a past member of the council of the Zoological Society of London, has rated based on scores from his own criteria.' Myfanwy Griffith, EAZA Executive Director, said: 'Very simply this report fails to truthfully represent the aims and effectiveness of EAZA's accreditation programme. This report shows a flawed understanding of animal welfare. 'EAZA is driven by the best science available. This report claims that EAZA does not help member zoos maintain adequate standards, whilst evidence shows that is untrue. 'We would invite the authors to meet with us so that we can discuss the EAZA's accreditation programme and standards and address the erroneous assumptions made in the report.' MailOnline has contacted Colchester, Africa Live! and Belfast zoos for comment. The father of Broncos superstar Payne Haas could face the death penalty if found guilty of drug trafficking in Indonesia. Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was arrested by police in Cebu City, in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, on Wednesday. Police said they have been trying to track Haas Snr down ever since 5kg of methamphetamine was found at an undisclosed location in December. 'We suspect him to have networks all over Asia, and we also suspect he has networks in Australia,' National Narcotics Agency spokesman Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono said. 'We have good cooperation with Australian police, so we will work with them too.' Under Indonesia's harsh drug importation laws those found in possession of illicit drugs can face the prospect of life behind bars or the firing squad. Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was arrested by police in Cebu City in the Philippines on Wednesday Payne Haas (left) and his father Gregor are pictured at the 2019 Dally M awards Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting anyone else in the Haas family is involved. Haas Snr is expected to be extradited from the city of Manila, where he has been held in custody since his arrest, to Indonesia. However, officials in Australia may need to give approval for the extradition. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to an Australian arrested in the Philippines. Indonesian officials told the Sydney Morning Herald that the Australian Federal Police were not involved in the arrest. The last Australians to be executed in Indonesia were Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the convicted ringleaders of the Bali Nine drug smugglers, in 2015. The nine Australians were arrested trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin to Australia on a flight out of Bali's airport in 2005. Of the remaining seven only one, Renae Lawrence, has been released from jail while another Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died in prison of cancer. Police said they have been trying to track Haas Snr down ever since 5kg of methamphetamine was found at an undisclosed location in December. His arrest is pictured The father of Broncos superstar Payne Haas (pictured) could face the death penalty after being accused of trafficking large quantities of illegal drugs in Indonesia The arrest comes after father-of-two Troy Smith was accused of drug possession and drug trafficking after Indonesian authorities raided his hotel room on April 30. Officers allegedly found more than 3g of methamphetamine in a tube of toothpaste, a bong and 0.04 of methamphetamine in a sunglasses case. The 49-year-old's lawyers have argued that Smith purchased the methamphetamine in Bali and struggles with addiction issues. They said the package was sent to their client from a friend as thanks for helping with the purchase of a car, and he did not know what it contained. Smith is currently being held in a crowded cell at police headquarters in Denpasar. He was famously arrested for drunkenness while celebrating his GCSEs and spent the night in a police cell in a major embarrassment for his father, the prime minister. But 24 years later, Euan Blair's transformation is now complete after his fortune was revealed to have hit 375million thanks to his apprenticeship company Multiverse. Euan has entered the Sunday Times Rich List for the first time, and his position of 337th means his estimated fortune is even higher than that of his father Tony Blair. Multiverse - which Euan set up with his friend Sophie Adelman eight years ago - uses software to match apprentices with corporate giants such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Pfizer and Net-a-Porter where they can learn while being paid. The firm is one of the world's fastest-growing tech firms after being valued at 1.4billion in 2022 - making Euan's estimated 25 per cent stake worth 350million. The 40-year-old now lives with his venture capitalist wife Suzanne Ashman and their two children in a five-storey townhouse in London bought for 22million in 2022. The fortune of Multiverse co-founder Euan Blair's was today revealed to have hit 375million Euan Blair married venture capitalist Suzanne Ashman in Buckinghamshire in September 2013 Prime Minister Tony Blair accompanied by his family (left to right) Euan, Kathryn, Cherie, Nicky and (front row) Leo on the steps of 10 Downing Street as they leave for the final time in 2007 Euan and his family live a five-storey townhouse in London bought for 22million in 2022 Euan was educated at the Catholic state-funded boys' school London Oratory, where he became deputy head boy. Tony and Cherie Blair's other three children: Where are they now? Nicky Blair, football agent Nicky Blair studied history at Oxford University before doing some teaching in an inner-city school and launching a video game company. The 38-year-old later became a successful football agent after co-founding Magnitude Brazil Sports, based in Rio de Janeiro. His biggest known deal was when he collected 10 per cent from the 6.7million transfer of Mexican star Hector Herrera from CF Pachuca to FC Porto in 2013. Nicky married divorce lawyer Alexandra Bevir, and in 2018 they bought a house in North London for 2.75million. Kathryn Blair, barrister Tony Blairs only daughter Kathryn, 36, has gone into law like her parents, and is now a successful family law barrister. She graduated from King's College London and was called to Lincolns Inn, one of the four Inns of Court in London, and the same one which Tony and Blair joined in the Seventies. Cherie bought a London property for Kathryn in 2014 for 1.2 million, and in 2022 it was revealed this has been sold for 1.9 million - an increase of 58 per cent in eight years. Leo Blair, student Leo, 23, who was the first child born to a serving Prime Minister in over 150 years in 2000, is said to be 'musically gifted' and interested in politics. The Oxford University student has been pictured at major events with Cherie, and Tony revealed in 2017 that he is a Labour party member, having joined when Jeremy Corbyn was leader. Leo shares his name with his grandfather Leo Blair, Tony Blairs father, who died aged 89 in 2012. He will turn 24 next Monday. Advertisement But his teenage years are best known for when he was arrested aged 16 for being drunk and incapable in London's Leicester Square in July 2000. He was found by police officers vomiting on the pavement and an ambulance was called, but paramedics decided he did not need to go to hospital. Euan was instead taken to a police station where he initially gave his name as Euan John, provided an old address and told officers he was 18. He was kept in a cell at Charing Cross police station but later released without charge in the early hours of the following morning and driven home. Tony said in a speech later that day that being a father was tougher than being prime minister and 'sometimes you don't always succeed'. Euan went on to study ancient history at the University of Bristol before completing a master's in international relations at Yale in the US. He then got onto the graduate scheme at the investment bank Morgan Stanley, before deciding to set up Multiverse in 2016. Multiverse - previously known as White Hat - was originally formed to help youngsters get into corporate jobs without going through the traditional university route. Now the company is looking to move away from apprenticeships and focus on 'upskilling', which trains workers in areas such as coding. The company makes its money by charging blue chip clients a fee once an apprentice is successfully placed. The client then pays Multiverse to train the apprentices. Since launching, the company has raised more than 300million in venture capital funding. Despite his privileged upbringing, Euan has previously said higher education taught him 'nothing,' criticising 'a system that was obsessed with using academics, with all the latent biases and problems inherent in that, to select people.' This was in contrast with his father, who - when prime minister between 1997 and 2007 - set the target of getting half of young adults into university. Last November it was revealed that Euan's firm had tripled its annual losses and failed to turn a profit for the seventh consecutive year. Company accounts showed its revenue grew 66 per cent, or 45.2million, in the year ended March 31, 2023. But losses widened from 14.2million to 40.5million as it invested in its US business and technology. It won 'unicorn' status a term for a start-up worth more than 1billion in 2022 when it was valued at 1.4billion. But despite this status, Euan told Bloomberg TV in May last year that a possible stock market listing of Multiverse was still 'some way off' for the business. And last October, it emerged that the company had made up to 40 redundancies over the previous year. Tony Blair's children (from left) Nicky, Kathryn, Euan and Leo at Windsor Castle in June 2022 Euan set up Multiverse, previously known as White Hat, with his friend Sophie Adelman in 2016 Multiverse - previously known as White Hat - was originally formed to help youngsters get into corporate jobs without going through the traditional university route But the firm also signed for a larger London headquarters in August last year to accommodate its rapid growth - moving from a small space in Marylebone to a two-floor office in WeWork Paddington. The firm has so far trained over 10,000 professional apprentices in partnership with scores of employers. Last May the company made its first acquisition when it bought Danish education tech firm Eduflow for an undisclosed sum. Meanwhile the latest annual Sunday Times Rich List was released today, and also revealed the personal fortune of the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty surged by more than 120 million over the past year. Their wealth grew substantially despite the wider UK billionaire boom coming "to an end" in the face of tough economic conditions. Mr Sunak and Ms Murty's wealth was 651million in the latest list, soaring from 529million in 2023. The Daily Mail front page from July 7, 2000 when Euan was arrested for drunkenness while celebrating his GCSEs and spent the night in a police cell in an embarrassment for his father Tony Blair and Euan Blair walk together while on holiday in Pisa, Italy, in August 1999 Tony Blair with his son Euan and daughter Kathryn while on holiday in France in August 1997 The rise was linked to Ms Murty's small stake in Infosys, the 55billion Indian IT giant co-founded by her billionaire father. Her shares grew in value by 108.8million to nearly 590million for the year. The couple's wealth however still remains below its level from 2022, when it sat at around 730million for the year. It came as the list of the richest people in Great Britain showed that King Charles IIIs wealth also grew for the year, rising to 610million from 600million. The list recorded that the number of British billionaires tumbled again, continuing a theme seen in 2023. The number of billionaires reached a peak of 177 in 2022, before dropping to 171 and falling again to 165 this year, driven by some seeing their private wealth contract amid high borrowing rates and others leaving the country. The list of Britain's 350 wealthiest individuals and families together hold combined wealth of 795.36 billion, according to the new data. The Sunday Times Rich list also revealed that the personal fortune of the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty surged by more than 120 million over the past year The Sunday Times list of the richest people in Great Britain showed that King Charles III's wealth also grew for the year, rising to 610million from 600million Manchester United investor and Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe was the biggest faller on the list, with his net worth dropping by over 6 billion to 23.52billion This year's list was once again topped by Gopi Hinduja and his family, who control the Indian conglomerate Hinduja Group. Mr Hinduja and his family saw their wealth rise to 37.2 billion for the year from 35 billion. Meanwhile, a number of the UK's highest profile billionaires saw their fortunes shrink over the year amid challenging periods for many businesses and investments. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sir James Dyson and Sir Richard Branson also recorded declines for the year. Manchester United investor and Ineos founder Sir Jim was the biggest faller on the list, with his net worth dropping by over 6 billion to 23.52billion. Sir James Dyson was the second largest faller, with the entrepreneur witnessing a drop to 20.8 billion from 23 billion. Meanwhile, Sir Richard Branson saw his wealth fall further, dropping to 2.4 billion from 4.2 billion after a challenging year for Virgin Galactic. A five-year-old boy who fell 150ft to his death from the 15th floor of a flat in east London 'opened window by pressing just one button'. Alam Makial, plunged from the 15th floor of Jacobs House on New City Road in Newham, east London, just after 6am yesterday. Witnesses said his father could be heard screaming 'my son is dead' after his fall from the high rise tower block. The little boy's auntie, Maryam Hadafow told The Sun that her nephew had gone into the kitchen and opened the window after getting up early to go to school. Alam fell from a window which can be fully opened by just pressing a button. The five-year-old boy, Alam Makial fell from Jacobs House (pictured) on New City Road in Newham, east London yesterday just after 6am A woman lays follows close to where the little boy fell 150ft from the 15th floor Flowers and tributes have been laid at the scene of the tragedy which the Met Police have said is not being treated as suspicious '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.' Neighbours had also expressed fears about the windows in the past. One resident, Luka Tunjic, 65, said the windows had terrified him when he had young children and believed htye were dangerous. He 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. Locals were shocked at the tragedy and have paid their respects to the family, leaving flowers at the scene. 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. People who live in the tower block say they have raised concerns about the windows before. One father said he was terrified when his children were small by the windows which can be opened with just the push of a button The map above shows the location of Jacobs House where the little boy was pronounced dead at the scene Neighbours described witnessing Alam's father screaming 'My son, my son is dead' after he plunged 150ft after opening a window '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. The Metropolitan Police detectives say the death is not being treated as suspicious. A spokesperson 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 child's 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.' Dutch politician Geert Wilders abandoned his plans for 'Nexit' and a ban on the Koran in order to strike a coalition deal and finally form a government, reports say. In an agreement published on Thursday, the coalition of four parties said they will implement the country's 'strictest-ever' asylum policy by opting out of European Rules - setting up a clash with Brussels before even taking office. According to Dutch reports, Wilders - a far-right populist and long-time euro-sceptic - was prepared to sacrifice 'just about everything' for a tougher immigration regime. This included his own chances of being Prime Minister, Dutch News reported. Critics would argue that pans such as taking The Netherlands out of the European Union (aka Nexit) and a ban on the Koran were never likely to become law. Dutch politician Geert Wilders (pictured on Thursday) abandoned his plans for 'Nexit' and a ban on the Koran in order to strike a coalition deal and finally form a government, reports say In an agreement published on Thursday, the coalition of four parties (leaders pictured together on Thursday) said they will implement the country's 'strictest-ever' asylum policy by opting out of European Rules - setting up a clash with Brussels before even taking office Nevertheless, Wilders' shock election victory in 2023 came after he campaigned on a platform that included such hard-line policies. The 60-year-old's PVV party won more than 23 percent of the vote and 37 of the Dutch parliament's 150 seats - suggesting such plans are popular among some a large portion of the Dutch electorate. It is reported that Wilders' put these policies aside - and his ambition of becoming Prime Minister - in order to form the four-party coalition announced on Thursday that said it would implement its 'strictest-ever' asylum policy. A 26-page coalition agreement finally emerged after six months of gruelling talks between four parties following Wilders' victory last year. 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. It also said it would strengthen the country's borders. '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 France's AFP news agency after clinching the coalition deal, 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.' 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 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 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 admitted that it could take 'years' to fulfil its pledge to opt-out of the EU asylum system. He 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 said. He also vowed to implement border controls to enforce the stricter asylum policy. The plans are likely to be met with pushback from Brussels. EU countries have already agreed on their migration pact and opt outs are usually discussed in the negotiating phase, instead of after-the-fact. A European Commission spokesman seemed to pour cold water over a potential opt-out, saying on Thursday: '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 man has admitted leaving a non-verbal 25-year-old man with autism in a locked car in 40C heat while he went shopping for several hours. Tsz Wing Tam, 38, pleaded guilty in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday to endangering the life, health and safety of Jefferson Do, and to stealing his money. Mr Do was trapped in the back seat of the car at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Centre while Western Australia was hit with a heatwave on January 13. Members of the public noticed that he was in distress and beating his chest so called triple zero, WA Today reported. Police officers broke into the car where they found Mr Do strapped in with his seatbelt on, with the back windows shut and the front only slightly open. Tsz Wing Tam, 38, pleaded guilty in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday to endangering the life, health and safety of 25-year-old Jefferson Do (pictured), and to stealing his money Tam had worked with Mr Do for eight years, even going on holidays with his family. But the Do family said on Friday that they hoped Tam would face jail for his crimes. 'The damage has been done, we will never trust another carer in the same way that we did,' Mr Do's brother Harry told reporters outside the court. 'It's really heartbreaking for our family to know that we trusted someone, and we got taken advantage of. He added: 'It's really difficult to deal with because it's hard to see someone you trusted for so long in this light... 'We never suspected this from (Tam) and knowing he has done this behind our backs is really scary.' Harry Do said his brother is 'doing good' and getting back to his usual self. 'To finally hear that (Tam) has pleaded guilty allows us to feel confident that the court case is moving on and that we can put this to rest,' he said. Mr Do was trapped in the back seat of the car at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Centre (pictured) during a heatwave in Western Australia on January 13 Harry warned other carers who may be thinking about taking advantage of their vulnerable clients that they risked being caught. 'It's important to remember what you're doing the job for,' he said. 'At the end of the day you're doing the job to advocate for a person that might be disabled or needs help.' Tam will be sentenced next week and could face up to seven years in jail. A nurse who was jailed for killing an elderly man in a drunken Christmas hit-and-run has been struck off. Mum-of-two Katrina Mahoney, 35, was more than double the drink-drive limit when she left great-grandad Ron Fealey, 82, bleeding on the side of the road. Church treasurer Mr Fealey had been returning home from a Christmas Eve service when the accident occurred. At first fleeing the scene, Mahoney later returned and told police that she had drunk 'one Malibu and Baileys'. The nurse had been driving at 40mph in a 20mph zone and at more than double the legal alcohol limit - with her 14-year-old son in the backseat. She failed to stop despite the windshield of her Nissan Qashqai shattering. Mum-of-two Katrina Mahoney, 35, was more than double the drink-drive limit when she left great-grandad Ron Fealey, 82, bleeding on the side of the road Church treasurer Mr Fealey had been returning home from a Christmas Eve service when the accident occurred The nurse (pictured) had been driving at 40mph in a 20mph zone and at more than double the legal alcohol limit - with her 14-year-old son in the backseat Mr Fealey, a retired nurse, was helped by bystanders but died two days later in hospital from a brain injury. Mahoney was jailed for five years for causing death by careless driving while unfit through drink and driving over the alcohol limit. But a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing was told last month that she hoped to return to the profession when she was freed. The misconduct hearing was informed that the nurse's victim 'required urgent care and assistance at the time and she left him lying in the carriageway at risk of further injury and at unwarranted risk of harm.' Barrister Simran Ghotra said: 'She was a band six nurse at the time and did not assist him, rather she made the decision to drive away, albeit she did return to the scene some 10 minutes later.' Ms Ghotra added that members of the public 'would view her actions as deplorable'. A Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing was told last month that Mahoney hoped to return to the profession when she was freed Mahoney's barrister Thomas Buxton said she was taking positive steps to deal with her alcohol problems. Mahoney was said to have felt 'ashamed and had let people down' - but wanted people to 'regain their faith' in her and to give her a 'second chance'. Mr Buxton argued that there was nothing to suggest Mahoney had not always been capable of practising kindly, safely, and professionally. 'There is no prospect whatsoever of this act being repeated,' he said. The panel took into account Mahoney's 'good engagement with the prison services' at HMP Eastwood Park and the 'positive testimonials from colleagues'. But it found her behaviour was 'a breach of the fundamental tenets of the profession'. The nurse was struck off from working again but was allowed an interim suspension order for 18 months to cover a possible appeal. Mr Fealey's son Mike said: 'One wrong decision could ruin your own life as well as somebody else's.' Ron was a retired intensive care nurse in his home town of Merthyr, South Wales, but had never worked with the woman who killed him. Mike called his dad a 'special guy, a caring man.' He said: 'He had his nursing career, he took handicapped children to Lourdes on an annual basis when him and my mother were well.' 'He was a really fit and well 82-year-old. Obviously, he had his children and grandchildren and then great-grandchildren which was probably the highlight of his life, he loved spending time with all of them. 'The fact that the accident happened the way that it did, it just felt like such a waste you know. He was just walking home from church and then this person for no reason at all just hit him on the zebra crossing. 'And so it just seemed like a series of terrible decisions that led to my father dying.' A Palestinian student who said she was 'full of pride' after Hamas launched its attack on Israel has declared I dont regret it after the Home Office revoked her visa. Dana Abuqamar, 19, a law student at the University of Manchester, attended a pro-Palestine protest just one day after Hamas carried out its horrific 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'. However despite complaining about her visa being revoked, Ms Abuqamar appears to have doubled down on her inflammatory activism in a post on social media, declaring: I do not regret standing up for my people. In a post on Instagram on 8 May - in which Ms Abuqamar shared a video of her revealing to a crown of protestors that her visa has been revoked - she said: I do not regret standing up for my people and advocating for their right to resist oppression, as prescribed by international law, and I will continue to do so regardless of the repercussions. She added: If anything, the backlash I received from complicit media, institutions and governmental authorities should encourage you to stay steadfast in your activism, or at least I would so hope. Ms Abuqamar has claimed the Home Office revoked her visa on national security grounds, after claiming she was a risk to public safety Whitehall sources confirmed that Ms Abuqamars visa had been rescinded over her comments following the October 7 attack and said it was revoked on the grounds she is non-conducive to the public good In the video that accompanies the post, she says: I stand before you having lived the repercussions of speaking up. The Home Office has cancelled my student visa because I spoke up against genocide. And I stand before you today continuing to advocate for Palestine and I ask the same of you. I ask you to stand up against injustice no matter the risk. Ms Abuqamar has claimed the Home Office revoked her visa on national security grounds, after claiming she was a risk to public safety. She told Middle East Eye: The claim they are making is baseless and violates my rights as a resident here in the UK. My legal team has lodged a human rights appeal against this decision to revoke my student visa in my last and final year as a law student. Whitehall sources confirmed that Ms Abuqamars visa had been rescinded over her comments following the October 7 attack but disputed her claim that this was over national security concerns and said that it was instead revoked on the grounds she is non-conducive to the public good. A source said: This decision was made over six months ago by Robert [Jenrick] and Suella [Braverman]. The trigger was the comments after October 7. She did it in a very public way, to a huge crowd, on Sky News. It was brazen. You have to remember she is not a British citizen, she is a visitor here. She is here on our generosity. According to the Home Office, behaviour deemed non conducive to the public good includes instances where people have engaged in unacceptable or extremist behaviour, such as activity which fosters hatred, or where the person is associated or has been associated with people involved in terrorism. Under Home Office rules such decisions are taken 'following careful consideration of the specific facts of the case'. Ms Abuqamar has been contacted for comment. A Home Office spokesman said: 'It is a longstanding government policy that we do not comment on individual cases.' 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' Ms Abuqamar has confirmed she will be appealing the decision and said her remarks have been misrepresented 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. '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.' 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.' A prison worker has been arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs into a troubled jail after a spate of deaths of inmates. Nine prisoners have died in just 10 weeks at HMP Parc in Bridgend, South Wales, with inmates warned over a rogue batch of zombie drug spice circulating in the jail. The prison worker is the fourth person within two months to have been arrested in connection with illicit items or drugs into the private G4S-run prison. A South Wales Police spokesman said: 'A 36-year-old man from North Cornelly was arrested on suspicion of conveying contraband into a prison. He has been bailed pending further inquiries.' It comes after police arrested a 40-year-old man from Birmingham and a 34-year-old woman from Penylan in Cardiff on March 21 on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and money laundering. Nine prisoners have died in just 10 weeks at HMP Parc in Bridgend, South Wales (pictured). Inmates have been warned over a dangerous batch of zombie drug spice circulating in the jail (File image) A national public health warning has been issued over the dangerous drug (Stock image) A 34-year-old man, from Penylan in Cardiff, was also arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. A select committee heard just last week drugs were rife in the prison with Labour MP Beth Winter saying 'almost half of prisoners had easy access to drugs'. She called for the Prison Service to take over the running of the jail following a spate of controversies and corruption allegations at the prison. South Wales Police previously said they had received reports of nine sudden deaths that have occurred at HM Prison Parc in Bridgend since 27th February. A spokeswoman said at least four deaths are believed to be drug related. Detective Steve Jones said: 'At this stage we cannot confirm that the four deaths are connected to any specific drug however a fast-track process has been undertaken and identified the presence of Nitazene based substances in connection with all four deaths. Spice has been identified in two of the four deaths. 'Postmortems have been completed on two of the four men and at this stage cause of death is inconclusive and we are awaiting toxicology. The other two men are awaiting a postmortem.' Prison nurse Elyse-May Hibbs has been jailed for six months after entering into a relationship with a prisoner at HMP Parc in Bridgend Harri Pullen, 25, (pictured) was serving a five year sentence for drug offences when he engaged in the relationship with the nurse. The convicted drug dealer was described as manipulative during the trial Two of the men who died tested positive for Spice and officials say tests show a presence of 'Nitazene based substances' - dangerous synthetic opioids - were found in all four. In a statement issued in March, the Prison and Probation Ombudsman Adrian Usher said: 'After initial inquiries we now believe at least four out of the six deaths are drug-related. 'These deaths likely involve spice (a psychoactive substance) mixed with another family of drugs. 'There has been a national public health warning issued about this particular drug, the name of which is yet to be determined, but we believe that at least two of the deceased at HMP Parc had taken this substance. It is therefore likely the deaths are all spice-related. 'We urge all prisoners who are in possession of spice to dispose of it immediately. This is a dangerous drug and we do not want to see any more unnecessary deaths occur. 'Friends, family, next of kin, and staff in prison - please share this message as wide and as quickly as possible.' This comes after Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Adrian Usher launched a series of investigations after the shocking series of fatalities at HMP Parc in Wales. In late March, Mr Usher said he believed the deaths were related to Spice, a psychoactive synthetic drug, mixed with another substance. This is just the latest scandal tp hit the South Wales prison. In July last year, prison nurse Elyse-May Hibbs, 25, was jailed for six months last year after she admitted misconduct in a public office following the discovery of her relationship with the 'manipulative' prisoner. Harri Pullen, 25, was serving a five year sentence for drug offences when he engaged in the relationship. The healthcare worker was discovered to have exchanged Instagram messages with Pullen and held 'flirtatious' calls over the phone. She was one of two prison workers in HMP Parc accused of having relationships with Pullen, alongside prison officer Ruth Shmylo who has since been cleared. Britons in areas with no banks said they are enduring 20-mile round trips to visit their nearest branch after it emerged that 6,000 have now closed in just nine years. Consumer group Which? said eight Barclays branches were shutting for good today, taking the UK total by the end of the day to 6,005 amid an 'avalanche of closures'. By the end of this year, 33 parliamentary constituencies will be without a single bank branch - including both Sedgefield in County Durham and Erith and Thamesmead in South East London, where MailOnline visited today to speak to affected residents. Some locals said they needed to take two buses to get to their nearest bank, while others claimed the closures were about 'control and monitoring people's finances'. Elderly people are being left feeling isolated by closures - with some saying they are not online, worry that using ATMs is unsafe and do not want to bank on their phone. Other constituencies without a branch by the end of this year also include Bolton West, York Outer, Newport East, Reading West, Barnsley East and Swansea East. The closures since Which? began tracking them in 2015 equate to over 60 per cent of the UK total. Experts said the 6,000 mark highlights the impact on high streets and how replacement services are needed for millions of people who rely on banks. While the rate of closures had initially appeared to slow down since it reached a peak in 2017, the researchers said that in 'recent years there has been a troubling surge'. In Sedgefield, healthcare assistant Kath Garnett (left), 63, fears the closure of the banks are paving the way towards a cashless society. Her friend Katy Schofield (right), 36, a fire technician, added that she understood why the 'older generation like to carry cash' A Post Office is attached to Sedgefield Convenience Store and is run by Abinaya Sivam, 31, and Aravinthan Alagaiah, 36. They said they help people but added: 'We are not a proper bank' Slide me Before and after: The Barclays branch in Sedgefield closed in 2018 and is now a dental clinic Slide me Before and after: Erith town centre has no banks left since the Barclays closed six years ago Slide me Before and after: A NatWest branch on Bexley Road within the Erith and Thamesmead constituency is now an estate agent Bank bosses have been accused of 'engaging in a race to close branches' after the Government announced plans in 2020 for laws to protect access to cash, which could make it harder to close a branch if alternative cash provision is lacking. Constituencies set to have no bank branches by the end of the year Barnsley East (estimated population: 94,000) (estimated population: 94,000) Bolton West (98,000) (98,000) B radford South (106,000) (106,000) Bury South (103,000) (103,000) Central Suffolk and North Ipswich (102,000) (102,000) C hatham and Aylesford (103,000) (103,000) Clwyd South (70,000) (70,000) Colne Valley (112,000) (112,000) Dagenham and Rainham (117,000) (117,000) Denton and Reddish (88,000) (88,000) Don Valley (99,000) (99,000) East Worthing and Shoreham (99,000) (99,000) E rith and Thamesmead (117,000) (117,000) Glasgow North East (88,000) (88,000) Liverpool, West Derby (94,000) (94,000) Mid Bedfordshire (121,000) (121,000) Mid Derbyshire (83,000) (83,000) Newport East (84,000) (84,000) North East Derbyshire (92,000) (92,000) Nottingham East (98,000) (98,000) Penistone and Stocksbridge (89,000) (89,000) Plymouth Moor View (94,000) (94,000) Reading West (112,000) (112,000) Rhondda (68,000) (68,000) Sedgefield (85,000) (85,000) Sheffield Hallam (85,000) (85,000) St Helens North (100,000) (100,000) Stone (86,000) (86,000) Swansea East (81,000) (81,000) Warrington North (95,000) (95,000) Wentworth and Dearne (100,000) (100,000) Wirral West (68,000) (68,000) York Ou te r (92,000) Advertisement Today, MailOnline spoke to people in the County Durham market town of Sedgefield, where pensioners are taking 20 mile round trips to withdraw money because they fear they may be mugged at the local cashpoint. The town, which is former prime minister Tony Blair's old constituency, lost its last bank, a branch of Barclays, in 2018. Residents are now forced to journey to outlying towns including Hartlepool, Durham City, Stockton and Bishop Auckland, all around ten miles away. The local Post Office offers a welcome lifeline, allowing customers to withdraw and deposit cash but people must travel elsewhere for larger sums of money and other services. Retired miner David Thompson, 70, said: 'I really miss having a bank in Sedgefield. My nearest branch is the Barclays in Durham City now. I live in Trimdon, and I am forced to take two buses to get there. I change at Sedgefield. 'It can take up to two hours for a return trip if I have to wait a long time for the connection. I don't use cash points because I don't think they are safe. You might get robbed.' Eleanor Thompson, 86, added: 'I wish there was still a bank here. My nearest branch is Stockton. It's only 15 minutes or so on the bus but it's still inconvenient. There's a cash point here but I don't feel safe using it. I like to go inside to take my money out. 'It's much safer. Everybody says the same thing. It's not just me. People are having to take lots of buses. You can get up to 50 cash back at the local Co-op but sometimes you need more than that and have to travel. 'I am not online and I don't like banking on the phone. Chatting face to face is much better.' Retired childminder Diane Parrish's nearest branch is Stockton. The 66-year-old said: 'It's not a huge problem for me because I go into town a lot. 'Branches all over the country are closing down. They don't have enough customers to stay open. But a lot of people miss them, especially those who are older. 'Pensioners would go into the bank just to have a chat. It got them out of the house. It's very sad.' Sedgefield resident Eleanor Thompson, 86, said: 'I wish there was still a bank here. My nearest branch is Stockton. It's only 15 minutes or so on the bus but it's still inconvenient' Richard Nathan, 34, runs the Dun Cow Inn in Sedgefield. He said the inn is loved by pensioners who miss the bank and prefer to use cash at the bar Retired miner David Thompson, 70, of Trimdon, says getting to his nearest bank can take up to two hours for a return trip if he has to wait a long time for the connection between two buses The town, which is ex-prime minister Tony Blair's old constituency, lost its last bank in 2018 Leafy Sedgefield, which has a population of 5,000, is still a busy hub despite the loss of its bank. The eight Barclays bank branches closing today Bracknell - 1 High Street, Bracknell, RG12 1DR - 1 High Street, Bracknell, RG12 1DR Hornchurch - 136 High Street, Hornchurch, RM12 4UX - 136 High Street, Hornchurch, RM12 4UX Andover - 5 High Street, Andover, SP10 1LN - 5 High Street, Andover, SP10 1LN Streatham - 136 High Road, London, SW16 1BN - 136 High Road, London, SW16 1BN Liverpool - 164 Allerton Road, Liverpool, L18 2DH - 164 Allerton Road, Liverpool, L18 2DH Alperton - 220 Ealing Road, Wembley, HA0 4QH - 220 Ealing Road, Wembley, HA0 4QH Bangor - 16 Main Street, Bangor, County Down, BT20 5BS - 16 Main Street, Bangor, County Down, BT20 5BS Inverness - 19a Union Street, Inverness, IV1 1QA Advertisement It is home to pubs, restaurants, independent shops and a few chains, such as Hays Travel and the Co-op, which has a cash machine. Crucially, Sedgefield has a Post Office, which offers vital services, including withdrawing and paying in cash and checking bank balances. It also stocks Euros, US dollars and travel money cards and enables customers to cash cheques. The Post Office is attached to Sedgefield Convenience Store and is run by Abinaya Sivam, 31, and Aravinthan Alagaiah, 36. Ms Sivam said: 'We are really pleased that we are able to provide the services we do. People are happy and grateful to us for being here. However, there are some things that can only be dealt with at the bank. 'If customers have reached their daily cash limit, for example, then they can't get money here. We help as much as we can, but at the end of the day, we are not a proper bank. 'It's quite sad as people miss being able to go into their local branch. Pensioners, especially, prefer face to face dealings. Some have told me they don't like to use the cash point. They don't feel safe. 'Businesses are also pleased we are here, as they need somewhere to deposit cash. It's a big responsibility but knowing how grateful and happy the community is to have us here is lovely.' Healthcare assistant Kath Garnett, 63, fears the closure of the banks are paving the way towards a cashless society. She said: 'The bank closures are terrible. Bank and building society losses from January 2015 to the end of 2025 (including scheduled) The number of closures (and scheduled) at each brand between January 2019 and end of 2025 The actual number of branches each bank and building society has closed since 2015 'People need access to cash. The banks are forcing people to do everything online. If we need large sums of money then we have to travel to Hartlepool or Durham. 'It's all about control, and monitoring people's finances. It's paving the way for digital currency. I went to the theatre recently and I couldn't get a drink at the bar because I didn't have a card on me. 'Cash should be accepted everywhere. The older generation definitely prefer to carry money. It can be more difficult to keep track of what you are spending when you use a card all the time. 'Sedgefield is still busy, but it's not just the bank. The hospital shut down, the pits shut down. The bank was the heart of the community. You knew everyone, you would chat to people. It's not the same anymore.' Her friend Katy Schofield, 36, a fire technician, added: 'I actually prefer to use card. It's easier. But I do understand why the older generation like to carry cash.' Richard Nathan, 34, runs the Dun Cow Inn in Sedgefield. He said the inn is loved by pensioners who miss the bank and prefer to use cash at the bar. Pensioner Kath Russell, 81, who lives in Erith in South East London, said: 'We don't half miss it, do we, that Barclays. You can only go to the Post Office here if you want to pay something in - and take money out' He added: 'For a while, there was no Post Office and no bank in the town. We had nowhere to go. We faced up to an hour-long round trip to deposit cash. 'Now the post office is merged with the convenience shop. It reopened about a year ago. Things are much better. There are a lot of older folk here who like to go into a bank to speak in person. 'But younger people all have online banking, and some don't carry cash. Sedgefield has always been a bit of retirement village. 'The closure of the bank has left some of the older people feeling isolated. We get pensioners coming in for a dinner, then they might not eat much for the rest of the day. 'They pay in cash as they like to keep track of how much they are spending. They like to have that human contact. The pub's been here for 40 years and we are glad to be able to provide that service.' Retired chemist Frank Urwin, 87, added: 'It's a b***dy nuisance. I have to go to Barnard Castle in the car. It takes about 40 minutes to get there. But now that branch is closing as well. 'There are some things you can only do in the bank, such as set up a direct debit. I rely on my daughter to help me. I miss the face to face interaction you get in a bank. There's a cash machine here, but you feel a bit vulnerable withdrawing 100.' In Erith today, Alan Down, 88 pictured with his wife Pat Down, 86 - said: 'Where we live, in Abbey Wood, we now have to get two buses because I can't drive any longer, to go to a bank, to get our money. It takes about an hour and a half to get some money' Nearly 300 miles away in South East London, residents of Erith are having similar problems with the town centre not having any banks left since the Barclays closed six years ago. Ann Pickford, 75, said: 'It is a real pain, because I had fraud on my card a couple of weeks ago, so I had to go to Bexleyheath every Saturday to get money out. 'I'm not very good on my feet. There are people worse off than me, elderly people, and they just don't care. 'We're lucky the buses stop here and drop you off at the clock tower in Bexleyheath, but it's getting on and off the buses that's hard. Pensioner Kath Russell, 81, added: 'We don't half miss it, do we, that Barclays. You have to go to Bexleyheath if you want personal stuff. You can only go to the Post Office here if you want to pay something in - and take money out. 'If you want to actually see them and talk to them about something personal, you can't do that, so we do really miss having them. Tanvir Ali, 35, owner of Sabina Hair and Cosmetics in Erith, said: 'It really affects me, because some people want to pay by cash and there's no bank around' 'You could actually talk to them if your statement is wrong, you can't do that in the Post Office because they won't look at your statement. 'I've had my card cloned before, but the bank was open then, and I just came down and they gave me the money back, put the money back in the bank.' Tanvir Ali, 35, owner of Sabina Hair and Cosmetics, said: 'It really affects me, because some people want to pay by cash and there's no bank around. 'Many of the people don't want to use their cards in the shops, and many of them, when they want to get out the cash, there's only one cash machine, down there by the post office. 'So, even if you deposit money you have to go to the Post Office, which always has a long queue. We have to go to another area, which takes like 45 minutes, half an hour. 'I see many other people complaining about the bank, because they are struggling. 'Every single day I see about 20 people asking me if there is a bank around, if there's a cash machine around. It is frustrating. 'I think it affects business, because I know many customers do not want to use card machines in the shops, they want to use cash, and it's getting harder and harder.' Sue Wright, 61, a former NHS worker, said: in Erith: 'Everything is shut now, they shut my bank, Barclays, probably six years ago. I used to do my banking here' Alan Down, 88, added: 'Barclays have changed their banking system, the cards. 'You always had a debit card and a savings card, a debit card you could use anywhere and go and draw money out, now it's limited. And the savings card, you can't go to any shop, you have to go to a bank to do your financials there. 'Where we live, in Abbey Wood, we now have to get two buses because I can't drive any longer, to go to a bank, to get our money. It takes about an hour and a half to get some money.' His wife Pat Down, 86, also said: 'What's such a shame is the 180 never used to come here, but then when we changed its route we thought 'oh lovely', but of course the bank went, and there's nothing here, is there?' And John Cook, 77, said: 'It is inconvenient sometimes, because the old Barclays bank used to be just there, so I have to go to Bexleyheath now. 'I just jump on a bus, being an old age pensioner I've got a bus pass, so I go out for the day, go for a ride around. I can get up there, provided there's not too many on the Bexleyheath bus, I can be back here in a half hour. 'My card has been done a few times, and I think because it has been done a few times I just go up there and tell them. Apart from not having a bank, you've got all the shops here, everything's here. Ann Pickford, 75, said in Erith today: 'It is a real pain, because I had fraud on my card a couple of weeks ago, so I had to go to Bexleyheath every Saturday to get money out' 'When it was the old Erith, I was born here so I know what it was like, there was about four or five banks, and they were always busy, because you had the factories, it was an industrial area. 'Because the factories have packed up, all those people who worked in the factories have moved away and that's it. 'All it is now is a little precinct, with a load of flats being built. As I said, the nearest bank is Bexleyheath, but how long will that be there?' Sue Wright, 61, a former NHS worker currently taking a career break, said: 'To be honest, I used to come to Erith a lot, because everything was open. 'Everything is shut now, they shut my bank, Barclays, probably six years ago. I used to do my banking here, my shopping, but now I tend to go to Bexleyheath, which has still got the majority of the banks open. 'We have a really good bus route here, I've got a choice of three to get there. I used to use the Post Office, I'm surprised that it's open really. This is the first time I've been to Erith for six or seven months. 'A lot of old people did rely on it, and it used to be really busy, sometimes they would queue out the door. But, now they're closing all the shops down, I don't feel such a need to come here. John Cook, 77, said in Erith today: 'It is inconvenient sometimes, because the old Barclays bank used to be just there, so I have to go to Bexleyheath now' 'The banks probably did play quite a big part in it, because I suppose if people wanted to do their shopping, they'd go to the bank, get their cash out, then go and get their bits and pieces. 'I'm more of a card person, I think that's a slightly younger generation thing, but I think the older people probably do rely more on cash.' There was also a Midland Bank in Erith before the whole site near the riverfront was redeveloped. And there was a NatWest branch on Bexley Road in nearby Northumberland Heath, which is now an estate agent. Across the UK, eight Barclays branches are closing today which has taken the national total above 6,000. They are located at Alperton in North London; Streatham in South London; Andover in Hampshire; Bangor in County Down; Bracknell in Berkshire; Hornchurch in Essex; Inverness in the Highlands; and Liverpool. Barclays has closed 1,216 branches; while NatWest Group, which comprises NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, has closed 1,360 branches, Which? said. Lloyds Banking Group, made up of Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, has shut 1,146 sites, the consumer group added. Pensioners in Erith said today that they can only go to the Post Office 'if you want to pay something in - and take money out' It also said 200 closures by various banks are already scheduled for the rest of this year. These include 50 from Natwest, 43 from Lloyds, 28 from TSB, 26 from Halifax, 20 from RBS, 14 from Barclays, 14 from Bank of Scotland, four Danske branches and one Ulster Bank branch. Currently, 24 more bank branch closures have been scheduled for 2025, although more are expected to be announced later this year and next, the group added. While millions of consumers have made the switch to banking digitally, there remains a significant number of people who are not yet ready or willing to make that jump, underscoring the need for accessible alternatives, Which? said. However, there are various initiatives to help plug gaps in the cash access network as bank branches close. The 50th banking hub was recently opened. Banking hubs allow banks to share facilities, and they have a counter service operated by the Post Office, allowing customers to conduct routine banking transactions. But Which? said the 'rollout is progressing too slowly', adding that this total was less than half of the recommended 130 banking hub locations to have opened so far. The Post Office also recently reported that cash transactions at its branches totalled a record 3.48billion in April. A closed former Lloyds branch in Caldicot, South Wales (file image). The number of UK bank branches to shut their doors in the past nine years will pass 6,000 today, according to Which? A closed Lloyds bank branch in Plymouth, Devon The Post Office has an agreement with many banks, allowing their customers to carry out everyday banking over its counters. With a general election looming, Which? said it believes that the next government should commit to delivering at least 200 shared banking hubs in the first two years following the election. It added that as bank branch closures are likely to continue in the coming years, any target may need to be revised upwards to keep pace. Sam Richardson, deputy editor of Which? Money, said: 'This milestone of more than 6,000 bank branch closures in just nine years underscores the seismic shift that has taken place in terms of our banking habits and the character of the British high street. 'While some may hardly notice the closure of their local branch as they seamlessly switch to online banking, for others reliant on face-to-face services, the impact can be disastrous. 'It's not about halting closures altogether, but ensuring that essential banking services remain accessible to those who still rely on them.' Which? also pointed out that some banks still insist on customers coming into the branch to carry out services such as registering power of attorney. The building of a former HSBC bank up for let in Belper, Derbyshire A closed Halifax branch in Maidenhead, Berkshire It added that several high street banks have fared poorly when registering power of attorney, with waiting for in-branch appointments potentially adding delays to the process and banking hubs not always offering such services. A Barclays spokesperson said: 'As visits to branches continue to fall, we need to adapt to provide the best service for all our customers. 'Where levels of demand don't support a branch, we maintain an in-person presence though our Barclays Local network, live in over 350 locations, based in libraries, town halls, mobile vans and our banking pods. 'We also support access to cash with our cashback-without-purchase service, 24-hour deposit-taking ATMs and by working alongside the Post Office and Cash Access UK.' A spokesperson for trade association UK Finance said: 'An ever-increasing number of people are using telephone, mobile and internet banking and fewer people are visiting bank branches on a regular basis. 'Balancing this change in the way we bank means firms have to make difficult decisions about maintaining their branches. A closure notice for a Santander branch in Harwich, Essex A closure notice on a former HSBC bank branch in Windsor, Berkshire 'The industry has invested heavily in alternative services, including thousands of post offices where people can do a lot of their day-to-day banking. 'Alongside this, the industry is working to roll out shared banking hubs to bring together different firms to support their customers. 'There is also significant ongoing investment to ensure access to cash, including free ATMs and cashback without purchase. If you are concerned about your local bank branch closing, please contact them and they will help you find the best alternative for your needs.' Stephen Noakes, retail director at Nationwide said: 'Which? has helpfully put the spotlight on branches. 'Our research shows nearly three-quarters of consumers of all ages are concerned about the rate of closures, with half of 16 to 24 (year-olds) left frustrated after finding their local branch closed. 'Branches are valued for everyday banking but also for important moments like scam worries and transferring a large amount of money. That's why we have promised that everywhere we have a branch today we will remain until at least 2028.' Pictured: University of Queensland Chancellor Peter Varghese The University of Queensland will involve police and take disciplinary action against students involved in pro-Palestine protests after alleged incidents of assault, property damage and hate speech at the campus. UQ chancellor Peter Varghese said the behaviour went beyond legitimate protest and breached the university's codes of conduct. The UQ senate met on Thursday, and while it remained committed to freedom of expression, Mr Varghese said it did not extend to actions on campus that disrupted classes or put staff and student safety at risk. 'Anti-semitism and other hate speech has no place on our campus,' he said. 'Senate noted that the freedom to protest is not absolute. The university has a duty to foster the wellbeing of staff and students.' Tensions continue to rise between rival pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel camps that have been set up on the main University of Queensland campus (pictured) Students have warned they 'aren't going anywhere' despite being issued with a notice to move on as soon as possible from the campus (pictured) Mr Varghese said the university was now taking steps to discontinue camps that were setup on campus to prevent further disruptions and safety ahead of the exam period and had met with protest representatives. But students have told the Courier Mail they 'aren't going anywhere' despite being issued with a notice to move on as soon as possible. A student and member of Students for Palestine Liam Parry said the university had failed to communicate with his group about the decision to evict protesters. 'To be honest, this is news to us. As far as I know, the university hasn't told us that we need to shut down,' he said. 'I know the university doesn't like the existence of the camps - they have said that - but they haven't told us that we need to shut down at all. 'From our perspective, we have freedom of speech and the ability to continue protesting. We're definitely not going to leave. We aren't going anywhere.' The University of Queensland will involve police and take disciplinary action against students involved in pro-Palestine protests (pictured, tents on the campus) Another student and member of the pro-Israeli Camp Shalom Idan Benesch said his organisation would respect the move on order. 'I feel like this is the best thing for the university, for students and for our encampment as well,' he told the Courier Mail. 'I was at lunch in the foodcourt the other day minding my own business with other students and it was disrupted. 'I know that the point of a protest is disruption but at a university where there's a bunch of tired students having their brain bombarded with information and then during their one peaceful moment of lunch a protest starts out. 'It just isn't nice for any students. I feel like being asked to leave by the university is something we will respect.' Political activist Drew Pavlou confronted protesters at the University of Queensland after a person allegedly put a Jewish sticker on his bag (pictured) On Thursday, about 100 protesters from the Students for Palestine group occupied the Advanced Engineering Building, which resulted in classes and lectures being cancelled because people could not get into the building. Videos on social media showed protesters inside chanting: 'Free, free Palestine.' 'This is a private movement that wins,' one man said through a megaphone. 'I promise you we will win this fight and this university will divest from genocide and we will keep going until we win.' Political activist Drew Pavlou said he was 'peacefully' watching the rally when somebody put a Jewish sticker on his bag. 'So I confronted the mob of 100 Trotskyites and socialists and denounced anti-Semitism,' he wrote on X. 'This baldy guy who is not even a student tried to push me over backwards and I tried to hold onto him to stabilise myself.' Last week, a window was allegedly smashed during a protest at the university. UQ vice chancellor Deborah Terry (pictured) said the university was engaging with nominated protest representatives to agree to a peaceful resolution UQ vice chancellor Deborah Terry said they were engaging with nominated protest representatives to agree to a peaceful resolution to the current camp arrangements. 'UQ's senate has endorsed this approach and the statement from the UQ chancellor Peter Varghese reaffirms our commitment to freedom of speech, while recognising that there are limitations relating to safety and disruption to campus activities and operations,' she said. 'The University will continue to ensure that we take appropriate action where there are incidents that do not align with our codes of conduct as we make every effort to progress a peaceful resolution.' Mourners from across the world have paid their final respects to the 'gentle, spirited and peace-loving' 14-year-old killed in an east London sword attack, as his family reveal they plan to move home for a fresh start. More than 100 people attended the funeral of Daniel Anjorin, who died near his home as he walked to school in Hainault on April 30. The ceremony was held at Jubilee Church in Ilford on Friday morning. Daniel Anjorin's coffin was brought out of the church and placed in the funeral hearse surrounded by bouquets of flowers. Floral tributes were also placed on top of Daniel's coffin, one which included his picture in the middle. The close family members of Daniel Anjorin, 14, watch as his coffin is carried from Jubilee Church in Ilford, east London, following his funeral service Daniel with his mother, who is a science teacher. In a statement his family said: 'we have lost the most loved and amazing son.' Daniel Anjorin's coffin was brought out of the church and placed in the funeral hearse surrounded by bouquets of flowers Dozens of emotional mourners watched on from outside the church as the funeral hearse drove away Dozens of emotional mourners watched on from outside the church as the funeral hearse drove away. The funeral was attended by more than 100 people. Pastor Tope Koleoso, who led Daniel Anjorin's funeral service, said it was 'gentle', 'peaceful' and a 'celebration of Daniel's life'. He said: 'The service today was befitting of Daniel in every way, because he was a gentle, spirited and just a peace loving boy. 'So the service kind of captured that. It was a gentle moment. It was peaceful. And yet it was a celebration of Daniel's life.' Pastor Koleoso added that people 'from all walks of life' attended the service including people who had flown in from abroad, teachers and students from his school, members of the church and Daniel's youth group. He added: 'It was great to have representatives from the school, teachers and students and just to hear how Daniel in school was brilliant and bright and responsive, obedient. 'He loved football, and Arsenal, thanks to them for the tribute they gave the other day that was appropriate and good. And so that's who he was, he was about to take his grade six piano and so on. And so he was a fun loving and peaceful child.' Pastor Tope Koleoso, who led Daniel Anjorin's funeral service, said it was 'gentle', 'peaceful' and a 'celebration of Daniel's life' He added: 'It was great to have representatives from the school, teachers and students and just to hear how Daniel in school was brilliant and bright and responsive, obedient Funeral directors place floral tributes in the hearse at Jubilee Church in Ilford, east London, during the funeral service of Daniel Anjorin Mourners gather at the funeral for schoolboy Daniel Anjorin died near his home in Hainult after a knife attack which also left four people injured Tope Koleoso said that the Anjorin family has been a part of Jubilee Church for more than 15 years and Daniel was baptised there. He said the family is 'fully integrated into the life of the church', adding 'and that's why what's touched them touches the whole church. 'But we've sought to play our parts pastorally in being there for them. And their groups have been going into their homes and taking food, paying their respects and then the whole church praying for them. 'So we've been as close as is necessary to give our condolences and yet giving them space for them to grieve well and come through it.' Dozens of mourners arrived for the ceremony, with a number carrying bouquets of flowers for the 14-year-old. Daniel died near his home as he walked to school in Hainault on April 30 in an attack which also left four people injured - including two police officers. A Go Fund Me page set up in Daniel's honour on behalf of Grace Anjorin has so far received more than 150,000. A message from 'Mr and Mrs Anjorin and family' posted on the page thanked the community for its emotional and financial support. 'In the wake of our son Daniel's tragic death we wish to thank you for your support which has been a source of comfort and strength to our family,' they said. 'We deeply appreciate your generous donation.' The family continued: 'Due to the trauma of Daniel's death particularly on his siblings we have decided to use the donation provided towards establishing a new family home. 'This home will not only provide a place of solace and gathering for our family but will also stand as a lasting tribute to Daniel's legacy.' In a statement issued by the Metropolitan Police, the family previously said: 'We as a family are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Daniel. 'It is difficult for us at this time to process what has happened to him and that he will never come home. Daniel had left the house for school and then he was gone. 'Our children have lost their loving and precious brother, and we have lost the most loved and amazing son.' Daniel was killed as he walked to school at around 7am - suffering a fatal head wound after allegedly being struck with a samurai sword-type weapon. He died of his injuries in hospital. Daniel, a school pupil at the 24,999-a-year Bancroft's School in nearby Woodford Green was attacked along with four others and tragically died Jubillee Church in Ilford, east London where mourners are gathering for the funeral of Daniel who died on April 30 tributes tot he 14-year-old on the corner of Laing Close and New North Road where Daniel was attacked by a sword-wielding man while on his way to school The private school pupil, whose mother is a science teacher, had been wearing his headphones when he was allegedly murdered. The funeral comes after a vigil was held for the schoolboy on May 5. Hundreds of mourners gathered to pay their respects. Many could be seen wiping away the tears as heartbroken loved ones joined in with a poignant chorus of Bill Withers' 1972 hit Lean On Me. Many sobbed during a peaceful moment's of silence which ended with a ripple of applause. People could be seen holding hands as they paid tribute to the youngster. Hero father Henry De Los Rios Polania, 35, who shielded his wife and four-year-old daughter during the rampage, has also paid tribute to Daniel from his hospital bed. The IT engineer was described by his sister, Jessica, 31, as a 'hero' for protecting his family from the assailant - earlier this month he took to social media to pay tribute to his 'angel' daughter while still in hospital. In a second clip he showed a woman bending down to place a flower tribute and a tiger teddy at the memorial to Daniel on the residential street where he lived, with a note conveying his and his family's 'deepest sympathies'. In a heartbreaking message, he said: 'Daniel Anjorin, we are extremely sorry. You did not deserve such tragedy. 'There are no words to convey how terrible this is. Our deepest sympathies to you and your family. Rest in peace Daniel. 'Our hears are breaking for you. We will forever remember you, young King!' Marcus Arduini Monzo, 36, a dual Spanish-Brazilian national living in Newham, east London, has been charged with Daniel's murder, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He was also charged with aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article. Two Orthodox Jewish children were brutally beaten by a young man on a Brooklyn sidewalk in an attack captured on video. The boys, aged 11 and 13, were reportedly playing on the sidewalk in Williamsburg on Sunday night when a man got off a Citi Bike and attacked them. Horrific video of the attack shows the grown man kicking and stomping on one of the boys. The attacker told the boys to 'get off the sidewalk before unleashing the assault, as reported by CBS News. Officials said the boys were treated at the scene by EMS and suffered minor cuts on the back of their heads. Disturbing video footage showing the perpetrator assaulting and beating kids on Franklin Avenue on Sunday night. @NYPD79Pct @NYPDBklynNorth pic.twitter.com/Fiwh8F7NQp Williamsburg 365 News (@Williamsburg365) May 15, 2024 The boys, aged 11 and 13, were reportedly playing on the sidewalk in Williamsburg on Sunday The man is seen stomping on one of the boys at one point. Both children were treated for cuts The suspect is described as between 18 to 20 years old and was last seen wearing a black jacker, black and white striped shirt, light blue jeans and white sneakers Police are still looking for the unidentified man and the attack is being probed as a possible hate crime. The suspect is described as between 18 to 20 years old and was last seen wearing a black jacker, black and white striped shirt, light blue jeans and white sneakers. Brooklyn Borough president Antonio Reynoso said on X: 'This assault on a group of Orthodox Jewish children is disgusting. 'Antisemitism has no home in Brooklyn, and I am grateful that the Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating this attack. My office is monitoring the situation.' It comes as Jewish and Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups have reported large increases in harassment, bias and physical attacks against their members in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. There has been a nearly 50 percent increase in anti-Semitic crime in New York City in the first four months of this year. According to data released by the New York Police Department, both New York City and New Jersey have become hotspots for anti-Semitic related crime. A 45 percent increase in hate crimes towards Jewish people has been reported by city officials. The attacker is seen arriving at the scene on a Citi Bike on Sunday nightt in Williamsburg As of April 2024, 96 such hate incidents have been reported across the Big Apple - a stark rise from the 66 that were reported during the same time period last year, according to the police department statistics. Police Commissioner Edward Caban said Wednesday at a pre-Passover security briefing explained: 'The terror attacks on October 7th changed the public safety landscape, and were still feeling the ripple effects of that terrible day.' According to the Anti-Defamation League, between October 7 and the end of 2023, the agency recorded 5,204 incidents - more than the incident total for the whole of 2022. The attack on the Hasidic boys come days after a 16-year-old from East Flatbush was shot dead in Soho by a suspect who fled on a Citi Bike. Makhai Brown was leaving his high school in the wealthy area when he tried to break up an argument between two other people and one of them pulled a gun and shot him in the head. This is the shocking moment a popular TikToker, who made funny videos about his lifestyle, was shot dead as he live-streamed to his followers from Brazil. Nesaku was filming himself as he addressed his followers while he smoked a cigarette and listened to music outside his home on Sunday, May 12. But the video was suddenly cut short in a horrifying fashion. In the chilling clip of Nesaku's last moments, a series of loud bangs are heard. The camera moves so quickly in the ten second clip that it is impossible to discern what is happening, but at least five shots are heard before it cuts out. Local media later revealed that the young man had been shot four times, including in the head, in what one outlet described as a 'settling of scores'. The TikToker is seen smoking and looking off screen before we hear a series of gunshots The horrifying livestream captured the moment he was shot Cut video shows Nesaku looking off camera before a series of bangs can be heard. He appears to be following something out of shot before grimacing and trying to get down. At least five loud bangs are heard in clips circulating on social media. Nesaku's family rushed him from his home in the Complexo do Alemao slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to a local hospital. However, medics were unable to save his life and he was pronounced dead in the facility, it was reported by NeedToKnow. Nesaku, whose real name is Romim, is believed to have been killed by hitmen. No official motive has been given for his murder, but local media say it may have been related to drug trafficking and organised crime. As well as his funny content, Nesaku also used social media to flaunt his life of luxury over the social media video platform. His TikTok account did not appear to be active at the time of writing. However, local media say he boasted more than 100,000 followers at the time of his killing. It is not clear how old he was. His killers have not yet been found. The young streamer is seen on camera just moments before his shooting He would be taken to hospital by his family - but sadly medics could not save his life Late last month, renowned Iranian TikToker was shot dead in her car outside her Baghdad home in an apparent assassination. An unidentified assailant swept in and shot popular influencer Om Fahad in her car, captured on nearby CCTV. The attacker, who arrived on a motorbike, appeared to have pretended to be making a food delivery before firing upon Fahad, according to a security official. The online celebrity had become known for light-hearted TikTok videos of herself dancing to Iraqi music wearing tight-fitting clothes. No motive was given for the attack, and police said they would open an investigation into the attack. University in Hong Kong develops AI lecturers including Albert Einstein to revolutionize college classrooms 14:11, May 17, 2024 By Du Qiongfang ( Global Times AI lecturers. Photo: Courtesy of Pan Hui, chair professor of Computational Media and Arts and Director of the Centre for Metaverse and Computational Creativity at the HKUST (Guangzhou) With virtual reality (VR) headsets, students at a Hong Kong university can now have lectures on game theory presented by an AI-generated Albert Einstein facilitated by a project led by a research team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (Guangzhou). The technology is expected to revolutionize college classrooms. Including AI-generated Albert Einstein, mathematician and Nobel Prize laureate John Nash and Professor Pan Hui, the project leads for HKUSTs AI project, a total of 10 AI-generated teachers were designed by tools of artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) to boost students involvement and motives and enrich the teaching forms in classrooms. Apart from the aforementioned avatars which were designed according to real prototypes, all the other seven AI lecturers were designed from sketch based on different origins, cultural backgrounds, character settings, and styles, with customized appearance, voices, and gestures. They can be displayed on either screens or VR headsets. Led by Hui, the chair professor of Computational Media and Arts (CMA) and the Director of the Centre for Metaverse and Computational Creativity at the HKUST (Guangzhou), the research team used multiple AIGC tools including Midjourney, ChatGPT, Bing, as well as the teams self-developed variational 3D full-body generator and a 3D motion generation system to create smoother avatars movements to improve students learning experience through natural expressions and movements. The mass availability of tools such as ChatGPT has sparked optimism about new leaps in teaching and learning, Hui told the Global Times on Thursday, noting that it is a trend that more AI technologies will be integrated into future classroom teaching and students performance assessment. Throughout the semester, the AI lecturers were teaching the course, Social Media for Creatives, which covers a variety of topics including gamification of learning, immersive experiences, and the impact of social media on society. To understand the impact of AI lecturers on teaching effectiveness, students learning motivation, and performance, the team also collected feedback from students after each class. They target to understand how different styles, physical appearances and styles, verbal and non-verbal expression, dimensions (2D/3D), accents, and modes of expression affect the influence of AI lecturers on students in terms of trust, attractiveness, and affinity. The research team, as a next step, will utilize large-scale language models and introduce the responsive AI lecturers to enhance their interactivity, allowing reply to students questions. According to Hui, the AI lecturers will complement to human lecturers in teaching activities to make some boring topics more interesting, allow teachers to cater for individual education needs and consider the differentiations in learning among students, as well as explore creative teaching modes. According to Hui, more than 90 percent of his students reflect their welcome to AI lectures whom they think are more absorbing and creditable. With the introduction of the latest AI chatbot GPT-4o, Hui foreshadowed that AI technologies will bring more revolutions to the teaching and learning practice, as students feedback shows their expectations of 24-hour approachable AI digital teachers via different media channels in their mobile phones and laptops. Besides, Hui said that the digital teachers can perceivably customize teaching for different students based on the students strengths and weakness assessed by the AI algorithm. With AI technology, teachers role will gradually change from a knowledge disseminator into someone like a curator who integrates more elements in teaching activities to train students in critical thinking and creativity, Hui said. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) A distraught dad has made an impassioned plea to the New South Wales Government for help after his 14-year-old son took his own life. Jason Woodhouse wants access to his son Corey's school emails to see if the 14-year-old was bullied into suicide in August 2023. Mr Woodhouse told a Government Cabinet meeting being held in public in Orange, 257km north-west of Sydney ,on Friday that the Department of Education has refused to let him see Corey's emails. He told the Community Cabinet session, which was attended by Premier Chris Minns and Education Minister Prue Car, that he has been in an eight-month battle with the department to get access. Mr Woodhouse said Corey's school-assigned email had been used to set up other accounts, and that he wanted to know what was discussed in the messages. Corey Woodhouse (pictured) took his own life, aged 14, in August 2023. His father wants access to his school emails to see if he was bullied into suicide 'I've asked for a copy of all of those emails and access to the education department email, so I can review what my son was talking about in the 2,300 emails in his education account that reflect Discord (and) Snapchat,' he said. 'The emails are not monitored because they talk about bullying, kill... there are words of kill.' Mr Woodhouse said he had spoken with the school principal, contacted the department and put in a freedom of information request, but still had not been allowed access to the account. 'What is the education department going to do about monitoring all of our children's emails to take the ability away to set up external accounts and take the right of a parent to not monitor their child's online activity?' he asked Ms Car. In a response shown on 7News, the minister said she could not imagine what Mr Woodhouse and his family had been through and apologised for the role the department had played in adding to their trauma. Ms Car said she would look into what happened and that the Education Department secretary would call Mr Woodhouse. 'You have raised a really significant issue, I think that is on the mind of every parent in NSW about the safety of our children online,' she said. 'We need to do better. That particular issue about the monitoring of emails, I need to take that away. Jason Woodhouse (pictured) has been in an eight month battle to get access to his son's emails 'But the issue of safety online for our kids is something that everyone is concerned about, including me.' The minister added: 'It is dangerous, and we have to do everything possible to make sure we are monitoring what happens online, especially in forums that are owned by us through education emails that they're accessing through school.' Lifeline 13 11 14 Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 TV star Paul Hollywood and his wife Melissa have put more than 80,000 of their own cash into trying to save her family's pub which they want to turn into a home. Mrs Hollywood revealed the business's struggles as she was supported by the celebrity baker at a Kent council planning meeting last night. The long-serving landlady of The Chequers Inn near Ashford told councillors her parents have spent even larger sums trying to keep it afloat and said the business was 'dying on its feet'. The Grade II-listed village pub has long been in the hands of Mrs Hollywood's family - who now want to turn it into a house. Her father Glenn Spalding submitted plans earlier this year to convert the property into a single dwelling, sparking a huge outcry from locals. The proposals had been recommended for approval - but on Wednesday evening, the planning committee voted to defer its decision in order for more information to be gathered. Paul Hollywood and his wife Melissa (pictured) have put more than 80,000 of their own cash into trying to save her family's pub, The Chequers Inn Business at The Chequers Inn near Ashford, pictured, was 'dying on its feet' according to Mrs Hollywood Melissa spoke at the packed public meeting, with her husband supporting her from the crowd. She told councillors the business in The Street was no longer viable. 'The Chequers is dying on its feet, and local trade is not enough to support it,' said Mrs Hollywood. 'I have personally given over 40,000 of my personal savings, as has my husband the same and my parents considerably more. 'Mum and Dad are well past retirement age, and they both work seven days a week - still on no salary. 'Mum is in very poor health, which means she can no longer work and has been rushed to the hospital twice this year already.' She said if the plans are approved, the character of The Chequers will remain unchanged. 'My parents are not trying to make money developing the site, just hopefully to make it more attractive to potential buyers and hopefully enjoy a few years of meaningful retirement themselves,' Mrs Hollywood added. But Cllr Kayleigh Brunger-Randell (Con) argued that a possible recent decline in trade shouldn't mean the historic pub should close. She said: 'The Chequers had been a viable local business for 596 years before the applicant began [trying to sell it] in 2020. There's clearly enough local support for the business to continue if allowed to do so.' Cllr Brunger-Randell said Smarden's other pub, The Flying Horse, has complemented The Chequers for more than two centuries years but is not a suitable alternative. She added: 'The Chequers is a major part of the local infrastructure, and with the new Local Plan coming through, we should be building further infrastructure, not destroying it.' Melissa spoke at the packed public meeting, with her husband supporting her from the crowd. She told councillors the business in The Street was no longer viable. Pictured: A room inside the pub One option is for the business to be bought and run by villagers, with the help of government grants. While fundraising has not yet hit 825,000, the Smarden Community Pub group has offered this sum as a potential purchase price for The Chequers. One member, Russ Phipps, 60, told the meeting: 'I first moved to Smarden 47 years ago, and The Chequers has always been a vibrant part of the community. 'All the businesses in our village thrive on each other, and if one were to close forever, it would rip the heart out of our isolated community.' A motion was tabled to refuse the application on the grounds that there are no viable alternative pubs and that The Chequers provided a valued economic boost to surrounding businesses. But the committee deferred its decision because no planning legislation supported this reasoning for rejecting the scheme. MailOnline has contacted Paul Hollywood's representatives for a comment. Once worth over $30 billion, his house of cards crashed down in March 2021 A billionaire Wall Street financier who notoriously lost tens of billions in a matter of days has returned to court for his blockbuster fraud trial. Sung Kook 'Bill' Hwang, 60, the founder of Archegos Capital Management, is alleged to have triggered over $100 billion in shareholder losses when his family office fund failed to meet margin calls in March 2021. He was arrested in April 2022 and charged with fraud, racketeering and conspiracy, as prosecutors claim he carried out a scheme to defraud investors by lying about his firm's portfolio, which at one point stood at over $100 billion. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 380 years behind bars, in what would amount to one of the largest frauds in US history. At the start of his trial this week, the court heard from a bank manager who testified about Archegos' attempts to offload hundreds of millions of dollars in a fire sale as Hwang's house of cards began to fall. Sung Kook 'Bill' Hwang, the founder of Archegos Capital Management, pictured arriving at Manhattan Criminal Court this week, where he is facing charges of fraud, racketeering and conspiracy Hwang's family office Archegos Capital Management once had upwards of $100 billion under management, before it defaulted on its loans and lost billions for investors in March 2021 The son of a Christian pastor, Hwang was born in Korea before emigrating to the US in 1982. His early career was at Tiger Management, and after he founded a spinoff fund, Tiger Asia Management, the company was charged with insider trading. Tiger Asia pleaded guilty to criminal wire fraud and agreed to pay $60 million, but Hwang settled without admitting guilt. Hwang set up his family office in 2013 to manage hundreds of millions of dollars that he made at his former hedge funds, and reportedly caught the eye of regulators after he rapidly built his wealth to over $30 billion. He was also known to fly under the radar and lived modestly in New Jersey with his wife, while running bible reading sessions with the local community and eschewing his billionaire status. He made large investments in major companies including Discovery Inc. and ViacomCBS Inc., with much of its holdings slipping under the radar as family offices are not subjected to the same regulatory scrutiny as regular hedge funds. Alongside his allegedly fraudulent funds, Hwang also ran the Grace and Mercy Foundation for his philanthropic efforts to 'support the poor and oppressed', and at the end of 2022 Bloomberg reported it had $528 million in assets. At the beginning of his trial this week, prosecutors sought to exclude Hwang's 'prior good acts' from evidence presented to jurors about his character. Hwang, pictured in 2013 the same year he opened his family office, took heavy losses within a matter of days in March 2021 that led several banks to lose billions Despite his billions, Hwang flew under the radar and lived in a modest home in New Jersey (pictured) with his wife, where he was known to regularly conduct bible reading sessions with the neighborhood Hwang, pictured arriving at court on Thursday, was once worth over $30 billion, but prosecutors say he was able to conceal much of his wealth through a lack of regulation on family offices Patrick Halligan, the former Chief Financial Officer of Archegos, is also facing charges alongside Hwang for his alleged role in the collapse With over $100 billion in assets under management at its peak, Hwang's firm took a heavy loss when Viacom CBS announced a $3 billion secondary stock offering in March 2021, which triggered a 10 percent share price drop. Alongside new regulations introduced by the SEC at the time that hurt his holdings in China, Archegos suddenly faced a slew of margin calls as its collateral fell too low. According to prosecutors, Hwang made a desperate attempt to meet demands by withdrawing cash and rapidly trading to prop up the value of his holdings. Jennifer Miranda, a managing director in the risk management group at Jefferies Financial Group, testified on Wednesday over a March 2021 call she received from Archegos' head of risk management, Scott Becker, as the fund made these withdrawals. She said Becker called her to urgently withdraw roughly $415 million, and said there 'seemed to be an urgency about the call.' 'What's the emergency? Why?' she recalled on the stand, reports Bloomberg. While Miranda was confused at the time, she was allegedly being called as part of an urgent effort from Archegos to trade and move money around to meet a wave of margin calls from banks. Within two days, Archegos missed these margin calls, leading to a staggering loss of over $10 billion from its banking partners, including Jefferies, Morgan Stanley and Nomura Holdings Inc. The fallout notably cost Credit Suisse over $5.5 billion alone. If convicted, Hwang (pictured with his family earlier in his career) faces a maximum of 380 years behind bars, in what would amount to one of the largest frauds in US history Hwang set up his family office in 2013 after making hundreds of millions at a former hedge fund, and reportedly caught the eye of regulators after he rapidly built his wealth to over $30 billion Becker has already pleaded guilty in the case, and is set to testify as soon as next week over his role in the alleged scheme. Miranda testified that despite the apparent rush to withdraw funds, Becker told her that the firm was not having any money issues, and was holding around $7 billion at the time. Based on conversations with Becker, Miranda said that her bank allowed Archegos to withdraw $240 million - without knowing that Archegos was struggling to make ends meet with other banks. She said that Jefferies went on to take a $40 million hit when it was forced to liquidate its Archegos positions. This was reportedly presented by prosecutors to allege a pattern of lying to investors about Archegos' financial security, which also included previous testimony from a former UBS risk manager. In that instance, former UBS manager Bryan Fairbanks testified that Archegos was able to increase its exposure from $8 billion to $10 billion by claiming that it had up to 40 percent of its equity in free available cash. He said that further claims that Archegos could liquidate its investments within a matter of days 'gave us some comfort.' When the margin calls were missed and Archegos defaulted on its loans, UBS went on to lose a total of $774 million. In total, jurors are expected to hear testimony from 11 bank representatives who facilitated Archegos' attempts to make the margin calls, which prosecutors argue was central to the scheme of propping up his firm's value. Because Archegos was a family office instead of a full-fledged hedge fund, it was not subjected to the same levels of regulation and scrutiny as a hedge fund, which prosecutors said allowed Hwang to use return swaps. By using return swaps, Archegos was able to conceal the true risk of their huge portfolio, while raking in huge credit exposure from banks that allowed it to make high-risk trades. Despite being worth upwards of $30 billion at his peak, Hwang was not as well-known as other Wall Street whales with similar fortunes because of this tactic. He was also known not to make a show of his fortune, and lives in a modest home in New Jersey while routinely showing up at his local church. A six-year-old British girl was pulled from a hotel pool in Tenerife, Spain 50 minutes after a lifeguard had clocked off, according to reports. Local police have launched an investigation into the incident at Granada Park Aparthotel last week. The horror unfolded on May 9 at around 6.50pm in Los Cristianos, on the southwest coast of Tenerife. Investigators are now working to establish where the young girl's parents were at the time, and why there was no lifeguard present at the pool, local reports said. Emergency services received a call requesting medical assistance for the girl who had been rescued from the pool by several other guests and staff. The incident occurred on May 9 at around 6.50pm at the Granada Park Aparthotel pool in Los Cristianos (pictured), on the southwest coast of Tenerife According to Canarian Weekly, the girl was conscious and very scared when a nearby police unit arrived at the scene. The girl appeared to be drowning when rescuers stepped in to pull her from the pool. The rescuers are reported to have performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the girl as soon as she was pulled from the water. Police said that 'within moments', two motorcyclists and two patrol vehicles arrived at the scene, along with a doctor and a first aider. Ambulances then took the girl to a nearby medical centre. There, she was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, which is caused by someone inhaling liquid into their respiratory tract of lungs. Hospital staff were able to stabilise her, but due to the severity of her condition, she has since been transferred to a paediatric emergency department at a university hospital. Her current condition is unknown. This is a breaking news story. More to follow... Iranian man, 46, could not be deported to his country of origin A former immigration detainee will sue the Commonwealth for false imprisonment after being released from detention following a landmark High Court ruling. The Iranian man, 46, had been jailed and held for 18 months in detention because he could not be deported to his country of origin after time served in prison. A writ was lodged in the West Australian Supreme Court just days after the federal budget was handed down, in which the government allocated $5.6million to cover legal costs that arose from the High Court decision. Solicitor general Stephen Donaghue said if indefinite detention was ruled unlawful then lawsuits from detainees would be inevitable. A former immigration detainee will sue the Commonwealth for false imprisonment (pictured, Villawood Immigration Detention Centre) The issue has become a burden for the federal government, which has faced increased scrutiny after one of the detainees released after the High Court ruling was involved in a violent home invasion. Kuwaiti-born Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, 43, was recently charged for his alleged involvement in the brutal bashing and burglary of an elderly couple in Perth, Ninette and Philip Simons. Mr Jamshidi Doukoshkan has been remanded in custody to face court again in June for a string of offences resulting from the incident. The 43-year-old, was also accused of breaching his curfew - one of the strict visa conditions placed on the cohort, was not wearing an ankle monitor at the time. Cambridge students dressed in full academic regalia and keffiyehs headed to their graduation ceremonies at 'secret venues' today after pro-Palestine protesters tried to stall them. Protesters pitched tents on a lawn outside of Senate House on Wednesday in an attempt to disrupt graduation ceremonies due to take place there today and tomorrow. Cambridge University announced on Friday that it had taken the 'very difficult decision' to hold the events at an undisclosed 'alternative location'. Nevertheless pictures from today show students gathering together in full academic dress as they walked to Downing College where it is believed the ceremonies were held. Other photos show elated students posing for pictures outside Senate House - where graduation ceremonies have taken place since the 18th century. A student wearing her gowns with a keffiyeh as she headed to her Cambridge graduation ceremony Cambridge University students walk past pro Palestine protesters outside King's College on May 17 Cambridge University students head to their graduation ceremony at Downing College after the Senate House was occupied by Pro Palestine protesters Students have pictures taken outside the Senate House in Cambridge Staff clean up the mess left behind by pro-Palestine protesters in Cambridge It comes as the pro-Palestine encampment was moved off the lawn at Senate House in the early hours of this morning with staff being left to clean up the mess left behind. Pictures show university employees with rubbish bags removing Palestinian flags and writing from the walls of buildings. Palestine flags were draped from the Grade II-listed urn in the centre of the lawn, and a white sheet was fixed below it with 'welcome to liberated zone' written on it. A banner was also 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. A Cambridge University spokesperson said yesterday: '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.' A member of staff removes a pro-Palestine flag from an urn in the centre of Senate House The group were removed from Senate House grounds in the early hours of May 17 Pictures show university employees with rubbish bags removing Palestinian flags and writing from the walls of buildings Palestine flags were draped from the Grade II-listed urn in the centre of the lawn, and a white sheet was fixed below it with 'welcome to liberated zone' written on it Staff remove writing on the walls of Senate House in Cambridge A banner was also 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 encampment at Cambridge University first appeared outside King's College at the start of last week. They previously threatened to halt or disrupt graduations as a 'last resort' if the university did not meet their list of demands. 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. In a statement shared on social media the protesters 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. Cambridge University students head to their graduation ceremony at Downing College after the Senate House was occupied by pro-Palestine protesters Students have pictures taken outside the Senate House in Cambridge Cambridge University students head to their graduation ceremony at Downing College after the Senate House was occupied Cambridge University students walk past pro-Palestine protesters Pictures from today show students gathering together in full academic dress as they walked to Downing College where it is believed that the ceremonies took place. The encampment at Cambridge University first appeared outside King's College at the start of last week Protesters previously threatened to disrupt graduation ceremonies if their needs were not met Cambridge University students head to their graduation ceremony at Downing College after the Senate House was occupied by pro- Palestine protesters 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 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.' 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. MailOnline has contacted Cambridge University for further comment. The friends of a 'supremely popular' British holidaymaker found dead in his Thailand hotel room are trying to raise 10,000 to bring his body home. Simon Brown, 47 - known affectionately as Browny - loved visiting Thailand and travelling abroad. His death has been met with 'total shock and sadness' in his community back home in Wales. Simon's friend Mark Davies said the news of his death was 'so unexpected' as 'he wasn't ill.' Mark added: 'There was nothing wrong with him. Everyone knew him. He was a crazy bloke - really outgoing and always up for a laugh. Simon Brown, 47 - known affectionately as Browny - loved visiting Thailand and travelling abroad Simon was found dead in his hotel room in Thailand and his friends are trying to raise money to bring his body home 'He was a really hard worker as a machine operator and when he wasn't working he was always on holiday. In particular he loved going to Thailand. 'We don't know anything at the moment as to the circumstances around it. It only happened on Saturday so we know very little.' Simon's family and friends have made a plea for help to bring him back home to Trallwn, Swansea, South Wales, which they say is going to be a 'costly process.' On a fundraising page for Simon, described as 'supremely popular', his loved ones are trying to raise 10,000 to help bring him home. 'We are asking all those who knew and loved Browny to help us bring him back home,' they said. 'As a family, we are now trying to bring Simon back home so that we can lay him to rest at his home at Swansea. 'Thanks to all those who have reached out and sent messages of condolence, and we appreciate any help you can give.' So far, over 2,000 has been raised out of the 10,000 target. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been contacted for comment. An aide to former federal MP Craig Kelly has been spared jail time despite cynically abusing his power to inappropriately touch much younger women. Frank Zumbo still holds onto a 'delusional' belief the women were out to get him for political reasons when they ended his pattern of criminal behaviour, a court was told. He pressured the young women, who were looking to further their careers, into 'kisses and cuddles', exposing himself to one of them as well as having a 'rule' about when they could communicate with each other. He was convicted in February of indecent assaults at various locations across Sydney from 2014 to 2018. An aide to former federal MP Craig Kelly has been spared jail time despite cynically abusing his power to inappropriately touch much younger women (pictured, Frank Zumbo) Frank Zumbo (pictured) still holds onto a 'delusional' belief the women were out to get him for political reasons when they ended his pattern of criminal behaviour, a court was told There was a clear power imbalance between Zumbo and the young women, Magistrate Gareth Christofi said during his sentencing at Downing Centre Local Court on Friday. 'This was not an isolated lapse in judgment, it was a pattern of ongoing criminal conduct,' the magistrate said. Mr Christofi sentenced Zumbo to a two-year intensive corrections order, allowing him to avoid jail to complete 300 hours of community service. The four women were aged between 19 and 24 at the time of the offending, while Zumbo was more than twice their ages. As an aide to Mr Kelly, who was the then-Liberal MP for the southern Sydney seat of Hughes, Zumbo was responsible for hiring staff to work in his electoral office. He was the most senior person in the office when Mr Kelly was absent. The young women shared their experiences with the court of being invited to work in the office after expressing an interest in politics. Zumbo would touch them inappropriately, asking highly personal questions and becoming upset when they would not respond to his messages and phone calls. 'He also had a rule,' Mr Christofi said. '(The women) could not communicate with each other outside the office in his absence.' He deliberately manipulated the young women, took advantage of their vulnerability and did so for his own sexual gratification in what the magistrate described as a cynical abuse of power. Zumbo exposed his penis to one of the women, while other assaults involved inappropriate touching on the outside of clothing for short periods. Zumbo (pictured in February) was sentenced to a two-year intensive corrections order, allowing him to avoid jail to complete 300 hours of community service Zumbo was chief of staff to One Nation's Craig Kelly (pictured) The magistrate noted the context of the offending was important and Zumbo's abuse of power was of significant community concern. The offending had inflicted deep and enduring damage on the women, Mr Christofi noted. 'While the various acts constituted criminal offences, it was the breach in trust that this entailed that had the biggest impact and caused the most harm,' he said. The court was told Zumbo attempted to minimise his conduct by attributing it to his 'Italian culture' and has shown no contrition or remorse. He denies the crimes and told the author of his sentencing assessment report the women were out to get him for political reasons. 'Such a belief is delusional,' Mr Christofi said. Zumbo did not comment as he walked out of court. The two-year sentence is the maximum available in the local court and for an intensive correction order, a form of custodial sentence that comes with mandatory supervision but is served in the community. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Brits are set for much-needed relief with energy bills projected to fall by another 7 per cent in July. Estimates by Cornwall Insight suggest that the cap will drop to give a typical dual-fuel bill of 1,574, rather than the 1,690 currently. That would mean that the Ofgem price cap has plummeted by 25 per cent over the past year - although there are concerns there could be an uptick in October. The prediction comes as Jeremy Hunt hailed the UK 'turning a corner', with big banks starting to trim mortgage rates. Dr Craig Lowrey, Principal Consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: 'Our projections suggest that from July, the average annual bill will fall by around 500 compared to last summer, offering further relief given the quarter-on-quarter drop seen in April. Your browser does not support iframes. 'Of course, we must recognise lower prices don't erase all the problems. The very fact we are still seeing bill levels which are hundreds of pounds above pre-crisis levels underscores the ongoing challenges faced by households. 'While the cap is certainly not the ticket back to long-term energy bill affordability, Ofgem's review could pave the way for fairer, more efficient energy bills. However, given the breadth of reforms being considered by the regulator, it is worth remembering that such changes will inevitably lead to trade-offs.' Richard Neudegg, director of regulation at Uswitch.com, said the projection was 'clearly good news'. 'The future still remains uncertain, and with the price cap changing every three months currently expected to rise in October before falling slightly in January it's crucial not to be complacent,' he said. 'Households who want to lock in rates for price certainty should run a comparison to see what energy tariffs are available to them. 'There are many 12-month fixed tariffs available at rates cheaper than the current price cap, and even some that are 2% below these new predicted July rates.' Meanwhile, HSBC, Barclays and TSB have all declared they are trimming the cost of home loans, amid growing optimism that the Bank of England will start lowering the base rate soon. Giving a speech in Westminster this morning, Mr Hunt suggested that Britain's worst economic woes were now in the rear view mirror. 'The truth is that I do think we have turned a corner,' he said. Mr Hunt cautioned that would take time for that 'to feed through to how people feel'. But he suggested the government wants to cut taxes again before an election, seen as most likely in the Spring. This is the wonderful moment an 11-year-old girl's siblings found out she was free from stage four ovarian cancer. 'I'm coming home tonight,' Tirion told them over the phone, on a call made from her hospital bed to her family's home in the Sutherland Shire, in Sydney's south. 'Is the cancer all gone?' one of her brothers asked. 'Yeah,' Tirion replied, which was met with loud cheers from the siblings gathered around a mobile placed on a table on speaker phone. Their ecstatic relief came after she fought the deadly disease for almost six months. 'I'm coming home tonight,' Tirion told her siblings (pictured) over the phone, on a call made from her hospital bed to her family's home in the Sutherland Shire, in Sydney's south The siblings of 11-year-old Tirion have shared the incredible moment they found out she was free from stage four ovarian cancer. Tirion (left) is pictured with her best friend Chloe Tirion and her best friend Chloe previously made headlines when Chloe shaved off her hair in solidarity and to raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. 'The first thing I said to myself was "I don't think I'll meet many friends like Chloe in my lifetime", and I was very proud of her,' Tirion told 2GB's Ben Fordham earlier in May. 'It means the world to me, if there's anything I could say to her, it's on bad days... (she) makes them feel way better.' The fundraiser has already raised more than $200,000. Speaking to Fordham again on Friday morning, Tirion said Chloe was 'speechless' when she told her she was now free of cancer. 'I was very excited, extremely happy of course, and pretty much relieved,' Tirion said of the amazing news. Her mum, Virginia, said the oncologist said there was no sign of cancer activity anywhere in her daughter's body. 'Officially the cancer is all clear,' she said. Tirion has been left with a slight lung infection, but this is a fairly common side-effect of chemotherapy on children. When she was told she was cancer-free, Tirion lit up with 'the biggest smile that we've ever seen', her mother said. Britain today unveiled fresh sanctions targeting Russia and North Korea's 'arms-for-oil' trade in an attempt to cut the supply of weapons to Kremlin forces in Ukraine. Lord Cameron announced a allied package targeting three companies and one individual, with the aim of closing down attempts to by Moscow and Pyongyang to circumvent sanctions on petroleum products. The Foreign Secretary said the illegal programme was helping facilitate the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) military programmes. It comes amid an increasingly fraught diplomatic war between the UK and Russia which has seen both expel defence staff. Lord Cameron said: 'Putin is straining every sinew to sustain his illegal war in Ukraine, even resorting to illicit ''arms-for-oil'' trade deals with the DPRK, blatantly violating UN sanctions that Russia itself voted for, and vetoing UN monitoring panels that report on their activity. 'We cannot - and we will not - stay silent as the DPRK and Russia engage in arms transfers. The UK will continue to hold the DPRK and Russia to account. We will work with our partners to protect the global non-proliferation regime and international peace and security.' Lord Cameron announced a allied package targeting three companies and one individual, with the aim of closing down attempts to by Moscow and Pyongyang to circumvent sanctions on petroleum products. Lord Cameron said: ' Putin is straining every sinew to sustain his illegal war in Ukraine, even resorting to illicit ''arms-for-oil'' trade deals with the DPRK, blatantly violating UN sanctions that Russia itself voted for, and vetoing UN monitoring panels that report on their activity. The sanctions, which are being mirrored by the UK's allies, come amid a surge of activity between the two nations. Russia has increased contact with North Korea as a means of increasing its weapons supplies after western nations began imposing sanctions when the Ukraine war began. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has recently warned that China and Iran could also be working more closely with Russia. The latest package of sanctions includes North Korean company Paekyangsan Shipping, which operates a ship involved in transferring petroleum products between Russia and the DPRK. Toplivo Bunkering Company and company director Aleksey Mikhailovich Vorotnikov are sanctioned for allowing vessels involved in the trade to bunker in the Russian port of Vostochny. Vostochnaya Stevedoring, operating from the port of Vostochny, will also face sanctions. All will face an asset freeze in the UK, while Mr Vorotnikov will be banned from travelling to Britain. The US has already announced a similar ban and other allies are expected to follow suit shortly. It came after Russia's expulsion of a British diplomat was branded 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 ministry's Telegram channel. The move was a tit-for-tat response after the UK ordered Russia's defence attache in London to leave, claiming he was a spy. Mr Shapps said: 'Russia's expulsion of the UK's defence attache (DA) is 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 in the face of his illegal and barbaric invasion.' The Kremlin's move follows the expulsion on May 8 of Russia's defence attache in London, Colonel Maxim Elovik, on the grounds that he was an 'undeclared military intelligence officer'. In its Telegram post, Russia's foreign ministry said it had summoned an official from the British Embassy to protest over Col Elovik's 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 Putin's 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. The wife of German Khan used funds to pay for private doctors and school fees Vladimir Putin and his cronies are weaponising Britains taxpayer-funded courts and civil service to pursue and intimidate opponents, campaigners have warned. Russians sanctioned following the invasion of Ukraine are still allowed to settle legal scores in the High Court - with fears that multi-million-pound payouts awarded by judges could be used to bankroll the Kremlins war machine. The Treasury is even allowing sanctioned Russians to pay their 1,500-per-hour lawyers using frozen funds. And despite the Governments tough talk on sanctions, since the war began it has recruited an extra 100 civil servants to rubber stamp legal licences for rogue Russians looking to spend their seized millions. It came as Kremlin critic Bill Browder this week urged MPs to introduce a law that would allow millions of pounds worth of frozen Russian assets to be confiscated and put towards Ukraines war effort instead of the UK-taxpayer footing the bill. Russian oligarch and bank founder Boris Mints says that Putin is using Britain's legal system to pursue and intimidate opponents Mr Mints and his three sons are being sued for fraud by PJSC National Bank Trust, which the High Court ruled is controlled by Putin, and was sanctioned four days after he invaded Ukraine Despite talking tough on sanctions, the Government has taken on an extra 100 civil servants to process legal licences for Russians looking to spend millions in Britain Should Vladimir Putins legal rights to his money be more important than the taxpayer of this countrys rights? I dont think so, and I dont think any of you would find any objection in any of your constituencies if you went and had that conversation, Mr Browder told MPs. Experts last night warned that Kremlin-controlled companies and oligarchs are being allowed to litigate at leisure in Britains courts at the expense of the taxpayer. One family being sued for 670million in the High Court by a blacklisted Russian bank claimed Putin is using respected British institutions to punish and intimate dissidents. Boris Mints told the Mail: Putins Russia actively uses British system of justice to pursue and intimidate its opponents. Thieves and corrupt officials for years have used the British system of justice to sue and put pressure on people who prior to those cases had impeccable reputation in Russia and abroad. [I am a] UK taxpayer and I believe that such expenses are not justified. Mr Mints and his three sons are being sued for fraud by PJSC National Bank Trust, which the High Court ruled is controlled by Putin, and PJSC Bank Okritie, which was sanctioned four days after he invaded Ukraine. The Mints family deny the allegations and claim the case is politically motivated after they were forced to leave Russia in 2018. They have never returned and successfully fought off an Interpol request from Russia in 2020 to have them extradited. Despite the unscrupulous backgrounds of both Russian banks, they are still able to pursue the Mints family for 670million ($850m) in the British courts and use their frozen funds to pay top KCs with direct permission from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of The Treasury. Sanctioned parties can apply to OFSI for a licence to dip into their bank accounts to pay for anything from legal costs to utility bills and even private school fees. In the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine, OFSI was so overwhelmed with licence applications that the number of civil servants working in the department ballooned from 40 in 2021 to more than 140 by May 2023. Since October 2022, OFSI civil servants have green-lighted at least 10million of sanctioned Russian and Belarusian cash to be paid out in legal fees to the British lawyers representing them, the Mail can reveal. The true figure is likely to be much higher as any fees amounting to more than 500,000 require a separate specific licence, which OFSI granted 164 of last year. In one case, the wife of Russian billionaire German Khan received 18 specific licences to pay for her childrens private school fees, international flights, staff salaries, and private doctors, a court heard. Anzhelika Khan, a mother of four whose husband is a close associate of Putin, is suing the British Government for sanctioning her and freezing the familys cash. The wife of Russian billionaire and close Putin associate German Khan received 18 specific licences to pay for several large expenses Mother-of-four Anzhelika Khan received licences to pay for private school fees for her children, private doctors, international flights and staff salaries, a court heard. She is suing the British Government for sanctioning her and freezing her family's funds Lawyers for Mrs Khan, who lives in a large house in Chelsea, say she has been left unable to do the grocery shopping to feed her family and has had to cancel her private healthcare and use the NHS. Dr Helen Taylor, senior legal researcher at Spotlight on Corruption, said: Russian clients have long been a lucrative source of money for London lawyers, but its surprising that Kremlin-controlled companies and oligarchs remain prolific litigants in our overstretched courts. While those subject to tough sanctions must be able to challenge these measures and defend themselves in court, they shouldnt be allowed to litigate at leisure using frozen funds. The Government must introduce stronger safeguards to ensure our taxpayer-funded court system doesnt entertain commercial lawsuits that ultimately service Russian interests. With other sectors closed to Russian business, theres a real risk that those subject to sanctions decide to invest in the prospect of a high-value award that comes with the coveted seal of the English courts. HM Treasury said: The law requires OFSIs decision-making to carefully balance the fundamental right to legal representation and the aim of the sanctions regime. A quarter of fees paid under the General Licence were incurred before sanctions were applied. A large part of the remainder will have been to allow sanctioned persons to challenge the restrictions placed on them. To deny people lawyers in such cases would arguably be more suited to Russia than the UK. National Bank Trust and Bank Okritie were approached for comment. Hunter Biden and his bride Melissa Cohen brushed off the scandal surrounding his looming federal trial to enjoy a romantic date night in L.A. on Thursday. The couple stepped out hand in hand following an intimate dinner celebrity hotspot Giorgio Baldi. Their appearance comes just weeks before Hunter is due to stand trial in a federal gun case and separately on tax charges. Melissa flashed her legs in a satin red mini skirt, with fitted leather top and knee high boots. She topped off her look with a matching leather jacket and dazzling statement earrings peaking out from her long blonde locks. Melissa Cohen Biden gazed longingly at husband Hunter during an Los Angeles date night The couple stepped out hand in hand following an intimate dinner at Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi Their appearance comes just weeks before Hunter is due to stand trial in a federal gun case The couple dined at celebrity hotspot Giorgio Baldi (pictured) which has been frequented by stars including Rihanna, Beyonce and Taylor Swift Hunter opted for a crushed velvet blazer on top of a simple white shirt and jeans. They had just been dining at the Santa Monica eatery, which serves $53 steak and is said to be Rihanna's favorite Italian restaurant. The family-run establishment has also been frequented by the likes of Beyonce and Jay-Z, Jeff Bezos, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. The couple appeared happy and relaxed as they strolled together, despite Hunter's latest attempt to have the charges dropped blocked. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika refused to throw out a federal gun case against Hunter Biden, clearing the way for a June 3 jury trial. Noreika rejected the president's son's latest attempt to scrap the case, which will set up a spectacle as his father's re-election bid intensifies. The president's son, 54, has pleaded not guilty to three felony charges related to him lying about his drug use when purchasing a gun in 2018. He faces up to 25 years in prison if he is convicted after the trial that could last up to nine days. Melissa donned a satin red mini skirt, with fitted leather top and knee high boots for the occasion on Thursday night The president's son has acknowledged struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine during that period in 2018, but his lawyers have said he didn't break the law Hunter faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted on the gun charges A picture from Hunter Biden's laptop showed the now 53-year-old first son posing nude with a firearm Hunter's lawyers have argued the case was politically motivated and asserted that an immunity provision from an original plea deal that fell apart still holds. The First Son has admitted to struggling with an addiction to crack cocaine during that period in 2018, but his lawyers have said he didn't break the law. The investigation had looked ready to wrap up with a plea deal last year, but the agreement imploded after a judge raised questions about it. Under the deal, he would have gotten a plea deal in which he would have gotten two years probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. He also would have avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble. He was subsequently indicted. Hunter's efforts to scuttle the other criminal case he faces in California involving tax allegations have also failed. The separate trial brought by Special Counsel David Weiss on nine tax charges is set for June 20. Keir Starmer is facing a revolt from unions over his 'irresponsible' plans for a ban on new North Sea oil and gas licences. Unite has launched a campaign to kill off the policy, warning that workers must not be 'sacrificed on the altar of Net Zero'. The oil and gas sector is worth 20billion a year to the UK economy and supports 200,000 jobs, including 90,000 in Scotland, across the supply chain. Currently the industry provides about half the UK's fossil fuel needs, with three-quarters of domestic energy dependent on oil and gas. But Labour has said it would scrap investment relief in the windfall tax on North Sea producers and halt new oil and gas licences as part of the switch to cleaner energy. Keir Starmer is facing a revolt from unions over his 'irresponsible' plans for a ban on new North Sea oil and gas licences The oil and gas sector is worth 20billion a year to the UK economy and supports 200,000 jobs, including 90,000 in Scotland, across the supply chain (file picture) Unite has launched a campaign with the slogan 'No Ban Without A Plan', and general secretary Sharon Graham (pictured) warned that Labour 'needs to pull back from this irresponsible policy' In contrast, Rishi 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'. Unite has launched a campaign with the slogan 'No Ban Without A Plan', and general secretary Sharon Graham warned that Labour 'needs to pull back from this irresponsible policy'. 'There is clearly no viable plan for the replacement of North Sea jobs or energy security,' she said. 'We should not be letting go of one rope until we have hold of another. These types of transitions must have workers at the heart. 'Unite will not stand by and let workers be thrown on the scrapheap. North Sea workers cannot be sacrificed on the altar of Net Zero.' Ms Graham said the industry's workers were 'at risk of becoming the coal miners of our generation'. Southern California's 'last affordable' region has seen a huge population boom as coastal renters flock to snap up cheap homes. New data revealed that the Inland Empire region of California is thriving, with Riverside and San Bernardino counties collectively adding more than 22,000 people in just last year. This trend is driven partly by coastal renters moving inland to purchase more affordable homes, as reported by SFGate. Last week, the California Department of Finance published its annual report on population and housing estimates. Menifee, located in Riverside County, emerged as one of the state's top population growth centers, adding over 2,000 residents in the past year. New data has revealed that the Inland Empire region of California is thriving, with Riverside and San Bernardino counties collectively adding more than 22,000 people in just last year This surge in population has attracted significant interest from real estate investors, causing fluctuations in median home prices across the region Victorville in San Bernardino County also saw substantial growth, pushing its population to nearly 140,000, surpassing cities like Santa Clara and Berkeley, and approaching the sizes of Pasadena and Orange. The report does not specify the origins of these new residents and whether they moved from other parts of California or from out of state. Nevertheless, these counties now boast 14 cities with populations exceeding 100,000. This surge in population has attracted significant interest from real estate investors, causing fluctuations in median home prices across the region. The average home price in Inland Empire fell 2.5 percent between February 2023 and 2024 to $535,000 - compared to a steep $1.2 million in Los Angeles. The report also highlights growth in other areas of the state. Imperial County, on the southern border between San Diego and Arizona, saw several cities rank in the top 20 for population growth by percentage. The San Joaquin Valley also experienced a significant increase, with Bakersfield emerging as a key area for new housing. California grew by some 67,000 people last year, and the crowds are out at Hollywood Boulevard, in Los Angeles Menifee, located in Riverside County, emerged as one of the state's top population growth centers, adding over 2,000 residents in the past year (Pictured: Downtown Riverside skyline aerial view) This trend, is driven partly by coastal renters moving inland to purchase more affordable homes Victorville in San Bernardino County also saw substantial growth, pushing its population to nearly 140,000, surpassing cities like Santa Clara and Berkeley, and approaching the sizes of Pasadena and Orange. (Pictured: San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside) Joshua Tree National Park is located in the Inland Empire, which is made up of San Bernardino and Riverside counties in Southern California The area has attracted residents from Orange County, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. Statewide, California's population grew by 67,000, which challenges the persistent narrative of a 'California exodus.' The estimate from the state Department of Finance was revealed earlier this month, showing the state's first gain since 2019. California has in recent years been dogged by rampant homelessness, drug addiction, and eye-watering living costs that has forced residents out in droves to Arizona, Texas and further afield. But it now appears that the Golden State may be bouncing back. This ends a population decline that's dogged Gov. Gavin Newsom widely seen as a future Democratic presidential candidate through much of his tenure. House for sale in Rancho Cucamonga, CA for $650,0009 A home in Alta Vista Dr, Riverside, going for $499,999 A home in Edgewood Pl, Riverside, is on the market for $677,777 The small increase represents only a growth rate of 0.17 percent. But officials say it signals a return to steady population growth after years of Covid-19 disruption. Newsom took a victory lap after the news was released. 'People from across the nation and the globe are coming to the Golden State to pursue the California Dream,' he said. On the West Coast, they 'can experience the success of the world's 5th largest economy,' he added. The population gain is attributed to more people immigrating to California from overseas. Also, fewer people are dying from the coronavirus pandemic, and fewer are leaving California for cheaper living elsewhere. This surge in population has attracted significant interest from real estate investors, causing fluctuations in median home prices across the region. Home construction has picked up in California, but costs remain well above the national average California grew by some 67,000 people last year, its first gain since 2019 More people means more homeless: California has the worst levels of unhoused people in any US state Legal immigration to California from other countries slumped in the pandemic amid tighter rules under then-president Donald Trump. It bounced back in 2023 with a net gain of 114,200 people, to nearly pre-pandemic levels. State officials called it a 'stable foundation for continued growth.' But that growth will likely be a lot smaller than in decades past, said Eric McGhee, an expert at the Public Policy Institute of California. 'It's going to be better for the state in terms of its total population,' McGhee said. But California is still set to lose 'more congressional districts in the 2030 census,' he added. More people still left California for other states in 2023 than moved to California from other states, but it was far less than previous years. Democratic Gov Gavin Newsom says people are returning for the 'California Dream' James Gallagher, the state assembly Republican leader, says Newsom should quit 'bragging' In 2021 when coronavirus cases were still surging and more people were working remotely California lost a net 355,648 people through domestic migration. Last year, that was down to 91,189, closer to pre-pandemic levels. Still, Newsom's critics say California is not out of the woods yet. The state continued to suffer from high living costs, uncertain power supply, a housing and homelessness crisis, and widespread concerns about crime. The return to population growth does not appear to be a revival of the state's stunning growth streak in the 19th and 20th centuries. 'The governor bragging about that is sort of like the guy who lost thousands of dollars at the casino last night bragging about being up 20 bucks at the blackjack table,' quipped James Gallagher, the Republican leader in the state Assembly. Robbers have shot a man and a driver has opened fire on a car full of people in separate incidents within minutes of each other south of Brisbane. The shootings happened barely half an hour apart in neighbouring suburbs in Logan on Thursday night, with a man being rushed to hospital with a gunshot wound to the neck. Police said five people - including three teenagers - were in a car that was shot at in Logan Reserve. Detective Senior Sergeant Nicola Brown said an altercation occurred at about 7pm after another motorist drove erratically before pulling a gun on the carload of people. 'That driving behaviour escalated into an incident whereby an unknown male driving a silver Mitsubishi Lancer has fired a shot into the window of the victim's vehicle,' she told reporters on Friday. Robbers have shot a man and a driver has opened fire on a car full of people in separate incidents within minutes of each other south of Brisbane (pictured, the scene of the robbery) Five people - including three teens - were in a car (pictured) that was shot at in Logan Reserve No one was injured. About 40 minutes later, police said a 23-year-old man was shot in the neck after a group of people staged a violent robbery in the Logan area. The group went to a Park Ridge property with a firearm and demanded property from the occupant, police said. He was taken to hospital, where he remains in a stable condition, with non-life-threatening injuries. The group left with a small number of items, Det Sen Sgt Brown said, 'however, I think they didn't get away with what they intended to go for as a result of that shot being fired'. Police did not yet have suspects or a motive for the robbery, she said. Anyone with information about either incident is urged to contact police. 'Having unlawful firearms in suburbia is just not tolerated,' Det Sen Sgt Brown said. Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is 'racist,' one black Democrat member who was attacked by the Georgia Republican accused. The jab comes after a particularly testy House meeting Thursday evening, as lawmakers were rumored to have been boozing before and during the long session. Greene ridiculed Texas Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett's appearance during the hearing to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. 'I don't think you know what we're here for,' Greene said at the hearing before turning her sights on Crocketts' appearance. 'I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you're reading.' 'She's racist,' Crockett fired back about Greene Friday morning. 'That is them attacking me, really as a black woman and all they're trying to do is be like racists. That's it. That's that's all it is, is racism.' Crockett even suggested that Greene's racism is 'absolutely' indicative of where the GOP stands and that Greene might raise money off of her attacks on her appearance. 'She probably will raise money because the racists are gonna be so happy to give it to her.' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., ridiculed her black Democrat colleague's appearance at a late night hearing Thursday Crockett raised how Greene has never criticized the appearance of any of her colleagues, like Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who was also at the chaotic hearing. 'Boebert has clippings in her hair,' Crockett said. 'And Boebert wears lashes too, sometimes, It looks like, I don't know. But she doesn't attack her.' During the hearing, Crockett hit back at Greene asking the committee chairman if personal attacks like 'if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody's bleach blonde, bad-built, butch body' if that would be against the rules When pressed Friday if personal attacks are fair game after the Georgia Republican ridiculed her looks, Crockett said 'I don't think they've ever been on the table.' 'I think that we have someone who is not fit for Congress that is currently serving that does not adhere to the rules,' the Democrat said of Greene. Progressive 'Squad' member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also got into a spat with Greene during the hearing, said Friday morning the attack by Greene seemed racially motivated. 'It is not lost on me that that Ms. Greene targeted one of the only black women on the committee for some of the most egregious and disgusting comments and with the expectation that it would be ignored,' AOC said. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, hit back at Greene asking the committee chairman if personal attacks like 'if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody's bleach blonde, bad-built, butch body' if that would be against the rules Crockett, a former lawyer, has represented the district encompassing southern Dallas since 2023 The fight broke out on Thursday night as the House Oversight Committee voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena. But the hearing quickly spiraled out of control with representatives taking shots at each other and shouting over one another. Greene asked if 'any of the Democrats on this committee are employing Judge Merchan's daughter?' She was referring to Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who has taken on the services of a political consulting firm that employs the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Trumps criminal trial in New York. Crockett replied to Greene: 'Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland.' Greene then said: 'I dont think you know what youre here for I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading.' She was then cut off by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., calling for order. He said the petty personal attacks during the hearing were 'not appropriate.' 'I kept reminding everyone of the decorum and we're gonna abide by committee decorum and unfortunately there were a few that that weren't,' the lawmaker told DailyMail.com Friday morning. Both Crockett and AOC said Comer allowed the back-and-forth to continue for too long before excusing the committee to recess so that members could regain their composure. Greene also got in a verbal fight with AOC during the hearing, which prompted the New York Democrat to tell the Georgia Republican 'Oh girl, baby, girl... don't even play' Comer has said he was unable to keep up with the members's insults because he has two hearing aides and was not able to discern what Greene, Crockett and AOC were saying at the time. There were also allegations that some members were drinking booze before or during the late night hearing. 'It was raised by miss Stansbury, the distinguished gentlelady from New Mexico, who said that there were members drinking in the hearing room,' the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said. Though of the several members DailyMail.com spoke to who were in the hearing were not able to confirm or deny the allegations of alcohol consumption. 'It certainly had much more the atmospherics of a bar room brawl than it did a proper hearing or markup session of the U.S. House of Representatives,' Raskin added. Grossmann wound up homeless, living out of a black Ford F150 pickup truck in Layton, Utah, and has had several run-ins with the law since The romance began before her husband Eric Richins's March 2022 death and continued for months after, until Kouri evicted Grossmann from her property In a new court filing seen by DailyMail.com, prosecutors revealed Kouri Richins, 34, was having an affair with handyman Robert Grossmann, 41 Accused Moscow Mule killer Kouri Richins allegedly wanted her husband dead so she could move on with a man who later ended up homeless on the streets of a Utah mountain town, DailyMail.com can reveal. The 34-year-old married mom-of-three fell for handyman Robert Grossmann, 41, after he was hired to work on homes she was renovating, court papers show. 'If I was divorced right now and ask you to marry me tomorrow, you would?' Richins texted her lover in February 2022, just weeks before she allegedly poisoned her husband Eric, according to court documents filed this week by the prosecution. 'I just want to lay on the couch and cuddle you. Watch a murder documentary and snuggle!' Two weeks later, she texted Grossmann: 'Life is going to be different I promise', adding: 'I hate your hard days. I wish I could be there to turn them around for you. Can I try Friday? Give me a few days? Hang in there until then please?' Kouri Richins, pictured in court in June 2023, was revealed to be having an affair with another man before and after her husband's death in March 2022 Richins, who is charged with poisoning husband Eric Richins with a laced cocktail, was romantically involved with handyman Robert Grossmann (right) who later ended up homeless and having several run-ins with the law after their romance ended Then on March 3, the night she allegedly poisoned her husband, she texted her boyfriend a photo of two people kissing that was captioned, 'love you.' Richins, who wrote a book on helping children cope with grief after her husband's death in 2022, has since been charged with his murder. She allegedly slipped a lethal dose of fentanyl into Eric's Moscow Mule a vodka-based cocktail at their home in Kamas, Utah. The prosecution didn't name the person they described as her 'paramour' in this week's court filing. But DailyMail.com obtained an earlier, unredacted court document that named the lover and provided additional details about their relationship. The document, a search warrant affidavit that authorities used to seize Grossman's cell phones in May 2023, show that their forbidden love ended eight months after Eric's death, when Kouri, who owned a real estate company, evicted Grossmann from one of her condos. The handyman wound up homeless, living out of a black Ford F150 pickup truck in Layton, Utah. He claimed Kouri had given him the vehicle, DailyMail.com has learned. Grossmann has since had several run-ins with police, including an arrest for trespassing, and for theft of a $14,000 trailer and a scissor lift he rented from Home Depot in Salt Lake but failed to return, according to police and court records reviewed by DailyMail.com. In February 2023, police in Layton, Utah found Grossmann sleeping in the truck on the side of a residential street, with the engine running. They found a case of beer with several open cans and cited him for having an open container, Layton Police told DailyMail.com. Grossmann told detectives that Kouri who owns a real estate company had kicked him out of this condo complex in Saratoga Springs, Utah, in November 2022 and that he had been homeless ever since Prosecutors say Kouri wanted to leave her husband and consulted with a divorce lawyer in January 2022 but left disappointed that she might be entitled to only half of their assets He was arrested for trespassing elsewhere in town two days later. Detectives in the murder case learned about Grossmann's relationship with Kouri through interviews with family and friends. Digging into the Layton incident, detectives reviewed police dashcam footage in which Grossmann can be heard saying that the F150 belonged to Kouri Richins, whom he identified as his 'girlfriend'. They cited this exchange in the affidavit, which stated that Grossmann had several phones they wanted to search, including at least two given to him by Kouri, which they used to communicate around the time of her husband's death. Grossmann, in recorded interviews, acknowledged that he was more than just Kouri's handyman. 'He was an extramarital sexual partner of Kouri prior to and after the death of her husband,' the affidavit states. The relationship, however, did not end well. Grossmann told detectives that Kouri had kicked him out of her condo in Saratoga Springs, Utah, in November 2022 and that he had been homeless ever since. Sources close to Kouri claim she evicted him because he was allegedly using meth. During a hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors in Summit County began to outline their case to show 'probable cause' that Kouri committed the murder. They said that her lover would be an important part of their case because they demonstrate a motive for murder. He has been given 'immunity', they noted. Kouri, from Kama in Utah, has since been charged with poisoning Eric by serving him a fentanyl-laced Moscow mule on March 3, 2022 According to an affidavit, Kouri 'wished to leave Eric Richins for her paramour but believed that divorce would be financially difficult and could result in losing custody of their children' Prior to his death, the couple fought over financial issues in regard to their 10-acre $2million home and signed an agreement that would grant her the sale of the home Kouri planned a five-night $4,200 romantic getaway to this resort on St. Martin in the Caribbean. Court papers do not make it clear whether they actually went ahead with the trip, set for the month after Eric died The court papers filed earlier in the week show Kouri's relationship with Grossmann heating up in the months leading up to her husband's death. Eric owned a successful masonry business. 'The defendant wished to leave Eric Richins for her paramour but believed that divorce would be financially difficult and could result in losing custody of their children,' the papers state. On December 7, 2021, two days before her boyfriend's birthday, Kouri booked the two of them a five-night romantic getaway to the Secrets Resort and Spa on the Caribbean island of St. Martin. The $4,211 trip was scheduled for that April the month after Eric died. Ten days later, while wrapping Christmas gifts with a friend, she spoke about wanting a divorce, saying 'she felt trapped and stuck in the marriage and didn't see a way out. 'The defendant said in many ways it would be better if Eric Richins was dead,' according to the filling. The following day, Kouri allegedly texted Grossmann: 'I'm in love with a man that's not my husband' and 'I want to but I can't break up my family. It's having your cake and eating it too. I do just want to love you. I do love you.' 'I thought you were getting a divorce,' he allegedly replied. In early January 2022, Kouri consulted with a divorce lawyer, but left disappointed that she might be entitled to only half of their assets, the papers allege. 'The defendant didn't want half of everything,' the prosecution argued. 'Rather, she wanted all of everything. Accordingly, she determined to cause Eric Richins' death.' Around that time, she began inquiring about illicit drugs, texting Grossmann, 'Random question Have you ever done anything besides smoke weed?' She told him she was watching the Hulu series Dopesick that same night about America's struggle with opioids. Later that month, Kouri applied for a $100,000 life insurance claim on Eric, which became effective 10 days before her first alleged attempt to kill him on Valentine's Day 2022, the papers state. Prosecutors say Eric found out that his wife had also taken out a $250,000 home equity line of credit and spent it, withdrawn $100,000 from his bank accounts, and spent more than $30,000 on his credit cards. Kouri also stole about $134,000 from her husband's business meant for tax payments, according to the documents. Court records state that she agreed to repay her husband back when he confronted her about the missing money. Prosecutors alleged that Kouri purchased four different life insurance policies, which totaled over $1.9million between 2015 and 2017. Carmen Lauber, 51, worked for the Richins family and is said to have sold Kouri Richins the fentanyl she allegedly used to poison her husband The mom-of-three is accused of slipping the potent drug into a sandwich she bought him at a diner in their hometown Kamas in a first failed attempt on February 14, 2022 In the latest legal fillings, it was revealed that Kouri had a negative bank account balance, owned lenders more than $1.8million and was being sued by a creditor. Authorities say that a former housekeeper, Carmen Lauber, hooked Kouri up with the fentanyl. Then on February 14, 2022, she slipped it into a sandwich she bought him at a diner in their hometown Kamas. She left the food with a note on the seat of Eric's truck for him to eat at lunch, the prosecution alleges. Eric felt so sick that he drank a bottle of Benadryl, self-administered his son's EpiPen, and went completely dark. But Kouri had left town to spend Valentine's Day with her lover, telling him she was out of town 'waiting for my cabinet installer guy,' according to the court papers. That afternoon, Eric texted a close friend: 'I think I almost died I think my wife tried to poison me.' But Kouri, who is currently being held in Summit County jail in Park City pushed ahead with her plan, prosecutors allege. On February 19, the papers allege, she texted Grossmann: 'I want you today, everyday. Not just sexually, but physically, mentally, everyday when I wake up I do want a future together. I do want you. Figure life out together. If he could just go away and you could just be here! Life would be so perfect!!!! I love you.' 'Uhhh.. I have a crazy dream!' she continued on February 13. 'You quit your job. I divorce and come up with millions and millions. We buy midway and live in the guest house and rent out the huge house as a big event center!' She added that the center would be 'our daily job! And hang out every day? Raise some kids.. have a little farm? Deal?' Midway was an unfinished mansion Kouri had been planning to buy with her husband. Eric Richins died March 4. The following day, Kouri closed on the $3.26million property. Between March 6 and Eric's funeral on March 11, Kouri texted Grossmann 'love you' five times. Richins is seen promoting her book on a local Utah station in April 2023. 'We have three little boys,' she told the interviewer, 'And my kids and I kind of wrote this book on the different emotions and grieving processes that we've experienced in the past year' Shortly after her husband's death, the mother of three self-published a children's book titled 'Are You with Me?' about an angel wing-clad deceased father watching over his sons They then met up in the mountains, parked in her vehicle and spoke for the first time since Eric's death. She asked whether he'd killed anyone while serving in the military in Iraq. He replied yes, prompting the defendant to ask how it felt, the papers state. Kouri texted him a link to the Secrets Resort on March 20, writing, 'Are we there yet? Can't wait!!!' On April 9, she texted him, 'I think I want you to be my husband one day.' Kouri self-published her children's book about grief, 'Are You With Me?' on March 7, 2023. The following day, she was arrested for aggravated murder. The preliminary hearing for her trial, which was due to begin this week, has been postponed to June. Grossmann, for his part, was most recently arrested on January 20 of this year in Payson, Utah, after he allegedly spent more than an hour in a 7/11 bathroom and refused to come out. He left only after police threatened to force him out, then was discovered to be driving the truck without registration and with plates from another vehicle. He initially refused to identify himself, only giving his name after spending eight hours in jail. He was charged with multiple misdemeanors, but received a $690 fine, a 30-day suspended sentence and a year probation, records show. Grossmann could not be reached for comment. His lawyer in the Payson case did not immediately respond, while his lawyer in the Salt Lake case declined to comment. The wife of a man stabbed to death by a terrorist in an attack motivated by the conflict in Gaza has described how she has 'lost everything' as her husband's murderer was jailed for life with a minimum of 45 years. Ahmed Ali Alid, 45, attempted to kill his housemate, a Christian convert, then prowled the streets of Hartlepool until he came across Terence Carney, 70, known as 'Tess', taking a morning walk, attacking him and stabbing him six times in the chest, abdomen and back. Police believe that Alid, an asylum-seeker from Morocco, would have killed more people if he had not been cornered by armed police while seeking out more victims. It emerged that Alid had arrived in Europe in 2007 and was denied asylum in Germany, France and Spain before arriving in Middlesborough by ferry from the Netherlands in 2020. Sources say it is unclear what his real name and date of birth are. He had a social media account in the name of Mahraz Kadi and been living in Algeria where his mother, father and sisters also lived. Ahmed Ali Alid, 45, attempted to kill his housemate, a Christian convert, then prowled the streets of Hartlepool until he came across Terence Carney, 70 Picture shows Alid being arrested by police after the violent rampage in Hartlepool Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, ruled that Alid had committed terrorist offences when he murdered Terrence Carney and attempted to murder his housemate Javed Nouri. She sentenced him to a minimum of 44 years The terrorist prowled the streets after attacking his housemate until he came across Mr Carney who was on a morning walk. Alid stabbed the 70-year-old to death Alid had been yelling 'AllahuAkbar' - god is great - as he launched his attacks on October 15 last year, a week after the Hamas attacks on Israel, and told police he had acted 'for the people of Gaza'. He attacked two female officers at the end of his police interview, yelling 'Palestine' and grabbing one of them and wrestling her to the ground, as his solicitor dialled 999. The stabbings are the first example of a terrorist attack in Britain inspired by the war. The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, said Alid had tried to influence the government by 'force and fear' and had shown his victims 'no mercy'. She told him: 'You hoped to frighten the people of Britain and to undermine the freedoms they enjoy. 'Those who genuinely seek refuge in this country will embrace the values we hold dear. 'These values include respect for the dignity of each person as an individual, with freedom to choose their political opinion without intimidation, and whether to observe a particular faith without fear or oppression.' Mr Carney's wife, Patricia, who had been married to him for more than 50 years, told Teesside Crown Court in a statement that he would get up early every morning to go for a walk because he liked the peace and quiet. Ahmed Ali Alid, a 45-year-old from Morocco, tried to kill his housemate, a Christian convert, by stabbing him in his bed as he slept The terrorist sitting down for questioning following the killing of the pensioner After being arrested and taken into custody Alid told officers he would have murdered more people if he hands hadn't been injured by his knife 'Tess was doing what he had always done, what he enjoyed doing, he was taking a walk on the streets he believed to be safe, and a chance encounter with this man ended his life,' she said. 'I have lost everything. I am thankful that I am the age I am, I know that I don't have to live with this hurt, this pain and this sadness that I am feeling now for too long. If I was younger and had many more years left to feel as I do right now, I'm not sure how I would cope. 'My life will never be the same again and this will never truly be over, but now, I'm hoping things will start to get easier, and I am hoping that I might be able to breathe again and somehow get my life back on track. I have to, its what Tess would want.' Javed Nouri the housemate, said in a statement: 'I want to tell Ahmed, you are a weak person. I want to tell you, you didn't achieve anything, you didn't reach your goal.' After arriving in Britain, Alid, a former pastry chef, claimed asylum and lived initially in a hotel in Hull and then, for two years, in state-funded accommodation in a terraced house in Hartlepool, waiting for his claim to be processed. Selfie images showed him on a beach and in the city centres of Newcastle, Birmingham and London. His claim was finally turned down a month after the attack. Javed Nouri, 31, an Iranian asylum-seeker, described how he found Alid laughing and 'watching terrorist news' on his phone in the kitchen following the October 7 attacks by Hamas. Alid brandishing a knife as he walked through the streets of Hartlepool looking for a victim Alid told officers if it had not been for the wounds to his hands from the knife, he would have continued the killing A knife that was found by police in the address at Wharton Terrace Nouri went to police on October 13 but was told there was nothing they could do unless Alid was carrying the knife around the house or using it to threaten his housemates. Two days after the report to police, Nouri was asleep when Alid broke into his bedroom at around 5am on October 15, brandishing two kitchen knives and stabbed him in the chest. Nouri, a former body builder, described Alid shouting 'Allahuakbar' [god is great] the 'same as Daesh or ISIS.' He managed to kick Alid away and run for the door but was then attacked from behind and stabbed in the face, before getting Alid into a headlock, forcing him out of the room and dialling 999. However, one of the knives had ended up in the corridor and Alid picked it up and went out onto the street where he approached Terrence Carney, launching an attack in which he stabbed him six times. Armed police caught up with Alid nearby, the bloodied knife in his waistband, and he was arrested. Alid, a fitness fanatic and fan of mixed martial arts, told police, through an Arabic translator that Britain was to blame for the creation of Israel, 'this Zionist entity.' He warned of a 'flood of unrest' in Britain and added: 'Britain is on the verge of an explosion.' He told the officers if it had not been for the wounds to his hands from the knife, he would have continued the killing and added that he was 'ready for shahada' [martyrdom]. Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter-Terrorism Policing North East, described the attack as 'horrific' and 'unprovoked' and added: 'If it hadn't been for Cleveland Police and the swift response prompted by the calls from Mr Nouri and others, I genuinely believe that more people could have lost their lives.' Welsh Labour leader Vaughan Gething could become the second UK First Minister to be forced from power in a matter of weeks as he faces major challenges to his power. Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru today pulled out of their co-operation agreement in the Senedd that gives Mr Gething's administration a majority. Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth blamed a failure to implement parts of the deal and concerns over donations worth 200,000 received by Mr Gething for his leadership campaign from businessman David Neal, a convicted polluter who dumped waste on a conservation site. With the Welsh Labour majority wiped out the Welsh Tories announced they are likely to seek to seek a confidence vote in Mr Gething. Andrew RT Davies, the Conservative leader in the Senedd, said it was 'odds-on' they would try to force a vote. Labour currently holds 30 of the 60 Senedd seats, meaning that any vote may have to be settled by the presiding officer, who holds a casting vote and has to back the status quo. The situation has strong echoes of that surrounding former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, who resigned earlier this month after losing the support of the Scottish Greens. Mr Gething is also at the centre of an internal Welsh Labour row, after firing a senior minister yesterday for leaking WhatApp messages suggesting he deliberately deleted evidence of his actions during the Covid pandemic. Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru today pulled out of their co-operation agreement in the Senedd that gives Mr Gething's administration a majority. Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth blamed a failure to implement parts of the deal and concerns over donations worth 200,000 received by Mr Gething for his leadership campaign from businessman David Neal, a convicted polluter who dumped waste on a conservation site. Announcing the early end of the agreement, Mr ap Iorwerth said: 'I remain deeply concerned that the First Minister has failed to pay back the 200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a company convicted of environmental offences, and believe it demonstrates a significant lack of judgment. 'Money left over has now been passed on to Keir Starmer's Labour Party. I am worried by the circumstances around the decision to sack a member of the Government this week relating to matters that should be in the public domain already. 'I am also concerned by the emerging approach of the Government in relation to some elements of the co-operation agreement, including the decision to delay action in supporting the poorest families in our communities, as evidenced most recently by the decision to delay Council Tax Reform. 'Plaid Cymru will move onwards with a clear and continued commitment to scrutinising Labour's record, and with a renewed determination to put forward bold ideas which match the people of Wales's ambitions for our country.' Mr Gething said he was disappointed about the end of the agreement, suggesting Plaid Cymru 'has decided to walk away from their opportunity to deliver for the people of Wales'. The First Minister said: 'The co-operation agreement was about mature politics, working together on areas where we agree. While it was always a time-limited agreement, we are disappointed Plaid Cymru has decided to walk away from their opportunity to deliver for the people of Wales.' The situation has strong echoes of that surrounding former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, who resigned earlier this month after losing the support of the Scottish Greens. Mr Gething said he had 'no alternative' but to fire Hannah Blythyn, Minister for Social Partnership, accusing her of leaks to the media following a 'recent disclosure of communication'. Mr Davies said: 'The end of Labour and Plaid Cymru's coalition is simply an attempt to save face. 'Together, Labour and Plaid have worked together to divert resources away from the people's priorities and towards vanity projects like putting more Senedd Members in Cardiff Bay, and have been hand in glove on policies like the destructive sustainable farming scheme and 20mph. 'This move from Plaid means nothing and the Welsh public won't be fooled.' Yesterday Mr Gething said he had 'no alternative' but to fire Hannah Blythyn, Minister for Social Partnership, accusing her of leaks to the media following a 'recent disclosure of communication'. But she hit back, saying she was 'deeply shocked' at being booted out and denying any involvement. Mr Gething has been under pressure since messages emerged that appeared to contradict his evidence to the official Covid-19 Inquiry. As the the health minister during the pandemic, he told the inquiry in March that his lost WhatsApp messages were not deleted by him but by the Senedd's IT team during a security rebuild. He said the lost information was a 'real embarrassment' but a message leaked to the Nation.Cymru news website casts doubt on Mr Gething's version of events. But In a message posted to a ministerial group chat on August 17, 2020, Mr Gething apparently wrote: 'I'm 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.' A Brazilian black man who served 12 years in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of 10 rapes has been exonerated of all charges. Carlos da Silva, 36, was released from prison Thursday after DNA testing revealed that he was not the real serial rapist. Da Silva had been in custody since March 12, 2012 and described by prosecutors as a 'maniac' who preyed on women in the municipality of Barueri, where he was arrested, and the neighboring town of Osasco. The attacks took place between December 2010 and March 2012, but da Silva always maintained his innocence through the trial before he was found guilty and sentenced to 137 years, nine months and 28 days. Carlos da Silva (pictured with his mother) was released from prison Thursday after Brazil's Supreme Court found that his DNA did not match the 10 victims he was accused of raping from 2010 to 2012 in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo Carlos da Silva (right) was wrongfully convicted of raping 10 women and spent 12 years in prison Brazilian authorities reviewed DNA from Jose dos Santos, who had been serving a sentence for robbery, and found that he had raped five of the 10 women Da Silva was met by his mother and lawyers outside Itai Penitentiary, where the real rapist, 34-year-old Jose dos Santos, had been serving a sentence for robbery before testing showed that he had sexually assaulted five of the 10 women. 'I don't even have words,' da Silva said as quoted by G1 news outlet. 'I can't even speak properly.' Da Silva's new lease on life was made possible after the Public Ministry approached the Institute of Criminalists to compare the victims' DNA with his own genetic information. Five of the women allowed doctors to gather traces of semen while the others chose not to be examined. Authorities already had dos Santos' DNA collected since under Brazilian law, inmates can sign off on undergoing testing if they are convicted of crimes that include murder, robberies and homicides. Doing so allows them to avoid closed regime imprisonment being confined to a cell and under close supervision with limits to work and education opportunities. Ana Pacheco, who administers the Institute of Criminalists Biology and Biochemistry Center told the outlet the traces in dos Santos' DNA matched what was obtained from the five women. 'Criminal DNA analysis - its sole purpose is not to indicate guilt, to indicate who may have participated in a given crime. This analysis can serve very well to exonerate people who are being falsely accused,' Pacheco indicated. 'Because on the topic that we are talking about here, for example, about sexual crimes, visual recognition is something that will be compromised by the strong emotion of the victim at that moment, by the tragic situation, by the trauma that they were left with. And sometimes, we have already had it. situations where individuals are very similar and one of them is being falsely accused.' Ana Pacheco oversees the Biology and Biochemistry Center for the Institute of Criminalists, which tested DNA from a jailed prisoner that positively linked him to five of the 10 women who were raped in the southeastern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo from 2010 to 2012 Lawyers for Carlos da Silva are calling on the Brazilian government to compensate him after he spent 12 years in prison for raping 10 women, a conviction that was overturned this week Da Silva's case drew the interest of the Innocence Project Brasil, a non-profit organization that works on the convictions of innocent people. The Sao Paulo state court went over three of the 10 cases da Silva was convicted before while the Supreme Court reviewed six others this week and ruled that there were discrepancies in how da Silva was recognized as the rapist. 'The first failure identified, it happens in the investigation, in the investigative process - which was satisfied with this recognition induced by the victims and which did not look for any other type of evidence,' Innocence Project Brasil founder and director Flavia Rahal explained. 'We don't have a security camera image [or a] cell phone locator that indicated that he was in those places, we don't have a single piece of clothing seized. We don't have anything other than recognition.' Brazilian law does not require investigating authorities to seek DNA testing in rape cases. Sao Paulo prosecutor Eduardo Qurobim told the outlet that had petitioned the Public Ministry to do so four years ago. 'Carlos Edmilson was convicted and the conviction was annulled. Then (Jose) Reginaldo also responded because the DNA (was) recognized,' he said. The Sao Paulo Security Secretariat said the Civil Police has been made aware of the Supreme Court's decision to absolve da Silva. 'If any irregularity in the investigation that resulted in the indictment of the man mentioned in the report is found, the appropriate measures will be taken, including the opening of an investigative procedure with the Internal Affairs Department. The Institution highlights that it carries out its activities within the law, in a rigorous, impartial manner, and values thorough investigations.' Rahal is now calling on the government to compensate da Silva for having spent the last 12 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. 'Justice is flawed. There is a pressing need for these people who are victims of the error to be compensated,' she said. 'The state needs, in this process of recognizing its error, to also recognize that it is indebted for compensation.' A socialist Chicago councilwoman once called the US a 'garbage society' as she claimed policing in the country is based on racism. Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez is known for expressing her controversial views on social media, including her support for defunding the police and teaching critical race theory in public schools. In a now-deleted post covered by Fox News, Rodriguez said: 'Our BIPOC youth are on the streets because they are not gonna settle for this garbage society we have. 'They know we are better off investing in the things that protect us not police.' Rodriguez often speaks against police on her social media, stating they are racist and that violence is mostly a result of white supremacy. Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez is known for expressing her far-leftist views on social media, including her support for defunding the police 'When we say #DefundThePolice we mean developing alternatives to racist punishment and brutality. This work has been around for a while and it's a great tool to rethink our ideas of what public safety should look like,' Rodriguez wrote in 2020. In another post she wrote: 'White supremacy, systemic racism and exclusion are at the root of the issue of violence. If we want it to end we have to commit to dismantling white supremacist structures and fight for equity.' Rodriguez was elected to Chicago's 33rd ward in May, 2019 and re-elected last year for another four-year term. When asked if white people can be victims of racism, Rodriguez replied: 'Race is not a factor that can impact success for white people.' She added: 'This is why we need Critical Race Theory.' Rodriguez was elected to Chicago's 33rd ward in May, 2019 and re-elected last year for another four-year term. She caucuses with the Democratic Socialists of America, whose members include far-leftist congress members Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Cori Bush. Rodriguez serves on the City Councils committees on Education and Child Development, Environmental Protection and Energy, Ethics and Government Oversight, Health and Human Relations, Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, and Committees and Rules. Her X account's bio reads: 'THIS IS MY POLITICAL ACCOUNT: It doesnt represent the views of the city & city resources not used to maintain it.' Rodriguez was mocked for wearing an 'eat the rich' t-shirt despite her $130,000 salary The politician, who was born in Puerto Rico, has found herself in hot water several times over her controversial posts on social media. Last November she sparked outrage after she wrote 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' on X. The pro-Palestine slogan references the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and is read by many as calling for the end of the state of Israel. Rodriguez herself was accused of racism in July, 2023, after she posted a poll on X asking her followers for the 'best way to honor Italian-American heritage.' The options she offered included espresso machines and Italian ice, sparking backlash from Italian-American groups. The same month, Rodriguez was mocked for wearing an 'eat the rich' t-shirt despite her $130,000 salary. Cathedral City cheddar cheese has become the latest target for shoplifters as supermarket is forced to lock them away in security boxes to prevent thefts. A customer at a Tesco Express in Dalston, North London was left cheesed off after he spotted a block of the lightly mature cheddar in a security box. Despite the block of Cathedral City cheese costing just 3.85 it was put in the plastic box to help prevent shoplifting amid the cost-of-living crisis. Shopper, Alasdair Gibbs, 28, was shocked when he noticed it was the only packet of cheese in the shop that was locked away. The standard Cathedral City cheese, Tesco's Finest Le Gruyere, Wensleydale and Manchego were all on the shelves without security boxes. The low-fat Cathedral City cheddar was in a security box on the shelf at a Tesco Express in Dalston next to other cheese which had security tag stickers on People took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their shock at the security move Alasdair, a communications manager said: 'I thought it was a shame they'd put the cheese in cheese jail. 'I also thought that this is quite a jarringly large tub to contain the cheese. 'There was no elegant way to balance the crate and my other shopping in my one free hand. 'Carrying around my large, clear tub of cheese to the checkout felt like showing off the worst-ever meal prep in Tupperware. 'I've learned a lot about the market for second-hand, presumably warm, cheese. 'As funny as an oversized security box is, some people are really desperate and struggling, and it shouldn't be this way in the UK today.' Members of the public were also left shocked and in stitches by the extremely large security box. Tobi Frenzen said: 'Flipping heck, it's not even the good extra mature stuff.' Nick added: 'The real crime here is buying anything below extra mature.' The security-protected bar of Dairy Milk Wholenut was seen at a Co-op in Codsall in Staffordshire A Tesco branch in Theydon Bois, Essex, has slapped security tags on shopping baskets A shopper shared a video of the netted Lurpaks to TikTok after she saw them in an Aldi in Kidbrooke, southeast London Thomas Cussons said: 'The secret ingredient is crime.' Graeme Scambler added: 'I would simply leave my basket of goods and shop elsewhere. 'What a total joke.' Debbie Laughton advised: 'Shop somewhere else!' Another stated: 'I'd say this is acceptable, I spent nearly 20 on a couple blocks of cheese at the weekend just gone. 'Some blocks are more expensive than meat and they're security tagged.' Tesco has been approached for comment. Cheddar cheese is the latest food to be targeted as the shoplifting epidemic spreads across the UK. Supermarkets have been forced to lock away customer favourites to prevent thieves. In Codsall in Staffordshire, shoppers were stunned to find a 2 bar of Dairy Milk Wholenut been left stunnedhad been locked inside a security box. A Tesco branch in Theydon Bois, Essex, has slapped security tags on shopping baskets due to a rise in the number of people helping themselves to 'five-finger discounts' amid the cost-of-living crisis. Shopper James Beach, 45, was surprised to see the security measure in place during a recent trip to the store. In an Aldi in south-east London customers were left dumbfounded when they spotted 5.35 tubs of Lurpak butter were now encased in a black net with a security tag attached. An Alabama woman has become one of America's most inspirational workers as she strives to put a smile on the face of others after the tragic death of her eldest son. Nakeya Rich works at the drive-thru at the McDonald's in Dotham, where she greets customers with her infectious smile, positive energy and tells them to 'have a blessed day'. They would never know her oldest child, Willis Rambo Dolson, 20, was recently shot dead in a harrowing case of mistaken identity. The senseless killing in 2021 brought Rich to the lowest point in her life, telling News 4: 'Whew, I had to fight to keep myself, because man you can easily drown.' But three years on, Rich has returned to work at the popular fast food chain as a way to honor her late son. Speaking of her customers, she said: 'Even if I don't ever see them again, I still pray for them to be safe.' Nakeya Rich works at the drive-thru at the McDonald's in Dotham, Alabama Rich's oldest child, Willis Rambo Dolson, 20, was shot dead in 2021, when two men intended to gun down someone else, along Morris Street in Dothan Pictured: The McDonald's where Rich serves up smiles and love each day Rich has leaned on Wiregrass Angel House for help coping with the tragedy. As a religious and spiritual person, she said she believes the only reason people go through things is so they can be able to help the next person. Chase Bass, a McDonald's customer, was so impressed by Rich he nominated her for a 'What's Good' in your neighborhood shout out. He described Rich's smile and warmth as a 'blast of sunlight' that comes through the drive-thru each day, and rolls down the window, BR Proud reported. Bass said he 'realized she touched a lot of people every day. He added: 'Everybody knows who she is even though we may just be the people in the drive-thru.' Rich said she wanted to start a Mc-Chain reaction of love, one drive-thru customer at a time, the news outlet reported. 'Everybody is going through something,' she said. 'The thing is you never know what somebody is going through. You treat everybody the way you would like to be treated, not the way you expect to be treated. 'I have folks that come through the drive-thru with a mad look, but when they get around the corner it's 'alright sweet pea, get some of that sweet tea and you'll be alright'.' The working mom added that 'some days you're a life saver, literally you can be a lifesaver.' 'People are depressed. People hate their jobs. People have things going on,' she added. 'It's just amazing that you never have to know what is going on to be able to uplift the next person. Then they can turn around and uplift the next person too.' McDonald's customer Chase Bass nominated Rich for 'What's Good' in your neighborhood Two men, Kadarrius Salter and codefendant Christian D. McCallister, were charged with her son's death. In October 2022, McCallister pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and is serving a 15-year prison sentence. Salter was sentenced to 20 years for the fatal shooting. Shameless Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner took time to complain about his food and lack of hot showers in a courtroom whinge as he faces unrelated rape charges in Germany. Convicted rapist and paedophile Brueckner, 48, is currently serving seven years for raping an elderly America woman in Portugal's Algarve in 2006. He is now on trial again in Braunschweig, Germany, for a separate series of rapes and indecent assaults committed in the same area where then three-year-old Madeleine vanished in May 2007. His lawyer Philipp Marquort told the hearing: 'My client has not had a hot shower or a hot meal for three days. This is not acceptable.' 'The last shower was on Tuesday morning. And regarding food - when he is here he gets just eight slices of the cheapest toast bread and there always two as a sandwich and one side is a very thin slice, slice of cheese and on the other side nothing,' he lamented to the court. Brueckner is currently serving his time in the isolation wing at Oldenburg high-security prison, 130 miles from Braunschweig but to avoid a lengthy commute on each court day, he instead he is housed at a prison in nearby Sehnde. Christian Brueckner appears in court in Braunschweig ,Germany where he faces charges related to various sexual assaults Defendant Christian Brueckner (L) sits next to his lawyer Friedrich Fulscher in court on April 3 Brueckner arrives in court with his defence team, undated 'Yesterday when he got here, he was just left two smalls package of turkey sausage and no bread at all. That's it. Each with just 250 calories,' Mr Marquort told the court. 'We demand that he gets a hot meal when he comes in here and that he should be allowed to get a hot shower, when he has one here it is cold.' Mr Marquort concluded: 'Our client asked us to complain, and we have been emailing this for ten months, everything the prison just provides him with bread and then we he gets back to prison after court he gets nothing at all.' Trial judge Ute Insa Engemann told him she was 'not responsible for showers and the food' but she would 'pass his observations on'. Brueckner was sensationally named as the prime suspect in the 'abduction and murder' of Madeleine in June 2020 by German police but since then no charges have been brought against him. Brueckner denies involvement in the disappearance. He is currently serving a rape sentence in Oldenburg high-security prison, 217 kilometres away from Braunschweig. To avoid a lengthy commute on each court day, he is currently being housed at a prison in Sehnde, near Braunschweig. But here his defence team says he is given an unacceptably low amount and insufficient amount of food. 'Our clients asked us to complain, and we have been emailing this for ten months, everything the prison just provides him with bread and then we he gets back to prison after court he gets nothing at all' said Marquort. Last year, the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case claimed he was being treated worse than Nazis on trial for war crimes in a rambling letter from prison. In a letter from Oldenburg jail in Germany obtained by The Mirror, Brueckner moaned: 'Not even (Joseph) Goebbels and his war crime fiends were isolated like me when they waited for the death penalty in Nuremberg prison. 'It is against human rights to get isolated for such a long time... It is the right of prisoners to receive visitors except for me. 'All I see is my lawyer and the guards, they say if anyone else visits me I will get sexual satisfaction.' Nazi propaganda chief and Holocaust architect Goebbels committed suicide in May 1945 before he could be captured by Allied forces. Christian Brueckner arrives for his trial into various sex offences, undated Madeleine McCann disappeared from a holiday resort in Portugal aged 3 in 2007 Parents of Madeleine McCann Kate and Gerry talk to the press in May 2007 Brueckner is now standing trial accused of raping a woman in Praia da Rocha in 2004, and abusing a teenage girl and a woman aged between 70 and 80 in Praia da Luz, where he lived, between December 2000 and June 2006. He is also accused of exposing himself and masturbating in front of children on at least two occasions in Portugal, and insulting prison officers in Germany. Earlier this week Irish former tour guide Hazel Behan, 40, told the court how she was tied up, whipped and brutally raped again and again by a masked perpetrator at her holiday apartment in Portugal in June 2004. Ms Behan said she was convinced that her rapist was Christian Bruckner because of his German accent and his piercing blue eyes which 'bored into my skull'. His current trial started in February and has heard from witnesses who say they saw Brueckner in harrowing sex tapes which showed the rape of an elderly woman and a young girl. Brueckner's defence have tried several times to have witnesses ruled out saying the case is unfair and prejudiced against their client because of the link to Madeleine but all attempts have so far failed. The trial continues. California lawmakers have voted to officially apologize for the state's role in slavery, but efforts to make cash reparations payouts have been shelved. The California Assembly on Thursday backed a bill authored by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer that accepts responsibility for 'all of the harms and atrocities committed by the state.' The Los Angeles Democrat received hugs and applause on the assembly floor after the bill was passed. It now moves on to the Senate. 'Not only is the apology letter important it's whether or not we go ahead and fulfill the dream of what my ancestors wanted, which is to fully make us part of the American dream,' Jones-Sawyer said. LA Democrat Reggie Jones-Sawyer says the apology would cover 'all of the harms and atrocities committed by the state' State Sen. Steven Bradford plan for cash payouts to descendants of slaves was shelved amid a massive budget deficit Lawmakers also approved plans to help black families research their family lineage, recover land unjustly taken from them, and to create a state fund for reparations programs. But landmark pieces of reparations legislation bills to give property tax and cash payouts to the descendants of slaves were shelved in a Senate fiscal process. State Sen. Steven Bradford, the LA Democrat who authored the bills, said they were shelved largely because of the state's roughly $45 billion budget deficit. Poll Do you support a federal reparation policy directed at the descendants of slaves? Yes No Not sure Do you support a federal reparation policy directed at the descendants of slaves? Yes 559 votes No 17653 votes Not sure 172 votes Now share your opinion 'It's a financial challenge this year,' Bradford said, according to the LA Times. 'But we always knew it wasn't going to be a one and done. This is going to be a multiyear approach.' The bills were culled in a process known as the 'suspense file', which is sometimes used to nix controversial legislation. The California Legislative Black Caucus has pushed hard to turn reparations into reality, including through a first-in-the-nation task force that wrapped up last year. But while voters and politicians have gotten behind plans to issue an official apology, which does not have a large price tag, cash payouts to the descendants of slaves have failed to gain traction. A survey last year of 6,000 registered California voters found that only 23 percent supported cash reparations, while 59 percent were opposed. Reparations campaigners have been divided on the best success strategy after years of deliberation as they aim to deliver tangible benefits to those descended from slaves. The bill to issue a formal apology saw unanimous support from Democrats, but several Republicans abstained from voting on it. Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher did not vote. From California to Massachusetts, newly-formed panels are grappling with what a reparations scheme should look like From left, State Sen. Steven Bradford, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, task force member Lisa Holder and Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer hold up a final report of the California reparations task force last year He said slavery was a 'terrible stain on our history' but objected to other parts of the bill about the state denying rights to black residents and saying police shootings are 'state-sanctioned violence.' 'We have made tremendous progress toward a more equal society,' Gallagher said. California would join several states that have apologized for slavery and racist policies, including Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Alabama Such cities as Boston and San Francisco have issued their own apologies. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he did not support the issuing of checks for reparations The reparations movement gathered momentum across the US amid the race protests over the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, but progress has stalled more recently. Campaigners say it's time for America to repay its black residents for the injustices of the historic Transatlantic slave trade, Jim Crow segregation and inequalities that persist to this day. The sums are eye-watering black lawmakers in Washington seek at least $14 trillion for a federal scheme to 'eliminate the racial wealth gap' between black and white Americans. Critics say payouts to selected black people will inevitably stoke divisions between winners and losers, and raise questions about why American Indians and others don't get their own handouts. California saw a lively debate about whether payouts should benefit black people, or only those who can show they are descendants of slaves. Reparations are popular among the black people who stand to benefit from them, but unpopular among the whites, Asians, and others who would foot the tax bill without themselves benefiting. 'Its been seven years. It's a very long time. I believe that it's beginning to move in a direction that's much more positive,' he told Cuomo. 'I'm trying to show that I've listened, I've learned - I've got the memo. 'I've tried to spend these past seven years going into myself, asking a lot of questions, listening, having conversations with people that I felt I owed amends to. 'I just want to get back to work,' the 64-year-old said. 'I'm so grateful for the career I had and I feel like I've got so much to offer. 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 time.' Spacey said, 'I used to always want to be the best actor - and now I want to prove I'm a man of great character.' He recalls telling his manager, Evan Lowenstein, 'I don't know who I am without my work,' and said that his manager supported him throughout the aftermath of the accusations. Cuomo asks 'who do you blame' to which spacey responds 'fear' - adding that he believes society has come to a place where people are afraid to say what they feel because they're afraid they're going to be 'cancelled' He continues to say he's thankful for those who stepped up, and that he thinks there will be more soon. Cuomo asked if Spacey would be able to 'handle if they wont et you back in' - to which the House of Cards star responded, 'I don't think that an executive, no matter how powerful, should speak for the American or British public.' When Cuomo asked the actor about moving forward after being legally cleared of accusations, Spacey said that we live in a country that values due process and fairness - but that he believes the pendulum has swung far towards unfairness. Spacey said that we have to be careful pendulum doesn't swing back in the other direction - adding that the #metoo movement was an important one and a valued one. Liam Neeson 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' In another interview this week, Spacey appeared close to tears and his voice started to break as he defiantly vowed not to give up on a return to Hollywood. 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-judgmental, with a terrific sense of humor. 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 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 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 behavior, unlike so many others'. 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. McCormick was seen stroking Van Duyne's arm during the State of the Union READ MORE: Georgia Republican files for divorce from glamorous oncologist Glamorous GOP Rep. Beth Van Duyne broke her silence on love affair with married Georgia Republican Rich McCormick, confirming that they are 'happily engaged in a relationship.' DailyMail.com exclusively revealed the pair had developed a particularly cozy relationship just as McCormick and his wife have filed for divorce. Footage from the March 7 State of the Union address shows McCormick stroking Van Duyne's arm, and sources say this is commonplace for the seemingly smitten pair. They've been caught arriving at and leaving late night events together, and multiple eyewitnesses have seen the pair holding hands just off the House floor. Van Duyne told DailyMail.com Friday that Rich and his wife are both 'incredible people' and his marriage has been 'over for quite some time.' 'His marriage has been over for quite some time as I understand it, he's filed for divorce.' 'I'm single. We're both parents of adult children and empty nesters. We are happily engaged in a relationship and beyond that it's a personal issue.' Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick and Rep. Beth Van Duyne have developed a particularly cozy relationship just as McCormick and his wife have filed for divorce Shortly after, McCormick confirmed his relationship with Van Duyne through a spokesperson. Insiders have disclosed new details to DailyMail.com regarding the nature of the pair's supposed relationship which has blossomed on Capitol Hill. It's hard to miss handsome McCormick and tall lean blonde Van Duyne strolling the halls of Congress, making quite the standout pair in a building filled with old men, staff say. McCormick, a year and a half into his first congressional term, filed for divorce from his oncologist wife of 12 years, Dr. Debra Miller, on May 3. A mutual restraining order was also filed, DailyMail.com exclusively reported on Thursday. McCormick and Miller, his second wife, share seven children and live in Suwanee, Georgia. Miller, meanwhile, has practiced medicine for over 30 years. With her her long, blonde locks it's hard to miss the similarities between her and Van Duyne. 'Rich clearly has a type,' said one source close to the congressman. When approached about the reasoning for the divorce, Miller texted DailyMail.com: 'I'm sure that he will not be forthcoming.' Van Duyne has two children with her ex-husband, Chris Wallach, her college sweetheart from their time at Cornell. The pair divorced in 2012 after 17 years of marriage. As a single mother, she was mayor of Irving, Texas from 2011 to 2017 and also served in the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Trump administration. She hasn't been free from scandal in recent years. In February 2021, Richard Dillard, communications director for her 2020 campaign, took his own life in front of Van Duynes home in Irving, Texas. She's known to love to party and enjoy a nice glass of wine, according to sources with knowledge. As one of the younger female members of Congress - which is largely dominated by older men - she sparkles among weathered congressmen and has an infectious personality. One GOP member told DailyMail.com they had seen McCormick and the colleague 'holding hands under the table' at a weekly lunch. In addition, the member also disclosed that they witnessed Rich 'grab the small of her back' on the House floor during votes. Another two eyewitnesses say they have seen he and Van Duyne holding hands, with one witnessing it as the pair were leaving votes. Footage from the March 7 State of the Union address shows McCormick stroking Van Duyne's arm, and sources say this is commonplace for the seemingly smitten pair Rich McCormick pictured smiling at Van Duyne during a press conference at the Capitol last June Beth Van Duyne is seen walking with Rep. Dan Crenshaw in the basement of the Capitol Texas Republican Van Duyne's office declined to comment on her relationship with McCormick Rich McCormick is relatively new to Congress 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 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.' Miller, meanwhile, has practiced oncology for over 30 years. A third witness told DailyMail.com they had seen the female colleague holding on to the arm of McCormick while walking out of the Longworth Office building late at night. 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.' Texas Republican Van Duyne's office declined to comment on her relationship with McCormick. Rich and his soon-to-be ex-wife were pictured together as recently as over the Christmas holiday. 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.' 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. Indiana police have launched an investigation into the shock suicide of ten-year-old boy who took his own life after years of bullying. Sammy Teusch killed himself on May 5 after suffering years of brutal bullying that saw his classmates mock his teeth and glasses. He was laid to rest on Wednesday in Greenfield, Indiana. His grief-stricken parents say they repeatedly complained to his school but were ignored. In an email statement to DailyMail.com, Deputy Chief Charles McMichael of the Greenfield Police Department said Teusch's bullies could now face criminal charges. He added: 'This case is still under investigation currently. As you can imagine, scheduling interviews with children takes time to work around school/sports and parents' schedules. 'We are also being considerate of the Teusch family, as the funeral was only Wednesday.' Sammy Teusch killed himself on May 5 after suffering years of brutal bullying In an email statement to DailyMail.com, Deputy Chief Charles McMichael of the Greenfield Police Department said that Teusch's bullies could face criminal charges (Pictured: Greenfield Intermediate School) Pictured: A memorial dedicated to Sammy after his shock suicide Deputy Chief McMichael said the Hancock County Coroner's Office has not completed its investigation into the official cause and manner of death. He continued: 'The Greenfield Police Department considers all unattended death investigations a criminal investigation until the evidence and facts of the case prove otherwise. 'If probable cause is found, the case will be turned over to the Hancock County Prosecutors Office to determine if criminal charges should be filed with the court. 'Please also understand that if probable cause is found and any of the suspects would happen to be children, any information released related to criminal charges will be very minimal.' The child's 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 explained that the bullying started last year when he was in elementary school, and followed him to Greenfield Intermediate School. His father Sam told local NBC affiliate 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.' Sammy's parents Nichole and Sam said their son had been bullied for his glasses and teeth The family said they contacted their son's school 20 times about the bullying The boy's parents Sam and Nichole said he was both physically and emotionally bullied at school, and was recently beaten up on a school bus The harassment allegedly escalated to a recent incident on a school bus where he was beaten up, and just last week he was cornered by bullies in the bathroom. 'I have his broken glasses sitting over there in a memorial shrine that my kids made,' his father told local CBS affiliate WTTV. Although the family say they complained to the school about the bullying 20 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. 'They knew this was going on. They knew this was going on,' Sam told 21alive. Sammy's family said the bullying occurred even when Sammy was at home via Snapchat, despite him having limited access to his phone. ''I'm going to beat you up. I'm going to beat you up when you get to school.' Saying mean things about his (mom), which would really, really set him off,' his father said. 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 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' 'I just want him to never be forgotten,' his father said. 'To put that little boy into words is just impossible. The people that got to know him are definitely blessed to have known him.' His father said he held Sammy in his arms during his last moments. 'How could God take my kid from here? Of course that was going through my head. God didn't take my kid; hate did,' he said. 'I want his image to be a source of empowerment for children that feel like they can't come to somebody and speak.' Brent Eaton, the Hancock County prosecutor, said there is a bullying epidemic happening across the country. 'The world is a lot different now than it was even 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago. It's very, very different,' he said told WTTV. 'There's a lot of negativity out there. We didn't have text messages 20 years ago. We didn't have the ability to use social messaging 15 years ago. That's different. Eaton said communication between students, staff, and parents is paramount to preventing similar situations from happening. 'If we have an environment where young people have a safe place, and they can go to someone with those concerns, and even if it may be difficult or embarrassing that they feel safe in letting people know they may be being harassed or bullied, that will help a lot. We want to start there and work together to do that,' he said. Mourners fight tears as they bring Sammy's casket out of the church 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' On Tuesday, Sammy's family was supported by hundreds of outraged parents and friends at their son's wake. The funeral procession included a motorcade of over a hundred motorcyclists who all turned out in a show of support for the tragic child. 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.' Sammy's motorcycle escort was hosted by Iron Sharpens Iron Motorcycle Ministry, who said they were 'honored' to take part 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 A candlelight vigil is also planned for Friday in Greenfield, as the small town reels from Sammy's tragic suicide. Speaking to 21alive, his grandmother Cynthia said: 'They can't just say they have zero tolerance because that doesn't mean there is zero tolerance about bullies. 'Their zero tolerance means that they don't have responsibility for it. People trust their kids to the school, but now that trust is breaking down.' 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. 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 Sammy's heartbroken family said he was being bullied daily up until the night he passed away '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.' As David DePape learns his fate for brutally attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer, his former partner is speaking out. Nudist Gypsy Taub - who was in a relationship with DePape for 14 years - said DePape has struggled with mental health issues that stemmed from years of sexual and physical abuse he suffered as a child. She says he was never violent throughout their romance, but became possessed by Pelosi conspiracy theories. David DePape admitted to breaking into the Pelosis' San Francisco residence with the intention of getting the senior Democrat to acknowledge her party's 'lies' on pain of smashing her kneecaps. She was not home at the time Gypsy Taub, DePape's former partner, said he suffered from years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse 'He was deeply depressed and there is no doubt in my mind that his mental health issues were a result of his trauma,' Taub said to DailyMail.com. 'He had very deep depression all the time and was terrified of people. 'He was paranoid and thought he was Jesus. He wrote about these things on his blog. He needs help, not prison.' 'I met David when he was 21, but whatever problems he had came from his childhood abuse. Gypsy Taub, who is a well-known Bay Area nudist activist, said she met DePape when he was in his 20s and she was in her 30s. The two have three children together 'He was prostituted, abused, tortured - and he has admitted that this sexual abuse tortured him.' Taub added she never knew DePape to be violent. The two share three kids together, but had been separated for years. DePape's family members, including his twin sister, wrote to the judge asking for leniency. David DePape cried in federal court as he testified about the October 2022 incident Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was not at home when DePape broke into her San Francisco mansion While Taub said DePape had a 'deeply troubled childhood,' his family claimed otherwise His sister, Joanne Robinson, said they had an 'absolutely amazing childhood' and her younger twin brother - by five minutes - had always been 'calm-natured'. When her brother met Taub, the popular nudist was pregnant and in her 30s. 'He was in a partner situation with Gypsy for many years and was not allowed to make contact with his family,' Robinson wrote to the judge. 'If he did, he was yelled at for hours, kicked out of the house. 'It was such drama and battle that it was just was easier if David just shut us out of his life and focused on being there for his own children.' Robinson said since her brother has been in jail, he has started talking to his family again and is staying away from 'the negative influences of Gypsy.' Taub denied the allegations and said she is concerned DePape could sink deeper into depression if untreated. Paul Pelosi, 84, managed to call 911 before DePape hit his head with a hammer. He continues to have health issues since the attack 'I disagree with them because the first issue is he is very mentally ill,' Taub said. 'None of them are talking about the truth of what happened that day [of the attack] and what he has been through. No one is telling his truth.' DePape, a former nudist from Canada, attacked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband on October 28, 2022 after he broke into the their posh San Francisco mansion. The shocking attack - caught on police body camera video footage - left then 82-year-old Paul Pelosi with a fractured skull. During his federal trial, DePape cried and testified he regretted injuring Pelosi, but added he reacted because his 'plan was ruined'. DePape said he was looking for Nancy Pelosi that night to ask her about Russiagate, but did not intend to hurt her husband. Nancy Pelosi was not at the home during the attack. Taub told DailyMail.com suffered from severe PTSD and turned to his personal blog to discuss his fears and political concerns. DePape posted crazed COVID conspiracy theories, racist slurs and a manifesto that contained antigovernment beliefs. Prosecutors have asked for a 40-year sentence for DePape and said he has not shown any remorse for severely injuring Pelosi. They also argued the sentence should include a terrorism enhancement. DePape's federal public defenders asked the court for a more lenient 14-year sentence and argued their client was in a 'abusive, long-terms relationship with a partner who exploited his innate vulnerabilities and immersed him in a world of extreme beliefs where reality is not reality.' Although she was not mentioned by name by DePape's public defenders, Taub denied the allegations that she manipulated him. She instead blames the alleged abuse DePape suffered when he was younger. President Joe Biden on Friday called black history 'American history as he courts African-American voters pivotal to his re-election bid. 'Black history is American history, we have a whole group out there trying to rewrite history, trying to erase history,' Biden said at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. He was there to mark the 70th anniversary of the ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. The decision banned segregation in public schools. Seventy years ago, you changed the world,' Biden told the attendees. 'The Brown decision proves a simple idea: We learn better when we learn together,' he noted. In his remarks, Biden touted all he has done for the black community, including helping minority businesses, supporting black education and helping decrease black poverty rates. He also pointed out he has a black vice president: Kamala Harris. 'Black history is American history,' President Joe Biden said Biden is ramping up his appeal to black voters, a core group that helped elect him, as they are showing growing disenchantment with him and his presidency. In addition to his speech on Friday, he and Harris will meet with the leaders of the 'Divine Nine,' the historically Black sororities and fraternities of which Harris is a member of one. The president also has given eleven interviews this year alone to black radio hosts. Biden will spend the weekend courting this vital group of core supporters, who helped him win the Democratic nomination and the White House in the 2020 election. The main event will be his commencement address at Morehouse University on Sunday. The prestigious, all-male historically Black college is the alma mater of several prominent black Americans including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., actor Samuel Jackson, and Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock. 'I got more Morehouse men in my administration than Morehouse,' Biden joked on Friday. Biden's courtship began on Thursday, when he hosted plaintiffs from the historic case Brown vs. the Board of Education at the White House. On Saturday, he'll meet with black voters in Georgia. Biden is set to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Sunday. Georgia is one several key swing states that Biden won over Trump in 2020. He will receive an honorary degree from the school. There are worries about protests. Some Morehouse faculty and students oppose U.S. support for Israel in its war in Gaza. Steve Benjamin, a White House senior adviser and director of public engagement, told reporters on Thursday that Biden believed in free speech, 'and that right to free speech extends to even those who wish to protest and he respects that, and he makes it a point to lean in when there are protesters in the same space.' On Sunday evening the president will be in Detroit to give the keynote speech at an NAACP event. He'll also visit a locally-owned black-business. Audience members at the National Museum of African American History and Culture listen to President Joe Biden's speech Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, left, greets President Joe Biden His re-election campaign has reason to be worried. Polls show that while Biden still leads Republican rival Donald Trump in support among black voters his level of support is down sharply compared to four years ago. 'He has to answer two questions: Why go out and bother to vote, which is almost the same question of what's in it for me for voters,' Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond told CNN. 'And then he has to answer the Janet Jackson test of 'What have you done for me lately?' A poll from the New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer, released earlier this week, found Biden leading Trump among black voters, 63 percent to 23 percent. But that's more than 20 points down from the 87 percent of black voters who voted for Biden in 2020. Additionally, a Washington Post-Ipsos poll conducted last month found that fewer black Americans plan to vote in November. The poll of more than 1,300 black adults finds that 62 percent of them say they're 'absolutely certain to vote,' down from 74 percent in June 2020. The 12-percentage-point drop outpaces the four-point drop among Americans overall, from 72 percent to 68 percent. Young black voters in particular are unenthused about Biden. Overall, nearly 1 in 5 Black voters who turned out for Biden in 2020 say they are less than certain about whether they will vote at all this year. The campaign is ramping up their efforts and bringing in big names to court black voters on Biden's behalf. Congressman Jim Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina who is one of the most well-known and beloved black politicians in the country, will travel to numerous swing states later this year on the president's behalf. His stops include Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Ohio. Clyburn, a civil rights icon, essentially handed Biden the Democratic nomination four years ago when he helped Biden win the South Carolina presidential primary. People watch the motorcade carrying President Joe Biden near the National Museum of African American History and Culture Congressman Jim Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, will go campaign for President Biden in swing states - above Clyburn with Biden at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston A lengthy memo from Biden's re-election campaign on Friday outlines all that the president and vice president have done for the black community. 'While the Black unemployment rate skyrocketed under Trump, the Biden-Harris administration helped to create over 2.5 million jobs for Black workers, resulting in record low Black unemployment,' writes Trey Baker, a senior adviser to the campaign. Baker also points to the number of forgiven student loans that went to the black community and that black child poverty was cut in half. 'This campaign will not take a single voter for granted. We are not, and will not, parachute into these communities at the last minute, expecting their vote. Every day, from now until election day, we will continue working diligently to ensure that come November, Black voters send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris back to the White House,' he noted. A Wyoming sheriff has sparked backlash from Democrats after enticing police officers away from Blue-run cities with billboards. Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak launched an unorthodox recruitment drive earlier this month, and put up a billboard in Denver, Colorado after the city's mayor pulled millions from the police budget. The billboard read: 'Work in Wyoming, where breaking the law is STILL ILLEGAL & cops are funded!' After images of the advertising went viral, Kozak now says he has heard from over 100 prospective hires, including cops from other states outside Colorado looking for a fresh start. A Wyoming sheriff targeted his recruitment drive at Denver police officers after their budget was slashed to fund migrant support, noting that in the Cowboy State, 'breaking the law is still illegal and cops are funded!' Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak said he has received a wave of applications after he put up the billboard, including many from outside Denver where it was stationed When he put up the billboard, Kozak told the Cowboy State Daily that he chose Denver as the spot for his advertisement because it had slashed its police budget just months before. Kozak said since putting up the billboard, he has faced a wave of interested applicants, with most registered police officers instead of those looking to become one for the first time. He revealed that only around 10 percent are from Denver, while the rest are from across the nation that were enticed by his promise of respect for law and order. Denver, a sanctuary city, has struggled to house 40,000 migrants since last year, leading Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to cut a total of $45 million from city agency budgets to deal with the influx. Over $8.4 million was siphoned from the police budget, which would halt hiring new officers in certain departments alongside making other cuts. In total, it was reported that Johnston faces a staggering $180 million bill to effectively shelter migrants through 2024, as he pledged to respond to what he branded a 'newcomer crisis.' But after Kozak's taunting billboard, Johnston's office insisted to the Cowboy State Daily that his moves will not have any impact on police services in his city. 'The city of Denvers adjustment to the Denver Police Departments budget was carefully crafted with safety leaders and Mayor Johnston to ensure there would be no impact to the departments public services,' Johnston said in a statement. 'To say that Denver is defunding the police is a willful mischaracterization of the budget reductions.' Denver Mayor Mike Johnston came under scrutiny after he slashed the city's police budget, but he insisted this week that it will have no impact upon police services Denver's migrant crisis has seen city officials struggle to house an influx of a staggering 40,000-plus people Locals in Denver react to the new billboard, which was triggered by the city's decision to slash its police department budget Johnston added that his office has invested millions into adding 167 new police officers to the force this year, and 'will continue to invest in public safety to ensure every Denverite is safe in their city.' While the city grapples with tens of thousands of migrant arrivals, Denver leaders have also recently faced off with the migrants as they refuse to move from an illegal encampment, and say they won't do so until 13 demands are met. In a previous interview, Kozak said he saw the chaos in the Democrat-run city as the perfect opportunity to fill his vacant job roles. 'We do enforce the rules and the law, and I want people to know about Wyoming thats our culture here,' he told the Cowboy State Daily. 'And statewide, communities do support law enforcement. Theres no doubt about that.' Kozak added that his department is also targeting the Denver area with digital advertising, and he received a large discount on the cost of the billboard because the proprietor was not a fan of Colorado's police cuts. The sheriff added that before he even launched the billboards, a Vail-area officer transferred to Cheyenne, Wyoming last year because of the state's lack of hostility towards cops. This was also true for Kozak's Chief Deputy Aaron Veldheer, who told the Cowboy State Daily that he moved from Eagle County, Colorado because of anti-cop sentiment from Colorado lawmakers. 'And I worked for a great agency in Colorado. Ive got no complaints about them,' he said. 'Just the General Assembly (Colorado Legislature) makes it so the cops are the bad guys.' Kozak's Chief Deputy Aaron Veldheer (right, pictured together) noted that he moved from Eagle County, Colorado because of anti-cop sentiment from Colorado lawmakers Although the budget cuts in Denver have been triggered by the migrant crisis, Kozak also reportedly cited another recent decision in the city that could drive officers away. On May 1, Denver lawmakers approved new legislation banning officers from pulling over drivers for low-level traffic violations, believing the stops do little to reduce crime rates. However, Kozak argued this was not the case, and reportedly pointed out that Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was captured after being pulled over for not having a registration tag on his vehicle. He added that Wyoming police are also still under qualified immunity, which protects cops from being sued if they didn't knowingly violate someone's rights, while Colorado got rid of the rule amid the 2020 BLM riots. Kozak said his department hired 72 people last year in an 'unheard of' recruitment drive, and this year has allocated $40,000 solely for recruitment, a move that he said would essentially pay for itself. 'Thats less than half of what the salary is for one employee, versus my overtime budget last year was $1.3 million,' he said. 'So, weve got to get aggressive on our recruiting efforts to save money and hire people, and eliminate that overtime budget.' This is the cattle field at the centre of the water contamination scandal that has seen an outbreak of a parasite which has caused at least 22 cases of a diarrhoea-type disease in Devon. Emergency repair work is being carried out after residents were left with stomach upsets - some needing hospital treatment - causing water supplies to an area of 40,000 homes being cut. South West Water said that the contamination is thought to be linked to a faulty valve in a pipe feeding a local, which may have been contaminated by cattle grazing close by. Today MailOnline can reveal that extensive works have taken place this week across a road from the pumping station of the underground Hillhead reservoir - on pastureland usually home to a dairy herd from a nearby farm. The field also is understood to house pipes that feed into the reserve reservoir that sends water to the household taps of homes in Brixham and the surrounding villages in south Devon. This is the cattle field at the centre of the water contamination scandal that has left dozens ill and robbed hundreds of houses of clean drinking water in south Devon Emergency repair work is being carried out after hundreds of residents were left with stomach upsets - some needing hospital treatment - causing water supplies to thousands of homes being cuts Dennis Hollier's (pictured) wife Elaine , an 80-year-old grandmother, was rushed to hospital with severe dehydration on Saturday after suffering diarrhoea and vomiting for two weeks due to the contamination Today MailOnline can reveal that extensive works have take place this week across a road from the pumping station of the underground Hillhead Reservoir (pictured) - on pastureland usually home to a dairy herd from a nearby farm In response to the contamination believed to stem from animal waste, South West Water engineers have this week dug this huge trench close to the reservoir. And today teams of workers were continuing to work on the structure. Meanwhile water values have been opened sending hundreds of litres of water from the reservoir down local roads. The field is owned by the Lupton Estate, - but it is used by farmer Philip Vennelle, who raises cattle and sheep and grows crops at his Hillhead Farm. Mr Vennelle's family have worked the 600 acres of prime agricultural land for generations, providing quality assured meat and cereals for British households. But the tranquillity of his Devon farm was shattered this week when dozens of South West Water engineers descended on the underground Hillhead Reservoir that was last night linked to the contaminated tap water in the area. A faulty air valve in a nearby cattle field was identified as the source of the water contamination. Locals in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north-east Paignton in Devon were all told to boil water as a precaution The field also is understood to house pipes that feed into the reserve reservoir that sends water to the household taps of thousands of homes in Brixham and the surrounding villages in south Devon The water company has said that the contamination is thought to be linked to a faulty valve in pipes feeding a local reservoir which may have been contaminated by cattle grazing close by In response to the contamination believed to stem from animal waste, South West Water engineers have this week dug this huge trench (pictured) close to the reservoir 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 Your browser does not support iframes. Laura Flowerdew, South West Water Chief Customer and Digital Officer, told Sky News: 'We have identified that there is a damaged air valve on our network just near the Hillhead reservoir but we absolutely want to make sure that that is the only source and therefore are just ensuring that we've gone through all the right operational procedures.' Asked if it was animal faeces that infiltrated the network, she told the broadcaster: 'We understand that this is a valve on one of the pipes that head towards the Hillhead reservoir, not on the reservoir itself. 'It's in a farmer's field and I understand that there are cattle in that field and therefore there's a possibility that that is therefore the source of the contamination.' She added that work is still under way to determine the cause of the contamination but that the damaged air valve 'does look like it's a potential source'. Mr Vennelle declined to discuss any role his farm may have to the water contamination mystery when approached by MailOnline today. He said simply: 'Get off my land!' Laura Flowerdew, South West Water Chief Customer and Digital Officer (pictured), told Sky News: 'We have identified that there is a damaged air valve on our network just near the Hillhead reservoir but we absolutely want to make sure that that is the only source and therefore are just ensuring that we've gone through all the right operational procedures' South West Water handing out emergency rations of bottled water to those affected by the Cryptosporidium outbreak Pictured: Residents collect bottled water at Broadsands car park in Paignton Water distribution points have been set up across to area to around 16,000 affected households and businesses The contamination of the water has caused residents in the area to fall seriously ill. Elaine Hollier, an 80-year-old grandmother, was rushed to hospital with severe dehydration on Saturday after suffering diarrhoea and vomiting for two weeks. Her husband of 60 years, Dennis Hollier, said: '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.' Dennis Hollier, whose wife Elaine has been hospitalised due to drinking the water Dennis Hollier and wife Elaine, who was hospitalised with severe dehydration Residents of nearby cottages have revealed how the Hillhead Reservoir has been blighted by engineering problems for months with a complete breakdown in water supply in January this year. Yvonee Harris told MailOnline: 'There's been faults at the reservoir for months. The water went off completely in January and South West Water had to bring us a water bowser. 'There must have been some 20 teams of engineers up here since then but they never seem to be able to solve the problem.' The underground Hillhead Reservoir, which sits on a hill overlooking the picturesque fishing port of Brixham, usually serves the few cottages surrounding Mr Vennelle's Hilltop Farm. But it is used by the town as a reserve reservoir in times of high demand such as the May Bank Holiday weekend when Brixham hosted the popular Pirate Festival. It was shortly after then that homeowners in south Devon began complaining of upset stomachs and diarrhoea. Yvonne, 76, a retired hotel manager, added: 'Me and my neighbours have all been really ill. It's been dreadful.' Schools are on average $20k-a-year cheaper than Ivy League Universities The Ivy League has long been exalted as the cream of the crop when it comes to American universities. But after a wave of scandals and rising tuition costs, a new set of far more affordable schools is closing in on their turf. And with new data revealing how even the most expensive education does not always parlay into a high salary, families are looking elsewhere. Forbes has now released a list naming the 'new Ivies'. The average tuition for first year students at the 10 most-affordable 'new Ivies' is $20,000 less - at $42,233 for out-of-state students. Recipients of financial aid at these schools pay an average of $15,436 according to College Scorecard. 1. University of Florida Pictured: The University of Florida Out-of-state tuition: $28,658 per year In-state with financial aid: $6,275 per year 2. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill Pictured: The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Seal in brick walk way Out-of-state tuition: $39,228 per year In-state with financial aid: $12,414 per year 3. Georgia Institute of Technology Pictured: View of the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology Out-of-state tuition: $32,940 per year In-state with financial aid: $14,588 per year 4. Rice University Pictured: Rice University in Houston, Texas Out-of-state tuition: $62,874 per year In-state with financial aid: $15,091 per year 5. University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Pictured: University of Illinois college campus quad in Urbana Champaign Illinois Out-of-state tuition: $36,760 - $44,664 per year (varies based on major) In-state with financial aid: $16,109 per year 6. University of Maryland - College Park Pictured: The University of Maryland Out-of-state tuition: $39,464 per year In-state with financial aid: $16,590 per year 7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Pictured: The University of Michigan Out-of-state tuition: $27,864 per year (figure reflects 2023-24 tuition price, 2024-25 price not available) In-state with financial aid: $16,792 per year 8. University of Wisconsin - Madison Pictured: The University of Wisconsin - Madison Out-of-state tuition: $42,104 per year In-state with financial aid: $16,834 per year 9. University of Texas - Austin Pictured: The Main Building (known colloquially as The Tower) - a structure at the center of the University of Texas at Austin campus Out-of-state tuition: $40,582 - $48,712 per year (varies based on major) In-state with financial aid: $18,850 per year 10. Johns Hopkins University Pictured: Johns Hopkins University A Maryland teacher has been 'reassigned' after a video he posted of female middle schoolers braiding his hair drew criticism. Marquise White of Prince George's Schools is not allowed back in the classrooms while his TikTok post, which has been watched 7.3 million times, is investigated. White says there is 'nothing weird' about the video, in which five middle school girls remove his braids as he sits back and eats a satsuma. Some viewers say the scene is 'innocent' and 'harmless,' but critics say it is 'too intimate' and that he should lose his job. Marquise White says there is 'nothing weird' about the hair braiding because students saw him as a 'big brother' School rules say nothing about makeovers in classrooms. But they do assert that staff must respect students' boundaries, behave appropriately, and be careful not to record videos of schoolchildren. Poll Should Marquise White be allowed back in class? Yes No Not sure Should Marquise White be allowed back in class? Yes 134 votes No 114 votes Not sure 32 votes Now share your opinion A school spokesman told DailyMail.com that the teacher has been 'reassigned out of the classroom pending the outcome of the investigation.' White, a science teacher at Maya Angelou French Immersion school in Hillcrest Heights, outside Washington DC, has 774,000 followers on the platform. He regularly posts videos about education and his strong connection with students. He refers to them as his 'besties' and posts footage of playing darts and other classroom fun. He livestreamed the unbraiding on May 3 and posted a TikTok on May 5 with a narration about the ensuing controversy. 'There was quite a discourse in the chat, which had people saying this was inappropriate, and other people saying this was completely fine,' White says. The students had all finished their schoolwork, so he ended class 10 minutes early, he said. There was 'nothing weird' about the unbraiding, as the students have known him throughout his four years at the school, he said. They treat him as a 'big brother or father figure,' he added. White is a science teacher at Maya Angelou French Immersion school in Hillcrest Heights, outside Washington, DC White is seen eating a satsuma and holding an iguana during the hair unbraiding 'If I was a female teacher, those people wouldn't be in the comments saying "Oh, this is weird",' he said. 'To me, it's literally just hair. It doesn't have to be weird. Some people have never had cool teachers, and it shows.' In the four-and-a-half-minute video, a group of four or five students works diligently on White's hair, using combs to untangle the braids. Meanwhile, the teacher sits back in his chair, works on his laptop, eats fruit, and at one point holds an iguana. Most of the online comments were supportive of White. But critics say he has crossed a line with his students, that physical contact was not appropriate, and that lesson time was for learning, not hairdressing. One commentator said it was 'too personal.' 'Always remain professional at the work place,' wrote another. 'This a boundary that you don't cross.' The case comes amid growing concerns about what takes place in America's classrooms. Parents, students, and teachers must balance everything from appropriate classroom conduct to the use of cell phones and social media in a time of deep political divisions and strong opinions. A coroner has called for urgent changes to mental health provision after a fourth young woman died at the same failing private hospital in under two years warning that 'unless something is different, there are going to be more deaths'. An inquest found Amina Ismail, 20, was kept in the secure facility 80 miles from home for 13 months longer than necessary - and should have been moved to a lower-grade facility closer to home. The delay, due to a shortage of beds, led to her mental health worsening to the point the talented artist, who wanted to be a nurse or paramedic, was found hanged in her room in September 2023. She went into cardiac arrest after suffering ligature strangulation and could not be resuscitated. Assistant Coroner Andrew Bridgman said he would be issuing a report about what he called a worrying national picture in mental health care after the jury returned a 'misadventure' verdict. An inquest found Amina Ismail, 20, (pictured) was kept in the secure facility 80 miles from home for 13 months longer than necessary Ms Ismail was the fourth young woman to die at Priory Group's Cheadle Royal Hospital, in Stockport, Greater Manchester, between January 2022 and September 2023 Mr Bridgman said: 'Things need to happen. I cannot say what needs to happen. I simply point out that unless something is different there are going to be more deaths of our young people.' Ms Ismail, described by her family as a 'cherished daughter whose life was filled with happiness and kindness' was the fourth young woman to die at Priory Group's Cheadle Royal Hospital, in Stockport, Greater Manchester, between January 2022 and September 2023. She had been in and out of mental health units since she was 15 and, after a brief spell back with her family in Birmingham, had been placed at Cheadle Royal after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2020. The hospital is rated as requiring improvement by the Care Quality Commission, with safety levels rated as 'inadequate'. Ms Ismail's father Ahmed Ismail said: 'The last year was a real struggle for Amina. She was miles away from home and despite us visiting and supporting her as much as we could, we felt she was isolated. All we desperately wanted was to at least to get her closer to home and then back to her family. 'It's almost impossible to describe the hurt and pain we're going through following Amina's death. She had her whole life ahead of her and it devastates us that she's no longer with us and she'll never get to fulfil her potential and ambitions. 'It's a reflection of our mental health system that Amina was in and out of placements and moved from pillar to post for years, while we feel, never really getting the help and support she needed. 'If she had then we wouldn't have had to go through the trauma of losing her and the trauma of trying to establish answers in her memory. 'All we can hope for now is that lessons are learned from how Amina was let down. It's imperative that changes are made to how people with mental illnesses, and particularly young women, are cared for. 'The current system isn't equipped to deal with our most vulnerable and has to change for the better.' Alexander Terry, public law and human rights lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Mr Ismail and his wife Roda at the inquest, held over the past four weeks in Stockport, said: 'Amina's story is yet another tragedy involving a young woman with complex mental health needs losing her life while detained miles from her home and her family. 'Amina's loved ones still believe that if she had received the care she should have then she may still be with them today. The hospital is rated as requiring improvement by the Care Quality Commission, with safety levels rated as 'inadequate' In Ms Ismail's case, jurors also highlighted how a health assistant did not properly check on her 'What this hearing has highlighted is that there's a national shortage of appropriate rehabilitation placements for vulnerable young women with emotionally unstable personality disorder or complex trauma. 'This inquest has also heard evidence about how heavily the NHS relies on the private sector to provide mental health beds. The current system prioritises profit at the expense of patient well-being. 'The Government pledged to end out-of-area hospital placements by 2021. By failing to deliver on this pledge, the state continues to fail some of the most vulnerable young people in this country.' Concluding the inquest, Mr Bridgman said he would be writing to Health Secretary Victoria Atkins outlining his concerns adding it was 'not the first time' he had to write such a letter, having previously issued a similar warning to the government eight months ago. Mr Bridgman previously wrote a 'prevention of future deaths' letter to the government concerning Lauren Bridges, 20, from Bournemouth. The a 'straight-A student' who dreamed of becoming a doctor or nurse had also been at The Priory's Cheadle Royal Hospital for over five months when she was found unconscious in her en-suite bathroom on February 24, 2022. She was rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital with her family making the six-hour journey from Dorset to be with her. A clinical decision was made, in consultation with Lauren's mother Lindsey, and her loved ones, to end her life support and she died two days later. The jury in that inquest also noted her 'prolonged' stay at The Priory. Two other young women who died at Priory Cheadle Royal were mental health blogger Beth Matthews, 26, who was able to ingest a poisonous substance she had bought online in March 2022. An inquest jury found she was failed by the hospital and that neglect contributed to her death. And Deseree Fitzpatrick, 30, died at the same hospital in January 2022 when she choked in her sleep after being given an inappropriate regime of prescription medication. In Ms Ismail's case, jurors also highlighted how a health assistant did not properly check on her, although that was not found to have contributed to her death on September 15. Jurors said: 'The (healthcare assistant) did not follow the Priory policy at 15.35hrs when she did not enter Amina's en-suite after calling her name. Instead, she returned at 15.36hrs and entered the en-suite. This one-minute delay did not contribute to the circumstances of Amina's death.' At the time of her death, Ms Ismail, whose mental health struggles began after a police investigation was launched into historic abuse she had suffered as a child, was under observation every 15 minutes 'because of concerns about self-harm and ligature risk'. The inquest heard a senior nurse at Cheadle Hospital told a colleague it was 'in the nature of the job' that 'people like (Ms Ismail) will die through misadventure'. The same staff member also allegedly suggested Ms Ismail was 'faking it' following a self-harm incident the day before her death, the hearing was told. Richard Caseby, whose son Matthew, 23, died in September 2020 after failings at another Priory Group hospital in Woodbourne, Birmingham, called for the NHS to stop sending mental health patients to private hospitals miles from home. He said: 'Private providers like the Priory suck over 2 billion from the NHS and UK taxpayers yet standards of care are appalling. 'Tragically, the NHS is as hooked as a crack addict: it outsources the care of its most vulnerable patients to private-equity backed private providers even when that care is often known to be inadequate. 'The dirty secret is that the government thinks that's a risk worth taking because the NHS also outsources all legal accountability for when things go wrong.' The charity Inquest, which supports bereaved families, said it has identified more than 20 cases since 2012 where mental health patients at Priory Group hospitals had died after failings or where there had been criticisms of care. Mr Bridgman's prevention of future deaths report has been issued to NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, and no recommendations have been made to Priory Group following the inquest. A spokesperson for Cheadle Royal Hospital said: 'We would like to again convey our sincere condolences to Amina's family following her tragic death and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time. Following Amina's death we completed a comprehensive investigation and have implemented all the actions. 'Despite the best efforts of our staff to ensure Amina's discharge at the earliest opportunity, this proved very challenging to arrange due to the complexities of care Amina needed and limited specialist bed availability. 'As the coroner has highlighted, more work is required nationally to ensure patients do not experience prolonged stays in psychiatric intensive care units and we will continue to support our NHS partners and commissioners in their efforts to address this.' Assistant Coroner Andrew Bridgman said he would be issuing a report about what he called a worrying national picture in mental health care Dr Satish Rao, Interim Chief Medical Officer, of Forward Thinking Birmingham NHS mental health trust, said: 'Our thoughts and condolences are with Ms Ismail's family and loved ones. 'Throughout her care colleagues were continually working to find the right support for her complex needs.' A spokesperson for Cheadle Royal Hospital said: 'We would like to again convey our sincere condolences to Amina's family following her tragic death and our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time. Following Amina's death we completed a comprehensive investigation and have implemented all the actions. 'Despite the best efforts of our staff to ensure Amina's discharge at the earliest opportunity, this proved very challenging to arrange due to the complexities of care Amina needed and limited specialist bed availability. 'As the coroner has highlighted, more work is required nationally to ensure patients do not experience prolonged stays in psychiatric intensive care units and we will continueto support our NHS partners and commissioners in their efforts to address this.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our sympathies are with Ms Ismails family and friends in this tragic case. 'We respond to, and learn from, every prevention of future death report, and we are working to ensure that everyone gets the mental health support they need and in the right healthcare setting for their needs. 'Weve boosted investment in mental health by 4.7 billion since 2018/19 and have grown the mental health workforce by more than 20,800 staff. We are also investing 150 million in crisis support to improve patient experience and outcomes and help ease the pressure on hospitals.' It is understood the NHS is struggling under surging demand for mental health services. For 2024/25, mental health spending is forecast to make up over 9% of all recurrent NHS spending - costing 1.3bn more than planned between 2018/19 and 2023/24. The number of mental health staff is being increased with a target of 27,000 extra workers by this year, nearly 21,000 of whom were in place by last December, sources said. A Metropolitan Police officer who 'manhandled' and wrongly arrested a woman for bus fare evasion in front of her sobbing son has been found guilty of assault. PC Perry Lathwood, 50, of Norman's Bay, East Sussex, grabbed Jocelyn Agyemang by the arm, causing bruising injuries during the arrest on July 21 last year in Whitehorse Road, Croydon, south London. The incident left the mother feeling 'violated', Westminster Magistrates' Court heard this week. Ms Agyemang was dropping her son off at her mother's house before heading to an appointment in Marylebone scheduled for 12.30pm. Police officers were helping ticket inspectors on a bus in Croydon at the time. PC Perry Lathwood, 50, of Norman's Bay, East Sussex, grabbed Jocelyn Agyemang by the arm and wrongly arrested her for bus fare evasion in Croydon last July A screen grab from body camera footage shows PC Lathwood arresting Ms Agyemang After she and her son disembarked the bus at around 11am, she was asked to show she had paid her fare by a bus inspector, shortly before being grabbing by her arm, arrested and handcuffed. Footage of the shocking incident was shared widely on social media at the time. The video shows Ms Agyemang being held back by PC Lathwood, from the Met's Road Traffic Policing Command, as her young son cries hysterically. In his defence, PC Lathwood claimed he was trying to protect the mother and her child from being harmed as she argued with the officer by grabbing her arm. 'She's walking towards the road, she had to be contained for her safety, her kids' safety and our safety,' he said. 'If I hadn't moved her back she would have been splattered.' He denied but was convicted of assault by beating. At Westminster Magistrates' Court, Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram said that PC Lathwood's account of what had happened 'lacked credibility'. Throughout his verdict, Judge Ikram referred to the complainant as JA and to the defendant as D. He said: 'Whether an arrest was necessary and proportionate is an objective test, I make the following findings to the criminal standard. 'I readily find that JA was difficult throughout, she knew the inspectors were checking tickets but didn't stop as she could have, but wanted them to follow her. 'I find that she did say she'd paid and was difficult perhaps because she knew she had paid, as was later established. 'Confrontation with a difficult person does not in itself justify arrest without legal justification. 'I've examined the video carefully - on examination of the video footage, she clearly has the Oyster card in her hand outreached towards the inspectors' machine. 'In having it out it appears she may well have touched the machine given the opportunity to do so. PC Lathwood claimed he was trying to protect the mother and her child from being harmed as she argued by grabbing her arm, but the judge told him his version of events 'lacked credibility' Footage shared on social media showed the moment Ms Agyemang was arrested after wrongly being accused of bus fare evasion, as the police officer claimed she refused to show her ticket 'This would have been visible to D. 'I find that bearing in mind the nature of the potential offences and difficult as she was, it was not necessary to grab JA's arm at that point, arrest her and handcuff her. 'I find objectively that there were not reasonable grounds to suggest that the arrest was necessary for any of the reasons advanced by D. 'I find that she ought to have been warned that she would be arrested if she did not give her name and address. 'She was never asked her name or address, bearing in mind the nature of the offence or potential offences I have no reason to believe that any criminal enquiry would be frustrated if she was not arrested there and then. 'I did not find that he ever honestly believed the arrest was necessary to protect her child, or to prevent injury to herself. 'Those suggestions are completely without foundation and fanciful. 'He said in evidence that all those reasons were in his head at the time prior to arresting her - I simply do not believe him. 'I find upon consideration of the facts that there were no reasonable grounds to believe that the arrest was necessary on the grounds advanced by the officers. 'I've no hesitation in concluding that the officer made an error in judgement and overreacted in arresting her. 'I am satisfied the situation escalated once D assaulted her, by grabbing JA's arm, and then arresting her. 'Handcuffing her inflamed the situation even further. 'I accept that JA's reaction to being arrested was dramatic, she protested loudly and theatrically but that was not the situation prior to her being grabbed by the arm. 'I find that D acted unlawfully by grabbing JA's arm and handcuffing her. 'The prosecution has proved that the force applied was not lawful - it follows that I find D guilty of assault.' Wearing a blue suit and silk tie, Lathwood smirked with resignation to police officers in the public gallery as the verdict was announced. The court heard Ms Agyemang got off the 157 bus at around 11.11am with her young son holding her Oyster card and the ticket inspector asked to see it. She handed it over to the ticket inspector to check it and walked off as PC Lathwood became involved. 'He lays a hand on her, she moves away from him but he then grabs her arm again and arrests her for fare evasion,' said Paul Jarvis, prosecuting. 'In fact she had paid her fare, subsequently the card was examined - she had made payment for that journey but she was arrested. 'Her child was becoming distressed because his mother is becoming upset. 'PC Lathwood continues to hold her and repeatedly makes demand of her that she should tap her card, that she should present her card she's holding to the ticket inspector. 'It is confirmed that she had in fact paid for her travel, as a result of which PC Lathwood de-arrested her, removed the handcuffs he'd placed on her and effectively she was allowed to go on her way with her son.' 'The officer, in deciding to carry out this arrest and deciding to lay hands on her, handcuff her and manhandle her was acting unlawfully because he had no lawful justification, because he had no lawful justification for doing any of that. PC Lathwood denied but was convicted of assault by beating at Westminster Magistrates' Court Giving evidence Miss Agyemang said the officer's actions made her feel 'very, very violated'. Pictured: Footage of the incident which was shared on social media Giving evidence Miss Agyemang said the officer's actions made her feel 'very, very violated.' 'I just remember, like, this officer just grabbing me and my arm from nowhere. 'It was a very, very strong hold - he literally was hurting my arm and I believe I expressed that to him as well. 'I just wanted him to get off me because he's quite strong and it just made me feel very anxious that he was holding onto me and I didn't know what I had done wrong, especially as I had my Oyster card in my hand.' She said Lathwood had called her a 'daft cow' while releasing her from his grip. 'I think he tried to accuse me of running into the road and he called me a daft cow. 'I felt very violated, this is the main feeling about all of this. I felt very, very violated - very humiliated. 'I just felt like they didn't care, and I just felt a bit degraded because I hadn't done anything wrong'. PC Lathwood remains on unconditional bail, with sentencing due to take place on 14 June at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London Following his arrest Lathwood said in a prepared statement: 'Her actions were completely over the top, she didn't do what she was being asked to do.' Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'This verdict is a huge setback to our ability to rebuild trust with Londoners. 'We will learn the lessons from this and we apologise to the woman and the wider community who were deeply affected. 'Anyone who has seen the footage of this incident will be upset by how it escalated into a traumatic situation for a mother and her child. 'Despite today's conviction, we will continue to support the officer and continue to support our workforce, to ensure officers have the confidence to act decisively and make arrests when they believe they have the powers to do so. 'When an officer is convicted of a criminal offence, their conviction will often be considered at an accelerated misconduct hearing as soon as possible after proceedings have finished. 'In this case we will wait to hear if PC Lathwood will appeal the conviction, and work to fully understand the decision of the court and its implications for policing. 'We do not intend to consider an accelerated misconduct hearing in this case. 'The nature of this kind of fare evasion operation unnecessarily places officers in potentially challenging interactions with the public. 'Since this incident happened, we have stopped our involvement in supporting Transport for London fare evasion operations, but we continue our presence on the bus network tackling violent crime. 'The Met will continue to work with communities, to transform our culture and improve how we engage with all Londoners by embedding our values of empathy, integrity, respect, courage and being accountable across the whole organisation.' PC Lathwood remains on unconditional bail, with sentencing due to take place on 14 June. Asylum seekers have hit out at a former caravan tycoon for raking in 3.5million of taxpayers' cash a day by putting them up in fancy hotels - and leaving them to take the blame for the government's skyrocketing accommodation bills. A lucrative contract to accommodate and transport new arrivals has catapulted Graham King - dubbed 'the migrant hotel king' - into the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of 750million. His company, Clearsprings Ready Homes, holds the exclusive right to house asylum seekers across southern England and Wales - with many being put up in swanky central London hotels. But residents urged him to share his fortune with them instead of 'benefitting from our difficulties'. Fatima, who has been in the hotel for three months with her husband and comes from Afghanistan said: 'We don't know much about this man but us asylum seekers have been good for him. I hope that he is going to be big-hearted enough to share some of his money with us.' A lucrative contract to accommodate and transport new arrivals has catapulted Graham King (pictured) - dubbed 'the migrant hotel king' - into the Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of 750million Fatima, who has been in the hotel for three months with her husband and comes from Afghanistan said: 'We don't know much about this man but us asylum seekers have been good for him' (stock image) Westpoint Hotel in Paddington is owned by migrant hotel king Graham King and is being used to house asylum seekers to the UK King won Home Office contracts to provide accommodation for ever-growing numbers of refugees The businessman is a former caravan park and disco tycoon. He made 25million in 2021 thanks to a Home Office contract to house asylum seekers in southern England and Wales Migrants are pictured arriving at Dover after being brought ashore by UK officials. Mr King helps house many arrivals Mauji, an asylum seeker from Iran who is being housed by Clearsprings close to London's Paddington station told MailOnline: 'Life is very difficult for us but must be wonderful for Mr King. He is benefiting from our difficulties and I'm shocked that one man is making so much money from the asylum system. 'We are getting all the blame, but he is getting all the money. I didn't know that the asylum system in this country was worth so much, it's unbelievable.' Mauji, who did not want to give his last name, revealed that he has been staying in a 'tiny' room for the past six months in the hotel with his wife and child. He added: 'It's very cramped, the conditions are not great, and we barely have any space in our room. But what can we do, we had no choice but to leave Iran?' Ali, who is from Sudan and came to the UK in a small boat two months ago said: 'I'm a single man so things are not that bad for me. The hotel is actually quite nice, and I like being here because it's right in the middle of London so there's lots to do. 'If Mr King is making so much money, then good luck to him. I hope to be a rich man like him one day too. Perhaps he could give me a job?' His friend Mohamed, who also came from Sudan and crossed the channel in small boat added: 'I can't even begin to think about 750 million because I am surviving on less than 50 per week. 'A lot of people don't like us asylum seekers and I know that it's a big political issue. But I bet Mr King does because he has made a lot of money from us. Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul have described the impact of a brutal hammer attack that left the former House Speaker's spouse with a fractured skull in letters to a judge begging for his assailant to be jailed. Paul Pelosi described how he was beaten unconscious and awoke in a pool of his own blood following the savage assault on October 28, 2022. David DePape, a former nudist from Canada, was convicted of the attack in November and faces up to 50 years in jail at sentencing today. He was attempting to target Nancy Pelosi but made her husband 'take the punishment' when it emerged she was not at home. In his letter, Pelosi described how his life has been 'irrevocably' changed, with 'severe and persistent' injuries interfering with managing basic tasks like buttoning his shirt and using cutlery. 'Ever since the defendant violently broke into my home and woke me up yelling Wheres Nancy? at 2:00 am on October 28, 2022, my life has been irrevocably changed,' he wrote. Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul have described the impact of a brutal hammer attack that left the former House Speaker's spouse with a fractured skull in letters to a judge begging for his assailant to be jailed In her letter, Nancy Pelosi requested a 'very long punishment' for the savage attack which has left her husband permanently injured The sickening attack was caught on surveillance footage which Paul Pelosi has not been able to view due to the trauma David DePape, a former nudist from Canada , was convicted of the attack in November and faces up to 50 years in jail 'Awakened by a large violent man holding a hammer and zip ties, I tried to calm him and save my own life.' He explained in excruciating detail the damage done to nerves in his forehand, which was 'was de-gloved exposing raw nerves and blood vessel'. He added that the trauma is still so great he is unable to discuss the events with anyone or watch back the harrowing surveillance footage which captured the attack. 'It has taken many months to reclaim my home and well-being. Even so, we do not answer our landline phone or our front door due to ongoing threats,' he wrote. 'I ask that you consider the premeditated kidnapping of my wife, the vicious assault on my life, and the ongoing physical and mental injuries caused by the defendant and sentence him to the fullest extent the law provides.' His wishes were echoed by his wife, who wrote of the 'devastating' impact of the attack which 'echoing the January 6th threats - filled me with deep fear and pain'. 'Paul was nearly killed in the front entrance to our home. Even now, eighteen months after the home invasion and assault, the signs of blood and break-in are impossible to avoid,' she wrote. The former speaker described her fear of a copycat attack and explained that her husband's recovery has taken a toll on her professional life. DePape was found guilty of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. Paul Pelosi said his life had changed 'irrevocably' since the attack which left him with persistent nerve damage in his hand. Pictured: Pelosi wearing a hat and glove two months after the assault Paul Pelosi described how he has been left struggling with basic tasks such as buttoning shirts and using cutlery due to agonizing nerve damage sustained during the attack Defense attorneys argued that DePape was caught up in conspiracies and was motivated by his political beliefs, not because he wanted to interfere with Nancy Pelosi's official duties as a member of Congress. Prosecutor Helen Gilbert said the defense had made a false distinction between the California Democrat's politics and official duties and that DePape did not differentiate between the two. DePape's defense attorney conceded that he carried out the assault, which he testified was part of a 'grand plan' to expose Hunter Biden. In a statement, a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi said she and her family were 'deeply grateful for the outpouring of prayers and warm wishes'. 'The Pelosi family is very proud of their Pop, who demonstrated extraordinary composure and courage on the night of the attack a year ago and in the courtroom this week,' said spokesman Aaron Bennett. During his testimony, DePape wept on the stand and apologized for beating the House Speaker's husband, but admitted he wanted to interrogate Nancy and was ready to break her kneecaps if she had been home. He told the court: 'I wanted to ask her a question about Russiagate and film it and post it online. 'I was planning to wear the unicorn costume and record it with the body camera I got. I kind of expected her to go along with me and tell me what I wanted to hear.' Finding only her then-82-year-old husband at home, DePape engaged in what he told officers was a 'pretty amicable' exchange, during which Paul Pelosi, pictured, managed to call for help from law enforcement Defense attorney Angela Chuang delivered closing arguments on Wednesday Court records of DePape's purchases from Amazon in the months before the attacks revealed a list of items he reportedly took with him to the crime scene. They included a camping backpack, computer cables, body cameras, crayons and, bizarrely, two Spooktacular unicorn costumes. DePape added that after he hit Pelosi he felt 'really bad' for him. He told the court: 'When he was on the ground, bleeding, I was really scared for his life. I felt really bad for him because we had a really good rapport until like the last second. 'I reacted because my plan was basically ruined. He was never the target and I'm sorry he got hurt.' Prosecutors played the body camera footage of the attack and DePape watched without flinching. The graphic footage of the hammer attack showed an officer shining a flashlight, confronting DePape with Pelosi in the doorway. As the two struggle, DePape raises his hammer and smashes Pelosi over the head, striking him three times to the ground. A screenshot of security footage shows DePape outside the Pelosi home Paul Pelosi was hit multiple times with the hammer leaving him unconscious as the officers rushed in and arrested DePape Another video showed blood gushing from Pelosi's head, with his hands soaked red, as paramedics tended to him. Stephanie Minor, FBI special agent, testified they reviewed web activity found on DePape's hard drive, including a series of Nancy Pelosi-related searches in the days leading up to the attack. She testified that there were about 50 video surveillance cameras capturing DePape's trip to carry out the hammer attack. Paul Pelosi took the stand during the trial and recounted the horrifying experience. 'The door opened and a very, very large man came in with a hammer in one hand and some ties in the other hand,' Pelosi told the court. 'He said where's Nancy? 'He burst into the door and woke me up.' Testifying for around an hour, Pelosi told the court of his efforts to alert 911 to the threat, without pushing DePape to attack him. Aerial footage showed broken panes and shattered glass at the backdoor of Pelosi's home after the attack Paul Pelosi attends a portrait unveiling ceremony for his wife in Statuary Hall at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 14, 2022. He was frequently seen sporting a hat in the wake of the attack He described negotiating with DePape to go downstairs, where Pelosi hoped he'd be rescued by police. And he told of 'waking up in a pool of blood'. Pelosi said he has not fully recovered from his injuries. A neurosurgeon who operated on him testified that Pelosi had two wounds on his head, including a fracture to his skull that had to be mended with plates and screws he will have for the rest of his life. During the trial prosecution played a recording of a call DePage later placed to a news reporter stating: 'I have an important message for everyone in America. You're welcome.' When authorities arrested DePape, they found a manifesto that contained anti-governmental beliefs and a list of other politicians he planned to target. He also pleaded not guilty to charges in state court of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Opening arguments in the state trial are scheduled for either May 24 or 28. Dramatic video footage captured the moment a bystander used a bottle of Coca-Cola to put out the flames after a cargo bike caught fire in Mexico. The owner of the bike is seen frantically attempting to douse the fire as it starts to spread at an intersection in Tabasco this week. The man dumps a bucket of water while another concerned person steps in with another bucket and dumps water over the cargo box. The bike owner sought to control the flames from spreading by with an old wet rag to no avail. A man struggled to put the fire on his cargo motor bike this week in Tabasco, Mexico and got some much needed help from a bystander, who was able to put out the fire with a 2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola A man shocked bystanders and the owner of a cargo motor bike when he helped him put out a fire with a bottle of Coke Subsequently, another bystander appeared in the background running to the burning bike to squeeze a 2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola to control the fire. The man stood several feet away from the bike and sprayed the soft drink over the ignition switch and hand clutch area for about 25 seconds as the flames disappeared. The quick-thinking bystander's method of choice to put out the fire left social media users amazed. 'Shut down anything!! Even your thirst!! It is a wonder @Coca Cola,' one person wrote. A clever bystander rushed to aid the owner of a cargo motor bike that burst in flames in the middle of traffic in Mexico 'I would have liked him not to waste the Coke like that, but everything to save the man's material possession,' another social media user chimed in. 'Quenches thirst and turns off the heat, Coca-Cola is always good!!' another person joked. 'The old Coca-Cola technique,' another social media user quipped. 'Highly effective.' DailyMail.com reached out to Coca-Cola for comment. Now they are reportedly being probed for ties to an international trade broker President Joe Biden's top Border Patrol officials attended booze-filled parties in the U.S. and Mexico on behalf of a tequila tycoon and international trade broker. And now two officials are under investigation for improperly accepting lavish gifts and transportation to and from the ragers. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens and Chief Patrol Agent of the Rio Grande Valley sector Gloria Chavez are being probed for potentially improperly disclosing their connections to the businessmen, NBC News reports. The two businessmen are Francisco Javier Gonzalez, a Mexican tequila mogul whose grandfather founded Don Julio tequila (but who is not affiliated with the Don Julio brand), and Eduardo Garza Robles, a Mexican-American who operates a customs broker offering international cargo services called Uni-Trade. Owens and Chavez were already under investigation for their relationships with the Gonzalez and now officials are probing their connections to the international trade broker, Robles, who introduced the three. Border Patrol officials, U.S. Border Patrol chief Jason Owens (center) and Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Gloria Chavez (far left) are being investigated for attending booze-filled parties at Francisco Javier Gonzalez's distillery in Mexico. Eduardo Garza Robles (right) is believed to have introduced the officials to the Don Julio founder's grandson According to the report, Gonzalez wanted to create a Border Patrol-themed tequila for the department's 100th anniversary and photos on social media in February show Owens and Chavez at his family's distillery in Jalisco, Mexico. The Mexican tequila maker, whose family is deeply connected in the industry, owns Tequila Casa de los Gonzalez. The relationship with the tequila maker dates back to July 2023 at which time Gonzalez hosted and event for CBP leadership in Laredo, Texas, a border town of roughly 250,000 residents, two Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told NBC News. Robles, the owner of Uni-Trade who introduced Owens, Chavez and Gonzalez, is a big player in the border town where his company has a large operation. But this is not Garza's first time playing politics. Previously he has been photographed with Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who is currently being probed by the Department of Justice (DOJ). According to the DOJ, Cuellar 'allegedly accepted approximately $600,000 from Azerbaijan's state-owned oil company and a Mexican bank in exchange for official acts as a member of Congress.' Also in the image is Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Robles, whose company also has operations in Mexico, is so prominent that last year the mayor of Laredo gave him a symbolic key to the city. Eduardo Garza Robles, CEO of Uni-Trade Group, seen in this image outside of Uni-Trade's Laredo Texas Office with Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn and Democrat Congressman from Texas Henry Cuellar Eduardo A. Garza Robles, CEO of Uni-Trade Group, introduced the high-ranking Border Patrol officials to Gonzalez Hacienda Casa Gonzalez in Jalisco Mexico owned by the family of Francisco Javier Gonzalez. The company, according to it's website, currently produces 26 different tequilas Hacienda Casa Gonzalez in Jalisco Mexico owned by the family of Francisco Javier Gonzalez produces various tequilas and its owner wanted to make one for Border Patrol He has also given thousands to elected officials and has flown them on his company airplane. The report also claims Robles hosted an event at his Laredo ranch celebrating a change in Border Patrol leadership in July 2023. The DHS Office of Inspector General is also investigating the conduct of agent Chavez and the Uni-Trade CEO's conduct at the events and parties, according to the report. In October 2023, there was yet another party hosted at Robles' ranch for Border Patrol officials from the Laredo sector and Rio Grande Valley sector, which agent Chavez oversees. These individuals were shuttled to the party, listened to remarks from Robles and enjoyed dinner while listening to a comedian all on the Uni-Trade CEO's dime, the report states. Investigators are also probing rumors that Robles and agent Chavez together traveled in November 2023 to Guadalajara, Mexico. It is unclear who paid. Later in December 2023 Robles hosted some Border Patrol sector chiefs and their staff at his Laredo ranch. They had a 'Uni-Trade dinner' that lasted four hours, according to the agenda reviewed by the outlet. Images from the dinner show Robles, Border Patrol Chief Owens, agent Chavez and a former Border Patrol Laredo sector chief Joel Martinez all sitting together at a table. At the time Martinez was the second-highest ranking Border Patrol official. He retired this year amid a scandal that suggested he sexually harassed female agency subordinates. The project to create a CBP tequila has been put on hold as the investigation continues U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens at the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., February 29, 2024 U.S. Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Gloria Chavez (left) and DHS Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas (right) arrive at a press conference on May 5, 2023 in Brownsville, Texas In February, Gonzalez hosted Robles, Owens and Garza at his Tequila Casa de los Gonzalez distillery in Jalisco for the Border Patrol chief's birthday celebration. The report also says that Gonzalez attended at least one event for Border Patrol officials hosted by Robles in Laredo. Gonzalez himself said it was the party in December. The Don Julio founder's grandson said Border Patrol officials visited his plant on February 2 to decide what type of tequila the agency wanted for its anniversary alcohol and to 'see all the legal formalities that need to be done.' Gonzalez also said he did not pay for the officials to travel to his Jalisco plant. An attorney for Robles said the Uni-Trade CEO 'never paid for any travel or transportation for Gloria Chavez or Jason Owens,' NBC News reported. The lawyer said Robles 'hosted a number of celebrations for various reasons at his home, however, the purpose[s] of those celebrations have involved family, friends or sporting events.' Part of the CBP probe into Owens and Chavez relates to what Robles and or Gonzalez provided the officials during their trips to the tequila distillery. 'The gala event planned for May 25th in El Paso celebrating the Border Patrol's 100 years of history has been canceled. All other events will proceed as planned,' Owens posted on X Thursday. And the plan to create a Border Patrol tequila has been put on hold as the investigation goes on, according to the report. Owens' travel to Gonzalez's tequila distillery was not paid for by the Don Julio founder's grandson, he said Whatever the investigation yields, CBP ethics codes forbid accepting gifts from individuals who conduct 'conducts activities regulated by the employees agency' or 'has interests that may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the employees official duties.' CBP, DHS and Uni-Trade did not immediately return a request for comment. A 12-year-old Las Vegas girl took her own life after being tormented by bullies at her middle school for months. Flora Martinez, a sixth grader at Keller Middle School, killed herself on May 7 - eight months and one day after her transfer out of Duane D. Keller middle school was denied. Her funeral was on Thursday. Her distraught parents are now blaming the Clark County School District for not doing enough to protect their daughter. Grieving mother, Alice Martinez told News8: 'I feel like the school had a duty to keep her safe, while she was in their care and they just failed miserably.' The young girl's parents said their daughter's peers started bullying her early into the school year. Flora's mother claimed both she and her child approached the assistant principal for help. The mom then submitted paperwork for her daughter's transfer out of the middle school, but her request was denied in October. Flora Martinez, 12, took her own life on May 7 after months and months of bullying Flora's mother said she had taken her daughter out of school for two weeks early in the school year when the bullying began, but when she returned to school it intensified. 'Everybody that had a hand in that request to transfer her failed her. If youre a parent and youre not outraged by this, youre part of the problem too,' Martinez said. Flora's dad Joshua Parker said: 'This wasnt just one incident that happened, and you know, she decided to take her life. 'This was months and months and months of bullying that built up, and finally, she just couldnt take it no more.' The heartbroken father added: 'Look how hard it was on my daughter. My daughter was literally bullied to death.' Flora's parents described their daughter as artistic. Someone who was 'full of life, and empathetic who loved 'ice cream and seafood.' DailyMail.com reached out to the Clark county School District for comment. The tragic tale comes just days after it emerged a 10-year-old boy, Sammy Teusch, had killed himself in Indiana on March 5 following relentless bullying at school about his teeth and glasses. His parents from Greenfield said they complained to his school repeatedly but were ignored. His funeral was on Tuesday, and attended by hundreds. Flora standing with her dad who was holding a sign 'My sweetheart' Flora's grief-stricken parents, Alice Martinez and Joshua Parker, claim the school failed them and did not protect their daughter Duane D. Keller Middle School located at North Fogg Street is the school Flora attended. The school teaches students grades six through nine, and has a student population of 1,189 Sammy's parents Sam and Nichole said their son 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 began 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 allegedly beaten up. 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, with Sam adding: '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.' Sammy Teusch, 10, killed himself on May 5 after suffering horrific bullying 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. 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.' Indiana police have now launched an investigation into the shock suicide and have said his classmates could face criminal charges. A violent thug who beat a man to death with a metal wheel brace in a road rage incident posted a sickening video boasting about handing out 'street justice'. Jake McIntyre, 28, was found guilty of manslaughter today after attacking Andrew Peart, 39, on August 22 last year. A trial at Newcastle Crown Court heard McIntyre was driving a Mitsubishi Shogun to the Co-op in Guide Post, Northumberland, to buy apple juice. McIntyre came across Mr Peart walking in the middle of the road and sounded his horn, prompting an angry response from the 39-year-old. Words were exchanged and the incident seemed to be over. But according to the prosecution, McIntyre later returned to the scene armed with a wheel brace, hitting Mr Peart. Jake McIntyre, 28, posted a video boasting about beating Andrew Peart with a metal pole McIntyre was found guilty of manslaughter today after attacking Andrew Peart, 39 on August 22 last year Later, he bragged that he 'wrapped a pole around his head'. Although Mr Peart seemed initially uninjured, his condition deteriorated and he collapsed later that night. He died eight days later from his injuries at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI). McIntyre later posted a video in which he boasted about the fight. While driving in a BMW, he said: 'Wrapped a pole around his head. 'I tell you what, it's a f****** nightmare this f****** hiding from the police, having to change my f****** car again for giving some little crack head street justice.' In a voice note, he spoke about not using his Mitsubishi Shogun, saying: 'I'm not using it for a while because the police are potentially looking for it because I wrapped a f****** pole around a little crack head's head last night.' In another voice note, he said he beeped his horn and claimed the victim 'started being cheeky' adding that he 'wanted a gan so I said I'm not going to let you down if you want a scrap'. After claiming he saw Mr Peart pick something up off the ground, he said ''I thought it's either me or him and it's definitely not going to be me'. Although he boasted about hitting Mr Peart in the head with a pole, he told the court that he only hit him in the leg. He claimed that he pushed Mr Peart and he fell over a bin. Andrew Peart, 39, (pictured) left his partner's house to go for a walk, heading to the local Co-op Andrew Peart, 39 shortly after the attack. He seemed fine initially but later died from his injuries McIntyre and his girlfriend went to the Lake District and he was arrested at a hotel in Bowness, Liverpool Echo reported. Mr Peart was described as a 'loving family man' who was a devoted father, brother, son and friend. Jurors were told that Mr Peart left his partner's house to go for a walk, heading to the local Co-op. David Lamb KC, prosecuting, said: 'The police were later told that as Andrew stepped out into the road he may have done so in front of a Mitsubishi Shogun motor vehicle driven by the defendant. 'Some words were exchanged between Andrew and the defendant. It was a fairly minor episode and over quite quickly. 'Rather than leave matters where they stood, the prosecution say this defendant drove around, double-backed on himself and asked two witnesses where Andrew was. 'A member of staff at the Co-op heard shouting from outside the shop and she went to the door where she watched Andrew Peart being attacked by this defendant. 'The attack she witnessed at that stage consisted of punches that resulted in Andrew stumbling backwards into some sort of bin then, ultimately, falling to the ground.' McIntyre drove off and Mr Peart eventually got up from the ground and walked away. He then walked to someone's flat where he said he was fine but 'fuming' and had a lump on his head. The court heard he was picked up by his partner and he told her he had been hit around the head by a metal bar. But the lump got bigger and his condition began to deteriorate. He was described as wobbling around and an ambulance was called. McIntyre pictured at the time of his arrest. He made videos and voice notes saying how he had to swap cars to avoid the police An ambulance was an hour away so friends took him to Wansbeck Hospital only to find it was closed, so he was taken to Cramlington Hospital. His condition began to deteriorate over three hours until he couldn't walk without some form of assistance. After being transferred to RVI in Newcastle, it was found he had a fractured skull and a blood clot with a bleeding artery at the base of his skull. Despite operations, the injury was so severe that it was unsurvivable and he died at around 12.30am on August 30. DCI Graeme Barr, of Northumbria Police, described the violence as 'pointless' and also acknowledged the 'bravery and composure' shown by the victim's family in the last few months and during the two-and-a-half-week trial. DCI Barr said: 'There was absolutely no reason for the levels of aggression McIntyre showed that day. 'He had had time to calm down, but returned to confront Andrew, using significant force towards a devoted father simply because he had felt disrespected. 'This pointless violent behaviour has caused so much pain and I hope that today can help offer some comfort to the family, and to the wider tight-knit community of Guide Post.' McIntyre of Stakeford Crescent, Ashington, was cleared of murder, who had been considering their verdict since Tuesday. He will be sentenced once pre-sentence reports are compiled. Advertisement Devastating storms continue to rip through Texas as at least four people have died and almost one million residents are left without power. Severe thunderstorms descended upon Houston on Thursday - with winds as high as 78 miles per hour causing apocalyptic scenes across southeastern Texas. The subsequent power outages could last weeks in parts of Houston, an official warned Friday, after the hurricane-force winds tore through the city. Raging storms knocked out electricity for almost a million homes and businesses in the region and caused chaos by knocking out windows and flipping vehicles. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county's top elected official, said crews were still trying to determine the extent of the damage and the number of casualties. A car sits under fallen bricks in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston Blown out windows on a high-rise downtown building are shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17 Houston Mayor John Whitmire said four, and possibly five, people were killed after the storms swept through the county, which includes Houston, on Thursday. 'It was fierce. It was intense. It was quick, and most Houstonians didnt have time to place themselves out of harms way,' Whitmire said at a news conference. With multiple transmission towers down, Hidalgo urged patience. Thousands of utility workers were headed to the area, where power had already been restored to roughly 200,000 customers. Another 100,000 customers were without power in Louisiana, down from a peak of 215,000. 'We are going to have to talk about this disaster in weeks, not days,' Hidalgo said. She said she had heard 'horror stories of just terror and powerlessness' as the storm came through. The widespread destruction brought much of Houston to a standstill. Trees, debris and shattered glass littered the streets. Rapper Trae tha Truth, in yellow, cuts fallen tree limbs on top of a car in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown on Thursday School districts in the Houston area canceled classes for more than 400,000 students and government offices were closed. City officials urged people avoid downtown and stay off roads, many of which were flooded or lined with downed power lines and malfunctioning traffic lights. Whitmire said at least 2,500 traffic lights were out, and he warned would-be looters that 'police are out in force, including 50 state troopers sent to the area to prevent looting.' At least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees and another happened when a crane blew over in strong winds, officials said. The problems extended to the citys suburbs, with emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County describing the damage to transmission lines as 'catastrophic.' Broken glass covers a downtown street in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston A man walks over fallen bricks from a damaged building in the chaotic scenes caused by the raging thunderstorm The storms also weren't over Friday. Gulf Coast states could experience scattered, severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. Heavy to excessive rainfall is possible for eastern Louisiana into central Alabama, the National Weather Service said. Flood watches and warnings remained Friday for Houston and areas to the east. National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Evans said the agency had not yet confirmed any tornadoes touching down in and around Houston and Harris County. 'The majority of this damage is straight line winds,' which he said could have reached up to 100 mph (160 kph). Debris sits in front of a building under construction that collapsed during last night's storm on Memorial Heights Drive Ada Duarte takes to go orders using only the light of her phone after losing power at Anita's Honduras Restaurant on Sowden Road in the aftermath of the thunderstorm The Storm Prediction Centers website showed a report of a tornado in Convent, Louisiana, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) from New Orleans, with multiple reports of trees and power poles down. A suspected tornado hit the Romeville area of St. James Parish on Thursday night with some homes impacted and trees down, but no injuries or fatalities had been reported, parish officials said in a social media post on Friday morning. The office for New Orleans and Baton Rouge issued a flash flood warning through Saturday. Residents of Houston were left to clear up the rubble caused by the severe storms that tore through the area on Thursday A man stands on his balcony near a fallen tree in the aftermath of a severe storm Heavy storms slammed the Houston area during the first week of May, leading to numerous high-water rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes. Shocking videos coming out of Houston show the devastation brought by swirling 100mph winds, blasting out high-rise windows and delivering untold damage to inner city infrastructure, with power offline for some nine hundred thousand people. A Houston police officer walks back to his vehicle after clearing people away from a damaged tire shop at the intersection of Sowden and Bingle A U.S. Postal Service truck is flipped on its side at the intersection of Bingle and Sowden in Houston Footage circulating online shows a sheets of water flailing in the wind as trees are battered by the gale and pedestrians in the city rendered unable to shield themselves from the deluge. Buildings are seen to have had entire walls stripped in the storms, with one car pictured crushed under the weight of bricks from a falling wall in the city. A rabbi has denied two counts of sexual assault against the same woman and is now set to face a crown court trial. Aaron Halpern, 65, of Golders Green, north London, will stand trial after appearing today at Harrow Crown Court - sitting at Hendon Magistrates' Court. The rabbi, also known as Chaim Halpern, will return on June 4 for a further plea and case management hearing where a trial date will be set. Halpern was first investigated by Scotland Yard in December 2022 after it was made aware of an interview broadcast. During the broadcast an unnamed woman, who appeared anonymously, alleged she had been the victim of sexual offences said to have taken place in the capital. Rabbi Aaron Halpern pictured (left) today outside Hendon Magistrates' Court today. The rabbi has denied two counts of sexual assault against the same woman and is now set to face a crown court trial The rabbi, also known as Chaim Halpern, will return on June 4 for a further plea and case management hearing where a trial date will be set Halpern was first investigated by Scotland Yard in December 2022 after it was made aware of an interview broadcast At Hendon Magistrates' Court (pictured), Prosecutor Emma Antonelli told Judge John Lodge, the Harrow Crown Court Resident Judge: 'This is being treated as a serious sexual allegation' The rabbi was then arrested in March 2023, charged with sexual assault on the woman alleged to have taken place between June 1 and July 31 2022. Prosecutor Emma Antonelli told Judge John Lodge, the Harrow Crown Court Resident Judge: 'This is being treated as a serious sexual allegation.' Vice President Kamala Harris is reminding supporters that she is 'living proof' of the promise of America, as she tries to reassure Democratic donors that she and Biden will win reelection. At a fundraiser in Chicago on Thursday, Harris left the podium with a hand-held microphone to speak frankly to a group of about 100 campaign donors. 'You know, I believe in the promise of America. I am empirical evidence of the promise of America,' she said. Harris explained the 2024 election was about believing in the promise of America, but also being willing to fight. Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to take a selfie at a campaign event 'There is a direct connection between the promise of America and our willingness to fight for it,' she said. Harris made a similar comment during a fundraiser in New York City on Tuesday. 'I believe in the promise of America and I believe in America's promise to her people,' she said. 'I am living proof of America's promise.' As the first female and first black vice president, Harris is using her identity and biography to remind Americans of what is possible in America, thanks to her example. The vice president claimed that during her last few trips overseas, world leaders approached her and expressed their desire for her and Biden would win reelection. '[W]orld leaders came up to me we're on a first-name basis 'Kamala,' they said, 'Hope you guys are going to win,'' she recalled. Kamala Harris delivers remarks during a reception at the White House Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign event in Milwaukee Despite recent polling results showing Trump leading Biden and Harris in several major swing states, Harris reassured donors that everything was fine. 'We are winning. We are winning,' she said as the audience applauded. 'We are winning,' she repeated. 'And we will win. We are winning, and we will win.' Harris is currently struggling with some of the lowest approval ratings in modern history for a sitting vice president. A May 13 poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies showed Harris with a 37 percent approval rating. As Biden continues to demonstrate signs of aging, swing-state voters are not reassured that Harris would assume the duties of the president if he is unable to serve in the next four years. Fifty-two percent of respondents said they did not trust Harris to assume the responsibilities of the presidency, according to a Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll of swing-state voters conducted in April. Harris continues traveling to swing-states in an effort to bolster support for she and Biden, especially in black communities. She traveled to Wisconsin on Thursday, the fourth time she has visited the state this. year. Vice President Kamala Harris hugs comedian and auther DL Hughley at a campaign event Vice President Kamala Harris (R) participates in a moderated conversation with with radio talk show host and author DL Hughley During her visit, the vice president hosted a roundtable conversation about economic opportunities for black communities with comedian D.L. Hughley. 'We are now dropping trillions of dollars on the streets of America Joe Biden and me and our administration,' Harris said. On Monday, Harris made headlines for dropping the f-bomb during a roundtable discussion with comedian Jimmy O. Yang. 'Sometimes people will open the door for you and leave it open, and sometimes they won't and then you need to kick that f***ing door down,' Harris said with a laugh. Donald Trump Jr. and his fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle are stepping up their fundraising work for Donald Trump's presidential campaign with a dinner and reception in London next month when tickets cost up to $100,000. A source familiar with planning said they expect the haul to be in the seven figures. Although a string of polls suggests Trump is ahead in the battleground states that will decide November's election, he lags behind President Joe Biden's fundraising totals. Now Don. Jr, 46, and Guilfoyle, 55, will headline a June 5 event in Alabama before flying to London for a major event a week later. Hosts include Australian actress Holly Vallance, several Trump ambassadors and financial services billionaire Howard Lutnick. Kimberly Guilfoyle and her fiance Donald Trump Jr will headline a major fundraising event in London on Jun. 12 and will continue to work 'aggressively' for the Trump campaign Attendees can expect to pay $25,000 for a photograph with the hosts, according to an invitation obtained by DailyMail.com. 'Expect both Don Jr. and Kim to continue to aggressively fundraise for the Trump campaign, especially as we get closer to the fall,' said a source close to Don Jr. and Guilfoyle. 'With the exception of former President Trump himself, no one in the Trump orbit has the ability to consistently raise as much money headlining fundraisers as them. 'They were tier-one fundraisers on the 2020 campaign and will be similarly active on the fundraising circuit this time around.' Trump's ability to raise funds has been limited by the hush money trial under way in New York, which has kept him in a courtroom for four days a week. But on Friday (a day off for the court so Trump could attend his son Barron's high-school graduation) he was traveling to Minnesota for a campaign event. He is due to headline the Lincoln Reagan dinner in St. Paul, one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Minnesota Republican Party. The latest federal filings show he has work to do. Although the famously penny-pinching billionaire prides himself on getting maximum bang for his buck on the campaign trail, he lags behind Biden in fundraising, according to latest federal filings. Couples can pay $100,000 to join the 'host committee' or $10,000 to attend Donald Trump has been confined to a New York courtroom for four days a week for the past month, eating into his campaigning and fundraising opportunities The London event will also feature former Neighbours actress Holly Valance He ended March with $45 million on hand, compared with Biden's $85.5 million. His most splashy event so far is likely to close the gap. A reception at the Palm Beach, Florida, home of billionaire John Paulson last month netted more than $50 million, according to his campaign. 'It's clearer than ever that we have the message, the operation, and the money to propel President Trump to victory on November,' Team Trump said at the time. In recent months, a string of well-heeled bankers, investors and financiers have put their doubts to one side to say they will back the former president over Biden. Lutnick, the founder of Cantor Fitzgerald, said immigration and business regulation were bringing the business world back to Trump. 'The Republican Party is a less regulatory party,' Lutnick told Bloomberg last month. 'An administration thats more business-friendly probably is good for stocks, although you can't say lately Joe Biden's not good for stocks.' Don Jr and Guilfoyle are also hosting an event in Birmingham, Alabama, next month The couple are one of the most dependable attractions on the MAGA circuit Both Don Jr. and Guilfoyle have been regular headliners for Trump. He was one of the headline names at an event in Washington, D.C., that raised $2 million in March, for example. Both sides are stepping up efforts to raise cash for what promises to be a desperately close election. For his part, Biden is tapping some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities for a Los Angeles fundraiser next month. Julia Roberts and George Clooney are expected to top the bill. Kevin Spacey would like his old life back to be uncancelled, as it were. Good luck with that. In the wake of the new docuseries 'Spacey Unmasked' which began streaming in the States this week on Max, after its UK debut on Channel 4 the disgraced actor is attempting a redemption tour. Note to Mr. Spacey: Humility usually helps. Sincere apologies, or apologies that at least seem sincere, go a long way. Resentment does not. Nor does claiming that you're just a clueless guy out of step with the times. Or that you've suffered enough, and if the rest of us don't understand that well, that's our problem. Here he was on Chris Cuomo Thursday night just a couple of accused sex pests griping about consequences. 'I know you had your own issues', Spacey told Cuomo. Here he was on Chris Cuomo Thursday night just a couple of accused sex pests griping about consequences. In the wake of the new docuseries 'Spacey Unmasked' which began streaming in the States this week on Max, after its UK debut on Channel 4 the disgraced actor is attempting a redemption tour. If you call using your perch as CNN's primetime news star to smear your brother's multiple sex-harassment accusers sure, let's call that 'issues'. As for Spacey himself, he feels he's suffered enough. #MeToo, Spacey said, has 'swung very, very far in the direction of unfairness'. This documentary has its faults, chief among them interviewing men who, despite their claims of zero sexual interest in Spacey, either kept engaging with him or, in one instance, performed oral sex on him, all in the hopes Spacey could advance their nascent careers. To my mind, these men are not victims. They and the filmmakers are doing a disservice to the more deserving complainants on display here, such as the young usher at The Old Vic who weeps as he recounts an emboldened Spacey allegedly rubbing his groin in his face. 'I could smell him', the young man says. 'I could feel him getting pleasure by it. I froze . . . I couldn't move. I just felt so small. I started to get scared of coming to work. Is it going to happen again today? . . . It still kind of haunts me'. And there's the younger actor who, on camera, claims that Spacey digitally penetrated him in front of photographers at the Old Vic, maneuvering them both so no one could get the shot. Spacey, he says, whispered 'Don't worry about it' in his ear, then 'moved like a shark' through meet-and-greets. There's the younger actor who, on camera, claims that Spacey digitally penetrated him in front of photographers at the Old Vic, maneuvering them both so no one could get the shot. Spacey, he says, whispered 'Don't worry about it' in his ear, then 'moved like a shark' through meet-and-greets. (Above) Kevin Spacey in a scene from American Beauty Perhaps there's a reason Spacey is so good at playing psychopaths. Those dead eyes never quite do come alive, do they? To be clear, there are a surfeit of allegations against Spacey. Those on the record here represent a fraction, yet the alleged pattern is established. As one 'House of Cards' crew member plainly says: 'The issue with Kevin was certainly well known.' When one accuser speaks here of going to see 'Saving Private Ryan' with Spacey and being shocked to see Spacey openly masturbate during the first twenty minutes, to the carnage at Normandy well, that would suggest to me that we're dealing with a profoundly dark, broken person. Hollywood likely knew all along, too. But Kevin Spacey made a lot of people a lot of money. He won a lot of awards, two Oscars among them, and brought prestige to every project he was attached to. No wonder Spacey can't abide his exile. It says a lot that instead of using this documentary to express disappointment and disgust with himself, he's trying to use it as his redemption. It's all quite sick. 'If anyone thinks I'm going to give up on acting', he told the Telegraph last week, 'they have got me wrong on all counts'. Well, sure if Spacey wants to act in some black box in a nowhere town, have at it. But the decision to return to his former A-list glory isn't up to him. As one 'House of Cards' crew member plainly says: 'The issue with Kevin was certainly well known.' (Above) Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in a scene from Netflix's House Of Cards Perhaps there's a reason Spacey is so good at playing psychopaths. Those dead eyes never quite do come alive, do they? (Above) Spacey in American Beauty Nor is it up to the few Hollywood stars defending him. 'Kevin is a good man and a man of character', said Liam Neeson. 'Vultures' are to blame for Spacey's circumstances, said F. Murray Abraham. 'He is a genius', said Sharon Stone. 'He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault'. Ha! Nothing says 'elegant' and 'fun' like accusations of whacking off to young men shot to bits onscreen. Please. It seems to me that if Spacey had faced allegations he harassed and abused young girls and women, these fading stars would be keeping their mouths shut if not proclaiming the importance of #MeToo. And this is to say nothing of Spacey conflating his coming-out with his 'apology' to initial accuser Anthony Rapp, a decision derided by the LGBTQ+ community both for its convenience and the dangerous conflation of homosexuality and pedophilia. Spacey's timing was, at best, cynical. Consider that within days of sexual harassment and abuse allegations, Spacey was swiftly dropped by his longtime talent agency CAA and his publicist. Director Ridley Scott again, within days made the almost unprecedented decision to cut Spacey from his finished film 'All the Money in the World' and replace him with Christopher Plummer. Scott, while promoting the film, said he was 'not completely surprised . . . I knew there's a bit of a reputation.' The decision to return to his former A-list glory isn't up to him. Nor is it up to the few Hollywood stars defending him. 'Kevin is a good man and a man of character', said Liam Neeson. 'He is a genius', said Sharon Stone. 'He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault'. Netflix also quickly fired Spacey from its signature juggernaut 'House of Cards' a show Spacey starred in and executive produced, one that established Netflix as an original programming powerhouse that invented the streaming-and-bingeing model. 'I don't think there's any question Netflix exists because of me', Spacey told Tucker Carlson last December. 'I put them on the map, and they tried to put me in the ground'. So dramatic! More likely is the explanation given in 'Spacey Unmasked': the actor was reportedly found to have violated the streamer's harassment policy. His behavior was a long an open secret, so much so that one crew member says female staffers were always placed close to Spacey, with the unspoken knowledge he would only harass men. About that: After the first public accusation on Oct. 30, 2017, actor Anthony Rapp's claim that Spacey made a sexual advance when Rapp was 14 and Spacey 26, the star did not deny it. Instead, Spacey took to Twitter and offered a vague explanation, claiming no memory of said encounter. 'But if I did behave then as he describes,' Spacey wrote, 'I owe him the deepest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.' After the first public accusation on Oct. 30, 2017, actor Anthony Rapp's (above, rigth) claim that Spacey made a sexual advance when Rapp was 14 and Spacey 26, the star did not deny it. Consider that within days of sexual harassment and abuse allegations, Spacey was swiftly dropped by his longtime talent agency CAA and his publicist. (Above) Kevin Spacey in a scene from The Usual Suspects A jury found Spacey not liable in Rapp's 2022 civil suit. As well, prosecutors in Nantucket dropped a felony charge of indecent assault and battery against Spacey in 2019, and last year Spacey was found not guilty of nine sexual assault charges in a UK criminal court. But a Los Angeles court ruled, in August 2022, that Spacey must pay $31 million in damages to 'House of Cards' producers for, in effect, causing the end of the show. 'They are acting like I didn't get the memo', Spacey told the Guardian last week. 'But I got the memo for some of my fooling around, jokes and innuendos . . . one has to appreciate society has changed'. Society hasn't changed. It has never been okay to sexually harass, grope, violate, or otherwise predate with impunity, as Spacey is alleged to have done for decades. This is the same Kevin Spacey who, on Christmas Eve 2018, released a video as he was about to be arraigned on felony sexual assault, facing 30 accusations and counting. Called 'Let Me Be Frank' an apparent allusion to his 'HOC' character, the sociopathic, murderous Frank Underwood Spacey spoke in his character's Southern accent and said the following: 'I know what you want. Oh, they may have tried to separate us, but what we have is too strong, too powerful. . . . I showed you exactly what people are capable of. I shocked you with my honesty. But mostly I challenged you, and made you think. And you trusted me, even though you knew you shouldn't. 'So we're not done, no matter what anyone says. And besides, I know what you want. You want me back'. Hmmm . . . I think we're done, no matter what Kevin Spacey or any of his celebrity defenders have to say. As the old adage goes: When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. A mother whose five-month-old baby son tragically overdosed after she took 'significant' amounts of cocaine before breastfeeding him has been jailed for two years. Ana Isabel Benitez Jimenez, of Las Palmas, in Gran Canaria, Spain, admitted taking the drugs before feeding her baby and was charged with involuntary manslaughter. She had originally faced four years in prison, but a plea agreement reduced this to two, Canarian Weekly reports. At a sentencing on Thursday, Judge Juan Gallego Ortiz of the Criminal Court No 3 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria said her sentence may be suspended if she takes part in a drug rehabilitation programme. The tragedy happened on December 22, 2020, when Benitez, who claimed to be an occasional cocaine user, took the drug and alcohol in 'significant amounts' with her partner of three months at a house in Santa Maria de Guia de Gran Canaria, in Las Palmas. A mother from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain, whose five-month-old baby son tragically overdosed after she took 'significant' amounts of cocaine before breastfeeding him has been jailed for two years According to the prosecution, she handled and cut the cocaine on a table in the house, before taking the drug. Benitez then 'breached her objective duty of care for the baby' by expressing her breast milk and preparing a bottle for him. She did this despite having handled and ingested cocaine. The otherwise well baby fell ill after drinking the milk and died. A forensic report concluded that the drug entered the child's system through his mother's breast milk. There was no evidence Benitez's partner was involved in preparing the bottle or had touched the baby after taking cocaine and was not charged with any crime. He attacked Paul Pelosi at his San Francisco home on October 28, 2022 A Canadian man who broke into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer has been sentenced to 30 years in jail. Former nudist David DePape, 44, was given the sentence on Friday after being convicted of kidnapping and assault. He admitted he planned to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and 'break her kneecaps', but made her husband 'take the punishment' when it emerged she was not at home. Prosecutors had asked Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley to give DePape 40 years out of a possible 50. The couple were represented in court by their daughter Christine Pelosi who read emotional statements describing the 'devastating' impact of the assault and pleading for a 'very long' sentence. After the sentence, the family released a statement saying they 'could not be prouder' of Pelosi and his 'tremendous courage'. Canadian man David DePape who broke into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home and brutally attacked her husband with a hammer has been sentenced to 30 years in jail Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul both asked the judge for a lengthy sentence for DePape but did not attend his sentencing In her letter which was read to the court, Nancy Pelosi requested a 'very long punishment' for the savage attack which has left her husband permanently injured The sickening attack was caught on surveillance footage which Paul Pelosi has not been able to view due to the trauma The sickening attack left Pelosi in the hospital for six days and was caught on harrowing surveillance footage. DePape was given 20 years for one count and 30 years for another count. The sentences will run concurrently. He was also given credit for the 18 months that hes been in custody. In letters to the judge ahead of sentencing, the Pelosis demanded a lengthy prison term be handed down. Pelosi described how his life has been 'irrevocably' changed, with 'severe and persistent' injuries interfering with managing basic tasks like buttoning his shirt and using cutlery. 'Ever since the defendant violently broke into my home and woke me up yelling Wheres Nancy? at 2:00 am on October 28, 2022, my life has been irrevocably changed,' he wrote. 'Awakened by a large violent man holding a hammer and zip ties, I tried to calm him and save my own life.' He explained in excruciating detail the damage done to nerves in his forehand, which was 'was de-gloved exposing raw nerves and blood vessel'. He added that the trauma is still so great he is unable to discuss the events with anyone or watch back the harrowing surveillance footage which captured the attack. DePape, seen here in a court sketch, became obsessed with Nancy Pelosi conspiracy theories, his former partner told DailyMail.com The Pelosis were represented in court by their daughter Christina Pelosi, seen here leaving court in 2023 'It has taken many months to reclaim my home and well-being. Even so, we do not answer our landline phone or our front door due to ongoing threats,' he wrote. 'I ask that you consider the premeditated kidnapping of my wife, the vicious assault on my life, and the ongoing physical and mental injuries caused by the defendant and sentence him to the fullest extent the law provides.' His wishes were echoed by his wife, who wrote of the 'devastating' impact of the attack which 'echoing the January 6th threats - filled me with deep fear and pain'. 'Paul was nearly killed in the front entrance to our home. Even now, eighteen months after the home invasion and assault, the signs of blood and break-in are impossible to avoid,' she wrote. The former speaker described her fear of a copycat attack and explained that her husband's recovery has taken a toll on her professional life. DePape was found guilty of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. His partner told DailyMail.com he had become obsessed with Nancy Pelosi conspiracy theories. Paul Pelosi said his life had changed 'irrevocably' since the attack which left him with persistent nerve damage in his hand. Pictured: Pelosi wearing a hat and glove two months after the assault Paul Pelosi described how he has been left struggling with basic tasks such as buttoning shirts and using cutlery due to agonizing nerve damage sustained during the attack Defense attorneys argued that DePape was caught up in conspiracies and was motivated by his political beliefs, not because he wanted to interfere with Nancy Pelosi's official duties as a member of Congress. Prosecutor Helen Gilbert said the defense had made a false distinction between the California Democrat's politics and official duties and that DePape did not differentiate between the two. DePape's defense attorney conceded that he carried out the assault, which he testified was part of a 'grand plan' to expose Hunter Biden. In a statement, a spokesman for Nancy Pelosi said she and her family were 'deeply grateful for the outpouring of prayers and warm wishes'. 'The Pelosi family is very proud of their Pop, who demonstrated extraordinary composure and courage on the night of the attack a year ago and in the courtroom this week,' said spokesman Aaron Bennett. During his testimony, DePape wept on the stand and apologized for beating the House Speaker's husband, but admitted he wanted to interrogate Nancy and was ready to break her kneecaps if she had been home. He told the court: 'I wanted to ask her a question about Russiagate and film it and post it online. 'I was planning to wear the unicorn costume and record it with the body camera I got. I kind of expected her to go along with me and tell me what I wanted to hear.' Finding only her then-82-year-old husband at home, DePape engaged in what he told officers was a 'pretty amicable' exchange, during which Paul Pelosi, pictured, managed to call for help from law enforcement Defense attorney Angela Chuang delivered closing arguments on Wednesday Court records of DePape's purchases from Amazon in the months before the attacks revealed a list of items he reportedly took with him to the crime scene. They included a camping backpack, computer cables, body cameras, crayons and, bizarrely, two Spooktacular unicorn costumes. DePape added that after he hit Pelosi he felt 'really bad' for him. He told the court: 'When he was on the ground, bleeding, I was really scared for his life. I felt really bad for him because we had a really good rapport until like the last second. 'I reacted because my plan was basically ruined. He was never the target and I'm sorry he got hurt.' Prosecutors played the body camera footage of the attack and DePape watched without flinching. The graphic footage of the hammer attack showed an officer shining a flashlight, confronting DePape with Pelosi in the doorway. As the two struggle, DePape raises his hammer and smashes Pelosi over the head, striking him three times to the ground. A screenshot of security footage shows DePape outside the Pelosi home Paul Pelosi was hit multiple times with the hammer leaving him unconscious as the officers rushed in and arrested DePape Another video showed blood gushing from Pelosi's head, with his hands soaked red, as paramedics tended to him. Stephanie Minor, FBI special agent, testified they reviewed web activity found on DePape's hard drive, including a series of Nancy Pelosi-related searches in the days leading up to the attack. She testified that there were about 50 video surveillance cameras capturing DePape's trip to carry out the hammer attack. Paul Pelosi took the stand during the trial and recounted the horrifying experience. 'The door opened and a very, very large man came in with a hammer in one hand and some ties in the other hand,' Pelosi told the court. 'He said where's Nancy? 'He burst into the door and woke me up.' Testifying for around an hour, Pelosi told the court of his efforts to alert 911 to the threat, without pushing DePape to attack him. Aerial footage showed broken panes and shattered glass at the backdoor of Pelosi's home after the attack Paul Pelosi attends a portrait unveiling ceremony for his wife in Statuary Hall at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 14, 2022. He was frequently seen sporting a hat in the wake of the attack He described negotiating with DePape to go downstairs, where Pelosi hoped he'd be rescued by police. And he told of 'waking up in a pool of blood'. Pelosi said he has not fully recovered from his injuries. A neurosurgeon who operated on him testified that Pelosi had two wounds on his head, including a fracture to his skull that had to be mended with plates and screws he will have for the rest of his life. During the trial prosecution played a recording of a call DePage later placed to a news reporter stating: 'I have an important message for everyone in America. You're welcome.' When authorities arrested DePape, they found a manifesto that contained anti-governmental beliefs and a list of other politicians he planned to target. He also pleaded not guilty to charges in state court of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Opening arguments in the state trial are scheduled for either May 24 or 28. Comrades, we write to you in solidarity as we are confident we share the goal of overthrowing US capitalism and imperialism. [Originally published at socialistrevolution.org] The past several years of capitalist instability have shaken the political consciousness of our generation. From 2008 onwards, shock after shock has exposed capitalism for what it is, prompting millions to draw increasingly radical conclusions. You signed up to join the Communist Party USA because you were tired of watching the world burn and decided it was time to actually do something. Having witnessed Bernie Sanders, AOC, and DSAs failures and betrayals, you wanted a party that struggles clearly and unambiguously for the socialist revolution. You wanted a party that rejects both rotten capitalist parties, the Democrats and Republicans, and fights to build a class-independent workers party. You wanted a party that aims to replicate the victory of the Russian Revolution of 1917 here in the United States. In short, you wanted a communist party. The harsh reality is that instead, you were confronted with a loose and disorganized outfit of Democratic Party apologists with a largely inactive membershipif you were even contacted at all after signing up to join. The CPUSA was not always this way. However, mistakes in theory and perspectives inevitably lead to mistakes in practice. The road to the partys disintegration and irrelevance is rooted in its political history, going back to the period before World War II. All new members of the CPUSA deserve to know this history. Our starting point is simple: Back to Marx! Back to Lenin! / Image: Revolutionary Communists of America You are one of thousands of people who have signed up to join in recent years, according to their website. We believe that these thousands are earnest communists who joined to devote their time and energy to a serious fight for socialist revolution. In the spirit of comradely communist debate, we offer this contribution toward understanding the current state of your party and point the way forward for those seeking a communist party worthy of the name. Our starting point is simple: Back to Marx! Back to Lenin! The early CPUSA The Russian working class, led by the Bolshevik Party, seized power in 1917, the greatest event in human history. The Bolsheviks went on to form the Communist International, an effort to build and train new communist parties worldwide. The founding members of the CPUSA, despite certain political errors, were pioneering supporters of the Russian Revolution who sought to learn its lessons and implement them in the United States. The history of the early CPUSA has many proud chapters. Comrades of the CPUSA in the 1930s played an important role in building the labor movement and fighting racial segregation. However, the role of communists today is not to simply reminisce over the past. It is evident that after over a century of existence, the official CP has drifted entirely from its Marxist origins. Class independence It is likely that you joined the Communist Party because you were sick of the mainstream political options and had already broken with the Democratic Party. You were probably quite shocked when you learned that the Communist Party supports precisely that rotten imperialist party. You are not wrong to be skeptical of this policy! It runs completely counter to Marx and Lenins approach. There is no progressive wing of the bourgeoisie, and there has not been one for well over a century. The defining political trait of the Bolshevik Party was its implacable hostility to the liberal bourgeoisie. To give just one example, in April 1917, in the midst of the Russian Revolution, Lenin commented that the working class: must open the eyes of the people to the deception practiced by the bourgeois politicians, teach them to put no faith in words, to depend entirely on their own strength, their own organization, their own unity, and their own weapons. This summarizes the approach of Lenin and the Bolsheviks very well. This class-independent policy was the ideological foundation of the early Communist International. In the early years of the CPUSA, there would have been no question of supporting the Democratic Party in any way, shape, or form. The party stood for class independence and for socialist revolution as the immediate task facing the working class. Class-independence was the ideological foundation of the early Communist International / Image: public domain But by the mid-1920s, the CPUSA and the Communist International had started sliding away from genuine Bolshevism. This did not happen overnight. Despite the early Cominterns best efforts to build the Party of World Revolution, the European socialist revolution was defeated by 1924. In these conditions of isolation, the Russian Revolution degenerated into a state run by a bureaucratic caste with material privileges that far exceeded the living standards of the average Russian worker. This had an entirely detrimental effect on the Communist International and the Communist Parties worldwide. The Soviet state and the Comintern were transformed into tools for defending the narrow interests of the nascent bureaucracy rather than weapons for the global class struggle. Stalin and his collaborators embraced the anti-Marxist policy of socialism in one country and the goal of peaceful coexistence with imperialism. This was a serious departure from the tradition of Lenin and the early Comintern when no-holds-barred class war against all world capitalism was the order of the day. It was a spit in the face to the resounding words of the Communist Manifesto: Workers of the world, unite! In 1936, the CPUSA started supporting the Democratic Party. This turn toward open class collaboration was implemented, not to further the cause of the working class, but to further the narrow geopolitical aims of the bureaucracy that had usurped power in the Soviet Union. Stalin wanted an alliance with Anglo-American imperialism, and for this reason alone, the CPUSA now argued that FDR was the lesser evil. After the Hitler-Stalin Pact zigzag in 19391941, also dictated by the narrow interests of the bureaucracy, the CPUSA continued supporting the liberal-capitalist Democrats during World War II. The CP leaders were very explicit about their new policy of political collaboration with the capitalist class. Their General Secretary, Earl Browder, infamously said in 1944: There can be no effective national unity in America that does not include big capitalists able to fight for and win at least a certain minimum of participation on the part of their whole group. This disgraceful turn was the beginning of the end for the CPUSA. In various forms and with few exceptions, this class-collaborationist policy has continued on to this day. Merely skimming through cpusa.org and Peoples World offers example after example. Most recently, in the discussion documents for the upcoming June 2024 Conference, the National Committee of the CPUSA writes: The working-class and peoples movements comprise the main forces in the fight against the MAGA right and fascism They are helping shape the direction of the informal coalition of workers, sections of business, social movements, and political parties like the Democrats, the Working Families Party, and independents which we call the peoples front Participation in it and helping activate the anti-fascist, anti-MAGA majority remains a top priority for the Communist Party in the coming period [our emphasis]. In other words, they argue that we must support the Democratic Partynot to mention sections of businessin order to defeat Trumpism. What they call a popular front is merely another term for a cross-class alliance in which the workers are subordinated to the capitalists. But eight years of the Democrats under Obama is what paved the way for Trump in the first place. In the context of declining living standards and the absence of a serious left-wing alternative, Trump won over certain sections of the working class through his cynical anti-establishment rhetoric. The capitalist Democratic Party cannot reverse the decline of US capitalism, which is the economic basis for Trumpism. Only a fighting party with a class-struggle program that drastically improves the lives of all workers can undermine the foundations of Trumpism. We are told that Biden is somehow pro-worker, or at the very least, the lesser evil. And yet, Biden is clearly the preferred candidate of the capitalist class. In the 2020 election, Wall Street preferred Biden over Trump by a ratio of 5:1 when it came to campaign contributions. He again leads his rival by a significant margin in 2024. Most capitalists do not like Trumps erratic and unpredictable nature. The CPUSA leadership is, in effect, arguing that a majority of the capitalist class constitutes an ally of the working class / Image: Liam Enea, Wikimedia Commons Most capitalists do not like Trumps erratic and unpredictable nature. The CPUSA leadership is, in effect, arguing that a majority of the capitalist class constitutes an ally of the working class. That we should cozy up to those who exploit and oppress us. The CPUSA leaders also argue that the socialist transformation of society must wait until after the far right has been defeated. But in reality, the way to defeat reaction is to struggle for class independence and the socialist revolution nownot in the distant future. The two tasks are necessarily intertwined and cannot be accomplished while simultaneously supporting the capitalists. Only class-independent communist politics can split Trumps base on class lines and prepare the working-class unity required for a successful socialist revolution. The assertion that Trumpism equals fascism is also a gross overexaggeration intended to scare voters into supporting the capitalist Democrats. Trump is a despicable, demagogic reactionary, absolutely. But such people are a common feature of normal bourgeois democracy. At this stage, neither he nor anyone else would be able to impose a fascist dictatorship on the US working classa force over 100 million strong and just beginning to flex its muscles after several decades of slumber. Palestine As everyone knows, the US ruling class is directly funding the Zionists genocidal war on the people of Gaza because Israel is their only reliable ally in the region. Bidens policy is merely the policy of US imperialism. But this blatant disregard for public opinion and the rights of the oppressed has exposed the hypocrisy of both the liberal and conservative wings of the ruling class. It has pushed unprecedented numbers to reject both major parties and the idea of lesser evil voting. This is a healthy response to this living nightmare, with important implications for the future. Incredibly, the leadership of the CPUSA actually sees this as a problem, as it threatens their anti-fascist coalition: The Biden administration and the GOP are largely on the same page in supporting the Israeli invasion As a result, the elections outcome may now be in serious jeopardy. Many young voters and voters of color, understandably enraged at ongoing support for Israel, have rejected supporting the Democratic presidential ticket. A significant part of the anti-fascist coalition is in danger of splintering off, precipitating a serious crisis. This is where the logic of lesser evilism leads! A mass movement of workers and youth has emerged, in opposition to the Democratic Party. This can only be welcomed and encouraged. But instead, the Communist Party is concerned with how best to funnel this movement back towards the Democrats. Other aspects of the Palestinian struggle fare no better in the hands of the CP leaders. The CPUSA calls for a two-state solution as a way to achieve a change in the balance of forces that the establishment of two states could provide on the international arena. Meanwhile, while we wait for the imperialists to kindly broker a lasting two-(capitalist)-state solution, the CPUSA urges all those who love peace and justice to call their members of Congress and the White House demanding immediate de-escalation. They encourage their members and supporters to call Washington and demand a no vote or veto on weapons delivery to Israel, among other similar demands. This whole approach contains a number of significant errors from the point of view of genuine Marxism and Leninism. In our view, the way to change the balance of forces in favor of Palestine is not through utopian appeals to bourgeois diplomacy, but rather through the global class struggle, especially within the Middle East. The overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of workers governments in countries like Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan would transform the situation, paving the way for a socialist federation across the region. And the only way to ensure US imperialism doesnt continue its meddling in the region is to successfully overthrow capitalism here at home. The way to change the balance of forces in favor of Palestine is not through utopian appeals to bourgeois diplomacy, but rather through the global class struggle / Image: Revolutionary Communists of America Some may say that this perspective is not practical. But while the Middle Eastern and North African socialist revolution may not be in the cards next week, it is absolutely achievable in our lifetime. Clearly, 75 years of practical solutions have not worked. Let us not forget that the failure of the two-state solution paved the way for the present crisis in the first place. The Oslo Accords did not stop Israels constant encroachments on Palestinian lands, nor did it end the Zionist reign of terror, murder, and immiseration. As for the suggestion to call the White House, we must honestly acknowledge that this is the approach of a liberal nonprofit, not a communist party. The US government is a capitalist governmentnot a neutral institution that can be pressured through phone calls. Lenin explained the role of the capitalist state very well in The State and Revolution. The role of communists is not to sow illusions in bourgeois democracy, but to tirelessly explain the need to fight for a workers government as the only real and lasting solution to the problems facing the international working class. The working class has no country For Marx, Engels, and Lenin, internationalism was not simply a nice-sounding phrase to include in programmatic statements. They all dedicated their lives to building an international organization to facilitate working-class unity around the globe. They understood that socialism is international, or it is nothing. In Principles of Communism, written in 1847, Engels asks the reader: Will it be possible for this revolution to take place in one country alone? He responds: No. By creating the world market, big industry has already brought all the peoples of the Earth into such close relation with one another that none is independent of what happens to the others. Marx wrote in the 1864 statutes of the First International: The emancipation of labor is neither a local nor a national, but a social problem embracing all countries in which modern society exists, and depending for its solution on the concurrence, practical and theoretical, of the most advanced countries. In a January 1918 speech, Lenin explained: We are far from having completed even the transitional period from capitalism to socialism. We have never cherished the hope that we could finish it without the aid of the international proletariat. We never had any illusions on that score The final victory of socialism in a single country is of course impossible. The founding members of the CPUSA agreed with the Marxist approach to this question. The CPUSA used to be part of the Communist International, which was created by the Bolsheviks in 1919 to spread the Russian Revolution worldwide. The early Comintern was the historical high point of the communist movement. But around the time of Lenins death in 1924, it began degenerating along national-reformist lines, adopting the theory of socialism in one country. The Cominterns congresses became increasingly infrequent over the next two decades. Stalin eventually dissolved it altogether in 1943 to appease the Allied imperialists. To this day, the CPUSA program continues to put forth the anti-Marxist theory of socialism in one country, stating in its program: The Communist Party seeks to build socialism in the United States based on the revolutionary traditions and struggles of the people of our country [our emphasis]. It is likely that the CPUSA leaders would argue that they retain their internationalism to this day. Their program also states that the global and exploitive expansiveness inherent in capitalism is laid out clearly in the Communist Manifesto. Lenins revolutionary strategy was grounded in a clear understanding of imperialism. Workers of all countries will have to unite in a multifaceted international movement to bring a socialist future into being. Another one of the 2024 preconvention documents states: The current tasks of the international working class are of extreme historical significance. This summer, the RCA will help found the Revolutionary Communist International. This will be the first serious step toward building a mass communist international since the Russian Revolution / Image: Revolutionary Communists of America It is profoundly true that the international working class faces tasks of extreme historical significance. But in our view, the only serious response to this truth would be to set up a united international organization to fight for the world socialist revolution. However, the CPUSA proposes nothing specific whatsoever in terms of actually building that kind of international unity or organization. The CPUSA leadership has had decades to make something like this a realitybut not a single step has been taken in this direction. The CP leaders occasionally refer to fraternal parties in other countries, but it is clear that internationalism in deeds does not exist in the CPUSA. Sadly, it must be said that internationalism is merely a catchword for this party. With the aid of our comrades in over 40 other countries worldwide, the RCA will help found the Revolutionary Communist International this June. This will be the first serious step toward building a mass communist international since the Russian Revolution. In our view, this could not come at a more important time in the global class struggle. The Soviet Union We would be remiss if we did not take up the question of the Soviet Union in this letter. The Soviet Union is slandered and vilified by the capitalist press for one very simple reason: it showed that it is possible to run society without the rule of the bankers and landlords. The Soviet Union, basing itself on a nationalized planned economy, achieved amazing economic feats, offering a glimpse of what we could achieve with an international planned economy. However, we must also be able to explain why the Soviet Union collapsed, rather than having paved the way for world communism. Leon Trotsky, who led the Russian Revolution alongside Lenin, provided the answer to this key question, notably in his book The Revolution Betrayed. He analyzed both the hugely positive aspects of the planned economy and the serious issues facing the USSR: Gigantic achievement in industry, enormously promising beginnings in agriculture, an extraordinary growth of the old industrial cities and a building of new ones, a rapid increase of the numbers of workers, a rise in cultural level and cultural demandssuch are the indubitable results of the October revolution, in which the prophets of the old world tried to see the grave of human civilization. With the bourgeois economists, we no longer have anything to quarrel over. Socialism has demonstrated its right to victory, not on the pages of Das Kapital, but in an industrial arena comprising a sixth part of the earths surfacenot in the language of dialectics, but in the language of steel, cement, and electricity. Even if the Soviet Union, as a result of internal difficulties, external blows, and the mistakes of leadership, were to collapsewhich we firmly hope will not happenthere would remain in earnest for the future this indestructible fact, that thanks solely to a proletarian revolution a backward country has achieved in less than 10 years successes unexampled in history. Having established these facts, Trotsky went on to explain the basis for bureaucratic degeneration in the Soviet state, which was undoubtedly a real phenomenon: The Soviet Union is slandered and vilified by the capitalist press because it showed that it is possible to run society without the rule of the bankers and landlords / Image: public domain The basis of bureaucratic rule is the poverty of society in objects of consumption, with the resulting struggle of each against all. When there are enough goods in a store, the purchasers can come whenever they want to. When there are few goods, the purchasers are compelled to stand in line. When the lines are very long, it is necessary to appoint a policeman to keep order. Such is the starting point of the power of the Soviet bureaucracy. It is possible that you have heard all manner of damning accusations against Trotsky. But certainly, all communists should let Trotskys real deeds and ideas speak for themselvesnot let others formulate our opinions for us. We encourage you to study works by Trotsky such as In Defence of October and The Revolution Betrayed and make up your own mind about his ideas. We are confident you will find that they are simply the continuation of Marxism and Leninism in the epoch of the isolation of the Russian Revolution. For genuine Marxism! For a genuine Leninist party! The third and final discussion document for the CPUSAs upcoming conference is Build the Party, Build the Clubs. In it, we find the following: Workers and students are joining in numbers not seen in decades. However, it acknowledges that: while significant growth has been achieved in recent years, here again, most of it takes place online and is almost completely spontaneous. The truth is people are coming to the party, but the party is not reaching out to the peopleat least not in a consistent and organized way. While celebrating the socialist moment of recent years, the party has yet to tap into it in a deliberate way. We think this speaks to a very important point. In recent years, communism has experienced a revival of support in the US, particularly among young people. Many of these comrades, wanting to get organized, simply Googled communism and wound up joining the already moribund Communist Party USA. We saw the same dynamic with the rise of support for democratic socialism and the growth of DSA in 2017. But the downward trajectory of DSA in recent years shows that this kind of accidental growth can only take an organization so far. In our frank opinion, the CPUSA is living on borrowed time. We must ask how it is that a party that has had 105 years to build its forces finds itself rebuilding the foundations of the party at this critical juncture in the class struggle, as they put it in that document. All of history shows that the decisive element in building a party is its ideas. The Bolshevik Party grew from just one person, Plekhanov, who brought Marxism to Russia in the early 1880s. By maintaining the ideas of genuine Marxism, Lenin and the Bolsheviks forged their party into a mass revolutionary party by 1917. By contrast, mass organizations embracing millions of members can dissipate entirely if their ideas do not correspond with reality. This has happened on more than one occasion in history. The CPUSAs material resources and brand name will not be enough to save it from decades of political errors. The way forward for the movement is simple: Back to Marx! Back to Lenin! Back to the Communist Manifesto, What Is To Be Done?, and State and Revolution! Back to the early, class-independent years of the Communist International! These ideas have never been more relevant than they are today. We invite you to study these classics and our own political material and to think these questions over carefully. Our comrades, organized across the country, will be more than happy to discuss these questions and more in detail. If you agree with what you read, we invite you to join the Revolutionary Communists of America. On the basis of the ideas of genuine Marxism, we can and will prepare a new heyday for communism in the United States. We can and will overthrow US capitalism in our lifetime. Communist greetings, The Revolutionary Communists of America The autopsy of a Boeing whistleblower has officially determined his death as suicide - as it is revealed he left a furious note slamming the airline. John Barnett, 62, was found dead in his truck outside a Holiday Inn in Charleston, South Carolina, suffering from what the Coroner's Office said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His death sparked huge uproar when his body was found on March 9 - the same day he was due to testify against Boeing after alleging under-pressure workers were deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the assembly line. Charleston Police Department announced the conclusion to its investigation into his death on Thursday. 'All findings were consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound,' the report from Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo O'Neal read. The coroner concluded the manner of Barnett's death 'is best deemed, 'suicide.'' John Barnett, 62, was found dead in a car outside a Holiday Inn in Charleston, South Carolina, suffering from what the Coroner's Office said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound Pictured: Barnett's suicide note, which was revealed for the first time Friday since his death The department confirmed Barnett's death was a suicide based on a series of factors. Investigators found him alone and locked inside his car with the key fob in his pants pocket. There was no sign of forced entry or a physical struggle. His phone and hotel key card showed no suspicious activity, and hotel security footage confirmed he left the building unaccompanied before returning shortly after to park. The vehicle remained undisturbed until the discovery of his body the next morning. A ballistic analysis of the gun found in Barnett's hand at the scene was registered under his name and legally purchased in 2000. The notebook containing his suicide note found in the front passenger seat of the truck had his and only his fingerprints on them. Records obtained by officials confirmed Barnett has had a history of mental health struggles, which only worsened throughout his lawsuit with Boeing. For the first time, the contents of Barnett's suicide letter were also revealed, which included several profane messages directed at Boeing. Barnett had alleged that second-rate parts were literally removed from scrap bins, before being fitted to planes that were being built to prevent delays In early January, an unused emergency exit door blew off a brand-new Boeing 737 Max shortly after take-off from Portland International, sparking a still-ongoing DOJ investigation Boeing's assembly plant in North Charleston - where the deceased worked for decades - is seen here 'I CAN'T DO THIS ANY LONGER!!! ENOUGH!! F*** BOEING!!!' one message reads. 'Bury me face down so Boeing and their lying-a*** leaders can kiss my a**' reads another. Barnett's mother told an investigator with CPD that Barnett would often make these remarks. The whistleblower ends his letter by addressing his loved ones: 'TO MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS, I FOUND MY PURPOSE! I'M AT PEACE! I LOVE YOU MORE' with a doodled heart at the end. Barnett had worked for Boeing for 32 years before retiring in 2017, with 17 of those years spent as a quality manager. He was involved in lawsuit with Boeing up until the day he died, and had been in Charleston undergoing legal interviews as part of the process. In March, Barnett's lawyers Robin Turkewitz and Brian Knowles, referenced a full list of Barnett's complaints against his employer as outlined in a lawsuit for wrongful retaliation filed in 2021. Among those is that after raising a certain issue in June 2014, the company retaliated by having a manager spy on him. Boeing's production practices have been questioned both on the 787, a model called the Dreamliner, and the company's best-selling plane, the 737 Max. The company has come under increased scrutiny since a panel blew off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun speaks with reporters at the Capitol in January after MAX 9 planes were grounded following the door incident. The company is now under criminal investigation The 62-year-old was found in his truck in a hotel parking lot in South Carolina, - seven years after he retired following a 32-year career with Boeing Barnett said in his complaint that he raised the issue of Boeing's 'deep-rooted and persistent culture of concealment' multiple times. He goes on to accuse the company of not documenting and fixing other problems. In retaliation for his complaints, Barnett said that he was given low scores on performance reports, isolated and forbidden from transferring out of South Carolina. He says he was 'treated with scorn and contempt by upper management.' Thanks to his treatment, Barnett said that he had to take medical leave in order to deal with stress. Low scores on performance reviews can affect an employees changes of earning a raise or gaining promotion. Prior to making complaints, Barnett alleges that he was a 'top performer' at the Boeing plant in North Charleston. Another complaint outlined in the legal filing saw Barnett raising the issue of mechanics doing self-inspections on their own work, something that is prohibited by the Federal Aviation Administration. In addition to now following FAA protocols, Barnett said that Boeing didn't even follow internal rules. After emailing another quality control manager in 2012 about a complaint, he claims he was told the company didn't believe him and therefore no investigation took place. Company officials allegedly asked him to stop complaining about staff taking one piece from a plane and using it on another without authorization. For that complaint, Barnett said that he was publicly chastised in front of his staff and moved to a new shift. Meanwhile, in a separate incident in early January, an unused emergency exit door blew off a brand-new Boeing 737 Max shortly after take-off from Portland International, sparking a still-ongoing DOJ investigation When he filed another complaint in June 2014 regarding procedures not being followed, Barnett alleges that the company had a manager 'spy' on him as he told 'to work in the grey areas.' Later that same year, Barnett was put on a 60 day 'corrective action plan' and was told by human resources that there was an investigation underway into his behavior. In July 2015, Barnett said that he saw his team reassigned without his knowledge and thus leaving other areas that he was responsible for understaffed. A year later, Barnett said he was challenged with performing a task involving recovering lost parts during an impossible timeframe. When he raised this, he was told to 'let it go.' A month after that, Barnett said that he was removed from an investigation into defective passenger oxygen masks finding that 75 out of 300 didn't work. After his removal, he alleges that the investigation never addressed the problem. Barnett then saw mechanical staff be asked to use scrap parts in planes without proper documentation. When he complained about this, Barnett said he was blocked from applying for a promotion. In October 2016, Barnett took his complaints to Boeing's national office. In the legal complaint he says that after being told that it would be handled, the investigation reverted back to staff in the Charleston office. A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max suffers landing gear failure after arriving at Houston airport A United Airlines Boeing 777 loses tire while taking off from San Francisco, crushing cars on the ground According to this filing, the same year that he retired, 2017, Barnett filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in which he raised his issues as well as the personal punishments he believed that he received. Early in the year, he says he learned that he was on a list of 'quality managers to get rid of.' Boeing issued a statement upon the release of the complaint. 'We are saddened by Mr. Barnetts passing, and our thoughts are with his family and friends. Boeing reviewed and addressed quality issues that Mr. Barnett raised before he retired in 2017, as well as other quality issues referred to in the complaint about its 2020 disposition of Mr. Barnetts claims,' the company said. Barnett is just one of many whistleblowers who have come forward in recent months, raising a string of allegations about Boeing's quality control. Santiago Paredes, who worked for Spirit AeroSystems - where the troubled 737 Max is built - at its factory in Kansas, is the latest to speak out, saying he was asked to hide defects on 737 fuselages. US officials have sounded the alarm over the disappearance of a Chinese pandemic whistleblower journalist who was supposed to be released from jail. Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years in prison for live streaming the early days of the Covid-19 lockdown in Wuhan. She recently completed a four year sentence at Shanghai's Women Prison, on charges of 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble'. But the 40-year-old has yet to be seen following her projected release date of May 13. 'The United States is deeply concerned over reports that PRC citizen journalist Ms. Zhang Zhan has disappeared following her expected release,' US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said. US officials have sounded the alarm over the disappearance of Chinese pandemic whistleblower journalist Zhang Zhan who was recently released from jail 'The United States has repeatedly expressed our serious concerns about the arbitrary nature of her detention and authorities' mistreatment of her. 'We reiterate our call for the PRC to respect the human rights of Ms. Zhang, including by immediately ending the restrictive measures that she and all journalists in the PRC face, which include surveillance, censorship, harassment, and intimidation.' Ren Quanniu, a former lawyer who previously represented Zhang, 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. During her prison stay, Zhang staged a hunger strike and was hospitalized at one point in 2021. Zhang's 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. Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years in prison for filming the early days of the Covid-19 lockdown in Wuhan US officials said they are 'deeply concerned' about her whereabouts since she has not been contactable since her release date Shen Yanqiu, who had planned to go with Zhangs family to receive her at the prison, declined to speak to The Associated Press, saying she had been 'invited to drink tea,' a euphemism for a police interrogation. Calls by the Associated Press to Zhang's brother went unanswered. Calls to the Shanghai Prison Administration office also went unanswered. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin declined to comment on the case when asked Monday, saying 'Im not aware of the situation.' Zang's arrest was the subject of protests with activists demanding her release. However she was one of several citizen journalists to wind up in prison for reporting on the pandemic in China. They include 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. Chen Qiushi, another citizen journalist, disappeared in February 2020 while filming in Wuhan. Chen resurfaced on a friends live video feed on YouTube in September 2021, saying he had suffered from depression but did not provide details about his disappearance. The coronavirus remains a sensitive topic in China. In the first week of May, 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. Britain has reached a new record for illegal migrants crossing the Channel in the first five months of a calendar year, as data shows the biggest boom since records began. Some 117 arrivals were recorded on Thursday, bringing the cumulative total for 2024 to 9,681, provisional data from the Home Office showed. This is higher than the total for the first five months of any previous year since current figures began in 2018. The previous record for the period January 1 to May 31 was 9,607, which was set in 2022, while last year saw 7,610 migrants arrive by the end of May. Britain has reached a new record for illegal migrants crossing the Channel in the first five months of a calendar year, as data shows the biggest boom since records began Pictured: Migrants arriving on May 4 Graph showing the number of migrants who have crossed the Channel since 2019 Some 117 arrivals were recorded on Thursday, bringing the cumulative total for 2024 to 9,681, provisional data from the Home Office showed The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 is now 41 per cent higher than at this point in 2023 and 15 per cent up on this stage in 2022. A group of people thought to be migrants was seen being brought into Dover on Friday on a Border Force vessel. There were 29,437 arrivals across the whole of 2023, down 36 per cent on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022. Earlier this week Britain took 50 migrants from Belfast months before Rishi Sunak said he was 'not interested' in accepting returned asylum seekers who had crossed over into Ireland. The Prime Minister put his foot down in April by refusing to take back any migrants after Irish leaders blamed the UK's Rwanda deportation scheme for a big rise in asylum seekers crossing into the Republic from Northern Ireland. But official figures released on Wednesday showed two separate groups of 25 migrants were detained by Irish police while travelling from Northern Ireland's capital to Dublin before being sent back to the UK. The migrant groups, which contained three children, were stopped in October and February during two, four-day operations. They were returned by ferry to Holyhead or by train to Belfast. How Operation Rwanda will work. This graphic shows the seven immigration removal centres where migrants will be held before they're put on a plane bound for the African country, with the first flights earmarked to take place in July The first illegal migrants, set to be deported to Rwanda, were rounded up by Immigration Enforcement agents this week, with some being seen led away in handcuffs The Hope Hostel in Rwanda (pictured) is one of the locations migrants will be sent to The details of the operation were contained in monthly reports submitted by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to the Policing Authority and reported by the Irish Times. It comes as Home Office agents last week detained the first set of illegal migrants destined for Rwanda. Armoured Immigration Enforcement officials took part in a series of dramatic dawn raids across the UK to round up asylum seekers who crossed the Channel in small boats. Groups of men were pictured being handcuffed before being taken to one of seven immigration removal centres, where they will be held until they can be deported to Africa. Codenamed 'Operation Vector', some 800 immigration agents are involved in the effort, which will see the first flights taking off in nine to 11 weeks, with 2,143 asylum seekers being targeted in the opening salvo of the project. The landmark policy has been hailed by some as a potential 'Hail Mary' for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he seeks to stave off a white-washing at the next General Election - especially after the disastrous local election results. In 2023, almost 46,000 migrants sailed across the Channel to arrive illegally in the UK - with the Government now spending 15million a day to house them in hotels Codenamed 'Operation Vector', some 800 immigration agents are involved in the effort, which will see the first flights taking off in nine to 11 weeks, with 2,143 asylum seekers being targeted in the opening salvo of the project A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the Channel demonstrates exactly why we must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible. 'We continue to work closely with French police who are facing increasing violence and disruption on their beaches as they work tirelessly to prevent these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journeys. 'Last year they stopped 26,000 people from reaching our shores. 'We remain committed to building on the successes that saw arrivals drop by more than a third last year, including tougher legislation and agreements with international partners, in order to save lives and stop the boats.' A 'small' contingent of U.S. military personnel will provide security for a new $320 million floating pier bringing food aid to hungry residents of Gaza amid Israel's war on Hamas, the White House said. White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters the U.S. military members would be there to provide security and assist in the complex orchestration of moving relief by sea and then distributing it to desperate residents by truck. He said there would be a 'small U.S. military component on the pier itself.' 'One is to provide a modicum of security for it. But also to assist with the logistics. You're going to have ships pulling up to this pier. Not the big cargo ships. They'll transport it to smaller ships off the coast of Gaza ... You're going to need some logistical support to get it from the ships onto the trucks,' he said. His comments to reporters come just two days after U.S. Central Command announced it had successfully anchored the pier to the beach in Gaza. It stressed that no U.S. troops entered Gaza proper. 'As part of this effort, no U.S. troops entered Gaza. Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days. The United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution into Gaza,' according to the statement. Kirby was emphatic that 'there are no U.S. servicemembers in Gaza.' President Biden, while providing billions in U.S. congressionally-appropriated military support to Gaza and using naval assets to protect navigation while helping foil attacks on Israel, has not involved U.S. forces in Israel's operation in Gaza. Kirby's comments about U.S. forces came as he said there was a 'robust security plan' for the effort, and that the administration was 'laser focused on ensuring the safety of everybody involved in this effort,' amid concerns it could be vulnerable to attack. White House national security communications advisor John Kirby, with photos of aid trucks arriving in Gaza, at Friday's briefing. He said a 'small' number of US personnel would be on the pier providing security and logistics Coming soon from USAID would be 170 metric tons of nutrient rich food bars, Kirby said, to create more than '7,200 cases of severe wasting in children. There would also be 90 metric tons of platic sheeting and jerry cans to carry water, among other supplies. Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built U.S. pier and into the besieged enclave for the first time Friday as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hindered the delivery of food and other supplies. The shipment is the first in an operation that American military officials anticipate could scale up to 150 truckloads a day, all while Israel presses in on the southern city of Rafah in its seven-month offensive against Hamas. At the White House, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said "more than 300 pallets" of aid were in the initial delivery and handed over to the U.N., which was preparing it for distribution. Kirby said the U.S. has gotten indications that "some of that aid was already moving into Gaza." But the U.S. and aid groups warn that the floating pier project is not a substitute for land deliveries that could bring in all the food, water and fuel needed in Gaza. Before the war, more than 500 truckloads entered the territory on an average day. The operation's success also remains tenuous because of the risk of militant attack, logistical hurdles and a growing shortage of fuel for the aid trucks due to the Israeli blockade of Gaza since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. Militants killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage in that assault on southern Israel. The Israeli offensive since has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, local health officials say, while hundreds more have been killed in the West Bank. Aid agencies say they are running out of food in southern Gaza and fuel is dwindling, while the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.N. World Food Program say famine has already taken hold in Gazas north. Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates and the United States Agency for International Development cross the Trident Pier before entering the beach in Gaza, May 17, 2024. (Staff Sgt. Malcolm Cohens-Ashley/U.S. Army Central via AP) Offshoring: 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 pier is anchored to the beach in Gaza. Kirby said U.S. personnel would protect the pier and provide logistics support, but would not be in Gaza proper Troops finished installing the floating pier on Thursday, and the U.S. military's Central Command said the first aid crossed into Gaza at 9 a.m. Friday. It said no American troops went ashore in the operation. The Pentagon said no backups were expected in the distribution process. The U.S. plan is for the United Nations, through its World Food Program, to take charge of the aid once it leaves the pier. This will involve coordinating the arrival of empty trucks and their registration, overseeing the transfer of goods coming through the floating dock to the trucks and their dispatch to warehouses across Gaza, and, finally, handing over the supplies to aid groups for delivery. The U.K. said some of its aid for Gaza was in the first shipment that went ashore, including the first of 8,400 kits to provide temporary shelter made of plastic sheeting. And it said more aid, including 2,000 additional shelter kits, 900 tents, five forklift trucks and 9,200 hygiene kits, will follow in the coming weeks. "This is the culmination of a Herculean joint international effort," said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. "We know the maritime route is not the only answer. We need to see more land routes open, including via the Rafah crossing, to ensure much more aid gets safely to civilians in desperate need of help." Aid distribution had not yet begun as of Friday afternoon, said a U.N. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The official said the process of unloading and reloading cargo was still ongoing. The U.N. humanitarian aid coordinating agency said the start of the operation was welcome but not a replacement for deliveries by land. "I think everyone in the operation has said it: Any and all aid into Gaza is welcome by any route," Jens Laerke, spokesman of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told journalists in Geneva on Friday. Getting aid to people in Gaza "cannot and should not depend on a floating dock far from where needs are most acute." The U.N. earlier said fuel deliveries brought through land routes have all but stopped and that would make it extremely difficult to bring the aid to Gazas people. "It doesnt matter how the aid comes, whether its by sea or whether by land, without fuel, aid wont get to the people," U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said Thursday. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the issue of fuel deliveries comes up in all U.S. conversations with the Israelis. She also said the plan is to begin slowly with the sea route and ramp up the truck deliveries over time as they work the kinks out of the system. Israel fears Hamas will use fuel in the war, but it asserts it places no limits on the entry of humanitarian aid and blames the U.N. for delays in distributing goods entering Gaza. Under pressure from the U.S., Israel has opened a pair of crossings to deliver aid into the territorys hard-hit north in recent weeks. It has said that a series of Hamas attacks on the main crossing, Kerem Shalom, have disrupted the flow of goods. The U.N. says fighting, Israeli fire and chaotic security conditions have hindered delivery. There have also been violent protests by Israelis that disrupted aid shipments. Israel recently seized the Rafah border crossing in its push against Hamas around that city on the Egyptian border, raising fears about civilians' safety while also cutting off the main entry for aid into the Gaza Strip. U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the pier project, expected to cost $320 million. 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 the initial shipment totaled as much as 500 tons of aid. 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 about the safety of aid workers who distribute the food, said Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of USAID'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. That concern was highlighted last month when an Israeli strike killed seven relief workers from World Central Kitchen whose trip had been coordinated with Israeli officials. The group had also brought aid in by sea. Pentagon officials have made it clear that security conditions will be monitored closely and could prompt a shutdown of the maritime route, even if just temporarily. Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, a deputy commander at the U.S. militarys Central Command, told reporters Thursday that "we are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved." 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. Biden has made it clear that there will be no U.S. forces on the ground in Gaza, so third-country contractors will drive the trucks onto the shore. Israeli forces are in charge of security on shore, but there are also two U.S. Navy warships nearby that can protect U.S. troops and others. The aid for the sea route is collected and inspected in Cyprus, then loaded onto ships and taken about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the large floating pier off the Gaza coast. There, the pallets are transferred onto the trucks that then drive onto the Army boats, which will shuttle the trucks from the pier to a floating causeway anchored to the beach. Once the trucks drop off the aid, they return to the boats. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Jill Lawless in London, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed. Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates and the United States Agency for International Development cross the Trident Pier before entering the beach in Gaza, May 17, 2024. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kelby Sanders/U.S. Navy via AP) A truck loaded with humanitarian aid from the United Kingdom moves onto the Trident Pier from the U.S. Army's LSV-6 to head toward the beach in Gaza, May 17, 2024. ( Sgt. Mikayla Fritz/U.S. Army Central via AP) This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows a pier installed by the U.S. military in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid from the United Arab Emirates and the United States Agency for International Development cross the Trident Pier before entering the beach in Gaza, May 17, 2024. (Sgt. Mikayla Fritz/U.S. Army Central via AP) A prison director was shot dead in Colombia after at least two inmates threatened to kill him over a span of just nine days. Retired colonel Elmer Fernandez, 57, had just dropped off a prison employee at their home when gunmen opened fire on the west side of Bogota, the Colombia capital, on Thursday. Fernandez, who oversaw the notorious La Modelo prison, was pronounced dead at the scene. Colombian news outlet Semana learned that at least three shots were fired at the jail and struck a wall when one of the inmates made a threat on May 9. Elmer Fernandez, who was the director of La Modelo prison in Bogota, Colombia, was murdered on Thursday. He had received two death threats since May 9 Agents assigned to Colombia's Attorney General's Office inspect the vehicle of La Model prison director, retired police colonel Elmer Fernandez, who was shot dead Thursday in Bogota Prison guards patrol the perimeters of La Modelo prison, in Bogota, Colombia on Friday, a day after the jail director was shot dead 'So that you can see that I do have power and if they transfer me I will kill your family,' the brazen threat from the unnamed inmate read. The second threat was reportedly made by Pedro Caro, otherwise known as 'Pedro Pluma,' who had been jailed 16 times and is serving a five-year sentence. 'From Pedro Pluma to the director: if you get involved with the patio search, I will kill your family,' the handwritten note read. As a result of death threats, Caro and nine other prisoners locked in the fourth cell block were transferred to different jails in the country on Friday afternoon. Colombian Minister of Justice Nestor Osuna told reporters Friday that investigators had several leads, but declined to offer any additional details. 'The police investigations in these few hours that have passed since the homicide occurred are very advanced, I will remain confidential as to where they are going,' Osuna said. 'There are several very accurate hypotheses.' Relatives mourn the death of Elmer Fernandez who was shot dead Thursday in Bogota. Fernandez was the director of La Modelo, a notorious prison in Bogota Colombian Justice Minister Nestor Osuna told reporters that investigators have leads into the murder of Elmer Fernandez, the director of a Bogota prison who was shot dead Thursday Riot police stand guard outside La Modelo prison in Bogota during a riot on March 22, 2020 He added that Fernandez filed an official report with the National Protection Unit on Tuesday, alerting the agency that he had received the death threats. National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC) director Nestor Morales told Blue Radio that Fernandez had asked for protection. 'There is nothing regulated so that neither the director of INPEC or any prison director is assigned an armored vehicle,' Morales said. However, the National Protection Unit (UNP) released a statement countering Morales and said that Fernandez had never asked for protection, but that it was alerted by the Attorney General's Office. 'The colonel's protection was under the guidance of INPEC. The murdered director of La Modelo had no request or process for measures at the UNP, but he had let the Prosecutor's Office know about threats against him and his family,' the agency said. Law enforcement agents cover the scene where retired police colonel Elmer Fernandez was gunned down in Bogota, Colombia on Thursday Agents assigned to Colombia's Attorney General's Office inspect the vehicle of La Modelo prison director, retired police colonel Elmer Fernandez, who was killed on Thursday Fernandez's murder led to the abrupt resignation of La Modelo assistant director Oscar Tovar on Friday. Fernandez, was the former colonel of the Bogota Metropolitan Police and also oversaw the police academy in the province of Santander. He was tasked directing the Boyaca police and was once assigned to the presidential police headquarters. Fernandez joined the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute five years ago and served as director of La Esperenza prison in the municipality of Guaduas, 103 miles northwest of Bogota. He assumed the role of director at La Modelo on April 4. That's one way to catch a wild beast! A New Mexico barrel racer whose horse escaped used her bra straps as a lasso to catch the nearly 1,000 pound animal when she didn't have her halter to assist. The glamorous equestrian, identified as Taylor, posted the video to her TikTok. In the video, she is heard panting, as she walks along the side one of her horses that she called the 'ringleader. 'Only her bare arm is visible, as she keeps a close eye on the two other horses roaming about. Gotcha! A New Mexico barrel racer whose horse escaped used her bra straps as a lasso to catch the nearly 1,000 pound animal when she didn't have her halter to assist To help capture the scene, the tune, 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' by Nigerian-American artist, Shaboozey played. Barrel racing is a rodeo event that involves a horse and its rider attempting to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Taylor's TikTok video sparked hundreds of views and hilarious commentary. Taylor, the glamorous barrel racer, delighted fans on TikTok with her skills The glamorous equestrian, identified as Taylor, is s barrel racer and used the straps from her bra around the neck of one of her horses to reign him back in after he escaped Taylor competes in horse barrel racing events. In the photo she is showing off an award Many commended the jockey for her resourcefulness. Others made playful jokes, or shared their own unpredictable animal stories. 'Ma'am, we're going to need you to share the brand. A bra that can lead a whole HORSE, can surely hold my girls up,' someone wrote. Another joked: 'I need an animal communicator to ask him about this day.' While another commented on the 'perfect' song: 'Shania Twain 'Man! I feel like a woman.' A close-up of Taylor with friends who are all having fun 'horsing- around' Taylor even responded to some of her fans. 'Improvise, adapt and overcome,' someone said, and she replied, 'the motto of marines and cowgirls.' Another remarked: 'That's a real cowgirl. She said, 'we do what we've gotta do.' The White House on Friday jabbed at the fact that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito had an upside-down American flag flying outside his home, saying President Joe Biden treats the flag with respect. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president believes 'the American flag is sacred, and we should be respecting that flag.' The inverted flag, which symbolizes MAGA's 'Stop The Steal' campaign, flew outside Alito's home in 2021 as the Supreme Court weighed a 2020 election case. It has been used as a sign of support for former President Donald Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. But Jean-Pierre declined to weigh in on the whether or not Alito should recuse himself from any current election-related cases even after some court experts said it calls Alito's impartiality into question. 'I do not want to get into the business of the specific actions that at that Supreme Court justices, if they should recuse themselves or not,' she said at her daily press briefing. 'That is something for the court more broadly, they have to make that decision. That is something that we're not going to step into.' The White House said President Joe Biden treats the American flag with respect A photo shows the upside-down flag flying outside the Justice's home in Alexandria, Va, on January 17 2021, days after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, according to a new report in The New York Times. Dozens of the rioters on January 6 carried similarly inverted flags and chanted slogans like 'Stop the Steal.' The report raises concerns about Alito's impartiality as the Supreme Court considers two major cases related to the attack, including charges faced by the rioters and whether Trump has immunity from prosecution on election interference charges. Alito blamed his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, for flying the flag. He told Fox News that a neighbor had posted a sign saying 'F*** Trump' near a school bus stop and then a sign attacking his wife. On a walk, the justice said, the Alitos got into an argument with the neighbor, who used the term 'c**t' at one point. His wife then flew the inverted flag. Alito told Fox News he had no role in the flag decision, and it was flying outside their property only 'for a short time.' An upside-down American flag, a symbol associated with former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud, was displayed outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2021 'I do not want to get into the business of the specific actions that at that Supreme Court justices, if they should recuse themselves or not,' White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at her daily press briefing. Judicial experts said the flag outside Alito's home clearly violates ethics rules set to avoid even the appearance of bias. Democrat Dick Durbin, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, 'Flying an upside-down American flag - a symbol of the so-called 'Stop the Steal' movement - clearly creates the appearance of bias.' Durbin said Alito should recuse from two cases currently pending before the Supreme Court that involve the 2020 election. The first one is Trump's bid for immunity from prosecution on federal criminal charges for trying to reverse his 2020 defeat. The second one case involves a challenge by a Pennsylvania man to a federal criminal charge of obstruction that he faces for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. The case has implications for Trump, who faces the same charge in the election-related criminal case brought against him by Special Counsel Jack Smith. 'The court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust,' Durbin said. At the time the flag was flying outside Alito's home, the court was still considering whether to take up cases over the 2020 election. It ultimately rejected them over dissent from three conservative justices, including Alito, who was appointed to the court by Republican President George W. Bush. He wrote that the court's consideration of the cases would have no impact on the 2020 election but 'would provide invaluable guidance for future elections.' Judicial ethics codes focus on the need for judges to be independent, avoiding political statements or opinions on matters they could be called on to decide. The inverted flag (file photo) has been used as a sign of support for former President Donald Trump 's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him The Supreme Court had long gone without its own code of ethics, but adopted one in November 2023 in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices. The code lacks a means of enforcement, however. Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia, told the New York Times that flying the flag upside down is 'the equivalent of putting a `Stop the Steal sign in your yard, which is a problem if youre deciding election-related cases.' Even if it was placed by his spouse or someone else living in the home, 'he shouldnt have it in his yard as his message to the world,' she said. The Supreme Court has warned its own employees about public displays indicating partisan leanings, the newspaper reported. The court did not respond to questions about whether those rules apply to justices. The U.S. Flag Code states that the American flag is not to be flown upside down 'except as a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property.' It has been used as a protest symbol on both the left and the right on a range of issues over the decades. It took off as a symbol of Trump's 'Stop the Steal' campaign as he spread false claims that the election he lost to President Joe Biden had been stolen. The controversy around Alito comes as another conservative justice, Clarence Thomas, has ignored calls to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election over his wife, Ginni Thomas, support for Trump and as public trust in the Supreme Court is at its lowest point in at least 50 years. They were all killed by Hamas on October 7 at the SuperNova Festival Shani Louk's heartbroken mother has said her daughter's 'spirit is free' and that she can 'rest in peace' after her body was recovered in Gaza alongside two other Israeli hostages. The Israeli Defense forces announced on Friday that they recovered the body of the 22-year-old, as well as the remains of Itzhak Gelerenter, 53, and Amit Buskila, 28. The German-Israeli was among 364 people killed at the SuperNova Festival which she was attending with her boyfriend. She became a symbol of the brutal Hamas attack after the world saw the picture of gunmen rushing her half-naked corpse back to Gaza on the back of a pick-up. The IDF said Buskila and Gelerenter were also killed at the festival on October 7 and their bodies were taken to Gaza. Speaking to the Daily Mail - Ricarda Louk, Shanis mother said: 'It is like closing a circle. Her spirit is free already half a year, but now her body is back home and can rest in peace.' Nissim Louk, the father of Shani Louk, called the discovery of her body a 'relief' as he invited Israelis to attend her funeral on Sunday Nissim and Ricarda Louk, the parents of Shani Louk, 22, who was taken hostage by Hamas after being seized from the Nova festival Palestinian militants drive back to the Gaza Strip with the body of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli dual citizen, on October 7 Her father called the discovery of her body a 'relief' as he invited Israelis to attend her funeral on Sunday. Nissim Louk said: 'This morning we were informed that soldiers of a commando team were in the area and found bodies and the condition of the body was really good. 'It was in a relatively deep place in a deep tunnel and very cold, so the physical condition is really good.' The IDF said on X on Friday: 'Overnight, our troops recovered their bodies and brought them back home to Israel. 'We will continue operating to bring all of our hostages home. May their memories be a blessing.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also responded to the discovery of the bodies, saying, 'We will return all of our hostages, both the living and the dead.' The military said the bodies were found overnight, without elaborating, and did not give immediate details on where they were located. Israel has been operating in the Gaza Strips southern city of Rafah, where it says it has intelligence that hostages are being held. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted around 250 others in the Oct. 7 attack. Around half of those hostages have since been freed, most in swaps for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during a weeklong cease-fire in November. Amit Buskila (pictured) was also found dead in Gaza Itzhak Gelerenter was found by the IDF Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. The war in Gaza since the attack has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-controlled Gaza health officials. Netanyahu has vowed to both eliminate Hamas and bring all the hostages back, but hes made little progress. He faces pressure to resign, and the U.S. has threatened to scale back its support over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israelis are divided into two main camps: those who want the government to put the war on hold and free the hostages, and others who think the hostages are an unfortunate price to pay for eradicating Hamas. On-and-off negotiations mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt have yielded little. Almost 40 per cent of students at Russell Group universities believe the October 7 terror attacks on Israel were an 'understandable act of resistance'. A poll of university students by Stand With Us UK also found that only a third consider the Hamas massacre that sparked a new war in the region a 'terrorist attack'. The findings come amidst an unprecedented surge of anti-Semitism with the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) fielding more than 700 calls about anti-Semitism from frightened students since October 7 and Israeli students warning they are 'terrified' of being targeted on campus. Today, Cambridge University was forced to move its graduation ceremonies from the Senate House, where they have taken place since the 18th century, to Downing College due to pro-Palestine protests. A poll of university students also found that only a third consider the Hamas massacre that sparked a new war in the region a 'terrorist attack'. Students walk past pro Palestine protesters in Cambridge The findings come amidst an unprecedented surge of anti-Semitism with Israeli students warning they are 'terrified' of being targeted on campus. College staff clean up what was left behind of Cambridge student protests Earlier this week anti-Israel campaigners pitched tents on the Senate House lawn forcing the university to make an unprecedented and 'difficult' decision to move graduation ceremonies for today and tomorrow. The protesters left on Thursday night, declaring their goal of disruption had been accomplished. It is the first time graduation has been held at Downing College with students finding out less than 24 hours before and university porters given only eight hours' notice to prepare in order to keep away the protesters. Professor Marek Ziebert, 62, a lecturer at UCL who was celebrating his daughter's graduation said: 'I think it is a shame and completely disrespectful that protesters disrupted this historic ceremony in this way. 'For many, graduation ceremonies are the outcomes of decades of hard work.' Last night Education Secretary Gillian Keegan stressed that Jewish students must be protected and welcomed at British universities. Earlier this week anti-Israel campaigners pitched tents on the Senate House lawn. Cambridge University students head to their graduation ceremony at Darwin College after the Senate House was occupied by Pro Palestine protesters Commissioned by pro-Israel educational charity StandWithUs UK and conducted by Savanta, the survey shared exclusively with the Mail polled more than 1,000 students She said: 'Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation and I am horrified that anyone would seek to legitimise their brutal terrorist attack on October 7. 'We are working with universities, Jewish community groups and the police to ensure that Jewish staff and students feel safe in our universities.' Commissioned by pro-Israel educational charity StandWithUs UK and conducted by Savanta, the survey shared exclusively with the Mail polled more than 1,000 students across 20 British campuses, finding that 29 per cent of students believe October 7 was an 'understandable' act of 'resistance'. This number rose to 38 per cent amongst Russell Group university students, seen as the best and brightest. It also found that 38 per cent of people polled agree that students publicly supporting Israel on campus should 'expect' abuse. Only 31 per cent of people vocally disagreed. Responding to the findings, a spokesman for the Community Security Trust, which works to keep Jews in Britain safe, said: 'The Hamas terror attack on Israel on 7 October was an appalling act of wanton murder, rape, torture and hostage-taking. 'The idea that this was in any way justified or understandable 'resistance' is disgraceful, and the fact that so many university students appear not to grasp this basic fact is deeply worrying. Our universities are failing.' Edward Isaacs, president of UJS said: 'Since October 7 we have seen countless calls for intifada, support for Hamas, Houthis and Hezbollah, and the deligitmisation of Jewish students' experiences. Former Minister of Higher Education Robert Halfon said: 'This is pretty grim polling. Students need more exposure to understand not just anti-Semitism, but also fundamentalism and extreme Islamist terror groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad.' The shocking poll results come amid an explosion of anti-Semitic hatred on British university campuses. As revealed by the Mail this week, at Oxford University there have been 70 reported incidents of anti-Jewish hate in the last eight months including one student being insulted over their 'Jewish nose'. Poll found 29 per cent of students believe October 7 was an 'understandable' act of 'resistance' The protesters left on Thursday night, declaring their goal of disruption had been accomplished At the more than 20 pro-Palestine encampments that have been erected around the country, students have been heard chanting 'intifada' (uprising) an explicit call to violence and 'Resistance is justified if a people are occupied', an apparent endorsement of Hamas's massacre. In Cambridge students participating in the encampment declared 'victory at Senate House' after university officials agreed to 'negotiate' if students removed their tents from Senate House and returned to their camp outside Kings College, Cambridge. Meanwhile a Jewish student holding an Israeli flag opposite the Cambridge encampment was violently shoved and had the flag ripped out of their hand. StandWithUs executive director Isaac Zarfati said: 'We are in the midst of a historic surge in anti-Semitism, highlighting a troubling decline in morals and awareness among students the future leaders of the Western society.' Co-chairman of the all-party parliamentary group against anti-Semitism Nicola Richards said: 'No one should seek to justify or downplay October 7 and the systematic mutilation, rape, slaughter and hostage-taking of hundreds of innocent people.' 'The best-educated students in the world should know better than to hold these dangerous beliefs.' A lawyer has been fined 2,000 and told to pay 1,000 compensation to a rape survivor after he repeatedly crossed the line while questioning her in court. Ellie Wilson started an online Crowdfunding page to meet the 3,000 cost of raising a complaint about the way defence advocate Lorenzo Alonzi spoke to her during the trial of her attacker, Daniel McFarlane, in 2022. A Faculty of Advocates complaints committee last month found that his behaviour which included asked Ms Wilson if she had narcissistic personality disorder amounted to unsatisfactory professional conduct during his cross-examination, closing speeches and sentencing. It has now said Mr Alonzi should be issued with the fine and a severe written censure. The committee ordered him to pay 1,000 to 26-year-old Ms Wilson, after it upheld six of the 11 issues she raised. It said she had been caused considerable upset and distress and it recognised the time and dedication she had spent in presenting the complaint. Ellie Wilson complained about how she was treated and said, 'I felt like I was the one on trial' Lorenzo Alonzi has been told to pay compensation to Ms Wilson after he repeatedly crossed the line while questioning her in court. Lorenzo Alonzi has been reprimanded by the Faculty of Advocates' complaints committee over how he conducted himself during a rape trial Ms Wilson said the trial retraumatised her after she suffered abuse at the hands of ex-boyfriend Daniel McFarlane (right) Her ex-boyfriend McFarlane, 25, a former medical student at the University of Glasgow, was convicted of rape and jailed for five years at the High Court in Glasgow in 2022. Ms Wilson, from Glasgow, who waived her right to anonymity, last night welcomed the penalty but said the cash was paltry in comparison with his fees. She said: It takes so much to come forward, and then to go to court and essentially be bullied is awful. I felt like I was the one on trial. The penalty that he is going to have to pay is paltry in comparison to the fees hed make from a case like mine. Not only am I a human being, I am a human being who has experienced the worst crime. Mr Alonzi had suggesting her attacker had fallen in love with the wrong person. The committee found he repeatedly crossed the line on rules designed to protect women in rape trials and said he had failed to offer an unreserved apology to Ms Wilson. A Faculty of Advocates spokesman said it would not be appropriate to comment. Attempts were made to contact Mr Alonzi. Six funeral homes across the UK are being investigated over improper care of the dead, as calls for the 'Wild West' industry to be regulated grow. Authorities are investigating businesses in London, Oxfordshire, Newcastle, Hampshire, East Yorkshire and Scotland over missing ashes and bodies left to rot, the Telegraph has reported. Most of these homes are believed to be struggling financially, with unpaid court debts and unpaid rents, including one site that failed to pay rent for over a year. This comes after police recovered 35 bodies and suspected human ashes from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull in March and arrested two people at the family-run business. Six funeral homes across the UK are being investigated over improper care of the dead, as calls for the 'Wild West' industry to be regulated grow. Pictured: Anne Gibson who was not given her mother's ashes back Authorities are investigating businesses in London , Oxfordshire, Newcastle, Hampshire, East Yorkshire and Scotland over missing ashes and bodies left to rot, the Telegraph has reported. Pictured: Grieving siblings Anne Gibson, 66, and her brother Brian, 51 Most of these homes are believed to be struggling financially, with unpaid court debts and unpaid rents, including one site that failed to pay rent for over a year. Pictured: Patricia Alison. Her daughter Anne Gibson was given a stranger ashes instead of her mothers The sector operates largely without regulations and no statutory inspection regime. Although businesses can choose whether to join trade bodies that carry out these checks. Emma Hardy, the MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, who has worked to get justice for those involved in the Legacy scandal, said: 'There is an urgent need for the funeral sector to be regulated. 'There are still rogue funeral directors operating in a Wild West industry leaving grieving families traumatised by their experiences. 'The Government was told four years ago by the Competition and Markets Authority that regulation was needed so they need to act urgently.' Police Scotland have launched an investigation into A Milne Funeral Directors after several families reported allegations of ashes going missing and financial misconduct. One vicitim, Emma Weir, from Glasgow, claimed undertakers at A Milne did not embalm or ID-tag her late father's body and said her family were left 'in limbo' when they asked for their deposit to be refunded. Ms Weir claimed A Milne staff had to get two friends of the Weir family to help them when they took Mr Weir's body from the house to a black company car. She said eight days later, her father's body remained in the same clothes he was wearing when he died, had no ID-tag and was left in a fridge. The mother-of-three said the company also asked them for the deposit immediately, 'without even so much as speaking about coffins or any funeral plans whatsoever'. Police outside the Hessle Road branch of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull after reports of 'concern for care of the deceased' Police recovered 35 bodies and suspected human ashes from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull in March and arrested two people at the family-run business In 2022 the Met Police also arrested Victor Perry (above), 52, after four bodies were recovered from a self-storage unit in North West London during the unprecedented heatwave In 2022 the Met Police also arrested Victor Perry, 52, after four bodies were recovered from a self-storage unit in North West London during the unprecedented heatwave. Although the deaths are not being treated as suspicious, it is alleged that the bodies were being stored on pallets. Mr Perry denies this. Two bodies were removed during a raids in Didcot and Wantage, Oxfordshire. While in 2022 two decomposing bodies were found at Elkin and Bell Funerals home in Gosport, Hampshire, after bailiffs arrived to collect the rent the undertakers had failed to pay for more than a year. In Newcastle, police officers raided the In Loving Memory funeral parlour in August 2022. A Northumbria Police spokesman said Jordan Lillie, a man in his twenties, was arrested on suspicion of preventing a lawful and decent burial. Mr Lillie denied any wrongdoing. And in Northumberland, three former undertakers are facing trial next year for funeral plan fraud. Scotland's first female bishop will face a disciplinary tribunal over complaints about her behaviour. The Scottish Episcopal Church said the complaints it has received about the Right Reverend Anne Dyer, who was the first woman to be given the title in 2018, allege her behaviour was 'unbecoming of a member of the clergy' and is 'likely to bring the church into disrepute'. She previously claimed she faced 'significant bullying and harassment on a number of fronts' after taking up the role six years ago. The decision to go to a tribunal was made by the church's procurator, Paul Reid, KC. In a statement yesterday, the church confirmed that its preliminary proceedings committee referred 'a number of complaints' against the bishop to Mr Reid in November last year. It said: 'The procurator, Paul Reid, KC, has now decided to take three of those complaints to a hearing before the clergy discipline tribunal, and Bishop Dyer has been formally notified of this decision.' The Scottish Episcopal Church said it had received complaints about the Right Reverend Anne Dyer, who was the first woman to be given the title in 2018 (pictured after her consecration), alleging her behaviour was 'unbecoming of a member of the clergy' and is 'likely to bring the church into disrepute' Another claimed that Bishop Dyer, who was consecrated at St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen (pictured), in 2018, was 'unyielding and intimidating' It added: 'The alleged canonical offences concern behaviour or conduct unbecoming of a member of the clergy, which brings or is likely to bring the church into disrepute. The other complaints will not be pursued further by the procurator.' The Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney was suspended in 2022 following allegations of bullying, but reinstated only hours later. She was initially told she would have to step away from her role as she faced disciplinary proceedings. It came after the church said it had received two formal complaints against her over alleged misconduct. But then a second statement was posted on the church website, stating her suspension had been lifted 'with immediate effect' after she lodged an appeal. The appeal was later refused and she failed to have her suspension overturned. A report in 2022 by retired theologian Professor Iain Torrance, who conducted an independent review, concluded Bishop Dyer had made people feel 'diminished and discouraged' and recommended she 'permanently' step back from her duties. A report in 2022 by retired theologian Professor Iain Torrance (pictured), who conducted an independent review, concluded Bishop Dyer had made people feel 'diminished and discouraged' and recommended she 'permanently' step back from her duties One anonymous submission from the spouse of an alleged victim said: 'The church seems intent to protect the hierarchy and its own reputation. 'I have witnessed my happy, confident and capable spouse be systematically destroyed.' Another claimed that Bishop Dyer, who was consecrated at St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen, in 2018, was 'unyielding and intimidating'. The church said yesterday that Bishop Dyer, who previously claimed she was the subject of 'unsubstantiated and anonymous allegations in the national media' remains suspended during the disciplinary proceedings. She has one month to enter a plea in respect of the accusations, with the tribunal scheduled to take place in Edinburgh in September. The Right Reverend Dorsey McConnell continues as Acting Bishop of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney. Loose Women star Kaye Adams has revealed the casual sexism she encountered as a budding TV presenter. The 61-year-old described how she was propositioned by a boss twice her age. She was also slapped on the bottom by another manager as she learned her trade in the era before #MeToo. The mother of two disclosed on her How To Be 60 podcast that she also witnessed racism and homophobia. She said of her experiences that 'you just shut up' rather than confront the culprits. Ms Adams, who was born in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, and hosts the morning show on BBC Radio Scotland, began her career at Central TV in Birmingham in the early 1980s as a graduate trainee. Kaye Adams was propositioned by a boss twice her age and slapped on the bottom by another manager as she learned her trade in the era before #MeToo Ms Adams began her career at Central TV in Birmingham in the early 1980s as a graduate trainee. She later joined STV's Scotland Today and was one of the first journalists on the scene of the Lockerbie disaster in 1988. But she said one of her first bosses showed little interest in her news skills when he made a lewd suggestion to her at the TV station bar. Ms Adams, who has daughters aged 15 and 20 with her partner Ian Campbell, said she was 21 or 22 while her boss was in his 40s. She said: 'I can remember standing there with this gin and tonic in my hand thinking, 'Oh, what am I gonna do?' And I giggled.' The broadcaster also recalled having her bottom slapped and groped by a middle-aged manager when she was about 24. She said: 'I was standing up leaning against a pillar and my boss, who was a bit older he was the boss boss came out. 'Everyone was terrified of him, and actually I really liked this man and he was really good to me. But as he walked past me he slapped my a*** and really grabbed my a*** and laughed as he went by. 'I was about 24 and I just remember that rush of embarrassment. My cheeks went red, I didn't know what to do. A bit of you is conflicted, but you didn't, you just shut up. 'He laughed and he walked out, and everyone else laughed.' Of the times: The mother-of-two disclosed on her How To Be 60 podcast that she also witnessed racism and homophobia in the era before #MeToo Loose Women star Kaye, appearing alongside Coleen Nolan, said her anecdotes were prompted by watching The Newsreader, the drama series set in a regional TV station in Australia Her anecdotes were prompted by watching The Newsreader, the drama series set in a regional TV station in Australia. She said: 'It's exactly the era that I started to work in a regional newsroom. 'It was like going back to when I was 24. And the attitudes... casual sexism all the time, you know, slapping women's a***s and not even thinking about it, it's not even an issue whatsoever, which you look at now and you think, 'Oh, my God', but then you think, 'Jesus'. 'The other thing... casual racism and also homophobia.' Decades after four Canadian women were mysteriously killed, officials have been able to link their deaths to a notorious American serial killer and sex offender. Gary Allen Srery, a convicted rapist, has been identified as the murderer of Alberta's Eva Dvorak, 14, Patricia McQueen, 14, Melissa Rehorek, 20, and Barbara MacLean, 19, in the 1970s. The U.S. fugitive who hid in Canada from the mid 1970s to the late 1990s died in 2011 after being sentenced for life in a state prison in Idaho. Srery was identified as the killer through advanced DNA analysis of the semen found at the scenes and criminal databases - which eventually linked all four of the victims to him. Gary Allen Srery, a notorious American serial killer and convicted rapist, has been linked to the death of four women Clockwise from top left: Eva Dvorak, 14, Patricia McQueen, 14, Barbara MacLean, 19, and Melissa Rehorek, 20, were all killed by Srery Alberta RCMP historical homicide investigators announced they had 'definitively' established Srery was responsible for the murders. 'Between February 1976 and February 1977, four young females were found deceased outside of Calgary, Alberta. For 50 years, their murders went unsolved. 'As of 2024, all four homicides have been linked to one serial killer,' RCMP officials said today. Authorities believe all of the murders were sexually motivated and there may be more victims. Authorities believe all of the murders were sexually motivated and there may be more victims Staff Sergeant Travis McKenzie, head of the Alberta RCMP historical homicide unit said in a news conference: 'He has a consistent pattern of regularly committing sexual-based offences (in the U.S.), getting charged, getting convicted. 'And then when he comes to Canada, it's almost like he disappears. So our biggest concern is there are other victims out there we don't know about. 'It pains us that he's dead. I'd love nothing more than to be standing here before you and tell you we just put handcuffs on this guy. 'But unfortunately, that's not the way this one ends.' According to Alberta RCMP Inspector Breanne Brown, Srery used nine different aliases in his lifetime and frequently changed his appearance, residence and vehicles through illegal identification The bodies of Dvorak and McQueen, both grade-nine students at Ian Bazalgette Junior High School in Calgary, were found under the Happy Valley Overpass about a mile outside of the city in February 1976. Investigators could not determine the cause of death for both of the teenagers. Rehorek's fully-clothed body was found September 16, 1976, in a ditch along a gravel road about 12 miles west of Calgary. Police noted that she had been strangled to death. MacLean was also found fully-clothed and strangled to death beside a gravel road near 80th Avenue and 6th Street in Calgary on February 26, 1977. According to Alberta RCMP Inspector Breanne Brown, Srery used nine different aliases in his lifetime and frequently changed his appearance, residence and vehicles through illegal identification. The Czech billionaire bidding for Royal Mail was today warned he must pass national security tests and meet trade union demands to avoid his 3.5 billion takeover plans being scuppered. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the Government would examine 'risks' posed by Daniel Kretinsky's offer for the British institution. And the boss of the Communication Workers' Union threatened strike action if its demands on working conditions and the universal service were not met. Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services (IDS) this week said it was 'minded' to accept the offer from Mr Kretinsky - a businessman known as the Czech Sphinx who already owns a big stake in the company as well as interests in West Ham FC and Sainsbury's. But he faces growing pressure to guarantee that vital services are protected with Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch asking for cast-iron guarantees that its six-days-a-week service is maintained and campaigners demanding that the sale be blocked. The Czech billionaire, Daniel Kretinsky, bidding for Royal Mail was today warned he must pass national security tests and meet trade union demands to avoid his 3.5 billion takeover plans being scuppered Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the Government would examine 'risks' posed by Daniel Kretinsky's offer for the British institution Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services (IDS) this week said it was 'minded' to accept the offer from Mr Kretinsky a businessman known as the Czech Sphinx. Pictured: A postman loads his vehicle in London Mr Hunt said the UK broadly welcomed international investment and that its 'openness to companies from overseas' helped it attract more funds than any other country in the world except for the United States and China. 'We will continue with that approach,' he said. 'But we do always look at national security considerations and make sure that in terms of our core infrastructure there are no risks to those going forward and any bid for Royal Mail would go through that normal process.' The comments appear to suggest that Mr Kretinsky's bid could be called in by the Government for scrutiny under the National Security and Investment Act, which has protecting the country's communications among its remit. Dave Ward, general secretary of the CWU, raised the spectre that under new ownership the business will continue to be wracked by the industrial disputes that have tormented it for years. He told the Financial Times the union had decided to 'take whatever steps necessary' to protect employment conditions and Royal Mail's universal service obligation which commits it to deliver letters and parcels across the country at the same price, six days a week. 'There are certain things that if they are attacked, we would take industrial action. We would call a ballot of our members.' The 508-year-old postal service was privatised in 2013 but it has struggled financially and has seen its share price plunge. Next week's annual results from IDS which also owns a profitable European parcels business are expected to lay bare the Royal Mail's dire performance with the company losing nearly 1 million a day. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch is asking for cast-iron guarantees that its six-days-a-week service is maintained and campaigners demanding that the sale be blocked The 508-year-old postal service was privatised in 2013 but it has struggled financially and has seen its share price plunge. Pictured: A postman delivers letters in Bath, Somerset Vince Cable - the Liberal Democrat politician who led the privatisation today defended his actions, which at the time saw the Government accused of selling the company on the cheap. He said its recent share performance vindicated the decision to sell at the price it did Steve Tuckwell, a Tory MP and a former postman, said services needed to be protected if the takeover went ahead. 'While Royal Mail has to adapt, it has to be under the right circumstances. I would call for services to be protected not just protected but improved.' Vince Cable - the Liberal Democrat politician who led the privatisation today defended his actions, which at the time saw the Government accused of selling the company on the cheap. He said its recent share performance vindicated the decision to sell at the price it did. Mr Kretinsky's offer is just 40p more than the 330p share price in 2013. 'It's a company with very deep problems stemming from the decline of its core business [letters],' Mr Cable told the Mail. Steve Tuckwell, the Tory MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip and a former postman, said services needed to be protected if the takeover went ahead. 'While Royal Mail has to adapt, it has to be under the right circumstances. I would call for services to be protected not just protected but improved.' The Department for Business and Trade said: 'There are formal processes in place in relation to the National Security and Investment Act which will take place before any bid is finalised.' Blue Peter legend Yvette Fielding has revealed she was molested by predatory paedophile Rolf Harris while she was a fresh-faced teenage new-start on the BBC programme - after he 'squeezed and patted her bottom'. Yvette, 55, who joined Blue Peter in 1987 at the tender age of 18, has revealed the Australian pervert assaulted her in a TV studio within two years of starting on the show after she found himself alone with him. At the time Harris - dead of cancer last year at 93 - was one of the BBC's biggest stars, and it would be another 25 years before he was unmasked as a sexual predator by Operation Yewtree. TV veteran Yvette - who went on to create Most Haunted - says there was a cover-up culture in the TV industry at the time she started - protecting the likes of Harris and Jimmy Savile, with whom she says she had a 'grotesque' encounter. As the longest running children's television show in the world, Blue Peter is held in high regard. Yvette Fielding claims she was molested by late paedophile Rolf Harris at the age of 18 while working at the BBC (pictured earlier this year on This Morning) She joined Blue Peter at the tender age of 18 in 1987 - and spent five years on the show after seeing off 'bullying' boss Biddy Baxter (pictured left in 1992 and right in 1990) Rolf Harris pictured in 1960. He was exposed as a paedophile following the launch of Operation Yewtree and died in disgrace last year Yvette says she was left alone with Jimmy Savile (pictured), who stroked her hand and told her to look into his eyes in a 'grotesque' encounter But in a new interview Yvette has peeled back some of the darker aspects of the programme's toxic working culture when crews were alleged to look the other way and she was allegedly bullied by show boss Biddy Baxter. She has previously accused Baxter, who quit a year after Fielding joined of being 'incredibly cruel'. But among the most alarming of the claims she has made is that Rolf Harris molested her when she was left alone in a TV studio. She said: 'It was very confusing and shocking just bizarre to think Rolf Harris was squeezing and patting my bottom and I am standing there, thinking, "I don't know what to do." 'Other people in the industry must have known what he was like and (they) left me alone in the studio with him. That shouldn't have happened. I must have been 18 or 19. I think a lot of them did know.' Australian entertainer Harris died almost a year ago in May 2023 from cancer, six years after being released from prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting four girls, one aged just seven or eight years old at the time. He, like Jimmy Savile, was exposed as a child predator in 2013 by Operation Yewtree, the probe launched following Savile's death two years before. Yvette said she had a 'grotesque' encounter with Savile in which he took her hand and started stroking it as he said: 'Look into my eyes and tell me what you're thinking'. She added: 'From what I heard, certain things were brushed under the carpet and that should never, ever have happened.' She made the comments in an interview with The Sun. The BBC apologised in 2016 for its role in allowing Savile and It's a Knockout presenter Stuart Hall to sexually abuse children on its premises following a brutal report into the culture at the corporation at the time. Rona Fairhead, then-chair of the now-disbanded BBC Trust, said the corporation had failed not just their victims but 'the public, its audiences and its staff... it did not protect those who put their trust in it.' In 2014, the corporation rejected calls or a similar probe into Rolf Harris' time at the corporation because his convictions were not related to the BBC. Yvette Fielding in 1987, when she joined Blue Peter as its youngest ever presenter (left and right) She has previously criticised former Blue Peter showrunner Biddy Baxter (pictured) who devised much of the show's format that is used to this day She has since carved out a living looking into the paranormal with TV-turned-online series Most Haunted Rolf Harris outside court in 2017 for an indecent assault trial, which came after previous convictions for sexual assault of four girls. The 2017 case collapsed after the jury failed to reach a verdict After leaving Blue Peter in 1993, Yvette presented ITV children's show What's Up Doc? before returning to the BBC to present The Heaven and Earth Show, The General and City Hospital. She and husband Karl Beattie then created the show Most Haunted in 2002, which saw her investigating haunted locations around Britain. The show was a runaway hit and continues to broadcast episodes online after it left channel Really in 2019. Last year, Fielding claimed Blue Peter boss Biddy Baxter had been 'incredibly cruel' and had constantly criticised her presenting style, calling her 'useless, absolutely useless, again and again and again'. She recalled: 'Every time I did what I thought was right, she'd come back and she'd say something awful or she'd just berate me in front of other people. 'And it was just absolutely soul destroying. It was like being beaten by a parent'. Baxter's iron-fisted managerial style was corroborated by other former Blue Peter presenters in a biography about the showrunner published last year. 'We were like school children, kept in our place, reprimanded if we were naughty,' Valerie Singleton told biographer Richard Marson. Peter Purves added: 'It was always criticism rather than praise. Biddy riled me to bits.' The killing began at 6.30am when Hamas terrorists launched pre-planned attacks at 30 'breach-points' along Israel's 40-mile border with Gaza. As a swarm of 100 drones flew explosives into watchtowers and snipers targeted border guards, explosives were used to blow holes in the barrier. Bulldozers then widened the gaps so that trucks and motorbikes could stream through. Other Hamas militants flew fan-powered paragliders into Israel, as 2,200 rockets rained down on towns and cities in the south and centre of the country, including on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Some 2,000 terrorists had soon entered Israel, with many using body cameras to capture footage streamed live on social media. Today, the Israeli military said it had found Shani Louk's body, along with those of two other hostages captured that day, in Gaza. Pictured, Shani Louk at the festival before the attack One particularly appalling series of images shows terrorists parading the body of festivalgoer Shani Louk, 22, an Israeli-German tattoo artist, through Gaza The bloodiest events played out in the Negev desert where about 3,000, mostly young, people were attending the Supernova music festival, an all-night dance event billed as 'a journey of unity and love'. One particularly appalling series of images shows terrorists parading the body of festivalgoer Shani Louk, 22, an Israeli-German tattoo artist, through Gaza. In blood-stained underwear, she is lying face-down in the back of a pick-up truck as cheering crowds spit on her mutilated remains. Today, the Israeli military said it had found Louk's body, along with those of two other hostages captured that day, in Gaza. Dashcam footage taken during the festival attack showed one Hamas truck with a heavy machine gun mounted on its back spraying rounds at unarmed partygoers as they fled. Details of what unfolded over the ensuing hours can be pieced together from almost 60,000 videos found on equipment later seized by Israel, as well as accounts from eye-witnesses to the atrocities and their aftermath. In all, roughly 1,200 people died, and 6,900 were injured. The vast majority were civilians, and many were babies and young children. People stare at a poster bearing pictures of youths taken captive or killed by Hamas militants A total of 364 people died at the Supernova festival, while another 40 were taken hostage Some 50 terrorists stormed the music site, shooting indiscriminately at civilians, throwing grenades and setting tents on fire, while groups of accomplices blocked every exit road. Revellers attempting to flee by car were pulled from their vehicles and shot at point-blank range. Others, who attempted to run across the desert, were pursued and shot by fighters on motorbikes or in trucks. Many women were targeted for horrifying rape and sexual assaults on either side of the border. An onlooker, known as 'Witness S', saw Hamas militants gang-rape a woman near the site of the festival and mutilate her body with a knife. 'They sliced off her breast and threw it on the street,' she said. 'They were playing with it.' The victim was then passed to another uniformed terrorist. 'He penetrated her and shot her in the head before he finished. He didn't even pick up his pants. He shoots her and ejaculates.' A total of 364 people died at the Supernova festival, while another 40 were taken hostage. Similarly gruesome scenes played out at a host of kibbutzes near the Gaza border, where hundreds more perished. Many families were slaughtered as they sheltered in so-called 'safe rooms' which, under Israeli law, must be built in all new houses. At Kfar Aza kibbutz, where 52 died, survivor Bar Kislev recalled armed gangs roaming the streets shouting: 'Everyone out! Jews! Everyone out!' Kislev added: 'They were simply euphoric.' Facebook was used by terrorists attacking the Nahal Oz kibbutz to live-stream scenes in the home of Tsachi and Gali Idan In addition to those killed, a further 252 people were taken hostage. Of those, an estimated 128 hostages remain in Gaza In Be'eri, terrorists broke into the home of 80-year-old Avlum Mils and tortured him to death, removing the fingers of his left hand one by one. Nachman Dyksztejna, who helped clean up after the attack, has provided written testimony of seeing the bodies of two women in the same kibbutz with their hands and legs tied to a bed. 'One was sexually terrorised with a knife stuck in her vagina,' his statement said. Facebook was used by terrorists attacking the Nahal Oz kibbutz to live-stream scenes in the home of Tsachi and Gali Idan, who witnessed their 18-year-old daughter Maayan being shot in front of them. In another sickening attack chronicled on film, a terrorist threw a hand grenade into a domestic shelter where a father was curled up around his two young sons. The blast killed the father and wounded the boys. As the children crawl out, one asks: 'Why am I alive? I think we are going to die.' A Hamas gunman stands over them laughing, drinking Coca-Cola taken from their fridge. A United Nations report released in early March confirmed that multiple incidents of sexual violence took place on October 7, with victims subjected to rape, gang-rape and murder, including at least two incidents where the corpses of Jewish women were defiled. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S. think tank, describes that day's events as the 'third-deadliest terror attack since data collection began in 1970'. Pictured, Shani Louk The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel says that many of the bodies of sexual-crime victims were found bound and shackled. 'The genitals of both women and men were brutally mutilated, and sometimes weapons were inserted into them,' it was reported. 'The terrorists did not stop at shooting, they also cut and mutilated sexual organs and other body parts with knives.' In all, roughly 1,200 people died, and 6,900 were injured. The vast majority were civilians, and many were babies and young children. In addition to those killed, a further 252 people were taken hostage. Of those, an estimated 128 hostages remain in Gaza, though not all of them are still alive. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S. think tank, describes that day's events as the 'third-deadliest terror attack since data collection began in 1970'. It is surpassed only by 9/11 (2,996 deaths) and 2014's Camp Speicher massacre in Iraq, which saw ISIL terrorists execute 1,700 unarmed cadets at Tikrit Air Academy. When gun-toting pensioner Juraj Cintula allegedly tried to assassinate the Slovakian prime minister on Wednesday, the world held its breath. The first serious attempt on a European leader's life in two decades drew comparisons with the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which plunged Europe into the First World War. In fact, the origins of the attack on pro-Putin PM Robert Fico who 'escaped death by just a hair' may be traced back to a more recent, yet no less seismic, moment in history. For while many questions have been asked about the 'political' motives that prompted Cintula, a 'polite, calm' 71-year-old poet, to pull out his 9mm pistol, shocked friends believe it all goes back to 11 momentous days some 35 years ago. That was the Velvet Revolution of November 1989. For four decades, Czechoslovakians had endured the miserable yoke of Soviet-style Communism. But it all came crashing down in less than a fortnight without a single life being lost thanks to brave pro-democracy revolutionaries such as Cintula. The Velvet Revolution of November 1989 heralded the end of four decades of Czechoslovakians enduring the miserable yoke of Soviet-style Communism Many questions have been asked about the 'political' motives that prompted Juraj Cintula (pictured), a 'polite, calm' 71-year-old poet, to pull out his 9mm pistol, shocked friends believe it all goes back to 11 momentous days some 35 years ago Pictured: The first minutes after the attack on Robert Fico as the prime minister's security guards evacuated him to his motorcade Slovakia's PM Robert Fico (pictured) is fighting for his life in hospital following an assassination attempt on Wednesday With cruel irony, his alleged actions now risk Slovakia descending into civil war, potentially triggering a devastating domino effect that could serve as a prelude to a catastrophic clash between Russia and Europe. Back then, Cintula was a 35-year-old coal miner brimming with the fervour, determination and optimism of an oppressed generation who had suffered enough under authoritarian rule. Such was his dedication to the cause, he even had his own file with the notorious secret police, the StB, and a codename: Duro. Come the Velvet Revolution, Duro was among the rebels gripped with righteousness who seized back control of the country, inspired by Czechoslovakian dissidents Alexander Dubcek and Vaclav Havel. Could it be that those pivotal days between November 17 and 28, 1989 which filled Cintula with such bright hope for the future laid the foundations for the shocking act of violence on Wednesday? Cintula's stunned acquaintances suspect so. The prime minister had been attending a government meeting in Handlova, a former coal mining town, when he went to greet supporters waiting behind a barrier, possibly encouraged by Cintula beckoning: 'Robert, come here.' As Mr Fico approached the grey-haired, bearded pensioner, Cintula drew his Czech pistol and fired five times at point-blank range, hitting him in the stomach and arm. 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' Graphic depicting the events following the shooting of Slovakian PM Robert Fico Security scrambled to tackle the shooter, 71-year-old Juraj Cintula from Levice, to the ground The gunman is allegedly 71-year-old Juraj Cintula who was arrested at the scene The prime minister was airlifted to a nearby hospital after suffering gunshot wounds to the arm and stomach 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 alleged assailant was detained by cops at the scene Bodyguards pounced on the would-be assassin as Mr Fico was bundled into a government limousine before being airlifted to hospital for life-saving surgery. Last night he remained in a critical but stable condition. Asked why he had done it, being filmed in a police station and sporting a bruise on his forehead, Cintula stated quietly: 'I do not agree with the policies of the government.' It was quite the understatement. But as the father-of-two's family and friends tried to make sense of the sudden notoriety of the man who once founded an 'anti-violence' movement, acquaintances said his alleged actions made some sense. Mr Fico is a polarising figure at home and in the EU thanks to his calls to axe military aid to neighbouring Ukraine and to stop sanctions on Russia. He declared 'we will not send a single round' of ammunition to help Ukraine music to the Kremlin's ears. No wonder Vladimir Putin is credited with helping Mr Fico return to power in last September's elections, to the apparent fury of Cintula. It is the ruling Smer party founder's fourth term in office, having previously won elections in 2006, 2012 and 2016 on a platform of Right-wing views on immigration, Press freedom and LGBT rights. He had to resign in 2018 amid mass protests over the murder of a journalist, Jan Kuciak, who exposed tax fraud and corruption. Critics accuse him of undermining the rule of law and media freedoms. Newly elected President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, said the PM was millimetres from death Police work at the scene after a shooting incident in which Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was wounded by five gun shots 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 These issues were on Cintula's mind, according to long-time revolutionary comrade Jan Baska, 63. Speaking to the Mail at the bar he runs near Cintula's apartment, Mr Baska said: 'I know him well. I understand his motive, though I do not for a moment condone what he has done. It was a total shock. But he was definitely furious about the murder of the journalist.' His bar is 100 yards from the seventh-floor Khrushchev-era apartment in the sleepy town of Levice, where Cintula has lived for 40 years with his retired language teacher wife Elena. They have two grown-up children, Aneta and Martin, who has a photographic studio business in nearby Nitra. It is basic accommodation, with crumbling concrete, flapping net curtains and a neighbour proudly displaying a Russian flag. Last night, pulling a pint in his bar as transfixed locals watched the news, Mr Baska told how he first met Cintula in the 1980s. They were attending meetings of VPN, or Public Against Violence, the Slovak counterpart of the political movement Czech Civic Forum. Mr Baska said: 'Juraj is calm, easy-going, and he believed in one thing above all else: democracy. I have known him more than 30 years... He believed we could change our country for the better. We fought for it. But although we won our country back, he has been constantly disappointed by how it has turned out. 'I do not support his act, no one forced him to do this. But when Fico came to power for a fourth time, I think it was just accumulated frustrations. I can understand what he was thinking because of his growing frustration of what was or rather was not happening since 1989.' Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok spoke during a press conference at F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is being treated An individual from within the crowd could be seen lunging forward, with a gun in hand as he began shooting in the direction of the PM who is out of the camera frame The PM was shot in Handlova, north-east of Bratislava, in the central European country A general view of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital where Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was undergoing an operation Throughout his life Cintula repeatedly joined movements for genuine democracy in opposition to the corruption of successive governments. He harboured a growing disillusionment with the nefarious interference of Moscow in Slovakian politics and the self-satisfied uselessness of the EU and Nato that has left this small but strategically vital country deeply divided. After working in the coal mine in Handlova he was a teacher, then he had a stonemason's workshop and later his own gym. He latterly worked as a supermarket security guard, which is when he was legally granted the right to a gun. In 2016, he founded the Movement Against Violence, writing online: 'Violence is often a reaction of people, as a form of expression of ordinary discontent at the state of things. Let us be dissatisfied, but not violent.' From 2005 to 2019, Cintula was a self-proclaimed poet and member of a group at his library called the Duha Literary Club. With their help he published volumes of poems some of them quite dark. Yesterday at the library, fellow author Anna Medzihradska showed the Mail his collection. She also stressed her profound distress and said Cintula had been sacked from the club. His tomes point to a tortured soul: 'In my dreams, I dreamed of riots... I don't cry over life any more, I don't cry over guilt any more, I no longer cry over shackles. I will weep over the dead.' Local journalist Stefan Rachela noted: 'I think he harboured an over-the-top antipathy towards Robert Fico... sooner or later he would commit something.' But his friends and family are in disbelief. After his arrest, his son Martin said: 'I have no idea what father intended, what he planned, why it happened. Maybe there was some short-circuit.' Neighbour and friend Mile L'udovit said: 'He was a polite, helpful and calm guy... He never talked about using violence.' As Cintula's friends try to come to terms with his actions, world leaders are focusing on the recovery of the prime minster. Yesterday Peter Bardy, editor-in-chief of Slovakian news site Aktuality, said: 'We are at a crossroads. Slovakia needs to calm the situation, not escalate it further.' Labor state governments seem convinced Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will win the next election judging by their response to his nuclear energy policy. Even before he delivered his Budget Reply speech on Thursday night, rattled Labor figures started a scare campaign against his plan to convert disused coal-fired power stations into nuclear reactors. New South Wales Environment Minister Penny Sharpe tweeted about a lower house vote to ban nuclear power in the state. 'Breaking news: The NSW Legislative Assembly has voted against nuclear power having a future in the NSW energy mix,' she said on Tuesday night. 'Not one Liberal or National Party MP voted for or against that proposition.' Labor state governments seem convinced Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will win the next election judging by their response to his nuclear energy policy (he is pictuered with hsi wife Kirilly) Queensland Labor Premier Steven Miles tried a pre-emptive strike on Monday after Daily Mail Australia revealed Nuclear for Climate Australia, a group endorsed by Liberal and National MPs, had earmarked 13 sites for a nuclear reactor. 'The LNP backed "Nuclear for Climate Australia" has identified multiple sites in North Queensland for nuclear reactors,' he said in a joint statement with state Energy Minister Mick de Brenni. 'This would see nuclear reactors in Townsville, the Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton, Brisbane Valley, Toowoomba, the Darling Downs and more.' Mr Dutton's Budget Reply speech said Labor's 'renewables only' approach to meeting Australia's net zero by 2050 target had pushed up power prices. 'With nuclear power, we can maximise the highest yield of energy per square metre and minimise environmental damage,' he said. 'We do that by putting new nuclear technologies on- or near- the brownfield sites of decommissioned or retiring coal-fired power plants using the existing grid. 'There's no need for all of the proposed 58 million solar panels, almost 3,500 wind farms, and 28,000 kilometres of new transmission poles and wires.' Mr Dutton also invoked former prime ministers who personally supported nuclear power - but for political reasons were forced to set up roadblocks to this energy source. 'Bob Hawke was a strong leader who strongly supported nuclear power,' he said. Even before he delivered his Budget Reply speech on Thursday night, they started a scare campaign against his plan to convert disused coal-fired power stations into nuclear reactors (pictured is Tihange in Belgium) 'As does John Howard, along with the Australian Workers Union, and many others who have a vision for our country including some 65 per cent of Australians aged 18 to 34-years-old.' While Mr Hawke as Labor prime minister personally supported nuclear power, his party's 1984 national conference introduced a 'three mines policy' restricting uranium extraction to the Ranger, Nabarlek and Olympic Dam projects. Mr Howard as PM in 1998 agreed to ban nuclear power as part of a a Greens amendment to get support for a new research reactor for nuclear medicine at Lucas Heights in Sydney's south. But Australian Workers Union's national secretary Dan Walton in 2021 called for the ban on nuclear energy to be lifted so Australia could explore the idea of small modular reactors that can produce 300 megawatts or 300million watts of power. 'We already have the uranium, why would we not develop the capacity to use it in safe and effective modern ways?' he asked. His predecessor Paul Howes made that call in 2009. New South Wales Environment Minister Penny Sharpe tweeted about a lower house vote to ban nuclear power in the state Queensland Labor Premier Steven Miles tried a pre-emptive reaction on Monday after Daily Mail Australia revealed Nuclear for Climate Australia, a group endorsed by Liberal and National MPs, had earmarked 13 sites for a nuclear reactor 'Nuclear energy should be part of Australia's prudent risk strategy policy mix aimed at addressing energy security and climate change,' he told the Sydney Institute. The AWU is one of the biggest unions affiliated with Labor's Right faction at national conference while the more vocal Labor critics of nuclear power have come from the party's Left, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hails from. The most recent Newspoll survey had Labor ahead of the Coalition 51 to 49 per cent after preferences, which is tighter than the 52 to 48 per cent result at the 2022 election. But the Coalition would need a 6.4 per cent swing to win 18 seats off Labor to barely form a majority government should the climate change-focused teal independents in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth keep their wealthy electorates they won off the Liberal Party in 2022. Dr Miles, the underdog at the upcoming Queensland election, is campaigning against Mr Dutton like one of his Labor predecessors Wayne Goss did in 1993 when federal Liberal leader John Hewson was the favourite to win the election with a 15 per cent GST - only to lose the 'unloseable' election. Renowned for her daring sense of style and unwavering love for vibrant hues, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands has become a symbol of sartorial audacity. She effortlessly wears the spectrum of the rainbow and every shade in between, often accentuated by perfectly coordinated accessories. Sandy Lancaster, stylist at House of Colour, told MailOnline: 'It's a statement of confidence and strength, echoing the symbolism of each hue and often paying homage or deference to the towns she visits or the people she is meeting.' Maxima's bold fashion choices have earned her admirers worldwide, solidifying her status as a revered style icon. As she celebrates her 53rd birthday, let's take a closer look at the Argentinian-born Queen. Regal in red Queen Maxima wore a bright scarlet Natan outfit to open a restaurant in Amsterdam in April 'Queen Maxima grasps the power of colour, carefully choosing the best hues to wear at events to enhance her gravitas, presence and authority,' Sandy said. This was the case when the monarch opened the restaurant, A Beautiful Mess, in Amsterdam in April. Maxima commanded attention in a bright scarlet outfit by Natan, comprising a sheath dress, cape and fedora. With the royal being accustomed to capes, this version perfectly met her criteria due to its vibrant hue, flattering length and luxurious wool composition. She elevated the look with Gianvito Rossi pumps and a Sophie Habsburg clutch. Gracious in green Queen Maxima showcased an emerald green pencil dress and PVC suede court shoes by Natan in 2021 Queen Maxima has long been a supporter of fashion brand Natan, founded by Belgian designer Edouard Vermeulen in 1983. In 2021, the royal opted to re-wear an emerald green pencil dress and PVC suede court shoes from the esteemed fashion house. While few could carry off head-to-toe block colour as effortlessly as Maxima, she appeared even more radiant. Terrific in teal Maxima's teal Natan shirt dress made a lasting impression in 2023 This billowing teal shirt dress, also by Natan, made a lasting impression when Maxima wore it in 2023. Crafted from taffeta, the A-line silhouette incorporated a wrap front, rolled-up sleeves and a prominent oversized belt - a recurring detail in Queen Maxima's attire. Enhancing her vibrant style, she added matching blue gem teardrop earrings, nude Gianvito Rossi court shoes and a Sophie Habsburg clutch. Fantastic in fuchsia Queen Maxima attended Nibud's 40th anniversary conference in Utrecht wearing a fuchsia dress by Oscar de la Renta Maxima frequently attends royal engagements wearing vibrant colours and bold prints. Nibud's 40th anniversary conference in 2019 was no exception as the royal sported an eye-catching fuchsia dress. Hailing from Oscar de la Renta, this memorable frock featured a fit-and-flare silhouette, adorned with sequinned leaf embroidery. Youthful in yellow Queen Maxima donned a Claes Iverse dress at the official dinner for the King and Queen of Jordan at Noordeinde Palace in 2018 Demonstrating her fearlessness in embracing colour, Maxima made a sartorial statement during an official dinner at Noordeinde Palace in 2018. The vivid yellow ruffled masterpiece, created by Dutch designer Claes Iverse, beautifully complemented Maxima's blonde locks and sun-kissed complexion. 'When she wishes to assert her personal presence, Maxima boldly dons lively colours, ensuring she stands out amongst her royal peers,' Sandy Lancaster explained. Exhibiting her impeccable style, Maxima added metallic gold accessories and sparkling diamond jewellery. Opulent in orange Queen Maxima wore another Natan dress for a working visit to Appingedam in the Netherlands Queen Maxima opted for a striking Natan dress for a working visit to Appingedam in the Netherlands last year. It marked the fifth occasion that the monarch has worn the sophisticated design. Demonstrating her understanding of what suits her best, she effortlessly carried off the tangerine hue. The cinched waist and draped detailing added another dimension of elegance to her outfit. True to her style, Maxima accessorised with a pair of sky-high heels from Gianvito Rossi. Powerful in purple Maxima has worn this purple dress by Victoria Beckham on five occasions Maxima exuded a powerful presence in this purple dress by Victoria Beckham. The flared silhouette not only flattered the monarch's figure, but also lifted her appearance to new heights. Purple, often associated with royalty and opulence, has been a choice for Maxima on several occasions, emphasisng her affinity for its symbolic significance. Sandy Lancaster explained: 'Through her dynamic use of colour, Queen Maxima not only showcases her personal style, but also communicates confidence and her powerful presence on the global stage.' The curator of a new exhibition of royal portraits at Buckingham Palace has defended the practice of retouching images despite controversy over a Mother's Day photo taken by Prince William. Alessandro Nasini, the curator behind the exhibition celebrating 100 years of royal portrait photographs, said retouching - which can vary from simply cropping an image to removing entire backgrounds - remains a vital tool in royal portrait photography. Many of the photos on display to the public at the King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from today have been retouched and notes describe the process. His comments came two months after five major news and picture agencies issued 'kill notices' withdrawing a photograph of the Princess of Wales with her children for Mother's Day because it had been digitally altered. Kate later admitted she had been experimenting with editing the family photo. The curator of a new exhibition of royal portraits at Buckingham Palace has defended the practice of retouching images despite controversy over a Mother's Day photo taken by Prince William. Above: The image of the Princess of Wales with her children Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte that was released to mark Mother's Day before sparking controversy after it emerged that Kate had edited it In spite of tougher media guidelines over image manipulation amid concerns that the public has to be able to trust that pictures are genuine in an era of AI and deepfakes, Mr Nasini, curator of photographs at the Royal Collection, said it was a vital tool. He said: 'I am not familiar with those particular [media tests] but retouching per se has always been part of photography really since the inception of photography. 'It's very important specifically for portrait photography because it's a creative process. It's not press photography, it's not reportage, it's not commercial photography. 'It's just simply a tool that has always been used by photographers to translate their vision, the aesthetics, into the final print. 'It's part of the creative process. It's just one of the tools.' Mr Nasini was steered away by a PR minder from commenting further on the controversy over the photo of Kate with her children, which came during a period of wild and inaccurate speculation about the whereabouts of the Princess. The exhibition, open to tourists until October 6, reveals the stories behind many iconic royal photographs down the decades and displays more than 150 pictures or other items. Among the treasures featured are a previously unseen family photo marking the birth of four royal babies, the Queen Mother's personal copy of her daughter's Coronation portrait, and the earliest surviving colour photographic print of a member of the Royal Family. Many of the photos on display to the public at the King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from today have been retouched and notes describe the process The photo of four royal mothers shows Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent all holding their newborn babies. It was taken by Princess Margaret's photographer husband Lord Snowdon as a personal token of thanks for Sir John Peel, the royal obstetrician who delivered all four babies within two months in 1964. The babies are Prince Edward, now the Duke of Edinburgh, Lady Sarah Chatto, James Ogilvy and Lady Helen Taylor, who all turned 60 this year. The picture is displayed alongside a handwritten letter from Margaret to her sister the late Queen, asking 'Darling Lilibet' to sign the print 'as a souvenir of an extraordinary two months of delivery'. Margaret also suggested they take a trip to the theatre to see Noel Coward's 'witty' comic play Hay Fever. 'If you enjoyed 'Private Lives' this is just the ticket. Would you like to see it? It would be such fun to see it together,' Margaret wrote. The exhibition, Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography, features some of the most famous photos taken of the royals by celebrated snappers including Dorothy Wilding, Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, David Bailey, Andy Warhol and Rankin. In sharp contrast, Jamie Reid's infamous image of Elizabeth II for the cover of the Sex Pistols single God Save the Queen, released a week before her 1977 Silver Jubilee and showing her eyes and mouth covered by typography resembling a ransom note, is also on display. Visitors can see Paolo Roversi's memorable 40th birthday portrait of the Princess of Wales in which Kate's dress and pose bear a striking visual resemblance to an 1864 portrait of Alexandra, Princess of Wales by Franz Xaver Winterhalter from the Royal Collection, which hangs nearby. It shows how innovations in colour and digital photography between the 1980s and 2020s revolutionised the art form, ushering in a new sense of experimentation and playfulness. Bold and colourful examples on show include Rankin's 2001 photograph of a smiling Queen Elizabeth II, superimposed against the Union Flag; Polly Borland's Golden Jubilee portrait of the late Queen set against a glittering gold backdrop; and Andy Warhol's1985 portrait of Her late Majesty, sprinkled with diamond dust to make it sparkle in the light. The earliest surviving colour photographic print of a member of the Royal Family shows Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (sister-in-law to King George VI and Edward VIII) on her wedding day. The photograph was taken in 1935 by Madame Yevonde, a pioneer of colour photography and champion of women photographers. Previously unseen wartime images taken by Cecil Beaton are also on display for the first time, demonstrating how King George VI and Queen Elizabeth used photography to project a sense of stability and hope for the nation. A photograph of the King and Queen inspecting bomb damage at Buckingham Palace in 1940 shows them smiling comfortingly at each other amid the debris, while a 1943 portrait taken at Royal Lodge in Windsor shows them gathered around the King's desk with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, conveying a reassuring sense of domesticity and calm. Beaton photographed the Royal Family over the course of six decades and was chosen as the official photographer for Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953. Cecil Beaton took this beautiful photograph of Princess Elizabeth in 1942. It is on display in the new exhibition Visitors can see a contact sheet of proofs from the Coronation photography sitting, alongside a note from Martin Charteris, the Queen's Assistant Private Secretary, recommending to Prince Philip which images should be sent as personal mementos to the Royal Family and maids of honour. The photograph subsequently sent to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, signed by Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Cecil Beaton, are also on display. Mr Nasini said: 'The Royal Collection holds some of the most enduring photographs ever taken of the Royal Family, captured by the most celebrated portrait photographers of the past hundred years from Dorothy Wilding and Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz, David Bailey, and Rankin. 'Alongside these beautiful vintage prints, which cannot be on permanent display for conservation reasons, we are excited to share archival correspondence and never-before-seen proofs that will give visitors a behind-the-scenes insight into the process of creating such unforgettable royal portraits.' A survey of five million distant solar systems, aided by 'neural network' algorithms, has discovered 60 stars that appear to be surrounded by giant alien power plants. Seven of the stars so-called M-dwarf stars that range between 60 percent and 8 percent the size of our sun were recorded giving off unexpectedly high infrared 'heat signatures,' according to the astronomers. Natural, and better understood, outer space 'phenomena,' as they report in their new study, 'cannot easily account for the observed infrared excess emission.' Ever since theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson first proposed the idea at Princeton in 1960, astrophysicists have speculated that advanced extraterrestrials might have constructed massive solar energy collectors around one star or more. While powering their spacefaring ET civilizations, these hypothetical 'Dyson spheres,' would reveal themselves by radiating more heat than usual, the physicist argued. A survey of five million distant solar systems, aided by 'neural networks,' has discovered 60 stars that appear to be surrounded by gigantic alien power plants. Such solar power-collecting 'Dyson spheres,' physicists argue, would reveal themselves by radiating more heat than usual Astrophysicists and planetary scientists call 'Dyson spheres' and other concepts like them 'technosignatures,' or simply signs of technology out there in the universe. Technosignatures can range from these incredible feats of engineering to more humbling signs, like technologically made pollution including nitrogen dioxide gas from combustion exhaust or the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that once threatened Earth's ozone layer years ago, both detectable via telescopes light-years away. Two teams of astronomers, led by Matias Suazo at Uppsala University in Sweden and Gaby Contardo at the International School for Advanced Studies in Italy, ran the latest hunt for the tell-tale infrared data that might reveal a distant 'Dyson sphere.' The researchers merged data from the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope and the ground-based infrared telescope survey MASS2. While there may be other explanations for the excess infrared signatures they found, Suazo noted, 'The most fascinating explanation could be actual Dyson spheres.' On their hunt for 'Dyson spheres,' the researchers merged data from the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer space telescope and the ground-based infrared telescope survey MASS2. Above, stars that could have ET power plants Suazo's group in Sweden determined that seven, red M-dwarf stars, each no farther than 900 light-years from Earth, appeared to be producing as much as 60 times more infrared heat than would be expected based on their size. For each red dwarf star, they calculated how much of its radiation would have to be blocked off by some possible energy-collecting tech in order to produce the measured ratio of infrared heat vs. visible light. The values ranged from 3 percent to 16 percent coverage for the seven unusual stars they identified. 'This isn't like a single solid shell around the star,' as one member of Suazo's team, astrophysicist Jason Wright at Pennsylvania State University, told New Scientist. If these stars proved to be surround by alien power plants, in other words, they'd likely be a variant on the all-encompassing Dyson sphere dubbed a 'Dyson swarm.' Such a swarm could come in the form of a large fleet of satellites, which would orbit these stars as a means of collecting energy. 'Additional analyses are definitely necessary to unveil the true nature of these sources,' the team wrote in their study, published this month in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. If the stars prove to be surround by alien power plants, the researchers said, they'd likely be a variant on the all-encompassing Dyson sphere dubbed a 'Dyson swarm' (illustrated above) A Dyson swarm could come in the form of a large fleet of satellites orbiting these stars as a means of collecting energy - and would only partially cover the star (as illustrated above), as opposed to the big shell of the classic, original Dyson sphere concept The findings from Contardo's group in Italy were more broad and utilized a different machine-learning computer model to hunt for infrared 'technosignatures' of Dyson spheres, partial spheres or swarms. They identified 53 candidates, including odd infrared heat around a few larger sun-like stars, at a range that extended farther than Suazo's team's candidate stars: as far as 6,500 light years from Earth. 'A few of those objects appear to be young stars,' Contardo's group acknowledged in their study; the young stars would be likely to project infrared as they heated clouds of debris and not-yet-fully-formed planets in their equally young solar system. While Contardo said that both her group's and group's candidate stars were 'interesting,' she admitted that astronomers and other scientists will 'need follow-up observations to confirm anything.' Suazo's group suggested that optical spectroscopy would be one helpful next step, a technique that has separated interesting older stars from those younger stars surrounded by debris and 'proto-planets' in the past. A large, eerie skull fragment with two rows of jagged, teeth-like edges washed onto the shoreline of North Carolina's Outer Banks this week. Representatives with the US National Park Service (NPS), which maintains this Atlantic coastal region, reported that the skull fragment was approximately 3-feet wide and 2-feet tall, as it warned citizens against trying to remove the giant skull. The skull fragment appeared on Hatteras Island, the namesake of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, south of Salvo village, a beach community surrounded by the ocean-side national park. NPS officials said that the fragment was part of a sea creature's 'cranial cavity,' and that the animal can grow up to 60-feet long and weigh as much as 40 tons. The seemingly, razor-like teeth on the eerie humpback whale skull was likely a severed region connecting the skull to another part of the body, as humpback whales are filter-feeders who use a structure called baleen instead of teeth to hoover-up plankton and algae for their meals 'Take a look at this large portion of a humpback whale skull,' the park wrote in its May 15th Facebook post on Wednesday. 'Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have specialized skull structures to support their unique feeding behaviors,' the park service officials noted. The seemingly, razor-like teeth on the skull were much more likely a severed region that had connected the skull to another part of the body as humpback whales are filter-feeders who use a protein-structure called baleen, instead of teeth, to hoover-up plankton and algae for their meals. 'Their skulls are relatively flexible, especially around the jaw joints, which enables them to open their mouths wide to consume large volumes of water and prey,' Cape Hatteras park officials said. 'They also have mandibles (lower jaws) that are not fused to their skulls,' according to park officials, offering a clue as to how the skull became separated from the whale's lower jaws. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Fisheries statistics, no less than 30 humpback whales have died along the North Carolina coast since 2016. NPS officials attributed this phenomena to the region's history with hurricanes and shipwrecks, suggesting that North Carolina's outer islands and its undersea geography can sometimes trap large sea mammals. 'Given its location on the Outer Banks, the barrier island chains extend into the Atlantic Ocean and come in very close proximity to the continental shelf,' they said, 'and for this reason a large number of strandings occur within park boundaries.' But other humpback whales, according to NOAA experts, have died locally due to ship collisions, as well as fatal encounters that ensnared them in fishing gear. Park officials tried to warn-off civilians from attempting to grab the impressive skull fragment as a personal trophy. 'Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is illegal to possess any parts of a marine mammal carcass and/or bones,' they said. 'When NPS finds them, if we can use it for education/research we will (which requires several staff to lift!),' they continued, 'or they will be removed and disposed of or buried back in the environment.' Park officials encouraged the public to report any sightings of marine mammal strandings or sea turtle activity sightings to the Cape Hatteras Stranding Hotline: 252-216-6892. Up to five million tonnes of nuclear waste could be buried in a shallow pit beneath the English countryside, according to a new government strategy. New plans show that a 'near-surface' facility dug less than 650ft (200m) below the surface could be used to hold some of the UK's less dangerous nuclear waste. The location for the pit has not yet been revealed, but the Government says a facility could built in England or Wales within the next 10 years. The plans are aimed at easing pressure on the UK's 17 nuclear waste disposal plants which are currently struggling to handle seven decades of accumulated waste. However, a solution for the UK's most dangerous nuclear waste won't be ready for at least another 25 years. Up to five million tonnes of nuclear waste could be buried in a shallow pit (artist's impression) beneath the English countryside, according to a new government strategy These plans are intended as an alternative while the government builds a long term solution in the form a geological disposal facility. This will bury nuclear waste around 0.6 miles (1km) beneath the sea bed to stop the radiation from escaping A solution for the UK's most dangerous nuclear waste won't be ready for at least another 25 years (stock image) The proposed facility is planned to hold intermediate-level waste which is considered to be less hazardous than extremely radioactive material like plutonium. A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) told MailOnline this could include: 'Materials like graphite, stainless steel and other ferrous metals.' According to DESNZ, this kind of waste 'does not need this hyper-secure isolation and can be more quickly and safely disposed of in near-surface disposal facilities.' However, the plans offer scant detail on where or how this facility will be built. The DESNZ spokesperson told MailOnline that it would be the responsibility of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to 'develop robust siting criteria' which will ultimately determine the site's location. Local councils are likely to strongly resist any plans to build a nuclear disposal facility within their jurisdiction which may limit the range of possible locations. Earlier this year, the South Holderness council in Yorkshire quashed government plans to build a nuclear storage facility. It is possible that the facility may be built in a disused mine or former nuclear site to avoid difficulties in securing planning permission. The UK's waste is currently held at 17 sites across the country like Sellafield (pictured), but these are reaching their capacity The plans are aimed at easing pressure on the UK's 17 nuclear waste disposal plants which are currently struggling to handle seven decades of accumulated waste While the government maintains that such a facility would be perfectly safe, there are concerns that this could lead to radioactive waste escaping. Nuclear waste may take many thousands of years to become completely safe and underground disposal risks percolating water, returning waste to the surface. Over the massive timescales required for nuclear disposal, the risk of a change in the environment causing waste to be released becomes much higher. For example, a 2016 study found that rising sea levels could release 35 swimming pools' worth of nuclear waste from the Camp Century US Army base in Greenland. Other disasters such as the 1957 fire at Sellafield can release radioactive particles into the air and spread them over the country. Long-term storage of nuclear waste can be difficult. In 2016 researchers found that nuclear waste from the Camp Century US Army base in Greenland (pictured) could be released into the oceans if sea levels rise How is nuclear waste stored? Nuclear waste is currently held at 17 sites in the UK, with the biggest being Sellafield in Cumbria. Disposal facilities use massive sheds to hold low-risk waste. More dangerous waste like spent nuclear fuel is kept in cooling ponds which help keep radiation levels low. More long-term solutions propose building geological disposal facilities which bury the waste up to a kilometre underground. These use hundreds of metres of rock to block out the most dangerous radiation. Advertisement Even recently, failures with nuclear storage have cast doubt over how effectively nuclear waste can be managed. In April, a nuclear waste storage facility in Cumbria was warned to take action over a delay in securing, or 'capping', waste at the site. In a statement, the Nuclear Waste Service said: 'Throughout the design phase a number of assumptions were tested, as is common practice. 'Not all of these assumptions held true, and one in particular, caused a significant change in design.' Yet as the government continues to boost the country's nuclear power capacity, the issue of where to put spent fuel is likely to become a more significant problem. In 1976, a review from the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution found that the UK should stop building reactors until it had a solution to the mounting piles of waste. Nonetheless, the government is currently pushing ahead with plans to build at least three new nuclear power stations and a 'fleet' of small modular reactors. Dangerous waste like spent nuclear fuel and plutonium needs to be held in geological disposal facilities which use hundreds of metres of rock to contain the radiation deep underground. This facility would be built near the coast and would consist of a series of tunnels and caverns dug up to 12.5 miles (20km) off the coast. Sellafield currently holds most of the UK's 110,000 tonnes of uranium, 6,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel, and around 120 tonnes of plutonium. A new shallow facility could help ease pressure on the larger sites Robots would then be used to carry the dangerous nuclear waste to a storage site up to 0.6 miles (1km) beneath the sea bed. However, the current plan to build a permanent storage solution has now been massively delayed and is proving to be extremely expensive. According to the Nuclear Waste Service (NSW), the project could cost 66bn ($83.5bn) and will not be completed until the 2050s. For comparison, the nuclear power station Hinkley Point C was originally estimated to cost 9bn ($11bn) but is now expected to come in at 46bn ($58.2bn). The UK's radioactive waste already amounts to 110,000 tonnes of uranium, 6,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel, and around 120 tonnes of plutonium. By the time a geological storage solution is complete, the NWS estimates that this could total 750,000 cubic metres of nuclear waste. A shallower site like this proposed plan could help take some of the least dangerous waste and free up space at Sellafield, where much of the waste is currently stored. Minister for Nuclear Andrew Bowie says: 'The UK has been a pioneer in nuclear technology, and now were taking sensible steps to manage our radioactive waste, while reducing the burden on the environment and taxpayer.' Elon Musk's Neuralink knew its brain implant was likely to malfunction in its first human patient, but went ahead with the surgery anyway, a new report claims. In January, the firm implanted a brain chip in its first patient, Noland Arbaugh, who is paralyzed from the shoulders down due to a 2016 diving accident. But during the surgery, Mr Arbaugh suffered a life-threatening condition that later caused 'a number of threads retracted from the brain,' Neuralink said in a blog update last week. Now, a report by Reuters citing 'five people familiar with the matter' claims that this issue had been 'known about for years' from animal testing. Despite this, the firm deemed the risk low enough for a redesign not to be merited, the sources added. In January, Neuralink implanted a brain chip in its first patient, Noland Arbaugh, who is paralyzed from the shoulders down due to a 2016 diving accident Elon Musk's Neuralink knew its brain implant was likely to malfunction in its first human patient, but went ahead with the surgery anyway, a new report claims Neuralink is testing its implant to give paralyzed patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone - a prospect that could help people with spinal cord injuries. The company said last week that the implant's tiny wires, which are thinner than a human hair, retracted from a patient's brain in its first human trial, resulting in fewer electrodes that could measure brain signals. The signals get translated into actions, such as moving a mouse cursor on a computer screen. The company said it managed to restore the implant's ability to monitor its patient's brain signals by making changes that included modifying its algorithm to be more sensitive. The sources declined to be identified, citing confidentiality agreements they had signed with the company. Neuralink and its executives did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment. Neuralink is testing its implant to give paralyzed patients the ability to use digital devices by thinking alone - a prospect that could help people with spinal cord injuries The company said last week that the implant's tiny wires, which are thinner than a human hair, retracted from a patient's brain in its first human trial, resulting in fewer electrodes that could measure brain signals. The signals get translated into actions, such as moving a mouse cursor on a computer screen The US Food and Drug Administration was aware of the potential issue with the wires because the company shared the animal testing results as part of its application to begin human trials, one of the people said. The FDA declined to comment on whether it was aware of the issue or its possible significance. The agency told Reuters it would continue to monitor the safety of patients enrolled in Neuralink's study. Were Neuralink to continue the trials without a redesign, it could face challenges should more wires pull out and its tweak to the algorithm proves insufficient, one of the sources said. But redesigning the threads comes with its own risks. Anchoring them in the brain, for example, could result in brain tissue damage if the threads dislodge or if the company needs to remove the device, two of the sources said. The company has sought to design the threads in a way that makes their removal seamless, so that the implant can be updated over time as the technology improves, current and former employees say. Neuralink's post last week made no mention of adverse health effects to Arbaugh and did not disclose how many of the device's 64 threads pulled out or stopped collecting brain data. So far, the device has allowed Arbaugh to play video games, browse the internet and move a computer cursor on his laptop by thinking alone, according to company blog posts and videos. Neuralink says that soon after the surgery, Arbaugh surpassed the world record for the speed at which he can control a cursor with thoughts alone. The company has sought to design the threads in a way that makes their removal seamless, so that the implant can be updated over time as the technology improves, current and former employees say It is common for medical device companies to troubleshoot different designs during animal trials and for issues to arise during animal and clinical testing, according to outside researchers and sources who have worked at Neuralink and other medical device companies. Specialists who have studied brain implants say the issue of threads moving can be hard to solve, partly due to the mechanics of how the brain moves inside the skull. Robert Gaunt, a neural engineer at the University of Pittsburgh, described the movement of the wires so soon after the surgery as disappointing but said that is not unforeseen. 'In the immediate days, weeks, months after an implant like this, it's probably the most vulnerable time,' he said. In 2022, the FDA initially rejected Neuralink's application to begin human trials, and raised safety concerns about the threads, Reuters exclusively reported last year. Neuralink conducted additional animal testing to address those concerns, and the FDA last year granted the company approval to begin human testing. Neuralink's post last week made no mention of adverse health effects to Arbaugh and did not disclose how many of the device's 64 threads pulled out or stopped collecting brain data The company found that a subset of pigs implanted with its device developed a type of inflammation in the brain called granulomas, raising concerns among Neuralink's researchers that the threads could be the cause, according to three sources familiar with the matter and records seen by Reuters. Granulomas are an inflammatory tissue response that can form around a foreign object or an infection. In at least one case, a pig developed a severe case of the condition. Company records reviewed by Reuters show that the pig developed a fever and was heaving after surgery. Neuralink's researchers did not recognize the extent of the problem until examining the pig's brain post-mortem. Inside Neuralink, researchers debated how to rectify the issue and commenced a months-long investigation, said the sources familiar with the events. Ultimately, the company could not determine the cause of the granulomas, but concluded that the device and the attached threads were not to blame, one of the sources said. Zoological experts have refused a request to change the name of a bug that was named after Adolf Hitler in 1937. The five-millimetre long 'Anophthalmus hitleri' is a species of blind cave beetle that is found in around just 15 humid caves in Slovenia. There has long been controversy over its title, with many scientists appalled that it still shares a name with Hitler - one of history's greatest monsters. Its name was assigned to it even after the leader's ruthless racist actions prior to the Second World War, including the Night of the Long Knives in 1934 and the Nuremberg Race Laws of 1935 - not to mention the Holocaust that was still to come. But after another attempt to change the name, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) has determined that it is out of the question. Zoological experts have refused a request to change the name of 'Anophthalmus hitleri' - a bug that was named after Adolf Hitler in 1937 The insect was first discovered in what was then Yugoslavia on June 20, 1932. It was found by a naturalist named Vladimir Kodric, who stumbled on the cave named Pekel (Hell in English), one of the few homes of the beetle. Although the first specimen is currently behind glass in the Natural History Museum in Basel, Switzerland, Kodric first sent it off to an Austrian collector and railway engineer by the name of Oskar Scheibel, according to the New York Times. Scheibel - believe to be an ardent fan of Hitler's - was convinced the beetle was a new species but held off on publishing the new to make sure he was correct. Meanwhile, Austrian-born Hitler had become a German citizen four months before the discovery in 1932. He was leader of the Nazi party, and was also on the cusp of becoming the Chancellor of Germany - which he did in 1933, taking power of the country. After his deliberations, in 1937, Scheibel went back on a promise to name the insect after Kodric and instead named it after Hitler - calling it Anophthalmus hitleri. He then notified the Chancellery in Berlin of the insect and its new name, prompting Hitler himself to write a letter of gratitude to Scheibel in return. Unsurprisingly, it is not the 'Anophthalmus' part of the name that people have an issue with. The genus name comes from Greek, literally meaning 'eyeless'. Some have suggested that Scheibel was actually mocking the dictator by naming a blind beetle after him. This is unlikely, however, as the accompanying description reads: 'Given to Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler as an expression of my admiration.' Hitler was also known to have a fondness for beetles, too. In 1933, he commissioned Ferdinand Porsche to design the 'people's car' (Volkswagen in German). This became the VW Beetle, which still exists today in a modern form. There has long been controversy over the beetle's title, with many scientists appalled that it still shares a name with Adolf Hitler (pictured) - one of history's greatest monsters Today, the Anophthalmus hitleri is threatened with extinction. This has been blamed on its name, and put down to Hitler's notoriety. In 2006, German magazine Der Spiegel reported that nearly all preserved specimens in the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich had been stolen. It appeared that the beetle had become a trophy desired by Nazi memorabilia collectors, who are also known to catch the insects in the Slovenian caves and sell them on for as much as $2,000 each. Martin Baehr, a beetle expert at The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, said in 2006: 'There is a complete run on these creatures, and collectors are intruding on the beetles' natural habitat to get hold of them.' Slovenia has even been forced to introduce laws against insect collection in order to protect endangered species, such as the Anophthalmus hitleri. Whether they are on the verge of extinction has been questioned, however, with experts asking how anyone could possibly estimate how many remain in the cave. Nevertheless, some suggest changing the name could help its survival and to reduce its popularity with Neo Nazis and collectors of Nazi memorabilia. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature does discourage scientists from naming species after something that could be deemed offensive. Pictured: A sketch seen in Scheibel's 1937 paper outlining the discovery of the beetle However, it says that it does not in general allow for name changes on this grounds after they have already been given a scientific name. On the beetle, ICZN President Thomas Pape has previously said: 'It was not offensive when it was proposed, and it may not be offensive 100 years from now.' One solution that has been put forward is to change the vernacular name. Last year, the new name Slovenian blind cave beetle was proposed. However, in its most recent ruling, the ICZN said it would not be changing the scientific name, saying: 'There have been no requests to change scientific names of animal species for ethical reasons', according to Bild. With June just around the corner now, many Britons will be excitedly making plans for their summer holidays. But new research might put you off a trip Benidorm. Experts from McAfee have revealed the 10 holiday destinations most used by cybercriminals to entice unsuspecting British holidaymakers. With the greatest number of websites and ads offering fake deals, Benidorm tops the list, followed by Berlin and Ibiza. 'If a deal sounds too good to be true, it's best to avoid clicking; instead, go direct to the source and book with reputable companies,' advised Vonny Gamot, Head of EMEA at McAfee. Experts from McAfee have revealed the 10 holiday destinations most used by cybercriminals to entice unsuspecting British holidaymakers With June just around the corner now, many Britons will be excitedly making plans for their summer holidays. But new research might put you off a trip Benidorm The 10 most dangerous destinations Benidorm, Spain Berlin, Germany Ibiza, Balearic Islands Valletta, Malta Albufeira, Portugal Bangkok, Thailand Maldives, South Asia Dubai, UAE New York, USA Dublin, Ireland Advertisement In the study, McAfee analysed the risky URLs related to a range of popular holiday destinations. This included malware threats, phishing, or scam content. Their analysis revealed that Benidorm is a scammer's favourite consumer lure, taking the top spot from Bangkok, which was first in last year's list. This is followed by Berlin, Ibiza, Valletta, and Albufeira. Meanwhile, Britons planning trips to Bangkok, Maldives, Dubai, New York, and Dublin should also be wary. 'Staying alert and taking early and proactive steps to manage your security, privacy and online identity is extremely important as we head into the peak summer holiday season,' Ms Gamot said. 'Additionally, with the use of AI, scams are becoming even more sophisticated, making it harder for consumers to tell what's real and what isn't online.' Traditionally, misspelled words and poor grammar were the hallmarks of scams. Now, Ms Gamot says that the key thing to look out for is a pressure to act fast. Their analysis revealed that Benidorm is a scammer's favourite consumer lure, taking the top spot from Bangkok, which was first in last year's list. This is followed by Berlin (pictured), Ibiza, Valletta, and Albufeira 'Is it your last chance to buy tickets? Is there a "huge deal" for one day only?' she asked. 'Cybercriminals use this tactic to try and catch you with your guard down.' Based on the findings, the researchers are calling on holidaymakers to be vigilant - particularly if booking a trip to one of the most 'dangerous' destinations. Ms Gamot added: 'Pay close attention to any enticing holiday offers online, particularly for Benidorm, Berlin, and Ibiza, as these are top destinations used by cybercriminals to lure you into disclosing personal information or clicking on malware-infected links.' Millions of Americans should brace for an abnormal shift in weather this summer after record-breaking temperatures struck the nation last year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted that it's going to become swelteringly hot in almost every state - some spots have a 70 percent chance of above-average temperatures for the next three months. States in the western part of the country will be the worst hit, affecting Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Colorado that will reach an all-time high of 60 to 70 percent above average from July through September. Scientists are attributing this change to a weather pattern, called La Nina, which causes wind patterns to change that results in some areas becoming warmer than usual in the summer. Utah , Arizona , New Mexico and parts of Colorado will reach temperatures of an all-time high of 60 to 70 percent above average from July through September This forecast reflects the switch from the El Nino weather pattern which warms the ocean's surface to La Nina which then cools the surface, causing the overall weather conditions to be drier and warmer. La Nina usually occur every three to five years, but can occur over a number of consecutive years. This summer's heatwaves is expected to shatter last year's record that saw temperatures rise to the highest in more than 2,000 years. Temperatures in states across the Northeast and extending from Idaho to Texas will experience about 50 to 60 percent above average. Meanwhile, states in the southeast and parts of the Midwest including Oklahoma, Florida, Virginia and Michigan will see temperatures rise by 40 to 50 percent. The only exemptions to the abnormal weather are North and South Dakota and parts of Minnesota and Iowa, which have an equal chance of being on par with the average temperature for this time of year or having temperatures above or below average. 'A common feature in summer during a developing La Nina is a semi-permanent upper-level ridge over the middle of North America,' DTN, a Minneapolis-based forecasting company reported. The ridges are referred to as heat domes which trap hot ocean air which causes intense heat waves and record-high temperatures. This summer's heatwaves is expected to shatter last year's record that saw temperatures rise to their highest in more than 2,000 years. Temperatures in states across the Northeast and extending from Idaho to Texas will lean about 50 to 60 percent above average Global temperatures have been increasing steadily since the early 2000s and is primarily caused by climate change which has increased temperatures in the US by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit The CDC reported there are steps you can take to protect yourself from heat-related illnesses including staying hydrated and in air-conditioned areas as much as possible Climate change may also contributing to the rise in temperature that has been steadily increasing since the early 2000s. A 2023 study reported that these record heat waves would have been 'virtually impossible' ... if humans had not warmed the planet by burning fossil fuels.' Climate change has increased temperatures in North America by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit since 1850. Researchers at the Grantham Institute in London and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center in The Netherlands warned that if fossil fuel production isn't immediately reined in, similar heat waves will continue to occur about every two to five years in the US, Axios reported. These higher-than-average temperatures are raising concerns about public health and heat-related fatalities as well as a higher risk of hurricanes, droughts and wildfires. A huge concern is that the US electrical power grid is not equipped to handle the skyrocketing electricity demand that comes with high temperatures and humidity as Americans turn to air conditioning to combat the heat. The power grid was built in the 1960s and 1970s to manage two-thirds of the US' electricity, but it has not been updated to meet modern electricity needs, making it vulnerable to extreme weather events. In a worst-case scenario, the power grid could lead to power outages across the country, which could prove deadly, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. There are an estimated 1,300 deaths caused by extreme heat in the US each year, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that number is likely higher because some may not be directly connected to the hot weather. The EPA said the stress from a hot day could cause heat-related deaths by increasing a person's chance of suffering a heart attack or other respiratory diseases like pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported there are steps you can take to protect yourself from heat-related illnesses including staying hydrated and in air-conditioned areas as much as possible. If your home does not have air conditioning, the CDC recommends you go to a public space like a shopping mall or library to cool down. The agency also suggests using your stove and oven less to keep the temperature cooler in your home, take a cool bath or shower if you get too hot and call your local health department to see if there are heat-relief shelters set up in the area. Federal agencies have until October 20th to deliver every document, audio and video they have about UFOs to the US government for distribution to the public. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) issued the instructions this month putting into action the UFO disclosure amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), as signed into law last December. The guidelines reveal the latest strategy to compel unwilling parts of the US military and the intelligence community into revealing everything they know about the mysterious airborne events, now called Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). The move comes two months after the Pentagon's UFO office issued a controversial report to Congress, claiming it 'found no verifiable evidence that the US government or private industry has ever had access to extraterrestrial technology.' The US National Archives is demanding all UFO records by October 20th, 2024. Above, the US Air Force once made public this image of a 1972 Viking space probe awaiting recovery at the White Sands Missile Range near Roswell to explain the 1947 Roswell UFO crash 25 years prior Above, 'Archives II,' the National Archives facility in College Park, Maryland which houses the most contemporary government documents available to scholars and the public. The newly demanded UFO records will be available here as well as online via a digital database NARA archivists have issued guidelines mandating that all UFO or UAP documents be delivered in electronic formats with detailed metadata for inclusion a new searchable database to be made available to the public. The database will include classified material that the NARA will store independently, safe keeping the records until they can be declassified for the public. NARA's guidelines make it clear that all government agencies are required label their records with each file's 'official security status' and any 'special controls' including 'special compartmented information' (SCI) and 'special access programs' (SAP). Every federal agency, including branches of the US military and the intelligence community, like the CIA, are also required to explain to NARA and the public why certain UFO documents qualify as 'exempt' from disclosure under the new law. 'If Released in Part or Withheld in Full,' the NARA guideline advisory posting stated, 'cite the specific grounds for postponement in section 1843 of the NDAA.' The archives added that these agencies must adhere to either these provisions in the new UFO disclosure amendment of the 2024 NDAA or to the provisions 'outlined in Executive Order 13526.' The order, put into effect by President Barack Obama in 2009, states that all classified material over 25-years old will be up for 'automatic declassification.' In the late 1990s, the US Air Force also pointed to this aeroshell from a 1967 NASA Voyager-Mars space probe (above) as an explanation for the 1947 Roswell UFO crash, two decades prior Members of both houses of Congress expressed frustration over the watered-down nature of the UFO disclosure amendment signed into law with the 2024 NDAA. 'We got ripped off. We got completely hosed. They stripped out every part,' said Representative Tim Burchett, one of the lawmakers behind the act. And, unpersuaded by the Pentagon's latest UFO report this past March, members of the House Oversight committee in Congress have recently said that they are preparing two new public hearings on UFOs to keep the pressure on. 'We don't have the facts yet,' as Republican congressman Representative Glenn Grothman explained to reporter with Ask a Pol late last month. One of these hearings, according to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, will focus on undersea cases of unknown craft, known as Unidentified Submerged Objects (USOs). 'We're working on doing something with USO,' Rep. Luna said this May, 'we're talking to some people.' America is in the midst of a water crisis as scientists have discovered a majority of the nation's groundwater supply could be depleted by 2050. Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory created scenarios simulated scenarios of groundwater extraction over the 21st century, finding eight basins have an up to 98 percent chance of emptying in the next 25 years. That would be due to taking withdrawals for drinking, irrigation and and other uses faster than what rainfall and snowpack can put in. The at-risk systems, including the Missouri River and Lower Mississippi River, provide water to more than 129 million Americans living in California, Texas, Montana and many midwestern states. Lead author of the study, Hassan Niazi, told DailyMail.com: 'With water supplies becoming increasingly limited, climbing water costs can cascade across sectors, causing food prices to rise.' Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory created scenarios simulated scenarios of groundwater extraction over the 21st century, finding eight basins have an up to 98 percent chance of emptying in the next 25 years The US reserves currently have at least 33,000 trillion gallons of groundwater, which is water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand and rock, but the nation is pumping out about 80 billion gallons per day. The Geological Survey said that taking the excessive amount is compared to money kept in a bank account - 'if you withdraw money at a faster rate than you deposit new money you will eventually start having account-supply problems.' With plummeting groundwater levels, streams would disappear and the earth could sink and collapse - damaging roads, buildings and other structures above the ground. 'Many prior studies have shown that as groundwater demand increases, aquatic ecosystems could face greater stress, water contamination could spread, and the land above diminished aquifers could sink into the earth more oftena phenomenon known as land subsidence,' said Niazi. 'The authors add that competing interests for water stem from many sectors: energy, manufacturing, agriculture, livestock, etc. 'Each of these can face unforeseen stress due to increasing demand for water within a region, driving a resultant rise in groundwater extraction.' The California River was found to be nearing depletion with a 98 percent chance - the highest probability out of any of the basins The team found that about 105 million people currently live in the water basins that are likely to undergo peaking before 2050, and additional 24 million people live in the basins that undergo peaking until 2100. 'Our scenarios of the future are exploratory, meaning they are 'what-if' evaluations, and not necessarily 'predicting' the future,' Niazi said. 'I like to interpret the outcomes through the plausibility lens, instead of likelihood or probability lens, but we can infer the plausibility of the peaking outcome based on the agreement across scenarios.' In the early 20th century, officials began constructing dams throughout the US to bring water to more farms and Americans. 'However, the past 50 years have seen a shift towards the usage of non-renewable groundwater, vast stores of which (98 percent of Earth's fresh liquid water) have accumulated over long periods of time below the Earth's surface,' reads the study published in Nature. The at-risk systems , including the Missouri River (pictured) and Lower Mississippi River, provide water to more than 129 million Americans living in California , Texas , Montana and many midwestern states The team found that the Texas Gulf Coast, home to 22 million people, has an 87. 3 percent chance of depletion based on the simulations. 'Texas is losing groundwater at nearly twice the maximum sustained rate and according to plans already pending with local management agencies, that rate is likely to increase in coming years unless officials change course,' stated researchers at Texas State University and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Some Texans are already seeing the depletion and feeling the impact. Dr. Robert Mace with EDF said in a statement: 'In the Hill Country, water-levels are declining, wells are running dry, and springs are vanishing. 'That's a sign of things to come across the state.' The Missouri River, which provides water to 12.3 million people, has a 94 percent chance of draining, while the Arkansas White Red region - responsible for 11 million Americans - has a 93.6 percent risk. The California River was also found to be nearing depletion with a 98 percent chance. This system provides groundwater to more than 46 million people, which has forced over drafting from the underground basins for years - nearly two-thirds of California's more than 20,000 monitoring wells are below normal level. Niazi and his team also noted the Mexico-Northwest Coast, responsible for six million people, has a 96 percent chance of emptying and the Lower Mississippi that feeds 14 million has an 84.7 percent likelihood. And finally, the Rio Grande River was predicted to have an 84.7 chance and the Lower Colorado River 63.1 percent probability of drying up. 'Competing interests for water stem from many sectors: energy, manufacturing, agriculture, livestock, etc,' said Niazi. 'Each of these can face unforeseen stress due to increasing demand for water within a region, driving a resultant rise in groundwater extraction.' MailOnline's Jules Cooper tries it out with his wife and 3-year-old daughter Sitting on the other side of our compartment, our three-year-old daughter cocks her head and twists her face into a Picasso of scepticism as Dutch countryside rattles past our window. I've told her that I'm about to flip our seats down into a bed, and that we're going to sleep here on the train we just caught from Brussels following a Eurostar journey from St Pancras International in London. 'No we're not,' she says incredulously. 'There are no beds in here.' Unperturbed, I lower our three beds with a Debbie McGee flourish and watch her eyes widen. Within moments she's laying out an argument for her being allowed to take the top bunk. We're on the train to Prague, a journey made far easier by the Bohemian extension of European Sleeper's successful overnight service to Berlin via Amsterdam, and it's shaping up to be a lot of fun. Jules Cooper and family board the European Sleeper in Brussels for an overnight trip to Prague Our daughter wants to explore the train, so we go for a walk along the carriages. As we pass down the row of open compartments, I catch a glimpse of a child's legs wheeling around as they scale their bunk. In another, two families are chatting over a bottle of wine, squeezed around the table like sardines. We have a five-person 'couchette' compartment to ourselves, the middle tier of three room options, which also include a 'seating' and 'sleeper class'. The fold-out beds are comfortable enough, though slightly short for my 5ft 11in frame, and we share a communal sink. More expensive rooms in sleeper carriages have private sinks and extra bed inches. The adventurer takes me to the very back of the train, where she stares out of the rear door window as the track near Antwerp snakes endlessly away. As she traverses the corridor handrails on the way back, a chorus of 'Bravo!' is cheered from one of the rooms. As children in pyjamas start to emerge in the corridors with toothbrushes, our daughter reaches peak excitement. 'Mummy and Daddy this is getting funner and funner for me,' she says deliriously as she clambers up to the top bunk. It's as though she's at her first rave. As we wait for her to fall asleep, we sit in the dark under her bunk, drinking wine and even relaxed enough to share a kiss interrupted when an upside down head appears and demands that we go to bed. Jules and his family occupy a five-person 'couchette' compartment (as shown above) The next morning we spend the last few hours eating the train-supplied breakfast and playing games as the black Elbe Valley sandstone mountains pass us by south of Dresden. Arriving in the heart of Prague dead on time at 10.56am feels incredibly civilised. No need to wait at a luggage carousel or catch a bus. We breeze through passport control and wander across the square to our hotel. The grand NH Collection Prague Carlo IV hotel, a 19th-century former bank with a neo-Renaissance facade and a nice chap to open the front door, has a spa with a sauna and swimming pool for unwinding after carrying a child around all day. It's a snip with rooms starting at 180 ($224) a night, including spa access and a fancy breakfast. The train arrives in the heart of Prague (above) dead on time, with no waiting at a luggage carousel The lobby, top, and a bedroom at one of the hotels Jules stays in - the NH Collection Prague Carlo IV, which was previously a 19th-century bank An alternative near the station is the Falkensteiner, a boutique hotel that attracts a younger crowd with DJ sets in its velvet-chaired cocktail bar (doubles 138/$171). After a quick shower, we catch a nippy 1960s tram into town and are blown away by all the Baroque architecture the city was not significantly bombed during the Second World War but keeping our daughter entertained is exhausting. A guided city tour with VR headsets is a neat solution. While you take in five sites such as the Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square and Dancing House, your child is distracted by animated panoramas of the locations at historic crossroads. The Falkensteiner boutique hotel - 'where a DJ attracts a younger crowd to its cocktail bar' At Prague Castle, Jules' daughter 'loved the tiny houses in Golden lane' (above) A guided city tour with VR headsets offers a tour of the city's most historic locations, Jules discovers Fast-track your exploring: Prague's 'nippy' trams, which date back to the 1960's These include Soviet tanks rolling into St Wenceslas Square to crush the Prague Spring in 1968 and people falling from windows of the New Town Hall during the 1419 defenestration. The tour ends well south of the Old Town's heaving streets, close to the spacious Alma restaurant, located in a former cinema. The ubiquitously tattooed staff serve us oysters followed by a signature Czech dish of sturgeon with trout caviar in dill sauce. Prague Castle, awash with Holy Roman grandeur, is the city's cultural big hitter. My advice: don't go with a young child. Our daughter loved the suits of armour and tiny houses in Golden lane, but it was so big and busy that her parents couldn't wait to leave. Far more manageable are smaller attractions such as the Mucha Museum, devoted to the illustrator, Alphonse Mucha, famed for his art nouveau absinthe posters, and the Kafka Museum, set up as a confusing bureaucratic maze akin to one of the author's novels. A short walk away we finally find a great spot to please everyone: Kampa Park Restaurant has a fine fish menu, a commanding view of Charles Bridge and a playground. When it's time to take the train home, our daughter trots confidently into the carriage and plants her soft toy firmly onto the top bunk. I expect she can scarcely remember our last flight, but I suspect this journey will linger long in her memory. The best week to travel and save money is August 19 Because June and July can be costly, experts suggest flying in August As summer comes to a peak, new data has revealed cheapest week to travel Pack your bags and get ready to jet set to this summer's hottest - and cheapest - travel destinations - the only catch is that you have to fly at a specific time to get the best bang for your buck. As frequent fliers prepare to flood airports this summer, new data has revealed the most cost effective week to hop on a plane and enjoy your time off. Research from Skyscanner showed that travelers could save up to $1,064 by taking a vacation during the week of August 19. According to the site, only four per cent of people tend to travel during that week and take advantage of the big deals. Pack your bags and get ready to jet set to this summer's hottest - and cheapest - travel destination - the only catch is that you have to fly at a specific time (stock image) The data showed just how much traveling in August versus June can slash off prices. A round trip from Chicago to Barcelona, Spain is about $1,236 in June. But, if you move your trip to the week of August 19, you can spend just $733. Meanwhile, going from Los Angeles to London is about $1,000 throughout the summer, but the average cost during the third week of August will cost you $724. If you're traveling from NYC to Punta Cana, you can expect to spend $1,000 during June and July. However, if you're jetting off the week of August 26, it will cost you about $524. Flying from San Francisco to Dublin will cost you a whopping $2,000 during June and July. But, between August 3 through 9, it can cost an average of $933. Skyscanner revealed that the first week of July saw the most amount of people traveling. If you're looking for a cheap spot to travel, research has shown that Split, Croatia (seen) and Zurich, Switzerland have seen a 24 per cent decrease That week costs 29 per cent more than the week of August 19. The second most costly week for traveling is June 17. If you're looking for a cheap spot to travel, research has shown that Split, Croatia and Zurich, Switzerland have seen a 24 per cent decrease. Meanwhile, Dubrovnik - also in Croatia - enjoyed a 22 per cent reduction. Flights to Bucharest, Romania, and the Bahamas - which has been issued travel warnings due to rampant crime - are also down 22 per cent. Lucinda Light has opened up about her skin insecurities in a powerful message alongside a video of her glamour routine. The MAFS fan favourite, 43, took to Instagram on Thursday to share a video of herself getting glammed up by Melbourne-based make-up artist Tiana Santa Lucia. In the video, Lucinda was seen smiling as she sat in the beauty chair to have her hair and make-up done for a stunning photoshoot. She looked effortlessly elegant in a series of gorgeous evening dresses and opted for a high-glamour make-up palette to complete her looks. In a caption, Lucinda opened up on her 'vulnerabilities' as she discussed her insecurities with skin scarring and rosacea - a condition which causes long-term redness on the face. Lucinda Light has opened up about her skin insecurities in a powerful message alongside a video of her glamour routine She admitted she was 'horrified' when she saw make-up artist Tiana had shared the makeover video to TikTok with a fresh-faced shot of herself at the start of the clip. Lucinda said she would have asked for the make-up free footage to be deleted if she'd realised, as she discussed her long-term insecurities with her skin. In a powerful message, Lucinda promised to have more 'compassion' for herself and said she wants to try and 'preserve' her face without the use of Botox or injectables. In a body positive caption, she penned: 'This is a vulnerable share, it's about my skin which I've always been really conscious of. This year as a gift to myself, I'd like to finally fix my face and get to the bottom of my scarring/rosacea. 'There were many years in my 20s when I would only let my boyfriend walk to one side of me. Most days I wear a bit of make-up to cover it up. Alongside a video of her getting her make-up done, Lucinda opened up on her 'vulnerabilities' as she discussed her insecurities with skin scarring and rosacea in a body positive message 'I didn't know the make-up artist was going to post this TikTok video of me really raw and unfiltered in unflattering light as I was getting ready - if I'd seen the vids she took of me pre shoot, I would have made her delete them. 'I was horrified when I first saw this video but it's out now and it's time to acknowledge and take action and have some compassion for myself. I want to preserve my face but without using injectables or botox. 'I want to represent the wild natural woman that's radiant and confident, from any angle. I'm living on the Great Ocean Rd in Victoria at the moment so looking for a next level practitioner that can fully take me on the journey, in and through that's based in Melbourne. 'If you know an exceptional skin specialist or dermatologist, I'd be utterly delighted to know about them. One day when I meet my life partner, I'll be all glowy and dewy and okay with my face.' Her fans were quick to take to the comments section to heap praise on Lucinda for her vulnerability as they sent her positive messages of support. Lucinda promised to have more 'compassion' for herself and said she wants to try and 'preserve' her face without the use of Botox or injectables They gushed: 'Beautiful. And fabulous message. Self compassion for the win'; 'I have rosacea too @lucindaslight thankyou so much for sharing'; 'Thank you so much for sharing this darling, I hope you find what works for you'; You a such a beautiful lady inside and out, be happy with yourself you deserve happiness'; 'You truly shine the brightest beauty. You naturally glow with love that shines so bright'; 'You radiate beauty without & with make up!' While her MAFS co-star Tim Calwell added: 'Maximum glam! Looking great Lu.' Lucinda then thanked her followers for sending her suggestions about practitioners she could contact to learn more about her rosacea. Elsewhere, Lucinda recently confirmed that she will be embarking on a speaking tour around the UK in August, sending fans completely wild She commented: 'You guys are so sweet. Appreciate the suggestions and will be investigating all possibilities. What fun to be a piece of canvas for a day and get all glammed up. Such fun!' Elsewhere, Lucinda recently confirmed that she will be embarking on a speaking tour around the UK in August. The show, which is called An Evening with Lucinda Light, is estimated to net the 43-year-old reality star an eye-watering $250,000 (131,775 GBP). The tour will take place over 10 days, with Lucinda doing eight gigs, with each ticket priced at 27.50 GBP ($52AUD) each. Most of Lucinda's shows have already sold-out, with availability only left in Bath and Glasgow, as she has promised to try and get more tickets for eager fans. Most of Lucinda's shows have already sold-out, with availability only left in Bath and Glasgow, as she has promised to try and get more tickets for eager fans Yahoo Lifestyle has estimated that the reality TV star, who rose to fame on the 2024 series of MAFS, could sell up to 4,500 ticket on the tour. Lucinda's cash haul could be much higher once add-ons including merchandising and higher-priced ticket offers, like VIP packages, are taken into account. Announcing her epic tour, Lucinda could hardly contain her joy as she shared the news with her Instagram followers. 'Im visiting the UK this summer for a series of intimate events and I want to see you!' she excitedly penned. 'Join me for a night of Emotional Intelligence, Wellness and laughter. Meet and Greet tickets available!' The bride will travel to eight UK cities, starting in Birmingham on August 5 before wrapping up in Bath on August 15. After rising to fame on MAFS - where she was matched up with Timothy Smith - Lucinda now boasts 614,000 Instagram followers, close to 200,000 more than the other contestants The reality star will share her expertise in emotional intelligence and participate in fan Q&A sessions. Gaining a legion of fans during her time on MAFS season 11, Lucinda now boasts 614,000 Instagram followers, close to 200,000 more than the other contestants. According to a source, major podcast networks are currently competing to sign her exclusively for her own show post-experiment, while several voiceover agencies are also interested in signing her as an audiobook narrator. Lucinda also continues to offer her wedding celebrant and MC services, charging $8,000 for each officiant wedding package. Neighbourhood tensions have escalated over a heartbroken Australian influencer who reported her beloved Bengal cat stolen. Gold Coast model Olivia Mathers issued a desperate call out to her 761,000 followers on Instagram earlier this month, asking to keep an eye out for the feline named Haukie. Haukie is still missing, and Olivia believes she knows who has stolen her cat or who is involved in its disappearance. But harsh social media trolls have turned against the influencer, with several suggesting how the cat managed to vanish in the first place. In Facebook group Tea Time, ruthless cat owners slammed the situation and claimed all could have been avoided if Olivia kept her cat indoors. Harsh social media trolls have turned against Aussie influencer Olivia Mathers (pictured) after her cat was 'stolen' 'Probably going to get bashed for this but keep your cats inside and no one will have a problem. They shouldn't be roaming,' one user said. One member agreed: 'Totally agree, my cats are happy and healthy inside, they watch the wildlife from the safety of their window.' 'You really can't say you care about your cat if you let them roam!!! Be a better pet owner Olivia and these things won't happen,' another said. The Gold Coast model issued a desperate call out to her 761,000 followers on Instagram earlier this month, asking to keep an eye out for the feline named Haukie, who is still missing Meanwhile, others defended Olivia and said it still gives no right for her cat to be taken by someone. 'Her cat roaming doesn't give someone permission to steal it? That's like saying if your dog escaped and someone stole it bad luck,' someone commented. 'Regardless of whether the cat was roaming at all that doesn't mean it's okay or her fault somebody decided to steal her cat,' one said. Another wrote sarcastically: 'Wow everyone on here is SOOOO much better than her for having inside cats!!!! Comment something helpful or don't comment at all.' But harsh social media trolls have turned against the influencer, with several suggesting how the cat managed to vanish in the first place In Facebook group Tea Time, ruthless cat owners slammed the situation and claimed all could have been avoided if Olivia kept her cat indoors Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Olivia Mathers for comment. Olivia took to Instagram on Thursday and answered several fans questions about the missing Bengal. She said she has video evidence of people saying they took Haukie 'and now they don't know where she is'. Olivia also said there is an outside chance her cat has been killed by the thieves. Speaking with Daily Mail Australia last week, she said she simply wants answers and for her 'family member' to be returned home. 'Malibu (my dog) and I are missing 3kgs of sass at home and can't wait to have her back,' she said. The Gold Coast model said her Bengal cat was 'taken' on Saturday, April 27 Meanwhile, others defended Olivia and said it still gives no right for her cat to be taken by someone Olivia shared several photos of the four-year-old Bengal cat she has owned since she moved out of home on Instagram, revealing she was 'taken' on Saturday, April 27. 'Haukie has been admittedly taken,' she wrote alongside two photos of her pet. 'We believe they're trying to sell her. Please keep an eye out marketplaces/in general.' Shortly after, Olivia revealed she had 'found' the people who stole her pet. She said the alleged thieves, who claimed to have 'found' the cat, have been changing their story. Olivia took to Instagram on Thursday and answered several fans questions about the missing Bengal. She said she has video evidence of people saying they took Haukie 'and now they don't know where she is' Olivia has owned the four-year-old Bengal cat since moving out of home. Pictured with her dog Malibu 'We have a timeline of events and substantial evidence that they've done something with her,' she said. 'They deflect, refuse info and are awfully inconsistent with their story upon any direct attempt to get answers.' Olivia shared a text exchange between a person who said they dropped Haukie off at a pound in Coombabah on the day she was missing. But when the model arrived at the pound, staff had no record of her being dropped off. 'Can you confirm what day she was dropped off and when she was dropped off?' Olivia asked the person via text, before asking for confirmation she had the right pound. Olivia said she believes she knows who has stolen her cat or who is involved in its disappearance The person replied confirming it was the right location, claiming their father dropped the cat off and a lady working there said staff would 'scan for a chip to contact the owner'. In a later message, the person claimed the cat never made it inside the pound and escaped from the car before their father dropped it off. 'I've talked to my father and he didn't tell me but as he went to take the cat out of the car, it escaped and he freaked out and didn't tell me,' the person wrote. In her post, Olivia called on her followers and Queensland residents to be on the lookout for her beloved family pet. 'Please reshare to keep the word up while her disappearance is still fresh,' she pleaded in her caption. Olivia shared a text exchange between a person who said they dropped Haukie off at a pound in Coombabah on the day she was missing. But when the model arrived at the pound, staff had no record of her being dropped off Haukie (left) and Oliva's dog, Malibu (right), have been very close companions She also said Queensland Police have been notified 'but no action has been taken yet', and now believes the cat has been sold and taken to Brisbane. Last Wednesday, Olivia said she's offering a reward for 'any sufficient information' as well as for Haukie's return. Purebred Bengal cats cost upwards of $2000 and are a popular breed known for their high intelligence, loyal personality and thick, spotted coats. In the comments of her post, several notable influencers and television stars shared their heartbreak over the devastating news. 'Hope you get your baby back soon,' former Bachelor star Bella Varelis wrote. 'Omg this upsets me so much for you!!' ex-Married At First Sight star Ella Ding added. 'This is beyond!! I am so sorry you're going through this, I hope she's home soon,' another user commented. Fitness influencer Ashy Bines also shared her own experience of having her cat stolen 'I'm so sorry your going through this, Will continue to share, my heart breaks for you,' she said. 'Someone stole my cat years ago and I never got him back so I know the feeling and it's gut wrenching. Sending you strength.' Advertisement Kanye West's $2.2 million Calabasas ranch appeared dilapidated and crumbling in shocking new photos of the expansive property - nearly four years after rapper boarded up the home in September 2020. The Heartless hitmaker, 46 - whose top Yeezy executive recently quit over the brand's move into pornography - initially purchased the residence in 2018, and was used for Sunday Service and his Donda Academy headquarters. The star had also purchased an additional 300 acres surrounding the property for $4 million. However, the latest images reveal that the home is still uninhabited and in disrepair, with one picture showing a large, gaping hole at the front entrance, leaving debris and pieces of the roof scattered on the ground. Roof shingles can be seen missing and falling off, while green plants and trees are seemingly overgrown near the front of the main house. Kanye West 's $2.2 million Calabasas ranch appeared dilapidated and crumbling in shocking new photos of the expansive property - nearly four years after rapper boarded up the home in September 2020 The Heartless hitmaker, 46 - whose top Yeezy executive recently quit over the brand's move into pornography - initially purchased the residence in 2018, and was used for Sunday Service and his Donda Academy headquarters; Kanye seen in February Portions of the concrete driveway are chipped away while one side of the property is partially concealed by a red covering. A circular patch outside of the home was bordered by a fencing that has also begun to fall apart - and appeared to be the location of one Ye's domes that he had built. The Yeezy Home dome shelters had been constructed in an attempt to help with homelessness in the Los Angeles area. The area surrounding the main home on the property is unkept with dry patches of grass as well as piles of dirt or sand. Kanye bought the ranch when he was still married to now ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, with their divorce officially being finalized back in November 2022. Last year in February 2023, photos showed that the property was already vastly deteriorated and at the time, both the main home and guest house had been covered with partitions and fencing. The walls around the guest house were also taken down, leaving behind a wire fence with trash strewn around. Parts of the walls around the main building had also fallen, leaving gaps in the fencing as the white fabric covering the fence has started to fray. A 4x4 tank was also been seen on the property near the broken partition, as well as a barbecue smoker. School props, such as drums and trikes, have also been left behind from the Donda Academy days. The area surrounding the main home on the property is unkept with dry patches of grass as well as piles of dirt or sand Roof shingles can be seen missing and falling off, while green plants and trees are seemingly overgrown near the front of the main house Portions of the concrete driveway are chipped away while one side of the property is partially concealed by a red covering A circular patch outside of the home was bordered by a fencing that has also begun to fall apart - and appeared to be the location of one Ye's domes that he had built West reportedly lived on the property with his then-model girlfriend Irina Shayk as he turned the property into a bachelor pad while Kim Kardashian remained in their $60million Calabasas mansion with their four children. The property has a 'stunning floor-to-ceiling stacked-stone fireplace, beautiful inlaid hardwood floors, huge vaulted open-beam ceilings, and spacious ground-floor master suite with a walk-in closet and spa-style bath.' 'With two detached guest units, four car garage, huge metal workshop or barn, corral, and plenty of space for pool or vineyard, this property will appeal to the equestrian, aspiring winemaker, and car enthusiast alike.' There are reportedly two guest houses on the property with six bedroom and seven bathrooms altogether. The pad is said to be located eight miles away from the home he shared with Kim in the gated community of Hidden Hills. The domes on the property - which are now nonexistent - had been 50-foot 'Yecosystems.' West constructed the domes through the architecture branch of his Yeezy label, dubbed Yeezy Home, which he launched in 2018. 'We're looking for architects and industrial designers who want to make the world better,' he said at the time. In an interview with Forbes a year later, the rapper showed off the early versions of the domes, which he had conceived with a team of designers after being inspired by the fictitious planet of Tatooine from Star Wars. He planned to build droves of the prefabricated structures as housing for the homeless, and even voiced ideas to sink them into the ground with light filtering through their roofs. The rapper believed that he could build entire cities with the pods, and felt his 'inspired' plans would allow them to spring up across America. While Kanye's plans for the Calabasas ranch is currently unknown, the star has jumped into another bizarre business venture: Yeezy Porn. Kanye bought the ranch when he was still married to now ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, with their divorce officially being finalized back in November 2022; former couple seen in 2020 in Beverly Hills Last year in February 2023, photos showed that the property was already vastly deteriorated and at the time, both the main home and guest house had been covered with partitions and fencing; seen in March in L.A. While Kanye's plans for the Calabasas ranch is currently unknown, the star has jumped into another bizarre business venture: Yeezy Porn; seen earlier this month in L.A. The announcement was made last month in April and reportedly will collaborate with Stormy Daniels' ex-husband, Mike Moz. Ye's latest move sparked backlash among spiritual fans, and Ye soon deleted his social media. Moz talked to TMZ in late April over the venture, and explained to the outlet, 'I've been having discussions with Ye about a potential collab between Yeezy brand and my team at Vixen Media Group.' 'While it's too early to give any details I'm excited about where Ye's vision takes this,' he continued. 'The idea that this project is going to be another porn studio is not correct. It will be like nothing we've ever seen before.' Most recently, West's top Yeezy executive, Milo Yiannopoulos, quit over the brand's move into pornography which he cited as 'moral reasons.' Jamie Azzopardi suffered another embarrassing moment at Australian Fashion Week on Thursday as they were spotted watching the Verner show from the media pit at Carriageworks in Sydney. The controversial stylist, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, was confined to the area, which is usually reserved for photographers and journalists, rather than scoring a seat at the event. In a social media photo, Azzopardi can be seen squeezed into the back corner of the crowded media pit as they attempted to peek through photographers to watch the runaway show. They kept their eyes hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses as they stood behind other journalists and paparazzi snapping content for their publications, as other official guests were seated on either side of the catwalk. Azzopardi stood out as they slipped into a sequined ball gown while the media around them wore casual, comfortable outfits while they worked. Jamie Azzopardi suffered another embarrassing moment on Thursday as they were spotted watching the Verner show from the media pit at Carriageworks in Sydney during Australian Fashion Week The train of Azzopardi's dress trailed across the ground behind them and they kept accessories to a minimum with a simple gold necklace and a Orange Cube handbag worth $379. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Azzopardi for comment. It comes as a shock after the stylist claimed they were the 'Head of Fashion Week' during a heated clash with model Paige Montana De Cinque at Melbourne Fashion Week in March. De Cinque, 30, stopped by popular Melbourne venue Bar Bambi with friends and says she was screamed at by Azzopardi when she entered a private booth to greet a friend during the fashion week afterparty. In a social media photo, Azzopardi can be seen squeezed into the back corner of the crowded media pit as they attempt to peek through photographers to watch the runaway show In footage of the brutal clash, obtained by Daily Mail Australia, Azzopardi claimed they are the 'Head of Fashion Week' despite not being on the board of the organisation. De Cinque said Azzopardi first approached her and her friends to tell them to 'move the f**k along' after they entered the stylist's private booth. The model said she didn't know they had entered Azzopardi's booth as 'it wasn't sectioned off, there was no security, no wrist bands'. Video of the incident then showed Azzopardi approaching the DJ and saying: 'This will end badly if [De Cinque and her friends] don't move. This will end badly.' Azzopardi stood out as they slipped into a sequined ball gown while the media around them wore casual, comfortable outfits while they worked The train of Azzopardi's sparkly trailed across the ground behind them and they kept accessories to a minimum with a simple gold necklace and a Orange Cube handbag worth $379 The DJ then replied over the loud music, 'I don't know who you are,' to which the stylist claimed: 'I'm Jamie. I'm the Head of Fashion Week.' Meanwhile, Azzopardi made yet another splash at AFW this week after the controversial influencer hit back at critics when they arrived in an elaborate gown. Flanked by an entourage of 'minders' who carried the train of their dress, Azzopardi made an outrageous arrival at Carriageworks in Sydney earlier this week. Married At First Sight star Carolina Santos could not resist commenting on the bizarre moment 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 on Wednesday night, Azzopardi clapped back at Carolina's comment. Azzopardi's confinement to the media pit comes as a shock after the stylist claimed they were the 'Head of Fashion Week' during a heated clash with a model at Melbourne Fashion Week in March '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?' Azzopardi 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 Azzopardi said they would like to 'push her in the pool'. Chloe Burrows made sure she turned heads as she headed on a night out in Ibiza on Thursday. The Love Island star, 28, showed off her ample cleavage as she went braless in a cut out lime minidress. Chloe showed off her revealing outfit as she posed up a storm in a number of photographs shared to Instagram on Thursday. The television personality showed off her bronzed tan in the thigh-skimming number which she teamed with a denim Louis Vuitton shoulder bag and perspex heels. Chloe wore her blonde locks back and appeared in high spirits ahead of her evening partying with friends. Chloe Burrows made sure she turned heads as she headed on a night out in Ibiza on Thursday The Love Island star, 28, showed off her ample cleavage as she went braless in a cut out lime minidress Chloe quoted Paris Hilton's iconic phrase as she captioned the post: 'Sliiivvvingggg!!!!!' (sic). The TV star's close pals took to the comment section, with Millie Court typing: ' Ferne McCann added: 'Unreal'. Chloe has jetted off to Ibiza after the screening of her Channel 4 documentary Untold: Love in the Limelight. The influencer and podcaster faked a relationship with Too Hot To Handle's Harry Johnson to investigate the power of 'showmances' - a portmanteau of 'showbusiness' and 'romances'. In Untold, Chloe, who found fame on Love Island with Toby Aromolaran, 24, gathered a host of reality stars who were either currently dating another star or had in the past. She asked them about the benefits and negatives of being in such high profile relationships. Chloe sat down with Davide, whom she sparked romance rumours with during filming, who said the industry should pay him for all the money they make. Chloe showed off her revealing outfit as she posed up a storm in a number of photographs shared to Instagram on Thursday The television personality showed off her bronzed tan in the thigh-skimming number which she teamed with a denim Louis Vuitton shoulder bag and perspex heels The documentary detailed how Chloe worked with paparazzi to ensure she and Harry were photographed together everywhere Whitney Adebayo and Lochan Nowaki, the only couple still together from Love Island series 10, incredulously recalled being paid to go on a five-star holiday. TOWIE's Jordan Brooks and Sophie Kasaei, currently wrapping up series 33 of the reality show, also opened up about their relationship. Also in the documentary was rapper Wes Nelson who dated Arabella Chi and Megan Barton-Hanson, the latter of whom he met on Love Island. Newer couple Matt Pilmoor and Shona Manderson, of Netflix's Married At First Sight fame, also featured. The documentary detailed how Chloe worked with paparazzi to ensure she and Harry were photographed together everywhere. Megalopolis Rating: Megalopolis, which had its world premiere last night at the Cannes Film Festival, is a passion project decades in the planning, which Francis Ford Coppola financed himself partly by auctioning off a chunk of his wine-making business. And yet, to use a wine analogy, the movie is corked. The 85-year-old director has been rightly feted this week on the Riviera. He is an industry colossus, whose 1970s output alone The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now elevates him to the top tier of filmmakers. But with that mighty talent comes a mighty ego, and a clear expectation that 'Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis: A Fable', to give it its complete and vainglorious title, will make us marvel anew at his genius. Let us weep at his hubris instead. It's not that there isn't a powerful springboard for his story: the notion that America in the near future, and New York City in particular, might be comparable with Ancient Rome as decline and decay set in. He calls his metropolis New Rome, a place undermined by greed, and men intent only on enriching themselves. Adam Driver plays architect Cesar Catilina, nephew of mega-wealthy banker Hamilton Crassus III (Jon Voight). When we first meet Cesar he is standing outside his office at the top of the Chrysler Building, seemingly about to take his own life (pictured) Actors Jon Voight and Aubrey Plaza attending the Cannes Film Festival premiere of the Megalopolis. The plot is wildly confusing. Adam Driver plays architect Cesar Catilina, nephew of mega-wealthy banker Hamilton Crassus III (Jon Voight). When we first meet Cesar he is standing outside his office at the top of the Chrysler Building, seemingly about to take his own life. But Cesar holds the mystical ability to make time stand still, enabling him to step back to safety. This sorcery is wrapped up with a magical golden building material he has invented called 'Megalon', with which he intends to erect a gleaming new utopia. 'Don't let the now destroy the forever,' he declares. But he has an influential foe in Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who affects to care about those whose neighbourhoods will be levelled to make way for Cesar's Megalopolis. Coppola hammers the Ancient Rome analogy for all he is worth which will likely be a lot less than it was if this film gets a metaphorical thumbs-down from the cinema-going public. Coppola reportedly spent $120 million (about 95 million) of his own money on this turkey, which he has been planning for some 40 years, including an estimated 300 rewrites. Tales have emerged of his eccentric behaviour on set, with one crew member claiming: 'He would often just sit in his trailer for hours on end, wouldn't talk to anybody, was often smoking marijuana . . . And hours and hours would go by without anything being filmed.' Worse still, the legendary auteur was reported by the Guardian to have been 'old school' in his approach to women. In one nightclub scene, Coppola is alleged to have tried to kiss some of the topless female extras, apparently claiming he was 'trying to get them in the mood'. (His executive co-producer insisted Coppola was trying to 'establish the spirit of the scene by giving kind hugs and kisses on the cheek to the cast and background players'. He added: 'I was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behaviour.') Director Francis Ford Coppola reportedly spent $120 million (about 95 million) of his own money on this turkey, which he has been planning for some 40 years, including an estimated 300 rewrites Coppola hammers the Ancient Rome analogy for all he is worth which will likely be a lot less than it was if this film gets a metaphorical thumbs-down from the cinema-going public In a film described as 'bats*** crazy' by one executive, Coppola ploughs self-indulgently on, reminding us of his gigantic self-regard by having Cesar and lover Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) discuss names for their unborn child: Sunny Hope for a girl . . . Francis for a boy. But I'll concede it may have been tongue-in-cheek. On the whole, it's a desperately portentous affair, which makes you wonder whether the cast (which also includes Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne and Aubrey Plaza) truly believed in the material, or whether they were content just to be working for the great Francis Ford Coppola? There are a few flashes of cinematic brilliance, to be sure, and the premise is an interesting one. But all things considered, I'll be amazed if this film is anything but a mega-flopolis, in which case Coppola will perhaps cite a much more enjoyable cinematic depiction of Roman excess, the incomparable Carry On Cleo (1964), wailing: 'Infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me!' Robert Irwin has debuted a 'new' accent in an online video which has driven fans wild. The Wildlife Warrior, 20, took to Instagram on Thursday to share his 'extensive' skincare routine with his fans. In the humorous video, Robert showed that he simply splashes water onto his face and dries it. However, many American fans were very taken with the different way Robert chose to say water as he took them through the first step of his routine. 'You turn the water on...or the water, as you Americans say,' he said, pronouncing the word water with an American accent. Robert Irwin has debuted a 'new' accent in an online video which has driven fans wild. The Wildlife Warrior, 20, took to Instagram on Thursday to share his 'extensive' skincare routine with his fans. Pictured Many American fans became taken with the different way Robert chose to say water as he took them through the first step of his routine 'When he says "water" with an American accent I think I fainted for a second,' wrote one excited fan. 'It's too good,' another replied, while another couldn't get enough of his American accent: 'I had to watch it twice to hear it again.' Others echoed this sentiment, suggesting that they rewatched the video multiple times just to hear Robert's impression. 'You turn the water on...or the water, as you Americans say,' he said, pronouncing the word water with an American accent. 'I fainted for a second,' wrote one excited fan 'Me rewinding the video 3 times to hear him say wah-ter,' said another admirer. 'Robert Irwin has gotten so good at the American accent,' wrote someone else. One fan had a very specific request for Robert to utilise the newfound skill: 'Please do a series of videos saying things in an American accent.' It comes as Robert showed off his musical skills earlier this week, performing live with country music star Lee Kernaghan at the Steve Irwin Gala in Las Vegas. The heartthrob wore a suit as he performed a rendition of the Australian hitmaker's tune Outback Club. Wildlife Warrior Robert Irwin, 20, (pictured) showed off his musical skills last weekend when he hit a Las Vegas stage to perform with country music star Lee Kernaghan during the Steve Irwin Gala Taking to Instagram, Robert shared a gallery of photos of the event. In one photo, the famed conservationist can be seen strumming an acoustic guitar with great intensity. Other pictures show off the I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! host singing alongside Kernaghan and the country star's wife Robby. The Kernaghans' were guest performers for the fundraiser event, which was held at the Bellgio Casino on Saturday, in a tribute to Robert's late father Steve Irwin. Also in attendance were Robert's sister Bindi Irwin, 25 and his mother Terri Irwin, 59. EastEnders star Shona McGarty is reportedly in talks to star on the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing when it airs in the autumn. The actress, 32, who quit the BBC soap after starring at Whitney Dean for 15 years, and is looking for new opportunities as she won't 'have to juggle the soap' as well. Shona was previously approached for the show in 2021 but reportedly turned down the offer due to dealing with anxiety issues. A source has told The Mirror: 'Shona would be a great fit for the show. She's a real favourite with soap fans, as well as being incredibly bubbly and good fun. 'She is also a big fan of Strictly but when she was approached for it the first time, she was really worried it might be too much for her. EastEnders star Shona McGarty is reportedly in talks to star on the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing when it airs in the autumn The actress, 32, who quit the BBC soap after starring at Whitney Dean for 15 years, and is looking for new opportunities as she won't 'have to juggle the soap' as well 'A few years on, she is a lot more confident and the timing is better, because she won't have to juggle the show with her commitments to EastEnders.' Previously, the TV star said she was scared her anxiety would 'get the better' of her and she thought she would be 'too nervous' to perform live. EastEnders stars have had a great record on the show with Rose Ayling-Ellis lifting the trophy in 2021 with partner Giovanni Pernice, Nigel Harman doing well in 2023 before injuring a rib, and Bobby Brazier making it to the final with partner Dianne Buswell last year. Other Albert Square favourites who have showed off their moves include Kellie Bright, Nigel Harman and Emma Barton. Shona will be leaving Albert Square in July after joining the soap at the age of 16 in 2008. The star has now revealed that it was a 'really difficult' decision to leave, but has decided she wants to explore 'other opportunities' before she is 'too old'. The BBC star filmed her final scenes earlier this month and was greeted by fans outside Elstree Studios as she headed home. Shona's character Whitney, arrived back Walford in 2008 as the adopted daughter of Bianca Jackson (played by Patsy Palmer). Shona was previously approached for the show in 2021 but turned down the offer due to anxiety issues A source said: 'Shona would be a great fit. She's a real favourite with soap fans, as well as being incredibly bubbly and good fun. She won't have to juggle the show with her commitments to EastEnders' Previously, the TV star said she was scared her anxiety would 'get the better' of her and she thought she would be 'too nervous' to perform live EastEnders stars have had a great record on the show with Rose Ayling-Ellis lifting the trophy in 2021 with partner Giovanni Pernice, and Bobby Brazier making it to the final with partner Dianne Buswell last year She has been at the heart of countless hard-hitting story lines, including grooming, sexual abuse, baby loss, kidnap, stalking and illicit affairs. Whitney has been given a dramatic send off which follows a shocking pregnancy storyline. The character and her partner Zack Hudson (played by James Farrar) have been trying to have a baby for a long time. She previously terminated a pregnancy after finding out her little girl suffered from Edwards' Syndrome, which meant her baby would not have survived long after being born. Whitney was left completely devastated by the loss and swore she would never try and have a biological child again and so she and Zack put themselves forward for foster care. The couple ended up looking after a young boy Ashton over the Christmas period however, he soon got adopted leaving the couple more alone than ever. In 2008 Whitney was groomed and abused by her onscreen mum's partner and in 2020 she killed deranged Leo King for the soap's 35th anniversary. Shona joined the soap at the age of 16 in 2008 portraying the iconic Whitney Dean and revealed that she would be quitting in July (pictured in 2008) The star revealed that it was a 'really difficult' decision to leave, but has decided she wants to explore 'other opportunities' before she is 'too old' Shona's character Whitney, arrived back Walford in 2008 as the adopted daughter of Bianca Jackson (played by Patsy Palmer left) In 2020 she killed deranged Leo King for the soap's 35th anniversary (pictured in 2008) She has also been part of a number of hard hitting story lines including grooming, sexual abuse, baby loss, kidnap, stalking and illicit affairs (pictured with partner Zack Hudson, played by James Farrar) It is unknown what the actress is going to do next but she revealed she only had one week off after filming her final episode before starting a new top-secret project. However, it is likely Shona will do something with music as she regularly posts videos of her singing to social media. In 2012, she performed on Children in Need singing Sm Cooke's A Change is Gonna Come. She released a charity song for Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2018 and covered The Beatles' Let It Be in 2021 for the charity Mind. In 2022, Shona sang at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall for BBC1. She added that 'singing is her first love' and revealed she has already 'written lots of songs' and would love to release an album one day. Lainey Wilson took home the honors for Female Artist of the Year, Music Event of the Year and Entertainer of the Year at Thursday's Academy of Country Music Awards stemming from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The Baskin, Louisiana native, 31, said she's received strong support from the women within the country music industry in her acceptance speech for Female Artist of the Year. 'A lot of the women are some of my best friends and helped pull me over that wall,' said Wilson, who won the honors over Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney and Kacey Musgraves. 'It's crazy to think, me and Wynonna Judd, we talk every week,' Wilson said. 'Iron sharpens iron and I want to thank all those women who do that.' The Yellowstone star also thanked her label, her mother and her father in her initial acceptance speech. Lainey Wilson took home the honors for Female Artist of the Year at Thursday's Academy of Country Music Awards stemming from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas Wilson, pictured during entrances, won the honors over Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney and Kacey Musgraves In her acceptance speech for Entertainer of the Year, an emotional Wilson said that the past few years for her have been 'a complete whirlwind' amid her career breakout. 'I've been in Nashville for 13 years doing this,' Wilson said, adding, 'Thank you so much Lord Jesus Christ, thank you to my team who fights for me every single day, who work so hard, my band, they show up.' Wilson looked back to her childhood as she remembered 'being a little girl' and sitting on her rooftop watching the stars and planes fly overhead, and dreaming of one day, being on one of the planes. 'The funny thing is, is I still feel like that little girl - I really do,' Wilson said. 'I feel like I still climb out on the roof and I look at the stars except I feel like I'm a little more eye-level with them now.' Reba McEntire was hosting the show a record 17th time, overseeing a night of memorable performances, including a tribute to the late Toby Keith. Jordan Davis claimed honors for Song Of The Year for Next Thing You Know, which had been nominated against Luke Combs' Fast Car; Lainey Wilson's Heart Like A Truck; Cody Johnson's The Painter and Megan Moroney's Tennessee Orange. Dan + Shay claimed the win for Duo of the Year, besting fellow nominees Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Maddie & Tae and The War And Treaty. Dan Smyers thanked the fans and his family, while Shay Mooney thanked his wife, three boys and country community. 'A lot of the women are some of my best friends and helped pull me over that wall,' Wilson said Jelly Roll's collaboration with Wilson, Save Me, was awarded Music Event of the Year Jelly Roll said in his acceptance speech, 'This song saved me, I was in a dark place, I wrote it from my soul' In her acceptance speech for Entertainer of the Year, an emotional Wilson said that the past few years for her have been 'a complete whirlwind' amid her career breakout Wilson said: 'Thank you so much Lord Jesus Christ, thank you to my team who fights for me every single day, who work so hard, my band, they show up' Wilson had her hands full as she posed with her three ACM award trophies Thursday She posed alongside Jelly Roll after they won honors for their track Save Me Smyers said, 'Shay, I love you so much brother, I am so proud to be back up on this stage with you. 'Thank you to the ACMs, everybody who voted, thank country radio, all the streamers, the fans, I gotta say thank you to my wife Abby whose holding it down in Nashville ... Abby, I love you so much.' Mooney said, 'God bless Texas, God bless country music and God bless Reba McEntire!' Old Dominion was named Group of the Year, besting fellow nominees Flatland Cavalry, Lady A, Little Big Town and Zac Brown Band. Old Dominion's Matthew Ramsey said that the group has been trying to 'take all of this in' in terms of their long-running success. Ramsey said, 'We're so proud of who our fans are,' looking back on how he was in dire financial straits 12 years ago until the music ensemble's professional breakout. 'Thank you very much for allowing us to continue to do this, thank you so so much,' he said. Luke Combs won honors for Single of the Year for his rendition of Fast Car, originally released by Tracy Chapman in 1988. He was not in attendance to accept the honors Thursday. Jordan Davis claimed honors for Song Of The Year for Next Thing You Know at Thursday's Academy of Country Music Awards stemming from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Davis's track had been nominated against Luke Combs' Fast Car; Lainey Wilson's Heart Like A Truck; Cody Johnson's The Painter and Megan Moroney's Tennessee Orange Davis posed with trophies he collected for winning Song Of The Year Dan + Shay claimed the win for Duo of the Year, besting fellow nominees Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Maddie & Tae and The War And Treaty. Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney pictured during entrances The talented tandem was posed in front of a group of fans at the event in Frisco, Texas Dan + Shay thanked their fans and families in their acceptance speech Thursday The country music mainstays celebrated backstage with their trophies in hand Combs' single had been nominated against Parker McCollum's Burn It Down, Morgan Wallen's Last Night, Jelly Roll's Need a Favor and Jordan Davis' Next Thing You Know. Chris Stapleton took home the honors for Male Artist of the Year, defeating fellow nominees Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson and Morgan Wallen. Jelly Roll's collaboration with Wilson, Save Me, was awarded Music Event of the Year. The performance was nominated against Old Dominion and Megan Moroney's Cant Break Up Now; Riley Green and Luke Combs' Different Round Here; Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves' I Remember Everything; and Morgan Wallen and Eric Church's Man Made a Bar. 'This song saved me, I was in a dark place, I wrote it from my soul,' Jelly Roll said in his acceptance speech. Stapleton won honors for Album of the Year, prevailing in a field that included Luke Combs' Gettin Old; Cody Johnson's Leather; Morgan Wallen's One Thing at A Time; and Kelsea Ballerini's Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good). Reba McEntire told the AP, 'I love the award show because its almost like a family reunion.' This year's nominees range from veteran acts to new talent, including the much-beloved Jelly Roll. Old Dominion was named Group of the Year, besting fellow nominees Flatland Cavalry, Lady A, Little Big Town and Zac Brown Band (L-R) Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung, Matthew Ramsey and Trevor Rosen of Old Dominion posed during entrances at the show Chris Stapleton took home the honors for Male Artist of the Year. Pictured with wife Morgane Stapleton during entrances Stapleton defeated fellow nominees Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson and Morgan Wallen This year marked his first-time receiving ACM nominations; hes up for entertainer of the year, male artist of the year, single of the year (for Need a Favor, which won big at the CMT Music Awards last month), and music event of the year, for Save Me featuring Lainey Wilson. The last time a musician was up for entertainer of the year in his first round of ACM awards nominations was Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992. The ACM festivities actually began aead of Thursday's event, when the new artist of the year awards were handed out at Tuesday's ACM Country Kickoff fan festival at The Star: Megan Moroney took home new female artist of the year, Nate Smith won in the male category and Tigirlily Gold took home the prize for new duo or group. The 2024 ACM Awards streamed on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch Live at 8 p.m. Eastern. Luke Combs led the pack of the 2024 nominations with eight nods. For a fifth year in a row, hes up for both male artist of the year and entertainer of the year. Combs eight nominations includes a first-time nomination for Tracy Chapman. His cover of her Fast Car is up for song of the year, a category that recognizes songwriters and publishers in addition to artists. Last year, Chapmans 1988 song won song of the year at the Country Music Awards for Combs cover, making her the first Black songwriter to win in the category. Morgan Wallen and Moroney closely follow Combs nominations with six each, while Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Wilson are tied with five. Jordan Davis and Jelly Roll have four nominations. Krista Slaubaugh and Kendra Slaubaugh of Tigirlily Gold posed with their trophy after winning the honors for New Duo or Group of the Year Reba McEntire was hosting the show a record 17th time, overseeing a night of memorable performances, including a tribute to the late Toby Keith Jason Aldean performed a tribute to Keith, who died in February. 'Ive been a fan of his since the beginning and his songs are some of the first songs I played back in clubs early in my career, including the one Ill be performing on the show,' Aldean said in a statement. 'It means a lot to be able to honor him and properly celebrate his iconic career and legacy. He was one of a kind.' In addition to Aldean: Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Post Malone, Parker McCollum, Johnson, McEntire, Wilson and Stapleton performed during the telecast. Fans can expect a few interesting collaborations as well - Kelsea Ballerini with Noah Kahan; Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani and Smith with Avril Lavigne. Barry Keoghan looked like he had come to the right event as he hid his tired eyes behind a pair of sunglasses at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday. The Saltburn actor, 31, headed to Nespresso's event with Brut - and it looked like a cup of coffee could have been exactly what he was after. Despite it being dark outside, Barry rocked up the bash, held at La Nuova Italia, wearing the dark shades and larked around with the fashion accessory as he posed for photographs. He continued to show off his unique sense of style in a purple patterned co-ord which was partially undone to give an effortlessly cool look. Pictured sipping coffee, a close source said Nespresso has partnered with Barry during the Cannes Film Festival to help promote their products. The actor is the latest celebrity to have sponsorship from the brand with George Clooney, 63, David Beckham, 49, Julia Garner, 30, and Simone Ashley, 29, all having previously worked for Nespresso. Barry Keoghan looked like he had come to the right event as he hid his tired eyes behind a pair of sunglasses at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday Despite it being dark outside, Barry rocked up the bash, held at La Nuova Italia, wearing the dark shades and larked around with the fashion accessory as he posed for photographs Speaking to press on Friday Barry said he has had "lots of offers" since his role in Emerald Fennels Saltburn saw him take the lead role of Oliver Quick. Barry 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. The Irish actor has also played major roles in The Batman, Eternals, American Animals, Dunkirk and Chernobyl. George Clooney has been said to have been paid upwards of 40 million by endorsement deals from Nespresso since he began working with them in 2013. In November 2023 David joined their forces in what was said to be a big money deal at the time. Barry was back on the red carpet as new film Bird was launched at the 77th annual 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 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. The Saltburn actor, 31, headed to Nespresso's event with Brut - and it looked like a cup of coffee could have been exactly what he was after He continued to show off his unique sense of style in a purple patterned co-ord which was partially undone to give an effortlessly cool look 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 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 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. The Irish actor has also played major roles in The Batman, Eternals, American Animals, Dunkirk and Chernobyl. 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. A close source said Nespresso has partnered with Barry during the Cannes Film Festival to help promote their products alongside the likes of George Clooney (pictured) The Irish actor has also played major roles in The Batman, Eternals, American Animals, Dunkirk and Chernobyl Barry 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 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 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. 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. 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. Romane Iannaccone put on a racy display as she flashed her nude underwear in a see-through black dress Sophie Dorn put on a glamorous display in a quirky black gown Bruna Biancardi looked incredible in a leather jumpsuit Hunter Schafer wowed in a floral print jumpsuit 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. A celebrity series of The Traitors could shoot early this summer - as long as the BBC can get Claudia Winkleman to sign on the dotted line. I understand that the plan is to make a starry spin-off of the hit show 'back to back' with series three, currently in production near Inverness. It had been thought that the celebrity version would go into production next year. But Studio Lambert boss Stephen Lambert told me it's coming up much sooner than that. Possibly as early as next month. He said there won't be any tinkering with the successful format which sees the faithful try to sniff out the traitors, while everyone is subjected to various games and challenges for the celebrity version. A celebrity series of The Traitors could shoot early this summer - as long as the BBC can get Claudia Winkleman to sign on the dotted line, Alison Boshoff revealed It is understood that BBC bosses are trying to get Claudia to sign up to filming back-to-back series in the Highlands 'The plan is to shoot them pretty much back to back, so at the moment it is just a question of having to be very nice to Claudia Winkleman, so she agrees to spend twice as much time up in Scotland.' Lambert added: 'We are very much going to make a series which is just like The Traitors . . . apart from the fact the contestants will be celebrities. We are in the process of finalising everything with the BBC.' Speculation has been raging about who might take part, with Lambert saying he would like former Prime Minister Liz Truss in the series, and fans speculating that Courteney Cox a friend of Winkleman's might do it. Lambert was celebrating two wins at the Baftas on Sunday for Squid Game: The Challenge and Celebrity Race Across The World. The new series has been shooting for a week and Lambert said: 'We've had some amazing twists. 'It's hard making season three, because the expectations get bigger and bigger. Fortunately, I think it's going well.' Filming normally lasts for around five weeks, meaning a June finish. So if the celebrity version comes together in that period, it would allow Winkleman to be free for the summer holidays children Matilda and Arthur are still at school, and oldest son Jake is at university before work starts on Strictly Come Dancing in September. Speculation has been raging about who might take part, with Lambert saying he would like former Prime Minister Liz Truss in the series, and fans speculating that Courteney Cox a friend of Winkleman's might do it (Claudia pictured with series 2 winner Harry) The new series has been shooting for a week and Lambert said: 'We've had some amazing twists (Pictured are Claudia and series 2 final five) One concern is the swarms of midges which can make summers in the Highlands a challenge. Lambert admitted: 'The midges do worry me. Let's hope we manage.' It comes after the planned 2024 series was thrown into chaos when it was revealed in March that amongst the 300,000 people who applied for a space on the show, some were plotting to conspire against the BBC. According to The Sun, some applicants - who were through to stage 2 of the process at the time - had grouped up and planned to use a secret code if they appear in the show. But one traitor had already betrayed their mini alliance by disclosing the plan to producers Studio Lambert. It comes after the planned 2024 series was thrown into chaos when it was revealed in March that a mongst the 300,000 people who applied for a space on the show , some were plotting to conspire against the BBC A source told the publication: 'The group chats spoke about using code words. If they were chosen as a Traitor, they were going to say "I'm feeling hotter than usual today, anyone else?" Traitors would answer "yes", Faithfuls "no". 'They agreed to split the prize pot. Some were just interested in fame and had fake arguments planned to get more airtime. 'But they gave so much personal information away, they could be pinpointed directly to their auditions. One was a surgeon, so it was easy for casting to pick out applicants by name and give them the boot.' Rest assured, all the swindlers were weeded out because they risked the integrity of the show. Jenelle Evans is putting some court-mandated distance between herself and David Eason. After the Teen Mom star, 32, filed for separation from her husband of nearly seven years, she and her three children were granted a restraining order against Eason, 35, on Thursday, according to The Sun. The six-month domestic violence protective order requires Eason to surrender his firearms. Additionally, he is not allowed contact of any kind with Evans or her children, including posting about them on social media or visiting the kids' school. Eason did not have any representation in the North Carolina courtroom after he asked for multiple continuances to obtain a lawyer. Jenelle Evans and her three children were granted a restraining order against husband David Eason on Thursday The six-month domestic violence protective order requires Eason to surrender his firearms, and he is not allowed contact of any kind with Evans or her children The restraining order comes as Evans and Eason are involved in an active child custody case over their 7-year-old daughter Ensley Jolie. Evans also shares son Jace Vaughn, 14, with ex Andrew Lewis, and 9-year-old son Kaiser Orion with ex Nathan Griffin. The 16 & Pregnant alum filed for legal separation from Eason in February, citing his recent 'erratic behavior' and accusing him of 'substance abuse.' Evans also referenced when Eason killed the family's French bulldog puppy Nugget in 2019, as well as his assault on Jace, after he was charged with child abuse for allegedly strangling the teenager in October. Jace was placed in the custody of CPS and ultimately reunited with his father earlier this year after running away multiple time. Evans revealed in February that CPS dismissed their case against her and Eason. Last month, Evans announced that she was pulling her children out of class and homeschooling them for the rest of the year after she 'found out their school is not safe.' The mother-of-three said she 'wouldn't go into detail about that,' adding: 'I want to keep them safe, I want to keep them at home, I want to keep my eye on them.' The 16 & Pregnant alum filed for legal separation from Eason in February, citing his recent 'erratic behavior' and accusing him of 'substance abuse' Evans also referenced Eason's assault on Jace, after he was charged with child abuse for allegedly strangling the teenager in October The restraining order comes as Evans and Eason are involved in an active child custody case over their 7-year-old daughter Ensley Jolie Evans is reportedly considering moving from her native NC to Florida after she was 'touring two or three homes in the Central Florida area' earlier this month, according to TMZ. The homes are close to where her Teen Mom co-star Briana DeJesus lives in Kissimmee. Evans previously revealed that she's returning to the MTV franchise with an appearance in season two of The Next Chapter 'Yayyyy, I can finally say yes... I'm back!' wrote Evans on her Instagram Story with a teaser, in which she declares, 'I think it'll be good to have a fresh start.' Season two of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter premieres May 30 on MTV. Fly with Me (PBS America) Rating: Has there ever been a more sexually suggestive ad campaign? 'I'm Judy,' smiled the blonde stripping down to her bikini in the Florida sunshine. 'You can fly me morning, afternoon or night. Just say when!' And as she ran down the beach to the sea, a screencard urged: 'Fly Judy. Fly National. Call your travel agent.' 'I hated that. It was pretty close to 'f*** me'. It was really an insult,' said former flight attendant Kathleen Heenan, on Fly With Me, a documentary that tells how air stewardesses were in the vanguard of the 1970s feminist movement. They seemed unlikely warriors for women's rights. 'Barbie dolls revolt!' gasped one headline, as cabin crew on the U.S. airline TWA announced a strike. 'Women's liberation has reared its pretty head in the skies,' warned another reporter. 'The question is whether or not a stewardess is a flying waitress, a sex object or a safety expert. They seem to be a little bit of all three.' In the U.S. after the Second World War, women sought out jobs as airline stewardesses (pictured) as a way to find adventure Much of the fascination of this two-part history lesson was seeing how casually outrageous the treatment was of women at work, half a century ago. Applicants for jobs as 'cabin girls' with United Airlines, for instance, had to be aged between 21 and 26, unmarried, between 5'2' and 5'8', weigh between 105lb and 135lb (seven stone seven and nine stone nine), and be 'well-proportioned'. Getting pregnant was a sackable offence. So was getting married. Most employers dismissed stewardesses when they turned 35 though some set the limit at 32. When an exception to this rule was introduced, it was dubbed the 'grandmother clause'. Eastern Airlines even boasted about this, with an advert called 'Meet the losers'. It featured a parade of women who failed to match their exacting standards: 'She's awkward . . . She's not very friendly . . . She wears glasses.' TWA introduced provocative paper uniforms with an international twist: the 'English wench', the 'Italian toga', the 'French cocktail' and the 'Manhattan penthouse'. Unsurprisingly, some male passengers assumed this was an invitation to grope. Yet these young women, regarded as so compliant, docile and dim, were also expected to perform heroics. With airliners commandeered by the U.S. Army to transport troops in and out of Vietnam, they regularly flew into the war zone, coming under fire. And with hijacks and terrorist alerts a frequent occurence, they often had to shepherd panicking passengers during an evacuation. One described how, after her plane was emptied by a bomb scare, the pilot sent her back on board to cook his dinner. The marvel is that stewardesses endured this treatment for so long without hijacking a few planes themselves. Even when they did fight back, their tactics were low-key all of them wearing wedding rings, for instance, to protest the prohibition on marriage. How different it was for female crew on British services, we didn't find out. 'I'm Mavis . . . I'm Brenda . . . fly me' that doesn't strike the same note. Giovanni Pernice reportedly quit Strictly Come Dancing after the scrutiny became 'too much' when three of his ex dance partners slammed his 'militant' approach. The professional dancer, 33, is said to want a 'fresh start' but is 'adamant he has done nothing wrong' after his last celebrity partner, Amanda Abbington, 52, led the charge in accusing him of 'difficult behaviour' during training. Amanda, who dramatically withdrew from last year's competition and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the show, is said to have met with Laura Whitmore, 39, and Ranvir Singh, 46, earlier this year for an 'emotional summit' to 'compare notes' about their time working with him. While the BBC has stood by him and been keen to sign the professional dancer for its 20th anniversary series, Giovanni has decided to not return after eight years on the show. 'Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much and now is the time to make a fresh start,' a source told The Sun. Giovanni Pernice reportedly quit Strictly Come Dancing after the scrutiny became 'too much' when three of his ex dance partners slammed his 'militant' approach But the professional dancer, 33, is 'adamant he has done nothing wrong' after his last celebrity partner, Amanda Abbington, 52, led the charge in accusing him of 'difficult behaviour' 'He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels hes achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times. 'He remains adamant hes done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isnt to everyones liking - especially in this day and age.' The insider added Giovanni has lots of 'exciting projects' in the pipeline which is now his priority. A spokesman for the BBC has declined to comment on Giovanni's departure. They told MailOnline: 'The professional dancers for 2024 will be announced in due course'. MailOnline has contacted Giovanni's representatives for comment. The turning point in Giovanni's television career comes amid his new relationship with Molly Brown. The couple first confirmed their romance at the end of February and have been sharing loved-up snaps on holiday this week. Reports of Giovanni's departure will be a bitter blow to the BBC, who have stood by him amid the furore. He was said to be assured by his bosses he would be part of the line-up for the new series, but decided himself to step away from the show. The dancer has also been on TV with Strictly judge Anton Du Beke with their own show, Anton & Giovanni's Adventures in Sicily. The turning point in Giovanni's television career comes amid his new relationship with Molly Brown. The couple first confirmed their romance at the end of February and are on holiday Giovanni has quit Strictly Come Dancing, according to reports. Giovanni has faced a wave of scrutiny ever since his dance partner Amanda Abbington dramatically quit last year Laura Whitmore and Giovanni pictured. Amanda is said to have met the presenter to discuss her experience with the dancer during the competition in 2022 Ranvir Singh and Giovanni pictured. The Good Morning Britain presenter complained about Giovanni to producers back in 2020, during their time on the show (pictured in 2020) According to an insider, Giovanni feels like he has achieved everything he can on the show, having lifted the glitterball with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021 and got the final several times The insider added Giovanni has lots of 'exciting projects' in the pipeline which is now his priority. The pro dancer has his own travel show with Anton Du Beke The fan favourite won the 2021 series with former EastEnders' actress Rose Ayling-Ellis. He also found success with Georgia May Foote in his debut year. The pair came second and went on to have a relationship. He also made it through to the final with Faye Tozer and Debbie McGee. But, earlier this year, Amanda reportedly met with Laura, who danced with Giovanni in the 2022 series, and Giovanni's 2020 partner, Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir, to discuss their experiences. Ranvir complained about Giovanni to producers back in 2020, during their time on the show, while Laura said she 'cried every day' and felt 'uncomfortable' while dancing with him in 2016. A source close to the trio told MailOnline back in March: 'They are very unhappy with the way the BBC are handling this.' The insider continued: 'It's one thing saying they are standing by him, but they feel as if Giovanni is being promoted and pushed centre stage in a bid to make them go away and keep quiet. It's a kick in the teeth. 'One of the reasons they wanted to meet up was to try and work on a way forward because they have no intention of just backing down and letting this just fade away. 'All three have been impacted in different ways by what happened and they've agreed to speak again about how best they can get something done about it because they are genuinely worried about want went on and the fact someone else could end up experiencing what they went through. 'But right now there's a feeling that Gio is pretty much untouchable - especially given he is so close to Anton who thinks the world of him and can't believe the stuff he's been hearing claimed about his mate.' However, a source close to Giovanni told the publication: 'Gio finds some of these allegations deeply unfair and offensive. He believes he's done nothing wrong, and simply wants to get the best out of his partners.' The BBC said earlier this year they would not be investigating Giovanni's behaviour with Amanda, with a spokesperson saying: 'There is a constant dialogue between the senior production team and contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly.' In 2016, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore said she ' cried every day' and felt 'uncomfortable' while training with him. She later wrote for HuffPost UK in 2018: 'I'm still not ready to talk in depth about my experience on the show. 'I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with and in the end I felt broken, I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.' It's also thought that Giovanni also clashed with his 2018 celebrity partner Faye Tozer. The former member of the 1990s band Steps, Faye Tozer, is said to have struggled to work with him and broke down in tears following an appearance together on spin-off show, It Takes Two. Meanwhile his 2022 partner Richie Anderson has unfollowed him on Instagram. It's also thought that Giovanni clashed with his 2018 celebrity partner Faye Tozer (pictured) Meanwhile his 2022 partner Richie Anderson has unfollowed him on Instagram Former partners also came out to back him, including Debbie McGee, the widow of the magician Paul Daniels, who was paired with him in 2017 But other former partners have also come out to back him, including Debbie McGee, the widow of the magician Paul Daniels, who was paired with him in 2017. Shortly after Amanda's allegations, Debbie shared a beaming throwback picture of her and Giovanni taken backstage during their stint together. 'Happy memories, Giovanni and I had the best of times on Strictly,' she said in the caption. Director Francis Ford Coppola called Aubrey Plaza his 'Golden Woman' on the set of Megalopolis, the controversial film which has got the whole of Cannes talking. But during the 77th annual film festival, Aubrey revealed just how committed to the movie and director she was after Francis spent decades developing, and funding it with $120 million of his own fortune. Aubrey plays a rich girl called Wow Platinum an ambitious, manipulative journalist who ends up married to the richest man in the world in the film. She revealed the one exception she made was dying her long brunette tresses and it is something she will 'never' do again. Aubrey said: 'They wanted me to be dripping in diamonds, and just be radiating lustre and wealth.' Director Francis Ford Coppola called Aubrey Plaza his 'Golden Woman' on the set of Megalopolis, the controversial film which has got the whole of Cannes talking But during the 77th annual film festival, Aubrey revealed just how committed to the movie and director she was after Francis spent decades developing, and funding it with $120 million of his own fortune The character was conceived of as blonde hence the name and the White Lotus star, a natural brunette, agreed to a radical change of look. 'I bleached my hair blonde for Francis and Milena (Canonero, his costume designer). For anybody else, never again. But for them, I did it.' Francis ran the show a bit like a theatre school, making actors do repeated takes (and improvise), which she says she and co-star Adam Driver loved. Though reports suggest that another co-star, Shia LaBeouf, felt otherwise. A making-of documentary is on the way from Brit Mike Figgis. Aubrey said: 'We would do something that was off the cuff and weird and Francis would say: "I like that! Do it again." And then all of a sudden we're shooting in a different location we didn't even plan to shoot.' 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. The actress and comedian, who first shot to fame playing gloomy April in Parks And Rec, is now making Honey Don't! with Margaret Qualley, and hopes to make a 'feel-bad romance' called Liarmouth with director John Waters next year. Cannes is the world's biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 as an alternative to the then-fascist-influenced Venice Film Festival. She revealed the one exception she made was dying her long brunette tresses and it is something she will 'never' do again The character was conceived of as blonde hence the name and the White Lotus star, a natural brunette, agreed to a radical change of look Aubrey said: 'I bleached my hair blonde for Francis and Milena (Canonero, his costume designer). For anybody else, never again. But for them, I did it' 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 was once a fan favourite on Seven's long-running soap Home and Away. And now Tammin Sursok has made a surprise career move with the launch of a solo podcast called The Sh*t Show featuring Australian TV stars and celebrities. The 40-year-old actress announced the news to her social media after dropping the first episode on Thursday, which includes an intimate chat with local musician Amy Shark. Tammin, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee, has previously produced two U.S.-centric podcasts: Women on Top and Pretty Little Podcast. Posting video of her first show to her Instagram, Tammin gushed about her new project in the caption. Former Home and Away star Tammin Sursok, 40, has made a surprise career move with the launch of a solo podcast called The Sh*t Show featuring Australian TV stars and celebrities. (Pictured) 'We are live!!!! After a LOT of hard work The Sh*T is out! In my solo podcast we have candid conversations with Aussies and international stars about the messy, honest, funny, sad, beautiful parts of life.' In an interview with News.com.au on Friday, Tammin said fans can look forward to candid interviews with Candice Warner, Osher Gunsberg, Bachelor star Matty Johnson and Seven's Larry Emdur. 'I got to speak to people I grew up with on TV and find out more about their life journey and their life story,' Tammin told the publication. The South African born actress announced the news to her social media after dropping the first episode on Thursday which includes an intimate chat with Down Under music legend and Australian Idol judge Amy Shark. (Both pictured) 'I was just really interested in sharing that and sharing the messy parts of life that we all sort of go through and I wanted to do it in a podcast form.' The South African born star added: 'What is cool about the show is that the celebrities and the people that Ive interviewed have really opened up about things that theyve never talked about ever.' It comes after Tammin Sursok announced last month that should be releasing a memoir which will hit the shelves 2025. Seven's Larry Emdur (pictured) is also set to appear on Tammin's podcast In an interview with News on Friday Tammin said fans look forward to hearing the podcast feature new candid interviews with Candice Warner, Osher Gunsberg, and Bachelor star Matty Johnson. Pictured: Tammin's promo for her podcast The Sh*t Show 'This is honestly a dream come true, as I've been writing essays and snippets about my life for almost ten years now' Tammin explained. 'It's very surreal that these insights into my past are now turning into a book' she continued. 'There is a lot I've opened up about already, but there's also so much more to uncover. Thank you to Pantera Press for joining forces with me. Watch this space'. Tammin who rose to fame playing Danielle 'Dani' Sutherland in Home and Away 25-years ago, lives in Nashville with husband Sean McEwen and their two daughters, nine-year-old Phoenix and four-year-old Lennon. She later won praise in the U.S. made teen series Pretty Little Liars. The Sh*t Show Apple podcast is now available here. Jodi Gordon showed off her very slender figure as she attended Australian Fashion Week with celebrity makeup artist Max May on Thursday. The former Home and Away actress, 39, shared a series of photos to Instagram as she got ready for the fashion event. Jodi revealed her tiny frame in a figure-hugging yellow off the shoulder dress as she posed inside her Sydney home. She accessorised her ensemble with a pair of yellow heels and a matching coloured bag. Jodi left her long brunette locks out and accentuated her features with bronzer and a red lip. Jodi Gordon showed off her very slender figure as she attended Australian Fashion Week with on Thursday It comes after the actress recently sparked concern among her fans after she uploaded a series of pictures which showed her looking very slender on Easter. Jodi shared images of herself 'looking for Easter eggs' in an ethereal white ensemble from Sydney label IXIAH. Many followers were more interested in the actress' weight loss than her pricey boho outfit, which sees similar sets selling for $600 to $800. One concerned fan wrote, 'What happened? So thin.' 'Something wrong? Hope you're alright,' another added, while one more commented 'You've lost weight gurl.' Jodi revealed her slender figure in the tight yellow off the shoulder dress as she posed inside her Sydney home with celebrity makeup artist Max May Despite the concern Jodi received, many rushed to her defence and accused critics of 'bullying' her. 'Since when did it become ok to comment on another persons body or weight?' one furious user said. 'And why is it seemingly more acceptable to comment on someone being "too thin" opposed to being "too big" when in reality both are as rude and offensive as the other!' they added. 'You don't know her, you don't know her story, her life, her health or her struggles. Why comment purely with the intention to hurt? She left her long brunette locks out and accentuated her features with bronzer and a red lip 'No wonder bullying is so prevalent in our schools, bullies raise bullies!' Several other fans praised Jodi for her stunning looks, paying no mind to the other worried commenters, with one writing: 'You're absolutely STUNNING Jodz.' Another said, 'You've already been my most favourite supermodel,' while someone else commented: 'So gorgeous. And happy Easter!' Lucinda Light has sold out all of her UK shows on her upcoming 10-day speaking tour in a matter of days. The Married At First Sight fan favourite, 43, recently sent fans wild by confirming she will be touring around the United Kingdom for 10 epic shows in August. Just days after tickets first went on sale on Monday, Lucinda's tour has already completely sold out after eager fans were quick to snap them up. Lucinda took to her Instagram on Thursday to share her amazement at the high-demand for tickets, when there were still some up for grabs in Bath and Glasgow. However, it appears that the tour has since completely sold out, with no more tickets showing as available for any of her one-woman shows online. Lucinda Light has sold out all of her UK shows on her upcoming 10-day speaking tour in a matter of days 'I've been utterly blown away, I'm not going to lie, about my almost fully sold out UK tour, that just went in days,' Lucinda gushed in a video. The reality TV star promised that she was trying to get more tickets for fans as she urged them to sign up to a mailing list to be the first to find out more. 'What we're trying to do is get more tickets circulating and I would like you to be the first to know,' she went on. 'So if you want to know first up and you did miss out on tickets, sign up to the link in my bio and we will make sure that happens. And I will see you soon!' Lucinda will travel to eight UK cities, starting in Birmingham on August 5 before wrapping up in Bath on August 15. The Married At First Sight fan favourite, 43, took to Instagram on Thursday to share her shock at the popularity of her shows and promised to try and source even more tickets for fans Lucinda will travel to eight UK cities, starting in Birmingham on August 5 before wrapping up in Bath on August 15 She will hit cities including Cardiff, Manchester, London, Brighton and Cambridge along the way on her jam-packed touring schedule. At the shows, Lucinda - who rose to fame on MAFS' 2024 series - will share her expertise in emotional intelligence and participate in fan Q&A sessions. Lucinda has showed no signs of slowing down since rising to fame on MAFS earlier this year as she has secured a whole string of impressive career opportunities. Gaining a legion of fans during her time on season 11, Lucinda now boasts 614,000 Instagram followers, close to 200,000 more than the other contestants. According to a source, major podcast networks are currently competing to sign her exclusively for her own show post-experiment, while several voiceover agencies are also interested in signing her as an audiobook narrator. Lucinda has showed no signs of slowing down since rising to fame on MAFS earlier this year as she has secured a whole string of impressive career opportunities Lucinda also continues to offer her wedding celebrant and MC services, charging $8,000 for each officiant wedding package. Her website boasts her work as a celebrant, accompanied by a notice stating that bookings are unavailable until 2025. She emphasises her role in guiding couples through the entire process, offering a spectrum from 'chilled' to 'completely over-the-top'. Her pricing might be higher due to the package she offers, which includes her services as both an officiant and an MC for the evening festivities. Chinese marriage registration offices to extend hours to accommodate newlyweds on May 20 14:12, May 17, 2024 By Yu Xi ( Global Times Marriage registration offices in multiple regions across China have announced plans to extend their working hours to accommodate newlyweds on May 20, which is considered an auspicious date for love and relationships. Experts said that the move is commendable and should be promoted to include more similar festivals, such as the Qixi Festival, which is also referred to as Chinese Valentine's Day, to meet people's needs for registration and to foster a marriage-friendly society. Many couples choose to register for marriage certificates on the day of "520" due to the homophonic sound of "I love you" in Chinese. As this day approaches, some netizens have found that marriage registration appointments have been made in advance, with some offices already full. Some registration offices said they will also open on-site registration queues and work overtime to accommodate the demand of couples, allowing more couples to tie the knot. Newlyweds can go to the marriage registration offices to make an appointment for the registration process, said the Civil Affairs Bureau of Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong Province. They will also introduce multiple measures to create a romantic and warm atmosphere for marriage registration ceremonies, including decorating the registration areas and organizing interactive activities for couples on May 20. In Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, the local civil affairs bureau is implementing a series of initiatives to promote marriage-related measures, including organizing marriage culture fairs and events. "The local marriage registration offices in the city will work overtime to meet the couples' needs. So far, the city has received 530 marriage registration appointments for May 20, and 396 appointments for May 21," a staff member from the Suzhou civil affairs bureau told the Global Times on Thursday. It's estimated that more newlyweds will come to register on May 20 and 21, as most marriage registration centers allow soon-to-be newlyweds to register on-site, said the member of staff. Some local civil affairs authorities will carry out collective certificate award ceremonies and provide gift packages to send their best wishes to the newlyweds. The marriage registration offices' implementation of demand-oriented supply services is encouraging and deserves of recognition. Many young couples choose to obtain their marriage certificates on May 20, symbolizing "their commitment to love and the recognition of the marriage system," Song Jian, a demographer from the Center for Population and Development Studies of the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times on Thursday. The decision of the registration offices to stay open until all registrations are processed, regardless of normal working hours, demonstrates a dedication to meeting the needs of the public, reflecting a people-centered service philosophy, Song said. In 2023, there were 7.68 million marriages registered in China, an increase of 845,000 couples or 12.4 percent from 2022, according to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs. This was the first rebound in recent years as the number of marriages nationwide has been declining for several consecutive years. The main group entering marriage are those born in the 1990s, particularly those born after 1995, followed by those born in the 2000s. These groups have a smaller population size compared to those born in the 1970s and 1980s. The decrease in marriage registrations is partly due to the smaller population entering marriage age, Jiang Quanbao, a professor with the Institute for Population and Development Studies at Xi'an Jiaotong University, told the Global Times on Thursday. Marriage is being postponed as some young people focus on personal development. Moreover, "the increasing diversity and inclusivity of society allows people to have more choices," said Jiang. It is important to promote "the value of marriage and family." Young people should be encouraged to see marriage as a path to personal success and happiness. The local authorities can play a role in promoting the positive aspects of harmonious marriages and dispelling fears surrounding marriage and fertility, Jiang noted. The relevant authorities have implemented a series of policies aimed at reducing the cost of marriage, as well as lowering the costs associated with childbirth, parenting and education to promote marriage. China's top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference held a consultation session on Saturday to discuss promoting the high-quality development of the population to underpin Chinese modernization. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) American filmmaker Jon M Chu has shared his plans to shoot in Australia and revealed that the new adaptation of Wicked was almost filmed Down Under. The Crazy Rich Asians director, 44, is gearing up for the release of his film adaptation of theatre show Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, in November. And he has now revealed how Wicked was almost shot in Australia, as he opened up about his lifelong dreams to shoot in Sydney. 'I know I will shoot there, I have been all around the world to shoot and never in Sydney,' he told The Daily Telegraph. 'With Wicked even, there was an option possibly to do it there, it was all about stage space to be honest in the end so we went where the stage spaces were.' American filmmaker Jon M Chu has shared his plans to shoot in Australia and revealed that the new adaptation of Wicked was almost filmed Down Under The Crazy Rich Asians director, 44, is gearing up for the release of his film adaptation of theatre show Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, in November Though Australia and Atlanta were both considered, Wicked was ultimately shot in the UK due to the availability of stage spaces. However, Jon has not ruled out working Down Under as he vowed to film in Sydney - even joking that he will direct a film adaptation of hit Aussie animation series Bluey. 'One day, I promise, as long as the spiders don't kill me I will be good,' he said. 'I can't wait to make a Bluey movie there.' Children's animation series Bluey has been a massive hit for ABC and is wildly popular in the US, where Jon lives with his wife Kristin and his four children. He has now revealed his lifelong dreams to shoot in Sydney and even joked that he would like to work on a film adaptation of hit Aussie animation series Bluey Best known for his 2018 hit comedy Crazy Rich Asians, Chu made Wicked at the massive Elstree Studios near London at a whopping cost of $145million (217m AUD). Wicked is scheduled for release in November and also stars Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage and Bowen Yang. In an unusual move, the film will be released in two parts as fans will have to wait a whole extra year after the first half's release for the grand finale in Christmas 2025. Ariana plays Glinda the Good Witch while Cynthia stars as Elphaba in the film, based on Gregory Maguire's best-selling novel and the hit Broadway musical adaptation. It is a prequel to the The Wizard of Oz, detailing the early friendship between the two famous witches of the Land of Oz before things go awry between them. Though Australia and Atlanta were both considered, Wicked was ultimately shot in the UK due to the availability of stage spaces (Ariana and Cynthia are pictured) The trailer showcases the impressive vocal talents of the leading stars and also features snippets of the classic songs Popular and Defying Gravity. The clip kicks off with Glinda asking: 'Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?' Glinda then meets Elphaba for the first time outside Shiz University, where they are both studying magic, kicking off their close friendship. Upon seeing Elphaba, who is shunned by the other students for her green skin, Grande's character shrieks and says: 'You're green!' After filming of Wicked was completed in January, Ariana shared an emotional post about her experience making the film. Ariana plays Glinda the Good Witch while Cynthia stars as Elphaba in the film, based on Gregory Maguire's best-selling novel and the hit Broadway musical adaptation 'I will never forget even a minute of my year(s) with [Glinda],' she wrote on her Instagram. 'Or you. or my Cyn [Cynthia Erivo]. Permanently and preferably intertwined.' She continued: 'I am so inexplicably thankful that we got to add so many soggy eyelashes to the collection.' The two-time Grammy winner went on to thank the film's director, Jon M. Chu, as she admitted that 'there aren't words quite yet' to describe her emotions. 'Thank you, Jon, for leading the way with such compassion, openness, brilliance and kindness,' she concluded. 'I have never seen someone conduct a space the way you do. I love you so much.' Big Brother's Tilly Whitfeld has revealed why she made the decision to get her filler dissolved and breast implants removed. The reality TV star, 23, told Daily Mail Australia at Australian Fashion Week on Friday, she decided to reverse her cosmetic work due to health risks. 'I was so scared. You see fillers are causing cancer, implants are causing cancer and honestly it's not worth it,' she said. 'I also got back pain [from my implants]. I had numbness in my boobs and rashes everywhere.' She added: 'Your overall health declines massively.' Big Brother's Tilly Whitfeld has revealed why she had her filler dissolved and breast implants removed as she showed off her new natural look at Australian Fashion Week on Friday Tilly also showed off her natural beauty at the fashion event by going makeup free. She put on a stylish display in a tiny leather skirt, beige vest and matching coloured blazer. Back in February, Tilly shared confronting footage of a painful rash to Instagram. She posted a video detailing how the painful looking reddish-brown blotches had spread all over her body following breast enhancement surgery. 'I got implants five weeks ago and ever since I have had this rash. I've gone to the dermatologist and hospital and done two different steroids,' she began. 'It just clears and then comes straight back. I would be grateful for any advice.' The reality TV star star, 23, told Daily Mail Australia, she decided to reverse her cosmetic work due to health risks. Pictured in March 'I was so scared. You see fillers are causing cancer, implants are causing cancer and honestly it's not worth it,' she said Tilly then called on her fans to help her come up with a solution to eliminate the breakout. 'I feel like TikTok is better than any GP at this point. I'm itching and it is spreading completely down my body.' This wasn't the first time Tilly has had problems with beauty treatments gone wrong. In June 2021, she admitted she'd deliberately injected her own skin with lead-based ink resulting in a self-inflicted disfigurement. Speaking with The New York Times about her newfound infamy, the reality TV star said 'the main response has been that I'm stupid, and, yeah, I agree.' She revealed she got 'back pain [from the implants] and also had numbness in her boobs and rashes everywhere' Tilly's profile blew up after she was left hospitalised with horrific facial injuries from a freckle hack she copied on TikTok. Admitting she'd already spent more than $12,000 trying to fix the damage to her skin, the blonde beauty told NYT she went ahead with the dangerous, self-performed cosmetic surgery because 'it didn't hurt at all'. However in the aftermath, Tilly temporarily lost vision in one eye from the self-administered acupuncture, performed with needles dipped in tattoo ink containing high levels of lead. She also revealed how an at-home acupuncture treatment went terribly wrong, leaving her with horrible facial injuries. Australian Fashion Week has seen celebrities and influencers alike pull out all the stops this year with their creative looks. But it appeared the boldest and most out-there outfits were saved for last at Friday's Injury runway show at Sydney's Carriageworks venue. As well as some daring looks debuting on the runway, attendees also put on some very quirky displays as they arrived wearing some unique ensembles. Imogen Anthony stepped out in a wild 'blood dress', which bizarrely featured splatters of bright red resin stuck to sheer fabric. The model and ex-girlfriend of Kyle Sandilands put on a very leggy display in the barely-there dress from designer LeMAine. It appeared that Australian Fashion Week's boldest outfits were saved for last at Friday's Injury runway show at Sydney 's Carriageworks venue (left, Imogen Anthony and right, Jay) Imogen Anthony stepped out in a wild 'blood dress' from designer LeMAine, which bizarrely featured splatters of bright red resin stuck to sheer fabric She also sported a matching 'blood' headpiece which fell down over her face and concealed her features. Another attendee, known as Jay, also appeared to channel Kanye West as they wore an all-black outfit including a mask covering their face. The outfit, which featured wide leg trousers, chunky boots, a baggy hoodie and gloves, appeared to resemble one famously worn by rapper Kanye. They also hung a plastic document wallet around their neck with 'HUMAN' written across it on a printed sheet of paper. Influencer Charlene Davies also put on an edgy display in a black cut-out gown with two fake wolf heads attached to her chest. Another attendee, known as Jay, also appeared to channel Kanye West as they wore an all-black outfit including a mask covering their face, as well as a sign reading 'HUMAN' The outfit, which featured wide leg trousers, chunky boots, a baggy hoodie and gloves, appeared to resemble one famously worn by rapper Kanye Influencer Charlene Davies also put on an edgy display in a black cut-out gown with two fake wolf heads attached to her chest She completed her look with a wide brimmed hat which featured tassels that fell all around her in a waterfall style as she made sure to attract attention Australian rapper Barkaa also put on a vibrant display in a bright purple sequinned co-ord set, made up of a plunging blazer and a mini skirt She completed her look with a wide brimmed hat which featured tassels that fell all around her in a waterfall style. Australian rapper Barkaa also put on a vibrant display in a bright purple sequinned co-ord set, made up of a plunging blazer and a mini skirt. The crowds all showed off their quirky fashion senses as they watched Injury's 2024/25 runway show. The brand is known for its very edgy outfits and did not fail to disappoint with a very bold and out-there show, which included some very eye-catching visual effects. Influencer Jamie Azzopardi posed up a storm in a grey ensemble and added a pop of colour with purple and orange satin detailing Also among the guest list for the runway show were the likes of Heartbreak High stars Will McDonald and James Majoos As the models strutted the runway in the brand's latest fashion-forward looks, projections appeared on a screen behind that also captured attendees' attention. Injury is an Australian brand which uses fashion, music and digital elements to create transformative pieces for individuals. It was founded in Sydney by Creative Director Eugene Leung and is known for its very bold and daring runway shows, which merge technology and fashion. Injury's 2023/24 collection was 'inspired by the topic of human intelligence versus synthetic consciousness' and launched with an interactive Phy-gital runway. The crowds all showed off their quirky fashion senses as they watched Injury's 2024/25 runway show, which debuted some very unique looks The brand is known for its very edgy outfits and did not fail to disappoint with a very bold and out-there show, which included some very eye-catching visual effects As the models strutted the runway in the brand's latest fashion-forward looks, projections appeared on a screen behind that also captured attendees' attention Injury is an Australian brand which uses fashion, music and digital elements to create transformative pieces for individuals Injury created the first-ever 100 per cent CGI fashion show, titled The Butterflys Dream, in Australia in 2021 and is known for its groundbreaking style. Unique items from the label have been worn by the likes of BLACKPINK's Lisa, Mia Rodriquez, Guy Sebastian, Ronan Keating and Vera Blue. Australian Fashion Week is coming to an end on Friday night, with Pandora's runway show closing the fashion extravaganza at 8pm. Dua Lipa performed a surprise duet with Chris Stapleton at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, which were held inside the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX on Thursday. The 28-year-old pop star revealed it was her idea to work with the 46-year-old country crooner, and they sang his 2023 song Think I'm in Love with You onstage the 12K-seat stadium. 'Perhaps we needed time to listen to our hearts,' Dua belted. 'And there you are. We've come so far together. You are the power over me. You are the light I wanna see.' A source told Billboard on Thursday that the musical duo 'are planning to release the collaboration together this Friday.' Dua Lipa performed a surprise duet with Chris Stapleton at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards, which were held inside the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX on Thursday The 28-year-old pop star revealed it was her idea to work with the 46-year-old country crooner, and they sang his 2023 song Think I'm in Love with You onstage the 12K-seat stadium Lipa showcased her slim 5ft8in figure wearing a navy-blue fishnet-style frock featuring a halter neckline and matching pumps selected by stylist Jahleel Weaver. The three-time Grammy winner wore her burgundy-hued locks in a middle-parted updo and had a fully-contoured complexion for the awards ceremony. After the song, Dua gave Chris a big hug as the audience went wild. Lipa and Stapleton might seem like an unlikely pair, but they excitedly chatted together backstage. 'Well, we really got together, like, two days ago to rehearse for this, but we've been talking about this for a little while,' the British-Albanian belter told ACM Awards correspondent Bobby Bones. 'It was my idea! I'm such a fan of Chris, and I kind of just reached out and was like, "Hey, you want to do something together?" And this came about.' Dua added: 'I feel so lucky to have been in Chris and [his wife] Morgane's orbit for a few days to just, like, dive into the the musicality of everything has just been wonderful.' At that, the 10-time Grammy winner - who comes from a family of coal miners - dubbed Lipa 'the queen of feel good music.' Dua belted: 'Perhaps we needed time to listen to our hearts. And there you are. We've come so far together. You are the power over me. You are the light I wanna see' A source told Billboard on Thursday that the musical duo 'are planning to release the collaboration together this Friday' Lipa showcased her slim 5ft8in figure wearing a navy-blue fishnet-style frock featuring a halter neckline and matching pumps selected by stylist Jahleel Weaver The three-time Grammy winner wore her burgundy-hued locks in a middle-parted updo and had a fully-contoured complexion for the awards ceremony After the song, Dua gave Chris a big hug as the audience went wild Lipa and Stapleton might seem like an unlikely pair, but they excitedly chatted together backstage The British-Albanian belter told ACM Awards correspondent Bobby Bones (L): 'We really got together two days ago to rehearse for this, but we've been talking about this for a little while' Dua added: 'It was my idea! I'm such a fan of Chris, and I kind of just reached out and was like, "Hey, you want to do something together?" And this came about' Lipa continued: 'I feel so lucky to have been in Chris and [his wife] Morgane's (2-L) orbit for a few days to just, like, dive into the the musicality of everything has just been wonderful' At that, the 10-time Grammy winner - who comes from a family of coal miners - dubbed the Illusion hitmaker 'the queen of feel good music' Chris triumphantly took home three ACM trophies - male artist of the year, artist-songwriter of the year, and album of the year for this fifth record Higher During commercial breaks, Dua got to mingle with folks like Brittany Aldean (L), the wife of five-time Grammy nominee Jason Aldean Earlier on the beige carpet, Lipa rubbed elbows with two-time Grammy nominee Jelly Roll (L) and Grammy winner Lainey Wilson (M), who won music event of the year for their duet Save Me The Argylle actress - who gets 78.1M monthly listeners on Spotify -looked elegant in a sheer black beaded seashell tank top with a matching silk maxi-skirt and peep-toe heels. On Monday, Dua - who boasts 149.8M social media followers - went Instagram official with her boyfriend Callum Turner without showing his face or tagging him Lipa and the 34-year-old Englishman (R, pictured April 27) - who hung out in London last Friday - have been going strong ever since their first sighting at the January 10th afterparty for the LA premiere of his Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air The SNL host - who previously dated music video director Romain Gavras and Oswald frontman Anwar Hadid - is scheduled to kick off her 12-date European Radical Optimism Tour on June 5 at Germany's Waldbuhne in Berlin Chris triumphantly took home three ACM trophies - male artist of the year, artist-songwriter of the year, and album of the year for this fifth record Higher. During commercial breaks, the Illusion hitmaker got to mingle with folks like Brittany Aldean, the wife of five-time Grammy nominee Jason Aldean. Earlier on the beige carpet, Dua rubbed elbows with two-time Grammy nominee Jelly Roll and Grammy winner Lainey Wilson, who won music event of the year for their duet Save Me. Lipa - who gets 78.1M monthly listeners on Spotify -looked elegant in a sheer black beaded seashell tank top with a matching silk maxi-skirt and peep-toe heels. On Monday, the Argylle actress - who boasts 149.8M social media followers - went Instagram official with her boyfriend Callum Turner without showing his face or tagging him. Dua and the 34-year-old Englishman - who hung out in London last Friday - have been going strong ever since their first sighting at the January 10th afterparty for the LA premiere of his Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air. Lipa - who previously dated music video director Romain Gavras and Oswald frontman Anwar Hadid - is scheduled to kick off her 12-date European Radical Optimism Tour on June 5 at Germany's Waldbuhne in Berlin. They share incredibly on-air chemistry. And Sarah Abo and her Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic appeared to be having a ball as they filmed the show on location in Queensland on Friday. Both Sarah, 36, and Karl, 49, looked in high spirits during a outdoor cooking segment. Karl wore an old Brisbane Broncos jersey under his coat while he helped out the chef in the kitchen. Sarah looked incredibly chic in a stylish green coat with wide lapels that was cinched at the waist with a tie-up belt. Sarah Abo and her Today show co-host Karl Stefanovic appeared to be having a ball as they filmed the show on location in Queensland on Friday Both Sarah, 36, and Karl, 49, looked in high spirits during a outdoor cooking segment She wore her dark hair out and opted for a natural makeup look, while also wearing black nail polish. At one point, Sarah looked surprised after Karl threw in a shot of alcohol into a pasta dish they were making. Later in the day, Sarah looked happy to enjoy the warm Queensland climate as she left her hotel. Karl wore an old Brisbane Broncos jersey under his coat Sarah looked incredibly chic in a stylish green coat with wide lapels that was cinched at the waist with a tie-up belt At one point, Sarah looked surprised after Karl threw in a shot of alcohol into a pasta dish they were making Carrying a single piece of black carry-on sized luggage, as well as a tote bag, she rocked a more casual look. She wore blue high-waisted jeans, black boots, and a black top and coat. Sarah is no stranger to travelling for her job. Later in the day, Sarah looked happy to enjoy the warm Queensland climate as she left her hotel. Carrying a single piece of black carry-on sized luggage, as well as a tote bag, she rocked a more casual look She wore blue high-waisted jeans, black boots, and a black top and coat She previously told how she has spent the last 10 years 'coming and going' between Melbourne and Sydney before securing the co-anchor job at Today. The Syrian-born presenter tied the knot with Cyrus, 41, in 2012 and they celebrated their union with a romantic honeymoon in Bali, Indonesia. The private couple keep their romance relatively under wraps and are rarely spotted out-and-about together. Dina Broadhurst has been spotted in public with her multimillionaire fridges heir boyfriend John Winning for the first time. The 'nude' artist, 46, was reported to have started dating the CEO and fourth-generation heir of Winning Appliances in March after knowing him for some time. Earlier this week, the couple finally went Instagram official as Dina posted a series of snaps to Instagram from their romantic getaway to New Zealand. On Thursday, Dina and John were spotted in public together for the first time at Sydney International Airport as they arrived back from their Queenstown trip. For the outing, Dina showed off her incredible figure as she went braless beneath a long-sleeved grey crop top, which gave a flash of her toned abs. Dina Broadhurst has been spotted in public with her multimillionaire fridges heir boyfriend John Winning for the first time The artist, 46, was reported to have started dating the CEO and fourth-generation heir of Winning Appliances in March after knowing him for some time On Thursday, Dina and John were spotted in public together for the first time at Sydney International Airport as they arrived back from their Queenstown trip She styled her laidback ensemble with black straight leg trousers and kept comfortable in a pair of grey trainers. Dina kept her essentials in a large brown handbag and put on a very loved-up display with John as the pair were all smiles. John, who is also a DJ, cut a casual figure in a black hoodie and dark trousers, while he completed his look with a pair of white trainers. He slung a backpack over his shoulder and pushed their luggage through the airport as he grinned while chatting to new girlfriend Dina. It was not the couple's first trip away together as they also recently attended a rave in Pioneertown, California and went on a romantic European trip together. For the outing, Dina showed off her incredible figure in a long-sleeved grey top top, which gave a flash of her toned abs She styled her laidback ensemble with black straight leg trousers and kept comfortable in a pair of grey trainers Dina kept her essentials in a large brown handbag and put on a very loved-up display with John as the pair were all smiles John, who is also a DJ, cut a casual figure in a black hoodie and dark trousers, while he completed his look with a pair of white trainers He slung a backpack over his shoulder and pushed their luggage through the airport as he grinned while chatting to new girlfriend Dina The couple appeared to be closer than ever as they smiled and chatted while walking through the airport together Dina and John are said to be 'quite smitten' with one another amid their budding romance, close friends recently told the Daily Telegraph. John took over as CEO of Winning Appliances in 2011 at the age of 22 and took the business in a new direction with Appliances Online, which is now Australia's largest online retailer for appliances. The family business was started by his great-grandfather Richard William Winning in 1906 with the trading name R.W. Winning & Co and has become a leading kitchen and laundry appliance specialist. As well as running Winning Appliances, John is also an experienced sailor who won line honours with his crew on board Andoo Comanche in the 2022 Sydney to Hobart yacht race. The skipper sailed the race alongside his father John Winning Snr, who previously won the Sydney to Hobart line honours back in 1976. The couple touched down after their three-hour flight laden with luggage after enjoying a romantic trip away together Dina and John couldn't stop smiling as they chatted and strolled through the airport together The couple waited for their vehicle together outside the airport after arriving home after the big trip Dina showed off her fresh faced beauty for the outing, while she pulled her brunette locks back into a sleek ponytail The couple gave an insight into their trip by posting snaps from the holiday while they were away John took over as CEO of Winning Appliances in 2011 at the age of 22 and took the business in a new direction with Appliances Online - now Australia's largest online retailer for appliances As well as running Winning Appliances, John is also an experienced sailor who won line honours with his crew on board Andoo Comanche in the 2022 Sydney to Hobart yacht race In his spare time, John is an adrenaline junkie with a love for skydiving and often shares a glimpse into his daredevil sporting activities on his Instagram page John reportedly lives in an eclectic Surry Hills bachelor pad featuring its own private nightclub, a see-through smoking room and a pool, according to the Daily Telegraph Dina and John are said to be 'quite smitten' with one another amid their budding romance, close friends recently told the Daily Telegraph Earlier this week, the couple finally went Instagram official as Dina posted a series of snaps to Instagram from their romantic getaway to New Zealand In his spare time, John is an adrenaline junkie with a love for skydiving and often shares a glimpse into his daredevil sporting activities on his Instagram page. He is also a music lover and DJ and has performed his music for crowds on lavish yachts, in Ibiza clubs and even at Glastonbury's The Rabbit Hole. John reportedly lives in an eclectic Surry Hills bachelor pad featuring its own private nightclub, a see-through smoking room and a pool, according to the Daily Telegraph. Dina follows John on Instagram, as does her close friend Jade Yarbrough, Ruby Tuesday Matthews and Erin Molan. It was not the couple's first trip away together as they also attended a rave in Pioneertown, California , last month (John is pictured during the trip) Dina was previously in a relationship with Max Shepherd, 30, but it emerged in June last year that they had parted ways after four-and-a-half years together Dina was previously in a relationship with Max Shepherd, 30, but it emerged in June last year that they had parted ways after four-and-a-half years together. The couple, who started dating in 2018, had been building a new home together in Sydney before their split. Max last appeared on Dina's feed in February 2023 while he last posted a loved-up picture of them together back in December 2022. Following the break-up, the socialite was briefly linked to millionaire property investor Tony Benjamin. Giovanni Pernice could be poached by ITV for I'm A Celeb in the wake of quitting Strictly Come Dancing amid bullying claims, MailOnline can reveal. The Italian professional, 33, has been accused of being 'too tough' behind the scenes by several of his former celebrity partners including Ranvir Singh, 46, Laura Whitmore, 39, and Amanda Abbington, 52, who abruptly left last year's series amid speculation the pair did not get along. And now it's believed he won't return to his role after eight years despite judge and close friend Anton Du Beke, 57, encouraging him to remain on the show. It's a potential further blow to the BBC, who have backed Giovanni amid the scandal, and given him a platform on the travel series he presents alongside Anton. But insiders have confirmed that Giovanni is already mulling over offers away from the broadcaster and he would find it 'difficult to resist' a lucrative contract with jungle show I'm A Celeb. Giovanni Pernice could be poached by ITV for I'm A Celeb in the wake of quitting Strictly Come Dancing amid bullying claims, MailOnline can reveal (pictured in 2022) The Italian professional has been accused of being 'too tough' behind the scenes by several of his former partners including Amanda Abbington, who abruptly left the series last year Now it's believed he won't return to his role despite judge and close friend Anton Du Beke encouraging him to remain on the BBC programme The Sherlock star revealed she had been diagnosed with 'mild PTSD after Strictly' and had received death threats A source told MailOnline: 'Giovanni has been under intense pressure and scrutiny following last year's series of Strictly when Amanda quit. 'The last thing he wants is for that to continue for him and whoever he could be paired with next so he felt there was no other option but to take a step back from the show. 'His close friendship with Anton Du Beke has made it difficult, he really wants him to stay and tried convincing him to look past everything that's happened.' A TV insider added: 'With I'm A Celeb round the corner, Giovanni would be a dream signing for producers, especially now he's looking for new opportunities and a way to hopefully show audiences he's a good guy. 'The money ITV could offer would be seriously tempting for him too, plus, he loves a challenge.' Giovanni's shock move away from Strictly comes after actress Amanda quit the show in October last year following a series of incidents that left her in tears. The Sherlock star revealed she had been diagnosed with 'mild PTSD after Strictly' and had received death threats, which were also targeted towards her two children who she shares with ex-Martin Freeman. TV presenter Laura, who was partnered with Giovanni in 2016, said she felt 'extremely uncomfortable' by him and her Strictly experience left her 'broken.' MailOnline has contacted the BBC and ITV for comment. TV presenter Laura, who was partnered with Giovanni in 2016, said she felt 'extremely uncomfortable' by him and her Strictly experience left her 'broken' Giovanni had a positive relationship with deaf contestant Rose Ayling-Ellis, who he led to a triumphant victory in 2021, with the pair going onto with a BAFTA for their silent dance routine Good Morning Britain host Ranvir, who reportedly made a complaint against Giovanni to the BBC in 2020, admitted to feeling 'scared' of the Italian. Ranvir's GMB co-host Kate Garraway had different thoughts on the news, saying during Friday's episode of Good Morning Britain she thinks Giovanni will be 'deeply missed'. Speaking to her co-host Rob Rinder on the ITV show, she said: 'He was great on the show and people love him.' Kate had appeared on Strictly in 2007 where she was partnered up with Giovannni's close friend Anton du Beke. The broadcaster added she had 'loved' watching their TV outings together, such as their new BBC travel programme, Anton and Giovanni's Adventures in Spain. She added: 'Giovanni and Anton are great friends and I've loved watching those shows as well.' It's believed Giovanni butted heads with Michelle Visage, 55, the RuPaul's Drag Race judge, in 2019, as well as radio presenter Richie Anderson, 36, the following year. However, Giovanni had a positive relationship with deaf contestant Rose Ayling-Ellis, 29, who he led to a triumphant victory in 2021, with the pair going onto win a TV BAFTA for their silent dance routine. Giovanni is currently in Dubai on holiday with his girlfriend Molly Brown, 25, who three days ago shared a series of photos with the dancer, referring to him as her 'best friend.' The couple are believed to be staying at luxury hotel Atlantis The Royal, where they have shared idyllic photos from the Cloud 22 Dubai infinity pool. Giovanni Pernice fled to Dubai with his girlfriend Molly Brown this week days before it emerged that he's 'quit' Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show. The dancer, 33, is said to have left the programme because the scrutiny became 'too much' when his ex dance partners slammed his 'militant' approach. Yet he looked calm and at ease on his relaxing getaway, with Molly, 25, documenting the trip in a slew of Instagram posts. The couple, who first confirmed their romance at the end of February, proved they were still going strong after being hit by rumours they had split. The TV personality packed on the PDA with his model girlfriend in one snap as he was seen kissing her cheek as they soaked up the sun at the beach. Giovanni Pernice fled to Dubai with his girlfriend Molly Brown this week days before it emerged that he's quit Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show The dancer, 33, is said to have left the programme because the scrutiny became 'too much' when his ex dance partners slammed his 'militant' approach and is now living it up in Dubai In another picture, the couple cosied up as Molly snapped a mirror selfie as they headed out for dinner one evening. The model stunned in a white cut out dress while the BBC star cut a dapper figure in a blue striped open collar shirt. Giovanni also showed of one of his impressive dancing lifts as he launched Molly into the air performing the iconic Dirty Dancing lift in front of the Dubai Fountains. She wrote: 'Let me tell you about my best friend' Taking to the comments, Giovanni replied: 'I love you like a lot!!' The posts came five days before the news broke that he was leaving Strictly amid a firestorm surrounding his training etiquette. It's claimed the scrutiny became 'too much' when three of his ex dance partners slammed his 'militant' approach. The professional dancer is said to want a 'fresh start' but is 'adamant he has done nothing wrong' after his last celebrity partner, Amanda Abbington, 52, led the charge in accusing him of 'difficult behaviour' during training. Amanda, who dramatically withdrew from last year's competition and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the show, is said to have met with Laura Whitmore, 39, and Ranvir Singh, 46, earlier this year for an 'emotional summit' to 'compare notes' about their time working with him. While the BBC has stood by him and been keen to sign the professional dancer for its 20th anniversary series, Giovanni has decided to not return after eight years on the show. The TV personality packed on the PDA with his model girlfriend in one snap as he was seen kissing her cheek as they soaked up the sun at the beach The couple, who first confirmed their romance at the end of February, proved they were still going strong after being hit by rumours they had split Giovanni also showed of one of his impressive dancing lifts as he launched Molly into the air performing the iconic Dirty Dancing lift in front of the Dubai Fountains She wrote: 'Let me tell you about my best friend' Taking to the comments, Giovanni replied: 'I love you like a lot!!' 'Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much and now is the time to make a fresh start,' a source told The Sun. 'He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels hes achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times. 'He remains adamant hes done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isnt to everyones liking - especially in this day and age.' The insider added Giovanni has lots of 'exciting projects' in the pipeline which is now his priority. Giovanni previously defended his training style, saying: 'I'm definitely a perfectionist.' 'Like everybody else, I like to win. But for me it's more about bringing the best out of partners, especially if I see that there is talent there. I want to do my job properly.' A spokesman for the BBC has declined to comment on Giovanni's departure. They told MailOnline: 'The professional dancers for 2024 will be announced in due course'. MailOnline has contacted Giovanni's representatives for comment. Kate Garraway shared her thoughts on the news during Friday's episode of Good Morning Britain, saying she thinks Giovanni will be 'deeply missed' if he leaves. Speaking to her co-host Rob Rinder on the ITV show, she said: 'He was great on the show and people love him.' Kate had appeared on Strictly in 2007 where she was partnered up with Giovannni's close friend Anton du Beke. The broadcaster added she had 'loved' watching their TV outings together, such as their new BBC travel programme, Anton and Giovanni's Adventures in Spain. She added: 'Giovanni and Anton are great friends and I've loved watching those shows as well.' The turning point in Giovanni's television career comes amid his new relationship with Molly. Reports of Giovanni's departure will be a bitter blow to the BBC, who have stood by him amid the furore. He was said to be assured by his bosses he would be part of the line-up for the new series, but decided himself to step away from the show. But the professional dancer, 33, is 'adamant he has done nothing wrong' after his last celebrity partner, Amanda Abbington, 52, led the charge in accusing him of 'difficult behaviour' Giovanni has faced a wave of scrutiny ever since his dance partner Amanda dramatically quit last year Laura Whitmore and Giovanni pictured. Amanda is said to have met the presenter to discuss her experience with the dancer during the competition in 2022 Ranvir Singh and Giovanni pictured. The Good Morning Britain presenter complained about Giovanni to producers back in 2020, during their time on the show (pictured in 2020) The dancer has also been on TV with Strictly judge Anton Du Beke with their own show, Anton & Giovanni's Adventures in Sicily. The fan favourite won the 2021 series with former EastEnders' actress Rose Ayling-Ellis. He also found success with Georgia May Foote in his debut year. The pair came second and went on to have a relationship. He also made it through to the final with Faye Tozer and Debbie McGee. But, earlier this year, Amanda reportedly met with Laura, who danced with Giovanni in the 2022 series, and Giovanni's 2020 partner, Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir, to discuss their experiences. Ranvir complained about Giovanni to producers back in 2020, during their time on the show, while Laura said she 'cried every day' and felt 'uncomfortable' while dancing with him in 2016. A source close to the trio told MailOnline back in March: 'They are very unhappy with the way the BBC are handling this.' The insider continued: 'It's one thing saying they are standing by him, but they feel as if Giovanni is being promoted and pushed centre stage in a bid to make them go away and keep quiet. It's a kick in the teeth. 'One of the reasons they wanted to meet up was to try and work on a way forward because they have no intention of just backing down and letting this just fade away. 'All three have been impacted in different ways by what happened and they've agreed to speak again about how best they can get something done about it because they are genuinely worried about want went on and the fact someone else could end up experiencing what they went through. According to an insider, Giovanni feels like he has achieved everything he can on the show, having lifted the glitterball with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021 and got the final several times The insider added Giovanni has lots of 'exciting projects' in the pipeline which is now his priority. The pro dancer has his own travel show with Anton Du Beke 'But right now there's a feeling that Gio is pretty much untouchable - especially given he is so close to Anton who thinks the world of him and can't believe the stuff he's been hearing claimed about his mate.' However, a source close to Giovanni told the publication: 'Gio finds some of these allegations deeply unfair and offensive. He believes he's done nothing wrong, and simply wants to get the best out of his partners.' The BBC said earlier this year they would not be investigating Giovanni's behaviour with Amanda, with a spokesperson saying: 'There is a constant dialogue between the senior production team and contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly.' In 2016, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore said she ' cried every day' and felt 'uncomfortable' while training with him. She later wrote for HuffPost UK in 2018: 'I'm still not ready to talk in depth about my experience on the show. 'I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with and in the end I felt broken, I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.' It's also thought that Giovanni also clashed with his 2018 celebrity partner Faye Tozer. It's also thought that Giovanni clashed with his 2018 celebrity partner Faye Tozer (pictured) Meanwhile his 2022 partner Richie Anderson has unfollowed him on Instagram Former partners also came out to back him, including Debbie McGee, the widow of the magician Paul Daniels, who was paired with him in 2017 The former member of the 1990s band Steps, Faye Tozer, is said to have struggled to work with him and broke down in tears following an appearance together on spin-off show, It Takes Two. Meanwhile his 2022 partner Richie Anderson has unfollowed him on Instagram. But other former partners have also come out to back him, including Debbie McGee, the widow of the magician Paul Daniels, who was paired with him in 2017. Shortly after Amanda's allegations, Debbie shared a beaming throwback picture of her and Giovanni taken backstage during their stint together. 'Happy memories, Giovanni and I had the best of times on Strictly,' she said in the caption. The Australian music industry is in mourning after news broke that legendary Brisbane punk rock drummer Alan 'Fred' Noonan has died at age 58. The veteran rocker, who performed in several popular bands throughout his career, passed away on May 9 following a long battle with stage four colorectal cancer. He was the drummer for the popular Aussie rock band Six Ft Hick, and toured the country with many artists including The White Stripes, Beasts of Bourbon and TISM. Noonan was renowned for his never-ending passion for performing energetic live shows with his band, and had played close to 2000 gigs throughout his 40 year career. The Brisbane-born musician also performed in his own one-man group called Fred Band - who were often the supporting act to his other group. The Australian music industry is in mourning after news broke that legendary Brisbane punk rock drummer Alan 'Fred' Noonan (pictured) has died at age 58 The veteran rocker, who performed in several popular bands throughout his career, passed away on May 9 following a long battle with stage four colorectal cancer Six Ft Hick frontman Geoff Corbett paid tribute to his best mate and said he always gave his fans a show to remember. 'He translated a lot of his humour into his live shows by doing completely out of the box things and getting weird to entertain,' he told The Courier Mail. 'He would take each day as it came and would always be in awe of where he was. Noonan thought that life owed him nothing and he was so grateful.' He was the drummer for the popular Aussie rock band Six Ft Hick (pictured), and toured the country with many artists including The White Stripes, Beasts of Bourbon and TISM Noonan was renowned for his never-ending passion for performing energetic live shows with his band, and had played close to 2000 gigs throughout his 40 year career Fans also paid tribute to the iconic musician on social media, writing he will 'rest in punk'. Meanwhile, the long-running ABC music program Rage posted on Instagram that it would be presenting a special show in Noonan's honour. 'We'll be celebrating the life of Six Ft Hick drummer Fred Noonan with a tribute featuring the band's music videos,' they wrote. Noonan is survived by his partner Caitlin Sheedy. She's one of many models who have descended on Cannes for the annual festival. And Romee Strijd continued her fun-filled two weeks on the French Riviera by attending Magnum's Wherever Pleasure Takes You party on Thursday. The model, 28, showed off her famous figure in a sparkly silver mini dress with a fun feathered trim as she posed for snaps at the party. Romee slipped into the eye-catching sequinned dress with dramatic sleeves and a puffball skirt, adorned with a white feathered trim. She teamed the fun dress with lilac thin-stripped heels, as she joined stars including Charli XCX and Toni Garrn at the event. Romee Strijd continued her fun-filled two weeks on the French Riviera by attending Magnum's Wherever Pleasure Takes You party on Thursday The model showed off her famous figure in a sparkly silver mini dress with a fun feathered trim as she posed for snaps at the party Romee slipped into the eye-catching sequinned dress with dramatic sleeves and a puffball skirt, adorned with a white feathered trim For the glitzy evening Romee was pampered and glammed by Balmain Hair and NARS cosmetics who opted for a minimal makeup look for the event. Magnum ice cream is partnering with Troye Sivan to create three all-new remixes of his track Honey, celebrating the launch of the brand's all-new summer flavours, Euphoria, Wonder and Chill. Previously on her YouTube account Romee revealed how she was discovered, becoming an Angel in 2015. Romee got started in the modeling business at the age of 13, having been scouted on the street in Amsterdam while shopping with her mother. At first she was reluctant to try it out, but soon came around in spite of the fact that she was still in high school and wearing braces. Eventually, her new agent pitched her for London Fashion Week, where she modeled for Burberry, before moving on to the exclusive Prada show at Milan Fashion Week. From there, Romee hasn't looked back, steadily gaining in popularity and appeal, now with 7.9 million followers on Instagram. Romee welcomed her second child with fiance Laurens van Leeuwen on November 11 last year. The couple also have a daughter Mint, who they welcomed in December 2020. Her makeup look was kept fresh and natural with rosy cheeks and pink lipstick Romee got started in the modeling business at the age of 13, having been scouted on the street in Amsterdam while shopping with her mother Magnum ice cream is partnering with Troye Sivan to create three all-new remixes of his track Honey, celebrating the launch of the brand's all-new summer flavours Romee welcomed her second child with fiance Laurens van Leeuwen on November 11 last year The supermodel gave birth to Mint after a years-long struggle with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS. 'WE'RE HAVING A BABY ?,' she wrote when she announced her first pregnancy. '2 years ago I got diagnosed with PCOS after not getting my period for seven years. 'I was devastated because being a mom and starting a family with @laurensvleeuwen is my biggest dream.. I was so scared that I would never be able to because I got told it was harder to get babies in a natural way.' PCOS is a hormonal disorder, in which a woman's ovaries may develop small collections of fluid and fail to regularly release eggs, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. 'I think my weight was not good for my body to function properly and couldn't handle the constant traveling,' she previous said of her condition. 'I started to research natural healing for PCOS and came to the conclusion that I should do way less high intensity training, don't restrict foods, be nice to myself, and take breaks when needed.' Alison Hammond has broken her silence after she sparked engagement rumours when showing off a giant diamond on her ring finger. The presenter, 49, flashed the sparkler on Friday's episode of This Morning after going public with her toyboy boyfriend, David Putman, 26. Alison began dating the Russian masseur after she booked him for a 150 massage and the pair hit it off and is said to be 'happier than ever' with David following a 'turbulent love life'. As Alison and Dermot O'Leary sat down for the showbiz headlines, Alison took a look at her iPad as she exclaimed: 'Oh my god apparently I am engaged?!' Squashing the rumours she confirmed David is yet to pop the question as she explained she had put her ring on the wrong finger. Alison Hammond has broken her silence after she sparked engagement rumours after showing off a giant diamond on her ring finger during Friday's episode of This Morning While the ring looked rather flash, the presenter insisted it was just a cheap thing from Primark as she was taken aback by the engagement rumours Alison has been dating the Russian masseur David Putman, 26, since she booked him for a 150 massage and the pair hit it off 'Oh I have put this on the wrong finger,' she said shocked, 'Let me swap it over to stop these rumours.' While the ring looked rather flash, the presenter insisted it was just a cheap thing from Primark as she was taken aback by the engagement rumours. Slightly flustered, she added: 'It is just a cheap ring from Primark. It's nice isn't it?! Lets swap it over as we don't want those rumours.' Seeing the funny side she laughed alongside Dermot and Will Best, as Will joked he had been planning on popping the question. The couple's relationship emerged last month despite their 23-year age gap, which is said to have caused an issue with David's mother. Yet David is head over heels for the TV presenter and is said to be ignoring his mother Olga's advice to end things because of their age gap and the fame Alison has bought to her son. Olga is said to have been calling her son every day with pleas to break-up with Alison, but David is firmly turning his back on her advice. A source told The Sun: 'David is happy with his relationship so anything his mum says isnt going to affect him. Squashing the rumours she confirmed David is yet to pop the question as she explained she had put her ring on the wrong finger As Alison and Dermot O'Leary sat down for the showbiz headlines, Alison took a look at her iPad as she exclaimed: 'Oh my god apparently I am engaged?! 'Oh I have put this on the wrong finger,' she said shocked, 'Let me swap it over to stop these rumours' David is said to be ignoring his mother Olga's advice to pull the plug on his relationship due to the age gap and the fame she has bought to her son It emerged last month, the presenter, 49, is dating Russian masseur David Putman, 26, despite their 23-year age gap 'David is happy with his relationship so anything his mum says isnt going to affect him', a source said 'She's uncomfortable that her son is with someone who has so much more financial power than him. Olgas traditional values dont sit well with their relationship. 'She's told him in no uncertain terms that he must end it. Olga raised her children in the Orthodox Church. This kind of relationship doesnt fit her beliefs. 'She calls her son almost every day and tells him how unhappy she is.' Alison spoke out about their relationship for the first time earlier this month as she confirmed David even has her son Aiden's seal of approval. She shares Aiden with her former husband Noureddine Boufaied, and spoke about his views on her dating on Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's podcast Parenting Hell. At 19-years-old Aiden is only a few years younger than her new boyfriend David. Explaining the struggles of dating as a mother, Alison confessed: 'It's more difficult, he is more verbal now that he is older. He'll want to know who this person is and he'll want to meet them. 'It's a lot harder. He'll wanna know that this guy is treating me well. 'The person who I am seeing at the moment, he is on his Instagram and is like "yeah I like him, he's not too in your face". Aiden is on it.' Discussing the first time David and her son met, she revealed: 'When they actually met, he really liked him, he really thought he was lovely, so that's nice. 'Thank goodness for that! Because normally Aiden hates anybody I date, literally just not interested. 'And you just know at that point, if Aiden doesn't like them, this isn't gonna work. There are moments where I think, "who's the parent here?!" 'It's nice though because I always feel like there's someone there looking over me, protecting me.' Originally from Krasnodar in Russia, David left the country for the UK in December 2022 to escape the front line following President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. A friend of David previously told The Sun: 'When the war in Ukraine began David's mother Olga began to worry. She didn't want her boys dragged into it. She wanted them safe like any mother would.' David therefore moved to the UK, where he now lives with his uncle Nigel Putman, 71, in Slough, but he spends a lot of time in London for work. The friend explained David was able to avoid being drafted into the Russian army as his father, also called David, is originally from Slough himself, therefore the young masseur already had British citizenship. David's father is reportedly a retired welder and panel beater who moved to Russia in the late 1990s after marrying Russian architect Olga Kovalenko following a divorce from his first wife. David also two brother, twins Apollo and Sviatoslov, who are three years older than him and were born in England. They explained: 'David is a very quiet, unassuming and thoughtful person who likes to play the guitar. He's the strong, silent type, not a pushover, but not chatty like Alison. Alison opened up about their relationship for the first time last week and confirmed he even has her son Aiden's seal of approval Alison shares Aiden, 19, with her former husband Noureddine Boufaied 'In that sense they're perfect for each other and to David age is just a number. He's not bothered by fame, he probably didn't even know who Alison was when they first met.' The Sun also reportedly spoke to David himself, but he wouldn't yet speak about his reasons for leaving Russia or relationship with Alison. Alison hinted at their growing relationship back in November when she liked David's post documenting a recent trip to Dublin. A source told The Sun: 'Alison has never been happier. She has had a turbulent love-life, but is finally confident she has found a trusted companion.' He's set to star in the dramatic thriller The Bikeriders next month. And Tom Hardy showed off his eye-catching new look in the former of his newly-shaved head as he grabbed a quick lunch at Pret A Manger in London on Wednesday. The actor, 46, showed off his muscular physique as he puffed on a vape while eating his lunch outside the city staple. Tom cut a casual figure in a tight black T-shirt and green chino trousers as he headed back into London with his takeaway lunch in hand. The Venom star showed off his tattooed physique during the low-key outing, no doubt enjoying a break before kicking off promotional duties for The Bikeriders next month. Tom Hardy showed off his eye-catching new look in the form of his newly-shaved head as he grabbed a quick lunch in London on Wednesday The actor showed off his muscular physique as he puffed on a vape while eating his lunch outside the city staple Tom cut a casual figure in a tight black T-shirt and green chino trousers as he headed back into London with his takeaway lunch in hand It comes after a photographer made bizarre claims about the on-set atmosphere back in March. Famous snapper Danny Lyon, 82, has claimed he was told not to look at Tom during a visit to the set in Cincinnati where the film was being shot. Bikeriders was inspired by Danny's portfolio of the same name and he was invited to watch them film the upcoming film, which is slated for a summer release. The film, which also stars Jodie Comer and Austin Butler, focuses on the lives of the Outlaws MC, a Chicago-based motorcycle gang, and their evolution from a surrogate family to violent organised crime. In his new memoir, This Is My Life I'm Talking About, Danny details travelling to meet the British actor where he was working. However, he reveals he never actually got to meet Tom because he was warned not to look at Tom at all, before being ordered to watch from behind a tree. Danny said: 'They tried to keep me away but I finally get there. It's f***ing freezing. I just want to meet Tom Hardy. 'He gets on set and they say, 'You can't look at him'. I said, 'What do you mean? Why can't I look at him?' They say, 'Oh, he doesn't like it'. He showed off his newly-shaved head during the outing (left on Thursday and right in March) The Venom star showed off his tattooed physique during the low-key outing, no doubt enjoying a break before kicking off promotional duties for The Bikeriders next month It comes after a photographer made bizarre claims about the on-set atmosphere on The Bikeriders back in March Famous snapper Danny Lyon, 82, has claimed he was told not to look at Tom during a visit to the set in Cincinnati where the film was being shot In his new memoir, This Is My Life I'm Talking About, Danny details travelling to meet the British actor where he was working The claims come soon after Patrick Stewart spoke about Tom's aloof manner on set when they worked together at the start of his career In 2022, an insight into Tom and Charlize Theron explosive relationship on the set of Mad Max was revealed by the cast and crew 'So they make me hide behind a tree and all this bulls**t.' The claims come soon after Patrick Stewart spoke about Tom's aloof manner on set when they worked together at the start of his career. The actors were working on Star Trek: Nemesis and Patrick claimed he didn't believe Tom's career would take off, partly due to his apparent dismissive nature. The Jean-Luc Picard actor wrote in his memoir that they never developed a strong relationship during filming. Ironically, Tom was playing the villain, Shinzon, who was a clone of Jean-Luc, but that on-screen connection didn't translate to a behind-the-scenes rapport. Patrick wrote: 'I didn't have a single exciting scene to play, and the actor who portrayed the movie's villain, Shinzon, was an odd, solitary young man from London. His name was Tom Hardy.' He claimed Tom was more interested in spending his downtime with his girlfriend instead of building connections with the experienced group of actors in the cast. Patrick claimed: 'Tom wouldn't engage with any of us on a social level. Never said, 'Good morning,' never said, 'Goodnight,' and spent the hours he wasn't needed on set in his trailer with his girlfriend.' But even though he described his interactions with Tom as cold, he was also careful to clarify that the Inception actor was never explicitly rude or difficult. 'He was by no means hostile it was just challenging to establish any rapport with him,' he wrote. In 2022, an insight into Tom and Charlize Theron explosive relationship on the set of Mad Max was revealed by the cast and crew. It was reported that their working relationship devolved to the point that the stars got into shouting matches, with Charlize calling Tom a 'f***ing c***' after he made her wait on set for hours. The claims were made in New York Times columnist Kyle Buchanan's book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild And True Story Of Mad Max: Fury Road. In an excerpt published by Vanity Fair, members of the production detailed how Charlize, got a female producer to be with her at all times as 'protection'. Tom starred as the title character, who was played by Mel Gibson in the first three films in the series, while Charlize starred as newcomer Imperator Furiosa, a lieutenant to the villain Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) who turns against her leader to team-up with Max. Natascha Hopkins, a stunt double on Fury Road, recounted how Charlize didn't want to waste time on set, as she was a new mother at the time and was balancing her role with parenting. But camera operator Mark Goellnicht recalled how Tom was often late for the start of shooting. The Bikeriders which also stars Jodie Comer and Austin Butler, focuses on the lives of the Outlaws MC , a Chicago-based motorcycle gang He recounted one day when Charlize was on set at eight o'clock sharp and got her makeup and costume set up before getting into the film's War Rig. However, despite producers making a 'special request' for Tom to show up on time, it would be hours more before he arrived. 'Gets to nine o'clock, still no Tom,' Goellnicht recounted. ''Charlize, do you want to get out of the War Rig and walk around, or do you want to . . .' 'No, I'm going to stay here.' She was really going to make a point. She didn't go to the bathroom, didn't do anything. She just sat in the War Rig.' Tom finally arrived after 11am, while Theron had remained in the vehicle the entire time. He disappeared from the limelight after being accused by his students of behaving inappropriately towards them. Now Hollywood actor James Franco has stepped back into public - showing his face at an exclusive Cannes party, where he arrived on the arm of two ladies. In 2019 Mr Franco was accused and sued by five of his students that attended his film school, Studio 4, for behaving inappropriately and sexually towards them one accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex. Francos attorney denied the allegations at the time, and eventually he settled the suit. In a podcast interview late last year, Mr Franco reiterated his belief that any sexual contact between him and his students had been consensual. Over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students, and that was wrong, he said, James Franco attended the Nespresso party in Cannes on Thursday after disappearing from the limelight five years ago when he was accused by his students of inappropriate behaviour In 2019 Mr Franco was accused and sued by five of his students that attended his film school, Studio 4, for behaving inappropriately and sexually towards them one accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex (pictured that year) Having previously played leading roles in the likes of Spider-Man, Pineapple Express and 127 Hours, Mr Franco was once a regular at parties alike. Arriving later into the night on Thursday, Mr Franco was spotted in the VIP section wearing a tux at an exclusive Nespresso party on Cannes's Croisette. The party, which also had the likes of actor Barry Keoghan, actress Hunter Schafer and ex-Love Islanders in attendance, carried on late into the evening with a free-flowing bar and Italian food on tap. Hesitant to be bothered, Mr Franco was sat in the VIP area which was guarded by heavy security. Looking worse for wear the 46-year-old was unrecognisable compared to his previous appearances less than a decade ago. Having not worked on a project since the accusations, Mr Franco is in Cannes to promote his new film with director Tommy Lee Jones. The new film, The Razor's Edge, is debuting at Cannes with a hope to attract buyers and filming is expected to begin later in June. It will be his first film appearance since The Deuce in 2018 unless you count his voiceover work in Arctic Dogs the following year. As an official sponsor of the festival Nespresso is working with celebrities throughout the two-week period. New Hollywood IT man Mr Keoghan is the latest celebrity to work with the brand - pictured last night attending before his own party for his latest film, Bird. He was surrounded by several women on the night as he stepped out in his tux Man of the moment Barry Keoghan looked like he had come to the right event as he hid his tired eyes behind sunglasses at the party Nathalie Emmanuel and her co-star Aubrey Plaza looked sensational as they stepped out during Cannes Film Festival on Friday. On Thursday night the pair hit the red carpet as they joined the rest of the cast for Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis premiere. However despite being a passion project with decades in the planning, the movie has received flop reviews, with the Daily Mail's Brian Viner giving it one out of five stars. Not letting the disappointing reception deter her, Nathalie looked in great spirits as she wowed in an elegant white dress which was paired with simple embroidered shawl. The actress, 35, who broke into Hollywood thanks to her stint on Games Of Thrones, paired the dress with some simple black heels and a bold red lip as she smiled at the photocall. Nathalie Emmanuel (L) and Aubrey Plaza (R) looked sensational for another day at Cannes Festival on Friday despite flop reviews of Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis The former Hollyoaks star, who takes on the role of Julia Cicero, wore her hair in tight ringlets, after smoothing it down in a slick style at the premiere the night before The former Hollyoaks star, who takes on the role of Julia Cicero, wore her hair in tight ringlets, after smoothing it down in a slick style at the premiere the night before. Megapolis Review: Brian Viner Rating: 'On the whole, it's a desperately portentous affair, which makes you wonder whether the cast (which also includes Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne and Aubrey Plaza) truly believed in the material, or whether they were content just to be working for the great Francis Ford Coppola? There are a few flashes of cinematic brilliance, to be sure, and the premise is an interesting one. But all things considered, I'll be amazed if this film is anything but a mega-flopolis' Advertisement Meanwhile Aubrey Plaza opted for a summery ensemble as she cut a stylish figure in an orange floral zip up dress. Aubrey, 39, who plays journalist Wow Platinum in the film, added some white heels to the ensemble as she cheekily pouted in snaps. After last night's premiere, Brian's review critiqued the film as having a 'wildly confusing plot' and described it as a 'desperately portentous affair'. He added: 'I'll be amazed if this film is anything but a mega-flopolis' as he questioned whether the cast even believed in the material. Despite the scathing review, the director smiled as he joined the cast for photos. Francis opted for a beige jacket and casual cream shirt as he held Nathalie's hand in pictured before joining the whole cast for a group picture. Adam Driver kept it casual in a navy shirt and black shades as he and Francis shook hands. 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. 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. Aubrey, 39, who plays journalist Wow Platinum in the film, added some white heels to the ensemble as she cheekily pouted in snaps Despite the scathing review, the director Francis Ford Coppola smiled as he joined the cast for photos The actress, 35, who broke into Hollywood thanks to her stint on Games Of Thrones, paired the dress with some simple black heels and a bold red lip as she smiled at the photocall Adam Driver kept it casual in a navy shirt and black shades as he and Francis shook hands The actor, 40, looked cool as he sleeked his hair back while donning some stylish shades The whole group posed for a photo (Giancarlo Esposito, Laurence Fishburne, Nathalie Emmanuel, Director Francis Ford Coppola, Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza pictured L-R) Jon Voight looked in great spirits as he kept it causal in an all black ensemble with a grey hoody tied around his neck. The 85-year-old looked incredible for his age as he beamed in the sun. 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. On Thursday night the cast brought the glamour for the screening at Palais des Festivals. Francis opted for a beige jacket and casual cream shirt as he held Nathalie's hand Jon Voight looked in great spirits as he kept it causal in an all black ensemble with a grey hoody tied around his neck Aubrey looked incredibly cool as she added a pair of black sunglasses to her look Francis was joined by his sister Talia Shire and son Roman Coppola, grandchildren Cosima Mars and Romy Croquet 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 Adam waved to fans Nathalie completed the look with a small white leather handbag Jon hugged Talia in a sweet shot Nathalie wore a dazzling Chanel dress as she left an after party at the Marriott on Thursday after the premiere The star looked fabulous in the designer number which was adorned with bejewelled Chanel logos Nathalie looked incredible in a white applique gown which was embellished with tiny rhinestones. She complemented the look with star rings and a bow necklace. Meanwhile Aubrey 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. Greta Gerwig also attended as she 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. Cannes is the world's biggest film festival, first conceived in 1939 as an alternative to the then-fascist-influenced Venice Film Festival. The case gathered for the press conference Nathalie's makeup was flawless as she showed off her radiant complexion In addition to directing the feature, Francis wrote its script and serves as one of the project's producers Jon Voight plays Hamilton Crassus III, Cesar's rich uncle and the head of Crassus National Bank Giancarlo plays Mayor Franklyn Cicero, the mayor of New Rome Jon beamed as he kept his attire casual The 85-year-old kept his jumper tied around his neck Nathalie made her name of Game Of Thrones Adam grinned from ear to ear at the press conference Laurence Fishburne plays Fundi Romaine, Cesar's driver and assistant and the film's narrator On Thursday night the cast brought the glamour for the screening at Palais des Festivals Nathalie was joined on the red carpet by Adam, who plays the lead in the science fiction film Greta Gerwig, who is behind Hollywood blockbuster Barbie, cut a glamorous figure in a black floor length gown which was adorned with thousands of shimmering sequins Grace Van der Waal, Chloe Fineman, Nathalie, director Francis Ford Coppola, Adam Driver and Aubrey (L-R) posed for a photo 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. Tammy Hembrow and her fiance Matt Zukowski looked as loved-up as ever on Friday when they were spotted departing Brisbane Airport for a romantic European holiday. Fitness influencer Tammy, 30, and her Love Island Australia partner Matt, 28, have well and truly dispelled recent split rumours by putting on a romantic display at the bustling hotspot. Hembrow set temperatures soaring in a figure-hugging grey workout cardigan paired with a red blouse and beige pants. Her cut off top perfectly showcased her jaw-dropping skin and youthful figure, which she paired with black designer sandals. Her blonde hair was styled perfectly straight around her shoulders with loose tresses framing her face and she accessorised with a black designer handbag. Tammy Hembrow and fiance Matt Zukowski looked as loved-up as ever on Friday when they were spotted departing Brisbane Airport for a romantic European holiday. Both pictured Meanwhile, Matt rocked a slick monochrome look in a plain black tee paired with white pants and sneakers. Tammy and Matt looked delighted to be spending some quality time together as they headed off to the Greek Islands for a romantic holiday. The pair held hands and gazed lovingly into each other's eyes as they made their way through the airport and at one tender moment were seen embracing in a sweet hug. The pair held hands and gazed lovingly into each other's eyes as they made their way through the airport and at one tender moment were seen embracing in a sweet hug Fitness influencer Tammy, 30, and her Love Island Australia partner Matt, 28, have well and truly dispelled recent split rumours by putting on a romantic display at the bustling hotspot Hembrow set temperatures soaring in a figure-hugging grey workout cardigan paired with a red blouse and beige pants Her cut off top perfectly showcased her jaw-dropping skin and youthful figure, which she paired with black designer sandals Her blonde hair was styled perfectly straight around her shoulders with loose tresses framing her face and she accessorised with a black designer handbag Meanwhile, Matt rocked a slick monochrome look in a plain black tee paired with white pants and sneakers It looked to be an exciting time for the young lovers who got engaged in December after three months of dating and are rumoured to soon be getting married. The sighting comes after weeks of reports there was trouble in paradise between Tammy and Matt. Followers recently pointed out the pair had not featured in each other's posts for some time, while others noted they stopped following each other on Instagram. It wasn't long before the couple quickly re-followed each other before jetting off to enjoy a luxe getaway to Byron Bay. Tammy and Matt looked delighted to be spending some quality time together as they headed off to the Greek Islands for a romantic holiday It looked to be an exciting time for the young lovers who got engaged in December after three months of dating and are rumoured to soon be getting married Just a few weeks ago, Matt went so far as to have his fiancee's name tattooed on his hip alongside a love heart in a very permanent show of dedication. He showed off the new tattoo in an Instagram post late last month, which captured him relaxing at the Bali resort where the pair were on a holiday. It matches a 'Matt' tattoo, also alongside a heart, which Tammy has in a similar place on her upper thigh. Jamie Dornan has been spotted filming a major new Netflix drama in the Scottish Highlands on Thursday. The Northern Irish actor, 42, who plays identical twins Adam and Lee in new series The Undertow, appeared in high spirits as he chatted to crew on set. He bundled up in a brown knitted jumper with a blue life vest over the top while filming scenes onboard a creel fishing boat. Jamie was later seen wearing a brown shirt and khaki green trousers, while shielding his eyes behind stylish shades. The series is an English remake of a Norwegian crime drama titled Twin, and appears to have stayed relatively loyal to the earlier show's premise. Jamie Dornan has been spotted filming a major new Netflix drama in the Scottish Highlands on Thursday He bundled up in a brown knitted jumper with a blue life vest over the top while filming scenes onboard a creel fishing boat The Northern Irish actor, 42, who plays identical twins Adam and Lee in new series The Undertow, appeared in high spirits as he chatted to crew on set The synopsis reads: 'A split-second decision and a terrible accident drives Nicola to protect her children, and over the course of one week, Lee and Nicola are forced together, struggling to maintain a web of secrets and lies. 'Though they can't ignore their feelings for each other, they both know they're living on borrowed time.' The Undertow cast also includes Mackenzie Davis, who plays Adam's wife Nicola, as well as Iain De Caestecker and The Marvels star Gary Lewis. Jeremy Lovering will direct and executive produce, while Jamie will executive produces in addition to starring. The actor most recently starred in the thriller series The Tourist, with the second season of that show debuting in January. Since his 2013 breakout role playing serial killer Paul Spector in BBC drama The Fall opposite Gillian Anderson, Dornan has starred in the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy with Dakota Johnson and Sir Kenneth Branagh's critically acclaimed film Belfast. It comes after Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie admitted he hated being a model. Jamie was later seen wearing a brown shirt and khaki green trousers, while shielding his eyes behind stylish shades The series is an English remake of a Norwegian crime drama titled Twin, and appears to have stayed relatively loyal to the earlier show's premise The Undertow cast also includes Mackenzie Davis, who plays Adam's wife Nicola, as well as Iain De Caestecker and The Marvels star Gary Lewis The synopsis reads: 'A split-second decision and a terrible accident drives Nicola to protect her children, and over the course of one week, Lee and Nicola are forced together, struggling to maintain a web of secrets and lies.' It comes after Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie admitted he hated being a model The actor used to to work with luxury brands such as Calvin Klein, Dior and Armani, earning up to 10,000 a day. But in an interview with the Radio Times he has told how he 'hates' having his photograph taken. He said: 'I hate having my photograph taken. I spent ten years getting paid to have people take photographs of me. If you allow yourself to get into the 'why?' of that, you're f***ed. Just accept it. 'For whatever reason, they want to take your photograph. Go with it, have fun with it, enjoy the ride. Which is what I did, although I hated it in many ways.' The Undertow is coming soon to Netflix. Questions have been raised over why Giovanni Pernice 'quit' Strictly amid allegations about 'serious workplace misconduct' while training three celebrities. But sources have now told MailOnline the 33-year-old professional dancer walked away from the show because his future was 'hanging in the balance'. Bosses of the dance show could not categorically determine his future until the completion of an internal investigation, which is believed to have sparked Giovannis decision to quit after almost a decade. A TV insider said: 'Giovanni is the subject is an internal investigation, which is an ongoing matter. 'Strictly would not be able to terminate his contract until the findings of the investigation are complete, so his future was hanging in the balance. 'And besides, dancers are offered one-year deals to compete in the show, so it would just be a case of Giovanni not being given a new contract to compete in the next series. Did Giovanni waltz away from Strictly before he was pushed? BBC 'investigating serious workplace misconduct claims made by three contestants - as sources say he quit because his future on show was hanging in balance' The Italian professional, 33, (pictured) has been accused of being 'too tough' behind the scenes by several of his former celebrity partners including Amanda Abbington, 52, (pictured) who abruptly left last year's series amid speculation the pair did not get along The source continued: 'There's no hiding from fact the complaints lodged by ex celebrity contestants is not a good look for either Giovanni or the show itself. 'Strictly are taking them seriously which is why the issue is rumbling on. 'But Giovanni is determined to prove he's innocent of all accusations, but the stress and unwelcome attention they've caused is clearly a reason why he's looking at pastures new.' It was reported he had quit Strictly on Thursday night and the following day it emerged the BBC has launched an internal investigation just weeks after saying they wouldn't be looking into the matter further. The Sun reports he is being 'probed over serious complaints made by 'three traumatised contestants.' Amanda Abbington, 52, has been named along with two unnamed contestants, with the Corporation now 'evidence gathering' in the wake of the damning allegations. The Italian professional had previously been accused of being 'too tough' behind the scenes by several of his former celebrity partners including Amanda, as well as Ranvir Singh, 46, Laura Whitmore, 39. Giovanni previously defended his training style, saying: 'I'm definitely a perfectionist.' 'Like everybody else, I like to win. But for me it's more about bringing the best out of partners, especially if I see that there is talent there. I want to do my job properly.' A spokeswoman, from 700 an hour Carter Ruck, told The Sun: 'There have been numerous serious complaints made to the BBC who are now in the process of evidence gathering. 'As it is still an ongoing matter no further comment can be made at this stage'. The BBC said two months ago that they would not be investigating Giovanni's behaviour with Amanda. A spokesperson said at the time: 'There is a constant dialogue between the senior production team and contestants to ensure any concerns are addressed swiftly.' It comes after the news broke that he was leaving Strictly amid a firestorm surrounding his training etiquette. It's claimed the scrutiny became 'too much' when three of his ex dance partners slammed his 'militant' approach. The professional dancer is said to want a 'fresh start' but is 'adamant he has done nothing wrong' after his last celebrity partner, Amanda led the charge in accusing him of 'difficult behaviour' during training. Giovanni has faced a wave of scrutiny ever since his dance partner Amanda (pictured) dramatically quit last year Amanda is allegedly suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) In 2016, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore said she ' cried every day' and felt 'uncomfortable' while training with him The Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh complained about Giovanni to producers back in 2020, during their time on the show Giovanni is currently in Dubai on holiday with his girlfriend Molly Brown, 25, who three days ago shared a series of photos with the dancer, referring to him as her 'best friend' Sources have told MailOnline the 33-year-old professional dancer walked away from the show because his future was 'hanging in the balance' Amanda, who dramatically withdrew from last year's competition and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the show, is said to have met with Laura and Ranvir earlier this year for an 'emotional summit' to 'compare notes' about their time working with him. While the BBC has stood by him and been keen to sign the professional dancer for its 20th anniversary series, Giovanni has decided to not return after eight years on the show. 'Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much and now is the time to make a fresh start,' a source told The Sun. 'He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels he's achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times. 'He remains adamant he's done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isn't to everyone's liking - especially in this day and age.' The insider added Giovanni has lots of 'exciting projects' in the pipeline which is now his priority. Giovanni previously defended his training style, saying: 'I'm definitely a perfectionist.' 'Like everybody else, I like to win. But for me it's more about bringing the best out of partners, especially if I see that there is talent there. I want to do my job properly.' A spokesman for the BBC has declined to comment on Giovanni's departure. They told MailOnline: 'The professional dancers for 2024 will be announced in due course'. He hasn't completely cut ties with BBC, however, with another insider revealing that the BBC are considering commissioning another travel series with Anton Du Beke following strong viewer feedback. MailOnline has contacted Giovanni's representatives for comment. It's also thought that Giovanni clashed with his 2018 celebrity partner Faye Tozer (pictured) Meanwhile his 2022 partner Richie Anderson has unfollowed him on Instagram In 2016, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore said she ' cried every day' and felt 'uncomfortable' while training with him. She later wrote for HuffPost UK in 2018: 'I'm still not ready to talk in depth about my experience on the show. 'I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with and in the end I felt broken, I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.' Good Morning Britain host Ranvir, who reportedly made a complaint against Giovanni to the BBC in 2020, admitted to feeling 'scared' of the Italian. Yet Ranvir's GMB co-host Kate Garraway had different thoughts on the news, saying during Friday's episode of Good Morning Britain she thinks Giovanni will be 'deeply missed.' Speaking to her co-host Rob Rinder on the ITV show, she said: 'He was great on the show and people love him.' Kate had appeared on Strictly in 2007 where she was partnered up with Giovannni's close friend Anton. The broadcaster added she had 'loved' watching their TV outings together, such as their new BBC travel programme, Anton and Giovanni's Adventures in Spain. She added: 'Giovanni and Anton are great friends and I've loved watching those shows as well.' It's also thought that Giovanni also clashed with his 2018 celebrity partner Faye Tozer. The former member of the 1990s band Steps, Faye Tozer, is said to have struggled to work with him and broke down in tears following an appearance together on spin-off show, It Takes Two. Meanwhile his 2022 partner Richie Anderson has unfollowed him on Instagram. But other former partners have also come out to back him, including Debbie McGee, the widow of the magician Paul Daniels, who was paired with him in 2017. According to an insider, Giovanni feels like he has achieved everything he can on the show, having lifted the glitterball with Rose Ayling-Ellis in 2021 and got the final several times Debbie McGee previously came out in defence of her former Strictly partner Giovanni The magician's assistant, who appeared on the show back in 2017, shared a beaming throwback snap of herself and Italian dancer backstage Another insider revealed that the BBC are considering commissioning another travel series with Anton Du Beke following strong viewer feedback Giovanni also had a positive relationship with deaf contestant Rose Ayling-Ellis, 29, who he led to a triumphant victory in 2021, with the pair going onto win a TV BAFTA for their silent dance routine. Shortly after Amanda's allegations, Debbie shared a beaming throwback picture of her and Giovanni taken backstage during their stint together. 'Happy memories, Giovanni and I had the best of times on Strictly,' she said in the caption. Giovanni is currently in Dubai on holiday with his girlfriend Molly Brown, 25, who three days ago shared a series of photos with the dancer, referring to him as her 'best friend.' The couple are believed to be staying at luxury hotel Atlantis The Royal, where they have shared idyllic photos from the Cloud 22 Dubai infinity pool. Giovanni is set to make his film debut this year with insiders predicting he'll 'have more acting roles coming his way' after quitting Strictly Come Dancing. While a cloud surrounds his Strictly exit, a new career could be around the corner, with Giovanni set to appear in Man & Witch - a heart-warming homage to the lo-fi fantasy films of the Eighties. He will appear alongside Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd in the movie, which follows the tale of a lonely goatherd - who cursed at birth to never take a wife - bargains with a witch to reverse the spell if he can complete her three 'impossible' tasks. Giovanni takes on the role of the Master of the Dance, the best dancer in the kingdom and the only person who knows the Dance of a Thousand Steps which is one of the tasks the Witch sets the Goatheard to master in order to find love. Speaking about Giovanni's new role, a movie insider told MailOnline: 'Its a really fun role where not only does he show his amazing dance talent but also gets to show his comedy and acting chops. 'Hes in the film with most amazing cast, including some Hollywood legends, so who knows what might happen, he may well find some more acting roles coming his way.' Giovanni, who also stars alongside Sean Astin (Goonies, Lord of the Rings), Tami Stronach (The NeverEnding Story) and Michael Emerson (Lost). Giovanni is set to make his film debut this year with insiders predicting he'll 'have more acting roles coming his way' after quitting Strictly (pictured in upcoming movie Man & Witch) While a cloud surrounds his Strictly exit, a new career could be around the corner, with Giovanni set to appear in Man & Witch (pictured with co-star Daniel Portman) Man & Witch premieres in the UK on June 2 and will be released in US at the end of August. And while Strictly fans may miss seeing him every weekend in the ballroom, there might not be that long to wait to see him back on the small screen. Insiders have confirmed that Giovanni is already mulling over offers away from BBC and he would find it 'difficult to resist' a lucrative contract with jungle show I'm A Celeb. A source told MailOnline: 'Giovanni has been under intense pressure and scrutiny following last year's series of Strictly when Amanda quit. 'The last thing he wants is for that to continue for him and whoever he could be paired with next so he felt there was no other option but to take a step back from the show. 'His close friendship with Anton Du Beke has made it difficult, he really wants him to stay and tried convincing him to look past everything that's happened.' A TV insider added: 'With I'm A Celeb round the corner, Giovanni would be a dream signing for producers, especially now he's looking for new opportunities and a way to hopefully show audiences he's a good guy. 'The money ITV could offer would be seriously tempting for him too, plus, he loves a challenge.' Selena Gomez showed off her effortlessly chic sense of style as she arrived at Cannes Festival on Friday. The actress, 31, looked in great spirits as she beamed from ear to ear while waving at fans as day four of the film festival gets well underway. The Only Murders In The Building star opted for a matching white crochet style co-ord consisting of a button up cardigan top and floaty pleated skirt from Self-Portrait Embracing the sunny weather, Selena put on a leggy display in the skirt which she paired with some Roger Vivir Viv Canard Slingback Pumps in Patent Leather. Selena indulged in an al fresco dining experience at La Mome followed by a glamorous shopping spree at Mango. Selena Gomez showcased her effortlessly chic sense of style in a matching crochet style co-ord and quirky white sunglasses during day four of Cannes Festival on Friday The Only Murders In The Building star, 31, opted for a matching white crochet style co-ord consisting of a button up cardigan top and floaty pleated skirt from Self-Portrait The star scraped her brunette locks off her face in a slick back bun and added a quirky pair of white sunglasses to the ensemble. Stopping to take selfies with fans and sign autographs, Selena carried her essentials in a small white and gold zig-zag patterned handbag from Aspinal which costs 695. Elsewhere Maya Jama was spotted at Nice airport as she arrived for the festival alongside Rochelle Humes and Kimberley Garner. Earlier this week Selena shared a sweet snap with her boyfriend Benny Blanco, who didn't appear to have joined her in France. The star 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. Meanwhile Benny recently revealed that he sees marriage and kids with Selena in his future. The actress looked in great spirits as she beamed from ear to ear while waving at fans as day four of the film festival gets well underway Embracing the sunny weather, Selena put on a leggy display in the skirt which she paired with some Roger Vivir Viv Canard Slingback Pumps in Patent Leather Stopping to take selfies with fans and sign autographs, Selena carried her essentials in a small white and gold zig-zag patterned handbag She completed her look with some quirky white sunglasses Selena indulged in an al fresco dining experience at La Mome The co-ord fetured intricate crochet detailing 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 birthday on July 22. 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.' Selena put on a very fashionable display in the stunning ensemble The star appeared to not be joined by her boyfriend Benny Blanco The star attempted to go incognito as she kept her sunglasses on She took a selfie with a fan Georgia Fowler was looking every inch the stylish new mum as she took a stroll with her baby son in New York on Thursday. The Victoria's Secret model, who welcomed her second child with husband Nathan Dalah earlier this year, cut a chic figure as she pushed along her little boy's pram. The 31-year-old donned a fitted while top with a striped design with cut outs that showed off some skin. She added a pair of avant-garde trousers in army green that also featured cut out elements. Georgia opted for a pair of oversized designer sunglasses and added a pair of white sneakers. Georgia Fowler was looking every inch the stylish new mum as she took a stroll with her baby son in New York on Thursday. Pictured She finished her fashionable look with a leather crossbody bag and gold chain necklace. Georgia appeared to have on minimal makeup but for a pink lipstick and wore her dark hair down around her face. The New Zealand born beauty shared the news of her baby's arrival on Instagram in February, with several black-and-white photos of herself and Nathan cradling their newborn son in hospital. Revealing the baby's name in the caption, Georgia wrote: 'Zeke Atlas Dalah. 15.2.24. You are so loved already little man.' The 31-year-old donned a fitted while top with a striped design with cut outs that showed off some skin The Victoria's Secret model welcomed her second child with husband Nathan Dalah earlier this year. All pictured Georgia announced in September that she and Nathan were expecting a baby boy. She shared the exciting news alongside a stunning photo shoot in which she was seen cradling the couple's daughter Dylan, who they welcomed in September, 2021. 'Baby brother brewing,' she wrote in the caption. The couple tied the knot during a gorgeous countryside ceremony on 27 January 2023. They exchanged vows at Hopewood House in the township of Bowral, in the NSW Southern Highlands. Among the attendees were the couple's fashion friends, including model Tahnee Atkinson, fashionista Rey Vakili and designers Sophie Coote and Nikki Campbell. Also attending was 'Australian tailor to the stars' Patrick Johnson and his wife Tamsin Johnson, an interior designer. Sharon Stone looked younger than her years with fresh highlights as she took a walk through Beverly Hills this week. The Casino actress, 66, wore a brown turtleneck sweater with orange stripes around the neck, bottom and sleeves. White slacks, a white Dolce & Gabbana handbag and white boat-style sneakers completed her look. The Academy Award winner who showed support for Kevin Spacey to restart his career held her glasses in one hand and her phone in the other as she looked deep in thought. The new snaps come after the Basic Instinct star debuted her latest painting, called Sum Heros [sic]. Sharon Stone looked younger than her years with fresh highlights as she took a walk through Beverly Hills this week The Casino actress, 66, wore a brown turtleneck sweater with orange stripes around the neck, bottom and sleeves The multi-talented star also shared photos and a short video clip of her latest painting on Instagram. The mammoth 72"x96" painting is called SUM HEROS and is a work of acrylic and oil stick on canvas which she created with artist Jarrod James Browning. Browning is an abstract expressionist artist from Jacksonville. In 2023, the Ratched actress detailed how she has thrown herself into her new artistry, claiming she often paints up to 17 hours a day. 'I paint a lot. I, I love it. I have a bit of a meditation, one might say a prayer that I do because I believe that spirit talks to me when I paint,' she said. 'It's very much like my acting. 'I feel like I'm a conduit for something and that it's my job to be a worthy conduit'. Also this week she publicly supported Spacey re-starting his career after he was acquitted on sexual assault charges. Spacey, 64, was fired from Netflix's House of Cards in 2017, after being accused of molesting actor Anthony Rapp when he was 14 and Spacey was 26. He was found not liable during a civil trial in New York in 2022, with the jury concluding that the event had not taken place. Spacey was also cleared of sexual assault allegations by four other men in a criminal trial in London last year. Stone defended Spacey and 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 Sliver star also said it was clear aspiring actors had 'wanted and want to be around him.' The new snaps come after the Basic Instinct star debuted her latest painting, called Sum Heros [sic] The mammoth 72"x96" painting is called SUM HEROS and is a work of acrylic and oil stick on canvas which she created with artist Jarrod James Browning The multi-talented star also shared photos and a short video clip of her latest painting on Instagram One fan passionately commented on Sharon's post, writing: 'I think you're a great actor but I'm sorry I don't support the notion that anyone is under any obligation to resuscitate an alleged molester and sexual assaulter's career.' Another fan expressed: 'Shame on you for defending Spacey. Do victims of abuse not matter to you because they are gay men?' 'Your comment about Spacey hurts on a whole other level. Ugh,' someone else said. Yet another quipped: 'Shame on you for defending Spacey. Wrong for so many reasons. Do better.' Ant and Dec surprised pupils and staff at a primary school last week to help the children with a lesson on financial education. The visit - which took place last Tuesday - was no doubt particularly exciting for Ant McPartlin because he was gearing up to become a father for the first time. A week after helping out with the primary school children, he welcomed son Wilder Patrick McPartlin, with his wife Anne-Marie. The TV duo began their day at St Michael's Primary School in Southfields, south London, by delivering breakfast baskets to the staff room. The surprises continued as they popped into a year five classroom during a financial education lesson, sparking excitement among the students. Ant and Dec surprised pupils and staff at a primary school last week to help the children with a lesson on financial education A week after helping out with the primary school children, Ant welcomed son Wilder Patrick McPartlin, with his wife Anne-Marie Ant and Declan Donnelly, both 48 and Santander ambassadors, engaged the class with lively questions and even started a humorous debate about who the better saver was. The visit culminated in an energetic interruption of the school assembly, attended by over 400 pupils and staff members. Alongside Ant and Dec, Mike Regnier, Santander UK's CEO, commended the school's commitment to financial literacy, emphasising its importance. The day ended on a high note with the presenting pair capturing a memorable selfie with the entire school. And the event marked the one-year anniversary of the Financial Education Recognition Scheme launched by the bank in partnership with educational publisher, Twinkl. St Michael's was one of the first schools to sign up to the scheme, which calls on schools to commit to teaching pupils a minimum of six hours of financial education each academic year - to help them grow into financially confident adults and ease anxiety about money. Ant said: 'Today was a lot of fun. Seeing the kids so engaged in their financial education lessons really brought home how important this learning is. 'The enthusiasm and smart questions from the pupils made our day.' Dec said: 'Engaging with the kids and teachers at St Michael's, answering their curious questions, and seeing the impact of an early financial education was all so rewarding.' The TV duo began their day at St Michael's Primary School in Southfields, south London, by delivering breakfast baskets to the staff room (pictured with Mike Regnier, Santander UK CEO) The surprises continued as they popped into a year five classroom during a financial education lesson, sparking excitement among the students Days after the visit, Ant welcomed his baby boy with Anne-Marie and was quick to make best friend Dec the godfather. The Geordie duo have worked together and been friends for 30 years - starring as presenters on shows such as Saturday Night Takeaway and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. Ant shared a Instagram snap sweetly cradling his baby boy on Tuesday, writing: 'Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54am. Baby is beautiful, Mummy's a legend, Sisters are over the moon. Dad's a mess!' The baby is Ant's first while Anne-Marie has two children, Poppy, and Daisy, from her previous marriage, with a source saying the pair feel like their family is now 'complete'. Wilder's middle name Patrick is thought to be a tribute to Anne-Marie's late dad Paddy. Anne-Marie also made sure her beloved dad was part of her wedding day in 2021 The publication also reports that Ant will now not return to work until May 27 when the BGT live semis begin as he takes some paternity leave. And a source said of his happiness at becoming a dad: 'Ant and Anne-Marie are beyond thrilled their little family is complete. 'They've been overwhelmed with lovely messages from friends, family and fans and are still wading through them. They are incredibly grateful to everyone. 'They chose the name, Wilder, a while ago but have deliberately kept it a closely guarded secret. They are going to be absolutely wonderful, doting parents and Ant cannot wait to be a hands-on dad, changing the nappies and just spending time with little Wilder.' Jay Leno stepped out with his longtime wife Mavis at an awards gala for women's rights in Los Angeles earlier this week. The late night legend, 74, has been caring for his dementia-stricken wife, 77, and was recently appointed her conservator. Discussing their marriage at the Feminist Majority Foundation's 16th Annual Global Women's Rights Awards & Gala, Leno told Fox News that he and Mavis are closer than ever. 'We've been married 44 years. It gets easier. It doesn't get harder,' he said. 'We do everything together. I go home every night, make dinner and sit around. We enjoy each other's company,' he added. Jay Leno stepped out with his longtime wife Mavis at an awards gala for women's rights in Los Angeles earlier this week 'We do everything together. I go home every night, make dinner and sit around. We enjoy each other's company,' he said Leno was affectionate with a beaming Mavis as they posed for photos on the red carpet, protectively wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close. The couple took the gala stage later that night, where Leno choked back tears as he said that marrying the philanthropist was 'the smartest thing I've ever done.' 'We have a lot of fun,' he gushed to the crowd. 'People say marriage is difficult. I don't get it. I enjoy her company. I enjoy taking care of her. We have fun. 'She's the most independent woman I ever knew. Again, I just couldn't be prouder of her.' He added, 'I am part of her legacy and that's what I'm proudest of.' Mavis is a lifelong philanthropist and has been the chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation's Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan since 1997. The dementia Mavis suffers from is so advanced that she sometimes doesn't recognize him and doesn't remember what her birthdate is, court documents found by DailyMail.com revealed earlier this year. The couple took the gala stage later that night, where Leno choked back tears as he said that marrying the philanthropist was 'the smartest thing I've ever done' 'We've been married 44 years. It gets easier. It doesn't get harder,' he said. (Pictured in 1981) The ex-Tonight Show host petitioned Los Angeles Superior Court in January to be appointed 77-year-old Mavis' conservator because her condition makes her unable to handle her own affairs. In a filing supporting Leno's petition, her court-appointed attorney, Ronald Ostrin, shed new light on Mavis's diminishing mental capacity that has brought sadness to the couple's otherwise 'perfect' marriage of 43 years. 'According to (Mavis') neurologist, Dr. Hart Cohen, she has advanced dementia, sometimes does not know her husband Jay, nor her date of birth,' Ostrin said. 'She has lots of disorientation, will ruminate about her parents who have both passed and her mother who died about 20 years ago.' Dr. Cohen - who was called in to treat Mavis after she had a car crash in 2018 - told Ostrin that Leno, 73, 'Loves his wife very much and wanted to bring this matter out of respect to her. 'He said that Mr. Leno is such a nice man and treats Mavis like gold.' The ex-Tonight Show host petitioned Los Angeles Superior Court in January to be appointed Mavis' conservator because her condition makes her unable to handle her own affairs The late night legend, 74, has been caring for his dementia-stricken wife, 77, and was recently appointed her conservator Ostrin says he reviewed all of Dr. Cohen's medical records - including the details about the prescribed medications she is already taking 'for the care and treatment of major neurocognitive disorders (including dementia)' - before talking privately with Mavis herself. 'We had a long opportunity to speak with each other and we spoke about her wishes and desires about the proceeding (the conservatorship) and about her testamentary wishes,' he writes. 'Ms. Leno was a delightful person, and although it was clear she had cognitive impairment, she still has a charming personality and could communicate. 'She expressed a desire to vote and told me a little about her philanthropic work. 'She reposed great faith and confidence in Mr. Leno and relied on him for her protection and guidance.' After completing his investigation of Mavis' condition and also interviewing Leno, Ostrin backed the comedian's conservatorship motion which is scheduled to be heard April 9 at a downtown LA court. 'Mr. and Ms. Leno have a long-term, loving and supportive relationship,' he says. 'They have enough resources to give Ms. Leno a safe and least restrictive environment. Ms. Leno seemed very happy in their cozy environment. 'However, no one lives forever and the actions taken by Mr. Leno are necessary for his and Mavis' protection. 'Estate planning is something that most everyone needs but by the time you need it, if you don't have it, it is too late to get it. This petition is designed to give Mavis that protection with the protection of court supervision. 'Mavis does not object to the petition nor as to Mr. Leno acting as her conservator off her estate She consents to it and wants that. Mr. Leno is her protector and she trusts him. 'Based on my interaction with Mr. Leno, plus some research, he seems to be a standup guy and his private persona matches the public persona he projects.' In recommending the court appoint Jay his wife's conservator, Ostrin adds, 'The main purpose of the petition is to be able to protect Mavis if something happens to Mr. Leno, but otherwise provide the least disturbance to Ms. let o's lifestyle and to preserve her dignity and ensure her safety. 'It is a prudent thing to do and Mavis' cognitive ability at this time will at least let her provide input as to her testamentary wishes that can inform the estate planning process.' In a brief exclusive interview with DailyMail.com in January, just after he filed for the conservatorship, Leno said of Mavis, 'She's fine, everybody's good, we're doing well. I just set up a will, in case something happens.' In his court filing, Leno's attorneys said Mavis 'lacks the necessary capacity to execute the estate plan' due to her 'major neurocognitive disorders (including dementia)'. The legal papers describe him as having a 'loving marriage for more than 43 years' with his wife, noting he 'has always handled the couple's finances,' and wanted to ensure she 'has managed assets sufficient to provide for her care should Jay predecease Mavis 'Jay is fully capable of continuing his support for Mavis's physical and financial needs as he has throughout their marriage. 'Jay desires to execute an estate plan, including a revocable trust and will, which will provide for Mavis and Mavis's brother and her sole living heir aside from Jay.' Leno was officially appointed her conservator in April, with the judge stating that Mavis was in 'very good care' with Leno. She used to be a firm fixture at Cannes Film Festival in the Nineties and Noughties. And Demi Moore was dressed to impress on Friday as she made a glamorous return to the event ahead of the premiere of her new film, The Substance. The actress, 61, exuded glamour in a beaded red gown with a strapless neckline that clung to her slender curves. She added to the glamour with a pair of ruby and diamond chandelier earrings, while scarlet stilettos gave her petite frame a boost. Demi had all eyes on her as she strutted through the Hotel Martinez while exploring the activities at the festival. Demi Moore was dressed to impress on Friday as she made a glamorous return to Cannes Film Festival ahead of the premiere of her new film, The Substance. The actress, 61, exuded glamour in a beaded red gown with a strapless neckline that clung to her slender curves Demi is in Cannes to support her slasher-horror The Substance, which is competing for the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or. It has been decades since she came anywhere near a Cannes red carpet, having appeared mostly in small TV roles since the early Noughties, yet she will join her castmates at the premiere on Sunday. Little is known about the American body horror film written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, which also stars Margaret Qualley, 29, yet it is said to be an 'explosive feminist take on body horror.' The late Ray Liotta was lined up for the cast however after his death in May 2022 production had to be re-evaluated and began again three months later. 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. She added to the glamour with a pair of ruby and diamond chandelier earrings, while scarlet stilettos gave her petite frame a boost Demi had all eyes on her as she strutted through the Hotel Martinez while exploring the activities at the festival Demi is in Cannes to support her slasher-horror The Substance, which is competing for the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or Demi looked in high spirits as she chatted with onlookers at the event 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. 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. Kevin Costner stars in a blood-pumping new trailer his $100m gamble, the movie series Horizon: An American Saga. The sneak peek dropped in the midst of a real-life drama, as Costner, 69, slammed Yellowstone producers. He was said to have left Yellowstone because of scheduling conflicts with Horizon, a longtime passion project that he directed, co-wrote, acted in and produced. Costner leads the cast of Horizon as gun-slinging pioneer Hayes Ellison, who crosses treacherous territory in hopes of a new life and faces down his rivals along the way. In the searing new trailer, Ellison makes his way through the Old West during and after the Civil War, soldiering grimly on through wagon trains, shootouts, threats, brawls - and even a catastrophic bombing. Kevin Costner stars in a blood-pumping new trailer his $100m gamble movie series Horizon: An American Saga The sneak peek dropped in the midst of a real life drama, as Costner, 69, slammed Yellowstone producers after his acrimonious exit from the show; pictured in Horizon He was said to have left Yellowstone because of scheduling conflicts with Horizon, a longtime passion project that he directed, co-wrote, acted in and produced Costner leads the cast as gun-slinging pioneer Hayes Ellison, who treks west through dangerous territory in hopes of a new life and faces down his rivals along the way In the searing new trailer, Ellison makes his way through the Old West during and after the Civil War, soldiering grimly on through wagon trains, shootouts and even a bombing Early in the trailer, Ellison comes face to face with Caleb Sykes (Jamie Campbell Bower), a young long-haired man who emerges as his enemy. Sykes confronts Ellison and scrutinizes his face, deciding he 'ain't from here' and asking him menacingly: 'Something you wanna say?' By way of warning, he adds: 'I will tell you this - in these territories, men'll come try you. They will take from you until you are wiped clean from this land. I'm just saying that's something you might wanna keep in mind.' As Sykes sounds Ellison off, footage plays of a ruined church, a burned-out town and a hair-raising carriage chase that involves gunfire. Ellison and Sykes eventually face off against one another in a secluded forest clearing, drawing their weapons for what promises to be a brutal fight. Chatting with another man in an encampment, Ellison reveals he is headed to a mysterious location out west called Horizon. With more than 150,000 acres open and available for the taking, Horizon is 'the place I might be able to see myself,' Ellison shares. 'You and I are standing guard on one of the last open spaces,' declares Colonel Houghton of the Union Army, played by Danny Huston. Early in the trailer, Ellison comes face to face with Caleb Sykes (Jamie Campbell Bower), a young long-haired man who emerges as his enemy Sykes confronts Ellison and scrutinizes his face, deciding he 'ain't from here' and asking him menacingly: 'Something you wanna say?' By way of warning, he adds: 'I will tell you this - in these territories, men'll come try you,' saying with foreboding: 'They will take from you until you are wiped clean from this land' As Sykes sounds Ellison off, footage plays of a ruined church, a burned-out town and a hair-raising carriage chase that involves gunfire Ellison and Sykes eventually face off against one another in a secluded forest clearing, drawing their weapons for what promises to be a brutal fight 'You just have to stand at the river and you can see what the men and the women up there see. That's what drove us across the ocean to this country in the first place - hope,' the military officer muses. Along the way, Ellison confronts a number of rough-hewn, mysterious personalities, including Will Patton's forbidding Owen Kittredge. Luke Wilson briefly appears as Matthew Van Weyden, with Jenna Malone as a stern frontierswoman who variously goes by Ellen or Lucy. Landlady Frances Kittridge (Sienna Miller) is then seen having a meaningful conversation with First Lt. Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington). Sexual tension thrums between them as Frances approaches Trent and says: 'Lieutenant! There's no reason for you to stay here - and here you are.' Trent takes a hard-nosed approach to the Union soldiers under his command, giving them his unvarnished view of the Native Americans and settlers they will meet. 'The men who hunt this land, they're not gonna share it with you,' the lieutenant says. 'What you build, they will burn down.' His predictions appear to be borne out when various pioneers are seen painstakingly building a village - only for a nighttime raid to send the whole place up in flames. Chatting with another man in an encampment, Ellison reveals he is headed to a mysterious location out west called Horizon With more than 150,000 acres open and available for the taking, Horizon is 'the place I might be able to see myself,' Ellison shares 'You and I are standing guard on one of the last open spaces,' declares Colonel Houghton of the Union Army, played by Danny Huston 'You just have to stand at the river and you can see what the men and the women up there see. That's what drove us across the ocean to this country in the first place - hope,' it is heard Along the way, Ellison confronts a number of rough-hewn, mysterious personalities, including Will Patton's forbidding Owen Kittredge Luke Wilson (left) briefly appears as Matthew Van Weyden, with Jenna Malone (right) as a stern frontierswoman who variously goes by Ellen or Lucy Landlady Frances Kittridge (Sienna Miller) is then seen having a meaningful conversation with First Lt. Trent Gephardt (Sam Worthington) Sexual tension thrums between them as Frances approaches Trent and says: 'Lieutenant! There's no reason for you to stay here - and here you are' 'We just gotta keep moving,' Ellison says determinedly, riding off into the countryside with Abbey Lee's character Marigold. Flashes of mysterious action unfold throughout the trailer, including a love scene in a tent that takes place under cover of darkness. Ellison also finds himself locked in a gun battle across the plains, trying to fix his aim on a horseman who fires at him while riding towards him at breakneck speed. At the end of a sneak peek, Ellison beats up a mystery man in a cow pen for taunting him: 'You better be careful - someone's gonna take that gun and rap you with it.' After a scheduled premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month, the movie series set to be released in two chapters on June 28 and August 16. The first movie chronicles a 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west. In June 2023 DailyMail.com revealed the Oscar-winner had mortgaged a 10-acre plot of prime undeveloped coastline - where he had planned to build a new family home - in order to finance the development of Horizon. 'Ive mortgaged 10 acres on the water in Santa Barbara where I was going to build my last house,' he told Deadline during a recent interview. 'But I did it without a thought. It has thrown my accountant into a f**king conniption fit. But its my life, and I believe in the idea and the story.' Trent takes a hard-nosed approach to the Union soldiers under his command, giving them his unvarnished view of the Native Americans and settlers they will meet 'The men who hunt this land, they're not gonna share it with you,' the lieutenant says: 'What you build, they will burn down' His predictions appear to be borne out when various pioneers are seen painstakingly building a village - only for a nighttime raid to send the whole place up in flames Flashes of mysterious action unfold throughout the trailer, including a love scene in a tent that takes place under cover of darkness Costner, who has been desperately trying to bring the four-part movie series to life for more than 30 years now, is thought to have personally raised up to $50 million of Horizon's $100 million budget with the move. 'I'll tell you what. I'm never gonna do this again. I'm never putting my f***ing money in another movie after these four,' he fumed. Costner is said to have a net worth of around $250 million and was collecting a reported $1.5 million per episode of his hit show Yellowstone, making him the best-paid actor on TV. When he introduced an earlier trailer during a Zoom call with reporters earlier this year he shared: 'There was a great injustice incurred in the West, but it doesn't minimize the courage it took for my ancestors to actually cut loose and go there. 'And I recognize the resourcefulness it took, the bravery it took, to leave and make this march across this country.' This comes after the actor - who plays John Dutton III in the Taylor Sheridan series Yellowstone, claims he honored his contract despite ongoing rumors and discusses the delay of the show's finale, as Season 5 ended prematurely. Allegedly, a feud between Costner and Sheridan caused the hold up. Paramount claimed Costner refused to shoot more episodes, instead promoting his new film franchise, Horizon, while Costner asserts Paramount sought contract amendments due to Sheridan's delayed scriptwriting. 'There was no script,' Costner told Deadline on Tuesday. 'And then things imploded. Youve been reading one version [of the show's drama] for a year and a half.' 'We just gotta keep moving,' Ellison says determinedly, riding off into the countryside with Abbey Lee's character Marigold Ellison also finds himself locked in a gun battle across the plains, trying to fix his aim on a horseman who fires at him while riding towards him at breakneck speed At the end of a sneak peek, Ellison beats up a mystery man in a cow pen for taunting him: 'You better be careful - someone's gonna take that gun and rap you with it' After a scheduled premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month, the movie series set to be released in two chapters on June 28 and August 16 He added: 'I have taken a beating from those f****** guys and I know a lot of times where its coming from. I just elected not to get into that. But if you know me well enough, I made Yellowstone the first priority, and to insinuate anything else would be wrong.' Costner, who revealed he has not filmed the remaining episodes of Season 5, also defended Sheridan, claiming, 'I did not initiate any of those things. They did. They were doing a tap dance and this poor guy was also having to write so much. And I dont know why they didnt stick up for me.' After the first half of the fifth season of Yellowstone aired late last year, the show went on hiatus for the holidays. Their return to filming, originally slated for the beginning of the year, was postponed to sometime this summer, with no announced premiere date. Since Yellowstone went on hiatus, Costner has borne the brunt of the blame. 'I didnt have to answer the slings and arrows over the last year and a half, because Ive just been busy working. Theyve been pretty slick about keeping their hands off; nobody was ever on the record.' However, rumors claimed he only wanted to work for one week to film the rest of the episodes. Costner contends that Paramount deceived him. 'I havent felt good about it the last year, what with the way theyve talked about it,' he told Deadline. 'It wasnt truthful.' 'So now Im talking a little bit about what the real truth of it was. I made a contract for seasons five, six and seven. In February, after a two- or three-month negotiation, they made another contract. They wanted to redo that one, and instead of seasons six and seven, it was 5A and 5B, and maybe well do six. They werent able to make those.' The first movie chronicles a 15-year span of pre-and post-Civil War expansion and settlement of the American west In June 2023 DailyMail.com revealed the Oscar-winner had mortgaged a 10-acre plot of prime undeveloped coastline in order to finance the development of Horizon 'There was a great injustice incurred in the West, but it doesn't minimize the courage it took for my ancestors to actually cut loose and go there,' Costner said in an interview He went to to say he was willing to film Horizon around the Yellowstone schedule but the timeline kept changing. 'Horizon was set in the middle, but Yellowstone was first position. I fit [Horizon] into the gaps. They just kept moving their gaps.' Costner, amid considerable scrutiny regarding the show's future, acknowledged feeling 'bothered' by the production's apparent lack of support. He added: 'They were silent and that bothered me in the world of how you do things. Why dont you stick up for me? I went and sold this thing for you. I was going to only do one season. I made it for three. I fulfilled three. 'So I went from one to three, then I did a fourth one for them and they wanted to do three more. So I made the contract to do that. They imploded. I had a contract to do five, six and seven. I was contracted to do that. Theres nothing I could have done to get out of that, nor was I trying to just figure out how, when we started. 'I left my movie [Horizon] to be on time for them for 5B,' Costner continued. 'I left exactly when they wanted, and it made it hard on me.' However, he alleged that the crux of the issue lay in the absence of scripts for the final stretch of Yellowstone episodes. 'It turns out they didnt have the scripts for 5B. They needed four more days just to complete the first eight episodes. I left early to give them what they needed to have a complete eight, and I felt bad that the audience didnt get 10. They didnt have the scripts for anything else.' 'So, what you read in the end was that I said, "Well, look, Im doing my movie. If you want me to work a week because you want to kill me or whatever else, I can give you a week." I really didnt have that week to give them, but I said, Ill do that. And then they [spun that] into, I only wanted to work a week.' 'I havent felt good about it the last year, what with the way theyve talked about [his Yellowstone exit],' he told Deadline. 'It wasnt truthful'; still from Yellowstone with Kelly Reilly When asked if things could be worked out if he sat down 'man-to-man' with Sheridan, Costner argued: 'Dont talk to me about man-to-man,'; Costner and Taylor Sheridan in 2018 Costner also hinted at Sheridan being stretched thin at Paramount, suggesting it as the reason for running out of scripts for the latter half of Yellowstone season 5. Apart from his involvement in the popular Western, Sheridan oversees a multitude of projects including Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, Special Ops: Lioness, and Lawman: Bass Reeves, alongside Yellowstone spin-offs like 1883 and 1923. Reportedly, Paramount also intends to launch a new Yellowstone sequel/spin-off starring Matthew McConaughey. 'Theres a lot of product they were putting out,' Costner said. '[Yellowstone] didnt have the scripts. And they wrote these other three shows. They dont ever talk about that.' When asked if things could be worked out if he sat down 'man-to-man' with Sheridan, Costner argued: 'Dont talk to me about man-to-man.' Despite the drama, Costner hasn't closed the door on returning to Yellowstone; still from Yellowstone 'I was straight up with him and he said what we would do and I believed him and we didnt get there,' he said. Despite the drama, Costner hasn't closed the door on returning to Yellowstone. 'Im very open to coming back. If theyve got so many other things going on, maybe this circles back and its a really cool two seasons,' he said. 'Or end it, if the writings there and Im happy with it. Im open to that. But I took a beating over these guys not speaking up for me and allowing crazy stories to come out.' Lady Victoria Hervey looked divine as she joined Kimberley Garner on the Kinds Of Kindness red carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on Friday. The socialite, 47, cut a chic figure as she stepped out in a figure-hugging bedazzled mini dress which featured a sparkly gemstone choker. She exuded glamour as she embraced the carpet with an elegant two meter toule train. To accessorise she she wore a silver sparkly box clutch, large silver earrings and a pair of sensible metallic kitten heels. Victoria appeared in high spirits for the evening as she showcased her natural beauty with a minimal makeup look and a tousled bun. Lady Victoria Harvey, (left) and Kimberley Garner, (right) commanded attention on the Kinds Of Kindness red carpet as they attended the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival on Friday Socialite Victoria, 47, cut a chic figure as she stepped out in a figure-hugging bedazzled mini dress which featured a sparkly gemstone choker She appeared in high spirits for the evening as she showcased her natural beauty with a minimal makeup look and a tousled bun Kimberley, 33, commanded attention as she stepped out in a sheer nude gown which featured intricate jewel detailings. She was unmissable at the event as sher paired her fabulous garment with a dramatic cream layered toule shawl which doubled as a train. It spread three meters down and across the red carpet stairs. Kimberley posed confidently as she showcased her gorgeous backless dress and golden platform heels. She was the epitome of chic as she styled her blonde tresses in a simple middle-part bun. The ladies were showing support for Emma Stone and Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos' latest movie offering Kinds Of Kindness. Emma, 35, who scooped the Best Actress Academy Award - appears alongside Margaret Qualley, Hunter Schafer, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau and Mamoudou Athie in the film. The movie is described as 'triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned. 'He seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader,' according to Variety. Victoria exuded glamour as she attended the event rocking a two meter toule train as she posed on the steps of the Hotel Martinez ahead of the red carpet premiere To accessorise she she wore a silver sparkly box clutch, large silver earrings and a pair of sensible metallic kitten heels She appeared to switched up her bag before the show as she was snapped in with a bright silver soft clutch Victoria went all out for the occasion as she accesssorised with an array of rings and a thick silver bracelet Kimberly, 33, commanded attention as she stepped out in a sheer nude gown which featured intricte jewel detailings She was unmissable at the event as sher paired her fabulous garment with a dramatic cream layered toule shawl which doubled as a train It spread three meters down and across the red carpet stairs Kimberley posed confidently as she showcased her gorgeous backless dress She was the epitome of chic as she styled her blonde tresses in a simple middle-part bun She exuded Hollywood glamour as she posed confidently for the cameras Kimberly put on a very extravagant display as she also posed for pictures at Hotel Martinez The blonde beauty appeared in top spirits as she desperately tried to squeeze her glamourous dress into the back of a car Emma, who scooped the Best Actress Academy Award - appears alongside Margaret Qualley, Hunter Schafer , Jesse Plemons , Willem Dafoe, Joe Alwyn , Hong Chau and Mamoudou Athie in the film (pictured in the film) Emma recently won her second Oscar for Best Actress after working with Yorgos, 50, on Poor Things, which also earned him a nomination for Best Director. The pair previously worked together on 2018's The Favourite, for which they were also nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Director, respectively. Emma and Yorgos have also been in talks to team up a fourth time for a remake of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet. Oscar-winning actress Emma looked radiant as she took to the carpet for the premiere of her latest flick. Emma stars as Rita in the film, after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in their previous joint work Poor Things. For the premiere, Emma was glowing as she opted for a daring dark red plunge gown, which was covered head-to-toe in sequins. Oscar-winning actress Emma looked radiant in a dark red plunge gown as she took to the carpet for the premiere of her latest flick Meanwhile, Eva Longoria, 49, showed off her incredible figure in a pale pink sequinned gown as she attended the premiere Meanwhile, Eva Longoria, 49, showed off her incredible figure in a pale pink sequinned gown as she attended the premiere. The actress flaunted her ample cleavage in the plunging dress adorned with sequins as she posed for snaps at the event. Beaming in her glamorous look, Eva put on a showstopping display in the gorgeous pink gown as one of the first stars to arrive at the premiere Kinds of Kindness premieres June 21 in select theaters. Danielle Mason showed off her incredible figure in a slew of bikini snaps as she enjoyed a girls' weekend at Glass House detox and wellness retreat in Essex on the weekend. The TV personality, 41 - who is the younger sister EastEnders Kat Slater actress Jessie Wallace , 52 - wowed in a floral bandeau bikini that showcased her slender curves. She was joined by TV presenter and This Morning star Hayley Sparkes, who posed for snaps in a plunging black swimsuit that accentuated her sensational physique. Danielle took to Instagram to document her time at the award winning vegan retreat where she caught up with the friends and took advantage of the balmy weather. Also at the retreat were radio presenter Danielle Broadbent and podcast host Shanie Ryan, with the group posing for striking snaps together. Danielle Mason showed off her incredible figure in a slew of bikini snaps as she enjoyed a girls' weekend at Glass House detox and wellness retreat in Essex on the weekend She was joined by TV presenter and This Morning star Hayley Sparkes as they enjoyed a relaxing weekend and the good weather The TV personality, 41 - who is the younger sister EastEnders Kat Slater actress Jessie Wallace , 52 - wowed in a floral bandeau bikini that showcased her slender curves Glass House Retreat, which has featured on shows such as TOWIE is a favourite among celebrities as the UK's first purpose-built detox and wellness eco-friendly retreat. Danielle found fame on Gypsies Next Door star shares her son Rudy, 12, and daughter Deliliah, 10, with cage fighter Tony Giles, whom she split from in 2019. She is now dating landscape gardener Lee Dopson and the former Page 3 girl became a cleaning influencer, often sharing cleaning hacks on TikTok. In March, Danielle revealed to MailOnline that her son, who has autism, hasn't been to school for over a year due to a lack of funding for his special educational needs - and says 'he'll never go back because his confidence has been knocked so much'. Danielle, who lives in Bracknell, says her son Rudy, who should be in Year Eight, has been declined a place at numerous schools in Berkshire after he was excluded 21 times from his last school, The Brakenhale School. Speaking to MailOnline, the mother-of-two claims that the schools 'cannot cope' with her son's EHCP [Education, Health and Care Plan] due to a 'lack of government funding' - and that he's received homework for the first time in a year this week. She said her daughter Delilah, who also has an EHCP due to mental health problems, is currently in Year Six at primary school, and has also failed to get a place at several senior schools. Danielle said: 'My little boy, who is diagnosed autistic, went up from junior school to senior school with no problem, he was excluded 21 times until the school agreed they would let him have a managed move.' A managed move is a behaviour strategy for children at risk of permanent exclusion if other approaches to improve the child's behaviour have failed and the school believes a fresh start elsewhere might work. The mother claimed her son would be excluded for 'silly reasons' such as coming in wearing his trainers instead of his school shoes, while other days he was 'triggered' when the school couldnt handle his needs properly. Hayley posed for snaps in a plunging black swimsuit that accentuated her sensational figure Also at the retreat were radio presenter Danielle Broadbent (right) and podcast host Shanie Ryan (second left) with the group posing for striking snaps together She said: 'He would just be sat in his bedroom with no socialising and the school would have him off four days at a time until it got to the point where he had done no education in Year Seven. 'I got a managed move to another school, and they also said they dont have the staff there to manage his needs. 'His EHCP plan came through and no mainstream school will take him as they do not have the staff to accommodate his needs due to a lack of funding.' An Education, Health and Care plan is a legal document which sets out a child's special educational needs, the support they require and what they would like to achieve. She added: 'They do not have the staff to accommodate his needs due to lack of funding. Thats all they say, they do not have the funding. 'They say he can go a couple of hours a day to his old school, but they call me after an hour as his mood swings have heightened due to the lack of SEN [Special educational needs] teachers.' However, Danielle also claims that her local authority, Bracknell Forest Council, has said that mainstream schools should be able to take Rudy. She said: 'While these arguments are going on, my son has now not been in education for over a year.' Danielle added that many other parents are in the same situation as her. She said: 'My daughter has mental health problems and has an EHCP plan also. 'Without even meeting us, her schools have refused her because she may have ADHD or autism and they say they cannot cope, even though she is a wonderful, well behaved little girl with a real talent for acting and dancing.' Glass House Retreat, which has featured on shows such as TOWIE is a favourite among celebrities as the UK's first purpose-built detox and wellness eco-friendly retreat Danielle questioned where the school funding for children with special educational needs and disabilities [SEND] is going. She said: 'No education or support. Im utterly disgusted. Having asked around, going to charities for support and watching other mothers on TikTok. I can see its a problem throughout the UK and in my local council. 'There are thousands of kids in the same situation that are roaming the streets because school will not have them and cannot be bothered to help these children.' Danielle said: 'Delilah is currently in junior school however, she was supposed to get her senior school place last week with all the other children who got theirs, and hers was refused and she has been refused from a couple of schools, so she doesnt have a senior school to move up into. 'Its been really upsetting for Delilah as all her friends have got their school places apart from her. 'Delilah's junior school is baffled by the way the senior schools are behaving. She is such a lovely girl and they havent even met her, she an amazing dancer and actress, its heartbreaking. Danielle revealed it has become like a full-time job trying to find a place for her children's educational needs. She said: 'The council are continuing to fight for my children's place at school. The council and mainstream schools are arguing between each other, meanwhile I have one child with no school, and my daughter moving up to senior school with no place.' 'Schools just do not have the staff to cope with any child that is a bit different, should it be autism, ADHD or mental health struggles. 'I constantly feel like its a full-time job, making phone calls and emailing all day long and getting nowhere.' In March, Danielle told MailOnline her 12-year-old son, who has autism, hasn't been in school for over a year because, she claims, 'no mainstream school will take him' due to lack of funding for his special educational needs (Pictured with her children Delilah and Rudy) James Sunderland, Conservative MP for Bracknell, said: 'I am sorry to hear about Rudy and Delilah. I have met and advised several local families on SEND issues, but I have not met the Masons. 'I would advise them to get in touch with my office. Of note, the provision of education for students with an EHCP is a needs-led service for which Bracknell Forest Council has local responsibility and for which significant extra funding has been provided by the Government. 'I also continue to support the council in its bid for focused safety valve funding and I am pushing hard for additional SEND schools in the borough, of which one in Crowthorne has already been approved.' Anya Taylor-Joy ensured all eyes were on her as she joined her leading man Chris Hemsworth at the UK premiere of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in London on Friday. The actress, 28, who takes over from Charlize Theron as the younger Furiosa in the upcoming film, put on a racy display in a floral ruffled bodysuit on the red carpet at BFI IMAX Waterloo. Anya leads the cast in the newest installment in the franchise, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, and has been wowing fans with her incredible wardrobe. Friday was no exception as Anya showed off her incredible figure in the black bodysuit complete with huge white ruffled off-the-shoulder sleeves. The Queen's Gambit star's bodysuit was paired with sheer black tights and stilettos, as well as a glamorous triple-chain diamond necklace with matching earrings. Anya Taylor-Joy ensured all eyes were on her as she joined her leading man Chris Hemsworth at the UK premiere of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in London on Friday Anya stepped out for the film's UK premiere at BFI IMAX Waterloo, London, on Friday, alongside Chris Anya's signature platinum locks were slicked back into a high ponytail, while she sported a dark cat eye eyliner look and vibrant red lipstick. Meanwhile, Chris looked dapper as he attended the premiere in a three-piece duck-egg blue suit. The Australian actor, 40, paired the waistcoat suit with an unbutton light shirt, and paired the look with striking white Chelsea boots. Among the stars he stepped out for the premiere included Alyla Browne, who plays the younger version of Anya's character. Australian actress Alyla, 14, looked adorable in a ruffled cream-coloured babydoll dress, which she paired with barely-there white heels. Meanwhile, also in attendance were Chris's famous brothers Liam and Luke. Liam put on a loved up display with his girlfriend Gabriella Brooks as he showed support for his older brother. Gabriella looked sensational in a black satin co-ord which showed off her abs, while Liam kept it casual in a cap, sweater and trainers. Chris's older brother Luke also attended to support his new film, and was seen alongside the film's cast member Angus Sampson. Anya showed off her incredible figure in a black bodysuit complete with huge white ruffled off-the-shoulder sleeves Anya's signature platinum locks were slicked back into a high ponytail, while she sported a dark cat eye eyliner look and vibrant red lipstick The Queen's Gambit star's bodysuit was paired with sheer black tights and stilettos, as well as a glamorous triple-chain diamond necklace with matching earrings Anya and Chris attend the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga UK premiere Doug Mitchell, Shane Dundas, Alyla Browne, Tom Burke, George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Angus Sampson, David Collins and Chris Hemsworth attend the UK premiere of 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' Anya leads the cast in the newest instalment in the franchise, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday Meanwhile, Chris looked dapper as he attended the premiere in a three-piece duck-egg blue suit Shane Dundas, Alyla Browne, Tom Burke, director George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Angus Sampson, David Collins and Chris Hemsworth pose for photographers upon arrival at the UK Premiere of the film 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' Luke's guest for the event was his wife Samantha, who looked incredible in a form-fitting gold dress. Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Agatha Danbury, was one of the stars at the premiere. She looked chic in a baby pink textured full-length dress-style coat with a striped top underneath. She finished the look with blue chunky boots. Debuting a new red hair look at the premiere was Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and his boyfriend Andrew Le Page. Tasha banished her blonde locks in favour of a darker do, which she paired with a figure-hugging brown gown. The turtle-neck dress was complete with a sash that tied around the waist, fastening at the front. Meanwhile, Andrew kept it low key as he stepped out in a grey sweater and jeans. The Traitors' star Mollie Pearce also made an appearance at the premiere on Friday, stepping out with her boyfriend. The reality star looked incredible in a pair of black jeans paired with a cream corset, which she finished with black stilettos. Actress Siobhan Hewlett and Austrian model Nadine Leopold were among some of the other stars in attendance. It comes after Anya revealed that a 15-minute action scene in her new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took a staggering 78 days to film. Appearing on The One Show on Thursday alongside co-star Chris, Anya gave presenters Roman Kemp and Lauren Laverne some insight about what goes into filming such a long scene. Chris smiles as he poses on the red carpet for the Furiosa UK premiere The Thor star, 40, described his villainous character Dementus as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland' It comes after Anya revealed that a 15-minute action scene in her new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took a staggering 78 days to film 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 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 Anya and Chris with the film's director George Miller Among the stars he stepped out for the premiere included Alyla Browne, who plays the younger version of Anya's character Australian actress Alyla, 14, looked adorable in a ruffled cream-coloured babydoll dress, which she paired with barely-there white heels Meanwhile, also in attendance were Chris's famous brothers Liam and Luke . Liam put on a loved up display with his girlfriend Gabriella Brooks as he showed support for his older brother Gabriella looked sensational in a black satin co-ord which showed off her abs, while Liam kept it casual in a cap, sweater and trainers Liam Hemsworth's girlfriend at the premiere Chris's older brother Luke also attended to support his new film, and was seen alongside the film's cast member Angus Sampson Luke's guest for the event was his wife Samantha, who looked incredible in a form-fitting gold dress Luke and Liam Hemsworth step out to support their brother Chris Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Agatha Danbury, was one of the stars at the premiere She looked chic in a baby pink textured full-length dress-style coat with a striped top underneath. She finished the look with blue chunky boots Debuting a new red hair look at the premiere was Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and his boyfriend Andrew Le Page Tasha banished her blonde locks in favour of a darker do, which she paired with a figure-hugging brown gown. The turtle-neck dress was complete with a sash that tied around the waist, fastening at the front. Meanwhile, Andrew kept it low key as he stepped out in a grey sweater and jeans The Traitors' star Mollie Pearce also made an appearance at the premiere on Friday, stepping out with her boyfriend The reality star looked incredible in a pair of black jeans paired with a cream corset, which she finished with black stilettos Actress Siobhan Hewlett and Austrian model Nadine Leopold were among some of the other stars in attendance '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 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'.' 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 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, the star of Fury Road. Anya and Chris arrived in France earlier in the week for the world premiere of their new Mad Max film. She is staying in the famous Hotel Martinez whilst in Cannes. And earlier on Wednesday Anya went braless in cardigan and hot pants as she was seen leaving her hotel ahead of the premiere. The Queen's Gambit star graciously stopped to take selfies with waiting fans, while keeping her eyes hidden under black sunglasses. The flick - which is not being released to theatres until May 23 - is a prequel to lauded 2015 blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road. 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 The actress showed off her fashion credentials in the gold number which was adorned with crystals and teamed with a statement silver necklace 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) While Chris is playing warlord leader, Dementus, who he described as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland' (pictured) Creator George Miller has returned to helm the movie, which is an origin story for the title character, played by Charlize in the previous film. The Thor star described his villainous character Dementus as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland'. He added: '[Dementus] has been birthed into a space where it's kill or be killed. He's learned to rule with an iron fist. There's a charisma to him and it's very manipulative.' While the full reviews won't be in until closer to the release date, early reactions to Furiosa from a wide range of film critics have been promising. They lauded George's direction and were full of universal praise for the performances of Anya and Chris, with many commenting the film was a worthy addition to the franchise. George described the prequel as 'a saga' that will be told over a 15-year period, which is much different from Fury Road, which spanned three days in its timeframe. Filming for Furiosa took place in New South Wales, Australia, beginning in June 2022 and wrapping up by October. Liam Hemsworth and his girlfriend Gabriella Brooks put on a loved-up display as they supported his brother Chris at the UK premiere of his film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in London on Friday. The Hemsworth family turned out in force for the screening held at BFI IMAX Waterloo with both Liam, 34, and older sibling Luke, 43, hitting the red carpet. The Witcher star Liam looked handsome as ever, wearing a plain black jumper, layered over a white T-shirt, which he paired with khaki cargo pants and white trainers. In keeping with his casual look, Liam accessorised with an Avenue Twenty Two cap and a pair of silver chains. Fashion model Gabriella,27, who has been in a relationship with the Hollywood hunk for over three years, looked sensational in a black silky co-ord. Liam Hemsworth and his girlfriend Gabriella Brooks put on a loved-up display as they supported his brother Chris at the UK premiere of his film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on Friday The Hemsworth family turned out in force for the screening held at BFI IMAX Waterloo with both Liam, 34, (middle) and older sibling Luke, 43, (right) hitting the red carpet Liam Hemsworth cut a casual figure as he stepped out to support his brother Chris at the UK premiere of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga in London on Friday It featured a cropped square blouse and floor-length skirt. Gabriella finished her glamorous look with a chunky gold bracelet and a sleek bob. Meanwhile, Chris looked dapper as he attended the premiere in a three-piece duck-egg blue suit. The Australian actor paired the waistcoat suit with an unbutton light shirt, and paired the look with striking white Chelsea boots. It comes after leading lady Anya Taylor-Joy revealed that a 15-minute action scene in her new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took a staggering 78 days to film. Appearing on The One Show on Thursday alongside co-star Chris, 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 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. He looked handsome as ever, wearing a plain black jumper, layered over a white T-shirt, which he paired with khaki cargo pants and white trainers In keeping with his trendy yet relaxed look, Liam accessorised with an Avenue Twenty Two cap and a pair of silver chains During the star-studded event, Liam put on a loved-up display as he graced the carpet alongside his girlfriend Gabriella Luke also looked strapping in a grey suit and striped shirtas he was joined by his wife Samantha to support his brother Samantha looked every inch the golden goddess as she wore a metallic corset dress which featured a scrunched skirt The Hemsworths made the premiere a family affair as they made a joint appearance to celebrate Chris's latest flick (L to R: Samantha, Holly, Luke, Ella, Leonie, Harper Rose, Craig, Gabriella and Liam) Meanwhile, Chris looked dapper as he attended the premiere in a three-piece duck-egg blue suit The Australian actor paired the waistcoat suit with an unbutton light shirt, and paired the look with striking white Chelsea boots It comes after leading lady Anya Taylor-Joy revealed that a 15-minute action scene in her new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took a staggering 78 days to film (pictured at the premiere) Anya and Chris attend the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga UK premiere Doug Mitchell, Shane Dundas, Alyla Browne, Tom Burke, George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Angus Sampson, David Collins and Chris Hemsworth attend the UK premiere of 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' Anya leads the cast in the newest instalment in the franchise, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday Chris smiles as he poses on the red carpet for the Furiosa UK premiere The Thor star described his villainous character Dementus as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland' It comes after Anya revealed that a 15-minute action scene in her new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took a staggering 78 days to film 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 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'.' 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 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, the star of Fury Road. 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 Anya and Chris with the film's director George Miller Anya and Chris arrived in France earlier in the week for the world premiere of their new Mad Max film. She is staying in the famous Hotel Martinez whilst in Cannes. And earlier on Wednesday Anya went braless in cardigan and hot pants as she was seen leaving her hotel ahead of the premiere. The Queen's Gambit star graciously stopped to take selfies with waiting fans, while keeping her eyes hidden under black sunglasses. The flick - which is not being released to theatres until May 23 - is a prequel to lauded 2015 blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road. Creator George Miller has returned to helm the movie, which is an origin story for the title character, played by Charlize in the previous film. The Thor star described his villainous character Dementus as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland'. He added: '[Dementus] has been birthed into a space where it's kill or be killed. He's learned to rule with an iron fist. There's a charisma to him and it's very manipulative.' 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 The actress showed off her fashion credentials in the gold number which was adorned with crystals and teamed with a statement silver necklace 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) While Chris is playing warlord leader, Dementus, who he described as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland' (pictured) While the full reviews won't be in until closer to the release date, early reactions to Furiosa from a wide range of film critics have been promising. They lauded George's direction and were full of universal praise for the performances of Anya and Chris, with many commenting the film was a worthy addition to the franchise. George described the prequel as 'a saga' that will be told over a 15-year period, which is much different from Fury Road, which spanned three days in its timeframe. Filming for Furiosa took place in New South Wales, Australia, beginning in June 2022 and wrapping up by October. Ant McPartlin's ex Lisa Armstrong has vowed to fight for custody of their pet Labrador as the fallout of their messy break-up continues to spill after the birth of his first son. The Saturday Night Takeaway star split from Lisa in 2018 after 11 years of marriage and went on to marry his former personal assistant, Anne-Marie Corbett, in 2021. This week Ant, 48, announced he and 46-year-old Anne-Marie had welcomed son Wilder Patrick McPartlin into the world - and the news is said to have shattered Lisa, who remains childless at 47 following her acrimonious divorce from the presenter. Ant shared a Instagram snap sweetly cradling his baby boy, revealing he'd been born earlier that day on Tuesday, writing: 'Born, 14/05/24 at 8.54am. Baby is beautiful, Mummy's a legend, Sisters are over the moon. Dad's a mess!' Since the split, Lisa has had one constant source of support by her side - loyal Labrador Hurley. She shares joint custody of the beloved canine with Ant but reports say she wants sole possession of him - something he is said to have resisted. Hurley was adopted by the former couple in 2013 after they struggled to conceive a child together They now share custody of Hurley - seen here with Ant, wife Anne-Marie Corbett and their m Lisa regularly shares pictures of herself with Hurley on Instagram, where she refers to him as 'Mama's baby boy' The former couple reportedly agreed to take it in turns to look after Hurley (Ant is pictured with the dog in 2017) Ant pictured with Anne-Marie at Wimbledon in 2021. The couple got together in 2018 after he divorced Lisa Britain's Got Talent star Ant announced the arrival of his first child with wife Anne-Marie on Tuesday - alongside a family tree tattoo on his shoulder Ant revealed the name in his social media post, writing: 'Welcome to the family Wilder Patrick Mcpartlin' But she has reportedly vowed to fight on for sole custody of the chocolate Labrador, who regularly features in her Instagram posts, where she refers to him as 'Mama's baby boy'. Ant - known best as one half of presenting duo Ant and Dec alongside Declan Donnelly - and Lisa adopted Hurley in 2013 following struggles to have a child of their own. Ant is said to have refused to surrender full custody of Hurley to his ex during their reported 31million divorce battle, reportedly telling lawyers: 'She can have anything she wants except the dog.' But observers have pointed out that Hurley is absent from the new 'family tree' tattoo he has on his left shoulder. The new ink, which he revealed in the Instagram post announcing Wilder's birth, bears his son's same as well as those of step-children Poppy and Daisy and Anne-Marie, sweetly referred to as 'Amzie'. Ant even had room on his growing tree for Milo and Bumble, the Maltese-poodle cross 'maltipoo' dogs he shares with Anne-Marie - leaving fans at a loss to explain why Hurley was not given the same honour. Anne-Marie was said to have expressed a wish to care for the Lab full-time in February - and friends close to the make-up artist say that desire is stronger than ever following the birth of Ant's first-born. 'She felt very betrayed by both Ant and Anne-Marie and felt that none of this has been handled sensitively, especially the announcement of the baby,' sources have told The Sun. 'The one thing that has got her through it and been by her side constantly is Hurley she doesn't know what she would do without him. He's more than just a dog to her and has been a lifeline at times.' They added: 'Ant obviously loves Hurley as well but he now has a lot of other responsibilities and things going on in his life and Lisa can't see why she can't have full custody of him. She needs Hurley by her side.' The former couple reportedly agreed to take it in turns to look after Hurley, with the arrangement seeing Ant's chauffeur ferrying the dog between them so they did not have to see each other. Ant has made Declan Donnelly the godfather to his newborn son and told his friends that he is 'beyond thrilled' to be a dad, according to a new report Ant McPartlin and Lisa Armstrong pictured together at the National Television Awards in 2017 Ant will now not return to work until May 27 when the BGT live semis begin as he takes some paternity leave alongside Anne-Marie (pictured on April 17) But the news of Wilder's birth is said to have hit Lisa hard - particularly after she spent years supporting Ant during a tumultuous period that saw him battle a prescription drug addiction and a drinking problem. His struggles with alcohol only became public in March 2018 - two months after he and Lisa divorced - when he was involved in a car crash and charged with drink-driving, for which he was fined 86,000. He checked into rehab again and voluntarily disappeared from TV screens for months following talks with his presenting partner and ITV bosses. After revealing he has become a dad Ant was soon flooded with messages from pals including Jamie Redknapp, Davina McCall and Alesha Dixon, who were delighted to see the star finally become a father. He had previously given interviews while still with Lisa about his desire to have children but it never came to pass. Ant told Radio Times in 2013: 'There's a rumour that I'm holding off having kids till (co-host Declan Donnelly) finds himself Mrs Right'. 'I love that idea, but I'm afraid it's not true. Lisa and I would love to have kids. We're trying. It's tougher than you think when you get a bit older.' Dec is now happily married to wife Ali Astall with whom he shares daughter Isla, five, and one-year-old son Jack. Ant and Dec hit the pause button on weekend primetime fixture Saturday Night Takeaway after the 20th series, which finished airing last month, in order to spend more time with their families. The Geordie duo said the milestone achievement was the 'perfect time to pause for a little while and catch our breath'. Lisa, who split from new beau James Green last year after three years, is said to be in Portugal on holiday this week, after sharing a cryptic post on Instagram about going through 'silent battles'. It featured a motivational quote meme reading: 'Be proud of how you've been handling these last few months. 'The silent battles you've fought, the moments you had to humble yourself, the times you've wiped your own tears. Celebrate your strength.' MailOnline has contacted Ant's representatives for comment. Tasha Ghouri put on a fiery display as she and boyfriend Andrew LePage attended London's premiere of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on Friday. The Love Island star, 25, who has recently dyed her blonde hair copper, looked sensational in a slinky jersey sarong Helsa maxi dress in chocolate brown, worth 324. Tasha flaunted her new red locks by styling her long hair into two top twists as they hit the red carpet at BFI IMAX Waterloo. Adding inches to her statuesque figure, the influencer wore black strappy heels for the occasion. To accessorise, Tasha decorated her figure-hugging garment with an array of gold jewellery and a black plastic geometric clutch. Tasha Ghouri put on a fiery display as she and boyfriend Andrew LePage attended London's premiere of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on Friday The Love Island star, 25, who has recently dyed her blonde hair copper looked sensational in a slinky jersey sarong Helsa maxi dress in chocolate brown, worth 324 Tasha put on a loved-up display with her Love Island match, Andrew, who cut a much more casual figure. Andrew stepped out to the star-studded event wearing a casual grey jumper, baggy jeans and white trainers. The couple stepped on the red carpet alongside leading actor Chris Hemsworth, who looked dapper as he attended the premiere in a three-piece duck-egg blue suit. The Australian actor, 40, paired the waistcoat suit with an unbuttoned light shirt and paired the look with striking white Chelsea boots. Leading Lady Anya Taylor-Joy, 28, who takes over from Charlize Theron as the younger Furiosa in the upcoming film, put on a racy display in a floral ruffled bodysuit. Anya leads the cast in the newest instalment in the franchise, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday and has been wowing fans with her incredible wardrobe. Friday was no exception as Anya showed off her incredible figure in the black bodysuit complete with huge white ruffled off-the-shoulder sleeves. The Queen's Gambit star's bodysuit was paired with sheer black tights and stilettos and a glamorous triple-chain diamond necklace with matching earrings. The Love Island star, 25, has recently dyed her blonde hair copper Adding inches to her statuesque figure, the influencer wore black strappy heels for the occasion To accessorise, Tasha decorated her figure-hugging garment with an array of gold jewellery and a black plastic geometric clutch Tasha put on a loved-up display with her Love Island match, Andrew, who cut a much more casual figure Andrew stepped out to the star-studded event wearing a casual grey jumper, baggy jeans and white trainers Anya's signature platinum locks were slicked back into a high ponytail, while she sported a dark cat eyeliner look and vibrant red lipstick. The flick - which is not being released to theatres until May 23 - is a prequel to lauded 2015 blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road. Creator George Miller has returned to helm the movie, which is an origin story for the title character, played by Charlize in the previous film. The Thor star described his villainous character Dementus as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland'. He added: '[Dementus] has been birthed into a space where it's kill or be killed. He's learned to rule with an iron fist. There's a charisma to him and it's very manipulative.' The couple stepped on the red carpet alongside leading actor Chris Hemsworth (pictured), who looked dapper as he attended the premiere in a three-piece duck-egg blue suit The Australian actor, 40, paired the waistcoat suit with an unbuttoned light shirt and paired the look with striking white Chelsea boots Leading Lady Anya Taylor-Joy, 28, who takes over from Charlize Theron as the younger Furiosa in the upcoming film, put on a racy display in a floral ruffled bodysuit The Queen's Gambit star's bodysuit was paired with sheer black tights and stilettos and a glamorous triple-chain diamond necklace with matching earrings 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' told over a 15-year period While Chris is playing warlord leader, Dementus, who he described as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland' (pictured) While the full reviews won't be in until closer to the release date, early reactions to Furiosa from a wide range of film critics have been promising. They lauded George's direction and were full of universal praise for the performances of Anya and Chris, with many commenting the film was a worthy addition to the franchise. George described the prequel as 'a saga' that will be told over a 15-year period, which is much different from Fury Road, which spanned three days in its timeframe. Filming for Furiosa took place in New South Wales, Australia, beginning in June 2022 and wrapping up by October. The society wedding of the year is less than three weeks away, yet King Charles and Queen Camilla have still not confirmed their attendance, I hear. And the delay has provoked fevered speculation among friends and family of the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, and his bride-to-be, Olivia Henson. 'Their Majesties have not forgotten what happened at the wedding of Hugh's sister,' a source tells me. 'There is still a lot of tension that exists.' The King and Queen chose to turn down their invitations to the 2004 wedding of the duke's sister, Lady Tamara Grosvenor, and Edward van Cutsem, a godson of His Majesty. It was held at the same venue as the duke's wedding next month: Chester Cathedral. Camilla Parker Bowles, as she was then, had been told that she would not be allowed to sit with Prince Charles and would instead be seated several rows back and be made to arrive separately. This was because Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended the ceremony, along with Princes William and Harry. The society wedding of the year is less than three weeks away, yet King Charles and Queen Camilla have still not confirmed their attendance, I hear. Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, and his bride-to-be, Olivia Henson. The King and Queen's delay has provoked fevered speculation among friends and family. 'Their Majesties have not forgotten what happened at the wedding of Hugh's sister,' a source tells me. 'There is still a lot of tension that exists.' Harry and Meghan have already been excluded from next month's wedding, even though Hugh, who has an estimated fortune of 10billion, is reportedly the godfather of their son, Prince Archie. Hugh is believed to have felt the Sussexes' appearance could cause tensions with the Royal Family According to royal author Sarah Bradford, Camilla was so infuriated that she told Charles the status quo was no longer acceptable. Their own engagement was announced three months later 'Her Majesty is a stickler for protocol,' a courtier explained at the time. 'It would be inappropriate for Mrs Parker Bowles to sit beside Prince Charles since she has no official standing.' Tensions were heightened by reports that Emilie van Cutsem, the groom's mother, and Camilla had fallen out after each is alleged to have criticised the behaviour of the other's children. Charles ultimately excused himself from the event with just days to go, saying he had to visit Warminster barracks to meet the families of soldiers serving in Iraq. Camilla was described as 'otherwise engaged'. According to royal author Sarah Bradford, Camilla was so infuriated that she told Charles the status quo was no longer acceptable. Their own engagement was announced three months later. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have already been excluded from next month's wedding, even though Hugh, who has an estimated fortune of 10billion, is reportedly the godfather of their son, Prince Archie. Hugh is believed to have felt the Sussexes' appearance could cause tensions with the Royal Family. Harry is said to have been sent a 'save-the-date' email in error. The wedding of Lady Tamara Grosvenor, and Edward van Cutsem. The King and Queen chose to turn down their invitations to the 2004 wedding Chester Cathedral where the duke's wedding is set to take place next month Hugh is believed to have felt the Sussexes' appearance could cause tensions with the Royal Family. Harry is said to have been sent a 'save-the-date' email in error Prince Harry and Prince William at the wedding of Edward van Cutsem and Lady Tamara Grosvenor in 2004 The Prince and Princess of Wales and their elder son, Prince George, who is Hugh's godson, are invited to the wedding. However, Catherine is not expected to attend because she is undergoing cancer treatment However, sources 'close to' the Sussexes later said: 'Harry called Hugh and said it would be too awkward if he and Meghan Markle attended, so he made his apologies and Hugh understood.' The Prince and Princess of Wales and their elder son, Prince George, who is Hugh's godson, are invited to the wedding. However, Catherine is not expected to attend because she is undergoing cancer treatment. A Buckingham Palace spokesman declines to comment. The Duke of Westminster's spokesman is similarly silent. Giovanni Pernice left Strictly Come Dancing three weeks ago as the BBC launched an investigation because three former dance partners instructed lawyers to make 'serious complaints' over his conduct. The Mail can reveal that Pernice suddenly removed Strictly from his future work schedule after he was given a contract by the show's bosses which he had intended to sign. Now they have been forced to gather evidence after lawyers served three separate grievances by three different women over Pernice's behaviour. One is Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington and the other two have not yet been named. It emerged today that the women had instructed legal firm Carter-Ruck to act on their behalf. Meanwhile, Pernice was enjoying a sunshine break in Dubai with girlfriend Molly Brown. In a statement to The Sun Carter-Ruck said: 'There have been numerous serious complaints made to the BBC who are now in the process of evidence-gathering. As it is still an ongoing matter no further comment can be made at this stage'. Strictly bosses have been forced to gather evidence after lawyers served three separate grievances by three different women over Pernice's behaviour. One is Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington (pictured dancing with Giovanni in October 2023) and the other two have not yet been named Giovanni with former dance partner journalist and television presenter Ranvir Singh on October 24, 2020 Giovanni was partnered with TV presenter Laura Whitmore in 2016 Giovanni is currently in Dubai on holiday with his girlfriend Molly Brown, who three days ago shared a series of photos with the dancer, referring to him as her 'best friend' Despite claims that Pernice had left Ms Abbington and two of his other dance partners, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh, in tears, the BBC were 'very, very keen' to see him back in the ballroom for what will be their 20th anniversary series later this year. It is claimed he quit. The BBC refused to answer questions over the nature of his departure but insisted Strictly's line-up of professional dancers will be announced in due course. Pernice is yet to talk about the situation but Strictly sources believe it was news of his new contract published in the Mail that may have prompted the three women to lodge their grievances to the BBC. Just two days after the report, Ms Abbington posted on her social media: 'Make people feel embarrassed of being associated with misogynists. Make misogyny unprofitable for anyone to pursue. Deprive misogyny of the oxygen it needs to survive.' One insider added: 'Amanda was most certainly referring to Giovanni going back to Strictly and surely that was the point that prompted her to go nuclear.' Despite reports that Ms Abbington had asked the BBC for footage of rehearsals after claiming to have suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of appearing on the show, she hadn't made a formal complaint to the corporation. Amanda Abbington pictured struggling with the rehearsals Strictly Come Dancing in 2023 Abbington faced an intense training regime from Giovanni Abbington (right) alongside her Sherlock co-stars Una Stubbs and Martin Freeman Giovanni pictured with his arm around girlfriend Molly Brown on a glamorous night out In April, Pernice, 33, met Strictly chiefs and they made it clear they wanted him to return. One BBC source said they were 'welcoming him back with open arms' Giovanni posing with his girlfriend Molly Brown during a sun-soaked trip to Dubai In April, Pernice, 33, met Strictly chiefs and they made it clear they wanted him to return. One BBC source said they were 'welcoming him back with open arms'. A Strictly insider told the Mail: 'Giovanni was all ready to go back, as far as he is concerned he hasn't done anything wrong and the BBC don't think so either.' It was no secret among Strictly staff and stars that Pernice and Ms Abbington didn't get on well but in front of the cameras she insisted that was not the case. She left before the end of the run, citing a medical issue. Those who know Pernice admit he pushes his partners hard but insist he is no bully. One friend of the star said: 'Gio is someone who was born to win, he pushes his partners hard.' In March it was reported that Ms Abbington had met Good Morning Britain's Ms Singh and television presenter Ms Whitmore to discuss their 'difficult' experiences working with him. This led to 'tears being shed', according to sources. But despite Pernice's friends rebuffing this as 'three women meeting up for a coffee and a moan', again, the dancer was 'upset'. For many involved with Strictly, the news that Pernice is not returning is sad. He is the longest-serving male professional dancer and more famous than many of the celebrities that appear. Anya Taylor-Joy suffered an awkward wardrobe malfunction as she fell out of her towering Christian Louboutin heels as she headed to Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga's afterparty after the premiere on Friday. As the actress, 28, headed to the event's glitzy dinner bash at The Nomad Hotel, she lost her footing in the 645 100mm nappa leather pumps. Anya attempted to meet her fellow stars for a spot of food, but as she made her way through a central London food court, the star's designer heels slipped off her foot. But her assistants quickly supported the blonde beauty as they helped her quickly get her foot back into the sky-high stilettos. For the evening, Anya had changed out of her red carpet outfit and into a 90s throwback ensemble, using four red and black chunky belts to make a skirt. Anya Taylor-Joy suffered an awkward wardrobe malfunction as she fell out of her towering Christian Louboutin heels amid London's premiere of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on Friday As the actress, 28, headed to the event's glitzy dinner party, she lost her footing in her 645 100mm nappa leather pumps She looked every inch the rocker chick as she paired her accessories with a skin-tight black polo neck jumper and a cherry red leather jacket. Her signature platinum locks were slicked back into a high ponytail, while she sported a dark cat eyeliner look and vibrant red lipstick. Anya ensured all eyes were on her as she joined her leading man, Chris Hemsworth, at the UK premiere of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Red Carpet in London on Friday. The leading lady, who takes over from Charlize Theron as the younger Furiosa in the upcoming film, put on a racy display in a floral ruffled bodysuit on the red carpet at BFI IMAX Waterloo. Anya leads the cast in the newest installment in the franchise, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, and has been wowing fans with her incredible wardrobe. Friday was no exception as Anya showed off her incredible figure in the black bodysuit complete with huge white ruffled off-the-shoulder sleeves. The Queen's Gambit star's bodysuit was paired with sheer black tights and stilettos, as well as a glamorous triple-chain diamond necklace with matching earrings. Meanwhile, Chris looked dapper as he attended the premiere in a three-piece duck-egg blue suit. Anya decided to ditch trousers and use four belts to cover her modesty The star quickly tried to recover and seamlessly slip her foot back into the shoe The back of her heel appeared to have came loose as she walked to the restaurant The star nearly recovered on her own as she quickly tried to walk off the blunder But her assistants quickly supported the blonde beauty as they helped her quickly get her foot back into the sky-high stilettos Tom Burke also attended the afterparty at the Nomad Hotel Anya Taylor-Joy ensured all eyes were on her as she joined her leading man Chris Hemsworth at the UK premiere Anya stepped out for the film's UK premiere at BFI IMAX Waterloo, London, on Friday, alongside Chris The Australian actor, 40, paired the waistcoat suit with an unbutton light shirt, and paired the look with striking white Chelsea boots. Among the stars he stepped out for the premiere included Alyla Browne, who plays the younger version of Anya's character. Australian actress Alyla, 14, looked adorable in a ruffled cream-coloured babydoll dress, which she paired with barely-there white heels. Meanwhile, also in attendance were Chris's famous brothers Liam and Luke. Liam put on a loved up display with his girlfriend Gabriella Brooks as he showed support for his older brother. Gabriella looked sensational in a black satin co-ord which showed off her abs, while Liam kept it casual in a cap, sweater and trainers. Chris's older brother Luke also attended to support his new film, and was seen alongside the film's cast member Angus Sampson. Anya showed off her incredible figure in a black bodysuit complete with huge white ruffled off-the-shoulder sleeves Anya's signature platinum locks were slicked back into a high ponytail, while she sported a dark cat eye eyliner look and vibrant red lipstick The Queen's Gambit star's bodysuit was paired with sheer black tights and stilettos, as well as a glamorous triple-chain diamond necklace with matching earrings Anya and Chris attend the Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga UK premiere Doug Mitchell, Shane Dundas, Alyla Browne, Tom Burke, George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy, Angus Sampson, David Collins and Chris Hemsworth attend the UK premiere of 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' Anya leads the cast in the newest instalment in the franchise, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday Meanwhile, Chris looked dapper as he attended the premiere in a three-piece duck-egg blue suit Luke's guest for the event was his wife Samantha, who looked incredible in a form-fitting gold dress. Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Agatha Danbury, was one of the stars at the premiere. She looked chic in a baby pink textured full-length dress-style coat with a striped top underneath. She finished the look with blue chunky boots. Debuting a new red hair look at the premiere was Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and his boyfriend Andrew Le Page. Tasha banished her blonde locks in favour of a darker do, which she paired with a figure-hugging brown gown. The turtle-neck dress was complete with a sash that tied around the waist, fastening at the front. Meanwhile, Andrew kept it low key as he stepped out in a grey sweater and jeans. The Traitors' star Mollie Pearce also made an appearance at the premiere on Friday, stepping out with her boyfriend. The reality star looked incredible in a pair of black jeans paired with a cream corset, which she finished with black stilettos. It comes after Anya revealed that a 15-minute action scene in her new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took a staggering 78 days to film. Appearing on The One Show on Thursday alongside co-star Chris, Anya gave presenters Roman Kemp and Lauren Laverne some insight about what goes into filming such a long scene. Chris smiles as he poses on the red carpet for the Furiosa UK premiere The Thor star, 40, described his villainous character Dementus as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland' It comes after Anya revealed that a 15-minute action scene in her new film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga took a staggering 78 days to film 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 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 Anya and Chris with the film's director George Miller Among the stars he stepped out for the premiere included Alyla Browne, who plays the younger version of Anya's character Australian actress Alyla, 14, looked adorable in a ruffled cream-coloured babydoll dress, which she paired with barely-there white heels Meanwhile, also in attendance were Chris's famous brothers Liam and Luke . Liam put on a loved up display with his girlfriend Gabriella Brooks as he showed support for his older brother Gabriella looked sensational in a black satin co-ord which showed off her abs, while Liam kept it casual in a cap, sweater and trainers Liam Hemsworth's girlfriend at the premiere Chris's older brother Luke also attended to support his new film, and was seen alongside the film's cast member Angus Sampson Luke's guest for the event was his wife Samantha, who looked incredible in a form-fitting gold dress Luke and Liam Hemsworth step out to support their brother Chris Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Agatha Danbury, was one of the stars at the premiere She looked chic in a baby pink textured full-length dress-style coat with a striped top underneath. She finished the look with blue chunky boots Debuting a new red hair look at the premiere was Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and his boyfriend Andrew Le Page Tasha banished her blonde locks in favour of a darker do, which she paired with a figure-hugging brown gown. The turtle-neck dress was complete with a sash that tied around the waist, fastening at the front. Meanwhile, Andrew kept it low key as he stepped out in a grey sweater and jeans The Traitors' star Mollie Pearce also made an appearance at the premiere on Friday, stepping out with her boyfriend The reality star looked incredible in a pair of black jeans paired with a cream corset, which she finished with black stilettos '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 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'.' 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 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, the star of Fury Road. Anya and Chris arrived in France earlier in the week for the world premiere of their new Mad Max film. She is staying in the famous Hotel Martinez whilst in Cannes. And earlier on Wednesday Anya went braless in cardigan and hot pants as she was seen leaving her hotel ahead of the premiere. The Queen's Gambit star graciously stopped to take selfies with waiting fans, while keeping her eyes hidden under black sunglasses. The flick - which is not being released to theatres until May 23 - is a prequel to lauded 2015 blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road. 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 The actress showed off her fashion credentials in the gold number which was adorned with crystals and teamed with a statement silver necklace 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) While Chris is playing warlord leader, Dementus, who he described as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland' (pictured) Creator George Miller has returned to helm the movie, which is an origin story for the title character, played by Charlize in the previous film. The Thor star described his villainous character Dementus as 'a very violent, insane, brutal person that is born from the Wasteland'. He added: '[Dementus] has been birthed into a space where it's kill or be killed. He's learned to rule with an iron fist. There's a charisma to him and it's very manipulative.' While the full reviews won't be in until closer to the release date, early reactions to Furiosa from a wide range of film critics have been promising. They lauded George's direction and were full of universal praise for the performances of Anya and Chris, with many commenting the film was a worthy addition to the franchise. George described the prequel as 'a saga' that will be told over a 15-year period, which is much different from Fury Road, which spanned three days in its timeframe. Filming for Furiosa took place in New South Wales, Australia, beginning in June 2022 and wrapping up by October. James Franco returned to the red carpet at Cannes with his girlfriend Isabel Pakzad on Friday - five years after after being accused by his students of behaving inappropriately towards them. The 127 Hours actor, 46, smiled as he joined his partner of seven years, 28, at the premiere of Kinds of Kindness - after disappearing from the limelight in 2019. Franco wore a black suit and bow tie while actress Pakzad went braless beneath a plunging black blazer adorned with metal chains. She paired this with split flared trousers and heels as she supported her boyfriend. Having not worked on a project since the accusations, Franco is in Cannes to promote his new film with director Tommy Lee Jones. James Franco returned to the red carpet at Cannes with his girlfriend Isabel Pakzad on Friday - five years after after being accused by his students of behaving inappropriately towards them Franco wore a black suit and bow tie as he returned to the spotlight The new film, The Razor's Edge, is debuting at Cannes with a hope to attract buyers and filming is expected to begin later in June. It will be his first film appearance since The Deuce in 2018 unless you count his voiceover work in Arctic Dogs the following year. In 2019 Franco was accused and sued by five of his students that attended his film school, Studio 4, for behaving inappropriately and sexually towards them one accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex. Francos attorney denied the allegations at the time, and eventually he settled the suit. In a podcast interview late last year, Mr Franco reiterated his belief that any sexual contact between him and his students had been consensual. Over the course of my teaching, I did sleep with students, and that was wrong, he said, Having previously played leading roles in the likes of Spider-Man, Pineapple Express and 127 Hours, Franco was once a regular at parties alike. Arriving later into the night on Thursday, Franco was spotted in the VIP section wearing a tux at an exclusive Nespresso party on Cannes's Croisette. The 127 Hours actor, 46, smiled as he joined his partner of seven years, 28, at the premiere of Kinds of Kindness - after disappearing from the limelight in 2019 Pakzad went braless beneath a plunging black blazer adorned with metal chains The star looked chipper as he headed onto the red carpet Franco was supported by his partner of seven years In 2019 Franco was accused and sued by five of his students that attended his film school, Studio 4, for behaving inappropriately and sexually towards them one accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex (pictured that year) The party, which also had the likes of actor Barry Keoghan, actress Hunter Schafer and ex-Love Islanders in attendance, carried on late into the evening with a free-flowing bar and Italian food on tap. Hesitant to be bothered, Franco was sat in the VIP area which was guarded by heavy security. Looking worse for wear the star was unrecognizable compared to his previous appearances less than a decade ago. Barry Keoghan threw up a peace sign in a white T-shirt and black sunglasses as he attended a photocall for his film Bird at Cannes Film Festival on Friday. The actor, 31, beamed and waved as he slid a hand in his pocket and walked the dark pink bridge of Cannes. Barry tucked his T-shirt into his pinstripe black trousers and finished his look with a pair of white trainers. He accessorised with black sunglasses, a silver bracelet on one wrist, and a gold watch on the other. The star's gold necklace was largely concealed by his shirt and he flexed his biceps as he crossed his arms. Barry Keoghan, 31, threw up a peace sign in a white T-shirt and black sunglasses as he attended a photocall for Bird at Cannes Film Festival on Friday (pictured with Franz Rogowski) The actor beamed and waved as he slid a hand in his pocket and walked the dark pink carpet of Cannes Bird follows affable but unreliable father-of-two, Bug (Barry), who has fallen in love with a single mother, Peyton (Jasmine Jobson). The resulting joining of families threatens to further disrupt an already erratic Northern Kent household. Looking for an escape Bug's daughter Bailey (Nykiya Adams) ventures out and meets an eccentric, troubled guy named Bird (Franz Rogowski) who asks her for help. The Saltburn actor couldn't stifle his laughter at one point and lifted up his stylish sunnies to cover his eyes. He drew attention to his stunning blue eyes as he covered his nose and mouth with his hand. Co-star Franz, 38, who plays the eponymous Bird, attempted to copy Barry's hand-over-face pose, with limited success. The actor then covered his mouth with the back of his hand in order to whisper to Bird producer Lee Groombridge in private. Barry and Franz were joined by two more co-stars Nykiya Adams (Bailey, Bug's daughter) and Jason Buda (Hunter, Bailey's brother). The group then posed with the film's director Andrea Arnold who stood in the centre and crossed her arms. Andrea OBE, 63, who has also worked on several episodes of Transparent and Big Little Lies. Bird had its world-first premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on Thursday and received a seven-minute standing ovation. Bird follows affable but unreliable father-of-two, Bug (Barry), who has fallen in love with a single mother, Peyton (Jasmine Jobson). Bird is a stranger whom Bug's daughter meets The star couldn't stifle his laughter at one point and lifted up his stylish sunnies to cover his eyes Barry tucked his T-shirt into his pinstripe black trousers and finished his look with a pair of white trainers Barry's stunning gold necklace was largely concealed by his shirt and he flexed his biceps as he crossed his arms He looked dashing as he held one arm with the hand of the other and looked off into the distance The Saltburn actor readjusted his sunglasses on his face with both hands Barry then opted to take them off completely, moving them to the top of his head Barry then drew attention to his stunning blue eyes as he covered his nose and mouth with his hand Co-star Franz, 38, who plays the eponymous Bird, attempted to copy Barry's hand-over-face pose, with limited success He then covered his mouth with the back of his hand in order to whisper to Bird producer Lee Groombridge in privated Back on the bridge, Barry showed off his dimples as he raised a double peace sign The two smiled sweetly together, Franz wearing an off-white shirt with black stripes The pair turned behind them and Barry waved through the gap between their bodies Standing side-by-side, Barry and Franz crossed their arms and smiled slightly They then both put on their black sunglasses and again adopted similar poses - both holding their hands low, one over the other Barry and Franz were joined by two more co-stars Nykiya Adams (Bailey, Bug's daughter, second from right) and Jason Buda (Hunter, Bailey's brother) The group then posed with the film's director Andrea Arnold who stood in the centre and crossed her arms Two more cast members joined the group and they fiddled around trying to get a nice photo After the photocall, the cast had a press conference (pictured, L-R: Lucy Pardee, Lee Groombridge, Barry Keoghan, Andrea Arnold, Franz Rogowski and Producer Tessa Ross) Also there were Robert Gray (far left) and Robbie Ryan (far right) and the group broke into applause at one point Barry enjoyed a giggle with Andrea OBE, the film's director, 63, who worked on Transparent and Big Little Lies Eva Longoria set pulses racing in an elegant backless gown on Friday as she waved to fans from the balcony of the Hotel Martinez in Cannes. The actress, 49, who is in Cannes as a L'Oreal brand ambassaador looked incredible in the white beaded gown as she enjoyed some sunshine. She wore her brunette locks in an elegant chignon and had her make-up perfectly applied. Eva was in town to attend the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival along with a host of other stars. Namely her Only Murders In The Building co-star Selena Gomez who showed off her effortlessly chic sense of style as she arrived the same day. Eva Longoria, 49, set pulses racing in an elegant backless beaded gown as she waved to fans from her balcony of the Hotel Martinez in Cannes on Friday Her dress was white with a halter neck and showed off plenty of skin as she leaned back on her balcony The actress had all eyes on her and leant back to bask in the sun, exposing her stunning earrings The actress, 31, looked in great spirits as she beamed from ear to ear while waving at fans as day four of the film festival gets well underway. Selena opted for a matching white crochet style co-ord consisting of a button up cardigan top and floaty pleated skirt. Embracing the sunny weather, Selena put on a leggy display in the skirt which she paired with some Roger Vivir Viv Canard Slingback Pumps in Patent Leather. Selena indulged in an al fresco dining experience at La Mome followed by a glamorous shopping spree at Mango. The star scraped her brunette locks off her face in a slick back bun and added a quirky pair of white sunglasses to the ensemble. Stopping to take selfies with fans and sign autographs, Selena carried her essentials in a small white and gold zig-zag patterned handbag. Elsewhere Maya Jama was spotted at Nice airport as she arrived for the festival alongside Rochelle Humes and Kimberley Garner. Earlier this week Selena shared a sweet snap with her boyfriend Benny Blanco, who didn't appear to have joined her in France. She made eye contact with, and waved adoringly at, the numerous fans splayed around the hotel's grounds Eva's beautiful gown shimmered under the strong sun and Eva, who helps make up the star-studded cast of The Only Murders In The Building, beamed Namely her Only Murders In The Building co-star Selena Gomez who showed off her effortlessly chic sense of style as she arrived the same day Selena, 31, opted for a matching white crochet style co-ord consisting of a button up cardigan top and floaty pleated skirt The actress looked in great spirits as she beamed from ear to ear while waving at fans as day four of the film festival gets well underway Embracing the sunny weather, Selena put on a leggy display in the skirt which she paired with some Roger Vivir Viv Canard Slingback Pumps in Patent Leather Stopping to take selfies with fans and sign autographs, Selena carried her essentials in a small white and gold zig-zag patterned handbag The star 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. Meanwhile Benny recently revealed that he sees marriage and kids with Selena in his future. 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 birthday on July 22. 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. She completed her look with some quirky white sunglasses Selena indulged in an al fresco dining experience at La Mome The star attempted to go incognito as she kept her sunglasses on The co-ord fetured intricate crochet detailing Selena put on a very fashionable display in the stunning ensemble The star appeared to not be joined by her boyfriend Benny Blanco She took a selfie with a fan 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.' Advertisement Emma Stone wore an extreme plunging gown as she graced the red carpet alongside Eva Longoria and Demi Moore at the Kinds of Kindness premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday. Oscar-winning actress Emma, 35, looked radiant in a daring dark red plunge gown, which was covered head-to-toe in sequins. Meanwhile, Eva, 49, showed off her incredible figure in a pale pink sequinned gown and Demi, 61, turned heads in a red strapless number. Emma stars as Rita in the Yorgos Lanthimos film, after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in their previous joint work Poor Things. The actress's trademark copper locks were styled in soft waves, while she opted for a natural make-up look and a dark pink lip. Emma Stone wore an extreme plunging gown as she graced the red carpet alongside Eva Longoria and Demi Moore (L-R) at the Kinds of Kindness premiere at Cannes For the premiere, Emma was glowing as she opted for a daring dark red plunge gown, which was covered head-to-toe in sequins Emma stars as Rita in the Yorgos Lanthimos film, after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in their previous joint work Poor Things Emma looked every inch the leading lady as she captivated a crowd of cameras with her show-stopping dress After their latest Oscar-winning collaboration, Emma Stone and Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos are back with their latest effort Kinds Of Kindness The actress flaunted her ample cleavage in the plunging dress adorned with sequins as she posed for snaps at the event. Beaming in her glamorous look, Eva put on a show-stopping display in the gorgeous pink gown as one of the first stars to arrive at the premiere. Joined on the red carpet was actress and film producer Demi Moore, 61, who showed off her incredible figure in a strapless sequin gown. Demi's red figure-hugging dress was adorned with sequins and featured a pattern similar to that of an animal print. Her long dark tresses were straightened and hung down naturally to her waist and she finished off the look with a huge pair of diamond and ruby flower drop earrings. After their latest Oscar-winning collaboration, Emma and Poor Things director Yorgos are back with their latest effort Kinds Of Kindness. The actress - who scooped the Best Actress Academy Award - appears alongside Margaret Qualley, Hunter Schafer, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau and Mamoudou Athie in the film. The actress - who scooped the Best Actress Academy Award - appears alongside Margaret Qualley, Hunter Schafer , Jesse Plemons , Willem Dafoe, Joe Alwyn , Hong Chau and Mamoudou Athie in the film After their latest Oscar-winning collaboration, Emma and Poor Things director Yorgos are back with their latest effort Kinds Of Kindness The actress's trademark copper locks were styled in soft waves, while she opted for a natural make-up look and a dark pink lip Emma takes to the red carpet alongside co-star Willem Dafoe Emma and Yorgos previously worked together on 2018's The Favourite, for which they were also nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Director, respectively Stone and Lanthimos have also been in talks to team up a fourth time for a remake of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet Efthymis Filippou, a guest, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Willem Dafoe, Emma Stone, Yorgos Lanthimos, Jesse Plemons, Margaret Qualley, Mamoudou Athie and Hunter Schafer attend the "Kinds Of Kindness" Red Carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival Meanwhile, Eva flaunted her ample cleavage in the plunging dress adorned with sequins as she posed for snaps at the event Beaming in her glamorous look, Eva put on a showstopping display in the gorgeous pink gown as one of the first stars to arrive at the premiere Eva's plunging gown showcased every inch of her ample bust The revealing gown showed off every inch of Eva's eye-popping curves as she proudly posed for snaps on the red carpet The dazzling look was adorned with a matching pink jewelled necklace, with Eva exuding Old Hollywood in her stunning look Eva beamed as she waved to the fans watching on while making her way along the red carpet for Cannes' latest premiere As an ambassador for L'Oreal, Eva has been a fixture at the Cannes Film Festival for many years US actress Margaret Qualley, US actor Jesse Plemons, Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, US actress Emma Stone, US actor Willem Dafoe and British actor Joe Alwyn arrive for the screening of the film "Kinds of Kindness" at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival The movie is described as 'triptych fable, following a man without choice who tries to take control of his own life; a policeman who is alarmed that his wife who was missing-at-sea has returned and seems a different person; and a woman determined to find a specific someone with a special ability, who is destined to become a prodigious spiritual leader,' according to Variety. Stone recently won her second Oscar for Best Actress after working with Lanthimos, 50, on Poor Things, which also earned him a nomination for Best Director. The pair previously worked together on 2018's The Favourite, for which they were also nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Director, respectively. Stone and Lanthimos have also been in talks to team up a fourth time for a remake of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet. Kinds of Kindness premieres June 21 in select cinemas. Another star of the film to grace the carpet was Euphoria star Hunter, who looked spectacular in a baby blue metallic strapless number. Hunter looked glamorous in the Cinderella-inspired gown - which had a folded over bandeau neckline as well as a full skirt. She finished off the look by wearing her blonde hair slicked back into an up-do and sporting a huge diamond and sapphire necklace-earring set. Hunter was seen earlier with co-star Joe, the ex of Taylor Swift, as the pair laughed together in Cannes. Hunter was joined on the carpet by another co-star, Margaret Qualley. The pair seemed delighted in each other's company. Joined on the red carpet was actress and film producer Demi Moore, 61, who showed off her incredible figure in a strapless sequin gown Demi's red figure-hugging dress was adorned with sequins and featured a pattern similar to that of an animal print Demi walked arm in arm with Challengers star Mike Faist Another star of the film to grace the carpet was Euphoria star Hunter, who looked spectacular in a baby blue metallic strapless number Hunter looked glamorous in the cinderella-inspired gown - which had a folded over bandeau neckline as well as a full skirt Hunter was seen earlier with co-star Joe, the ex of Taylor Swift, as the pair laughed together in Cannes Hunter was joined on the carpet by another co-star, Margaret Qualley. The pair seemed delighted in each other's company Margaret was beaming as she took to the carpet in a stunning ruffled chiffon gown, complete with a huge bow Margaret looked ethereal in the pale pink gown, with had a high neckline and was covered in a full tulle and tassled skirt Hunter and Margaret were in high spirits as they took to the carpet together Margaret was beaming as she took to the carpet in a stunning ruffled chiffon gown, complete with a huge bow. She looked ethereal in the pale pink gown, with had a high neckline and was covered in a full tulle and tassled skirt. Margaret completed the angelic looked by wearing her dark hair in an up-do, finished with a diamante-encrusted alice band. She sported a pair of bling diamond drop earrings and opted for a simple black sandal style heeled shoe. The film also stars Jesse Plemons, who stepped out for the premiere with his glamorous actress wife Kirsten Dunst. The very-smitten looking couple appeared to match for the occasion, as Kirsten donned a sleek black gown with sheer straps, while Jesse sported a black tux. Also in attendance for the premiere was model Kimberley Garner, and she made the most of her moment in the spotlight in a dramatic white gown. The model slipped into a sheer pearl-studded gown with a dramatic frilled cape, spreading several feet behind her as she walked along the red carpet. Also gracing the carpet for the premiere was model and aristocrat Victoria Hervey. The socialite, 47, cut a chic figure as she stepped out in a figure-hugging bedazzled mini dress which featured a sparkly gemstone choker. She exuded glamour as she embraced the carpet with an elegant two meter toule train. To accessorise she she wore a silver sparkly box clutch, large silver earrings and a pair of sensible metallic kitten heels. Victoria appeared in high spirits for the evening as she showcased her natural beauty with a minimal makeup look and a tousled bun. The film also stars Jesse Plemons, who stepped out for the premiere with his glamorous actress wife Kirsten Dunst The couple appeared to match for the occasion, as Kirsten donned a sleek black gown with sheer straps, while Jesse sported a black tux Kirsten and Jesse looked utterly smitten on the carpet Also in attendance for the premiere was model Kimberley Garner and she made the most of her moment in the spotlight in a dramatic white gown The model slipped into a sheer pearl-studded gown with a dramatic frilled cape, spreading several feet behind her as she walked along the red carpet Kimberley's gown was nothing short of spectacular as she made her entrance for the premiere Her beautiful gown boasted an enormous frilled cape and skirt, which took centre stage as Kimberley posed on Cannes' famous steps Keeping her blonde tresses in a chic up-do, Kimberley commanded attention at the event Lady Victoria Harvey and Kimberley Garner commanded attention on the Kinds Of Kindness red carpet The socialite, 47, cut a chic figure as she stepped out in a figure-hugging bedazzled mini dress which featured a sparkly gemstone choker To accessorise she she wore a silver sparkly box clutch, large silver earrings and a pair of sensible metallic kitten heels She exuded glamour as she attended the event rocking a two meter toule train Victoria appeared in high spirits for the evening as she showcased her natural beauty with a minimal makeup look and a tousled bun Killers of the Flower Moon actress Lily Gladstone also stepped out for the premiere on Friday, as she is a member of the jury. Lily looked vibrant in an orange wrap-around off-the-shoulder satin gown, with she paired with a striking Chaumet pendant necklace. She was seen posing for snaps alongside actress Eva Green, who donned a daring sheer asymmetric gown adorned with black lining. The French actress's dress gave the illusion of being a butterfly as pieces of garment flew off in all directions with the intricate pattern. Also out for the premiere was British model Neelam Gill, who looked absolutely stunning in a sleek black gown. Neelam's elegant garment had a full feather bust with an off-the-shoulder neckline, while the dress then moved into a satin fabric down to the floor. Mia Regan, who is dating Romeo Beckham, also made an appearance at the premiere in Cannes, sporting a make-up look by Code8 Beauty. The 21-year-old model looked chic as she stepped out in a grey, baggy sheer gown, which had a plunging cut-out in the middle of her bust, as well as a sweeping wrap skirt. Killers of the Flower Moon actress Lily Gladstone also stepped out for the premiere on Friday, as she is a member of the jury She was seen posing for snaps alongside actress Eva Green, who donned a daring sheer asymmetric gown adorned with black lining The French actress's dress gave the illusion of being a butterfly as pieces of garment flew off in all directions with the intricate pattern Also out for the premiere was British model Neelam Gill, who looked absolutely stunning in a sleek black gown Neelam's elegant garment had a full feather bust with an off-the-shoulder neckline, while the dress then moved into a satin fabric down to the floor Mia Regan, who is dating Romeo Beckham, also made an appearance at the premiere in Cannes The 21-year-old model looked chic as she stepped out in a grey, baggy sheer gown, which had a plunging cut-out in the middle of her bust, as well as a sweeping wrap skirt The premiere comes after Eva set pulses racing in an elegant backless beaded gown as she waved to fans from her balcony of the Hotel Martinez Her dress was white with a halter neck and showed off plenty of skin as she leaned back on her balcony The actress had all eyes on her and leant back to bask in the sun, exposing her stunning earrings She made eye contact with, and waved adoringly at, the numerous fans splayed around the hotel's grounds Rochelle Humes exuded old Hollywood glamour in a white mini dress and a matching headscarf as she arrived at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday. The television presenter, 35, posed onboard the RH Three boat and looked like an actress straight out of the 20s. She went bare-legged on the boat and drew further attention to her legs with the short chic dress. Rochelle opted for no jewellery for her boat trip but accessorised with a pair of stylish black sunglasses. The star flashed her Hollywood smile, unfazed by the wind which had pushed down her scarf. Rochelle Humes, 35, exuded old Hollywood glamour in a white mini dress and a matching headscarf as she arrived at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday and posed on a boat The television presenter and L'Oreal brand ambassador posed onboard the RH Three boat and looked like an actress straight out of the 20s in her get-up She went bare-legged on the boat and drew further attention to her legs with the short chic dress She sat cross-legged on the edge of the boat as she admired the beautiful waterside scenery Cannes had to offer. It comes after she was pictured arriving at Nice Airport with Maya Jama and Made In Chelsea alum Kimberley Garner. Rochelle documented her arrival with several Instagram posts, both on her Story and her main feed. When she arrived, she looked effortlessly stylish and flashed some skin in an all-black ensemble. The star showcased her toned midriff in a crop top and her toned lower legs in knee-length leggings. The star smiled in thin black sunglasses and wrapped herself in her black leather-look cape as she left the airport. She balanced her black handbag on top of her black suitcase which she pushed sideways along beside her. As she arrived at the Festival, Rochelle snapped a L'Oreal branding sign, letting her fans know she was there to represent the company she has long worked with. Rochelle opted for no jewellery for her boat trip but accessorised with a pair of stylish black sunglasses The star flashed her best Hollywood smile, unfazed by the wind which had pushed down her scarf She sat cross-legged on the edge of the boat as she admired the beautiful waterside scenery Cannes had to offer It comes after she was pictured arriving at Nice Airport with Maya Jama and Made In Chelsea alum Kimberley Garner Rochelle documented her arrival with several Instagram posts, both on her Story and her main feed The mother-of-three was solo for the trip The photos depicted Rochelle leaving London, and she stood in front of a zebra crossing showing off her tiny Prada mules Unable to resist a cheeky pun, Rochelle captioned the last of the photos for now: 'Catch me if you Cannes' When the star arrived, she looked effortlessly stylish and flashed some skin in an all-black ensemble The star showcased her toned midriff in a crop top and her toned lower legs in knee-length leggings As she arrived at the Festival, Rochelle returned to Instagram to snap a L'Oreal branding sign, letting her fans know she was there to represent the company she has long worked with Rochelle's fellow ITV presenter Maya, 29, wore a white top and cardigan with large black sunglasses and sported minimal make-up, letting her natural beauty shine through. She wore black trousers with a black belt and they spilled over her green suede Adidas trainers. Maya carried a shiny black large black bag and smiled as she pushed her suitcase out of the airport. Her beloved Love Island resumes in a matter of weeks and some of the line-up has already been revealed. She took over from Laura Whitmore from the 2023 winter series and has hosted two series since, as well as Love Island Games. Not far behind was Kimberley who also looked stunning as she arrived in the beautiful French city. Kimberley risked a change in weather with just a very chic button-up black shirt with tiny sleeves. The shirt was slightly unbuttoned at the top and bottom and had a wide square neckline and so exposed a good amount of skin. Kimbereley matched it with a cropped black trousers and a pair of nude heels with black tips. The reality star pushed two cream suitcases with brown detailing, while a lady behind pushed one more. Love Island presenter Maya, 29, wore a white top and cardigan with large black sunglasses and sported minimal make-up, letting her natural beauty shine through Love Island presenter Maya wore a white top and a lightweight white cardigan with large black sunglasses She wore black trousers with a black belt and they spilled over her pair of green suede Adidas trainers Not far behind was Kimberley who also looked stunning as she arrived in the beautiful French city Not far behind was Kimberley who also looked stunning as she arrived in the beautiful French city and risked a change in weather with just a very chic button-up black shirt with tiny sleeves Kimbereley also wore cropped black trousers and a pair of nude heels with black tips. She pushed two cream suitcases with brown detailing, while a lady behind pushed one more Already in Cannes was Lady Victoria Hervey, who soaked up the sun onboard a yacht where she sat on its edge Already in Cannes was Lady Victoria Hervey, who soaked up the sun onboard a yacht where she sat on its edge. Lady Victoria, 47, went barefoot in a silver sequinned jacket with animal-print trousers and wore sunglasses. Also already there was Dutch model Romee Strijd, known for being a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2014 to 2018. Romee, 28, wore a stunning white floral mini dress which she paired with a plain smart black jacket. She also wore light green sandals and carried a small black bag. Polish model Anja Rubik rounded out the eye-catching looks of the day in a sheer black top and a khaki trench coat. The Cannes Film Festival has been running annually since 1946, but was previously called International Film Festival. The Festival has been cancelled only twice: in 1968, after it had already begun, because of striking French students, and in 2020 because of Covid. Lady Victoria, 47, went barefoot in a silver sequinned jacket with animal-print trousers and wore sunglasses Also already there was Dutch model Romee Strijd, known for being a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2014 to 2018 Romee, 28, wore a stunning white floral mini dress which she paired with a plain smart black jacket Organic tea brand Yogi was forced to recall nearly 900,000 tea bags after 'pesticide residues' were detected. The specific products being taken off shelves are the Echinacea Immune Support tea bags, which are sold across the US, reports CNN. It was a class III recall, which means exposure to the product 'is not likely to cause adverse health consequences,' according to the FDA. Yogi told DailyMail.com it found the pesticides as part of its routine audit procedures and alerted the FDA. 'We recently detected unexpected traces of pesticides in some of our Echinacea Immune Support tea,' the company said in a statement. 'While Yogi does not use pesticides ... we exist within a complex supply chain network where not everyone values organic practices in the same way that we do.' The box of Yogi tea bags that was recalled The company explained that a neighboring farm could have used pesticides that drifted onto Yogi's own farmland, contaminating its tea leaves. 'We are working with all ingredient vendors to ensure full compliance with our supplier expectations and testing requirements. We also have engaged new partners to add additional testing capabilities across all of our products, the company added. The recalls affect 54,846 packs. With 16 tea bags per pack, the total number of individual products potentially impacted reaches 877,536. These specific tea bags were initially recalled on March 12 by Yogi's parent company East West Tea. The FDA has also recently recalled a variety of yogurt-covered pretzels sold in California thought to have been contaminated with Salmonella, a foodborne illness that affects 1.3 million Americans a year. The Biden administration has extended a key deadline for student loan borrowers hoping to get their debt cancelled. The US Department of Education had set April 30 as the final date for consolidating student loans. This has now been extened until June 30. Even though it has been extended, Americans have been told to act now in order to not miss the new deadline. Combining student loans into one big one federal debt consolidation loan is a required step for graduates with private loans to qualify for forgiveness programs. In addition, a key factor in determining forgiveness is how many years Americans have been actively paying off their loans. Depending on the program, this might be ten or 25 years - so having a full history can bring them closer to the threshold for forgiveness too. We explain this fully below. 'The Department is working swiftly to ensure borrowers get credit for every month they've rightfully earned toward forgiveness,' said US Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal. Biden has so far provided $160 billion in student loan forgiveness for 4.6 million borrowers As college costs soar, more students turn to loans to fund their degrees. But millions struggle to pay them back in the face of interest that keeps the total high even as payments are made. Predisident Joe Biden has so far approved $160 billion in forgiveness for 4.6 million borrowers, with the latest round at the start of the month for art students. What is the deadline for? As part of the extensive student loan plans brought in in recent months, the Biden administration has introduced a one-time adjustment to help address any inaccuracies in payment counts. Historic failures by loan servicers and the Education Department have meant that many Americans have struggled to get the debt erasure they were promised. Workers found that some or all of their payments had not been credited toward the threshold for forgiveness. For borrowers on an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan, loans can be cancelled after 20 to 25 years. For those on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) plan, loans can be discharged after ten years of repayment. The one-time adjustment is designed to correct past administrative failures for borrowers on these plans, Getting the correct information can then lead to to the White House forgiving their loans if they have been repaying for enough time, or at least give them an accurate picture of their progress going forward. Updated payments have so far provided billions in relief for borrowers across the country. Many borrowers with federally held loans do not need to do anything, and the adjustment will be made automatically. But those with privately held loans must apply to consolidate their loans by April 30 to be eligible for the payment count adjustment. Borrowers can consolidate their loans by visiting the Federal Student Aid website. The Biden administration on May 1 said it will cancel $6 billion in student loans for people who attended the Art Institutes, a system of for-profit colleges that closed the last of its campuses in 2023 amid accusations of fraud This is applicable to those with Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL), Perkins loans or Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL). According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), if you have a Parent PLUS loan managed by the Department of Education and have been repaying for at least 25 years, the loan will be automatically cancelled through the one-time adjustment. But if you have not been paying back for 25 years or more, you should consolidate your loan before April 30. To find out what kind of loan you have, visit the Federal Student Aid website. Reliance Industries Ltd on Thursday said it has completed the sale of REC Solar Norway AS to Oslo-listed Elkem ASA for around USD 22 million. REC Norway is a wholly-owned unit of REC Solar Holdings and is involved in the manufacturing of kerf-based polysilicon in the Scandinavian country. In October 2021, a unit of Reliance acquired Norways solar panel manufacturer at an enterprise value of USD 771 million as the Indian oil-to-retail conglomerate sought to extend its dominance into alternative energy. In January this year, Reliance stated that REC Solar Holdings AS, a step-own wholly-owned subsidiary, on January 14, 2024, entered into a share purchase agreement with Elkem ASA for the sale of its 100 per cent equity stake in REC Solar Norway AS for an aggregate cash consideration of USD 22 million. The sale has been completed, the firm said in a stock exchange filing. Consequently, REC Norway has ceased to be a subsidiary of the company, it added. Founded in 1904, Elkem ASA is a silicon-based material provider, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Reliance will continue to retain the technology and intellectual property rights pertaining to kerf-based polysilicon, the firm had stated in January. REC Norway had a turnover of Norwegian krone 1.1 billion in the calendar year 2022 and a net worth of Norwegian krone 0.3 billion as of December 31, 2022, contributing about 0.08 per cent and 0.03 per cent, respectively, of Reliance annual consolidated turnover and net worth for the financial year 2022-23, it had said. In October 2021, RIL bought REC Solar Holdings from China National Bluestar Group Co to expand in green energy markets globally, including the US, Europe, Australia and elsewhere in Asia. The acquisition was part of company chairman Mukesh Ambanis pledge to spend USD 10 billion on green energy over three years. REC makes solar-grade polysilicon and solar panels and modules at facilities in Norway and Singapore. Reliance was to use RECs technology to manufacture metallic silicon and solar panels at its gigafactory at Jamnagar in Gujarat. REC Solar Holdings AS and its subsidiaries, engaged in the business of manufacturing and sale of solar PV HJT cells and modules, continue to be Reliances subsidiaries. PTI n New Delhi Reliance Industries Ltd on Thursday said it has completed the sale of REC Solar Norway AS to Oslo-listed Elkem ASA for around USD 22 million. REC Norway is a wholly-owned unit of REC Solar Holdings and is involved in the manufacturing of kerf-based polysilicon in the Scandinavian country. In October 2021, a unit of Reliance acquired Norways solar panel manufacturer at an enterprise value of USD 771 million as the Indian oil-to-retail conglomerate sought to extend its dominance into alternative energy. In January this year, Reliance stated that REC Solar Holdings AS, a step-own wholly-owned subsidiary, on January 14, 2024, entered into a share purchase agreement with Elkem ASA for the sale of its 100 per cent equity stake in REC Solar Norway AS for an aggregate cash consideration of USD 22 million. The sale has been completed, the firm said in a stock exchange filing. Consequently, REC Norway has ceased to be a subsidiary of the company, it added. Founded in 1904, Elkem ASA is a silicon-based material provider, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. Reliance will continue to retain the technology and intellectual property rights pertaining to kerf-based polysilicon, the firm had stated in January. REC Norway had a turnover of Norwegian krone 1.1 billion in the calendar year 2022 and a net worth of Norwegian krone 0.3 billion as of December 31, 2022, contributing about 0.08 per cent and 0.03 per cent, respectively, of Reliance annual consolidated turnover and net worth for the financial year 2022-23, it had said. In October 2021, RIL bought REC Solar Holdings from China National Bluestar Group Co to expand in green energy markets globally, including the US, Europe, Australia and elsewhere in Asia. The acquisition was part of company chairman Mukesh Ambanis pledge to spend USD 10 billion on green energy over three years. REC makes solar-grade polysilicon and solar panels and modules at facilities in Norway and Singapore. Reliance was to use RECs technology to manufacture metallic silicon and solar panels at its gigafactory at Jamnagar in Gujarat. REC Solar Holdings AS and its subsidiaries, engaged in the business of manufacturing and sale of solar PV HJT cells and modules, continue to be Reliances subsidiaries. Collaborative efforts aid underserved kids facing resource scarcity and socio-economic gaps, enabling education access and job market success Underserved children face multifaceted challenges - limited resources, inadequate infrastructure, lack of access and opportunity to holistic education and socio-economic disparities. As a result, these children are left without the life skills and leadership skills necessary to thrive in todays rapidly evolving job market. According to the UNICEF Global Framework on Transferable Skills, an estimated 825 million children are expected to leave school without the basic skills necessary for work and life by 2030. To tackle this issue effectively, its imperative to embrace innovative approaches to skill-based learning. One such approach involves incorporating experiential learning opportunities into the curriculum. Research indicates that life or leadership skills cannot be taught in a traditional classroom environment but are inculcated when children experience situations, reflect upon them and make changes to their behaviour and habits. Team sports, the arts and free play are considered the best mediums to create these experiential learning environments. The dynamic and often ambiguous nature of work in the 21st century demands a greater emphasis on teaching essential life skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and financial literacy. Another essential life skill is developing emotional resilience, especially for children dealing with hardship and difficulty. Children growing up in poverty experience stress, trauma and uncertainty. Communication skills are another important component in determining the course of ones personal and professional life journey. Through activities involving team sports, music, role-playing, public speaking and collaborative projects; children acquire the confidence and abilities. Life skills training has been proven to be the most powerful antidote to reducing intergenerational poverty since it equips children to overcome the odds stacked against them and become productive and responsible adults capable of taking care of themselves and the world around them. They can not only ensure that their families are no longer in the same socio-economic situation, but they also become powerful role models for their communities, encouraging others to believe in the prospect of a better future and take concrete steps toward realising it. Close collaboration between education institutions, non-profit organisations, Government agencies and local community stakeholders will allow resources, expertise and networks to be pooled to design and implement effective programs. By working together, these stakeholders can identify the specific needs of underserved communities and tailor educational initiatives to address them. Whether it is a customised curriculum, setting up a training centre, apprenticeships or mentorship; collaborative efforts can have a transformative impact on bringing change to skill development at scale. There is ample evidence to suggest that in developing countries, entrepreneurship is an essential ingredient to economic empowerment. In addition to generating employment through large companies, encouraging individuals and small businesses to thrive is equally important. By instilling principles of innovation, creativity, risk-taking and resilience, entrepreneurship education equips individuals with the tools to identify problems, develop solutions and pursue their aspirations with confidence. Closing the gap in skill-based learning opportunities in underserved children requires a holistic approach that addresses the systemic barriers to education and economic empowerment. By fostering collaboration, promoting experiential learning and prioritising the development of essential life skills, we can create a more inclusive and equitable educational landscape where every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. (The writer is the founder of Enabling Leadership; views are personal) Amidst scenes of unspeakable horror and relentless violence, the echoes of past atrocities resonate, urging a deeper understanding of the human cost of conflict Fifteen years ago, on a day like today, the final bullet was fired, bringing an end to the 30-year-long war in Sri Lanka. The harrowing memories we witnessed have become a thing of the past, but their echoes still reverberate in our minds. However, I dont intend to offer a political analysis; instead, I aim to reflect on the unimaginable suffering endured by fellow human beings in this troubled land. Pain was not unique to the location where this brutal war took place, nor was any specific community singled out for oppression. The entire country, in various ways, was haunted by enemies in different forms. In my memory, theres a chilling scene thats deeply ingrained, a moment of unspeakable horror from my childhood innocence. At just six years old, I held tight to my mothers hand, driven by morbid curiosity like the others in our village who gathered hastily. Together, we witnessed the grim sight of a half-charred corpse, a stark reminder of the darkness plaguing our land. The overpowering smell of death overwhelmed us, defying our feeble attempts to shield ourselves from its grip. By the roadside, where our community thrived, lay the lifeless body of a man, his agonising death a haunting echo of the brutality lurking in the shadows. As the fire consumed his flesh, the echoes of his cries pierced the night, mourning a future stolen by merciless hands. To this day, the identity of his attackers remains a mystery, their cruelty matched only by their cowardice. In their relentless pursuit of violence, they showed no regard for the family he left behind, extinguishing life with a cold indifference that sends shivers down the spine. That fateful day remains a solemn reminder of the darkness within the human heart, a stark acknowledgement of lifes fragility in a world torn by chaos and despair. The sight of a skull, once full of life, now a grotesque symbol of agony, serves as a testament to the depths of human cruelty. Its gaping maw and charred teeth tell of the unspeakable suffering endured by its unfortunate owner a chilling reminder of the atrocities committed by those in power. Illuminated by a burning tyre, this macabre scene exposes the brutality of oppressors who sought to crush dissent with an iron fist. Yet, this is just one episode in the chaos that engulfed Sri Lanka during the second uprising of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). The horrors of that time still linger in my mind, a grim reminder of the generation born into a world besieged by violence and despair. For the parents of this generation, survival was the sole pursuit, each day a desperate struggle against the spectre of death. To stand with the State was to invite the wrath of revolutionaries who lurked in the shadows, waiting to mete out their brand of justice in the dead of night. Conversely, to align oneself with the revolutionaries was to invite swift and merciless retribution from the State apparatus, which spared no effort in its quest to crush dissent with utmost brutality. This was the grim reality that defined an era a reality where horror knew no bounds and mercy was but a distant memory. In the Sinhalese-dominated areas of the country, flames of rebellion raged unchecked, while in the north and east, where Tamils and Muslims held sway, the spectre of terror loomed large, casting a pall of fear over all who dared to defy the status quo. In this fractured landscape, where lines of ethnicity and ideology blurred in the face of unrelenting violence, the suffering of innocent lives knew no bounds. In the crucible of my high school years, the Tamil Armed groups, notably the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), cast a long shadow over the land, their reign of terror reaching its zenith. Following the peace talks convened in Thimpu, Bhutan, the LTTE embarked on a ruthless campaign to assert their dominance, ruthlessly eliminating rival Tamil factions that dared to challenge their authority. Even those groups previously supported by the central Government under the leadership of Indira Gandhi and the State Government of Tamil Nadu were not spared from their wrath, as the LTTE sought to establish itself as the sole arbiter of Tamil interests. Concurrently, amidst this bloody power struggle, the LTTE unleashed a wave of terror aimed at forcibly displacing Sinhalese and Muslim communities from the Northern peninsula, affording them scant hours to abandon their homes and livelihoods. Many Muslims scrambled to escape the impending violence, seizing whatever means of transportation they could find to flee to Government-controlled territories, where they hoped to find sanctuary from the chaos engulfing their homeland. Among these displaced individuals emerged tales of resilience and triumph, as some managed to rebuild their lives, ultimately ascending to positions of prominence as successful businesspersons and influential politicians. Yet, these stories of triumph are tempered by the grim reality of displacement and loss, serving as poignant reminders of the human cost exacted by the unrelenting tide of conflict and upheaval. The reign of terror orchestrated by the LTTE unfolded with chilling precision, sparing none who dared to oppose its fascist ideology. Beginning with the systematic elimination of rival armed factions, the LTTEs campaign of violence soon expanded to target not only other ethnic communities but also Tamil intellectuals who dared to advocate for political solutions and the right to self-determination. Rajani Thiarangama, a revered intellect and champion of Tamil rights, met a tragic end at the hands of LTTE militants in Jaffnastark evidence of their ruthless intolerance of dissenting voices. In my discussions with her father, A Rajasingham, years later in Colombo, the heartbreaking tale of his daughters untimely demise offered a glimpse into the insidious tactics employed by the LTTE to silence its critics. This chilling account serves as but one example of the lengths to which the LTTE would go to impose its will upon the Tamil people, resorting to violence and coercion to enforce compliance. As the ranks of Tamil intellectuals dwindled, the LTTE turned its sinister gaze towards a new target: the recruitment of children into its ranks. Thousands of innocent youths were forcibly torn from their families, subjected to relentless indoctrination and thrust onto the battlefield, their tender frames bearing the weight of weapons far beyond their years. Tragically, some would be groomed as suicide bombers, indiscriminately targeting politicians and unarmed civilians alike in a twisted bid for supremacy. As a war reporter, I witnessed the grim reality of child soldiers within the LTTE and its breakaway faction; some of them were even unable to hold their weapons properly. Many of them were malnourished, their skeletal frames visible and for them, attending school was a dream that never came true. The horrors unleashed by the LTTE knew no bounds, wreaking havoc upon innocent lives while lining the pockets of those who profited from the chaos. Even in distant Western nations, Tamil communities were subjected to extortion and intimidation, coerced into financing the LTTEs reign of terror under threat of violence or retribution against their loved ones back home. Despite damning reports by organisations like Human Rights Watch exposing these atrocities, the truth was often overshadowed by pro-LTTE propaganda, whitewashing the brutality of their so-called liberation struggle. Consequently, those who fought against this unimaginable terror of tyranny were blamed. That is why, understanding this brutal reality and the plight Tamils were forced to endure is essential homework before succumbing to prejudice. War came to an end in May 2009, after a prolonged conflict that lasted for over three decades. Since then, numerous discussions have been held regarding the identification and condemnation of those actively involved. In the aftermath, countries have rapidly developed, logistics have been enhanced and connectivity has tremendously improved. Simultaneously, thousands of ex-LTTE members have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society, with some even marrying Sinhalese individuals. However, the victory over terror has not been wisely utilised to address systemic issues within the State structure. Excessive politicisation and the exploitation of this victory for personal gain by certain parties have undermined social responsibilities. The Governments failure to effectively respond to false allegations regarding casualties and mission details has had lasting repercussions. Many misconceptions and fabricated stories, propagated by vested interests aiming to distort the true nature of this brutal period, have further complicated matters. Regrettably, there is a glaring absence of discussions on safeguarding peace and averting the recurrence of past atrocities. There is no meaning in celebrating victory over the loss of human lives, but rather in building a national conscience to unite everyone towards a common goal, where peace is a precious gem cherished by all, to safeguard for generations to come. (The writer is a Sri Lanka journalist and author; Views are personal) The stage is set for a monumental leap forward in the philanthropic movement, heralding an era of More, Sooner and Better Giving India has always been a nation with a deeply ingrained concept of philanthropy. This ethos has given rise to many philanthropists, who have contributed immensely and helped build and support many of the great institutions of modern India. The Tatas being the foremost example of such modern Indian Philanthropy. Today, philanthropy in India stands at a transformative juncture in terms of both, the quantum and the quality of giving. According to Knight Franks wealth report for 2023, the number of Ultra-High Net Worth Individuals (UHNIs), in India will grow by over 58 per cent in the next five years. India has seen the rise of many Unicorns in the past decade and is poised to see a rise of another ~150+ unicorns in the next few years, indicating a massive wealth surge. This is fortuitous as the demands on philanthropists for greater philanthropy will only increase which we hope will be met with a surge in philanthropic giving as well. UHNIs are redefining the giving landscape in India-they are now more actively engaged in the giving process, dedicating time to ensure their wealth drives substantial systemic improvements. Amit & Archana Chandra, Ashish Dhawan, Ajit Isaac, Harsh Mariwala, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Romesh and Sunil Wadhwani, Desh Deshpande and Vikrant Bhargava are a few of the great examples of new-age philanthropists, developing a portfolio of philanthropic initiatives including institution building and systemic change projects. This trend is only going to accelerate. Another key trend to emerge is the gradual reduction in the average age of philanthropists. These younger and newer donors, representing both current family benefactors and first-generation wealth creators, are breaking through traditional barriers with innovative and disruptive approaches to giving and are branching out to address issues beyond the historically favoured domains of healthcare, education and livelihoods. The emerging tribe of NextGen philanthropists coupled with the next generation of grassroots organisations-driven by young, committed and tech-savvy professionals-is set to transform the giving landscape in the coming years. The proportion of technology entrepreneurs is also increasing and these philanthropists have given more generously when compared to other sectors. While they account for about 8 per cent of overall wealth in the space, their philanthropic contribution makes up nearly 35 per cent of all giving-Azim Premji, the Infosys founders, Rohini Nilekani, Shiv Nadar, the Kamath brothers, Subroto Bagchi and Sanjeev Bikhchandani are great examples of new age Philanthropists from the Tech sector. Theres also a growing sensitivity to privilege among the younger generation of family donors and they are increasingly putting that privilege to work. Some of them are also carving out professional paths dedicated to philanthropy. However, despite the many positive trends in UHNI giving in India, challenges remain. First, theres an urgent need for Indias UHNIs to increase the relative proportion of their giving. The current rate of giving doesnt match the pace of wealth accumulation. The 2023 India Philanthropy Report by Bain & Company indicates that excluding contributions from Wipros founder Azim Premji, UHNI donations fell by 5 per cent in fiscal year 2022 even as their wealth increased by over 9 per cent. Also, when compared to their peers in the United States, the UK and China, Indian UHNIs contribute significantly less relative to their wealth, in some cases, giving is lower by as much as a 10x factor. Second, philanthropic causes are becoming more diverse and varied, as some causes become more urgent like climate change and humanitarian crisis while traditional causes-education, healthcare, poverty alleviation and livelihoods-remain at the top of the agenda. Philanthropic capital is also increasingly being tapped to address newer and often neglected causes in India such as sports, arts and culture and mental health amongst many others. Therefore, prioritising and allocating appropriate philanthropic capital to causes becomes crucial. Third, UHNIs need to engage themselves more in philanthropy by giving more time and effort. They also need to collaborate more with other philanthropists to pool their resources-money, time and effort-and take on more ambitious projects, create greater institutions and experiment with newer models to make a difference. They also need to experiment to see how technology can be leveraged to transform and scale services and service delivery in almost all areas, particularly in education, healthcare, skilling and climate change. This transformation will also be aided by a new compact between the donor and the donee that is based on greater mutual respect and sees greater participation by all stakeholders in the decision-making processes for where, how and when resources get deployed and how the impact is measured. We can expect 2024 to be a milestone year for the philanthropic movement in India with More, Sooner and Better Giving than ever before. Personal philanthropy can play a unique catalytic role in helping resolve many challenges in India, the time is now. (The writer is CEO Accelerate Indian Philanthropy a Philanthropic initiative; views are personal) Secretary General of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Md Golam Sarwar paid an official visit to India from May 11-15 and interacted with the authorities of the government on issues of cooperation in SAARC. It was Secretary Generals first official visit to any of the Member States of SAARC. Giving details here, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said during the visit, the Secretary General was hosted for a working lunch by Jaideep Majumdar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs. The two sides had detailed discussions on various issues of regional cooperation within SAARC. Following this, the Secretary General also called on the Foreign Secretary and Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh. During the discussions, India reiterated its commitment towards regional cooperation for growth and prosperity of the people of South Asia through SAARC. It was also underlined that India considers SAARC as an important regional association for cooperation in South Asia and has been taking several efforts and initiatives to bring the peoples of South Asia closer to each other. The Secretary General also visited the South Asian University (SAU) which is a specialised body of SAARC hosted by India in New Delhi and discussed with its authorities issues concerning the University. The grand inauguration of the Ram Mandir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22 has thrust Ayodhya into the international spotlight. However, the electoral dynamics in this Lok Sabha constituency, still commonly referred to as Faizabad, are far more complex, deeply influenced by intricate caste equations alongside temple politics. In this high-stakes seat, the BJP's Thakur candidate Lallu Singh faces stiff competition from SP's Dalit candidate and sitting MLA Awadhesh Prasad, and BSP's Brahmin candidate Sachhidanand Pandey. Pandey, who recently switched allegiances from the BJP to the BSP, aims to capture the Brahmin vote bank. "Ayodhya is synonymous with Lord Ram. But when it comes to elections, invoking Ram's name is not enough. The caste of the candidates also matters," observed political analyst Rajesh N Bajpayee. He highlighted that while outsiders might see Ayodhya as a BJP bastion due to its long-standing advocacy for the Ram Temple, the reality is more nuanced. Since 1989, there have been eight Lok Sabha elections, and the BJP has won only four of them. Lallu Singh and Vinay Katiyar each won twice, while Mitrasen Yadav won three times-twice on an SP ticket and once as a CPI candidate. The SP also clinched the seat in 2009. During the peak of Ram Lahar following the demolition of the Babri Mosque in 1992, the BJP faced defeat in the 1993 Vidhan Sabha election due to a strategic alliance known as social engineering. Kanshi Ram and Mulayam Singh Yadav joined forces, leading to the formation of the first Government by the SP and BSP. Locals attest to Ayodhya's transformation following the consecration of Lord Ram. The city now bustles with traffic jams and crowds of pilgrims from across the country. The once tranquil 13-km road connecting Ayodhya with Faizabad, now renamed Ram Path, has become the city's bustling hub, reminiscent of Connaught Place in Delhi. "This Ram Path has become the city's lifeline, with prominent eateries, big merchandise shops, and business centers emerging. Quaint souvenir shops have transformed into modern establishments adorned with Ram Temple models, saffron flags, and other Hindu memorabilia," said BP Singh, a local resident. Despite the prominence of saffron politics, caste dynamics remain crucial in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which votes on May 20 in the fifth phase. Modi underscored the BJP's focus on this constituency with a roadshow on May 5, supporting Lallu Singh's bid for a third consecutive term. Dalits constitute 26 per cent of the constituency's population, mainly from the Rawat, Chamar, and Kori communities. SP candidate Awadhesh Prasad, a seasoned politician and the party's Dalit face, is contesting from here. Prasad, the SP MLA from the Milkipur Assembly constituency, has had a long political career since his first Assembly win in 1977. After losing the 2017 Assembly election, Prasad reclaimed the Milkipur seat in 2022. Meanwhile, former BJP leader Sachhidanand Pandey is the BSP's candidate, representing Brahmin interests. "This contest is likely to be interesting because caste plays a significant role," said VN Das, a local journalist. "The upper castes predominantly support the BJP, while Dalits and Muslims are likely to back the INDIA Bloc candidate." Veteran BJP leader Lallu Singh is relying on a unified Hindu vote to secure his seat. Singh's campaign, led by Kamla Kant, is based out of the party's office on Ram Path. Despite his strong local connections and presence at community events, Singh is actively canvassing to retain his position. The caste composition of the Faizabad constituency includes 26 per cent Dalits (Rawat, Chamar, Kori), 14 per cent Muslims, 12 per cent Kurmi, 12 per cent Yadav, 12 per cent Brahmin, 6 per cent Rajput, 4 per cent Vaish, 5 per cent Kewat/Mallah/Nishad, and 12 per cent other OBCs. This diverse demographic will play a critical role in the upcoming election. As Ayodhya continues to evolve, the intersection of religious significance and electoral politics makes the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat a focal point in the 2024 elections. The AAP has refuted claims of assault on party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals aide Bibhav Kumar on Friday stating that it is a BJP conspiracy to frame AAP Chief. Meanwhile, Maliwal attacked the AAP for taking a U-turn, stating that the party is under pressure from Kumar. In a press conference, senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi said Maliwal is the "face" of this, terming allegations levelled by her against Kumar "baseless". The remarks come a day after the Delhi Police registered an FIR against Bibhav Kumar, the personal assistant of Kejriwal, for allegedly assaulting Maliwal at the chief minister's official residence. She had reached the CM's residence without an appointment and her intention was to level allegations against Kejriwal, senior AAP leader Atishi alleged at a press conference. "Today a video has surfaced that has exposed the lie of Maliwal. In her FIR, she has said she was brutally assaulted and she was in pain, and buttons of her shirt were torn. A video that has surfaced shows an entirely different reality," Atishi said. This comes days after on Tuesday senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh confirmed that Kumar misbehaved with Maliwal. According to the FIR, Maliwal was "kicked and slapped seven to eight times" allegedly by Kumar. The FIR also stated that Kumar "did not relent" despite her asking him to stop. When Atishi was asked about Singh accepting misbehaviour with Maliwal and calling it "highly condemnable", Atishi said, "AAP MP Sanjay Singh met Maliwal and he had only her version. But now this video has brought out the truth." Hitting at the party for its renewed claims, Maliwal in a tweet said, The leaders who joined the party yesterday declared a 20-year old worker as a BJP agent. Two days ago the party had accepted the truth in the PC and today it has taken a U-turn. This goon is threatening the party, if I get arrested I will reveal all the secrets. That is why he is roaming around in Lucknow and everywhere seeking shelter. Claiming there is pressure from Kumar, she stated, Today, under his pressure, the party gave in and to save a goon, my character was questioned by the entire party. No problem, I have been fighting alone for the women of the entire country, I will fight for myself too. Do character assassination as much as possible, the truth will come out when the time comes! The former Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has also claimed that Kumar hit her with "full force again and again" but no one came to her rescue. She also alleged that despite telling Kumar that she was menstruating and in pain, he did not budge. Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam has resigned from his post. Alamgir has sent his resignation to Raj Bhavan. Alamgir Alam, is accused of money laundering related to the tender scam, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) late in the evening of May 15. The ED had recovered Rs 35 crore from the house of Alamgir's personal secretarys assistant Jahangir. The ED had interrogated him for two days regarding this. Alamgir Alam could not give correct answer to ED in the case of recovery of Rs 35 crore. After which he was arrested by ED late evening on May 15. Since Alam's arrest, there was a demand from the opposition for his resignation. Minister Alamgir Alam, accused of money laundering related to the tender scam, was presented in the special court of Ranchi Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on May 16 amid tight security. After presenting him in the court, ED's special public prosecutor, Shiv Kumar alias Kaka had sought permission to interrogate Alamgir Alam by taking him on remand for 10 days which was opposed by Alamgir Alam's advocate. After this the court approved remand for six days. For security reasons, additional security forces have been deputed to the court. After the appearance, ED sent Alamgir Alam to Hotwar jail. The ED produced Minister Alamgir Alam in the court and demanded his remand for ten days. In the application given for remand, ED informed the court about the minister's involvement in irregularities in the tender process that took place during Alamgir's tenure. ED told the court that the statements of witnesses related to this case and the evidence found in the raids conducted on different days show that the role of Alamgir Alam is important and decisive. Apart from this, the commission income of the tender is collected and distributed in an organized manner and everyone is given a share in it. Recently, Rs 35 crore recovered from the hideouts of Sanjeev Lal and Jahangir in Ranchi belongs to Alamgir Alam. Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha members staged a protest near Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence on Friday morning over the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by his aide Bibhav Kumar, demanding resignation from AAP chief over the incident. The protesters were led by Mahila Morcha president Richa Pandey Mishra and the protesters, who were carrying bangles, said, If the Chief Minister cant respect women, he should rather give his resignation. Mishra said the Mahila Morcha wanted to hand over the bangles to Kejriwal for keeping mum over the incident with Maliwal that occurred at his official residence. Kejriwal haye, haye and Nahi chalegi tanashahi were the slogans hurled by the women standing near the house of Kejriwal. Mishra stated, After the indecent behavior with Maliwal in Chief Ministers house Delhis women no longer feel safe because if a Rajya Sabha member is not safe inside the Chief Ministers residence, how can Kejriwal guarantee the safety of women in their homes or on the streets. She emphasised that the incident with Maliwal is not a personal matter of Arvind Kejriwal but an issue of insult to the active woman MP of Delhi. It is also the truth of the Kejriwal government because they have consistently remained silent on the insults being perpetrated against Delhis women by their allies for the past 10 years, she said. Media head of Delhi BJP Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, Kejriwals silence on the case of Swati Maliwal proves his agreement with the assault on her, and now he can hide his assistant Bibhav in Punjab. A protestor Priyal Bharadwaj said that what happened at the Chief Ministers residence with Swati Maliwal is shocking. It is not just indecency but also physical assault, which is extremely humiliating for a woman who is a member of parliament. She said that it is painful and shameful that despite Arvind Kejriwal being aware of all this, he is still silent, Bharadwaj said. The Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR in connection with Maliwals alleged assault, naming Kumar, the personal assistant of Kejriwal, as an accused. The FIR was registered after Maliwals statement was recorded by a two-member team led by Additional Commissioner of Police P S Kushwaha. The team was at Maliwals residence in central Delhi for nearly four and a half hours on Thursday. Kumar ignored the National Commission for Womens (NCW) summon and did not appear before them on Friday, which had asked him to appear before it at 11 am. A tweet by NCW read, Officers of the NCW, along with the ACP of Civil Lines, New Delhi, attempted to serve a Notice of Hearing to Bibhav Kumar at his residence. When the occupants of the house refused to accept the notice, the officers affixed it on the gate of his residence. The hearing is scheduled for 18th May at the NCW Office. Congress candidate from Chandigarh parliamentary constituency Manish Tewari on Thursday asserted that unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party, which only talks about nationalism with its characteristic jumlebazi, the Congress party and its leaders have a tradition and history of martyrdom and sacrificing their lives for the nation. Tewari reiterated the Congress welfare guarantees including doubling the free monthly ration to the poor, paying Rs 8500 every month to poor families and guaranteed first year jobs for all graduates and diploma holders. Replying to a question, during an interaction with reporters, that the BJP leaders were claiming that India had emerged stronger under the BJP rule, as compared to the Congress, Tewari retorted, yes verbally, but not practically, as it had weakened actually, while referring to China still occupying Indias land and the BJP leadership being timidly quiet. He pointed out, it was during the Congress regime under late Indira Gandhi that India divided Pakistan into two parts and created a new country, Bangladesh. He said that Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi laid down their lives for the unity and integrity of the country. Tewari, whose father Professor Vishwanath Tewari was also shot dead by Punjab militants during terrorism in Punjab, challenged the BJP leadership to quote one single example where their leaders have sacrificed their lives for the nation or made the country proud. Tewari shifting constituencies in every Lok Sabha election: Tandon Chandigarh: BJP candidate for Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, Sanjay Tandon on Thursday asked the Congress nominee Manish Tewari to share with the voters in Chandigarh how his performance had been as an MP from Ludhiana and Shri Anandpur Sahib. Tandon said while Tewari has been claiming himself to be a national leader, it has always been a mystery why he has been changing his Lok Sabha constituency in every Lok Sabha election since 2014. "Now that he is contesting from Chandigarh, which constituency will he shift to in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections? Tandon questioned. Tandon wondered why the Congress nominees in Ludhiana and Shri Anandpur Sahib constituencies which were rarely represented by him in the past are not calling him to campaign in favour of the Congress. Tandon said that Tewari is the only MP who has been running from one constituency to another in the last 10 years for the simple reason that he has nothing to show back to his voters. "He is playing a similar trick on voters in Chandigarh", warned Tandon. The BJP on Thursday hit out at Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal for maintaining silence at a press conference in Lucknow on the alleged assault on his party MP Swati Maliwal, alleging the Delhi chief minister is behaving more like a "goon". Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva assailed the chief minister for skipping media queries, and demanded he resign immediately, taking responsibility for the incident. Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed Kejriwal is the main "criminal" in the complaint that his aide Bibhav Kumar had physically attacked 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," 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.Kumar, he noted, was photographed with Kejriwal during his visit to Lucknow. The Aam Aadmi Party convener did not reply to a question about the incident at a press conference he addressed with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was also there, instead replied, saying his party has already made it stand clear on the issue.Singh then went on to cite the 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. One should not play political game over the Maliwal issue as the AAP has made its stand clear, 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 that the AAP leader should break his silence or resign if he is a coward, Bhatia said. Sachdeva echoed Bhatia in attacking Akhilesh Yadav, and said nothing else was expected from him.Sachdeva said Kejriwal was seen with Bibhav Kumar and Sanjay Singh in a photo at Lucknow airport which shows how seriously the chief minister is taking the matter."They are travelling with the person (Kumar) whom they consider an offender. Lies, deceit and cunning are characters 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 questioned. Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva in a video byte said, The incident involving Swati Maliwal is not an accident but a conspiracy. Sanjay Singh himself had said that Bibhav, who is said to be Arvind Kejriwal's PA, misbehaved with Swati Maliwal at the Chief Minister's residence and the party will take cognisance of it. He had also stated that Kejriwal is angry with Bibhav. But all three were seen together at Lucknow Airport last night. Lies, deceit and deception which are in the character of the Aam Aadmi Party were once again visible. Sachdeva also raised questions over the death of AAP worker Santosh Koli, who was a close associate of CM Kejriwal from the time of the movement, and said that whenever there is talk of respect and self-respect of women, the character of Arvind Kejriwal and his party appears to be hollow. The incident that happened with Swati Maliwal is not the first incident, he alleged. Noting that the woman Rajya Sabha MP has been incommunicado, the BJP leader asked if she has been kidnapped or forcibly kept away from the public eye. He also took a swipe at Yadav over his attempt to downplay the incident by claiming that it is not a big issue. Targeting the Samajwadi Party, he recalled later SP leader Mulayan Singh Yadav's controversial defence of some men accused of rape by claiming "they are boys, they at times make mistakes". Malika Garg, Police Observer for Elections inspects Strong Room in Chandigarh Chandigarh: In view of upcoming Lok Sabha elections in UT Chandigarh, Malika Garg, IPS, Police Observer for Elections, visited the Strong Room at CCET, Sector 26 in Chandigarh for inspection. She also visited the Sensitive Booths and Border Nakas in the Area of Daddu Majra and Kajheri. Congress will confirm temporary employees, says Hooda Kurukshetra: Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday said that if the Congress government is formed in the state, the old pension scheme will be implemented in the first cabinet. Besides, a policy will be made to confirm the temporary employees, which will directly benefit thousands of employees and their families. Hooda had reached Kurukshetra today to seek votes for India Alliance candidate Sushil Gupta. He addressed many election meetings and claimed the big victory of AAP candidate Sushil Gupta. Hooda said that today more than 2 lakh posts are lying vacant in government departments of Haryana. There is already a lot of work and mental pressure on the employees. On top of that, the government is committing atrocities on the employees by giving threats, he said. Modi ki guarantees are falling flat: Indian Oversees Congress senior leaders Chandigarh: Mohinder Singh Gilizan, President, Indian Oversees Congress USA, Kamal Dhaliwal, President, Indian Oversees Congress UK, R C Sharma IOC Canada, Charanjit Modgil IOC Estonia, Gurpreet Sobi IOC USA & Simranjot Singh IOC Finland on Thursday accused the BJP government of ruining the economy, undermining democracy, and threatening socio-cultural fabric of the country. IOC members addressed media persons in Chandigarh. Highlighting the quid pro quo arrangements of BJP, Mohinder Singh Gilizan, President, Indian Oversees Congress USA vented about the Electoral Bond scheme calling it a scam What the electoral bonds scheme has done is to ensure ease of doing crony capitalism and distort the market in a way that propagates inequality. When the scheme was introduced, the PM claimed it would clean the political system. But the BJP government concealed details of the donors and the number of donations received through electoral bonds before the Supreme Court struck it down. When data was made public, it was clear that after a company secured a government contract, businessmen gave crores to the BJP through electoral bonds the very next day. When CBI or ED enquiry was instituted against such firms, they donated through electoral bonds and the investigation was stopped. It was simply Chanda do aur Dhanda lo. Punjab CEO to interact with people today 17 during 2nd Facebook Live Chandigarh: Buoyed by the massive success of the first live interaction program with the voters in April, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sibin C will hold another Facebook live session Talk to Your CEO Punjab from 11 am to 11:30 am on Friday (May 17) to address the queries raised by voters related to the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The CEO said that the sole aim of this initiative is to spread awareness among voters and clear their doubts pertaining to the election process. Various initiatives have been taken by the office of CEO this time, and this session is one of them, aiming to achieve the goal of Is Vaar 70 Paar, and to conduct free and fair elections in the state. I will go live on the official Facebook page @TheCeoPunjab and address the peoples queries related to the election process. Anyone can ask questions and also give their feedback and suggestions by commenting on the post I will promptly address the queries, he said, adding that questions or suggestions can also be sent via Facebook, Instagram, or X pages of Punjab CEO before 11 am (May 17). Punjab CM allowed Centre, Haryana Govt to use tear gas and rubber bullets at farmers to evade arrest in liquor scam: Sukhbir Bathinda: SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday said that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had allowed the Centre and the Haryana Government to use tear gas and shoot rubber bullets at states farmers to evade arrest in the multi-hundred crore liquor scam. Sukhbir, addressing public meetings in Bathinda Rural and Bhucho assembly segments, said that the Chief Minister knew he can go behind bars like his boss Arvind Kejriwal because he has perpetrated the same liquor scam in Punjab as was done in Delhi. That 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 Kejriwal. This will be done in the same manner as the Shiv Sena and NCP were broken in Maharashtra by the BJP, he said. Kangaroo courts by kisan unions a sign of AAP leadership failure: Jakhar Chandigarh: Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Thursday said that Punjab is reeling under a dangerous crisis of a collapse of leadership with a non-serious Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann squarely responsible for Punjabs ignominy and kangaroo courts taking roots. The law and order in Punjab has hit a nadir with cases of extortion, drugs, loot, and murder on the riseJails in Punjab have become a safe haven for criminals leaving people on divine patronageThere are kisan unions that have become law unto themselves. Their vigilantism is rupturing ties between farmers and traders and others. In villages, people set up thekri pehras to ward off drugs. All these are signs of failed governance under Bhagwant Mann, said Jakhar, adding that Kisan unions cannot exercise authority without responsibility. He said that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is sought-after by the public today as he epitomizes a robust system of law and order in the State, which Punjab lacks. Sensing defeat, AAP, SAD resorting to cheap tactics to disrupt my campaign: Parampal Sidhu Bathinda: Retired IAS officer and BJP candidate from Bathinda Parampal Kaur Sidhu on Thursday minced no words to say that AAP and Akali Dal, sensing their defeat in the coming poll, were resorting to cheap tactics to stop her from doing her poll campaign. However, their such actions are only boosting my morale and grit, she said, while reacting to an effort to disrupt her poll campaign at Dikh village. She said that Bathinda public is watching all this, and this kind of planted confrontation is only making me more strong and motivated to work hard. I am not going to stop by all this. Being an IAS, I had served people and after retiring from the job, the reason I joined politics was to serve Bathinda people more. If my rivals think that by plotting this kind of confrontation against me. they would be successful to stop me. They are totally wrong. I want to tell them this would only make my resolve stronger and I am not going to make even a step back, she declared. Voting for AAP, Akalis means voting for BJP: Warring Ludhiana: Punjab Congress president and partys candidate from Ludhiana parliamentary constituency Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday cautioned people against voting for the AAP and SAD lest they unknowingly end up helping the BJP which they actually want to defeat. Warring, addressing a series of public meeting in Gill assembly segment, said: Every vote that would be cast for AAP or the Akalis will indirectly help the BJPSince neither of the two parties were in a position to defeat the BJP, they will end up cutting anti-BJP votes only. If you want to defeat BJP, your only option is to vote for Congress. He also urged the people to ask AAP and Akali candidates what was their agenda. AAP owes an explanation to the people of Punjab about reneging on various promises particularly paying Rs 1000 every month to women, he added. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, while addressing the public meeting organized in Jayanagar in support of BJP candidate Manish Jaiswal from Hazaribagh (Jharkhand) Lok Sabha seat, Jail Ground Chhatro, Barhi and BJP candidate Smt. Annapurna Devi from Koderma Lok Sabha seat, said that the Congress party has done the work of tarnishing the country. They divided the country, kept Lord Ram sitting in the open sky, imposed Article 370, but now the reins of the country are in the strong and capable hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now the country will not be allowed to be tarnished by the actions of dishonest people. Congress has done the work of tarnishing the country, Prime Minister Modi has increased the respect of the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that neither will he eat nor will he let him eat, that is why the dishonest people are in jail.Chief Minister Yadav said that on one hand Rahul Gandhi is dreaming of becoming the Prime Minister, but on the other hand he is not finding candidates to contest the elections. Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi say that compete with me, I am not afraid, but how to compete, five generations of Congress were born in Delhi, but the people of Congress do not have the courage to compete in Delhi. It is the misfortune of this country that the British left the country, but left the Congress. They had spoiled our education policy, where are their ideals? Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we implemented the new education policy and worked to include our ideal great men in the curriculum. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that the Congress Party has committed the great sin of tarnishing the country. Ruled the country for 70 years, but could not build the temple of Lord Shri Ram. Always kept fighting Hindus and Muslims and continued doing his politics. Section 370 was imposed in Kashmir and when Prime Minister Narendra Modiji took the initiative to remove it, there were obstacles in that too. Could not implement law like triple talaq in the country. Made the lives of Muslim sisters and daughters hell. Today the Muslim sisters and daughters of the country are living a happy life because Prime Minister Narendra Modi implemented the law like Triple Talaq in the country. Yadav said that Prime Minister Narendra Modiji had said that neither will I eat nor will I allow anyone to eat. This is the government of BJP and Prime Minister Modiji. Here, instead of dishonest people, they are in jail. Dr. Yadav said that there has been big corruption in Jharkhand also. You may name yourself Alamgir, but this is your thief Gir. If you steal, you will go to jail, you will not find anyone to save you. I have to unfortunately say that brother Jaiprakash was with us when he was Jaiprakash, now you have changed sides so you have become Paraj Prakash. No one can stop you from defeat. The Chief Minister said that when the first vote was given to Prime Minister Narendra Modiji in 2014, terrorism was eliminated from the country. Before 2014, bombs used to explode anywhere in the country, but now it does not happen. Pakistan had committed a mistake once and was taught a lesson by entering the house twice. When the second vote was cast in 2019, Article 370 was removed from Kashmir, laws like triple talaq were implemented, Shri Ram temple was constructed and now Lord Shri Ram is smiling in the sanctum sanctorum. This time the vote has to be cast for the prosperity of the country as well as for Lord Krishna.Chief Minister Yadav said that Jharkhand is such a rich state that if its mineral wealth is properly utilized then this state can become the number one state in the country. This is the land of Lord Birsa Munda. Here there is a desire to break all the barriers and come among you. In a fervent address at a public meeting in Daulatpur in Rae Bareli, Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticised the Congress and its allies, accusing them of familial politics and claimed decisive victories for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The event was organised in support of BJP candidates Smriti Irani (Amethi) and Dinesh Pratap Singh (Rae Bareli), and saw the defection of SP MLA Manoj Pandey to the BJP, along with several block chiefs. Shah asserted that the Congress and its allies, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi, are driven by nepotism. He claimed Lalu Prasad Yadav wants his son to become the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee wants her nephew to become the chief minister, and Sonia Gandhi desires her son to become the prime minister. He accused them of intending to re-consecrate the Ram temple and potentially lock it again, undermining its sanctity. Referring to Rae Bareli and Amethi, Shah declared these parliamentary constituencies belong to the people, not political families. This time, Smriti Zubin Irani from Amethi and Dinesh Pratap Singh from Rae Bareli will win and reach Parliament, he asserted confidently. Amit Shah also addressed national security, stating, Congress leaders like Mani Shankar Aiyar and Farooq Abdullah call Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Pakistans. But let me tell them, it was, is, and will always be Indias. Soon, it will be merged with India. He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for abolishing Article 370 and criticised the Congress for wanting to reinstate it. He emphasised Modis resilience, referring to his 56-inch chest as a symbol of strength. Shah challenged Rahul Gandhi, suggesting that corrupt leaders from Congress will face jail under Modis administration. He claimed that under Modis leadership, Uttar Pradesh has seen significant development, with new factories and industries creating employment. He contrasted this with previous administrations, highlighting that Amethi did not have a collectorate office for 70 years until Smriti Irani became the MP, after which the BJP government constructed one. He concluded by condemning the Gandhi familys perceived neglect of their constituencies, pointing out that over 200 people died in an NTPC accident without a visit from Sonia Gandhi. As the Lok Sabha elections draw nearer in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, the political landscape is witnessing a significant shift with major parties turning their attention towards religious sects to garner support. Be it the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), or the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) all have begun engaging with the dera sects in the state, especially Radha Swami Dera in Beas, to seek blessings and support from its leadership for the June 1 elections. Moreover, candidates go the extra mile by flaunting snapshots of their encounters and discussions with the Dera chief across social media platforms, strategically courting the allegiance of his devout followers. The development underscored the importance of religious affiliations in the regions politics, where faith has long played a significant role in shaping electoral outcomes. The Radha Swami Dera, led by Gurinder Singh Dhillon, holds considerable influence in Punjab and neighbouring states of Haryana and Himachal. Political leaders from various parties are visiting the Dera to seek the blessings of Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon, popularly known as Baba-ji, in hopes of securing votes from the sects followers. Similarly, other prominent religious sects, such as Dera Sacha Sauda and Dera Sachkhand Ballan, also hold sway over electoral dynamics in Punjab. These sects command large followings and their leaders are seen as influential figures whose endorsements can sway voter sentiments. The Radha Swami Dera, headquartered in Beas, Amritsar, has a significant presence in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan also. With millions of followers across these states, the Dera holds considerable sway over electoral politics, particularly in Punjabs Malwa region, which accounts for a significant number of assembly seats. The Dera serves as a strong vote bank that can sway the outcome of a candidate's victory or defeat. According to sources connected to the Dera, its influence is particularly significant in constituencies like Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Patiala, and Hoshiarpur, besides having a substantial following in Himachal Pradesh as well. According to information available in Dera Beass in-house magazine, the organization has 5,000 branches across the country, in addition to separate branches in 99 countries worldwide. In Punjab alone, they have 80-90 satsang centers, with similar centers in Haryana and Himachal also. So far, several candidates have sought the Dera's support, including Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, party candidate from Ludhiana; Arvind Khanna, BJP candidate from Sangrur; Ravneet Bittu, BJP candidate from Ludhiana; Manish Tiwari, Congress candidate from Chandigarh; Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Bains; AAP candidate from Anandpur Sahib Malvinder Kang; BJP candidate Sushil Rinku from Jalandhar; and Congress candidate Kulbir Jira from Sahib; all have visited the Dera Sacha Sauda for attendance. Political observers note that no election in Punjab is complete without the involvement of religious sects, which often dictate voting patterns among their followers. However, despite the anticipation surrounding the dera factor, it proved ineffective during the 2022 Punjab assembly polls, as the Aam Aadmi Party's unprecedented surge disrupted all preconceived estimates and calculations made by political pundits. As per the trend observed in the past elections, except 2022 assembly polls, while some sects maintain a neutral stance in politics, others openly endorse specific parties or candidates, further blurring the lines between religion and politics. For instance, the Radha Swami Satsang Beas has a mass following in Punjabs Doaba region, known for its significant Dalit population and economic prosperity. However, the Dera Beas, established by Baba Jaimal Singh in 1891, had never openly supported any leader or party. Similarly, the Dera Sachkhand Ballan, associated with the Ravidassia community, wields considerable influence in Punjabs Doaba region. With a sizable vote bank at its disposal, the Dera's endorsement can significantly impact electoral outcomes in the region. The Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda, headed by controversial self-styled godman Guremeet Ram Rahim Singhbehind bars in murder and rape cases also claims of influence over nearly 40 assembly constituencies in Punjabs Malwa. The Dera has 84 branches in Punjab, 11 of these, including the biggest at Salabatpura, in Bathinda district. Only recently, a large congregation of followers was organized at Deras state headquarters at Salabatpura to celebrate Deras foundation day. Unlike before, no political leader attended it this time. Meanwhile, Dera authorities are keeping their cards close to their chest. Sources said that the Dera was unlikely to announce support to any party and might support some candidates on some seats. It is also learnt that through this large gatherings, the authorities are accessing the followers mood ahead of the polls. Among these, the significance of Dera Beas can be gauged from the fact that during his 10-year tenure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the Dera three times, including just four days before the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections in 2022. Only recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, besides Himachal Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu and Union Minister Anurag Thakur had also visited the Dera and met with the head. In Punjab, there are no official figures regarding active deras, but as per estimates, there are around 9,000 Sikh and 12,000 non-Sikh deras in the State. Approximately 300 of these deras are headed by leaders who wield influence not only in Punjab but also in Haryana and Himachal. Among them, 12 deras boast a following of over one lakh devotees each, with Dera Beas being one of them. Among the prominent deras in Punjab are Damdami Taksal, Dera Nanaksar, Sant Ajit Singh Hansali Sahib, Sant Daya Singh Sur Singh Wale, Sant Seva Singh Rampur Kheda, Parmeshwar Dwar Gurmat Prachar Seva Mission, and Dera Baba Rumi Wala (Bhuchcho Kalan) are among the prominent Sikh deras in Punjab. On the other hand, Radha Swami Satsang Beas (Dera Beas), Dera Sacha Sauda, Noormahal Dera, Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan, Sant Nirankari Mission, Dera Baba Bhooman Shah (Sanghar Sadh), and Ravidassia (Dera Sach Khand) are some of the major non-Sikh deras in Punjab. A woman prisoner lodged in Khunti Jail was allegedly raped for a month by two jail employees who lured her to get her released very soon. When she became pregnant, they threatened to kill her. The female prisoner has written a letter to the National Commission for Women making these allegations. Through the letter, the female prisoner has said that she had met both the accused employees a few months ago. Both of them together lured her to get her released from jail and raped her several times. In the letter written by the female jail inmate in Khunti jail, two employees of Khunti jail have been accused of rape. She has also alleged that they forced her to get abortion when she became pregnant. The female prisoner has alleged that the jail staffs do not allow the prisoner to write letters. Therefore, the letter has been written through the female prisoner who is about to be released. According to the information, the woman is a resident of Ludhiana. But the ancestral home is in Khunti only. The police had arrested him on charges of opium smuggling. It is alleged that both the jail employees raped her for a month after luring her to leave. During this time, when she became pregnant, she was first threatened to be killed and then let her rot in jail. Then abortion was done. The woman alleges that the date for abortion has been shown three months before the backdate. The woman has demanded from the Commission that her allegations be investigated. Also, her medical report should be examined by a special team. The woman has written in the letter that of the two jail personnel who raped her, one has been posted in Khunti jail for six years and the other for eight years. Apart from her, both the jail personnel have also committed wrongdoings with other women prisoners. In this matter, the Jail IG said that such a case has not yet come to his notice. If so, the matter will be investigated. BJP candidate from Ranchi Sanjay Seth campaigning for Lok Sabha elections received a shot in the arm as after Prime Minister Narendra Modi Road show, Union Home Minister and BJP star campaigner Amit Shah too held a road show in the Capital. The 1.5 km road show was in Chutia area from Indira Gandhi Chowk to Saraswati Shishu Mandir. Thousands of people lined up on both sides of the 1.5-km stretch, with flags, lotus symbols and cut-outs, to greet Shah amid tight security arrangements. BJP candidate Sanjay Seth and other BJP leaders were standing atop a decorated vehicle along with Shah. The BJP leader greeted people and flashed the victory symbol along with the party's Ranchi Lok Sabha candidate, Sanjay Seth. Shah was seen showering flower petals on the crowd, a section of which danced to the tunes of traditional musical instruments. Shah had earlier landed at the Birsa Munda Airport in a special helicopter from Odisha after holding a public rally there. The Ranchi administration has made elaborate security arrangements for the roadshow, including the use of drones and CCTV cameras at strategic locations, SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha said.The Lok Sabha polls will be held in Jharkhand in four phases. The first round of voting took place on May 13. Ranchi will go to polls on May 25. Earlier, on May 3Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow in Ranchi for BJP candidate Sanjay Seth . Modi arrived at Ranchis Birsa Munda airport after addressing an election rally in Chaibasa in the afternoon. He paid tribute to the statue of Birsa Munda at Birsa Chowk en route to Raj Bhavan before beginning his 2km roadshow in an open vehicle from Bharat Mata Chowk to Ratu Road Chowk on Harmu bypass road. Thousands of people, who consisted of BJP workers, functionaries, and locals, waited through the blazing afternoon sun for hours and brushed the inconveniences aside with the administration closing off intersections. Seth is fighting to win the seat for the second consecutive term. Seth, despite illness, is much active both in the constituency and in the House. Seth is credited with bringing several projects to Ranchi including the Ranchi Ratu Road flyover among others. Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth, despite having recovered from a prolonged illness, recorded 87% attendance. As the maximum temperature in Delhi touched 43.6 degree Celsius on Friday, the power demand pushed to 6,800 MW, highest this summer, discom officials said. The minimum temperature is recorded at 25.4 degree Celsius, a notch below the normal. The reduced gap between the maximum and minimum temperature leads to discomfort for the people of the national capital, giving the feel of 47-48 degree celsius . Most observatory stations have recorded a maximum temperature above 45 degree Celsius here. Ayanagar recorded over 46 degree Celsius, highest in the national capital. The State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) Delhi realtime data showed the peak power demand in the city shot up to 6834 MW around 23.10 PM on Thursday. It was 6,780 MW at 3.26 PM on Thursday. The peak power demand was 6,703 MW around 3.29 PM on Friday, showed SLDC data. Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) successfully met peak power demand of 2,035 MW on Friday which is highest for this season in its area of operations, which include localities in the north Delhi, said a spokesperson of the discom. It is expecting the peak power demand to touch a high of 2,351 MW this summer. The company has signed agreements of up to 2,500 MW, apart from contingency arrangements, through long-term and short-term arrangements. The discoms in Delhi have estimated Delhis peak power demand to cross 8,000 MW this summer. With the temperature in Ranchi touching almost 40 degree Celsius, there seems to be no respite for the city residents. As per The Meteorological Centre, Ranchi mercury levels are set to further rise by two- three degree Celsius in the next few days. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Ranchi has also issued a heat wave warning for Sahibganj, Godda, Pakur, Deoghar, Jamtara and Dumka for May 18. Additionally, Palamu, Garhwa, Chatra will experience a heat wave on May 19. Giridih, Dhanbad, Bokaro, East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum, Seraikela- Kharsawan and areas around the State capital will experience heat wave on May 20. On May 17 and May 18, the State will have dry weather with scattered clouds. On May 19 and May 20, areas of north- east Jharkhand- Santhal- Pargana, and southern Jharkhand- Eat and West Singhbhum, Simdega might witness slight rainfall with wind speed of up to 30-40 kmph. The temperature in the next few days is likely to rise by 2-3 degrees. In the last 24 hours, Daltonganj recorded the maximum temperature at 41.8 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature was recorded at Chaibasa at 25.6 degree Celsius. Ranchi was recorded at 37.3 degree Celsius, Jamshedpur at 39, Bokaro at 38.5 and Chaibasa at 40 degree Celsius. There is a cyclonic circulation passing through south Bihar and neighbouring areas at 0.9 km which is not going to have much of an impact in Jharkhand due to lack of moisture in the air. Some regions might witness dry thunder and wind, chances of rain are less, said Director MET Centre, Ranchi Abhishek Anand The bulletin also issued a safety advice for the residents of the State asking them to stay away from trees and electric poles during any thunderstorm and lighting activity to avoid any mishaps. As per the communique, on May 17 the maximum temperature in Ranchi will be at 37 degree Celsius and might rise up to 40 degree Celsius by May 20. Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its probe into a money laundering case, was on Thursday remanded to the custody of the central agency for six days. The minister was produced before a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi amid tight security arrangements. Seeking 10 days remand of Alam, whom the ED arrested yesterday, the ED said the whole process of collection and distribution of commission was taken care of by the assistant engineers posted at the Rural Development Special Division and Rural Works Department. The ED pleaded that it want to find out the nexus in the commission of money arguing that Minister Alamgir Alam used to receive a share of 1.5 per cent of the all allocated tender amount. The ED said that several officials from top to bottom of the Rural Development Department are involved in this nexus and the huge payments were usually received in cash which were later laundered and needed to be unearthed. The central agency said that the role of Alamgir Alam is found to be crucial and pivotal in the ongoing investigation based on the statements of witnesses and material collected. Alamgir Alam has concealed facts and was involved in the acquisition and transfer of the proceeds of crime, and thus actively involved in the process of money laundering, it added. The agency concluded that Alam has integrated a huge amount of proceeds of crime into the mainstream economy. Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested state minister and Congress legislative party leader Alamgir Alam in a money laundering case, days after the agency seized Rs 34.50 crore from two people linked to him. Alam's arrest comes a day after he was grilled for over nine hours by the central probe agency at its zonal headquarters in Ranchi. Alam was summoned by ED and was called to appear before central probe agency office on May 14 (Tuesday). Alam was interrogated by ED for more than nine hours and on Wednesday he was again called by central probe agency. He was summoned by the agency after the ED arrested his personal secretary Sanjiv Lal and Lals domestic help Jehangir. Alam, who is the states Minister of Rural Development, had distanced himself from the Rs 34.50 crore in cash seized from Jehangirs premise. On May 6, the Enforcement Directorate raided the apartment of Jahangir Alam, who is the house help of Alamgir Alams personal secretary Sanjeev Lal, and recovered over Rs 37 crore in cash. Both Alam and Lal were arrested after the raid. The raids were in connection with an ongoing investigation into a money laundering case against Virendra K Ram, former chief engineer of the Jharkhand Rural Development Department, who was arrested last year. It was linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of some schemes in the department. During the raid, several counting machines were also brought in to count the unaccounted cash, which was mainly in the denomination of Rs 500. In addition, agency officials also recovered some jewellery from the flat of Jahangir Alam. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday targeted the opposition for spreading lies about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and declaring that the law was here to stay and nobody could remove it. Parties like Samajwadi Party and Congress spread lies over the issue of the CAA. They tried their best to burn the country, including Uttar Pradesh, in riots. Even today, people of the INDI Alliance say that Modi has brought the CAA and the day he goes, the CAA will also be removed. I must tell you that nobody can remove the CAA, the prime minister said while addressing rallies in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The prime minister addressed four rallies in UP, at Azamgarh, Kaushambi, Bhadohi and Pratapgarh. His remarks came a day after the first set of citizenship certificates under the CAA was issued in New Delhi to 14 people, nearly two months after the rules under the contentious law were notified to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from three neighbouring countries. "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 on the basis of religion," he said. These (Congress) people climb the stairs of power taking the name of Mahatma Gandhi, but they dont remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi had himself ensured these people (minorities living in neighbouring countries) that they can come to India whenever they want, Modi said. He stated that in the last 70 years, thousands of families took asylum in India to safeguard their culture and religion. However, the Congress never bothered to think about them because they were not Congress vote bank, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader stated. Modi criticised the Congress for neglecting vulnerable communities, particularly Dalits and backward classes, dismissing them as inconsequential to their electoral interests. But we have unmasked them. This is the Modi ki Guarantee, he asserted. Modi added, Enduring decades of persecution and often marginalised due to their social status, they found sanctuary in India to safeguard their dignity and religious freedom. The prime minister highlighted the Modi ki Guarantee assurance in Kashmir, stating, Over the last five to six decades, Kashmir has been a central theme of discussions during elections. However, now, our opponents have gone quiet, their voices subdued. He claimed that behind closed doors, opponents acknowledge Modis abolition of Article 370 and hint at the possibility of reinstating it if given the chance. Addressing the recent voting in Srinagar, Prime Minister Modi remarked, The fourth phase of voting in Srinagar marked a celebration of Indias democracy and Constitution after forty years. The enthusiasm witnessed in Srinagar signals an end to vote-bank politics centered around Article 370. Prime Minister Modi empathised with the concerns of mothers and sisters from military families in Azamgarh, who previously feared explosions and news from Kashmir. He assured peace in Kashmir by dismantling the barrier of Article 370. Previously, elections in Kashmir were marred by strikes and voters faced threats of violence. However, the recent elections in Srinagar shattered records, Modi said. Reflecting on the past, Modi noted how a decade ago, the safety of common citizens depended on divine providence, especially during times of national crises when Azamgarh often drew unwelcome attention due to the SP governments leniency towards terrorists and rioters, leaving sleeper cells unchecked and mothers mourning their childrens ruin. Taking a dig at the opposition, Prime Minister Modi said, The SP and Congress may be two political parties, but they operate from the same storefront, peddling falsehoods, appeasement, nepotism and corruption. He added, Recently, they have intensified their appeasement tactics, seeking to wrest rights from marginalised groups like backward classes, Dalits and tribals to bolster their voter base. Their agenda includes unjustly redistributing property and budget allocations, perpetuating a divide-and-rule strategy. For seven decades, they have exploited religious sentiments, pitting Hindus against Muslims. We must stand united against such divisive tactics. With the objective of creating community awareness on the importance of cleanliness and sanitation, NTPC Coal Mining Headquarters/NTPC Mining Limited, Ranchi as part of observing ongoing Swachhta Pakhwada-2024(May 16 to May 31,2024), today organized Swachhta Rally which was participated by Regional Executive Director (Coal Mining), Shri Animesh Jain, Shri Rajnish Rastogi,CGM(HR) ,Head of the departments and employees and family members in large numbers. The rally commenced from its office campus and concluded at Ranchi Railway Station. Later the employees participated in the cleanliness drive at the Parking Area of the Railway Station. To promote proper waste management distributed Dustbins to the street vendors near the Railway station & Hand sanitizers were also distributed by the Senior officials and employees as part of the cleanliness of the fortnightly celebration. The initiative was possible with the active support of Ranchi Railway Station administration. During the Swachhta Pakhwada celebration, NTPC Coal Mining HQ/NML is going to conduct more community cleaning drive activities at public places and organize Street play /Nukad Natak ,Radio Jingle in Local FM channel to involve local community to promote Cleanliness is the key to Good Health PARIMAL is strengthening its expert advisory committee by inducting new advisors for expert advice on new ideas, research work and public policy related subjects. It is worth noting that Parimal - the pragmatic action research initiative, is a registered and independent research society supported by Madhya Pradesh police. It was stablished in 2017 with its roots firmly planted at the MP police academy Bhopal with its aim to shape the future of policing through innovation and evidence based insights. To strengthen its advisory committee, PARIMAL has nominated the country's well-known policy expert and management guru Naveen Krishna Rai as an expert advisory member. It is noteworthy that various judicial, administrative and police training academies in the country country invite Naveen to take management training sessions. He provides training on subjects like Life Management, Self-Management, People Management, Decision Making, Leadership, Conflict Management, Negotiation etc. He trains officers of Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Provincial Police Service, Administrative Service, Judicial Service, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Till now, he has provided training to more than five thousand officers and employees of these organisations. Apart from this, he has also been nominated as an advisor in various government committees of many states. In those committees, he provides his advice on topics related to urban development, industrial development, police training, e-governance and start-ups. Students from Prestige Institute of Management and Research (PIMR) in Indore, Ocean Jain, Pratham Mishra, and Dev Soni, secured the second rank in a nationwide research competition hosted by IIT Indore for their proposal, "AI for Stormwater Management in India." The students have attributed their success to Professor Nitin Girdharwal's mentorship, highlighting his crucial role in guiding them, especially in utilizing AI technology to tackle the pressing problem of stormwater management in India. The competition, hosted by IIT Indore, aimed to promote creative thinking among students in the engineering and management fields. Davish Jain, Chairman of Prestige Education Foundation, Indore, praised the students' achievement, highlighting the importance of incorporating advanced technologies such as AI to address real-world challenges. He commended Dr. Nitin Girdharwal and the entire team for their outstanding accomplishment. Director, PIMR (UG campus), Col (Dr.) SR Iyer also lauded the student team and their mentor for their dedicated efforts in shaping their research over the past three months. He emphasized that this achievement not only brought glory to PIMR but also fostered a research culture among students. He underscored the significance of exposing students to various competitions to instill a competitive yet resilient spirit in them. Prof. Rajeev Srivastava has taken over as the Director, Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Ranchi with effect from May 16, 2024. Srivastava was appointed as the Director IIIT Ranchi by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India, Delhi in April 2024. The charge of Director, IIIT Ranchi was handed over to him by Prof. Deepak Srivastava, Director, IIM Ranchi who was also serving as the Director (In-Charge) of IIIT Ranchi. Srivastava brings with him extensive experience in academia and administration and has previously served as the Dean of Resource and Alumni Affairs, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Head of the Centre for Computing and Information Services (CCIS) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) (BHU), Varanasi. With over 26 years of teaching experience, Srivastava has made significant contributions to the field of Computer Science and Engineering. I am honoured to join IIIT Ranchi as its Director and look forward to working with the faculty, students and staff to further enhance the institute's reputation The Supreme Court on Friday (May 17) refused to consider the plea of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for interim bail in the money laundering case for the purposes of election campaigning. The bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta directed the listing of the matter before a vacation bench of the Supreme Court next Tuesday (May 21). Soren has approached the Supreme Court against the Jharkhand High Court's dismissal of his petition challenging the arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged land scam on January 31. The former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Soren, had moved the top court challenging his arrest in the case after the Jharkhand HC rejected his plea. Senior lawyer and recently elected President of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Kapil Sibal, appearing for Soren, pleaded before the court for interim bail so as to enable him to campaign during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. "I seek bail on parity with Arvind Kejriwal," he told the SC. Last week the Supreme Court directed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to be released from judicial custody till 1 June 2024. The Aam Aadmi Party leader was arrested on 21 March 2024 by the Enforcement Directorate for his alleged involvement in the Delhi Liquor Policy case. Kejriwal will return to custody on 2 June, two days prior to the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. The court, however, barred him from visiting his office or the Delhi secretariat, and signing official files unless absolutely necessary for obtaining the lieutenant governor's approval. On Hemants bail plea the SC observed, "we have to be prima facie, satisfied before giving you any interim relief." Refusig to pass any interim order, the apex court's two-judge bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, listed Soren's plea in the money-laundering case before a vacation bench which would sit during the upcoming Summer break at the top court on May 21, Tuesday The Jharkhand High court bench, led by Acting Chief Justice S Chandrashekhar, who heard the matter, had reserved its verdict on February 28. It pronounced the same on May 3, Friday and rejected Soren's bail plea. Soren has been in jail, since he was arrested by the ED on January 31 in connection with his alleged involvement in a money laundering case. He, however, claimed innocence in the case and said that he was neither involved in the money laundering case nor in "any illegal act." Two time MP and BJP candidate Manoj Tiwari for North east Delhi held a roadshow on Thursday to support his partys candidate Praveen Khandelwal for Chandni Chowk which was filled with colour, music and enthusiasm. Slogans like abki bar 400 par were heard during the roadshow which witnessed a large crowd of party workers and supporters. Accepting the greetings and support of the people, Tiwari said, "As the elections are reaching its final stage, it has become clear that BJP is going to form the government for the third time under the leadership of Modi ji across the country. In Delhi too, we are winning all seven seats, there is no doubt about it. Supporting his party colleague, the actor turned politician said, Praveen Khandelwal has created a different image for himself across the country, no one can compare the work he has done for the traders and the Indian retail sector, he is a selfless leader and the people of Delhi, especially the residents of Chandni Chowk know this very well he is going to win with overwhelming majority. Khandelwal, who is the founder of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), said, "The work that has been completed so rapidly in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, no one would have dreamed of 10 years ago. Replacing two time MP Dr Harsh Vardhan, the Chandni Chowk candidate said, Even in Delhi, the work that has been done by the Central Government in such a short time is enough to expose the hollow claims of the corrupt Delhi Chief Minister. I have pledged for the complete development in my area and within two years we will build a world class government community building and senior citizen centre in the Shalimar Bagh assembly constituency where we are present today." Thereafter, Khandelwal attended the SC Morcha conference in Shastri Nagar and addressed the public. A speeding BMW rammed into an e-rickshaw on Thursday morning, leaving two people dead and five injured in Uttar Pradeshs Noida Sector 24. Three others who were on board the rickshaw have been hospitalized with injuries and their condition has been said to be stable according to police. Two occupants of the erring luxury car have been taken into custody by the local police while their third partner is at large, the police said. "Around 6 am, the e-rickshaw was on its way from the City Centre towards 12-22 Chowk. Five people, including the driver, were on board the e-rickshaw," a police spokesperson said. The police officer said that when the e-rickshaw was near Sumitra Hospital, a speeding BMW hit the e- rickshaw from behind, leaving two people dead and three others injured. Those dead in the incident were identified by the police as Mohammad Mustafa, aged 50 years old, and Rashmi, aged 25 years old, who worked as a staff nurse at the Metro Hospital here. The police identified those injured as e-rickshaw driver Rajendra, aged 45 years old, Pawan, aged 27 years old, and Surajpur, aged 20 years old. According to the spokesperson, two persons, namely Tushar Kumar and Adi Batra, both residents of Sector 41 who were in the BMW at the time of the crash have been taken into custody by officials of the local Sector 24 police station. Aman Sisodia, the third person accompanying them in the car, fled the spot after the crash. He also lives in Sector 41, the official added. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath actively participated in the election campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party across three districts of Uttar Pradesh on Friday. He teamed up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Barabanki to canvass for party candidates contesting from Mohanlalganj and Barabanki Lok Sabha constituencies. Additionally, he addressed a rally in Bahraich in support of the candidate from Gonda Lok Sabha seat. In Ayodhya, Yogi addressed a large gathering to back the partys candidate for the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat. The chief minister mainly targeted the Samajwadi Party and Congress, describing the new alliance between them as khoonchuswa (bloodsucker). He remarked that whenever these two parties come together, it always results in some bad omen. Furthermore, Chief Minister Yogi said, The nation will not pardon those who perpetrate violence against devotees of Lord Ram. He then shifted his attention to the SP, highlighting its involvement in food grain scams in Gonda while now promising Free Atta and Free Data. Addressing a massive public meeting in Barabanki in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, With three phases of elections remaining, the entire population is already confident about the results on June 4. Thus, Abki baar, 400 paar, echoing nationwide, has become a public declaration. This is a call to action by the countrys common people against the divisive, appeasement and anarchic policies of the Congress and the INDI Alliance across the country. He appealed to the people to vote in favor of BJPs candidates Rajrani Rawat in Barabanki and Union minister Kaushal Kishore in Mohanlalganj. Chief Minister Yogi described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the pioneer of Indias cultural renaissance, the architect of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, and the worlds most popular politician. Addressing a public meeting in Balrampur, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the strategy to construct a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya was formulated in Balrampur in 1949, giving the people of the district the first right on Lord Ram. He credited Prime Minister Modi with ending a 500-year wait by establishing the divine Ram temple in Ayodhya. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a powerful statement, underscored that the achievement of the Ram temple was a testament to the power of democratic voting. This is why the slogans Abki Baar Modi Sarkaar and 400 Paar resonate across the nation, symbolising the triumph of democratic processes in our country, he said. The public also shouted, Jo Ram ko laye hain, hum unko layenge. Attacking the opposition, the chief minister said, The Congress and SP have a history of being against Lord Ram. He emphasised that this election was a contest between Ram Bhakts and Ramdrohis. Continuing his attack, Chief Minister Yogi said, There was a food grain scam in Gonda during the SP regime which cannot be forgotten. Today, they talk about giving 'free atta and free data', whereas they used to rob the poor. He was addressing a public meeting in the Gonda Lok Sabha constituency in Utraula. During the meeting, he appealed to voters to vote for Gonda Lok Sabha candidate Kunwar Kirtivardhan Singh. Addressing the rally for the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in Milkipur, Ayodhya, Chief Minister Yogi attacked the opposition and said, The current version of Congress and SP are very dangerous. Whenever these two meet, assume that some bad omen will happen. Terming the new version of SP and Congress as khoonchuswa, Chief Minister Yogi said, Aurangzebs spirit has entered inside them, and they want to collect Jizya tax from the people of the country. He emphasised the importance of active participation in the current national environment, seeing it as an opportunity to enhance the present and future by casting votes in favour of the BJP in the upcoming elections. Referring to Prime Minister Modi as the catalyst driving Indias development, Yogi said, Prime Minister Modi is the charioteer of Indias development chariot because BJP can only realise the vision of a Viksit Bharat. In this Mahabharata of election, Prime Minister Modi assumes the role of Lord Krishna to ensure the victory of the party. With hopes for better job opportunities and a healthier India, women voters in Ranchi are ready to exercise their franchise at various polling stations on Friday, May 25. Ranchi parliamentary constituency has more than 19 lakh registered voters across all age groups out of which approximately 9.5 lakh are females. Women are also hoping for a cleaner and a greener environment, equal job opportunities leading to empowering women and better health services both in urban and rural areas specially planned for women across all age groups and backgrounds- be it a housewife or a professional. The government which comes to power should prioritise on working towards creating more job opportunities for women. Another area which requires attention is womens health. A health scheme specifically for women, be it a home-maker or a professional hailing from a rural or an urban area should be launched as women tend to ignore themselves very easily. With the increasing number of cases of cervical and uterus cancer, a regular health check-up plan with nominal charges should be implemented so that timely diagnosis and treatment can be done. The government also needs to focus on the development of the rural areas of Jharkhand. In these areas it is a daily struggle for basic necessities like clean water and toilets and this needs to be taken care of as political parties visit the villages to garner votes but later on forget to work for their development, said Dr Neha Nupur, Assistant Professor, Mandar College. I am very excited to cast my first vote. Voting is our democratic right and every woman should exercise this right. Every woman should be aware about their rights and consider this as a huge responsibility for our nation. I also think as a woman its so important to vote because so many other women around the world dont get a chance to get their voice heard. It is a huge responsibility as the actions of the government right now decide how we will live our lives. I feel the government which comes to power should focus on climate and human rights issues. The government does not give enough importance to the environment and how it is being affected because of deforestation and many other factors which is a bad sign for the future, said Sneha Chandel, a student and first time voter in Ranchi. Surabhi Rani Thakur, a Development Practitioner, feels that the government needs to focus more on female education and prevent school dropouts, especially girls. I believe that the upcoming government should prioritise key areas such as education, women and children. While there are existing schemes aimed at addressing these issues, the crucial question is how aware are the beneficiaries of these schemes. Despite an overall increase in the literacy rate, it remains stagnant at 55% in females. Moreover, school dropout rates, particularly amongst girls, continue to persist. Therefore, the new government should incentivize the education system further and emphasize on skill development from an early age. What I expect from the government is that nothing should be given free because this hides the worth of the product or service. I believe opportunities should be given to people on the basis of their capability. There should be some campaigns held for women to make them aware about their voting rights and how this one step can change the whole situation of the surroundings we live in. In rural areas the government should organise programmes to make people understand the importance of voting which will bring a drastic change in our nation and this will also make them realise the importance of this responsibility, said family and student counsellor Rajini Singh. In a highly charged and emotional return to Punjabs political stage, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday held a grand roadshow in Amritsar marking his first public appearance in the state since being released on bail in Delhi excise policy case. Accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to campaign for AAPs Amritsar Lok Sabha candidate Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Kejriwal emphasized to the people of Punjab, Your vote will save the country and the Constitution. Before hitting the campaign trail, Kejriwal, Mann, and Dhaliwal paid their respects at the Golden Temple and Durgiana Temple, praying for peace and prosperity in Punjab a spiritual start setting a reverent tone for the days events, underscoring Kejriwals connection with the region and its people. The roadshow in Amritsar saw thousands of AAP supporters waving flags and chanting slogans of Inquilab Zindabad, with Rang De Basanti Chola a song associated with Shaheed-e-Aazam Bhagat Singh being played along. The atmosphere was electric as Kejriwal, Mann, Dhaliwal, and AAPs national general secretary Dr Sandeep Pathak waved back at the enthusiastic crowd. Addressing the crowd, Kejriwal recounted his time in jail, framing it as a period of personal and political trial. I was jailed on false chargesDuring my meetings with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, my foremost concern was the well-being of the people of Punjab, he said. Kejriwal outlined what he believed were the real reasons for his imprisonment providing free electricity, improving government schools, and establishing Mohalla Clinics in Delhi and Punjab. They jailed me because I gave your children a good education and ensured free healthcare and electricity, he asserted. He also shared his ordeal of not receiving diabetes medication for 15 days in jail, a situation that dangerously elevated his blood sugar levels. I am a sugar patient. For the last 20 years, I have been suffering from severe diabetes. For the last 10 years, I have been on insulin. I am given 52 units of insulin daily. When I went to Tihar, they stopped my insulin injection for 15 days. My sugar level reached above 300, sometimes 350. If a person's sugar remains high for a long time, his liver and kidneys get damaged, he explained. Your vote will decide my fate whether I stay free or go back to jail, he told the crowd, urging them to vote to protect the achievements of the AAP Government. Hitting at the BJP, Kejriwal said that these people want to change the Constitution. These people have very dangerous plans in their mind. They are repeatedly saying of crossing the 400-mark. These people are not telling why 400 seats are needed. When inquired, we came to know that they would end the reservation. They need 400 seats to end reservation for OBC, SC and ST, he said. Punjab Chief Minister Mann said: After coming out of jail, Arvind Kejriwal today came to the holy land of Amritsar to pray for our country and asked God to bring our country back on the right track. Tomorrow, we will pray at Ram Teerath Mandir that the reigns of the country should go to the honest people. Mann, addressing the crowd, emphasized the integrity and dedication of AAP candidates like Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. He praised Dhaliwal for his efforts in reclaiming 10,000 acres of illegally occupied land and promised that Dhaliwal would champion Punjabs issues in the Parliament. Elect Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, and no one will be able to stop our funds, Mann declared. He also echoed the sentiment that the upcoming elections are crucial for the preservation of the Constitution and democracy. In Delhi, they say 25 May, BJP Gayi. In Punjab, we say Punjab Banega Hero, iss baar 13-0, he said, predicting a clean sweep for AAP in the State. Dhaliwal, Cabinet Minister and party candidate from Amritsar spoke passionately about the stakes of the upcoming election. We are the proud soldiers of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Arvind Kejriwal. We won't let them put Kejriwal in jail again, he vowed while urging the people of Amritsar to vote for him to uphold the legacy of Ambedkar and support Kejriwal's vision. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal was "kicked and slapped seven to eight times" allegedly by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar at the former's official residence, and "did not relent" despite her asking him to stop, according to the FIR registered by the Delhi Police. In the FIR regarding the alleged assault on her, Maliwal also claimed that Kumar hit her with "full force again and again" but no one came to her rescue. She also alleged that despite telling Kumar that she was menstruating and in pain, he did not budge. The FIR quotes Maliwal as saying that this "is one of the most difficult times of my life" and "the pain, trauma and harassment has been mind-numbing". "... I am also having difficulty in walking," she said in the FIR, a copy of which is with PTI. Maliwal, who earlier served as the chief of Delhi Commission For Women, said her situation is "exacerbated by the fact that having worked all my life for women issues and having helped lakhs of women get justice", she "ended up being brutally beaten by a person whom I know for long". "I am deeply disturbed by this incident and am distraught that someone could display such 'goonda' behaviour," read the FIR. She has called for the strongest possible action in the matter. The details of the alleged assault on Maliwal, which took place at Kejriwal's official residence on Monday, emerged on Friday as the Rajya Sabha MP appeared before a magistrate at the Tis Hazari court to record her statement in the case. The Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR in the matter and named Kumar as an accused in the case, officials said. A purported video of Delhi Chief Minister's residence showing Maliwal arguing with the security staff at the time of the alleged assault, went viral on social media on Friday. According to the FIR, she had gone to meet Kejriwal at his official residence at 9 am on Monday. Recalling the events, she told police that she went inside the camp office and called Kumar but could not get through. She went towards the residential area and asked the staff to inform Kejriwal about her arrival. "I was informed that he was present in the house and I was told to wait in the drawing room," she said. She said while she was waiting for Kejriwal, Kumar barged into the room and started "screaming at me without any provocation and even started abusing me". "Tu kaise hamari baat nahi manegi? Kaise nahi manegi? S**i teri aukat kya hai ki humko na kar de. Samajhti kya hai khud ko n**h aurat? Tujhe to hum sabak sikhayenge (How will you not follow what we are saying? How will you not follow? How dare you say no to us? What to do you think of yourself **** woman? We will teach you a lesson," read the FIR. In the FIR, she said that "without any provocation" from her end, Kumar started "slapping" her with his "full force". "He slapped me seven-eight times at least while I continued screaming. I felt absolutely shocked and was screaming for help over and over again. In order to protect (myself), pushed him away with my legs," she said. "At that time, he pounced on me, brutally dragged me and deliberately pulled my shirt up. My shirt buttons opened and the shirt came up. I landed on the floor while hitting my head on the centre table. I was constantly screaming for help but no one came," she further said. She alleged that Kumar "did not relent and attacked me by kicking me in my chest, stomach" and lower part of the body "with his legs". "I was in extreme pain and kept telling him to stop. My shirt was coming up but he still continued to assault me. I repeatedly told him that I am having my periods and that he should please let go of me as I am in unbearable pain," she said in the FIR. Following the incident, she said she "was in a terrible state of shock at this unprovoked attack". Recalling the time, she said she was "deeply traumatised" and called the emergency number 112 to inform about the incident. Bibhav threatened me and said, "Kar le jo tujhe karna hai, tu hamara kuch nahi bigaad sakti, teri haddi pasli tudwa denge aur aise jagah gadenge kisi ko pata bhi nahi chalega. (You can do whatever you want, you cannot harm us. We will break your bones and bury you at a place where no one would even get to know)". She said that Kumar left the room after learning that she had called the police helpline but returned with the security personnel working at the main gate of the CM's camp offices. In the FIR, she said they asked her to leave "at the behest of Kumar". She said that she kept telling them that she was "brutally beaten up" and asked them to wait until the PCR van comes. She said she got into an autorickshaw with the help of the PCR staff. "I reached there (Civil Lines police station) and sat in the SHO room, where I was crying and informed the SHO about the incident," she said. "I was in terrible pain and having severe cramps. I also started receiving a lot of calls from media on my mobile. Due to the trauma, pain and not wanting to politicise the incident, I left the police station without filing a written complaint," she said, adding her head was splitting in pain and her arms and legs were "aching terribly due to the assault". Maliwal said the past days since the incident have been "extremely painful for her". A judge of the Delhi High Court on Friday recused himself from hearing a plea by an NGO seeking damages from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), claiming its documentary India: The Modi Question casts a slur on the country's reputation and makes false and defamatory imputations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian judiciary. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said he was recusing himself but did not assign any reason for it. The court said the petition be listed before another bench for hearing on May 22 subject to orders of the Acting Chief Justice. The high court had earlier issued notice to BBC (UK) and BBC (India) on the plea filed by Gujarat-based NGO Justice On Trial. The plea has said BBC (UK) is the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom and has released the news documentary -- "India: The Modi Question" -- which has two episodes and BBC (India) is its local operations office. It said the two episodes were broadcast in January 2023. The petitioner has sought damages of Rs 10,000 crore in favour of the NGO and against the defendants on account of the loss of reputation and goodwill caused to the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, the Government of India, the Government of the State of Gujarat as it was during the period of the Gujarat Riots, and also the people of India. The documentary relates to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was the state's chief minister. The government had banned the documentary soon after it was released. The plaintiff organisation, which says it is a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and also registered as a Public trust under the provisions of the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950, has filed the suit for damages. The NGO has also filed an Indigent Person Application (IPA) which enables an indigent person to file a lawsuit. It has contended that the documentary contains content which casts a slur on the reputation of the country and also makes false and defamatory imputations and insinuations against the Prime Minister of India, the Indian judiciary and the Indian criminal justice system. The plea claimed the "disparaging and defamatory" statements of the defendant have caused grave and irreparable injury to the reputation of and denuded the goodwill that has been built by the Prime Minister of India, the Government of India, the Government of the State of Gujarat and also the people of India. The plea said for an order of damages, the relief is provisionally valued for the purposes of court fees at Rs 10,000 crore. The plaintiff has filed an application under Order 33 Rules 1 and 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure (CPC) seeking permission to sue as an indigent person since it does not have sufficient means to pay the court the fee prescribed by law. Under the CPC, a plaintiff is obligated to deposit a certain amount as court fee. Order 33 of the CPC deals with filing of suits by indigent persons. It says a person is an indigent person if he does not possess sufficient means to enable him to pay the fee prescribed by law for the plaint in such a suit. The Centre had earlier issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the BBC documentary, which was described by the Ministry of External Affairs as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset. China envoy urges respect for Iraqi sovereignty, calls for regional stability Xinhua) 15:22, May 17, 2024 UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, on Thursday emphasized China's support for Iraq's governance improvements and regional cooperation efforts to maintain peace and stability. During a UN Security Council briefing on the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Geng commended the Iraqi government's efforts to "enhance governance, promote economic reform, improve public services, create jobs, and fight corruption," which he noted have "produced remarkable results." He stressed the importance of unity and reconciliation within Iraq. "Stronger unity among all Iraqi actors and the achievement of reconciliation for national development is in the fundamental interests of the people of Iraq," he said. He also voiced support for ongoing engagement between Iraq's central government and the Kurdistan region to resolve longstanding issues and find sustainable solutions. Addressing security concerns, Geng acknowledged Iraq's critical role in the global fight against terrorism and the persistent security threats it faces. He underscored the necessity for continued international support to strengthen Iraq's counter-terrorism efforts and welcomed Iraq's initiatives towards the repatriation and resettlement of citizens from the Al-Hol camp in Syria. Highlighting China's diplomatic stance, Geng reiterated that "China supports Iraq and regional countries in developing good neighborly and friendly relations and jointly safeguarding regional peace and stability." He urged all parties involved to "respect the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Iraq, resolve concerns through cooperation with the Iraqi government, and refrain from taking any unilateral actions that may aggravate tensions." Geng also discussed the future of UNAMI, acknowledging its significant role since 2003 in supporting Iraq's reconstruction and development. With Iraq's situation steadily improving, he advocated for a reassessment of UNAMI's mission. "It is high time to streamline the mission's mandate and implement a gradual drawdown," he suggested, referring to a report by an independent strategic review team which recommended that the mission's responsibilities be gradually transferred and eventually concluded. He highlighted a request from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani to close UNAMI's mandate by December 2025, which calls for a strategic drawdown plan. Geng emphasized that "respecting the sovereignty of the host countries and taking on board their views are a prerequisite for the creation and mandate performance of UN political missions." Geng also stressed the importance of addressing the issue of missing Kuwaiti personnel and property, encouraging ongoing support from the international community and the UN to help Iraq and Kuwait strengthen their cooperation and resolve related issues effectively. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) RBC Foundation announced a game-changing $600,000 gift to Dalhousie University to bolster initiatives that foster inclusivity within the health professions. The three-year commitment, announced Thursday (May 16) intends to improve the participation of African Nova Scotian/Black (ANS/Black), and Indigenous students at Dalhousie by building on the universitys existing programs. The funding will support the Inclusive Pathways to Medical Professions (IPMP), Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians (PLANS), and Keknutmasiek Tan Tel Weloltimk (KW) initiatives, which are designed to increase representation and participation of historically marginalized groups in health-care education at Dalhousie. These initiatives will support more than 800 students, marking a significant step forward in the pursuit of inclusive and accessible health education. Drum Against Malaria perform for guests. Breaking barriers in health care In Atlantic Canada and the rest of the country, waitlists to access health care are long, but particularly acute for underserved populations. The lack of representation amongst health-care professionals amplifies inequalities and access to care, especially for ANS/Black and Indigenous communities. Access to outstanding health care is a priority for RBC, just as it is for all Canadians, says Chris Ronald, regional president, Atlantic Canada, RBC. We also recognize that Canadas workforce is rapidly changing, and that it is important to ensure everyone has access to the skills and training they need to succeed. We are delighted to support Dalhousie in meeting these goals through programs that are bringing more African Nova Scotian, Black, and Indigenous students into health profession programs. A broader purpose Although improving representation amongst health-care professionals and in programs is critical, Dalhousie believes robust support structures that ensure student success and retention must also accompany recruitment efforts. Dalhousie's IPMP, PLANS, and KW initiatives provide culturally relevant support services to students. With RBC Foundation's support, Dalhousie will expand these wraparound services to include counselling, mentorship, tutoring, career development, safe spaces, community building, admissions support, and Elder-in-Residence programs. These initiatives will empower students throughout their educational journey and prepare them for successful careers in health care. Dr. Barb Hamilton-Hinch, associate professor and assistant vice-provost equity and inclusion at Dalhousie, expressed gratitude for RBC Foundation's support, highlighting the critical role wraparound supports will have in ensuring students success. "Dalhousie has strong, proactive programs to drive the engagement and recruitment of ANS/Black and Indigenous students into health profession programs, says Dr. Hamilton-Hinch. However, once students have enrolled in these programs, they need supports and services that help them succeed. We are grateful to RBC Foundation for supporting us in our commitment to helping our students excel." Dr. Hamilton-Hinch also highlighted the broader impact of RBC Foundation's contribution the role it will play in fostering a more equitable model of health-care delivery. By championing diversity and providing resources to aspiring health-care professionals from diverse backgrounds, Dalhousie and RBC Foundation are working together to reduce health-care disparities and meet the unique needs of Atlantic communities. Dalhousie students and staff celebrate support from RBC. Impact in action Kalei Crowell is a second-year Mikmaw student at Dalhousie Medical School and a volunteer with the KW program, where she supports other Indigenous med students in sharing circles, community building, and creating safe spaces. This funding from RBC Foundation is going to help us connect and grow as a community, says Crowell. Increasing diversity in the med program is important, but this support also diversifies what KW can offer to current and incoming students, which is super exciting. Crowell goes on to say how supported she has felt by KW through the first two years of her medical education and hopes future Indigenous students will also reap the benefits of the program. Representation is very, very important in medicine, Crowell says not just in education, but having more Indigenous physicians in the region is something she believes would be incredibly powerful for patients looking for a feeling of safety and comfort. When a patient sees somebody that has sweetgrass on their computer, or is wearing a pronoun badge, those little pieces can let you know thats a safe person to talk to, which in health care, when we're seeing people at their worst days, can be a big deal. As Dalhousie University and RBC Foundation forge ahead in their collaborative efforts, they have set the stage for an important shift in the health-care landscape, celebrating diversity and dismantling barriers to create a more inclusive and equitable future for all. Key Points: The German military is actively pursuing the creation of a dedicated drone army in response to the evolving security landscape and lessons learned from the Ukraine conflict. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group has put forward a comprehensive proposal outlining the key elements of this drone force, emphasizing cross-dimensional integration, extensive training, and technological sovereignty. The proposal explicitly links the need for a drone army to the growing threat posed by Russia and the urgent need for military modernization within NATO. Germany Races to Establish a Drone Army The German military is undergoing a significant transformation, shifting its focus towards drone warfare in response to the evolving security landscape. Inspired by the pivotal role of drones in the Ukraine conflict, the German government is pushing for the establishment of a dedicated drone army encompassing air, land, and sea capabilities. Get alerts: Ukraine: A Case Study in Drone Warfare The ongoing conflict in Ukraine is a compelling real-world demonstration of the transformative effect of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, on contemporary military operations. UAVs have consistently proven to be highly valuable assets, fulfilling critical roles in surveillance, target acquisition, and direct engagement with enemy forces. Ukraines strategic and tactical deployment of drones against an adversary possessing a theoretical technological advantage highlights the inherent value proposition of UAVs. Their cost-effectiveness relative to traditional manned aircraft and operational flexibility makes them an attractive option for force modernization, even for nations with constrained defense budgets. The conflict showcases the ability of even relatively low-cost drones to disrupt operations, gather intelligence, and inflict significant damage, challenging traditional assumptions about the balance of power in modern warfare. CDU/CSU Proposal: A Blueprint for Drone Dominance Cross-Dimensional Integration: The drone army would be integrated across all branches of the German military, ensuring seamless coordination and information sharing. The drone army would be integrated across all branches of the German military, ensuring seamless coordination and information sharing. Comprehensive Training: All soldiers would receive training on drone operation, countermeasures, and combat tactics. All soldiers would receive training on drone operation, countermeasures, and combat tactics. Guaranteed Procurement Agreements: With guaranteed contracts, the German defense industry would play a key role in ensuring a steady supply of drones and related technologies. With guaranteed contracts, the German defense industry would play a key role in ensuring a steady supply of drones and related technologies. Technological Sovereignty: A focus on cybersecurity and reliance on components from NATO or equivalent countries, preferably domestically sourced. Investment in Cutting-Edge Technologies The push for a German drone army gained momentum in May 2024, with the CDU/CSU parliamentary group submitting a comprehensive proposal to the Bundestag. The proposal outlines a multi-faceted approach, emphasizing the need for: Beyond basic drones, the proposal emphasizes investment in advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), swarm technology, and autonomous capabilities. These developments promise to enhance the effectiveness of drone warfare further, enabling sophisticated autonomous operations and coordinated attacks. Addressing the Russian Threat The CDU/CSU proposal explicitly links the need for a drone army to Russias growing threat. Chancellor Olaf Scholzs Zeitenwende speech in 2022 signaled a major shift in German defense policy, acknowledging the need for a more robust military posture. Experts warn that Russia could pose a conventional challenge to NATO within the next five to eight years, underscoring the urgency of modernization efforts. Lessons Learned from Heron TP Deployment Germanys experience with the Israeli-made Heron TP drone has provided valuable insights into drone warfares operational and logistical aspects. Initially intended for overseas missions, the Heron TP is now being deployed for domestic defense, highlighting the versatility of these platforms. The push for a drone army marks a significant departure for the Bundeswehr, traditionally focused on conventional military doctrines. The CDU/CSU proposal argues that this transformation is essential for Germany to effectively protect its interests and contribute to NATOs collective defense in the 21st century. A towering new piece of work by acclaimed artist Joe Caslin has taken over Downhill House, the iconic National Trust property on the north coast. Produced by Nerve Centre, the installation also features an immersive augmented reality (AR) experience that brings the projects participants voices to life. We Can Do Better is part of the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, a national partnership programme of artist commissions inspired by the heritage of conflict. Led by Imperial War Museums, the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund was created following the success of 14-18 NOW, the official UK arts programme for the First World War centenary. Co-created by Caslin and a group of young women born after the Good Friday Agreement known as The Kindred Collective, the temporary, paper-based artwork stretches across the front of Downhill House and has been designed in response to some of the issues affecting young people in Northern Ireland today. Through a nine-month process of engagement and co-creation, the collective has supported Caslin to create a piece of work that reflects societal conflict, empowerment and change. An interactive app will allow visitors to unlock the meaning behind the art, using the latest in augmented reality technology to offer a multi-layered experience. Free to download, the We Can Do Better app can also be used inside the house to listen to personal stories recorded by the collective and for visitors to record their own hopeful message for the future. The interior of the house also features a display of protest style placards created by the group in response to the projects themes. Renowned for his large-scale, monochrome pencil sketches on public buildings around the UK and Ireland, Caslin has brought his vision to life at Downhill in a visually arresting and environmentally conscious way, using biodegradable materials that will leave no trace on the building. The artwork will remain in place for a number of weeks before it is washed away. The installation launched today, May 17, and is free to visit along with an opening weekend of free events, including a storytelling evening on Saturday, May 18 and an evening of music led by one of the members of the collective on Sunday, May 19. For more information on events visit the Nerve Centre website. Speaking as the project officially launched, artist Joe Caslin said: We Can Do Better is a collaboration with a group of passionate young women living in Northern Ireland, nine months in the making. Eager for their voices to be heard, we have taken over Downhill, turning its stunning architecture and surroundings into a venue to amplify the valuable thoughts and aspirations of a new generation, and invite the public to engage with them. Niall Kerr, Head of Heritage and Community Relations at Nerve Centre, said: We Can Do Better has been a transformative project, offering a platform for new voices to resonate at an iconic location. The combination of Joes artistic style and the latest AR technologies has created something truly original, that speaks to a hopeful future, and allows visitors to contribute their own stories. Rachel Donnelly, Head of Partnerships at Imperial War Museums (IWM),said: This moving new artwork from Joe Caslin and the Kindred Collective is a testament to the power of art to lift up voices and contend with legacies of conflict. We are honoured to have partnered with Nerve Centre to bring We Can Do Better to life through our IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, Imperial War Museums national arts commissioning programme. Emma Cunningham, North Coast General Manager at National Trust, said: This moving new artwork from Joe Caslin and the Kindred Collective is a testament to the power of art to lift up voices and contend with legacies of conflict. We are honoured to have partnered with Nerve Centre to bring We Can Do Better to life through our IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, Imperial War Museums national arts commissioning programme. Matthew Malcolm, Creative Industries Development Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented, The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to support the Nerve Centre in the development of an augmented reality app to accompany the street art installation at Downhill House. The app development has been funded through our National Lottery Organisations Digital Evolution Award, a programme which is supporting a number of NI arts organisations in the creation of art using digital and immersive technologies. This programme reflects the Arts Councils commitment to encouraging innovative practices that cross art form boundaries and build digital capabilities within the Northern Ireland arts sector. We Can Do Better demonstrates the power of using digital arts to enhance and enrich an arts experience, and I would encourage everyone to go along to experience this impressive project. A sales advisor has settled his disability discrimination case against his former employer, Telefonica Ltd, for 160,000. The case was supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Derry native, Eamon Bowen worked in an O2 store for a number of years. In 2014, he was diagnosed with Spondylolisthesis, a degenerative disc disease which causes him chronic pain, exhaustion, sleep and mobility issues. Due to his health condition, Eamon had to take periods of sick leave. These were followed by referrals to Occupational Health, who made various recommendations to help him back to work. Eamon was keen to work, he managed his condition and worked from home during the pandemic. Eamon returned to work in-store following lockdown in June 2020. However, he found this difficult as he spent most of his working day on his feet. Eamon took more sick leave which led to further referrals to Occupational Health. They again made recommendations to help him work including a phased return to work, reduced working hours and use of a support chair on the shop floor. Eamon says the recommendations werent implemented appropriately. He made repeated efforts to discuss Occupational Healths recommendations with his employer. In the end he felt he had no option but to submit his resignation and left his job in November 2021. Eamon Bowen said: I enjoyed my job, I wanted to work. Occupational Health made recommendations time and time again to help me to return to and remain in work, but these were not fully implemented. "In the end, without these supports and adjustments it became impossible for me to continue working. I believe their failure to fully implement Occupational Healths recommendations and to talk to me about my needs as a disabled person cost me my job. Im grateful to the Equality Commission for helping me to challenge how I was treated. Geraldine McGahey, Chief Commissioner, Equality Commission for Northern Ireland said: This case was settled for a significant amount of money and the company has lost an experienced employee. "It is essential that employers carefully consider all recommendations made by Occupational Health and communicate with the person with a disability to ensure they understand their needs. Its also important that all staff, particularly line managers, know that the law says reasonable adjustments have to be considered." In settling the case, Telefonica acknowledged and apologised to Eamon for the significant upset, distress and injury to feelings that he experienced. The company also affirmed its commitment to the principles of equality in employment and to ensuring that they comply with equality law. They have agreed to work with the Commission to review the policies, practices and procedures. The case was settled with no admission of liability. An O2 spokesperson said: As one of the UKs largest businesses with a broad and diverse workforce, we have a range of measures in place to support employees who have a disability or specific needs, such as making layout changes for wheelchair users, hiring sign language interpreters for employees with hearing difficulties, and providing specialist equipment where appropriate. We have apologised to Mr Bowen for any distressed caused in this case, and we are pleased to have mutually reached a settlement. A new survey compiling data that shows the lack of investment in Derrys gaelscoil building infrastructure, has been conducted. The survey, compiled by Ardmackle Architects, was commissioned by Comhairle na Gaelscoilaiochta, to highlight the unsuitable for purpose buildings that pupils and staff are working in. The survey is set to be released imminently. Derrys three bunscoil (primary schools) were represented at the survey launch in the Guildhall on Monday. Comhairle na Gaelscoilaiochta is the representative body for Irish-medium education and was established in 2000 by the Department for Education (DE) to promote, facilitate and encourage Irish-medium education and Irish-medium schools and to do so in a planned, educationally efficient and cost-effective way. Mayor of Derry and Strabane District Council, Cllr. Patricia Logue told attendees that the survey represented a cause close to her heart as her son Caomhan was one of the first pupils to attend an Irish medium school in the city and that the findings of this survey would be stark mentioning that on a recent visit to Bunscoil Cholmcille she was shocked to find the school is the exact same as it was 40 years ago. Ciaran Mackle, of Ardmackle Architects, explained that the survey was conducted in 2020 to analyse 17 buildings housing Irish medium primary schools across the north against the DE Primary Schools Building Handbook. Mr Mackle highlighted issues in Derry schools stating that Gaelscoil Eadain Mhoir is half the size recommended in the handbook. Bunscoil Cholmcille has currently only got use of one remote toilet building which pupils have to walk outside to in all weather conditions. Despite the issues raised, the ability of students, teachers and parents for their culture of making do and being able to imaginatively use and spatially programme the limited space they do have, should be commended, as well as their track record of self help. Mr Mackle stated that the job at hand is to get planning approved for permanent buildings that are of proper size. Charlie McMonagle, chairperson of Bunscoil Cholmcille, the citys first Irish medium primary school, said that it is time now for forward planning and thinking and that while Bunscoil Cholmcille has recently had planning approved for a new 1.6million multipurpose hall, the school is in need of further improvement elsewhere, with classes still being taught in huts that were intended to be used only as a temporary five year solution, 40 years ago, with some huts having an expected life span of only three more years. Mary Nic Ailin, principal of Naiscoil and Gaelscoil Eadain Mhoir, highlighted the fact that gaelscoileanna in the city are continuing to grow despite a decline in birth rates and puts this down to a thirst for Irish medium schooling in the city and thanks to the provision of high quality education at the heart of the community. Ms Nic Ailin stated that DE expects a yearly and three year plan from teachers. We need the same from them for the development of Irish medium schools. Fiachra O Donghaile, principal of Gaelscoil na Daroige in Ballymagroarty, welcomed the survey and spoke of how his primary school was founded 20 years ago, encouraged by the pioneering spirit of the gaelscoileanna established before them and explained that the school was built only because of the support of the local community who provided the majority of the buildings still in use today. Mr O Donghaile stated that the time for surveys is over - we need action. Weve already taken action, made sacrifices, our staff room is now the P2 classroom. Maria Thomasson, CEO of Comhairle na Gaelscoilaiochta (CnaG), stated that CnaG is committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders and that an Irish Medium Policy should be implemented with the support of CnaG which should attract annual ring fenced short to long term funding as there is no current budget to refresh or replace the current ad-hoc accommodation that Irish medium schools in the city currently utilise. Thomasson also heralded the dedication and dynamism of those involved in the Irish medium education sector who deserve better as the Department of Education pays little heed to Irish schools. Thomasson highlighted that Irish medium schools have already proven to improve local outcomes stating these schools can be and are central to our communities and that it is vital to show children who are our future, that we are committed to providing them with health and wellbeing as well as providing them with a space for happily learning and succeeding. AWARE NI, a charity founded in Derry has won a major national award for its work offering support and education for people with depression and bipolar disorder across Northern Ireland. Following a rigorous selection and assessment process, AWARE NI was chosen from more than 500 charities across the UK as one of the 10 winners of the 2024 GSK IMPACT Awards, which are delivered in partnership with The Kings Fund. Research shows that the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland continues to have a significant impact on many of the people who live there, with mental health problems being the single largest cause of ill health and disability in Northern Ireland. According to data collected by the Northern Ireland Assembly, one in five adults in Northern Ireland has experienced a mental health problem 25% higher than in England and around 45,000 children have a mental health problem at any one time. Mental illness costs the Northern Irish economy 3.4 billion a year. Founded in 1996, AWARE NI, previously known as Aware Defeat Depression, is the only charity in Northern Ireland working exclusively for people with depression and bipolar disorder. It is also one of only a few charities to have won a GSK IMPACT Award more than once. Supported by an impressive 120 volunteers, AWARE NI delivers a range of services across Northern Ireland, including mental health peer-support groups, education and training programmes, awareness raising about mental health, a telephone and email support service, mental health resources and e-learning programmes. The charity also delivers mental health and wellbeing programmes to communities, schools and workplaces, as well as delivering mental health first aid training to help people support others experiencing mental health issues. The award judges were particularly impressed by its Back to Life, Back to Normality programme for people awaiting care from NHS mental health services. A patient experiencing low mood, anxiety or bipolar disorder can be referred by a GP while waiting for an NHS assessment (which can take up to five months). AWARE NIs 12-week programme is based on cognitive behavioural therapy concepts to help manage feelings when stressed, worried or depressed, and has been shown to improve mood and emotional wellbeing. As an award winner, AWARE NI will now receive 40,000 in unrestricted funding as well as expert support and leadership development provided by leading health and care charity The Kings Fund. The award win comes at a time when the triple threat of rising costs, falling income and increased demand continues to put charities and their finances under extreme pressure. The award judges praised AWARE NI for the way it has expanded and broadened its reach since the charity won a GSK IMPACT Award ten years ago, despite operating in such a challenging climate. The judges also highlighted the work the charity has done in collaboration with other organisations to campaign for better perinatal mental health support. In the UK, it is estimated that 1020% of women experience a perinatal mental health problem and Northern Ireland is the only region in the UK with no Mother and Baby Unit, meaning babies are separated from mothers needing mental health treatment. AWARE NI led on a campaign calling for the introduction of these units and specialist perinatal mental health teams within NHS trusts. In November 2023, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland announced the setting up of the first Mother and Baby Unit in Belfast, and five specialist teams in each of the Trust areas. The judges were impressed by AWARE NIs ability to reach people who may be less likely to seek out help and to reach across Northern Irelands communities. In partnership with local Sure Start centres, the charity has developed a bespoke parent and baby programme that focuses on engaging new fathers. It also supports 10-11-year-olds and teachers in primary schools through its Paws b Mindfulness programme, which uses an animated puppy to illustrate how distracted the brain can be and helps children to feel calmer, build better relationships, and improve concentration. The charity also works in community settings across Northern Ireland, delivering peer-led support groups for people with depression and bipolar disorder. The groups provide an opportunity to meet others going through similar experiences, reduce isolation and share information confidentially. Data collected by the charity shows that in the year to March 2023, AWARE NI held almost 1,250 peer-led support group meetings across 25 locations with 6,500 attendees. In the same year, AWARE NI delivered 1,300 mental health awareness programmes to 17,000 people in schools, universities, workplaces and community centres including training for teachers, health care professionals and employers. Katie Pinnock, Director, UK Charitable Partnerships at GSK, said: AWARE NI has grown over the years and developed a wide range of services to support people with depression and bipolar disorder, reaching and supporting tens of thousands of people each year. "The charity targets particular groups of people, such as those waiting for NHS mental health assessments, using recognised approaches to deliver preventive mental health interventions to help people cope with lifes challenges. "AWARE NI should also be congratulated for its strong collaboration with partners, including the NHS, and its work to improve perinatal mental health services across Northern Ireland. Commenting on the award, Karen Collins, CEO of AWARE NI, said: We are delighted and humbled to have been acknowledged by GSK and The Kings Fund. Working in very challenging circumstances, this gives us real encouragement to see the value and impact we can have for those living with depression and bipolar disorder. "At AWARE NI we believe mental health should be a top priority for everyone, regardless of age. This is why our programmes and services include a perinatal mental health focus, as illustrated in our lobbying efforts with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, to programmes focused on looking after your mental health in your later years. "Looking after your mental health is an essential aspect of wellbeing for everyone, regardless of where they are on their life journey. We aspire to create a future where everyone can talk freely about their mental health without fear of stigma, access services appropriate to their needs, and gain the skills and knowledge to maintain positive mental health. Developing leaders in the charity sector is a key aim of the GSK IMPACT Awards programme and all winners are invited to build on their success and take part in a tailored leadership development programme run by The Kings Fund. A man has been remanded in custody at Derry Magistrates Court charged with a number of driving offences, possession of drugs and a string of thefts from various Eurospars. Wayne Campbell (40) of Aranmore Avenue in Derry was charged with, between February 21 and March 10 this year, stealing a number of items from different branches of Eurospar, including 50 worth of Ferrero Rocher. In each case, the shops reported the theft to police and Campbell was identified via CCTV. He was also charged with, on February 20 this year, trespassing at an address in Clon Elagh, during which he stole a set of keys and a car that was identified on CCTV following the string of thefts. Campbell, who is currently banned from having a driving licence, was subsequently charged with driving without a licence and with no insurance. Police later stopped the car on February 22, only for Campbell to flee over the border in the vehicle. The car was reported stolen by the owner who had been in Dublin at the time it was taken. Upon his return, he contacted police. He later found the car in Donegal and took it back. Campbell was arrested at the home of the victim, a friend of his, and claimed that he had purchased the vehicle, despite no proof of the transaction. Police, upon searching Campbell's residence on May 15, discovered a number of drugs, including cannabis. Police opposed bail as they say Campbell had been evading them for months, telling the court that they believe there is a very high risk of reoffending and of Campbell not attending court. Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott told the court that Campbell had committed a number of 'low level' offences, adding that he had admitted to the new offences. District Judge Barney McElhom said that he was a 'totally unacceptable candidate' for bail and refused the application. He will appear again on May 23. A man has been jailed at Derry Magistrate's Court today for assaulting a doctor and urinating in Altnagelvin Hospital. Paul Farren (34) of no fixed abode was charged with assault, indecent behaviour and disorderly behaviour, all of which occurred in Altnagelvin Hospital on February 27. The court heard that Farren was then taken for a brain scan to check for brain injuries after being found lying unconscious in the street. While being treated Farren became abusive and then urinated on the floor. He was taken into another room and while there he punched the doctor on the shoulder and urinated again. When his scan returned clear, Farren was arrested and taken into police custody. When interviewed, Farren, who has 185 previous convictions, blamed his behaviour on alcohol, adding that he is epileptic and had not been taking his medication due to knowledge that he would be drinking. Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that Farren's previous convictions were of a similar nature. He added that the 'last thing he should be doing' is drinking to the level he was, with or without his medication. He also told the court that Farran 'needed to get his life together' as he had a young family and had been in remand since March for other matters. District Judge Barney McElholm said that as long as Farren was drinking he would offend. Farren was sentenced to four months in custody. A man with 82 previous convictions has been remanded in custody at Derry Magistrate's Court today charged with domestic abuse offences and others. Fergal Collins (43) of Duncreggan Road in Derry appeared charged with assaulting a female, possessing keys and a fob stolen in the Republic of Ireland, stealing a pack of cigarettes, taking and driving away a vehicle, driving while disqualified and without insurance and entering a premises as a trespasser. All if the offences were said to have occurred on May 15. Collins was also charged disorderly behaviour in a licensed premises and resisting police on the same date. The court heard that police were told by the injured party that she had been in a hotel in Buncrana with the defendant and an argument had taken place. She said that Collins had taken her car without permission and also that he was disqualified. The woman said she got a lift home the next day from her brother and when she returned home Collins was in the property. She told him to leave and claimed he lifted a pack of cigarettes and threw keys at her hitting her in the chest. The woman claimed that there had been damage to her home and graffiti placed on a wall. Collins was arrested and claimed the keys had been given to him but he couldn't account for the fob he was said to have had. Bail was opposed due to fears of re-offending as this was his third breach since March. Defence counsel Sinead Rogan said said her client accepted he had been in Donegal with the alleged victim. She said there was no suggestion of coercion and said there was an attempt to resume the relationship. She suggested that bail could be granted subject to conditions. District Judge Barney McElholm said that this man had no regard for bail conditions and told him 'not on this occasion and not in this court'. He remanded Collins in custody to appear again on June 11. Derry's St Columbs Cathedral is to host a special exhibition this summer commemorating the patroness saint of Ireland, St Brigid of Kildare, who died 1,500 years ago this year. The Festival of Cloaks will feature around 40 ceremonial garments, with the four cloaks of St Brigid representing the four provinces of Ireland as the centrepiece. These were made by two Irish artists, Lorna McCormack and Michelle Hickey Legge, to mark the sesquimillenial anniversary of the saints death. The items on display will include ecclesiastical garments such as the Armagh Cope of the Church of Ireland in Armagh and Mrs Cecil Frances Alexanders cape. There will be nurses' cloaks, academic cloaks, Josephs coat of many colours which was made in Bangor, a cloak from the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Malta, and a palliative care cloak as the word palliative derives from a Roman word for a cloak, representing the cloak of care being wrapped around a patient. There will also be a new cloak representing the city. If funding permits, creative workshops will be held in the Cathedrals Chapter House during the last two weeks in June, and a musical programme is also being prepared. The festival is believed to be the first event of its kind in Northern Ireland. It will be opened by the Bishop of Meath & Kildare, Most Reverend Pat Storey, on Friday 14th June at 7.30pm, and the cloaks will remain on display in St Columbs Cathedral until Saturday 31st August. The Cathedral is part of the Coventry Cross of Nails network, which reaches out to everyone in love and peace, and people from different nationalities are invited to come to next months opening ceremony in national dress. She is a globally recognised symbol of human rights who has travelled the world bringing hope to the vulnerable and dispossessed. And shes only ten-years-old. This Monday Little Amal will set foot in Derry for the first time, seeking to highlight the plight of millions of refugees, in particular displaced children fleeing war zones and poverty with the message dont forget about us. Little Amal - a 3.5 metres tall puppet representing a young Syrian refugee girl - has traversed 16 countries and over 160 cities, from Adelaide to Athens and from New York to Naples. Since July 2021 Amal has been welcomed by two million people on the street and by tens of millions online. A total of 440 events unique to each community that she visits have been created for her by thousands of artists, civil society and faith leaders. Amal whose name means hope in Arabic is at the heart of The Walk, a project that began three years ago on the Syria-Turkey border. The Walk has so far raised almost 750,000 for The Amal Fund with Choose Love which provides support for refugees, including education, food, shelter, emergency medical care and legal assistance. Amals first Irish visit begins tomorrow (Thursday) in Belfast where she will spend four days as part of the Belfast 2024 cultural celebrations. On Monday she will move west to Derry where at 3pm she will walk from Ebrington across the Peace Bridge to Guildhall Square. From there she will move to Free Derry Corner at 5pm. The Walks Artistic Director, Amir Nizar Zuabi, described Amals journeys as moments of art and hope that draw attention to the huge numbers of children fleeing war, violence and persecution, each with their own story. Amir Nizar said he anticipated a warm welcome in a city with a complex history of its own. I think thats part of what were trying to create when walking into places that have a beautiful, complicated, defining history. Amal, a symbol of millions of children, transforms a simple walk into a deeply meaningful act. As a community breathes together and walks alongside Amal on the streets, it becomes an expression of unity and shared humanity. Producer of The Walk Productions, David Lan, added, Im thrilled Amal will be visiting Belfast, Derry, Newry, Dublin and places in between. Wherever she goes, crossing borders, making new friends, bringing strangers together, she adds a little to the wellbeing of the world, even in these especially dark times. Lilian Seenoi Barr is Chief Executive of the North West Migrants Forum. She said she was delighted her organisation was able to assist in bringing Little Amal to the city. Amal has become a powerful representation of the struggles refugees face when fleeing war, persecution and natural disaster. I hope her visit to Derry will encourage people to think about those ordeals and to consider what it means to be displaced, disenfranchised and to have everything you have ever known taken from you. In terms of location, it is hugely symbolic that she will walk across the Peace Bridge, a structure created from the embers of the conflict here and Free Derry Corner, a globally recognised emblem of defiance and the struggle for justice and democracy. Little Amal will start her Peace Bridge walk from Ebrington to Guildhall Square at 3pm, after which she will visit Free Derry Corner at 5pm. Everyone is welcome to come along and say hello. Talks between Lord Cameron and the European Union on Gibraltar led to important breakthroughs with a final agreement getting closer. A joint statement issued after the talks involving the UK, European Commission, Spain and Gibraltar said there was a constructive atmosphere. The Foreign Secretary, European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic, Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares and Gibraltar chief minister Fabian Picardo met in Brussels for the second round of discussions about the territorys relationship with the EU. The UK and EU share a close and pragmatic partnership, addressing shared challenges together. In Brussels, I met @MarosSefcovic. We talked about maximising opportunities in our Trade & Cooperation Agreement, tackling illegal migration and progressing negotiations on Gibraltar. pic.twitter.com/bQPXgN4mMV David Cameron (@David_Cameron) May 16, 2024 The nature of that relationship remains unresolved after Brexit, with rules governing Gibraltars border with Spain understood to be a major sticking point. The joint statement said: Todays discussions took place in a constructive atmosphere, with important breakthroughs and additional areas of agreement. All sides are reassured that the agreement is getting closer and will work closely and rapidly on outstanding areas towards an overall EU-UK agreement. The meeting reaffirmed their shared commitment to concluding an EU-UK Agreement to bring confidence, legal certainty and stability to the lives and livelihoods of the people of the whole region, by protecting and improving economy and trade, mobility, environment and social wellbeing, while safeguarding all parties legal positions. They all agreed to remain in close and constant contact. Sir Bill Cash, a Eurosceptic Conservative MP and chairman of the Commons European Scrutiny Committee, said last week that negotiations over Gibraltar risked becoming Northern Ireland Protocol 2.0. In a letter to Foreign Office minister David Rutley, he said proposals outlined to his committee represented a serious diminution of UK sovereignty. Of particular concern was the possibility that EU border checks could be carried out at Gibraltars airport, which Sir Bill said would erode UK sovereignty to the point of meaninglessness. The Foreign Office has previously said the UK remains steadfast in support for Gibraltar and will not agree to anything that compromises sovereignty. Lord Cameron was also due to co-chair a meeting of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement Partnership Council and a meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee with Mr Sefcovic. The meetings will focus on the UKs relationship with the EU, the implementation of the Windsor Framework and other issues including citizens rights and support for Ukraine. The Foreign Secretarys visit comes against the backdrop of continued concerns about the EUs influence in Northern Ireland. Belfasts High Court ruled on Monday that sections of the Illegal Migration Act, which includes powers to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, should be disapplied as they were incompatible with human rights protections guaranteed in Northern Ireland by post-Brexit arrangements. The Government has said it will appeal against the decision, which some Conservative MPs have strongly criticised. HIGHLIGHTS Lenovo is offering customers the chance to build a desktop that perfectly fits their gaming needs. The customisation process is pretty simple and users can configure their PCs within minutes. You can choose between the different available customisation options (SSD and HDD). Lenovo has just unveiled a new lineup of gaming desktops and claims that these devices provide a great gaming experience. In addition to this, it is also giving users an option to fully customise their gaming setups with the Legion and LOQ series. Lets find out more details about this. Lenovo has upgraded its systems with the latest i7 14th generation processors. So this means a more enhanced and powerful performance. Further, there are more memory options now too, you get up to 32GB. It also uses the Nvidia RTX 4060Ti graphics card. Lets talk about customisations now. Also read: Lenovo LOQ 15AX9I 2024 Review 1080p Gaming Under Rs 60K! Lenovos new customisation You can choose between the different available customisation options (SSD and HDD). You get enhanced WiFi connectivity, and advanced cooling solutions with selectable front and rear fans. Lenovo is offering customers the chance to build a desktop that perfectly fits their gaming needs. The customisation process is pretty simple and users can configure their PCs within minutes. To make the deal even sweeter, if you get a PC customised, you can avail of a 30% discount on graphics card upgrades. Also read: Lenovos new AI, creators, & GenZ focused device lineup is here: Whats inside? Ashish Sikka, Director and Category Head at Lenovo India said, In todays dynamic environment, we recognize that each user has distinct requirements and preferences for their computing experience. Our extensive customization options empower users to build high-performance systems that match their individual needs and allow them to choose the quality and type of components used. If you wish to buy these PCs, you can order them online via Lenovos website or through selected retailers. The PC will be delivered within four weeks from the date of purchase. As geopolitical tensions have been spreading, IPC makers' customers are demanding to have more production capacity outside of China and Taiwan to lower the risks of being affected. Abstract Geopolitical risks have become a key concern among customers of Taiwan's industrial PC (IPC) makers when placing orders. Taiwanese IPC companies used to keep most of their manufacturing capacity in Taiwan and China, but in recent years, more and more customers have grown worried about having their products made in China or even in Taiwan and are requesting their IPC partners to establish manufacturing bases outside the greater China region to diversify risks. As a result, DIGITIMES Research has seen Taiwanese IPC companies begin to increase investment in Southeast Asia and India. Since 2022, more than six companies have disclosed that they have finalized or are considering plans for setting up factories in these regions. Taiwanese IPC companies generally saw sales decline slightly in 2023. According to DIGITIMES Research's analysis of Taiwanese IPC firms' overall sales performance in terms of regional markets, combined revenues from Europe had the best annual growth of 8.7%, while the growth of those from the Asia Pacific region (including Taiwan) was the weakest at -12.8%. Table of contents ASML's secret sauce for semiconductor success amid challenges in the Angstrom Era Moore's Law is not advancing as fast as it used to be under 2nm and even into the Angstrom level, and competitors are trying to catch up. Can ASML, the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker, continue its monopolistic leadership in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment market? Will the world's most advanced high-NA EUV machines be the ultimate weapon for a technological leapfrog for its customers? And how would the geopolitical uncertainties change ASML's strategy in the future? G. Dan Hutcheson, vice chair of TechInsights, who has covered ASML since the 1970s, when it was still a subsidiary of Philips, and Marc Hijink, the author of Focus the ASML Way and a reporter at Dutch newspaper NRC, joined DIGITIMES Asia for an insightful talk to address these questions. Navigating geopolitical uncertainties Although ASML and other semiconductor equipment providers benefit from the demand driven by export controls imposed by the United States to China, geopolitics may have long-lasting implications on the industry as extra capacities and ecosystems are built. Hutcheson and Hijink see ASML following their customers' footsteps to decentralize their productions from the Western Pacific corridor to the United States and Europe. Still, the efficiency of its customers' fab operations may be a concern. "We're in a new world where the utilization of the tools is lower," said Hutcheson, "The problem is, if you can't find the workers to run the tools or to repair them, keep them running, your wafer fab is useless." Hijink observed that Asia will remain an important center for chip production in the future despite the onshoring efforts of various countries and the talent shortage issue since South Korea and Taiwan remain an important part of ASML's expansion. ASML's monopoly status unlikely to be challenged Yet, Hijink cautioned, "ASML's biggest fear is that the current restrictions on Chinese technology might even stimulate it in the long term and create an even bigger problem." He pointed out that the less China gets access to these Western lithography tools, the more the Chinese companies are inclined to build their own. "Even though they might not be able to compete with ASML and Nikon now, you see more room for growth and R&D money in the long term." Yet, Hutcheson believes no company can challenge ASML lithography monopoly without massive government subsidies. "Five decades ago, I developed this maxim that the number of unsubsidized competitors a market can sustain is equal to 1/5 the total market size divided by the cost to develop a new generation of technology, and then you subtract 1.5 times that cost," said Hutcheson. "To attract another competitor in the market, the risk bar must be low enough that there's enough available R&D to support the development of at least 1.5 more tools than what exists in the market at that time." Over those five decades, that maximum is held across 100, or there have been more sub-markets of semiconductor equipment, and that explains the market consolidation of the market from more than 20 semiconductor equipment makers in the 1980s to just a handful right now for lithography, explained Hutcheson. As a semiconductor industry veteran, Hutcheson witnessed how ASML survived over the past four decades of vicissitudes through better management and technological development. Hijink added that ASML survived because it out-invested in R&D during the low cycles despite being on the brink of bankruptcy several times and cleverly invited its customers TSMC, Intel, and Samsung to invest in it and co-develop the EUV machine. By getting the investments, ASML managed to get the money to acquire Cymer, the light source company based in San Diego, and establish a strategic alliance with Zeiss, the German lens maker. Those key components and e-beam technology created ASML's secret sauce of success that competitors cannot copy. However, repeating such success is getting harder. "No single company can afford to do it alone, as R&D becomes more and more expensive," Hutcheson quoted John Chen of Nvidia, who was the first R&D president at TSMC, that," IC no longer means integrated circuit going forward, IC means industry collaboration." Hutcheson estimates that the cost of developing a new EUV tool from scratch would require multiple trillions of dollars, which is equal to the Gross Domestic Product for some countries, and that's assuming that one gets around all the IP barriers in place. "To some extent, it levels the geopolitical playing field. So maybe EUV should receive the Nobel Peace Prize because no country can attack any other country unless they have the EUV," quipped Hutcheson. Can high-NA machines help technology leapfrog? As Intel, Samsung, and TSMC are aiming to mass produce 2nm chips in the next few years and advance towards 1.4-1.6 nm, the ASML's high-NA EUVs are making the headlines of semiconductor industry newspapers. As always, ASML ships the US$300 million High-NA machines to customers according to the timetable agreed with customers and does the laborious adjusting and error corrections with customers. The media has been describing high-NA EUVs as the key for technology catch-uppers to leapfrog the incumbent. However, Hutcheson delved deeply into the intricacies involved in the complex processes of semiconductor manufacturing beyond lithography. "There's a lot of technology issues in the 2nm and 1.4nm era. And we will have to see if they can pull it off and turn it into an advantage," Hutcheson explained that lithography is not the only factor at stake, there are also issues with the gate-all-around (GAA) structures, due to the leakage problems with that. "There's also reliability problems, and the epitaxial layer is pretty poor. So really, there are more material and systems engineering problems than lithography problems." Though Intel has seemingly bought up all available high-NA machines for the year, TSMC is not in a hurry to apply it to its 1.4-1.6nm process. However, ASML said all of their customers who have bought EUVs are going to upgrade to High-NA EUVs. "I think that Intel has to do more, try to leapfrog TSMC, which is a daring move, but that's just one part of Intel's challenge," said Hijink. "Their biggest challenge is not the technology, but the fact that they want to do foundry business because they have to create enough wafer footprint or enough scale to be economically viable with huge competitors like Samsung and TSMC. So that adds to the problem of adopting a new technology where they're not as experienced." Hutcheson cautioned that it is too early to judge the outcome of technology competitions. Yet seeing from the history of the semiconductors industry, decades of research, blood, sweat, and tears, and fixing tons of errors, plus making the right decisions at the right timing and building deep trust with customers made ASML and TSMC what they are today. ASML, a blend of European, Asian, and American cultures as the result of acquisitions, can be a great teacher for TSMC, which is just starting to expand its footprints to the US and Europe. With such a close bond between the two, with AI being the main driving force for semiconductor's future growth, one can be sure there will not be short of fascinating stories in the future. Editor's note: For more insights and analysis from Hutcheson and Hijink on the industry, watch DIGITIMES Asia's new GeoWatch video, 'Decoding Excellence: ASML's Evolution Towards Leadership and Beyond.' Click the link here to access this informative video: https://dgt.ms/geowatch0516 Credit: DIGITIMES Honda will invest US$65 billion to accelerate EV ambition Honda Motor is trying to catch up with its competitors in the global EV market. The Japanese automaker aims to inject JPY10 trillion (US$65 billion) into its EV efforts and launch seven EV models under its flagship series by 2030. Honda's President Toshihiro Mibe announced the plan on May 16. He said he is confident that automotive electrification will continue in the long term while many in the West said EV sales are slow. The JPY10 trillion investment, two times what Honda committed in April 2022, will be made through the fiscal year ending in March 2031. According to Nikkei Asia, JPY6 trillion will go to constructing EV factories and developing new EV models. Honda will use the rest of the money for software and battery procurement. The carmaker targets producing over 2 million EVs annually in 2030, making EVs and fuel-cell EVs represent 40% of its global auto sales. It plans to roll out seven EV models under the Honda 0 Series, the company's flagship electric series, by the end of the decade. These EVs will be equipped with an ultra-thin battery pack and a recently developed compact e-axle. Honda said it will take various approaches to reduce battery costs in North America by more than 20% in 2030. Its joint EV battery plant with LG Energy Solution in the US, which has an annual production capacity of 40GWh, will start production in 2025. In the coming years, Honda will begin making batteries it co-developed with GS Yuasa in Canada. The automaker will also build a joint cathode material plant with Posco Future M and a separator factory with Asahi Kasei in Canada. This strategy is expected to help Honda decrease battery material costs. Separately, Honda announced on May 15 that it has signed an MoU with IBM for the R&D of next-generation computing technologies. The carmaker said the scale-up of AI technologies offers opportunities for Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) development. SDVs are expected to increase the design complexity, processing performance, and corresponding power consumption of semiconductors. According to Honda, the MoU with IBM outlines potential joint research of specialized semiconductor technologies such as chiplet and brain-inspired computing, which uses computer architecture and algorithms to mimic the brain's structure and function while optimizing for silicon. The goal is to improve processing performance and decrease power consumption, Honda said. The company and IBM will also explore software solutions to manage design complexity for future SDVs. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Trinity College Dublin has dropped disciplinary proceedings against students who participated in a series of protests, but a 200,000 euro fine over the demonstrations remains. The prestigious university had invoiced its students union for 214,285 euro after a series of demonstrations about fees and rent, as well as pro-Palestinian solidarity protests. Trinity claimed the fee was related to losses accrued due to blocking access to the major Book of Kells tourist attraction on the campus. Separately, it also initiated disciplinary action against a group of student leaders. Students at the university formed an encampment on the campus in protest against the fine as well as Trinitys ties to Israel. Following engagement with the protesters, the college said it would complete a divestment from investments in Israeli companies that have activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and appear on the UN Blacklist in this regard. This process is expected to be completed by June. The students dismantled the camp after Trinity said it would endeavour to divest in other Israeli companies, noting that its supplier list contains just one Israeli company which will remain until March 2025 for contractual reasons. On Friday, students who had been called for disciplinary hearings were informed the action had been dropped. All disciplinary action has been dropped against myself, @TCDSU_President and the @PWO_TCD president by Trinity. A huge win in protecting the right to protest on our campuses. Trinity cannot intimidate students from taking action against a college that doesnt work for them pic.twitter.com/vBdigtO49G Jenny (@jennymaguir) May 17, 2024 However, the invoice to the students union remains outstanding. TCDSU said the university wanted to engage in negotiations with the union about the fine. However, the union rejected this and has instructed Trinity that it does not intend to pay the fine. It said that such a process would have trapped the TCDSU in a permanently institutionalised form of engagement in which the union would be liable for future protests. A number of security workers were assaulted and vehicles were damaged by fire at a site that has been earmarked for refugees in Co Tipperary. The incident happened in Clonmel on Thursday. Security personnel contracted to work on the site were attacked by a number of people. One of the workers required hospital treatment and a number of vehicles were damaged. Gardai said no arrests have been made. Some work had begun at the site, where a number of modular homes are expected to be built. Gardai have appealed for anyone with information to contact Clonmel Garda Station on 052 617 7640, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. They have also asked for any road users who may have camera footage, including dash-cam, and were near the Heywood Road and Clonmel Rugby Club areas between 10.45pm and 11.30pm, to make this footage available to gardai. Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) recently hosted an event celebrating 21 years of its award-winning Masters in Entrepreneurship and Marketing Programme. Originally introduced in 2002 and led by Professor Colette Henry, the programme was developed as a result of Professor Colette Henrys PhD in Entrepreneurship Education. The first Cohort of 8 students graduated in Oct 2003. Since then, the programme has graduated almost 400 students. This course won an Irish Education Award in 2023, collecting the Best International Collaboration Award. This marked the fourth award for this course since 2018, showcasing the programme's continued success and impact. The celebratory event was attended by DkIT President Dr Diarmuid OCallaghan, Dr Patricia Moriarty Head of School of Business and Humanities along with the Schools Head of Departments Dr Brian Boyd, Dr Annaleigh Margey, Dr Kevin Burns and Shane Hill and the courses Programme Directors Dr Maeve McArdle and Colin Cooney. DkIT also welcomed current and past MBS lecturers and supervisors, current MBS students and past MBS graduates. The event was opened by Dr Patricia Moriarty who was followed by an address by Dr Brian Boyd Head of Department of Business Studies. The attendees were treated to an expert panel discussion which was hosted by Aidan Browne who is Head of the Regional Development Centre (RDC) in DkIT and is also a graduate of the MBS. The panel consisted of a group of alumni who spoke about their experience of the course and what the MBS meant to them and their careers. This group consisted of Lavina McGahon, project lead on the RDCs award winning programme Thrive for Women, Amanda Kearns who is currently pursuing a PhD in Ulster University in the area of Disordered Eating and Mental Health and Niall McCreanor, Director of Sales and Marketing in Zetta. Niall is also a Social Democrats Local Election Candidate for Ardee in the upcoming local elections. Dr Brian Boyd said of the event: The MBS birthday party was a really special occasion. It was great to see so many past graduates (and lecturers) attending the event and hear how they are doing today. "Their enthusiasm for the programme still remains undimmed after all these years, which is a testament to the vision of the original programme development team led by Colette Henry and to the programme itself which still remains extremely relevant for our current students. The median house price for houses sold with the Dundalk Eircode A91 in March 2024 was 265,000, according to figures released by the CSO (Central Statistics Office), an increase of 3,500 on the previous month. Of the 36 houses sold in Dundalk in March, 17 were to first time buyer owner-occupiers; 14 to former owner-occupiers and 5 were to non occupiers. Twenty-Seven of these houses were existing builds while nine were new homes. The median price of the new houses sold was 375,000 and the median price of existing houses sold in March was 231,000. In Drogheda, the median price of residential properties sold in A92: Drogheda in March 2024, was 335,000. Twenty-eight of the houses sold were new houses and 44 were existing. The median price for the new houses sold was 385,065, while for existing houses it was 253,500. Nationally, the national Residential Property Price Index (RPPI) increased by 7.3% in the 12 months to March 2024, with prices in Dublin rising by 7.2% and prices outside Dublin up by 7.4%. In March 2024, 3,314 dwelling purchases by households at market prices were filed with the Revenue Commissioners, down by 19.8% when compared with the 4,132 purchases in March 2023. The median price of a dwelling purchased in the 12 months to March 2024 was 333,000. The lowest median price for a dwelling in the 12 months to March 2024 was 168,000 in Leitrim, while the highest median price was 620,000 in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. It's safe to say that contemporary Irish folk music group the Mary Wallopers have accomplished a lot since their humble origins of trad sessions in local pubs. The Dundalk group, which originally consisted of brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy alongside Sean McKenna, has since expanded to include a range of other talented musicians. The Hendy brothers had previously worked together in the hilarious, acidly political hip-hop outfit TPM (TaxPayers' Money), who went viral with songs like F*** RTE and The Boys on the Dole. The Hendys have spoken of their music childhood, growing up in Dunleer surrounded by folk music as their sister sang old songs for them, and their dad played the accordion Charles Hendy has previously said that the band's biggest thematic influence has been "reactionary stuff to poverty", while the band also credit poet and punk musician Jinx Lennon as being among their biggest musical influences. The Mary Wallopers cultivated a large fanbase following their gigs they live-streamed from the Hendys' home during COVID-19 lockdowns. In 2022, after expanding the band, the Mary Wallopers released their debut, self-titled album to critical and commerical success. The endearingly defiant spirit and loud fun that they bring to the live Irish music scene is evident on the album, and brought them attention around the world. The band have since released another hit album Irish Rock N Roll, which was accurately described by RTE reporter Alan Corr as "bawdy", vibrant and funny, consisting of "songs about drinkin' and ridin'". The Mary Wallopers have racked up millions of listens on Spotify with their two albums so far, and have collaborated with some of the best talent Irish music has to offer. In November 2023, the band performed alongside Damien Dempsey, Lankum, Lisa O'Neill and Pauline Scanlon as part of the Gig for Gaza at the 3Arena, a concert which raised funds for medical equipment for Palestinians in Gaza. From their various television appearances on the Late Late Show, The Tommy Tiernan Show and even Jools Holland's Annual Hootenanny 2023, where the band delivered their unique blend of humor, energy, and musical talent to bring in the new year. The band have enjoyed great success with their live shows, having previously played a range of sold-out shows across the country, as well as Ireland's largest music festival Electric Picnic. The Mary Wallopers are set to play at the UK's biggest festival Glastonbury alongside a variety of other Irish musical talent. One thing fans can guarantee is that the powerhouse Mary Wallopers have carved out a thriving live fanbase with their charm, fun and talent, and the band are not one to miss live. A new drive is urging people in Louth to avoid a silent killer by getting their blood pressure checked. The three-minute checks with GPs or local pharmacies are seen as a vital tool in detecting high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure and dementia. What you dont know could kill you as this condition, in the vast majority of cases, has no symptoms, warned Janis Morrissey, Director of Health Promotion with the Irish Heart Foundation. The national charity is leading the Before Damage is Done campaign this May Measurement Month to encourage adults, particularly those aged over-50, to get checked. People in Louth are encouraged to visit their GP or local pharmacy throughout May to coincide with World Hypertension Day, marked on May 17. Blood pressure is a measure of how effectively the heart pumps blood around the body and a high reading, called hypertension, is manageable through a combination of medication and lifestyle changes. The vast majority of those diagnosed with hypertension had no warning symptoms, so it is vital that blood pressure is checked and kept in check, said Ms Morrissey. It is quick, easy and pain free and does not involve a blood test. The campaign targets those who may be living with high blood pressure without their knowledge, and the risk increases with age. The most recent CSO yearly data shows that 9,652 lives were lost in 2022 due to heart disease and stroke. The normal level of blood pressure is about 120 over 80, with high blood pressure defined as 140 over 90 or higher. Everyone aged over 30 is advised to get checked every five years and a GP can assess the overall level of risk and may advise more frequent checks. There could be a history of hypertension in your family so a GP will look at cholesterol, weight and lifestyle factors to assess your cardiac health, added Ms Morrissey. Prescribed medication is a key tool in managing hypertension, but lifestyle changes such as healthy eating, increasing physical activity, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption are also crucial. Patients are advised to seek advice on changing medication or lowering dosage if they suffer debilitating side effects. The Irish Heart Foundation, in partnership with Medicare LifeSense, is encouraging those in Louth to get their blood pressure checked Before Damage is Done. Medicare LifeSense will also donate a percentage of the sales of their Medicare LifeSense blood pressure monitors, which will go towards the vital work of the Irish Heart Foundation. We are delighted to partner with the Irish Heart Foundation to encourage people to get their blood pressure checked, said Mark Fleming of Medicare LifeSense. Many of us do not know that hypertension, in most cases, has no symptoms, so it is vital that they take the time, only a few minutes, to get checked in a pharmacy or by their GP. Our home monitors also make this procedure quick, easy and provide peace of mind. Dr David McConaghy, ICGP/HSE Integrated Care Lead for Prevention said: The Irish College of General Practitioners supports this campaign to raise awareness about blood pressure and encourage people to attend their GP practice for a cardiovascular review. Sinead McCool, Acting Head of Professional Services at the Irish Pharmacy Union said: The Irish Pharmacy Union fully supports this initiative and we continue to encourage people to get their blood pressure checked in their local pharmacy before damage is done. Pharmacies nationwide offer blood pressure testing and many also offer 24-hour blood pressure monitoring. Call to your local pharmacy today to learn more. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. An opportunity to go on a dawn stroll to hear the song of local birds will bring a musical note to National Biodiversity Week in Cork on Sunday. Bird and Breakfast is one of a number of events running in the coming days for the whole family to enjoy. The annual celebration of nature and wildlife runs from today to May 25 and is being organised by the Irish Environmental Network and funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The aim is to provide opportunities for the public to connect with nature and learn from local NPWS staff working to protect the countrys natural heritage. The Bird and Breakfast event on Sunday morning sees conservation ranger Jay Cornish leading a relaxed early morning walk to hear the call and song of local birds in the woodland dawn chorus followed by the chance to cook your own breakfast bap over a fire pit. The event takes place in Glengarriff Nature Reserve and your place on it has to be booked in advance. Explore Later that day, a group of Junior Rangers will accompany Jay to explore the woodlands, identify tree species, discover bugs, and spot birds and mammals around the nature reserve. An NPWS bio-blitz event at Kilkeran Lake and Castlefreke Dunes on Monday and Tuesday one of 50 such events to take place in special areas of conservation (SACs) in locations around Europe offers opportunities for people of all ages to learn more about the biodiversity. The aim is to identify as many species as possible, from the smallest bugs to the largest mammals, across a variety of habitats from sand dunes to sea, coastal lagoons, reed beds, and woodlands. A conservation ranger will also be leading a walk as Gaeilge through St Gobnaits Wood in Baile Mhuirne and a walk and talk will also take place on the Marina Greenway in Cork city and at other nature spots around the county. Nature, heritage and electoral reform Minister Malcolm Noonan said it was really encouraging to see the range of events happening. Our biodiversity is in crisis, but I do believe that we are at a turning point. Everyone needs to play a part if we are to turn the tide, and thats why these events are so important," said Mr Noonan. NPWS director general Niall O Donnchu said that we were in our nature overdraft and added that each positive effort for nature was an investment in its return to a positive balance. A full listing of Biodiversity Week events can be found at https://biodiversityweek.ie. A Cork Sinn Fein TD has raised the issue of 13,000 people being removed from hospital waiting lists in Cork last year in the Dail. Figures revealed to The Echo, under the Freedom of Information Act, show that almost 80,000 people on waiting lists for outpatient and inpatient appointments in Cork were sent letters asking if they still needed treatment in 2023 as part of a National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) validation scheme. This involves hospital administration contacting patients on waiting lists to ensure that they are still available to attend appointments or require their procedure. Of 79,779 people who were sent letters from six Cork hospitals asking if they wanted to remain on the waiting list, 12,269 people did not respond, and 13,346 were taken off the lists. Cork South-Central TD, Donnchadh O Laoghaire said: GPs in Cork have raised a concern over the removal of some 13,000 people from the waiting list on foot of an NTPF validation exercise. While I appreciate that checks of the waiting list have to be made and we all want to see the waiting list come down, we want to see it come down on the basis of people not needing treatment. It is our experience and the experience of GPs that many of these people still require treatment. Many of them might have moved address, in particular younger people, and others might have literacy issues, he said, asking the Minister of State to raise with the Minister for Health. The need to ensure that any validation exercises are robust and fair phone calls could be a part of that. Donnchadh O Laoghaire is concerned over the number of wait list removals. Picture: Denis Minihane. He added that people have come to his constituency offices to explain that they have been removed from the list, saying it is not dissimilar to the situation with housing. This can be very challenging for people who have been waiting a long time for treatment. Minister of State, Mary Butler said, For somebody who is on a long-term waiting list, waiting list validation is very important. We have situations where people are on three or four waiting lists and they may already have received the treatment. It is very important that the waiting lists are accurate. Dr Greg Fulton, a member of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association executive, and a consultant vascular surgeon in Cork, told The Echo, when people get removed from a waiting list, there can be several reasons for that. They may have been treated, they may decline treatment, or they may be taken off due to some form of communications misunderstanding, so you have to eliminate or at least make that third group as small as possible. He identified the difficulty around deciding what length the hospital should go to in order to contact people, but said: Email addresses and telephones follow people around, but postal addresses dont. The aspiration was to have a certain percentage of the list cut down. If part of the percentage was made up of people that were taken off the list, then that number is even smaller. A CONCERT is taking place in Cork city this weekend to raise funds for a school for deaf children in Ethiopia. The Ethiopia Deaf Project, a Togher-based volunteer group dedicated to supporting deaf children in the African country, is hosting a star-studded concert in Cork this weekend to raise funds for its vital work. The charity concert will take place at Holy Trinity Church on Father Mathew Quay this Saturday at 7pm. A spokesperson for EDP said: We are delighted that the inspirational Whitehorse Gospel Choir, along with solo performers Aine Whelan and U.M.A.N. have generously agreed to participate for free in what we hope will be an inspirational night of music and song. Im sure there will even be an opportunity for your readers to sing along. The EDP recently received The Pride of Cork Award. The volunteer group is dedicated to supporting deaf children in Ethiopia to gain access to education. In particular, the EDP supports the running of the Ambo Deaf School, where 100 children are presently benefiting from the opportunity to go to school. The EDP was instrumental in setting up the Ambo Deaf School and is committed to supporting deaf children trapped in such isolation to attend school and experience the joy of inclusion, learning and self-realisation. We love the fact that our concert, which is dedicated to the joy of sound, something the children who will be the beneficiaries wont ever experience, will help to transform their lives, bringing them a whole other sense of joy and happiness, the spokesperson added. Tickets for the event cost 15 and can be purchased online at Eventbrite or directly from the sacristy at Holy Trinity Church. LANDSCAPE is integral to Irish identity. It is steeped in generations of cultural history and sustains us in a very visceral way. The Irish Heritage Council writes that landscape is both our inheritance and our gift to the future. Writer and documentary-maker, Manchan Magan, tells us in his 2020 book that the Irish language has 32 words for field. Among them are: Geamhar, a field of corn-grass; Tuar, a field for cattle at night, and Reidhlean, a field for games or dancing. However, despite its significance in Irish heritage and way of life, the health of our natural landscape is at risk. The European Environmental Agencys latest assessment found that Europes biodiversity continues to decline at an alarming rate, with most protected species and habitats found to have a poor conservation status. According to 2023 figures, a staggering 60%-70% of soils were in an unhealthy state across the EU. In Ireland, 85% of the 59 habitats listed under the EU Habitats Directive, covering marine, freshwater, peatland, grassland, and woodland habitats, were reported as having unfavourable status according to Irelands Environmental Protection Agency. Agriculture, the extraction of resources (including peat), as well as urbanisation and invasive species, were all cited as being the main pressures. Action needed The need for action is acute so what is the EU doing about it? While EU policies have in the past focused on protecting nature, the damage has already been done to our natural world. It is no longer enough to protect ecosystems in their current state, but rather it is urgent to assess our nature sites that have already been degraded and restore them to a healthy condition. In this vein, on February 27, the European Parliament adopted the EU Nature Restoration Law, with 329 votes in favour, 275 against, and 24 abstentions. Eleven of Irelands 13 MEPs voted to support the law. This new regulation, as provisionally agreed, legally binds EU member states to restore at least 20% of the EUs land and sea areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. Regarding specific habitats covered by the new law, member states are required to restore 30% of habitats, including forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coral beds from poor to good condition by 2030. This target will increase to 60% of those habitats by 2040, and 90% by 2050. In a letter sent to MEP Billy Kelleher in March, European commissioner for the environment, oceans and fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius, said that the implementation of the Nature Restoration Law in Ireland is in the hands of the Government, with considerable flexibility offered to member states. Long road It has been a long and contentious road for the Nature Restoration Law. The recent protests by farmers across the EU serve as a very visible indicator of the pressures faced by those who work directly with our natural landscape. Over the last few months, farmers here in Ireland, as well as in countries such as Poland, Germany, and France, have taken to the streets to protest against rising costs, reduced incomes, and the burdens associated with overregulation. The Irish Farmers Association has voiced concerns over the lack of concrete plans, as well as the absence of a dedicated funding stream at the EU level. It has called for workable solutions that take into account the needs of farmers. Importantly, the Government has clarified that the legal obligation to achieve the Nature Restoration Law targets is on the member state, not on the landowner. Participation by landowners in all restoration measures will be on a voluntary basis, including the rewetting of peatlands. Additionally, Mr Sinkevicius confirmed that the measures will not have any negative impacts on Common Agricultural Policy commitments or payments. The Nature Restoration Law is envisaged to come under existing EU funding streams such as the Life Programme, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund. The Government has set aside a 3.15bn Climate and Nature Fund, which was announced as part of Budget 2024, to support the implementation of nature restoration measures across the country. The next steps include a consultation at the national level on how to allocate these funds and achieve the EUs targets. The Nature Restoration Law was set to receive its final approval from the EUs environment ministers in the Council in Brussels today. However, approval of the law was withdrawn from the agenda of the meeting after, reportedly, there was insufficient support from member states. Under the qualified majority voting system in the Council, the law would need the support of at least 15 member states, representing 65% or more of the EU population. While there may be concerns about its implementation and enforcement, the Nature Restoration Law would signify a crucial milestone in the EUs commitment to take the lead in the fight against environmental degradation. Healthy ecosystems and biodiversity are not just nice to have ecosystem degradation poses a serious threat to human health, water supply, and food security. Environmental protection should not be a partisan issue; it is a responsibility we all share as custodians of our landscape for future generations. AN IDEA borne from the restoration of his beloved North Cork home has inspired Michael Flatley to introduce his first signature whiskey Crafted in partnership with master blender, Noel Sweeney, and distilled at the Great Northern Distillery Flatley Whiskey: The Dreamer, a premium five-year-old whiskey is described as embodying the spirit of dreams, passion, and mastery. The idea was brought to life when Mr Flatley began the multimillion-euro restoration of his Castlehyde Estate in Fermoy, where he created a wood-panelled whiskey room that has housed barrels of his earlier private blend for more than 25 years. Castlehyde With private visits by royalty and celebrities alike, the whiskey room at Castlehyde has been host to many tastings including the first tasting of the new Irish whiskey. Mr Flatley has signed a distribution deal with Irelands leading premium spirits distributor, Dalcassian Wines and Spirits, and SuperValu is already stocking the whiskey in more than 175 stores across the country. The whiskey will be launched internationally over the next few years, with an initial release in the United States planned for later this summer. For me, Irish whiskey, much like Irish dance, embodies the essence of Ireland its history, its spirit, and its ability to bring people together in celebration, Mr Flatley said. Irish whiskey was a favourite of my fathers. It was through his passion that I came to appreciate its complex flavours, so, its a very proud moment to launch Flatley Irish Whiskey, as I know he will be smiling down on me. Noel Sweeney said: I was truly honoured to work with Michael on this collaboration. He is one of Irelands most prominent and significant ambassadors, enriching our culture through his promotion of Irish dance and music on a truly global scale, and now through whiskey. Thrilled Co-founders of Dalcassian, Pat Rigney and John Dillon said: We are thrilled to bring Michael Flatley, Noel Sweeney, and their outstanding teams exceptional whiskey to stores, pubs, hotels, and restaurants across Ireland and Northern Ireland. This superb spirit not only stands out on the shelves but also boasts a great taste. SuperValu whiskey buyer, Conor OFlynn said: We are delighted to offer our shoppers the new Flatley Whiskey as part of our exclusive range of Irish whiskeys. Retailing for 45, Flatley Irish Whiskey is now available in stores, bars, and hotels throughout Ireland, and is also available online at https://www.flatleywhiskey.com. A CORK secondary school principal has described his relief after An Bord Pleanala gave the green light to plans for a new purpose-built building for the school on the Carrigaline Road. The Cork Educate Together Secondary School will be located on a site adjoining Maryborough Woods estate and will cater for 600 students in the catchment area. The school, which opened in 2016, has spent eight years in temporary accommodation; two years hosted by Nagle Community College and six in St. Lukes, hosted by Griffith College. During this time, Colm OConnor, Cork Educate Together Secondary School principal, said that the students have travelled by bus from the Douglas-Rochestown-Carrigaline area every day. Its very far from where the students live, so they have long journeys, leaving home early and getting home late, he said. He explained that the Department of Education bought a site in Douglas in 2017 for a new school building. Pupils Sinead Kelleher, Mark O'Duibhir, Finna Hales, Leon O'Leary and Anabelle Carrara at the announcement that Cork Educate Together have just been granted planning permission for a 600 pupil secondary school on the Carrigaline Road in Douglas, Cork. Last May, Cork City Council granted permission for the project, but an objection to the plans was subsequently lodged with An Bord Pleanala. ABP informed the school in recent days that it determined that the development would not adversely affect the residential or visual amenities of the area, nor would it give rise to the creation of a traffic hazard in the vicinity. Mr OConnor said: The sense of relief was immense. There were people in tears of joy around the school, and there was a huge roar when the announcement was made on the intercom. It means the uncertainty about where the school is going to be is over. We are already 11 years in existence before we set foot in the catchment area. Were relieved, finally theres a light at the end of tunnel and we can spend all of our time now focused on innovation and inclusion, instead of being distracted by accommodation issues. Mr OConnor said that with the design team in place, the Department of Education can now move to the tendering process, after which time construction can commence. It is anticipated that the state-of-the-art building should now be delivered by September 2027. THE owner of a Palestinian cafe in Cork has said that they are not intimidated by a Star of David, which was scraped into the footpath outside the premises. Izzedine and wife Eman Alkarajehs own Izz Cafe in the city centre, and regularly fundraise for Palestine in light of the ongoing conflict. The Star of David was scraped into the footpath outside the cafe a fortnight ago, but Izz told The Echo that it was a minor thing compared to what is going on in his homeland. He said: It has been there for two weeks and we were never intimidated by it. They are literally inside Gazans houses cooking and celebrating the destruction of houses and lives. Their flag on the footpath means nothing for us. We can simply take in a positive way because we love prophet David and all other prophets. The co-chairperson of the Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Martin Shiel, said that the organisation is perturbed and saddened by the act of vandalism at the premises of Izz Cafe. He told The Echo: The pavement inscription of the Star of David was clearly intended as a repudiation of the solidarity shown by the proprietors and staff of Izz Cafe with the people of Gaza under Israeli bombardment. The Cork Palestine Solidarity Campaign also deplores the employment of the Star of David in an act of vandalism, given that it symbolises Judaism as a whole ... [the campaign] wholly condemns anti-semitism. The owner of Three Little Piggies cafe nearby, Paul Walsh, said on The Opinion Line on Corks 96FM: Izz Cafe is a fantastic business. They have had many fundraising events that raised thousands of euros for Palestine food and medical aid and they long for peace and a two-state solution. Im disgusted and would love to meet the person who put it there. THE worlds friendliest film festival is back, and this year, it is bigger than ever. The Fastnet Film Festival will take place in various venues throughout Schull and Cape Clear from May 22. Famed for attracting top talent from the industry, it will showcase 18 feature films and 200 short films. Prominent professionals will also lead panel sessions, in-depth interviews, and industry masterclasses. This years line-up boasts a wealth of acting talent, including Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, and legends like Stephen Rea. Hilary McCarthy, the head of Communications & Programming, says the festival gets bigger every year. We are so fortunate to run a festival that not only the audience wants to return to, but also the talent enjoys coming to. We are thrilled to have Paul Mescal come to participate in a conversation with his Normal People co-star, Daisy Edgar-Jones. Lenny Abrahamson, who made the show, will also take part in the interview. Each year, Fastnet introduces a new element to the festival, and this year, horror comes to West Cork thanks to the success of recent Irish films in the genre. Irish horror is very strong at the moment, so we decided to put a horror programme together. We are screening three major Irish horrors. We have Lenny Abrahamsons Little Stranger, Ian Hunt-Duffys Double Blind, and Lee Cronins Evil Dead Rises. We are excited to show all three films, especially the latter, which has become the highest-grossing film ever written and directed by an Irish person. The programme also includes Gridlock, a short by Darach McGarrigle who wrote Double Blind, starring Moe Dunford, Peter Coonan, and Steve Ward. Abrahamson, Cronin, and McGarrigle will also participate in a panel discussion about the horror genre, hosted by the director Gerry Stembridge. Horror and music fans will be treated to a special screening of Nosferatu, the 1922 silent film. Cork composers and sisters Irene Buckley and Linda Buckley will perform their original score for it alongside Rhoda Dullea on the organ, Ilse de Ziah on cello and Karen Dervan on viola. McCarthy says it will be a highlight of the festival. It will be a really special experience, not just for film fans but for anyone who enjoys music. The Buckleys original score is very beautiful, and the three accompanying artists are all experts who will really add to the experience. The event will take place in the Holy Trinity Church, adding to the atmosphere. Actor James Nesbitt is among the stars lined up to appear at the Fastnet Film Festival this year There will be a focus on Northern Irish films, with a screening of Bloody Sunday, revolving around the events of the 1972 Bogside massacre in Derry. The film stars James Nesbitt, who will be in attendance and is set to take part in a big interview. Alan Gilsenans documentary, The Irish Question, mediates on what a united Ireland would be like. McCarthy says both films will appeal to fans of politics and history. It is a big year for Cork film, and the programme has three films with big Rebel connections. Andrew Gallimore (inset right) will take part in a panel discussion after a screening of his documentary One Night In Millstreet, which charts the epic 1994 showdown between boxers Steve Collins and Chris Eubank at the Green Glens Arena. Collins will also be there to answer questions. Rebel Wife is a documentary that focuses on the story of Mary Jane ODonovan Rossa, a revolutionary and activist whose work for Irish independence has been overshadowed by that of her husband, Jeremiah ODonovan Rossa. The documentary shines a light on the importance of her work, bringing her legacy to the forefront. Pat Collins award-winning That They May Face The Rising Sun will have an outdoor screening. The West Cork filmmaker will be in attendance, and McCarthy says outdoor events are a big draw for audiences. We were delighted to have Rising Sun. The screening is in the park, so no matter how many turn up, we have space for them. Last year, we screened An Cailin Ciuin in the same place, and about 400 people turned up with blankets and picnics. Hopefully, the weather will hold for this years film, but we have a contingency if it does rain. Oscar winners Ross White and Tom Berkeley, who made the gorgeous An Irish Goodbye, will present their latest short film, The Gold West, set in famine-era Ireland. The film stars Cork actor Eileen Walshe. McCarthy says she is delighted to welcome White and Berkeley back, who will also host the annual Fastnet table quiz. Ross and Tom came to Fastnet with An Irish Goodbye and ran our big quiz. They were phenomenal and so funny, so we asked them to come back and host again this year, and we are delighted that they are bringing their latest film, too. The festival opens with Ransom 79, a fascinating documentary focusing on an investigation by the late Charlie Bird into a case in 1979 about a ransom note that was given to the state that said they would release foot and mouth disease in Ireland unless they were given 5million. The story was kept a secret for 40 years and Bird set out to discover who was behind the ransom note. McCarthy says the documentary is two stories told side by side. Not long after Charlie began to investigate, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, but it didnt stop him from working on the story. It is a super film with lots of intrigue but also features Charlies poignant journey with his illness. We are so happy to open the festival with this tribute to a great man. The festival runs from May 22nd to 26th - www.fastnetfilmfestival.com U.S. should stop "using Taiwan to contain China," take concrete actions to preserve bilateral ties, says Chinese embassy Xinhua) 16:06, May 17, 2024 WASHINGTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China urges the U.S. side "to stop arming Taiwan and its provocative moves of using Taiwan to contain China," the Chinese Embassy in the United States has said at a press briefing. "The U.S. side needs to take concrete actions to preserve the overall as well as mil-to-mil ties between China and the U.S., and safeguard regional peace and stability," Minister Counselor Liu Pengyu said Tuesday as he elaborated on China's position on the Taiwan question. On the upcoming "inauguration" on May 20 in the Taiwan region, Liu, also the embassy's spokesperson, said the elections in Taiwan are local elections. The result cannot change the basic fact that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is a part of China; nor can it alter the historical trend of Taiwan's reunification with the motherland, Liu said. The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, which is an undeniable, universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations, said Liu. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities are constantly promoting "de-sinicization" and undertaking separatist activities step by step and attempting to expand Taiwan's so-called "international space," Liu noted. Promoting peace across the Taiwan Strait means opposing separatist moves, and the stronger the commitment to the one-China principle, the more peaceful the Strait will be, he said. Noting that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests and the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations, Liu said China urges the U.S. side to act on U.S. President Joe Biden's commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" and not taking Taiwan as a tool to contain China. The U.S. side should stop official interactions with the Taiwan authorities and not make them feel supported in seeking "Taiwan independence," he added. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair, which should be left to the Chinese people, Liu stressed. "We will strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and the utmost effort. In the meantime, we will not allow anyone to separate Taiwan from China by any means. No one should underestimate China's determination, resolve and capability to safeguard her sovereignty and territorial integrity," Liu said. Noting the recent negative moves and statements by the U.S. side on the Taiwan question, Liu said that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations. The U.S. side invited the Taiwan region to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer, and certain U.S. officials have made misleading remarks on United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758. "We stress that UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 fully reflect and recognize the one-China principle. They should not be challenged or tempered with. Taiwan's participation in international organizations must be and can only be approached under the one-China principle," Liu said. On U.S. congressional visits to Taiwan and the second phase of negotiations under the so-called "U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade," Liu said that China firmly opposes official interactions between the United States and the island or U.S. interference in Taiwan affairs that are China's internal affairs. Liu also pointed out that U.S. arms sales to the Taiwan region is a "dangerous bet," which violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) One of the biggest, most iconic gaming series is almost back. Grand Theft Auto 6 is apparently on track for a fall launch next year a little more specific than the previous release window of 2025. Theres no new trailer, and GTA publisher, Take-Two, is not quite ready to offer a specific release date. CEO Strauss Zelnick told Variety: I think were going to leave it there for now. The sixth mainline installment will be set in Leonida (Rockstars Florida equivalent) and focused mostly on Vice City (Miami). Compared to GTA Vice City, however, itll be contemporary. So, Im banking on OnlyFans pastiches, vapes, self-driving cars and everything else 2020s. Plus explosions and crime. Mat Smith The biggest stories you might have missed Uber will soon let you reserve a shuttle to get home from a big concert or ballgame Samsungs Music Frame gets its first discount on Amazon The best PC games out there (but we need to add Balatro) You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! A new deal will connect your phone with five commercial satellites. AT&T subscribers will soon have 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, testing two-way audio calls, texts and video calls via satellites in space using ordinary smartphones. Now, the companies have entered a commercial agreement, just in time for a rocket launch of five commercial AST satellites this summer. Those satellites will enable AT&T to roll out its service, but theres no start date, yet. Continue reading. The deal is similar to the one Reddit struck with Google just months ago. OpenAI and Reddit announced, on Thursday, a partnership for OpenAI to surface Reddit discussions in ChatGPT, and for Reddit to bring AI-powered features to its users. The partnership will enable OpenAIs tools to better understand and showcase Reddit content, especially on recent topics, the companies said in a joint statement. As part of the agreement, OpenAI will also become an advertising partner on Reddit. Ugh. Ive resurrected my Reddit habit due to an incredible/accursed game called Balatro . So hopefully, soon, I can just ask ChatGPT what certain cards and terms mean. Continue reading. But it doesnt address exorbitant fees or bots. 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. 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. Continue reading. Cedric the Entertainer has reignited old beef when clearing the air on Katt Williams' claim that he's a "joke thief." The internet was in a frenzy after Williams' tell-all interview with Shannon Sharpe on YouTube's 'Club Shay Shay,' where he alleged that Cedric the Entertainer stole his joke after he saw it in 2019, and then "did it on the 'Kings of Comedy.' " Katt Williams talking about Cedric The Entertainer stealing his jokes and the problem he got with Steve Harvey, Shannon Sharpe got one with this interview pic.twitter.com/dhlokZS5G9 Shawn K The King (@SKTheKingYT) January 3, 2024 During 'Big Boy's Neighborhood' radio show, Big Boy asked the comedian if he was "just as surprised" as the audience to hear Williams' claims, to which he responds that he "woke up the next day to the energy." RELATED: Death Row Records Alum Danny Boy Claims He Slept With Then 24-Year-Old Mary J. Blige At 16 The Missouri native, born Cedric Antonio Kyles, stated that despite people asking how he felt about the interview, he doesn't use social media much and maintained that he was "not moved by it," saying they'd had the conversation before. "I responded to him about the joke and then he responded back, and that was that," Cedric, 60, explained. "For me, to bring that up... something that's like 30 years old and you tryna make this accusation... and you had seen me in person you done seen me 45 times, bro, like c'mon man, like stop that. What is that about? It felt like the internet to me," "The Neighbrhood" actor said. "I been doin' this for almost 40 years, I do what I do. I get what you're saying the similarities or whatever, but that's not the same joke, and it's not the same reason why I got to the joke." RELATED: Bella Hadid Talks Stepping Back From Modeling And Her Battle With This Disease: 'I'm Not Putting On A Fake Face' "And then for people to understand too, just because somebody did it on TV don't mean that they did it first, either," he clarified. Despite 'The Barbershop 2' star maintaining his authenticity, Williams, 52, begged to differ in his 'Club Shay Shay' interview back in January, giving pushback to the entertainer who has said in the past that his claims "don't line up." "What doesn't line up? This is a televised joke that [comedian] Mark Curry helped me punch up and get to the level that it was," the 'Friday After Next' star told Sharpe. In a significant display of their strengthening alliance, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin vowed to enhance their strategic cooperation during their meeting in Beijing Thursday. This comes against the backdrop of escalating tensions as Russian forces advance in Ukraine. Xi Jinping, 70, greeted Putin at Beijing's Great Hall of the People with elaborate military ceremonies, marking the commencement of the Russian leader's two-day official visit, accompanied by key defense and security figures from Russia. A comprehensive joint statement issued by Jinping and Putin underscored their nations' harmonized stance across various domains, encompassing energy, commerce, defense, and global affairs, notably addressing issues concerning Ukraine, Taiwan, and conflicts in the Middle East. This visit, notable as Putin's first international trip following the commencement of his recent presidential term, serves as a symbolic gesture, indicative of the deepening bond between Russia and China amid escalating tensions with Western powers. The declaration affirmed the enduring resilience of Sino-Russian relations, emphasizing that their relations have "the test of rapid changes in the world, demonstrating strength and stability, and are experiencing the best period in their history." Both Jinping and Putin, 71, consider themselves "priority partners." Putin, whose nation's economic ties with China have deepened notably following his country's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, lauded the "practical cooperation" between the two nations during discussions with Jinping. He highlighted the substantial bilateral trade volume achieved last year and underscored the significance of enhancing cooperation in energy, industry, and agriculture, as reported by Russian state media Tass. Kel Mitchell's ex-wife has fired back at the Nickelodeon alum after he claimed that she cheated on him and was repeatedly impregnated by multiple men during their marriage. Just hours after the release of Mitchell's "Club Shay Shay" interview, Tyisha Hampton took to TikTok to deny his accusations. "So Kel, who is this person that was pregnant? Because it was not me," she said in one video. Hampton listed her own claims against her ex-husband, suggesting that Mitchell was gay and that she'd caught him in a compromising position with a man. "Do you remember that you were addicted to sex? Do you remember me catching you with a man?" she alleged in the clip, which was shared by The Art of Dialogue on X, formerly Twitter. Hampton also reiterated her earlier claim that she allegedly once caught Nick Cannon dancing for Mitchell on their marital bed while dressed in a cheerleader's costume. She went on to accuse Mitchell of being a deadbeat dad who has not cared for his kids in over a decade. Hampton made several other serious allegations against her ex, alleging that the "All That" alum had been physically and mentally abusive to her during their relationship. While responding to her ex husband's Club Shay Shay interview, Kel Mitchell's ex wife, Tyisha Hampton, accuses him of beating her and claims she caught him with another man. pic.twitter.com/IB6HARAThP The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) May 16, 2024 In a follow-up TikTok video, Hampton shut down her ex-husband's claim that she had an abortion after getting pregnant by another man early in their marriage. "This man is lying about abortions. Just the fact that you're even lying about abortions is crazy," she said. "That's really crazy work. But then also to state that because of these fake abortions, because of cheating you wanted to -- because of me cheating -- this man said he wanted to kill himself," Hampton added. "Just think about how narcissistic that sounds." Hampton insisted that she was a virgin when she and the former "Kenan and Kel" star tied the knot in 1999 and that she was impregnated with their child, son Lyric, during their first time having sex together. During his "Club Shay Shay" interview, Mitchell claimed to host Shannon Sharpe that Hampton allegedly got pregnant by another man at least three times during their marriage. "I ended up marrying my ex-wife because we had another baby," he alleged. "We had the abortion and then we had a baby ... and she ended up telling me that the baby that was aborted wasn't mine. Within that process, you already marry within a lie." Mitchell also claimed that he caught Hampton with another man at a hotel. Despite this, the actor said he tried to make things work with Hampton for years for the sake of their two children, who also include daughter Allure. But their marriage ultimately crumbled in 2004 due to her alleged cheating. Mitchell and Hampton divorced in 2005 after six years of marriage. He is now married to Asia Lee, with whom he shares daughter Wisdom, 6, and son Honor, 3. Hampton first made the Nick Cannon allegations in a viral TikTok video in 2022. "Remembering when I came home to Nick Cannon wearing my full cheerleading uniform (including the briefs)," she alleged at the time. "[Cannon was] doing cheers on the bed for my ex-husband Kel Mitchell to cheer him up because he cheated on me." At the time, Cannon responded by poking fun at the claims. "Yep!!" he commented sarcastically on an Instagram post about Hampton's allegations. "Probably had the big ear of corn, a bunch of orange soda and a couple of Kid's Choice Awards up our a**es too!" XXXTentacion's pal and star of the rapper's "Look at Me!" cover art Zachary Stoddard will serve a decade behind bars for stabbing a teen. Stoddard, 21, was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison for the attempted murder of a then-fellow teenager named Keith Tatton in 2019, XXL reported, citing the Broward State Attorney's Office. The prison sentence will be followed by two years of house arrest and three years of probation. DETAILS: The kid featured on XXXTentacion's "Look at Me" cover has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for attempted murder. Read more details here. https://t.co/R6aR1iKmzD XXL Magazine (@XXL) May 16, 2024 The sentence came after Stoddard pleaded no contest to charges of attempted second-degree murder and battery earlier this year. Stoddard was arrested for the stabbing in Pompano Beach, Florida, in April 2019 and charged with attempted murder and battery. According to prosecutors, he got into an altercation with the victim after he attacked a girl in Tatton's car, CBS News reported. During the ensuing struggle, Stoddard -- who was 16 at the time of the incident but was charged as an adult -- repeatedly stabbed Tatton with a knife. "My son was just pulling him off of the girl he was strangling. He didn't know the boy had a knife in his pocket, my son got hit in his aorta and femoral artery and was left there to die and he was taunted by this man," the victim's father, Michael Tatton, said. Tatton was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and placed on life support but ultimately survived. Michael said that his son was "lucky to be alive" after his femoral artery was severed in the stabbing. "He's severely brain-damaged, dealing with a lot of physical injuries after all, he died four times at the hospital. He received about 10 surgeries now, open heart, 70-75 blood transfusions," the father was quoted as saying by CBS News. Stoddard was featured on the cover art for XXXTentacion's track "Look at Me!" in December 2015. In the viral image, then-12-year-old Stoddard could be seen with a lit-up blunt hanging out of his nose. Stoddard, who is also a rapper who goes by KidPronto, became acquainted with XXXTentacion -- whose real name is Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy -- as they came from the same Florida city. In 2020, Stoddard explained to Complex how his selfie ended up on the cover of XXXTentacion's single. "I was smoking, and I just put it in my nose, took a picture, and sent it to the group chat as a joke," he said. "We were just playing, and X was like, 'I'm going to use this as my next song cover.' He wasn't big or anything back then, so I didn't really think nothing of it." Stoddard claimed that he lived at XXXTentacion's home for two months in 2017 while he was dealing with legal issues. Stoddard was charged with robbery, battery, vehicle theft and resisting arrest that year and was sentenced to jail time, according to court documents cited by Complex. While Stoddard was serving his sentence for those charges, XXXTentacion was murdered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, in June 2018. A common House committee meeting got heated when verbal insults were thrown back and forth. When the House Oversight Committee gathered to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena, a verbal spat broke out between Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Jasmine Crockett after Greene came for her "fake eyelashes." The low blow caused everyone in the room to let out a sigh. Chairman James Comer called for "order" of the committee. RELATED: Meek Mill Sends Social Media Into A Frenzy After Sharing Photos Of Himself On Vacation: 'Can My Fro Go Viral' The hostility began when Greene, 49, asked if "Any of the Democrats on this committee are employing Judge Merchan's daughter." When Crockett asked what that had to do with Merrick Garland, Greene chimed in to insult her looks. "I don't think you know what you're here for," Greene responded. "I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you're reading," she said, flaring her hands to imitate fake lashes. "I'm just curious, just to better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody's 'bleach blonde, bad-built, butch body'...that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?" Crockett, 43, asked Comer. "A what now?" Chairman Comer asked. RELATED: Fat Joe Calls Out Rappers For 'Femininity' In Hip-Hop: 'In My Era, I Don't Think We Would Have Seen That' "How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person?!" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, often referred to as AOC, said after Greene's unprovoked diss. The Democratic Representative asked for those words to be "taken down" a procedure which allows a speaker to amend their commentary if it is deemed out of order. "Are your feeling hurt?" Greene asked AOC. When Greene said "Awww" to her outburst, Cortez, 34 told her: "Oh! Girl... baby girl! Don't even play! We are gonna' move! And we are going to take your words down." According to The Daily Mail, Cortez was heard saying "no way is that being allowed" and "not today." "Baby girl? I don't think so," Greene retorted. Per the media outlet, Chairman Comer suspended the hearing while discussing whether to strike her words. Greene eventually agreed to strike her words; however, refused to apologize and continued to call AOC "unintelligent" for not wanting to "debate her." Social media is having a field day with actor Taye Diggs after he recorded an Instagram video comparing himself to a monkey. The 'How Stella Got Her Groove Back' star explained through song the reason why he had to shave his face completely, adding that he "doesn't like what he sees." The New Jersey native is seen in the online video sitting in what appears to be a bathroom, comedically singing about how he doesn't like looking "like an ape" or "chimpanzee." RELATED: Meek Mill Sends Social Media Into A Frenzy After Sharing Photos Of Himself On Vacation: 'Can My Fro Go Viral' "I just had to shave all my facial hair off for this role that I'm playing in a movie," he sang. "I've never seen myself without facial hair for about 89 years. I really don't like what I see. I don't like my upper lip... It makes me feel like a monkey. A monkey, monkey, monkey." "I don't like to look like a monkey," the 53-year-old belted. "I don't like to look like an ape. I don't like to look like a chimpanzee. I want my facial hair back. Can I have my facial hair back?" "I thought I was kinda' good looking, but now I want my facial hair back," the video concludes. "You can get filler and a lip flip for that," one user responded. "Your head looks crazy lol I thought you had a filter lol," another user replied. "He really doesn't like it and that's what makes the video funnier and I feel bad for him," said another. RELATED: Fat Joe Calls Out Rappers For 'Femininity' In Hip-Hop: 'In My Era, I Don't Think We Would Have Seen That' When The Shade Room re-posted the video, a fan claimed he must be "traumatized" from his last marriage. "Ex-wife must of told him that is what he looks like when they argued he is still traumatized," one fan said, referring to his ex-wife Idina Menzel, who recently spoke on 'Dinner's on Me' podcast with actor Tyler Ferguson. "When you're in the theater, it's just not a thing. We all love each other and sleep with each other," Menzel, 52, stated regarding interracial dating in Broadway versus Hollywood. "But when you leave that cocoon, that bubble, and now in his case [...] he was on the cover of 'Essence' and 'Ebony' and being interviewed by all of these Black journalists, and I think, he had his own stuff to deal with that and it seemed like there was disappointment in the community." "Anyway, that's stuff that we had to deal with," she detailed. "So it was less about being successful and more about just that kind of stuff, you know?" she told Ferguson regarding their divorce. The pair were married for 10 years after meeting on the set of the groundbreaking Broadway show in 'Rent' back in 1995. The duo split in 2013, and now amicably co-parent their child, Walker, 14. France declared a state of emergency on the Pacific island of New Caledonia after three young indigenous Kanak and a police official were killed in riots over electoral reform. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times after a political event Wednesday afternoon, an episode of violence that punctuated his decades-long career in politics. Friday, May 17, 2024 Death and Humor: Laughing in the Face of Death In this episode of The Doyenne of Death Podcast, host Gail Rubin continues her conversation with speaker and author Greg Bennick about the pioneering work of Ernest Becker, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Denial of Death. In part three of this conversation, Gail and Greg discuss death and humor, helping us to address the double bind of our existence. Listen to Part Three of the conversation here. They discuss distractions in life that pull our attention away from thoughts of death. They talk about how humor and laughter can help us deal with negative things that happen in our lives. They also discuss an academic paper by Dr. Neil Elgee, titled Laughing at Death. He was a medical doctor fascinated with Ernest Beckers work. Greg Bennick would meet with him for lunch and discuss Beckers work. The paper dives into examining jokes, Freud and Woody Allen, Otto Rank, irony, laughter, and finding our way through the tough spots of life. Download a PDF of Dr. Neil Elgees paper here. Catch Part One of their conversation here. Listen to Part Two here. Watch on YouTube About Greg Bennick Greg Bennick has been a thought provoker, public presenter, comedic juggler and punk rock vocalist (yes you read that correctly), a TEDx Speaker, a humanitarian and philanthropist, and an influencer devoted to transforming the world by inspiring personal and social change. He is writing the first ever biography of philosopher, cultural anthropologist, and Pulitzer Prize winner Ernest Becker, who dedicated his life to understanding the complexities of self esteem and how it relates to our psychological well-being. Greg has been studying Beckers work for twenty-five years and is a recognized expert on his writing. The insights Greg has drawn from Beckers work offer hope for our increasingly turbulent world. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Reclaim the Moment: 7 Strategies to Build a Better Now. It provides strategies for juggling a world of distractions to prioritize focus, improve self-esteem, and increase performance. To be released August 2024 by Wiley, its available for pre-order NOW: tinyurl.com/buildabetternow. Learn more at www.GregBennick.com. About Gail Rubin Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death, was recognized by the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) with their prestigious Community Educator Award at the organizations annual conference in Houston on April 11, 2024. ADECs Community Educator Award honors an individual in a non-academic setting with expertise in the field of thanatology, the study of death, dying and bereavement. The award recognizes excellence in developing community focused teaching materials and events that are innovative and cutting edge. She has created and facilitated numerous community death education events and materials. Learn more about Gail Rubin and her work at www.AGoodGoodbye.com and www.BeforeIDieFestivals.com. Related From: Author U -- Judith Briles For Immediate Release: Dateline: Denver , CO Friday, May 17, 2024 Using AI with Your LinkedIn Platform Marketing and writing with heart, not hype, Debra Jason is the author of the award-winning book, Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget. She is back for the AuthorUYour Guide to Book Publishing and joins host Dr. Judith Briles for a deep dive into using AI for social media and the LinkedIn platform. Your take aways include: 4 Ways to leverage artificial intelligence on LinkedIn. 2 mistakes you dont want to make when using AI for content creation. Tips on how to use LinkedIns Collaborative Articles feature. Why and How to convert third-degree connections into first-degree relationships within LinkedIn. And, of course, much more. Tune in for lots of ideas and how-to tips to enhance your influence and marketing via the AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing podcast which is ranked in the Top 10 podcasts for authors and book marketing. Since its inception, over 16,000,000 listeners have downloaded various shows for practical publishing and book marketing guidance. Join me and become a regular subscriber. Listen in at: http://bit.ly/BookPublishingPodcast Listen in at: http://bit.ly/iTunesAuthorPodcast Listen in at: http://bit.ly/BookPublishingPodcastGoogle Listen in at: http://bit.ly/BookPublishingPodcastAmazon see all) Latest posts by Judith Briles Was this helpful? Get more FREE tips and insight: see all) Latest posts by Judith Briles FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Information Louis Sauvain AuthorLouisSauvain@gmail.com Website: https://www.LouisSauvain.com/ Discover Magic, Mayhem, and Mystery in an Enchanting Award Winning New Fantasy Saga "Thaddeus of Beewicke," the first book in a nine-book epic fantasy series by Louis Sauvain, has been released, setting the stage for a captivating coming-of-age sword and sorcery saga. The novel has garnered acclaim, winning the Best Fantasy 2023 PenCraft Book Awards and receiving the Literary Titan Silver Book Award. Milwaukee, WI May 14, 2024, Emerging from the brilliant mind of former psychiatrist and International Amazon Best Seller Louis Sauvain comes the first installment of an enthralling nine-book epic fantasy series, Thaddeus of Beewicke. Crowned as the Winner of the Best Fantasy 2023 PenCraft Book Awards and recipient of the Literary Titan Silver Book Award, this novel sets the stage for a riveting sword and sorcery saga that is captivating readers worldwide. Set in an alternate universe during the Dark Ages, Thaddeus of Beewicke traces the journey of a young man named Thaddeus, originally destined to be a beekeeper, whose life takes an unexpected turn when he is chosen by the Master Sorcerer to attend his prestigious School of Sorcery. Guided by a sentient, talking mule and accompanied by two other adolescentsa scholar and a street thiefThaddeus faces myriad dangers, including highway brigands, a sultry courtesan, a cursed witch, a mad tree demon, an Imperial assassin, and the mystical Greensward Aelvae. Literary Titan praises the novel, stating, "Louis Sauvains storytelling skills are exceptional. The novels pacing is smooth and well-orchestrated, providing a deep dive into a richly constructed world. Thaddeus of Beewicke is a spellbinding journey that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end." This coming-of-age tale not only weaves a compelling narrative but also explores the intricacies of friendship, destiny, and the arduous path to becoming a sorcerer. Thaddeus of Beewicke is perfect for young adults and all who relish sword and sorcery fantasies filled with dynamic characters and an immersive plot. As the first book in The College of Sorcerers Trilogy, it sets a high bar for the subsequent volumes and leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next adventure. Thaddeus of Beewicke is available now on Kindle, as an audiobook, and in paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Join the adventure and discover why this novel is winning hearts and awards in the fantasy literature community. About the Book When a Master Sorcerer offers an ordinary boy a chance to trade bees for magic, his life spirals into an adventure of epic proportions. Guided by a talking mule and joined by a quick-witted scholar and a cunning street thief, he must navigate a world filled with dark magic, ancient curses, and lurking dangers. As he journeys to a mystical school of sorcery, he discovers that his path may be entwined with ancient prophecies and dark destinies. Will he master the magical arts in time to survive the perilous trials ahead? Join the adventure where magic is real, friendships are tested, and the journey is just beginning. About the Author Louis Sauvain, a former healthcare professional turned full-time writer, harnesses his deep understanding of human psychology to craft epic fantasy narratives that offer an escape from the mundane and the painful. Before his retirement, Louis recognized the power of fantasy as a distraction and a coping mechanism, something that helped his patients and himself endure life's more challenging moments. As he transitioned into writing, he tapped into a well of creativity that had been waiting to be released, guided by the voices of his characters and the muse of his high school English teacher, who had nurtured his love for storytelling and the written word. Now a dedicated author of epic fantasy, Sauvain's novels serve as a balm for the soul, providing himself and his readers a temporary refuge in worlds of his own creation. Born and raised in Wisconsin, where he still resides, he finds inspiration every day, often brainstorming his best ideas amidst the solitude of the shower, asking his characters to lead the way. His ultimate goal as a writer is to bring readers along on these imaginative journeys, crafting stories that resonate deeply and linger long after the last page is turned. With each book, he strives to transform ordinary paper trails into paths of adventure and emotional fulfillment, aiming to strike gold with every story he tells. COLUMBUS The Ohio Agricultural Council will honor a new class of individuals who have significantly contributed to the advancement of Ohios agricultural community during the 58th Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame induction on Aug. 2 at the Ohio Expo Center. The 2024 OAC Hall of Fame ceremony will celebrate the achievements of the late David W. Brandt of Carroll, Ohio; Bill and Janet Butler of Hillsboro, Ohio; Fred Finney of Wooster, Ohio, and the late Raymond A. Miller of Hilliard, Ohio. Each has uniquely impacted Ohio agriculture through innovation, education and leadership. The ceremony is expected to draw over 600 attendees including community leaders, industry professionals and family members who will gather to pay tribute to the inductees lifelong dedication and service to Ohios agricultural sector. With these inductions, the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame proudly honors a total of 253 individuals since its inception. David W. Brandt Carroll, Ohio (posthumously) David W. Brandt, a pioneer in no-till farming and soil health, worked to transform agricultural practices with his innovative approach and steadfast advocacy. Beginning his career in 1970 at Dogwood Lane Farms, Brandt quickly adopted no-till methods by planting corn directly into sod. This early initiative marked the start of his lifelong dedication to sustainable agriculture. As a consultant for Chevron Chemical and later Monsanto, Brandt educated farmers nationwide on the benefits of no-till practices. In 1987, he established Brandt Family Farm, which became a hub for soil conservation and sustainable farming techniques. His farm, in collaboration with Ohio State University Extension, served as a vital site for demonstrating soil conservation benefits. Brandt led numerous field days and conferences aimed at advancing soil health, significantly improving water quality and soil integrity, which encouraged farmers to adopt sustainable practices. Brandts impact earned him many state and national awards, including the Ohio Conservation Farmer Award and the No-Till Farmer Magazines No-Till Innovator Award. His leadership roles in organizations such as the Ohio No-till Council furthered soil preservation efforts. Brandts legacy continues to influence sustainable farming practices across the U.S., ensuring the environmental and economic sustainability of farming for future generations. Bill and Janet Butler Hillsboro, Ohio William (Bill) and Janet Butler have been pivotal figures in transforming livestock marketing and agricultural finance in southern Ohio through their management of Union Stockyards. Since Bills move to Hillsboro in 1969, and his subsequent ownership, the couple has elevated the facility to a major agricultural hub, hosting over 70 auctions annually and serving farmers across multiple states. Their efforts have significantly enhanced the accessibility and transparency of the livestock market, fostering connections within the agricultural community. The Butlers commitment extends beyond business operations. They have been integral in educational initiatives, partnering with OSU Extension and local veterinarians to deliver seminars and workshops that disseminate crucial information on animal health, nutrition and market dynamics. Bills role as a director at Merchants National Bank since 1983 has also been instrumental in establishing the bank as a key agricultural lender in the region, leveraging his deep understanding of agricultural needs to support southwest Ohio farmers financially. Recognized for their service and leadership, both Bill and Janet have received numerous accolades, including the Ohio Cattlemens Top Hand Award and the Friend of 4-H Award. Together, they have not only fostered economic growth in their industry but have also been advocates for agricultural education and community development, making them exemplary candidates for the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame. Fred Finney Wooster, Ohio Fred Finney, a distinguished leader in Ohios agricultural community, has made profound contributions to the states produce industry. After serving in the U.S. Army, Finney began his career at Davis Melrose Company, which owned what would become Moreland Fruit Farm. In 1985, he purchased the farm and transformed it into a thriving 125-acre operation producing a diverse range of fruit and vegetable crops, significantly enhancing local food markets and supply chains. Throughout his career, Finney has been instrumental in creating new market opportunities for farmers, particularly through his involvement in the establishment of the Farmers Produce Auction in Mt. Hope and the Mid-Ohio Growers Meeting. These initiatives have not only supported local farmers but also fostered community and economic development. His efforts have extended to national influence, particularly in food safety, where he played a critical role in the development of compliance training for the Food Safety Modernization Act, ensuring that small and Amish farmers were not overlooked. Finneys leadership spans several prestigious roles, including serving as president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and on the board of directors for Nationwide Insurance. His work has earned him numerous accolades, including the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award from the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. Fred Finneys dedication to improving agricultural practices and supporting his community has left an indelible mark on Ohios agricultural landscape, making him a respected figure in the industry. Dr. Raymond A. Miller Hilliard, Ohio (posthumously) Dr. Raymond A. Miller, an esteemed educator and leader within Ohio State Universitys College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, significantly impacted the agricultural community through his nearly four-decade tenure at the institution. As an assistant dean and professor, Miller dedicated his career to fostering the growth and development of thousands of students, many of whom have become influential leaders across the agricultural sector. Throughout his career, Miller was pivotal in advising, mentoring and guiding students, ensuring they received the necessary support and resources to thrive both academically and professionally. His role extended beyond the classroom into initiatives such as the founding of the Alpha Zeta Partners leadership program, which has been crucial in developing well-rounded agricultural leaders. His commitment to student success was evident in his advisement of various student-focused organizations, including the Ag College Chorale, College Council and the Ohio Staters philanthropic club. Millers dedication to Ohio agriculture was matched by his service to the community. His efforts in alumni relations and development set a benchmark for engagement, helping to keep graduates connected and active within the agricultural community. The establishment of scholarship programs and his active participation in college events underscored his commitment to education and community service. His legacy continues to influence agricultural education and community development in Ohio and beyond. For more information or to be a sponsor in honor of the inductees and in celebration of Ohio agriculture, contact the Ohio Agricultural Council at 614-794-8970 or info@ohioagcouncil.org. Welsh farm leaders have welcomed new changes that will be made to Wales' on-farm slaughter policy for bovine TB reactors. Cabinet Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies has today (17 May) confirmed that he will accept the recommendations from the Bovine TB Technical Advisory Groups (TAG) in full. This means farmers will be able to choose to delay the slaughter of heavily pregnant bTB reactor animals until after calving. And there will also be the option to delay reactor removal if the animal is very close to the end of a drug withdrawal period. In addition, a working group, which will include representatives from farming and the veterinary profession, will be created. Mr Irranca-Davies said this will explore further policy changes related to the on-farm slaughter of reactor animals, including those that are within a medicine withdrawal period. NFU Cymru TB Focus group chairman, Roger Lewis, welcomed the changes, adding that the on-farm slaughter of bTB reactors "causes untold distress" to farming families. "It is welcome news that the Cabinet Secretary has listened to our concerns and has accepted the recommendations from the Bovine TB TAG to make changes to this policy." In the union's evidence it put forward to the Bovine TB TAG on this area, it set out five recommendations. These sought to minimise the practice wherever possible and encourage Welsh government to look at alternative approaches which could be employed to reduce the policys traumatic impact, without risking disease control. Mr Lewis said it was welcome to see Welsh government commit to progressing all five areas the union had suggested, albeit on varying timescales. In the short term, we are pleased to see the Cabinet Secretary agree that farmers should have the choice to delay, subject to biosecurity conditions being met, the slaughter of heavily pregnant animals until after they have calved. "The feedback we received from members up and down Wales unanimously confirms that it is the on-farm slaughter of these animals that cause the most distress." The majority of on-farm slaughter cases are due to cattle testing positive for bovine TB whilst under medicated withdrawal periods. Slaughtering also occurs on farmyards when cows are heavily pregnant or within the first week post-calving and are not permitted to be transported off farm under animal transport regulations. However, figures show that on-farm slaughter is only part of the picture. In Wales, farmers continue to see around 10,000 cattle slaughtered annually because of bovine TB. Last year, there were more farms operating under TB restrictions and more new breakdowns than in the previous year. The Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) said that while today's news was welcome, the actions should be implemented as soon as possible to reduce the occurrence of on-farm slaughter. Dai Miles, FUW deputy president said: The effects of this process has a long-term detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of our farming families. However, we must not forget that the need to discuss the subject of alleviating the horrors of on-farm slaughter looks to remedy the symptom rather than address the root cause of the issue. "This continues to be the abysmal track record of a long standing ineffective TB eradication programme in Wales." Severn Trent is issuing a final call to farmers for all major infrastructure grant applications, as the funding window closes on 31 May 2024. Farmers in pesticide priority catchments can apply for up to 20,000 of match funding to invest in sprayer washdown and handling areas. And a further 5,000 is available for farmers adding rainwater harvesting equipment to the roofed area. The funding is part of the water firm's Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS). If projects are completed within six months, a further 25% of the cost of the washdown area is available, up to a maximum of 30,000. A handling and washdown area provides a dedicated space where pesticides can be safely loaded into the tank, and acts as a safe area for housing and cleaning the sprayer. Dr Adam Freer, senior catchment scientist, is urging farmers in the catchment areas to consider applying for the funding. Weve identified pesticides as one of three key concerns in our priority catchments, so were urging farmers to pursue funded options that prevent them reaching watercourses - as well as nitrates or cryptosporidium, he says. Severn Trent has found 40% of pesticide detections in watercourses are from handling in the yard, with the remaining 60% coming from the field. This is why the company is supporting efforts to install or improve sprayer washdown areas, as an effective way of eliminating pollution risk. The application deadline for other STEPS funding options remains open until 30 November 2024 and is available to all types of farms, for a wide range of land management improvements. For example, funds have been put towards cover crops, pesticide biofilters, livestock pasture pumps and loosening of compacted soil. Over one in five roadkill badgers in Northern Ireland tested positive for bovine TB last year, new figures from the Department of Agriculture (DAERA) shows. In 2023, a total of 459 deceased badgers were collected from the roadside across the region as part of a roadkill survey by the department. Of the badgers collected, 428 were in a condition that was suitable for laboratory testing. Ninety-one of the badgers that were tested confirmed positive for bTB, equating to a rate of 21.3% positive for the disease. The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) said the results emphasised the need for TB to be tackled in all hosts. "The results from DAERAs roadside badger collection speaks for itself," said the union's deputy president, Glenn Cuddy. "In order to have healthy livestock and wildlife, every single avenue which supports TB transmission must be addressed urgently." Cattle are subjected to a rigorous testing regime to try and control TB, but the UFU said it had failed to be successful. "It is not effective on its own and highlights a serious level of inaction," added Mr Cuddy. "Why should wildlife not be addressed in a similar way especially when you consider that in 2023, bTB was confirmed in 0.5% of all cattle tested. "There is a significant difference between a positive rate of 0.5% in NIs cattle population and 21.3% testing positive for bTB out of 91 roadside badgers." He concluded: "This is not about demonising badgers, it is about creating a healthy, prosperous environment for all animals to thrive in, side by side. The intense pressure faced by farmers to deliver on environmental and net zero targets will be addressed through a new pilot spearheaded by AHDB. The project will individually baseline up to 170 farms across Britain, with the levy board investing 2.5 million into it. The long-term vision is to create the opportunity for a nationwide standardised data set across the beef and lamb, cereals and oilseeds, dairy and pork sectors. AHDB said this would bring 'integrity' to the industry and enable more accurate reporting of emissions and the environmental impact of agriculture. In Scotland, the pilot will be a collaboration between AHDB and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), who are investing 375,000 to support participating beef, sheep and pig farmers. The UK farming industry faces a significant challenge in demonstrating the positive impact that farming systems can have on the environment. The pilot will focus on accurate measurements to reveal the net carbon position - the balance of emissions and carbon removals/stocks - of farms, including carbon sequestration potential. It will provide a dataset which shows the range and variety of results from individual farms, which will allow the industry to move away from relying on national and international averages. By measuring greenhouse gas emissions, landscape and soil carbon stocks, water run-off, as well as using soil analysis of individual farms, AHDB said the data collected could help to demonstrate the real environmental benefits of British agricultural products, both domestically and overseas. It will also provide a more accurate reflection of its position and progress towards net zero, the organisation added. AHDB chief executive, Graham Wilkinson said the pilot would allow the industry to demonstrate how it delivered a collection of public goods. "This is amplified by a lack of accurate, on-farm-level data," he said, "Our industry-first pilot will help change the story of British agriculture, which has been dominated by gross greenhouse gas emissions. We all know that agriculture has a critical role to play in achieving government targets, however, the picture is often more complex because of our role in not only producing greenhouse gasses but our ability to store and sequester carbon across the whole farming system.? "This project is not just about measuring carbon or soils, it is a transition to informed action. AHDB is bringing the industry together on this mission and has committed to investing significant levy funds to lead this baselining pilot. Our ambition is that baselining should be rolled out to every farm across the country, and we will be working with stakeholders and government to discuss how this could be supported by the industry in the long term. "We are also seeking to work with existing systems suppliers and potential users, such as financial services, to see how we might co-operate to everyones benefit." Chris Gooderham, AHDB's environment director, added that the pilot was the starting point to measure any changes delivered by the farmers taking part. "However, it will also provide a huge dataset from which we will be able to draw some early observations. For example, the relevance of carbon stocks, the potential for increasing soil carbon storage, and what impacts it." Early on, AHDB hopes it will be able to gauge the relative capacity of above ground and below ground carbon, the impact of farming methods and land uses on emissions, carbon stocks, biodiversity, run off risk and soil health. By measuring and analysing this data, the levy board said it would help it to understand the critical elements that could be rolled out across the rest of the industry. Mr Gooderham said: We also want to see what else the technology can deliver, pushing the boundaries to understand what is possible in terms of accurately measuring environmental metrics, particularly using remote monitoring from satellites which could help with measuring more frequently and at lower cost. AHDB and QMS are currently in the process of recruiting farms to join. Sir Paul McCartney has become the UK's first billionaire musician. Sir Paul McCartney is the UK's first music billionaire The Beatles legend has seen his wealth double from 50 million to once again take the top spot in this year's Sunday Times Rich List, thanks to his 2023 'Got Back' tour, the increase in value of his back catalogue, the re-release of two Beatles compilation albums, and Beyonce covering 'Blackbird' on her new album 'Cowboy Carter. He previously took the top spot in 2022, when his fortune was estimated at 865 million, and 2023 when he had 950 million. Sir Elton John's 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' tour helped steer him to second on the musicians list with 470 million, ahead of Rolling Stones rockers Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards with 415 million. Other notable names on this year's list included theatre legend Andrew Lloyd Webber, with 515 million, 100 million more than Simon Cowell, and David and Victoria Beckham with 455 million. The publication's 40 Under 40 list - which was topped by the Duke of Westminster, thanks to his 10.1 billion fortune - featured the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Anthony Joshua, Harry Styles, and Adele. The main list - which has a minimum wealth entry of 350 million - was again topped by Gopi Hinduja and his family, with their 37.2 billion the largest fortune ever recorded by the newspaper. The total list of 350 entrants had a combined wealth of 795.3 billion, a larger sum than Poland's economy, but the outlet said the list suggested "Britains billionaire boom has come to an end". Robert Watts, who compiles the annual table, said: "Many of our home-grown entrepreneurs have seen their fortunes fall and some of the global super rich who came here are moving away. "Thousands of British livelihoods rely on the super-rich to some extent. "Well have to wait and see whether we have now reached peak billionaire, and what that means for our economy." Amanpreet Ahluwalia and Gauri Khan with models at Zoya's Design Celebration Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan have always been very loved in both Delhi, the city where they grew up, and Mumbai, the city they finally made their home. So its no wonder that Delhis high society was abuzz with the prospect of having Gauri Khan amidst them, joining Zoyas Business Head Amanpreet Ahluwalia at a celebration of the luxury ateliers storied legacy. The delightful soiree at the elegant Long Champs hall of the Taj Mansingh included a showcase of four exquisite collections that raised a toast to the unwavering spirit of its eternal muse, the Zoya Woman. Presented through an elegant fashion walk by models, accompanied by live music specially composed for the occasion by Manasi Scott, every element of the evening reflected Zoyas ethos of warm luxury. An array of delectable hors d'oeuvres and drinks were presented in an inspired menu based on Zoyas collections. Elegant floral decor created a beautiful backdrop for the artistry of Zoyas rare creations. What made the evening even more special was the presence of Gauris family and friends at the event, and guests like Nikhil Mehra and Shalini Passi adding to the warmth and camaraderie of the evening. Gauri Khan wearing A Radiant Revelation from Zoyas Her Becoming Gauri Khan wearing A Radiant Revelation from Zoyas Her Becoming At the event Gauri Khan wore a magnificent necklace from Zoyas Her Becoming collection titled A Radiant Revelation crafted with mastery and elegance. This necklace seamlessly wove 738 diamonds with 132 diversely cut natural rubies. A 1.00 Ct radiant-cut solitaire sat at its heart, magnified by vertically aligned baguettes inspired by the ancient art of weaving Ikat.I am delighted to join Zoya in celebrating its iconic collections that narrate stories from India to the world. The atelier continues to redefine luxury jewellery for the modern era with its collections, she told us. Whether it's a statement necklace or a delicate bracelet, every piece speaks volumes about the woman who wears it - confident, fearless, and unapologetically herself.Ray Of Light Necklace from Zoyas collection RootedZoyas Rooted drew metaphoric inspiration from the resilience of rainforests, honouring the inner strength of the Zoya Woman, with vibrant spirit. Inspired by the rich heritage of the eternal city, Zoyas Banaras captured her fascination for the city's cultural splendour. Incorporating rare materials and ancient techniques, such as engraving and intricate enamelling, Banaras paid homage to the city's iconic rituals and landmarks, encapsulating their mystical allure in every piece.Emerald Riversong Necklace from Zoyas collection BeyondWith a poetic narrative and exceptional gemstones, Zoyas Beyond - A Boundless Journey, inspired by the majestic Indus river symbolised the feminine spirit as a force of nature, capturing the myriad stages of a woman's existence. Zoyas high jewellery collection, Her Becoming created a revolutionary look in white diamonds inspired by ancient Ikat patterns. Featuring unusual stone cuts like Cadillacs, trapezoids and custom-cut baguettes the collection celebrated the Zoya Woman's journey to self-realisation, reimagining traditional silhouettes with contemporary flair while embodying the essence of modern femininity.In the world of Zoya, where every creation is a masterpiece and every woman a muse, the evening was a testament to the enduring allure of timeless beauty. And with friends like Gauri Khan by its side, this luxury ateliers legacy shines brighter than ever.For more: www.zoya.in US net cotton export sales of Upland totalling 156,500 RB (running bales, each weighing 226.8 kg or 500 pounds) for 2023-24 were down 38 per cent from the previous week and 7 per cent from the prior 4-week average. US cotton exports normally experience a decline during this time of the year. According to the export sales report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the week ending May 9, US cotton exports increased primarily for China (63,600 RB, including 2,500 RB switched from Hong Kong), Vietnam (27,600 RB, including decreases of 2,300 RB), Pakistan (22,600 RB), Turkiye (17,100 RB, including decreases of 900 RB), and Indonesia (9,400 RB, including 2,100 RB switched from Japan). The higher exports were offset by reductions for Hong Kong (2,600 RB) and El Salvador (500 RB). For week ending May 9, net sales of 140,600 RB (Upland cotton) for 2024-25 were primarily for El Salvador (90,800 RB), Mexico (16,100 RB), Honduras (10,200 RB), Bangladesh (6,700 RB), and Pakistan (5,700 RB). The total exports of 238,800 RB during current marketing year were down 4 per cent from the previous week and unchanged from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were primarily China (85,000 RB), Turkiye (39,900 RB), Pakistan (34,900 RB), Bangladesh (18,500 RB), and Vietnam (10,900 RB). US net cotton export sales of Upland for 2023-24 totalled 156,500 RB, down 38 per cent from the previous week, with significant exports to China, Vietnam, Pakistan, Turkiye, and Indonesia. Net sales for 2024-25 were 140,600 RB, mainly to El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Pima cotton sales for 2023-24 were 3,600 RB. Net sales of Pima totalling 3,600 RB for 2023-2024 were down 36 per cent from the previous week and 43 per cent from the prior 4-week average. The increments were reported for India (2,700 RB, including decreases of 2,700 RB), Vietnam (400 RB), Germany (200 RB), Turkiye (200 RB), and Japan (100 RB). For week ending May 9, total net sales of 1,000 RB (Pima cotton) for 2024-2025 were for Italy. Exports of 5,200 RB during current marketing year were down 37 per cent from the previous week and 28 per cent from the prior 4-week average. The destinations were primarily India (2,700 RB), Vietnam (1,000 RB), Brazil (400 RB), Pakistan (400 RB), and Thailand (200 RB). Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL) Kartik Aaryan's uncle and aunt have reportedly passed away due to a 120120-foot hoarding collapse on a petrol pump in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area. The incident that took the life of 16 people, happened due to unseasonal rains and a dust storm. According to recent reports by a leading news portal, Kartik Aaryans uncle and aunt, Manoh and Anita Chansoria, stopped at a Mumbai petrol pump on May 13. The hoarding collapsed onto their red SUV at the petrol pump. Their bodies were recovered after almost two days. The couple were reportedly in the area to complete paperwork for their visa and to visit their son Yash. When Yash lost contact with his parents, he reached out to his father's colleagues and the Mumbai police for help. After hours of searching, they found the bodies trapped beneath the collapsed hoarding. Their final rites took place at a crematorium in Sahar on May 16. Kartik Aaryan reportedly attended the funeral to pay his respects. A new working title for Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi's Ramayana has been revealed. The Nitesh Tiwari directorial is currently on floors. The actors have reportedly started filming in Mumbai's Film City. According to recent reports from a leading news portal, the working title of Ramayana is God Power. While the cast and crew haven't been confirmed, leaked pictures from the sets that have resurfaced on social media suggest that the movie also stars Arun Govil and Lara Dutta. According to some reports, it also stars Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Yash as Ravana. The makers have reportedly strategically decided to cover up the sets and shoot indoors to avoid further leaking of photos. The producers do not want any more glimpses to surface on social media before the official announcement and release date reveal. Inheriting indissoluble bond between China and Hungary, continuing the tale of friendship 14:44, May 17, 2024 By Zhou Ting ( People's Daily Online Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Budapest Airport in Budapest, capital of Hungary, on the evening of May 8 local time. He received a warm welcome from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who greeted him with the words, "Welcome home!" Reports by overseas media emphasized the indissoluble bond between China and Hungary, highlighting their rich historical ties, common cultural traits, and strong emotional connection. In a signed article by President Xi titled "Embarking on a Golden Voyage in China-Hungary Relations" published on May 8 in the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, the Chinese President said, "I very much look forward to returning to your country to renew our friendship." We came from east. When somebody from east is coming to Hungary, especially with the high civilization for thousands of years as China, it always has a special emotional element of that meeting," said Orban in an interview with China Media Group (CMG). In addition to inter-governmental relations, China and Hungary have a long history of cultural exchanges. The Hungarian-Chinese bilingual school in Budapest is the only full-time public school in Central and Eastern Europe that uses Chinese and the local language for instruction. According to The Budapest Times, Hungary currently has five Confucius Institutes, which have nurtured numerous individuals who now serve as inheritors of this friendship and facilitate cultural exchange between the two countries. Through the medium of language, they continue to contribute to the narrative of amicable relations between the people of the two countries. Hungary and China have similarities in their eating and drinking habits. According to Magyar Nemzet, both countries have a tradition of consuming soups and alcoholic beverages. Viktoria Herencsar, a Hungarian instrumentalist and the president of the Cimbalom World Association, has observed that the Hungarian cimbalom and the Chinese musical instrument Yangqin share a common ancestor. In an interview with The Budapest Times, Jozsef Betlehem, Vice Rector for General Affairs, Connections and Strategic Affairs, the University of Pecs, Hungary, noted that listening to Chinese music makes him feel that cultural exchanges can transcend any barrier. Tibor Navracsics, Hungary's minister for regional development, mentioned that Hungary and China both follow a naming convention in which family names come before given names. He said, We first name the family, the group of emotional links, which gives your identity and your personality. The profound friendship between China and Hungary, deeply rooted in history and thriving in the present, represents a convergence of civilizations and emotions, as well as an interweaving of past and future. 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary. The two sides should continue to support the teaching of the two countries' languages and strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, President Xi pointed out during the talks with Prime Minister Orban. In the future, China and Hungary will continue to explore the role of culture as an "adhesive," strengthening the common cultural foundation between the two countries and ensuring steady and sustained growth of China-Hungary relations on a golden voyage. Zhou Ting is a professor at the Communication University of China. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - Nickel 28 Capital Corp. (TSXV: NKL) (FSE: 3JC0) ("Nickel 28" or the "Company") announced today that it has made a voluntary application to the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities for a temporary management cease trade order ("MCTO") under National Policy 12-203 - Management Cease Trade Orders ("NP 12-203"), which, if granted, will prohibit trading in securities of the Company by certain directors and officers of the Company until such time as the Required Filings (as defined below) and all continuous disclosure requirements have been filed by the Company, and the MCTO has been lifted. During the period in which the MCTO is effective, the general public, who are not insiders of the Company, would continue to be able to trade in the Company's listed securities. The MCTO application has been made but there is no guarantee or assurance that the MCTO will be granted. The Company expects it will be unable to file its audited annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended January 31, 2024, and the related management's discussion and analysis and chief executive officer and chief financial officer certificates for this period (collectively, the "Required Filings") before the May 30, 2024 filing deadline (the "Filing Deadline"). The Company's inability to make the Required Filings by the Filing Deadline is due to a combination of factors related to the management transition required following the termination of the Company's former Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Financial Officer as publicly announced by the Company on May 6, 2024. Additional time is required to do the work necessary for the preparation and completion of the Required Filings. The Company currently anticipates that it will be a position to remedy the default by filing the Required Filings on or before June 30, 2024. The MCTO would remain in effect until the Required Filings are filed by the Company. The Company intends to provide information in accordance with NP 12-203 with respect to further developments in respect of this matter promptly following their occurrence, including the issuance of bi-weekly status update reports until the Required Filings have been filed and the MCTO has been lifted. The Company has no material information to disclose concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed to the public, has not taken any steps toward any insolvency proceeding and, other than as disclosed herein, is up to date in its filing obligations. The Company has made the foregoing representations in accordance with the requirements of applicable securities laws. Appointment of Interim Chief Financial Officer The Company today also announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Craig Lennon, the current Head of Asia Pacific of the Company, as Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company with immediate effect. Mr. Lennon was appointed as Head of Asia Pacific of the Company in 2019. Mr. Lennon is a highly experienced corporate and finance executive, having served as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ASX-listed Highlands Pacific Limited from 2016 to 2019, as well as Chief Financial Officer of Highlands Pacific for the preceding nine years. Prior to Highlands Pacific, Mr. Lennon worked for KPMG LLP for five years in Australia, gaining experience in industries including manufacturing, construction, retail, hospitality and mining, and also worked in the United Kingdom for two years in the manufacturing industry. Mr. Lennon is a Chartered Accountant (Australia) and member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia. About Nickel 28 Nickel 28 Capital Corp. is a nickel-cobalt producer through its 8.56% joint-venture interest in the producing, long-life and world-class Ramu Nickel-Cobalt Operation located in Papua New Guinea. Ramu provides Nickel 28 with significant attributable nickel and cobalt production thereby offering our shareholders direct exposure to two metals which are critical to the adoption of electric vehicles. In addition, Nickel 28 manages a portfolio of 10 nickel and cobalt royalties on development and exploration projects in Canada, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain information which constitutes 'forward-looking statements' and 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to: forward-looking information relating to the timing and completion of the filing of the Required Filings and the approval of the MCTO by the Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the Company's control. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties underlying these forward-looking statements materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements could vary materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. Investor Relations Contact Information: Nickel 28 Investor Relations Attn: Brett A. Richards, Director Tel: +1 905 449 1500 Email: info@nickel28.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209601 SOURCE: Nickel 28 Capital Corp Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) (the "Company" or "PreveCeutical") is providing an update with respect to the Management Cease Trade Order ("MCTO") issued by the British Columbia Securities Commission (the "BCSC") under National Policy 12-203 - Management Cease Trade Orders ("NP 12-203"), effective as of May 2, 2024, and as previously announced by the Company. The MCTO was issued by the BCSC in connection with the delay by the Company in filing its audited annual financial statements and accompanying management's discussion and analysis, with related CEO and CFO certificates, for the financial year ended December 31, 2023 (collectively, the "Annual Filings") by the deadline of April 29, 2024, as required under applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company was unable to file its Annual Filings within the required time due to a lack of funds, which prevented the Company from engaging its auditors and completing its audit in a timely manner. The Company has since engaged Smythe LLP and expects to file the Annual Filings as soon as they are available, but in any event no later than June 28, 2024. The Company will issue a news release once the Annual Filings have been filed. The Company is providing this status update in accordance with NP 12-203. Until the Company files the Annual Filings, it will comply with the alternative information guidelines set out in NP 12-203, including the issuance of bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases. The Company also anticipates completing a private placement for gross proceeds of up to $250,000 (the "Proposed Private Placement") in the near future, and expects to use the proceeds of the Proposed Private Placement for working capital purposes, including payment of audit related fees. The Company will provide further details on the Proposed Private Placement in a subsequent news release. During the MCTO, the general investing public will continue to be able to trade in the Company's common shares (the "Shares") listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange. However, the Company's CEO, CFO and such other directors, officers and persons as determined by the applicable regulatory authorities will not be able to trade in the Shares, nor will the Company be able to, directly or indirectly, issue securities to or acquire securities from an insider or employee of the Company except in accordance with legally binding obligations to do so existing as of April 29, 2024, being the date of the Company's continuous disclosure default. The Company is not subject to any insolvency proceedings. If the Company provides any information to any of its creditors during the period in which it is in default of filing the Annual Filings, the Company confirms that it will also file material change reports on SEDAR+ containing such information. The Company confirms as of the date of this news release that there has been no material change in the information contained in the default announcement issued on May 2, 2024, and there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not been generally disclosed. About PreveCeutical PreveCeutical is a health sciences company focused on developing innovative options for preventive and curative therapies utilizing organic and nature identical products. The Company aims to be a leader in the preventive health sciences sector. With the completion of three of its research programs, the Company is actively working on the development, clinical trials, and commercialization of its products; and has filed a number of provisional patent applications to protect the intellectual property from its research programs. For more information about PreveCeutical, please visit our website www.PreveCeutical.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. On behalf of the Board of Directors of PreveCeutical Stephen Van Deventer, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and interim Chief Financial Officer For further information, please contact: Stephen Van Deventer: +1 604 306 9669 Or Investor Relations ir@preveceutical.com Forward-Looking Statements Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs of management of the Company regarding future events. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified using 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 Company's Proposed Private Placement; the Company's plans relating to the development, clinical trials and commercialization of its products; management expectations that it will be able to file the Annual Filings within the time period described herein. 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: the Company being unable to execute its business plans as intended; the Company being unable to file the Annual Filings in the proposed timeframe; the Company being unable to complete the Proposed Private Placement; recent market volatility; and the state of the financial markets for the Company's securities. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied certain material assumptions, including without limitation, that: the Company will be able to execute its business plans as intended; the Company will be able to file the Annual Filings in the proposed time frame. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial outlook that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe harbor. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209622 SOURCE: PreveCeutical Medical Inc. HAIFA, Israel, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ZIMLog, a global freight forwarding brand, proudly unveils its renewed structure, reflecting a blend of experience and innovation aimed at meeting the diverse and evolving needs of businesses worldwide. After more than 22 years of successful activity, primarily in China, and following a transformative upgrade, ZIMLog expands its scope of operations. Focused on personalized service and advanced tools, ZIMLog presents a fresh, efficient, and cost-effective solution in the global freight forwarding landscape. With a strategic network spanning the globe, including branches in China, Canada, USA, Vietnam, Brazil, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and global partners covering the globe, ZIMLog is strategically positioned to redefine the logistics experience for businesses of all sizes and provide customers with end-to-end logistics solutions. Harnessing decades of industry expertise, ZIMLog boasts a team of seasoned professionals offering a comprehensive suite of services, from ocean and air freight to warehousing and e-commerce logistics. Adee Barak, General Manager of ZIMLog: "In a world where logistics demands agility, innovation, trust, and reliability, our revamped approach underscores our commitment to providing tailor-made services that accommodate customers' needs. leveraging local market insights and global partnerships to deliver unmatched solutions". For more information, visit www.zim-log.com or contact our media relations team at media@zim-log.com or +972-54-624 4178. About ZIMLog: ZIMLog is a dynamic global logistics and shipping brand, offering tailored solutions for businesses engaged in international trade. With a focus on efficiency, professionalism, and personalized service, ZIMLog gives its potential clients the edge they need for their logistic needs and are committed to delivering unparalleled quality to clients worldwide. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2414857/ZIMLog_tagline_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/zimlog-unveils-transformed-structure-and-expanded-scope-pioneering-the-future-of-logistics-with-reliable-and-personalized-precision-302148354.html Kunstliche Intelligenz hat spatestens nach dem Raketenstart von Chat GPT das Leben aller verandert. Doch der Superzyklus steht nach Meinungen von Experten erst am Anfang. Wahrend Aktien wie Nvidia von der ersten Aufwartsentwicklung stark profitieren konnten, versprechen aussichtsreiche Player aus der zweiten Reihe noch enormes Aufwartspotenzial. Im kostenlosen, exklusiven Spezialreport prasentieren wir ihnen 5 innovative KI-Unternehmen, die bahnbrechende Entwicklungen in diesem Sektor pragen konnten. Warum sollten Sie dabei sein? Trotz der jungsten Erfolge steht die Entwicklung der kunstlichen Intelligenz noch am Beginn eines neuen Superzyklus. Experten gehen davon aus, dass der Sektor bis 2032 global auf 1,3 Billionen US-Dollar explodieren wird, wobei ein groer Teil auf Hardware und Infrastruktur entfallen wird. Nutzen Sie die Chance! Fordern Sie sofort unseren brandneuen Spezialreport an und erfahren Sie, welche 5 KI-Aktien das grote Potenzial zur Vervielfachung besitzen. Dieser Report ist komplett kostenlos und zeigt Ihnen die aussichtsreichsten Investments im KI-Sektor. Handeln Sie jetzt und sichern Sie sich Ihren kostenfreien Report! Miami, Florida--(Newsfile Corp. - May 16, 2024) - LinkDaddy has announced a full integration with ClickUp for internal project management, helping to deliver a faster and more efficient service for clients across sectors. With the new announcement, LinkDaddy - an SEO-focused marketing agency that offers high-authority backlinks for businesses - aims to streamline internal workflows and standard operating procedures. More information can be found at https://linkdaddy.com/ LinkDaddy Backlink Agency: ClickUp Integration For Project Management Announced To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/209432_64fd42ad147de9b6_002full.jpg The team offers advanced schema markup, CTR manipulation, Google Business Profile management, link building, and more, leveraging a data-backed approach to increase organic traffic and improve search engine rankings for clients across sectors. Now with ClickUp, the agency will have improved task management and collaborative projects in place to help clients achieve their growth goals. The platform will allow LinkDaddy to grow as a link-building resource for brands, improving the delivery speed of projects and helping clients increase site authority and scale daily impressions more effectively. ClickUp has a user base exceeding 10 million people worldwide, and the platform offers fully customizable task and project management capabilities, empowering teams to create documents and link them to corresponding tasks. This level of integration allows LinkDaddy to streamline its workflows and enjoy more efficient resource allocation. The agency will also be able to access communication tools for team collaboration and real-time reporting through intuitive dashboards, along with a whiteboard feature for visual project development. One of the main benefits of the app is the ability to visualize projects from multiple perspectives - teams can switch between views, such as Kanban boards or calendars, tailoring the platform to their specific program or project needs. LinkDaddy's marketing experts will use this to optimize their workflow and respond promptly to client requirements. The agency's commitment to delivering niche-relevant and Google-friendly do-follow backlinks with high domain authority and traffic is further reinforced by the adoption of ClickUp. It aims to provide a more efficient service, simplifying cross-channel workflows, enabling faster collaboration on projects, and ensuring timely delivery of high-quality backlink solutions. Tony Peacock, the agency owner, states: "We are a leading backlinks SEO agency with a proven track record of success. We have helped hundreds of businesses improve their search engine ranking and drive traffic to their websites." Interested parties can learn more at https://clickup.com/ Contact Info: Name: Tony Peacock Email: tony@linkdaddy.com Organization: LinkDaddy Address: 1065 SW 8th St PMB 622, Miami, Florida 33130, United States Website: https://linkdaddy.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209432 SOURCE: Plentisoft 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 success of its global offering for a total gross amount of 16.0 million, of which 14.2 million were subscribed by specialized investors as defined below and 1.8 million by retail investors (via the PrimaryBid platform) (the "Global Offering Stephane Piat, Chief Executive Officer of CARMAT, said: "This new financing is key for CARMAT, as it gives us the means to meet the growing demand for Aeson from French centers in the EFICAS study, and from European hospitals carrying out commercial implants. I would particularly like to thank our long-standing shareholders, as well as new institutional and individual investors, for their support on our way to commercial success for Aeson. Based on our achievements since the beginning of the year, we are confident in a substantial gradual increase in sales over the coming months, to reach revenue of around 14 million in 2024. This momentum, combined with the unwavering support of our shareholders, strengthens our belief in our goal of making Aeson the leading alternative to heart transplants." Use of Proceeds 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 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. The Global Offering only partially finances the Company's needs over the next 12 months, with additional post-Global Offering financial requirements expected to be around 30 million. CARMAT will therefore have to secure additional fundings from the second half of 2024. Main terms of the Global Offering The Global Offering, for a total amount, including issue premium, of 16.0 million, was carried out by issuing, without preferential subscription rights and without a priority subscription period, 5,333,422 new ordinary shares, representing 18.3% of the Company's1 existing share capital prior to the Global Offering, as part of: an offering of 4,724,995 new ordinary shares for an amount (including issue premium) of 14.2 million, 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, pursuant to Article L. 225-138 of the French Commercial Code (the "Reserved Offering"); and a public offering in France of new shares to retail investors via the PrimaryBid platform, for an amount (including issue premium) of 1.8 million, through the issue of 608,427 new shares (the "PrimaryBid Offering Bank Degroof Petercam SA/NV and Invest Securities acted as global coordinators, lead managers and joint bookrunners in connection with the Reserved Offering (together, the "Placement Agents"). The Reserved Offering was subject to a placement agreement between the Company and the Placement Agents dated May 16, 2024. Investors in the PrimaryBid Offering subscribed exclusively via the PrimaryBid partners listed on the PrimaryBid website (www.PrimaryBid.fr). The PrimaryBid Offering was subject to an engagement letter entered into between the Company and PrimaryBid and was not subject to a placement agreement. For further details, please visit the PrimaryBid website at www.PrimaryBid.fr. The new shares, which represent approximately 18.3% of the Company's share capital, on a non-diluted basis, before completion of the Global Offering and 15.5% of the Company's share capital, on a non-diluted basis, after completion of the Global Offering, were issued yesterday evening by decision of the Company's Chief Executive Officer pursuant to the sub-delegations of authority granted by the Company's Board of Directors on 16 May 2024 and pursuant to Article L. 225-138 of the French Commercial Code, in accordance with the 6th and 2nd resolutions of the Company's Extraordinary General Meeting held on January 5, 2024. The issue price of the new shares has been set at 3.00 per share, 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 last 5 trading sessions prior to its setting, i.e. 4.21. To the best of the Company's knowledge, the ownership structure before and after completion of the Global Offering is as follows: Pre-Global Offering (on a non-diluted basis) Post-Global Offering (on a non-diluted basis) Number of shares of share capital Number of shares of share capital Lohas SARL (Pierre Bastid) 3,322,893 11.4% 3,322,893 9.6% Les Bastidons2 (Pierre Bastid) 1,343,333 3.9% Sante Holdings SRL (Dr. Antonino Ligresti) 2,894,283 9.9% 4,237,616 12.3% Matra Defense SAS (Airbus Group) 2,670,640 9.2% 2,670,640 7.7% Corely Belgium SPRL (Gaspard family) 880,000 3.0% 880,000 2.6% Therabel Invest 741,706 2.5% 741,706 2.2% Prof. Alain Carpentier and family 491,583 1.7% 491,583 1.4% Scientific Research Association of the Alain Carpentier Foundation 115,000 0.4% 115,000 0.3% Cornovum 458,715 1.6% 458,715 1.3% Stephane Piat (CEO) 363,945 1.2% 363,945 1.1% Treasury shares* 17,768 0.1% 17,768 0.1% Free float 17,198,693 59.0% 19,845,449 57.5% Total 29,155,226 100.0% 34,488,648 100.0% * Liquidity contract (situation at April 30, 2024) The existing shareholders Lohas SARL (family office of Mr. Pierre Bastid)2 and Sante Holdings SRL (family office of Dr. Antonino Ligresti), holding respectively 11.4% and 9.9% of the Company's share capital prior to the Global Offering, had committed to subscribe for an amount of 4 million each in the Reserved Offering. These shareholders have been allocated 100% of the Reserved Offering. Their total investment represents 50% of the total amount of the Global Offering. Admission of new shares Settlement-Delivery of the new shares and their admission to trading on the Euronext Growth Paris multilateral trading facility under the same ISIN code FR0010907956 are expected to occur on May 22, 2024. The new shares will be listed on the same quotation line as the Company's existing ordinary shares, will carry dividend rights and will be immediately assimilated to the Company's existing shares. 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 Lock-up commitment In connection with the Global Offering, the Company has entered into a lock-up commitment taking effect from the date of signature of the placement agreement entered into between the Company and the Placement Agents on May 16, 2024 and expiring on June 30, 2024, subject to customary exceptions and to the issuance by the Company of securities giving access to its share capital in connection with the implementation of the forthcoming "equitization" of the loan granted by the European Investment Bank (the "EIB")4 It is specified that 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. Risk factors 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 equitization of the loan contracted by CARMAT with 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. 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 On a non-diluted basis 2 Mr. Pierre Bastid's subscription to the Global Offering was made not 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 is 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/20240516085114/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 Erinnern Sie sich, als Moderna und BioNTech von unbekannten Unternehmen zu globalen Marktfuhrern wurden und fruhzeitige Investoren reich belohnt haben? Die Branche steht vor einem erneuten Innovationsschub von bahnbrechenden Medikamenten bis hin zu revolutionaren Therapien. Warum sollten Sie dabei sein? Sie sollten jetzt in Biotech-Aktien einsteigen, weil wir am Beginn einer neuen Ara der medizinischen Innovation stehen konnten! Gen- und Zelltherapien, personalisierte Medizin und bahnbrechende Technologien konnten das Gesundheitswesen revolutionieren und die Aktienkurse in die Hohe schieen lassen. Die nachste Erfolgsgeschichte im Biotechbereich warten nur darauf, entdeckt zu werden. Wer jetzt investiert, hat die Chance, von gigantischen Durchbruchen und enormen Renditen zu profitieren. Warten Sie nicht, bis es zu spat ist - der nachste Biotech-Superstar konnte morgen schon durchstarten! Verpassen Sie nicht diese Chance! Fordern Sie sofort unseren brandneuen Biotech-Spezialreport an und erfahren Sie, welche 3 Biotech-Aktien das riesige Potenzial haben, Ihren finanziellen Erfolg zu sichern. Dieser Report ist komplett kostenlos und zeigt Ihnen zukunftstrachtige Investments im Biotech-Sektor. Handeln Sie jetzt und sichern Sie sich Ihren kostenfreien Report! Original-Research: Multitude SE - from NuWays AG Classification of NuWays AG to Multitude SE Company Name: Multitude SE ISIN: FI4000106299 Reason for the research: Update Recommendation: Kaufen from: 17.05.2024 Target price: EUR 12.00 Target price on sight of: 12 Monaten Last rating change: Analyst: Frederik Jarchow Solid Q1 figures // FY24 guidance approved; chg Yesterday, Multitude reported Q1Z24 figures above expectations, but still with room for sequential improvements until YE. In detail: Sales of EUR 64.2m (10% yoy, 1% qoq), was above the anticipated EUR 59.0m, mainly driven by the stronger growth of the net loan book (NAR) to EUR 658m (including c. EUR 589 loan to customer and c. EUR 68m attributable to warehouse lending; vs. EUR 638m in Q4Z23). With EUR 54.1m ferratum contributed most (84% of sales, 13% yoy, 1% qoq), followed by CapitalBox (12% of sales, 17% yoy, 17% qoq) and Wholesale banking with 4% of total sales (EUR 2.3m; 190% yoy, 21% qoq). EBIT came in at EUR 11.6m (32% yoy, -15% qoq), beating our expectation by 13% (eNuW: EUR 10.3m), thanks to the stronger topline and lower S&M and personnel as well as other operating expenses, all compensating for impairments on loans that were up significantly (EUR 28.3m, 35% yoy, 6% qoq) vs eNuW: EUR 23.6m). Reasons for the lifted impairments were the ramped-up loan book on the one hand, but also credit losses in certain CapitalBox markets. As interested expenses also expanded by 48% to EUR 8.7m (vs eNuW: EUR 7.7m), EBT of mere EUR 2.8m (-3% yoy, -30% qoq), left room for improvements. Overall, Multitude reported a solid set of Q1 figures. While the sales growth trajectory is fully intact marking a new record level, the development of impairment is weighing on profitability. As management is working on this issue with the highest priority, we see good chances for improvements within the next quarters. That, paired with further topline growth following the growth of the loan book in Q1, as well as the ongoing tight cost control resulting in stable other OPEX should unlock significant scale effects from Q2 onwards, allowing meaningful EBIT growth. Still, for now, we conservatively expect EUR 61.4m EBIT in FY24, which is below the approved management guidance of EUR 67.5m. As the stock is trading at a 4.3x PEZ25, the growing, highly profitable, resilient and dividend paying company looks undebatable cheap. BUY with an unchanged PT of EUR 12 PT, based on our residual income model. Mind you that Multitude is one of our NuWays Alpha picks for FY24. You can download the research here: http://www.more-ir.de/d/29799.pdf For additional information visit our website www.nuways-ag.com/research. Contact for questions NuWays AG - Equity Research Web: www.nuways-ag.com Email: research@nuways-ag.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuwaysag Adresse: Mittelweg 16-17, 20148 Hamburg, Germany ++++++++++ Diese Meldung ist keine Anlageberatung oder Aufforderung zum Abschluss bestimmter Borsengeschafte. Offenlegung moglicher Interessenskonflikte nach 85 WpHG beim oben analysierten Unternehmen befinden sich in der vollstandigen Analyse. ++++++++++ transmitted by EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this research. The result of this research does not constitute investment advice or an invitation to conclude certain stock exchange transactions. Der Goldpreis haussiert und schwingt sich von Hoch zu Hoch. Getrieben von geopolitischen Unsicherheiten sowie der Aussicht auf eine lockere Geldpolitik der FED gehen Experten aktuell von weiter steigenden Notierungen bis sogar in den Bereich von 3.000 US-Dollar je Unze Gold aus. Im Schatten des Basispreises notieren Goldproduzenten aus der zweiten Reihe sowie Explorationsunternehmen noch weit weg von ihren historischen Hochststanden entfernt und bieten dadurch erhebliches Aufholpotential. In diesem kostenlosen Report geben wir Ihnen Favoriten an die Hand, die aufgrund von Sondersituation die Chance auf eine Kursvervielfachung besitzen. Handeln Sie Jetzt! Fordern Sie jetzt den brandneuen Spezialreport an und profitieren Sie von dem weiter steigenden Kurs des Edelmetalls. Sichern Sie sich jetzt Ihren kostenfreien Report. Mr. Veerasith Sinchareonkul, Managing Director and Executive Director of Sri Trang Agro-Industry PCL BANGKOK, May 17, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - Sri Trang Agro-Industry PCL (SET: STA) has begun delivering EUDR rubber in May this year to several major branded tire manufacturers in Europe, South Korea, China and other countries, reinforcing the Company's readiness to support the European measures to trace back the origin of natural rubber - the procedures are expected to come into force by the end of this year. Similar measures are also set to be implemented by countries in other regions around the world in the near future.Mr. Veerasith Sinchareonkul, Managing Director & Executive Director of Sri Trang Agro-Industry Public Company Limited (STA), the world's leader and largest integrated natural rubber business operator and Thailand's largest rubber glove manufacturer, announced that, in April-May 2024, the Company has begun to deliver natural rubber complaint with EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) to customers who placed their orders by May 2024. STA's "Traceable Natural Rubber (GPS)" commands higher selling prices than most other sources, with customers consisting of many nationalities from Europe, South Korea, China and other Asian countries where there is a demand for EUDR rubber to be processed into products that will be exported to countries in the European Union in response to upcoming EUDR enforcement expected by the end of 2024. The EUDR will regulate the export of natural rubber and products processed from natural rubber to Europe, requiring traceability verification to ensure that the sources of natural rubber are not involved in deforestation and are not an encroachment of forested areas.Currently, the Company is fully ready to export all types of EUDR rubber, such as latex concentrates, rubber blocks, rubber sheets, etc., This readiness results from ongoing preparations to support these measures. More importantly, the database management system has been developed in collaboration with farmers and rubber dealers to identify land designated for rubber plantations. This system inputs data into the "Sri Trang Friends" application allowing 100-percent traceability of rubber sources. Additionally, the launch of "Traceable Natural Rubber (GPS)" enables direct tracing of produce back to its origins. These initiatives demonstrate the Company's full readiness to comply with the EUDR requirements from Europe, as well as from other regions in the near future for full traceability of the sources of natural rubber."We have been preparing in advance for some time for the exportation of EUDR rubber to countries in the European Union or their trading partners. Our operations place full emphasis on the policy that prioritizes environmental, society, and good corporate governance, together with our stance on conducting business sustainably and transparently, and in compliance with regional regulations. The Traceable Natural Rubber (GPS) will enhance the competitiveness of the Sri Trang Group of Companies while also elevating Thailand's standards on rubber production above those of other countries'. This initiative will also open up the opportunity to increase Thailand's trade advantage and leverage higher prices for Thailand-sourced rubber," Mr. Veerasith added.Released by Public Relations Dept., MT Multimedia Co., Ltd. for Sri Trang Agro-Industry PLCFor additional information, please contact: Wasana "Jeab" WongsiriTel: +66 84 359 0659, +66 2 612 2081 ext.131; E: wasana.w@mtmultimedia.comAbout Sri Trang Agro-Industry PCSri Trang Agro-Industry PCL (STA) was established in 1987. With determination and intention, STA has grown and become a fully integrated natural rubber company. For the upstream business, the Company invested in large-scale rubber plantations and currently has an area of 7,500 hectares for rubber and other economic crop plantations in 19 provinces of Thailand. As the world's largest fully integrated producer and distributor of natural rubber, STA is committed to growing in lockstep with the economic development of the local communities of Thailand.Sri Trang Agro-Industry PCL: www.sritranggroup.com/en/home [SET: STA][SGX: NC2][FRA: YTAA][OTCPK: SLJUY]Source: Sri Trang Agro-Industry PCLCopyright 2024 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. High accessibility & liquidity, considerable growth in global economic developments, and and surge in the number of strategic partnerships and acquisitions among key players are the key factors that drive the expansion of the forex brokers market. WILMINGTON, Del., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Forex Brokers Market by Counterparty (Reporting Dealers, Financial Institutions, and Non-financial Customers) and Type (Currency Swap, Outright Forward & FX Swaps, and FX Options): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2032". According to the report, the "forex brokers market" was valued at $5,233.47 billion in 2023, and is estimated to reach $13,038.5 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 10.9% from 2024 to 2032. Get a Sample Copy of this Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A323400 (We are providing report as per your research requirement, including the Latest Industry Insight's Evolution, Potential and COVID-19 Impact Analysis) 124 - Tables 46 - Charts 245 - Pages Prime determinants of growth High accessibility & liquidity and the considerable growth in global economic developments boost the expansion of the global forex market. In addition, the surge in the number of strategic partnerships and acquisitions among key players have positively influenced the growth of the market. However, privacy and data security concerns and regulatory compliance costs and complexity are expected to hamper market growth. On the contrary, the rising consumer awareness toward the numerous benefits of forex brokers, such as minimal trading costs, high liquidity and transactional transparency is expected to offer remunerative opportunities for the expansion of the market during the forecast period. Each of these factors is projected to have a definite impact on the growth of the global forex broker market. Report coverage & details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2024-2032 Base Year 2023 Market Size in 2023 $5,233.47 billion Market Size in 2032 $13,038.5 billion CAGR 10.9 % No. of Pages in Report 239 Segments covered Counterparty, Type, and Region. Drivers High accessibility and liquidity and the considerable growth in global economic developments The surge in the number of strategic partnerships and acquisitions among key players Opportunities The rise in consumer awareness toward the numerous benefits of forex brokers, such as minimal trading costs, high liquidity and transactional transparency Restraints Privacy and data security concerns Regulatory compliance costs and complexity Request Customization: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/A323400 The financial institutions segment maintained its leadership status throughout the forecast period. By counterparty, the reporting dealers segment held the highest market share in 2023, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the global forex brokers market revenue, owing to technological advancement and a rise in awareness among the people are projected to attract many new consumers, which boost the global market. However, the financial institutions segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 14.6% from 2023 to 2032, owing to the enhanced data reporting providing insights into market trends, leading to more informed decision-making. Technology advancements and the globalization of financial services have further encouraged participation. The currency swap segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period By type, the outright forward and FX swaps segment held the highest market share in 2023, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the global forex brokers market revenue. The outright forward and FX swaps segment is driven by the need for liquidity and risk management in international business. Companies engaging in multi-currency operations utilize currency swaps to mitigate risks associated with foreign currency fluctuations. However, the FX Options segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 10.5% from 2023 to 2032, due to the rise in the adoption of FZ swaps for hedging against currency risk and are driven by the need to manage and lock in future exchange rates. Asia-Pacific maintain its dominance by 2032 By region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for more than one-third of the global forex brokers market revenue due to several factors. The major factors that drive the growth of the market in this region are continual technological advancements in trading platforms and the availability of diverse financial products that cater to both institutional and individual investors. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 12.5% from 2023 to 2032 and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period, owing to rapid technological advancements, digitization of economies, positive government initiatives, and increased expendable income among the region's middle-income population are some of the key factors powering the overall economy's growth of the Asia-Pacific region. Leading Market Players: - Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC Holdings plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co., The Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS AG, Standard Chartered PLC, State Street Corporation, XTX Markets Limited The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the global forex brokers 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. Enquire Before Buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/A323400 Key Benefits for Stakeholders This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the global Forex brokers market analysis from 2024 to 2032 to identify the prevailing global forex brokers market opportunity. Market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities. Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders to make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network. In-depth analysis of the global Forex brokers market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities. Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global forex brokers market forecast. Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players and forex brokers market outlook. The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global Forex brokers market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies. ?????? ???????????????? ???????????? ???? ???????????????????? ?????????? @ https://bit.ly/3UNJDYU Forex Brokers Market Report Highlights Aspects Details By Counterparty Reporting Dealers Financial Institutions Non-financial Customers By Type Currency Swap Outright Forward and FX Swaps FX Options By Region North America (U.S., Canada) (U.S., Canada) Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific) Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) Middle East and Africa (Gcc Countries, South Africa, Rest of Middle East And Africa) Trending Reports in BFSI Industry (Book Now with 10% Discount + COVID-19 Scenario): Life Reinsurance Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Type, by Product Offering: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032 Cross-border Payments Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Channel, by Transaction Type, by Enterprise Size, by End User: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032 Gift Cards Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Card Type, by End User: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032 ATM Software Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Component, by Deployment Model, by Enterprise Size, by Type, by Application and by End User: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032 Forex Prepaid Cards Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Type, by End User: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032 Foreign Exchange Services Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Services, by Providers, by Application: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031 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. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa United States 1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware 19801 USA. Int'l: +1-503-894-6022 Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285 Fax: +1-800-792-5285 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/forex-brokers-market-to-reach-13-038-5-billion-globally-by-2032-at-10-9-cagr-allied-market-research-302148800.html 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. 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. 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. 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: Saudi Arabia). 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. 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. 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). 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. 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 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: [email protected] +1 (877) 215-5230 Media Contact: [email protected] +1 (877) 215-5230 Source: Globant 1 Represents Asia, Oceania and the Middle East. SOURCE Globant Normalised profit before tax for 1Q 2024: 1.9m, compared with 1.0m for 1Q 2023 Sales for 1Q 2024: 113.8m, down 8% from 1Q 2023 Net margin for 1Q 2024: 10.5m, up from 9.8m from 1Q 2023 Net profit for 1Q 2024: 0.1m compared with 2.2m loss for 1Q 2023 Basic earnings per share (EPS) for 1Q 2024 0.0025 cents per thousand shares compared to negative 0.0819 cents per thousand shares for 1Q 2023 Total assets of 272.4m at the end of March 2024 were 17.6m higher than at the beginning of the year. Equity ratio of 26.8% at the end of 1Q 2024, Normalised PBT Outlook range for 2024 is 5.0m - 7.0m Group sales of 113.8m in the first quarter were down 8% on the same period last year. Normalised profit before tax of 1.9m in the quarter was 0.9m up on 1Q 2023, a positive sign at the beginning of the year. Sales of the VA S-Europe division were 55.8m in the period, a decrease of 16% from last year. Normalised PBT for the Division is 2.1m, up 1.1m from 1Q 2023. Easter came in earlier this year, affecting sales in the month of March compared to a record sale in March of 2023 with easter in the beginning of April. Production volume of Argentinean shrimp was lower than expected due to strikes in Argentina during the quarter, while Ahumados Dominquez showed a 10% growth rate in sales compared to 1Q 2023. The VA N-Europe division sales were 13.0m, on par with 1Q 2023 13.1m sales. Higher than-expected salmon prices impacted sales volume in the quarter. These increases in salmon prices caused similar challenges as in the same period last year, as it takes time to push cost increases through to customers. Loss before tax in the period was 0.1m compared to a loss before tax of 0.2m at the same time last year. Based on current forward prices, salmon peaked in April this year and will remain high during the month of May, with prices expected to come down in June and remain stable throughout the rest of the year. The S&D division had a good start to the year and was in line with 1Q 2023, with sales and profitability on par with the previous year. Good pelagic products and FAS sales drove strong IS Iceland sales at the beginning of the year despite the absence of the Capelin season. Based on 1Q results and current trading, the Normalised PBT Outlook range for 2024 is maintained at 5.0m-7.0m. The outlook for our main species is that Cod prices will remain high until fall, while Salmon prices will come down in 2Q and remain stable throughout the year. There are signs indicating a more balanced external environment. We expect all divisions to perform according to budget and do not foresee huge changes in the Seafood sector in the coming months. gir Pall Fribertsson, CEO gir Pall Fribertsson, CEO: "The first quarter of 2024 is more in line with what we have previously seen as normal conditions in the white fish markets. The start of the year in white fish gives a positive sign for the rest of the year. However, salmon prices were higher in the first quarter than forecasts had assumed, and therefore, there was a loss in salmon activity as it was in 1Q the two previous years. If the forecasts for salmon prices are met, prices should decrease in the third quarter. After a difficult 2023 due to the burden of our UK operation and challenging external environment, this is a welcome sign in markets for white fish, a step in the right direction we at Iceland Seafood will build on and keep in mind that economic forecasts indicate, the economic environment of the company's main trading countries is still and will remain uncertain. Our focus in the short term has been to improve the operation of existing business units and the company's capital structure and review the company's strategy. We know we have great potential to grow and make more of our company network, solid sales and sourcing network, and a highly skilled team of seafood professionals. The objective is to strengthen Iceland Seafood further to meet its future challenges and opportunities, which I believe will benefit the company, owners, and staff." Electronic investor meeting Today at 4.30 pm GMT, Iceland Seafood will host a meeting for investors and market participants, where management will present and discuss the 1Q 2024 results. The meeting will be held at the company's premises at Kollunarklettsvegur 2, 104 Reykjavik. The meeting will also be webcast live in Icelandic on https://vimeo.com/event/4300742/embed/52802e8842/interaction, and a recording will be available after the meeting on www.icelandseafood.com/investors Participants in the meeting can send questions in writing prior to and during the meeting to the email investors@icelandseafood.com. Disclaimer This announcement is furnished and intended for European market participants and should be viewed in that light. Any potential forward-looking statements contained in this announcement reflect the management's current views on future events and performance; whilst those views are based on positions that management believes are reasonable, there is no assurance that the stated events and views will be realised. Forward-looking views naturally involve uncertainties and risks, and consequently, actual results may differ from the statements or views expressed. For more information: Iceland Seafood International hf. http://www.icelandseafood.com/Investors gir Pall Fribertsson, apf@icelandseafood.com CHICAGO, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Industrial Lubricants Market by Base Oil (Mineral Oil, Synthetic Oil, Bio-based Oil), Product Type (Hydraulic Fluid, Metalworking Fluid, Grease), End-use Industry (Construction, Power Generation, Food Processing), Region - Global Forecast to 2029", size was USD 63.9 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 74.3 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 3.1%, between 2024 and 2029. The market is projected to grow because of growing demand for processed foods, mounting demand from construction, agriculture, mining and marine industries and growing automation in end-use industries. These industrial lubricants play a crucial role in various applications in various end-use industries such as construction, power generation and others. In addition, due to the increasing population, increasing demand for renewable energy, technological advancements and changing consumer preferences the demand for industrial lubricants can increase due to various applications. Browse in-depth TOC on "Industrial Lubricants Market" 388 - Tables 59 - Figures 343 - Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=84594070 Metalworking fluid product type are projected to register the third-highest CAGR, in terms of value, of the global industrial lubricants market during the forecast period. The metalworking fluids market is set to grow significantly during the forecast period. This growth is driven by increased manufacturing activities worldwide, advancements in technology, and a higher demand for precision in metalworking. Also, environmental regulations and a push for more efficient production processes are also encouraging the use of advanced, eco-friendly metalworking fluids. Manufacturing sectors like automotive and aerospace, which heavily depend on these fluids, are expanding, further boosting demand. Additionally, the trend towards customized solutions for specific manufacturing needs is supporting market growth. In essence, a combination of technological innovation, regulatory compliance, and sector-specific demands is propelling the metalworking fluids market forward. Synthetic oil is estimated to be the second-largest base oil type of industrial lubricants market, in terms of value, during the forecast period. Synthetic oil based lubricants are the second-largest base oil type in the industrial lubricants market because they perform better than traditional mineral oils, especially under extreme conditions. They last longer, work efficiently at both high and low temperatures, and offer better protection for machinery. Although they cost more upfront, their ability to extend service intervals and reduce wear on expensive equipment makes them a cost-effective choice for businesses in the automotive, aerospace, and industrial sectors. This blend of high performance and long-term savings drives their popularity and widespread use. Consequently, the synthetic oil based lubricants stands composed for sustained growth, driven by the imperative for complete solutions that address these multifaceted challenges while prioritizing natural and sustainable lubricants. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=84594070 Europe is estimated to be the second-largest market for the lubricants market, in terms of value, during the forecast period. Europe holds the position as the second-largest consumer region for industrial lubricants, largely due to its robust industrial sectors. The region boasts a significant manufacturing base, including automotive, aerospace, and machinery industries, all of which require high-quality lubricants to ensure smooth operation and longevity of equipment. Additionally, Europe's strong emphasis on environmental sustainability and high standards for energy efficiency have led to an increased demand for advanced, eco-friendly lubricants. Request Customization: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=84594070 Market Players The key players profiled in the industrial lubricants market report include Shell plc (UK), Exxon Mobil Corporation (US), BP p.l.c. (UK), Chevron Corporation (US), TotalEnergies SE (France), PetroChina Company Limited (China), ENEOS Holdings, Inc. (Japan), China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (China), Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Japan), and others. Browse Adjacent Market: Bulk Chemicals and Inorganics Market Research Reports Related Reports: Synthetic Lubricants Market - Global Forecast to 2028 Construction Lubricants Market - Global Forecast to 2027 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's best management consulting firms by Forbes, as per their recent report. 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. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/industrial-lubricants-market.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/industrial-lubricants.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1951202/4609423/MarketsandMarkets.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/industrial-lubricants-market-worth-74-3-billion-by-2029--exclusive-report-by-marketsandmarkets-302148764.html KK Invest, DBC Invest and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners have entered into an agreement regarding the acquisition of the majority of the shares in Sindal Biogas. The ambition is to build a flagship plant for bioenergy in Denmark and thereby contributing positively to the green transition in Hjrring Municipality and Denmark. COPENHAGEN, Denmark and HJRRING, Denmark, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) and the plant's current owners will invest in the ongoing expansion of the sustainable bioenergy sector in Hjrring in Northern Jutland, Denmark. The current owners include a local investment company with roots in agriculture, KK Invest (owned by the Glenthj Kirketerp family), and DBC Invest (a sister company to Danish Bio Commodities). The purpose is to jointly develop, expand and operate the existing biogas plant as a continued hub for sustainable bioenergy in Northern Jutland. CIP's investment is made through its CI Advanced Bioenergy Fund I (CI ABF I), whose investors include several of the largest Danish pension funds. The investment into Sindal Biogas is well aligned with the investment strategy of CI ABF I, as Sindal utilises industrial and agricultural waste to produce green gas, thereby helping to solve multiple environmental challenges. "At Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, we look forward to working with the existing owners of Sindal Biogas to develop and operate what is intended to be one of Denmark's largest biogas plants. We see great potential in the conversion of sustainable biomass into green gas and green fuels, which play a crucial role in the green transition. The acquisition of the majority of the shares in Sindal Biogas represents an important step for our fund and portfolio of biogas projects. We look forward to further developing and finalising the plant with our partners so that we and the local community can create new jobs and contribute to the green transition," says Thomas Dalsgaard, Partner at CIP. Sindal Biogas was founded in 2017 and has been expanded several times since. Currently, the plant is being expanded to process 500,000 tonnes of biomass annually with an intended production of upgraded biogas for the gas grid of up to 34 million cubic metres. In addition, the plant will produce biogenic CO 2 , which will be captured, stored and/or used in the green transition. As a result of the planned new triple-digit million investments, it is expected that the plant's production of upgraded biogas can displace up to 50,000 tonnes of fossil CO 2 per year. The new investments into the plant will create growth and jobs in the local area, which continues to be an essential partner for the future development of the plant. "Biogas is developing rapidly. Sindal Biogas will need major investments in coming years to utilise the technological opportunities and increase CO 2 displacement. This requires long-term, risk-taking capital with regulatory insight into the green transition. In CIP, we have found a solid partner who shares our vision. It has also been crucial for us that CIP is backed by pension funds, which means that many citizens in the region will indirectly become co-owners of a local part of the green transition and join us on a continued journey of growth. We are proud of what our talented employees have created, and therefore, equally proud to have CIP on board to ensure continued growth with local commitment," says Morten Glenthj, KK Invest. CIP has a fundamental belief that bioenergy projects must be anchored locally. Therefore, it has been crucial that the current owners continue in the project so that the relationship with the local community and local ownership is maintained. The partnership with the existing owners also represents the first step in the joint further development of large-scale biogas projects. "DBC has been co-owners of Sindal Biogas for almost four years, and we have been happy to be part of the growth and development of the biogas plant together with Karen Kirketerp and Morten Glenthj and the plant's daily management team. The biogas plant has a lot of very capital-intensive development opportunities ahead, and it has therefore been natural for DBC to reduce our ownership share. We see CIP as the obvious partner for the future journey," says Rune Ledgaard Srensen, CEO at DBC Invest. About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners P/S (CIP) today is the world's largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X. CIP manages 12 funds and has to date raised approximately EUR 28 billion for investments in energy and associated infrastructure from more than 160 international institutional investors. CIP has approximately 500 employees and 12 offices around the world. For more information, visit www.cip.com About KK Invest KK Invest is owned by the Glenthj Kirketerp family. Among other things, they run the agricultural company K/AGRO, from which Sindal Biogas originates. KK Invest also develops and invests in energy projects. About DBC Danish Bio Commodities (DBC) handles the sale of the bio natural gas certificates that biogas plants are awarded on the basis of gas production, and wants - in close collaboration with the biogas producers - to help create a transparent, sustainable and long-term market for trading bio natural gas certificates. The sister company, DBC Invest, invests in biogas plants and advises them on technology, development, biology and biomass procurement. DBC Invest has so far invested in 8 biogas plants that are in production and has co-ownership in three projects under development. The DBC companies are owned by Vestjyllands Andel, Jysk Energi, Hedeselskabet and Langfristet ErhvervsFinansiering (LEF). For more information, contact: Email: media@cip.com Oliver Routhe Skov, Head of Media Relations Phone: +45 30541227 Email: orsk@cip.com Thomas Knig, Partner - Investor Relations Phone: +45 7070 5151 Email: tkon@cip.com VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX: CXB; OTCQX: CXBMF) (the "Company" or "Calibre") announces that Mr. Douglas Hurst and Mr. Raymond Threlkeld will not stand for re-election to the Company's board of directors (the "Board") during the June 12, 2024 annual general meeting (the "Meeting"). Mr. Hurst has served on the Board since 2016 as a member of the Audit and the Governance Committees. Mr. Threlkeld has served on the Board since 2018 and was a member of the Compensation, Governance and Safety, Health, Environment, Sustainability and Technical Committees. Calibre is pleased to announce that Ms. Omaya Elguindi will be nominated for election at the Meeting as a new member of the Board. The Company also announces the resignation of Mr. David Splett, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective July 31, 2024. New Board Nominee, Ms. Omaya Elguindi The Company is pleased to announce that the Board has recommended that Ms. Omaya Elguindi be elected as an independent director of the Company. Her nomination for election to the Board will be voted on by shareholders at the Meeting. Omaya has been a member of the North American technology business sector for over 20 years. She has been a founder, senior executive, and director of numerous innovative companies that went on to be successfully acquired. Omaya continues to advise investors on tech opportunities and is currently the co-founder, President and CEO of Ekaria LLP, a company that manages the retail rewards program for American Express USA. Blayne Johnson, Chairman of Calibre stated: "On behalf of the board of directors of Calibre Mining, I express our sincere gratitude to Douglas Hurst and Raymond Threlkeld for their dedicated years of service on the Board. Their invaluable experience, insightful contributions, and steadfast commitment have been pivotal to Calibre's success. We wish them continued success in all their future endeavours. We will miss you both. I am pleased to support the nomination for election of Omaya Elguindi to the Calibre Mining Board of Directors. Having known Omaya for over two decades, I am confident in her ability to bring fresh perspectives and substantial value to our company. Omaya possesses a wealth of experience in the technology sector, having contributed to numerous successful tech startups that have delivered significant shareholder value. We eagerly anticipate Omaya's expert advice and guidance, especially as we navigate a landscape brimming with emerging technologies that promise to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations and allow us to find new ways to unlock shareholder value. Upon election at the Meeting, we will formally provide a warm welcome to Omaya to the Calibre board." Darren Hall, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calibre, stated: "On behalf of the entire executive team I'd like to thank David Splett for his leadership and dedication to the success of the Company over the last two and half years and I wish him all the best in his future. Korn Ferry has been retained to conduct a Chief Financial Officer replacement search, and David will continue his role and assist in the transition through the end of July." About Calibre Calibre is a Canadian-listed, Americas focused, growing mid-tier gold producer with a strong pipeline of development and exploration opportunities across Newfoundland & Labrador in Canada, Nevada and Washington in the USA, and Nicaragua. Calibre is focused on delivering sustainable value for shareholders, local communities and all stakeholders through responsible operations and a disciplined approach to growth. With a strong balance sheet, a proven management team, strong operating cash flow, accretive development projects and district-scale exploration opportunities Calibre will unlock significant value. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "Darren Hall" Darren Hall, President & Chief Executive Officer For further information, please contact: Ryan King SVP Corporate Development & IR T: 604.628.1012 E: calibre@calibremining.com W: www.calibremining.com (http://www.calibremining.com) Calibre's head office is located at Suite 1560, 200 Burrard St., Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 3L6. X (https://twitter.com/CalibreMiningCo) / Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CalibreMining) / LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/calibre-mining-corp-cxb-/?originalSubdomain=ca) / YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@calibreminingcorp) The Toronto Stock Exchange has neither reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, concluded its sessions on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Jeddah. Hosted by the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science, the Council decided to include a permanent agenda item on the educational, cultural, and scientific conditions in countries affected by conflicts, crises, disasters, and emergencies for its upcoming meetings. It called on the general administration of the organization to communicate and coordinate with countries experiencing educational, cultural, and scientific crises due to conflicts, disasters, and emergencies. In its meeting, chaired by Saudi Arabia's representative, Mr. Hani bin Muqbil Al-Muqbil, with the participation of representatives from Arab member states of ALECSO's council, the Executive Council urged the organization's general administration and member states to adopt the issuance of unified periodic Arab reports on Israeli violations in the fields of education, culture, and science in Jerusalem. It also highlighted systematic practices against Islamic and Christian religious and historical heritage sites in the city. While reaffirming its rejection of all attempts at forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, the council called on international, legal, and specialized organizations and institutions to take necessary actions to stop Israeli aggression. The council also urged the general administration of the organization to continue adjusting programs and projects provided to Palestine to align with the urgent needs and national priorities of Palestinian educational, cultural, and scientific sectors in light of the current situation, and to provide emergency support programs for Palestinian students. Based on a proposal from Libya, the Executive Council called for developing a response plan for the educational, cultural, and scientific conditions of affected member states during conflicts, crises, disasters, and emergencies to identify their needs and damages. Additionally, it proposed allocating a budget item for conflicts, crises, disasters, and emergencies, and mobilizing resources with partners and donors to implement activities and programs in the affected countries to meet their urgent needs. The Executive Council praised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's initiative to launch the ALECSO Business and Partnerships Forum, which was held in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, in January 2024. The council thanked the high committee chaired by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with membership from nine countries: (The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Republic of Tunisia, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Palestine, the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Kingdom of Morocco). The council also commended the role of the general administration in preparing for the forum, expressing gratitude to the institutions that signed partnership agreements at the forum. During the meeting, Arab member states in ALECSO's Executive Council commended the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science's initiative for the Arab Week event at UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). They thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for proposing the initiative and called on the Executive Council, Arab states, and ALECSO to support the initiative and participate in the Arab Week event at UNESCO. The initiative aims to celebrate and highlight the cultural and civilizational richness and diversity of the Arab world, enhance intercultural dialogue, and contribute to achieving sustainable development goals in Arab countries. The draft resolution included a proposal to include the initiative on the agenda of ALECSO's General Conference. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2415247/ALECSO1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2415248/ALECSO2.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-executive-council-of-alecso-approves-measures-to-address-educational-and-cultural-situations-in-arab-countries-affected-by-conflicts-crises-and-disasters-302148852.html The Goldsource Board unanimously recommends that Securityholders vote FOR the Arrangement Resolution (as set out in the Circular) to Approve the Arrangement with Mako Mining Corp. Securityholders are encouraged to read the Special Meeting materials and vote well in advance of the proxy deadline of 10:00 a.m. (Pacific time) on June 12, 2024. Securityholders who have questions or need assistance with voting their securities should contact Goldsource's proxy solicitation agent and shareholder communications advisor Laurel Hill Advisory Group by telephone at 1-877-452-7184 or by email at assistance@laurelhill.com. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Goldsource Mines Inc. (TSXV: GXS) (OTCQX: GXSFF) (FSE: G5MA) ("Goldsource" or the "Company") announced today that it has filed and mailed the management information circular (the "Circular") and related materials for the special meeting (the "Special Meeting") of shareholders and optionholders of the Company (the "Securityholders") to be held on Friday, June 14, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver Time) at 501-570 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6C 3P1. The materials will be available on Goldsource's website at goldsourcemines.com/investors/sm/ as well as under Goldsource's profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca). The Arrangement On March 25, 2024, Goldsource entered into an arrangement agreement with Mako Mining Corp. ("Mako"), pursuant to which, subject to approval of the Securityholders and the terms and conditions of the arrangement agreement, Mako will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Goldsource (the "Goldsource Shares") by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Arrangement"). Pursuant to the Arrangement, Mako will acquire the Goldsource Shares on the basis of 0.22 of a common share of Mako in exchange for each Goldsource Share held at the effective time of the Arrangement (other than with respect to any Goldsource shareholders exercising dissent rights) (the "Consideration"). Securityholders can vote in advance of the proxy deadline by internet, telephone or mail, in accordance with the voting instructions provided on their form of proxy or voting instruction form. Alternatively, registered securityholders, and beneficial securityholders that have appointed themselves as proxyholders, may also vote in person at the Special Meeting. Goldsource Board Recommendation The board of directors of Goldsource (the "Goldsource Board"), after receiving legal and financial advice in evaluating the Arrangement, has unanimously determined that the Arrangement is fair to Securityholders and is in the best interests of Goldsource. The Goldsource Board unanimously recommends that Securityholders vote FOR the Arrangement Resolution at the Special Meeting. Securityholders are encouraged to read the Circular and vote your securities as soon as possible. The deadline for voting your securities is at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Reasons for the Recommendations of the Goldsource Board Participation by Goldsource Securityholders in Future Growth. Creation of a Growth-Focused Gold Producer with Direct Exposure to Robust Cash Flows Derived from Mako's High Grade and Low-Cost San Albino Gold Mine. Significant Upfront Premium to Goldsource Securityholders. Significant Combined Mineral Endowment with District-scale Exploration Potential. Management Strength and Integration, Leveraging Mako's Proven Engineering and Construction Team to Significantly Accelerate the Development of the Eagle Mountain Gold Project. Enhanced Capital Markets Profile with a Larger Market Capitalization, Transition to Gold Producer from Gold Explorer and Financial Support of Institutional Shareholder Base. High Value Proposition for Goldsource and its Stakeholders with reference to Strategic Alternatives. Detailed Review and Comprehensive Arm's Length Negotiations. Receipt of Fairness Opinion from SCP Resource Finance LP. Securityholder Questions and Assistance Goldsource Securityholders who have any questions or require assistance with voting may contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group, Goldsource's proxy solicitation agent: Laurel Hill Advisory Group Toll Free: 1-877-452-7184 (for securityholders in North America) International: +1 416-304-0211 (for securityholders outside Canada and the US) By Email: assistance@laurelhill.com ABOUT GOLDSOURCE MINES INC. Goldsource Mines Inc. (www.goldsourcemines.com) is a Canadian exploration company focused on the 100%-owned Eagle Mountain gold project in Guyana, South America. The Company is led by an experienced management team, proven in making precious metals exploration discoveries and executing on phased project development in the Americas. Steve Parsons Chief Executive Officer Goldsource Mines Inc. For Further Information: Goldsource Mines Inc. Contact: Steve Parsons, Chief Executive Officer Telephone: +1 (604) 694-1760 Fax: +1 (604) 357-1313 Toll Free: 1-866-691-1760 (Canada & USA) Email: info@goldsourcemines.com Website: www.goldsourcemines.com 570 Granville Street, Suite 501 Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3P1 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 Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information in this news release includes: expected timing of the Special Meeting and completion of the Arrangement; receipt of court approval; approval of the Arrangement by Securityholders at the Special Meeting; expectations regarding the potential benefits and synergies of the Arrangement and the ability of the combined company to successfully achieve business objectives, including integrating the companies or the effects of unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; expectations regarding mineral resources and future production; expectations regarding financial strength, free cash flow generation, trading liquidity, and capital markets profile; expectations regarding future exploration and development, growth potential for Mako's and Goldsource's operations; and the management's assessments of, and expectations for, future business activities and operating performance. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, intentions, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including information in this news release regarding the Arrangement, contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding possible future events or circumstances. The forward-looking information included in this news release is based on management's opinions, estimates and assumptions in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, management's assumptions regarding the Arrangement (including, but not limited to, Goldsource's ability to close the Arrangement on the terms contemplated, and to derive the anticipated benefits therefrom), as well as other factors that management currently believes are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is also based upon a number of assumptions, including the Goldsource's ability to obtain the required securityholder, court and regulatory approvals in a timely matter, if at all; its ability to satisfy the terms and conditions precedent of the Arrangement Agreement in order to consummate the Arrangement; assumptions in respect of current and future market conditions and the execution of Goldsource's and Mako's business strategies, that operations in Mako's and Goldsource's properties will continue without interruption, and the absence of any other factors that could cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated, intended or implied. Despite a careful process to prepare and review the forward-looking information, there can be no assurance that the underlying opinions, estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Forward-looking information is also subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, failure to receive the required securityholder, court, regulatory and other approvals necessary to effect the Arrangement; the potential for a third party to make a superior proposal; that Mako and its shareholders will not realize the anticipated benefits following the completion of the Arrangement; that the Special Meeting will not occur at the anticipated timeframe; and those risks as further set forth in the Circular and filed on the SEDAR+ website at www.sedarplus.ca. Although Goldsource has attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other risk factors not presently known to it or that it presently believes are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date made. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents Goldsource's expectations as of the date of this news release and is subject to change after such date. Goldsource disclaims any intention or obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209600 SOURCE: Goldsource Mines Inc. Marti Technologies, Inc. ("Marti" or the "Company") (NYSE American: MRT), Turkiye's leading mobility super app, today announced that it has appointed Oguz Erkan as its new Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"), effective May 17, 2024. Oguz Erkan replaces the Company's former CFO, Cem Yasar Ozey. "We welcome Oguz Erkan as Marti's new CFO. Oguz is an experienced finance executive, having led the finance departments of the Turkish subsidiaries of US publicly listed companies. He brings his knowledge of managing the finances of companies at scale, at a period when Marti is focused on scaling its business by introducing new services and growing its existing services. Oguz has a track record of dedication to completing multi-year operational improvement and shareholder value creation projects that we believe will benefit the Company," said Oguz Alper Oktem, Marti's CEO. "We thank Cem Yasar Ozey for his contributions to Marti during his tenure as CFO. He worked tirelessly for the Company during our first year as a US public company, building the foundations of our finance function that will serve us well in future years. We wish him success in his future endeavours." Mr. Ozey said, "I thank the Marti team for the opportunity to work together, and enabling me to contribute to building the Company's finance function in its first year as a public company. I am confident in the abilities of our finance department to continue contributing towards fulfilling the future strategic objectives of the Company years into the future, led by the Company's new CFO, Oguz Erkan." Oguz Erkan has an extensive 22-year career holding prominent roles in finance, strategy, and project management across various industries. Preceding his appointment at Marti, he served as the Country CFO of GlaxoSmithKline ("GSK") Turkiye, a global biopharmaceutical corporation, since July 2019. Prior to that time, Mr. Erkan held the position of Country CFO at GSK Consumer Healthcare Turkiye (now Haleon) from March 2017 to July 2019, and served as the Regional Supply Chain Finance Director at GSK MEA&CIS&Russia from April 2015 to March 2017. Between June 2006 and April 2015, he held various other positions at GSK with increasing responsibilities such as Pricing, SAP Implementation and CEO of the Strategy Group in global headquarters. From August 2002 until June 2006, he had various finance roles in Arcelik-Beko, a global home appliances corporation. Known for his adept leadership in managing diverse teams across international boundaries and navigating complex organizational structures, Mr. Erkan possesses a comprehensive understanding of finance across multiple sectors. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Koc University and an Executive MBA also from Koc University. About Marti: Founded in 2018, Marti is Turkiye's leading mobility app, offering multiple transportation services to its riders. Marti operates a ride-hailing service that matches riders with car, motorcycle, and taxi drivers, and operates a large fleet of rental e-mopeds, e-bikes, and e-scooters. All of Marti's offerings are serviced by proprietary software systems and IoT infrastructure. For more information, visit www.marti.tech. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements related to the Chief Financial Officer Transition and the Company's expectation with respect to future performance and the timing of occurrence related to any of the foregoing. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including the risks discussed in the Company's filings with the SEC, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F. Marti undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of future events, new information or otherwise, except as required by law. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240517191405/en/ Contacts: Investor Contact Marti Technologies, Inc. Turgut Yilmaz Investor.relations@marti.tech PHOENIX, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - 4Front Ventures Corp. (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQX: FFNTF) ("4Front" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator and retailer, today announced its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. All financial information is presented in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. Q1 2024 Financial Highlights GAAP revenue from continuing operations of $18.8 million Adjusted EBITDA 1 of $2.5 million of $2.5 million $23 million senior secured debt converted to common equity by largest capital partner 1 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure. See "Note Regarding Non-GAAP Measures, Reconciliation, and Discussion." "We've had an encouraging start to the year, energized by the fresh dynamics introduced with my recent appointment as CEO," said Andrew Thut of 4Front Ventures. "In just a few weeks, we've seen tangible improvements in our financial health, evidenced by reduced operational costs and effective management of working capital." He added, "This quarter, we've made significant strides by converting a substantial portion of our debt into equity and continue to focus on strengthening our balance sheet and setting the stage for long-term profitability." "Looking ahead, 4Front is well-positioned for significant growth. The upcoming launch of our new cultivation and production facility in Matteson, Illinois, is expected to greatly enhance our supply capabilities by this summer. Alongside the expansion of our retail locations, these developments will drive growth and strengthen our market presence as we enter the second half of the year. Additionally, we are pleased to announce that we have completed the final inspection at our Norridge retail store location. We are currently submitting our final applications to the state and anticipate receiving our license as early as next week." Mr. Thut continued, "Yesterday, the DOJ proposed reclassifying cannabis as Schedule III, signaling a significant shift in federal cannabis policy. This change has profound legal and global implications, facilitates extensive medical research, and corrects historical injustices in cannabis-related law enforcement. It also alleviates the heavy tax burdens and lowers the operational barriers imposed on legally operating state businesses. This also marks the first time federal agencies officially recognize cannabis's medicinal benefits. We commend the President's commitment to cannabis reform, and his opposition to incarceration for cannabis-related offenses. " Mr. Thut concluded, "While we are encouraged by progress, there is still more work to be done, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to a strategic plan that builds long-term value. By investing in growth areas and refining our operational metrics throughout the year, our team remains energized and confident, and our deep understanding of the cannabis industry's complexities and opportunities positions us to capitalize on its ever-evolving dynamics." Strengthened Balance Sheet with $23 Million Debt Conversion into Equity: The Company converted $23 million of senior secured debt into common stock, reducing annual interest expense by approximately $3 million. Continuing Progress at Flagship Matteson, Illinois Facility: Rapidly approaching full operational status, this development marks a pivotal milestone in the Company's expansion efforts. The Company anticipates introducing plants to the facility in May, and scaling to full harvest capacity in August. The Company is set to increase the supply of high quality flower five-fold to power all its downstream product lines by this summer, alleviating supply constraints in Illinois and paving the way for future retail expansion. New Chief Executive Officer Appointed: Andrew Thut was named the new CEO by the Company's board of directors, effective January 8, 2024, succeeding Leo Gontmakher. Thut, who served as the Company's Chief Investment Officer since October 2014, brings extensive experience in financial management and a robust track record of business leadership. His previous role as Managing Director at BlackRock Advisors LLC, where he oversaw the BlackRock Small Cap Growth Fund, saw the fund achieve a ranking within the top five percent of all domestic small-cap growth funds. Launch of New Marquee Flower Brand, Mission Cannabis, in Illinois and Massachusetts: The Company launched Mission Cannabis, a brand that leverages advanced cultivation techniques and genetics to offer products with robust terpene profiles for superior taste and aroma. This launch follows more than five years of dedicated in-house strain development. Introduced Crystal Clear Blast to Massachusetts and Illinois Markets: This innovative vape product marks a significant advancement in the Company's commitment to providing top-quality cannabis consumption devices, offering precision control through a unique 'blast' button and consistent delivery via a high-flow atomizer. Retail Expansion Update: Construction of the new store in Norridge is complete, and the team is prepared for the opening. The store has completed the final inspection, and the team is now submitting the final requests to the state, anticipating imminent receipt of licensure. The store is poised for strong performance, boasting a prime location in a large market with an attractive demographic, limited competition, ample parking, and advantageous co-tenancy with other high-traffic retailers. Strengthened Management and Operations: The Company has implemented significant leadership enhancements as part of its strategic initiatives. Matt Stevens, previously the Head of Cultivation in Massachusetts, will now oversee the critical growth engine at the Matteson facility, leveraging his extensive experience from the NECC facility. Additionally, Nick Ursul has joined the team to lead Illinois wholesale operations, bringing over 14 years of senior sales leadership experience from Merck, along with a background in business development from a leading regional cannabis and hemp testing lab. Revenue was $18.8 million for Q1 2024, compared to $26.3 million in the corresponding quarter of the previous year and $21.0 for Q4 of 2023. In Massachusetts, revenue decreased from $9.3 million in Q4 of 2023 to $8.0 million, influenced by seasonal trends and lower flower yields and pricing. In Illinois, revenue slightly dipped from $8.7 million to $8.5 million, due to similar seasonal factors and market price adjustments. The company's adjusted EBITDA1 remained consistent at $2.5 million in Q1 of 2024, mirroring the previous quarter's performance. 1 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure. See "Note Regarding Non-GAAP Measures, Reconciliation, and Discussion." As of March 31, 2024, the Company had $2.9 million in cash and $66.1 million, with future debt maturities totaling $39.7 million. As of April 10, 2024, the Company had 912,923,993 Class A subordinate voting shares and 1,276,208 Class C multiple voting shares outstanding. The Company will host a conference call and webcast today, Friday May 17, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. ET to review its financial and operating results and provide an update on current business trends. Date: Friday, May 17, 2024 Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time Webcast: Register Dial-in: 1-888-664-6392 (North America Toll-Free) Investor Relations website. For assistance, please contact [email protected] . 4Front is a national, vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operator with operations in Illinois and Massachusetts and facilities in Washington. Since its founding in 2011, 4Front has built a strong reputation for its high standards and low-cost cultivation and production methodologies earned through a track record of success in facility design, cultivation, genetics, growing processes, manufacturing, purchasing, distribution, and retail. To date, 4Front has successfully brought to market more than 20 different cannabis brands and over 1,800 products, which are strategically distributed through its fully owned and operated Mission dispensaries and retail outlets in its core markets. As the Company continues to drive value for its shareholders, its team is applying its decade of expertise in the sector across the cannabis industry value chain and ecosystem. For more information, visit https://4frontventures.com/ . 4FRONT VENTURES CORP. Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited) (Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars except for share and per share data) March 31, 2024 December 31, 2023 ASSETS Current assets: Cash $2,889 $3,398 Accounts receivable, net 4,098 3,682 Other receivables 766 735 Current portion of lease receivables 4,035 3,990 Inventory 16,377 17,087 Prepaid expenses and other assets 3,186 3,324 Assets held for sale or disposal 1,580 1,696 Total current assets 32,931 33,912 Property, plant, and equipment, net 37,461 36,549 Lease receivables 3,444 3,963 Intangible assets, net 26,308 26,793 Goodwill 41,807 41,807 Right-of-use assets 117,626 118,511 Deposits 2,419 2,419 TOTAL ASSETS $261,996 $263,954 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' (DEFICIT) EQUITY LIABILITIES Current liabilities: Accounts payable $13,907 $11,415 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 8,594 9,014 Taxes payable 40,287 39,634 Derivative liability 6,345 4,550 Current portion of convertible notes 16,320 15,818 Current portion of lease liability 1,669 1,720 Current portion of notes payable and accrued interest 10,054 9,812 Current liabilities held for sale or disposal 12,009 12,037 Total current liabilities 109,185 104,000 Notes payable and accrued interest from related party 28,534 47,491 Long term notes payable 11,193 11,052 Long term accounts payable 1,548 977 Construction finance liability 16,000 16,000 Deferred tax liability 11,882 11,882 Lease liability 124,223 123,946 TOTAL LIABILITIES 302,565 315,348 SHAREHOLDERS' (DEFICIT) EQUITY Subordinate Voting Shares (no par value, unlimited shares authorized, 914,200,201 and 669,519,349 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively) 337,222 308,952 Additional paid-in capital 67,956 66,948 Accumulated Deficit (445,855) (427,402) Equity attributable to 4Front Ventures Corp. (40,677) (51,502) Non-controlling interest 108 108 TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT (40,569) (51,394) TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT $261,996 $263,954 4FRONT VENTURES CORP. Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited) (Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars except for share and per share data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 2023 REVENUE Revenue from sale of goods $16,933 $23,339 Real estate income 1,909 2,940 Total revenues 18,842 26,279 Cost of goods sold (11,268) (12,713) Gross profit 7,574 13,566 OPERATING EXPENSES Selling, general and administrative expenses 11,714 14,210 Depreciation and amortization 631 797 Total operating expenses 12,345 15,007 Income (loss) from continuing operations (4,771) (1,441) Other income (expense): Interest income 5 14 Interest expense (2,489) (3,164) Change in fair value of derivative liability 763 - Loss on disposal (5) - Loss on extinguishment of debt (11,752) - Loss on litigation settlement - (3) Other (99) (150) Total other expense, net (13,577) (3,303) Net income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes (18,348) (4,744) Income tax benefit (expense) - (3,066) Net loss from continuing operations (18,348) (7,810) Net loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes (105) (3,582) Net loss (18,453) (11,392) Net income attributable to non-controlling interest - 5 Net loss attributable to shareholders $(18,453) $(11,397) Basic and diluted loss per share - continuing operations $(0.02) $(0.01) Basic and diluted loss per share - discontinued operations $- $(0.01) Weighted average number of shares outstanding, basic and diluted 831,363,709 642,140,067 Note Regarding Non-GAAP Measures, Reconciliation, and Discussion In this press release, 4Front refers to certain non-GAAP financial measures, in addition to GAAP financial measures. 4Front uses these non-GAAP measures to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for financial and operational decision making, for planning and forecasting purposes, and to evaluate the Company's financial performance. As there are no standardized methods of calculating non-GAAP measures, our methods may differ from those used by others, and accordingly, the use of these measures may not be directly comparable to similarly titled measures used by others. Accordingly, non-GAAP measures 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 GAAP. 4Front uses the non-GAAP measure Adjusted EBITDA which, as defined by the Company, excludes from Net Loss: Interest income and expense, including interest expense related to leases; Current income tax expense; Non-cash depreciation and amortization expense, including amortization of leases; Non-cash equity-based compensation expense; Non-cash impairment charges, as the charges are not expected to be a recurring business activity; Non-cash changes in fair value of derivative liability and contingent consideration; and Loss on disposal of assets and lease terminations and/or losses on extinguishment of debt. Although Adjusted EBITDA is frequently used by investors and securities analysts in their evaluations of companies, Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and investors should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for, or more meaningful than, amounts determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The closest comparable GAAP measure to Adjusted EBITDA is Net Loss. A reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA follows. Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023: For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 2023 Net loss (GAAP) $(18,453) $(11,392) Less: Net loss from discontinued operations, net of taxes 105 3,582 Net loss from continuing operations (18,348) (7,810) Adjusted for: Interest income (5) (14) Interest expense (1) 6,745 7,361 Income tax expense - 3,066 Depreciation and amortization (2) 2,082 2,276 EBITDA (Loss) Income from Continuing Operations (Non-GAAP) $(9,526) $4,879 Share-based compensation (3) 1,008 1,020 Change in fair value of derivative liability (763) - Loss on extinguishment of debt 11,752 - Loss on disposal and lease termination 5 - Adjusted EBITDA (Loss) Income from Continuing Operations (Non- GAAP) $2,476 $5,899 (Amounts expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, unless otherwise stated) 1) For the current period, interest expense includes interest related to leases of $4.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024. Prior year amounts of $4.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 have been reclassified for consistency with the current year presentation. Non-cash interest expense related to leases was previously presented as a reconciling item from EBITDA from Continuing Operations (Non-GAAP) to Adjusted EBITDA from Continuing Operations (Non-GAAP). (2) For the current period, depreciation and amortization expense includes amortization related to leases of $0.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024. Prior year amounts of $0.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 have been reclassified for consistency with the current year presentation. Non-cash amortization expense related to leases was previously presented as a reconciling item from EBITDA from Continuing Operations (Non-GAAP) to Adjusted EBITDA from Continuing Operations (Non-GAAP). (3) Although share-based compensation is an important component of employee and executive compensation, determining the fair value of share-based compensation involves a high degree of judgment and as a result the Company excludes share-based compensation from Adjusted EBITDA because it believes that the expense recorded may bear little resemblance to the actual value realized upon future exercise or termination of any related share-based compensation award. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in 4Front's periodic filings with securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will, could, plan, estimate, expect, intend, may, potential, believe, should," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements related to future developments and the business and operations of 4Front, statements regarding when or if retail stores or cultivation and manufacturing facilities will open and be operational, the Company's ability to increase revenue and market share, and other statements regarding future developments of the business. Although 4Front has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that could cause results, performance, or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances, or results will materialize. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the results or events predicted in these forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. 4Front disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE 4Front Ventures Corp. 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! Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Barksdale Resources Corp. (TSXV: BRO) (OTCQX: BRKCF) ("Barksdale" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ("Ninth Circuit") has affirmed the decision by the United States District Court for the District of Arizona ("District Court") denying the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent drilling at the Company's Sunnyside Project in Arizona. Rick Trotman, President and CEO of Barksdale, comments, "The Ninth Circuit's decision is great news for our company and reaffirms the robust and comprehensive process that was undertaken while permitting our drilling programs at Sunnyside. Our legal team has done a stellar job and will continue defending against the plaintiffs' challenge to the Sunnyside Project in the district court. Based on the current court-approved timeline, briefing on cross motions for summary judgment will conclude by October and we hope for a final decision before the end of 2024." Background information on the legal proceedings can be reviewed in Barksdale's press releases of June 21, 2023, July 10, 2023, and September 6, 2023. Barksdale Resources Corp., a 2023 OTCQX BEST 50 Company, is a base metal exploration company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., that is focused on the acquisition, exploration and advancement of highly prospective base metal projects in North America. Barksdale is currently advancing the Sunnyside copper-zinc-lead-silver and San Antonio copper projects, both of which are in the Patagonia mining district of southern Arizona, as well as the San Javier copper-gold project in central Sonora, Mexico. ON BEHALF OF BARKSDALE RESOURCES CORP Rick Trotman President, CEO and Director Rick@barksdaleresources.com Terri Anne Welyki Vice President of Communications 778-238-2333 TerriAnne@barksdaleresources.com For more information please phone 778-558-7145, email info@barksdaleresources.com or visit www.BarksdaleResources.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT 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. Any statement that involves discussion with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always using phrases such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the conclusion of legal decisions and the results and timing thereof. These forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect the Company's current understanding of the legal matter disclosed herein. The assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Barksdale. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of Barksdale believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, Barksdale cannot assure its shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking information also involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others: risks related to the Company's ability to obtain a final favourable outcome with respect to the legal matter disclosed herein. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209610 SOURCE: Barksdale Resources Corp. Net Savings Link, Inc. (OTC PINK:NSAV), a cryptocurrency, blockchain and digital asset technology company, announced today that it has exceeded its annual target of 1 million new users on the NSAVx.com CEX exchange https://nsavx.com/. This remarkable achievement was reached within the first month of Q2 2024, propelled by a strategic partnership with MyAirDropAlert.com (MADA) https://www.myairdropalert.com/ . Growth Highlights: User Base Update: As of May 17, 2024, the NSAVx.com platform has registered 1,108,923 users. Revised Projections: Originally set at 1 million by year-end, the 2024 goal has now been ambitiously revised to 2.5 million users. Strategic Partnerships and Marketing Success: This surge in new user registrations is attributed to the effective joint marketing campaign with MyAirDropAlert.com, which has significantly amplified the platform's visibility and appeal within the digital asset community. NSAV released the following statement, "Surpassing 500,000 users earlier this week was a significant milestone, but reaching over 1 million users has set a new benchmark. This achievement not only puts NSAV on the radar of industry leaders but also highlights the effective execution and growing impact of our strategies. Our digital presence is expanding, casting a spotlight on our team's success." NSAV's vision is the establishment of a fully integrated technology company, which provides turnkey technological solutions to the cryptocurrency, blockchain and digital asset industries. Over time, the Company plans to provide a wide range of services such as software solutions, e-commerce, financial services, advisory services and information technology. For further information please contact NSAV at info@nsavholdinginc.com The NSAV Centralized Cryptocurrency Exchange (CEX) website can be accessed at https://nsavx.com/ The AirdropX.co website can be accessed at https://www.airdropx.co/ The NSAVx Token website can be accessed at https://www.nsavxtoken.com/nsavx-token The NSAVx Discord Server can be accessed at https://discord.com/invite/7Q2Vv5NmKd The NSAV Twitter account can be accessed at https://twitter.com/nsav_tech The NSAV corporate website can be accessed at http://nsavholdinginc.com This press release contains certain 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, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. Investors are cautioned that, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, the ability of Net Savings Link, Inc. to accomplish its stated plan of business. Net Savings Link, Inc. believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this press release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward- looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation by Net Savings Link, Inc. or any other person. Contact Net Savings Link, Inc. info@nsavholdinginc.com Media Contact Organization: Net Savings Link Inc Contact Person: James Tilton Website: https://www.nsavholdinginc.com Email: info@nsavholdinginc.com Contact Number: +17185698815 Address: 26 Grosvenor Street, Mayfair Address 2: W1K4QW City: London Country: United Kingdom SOURCE: Net Savings Link Inc View the original press release on accesswire.com TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / NEXGENRX INC. ("NexgenRx" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024, with revenue of $4,292,731, Net Income of $460,949 and EBITDA of $770,837. The Company achieved revenue of $4,292,731 in Q1 2024, an increase of $834,112 or 24.12%, compared to the first quarter of 2023. The growth is primarily due to the rise in new administration revenue resulting from the introduction of SaaS solutions to our customers in 2023, in addition to a significant sales pipeline converted into revenue. Q1 2024 also reflected an increase in both Net Income and EBITDA over the comparable period prior year. The Company achieved Net Income and EBITDA of $460,949 and $770,837 respectively, an increase of $266,022 in Net Income and $251,776 in EBITDA over Q1 2023. Cash position remained strong at $1,361,027, after cash dividend payouts of $385,656 to the common shareholders and series 1 preferred shareholders in January 2024. Ron Loucks, President and CEO, stated "I am pleased to announce our record first quarter earnings achieved as of March 31, 2024, through business growth and sales momentum. These first quarter results set the foundation for our performance throughout the year. 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of operations of NexgenRx. This significant milestone is particularly gratifying to me as the Company continues to expand its reach in the marketplace with new and innovative product solutions. As always, I would like to acknowledge our loyal shareholders, the Board of Directors for their dedication, advice and counsel; our hard-working staff and most importantly, the continuous support and trust of our customers, in their commitment to the NXG Group of Companies." About NexgenRx NexgenRx is Canada's only independent full-service Third-Party Administrator and Technology Solutions Provider, offering proprietary full front-end, eligibility, enrolment, hour bank and mobile access capabilities, together with state-of-the-art claims adjudication and full provider network coverage. These combined capabilities allow NexgenRx to provide Plan Sponsors, sophisticated administration and health benefit technology applications in a cost-effective SaaS (Software as a Service) Model. NexgenRx is committed to building partnerships with organizations looking to exceed the expectations of their clients and plan members and deliver superior administration and claims processing solutions at a competitive cost. More information on NexgenRx can be found at www.nexgenrx.com. Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Except for statements of historical 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. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The Company cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management 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 information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: uncertainty as to whether the Company's strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success for existing and new products and technologies; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of products and services; changes in technology and changes in laws and regulations; continued development and enhancement of the Company's proprietary software technology; cyber security risks and the other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's annual Management's Discussion and Analysis, as filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The Company undertakes no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in the Company's expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the release. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Ronald C. Loucks Kelly Ehler CPA, CA NexgenRx Inc. NexgenRx Inc. President and CEO Chief Financial Officer 416.695.3393 x801 416-695-3393x803 SOURCE: NexgenRx Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Hillcrest Energy Technologies (CSE: HEAT) (OTCQB: HLRTF) (FSE: 7HI), an innovative clean technology company specializing in power conversion technologies, is pleased to announce that it is finalizing development terms with a European energy storage services innovator ("ESS Innovator") for the delivery of 300kVA | 800V Hillcrest ZVS inverters. Hillcrest is actively working with the ESS Innovator to finalize a joint development agreement. The primary goal of the collaboration will be to customize a ZVS inverter prototype to meet the specific requirements of the ESS Innovator. Successful deployment of these prototypes is expected to pave the way for a commercial supply arrangement. Ari Berger, Chief Technology Officer at Hillcrest, highlights the advantages of the Company's ZVS technology. "Our technology provides exceptional efficiency and enhances power quality, especially in applications such as energy storage. In scenarios with frequent bidirectional charge and discharge cycles, the benefits of ZVS are magnified. Additionally, our ability to significantly reduce or potentially eliminate protective measures required to mitigate electromagnetic interference (EMI) can lead to substantial system cost savings." The ESS Innovator is focused on bringing the highest efficiency energy storage solutions to the market. With the rapid transition towards electrification, there's a burgeoning demand for energy storage solutions. The European energy storage market is forecasted to grow at a compounded annual growth rate exceeding 18% through 2029. According to Hillcrest CEO, Don Currie, "this project represents a significant milestone. It marks the initial implementation of our ZVS technology beyond electric vehicle (EV) traction inverters. By deploying this technology in stationary, grid-connected applications, we aim to demonstrate its broader value proposition across various power conversion uses. This move not only expands our market reach but also reinforces our leadership in the clean technology sector." Hillcrest and the ESS Innovator anticipate finalizing formal terms in the coming weeks. The Company will continue to provide updates as significant milestones are attained. Additional Shareholder Updates Hillcrest announces incentives to various executives, directors and consultants of the Company. The incentives will be paid through the issuance of common shares in the capital of the Company (the "Shares") at a deemed price of $0.25 per Share, resulting in the issuance of an aggregate of 7,297,025 Shares. The Company also announces the grant of 2,410,000 restricted share units of the Company ("RSUs") and 4,663,867 stock options of the Company ("Stock Options") to various executives, employees and consultants of the Company. The RSUs have a 3-year term and vest immediately. The Stock Options have an exercise price of $0.25, a 5-year term and are subject to vesting criteria. Correction of News Release on May 9, 2024 Hillcrest would also like to correct information relating to the close of the third drawdown of its previously announced Equity Drawdown Facility ("Equity Facility") on May 9, 2024. Pursuant to the terms of the Equity Facility, the Company issued the Investor 724,238 units of the Company ("Units") at a deemed price of $0.216 per Unit. The Company also issued the Investor 86,909 shares at a deemed price of $0.216 per Share in satisfaction of the drawdown fee payable in connection with the third drawdown. About Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd. Hillcrest Energy Technologies is a clean technology company focused on providing advanced power conversion technologies and digital control systems for next-generation powertrains and grid-connected renewable energy systems. From concept to commercialization, Hillcrest is investing in the development of energy solutions that will power a more sustainable and electrified future. Hillcrest is publicly traded on the CSE under the symbol "HEAT," on the OTCQB Venture Market as "HLRTF" and on the Frankfurt Exchange as "7HI". For more information, please visit: https://hillcrestenergy.tech/. CONTACT INFORMATION Investor Relations Don Currie info@hillcrestenergy.tech O: +1 604-609-0006 Toll-free: 1 855-609-0006 Or Walter Frank/Jennifer Belodeau IMS Investor Relations hillcrest@imsinvestorrelations.com O: +1 203-972-9200 Public Relations Jamie L. Hogue jhogue@hillcrestenergy.tech O: +1 602-793-9481 NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information Some of the statements contained in this news release are forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "expects," "intends," "is expected," "potential," "suggests" or variations of such words or phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "should," "would," "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. This forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this news release. The forward-looking information reflects our current expectations and assumptions and is subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. No assurance can be given that these assumptions will prove correct. Forward-looking statements and information are not historical facts and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond the Company's control. Investors are advised to consider the risk factors under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's MD&A for the year ended Dec. 31, 2023, available at https://www.sedarplus.ca/ for a discussion of the factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law. # # # To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209602 SOURCE: Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - NervGen Pharma Corp. (TSXV: NGEN) (OTCQX: NGENF), a clinical-stage biotech company dedicated to developing innovative solutions for the treatment of nervous system damage, announced today that Daniel Mikol, MD, Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, will be presenting two posters at the upcoming American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) 51st Annual Scientific Meeting being held on May 20-23, 2024, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. ASIA gathers researchers, clinicians, and other spinal cord injury (SCI) professionals to facilitate communication and collaboration between all disciplines and advance care, education and research to improve the lives of persons affected by SCI. On Monday, May 20, Dr. Mikol will present preclinical and clinical data supporting an association between improvements in motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and functional motor recovery after SCI, proposing that MEPs might be used as an efficacy biomarker in SCI proof-of-concept trials. On Tuesday, May 21, Dr. Mikol will provide an update on the baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of initial subjects randomized in the ongoing Phase 1b/2a clinical trial (NCT05965700) being conducted at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, which incorporates MEPs and other electrophysiological measures as biomarkers of efficacy. This trial is evaluating the efficacy of NVG-291 in subjects with chronic (1-10 years post-injury) and subacute (those with a more recent injury) SCI by using electrophysiological measures in addition to clinical assessments to monitor motor recovery. A single-center approach was chosen to decrease the variability of electrophysiological measurements, which is important as the change in MEP amplitude is the primary objective of this trial. "While electrophysiological measures such as MEPs have not been widely used in SCI trials to date, they are objective and quantitative biomarkers of motor connectivity that can be leveraged to monitor motor recovery in investigational trials. The results from our proof-of-concept trial with NVG-291 may provide further evidence of the rationale for using MEPs as an endpoint to evaluate the connectivity of motor pathways following treatment," said Dr. Mikol. "The detection of an efficacy signal on a surrogate biomarker such as MEP could provide evidence that NVG-291 can effect biological changes expected to predict efficacy on clinical outcomes." "Previous preclinical studies in SCI animal models have shown that NVG-291 can promote functional recovery, therefore, we are hopeful that the initial results of the Phase 1b/2a trial may demonstrate, for the first time, the potential for NVG-291 to enable repair of nervous system damage in individuals with SCI and will support the design of a Phase 2/3 trial," added Mike Kelly, NervGen's President & CEO. Details of the posters are as follows: Title : Electrophysiological Testing as a Surrogate Biomarker of Motor Recovery in Proof-of-Concept SCI Trials : Electrophysiological Testing as a Surrogate Biomarker of Motor Recovery in Proof-of-Concept SCI Trials Date: Precourse Session 2 on Monday, May 20 Title : A Phase 1b/2a Study of NVG-291 in Individuals with Subacute or Chronic Spinal Cord Injury - Clinical Trial Update : A Phase 1b/2a Study of NVG-291 in Individuals with Subacute or Chronic Spinal Cord Injury - Clinical Trial Update Date: Clinical Trial Updates on Tuesday, May 21 About the NVG-291 Phase 1b/2a Trial The double-blind, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept trial (NCT05965700) will evaluate the efficacy of NVG-291 in two separate cohorts of individuals with cervical spinal cord injury: chronic (1-10 years post-injury) and subacute (those with a more recent injury), given demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of both chronic and acute spinal cord injury. The trial is designed to evaluate efficacy of a fixed dose of NVG-291 using multiple clinical outcome measures as well as objective electrophysiological and MRI imaging measures and blood biomarkers that together will provide comprehensive information about the extent of recovery of function, with a focus on improvements in motor function. Specifically, the primary objective is to assess the change in corticospinal connectivity of defined upper and lower extremity muscle groups following treatment based on changes in motor evoked potential amplitudes. Secondary objectives are to evaluate changes in a number of clinical outcome assessments focusing on motor function, upper extremity dexterity and grasping and mobility, as well as changes in additional electrophysiological measurements. Each cohort will be evaluated independently as the data becomes available. The trial is being partially funded by a grant from Wings for Life, which is being provided in several milestone-based payments that will offset a portion of the direct costs of this clinical trial. About Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), is the global leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions - from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment. The organization expands and accelerates leadership in the field that began at RIC in 1953. The quality of its care has led to the designation of "No. 1 Rehabilitation Hospital in America" by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1991. Upon opening in 2017, the $550 million, 1.2-million-square-foot Shirley Ryan AbilityLab became the first-ever "translational" research hospital in which clinicians, scientists, innovators and technologists work together in the same space, surrounding patients, discovering new approaches and applying (or "translating") research real time. This unique model enables patients to have 24/7 access to the brightest minds, the latest research and the best opportunity for recovery. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information, go to www.sralab.org . About NVG-291 NervGen holds exclusive worldwide rights to NVG-291, a first-in-class therapeutic peptide targeting mechanisms that interfere with nervous system repair. NVG-291 is derived from the intracellular wedge domain of the receptor type protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma (protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma). NVG-291-R, a rodent analog of NVG-291, has been shown to promote nervous system repair and functional recovery in animal models of spinal cord injury (acute and chronic intervention), peripheral nerve injury, multiple sclerosis and stroke, through enhanced plasticity, axonal regeneration, and remyelination. NVG-291 has received Fast Track Designation from the FDA in spinal cord injury. About NervGen NervGen (TSXV: NGEN) (OTCQX: NGENF) is a clinical-stage biotech company dedicated to developing innovative treatments that enable the nervous system to repair itself following damage, whether due to injury or disease. NervGen's lead drug candidate, NVG-291, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial in the company's initial target indication, spinal cord injury. For more information, visit www.nervgen.com or follow NervGen on X, LinkedIn, and Facebook for the latest news on the company. Contacts Huitt Tracey, Corporate Communications htracey@nervgen.com 604.362.6209 Bill Adams, Chief Financial Officer info@nervgen.com 778.731.1711 David Schull or Ignacio Guerrero-Ros, Ph.D. Russo Partners david.schull@russopartnersllc.com ignacio.guerrero-ros@russopartnersllc.com 858.717.2310 646.942.5604 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements and information herein include, but are not limited to, the Company's current and future plans, expectations and intentions, results, levels of activity, performance, goals or achievements, or any other future events or developments constitute forward-looking statements, and the words "may", "will", "would", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "trend", "indication", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "likely" or "potential", or the negative or other variations of these words or other comparable words or phrases, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to: the presentation at the ASIA scientific meeting; the expected benefits of using MEPs in clinical trials; the timing of the clinical development of NVG-291; the objectives, study design, planned clinical endpoints, timing, expected rate of enrollment and data readout of our Phase 1b/2a clinical trial in individuals with spinal cord injury; our belief that the results of the Phase 1b/2a study design will support the design of a Phase 2/3 study; our initial target indication of spinal cord injury; the belief that targeting mechanisms that interfere with nervous system repair is a promising target for reducing the clinical effects of nervous system damage through multiple mechanisms; and the creation of innovative treatments of nervous system damage due to trauma or disease. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by the Company in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that we believe are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances. In making forward-looking statements, the Company has relied on various assumptions, including, but not limited to: the Company's ability to manage the effects of pandemics such as COVID-19; the accuracy of the Company's financial projections; the Company obtaining positive results in its clinical and other trials; the Company obtaining necessary regulatory approvals; and general business, market and economic conditions. Many factors could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements or future events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including without limitation, a lack of revenue, insufficient funding, the impact of pandemics such as the COVID-19, reliance upon key personnel, the uncertainty of the clinical development process, competition, and other factors set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Information Form, Prospectus Supplement, financial statements and Management Discussion and Analysis which can be found on SEDARplus.ca. All clinical development plans are subject to additional funding. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements made in this news release. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and we have no intention and undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209656 SOURCE: NervGen Pharma Corp. RIYADH, May 17, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - Gathering nationwide anticipation, Saudi Arabia's inaugural edition of Smart Data & AI Summit on 27 - 28 May 2024 in Riyadh is reserving a spot in every thought leader's calendar.Set to happen at one of KSA's most iconic venue, JW Marriott Hotel Riyadh, the summit is pacing to navigate the future of big data analytics and AI. At the heart of this summit there'll be discussions led by the most senior executives from Saudi Electricity Company, Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority, King Saud Medical City, Saudi Aramco, Ministry of Hajj & Umrah, Almarai, Saudi Pro League, Council of Health Insurance, MOMRAH and many others.Underscoring the significance of these technologies for the second-largest company in the world, Nayef Al-Otaibi (VP & Chief Digital Officer, Saudi Aramco), who also happens to be the summit's key speaker expressed, A.I. is touching every part of our company - from managing plants to improving logistics and calculating reserves. Big data is helping make more discoveries while enhanced reserves calculation is being made possible by combining advanced machine-learning with the data gathered by in-house experts. Aramco has recently developed its own large language model, called AramcoMETABRAIN, that is an industrial-grade large language model. AramcoMETABRAIN has grown to a ~250 billion parameters model, to make predictions, generate outputs and act as a foundational layer for our future generative AI applications.Among the 300+ attending Data Analytics & AI professionals, there will be heavy participation from CDOs, CIOs, Heads of IT, Data & Business Intelligence, Modelling & Mining, Analytics, Directors of AI, Machine Learning, Robotics, and a lot more.The summit will highlight the great strides taken by Vision 2030 alongside encouraging global cooperation and innovation. With participation hailing from diverse sectors, all united by a commitment to a data-driven future, Smart Data & AI Summit will establish the perfect precedent for the international organisations towards a global community underpinned by the latest technologies.From insightful keynotes to detailed discussions with technology gurus and policy influencers, the summit will cover key topics under data analytics & AI domains, including but not limited to 'Embarking on the Kingdom's Data Oasis', 'Bridging Prediction and Creation with Generative and Predictive AI', 'Leveraging the Power of Data Mesh to Maximize the Value Derived from Data', 'Augmented Analytics in Action', 'Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Marketing Analytics' and others.Post-confirming his participation for the summit, Dr. Faisal Alnasser, the CIO from Almarai, Saudi's leading dairy company, stated his exemplary vision behind participating at the platform, "As the Kingdom takes massive strides towards embracing the most advanced data-driven changes, Almarai, the nation's most loved brand, is actively striving to spearhead innovations and lead by example. By participating at Smart Data & AI Summit, I would like to encourage a culture of knowledge-based economy wherein Saudi organisations can reach the pinnacle of agility, growth, and success by harnessing the latest technologies."Organizer and CEO of Tradepass, Sudhir Ranjan Jena, expressed how the platform aims to change the country's dynamics around emerging technologies, "Smart Data & AI Summit will stand as a beacon of massive paradigm shifts and encourage global capital flows into the Kingdom's data-driven and AI streams. Considering the strong participation from technology behemoths, the platform will also help in shaping the global narrative on emerging technologies."For more information about the event, log on to: https://saudi.smartdataseries.com/About TradepassProviding access to the global emerging markets, Tradepass brings together people, products and solutions to power events for unparalleled business and networking opportunities. Being the most accredited event company, it helps organizations: enter new markets, grow sales pipeline, close prospects, raise capital and identify the right solution-providers.As a deal facilitator, Tradepass is always determined about exposing the most agile liquid growth markets, to enable all-round scalability and growth.Media contact:Shrinkhal SharadPR & Communication Leadshrinkhals@tradepassglobal.com+ (91) 80 6166 4401TradepassSource: TradepassCopyright 2024 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. The furniture market in the UAE is on the rise, projected to generate a revenue of AED 14 billion in 2024 DUBAI, UAE, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hive Furniture Show, the GCC's only dedicated event focusing on big-box retailers and wholesale traders, announces its fourth edition with 215 global exhibitors who will showcase their collections, spanning furniture pieces for offices, living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and outdoor furniture. The 2024 edition will return to Expo Centre Sharjah from 21 - 24 May. Showcasing exquisitely curated furniture from around the world, Hive Furniture Show will grant buyers from over 45 countries the opportunity to explore the latest furniture trends and network with manufacturers from across the globe under one roof. The show also introduces Hive Conclave for the first time, which hosts leading players in the furniture industry to shed light on the latest trends and highlight the furniture industry's insights in the region. Gautam Mulani, co-founder of Hive Furniture Show, said: "We look forward to host the new edition of Hive Furniture Show, and to be able to grow the exhibition each year to cater to the ever-growing needs of consumers across the region. The furniture market in the UAE is dynamic and experiencing growth as a result of higher incomes, population growth, and the UAE being a preferred destination by expats to work and live in." Manish Bhatia, co-founder of Hive Furniture Show, said: "The furniture market size in the UAE has been growing in the past years, and is expected to generate a AED 14 billion revenue in 2024 at an annual growth rate of 0.67% (CAGR 2024-2029). At Hive, we are geared up to accommodate consumers' needs by providing them with the most premium products and designs by top manufacturers from across the globe. We are confident that Hive Furniture Show will grow further over the coming years to cater to the growing regional demand for quality furniture." The furniture business in the UAE is one of the major businesses uplifted by the real estate sector. With the increased demand for residential properties, consumers are increasing their spending on home renovations, such as living rooms and kitchens, and are investing in higher-quality furniture products. With its impressive lineup of exhibitors and innovative additions like the Hive Conclave, this event promises to be an invaluable platform for industry players and furniture enthusiasts alike. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hive-furniture-show-announces-fourth-edition-hosts-215-global-exhibitors-302148921.html SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Thirdverse, Co., Ltd., a leading VR development studio and publisher, today announced its new Japan Publishing Support Services, tailored specifically for international VR game publishers aiming to enter the lucrative Japanese market. This service follows the recent triumph of "SOUL COVENANT," which topped the PlayStationVR2 store sales in Japan, demonstrating Thirdverse's unparalleled expertise in navigating the unique and challenging Japanese gaming landscape. Thirdverse's Japan Publishing Support Service offers a comprehensive suite of services to maximize the reach and impact of VR games in Japan: Community Management: Discord operations, user support, campaign planning, translation game updates, and live community broadcasts. Discord operations, user support, campaign planning, translation game updates, and live community broadcasts. Japan Media Management: Major social media platforms in Japanese, collaborates with key media, and creates impactful press releases and campaigns. Major social media platforms in Japanese, collaborates with key media, and creates impactful press releases and campaigns. Influencer Marketing: Top content creators to craft campaigns that resonate with Japanese audiences. Top content creators to craft campaigns that resonate with Japanese audiences. Online Advertising: Targeted social media advertising campaigns across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok, and collaborates with Japanese local game media. Targeted social media advertising campaigns across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok, and collaborates with Japanese local game media. Merchandising: Production and sale of character goods and exhibitions at major game expos. Production and sale of character goods and exhibitions at major game expos. IP Collaboration: Established relationships with major Japanese IPs for collaboration and licensing opportunities. Established relationships with major Japanese IPs for collaboration and licensing opportunities. PSVR2 Launch Support: Specialized support for PlayStationVR2 launches, including QA and store publishing. Specialized support for PlayStationVR2 launches, including QA and store publishing. Localization and Culturization: Comprehensive localization services, ensuring cultural and legal compliance, and securing talented Japanese voice actors for projects. Proven Track Record The launch of Thirdverse's Japan Publishing Support Service is backed by a proven track record of success, as demonstrated by the overwhelming popularity of "SOUL COVENANT" on the PlayStationVR2 platform in Japan and Asia markets. This initiative showcases Thirdverse's commitment to supporting foreign publishers in navigating Japan's complex but lucrative gaming market, fostering global connections, and enhancing cultural exchange through gaming. For more information, visit https://www.thirdverse.io/en/contact. About Thirdverse, Co., Ltd. Founded in 2020, Thirdverse, Co., Ltd. is a virtual reality game development, distribution and management company paving the path to the metaverse with two studios in Japan and the United States. Thirdverse is experienced in sword-fighting multiplayer VR games and has expanded into PvP shooting, narrative-driven VR games and VR Esports. The studio has launched two successful VR co-op sword-fighting games "SWORDS of GARGANTUA" and "ALTAIR BREAKER' for Meta Quest 2 and PCVR. In November 2023, Thirdverse launched multiplayer VR hero shooter "X8' developed by its U.S. studio. In November, we announced that both titles are joining the lineup for PlayStationVR2. Additionally, Thirdverse revealed in late 2023 that the core team of the Japanese favorite action RPG "SOUL SACRIFICE" had reunited with its studio to develop its spiritual successor "SOUL COVENANT" for VR. Thirdverse continues to drive a robust roadmap of VR titles and feature updates scheduled for release in 2024 and beyond. For more information, visit www.thirdverse.io. Thirdverse, Co., Ltd. Contact Information Kate Pietrelli PR Manager pr@thirdverse.io +1760-518-2633 SOURCE: Thirdverse View the original press release on newswire.com. Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Record Resources Inc. (TSXV: REC) reports that it has acquired more uranium properties northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Record Resources has entered into option agreements with two private exploration companies to explore for uranium on an additional 200 claims. The claims are contiguous or in close proximity to the company's 16,320 hectare (780-claim) Malborne block (see news release of April 8, 2024). "This is an acquisition of more highly prospective ground for uranium," said Record Resources CEO, Michael Judson. "We are further building on our land position in the area. The deals happen to be with some of the explorers with whom we are already working." The Black Sturgeon crustal fault system forms the western boundary of the company's claim package. "Our properties are located on a mineralized belt which runs parallel to the Black Sturgeon Fault system," said Judson. In an agreement with Optionor One, Record Resources acquired an option on the Church North property located to the southwest of the main Malborne block. The Church North property consists of 100 claims. Optionor One consists of prospecting groups 2758145 Ontario Inc and Robin Dunbar. In an agreement with Optionor Two, Record Resources acquired an option on the Ferguson Lake property consisting of 75 claims which are located on the north side of the Malborne claim block. Optionor Two are prospecting groups 2758145 Ontario Ltd, Peter Gehrels, and Allan Onchulenko. Also, in the same agreement with Optionor Two, the company acquired an option on the Church Northwest property (14 claims) and the "U" property (11 claims) both situated on the southwest side of the Malborne claim block. Terms of Agreement: The terms of the agreement for the Church North property (Optionor One) are the same as they are for the Ferguson Lake properties (Optionor Two). Record Resources can own 100 percent of each package of claims by paying to each Optionor separately $20,000 at closing on or before June 30, 2024 and by issuing a total of 300,000 common shares of the company. On the first anniversary of the closing and additional cash payment of $30,000 is due and on the second anniversary of closing a final cash payment of $50,000 is due. The Optionors will retain a 1.5% Royalty. Record Resources or its assigns shall have the right at any time to purchase from Optionors zero-point five percent (0.5%) Net Smelter Returns Production Royalty by way of a payment to the Optionor of the sum of $500,000.00. An additional zero-point five (0.5%) Net Smelter Returns Production Royalty can be purchased by Record Resources for $1 million. The final zero-point percent (0.5%) Net Smelter Returns Production Royalty can be purchased by Record Resources for $1.5 million. The shares to be issued as part of this agreement are valued at $0.05 per share. No finders fee was paid. This arms length agreement was signed on May 2, 2024. This transaction is expected to close on or before June 30 , 2024. Stock Option Plan The Board of Directors has granted a total of 6,500,000 stock options in accordance with its stock option plan. Options include 4,000,000 issued to directors, officers and insiders of the company exercisable at $0.05 for a period of five years. In addition, 2,500,000 options were issued to consultants of the company exercisable at $0.05 for a period of five years. All options were granted in accordance with and subject to the company's stock option plan, the applicable policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and are also subject to shareholder approval. Shares for Debt Transaction Additionally, Record Resources reports that it has agreed to settle an outstanding debt in the aggregate amount of $50,000 owing to a vendor through the issuance of 1,000,000 common shares of the company at a deemed price of $0.05 per common share. The debt was accrued pursuant to the acquisition of the Kenogami East gold property (see August 10, 2022 news release). All common shares will be subject to a four-month and one-day hold period. This debt settlement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. Qualified Person: Edward Procyshyn, P.Geo, a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. For more information please contact: Michael C. Judson, Chairman & CEO Record Resources Inc. T. +1-514-865-5496 Website: www.recordgoldcorp.com Cautionary Statements 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", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes", an 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 relate, among other things, to: approval of the Private Placement and obtaining a full revocation order. This forward-looking information reflects the Company's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to the Company and on assumptions the Company believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the market acceptance of the Private Placement; the ability of the Company to obtain a full revocation order and the receipt of all required approvals in connection with the foregoing. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; general capital market conditions and market price for securities; and the delay or failure to receive board, shareholder, court or regulatory approvals. 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. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. 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 does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. 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. The Units and the securities comprising the Units 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 news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of securities in the Unites States, or any other jurisdiction, in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209664 SOURCE: Record Resources Inc. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Trojan Gold Inc. (CSE: TGII) (the "Company" or "Trojan") is pleased to announce a private placement financing consisting of the sale of up to 10,000,000 units (the "Units") and 5,000,000 flow-through units (the "FT Units") in the capital of the Company at a price of CDN$0.05 per Unit and CDN$0.10 per FT Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of a minimum of CDN$350,000 and a maximum of CDN$1,000,000 (the "Offering"). Each Unit will consist of one common share (a "Common Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant, a "Unit Warrant"). Each Unit Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share in the capital of the Company for a price of CDN$0.08 for a period of 24 months from the date of the closing, subject to acceleration of the expiry date upon the occurrence of certain events. Each FT Unit will consist of one Common Share that will qualify as a "flow-through share" for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant, a "FT Warrant"). Each FT Warrant will the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share in the capital of the Company for a price of CDN$0.12 for a period of 24 months from the date of the closing. The Unit Warrants and FT Warrants are subject to acceleration of the 24 month expiry date in the event that the Common Shares have a closing price on the Canadian Securities Exchange of $0.20 or greater for a period of five consecutive trading days at any time after the closing of the Offering and upon the Company giving 30 days' notice of acceleration. The Units and FT Units will be offered for sale to purchasers resident in Canada (except Quebec) and/or other qualifying jurisdictions pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"). The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will not be subject to any statutory hold period in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. There is an offering document related to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at https://www.trojangold.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before subscribing for any securities issued in connection with the Offering. The proceeds from the FT Units sold pursuant to the Offering will be used by the Company to fulfill the cost requirements relating to the proposed exploration program of the Helmo South Property, as well as to conduct exploration at the Paulpic/Adair-Wascanna Properties and the Watershed Property. The proceeds from the Units sold pursuant to the Offering will be used for general working capital and may also be used to fund further exploration. About Trojan Gold Inc. Trojan is an active Ontario-based prospect generator junior exploration company, led by a team of professionals having exploration, engineering, project financing and permitting experience. Trojan has accumulated land positions in the Hemlo Gold Camp and Shebandowan Greenstone Belt which in management's view represent mineral exploration potential. For further information on the Company, please visit www.trojangold.com. Trojan is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol (CSE: TGII), on the OTC Pink Market under the ticker symbol TRJGF and on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol KC1. For further information, please contact: Charles J. Elbourne, President & CEO Trojan Gold Inc. 82 Richmond St. East, Suite 401 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1P1 Telephone: 416-315-6490 Email: elbourne007@gmail.com Website: www.trojangold.com Further Information 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 these securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by words or phrases such as "may", "will", "expect", "likely", "should", "would", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "potential", "proposed", "estimate", "believe" or the negative of these terms, or other similar words, expressions, and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy. Forward-looking information contained in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements relating to the terms and timing of the private placement described in this press release and the anticipated uses of the proceeds raised from such private placement. Where the Company expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is based on assumptions made in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. Such assumptions include, without limitation, that: the Company will receive all necessary approvals required in order to complete the issuance of the securities pursuant to the private placement described in in this press release; that there will be sufficient interest from potential investors in order to complete the private placement on the terms as described herein or at all; and that the Company will have the necessary resources to be able to use the funds raised in the private placement for exploration expenses as anticipated. However, forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected, or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to: the potential that the Company will not be able to proceed with the issuance of securities on the terms described in this press release or at all; the risk that the Company will not have the ability to conduct exploration activities on its current mineral properties as anticipated; and other risks (including but not limited to risks faced by issuers in the mining industry generally) as described in the Company's public disclosure record at www.sedarplus.ca. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements and the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as at the date hereof and are based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations, and opinions of management on such date. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any such forward-looking statements or any forward-looking statements contained in any other documents whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required under applicable securities law. Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties, and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209665 SOURCE: Trojan Gold Inc. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / The PNC Financial Services Group Register Now Born into the "first family" of Thai food in Los Angeles, California, Jet comes from a family of entrepreneurs who established the first Thai markets and restaurants in the country. As a teenager, Jet left town to make his own path and not follow in the footsteps of the family business. Along the way, he learned that teaching people about food is where he could bring his own innovation into traditional Thai dishes and ultimately keep his family legacy alive. Hear how he mixes cooking, business, and communication to create a recipe for success. Join PNC for this special Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month event. Wednesday, May 22, 2024 1-2 PM ET | 12 CT | 11 MT | 10 PT Presenter Chef Jet Tila is internationally celebrated for his culinary expertise. From battling the legendary Masaharu Morimoto on Iron Chef America, opening Encore Hotel in Las Vegas and guiding Anthony Bourdain through many markets and restaurants, this two-time Emmy, James Beard nominee and best-selling author grew up in the first family of Thai food and then later attending both French and Japanese culinary schools, Jet is a born educator and storyteller. Jet was appointed as the inaugural Culinary Ambassador of Thai Cuisine by the Royal Thai Consulate, the first-ever chef to represent his country's culture and cuisine. Chef Jet's culinary operations includes VP Culinary of Pei Wei Group 160 restaurants & Managing Partner Dragon Tiger Noodle Co in Las Vegas. He has partnerships with Compass Group, Schwan's CJ food, HSN, Mr. Bings & NBC Universal/DreamWorks. His food reaches millions of people a year. He appears as a host, co-host, judge, and competitor on many Food Network shows as Tournament of Champions, Iron Chef America, Cutthroat Kitchen, Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay and Guy's Grocery Games. As well as an array of shows ranging from The Today Show, MasterChef, Rachel Ray and holds six culinary Guinness World Records. Opening Speaker JJ Matthews is PNC's Chief Financial Officer: Shared Services; Supply Chain Management & Enterprise Change Office Executive. JJ is also the Executive Sponsor of the Finance & Realty Services Development and Internship Programs, as well as the Treasurer of the PNC Foundation. During his time at PNC, JJ has led numerous teams (Accounting Policy, Finance Governance & Oversight, SEC Reporting, Corporate Accounting, and Finance Integration - BBVA USA). Prior to joining PNC, JJ was a member of Bank of America's Accounting Policy Group where he provided technical accounting support, as well as led the purchase accounting for the LaSalle Bank and Merrill Lynch acquisitions. Before Bank of America, JJ worked at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, initially as a Professional Accounting Fellow in the Division of Corporation Finance and later as a permanent staff in both Corp Fin and the Office of the Chief Accountant. JJ began his career at Arthur Andersen in the Baltimore, MD office. JJ is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland, and currently serves on its Board of Trustees. Moderator Elizabeth Kim-Wei is Wealth Strategy Market Manager for the PNC Private Bank in Greater Washington and Greater Maryland. Elizabeth oversees the wealth strategy client experience, the wealth strategy process, and business development activities within the region. She focuses on her team's relationships with clients and business partners and manages the execution of project activities of the Wealth Strategy group. Elizabeth serves as executive sponsor of PNC's Greater Washington Asian Pacific American EBRG (where she served as past president) and as co-chair of the Greater Washington Diversity and Inclusion Regional Council. Prior to joining the PNC Private Bank, Elizabeth practiced law in Trusts and Estates and Estate Administration. Elizabeth also worked as a systems analyst with Deloitte Consulting. Elizabeth graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in management information systems from Miami University, with University Honors, and minored in music performance (violin) and arts management. She attended Miami University on a full ride Presidential scholarship and was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and the Golden Key National Honors Society. Elizabeth graduated with a Juris Doctor from George Mason School of Law, where she served as student body vice president and president of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. Elizabeth also graduated with a Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center with a Certificate in Estate Planning. Elizabeth is licensed to practice law in DC, MD, and VA, holds the Accredited Estate Planner designation, and has been recognized by the Washingtonian Magazine as among the Best DC Wealth Advisors in 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 by survey of her peers in industry. Elizabeth is an active member of the bar associations in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC (serving by election to the DC Bar Estates, Trusts, and Probate Section Leadership from 2017-2019) and serves on the Washington DC Estate Planning Council where she is co-chair of Student Membership for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Elizabeth lives in McLean, Virginia with her husband and two children. Closing Speaker Uzma Kazmi is the Southwest Territory Sales Executive with PNC for the States of Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. She currently oversees the full team of sales managers, business bankers, treasury management advisors and merchant services advisors who support clients in business banking, SBA, and healthcare groups. Uzma has over 25 years of experience in financial services and management, specializing in retail, business banking and commercial banking. She is a PNC-certified Women's Business Advocate and a PNC Minority Business Advocate, committed to helping support female and minority business owners through a year-round PNC-led initiative. She also helped launch a regional PNC Asian American EBRG and served as executive sponsor of PNC's first-ever Interfaith EBRG. Most recently, Uzma was recognized as the Daily Heralds' 2020 Women of Influence in Business Award. She has served as a judge on the Bad Girl Ventures Entrepreneur and Seed Capital panel and served as a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners. She is also an avid volunteer for several Chicago non profits. Uzma continues to be an active mentor to multiple professionals, particularly to women, and a servant leader for several community service organizations. Most recently, she served as Treasurer and Director for the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, Board Director for NPR public media, Director at the Global Orphan Foundation and Director of The Immigrant Welcome Center. In 2019, she was invited to give a TEDx talk in Hyderabad, India to speak about overcoming adversity in her career as an Asian-American business leader. Uzma earned her undergraduate degree from Ursuline College in accounting and finance, and an executive MBA from Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. She earned a certificate in strategic leadership from Harvard Business School. She is currently completing the Consumer Bankers Association, Executive Banking degree. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children. Register Now View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The PNC Financial Services Group on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: The PNC Financial Services Group Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/pnc-financial-services-group Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: The PNC Financial Services Group View the original press release on accesswire.com NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Rayonier Originally published on Rayonier.com Of the thousands of plants and animals in Rayonier's forests, a few species are considered threatened or endangered, which we work actively to protect. Our foresters and contractors are trained to be aware of and recognize protected T&E species and their habitats. We rely on mapping and database tools, as well as a working knowledge of our land, to determine where specific conservation practices are needed. In addition to our own efforts, we also participate in broader industry and conservation initiatives, such as population studies and surveys. In the U.S., we rely on state natural heritage programs, NatureServe, regular biodiversity assessments, and the routine field work of our foresters to locate potential occurrences of T&E species. In New Zealand, occurrences of Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species (RTES) are recorded in our EMS database so that forest management plans can be adapted accordingly. In addition, certain areas designated as either Significant Ecological Areas (SEAs) or High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) require special procedures to ensure that they are protected. Through the use of these various tools, we have identified that approximately 50% of our forests have the potential of being a T&E species habitat. Importantly, our forest management practices help reduce the risk of adverse impacts to the normal life cycle or habitat of T&E species. Such practices include surveying sites for species occurrences before conducting forest management activities, leaving buffers along riparian and natural habitat areas, or limiting harvest activities during certain times of the year. Some T&E species are nomadic, which means they move from place to place and do not have fixed boundaries to their habitat. The modifications we make to our forest management practices for these species include hand planting versus machine planting, and/or adapting the timing of activity based on their cycle of movement. Read about how three kaka were welcomed to the Boundary Stream Mainland Island Reserve aviary in New Zealand. Explore how threatened bird life returned to Duck Creek Wetlands in New Zealand. Learn how foresters build plans around protecting gopher tortoises in the Southeastern U.S. Visit our responsible stewardship page to learn more about Rayonier's sustainability efforts. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Rayonier on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Rayonier Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/rayonier Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Rayonier View the original press release on accesswire.com EQS-News: PlusPlus Capital Financial S.a.r.l. / Key word(s): Restructure of Company/Conference PlusPlus Capital reports on Q1 outlining Recent Developments of Reorganization - Invitation to investors call on 23 May 2024 17.05.2024 / 16:00 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. PlusPlus Capital reports on Q1 outlining Recent Developments of Reorganization Invitation to investors call on 23 May 2024 Tallinn, Estonia, 17 May 2024. PlusPlus Capital ("PPC"), a leading pan-Baltic and Finnish technology-driven receivables management group, has published a report for Q1 outlining the recent developments in its reorganization. Update Call: PlusPlus Capital cordially invites investors and analysts to an investors call with the Management on 23 May 2024, 13.00 CEST. The Management Board will comment on Q1 outlining the recent developments in its reorganization by means of a webcast presentation. The update call will be held in English and will be recorded. Please register in time to participate in the update call at: PlusPlus Capital - Investors Call . Contact: PlusPlus Capital Kaarel Raik, Member of the Management Board Email: kaarel.raik@plusplus.ee Phone: +372 56 606 148 About PlusPlus Capital: PlusPlus is a pan-Baltic and Finnish technology-driven receivables management company with offices in Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and Helsinki. The Company acquires overdue loans and other non-performing exposures from financial institutions and non-financial sector merchants. With its core competence in handling claims against private individuals, PlusPlus prefers diversified portfolios balanced by geography, portfolio type, and other metrics. Since its inception in 2010, PlusPlus has bought over 120 thousand claims with nominal value of approximately EUR 270 million. The Company offers its clients affordable recovery solutions and aims to avoid litigious scenarios. In doing so, PlusPlus pursues win-win solutions that allow sellers to focus on their core business, provide affordable solutions for borrowers, and ensure adequate returns for investors. PlusPlus is a transparent and socially responsible company set to assist people in resolving problems connected with their insufficient solvency. The ambition of PlusPlus is to increase its market share and further strengthen its position as a leading player in its regional market. pluspluscapital.eu 17.05.2024 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 WASHINGTON D.C., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HOYA Group Company, PENTAX of America, Inc. (PENTAX Medical) and MAGENTIQ-EYE Ltd., an AI medical device company, announced today their intention to form a partnership in the field of AI in Gastroenterology and to examine further collaboration and strategic partnerships. Pending field trials and customer demonstrations to be conducted over the next several months, the companies expect to formalize an agreement as a first step in this partnership, by which PENTAX Medical will distribute the MAGENTIQ-COLO AI-assisted lesion detection device in the U.S.A. beginning October 1st, 2024. The system will be demonstrated at the upcoming Digestive Disease Week (DDW) in Washington D.C., U.S.A. MAGENTIQ-COLO is a cutting-edge system for the detection of gastrointestinal lesions in colonoscopies. Successfully validated in an international multicenter, randomized, controlled trial (RCT) with 950 enrolled patients at 10 hospitals in Europe, United States and Israel, its outstanding diagnostic capabilities are setting new standards in endoscopic AI. "We are excited to bring the MAGENTIQ-COLO device to the GI community in the U.S. Together with PENTAX Medical's product portfolio, we are confident to provide a smart solution in colonoscopy and contribute further to colorectal cancer prevention", says David Harrison, President PENTAX of America, Inc. "Partnering with PENTAX Medical is an important milestone for us, as it opens new opportunities to introduce our game changing product to the U.S. market, benefiting doctors and their patients and saving more lives", says Dror Zur, Founder & CEO of MAGENTIQ-EYE. About MAGENTIQ-EYE Ltd. Founded in 2014, MAGENTIQ-EYE offers a groundbreaking AI-aided colonoscopy solution that offers one of the best performances known today. With worldwide recognition from the gastroenterology community, and dozens of procedures performed every day with the assistance of MAGENTIQ-COLO, we are setting the new standard of colonoscopy, and saving more and more lives. www.magentiq.com About PENTAX Medical PENTAX Medical is a division of HOYA Group. The company's mission is to improve the standard of patient care and quality of healthcare delivery by providing the best endoscopic products and services with a focus on QUALITY, CLINICALLY RELEVANT INNOVATION, and SIMPLICITY. PENTAX Medical strives to align with the healthcare community's Triple Aim goals through transparent partnerships with its customers and by providing the highest quality solutions to help them reach their goals, including enabling customers to improve patient outcomes by offering evidence-based solutions across the continuum of care; ensuring value by supporting the customers to improve their efficiency and minimize their healthcare costs; and enriching patient and provider's experience by empowering every member of the care team to achieve optimal outcomes through products, education, and support. Focused on the outcome instead of technological features, PENTAX Medical listens to the healthcare community and their patients, understands their daily obstacles and helps improve endoscopy with smart innovations. For more information: https://www.pentaxmedical.com About HOYA Founded in 1941 in Tokyo, Japan, HOYA Corporation is a global technology and med-tech company and a leading supplier of innovative high-tech and medical products. HOYA is active in the fields of lifecare and information technology, providing eyeglasses, medical endoscopes, intraocular lenses, optical lenses, as well as key components for semiconductor devices, LCD panels, and hard disk drives. With over 150 offices and subsidiaries worldwide, HOYA currently employs a multinational workforce of 36,000 people. For more information, please visit: https://www.hoya.com/en/ View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hoya-group-company-pentax-of-america-inc-and-magentiq-eye-ltd-announce-their-intention-to-form-a-distribution-partnership-for-the-us-market-302148971.html Chico, California--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTC Pink: AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies, infrastructure construction and forestry conservation, announced that it was awarded equipment orders totaling approximately $600,000. According to AmeraMex President Brian Hamre, the equipment is expected to ship by the end of the second quarter. In addition to today's orders, the Company is delivering the first of six new reach stackers to the US government this week. These reach stackers are valued at $900,000 each. The equipment orders consisted of the following equipment: A refurbished Taylor Loaded Container Handler Two new LiuGong 5,000-pound capacity Forklifts LiuGong Forklift To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10200/209595_770e84ca54ae39a6_001full.jpg One refurbished Taylor TE520, 52,000-pound capacity Forklift One refurbished Hyster H450 Empty Container Handler One refurbished Hyster H400 Empty Container Handler Hyster H400 Empty Container Handler To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/10200/209595_770e84ca54ae39a6_002full.jpg One refurbished Taylor TE360 Forklift For more information and pricing of equipment for the logistics, agricultural, construction, and forestry industries, or to book a demonstration of the First Green Industry's 100 percent electric skid steer loaders, ASV Posti-Tract and Skid Steer Loaders, Menzi Muck Excavators or a Magni Telescopic Handler, contact the AmeraMex/Hamre Equipment sales team at 530.895.8955. AmeraMex International AmeraMex International sells, leases, and rents heavy equipment to companies within multiple industries including construction, logistics, mining, and lumber. The company has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service. Follow AmeraMex on Twitter @ammx_intl and visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net or www.hamreequipment.com for additional information and equipment videos. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "potential," "continue" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if added information becomes available in the future. Investor and Media Relations McCloud Communications, LLC Marty Tullio, Managing Member Office: 949.632.1900 or Marty@McCloudCommunications.com To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209595 SOURCE: AmeraMex International Inc. BANGALORE, India, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wafer Cleaning Equipment market is Segmented by Type (Single-Wafer Wafer Cleaning Equipment, Batch Wafer Cleaning Equipment. Others), by Application (Electronics, Manufacturing, Semiconductor Packaging, Optoelectronics, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), Advanced Packaging Technologies, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2030. The global Wafer Cleaning Equipment market was valued at USD 4227.2 million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 5768.8 million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period 2024-2030. Claim Your Free Sample Now: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/QYRE-Auto-8E1515/Global_Wafer_Cleaning_Equipment_Market_Insights_and_Forecast_to_2028 Major Factors Driving The Growth Of Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market Higher degrees of wafer cleanliness are required to maintain device performance and yield, which is one of the main drivers driving the market expansion for wafer cleaning equipment. Another important aspect is the semiconductor industry's rapid innovation and shrinking. Advanced wafer cleaning methods are becoming more and more necessary as cutting-edge technologies like AI, IoT, and 5G become more widely used. These technologies need smaller and more complex semiconductor components. The need for efficient and effective wafer cleaning equipment is further fueled by the growth of the consumer electronics industry and the increasing expenditures made in semiconductor production facilities. Through encouraging the implementation of cutting-edge, less destructive cleaning technologies, the emphasis on environmental sustainability and the development of eco-friendly cleaning methods also help to market growth. Unlock Insights: View Full Report Now! https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-8E1515/global-wafer-cleaning-equipment TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF WAFER CLEANING EQUIPMENT MARKET The utilization of 300mm wafers for memory applications is driving the wafer cleaning equipment market by necessitating more advanced cleaning solutions to maintain the stringent cleanliness standards required for manufacturing memory devices. With memory devices becoming increasingly prevalent in consumer electronics, data storage, and computing systems, the demand for high-quality, defect-free wafers is escalating. As a result, semiconductor manufacturers must employ cutting-edge wafer cleaning equipment capable of effectively removing contaminants and residues from larger 300mm wafers, ensuring optimal yield and reliability in memory device production. This heightened demand for precision cleaning solutions tailored to the specific requirements of memory applications directly contributes to the growth of the wafer cleaning equipment market. The market for wafer cleaning equipment is significantly driven by the growing need for semiconductor devices across a number of industries, including electronics, automotive, healthcare, and telecommunications. The need for premium semiconductor components is growing as consumer devices become more common and advanced. As a result, there is a growing demand for effective and dependable wafer cleaning solutions to maintain semiconductor device performance and dependability, which is driving market expansion. Extremely clean conditions are necessary for semiconductor manufacturing procedures in order to avoid contamination and guarantee the dependability and quality of the devices that are created. The use of modern wafer cleaning equipment is driven by regulatory authorities and semiconductor manufacturers' stringent cleanliness criteria. Modern cleaning tools and technologies are needed to meet these criteria, which will drive market expansion by achieving the necessary levels of cleanliness. Wafer cleaning equipment market development is mostly driven by the expansion of semiconductor production facilities, especially in emerging nations. Wafer cleaning equipment is becoming more and more in demand as nations make investments in strengthening their semiconductor businesses to fulfill the rising demand for electronics. The use of cleaning equipment is driven by the construction of new fabrication factories and the expansion of existing ones. Wafer cleaning equipment is largely determined by the strict environmental and safety laws that control semiconductor production operations. Rules governing the usage and disposal of waste products and cleaning chemicals must be followed by manufacturers. This fuels the need for eco-friendly cleaning supplies and tools that use fewer dangerous chemicals and have a less negative impact on the environment. Adoption of cutting edge wafer cleaning equipment is mostly driven by compliance with regulatory standards. Wafer cleaning equipment is continuously innovated via research and development expenditure in semiconductor production technology. Businesses spend a lot of money investigating and creating novel cleaning methods, supplies, and tools to meet new demands and seize market possibilities. Own It Today - Buy Now! https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=QYRE-Auto-8E1515&lic=single-user WAFER CLEANING EQUIPMENT MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS: Our Semiconductor Research Center estimates that the value of the world's semiconductor equipment in 2022 will be USD 109 billion. Together, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Chinese mainland account for more than 70% of the market. Together, the market shares of North America, Europe, and Japan amount to 23%. High performance computers, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, servers, 5G, EVs (electric vehicles), etc. are the main drivers. Key Players: Lam Research SEMES Shibaura Mechatronics SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions TEL ACM Research NAURA DAIKIN FINETECH, LTD. PSK Inc KINGSEMI Bruker Corporation MTK Purchase Regional Data: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/QYRE-Auto-8E1515/Global_Wafer_Cleaning_Equipment_Market_Insights_and_Forecast_to_2028 SUBSCRIPTION We have introduced a tailor-made subscription for our customers. Please leave a note in the Comment Section to know about our subscription plans. DISCOVER MORE INSIGHTS: EXPLORE SIMILAR REPORTS! - The global Single Wafer Cleaning Machines market was valued at USD 2484.5 million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 3182.4 million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - Wet Wafer Clean Machine Market - Wafer Wet Cleaning System Market - The global Single Wafer Cleaning Equipment market is projected to grow from USD 2368.1 million in 2023 to USD 2877.4 million by 2029, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 3.3% during the forecast period. - Wafer Batch-type Cleaning Equipment Market - Silicon Wafer Cleaning Agent Market - Batch Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market - Wafer Dry Cleaning Equipment Market - The global market for Automatic Silicon Wafer Cleaning Equipment was estimated to be worth USD 684.8 million in 2023 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 956.3 million by 2030 with a CAGR of 4.1% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - Single and Batch Wafer Cleaning Machine Market - Silicon Wafer Cleaning Fluid Market - Silicon Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market - Cassette-less Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market - Batch Type Silicon Wafer Cleaner Market - Semiconductor Single Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market - Megasonic Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market - The global RCA Wet Cleaning Equipment market was valued at USD 3025 million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 4343 million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market - The global Tank Cleaning Equipment market was valued at USD 32 million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 40 million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 3.4% during the forecast period 2024-2030. - Microelectronics Cleaning Equipment Market - Thermal Cleaning Equipment Market - Semiconductor Wet Process Equipment Market - Semiconductor Wet Equipment Market - Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Wafer Production Equipment Market - The global Semiconductor Wafer Cleaning Equipment market was valued at USD 5254.8 million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach USD 7794 million by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period 2024-2030. 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Valuates Report sales@valuates.com For U.S. Toll-Free Call 1-(315)-215-3225 WhatsApp: +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Blog: https://valuatestrends.blogspot.com/ Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/valuatesreports/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/valuatesreports Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valuatesreports/ https://www.facebook.com/valuateskorean https://www.facebook.com/valuatesspanish https://www.facebook.com/valuatesjapanese https://valuatesreportspanish.blogspot.com/ https://valuateskorean.blogspot.com/ https://valuatesgerman.blogspot.com/ https://valuatesreportjapanese.blogspot.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1082232/Valuates_Reports_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/wafer-cleaning-equipment-market-size-to-grow-usd-5768-8-million-by-2030-at-a-cagr-of-4-5--valuates-reports-302148987.html CHICAGO, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 3D Bioprinting Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $1.3 billion in 2024 and is poised to reach $2.4 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 12.7% from 2024 to 2029 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The growth in the 3D bioprinting market is fueled by growing adoption of 3D bioprinting technology within the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, advancement in the 3D bioprinting technology, rising public and private partnerships and collaborations, increasing investments in R&D and the expenditure on medical devices. Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=170201787 Browse in-depth TOC on "3D Bioprinting Market" 530 - Tables 46 - Figures 453 - Pages 3D Bioprinting Market Scope: Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2024 $1.3 billion Estimated Value by 2029 $2.4 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 12.7% Market Size Available for 2022-2029 Forecast Period 2024-2029 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Component, By Material, By Application, By End User Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Rising demand for organ transplants Key Market Drivers Growing adoption of 3D bioprinting technology within the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries The 3D Bioprinters segment segment is expected to have the dominant share of the 3D bioprinting market in 2023. Based on component, the global 3D bioprinting market is segmented into 3D bioprinters, bioinks, software and consumables. 3D bioprinters accounted for the larger market share in 2023. The segment is witnessing growth driven by technological innovations and escalating demand for organ transplantation services. The Research applications segment is expected to account for the largest share of the application segment in the 3D bioprinting market in 2023. Based on application, the 3D bioprinting market is segmented into research applications and clinical applications. research applications segment accounted for the larger share of the 3D bioprinting market in 2023. The market for research applications is further segmented into drug research, regenerative medicine, and 3D cell culture. Among these, the drug research segment accounted for the largest share of the market during forecast period of 2024-2029, due to the pharmaceutical & biotechnology firms intensifying their integration of 3D bioprinting technology. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to grow at significant CAGR during the forecast period. The Asia Pacific is accounted to be the fastest-growing segment of the market. Large population base and robust domestic manufacturing capabilities for systems, fostering heightened partnerships and collaborations geared towards healthcare enhancement characterized by substantial investment in research and development (R&D), rising demand for organ transplants, rising government funding for advancement of 3D bioprinting technology in the region. Additionally, notable surge in stem cell research activities across several APAC countries, further contributing to the biomedical landscape is driving 3D bioprinting uptake in the region. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=170201787 3D Bioprinting Market Dynamics: Drivers: 1. Growing adoption of 3D bioprinting technology within the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries Restraints: 1. High cost of 3D bioprinters and bioinks Opportunities: 1. Rising demand for organ transplants Challenge: 1. Biocompatibility issues and rigorous sterilization protocols Key Market Players of 3D Bioprinting Industry: BICO Group AB (US), 3D Systems, Inc. (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Organovo Holings Inc (US), CollPlant Biotechnologies Ltd. (Israel), regenHU (Switzerland), Aspect Biosystem Ltd. (Canada), Advanced Solutions Life Sciences, LLC (US), Cyfuse Biomedical K.K (Japan), Rokit Healthcare Inc. (South Korea), Hangzhou Genofei Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (China), Foldink (Armenia), Brinter (US) and 3D bioprinting solution (Russia) and REGEMAT 3D, SL (Spain) are some of the leading players in this market. Most companies in the market focus on organic and inorganic growth strategies, such as product launches, expansions, acquisitions, partnerships, agreements, and collaborations, to increase their product offerings, cater to the unmet needs of customers, increase their profitability, and expand their presence in the global market. The primary interviews conducted for this report can be categorized as follows: By Respondent: Supply Side- 70%, and Demand Side - 30% By Designation (Supply Side): Managers - 45%, CXOs & Directors - 30%, Executives- 25% By Region: North America -40%, Europe -25%, Asia-Pacific -20%, Latin America -10%, Middle East-and Africa -5% Recent Developments of 3D Bioprinting Industry: In February 2024, BICO Group AB (Cellink) launched DNA Studio 4 Vault, a bioprinting software, providing users with confidence and trust in their documentation, enabling a faster translation from the research lab to the clinic In February 2024, Merck KGaA (Germany) established a distribution center in Brazil with an investment of USD 21.7 million to better serve its Life Science customers for faster deliveries in the region. In April 2023, Aspect Biosystem Ltd (Canada) and Novo Nordisk (Denmark) entered into a collaboration, development, and Licence agreement to develop bioprinted tissue therapeutics designed to replace, repair, or supplement biological functions inside the body to deliver a new class of truly disease-modifying treatments for diabetes and obesity. In April 2023, CollPlant Biotechnologies Ltd (Israel) and Stratasys (US) entered into a collaboration for the development of collaborated to develop a solution to bio-fabricate human tissues and organs using Stratasys' P3 technology-based bioprinter and CollPlant's rh-Collagen-based bioinks Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=170201787 3D Bioprinting Market - Key Benefits of Buying the Report: The report will help market leaders/new entrants by providing them with the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall 3D bioprinting market and its subsegments. It will also help stakeholders better understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to better position their business and make suitable go-to-market strategies. This report will enable stakeholders to understand the market's pulse and provide them with information on the key market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges. The report provides insights on the following pointers: Analysis of key drivers (growing adoption of 3D bioprinting technology in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, technological advancement in the 3D bioprinting , increasing number of public-private partnerships, rising investments in R&D and medical devices), opportunities (Rising demand for organ transplants and growing demand for regenerative medicine and stem cell research) and challenges (biocompatibility issues and rigorous sterilization protocols and ethical concerns related to the use of 3D bioprinted products) are influencing the growth of 3D bioprinting market. Product Development/Innovation: Detailed insights on newly launched products of the 3D bioprinting market. Market Development: Comprehensive information about lucrative markets - the report analyses the 3D bioprinting market across varied regions. Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about new services, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the 3D bioprinting market. Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, growth strategies, and service offerings of leading players include BICO Group AB (Sweden), 3D Systems Inc. (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Organovo Holdings Inc (US), Collplant Biotechnologies Ltd (Israel), regenHU (Switzerland), Aspect Biosystem (Canada), Advanced Solutions Life Sciences, llc (US), Cyfuse Biomedical K.K (Japan), Rokit Healthcare (South Korea), Hangzhou Genofei Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (China), Foldink (Armenia), Brinter (US) and 3D bioprinting solution (Russia). Related Reports: Biomaterials Market - Global Forecasts to 2029 In Vitro Diagnostics Market - Global Forecasts to 2029 3D Cell Culture Market - Global Forecasts to 2028 3D Printing Medical Devices Market - Global Forecasts to 2028 4D Printing in Healthcare Market - Global Forecasts to 2026 Get access to the latest updates on 3D Bioprinting Companies and 3D Bioprinting Market Share About MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's best management consulting firms by Forbes, as per their recent report. 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. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1951202/4609423/MarketsandMarkets.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/3d-bioprinting-market-worth-2-4-billion--marketsandmarkets-302148749.html AMSTERDAM, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IBFD launches the 2023 Yearbook on the Protection of Taxpayers' Rights (OPTR). The book is a compilation of up-to-date information on the effective protection of taxpayers' rights. Prof. Dr Pasquale Pistone and Prof. Dr Philip Baker, Directors of IBFD's OPTR, presented the Yearbook at the Academic Tax Conference hosted at the IBFD Headquarters on May 16th and 17th 2024, Amsterdam, Netherlands, explaining some of the main events and trends that arose last year in the protection of taxpayers' rights around the world. The OPTR reports on the protection of taxpayers' fundamental rights around the world. The precise and technical information of the OPTR contains reference to taxpayer bills, conventions, and statutes, also in their judicial and administrative interpretation, which explore how states apply this protection in practice. The OPTR serves as a unique legal basis for developing further research on the legal remedies, including the related project of the International Law Association, that secure the effective protection of taxpayers' rights. It is hoped that this may contribute to nudging the convergence towards a global standard in this field. This publication relies on information gathered in 55 countries and 3 units worldwide up to 31 December 2023, and monitors the effective implementation into domestic law of legal procedures, safeguards and guarantees associated with taxpayers' rights; provides an annual comparison by jurisdiction of the level of compliance with minimum standards and best practices; and identifies trends in the practical protection of taxpayers' rights. The basis for the Yearbook consists of surveys supplied by groups of experts appointed from 55 countries, as well as reports from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice. The groups of experts incorporate members of tax authorities, the judiciary and academia, as well as ombudspersons and practitioners. The national reports are available here. If you would like further details, please contact Phil Windus, Senior Marketing Coordinator, at p.windus@ibfd.org. About OPTR The IBFD Observatory on the Protection of Taxpayers' Rights, established by Prof. Dr Pasquale Pistone and Prof. Dr Philip Baker, is a non-judgemental platform for keeping track of developments in the practical protection of taxpayers' rights around the world. It follows the standards established by Prof. Dr Pasquale Pistone and Prof. Dr Philip Baker at the 2015 IFA Congress on "The Practical Protection of Taxpayers' Fundamental Rights". Since then, the OPTR has continuously monitored the observance of minimum standards and the adoption of best practices around the world with respect to the guarantee and protection of human rights pertaining to tax matters. To learn more about the Observatory, please visit the official IBFD academic pageor contact optr@ibfd.org. About IBFD IBFDis a leading international provider of cross-border tax expertise, with a long-standing history of supporting and contributing to tax research and academic activities. As an independent foundation, IBFD utilizes its global network of tax experts and its Knowledge Centre to serve Fortune 500 companies, governments, international consultancy firms and tax advisers. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/129ae1d9-1d96-49cf-b868-d2a9f10bf197 JERSEY CITY, N.J., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. announces the release of a market assessment report on the "Global Collagen Water Market- (By Source (Porcine, Chicken, Bovine, Sheep and Others), By Form (Bottled Drinks, Canned Drinks and Powdered Mixes), By Application (Food Industry, Cosmetics & Personal Care Industry, Nutraceutical Industry, Pharmaceutical Industry and Others), By Sales Channel (Modern Trade, Specialty Stores, Drug Stores, Online Retail Stores and Others), By Region, Trends, Industry Competition Analysis, Revenue and Forecast To 2031." According to the latest research by InsightAce Analytic, the Global Collagen Water Market is valued at US$4.4 Bn in 2023, and it is expected to reach US$ 6.9 Bn by 2031, with a CAGR of 5.6% during the forecast period of 2024-2031. Download Free Report Sample Pages @https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/request-sample/2478 Collage water is water that has collagen peptides added to it. Collagen is an animal-derived protein that is present in connective tissues, skin, and bones. The collagen in this water is absorbed practically, and there can be health benefits to that. The market is growing because the cosmetics and nutraceutical industries have grown. Furthermore, as more people become aware of the benefits of health and beauty drinks, the demand for collagen water is rising. People are increasingly focusing on their physical attractiveness. Rising incomes in developing nations and the powerful impact of social media ads are to blame for this. Premature aging is a problem among millennials because of their busy lives and bad eating habits. In addition to this problem, sagging skin and other skin-related difficulties are caused by the body's decreased collagen levels, which occur with age. As a result of these reasons, the desire to get younger skin is on the rise, which in turn drives the expansion of the global collagen water market. To further broaden their customer base, prominent industry participants are concentrating on launching gluten- and lactose-free, vegan products without added sugars, preservatives, or flavorings. The collagen water market is expected to thrive during the projected period due to these factors. List of Prominent Players in the Collagen Water Market: Vital Proteins Bulletproof Neocell Youtheory Reserveage Nutrition Health Logics BioCell Technology Great Lakes Gelatin Company Zint Ancient Nutrition Applied Nutrition BUBS Naturals Primal Kitchen Nordic Naturals Collagen Matrix Market Dynamics: Drivers- The people who fuel the growing demand for the collagen water market are becoming more health conscious and learning about the advantages of collagen water for their skin, joints, and overall vitality. Collagen water's effectiveness and ease of use have made it a popular supplement among those looking for both aesthetic and health benefits, which has driven market growth. Furthermore, collagen is being touted by the fitness and beauty sectors as an essential component for preserving youth and aiding in recuperation after physical exertion, adding weight to this trend. Flavored and improved collagen water variations have also increased its marketability and consumer uptake by making it more appealing to a wider audience as collagen water demand is projected to grow, and the collagen water market is poised for expansion. Challenges: A major obstacle is the skepticism and absence of strong scientific data that back up the health claims linked to water collagen. This can cause consumers to be skeptical and hesitant. Furthermore, consumers who are watching their pennies are put off by the higher price of collagen water when contrasted with conventional bottled water and other functional drinks. In addition, these goods' labelling and health claims can be subject to regulatory scrutiny, which could slow down the growth of the collagen water market. Regional Trends: The North American collagen water market is anticipated to register a major market share in terms of revenue. It is projected to grow at a high CAGR in the near future because of the growth in the millennial generation, a higher internet penetration rate, higher per capita income, and higher demand from the fashion industry. The rising R&D activities are another factor expected to drive the collagen water market in this area over the next several years. Besides, Europe had a substantial share in the market due to the growing cosmetics sector, government programs endorsing collagen usage, fast urbanization, and innovations in food science, all factors that could lead to growth in this industry's market. Curious about this latest version of the report? @https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/enquiry-before-buying/2478 Collagen Water Market Report Scope: Report Attribute Specifications Market Size Value In 2023 USD 4.4 Bn Revenue Forecast In 2031 USD 6.9 Bn Growth Rate CAGR CAGR of 5.6% 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 Source, By Form, By Application, By Sales Channel and By Region 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; South East Asia; South Korea Recent Developments: In February 2024, The Great Lakes Gelatin Company is proud to present its new line of rapidly dissolving collagen peptide compositions. The market is flooded with substances that have been proven to improve health through clinical trials, satisfying consumer demand. This gives the company a competitive advantage. The Great Lakes Gelatin Company is proud to present its new line of rapidly dissolving collagen peptide compositions. The market is flooded with substances that have been proven to improve health through clinical trials, satisfying consumer demand. This gives the company a competitive advantage. In January 2024, BioCell launched using BioCell Collagen on a daily basis, significantly reducing the visibility of wrinkles and other signs of skin aging, according to a 12-week research. Results from this placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial showed that women's skin became softer, crow's feet vanished, and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles diminished. Order 180 Pages Full Report @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/buy-report/2478 Segmentation of Collagen Water Market- By Source Porcine Chicken Bovine Sheep Others By Form Bottled Drinks Canned Drinks Powdered Mixes By Application Food Industry Cosmetics & Personal Care Industry Nutraceutical Industry Pharmaceutical Industry Others By Sales Channel Modern Trade Specialty Stores Drug Stores Online Retail Stores 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 South East 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 For More Customization @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/customisation/2478 Why should buy this report: To receive a comprehensive analysis of the prospects for global Collagen Water market To receive industry overview and future trends of global Collagen Water market To analyze the Collagen Water market drivers and challenges To get information on the Collagen Water market size value (US$ Mn) forecast till 2031 Major Investments, Mergers & Acquisition in global Collagen Water industry Other Related Reports Published by InsightAce Analytic: Collagen Peptides Market Ready-to-Drink Beauty Beverage Market Functional Beverages Market About Us: InsightAce Analytic is a market research and consulting firm that enables clients to make strategic decisions. Our qualitative and quantitative market intelligence solutions inform the need for market and competitive intelligence to expand businesses. We help clients gain competitive advantage by identifying untapped markets, exploring new and competing technologies, segmenting potential markets and repositioning products. Our expertise is in providing syndicated and custom market intelligence reports with an in-depth analysis with key market insights in a timely and cost-effective manner. Contact Us: InsightAce Analytic PVT. LTD Tel.: +1 551 226 6109 Email: info@insightaceanalytic.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insightace-analytic-pvt-ltd/ Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1729637/InsightAce_Analytic_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/collagen-water-market-worth-usd-6-9-billion-by-2031---exclusive-report-by-insightace-analytic-pvt-ltd-302149069.html GroupBy Inc., a SaaS-based B2C and B2B eCommerce search product discovery technology leader, today announces it has been named a Challenger in the 2024 Gartner ?Magic Quadrant? for Search and Product Discovery. The company's revolutionary Search and Product Discovery Platform powered by Google Cloud Vertex AI Search for Retail is bringing next-generation search technology to online retailers, wholesalers and marketplaces worldwide, helping to bridge the gap between consumer and merchant. "GroupBy is proud to be named a Challenger in the inaugural Gartner Magic Quadrant for Search and Product Discovery," said Roland Gossage, GroupBy's CEO. "We believe that this placement recognizes the hard work our team has dedicated to innovating the search and product discovery experience, while also building out a robust feature set. Legacy search engines rely on thousands of hours of human tooling on the back end to provide less-than-desirable search results. GroupBy, however, has been able to execute on our AI-first vision, dramatically improving search performance while simultaneously decreasing strain on merchandising teams. We are honored to work with our global client base, and continue to partner with our clients to create a product roadmap that both meets their needs today and sets the future for eCommerce search and product discovery." GroupBy's all-in-one search and product discovery solution consists of Data Enrichment, Search, Recommendations, Merchandising, and Analytics and Reporting, providing eCommerce merchants access to a powerhouse of products and services designed to enhance the digital customer experience. In a competitive landscape of search providers, GroupBy is able to equip retailers with 5 key differentiators that have been proven to increase customer satisfaction, merchandiser productivity, and revenue. We believe that GroupBy stands out from its competitors because its platform is currently the only one on the market to fully leverage Google Cloud's Vertex AI Search for Retail, its ability to transform merchandising processes from rule-based to revenue-generating, best-in-class B2B functionality, vast industry and internationalization capabilities, and data enrichment. The Only Platform That Fully Runs on Google Cloud's Vertex AI Search for Retail For more than a decade, GroupBy has worked closely with Google to perfect their platform to provide B2B and B2C retailers with the best possible results for eCommerce use cases delivering exceptional digital experiences for shoppers and revenue uplifts for their clients. Unlike other AI search applications, which layer AI on top of legacy, keyword-matching technology to generate relevance, GroupBy's platform is the only product discovery solution completely powered by Google Cloud's Vertex AI Search for Retail. Its AI models are trained on Google's 1.8 trillion events, and collect 85 billion new events daily across its full suite of products, including YouTube and Google Search. This deep integration allows GroupBy's customers to benefit from Google's continuing AI advancements, as well as GroupBy's innovations in the field of search and product discovery. By leveraging Google's AI through GroupBy's platform, customers can process queries at scale dynamically surfacing search results that are relevant, buyable, hyper-personalized and optimized for revenue even for the most ambiguous and long-tail searches. Rule-Free Merchandising Transforms Merchandiser Productivity Built on AI fundamentals, GroupBy's platform transforms internal eCommerce merchandising processes from rule-based to rule-free, optimizing productivity and efficiencies while reducing time to market. Customers have gone from tens of thousands of rules to none, significantly improving productivity by more than 60%. Now, their merchandising teams can focus on revenue-driving initiatives that only humans can handle, such as curating new and innovative campaigns, investigating how to incorporate new technologies to improve the shopping experience, and negotiating merchandising agreements with key brands. Google Cloud's Vertex AI Search for Retail has been trained on insights from Google's flagship properties, such as Google.com, YouTube, and Google Shopping, which has enabled it to deliver relevant, personalized and buyable product search results and product recommendations without human intervention. By allowing the AI to lead search rule creation, while still having all the required controls to override the AI when needed, merchandisers are able to return to their roots as creative and revenue-driving business partners. Strong in B2B eCommerce Search Use Cases GroupBy's next-generation search and product discovery platform excels in B2B use cases, including customer-specific availability and pricing, large product catalogs, automatic unit conversion, part number search, complex query understanding, and year, make, and model fitment search. B2B search especially presents several challenges, with technical terms for parts, partial part numbers, and multiple numeric entries like make and model often present within a single query. GroupBy's platform handles these queries with ease, allowing B2B customers to search the way they're accustomed to with ease, while driving revenue and key website metrics for retailers. This robust set of B2B capabilities allows GroupBy's clients to more easily scale across different eCommerce business models, and is a key contributor to GroupBy's diverse client pool of B2B and B2C retailers. Internationalization Capabilities Provide Relevant Search Results Worldwide GroupBy's customers include recognized and trusted B2B and B2C brands across the globe, including North America, Europe, EMEA, APAC and Japan. GroupBy's platform provides strong internationalization capabilities, allowing brands to seamlessly handle multilingual content and natively supports search in 72 languages. Enrich Solves Search-Degrading Product Data Problems at the Root Your search is only as good as your data, and even the best search engine cannot compensate for missing or inconsistent product catalog data. GroupBy's data enrichment product, Enrich, helps retailers augment, correct and normalize product data, implementing product attribute terms that align directly with their shoppers' search intent. This improves shopper experience, product findability, and key website metrics like average order value (AOV) and revenue per visitor (RPV). These 5 key differentiators, alongside GroupBy's robust search and product discovery capabilities, allow it to deliver Google-quality eCommerce search and recommendations results for all of their customers. By empowering brands to leverage the ideal blend of AI-optimization and manual control, GroupBy helps eCommerce companies shift from rule-based to rule-free search and merchandising, increasing merchandiser productivity, key website metrics, and most importantly, revenue. For more information, check out GroupBy's Ultimate Buyer's Guide to eCommerce Search Product Discovery. Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Search and Product Discovery, Mike Lowndes, Aditya Vasudevan, Sandy Shen, Noam Dorros, 13 May 2024. Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About GroupBy Inc. Founded in 2013, GroupBy is an eCommerce Search and Product Discovery SaaS technology provider that powers some of the largest B2B and B2C brands. GroupBy's AI-first composable platform is bringing next-generation search technology to retailers worldwide, helping to bridge the gap between consumer and merchant. Powered by Google Cloud Discovery AI, the platform consists of Data Enrichment, Search and Recommendations, Merchandising, and Analytics and Reporting providing eCommerce merchants with access to a powerhouse of products and services designed to enhance the digital customer experience. Built on AI fundamentals, the GroupBy platform is transforming eCommerce merchandising from rule-based to revenue-generating, optimizing productivity and efficiencies, and reducing time to market allowing retailers, wholesalers and distributors to focus on business strategic initiatives that drive revenue. To learn more about how GroupBy is shaping the future of eCommerce visit www.groupbyinc.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240517592672/en/ Contacts: Brianna LaRouche (404) 214-0722 Ext. 142 blarouche@trevelinokeller.com EQS-News: Khun Juk Oriental / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Explore Copenhagen's Culinary Gem: Khun Juk Oriental, Winner of the 2023 Thai Select Signature Award and Esteemed Taittinger Ambassador 17.05.2024 / 18:02 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 May 2024 -Khun Juk Oriental, a distinguished culinary landmark in Copenhagen, has recently been honored with the prestigious 2023 Thai Select Signature Award by the Royal Thai Government. This recognition is testament to the restaurant's commitment to authentic Thai cuisine, ensuring that every dish offers genuine Thai flavors, served in an atmosphere that reflects Thailand's rich cultural heritage. The award, granted by the Ministry of Commerce, signifies Khun Juk Oriental's excellence in culinary standards, ambiance, and service, marking it as a standout representation of Thai culture on the global stage. Beyond this esteemed award, Khun Juk Oriental has been designated as an ambassador for Champagne Taittinger, one of France's most iconic champagne houses. This collaboration highlights the restaurant's dedication to providing a superior dining experience, marrying the intricate and bold flavors of Thai cuisine with the delicate and refined essences of Taittinger champagne. The partnership not only enhances the restaurant's beverage selection but also aligns it with a legacy of luxury and excellence, further cementing its reputation as a premier destination for both discerning food lovers and champagne aficionados. Blending the bold flavors of Thailand with the luxurious French champagne, the restaurant caters to both local and international patrons seeking a memorable gastronomic journey. At the core of Khun Juk Oriental's success is Chef Charoon Chareonrum, whose incredible journey from the rural town of Buriram in Thailand to the heart of Copenhagen's culinary scene is a source of inspiration. Chef Chareonrum's philosophy, "Good food is the foundation of true happiness," resonates through his meticulous attention to detail and his blend of Eastern flavors with Western culinary techniques. Since opening the restaurant in 1999, he has been a pivotal force in its acclaim, drawing on his extensive experience from prestigious European kitchens, including the Hotel de Rhone in Geneva and the Hyatt Hotel in Paris. About Khun Juk Oriental Nestled in a tranquil corner of Copenhagen's bustling Nyhavn area, the restaurant expertly fuses Western culinary techniques with Eastern flavors, creating a unique dining experience. The establishment provides a serene and private ambiance suitable for both small and large gatherings. Location: Nyhavn 63D, 1051 Copenhagen K Tel: +45 33 32 30 50 17.05.2024 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 TORONTO, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) (FWB: RJIB) (WKN: A1XF0V) ("Rock Tech" or the "Company") is very pleased to announce that it has received the full permits for its planned Lithium refinery in Guben, Germany. Today, the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment issued the final approval for Rock Tech's Lithium refinery. The approval was preceded by an extensive review according to the federal immission control act (BImSchG) by the State Office for the Environment (LfU). The Company plans to produce 24,000 tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide annually. "This is an exciting day for Rock Tech. Not only have we received the full permits to operate our Converter in Germany, but also are we the first company in Europe to permit a full-scale Lithium Refinery - without any appeals to the project. This is testament to the great work of our team. I also would like to thank the Brandenburg authorities for their support and diligence." said Rock Tech's Chairman and CEO Dirk Harbecke. Rock Tech is a cleantech company with operations in Canada and Germany on a mission to produce lithium hydroxide for electric vehicle batteries. The Company plans to build lithium converters at the doorstep of its customers, to guarantee supply-chain transparency and just-in-time delivery, beginning with the Company's proposed lithium hydroxide merchant converter and refinery facility in Guben, Germany. The second Lithium converter is planned to be built in Red Rock, Ontario, Canada. Rock Tech plans to source raw material from its wholly-owned Georgia Lake spodumene project located in the Thunder Bay Mining District of Ontario, Canada, as well as procuring it from other responsibly producing mines. In the years to come, the Company expects to also source raw material from discarded batteries. To close the most pressing gap in the clean mobility story, Rock Tech has gathered one of the strongest teams in the industry. The Company has adopted strict environmental, social and governance standards and is developing a proprietary refining process aimed at further increasing efficiency and sustainability. Rock Tech's goal: to create a closed-loop lithium production system. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws and are referred to herein as "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, which address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "predicts", "believes", "estimates", "intends", "targets", "projects", "forecasts", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could" or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis and annual information form filed with the applicable securities regulators. No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, and the Company cautions the reader not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, nor does it assume any obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changes in assumptions, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law. SOURCE Rock Tech Lithium Inc. Redde Northgate Plc - Transaction in Own Shares PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, May 17 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 17 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 17 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 : 50,000 Weighted average purchase price paid 428.25 pence per share Highest purchase price paid 430 pence per share Lowest purchase price paid 426.5 pence per share Following the above transaction, the Company's issued share capital consists of 246,091,423 ordinary shares of 50p each, of which 19,514,362 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 226,577,061 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 17 May 2024) Number of shares purchased Transaction price (GB pence per share) Time of transaction Transaction reference number Venue 25,000 25,000 426.50 430.00 09:48:51 16:18:24 00069982969TRLO0 00069993192TRLO0 LSE LSE Notes This announcement is made in accordance with the requirements of Listing Rule 12.4.6. For further information contact: Buchanan David Rydell/Jamie Hooper/Hannah Ratcliff +44 (0) 207 466 5000 Notes to Editors: Redde Northgate is the leading integrated mobility solutions platform providing services across the vehicle lifecycle. The Company offers integrated mobility solutions to businesses, fleet operators, insurers, OEMs and other customers across seven key areas: vehicle rental, vehicle data, accident management, vehicle repairs, fleet management, service and maintenance, vehicle ancillary services and vehicle sales. The Company's core purpose is to keep its customers mobile, whether through meeting their regular mobility needs or by servicing and supporting them when unforeseen events occur. With its considerable scale and reach, Redde Northgate's mission is to offer a market-leading customer proposition and drive enhanced returns for shareholders by creating value through sustainable compounding growth. The Group aims to achieve this through the delivery of its strategic framework of Focus, Drive and Broaden. Redde Northgate services its customers through a network and diversified fleet of over 120,000 owned and leased vehicles, supporting over 600,000 managed vehicles, with more than 170 workshop, body shop and rental locations across the UK, Ireland and Spain and a specialist team of over 6,000 automotive services professionals. Further information please visit the Company's website: Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc - Transaction in Own Shares PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, May 17 For immediate release 17 May 2024 FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC (the "Company") MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES The Company announce that it has today purchased 127,942 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 854.08 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 41,950,367; 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 183,040,936. The figure of 183,040,936 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 NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / 3M Originally published on 3M News Center 3M has cut the ribbon on a new 90,000-square-foot expansion at the company's facility in Valley, Nebraska, that will increase the plant's manufacturing capacity and add new jobs to the community. The $67 million investment includes new production lines, equipment and a warehouse, and will help 3M more quickly meet customer demand for the company's personal safety products. The expansion of the plant is expected to create about 40 new jobs. During a May 3 event at the facility, plant director Matt Huset told an audience of community members, elected officials, and 3Mers, that the ribbon cutting coincided with another milestone: 3M's 45th year in Valley. "Many have played parts in making this expansion possible as well as allowing us the opportunity to be a part of this great community," Huset said. "We are blessed to have support of our executive leaders, community stakeholders, local government leaders and elected officials." To help make the expansion happen, 3M partnered with the state of Nebraska through the ImagiNE Nebraska Program, a tax incentive-based program intended to encourage companies to invest in Nebraska by creating jobs and growing the state and its economy. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen told the crowd that 3M's success in the community was thanks to hard work by its employees. "You've got a great team of people and everybody rolling their sleeves up, and everybody loves to be a part of a team that's growing," Pillen said. "45 years of age and you're still growing and still making things happen." The expansion will create additional manufacturing capacity for 3M's reusable respirators and PELTOR hearing protection products. Chris Goralski, president of 3M Safety and Industrial, recognized the Valley plant's role in 3M's success and that the products 3Mers make at the site - reusable respirators, hearing products and welding safety solutions - help keep workers safer across the many industries 3M serves. Goralski also thanked those in the Omaha-area business community and across the state of Nebraska for their support of 3M. "We've built this relationship here over 45 years," he said. "It's essential to our mission to deliver solutions that help protect people worldwide every day, whether during crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic or on the job every day." Sen. Pete Ricketts noted that the 3M Valley facility played a significant role in helping meet the unprecedented demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. "3M played a vital role in providing PPE as we were learning to respond to the pandemic," Rickets said. "So just another great example of 3M having a very important role in keeping people safe and being a part of this community." Over its 45 years in Valley, 3M has supported agencies that help improve the lives of people in the area and has encouraged 3Mers to volunteer and give back to their communities. 3M employees in Valley are active and invested in community initiatives, including serving on advisory boards for the Twin Rivers YMCA and other area non-profits. In the wake of an April 26 tornado outbreak in the Omaha-area, members of the 3M Club at the Valley facility donated a truckload of 3M products to Rapid Response of Omaha Disaster Relief team to help those in need. In addition, the philanthropic arm of 3M, 3M Gives, provided a $10,000 donation to Rapid Response Omaha to assist the organization in their work to help community members affected by the storm. Rep. Don Bacon thanked 3M Valley for its role in supporting the Valley community since 1979. "We're so proud to have 3M in our area," Bacon said. "You're so important to our economy, the people - and the products you provide are vitally important." To learn more about careers at 3M and its manufacturing facilities, visit 3m.com/careers, and search for jobs in "Valley, NE." View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from 3M on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: 3M Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/3m Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: 3M View the original press release on accesswire.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - American Eagle Gold Corp. (TSXV: AE) ("American Eagle" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced upsized private placement of 7,866,715 charity flow-through common shares of the Company (the "Charity FT Shares") at a price of C$1.04 per Charity FT Share (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$8,181,234 (the "Offering"). Proceeds from the Offering will be used for exploration work at the Company's NAK project located in the Babine Copper-Gold Porphyry district in central British Columbia. The final drill hole of the 2023 exploration season yielded 302 metres of 1.09% within 606 m of 0.74% Copper Equivalent starting from 98 metres downhole. The Company plans to step out from this drill hole to begin the 2024 drill season, set to begin this month. The Charity FT Shares qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act"). An amount equal to the gross proceeds from the issuance of the Charity FT Shares will be used to incur eligible resource exploration expenses which will qualify as (i) "Canadian exploration expenses" (as defined in the Tax Act), and (ii) as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" (as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act) (collectively, the "Qualifying Expenditures"). Qualifying Expenditures in an aggregate amount not less than the gross proceeds raised from the issue of the Charity FT Shares will be incurred (or deemed to be incurred) by the Company on or before December 31, 2025 and will be renounced by the Company to the initial purchasers of the Charity FT Shares with an effective date no later than December 31, 2024. Final acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange of the Offering is subject to the completion of customary post-closing filings. The Charity FT Shares were offered for sale to purchasers resident in Canada pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of NI 45-106 (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"). The common shares of the Company issued in the Offering are immediately freely tradeable under applicable Canadian securities legislation. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid finder's fees to certain parties ("Finders") for purchasers introduced to the Company by such Finder. In total, the Company paid a total of $295,466 finders' fees to Finders in connection with the Offering. Additionally, the Company issued finder's warrants ("Finders' Warrants") to Finders for purchasers introduced to the Company by such Finder. The Finders' Warrants entitled the holder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") at a price of $1.04 per Common Share, for a period of 24 months following the date hereof. In total, the Company issued 468,994 Finders' Warrants. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. It is not anticipated that any new insiders will be created, nor that any change of control will occur, as a result of the Offering. Details of NAK's 2024 Drill Program: The 2024 drill program, scheduled to begin soon, will integrate the Company's growing understanding of the relationship between the emplacement of multi-phase Eocene dikes and sills with reactive and permeable host rocks to form the extensive Nak mineralized system. The company is developing models for geology, mineralization, alteration, and structure for the system, which will form the basis for its ongoing planning. The expanded 2024 drill program, currently planned for 15,000 metres, will aim to link, better define, and expand upon the historical North and South zones, which the Company showed in its 2022 and 2023 drill programs to extend to considerable depths (close to 950 m below surface) along a strike length of 750 m and across a width of 400 m. Intercepts from 2023 include 900 m of 0.50% Copper Equivalent from surface in the North zone (Link to NAK23-12 News Release) and 302 metres of 1.09% within 606 m of 0.74% Copper Equivalent starting from 98 metres downhole in the South Zone (Link to NAK23-17 News Release). Click Here to View the 2024 Drill Plan at NAK Click Here to View 2024 Drill Plan Webinar Hosted by Geologists Charlie Greig and Neil Prowse About American Eagle's NAK Project The NAK Project lies within the Babine copper-gold porphyry district of central British Columbia. It has excellent infrastructure through all-season roads and is close to the towns of Smithers, Houston, and Burns Lake, B.C., which lie along a major rail line and Provincial Highway 16. Historical drilling and geophysical, geological, and geochemical work at NAK, which began in the 1960's, tested only to shallow depths. Still, the work revealed a very large near-surface copper-gold system that measures over 1.5 km x 1.5 km. Drilling completed in 2022 and 2023 by American Eagle has returned significant intervals of high-grade copper-gold mineralization that lie beyond the extent of historical drilling, indicating that several zones of near-surface and deeper mineralization, locally with considerably higher grades, exist within the broader NAK property mineralizing system. For the latest videos from American Eagle, Ore Group, and all things mining, subscribe to our YouTube Chanel: youtube.com/@theoregroup. About American Eagle Gold Corp. American Eagle is focused on exploring its NAK copper-gold porphyry project in west-central British Columbia, Canada. Anthony Moreau, Chief Executive Officer 416.644.1567 amoreau@oregroup.ca www.americaneaglegold.ca Q.P. Statement Mark Bradley, B.Sc., M.Sc., P.Geo., a Certified Professional Geologist and 'qualified person' for the purposes of Canada's National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Properties, has verified and approved the information contained in this news release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the receipt of final regulatory approval, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, the intended use of proceeds and intended drill program or its anticipated results at the Company's NAK project, the ability of the Company to make the qualifying expenditures as anticipated by management, and other matters ancillary or incidental to the foregoing. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results might differ materially from those suggested in forward-looking statements. American Eagle Gold Corp. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to American Eagle Gold Corp. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by American Eagle Gold Corp. with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under American Eagle Gold Corp. profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange policies) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS 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/209673 SOURCE: American Eagle Gold Corp. Regulatory News: The Combined General Meeting (Ordinary and Extraordinary) of Shareholders of ORPEA S.A. (Paris:ORP) (the Company ) will be held on Tuesday 25 June 2024 at 9:30 a.m. (Paris time), at Maison de l'Artisanat, 12 avenue Marceau 75008 Paris, France. The preliminary notice to the meeting, including the agenda of the meeting, the draft resolutions, as well as information regarding the formalities to participate and to vote at the Shareholders' Meeting, was published in the French Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires (BALO) today. This preliminary notice of meeting is available on the Company's website, as are the information and documents related to the Shareholders' Meeting, in particular those referred to in Article R. 22-10-23 of the French Commercial Code, which may be consulted at this following address: https://www.emeis-group.com/en/orpea-s-a/shareholders/shareholder-meeting/. Any Shareholders may request the documents and information referred to in Articles R. 225-81 and R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code from Societe Generale Departement Titres et Bourse Services des Assemblees, 32 rue du Champ de Tir, CS 30812, 44308 Nantes Cedex 3, France (the centralizing establishment mandated by the Company). The documents, which will be available on the Shareholders' Meeting's desk, can be consulted by the Shareholders at ORPEA S.A, 12 rue Jean Jaures 93813 Puteaux Cedex, during a period of 15 days prior to the date of the Shareholders' Meeting. About emeis With nearly 78,000 experts and professionals in healthcare, care, and supporting the most vulnerable among us, emeis operates in around twenty countries with five core activities: psychiatric clinics, medical care and rehabilitation clinics, nursing homes, home care services, and assisted-living facilities. Every year, emeis welcomes around 283,000 residents, patients, and other beneficiaries. emeis is committed and taking action to rise to a major challenge facing our society, i.e, the increase in the number of people placed in a vulnerable position as a result of accidents, old age, or cases of mental illness. ORPEA S.A., the Group's parent company, is 50.2% owned by Caisse des Depots, CNP Assurances, MAIF, and MACSF Epargne Retraite. It is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (ISIN: FR001400NLM4) and is a member of the SBF 120 and CAC Mid 60 indices. Website: www.emeis-group.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240517232666/en/ Contacts: Press Isabelle HERRIER NAUFLE Medias e-reputation Director +33 7 70 29 53 74 isabelle.herrier@emeis.com IMAGE 7 Charlotte LE BARBIER // Laurence HEILBRONN +33 6 78 37 27 60 // +336 89 87 61 37 clebarbier@image7.fr // lheilbronn@image7.fr Investor Relations Benoit LESIEUR Investor Relations Director benoit.lesieur@emeis.com Toll-free number for shareholders (from France Only) 0 805 480 480 NEWCAP Dusan ORESANSKY +33 1 44 71 94 94 emeis@newcap.eu Zhongshan, China--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - FirstMold, a renowned provider of plastic and metal parts processing services, proudly announces the completion of its state-of-the-art subsidiary factory in Mexico. The successful conclusion of the construction phase represents a key moment in FirstMold's ongoing expansion initiatives, marking a significant step forward in its mission to serve customers worldwide. Located in Mexico, the new facility is set up to execute various essential construction services, including mold production and injection molding services. With a steadfast commitment to meeting the diverse demands of its clientele, the FirstMold Mexico subsidiary will specialize in an extensive range of mold types, catering to various industries such as automotive, medical, optical, and more. The comprehensive suite of mold types includes: Rapid tooling Production tooling Automotive molds Medical mold Optical molds Family molds Overmold 2k molds Hot runner molds Die-casting molds. Furthermore, the facility will offer cutting-edge injection molding solutions, encompassing: Standard plastic injection molding Overmolding Insert molding Two-shot injection molding. Leveraging a global sales network spanning over 30 countries, FirstMold is dedicated to delivering exceptional products and services to its valued clientele. Moreover, the company is strongly committed to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction, continuously setting industry standards and fueling innovation across diverse sectors. Now, with preparations underway for production at the Mexico subsidiary factory, FirstMold welcomes customers, partners, and stakeholders to join its journey towards manufacturing excellence. About FirstMold FirstMold is a premier provider of plastic and metal parts processing services, specializing in mold making, injection molding, CNC machining, rapid prototyping, die-casting, and more. With an integrated business model featuring research and development, manufacturing, design services, and sales, FirstMold caters to various industries worldwide, including mobile phone parts, aerospace equipment, automotive components, and medical devices. Driven by a commitment to excellence and innovation, FirstMold aims to create functional, enduring products that exceed customers' expectations. MEDIA CONTACT Contact Person Name: Lee Young Company Name: FirstMold Manufacturing Limited Email: sales@firstmold.com Website: https://firstmold.com/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209428 SOURCE: Media Feature Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Phenom Resources Corp. (TSXV: PHNM) (OTCQX: PHNMF) (FSE: 1PY0) ("Phenom" or the "Company") is please to announce that it has filed a patent application in the USA on a process to uniquely extract vanadium and nickel from petroleum coke fly ash material. Paul Cowley, President & CEO of the Company stated, "Besides having core competence in mineral exploration, many do not realize that Phenom also has a technological core competency. Our capable technical team of brilliant metallurgists has been working on various metallurgical breakthroughs focused specifically on vanadium recoveries on various feed material. The patent application filed this week is the third such patent our team has developed for the benefit of the Company for new business opportunities." Vanadium and nickel are often found in small concentrations in natural oil products. During the petrochemical refining process, vanadium, nickel, and other valuable metals are concentrated in a product referred to as petroleum coke. This coke has a high energy content and is therefore often burned to produce energy or steam for the refining process. Coke may also be gasified to form hydrocarbons which increases the yield of petrochemical products from oil products received by the refinery. At the end of the coke combustion or gasifying process, an inorganic residue is obtained in a mixture with unreacted coke. This is generically referred to as an ash product, or petcoke fly ash. The high vanadium content of the ash and the significant content of other metals, particularly nickel, make it attractive to process this material so as to recover segregated metal values. About Phenom Resources Corp. Phenom has 100% interest in the Carlin Gold-Vanadium Project, located in Elko County, 6 miles south from the town of Carlin, Nevada and Highway I-80 which hosts the Carlin Vanadium deposit, North America's largest highest grade primary vanadium resource. The Project lies within the prolific Carlin Gold Trend. Approximately 9 million ounces comprised of multiple gold deposits, including past producing mines, are present near the Phenom property (5-15km). The Company has options on two gold projects in Nevada, the Dobbin Property which is Carlin Gold-type target and the CVN Property, a Bonanza high grade gold vein-type target. ON BEHALF OF PHENOM RESOURCES CORP. per: "Paul Cowley" CEO & President (604) 340-7711 pcowley@phenomresources.com www.phenomresources.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking information Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance. All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209709 SOURCE: Phenom Resources Corp. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Gen: Gen will support women to grow their skills and advance their careers Gen Blog | Community Today's cybersecurity professionals face their fair share of challenges. From AI and phishing attacks to remote work and mobile security, the threat landscape is constantly evolving, and studies show that there aren't enough cybersecurity experts available to meet these threats adequately. What's more, the existing cybersecurity field is mostly white and male, despite data from the latest ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Survey that shows nearly 70% of cybersecurity professionals see inclusion as critical to their teams' success. Estimates show that only 22% of the cybersecurity workforce in Europe is currently made up of women. That's where we come in. In April 2024, Gen signed a Pledge to the European Commission Digital Skills and Jobs Platform to help close the gender gap in the tech sector and train more women for success in cybersecurity fields. Through our longstanding partnership with Women4Cyber, we will support free mentorship to 1,000 women across Europe by April 2025. Together, we have also set a goal for 15% of each mentorship cohort to consist of women from underrepresented backgrounds. "As a global leader in consumer Cyber Safety, Gen has a mission to create solutions that enable people to navigate their digital lives safely, privately and confidently," said Gen CEO Vincent Pilette. "As part of this mission, we are also deeply invested in closing the cybersecurity skills and talent gap in the European Union and globally. We highly value the opportunity to join forces with other organizations through Women4Cyber to support women in improving their cybersecurity skills and the advancement of their careers at all levels." Empowering Women to Succeed in Cybersecurity Gen will carry out our pledge through our exclusive sponsorship of the Women4Cyber Mentoring Programme, which is open to women of all experience levels. The program pairs mentees with Gen and other corporate mentors for a six-month training program that covers skills development and career progression. Additional features include networking opportunities, supplementary webinars and more. Our Pledge raises the profile of our partnership with Women4Cyber, which began in 2022 and includes an investment of $150,000 annually for three years. Since the start of our work together, the organization has mentored nearly 700 European women, many of whom were mentored directly by Gen team members. Hundreds more have attended Women4Cyber events, webinars and the annual W4C Conference. Anyone looking to sign up as a mentor or mentee should bookmark this page. The next cohort will open in the fall. Driving Industry-Wide Change As part of the pledge, Gen will also lead two public, virtual roundtable discussions about women in the IT sector more broadly, raising awareness of the critical need for change in the industry and the opportunities for growth that inclusion provides. This issue has long been a strategic focus for Gen, as demonstrated by our work with organizations such as Czechitas and nasscom foundation, which promote the upskilling of women with cyber skills in the Czech Republic and India, respectively. "I'm thrilled that we are able to continue our collaboration with Gen under the banner of an official Pledge on the EU Cybersecurity Skills Academy," said Nina Olesen, Chief Operating Officer, Women4Cyber. "With the help of experienced mentors and dedicated networking activities, women will be equipped with the tools to navigate their journey in cybersecurity while opening doors within the job market. I hope that the program will serve as a catalyst for mentorship and onboarding of young talent in cyber at scale." Kim Allman HEAD OF CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AND PUBLIC POLICY Kim Allman leads global public policy for Gen based out of Washington, D.C. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Gen on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Gen Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/gen Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Gen View the original press release on accesswire.com Houston, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - ClaimsMate, a leading public adjuster firm, has launched a complimentary blog aimed at educating and empowering policyholders. Following the vision of one of its founders, Stephanie Corona, ClaimsMate has long been committed to ensuring that individuals understand their rights and receive fair compensation from insurance companies. Richard Chastain The new blog serves as a comprehensive resource center, offering insightful articles and guides covering a wide array of topics within the insurance realm. From streamlining the claims process to providing tips on maximizing compensation, the blog equips readers with the knowledge and tools necessary to make informed decisions about their insurance policies. Stephanie emphasizes the importance of accessible information in ensuring policyholders are not undercompensated. "Understanding the intricacies of insurance claims can be daunting for many individuals," she said. "Our goal with the blog is to break down complex concepts into digestible pieces of information, empowering policyholders to navigate their claims with confidence." The blog is live on the ClaimsMate website and accessible to all individuals seeking guidance and support in understanding insurance claims processes. About ClaimsMate: ClaimsMate is a Texas-based public insurance adjuster firm that is known for its advocacy for policyholders. The company offers precise claims adjustment services on behalf of policyholders in various property claim sectors, including fire insurance claims, wind damage, total loss insurance claims, appraisals, and inspections. In addition, ClaimsMate also provides expert guidance and support in navigating the complexities of insurance claims. With a commitment to transparency and advocacy, ClaimsMate strives to ensure that policyholders receive the assistance they deserve with their insurance claims. Contact Information: Name: Richard Chastain Website: https://claimsmate.com/ Phone: (877) 202-0204 Address: 1000 Main St #2300, Houston, TX 77002 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClaimsMateLLC LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/claimsmate Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claimsmate/ To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209660 SOURCE: SMG Media Group West Covina, California--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Mamboleo Media Group announces the forthcoming release of its latest book, "Believing in the Secret," authored by Dr. Aby Mamboleo, founder of the Mamboleo Media Group (MMG). Aby Mamboleo Mamboleo Media, the publisher behind works like "The Key To Guilt-Free Success For Working Women" and "The Entrepreneurs Funding Guide," targets a younger audience for the first time with this project. "Believing in the Secret" follows a young protagonist's journey as they navigate challenges and setbacks to realize their dreams. As the story unfolds, young readers are gently guided to explore the depths of their aspirations, learning that with courage and persistence, even the most extraordinary dreams can become attainable realities. "Drawing from my understanding of a child's experience, I aim to provide an inspirational story to help children understand the ideas of perseverance, believing in themselves, and staying true to their dreams. And that's what Believing in the Secret is all about," Aby shares while speaking about her book. "Believing in the Secret" is available on Amazon and Mamboleo Media's website. About Mamboleo Media Group: Mamboleo Media Group is a dynamic publishing house dedicated to creating captivating content that entertains, educates, and inspires audiences of all ages. Founded by Dr. Aby Mamboleo, the company is committed to producing literature that focuses on empowering individuals and promoting diverse narratives. The firm's forte is in publishing and marketing stories that promote cross-cultural unity, inspirational stories, personal growth books, and expert insights for entrepreneurs and working women. Contact Information: Name: Aby Mamboleo Website: https://www.mamboleomedia.com/ Email: aby@mamboleomedia.com Dateline: West Covina, California, United States Phone Number: 562-320-5244 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209677 SOURCE: SMG Media Group Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd. (CSE: TONY) (the "Company") is pleased to announce it, further to its press release of November 16, 2023, the Company would like to provide an update on its arm's length transaction agreement (the "Transaction Agreement") with Alclin Manufacturing Proprietary Limited ("Alclin Manufacturing"), Alclin Proprietary Limited ("Alclin") and Christo Gustav Coetzee (the "Vendor") dated November 16, 2023, pursuant to which the Company shall acquire up to 500,000 ordinary shares in the capital of Alclin Manufacturing and 500,000 ordinary shares in the capital of Alclin for aggregate consideration of US$5,000,000 (the "Transaction"). On November 24, 2023, the Company acquired 161,710 ordinary shares in each of Alclin and Alclin Manufacturing for an aggregate purchase price of US$1,617,093.99. On December 12, 2023, the Company acquired 20,000 ordinary shares in each of Alclin and Alclin Manufacturing for an aggregate purchase price of US$200,000. On May 17, 2024, the Company acquired 32,340 ordinary shares in each of Alclin and Alclin Manufacturing for an aggregate purchase price of US$323,418.80. For more information, please contact: Ron Akram Chief Executive Officer Tel: +44 786 6464 520 Email: contact@tony.holdings This press release contains "forward-looking statements", within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" "plans", "estimates" or "intends" or stating that certain actions, events or results " may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include,but are not limited to the Company's intention to defend the litigation with the Fund, the Company's liability under the Debenture and the above-mentioned litigation. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to materially differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements relating to the Loan and the Company's business strategy, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, that the litigation referred to herein will be resolved in a manner that is unfavourable to the Company (including any judgment, award or settlement of the litigation that results in the Company incurring liability, costs or expenses that, in the aggregate, exceed the share issuance costs of the Conversion Shares), the Company is required to issue shares other than the Conversion Shares or pay any amount to the plaintiff in defending, resolving, or in connection with, such litigation, and other related matters, or other factors set forth in the Company's publicly filed documents under its profiles at www.sedarplus.ca. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statement prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. While the Company may elect to, it does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws. None of the Canadian Securities Exchange or its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the Canadian Securities 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/209729 SOURCE: Tony G Co-Investment Holdings Ltd. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Aion Therapeutic Inc. (CSE: AION) ("Aion Therapeutic" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed a non-brokered private placement offering (the "Offering") of 50,000,000 units ("Units"), at a price of $0.015 per Unit, for total gross proceeds of $750,000. Each Unit consists of one common share ("Share") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one Share ("Warrant Share") for a period of eighteen months following the closing of the Offering, at an exercise price of $0.05 per Warrant Share. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering for general working capital purposes. All securities issued in connection with the Offering will be subject to a four month and one day hold as required under applicable securities laws. 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. 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) except pursuant to an available exemption under the 1933 Act and compliance with, or exemption from, applicable U.S. state securities laws. About Aion Therapeutic Inc. Aion Therapeutic is a forward-thinking business within the health and wellness sector with a diverse portfolio of intellectual property. With a commitment to innovation and transformative solutions, the Company is poised to drive positive change to redefine the boundaries of health and wellness. Toppen, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aion Therapeutic, is a US-based innovative health and wellness company, dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art water filtration solutions. With a focus on innovation, affordability, and sustainability, Toppen's water filtration solutions are designed to meet the diverse needs of consumers, businesses, and industries around the world access clean and safe water. For further information, please contact: Aion Therapeutic Inc. Graham Simmonds Executive Vice Chair & CEO (416) 843-2881 DISCLAIMER & READER ADVISORY This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Expressions such as "anticipates", "expects", "believes", "estimates", "could", "intends", "may", "plans", "predicts", "projects", "will", "would" and other similar expressions, or the negative of these terms, are generally indicative of forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the use of proceeds under the Offering. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. In addition, the forward- looking information contained in this release is based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as it is inherently uncertain, and no assurance can be given that the expectations reflected in such information will prove to be correct. The forward-looking information in this release is made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances. The securities of the Company have not been 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 requirements. This release is issued for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.) has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press 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/209680 SOURCE: Aion Therapeutic Inc. New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Rachel Winchester, a renowned Visual Webmaster, Vision Designer, Academic Researcher, Internet Artist, and Educator, is challenging traditional presentation norms with her groundbreaking approach dubbed "Killing PowerPoint." Through her innovative vision, Winchester is reshaping the landscape of presentations by advocating for web page print presentations that seamlessly integrate with today's visual web culture. Visual Webmaster To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9872/209316_visual-webmaster-logo.jpg At the core of "Killing PowerPoint" is the premise that webpage print presentations align more closely with how we naturally view and experience the world in 2024 and beyond. Winchester's approach emphasizes the use of dynamic web pages as presentation platforms, offering a visually captivating and interactive experience for both presenters and audiences alike. "Web page presentations allow for unparalleled flexibility and creativity in storytelling," explains Winchester. "With lifelike content, high resolution imagery, and intuitive navigation, presenters can curate their message in a visually appealing manner to better engage their audience." Winchester's method involves crafting presentations within a webpage format, leveraging elements like background images, monitors, and mouse effects to guide audience focus and enhance storytelling. By transforming presentations into immersive web experiences, Winchester aims to revolutionize the way presentations are delivered and consumed. "Visual Webpage presentations offer limitless possibilities compared to traditional PowerPoint slides," says Winchester. "They enable presenters to incorporate multimedia elements, optimize for SEO, and extend their reach beyond the confines of a physical presentation." In spite of the numerous advantages, Winchester acknowledges the challenges associated with building web page presentations, including the need to create and maintain a website. However, she emphasizes the accessibility of tools like WordPress and Elementor, which empower users to bring their creative visions to life with ease. With "Killing PowerPoint," Rachel Winchester is not only redefining the presentation landscape, but also empowering presenters to captivate audiences in entirely new ways. Through her pioneering work, Winchester continues to push the boundaries of visual communication and inspire a new generation of storytellers to think outside of the box. About Rachel Winchester: Rachel Winchester is the CEO of Visual Webmaster LLC and a prominent figure in the fields of visual web design, academic research, and education. With a passion for innovation and creativity, Winchester is dedicated to revolutionizing the way presentations are delivered and experienced in the digital age. Rachel Winchester To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9872/209316_figure1.jpg For further information regarding Visual Webmaster, please contact: Rachel Winchester, CEO Company: Visual Webmaster, LLC Website: https//www.visualwebmaster.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winchesterachel Email: email@visualwebmaster.com Media Contact: Company: The Watson Agency Website: https://thewatson.agency Instagram: @thewatsonmarketing Email: contact@thewatson.agency Source: The Watson Agency To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209316 SOURCE: The Watson Agency 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 Alset Capital Inc. (TSXV:KSUM)(OTC:ALSCF)(FSE:1R60, WKN:A3ESVQ) ("Alset" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed the second and final tranche (the "Second Tranche") of its non-brokered private placement of units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.25 per Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds of $200,000 for the issuance of 800,000 Units (the "Offering"). Together with the first tranche, the Company issued an aggregate of 6,424,800 Units for aggregate gross proceeds of $1,606,200. Each Unit is comprised of one (1) Common Share and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (each, whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one (1) additional Common Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.40 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance. In connection with closing of the Second Tranche, the Company paid finders' fees of $16,000 and issued an aggregate of 64,000 Common Share purchase warrants (the "Finders' Warrants") to eligible arms' length finders. Each Finders' Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one (1) Common Share (each, a "Finders' Warrant Share") at a price of $0.25 per Finders' Warrant Share for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance. The Company intends on using the net proceeds from the Offering for capital expenditures, working capital and general corporate purposes. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four (4) months plus one (1) day from the date of issuance, in accordance with applicable securities legislation. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or to any "U.S. Person" (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act")) of any equity or other securities of the Company. The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or under any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to a U.S. Person absent registration under the 1933 Act and applicable state securities laws or an applicable exemption therefrom. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of U.S. securities laws. On behalf of Alset Capital Inc. "Morgan Good" Morgan Good Chief Executive Officer About Alset Capital Inc. Alset Capital Inc. is an investment issuer that is focused on investment in diversified industries such as technology, healthcare, industrial, special situations, operating businesses through both debt and equity using cash resources or shares in its capital. The Company is led by an experienced, entrepreneurial group of executives having a diverse industry and capital markets background. Alset Capital Inc.'s investment portfolio comprises 49% ownership of Cedarcross International Technologies Inc. and 49% ownership of Vertex AI Ventures Inc. About Cedarcross International Technologies Inc. Cedarcross is an Artificial Intelligence cloud computing provider, with a vision of becoming one of Canada's largest AI compute providers. The Company is dedicated to democratizing access to cutting-edge AI computing, offering access to the world's fastest AI servers powered by Nvidia's H100 HGX 8GPU Servers. Focused on leasing compute resources to enterprise clients, Cedarcross anticipates significant revenue growth. For further information about Alset Capital Inc., please contact: Morgan Good, CEO and Director T: 604.715.4751 E: morgan@alsetai.com Cautionary Note regarding Forward Looking Statements This news release contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including, without limitation, the intended use of proceeds, the issuance of the Warrant Shares upon exercise of the Warrants and the issuance of the Finders' Warrant Shares upon exercise of the Finders' Warrants. 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, but which may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, but not limited to, statements relating to the Company's financial performance, business development, results of operations, and those listed in filings made by the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities (which may be viewed at www.sedarplus.ca ). Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company's management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information, events, results, circumstances or otherwise after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law including 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 news release. SOURCE: Alset Capital Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com AI/ML Innovations Inc. ("AI/ML" or the "Company") (CSE:AIML)(OTCQB:AIMLF)(FWB:42FB) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an independent contractor agreement (the "Agreement") with Moonshot Inc. (the "Contractor") to set out the terms and conditions of the Contactor's ongoing services to be provided to the Company (the "Services"). The Services will generally consist of the Contractor providing the services of Paul Duffy to serve as the Company's Chief Executive Officer. The Services will include such services and duties as would be generally associated with such a position. In consideration for performing the Services to the Company, the Company will pay the Contractor a signing bonus, payable to or as directed by the Executive as follows, i) $125,000 payable in common shares in the capital of the Company ("Shares") on the Effective Date; and ii) $125,000 payable in Shares on the second anniversary of the Start Date; In addition to monthly fees, the company will also pay annual retention fees of $250,000 and $300,000 over the first 2 years of the Agreement, payable quarterly in Shares. Any Shares issued to the Contractor shall be issued at a price per share equal ?to the greater of $0.05 or the fair market value at the time of issuance, except for Shares issued as of the Effective Date which will be issued at $0.075. All Shares are subject to a hold period. Upon signing of the Agreement, the Company also granted to the Contractor options to purchase up to 1,500,000 Shares with an exercise price of $0.20 per Share and a term of five years (the "Options"). The Options shall vest in three equal installments contingent on the Company achieving given milestones, as defined in the Agreement. The issuance of the Shares and the Options are subject to the receipt of all necessary approvals, including approval from the Canadian Securities Exchange. 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. 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 (70% owned by AIML), Tech2Heal (22% ownership commitment 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 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. SOURCE: AI/ML Innovations Inc. View the original press release on accesswire.com Blog Archive: Oct 2024 (60) Sep 2024 (149) Aug 2024 (155) Jul 2024 (155) Jun 2024 (150) May 2024 (153) Apr 2024 (149) Mar 2024 (155) Feb 2024 (145) Jan 2024 (156) Dec 2023 (155) Nov 2023 (150) Oct 2023 (155) Sep 2023 (150) Aug 2023 (155) Jul 2023 (155) Jun 2023 (150) May 2023 (155) Apr 2023 (150) Mar 2023 (155) Feb 2023 (140) Jan 2023 (155) Dec 2022 (156) Nov 2022 (150) Oct 2022 (155) Sep 2022 (150) Aug 2022 (155) Jul 2022 (154) Jun 2022 (150) May 2022 (155) Apr 2022 (150) Mar 2022 (155) Feb 2022 (140) Jan 2022 (156) Dec 2021 (156) Nov 2021 (150) Oct 2021 (155) Sep 2021 (150) Aug 2021 (155) Jul 2021 (155) Jun 2021 (150) May 2021 (155) Apr 2021 (150) Mar 2021 (155) Feb 2021 (140) Jan 2021 (155) Dec 2020 (155) Nov 2020 (150) Oct 2020 (158) Sep 2020 (150) Aug 2020 (130) Jul 2020 (124) Jun 2020 (120) May 2020 (124) Apr 2020 (120) Mar 2020 (124) Feb 2020 (116) Jan 2020 (125) Dec 2019 (126) Nov 2019 (120) Oct 2019 (124) Sep 2019 (120) Aug 2019 (125) Jul 2019 (124) Jun 2019 (120) May 2019 (123) Apr 2019 (121) Mar 2019 (124) Feb 2019 (112) Jan 2019 (125) Dec 2018 (126) Nov 2018 (120) Oct 2018 (124) Sep 2018 (121) Aug 2018 (124) Jul 2018 (125) Jun 2018 (120) May 2018 (124) Apr 2018 (121) Mar 2018 (124) Feb 2018 (112) Jan 2018 (123) Dec 2017 (124) Nov 2017 (124) Oct 2017 (141) Sep 2017 (135) Aug 2017 (138) Jul 2017 (137) Jun 2017 (134) May 2017 (138) Apr 2017 (135) Mar 2017 (139) Feb 2017 (129) Jan 2017 (143) Dec 2016 (135) Nov 2016 (138) Oct 2016 (142) Sep 2016 (128) Aug 2016 (133) Jul 2016 (136) Jun 2016 (138) May 2016 (164) Apr 2016 (311) Mar 2016 (348) Feb 2016 (320) Jan 2016 (348) Dec 2015 (314) Nov 2015 (338) Oct 2015 (363) Sep 2015 (358) Aug 2015 (399) Jul 2015 (374) Jun 2015 (331) May 2015 (337) Apr 2015 (319) Mar 2015 (320) Feb 2015 (271) Jan 2015 (286) Dec 2014 (254) Nov 2014 (238) Oct 2014 (287) Sep 2014 (267) Aug 2014 (259) Jul 2014 (260) Jun 2014 (238) May 2014 (241) Apr 2014 (228) Mar 2014 (240) Feb 2014 (217) Jan 2014 (263) Dec 2013 (226) Nov 2013 (254) Oct 2013 (256) Sep 2013 (252) Aug 2013 (263) Jul 2013 (261) Jun 2013 (251) May 2013 (250) Apr 2013 (221) Mar 2013 (193) Feb 2013 (164) Jan 2013 (157) Dec 2012 (155) Nov 2012 (240) Oct 2012 (526) Sep 2012 (411) Aug 2012 (394) Jul 2012 (284) Jun 2012 (229) May 2012 (213) Apr 2012 (213) Mar 2012 (253) Feb 2012 (269) Jan 2012 (298) Dec 2011 (273) Nov 2011 (219) Oct 2011 (204) Sep 2011 (201) Aug 2011 (236) Jul 2011 (217) Jun 2011 (211) May 2011 (206) Apr 2011 (215) Mar 2011 (215) Feb 2011 (186) Jan 2011 (215) Dec 2010 (107) Nov 2010 (98) Oct 2010 (55) Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Tryp Therapeutics, Inc. (CSE: TRYP) ("Tryp" or the "Company") announces, that it has filed amended financial statements for the six months ended February 29, 2024 (the "Financial Statements"), along with the corresponding Management Discussion & Analysis (the "MD&A"). The amendments to the financial statements resulted from a review of the financial statements conducted in May 2024 by the Company's auditors. Amendments to the Financial Statements are summarized in the following table: Description of Amendments Liabilities Expenses Other Equity $ $ $ 1) Net change to share-based compensation related to the options issued during current period and vesting of options issued in prior year 41,318 (41,318) 2) To reclassify convertible debenture costs and related foreign exchange impact 189,845 (189,845) 3) To accrue for audit & review fees, and legal expenses (133,765) 133,765 Totals - Net Changes 59,080 (14,762) (41,318) The share based compensation expense change primarily related to a changing the stock option valuation model to a Monte Carlo simulation model that better reflects vesting terms based on the probabiliies of completing a minimum financing amount and of achieving multiple share price appreciation thresholds. The convertible debenture liability and related expenses were overstated, which resulted in the amendment to reduce the liability and expense by $189,845. Additional accrued expenses resulted from an increase in the estimated FY2023 audit fees and the Q2 review fees not previously anticipated ($28,592) and the correction for three vendor invoices previously omitted. The notes to the Financial Statements and the MD&A have been updated to reflect the amendments noted above. The Company's accounting and internal review processes will be modified to improve future financial reporting. About Tryp On May 1, 2024, Tryp to announce dthat completion of the previously announced plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement"), whereby Exopharm Limited ("Exopharm") acquired Tryp in an all stock transaction by way of court-approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia). With the completion of the Arrangement, the Tryp Shares are expected to be de-listed from the Canadian Securities Exchange and to cease trading on the OTCQB Venture Market on the close of markets on or around May 1, 2024. The Company also anticipates applying to cease to be a reporting issuer under applicable Canadian securities laws. The Exopharm Shares are expected to commence trading on the Australian Securities Exchange under the name "Tryptamine Therapeutics Limited" and the ticker symbol "TYP" on or around May 23, 2024. Tryp, operating as Tryptamine Therapeutics Limited going forward, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing proprietary, novel formulations for the administration of psilocin in combination with psychotherapy to treat diseases with unmet medical needs. Tryp's lead program, TRP-8803, is a proprietary formulation of IV-infused psilocin (the active metabolite of psilocybin) that alleviates numerous shortcomings of oral psilocybin including: significantly reducing the time to onset of the psychedelic state, controlling the depth and duration of the psychedelic experience, and reducing the overall duration of the intervention to a commercially feasible timeframe. The Company has completed a Phase 2a clinical trial for the treatment of binge eating disorder at the University of Florida, which demonstrated an average reduction in binge eating episodes of greater than 80%. The Company also recently announced commencement of patient dosing in a Phase 2a clinical trial for the treatment of fibromyalgia in collaboration with the University of Michigan and is preparing to initiate a Phase 2a clinical trial in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital for the treatment of abdominal pain and visceral tenderness in patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. Each of the studies is utilizing TRP-8802 (synthetic, oral psilocybin) to demonstrate clinical benefit in these indications. Where a positive clinical response is demonstrated, subsequent studies are expected to utilize TRP-8803 (IV-infused psilocin), which has the potential to further improve efficacy, safety, and patient experience. For more information, please visit www.tryptherapeutics.com. Investor & Media Contact Peter Molloy Chief Business Officer Tryp Therapeutics Inc. pmolloy@tryptherapeutics.com Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). The forward-looking statements herein are made as of the date of this press release only, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budgets", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "projects", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements concerning the halt in trading and delisting of the Tryp Shares from the CSE, the listing of and commencement of trading of the combined company's shares on the ASX and all other statements that are not historical in nature. Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of Tryp to control or predict, that may cause Tryp's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein, including, but not limited to, the risk factors set out in the filings available for review on the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Such forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment based on information currently available. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPTED 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/209737 SOURCE: Tryp Therapeutics Inc. Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Vijay Raaz, Madhoo and Aksha Pardasany Director: Soham P Shah Well, India is a land of mystery and has many untapped elements. The ancient concept of karma and astrology is deeply imbibed in our country and the movie titled Kartam Bhugtam, which means what goes around, comes around or as you sow, so shall you reap, explores it. It is directed by Sohum P Shah, who previously helmed movies like Kaal and Luck. While the storyline of the movie looks interesting does it leave an impact with its narrative? Lets find out Advertisement Dev Joshi (Shreyas Talpade) comes to his hometown Bhopal from Auckland to sell all his assets and property with the help of his friend Gaurav. On their way home, Gaurav meets Anna (Vijay Raaz) an astrologer. While a senior doctor has told Gaurav that there is no chance of his moms survival, Anna tells him to follow his remedy and mom will be fine. His prediction turns right followed by another prediction that Gaurav will soon shift to Dubai to fulfil his dream of working as a chef. Now, Dev, who is facing obstacles in the dealings of his ancestral properties, goes to Anna for a solution. Anna gives him remedies and tells him to follow certain rituals. Dev sees all his obstacles are vanishing and things are falling into place. Soon, he becomes close to Anna, his wife (played by Madhoo) and their son Sameer. While finalizing his last deal followed by his return to Auckland, a big turnaround happens and Devs life changes forever and he turns into a paranoid schizophrenia patient. His partner Jia (Aksha Pardasany) helps him to recover and while heading back home they come to know the reason behind Devs life-changing event and how it is associated with Anna, Amma, Sameer and Gaurav. And what happens after that? Well, you have to watch Kartam Bhugtam for that twist. Director Sohum Shah has written an interesting but somehow it didnt turn out to be what was expected through its execution. While some twists are good, some fail to impress. Advertisement Talking about the performances, Shreyas Talpade and Vijay Raaz have done a fine job with their portrayals. Madhoo is great as vicious Amma. Aksha Pardasany has a great screen presence and plays her character well. On the whole, Kartam Bhugtam has an interesting storyline but fails to captivate due to its poor execution. Rating: 2.5 (out of 5 stars) Kartam Bhugtam is playing in cinemas Campo is currently for sale for $6.6 million (~Rs 55.01 crore). Located around 80 kilometres southeast of San Diego, the town is near the Mexican border. Its current owner, John Ray, who is a real estate investor in Las Vegas, has put up the property for sale since 2019; he is tired of being a landlord read more Campo, which was first settled in the 19th century, is located in eastern San Diego County and is surrounded by the Laguna Mountains. Image Courtesy: www.topguncre.com It is widely said, You have to think big to be big. Well, theres one big and unique opportunity in California. The entire town of Campo is currently for sale for $6.6 million (~Rs 55.01 crore). But why? Lets take a look. Historic town up for sale Located around 50 miles (80 kilometres) southeast of San Diego, Campo is within a mile of the Mexican border. Top Gun Commercial Real Estate (Top Gun CRE) has listed the downtown area for sale, which includes about 20 buildings, a mix of apartments, single-family homes, and commercial properties. Advertisement It is known for its natural beauty, historical significance, and close-knit community, listing agent Nicolas Hernandez of Top Gun Commercial Real Estate told USA Today. Hernandez and Joseph Barela are co-listing the property. The interior area on the 16-acre property totals 95,000 square feet, at a cost of $69 per square foot. It is reported that several of the residential apartments have been renovated, and new vinyl plank flooring and roofs are among the modern features. The property has the potential for high cash flow and significant upside through strategic development and honed operations, according to the listing. A Baptist church, a US Post Office, chapters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a metal shop, a cabinet shop, a lumber shop and a border patrol outpost are among the commercial tenants. It is essentially the entire downtown portion of Campo that is available, says Hernandez, according to the New York Post. About a hundred individuals live in the town nowadays, all of them rent from the current owner, John Ray, a Las Vegas real estate investor. Since 2000, Ray has owned the majority of the town. The only portion that is not owned by the seller is the fire station, adds Hernandez. The reason According to the Orange County Register, Ray has had the majority of the property offered for sale since 2019, when it was listed for $5.5 million. The biggest challenge to selling the town is its isolated location. Advertisement There is a lack of jobs in the immediate area, as per USA Today, John has received offers in the past but has never been able to agree on price with those buyers. He is tired of being a landlord and needing workers to manage things, so he wants to sell, according to NDTV. He is searching for a buyer who has an eye towards the future. As per the report, a buyer who respects the needs and desires of the current residents and is interested in revitalising Campo would be the ideal one. Investors can choose to build to maximize the density of the existing land without altering the towns current structures, or alternatively, consider a complete redevelopment to modernize and elevate Campos profile, the listing states. Advertisement Its an opportunity for traditional real estate investors to go in and do some renovations, Hernandez says, as per New York Post, adding, There are a couple of vacant buildings that need upgrades. I think the highest and best use of the property would be for the next buyer to be an experienced investor who isnt afraid to spend some money to update and reshape the community. The listing has attracted some interest, Hernandez. We had a prospective buyer interested in building a mini resort. Another person wanted to use it as a bed-and-breakfast. We also had a large media group in LA interested in pitching a TV series around the new buyer. Advertisement About the town Situated in the eastern region of San Diego County, Campo is encircled by the Laguna Mountains. During World War II, the hamlet was home to the African American cavalry force known as the Buffalo Soldiers, who used horses to protect the area. Italian and German prisoners of war are rumoured to have been kept at Camp Lockett, a former US Army base, as per USA Today. After World War II, the Army barracks were converted into apartments, Hernandez notes. The seller tried to get it sold in 2019, but they werent able to agree on a price. The seller is now making another marketing push and is more motivated. Advertisement The history of Campo stretches back to the late 1800s, when it was used as an Arizona Railway halt, according to San Diego Real Estate Hunter. It eventually developed into an agricultural village, and traces of its past are still evident. In addition to Campo, Ray is also attempting to sell Bankhead Springs, a ghost town located around 3.5 miles northwest of Jacumba. Ray stated that he purchased the small hamlet in 2000 and is requesting $2 million for it, as per NDTV. Over the years, he has also purchased and sold houses in El Centro, Yuma, Logan Heights, and Sherman Heights. With inputs from agencies With Char Dham seeing a record number of pilgrims this year, the Uttarakhand government has enforced new rules, including mandates on registration. They have halted the VIP darshan and banned the use of cellphones on temple premises read more With devotion and fervour, a record number of devotees commenced the Char Dham Yatra on 10 May. However, the initial days of this years pilgrimage have been marred by tragedy 11 yatris died in the first five days. The number of pilgrims has risen and their health and safety have become a big concern for authorities. Increased traffic jams, overcrowding, and mismanagement have added to the chaos. For smooth functioning, the Uttarakhand government has unveiled some new rules for those embarking on the Char Dham Yatra. We take a look. Advertisement The influx of yatris The Uttarakhand chief secretary Radha Raturi announced that since the holy yatra to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath Dham began this year, nearly double the number of pilgrims have embarked on the journey compared to the previous year. The state government said that until 14 May, 26.73 lakh people have registered on the portal with over 1.24 lakh people registering offline. Over 1.55 lakh pilgrims have travelled to Kedarnath, more than 70,000 to Yamunotri and 60,000 to Gangotri. The Badrinath Dham opened on 12 May and has seen 45,000 pilgrims. Health details needed The increased numbers have led to some chaos. The state government reported 11 pilgrim deaths in five days. According to health department officials, the deaths are mostly of the elderly above 50 with breathing or other underlying medical issues. The devotees must provide complete information about their health as all these shrines are at high altitude and the people travelling from places with high temperature find it difficult to adjust to the weather conditions on the top of the hills, Vinay Shankar Pandey, commissioner, Garhwal division said. Uttarakhand chief secretary Radha Raturi highlighted instances where pilgrims failed to disclose their medical history accurately or provided erroneous information during registration. Now authorities have been instructed to prioritise health screenings for pilgrims aged 50 and above. The state health department has also deployed 184 doctors, including 44 specialists, along the yatra route. All incoming devotees are undergoing screening procedures and being provided with forms to detail their medical history, Pandey said. It is imperative for devotees to furnish complete information regarding their health status. Advertisement No more VIP darshan To manage the influx of huge crowds, the Uttarakhand government has to extend the ban on the provision of VIP darshan, which gives priority to some devotees. I would like to inform that this year, there is a continuous surge in the number of pilgrims visiting the Holy Char Dham in Uttarakhand. For better management, we have decided not to have any VIP darshan till 31 May 2024, Raturi told media. Ban on phones on temple premises A ban has been imposed on the use of cell phones. Pilgrims will no longer be allowed to shoot reels or vlogs around the 50-metre radius of the temple to maintain its sanctity. Advertisement This (making videos) is hurting the religious sentiments of devotees. So, to maintain the sanctity of the temple and respect the devotees, those going there wont be allowed to shoot videos or make reels in a 50-metre radius of the temple premises. There is no prohibition on carrying mobile phonesYou can use it but nobody will be allowed to shoot videos or make reels, Raturi was quoted as saying in a press note released by the government. Kedarnath Temple banned use of mobile phones for devotees after video of woman vlogger proposing to her boyfriend went viral last year. Screengrab/ X Many temple priests hailed the ban. For us, these vloggers and YouTubers, and the pilgrims interested in making selfies are like a new calamity as they have been obstructing the darshan process creating nuisance at the shrines, Ajendra Ajay, president of Badri-Kedar temple committee (BKTC) told News9. Advertisement The decision comes after a group of 52 youngsters on Wednesday reached the Kedarnath shrine and loudly performed with 40 dhols leaving the temple priests furious. Glad that the temple authorities and locals are taking a firm step against Insta bloggers and Youtubers in Kedarnath! You are not welcome in Kedarnath for tourism! pic.twitter.com/Pfz6671Ihp Uttarakhand (@UttarakhandGo) May 15, 2024 Mandates on registrations With the influx of devotees, the Uttarakhand police have issued guidelines urging pilgrims not to start their journey without prior registration. They have also launched Operation Maryada to ensure that people maintain decorum and refrain from misconduct, including the consumption of alcohol or drugs along the pilgrimage route. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also noted the rising pilgrim numbers, as he appointed his secretary, senior IAS officer R Meenakshi Sundaram, to oversee the yatra management for Gangotri and Yamunotri. Due to limited accommodations and ecological risks at the holy shrines, Commissioner Pandey said only a restricted number of pilgrims can cross it. His statement comes days after a video of the jam-packed Yamunotri temple route went viral on social media. This is alarming . @ukcmo @PMOIndia . Please put a policy of 1 darshan for 2 or 5 years the affordability will kill these spiritual places . People stop being tourist 4 such places . Massive rush in Uttarakhand's Yamunotri as devotees wait for hours on hillside path. pic.twitter.com/ExNWEIGgg9 Aman Srivastava (@Er_Aman_Sri) May 13, 2024 According to the commissioner, some people travelled to the temples before the assigned dates, which is now being investigated. Permits of tour operators will be suspended if people undertake the yatra before their registered date, he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. Some devotees complained that it took them more than 15 hours to reach the shrines amid long traffic jams. It took more than 15 hours for us to reach Badrinath from Rishikesh. There was no one to manage the traffic at many places Vijay Panwar from Rishikesh told News9. With input from agencies Details from AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwals complaint against Bibhav Kumar have emerged. She recounts to the police how he pulled her off the sofa and attacked her repeatedly, ignoring her pleas to stop. She also writes in her complaint that Kejriwals aide threatened her by saying she could do nothing to stop them read more Who are you to say no to us. I shall teach you a lesson. With these words, Bibhav Kumar, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals aide, launched an unprovoked attack on Aam Aadmi Party MP Swati Maliwal, she claims in her complaint to the Delhi police. It is based on this very complaint that the authorities have filed an FIR against Kumar under Indian Penal Code sections 354 (assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 509 (word gesture or act of intent to insult) and 323 (assault). Advertisement In her written statement, 39-year-old Maliwal provides a detailed and harrowing account of what happened on Monday , 13 May, as she went to visit the Delhi CM at his official residence at Flagstaff Road, Civil Lines. On receiving the complaint, the police approached Kumars house in the Chandrawal Nagar area of the national capital. However, he is missing, prompting teams from the Crime Branch and Special Cell to launch a search for him. While the cops hunt for Kumar, heres an in-depth look at Maliwals account of the assault. (Trigger warning: Please note that the report contains graphical details of abuse, which could be distressing to some. Reader discretion is advised) 1) Around 9 am on Monday, Swati Maliwal reached the official residence of Kejriwal at 6 Flagstaff Road, Civil Lines from where she called Kumar and Kejriwal. However, both of them didnt respond to her phone calls. 2) She then walked into the house, informing the staff that she wished to meet the Delhi CM. At this point, she was asked to wait in the drawing room. 3) While Maliwal was waiting in the room alone, Bibhav Kumar, kejriwals aide, barged into the room all of a sudden and began shouting at her. When he began to hurl abuses at her, she told him to stop talking like and called out to the CM again. Advertisement 4) Kumar then yelled at her, Tu kaise hamari baat nahi manegi. Saali teri aukaat kya hai humko na kar de. Tujhe toh hum sabak sikhayenge (Who are you to refuse us. What is your status to say no to us. I shall teach you a lesson). 5) Maliwal claims that while saying these words to her, he stood right over her face, and then without any provocation slapped her in the face. He slapped me seven-eight times at least while I continued to scream. I felt absolutely shocked and was screaming for help over and over again, she writes in her complaint. Advertisement 6) During the assault, Kumar pounced on her, and brutally dragged her. She claims that amid this, her shirt pulled up and the button on them also opened up. 7) In her words, Bibhav did not stop at all, despite her pleas for help and attacked me by kicking me in the chest and pelvis area. 8) She claims that she repeatedly told him that she was having her periods and that he should let her go as she was in pain. However, he attacked her repeatedly with full force. 9) At some point during the assault, she was able to get free and then sat on the sofa and gathered her spectacles. In her FIR, she writes, I was in a terrible state of shock at this attack. I was deeply traumatised and called the 112 number and reported the incident. Advertisement 10) Kumar then threatened her again, saying: Kar le tujhe jo karna hai. Tum hamari kuch nahi bigaad denge. Hum tumhe aisi jagah gaadenge, kisi ko pata bhi nahi chalega (Do what you have to. You cant do anything to me. I shall bury you in such a place that no one will even know of). 11) Following this, he left the room and Maliwal was asked to leave the premises. I sat briefly on the floor outside as I was in deep pain. I somehow in a daze returned to my residence. 12) She further writes in her complaint that she is still in pain and this has been the most difficult time of her life. My arms are very sore; my abdomen is also paining. I am also having difficulty in walking. My situation is further exacerbated that I ended up being brutally beaten by a person I know for so long. I am deeply disturbed and distraught by this incident and that someone could display such goonda behaviour. She further adds that it has taken her three days to gather herself and report the matter to the authorities. Zoraya ter Beek has been granted approval for assisted dying on the grounds of unbearable mental suffering. The 29-year-old Dutch woman has chronic depression, anxiety and unspecified personality disorder. Heres why her right to die has triggered a debate read more A 29-year-old Dutch woman has got approval to legally end her life. Zoraya ter Beeks request for assisted dying was granted reportedly on the grounds of mental health suffering. Her choice has stirred a debate across Europe over euthanasia. The Netherlands was the first country to legalise euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide under stringent conditions in 2002. Dutch law allows euthanasia for patients who have unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement and have requested to die in a way that is voluntary, well-considered and with full conviction. Advertisement Lets take a closer look. Why a young Dutch woman is seeking euthanasia Zoraya ter Beek is struggling with chronic depression, anxiety, trauma and unspecified personality disorder, as per The Guardian report. According to The Free Press article published last month, Zoraya once wanted to become a psychiatrist but could not find the will to complete school or begin a career. Her battle with mental illnesses began in early childhood. She got a do not resuscitate badge when she was 22, which is usually worn by elderly people, reported Daily Mail. Zoraya told The Guardian that when she met her partner she thought the safe environment in the relationship would heal her. But I continued to self-harm and feel suicidal. Zoraya lives with her boyfriend, a 40-year-old IT programmer, and their two cats in a little Dutch town near the German border. She has tried several treatments, including talking therapies, medication and over 30 sessions of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In therapy, I learned a lot about myself and coping mechanisms, but it didnt fix the main issues. At the beginning of treatment, you start out hopeful. I thought Id get better. But the longer the treatment goes on, you start losing hope, Zoraya told The Guardian. She said that after 10 years there was nothing left regarding treatment. I knew I couldnt cope with the way I live now. Advertisement Speaking to The Free Press, she recalled her psychiatrist telling her that theres nothing more we can do for you. Its never gonna get any better. Free from life Zoraya finished ECT in August 2020 and after accepting that there was no more treatment, she applied for assisted dying in December of that year. I was on a waiting list for assessment for a long time, because there are so few doctors willing to be involved in assisted dying for people with mental suffering. Then you have to be assessed by a team, have a second opinion about your eligibility, and their decision has to be reviewed by another independent doctor, she told The Guardian. Advertisement Zoraya said that in these years she did not feel guilty about her decision or hesitate about it. I have a partner, family, friends and Im not blind to their pain. And Ive felt scared. But Im absolutely determined to go through with it, the 29-year-old said. She plans to leave the world on the couch in the living room at her home with no music, reported The Free Press. A medical team will come to her home on the day the process is supposed to take place. Theyll start by giving me a sedative, and wont give me the drugs that stop my heart until Im in a coma. For me, it will be like falling asleep. My partner will be there, but Ive told him its OK if he needs to leave the room before the moment of death, she told The Guardian. Advertisement Zoraya says she does not see the procedure as her soul leaving, but more as myself being freed from life, as per The Free Press report. Once she dies, a euthanasia review committee will assess her death to ascertain the doctor followed due care criteria. Later, the Dutch government is expected to announce Zorayas life was lawfully ended, the report added. ALSO READ: Will France legalise assisted dying? Which other European countries allow it? Debate over her case Zorayas case has triggered a conversation about assisted dying. Speaking to The Guardian, she said when her article was published in April, her inbox exploded. Zoraya said she received multiple comments from outside the Netherlands, especially the United States, with people telling her not to go ahead with it and that her life is precious. Advertisement Experts have also raised questions about the Netherlands euthanasia laws, which were expanded last April to include terminally ill children aged 12 and below. Stef Groenewoud, a healthcare ethicist at the Netherlands Theological University Kampen, told The Free Press that physicians and psychiatrists are now treating euthanasia as some sort of acceptable option instead of the ultimate last resort. 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. While assisted dying for people with mental illnesses in the Netherlands is uncommon, the numbers are rising. As per The Guardian, there were two such cases in 2010. This increased to 138 in 2023 when the country reported 9,068 euthanasia deaths. Euthanasia remains a divisive issue around the world. Zoraya told the British newspaper that she understands that cases like hers are controversial. People think that when youre mentally ill, you cant think straight, which is insulting, she told The Guardian. I understand the fears that some disabled people have about assisted dying, and worries about people being under pressure to die. But in the Netherlands, weve had this law for more than 20 years. There are really strict rules, and its really safe. Zoraya is likely to end her life in the coming weeks. With inputs from agencies (A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here . Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669) Projections indicate a real risk of flooding for low-lying areas in Thailand, including Bangkok, before the end of the century. The possibility of relocating the capital is emerging as a serious option read more Thailand is suffering the effects of climate change across a range of sectors, from farmers struggling with heat and drought to tourism businesses affected by coral bleaching and pollution. File image/Reuters Thailand, a country renowned for its vibrant culture, is facing a big decision. As rising sea levels threaten to engulf low-lying areas, including Bangkok, the possibility of relocating the capital has emerged as a serious consideration. This revelation comes from a senior official in Thailands climate change office, who warns that projections indicate a real risk of inundation before the centurys end. The world is already warmer than before, and we need to think about how to deal with this, a person in charge of climate issues in Thailand said. Theyre worried that if nothing changes, Bangkok could end up underwater. Advertisement But this isnt a tale of doom and gloom alone. People are coming up with smart ideas, like building strong walls to keep the sea out, similar to what they do in the Netherlands. Thailand is also taking important steps to protect the environment and fight climate change. Theyre working on new laws to reduce pollution and become more eco-friendly. Heres how serious is the issue. Will Thailand relocate its capital? Beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius already Thailand may have to consider relocating its capital Bangkok because of rising sea levels, a senior official in the countrys climate change office told AFP on Wednesday. Projections consistently show that low-lying Bangkok risks being inundated by the ocean before the end of the century. Much of the bustling capital already battles flooding during the rainy season. Pavich Kesavawong, deputy director-general of the governments department of climate change and environment, warned that the city might not be able to adapt with the world on its current warming pathway. Much of the bustling capital already battles flooding during the rainy season. File image/AP I think we are beyond the 1.5 (degrees Celsius) already, he told AFP, referring to the increase in global temperatures from pre-industrial levels. Now we have to come back and think about adaptation. I imagine Bangkok will be under water already, if we stay in our (current) circumstance. Bangkoks city government is exploring measures that include building dikes, along the lines of those used in the Netherlands, he said. Advertisement But weve been thinking about moving, Pavich said, noting that the discussions were still hypothetical and the issue was very complex. Personally I think its a good choice, so we can separate the capital, the government areas, and business areas, he said. Bangkok (would) still be the government capital, but move the business. Climate impacts While a move is still a long way from being adopted as policy, it would not be unprecedented in the region. Indonesia will inaugurate this year its new capital Nusantara, which will replace sinking and polluted Jakarta as the countrys political centre. The mammoth move has been controversial and extremely expensive, with an estimated price tag of $32 billion-$35 billion (Rs 2.67 lakh crore- Rs 2.92 lakh crore). Advertisement Thailand is suffering the effects of climate change across a range of sectors, from farmers struggling with heat and drought to tourism businesses affected by coral bleaching and pollution. Thailand is also taking important steps to protect the environment and fight climate change. Theyre working on new laws to reduce pollution and become more eco-friendly. File image/Reuters It has closed several national parks in response to recent coral bleaching and Pavich said further closures were possible. We have to save our nature, so we think that we will do any measure to protect our resources, he said. However, Pavich acknowledged that government efforts to tackle the growing problem of air pollution, particularly in Thailands north, had yet to bear fruit. Legislation focused on clean air passed this year and Pavich said national parks officials had stepped up efforts to prevent and put out fires in protected areas.The agriculture sector is very challenging for us, he said, referring to continued post-harvest burning that is a major contributor to seasonal haze. An improvement is not likely for several years. Advertisement More immediately, his department part of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is pushing Thailands first climate change legislation, which has been in the works since at least 2019 but was shelved during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pavich said the legislation, which includes provisions on everything from carbon pricing to mitigation and adaptation measures, is likely to pass into law this year. Thailand is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050, and net-zero by 2065. With inputs from AFP The Republican-majority House of Representatives recently passed a bill aimed at forcing US president Joe Biden to resume the delivery of high-payload bombs approved for Israel. Biden had blocked it due to concerns about their use in Gaza. Ahead of Thursdays vote, Republican leaders argued that passing the bill in the House would increase pressure on Schumer and Biden read more The House of Representatives recently passed a bill aimed at forcing President Joe Biden to end the pause on delivery of high-payload bombs to Israel. AFP The Republican-majority House of Representatives recently passed a bill aimed at forcing President Joe Biden to end his hold on high-payload bombs approved for Israel but blocked due to concerns about their use in Gaza. This legislative move comes amid heightened tensions and significant casualties in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The aim of the move seems to be to build pressure on Biden regarding his support to Israel. It also appears to be aimed at drumming up sentiments around antisemitism and the Israel-Hamas war ahead of the US presidential elections slated for November 2024. Advertisement But is Biden being arm-twisted by Republicans (and some Democrats) to deliver deadlier weapons to Israel? We explain. The Israel Security Assistance Support Act The bill passed by the House, known as the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, seeks to prevent Biden from freezing any congressionally approved military aid to Israel. This includes 3,500 bombs, ranging from 500 to 2,000 pounds, which Biden has put on hold. The MK84 2000-pound bomb is one of the deadliest weapons in Americas military arsenal. Image courtesy: Wikimedia The high-payload bombs in question are among the heaviest in the U.S. arsenal. The 2,000-pound bombs have a blast radius of 365 meters, capable of generating razor-sharp shrapnel that can decimate human bodies and unarmored vehicles. These bombs, which include 1,800 units in the shipment, were paused by Biden due to concerns that they would be used in Israels land invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, according to Al Jazeera. Were beyond frustrated, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said. I dont think we should tell the Israelis how to conduct their military campaign, period. No chance of bill becoming a law While the bill passed by the House of Representatives is significant, it is largely symbolic and serves more as a political rebuke to Biden rather than a binding mandate. The legislation on the floor is not a serious effort to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and Israel, said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Ahead of Thursdays vote, Republican leaders argued that passing the bill in the House would increase pressure on Schumer and Biden. Advertisement The legislation is unlikely to become law, given its probable rejection in the Democratic-led Senate and Bidens pledge to veto it if it reaches his desk. US President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the Israel Security Assistance Support Act if it reaches his desk. AP Is Biden being arm-twisted? If anything, the voting on the bill highlighted deep divisions not only between Democrats and Republicans but also within the Democratic Party itself. The bill primarily received support from Republicans, but it also saw 16 Democrats crossing the aisle to vote in favour of it, passing by a comfortable 224 votes to 187. Moderates and progressives are split on the issue, with some Democrats supporting Israel unconditionally and others advocating for a more measured approach to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza. Advertisement There is also some electoral math at play here. With the general election campaign coming into focus, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, 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. Despite the pressure from Republicans, Bidens recent actions show that he is not being arm-twisted. Earlier this week, the White House announced a $1 billion-plus arms package for Israel, which includes tank and mortar ammunition. This move provides cover for pro-Israel Democrats to reject the bill and has been propagated as a testament to Bidens commitment to supporting Israel while still exercising caution regarding the humanitarian impact of the conflict. Advertisement The situation in Gaza The conflict between Israel and Hamas has resulted in significant casualties on both sides. The war erupted following a deadly attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures. In retaliation, Israels military campaign in Gaza has led to the deaths of at least 35,233 people, predominantly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The White House has expressed frustration with Israel over the rising civilian death toll, particularly in Rafah, where more than one million people are sheltering from the ongoing assault. Advertisement Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that Israel could face an insurgency if it continues its current trajectory, potentially leading to a vacuum that could be refilled by Hamas. With inputs from agencies Bhavesh Bhinde, owner of the ad firm that put up a giant billboard that collapsed in Mumbais Ghatkopar, was apprehended in Udaipur on Thursday. An extensive manhunt involving three states, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, was launched by Mumbai polices crime branch. He reportedly changed his location continuously and assumed a fake identity to evade the arrest read more Bhinde was brought to Mumbai early on Friday and was taken to a crime branch office. ANI An advertising firms director, whose company put up a giant billboard that collapsed in Mumbais Ghatkopar area, was arrested on Thursday by police from Rajasthan, three days after the tragedy. Bhavesh Bhinde , owner of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, was apprehended from Udaipur by a team of the Mumbai polices crime branch. The 120 x 120 feet hoarding collapsed onto a nearby petrol pump during a dust storm and unseasonal rains, killing 16 people and injuring 75 others. Advertisement Manhunt to nab Bhinde An extensive manhunt involving three states ended with Bhindes arrest on Thursday evening. He continuously changed his location and assumed a fake identity to avoid being apprehended. After the tragedy, Bhinde left home in his SUV car with his driver and was since untraceable, as per PTI. The Mumbai police had launched a multi-state search for him. At least eight teams were sent to various places, including Gujarat and Rajasthan, to track him down. Bhindes last location was traced near Lonavala, a hill station in Pune district situated around 140 kilometres from Mumbai, and a team was sent there, according to an official. #WATCH | Ghatkopar hoarding collapse incident | Owner Bhavesh Bhinde arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch from Udaipur has been brought to Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/MWo7UDtVFW ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024 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. Advertisement According to PTI, 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. After leaving Lonavala, the advertising firm director headed to Ahmedabad, where he met his relatives, and from there he went to Rajasthan. He ultimately sought refuge in a Udaipur hotel by changing his identity, as per NDTV. The crime branch got specific information about Bhindes whereabouts in Rajasthan, following which a team was dispatched, and he was subsequently placed under arrest in Udaipur in the event. Advertisement To find out the whereabouts of Bhinde, the police had questioned his relatives and family members over the last two days. Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar has said stringent action will be taken against those responsible for the hoarding collapse incident in the city. PTI The manhunt was a secret operation, with even the local police being unaware of it. The operation was a top-secret, and even the Udaipur police did not know about it, an investigating official told NDTV. 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 Bhinde was brought to Mumbai early on Friday and was taken to a crime branch office. Advertisement He will be produced before the Vikhroli court later in the day, as per The Times of India. Also read: Mumbai hoarding collapse: How death by illegal banners is not a new menace in India Other cases against Bhinde Bhavesh Bhinde is also accused in a rape and molestation case filed against him at the Mulund police station on 24 January this year. He was eventually granted anticipatory bail by the Bombay High Court, as per The Indian Express. A chargesheet has already been submitted in the case. Moreover, according to his affidavit filed during his unsuccessful 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections as an independent candidate, there were 21 other criminal complaints filed against him. Advertisement Damaged vehicles are seen at the Chheda Nagar-based petrol pump in Mumbais Ghatkopar after a 100-foot-tall hoarding fell on it during dust storms and unseasonal rains that lashed Mumbai on Monday. Reuters According to an India Today report, the cases were filed under the Negotiable Instruments (NI) Act and the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act regarding issues such as cheque-bouncing, obtaining contracts for hoardings and banners from the Railways and BMC over the previous ten years, and alleged violations of BMC and Railways policies. BMC has also reported incidences of tree poisoning against Bhinde. He had previously owned Guju Ads, which the municipal authority had blacklisted as a result of several complaints against both the company and him, according to the news channel. Despite this, he founded Ego Media Pvt Ltd and secured contracts for hoarding and billboards. Also read: Shock, despair and death: Scenes from the site of Mumbais hoarding collapse Mumbai hoarding collapse The 120 x 120 feet billboard collapsed onto a nearby petrol pump in suburban Ghatkopars Chhedanagar area during gusty winds and heavy unseasonal rains on Monday evening, trapping people and vehicles under its giant wreckage. The hoarding was put up on a 10-year lease, in violation of the 40 by 40 feet maximum allowable size, as per Hindustan Times. As per India Today, the hoarding was recognised as the Largest Hoarding in the Limca Book of Records. As many as 16 people were killed and 75 others were injured in the tragedy. Wreckage of the vehicles that were damaged after a 100-foot tall illegal billboard fell on a petrol pump on Monday due to rains and dust storm, in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai, Thursday, 16 May 2024. At least 16 persons were killed and 75 others injured in the accident, according to officials. PTI Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Bhushan Gagrani called off the 66-hour-long rescue operation at 10.30 am on Thursday after reviewing the situation at the petrol pump, but the work of clearing the debris was on till late evening with the help of JCB, dumpers, cranes and other equipment. The rescue team had retrieved the last two bodies trapped in a car below a girder shortly after midnight on Wednesday. A BMC official said as many as 73 vehicles, including 30 two-wheelers, 31 four-wheelers, eight auto-rickshaws and two heavy vehicles all damaged in the crash were retrieved from the site, and handed over to the police as their owners came forward to claim them. Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed for the search and rescue operation on Monday evening. The Mumbai Fire Brigade had deployed 12 fire engines and several other vehicles for the exercise. All these were withdrawn after the operation was over. Another civic official said the Fire Brigade has still kept three fire tenders and some senior officials posted there as a precautionary measure considering the fuel stock in the tanks of the petrol pump. The city-based Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), appointed to find the reasons behind the hoarding collapse, is expected to submit a report within seven days, BMC officials said. A team of experts from VJTI visited the petrol pump the day after the tragedy. It has inspected the hoarding location, collected samples of soil and material used for the giant structures foundation and taken necessary measurements, they said. Calls for a thorough inquiry Meanwhile, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged that no tender process was followed for the crashed hoarding and the Maharashtra government got virtually nothing from the contract while the owner earned more than Rs 100 crore in revenue. Bhinde got permission to install the billboard only because he was close to MLA Sunil Raut, brother of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, he alleged. The revenue from the hoarding was over Rs 100 crore, and the revenue from the fuel station (on which it collapsed) was Rs 25 crore. The state government gets nothing. A couple of crores were transferred to the Maharashtra police Kalyan Nidhi (welfare fund), Somaiya claimed in a letter written to Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking a thorough inquiry. There were massive irregularities, illegality and lack of transparency in the setting up of the petrol pump and grant of permission to Bhindes Ego Media to erect the hoarding, Somaiya told reporters. The hoarding and petrol pump stood on land in possession of the Government Railway Police (GRP). According to The Times of India, senior IPS officer Quaiser Khalid, now additional director general, protection of civil rights, has been sent a showcause notice for lapse before giving a green signal to Bhindes ad firm to erect four hoardings, one of which was the collapsed one, on police land between 2021 and 2022. The GRP, then under Khalid, had allegedly not taken approval from the state DGPs office. Somaiya has also demanded that Khalid be asked to proceed on leave until the inquiry is complete. With inputs from PTI Thousands of Slovaks shared posts on platforms such as Facebook and Telegram, making misleading claims that the gunman, who was charged with attempted murder in the western town of Levice, was affiliated with the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party and its leader Michal Simecka read more A person is detained after a shooting incident of Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, after a Slovak government meeting in Handlova, Slovakia. Reuters Slovakias prime minister Robert Fico is in a very serious but stable condition in an intensive care unit after being shot five times at close range in an assassination attempt, according to a hospital official on Thursday. The gunman, believed to be a 71-year-old writer, is in custody. In the aftermath of the incident, Slovakias social media erupted with a storm of unfounded claims and finger-pointing. The incident has highlighted the countrys deepening toxic divisions since Fico took power. The online frenzy, both domestic and international, quickly sought to link the 71-year-old suspect to the liberal political opposition or Fico s pro-Kremlin foreign policy shifts since his September election. Advertisement Senior politicians exacerbated tensions by blaming critics without evidence, while outgoing President Zuzana Caputova and President-elect Peter Pellegrini called for unity to calm the situation. Heres a closer look. Misinformation rife in Slovakia Thousands of Slovaks shared posts on platforms such as Facebook and Telegram, making misleading claims that the gunman , who was charged with attempted murder in the western town of Levice, was affiliated with the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party and its leader Michal Simecka. In one example, a photograph that purportedly showed the assailant with Simeckas father a prominent writer and liberal newspaper columnist went viral, suggesting he had direct connections with the PS. However, AFPs fact-check team found the man in the photo was not the politicians father, Martin M Simecka, but a member of a local book club. Other unfounded claims said the shooter was a PS sympathiser or even party member, even though nothing in his publicly available online presence indicated that was the case. Such claims were spread by well-known disinformers, primarily on Telegram, said Daniel Milo, an expert on disinformation and hybrid threats. Ukraine, a disinformation flashpoint Despite the quick identification of the perpetrator, I have seen online attempts to accuse the Ukrainians of the attack, Pavol Hardos, a political and social media researcher from Comenius University in Bratislava, told AFP. Advertisement Police arrest a man after Slovak prime minister Robert Fico was shot and injured following the Cabinets away-from-home session in the town of Handlova, Slovakia. AP Such unfounded claims, which also spread in other countries in the region, included a Telegram post by the editor-in-chief of the pro-Kremlin outlet RT saying the attack came after Fico echoed the Kremlin justification for Russias invasion of Ukraine as a response to rampant Ukrainian neo-Nazis. Slovakias stance on the war in Ukraine was one of the key themes of a poisonous electoral campaign in the run-up to the vote that brought Fico to power. Analysts told AFP most of the online misinformation originated from pro-Kremlin sources. Fico himself promoted pro-Kremlin messages, including that the war started in 2014 after Ukrainian fascists killed Russian civilians. Advertisement False posts debunked by AFP also targeted Ukrainian refugees, who were wrongly accused of abusing social aid or setting buildings on fire to stir social unrest. During this years presidential campaign, AFP debunked fear-mongering claims that the pro-NATO opposition candidate, Ivan Korcok, would send young Slovak men to the battlefield should he be elected an act that the president is not authorised to do under the Constitution. Fico ally Peter Pellegrini won the presidential ballot and will assume office in June. Politicians, media blamed At an emotionally charged press conference after the shooting, senior politicians lashed out against the prime ministers critics including in the PS and the mainstream media. Advertisement Underscoring tensions over mainstream media is the governments decision to overhaul the RTVS public television and radio broadcaster, which it claims lacks impartiality. The incident has highlighted the countrys deepening toxic divisions since Fico took power. File image/AP Critics say the move will turn RTVS into a vehicle for pro-government propaganda. Politicians blamed journalists and the liberal part of Slovak society for the attack without any evidence or even logic, said Tomas Krissak, an expert on information security. The political leaders are abusing the situation for their gain and accusing people who are completely innocent, he told AFP. Outgoing President Zuzana Caputova and president-elect Pellegrini met on Thursday to send a message of unity in a bid to calm the situation. Advertisement Lets step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations, Caputova told reporters. Krissak said the mood on social networks had been very tense even before the attack. Afterwards, a freezing, scary sense of desperation has fallen upon Slovak society, he told AFP. With inputs from AFP After the Delhi Police filed an FIR against Bibhav Kumar, on the basis of Swati Maliwals complaint, the AAP has released a video showing the MP arguing with staff at Arvind Kejriwals staff at his residence. Heres what we know of the entire saga, which began on Monday (13 May) read more AAP Rajya Sabha MP and former Chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Swati Maliwal has finally registered her statement in the assault row. In her complaint, she alleges that Kejriwal's former aide Bibhav Kumar had kicked, punched her and even used a stick to beat her. File image/PTI When Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal received interim bail in the alleged money laundering case in connection with the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, the party was buoyant and celebrated the relief granted to their leader amid the Lok Sabha elections. However, that cheer was short-lived. Thats because the party now seems fractured owing to the Swati Maliwal episode. On Thursday (16 May), the Delhi Police filed an FIR against Bibhav Kumar , Kejriwals aide based on the statement given by AAPs Rajya Sabha MP and former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal . The FIR against Kumar has been filed under IPC sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force on woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt). Advertisement Following the FIR, Maliwal wrote on X: What happened to me was very bad. I have given my statement to the police. I hope 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 carry out character assassination, who said I was doing it on the instructions of another party, may God keep them happy too. Character Assassination , Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 16, 2024 But what exactly happened to Maliwal? How have the events unfolded from the day of the alleged attack to now when an FIR has been registered? We break it down for you. The alleged attack On the morning of Monday (13 May), the Delhi Police received a call from Maliwal in which she alleged that she was attacked at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal s Flagstaff Road residence. The authorities responded to the call and arrived at the CMs residence. Maliwal then alleged that Kejriwals aide, Bibhav Kumar, had attacked her at the behest of Kejriwal. Advertisement The PCR log states: Caller bol raha hai main abhi CM ke ghar par hu, unhone apne PA Bibhav Kumar se mujhe buri tarah pitwaya hai (Caller is saying that she is at the CMs house and he instructed his PA, Bibhav Kumar, to beat me mercilessly). She then went to the Civil Lines police station on Monday but did not register a complaint at the time. Reports said that while she was at the police station, she received a few calls and it was after that she left. The Economic Times reported that at 10.50 am, Maliwal boarded another auto and left the station, saying she would return. Advertisement Sanjay Singh admits to Maliwal assault The AAP initially maintained silence after the assault. However, a day later, the AAPs Sanjay Singh held a press conference in which he admitted that Maliwal had been harassed by Kejriwals personal assistant, Bibhav Kumar, and strict action would be taken against him. The AAP senior leader said it is a condemnable incident. Yesterday, Swati Maliwal had gone to meet Arvind Kejriwal at his residence. While she was waiting to meet him in the drawing room, Bibhav Kumar came and misbehaved with her. This is a highly condemnable incident. Kejriwal has taken cognisance of it and will take strict action in the incident, Singh said. Advertisement This was the first statement from the party. However, the BJP came down heavily on the AAP. It staged a protest raising the safety issue of Maliwal and said the Rajya Sabha MP had gone incommunicado after the incident. Members of the BJP Mahila Morcha protesting against the AAP and its chief Arvind Kejriwal. PTI On Wednesday, the BJP staged a protest near Kejriwals residence. Armed with placards and megaphones, they called for swift action against those responsible for the incident. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva questioned Kejriwals silence on the matter and urged the police to launch a probe into the incident. Why isnt the chief minister saying anything? The incident happened at his residence, he should have called the police. But, he is not doing anything which throws his role in all this under suspicion, said Sachdeva. Advertisement Moreover, when Singh visited Maliwals residence on Wednesday (15 May), BJPs national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said that the AAP was trying to pressure her into staying silent or changing her story to the cops. Maliwals ex-husband Naveen Jaihind also waded into the row, claiming there was a threat to her life. Taking to X, he said that the assault against Maliwal was part of a bigger conspiracy and there was danger to her life. Here is ex-husband of Swati Maliwal, Naveen Jaihind, reveals that she is being threatened and her life is in danger. Till now, she hasn't come out in public about what happened to her. Who is she scared of? https://t.co/FtphNwkCnq pic.twitter.com/qwoNvHimVP Vijender Gupta (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Gupta_vijender) May 14, 2024 He also wrote: Why are you acting MP Sanjay Singh? You know the whole incident, right? You already knew what was going to happen. The attack was a conspiracy. Swatis life is in danger. You know that right? Now you are trying to intimidate her into silence. Bibhav Kumar seen with Kejriwal The row involving Maliwal, Kumar and Kejriwal only worsened on Thursday when the BJP shared an image of Kumar being seen with Kejriwal at the Lucknow Airport. In a video being shared online, Kejriwal could be seen arriving at the Lucknow Airport as he and his colleague Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were being welcomed by their party leaders. In the video, his former PA Bibhav Kumar is also seen beside them. Bibhav Kumar who Sanjay Singh said "misbehaved" with Swati Maliwal in a manner that defiled her dignity is seen here with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Wasn't Delhi CM Kejriwal supposed to act against him? Normalization of "assault" on women? pic.twitter.com/tLs8oMotW6 Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) May 16, 2024 The Delhi BJP president was quoted as saying, Bibhav, who is accused of assaulting Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, was spotted last evening with Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh at the Lucknow Airport. This shows the real face of the Aam Aadmi party which is full of lies and deceit. BJPs Poonawala also wrote on X: 72 hours No FIR on Bibhav Kumar instead Kejriwal is protecting him! Roaming around with him. An FIR, at last On Thursday night, the Delhi Police filed an FIR against Kumar after Maliwal submitted her statement to the authorities. The FIR came after a two-member police team, led by Additional Commissioner of Police PS Kushwaha, visited Maliwals house in Central Delhi to take her statement and spent four hours at her residence. DCP Pramod Kumar Kushwaha leaves AAP MP Swati Maliwals residence, in New Delhi on Thursday. A police team reached Maliwals residence to seek details of the incident in connection with the alleged assault on her at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence. PTI In her complaint, she has provided a detailed account of the alleged attack, stating that Kumar slapped, kicked her, beat her with a stick , and hit her in the stomach. Per the 39-year-olds statement, she was sitting in Kejriwals drawing room when Bibhav Kumar barged in and began to assault her. She pleaded with Kumar to leave her, but her pleas fell on deaf ears initially. Simultaneously, Bibhav Kumar has also been summoned by the National Commission for Women today (17 May) at 11 am in connection to the alleged assault. Notably, former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi has also come out in support of Maliwal, saying she too had to tolerate misbehaviour when she was in the Arvind Kejriwal-led party and beating is very normal there. She (Swati Maliwal) has been beaten Bibhav Kumars job profile is to obey Arvind Kejriwal. I have also tolerated the misbehaviour of that person Beating 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. #WATCH | Delhi: BJP leader Shazia Ilmi says, "They are defending this for political gain... She (Swati Maliwal) has been beaten... Bibhav Kumar's job profile is to obey Arvind Kejriwal. I have also tolerated the misbehaviour of that person...Beating is very normal there. Prashant pic.twitter.com/4wOdqGHbla ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024 AAPs truth bomb After details of Maliwals assault emerged, the AAP has added another twist to the story by retweeting a video in which one can see Maliwal arguing with the CMs staff. The party has captioned the video The truth of Swati Maliwal. The video briefly shows Maliwal seated on a couch when security officials ask her to get up and leave. To this, she responds, I will not. I will do it. I will do it. Today, I will tell these people everything. To this, a guard says, Yes you can, that is your headache. However, the AAP leader continues to argue with the guards. In the video, at one point, you can hear Maliwal saying that she will complain to the cops. She also can be heard saying, I will eat your if job you touch me. She can also be heard cussing at one of the guards, which angers him. In response, he can be heard saying: Madam, you cannot speak like this. Shortly after AAP retweeted the video, Maliwal wasted no time in her response, saying the video was taken out of context and the truth will be revealed to everyone as soon as the CCTV footage of the house and the room is checked. , ? CCTV Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) May 17, 2024 She also made a reference to a political hitman, saying he was using his people to tweet and play videos without any context to save himself. AAP minister, Atishi, also held a press conference on Friday evening, presenting the official version of the party in the matter. She said that Maliwal was sent to the Delhi CMs house as part of a BJP conspiracy. She reached the CMs house on 13 May without an appointment. She was asked about it she threatened the police at the gate and said she is a Rajya Sabha MP. AAP @AtishiAAP Important Press Conference | LIVE https://t.co/Oj9CpW7O1Z AAP (@AamAadmiParty) May 17, 2024 She also referenced the video that is now circulating online, saying, In the FIR, Maliwal has said she was beaten relentlessly her clothes were torn. The video that is out today counters this. She was sitting comfortably, she was shouting at and threatening Bibhav Kumar and the police, and her clothes are not torn, she did not have any wound. With inputs from agencies While Arvind Kejriwals release from jail to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls came as a big relief to the AAP and the Opposition, the Swati Maliwal controversy has cast a pall over proceedings. While the Delhi chief minister has remained mum over the matter, the party has claimed that there is a BJP conspiracy to frame him read more Arvind Kejriwal must have felt great relief when he was granted bail by the Supreme Court. The apex court granted the Delhi chief minister bail in the alleged money laundering case in order to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. But the controversy over Swati Maliwal has dogged Kejriwal at every step. Maliwal, the AAPs Rajya Sabha MP, filed an FIR on Thursday accusing the Delhi chief ministers aide Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her. Advertisement The AAP has alleged a conspiracy is being hatched against Kejriwal, while the BJP has demanded stringent action against the accused. Lets take a closer look at how the row has disrupted his campaign: Kejriwals release from jail was a big boost to the party and the Opposition. The Times of India quoted Sandeep Pathak, a close aide of Kejriwal who is overseeing the AAP Lok Sabha campaign, as saying the development breathed fresh life into the party. With him, the cadre feels happier, much more positive, much more charged. Thats one aspect of it. The other is that the BJP thought that they would get Kejriwal arrested and then start breaking up the AAP in Delhi and Punjab. But they miserably failed, the AAP Rajya Sabha MP said. But Maliwals accusations have now cast a pall over proceedings. While the whole truth is not out yet, all is certainly not well inside the AAP. There have been reports of differences between Kejriwal and Maliwal for some time. There are claims that Kejriwal was not happy with Maliwals absence from Delhi before and after his arrest as well as her relative silence on his arrest. Maliwal, however, was reportedly visiting her sister in the US, the piece stated. It noted that if Kejriwal is sent to jail again for a long time, the party is likely to fracture. But if he is granted regular bail, he will likely be able to keep his team together. What was supposed to be a few weeks of respite for Kejriwal are proving to be a testing period. His attention will now be divided between the election campaign and the party affairs, the piece noted. Advertisement On Wednesday some people also raised slogans during Kejriwals road show in Chandni Chowk against Kumar, as per The Times of India. Slapped, hit in stomach Maliwal in her FIR filed Thursday claimed she was slapped, hit in the stomach and kicked by Kumar. The FIR was registered after Maliwals statement was recorded by a two-member team led by Additional Commissioner of Police P.S. Kushwaha. The team was at Maliwals residence in central Delhi for nearly four and a half hours. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal has accused Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwals aide of assault. PTI File Photo Maliwal claimed she ran out of the CMs residence and called the police immediately after the incident. Kejriwal was present at his residence when the incident took place, she added. Advertisement Maliwal broke down several times while giving the statement and sought strict action against Kumar. The AAP MP on Thursday underwent medical check-up at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Kejriwal evades question, BJP attacks Adding fuel to the fire, Kejriwal on Wednesday did not address Maliwals allegations during a press conference. Kejriwal, flanked by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, evaded a question on the subject. Singh, however, said his party has already made its stand clear on the issue. #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 Advertisement Singh, who had met Maliwal at her residence on Wednesday, said, The AAP is our family. Party has made its view clear. He also targeted the BJP government at the Centre by raising the issue of a Manipuri woman being paraded naked, the Prajwal Revanna sex scandal and Maliwal being beaten up by police during protests by wrestlers when she was the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief. Advertisement I want that 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 said. Yadav then took the microphone and said there are more important things than that. Then, unfolding a piece of paper, he added, BJP people are not with anyone, it is a gang that lodges false cases. Singh at a press conference on Tuesday had accepted that Kumar had misbehaved with Maliwal. He also labelled the incident highly condemnable, as per The Times of India. BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia claimed that Kejriwal is the main criminal in the complaint that his aide Kumar 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 said. Kumar, he noted, was photographed with Kejriwal during his visit to Lucknow. On Friday, the Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha members staged a protest near Kejriwals residence. Led by Mahila Morcha president Richa Pandey Mishra, the protesters, who were carrying bangles, demanded Kejriwals resignation. Mishra said the Mahila Morcha wanted to hand over the bangles to Kejriwal for keeping mum over the incident with Maliwal that occurred at his official residence. Arvind Kejriwal should be ashamed. He should resign from his post and apologise to the country. Swati Maliwal should get justice," a Mahila Morcha member told PTI. The Mahila 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. A team of the Delhi Police also turned up at Kejriwals residence on Friday, as per India Today. BJP conspiracy to frame Kejirwal Meanwhile, the AAP has claimed the case is a BJP conspiracy to frame Kejriwal. Senior AAP leader Atishi at a press conference said, Today a video has surfaced that has exposed the lie of Maliwal. In her FIR, she has said she was brutally assaulted and she was in pain, and buttons of her shirt were torn. A video that has surfaced shows an entirely different reality. Atishi said the video shows Maliwal comfortably sitting in the drawing room and threatening the security staff, and that her clothes were not torn. The video shows her threatening Kumar. The charges levelled by Maliwal are baseless. Maliwal insisted on meeting Kejriwal. She is Rajya Sabha MP and she should know that the CM has a busy schedule. Kumar told her that the chief minister is busy and unable to meet her. She shouted at him, pushed him and tried to enter the residential portion of the CM House, she claimed. The whole incident proves that it was a BJP conspiracy and Swati Maliwal was made its face to frame Kejriwal, she alleged. Asked about Singh accepting misbehaviour with Maliwal, Atishi said, AAP MP Sanjay Singh met Maliwal and he had only her version. But now this video has brought out the truth. With inputs from agencies Russias full-blown, focused assault on Kharkiv began in the early hours of 10 May and has continued since. Russian troops have crossed the border and advanced around 6 km at multiple points in five days. What does Russian president Vladimir Putin hope to gain from the attack on Kharkiv? We explain read more The recent attack on Kharkiv by Russian forces marked a significant escalation in the ongoing war against Ukraine. Kharkiv regions closeness to the Russian border and its symbolic and economic significance appear to be the reasons behind Moscow choosing to push its military offensive there. But is there more to Russias attack on the area that houses the second-largest city in Ukraine? What does Russian president Vladimir Putin hope to gain from the attack on Kharkiv? We explain. Advertisement The attack on Kharkiv: A week of escalation Over the past month, Russia had been gradually intensifying its operations around Kharkiv, exploiting limited Ukrainian air defences to bomb the city and surrounding areas. The full-blown, focused assault on Kharkiv began in the early hours of 10 May, with Russian forces attempting to breach the Ukrainian defence lines in the Northern districts of Vovchansk, roughly five kilometres from the border. After Kharkiv thwarted the Russian offensive in 2022, it became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. Reuters The attack included armoured incursions and heavy fighting. This offensive marks the first time Russian troops have crossed the border since the initial invasion in 2022, advancing around six km at multiple points within five days. Ukraines defence ministry reported that the initial attack, involving armoured vehicles, was repelled. However, fighting continued in the border villages of Strilecha, Pylna, and Borysivka, with Russian troops advancing approximately one kilometre around Vovchansk. Why has Russia set its sights on Kharkiv, though? Symbolic significance of the fall of Kharkiv A traditionally Russian-speaking city close to the border, Kharkiv holds immense economic, strategic, and symbolic importance for Kyiv and Moscow. The region is the capital of Ukraines heavy machinery and defence industries. As a major industrial hub, contributing significantly to Ukraines economy. Kharkiv has also been a flourishing economic and educational hub. The city is known for its heavy machinery, electronics, and aerospace industries, making it a vital economic asset. Advertisement During the initial invasion in 2022, Kharkiv fiercely resisted Russian advances, with Ukrainian forces successfully repelling the attackers and launching a counteroffensive in September 2022. This counteroffensive pushed Russian forces well beyond artillery range, allowing many civilians to return. The resilience of Kharkiv has made it a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. For Russia, capturing Kharkiv would represent a significant strategic and symbolic victory. Control over Kharkiv would provide a major boost to Russian morale and weaken Ukraines economic capabilities. Additionally, it would disrupt supply lines and communications, further complicating Ukraines defence efforts. Kharkiv as a buffer zone Creating a buffer zone can also be a significant motive behind Russias attack on Kharkiv. Putin had spoken about creating a sanitary zone along the border inside Ukraine in March. In April, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov highlighted that Kharkiv had an important role in such a strategy. Advertisement This map from the Institute for the Study of War was published on May 16. It illustrates how the fighting is spread out in a way that seems to suggest Russias desire to create a buffer zone ahead of its Belgorod region. Russias southern Belgorod region has consistently been attacked by Ukrainian drones, missile attacks, and cross-border incursions by pro-Ukraine paramilitaries. NEW: Ukrainian officials reported that Ukrainian forces are stabilizing the situation along the northern border in Kharkiv Oblast and that the tempo of Russian offensive operations in the area continues to decrease. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/Arn93QwSMe Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) May 17, 2024 Advertisement By capturing and controlling territories in and around Kharkiv, Russia could establish a strategic buffer that extends deeper into Ukrainian territory. This buffer zone would provide a protective barrier for Russias own borders, reduce the immediate threat of Ukrainian counter-offensives, and create a demilitarised area that could be more easily controlled and monitored by Russian forces. It could also complicate Ukraines operational planning. To distract from Donbas Despite the apparent significance of Kharkiv, many experts have argued that Russia lacks the necessary forces to fully conquer the city. The attack on Kharkiv may, therefore, be a diversion. It may well be aimed at thinning out Ukrainian defences and drawing attention away from the Donbas region. Advertisement Donbas, comprising the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, is arguably of much greater importance for Russia than Kharkiv. Predominantly Russian-speaking, the region has been a focal point of conflict since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and supported proxy forces in eastern Ukraine. After the first month of the Russia-Ukraine war that began in February 2022, Putin dialled down his ambitious goal of conquering Kyiv, and shifted his focus to the liberation of Donbas. The current Russian focus on Kharkiv could be intended to disperse Ukrainian forces, making it easier for Russian troops to advance in Donbas. By pressuring Kharkiv, Russia hopes to stretch Ukraines military resources, leaving critical areas in Donbas more vulnerable to attack. Media reports suggest that Ukraine has already had to move troops from the hill-top town of Chasiv Yar in Donbas to defend Kharkiv. An intensified attack on Chasiv Yar would bring Russian forces closer to strategic targets in Donbas, enhancing their operational leverage. Exploiting Ukraines challenges Another factor in Russias strategy could be the weaknesses in Ukraines defence capabilities. Ukraine has faced significant challenges, including shortages of troops and artillery shells. Western military aid, including that from the United States, has been delayed by several months. Russia may be seeking to exploit these vulnerabilities through the attack on Kharkiv, a border area. With inputs from agencies TikTok has long been accused by critics of disseminating false information, collecting private user information, fueling social instability, especially in nations that are at odds with China, and suppressing criticism of Beijing. However, the French administration thinks those who are against French rule were using the app to coordinate violent protests and communicate read more Demonstrators hold Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) flags during a gathering in Paris. AP Violence raged across New Caledonia for the third consecutive day on Thursday, hours after France imposed a state of emergency in the French Pacific territory to quell unrest in the archipelago that has long sought independence. In its latest attempt to end the violent upheaval, France has taken drastic measures to block TikTok. This is the most recent dispute between democratic governments and the Chinese-owned social media platform. Users of the only telecom provider in New Caledonia have not been able to access the immensely popular app since Wednesday due to the state of emergency powers. Advertisement Heres all we know about it. Why was it banned? TikTok has long been accused by critics of disseminating false information, collecting private user information, fuelling social instability, especially in nations that are at odds with China, and suppressing criticism of Beijing. For concerns related to national security, some European nations have even prohibited their officials from utilising the application. The US is also contemplating a complete ban unless its ownership changes are not achieved. However, Frances decision seemed more practical. The administration thinks those who are against French rule were using the app to coordinate violent protests and communicate. Can they do that? Nicolas Hervieu, a legal expert at Pariss Sciences-Po University, said the decision was without precedent and may not hold up to legal scrutiny. The decision was made in accordance with regulations that date back to 1955 and regulate any state of emergency, according to Amelie Tripet, a media lawyer with the August Debouzy firm. According to the law, any communications provider that is involved in organising or supporting terrorism may be blocked by Frances interior minister. However, Tripet asserts that such an exceptional measure would need to be well-justified and have to be limited in duration. If this were ever challenged before a judge, there would be three questions: Was it permitted under the law? Was it necessary? Was it proportionate? she said. It is potentially a legally fragile decision, she said. Advertisement How was it done? The solitary mobile phone provider in the region made it easy for the state-run Postal and Telecommunication Service of New Caledonia to enforce the ban. The most likely technical method, according to Adrien Merveille, a cybersecurity expert at Check Point Software Technologies, would be to block part of the system commonly referred to as the internets phonebook. Smoke rises during protests in Noumea, New Caledonia, Wednesday 15 May 2024. AP The Domain Name System allows users to use word-based web addresses to flit between sites, rather than remembering Internet Protocol addresses that are made up of long strings of numbers. The way of stopping access to TikTok would simply be to say that requests made to TikTok do not generate a response. This is something that can be put in place at the operator level, he said. Advertisement What was the impact? The violence seems to have subsided after four nights of intense unrest that left stores completely destroyed, streets full of burned-out cars, and five people dead. The situation was described by authorities as calmer and more peaceful on Friday, although it is impossible to determine what impact the restriction had. However, some question the impact. One VPN company reports a 150 per cent increase in the number of New Caledonians registering to use virtual private networks, which conceal their location. State blocking has been practised in China and the Middle East for decades and it works, said Arnaud Lemaire, an expert from cybersecurity firm F5. Advertisement But it has limits, it can be circumvented with a VPN, bouncing through another country. What happens now? How long the ban lasts is likely to depend on tensions on the ground. TikTok called the decision regrettable and said it was taken without any request from the local authorities or the French government to take down content. Our security teams are monitoring the situation very carefully and ensuring that our platform is safe, a company official said. We remain open to discussions with the authorities. With inputs from AFP With the US presidential election round the corner, driven by concerns over increasing crime rates and immigration, the wealthy residents of New York are redirecting their investments towards unique safety measures. This shift is visible in a notable increase in homeowners opting for security enhancements such as panic rooms and bulletproof doors read more Some of the reasons behind the move seem to be fears about crime, migrants and national turmoil. Image used for representational purposes/Pixabay New Yorkers are fortifying their homes with panic rooms and bullet-proof doors like never before over fears about crime, migrants, and national turmoil. Its not just the citys elite partaking in the trend. Steve Humble, founder of Creative Home Engineering revealed to NY Post, Not every [customer] is an ultra-rich stockbroker a lot of them are just people, middle-class kind of people. David Vranicar, whose company Fortified and Ballistic Security specialises in bulletproof doors and windows, told NY Post, New York has gotten really busy for us lately. People are not feeling safe the way they used to. Advertisement Vranicar highlighted that people from less affluent parts of Queens and Brooklyn have been driving his business, indicating that its not just the wealthy investing in security. His defensive philosophy focuses on fortifying points of entry such as front doors and windows to keep potential intruders at bay. What is the reason behind this trend? The pandemic played a significant role in kicking off this uptick in demand. Business was strong throughout the pandemic, and it hasnt slowed down. Humble specialises in top-of-the-line secret doors disguised as bookshelves, fireplaces, mirrors, and blank walls. He noted that the pandemic made people realise how quickly society can break down, leading to increased concern about security. Assaults in New York City reached 28,000 for the first time on record last year, contributing to a decline in residents sense of safety. The perceptible shift toward volatile instability across American society has also fueled fears. Also Read: New York City reigns supreme as the worlds wealthiest city; Mumbai, Delhi also in the list of top 50 Bill Rigdon, CEO of Building Consensus Inc told Fox News that uptick in business was being attributed to growing apprehensions around the civil unrest unfolding across the US as well as uncertainty over the upcoming US presidential election . The most common thing he is being asked today is: How can I protect myself with the upcoming election and the civil unrest that Im watching on the news every day, Rigdon said. People are scared to death. Advertisement New York City - biggest market in the US Contractors offer a range of security options, from high-end custom projects costing tens of thousands of dollars to more affordable solutions starting around $1,000. These options include hidden rooms, bulletproof doors, and reinforced bedrooms, providing varying levels of security to suit different budgets and needs. While some contractors have worked with celebrities and statesmen, the majority of their business comes from average New Yorkers, making the city one of their biggest markets in the country. Customers have expressed concerns about the increasing division in American society, with fears escalating as the 2024 presidential election approaches. Security experts and panic room builders emphasise the importance of being prepared, stating that its better to have these security measures and not need them than to need them and not have them. They highlight the perceived increase in violent crime, despite national statistics showing a significant decrease since 1993. Advertisement Also Read: What is the New York-Dublin portal and why has it been shut down already? Rigdon caters to clients with homes worth around $10 million at a minimum. His panic rooms, averaging between $100,000 and $200,000, come equipped with a host of defensive measures and life support such as food, water, plumbing, medical equipment, power sources, and communication systems. He has also fortified rooms to make them more capable of withstanding nuclear attacks. The trend of investing in panic rooms and fortified security measures extends beyond New York City, with Americans across different income levels embracing the practice of doomsday prepping. This trend reflects a broader societal shift towards prioritising personal safety and security in uncertain times. Advertisement With inputs from agencies AAP MP Swati Maliwal, who was allegedly assaulted by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwals close aide, underwent medical check-up at AIIMS trauma centre. An X-ray and CT scan were also done read more AAP MP Swati Maliwals medical check-up at AIIMS, New Delhi, found she has suffered internal injuries and marks on face after being slapped, hit and kicked by Bibhav Kumar, a close aide to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Maliwal, accompanied by a Delhi Police team, reached for a medical check-up at AIIMS around 11 pm on Thursday and left the hospital around 3:15 am on Friday. Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) member Vandana Singh also was there with Maliwal. Advertisement An X-ray and CT scan were done. The medical check-up was done at AIIMS Trauma Centre. The medical-legal certificate, or MLC, mentioned internal injuries and marks on the face of Maliwal. AAP Rajya Sabha MP, Maliwal, was allegedly physically assaulted by Bibhav Kumar at Kejriwals residence in Delhis Civil Lines on Monday morning when she visited him after his release on interim bail to campaign for Lok Sabha polls 2024. On Thursday evening, Maliwal filed a complaint with the Delhi Police accusing Bibhav Kumar of physically assaulting her, hitting her multiple times on sensitive body parts. After recording her statement to the police, Maliwal came to X after a brief hiatus and spoke about the assault. She said: What happened to me was very bad.I hope that appropriate action will be taken. The last few days have been very difficult for me." According to the FIR registered by the Delhi Police in Maliwals assault case, she was slapped multiple times, hit in her stomach and kicked by Bibhav Kumar. Advertisement Also Read: Slapped, hit, kicked: Swati Maliwals plaint to Delhi Police reveals assault by Kejriwal aide Bibhav Kumar As per the complaint, Bibhav Kumar barged into the living room of Kejriwals residence where Maliwal was waiting to meet the Delhi CM. Maliwal also claimed that Kejriwal was present in the house when his aide Bibhav Kumar misbehaved with her. The statement of Maliwal was recorded by a two-member team led by Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) P S Kushwaha at 1:50 pm on Thursday. Bibhav Kumar has been booked under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC pertaining to crimes like assault and violence against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and criminal intimidation. In its notification, the EC stated that Gangopadhyays remark was deemed improper, injudicious, beyond dignity in every sense of term, in bad taste and that it thus prima facie violated the Model Code of Conducts guidelines as well as its advice to political parties read more The Trinamool Congress filed a complaint against Gangopadhyay for his remarks against Mamata Banerjee at a public gathering on May 15 in Haldia, and the election panel took action in response Image Courtesy PTI For his improper, injudicious, and undignified remarks against Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former high court judge and BJP Lok Sabha candidate Abhijit Gangopadhyay received a show-cause notice from the Election Commission on Friday. The Trinamool Congress filed a complaint against Gangopadhyay for his remarks against Mamata Banerjee at a public gathering on May 15 in Haldia, and the election panel took action in response. The Tamluk seat in West Bengal, where polling is scheduled for May 25, is where the BJP has fielded Gangopadhyay. Advertisement In its notification, the EC stated that Gangopadhyays remark was deemed improper, injudicious, beyond dignity in every sense of term, in bad taste and that it thus prima facie violated the Model Code of Conducts guidelines as well as its advice to political parties. The EC has requested a response by May 20 at 5:00 PM. Lucknows St Josephs College has made an offer to parents that will be hard to refuse. Students whose parents step out to vote will get an extra 10 marks. Not only this, the staff working in the school will get an extra days salary for getting their fingers inked read more How does one ensure high voter turnout? Leaders urge voters to come out and exercise their right to franchise, while the Election Commission leaves no stone unturned to reach the remotest places of India so electorates from those regions do not miss out on voting. But in Uttar Pradeshs Lucknow constituency, a school is taking a different course to make sure parents of students enrolled in its institution cast their votes. Lucknow will go to polls on May 20, the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Advertisement What is the school doing? Lucknows St Josephs College has made an offer to parents that will be hard to refuse. Students whose parents step out to vote will get an extra 10 marks. Not only this, the staff working in the school will get an extra days salary for getting their fingers inked. The managing director of St Josephs group of institutions, Anil Agarwal said, The 10 extra marks could be in a single subject, or divided into different subjects. We have taken the decision to increase voting percentage in Lucknow Lok Sabha polls. To avail this offer, parents would be required to visit the school and show their inked fingers as proof. According to a report by Times of India, other schools in Uttar Pradesh have also introduced similar incentive plans for voters. Tax rebates, free meals and more Elections in India are a grand affair and so offering lucrative incentives to voters is not a new concept. In this years elections, from Bengaluru to Indore have made impressive efforts to attack voters. In Madhya Pradeshs Indore, a polling booth provided free breakfast and ice cream to voters who came to exercise their franchise. Meanwhile, in Karnatakas Bengaluru, various restaurants and businesses offered free dosa and coffee to voters. The Bharatiya Janata Party has asked the EC to consider giving tax rebates or similar incentives to housing societies that record 100 per cent voter turnout in South Mumbai which will also go to polls on May 20. Police will record the statements of security staff and other people who were present at Kejriwals residence at the time of Maliwals assault read more Delhi Police will visit Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence on Friday to investigate the assault against Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. Maliwal, on Monday, made a PCR call alleging that Kejriwals former personal assistant and close aide Bibhav Kumar physically assaulted her at the chief ministers residence. On Thursday, three days after the incident, the former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) lodged a formal complaint against Kumar with the police. Hours after recording her statement to the police, Maliwal broke silence on her assault on X, saying, 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, adding that the issue should not be politicised at a time when elections are going on. Advertisement As per the First Information Report, Kumar physically assaulted Maliwal by slapping her multiple times, hitting her in the stomach and kicking her. Her medical check-up at AIIMS, New Delhi, found she had suffered internal injuries and marks on her face after the assault. It is worth mentioning that Kejriwal is currently in Mumbai where he will hold a roadshow with Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray for the INDIA bloc on Friday. Why is police going to Kejriwals residence? The Delhi Police will pay a visit to the chief ministers residence as it is the place where the incident took place. Police will record the statements of security staff and other people who were present at Kejriwals residence at the time of Maliwals assault. The incident occurred when Maliwal went to the chief ministers residence to meet Kejriwal after he was released from Tihar Jail last week. She was waiting for Kejriwal in the living room when Bibhav Kumar barged in and began assaulting her. There are around eight CCTV cameras outside the chief ministers residence that the police will obtain for investigation. According to media reports, Maliwal arrived at Kejriwals home on May 13 in a cab. The police are likely to record the statement of the driver who dropped her off. Police reached Bibhav Kumars home Following Maliwals official complaint on the matter, the Delhi Police reportedly went to Bibhav Kumars residence in Delhi only to not find him at home. Advertisement The police said only Kumars wife was present in the house. It may be noted that Kumar was spotted with Kejriwal in Lucknow on Wednesday night as the chief minister visited Uttar Pradesh to hold a joint press conference with SPs Akhilesh Yadav. Meanwhile, Kumar is supposed to appear before the National Commission for Women (NCW) for a hearing on Friday. The incident occurred when Maliwal went to the chief ministers residence to meet Kejriwal after he was released from Tihar Jail last week. She was waiting for Kejriwal in the living room when Bibhav Kumar barged in and began assaulting her read more Three days after she accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals close aide Bibhav Kumar of assault, AAP MP Swati Maliwal has finally lodged a complaint with Delhi Police. Details of Maliwals assault surfaced after the police recorded her statement on Thursday following which an FIR was registered against Kejriwals former personal assistant Bibhav Kumar. Maliwal was allegedly attacked by Kumar on Monday (May 13) at Kejriwals residence in Civil Lines, the Delhi Police said after they received a PCR call from a woman describing her ordeal. However, no formal complaint was lodged on that day and the following three days. Advertisement Hours after recording her statement to the police, Maliwal broke silence on her assault on X, saying, 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, adding that the issue should not be politicised at a time when elections are going on. What does the FIR reveal? As per the First Information Report, Kumar physically assaulted Maliwal by slapping her multiple times, hitting her in the stomach and kicking her. The incident occurred when Maliwal went to the chief ministers residence to meet Kejriwal after he was released from Tihar Jail last week. She was waiting for Kejriwal in the living room when Bibhav Kumar barged in and began assaulting her. According to a PTI report, Maliwal also claimed that the chief minister was present at the house when the incident took place. Kumar has been booked under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC pertaining to crimes like assault and violence against a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and criminal intimidation. Maliwals statement was recorded by a two-member team led by Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) P S Kushwaha at 1:50 pm on Thursday. Advertisement Maliwal goes to AIIMS for checkup The Rajya Sabha MP went to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi to undergo a medical checkup three days after being physically attacked. #WATCH | Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal reaches her residence. pic.twitter.com/s2t1xlRgDV ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024 According to media reports, Maliwal reached AIIMS at 11 pm on Thursday and left the hospital around 3 am. The checkup found internal injuries and marks on Maliwals face. Police reached Kumars home Following Maliwals official complaint on the matter, the Delhi Police reportedly went to Bibhav Kumars residence in Delhi only to not find him at home. The police said only Kumars wife was present in the house. It may be noted that Kumar was spotted with Kejriwal in Lucknow on Wednesday night as the chief minister visited Uttar Pradesh to hold a joint press conference with SPs Akhilesh Yadav. Meanwhile, Kumar is supposed to appear before the National Commission for Women (NCW) for a hearing on Friday. Advertisement Delhi police likely to reach CMs residence Delhi Police may visit the Chief Ministers house on Friday to investigate and record the statements of the policemen and staff present there at the time of the alleged assault on Maliwal. Maliwals mother reacts After Maliwal spoke out on her assault, her mother, Sangita Maliwal expressed concerns over her daughters condition. We are not in a state to talk Its her fight, and only she will speak when the time is right, she told Republic TV. AAP likely to form internal probe After keeping mum for over a day and with Kejriwal appearing to be evading questions on Maliwal, the Aam Aadmi Party is likely to form an internal committee to probe the matter. Advertisement According to India Today, AAP has also asked Maliwal to record her statement in connection to the matter. AAP leader Sanjay Singh, who gave the opening statement about the case on Tuesday, has reportedly been asked to mediate the matter. Hitting out at AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal hours after assault complaint filed by his party MP Swati Maliwal, BJPs Amit Malviya said, I dont know what fate awaits (another AAP MP) Raghav Chadha, who refuses to return from London read more Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was released on interim bail last Friday (May 10) to campaign for his party contesting in ongoing Lok Sabha polls, but things turned murky after AAP MP Swati Maliwal was allegedly slapped and kicked by his close aide Bibhav Kumar when she went to meet the leader at his residence on Monday morning. Maliwal remained silent for about three days before finally lodging an FIR with the Delhi Police on Thursday. Ahead of filing a complaint, she detailed the acts of physical assault by Bibhav Kumar and said she was slapped, kicked, beaten with a stick, and hit in the stomach. Advertisement Maliwal claimed that she pleaded with Bibhav Kumar to leave her when he physically assaulted her on Monday. She then rushed out of Kejriwals residence and called the PCR. The complaint and gory details of the assault on Maliwal by a close aide of a leader of a national party and Delhi CM have drawn condemnation from other political parties. Slamming AAP and its leader Kejriwal, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said: Hours after Swati Maliwal was slapped on the face multiple times and viciously assaulted on her chest and lower body, possibly because she didnt speak up when Kejriwal was arrested. I dont know what fate awaits Raghav Chadha, who refuses to return from London, let alone speak for Arvind (Kejriwal), BJP leader Amit Malviya said. Swati Maliwal was slapped on the face multiple times and viciously assaulted on her chest and lower body, possibly because she didnt speak up when Kejriwal was arrested. I dont know what fate awaits Raghav Chadha, who refuses to return from London, let alone speak for Arvind. Amit Malviya ( ) (@amitmalviya) May 16, 2024 BJP demands Kejriwals reaction Members of Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha staged a protest on Friday outside Kejriwals official residence over the alleged assault on Maliwal by Delhi CMs close aide. Richa Pandey Mishra, BJPs Mahila Morcha president, led the protesters, who were carrying bangles, demanding Kejriwals resignation. #WATCH | BJP Mahila Morcha holds a protest outside the residence of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal demanding his resignation over the incident of assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on 13th May. pic.twitter.com/xrqrU05xy5 ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024 Advertisement Mishra said they wanted to hand over the bangles to Delhi CM for staying silent over the incident with Maliwal that occurred at his residence on Monday. Women not safe in Delhi LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan also slammed Kejriwal and the government he leads in Delhi, saying: Nothing can be more shameful than this incident taking place at the residence of the Chief MinisterLook at the attitude of the Chief Minister, he took the person who is accused with him in a press conference yesterday. Advertisement If women are not safe at the CM residence, then what will happen to the women in Delhi? If such an incident happens at the Chief Ministers residence, then how will the Chief Minister assure that such an incident will not happen with the common women living in Delhi, Paswan added. #WATCH | Patna: On AAP MP Swati Maliwal's assault case, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and candidate from Hajipur Lok Sabha seat Chirag Paswan, "Nothing can be more shameful than this incident taking place at the residence of the Chief Minister...Look at the attitude of the Chief pic.twitter.com/WjY96vm4Ew ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024 Advertisement Meanwhile, Bibhav Kumar has been summoned by the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday, May 17 over the matter. With inputs from agencies The Bharatiya Janata Party has been claiming that it will win a landslide majority this year with the party crossing 400 seats. Abki baar 400 paar has become the saffron partys campaign slogan this election season while leaders exuded confidence over BJPs performance read more Union Minister Amit Shah on Friday revealed BJPs plan in case it does not get a majority in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. With the majority of seats already being contested for, anticipation for the results has been growing among both voters and political leaders. The Bharatiya Janata Party has been claiming that it will win a landslide majority this year with the party crossing 400 seats. Abki baar 400 paar has become the saffron partys campaign slogan this election season while leaders exuded confidence over BJPs performance. Advertisement When asked during an interview with ANI if the BJP has a plan B in case it does not get a majority, Shah said, Plan B needs to be made only when there is less than a 60% chance for Plan A (to succeed). I am certain that PM Modi will come to power with a thumping majority. #WATCH | 'Does BJP have a plan B in case it doesn't reach the majority mark?' Union Home Minister Amit Shah answers. "Plan B needs to be made only when there is less than a 60% chance for Plan A (to succeed). I am certain that PM Modi will come to power with a thumping pic.twitter.com/beX5Msk2Cf ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024 No foreign interference The union minister also slammed foreign reports claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party is seeking to throttle democracy by seeking more than 400 seats. Should Indian voters cast their votes at foreign medias convenience? There is no foreign interference. Anyone can say anything they want. Voters in India are very mature. Once the counting begins, all the foreign media talking about our elections will go on a holiday, Shah said in an interview with ANI. Advertisement #WATCH | On foreign media's "BJP throttling democracy by wanting 400 plus seats" take, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, "...Should the voters of the country vote as per the intent of the foreign media?...There is no interference. Anyone can say anything they want but the pic.twitter.com/tnxHJ9feh3 ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024 The Ministry of External Affairs, earlier this month, criticised the US for interfering in Indias electoral process by classifying the country as a Country of Particular Concern for the fifth consecutive year. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom is known as a biased organisation with a political agenda. They continue to publish their propaganda on India masquerading as part of an annual report, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Their efforts to interfere in the largest electoral exercise of the world will never succeed, he added. Politics can be notoriously contentious and can often become even more so. In response to BJPs Tamluk candidate and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyays shocking remarks about West Bengal chief minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee, where he questioned her price and whether she was a woman at all, the TMC promptly filed a complaint with the Election Commission against the BJP candidate. Gangopadhyays statements at a rally At a campaign rally in East Midnapores Chaitanyapur on Wednesday, Gangopadhyay said that Trinamool claimed BJPs Sandeshkhali candidate, Rekha Patra, had been bought for Rs 2,000. He then questioned Mamata Banerjee, asking what her price was, suggesting Rs 10 lakh. He further implied that this was because she used Keya Seth makeup, a personal care brand and contrasted this with Rekha Patra, who he said could be bought for Rs 2,000 because she worked in households. He questioned how a woman could denigrate another woman to such an extent, according to a Times of India report. Advertisement TMCs response Enraged by Gangopadhyays tirade, West Bengal finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that the former judge had crossed all limits of decency. The finance minister clarified that the TMC had only mentioned that Patra and others were misled, given Rs 2,000, and made pawns in a political conspiracy, never claiming they were bought for Rs 2,000. She defended the TMC supremo, asserting that no one knows how to safeguard a womans dignity better than Mamata Banerjee. Mamata Banerjees stance Earlier this month, in reference to the Sandeshkhali sting video, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee asked the BJP not to play with the honour of Bengals mothers and sisters. During a rally in Labhpur, Birbhum, the TMC supremo accused the BJP of distributing money and fabricating the Sandeshkhali incident. Allegations by TMC general secretary At another rally, TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the BJP is stooping to new lows by paying women a meagre Rs 2,000 to lodge false rape complaints. He claimed that the Sandeshkhali incident was a staged conspiracy. Involvement of National Commission for Women On 11 May, the NCW claimed that women from West Bengals Sandeshkhali are being compelled to withdraw their complaints by TMC workers in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Multiple purported videos of Sandeshkhali women shared by the TMC claimed that a local BJP leader made those women sign blank papers, which were later filled up as complaints of sexual assault. The women in those purported videos claimed they were asked by BJP worker Piyali Das to appear in person at the local police station and relate their ordeal before the NCW team, which had visited Sandeshkhali to take stock of the ground situation. Advertisement Petition in Supreme Court On Wednesday, a woman from Sandeshkhali petitioned the Supreme Court for a court-monitored investigation into the Sandeshkhali incidents, including the recent sting videos and the rape complaints filed by three women who later claimed they were coerced into signing blank papers. On 29 April, the Supreme Court had already taken up the Bengal governments challenge to the Calcutta High Court order that directed a court-monitored CBI probe into the Sandeshkhali issue. The Chabahar port agreement between India and Iran has emerged as a beacon of hope a gateway to greater economic opportunities and regional connectivity read more In essence, the Chabahar agreement isnt merely about bricks and mortar; its about building bridgesbridges that span continents, cultures, and centuries-old rivalries. Source: X. In the heart of geopolitical chess, where every move holds profound implications, India has just orchestrated a masterstroke. On May 13, amidst a backdrop of shifting global dynamics, Sarbananda Sonowal, Indias Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, sealed a ground-breaking 10-year pact with Iran. This deal, a culmination of meticulous planning and strategic foresight, catapults the port of Chabahar in Sistan, Baluchestan province, into the epicentre of Indias regional ambitions. Advertisement With an investment of approximately $120 million from Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL), supplemented by a credit infusion nearing $250 million, India has not merely inked a contract; it has unveiled a gateway to a new era of connectivity. This agreement is not just about infrastructure; its about threading together the fabric of economic growth and resilience across the vast expanse of Eurasia. At its core, this deal isnt just a transaction. Its a bold assertion of Indias strategic autonomy and its emergence as a pivotal player in the global power matrix. By bolstering its connectivity to Central Asia, Afghanistan, South Caucasus, and beyond, India is not only securing its own economic interests but also positioning itself as a linchpin in the broader Eurasian tapestry. However, the significance of this agreement extends far beyond economic dividends. In a world rife with geopolitical contestations and simmering tensions, Indias move in Chabahar resonates as a strategic counterweight. It offers India a crucial lever of influence, challenging the dominance of the China-Pakistan alliance and puncturing the aura of Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Moreover, this initiative serves as a diplomatic coup, allowing India to chart its course independent of traditional roadblocks. By circumventing Pakistan and its historical penchant for obstructing Indias regional aspirations, New Delhi not only achieves connectivity but also undermines Beijings hegemonic designs in the region. Advertisement In essence, the Chabahar agreement isnt merely about bricks and mortar; its about building bridgesbridges that span continents, cultures, and centuries-old rivalries. It signifies Indias embrace of its role as a pivotal actor in the new geopolitical order, one where connectivity, cooperation, and resilience reign supreme. Amidst this forward-looking endeavour, we need to assess how the India-Iran relationship has evolved. In contrast, visits of Iranian Presidents Hassan Rouhani and Hashmi Rafsanjani to India offer a glimpse into the evolving dynamics of Indo-Iranian relations and shed light on the intricate interplay of geopolitics, diplomacy, and religious identity. In April 1995, Hashmi Rafsanjani, as the first post-1979 Islamic Revolution President of Iran, embarked on a historic visit to India. His arrival, marked by a warm reception from then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, signalled a pivotal moment in bilateral ties. However, Rafsanjanis trip was not without controversy, particularly in regions like Lucknow, where Shia protests underscored internal dissent within Iran over certain reforms. Advertisement Fast forward to February 2018, and Hassan Rouhanis visit to India unfolds against a backdrop of shifting global dynamics and regional imperatives. Unlike his predecessor, Rouhanis reception is more subdued, reflecting the nuances of contemporary Indo-Iranian relations. His appeal for unity among Muslims, delivered at Hyderabads Mecca Masjid, resonates with the citys rich history of communal harmonya history that underscores the potential for cooperation amidst diversity. Rouhanis remarks, though underplayed by the media, carry profound significance, especially in the context of Indias evolving foreign policy calculus. His emphasis on unity transcends sectarian divides, echoing Indias ethos of pluralism and inclusivity. Moreover, Rouhanis call for solidarity comes at a time when geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East, underscore the imperative of regional stability and cooperation. Advertisement Rouhanis focus on the Chabahar port agreement underscores the pivotal role of infrastructure development in fostering connectivity and economic growtha theme that resonates with Indias aspirations for regional integration and development. As India navigates the complexities of its relationship with Iran, the lessons of history serve as a guidepost, reminding us of the transformative potential of engagement and dialogue in shaping a more interconnected and prosperous future. In the midst of geopolitical manoeuvring and diplomatic overtures, a false narrative persistsone that alleges indifference on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards the Muslim population within Indias borders, juxtaposed against purported efforts for Muslims abroad. This narrative warrants scrutiny, especially in the context of the Chabahar port agreement and its potential impact on Indias Shia Muslim community. Advertisement Indeed, the Chabahar port deal isnt just a transaction between nations; it holds profound implications for Indias Shia population, challenging prevailing misconceptions and underscoring the complexities of religious identity and geopolitics. The historical backdrop of Indias Shia community reveals a narrative of resilience and cultural integration. Fleeing persecution under the Rashidun and Umayyad caliphates, Shia Muslims found sanctuary within Indias diverse tapestry of faiths. Over centuries, they became integral to the social and cultural fabric of the subcontinent, particularly in centres like Lucknow, where Shia culture thrived amidst the ethos of pluralism and tolerance. Yet, despite their contributions to Indias rich tapestry of diversity, Shia Muslims have faced challenges, including discrimination and marginalisation. Sectarian tensions, particularly in regions like Kashmir, have underscored the complexities of religious identity within Indias socio-political landscape. Enter the Chabahar port agreementa transformative initiative that transcends mere economic and strategic interests. By enhancing connectivity to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and beyond, the agreement offers tangible benefits to Indias Shia population. It opens avenues for economic development, cultural exchange, and social empowerment, reaffirming their place within the national narrative. Contrary to the false narrative surrounding Prime Minister Modis alleged neglect of Indias Muslim communities, the Chabahar agreement exemplifies a commitment to inclusive growth and regional stability. It challenges perceptions by prioritising the interests of marginalised groups, including Shia Muslims, and leveraging international partnerships for their benefit. Moreover, the agreement underscores Indias role as a responsible global actor, balancing domestic imperatives with international engagements. It symbolises a departure from narrow narratives of identity politics towards a vision of pluralism and cooperationa vision that encompasses the aspirations of all Indian citizens, regardless of creed or community. The journey of Indias Shia community is a tapestry woven with threads of resilience, perseverance, and cultural enrichment amidst the backdrop of historical persecution and marginalization. From seeking refuge from Sunni oppression to carving out a distinct identity within Indias diverse religious landscape, Shia Muslims have traversed a path marked by both challenges and triumphs. Yet, the echoes of discrimination and marginalisation persist, particularly in regions like Kashmir, where the dominance of Wahhabi interpretations of Sunni Islam casts a shadow over Shia practices. The ban on Ashura Processions, a sacred ritual for Shia Muslims, serves as a stark reminder of the challenges they continue to face in asserting their religious identity. Amidst these trials, India emerges as a beacon of hopea sanctuary where Shia Muslims find refuge and acceptance. The declaration of Muharram as a public holiday in several states, alongside the recognition of Alis birthday, stands as a testament to Indias commitment to religious pluralism and inclusivity. In recent years, the Shia community has found its voice, carving out spaces for representation and advocacy. The establishment of the All India Shia Personal Law Board underscores their determination to assert their rights and traditions, distinct from those of the Sunni majority. Indeed, the ideological differences between Shia and Sunni communities are profound, shaping their respective positions on social, religious, and political issues. While the Shia communitys support for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya may seem unconventional, it reflects their commitment to communal harmony and national unity. Moreover, the remarkable achievements of Shia individuals, from billionaire entrepreneur Azim Premji to Bharat Ratna awardee Ustad Bismillah Khan, exemplify the communitys contributions to Indias socio-economic fabric. In this context, the Chabahar port agreement between India and Iran emerges as a beacon of hopea gateway to greater economic opportunities and regional connectivity. For Indias Shia community, it signifies more than just infrastructure development; it symbolises a reaffirmation of their place within the national narrative, a recognition of their contributions to Indias tapestry of diversity. As we chart a course towards a more interconnected future, let us not forget the struggles and triumphs of Indias Shia communitya community that found solace and sanctuary in the embrace of a nation that celebrates diversity and pluralism. In the Chabahar port agreement, we see not just economic prospects but a reaffirmation of Indias commitment to inclusivity, where every voice finds resonance and every individual finds belonging. The author is a practicing advocate. She writes articles on womens rights, politics, and law. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Both the low phases of New Delhi-Ottawa ties happened under the watch of a Trudeau, whether father or son, Pierre in the 1970s and 80s, and Justin since 2015 read more India-Canada ties have developed severe strains, and not for the first time. Historically, nuclear and Khalistani issues have bedevilled the equation. The Canadian response was or is marked by overactivity in the first case and passivity, if not complicity, in the second. Interestingly, both phases of the downward spiral happened under the watch of a Trudeau, whether father or son, Pierre in 1974 and Justin since 2015. One may therefore be forgiven for observing that the relationship has been Trudeaued, at least in the immediate term. Advertisement It took 36 years to put the nuclear issue behind with the conclusion of a bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA) on the margins of the G20 summit in Toronto in 2010. Canada, which had supplied two civil nuclear reactors for power generation, had reacted sharply to the Indian Pokhran test in 1974 by imposing sanctions and cutting off developmental assistance, even though fissile material from the reactors was not used in the test, nor had India signed the 1968 Treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, which she regarded as discriminatory. In 2015, Canada agreed to start supplying uranium to India. It has one of the worlds largest reserves. On the other hand, the Khalistani issue continues to fester. It may be recalled that Punjabis, mostly Sikhs, started trickling into Vancouver, Canada, in the late 19th century. The first Gurdwara in North America was built in Vancouver by the Khalsa Diwan Society in 1908, which became a central feature of life for all South Asians, regardless of their faith. Their numbers and those of Indians in general grew steadily in the second half of the 20th century. However, during the Punjab problem in the late 1970s and 80s, a sizeable number of Sikhs, harbouring imagined grievances against the Indian government, moved to Canada, taking advantage of the red carpet rolled out for them by then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Most of them were economic migrants masquerading as political refugees escaping persecution. Some of them were fugitives wanted for murder and other violent crimes. They routinely admitted ignoring Indian alerts about their antecedents. Advertisement Soon they had sizeable concentrations in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton, among other pockets. They naturally felt beholden to Trudeau and his Liberal Party. They struck roots quickly, organised themselves politically, and began to deploy Gurdwara funds for their activities, both kosher and questionable. From the safety of their adoptive home, the hardliners started agitating for Khalistan, routinely engaging in intimidation and violence, while the administration turned a Nelsons eye. It led to the blowing up of Air Indias Kanishka jetliner on June 23, 1985, in which 329 people, mostly Indo-Canadians, perished. Prior intelligence provided by India was ignored by the Canadian government. Advertisement The carnage was hatched and executed by Khalistanis in Canada. However, believing it to be Indias problem, the Canadian authorities carried out half-hearted investigations, virtually letting the perpetrators go scot-free. It was with this inherited mindset that Justin Trudeau became the leader of the Liberal Party in April 2013 and the prime minister in November 2015. Both before and after assuming office, he has proactively cultivated the Sikh diaspora and indulged the Khalistani separatists. The issue figured prominently in the very first meeting, in Toronto in April 2015, between Trudeau and PM Modi, who was on a visit to Canada. The former gave a stock reply that he believed in defending free speech. Advertisement Modi was among the first world leaders to felicitate the newly elected Canadian PM and invite him to visit India. However, the latter seemed to have his own priorities. Even their in-person meeting materialised in April 2016 on the margins of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, instead of Turkey, the venue of the G20 summit in November 2015, where Trudeau engaged with a slew of world leaders. The very next month, while visiting Washington, he quipped, I have more Sikhs in my cabinet than Modi does," which raised many eyebrows in New Delhi. The Canadian PM finally embarked on a weeklong visit to India in February 2018, when very little went right. Trudeau basically concentrated on optics to flaunt and burnish his pro-diasporic credentials, relegating substance to the backburner. The resultant expectation gap dealt a setback to bilateral ties. His second visit to India during the G20 summit in September 2023 fared no better, floundering on the Khalistani issue. Advertisement The Canadian leader provocatively waded into Indias internal affairs by making common cause with the agitating Indian (mostly Punjabi Sikh) farmers, saying, Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protest. That he did precisely the opposite by evoking emergency laws and cracking down on the remarkably peaceful truckers protest is a different story. He has since accused Indian agencies of interfering in national elections and orchestrating the assassination of a known Khalistani without providing any credible evidence. He also called off trade talks with India. India demanded that 41 Canadian diplomats be recalled, bringing about parity in bilateral diplomatic representation. India, which for decades had been patiently engaging with the Canadians on Khalistani activities, without any success, decided to call them out. The Foreign Office Spokesperson noted that Canada was acquiring a growing reputation as a place, as a safe haven for terrorists, for extremists, and for organised crime. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar did some plain speaking. He, for instance, stated at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York last September, We have given them a lot of information about organised crime leadership, which operates out of Canada. There are a large number of extradition requests. There are terrorist leaders who have been identified. And our concern is that its really been very permissive, because of political reasons, we have a situation where actually our diplomats are threatened, our consulates have been attacked. And this is often justified as saying, Well, thats how democracies work." Let us be clear. All Canadian political parties mollycoddle the Khalistanis and woo the Sikh vote. Even though the Sikh diaspora, numbering 750,000, comprises just over 2 per cent of the Canadian population, they wrest some 20 or 6 per cent seats in the House of Commons. They provide generous financial and manpower support to their preferred party. As noted above, Liberals are the biggest beneficiaries, cornering the lions share. The present government has taken appeasement politics to a new level. Trudeau has been unabashedly participating in Khalistani public events where terrorists and assassins are eulogised, secessionist slogans rent the air, and hate speeches against India are the norm. The emboldened miscreants have conducted the so-called Khalistan referendum to establish a separate homeland for Sikhs in India. They aim at reviving the separatist movement in India, which died down in the early 1990s. They are also threatening Hindus and trying to sow seeds of discord within the Indian community in Canada. Notwithstanding such a politically charged environment, the bilateral dialogue process continues uninterrupted, as it should among democratic societies. Trade, investment, education, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries remain robust and reflective of the opportunities and potential. Decades of efforts on both sides have gone into building on the synergies, which cannot be allowed to wither at the altar of cynical political expediency. Sooner or later, the Canadians would hopefully realise that appeasement politics are counterproductive. They could result in societal fissures, spawn organised crime syndicates, and radicalise sections of the youth. The countrys global standing could suffer. All the same, dont expect a change any time soon, especially not under the current Liberal dispensation. Their India-baiting goes well beyond even the calculus of vote-bank politics, perhaps betraying a certain personality bias. Thus, apart from a cataclysmic event that may jolt the system out of its slumber, change will be episodic and gradual. Meanwhile, India should keep the spotlight focused on Canadas unbecoming behaviour, be prepared for the long haul, and remind herself that patience is the key. The author is a foreign affairs specialist and an ex-envoy to Canada and South Korea. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Now the Chinese would not hesitate to settle scores with the human rights and women activists, who had earlier accused the Chinese government of violating human and women rights in Xinjiang read more Dolkun Isa, who is currently the Executive President of the Uyhgur umbrella organisation based in Munich (Germany), World Uyghur Congress, has been accused of sexual harassment, along with another Uyhgur leader, Nury Turkel. Image: REUTERS The global movement of the Uyghurs (against the Chinese for a separate state of East Turkestan) has received a rude shock after sexual harassment charges were made on May 10, 2024, by two women, respectively, against two top leaders of the Uyghur diaspora, Dolkun Isa, who is currently the Executive President of the Uyhgur umbrella organisation based in Munich (Germany), World Uyghur Congress (WUC), and Nury Turkel, the Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and one of the Board of Directors of the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP). Advertisement In an interview with NOTUS, a Washington-based publication from the Albritton Journalism Institute, Esma Gun, a 22-year-old Turkish-Belgian student, provided a screenshot message as evidence towards Dolkun Isas misdemeanour in 2021. Earlier, two unnamed Uyghur women had claimed in separate interviews with NOTUS regarding Dolkuns unprofessional sexual advances towards them. Similarly, Julie Millsap, an American who worked as the Government Relations Manager for the Uyghur Human Rights Project, confessed before the NOTUS regarding a year-long consensual sexual relationship with Nury Turkel that began in May 2021 and ended in September 2022 on a bitter note. According to Julie, Nury was using a pseudonym (Mitch Gasser) while interacting with her over social media to hide his identity. In the meantime, Dolkun Isa, in a message on the X (formerly Twitter), has regretted and apologized for sending messages that caused discomfort and distress to those who received them. However, Dolkuns plea doesnt help him anymore. Some Uyghurs, who initially thought it could have been a Chinese ploy (at least against Nury) because Julies husband was Chinese, now find it irrefutable, particularly after Dolkuns confessions on social media. However, Nuri has not minced a single word about the accusations made by Julie Millsap. There is a tremendous reaction from the Uyghurs, particularly the Uyghur women activists, to the sexual harassment allegations made against Dolkun and Nury. For instance, the Institut Oighour dEurope, a Paris-based Uyghur organisation, expresses complete support to both the women who had testified against the top leadership of the Uyghur diaspora. Further, Nurgul Sawut, the first female president of another Uyghur diaspora organisation, East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE), condemned all forms of sexual harassment and abuse towards women, in addition to demanding authorities in the Capitol Hill and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to investigate allegations against Dolkun and Nury. Surprisingly, there is no response from one of the important female faces of the Uyghur diaspora in the US, Rushan Abbas, who is currently the founder and Executive Director of Uyghurs and is tipped to replace Dolkun Isa as the President of WUC in October this year. There is even no reaction from Louisa Greve, Director of Global Advocacy, National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and a key person coordinating with the WUCs activism. Advertisement This whole state of affairs has serious repercussions for Uyghur diaspora activities across the globe. This has exposed the proverbial chinks in the Uyghur diaspora. It is important to note here that the WUC, which last month (April 2024) completed 20 years of its existence as the powerful voice of millions of Uyghurs, who have not only been oppressed and suppressed by the Chinese government, both inside and outside China, in the last seven decades or so but also denied basic human rights, has fallen from grace, and now young people, especially women, will look at the WUC leadership in dismay and disbelief. Advertisement The political careers of Dolkun and Nury, who have been instrumental in spearheading the Uyghur movement against the Chinese atrocities in the last couple of decades, will end with this. Dolkuns utterances that he is in the final few months as President of the World Uyghur Congress (until the next General Assembly of the WUC in October 2024) spell doom for Dolkun, who, from a pioneer of student protest and democracy movement against the Chinese atrocities in Xinjiang in the 1980s, rose to acme of success as the head of the World Uyghur Congress for over half a dozen years (since 2017 till date). Advertisement Similarly, Nury, the first US-educated Uyghur attorney, who became the president of the Washington-based Uyghur American Association in 2005 at the age of 25, will have a similar fate. It will be a bolt from the blue for the Uyghur diaspora as well. Besides, the efforts some Uyghur activists made 20 years ago to establish a global Uyghur umbrella organisation in the form of the WUC are crumbling, and this would be a fatal blow to the movement the WUC has been standing for. Furthermore, the allegations against Dolkun and Nury will put the American patrons of the Uyghurs in a critical situation. The American society that had witnessed a serious uproar over the Me Too movement six years ago will now hesitate to pledge any open support to the Uyghur diaspora organisations, especially the WUC. It is imperative to note that the National Endowment of Democracy (NED) has been the main sponsor of the diasporic activities of the WUC and other Uyghur organisations. Advertisement The Uyghurs loss will be Chinas gain. The biggest beneficiary of this fiasco will indeed be the central government of China. Even though there has been no reaction from the Chinese so far, this situation has given the Chinese government ammo to continue their outbursts against the Uyghur diaspora leaders. It is a well-known fact that both Dolkun and Nury have been dubbed by the Chinese government as terrorists. Chinese authorities may go one step further and describe the Uyghurs as predators, characterless, proclaimed sexual offenders, confessed molesters, etc. Now the Chinese would not hesitate to settle scores with the human rights and women activists, who had earlier accused the Chinese government of violating human and women rights in Xinjiang, and even hard-press these activists to frame Dolkun Isa and Nury Turkel under the same charges. And China will leave no stone unturned to use this opportunity to let the world community know the real face of top Uyghur leaders. This is an example of how an entire community (Uyghurs) will be blamed by China for the follies of a couple of their community members or leaders. The Chinese central government still has considerable sway over two-thirds of the total Uyghur population across the globe, besides applying combative measures against the rest through the mobilisation of the international community. The author teaches at the Centre for Inner Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. The US, the lead country in all three groupings, needs to re-strategise them with an increasing role for India read more The US has come up with a new grouping called Squad, with the US, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines as its members. Image: Jack Sanders/ US Secretary of Defence There have been an increased number of groupings on the geopolitical landscape, apparently with the common aim of ensuring rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific in general and in the South China Sea (SCS) in particular. China has been making multiple attempts to seek avoidable conflicts from multiple nations on one pretext or another in its effort to become the singular world leader. As opposed to becoming one of the important poles, it is attempting to replace the main superpower of the world, the US. China has become emboldened due to its no limit friendship with Russia and the emergence of a new axis in the form of Russia-China-North Korea-Iran, to name a few. This is substantiated by the fact that Putin has chosen to visit China as the first country in his current presidential tenure. Advertisement While the US and its allies, as the affected countries, have undertaken multiple measures on various counts, one of the options exercised includes the creation of strategic groupings to address the China challenge. The first such grouping emerged in the form of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad). It includes four countries, namely the US, Japan, Australia, and India. The security connection of the US with Japan and Australia is well known, but the acceptance of India as part of this is a new strategic development. Quad, conceived by Shinzo Abe; Japan came into being first in 2007 but got real traction post-2020 despite having been revived in 2017. This active revival also coincided with the Chinese transgression in eastern Ladakh in AprilMay 2020 against India. Despite India not being affected as much in the South China and East China Seas as compared to some of the other nations, this Chinese transgression into eastern Ladakh probably became a more compelling reason for India to be part of the Quad as compared to some other nations, as the sanctity of the land border is more important as compared to that of the maritime domain. Though coordination in the form of Malabar exercises as well as on other counts is underway, no formal securitisation of Quad has been done so far. It is a separate issue that Quad is also called Asian NATO by some defence analysts. Advertisement It is strange that when Quad was growing very well, including multiple interactions between the leaders, another grouping in the form of AUKUS came up on September 21. This grouping had two members from Quad, viz., the US and Australia. The UK was the surprise addition, but India and Japan were the surprise omissions. If the role and charter of AUKUS are examined, inclusion of the UK is non-essential as it does not have any prominent China challenge as compared to other nations. With the exclusion of India and Japan, AUKUS has no locus standi with primacy of motive to ensure rule-based order in the Indo-Pacific. Advertisement As if that were not enough, the US has come up with a new grouping called Squad, with the US, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines as its members. The US and Australia continue to be members of this third grouping as well, whereas Japan, a part of the Quad, that was left out in the AUKUS, has been included. Instead of India, the Philippines is the new entrant in this new grouping. China is continuing to trouble multiple nations around the South and East China Seas, increasing its influence over Indias trusted neighbours, including weaning away from some of them totally towards it, like the Maldives, and checking the impact of the US and its Western allies despite multiple sanctions initiated against Chinese companies/nationals. In such a situation, what would be the cumulative impact of these three groupings on Chinese activities to checkmate its actions in the contested areas? Is the total sum of these three individual groupings greater, or is it reducing the impact and diluting the intent? A close analysis will reveal that this approach is defensive in nature at the moment. Advertisement NATO continued to enhance its membership, and each member further strengthened this security grouping. It has become so formidable that Russia feared for its security when Ukraine made efforts to join NATO. This became one of the most important underlying factors for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is still ongoing. Though NATO is a security organisation, Quad, AUKUS, and Squad have not been structured in that manner, but the larger aim remains the same. It would be more appropriate that these three organisations be merged to create a singular organisation wherein more nations affected adversely by Chinese actions can form part of this group. The new group may not be securitised on the lines of NATO in the initial stage, and security structures may continue on a bilateral basis; however, the scope of Malabar-like exercises should be extended to all such countries so as to have interoperability to work together in the future as and when such a need arises. Advertisement It is felt today that by creating multiple organisations like Quad, AUKUS, and Squad, effort will dissipate as it will not enhance the bandwidth of those nations, who propagate the concept of rule-based order in the world, against China. The US, the lead country in all three groupings, needs to re-strategise them afresh with an increasing role for India. The author is Director General of CENJOWS and Kargil war veteran. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. Reducing the idea of multipolarity to a balanced or unbalanced distribution of power among various states is an oversimplification. The current trends towards multipolarity emanate from the unmet expectations of the countries of the Global South from the West-led unipolar or bipolar world order read more The idea of emerging multipolarity in the world order has become a buzzword in the post-pandemic global geopolitical discourse. Politicians, strategic experts, diplomats, and business leaders suggest that multipolarity is the future of the world order. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres , finds multipolarity an effective way to fix the problems of multilateralism. In July 2023, launching the new policy brief, The Quest for Peace, he suggested that the post-Cold War period is over, and we are moving towards a new global order and a multipolar world. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in Germanys National Security Strategy , wrote that the global order is changing, new centres of power are emerging, and the world in the 21st century is multipolar. Further, he discussed an epochal tectonic shift towards a multipolar world order and its ability to restore effective multilateralism. Advertisement Russia and China proclaimed the imminence of the multipolar world order in a joint statement in February 2022 and in the deliberations at BRICS and SCO. The other votaries of a multipolar world order include Brazilian president Lula Da Silva , Indias charismatic nationalist PM Modi , Russias Putin, French President Emmanuel Macaron , and the EU representative for foreign affairs, Josep Borell . Is the world moving towards multipolarity, or is the idea of a multipolar world a myth? There are varying opinions on the subject. Jo Inge Bekkevold, a former Norwegian diplomat, suggests in his Foreign Policy article that the world is bipolar and it is simply a myth that todays world is anywhere close to multipolar. Using the matrix of military and economic indicators, he summarises that only two powers, i.e., the US and China, have the economic size, military might, and global leverage to constitute a pole. The two powers account for about half of the worlds defence expenditure, and their combined GDP nearly equals the 33-next largest economies of the world. Expanding his argument, he says that although India was the third largest spender on defence in 2021, according to the SIPRI database, its total expenditure is only one-fourth of Chinas. Japan has the third largest economy, but its GDP is less than one-fourth of Chinas. Germany, India, France, and the UKs shares are even smaller than those of Japan. Arguing about the challenges emanating from blocks like EU and BRICS RIC, he says that these blocks are not coherent. They are a divided lot and suffer from internal rivalries. Refuting the rigid criteria centred on economic and military indicators, Emma Ashford and Evan Cooper of the Stimson Centre disagree with Bekkevold and argue that the world is multipolar. In their paper published by the Stimson Centre, they conclude , The United States simply does not hold the level of military and economic power it did during the early decades of the Cold War. Nor does todays China match the Soviet Union at its peak. Advertisement Hugh De Santis, a former US diplomat and the author of The Right to Rule: American Exceptionalism and The Coming Multipolar World Order, discusses at length in his National Interest article how the ongoing geopolitical transformation is leading us towards a multipolar world where power is no longer confined to one or two powerful states but is more diffused among several powerful nations, followed by the middle power jockeying for the same position. With 750 military bases spread over 80 countries and a vast network of alliances, treaties, strategic partnerships, and technologically advanced armed forces, the US military footprint has no parallel. Advertisement However, even with such a robust fighting force, Washington failed to prevent the Russians from invading Ukraine, achieve a decisive victory over the Taliban, and check China in the Taiwan Strait, bringing rogue states like Iran and North Korea to fall in line. The Ukraine war has severely dented US credibility. There are serious doubts among the NATO members about the US sincerity and commitment to protecting their sovereignty. China emerged as the biggest gainer as the war made Russia and China close strategic partners, further weakening the US position. Russias recent gains on the Ukrainian front seem to have convinced the US experts in the Republican camp that pushing Russia further into the Chinese camp will be a diplomatic disaster. If Trump wins, a breakthrough on the Ukrainian front can be expected. But its too late, as by then it would have secured its gains, and the dent made in the Western camp will be irreparable. Advertisement Its main adversary, China, is modernising its army at an alarming pace, expanding its nuclear arsenal, developing ICBMs, SLBM (long-range sea-launched ballistic missiles), 350 new missile silos, and DF-17 medium-range missiles with hypersonic glide vehicles. China has the worlds largest navy, equipped with nuclear submarines and SLBMs that can target several states in the US. Beijing is also building military bases in Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific. Americas traditional adversary Russia , with its expected growth rate of 2.6 per cent in 2024, is also developing its arsenal, modernising the Iskandar M short-range ballistic missile, the 9M729 cruise missile, and developing the Sarmat ICBM and nuclear-powered submersible drones releasable from submarines. Rogue states like Iran and North Korea are also cozying up with Russia and China, which likely will lead to them getting access to high-end missile and satellite technology. In the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union controlled 40 per cent of the global military and economic power; however, today, the share for China and the US has come down to 30 per cent. Advertisement In terms of the economy, Moscow and Washington, with their allies, owned 88 per cent of the global GDP in 1950; however, today, their share is only 57 per cent. The US share of the global GDP has halved from 50 per cent in 1950 to marginally higher than 25 per cent today at the market exchange rates. In PPP terms, it is only 15 per cent whereas Asia-Pacific countries share stands at 45 per cent of which China contributes 19 per cent. Likewise, American universities and corporations are also being challenged in the top 10 rankings by emerging economic heavyweights like China and India. In the Times Higher Education Survey, American universities in the top 100 declined from 43 in 2018 to 34 in 2022. According to the Forbes Global List of Corporations, there were three American corporations in the top 10 in 2010 and five in the top 20. In the 2023 Forbes list , there were three Chinese corporations in the top 10. Today, India, having emerged as the fifth-largest economy at market prices and third-largest at PPP, accounts for 7.5 per cent of the global GDP. China is also chipping away at Americas technological dominance. In 1960, US investment in R&D was 69 per cent of the global investment, which has shrunk to 25 per cent in 2020. On the other hand, Chinas share has increased from 4.8 per cent in 2000 to 23 per cent in 2023. Also, today, China has the highest number of patents and the largest market for electric vehicles. The US attempts to counter Beijing by adopting protectionist policies that impose taxes and duties. Also, China is suffering from a slow growth rate because of a lack of domestic demand, declining exports, an ageing population, and a dictatorial government; however, despite that, China continues to be the largest trading partner of 120 countries, Americas third largest export market, and the largest purchaser of American bonds. Controlling 70 per cent of the extraction and 90 per cent of the processing of rare earth minerals, China has overwhelming control over its supply chain. In diplomacy and geopolitics, the US is no longer the uncontested leader of the world. The unipolar moment is gone. China is primarily challenging it, followed by middle powers like India, Russia, Brazil, France, Turkey, and rogue regimes like Iran and North Korea. In the Middle East, Chinese inroads through a plethora of strategic connectivity projects and development partnerships have alarmed US strategic quarters. The recurrent theme in the IR discourse is the US withdrawal from the Middle East. Heavily sanctioned countries like Iran have not been reined in yet. It has increased uranium enrichment by up to 60 per cent, close to the weapons grade. It has signed a 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement with China. With its array of proxy terrorist groups like Houthis and Hezbollah, Tehran has emerged as a major player in the Middle East. It is also supplying drones to Russia. Turkeys Erdogan nurtures dreams to revive the glory of the Ottoman caliphate. Its dealings with the US and the West are highly transactional, not of servility and docility. Though Ankara has supported the inclusion of Sweden in NATO, it has refused to buckle under US pressure to support sanctions against Russia. India, an emerging Middle Power in the league of Turkey and Brazil, also refused to follow the American diktat on the Ukraine conflict and refused to condemn Russia. Despite the US pressure, India continued to buy the discounted Russian oil and maintain its robust trade relations with China. However, to balance China, its prime adversary, New Delhi has joined the US-led Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. Finally, one can always talk about the rise of new blocks like BRICS and SCO and alternate multilateral institutions like BRICS Investment Bank, China Infrastructure Investment Bank, and global China-led strategic connectivity projects like BRI challenging the US/West-led liberal/democratic world order. However, besides these rival and alternate institutions, the chinks in the armour of the US and its allies are also markedly visible. There are major apprehensions among the European states about the future of NATO and the US response to Russia and China if Trump comes to power. Germany has already allotted 100 billion euros for a military revamp. The possibility of EU members developing their own defence capabilities, including the acquisition of nuclear capabilities against perceived Russian revisionism, is strong and aligns well with multipolarity. Multipolarity: Conceptions and Discomforts In light of the facts and analysis presented above, it can be safely concluded that the US does not hold the same military might, economic size, and diplomatic clout it enjoyed during the Cold War and in the 1990s. Likewise, China is not even what the Soviet Union was at its peak. One can witness the rise of several middle powers, like Brazil, India, Turkey, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, etc. The multipolarity of the world order has already begun. On closer analysis, it can be observed that even during the Cold War, there was nothing like rigid bipolarity in the world order. The non-aligned block, led by countries like India, Egypt, Yugoslavia, and Malaysia, exercised significant influence in global politics. It can be argued that the fundamental flaw is rooted in our definitions of polarity. Experts like Bekkevold use extremely narrow criteria for economic and military indicators while analysing and defining a nations power. Such metrics can be misleading. However, the economic and military indicators constitute a major component of the comprehensive national power of any country, which is not all. States derive power from many other sources, such as their geography, internal government structure, civilizational narrative, and their leaderships resolve and philosophical understanding of international relations. For example, the US, in its Global War on Terrorism, was hugely dependent on a poor and unstable country like Pakistan. Despite the concrete evidence provided by the Indians about Pakistans suspicious role in 9/11, the US state allegedly tried to downplay it. Following that, Pakistans tacit support for the Taliban, who were sending the US soldiers back home in body bags, was reportedly known to the Americans. Also, Pakistans use of American aid to nurture terrorist groups was no secret. However, the US continues to engage with and support Pakistan. In the last 70 years of American history, its massive military adventures and use of brute force in places like Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan could hardly bring a decisive victory. Heavily sanctioned countries like North Korea and Iran continue to challenge American might. A country like India, with its moderate economic and military power, has successfully resisted US pressure during the Cold War and, most recently, during the Ukraine war. Countries like India, Russia, Turkey, and China capitalise on the civilizational narrative by projecting power and strengthening their global diplomatic clout. After the recent gains on the Ukraine front, the Putin-led Russian Federation appears confident, no matter what the global media reports. Recently, at the second Congress of the International Russophile Movement and Multipolarity Forum, it was distinctly evident that Putin is working on the realisation of Prof Alexander Dugins Russian vision of its sphere of influence, civilizational state-centric multipolarity. Even India, a relatively quiet, non-aggressive, and rule-abiding state, has undergone a major change under Modis Hindu-nationalist government in its perception of itself. New Delhi now sees itself as a unique civilizational state. Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Hindu nationalist RSS, the main force behind the Modi government, has openly stated that India will realise its dream of Akhand Bharat (Greater India) in the next 15 years, even though the RSS has never clearly defined its idea of Akhand Bharata and has emphasised the aspect of cultural unity instead of the territorial aspect. Also, for multipolarity, there is no need for an equal power distribution among several countries. Two, three, or four powerful states and a range of middle powers can contest for eminence and influence. This situation can be defined as a state of unbalanced multipolarity. The current distribution of power in the world approximates unbalanced multipolarity. Additionally, another major misconception about multipolarity is the highly constricted and power-centric approach towards the concept of polarity. Reducing the idea of multipolarity to a balanced or unbalanced distribution of power among various states is an oversimplification. The current trends towards multipolarity also emanate from the unmet expectations of the countries of the Global South from the West-led unipolar or bipolar world order. S Jaishankar, Indias foreign minister, calls it a world order that is very, very deeply Western. The countries of the Global South nurture many grievances against multilateral institutions like the UN and global financial institutions like the World Bank and IMF. Their discomfort with the universalization of Western values and the Western double standards in implementing its so-called liberal-democratic values and human rights has come to the point of frustration, where the Western leadership has lost credibility. Hence, the Global South seeks a redistribution of power. Given this, alternate institutions like Chinas Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the BRICS Development Bank naturally appear as lucrative substitutes. The author is the founder and CEO of Usanas Foundation, a foreign policy and national security think tank. A Cornell University grad in public affairs, and the author of Radicalisation in India: An Exploration. His latest book Terror Financing in Kashmir has been published by Routledge in December 2023. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views. In 2023, Anguilla made $32 million in 2023 from AI domains, or about 10 per cent of its GDP. In 2024, it expects to see an increase of about 15 per cent, as more and more tech companies are rushing for a .ai domain read more With every registration of a ".ai" domain name, Anguilla's government makes great money, which can range from modest sums to hefty payments at auction. At its peak, these fees have collectively amounted to a staggering $32 million in a single year, roughly 10 per cent of Anguilla's GDP. Image Credit: Reuters Artificial intelligence (AI) has undoubtedly become one of the most talked-about and transformative technologies of our time. Its integration into various aspects of everyday life has ignited debates and raised questions about the direction of humanitys future. However, amidst these uncertainties, there is one place where the AI revolution has brought undeniable prosperity: Anguilla, a quaint British overseas territory located in the Caribbean Sea, about 200 kilometres off the coast of Puerto Rico. Advertisement Anguillas remarkable journey to fortune begins with its association with the .ai domain name. Much like .fr for France or .jp for Japan, .ai signifies domains registered in Anguilla in cyberspace. Image Credit: Pexels As the AI boom surged, companies worldwide clamoured for internet addresses that would indicate their leadership in the AI landscape. As a result, the domain .ai became extremely popular. Consider Perplexity.ai, Claude.ai or Elon Musks X.ai some of the most popular .ai websites. So popular is the domain among AI companies that Anguilla has found itself inundated with requests for .ai domain names. This has catapulted the island into a position of unexpected wealth. In July 2018, the number of .ai domains stood at 48,272. In July 2023, it stood at 248,609. Just 5 months later, by December 2023, it had jumped to 353,928. This means about 20,000 new .ai domains were registered every month during 2018-2023. Anguilla charges about $140 for a two-year registration for a domain. Renewal charges, as opposed to other domains in the world, are substantially higher. However, in case one fails to renew their domain registration on time, the domain goes up for auction, where it can fetch over 1000% plus other chargers of what it cost the original owners. With every registration of a .ai domain name, Anguillas government makes great money, which can range from modest sums to hefty payments at auction. At its peak, these fees have collectively amounted to a staggering $32 million in a single year, roughly 10 per cent of Anguillas GDP. Advertisement For a territory boasting a population of around 16,000 and spanning just 35 square miles, this influx of money is a significant windfall Anguillas Premier, Ellis Webster aptly describes this financial boon as nothing short of divine providence. With a sense of gratitude, he acknowledges the fortuitous turn of events that has allowed Anguilla to thrive in the midst of global uncertainties. But Anguillas newfound wealth is not merely a windfall to be squandered. The government has embarked on a mission to use these resources for the betterment of its citizens and the islands infrastructure. From providing free healthcare for elderly citizens to investing in education and vocational training, the impact of this revenue extends far beyond monetary gain. Advertisement Moreover, the AI-driven prosperity comes at a pivotal time for Anguilla, a nation heavily reliant on tourism. The pandemics stringent travel restrictions and the devastation wrought by a destructive hurricane in 2017 had left the islands economy reeling. However, the income from .ai domain names has served as a lifeline, injecting much-needed resilience into Anguillas economy and enabling it to weather the storm. Going ahead, Anguilla remains cautiously optimistic about the sustainability of this unexpected windfall. While there are some uncertainties lingering, officials anticipate the current trend to continue at least for a while. They expect 2024 to yield similar income levels from domain names. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has stated that China represents a very small portion of the companys overall business, with the majority of revenue coming from multinational corporations who have their businesses in China read more In China, Microsoft has a significant research and development centre, where they focus on projects such as integrating AI into products like the Bing search engine. The company has approximately 9,000 employees in the country, primarily engineers working on global products from locations like Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou. Image Credit: AFP Microsoft has offered some of its employees based in China the option to relocate outside of the country amidst escalating tensions between Beijing and Washington over sensitive technology, including artificial intelligence. As per a report by the Financial Times, a company spokesperson at Microsoft said that the tech company has provided an optional internal transfer opportunity to a select group of employees. However, the spokesperson emphasised that Microsoft remains committed to operating in China and other markets where it has a presence. Advertisement This move comes as the US government tightens export controls on technology, particularly advanced semiconductors, citing national security concerns. There is also growing apprehension over the potential misuse of AI by foreign entities for harmful purposes. In response to these concerns, the Biden administration has proposed new rules that would mandate US cloud companies to disclose instances where foreign actors utilize their systems to train powerful AI models. Reports indicate that Microsoft has extended global transfer offers to employees in its Azure cloud group, specifically those involved in machine learning and related AI fields. Microsoft, along with competitors like Amazon and Google, is aggressively vying for market share in the rapidly evolving generative AI space. The company is expected to showcase its capabilities prominently at its upcoming annual developer conference. Despite broader layoffs in the technology sector, Microsoft and other tech giants are actively recruiting top AI talent. Earlier this year, Microsoft absorbed the majority of staff from AI startup Inflection. In China, Microsoft has a significant research and development centre, where they focus on projects such as integrating AI into products like the Bing search engine. The company has approximately 9,000 employees in the country, primarily engineers working on global products from locations like Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has stated that China represents a relatively small portion of the companys overall business, with the majority of revenue coming from multinational corporations operating in the country. He emphasised that Chinese engineers hired by Microsoft contribute to an American companys intellectual property. Advertisement Reports emerged last year suggesting that Microsoft was considering relocating its top AI experts from its Beijing-based research institute to Vancouver amid heightened geopolitical tensions. However, Microsoft denied these claims, stating that no such plan was in place. (With inputs from agencies) Microsoft is desperately looking for cleaner and less polluting ways to power its AI data centres. For one of its biggest AI centres that it will be developing with OpenAI and invest $100 bn in, Microsoft plans to set up a dedicated nuclear power plant to power it read more Microsoft is Microsoft is ramping up efforts to use greener materials like steel, concrete, and fuels. Additionally, the company aims to power all its corporate operations with renewable energy by 2025 and achieve zero-carbon energy sources 24/7 by 2030. Image Credit: AFP The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the tech and energy sectors, but its also driving up emissions and water usage, raising alarms about environmental consequences. Microsoft recently disclosed that its emissions in 2023 surged by 29.1% compared to 2020 levels, mainly due to the construction of new data centres and the carbon footprint of building materials and hardware. This jump illustrates how the pursuit of AI is intersecting with efforts to reduce emissions. Advertisement To mitigate its environmental impact, Microsoft is ramping up efforts to use greener materials like steel, concrete, and fuels. Additionally, the company aims to power all its corporate operations with renewable energy by 2025 and achieve zero-carbon energy sources 24/7 by 2030. However, the growth of data centres for AI and cloud computing could drive up the demand for natural gas, posing challenges for reducing emissions. This growth also presents opportunities for pipeline companies like Energy Transfer and Kinder Morgan, as highlighted by East Daley Analytics. Microsoft is also exploring next-generation nuclear reactors to power its data centers and AI initiatives, aiming to address the substantial electricity consumption associated with these operations. While nuclear energy doesnt emit greenhouse gases, it brings concerns about managing radioactive waste and establishing a secure uranium supply chain. For its star data centre, the one it is developing with OpenAI and will be investing $100 billion in, Microsoft is planning to power it using an in-house nuclear reactor. The escalating water consumption by tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta for cooling their data centres has also raised environmental concerns. As these companies expand their AI capabilities, the demand for computing power grows, leading to massive server farms sprouting up across the world. These server farms rely on water systems that pump chilled water through the servers, a process which again, consumes a lot of water and electricity. A study from the University of California, Riverside emphasizes the urgent need to address the undisclosed water footprint of AI models, especially amid increasing freshwater scarcity and ageing water infrastructure. Microsoft alone consumed approximately 22 billion litres of water in 2022, with Google and Meta also contributing significant amounts. Advertisement In response to these concerns, tech companies have set targets to replenish water resources by 2030, aiming to return more water than they consume through initiatives like enhancing irrigation infrastructure and restoring wetland systems. As AI continues to reshape industries, the environmental impact of its growth requires careful consideration and proactive measures to ensure sustainability. Balancing technological advancements with environmental responsibility is crucial for building a more sustainable future. Marijuana has been classified since 1970 as a so-called Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) the same level as heroin, ecstasy and LSD. That classification means it is deemed to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse read more US President Joe Bidens administration formally proposed on Thursday reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift that would bring federal policy more in line with public opinion. No one should be in jail merely for using or possessing marijuana. Period, Biden said in a video statement. Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana and Im committed to righting those wrongs. Marijuana has been classified since 1970 as a so-called Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) the same level as heroin, ecstasy and LSD. That classification means it is deemed to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Advertisement But it would be downgraded to a Schedule III drug under the proposal, putting it alongside drugs like ketamine and painkillers containing codeine, considered to have a moderate to low likelihood of dependence. That wouldnt make it legal, but it could lead to fewer arrests at the federal level. The proposal to reclassify cannabis was unveiled by the Biden administration at the end of April and the Justice Department officially launched the process on Thursday. Marijuana will remain a controlled substance until the process which includes a public comment period and a potential hearing before a judge is complete. In 2022, Biden became the first president to initiate a federal review of marijuana policy. Racist past The issue is seen as a potential vote winner for Biden as he faces Republican Donald Trump in a tough election rematch this November, especially among younger people that the Democratic incumbent is struggling to court. A Pew Research Center survey found 88 percent of Americans believe marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use. Just 11 percent said it should not be legal at all. Cannabis was first outlawed at the federal level in 1937, a decision critics say was made largely on the basis of racist ideas, as the drug was perceived as being intimately tied to jazz music, the Black community and Mexican immigrants. Advertisement The 1970s brought the War on Drugs, which likewise disproportionately hit minorities before the medical marijuana movement took root in the 1990s. In 2012, US states began to make recreational cannabis legal for adults. Cannabis is today a multibillion-dollar business in the United States, with more than half of all states having legalized recreational and medicinal cannabis use, including California and New York. But figures show that racial minorities, in particular Black Americans, are overrepresented in marijuana-related arrests. This decision is monumental, the NAACP civil rights organization said on X, formerly Twitter. Far too many Black Americans have fallen victim to a system designed for their demise. Advertisement Boost to legal industry Since the drug remains a controlled substance at the national level, everyone involved is still technically breaking the law of the land. The classification makes it difficult for businesses in the marijuana industry to access banking services, stops federal funding for medical marijuana research and prevents interstate commerce as well as federal regulation on best practices and protocols for marijuana. A reclassification would also allow companies to deduct their operating expenses from their taxes, which is currently prohibited. Thursdays decision will unlock important research on the medical efficacy of cannabis and bring about real change for legal operators, Curaleaf CEO Matt Darin said in a statement to AFP. Advertisement On Wall Street, industry shares rose, with Curaleaf gaining 1.07 percent and Verano Holdings .69 percent. According to a statement from Durham Regional Police, on May 2, Aiden Pleterski, 25, was charged with fraud totaling more than $5,000 and laundering the proceeds of criminal activity. The statement also stated that Pleterskis associate, 27-year-old Colin Murphy, was charged with fraud as well and released on an undertaking read more Pleterski and his business, AP Private Equity Ltd., were placed in bankruptcy by an Ontario Superior Court in August 2022, and Grant Thornton Ltd. was named trustee Authorities stated on Wednesday that a self-described Canadian Crypto King and a companion who took in excess of C$40 million ($29.4 million) from investors had been taken into custody and charged with fraud. According to a statement from Durham Regional Police, on May 2, Aiden Pleterski, 25, was charged with fraud totaling more than $5,000 and laundering the proceeds of criminal activity. The statement also stated that Pleterskis associate, 27-year-old Colin Murphy, was charged with fraud as well and released on an undertaking. Advertisement After cops received multiple complaints about an investment fraud beginning in July 2022, the two individuals were charged after a 16-month investigation. According to the statement, the inquiry showed that the two were generating large weekly profits through savvy investments, and that in the end, the victims were defrauded and could not get their money back. Pleterski and his business, AP Private Equity Ltd., were placed in bankruptcy by an Ontario Superior Court in August 2022, and Grant Thornton Ltd. was named trustee. Only 1.6% of the C$41.5 million in investment funds that Aiden Pleterski received appear to have been invested, based on court documents that Grant Thornton made available online. Pleterski must turn in his passport to the Durham police after being freed on a $100,000 bail with his parents serving as sureties. Pleterski, who has more than 100,000 social media followers, would show off his trips and collection of high-end vehicles, such as McLarens and Lamborghinis. 18-25 is a weird age. We have friends who dont drive, some have kids, some are getting married, some are dating, and some still have to ask their parents go out [sic] after 10 pm, wrote Pleterski in the text overlay of a video posted to TikTok late on Tuesday. The Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that Ambassador Ervin Massingas speech on policy and human rights contained allegations and unsolicited advice, and that it would work with the Embassy to correct the errors and inconsistencies in his statement read more Ethiopia lodged a complaint Thursday over statements by the US ambassador after he said the release of political prisoners could help the country engage in a productive dialogue and that detaining critics wont resolve the countrys issues. The Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that Ambassador Ervin Massingas speech on policy and human rights contained allegations and unsolicited advice, and that it would work with the Embassy to correct the errors and inconsistencies in his statement. Advertisement The statement is ill-advised and contains uniformed assertions. It is contrary to the historic and friendly relations between Ethiopia and the United States, the ministry wrote. Massinga had said in his speech that detaining critics would not resolve Ethiopias outstanding issues and that the political dialogue the Ethiopians need could be helped by releasing key political figures. He urged the government and rebel groups to agree to dialogue and that the country has far more to gain through peace than on the battlefield. Federal forces in Ethiopia are engaging in fighting with several rebel groups in its regions as well as ethnic-related insurgencies, which have led to deaths and the displacement of people. Human rights groups have accused federal soldiers of rights abuses in regions like Amhara, where rebel groups are based. A prominent opposition figure was gunned down last month after his release from prison, and a state-appointed rights group has called for an investigation into his death. In a televised news conference, Frances High Commissioner Louis Le Franc informed reporters that Thursday night was comparatively calm following violence that started on Monday and resulted in four deaths and hundreds of arrests read more By Friday night, the French-ruled island will have 2,700 police personnel up from 1,700 Image Courtesy AP The top French official in the Pacific island nation announced on Friday that French police troops have begun to arrive in Noumea as part of a huge operation to retake control of the city. By Friday night, the French-ruled island will have 2,700 police personnel up from 1,700. In a televised news conference, Frances High Commissioner Louis Le Franc informed reporters that Thursday night was comparatively calm following violence that started on Monday and resulted in four deaths and hundreds of arrests. Advertisement He stated that there were still areas of contention and worry in Noumea. He stated that teams with expertise in mine clearance will start the process of removing road blocks that activists have booby-trapped in order to provide food and medicine to the general populace. Reinforcements will arrive massively, immediately (and will be) deployed to control the areas which have escaped our control in recent days to reconquer all the areas of the urban area which we have lost, he said. Over the course of three days, protesters enraged over an election change put up roadblocks, burned down businesses, set fire to automobiles, looted stores, and shut off access to food and medicine, according to authorities. Our calls for calm, peace and reconciliation are beginning to be heard It is important that those who are at the origin of the clashes, of the blockages, hear this, Le Franc said. The distribution issue is whats causing the island of New Caledonia to have food supplies for two months, according to a statement released by the administration on Friday. In addition to banning TikTok and placing at least ten individuals under house arrest, France has proclaimed a state of emergency on the island. The rioting have claimed the lives of three young Kanak people, while a 22-year-old police officer was shot and killed. Advertisement French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Thursday that the police had arrested the person responsible for shooting two Kanaks; Le Franc said one perpetrator had surrendered and investigations were continuing into other murders. After lawmakers in Paris approved a new bill on Tuesday allowing French citizens who have lived in New Caledonia for ten years to vote in provincial elections, violence broke out. Leaders in the area worry that the decision may weaken the vote of native Kanaks. A long-running dispute about Frances involvement in the mineral-producing southwest Pacific island located 930 miles east of Australia has resulted in electoral reform as the most recent flashpoint. Advertisement The United Nations should lead a discussion mission to New Caledonia, according to the Pacific Conference of Churches, which joined other regional intergovernmental groups in demanding that France rescind the constitutional law on Friday. The churches said in a statement that there had been a breakdown in communication between the Kanak people and the French government. A coalition of previous Pacific leaders known as Pacific Elders Voice declared on Friday that genuine engagement was absent from decision-making in Paris and that France ought to pay attention to the perspectives of indigenous Kanak voices and the Pacific-wide support for self-determination. Since the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in April 2023, tens of thousands of people have killed and millions have been displaced in Sudan read more Concern over reports of intense combat in crowded areas has grown in recent days, as the RSF attempts to take control of El-Fasher, the only major city in the western Darfur region that it does not currently control Image Courtesy AP The UN issued a warning on Friday, stating that famine is closing in and that it has only received 12% of the $2.7 billion requested for the war-torn country of Sudan. Since the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in April 2023, tens of thousands of people have killed and millions have been displaced in Sudan. It is a catastrophically underfunded appeal. Without more resources coming in fast, humanitarian organisations wont be able to scale up in time to stave off famine and prevent further deprivation, Jens Laerke, spokesman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told the media. Advertisement In Sudan, half of the population, 25 million people, need humanitarian aid. Famine is closing in. Diseases are closing in. The fighting is closing in on civilians, especially in Darfur." Concern over reports of intense combat in crowded areas has grown in recent days, as the RSF attempts to take control of El-Fasher, the only major city in the western Darfur region that it does not currently control. Now is the time for donors to make good on pledges made, step up and help us help Sudan and be part of changing the current trajectory thats leading toward the cliffs edge. Dont be missing in action. On the fringes of the Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024 international economic forum in Kazan, the minister announced that a draft agreement would be discussed for the first time in June and that a signature would likely occur by the end of the year read more According to a Russian minister, talks on a bilateral agreement to facilitate travel between Russia and India will start in June. The minister also stated that Moscow and New Delhi planned to boost their tourism links by initiating visa-free group tourist exchanges. India is at the final stage of internal state coordination, Nikita Kondratyev, director of the Russian Economic Development Ministrys Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects, was quoted by RT News as saying. Advertisement On the fringes of the Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024 international economic forum in Kazan, the minister announced that a draft agreement would be discussed for the first time in June and that a signature would likely occur by the end of the year. Russia and India are set to strengthen their tourism ties as they gear up for the launch of visa-free group tourist exchanges. The first round of consultations between the two nations is scheduled for June, with an aim to finalise a bilateral agreement by the end of the year, the minister said. According to Kondratyev, Russia intends to duplicate the achievements of its existing visa-free travel agreements with China and Iran. On August 1st, 2016, Russia and China began their group tourism exchange program without the need for a visa. On the same day, Russia and Iran also launched a visa-free group travel exchange, marking the start of a new chapter in their tourism-related collaboration. Among the top 10 international destinations chosen by Indians to travel to this summer, three places are in Australia - Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane read more Summers in most parts of India are excruciatingly unbearable, with mercury in some places shooting over 50 degree Celsius. Schools declare long summer holidays and many people pack their bags to travel to cooler places with several opting for overseas trips. For Indian travellers, the top three summer holiday destinations in 2024 are Amsterdam, Singapore and London, according to Mastercard Economics Institutes travel trends 2024: breaking boundaries report. Where most Indians are travelling in Summer of 2024? Advertisement Among the top 10 international destinations chosen by most Indians to travel to this summer three are in Australia, while two are in Germany. Following is the list of international cities which are trending destinations for June-August this year where demand of Indian travellers is gaining momentum. The report said these are as measured by the change in share of flight bookings. 1 - Amsterdam, Netherlands 2 - Singapore, Singapore 3 - London, United Kingdom 4 - Frankfurt, Germany 5 - Melbourne, Australia 6 - Bali, Indonesia 7 - Montreal, Canada 8 - Sydney, Australia 9 - Brisbane, Australia 10 - Munich, Germany Why are more Indians exploring international destinations for vacation? The report said, a growing middle class and expanded route capacity have seen more Indians travelling to different countries for holidays. The first three months of calendar year 2024 (January, February and March) saw 9.7 crore air travellers. Just 10 years ago, the same figure would have taken a whole year to achieve," the report said. The US dollar gaining strength over the Indian rupee is making international trips more expensive for travellers from India, but their hopes have not dampened. This trend signifies a major shift in Indian travel habits towards widespread exploration and discovery," it said. The report also said airports in India saw 9.7 crore passengers, domestic and international combined, in January-March 2024. In March this year, domestic travel was 21 per cent higher, while international travel was 4 per cent more than the same month in pre-pandemic 2019, the report said. Advertisement Indian travelers are increasingly exploring key markets, with a 53 per cent, 248 per cent and 59 per cent surge in visits to Japan, Vietnam, the US, respectively, compared to 2019," it further said. India and Afghanistan are working to improve communication and economic relations at the Chabahar port, which is situated in the Sistan-Balochistan region on the southern coast of energy-rich Iran read more India and Iran struck a ten-year deal earlier this week that allowed Indian activities at the port of Chabahar India said on Friday that the US has demonstrated an understanding of the significance of the Chabahar Port operations for continued humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan and that a narrow view should not be taken on the long-term agreement. This came days after the US warned of sanctions following India and Irans sealing of the deal on Chabahar port. The US has shown an understanding of the importance of the Chabahar port operations for continued humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan and to provide Afghanistan with economic alternatives. I would like to reiterate what the EAM had earlier said that we should not take a narrow view of this issue, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. Advertisement India and Iran struck a ten-year deal earlier this week that allowed Indian activities at the port of Chabahar. Indias commitment towards the Chabahar port is to realise its potential as a connectivity hub for Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, which are landlocked, Jaiswal said. According to him, India Ports Global Limited, an Indian business, has been running the port under a temporary lease since 2018. Since then, we have provided humanitarian assistance, including 85,000 metric tons of wheat, 200 metric tons of pulses and 40,000 litres of pesticide Malathion, to Afghanistan through this port. Now, we have concluded a long-term agreement which is essential for port operations, Jaiswal said. India and Afghanistan are working to improve communication and economic relations at the Chabahar port, which is situated in the Sistan-Balochistan region on the southern coast of energy-rich Iran. In order to win the vote of confidence, Nepal PM Prachanda will require the support of at least 138 lawmakers in the 275-member House of Representatives read more Nepal Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda will yet again, seek a vote of confidence in Parliament on Monday, May 20, the fourth within 18 months after assuming the top executive post in December, 2022. Why Nepal PM is seeking a vote of confidence? Prachanda will be seeking a vote of confidence after a coalition partner - Upendra Yadav-led Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal withdrew its support for his government on May 13 following a split in the party. Advertisement Yadav resigned as deputy prime minister and his party pulled out of the government. In Nepal, the Prime Minister is required to take a vote of confidence within 30 days if the party he is representing splits or if a member of the coalition government withdraws support. To win the vote of trust and to continue to lead the government, Prachanda, who belongs to the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), will require at least 138 lawmakers in the 275-member House of Representatives. The vote of confidence also comes amid the ongoing chaos in the House over the probe into the alleged involvement of Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane in the misappropriation of cooperative funds. Members in Nepals ruling coalition The ruling coalition currently, holds a majority with 77 seats of the CPN-UML, 32 of the Maoist Centre, 21 of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, seven of the newly formed Janata Samajbadi Party and 10 seats of the CPN-Unified Socialist (CPN-US). Prachanda & his declining support It is worth noting that though Prachanda won all the three previous votes of trust which he underwent, his support has declined in successive confidence votes. In January 2023, he obtained 268 votes, followed by 172 in March of the same year. His support was further weakened to merely 157 votes in the third-floor test that was held in March this year. Advertisement Last year he faced a floor test after former prime minister KP Sharma Oli-led CPN-UML withdrew its support to the Prachanda-led government following a rift over backing the main opposition partys candidate for the presidential poll. With inputs from PTI Regional police and California Highway Patrol officers move in Thursday to remove people protesting in support of Gaza from Anna Head Alumnae Hall in Berkeley. The protesters had occupied the vacant building Wednesday. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle In the end, the peace could last only so long in Berkeley. The relative calm that had characterized the pro-Palestinian protests at UC Berkeley for more than three weeks ended Thursday after police raided an abandoned building that a renegade band of protesters had taken over near campus, arresting 12 of them and accusing at least one of assault with a deadly weapon. Only one of those arrested was a student, said UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof. UC Berkeley, where administrators peacefully disbanded a large pro-Palestinian encampment on campus Tuesday through a compromise with demonstrators, had stood out compared with many of its peers for an absence of aggressive police action and violence around the student protests. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Not a single protester had been arrested on campus in the weeks leading up to Thursday, a surprising distinction for a school that is synonymous with aggressive activism, as well as a history of police force even violence being used to quell it. But the tenor changed when, just 24 hours after the encampment near Sproul Hall was disbanded, a group of harder-line activists, some of whom had been involved with previous campus protests, took over a fire-damaged building south of campus. California Highway Patrol officers skirmish with pro-Palestinian protesters Thursday after a group occupied Anna Head Alumnae Hall near UC Berkeley. Jungho Kim/Special to the Chronicle There was a more confrontational feeling at this demonstration. The activists cut through a tall fence around Anna Head Alumnae Hall and broke in, the university said. They called the new protest an occupation. They wore black and covered their heads and faces with scarves. They graffitied its walls with tags equating Zionism with Nazism, hung Palestinian flags from the roof, and began staging a round-the-clock protest, saying the encampment had failed. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On a lawn near the building but outside the fence, a group of protesters set up tents and a food stand. Protesters began to surround the area with makeshift barricades constructed from wooden pallets and plywood. Unlike the student-run encampment, which put forth a list of demands to the university, such as a forceful call for financial divestiture, the goals of this protest were unclear. Protesters on the scene did not give many interviews. The university said the occupation was not organized by the students behind the on-campus encampment. The raid began after 6 p.m. Thursday as a group of more than 50 police officers, from agencies all over the Bay Area, showed up at the building, part of a more than century-old former school for girls on Bowditch Street at Channing Way that is considered an architectural gem. Regional police and California Highway Patrol officers move in Thursday to remove people protesting in support of Gaza from Anna Head Alumnae Hall, which they had occupied Wednesday. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle The protesters who had been outside on the grass were given the opportunity to leave without being arrested first, through a dispersal order, officials said. Then police, clad in full riot gear, tore down the barricades and began removing protesters from inside the building. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In the chaos that ensued, at least two police officers were struck in the head with crowbars, one so strongly that a helmet will need to be replaced, Mogulof said. But neither was injured. Police are trying to identify the person or people behind that, who could be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, he said. Protesters also gathered on the street during the raid, at the various barricades that police set up around the building, but eventually dispersed. The 12 arrested were charged with burglary, vandalism and conspiracy. Officials said they did not know whether any would be charged with felonies. UC Berkeley officials said that unlike their negotiations with the encampment, they did not hold talks with these protesters. The decision was very straightforward and very quickly made, Mogulof said. Theres a difference, as far as were concerned, with breaking the law, and criminal activity, and nonviolent civil disobedience that doesnt violate law even if it violates campus rules. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It was a question not of whether, but when, they would send in the police, officials said, believing that the protest would only grow and become more difficult to remove. Trash cans lay strewn across Telegraph Avenue after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied Anna Head Alumnae Hall near UC Berkeley. Jungho Kim/Special to the Chronicle But before the small University of California Police Department could move forward, it needed reinforcements, officials said. Ultimately the department put out an aid request to law enforcement agencies across the Bay Area. In the end, about 20 agencies were involved in the raid, including officers from Oakland, San Mateo, San Francisco, Burlingame, Foster City, nearby sheriffs departments, the California Highway Patrol and even the East Bay Regional Park system, which has its own law enforcement arm. The Berkeley Police Department was not involved in the action, despite receiving a mutual aid request from the UCPD. Officer Jessica Perry, a spokesperson for the department, said in a statement that the department did not have enough officers to participate. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Berkeley Police resources were not available to respond to this mutual aid request, in the event city personnel would be needed for situations that might arise elsewhere in the City, Perry said. The Berkeley Fire Department is responsible for fire or medical calls in UC jurisdiction and BPD was prepared to provide protection to BFD if they had to go on a call immediately near the UC police activity. A worker folds a Palestinian flag outside a vacant UC Berkeley-owned building that was previously occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters. Workers removed materials from the area after police secured the building Thursday. Benjamin Fanjoy/Special to the Chronicle A January protest at Peoples Park that resulted in seven arrests was handled the same way by UC police, although Berkeley police did make arrests as the protests spilled over into city streets. In June of last year, Hardeep Singh Nijjarwhom Indias National Investigation Agency classified as a terrorist in 2020was shot and killed as he exited a Gurdwara in Surrey. It was said that the attack, which featured two vehicles and six people, was very coordinated read more Jaiswal noted that Canada has not formally conveyed about the arrest and India has not yet received any consular access request Image Courtesy ANI The fourth Indian detained by Canada for his role in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an Indian terrorist, has been reported to have been seen in India, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday. Speaking during a press conference, Jaiswal noted that Canada has not formally conveyed about the arrest and India has not yet received any consular access request. On being asked about the fourth Indian arrested by Canada in the Nijjar killing, Jaiswal stated, We have seen reports of the fourth person being arrested. We have not been formally conveyed of it. So far, we have not received any consular access request as well." Advertisement According to CBC News, a Canadian news outlet, Canadian police announced last week that they had detained a fourth person in connection with the death of designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In June of last year, Hardeep Singh Nijjarwhom Indias National Investigation Agency classified as a terrorist in 2020was shot and killed as he exited a Gurdwara in Surrey. It was said that the attack, which featured two vehicles and six people, was very coordinated. Amandeep Singh (22) has been recognized as the accused. In British Columbia, Singh was already under the custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario due to unrelated gun charges, according to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT). IHIT 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, the police statement said. According to the police, Singh is an Indian national who divides his time between Surrey, British Columbia; Abbotsford, British Columbia; and Brampton, Ontario, as reported by CBC News. Citing continuing investigations and legal procedures, investigators have not disclosed any other information regarding the arrest. This occurs a few days after three Indian nationals, Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh, were taken into custody by Canadian police in Edmonton. In connection with the homicide, the three were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Advertisement Notably, contrary to rumors in the Canadian media, the Canadian authorities have not provided any proof of a connection to India. After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed India had a role in Nijjars death, there were diplomatic tense moments between the two countries. New Delhi, however, dismissed the claim, labelling it absurd and motivated. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reaffirmed last week that no formal communication regarding the arrests of three Indians who are allegedly involved in the matter has been sent to India, nor has Canada offered any specific evidence or pertinent information in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing case. Advertisement No specific or relevant evidence or information has been given to us in this matter. Canada has informed us about the arrest. But we have not got any formal communication, MEA Spokesperson Jaiswal said on three Indians were arrested in Canada in Nijjars killing. When asked whether India had granted consular access to the three Indians detained in connection with the Nijjar homicide case, the MEA responded that the Indian government had not received a request for the same from Canada because the accused had not yet requested consular access. As scrutiny intensifies following the assassination attempt on Robert Fico and renewed Turkish coup fears, questions arise about potential links to Operation Gladio read more (File) 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. AP Both US journalist Nebojsa Malic and Haberturk reporter Ozcan Tikit have referenced Operation Gladio in connection with the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on 15 May. Additionally, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan convened an emergency meeting on the night of 14-15 May, responding to warnings of a coup attempt similar to the one in 2016. This has suddenly sparked global interest in the NATO-CIA secret terror army. Origins and purpose of Operation Gladio Advertisement Operation Gladio was a clandestine operation involving a network of stay-behind armies established in Europe during the Cold War. These paramilitary groups were organised by NATO and the CIA with the cooperation of European intelligence agencies to prepare for a potential Soviet invasion. The operation was conceived during the early Cold War period when Western powers were deeply concerned about the spread of communism and a potential Soviet invasion of Western Europe. NATO played a central role in coordinating these secret armies aiming to ensure that resistance would continue even if the official military forces were defeated or occupied. Public exposure and political outcry The existence of Gladio in Italy came to light in the early 1990s when Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti disclosed its activities. It was revealed that the network had been involved in several violent incidents including bombings and assassinations to destabilise the political situation and prevent left-wing parties from gaining power. The revelations about Gladio caused significant public and political outcry in several countries. Parliamentary inquiries were held in Italy, Belgium and other nations raising numerous questions about the legality and ethical implications of such operations. The secretive nature of Gladio has led to numerous conspiracy theories suggesting deeper and more widespread covert operations influencing European politics during the Cold War. Advertisement Vincenzo Vinciguerra, who received a life sentence for his involvement in a car bombing in Italy, shed light on the insidious tactics employed by Gladio operatives. In 1992, he revealed that he and his fellow Gladio guerrillas were instructed to carry out attacks targetting civilians, including women and children. They aimed to sow fear and panic among the population, thereby justifying increased state control. This chilling revelation underscores the ruthless nature of Gladios operations and its disregard for the lives of innocent individuals., according to Sputnik. Manipulating European political affairs The Sputnik report said that the CIA and NATO manipulated European political affairs through Gladio. One declassified Gladio operation, Piano Solo (1964), envisaged kidnapping Italian prime minister Aldo Moro to prevent the formation of a left-leaning coalition. Advertisement Gladio terror armies have reportedly been discovered in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Greece and Turkey. It has been revealed that Gladio forces operated at least 139 clandestine weapons depots throughout Europe. These units were composed of right-wing and anti-communist elements often including former soldiers, intelligence agents and sometimes individuals with fascist sympathies. Gladio also recruited ordinary civilians. According to declassified UK documents, recruits were chosen to avoid suspicion by virtue of their age, sex, and activities. Members received training in guerrilla warfare, sabotage, and intelligence gathering. They were supplied with weapons and other resources, which were often hidden in secret caches across Europe. Advertisement From defence to political manipulation While initially intended as a defensive measure against a Soviet invasion, some of these groups became involved in internal political activities including influencing elections, engaging in acts of terrorism and manipulating political processes to counteract left-wing movements and parties. Although much of the detailed information about Operation Gladio remains classified the revelations in the 1990s forced many Western governments to acknowledge and, to some extent, account for their involvement in such covert activities. Gladios legacy is a testament to the lengths Cold War powers were willing to go to maintain influence and control often blurring the lines between legitimate defence and undemocratic manipulation. Sonko, a firebrand politician who gained power when his hand-picked presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye won a decisive victory in March, is known for criticising perceived overreach by France in its former colony read more Senegals prime minister Ousmane Sonko raised the possibility of closing French military bases in the West African country on Thursday in a wide-ranging speech that also touched on the euro-backed CFA franc currency, oil and gas deals and LGBTQ rights. Sonko, a firebrand politician who gained power when his hand-picked presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye won a decisive victory in March, is known for criticising perceived overreach by France in its former colony. Advertisement France has about 350 troops in Senegal. More than 60 years after our independence we must question the reasons why the French army for example still benefits from several military bases in our country and the impact of this presence on our national sovereignty and our strategic autonomy, Sonko said at a joint conference with the French left-wing politician Jean-Luc Melenchon in the capital Dakar. I reiterate here the desire of Senegal to have its own control, which is incompatible with the lasting presence of foreign military bases in Senegal Many countries have promised defence agreements, but this does not justify the fact that a third of the Dakar region is now occupied by foreign garrisons. Neighbours Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have pushed out French troops and turned to Russia for help fighting jihadist insurgencies on their territory. They have also turned away from West African bloc ECOWAS - which condemned their coups - and formed their own alliance of Sahel states. But Sonko had friendly words for them on Thursday. We will not let go of our brothers in the Sahel and we will do everything necessary to strengthen the ties, he said. He also said Senegal, which shares the euro-pegged CFA franc currency with seven countries, would like a flexible currency pegged to at least two currencies to help absorb shocks and support export competitiveness. Advertisement During the election campaign, Faye had initially pledged to abandon the CFA franc but later backed off his promise. Sonko reiterated promises to renegotiate oil and gas contracts in Senegal, where production is due to begin this year. He also called on Western countries to show restraint, respect, reciprocity and tolerance on social matters including LGBTQ rights and gender equality. He said homosexuality had always existed in Senegal, but the country had managed it and would continue to do so according to its socio-cultural realities. Senegal and many other African countries cannot accept any truth in legalising this phenomenon. Britain on May 8 announced several measures to target Moscows intelligence gathering operations in the UK read more The British Union flag flies from the front of British ambassador to Russia's car, next to the Russian foreign ministry building in Moscow, Russia. AP File Russia on Thursday declared Britains defence attache persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to Londons decision to expel the Russian defence attache earlier this month over spying allegations. Russias Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned a representative of the British Embassy in Moscow on Thursday to express its strong protest in connection with the unfriendly and groundless decision to expel the Russian attache from London. We emphasized that we regard this step as a politically motivated action of clearly Russophobic nature, which is causing irreparable damage to bilateral relations, the statement read. Advertisement Britain on May 8 announced several measures to target Moscows intelligence gathering operations in the U.K. Those included a decision to boot Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the British government termed an undeclared military intelligence officer, rescinding the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties because they are believed to have been used for intelligence purposes, and imposing new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas and visits. The government said the measures followed criminal cases in London alleging espionage and sabotage by people acting on behalf of Russia. It also cited allegations that the Russian government planned to sabotage military aid for Ukraine in Germany and Poland and carried out spying in Bulgaria and Italy, along with cyber and disinformation activities, air space violations and jamming GPS signals to hamper civilian air traffic. In response, Russias Foreign Ministry on Thursday announced the expelling of the British defence attache Adrian Coghill, and vowed further retaliatory steps. The U.K. has had an uneasy relationship with Russia for years, accusing its agents of targeted killings and espionage, including cyberattacks aimed at British lawmakers and leaking and amplifying sensitive information to serve Russian interests. After Russia sent troops into Ukraine, Britain has also sanctioned hundreds of wealthy Russians and moved to clamp down on money laundering through Londons property and financial markets. Following a gathering in the central town of Handlova, Fico, 59, was speaking to the public when he was shot on Wednesday. Fico was taken to the hospital read more Fico had previously had surgery, lasting five hours, soon after he was taken by air from the attack scene on Wednesday While police searched the suspects residence on Friday, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Ficos condition was described as still very serious by his deputy and close ally, two days after an attempted assassination. Following a gathering in the central town of Handlova, Fico, 59, was speaking to the public when he was shot on Wednesday. Fico was taken to the hospital. He was operated on again, he had an almost two-hour-long operation, deputy prime minister Robert Kalinak told reporters outside the hospital in Banska Bystrica. Advertisement Fico had previously had surgery, lasting five hours, soon after he was taken by air from the attack scene on Wednesday. His state is still very serious. I think it would take a couple of days to see the course of the development of his state, Kalinak added on Friday. Fico was in a serious state, but the director of the hospital in Banska Bystrica said that he was still conscious. Local media earlier on Friday said that the guy accused of the shooting had had his residence searched by Slovak police. Officers brought along the alleged gunman, who was wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, to the apartment he shared with his wife in the western town of Levice, Markiza TV footage showed. Police stayed in the apartment for several hours They took the computer and documents out of the apartment, the private broadcaster said. Although the suspects identity has not been released by the police, the media has labeled him as writer Juraj Cintula, 71. In what the authorities have described as an attack with political motivation, he was charged on Thursday with attempted murder with premeditation. This is a lone wolf whose actions were accelerated after the presidential election since he was dissatisfied with its outcome, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said. In the weeks leading up to the European Parliament elections, the politically divided country is experiencing increased levels of fear and instability due to the incident. Advertisement Authorities made a connection to the nations political climate, which has been tarnished by misinformation and attacks on social media in the wake of recent election campaigns. Peter Pellegrini, the newly elected president of Slovakia, encouraged the political parties on Wednesday to halt or scale back their campaigning ahead of the EU vote. Pellegrini won the election in April. The largest opposition party declared as much, along with the moderate Progressive Slovakia and others. In October, Fico, a seasoned politician and four-time premier, took power again. Since then, he has said several things that have damaged Slovakias relationship with its neighbor, Ukraine, after casting doubt on the nations sovereignty. Advertisement Following his election, Slovakia ceased supplying arms to Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022. China has vowed to retaliate against the new duties levied by US read more Washington: The US would be better served by maintaining its open trade system rather than imposing new punitive duties on Chinese goods, the International Monetary Fund said, adding that Washington and Beijing should work together to resolve their trade tensions. IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack told a regular news briefing on Thursday that such trade restrictions as those announced by President Joe Biden on Tuesday can distort trade and investment, fragment supply chains and trigger retaliatory actions. Advertisement Fragmentation of this type can be very costly for the global economy, she said. Kozack said the IMF identified some 3,000 global trade restrictions in 2023, up from 1,000 in 2019, and under a worst-case scenario of severe fragmentation into geopolitical blocs, this could reduce global economic output by some 7 per cent, equivalent to removing the GDP of Japan and Germany combined. With respect to the tariffs, our view is that the US would be better served by maintaining open trade policies that have been vital to its economic performance, Kozack said. We also encourage the US and China to work together toward a solution that addresses the underlying concerns that have exacerbated trade tensions between the two countries. Washington has sought to justify the sharply higher duties on Chinese electric vehicles, solar products, semiconductors, medical supplies and other goods as a pre-emptive measure to protect domestic industries against Chinese economic policies that have encouraged over-investment and over-production in these sectors that are expected to unleash a flood of exports into global markets. Beijing has vowed to retaliate against the new duties and has accused some US officials of losing their minds. Kozack said IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath will travel to Beijing from 26 to 29 May to meet with government officials on the Funds annual Article IV review of Chinas economic policies. Gopinath will hold a news conference on the IMFs China recommendations on 29 May. According to the notice, instead, the church authorities will present the new provisions of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for discerning between apparitions and other supernatural phenomena read more The Vatican's YouTube site will host a live webcast of the event Image Courtesy AP The revised church teachings on supernatural phenomena will be unveiled at a news conference held by the Vatican on Friday. The Holy See Press Offices website carries a notification about the press conference, which is why some publications have reported falsely that it is about aliens. According to the notice, instead, the church authorities will present the new provisions of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for discerning between apparitions and other supernatural phenomena. Advertisement Any time a saint, the Virgin Mary, or Christ himself appears before a human being on Earth, it is referred to as a apparition. Sister Daniela Del Gaudio, Monsignor Armando Matteo, and Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez will conduct the news conference. The Vaticans YouTube site will host a live webcast of the event. Fernandez stated that the department is in the process of finalising a new text with clear guidelines and norms for the discernment of apparitions and other phenomena in a report that was published in Fox News last week. As per established practice, apparitions are documented and inspected by the diocesan bishops office and then transmitted to Rome for additional study. This kind of announcement is becoming more and more popular because it hasnt been made since February 1978. According to Fox News, the 1917 Miracle of Fatima is the most extensively recorded apparition in contemporary times. Tens of thousands of people claimed to have seen the sun move erratically across the sky and emit bright colors for many minutes in Fatima, Portugal, following a supposed series of appearances by the Virgin Mary promising a public miracle to numerous peasant children. Ten years after the supernatural occurrence occurred, the Pope officially acknowledged and authorized it. Russia wants to replicate the visa-free tourist exchanges model with India which Moscow has already established with China and Iran read more (File) An Aeroflot passenger plane descends before landing at the Sheremetyevo international airport outside Moscow, Russia, Reuters Moscow: Consultations between India and Russia on a bilateral agreement to ease travel will begin in June, according to a Russian minister. Moscow and New Delhi are preparing to strengthen their tourism ties by launching visa-free group tourist exchanges. India is at the final stage of internal state coordination, Nikita Kondratyev, director of the Russian Economic Development Ministrys Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects, was quoted by RT News as saying on Wednesday. Advertisement Speaking on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024 in Kazan, the minister stated that the first discussion on a draft agreement is scheduled for June, with a signing expected by the end of the year. Russia and India are set to strengthen their tourism ties as they gear up for the launch of visa-free group tourist exchanges. The first round of consultations between the two nations is scheduled for June, with an aim to finalise a bilateral agreement by the end of the year, Kondratyev said. He added that Russia plans to replicate the success of visa-free tourist exchanges already established with China and Iran. Russia and China initiated their visa-free group tourist exchange on 1 August last year. Similarly, a visa-free group tourist exchange between Russia and Iran commenced on the same date, ushering in a new era of tourism cooperation. According to data from Indias Ministry of Tourism, a total of 17,567 Russian had visited India in 2021. As per a Statista report, Russian tourists were not among the top 10 countries in the foreign tourist arrivals recorded in India in 2022. The slow progress of Israels offensive, more than seven months after it was prompted by Hamas deadly cross-border raid, highlighted the difficulty of achieving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus aim of eradicating the militant group read more Israeli soldiers sit in a tank near the Israel-Gaza border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Israel. Reuters Israels 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. The slow progress of Israels offensive, more than seven months after it was prompted by Hamas deadly cross-border raid, highlighted the difficulty of achieving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus aim of eradicating the militant group. Advertisement 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 Israels 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 Israels 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 Israels 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement We dont 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. Israels 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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 camps 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. Were 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. Boeings shareholders are set to vote on a proposal urging an independent review of the companys operations in China spotlighting concerns over human rights abuses in Xinjiang and their alignment with Boeings ESG commitments read more (File) The Boeing logo is seen on the side of a Boeing 737 MAX at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain. Reuters In a recent development, Boeings board of directors recommended shareholders vote against a proposal which sought an independent review of the companys business activities and expenditures in China to determine their alignment with the companys stated ESG commitments. The Boeing annual meeting of shareholders is scheduled to take place today and the shareholder proposal regarding Boeings operations in China is listed as item 4 on the agenda. The proposal, which was submitted by the National Legal and Policy Centre (NLPC). NLPC, which holds 38 shares of Boeing common stock, emphasised the need for transparency and accountability, urging the companys board of directors to commission and publish a third-party review within the next year about its China operations. Advertisement What the shareholder proposal says The proposal highlighted several concerns. It said that Boeing pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. It also claimed to uphold human rights throughout its operations. However, the proposal argued that Boeings close ties with China contradict its ESG (Environmental, social and governance) commitments, given Chinas significant greenhouse gas emissions and poor human rights record. The Boeing company touts the virtues of its ESG initiatives, such as its commitment to reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions 55 per cent by 2030 below 2017s, and to achieve 100 per cent renewable electricity by the end of the decade, as part of commercial aviations goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The company also insists human rights are protected throughout its operations, as outlined in its Basic Working Conditions and Human Rights in Boeings Supply Chain. But the companys environmental promises and human rights commitments are belied by its cosy relationship with China, a country that is controlled by the dictatorial and inhumane Chinese Communist Party, the proposal read. Furthermore, the proposal pointed out that Boeings measures to ensure human rights in its supply chain are insufficient compared to other corporations with operations in China. compared to many other corporations with significant operations in China, Boeings human rights accountability measures are weak. Assessments of the potential for human trafficking or slavery are conducted internally, not by third parties, the NLPC proposal said. Therefore, it calls for independent, third-party audits to verify compliance. NLPC argued that an independent review is crucial for several reasons. The Chinese government has an abhorrent human rights record as evidenced by its abuses against the Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, including forced labour programmes, forced sterilisations, and torture. Chinese authorities perpetrate genocide and use emerging technologies to carry out discriminatory surveillance and ethno-racial profiling measures designed to subjugate and exploit minority populations, the NLPC mentioned in its proposal. Advertisement Doing business with China counters everything Boeing claims to stand for, especially with its shabby accountability measures, the NLPC said. What the Boeing board of directors think While the board of directors unanimously recommended voting against the proposal, they also added that the proposal was unnecessary and not in the best interest of shareholders. The board said that Boeing already provides comprehensive disclosures regarding its operations in China and ESG practices. Boeings public disclosures, including the 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, offer detailed information about its operations in China. Additionally, Boeing publishes an annual sustainability report detailing its environmental stewardship, social progress and governance practices. Advertisement China is a significant market for commercial aircraft and represents a key component of our commercial aircraft backlog. We also acknowledge the geopolitical pressures that have impacted and may continue to affect our business with Chinese customers and the supply chain generally. We believe that further singling out particular countries or groups of customers for scrutiny would be misleading to shareholders and potentially damage our relationships with customers, suppliers, and regulators, the Boeing board of directors said in its response. Boeings board also highlighted the companys robust risk management strategies citing that it regularly assesses risks related to geopolitical events, customer and supplier relationships and ESG matters. Day-to-day risk management is handled by senior management ensuring the creation and execution of appropriate policies and mitigation plans. Advertisement Moreover, the board emphasised Boeings commitment to ethical behaviour and sustainability within its supply chain. The companys supplier code of conduct outlines expected behaviours and enforces lawful, ethical and fair business practices, the board claimed. It said that the company is committed to preventing any form of slavery, human trafficking, forced labour, or child labour and enforces these standards through its supply chain management practices. A dud proposal With the entire board against it, there is no possibility of the proposal getting a thumbs up. The Boeing board relying on the existing disclosures, risk management strategies and supply chain management programmes, said that the proposed third-party review is redundant and potentially misleading thus ensuring its defeat. David DePape has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a hammer attack on Paul Pelosi in the San Francisco home he shares with Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Michael Short/The Chronicle 2013 After a four-day trial, DePape was convicted in November of attempting to kidnap a federal official and assaulting a federal officials family member. A jury returned a verdict after less than 10 hours of deliberation. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Federal prosecutors asked a judge to sentence him to 40 years in prison for the gruesome incident that unfolded inside the Pelosi home on Oct. 28, 2022. On Friday, prosecutors called the attack an act of domestic terrorism. From the outset of the trial, DePapes attorneys conceded that their client broke into the Pelosis Pacific Heights home, where he sought to confront then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, convinced that she was part of a sinister cabal of liberal celebrities, politicians and academics who were ruining America. But prosecutors were tasked specifically with proving that his actions and the hammer attack that left Paul Pelosi hospitalized with a skull fracture were driven specifically by Nancy Pelosis official duties as a member of Congress. On Friday, DePapes defense attorneys said that he should be given a sentence of 14 years, arguing that although what he did was awful, inexcusable and unjustifiable, it paled in comparison to the criminality of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, where the most serious sentences for people convicted of seditious conspiracy ranged from 15 to 22 years. Advertisement Article continues below this ad This is a serious case, no doubt, but this is not a murder case, said Angela Chuang, a deputy federal public defender. In their last efforts to appeal to District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, DePapes attorneys said their client was in a very low point of his life during the months leading up the attack. DePapes living situation was bad, with limited bathroom access, they said. He was socially isolated and gaslit, abused and intentionally cut off from his family, they added. This is someone who, for decades, was just becoming more and more unstable, Chuang said. In the early hours of the morning, DePape boarded a BART train from Richmond and evaded the Pelosis 24-hour security team, breaking through the glass of a window and climbing into the home, where he crept up to Paul Pelosis bedside. He brought zip ties, rope, duct tape and a hammer as part of his mission. After he was arrested, he told investigators he intended to break Nancy Pelosis kneecaps if she lied to him. But Nancy Pelosi wasnt there. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Paul Pelosi, who had been asleep before he was awoken by DePape, managed to surreptitiously call 911 while speaking to DePape. When police officers arrived at the house, DePape smashed Pelosi over the head with the hammer. He later told officers he had been there on a suicide mission. In a court filing in which she asked the judge to hand down a very long sentence, Nancy Pelosi said the attack has had a devastating effect on three generations of our family. Even now, eighteen months after the home invasion and assault, the signs of blood and break-in are impossible to avoid. Our home remains a heartbreaking crime scene, Nancy Pelosi wrote, adding that her husband continues to suffer from dizziness, fainting and falling as a result of his injuries. Nancy and Paul Pelosis daughter, Christine Pelosi, appeared in court Friday to read the letters written by her parents. In his letter to the judge, Paul Pelosi wrote that for months after the attack, he feared sleeping alone in the home, unable to shake the memories of DePape breaking into the house. His wife remains under constant security even though she is no longer serving as House Speaker and the family no longer answers the front door or their landline phone due to ongoing threats, he wrote. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We cannot fully remove the stain on the floor in the front entryway where I bled, he wrote. During the trial, DePape himself took the stand as the defenses key witness, where he spoke about his obsession with video games and alt-right podcasts that discussed widely discredited conspiracy theories, including ones that claimed groups of high-ranking political figures and celebrities were trafficking children. Before delivering her sentencing decision, Corley addressed DePape directly and told him that notwithstanding the terrible thing that you did, his family, and particularly his mother and twin sister, still supported him. They still love you, she said. So if theres any good at all that can come from this horrible thing, maybe its that. DePape, wearing his orange jail jumpsuit, quietly nodded. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Corley said she arrived at the 30-year sentence because she believed he still posed a danger to the public, calling the attack completely gratuitous. The violent attack on the spouse of a member of Congress could have a chilling effect on Americans considering a future in public service, she added. Some people who may have been really great leaders, who may really have changed peoples lives and made a difference are going to say its not worth it, she said. Because of that we will never know everything that we have lost because of this crime. Indian software firm Zoho, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is planning to venture into chip manufacturing with an investment of $700 million, as reported by Reuters. Since its establishment in 1996, Zoho has provided software solutions globally, and this shift towards chip making signals Zohos commitment to advancing technology within India. Zohos focus is on producing compound semiconductors specialized for commercial use, with the aim of bolstering Indias presence in high-tech manufacturing. This move aligns with the governments $10 billion incentive package, targeting semiconductor development akin to leading countries like Taiwan. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is reviewing Zohos proposal, seeking clarity on potential clients and the broader impact on the industry. While Zoho remains tight-lipped, insiders confirm significant investments and have secured a tech partner for the venture, for operational kick-off. CEO Sridhar Vembus recent post on X (formerly Twitter) hinted at Zohos semiconductor venture, though not revealing specifics, emphasized the importance of semiconductor technology for the nations growth. He highlighted the governments support and the need for private investment in vital sectors. Earlier hints from Vembu about a chip design project in Tamil Nadu foreshadowed Zohos entry into chip manufacturing, reflecting a broader trend of Indian firms exploring semiconductor production. Zohos financial prowess, with over $1 billion in annual revenue by March 2023, establishes a strong foundation for this new endeavor. Furthermore, Indias recent approval for semiconductor plants, with investments exceeding $15 billion, underscores the sectors critical role in defense, automotive, and telecommunications, as India anticipates a $63 billion semiconductor market by 2026. Source Students at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory cross an intersection between campuses after school on Tuesday. School administrators have launched an investigation into a racially derogatory post made on the schools section of the Fizz social media app. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle =When the social media app Fizz first hit university campuses, college students signed up in droves to post anonymously about their professors, roommates, frat parties, or whatever else popped into their brains, which not surprisingly veered at times into bullying, racism, harassment, sexism and other online abuse. The platform, founded by two Stanford University dropouts in 2021, eventually became so troublesome that some colleges in Florida and North Carolina banned it. But instead of backing off, the company secured $41.5 million in investment funding and headed for high schools, with students at a private Catholic prep school in San Francisco among the first to sign up and join the Fizz fold. And the cycle continued. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Within weeks, school officials sent a letter home to Sacred Heart Cathedral families alerting them to a racially derogatory social media post associated with the school. We are outraged and saddened by this behavior. This is a very serious matter, said the May 7 note from Principal Gary Cannon. We are investigating the anonymous post and will hold accountable any member of our community who may be involved. The next day, Cannon confirmed the message was posted to Fizz, which is downloaded to student phones without a schools involvement or control and uses a confirmed school email address to add individuals to each schools platform. He also informed families there were other offensive posts, mostly about adults at the school. Given the anonymity of the posts, its unclear whether Sacred Heart students were responsible or outsiders had access to email accounts. Administrators declined to comment on the incident, the status of the investigation or specifics related to the posts. While apps like Fizz are not new, and some like YikYak have come and gone, the introduction of an anonymous, hyperlocal platform at a high school raises the stakes in an ongoing battle to mitigate the impact of social media on young people, said Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit focused on the impact of media on children. Advertisement Article continues below this ad This is a recipe for disaster, Steyer said. In a world with a youth mental health crisis? This is bad news. The toll of social media on schools and students in recent years has left few campuses or classrooms unscathed, with research consistently showing links between online platforms and adolescent depression, anxiety and other issues, fueling a growing mental health crisis. The concern is so widespread, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a health advisory in 2023 noting that while social media can offer young people support and community, it also supplies a barrage of negativity that includes harassment as well as hate-based content, which 64% of adolescents reported seeing often or sometimes. Despite a wide range of efforts to curb use policies banning phones during the school day and lawsuits filed by school districts accusing companies of harming students nearly every teenager in the country is on social media, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The survey also found 35% of teens said they used at least one of the top five sites YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Facebook almost constantly. Meanwhile, a long line of entrepreneurs hope to be the next big download on teenager telephones. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Fizz founders Teddy Solomon and Ashton Cofer have said in media interviews they built the app during the pandemic to rebuild connections among students at Stanford, making it anonymous so students can freely vent, ask questions, make confessions, post memes or participate in Fizz discussions. From day one, our goal with Fizz has been to increase inclusivity and bring people together in an authentic way, the company said in response to emailed questions after declining interviews. Gen-Z is the loneliest generation, and other social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have only made the loneliness epidemic worse by serving as a highlight reel that further divides students. The platform is in 240 colleges, Fizz officials said, and now 50 high schools since the app expanded to younger users early this year. They are not affiliated with any of the institutions. Students at the schools can help set up their schools site on Fizz and then recruit other students to sign up, requiring no permission from the colleges or high schools. The company said a survey found more than 90% of Fizz high school and college users said the app makes them feel more included, connected to and informed about their school. The May 7 opt-in survey, however, included just 174 high school student responses. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Steyer said the app stood out to him as particularly troubling given that its hyperlocal and anonymous, which allows for all kinds of bad behavior, but he was also concerned about how Fizz monitors content. Unlike many other social media platforms, Fizz uses volunteer student moderators at each school or college to primarily enforce content guidelines which prohibits personal attacks, hate speech, illegal activity, self-harm, obscenity and violence. There is also a central moderation team that monitors content, officials said. This sounds like a pathetic attempt at making money, he said, describing it as a tired Silicon Valley story about opportunistic college dropouts. Fizz is another example of how short-term focus on money and fame and Wow, we can do something big-cool here could lead to a very bad result, Steyer said. People forget about all the consequences and all the collateral damage. He didnt think it would last long. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Yik Yak, a similar, anonymous college-based app that was valued at $350 million a year after its 2013 launch, shut down in 2017 following a sharp decline in users amid concerns of racism, sexism and cyberbullying. So far Fizz isnt making money, relying on investment funding to build the company until it decides how to turn a free social media site into profit. Back at Sacred Heart, the Fizz scandal hit at the end of the school year, perhaps overshadowed in the coming days by finals and graduation. Parent Emil Uglesic said there was little information about the incident other than it was a racist post and so far he wasnt concerned, although he would be more so if in fact a Sacred Heart student posted it. Its one of those things, he said. Theres a lot of weird things on social media. While Fizz officials said they cooperate with law enforcement under specific circumstances in their policies, they otherwise protect student privacy and do not reveal to a school who posted something on the platform. Several students said most of those who were using the app had deleted it after the racially derogatory post although it had been pretty popular, said a senior, who hadnt used the app personally, but had seen it on friends phones. Most of its harmless, he said, but not all, including the racist post, which was offensive and not cool. The student declined to give his name for fear of disciplinary action. School leaders, who stood outside the main building at the end of the school day, warned students not to talk to a journalist about Fizz or the derogatory incident as the schools president demanded the reporter move off a public sidewalk. The student said that while he had no need for an app like Fizz, he didnt see such sites going away. Patricks Point at Sue-Meg State Park in Trinidad (Humboldt County) is one of more than 200 parks that can be visited for free through a California State Library Parks Pass program. Clara Mokri/Special to The Chronicle A popular program that distributes free passes to California state parks through public libraries could soon end as lawmakers seek to close a $27.6 billion budget gap. Under the California State Library Parks Pass program, library card holders can check out passes that grant entry for one carload of day-use visitors to more than 200 participating state parks. The program, begun in 2022, aims to make access to the outdoors more equitable in California. The passes have become one of the most frequently borrowed items at public libraries, with 33,000 offered at more than 1,100 branches statewide, according to the California State Parks Foundation, which advocates for the state park system. Advertisement Article continues below this ad But funding for the three-year pilot program was not included in Gov. Gavin Newsoms proposed budget for the upcoming year, the foundation said in a news release Thursday. Rachel Norton, the foundations executive director, said in a statement that the foundation was extremely concerned about state legislators potentially cutting funding for a highly effective program that provides equitable access to state parks. Admission fees or parking charges can be financially burdensome for many residents, particularly those with lower incomes, Norton said. The cost of entry can deter people from experiencing the natural wonders within these parks, thereby excluding them from the numerous physical and mental health benefits, educational opportunities, and recreational activities that these spaces offer, she added. These initiatives bridge this gap and should be a priority. The foundation has launched an online effort asking for support petitioning legislators to preserve the Library Parks Pass program. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Earlier this month, Newsom unveiled a revised 2024-25 budget plan that proposed a raft of cuts to reduce the states massive budget deficit. Newsom and state lawmakers must pass a budget by June 15, before the July 1 start of the 2024-25 fiscal year. The California State Library Parks Pass program was a pilot program that the Newsom Administration and California State Parks are very proud of, Tony Andersen, deputy secretary for communications at the California Natural Resources Agency, said in a statement to the Chronicle. The department continues to explore potential partnerships with park support organizations to continue the California State Library Parks Pass where feasible. Under the governors spending proposal, the parks foundation said, funding remains intact for two other types of free park passes: the California State Park Adventure Pass, for fourth-graders and their families, and the Golden Bear Pass, for recipients of public assistance including CalWORKs. Shown here in 2010 at his beloved Cafe Flore, Strange de Jim, the alter ego of Jim Riffe, invented his nom de plume upon arrival from West Virginia and carved out an identity as a secret purveyor of clever jokes and observations. Adam Lau/Special to the Chronicle Strange de Jim was a full-time spinner of quips, a career that did not pay beyond the reward of seeing his pseudonym in Herb Caens column. This was also the reward for Chronicle readers, who associated the name Strange de Jim with a clever take on the human comedy. Strange, as he was known even to family members, did it better than anybody over the course of 25 years. When Caen died in 1997, Strange was selected as a speaker at the memorial for a man hed met only once. Staying in character, he solemnly strode to the pulpit at Grace Cathedral wearing a paper bag over his head, one last joke to protect the identity of his alter ego Jim Riffe, a systems analyst originally from West Virginia. He also supplied items to Leah Garchiks Personals column and self-published five books, and he liked to say that writing was a sidelight to his main job, which was drinking coffee at Cafe Flore in the Castro District. That job didnt pay either, but Strange was still drinking coffee and writing jokes until he died May 1 at his home in the Castro, said his brother, John Riffe. Strange had been suffering from Alzheimers disease for years, but even joked about that, Riffe said. He was 81. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Strange was a brilliant, funny and extremely kind person who invented an alter ego that enabled him to put his observations on the events of everyday San Francisco into print, said Riffe, a retired businessman and psychotherapist who lives in rural West Virginia. He loved making observations and turning them into something that made people laugh. Nothing was sacred. A self-invented phenomenon, Strange was right up there with the outrageous womens advice columnist Count Marco and the ask-the-readers-anything Question Man in terms of mysterious contributors to the Chronicle. He added to it by hosting lunches at Enricos in North Beach, in which every guest at the table would have a pillowcase over their head so that no one knew who was who. Strange was a brilliant, funny and extremely kind person who invented an alter ego that enabled him to put his observations on the events of everyday San Francisco into print, said Strange de Jims brother, John Riffe. Mike Kepka/The Chronicle He was so good at what he did that by 1978, he had made his way into Herb Caens column enough times to print them up as a 34-page pamphlet titled, Hah! I Made Herb Caen & I Can Break Him. Ten years later, on the occasion of Caens 50th anniversary as a columnist, Strange was profiled as one of his regular item suppliers. No columnist who has to do 20 items a day can resist a Strange de Jim, wrote Caen at the time. He and I are made for each other. Advertisement Article continues below this ad James Edward Riffe (rhymes with Strife) was born July 9, 1942, in Charleston, W.Va. His dad, Robert, was a comptroller for Atlantic Greyhound, the bus service in the Eastern United States. His mother, Katie, died of Hodgkins disease when Jim was 10 and his brother John was 5. As a child, he carried around science-fiction books and lived in his own world, said his sister-in-law of 55 years, Jane Riffe. He just liked that better than what most people call reality. He always wanted to be a writer and had a pen and notebook on him for as long as his younger brother can remember. He attended public school in Charleston and graduated from Stonewall Jackson High School, where he was class valedictorian and a National Merit Scholar in the class of 1960. He avoided summer jobs as best he could, Riffe said. They cut into his reading. When he finally agreed to one, it was selling encyclopedias door to door. After graduating from West Virginia University with a B.S. in accounting in 1964, he earned an MBA at Columbia University in New York and took a job at Arthur Andersen in New York City. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He found an apartment in a building where Sidney Poitier lived. He was always attracted to movie stars and celebrities, said his brother. He developed his quip style by taping late-night TV on a reel-to-reel recorder, then replaying it to write down the jokes that dealt with current issues. Strange de Jim hosted lunches at Enricos in North Beach where every guest at the table had a pillowcase over their head so nobody knew who was who. Adam Lau/Special to the Chronicle In his spare time he wrote short stories for mystery publications. He also dated women though he knew his attraction was to men and had been since high school, said his brother. In 1971, Strange moved to San Francisco in a VW Beetle with a wicker penguin in the passenger seat and his comedy tapes and journals in the back seat. He was drawn there like Mecca, said Jane. His first job in the city was as a senior systems analyst at Bank of America. He bought a condo near Japantown and traded the VW stick shift for an automatic Ford Pinto, which was easier on the hills. He mailed his first submission to Caen in 1972 and it appeared under the heading Strange de Jim reports: Since I didnt believe in reincarnation in any of my other lives, why should I have to believe in it in this one? That was the start of it, and also the start of people suggesting that Caen himself was Strange de Jim. But those items arrived mysteriously by U.S. mail, neatly handwritten on a pad bearing the imprint From the desk of Strange de Jim. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The wordplay was precise and could be so subtle that youd have to read it twice to see what gave the joke its heat. A typical line regarded the old Poodle Dog, a French restaurant. I wont eat snails, Strange quipped. I prefer fast food. Or: Monogamous is what one partner in every relationship wants to be. By the time Strange and Caen first spoke on the phone, in 1978, hed had his name in the column more than 100 times. The call was patched through so Strange could ask Caen to contribute an introduction to his book of Strangeisms, which Caen obliged. I hope we never meet. Ours is the perfect relationship, Caen wrote. Strange favors me with his wit, and I favor him with my print. Come to think of it, he could even be a girl, for all I know. The whole thing is strange, isnt it. Strange left his job at BofA in 1976 and after that he was self-unemployed, getting by on sales of his novelty books and a small inheritance. He also did well on the sale of his condo and moved into a two-bedroom rental above a laundromat in the Castro. The rent was $180 split two ways, according to Jeff Byers, the first in a line of roommates. The work pressure was off and he was really focused on his writing, said Byers. Strange self-published each of his books except the final one, a guidebook called San Franciscos Castro for the Images of America series. He did all his own typing. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Over the years, the Strange de Jim persona overtook the person that was Jim Riffe. In 2011, he consented to a Q&A with the Chronicle and didnt give a single straight answer. Adam Lau/Special to the Chronicle During roommate discussions, Strange told Byers that he got the nom de plume by introducing himself at a party as the strange one. It got a laugh and that was the genesis of Strange de Jim. His brother asked the same question once and was told I introduce myself as I am, Strange. In 1996, Caen revealed that he had terminal cancer just as he was turning 80, then finally won a Pulitzer Prize (or pullet surprise as Caen called it). A citywide Herb Caen Day was held and Strange rode in an antique convertible in the parade down Market Street. He had a seat on the podium next to Willie Mays and in front of Don Johnson. There was no pillowcase on that day. In Caens last column, dated Jan. 10, 1997, he referred to Strange as San Franciscos guru di tutti guruskies, which to Stranges ears was as good a turn of phrase as when Caen called the Golden Gate Bridge a car-strangled spanner. After Caens death, Strange redirected his mail to Leah Garchiks column, where he appeared more than 60 times. There could have been more. Wit tastes different to different people, so I had to turn him down many times, Garchik said, and he was always a total gentleman about it. He even invited her to his birthday party at Cafe Flore. Over the years, the Strange de Jim persona overtook the person that was Jim Riffe. In 2011, he consented to a Q&A with the Chronicle and never gave a straight answer. It started with the claim that the full name on his birth certificate was Strange and Wonderful de Jim and that it had been delivered to his mom by an angel. His schoolmates called him Strangey for short. It went like that through the final question. Q: What havent I asked you? Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024. Dennis received bachelor's degrees in communication and political science with a TAG degree in Spanish from The University of Akron in Ohio. He grew up in Ohio with two sisters and two brothers, one being his fraternal twin. He and his wife have two dogs: Bacio, and Cal. Dennis currently covers natural resource and environmental issues for The Daily Sentinel A home being built in in Lathrop, California in 2021.Lathrop officials say they are in the process of building more than 18,000 single-family homes and 350 multi-family homes over about 20 years. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle Double the people, double the housing. Thats just what happened to Lathrop, a suburban city about 10 miles south of Stockton, over the last decade. Its population rose from just over 19,000 in 2013 to nearly 40,000 in 2023, according to estimates released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau. That boom of residents included an increase of about 4,800 people from 2022 to 2023, a 14% rise that made Lathrop the nations fifth-fastest growing city with at least 20,000 people. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The swelling population, which accelerated during the pandemic even as Californias overall populace shrunk, is due in great part to Bay Area residents seeking more affordable homes in the Central Valley, city officials said. And Lathrop is poised to grow even more, with the city working with developers to build entire neighborhoods of for-sale homes. Lathrop was the only West Coast city out of the 15 fastest-growing U.S. municipalities. Eight of the cities were in Texas. Lathrop officials say they are in the process of building more than 18,000 single-family homes and 350 multi-family homes over about 20 years. That construction is largely from four major developments, which also include new restaurants, schools, offices and parks. The city had nearly 10,400 homes at the beginning of 2023, according to data from the California Department of Finance. A decade ago it had just over half that, about 5,700 homes. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lathrop has prioritized what city manager Stephen Salvatore calls responsible growth speeding projects along while making sure the city remains attractive to residents. We dont delay developers, Salvatore said. Thats been our business model, to not put up roadblocks to development. Thats been the citys policy for both housing and businesses, he added. Tesla opened a massive factory in Lathrop in 2022, and Salvatore said the city is trying to attract other manufacturing and industrial employers. The 21-square-mile city also includes an In-N-Out, Sprouts and other chains. But the main draw for new residents is housing, said Mike Samawi, a Mountain House-based Realtor with Compass. He said most people who move to Lathrop and other parts of the region are from the Bay Area usually families commuting or working remotely. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Its hard to walk away (from Lathrop) once you see it, Samawi said, adding that many of clients moved there for the quality of the school district. He expects people to continue to flood into Lathrop as long as homes there remain much more affordable than in the Bay Area. The median sale price for a Lathrop home in April was about $737,000, according to real estate brokerage Redfin. Thats nearly half the median price of a home in the city of San Francisco. Lathrop isnt the only inland community with a growing population, said Hans Johnson, a demographer with the Public Policy Institute of California. The Inland Empire in Southern California is one of the states fastest-growing regions, with Central Valley counties like San Joaquin and Fresno also seeing their populations swell. The driving factors, Johnson added, are housing, housing and housing. Its the long history of population growth and the extension of suburbs further and further out into inland areas of the state, he said. And thats been going on for many decades in California. Advertisement Article continues below this ad While California has largely encouraged the building of housing in already-developed neighborhoods a strategy advocates say is better for the environment and municipal infrastructure than building far outside urban areas most of those homes tend to be rentals, Johnson said. That forces people who want to own their homes to look deeper into the state. That becomes the new edge, Johnson said. The edge expands outwards and outwards and outwards. Speech by Carl-Oskar Bohlin in Washington on 9 May Government Offices of Sweden 15 May 2024 Speech by Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin at a seminar on 9 May 2024, arranged by the Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with a meeting arranged by the United States for senior NATO officials responsible for resilience. Check against delivery. It's an honour coming to the United States as the first Swedish Minister for Civil Defence in almost 80 years, but an even greater honour setting foot on US soil for the first time as an Ally. Let me start this speech by going back some 800 days. The initial phase of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine is characterised by two failures. The first is the collective West's failure to deter Russia from escalating the war in Ukraine, which begun in 2014, into a full-scale invasion. The second is the enormous misjudgment from Putin's side that he could swiftly and decisively accomplish his 20-year-long ambition to subjugate Ukraine and erase Ukraine as an independent state. The first failure underscores the importance of the West standing united in a position of strength in a way we didn't fully do between 2014 and 2022 but have managed to do since the full-scale invasion was launched. Leo Tolstoy once said that the two most powerful warriors are patience and time. Where this will end depends on our joint resolve, and it is our obligation to show Putin that his current bet also will fail. The latter failure, namely Russia's initial failure, teaches us something about the strength of a resilient society with the will to defend itself. Russia's assumption that the full-scale invasion would be swift and easy was debunked by Ukraine's willingness and ability to fight against an existential threat. This ability has been defined in no small part by Ukraine meeting total war with total resilience. With a society built on resilience, including through its civil defence, Russia's attempts to break the backbone of Ukrainian society have been thwarted. The rest of Europe has reason to learn from the journey Ukraine made between 2014 and 2022. This was also one of Zelenskyy's strong messages at this year's Munich Security Conference. You must get ready, even if it's more comfortable to think about something else. His stark message was that Ukraine was not ready in 2014 but was forced to become so by 2022. And when we talk about getting ready, it's not just about military capabilities, but about the fact that society as a whole must contribute to a credible and deterrent defence posture. This is precisely what Sweden is now engaged in through the rebuilding of our total defence concept. After the Cold War ended, the whole world enjoyed the peace dividend, assuming that history had ended - Sweden perhaps more so than others. Together with many other countries in Europe, Sweden initially didn't see the signs pointing to what Russia was evolving into clearly enough. Under the current Swedish Government, Sweden has a Minister for civil Defence, based in the Ministry of Defence - the first time since the end of World War II. And let's start by getting the semantics right. Civil defence in the Swedish total defence concept is not just about protecting the civilian population, it's also about building a more resilient society in all sectors critical to societal resilience - a society that can quickly adapt to actively contribute to defence efforts, while also securing functionality and thus the population's continued will to resist. This also tells us that civil defence is the most cross-sectoral activity a government can engage in. This work takes many forms, and protecting the civilian population across the threat spectrum is of course a key part. In Sweden, we are now bolstering the resources of our emergency services and improving the ability to handle, among other things, CBRN threats, while also reintroducing civilian conscription to ensure personnel supply to the emergency services, but also other sectors, in the event of an armed attack. Security of supply is another very broad area where Sweden is now advancing its positions. I sometimes say that the 'just-in-time society' was the pandemic's first victim. For Sweden, it illuminated how vulnerable our society had become, with the dismantling of our Cold War system of supply chain security. However, the world's supply chains could face even greater challenges than those that arose during the pandemic if the geopolitical world situation continues to deteriorate. Before you get tired of me, let me also briefly mention what the Swedish Government considers the emerging domain of modern civil defence, namely the cyber domain. Here, the threat is directed directly at the civilian parts of society by antagonistic actors. Our focus is currently strongly focused on reshaping and strengthening national cybersecurity efforts, finding the connection between cybersecurity and cyber defence, building a new national cybersecurity centre and deepening possible cooperation with our close partners. It is a great honour to visit you as the first Minister for Civil Defence in almost 80 years, but it is an even greater honour to do so as an Ally. Sweden has returned to a value-based alliance where we truly have belonged for a long time. Our appreciation of transatlantic cooperation and support from the US in the NATO accession process cannot be overstated. Sweden will lead by example to ensure that Europe takes on a greater share of the security burden that we must now jointly bear, but we will also be a strong and clear voice for the indispensable role of the United States in NATO and for a strong transatlantic partnership. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Astral Knight 24 - Command and Control in the Air Domain Poland - Ministry of National Defence 15.05.2024 - 25 years after Poland joined NATO, 75 years after NATO was created, I note with pride that once again there is allied aircraft on Polish soil and in the Polish air. There are allies, those with whom we excercise during the United States excercise Astral Knight 2024 - the Deputy Prime Minister W. Kosiniak - Kamysz said during a meeting with soldiers participating in the international excercise. On May 15th 2024 Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of National Defence Wadysaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has met with the commanders and soldiers of the Air Force taking part in the Astral Knight 2024 excercise. - It is the 6th edition of these excercises. The F-35, F-16, F-15 and FA-50 planes are all deployed during it. We are grateful to all those who contributed to the creation of this excericse, which is conducted in Polish territory and in the Baltic states. It would not have been possible if not for the investment in security. There is no NATO without the United States, and there is no United States might of the United States as a global power without NATO. We are keenly aware of this. We are a connector between Europe and the United States. We also know that there are no free states, free nations without cooperation, without preparing all that is tied with the unassailable readiness to defend our Fatherland - the head of Ministry of National Defence stressed. Astral Knight 2024 is an excercise of the United States Air Force in Europe, taking place between 6 - 17 of May in Poland and in the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia). Their main goal is to expand the integration of air and missile defence systems as well as building command and control architecture in the air domain. As a result, allied forces will increase their ability to react to common threats. Approximately 5 thousand soldiers from 6 countries and over 50 aircraft are taking part in the excercise. Besides the Polish and US Air Forces, airmen from Lithuania and Great Britain are also involved in it, with Denmark and Greece taking part as AK24 observers. - Just as the F-16s changed the Air Force, so will the F-35s change the polish Armed Forces. In August the first of these planes will be in the American air, but crewed by Polish soldiers. Trainings will be conducted there, but the planes will belong to the Polish Armed Forces - the Deputy Prime Minister said. - Air defence, missile defence - intergated. An even greater challenge for Europe is needed here. Europe should share its capabilities. If there is one thing that the national armies can doubtlessly exchange, it is air defence - the Minister of National Defence underscored Astral Knight involves the integration of multinational IAMD (Integrated Air-and-Missile Defence) resources, with simultaneous use of the FTX (Field Training Excercise) and LVC (Live Virtual Constructive) methods. In the process of planning and executing the excercise a key role is played by the officers of the 183rd Air Operations Group (AOG) and those of the Air Operation Centre-Command of Air Force Component, who in the course of their bilateral cooperation systematically work to integrate these "partner units", building integration capabilities and strengthening interpersonal ties. - This is a crucial issue. Security, cooperation, national unity. Collaboration within the North Atlantic Alliance. The Polish-American alliance is the strongest it's ever been. It is a strategic alliance, a choice tied to our security, but also our civilization. We hold the same values: demoracy, justice and liberty, independence, sovereignty, a respect for history and civilizational heritage. It ties us together. (...) I thank all our allies in Europe. We are fulfilling all our obligations, we are a loyal ally and we believe in the strength of NATO, the strength of the Alliance, in the strength of liberty. We deeply believe that together we can work miracles. Alone we would not be capable of doing anything - said the Deputy Prime Minister, speaking of the Polish - American relations. The Astral Knight 24 excercise is at the same time an important military initiative and an expression of interoperability within NATO. Polish Air Force is today an important element of the security of NATO. However, we are not only the ones who can feel safe thanks to NATO - we also deliver this security, for example by taking part in excercises like Astral Knight 24. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 15 May 2024 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Briefing Guests Good afternoon, everyone. In a short while, I will be joined here by the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami. She will provide you with an update on the humanitarian situation in the country. Tomorrow, at 12:30 p.m., there will be a briefing here by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) to launch the World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2024. The report will update the global and regional economic forecasts released in January and will be available at desapublications.un.org. The briefers will be Shantanu Mukherjee, DESA's Director of Economic Analysis and Policy Division, along with Hamid Rashid, DESA's Chief of the Global Economic Monitoring Branch in the Economic Analysis and Policy Division. ** Slovakia The Secretary-General strongly condemns the shocking attack carried out today against the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico. The Secretary-General's thoughts are with the Prime Minister and his loved ones at this difficult moment. ** Oman The Secretary-General met in Muscat today with Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi, Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman. The Secretary-General recognized Oman's leadership in promoting dialogue and multilateral cooperation in the region and beyond, including in Yemen. The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister also discussed developments in Gaza, as well as ongoing developments in Yemen. Later that morning, the Secretary-General met with His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Sultan of Oman. The Secretary-General thanked the Sultan for his active personal commitment to promoting dialogue and diplomacy throughout the region and beyond. Among other issues of mutual concern, the Secretary-General and the Sultan discussed efforts in Gaza to secure an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid. And yesterday in Oman, the Secretary-General visited the National Museum of Oman and the Youth Centre of Muscat, which works in partnership with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and World Intellectual Property Organization. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory Turning to the situation in Gaza, our colleagues from the UN Relief and Works Agency UNRWA say that as of today, some 600,000 people a quarter of Gaza's population have been displaced from Rafah since 6 May, as the Israeli ground operation there continues. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says ground incursions and heavy fighting also continue to be reported in Deir al Balah, in central Gaza, as well as in Jabaliya, in northern Gaza. Many of the families now on the move once again have already been displaced repeatedly since October. Regardless of whether they move or stay, civilians in Gaza must be protected. All parties must respect international humanitarian law at all times. This also means civilians' essential needs including food, shelter, water and health must be met, wherever they are. Access to critical health services in Gaza continues to shrink as additional evacuation orders are issued and military operations intensify. According to our partners working on the health response, the Indonesian Field Hospital in Rafah is out of service as of today. There are now eight functional field hospitals, including one just established by the International Committee of the Red Cross, in coordination with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, to help address the overwhelming scale of needs in Rafah. And we have received questions about a video that seems to show armed militant activity at a compound belonging to the UN Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA. UNRWA is unable to verify the authenticity or the content of this video and does not have any information on the timing or the exact location of the video. The Agency says that it is likely that the video is from an UNRWA warehouse in Rafah that was evacuated the week of 6 May following the evacuation orders from the Israeli authorities. UNRWA staff were informed to depart the facility for their safety. Flour and UNRWA vehicles were left in the facility when it was abandoned. UNRWA condemns the use of UN facilities by any party to the conflict for military purposes. It has repeatedly called for independent investigation and accountability for the blatant disregard of UN staff lives, premises and operations. We reiterate our call on all parties to the conflict to respect the sanctity and neutrality of UN installations. ** Ukraine Turning to Ukraine, the Humanitarian Coordinator there, Denise Brown, is visiting Kharkiv City and yesterday condemned the unrelenting attacks, both in the city and the region. On 14 May alone, repeated strikes in Kharkiv City and across the region have injured civilians, including children, as well as damaging a school and numerous homes. This is according to the authorities and our humanitarian partners. Since 10 May, humanitarian organizations have been assisting people who fled to Kharkiv City in search of safety as evacuations from border and front-line communities in the Kharkiv Region continue. We, along with our partners, have supported hundreds of people with transportation, accommodation, distribution of hot meals and ready-to-eat food packages. We also pre-registered people for cash assistance and provided mental health and psychological consultations. Ms. Brown has approved the release of $3.75 million from the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund to strengthen the ongoing response. ** Security Council And yesterday afternoon, as you know, the Security Council held a meeting on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine. Briefing Council members, Lisa Doughten, the Director of Financing and Partnerships Division of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, noted that relentless hostilities continue in communities along the north-eastern border with the Russian Federation and on the front line. She added that strikes have also been reported inside the Russian Federation, reportedly also resulting in several civilian casualties and damage to residential homes and other civilian infrastructure. Ms. Doughten said the intensification in hostilities is making the delivery of humanitarian assistance more dangerous. Nevertheless, she said, the UN and its humanitarian partners are doing everything we can to reach people in need of support, despite the enormous tasks. ** Central African Republic Our peacekeeping colleagues in the Central African Republic are telling us that the Head of the UN Mission, MINUSCA, Valentine Rugwabiza, met yesterday with key local officials, prefectures and mayors in Bangui, following the national conference we mentioned on Monday on the seasonal migration of cattle and people. She reiterated our commitment to support the implementation of the recommendations made at this conference. Ms. Rugwabiza said that the heaviest consequences of conflicts and crime linked to this seasonal migration are borne by the civilian population, as well as revenue losses for the State. ** Nigeria Turning to Nigeria, our team there, along with the Government and our partners, have launched a $306 million appeal to support 2.8 million people in the country's north-east. The region comprising the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe is facing a food security and a nutrition crisis during this lean season, which runs from May to September. The crisis is primarily due to continued conflict and insecurity combined with the impacts of climate change. The prices of staple foods, such as beans and maize, have increased by 300 to 400 per cent over the past year. According to the Government, some 4.8 million people in these three states are estimated to be facing food insecurity, the highest level in seven years. The Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, released $11 million from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund to kick start the response, and he called for additional resources. ** Rwanda The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals that all fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for crimes committed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda have now been accounted for. All fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia have been accounted for since 2011. He commends the efforts of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals to complete this important part of its functions in pursuit of international justice. ** Burundi In Burundi, our team there, led by Resident Coordinator Violet Kakyomya, is providing support to people impacted by recent floods and landslides. These natural disasters have left over 300,000 people in need of humanitarian aid, with 36,000 displaced in the country. Our team is assisting with health services including mobile clinics, access to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services. It is also assessing the immediate needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. Additionally, educational materials and supplies are being distributed to restore damaged schools, while child protection services are being provided, along with water, sanitation and hygiene kits, emergency shelters and food assistance through cash-based transfers to support immediate needs. ** Haiti Turning to Haiti, we have an update on the assistance provided by our colleagues in the country. On Monday and Tuesday, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed close to 10,000 hot meals to about 5,000 people displaced in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. IOM (International Organization for Migration) also distributed water to two sites hosting displaced people and provided health services through a mobile clinic in one site in Port-au-Prince. Following assessments in Gressier after the violent incidents there that we mentioned WFP, the World Food Programme, is planning to begin hot meal distributions in this community tomorrow. In the capital, WFP started to transition from hot meals distributions to cash-based transfers for the displaced. So far, more than 37,000 people received cash. In the coming weeks, WFP is planning to provide cash assistance to over 95,000 displaced people. In addition to this, WFP continued food distributions in Cite Soleil. Over 65,000 people have received food since last Friday, and the agency's goal is to reach 95,000 people by the end of this week. As part of its school meal programmes, WFP has reached 195,000 school children throughout Haiti. ** Brazil In Brazil, our team led by the Resident Coordinator, Silvia Rucks has deployed expertise in humanitarian settings to support the national and local government response to the floods, especially considering the needs of at-risk groups on the ground as heavy rains still batter the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul and temperatures fall as winter advances. The UN team is also providing hygiene kits, mattresses, blankets, cooking supplies, water purifiers, emergency housing units, food and water to the affected population. While the emergency response is under way, the UN team also stands ready to work with national authorities on planning for rebuilding. ** Darien Gap And our colleagues at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) today said there has been a significant increase in the number of children migrating through the Darien Gap. UNICEF estimates that 160,000 children could cross the route this year, up 34 per cent from 113,000 in 2023. UNICEF said that child migration through the jungle of the Darien Gap has become a protracted crisis, with many people who make the crossing likely to require critical humanitarian assistance. Of the 30,000 children on the move so far this year, nearly 2,000 of them were unaccompanied or separated from their families. The number of unaccompanied and separated children tripled in comparison to the same period in 2023. More information is online. ** Senior Personnel Appointment I would like to state for the record that, yesterday evening, the Secretary-General designated James Swan of the United States as his Acting Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). Mr. Swan will act as Special Representative for a temporary period following the departure of Catriona Laing of the United Kingdom, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedicated service in UNSOM and Somalia at a challenging time. Mr. Swan is an experienced diplomat with a long career in African countries facing complex political transitions. Most recently, he served as Special Representative for Somalia and Head of UNSOM from 2019 to 2022. Prior to that, he served in the United States Government as Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2013 to 2016, Special Representative for Somalia from 2011 to 2013, and Ambassador to Djibouti from 2008 to 2011. ** Day of Families And last, today is the International Day of Families. This day highlights that families and family-oriented policies and programmes are vital for the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals. Any questions for me before we get to our guest? Yes, Edie? ** Questions and Answers Question : Thank you, Farhan. Is there any update on the number of displacements from the north or anywhere else in Gaza? Deputy Spokesman : Not officially. There's some rough figures of maybe something like in the neighbourhood of 100,000 people being displaced from the north, but you can't really hold me to that, because the situation is a fairly fluid one. Question : And is there any update on the negotiations between the United Nations, the United States and others on UN participation in the distribution of aid coming from Cyprus via the US pier? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Once we've come to a conclusion of that, we'll certainly let you know, but the discussions are ongoing. Amelie? Question : Thanks, Farhan. I have a question about New Caledonia. The French Government declared a state of emergency after several days of riots that left at least four people dead. Any comment from the Secretary-General on the situation? Any worries? Deputy Spokesman : Well, on the basic situation, you will have seen what we said in the past about New Caledonia and that stands. But obviously, we would want extreme care to be taken regarding demonstrations because, as you know, we want all peaceful protests to be allowed to continue safely. Yes, Dezhi? Question : Okay. A follow-up on the UNRWA alleged video with the Hamas fighters. You just said that UNRWA is not able to verify the authenticity or the content of video, and you don't have the timing and any more information. Well, Times of Israel reported that according to IDF (Israel Defence Forces), they were spotted on Saturday at UNRWA's logistics centre in East Rafah. You said most likely it's evacuation on 6 May. Which means there should not be any UN vehicles in that compound. Deputy Spokesman : No. As I pointed out, the UNRWA personnel had to obey an evacuation order to leave that compound. When they did that, they left behind flour and some of the vehicles. Question : So, it could be, there are no UN staff but only the vehicles with the fighters? I'm sorry. Deputy Spokesman : That's a possibility. This would need to be investigated further. And certainly, UNRWA is open to receiving all relevant information about this. [cross talk] Question : But hasn't UNRWA received any from IDF? Deputy Spokesman : Well, not at this stage. I mean, they've seen the video, and from what they've seen, the video has many different cuts, which suggests to them, on first glance, that this is a montage of different clips, which may not be taken at the same time. They would need more information. Question : Yeah. But according to the video, I'm now looking at the video. There are people with the blue jackets. It seems like UN staff there, right? Deputy Spokesman : All I can tell you is, again, the site that it appears to be seems to be one that was evacuated the week of 6 May. Correspondent : Okay. Deputy Spokesman : Yes, Gabriel? Question : Thank you, Farhan. Regarding the Indonesian Field Hospital that you said is now out of service, MSF or Doctors Without Borders, three days ago, said they could no longer work there. So, is there something new or is this like the official shutdown of it? Deputy Spokesman : This is the official confirmation of that. I mean, we try to hold out as long as we can, given the needs on the ground. But at some point, it's simply impossible. Question : Thank you. And regarding the DSS (Department of Safety and Security) staff member that was killed early Monday, are the Israeli authorities cooperating with the UN and the questions that you guys have with them? Deputy Spokesman : Yeah. As far as I'm aware, yes, we're receiving cooperation in terms of our follow-up. Basically, there's a small team of security experts who are doing a review. And as far as I'm aware, they've received cooperation with their tasks. Yes, Dulcie? Question : Okay, thanks. I just want to go back over the numbers of dead in Gaza because there are still some confusing media reports. Including one saying that normally the UN relies on the Gaza Ministry of Health for its numbers, but also that recently it relied on the Government Media Office for its numbers. So, which is it? Because it's pretty confusing. Deputy Spokesman : It's the Ministry of Health. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs tries to get its information from the Ministry of Health. I believe there was a period when, for whatever reason, given the conditions on the ground, the Ministry of Health was unresponsive. And so, they got different figures from the media office, but that was a short period. It's back to, as it was, at the start of the war, the Ministry of Health, which is the party we've relied on in previous circumstances, as well. Question : Okay. You also said last week, however, that the UN works with partners on the ground to cross-check these numbers. So, who would that be with? Deputy Spokesman : Well, there are also other non-governmental organizations on the ground. And so, we try to make sure that the numbers are coordinated. The difficulty for us, particularly for us as the UN, is simply being able to verify a lot of this first-hand, given the nature of the fighting. Question : So, if I could just ask then, some of the headlines are saying that there's been a reduction in the overall numbers of dead. Deputy Spokesman : No. That's false. Correspondent : That's false. Deputy Spokesman : The overall numbers have remained the same. Question : Okay. Because there's... [cross talk] Deputy Spokesman : There is a reduction in the numbers of identified bodies. Question : Right. That's... [cross talk] Deputy Spokesman : But that's a subset of the larger number of the dead. Yes? Question : Thank you, Farhan. Can you give us an update on the status of the border crossings and whether any food or water or fuel is getting in anywhere in Gaza? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. I can, to a certain extent. What I can say is that the Erez crossing has been closed since 9 May. There have been some commodities who have come in through a new opening at Zikim, Z-I-K-I-M, in the north-west. Kerem Shalom is technically open, but it's not logistically viable and it's not safe to access Kerem Shalom. So, things have not been moving there. And regarding Rafah, as you know, there's fighting there. So that makes use of Rafah difficult over all of the last days. Fuel imports have stopped since the Rafah operation began, with only some limited exceptions. Gabriel and then Dezhi. Question : Thank you, Farhan. Regarding the 600,000... roughly 600,000 Palestinians that have been displaced since 6 May, have the Israeli authorities been coordinating with you at all or with UN at all on safe passage for these people, where they will go, will they get any care or is there any coordination whatsoever? Deputy Spokesman : Our basic point of view is that there's no place safe for them to go to. Different sites that have been suggested like Al Muwasi, we've pointed out, are places that don't have access to running water, to electricity, to basic services that are needed to keep that large number of people alive. So, there are many issues in terms of their displacement. Dezhi? Question : Yes. The Israeli Prime Minister, [Benjamin] Netanyahu, said that there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza's southern city, Rafah. He said that hasn't been materialized or nor will it be materialized. Does the UN believe there's a humanitarian crisis? Deputy Spokesman : You've heard all the things we've been saying over the past seven months, right? Question : Yes. Does that count as a humanitarian crisis? Deputy Spokesman : If that doesn't count as a humanitarian crisis, I don't know what words would apply. Question : So, the Prime Minister is lying? Deputy Spokesman : I'm not accusing anyone of lying. I'm saying that we've made clear what the facts on the ground are. Question : Maybe you have different standard? Deputy Spokesman : You've heard different experts, our leading people dealing with feeding people, talk about how, by the end of this very month, a million people can face famine. Would that strike you as a humanitarian crisis or not? And with that, let me turn to our guest. Hold on one second, please. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address African Lion 2024 goes live in Ghana By PHILIP REGINA May 16, 2024 TAMALE, Ghana -- African Lion 2024 (AL24) has officially started in Ghana. The Ghana portion of the exercise began on May 13 and runs through May 26. This year marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command's (USAFRICOM) premier and largest annual combined, joint exercise. Taking place April 29 through May 31 and hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia with more than 8,100 participants from over 27 countries, and contingents from NATO, AL24 focuses on enhancing readiness between the U.S. and partner nation forces. "There is no doubt that this crucible event both affirms the strategic importance of our security partnership and advances our mutual security cooperation objectives," said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John LeBlanc, deputy commanding general of U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF). This multi-component, multinational exercise will showcase a full array of capabilities in the land, air, maritime and cyberspace domains, including high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) and HIMARS rapid infiltration (HIRAIN), airborne operations, medical treatment missions and more. The exercise strengthens interoperability among participants and showcases the ability to establish operational readiness. AL24 is a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed, USAFRICOM-sponsored, and SETAF-AF-executed, annual joint, combined exercise. "It is always excellent to train alongside our Ghanaian partners," said U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Brandon Keil, exercise sergeant major (G7), SETAF-AF, and senior responsible officer for AL24 Ghana. "The activities planned for this exercise will improve our interoperability and reaffirm our commitment to the security and stability of Ghana and the African continent." An array of U.S. military units will partner with the Ghana Armed Forces to execute the many planned activities of this exercise, re-affirming the valued partnership between the U.S. and Ghana. Key activities include a combined field training exercise led by the Maryland Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, staff training on civil affairs and information operations, a complex staff exercise directed by the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade, as well as a medical civic action program where pivotal medical services will be provided to local Ghanaian populations in Damongo. "As we are gathered here at this United States-sponsored exercise, let us reaffirm our commitment to foster cooperation, strengthen partnership and enduring peace, in and around our communities," said Ghana Armed Forces Brig. Gen. Frank Tei, general officer commanding, Northern Command. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Deputies killed a bear that had been terrorizing a small California town. Provided by Julia Hartman/Shasta-Trinity National Forest A bear that repeatedly broke into residences and vehicles in Sierra County was killed this week after it attempted to break into a school gym, the Sierra County Sheriffs Office said. The sheriffs office had been inundated with reports from home and business owners about bears breaking into buildings and cars, creating havoc and endangering local residents, officials said in a statement on Wednesday They attempted to mitigate the situation, including seeking permits from the state that would allow residents to kill bears involved in destroying property, though it was not clear whether officials got those permits. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Despite the mitigation efforts, the threat escalated, and one bear in particular was declared responsible for multiple break-ins, officials said. Working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, officials set up a live trap near a residence in Downieville that had been repeatedly targeted by the bear. But before the bear could get to that trap, it attempted to break into the Downieville School gym. It then broke into a nearby home, where it was confronted by a resident, and went on to attempt to break into another home, before sheriffs deputies killed it. Sheriff Fisher expresses deep regret over the necessity of this action but emphasizes that the safety of Sierra County residents remains the utmost priority, the sheriffs office said in a news release. Efforts will continue to educate the community about bear safety measures and to collaborate with relevant authorities to prevent similar incidents in the future. Pennsylvania National Guard unit prepares to train Ukrainian soldiers in Germany By Capt. Cory Johnson May 16, 2024 FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. -- U.S. Army Col. Stuart James, the First Army Senior Regular Army Advisor to the Pennsylvania National Guard, instructed the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, on Engagement-Area Development [EA Dev] here May 14. The independence Brigade [56SBCT] is currently preparing for a mobilization to the Joint Multinational Training Center to train the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Like several other brigades before, the Independence Brigade will continue to work with allies and partners to support Ukraine in their fight for sovereignty and freedom. Within Army doctrine, EA Dev is one of the fundamental principles that guide military operations and provides the framework for how military forces conduct defensive operations in support of national objectives. James discussed the seven key points of EA Dev. "It's about synchronization, the reason EA Dev is so important is we're synchronizing multiple elements to engage in one common fight," James said. "If everyone understands this process, we can effectively synchronize those effects, which are multiple forms of contact on the enemy." The engagement area is where the Infantry leader intends to engage and destroy an enemy force using the massed fires of all available weapons. Leaders combine natural and man-made obstacles to canalize the attacking force into an engagement area. The successful execution of the defense depends on how the leader integrates the obstacle plan, indirect fire plan, and direct fire plan within the engagement area to achieve the Infantry platoon's and squads' tactical purpose. "This instruction is foundational, we need to become the subject matter experts so that we can deliver this training to the Ukrainians", said Col. Christopher Costello, Independence Brigade Commander. The independence Brigade has been vigorously training throughout the past year for their upcoming mobilization. Their training has consisted of basic Soldier skills, tactics, techniques, and procedures, driven by Army doctrine, which provides the common frame of reference including intellectual tools that Army leaders use to solve military problems. "Knowing the process and the steps reduces fear and stress in Soldiers ensuring they are confident in what they are doing. That's why process is so important because we are all on the same page. If we all have a situational understanding then we're going to win," concluded James. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address European military leaders gather to strengthen security cooperation, interoperability By Sgt. Maj. Jeremy Crisp May 16, 2024 TIRANA, Albania -- Lithuanian Command Sergeant Major Darius Masiulis graduated from the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy 20 years ago. During his time there, he was classmates with former U.S. Sergeant Major of the Army, Daniel A. Dailey. Decades after graduation, Masiulis, the Lithuanian Land Forces' top senior enlisted soldier, met with over 40 NATO and European command sergeants major in Europe's seminal senior enlisted meeting. Together, Masiulis and his colleagues across Europe shared their experiences at the 17th Annual Conference of European Armies for Noncommissioned Officers (CEANCO), held in Albania from May 6 to 10. "I think CEANCO helps spread the message across NATO countries that each member is important," said Masiulis, attending CEANCO for the eighth time. "Without our ally's support... we couldn't do anything alone." The conference was co-hosted by U.S. Army Europe and Africa's Command Sergeant Major, Jeremiah Inman, and Albanian Land Forces Command Sergeant Major Blerim Cera. For the Albanian hosts, the conference was an opportunity to showcase their country and the capacity of their NCO Corps. "Continuing this type of cooperation, especially with the U.S. and NATO and partner countries, will help Albania and the alliance itself," Cera said. Representatives from Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, France, and numerous others were among the NATO members attending. The conference featured an array of panels on a diverse set of topics. The first day included panels on NCO Development and Best Practices, Mountain Warfare, Humanitarian and Disaster Relief, and Lessons Learned from Operations in Ukraine. For one such NATO command sergeant major, it was his first time attending a CEANCO. Michelle Romano, Command Sergeant Major of the Italian Army, has been in his role as the head of the Italian land forces for four months. "There are many things I have learned," Romano said. "To go back and talk to the Italian Army NCOs, to talk to my CSMs of other units, to share with them what I learned here, this is important, it is key." Breakout sessions during the conference split the senior leaders into four groups, where they tackled the most challenging questions facing today's security environment. One discussion focused on emerging lessons from large-scale combat operations, whereas another looked at training strategies to empower noncommissioned officers. Indicative of the times, artificial intelligence and drone warfare headlined one of the sessions. After each breakout session, the groups chose a leader to summarize the dialogue's results. Regarding artificial intelligence, one leader summarized: "We see it is going to propose problems, but it is also going to be an enabler as well," explained Canadian Army Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer James Smith. "We are looking at the moral and ethical issues that come with it, but we must keep the human in the loop." The conference was also an opportunity to rekindle a long-standing partnership. The State Partnership Program is a Department of Defense-led program administered by the National Guard Bureau. Since 2001, the New Jersey National Guard has been the state partner of the Republic of Albania. CEANCO was another opportunity to continue that partnership. The New Jersey National Guard's Command Senior Enlisted, Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Leonard, met with his long-time Albanian colleagues and headlined the panel on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. "I've developed personal relationships with the senior enlisted NCOs and sergeants of Albania, from working with them through the years," Leonard said. "We are making each other's countries better, and we are making societies and the world better through our friendships and partnerships." This year, the New Jersey National Guard has roughly 40 training events scheduled with Albania. The conference concluded with a formal dinner and networking event, with promises to continue sharing information throughout the year until the next CEANCO. Parting words by the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command Sergeant Major, Inman, echoed the sentiments of those in attendance. "I want to thank all our NATO partners and Allies, and for all the folks serving in Europe and Africa," he continued, "for having the moral courage to stand up and serve their countries, and to the spouses and families who have supported us throughout the years, we couldn't do it without you." About U.S. Army Europe and Africa: U.S. Army Europe and Africa forces are strategically positioned across our 104-country area of responsibility to deter aggression and assure our Allies and partners of the U.S. commitment to peace and stability in Europe and Africa. There are approximately 73,000 U.S. Army personnel assigned and deployed throughout Europe and Africa NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada announces $65 million in international assistance funding to support needs of Palestinians Global Affairs Canada News release May 16, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada Canada is gravely concerned by the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and by reports of a ground offensive into Rafah. A military operation into Rafah will have disastrous consequences. About 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge in the area. There is nowhere for them to go and limited access to aid. Food security experts are warning that Gazans are already experiencing extreme famine. More help and sustained access to humanitarian assistance is needed to address the acute needs of civilians. The parties to armed conflict are required by international humanitarian law to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need. A significant and immediate increase in deliveries of food, water and other essential supplies is urgently needed to address these deteriorating conditions. Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development, announced that Canada will provide $65 million in total funding for the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This includes $25 million in part of recurring payments to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), previously announced in June 2023, as well as an additional $40 million distributed to UNWRA and to experienced and trusted partners in the region including the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) and other Canadian non-governmental organizations. This funding will support the provision of food, water, emergency medical assistance, protection services and other life-saving assistance in the region. Canada is also providing over $5 million in funding to the CRC. The CRC is using this funding to work with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to improve the delivery of emergency medical services offered in the West Bank and Gaza, including through a mobile health clinic and field medical posts in the West Bank. In Gaza, supported mobile teams will provide emergency health care and health rehabilitation services to people with traumatic injuries and disabilities. Canada's funding has also helped establish an International Committee of the Red Cross field hospital in Rafah, which is being supported by the CRC with surgical equipment, medicine and supplies, diagnostic equipment, disinfection materials and personnel. Every avenue that will help deliver assistance into Gaza is critical and needs to be explored, which is why Canada is providing $5 million in development assistance funding to the United Nations Office for Project Support (UNOPS) to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2720, the coordination mechanism for Gaza. With this funding, UNOPS will establish a supply chain system to accelerate and direct humanitarian assistance into and throughout Gaza. Of this amount, $1 million will go to supporting the operation of the maritime corridor between Cyprus and Gaza. Canada has also supported the delivery of essential items through airdrops in collaboration with Jordan and the World Food Programme. Canada continues to advocate for more entry points, enhanced humanitarian access and a secure distribution of life-saving assistance in Gaza. Minister Hussen also announced that Canada has delivered a payment of $25 million to the UNRWA as part of its previously announced existing multi-year commitment with the agency to help meet the education, health and social-safety-assistance needs of most Palestinian refugees in the region. The support will also help ensure that UNRWA continues to deliver lifesaving humanitarian assistance and essential services. Canada is committed to ensuring full accountability, decisive action and the implementation of necessary reforms in the UNRWA. Canada expects all UN agencies to uphold the UN's policy of zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms, as well as its value of neutrality. Canada expects UNRWA to take all needed steps to strengthen oversight, accountability and transparency. Canada has made its position clear to UNRWA and the UN. Canada expects all recommendations of the Independent Review Group, as well as all recommendations stemming from the Office of Internal Oversight Services investigation, to be fully and swiftly implemented. Canada will be monitoring progress closely and working with partners to pursue necessary reforms. Canada unequivocally condemns Hamas, a listed terrorist organization, for its attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and continues to demand the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. Canada reiterates the urgent need for an immediate and sustained ceasefire. The timely and unimpeded passage of essential relief is critical for it to reach those in need. International humanitarian law must be upheld at all times. Canada is committed to a 2-state solution, with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security, with dignity and without fear. Quotes "The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire; it is critical that civilians who need life-saving assistance receive it as soon as possible. Canada was the first G7 country to provide support to Palestinians and today's announcement brings our contributions to $165 million since the start of the conflict. We will continue to work with partners and look at all avenues for delivering critical assistance to those who need it the most." - Ahmed Hussen, Minister of International Development Quick facts This announcement brings Canada's total international assistance funding to address the needs of Palestinians to $165 million. Canada was the first G7 country to provide support to Gaza after October 7, 2023, and it is one of the world's top donors of assistance to address the current crisis. The UNRWA plays a vital role in Gaza, providing more than 2 million people with humanitarian relief. This is in addition to its crucial operations supporting 4 million people elsewhere in the region. Other organizations also rely on the UNRWA's experience and infrastructure to deliver humanitarian assistance in Gaza. Canada provides its funding for humanitarian assistance based on need and through experienced and trusted humanitarian organizations that have the necessary on-the-ground operational capacity to respond. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada imposes sanctions on perpetrators of extremist settler violence against civilians in West Bank Global Affairs Canada News release May 16, 2024 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada is imposing new sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act. These are the first sanctions measures listing extremist Israeli settlers. Canada remains concerned with extremist settler violence and will examine additional measures in response to the grave breach of international peace and security posed by their violent and destabilizing actions against Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank. Attacks by extremist Israeli settlersa long-standing source of tension and conflict in the regionhave escalated alarmingly in recent months. This has undermined the human rights of Palestinians, prospects for a 2-state solution and posed significant risks to regional security. The United Nations has reported that since October 7, 2023, there have been at least 800 settler attacks against Palestinians. Many Palestinian civilians have been verbally or physically assaulted or killed; private property has been damaged and farms destroyed. These attacks have resulted in the forced displacement of Palestinian communities and significantly contributed to growing regional insecurity. Today's measures represent a significant step in Canada's response to this ongoing 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. The 4 listed individuals are the following: David Chai Chasdai Yinon Levi Zvi Bar Yosef Moshe Sharvit Canada continues to oppose the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and is committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Quotes "The rise in violence by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank is deeply troubling and poses significant risks to peace and security in the region. While I was in the region recently, I heard directly from families that have been forced to leave their homes and farming lands as a direct result of violence and threats by extremist settlers. With these measures, we are sending a clear message that acts of extremist settler violence are unacceptable and that perpetrators of such violence will face consequences." - Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs Quick facts Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over the territories occupied in 1967. The Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (the Fourth Geneva Convention), of 1949, applies in the occupied territories and establishes Israel's obligations as an occupying power, particularly with respect to the humane treatment of the inhabitants of the Occupied Territories. As referred to in UN Security Council resolutions 446 (1979) and 465 (1980), Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The settlements also constitute a serious obstacle to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Backgrounder: Canada imposes sanctions on perpetrators of extremist settler violence against civilians in West Bank Global Affairs Canada Backgrounder Effective immediately, Canada is imposing sanctions against 4 extremist Israeli settlers in response to the grave breach of international peace and security posed by their violent and destabilizing actions against Palestinian civilians and their property in the West Bank. Canadian measures The Special Economic Measures Act imposes a prohibition on dealings related to the listed individuals and entities, effectively freezing any assets they may have in Canada. Persons in Canada and Canadians outside the country are prohibited from dealing in the property of the listed individuals, and the listed individuals are also rendered inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The specific prohibitions are set out in the regulations. The names of the individuals and entities added to the schedule of these regulations are the following: David Chai Chasdai Yinon Levi Zvi Bar Yosef Moshe Sharvit NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 16, 2024 Transcript Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh Holds a Press Briefing Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY SABRINA SINGH: All right. OK. Good afternoon. Just a few things at the top and then I'd be happy to jump in and take your questions. On Secretary Austin's first full day as Secretary of Defense, he made countering sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military a top priority. Over the past three years, the department has taken unprecedented steps to tackle this problem. This includes swift and rigorous implementation of the improved recommendations of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military, as well as the establishment of the Offices of Special Trial Counsel. Today, the Department of Defense released its Fiscal Year 2023 annual report on sexual assault in the military. Its findings demonstrate that the department is making progress to prevent sexual assault and harassment in the military. This is the first time the department has seen a decrease in the prevalence of sexual assault in more than eight years. These early findings are encouraging. However, Secretary Austin has said we have far more work to do and that his only acceptable number of instances of sexual assault or sexual harassment in the U.S. military is zero. We owe it to all of our service members, DOD civilians, and their families to get this right. Switching gears, turning to an update of the maritime humanitarian corridor off the coast of Gaza. Earlier this morning, U.S. Central Command successfully anchored the temporary pier to the beach in Gaza with the help of IDF engineers and without any U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza. This group of IDF engineers were specially trained for this mission by U.S. Army engineers in the preceding weeks on a beach in Israel, and again, I'll reiterate that there were no U.S. boots on the ground. As you can see from the photos here on this monitor, the establishment of the Trident pier has been coordinated to support USAID's and the UN's effort to deliver and distribute aid. In the coming days, aid will be offloaded from the ships at a floating roll-on/roll-off distribution facility, ferried to this Trident pier, and then driven to the shore in Gaza, where USAID and the UN will manage the distribution. And I'd just like to highlight a few key points. The purpose of this temporary pier is to deliver critical humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. The pier is temporary and not meant to replace land routes into Gaza. And last, this is an internationally-backed effort coordinated with the United Nations. The U.S. military is merely providing the logistical support to enable humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza from the sea. For weeks, we have been working side-by-side with the USAID team, the Cypriots, the Israelis, and the United Nations to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Today, we have hundreds of tons of aid ready for delivery and thousands of tons of aid in the pipeline. Some of this aid has already been loaded onto Motor Vessel Roy P. Benavidez, which is currently off the coast of Gaza. To emphasize again, this is a mission to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, and an attack on those dedicated to this mission would jeopardize the lifesaving aid needed for the Palestinian people. And staying within the CENTCOM area of responsibility, Exercise Eager Lion hosted by Jordan began this week with Jordan, the United States, and 33 additional partner nations. This is the 11th iteration of this annual exercise and underscores the United States' commitment to interoperability with our partners in the region while refining our ability to defend against hyper threats by state and non-state actors. As we work to deter and address aggressive actions by maligned actors around the world, these kinds of exercises and partnerships enable us to meet new and continuing threats together. The U.S. military participates in more than 80 exercises with partner nations in the U.S. CENTCOM area of responsibility each year to strengthen mil-to-mil relationships, promote regional security, and improve interoperability with our partner nations. And with that, I'd be happy to take your questions. Q: Thanks, Sabrina. So a question on distribution. When can we expect to see the first aid actually reach Gaza, and not just get to the marshaling area but actually get into the hands of those who need it most? MS. SINGH: So we should expect aid to flow within the coming days, and that will be through the marshaling area into Gaza. We're not looking for aid to just sit in that marshaling area, so it will be pretty immediate. Once our ships are able to get to the pier and transload that aid onto the pier, you'll see it happen pretty quickly. Q: But is there any risk that there'll be backups like we've seen at these other gates, where there's actually trucks ready to then take the aid out of the marshaling areas? Are there any guarantees from the Israelis that that's going to flow and they've got the safe routes to go and that coordination's in place? MS. SINGH: So we've worked very closely with the IDF, and not just the IDF with the UN, with USAID, and other NGOs that are going to be facilitating the movement and distribution of this aid. We should not see any backups within what you're describing as from the marshaling area into Gaza. We believe that aid should flow without any stoppage. I have to emphasize though this is not the solve, this is an additive measure to the land routes, and we know that the land routes are the best, most quickest, most efficient way to get aid in. This is just one injected way to get aid into the Palestinian people. Q: And any delays or complications by the fact that there's so many newly displaced civilians because of the operations going on in Rafah? MS. SINGH: Not to my knowledge. Yeah. Q: You say "in the coming days." If it's if it's anchored to the beach now and the Benavidez has the aid onboard, why can't you off offload it now? What's the holdup? MS. SINGH: Yeah, so there's still just making sure everything is set and ready to go. I said it will be in the coming days. When we have more to provide, we certainly will, but I don't expect this is going to be a long wait time here. We already have aids loaded with, you know, hundreds and hundreds of tons on ships. So we do want to get it moving but, you know, we want to make sure everything is in place. And then as soon as the Commander feels that we are ready to go, that aid will start moving. Q: And we've been told 90 trucks per day initially, ramping up to 150. Presumably you'll do a dry run. Is that five trucks, 10 trucks? Do we have any sense? MS. SINGH: So I think I said this earlier this week, but you should really think of this as a crawl, walk, run. This is going to be slow at first. We're going to do our, you know, initial runs, making sure that everything flows, that nothing as to Tara's question, that nothing does get backed up, as it shouldn't, that aid can flow from the pier, directly from the marshaling area into Gaza. And then, you know, once that is set, once we reach full operational capacity, you'll be able to see more trucks rolling off. Q: What commitments have the Israelis made in terms of facilitating the convoys when they're in Gaza? And how are you and I guess them going to ensure there isn't another sort of World Food Kitchen scenario where they strike aid vehicles? MS. SINGH: I think that's a great question, and that's why we have the two deconfliction cells that have been set up in Cyprus and in Israel. It is to ensure that we have our NGO partners, the UN, sitting side-by-side with us, with the IDF, to make sure that we're all talking to each other, that deconfliction does happen, and so that these aid convoys can continue on. Q: (inaudible) aid convoy as it's going through Gaza? MS. SINGH: So, I'm not going to get into more specifics on that, but I can tell you that we have the team has worked very, very hard to make sure that aid can come off the pier and can get distributed quickly into Gaza. We know how dire the humanitarian situation is on the ground, and so, we want to make sure that aid gets in as quickly as possible. Q: Quick question. Israel's defense minister has sort of come out in recent days and sort of opposed any long-term military Israeli rule of Gaza. Is that something he has brought up with the secretary in the many conversations that he's had with Austin? MS. SINGH: So, I won't get into more details on their private conversations. But what I can tell you is we also share the same sentiment. We want to see a two-state solution. And when it comes to the future of Gaza, we don't support an Israeli occupation. But right now, what we're focused on is, of course, the maritime humanitarian corridor and making sure that aid can get in as quickly as possible. Q: I have a question about Rafah, over the course of the past several days, since May 7, when Israel first went into Rafah, you called it a limited operation, and yet we have seen Israel push farther and farther in. Do you still believe this operation is limited or is this simply a full-scale invasion in incremental stages? MS. SINGH: We do not believe that at this time, right now, that this is a full-scale invasion. We still assess that it is limited, and what the IDF is doing is limited in its operations. But to be clear, we don't support ongoing operations in Rafah, given the size and scale of a humanitarian population there. And we've said that both very publicly and privately to our Israeli counterparts. Q: Just a quick follow up. When you say we assess that it's limited, are the Israelis not telling you their intent with Rafah, what they what they intend to do or how far they intend to go? MS. SINGH: Well, I mean, I think the Israelis have said pretty publicly that they want to get rid of every single Hamas battalion that still exists in Rafah. And our concern, we share the sentiment. We certainly want to see Hamas eradicated and destroyed or defeated. What we continue to emphasize, though, is how you go about doing those operations, and especially with over a million people sheltering there in Rafah. We have our concerns, and we've certainly shared those concerns. Q: A couple questions following up on JLOTS. First, how long is the temporary pier going to be able to stay off the coast of Gaza, given the fall weather that may be coming up? MS. SINGH: So, I don't have a timeline for you right now. As you probably heard Vice Admiral Cooper speak to this earlier today, weather conditions right now are pretty good throughout the summer, but I just don't have a timeline to put on the temporary pier other than to say it is designed to be temporary. This is not going to be a permanent way of getting aid into Gaza by using the JLOTS system. Q: And then I just wanted to ask you about, I know the president announced last week that he had paused some shipments, one shipment of weapons to Israel. I'm wondering if the Pentagon has delivered any additional shipments of other weapons or the same kind of weapons since then? MS. SINGH: So, it's still that one shipment that has been paused. And those are those high payload bombs that we paused that shipment on a week or two ago. Security systems does continue to flow to Israel, though. There have been shipments since going into Israel, but not those high payload munitions. Q: Sabrina, so, on the pier issue, the UN seems worried about the possibility or the feasibility of getting this aid off the pier to northern Gaza, where they say the need is most acute. Considering the location of this pier, do you have guarantees from the Israelis that these trucks will be able to reach northern Gaza? MS. SINGH: We believe that the trucks will be able to reach the populations that need them most, which include northern Gaza. But again, that's really something for the UN to speak to as they're handling the distribution of that. USAID is, of course, working with the UN to ensure that supplies, whether it be food, water, medical, can continue to get to those who need it most. But it's really the UN that should speak to where they're going to target some of their deliveries. Q: And with the Israeli occupation forces, since they are being they are the party that is targeting aid workers, and they can block these trucks from getting to northern Gaza since they occupy parts of Gaza. So, did you get any guarantees from the Israeli forces that they will let the UN distribute aid in northern Gaza? MS. SINGH: So, something that I think you should remember, Fadi, is that we've had the UN working within Gaza for a very long time, since the war started. So, UN workers are familiar with some of the checkpoints, and we believe that through the deconfliction cells, that will enable these trucks to get to where they need to and as quickly as possible and to the populations that need them most, whether it be in the north or elsewhere. We want to ensure or we want to see the aid get to where it needs. But I have to remind you, and I know you know this, but the amount of trucks coming off of the pier is not going to be the same of what can come from the land crossings. So, we have to see those land routes open. And the quickest way to get aid in, whether it be the north or anywhere else in Gaza, is going to be through those land routes. This is just meant to be an additive measure. Q: And finally, obviously, fuel is very important to delivering this aid through trucks and crucial for medical operation in Gaza. MS. SINGH: Yes. Q: Are you going to be delivering fuel as well? Since Israel closed most of the land routes? MS. SINGH: Right now, the focus is just on humanitarian aid. So, that includes food and water right now. Q: Where do these trucks get fuel from? MS. SINGH: Well, the fuel is coming in through land routes. We want to see those land routes continue to open. There's not enough trucks that have been going through on those land routes. That's something that every single conversation the secretary has with his counterpart, it is raised and not speak on behalf of others across this building. But it is certainly raised by other agencies across the administration. Q: Thanks, Sabrina. Do you have any indications that Hamas may actually intend to threaten the JLOTS system? And there have been these other incidents recently, then it seemed to indicate that there was attacks, but they weren't directly related anywhere near this marshalling area. So, can you tell us, I mean, do you have any indications that Hamas is starting- and is that a good thing? MS. SINGH: We have been very clear, and I will say, have tried to be as open and public as possible, that everything to do with this pier is about getting humanitarian assistance into Gaza. We don't have any indications that there should be any attacks on this pier. But should there be attacks, either towards the humanitarian the maritime humanitarian corridor or around the marshaling area, that is going to directly affect Palestinian people, the people that need this aid the most. So, if Hamas decides to attack this area, they are directly harming people in Gaza that are starving, that need this aid at a critical time. So, we haven't seen any indications of that. We were able to secure the pier in overnight. We're always assessing the security situation and working with the IDF, who's also helping provide security for our forces. But right now, we're just focused on getting that aid in. Q: Thank you, Sabrina. The Sunday meeting between Russia and China, OK? Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China-Russia relations are at the best level in history. And Russia President Putin announced that he will visit Harbin Institute of Technology, which is sanctioned by United States in connection with missile development. How do you concern the strengthening of military cooperation between China and Russia? MS. SINGH: I don't really have anything to offer on the meeting. What I can tell you is that we've been very clear with any countries that offer Russia assistance when it comes to their unjust war in Ukraine. Again, this is a country that attacked its sovereign neighbor. The United States is proud to stand strong with the coalition that we have built through the Ukraine defense contact group, and that's what we're focused on. Q: President Xi Jinping said that the peace talks on Ukraine should be discussed based on proposal made by China. How do you feel on this? MS. SINGH: Yes, I'm going to let Ukraine speak to its own sovereignty and decisions that it makes going forward. What we're focused on, as you know, is providing the equipment, the capabilities that Ukraine needs on the battlefield to be successful. They are in the fight of their lives. We're seeing that around Kharkiv. We're seeing Russian forces amass around there, which is why you've seen us since we got that supplemental package, surge assistance to Ukraine. And we believe some of that is getting to the front lines as quickly as possible. But what we want to see is Ukraine be successful in its fight against Russia. And I'll just leave it at that. Q: I have a couple on Ukraine, and then one on Niger. So, we've heard a number of times from the U.S. officials that U.S. does not want Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia with American weapons. In the wake of Russian offense and attacks on Kharkiv, does U.S. consider changing that approach? Because that's what Ukrainians are asking for. It's very difficult for them to respond to these attacks that come literally from across the border when Russians know that they can basically be saved there. MS. SINGH: Yes, we haven't changed our position. We believe that the equipment, the capabilities that we are giving Ukraine, that other countries are giving to Ukraine should be used to take back Ukrainian sovereign territory. Q: Just a clarification, is this a request to Ukrainians or this is a binding condition that goes along with that? MS. SINGH: We've made our requests pretty public on this. Again, I would reiterate that, in every single Ukraine defense contact group that the Secretary convenes, the weapons that are provided, again, it's for use on the battlefield. And the Secretary, in his conversations with Minister Umerov, talks through how best those capabilities can be used, and we believe that is within Ukrainian territory. Q: What was concluded during the talk between U.S. and Niger officials on the withdrawal of American forces, and when will the withdrawal begin and how long is it expected to take? MS. SINGH: So, I don't have a timeline for you to set just right this moment on a withdrawal. It will be an orderly withdrawal from Niger. The DoD led delegation is still there right now, so conversations are still ongoing, and I don't have anything to read out just yet. But since you're so interested, when we do have more to share, we certainly will. Yes? Q: Thanks, Sabrina. It's been a while. What is the Pentagon's reaction to two Jordanian nationals caught breaking and entering a U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico? MS. SINGH: So, I am aware of those reports. I just don't have more information for you. I believe the Marine Corps might have more, so I'd have to refer you to them to speak to it. Q: I mean, this incident happened almost two weeks ago. MS. SINGH: Yes. Q: You make it sound like you haven't heard of this incident before. Does that mean the Secretary hasn't been briefed? MS. SINGH: I can assure you, Lucas, that we get updates from all of our bases all around the world and are aware of incidents. What I can tell you is force protection is always a priority at our DOD installations. I just don't have more to share on this particular incident. Whenever an incident like this happens, it usually starts an investigation process. And I just wouldn't be able to speak to that from here. Q: Is the Secretary confident in the safety and security of U.S. military bases not only in this country but around the world? MS. SINGH: He is. Q: And can you confirm that he was briefed on this incident? MS. SINGH: I can tell you, Lucas, that he tracks many different things all around the world. I'm not going to get into specific things that he's briefed on a daily basis but what I can tell you is the Secretary receives regular updates from what is happening within the U.S. and all around the world, whether it be at our bases or with our service members. Q: Does the Secretary of Defense think the southern border is secure of the United States? MS. SINGH: I would refer you to the Department of Homeland Security to speak more to that. This is the Department of Defense. Q: So if you can talk a little bit about if you learned the Pentagon have learned something about the meeting unprecedented Putin and Xi Jinping, in terms of the tools that the Chinese are providing to the Russians towards Ukraine, in terms of weapons and technologies? MS. SINGH: I just don't have more for you right now. We have certainly been very public about we've been very outspoken about any country who wants to come to the aid of Russia is coming to the aid of a country that invaded its sovereign neighbor. But I just don't have more to share at this time. Q: The U.S. and Israeli militaries have reached a security arrangement that ensures categorically the safety of everyone in the marshaling area. Why is it so difficult then to also ensure that the Israelis don't bomb the aid convoys leaving the marshaling area, given that the close coordination? Why is that so difficult, to give a categorical assurance that they won't bomb these convoys as they have so many others? MS. SINGH: Yeah, I don't think it's a matter of difficulty. We've set up two deconfliction cells, one in Cyprus and one in Israel, and you have folks from the UN, from USAID, from the U.S. military, and from the IDF embedded together, sitting next to each other in these cells, working to ensure that there is deconfliction happening as these trucks leave the marshaling area. So that's exactly what we are solving for, and we should not see and we don't want to see what has happened previously. We want to be able to see humanitarian aid reach those who need it most in the most efficient manner possible. Q: The USAID spokesperson said yesterday that he wasn't satisfied yet with the deconfliction arrangement yet, and then he added that the maritime corridors exposed to we do not think the JLOTS of the maritime corridor is exposed to any additional risk above and beyond that which is already present in Gaza. That's pretty frightening now, isn't it, given how many people have been killed ... MS. SINGH: I don't think we've come up here with rose-colored glasses and said that this is not a risk. This is an active war zone. What we if I could just finish? So we had assurances from the IDF that they will provide security to U.S. forces that are operating and set up that temporary floating causeway. We will also have a presence of a destroyer in the region to ensure that U.S. forces are protected. We take force protection very seriously. We would not have done an a put together a mission like this in coordination with the USAID without thinking about our forces that are going to be in a that could potentially be in harm's way. Q: What about the aid workers? Where where where's that sort of ... MS. SINGH: So again, I'm going to tell you what I said earlier, at the top of when you asked me that exact same question. We have two deconfliction cells set up, one in Cyprus, one in Israel. We have aid workers, we have UN workers, USAID, U.S. military, IDF sitting together in a cell for the exact question that you're asking, to deconflict on these important issues. All right, moving on. Q: I want to say a quick thank you to the Pentagon team for these nine years, the way they have treated me so nicely. My first question is about there are rumors of a Pakistani senator who has said that there was a drone attack in Pakistan. Can you confirm if the U.S. has conducted a drone attack in Pakistan? MS. SINGH: I don't have anything for you on that. Q: Yes. Regarding Afghanistan because of my stroke, I didn't come for so many years last couple of years, so this was a question that's been on my heart for a long time. Since 2001, when the U.S. went to Afghanistan, from the first veteran who gave his life for this country to the last ones at Kabul Airport after attacks 11 servicemen who died, I have published it myself, the news stories of front page. And I never it's an honor for every veteran to give his life for this country. But that last day incident at the airport, where the 11 service members lost lives, I believe that the U.S. military should have launched launched an investigation into Ashraf Ghani and (inaudible) for having contacts with Taliban. And this question, I have been wanting to ask the Pentagon for a long time, that while a journalist from that region for 45 years, having hung out with the U.S. soldiers in Kabul, in their restaurants and reporting for so long, would you support any investigation like this or no? MS. SINGH: So I can tell you about when it came to the withdrawal of Afghanistan, is there have now been two different investigations into what exactly happened. And I'd refer you to U.S. Central Command for that. We have done extensive should say U.S. Central Command has conducted extensive interviews with people that were involved in that operation that were there that day. At this moment, I'm not going to be able to read out all the findings from that investigation, but it is on their website and I'd direct you to that. Q: Thanks, Sabrina. So last week, to CNN, President Biden said that he made it clear that if the Israeli government goes into Rafah, "I will not be supplying weapons that have use been used historically to deal with cities." Of course, we've seen the Israelis use tanks in urban centers throughout this war, and in the latest arms package, which was which is now on its way, expected to be approved, and was after Biden issued that statement, is $700 million in tank ammunition. So his statement appears to be false. Is it the Pentagon's assessment that tanks will not be used in the invasion of Rafah? MS. SINGH: I think you're significantly oversimplifying things. So what I would tell you to do is to do a little homework on the package that was approved, and that this is long-term sales that will be going to Israel. And the State Department would have more for you on that. In terms of operating within an urban area, the Secretary, the President have been very clear that these type of high payload bombs, the 2,000-pound bombs, it's not necessary to be used in an urban area like Rafah. We are still and I want to be very clear we are still providing Israel the means to defend itself against its fight against Hamas, and you are still seeing shipments of weapons systems going to Israel and will continue to go through. That is some that is a commitment this President has made. But when it comes to that one shipment, that one shipment is paused. Q: OK, but the but in the shipment that is not paused is $700 million in tank munitions. And are you saying that I can read you the Biden quote again, I just read it to you. MS. SINGH: You don't have to. Q: OK. MS. SINGH: ... I know it. Yeah. Q: ... said "we're not going to supply weapons that have been" ... MS. SINGH: Yeah, you don't have to read it to me. I would direct you to yeah? Q: ... tanks have been used in (cities ?) in Gaza. MS. SINGH: I would direct you to the State Department for more on the sales. That has to do with sales to Israel. I just don't have that in front of me. Q: ... so we are providing ... MS. SINGH: I'm going to move on to the next question. Q: OK. MS. SINGH: Yeah? Q: Thank you, Sabrina. My question is on China. Today, Assistant Secretary Dr. Ratner spoke with PRC Office of International Military Cooperation Director. Given today's call, do you think China is willing to engage in high-level defense discussions with the U.S. side? MS. SINGH: Well, that was certainly a commitment that was made at the summit back in California last year with the President. And you saw a commitment from this building to want to continue to engage in those military-to-military communications. So we will engage when we can with our PRC counterparts, but I just don't have any other additional calls to read out today. Q: Thanks. Totally different subject. General Brown said apparently on his way to Brussels today, I think, that it is inevitable that NATO will send trainers into Ukraine. Is the U.S. currently planning to send American military trainers to Ukraine? MS. SINGH: Not to my knowledge. We do train training for Ukrainians, whether it be at Grafenwohr or elsewhere, and we have trained, you know, thousands upon thousands of soldiers as part of our long-term commitment to Ukraine, but I'm not aware of us sending any trainers to Ukraine. Q: So you're not aware of what General Brown's talking about? MS. SINGH: I'm not aware. I haven't seen those comments, so yeah. Thanks. Tara, do you have one more? And then we'll go to the back and wrap up. Q: Tomorrow, senior airman Roger Fortson's family will bury him. Has the Secretary reached out to the family? And if not, why not? And has he thought about having a wider discussion with black service members about their thoughts about this shooting? MS. SINGH: Yeah no, thanks, Tara, for the question. And obviously very heavy subject and something that the Secretary is of course very much aware of. I don't have any calls to read out to you right now. I don't have any engagements for to announce that the Secretary is doing across the force. But what I can tell you and what the Secretary has committed to from the very beginning is one of his priorities, which is taking care of people. He believes that our forces should be taken care of, and that means if whether that's seeking help, whether that means talking about it, whether that means, you know, talking to your command about it, he wants to make sure that those resources are available, and they are available. But I just don't have more to share at this time. Q: Two questions on Israel. One, a previous training operation using JLOTS with the Republic of Korea had a much higher throughput. And so just wondering what the bottleneck is specific to this situation? And then the second, can you speak a little bit to the makeup of the military support that's continuing to flow to Israel, aside from the GBUs and JDAMs that have been held back? MS. SINGH: I don't have more in terms of more specifics. We've continued to provide, whether it be ammunition or air defenses, things that they need to continue to defend themselves against attacks, whether it be from Iran that you saw last month or from Hamas. But I would direct you to the State Department more when it comes to FMS and FMF, the sales. In terms of the actual capacity to roll on, roll off of JLOTS, this is going to be incremental. It's going to start slow and it's going to get larger as more aid continues to come in as well. I think the maximum that we'll be able to do is 150 trucks a day. You know, you have to think about also the size of the marshaling area, the size of Gaza, and then how many aid truck drivers do you actually have, UN truck drivers you have to distribute that aid. That all plays a factor in how much aid can actually get distributed. So I don't want to necessarily I don't want to compare it to other exercises or other times that we've been able to do this. All I can tell you is we're scaling it as fast as we can and we're trying to get humanitarian aid in as quickly as possible, but it is going to scale up over time. Q: It sounds like the bottleneck is due to mostly partner capabilities in the situation on the ground, not U.S. capability to actually offload and ... MS. SINGH: I wouldn't say that there's a bottleneck. Again, we have to make sure that everything operates and is seamless or we are going to see us again go from that crawl, walk, run, it's going to start off small and scale up, and as more aid comes in, you are going to see us, you know, have this be pretty routine and more trucks getting into Gaza. Q: Yeah, in responding to Oren, you said, I think, something like "we don't support ongoing operations in Rafah." Are you saying that and maybe I missed this that the Pentagon doesn't support what Israel's doing in Rafah right now? MS. SINGH: Let me give you a little more context. So we don't support operations in Rafah without a credible plan to take care of that humanitarian population that's there that population being over one million people. We so far have not seen a credible plan to protect that large population that's there while the IDF conducts operations in Rafah. We fully support going after Hamas. We fully support making sure that Hamas is defeated. But again, that is something that we have not seen a credible plan to protect those civilians down there. OK. Q: Why aren't U.S. forces partnering with the Israelis to rescue those five American citizens still being held hostage by Hamas? MS. SINGH: We are not putting boots on the ground in Gaza. We have been very clear with our intent, that we want to see all of the hostages released that are currently being held by Hamas. The President was very clear though there's not going to be no boots on the ground. We are supporting Israel by providing intelligence to help with the hostage rescue and recovery. That is something we committed to from the beginning of the war, and while you might not have been here in that brief in this briefing room, we did actually announce that, and that commitment remains. We do want to see those hostages released. You're seeing engagements across this administration to see how we can get to securing a hostage deal. We know that's the best way forward to release those hostages and of course to eventually get to a ceasefire. All right, thank you, everyone. https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3778372/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 16, 2024 Transcript U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Central Command Briefing on Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command; Sonali Korde, Assistant To The Administrator Of Bureau Of Humanitarian Assistance, USAID STAFF: Good morning. This is Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon deputy press secretary. I'll be facilitating today's on-the-record call. Joining us today is Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of USAID's Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, and Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander, United States Central Command. As a reminder, today's call is on the record. I know we have many questions queued up, so please, I ask that you keep your follow-ups to a minimum and please keep your microphones on mute unless you're asking a question. And with that, I'll turn it over to Ms. Korde to start us off, followed by Vice Admiral Cooper. SONALI KORDE: Hi. Good morning. Can you hear me? STAFF: We can hear you. MS. KORDE: Great, thank you. So thank you for joining us today. We will be providing an update on our efforts to move assistance into Gaza by the maritime humanitarian corridor. This is necessary because of the absolutely dire conditions in Gaza. Conditions on the ground have not improved, and in the past two weeks, we have seen a vital corridor crossing close and aid supply decline at a time when it is critical we see more aid move. Across Gaza, 2.2 million people, the entire population, is facing acute food insecurity. More than half of the population in the north is at catastrophic levels, and I want to underscore just how dire this is for the most vulnerable, particularly mothers and children, and that is who we are particularly focused on reaching with our assistance. As humanitarian needs continue to skyrocket, the United States is working tirelessly to surge assistance through all available means to address the impacts of this crisis. To mitigate and counter the threat of famine and extreme food insecurity, humanitarian organizations are working to increase lifesaving food assistance, but food alone is not enough. We also need nutritional treatment, clean water and support for healthcare workers to reach mothers and children and prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. We need to ensure that the most vulnerable have access to the assistance they need and alleviate the immense suffering in Gaza. USAID has been working with the Department of Defense to establish the humanitarian maritime corridor to augment, not replace ongoing efforts to scale the delivery of humanitarian aid by land. With the pier now in place, which Vice Admiral Cooper will speak to in greater detail, we are now beginning to load assistance to travel through the humanitarian corridor. We expect aid to begin arriving ashore in the coming days. The maritime corridor and temporary pier will assist humanitarian organizations deliver lifesaving assistance that is arriving in Cyprus, where it will be screened for loading onto ships for delivery to Gaza by sea. Currently, we are providing nutrient-rich food bars for 11,000 of the most vulnerable, ready-to-use therapeutic foods to treat 7,200 children with the most life-threatening forms of malnutrition and enough relief supplies like hygiene kits for 30,000 people through the humanitarian corridor. Other donor nations and partners are also providing much-needed lifesaving supplies. Once these supplies arrive in Gaza, humanitarian organizations, including trusted USAID partners, will determine how to ensure they reach those in greatest need in an independent, neutral and impartial manner consistent with humanitarian principles. This is a complex aid mission that requires continuous coordination between many partners. The support and contributions of the United Nations, the government of Cyprus and other international partners, including the U.K., E.U., UAE and France, just to name a few, is vital. Uniting all of us and underpinning this entire mission is a commitment to save lives. It is critical that humanitarian workers are able to safely deliver and distribute lifesaving systems from the maritime corridor and throughout Gaza in line with humanitarian principles, and we will continue to advocate for increased measures to provide greater assurances for those working on the ground at personal risk to do so. While aid has increasingly entered Gaza in recent weeks, more needs to be done now, especially in light of recent setbacks. We have and will continue to engage all stakeholders to help address the needs of Gazans, especially the women and children. We thank all of the partners who have supported the maritime humanitarian corridor and will work to continue to surge in assistance, protect all humanitarian actors and activities, open all land crossings and remove impediments to the delivery of aid so that it reaches every vulnerable person: mothers, children, elderly and disabled. There's no time to lose and no effort can be spared. Thank you very much. VICE ADMIRAL BRAD COOPER: Okay, thanks so (UNKNOWN): (inaudible) ADM. COOPER: Thanks very much, Sonali. Brad Cooper here. Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this very important effort. I'll lead off by saying there's been incredible progress made on delivering humanitarian assistance from the sea to the people of Gaza. In this context, USAID has the lead for the delivery of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, and as directed by the secretary of defense, supporting USAID efforts to supply humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza is a top priority for U.S. Central Command. Let me be absolutely clear: The U.S. military's only role in this effort is to provide our unique logistics capability to enable the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza by USAID and our international partners. International efforts are underway to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza through all available routes, including by land, by air, and now by sea. We are focused on flooding the zone with humanitarian assistance. This is the policy of our government. To compliment 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. 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 3 million meals into Gaza by airdrops, more than one million of which have been from the U.S. Airdrops continues, and we are committed to successful delivery of aid from the sea as well. So (Lyle ?), let's focus on the maritime aid delivery route. Back in March, the President of the United States directed establishment of a temporary pier for delivery of aid into Gaza. We know at the time that it would take about two months to come to fruition. I'm proud of our team who completed building the floating pier last week. The pieces of this pier were loaded aboard ships on the east coast of the United States, 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 Port of Ashdod. All the pieces of this temporary pier, along with a large, separate floating platform, were part of a military logistics capability called JLOTS, Joint Logistics Over-The-Shore. 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. Before I dive into more details, I would like to highlight just a few key points. First, the pier is only being assembled to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. It has no other purpose. The pier is temporary in nature. This maritime route is additive and is not meant to replace land routes into Gaza. This is an internationally-backed effort coordinated with the United Nations. The U.S. military is simply providing logistics support to enable international donors to flow their aid into Gaza from the sea. And said a different way, we're simply enabling a shared service for the international community to use to serve the people of Gaza. And finally, there will be no U.S. military boots on the ground in Gaza. Delivering humanitarian aid from the sea is unique and complex, and for context, there are 1,000 U.S. soldiers and sailors committed to this mission, and 14 U.S. and partner nation ships of various sizes are solely focused on this one mission to deliver assistance to the people of Gaza. Three additional U.S. ships will join in the coming week. The UK is providing a ship, the RFA Cardigan Bay, for logistics support, for which we're grateful, and we also expect others to join here in the coming days as we go forward. Okay, now let me take a moment just to describe how the overall process of the delivery of aid into Gaza by the sea works in execution. I've described this before but I think it's worth going through one more time. First, humanitarian assistance comes into Cyprus via air or sea, where it is screened, palletized, and prepared for delivery. Pallets of aid are then loaded onto large commercial and military vessels that travel from Cyprus to a large floating platform that we have assembled and is anchored several kilometers, several miles off the coast of Gaza. This floating platform acts as a stable work space to transload pallets from the larger commercial ships onto smaller U.S. military vessels that can reach closer to shore. These smaller ships can carry between five and 15 trucks of aid and are called LSVs or LCUs in military jargon. The smaller ships then shuttle these trucks with aid from the floating platform to a temporary pier. Basically, this is a floating causeway that is several hundred meters long that is now fixed to the beach in Gaza. So the aid goes from the floating platform to trucks that are on the small ships to the floating causeway, down the causeway, onto land, and then the commodities are dropped off. These trucks repeat this process over and over in a closed loop. Separately, ashore, the United Nations will oversee receipt of humanitarian aid for onward distribution inside Gaza, as Sonali described. This process works and is working now. As of today, we have hundreds of tons of aid on ships in the Eastern Mediterranean ready for delivery. Thousands of tons of aid are in the pipeline. We're seeing significant volumes of aid flow into Cyprus for further distribution, and we expect this flow will continue as more international donors contribute. Israel and the Republic of Cyprus in particular have been highly supportive of this overall effort to establish a maritime corridor. Given this strong support, we have two coordination cells in place, one in Cyprus and one in Israel. Both locations support USAID efforts and integrate with Cypriot, as well as Israeli partners respectfully, and we also integrate with the UN and other NGOs to ensure there's a smooth flow of commodity from Cyprus to the Gaza shore and that the coordination mechanisms are in place for distribution within Gaza. Further, this effort to deliver humanitarian assistance from the sea is fully supported by the Israeli Defense Force. Israel has dedicated a brigade of troops, ships, and air force assets solely focused on the force protection of this operation. We have been working closely with the Israeli Defense Force for six weeks to ensure every aspect of logistics operations, command and control, communications, and force protection are in place. IDF engineers prepared the beach at Gaza and secured the temporary pier to the beach. This group of engineers were especially trained for this mission by U.S. Army engineers in the preceding weeks on a beach in Israel. As I mentioned, force protection is a top priority. We take the security of our service members and the humanitarian partners in the vicinity of the JLOTS area and marshaling yard very seriously. With the IDF, we have developed the comprehensive security plan across multiple domains land, sea, and air to protect our service members from potential threats, and integrates fully with the Israeli army, navy, and air force. We've conducted force protection rehearsals in preparation for the commencement of the operations in the coming days, and we'll continue to assess and re-assess security to inform our operations every single day. Alongside the IDF, UN, USAID, we've also developed protocols for checkpoint and convoy monitoring around the pier and marshal area. As a point of emphasis, this is a 100 percent humanitarian mission, and any attack on those working on it is an attack on aid for the people of Gaza. For weeks, we've been working side-by-side with the USAID team, with them in the lead. We've been working with the Cypriots, the Israelis, and the United Nations to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. These efforts include briefings, the large multinational gatherings in Cyprus, and the international ambassadors to the United Nation in New York City. With that, I'd just like to leave you with a couple of final thoughts. Number one, force protection is our top priority. Number two, this temporary pier is built for the express purpose of delivering humanitarian aid to help the people of Gaza. Number three, aid is ready for delivery, already loaded on ships off the coast. Delivery of aid ashore will begin soon. And number four, this is an international effort and we appreciate the contributions of all our international partners. Thanks so much. I'm looking forward to taking questions. STAFF: Thank you both. We have many questions, so I'm going to try and get through as many as possible that we can in the limited time that we have today. Starting us off, we'll go to Tara Copp, Associated Press. Q: Hi. Thank you both for doing this briefing this morning. First question, Ms. Korde, there's a lot we know about how everything gets to the pier and how it will be secured up to the marshaling point. But what assurances have aid groups been given on how security will work once those trucks are actually moving through Gaza? What is IDF going to be providing security for those convoys? How is the communication going to work? And are you concerned that the the mile beyond the marshaling area is still a big unknown? MS. KORDE: Hi, thank you for your question. So let me just start by saying the safety and security of our partners, our humanitarian partners is of utmost concern, always top of mind, for all of us in the humanitarian community. And the principle that we're working on here is that the humanitarian community and the U.N., which will take the lead on distributing the aid in support of humanitarian organizations, should be able to do so in an independent, neutral and safe manner. The U.N. has already had protocols in place and has been working on distributing aid, really, since the start of this war. The as Admiral Cooper said, protocols have been developed for convoy checkpoints and other procedures to support the security of the U.N. partners distributing it. And that's not just for the maritime corridor. These protocols need to simply be extended across the board for movements, for safe movements throughout Gaza. But the key point here is that the U.N. and the humanitarian NGOs have been working in a very complex and dangerous operating environment since the start of the war. They will continue to do so, and we support their movement going forward, as they see fit, to reach those most in need. STAFF: Thank you. Our next question will go to Idrees Ali, Reuters. Q: Hey, two questions. Firstly, are you concerned that you may run out of fuel or run low on fuel in the coming days, once the pier reaches aid reaches the pier, and then, sort of, distributing it into Gaza? And can you just give us a rough estimate of how long do you believe it will take for for the aid to be on the pier to then be in the hands of Palestinians? Is that a matter of hours, or can you give us a, sort of, time frame for that? MS. KORDE: So I can take the first question, and then turn it over to Admiral Cooper if he has anything more to say. So, yes, as you're all aware, fuel getting fuel into Gaza is something that we're all focused on right now, as the humanitarian community. And we are working closely with the U.N. and the Israeli government on making sure that that happens. And, again, this is why we have to just emphasize again the importance of making sure that all of the land crossings are both open but also being utilized fully. So thank you for that question, but we are working on it and expect that we should have the fuel necessary to operate the pier. We expect the aid to be coming into Gaza over the next few days. I'll turn it over to Admiral Cooper to see if he has got anything further to add on that. ADM. COOPER: I think I would simply add that we expect this process to move quickly from over the beach, a hand-over to U.N. and partners and quickly dispatched. We don't envision a model where things stay on the beach. So things will move out of the marshaling area very quickly, certainly within hours. STAFF: Thank you. Our next question will go to Courtney Kube, NBC. Q: Hi, I'm sorry, I'm here. Admiral Cooper, the can you we've seen that there's been this delay in in stabbing the beach and setting this up for the past several days that's been attributed by DOD officials to weather. And I wonder if if the weather kicks back up again and the sea state is high, does that mean that the the causeway and the dock have to be moved again, or can can they stay in place during during bad weather? And and, Ms. Korde, I'm you painted this picture at the very top in your opening remarks of a situation where the aid has been slowing down in recent days. And I wonder if you can say whether USAID sees the who's responsible for that? Do you see it that the the IDF is responsible for the slowdown in aid getting into Gaza in recent days? Thanks. ADM. COOPER: Yeah, I think, Courtney, first, on the weather, it will be situationally dependent. I mean, there are light storms, medium storms, heavy storms. One thing that we one variable we cannot control here is the weather. So we'll just see what that looks like. 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. MS. KORDE: So just on your question, the environment, the humanitarian environment in Gaza, has become a lot more complex in the last few weeks. There's been increased displacement, and one of the border crossings is currently closed. So there are a lot of factors at play. What I can say is that we're focused on working with the Israelis, the Egyptians, the Jordanians, the U.N. family and humanitarian actors. And, again, the maritime corridor and all the partners involved in all of this are essential to getting aid flows back in and all of the corridors open but also operating at the maximum capacity. So we are actively working on all of those issues with everyone who can help find solutions to this. STAFF: Thank you. Our next question will go to Alex Horton, Washington Post. Q: Hey, folks. Thanks for doing this. So to (inaudible) off of Courtney's question, could you both speak to discussions you've had with counterparts in the Israeli government to address or to make your lives easier, if they've been able to work on anything that can help you achieve your mission? And to Vice Admiral Cooper, can you describe the recent attacks on the land portion of the pier, and what are the capabilities to protect against those threats? ADM. COOPER: Yeah, I can go ahead and, you know, just jump into that. Obviously, on the force protection side, I'm not going to be able to talk about specifics, other than to say that we've been coordinating very closely, as I mentioned, with the Israeli Defense Force, to address any potential issue in every domain that exists. Our assessment is clearly that we can operate safely under current conditions, and we're just going to continue to watch that every single day. I'll also add, to your first part of the question, we've had extremely close coordination with the Israeli Defense Force, strongly supported by the Israeli government these last six weeks, to work out every single operational detail associated with everything I'm describing today. So I think that reflects the strong commitment of the Israelis having to have to do this. As you know, in addition to training alongside of us, they are literally sitting side-by-side with us in the coordination cell there in Israel, and they were handed the keys over to building that marshaling yard that you're aware of. They built it completely themselves, you know, based on a shared agreement of what that should look like. So I think all of these together reflect on their commitment to ensuring humanitarian assistance, you know, moves ashore. MS. KORDE: I'll just add that on the broader humanitarian assistance side, our teams are in daily, sometimes hourly conversations with the government of Israel, with the U.N. and other partners on the ground to basically problem-solve and to try to get aid and assistance in. So these conversations are happening in conjunction with the U.N., with the international humanitarian NGOs. And you know, as I said before, we're dealing with a very complex humanitarian operating environment, and there's just a lot of issues and problems to solve. But the coordination and the conversations are happening. STAFF: Thank you. Our next question will go to Jared Szuba, Al-Monitor. Q: Hi, all. Thank you for doing this. Just wonder if you can clarify the combined coordination cell. Where is that going to be? Is and there going to be any other, you know, sort of lower-level coordination cells closer to the pier? Thanks. ADM. COOPER: Yeah, broadly, the two coordination cells that exist, one in Israel and one in Cyprus, have been up and running for weeks as we've been working on this, and as I mentioned, side-by-side with respect of partners and multinational in nature supporting USAID, U.N. representation, as well as NGOs. That's at one level. And then at another level on the force protection side, there is very high level of coordination across each of the domains required from a force protection standpoint. You know, clearly, we could not have done any of this without the very close cooperation and support of the Israeli Defense Force, and I would describe it, the coordination, as very tight, as you might imagine. Q: Thanks, and if I could just follow up real quick. I understand U.N. representation is also anticipated at the coordination cell. Has that been secured, or is that still in the works? Thanks. ADM. COOPER: Yes, they're it's happening. STAFF: Great, thank you so much. Our next question will go to Luis Martinez, ABC News. Q: Hi. Thank you for this. Admiral Cooper, how many trucks a day can you get onto that floating platform? And going back to Courtney's question, I mean, does the sea state imped- im- impact how many trucks you'll be able to get off on onto those platforms on any given day? ADM. COOPER: Yeah, broadly, as I describe, we've got hundreds of tons of humanitarian assistance at the ready for delivery in the coming days. We've got thousands of tons in the pipeline. You know, to be more precise, as we sit here now, we have about 500 tons of humanitarian assistance loaded on ships. That's about a million pounds ready for delivery in the coming days, and as I mentioned, thousands in the pipeline coming behind it. Trucks may not necessarily be the greatest way of measuring things because there's eight-foot trucks, 12-foot trucks, 20-foot trucks, 40-foot trucks. So I think a better representation is tonnage, and we'll look to, you know, move this initial tranche of 500 tons in the coming days, which is pretty substantial, and then more to follow behind it. And then separately on the weather, weather is always a factor in every military operation. It has been throughout history. It will be now. You know, I wouldn't walk down the path of hypotheticals here. We'll just how see how it goes. Historically speaking, the time between May and August, there's very favorable weather in this part of the world. We'll see what that looks like going forward. Q: If quick follow-up. Then how many tons a day do you think or you anticipate you could get off initially and then build up to? ADM. COOPER: Yeah, we'll follow up with this in the coming days, but we think it's quite significant. As I mentioned, in the coming days, you know, I think we're going to get about 500 tons in the next couple of days. That's a pretty substantial amount, and it's spread out over multiple ships right now. STAFF: Thank you. Our next question will go to Steve Walsh, NPR. Q: Hi. Yeah, kind of following up on that question, are you starting to lower your expectations for how much aid that can be delivered by this pier, given the weather? We're there was some talk of 150 truckloads a day. I don't know how that works with tonnage. You know, are we starting to talk about low a lower amount of volume? And how does that compare with the overall need? How many truckloads a day do you need to get into Gaza to to stem the famine? ADM. COOPER: Yeah, I'll talk about the military side of this and let Sonali talk about the overall piece of this. One, just as a reinforcing point, the JLOTS aspect of this is additive to the overall effort from the air, and particularly from the ground. That's an important point. Our estimate is that from a truck capacity, we would start that at 90 to 150 trucks, you know, 90 initially, building up to 150, and that's as we go forward. There's absolutely no adjustment in the expectation. We have high expectation, and thus, 500 tons, you know, at the rate of delivery here in the next couple of days. MS. KORDE: I would just add on here that we know that a lot more needs to go in through all of the routes and crossings. And you know, I would also just say that trucks are an imperfect measure on whether assistance is meeting the needs. We also need to make sure that things are getting to the most vulnerable, to the moms and children and communities. And you know, we have an estimate out there, 500 to 600, but I do want to caveat that that's a (sic) imperfect number, and really, the real measure that we're striving towards getting at and understanding is what is reaching the people and communities in need, and making sure it's the right assistance. STAFF: Thank you. Our next question will go to Nick Schifrin, PBS. Q: Thanks, guys, very much. You've both talked today and yesterday about the last step, distribution by the U.N., by the WFP onward. There've been some U.N. officials who have said that that there is still some question about that last step. I'm just trying to confirm that that you have an agreement exactly with the U.N. for those last steps from the causeway onto WFP trucks. And for Ms. Korde specifically, Israel has promised to step up coordination with humanitarian groups since the World Central Kitchen incident in which seven of their workers were killed by by Israeli munitions. Has Israel done enough since then? Thanks. ADM. COOPER: I can MS. KORDE: So I'm ADM. COOPER: (inaudible) MS. KORDE: So yeah, sure. So you know, our discussions with the U.N., we are fully expecting and we talk to the U.N., you know, every single day, every hour, that we that they will be part of this and that we are making the preparations for distribution and the logistics in Gaza. Of course, look, it's a very insecure environment that we are dealing with in Gaza, and the UN will make security assessments just like we're making security assessments. And, you know, I just want to emphasize again that we are fully aligned and fully support the UN's ability to deliver this assistance in a neutral, impartial, unfettered manner. So we continue to work with them, we continue to talk to them, but we are expecting that we will be able to move forward, but again, fully respecting that the UN is operating in a complex environment, and we will continue to talk and solve problems and address concerns together. So that's how we're going to continue to work with them. And, you know, in a new, complex route that we're opening up, there's going to be adjustments that we make operationally and tweaks, and this is why the coordination that Admiral Cooper talked about is so critically important. Just on your point on the coordination and deconfliction mechanisms, those conversations are happening between the IDF and humanitarian organizations. I think they need to continue to happen. There is a very insecure operating environment, and the deconfliction measures are not where they need to be yet, given the complexity of the environment. 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. We lost a UN colleague a few days ago, and it's a very dangerous place to work. And our humanitarian aid workers deserve and need to feel protected. ADM. COOPER: Yeah, I think on the military side of this, you know, around JLOTS and the marshaling area from a military perspective, you know, we're highly confident in the onward movement of humanitarian assistance. We've worked very closely with the IDF, developed a series of protocols and best practices supported by the UN. We exposed these in a very coordinated and transparent manner. So I think in this case, high level of confidence. And I also think, as Sonali mentioned, you know, we will, as we go forward, make adjustments learn and make very quick adjustments, as we would in any operation. STAFF: Thank you. We just have time for just a just a few more here. Anas Elsabbar, Sky News Arabia? Q: Yes, thank you. I have two questions. First, is UNRWA part of the distribution process? Is it I know it's within the UN but is it part of the process, like specifically, because they have the most diverse and extend, like, network of distribution in Gaza? That's number one. And for Mr. Cooper, it would you please just explain again the process of moving the aid from Cyprus to ships big ships and then to the pier and then to the small ships, if I'm correct? And also, who is responsible for the security on land, on the shore? And how do you, like do you have any guarantees that this area is protected and no, like, security concerns are there? Thank you. MS. KORDE: So just on the first question, this maritime corridor and assistance into Gaza, we are working with the entire UN family and the humanitarian community in Gaza (CROSSTALK) MS. KORDE: which includes humanitarian NGOs. So I'm not going to get into sort of specific partners on who we're working with but the corridor is in support for the entire humanitarian effort and the UN family. ADM. COOPER: Sir, on your two questions, let me take the second part of that first. In terms of security, although I'm obviously not going to be able to get into specific details, we have made the assessment that execution of this mission can go forward based on the current environment, and thus our action this morning to emplace the temporary pier. And as mentioned, we do expect to start moving humanitarian assistance in the coming days. I think that reflects our assessment of the overall environment, which we are assessing and re-assessing every day. The broadly speaking though, the security arrangement is between the United States military and the Israeli Defense Force across armies, navies, and air forces combined to protect our service members as well as everyone working around the marshaling area. And then in terms of how the flow works, I would just describe it very quickly for you. As the humanitarian assistance comes into Cyprus, it comes either via air or sea. It's then screened, palletized, and prepared for delivery there in Cyprus. A those pallets of aid are then loaded onto a large commercial vessel or military vessel. Those vessels travel about 200 miles from Cyprus out to a large floating platform that we've assembled several miles off the coast. It's at anchor off the coast of Gaza. The floating platform is just used as a stable work space to transload the pallets from the bigger ships to smaller U.S. military vessels, each of which can carry between about five and 15 trucks full of aid. And then those smaller ships that now have the humanitarian assistance on them shuttle from there up to the pier that we established this morning. So from that large floating platform a couple miles out to the temporary pier, which is basically a floating causeway, it's several hundred meters long, and as mentioned, it's fixed to the beach in Gaza. So big picture from the floating platform well, actually, big picture from Cyprus to the floating platform to trucks that are on small ships, down the floating causeway, down the causeway, on the land, dropped off for the United Nations and other partners to pick up, and those trucks that do that then go back and rinse, repeat, and the process rinses and repeats over and over again. It's a it is well in place, particularly the Cyprus piece of that, the Cyprus to Gaza piece of that. And the rest of that will follow in the coming days. I hope that was helpful. STAFF: Thank you. Our last question will go to Patrick Turner at Defense One. Q: Oh, good thanks for doing this. So for Ms. Korde from USAID, you mentioned that the Rafah crossing was having a a bad effect on the ability to get aid in general in into Gaza. I wonder if you can add any specifics on the scope of the humanitarian assistance need right now, if there's any numbers, and the degree to which this pier will ameliorate those numbers or won't? Like, how much assistance on the ground is there a number that is needed? And and where does this mission go in answering the size (of that meet ?)? MS. KORDE: Thank you for your question. Just, you know, as I said before, the amount of assistance needed in Gaza is immense, and our policy has been to increase Gaza flood Gaza with assistance. And trucks are an imperfect measure of that because what we want to make sure is that assistance is getting to the communities that are most vulnerable and also the right kind of assistance is getting there. We have 2.2 million people in need, and again, we're operating in a very complex operating environment. What I can say is that the maritime corridor is absolutely essential to helping meet this gap in need, to, you know, address the shelter, the food, the health, malnutrition, and clean water, sanitation needs for 2.2 million people. And the maritime corridor, as Admiral Cooper described, and the capabilities is additive, important, and is going to really help to fill what is a gap in assistance going forward. We need to just continue to work on getting more aid in through all routes and basically support the humanitarian community in getting aid to people who need it the most. So again, you know, as I said in my opening remarks, we're at a point in time when this is all hands on deck, we can't spare any effort. And, you know, we're really happy that this corridor is really a partnership of multiple countries coming together to support this very important effort. Q: Okay, can you say with could you say with certainty though that the closing of the Rafah cross crossing will exacerbate the humanitarian need, and that perhaps because of that closing there'll be needs that aren't met despite this new effort? MS. KORDE: The what I can say is that there's been a series of things that have happened which have exacerbated the needs in the past few weeks. And we need to have everything open all routes open, all land crossings open. They need to be maximally utilized. And the maritime corridor is a very important new route to get additional assistance in. So, you know, I think, you know, there's not like a situation where one compensates for the other. Everything needs to come in and everything needs to be additive. Q: Thank you. STAFF: Thank you, everyone, for Q: May I ask if if there's an end date to this? STAFF: Thank you. Q: Do you have an end date? STAFF: Guys, everyone, thank you so much. I just want to be mindful of our speakers' time. We will have a transcript posted online later today on Defense.gov. Again, thank you so much for joining our call. https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3777705/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 16, 2024 Release Secretary of Defense Statement on the FY23 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military On my first full day as Secretary of Defense, I made countering sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military a top priority. These scourges have no place in the U.S. military. We will continue to insist on cohesion, trust, dignity, and security for every member of the force. Over the past three years, the Department has taken unprecedented steps to tackle this problem. This includes swift and rigorous implementation of the approved recommendations of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military, as well as the establishment of the Offices of Special Trial Counsel. Today the Department of Defense released our Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military. Its findings demonstrate that the Department is making progress to prevent sexual assault and harassment in the military. This is the first time that the Department has seen a decrease in the prevalence of sexual assault in more than eight years. These early findings are encouraging, and I am grateful for the leadership of many across the Department who have committed the time and made the investments to produce these promising results. However, we have far more work to do. Last week, I convened the Deputy Secretary, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Service Secretaries, and the Service Chiefs to discuss this report's findings. I made clear that we're making significant progress but we must double down on our efforts to end sexual assault and sexual harassment. This remains a key readiness issue across the joint force. The only acceptable number of instances of sexual assault or sexual harassment in the U.S. military is zero. We owe it to all our Service members to get this right. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3777526/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 16, 2024 By Matthew Olay, DOD News U.S. Joins Jordan, Partner Nations to Launch Exercise Eager Lion 24 Forces from U.S. Central Command joined with host country Jordan and more than 30 additional partner nations Sunday to kick off Exercise Eager Lion 2024, the Pentagon announced today. This 11th iteration of Eager Lion serves to underscore the United States' "commitment to interoperability with our partners in the region, while refining our ability to defend against ... threats by state and non-state actors," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. Considered the most important exercise between the U.S. military and the Jordanian Armed Forces, Eager Lion 24 will focus on training the participating partner nations to develop cooperation and interoperability between military and interagency organizations, according to a Centcom press release on the exercise. In addition to addressing challenges from across the region's air, land, sea and cyber domains, the exercise will also support humanitarian aid assistance and multinational disaster response operations, the release states. "Eager Lion demonstrates the value of working together to maintain a ready and responsive force that truly demonstrates we are prepared to respond together in times of crisis," exercise director U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jason Benson said. Benson added that Eager Lion does more than merely demonstrate the commitment to interoperability between multiple partner nations. "It also demonstrates that our coalition force can maintain a sufficient and sustainable presence in the region. It delivers a clear message that relationships matter," he said. "As we work to deter and address aggressive actions by maligned actors around the world, these kinds of exercises and partnerships enable us to meet new and continuing threats together," Singh said. She added that the U.S. military participates in more than 80 exercises with partner nations throughout Centcom's area of responsibility each year to bolster military-to-military relationships that promote regional security. Eager Lion 24 is scheduled to run until May 23. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 16, 2024 By Joseph Clark, DOD News Pentagon Official: Partnerships Key to Bolstering Defense Industry, Meeting Warfighting Needs The Defense Department remains focused on working with allies to build robust defense production capabilities, the Pentagon's top acquisition official said yesterday. In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee's Defense Subcommittee, William A. LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said the war in Ukraine has underscored the value of countries working together to produce key munitions. He noted DOD's work with European allies to co-produce 155 mm artillery shells a capability that remains in high demand on the front lines of Ukraine. The U.S., he said, is beginning to apply those lessons to other weapons systems as a key strategy to deter conflict across the globe. The Army plans to begin co-producing on Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System and Precision Strike Missile munitions with key allies. The U.S. will also soon partner with Japan of the development and production on the next generation of missile defense interceptors. "That's where this is all headed," LaPlante said. "You're going to see much more co-production, co-development and co-sustainment with allies and partners." The trend is driven in part by a recognition among allies of the need to shore up their defense industrial bases. "Allies and partners are recognizing in Europe and in [the] Indo-Pacific that they need an industrial base, basically restart," LaPlante said. "For all of the criticism that we give ourselves, rightfully so, they're envious of what the United States has been able to do. We're talking to each of these countries." This recognition comes as Russia and other potential adversaries dramatically increase their weapons output. "We're all monitoring, both in open source and other places, what is Russia doing [with] its industrial base," LaPlante said. "We saw that Putin just replaced his minister of defense with an economist. I think a lot of us have taken away that this is not they're not in it for the short term." He said estimates now place Russia's military spending at 7% of their gross domestic product, a substantial increase over previous years. "They're on a wartime footing," he said. Analysts have also noted a steep rise in China's military output in recent years, emphasizing the Chinese Communist Party's military-civil fusion development strategy under its aim of building an advanced military capable of projecting power globally. Defense officials have long recognized the critical role defense acquisition and sustainment plays in deterring conflict. LaPlante said yesterday that the Defense Department has focused on effectively capturing the most pressing needs of the warfighter and improving its ability to rapidly field key capabilities through acquisition pathways that aim to reduce bureaucracy. He also underscored the need to send a steady demand signal to the defense industrial base to ensure the right workforce and production capabilities remain in place to meet warfighter needs. "When you're talking about acquisition, there's really three legs to the stool," he said. "One leg is acquisition, which is the contract. The second is the requirement, and this is about [...] getting what the department needs right for the warfighter. And the third is having money in the right year. "Those three legs of the stool moving across all three in an agile fashion is the secret of really effective acquisition," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nelson German, a former Top Chef contestant and owner of the alaMar Dominican restaurant in Oakland, has reached the breaking point after two burglaries in one night. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Jolted awake to find two burglars shoving liquor into trash cans, alaMar restaurant owner Nelson German noticed something: One of the men was the same one whod broken into alaMar in November. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle After the glow from his TV appearance on Top Chef faded, Nelson German rebranded his Oakland restaurant alaMar as a New York-style Dominican restaurant a risky move given the Bay Areas modest Dominican population. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Editors Note: After this story was published, the Chronicle learned that Oakland has been publishing weekly reports on citywide crime statistics that are misleading for understanding year-over-year trends, particularly in the category of burglaries and theft. In the interest of transparency, we have added this editors note to every article containing data that relied on Oakland's misleading crime reports. We wrote about the source of the data problem and Oakland's response on July 10, 2024, and you can read that story here. The following is the original version of this story. We have not amended the data. Nelson German was surveying the damage from the worst morning of his career when he asked himself: What did he learn when he saw the same burglars break into his Uptown Oakland restaurant twice in the space of two hours? Advertisement Article continues below this ad After three weeks without a day off, German had thought he could finally sleep in, for once. Impossible. At 4:40 a.m., he awoke to an alert on his iPhone from his commercial-security company. There, on the screen, were two men in black masks ransacking the alaMar Dominican Kitchen, which is on Grand Avenue near the Paramount Theatre. The biggest lesson learned is that theres no rest, German, 43, said Wednesday afternoon as he stood outside alaMars back door, where the burglars had returned at 6:30 a.m. that previous Friday to steal some more. On the one day I tried to get some rest, this happened. Never again. It might not matter how many 90-hour workweeks German logs. Unless something changes soon, alaMar could join the long list of Oakland restaurants to have shuttered this year. German, like many other small-business owners in the area, has reached his breaking point both financially and emotionally. The damage from a crowbar is evident on a door at alaMar Dominican Kitchen in Oakland. After the business was burglarized, its owner, Nelson German, sought support from the community. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle After a 2023 in which Oaklands violent-crime rate spiked 21% from the previous year, some locals stopped eating out. Kaiser Permanente, Oaklands largest private employer, even began advising workers in January to stay inside for lunch. Advertisement Article continues below this ad That decline in foot traffic, combined with the constant threat of break-ins and rising expenses, has made many restaurants unsustainable. Though the closures of major chains like In-N-Out and Subway might have received more attention, numerous family-owned restaurants have closed in Oakland over the past several months. Each time a FOR LEASE sign appears on a neighboring storefront, German can only hope this isnt Oaklands new norm. Since moving there from New York City with his wife, May, in 2010, he has come to embrace Oaklands resilience: the way its people defy odds and help each other through hard times. Germans most striking example came this past weekend. Sitting at alaMars bar last Friday after the burglars had escaped with most of its high-end liquor, he posted a six-minute plea to Instagram in which he voiced his heartbreak and delivered a grim ultimatum: Well be done if things dont go well this weekend. Within minutes, his phone had flooded with supportive texts. After burglars escaped with most of alaMars high-end liquor, owner Nelson German posted a six-minute plea to Instagram voicing his heartbreak and a grim ultimatum. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Takeout orders and reservation requests also poured in. With 90-minute wait times for much of the weekend, alaMar was the busiest it had been since county officials first lifted restaurants COVID-19 restrictions in 2021. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It reminds us exactly why we chose Oakland to build our restaurants, said May, who helps her husband run alaMar and their nearby cocktail lounge, Sobre Mesa. The community in Oakland is unlike any other. All the restaurateurs know all the other restaurateurs. Were family. Oakland restaurateurs who saw Germans recent Instagram video might have understood how he felt. As German put it, These restaurants are all our babies. It can feel like a violation to the whole community when burglars use a crowbar to break in before running off with whatever valuables they can find. By Oakland standards, alaMars burglary rate eight since it opened a decade ago, including three in six months isnt so bad. Just ask Osvaldo Sanchez. Since he opened Agave Uptown an upscale Oaxacan restaurant a couple of blocks from alaMar in 2016, he has cleaned up after 22 burglaries. Like many other Oakland restaurateurs, Sanchez stopped accepting cash payments a while ago and even started taking Agaves priciest liquor bottles home with him after shifts. His thought-process was simple: If theres nothing on hand worth stealing, no one would want to break in. Right? Advertisement Article continues below this ad Oakland restaurateurs who saw Nelson Germans Instagram video might have understood how he felt. As he put it, These restaurants are all our babies. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Wrong. During a three-week period this past January and February, Agave was broken into three times. Around that period, Sanchez could barely sleep. Every break-in ran at least $2,500 in damages: $1,000 to replace the locks, another $1,500 to replace the front window. Though Agave boasted five-star Yelp reviews and loyal customers, it could only weather so many setbacks. Were trying to stay very positive, but its just a lot, Sanchez said. I have 40 employees depending on me. So many peoples lives will be affected if we shut down. Last Saturday, about 24 hours after alaMars two most recent break-ins, La Guerreras Kitchen a casual Mexican restaurant was among several businesses vandalized at Swans Market in Old Town. Still, Reyna Maldonado, La Guerreras owner, considers herself one of the lucky ones. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It was only La Guerreras first break-in since it moved locations two years ago. Even if it endures more frequent break-ins, its catering sales should be enough to at least keep it open. Dine-in has been so slow that we eliminated our dinner menu in October and went lunch-only, Maldonado said. If we didnt have catering, we would definitely be struggling financially. German conceded that business has been rough at alaMar for months. But over the past two-plus decades, he has learned that much of the restaurant industry can be distilled to three words: adapt or die. In September 2013, after the French restaurant where he worked in San Francisco closed because of what he says was poor management, German decided to finally pursue his longtime dream and open his own spot. After numerous delays, alaMar was unveiled at 100 Grand Ave. as a seafood restaurant in May 2014. With in-person dining closed for much of the pandemic, German maintained community support by donating meals to restaurant workers and homeless people. It also didnt hurt that his well-timed stint on Season 18 of Top Chef he left midway through after injuring his knee brought renewed attention to alaMar. Nelson German opened his Oakland restaurant alaMar for lunch in hopes of boosting profits, but two days later it was burglarized. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle But once that TV afterglow faded, business slowed. Last June, after adding some of his favorite childhood dishes to the menu, German rebranded alaMar as a New York-style Dominican restaurant a risky move given the Bay Areas modest Dominican population. We were the oldest restaurant in a sea of new ones, and it felt like we were kind of being shunned aside, said German, who was raised by two Dominican immigrants in New York Citys Washington Heights neighborhood. After being on Top Chef, I realized that chefs should do what makes them happiest. For me, that was embracing more of my roots. It wasnt long until customers started staying away out of fear of Oakland. Though the citys crime rate is down 33% this year compared with the same period in 2023, German said that many local restaurant owners dont report all their break-ins. Plus, he added, the perception of Oakland is really the biggest killer to business, anyway. Last Wednesday, less than a week after alaMar became Uptowns only restaurant to reach the 10-year mark, German opened it for lunch in hopes of boosting profits. Two days later, he headed home at 5 p.m. seven hours early for him for a relaxing evening with May. Jolted awake to find those two burglars shoving liquor into trash cans, he noticed something: One of the men was the same one whod broken into alaMar in November. When the man and his accomplice returned less than two hours later, German shouted into the camera: Please, dont do this! As the burglars ran toward their get-away car, German thought he might not recover. It wasnt just the $8,000 hed have to pay in damages and lost goods. After a trying year that included his mother narrowly surviving a brain tumor, German wasnt sure how many more scares he could handle. I just cant take any more days off, Nelson German said on Wednesday after his Oakland restaurant was burglarized. Ive learned my lesson. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle Though he appreciated the long lines this past weekend, he could hardly smile. AlaMar was still a long way from being financially stable. On that recent Wednesday afternoon, a couple of customers sipped beer as they raved about the braised oxtail sandwiches they had just eaten. Latin music thumped through the loudspeakers. Feet away, German shook his head as he examined the new scratches on his back door. NATO Support and Procurement Agency - Alliance Ground Surveillance Program Equipment and Support Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov Transmittal No: 23-57 WASHINGTON, May 16, 2024 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency of Alliance Ground Surveillance Program Equipment and Support and related equipment for an estimated cost of $250.2 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has requested to buy radar equipment spares and additional items and services that will be added to a previously implemented case whose value was under the congressional notification threshold. The original Foreign Military Sales case, valued at $40.26 million, included Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) system equipment and support, including: AN/APG-68 radar processors; Global Hawk engine controllers; classified and unclassified spare components and parts; consumables and accessories; repair and return support; facilities support including storage; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; classified and unclassified software delivery and support; transportation support; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistics and program support. This notification is for the combined non-MDE AGS system equipment and services, including: AN/APG-68 radar processors; Global Hawk engine controllers; communications equipment spares; classified and unclassified spare components and parts; consumables, accessories, and repair and return support; facilities support including storage; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; classified and unclassified software delivery and support; transportation support; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $250.2 million. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of NATO partners that are a force for political stability and economic progress in the North Atlantic region. The proposed sale will improve NATO's capability to meet current and future threats by improving and sustaining Allied intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. NATO will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and services into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The principal contractor will be Northrop Grumman located in Mojave, CA. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to NATO. There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. The description and dollar value are for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded. All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military-Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Germany Federal Foreign Office 16.05.2024 - Press release Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock issued the following statement on 16 May on the situation in Rafah: I am deeply concerned about the Israeli army's current actions in Rafah. The people there do not know what to do and no longer have any safe places to flee to. But protecting the civilian population must be the top priority. At the moment, there is no sign of this. The consequences are disastrous not only for the people in Gaza, but also for Israel's security. Germany's raison d'etat means standing up for the security of the State of Israel. It also means doing our utmost to ensure that Israel does not lose itself in this war. From the very beginning, we have made it clear that the terrorist playbook must not be allowed to succeed. We have therefore done everything in our power since 7 October to help alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the civilian population. And we have emphasised that military self-defence must target the Hamas terrorists and not innocent Palestinian children, women and men. It is clear that Hamas can end the suffering of the people in Gaza immediately. However, it is also clear that the war against Hamas cannot be won by military means alone. Without safe places, medicine, food, fuel - the bare essentials needed to live - there will only be fresh suffering and fresh hatred. And more bombs and more tanks in Rafah endanger the hostages, too. As difficult as every inch of progress is, we are not letting up in our diplomatic efforts. The negotiations on an immediate ceasefire are continuing. Our efforts on behalf of the hostages are continuing. Our humanitarian assistance is continuing. And, above all, we are not losing sight of the day after. A day when Hamas no longer poses a threat, when the Palestinians live in their own state, and when Israel has gained strength and security through good relations with its neighbours. Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen decided on Finland's participation in international training and exercises in 2025 Finnish Ministry of Defence 16.05.2024 The plan for 2025 includes 115 events in Finland and abroad, with the cost of participation at about EUR 10.75 million. On 15 May, Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen decided on Finland's participation in international training and exercises in 2025. According to Minister Hakkanen, training and exercises will strengthen the defence of both Finland and the Alliance while increasing the knowledge of the Allies about the operating environment in the north. Finland's NATO membership, deepening defence cooperation with the United States, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and other important allies, and the significant changes in the security environment all have an impact on the international training and exercises of the Defence Forces. - Our Nato Allies train in Finland with the Defence Forces more often and on a longer-term basis, says Minister Hakkanen. The Defence Forces will provide more information about the training and exercises later. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Exclusive: Philippine convoy deterred by Chinese forces, stops 50nm away from Huangyan Dao: source Global Times Vessels stop 50nm away from Huangyan Dao By Wang Qi and Liu Xuanzun Published: May 16, 2024 12:45 PM Updated: May 16, 2024 11:00 PM A Philippine convoy organized by the Atin Ito Coalition has been deterred by Chinese forces, as it stopped 50 nautical miles away from China's Huangyan Dao (also known as Huangyan Island) on Thursday, despite the organization's claim of successfully completing its mission, the Global Times learned from a source. Atin Ito's unilateral declaration of "mission accomplished" is an obvious deception, observers said. The Atin Ito Coalition on Thursday reportedly announced that an advance team of its civilian-led resupply mission to China's Huangyan Dao had "bypassed China's blockade," as the organizations' co-convenor Rafaela David claimed "mission accomplished." However, the actual situation at sea is that after being deterred by the rights-safeguarding and law enforcement forces from the Chinese side, the Philippine vessels stopped more than 50 nautical miles away from China's Huangyan Dao, a source close to the matter told the Global Times on Thursday. The China Coast Guard (CCG) is now monitoring the on-site situation around the clock in an effort to forcefully safeguard rights, the source said. The Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday that the CCG Ship 3502 and a number of other CCG vessels conducted regular training during rights protection and law enforcement operations in the waters adjacent to Huangyan Dao on Monday. The CCG then launched an exercise on Tuesday and set up several perimeters on Wednesday, the source said. When multiple Philippine fishing ships, escorted by the Philippine Coast Guard's BRP Bagacay patrol vessel, arrived in waters some 50 nautical miles away from China's Huangyan Dao and had CCG vessels in sight, they stopped their movement, and as of Thursday morning, they had already started to sail back in the direction of the Philippines for 15 nautical miles, according to the source. Atin Ito, which means "This is Ours," is a Philippine nongovernmental organization believed to be sponsored by the US. The coalition initially rallied some 100 civilian vessels to trespass into waters adjacent to China's Huangyan Dao, bring supplies to Filipino fisherfolk, and deploy "symbolic buoys" bearing a provocative message: "The West Philippine Sea is ours," according to Philippine media reports at the time. The Philippine convoy was anticipated to orchestrate shows and stage behaviors to exert public opinion pressure on China, undermine China's efforts of pursuing peace in the South China Sea, and try to force China to make concessions over its sovereignty in the South China Sea. However, according to Philippine media reports on Wednesday, the "symbolic buoys" were installed only some 14 nautical miles west of the Philippine coast, far away from China's Huangyan Dao, which is about 125 nautical miles from the Philippines. After the Philippine advance team failed to reach Huangyan Dao on Thursday in the face of the CCG, the AP reported that the Filipino activists decided not to sail closer to the Chinese island. The Atin Ito Coalition hastily wound up its provocative activities, but unilaterally declared success in its mission, observers said, calling the move a deception. The Philippine's declaration is a typical self-congratulatory and false narrative, which aimed to seek its own interests through hype, the source said. Atin Ito did not achieve its goal this time, but the Philippines will unlikely stop its schemes of making new rounds of provocations, analysts said. Chen Xiangmiao, director of the World Navy Research Center at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times that the Marcos Jr administration has seemingly left too little leeway for China, as the Philippines' so-called resupply missions actually aim for territorial sovereignty. China's patience is not limitless, and if the Philippine side insists on carrying out its provocations and willingly acts as a vanguard of the US scheme of containing China, China will have no choice but to enhance its management and control measures, which could include canceling the temporary special arrangements granted to the Philippines, Chen said. He stressed that China has many good choices in its tool box to prevent the situation from escalating. China hopes that the Philippines can become aware of its mistakes and turn back to the right track, and give a chance for China-Philippine relations to be reconciled, Chen said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, May 16 IDF Press Release May 16, 2024 16.05.24 IDF Good evening, With great sorrow, we informed the families of the fallen soldiers today, Captain Roei Beit Yaakov, Staff Sergeant Gilad Arye Boim, Staff Sergeant Betzalel Shashua, Sergeant Daniel Hamo and Sergeant Ilan Cohen, who fell in the fighting in Jabaliya. May their memory be a blessing. From the initial inquiry of the incident, it appears that our troops fired from a tank toward a building where the soldiers were located due to a misidentification. This is a very severe and difficult incident. It took place in a dense combat zone where dozens of RPGs are fired at IDF tanks and soldiers. The operational environment is extremely complex and very dense. We are still in the midst of the investigation, and we will learn and draw lessons from it. Ensuring the safety of our troops is a central mission, and we are doing everything to carry out this mission. On behalf of the entire IDF command, I want to extend condolences to the bereaved families; we share in your deep sorrow. Each of the fallen is a world in themselves. We grieve the loss and will continue to support you. The IDF is engaged in intense battles on three fronts in the Gaza Strip, where three divisions are operating against Hamas. The troops are fighting in areas where we have identified Hamas activity and in areas where we have not yet operated. These are dense areas where Hamas operatives are entrenched both above and below ground, and we are acting against them. In the northern part of the Strip, the troops of the 98th Division continue to fight in Jabaliya, eliminating terrorists and apprehending some as well. Additionally, the troops have located and struck dozens of rocket launchers, some of which are long-range. We have not forgotten the rocket fire that occurred in recent days towards the city of Sderot, and we continue to act against any rocket fire from the Gaza Strip and on any intelligence information we know about that involves rockets, from the air and from the ground. In the southern part of the Gaza Strip, in eastern Rafah the Commando Brigade has joined the fighting under the 162nd Division. The Commando Brigade specializes in combat in dense areas and in conducting targeted raids. We continue to focus on locating tunnel shafts and underground routes in the area and destroying them. We are destroying terrorist infrastructure, uncovering weapons, and eliminating terrorists. Alongside offensive efforts, we are working to implement the directive of the political level to strengthen the humanitarian effort that enables the combat. For example, in the coming days, the floating pier led by the U.S. and the U.S. Central Command and coordinated with the IDF will begin operations. The pier will facilitate the entry of humanitarian equipment via the maritime route, supplementing other efforts to bring in aid from the land. Today, we brought in approximately 350 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza from the land. On the northern border, we struck a complex of weapons manufacturing and storage sites which are part of Hezbollah's precision-guided missile project in Jabal Shams in the Beqaa Valley overnight. The strike was carried out in response to Hezbollah's fire towards a military site near Golani Junction, which hit a balloon that was on the ground as part of its operational integration processes. There were no casualties, and there was no impact on the IDF's aerial intelligence capabilities in the area. The IDF is acting against Hezbollah's UAVs and the aerial threat on all borders. It is important for Israeli civilians to know that the Israeli Air Force intercepts UAVs that infiltrate into the area every few days, not only from Lebanon but also from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, on all the borders. During the day, we struck additional Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and eliminated a terrorist cell consisting of operatives from Hezbollah's UAV Array who were on their way to carry out a terrorist attack. Throughout the day, rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel. An armed UAV exploded in the Metula area, resulting in one soldier being seriously wounded and two additional soldiers sustaining minor injuries. They were evacuated for medical treatment, and their families have been notified. In Judea and Samaria, a terrorist stabbed a soldier near the Yitzhar Junction this morning. After a three-hour manhunt, IDF and ISA forces apprehended the suspected terrorist and brought him in for further questioning. Today, representatives of the IDF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the families of the kidnapped Thai citizens, Sonthaya Oakkharasr and Sudthisak Rinthalak, who worked in agriculture in the orchards near Kibbutz Be'eri, that they were murdered during the October 7th massacre. Their bodies were kidnapped and are currently being held by Hamas in Gaza. On October 7th, Hamas terrorists brutally murdered thirty-nine Thai citizens and kidnapped thirty-one Thai citizens to Gaza. Along with them, many other foreign citizens were kidnapped, including individuals from Tanzania, Nepal, Mexico, the United States and France. The horrific cruelty of Hamas was directed against anyone in their path without distinction of origin or nationality. In front of our eyes stands the moral duty to bring them all back - to bring all 132 hostages home as quickly as possible. We will continue to fight and act together with all the security organizations to create the conditions to bring them back to us, and to their families - whether in Israel or abroad. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hezbollah deploys S-5 missiles against Zionist regime for first time: Report IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 16, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- The Hezbollah of Lebanon has used unmanned combat aerial vehicles to target the positions of the Zionist regime for the first time while it previously utilized loitering munitions, media outlets have reported. Hezbollah has deployed armed drones for the first time and attacked Israeli soldiers in Metula settlement, media outlets have reported. This marks a notable shift in the group's tactics, confirming their stance that any escalation will be met with equal force. The Islamic Resistance said in the statement "in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza and their brave and honorable resistance, the Islamic Resistance attacked the Metula site, its guard, and its vehicles with an armed drone at 1:38 PM on Thursday, May 16, 2024. The drone, equipped with two S-5 missiles, hit its target precisely, causing casualties among the gathered soldiers and damaging their vehicles." The S-5 is a 57mm unguided air-to-ground rocket consists of a high-explosive warhead, a solid-propellant motor, and folding tail fins for stability. Typically launched from 57mm tubes on fighter jets and helicopters, the S-5 has also been used in improvised ground-based launchers in recent conflicts. 7129**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hezbollah drone targets Israel's largest spy balloon: Reports IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 16, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah has targeted the Israeli regime's largest radar and espionage center near the Sea of Galilee using a suicide drone, Israeli media report. Reports said on Thursday that an important and sensitive center belonging to the Israeli air force was targeted by a Hezbollah kamikaze drone. The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth wrote that the control center of Israel's largest espionage balloon Sky Dew, Tal Shamayim in Hebrew, was hit and damaged by Hezbollah. The Zionist regime's television reported that the explosives-laden drone infiltrated the western areas of the Sea of Galilee and detonated inside a military base. The Lebanese Islamic Resistance issued a statement on Wednesday saying that it had targeted part of the Israeli air force's surveillance and detection systems at the Ilaniya Base military base using a suicide drone. Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been exchanging fire on almost daily basis since the occupying regime launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza early in October last year. 4353**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraq's resistance strikes Haifa oil refinery IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 16, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- The Islamic Resistance in Iraq says it has launched a drone strike on the Haifa oil refinery in the Israeli occupied territories. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of resistance groups opposed to the US and Israel, reported early on Thursday that it had targeted the Haifa oil refinery using a drone. The drone strike came shortly after the group had reported another drone attack targeting a strategic site in the port of Eilat, in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In a statement, the Islamic Resistance once again emphasized that it would continue attacks against Israeli targets. The resistance alliance has been conducting many such attacks on the US and Israeli targets since the occupying regime launched the genocidal war in Gaza in early October. 4353**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Greetings to Arab League summit participants Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the participants in the 33rd Arab League summit. May 16, 2024 12:00 The message reads, in part: The Middle East is currently undergoing one of its most severe crises to date. The unprecedented escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of civilian lives and has heightened tensions in neighbouring countries and across the region. Given these tragic circumstances, the imperative for a just resolution to the Palestinian issue, based on internationally recognised principles, becomes particularly urgent. Russia remains committed to actively supporting the collective political and diplomatic efforts initiated by the Arab partners to immediately resolve the existing contradictions. Our country is pushing for a sustainable, long-term normalisation of the situation in Palestinian territories and other conflict zones, including Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Syria, and Lebanon, insisting that the sovereignty of all these countries must be guaranteed and international law respected. I firmly believe that the further expansion of the longstanding friendly relations and constructive multifaceted cooperation between the Russian Federation and Arab countries aligns perfectly with our shared interests and contributes to fostering security and stability at both regional and global levels. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary General welcomes Lithuanian Prime Minister to NATO NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 16 May. 2024 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 Lithuania's commitment to Allied security. Lithuania hosts a multinational battlegroup, NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission, and a Centre of Excellence for Energy Security. The Secretary General also praised Lithuania's commitment to spend 3% of GDP on defence from 2025. Mr Stoltenberg thanked Prime Minister Simonyte for Lithuania's support for Ukraine. He highlighted that, at the upcoming Washington Summit, Allied leaders will work towards securing further long-term support for Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OSCE Chair-in-Office Borg affirms continued support for ongoing conflict resolution efforts and emphasises crucial role of civil society in Georgia OSCE | Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe TBILISI 16 May 2024 TBILISI, 16 May 2024 -- During his visit to Georgia, OSCE Chair-in-Office, Malta's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Ian Borg, reaffirmed the OSCE's support for ongoing conflict resolution efforts and underlined the OSCE's strong history of engagement in Georgia. In Tbilisi, Minister Borg held meetings with President Salome Zourabichvili, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili, Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili and the Head of Georgia's delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. He also met civil society representatives and visited conflict-affected areas at a section of the administrative boundary line (ABL). "At a time of multiple crises throughout the OSCE region, the need for increased engagement and co-operation has never been greater. That is why we are ready to strengthen our engagement in and with Georgia, across all three dimensions of security," stated Minister Borg. He underscored the OSCE's commitment to fostering dialogue, confidence-building, and reconciliation to address the consequences of conflict. "As Chair, Malta intends to make the best use of the OSCE's instruments and draw on the Organization's extensive experience to give new impetus to established formats and strengthen channels of communication across the OSCE," stated Minister Borg. "Our aspiration is not merely to manage the status quo, but to achieve tangible progress in our determined efforts to resolve conflicts and effectively address sources of instability - for the benefit of all affected women, men, children or elderly," he said. The Chair-in-Office emphasised the indispensable role of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), in mitigating the consequences of conflict for the affected populations and preventing escalation, highlighting the active efforts of the Chair's Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Ambassador Viorel Mosanu, and the OSCE team in this context. During his visit to the ABL, Minister Borg assessed the humanitarian concerns and needs of the local community, while reaffirming the OSCE's strong co-operation with the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia to maintain stability on the ground. Minister Borg met with members of Georgia's vibrant civil society, highlighting the crucial role their participation plays in strengthening democracy, and fostering a prosperous and secure future. He emphasized the OSCE's comprehensive commitments in this field, particularly on freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of the media. The Chair-in-Office underlined the importance of preventing violence against demonstrators and holding perpetrators accountable. Throughout his visit, Minister Borg acknowledged the significant contributions of Georgian civil society in defending fundamental rights and discussed ongoing developments with various stakeholders. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hamas to Abbas: Israel never awaited excuses to tyrannize Palestinians Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 9:22 PM The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has slammed Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas for his faulting the Gaza Strip-based resistance groups' retaliatory operation of the last year against the occupied territories. The operation, dubbed Al-Aqsa Storm, was carried out on October 7. It came in response to remarkable escalation of the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of occupation and aggression against Palestinians. Addressing an Arab League summit in the Bahraini capital Manama on Thursday, Abbas said the operation had been carried out following a "unilateral decision." It "provided Israel with more pretexts and justifications to attack the Gaza Strip," Abbas added, referring to a genocidal war that the regime has been waging against the coastal sliver since that date. Hamas said it "regretted" the PA chief's remarks, adding that "since 1948, the Zionist enemy has never waited for excuses to commit crimes against our people." The year bore witness to 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 on May 14 that year. Ever since, the regime has waged several wholesale wars against the Gaza Strip, killing thousands of Palestinians during each one. It has also set up hundreds of illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, imposing draconian restrictions on the Palestinians' freedoms there, including their freedom of movement. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Houthi: Yemen to target any Israel-bound ships within range of its weapons Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 6:49 PM Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi has declared that Yemeni forces will target any ship bound for Israeli ports, regardless of whether they pass through the Red Sea. "We will target any ship heading to Israel that comes within range of our weapons," al-Houthi said in televised address on Thursday. Ansarullah and other Yemeni forces, who have targeted Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians, have intensified their operations in recent years. They have pledged to continue their strikes unless Israel stops its invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip. So far this week, Ansarullah has carried out seven operations with 13 ballistic missiles in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, Houthi said Thursday. "There is no red line for us. We are gradually hitting sensitive strategic targets that affect the enemy and we will reach them by God's grace," he said. Houthi said the United States is "complicit with the Zionist regime in the genocide against the Palestinian people, the siege of the Gaza Strip, and the closure of the Rafah crossing. He said it was the Americans who proposed to Israeli regime to attack the Rafah crossing and occupy it. The Rafah crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza has been a vital route for aid to the coastal territory, where a humanitarian crisis has deepened and some people are at risk of famine. Earlier this month, Israeli forces occupied the crossing with Egypt in preparing for a ground invasion of Rafah where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been taking refugee. The occupation came after Hamas announced it had accepted a ceasefire proposal following weeks of talks with Qatar and Egypt. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South Africa tells top UN court Israeli genocide has hit 'new and horrific stage' Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 6:22 PM South Africa has hit out at Israel at the top UN court for stepping up "genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza, urging the court to order a halt to the regime's invasion of the besieged strip's southern city of Rafah. The International Court of Justice on Thursday held the first day of hearings on a new request from South Africa over Israel's plans for a ground invasion of Rafah. The hearings focused on the call for the top UN court to take additional measures to protect Rafah from a "genocidal operation" threatening the very survival of Palestinians. "South Africa had hoped, when we last appeared before this court, to halt this genocidal process to preserve Palestine and its people," South African Ambassador to the Netherlands Vusimuzi Madonsela told the Hague-based court. "Instead, Israel's genocide has continued apace and has just reached a new and horrific stage," he added. South Africa called for unrestricted access to aid into the Gaza Strip and urged the World Court to ensure Israel reports back whether it has adhered to the orders. Vaughan Lowe, a lawyer for South Africa, said the situation on the ground in the wake of the Israeli aggression against the crowded city of Rafah requires fresh ICJ action. The lawyers said the invasion of Rafah is "the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its Palestinian people." "It was Rafah that brought South Africa to the court. But it is all Palestinians as a national, ethnic and racial group who need the protection from genocide that the court can order," he added. The hearings are part of an ongoing case South Africa had filed at the ICJ last December, over Israel's violation of the Genocide Convention. In January, the court ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire. South Africa has stressed that the only way for the existing court orders to be implemented is a "permanent ceasefire in Gaza." Hamas resistance movement's chief Ismail Haniyeh has warned that the Israeli onslaught on Rafah threatens to undermine negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire. Just minutes before the court hearings opened, Israel's military said the operation in Rafah "will continue as additional forces will enter" the area. Months of relentless Israeli attacks keep taking the lives of more and more Palestinian women and children in the Gaza Strip. The overall Palestinian death toll since early October is now approaching 35,300, most of them women and children. The figures exclude the tens of thousands of dead who are believed to be buried in the bombed-out ruins of buildings. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel sends more troops to Rafah, expands military invasion Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 4:52 PM The Israeli military says it is sending an additional brigade to Rafah, pledging to "intensify" its ground invasion in defiance of global warnings over the fate of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians sheltering in Gaza's far-southern city. Minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant said Thursday "additional forces will enter" the Rafah area and "this activity will intensify". Israeli media quoting regime sources reported that the Commando Brigade joined the 162nd Division, which is already deployed in eastern Rafah. At least 600,000 Palestinians have already fled Rafah to other areas in the strip after Israel intensified its military invasion there last week. On May 6, the Israeli military took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt, essentially cutting off aid into the coastal strip. On Thursday, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it was "nearly impossible" to distribute aid within Gaza, adding that crossings were either "closed, unsafe to access, or not logistically viable." Countries around the world, including Israel's Western allies, have warned an onslaught against Rafah would exacerbate the situation inside the besieged region. Hamas resistance movement's chief Ismail Haniyeh has warned that the Israeli onslaught on Rafah threatens to undermine negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire. Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza has also been the main focus of the regime's deadly strikes in recent days. In the latest attacks, Israeli forces shelled a house in the al-Faluja area of Jabalia, killing at least four Palestinians including a pregnant woman. In Khan Younis, Israeli shelling of a house left at least five people dead. The overall death toll since early October reached 35,272 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and 79,205 wounded, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The figures exclude the tens of thousands of dead who are believed to be buried in the bombed-out ruins of buildings. This year's Nakba commemoration, marked on Wednesday, has been dominated by the plight of around 2 million Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli war in the besieged territory. Palestinians say the current situation is worse than Nakba as hundreds of thousands have been forced to leave their homes since the Israeli regime began its onslaught on Gaza. Three Palestinians killed in West Bank raid In the occupied West Bank, three Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli forces during a raid on Tulkarem area on Thursday. Local Palestinian media said a large military force entered the city from several areas and was firing at "anything that moves" in the streets. Israeli forces reportedly stormed several money exchange shops in the city, vandalized and stole from some of them, and arrested at least one of the shop owners. The Tel Aviv regime has escalated its acts of aggression against Palestinians across the West Bank since October 7 last year, when it began its war on the besieged Gaza Strip. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied territory since then. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Slovakia PM in 'very serious' condition after assasination attempt Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 3:28 PM Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico's condition is "very serious" following an assassination attempt that has garnered international condemnation and shocked the nation, a government official has said. The 59-year-old prime minister sustained five gunshot wounds in Handlova's central town following a government meeting on Wednesday. He was critically injured and required extensive emergency surgery that lasted for several hours. Fico was speaking but tired and still in a "really difficult condition", president-elect Peter Pellegrini said after visiting his ally. "He is able to speak but only a few sentences and then he is really, really tired... The situation is very critical," he told reporters outside the hospital. After the assault, Fico was quickly taken to a hospital in Handlova, and then promptly airlifted to the regional capital, Banska Bystrica, for immediate medical care. "During the night, doctors managed to stabilize the patient's condition," Slovakia's Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak, who is also the defense minister, said on Thursday. "Unfortunately, the condition is still very serious as the injuries are complicated," he added. During a press conference, Miriam Lapunikova, the director of F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica, expressed the severity of Fico's condition, emphasizing that his condition "is truly very serious" as he "had multiple gunshot wounds, the consequences of which will affect his recovery". "At this point, his condition has stabilized, but it is truly very serious, and therefore he will remain in the intensive care unit," she added. Earlier, another deputy prime minister, Tomas Taraba, said that Fico's surgery was successful and he is expected to recover. Taraba said the prime minister was shot "from very close" and that "one bullet went through the stomach and the second one hit the joint." The suspect, who was wrestled at the scene of the shooting, is a 71-year-old writer and former security guard, who has been charged with attempted murder. He was among a small group of Fico followers congregated outside a cultural center in Handlova, where Fico was conducting a meeting. The incident was described by Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estoka as a "politically motivated" assassination attempt. Fico has called for the cessation of military assistance to Ukraine and the removal of sanctions on Russia. Upon resuming office as prime minister in October, his administration has reduced aid to Ukraine, initiated talks with Russia, attempted to reduce penalties for corruption, and is restructuring the RTVS public broadcaster. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pledged on Thursday to "fight for peace alone" in the European Union following the assassination attempt on his political ally. Orban, like Fico, advocates peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, and the Hungarian leader characterizes next month's European elections as a referendum on the issue. He has condemned what he says is the EU's fueling of the war in Ukraine through their support of Kiev. "Today we must fight for peace alone... with twice the strength," Orban said in a post on Facebook. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel confirms Hezbollah attacked sensitive military base housing giant spy blimp Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 9:58 AM Israel confirms Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement has attacked a sensitive military facility from which a giant spy balloon, known as Sky Dew, is operated. The Israeli military said on Thursday morning that an explosive-laden Hezbollah drone had hit an Israeli airbase, situated some 35 kilometers from the northern border between the occupied territories and Lebanon. The operation was Hezbollah's "deepest strike" in the occupied lands since Israel launched its aggression against the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported. Before the new operation, the reports added, Hezbollah had fired projectiles at Israeli targets up to around 15 kilometers from the frontier. On Tuesday, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted and destroyed an Israeli balloon, which used to spy on Lebanon, over the settlement of Adamit. The resistance group also said that it had struck the balloon's launch base, control mechanism and personnel, which killed and injured Israeli soldiers. It further noted that the operation was a response to recent Israeli strikes on Lebanon's southern villages and civilian homes. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging deadly fire since early October, shortly after the regime launched its Gaza onslaught following a surprise operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group. Hezbollah has vowed to keep up its retaliatory operations as long as the Tel Aviv regime continues its brutal Gaza war, which has so far killed at least 35,233 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 79,141 others. Hezbollah fought off two Israeli wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, forcing a humiliating retreat upon the occupation's military on both occasions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 15: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 8:00 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 15, are as follows: Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on May 15: Targeted an Israeli infantry force with anti-personnel shell south of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. Bombed the settlement of "Amitai" with the 114mm short-range "Rajoom" rocket system. Targeted a Merkava tank with an Al-Yassin 105 shell in the Al-Aradat area, east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Targeted a Merkava 4 tank east of the city of Jabalia with an Al-Yassin 105 shell. Targeted the "Liman" military barracks in western Al-Jalil in northern occupied Palestine with a concentrated rocket barrage fired from southern Lebanon. Targeted a D9 bulldozer with an Al-Yassin 105 shell, east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Targeted a special Israeli military force with two anti-personnel TBG shells on the axis of advance east of Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Detonated a Shuath explosive device against a special Israeli military force that attempted to infiltrate a house east of Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Al-Quds Brigades' operations on May 15: Targeted the illegal Israeli settlement of "Sderot" with a barrage of rockets. Targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles on Jabal Al-Kashef, east of the city of Jabalia, with a barrage of 60-caliber standard mortar shells. Sniped an Israeli sniper barricaded in a building on Abu Al-Aish Street in the city of Jabalia. Targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles on Jabal Al-Kashef, east of the city of Jabalia, with a barrage of 81-caliber standard mortar shells. Targeted Israeli infantry soldiers with a barrage of 60-caliber regular mortar shells in the vicinity of Al-Tabi'een Mosque, east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. In a joint operation with Mujahideen Brigades, targeted a Merkava tank with an anti-tank shell on Abu Al-Aish Street in Jabalia camp. Targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles on Abu Al-Aish Street in Jabalia camp with a barrage of standard 81 caliber mortar shells. In a joint operation with Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades, targeted a fortified Israeli military force in one of the buildings in Jabalia camp with a 107-type rocket. Targeted a Merkava tank and a military bulldozer at the Al-Tarnas junction in the Jabalia camp with tandem shells. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' operations on May 15: Detonated an anti-personnel explosive device in a house near Abu Zeitoun area in the Jabalia camp, targeting an Israeli infantry army that had infiltrated that house. Bombed the Abu Mutibaq Israeli military site east of the central governorate with a 107-type rocket barrage. Shelled a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles with standard mortar shells before their withdrawal from Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City. Engaged in fierce clashes using machine guns and RPGs with Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles advancing in several axes east of Jabalia camp. Bombed the positions of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles with a barrage of standard mortar shells on "Trance" street in Jabalia camp. Targeted an Israeli military Merkava tank type with an "RBG85" shell, behind Abu Zeitoun Schools, east of Jabalia camp. Targeted an Israeli military vehicle with an RPG shell on the axis of advance on Al-Ternis Street in Jabalia Camp, confirming direct hit. Bombed a gathering of Israeli soldiers and their military vehicles in the combat axes inside the Rafah land crossing in the southern Gaza Strip with mortar shells. Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces' operations on May 15: Targeted Israeli forces and their military vehicles on the axes of advance in the Al-Salam and Al-Jeneina neighborhoods, east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, with mortar shells. Detonated an explosive device in the vicinity of Ibn Taymiyyah Mosque in the Brazilian neighborhood, east of the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades' operations on May 15: Zafar Mehdi, [5/16/2024 11:20 AM] Engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli regime forces in the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip in a joint operation with Al-Qassam Brigades, Saraya Al-Quds, and other resistance factions. Shelled a gathering of Israeli forces east of the Jabalia camp with mortar shells. Mujahideen Brigades' operations on May 15: In a joint operation with Al-Quds Brigades, targeted a Merkava tank with an anti-tank shell on Abu Al-Aish Street in the Jabalia camp. Targeted a D9 military bulldozer with a (RBG71) shell in the axis of the advance of Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City. Al-Nasser Salah Al-Din Brigades' operations on May 15: Targeted an Israeli military post on "Mount Gerzim" [Jabal Al-Tur] with a barrage of bullets. In a joint operation with Al-Quds Brigades, targeted an Israeli military special force fortified in a house in the Jabalia camp with a 107-regular type rocket. In a joint operation with Al-Qassam Brigades, blew up an Israeli troop carrier with a sticky bomb from point-blank range in the Jabalia camp, resulting in many casualties. In a joint operation with Al-Quds Brigades, bombed the settlement of "Sderot" with two regular type 107mm rockets. Hezbollah's operations on May 15: Eastern sector: At around 12:00 local time, surveillance equipment of the Israeli military at the Radar site in Lebanon's Shebaa was targeted with appropriate weapons. At around 16:58 local time, the Al-Samaqa site in Lebanon's Kfar Shuba was targeted with missiles. Western sector: At around 11:35 local time, the headquarters of the 91st Division of the Israeli military in the Branit Barracks was targeted with Burkan missiles. At around 12:00 local time, the headquarters of the Israeli military Air Control Unit at Meron Base was targeted with Katyusha rockets, heavy rockets, and artillery shells. At around 17:00 local time, the Ras Naqoura naval site of the Israeli military was targeted with artillery shells. At around 19:50 local time, the Ilani base of the Israeli military west of the city of Tiberias was targeted with drones. Islamic Resistance in Iraq's operations on May 15: Targeted a vital military target in the occupied city of Eilat with a barrage of drones. Launched advanced cruise missiles towards vital targets in the occupied Palestine in the areas of Wadi Areeha and "Nevatim" Air Base in Bir Al-Sabi'. Yemeni military's operations on May 15: Carried a military operation targeting the American destroyer "Mason" in the Red Sea with a number of appropriate naval missiles. Carried out a joint operation targeting the ship "Destiny" in the Red Sea with a barrage of missile after it was heading to the ports of occupied Palestine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan lawmakers to visit disputed South China Sea island Analysts say the trip by opposition legislators may be aimed at putting pressure on the new government. By RFA Staff 2024.05.16 -- 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 Taiwan's 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 People's 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 legislature's 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 Saturday's trip. Message to DPP The Taiping visit takes place just two days before Tsai's successor, Lai Ching-te, is sworn in as president on May 20. The trip is aimed at sending a defiant message about Taiwan's sovereignty to the DPP, said Lin Ying-yu, an assistant professor at Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies. "The opposition wants to convey the criticism that the DPP's stance is too weak in defending the sovereignty over our islands," Lin told Radio Free Asia. Taiping - the largest of the naturally formed features within the Spratly archipelago - is 1,600 km (994 miles) from Taiwan's Kaohsiung city, 380 km (205 miles) from Palawan island in the Philippines and 580 km (360 miles) from Vietnam's central coast. As both Vietnam and the Philippines also claim the island, they are likely to protest the visit, Lin said. Vietnam's ministry of foreign affairs did not immediately respond to RFA's 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 China's 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. 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 Vietnam's sovereignty" and demanding Taiwan "immediately stop its wrongful actions". Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang. Copyright 1998-2024, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Vietnam's only female Politburo member steps down Truong Thi Mai was the fifth most powerful politician in the country. By RFA Staff 2024.05.16 -- The only female member of Vietnam's Politburo has stepped down, state media reported Thursday. The Politburo accepted Truong Thi Mai's resignation, saying the Central Inspection Committee found there were "a number of violations and shortcomings in her work," VNExpress reported. Mai's departure comes after this year's 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. Thursday's 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 weren't named, at a month-long meeting which starts Monday. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bob Egelko has been a reporter since June 1970. He spent 30 years with the Associated Press, covering news, politics and occasionally sports in Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento, and legal affairs in San Francisco from 1984 onward. He worked for the San Francisco Examiner for five months in 2000, then joined The Chronicle in November 2000. His beat includes state and federal courts in California, the Supreme Court and the State Bar. He has a law degree from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento and is a member of the bar. Coverage has included the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, the appointment of Rose Bird to the state Supreme Court and her removal by the voters, the death penalty in California and the battles over gay rights and same-sex marriage. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Warns Georgia's Approval Of 'Foreign Agent' Law Endangers Its EU Bid By RFE/RL's Georgian Service May 16, 2024 TBILISI -- Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said his visit to Tbilisi this week was meant to show support for demonstrators opposed to Georgia's "foreign agent" bill and to warn against a "fateful decision" that could derail all the work the country has done toward becoming an EU member. Landsbergis, who spoke with RFE/RL's Georgian Service on May 15, said he hopes his visit to Georgia shows the Caucasus nation that it faces a choice between one path leading to the European Union and another that "brings you closer to Russia." What he heard "loud and clear" from Georgians during his visit was that "it's obviously clear that Georgia belongs to Europe," he said. And he heard nothing that made him think this was a "forced" or "ambiguous, short-term decision." But he said he wanted to visit Georgia to "ring the bell and raise a red flag," that if the "foreign agent" bill -- approved earlier this week by parliament -- becomes law, Georgia's EU membership bid may hang in the balance. "We hear the Georgian people when we think about Georgia, so losing that is a very big decision," he said. Tens of thousands of Georgians have been demonstrating against the "foreign agent" bill, which is backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party and was passed by parliament on May 14. The demonstrations, which have at times been met with violence from security officers, have opposed Georgia shifting away from a pro-Western course. The legislation 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. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has pledged to veto the bill in the coming days, however the dominant position of Georgian Dream and its partners in parliament is strong enough to override a presidential veto. Landsbergis said requiring NGOs and other organizations that have operations in Georgia to be labeled as foreign agents because they "raise questions that you don't like" is not democratic and is not in compliance with the European standards. He added that if it's transparency the Georgian government seeks by pursuing the law, there are "European ways" to achieve these goals, and the European Commission and partner countries such as Lithuania can help Georgia understand how to implement them. Landsbergis, who met with Zurabishvili during his visit, said he expressed concern over the violence that authorities have used against demonstrators, saying this also conflicts the goal of pursuing a European path. "It's truly worrying what we see happening in the street when it comes to intimidations and brutality," he said. "This has to stop." Peaceful protest has to be allowed and protected, he added, "so that people can have a voice in the matters that are important to them." Landsbergis said the authorities had used "concerted" intimidation against the demonstrators and this means they have been planned and organized. He said he and the other ministers raised questions about the violence in their talks with government officials and said they expected the incidents would be investigated. "We brought it up in every meeting that we had," he said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/landsbergis- georgia-eu-bid-law/32950469.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fugitive Moldovan Oligarch Gets Russian Citizenship By RFE/RL's Moldovan Service May 16, 2024 Fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor has obtained Russian citizenship and identity documents, Moldovan authorities confirmed on May 16, a move that runs counter to current legislation in the tiny country wedged between Ukraine and Romania. Shor, who was sentenced to 15 years in June last year for his role in a $1 billion bank fraud and other illicit schemes, has been under both U.S. and European Union sanctions for his attempts to destabilize Moldova, one of Europe's poorest nations. Shor, who founded the pro-Moscow Shor Party, fled Moldova following pro-Western President Maia Sandu's election in 2020 and has been reportedly hiding in Israel, whose citizenship he also possesses. Shor was granted Russian citizenship and obtained a passport in January, according to information obtained by Moldovan authorities, police spokeswoman Diana Fetco said. Fetco said Russian authorities failed to officially notify Chisinau that Shor had become a Russian citizen. Viorel Tentiu, the chief of the Moldovan brach of Interpol, told local media that Shor got Russian citizenship at the beginning of this year and now has three passports -- Moldovan, Israeli, and Russian -- although Moldovan legislation only allows dual citizenship. The Shor Party was declared unconstitutional by Moldova's Constitutional Court and dissolved in June last after it organized months of antigovernment protests in Chisinau with the aim of toppling Sandu and her reformist government. Shor orchestrated the protests from abroad, addressing the rallies via video ink. U.S.-educated Sandu has been working to shake off Moscow's decades-long influence on the former Soviet republic and bring the country closer to the European Union. Moldova received an invitation to open accession negotiations with the 27-member bloc in June 2022. Separately, nine lawmakers formerly affiliated with the banned Shor Party announced in Parliament on May 16 that they have established a new parliamentary group called Victorie-Pobeda whose main aim is to unite the opposition against Sandu when she stands for re-election in October. Following the announcement, speaker Igor Grosu ordered an "assessment" of the legality of the new group, which was reportedly formed on April 21 in Moscow. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/fugitive- shor-moldova-russian-citizienship/32950124.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fico In Serious But Stable Condition After 'Lone Wolf' Assassination Attempt By RFE/RL May 16, 2024 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." 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 shouldn't 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, 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, 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-conscious- assassination-shooting/32949963.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Georgian President Calls 'Foreign Agent' Law 'Unacceptable' By RFE/RL's Georgian Service and RFE/RL's Echo of the Caucasus May 16, 2024 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. "It's 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. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/foreign-agent-law-georgia- zurabishvili-kobakhidze-michel-katsarava/32949566.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada Sanctions 4 Israelis Over Extremist Violence in West Bank - Foreign Ministry Sputnik News 20240516 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - 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. "Today's measures represent a significant step in Canada's 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. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Blinken's Call with Slovak Foreign Minister Blanar US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson May 16, 2024 The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar following the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico. The Secretary expressed solidarity with Slovakia and his wishes for the Prime Minister's speedy recovery. Secretary Blinken underlined the enduring bonds between the American and Slovak people. He condemned political violence in all its forms. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address "We will continue to support Georgia's efforts for integration with Euro-Atlantic institutions" Presidency Of The Republic Of Turkey 16.05.2024 Holding a joint press conference with Prime Minister Kobakhidze of Georgia, President Erdogan noted that they had fruitful talks, and said: "I reaffirmed Turkiye's strong support for Georgia's territorial integrity, sovereignty, stability and welfare. I also highlighted that we will continue to support Georgia's efforts for integration with Euro-Atlantic institutions." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgia held a joint press conference following their bilateral meeting at the Presidential Complex. Referring to the heinous attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico of the friendly and allied Slovakia, President Erdogan said: "We will continue to stand up against any action that threatens our region's peace, stability, and security." "I REAFFIRMED TURKIYE'S STRONG SUPPORT FOR GEORGIA'S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY" Describing his meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Kobakhidze as productive, President Erdogan said: "We had fruitful talks with Mr. Prime Minister as two neighbors and strategic partners. I reaffirmed Turkiye's strong support for Georgia's territorial integrity, sovereignty, stability and welfare. I also highlighted that we will continue to support Georgia's efforts for integration with Euro-Atlantic institutions. Mr. Prime Minister shared his views and opinions on the domestic political situation in Georgia. As Turkiye, we hope the developments may end in such a manner as to benefit the Georgian people." "REGIONAL COOPERATION PROJECTS CONSTITUTE ONE OF THE MAIN PILLARS OF THE TURKIYE-GEORGIA RELATIONS" The bilateral trade volume between Turkiye and Georgia reached $3 billion last year, noted the President, and continued as follows: "During our talks, we focused on $5 billion as the new target. We believe that we will reach this figure swiftly through new business opportunities our shared potential enables us to forge. Regional cooperation projects constitute one of the main pillars of the Turkiye-Georgia relations. We continue our work in order to ensure that the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which is the backbone of the Middle Corridor that revitalizes the Historical Silk Road through rails, becomes functional again with its full capacity. We reaffirmed our will to cooperate on other transportation and energy projects, as well. I conveyed it to Mr. Prime Minister that we stand ready to lend support to Georgia in major infrastructure projects such as airports, ports and roads, as well as the production and transfer of renewable energy." "WE DELIBERATED ON STEPS THAT WILL MAKE OUR FIGHT AGAINST TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS MORE EFFECTIVE" Pointing out that cooperation in the fight against terrorist organizations was also on the agenda of their meeting, President Erdogan said: "We reviewed our relations in security cooperation during our talks. We deliberated on steps that will make our fight against terrorist organizations and organized crime networks, particularly FETO and PKK, more effective. We are determined to maintain our fight against these illegitimate formations that threaten our citizens' peace and even lives both at home and abroad." "ALL OF HUMANKIND MUST SUPPORT THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM" Noting that current regional and global issues were also on the agenda of the meeting with Mr. Prime Minister, President Erdogan said their meeting addressed the atrocities in Gaza and the international community's responsibilities on this issue. Underlining that all of humankind must support the Palestinian people's struggle for freedom, for which they have paid a hefty price, through law and diplomacy, President Erdogan stated that the resolution the United Nations General Assembly adopted on May 10 reflects the position taken by the international community, and he urged the countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to recognize it. "AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA PEACE AGREEMENT WOULD PRESENT A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THE REGION'S FUTURE" President Erdogan went onto say: "We exchanged views on the Russia-Ukraine war, as well. I reaffirmed Turkiye's support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. We once again highlighted the importance of peace, tranquility and stability in the South Caucasus, and reiterated our determination to work to this end. I also expressed to the esteemed Prime Minister my opinion that a peace agreement to be signed by Azerbaijan and Armenia would present a historic opportunity for the future of the region." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A successful negotiation is the best route to get all hostages returned to their families: UK statement at the UN Security Council Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council Arria Meeting on condemning hostage-taking in Israel. 16 May 2024 Thank you, Chair. And I thank the US for convening this meeting which the UK has been proud to co-sponsor. I also want to pay tribute to Professor Halperin-Kaddari, Dr Haran, Ms Samerano and Mr Roman for your courageous and powerful testimony before us today. After 222 days in captivity, 134 hostages remain in Gaza, including British nationals and others with strong UK links. We are extremely concerned about the reports that many of them are believed to be very ill or deceased. The UK is clear: we call for the immediate, unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza held by Hamas and other groups. Hostage-taking is unlawful and poses a clear threat to international peace and security. We unequivocally condemn the taking of hostages by Hamas. And as we have heard today, the implications on the health and psychological well-being of hostages can be catastrophic, as is the impact and lasting trauma on their families and on their communities. We reiterate the need for the ICRC to be granted urgent access to all hostages held by Hamas. And we are also working urgently to advocate against a ground offensive in Rafah which would have devastating consequences for the civilians sheltering there. Since the beginning of this crisis, the UK has worked with partners seeking to secure a deal which gets the hostages out and allows for a pause in the fighting to ensure the delivery of vital humanitarian, life-saving aid which is urgently needed. We must then work with our international partners to turn that pause into a sustainable, permanent ceasefire. We continue to support the ongoing efforts of Egypt, Qatar, and the US in this regard. My Prime Minister spoke to the Emir of Qatar on 13 May. They acknowledged the importance of a resumption of negotiations, which followed the Foreign Secretary's conversation with Foreign Minister Shoukry earlier that week. The United Kingdom has always been clear: a successful negotiation is the best route to get all hostages returned to their families. The hostage families, including those we've heard from today, are being forced to live through unimaginable pain. Both my Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have met on numerous occasions with family members, in both Israel and in the UK, to hear about their ordeal. The UK government is providing ongoing support to those affected and remains committed to doing as much as we can for their loved ones to be returned. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Department of Public Information . News and Media Division . New York 16 May 2024 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General. ** Briefing Today Once I am finished here, at 12:30 p.m., there will be a briefing by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) to launch the World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2024. The briefers will be Shantanu Mukherjee, DESA's Director of Economic Analysis and Policy, along with Hamid Rashid, DESA's Chief of the Global Economic Monitoring Branch in the Economic Analysis and Policy Division. The report will update the global and regional economic forecasts released in January and will be available at desapublications.un.org. Our colleague, Florencia [Soto Nino-Martinez], will moderate. ** League of Arab States Summit The Secretary-General spoke to the Summit of the League of Arab States in Bahrain today. He told the assembled leaders that he sees much potential in the Arab region. "You have the resources. You have the culture. You have the people. But there is one core condition for success in today's world: unity," he said. Mr. [Antonio] Guterres encouraged Arab leaders to overcome divisions and move forward together to build a more peaceful and prosperous future for the people of the Arab world and beyond. Turning to Gaza, the Secretary-General said that the conflict is an open wound that threatens to infect the entire region. He repeated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages in Gaza. He reminded the delegates that UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) remains the backbone of the UN's operations in Gaza and a lifeline for Palestine refugees across the region. It needs full support and funding, the Secretary-General stressed. The Secretary-General also raised the situation in Sudan and urged the international community to intensify its push for peace. He called on all the warring parties to agree on a lasting ceasefire which would need to be followed by a political process that includes women's and youth groups. Prior to going to the Summit venue, the Secretary-General met with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, with whom he discussed cooperation between their respective Organizations, as well as the situation in the Middle East region, including the conflict in Gaza, as well as Sudan and Syria. Just after that, he met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon. They discussed the situation in Lebanon, including concerns in relation to the heightened tensions along the Blue Line. They also discussed refugee-related issues, including UNRWA's critical work. The Secretary-General later met with Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. They exchanged views on regional developments, particularly the role of Saudi Arabia in the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict leading towards a two-State solution. The Secretary-General and the Crown Prince also discussed the situations in Sudan and Yemen. He also discussed Gaza in separate meetings with the King of Jordan and the King of Bahrain. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, for days now, crossings into southern Gaza have been closed, unsafe to access, or not logistically viable. Distribution is almost impossible without regular fuel imports. Telecommunications are unstable, and the fighting is ongoing. The impact is devastating for the more than 2 million people living in Gaza. Without a consistent fuel supply, everything stops: trucks, hospitals, generators for hospitals and systems critical to the water, sanitation and hygiene response such as for desalination and sewage pumping. Meanwhile, OCHA says that the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remains alarming, amid ongoing violence by Israeli forces and settlers, the destruction of civilian property and further displacement. Earlier this week, the last two remaining families in the Ein Samiya herding community in Ramallah including nearly a dozen children were forced to leave, following attacks by Israeli settlers. Those settlers remain in the area, which is preventing the families from returning. As of yesterday, all 29 households in Ein Samiya more than 150 people have been displaced. Across the West Bank, nearly 1,400 people mostly from herding families have been displaced since October amid ongoing settler violence and access restrictions. ** Iraq This morning, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, briefed Security Council Members by videoconference. She stressed that, currently, a more stable security environment prevails in Iraq. She added that with the next parliamentary vote now expected to be held this coming Saturday, there is hope that the new Speaker will be confirmed soon. Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert noted that she is addressing the Council Members today for the last time before departing from her current position later this month. ** Haiti Turning to Haiti, we and our partners continue to support people affected and displaced by the ongoing violence. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), through its mobile clinics, and its partners have supported more than 20,000 displaced people in the capital, Port-au-Prince, since the end of February. Our humanitarian partners continue to provide psychosocial support, reaching more than 1,000 children in displacement sites between 8 and 15 May. As we have mentioned, women and girls are particularly at risk of sexual and gender-based violence given the unsafe conditions in many displacement sites. Humanitarian organizations continue to organize prevention and awareness activities. They also identify survivors and make sure they receive proper care. UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and their partners have distributed more than 9 million litres of drinking water to more than 70,000 people since March 1st. Yesterday, a team from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, accompanied by local partners, visited a displacement site in Solino, south of the capital, which currently hosts nearly 900 displaced people. The team spoke with displaced people and partners working on the site. Local NGOs continue to carry out crucial work, but there are significant gaps due to the lack of resources. We reiterate our call to the international community to support the humanitarian response, especially for our local partners, who continue to be in the front line. ** International Days Today is the International Day of Living Together in Peace. It's a day to remember that living together in peace is all about accepting differences. Today is also the International Day of Light. This day celebrates the role that light plays in science, culture and art, education and sustainable development, and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications and energy. Are there any questions for me? Yes, Amelie first. ** Questions and Answers Question : Thanks, Farhan. I have two Gaza-related questions. First, the US pier is now operational, and Israel and the US said that the UN will be... especially WFP will be in charge of delivering the aid on the ground. So, can you...? Since in the last few days, you said there was no agreement. Can you confirm there's been an agreement now and give us some details about what the UN will do? Deputy Spokesman : What I could say on that, we are finalizing our operational plans to make sure that we're ready to handle aid once the floating dock is properly functioning, while ensuring the safety of our staff. Community awareness and acceptance is paramount to ensure the safety and security of this operation. We're grateful for the efforts of Cyprus, supported by other Member States, to sustain the maritime corridor as an additional route for aid to Gaza. And of course, we're thankful to the US for all the work they've done in creating the floating dock. However, 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. Land routes are the most viable, effective and efficient aid delivery method, which is why we need all crossing points to be opened. 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. Question : And I have another one, if I may. Deputy Spokesman : Yeah, sure. Question : The League of Arab States in the summit today called for the UN to deploy a peacekeeping mission in the Palestinian occupied territories. I know that would require mandate of the Security Council, but would the SG support this kind of mission? Deputy Spokesman : Ultimately, the creation of peacekeeping missions depends on a variety of things. One of them, as you just pointed out, is a mandate from the Security Council. And, of course, the Council would have to agree on that. And then, of course, there need to be conditions on the ground, including acceptance by the parties of a UN presence. And that too is something that would need to be established. Those are not things we take for granted. Edie? Question : Thank you, Farhan. A couple of follow-ups on the US pier. Does your statement mean that the issues of neutrality that are critical for the United Nations have been settled to the UN's satisfaction, particularly concerning the Israeli Defence Force's (IDF's) involvement? Deputy Spokesman : Like I said, at this stage, we're finalizing our operational plans. It's not completed yet. But hopefully, we will be ready in time for when aid deliveries are needed. Question : So that means that negotiations are still going on? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Question : And secondly, on the issue of actually delivering any aid that comes via the pier, is the issue of fuel supplies available in Gaza critical, and can you give us an update on fuel deliveries? Deputy Spokesman : Yes, the situation of fuel supplies is critical. Basically, fuel imports have stopped since the Rafah operation began, with very limited exceptions. At this stage, in terms of aid getting in, some commodities have come in through the new opening at Zikim that I had mentioned a few days ago. Zikim is in the north-west. So, the need is still very acute in the south. But we're getting some aid in there and there's some limited aid that's come through Kerem Shalom; although, even though Kerem Shalom is technically open, it continues not to be logistically viable. And one example I have of that is, just yesterday at Kerem Shalom, our humanitarian colleagues were ready to bring in commodities from Kerem Shalom into Gaza, but they had to wait five and a half hours before their movement was approved through a corridor where we've seen daily hostilities and considerable congestion. So, it's not a good [crossing] point. So basically, the bottom line is only small amounts of food are getting in and in terms of fuel, the fuel imports have, for all practical purposes, stopped; we desperately need more fuel. Question : And is there any update... and forgive me if I missed this, on the number of Palestinians who have fled Rafah and who have fled the fighting in the north? Deputy Spokesman : Well, UNRWA has been giving more figures. But it's clear that every day more and more people go. Yesterday, I had said that it was about 600,000, and it's more than that. So, we're going past... It seems like every day, there's tens of thousands, up to a hundred thousand more per day leaving. Gabriel? Question : Thanks, Farhan. Do you know if the aid coming in through the floating dock will include fuel? Deputy Spokesman : I do not know. We need fuel, and we need it basically through the road crossing so that we can get it also to our trucks. Ultimately, you know, we'll have more details about aid going into the floating dock once those ships have arrived. Question : But there... with no fuel, you can get as much aid as you want down the floating dock. But without fuel, your trucks cannot distribute it, is that correct? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. I mean, 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. Question : Can I ask one more on The Hague? I know you don't comment per se on the proceedings at The Hague. However, as you know, South Africa made the argument today, essentially, that circumstances have changed on the ground, particularly in Rafah, and that's why more provisional measures are needed. Does the Secretary-General agree that the situation has changed on the ground enough that new provisional measures need to be at least considered? Deputy Spokesman : That's a good try to get me to comment on an ongoing judicial proceeding. I'm not going to do that, but what I will say is, it's clear from our daily briefings to you what the conditions on the ground are, and you can evaluate them for yourself. Yvonne? Question : Thanks, Farhan. Following up on Nabil's question there with regards to fuel, is it clear to the people involved in setting up this floating pier that, without fuel, you're not going to be able, as a UN operation, to distribute the aid and, therefore, it is next to useless putting it there? Deputy Spokesman : We've made our needs for fuel extremely clear to all our interlocutors. And indeed, I did so just at the start of today's briefing. But, yes, it should be clear to everyone: Without fuel, the aid that we get cannot go to the people who need it. Question : But isn't there a danger now that aid is actually going to arrive via this new port, but it will just be left there to spoil because there's no way of distributing it? Deputy Spokesman : Well, this is the sort of danger that we've been warning about the Kerem Shalom crossing, which technically has been open, but not in such a way that's logistically viable for us to get aid through quickly in the right numbers, in the right amounts. Ibtisam? Question : Thank you, Farhan. I'm just trying to understand the port logistics. So, I understand you need, within Gaza, you need the trucks to deliver. But from the port, are you... do you need to go also through checkpoints or through crossings in Israel itself and then go through, or is it from the port directly to the Gaza Strip? Could you clarify that? Deputy Spokesman : The way aid comes in through the port and the arrangements that are being made for it are part of the discussions that have been ongoing. I won't have a final answer to give to you until it's clear what has been agreed to. Question : So, until now, it's not clear to you, if you have to go again through other crossings? So, this is what you are basically... [cross talk] Deputy Spokesman : We're clarifying how the aid will get to us. Ultimately, like I said, what we're doing is we're finalizing the operational plans so that we can be ready to handle the aid once the dock is properly functioning. Evelyn? Question : Thank you, Farhan. You have the number of people fleeing Gaza. Do you know where they flee to? Deputy Spokesman : There's no place safe in Gaza, but they've been fleeing to other areas, including... we mentioned over the last days that they moved to areas that are essentially largely unoccupied, often desert areas where there's not sufficient water, there's not sufficient electricity, and so we're very concerned about the places where they've been going. [cross talk] Question : Desert in what country? Deputy Spokesman : Still within Gaza. Question : Within Gaza. Deputy Spokesman : Edie? Question : Thank you, Farhan. One more clarification on the negotiations or discussions that are still going on about UN participation in the aid coming in via the US pier, is the issue of neutrality required by the United Nations, particularly regarding the Israeli Defence Forces, one of the issues that is still under discussion? Deputy Spokesman : What I can say on that is that it's very clear not just here, but in all our operations that we need to protect the neutrality of our operations. And so, we continue to insist upon that. Yes, Serife. Question : Thank you, Farhan. I have a question. The other day, when the Secretary-General was warning about the increasing conflict in El Fasher, Sudan, he said that intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population and wilfully impeding humanitarian relief for civilians in need may constitute war crimes. So, correct me if I wrong, but I haven't heard a similar warning from the Secretary-General regarding Gaza. So, would this warning be applicable in the situation of Gaza, as well? Deputy Spokesman : International law is international law across the board. So, what he says for one circumstance applies to all. Question : But then why wouldn't he openly say this regarding the situation in Gaza? Like his remarks, he will... [cross talk] Deputy Spokesman : I think we've been clear about the violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, as well as in Sudan. Correspondent : Thank you. Deputy Spokesman : Linda? Question : Thank you, Farhan. This is again regarding Gaza. My question is this, is that there's active fighting going on in Gaza between Hamas and Israel. Does the UN have any much information about the level of fighting, the kind of fighting? Are they alerted in advance where fighting will occur? So that aid can be delivered or there'll be some... Deputy Spokesman : We have deconfliction policies so that we try to advise our Israeli counterparts about when and where our aid operations are going. That doesn't mean that we are aware of all the military operations. That's not part of what we get informed. Question : Do you tell the other side as well? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. Stefano? Question : Thank you, Farhan. You may remember the case of Luca Attanasio, the Italian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, but he was murdered in in 2021 while he was on a trip on the invitation of the WFP, the UN agency, to visit some of its projects. Now, Salvatore Attanasio that is the father of Luca Attanasio he just said during a hearing and a commission of Italy Senate that it was not an accident, but an execution. And he said that there was also cover-up on the investigation. So, question is, does the UN think that it was an accident during an attempt of kidnapping or an execution? Deputy Spokesman : Well, that is for the appropriate legal authorities on the ground to determine. What I can tell you is that the United Nations provided all of the relevant information at its disposal with the relevant legal authorities. All right. Have a good morning, everyone. Have a good afternoon. And at 12:30, we'll have a briefing here... [cross talk] Question : Again, you don't take the questions from the online? Deputy Spokesman : You know, I'm sorry, but I look at my phone and no one tells me about your thing; yes, what's your question? Question : I put my name in. So, what else can I do? Deputy Spokesman : I will write my colleagues right now. Hold on. Okay. Go ahead. Question : Okay. Thank you. In his speech to the Arab Summit meeting in Bahrain the Secretary-General said that it is about time to declare a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons. Every time he speaks about ceasefire, he connects it with the humanitarian reasons. Not one single time, as far as I know, correct me if I'm wrong, he didn't call unconditional ceasefire; why is that? Deputy Spokesman : At this point, what the Secretary-General believes is that you need a ceasefire that will allow for a humanitarian pause and will allow for humanitarian relief to get in. It's crucially important. What's your other question? Question : The other question, again, I'm going, I'm reading his speech. When he mentions 7 October, he right... straightforward he mentioned Hamas and terrorist and he labels it as a terrorist operation. But when he mentioned families obliterated, killing children, all the attacking civilians; not one single time he mentioned Israel. The doer is always absent. Why is that again? And I'm going to keep asking this until I get a real concrete answer. Deputy Spokesman : I believe the Secretary-General has repeatedly and clearly talked about Israel's actions, and he has made very clear what Israel's responsibilities are. He has done it over and over again, and he continues to do so. All right. Have a good afternoon, everyone. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Guterres repeats call to Israel to halt Rafah assault as aid stocks dwindle 16 May 2024 - UN chief Antonio Guterres reiterated his warning on Thursday against a full-scale assault on Rafah, just as aid teams issued increasingly urgent appeals for safe passage throughout Gaza, to replenish dangerously low stocks of lifesaving supplies. In a related development, the UN's top court prepared to hear a new request from South Africa to issue more constraints on Israeli military action in the enclave. In a call for the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" still held in Gaza, the Secretary-General told Arab League leaders at a Summit in Bahrain that nothing justified the "collective punishment" of Palestinians. "Any assault on Rafah is unacceptable; it would inflict another surge of pain and misery when we need a surge in life-saving aid," he added. Flanked by Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, Mr. Guterres also renewed his strong backing for the UN agency. It "remains the backbone of our operations in Gaza and a lifeline for Palestine refugees across the region. It needs full support and funding," he insisted, as the UN World Food Programme (WFP) issued a new warning about looming famine in Gaza. Crossing barriers "Food and fuel stocks will run out in a matter of days," WFP warned in a social media post on X. "Since 6 May, we have not been able to access and receive aid from the Kerem Shalom crossing. The situation is becoming unsustainable." The UN agency highlighted the very real threat that any further escalation of hostilities in Gaza could bring aid operations "to a complete standstill" and lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. Although WFP has provided special nutritional foods to pregnant and breastfeeding women along with children under five across Gaza, the UN agency said that as of 11 May distributions were suspended in Rafah "and are only ongoing in Khan Younis and Deir El Balah in a limited capacity". In northern Gaza, WFP also warned that rates of acute malnutrition among under two-year-olds "doubled from 15 per cent in January to 30 per cent in March". Humanitarians warn that acute malnutrition is the most deadly form of malnutrition, leaving affected children between three to 12 times more likely to die than a well-nourished child. The dire assessment comes as the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported late Wednesday that 600,000 people - one quarter of Gaza's population - have now been forcibly displaced from Rafah in the last week, amid ongoing Israeli military activity and evacuation orders. Another 100,000 people have been uprooted from the north to comply with evacuation orders by the Israeli military, while heavy gun battles have reportedly raged. Evacuation orders at scale According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, "285 square kilometres, or approximately 78 per cent of the Gaza Strip" are now subject to evacuation orders by the Israeli military. In its latest update, OCHA reported continuing bombardment "from the air, land and sea...across much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure". The UN office confirmed reports of ground incursions and heavy fighting in Jabalia in northern Gaza, as well as in Deir al Balah in central Gaza and eastern Rafah in the south. "As of 15 May, Rafah crossing remains closed. Kerem Shalom crossing is operational, but the prevailing security and logistical conditions are hampering humanitarian aid deliveries at scale," OCHA noted. Echoing those concerns, the WFP insisted that "multiple entry points" for aid are required "to reverse six months of near starvation conditions and avert a famine, steady flows of food supplies, every day and every week...The threat of famine in Gaza never loomed larger." South Africa v. Israel In an effort to halt the military operation in and around the enclave's southern-most city, South Africa filed a new request to the UN's top court which it was due to hear on Thursday. "Urgent provisional measures are required to ensure the survival of Palestinians in Gaza," the South Africa application said, in its latest claim filed on 10 May. "The situation brought about by the Israeli assault on Rafah, and the extreme risk it poses to humanitarian supplies and basic services into Gaza, to the survival of the Palestinian medical system, and to the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza as a group, is not only an escalation of the prevailing situation, but gives rise to new facts that are causing irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people in Gaza." Rafah the last refuge Rafah is "the last refuge" for Gazans, the South Africa petition continued, adding that the city is also the "last viable centre" for shelter and basic services including medical care. The Israeli military's seizure of Rafah crossing and the brief closure and ongoing access problems to nearby Kerem Shalom crossing have blocked the main entry points for lifesaving humanitarian aid to Gaza, South Africa also insisted. "The remaining population and medical facilities are at extreme risk, given the recent evidence of evacuation zones being treated as extermination zones, the mass destruction and mass graves at Gaza's other hospitals and the use by Israel of Artificial Intelligence ('AI') to identify 'kill lists'," ICJ court documents show. The International Court of Justice previously issued special orders to Israel in late January - known as "provisional measures" - to prevent harm to Gazans, following South Africa's allegation that Israel was in violation of its obligations as a signatory of the Genocide Convention. There was no explicit call for an immediate halt to Israel's full-scale military operation in the Strip. Israel strongly denied the allegations and is scheduled to respond to the latest South Africa request on Friday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kanishka Cheng is executive director of TogetherSF Action, a well-funded moderate organization thats been trying to boost its profile in city politics. It is sponsoring Mondays lone remaining mayoral debate, which is down to candidates Mark Farrell and Ahsha Safai after Daniel Lurie withdrew. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle 2023 Chaos continued in the San Francisco mayors race this week when a local business owner canceled a forum he planned to host with two major candidates on Monday and the organizer of a separate debate that was scheduled to occur simultaneously also canceled its event. Manny Yekutiel, owner of Mannys, a civic engagement space in the Mission District, told the campaigns of Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Aaron Peskin on Thursday that he was scrapping plans for them to appear at his business Monday in conversation with Mission Local Managing Editor Joe Eskenazi. The event, announced just two days ago, was supposed to occur at the same time as a mayoral debate hosted by TogetherSF Action, a well-funded moderate organization thats been trying to boost its profile in city politics but has also been closely scrutinized recently. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Breed and Peskin both chose not to participate in that event largely over concerns that TogetherSF Action was too closely connected to one of their rivals: Mark Farrell, a former supervisor and appointed mayor. Farrell has hired multiple TogetherSF Action alums to work on his mayoral campaign this year, as the Chronicle and other media outlets have reported. Mayor London Breed was to participate in a two-candidate mayoral debate with Supervisor Aaron Peskin on Monday at Mannys, a civic engagement space in the Mission District. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle 2023 The drama surrounding the debate suggests that the involvement of ascendant moderate groups in San Francisco politics, including TogetherSF Action, may inject more unpredictability and conflict into the mayors race. Despite the absence of Breed and Peskin, TogetherSF Action was still hoping to move forward with its Monday debate with the three other leading mayoral candidates: Farrell, nonprofit founder Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Ahsha Safai. But Luries campaign told the Chronicle on Thursday that he, too, had decided to skip the TogetherSF Action debate, citing concerns that the details of the event were too uncertain just days before it was to occur. The organization decided Friday to cancel the debate entirely rather than move forward with just Farrell and Safai. Yekutiel told the Chronicle in a text message that he canceled his Monday forum because hes co-hosting a debate next month with City Arts & Lectures. All five major candidates have already agreed to participate in that debate, so Yekutiel said it made more sense to just stick to that one. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Its very disappointing, said Jim Stearns, a consultant for Peskins mayoral campaign, about Mondays cancellation. Similarly, Breed campaign spokesman Joe Arellano told the Chronicle in a statement that the mayors campaign is disappointed that the voters wont have a chance to hear from Mayor Breed and Aaron Peskin at Mannys. There will be plenty of debates over the next several months, Arellano said. We look forward to participating in those. Lurie, meanwhile, decided on Thursday that there was too much uncertainty surrounding TogetherSF Actions debate on Monday. His choice came one day after he spoke critically about the confusion surrounding the debate, even though he said he was eager to talk about the issues facing San Francisco with his opponents. The irony of this debate debacle is that its reflective of why we cant get anything done in San Francisco, including on issues like homelessness, Lurie said at a Wednesday news conference. Political jockeying and finger-pointing are exactly what has turned this city into, frankly, the mess that we see it (in). Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lurie had told reporters that he might still participate in the TogetherSF Action debate if the organization could find an independent journalist to moderate, after multiple planned moderators had backed out. While TogetherSF Action found another journalist willing to moderate, Lurie ultimately decided that too many details about the event remained up in the air as of Thursday. All of the uncertainty that hes referring to has been caused by campaigns by all of their changing requests and demands, TogetherSF Action Executive Director Kanishka Cheng told the Chronicle. Its really disappointing that (Lurie) would follow the lead of incumbents in refusing to participate in our debate, which is very different from his campaign running as an outsider. Safai said Thursday that he was willing to go forward with the debate, even if Farrell was the only other candidate. He said in an interview that the events scheduled location at the Hibernia building on the edge of the Tenderloin made it especially important to attend. This is ground zero for a lot of the challenges facing the city and a lot of the failures of this mayor, Safai said. Its disrespectful not to show up to this debate. Farrell said in a statement that he was willing to debate the other candidates any day of the week. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I will be a mayor that shows up to represent and who will take questions from all San Franciscans. It should speak volumes to voters that some of my opponents arent willing to do the same, Farrell said. But TogetherSF Action canceled the debate in an email Friday to people who had registered for the event. The group said in its email that the decisions by Breed, Peskin and Lurie to pull out proves that our movement to hold our elected officials accountable to results is working. If the mere announcement of a real mayoral debate in which candidates would be asked tough questions causes this much drama, the political establishment must be really afraid of change, the groups email said. Cheng said Thursday that she saw the debate discord as confirmation of TogetherSF Actions mission to be outspoken about challenging the status quo and holding politicians accountable. Its really unfortunate that (candidates) have used this debate as an opportunity to try to discredit the organization instead of seeing it as an opportunity to engage with San Francisco voters, because that is ultimately our position, Cheng said. It certainly validates the work that were doing, (knowing) that politicians would rather hide from answering questions in an environment where theyre not completely in control. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Rights expert condemns death of Palestinian doctor in Israeli custody, urges independent inquiry 16 May 2024 - A renowned Palestinian orthopaedic surgeon's death in Israeli detention has been labelled "horrifying' by a UN human rights expert, prompting calls for an independent international investigation. Dr. Adnan Al Bursh, 50, the head of the orthopaedic department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, died on April 19, 2024, in Ofer prison, a detention facility in the West Bank. His body has not yet been released by Israeli authorities. Before his death, he had reportedly been beaten in prison, with his body showing signs of torture. Dr. Al Bursh had been detained with other doctors and medical personnel by Israeli forces on 18 December 2023, at Al Awda Hospital in North Gaza. At that time, he was generally in good health and was performing his duties normally. Call for independent probe Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, said she was "horrified" by the news. "He was detained while undertaking his duty to patients and caring for them according to the oath he took as a medical practitioner ... he died for trying to protect the rights to life and health of his patients," she said. The expert underscored the need for an independent probe. "Dr. Adnan's case raises serious concerns that he died following torture at the hands of Israeli authorities. His death demands an independent international investigation," the Special Rapporteur said. Concerns of safety of healthworkers Ms. Mofokeng also raised concerns over the safety of healthcare workers amidst Israel's relentless military operation in Gaza following the brutal attacks by Hamas and other groups in southern Israel on 7 October. "I am deeply saddened that I continue to receive reports of doctors being killed in this conflict," she said. The Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported that at least 493 healthcare workers from Gaza have been killed since 7 October 2023. This includes nurses, paramedics, doctors, and other medical personnel. Many more have been injured. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that at least 214 healthcare workers have been detained by Israeli forces while on duty. Doctors should not be killed "The killing and detention of healthcare workers is not a legitimate method of warfare. They have a legitimate and essential role to care for sick and wounded persons during times of conflict," Ms. Mofokeng said. "Healthcare workers should not be killed practicing their profession." The Special Rapporteur urged Israel to immediately release all healthcare workers arbitrarily detained in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, and reiterated her call for an immediate ceasefire. Independent expert Appointed by the Human Rights Council - the UN's highest intergovernmental forum on human rights - and forming a part of its Special Procedures, Special Rapporteurs are mandated to monitor and assess the rights situation in certain thematic or country situations. They work voluntarily - independent of governments and the UN, are not UN staff and do not receive a salary. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At Arab League Summit, Guterres appeals for Gaza ceasefire and regional unity 16 May 2024 - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres repeated his longstanding call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held in the enclave, and unimpeded access for aid delivery, in remarks to the Summit of the League of Arab States in Bahrain on Thursday. "The war in Gaza is an open wound that threatens to infect the entire region," he said. "In its speed and scale, it is the deadliest conflict in my time as Secretary-General - for civilians, aid workers, journalists, and our own UN colleagues." He stressed that nothing can justify the abhorrent 7 October terror attacks by Hamas against Israel, or the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Rafah assault 'unacceptable' The Secretary-General warned against an assault on Rafah, which would be "unacceptable" as "it would inflict another surge of pain and misery when we need a surge in life-saving aid." He also voiced concern over the tensions in the occupied West Bank, highlighting the spike in illegal Israeli settlements, settler violence and excessive use of force by the Israeli Defense Forces, as well as demolitions and evictions. UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, reported on Thursday that the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, remains alarming. Nearly 1,400 people - mostly from herding families - have been displaced since October, amid ongoing settler violence and access restrictions. OCHA said earlier this week, the last two remaining families in the Ein Samiya herding community in Ramallah were forced to leave, following attacks by Israeli settlers who remain in the area, thus preventing their return. The Secretary-General told Arab leaders that the only permanent way to end the cycle of violence and instability between Israelis and Palestinians is through a two-State solution. "The demographic and historical character of Jerusalem must be preserved, and the status quo at the Holy Sites must be upheld, in line with the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," he added. Peace for Sudan Turning to Sudan, the UN chief urged the international community to intensify efforts towards peace and called for the warring parties to agree on a lasting ceasefire. More than a year of fighting between the Sudanese army and rival paramilitary known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has generated a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of civilians have been killed and 18 million face looming famine. He also called for protecting "the fragile political processes in Libya and Yemen", and encouraged the Syrian people to come together in a spirt of reconciliation, honouring their diversity and respecting human rights for all. Reform the multilateral system Mr. Guterres also focused on other serious global crises, including the climate emergency; rising inequality, poverty and hunger; crushing debt; and the potential and perils of new technology such as artificial intelligence (AI). "We need deep reforms to the global multilateral system - from the Security Council to the international financial architecture - so they are truly universal and representative of today's realities," he added. He pointed to the Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters this September as "a pivotal opportunity to create momentum for a more networked and inclusive multilateralism." Appeal for unity The Secretary-General pointed to the enormous potential in the Arab region. Emphasizing that unity is the one condition for success in the world today, he said divisions allow outsiders to intervene - promoting conflicts, stoking sectarian tensions and inadvertently fueling terrorism. "These are obstacles to peaceful development and the well-being of your peoples," he told leaders. "Overcoming those obstacles requires breaking the vicious circle of division and foreign manipulation - and moving forward together to build a more peaceful and prosperous future for the people of the Arab world and beyond." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary-General's remarks to the Summit of the League of Arab States United Nations Secretary-General 16 May 2024 As salaam alaikum. Your Majesty, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain, thank you for your kind invitation and your warm hospitality. Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, Secretary-General Aboul Gheit, I was born in Lisbon - a city that for centuries was part of Al-Andalus. This was at a time when Cordoba was the centre of culture and civilization of the Iberian peninsula, just as Baghdad was the centre of culture and civilization of the world - reaching out from the Chinese border to the Atlantic coast. History moved on. And a number of transformations -- cultural, economic, technological and military -- changed the world to the detriment of the Arab people. The majority of Arab countries were colonized. It took decades of struggle for liberation - sometimes bloody wars - often with long periods of exploitation - and a legacy of lines arbitrarily drawn in the sand. But, today, once again, the world is changing and I see enormous potential in the Arab region. You have the resources. You have the culture. You have the people. But there is one core condition for success in today's world: unity. Time and again, history has shown that divisions allow outsiders to intervene -- promoting conflicts, stoking sectarian tensions and inadvertently fueling terrorism. These are obstacles to peaceful development and the well-being of your peoples. Overcoming those obstacles requires breaking the vicious circle of division and foreign manipulation - and moving forward together to build a more peaceful and prosperous future for the people of the Arab world and beyond. Excellencies, We gather as hearts are breaking for Palestinians in Gaza. The war in Gaza is an open wound that threatens to infect the entire region. In its speed and scale, it is the deadliest conflict in my time as Secretary-General - for civilians, aid workers, journalists, and our own UN colleagues. Of course, nothing can justify the abhorrent 7 October terror attacks by Hamas. I reiterate my call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Yet the toll on civilians continues to escalate. Entire families wiped out. Children traumatized and injured for life. People denied access to the very basics for human survival. A looming famine. Any assault on Rafah is unacceptable. It would inflict another surge of pain and misery when we need a surge in life-saving aid. It is time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza. UNRWA remains the backbone of our operations in Gaza and a lifeline for Palestine refugees across the region. It needs full support and funding. I am also deeply troubled by tensions in the occupied West Bank including East Jerusalem, with a spike in illegal Israeli settlements, settler violence, excessive use of force by Israeli Defense Forces, demolitions and evictions. The only permanent way to end the cycle of violence and instability is through a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states. The demographic and historical character of Jerusalem must be preserved, and the status quo at the Holy Sites must be upheld, in line with the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Excellencies, Turning to Sudan, a devastating war has thrown half the country's population into a humanitarian freefall. One year on, thousands have been killed, and 18 million people are staring down the terrifying threat of famine. I urge the international community to intensify its push for peace, and call on the warring parties to agree on a lasting ceasefire. This should be followed by a political process that includes women's and youth groups. I pledge the full support of the United Nations. We must also protect the fragile political processes in Libya and Yemen. As High Commissioner for Refugees, I witnessed the enormous generosity of the Syrian people. I am pained to see Syria now, with so much suffering and with parts of its territory occupied with several external actors involved. I call on all Syrians to come together in a spirit of reconciliation, honouring the diversity of the Syrian people and respecting the human rights of all. Excellencies, We face other serious global crises. The climate emergency; rising inequalities, poverty and hunger; crushing debt; and new technology - including artificial intelligence -- that is running ahead of governance and guardrails. We need deep reforms to the global multilateral system -- from the Security Council to the international financial architecture -- so they are truly universal and representative of today's realities. The upcoming Summit of the Future is a pivotal opportunity to create momentum for a more networked and inclusive multilateralism. I look forward to welcoming you to the Summit in New York in September. Excellencies, There is no better moment for the Arab region to come together. Unity and solidarity throughout the Arab world would amplify the vital voice of the region and further boost your influence on the global stage. It can help this region find peace, make the most of its enormous potential, and further contribute to the global good. In all this work, you can count on the United Nations, and on me personally, for our support and partnership. Shukran. ****************************************************** NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ambassador Emanuel, U.S. Navy and JMSDF leaders bid farewell to USS Ronald Reagan after 9 years as FDNF-Japan carrier US Navy 16 May 2024 From Petty Officer 2nd Class Timothy Dimal YOKOSUKA, Japan -- The U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, Japanese Government officials and leaders from the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) bid farewell to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) before the ship departed Yokosuka, Japan, for the last time as the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier, May 16. Ronald Reagan's departure from Japan marks the beginning of the ship's final scheduled Indo-Pacific patrol. "We have a debate in the United States about who constitutes the 1 percent. The true measure is not in how much wealth you acquire, but in how much you give in service to something bigger than yourself," said Emanuel. "So, to the sailors and aviators of the USS Ronald Reagan, who devote their lives to preserving and protecting the freedoms we all enjoy, it is you and your fellow service members who make up America's true 1 percent. After nine years of deployment to Japan, the USS Ronald Reagan and her 6,000 crew deserve our heartfelt appreciation for their selflessness, their service, and their sacrifice in keeping the Indo-Pacific safe, secure, and stable." Departing with Ronald Reagan were the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83). "On behalf of the strike group, I want to express my gratitude to the people of Japan and city of Yokosuka. You are our friends, family and our close and trusted allies," said Rear Adm. Greg Newkirk, commander of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5. "Our relationship with Japan and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has never been stronger. Whether it's aboard USS Ronald Reagan today or USS George Washington in the future, we will continue to strengthen those ties at all levels, on-shore and at-sea." As the ship pulled away from the pier and made its final transit through Sagami Bay, hundreds of CSG 5 Sailors manned the rails in their summer dress white uniforms. Ronald Reagan is scheduled to turn over with USS George Washington (CVN 73), and then transit to Bremerton, Washington, later this year. "For nearly nine years, thousands of Ronald Reagan Sailors have lived and worked here in Yokosuka, and have deployed throughout the region to uphold the international rule of law and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific along with our allies and partners," said Capt. Daryle Cardone, Ronald Reagan's commanding officer. "And as forward-deployed naval forces, we had the privilege of living in Japan. Japan has been an incredible host and a second home for the crew. And for this, I am very grateful to the Japanese people, the City of Yokosuka, and the Japanese government for their support and for welcoming us as citizens." In 2011, while deployed near the Korean Peninsula, Ronald Reagan was heavily involved with the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission during Operation Tomodachi. Following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the ship and its crew was instrumental in refueling JMSDF ships, transporting soldiers and Marines, and providing food, water and supplies to affected communities. In addition, Ronald Reagan's embarked airborne assets flew reconnaissance missions. In 2015, Ronald Reagan arrived to Japan as part of an historic tri-carrier hull swap. In 2021, the Nimitz-class carrier deployed to the Middle East in 2021 to assist in Operation Allies Refuge providing safety and security to more than 7,000 U.S. citizens and evacuees in Afghanistan. "While the crew and I are sad to bid Japan farewell, the Ronald Reagan's strong relationships with the JMSDF and rich history with the Japanese people assure me that we shall see each other again," added Cardone. CSG 5 is forward-deployed under U.S. 7th Fleet, the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US, Niger conclude official high-level talks on US troop withdrawal By Carla Babb May 16, 2024 U.S. and Nigerien officials concluded official high-level talks Thursday 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 Niger's new government, known as the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland, or CNSP. A U.S. official who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity ahead of the government announcement said U.S. and Nigerien leaders agreed to a phased withdrawal of American forces from Niger "as soon as it's feasible in the coming months," after being in the country for more than a decade. 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 media platform X on 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 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 deployment's 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. 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 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, Niger's coup has put the West's 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 country's 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 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 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pressure grows for Netanyahu to make postwar plans for Gaza By Patsy Widakuswara May 16, 2024 International and domestic pressure is mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to establish a strategic endgame for the Israel-Hamas war that would tie Israeli military gains to a political solution for the Palestinian enclave. In his harshest public rebuke yet to Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant gave televised remarks Wednesday, urging the prime minister to make "tough decisions" on postwar Gaza at whatever political cost. Gallant warned Israelis that inaction will erode war gains and put the nation's long-term security at stake. Gallant criticized Netanyahu for his lack of postwar plans to replace Hamas rule. "Since October, I have been raising this issue consistently in the Cabinet and have received no response," he said. Gallant's comments echoed earlier remarks by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who told reporters Monday that Israel had yet to "connect their military operations" to a political plan on who will govern the Palestinian territory once fighting ends. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the message Wednesday, saying Israel needs a "clear and concrete plan" for the future of Gaza to avoid a power vacuum that could become filled by chaos. Gallant ruled out any form of Israeli governance of postwar Gaza, saying that the territory should be led by "Palestinian entities" with international support, a position that has been long supported by the Biden administration. The administration would not confirm it coordinated Gallant's statements with those of its top officials. "I'm not going to speak to timing. I'm not going to give an analysis on it," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in response to VOA's question during her briefing on Thursday. "We've made our point," she added, underscoring ongoing conversations with the Israeli government. A senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters said the administration shares Gallant's concern that Israel has not developed any plans for holding and governing territory that the Israel Defense Forces have cleared, thereby allowing Hamas to regenerate in those areas. "Our objective is to see Hamas defeated," the official said in a statement sent to VOA. Netanyahu focuses on destroying Hamas Netanyahu maintains that postwar planning is impossible without first destroying Hamas. While his government and Washington agree that Hamas cannot continue to run Gaza, they differ on who should be in charge after the war that began with the militant group's October 7 cross-border attack on Israel. "We do not support and will not support an Israeli occupation," Blinken reiterated Wednesday. Gallant's statement reflects comments by other current and former Israeli officials and frustration of a war-weary Israeli public, said Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel-Palestine at the International Crisis Group. "It's not surprising. It's not new," she told VOA. "But I think it's reaching an inflection point for certain people in the government, because the hostage deal and cease-fire is at an impasse because decisions are not being made about how much longer this war is going to go." Netanyahu told reporters Thursday he is planning to summon his defense minister for "a conversation" following Gallant's public criticism. Chances of cease-fire faint Meanwhile, prospects for a cease-fire deal appear dim since talks in Cairo broke down earlier this month. "Any efforts or agreement must secure a permanent cease-fire, a comprehensive pullout from all of the Gaza Strip, a real prisoner swap deal, the return of the displaced, reconstruction and lifting the blockade," Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said Wednesday. Israel has so far refused to provide any commitment to end its military campaign in Gaza. So fundamentally, the strategic endgames of the warring parties are "almost as far as possible from each other," said Nimrod Goren, senior fellow for Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute. The mediators the United States, Egypt and Qatar don't see any way forward at the moment, Goren told VOA, even as reaching a cease-fire deal "becomes more urgent, not only because of Gaza, but because of Lebanon." Cross-border bombardments between Israel and Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group, have escalated since Israel's campaign in Gaza, displacing tens of thousands of people along Israel's border with Lebanon. While a comprehensive and permanent truce may be out of reach at this point, there is yet hope to accomplish the first phase of the cease-fire deal that is currently structured under three phases, Goren said. Put simply, that means a six-week pause in fighting, a swap of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails, and an increase in humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza. However, a longer-term cease-fire has not appeared viable since negotiations began. "There's just been mutually exclusive demands," Zonszein said. "Hamas wants an end to the war and full withdrawal of [Israeli] troops, and Israel's not willing to do that." Israel also wants Hamas completely dismantled and its leaders killed, while Haniyeh declared Wednesday that he would reject any proposal that excludes the group's role in postwar Gaza. US still seeks 2-state solution As bleak as immediate prospects may appear, the Biden administration is keeping its eye on the long-term political horizon: the two-state solution the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Sullivan is traveling to Saudi Arabia this weekend to further talks on securing a major agreement that would see Riyadh establishing diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, a key element to achieving the two-state solution. Normalization with the leading Sunni kingdom would likely lead to diplomatic recognition of Israel from other Arab countries and Muslim-majority countries in other parts of the world. At the same time, Sullivan is set to urge Israel to refrain from an all-out ground invasion of Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. Washington believes a wider operation in Rafah would threaten a normalization deal with the Saudis. "Israel's long-term security depends on being integrated into the region and enjoying normal relations with the Arab states, including Saudi Arabia," Sullivan said Monday. He said he will be meeting with Israeli officials "in a matter of days" and signaled that the U.S. expects Israel will not move into Rafah until then. Last week, the IDF launched what it calls a "targeted operation" in eastern Rafah, even as the Biden administration announced it is pausing the shipment of 3,500 massive-sized bombs for fear that Israel might use it in the densely populated city. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel says more troops to enter Rafah in southern Gaza By VOA News May 16, 2024 Israel's 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 Israel's 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 "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 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 isn't 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. Israel's 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 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 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. 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 35,200 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 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Lone wolf' charged in shooting of Slovak prime minister By VOA News May 16, 2024 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 Handlova's 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 country's capital, Bratislava, to protest Fico's 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 Slovakia's 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Meeting with President Santiago Pena of Paraguay May 16, 2024 National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with President Santiago Pena of Paraguay at the White House yesterday to discuss opportunities to strengthen the deep partnership between our two countries. The National Security Advisor welcomed the stand that Paraguay has taken on important regional and global issues, such as supporting democracy in Venezuela and condemning Russia's war against Ukraine. They also discussed continued bilateral cooperation on shared security and economic priorities, including mobilizing U.S. private sector investment to develop Paraguay's digital and physical infrastructure and Paraguay's interest in joining the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity. National Security Advisor Sullivan and President Pena reaffirmed the shared democratic values that form the bedrock of the U.S.-Paraguay relationship and discussed ongoing efforts in Paraguay to strengthen democratic institutions and combat corruption. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign National Sentenced for Cocaine Trafficking Thursday, May 16, 2024 For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs A national of the Dominican Republic was sentenced yesterday to 15 years and four months in prison for his role in an international conspiracy to distribute 385 kilograms of cocaine for unlawful importation into the United States. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from October 2016 through May 2019, Cesar Gomez Almonte, 51, participated in a drug trafficking network based in the Dominican Republic that transported cocaine from South America, through the Caribbean, to the United States. The drug trafficking network used vessels, such as sailing yachts and sport fishing boats, to transport the cocaine, often stopping in various Caribbean ports while transporting the cocaine to give a cover of legitimacy to each voyage. One of these vessels, the Casablanca, was interdicted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Marine Interdiction Unit in November 2018 as it entered U.S. waters near Key Biscayne, Florida. Officers boarded and searched the Casablanca, seizing more than 327 kilograms of cocaine. Gomez had several roles in the conspiracy. He brokered the use of the Casablanca by another drug trafficking network to send cocaine directly to the United States, and was involved in locating and purchasing vessels for use by the drug trafficking network to transport cocaine. Additionally, Gomez attempted to change the ownership of one of the network's boats from one straw purchaser to another to disguise the true owners and possessors of the boat, which was used in a prior voyage to transport approximately 500 kilograms of cocaine. A federal jury in the District of Columbia convicted Gomez in November 2023 of conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division; Executive Associate Director Katrina W. Berger of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made the announcement. The case is supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and HSI's El Dorado Task Force. HSI New York and DEA New York investigated the case. Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Melanie L. Alsworth and Trial Attorneys Samantha Thompson and Janet Turnbull of the Criminal Division's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section prosecuted the case. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance. The Justice Department thanks authorities in the Dominican Republic for their assistance in the investigation. Topic: Drug Trafficking Components: Criminal Division Criminal - Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section Criminal - Office of International Affairs Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Press Release Number: 24-616 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The share of unhoused people found sleeping in tents or on the street fell over the past two years to the lowest level San Francisco has seen in a decade, while overall homelessness is up. Mayor London Breed and her reelection rivals disagree on what the numbers mean. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle The latest San Francisco homeless count had both bad news and good news overall homelessness was up, but the number of people living on the streets was down. Mayor London Breed, who is trying to show voters that shes turning the city around during a hard fight for another term, is holding tight to the good news, but its not yet clear what the numbers will mean to voters and to what extent it will affect the race. When Breed announced the new figures Thursday, she emphasized the positive aspect: The share of unhoused people found sleeping on the street or in tents fell over the past two years to 13%, reaching the lowest level the city has seen in a decade. But the rest of the data, gathered during a one-night count in January, tells a more complicated story. Driven by sharp increases in people living in their cars or in shelters, total homelessness increased 7% from the last count in 2022. The number of homeless families skyrocketed 94%, largely due to an influx of immigrant parents and their children coming to San Francisco. To Breed, the measured decline in people sleeping on the street the most visible part of the homeless population bolsters her argument that her work on some of the citys toughest problems, including homelessness, is beginning to show signs of improvement. Her office previously released figures showing a drop in the number of tents on city streets. Yet the data also provides an opportunity for her leading reelection challengers, who have been making the case that she has failed to deliver enough meaningful change on a wide range of issues homelessness and public safety among them. Two of her opponents, Mark Farrell and Ahsha Safai, blasted her Thursday for trying to focus on the street homeless decline instead of the overall increase, with Farrell writing on social media that Breed should be ashamed of herself and Safai saying she was trying to gaslight us. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Breed spokesperson Jeff Cretan said the mayor was simply focusing on the part of the homeless population that residents are most concerned about. Of course the mayor is going to recognize the progress her workforce has made to bring people indoors, Cretan said. The mayor is addressing the number one issue on homelessness that our residents are asking her to deal with. Political consultant Jim Ross said voter attitudes about homeless data are similar to how they feel about crime statistics its all in the eye of the beholder. If people are seeing homeless folks on the street, if theyre still having to step over a guy or a gal whos sleeping in their doorway, if theyre seeing tent encampments all of those things, I think, theyre much more powerful than the data that might come out, Ross said. The data cant overcome experience, but it can reinforce experience. The citys homelessness department also noted that the number of people living in city shelters on the night of the homeless count had grown 39% since 2019, corresponding with an increase in shelter capacity over the same time period. The share of the overall homeless population living in shelters instead of on the street has grown from 36% in 2019 to 48% this year. Thats progress, Cretan said. Breed has tried to reduce street homelessness with various strategies over the years. Her administration has opened supportive housing sites and shelters. She has opposed a court injunction limiting the citys ability to clear encampments and she has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an appellate ruling that she argues is limiting the citys ability to keep its public spaces free of tents. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In the wake of criticism over her administrations handling of family homelessness, Breed said Tuesday that she wanted to spend tens of millions of dollars to address a surge in homeless families living in shelters and cars. Breeds proposal, totaling about $50.4 million over multiple years, would fund a combination of rent subsidies and vouchers for emergency shelter in hotel rooms. But the leading challengers to her reelection say she has had enough time to make more decisive progress. At a news conference Wednesday, mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie blamed failed policy choices by the citys current leaders for a massive shortage of shelter beds that he said give homeless people no choice but to languish and die on our streets. He said Breed and the other major candidates in the race, all of whom are current or former elected officials in San Francisco, could have built many more shelter beds, but they did not. Lurie, a nonprofit founder and Levi Strauss heir, called the news conference to announce a policy proposal that he claimed could end unsheltered homelessness within six months. Specifically, Lurie vowed to use emergency powers to stand up 1,500 new shelter beds in his first half year in office. He said he would also increase funding for the Homeward Bound program that sends unhoused people to family members outside San Francisco. Breed and Safai have also sought to strengthen that program. Additionally, Lurie promised to create a total of 2,500 temporary housing and shelter units within his first two years to create more places for people to stay until they find suitable long-term homes. Lurie estimated that his plan would cost $175 million over five years and said he would tap into his philanthropic experience to raise 75% of the money from the private sector. When it comes to homelessness what were seeing is on par with a natural disaster, and we need to treat the crisis like the emergency that it is, Lurie said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Other mayoral candidates were quick to cast the homeless count data as bad news for Breed. Farrell, a former city supervisor and appointed mayor, said in a statement that Breed was trying to spin the stats in her favor for purely political purposes. How can voters trust her anymore when the homeless count shows a clear increase in our total unhoused population and she has the audacity to send out a press release touting a decrease by using selective statistics? Farrell said. I am running to upend the status quo at every level to get our City back on track. Breed campaign spokesperson Joe Arellano defended Breeds work and fired back at Farrell in a statement. Arellano said Breed had made tremendous progress on the data points that matter most to San Franciscans, pointing out that reported crime is down overall, as are homeless tents, and drug arrests have increased. There is much more work to do, but Mayor Breed is proud to highlight her administrations success addressing the major issues of homelessness, crime, and addiction, Arellano said. On the other hand, Mark Farrell was interim mayor for the equivalent of one school semester. Yet, he parades around town with cherry-picked stats. Safai, a current city supervisor, said in an interview that while the counted drop in street homelessness is great, its still true that at the end of the day, overall homelessness has gone up while the spending has gone up. Thats why bringing accountability and mandatory audits are really important, and thats why we really need someone whos going to lead and stop making excuses and blame about whats happening, he said. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, the other major candidate in the mayors race, pointed to the large number of people living in their cars. That shows we still have a lot of work to do, Peskin said. He said the city should do more to fill the large number of supportive housing units that sit vacant. As of January, 7.1% of the citys supportive homes for the formerly homeless were empty. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Seven Sinaloa Cartel Members and Associates Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, and Cocaine Thursday, May 16, 2024 For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Seven members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel have been sentenced to prison for their role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. The defendants previously pleaded guilty in this matter. Hector Alejandro Apodaca-Alvarez, 53, of Somerton, Arizona; Mark Anthony Roque Bustamante, 33, of Yuma, Arizona; Jorge Moreno, 28, of San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico; Jonathan Nicholas Chavez, 25, of Brawley, California; Luis Tejada Velasquez, 37, of San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico; Austin Toma Grupee, 43, of Providence, Rhode Island; and Jose Chavez Zaragoza, 38, of Yuma, Arizona, participated in the drug trafficking conspiracy to distribute the controlled substances. The defendants were arrested in the United States. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) National Drug Threat Assessment, the Sinaloa Cartel is at the heart of the fentanyl crisis. The cartel has developed global supply chain networks and operate clandestine labs in Mexico where they manufacture these drugs and then utilize their vast distribution networks to transport the drugs 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. Just one fentanyl pill can kill. Two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially fatal dose and laboratory testing indicates seven out of 10 pills seized by the DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. "The significant sentences imposed by the court reflect the deadly nature of the crimes committed by Mexican cartel members in flooding our communities with fentanyl and other lethal drugs," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. "Our law enforcement officers work across the U.S. and around the globe to combat the cartels' firearms and drug trafficking, which wreak so much violence and devastation in our communities." "Guns and drugs are often linked, particularly when it comes to the cartels," said Director Steven Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). "ATF is committed to working with all our partners to hold accountable those who spread poison in our streets and arm those who supply that poison. This case exemplifies the incredible work going on every day by ATF agents and analysts around the country to protect the American public from dangerous criminals." "When you consider the quantity of drugs being trafficked and the deleterious impact illicit narcotics have on our community, it is readily apparent that these defendants sold drugs for the sole purpose of profiting off a public health crisis a addiction," said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. "The fentanyl epidemic, to include here in south Florida, has caused a deafening silence as thousands of people have overdosed and died. We commend our partner agencies, as we work collectively to prosecute the members and associates of cartels that fuel the drug poisoning crisis and traffic in firearms." From June 2022 through May 2023, Apodaca-Alvarez, who was previously convicted of narcotics trafficking-related offenses in three federal districts prior to his arrest in this case, used the U.S. mail and his own trucking business to send tens of thousands of pressed fentanyl pills and kilogram-quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine to an undercover agent based in South Florida. The undercover agent also conducted narcotic and monetary transactions with Apodaca-Alvarez and codefendants in California, Arizona, and Massachusetts. Apodaca-Alvarez told the undercover agent he was coordinating directly with members of the Sinaloa Cartel to facilitate the large-scale distribution of narcotics and stated that the potency of the pressed fentanyl pills that he sold "was dropping people everywhere." Apodaca-Alvarez worked directly with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel. During the conspiracy, Apodaca-Alvarez coordinated with the remaining codefendants to assist in distributing the controlled substances throughout the United States, including in Arizona, California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia. Law enforcement officers identified Roque Bustamante, nicknamed the "Skittles Man," due to his distribution of rainbow-colored fentanyl pills, as Apodaca-Alvarez's primary source of supply. In recorded conversations, Apodaca-Alvarez and Roque Bustamante inquired if the undercover agent would supply them with firearms, including .50 caliber high powered rifles to be smuggled into Mexico. Apodaca-Alvarez was ultimately arrested in South Florida while delivering 16 kilograms of fentanyl and 2 kilograms of cocaine to the undercover agent during an undercover operation. Moreno was present with Apodaca-Alvarez during the arrest operation. In total, law enforcement seized approximately 21 kilograms of pure fentanyl; 70 thousand rainbow-colored, pressed fentanyl pills; 3,000 M30 pressed fentanyl pills, blue in color; 243 pounds of crystal methamphetamine; two kilograms of cocaine; and 24 firearms (including 18 rifles and six pistols) related to this conspiracy. Seized rainbow-colored, pressed fentanyl pills. Photo was introduced into the court record during Tejada Velasquez's sentencing hearing on May 15. Seized rainbow-colored, pressed fentanyl pills. Photo was introduced into the court record during Tejada Velasquez's sentencing hearing on May 15. Tejada Velasquez was sentenced yesterday to 242 months in prison. On May 2, Roque Bustamante was sentenced to life in prison, Grupee was sentenced to 262 months in prison, and Chavez was sentenced to 57 months in prison. On March 21, Apodaca-Alvarez was sentenced to life in prison, Moreno was sentenced to 121 months in prison, and Zaragoza was sentenced to 47 months in prison. In addition, Apodaca-Alvarez agreed to the forfeiture of his entire trucking business and Arizona-based residence. The ATF Fort Lauderdale Field Division investigated the case, with assistance from DEA, Homeland Security Investigations Miami, Broward Sheriff's Office, ATF Yuma Field Division, U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ajay J. Alexander, M. Catherine Koontz, and Brooke Latta for the Southern District of Florida and Assistant U.S. Attorney Addison Owen for the District of Arizona prosecuted the case. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF. Topic: Drug Trafficking Components: Office of the Deputy Attorney General USAO - Florida, Southern Press Release Number: 24-613 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HMAS Sirius takes a final bow By Chloe Mackrell 15 May 2024 One of the largest vessels in Australian history, HMAS Sirius, has been recycled. After 15 years' service as a Royal Australian Navy fuel tanker - and two years since her decommissioning at HMAS Stirling, Perth, in December 2021 - the ship has now become scrap metal. Sirius is the largest vessel to be dismantled in Australia, with industry partner Birdon Group carrying out the process at the Australian Maritime Complex facility near Perth. Acting First Assistant Secretary Strategy Planning and Independent Assurance Suzanne Kerrigan said the successful bid from Birdon Group was welcome. "We are pleased to see the successful disposal of one of the largest ships in Australia to have been awarded to an Australian industry partner," Ms Kerrigan said. Originally purchased by the government on June 3, 2004, the vessel was commissioned in 2006 as HMAS Sirius in honour of HMS Sirius of the First Fleet. HMAS Sirius underwent extensive modifications to transform it from a double-hulled commercial product tanker to a Navy fuel tanker. The ship's primary role was the delivery of fuel to the RAN fleet at sea. Sirius carried an impressive 34,806 cubic meters of fuel, and was capable of replenishing two ships simultaneously. Conducting patrols during Operation Resolute in 2013 and 2014, Sirius was part of Navy's contribution to protect Australia's borders and offshore maritime interests. Sirius also conducted patrols of oil and gas installations in northern Australian waters during Operation Red Raptor. The ship saw further operational service in support of Operation Seville, support for the G20 summit in 2014, and Operation APEC Assist in 2018. Sirius embarked on her final deployment to South-East Asia and the south-west Pacific before her decommissioning in December 2021. "The level of collaboration demonstrates the strengthened partnership between Defence and industry in supporting the advanced and complex nature of disposing this beloved vessel," Ms Kerrigan said. "After the Sirius deconstruction, 99 per cent of the ship's materials have been recycled for industry for the development of new projects, which will be used across Australia and the world. "It is encouraging knowing that her ongoing service continues as she is recycled into new projects." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Defence Minister Bill Blair releases third status report of the External Monitor National Defence May 16, 2024 - Ottawa, ON - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, released the third biannual status report of the External Monitor, Madame Jocelyne Therrien. The report provides an external, independent assessment of the progress made by the Department of Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in implementing the recommendations made by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour in the Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR), released in May 2022. In this latest report, Madame Therrien provides an update on the implementation of recommendations based on her regular discussions with Minister Blair and DND/CAF officials - as well as review of documents, policies, and processes. Madame Therrien notes there is a strong desire to bring about the change that will reestablish trust in the Canadian Armed Forces as a professional, inclusive workplace - but she also notes there is still a lot of work to accomplish - and that the institution needs to move faster on implementation. Madame Therrien highlights several advancements, including: introduction of legislation to modernize the military justice system (Bill C-66); transformation of the complaints system, including grievances; appointment of the Canadian Military College Review Board; improvements to the enrollment and recruitment process; and the creation of additional Captain (Navy)/Colonel positions in specified support and specialist occupations, which will provide more pathways to the General Officer and Flag Officer ranks for women. Madame Therrien notes that the commitment to make the CAF a better place is still present - but that more work is needed to reduce the bureaucratic burden and implement changes more quickly. In a statement, Minister Blair welcomed this report and thanked the External Monitor for her independent and external perspective. Minister Blair also outlined the progress made to date, and measures that the Government is taking to implement the remainder of Madame Arbour's 48 recommendations. Quotes "Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are always there to keep Canada safe - and it is also our obligation to keep them safe from harassment and misconduct. The 48 recommendations provided by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour gave us a clear path forward on culture change in our institution - and the External Monitor, Madame Jocelyne Therrien, is keeping us accountable to that path. We have made significant progress - but we must keep going." The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence "This latest External Monitor report shows how far we have come. Thanks to Mme Therrien's dedicated feedback and to the hard work of Defence Team members committed to seeing change, we are moving closer to a more inclusive workplace. Our commitment to openness and accountability remains, and are cemented in on our efforts to implement these and other important external recommendations." Bill Matthews, Deputy Minister of National Defence "We are a force united by the common goal of being there for Canadians at home and working in the interests of Canadian values abroad. The way we get there is through respecting our colleagues, treating them with dignity, and building trust with leadership, at every level. Over time, these essential human connections build a stronger work environment in which we can all thrive and operationally succeed." General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff "Listening to Defence Team members when we visit bases, wings, and DND facilities, I am incredibly encouraged by the momentum our culture evolution efforts are gaining. Change takes time and continuous effort, so there is more to do, but we are making strong and steady progress in changing the systems that shape our institutional culture and impact our members at crucial points in their careers. This is critical to setting the conditions for enduring change that will ensure a more respectful work environment for all our members." Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan, Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture Quick facts Madame Jocelyne Therrien was appointed as External Monitor in October 2022 for an initial term of one year, fulfilling recommendation 48 of the IECR report. The External Monitor's term was renewed on October 19, 2023 for an additional year. Per the External Monitor Terms of Reference, Mme Therrien's role is to provide advice to the Minister on the oversight and implementation of the recommendations in Madame Arbour's IECR report, while considering those of other external reviews. The report released today builds on the first and second status reports of the External Monitor, released May 17, 2023 and November 21, 2023 respectively. The IECR (led by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour) was launched in April 2021 to shed the light on the causes of harassment and sexual misconduct in the CAF, by reviewing policies, procedures, programs, practices and culture within the CAF and DND. Madame Arbour's final IECR report was made public on May 30, 2022. In December 2022, Minster of National Defence presented a Report to Parliament, outlining the steps that the Government of Canada would take to respond to all 48 IECR recommendations. DND/CAF continues to work on meaningful reform and culture change in response to the recommendations. On March 21, 2024, Defence Minister Bill Blair introduced Bill C-66, or the Military Justice System Modernization Act. The proposed legislation addresses key recommendations from former Supreme Court Justices Louise Arbour and Morris J. Fish. To address the recommendation 5 from the Honourable Louise Arbour's Independent External Comprehensive Review, the proposed legislation would definitively remove the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute Criminal Code sexual offences committed in Canada. The proposed legislation would provide exclusive jurisdiction to civilian authorities to investigate and prosecute such offences committed in Canada. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement from Minister Blair on the Third Biannual Report of External Monitor Jocelyne Therrien National Defence Statement May 16, 2024 - Ottawa, ON - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces The Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Bill Blair, issued the following statement today regarding the External Monitor's third status report on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR): "Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are always there to keep Canada safe - and it is also our obligation to keep them safe from harassment and misconduct. The 48 recommendations provided by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour gave us a clear path forward on culture change in our institution - and the External Monitor, Madame Jocelyne Therrien, is keeping us accountable to that path. I welcome this third report and thank Madame Therrien for her work. "We are making considerable progress to respond to these recommendations. To date, approximately 20 recommendations have been implemented, and we expect to have addressed all 48 recommendations by the end of next year. "As Madame Therrien notes, in March I introduced legislation to amend the National Defence Act in response to Madame Arbour's Recommendation 5. Bill C-66 would definitively remove the CAF's jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute Criminal Code sexual offences committed in Canada, giving exclusive jurisdiction to civilian authorities to investigate and prosecute such offences committed in Canada. It would also implement key recommendations from former Supreme Court Justice Morris Fish in his review of the military justice system. "We are also making progress on other key recommendations. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces can now take their complaints for sexual harassment, or for discrimination on the basis of sex, directly to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, in line with Recommendations 7 and 9. "Furthermore, as Madame Arbour recommended, we are transforming the complaints system by making it easier for members to submit grievances, ensuring the system is more responsive, and moves faster. The digital grievance submission form, launched in February, is an important step to this end. Additionally, we recently implemented a process to clear the backlog of files in the grievance system, which has positioned us to finalize nearly 70% of these files in the coming months. In response to Recommendation 10, work also is underway to prioritize and fast-track grievances related to sexual misconduct, and we expect to implement new processes and service standards by the end of this year. Additionally, we are repealing the Duty to Report regulations, in accordance with Madame Arbour's Recommendation 11. I agree with Madame Therrien that the interim period of implementation needs to give way to permanent implementation - and to that end, the full repeal of these regulations is expected to come into effect this summer. "We are also implementing Recommendation 20, and in that regard, I agree fully with Madame Therrien's statement that "there is a clear benefit to creating a probationary period." As we announced in Our North, Strong and Free, we will establish a probationary period to enable the faster enrolment of applicants, and timely removal of those who do not adhere to our requirements of conduct. We will also streamline the security clearance process to reduce the time it takes new recruits to move into their positions. Further, we are reviewing medical standards - and National Defence has also signed an Information Sharing Agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to enable better access to information relating to Permanent Resident applicants. "In response to Recommendation 29, I have appointed the Canadian Military College Review Board. The board is focused on reviewing the current quality of education, socialization, and military training at the colleges - as I have been clear that their culture needs to change significantly. Last October, we also launched an online database to make our conduct and culture research and policies more open and accessible, in line with Recommendation 45. We will also be making more survey data public, so that Canadians can have access to more information about conduct and culture in the military. "We have made significant progress - but there is much work ahead. Madame Therrien notes the implementation of Recommendation 6 has not yet occurred - and I agree that we need to move faster to complete the review that Madame Arbour recommended. We are looking at ways to accelerate this process. "While Madame Therrien notes that the "recommendations stemming from the IECR regarding the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre have all been actioned," she also notes the need for a more sufficient level of core funding for the SMSRC. I believe that the SMSRC's work is crucial - and going forward, we will increase its core budget to provide stability for 2025-2026. "Ultimately, we are making a great deal of progress. However, I agree with Madame Therrien that we need to reduce the bureaucratic burden and move faster on implementation. I look forward to shortly releasing our Comprehensive Implementation Plan which outlines our expected implementation timelines for each recommendation, and confirms our projection that all will be addressed by the end of next year." "I once again thank Madame Therrien for her honest assessment of our progress and remaining work. Together, we are working to build a more respectful and inclusive institution." Quick Facts Madame Jocelyne Therrien was appointed as External Monitor in October 2022 for an initial term of one year, fulfilling recommendation 48 of the IECR report. The External Monitor's term was renewed on October 19, 2023 for an additional year. Per the External Monitor Terms of Reference, Mme Therrien's role is to provide advice to the Minister on the oversight and implementation of the recommendations in Madame Arbour's IECR report, while considering those of other external reviews. The report released today builds on the first and second status reports of the External Monitor, released May 17, 2023 and November 21, 2023 respectively. The IECR (led by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour) was launched in April 2021 to shed the light on the causes of harassment and sexual misconduct in the CAF, by reviewing policies, procedures, programs, practices and culture within the CAF and DND. Madame Arbour's final IECR report was made public on May 30, 2022. In December 2022, Minster of National Defence presented a Report to Parliament, outlining the steps that the Government of Canada would take to respond to all 48 IECR recommendations. DND/CAF continues to work on meaningful reform and culture change in response to the recommendations. On March 21, 2024, Defence Minister Bill Blair introduced Bill C-66, or the Military Justice System Modernization Act. The proposed legislation addresses key recommendations from former Supreme Court Justices Louise Arbour and Morris J. Fish. To address the recommendation 5 from the Honourable Louise Arbour's Independent External Comprehensive Review, the proposed legislation would definitively remove the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute Criminal Code sexual offences committed in Canada. The proposed legislation would provide exclusive jurisdiction to civilian authorities to investigate and prosecute such offences committed in Canada. Since Madame Arbour's interim recommendation to transfer the prosecution and investigation of Criminal Code sexual offences from the military justice system to the civilian justice system was accepted, 100% of Criminal Code sexual offence charges are now being laid in the civilian justice system. No new sexual Criminal Code offence charges are being adjudicated in the military justice system. Military Police, under the direction of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, also continue to refer applicable cases to civilian policing partners for investigation. As noted by the External Monitor, we have actioned all recommendations related to the Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre (SMSRC) including the reimbursement of eligible legal costs incurred by those who have been affected by sexual misconduct, retroactive to 2019. We expanded support programs to provide more offerings, such as formal group peer support sessions, and increase the reach of services both geographically and by expanding to include others within the wider Defence community. In Our North, Strong and Free, the Government outlined several measures to improve the recruitment and enrollment of new CAF members - including the creation of a probationary period, an examination of medical requirements, and improvements to security screening. We are also trialing the bypassing of the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) for certain occupations for applicants with university degrees or college diplomas and for those that already meet occupational educational requirements. As of April 18, 2024, more than 1,800 individuals are being processed this way. For them, the CFAT is applied later during basic training. We are also updating the test itself to ensure it remains predictive of suitability of the occupation the candidate is choosing. The CAF continues to apply the adopted character-based leadership model, which better informs our evaluation and promotion processes. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HMCS William Hall Commissioned into Service in Halifax, N.S. National Defence Statement News release May 16, 2024 - Ottawa - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) welcomed His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) William Hall into naval service with a commissioning ceremony in Halifax, N.S. today. As the fourth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship for the RCN, HMCS William Hall will strengthen the Navy's ability to enforce sovereignty in Canadian waters, and to meet the future defence challenges in the North. Today's commissioning of HMCS William Hall included a symbolic presentation of the commissioning pennant to the Commanding Officer, Commander Scott Kelemen, and the breaking (hoisted and flown) of the ship's pennant at the same time as the ship's ensign. A commissioning ceremony is a long-time naval tradition and a special event for the ship's company, inducting the ship into the RCN fleet. After the completion of sea and port trials, the ship is ready to deploy and carry out its missions Quotes "I join the Royal Canadian Navy in celebrating the commissioning of HMCS William Hall into Canada's fleet. As we outlined in Our North, Strong and Free, protecting Canadian sovereignty is job number one for the Canadian Armed Forces - and these patrol vessels are an important capability that allows our Navy to fulfil this mission. As the security challenges facing Canada evolve rapidly, we are steadfastly committed to investing in the defence of our Arctic and North." The Honorable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence "The commissioning of a ship is a critical milestone, as it represents its official welcome into the Royal Canadian Navy and signifies that it is available for unrestricted service. I commend the tremendous dedication of the captain and crew of HMCS William Hall, who have successfully completed months of trials and training to be ready for this moment. Our fourth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel now stands ready to protect our Arctic waters and Canada's maritime interests." Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy "Today is a very exciting day for my ship's crew. They have spent many months preparing the ship and readying themselves for the challenges ahead. A commissioning ceremony is a symbolic moment, and a once in a lifetime opportunity for many sailors. I am extremely proud of the crew that has brought HMCS William Hall into the Royal Canadian Navy fleet." Commander Scott Kelemen, HMCS William Hall Quick facts HMCS William Hall is named in honour of Petty Officer William Hall, a Canadian naval hero, for his actions at the Relief of Lucknow, India on November 16, 1857, during the Indian Rebellion. Launched in November 2022, HMCS William Hall, was delivered to the RCN in August 2023. The RCN is affiliating each one of its Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels with the six Inuit regions of the Inuit Nunangat. On March 24th, 2024, HMCS William Hall was affiliated with the Kivalliq region during a ceremony held in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Specifically designed to patrol Canada's northernmost regions and offshore waters, the Harry DeWolf-class bolsters RCN's presence in the Arctic and its ability to operate globally protecting Canada's interests at home and abroad. Two additional ships are being procured as part of the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel fleet, with the last one expected to be delivered in 2025. In the recent Defence Policy Update, Our North, Strong and Free, the Government of Canada announced investments to acquire specialized maritime sensors which can rapidly deployed on the Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels to conduct ocean surveillance. Through this policy, the Government also committed to explore options for enabling our Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels to embark and operate our maritime helicopters at sea. This will increase the Canadian Armed Forces' ability to assert Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic and North, conduct surveillance, reconnaissance, and search and rescue, and be better prepared to respond to the growing range and sophistication of maritime threats. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 16, 2024 Release Readout of Assistant Secretary Ratner's Call With PRC Office of International Military Cooperation Director DOD Spokesperson LTC Martin Meiners provided the following readout: Dr. Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, spoke by video teleconference today with People's Republic of China (PRC) Major General Li Bin, Director of the Central Military Commission Office for International Military Cooperation, to discuss issues of mutual concern. The two officials discussed U.S.-PRC defense relations, and Assistant Secretary Ratner highlighted the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in defense channels to reduce the risks of miscommunication. He reaffirmed the importance of holding calls between the Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the PRC Southern and Eastern Theater Commanders, following the November 2023 announcement by President Biden and PRC President Xi Jinping that both countries would arrange telephone conversations between theater commanders. He also discussed the importance of operational safety across the Indo-Pacific region and underscored that the U.S. commitment to allies in the Indo-Pacific and globally remains ironclad. The two sides also discussed regional and global security issues. Assistant Secretary Ratner underscored the importance of respect for high seas freedom of navigation guaranteed under international law, and he raised concerns over dangerous PRC actions against lawfully operating Philippine vessels in the South China Sea. He also discussed the relationship between Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), as well as serious concern over the PRC's support for Russia's defense industrial base that enables Russia's war in Ukraine. Assistant Secretary Ratner also reiterated that the United States remains committed to our longstanding one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three U.S.-China Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances, and he reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Strait. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3777206/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xi, Putin hold talks, sign joint statement on deepening ties Global Times China, Russia have found 'new path for major countries' By Yang Sheng in Beijing and Zhang Weilan in Harbin Published: May 16, 2024 11:10 PM Updated: May 16, 2024 11:39 PM Chinese President Xi Jinping held large-group talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. Analysts from both countries said the visit will reinforce and further promote the bilateral strategic ties with high level mutual-trust and broad common interests. During the meeting, Xi again extended a warm welcome to Putin for his state visit to China. He pointed out that this is President Putin's first foreign visit after he began his new term as the president. This fully demonstrates the great importance President Putin himself and the Russian government attach to developing China-Russia relations. China highly appreciates this. Xi said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the China-Russia diplomatic relations. It is an important milestone year in the history of China-Russia relations. Over the past 75 years, China and Russia together have found a new path for major countries and neighboring countries to treat each other with respect and pursue amity and mutually beneficial cooperation. With the concerted efforts of the two sides, China-Russia relations have been moving forward steadily, with enhanced comprehensive strategic coordination and further cooperation on economy and trade, investment, energy, people-to-people exchanges, at the subnational level and in other fields. This has made positive contributions to maintaining global strategic stability and promoting greater democracy in international relations, Xi remarked. 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 globalization. Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday that China and Russia are providing back-to-back mutual support to each other amid the turbulence that the world is experiencing. He pointed out that this doesn't mean they are building an alliance to target anyone, but are providing strategic support to serve the fundamental interests of not only the two peoples but also the fairness and justice of the world, to jointly withstand hegemony and unilateralism, and promote multilateralism. "The China-Russia strategic partnership has set an example for successful relations between major powers that can withstand the turbulence of the world, and it's also the key to maintaining the strategic balance of international relations," Li noted. According to TASS, Putin said at the meeting with Xi that "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 stabilizing factors in the international arena." More and more cooperation According to the Xinhua News Agency, Xi and 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. The two leaders also attended the signing ceremony of cooperation documents in Beijing on Thursday. Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday that Putin has brought a massive delegation with him that includes senior officials in charge of fields such as energy, economy and finance, as well as heads of giant companies in heavy industry and mining. "This means the cooperation documents between the two sides will cover many areas, which, it is believed, will further promote bilateral relations to a higher level," Cui noted. Alexey Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies of Moscow State University, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview recently that Russia's economy realized a 3.6 percent GDP increase in 2023, and will continue to grow this year thanks to the cooperation with China and other countries. "Recently, Russia invested in a lot of innovative productions, including electronics and microprocessors. Russia started to cooperate with, for example, China in electric car production and science and technology. It also started to produce much more of its own agricultural products. Right now, Russia not only produces these agricultural products by itself, but also exports these products more, for example, to China," he said. Maslov said, "What Russia really needs right now is much more new technologies. And in this area, we have a lot of problems, including the lack of highly qualified personnel. And that's why Russia started to develop its Far Eastern region, where Russia established new centers for technological development." The eighth China-Russia Expo is set to take place from May 16 to 21 in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, which borders Russia's Far East region. Trade between the two countries will see new impetus after Putin's China visit, said businesspeople from the two countries. Vice President of the Russian Export Center Alexey Solodov told the Global Times on Thursday at the expo, "The Chinese market is definitely our largest market. I would say it's the most friendly and a very important one for us. We are doing our best to show that these products are very nice and cost-effective." President Putin's visit to China will no doubt inject more vitality into bilateral trade cooperation. The foundation of our bilateral trade cooperation is our friendship and I'm sure after this Expo, ties between Russia and China will be stronger, he said. "I'm confident that the trade cooperation between the two countries will be strengthened," Solodov said. On international affairs Xi and Putin jointly met the press in Beijing on Thursday. Xi said to the press that 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. 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. UN resolutions must be earnestly implemented and the question of Palestine must be solved on the basis of the two-State solution, Xi said. The Chinese president said that 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. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China rebuffs US accusations on supplying Russia with weapon components: Chinese FM Global Times By Global Times Published: May 16, 2024 07:04 PM China has rebuffed US claims accusing the Chinese side of supplying Russia with materials for weapons manufacturing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday, noting that China has always taken a prudent and responsible attitude in the export of military products, strict control of dual-use items, including commercial drone exports. Wang's remarks were made after media reports cited US officials claiming that Chinese materials are filing critical gaps in Russia's defense production cycle and helping Moscow undertake its "most ambitious defense expansion since the Soviet era." Wang added that the US side's action of providing unprecedented military assistance to Ukraine while making groundless accusations against normal economic and trade exchanges between China and Russia is a typical double standard, extremely hypocritical and irresponsible. The passive situation of the US in the Ukrainian crisis is not caused by the Chinese side, and the facts have proved that pouring oil on the fire will only make things worse. A political solution is the only correct way to end the Ukrainian crisis, Wang said. Blaming China will not solve the problem, nor will it alleviate the passive position of the US; on the contrary, it will make the situation more complicated. Wang said such an outcome would not please the parties concerned. Wang also said that China has always been committed to persuading peace and promoting talks, but China will not take the blame, much less pay for the behavior of others. China will resolutely defend its legitimate rights and interests. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China, Pakistan reiterate ironclad friendship, agree to update building of economic corridor Global Times By GT staff reporters Published: May 16, 2024 09:07 PM Pakistan's newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar wrapped up his visit to China on Thursday. During his short stay, the two countries had held a strategic dialogue where they reiterated the ironclad friendship and agreed to deepen cooperation under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative as well as to update the building of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). While stressing the importance of stable China-Pakistan relations to the regional stability, Chinese analysts also addressed the need for more effective security measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and companies in Pakistan, particularly amid the worrisome anti-terrorism situation in the region. Both sides underscored the importance of making joint efforts to fight terrorism. Dar paid an official visit to China from Monday to Thursday at the invitation of Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs. On Wednesday, Wang and Dar co-chaired the Fifth Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue in Beijing. During the dialogue, the two sides exchanged views on the entire range of bilateral relations and cooperation, including in strategic, economic, political, defense and security, trade, investment and commerce, and cultural and people-to-people domains, according to a release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday. Both sides reiterated that China and Pakistan are All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partners sharing an unbreakable ironclad friendship and strategic mutual trust. The healthy and robust growth of China-Pakistan relations is of immense strategic significance for regional peace, development and stability, reads the release. Dar's China visit marks his first official visit to a foreign country since assuming his new position. The visit coincides with a series of high-level visits from Pakistan to China since the inauguration of Pakistan's new government, and underscores Pakistan's commitment to strengthening its relations with China and enhancing cooperation to bolster its domestic economy. The significance of the BRI projects and CPEC for Pakistan's infrastructure development and economic growth is becoming more apparent. Pakistan is also looking forward to more investment from China to advance its economy and secure development, Liu Zongyi, secretary-general of the Research Center for China-South Asia Cooperation at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday. According to the Thursday release, China and Pakistan will work together to deepen and substantiate China's eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and forge an "upgraded version" of the CPEC. The two sides also agreed to accelerate progress on major connectivity projects including upgradation of ML-1, the Gwadar Port, realignment of Karakoram Highway Phase II, strengthen cooperation in agriculture, industrial parks, mining, information technology and other fields. Creating a secure environment for better bilateral cooperation is also stressed by analysts, citing Pakistan's deteriorating security situation in recent years and the occurrence of terror attacks targeting Chinese nationals and projects. During their dialogue on Wednesday, Wang also talked about the terror attack on Chinese personnel at the Dasu hydropower project on March 26, in which five Chinese nationals were killed. The two sides strongly condemned the terrorist attack, and emphasized that no attempt to undermine China-Pakistan cooperation will ever succeed. In keeping with its ironclad friendship with China, the Pakistani side would hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to justice, take more effective security measures, and make all-out efforts to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan. The Chinese side recognized Pakistan's contributions and sacrifices in combating terrorism over the years. Amid the growing influence of terrorism in the Central and South Asian regions, analysts are also urging joint efforts from regional countries and the international community to crack down on terrorism. This collective action is consequential to prevent the spread of terrorist forces, which pose a threat to national political security and regional stability, they said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on May 16, 2024 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China 2024-05-16 20:26 At the invitation of Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu and Tajikistan's 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 Yi's visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan as well as China's expectation for the visits?a Wang Wenbin: Kazakhstan and Tajikistan are China's 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.a Kyodo News: It's 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. What's your comment? Wang Wenbin: China's position on the Taiwan region's 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 China's expectation for the meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs?a 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 SCO's growth, cooperation in various fields and other issues of mutual interest, and make full preparation for this year's 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.a NHK: The US keeps criticizing China saying that China has been exporting dual-use materials, especially nitrocellulose to help Russia's 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 China's 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 won't 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. What's China's comment? How does China foresee its relations with Singapore?a Wang Wenbin: China congratulates Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on his inauguration and believes that under his leadership, Singapore's 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: It's reported that on May 15, Israeli Prime Minister's Office released a statement which says that the Israeli government unanimously approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to reject the UN General Assembly decision of May 10 to give Palestine additional privileges. What's your comment on this?a Wang Wenbin: To this day, the historical injustice long suffered by the Palestinian people still hasn't been redressed. This is the root cause of the cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The fundamental solution lies ina 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 Palestine's 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.a 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 Ren'ai Jiao released last week by the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines. What's your comment? Wang Wenbin: Last week, my colleague made clear China's 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 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 commitmentaand blaming it all on Chinaashows exactly who is acting in bad faith, infringing the other side's sovereignty and making provocations on Ren'ai Jiao. Over the years, China and ASEAN countries, including the Philippines,ahave 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 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.a 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 measuresatoafirmlyadefendaouralegitimatearightsaandainterests.a Reuters: Given the news of President Putin's 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 China's normal trade with Russia. Your question, same as that of the Japanese journalist, is about shifting the blame to China.a 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 other's 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. What's China's 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address OpenAIs Sam Altman reveals how fame has altered his personal life and discusses the new artificial intelligence model, GPT-4o, on a new podcast. Jason Redmond/TNS Sam Altman, the 39-year-old CEO of OpenAI, said this week that his companys popularity has dramatically changed his day-to-day life, making it difficult for him to even eat out in San Francisco without being recognized. Its a strangely isolating way to live, he said in an episode of the podcast The Logan Bartlett Show. During the 45-minute conversation, Altman and Bartlett discussed the societal impacts of artificial intelligence and OpenAIs latest advancements, including its flagship product, ChatGPT. They also talked about the release of OpenAIs new AI model, GPT-4o, which can imitate human speech and detect emotions. Amid these technological discussions, Altman opened up about the personal challenges he faces due to increased media and public attention. He admitted that he hadnt fully anticipated the loss of privacy that came with his professional success. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The inability to just be mostly anonymous in public is very, very strange, he said. I think if I had thought about that, at the time, I wouldve said, OK, this will be a weirder thing than it sounds like. But I didnt really think about it. Its like a much weirder thing. Living in a $27 million home in Russian Hill with his husband Oliver Mulherin, Altman said he didnt think past his initial expectations, I thought, AIs going to be important, OpenAIs going to be a significant company. I didnt anticipate not being able to dine out in my own city. Its peculiar. Altman revisited the tumultuous incident last fall when four OpenAI board members voted to remove him from the company only to quickly reinstate him highlighting the emotional toll such events take. Every day theres something like, if I had a little more mental space to step back, this would be crazy, Altman said. After all that November stuff happened, the next day, I got 10, 20 texts from presidents and prime ministers. Advertisement Article continues below this ad OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who told Altman last November that he was being fired, announced his departure from the company this week after working there for nearly a decade. In a social media post, Altman wrote that parting ways is very sad and called Sutskever one of the greatest minds of our generation, a guiding light of our field, and a dear friend. The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently discussed the societal impacts of artificial intelligence and his companys latest advancements, including its flagship product, ChatGPT, on the podcast The Logan Bartlett Show. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press Altman shared that he barely ate or slept during the week of turmoil last fall. However, once it was over, he and Mulherin decompressed over a meal at Gotts Roadside diner en route to their ranch in Napa. Altman said he ordered four entrees and two milkshakes for himself. He told Bartlett that since launching OpenAI in 2019, he has grown accustomed to the roller coaster of life in the competitive tech world. My takeaway is human adaptability to almost anything is just like much more remarkably strong than we realize, and you can get used to anything as the new normal, good or bad, pretty fast, Altman said. Over the last couple of years, Ive learned that lesson many times. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Altman, who previously served as president of the startup accelerator Y Combinator, affirmed that the sacrifices hes making are worth the work hes doing with OpenAI. Sino-Russian alliance has 'concrete, tangible' goals, analysts say Future Chinese support for Russia's war in Ukraine may be hampered by US financial sanctions. By Kitty Wang for RFA Mandarin 2024.05.16 -- 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. "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. "China's support for Russia's access to export markets, and military and capital goods is vitally important," he said in written comments to RFA Mandarin. "Also China's 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. 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. China's 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. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xi, Putin discuss 'sovereignty' ahead of US officials' Taipei visit The US will send an unofficial delegation as Taiwan's president is sworn in next week. By Taejun Kang for RFA 2024.05.16 -- 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. Xi's 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, China's Xinhua News Agency reported. "In today's 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 hasn't supplied Russia with arms for use in Ukraine, it has supported it diplomatically, attributing threats to Russia's 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 Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Chinese leader said the two sides agreed that a "political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis was the right way forward." "China's 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 Taiwan's 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. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China, Cambodia begin annual military drills By VOA News May 16, 2024 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 China's 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 China's 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 Vietnam's southern coast and the Gulf of Thailand," he told VOA Mandarin. Cambodia's 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 won't 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 China's 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 China's friendship is "still firm and unbreakable." China is Cambodia's 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. Cambodia's government called off similar military exercises with the U.S., called Angkor Sentinel, in January 2017. "The United States respects Cambodia's 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. VOA's 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Xi, Putin pledge to deepen strategic ties at Beijing talks By VOA News May 16, 2024 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. China's 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 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. 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 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 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's plan to float nuclear reactors in South China Sea seen as risky By Xiaoshan Xue Kelly Tang May 16, 2024 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 China's 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 Manila's 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 Beijing's 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 India's Jindal Global University, told VOA China's 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 China's 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 China's 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. "China's 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 as early as 1970 but due to safety concerns did not quickly pursue development. Russia is the only country that has brought a floating nuclear power plant to fruition, with the Akademik Lomonosov plant 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." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address North Koreans worked remotely for American companies, US says The US separately issued sanctions against 5 Russian entities for transferring weapons from Pyongyang. By Alex Willemyns for RFA 2024.05.16 -- 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 FBI's office in Phoenix, added that the indictment showed Pyongyang's 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 Korea's weapons programs. The workers "are linked to the DPRK's Munitions Industry Department, which oversees the development of the DPRK's 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 Pyongyang's 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." 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rewards for Justice - Reward Offer for Information on North Korean IT Workers US Department of State Media Note Office of the Spokesperson May 16, 2024 The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information that leads to the disruption of financial mechanisms of persons engaged in certain activities that support the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Such activities include money laundering that supports the Government of North Korea or any senior official or person acting for or on behalf of that government. The Department is seeking information on North Korean information technology (IT) workers using aliases Jiho Han, Chunji Jin, and Haoran Xu, and their manager Zhonghua. These individuals engaged in a scheme that enabled Han, Jin, and Xu to obtain illicit telework employment with U.S. companies using false identities belonging to more than 60 real U.S. persons. The illicit scheme generated at least $6.8 million for the DPRK. From about October 2020 until October 2023, U.S. national Christina Chapman helped Han, Jin, and Xu obtain work as remote software and applications developers with companies in a range of sectors and industries. They also attempted a but failed a to gain similar employment at two U.S. government agencies. These IT workers are linked to the DPRK's Munitions Industry Department, which oversees the development of the DPRK's ballistic missiles, weapons production, and research and development programs. Chapman assisted the North Korean IT workers in acquiring valid identities of real U.S. citizens. She also received and hosted laptop computers issued to the IT workers by U.S. employers to make it appear that the overseas workers were located in the United States and assisted the workers in connecting remotely to the U.S. companies' IT networks on a daily basis. She also helped launder the proceeds from the scheme by receiving, processing, and distributing paychecks from the U.S. firms to these IT workers and others. More information about this reward offer is located on the Rewards for Justice website, and on X (formerly known as Twitter) at https://twitter.com/RFJ_USA; https://twitter.com/RFJ_korean; and https://twitter.com/RFJ_mandarin. We encourage anyone with information on Jiho Han, Chunji Jin, Haoran Xu, Zhonghua, Christina Chapman, or associated individuals or entities to contact the Rewards for Justice office via its Tor-based tips-reporting channel at: he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion (Tor browser required). RFJ is an effective national security tool and is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid more than $250 million to more than125 people across the globe who provided information that helped prevent terrorism, bring terrorist leaders to justice, and resolve threats to U.S. national security. Of that amount, RFJ has paid rewards of $5 million each to two individuals whose information helped disrupt an illicit financial scheme that benefitted the DPRK. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Treasury Designates Sanctions Evaders Facilitating Illicit Arms Transfers between the DPRK and Russia U.S. Department of the Treasury May 16, 2024 WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is imposing sanctions on two Russian individuals and three Russia-based entities for facilitating weapons transfers between Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). This action promotes U.S. government objectives to disrupt and expose arms transfers between the DPRK and Russia and builds upon sanctions imposed by the Department of the Treasury and the Department of State related to DPRK-Russia arms transfers, including the transfer and testing of DPRK-origin ballistic missiles for Russia's use against Ukraine. This action demonstrates our resolve to impose costs on and hold the DPRK and Russia to account for their unlawful activities. "Today's action reflects our commitment to disrupt the DPRK's deepening military cooperation with Russia," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. "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 Russia's war." DPRK-Russia Illicit Trade ANd Munitions transfers Russia and the DPRK have strengthened their military cooperation over the past year, with the DPRK providing ballistic missiles and munitions to Russia. In return for its support to Moscow, Pyongyang is seeking military assistance from Russia. These designations target individuals and companies facilitating Russia-DPRK military cooperation. Operating through networks located in Russia, these actors attempt to evade sanctions by using front companies to move military equipment to support Russia's illegal aggression against Ukraine. In March 2023, OFAC designated Ashot Mkrtychev (Mkrtychev) for attempting to facilitate arms deals between Russia and the DPRK. In August 2023, OFAC designated three additional companies, including Verus LLC, a Russia-based company tied to Mkrtychev's sanctions evasion network. Since these designations, Mkrtychev and his associates have continued to facilitate the shipment of DPRK military equipment to Russia. Throughout 2023, Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan (Gazaryan) worked with Mkrtychev on arms transactions involving the DPRK and Russia. Since at least April 2023 Gazaryan has acted as a point of contact for Mkrtychev's negotiations to obtain multiple kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia from the DPRK. In May 2023, Gazaryan likely acted as an intermediary between a Russian government official and Mkrtychev. As recently as June 2023, Gazaryan worked on purchasing certain components on Mkrtychev's behalf. At the time of Verus LLC's 2023 designation Gazaryan was also the company's director. During October 2023, Gazaryan coordinated with Mkrtychev on commercial proposals involving mortars and mortar shells. Gazaryan also used Russian-based Trans Kapital Limited Liability Company to facilitate the shipment and delivery of aviation components to a North Korean weapons dealer. Gazaryan is the owner of Russia-based Rafort Limited Liability Company. As recently as March 2023, Aleksey Budnev (Budnev) has facilitated shipments to Russia of military communications equipment that likely originated from the DPRK intended to support the Russian military. Budnev is the sole owner of Russia-based Tekhnologiya, OOO. Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan is being designated, pursuant to Executive Order 13551 (E.O. 13551), for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Ashot Mkrtychev, an individual whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13551. Trans Kapital Limited Liability Companyis being designated, pursuant to E.O. 13551, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan, an individual whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13551. Rafort Limited Liability Company is being designated, pursuant to E.O. 13551, for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan, an individual whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13551. Aleksey Budnevis being designated forhaving directly or indirectly imported, exported, or reexported to, into, or from North Korea any arms or related materiel. Tekhnologiya, OOO is being designated, pursuant to E.O. 13551, for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Aleksey Budnev, an individual whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. 13551. 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 individuals and entities designated today. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military Commentator's Article Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, May 17 (KCNA) -- Following is the full text of an article "Provocation to regional peace and security can never be tolerated" issued by a military commentator of the DPRK on Friday: On May 16, the U.S. military sent F-22 stealth fighters deployed in Hawaii to the Korean peninsula and staged a "simulated air battle" with the Republic of Korea (ROK) for the first time. Two F-22 stealth fighters of the U.S. air force and two F-35A stealth fighters of the ROK air force, involved in the drill, exchanged the roles of attack and defence with each other. The enemy media claim that the drill demonstrated the powerful "deterrent" to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Without any explanation, we are well aware of why stealth fighters boasting of the "world's strongest" have been introduced. The "revisit" of F-22 stealth fighters to the Korean peninsula only after seven months and their first "simulated air battle" are another clear proof of the hostile nature of the U.S. which has persistently encroached upon regional countries' rights to security while seeking the showdown of force with the DPRK. The military gangsters of the ROK are now driving the military tension on the Korean peninsula into the extremity, keeping pace with their master's anti-DPRK confrontation scheme. In May alone, the ROK staged the largest-ever drill, allegedly to cope with the DPRK's "air infiltration", by mobilizing the ground, naval and air forces, along with "2024 simultaneous joint drill of military corps" and "joint drill for defending islands in the first half of the year" near the border of the DPRK. It also plans to stage a large-scale air drill involving more than 60 fighters such as F-35A and F-15K from May 17 to 24 and have a talk of special operation commanders with the U.S. at the end of this month so as to discuss "beheading operation". All the facts remind us once again that the strengthened military alliance and deployment of strategic assets by the U.S. are the main root of further escalating the military tension and unpredictability in the region. The deployment of F-22 will only precipitate the advent of a situation that the U.S. does not want to see, rather than its military effect. The more frequent "visit" by unbidden guest across the ocean will further promote the epochal occasions that helps step up the war readiness of the DPRK and, the accumulation of such occasions will be turned into a new strategic phase that the U.S. is afraid of and has to be frightened. It will not be a wise behavior to neglect the bolstering of the force capable of neutralizing the military effect of the U.S. deployment of strategic assets and annihilating the source of provocation and the commanding forces in possible case of emergency, though it is hard to completely contain such deployment, to be continued in the future. The military provocations of the U.S. and the ROK against the DPRK will never escape frustration due to the powerful practical counteraction of the DPRK for defending the national security and regional peace. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press Statement of Vice Department Director of C.C., WPK Kim Yo Jong Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, May 17 (KCNA) -- Kim Yo Jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued the following press statement on Friday. As already reported, our defence industry has made rapid progress, repeating technological transformation. I am not going to give another explanation of it but I feel need to take the fact that the hostile forces are misleading the public opinion with a false rumor that the weapon systems produced by the DPRK are "for export to Russia". As we have already stated several times, the "rumor about arms dealings between the DPRK and Russia" woven with mistaken view and fiction is the most absurd paradox which is not worth making any evaluation or interpretation. The technology of weapon systems we have recently developed and updated cannot be open to the public and, therefore, the possibility of export itself cannot be discussed. We have no intention to export our military technical capabilities to any country or open them to the public. But to satisfy great curiosity, I make our stand clear. The recent diverse activities in our national defence sector are pursuant to the five-year plan for our national defence development and it is aimed at bolstering our army's combat efficiency from A to Z. What is most urgent for us is not to "advertise" or "export" something, but to make the war readiness and war deterrent of our army more perfect in quality and quantity and to make the enemy unable to overcome the inferiority in military capability. No matter how much rhetoric they spread with such wild guess as that our weapon systems are "for export", it would not be easy for them to allay their security uneasiness while seeing our increased military muscle which they are hard to feel actually. Tactical weapons including multiple rocket launchers and missiles shown by us recently are produced to discharge the only one mission. We don't conceal the fact that such weapons will be used to prevent Seoul from inventing any idle thinking. The more persistently the U.S. resorts to different military acts of threatening the DPRK by instigating the ROK military vassals and the more desperately the ROK keeps clinging to its confrontation posture while boosting its reckless "boldness", in reliance on its master, the more thickly the dark clouds and shadow of curse would hang over their heads. We will more briskly conduct necessary activities in direct proportion to the undisguised and tricky political scheme by the hostile forces against our state. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Breezy north-northwest winds are expected in Northern California on Sunday, especially along the coast. Gusts up to 30 mph are possible in San Francisco and up to 35 mph along the Peninsula. Baron/Lynx Low stratus clouds and patchy drizzle will continue to hug the Bay Area coastline over the next couple of days, thanks to the reinvigorated marine layer. However, a bit of a switch-up is expected by Sunday and may continue into early next week as more sunshine may return to San Francisco. A coastal eddy has had an immense impact on Bay Area weather the past few days, spinning cool, moist air toward the Santa Cruz Mountains and the coastlines of San Mateo, San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties. Stubborn clouds persisted in Santa Rosa all day Thursday, keeping temperatures in the mid-60s, and Friday could be a repeat. This eddy may continue swirling off the coast until Saturday, but it is expected to break down Sunday. The North Pacific High, a seasonal and persistent area of high pressure off the coast, is predicted to nudge toward the California coast Sunday, resulting in a windy pattern. The Pacific High tends to migrate north throughout May, the first sign of summer weather on the West Coast. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The European weather model predicts an anomalously strong area of high pressure will develop off the West Coast on Sunday, resulting in gusty northwest winds in parts of the Bay Area. WeatherBELL Due to the proximity of the Pacific High, a strong northwest breeze is expected to pick up along the coast Sunday afternoon, gusting up to 30 mph in San Francisco and 35 mph or higher in Half Moon Bay, Point Reyes and near SFO. These strong northwest winds will likely disturb the low clouds and fog that have lingered along the coast for days, and skies should be mostly sunny Sunday, even in San Francisco. Sunday is shaping up to be the warmest day of the weekend in Wine Country, with highs in the mid- to upper 70s. However, the Santa Clara Valley is expected to cool down Sunday due to the northwest winds blowing off San Francisco Bay. Weekend breakdown San Francisco: Low clouds will redevelop by Friday morning and may end up hanging on a bit longer across the city compared to Thursday. Brighter skies are expected by the afternoon, especially for the lower elevations in the east. High temperatures will be in the low 60s in the Mission, SOMA and downtown. The marine layer will hang on a bit longer west of Twin Peaks, which will hold temperatures a few degrees cooler, with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s in the Sunset and the Richmond. The clouds will move back in tomorrow night, with overnight lows in the low 50s across the city. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Saturdays pattern should be relatively similar, with a relatively shallow marine layer burning off quicker in eastern parts of the city. Winds from the southwest will pick up, ranging from 10 to 15 mph, with some gusts up to 20 mph. High temperatures will be in the low 60s west of Twin Peaks and the mid-60s for points east of the hills. Overnight lows will be in the low 50s. Temperatures may be slightly warmer across the board on Sunday with brighter skies and more sunshine. Highs will be in the low to mid 60s again, with northwest winds gusting up to 30 mph. East Bay: Skies should clear out relatively quickly again on Friday, and inland areas of the East Bay should warm into the mid- to upper 70s in Concord, Walnut Creek and down through the Tri-Valley. Oakland and points along the I-880 corridor will be a bit cooler with highs in the upper 60s to around 70 degrees. Overnight lows will be in the low 50s. Saturdays temperatures will be about the same as Fridays, with highs in the I-80 corridor and around Oakland in the upper 60s to low 70s. Inland valleys will be warm again, with highs in the mid- to upper 70s. Temperatures will be similar on Sunday, with gusty winds out of the northwest at 10 to 20 mph. North Bay: Friday will be another bright and mild day as the marine layer will be thin enough to burn off quickly in most locations except for the immediate coastline. Highs in Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Sonoma will be in the low 70s. Vallejo and other locations exposed to San Pablo Bay will be a bit cooler, with highs in the upper 60s. Everywhere will feel the winds from the southwest, generally at 10 to 15 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph. Saturday will feature similar temperature and sunshine patterns to Friday, with a gusty southwest wind once again and highs ranging from the upper 60s to mid-70s. Winds will be a bit gusty out of the northwest on Sunday at 10 to 20 mph, but skies will be clear and temperatures should jump into the low to mid-70s in most locations. Overnight lows will range from the upper 40s in the cooler valley spots to low 50s elsewhere. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Pacific Coast and Peninsula: Clouds will hang along the coast on Friday and Saturday, with some brightening by afternoon. Highs will hold in the upper 50s along the immediate coast, the low 60s in Daly City, upper 60s in South San Francisco and mid-70s in Redwood City and Menlo Park. Winds from the southwest will be at 10 to 15 mph and a bit stronger along the immediate coast. Overnight lows will be in the low 50s. On Sunday the wind direction is expected to change, which should clear skies for much of the Peninsula, even near the coast. Northwest winds will range from 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph. Highs will range from the mid-60s in Daly City to low 70s in Redwood City. South Bay and Santa Cruz: Friday and Saturday will warm up nicely in San Jose, Santa Clara and Cupertino, with highs topping out in the upper 70s to low 80s. The marine layer will hang on more persistently in Santa Cruz County, with highs both days ranging from the mid to upper 60s. Overnight lows will be in the low 50s. Some isolated pockets of drizzle may develop in the morning hours on both days. A northwest wind on Sunday will help to eat away at the marine layer, allowing for mostly sunny skies and warmer temperatures in the upper 60s to around 70 degrees in Santa Cruz County. Temperatures will be just slightly cooler in Santa Clara with highs in the mid 70s. France to send 1,000 more forces to New Caledonia to suppress protests Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 4:19 PM France plans to send "around 1,000 additional security personnel" to its Pacific territory of New Caledonia, the French PM says, amid a state of emergency declared in the protest-hit group of islands. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced on Thursday after concluding a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron that the situation in the far-off territory was "very tense." The reinforcements would join "1,700 staff already on the ground". The French government seeks to quell days of largely indigenous protests triggered by a controversial bill aimed at enlarging the electorate for upcoming elections in New Caledonia, which lies around 1,500 kilometers east of Australia. The growing unrest has spiraled into the deadliest violence since the 1980s, claiming the lives of at least three indigenous Kanak people and a police officer so far. Hundreds of other people have also been injured in the protests. An overnight curfew has proved to be futile in ending the rallies. New Caledonia, known for its palm-lined beaches and marine life-rich lagoon, sits atop around a quarter of the world's known nickel reserves. Tourism and nickel are the territory's two main sources of income. The region's nickel deposits are estimated to represent 25 percent of the world's. The archipelago has been part of France since 1853, but during the past few decades, relations have been strained between pro-France Caledonians a mainly the white descendants of early European settlers in the territory a and independence advocates, mainly ethnic Kanaks. During the 1980s, fighting between the two sides left more than 70 people dead in the archipelago, which is now home to roughly 270,000 people. The Noumea Accord signed in 1998 set the groundwork for a two-decade transition expected to gradually transfer competences to the local government. According to the new rules, people who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years are eligible to vote in the territory's provincial elections, diluting a 1998 accord that limited voting rights. Many Kanaks, who make up some 40 percent of New Caledonia's nearly 300,000 people, fear the move will undermine their position in the territory. Earlier this week, the National Assembly voted in Paris to adopt the measure. However, voting reform must still be approved by a joint sitting of both houses of the French parliament since it represents a constitutional change. The office of the high commissioner, which represents France in New Caledonia, said in a statement that five people had been placed under house arrest as "alleged sponsors of the violent disturbances" and that more searches would take place "in the coming hours." Over 200 "rioters" had been arrested, it added, stressing that the authorities were "determined to quickly restore public order and take all necessary measures to protect the population of New Caledonia." Macron has already said that French legislators would vote to adopt the constitutional change by the end of June. On Thursday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said France expected to regain control of the situation in Pacific territory "in the coming hours." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Going Nuclear: Iran's New Rhetorical Deterrence By Kian Sharifi May 16, 2024 Acquiring nuclear weapons has long been a taboo topic in Iran, where the country's supreme leader has declared them un-Islamic. But a growing number of Iranian officials in recent weeks have openly suggested that the Islamic republic could weaponize its nuclear program, which Tehran has long claimed is strictly for civilian purposes. The change in rhetoric has coincided with Tehran's growing hostilities with Israel. Last month, Israel launched an attack on Iran in response to Tehran's unprecedented missile and drone assault on its archfoe. Experts say Iran's growing threats to build nuclear weapons is worrying, although they maintain that the statements are likely geared toward deterring another attack on Iranian soil. Eric Brewer, deputy vice president of the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative, said the Iranian threats appeared to be "conditional." "I do think that if Israel or the United States carried out an attack on Iran's nuclear program, there is a very good chance that Tehran would in fact decide to build nuclear weapons," he said. Real Or Rhetoric? Kamal Kharazi, a former foreign minister and current adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on May 13 that if Israel threatens Iran, "we might review our nuclear doctrine." "We do not want nuclear weapons and the supreme leader's fatwa is to that effect. But if the enemy threatens you, what do you do?" he said. Days earlier, in an interview with Al-Jazeera, Kharazi said Iran "has the capacity to produce a bomb," though the country had not taken the actual step of making one. Just before Israel's April 19 strike on Iran, a commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps warned that an attack that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities would prompt a reciprocal attack on Israel and could lead to a rethinking of Iran's stance on nuclear weapons. Brewer said what lent the threats "a degree of credibility" is that Iran's nuclear program is far more advanced today than it was in the past. A landmark deal with world powers in 2015 restricted Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. But then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement and reimposed sanctions in 2018, leading Tehran to accelerate its uranium enrichment and limit international inspections of its nuclear sites. Farzan Sabet, a senior research associate at the Geneva Graduate Institute, says failed international efforts to revive the nuclear accord could be behind Tehran's recent threats to build nuclear weapons. Another reason, he said, could be to "deter the current or a future U.S. administration from undertaking another 'maximum pressure'-style economic and military campaign against Iran." Fatwa Not An Obstacle In 2010, Khamenei issued a fatwa, or religious decree, saying that Iran considers the use of nuclear weapons to be "haram" and that the country would not pursue one. The fatwa has been cited as evidence by Iranian officials that the Islamic republic does not seek nuclear weapons. But Brewer said Khamenei's fatwa was "not a meaningful barrier to Iran building the bomb." "Iran could in theory do most of the work on a weapon with the fatwa in place and then Khamenei could rescind it at the last minute," he added. Despite the public comments by Iranian officials, the Foreign Ministry has insisted that there has been no change in the country's nuclear doctrine. Sabet said this dual messaging could "reflect a debate inside the system in Iran, in which the balance of power or consensus until recently did not favor building and deploying nuclear weapons, but which may be shifting." Some Iranian media reports have said that the country has enough enriched uranium to produce 10 nuclear bombs. Brewer says U.S. estimates suggest that it would take Iran about two weeks to produce enough weapons-grade uranium to make a bomb. But he says manufacturing a deliverable nuclear device could take months, or even more than a year. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nuclear-bomb-fatwa- doctrine/32949893.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN envoy outlines Iraq's growth and ongoing struggles 16 May 2024 - Iraq is a nation brimming with potential but still haunted by legacies of past turmoil, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the country, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said in a briefing to the Security Council on Thursday. Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert, also the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), cited notable advancements in infrastructure, economic reforms, and regional influence, signalling an Iraq on the rise. "[Today] Iraq looks different to the country to which UNAMI was first deployed some 20 years ago. Indeed, it looks different to the country I arrived in, in 2018. We are, so to speak, witnessing an Iraq on the rise," she said. However, she acknowledged challenges such as corruption, factionalism, impunity and armed actors remain significant hurdles. "While the Government is tackling these scourges, they still represent major hurdles to be overcome," she added. "The same goes for feelings of marginalization and exclusion, which are spreading in and among certain communities. If left unaddressed, they risk fanning the flames of intra- and inter-community tension." Protect human rights The senior UN official expressed worries over a recent increase in unannounced executions under anti-terrorism laws. Additionally, the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Iraqis are yet to be fully safeguarded, she continued, noting that women's empowerment remains a critical issue, with many women still waiting for a seat at the decision-making table. "What this shows is that women's empowerment must move beyond symbolism," she said. "And the need for an active, empowered and protected civic space is as present as ever," she added. Sombre anniversary Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert also highlighted that this summer will mark a sombre anniversary - a decade since Da'esh (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL) committed the genocide against the Yazidi people. "At this stage, I can only express hope that the upcoming anniversary will not be wasted but rather used by all authorities, actors and stakeholders to unite and step up to the plate with the sole aim of serving the people of Sinjar," she said. Continued polarization Turning to the political situation, Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert noted that holding local elections in December 2023 was a positive step, with most government councils now operational. However, two provinces remain at an impasse, with political negotiations dragging on. In the autonomous Kurdistan region, political polarization has intensified, and regional elections postponed, she added, warning that "the stakes are high - including and increasingly - within the context of the legitimacy of [the region's] institutions." The replacement of Iraq's parliamentary speaker has also stalled, reflecting internal divisions. "I can only emphasize, for multiple reasons, the importance of having the speaker in the chair," she said, expressing hope for resolution with the upcoming parliamentary vote. Regional dynamics On a regional scale, Iraq has shown strong resolve in preventing escalation into wider conflicts, contributing to a more stable security environment. Yet, the risk of miscalculation remains high due to the presence of armed actors operating outside state control, the UN envoy said. The return of Iraqi nationals from camps in northeastern Syria is progressing, but time is of the essence, she noted, cautioning that keeping people indefinitely in restrictive conditions creates greater security risks. Final briefing Thursday also marked Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert's final briefing to the Security Council in her role as the Special Representative for Iraq. The former Minister of Defense of Netherlands was appointed on 31 August 2018, succeeding JAn KubiA of Slovakia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Time to Turn Pages on 'Darker Images of Iraq's Past', Special Representative Tells Security Council amid Calls to Draw Down UN Assistance Mission in Country Meetings Coverage Security Council 9628th Meeting (AM) SC/15698 16 May 2024 Amid calls from Security Council members today to draw down the United Nations mission in Iraq, the senior United Nations official in that country briefed the 15-member organ on both progress and ongoing challenges at many State levels, while emphasizing it is time to "turn the page on the darker images of Iraq's past". Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, emphasized that the country looks different from the one to which the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was first deployed some 20 years ago, stating: "We are, so to speak, witnessing an Iraq on the rise." However, corruption, factionalism, impunity, undue interference in State functions and armed actors operating outside State control remain. While the Government is tackling these scourges, feelings of marginalization and exclusion are spreading in and among certain components, which risk fanning the flames of intra- and inter-community tension. The recent increase in mass unannounced executions of individuals convicted under anti-terrorism laws is a cause for great concern. On the legislative front, despite the successful holding of local elections in 13 of the 15 federal governorates in December 2023, two provinces a Diyala and Kirkuk a remain at an impasse, with no immediate resolution in sight. And six months of negotiations to replace Iraq's parliamentary speaker have failed to produce results. Nearly 10 years after Da'esh committed a genocide against the Yazidi people, Sinjar still lies in ruins, she said, expressing hoping that the upcoming tenth anniversary will not be wasted but rather used a by all authorities, actors and stakeholders a "to unite and step up to the plate with the sole aim of serving the people of Sinjar". On the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, she called for swifter progress. "And this must involve the overcoming of bureaucratic hurdles and immediate follow-up on outstanding issues," she added. Yet, while the country has teetered on the edge several times, "Iraq's horizon is replete with opportunities," she affirmed. In the debate that followed a in which the Council considered the Secretary-General's related reports (documents S/2024/368 and S/2024/369) a a number of members echoed the Iraqi Government's call for the end of the UNAMI mandate on 31 December 2025, with the representative of the Russian Federation stressing that the Mission a after more than 20 years since its establishment a has fully fulfilled its potential to support the rebuilding of Iraqi Statehood. Drawing out an international presence in the country any further would only hinder the development of national decisions. "The remaining problems should not be used as an excuse for the Mission's endless presence there," he said. The representative of Guyana, also speaking for Algeria, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, recalled that no UN political mission is meant to have a permanent presence in any country. Still, scattered Da'esh attacks underscore the need for continued international support and collaboration for Iraq's counter-terrorism efforts. Moreover, efforts to promote inclusive economic growth, job creation, and equitable distribution of resources are essential in fostering social cohesion and resilience against extremist ideologies. Similarly, the representative of the United Kingdom, noting the important contribution of UNAMI over the last 20 years, said that "now is the time to transition to a new partnership between Iraq and the United Nations". Citing the timely formation of 13 out of 15 local government administrations following successful elections, she urged all parties to commit to agree a date for free, fair and inclusive elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as soon as possible. However, the representative of the United States pushed back on calls to draw down the mission, underlining the importance of UNAMI's work in resolving outstanding issues between Iraq and Kuwait a as "it is clear that the UN should continue to be involved in efforts" to resolve them. Also welcoming UNAMI's efforts to support Iraqi elections, she noted that the Mission's independent strategic review recommended that the formation of a Government after parliamentary elections "be regarded as a milestone for the orderly and responsible completion of UNAMI's mandate". Contrarily, Iraq's representative recalled that the independent strategic review team concluded that UNAMI is no longer needed "due to the positive developments and important accomplishments Iraq has witnessed in all fields". He therefore requested that UNAMI's work be concluded by 31 December 2025 and that its efforts, until that time, focus on economic reform, service delivery, sustainable development, climate change and other developmental matters. Taking up the security issue, he stressed that the country "is witnessing a true security convalescence" a adding that "Da'esh is no longer a danger to Iraq". He therefore expressed the Government's desire to move towards bilateral security relations with the members of the international counter-Da'esh coalition. Further, all attacks targeting Iraqi territory "under flimsy excuses" are "no different from the terrorist actions that the international community is seeking to combat collectively". Stressing that "Iran is a neighbour" and "the United States is a strategic ally", he urged relations that focus on joint interests and mutual respect. He also called on all domestic political parties to cooperate "so we can navigate our way to the shores of security and development", including cooperating with Kuwait. For his part, the representative of Kuwait lauded efforts by all parties to collect information and evidence in preparing the latest report of the Secretary-General on the fate of missing Kuwaiti nationals, third-country nationals and Kuwaiti property, including the Kuwaiti National Archives. With 308 still missing, he stressed the importance of continuing the search beyond UNAMI's termination, calling for greater efforts to resolve outstanding issues to "close this painful chapter once and for all". THE SITUATION CONCERNING IRAQ Briefing JEANINE HENNIS-PLASSCHAERT, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq , noted that several important steps and promising initiatives have emerged in Iraq, especially in the past 18 months in the areas of service provision and construction. The country is also grasping opportunities through its pivotal position in the region and beyond; the enhancement of its investment climate; the rollout of financial and economic reforms; plans for water management and environmental mitigation and adaptation; and reduced dependence on imported fuels. Affirming that Iraq looks different to the country to which the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was first deployed some 20 years ago, she stated: "We are, so to speak, witnessing an Iraq on the rise." While past decades of turmoil still impact the present, it is "time to turn the page on the darker images of Iraq's past". However, corruption, factionalism, impunity, undue interference in State functions and armed actors operating outside State control remain a and while the Government is tackling these scourges, they still represent major hurdles to be overcome. She warned that feelings of marginalization and exclusion are spreading in and among certain components, which risk fanning the flames of intra- and inter-community tension. Power grabs or punitive policies may benefit one segment of society or community in the short-term, "but, in the end, everyone loses", she stressed. Within this context, the recent increase in mass unannounced executions of individuals convicted under anti-terrorism laws is a cause for great concern. She further stated that "women's empowerment must move beyond symbolism. But again, the Iraq of 2024 is evolving a and fast." Recalling her previous briefing on the successful holding of Iraq's local elections in December 2023, she noted that almost all governorate councils are now up and running. However, two provinces a Diyala and Kirkuk a remain at an impasse, as five months have passed with no immediate resolution in sight. Further, six months of negotiations on the replacement of Iraq's parliamentary speaker have failed to produce results. In a related issue, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court appears to be increasingly filling the void created by divisive politics. Turning to the Kurdistan region, she warned that the political landscape has become even more polarized. Inclusive regional elections, capable of producing political finality and certainty, are desperately needed. On Sinjar, despite 9 years since the area was liberated from Da'esh, "anyone traveling to Sinjar today would be forgiven for thinking that time has stood still". The city continues to lie in ruins. This summer will mark a sombre anniversary: 10 years since Da'esh committed a genocide against the Yazidi people. She expressed hope that the upcoming tenth anniversary will not be wasted but rather used a by all authorities, actors and stakeholders a "to unite and step up to the plate with the sole aim of serving the people of Sinjar". She emphasized that "yesterday's fight against Da'esh may still compound the problems of tomorrow a problems which will not stop at Iraq's doorstep. Hence, any other Government with nationals in Al-Hol and/or other facilities in north-eastern Syria carries a duty to act urgently. On the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, and missing Kuwaiti property, including the national archives, she called for swifter progress. "And this must involve the overcoming of bureaucratic hurdles and immediate follow-up on outstanding issues," she added. Yet, while Iraq has teetered on the edge, several times, it has found a way to step back from the brink, to continue its journey forward. "As I made clear earlier on, there are persistent and serious challenges, but Iraq's horizon is replete with opportunities. And yes, the country is also teeming with people who are ready and willing to seize them," she affirmed. Statements The representative of the United States underlined the importance of UNAMI's work in resolving outstanding issues between Iraq and Kuwait, pursuant to resolution 2107 (2013). Recalling that the Mission attended, in its observer capacity, technical meetings of the Tripartite Commission held in Baghdad in early March, she commended Iraq's commitment to determining the fate and whereabouts of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals. "It is clear that the UN should continue to be involved in efforts to resolve these outstanding issues," she said, also welcoming UNAMI's efforts to support Iraqi elections. Ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, she urged the Mission to continue such support and noted that the Mission's independent strategic review recommended that the formation of a Government after parliamentary elections "be regarded as a milestone for the orderly and responsible completion of UNAMI's mandate". She added that UNAMI provides "invaluable" assistance in promoting human rights and economic development in Iraq. The representative of the Russian Federation said that despite certain socioeconomic and political challenges and heightened regional tensions in the wake of a military escalation in the Palestine-Israel conflict, Iraq is addressing emerging challenges. The effective measures taken by the authorities have contained terrorist activities. Any further presence of United States troops on Iraq's territory under the umbrella of the international coalition against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) only exacerbates the internal situation and negatively impacts the regional environment. UNAMI a after more than 20 years since its establishment a has fully fulfilled its potential to support the rebuilding of Iraqi Statehood, including by normalizing political life and organizing the electoral process. Drawing out an international presence in the country any further would only hinder the development of national decisions. "The remaining problems should not be used as an excuse for the Mission's endless presence there," he said. The representative of China noted that Iraq finds itself at the forefront of the global fight against terrorism and still faces security threats, calling for the international community to support the build-up of its counter-terrorism capacity and eliminate the remnants of terrorist forces. He welcomed Iraq's continued efforts for the repatriation and resettlement of Iraqi citizens from the Al-Hol camp in Syria and efforts in developing good neighbourly relations. While UNAMI has made important contributions since its inception in 2003, in light of the steadily improving situation in the country and the continuous progress in institution-building and governance, "it is high time to streamline the Mission's mandate and implement a gradual drawdown", he stated. He recalled the 8 May letter from Iraq's Prime Minister to UN Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres requesting that the mandate of UNAMI be closed in December 2025, calling for ensuring a gradual drawdown towards an eventual withdrawal. The representative of the Republic of Korea noted that 13 of 15 local administrations were formed following successful elections in December 2023. He also welcomed Iraq's adoption of a national strategy to combat violence against women and girls, as well as UNAMI's assistance in this process. Acknowledging, however, that there is "a ways to go to realize a better, more stable future for Iraq and its people", he underlined the need to avoid vacuums in legislative leadership. Therefore, the seat of speaker for the Council of Representatives of Iraq a vacant for nearly six months a should be filled. He also welcomed UNAMI's assistance in identifying missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, calling for further aerial analysis in the search for potential burial sites. Recalling that his country dispatched more than 3,000 troops to Iraq for peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts between 2004 and 2008, he said Seoul will support Iraqi-led efforts to achieve greater stability, prosperity and security alongside UNAMI. The representative of Slovenia noted the recommendation in the independent strategic review of UNAMI that it begin transitioning its tasks to national institutions and the UN country team as well as the letter of Iraq's Prime Minister addressed to the Secretary-General regarding the Mission's future. Slovenia believes it is important to allow enough time for the transition to happen "in a responsible, orderly and gradual manner, and to the best benefit for Iraq and its people", he said. To that end, he encouraged the Government of Iraq to maintain its commitment to reforms regarding human rights, institution-building, economy and anti-corruption measures. The representative of Guyana , also speaking for Algeria , Mozambique and Sierra Leone , recognized the strides made by Iraqi authorities in effectively managing crises and overcoming challenges that the country has faced a while remaining cognizant of the persisting challenges, particularly the fragility of key institutions governing the nation's political and socioeconomic processes. Furthermore, the proliferation of armed factions and the potential resurgence of entities akin to Da'esh present formidable threats to Iraq's stability. While commending the progress made in the formation of local governments in 13 of 15 federal governorates following the certification of the results of the December 2023 Governorate Council elections, she stressed that scattered Da'esh attacks underscore the need for continued international support and collaboration for Iraq's counter-terrorism efforts. As the Iraqi people emerge from years of war, she stated, they cannot afford to become entangled again in an international conflict. She called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to recommit to preventing further escalation of violence in the region. Underscoring the imperative of addressing underlying socioeconomic disparities and grievances that fuel instability and conflict, she affirmed that efforts to promote inclusive economic growth, job creation, and equitable distribution of resources are essential in fostering social cohesion and resilience against extremist ideologies. Taking note of the Iraqi Government' wish for UNAMI's mandate to be terminated by 31 December 2025, she recalled that no UN political mission is meant to have a permanent presence in any country. It is therefore important to respect Iraq's position regarding the future of the Mission and for national institutions to fully assume responsibilities for all aspects of State governance. The representative of France encouraged the Iraqi Government to continue reforms aimed at diversifying the economy, combating corruption and impunity, and protecting human rights. Welcoming the work done by the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD), she underlined the need for such work to continue a including the management and use of databases to combat impunity. She also welcomed UNAMI's efforts to support Iraq, while noting the letter sent by that country's Government to the Council on 8 May requesting the closure of the Mission by 31 December 2025. On that, she said: "France will continue to listen to Iraqi authorities with regard to UNAMI's future and think about the most useful and effective contours and modalities for the United Nations in Iraq." Further, she expressed support for a gradual, ordered and responsible transition leading to UNAMI's definitive closure. The representative of Japan acknowledged that UNAMI has contributed significantly to the stability of Iraq and the region. In examining the possibilities and modalities of the Mission's transition, priority must be given to preserving the progress and ensuring future stability. Strengthening relations between Baghdad and Erbil remains critical to realizing more resilient State institutions, she said, echoing the Secretary-General's call on both Federal and Kurdistan Regional political leaders to redouble their efforts in this regard. Iraq continues its active engagement in building confidence among neighbouring countries, enhancing its regional economic relationships, she observed, encouraging further engagement to explore solutions to emerging challenges, such as climate-related water scarcity. The representative of Switzerland welcomed the formation of 13 of the 15 local governments following the local elections; however, the further postponement of parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan region remains a cause for concern. On the security and regional fronts, he noted it is essential that the Iraqi State controls the use of force throughout its territory. He expressed support for UNAMI in continuing its work in support of the Government regarding climate change, as the latter wishes. He welcomed Government efforts in finding lasting solutions for internally displaced people, while calling for particular attention to be paid to the needs and rights of vulnerable groups. Noting that negotiations on UNAMI's mandate will be decisive in setting the course for the future of the UN presence in Iraq, he emphasized that Iraq and its people must continue to consolidate peace in the country a both during and after this reconfiguration of relations between Iraq and the UN. The representative of Ecuador said that the political will of the Iraqi Government "proved fundamental" in fostering national reconciliation, security-sector reform and strategies to tackle the effects of climate change. He stressed, however, that this political will must be accompanied by access to climate and development financing through effective bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Expressing concern over persistent attacks by terrorist groups, he observed that this coincides with the findings of the independent strategic review team, which warn that "one of the looming threats in the country is that of the proliferation and reconfiguration of armed non-State actors". It is important, therefore, to strengthen bilateral security cooperation and consolidate regional partnerships to combat terrorism and violent extremism. This, he said, will facilitate addressing the root causes of violence, such as religious intolerance, poverty and inequality. The representative of Malta said that "a successful and responsible completion of UNAMI's task should include leaving behind effective UN capacities to support the Government's progress in areas including human rights, women empowerment, and electoral assistance". On the political front, she called for constructive steps from the federal and Kurdistan regional governments to address several outstanding issues. She also underscored the importance of promoting justice, equality and human rights, encouraging the Iraqi legislature to enact the domestic violence law. She highlighted the need to ensure women's full, equal, and meaningful participation in all political, electoral, and peace and security processes, and address the climate-security nexus in Iraq. The representative of the United Kingdom , noting the important contribution of UNAMI to Iraq over the last 20 years, affirmed that "now is the time to transition to a new partnership between Iraq and the United Nations". She welcomed the findings of the Independent Strategic Review, noting that her delegation will work closely with all parties to consider the future of the mission in line with its recommendations and the will of the Government of Iraq. Citing the timely formation of 13 out of 15 local government administrations following successful elections, she urged all parties to commit to agree a date for free, fair and inclusive elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as soon as possible. She further welcomed the update on missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and missing Kuwaiti property. While the transition period of UNAMI provides the parties with an opportunity to fully resolve these outstanding issues, should this not happen, the Council will need to consider further options for this file. The representative of Iraq reported that the Government has adopted a "balanced policy" in its foreign relations, focusing on building partnerships through official visits around the world and participating in the "most important international meetings, forums and venues". Domestically, it works to improve economic prospects, security and living standards for its citizens. Detailing efforts to maintain stable relations between Baghdad and Erbil a especially on budgetary matters a he underlined efforts that focus on the principles of partnership, complementarity and balance stipulated in the Constitution. On security, he stressed that "Iraq is witnessing a true security convalescence" and added that "Da'esh is no longer a danger to Iraq" due to the "high readiness of Iraqi security forces". He therefore expressed the Government's desire to move towards bilateral security relations with the members of the international counter-Da'esh coalition. He also stated that all attacks targeting Iraqi territory "under flimsy excuses" are "no different from the terrorist actions that the international community is seeking to combat collectively". Stressing that "Iran is a neighbour" and "the United States is a strategic ally", he urged relations that focus on joint interests and mutual respect. He also called on all domestic political parties to cooperate "so we can navigate our way to the shores of security and development", detailing national efforts towards this end such as promoting energy self-sufficiency, attracting investment, combating desertification and cooperating with Kuwait. On UNAMI's future, he recalled that resolution 2682 (2023) formed an independent strategic review team and noted the resultant conclusion that UNAMI is no longer needed "due to the positive developments and important accomplishments Iraq has witnessed in all fields". He therefore requested that UNAMI's work be concluded by 31 December 2025 and that its efforts, until that time, focus on economic reform, service delivery, sustainable development, climate change and other developmental matters. The representative of Kuwait lauded efforts by all parties to collect information and evidence in preparing the fourteenth report of the Secretary-General on the fate of missing Kuwaiti nationals, third-country nationals and Kuwaiti property, including the Kuwaiti National Archives, pursuant to operative paragraph 4 of resolution 2107 (2013). With 308 still missing, he stressed the importance of continuing the search beyond UNAMI's termination, calling for greater efforts to resolve outstanding issues to "close this painful chapter once and for all". If the remaining files are not definitively closed, "we need to collectively find other alternatives", such as a UN mechanism with a high-level coordinator tasked with following up on this issue who would report periodically to the Council. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address May 16, 2024 Release Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant today to discuss the need to increase humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, including through Kerem Shalom and Rafah crossings. Secretary Austin discussed U.S. progress on opening the maritime corridor to surge humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Minister Gallant and Secretary Austin reviewed the latest efforts to secure the release of hostages held captive by Hamas. Secretary Austin reinforced the unquestionable necessity to ensure the protection of civilians alongside the uninterrupted flow of aid before any potential Israeli military operation in Rafah. Secretary Austin reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security and the defeat of Hamas. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3778468/ NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Myanmar rebel leaders meet senior Japanese official Brief Tokyo meeting represents growing stature of anti-junta forces, analysts say. By RFA Burmese 2024.05.16 -- A senior Japanese official met with the representatives from several of Myanmar's 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 Japan's Masahiro Komura, a parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs. A statement from Japan's 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 Japan's 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 Japan's 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, Thailand's 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. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Myanmar's civil war has displaced 3 million people: UN Some towns are now deserted after being bombed by jets or burned by junta troops. By RFA Burmese 2024.05.16 -- Intensifying conflict in Myanmar's 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. Myanmar's 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. 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, Sagaing's 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 can't 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 junta's 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. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ASEAN special envoy meets with Myanmar junta leader They discussed upcoming election plans and the possibility of future aid. By RFA Burmese 2024.05.16 -- A Southeast Asian envoy has met Myanmar's 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 Myanmar's 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 Myanmar's 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. Myanmar's 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 Myanmar's 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 Myanmar's 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 ASEAN's 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 organization's prime minister's 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 NUG's 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. "That's 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 government's 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 China's 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 Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government's 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. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan, and Mike Firn, and Eugene Whong. Update adds more expert reactions. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thailand denies restricting student visas for Myanmar nationals As youth flee the country to avoid draft, junta troops have kidnapped 350 young men to join the army. By RFA Burmese 2024.05.16 -- 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 Thailand's educational visa application process follow the imposition of a military draft by Myanmar's junta aimed at shoring up troop shortages brought on by losses to rebel forces. Many of those eligible for conscription have fled Myanmar's 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 People's Defense Force, or PDF, in Myanmar's 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 junta's 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 country's Ministry of Higher Education. While more than 21,000 are from China, those from Myanmar rank second, at more than 3,700. 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 Thailand's 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 Thailand's 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 Thailand's 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. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 6th Round of Pakistan -UK Dialogue on Arms Control & Non-Proliferation Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs The 6th round of Pakistan - United Kingdom Dialogue on Arms Control and Non-Proliferation was held in Islamabad on 15 May 2024. Additional Foreign Secretary (Arms Control & Disarmament), Ambassador Mohammad Kamran Akhtar, and Director, Defence and International Security at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom, Ambassador Stephen Lillie, led their respective delegations. A broad spectrum of topics relating to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation came under discussion during the dialogue. Both sides also shared their perspectives on issues concerning global and regional security, new and emerging technologies, including the military use of artificial intelligence and the peaceful applications of nuclear technology. The discussions encompassed matters pertaining to the agenda of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, the Conference on Disarmament, as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The dialogue was held in a cordial environment and both countries expressed their commitment to further enhance coordination on multilateral fora on matters relating to arms control, disarmament & non-proliferation. While reiterating the need to ensure continuity in the conduct of the dialogue, the two sides agreed to hold the 7th round of Consultations next year in London on a mutually agreed date. The dialogue is a regular feature of Pakistan-UK bilateral interactions and provides an opportunity to both countries to take stock of global arms control and disarmament landscape and to exchange views on regional and global security situation. Islamabad 16 May 2024 83/2024 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Central Petroleum Limited, the Operator of New Zealand Oil & Gas Limiteds (NZO) Amadeus Assets (Mereenie, Palm Valley and Dingo) has issued the attached media release announcing an Expression of Interest (EOI) for the supply of gas from the Mereenie field. The EOI is for the supply of up to 40TJ/d or 90PJ of gas (gross to the JV), for delivery from mid-2024 through until the end of 2030. NZO has a 17.5% interest in the Mereenie Joint Venture, Cue Energy Resources (Cue) has a 7.5% interest, CTP a 25% interest and Macquarie Mereenie a 50% interest. As announced on 14 February 2024, NZO has agreed to purchase from Macquarie Mereenie a further 25% interest in the Mereenie licenses. From completion of that transaction, the participating interests will be: NZO 42.5%, Horizon Oil 25%, CTP 25% (Operator) and Cue 7.5%. About New Zealand Oil & Gas Limited New Zealand Oil & Gas Limited (NZX/ASX:NZO) is a nimble Australasia-focussed energy commodity exploration and production company, headquartered in Wellington, New Zealand. The company is committed to undertaking development and exploration activities that are ethical and values-based, and underpinned by quality relationships, skills and values. It also strives to deliver strong ESG standards that meet the benchmarks expected by communities and regulators.The companys portfolio comprises a spread of wholly- and partly-owned onshore and offshore oil and gas assets, located in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. These stakes are held either directly by the company, or indirectly through its circa 50% stake in ASX-listed Cue Energy Resources Limited (ASX:CUE).New Zealand Oil & Gas team of experienced energy sector experts, along with those of its key partners, are now working together to explore and develop multiple assets on the companys books. These activities have comprised multiple exploration programs that continue to validate prospectivity within New Zealand Oil & Gas asset portfolio. At the same time, the company along with its joint venture partners remain on the lookout for opportunities to acquire additional value-accretive producing and exploration assets.For further information please contact the Company on: email enquiries@nzog.com phone +64 4 495 2424 Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. 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Related News: TRU - WHO Agency UNITAID Features TRU in Tech Landscape Report PaySauce Quarterly Market Update - September 2024 October 2nd Morning Report Rua Releases Annual Report for Year Ended 30 June 2024 SCL - Settlement of orchard sales The Warehouse Group 2024 ASM and Director Nominations AIR - Update on Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Comvita Limited - Annual Report 2024 September 27th Morning Report Spark announces departure of Finance Director Joint Press Release of the Fifth Round of Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs At the invitation of member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Minister for Foreign Affairs of China Wang Yi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar visited China from May 13 to May 16, 2024. On May 15, 2024, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Wang Yi co-chaired the Fifth Round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue in Beijing. During the Dialogue, the two sides exchanged views on the entire range of bilateral relations and cooperation, including in strategic, economic, political, defence and security, trade, investment and commerce, and cultural and people-to-people domains. Global and regional issues of shared interest were also discussed and the two sides reached consensus to collectively take measures to safeguard their common interest, promote the socio-economic development of peoples of the two countries, and work together to promote peace, development and prosperity of the region. Both sides reiterated that Pakistan and China are All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partners sharing an unbreakable ironclad friendship and strategic mutual trust. The healthy and robust growth of Pakistan-China relations is of immense strategic significance for regional peace, development and stability. The two sides will implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, enhance exchanges at all levels, deepen experience-sharing in state governance, further enhance win-win cooperation in all areas and accelerate the building of an even closer Pakistan-China Community with a Shared Future in the New Era. China congratulated Pakistan on holding successful general elections, and expressed good wishes to the new Pakistani government in leading the Pakistani people in their endeavor to maintain stability and security and promote economic development and prosperity. Pakistan spoke highly of China's major development achievements in the New Era under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, appreciated China's people-centered development philosophy, and believed that the Chinese path to modernization provides a new option and practical solution for developing countries to achieve independent development. The two sides reaffirmed their unyielding support for each other on issues concerning their respective core interests. The Pakistani side reaffirmed its firm commitment to the one-China principle, and reiterated that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and that Pakistan firmly supports the Chinese government's every effort to achieve national reunification and opposes any form of "Taiwan independence." Pakistan firmly supports China on issues concerning Xinjiang, Xizang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea. The Chinese side reiterated its steadfast support for Pakistan in safeguarding its sovereignty, national independence and territorial integrity, in pursuing a development path suited to Pakistan's national conditions and achieving economic prosperity, in firmly combating terrorism, and in playing a bigger role in regional and global affairs. The two sides strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Chinese convoy of the Dasu Hydropower Project in Pakistan on March 26, 2024, and emphasized that no attempt to undermine China-Pakistan cooperation will ever succeed. In keeping with its ironclad friendship with China, the Pakistani side would hunt down the perpetrators and bring them to justice, take more effective security measures, and make all-out efforts to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan. The Chinese side recognized Pakistan's contributions and sacrifices in combating terrorism over the years. The two sides reiterated their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations with a "zero tolerance" attitude, and agreed to further strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism and security through a comprehensive approach. Calling on the international community to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation, the two sides expressed their firm opposition to double standards on counter-terrorism. The two sides will work together to deepen and substantiate China's eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and forge an "upgraded version" of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) by jointly building a growth corridor, a livelihood-enhancing corridor, an innovation corridor, a green corridor and an open corridor, by aligning them with Pakistan's development framework and priorities. The two sides agreed to accelerate progress on major connectivity projects including upgradation of ML-1, the Gwadar Port, realignment of Karakoram Highway Phase II, strengthen cooperation in agriculture, industrial parks, mining, information technology and other fields according to local conditions, and enhance Pakistan's capacity for sustainable development. The two sides believe that the Khunjerab pass plays an important role in promoting bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges, and agreed to speed up efforts to make sure that the Khunjerab Pass can function all year round. The two sides discussed ongoing energy cooperation and agreed to further enhance it. The two sides agreed to further strengthen financial and banking cooperation, including through support to each other at regional and international forums. The Pakistani side appreciated China for providing support for its fiscal and financial sectors and assistance in the face of floods and other natural disasters. Both sides expressed satisfaction at their expanding space cooperation and agreed to further build on it for a peaceful and mutually-beneficial exploration of space. Both sides underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in South Asia, the need for resolution of all outstanding disputes, and their opposition to any unilateral action. The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Chinese side reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is left over from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. The two sides reiterated their readiness to further enhance cooperation under the framework of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. Pakistan highly commended China's efforts to safeguard the rights of developing countries for sustainable development. The two sides expressed satisfaction over cooperation in multilateral regimes such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and agreed to strengthen coordination and collaboration to safeguard the common interests of developing countries and international fairness and justice. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, support for multilateralism and free trade, and opposition to the creation of "small circles" and bloc confrontation. The two sides agreed to strengthen communication and coordination on the Afghanistan issue. They called for concerted efforts of the international community to help Afghanistan properly address challenges in such areas as the humanitarian situation and economic development, and encourage Afghanistan to build an inclusive political framework, adopt moderate policies, pursue good-neighborliness, and firmly combat terrorism, including not allowing its territory to be used for terrorist acts. Both sides agreed to play a positive and constructive role in helping Afghanistan achieve stable development and integrate into the international community. The two sides reiterated that the fundamental way out of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the two-State solution and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine. The resolution adopted by the UN Security Council is legally binding, and should be enforced effectively to achieve an unconditional and lasting ceasefire immediately. The international community should increase input into the Palestinian question with a greater sense of urgency, step up efforts to facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and strive for enduring peace. The two sides reiterated that as good neighbors, good friends, good partners, and good brothers, Pakistan and China will promote their ironclad ties, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and upgrade strategic cooperation to break new ground and set new goals in their All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership. Islamabad 16 May 2024 82/2024 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Jailed former Pakistani PM Khan appears before top court via video By Ayaz Gul May 16, 2024 Pakistan's popular former Prime Minister Imran Khan appeared before the Supreme Court via video link from prison Thursday in connection with a lawsuit he has filed against disputed amendments to the country's anti-corruption laws. It was Khan's first court appearance since his arrest in August 2023. The 71-year-old former Pakistani prime minister has since been prosecuted inside the prison near the capital, Islamabad. Khan has been sentenced on highly controversial charges of graft, a fraudulent marriage, and leaking state secrets. Media crews have been barred from accessing the trials to cover and film them. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court ordered the government to make arrangements for Khan's participation in the hearing on Thursday through video link, acknowledging his request to represent himself in the case instead of using a lawyer. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party posted on social media images from inside the courtroom of what it said was the "illegally incarcerated" former prime minister. It said the pictures were screen grabs from Khan's virtual appearance. The Supreme Court adjourned Thursday's hearing, with Khan not getting an opportunity to speak. The judicial proceedings were due to be streamed live on the Supreme Court's website and YouTube as usual, but the broadcast was canceled just before the judges convened under Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa's leadership. Neither the court nor Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government explained why the hearing was not broadcast to the public. "The judicial process demands fairness and openness. Transparency can only be ensured through public view of proceedings; refusal to stream proceedings advances unfairness and non-transparency and must be condemned," said a PTI statement. Khan was ousted from office in 2022 through an opposition-led parliamentary vote of no-confidence. The succeeding Pakistani government amended the anti-graft law, limiting the National Accountability Bureau's powers to investigate corrupt practices of public office holders. The deposed prime minister has filed a petition claiming that the amendments were intended to dismiss corruption cases against influential figures, including the prime minister, the president, and other top officials in Pakistan's current coalition government. Since his removal from office, Khan has faced scores of lawsuits, which he rejects as frivolous. He alleges that Pakistan's powerful military was behind them to keep him from returning to power, charges both government officials and the military deny. Khan has appealed his convictions in higher courts, resulting in suspended prison terms and bail in some cases, but he remains in jail and faces prosecution in connection with several other state-instituted lawsuits. His PTI-backed candidates won the most seats in national elections in February this year despite Khan being in jail, but they could not get enough seats to form a government. The split mandate allowed Sharif and allied parties to cobble together a coalition government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address National currencies used in 90% of Russia-China transactions: Putin IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 16, 2024 Tehran, IRNA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the vast majority of transactions between Russia and China are now being conducted in their national currencies, describing dedollarization as an "inevitable" process. Putin made the remarks during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing on Thursday. The Russian leader is in China for a two-day state visit, his first foreign trip since winning a landslide reelection in March, as Beijing and Moscow look to further deepen a "no-limit relationship". Putin hailed the growing cooperation between the two allies in various fields, especially in trade, saying the decision to carry out transactions in national currencies has been a "powerful impetus" to the expansion of bilateral trade. He noted that 90% of all payments between Russia and China are made in rubles and yuan. The Russian president emphasized that the process of dedollarization of the national and international economy is "inevitable". President Xi of China greeted Putin as an "old friend" and emphasized that relations between their respective countries have stood the test of time. 4353**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian-Chinese talks At the invitation of President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin arrived in China for a state two-day visit. May 16, 2024 09:50 Beijing Ahead of the talks, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping offered an official welcome ceremony to President of Russia Vladimir Putin, during which the two leaders introduced their delegations. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping held a conversation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, followed by expanded Russian-Chinese consultations. They covered a range of bilateral cooperation topics and exchanged perspectives on current international and regional issues. Following the talks, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping signed a Joint Statement between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China, aimed at strengthening their comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction in a new era, marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Furthermore, a series of documents were signed in the presence of both leaders. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping made statements to the media. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Meeting with Premier of the State Council of China Li Qiang During his state visit to China, Vladimir Putin met with Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang. May 16, 2024 11:45 Beijing <...> President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Premier of the State Council, For my part, I am also very pleased to meet with you and discuss topical issues of bilateral cooperation following our extensive and detailed talks with President Xi Jinping today. We have signed the fundamental Joint Statement on deepening our comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction as we enter a new era. We have set ambitious goals and long-term guidelines for the development of the entire range of Russia-China relations. As you just mentioned, this document was signed ahead of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries. Over the past seven and a half decades, Russia-China relations have developed dynamically and reached an unprecedentedly high level. They are based on a solid foundation of neighbourliness, equality, mutual respect and support. This strategic approach serves the fundamental interests of the Russian and Chinese nations. In this connection, I would like to thank you personally, esteemed Mr Premier, as well as all your colleagues from the State Council of the People's Republic of China, for prioritising stronger and diversified Russia-China cooperation, particularly our trade and economic ties. We have scored impressive results in practical cooperation through joint efforts. Today, we have already discussed statistics that highlight bilateral trade. As you mentioned, according to Chinese statistics, bilateral trade has exceeded $240 billion. Our statistics are slightly lower, but this is not important. We have reached such a high level in the past five years. Energy is a key area of our cooperation. Russia is a reliable supplier of energy carriers for the growing Chinese economy. By the way, last year saw record high Russian oil, gas and coal shipments to China. We are expanding our industrial cooperation, including in the automotive industry, and increasing agricultural trade volumes. We are coordinating various plans in high technology and innovation, including space exploration and the nuclear power industry, and implementing them successfully. We have achieved tangible results in developing the transport infrastructure. Furthermore, we are deepening our cultural and humanitarian ties. We are organising numerous events and implementing roadmaps for cultural and humanitarian cooperation until 2030 in the fields of education, culture, healthcare, sport, media, cinema, tourism, archives and youth policy. The cross years of Russian and Chinese culture play an important role in this context. President Xi Jinping and I will officially launch them today. I understand that you have established cordial and business-like relations with Mr Mishustin, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. We hope that your close and truly professional working relationship will continue. In practice, the mechanism of regular meetings between Russian and Chinese heads of government has proven to be effective. This also applies to the implementation of the entire range of highest-level agreements. Moscow is set to host regular talks at the level of prime ministers. We look forward to welcoming you to Russia. I am confident that these talks will contribute to further deepening Russia-China relations. Thank you. <...> NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin in Beijing: Russia, China agree to deepen 'strategic partnership' Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 6:56 PM Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to further deepen the "strategic partnership", scolding the United States for posing threats against their countries. Putin, who arrived in China on Thursday for his first state visit after he was sworn in for a record-breaking fifth term as Russia's president earlier this month, and Xi noted their positions in almost all fields, from economics and space to defense, Ukraine and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan). "The parties reiterate their serious concern over the attempts of the United States to disrupt the strategic security balance in the region," said a 7,000-word joint statement on "the deepening of the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation entering a new era." China, a major market for the Russian military, and Russia have significantly strengthened their economic cooperation and diplomatic ties in recent years, with their strategic partnership growing even closer following the Ukraine conflict. "This partnership is without a doubt exemplary for how the relationship between neighboring states should be," Putin said on the first day of his two-day visit to China. "Our cooperation in global affairs today is one of the main stabilizing factors in the global arena," he added. The Chinese president, for his part, said that his country is ready to work with Russia to "uphold fairness and justice in the world." "The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it," Xi stressed. Russia and China declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022, when Putin visited Beijing just days before Moscow launched its military campaign in neighboring Ukraine. Trade between the two sides reached a record $240 billion last year, with Chinese companies increasing investment after Western firms left Russia following the imposition of sanctions against Moscow. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin arrives in China on 1st state visit after re-elected as Russia's president Iran Press TV Thursday, 16 May 2024 8:03 AM Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in China on his first state visit and met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping after he was sworn in for a record-breaking fifth term as Russia's president earlier this month. Putin arrived in the Chinese capital of Beijing in the early hours of Thursday and was welcomed and greeted by Xi with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People. During his two-day visit of the world's second largest economy, Putin is expected to hold one-on-one talks with Xi and those involving delegations, as well as informal face-to-face talks. The visit to China will be held in two stages and Putin is scheduled to visit both Beijing and Harbin, where Putin will attend the opening ceremony of the 8th Russian-Chinese Expo and the 4th Russia-China Forum on Interregional Cooperation, the TASS news agency reported. According to China's state broadcaster CCTV, Xi congratulated Putin on his re-election and celebrated the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, saying that Beijing and Moscow are boosting their relationship as "good neighbors, good friends, and good partners." Putin, for his part, said, "It is absolutely crucial that Russian-Chinese relations are not ad hoc contacts and are not aimed against anyone," Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted the Russian leader as saying. "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 based on the multipolar realities and international law," Putin added. China, a major market for Russian military, and Russia have significantly strengthened their economic cooperation and diplomatic ties in recent years, with their strategic partnership growing even closer following the Ukraine conflict. Russia and China declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022, when Putin visited Beijing just days before Moscow launched its military campaign in neighboring Ukraine. Trade between the two sides reached a record $240 billion last year, with Chinese companies increasing investment after Western firms left Russia following the imposition of sanctions against Moscow. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Gas Tycoon Hires Putin's Daughter's Beau For Murmansk LNG Project By Sergei Titov, Andrei Soshnikov and Systema May 16, 2024 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 Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-relative-nagorny- novatek-murmansk-lng-mikhelson/32950259.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Why Putin Is Visiting Harbin, China's Former 'Little Moscow' By Reid Standish May 16, 2024 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. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-china-harbin-xi-defense- weapons/32950308.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin, Xi Talk War In Ukraine As They Boast Stronger China-Russia Ties By Reid Standish May 16, 2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his strengthening partnership with China during a state visit to Beijing where Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to play a constructive role in helping Europe return to "peace and stability." The two leaders -- who declared a "no limits" partnership between their country shortly before Moscow's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine -- said during a joint appearance on May 16 that they signed new documents to deepen cooperation between their countries. Putin, who is looking for more support to sustain his country's isolated economy and war machine in Ukraine, said their relationship is "one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena." Xi said the two countries were furthering their relationship as "good neighbors, good friends, good partners," and that both he and Putin agreed on the need for a "political solution" to 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," Xi said, speaking alongside Putin. Despite expressing neutrality towards the war in Ukraine, China has emerged as the Kremlin's leading international supporter by supplying Russia with key components that Moscow needs for its productions of weapons and as a vital consumer for oil and gas that has helped boost the Russian economy. The high-profile state visit comes as Russian forces have made small advances on the battlefield and pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region, already forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes. In February 2023, China offered a broad 12-point plan for peace outlining general principles for ending the war in Ukraine, but didn't offer new specifics on how Beijing might be prepared to engage with both sides of the conflict. On the eve of Putin's departure to Beijing, he said in an interview with China's state-run official Xinhua News Agency that the Kremlin was willing to begin negotiations over Ukraine under certain conditions. "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 in a written interview. Xi recently returned from a trip to Europe where he visited France, Serbia, and Hungary and discussed the war in Ukraine on his tour with European leaders. Putin said that he would inform Xi about "the situation around the Ukrainian crisis" during their informal dinner in the evening, where the leaders, along with a substantive delegation of top officials, will meet behind closed doors. Before their remarks, Xi and Putin signed a joint statement on deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership between their two countries. Xi described negotiations as "frank, friendly, and substantive," while Putin said that they had been "warm and businesslike." Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China as Western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system and Putin said that Russian and Chinese banks would be strengthening their contacts. He also praised Xi's signature Belt and Road Initiative. Neither leader commented on the status of the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline, which would supply China with gas from fields previously serving European markets. Following informal meetings and a state dinner, Putin will travel on May 17 to attend an economic forum in Harbin, a city in northeastern China with strong cultural, historical, and business ties to Russia. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-xi-ukraine- china-russia-ties/32949868.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian-Chinese Partnership Constantly Improving, Diversifying Due to New Areas - Putin Sputnik News 20240516 BEIJING (Sputnik) - The Russian-Chinese partnership is constantly improving and diversifying due to the new areas of cooperation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. "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. "Both countries conduct independent foreign policy. We work in solidarity on forming a more just and democratic multipolar world order which should rely on the central role of the United Nations and its Security Council, international law and the cultural and civilizational diversity, a verified balance of interests of all participants of the world community," Putin said following the negotiations with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing. 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. "For my part, I am also very pleased to meet with you [Chinese Premier Li Qiang] and discuss current issues of bilateral cooperation in continuation of our today's exceptionally intense and meaningful negotiations with President Xi Jinping," Putin said at a meeting with Li. 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. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian-Chinese Cooperation is One of Main Stabilizing Factors in International Arena - Putin Sputnik News 20240516 Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun his first state visit to China since his inauguration. The Russian leader was invited by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during Putin's previous visit to Beijing in October 2023. Moscow and Beijing have accumulated "a solid baggage of practical cooperation," Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on Thursday. The Russian president recalled that bilateral trade in 2023 increased by almost a quarter and reached $227 billion. Putin also emphasized that China remains Russia's main trade and economic partner. "According to the results of last year, Russia has moved up to the fourth place in the list of China's trade partners. The approval of the plan for the development of key areas of Russia-China economic cooperation until 2030 following your visit to Moscow in March 2023 played a direct role in this," the Russian leader said. Putin added that energy, industry and agriculture are among the priorities in the bilateral cooperation. The Russian president also noted the importance of cooperation in high technologies, innovation, infrastructure construction and transportation. "Humanitarian contacts are expanding. We will hold years of cultures of Russia and China in 2024-2025, in accordance with our agreement," Putin said. Welcoming Xi at the beginning of the talks, Putin said he was sincerely happy to be back in hospitable China among his friends six months later. "I thank you for your congratulatory letter on the occasion of my reelection as president of the Russian Federation and thank you very much for the invitation," the Russian president told his Chinese counterpart. The Russia-China relationship is not opportunistic and not directed against anyone, Putin said. "It is of fundamental importance that the Russia-China relationship is not opportunistic and not directed against anyone. Our cooperation in world affairs today is one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena," the Russian president said. Putin added that Russia and China together uphold the principles of a fair and democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law. "Russia and China are successfully cooperating in the United Nations, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as the G20. We are determined to further harmonize integration processes in the Eurasian space, to match the potentials of the Eurasian Economic Union and, my dear friend, your One Belt and Road Initiative," Putin said. Putin expressed hope that his visit will give additional impetus to the development of the whole range of bilateral cooperation. "I would like to emphasize that I am very glad to be in China and meeting with you," the Russian president said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he had discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "Today, in a warm, friendly and constructive atmosphere, we discussed with President Xi Jinping the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation," Putin said following the Russian-Chinese talks. The leaders noted with satisfaction the intensity of the dialogue in the field of politics and security, the high progressive dynamics of economic exchanges, the expansion of humanitarian contacts, and effective coordination in the international arena, Putin said. Putin and Xi also discussed the coordination of countries in the international arena. "Russia and China are developing cultural and humanitarian cooperation in the most dynamic way. As already mentioned, the years 2024-2025 have been declared cross-cultural years in our countries, their official start will be given tonight. The program of the cross-years is very extensive," Putin said. About 90% of all payments between Russia and China are made in rubles and yuan, Vladimir Putin said. "Today, 90% of all payments are made in rubles and yuan. We have just talked in a narrow format about the areas in which we will further develop our relations, and all this is in the interests of both the Russian and Chinese economies. I am sure that all the planned activities will be carried out," Putin said at talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Russia and China have formed a significant portfolio of 80 major joint investment projects in various fields, Putin said. "Over the past five years, despite the consequences of the pandemic and despite some actions aimed at curbing our development, actions by third countries, trade between Russia and China has been increasing, increasing at a good pace. A significant portfolio of 80 large joint investment projects in various fields has been formed," Putin said. Russian food exports have increased to the Chinese market, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. "I will especially note the growth of Russian food exports to the Chinese market a more than 1.5 times, to $7.6 billion," Putin said, following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Moscow and Beijing put a premium on the partnership between the two countries, it is a model of relations between neighboring countries, Vladimir Putin said. "The talks that have just taken place have shown that both Moscow and Beijing put a premium on the development and strengthening of the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation. This partnership undoubtedly serves as a model of how relations between neighboring states should be built," Putin said at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Both countries have accumulated experience of mutually beneficial and multifaceted cooperation, and also have many achievements in various fields, Putin said. "Both countries pursue an independent foreign policy. We are working together to form a more just and democratic multipolar world order, which should be based on the central role of the United Nations and its Security Council, international law, cultural and civilizational diversity, and a balanced balance of interests of all participants in the world community," Putin said. Putin added that he is in constant contact with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "We are in constant contact. And in addition to regular bilateral summits, we meet on the sidelines of multilateral events, communicate by phone, which allows us to discuss even the most difficult problems. To keep under personal control all pressing issues on the Russian-Chinese and international agenda," Putin said, following a meeting with Chinese President in Beijing. Putin recalled that Xi visited Moscow in March 2023 as soon as he was reelected as president of China. "We have a good, good tradition of making first foreign visits to each other, and this is a clear confirmation of the importance that both we and you, in Moscow and Beijing, attach to the course of consistent development of bilateral relations, comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation," the Russian leader said. Putin also recalled that 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the formation of the People's Republic of China and the establishment of diplomatic relations with China. The Soviet Union was the first to recognize the new China," Putin said. Xi Jinping During Meeting With Putin: Russia-China Relations Have Stood Test and Become a Benchmark Russia-China relations have stood the test in a volatile international environment and have become a benchmark for relations between major powers, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Thursday. "This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. Over the past three-quarters of a century, China-Russia relations have solidified under difficult conditions, withstood the test of a volatile international situation, and now set a benchmark for relations between major powers and neighboring countries, characterized by mutual respect, trust, friendship, and mutual benefit," Xi Jinping said. China intends to remain good neighbors and reliable partners with Russia, President Xi Jinping said. "We intend, as always, to be good neighbors, reliable partners and friends who trust each other with Russia, to consistently strengthen the centuries-old friendship between the two peoples, to jointly strive for multinational development and revival, and with common efforts to defend international equality and justice," Xi said. The Chinese leader recalled that he met with Putin at least 40 times over the years. "Such strong ties allow us to outline strategic directions to maintain the steady and rapid growth dynamics of the China-Russia relationship, which has not been easy at all and therefore deserves the most careful treatment," the Chinese president said. He emphasized that the sustainable development of relations between China and Russia not only meets the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples but also benefits the cause of peace and prosperity in the region and the world. "In a new campaign, we plan, as always, to be good neighbors, trusted friends and reliable partners with Russia, consistently strengthen the centuries-old friendship between the two peoples, together strive for multinational development and revival, and together uphold international equality and justice," Xi said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing on May 16 for his first foreign visit after reelection. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Scholar called 'Putin's brain' attacked on Chinese internet By Wenhao Ma May 17, 2024 Aleksander Dugin, a Russian nationalist ideologue and strong supporter of President Vladimir Putin, has been bombarded with attacks on Chinese social media, where netizens criticized and mocked his Russian expansionist views that had once included the dismembering of China. Two years after Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine, pro-Russia sentiment has been prevalent on Chinese internet. But the backlash against Dugin has revealed a less mentioned side of what has so far appeared to be a cozy alliance between Beijing and Moscow -- hostility between Chinese nationalists and their Russian counterparts, the result of centuries of territorial disputes and political confrontations that Beijing has been reticent about displaying publicly in recent decades. On May 6, Dugin opened an account on two of the most popular Chinese social media apps Weibo, China's X, formerly known as Twitter, and Bilibili, a YouTube-like video site. In the first video posted on both Weibo and Bilibili, Dugin greeted the Chinese audience and praised Beijing's economic and political achievements in recent decades. In the same video, he also criticized an article published in April in The Economist by Feng Yujun, director of Russian and Central Asian studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. Feng said in the article that Russia will inevitably lose the Ukraine war. Dugin countered that Feng and some Chinese people underestimated Russia's "tenacity and perseverance." The video was quickly condemned by Chinese citizens, who posted comments such as "Russia must lose," which received thousands of likes. "This is an extremist who is extremely unfriendly to China and has made plans to dismember China," another message posted by a Weibo user named "Zhixingbenyiti" said. Dugin, 62, was born in Moscow. In the 1980s, he became an anti-communist dissident. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he began to promote Russian expansionism. He believes that Moscow's territorial expansion in Eurasia will allow it to counter Western forces led by the United States. In his 1997 book, Foundations of Geopolitics, Dugin wrote that dismembering China was a necessary step for Russia to become strong. People within Putin's inner circle have reportedly shown interest in Dugin's writing, which gave rise to his nickname "Putin's brain." However, Dugin's attitude toward China has changed significantly in recent years. In 2018, he visited China for the first time. In a speech at Fudan University, he praised China's economy, culture and leadership in the fight against colonialism. He also changed his previous support for containing China and said in a speech that China and Russia could work together to "form a very important and non-negligible containment/pull effect" on Western powers. Dugin is now a senior fellow at Fudan University's China Institute and one of the columnists for China's nationalist news organization, Guancha. Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Dugin said in a column that the alliance between China and Russia would "mean the irreversible end of Western hegemony." Philipp Ivanov, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute, told VOA that "Dugin is an opportunist. As the Ukraine war dramatically accelerated the alignment between China and Russia, his position started to change, resulting in his current attempt to engage with China's intellectual and broader community." Ivanov also thinks Dugin's influence on the Kremlin has been exaggerated. Since joining Chinese social media, Dugin has gained more than 100,000 followers on Weibo and 25,000 followers on BiliBili. He has published fewer than five posts on Weibo, but nearly every one of them has more than 1,000 comments, most of which criticized him. Under a post in which Dugin supported Putin on his fifth presidential term, people responded with comments such as "Russia is about to lose the war" and "The gates of hell are waiting for you." Wang Xiaodong, China's most influential nationalist scholar, shared a Weibo post he made two years ago criticizing Dugin and Chinese pro-Russian groups. "Introducing Dugin's ideas is not because I worry that the Kremlin will implement his ideas; He has the intention but not the strength! I just want to tell the Chinese people how some Russians, including elites in the powerful departments, view China. Do we Chinese need to risk our lives for them?" the post read. Ivanov was not surprised by the attacks on Dugin on the Chinese internet. "While Chinese netizens may support Putin's anti-Western/anti-US agenda, they are skeptical or outright negative about Russia's assault on an independent country's sovereignty and Russian expansionism, nationalism and chauvinism (which Dugin represents)," he told VOA in an email. He said the history of China-Russia relations is predominantly about confrontation, competition and mistrust. Among the attacks on Dugin, many netizens also brought up former Chinese territories that Russia occupied in the past 200 years. "For the sake of ever-lasting friendship between China and Russia, please return Sakhalin and Vladivostok," one Weibo comment posted by "lovejxcecil" read. Although China has not been involved in the war, the Russia-Ukraine war has been a hot topic on the Chinese internet. According to Eric Liu, a former Weibo censor, Dugin's joining the platform undoubtedly brought more traffic to Weibo. However, it also means that Weibo needs to invest more resources in censorship to prevent him from making remarks that Beijing considers sensitive. "He is a foreigner. He has no idea about China's 'political correctness' or where the boundaries are," Liu said. "This risk will have to be taken care of by Weibo, which brought him in." On Thursday, Dugin posted on Weibo that China and Russia could achieve "anything" together. His comment section has been turned off. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Outgoing government achievements touted at final Cabinet meeting ROC Central News Agency 05/16/2024 07:00 PM Taipei, May 16 (CNA) The Cabinet touted the achievements of the administration of outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen () over the past eight years in a report presented during a weekly meeting on Thursday, highlighting Taiwan's high annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Taiwan's average annual economic growth reached 3.15 percent during the eight-year period, ahead of Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore, the report indicated. During the period, Taiwan's GDP posted a cumulative increase of NT$27 trillion (US$841.31 billion), according to the report. The achievements were made thanks to the government's promotion of a number of strategic and innovative industries, the introduction of three major programs for investing in Taiwan, and improvement of the investment environment to boost economic and export growth, the Cabinet said in the report. The report on the achievements of Tsai and her administration during her two four-year tenures was presented at the final Cabinet meeting presided over by Premier Chen Chien-jen (). During the meeting, Chen led the collective resignation of the Cabinet to pave the way for the formation of the new government by Taiwan's incoming president Lai Ching-te (), who will be inaugurated on May 20. In addition, Taiwan has experienced 110 percent growth in renewable energy power generation compared with 2016, the Executive Yuan said in the report. It also boasted a big budget boost for the national child care policy to counter declining birth rates, saying that the government budget for related measures has grown from NT$15.4 billion in 2016 to NT$120.1 billion this year. The Cabinet said the budget for long-term care services has also soared from NT$4.95 billion to NT$87.6 billion this year, claiming that 510,000 people are expected to benefit from the program, up from the about 90,000 in 2016. In addition, the government has raised the national minimum wage for eight consecutive years since 2016, with the monthly level increased from NT$20,008 to NT$27,470, while the hourly minimum wage rose from NT$120 to NT$183. Moreover, the salaries of military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers have been raised three times, resulting in a cumulative public sector salary increase of 11.4 percent, according to the report. (By Yeh Su-ping, Lai Yu-chen and Evelyn Kao) Enditem/AW NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Cabinet resigns en masse ahead of reshuffle ROC Central News Agency 05/16/2024 12:53 PM Taipei, May 16 (CNA) Premier Chen Chien-jen () and his Cabinet resigned Thursday, when he chaired the final Executive Yuan meeting ahead of a government reshuffle, in preparation for a new term and the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te () on May 20. During the meeting, Chen and his ministers approved a report on the achievements of outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen () and her administration during her eight-year tenure. They then signed a general resignation agreement, marking the Cabinet's entry into its final caretaker phase. Meanwhile, the six local government officals who were also at the meeting, including Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (), Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua () and Taoyuan Deputy Mayor Su Jun-bin (), expressed gratitude to Chen for his dedication to the local communities. After the meeting, Chen presented small gifts to the Cabinet members, and they all took a commemorative group photo at the entrance to the Executive Yuan building. In keeping with precedent, the caretaker Cabinet will not review any major policies and will deal with only routine and administrative matters until its term ends on May 19 and a new one begins on May 20, when Lai will be inaugurated. (By Lai Yu-chen, Yeh Su-ping and Evelyn Yang) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. to send former officials to Lai's inauguration ROC Central News Agency 05/16/2024 12:48 PM Taipei, May 16 (CNA) The United States government is sending an unofficial delegation, including two former government officials, to attend the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te () on May 20, according to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). The delegation will comprise former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage; Brian Deese, former Assistant to the President and Director of the National Economic Council; former AIT Chair Richard Bush; sitting AIT Chair Laura Rosenberger; and AIT Director Sandra Oudkirk, the AIT said in a statement released late Wednesday. Deese served as the 13th director of the NEC 2021-2023, during the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, and as senior advisor to then President Barack Obama 2015-2017. Armitage, meanwhile, was deputy secretary of state 2001-2005 during the administration of then President George W. Bush. When the American delegation arrives in Taipei, the members will attend Lai's inauguration ceremony on May 20 and meet with several leading figures in Taiwan, said the AIT, which represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties. "They will convey congratulations from the American people to Dr. Lai Ching-te on his inauguration as Taiwan's fifth democratically elected president, and to the Taiwan people for once again demonstrating the strength of their robust democratic system," the AIT said. The delegation will also emphasize the U.S.' "longstanding commitment in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," it added. In Washington, a White House official said Wednesday that for more than 20 years, American delegations comprised of former government officials have been visiting Taiwan after its presidential elections and attending the inauguration of the elected leaders. The inauguration is "part of a normal routine democratic process," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity to disclose details of the trip before they were formally announced. "Beijing will be the provocateur, should it choose to respond with additional military pressure or coercion," the official said. The official also reiterated the U.S.' stance on the cross-strait issue, saying that Washington opposes "unilateral changes to the status quo from either side" and does not support Taiwan independence. Rather, the U.S. supports cross-strait dialogue and expects both sides to resolve bilateral differences by peaceful means, "free from coercion in a manner that is acceptable to the people on both sides of the strait," the official said. Sitting Vice President Lai won Taiwan's presidential election on Jan. 13, gaining an unprecedented third consecutive term for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Following the 2016 presidential election in Taiwan, former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk led the American delegation to the inauguration of then President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (). In 2012, former U.S. White House Chief of Staff William Michael Daley led a congratulatory delegation to attend the inauguration of then President-elect Ma Ying-jeou (). (By Joseph Yeh and Shih Hsiu-chuan) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China cyberattacks targeting Taiwan on the rise ahead of Lai inauguration ROC Central News Agency 05/16/2024 08:10 PM Taipei, May 16 (CNA) Cyberattacks targeting Taiwan's government websites have significantly risen in the months leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te (ea) on May 20, the country's top intelligence agency revealed Thursday. National Security Bureau (NSB) data shows there have recently been more than 2.5 million rounds of cyberattacks launched daily by the Chinese side targeting different Taiwan government websites, an NSB official told a hearing at the legislature's Foreign and National Defense Committee. Previously, following the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections, there had been around 1 million rounds of daily cyberattacks, the official added. The NSB official refused to be named due to not wanting his identity to be revealed. Other than the rising number of cyberattacks, no irregularities concerning the People's Liberation Army that could be a warning sign for Taiwan have been identified, NSB deputy chief Ko Cheng-heng (Ya) told lawmakers during the same session. Ko, however, added that the Chinese Communist Party is continuing to beef up its gray zone warfare on Taiwan, without elaborating. Gray-zone tactics are generally defined as coercive actions that do not meet the threshold of conventional warfare. Meanwhile, during the same legislative session, Vice Foreign Minister Remus Chen (eca) told lawmakers that Taiwan's Pacific ally Palau is scheduled to hold its general elections later this year. Taiwan is now closely watching to see if China will try to intervene in those elections through economic coercion or other means, Chen said. General elections are scheduled to be held in Palau in November. Sitting President Surangel Whipps Jr., who has been in power since 2021, is seeking a second term against former president Thomas Remengesau Jr. Chen said China has a record of trying to influence the outcome of elections by trying to pay for media reports in countries Taiwan is allied with that spread false information. He cited a previous example in Tuvalu, another Pacific ally. Chinese state-run media reportedly sent emails to Tuvalu media asking them to write news articles in an attempt to influence its January election. Chen was referring to a Chinese-language Liberty Times report in January, which said it had seen a photo of an email sent from an account presumably belonging to someone at China Global Television Network -- a Chinese state media outlet -- to Tuvalu media. The email asked that a senior person at the Tuvalu Broadcasting Corporation write an 800-word opinion piece focusing on the Tuvalu election and hinting that the country could cut ties with Taiwan. It also stated that there would be a payment of US$450 for the article. (By Wu Sheng-hung and Joseph Yeh) Enditem/kb NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Government agencies back 5 Taiwanese threatened by China ROC Central News Agency 05/16/2024 04:07 PM Taipei, May 16 (CNA) Taiwan government agencies on Wednesday pledged to support and protect five Taiwanese political commentators who have been accused by China of spreading false information. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the government agency in charge of cross-strait affairs, said that freedom of speech is a universal value protected under Taiwan's Constitution. Beijing should confidently face and understand Taiwan's free, democratic and diverse society and should respectfully and pragmatically seek cross-strait interactions that would build positive relations, the MAC said in a text statement to the Taiwan media. The statement was issued the day that China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) threatened to "punish" five Taiwanese political commentators "by law," accusing them of spreading falsehoods and negative information in the media about China, intentionally deceiving the Taiwanese people, and creating rifts between the people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. The TAO named the five individuals as Wang I-chuan (), head of the Democratic Progressive Party Central Executive Committee; Yu Pei-chen (), a Taoyuan City councilor and ex-Army officer; New Taipei City councilor candidate Lee Zheng-hao (); television show host Liu Bao-jie (); and political commentator Edward Huang (). According to the MAC, the threats against the five individuals, who expressed views in opposition to China's, was a reflection of Beijing's lack of confidence in its own systems and governance. The Presidential Office expressed similar sentiments about Taiwan's status as a democratic country and said that the "aggressive and arrogant actions" of the TAO would only spark distrust among the Taiwanese people and stain China's global image. The Taiwan government will stand by the five individuals and will protect them and their families, Presidential Office spokesperson Olivia Lin () said in a post on the office's Facebook page. She encouraged the Taiwan media to stand firm in the face of China's intrusion on its freedoms. Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang () also commented on the issue, saying in a Facebook post that he had instructed the National Police Agency to pay close attention to the safety of the five individuals and their families. Meanwhile, Wang said in a social media post that the TAO should reflect on its divisive labeling, its disruption of cross-strait relations, and its attempts to disrupt free speech among the Taiwanese people. Yu told CNA he was pleased to be on the right track, loving Taiwan and opposing the Chinese Communist Party, and that the "enemy's" affirmation of his stance was an honor. Beijing has previously imposed sanctions on Taiwanese deemed as independence advocates, banning them and their families from entering China, Hong Kong or Macau, and prohibiting Chinese organizations and people from engaging with them. (By Wen Kuei-hsiang and Wu Kuan-hsien) Enditem/pc NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Taiwan steps up police protection for pundits denounced by China Beijing will sanction five Taiwanese media commentators for 'inciting hostility and confrontation' with China. By Huang Chun-mei for RFA Mandarin 2024.05.16 -- 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 China's 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 People's 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. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's UN Envoy: Tehran's neutrality position in Ukraine conflict unchanged IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency May 16, 2024 New York, IRNA -- Amir Saeed Iravani, Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always adopted a neutral position since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, and this principled position has remained unchanged. Iravani wrote in a letter to the rotatory chairman of the Security Council rejected the unjust and baseless claims of the representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom against the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the use of Iranian drones in the conflict in Ukraine, which were made in the recent meeting of the United Nations Security Council regarding Ukraine on May 14 2024 was proposed under the agenda of "maintaining the peace and security of Ukraine". The full text of Iravani's speech to Pedro ComissArio Afonso, President of the Security Council, is as follows: In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the most merciful Excellency, I wish to reject the unwarranted references made to the Islamic Republic of Iran by the representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom during the recent UN Security Council open briefing on Ukraine held on 14 May 2024 under the agenda item "maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine" claiming the use of Iran's UAVs in Ukraine conflicts (S/PV.9625). Contrary to these unfounded claims, the Islamic Republic of Iran has constantly taken a stance of impartiality since the outset of the Ukraine conflict and this principled position remains unchanged. Therefore, any claim regarding Iran's involvement in the sale, export, or transfer of arms in contravention of its international obligations is completely unfounded and categorically rejected. Iran once more reaffirms its unwavering commitment to adhering to international humanitarian law. I would also like to take this opportunity to categorically reject the identical allegations and inappropriate references made against my Country in statements delivered by the representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Switzerland, in the UN Security Council open briefing on Ukraine under the agenda item "threat to international peace and security" held on 22 March 2024 (S/PV.9585) I should be grateful if you would circulate the present letter as a document of the Security Council. Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration. Amir Saeed Iravani United Nations, New York NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Press Statement of DPRK Ambassador to Russian Federation Korean Central News Agency of DPRK Pyongyang, May 16 (KCNA) -- DPRK Ambassador to the Russian Federation Sin Hong Chol Thursday released the following press statement titled "Extreme unethical terrorism must be punished": Recently, the Ukrainian forces' missile attack and shelling against Belgorod Region, the western border region of Russia, caused many civilian casualties, stunning the international community. According to media reports, the Ukrainian forces attacked residential buildings in Belgorod Region by using the tactical missile complex Tochka-U and multiple rocket launchers on May 12, leaving 15 innocent inhabitants dead and 30-odd wounded in the collapse of a 10-story apartment building. This is not the first time for the neo-Nazis of Ukraine, faithful to the U.S. and the West, to launch such terrorist attacks against innocent inhabitants. As everyone knows, after the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, the Zelenskiy puppet clique committed hundreds of unethical atrocities of killing innocent inhabitants by striking civilian objects in the territory of Russia, including Bryansk Region, Belgorod Region, Kursk Region and the People's Republic of Donetsk, with artillery pieces, drones and multiple rocket launchers offered by the U.S. and the West. The Kiev authorities' persistent acts of terrorism targeting innocent inhabitants and civilian infrastructures, being committed in dirty "revenge" for their repeated defeats in the military confrontation with Russia, are a manifestation of meanness common among the running dogs tamed by the U.S. and the West. Can the Zelenskiy clique, a puppet of the U.S., turn the tide of war with the rotten stick- and tiger moth-like weapons given by the Western stakeholders? If they continue such reckless and stupid acts, bereft of normal thinking and judging faculty, they must remember that they will only meet miserable self-destruction. What should not be overlooked is the fact that the U.S. and the West, which have worked hard to demonize Russia with such labels as "massacre of civilians", "forcible drafting of children" and "human rights abuses", feign ignorance of the killings of peaceful citizens by the Ukrainian army. This fully reveals the sinister intention of the U.S. and the West which have pushed the Zelenskiy authorities to confrontation and war with Russia, while openly conniving at and encouraging even their violent murder, in a bid to inflict strategic defeat upon Russia. The U.S. and the West should be called the top-class sponsors of terrorism as they are adding fuel to the flames of war by encouraging the mad terrorists to attack the Russian territory with the weapons offered by them, not content with providing them with a large number of lethal weapons, far from calming down the madness of terrorists hell-bent on killing innocent civilians. The Zelenskiy clique and its stakeholders should seriously ponder over what devastating consequences and global disaster would be entailed by the reckless acts of targeting the territory and inhabitants of Russia, a nuclear power, in the end. The Zelenskiy clique is putting on airs, calling for defeating Russia, a country of compatriots, with the backing of the U.S. and the West, but it is nothing but a "storm in a teacup." And nothing can ever stop the vigorous advance of the heroic Russian army and people armed with ardent spirit of national defence and patriotism. The valiant Russian army and people all out in the sacred war of justice to defend the sovereign rights and security of the state will bravely overcome the difficulties and challenges and surely win victory in the special military operation to annihilate neo-Nazis. -0- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zelenskiy Visits Kharkiv, Says Situation Difficult But 'Under Control' By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service May 16, 2024 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. Zelenskiy traveled to Kharkiv on May 16, where he met with military chiefs, including Ukraine's 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. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/air-raid-alert-kyiv-dnipro- missile-attack/32949511.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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 12% of US Aid to Ukraine 'Delinquent or Unaccounted For' - Defense Inspector General Sputnik News 20240516 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - 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. "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. Western countries have provided hundreds of billions of dollars worth of military and other aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. Aid shipments have included artillery; tanks and other armored vehicles; air-defense systems; missiles; cluster and other munitions, among others. Russia has consistently warned against the collective West's continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying that they only prolong the conflict. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Destroys Drones, Rockets Over Crimea, Bryansk, Kaluga, Tula Regions - MoD Sputnik News 20240516 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - This night, Russian air defenses shot down Vilkha multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) rockets, a Tochka-U missile and a drone over the Belgorod Region, as well as drones over Crimea, the Bryansk Region, the Kaluga Region and the Tula Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. "This night, regular attempts by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks using aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles, the Vilkha MLRS and the Tochka-U tactical missile system against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation were stopped," the ministry said. It said air defense systems on duty destroyed two Vilkha MLRS rockets, one Tochka-U tactical missile and one drone over the Belgorod Region. "Four UAVs were destroyed and two were intercepted over the territory of the Republic of Crimea, one UAV was destroyed over the Bryansk Region, one UAV over the Kaluga Region and two UAVs over the Tula Region," the ministry said. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Operational Situation, Tasks and Needs of Each Unit: The President Held a Meeting of the Staff in Kharkiv President of Ukraine 16 May 2024 - 12:44 The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief in Kharkiv. The Head of State received a detailed report from the Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander of the Khortytsia OSGT Yuriy Sodol, and the Commander of the Kharkiv OTGT Mykhailo Drapatyi on the operational situation, the tasks and needs of each brigade and unit involved, including those in the Kharkiv region near Vovchansk and Lyptsi. During the Staff meeting, the participants analyzed in detail the prospects for the development of the combat situation, the threats of the coming days and weeks, and Ukraine's capabilities to counter Russia's offensive plans. As of today, the situation in the Kharkiv region is generally under control, and our warriors are inflicting significant losses on the occupier. However, the situation in this direction remains extremely difficult, so our units are being reinforced. The Chief of the Defense Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov and the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleh Ivashchenko reported on the occupier's intentions, while the Head of the Security Service Vasyl Maliuk reported on counter-sabotage measures. A plan of further actions was developed both for the Kharkiv regional authorities and for all structures responsible for security in the region. The President also heard reports from the authorities of other border and frontline regions on the current situation, the main risks, and the key needs, he also gave relevant instructions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Zelenskyy visits Kharkiv amid Russian offensive By VOA News May 16, 2024 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 a 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia sees 'window of opportunity' as Ukrainian forces await US weapons By Henry Ridgwell May 16, 2024 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 Moscow's 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 Britain's 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 a and the amount of troops that they have, maybe 30,000 to 40,000, not that much armor, attacking in small groups of infantry a 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 Moscow's advance. Russian attacks are likely to continue, said analyst Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute in London. "Russia's 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 Ukraine's 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 it's 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. RUSI's 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 a 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 there's some sort of step change in Western support a a large force-generation package and a long-term strategy for what success looks like a none of which at the moment are forthcoming, then I think Ukraine stays on the defensive and holds what it has," he said. RUSI's Watling agrees: "The outlook in Ukraine is bleak. 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." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address TORONTO, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jade Power Trust (Jade Power or the Trust) (TSXV: JPWR.H) announces the resignation of John Huxley from the Board of Directors (the Board) of Jade Power Administrator Inc., administrator of the Trust, and its affiliates. On behalf of the Trust, we would like to thank John for his years of dedicated service to the Board and audit committee. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours, said Mr. David Barclay, CEO of Jade Power. The Board is considering the Trusts options with respect to the future composition of the Board and will announce a replacement Board member in due course. For further information, please contact: David Barclay Chief Executive Officer +1 954-895-7217 david.barclay@bellsouth.net About Jade Power The Trust, through its direct and indirect subsidiaries in Canada, the Netherlands and Romania, was formed to acquire interests in renewable energy assets in Romania, other countries in Europe and abroad that can provide stable cash flow to the Trust and a suitable risk-adjusted return on investment. All material information about the Trust may be found under Jade Power's issuer profile at www.sedarplus.ca Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release contain forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as anticipates, plans, proposes, estimates, intends, expects, believes, may and will. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Trusts control. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to risks related to the Trusts strategy going forward. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Details of additional risk factors relating to the Trust and its business, generally, are discussed under the heading Business Risks and Uncertainties in the Trust's annual Management's Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023, a copy of which is available on Jade Power's SEDAR + profile at www.sedarplus.ca. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, Jade Power expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 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. WASHINGTON, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ryan Donovan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Federal Home Loan Banks, the public voice of the Federal Home Loan Bank System (FHLBank System), today released the following statement in response to the publication of the Federal Housing Finance Agencys Request for Input on the mission of the FHLBanks. Today, FHFA issued a request for input on the mission of the FHLBanks. We look forward to working with FHFA to demonstrate how FHLBanks and our members help achieve the mission that Congress has established for us: to provide reliable liquidity to members to support housing finance and community development, provide grant funding to support affordable housing, and to promote financial stability. The FHLBanks have clearly met these mission objectives throughout their history and continue to fulfill them today. The value FHLBank liquidity holds for members through all economic conditions is indisputable and the FHLBank System is one of the largest sources of private funding for affordable housing in the country. Additional information: Each FHLBank is required by law to contribute a minimum of 10% of income to its Affordable Housing Program (AHP). Last year, the 11 FHLBanks voluntarily agreed to contribute a total of 15% of income to affordable housing and community development initiatives on a go forward basis. Each FHLBank is either already making additional voluntary contributions or is in the process of increasing its voluntary contribution levels. The FHLBank System recently reported combined net income of over $6.6 billion for 2023 with a combined AHP assessment of $752 million. Including expected voluntary contributions based on their 2023 financial results, the FHLBanks expect to provide approximately $1 billion in support for affordable housing and community development initiatives in 2024. About: The FHLBanks are 11 regionally based, wholesale suppliers of lendable funds to financial institutions of all sizes and many types, including community banks, credit unions, commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, and community development financial institutions. The FHLBanks are cooperatively owned by member financial institutions in all 50 states and U.S. territories. The steady supply of lendable funds from FHLBanks helps U.S. lenders invest in local needs including housing, jobs, and economic growth. The Council of FHLBanks represents all 11 FHLBanks. CONTACT INFORMATION Council of FHLBanks Peter E. Garuccio 202-955-0002 ext. 14 pgaruccio@cfhlb.org East St. Louis, Illinois, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caring for a loved one with a disability can be a full-time job, and family caregivers require a break from the daily grind. But if you live in East St. Louis, where the nearest disability services lie well outside the city limits, getting time to breathe can feel impossible. Respite has been identified as a top need for families living with disability in East St. Louis, and the international disability ministry Joni and Friends is here to help fill that need. On June 14, Joni and Friends will break ground on Jonis House, a disability center for respite care in East St. Louis. Jonis House will serve East St. Louis through day programs for adults with disabilities, and after-school programs for school-age children with disabilities. Both programs will operate with the aim of providing practical help and Gospel hope to families from the community. Lansdowne UP, one of the largest private landowners in East St. Louis, donated land in the Lansdowne area along the Mississippi River on which to build the Jonis House disability center, with the St. Louis Arch in full view. This is a significant gift to the more than 3,000 local residents living with disability. In fact, the residents of East St. Louis report rates of disability two times the national average. There are already Jonis House programs throughout the globe, providing faith-based care to families with disabilities in low-resource countries. Jonis House East St. Louis will be the first Jonis House in the U.S., and as Joni and Friends has laid the groundwork for this endeavor, many have asked Why East St. Louis? The leadership of Joni and Friends felt called fulfill the mandate of Luke 14 to Go out quicklyand bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lameso that my house will be full. (Luke 14:21, 23) Local faith and civic leaders explored the idea with Joni and Friends identifying the local needsand the great potentialfor the community and Jonis House programming was developed accordingly. CeCe McCoo, who is spearheading the effort for Joni and Friends, said the City of Champions is ready for a faith-based respite program. There are generally two responses at the mention of respite care. Either I hear a sigh of relief or hand clapping exuberance, CeCe said. Without a doubt, everyone we have spoken with is eager to see Jonis House be planted in East St. Louis. Jonis House will be part of a hub of revitalization in East St. Louis. Once built, Jonis House will lie within two miles of the Illinois State Highway Patrol, the Jackie Joyner Kersee Boys & Girls Club, and the newly renovated Lansdowne Center. The groundbreaking will be held June 14 at 11 a.m. at 1120 Exchange Avenue, East St. Louis, Illinois. For more information, visit https://joniandfriends.org/jonis-house-usa/. About Joni and Friends For more than 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. Attachments 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. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EnWave Corporation (TSX-V:ENW | FSE:E4U) (EnWave, or the "Company") announced today it will report its financial results for the second quarter ended March 31, 2024 on Thursday, May 23, 2024 after market close. The financial statements and MD&A will be available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Companys website in the late evening Vancouver time. The Company has scheduled a conference call to discuss the results for Q2 2024 and business outlook on Friday, May 24, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time (10:00 a.m. Eastern Time). Brent Charleton, Chief Executive Officer and Dylan Murray, Chief Financial Officer will present EnWaves results and host a question and answer period. Conference Call Details: Date: May 24, 2024 Time: 7:00am PST / 10:00am EST Participant Access: 1-877-407-2988 (toll free number) Webcast: https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=zn337PtS About EnWave EnWave is a global leader in the innovation and application of vacuum microwave dehydration. From its headquarters in Delta, BC, EnWave has developed a robust intellectual property portfolio, perfected its Radiant Energy Vacuum (REV) technology, and transformed an innovative idea into a proven, consistent, and scalable drying solution for the food, pharmaceutical and cannabis industries that vastly outperforms traditional drying methods in efficiency, capacity, product quality, and cost. With more than fifty royalty-generating partners spanning twenty-six countries and five continents, EnWaves licensed partners are creating profitable, never-before-seen snacks and ingredients, improving the quality and consistency of their existing offerings, running leaner and getting to market faster with the companys patented technology, licensed machinery, and expert guidance. EnWaves strategy is to sign royalty-bearing commercial licenses with food producers who want to dry better, faster and more economical than freeze drying, rack drying and air drying, and enjoy the following benefits of producing exciting new products, reaching optimal moisture levels up to seven times faster, and improve product taste, texture, color and nutritional value. Learn more at EnWave.net. EnWave Corporation Mr. Brent Charleton, CFA President and CEO For further information: Brent Charleton, CFA, President and CEO at +1 (778) 378-9616 E-mail: bcharleton@enwave.net Dylan Murray, CPA, CA, CFO at +1 (778) 870-0729 E-mail: dmurray@enwave.net Safe Harbour for Forward-Looking Information Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking information based on management's expectations, estimates and projections. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about the Company's strategy for growth, product development, market position, expected expenditures, and the expected synergies following the closing are forward-looking statements. All third-party claims referred to in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate. All third-party references to market information in this release are not guaranteed to be accurate as the Company did not conduct the original primary research. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated 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. 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. Newark, May 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by The Brainy Insights, the global construction helmet market is expected to grow from USD 1.42 Billion in 2023 to USD 2.48 Billion by 2033, at a CAGR of 5.75% during the forecast period 2023-2033. It has been observed that construction sites have many potential hazards that can lead to serious injuries if no precautions are taken. The most crucial piece of protective equipment for the construction labour and workers is a construction safety helmet. The wearing of a helmet helps prevent any major injuries, and it can also save lives in case of falling objects, etc. The Full Study is Readily Available | Download the Sample Pages of this Report @ https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/sample-request/14283 Scope of sourdough Market Report Coverage Details CAGR 5.75% from 2024 to 2033 Market Size in 2023 USD 1.42 Billion Market Size by 2033 USD 2.48 Billion Largest Market Asia Pacific Base Year 2023 Forecast Year 2024 to 2033 Historical Year 2020-2022 Segments Covered Material, Product Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa Competitive Strategy To enhance their market position in the global Construction Helmet market, the key players are now focusing on adopting the strategies such as product innovations, mergers & acquisitions, recent developments, joint ventures, collaborations, and partnerships. In April 2018: JSP invested in R&D to develop the thermal safety helmet liner, which helps keep the ears and head of the wearer warm. It helps the worker to listen properly and work with the safety helmet. Its use is approved with the EVO range of JSP Safety helmets at construction sites. It helped the organization grow its market share in the Construction Helmet market. Personalized your customization here: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/request-customization/14283 Market Growth & Trends Putting a helmet on the head is the first line of defence for all construction workers. It is observed that head injuries have become one of the most common hazards in the construction sector as workers are generally vulnerable to falling debris, objects, overhead hazards and bumps, among others, which can lead to severe brain injuries and concussions and could lead to death. Hence, the demand for the construction helmet market is growing. The hard hat helped that worker escape any serious injury and came out with a little bruise. Also, in many developing and developed countries, there are laws according to which employers should offer construction safety helmets to workers and labourers at the construction site and must enforce their use. Also, there is growing awareness about safety among workers and employees. All these factors are fueling the growth of the construction helmet market. Also, it has been observed that there is an expansion of the construction sector in emerging economies, and hence, the strict safety norms are pushing the use of protective gear on the construction site. Rapid urbanization and industrialization, along with the growing constriction sector in emerging economies like China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, are fueling the growth of the constriction helmet market. Based on one of the studies, China, the US and India by 2027 will account for around half of the market share in the worldwide construction and engineering market. The construction activities are going on all across the world. For instance, in Europe, many large infrastructure programs will be proposed in the next few years to push the region towards net zero carbon emissions. Around USD 863 billion in funds from the EU Next Generation Fund have already been initiated in one such program, with Italy and Spain as key beneficiaries. Based on one of the studies, the EU Renovation Wave is one of the crucial programs that will massively impact the construction activity in Europe as it will double the renovation rate on both non-residential and residential buildings, targeting the reduction of greenhouse emissions by 60% by the end of 2030. All these factors are driving the growth of the Construction Helmets market. You can place an order or ask any questions, please feel free to contact at sales@thebrainyinsights.com | +1-315-215-1633 Key Findings In 2023, the Polyethylene segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 62.88% and market revenue of USD 0.89 Billion. The material segment is divided into polyethylene, fiberglass, polycarbonate and others. In 2023, the Polyethylene segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 62.88% and market revenue of USD 0.89 Billion. This market share is attributed to the low price of the helmets compared to those made with other materials. In 2023, the Hard Hats segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 85.89% and market revenue of USD 1.22 Billion. The product segment is divided into hard hats and bump caps. In 2023, the Hard Hats segment dominated the market with the largest market share of 85.89% and market revenue of USD 1.22 Billion. Hard hats are broadly used in the construction sector. As infrastructure projects are growing worldwide, the demand for hard hats is also growing. Regional Segment Analysis of the Construction Helmet Market: North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and the Rest of South America) The Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) The Asia Pacific region occurred as the largest market for the global Construction Helmet industry, with a market share of 49.23% and a market value of around USD .70 Billion in 2023. It is attributed to the growing construction sector in China, India and Japan because there is a requirement for new infrastructure in these countries due to an increase in the urban population. Also, it has been observed that the ASEAN governments are planning to invest in infrastructure and initiate stronger inter-regional collaboration with China. Key players operating in the global Construction Helmet market are: Concord Helmet and Safety Products Pvt. Ltd. Centurion Safety Products Ltd. Delta Plus Group Alpha Solway Ltd. Udyogi International Pvt. Ltd. DBA HexArmor Engelbert Strauss GmbH Honeywell International Inc JSP Ltd. 3M Co. uvex group Sure Safety India Ltd. This study forecasts revenue at global, regional, and country levels from 2020 to 2033. The Brainy Insights has segmented the global Construction Helmet market based on below mentioned segments: Global Construction Helmet Market by Material: Polyethylene Fiberglass Polycarbonate Others Global Construction Helmet Market by Product: Hard Hats Bump Caps Immediate Delivery Available | Buy This Premium Research Report @ https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/buy-now/14283/single About the report: The global Construction Helmet market is analysed based on value (USD Billion). All the segments have been analysed on global, regional and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porters five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution and marketing channels analysis. About The Brainy Insights: The Brainy Insights is a market research company that provides actionable insights through data analytics to companies to improve their business acumen. They have a robust forecasting and estimation model to meet the client's objectives of high-quality output within a short period. They provide both customized (client-specific) and syndicate reports. Their repository of syndicate reports is diverse across all the categories and sub-categories across domains. Their customized solutions meet the client's requirements whether they are looking to expand or planning to launch a new product in the global market. Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-315-215-1633 Email: sales@thebrainyinsights.com Web: http://www.thebrainyinsights.com AD HOC ANNOUNCEMENT PURSUANT TO ART. 53 LR 17 MAY 2024 RICHEMONT ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT The Board of Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA (Richemont) appoints Nicolas Bos, currently Chief Executive of Van Cleef & Arpels, to the re-established role of Chief Executive Officer of Richemont effective 1 June 2024, and Bram Schot as Non-executive Deputy Chairman of the Board effective 11 September 2024. Nicolas Bos will continue to report to Johann Rupert, Chairman of Richemont, and will join the Senior Executive Committee on 1 June 2024. He will be proposed for election to the Board at the Annual General Meeting to be held on 11 September 2024. In his new role, Mr Bos will directly and indirectly oversee all the Maisons, functions and regions, notably the Jewellery Maisons, Finance and Human Resources. A graduate of the ESSEC Business School, Mr Bos joined Richemont in 1992, initially working with the Fondation Cartier pour lart contemporain in Paris. In 2000, he joined Van Cleef & Arpels where he held different positions until he became global President and Chief Executive Officer of Van Cleef & Arpels in 2013. Since September 2019, Mr Bos has also been overseeing Buccellati. Jerome Lambert remains on the Board and will continue in the Group as Chief Operating Officer (COO), reporting to Mr Bos, effective 1 June 2024. Josua (Dillie) Malherbe will be succeeded by Mr Schot as Non-executive Deputy Chairman of the Board, having decided to step down after 11 years of service in the role. He will remain on the Board as Non-executive Director and as a member of the Audit and Strategic and Security Committees. Commenting on the appointments, Johann Rupert, Chairman, said: I am truly delighted that Nicolas has accepted to assume the re-established role of Chief Executive Officer of Richemont. His vision and ability to uphold Van Cleef & Arpels tradition of excellence and creativity have been critical to the Maisons remarkable growth. Building on Richemonts expanded scale and stronger focus on retail and jewellery, Nicolas will steer the Group through the next phase of its evolution. The re-established CEO role will help streamline decision making and optimise operational management. I am equally happy that Jerome will continue as COO and would like to thank him for playing a significant part in strengthening Richemonts operational backbone and in helping to successfully navigate the Group through turbulent times. Going forward, I know he will provide solid operational support to Nicolas in his new role. I am also glad that such an experienced and seasoned successor as Bram will be taking over from Dillie as Deputy Chairman of the Board. I want to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to Dillie for his invaluable counsel and immense contribution over the years. I am also delighted that he has accepted to continue to sit on the Audit and the Strategic and Security Committees. About Richemont At Richemont, we craft the future. Our unique portfolio includes prestigious Maisons distinguished by their craftsmanship and creativity. Richemonts ambition is to nurture its Maisons and businesses and enable them to grow and prosper in a responsible, sustainable manner over the long term. Richemont operates in three business areas: Jewellery Maisons with Buccellati, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels; Specialist Watchmakers with A. Lange & Sohne, Baume & Mercier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin; and Other, primarily Fashion & Accessories Maisons with Alaia, AZ Factory, Chloe, Delvaux, dunhill, Gianvito Rossi, Montblanc, Peter Millar including G/FORE, Purdey, Serapian as well as Watchfinder & Co. In addition, Richemont operates NET-A-PORTER, MR PORTER, THE OUTNET, YOOX and the OFS division. Find out more at https://www.richemont.com/. Richemont A shares are listed and traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange, Richemonts primary listing, and are included in the Swiss Market Index ('SMI') of leading stocks. The A shares are also traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Richemonts secondary listing. Investor/analyst and media enquiries Investor/analyst enquiries: +41 22 721 30 03; investor.relations@cfrinfo.net Media enquiries: +41 22 721 35 07; pressoffice@cfrinfo.net; richemont@teneo.com Disclaimer The financial information contained in this announcement is unaudited. This document contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Richemonts forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and assumptions regarding the Companys business and performance, the economy and other future conditions and forecasts of future events, circumstances and results. Our retail stores are heavily dependent on the ability and desire of consumers to travel and shop and a decline in consumer traffic could have a negative effect on our comparable store sales and/or average sales per square foot and store profitability resulting in impairment charges, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Reduced travel resulting from economic conditions, retail store closure orders of civil authorities, travel restrictions, travel concerns and other circumstances, including disease epidemics and other health-related concerns, could have a material adverse effect on us, particularly if such events impact our customers desire to travel to our retail stores. International conflicts or wars, including resulting sanctions and restrictions on importation and exportation of finished products and/or raw materials, whether self-imposed or imposed by international countries, non-state entities or others, may also impact these forward-looking statements. As with any projection or forecast, forward-looking statements are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the Groups control. Richemont does not undertake to update, nor does it have any obligation to provide updates of, or to revise, any forward-looking statements. Richemont 2024 Click here for a printer-friendly version in English (PDF) Dublin, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Vietnam Plastic Industry Research Report 2024-2033" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Over the past decade, Vietnam's economy has developed rapidly, with annual increases in GDP per capita, reaching US$ 4,284 in 2023. In 2023, Vietnam's economy quickly rebounded, growing by 5.8% to US$ 435 billion, making it the 35th largest globally. Its economic growth rate, higher than the global average of 2.6%, classifies it as a high-growth nation. Alongside the development of Vietnam's manufacturing sector, the plastic industry has also demonstrated strong growth momentum. Compared to long-established industries like machinery, electrical electronics, chemicals, and textiles, Vietnam's plastic industry is relatively young but has shown robust growth momentum in recent years. Between 2010 and 2020, the plastic industry was among the fastest-growing sectors in Vietnam, with an annual growth rate of 16%-18%, trailing only telecommunications and textiles. According to analysis, Vietnam is home to nearly 4,000 plastic companies, 90% of which are small and medium enterprises concentrated in the southern region. In 2022, Vietnam's plastic industry's total revenue exceeded US$ 25 billion, with exports accounting for 22%. Some plastic products saw annual growth rates close to 100%, indicating substantial market potential. Compared to the world stage, Vietnam's plastic industry is just beginning. In 2021-2022, Vietnam's plastic industry experienced recovery growth, but it declined in 2023. In that year, Vietnam imported US$ 9.76 billion in plastic raw materials, with plastic product imports reaching US$ 7.51 billion. South Korea is one of Vietnam's primary sources of plastic raw materials, with overall import volumes of PVC, PE, PP resin showing an upward trend from the South Korean market. Regarding exports, Vietnam's plastic raw materials and products have generally shown an upward trend over the past five years. According to analysis, in 2023, Vietnam's plastic raw materials exports amounted to US$ 2.17 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.4% from 2019 to 2023. Plastic products exports reached US$ 5.18 billion, with a CAGR of 10.8% over the same period. The United States, Japan, and South Korea are the main destinations for Vietnam's plastic products, with 2023 exports to the U.S. totaling US$ 2.16 billion, a 1.5% decrease from the previous year, accounting for about 42% of the plastic product export share. The plastic industry significantly contributes to Vietnam's economy, with applications across multiple sectors, including packaging, consumer goods, electronics, automotive, aviation, textiles, and agriculture. According to analysis, with substantial investment increases from FDI enterprises and domestic companies, the production scale of Vietnam's plastic industry continues to expand. There's a noticeable trend toward producing green and environmentally friendly products, making Vietnam a significant production base for plastic products, fulfilling numerous large import market orders. In 2023, Vietnam's plastic product output exceeded 10 million tons. According to the analyst, Vietnam's plastic industry holds substantial potential for foreign investors. In recent years, there has been a significant wave of investment shifting from China to Vietnam within the plastic industry. Several factors drive this shift, including cheaper labor costs compared to China and various policy factors, including international trade barriers. Additionally, Vietnam has signed several major free trade agreements with key partners, creating more investment and export opportunities, attracting more foreign investors to the Vietnam plastic industry. Notably, investors from ASEAN countries like Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan have invested in and acquired shares in major Vietnamese plastic companies. According to analysis, approximately 15% of Vietnamese plastic companies are foreign-owned. The report forecasts that the Vietnamese market will become one of the fastest-growing plastic markets globally. For plastic raw material manufacturers, plastic product manufacturers, and distributors, the Vietnam market is becoming increasingly important. Key Topics Covered: Overview of Vietnam's Plastic Industry Economic and Policy Environment of Vietnam's Plastic Industry Market Size of Vietnam's Plastic Industry from 2024 to 2033 Analysis of Major Vietnamese Plastic Industry Production Enterprises Main Drivers and Market Opportunities of Vietnam's Plastic Industry Key Questions Answered: What are the main drivers, challenges, and opportunities for Vietnam's plastic industry during the forecast period of 2024-2033? Who are the major players in the Vietnam plastic industry market, and what are their competitive advantages? What is the expected revenue of the Vietnam plastic industry market during the forecast period of 2024-2033? What strategies have the major players in the market adopted to increase their market share in the industry? Which segment of the Vietnam plastic industry market is expected to dominate the market by 2033? What are the main adverse factors facing the Vietnam plastic industry? Company Coverage: Nam Thai Son Group VN Plastic Co., Ltd Thuan Loi Manufacturing Co., Ltd Hana Plastic Co., Ltd Thai Loi Co Ltd AN PHU Packing Co.,Ltd Viet Nhat Plastic Production Co. Ltd. Hiep Thanh Plastic - Trading - Manufacturing JSC Danang Plastic JSC Hong Thanh Trading Production Company Ltd Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 80 Forecast Period 2024 - 2033 Estimated Market Value in 2024 7.02 Million Units Forecasted Market Value by 2033 9.16 Million Units Compound Annual Growth Rate 3.0% Key Topics Covered: 1 Overview of Vietnam 1.1 Geography 1.2 Population Structure of Vietnam 1.3 Economy of Vietnam 1.4 Minimum Wage Standards in Vietnam, 2015-2024 1.5 Impact of COVID-19 on the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 2 Development Environment of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 2.1 Brief History of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry Development 2.2 Types of Plastics in Vietnam 2.3 Policy Environment of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 3 Supply and Demand Status of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 3.1 Supply Status of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 3.2 Demand Status of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 4 Import and Export Status of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 4.1 Import Status of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 4.2 Export Status of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 5 Market Competition in the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 5.1 Entry Barriers in the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 5.2 Competitive Structure of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 6 Analysis of Major Plastic Brands in Vietnam 6.1 Nam Thai Son Group 6.2 VN Plastic Co., Ltd 6.3 Thuan Loi Manufacturing Co., Ltd 6.4 Hana Plastic Co., Ltd 6.5 Thai Loi Co Ltd 6.6 AN PHU Packing Co.,Ltd 6.7 Viet Nhat Plastic Production Co. Ltd. 6.8 Hiep Thanh Plastic - Trading - Manufacturing JSC 6.9 Danang Plastic JSC 6.10 Hong Thanh Trading Production Company Ltd 7 Outlook for the Vietnamese Plastic Industry, 2024-2033 7.1 Analysis of Development Factors in the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 7.1.1 Drivers and Development Opportunities of the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 7.1.2 Threats and Challenges Faced by the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 7.2 Supply Forecast for the Vietnamese Plastic Industry 7.3 Demand Forecast for the Vietnamese Plastic Market 7.4 Import and Export Forecast for the Vietnamese Plastic Industry For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8zpsbo About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment Dublin, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Thailand Automobile Tire Industry Research Report 2024-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Manufacturing is a vital component of Thailand's economy, with the total output of the manufacturing sector reaching US$ 133.87 billion in 2022, accounting for 27% of that year's GDP. According to the analyst, Thailand is the strongest manufacturing country among the ASEAN-10, particularly noted for its automotive industry chain, which includes automobile tire manufacturing, whole vehicle manufacturing, and electronics manufacturing, holding a significant position in Southeast Asia. Thailand is a major global producer and exporter of rubber, with a total natural rubber production of 4.707 million tons in 2023, accounting for one-third of the world's production, thus giving the Thai automobile tire industry a raw material advantage. As Thailand's economy has developed, the number of vehicles in the country has also steadily increased. According to Thai government statistics, in 2022, Thailand had 19 million vehicles, with a vehicle ownership rate of 271 per thousand people. In Bangkok alone, the annual increase in passenger vehicle ownership exceeds 250,000 units. The development of Thailand's automotive industry has spurred the growth of its automobile tire industry. Thailand was the world's second-largest tire exporter in 2022, accounting for 7.1% of the global market, with a slight decrease in export volume in 2023 but still maintaining a leading position. In 2022, the export value of automobile tires reached US$ 2.89 billion. From 2021 to 2022, the fastest-growing export markets for Thai automobile tires were Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea. In Thailand's automotive market, passenger cars, including light commercial vehicles like pickup trucks, hold a significant market share. Since 2022, the sales of electric vehicles have seen exponential growth, breaking through the 50,000-unit mark in 2023. The analyst predicts that the future electric vehicle market will experience a minor explosion, which will also affect the development pattern of Thailand's automobile tire industry. According to the analyst, in 2023, Thai automobile tire production was approximately 58 million units, with passenger car tires accounting for about 90% of the total automobile tire production. The Thai tire market is highly competitive. Major players include Michelin, Dunlop, Yokohama Tire, and Llit Co., Ltd. The Thai automobile tire market not only features local enterprises but also multinational tire giants. Chinese tire brands such as Linglong Tire and Chengshan Tire have also established a significant presence in Thailand by setting up factories. Due to its advantageous geographic location, favorable labor conditions, and government incentives, an increasing number of Chinese tire companies are choosing to set up factories in Thailand. For example, Xinyuan Rubber (Thailand) Company is a state-owned multinational group involved in natural rubber processing and sales; in 2022, the Haomai Group set up its second tire mold factory in Thailand. The analyst forecasts that from 2024 to 2033, Thai tire production will continue to rise, with automobile tire production projected to reach 96.31 million units by 2033, achieving an annual compound growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2%. In the coming years, the growth of Thailand's automobile tire industry will be driven by domestic market demand as well as the continually increasing volume of tire exports. Key Topics Covered: Overview of the Automobile tire Industry in Thailand Economic and Policy Environment for Automobile tires in Thailand How can foreign investors enter Thailand's automotive tire industry? Market Size of Automobile tires in Thailand, 2019-2023 Analysis of Major Automobile tire Manufacturers in Thailand Key Drivers and Market Opportunities for the Automobile tire Industry in Thailand Key Questions Answered What are the main drivers, challenges, and opportunities for the Thai automobile tire industry during the forecast period of 2024-2033? What is the projected revenue for the Thai automobile tire market during the forecast period of 2024-2033? What strategies have major market players adopted to increase their market share in this industry? Which segment of the Thai automobile tire market is expected to dominate by 2033? Market Forecast for the Thai Automobile tire Industry, 2024-2033 What are the major adverse factors facing the automobile tire industry in Thailand? Company Coverage: Llit Co., Ltd. Sentury Tire Bridgestone Michelin Dunlop Cockpit Thailand Yokohama Tires Frico Tyre IRC Tire Hankook Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 80 Forecast Period 2024 - 2033 Estimated Market Value in 2024 60.87 Million Units Forecasted Market Value by 2033 96.31 Million Units Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.2% Key Topics Covered: 1 Overview of Thailand 1.1 Geography 1.2 Population Structure of Thailand 1.3 Economy of Thailand 1.4 Minimum Wage Standards in Thailand, 2014-2024 1.5 Impact of COVID-19 on the Thai Automobile tire Industry 2 Development Environment of the Thai Automobile tire Industry 2.1 Economic Environment 2.1.1 Development Status of the Manufacturing Sector in Thailand 2.1.2 Analysis of Automobile tire Usage in the Thai Market 2.2 Technological Environment 2.2.1 Main Types of Automobile tires Used in Thailand 2.2.2 Technological Level of the Thai Automobile tire Manufacturing Industry 2.3 Policy Environment for the Automobile tire Industry in Thailand 2.4 Analysis of Operational Costs in the Thai Automobile tire Industry 2.4.1 Labor Costs 2.4.2 Electricity Costs 2.4.3 Factory Rent 2.4.4 Other Costs 3 Supply and Demand Status of the Thai Automobile tire Industry 3.1 Supply Status of the Thai Automobile tire Industry 3.2 Demand Status of the Thai Automobile tire Industry 3.3 Price Analysis of the Thai Automobile tire Market 4 Import and Export Status of the Thai Automobile tire Industry, 2019-2023 4.1 Import Status of the Thai Automobile tire Industry 4.2 Export Status of the Thai Automobile tire Industry 5 Market Competition Analysis in the Thai Automobile tire Industry 5.1 Entry Barriers in the Thai Automobile tire Industry 5.2 Competitive Structure of the Thai Automobile tire Industry 6 Analysis of Major Automobile tire Manufacturers in Thailand 6.1 Llit Co., Ltd. 6.2 Sentury Tire 6.3 Bridgestone 6.4 Michelin 6.5 Dunlop 6.6 Cockpit Thailand 6.7 Yokohama Tires 6.8 Frico Tyre 6.9 IRC Tire 6.10 Hankook 7 Outlook for the Thai Automobile tire Industry, 2024-2033 7.1 Analysis of Development Factors in the Thai Automobile tire Industry 7.2 Supply Forecast for the Thai Automobile tire Industry 7.3 Demand Forecast for the Thai Automobile tire Market 7.4 Import and Export Forecast for the Thai Automobile tire Industry For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rjnzrj About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment [17/05/24] 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] Post-stabilisation Period Announcement NO STABILISATION CARRIED OUT Further to the pre-stabilisation period announcement dated 16/5/24 BNP Paribas (contact: Stanford Hartman telephone: 0207 595 8222) hereby gives notice that no stabilisation (within the meaning of Article 3.2(d) of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU/596/2014)) was undertaken by the Stabilisation Manager(s) named below in relation to the offer of the following securities. Securities Issuer: OI EUROPEAN GROUP B.V Guarantor(s) (if any): N/A Aggregate nominal amount: EUR 500,000,000 Description: 5.25% June 2029 Offer price: 100 Stabilisation Manager(s) Name(s): BNP Paribas, Mizuho, Bank Of America, Goldmans Sach, Scotia Bank, Credit Agricole, HSBC, JP Morgan, Rabo Bank, Wells Fargo 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 is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to above 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 has not been and will not be a public offer of the securities in the United States. HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On April 3rd, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City approved the Decision to approve the updated investment policy and investment approval for the Metro Star project. According to Decision No. 4498/QD-UBND dated April 3, 2024, the Metro Star project at 360 Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard (Thu Duc City) has a maximum height of 30 floors and 3,453 residents. Previously, in Decision No. 1757/QD-UBND dated May 8, 2019, the project was also approved by the City People's Committee with 1,467 apartments in Ho Chi Minh City's housing development. This is great news not only for the investors but also for the contractors, housing agencies, staff, and workers who have patiently waited through multiple rounds of documentation for 3 years at various Departments, Inspectorates, Auditors, and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee until being handed over to the Thu Duc City People's Committee since August 2023 to sign under the decentralization of Decree 98. "We have been anticipating this Decision for many years. The difficulties will soon pass..." - A representative of the Metro Star project investor shared. Metro Star project It is known that Metro Star, developed by Metro Star Investment Corporation with meticulous preparation over the past 18 years, is one of the first projects in more than 50 Green TOD projects located adjacent to major metro stations along 8 metro lines in Ho Chi Minh City. Metro Star project is currently highly appreciated by the market thanks to its many advantages from its prime location right at the intersection of Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard - the most beautiful boulevard in Thu Duc City, with a pedestrian bridge directly connecting to Binh Thai metro station (metro line 1). From here, it only takes 10 minutes to reach the center of District 1. At the same time, the building design, imbued with the green architectural style of Singapore, has helped Metro Star win the "Best Mixed-Use Architecture Design Vietnam 2022" award. This year, the supply of apartments is super low due to legal barriers. Therefore, the observers of the industry anticipate that the launch of Metro Star will be very special and highly anticipated throughout the year... https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a80d8ce9-8af1-4bc6-b6d4-55c1221829e0 Toronto, Canada, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flosonics Medical, a leader in wearable medical ultrasound, announced it will be demonstrating its FloPatch solution at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses annual conference, the National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition 2024 (NTI) in Denver, May 21-22. In-Person and Virtual Dinner Symposium NTI attendees are invited to attend a free In-Person and Virtual Dinner Symposium: The Future of Sepsis Resuscitation, hosted by Flosonics, on the evening of Tuesday, May 21. The symposium features Jaclyn Bond, director of nursing at a large public hospital in Southern California, who will review advanced techniques and technologies in sepsis management including: Transforming Sepsis Care: Successful strategies for early detection and management of sepsis Sepsis Resuscitation: Key protocols and real-time interventions to save lives FloPatch Insights: How wearable Doppler technology is enabling precision fluid management Data-Driven Decisions: Leveraging clinical data to surpass national sepsis care benchmarks Reserve your place at the dinner symposium (attend either in-person or virtually). WHERE: Tamayo, 1400 Larimer Street, Denver WHEN: 6:30 p.m. MT (or 7:00pm MT virtual) FloPatch is an FDA-approved wireless, wearable Doppler ultrasound device that enables real-time blood-flow assessments to help guide resuscitation in critically ill patients including those with sepsis and septic shock. Exceptional results validating FloPatchs clinical value have been published in leading medical journals including the British Journal of Anaesthesia, Critical Care Explorations, and most recently in the April 2024 edition of the prestigious journal CHEST. Sign Up for a Free iPad at Booth #1543 Visit Flosonics at NTI in Booth #1543 for a hands-on FloPatch experience featuring expert engagement and live demonstrations. Also, don't miss the opportunity to win a FREE iPad by visiting our booth. About Flosonics Medical Flosonics Medical is a Canadian medical device company engaged in the research and development of innovative ultrasound technology. Founded in 2015, the companys mission is to improve patient care and the practice of medicine through technology-enabled solutions and ground-breaking clinical research. For more information, visit http://www.flosonicsmedical.com. Attachments TORONTO, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (the Company or Appia) (CSE: API) (OTCQX: APAAF) (FWB: A0I0) (MUN: A0I0) (BER: A0I0) today announced that Stephen Burega, President, will present live at the Clean Energy & Precious Metals Hybrid Investor Conference, hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com, on May 23rd, 2024. DATE: May 23rd, 2024 TIME: 2:15 PM ET LINK: https://bit.ly/4dhSqKS Stephen Burega is available for 1x1 meetings: May 23rd This will be a live, interactive in-person and online event where investors are invited to ask the company questions in real-time. If you would like to attend in-person, please email johnv@otcmarkets.com for an attendee pass. If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event. It is recommended that investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates. Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com . Recent Company Highlights Appia Files NI 43-101 Technical Report on Maiden Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate for the PCH Ionic Adsorption Clay Project in Goias, Brazil Click here for Press Release Appia Announces Preliminary Desorption Results and Confirms Ionic Adsorption Clay Rare Earth Mineralization in Brazil Click here for Press Release Appia Announces Encouraging Initial Results from the Newly Identified Taygeta and Merope Exploration Targets at PCH Project, Brazil Click here for Press Release Appia Signs MOU to Option Elliot Lake Uranium Property Click here for Press Release About Virtual Investor Conferences Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors. Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors. About Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (Appia) Appia is a publicly traded Canadian company in the rare earth element and uranium sectors. The Company holds the right to acquire up to a 70% interest in the PCH Ionic Adsorption Clay Project (See June 9th, 2023 Press Release Click HERE) which is 40,963.18 ha. in size and located within the Goias State of Brazil (See January 11th, 2024 Press Release Click HERE). The Company is also focusing on delineating high-grade critical rare earth elements and gallium on the Alces Lake property, and exploring for high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its Otherside, Loranger, North Wollaston, and Eastside properties. The Company holds the surface rights to exploration for 94,982.39 hectares (234,706.59 acres) in Saskatchewan. The Company also has a 100% interest in 13,008 hectares (32,143 acres), with rare earth elements and uranium deposits over five mineralized zones in the Elliot Lake Camp, Ontario. Appia has 136.3 million common shares outstanding, 145 million shares fully diluted. For more information, visit www.appiareu.com As part of our ongoing effort to keep investors, interested parties and stakeholders updated, we have several communication portals. If you have any questions online (X, Facebook, LinkedIn) please feel free to send direct messages. To book a one-on-one 30-minute Zoom video call, please click here. Contact: Stephen Burega, President (c) (647) 515-3734 (e) sburega@appiareu.com Virtual Investor Conferences John M. Viglotti SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access OTC Markets Group (212) 220-2221 johnv@otcmarkets.com Morehead, Kentucky (USA), May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rajant Corporation, the pioneer of Kinetic Mesh wireless networks, and Accelecom, a high-speed fiber optics provider, collaborated to bring downtown Wi-Fi to the City of Harlan in Eastern Kentucky. The community-enhancing technology will be debuted on Saturday, May 18th, at the opening ceremonies for the Headwaters Arts Festival. At noon, executives from Rajant and Accelecom, along with city, county, and state officials, will be making opening remarks at the Harlan Center Front Plaza located at 201 South Main Street in Harlan, Kentucky. In today's digital age, connectivity is not just a luxury; it's a necessity. We are thrilled to announce our partnership with The City of Harlan Tourist and Convention Commission, alongside the Harlan County Fiscal Court, in bringing free downtown Wi-Fi to our community thanks to funding provided by the Sociable Weaver Foundation, shares Cole Raines Executive Director of One Harlan County. By implementing free downtown Wi-Fi were opening up a world of possibilities for the City of Harlan, especially for our small businesses and the tourism sector. Small businesses will now have access to reliable internet connectivity, enabling them to process credit card transactions seamlessly and efficiently during festivals and events. For tourists, free downtown Wi-Fi means staying connected while exploring our vibrant city. Visitors can now easily navigate Harlan, whether they're sharing their experiences on social media, finding local attractions and restaurants online, or accessing maps and transportation information. This initiative is not just about providing internet access; it's about empowering our community, supporting our businesses, and enriching the experiences of both residents and visitors alike. Together, we're laying the groundwork for a more connected and prosperous future for Harlan. Brandon Pennington, Executive Director at the City of Harlan Tourist and Convention Commission, states, It seems appropriate that we are launching this service to our community during the inaugural Headwaters Arts Festival. Art is about connection, and our Wi-Fi project is about connectivity. Both endeavors highlight the importance of bringing people together and fostering community. It also demonstrates one of the driving forces behind Harlan Tourism being a fiscal partner in this project. It provides a service to our visitors looking to connect to our community, whether for authentic experiences, events, or world-class attractions. Still, it also allows our vendors at festivals and events the added benefit of reliable internet to process payments in our beautiful and rural area. My board and I at Harlan Tourism are excited to see how this project will continue to enhance our tourism product. On hand representing Rajant will be Alice DiSanto Vice President of Global Marketing, who adds, Connecting the unconnected is the byproduct of teamwork with Accelecom. Together, we began the project in November 2023 and concluded in March 2024. Utilizing Accelecoms internet provision via a fiber connection sourced from the local Harlan County Courthouse, the Wi-Fi network has been extended to encompass Harlan's downtown. This development facilitates access to network services in the downtown vicinity and expands opportunities for Harlan County by providing event coordinators with reliable networking capabilities. Moreover, it paves the way for potential expansion into other areas of Harlan using Rajant Kinetic Mesh. According to Accelecom CEO Brad Kilbey, Accelecom places a significant emphasis on supporting the public sector to include local and county government. We invest in the expansion of fiber networks into unserved and underserved communities, like Harlan, Kentucky, in great part due to our Kentucky heritage that provides an understanding of rural areas. Accelecom leveraged its next-gen fiber network to provide a bundled Internet and managed Wi-Fi solution which enabled the City of Harlan to offer its residents, government offices, and visitors wireless broadband across downtown Harlan. The Wi-Fi service enables enhanced constituent engagement, public safety, and city image. The variety of events held in downtown Harlan will benefit from the Wi-Fi access vendors, organizers, and attendees will have. ### About Rajant Corporation Rajant Corporation is the broadband communications technology company that invented Kinetic Mesh networking, BreadCrumb wireless nodes, and InstaMesh networking software. With Rajant and its family of products, customers can rapidly deploy a highly adaptable and scalable network that leverages the power of real-time data to deliver on-demand, mission-critical business intelligence. A low-latency, high-throughput, and secure solution for a variety of data, voice, video, and autonomous applications, Rajants Kinetic Mesh networks provide industrial customers with full mobility, allowing them to take their private network applications and data anywhere. With successful deployments in more than 80 countries for customers in military, mining, ports, rail, energy, manufacturing and logistics, municipalities, agriculture, and more, Rajant is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with additional facilities and offices in Arizona and Kentucky. For more information, visit Rajant.com or follow Rajant on LinkedIn and YouTube. Attachments We apologize. A page no longer exists or an error has occured on our server. Return to Our Home Page Dublin, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Hand Tools Market, By Type; By Distribution Channel; By End User; By Region - Market Size, Industry Dynamics, Opportunity Analysis and Forecast for 2024-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global hand tools market, an essential sector supporting a wide array of industries from construction to manufacturing, has been witnessing notable expansion in recent years. As of 2023, this market boasted a substantial value, estimated at approximately US$ 11.76 billion, reflecting the indispensable role these tools play across diverse sectors worldwide. Projections indicate a promising trajectory for the market, with expectations set for robust growth in the coming years. By the year 2030, experts forecast the global hand tools market to soar to a valuation of around US$ 14.99 billion, underscoring its enduring significance and potential for further advancement in various industrial applications. The expansion of the hand tools market is predominantly fueled by an increase in construction projects, particularly due to the anticipated rise in smart city initiatives, which are expected to boost demand for hand tools. These comprehensive projects require extensive labor and involve numerous tasks that necessitate a wide array of hand tools. By November 2021, construction expenditures had reached USD 1.46 trillion, positioning the year to potentially set a new record for construction completion. In substantial construction projects, the potential shortage of hand tools and labor can lead to significant delays and financial losses. According to ABAX, a European telematics company, construction workers spend about 10 minutes each day searching for misplaced equipment, totaling approximately 38 hours of lost productivity annually. As a result, the ongoing and forthcoming construction and infrastructure projects have heightened the need for an adequate supply of hand tools and equipment on site. Typically, hand tools are personally owned by construction workers, who are often required to supply their own tools and equipment. It has been reported that plumbing contractors spend between USD 5000 and USD 6000 annually on hand tools, primarily due to tool loss or wear. Furthermore, multi-purpose tools represent a versatile category within hand tools. These tools combine multiple functions and features into a single unit, offering high flexibility and the ability to perform various tasks to meet industrial standards. They have become increasingly popular in large construction projects that require a bulk supply of hand tools. Hand tools such as multi-utility hammer knives, pliers, and all-in-one tool kits have lessened the load for construction workers, enabling them to use a single tool for multiple tasks without the need to carry several different tools. As electronic devices continue to decrease in size, tool manufacturers are enhancing their hand tool offerings to meet the precision needs required for repairing these devices. They are diligently designing hand tools that are not only more effective but also multifunctional. A common example of such a tool is the multi-bit screwdriver, which is widely used today. Market Segmentation Insights In 2023, the screwdriver segment captured 10.50% of the hand tools market share. This growth is largely fueled by the increasing popularity of DIY culture, where individuals engage in repairing and improving their own appliances, tools, and homes, thus boosting global demand for screwdrivers. Additionally, the consumer electronics sector has seen rapid growth in recent years, further driving the need for screwdrivers. This demand is bolstered by the rising acquisition of electronic devices in both commercial and residential sectors, along with greater financial accessibility. Screwdrivers are relatively simple to manufacture, and the market is expected to see a surge in the number of small to medium-scale manufacturers from developing nations, enhancing the market prospects for this segment. Technological advancements in electric screwdrivers are also anticipated to create new opportunities in the market. On the basis of distribution channels, the offline segment led the global hand tools market in 2023, accounting for 64.58%. This channel includes distributors, suppliers, wholesalers, and dealers. Consumers prefer offline venues like hardware and tools and machinery stores for the direct examination and comparison of product quality before purchase. Despite this, in regions like North America and Europe, online sales are gaining traction. E-commerce platforms have significantly reshaped pricing and market structures within the retail distribution sector. However, the offline sales channel remains favoured in areas where consumers live close to suppliers and benefit from shorter delivery times. Nevertheless, the online segment is expected to experience the highest growth rate over the forecast period due to its convenience and expanding reach. In terms of end-users, the industrial segment constituted 45.08% of the global hand tools market in 2023. Hand tool manufacturers globally are focusing on industrial growth in developed countries such as the United States and Germany. The strong presence of various brands in the German market promotes the use of hand tools in the manufacture and assembly of vehicles, aerospace components, and other products, prompting companies to innovate and improve their tools and accessories. Furthermore, increased disposable income and a growing interest in leisure and recreational activities are making DIY projects more popular. This trend is likely to provide substantial opportunities for hand tool manufacturers to launch new products, especially as DIY interior design and home decoration become increasingly appealing to consumers in both developed and emerging markets. The expansion of DIY activities is also supported by the easy availability of tools on e-commerce platforms. Regional Overview In 2023, North America captured the largest portion of the hand tools market, driven largely by increasing applications in household and DIY sectors. The region's rising labor costs are promoting a trend towards independent service provision, further bolstering the market. Additionally, an aging housing stock in the United States has led to heightened activity in home renovations and remodels, contributing to market growth. Furthermore, Asia-Pacific is anticipated to register the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the global hand tools market from 2024 to 2032. This growth is expected due to ongoing urbanization and infrastructural advancements across the region. China, a leading exporter of hand tools globally, plays a significant role in this expansion. The country's rapid industrial development has attracted numerous hand tool and accessory manufacturers to establish production bases there. Low labor and material costs in China enable manufacturers to produce hand tools and accessories at competitive prices while maintaining high production efficiency. The market is also supported by a plethora of small-scale manufacturers within China that meet the regional demand for hand tools. Competitive Landscape The competitive landscape of the Hand Tools market is characterized by the presence of numerous prominent players driving growth. Key players are Stanley Black and Decker, Robert Bosch GmbH, TTI, and Apex Tool Group. These companies collectively account for approximately 50-55% of the market share, indicating robust competition within the sector. Furthermore, many players are actively engaged in research and development activities, partnerships, and collaborations to enhance their market presence and offerings. For instance, In July 2019, MISUMI, a global provider of configurable components, had announced the immediate availability of the IKO family of products to MISUMI clients. Needle Bearings, Linear Motion Rolling Guides, and Cam Followers were among the new IKO products. MISUMI had then had a multi-series extension of Needle Bearings, Linear Guides, and Cam Followers thanks to the development of the IKO product line. "We were very glad to offer an expansion that included micro-precision products from IKO, notably within the linear guide and needle roller bearing lines," said Morris Hsieh, Director of Product Management for MISUMI. These IKO items were tiny in size yet packed a punch in terms of precision. They were ideal for achieving precision in a variety of industries. In July 2019, in addition to monitoring hydrogen sulfide, Emerson released two new Rosemount 628 Universal Gas Sensors that measured carbon monoxide and oxygen depletion. The Rosemount 928 Wireless Gas Monitor platform could then monitor a wider spectrum of hazardous circumstances thanks to these new additions to the series. The Rosemount 928 Wireless Gas Monitor was a flexible platform for monitoring hazardous conditions in process plants, remote wellheads, pipelines, storage terminals, and other facilities. It could be simply installed utilizing a WirelessHART network in regions where traditional wired infrastructure was too impractical or expensive to establish. Personnel could easily check the status of the remote monitoring system gas levels once monitors were linked to the wireless network. Premium Insights The global hand tools market is projected to reach US$ 14.99 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.68%. The hand tools market has witnessed significant expansion, driven by its vital role across various sectors such as construction, manufacturing, and automotive. Multi-function hand tools have gained popularity due to their versatility and ability to perform multiple tasks, reducing the need for carrying numerous tools on-site. North America leads the market due to increased DIY activities and home renovation projects, while Asia-Pacific is poised for substantial growth, driven by urbanization and infrastructure developments. Key Attributes Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 294 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $11.76 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $14.99 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 3.6% Key Topics Covered Chapter 1. Research Framework 1.1. Research Objective 1.2. Product Overview 1.3. Market Segmentation Chapter 2. Research Methodology 2.1. Qualitative Research 2.1.1. Primary & Secondary Sources 2.2. Quantitative Research 2.2.1. Primary & Secondary Sources 2.3. Breakdown of Primary Research Respondents, By Region 2.4. Assumption for the Study 2.5. Market Size Estimation 2.6. Data Triangulation Chapter 3. Executive Summary: Global Hand Tools Market Chapter 4. Global Hand Tools Market Overview 4.1. Industry Value Chain Analysis 4.1.1. Material Provider 4.1.2. Manufacturing 4.1.3. Distribution 4.1.4. End User 4.2. Industry Outlook 4.2.1. Power Tools Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2030 4.2.1.1. Electric 4.2.1.1.1. AC 4.2.1.1.2. DC 4.2.1.2. Gas 4.2.1.3. Pneumatic & Others 4.2.2. Emerging Innovations under Hand Tools 4.2.3. Top Suppliers under Power Tools, By Region 4.3. PESTLE Analysis 4.4. Porter's Five Forces Analysis 4.4.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 4.4.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers 4.4.3. Threat of Substitutes 4.4.4. Threat of New Entrants 4.4.5. Degree of Competition 4.5. Market Dynamics and Trends 4.5.1. Growth Drivers 4.5.2. Restraints 4.5.3. Challenges 4.5.4. Key Trends 4.6. COVID-19 Impact Assessment on Market Growth Trend 4.7. Market Growth and Outlook 4.7.1. Market Revenue Estimates and Forecast (US$ Mn), 2017 - 2030 4.7.2. Market Volume Estimates and Forecast (Mn Units), 2017 - 2030 4.7.3. Price Trend Analysis, By Type 4.8. Competition Dashboard 4.8.1. Market Concentration Rate 4.8.2. Company Market Share Analysis (Value %), 2021 4.8.2.1. Global 4.8.2.2. North America 4.8.2.3. Europe 4.8.2.4. Asia Pacific 4.8.2.4.1. Japan 4.8.2.5. Rest of the World 4.8.3. Competitor Mapping 4.8.4. Key Players - Geographic Footprint Chapter 5. Global Hand Tools Market Analysis, By Type 5.1. Key Insights 5.2. Market Size and Forecast, 2017 - 2030 (US$ Mn & Mn Units) 5.2.1. Wrenches 5.2.2. Chisels 5.2.3. Hammers 5.2.4. Hand Saws 5.2.5. Axes 5.2.6. Pry Bars 5.2.7. Staple Guns 5.2.8. Hand Files 5.2.9. Vise 5.2.10. Anvils 5.2.11. Scissors 5.2.12. C-Clamps 5.2.13. Crowbars 5.2.14. Hand Planer 5.2.15. Mallet 5.2.16. Screwdrivers 5.2.17. Pliers 5.2.18. Measurement Tape 5.2.19. Level 5.2.20. Others Chapter 6. Global Hand Tools Market Analysis, By Distribution Channel 6.1. Key Insights 6.2. Market Size and Forecast, 2017 - 2030 (US$ Mn & Mn Units) 6.2.1. Online 6.2.1.1. eMarketplaces 6.2.1.2. Brand Website 6.2.2. Offline 6.2.2.1. Supermarket/ Hypermarket 6.2.2.2. Hardware Stores Chapter 7. Global Hand Tools Market Analysis, By End User 7.1. Key Insights 7.2. Market Size and Forecast, 2017 - 2030 (US$ Mn & Mn Units) 7.2.1. Industrial 7.2.1.1. Metal works 7.2.1.2. Electrical Work 7.2.1.3. Woodworking and Carpentry 7.2.1.4. Welding 7.2.1.5. Manufacturing 7.2.1.6. Automotive 7.2.2. Professional 7.2.3. Residential/DIY 7.2.4. Others Chapter 8. Global Hand Tools Market Analysis, By Region 8.1. Key Insights 8.2. Market Size and Forecast, 2017 - 2030 (US$ Mn & Mn Units) 8.2.1. North America 8.2.2. Europe 8.2.3. Asia Pacific 8.2.4. Rest of the World Chapter 9. North America Hand Tools Market Analysis 9.1. Key Insights 9.2. Market Size and Forecast, 2017 - 2030 (US$ Mn & Mn Units) 9.2.1. By Type 9.2.2. By Distribution Channel 9.2.3. By End User 9.2.4. By Country Chapter 10. Europe Hand Tools Market Analysis 10.1. Key Insights 10.2. Market Size and Forecast, 2017 - 2030 (US$ Mn & Mn Units) 10.2.1. By Type 10.2.2. By Distribution Channel 10.2.3. By End User 10.2.4. By Country Chapter 11. Asia Pacific Hand Tools Market Analysis 11.1. Key Insights 11.2. Market Size and Forecast, 2017 - 2030 (US$ Mn & Mn Units) 11.2.1. By Type 11.2.2. By Distribution Channel 11.2.3. By End User 11.2.4. By Country Chapter 12. Japan Hand Tools Market Analysis 12.1. Key Insights 12.2. Market Size and Forecast, 2017 - 2030 (US$ Mn & Mn Units) 12.2.1. By Type 12.2.2. By Distribution Channel Chapter 13. Rest of World Hand Tools Market Analysis 13.1. Key Insights 13.2. Market Size and Forecast, 2017 - 2030 (US$ Mn & Mn Units) 13.2.1. By Type 13.2.2. By Distribution Channel 13.2.3. By End User 13.2.4. By Region Chapter 14. Company Profiles (Company Overview, Financial Matrix, Key Product landscape, Key Personnel, Key Competitors, Contact Address, and Business Strategy Outlook) 14.1. Stanley Black and Decker 14.2. Robert Bosch GmbH 14.3. MISUMI Group Inc. 14.4. Milwaukee Tool Corporation 14.5. Snap-On Inc. 14.6. Klein Tools 14.7. Fluke Corporation 14.8. KNIPEX Group 14.9. Weidmuller Interface GmbH and Co. KG 14.10. Emil Lux GmbH & Co. KG 14.11. Sathlwille Tools 14.12. Gedore GmbH 14.13. KS Tools Werkzeuge and Maschinen GmbH 14.14. Taparia Tools 14.15. Akar Tools Limited 14.16. Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. 14.17. Wera Tools 14.18. Apex Tool Group 14.19. Channellock, Inc. 14.20. JCBL India 14.21. Emerson Electric Co. 14.22. Other Prominent Players For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/2sq0pc About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. Attachment Thumzup continues to expand its influence across Greater Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thumzup Media Corporation (Thumzup or the Company) (OTCQB: TZUP), a pioneer in innovative social media branding and marketing solutions, is thrilled to announce its feature on KTLA, highlighting the expansion of its AdTech platform into Hollywood. This significant development emphasizes Thumzup's innovative approach to enhancing the connection between businesses and consumers through social media engagement. The feature on KTLA showcases Thumzup's unique approach to advertising, allowing consumers to earn money by posting about their experiences at local businesses via the Thumzup app. This model offers a direct, authentic, and cost-effective way for businesses to enhance their social media presence and reach a broader audience. You can read the full KTLA article by Iman Palm here: https://ktla.com/news/money-business/social-media-app-that-allows-businesses-to-pay-customers-to-share-posts-expands-to-hollywood/ We are excited to be featured in KTLA as Thumzup is rapidly expanding its reach within the Los Angeles area and beyond. With successful operations in West Los Angeles, the company's recent extension into Hollywood marks a pivotal step in its growth strategy, commented Robert Steele, CEO and Founder of Thumzup. We plan to further extend our proprietary platform to other key neighborhoods and cities, providing businesses and consumers across a broader geographical area with unique opportunities to engage and benefit from authentic social media interactions. This expansion highlights our vision to revolutionize local advertising and empower users to monetize their social media influence on a larger scale. The Thumzup app operates by allowing businesses to sign up for advertising campaigns. Customers who download the app can visit participating businesses, post photos through the app (which are also shared on their Instagram accounts), and get paid via PayPal or Venmo. Payment amounts vary based on the business and the specifics of the campaign. Thumzups approach combines a user-friendly advertiser dashboard with a consumer-facing app, enabling businesses to tailor their marketing campaigns and benefit from genuine, localized influencer marketing. The platforms ease of use and direct payment model has already garnered partnerships with numerous local businesses and continues to attract new participants. About Thumzup Thumzup Media Corporation (Thumzup) is democratizing the multi-billion dollar social media branding and marketing industry. Its flagship product, the Thumzup platform, utilizes a robust programmatic advertiser dashboard coupled with a consumer-facing App to enable individuals to get paid cash for posting about participating advertisers on major social media outlets through the Thumzup App. The easy-to-use dashboard allows advertisers to programmatically customize their campaigns. Cash payments are made to App users/creators through PayPal and other digital payment systems. Thumzup is a publicly traded company (OTCQB stock ticker: TZUP). For more information, please visit https://www.thumzupmedia.com . Legal Disclaimer This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, without limitation, statements about its potential growth, impacts on the advertising industry, plans for potential uplisting, and planned expansion. These statements are identified by the use of the words "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "may," "continue," "predict," "potential," "project" and similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, objectives, expectations or intentions will be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical experience and present expectations or projections. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and the trading price for our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Forward-looking statements also are affected by the risk factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Contact Info investors@thumzupmedia.com 800-403-6150 Attachment Nashville, TN, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a significant development for patriotic entrepreneurs, Lindsey Graham, widely known as the "Patriot Barbie," has officially partnered with Launch Cart, the leading patriot-friendly eCommerce SaaS platform. This collaboration will empower and enhance her brand, which is dedicated to promoting patriotism across the United States. Lindsey Graham has captured the hearts of Americans who cherish freedom and patriotism through her dynamic presence and unwavering voice. Patriot Barbie's website has become a central hub for those who resonate with her message of liberty and American values. By partnering with Launch Cart, Lindsey aims to expand her reach and influence further, bringing an array of patriotic-themed products to a broader audience. Launch Cart, known for its robust, user-friendly eCommerce solutions, provides a perfect home for entrepreneurs like Lindsey who are passionate about their causes and communities. "We are thrilled to welcome Lindsey Graham to the Launch Cart family. Her brand embodies the spirit of American patriotism, and we are excited to support her growth on our platform," states CEO Greg Writer. More information about Launch Cart and its services can be found at www.launchcart.com. Lindsey Graham and Launch Cart representatives will also be featured at the upcoming "Business Wealth Summit," hosted by Angel Investors Network in Nashville from May 29 to 31, 2024 (https://angelinvestorsnetwork.com/nashville-2024). This event will gather entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders to share insights, strategies, and success stories. Lindsey and Launch Carts participation will highlight their new partnership and future initiatives geared toward fostering a patriotic spirit in business. For more information about the "Business Wealth Summit" and to register, please visit Angel Investors Network. Follow Launch Cart on social media on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram @Launchcart; and Angel Inestors Network on LinkedIn @angelinvestornetwork, Instagram @angel_investors_network, and Facebook @AngelInvestorsNetwork. For media inquiries and more information on Lindsey Grahams initiatives, please visit https://patriotbarbie.com. Media Contact: Kelly Bennett at Bennett Unlimited PR, kelly@bennettunlimitedpr.com or 949-463-6383. About Launch Cart: Launch Cart provides a cutting-edge eCommerce platform that empowers sellers to start, manage, and grow online businesses. With a focus on ease of use and powerful tools, Launch Cart is the go-to solution for entrepreneurs who value robust functionality and user-friendly design. About Angel Investors Network Angel Investors Network (AIN - https://angelinvestorsnetwork.com) brings investment opportunities and wealth-building strategies to its network of investor members. AIN provides a platform for investors to seek out and find new investment opportunities across several asset classes, including private equity, real estate, and publicly traded markets. About Lindsey Graham: Lindsey Graham, also known as the "Patriot Barbie," is a staunch advocate for American values and patriotism. Through her influential platform, she inspires and connects with individuals who share a deep love for the country and its founding principles. Attachments VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PlantX Life Inc. (CSE: VEGA, FRA: WNT1) (the Company) will complete a consolidation of the authorized and issued common shares of the Company (the Common Shares) on the basis of one post-consolidated Common Share for each fifty pre-consolidated Common Shares (the Consolidation). Prior to the Consolidation, the Company had 34,423,688 pre-Consolidation Common Shares issued and outstanding. Following the Consolidation, the Company will have approximately 688,473 post-Consolidation Common Shares issued and outstanding. No fractional Common Shares will be issued upon the Consolidation. In the event a holder of Common Shares would otherwise be entitled to receive a fractional Common Share in connection with the Consolidation, the number of Common Shares to be received by such shareholder will be rounded down to the next whole number. The Consolidation was approved by the Companys shareholders at the annual general and special meeting of the Companys shareholders held on May 3, 2024. Outstanding PlantX stock options and share purchase warrants will also be adjusted by the Consolidation ratio and the respective exercise prices of outstanding options and share purchase warrants will be adjusted accordingly. The record date of the Consolidation is May 23, 2024, and effective at the opening of markets on May 22, 2024, the Common Shares will commence trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange on a post-Consolidation basis under the existing ticker VEGA. The new CUSIP number will be 72750P600 and the new ISIN number will be CA72750P6003. The Consolidation is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE). For further information, please contact: Lorne Rapkin Chief Executive Officer (416) 419-1415 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains statements which constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words may, would, could, should, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect or similar expressions and includes information regarding: (i) expectations regarding obtaining the approval of the CSE for the Consolidation and (ii) expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflect the Companys managements expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the Company. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information are the following: the approval of the CSE for the Consolidation. This forward-looking information may be affected by risks and uncertainties in the business of the Company and market conditions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Although the Company have attempted to identify important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be others that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The Company does not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information except as otherwise required by applicable law. Phase 1b clinical trial of KM-001 demonstrated favorable safety profile and high responder rate of 87% in patients with palmoplantar keratoderma and pachyonychia congenita In vitro and in vivo data of KM-001 and KM-023 demonstrated significant improvements in skin histology and significant reductions in scratching NESS ZIONA, Israel, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kamari Pharma, a privately-held clinical stage biotechnology company developing first and best-in-class treatments for rare and severe genetic skin diseases, today announced two presentations reporting results for its novel TRPV3 inhibitors, KM-001 (topical) and KM-023 (oral), were given at the 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) that is taking place May 15-18, 2024 in Dallas, TX, USA. Below are summaries of the presentations: Poster #LB941: KM-001, a novel TRPV3 inhibitor, demonstrates safety and preliminary efficacy in Phase 1b clinical study for the treatment of palmoplantar keratoderma presented by Edel OToole, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Molecular Dermatology and Centre Lead of the Centre for Cell Biology and Cutaneous Research, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London and lead investigator in the study. Presented results from twelve-week, Phase 1b open-label studies (UK and Israel) assessing 4g/day of KM-001 1% cream applied to each foot twice daily for the treatment of pachyonychia congenita (PC) and punctate palmoplantar keratoderma type 1 (PPPK1). Eight patients in the UK (7 PC;1 PPPK1) and seven patients in Israel (3 PC;4 PPPK1) completed the treatment period. Safety: No drug-related severe adverse events nor systemic side effects were observed. Minimal treatment emergent adverse events occurred (n=11); all were mild and did not lead to patient discontinuation. Efficacy: Responder rate at the end of treatment was 88% (CI 52.9-97.8%) in UK (n=8) and 86% (CI 48.7-97.4%) in Israel (n=7), as defined by an improvement in at least one of six pre-defined disease parameters. Additionally, 47% of patients improved in at least two parameters with a disease severity reduction trend and pain score measured by VAS was reduced in 60% of PC patients; PPPK1 patients do not have pain as a symptom. Presentation #771: Novel TRPV3 inhibitors developed for the treatment of palmoplantar keratodermas, demonstrate safety and efficacy in preclinical models presented by Liora Braiman-Wiksman, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Kamari. Presented preclinical results for KM-001 and KM-023, Kamaris specific and highly selective TRPV3 inhibitors designed to address both molecular and local damage to the skin by regulating Ca influx into the cell. In 3D skin models of PC and PPPK1, KM-001 and KM-023 normalized proliferation and differentiation markers and enhanced epidermal barrier formation. In in vivo efficacy studies performed in DS-Nh mice, a gain-of-function TRPV3 mutation model, KM-001 showed significant improvement in skin histology vs vehicle (70% vs 30%) and exhibited significant reduction in scratching bouts (80%, p>0.04) and KM-023 showed a significant reduction in keratoderma severity score (p=0.003) and reduced scratching significantly (p<0.001) vs vehicle. Based on these results, Kamari plans to initiate Phase 2 development of KM-001 for the treatment of palmoplantar keratoderma and advance KM-023 into first-in-human studies for the oral treatment of Olmstead syndrome, severe keratoderma and Ichthyosis. The full content of these posters is available in the News page of Kamari's corporate website (https://kamaripharma.com/category/news). About Kamari Pharma Kamari Pharma is a privately-held clinical stage biotechnology company developing first and best in class treatments for rare and severe genetic skin diseases. Kamaris lead molecules, KM-001 (topical) and KM-023 (oral) are novel, highly specific and selective TRPV3 inhibitors that are initially being developed to treat palmoplantar keratodermas, Olmstead syndrome and Ichthyosis. Kamaris management team is comprised of industry leaders highly experienced in drug discovery, dermatological pharmaceutical development and rare disease drug development. Contact Information BOCA RATON, Fla., May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saxena White P.A. has filed a securities fraud class action lawsuit (the Class Action) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against Vestis Corporation (Vestis or the Company) (NYSE: VSTS) and certain of its executive officers (collectively, Defendants). The Class Action asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder on behalf of all persons and entities that purchased Vestis common stock between October 2, 2023 and May 1, 2024, inclusive (the Class Period), and were damaged thereby. The Class Action filed by Saxena White P.A. is captioned: Plumbers, Pipefitters and Apprentices Local No. 112 Pension Fund v. Vestis Corporation et al., No. 1:24-cv-02175-SDG (N.D. Ga.). Based in Roswell, Georgia, Vestis is a provider of uniforms and workplace supplies in the United States and Canada. The Company was created as the result of its September 30, 2023 spinoff from food services and facilities management provider Aramark. Vestis began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on October 2, 2023, the first day of the Class Period, under the ticker symbol VSTS. Leading up to Class Period before the spinoff, soon-to-be executives of Vestis claimed that investments are in place to deliver 5% to 7% topline growth on compound annual growth rate (CAGR). They also assured investors that the Companys sales force had reached their stride and were now hitting productivity levels that we desire from them. As the Class Period progressed, Defendants highlighted the really, really great feedback that Vestis had received from its customer service initiatives and maintained that the Companys growth would continue to accelerate based on, among other things, Vestis providing service excellence to our customers. The Class Action alleges that, during the Class Period, the Defendants made materially false and misleading statements and failed to disclose that: (1) Aramark had historically underinvested in the business that became Vestis; (2) Vestis operated with outdated facilities and an underperforming sales force; (3) Vestiss outdated facilities and underperforming sales force led to service gaps that had impeded the Companys levers of growth and had resulted in customer attrition; and (4) as a result of the above, Defendants statements about Vestiss business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. The truth was revealed before markets opened on May 2, 2024, when Vestis issued a press release announcing financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, ended March 29, 2024. Specifically, the Company disclosed that it had generated revenue of $705 million, a 0.9% increase over the same quarter in the prior year, and also had downwardly revised its revenue outlook for fiscal year 2024 to a range of negative 1% to 0%. During the corresponding earnings call with analysts that day, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kimberly Scott revealed the challenges facing the Company related to sales productivity and deliberate moderated pricing actions, the latter of which CEO Scott explained were necessary to improve[] retention and because service gaps had driven price sensitivity. During the same call, analysts pointed out that Vestis had pivoted from a recent announcement of a price increase to a price decrease and questioned Defendants about the reversal in pricing capabilities. On this news, the price of Vestis stock plummeted 45%, from a closing price of $18.47 per share on May 1, 2024, to a closing price of $10.16 per share on May 2, 2024. If you purchased Vestis common stock during the Class Period and were damaged thereby, you are a member of the Class and may be able to seek appointment as lead plaintiff. If you wish to apply to be lead plaintiff, a motion on your behalf must be filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia no later than July 16, 2024. The lead plaintiff is a court-appointed representative for absent members of the Class. You do not need to seek appointment as lead plaintiff to share in any Class recovery in the Class Action. If you are a Class member and there is a recovery for the Class, you can share in that recovery as an absent Class member. You may contact Marco A. Duenas (mduenas@saxenawhite.com), an attorney at Saxena White P.A., to discuss your rights regarding the appointment of lead plaintiff or your interest in the Class Action. You also may retain counsel of your choice to represent you in the Class Action. You may obtain a copy of the Complaint and inquire about actively joining the Class Action at www.saxenawhite.com. Saxena White P.A., with offices in Florida, New York, California, and Delaware, is a leading national law firm focused on prosecuting securities class actions and other complex litigation on behalf of injured investors. Currently serving as lead counsel in numerous securities class actions nationwide, Saxena White has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of injured investors. CONTACT INFORMATION Marco A. Duenas, Esq. mduenas@saxenawhite.com Saxena White P.A. 10 Bank Street, Suite 882 White Plains, New York 10606 Tel.: (914) 437-8551 Fax: (888) 631-3611 www.saxenawhite.com RADNOR, Pa., May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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, 2024 CLASS PERIOD: APRIL 15, 2021, THROUGH FEBRUARY 27, 2024 CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS: Jonathan Naji, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Email at info@ktmc.com DEFENDANTS MISCONDUCT agilon 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 agilons 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 agilons medical margin. Additionally, Defendants downplayed the significant cost pressures on the Companys 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 agilons 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 agilons 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 agilons medical margin and profitability before the market opened on January 5, 2024, when agilon updated its fiscal year 2023 financial results and provided its initial outlook for 2024. Critically, agilon further slashed its 2023 medical margin guidance more than $100 million, to a range between $340 million and $360 million, due to higher-than-expected medical costs. This represented a decline of more than 34% from the $550 million in medical margin it had predicted. On the related investor guidance call, Defendant Sell acknowledged that agilon failed to recognize these elevated cost trends and had a data and analytics gap that led to [the Company] being late in both recognizing the magnitude and source of the utilization shifts. Defendant Sell further indicated that the increased cost trends were expected to persist through 2024. Also on January 5, 2024, Defendant Bensley announced that he would retire in 2024. On this news, the price of agilon common stock plummeted $3.45 per share, or nearly 29%, from a close of $12.08 per share on January 4, 2024, to close at $8.63 per share on January 5, 2024. Finally, on February 27, 2024, agilon disclosed that its 2023 medical margin had in fact come in at just $299 million for the year far lower than the range of $340 million to $360 million provided just a few weeks prior. Furthermore, agilon slashed its 2024 medical margin guidance by 27%. On this news, the price of agilon common stock dropped from $6.48 per share when the market closed on February 27, 2024, to $6.04 per share on March 1, 2024, a 7% decline on abnormally heavy volume of a three-day period. In subsequent days, the price of agilon stock continued to decline, falling to a low of just $5.66 per share on March 6, 2024, more than 85% below the Class Period high. WHAT CAN I DO? agilon investors may, no later than May 20, 2024, move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff for the class, through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages agilon investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASE WHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF? A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLP Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com. CONTACT: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP Jonathan Naji, Esq. 280 King of Prussia Road Radnor, PA 19087 (484) 270-1453 info@ktmc.com May be considered attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. PHILADELPHIA, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaskela Law LLC announces that it is investigating Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) on behalf of the companys shareholders. On May 17, 2024, Avangrid announced that it had agreed to be acquired by Iberdrola, S.A. at a price of $35.75 per share in cash. Following the closing of the proposed transaction, Avangrids public shareholders will be cashed out of their investment position and the companys shares will no longer be publicly traded. The investigation seeks to determine whether Avangrids shareholders will be receiving sufficient consideration for their shares, and whether the companys officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties or violated the securities laws in agreeing to the $35.75 per share buyout price. Notably, at the time the proposed transaction was announced, shares of Avangrids stock were trading above the agreed-to buyout price. Avangrid shareholders who believe the current buyout price undervalues the companys shares are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.) at (888) 715 1740 or (484) 229 0750, or by email (skaskela@kaskelalaw.com / abell@kaskelalaw.com) or online at https://kaskelalaw.com/case/avangrid/ , 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, and has helped to recover in excess of $300 million for investors since 2020. 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 100 Newtown Square, PA 19073 (888) 715 1740 (484) 229 0750 www.kaskelalaw.com This notice may constitute attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions. Investors can contact the law firm at no cost to learn more about recovering their losses LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Jabil Inc. ("Jabil" or the "Company") (NYSE: JBL ). investors that the law firm has initiated an investigation on behalf of investors that lost money on their Jabil stock. Jabil investors are encouraged to contact the firm to discuss their legal rights. Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy , by phone 310-692-8883 or email : lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or click here to join the case via www.portnoylaw.com . The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses. The investigation is exploring whether Jabil, along with certain officers and/or directors, has committed securities violations or participated in other unlawful business activities. Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information. The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq. Admitted CA and NY Bar lesley@portnoylaw.com 310-692-8883 www.portnoylaw.com Attorney Advertising Washington, D.C., May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the New Civil Liberties Alliance submitted comments urging the U.S. Department of Education to abandon its latest proposed rule that would unconstitutionally cancel $147 billion of federal student loan debt owed to the Treasury by an estimated 27.6 million borrowers. The plan even proposes to bestow about $19 billion of that on about 750,000 student loan debtors whose average annual household income exceeds $300,000! Outrageously, that sum means American taxpayers would give more than $25,000 apiece to debtor households making over $300,000 per year. Congress has repeatedly declined to erase such debt, and the Department of Education lacks legal authority to do so unilaterally. NCLA calls for an end to this latest Biden Administration attempt at subverting the rule of law to erase student loan debt. In June 2023, Supreme Court overturned the Department of Educations previous $430 billion plan to cancel student loan debt via the HEROES Act, taking advice NCLA offered in its amicus curiae brief against the program. The Departments new proposal, published in April after negotiated rulemaking, would cancel specific loans held under the Federal Family Education Loan program, the Direct Loan program, the Perkins Loan program, and the Health Education Assistance Loan program. The Department claims a section of the Higher Education Act of 1965 gives the Secretary of Education unfettered power to cancel any federally-held student loan debt. But the statute has never been invoked to broadly cancel student loan debt owed to taxpayers before, cannot be read plainly to that effect, and was not understood to authorize such action in the past. The governments inaccurate reading of the law would render other, pre-existing loan forgiveness programs completely superfluous. The Supreme Courts Major Questions doctrine, barring federal agencies from resolving matters of vast economic and political significance without explicit congressional authorization, forbids the Departments new debt cancellation proposal. The plan would also violate the Appropriations and Vesting Clauses in Article I of the Constitution, which reserves all legislative authority and power of the purse for Congress. The Departments attempt to wield such unrestrained power adds to a now-familiar pattern of executive agencies discovering new meaning in decades-old statutory text to claim unheralded and transformative authority to accomplish what Congress has conspicuously declined to regulate. NCLA works tirelessly to stop this pernicious trend from further degrading Americans civil liberties. NCLA released the following statements: The Departments proposal relies on a 1965 statute that allows the Secretary to waive certain loans under the Federal Family Education Loan program. But that program no longer exists. And the vast majority of loans that the Department seeks to cancel are made under the entirely different Direct Loan program created in 1993. The Departments proposal is akin to trying to claim a home loan program allows someone to finance car loans. Sheng Li, Litigation Counsel, NCLA If Congress wanted to transfer $25,000 in student loan debt away from people earning over $300,000 per year and onto the American taxpayer (who averages less than $60,000/year after taxes), I suppose it could do soand then face the wrath of the American voter over the outrage. But the Department of Education cannot reinterpret old law to give it this ill-begotten power. The fact that Congress would never undertake such a dubious debt-cancellation plan is further proof that the Department is acting unlawfully. Mark Chenoweth, President, NCLA For more information visit the comments page here. ABOUT NCLA NCLA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group founded by prominent legal scholar Philip Hamburger to protect constitutional freedoms from violations by the Administrative State. NCLAs public-interest litigation and other pro bono advocacy strive to tame the unlawful power of state and federal agencies and to foster a new civil liberties movement that will help restore Americans fundamental rights. ### DESCRIPTION OF THE SHARE BUYBACK PROGRAMME SUBJECT TO THE AUTHORISATION OF THE COMBINED GENERAL MEETING DATED 22 MAY 2024 Regulated Information Paris, 17 May 2024 This description is drawn up in accordance with the provisions of Article 241-2-I of the General Regulation of the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des marches financiers). 1. Date of the General Meeting called to authorise the share buyback programme The authorisation for the Company to buy its own shares will be proposed to the Combined General Meeting dated 22 May 2024 (22nd resolution). 2. Breakdown by objectives of the shares held As at 16 May 2024, at midnight (Paris time), Societe Generale held 3,823,838 of its own shares, representing 0.48% of its share capital. The allocation of the shares is as follows: Cancellation 0 Allocation to employees and corporate officers 3,818,347 Exercise of rights attached to securities 0 External growth 491 Liquidity agreement 5,000 3. Purposes of the share buyback programme Societe Generale proposes that the Combined General Meeting dated 22 May 2024 renews its authorisation to buy its own shares so it can: grant, cover and honour any free shares allocation plan, employee savings plan and any form of allocation for the benefit of employees and company officers of the Company or affiliated companies under the conditions defined by the applicable legal and regulatory provisions; cancel them, in accordance with the terms of the authorisation of the Combined General Meeting dated 22 May 2024 in its 30 th resolution; resolution; deliver shares upon the exercise of rights attached to securities giving access to the Companys share capital; hold and subsequently deliver shares as payment or exchange as part of Groups external growth transactions such as merger, spin-off or asset contribution transactions; allow an investment services provider to trade in the Companys shares as part of a liquidity agreement compliant with the regulations of the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des Marches Financiers). 4. Maximum amount allocated to the share buyback programme, maximum number and characteristics of shares, maximum purchase price The resolution proposed to the General Meeting provides that Societe Generale may purchase its ordinary shares up to 10% of the total number of shares representing the share capital at the completion date of these purchases, reminded that, in accordance with the law, the number of shares held by Societe Generale may not exceed, at any time, 10% of the share capital. Within the framework of the share buyback programme subject to the authorisation of the Combined General Meeting and given the current share capital, the Company could purchase a theoretical maximum number of 80,297,994 shares representing 10% of its share capital. The maximum purchase price would be set at EUR 71 per share, i.e. a potential maximum amount allocated to the programme of EUR 5,701,157,574. This maximum amount is likely to change in case of transactions impacting its share capital. 5. Duration of the share buyback programme It is proposed to the Combined General Meeting dated 22 May 2024 to set the duration of the authorisation for the Company to buy its own shares at 18 months from the date of the General Meeting, i.e. until 22 November 2025. 6. Fulfillment of prudential requirements The Board of Directors will ensure that the execution of these buybacks will be carried out in accordance with prudential requirements as defined by the regulation and the European Central Bank. Press contacts: Jean-Baptiste Froville_+33 1 58 98 68 00_ jean-baptiste.froville@socgen.com Fanny Rouby_+33 1 57 29 11 12_ fanny.rouby@socgen.com Societe Generale Societe Generale is a top tier European Bank with more than 126,000 employees serving about 25 million clients in 65 countries across the world. We have been supporting the development of our economies for 160 years, providing our corporate, institutional, and individual clients with a wide array of value-added advisory and financial solutions. Our long-lasting and trusted relationships with the clients, our cutting-edge expertise, our unique innovation, our ESG capabilities and leading franchises are part of our DNA and serve our most essential objective - to deliver sustainable value creation for all our stakeholders. The Group runs three complementary sets of businesses, embedding ESG offerings for all its clients: French Retail, Private Banking and Insurance, with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank. with leading retail bank SG and insurance franchise, premium private banking services, and the leading digital bank BoursoBank. Global Banking and Investor Solutions, a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG. a top tier wholesale bank offering tailored-made solutions with distinctive global leadership in equity derivatives, structured finance and ESG. International Retail, Mobility & Leasing Services, comprising well-established universal banks (in Czech Republic, Romania and several African countries), Ayvens (the new ALD I LeasePlan brand), a global player in sustainable mobility, as well as specialized financing activities. Committed to building together with its clients a better and sustainable future, Societe Generale aims to be a leading partner in the environmental transition and sustainability overall. The Group is included in the principal socially responsible investment indices: DJSI (Europe), FTSE4Good (Global and Europe), Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, Refinitiv Diversity and Inclusion Index, Euronext Vigeo (Europe and Eurozone), STOXX Global ESG Leaders indexes, and the MSCI Low Carbon Leaders Index (World and Europe). In case of doubt regarding the authenticity of this press release, please go to the end of the Group News page on societegenerale.com website where official Press Releases sent by Societe Generale can be certified using blockchain technology. A link will allow you to check the documents legitimacy directly on the web page. For more information, you can follow us on Twitter/X @societegenerale or visit our website societegenerale.com . Attachment /NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S./ SUDBURY, May 16, 2024 - SPC Nickel Corp. (TSXV: SPC) ("SPC Nickel" or the "Company") is pleased to announce an upsize of its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") of common share units ("Common Share Units") and flowthrough common shares ("FT Shares"). The Company has increased the aggregate gross proceeds of the Offering from $1,500,000 to $2,015,000. The Company has also amended the issue price of the FT Shares from $0.06 to $0.055 per FT Share. The Company anticipates issuing 30,740,000 Common Share Units and 8,681,818 FT Shares pursuant to the Offering. Each Common Share Unit shall consist of one common share and one half of a purchase warrant of the Company (each whole warrant a "Warrant") to acquire one common share at an exercise price of $0.07 per share exercisable for a period of 18 months from the Closing Date. The Company may pay to eligible finders assisting in the Offering (i) a cash commission equal to 6% of the gross proceeds raised by such finders; and (ii) such number of compensation warrants ("Compensation Warrants") as is equal to 6% of the total number of Common Share Units and/or FT Shares sold by such finders. Each Compensation Warrant shall be exercisable to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.07 per Common Share for a period of 18 months following the date of issuance. The gross proceeds from the FT Shares issued in connection with the Offering will be used to advance both the Company's West Graham East Project, located in the world-class Sudbury Mining Camp, and the Company's Muskox Property, located in Nunavut. In addition, such gross proceeds will be used to incur Canadian Exploration Expenses ("CEE") that are "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" (as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) on the Company's mineral properties. Proceeds from the Common Shares issued in connection with the Offering will be used for property maintenance and general working capital purposes. The Offering remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. SPC Nickel Corp. is a Canadian public corporation focused on exploring for Ni-Cu-PGMs within the world class Sudbury Mining Camp. SPC Nickel is currently exploring its key 100% owned exploration project Lockerby East located in the heart of the historic Sudbury Mining Camp that includes the West Graham Resource and the LKE Resource. SPC Nickel also holds three additional projects across Canada including the large camp-scale Muskox Project (located in Nunavut), the past producing Aer-Kidd Project (located in the Sudbury Mining Camp) and the Janes Project (located 50 km northwest of Sudbury). The corporate focus is on Sudbury and SPC Nickel continues to look for new opportunities to add shareholder value. Additional information regarding SPC Nickel and its projects can be found at www.spcnickel.com. 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 historical fact contained herein, the information in this news release constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities law. Such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "plans", "proposes", "estimates", "intends", "expects", "believes", "may", "will" and include without limitation, statements regarding estimated capital and operating costs, expected production timeline, benefits of updated development plans, foreign exchange assumptions and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate; actual results and future events could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, metal prices, competition, risks inherent in the mining industry, and regulatory risks. Most of these factors are outside the control of SPC Nickel. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. Except as otherwise required by applicable securities statutes or regulation, SPC Nickel expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE SPC Nickel Corp. May 17, 2024 - Further to press releases dated May 1 and May 14, 2024, Zonte Metals Inc. (TSXV: ZON) ("Zonte" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has increased the size of its previously announced non-brokered private placement to 4,687,220 units including 1,705,000 common share units at a price of $0.08 per Common Share Unit ("CS Unit") and 2,982,220 flow through share units at a price of $0.09 per Flow-through Share Unit ("FT Units") (together, the "Offering"), for total proceeds of $404,800. Each Unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant expiring May 3, 2026. The warrants accompanying the CS Units are exercisable at a price of $0.11 and the warrants accompanying the FT Units are exercisable at a price of $0.15. The transaction remains subject to TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") approval and, following completion of the Offering, the Company will have 76,912,181 shares issued and outstanding. In connection with securities sold pursuant to the Offering, the Company will pay $28,672 in cash and issue 330,578 Finders' Warrants to three Eligible Finders, all of whom are at arm's length to the Company. Each Finders' Warrant is exercisable until November 3, 2025, to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of $0.18 per share. Finders' Fees paid in connection with the Offering are subject to and in accordance with Exchange and regulatory policies. The Offering was completed in three tranches which included the issuance of 3,347,220 units on May 3, 2024, 715,000 units on May 13, 2024 and 625,000 units on May 16, 2024. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four-month and one day statutory hold period. An insider of the Company acquired 200,000 FT Units and 100,000 CS Units of the Offering for proceeds to the Company of $26,000. Any participation by insiders in the Offering constitutes a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). However, as insider participation represented less than 25% of the proceeds of the Offering, the Company relied on the exemptions available under the instrument and such participation was exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for working capital purposes and exploration at the Cross Hills Copper Property, in Newfoundland and Labrador. About Zonte Zonte Metals Inc. is a junior explorer focused on gold and copper. The Company owns 100% of the MJ project, in the Tintina Gold Belt, located in the Yukon Territory, the Wings Point project in the new Central Newfoundland Gold Belt, and the Cross Hills IOCG project located in Newfoundland and Labrador. In Colombia; the company has a 25% carried interest in Project X where historic drilling intersected significant gold mineralization and the Company and partner have an application over open areas sitting on top of the open pit outline of the Gramalote Deposit in Colombia, which is held by AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) and B2Gold (TSX:BTO, NYSE:BTG). The title issuance is being contested by the state governing the application and the Company has started legal action to protect its rights. Forward-Looking Information This news release contains forward-looking statements which include statements regarding the Corporation's future plans, as well as statements regarding financial and business prospects and the Corporation's future plans, objectives or economic performance and financial outlooks. The Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in this news release are reasonable but actual results may be affected by a variety of variables and may be materially different from the results or events predicted in the forward-looking statements. Readers are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. In evaluating forward-looking statements readers should consider the risk factors which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, the Corporation does not intend nor does it undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking 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 of accuracy of this release. For further information contact: Terry Christopher CEO and President 902-405-3520 info@zontemetals.com www.zontemetals.com Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved. Toronto, May 17, 2024 - American Eagle Gold Corp. (TSXV: AE) ("American Eagle" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced upsized private placement of 7,866,715 charity flow-through common shares of the Company (the "Charity FT Shares") at a price of C$1.04 per Charity FT Share (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$8,181,234 (the "Offering"). Proceeds from the Offering will be used for exploration work at the Company's NAK project located in the Babine Copper-Gold Porphyry district in central British Columbia. The final drill hole of the 2023 exploration season yielded 302 metres of 1.09% within 606 m of 0.74% Copper Equivalent starting from 98 metres downhole. The Company plans to step out from this drill hole to begin the 2024 drill season, set to begin this month. The Charity FT Shares qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act"). An amount equal to the gross proceeds from the issuance of the Charity FT Shares will be used to incur eligible resource exploration expenses which will qualify as (i) "Canadian exploration expenses" (as defined in the Tax Act), and (ii) as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" (as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act) (collectively, the "Qualifying Expenditures"). Qualifying Expenditures in an aggregate amount not less than the gross proceeds raised from the issue of the Charity FT Shares will be incurred (or deemed to be incurred) by the Company on or before December 31, 2025 and will be renounced by the Company to the initial purchasers of the Charity FT Shares with an effective date no later than December 31, 2024. Final acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange of the Offering is subject to the completion of customary post-closing filings. The Charity FT Shares were offered for sale to purchasers resident in Canada pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of NI 45-106 (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"). The common shares of the Company issued in the Offering are immediately freely tradeable under applicable Canadian securities legislation. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid finder's fees to certain parties ("Finders") for purchasers introduced to the Company by such Finder. In total, the Company paid a total of $295,466 finders' fees to Finders in connection with the Offering. Additionally, the Company issued finder's warrants ("Finders' Warrants") to Finders for purchasers introduced to the Company by such Finder. The Finders' Warrants entitled the holder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") at a price of $1.04 per Common Share, for a period of 24 months following the date hereof. In total, the Company issued 468,994 Finders' Warrants. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. It is not anticipated that any new insiders will be created, nor that any change of control will occur, as a result of the Offering. Details of NAK's 2024 Drill Program: The 2024 drill program, scheduled to begin soon, will integrate the Company's growing understanding of the relationship between the emplacement of multi-phase Eocene dikes and sills with reactive and permeable host rocks to form the extensive Nak mineralized system. The company is developing models for geology, mineralization, alteration, and structure for the system, which will form the basis for its ongoing planning. The expanded 2024 drill program, currently planned for 15,000 metres, will aim to link, better define, and expand upon the historical North and South zones, which the Company showed in its 2022 and 2023 drill programs to extend to considerable depths (close to 950 m below surface) along a strike length of 750 m and across a width of 400 m. Intercepts from 2023 include 900 m of 0.50% Copper Equivalent from surface in the North zone (Link to NAK23-12 News Release) and 302 metres of 1.09% within 606 m of 0.74% Copper Equivalent starting from 98 metres downhole in the South Zone (Link to NAK23-17 News Release). Click Here to View the 2024 Drill Plan at NAK Click Here to View 2024 Drill Plan Webinar Hosted by Geologists Charlie Greig and Neil Prowse About American Eagle's NAK Project The NAK Project lies within the Babine copper-gold porphyry district of central British Columbia. It has excellent infrastructure through all-season roads and is close to the towns of Smithers, Houston, and Burns Lake, B.C., which lie along a major rail line and Provincial Highway 16. Historical drilling and geophysical, geological, and geochemical work at NAK, which began in the 1960's, tested only to shallow depths. Still, the work revealed a very large near-surface copper-gold system that measures over 1.5 km x 1.5 km. Drilling completed in 2022 and 2023 by American Eagle has returned significant intervals of high-grade copper-gold mineralization that lie beyond the extent of historical drilling, indicating that several zones of near-surface and deeper mineralization, locally with considerably higher grades, exist within the broader NAK property mineralizing system. For the latest videos from American Eagle, Ore Group, and all things mining, subscribe to our YouTube Chanel: youtube.com/@theoregroup. About American Eagle Gold Corp. American Eagle is focused on exploring its NAK copper-gold porphyry project in west-central British Columbia, Canada. Anthony Moreau, Chief Executive Officer 416.644.1567 amoreau@oregroup.ca www.americaneaglegold.ca Q.P. Statement Mark Bradley, B.Sc., M.Sc., P.Geo., a Certified Professional Geologist and 'qualified person' for the purposes of Canada's National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Properties, has verified and approved the information contained in this news release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the receipt of final regulatory approval, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, the intended use of proceeds and intended drill program or its anticipated results at the Company's NAK project, the ability of the Company to make the qualifying expenditures as anticipated by management, and other matters ancillary or incidental to the foregoing. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results might differ materially from those suggested in forward-looking statements. American Eagle Gold Corp. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to American Eagle Gold Corp. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by American Eagle Gold Corp. with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under American Eagle Gold Corp. profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange policies) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS 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/209673 Vancouver, May 17, 2024 - Founders Metals Inc. (TSXV: FDR) ("Founders" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company intends to undertake a non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") pursuant to the Listed Issuer Financing Exemption (the "LIFE") of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions ("NI 45-106") to raise gross proceeds of up to $10,000,000 from the sale of up to 6,250,000 common shares of the Company (the "Shares") at a price of $1.60 per Share. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for ongoing exploration activities on the Antino Gold Project, working capital and general corporate expenses. Subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, the Offering is being made to purchasers resident in Canada, except Quebec, and certain jurisdictions outside of Canada in accordance with applicable securities laws and pursuant to the LIFE provisions under Part 5A of NI 45-106. The Shares issued under the Offering will not be subject to a hold period or resale restrictions pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). There is an offering document related to this Offering that can be accessed under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.fdrmetals.com. Prospective investors should read this offering document before making an investment decision. The Company may pay a finder's fee in respect of those purchasers under the Offering introduced to the Company by certain persons (each a "Finder"). Finders may receive a cash payment equal up to 6% of the gross proceeds received by the Company from purchasers under the Offering. The Offering is subject to regulatory approval, including approval of the TSXV. 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 the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the 1933 Act or under any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act, as amended, and applicable state securities laws. About Founders Metals Inc. Founders Metals is a Canadian exploration company operating in North and South America. The Company is focused on acquiring and advancing gold projects in the South American Guiana Shield. Its flagship project is the 20,000-ha Antino Gold Project in Suriname. Antino is the most advanced gold exploration project in Suriname; within an area where historical surface/alluvial gold mining has produced over 500,000 gold ounces to date1. The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael Dufresne, M.Sc., P.Geol., P.Geo., a "qualified person" as defined under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. 1 2022 Technical Report entitled, "Technical Report, Antino Project, Suriname, South America" dated effective December 23, 2022 by K. Raffle, BSc, P. Geo & Rock Lefrancois, BSc, P.Geo. which is publicly available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Per: "Colin Padget" Colin Padget President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director Founders Metals Contact Information Katie MacKenzie, Vice President, Corporate Development Tel: 306 537 8903 | katiem@fdmetals.com Nick Stajduhar, Director Tel: 780 701 3216 | nicks@fdmetals.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the use of proceeds from the Company's recently completed financings and the future or prospects of the Company. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect ", "is expected ", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to business, market, and economic risks, uncertainties, and contingencies that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, other factors may cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management discussion and analysis. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/209722 Alonso wants F1 unity to make penalty rules simple Fernando Alonso insists he's not alone in his criticism about the way Formula 1 races are currently being managed. Mario Andretti, Fernando Alonso, Miami GP 2024 Aston Martin Racing The 42-year-old was particularly outspoken two weeks ago in Miami, seeking face-to-face talks with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem about alleged anti-Spanish bias in the issuing of penalties for on-track infractions. But there are plenty of other issues, too - like Kevin Magnussen facing a race ban under the current penalty points system for his defensive driving tactics, and also just general inconsistency in stewarding decisions. When told that many journalists and fans often don't understand why one driver was penalised but not another, Carlos Sainz said at Imola: Sometimes the drivers don't either. Magnussen agreed: I've raced in Indycar, and I love the way they race over there. The rules are very clear and very simple, and the racing is great. When asked about the situation on Thursday, Alonso called for unity from everyone in Formula 1 in trying to improve the situation for the good of the sport. We are in the process of discussing these things between the drivers, the FIA, the stewards, the future, the regulations, the future driving rules, said the two-time champion. "And yes, I think the penalties are a little inconsistent from our point of view, even if it's natural that one party always thinks one way and the other side thinks the opposite. That's the natural of sport. But we have had some cases, especially in the last two or three years, where both sides think one thing and the 'referee' (the stewards) thinks another way, which is strange in this sport, the Aston Martin driver added. So this is something we have to work on and I was happy the other day to read that Checo (Perez) and Logan (Sargeant) also said that the penalties are a little strange. So no - I am not the only one, Alonso said. When asked what he's seeking, Alonso continued: "We just have to simplify it. You know, everyone just wants to have a simple weekend. But we all have to do it together. Sometimes we are not united at all, so that is the biggest difficulty I think we have. (GMM) F1 driver silly-season now a waiting game Formula 1's driver market silly-season has now becoming a "waiting game". Carlos Sainz, Miami GP 2024 Ferrari Those are the words of Alex Albon, who despite being linked with several other teams decided to re-pledge his medium-term future to Williams this week. It seems like it's a waiting game now and everyone is just postponing their decision, he said at Imola. But I've signed my contract and am focused on the future. It's a particularly nervous time for Ferrari refugee Carlos Sainz, who is believed to be weighing up a potential one-year offer from Mercedes, or a much more lucrative and long-term offer from Audi-owned Sauber. The situation is that there is no progress, Sainz told Spanish-speaking journalists at Imola. "Everything is pretty much at a standstill. I am waiting for all the options to be put on the table and then I'll make the decision that suits me best. The 29-year-old denies Audi has given him a deadline - or that he's also giving interested teams his own personal deadline. F1 doesn't work like that, Sainz insisted. "You can't give every team a deadline. What I can tell you is that I'm talking to everyone, as I've always said, and from talking to everyone it doesn't seem like the situation is clearing up. Even more nervous amid the current market standstill is Valtteri Bottas, who appears to be on the way out at Audi-owned Sauber. The Finn admitted at Imola that it's not 100 percent certain that he'll be in F1 at all in 2025. More than that, Bottas laughed when asked if the percentage chance is 77 percent - his race number. I would say 99, the 34-year-old added. "When you are free in the market, you always look around, and it's been in several directions for a long time. Negotiations are still ongoing and I don't think anything will happen anytime soon. I certainly don't want to wait as long as the August break, but I'm not panicking yet. Reports suggest Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is happy to wait until as late as October for the situation at Red Bull to unfold and he might be able to snap up Max Verstappen. If it was my job, my role, I'd take Kimi Antonelli, departing Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said at Imola. But Carlos Sainz is also a great driver. Wolff personally manages 17-year-old Antonelli, but also the disaffected Alpine driver Esteban Ocon. It seems to me that I am still a Mercedes junior, the 27-year-old Frenchman said at Imola. "That has not changed since 2015. We communicate a lot and later we will decide what is best for my future. I would consider not only a long-term contract, but also a shorter one, Ocon revealed. Elsewhere in pitlane, Ferrari-linked rookie Oliver Bearman is the hot favourite to replace Audi-bound Nico Hulkenberg, but Kevin Magnussen's future at Haas is also uncertain. Of course I see this as my chance, Bearman said at Imola. But just because a spot is available doesn't mean I'll get it. Williams boss James Vowles, like most of the rest of the paddock, is also waiting for the situation to unfold a little more before deciding whether to retain Logan Sargeant in 2025. I'm currently considering three options for 2025 and 2026, he admitted at Imola. "Logan has the necessary skills, but he needs to implement them. But this doesn't prevent us from negotiating with other candidates, which is what we are doing. (GMM) Newey's Williams talks now on pause says Vowles Formula 1 is waiting with bated breath to discover Adrian Newey's next move. Adrian Newey, Saudi Arabian GP 2024 Red Bull The 65-year-old, arguably the most famous and sought-after technical mind and car designer in F1 history, has now stepped back at Red Bull and is vowing to take a break as he's tired . But he said in a new interview with his manager and friend Eddie Jordan that he will probably go again in Formula 1 at some point. Indeed, he is already linked with moves to Ferrari, Aston Martin - and even Mercedes or Williams. I respect him immensely, said Williams boss James Vowles at Imola, having admitted two weeks ago in Miami that he had chatted with Newey about a potential return to the Grove-based team. I spoke to him about how Williams is the place to be again, Vowles smiled. "We've paused the talks for now, as he's not in a hurry. There are some bigger players out there too who also want him. Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur has been more reluctant to admit the Maranello team's interest in Newey, but Lewis Hamilton declared in Miami that he would very much like to work with his fellow Briton once he is wearing red in 2025 and beyond. And now, at Imola, Charles Leclerc was also asked about the Newey-to-Ferrari rumours. Everyone in the paddock wants someone like Adrian, the Ferrari driver admitted. "Having him would be an added value, an opportunity. Now we'll see if we can get him or not. However, he agrees with Vasseur that Ferrari is already making its way towards returning to the very top of Formula 1 without Newey. As a team we are the ones who have improved the most in the last seven or eight months, Leclerc said. "But, yes, Adrian is one of those engineers who you want to work with one day in your career. We know each other, we talk to each other, so far we haven't gone into details because he was at Red Bull, but in the future we'll see if we can work together. Red Bull consultant Dr Helmut Marko initially said after Miami that he sees Newey in a green uniform for his eventual F1 return - but changed his prediction to red just a few days later. Fernando Alonso already wears Aston Martin green, and he said at Imola when asked about Newey: "I've always wanted to work with him. "I think he is one of the best Formula 1 has ever had - a true legend of the sport. I've always expressed my admiration for him. We'll see what he does in the future, Alonso added. (GMM) Williams now F1's only overweight car in 2024 Williams boss James Vowles admits the team needs to work hard to slim down the team's 2024 car. Logan Sargeant, Miami GP 2024 Williams Just this week, the Grove based team re-signed Alex Albon into the new regulations era beginning in 2026, with the British-born Thai driver revealing at Imola that he had other options. But Vowles managed to convince Albon that the efforts to fully modernise Williams will ultimately pay off - even though 2024 so far has been particularly challenging. The 2024 car was not only late, as was the production of a spare monocoque, but Vowles also now admits that it is still well above the minimum weight. Part of the reason for Alpine's abysmal start to 2024 was that it was carrying a reported 10 or more extra kilos above the weight limit. The team has since made clear strides by shedding that extra weight. Vowles says Williams' Imola upgrade is the start of the team's own weight-loss program. Since 2019, every Williams car has been over the weight limit, he is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport. "I had to make sure that changed. "I'll give you an example - our current car is 14 kilograms lighter than the 2023 model, and yet we are still too heavy. All the other teams are at the weight limit. We lose four and a half tenths per lap just because our car is too heavy, Vowles explained. "Of course that frustrates Alex. But once we've got rid of that problem, he can show his true potential. The Imola upgrade is just the start, he continued: It will take six races until we've slimmed down the car. And even then we're not quite at the weight limit. (GMM) These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. A second Exploring Careers through Music public talk and career expo will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday at Micronesia Mall in Dededo, according to event host Guam Philharmonic Foundation Inc., along with GUAM ACTE and PBS Guam. It will be held at the GPF Hall at Micronesia Mall at Suite 101/102 Concourse 1 near Trove and Maxs Restaurant. Musical performances will also be showcased. Exhibitors include the U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting and Soka University. The event is free and open to the public. Exploring Careers through Music is a new career education partnership between the Guam ACTE, the Guam Philharmonic Foundation Inc. and PBS Guam aimed at highlighting local professionals with often hidden musical talent, who continue their musical proficiency through active music making. Through quarterly public talks and career expos, Exploring Careers through Music aims to provide Guams youth the access to people and programs who can mentor Guams future generation into various career fields while encouraging continuous participation in music making. Exploring Careers through Music carries the promise that Guam will be enriched with an even more vibrant intellectual and musical community in the future. The panelists for the event will each provide a brief lecture on their journey to their current profession and expound on how music was part of that journey. A question-and-answer period will follow, and the session will close with a musical performance. Panelists include: Marcus Landon Aydlett, warning coordination meteorologist, National Weather Service, trumpet; Louise Borja, former senator, program coordinator for the Comprehensive Cancer Control program for the Department of Public Health and Social Services, vocalist; Krystal Paco San Agustin, MPA, CM, director of communications for the Office of the Governor of Guam, vocals/saxophone; and Capt. Benjamin Hutto, PharmD, pharmacist, U.S. Air Force, tuba. The exhibitors include: Guams delegation for the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture will prepare for the event with a cultural sensitivity workshop on Saturday. The 13th FestPac Guam planning committee and the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency is holding the workshop at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Central Community Arts Hall in Sinajana. The workshop aims to prepare Guams delegation for their participation in the 13th FestPac in Hawaii in June, a release from CAHA states. It focuses on raising awareness of cultural differences, the importance of cross-cultural communication, and the significance of language, gestures, and body language in building relationships with diverse groups. Understanding these aspects can enhance communication, prevent misunderstandings, and promote inclusivity and collaboration. Presentations by Pale Eric Forbes, CHamoru historian, and Ric Blas, president of the Guam National Olympic Committee, will be featured. The workshop will help the delegates develop an open mindset, as well as make them aware of our cultural similarities with other Pacific islanders and accepting our cultural differences, head of delegation Monica Guzman said in a release. The 110-member delegation includes artisans from various arts disciplines and programming chairs. Every delegate plays a vital and thrilling role at FestPac. They will act as goodwill ambassadors, showcasing Guam on a global platform and advocating for the significance of arts and culture. In doing so, they nurture understanding, creativity, and forge meaningful cross-cultural connections, CAHA said. CAHA director Angie Taitague highlighted the workshops benefits in fostering meaningful connections and adaptation across the Pacific region. FestPac, held every four years, serves as a platform for Pacific islanders to celebrate their cultures and strengthen mutual respect. The last FestPac was held in Guam in 2016. Hawaii was supposed to host FestPac in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the event. Eric Andre seems to have reversed course. The comedian and actor received pushback in October for signing a letter to President Joe Biden thanking him for his support of Israel, along with dozens of other celebrities. As time went on, the action caused swift backlash from pro-Palestinian fans even leading to the cancellation of a planned birthday event in New Orleans in March. Although Andre has remained publicly silent, a new Instagram post sets the record straight: No ones talking for me, he announces in the video, posted in collaboration with Jewish-American organization If Not Now. Stop weaponizing antisemitism. As a self-loving Jew, let me say: Permanent ceasefire, end the siege on Gaza, he said. You do not need to cut off peoples water supply in the name of Jewish safety. You do not need to bomb universities, bomb hospitals, bomb ambulances in the name of Jewish safety. Its not the first time the comedian has been questioned on his stance on Israel. Andre previously performed in Tel Aviv and has referenced attending a birthright trip in his 20s. While performing at a show in Israel six years ago, Andre captioned an Instagram photo Dont tell Roger Waters im here, referencing the British musicians support of Palestine. Now, it appears that Andre has changed his mind. Prior to yesterdays video, he also was filmed in March dropping Ceasefire Now banners from the freeway in Los Angeles ahead of Bidens State of the Union address. A new $5 million ad campaign suggests voters across the Sunshine State have a clear choice at the ballot box this year: continue allowing cartel criminals to profit from illegal marijuana laced with toxic chemicals and dangerous drugs or vote yes on Amendment 3. The advertising spots courtesy of Smart & Safe Florida, which is the group spearheading Floridas Marijuana Legalization Initiative (also known as Amendment 3) each range from around 30 to 60 seconds in length, and champion the view that legalizing marijuana will generate billions for better schools and safer communities across the state and take illegal marijuana, which they claim is often laced with dangerous drugs like fentanyl, off the streets. Each ad features a selection of Florida voters, including retired U.S. Army Col. Wilson Barnes, who states that Floridas outdated marijuana laws have cost too many their freedom something he swore to defend, adding, Its time for Florida to do the same. With $40 million already raised and spent last year alone, the campaign to legalize adult-use marijuana in Florida is stacking up to be the most expensive in U.S. history and with the push to get voters onboard underway, its only getting pricier. Smart & Safe Florida achieved its first goal after collecting more than 1 million signatures in favor of placing Amendment 3 on the ballot, well surpassing the 891,523 required to glean consideration from Floridas Supreme Court, which confirmed in April that the initiative will indeed appear on the November ballot. Following the courts coveted approval, several new donors appeared on the scene, adding another $15 million to the cause, which was initially funded exclusively by Trulieve, a prominent Florida based medical marijuana provider. Now the focus is on winning votes. In order to pass, the measure must secure a 60% majority vote from the electorate an objective that appeared highly likely in December after a survey by the University of North Floridas Public Opinion Research Lab revealed that nearly 70% of Floridas registered voters were in favor of it. However, more recent polls show less than half of voters currently intend to support the measure. A smart and safe Florida means a regulated marijuana market where Floridians no longer need to turn to illicit cartel-trafficked products on the streets, Smart & Safe Florida spokesperson Morgan Hill said in a news release. More than half of Americans already enjoy access to safe, regulated marijuana, and we believe Floridians deserve that same freedom. Our campaign in support of Amendment 3 is in full swing, and were excited to continue connecting with voters through to November. On Thursday, the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) issued an uncommon alert for high risk of excessive rainfall for portions of Texas and Louisiana. From just north of Houston, including Huntsville and Lufkin, it is increasingly likely that prolific rain amounts will fall out of storms in the area today. Weather Prediction Center (WPC) outline for who is most likely to experience flash flood conditions within 25 miles of your home, on Thursday, May 16, 2024.National Weather Service East Texas residents have already been dealing with flooding over the past few weeks where 3 people, including one child, died due to the floods . Life-threatening conditions will occur in the same region as earlier this month on Thursday, May 16, 2024 Forecasters are becoming increasingly certain anywhere from 5-8 inches of additional rainfall could occur today in the pink highlighted area above. Read their forecast here . With the combination of saturated soils, and robust storms letting out 1-2 inches of rain per hour, with locally higher amounts, flooding conditions will likely form quickly, and last for hours or days. If you live in the area just north of Houston to the Louisiana border, have an evacuation plan ready to go. However, if flooding is already occurring and all roads are covered with water, it is usually safer to stay home where you are. Get to higher ground! Charge your necessary electronics and have food and water handy wherever you go. Here is a prediction of what todays storms could look like below. Check back here for a look at the live Texas radar: https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/standard/SOUTHPLAINS_loop.gif Haiti - FLASH : More than 80 candidates for the position of PM At 24 hours before the deadline, more than 80 personalities had applied for the post of Prime Minister to lead the transition, a number well above the 15 initially planned, which demonstrates the division that exists in the political sectors incapable of clearing a consensus and to overcome clan spirit. Among the best-known figures are Anacacis Jean Hector, Garry Conille, Michel Brunache, Gerald Germain, Lucmane Delile, Inel Torchon and Fritz Belizaire, most of them former Prime Ministers, ministers or general directors. "Pitit Desalin" endorses the candidacy of Fritz Belizaire for the post of Prime Minister. The American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti (AmCham) supports the candidacy of Alix Didier Fils-Aime... while the EDE Group - Historical Compromis, does not wish to propose a candidate for the position of Prime Minister. Smith Augustin, his Representative on the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) will vote in favor of the candidate most capable of responding to the challenges of the day. The deadline for submitting candidacy files for the position of Prime Minister of the Transition ends this Friday, May 17, 2024... S/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Commemoration of the 221st creation of our national flag On May 18, 2024, the official ceremony commemorating the 221st anniversary of the creation of our national flag will not take place this year in Arcahaie for reasons of insecurity, but at the Villa d'Accueil in Musseau, in from 8:00 a.m. around the theme "Ann rasanble anba drapo nou". Edgard Leblanc Fils, President of the Presidential Transitional Council, Michel Patrick Boisvert, Acting Prime Minister, Fritz Deshomme, Rector of UEH and Nice Simon, Mayor of Tabarre are, among others, personalities who will speak during this event. Thursday May 16, Jean Edner Gilles, the interim executive agent of Arcahaie, said he had not been informed of this decision by the authorities. He affirms that the city of the flag will still celebrate in its own way the 221 years of creation of the national two-tone with the means at hand. Furthermore, the Embassy of Haiti in Canada announces that "the Haitian flag will once again fly from the mast of the Niagara town hall, on Friday, May 27, 2024. This event will mark a symbolic moment within the framework of the 221 years of the Haitian flag, created in Arcahaie on May 18, 1803. On the evening of May 17, Niagara Falls will be illuminated in blue and red, the colors of the Haitian flag, from 9:45 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. thus offering a remarkable visual spectacle, the public is cordially invited to admire this magnificent tribute either by going to Niagara Park where local events will take place, or by following the link created by the "Niagara Falls Illumination Board" (camera live) : https://www.earthcam.com/canada/niagarafalls/?cam=niagarafalls_str The Embassy of Haiti would like to express its gratitude to the municipal authorities of Niagara for having responded favorably since 2021 to the request of Ambassador Weibert Arthus to declare May 18 "Haiti Day" in the city of Niagara. This initiative, which is being renewed this year this Friday, May 17, testifies to the excellence of the friendly relations between Canada and Haiti." HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... An elite contingent from Kenya next week According to Todd D. Robinson Assistant Secretary of State for International Affairs, a first contingent of 200 Kenyan police officers should arrive in Port-au-Prince next week. They are elite officers from the Kenyan Police Reconnaissance Unit, the rapid deployment force and the special operations group who fought the terrorist group Al-Shabaab on the border between Kenya and Somalia. According to Kenyan media, this first contingent of the mission in Haiti should leave Kenya for Haiti between May 18 and 22. Diapsora FLASH : Beethova Obas concert The Embassy of Haiti in France invites you to the Commemoration of the 221st anniversary of the creation of the Haitian flag with Beethova Obas in concert on May 18, 2024 at the Town Hall of the 17th arrondissement of Paris located 16-20 rue des Batignolles. Guest of honor: Louis-Philippe Dalembert, 2024 Goncourt Prize for poetry. Participation by reservation : amb.france@diplomatie.ht The Haitian crisis comparable to that of Gaza The humanitarian and political crisis that Haiti is going through is as relevant as the events in the Gaza Strip or in Ukraine, underlined Thursday, May 16, Brian Nichols, American Deputy Secretary of State, during a exchange with a group of international journalists. "The situation in Haiti is as important an international crisis as any other challenge." Meeting between the CPT and BINUH At the invitation of the Transitional Presidential Council, Maria Isabel Salvador, Special Representative of the Secretary General in Haiti, participated in a working meeting concerning Security Council resolution 2699 authorizing the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMSS). The Special Representative reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) in the implementation of its mandate in support of national authorities and reiterated the call of the Secretary General to strengthen the participation of women and youth in the political process. 208 earthquakes 208 earthquakes, with magnitudes between 0.9 and 4.4 on the Richter scale, were recorded in Haiti, from January to April 2024, in the country, according to a seismic bulletin from the Bureau of Mines and Energy (BME). "183 had a magnitude less than or equal to 3 (87.9%) and 86 (41.3%) occurred at a depth of 10 km or less." The two highest magnitudes, recorded during this period, were located at sea in February 2024. One recorded 39 km west of Pointe a Raquette (4.4) on the Ile de la Gonave and the other 3.5 km northeast of Petit Trou de Nippes (4.2). The CPT requests the cancellation of around forty appointments Monday, May 13, the Transitional Presidential Council, in a letter addressed to Prime Minister a.i.Michel Patrick Boisvert asks him [without explaining the reasons] to withdraw the appointments of April 25, 2024 which concerns around forty people in Haitian diplomacy. HL/ HaitiLibre (CNBC) Facebook parent company Meta on Thursday was hit with a major investigation from the European Union into alleged breaches of the blocs strict online content law over child safety risks. The European Commission, the EUs executive body, said in a statement that it is investigating whether the social media giants Facebook and Instagram platforms may stimulate behavioural addictions in children, as well as create so-called rabbit-hole effects. To read this article: When Hurricane Mitch made landfall in Central America in 1998, Honduras was already the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The storm left a million Hondurans homeless, and it deepened the countrys poverty. Tens of thousands of people had no choice but to leave, crossing the border into Costa Rica and traveling north, to Mexico and the United States. Carlos' mother Rosa, center, with Carlos' daughter Kellyn, Kellyn's husband Franklin and the couple's son. The family stayed at their home in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch while Carlos migrated to find work and earn income. Photo by Phillip Davis/Heifer International. Carlos Lainez and his family, living on a remote farm in the highlands of the department of Olancho, were among the countless Hondurans cut off from essential services for weeks after the hurricane. Food and clean water were scarce. The farm had been flooded and was all but destroyed. The familys situation had become desperate and Carlos felt he had no choice but to leave the farm and Honduras to find work and help them. He joined the flow of people migrating north, eventually settling in the United States. Migration has continued in the years since Hurricane Mitch. In 2000, nearly 350,000 Hondurans left the country. By last year, that number had increased to over 1.3 million. While natural disasters remain a periodic threat, migration has primarily been driven by persistent poverty in much of the country. Of the total population of just 10.7 million people, 4.8 million Hondurans live below the poverty line. Farmers are no exception. Although agriculture is Honduras main income source, farmers incomes are rarely adequate. Another factor driving migration, especially for young people, is lack of opportunity. The Power of Choice To help transform migration into a choice, rather than an imperative, Heifer Honduras has turned to the sweetest of ingredients. Through a project called Leveraging Success, Heifer offers training in beekeeping, as well as technical support and beekeeping supplies, in an effort to increase smallholder farmers incomes and create opportunities for women and young people across the country. A beekeeper from the Leveraging Success program prepares for work. The presence or absence of stable livelihood options is a powerful factor when people consider whether to stay in their home communities. Photo by Elias Assaf/Heifer International. Carlos mother, Rosa, is one of the programs participants. After Hurricane Mitch, Rosa and her her husband Ramon worked hard to bring their Olancho farm back from the brink, with Carlos sending money to help as often as he could. Today, the couple, along with Carlos daughter, Kellyn, raise dairy cows there. They also grow coffee, beans and corn. And now, with help from Leveraging Success, Rosa keeps honeybees. For agricultural producers, strength comes, in part, through a diverse income stream: a farmer that cultivates a variety of crops and products is less likely to lose her or his income to the effects of climate change, market fluctuations or low production. Agricultural and economic resilience, in other words, comes through diversity. And it comes through biodiversity, too. While beekeeping is helping Rosa and farmers like her across Honduras increase their incomes, its also helping them build more ecologically diverse and resilient farms and contribute to the health of the landscapes that surround them. Bees and Biodiversity Like all insects, honeybees provide a variety of ecosystem services and pollination is big among them. Along with wasps, flies, butterflies, beetles, bats and a host of other creatures, bees pollinate the worlds flowering plants, including some of the plants that grow in the pasture Rosas cows graze and the coffee shrubs she and her family grow, improving milk and coffee yields in the process. In fact, three-fourths of the worlds flowering plants depend on animal pollinators to reproduce and 35% of the worlds plant-based food crops relies on pollinators to be successful. Yet, pollinator populations are declining around the world and the honeybee is no exception. Consequently, the benefits of pollination to crops, pastures and wild landscapes are also declining. A group of women beekeepers from Heifer's Leveraging Success project. Beekeeping can boost ecological resilience while generating income for rural populations. Photo by Elias Assaf/Heifer International. Keeping domestic bees is one way to boost pollinator populations. For example, one group in Honduras that is participating in Leveraging Success began with just 20 beehives. Today the group has 360 hives. Considering that a typical honeybee hive contains from 60,000 to 80,000 bees, thats an increase of more than 20 million bees more than 20 million pollinators, in other words. Alongside ending poverty, working with smallholder farmers to protect biodiversity, including pollinator biodiversity, is among Heifer Internationals goals. More Honey, More Money To reach farmers throughout Honduras through the Leveraging Success project, Heifer has established 70 Farmer Field Schools across the country. By the projects end in 2027, it plans to reach 48,500 Honduran families. The project encourages generational involvement daughters, sons and grandchildren to allow young people the opportunity Rosa wishes her son Carlos had had: to earn a livable income at home, on the farm, in Honduras, if they want to. A group of beekeepers tends to hives in Honduras. Photo by Elias Assaf/Heifer International. Across Honduras, participants in the project have received hives, beekeeping suits and other equipment, plus training: all of the ingredients theyd need to establish or grow their apiaries. In the department of El Paraiso alone, in 2023, Heifer Honduras trained more than 900 honey producers. At the same time, Heifer was training people to become beekeeping promoters, or lead beekeepers, preparing them to travel their regions helping other beekeepers improve their practices. Promoters also offer continuing education for beekeepers through agricultural cooperatives and Farmer Field Schools, teaching hive management, bee health, good harvest practices, queen rearing, basic accounting systems and marketing. In 2023, a class of promoters-in-training from 20 municipalities in El Paraiso graduated from the promoter program. Of these, the majority are youth. Five are women who have their own apiaries. With support from Heifer, beekeepers in El Paraiso improved their production in 2023 from 15 bottles of honey per hive to 25. Some producers reached averages of up to 35 bottles of honey per hive. Across El Paraiso, participants bottled 187,537 bottles of honey from 6,225 hives. Across Honduras, in the honey sector alone, Leveraging Success has, so far, helped generate nearly 8,000 permanent and temporary beekeeping jobs. Improving beekeeping practices has helped Honduran honey producers better meet domestic demand for honey. Photo by Elias Assaf/Heifer International. With support and training from Heifer, some producers are branching out beyond keeping bees, opening workshops where they build bee boxes, frames and lids, or sew beekeeping suits. Others are establishing beekeeping supply stores. The proliferation of beekeeping-related businesses has helped reduce the distance beekeepers must travel for materials and supplies; the shops also boost the economies in the communities in which they are located. In the department of Colon, Heifer recently helped establish a new honey processing plant, which serves more than 200 beekeepers. In other regions, Heifer formed committees comprised of beekeepers to establish a regional honey brand and improve prices. Rosa carefully manages her business records. Business training ensures new beekeepers have a strong foundation in place to maintain their enterprises. Photo by Phillip Davis/Heifer International. With her son Carlos in mind, and with help from Heifer, Rosa created a youth-led beekeeping initiative in Olancho. Today, she helps a group of young people manage more than a dozen beehives. In 2022, the group harvested 60 liters of honey, nearly 16 gallons, which they sold for 150 lempira, about $6, a liter. The group invested the profits in a rural bank where farmers pool their earnings and provide low-interest loans to each other. Eventually, the group will use their savings to expand their operations. Henry Rodas, the beekeeping specialist for Heifer Honduras, is excited about the potential for beekeeping to help Hondurans earn a decent living, whether they dedicate themselves entirely to beekeeping or whether they keep bees to supplement their income. Beekeepers don't need much time to work with the bees, so they can continue being coffee growers or livestock farmers, but they still gain from an accelerated level of income from the honey, he said. With beekeeping, people can reach a living income faster than with other activities. So, from all the population that we have served, we have many success stories. We even have some that have stopped being brick layers, have stopped being assistant carpenters and right now they are beekeepers and businessmen. Theyve became entrepreneurs with honey. Beekeepers bottle the honey they've harvested to prepare it for sale. Beekeeping is an especially viable livelihood option for women and youth due to the low investment needed to get started. Photo by Elias Assaf/Heifer International. But Henry is particularly excited about the potential for beekeeping to help Honduras young people. The project is really for the children. Kids can say, My parents have the land and Im going to use it to raise bees and Im going to take care of the water and the landscape. And then they earn income and it becomes even more appealing for them. They can contribute to buying things for their family and they can help pay for their studies and their sisters and brothers studies. They even have the chance to go to a park and eat a popsicle. Thats something that they couldnt do before. Like honey, thats a pretty sweet opportunity for Honduras young people. More About the Project Leveraging Success is a 10-year project that works to help close the income gap in Honduras, or the disparity between the money an average family earns and the money they actually need to live a dignified life, including access to adequate food, shelter, health care and education. The average annual income of Heifer participant families in Honduras is $2,388. But a five-member family in Honduras requires $4,836 per year. Heifer's goal with Leveraging Success is to help 48,500 families close that gap and earn a livable income through improved dairy and honey production. The project also works with smallholder producers to improve their skills, develop market opportunities and boost their yields using techniques, like sustainable grazing, that also protect the environment. Work visa agreements with safe third countries present a viable solution to the EU's asylum and immigration challenges. By providing legal entry routes, the EU can reduce the burden on its asylum system, enhance economic benefits through legal employment, and disrupt the illicit activities of human smugglers. This approach offers a balanced solution that benefits both migrants and the EU, fostering a more organized and humane immigration system. A study by Econpol and the ifo Institute has proposed a novel approach to mitigating the overwhelming number of asylum applications and irregular immigration in the European Union (EU): implementing work visa agreements with safe third countries. This strategy aims to create legal and regulated immigration pathways, addressing one of the critical bottlenecks in the current European asylum system. Legal Immigration Pathways as a Solution "The European asylum system is currently overwhelmed due to the lack of legal entry opportunities into the EU," explains Panu Poutvaara, Director of the ifo Center for International Institutional Comparisons and Migration Research. The proposed work visa agreements would target individuals from safe third countries, allowing them to apply for work visas irrespective of their qualifications. This initiative is particularly crucial for low-skilled workers who have minimal chances of securing work visas under the current system. For instance, many asylum seekers from Turkey, who generally have low prospects of being permitted to stay, could benefit significantly from such an agreement. By providing an alternative legal pathway, these individuals would no longer need to resort to asylum applications to enter the EU. Implementation Framework The work visa agreements could follow the model of the Western Balkans agreement that Germany established in 2016 with Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Under such agreements, citizens of partner countries would be eligible to apply for work visas, potentially for a limited period, and without access to social benefits. This model has proven effective in reducing asylum applications from the Western Balkans significantly. Economic and Social Benefits According to Yvonne Giesing, a research associate at the ifo Center for International Institutional Comparisons and Migration Research, the benefits of this proposal extend beyond reducing asylum application costs. "By enabling legal entry, we would disrupt the business model of human smugglers, reduce dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean, and increase legal employment opportunities within the EU." Policy Recommendations from the EconPol Policy Brief The proposal aligns with the recommendations in the recent EconPol Policy Brief titled "Proposals for a Reformed European Asylum and Migration Policy." The brief highlights the necessity of creating legal migration pathways from Africa and Asia to alleviate the pressure on the asylum system, which is overburdened due to the limited legal avenues available for low-skilled migrants. A Step Toward Harmonizing EU Asylum Policies The history of the EU's Common Asylum Policy (CEAS) and its reforms underscores the challenges in harmonizing asylum procedures across member states. Despite the formal adoption of a reformed CEAS by the European Parliament in April 2024, practical implementation remains complex due to varying national interests and standards. The new regulations include: Screening Regulation: Quick screening for irregular entrants. Asylum and Migration Management Regulation: Redistribution of asylum-seekers among EU states. Asylum Procedure Regulation: Accelerated border procedures for specific applicants. Crisis Regulation: Special measures for mass influx situations. Addressing the Root Causes The EconPol brief underscores that a significant factor contributing to the strain on the asylum system is the lack of legal work opportunities for low-skilled individuals from African and Asian countries. This mirrors the situation faced by Germany with Western Balkan migrants prior to 2016. The implementation of a legal employment pathway led to a substantial reduction in asylum applications from these regions. HT Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday highlighted that Southern Finland is specifically where the need for protected forests is great given that most protected forests are found in Northern Finland. THE GOVERNMENT of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) is set to adopt such a strict definition for old forests that no forests would qualify for protection in Southern Finland, report YLE and Helsingin Sanomat . The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry of the Environment propose in a non-unanimous draft report that an old forest be defined as an over 140-year-old spruce forest with at least 50 cubic metres of decayed wood per hectare or an over 140-year-old pine forest with a minimum of 40 cubic metres of decayed wood per hectare. The draft report was finalised and presented to relevant cabinet members in March. You dont find those kinds of forests outside protected areas. Forests like that are rare even in protected areas, Lauri Puhakainen, a biologist at the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre) for South Savonia, told Helsingin Sanomat. You wont find anything to protect in Southern Finland, Panu Halme, a lecturer of ecology at the University of Jyvaskyla, stated to YLE on Monday. Halme highlighted that also the draft report recognises that forests that satisfy the strict criteria are found mostly in Lapland. Forests in Finland have an average of roughly six cubic metres of decayed wood per hectare an average that is raised by the amount of decayed wood in protected forests. The Finnish government is defining old forests to meet its commitments under the biodiversity strategy of the EU. Also Orpo promised before the parliamentary elections last year that his government would protect old forests on state-owned lands, a promise that is enshrined also in the government programme. Finland has set out to meet its commitments by protecting state-owned forests. Protection in private forests is voluntary. The EU requires that its member states take action to identify and protect their remaining old forests and primary forests by 2029. While the UN has provided a definition for primary forests, member states themselves have to come up with a science-based definition for old forests, which were to be finalised by the end of last year. The process has generated disagreement in Finland. The draft report reveals a number of differences of opinion between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Ministry of the Environment. The latter proposed that coniferous forests in southern and central parts of the country be defined as old if the average age of trees is at least 120 years and in northern parts of the country if the average age is 140160 years. The former, by contrast, would set the age limit at 140160 years in southern and central parts and at 160200 years in northern parts of Finland. The Ministry of the Environment proposed that the requirement for decayed wood be set at 10 per cent of all trees or 20 cubic metres per hectare. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry would set the requirement at 50 cubic metres per hectare for spruce and deciduous tree forests, at 40 cubic metres for pine forests and at 20 cubic metres for forests in northernmost parts of Lapland. Protecting old forests ultimately turned into a cabinet wrangle. The two ministries have lobbied for themselves each step of the way, Halme lamented to YLE on Monday. Both ministries are nonetheless proposing criteria that are so strict that only a few dozens of hectares of forests would qualify as old forests in Southern Finland, according to Halme. He also questioned the decision to adopt average tree age as a criterion, arguing that a few over 150-year-old trees can be a sign of an old forest. There are forests, he added, where the oldest trees are about 300 years old but where the average age of trees falls between the 200-year requirement forwarded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The criteria wouldnt be satisfied by very old pine forests especially in Northern Finland. A 300-year-old forests not touched by an axe could not qualify for protection, he said to the public broadcaster. Puhakainen, who over the past 17 years has assessed about 5,000 hectares of forests submitted to the forest biodiversity programme for Southern Finland, Metso, interpreted the proposed criteria as an indication of political willingness to identify forests that warrant protection. Of course this is only a non-unanimous proposal from the ministries, but it does tell that the criteria are very strict in the preparatory work, he said to Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday. Either they want to test whether these will cause a ruckus or theyve already decided that therell be no protection on state-owned lands. This harshly contradicts the guidelines from the EU, added Ari Aalto, a business owner who has participated in assessing state-owned forests for the past 20 years. While Aalto and other volunteers have found 70,000 hectares of forests worthy of protection in Southern Finland, none of it satisfies the criteria proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. We havent come across a single forest like that. The age requirement alone is very strict, the same goes for the requirement for decayed wood. When you put the two together, you wont find spruce forests like that in Southern Finland. Theyre forests from fairy tales. He also drew attention to the chasm between the proposal and the criteria adopted by Metso, which requires that a protected forest has an average of at least 10 cubic metres of decayed wood per hectare. Here youre requiring 45 times more. It feels odd, Aalto said to Helsingin Sanomat. Aleksi Teivainen HT The Finnish Medical Association (Laakariliitto) has raised alarm over recent government budget decisions, warning that substantial cuts to public healthcare funding and increased reliance on private healthcare subsidies could severely undermine the nations public health system. Notably, it also eliminates the 14-day care guarantee in primary healthcare, enacted last November, and imposes an additional 100 million in patient fees. Concurrently, the government is significantly boosting subsidies for private healthcare, with Kela reimbursements set to increase by 500 million during the current administration. Escalating Challenges for Public Healthcare The Finnish Medical Association condemns these measures as irresponsible, predicting that they will exacerbate already long waiting times in public healthcare, increase costs for users, and drive healthcare professionals away from the public sector, which is already grappling with staff shortages. These actions send a clear message that there is no intention to solve the problems in public healthcare, the association stated. Instead, these measures will only worsen the existing issues. Right to Adequate Healthcare is Non-Negotiable According to the Finnish Constitution, every citizen has the right to adequate healthcare services. This fundamental right is not up for negotiation. Public trust in healthcare has been declining, with a recent Citizens Pulse survey showing that confidence has plummeted from over 90% in 2020 to just 58%, the lowest level recorded by the survey. The Finnish Medical Association is deeply concerned that further cuts will erode both public and staff confidence in the systems ability to uphold these constitutional rights. Advocating for a Family Doctor Model The association emphasizes the importance of primary healthcare, describing it as the cornerstone of the healthcare system. However, the continuity and availability of primary care in Finland have been inadequate. In most European welfare states, primary care is managed through a family doctor model, which has proven effective. There is no reason to believe that a family doctor model would not work in Finland, the association asserted. They are urging the government to reverse the cuts to public healthcare and to implement the new Kela reimbursement model using a family doctor framework. Call to Action The Finnish Medical Associations appeal to the government is clear: protect and enhance public healthcare services to ensure all citizens have access to the care they need, regardless of economic conditions. As the debate continues, the future of Finlands public healthcare system hangs in the balance, with potential long-term consequences for the nations health and well-being. HT A PHOTOGRAPHER from Watlington is to take part in his Oxfordshire Artweeks debut tomorrow (Saturday). William Cooper, 24, will be exhibiting a range of his urban and natural landscapes at a show in Bella Luce in High Street. Mr Cooper, who uses the stage name George Shelley, has previously exhibited in Barcelona and says he is inspired by built and natural environments. When hes not working at the Wheatsheaf pub in Chinnor, he is editing photos, emailing galleries and visiting London to shoot. He is self-taught, having studied real estate at Oxford Brookes University, and got into photography for fun but it quickly became his main focus. Mr Cooper said: When I was 17 and at Cheltenham College, I started taking pictures of my friends and other people at school or at parties. When I went on the Brookes ski trip, I was the unofficial photographer and I think I took around 800 photos a day or something ridiculous like that. During the coronavirus pandemic, he moved back to his family home, where he decided to invest his time and money into photography. Mr Cooper said: I was kind of just like, Screw it, Im going to take all this money thats just sitting there in a bank account and spend it on a good camera and a couple of lenses. I got my attractive friends and built them modelling portfolios and sent them off to agencies. Despite starting with photographing people, he has turned his interest to cityscapes and street scenes and the natural world. Mr Cooper said: The more conceptual reason I got into photography was Im very interested in politics and history and classics. I did classical civilisation at A-level, where we studied a lot of vases and sculptures and art. Apart from that, I have always been into movies and art and architecture. Whenever on family holidays, like Rome, I was always interested in the architecture. So as it pertains to photography quite specifically, its how this medium has moved culture around. Painters and sculptors do a fantastic job of creating some incredible artworks and they have done so for many years. But photography is kind of the new kid on the block and what it allows people to do even more today is really document world events or moments that we look back on now and recognise defined certain decades or concepts or lines of thought. My interest in photography is general but my artistic eye is currently looking at landscapes, architecture and street photography. I always admire that work. The reason I got into photography was because of people like David Bailey and Annie Leibowitz that type of heavy hitter. He enjoys the solitude of photography. Mr Cooper said: I think it gives me time to myself and distracts me from other things that might be going on. I like exploring the places we inhabit and the different tastes we have for architecture in cities and the sheer variety of ways in which we have chosen to live and work. Last month one of his photographs featured in an exhibition called Vision and Expression in Barcelona after he submitted it to an open call. Mr Cooper said: It feels weird because you hope you become a success but you do not necessarily think thats definitely going to happen, so it was fantastic. It was very rewarding. I submitted a series of four photographs, two of Malaga and two of Chicago, and I just was trying to show the stark contrast of peoples vision and expression around shelter. A city he particularly enjoys exploring is London. Mr Cooper has taken photographs of iconic buildings including St Pauls Cathedral. He said: What makes somewhere like London so astonishing is people walk past these buildings every day. St Pauls has been sitting there for 400 years and people walk past this magnificent bit of architecture every day. Obviously, it has been photographed millions of times. And theres another challenge can I put my own spin on it? Sometimes it takes me a second to capture a shot. Othe times Ill literally take 50 different shots from 130 different angles. Im a very instinctive photographer. I just kind of see something and want to shoot it. I am not by any means the most fantastic technical photographer. Im getting better as I develop but ultimately, its about what I see and why I find it compelling. Sometimes I dont even really understand why I find something compelling until I sit down in front of my laptop to edit it later. Photography means something to me and in order to take better and better photographs, I have to become more proficient technically and I recognise that. But it is artistic to me and I feel like it has given me a way of communicating with the world that I had not necessarily been able to do before. Mr Cooper will be exhibiting at Bella Luce from May 18 to 25, from 9.30am to 5pm. For more information, visit www.instagram.com/georgedoes prints (JTA) Last fall, Mo Husseini wrote a series of propositions what he called 50 Completely True Things about the Israel-Hamas war and posted it on the social media site Threads. Identifying himself as a Palestinian American who is tired of stupid people, Husseini set out to puncture myths on both sides of the conflict, suggesting that neither Palestinians nor Israelis had a monopoly on truth, justice or the moral high ground. This isnt an essay in Foreign Affairs, you know? This is an idiot shit posting on the internet in trying to leverage a sense of humor to point out the delusions... As caregivers, its crucial to acknowledge and celebrate even the smallest victories along the journey of caregiving. Each triumph, no matter how minor, represents a step forward in providing compassionate care and support to our loved ones. Reflecting on the caregiving experience, caregivers learn the invaluable lesson of patience and the importance of prioritizing self-care amidst the demands of caregiving. Transitioning to elder-care communities can be a daunting process for most seniors, but Jewish seniors often face unique challenges. Beyond losing their homes and familiar surroundings, t... (JTA) - Despite steep backlash including protests from other competitors, Israel's Eden Golan placed fifth in the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night after delivering a rousing final performance of her song "Hurricane." The competition's winner is determined by a complex system in which juries for each participating country allocate half of all votes, while the public contributes the other half. Golan's success - which exceeded expectations set in betting markets before the competition - was fueled by the popular vote, which Israel won in 14 countries plus a new category for voters not l... (JNS) Yom Haatzmaut, Israels Independence Day, is always the best time of year to consider our connection to Israel and the deep connection between Judaism and Zionism. As Olim, we ask ourselves and explain to our children why we moved here. The young generations who have never lived through a war are now confronted with the fact that we cannot take Israel for granted. After 76 years, we are still defending the legitimacy of our presence in our own homeland. Since Oct. 7, anti-Israel protestors and much of the global community have rejected this legitimacy. But for hundreds of millions of p... WASHINGTON (JTA) Twenty-six Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have asked the White House for a briefing on why President Joe Biden suspended the delivery of large bombs to Israel, the latest sign of fractures in the party over Israel policy. 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, said the letter sent Friday to Jake Sullivan, Bidens national security adviser, referring to U.S.-led efforts to broker a ceas... (JNS) - Families of deceased hostages whose bodies are still being held by Hamas in Gaza carried an empty coffin through Jerusalem on Thursday to raise awareness of their plight and call for the return of their loved ones. "I am attending this rally because we, the families of deceased hostages, are a unique group," Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli dual citizen Sgt. Itay Chen, 19, told JNS on Thursday. Itay, from Netanya, was stationed at the Nahal Oz army base as part of a tank unit when he was captured along with three other soldiers on Oct. 7. He was one of six hostages with U.S. c... WASHINGTON (JTA) Bernie Sanders, the two-time presidential candidate and leading progressive senator, has announced he will run for a fourth term. Sanders, 82, an independent from Vermont, made history in 2016 as the first Jewish candidate to win a major partys presidential primary, and ran again in 2020. In both primaries, he finished in second to the Democratic nominee. He is considered the de-facto leader of progressives in the Senate. In an eight-minute campaign launch speech posted online Monday, Sanders called to suspend U.S. military aid to Israel during the war. He has been among th... (JNS) As Jewish comedian Jerry Seinfeld received an honorary degree during Duke Universitys commencement celebration in Durham, N.C. on Sunday, anti-Israel protesters marched out, chanting Free, free Palestine. Many students booed the protesters. Outside the stadium where the ceremony took place, graduates walked around campus, chanting Disclose. Divest. We will not stop. We will not rest, The New York Times reported. We understand the depth of feeling in our community, and as we have all year, we respect the right of everyone at Duke to express their views peacefully, without preventi... (JNS) Israel remains committed to destroying Hamas in Gaza, including its remaining battalions in Rafah, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call overnight Sunday. Gallant, according to the Defense Ministrys readout of the call, emphasized that the IDF is conducting a precision operation in the city along the border with Egypts Sinai Peninsula, including securing the Gaza side of the Rafah Crossing, which Israels military took operational control of last week. For its part, the Biden administration is opposed to a full-scale ground invasi... (JNS) Hamass unilateral ceasefire proposal failed to thwart the Israel Defense Forces operation against the terror groups last bastion of Rafah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday evening. Hamass proposal was intended to torpedo our forces entry into Rafah. It did not happen, the premier stated in remarks shared by his office. Last night, with the approval of the War Cabinet, I gave the order to operate in Rafah. Within hours, our forces raised Israeli flags at the Rafah Crossing and took down the Hamas banners, said Netanyahu. Seizing the Rafah Crossing is a... (JNS) Members of Congress grilled education officials from New York, California and Maryland on Wednesday about pervasive antisemitism in K-12 schools. Members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforces subcommittee on early childhood, elementary and secondary education repeatedly asked David Banks, the chancellor of the New York City Public Schools, about a student-led rampage at Hillcrest High School in the borough of Queens that targeted a Jewish teacher. We suspended students. We removed the principal of the school. We engaged the Simon Wiesenthal Center for a deeper dive... (JNS) Its appalling to watch students at prestigious institutions shout in support of terrorism and a place that doesnt exist: Palestine. How did young people become so delusional, misinformed and morally bankrupt? The seeds are sown at our once-venerable academic institutions. Since students dont know what they dont know, they are vulnerable to propaganda and manipulation by faculty with a political agenda. Duke University is an excellent example. In response to the violence in the Middle East, Dukes provost Alec Gallimore established a yearlong Initiative on the Middle East in Feb... (JNS) Israel Defense Forces ground troops on May 8 continued the offensive against Hamas in the Gaza terrorist bastion of Rafah. Soldiers killed an unknown number of gunmen and located tunnel shafts and other underground infrastructure on the 215th day of the war, the army announced. IDF forces led by the 162nd Division and under the intelligence guidance of the Shin Bet and the Military Intelligence Directorate continue targeted operations in eastern Rafah against Hamas terrorists and the groups terrorist infrastructure, the army said. In addition, troops from the divisions Givati and 4... (JNS) The decision by Israels War Cabinet to order the Israel Defense Forces to seize Rafah Crossing is strategically significant, as it will negatively impact Hamass ability to smuggle weapons and people back and forth from neighboring Sinai. The crossing is part of the wider Philadelphi Corridor running along the Gaza-Egypt border, which has for years been a central supply line for Hamas smuggling. The IDFs entry into Rafah also puts pressure on Hamass leadership in the tunnels under the city, demonstrating that Israel is not deterred from entering this last Hamas stronghold despite th... (JTA) Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to reports on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that have become steeped in controversy since their publication, including a nonfiction book by Jewish author Nathan Thrall and breaking-news reporting and photography of Hamas Oct. 7 attacks by Reuters and The New York Times. The Pulitzer board also presented a special citation to journalists covering the war from Gaza, noting that an extraordinary number have died while doing so. Thrall, a Bard College professor based in Jerusalem whose work is often highly critical of Israel, won the Pulitzer for general... Hundreds of curious Jews will be streaming into Miami, Florida, for the 18th National Jewish Retreat, which will run at Miami's Doral Hotel from Aug. 14 to Aug. 18. Seventy speakers will deliver 150 talks on intriguing Jewish topics over five days. "Every year we bring a group from Orlando to this meaningful vacation and they always love it," says Rabbi Yanky Majesky of Chabad North Orlando "While they decompress and network, they're soaking up gobs of knowledge and inspiration." Coordinated by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute - headquartered in Brooklyn, New York - the annual retreat will r... LOBAMBA A forensic report confirmed that there was mismanagement and fraudulent activities at the National Maize Corporation. As a result, the matter was referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to initiate the necessary processes and hold people accountable. This was revealed by the Ministry of Agriculture Controlling Officer, Sydney Simelane and NMC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mavela Vilane. Vilane said the forensic audit had been handed over to the ACC and it confirmed a number of irregular activities at the parastatal. We are hoping that after all consultations and investigations by the ACC, the law will take its course, he said. MP Manzi Zwane asked an ACC officer, Mahlasela Mamba, who was part of the PAC, to confirm if they received the forensic report. Mamba responded: I can confirm that we are busy with the investigations. Simelane also gave an update on a turnaround strategy that was promised in the previous Parliaments, which the NMC was implementing. He said there had been financial improvement since they discovered that there were activities that were bringing in much revenue. He said one of the setbacks in the turnaround strategy was the passing of their chief financial officer. Simelane added that when some workers of the Ministry of Agriculture were moved to NMC, to carry out the seed subsidy programme, a budget for personnel costs had not been drawn. The government allocated us E11 million for the subsidy programme. It said there were issues with the release of the programme, he said. Vilane added that they were slowly recovering after the challenges of the previous years. Since 2018, the company has been making losses. In the 2022/2023 financial year we made an E8 million loss, he said. Vilane told PAC that in the financial year ended March 31, 2024, the company made a profit of E28 million. Despite the profit, he said they found the organisation in a high debt-debit ratio. We found a bank overdraft with EswatiniBank of E35 million, he said. He said they split the loan into two, a mid-term loan and a bank overdraft. Vilane said there were a number of implemented strategies to revive the organisation. (JNS) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Monday that the Israel Defense Forces would "keep going until the end" to defeat Hamas, as the Jewish state marked its first Memorial Day since the Oct. 7 massacre. "Pain is everywhere, but so is light. A fighter whose two legs were amputated told me: 'It is important for us to know that we are going to defeat them,' not to give up...keep going until the end, until victory," said Netanyahu at the ceremony on Mount Herzl. "This is a faithful and refined representation of the spirit of our fallen heroes-faith in the rightness of the stru... (JNS) Half a dozen Middle East experts indicated that it was news to them when JNS drew their attention to a recent phrase that the U.S. Defense Department has published on its website referring to the Gaza Strip as entirely inside Israel. The Gaza Strip, which is about 25 miles long, lies entirely inside Israel and shares a border to the south with Egypt, C. Todd Lopez wrote on the Pentagon website on Tuesday. There are three locations along its border where humanitarian supplies could move into Gaza from either Egypt or Israel. The same writer wrote the exact same two sentences in an... (JNS) - Israeli Lior Rudaeff was declared dead on Tuesday night, exactly seven months after he was presumed to have been abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 massacre. A statement from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak did not provide additional details. Rudaeff, an ambulance driver and volunteer medic, fought alongside the kibbutz's security team during the Hamas invasion. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said that Rudaeff was killed on Oct. 7 and his body is being held in the Gaza Strip, without clarifying how this determination was made. Rudaeff is survived by his wife Yaffa and four chi... (JNS) House and Senate Republicans slammed U.S. President Joe Bidens decision to pause an arms shipment to Israel and demanded that the administration explain why it failed to notify Congress. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) wrote to the Biden administration asking for answers about the frozen arms deal. We are shocked that your administration has reportedly decided to withhold critical ammunition to Israel, the senators wrote. You promised your commitment to Israel was ironclad, they added. Pausing much-needed military support to our closest Middle Eastern ally signals... A Republican senator has called on the House of Representatives to launch impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden over the president's decision to halt military sales to Israel in a bid to prevent the IDF from destroying Hamas battalions in Rafah. Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton took to Twitter Thursday to urge the Republican-held House of Representatives to impeach Biden, comparing the president's decision to withhold arms from Israel with then-President Donald Trump's impeachment for allegedly withholding of aid from Ukraine for political purposes. "The House has no choice but to imp... (JNS) - The head of South Africa's second-largest church visiting Israel in solidarity with the Jewish state said Sunday that the South African government is out of sync with the people in its stance on the war with Hamas by supporting a terror organization. The unequivocal remarks by the South African Christian leader against the ruling African National Congress come just weeks before general elections in South Africa, which has emerged as one of Israel's most vocal critics in the world over the last seven months. "We are here to give Israel support after what happened on October 7," said Ink... At Yeshiva U, accelerated transfer for students who feel threatened (JNS) Yeshiva University has reopened its admissions cycle for undergraduate applicants who feel threatened on other American campuses, including for its honors program. Those applicants have until May 31 to apply. The admissions cycle has seen students choosing YU over other elite institutions. This trend is expected to continue among transfers, Yeshiva stated. It added that it is creating new faculty positions to accommodate that growth and is in active discussions with professors who seek to be part of an institution... As a Palestinian human rights activist, I feel compelled to weigh in on the ongoing military operation in Rafah, which has been often misrepresented in various circles. This operation, led by the Israel Defense Forces, is not merely a response to aggression but a crucial rescue mission aimed at freeing hostages, including U.S. citizens. The responsibility for this escalation lies squarely with the terrorist group Hamas, which has continuously rejected multiple ceasefire proposals and escalated violence against civilians. Hamas, entrenched in Gaza, particularly in Rafah, has exploited the city... (JNS) Im sure youve heard commentators describe the Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel as rivals engaged in a tit-for-tat conflict. That misinterprets reality. Ali Khamenei, Irans supreme leader since 1989, seeks to establish a new Middle Eastern empire. Israelis, by contrast, only want to survive as an independent nation within a slice of their ancient Jewish homeland. They would like nothing better than to enjoy amicable relations with Iranians, as they did prior to Irans Islamic Revolution of 1979. I should add: Substantial evidence suggests that most Iranians do not hate Israe... President Joe Bidens decision to pause the delivery of smart bombs, artillery shells and other kinds of ammunition to Israel as a form of punishment for Israels sin of ignoring the presidents admonition not to invade Rafa fails to take into consideration a number of factors all of which are critical to U.S. national interests. The president based his decision on humanitarian concerns for the displaced citizens of Gaza who have relocated to Rafa, the only remaining city in Gaza not under Israels military control; and that there have already been too many innocent civilian deaths. The pr... LOBAMBA The Ministry of Agriculture has over 700 vacant posts that have crippled service delivery, among other challenges. The figures were disclosed by the Principal Secretary, Sydney Simelane. He said the hiring freeze had crippled their service delivery, because retired and deceased officers had not been replaced since 2018, when the circular was introduced. We are a big ministry and we need officers. Currently, we have more than 700 vacancies, which have affected our service delivery, he said. The PS made this presentation when he was leading the Ministry of Agriculture before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) yesterday. The deputy chairperson of the PAC Manzi Zwane, who is also the Chairman of the House of Assembly Public Service Portfolio Committee, said he was worried about the number of vacancies in the ministry. He asked the PS if he submitted the vacancies to the Ministry of Public Service, which is responsible for hiring civil servants. We have heard that the hiring freeze was lifted and controlling officers can fill vacant posts, he said. The human resources officer, in response, told the MPs that despite the Ministry of Public Service issuing a circular that stated that the hiring freeze had been lifted, the situation on the ground had not changed. Circular The officers highlighted that before the circular, officers had to ask for a waiver from Cabinet. It was stated that the difference was that the waiver had to be requested at the public service Ministry and posts would be issued based on the available budget. The officers said even before this circular, posts were issued based on the available budget. The controlling officer also told the PAC that for this financial year, he had asked for 60 posts for extension officers, but he was granted only four. (JNS) U.S. President Bidens suspension of weapons deliveries to Israel places Deborah Lipstadt, the most prominent Jewish member of his administration, in quite a bind. How will she respond? Let us recall the example set by Mark Siegel in 1978. He was the Carter administrations liaison to the Jewish community when President Jimmy Carter decided to provide deadly fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The president expected Siegel to convince American Jews to accept the weapons deal. In early March 1978, Siegel addressed 900 young leaders of the United Jewish Appeal. Delegates began booing... (JNS) Some years ago, I heard Rabbi Manis Friedman tell a story about a man who overheard his friend telling his wife on the phone, Drop dead! How can you speak that way to your wife?! he demanded. The friend smiled and said, She just asked me if her new dress was gorgeous, and I answered, Yes, drop-dead. Hearing only half a conversation and drawing conclusions can be dangerous. Ive lost count of how many times Ive heard stories about others that I didnt want to believe; and indeed, upon investigation, they turned out to be either significant distortions or complete fabrications.... Capricorn (22nd December to 19th January) Daily Horoscope Prediction says, share the happiness among your dear ones Stay cool even while having disagreements in the love affair. Ensure you give the best results in the job. Both wealth and health are also at your side today. Capricorn Daily Horoscope Today, May 18, 2024: Stay cool even while having disagreements in the love affair. Handle romantic issues with care. You will take up challenges to give the best output at work. Financially you are good today. No health issue will also trouble you. Capricorn Love Horoscope Today Embrace a new love affair today. Some male natives will succeed in expressing their feelings to the crush. Females attending the function will be the center of attraction and will also receive a proposal. You will find a suitable time to resolve the existing issues in the love affair. Do not invade the privacy of the lover and also confirm that you communicate thoroughly. Some long-distance love affairs may not be smooth and will require more effort to bring onto the track. You may also receive both financial and moral support from lovers in the business ventures. Capricorn Career Horoscope Today Be careful while you take up new tasks. You need to spend more time at the workplace today and should also brush up on the knowledge as some tasks will demand additional expertise. Your attitude is crucial while interacting with clients and those who are into creative sectors will see new opportunities to grow. For jobseekers or those who plan for a job switch, consider the second half as the chances to get a good job are high at this time. Capricorn Money Horoscope Today Manage wealth diligently. You may not be productive in terms of wealth but the routine life will be unaffected. You may go ahead with the plan to buy electronic devices today. Some Capricorns will find it good to buy gold or a vehicle today. The second part of the day is good to invest in real estate. You may also go ahead with the plan for a vacation this weekend. Capricorn Health Horoscope Today Be careful while using the staircase or while boarding a train. Pregnant females must avoid riding a two-wheeler. Senior Capricorns should not skip medicines today. Try to munch on healthy and baked snacks and stay away from deep-fried snacks. Females working in the kitchen should be careful while chopping vegetables as minor cuts may happen. Capricorn Sign Attributes Strength: Intelligent, Practical, Trustworthy, Generous, Optimistic Intelligent, Practical, Trustworthy, Generous, Optimistic Weakness: Persistent, Stubborn, Suspicious Persistent, Stubborn, Suspicious Symbol: Goat Goat Element: Earth Earth Body Part: Bones & Skin Bones & Skin Sign Ruler: Saturn Saturn Lucky Day: Saturday Saturday Lucky Color : Grey : Grey Lucky Number : 4 : 4 Lucky Stone: Amethyst Capricorn 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) Shares of Chinese property developers extended a rally as investors expect Beijing to unveil more policy support after a Friday meeting to salvage the beleaguered property market. Chinese Property Stocks Rally on Hope for More Policy Support A Bloomberg Intelligence gauge of Chinese real estate stocks rose 2.8% after an 11% jump Thursday. CIFI Holdings shares rose as much as 8.2%, while Agile Group jumped 8.1%. Shimao Group climbed 6.4%. Key Chinese government officials are meeting Friday morning to discuss the property market, including a proposal to clear excess housing inventory, people with knowledge of the matter said. Senior officials from the housing ministry, financial regulators, local governments and state banks will attend the gathering via video conference. The meeting is the latest effort by Chinese leaders who are increasingly prioritizing efforts to address the biggest drag in the worlds second-largest economy. Some major cities such as Hangzhou and Xian have recently scrapped restrictions on property purchases. The Bloomberg property stock gauge has jumped about 60% from an April 19 low. The meeting illustrates Chinese governments seriousness about the sector and we expect more concrete measures to announce to address property market problems, Raymond Cheng, head of China property research at CGS International Securities HK, says China also is considering a proposal to have local governments buy millions of unsold homes, Bloomberg News reported earlier this week, in what would be one of the countrys most ambitious attempts to rescue the sector. Still, concerns over years-long sump in homes sales still linger. While regulators have turned more dovish on housing policy, we think the impact on property sales and home prices remains highly uncertain, Morgan Stanley analysts including Stephen Cheung wrote in a note. The implementation of the inventory-clearing initiative could disappoint with a below-expectation scale of funding, the analysts wrote. Chinas home sales plummeted about 47% in the first fourth months of this year, and unsold housing inventory is hovering at an eight-year high. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. By Nell Mackenzie Hedge funds squeezed from short bets amid surging meme stocks, Goldman Sachs says LONDON, - Hedge funds ditched bearish stock bets early this week at some of the highest rates in three years as U.S. meme stocks rallied sharply, a Goldman note seen by Reuters on Friday showed. The note, published on Wednesday just before the rally faded, said hedge funds dropped positions on the most actively shorted stocks tracked by a Goldman Sachs index. These funds also piled into long bets just as retail investor favourites, GameStop and AMC soared on the return of social media account "Roaring Kitty" a central player in the 2021 meme-stock rally. A short position is a bet that the value of an asset will fall, whereas a long position wagers it will rise. Most hedge fund short covering, when investors have to buy back stock borrowed for bearish bets, came from stocks tracked in the Goldman Sachs index, the bank's note said. This index includes AMC and GameStop, according to Yahoo Finance. The index, which rose by over 5% during the week, was up just 0.5% on Friday, LSEG data showed. Systematic hedge funds, whose algorithms catch market trends, piled into long positions on Monday, while losing about 1.1% by Tuesday, the cohort's second worst day of the year, Goldman Sachs prime brokerage, which tracks hedge funds, said in the note. However, the group remains up 11.6% for the year to May 14, the Goldman note showed. Hedge funds taking long and short bets based on fundamental factors were down 0.3% on Wednesday but up 7% for the year so far. GameStop and AMC fell for a second straight session on Thursday, as the "Roaring Kitty" excitement died down. Shares of the videogame retailer GameStop tumbled 30% to close at $27.67 after jumping as high as $64.83 on Tuesday. Theatre chain AMC closed 15.3% lower at $4.64. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praised Prafulla Dhariwal, a research scientist at the company, and credited him for the creation of GPT-4o which could not have happened without the Pune boy's vision, talent, conviction, and determination. GPT-4o is a modified iteration of the ChatGPT-4 model, the backbone of the flagship product. Prafulla Dhariwal Talking about the launch, Prafulla Dhariwal wrote on X (formerly Twitter), GPT-4o (o for omni) is the first model to come out of the omni team, OpenAIs first natively fully multimodal model. This launch was a huge org-wide effort, but Id like to give a shout out to a few of my awesome team members who made this magical model even possible! Sam Altman added to Prafulla Dhariwal's post writing, GPT-4o would not have happened without the vision, talent, conviction, and determination of @prafdhar over a long period of time. that (along with the work of many others) led to what I hope will turn out to be a revolution in how we use computers. Who is Prafulla Dhariwal? Prafulla Dhariwal won the National Talent Search Scholarship from the Government of India in 2009 and also won the gold medal at the International Astronomy Olympiad in China. In 2012 and 2013, he won gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad and the International Physics Olympiad and was awarded the annual Abasaheb Naravane memorial prize in 2013. At the time, he told Mid-Day newspaper, In class XII I studied throughout the year and my special focus was on JEE preparations as I wanted to study in IIT. But now, I am more than happy that I have also been selected in MIT." He went on to pursue Bachelor's in Computer Science (Mathematics) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and joined OpenAI in May 2016 as a research intern. He is one of the co-creators of GPT-3, DALL-E 2, Jukebox, and Glow. OpenAI and Google recently held their largest events of the year in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) remained the focus of both the companies. Sam Altman's OpenAI introduced its latest flagship AI model GPT-4o that is capable of processing audio, visual, and text data in real time. Sundar Pichai's Google unveiled updates to its AI models- a new AI agent called "Project Astra" and changes as well as advancements in Google Search. Sam Altman on GPT-4o: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, US.(Reuters) Sam Altman posted a side-by-side comparison on X (formerly Twitter) which showed OpenAI's presentation against Google's setup. He wrote, I try not to think about competitors too much, but I cannot stop thinking about the aesthetic difference between OpenAI and Google. In the post, OpenAI researchers are seen in a dimly lit office space while Google's event is being held on a brightly lit stage. Sundar Pichai also talked about the timing of the launches and said that one event happened over a day, does not matter over time. He explained, "My perspective, this inflexion point we are on with AI, the opportunity that I see, you want to zoom out, the fact that one event happened over a day, does not matter over time. As a company, we have been investing in it over a long time. We are developing state of art models and working to deploy them to billions of people in a way where we can make a difference in their lives. And to me, that's the North Star, that's our mission. We stay focused on that. MANZINI A 20-year-old woman has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for making a false statement, claiming she was not raped by her boyfriend. *Futhi was, however, afforded an opportunity to pay a fine of E10 000. She was found guilty of contravening Section 120 (b) of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act 15 of 2018. Manzini Principal Magistrate Florence Msibi presided over the case. She emphasised the severity of providing false testimony in court, particularly in relation to sexual offence cases. In the courts reasoning, Principal Magistrate Msibi highlighted that the statutory offence carried a penalty. Msibi stressed the prevalence of such offences in society and the need for suitable penalties to deter potential offenders. Orphan Acknowledging that Futhi was a first-time offender and a young adult, who claimed to be an orphan, the court took these factors into consideration. Despite pleading guilty to the charge, Msibi stated that Futhi had committed a grave offence in both the legal and societal contexts, warranting appropriate consequences.In her judgment, the principal magistrate acknowledged Futhis guilty plea and the Crowns decision to lead evidence, successfully establishing the case beyond reasonable doubt. Msibi referenced the testimony of the first witness, who was the investigator in the case. She attested that the investigator described the initial stages of the investigation, during which Futhi, who was then the complainant, confirmed that *Themba had engaged in sexual intercourse with her while she was below the consenting age. Msibi said this information led to Thembas arrest and subsequent charges. The principal magistrate underscored the significance of these details in the courts decision-making process. Contradicted During the trial, Principal Magistrate Msibi recounted how Futhi, upon taking the witness stand, contradicted her initial statement by denying that Themba had engaged in sexual intercourse with her. She elaborated that a defence witness provided further clarity, testifying that they overheard Futhi discussing the matter with Themba, assuring him that she would deny any sexual intercourse between them to secure his acquittal. Msibi said Futhi herself admitted to lying in an attempt to protect Themba from conviction. The court concluded that the Crowns evidence had effectively established the essential elements of the offence, leading to Futhis guilty verdict. Principal Magistrate Msibi emphasised that such conduct could not go unpunished, as it would send an erroneous message to society. The courts decision aimed to serve as a deterrent not only for Futhi, but also for potential offenders contemplating similar actions. Additionally, Msibi explained that the imposed sentence appropriately aligned with the specific circumstances of the case, ensuring justice for all parties involved. In her plea for leniency, Futhi appealed to the court, highlighting her challenging circumstances. She expressed a lack of support and emphasised her current unemployment status as a contributing factor for the court to consider when determining her sentence. During the initial trial, it was revealed that Futhi had engaged in sexual relations with three other men, she claimed to be her boyfriends on various occasions. When questioned about Thembas involvement, Futhi admitted to lying to the police about the alleged sexual assault, stating that she did not expect her fabrication to lead to his arrest. Acquitted Taking Futhis testimony into account, the Crown subsequently decided to withdraw the charges. As a result, Themba was acquitted of charges and released.During her testimony before Principal Magistrate Msibi, Futhi, the 20-year-old defendant, alleged that Themba had manipulated her into altering her initial statement. She claimed that Themba, in the presence of her friend, had urged her to recant her previous testimony and deny his involvement in her pregnancy. Futhi asserted that Thembas motive was to have the charges against him dismissed, as he had another pregnant partner who was unwell. Upon being questioned whether Themba had resorted to threats or offered any incentives in exchange for her false testimony, Futhi clarified that neither coercion nor promises had been made by Themba. * Names deliberately withheld because of rape allegations. OpenAI launched ChatGPT 4o, a new AI model that will power ChatGPT chatbot, just a day before Google developers conference. ChatGPT 4o will be available for free, the Sam Altman-led AI start-up said. But was the day for the reveal chosen specifically to taunt Google? Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer of Alphabet Inc., during an interview on "The Circuit with Emily Chang" at Google's Bay View campus in Mountain View, California, US.(Bloomberg) Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that one event happened over a day, does not matter over time. He explained, my perspective, this inflexion point we are on with AI, the opportunity that I see, you want to zoom out, the fact that one event happened over a day, does not matter over time. He added, As a company, we have been investing in it over a long time. We are developing state of art models and working to deploy them to billions of people in a way where we can make a difference in their lives. And to me, that's the North Star, that's our mission. We stay focused on that. Sundar Pichai was also asked about the possibility of OpenAI violating Googles terms and conditions. He said, Look, I think its a question for them to answer. I dont have anything to add. We do have clear terms of service. And so, you know, I think normally in these things we engage with companies and make sure they understand our terms of service. And well sort it out. This comes after it was reported that OpenAI may be violating terms and conditions to train its AI models. Eight months after murder the alleged of a 45-year-old woman, the Payal police arrested her aide she met online in 2017. According to the police, the accused had come to see the woman before leaving for Bangkok and had a spat with her. In a fit of rage, the accused assaulted her with an iron rod and fled. To distract the police investigation, he scribed the name of her brother-in-law who has a police record on the wall. The accused in custody of Ludhiana police on Friday. (HT Photo) Accused Vinod Kumar, 47, of Kunail village in Hoshiarpurs Garhshankar, is in the business of tours and travel.Police have also recovered the murder weapon from the house. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Nikhil Garg said that the police had already nominated the accused in the FIR. The accused was declared a proclaimed offender and a look out circular (LOC) was issued against him. As he landed at Kolkata Airport, officials took him into custody and informed the police. The accused said that he had come into contact with the woman, Ranjit Kaur of Payal, through Facebook. He used to come to see her often, said the DSP. The accused told police that he wanted to go to Europe. To make a travel history, he had gone to Malaysia and Vietnam from Bangkok, but failed to get a visa for Europe, he added. The DSP said that the accused is facing trial in at least 10 cases, including attempt to murder and drug peddling. The police are investigating to find out how he managed to get a visa despite having a criminal history. The woman was found murdered at her house in Payal on September 5 last year. She was living alone and was to go to Canada in October 2023. Her husband is settled in Italy and one of her sons is in Canada. Her other son is in Portugal. The accused made a WhatsApp call to her Canada-based son from her number and told him that he had murdered his mother and asked them to decide the date of her cremation. On calling back, her son could not get a call through and asked a friend to go and check. The friend found the body.. Ludhiana-based Jalnidh Kaur was selected as a student speaker for the convocation at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, US. She led the student procession on May 15 at the convocation. Jalnidh Kaur (HT File) Kaur was awarded a doctoral degree in economics and education. She did her schooling from Guru Nanak Public School and Sacred Heart Convent School, Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana, and then moved to New Delhi for Bachelors in Economics from St Stephens College. Before her doctoral studies, Kaur completed an MPhil from Oxford University as Rhodes Scholar in 2015. Post MPhil, she returned to India and worked as a research assistant with J-PAL South Asia in two education research projects, based in Punjab and New Delhi. She also started the ECLAIR street school chain to provide pre-school education to children living on the streets. I started teaching the kids of migrant labourers near my residence in Dugri and then continued the same when I moved to New Delhi, said Jalnidh. In 2017, Jalnidh and her spouse Divjot Singh came up with an aspiration building fund to help underprivileged students instead of spending on their wedding. Jalnidh will now join as an assistant professor at the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. The National Green Tribunal has granted six weeks for Punjab, chief secretary, deputy commissioner, and the Ludhiana canal officer to submit a response on the issue of pollution and encroachment along the Sidhwan Canal. Despite directives from the tribunal, the municipal corporations reply dated March 10 remains vague, failing to confirm whether the waste has been cleared. (Manish/HT) Waste, such as plastic bags and non-biodegradable materials, are allegedly being dumped into the canal, exacerbating pollution concerns. The tribunal had formed a joint committee to investigate the matter on February 20 last year, emphasising the need to remove waste from the canal bed and address encroachments along its banks. However, the progress has been slow. Despite directives from the tribunal, the municipal corporations reply dated March 10 remains vague, failing to confirm whether the waste has been cleared. While the corporation claims to have cleaned the canal banks, evidence presented by the applicant suggests otherwise, with photographs revealing lingering waste and encroachments. Additionally, a 1.7km stretch of the canal remains uncleared, with the municipal corporation shifting responsibility to the irrigation department. Initially, the state/irrigation department asserted that cleaning was the MCs duty, but they later expressed uncertainty, promising to seek clarification. Additional MC commissioner Paramdeep Singh said, We have cleared the dump near Sidhwan canal and the land where a static compactor will be installed soon. The cleaning of Sidhwan Canal is under canal officer. We are going to submit a collective report in this regard to the NGT soon. The tribunal expressed dismay at the lack of progress. Local authorities have failed to provide adequate responses or take decisive action. Frustrated by the apparent lack of seriousness and inter-departmental conflicts, the tribunal issued a final ultimatum and granted six weeks time for a report. NGT said that on failure to comply, the tribunal will seek virtual appearance of chief secretary on the next hearing scheduled for August 22, 2024. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday chaired a review meeting on the Char Dham yatra at the state secretariat and asked officials to continuously monitor the yatra in view of the continuous surge in pilgrim influx. Dhami said devotees should only be allowed to undertake the Char Dham yatra with prior registration. (HT sourced photo) The meeting comes a day after the Uttarakhand government announced measures such as stopping offline registration for next three days, not allowing the practice of VIP darshan at the Char Dham temples till May 31 and imposing a ban on videography and making social media reels within a 50 metre radius of the shrines to smoothly conduct the yatra. Dhami took feedback from district magistrates of Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi, and Chamoli districts and conducted a ground inspection of arrangements in Barkot, which falls on the Yamunotri Dham route. He instructed secretaries of all the departments to continuously monitor all the arrangements related to their departments on the Char Dham yatra routes and ask senior officials of their departments to assess the ground situation. Also Read: Char Dham Yatra: Uttarakhand govt bans VIP darshan; curbs video shooting The CM said that all the officials should fully cooperate with the DMs and SPs of the districts associated with the Char Dham yatra to ensure all kinds of arrangements for the pilgrims. Any kind of negligence will not be tolerated, Dhami warned. He directed that all the basic facilities like drinking water, electricity, toilets, food, milk for children and other necessary facilities should be ensured at places where arrangements have been made to accommodate the passengers. Adequate quantity of drinking water and other facilities should be made available to the devotees on the Char Dham pedestrian routes, he said. For better crowd management, CM Dhami said alternative routes should be arranged as per the requirement and devotees should also be given information about these routes. Dhami said devotees should only be allowed to undertake the Char Dham yatra with prior registration. Offline registration shouldnt be allowed for the time being, he said. Dhami told the transport secretary that special care should be taken of the fitness of the vehicles coming in for the Char Dham yatra. If any vehicle is plying on the yatra route without fitness, the concerned transport department officials should be held responsible for the same, Dhami said. The prime accused involved in a used cars showroom firing case in Delhis Tilak Nagar on May 6, was killed after a gunfight with Delhi Police personnel at Khera Khurd village in outer Delhi late on Thursday night, police officials aware of the shootout said on Friday. The accused seen on CCTV footage shared the police. (HT photo sourced) The suspect, Ajay Singroha, a key hitman of the Himanshu Bhau gang, was also wanted in another firing and murder case where he along with his associates shot dead a businessman after opening a fire at his SUV outside a dhaba at Murthal near Sonepat in Haryana on March 10. The video footage of the Murthal dhaba murder as well as the Fusion Cars showroom firing incidents later surfaced on social media, triggering panic and concerns among the law enforcement agencies, the officers said adding that Ajay was committing the crimes on behalf of gang leaders Himanshu and Sahil Ritoli, both involved in extortion and revenge killings from foreign countries. Also Read: Delhi Police and Haryana STF arrest Bishnoi-Godara gang hitmen after encounter On Thursday evening, information was received that Ajay will come to Khera Khurd village in outer Delhi to meet someone after which a trap was laid to nab the accused, a senior special cell officer said. Around 11:30pm, the team members spotted Ajay driving a car. They signaled him to stop and surrender before them, but instead he opened fire at them. The firing exchange started after which Ajay got injured. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead. Two pistols loaded with bullets were seized from the gunfight spot. Further probe is on, the officer added. On May 6, Ajay along with another member of the gang, Mohit Gahlawat, opened firing at Fusion Cars, a multi-storey showroom of used luxury cars at Ganesh Nagar near Tilak Nagar in west Delhi, after handing over a paper slip to the showroom owners driver. At least seven people, including the showroom owner, Manoj Malik, were injured after the bullets shattered the glass door and panels of the outlet and the broken glass pieces pierced their face and other body parts. After the firing, the showroom owner received calls from international numbers. The caller demanded 5crore extortion from him on Bhau gangs behalf, police said. Kanhaiya Kumar, Congress candidate from the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, was slapped by a group of people who also threw ink on him outside a local office of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New Usmanpur in north-east Delhi on Friday evening, police said. Congress North East Delhi candidate, Kanhaiya Kumar (ANI) Kanhaiya Kumar attacked in North East Delhi, blames BJP rival Manoj Tiwari for assault Some videos of the assault soon surfaced on social media companies, prompting police to initiate legal action into the matter, an officer aware of the matter said. A complaint regarding the incident was filed by AAPs local councillor Chhaya Sharma. Deputy commissioner of police (north-east) Joy Tirkey said the police received a call regarding the incident at 6.53pm. During the inquiry, it was learnt that Kanhaiya Kumar was attending a meeting at the AAP office in Swami Satyanarain Bhawan in New Usmanpur. The meeting was hosted by the Sharma. After the meeting, when Sharma came down to see off Kanhaiya, some persons put a garland around Kumars neck. After garlanding him, they threw ink on him and tried to assault him. Legal action is being taken on her complaint, Tirkey said. An official in Kanhaiyas election office, who asked not to be named, blamed his rival Manoj Tiwari for orchestrating the attack. PM should get raids conducted against those he suspects of sending tempos full of cash: Kanhaiya Delhi BJP leader Neelkant Bakshi, however, dismissed the allegation and claimed that Kanhaiya himself planned the attack to garner sympathy. The Delhi Police is likely to visit chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's house on Friday to investigate the alleged assault of AAP MP Swati Maliwal. It will take statements from the policemen and staff who were present during the incident. The AAPs Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. (PTI) On Thursday, the police lodged an FIR at the Civil Lines police station regarding the assault on Maliwal, who alleged that Kejirwal's personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar, thrashed her. Meanwhile, members of the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Mahila Morcha gathered outside Kejriwal's house to protest against him by giving him bangles for not acting against Kumar. One of the members said to PTI, Arvind Kejriwal should be ashamed. He should resign from his post and apologise to the country. Swati Maliwal should get justice." Additional Commissioner of Police P S Kushwaha led a two-member team to record Maliwal's statement around 1:50pm on Thursday. Hours after recording Maliwal's statement at her residence on Thursday, the Delhi Police named Kumar in the FIR. Additionally, sources suggest that the police may issue a notice to Kumar, summoning him to join the investigation. The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also summoned Kumar on May 17 at 11am. The police will have her statement officially recorded before a magistrate as per Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. This allows a magistrate to document a person's statement or confession during a police inquiry before the trial. Maliwal contacted a PCR from the CM's house at 9:34pm on May 13 when she visited Kejriwal's residence to meet him. As per the FIR, Maliwal alleged in her complaint that she was slapped, hit on the stomach, attacked, and kicked by Kumar at the Chief Minister's residence. She added that she was sitting in Kejriwal's drawing room when Kumar entered and assaulted her. She also claimed that the Delhi CM was inside the house at the time of the incident, PTI reported. The FIR has been lodged under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC, among others, covering offences such as assault, criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, and acts intending to insult and assault. After filing the FIR, Maliwal visited Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Thursday night for a medical checkup. Maliwal released a statement on X urging the BJP not to make the incident a political issue. She said, 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, said that she was doing it on the instructions of the other party, may God keep them happy too. 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. KOLKATA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday issued a notice to former Calcutta high court judge and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha candidate Abhijit Gangopadhyay for his improper, injudicious remarks against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee during a poll rally on May 15. Former Calcutta high court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay joined the BJP on March 7, two days after he resigned from the judiciary (HT FILE PHOTO/Samir Jana) The show-cause notice was issued on a complaint by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) against Gangopadhyay, a former Calcutta high court judge who is the BJP candidate from Tamluk seat, and bar him from campaigning in the ongoing general elections for his vulgar and uncouth remarks against Banerjee at a public meeting in Haldia on May 15. Tamluk is scheduled to vote on May 25. In its notice to Gangopadhyay, the election watchdog noted that his comments were found to be improper, injudicious, beyond dignity in every sense of term, in bad taste and prima facie violative of the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and ECIs advisory to political parties. ECI, which acted on a complaint sent hours earlier by the TMC sought a response from Abhijit Gangopadhyay by 5pm on May 20. In its complaint to ECI, the Trinamool Congress sought a FIR against Gangopadhyay apart from prohibiting him from campaigning. Gangopadhyays vulgar and uncouth remark(s)/comment(s) are completely beyond the grounds of decency and morality. They not only lack decorum but also exhibit a blatant disregard of the only lady chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, the TMC said. It is unfortunate that Gangopadhyay, having held a prominent position in the judiciary, has chosen to attack the dignity of women, especially a woman holding a position of power, with the sole intention to further his political propaganda and to stay relevant during the current period of Lok Sabha election, it added. Gangopadhyay did not comment on the controversy. The BJPs state unit, however, has claimed that the purported video of Gangopadhyays alleged remarks was fake. The video is fake. This is a ploy by the TMC. It releases fake videos to malign the BJP, but such tactics wont have any effect on the outcome of the Lok Sabha elections, state BJPs chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said. Gangopadhyay resigned as Calcutta high court judge on March 5, months before his retirement. He joined the BJP two days later, drawing strong reaction from TMC chief Banerjee, who questioned the credibility of his judgments, most of which were against her party and the state government. MEERUT: Influential Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband in western Uttar Pradeshs Saharanpur district has banned the entry of women and girls on the ground that reels were being shot on its campus and circulated on social media, triggering criticism of the decision for being anti-women and unfair. Darul Uloom Deoband said entry of women and girls was already banned in Rashidia mosque which has now been extended to the entire premises (File Photo) Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, the seminarys Mohatmim, or vice chancellor, said the decision was taken on Thursday after multiple complaints were received from people across the country about reels or short video clips, shot on the campus and shared on social media. He said such videos had hurt the sentiments of the seminarys many admirers apart from distracting students. Entry of women and girls was already banned in Rashidia mosque which has now been extended to the entire premises. Guards at the gates have been directed to inform female visitors about the ban and persuade them to return, the vice chancellor said. We didnt stop entry of anyone till the admission process was underway but classes have started now, therefore we cant allow outsiders to enter the premises, he added. Social activist and Supreme Court lawyer Farha Faiz said many Hindu shrines also barred people from making reels but it could not be used to ban entry of women. How could they say that only women were indulged in making reels? The order should have been against making reels inside the premises or to ban carrying mobile, she said. Rehana Adeeb of Astitva, a non-profit that works against women violence in Saharanpur, said the order was anti-women and against the concept of gender equality. She said that she and many women used to visit Darul Ulooms Fatwa department, library and meet teachers to discuss different issues and to seek their advice on them. How can these women visit the seminary after such a ban order? she asked, underlining that the seminary could ban making videos, fine violators or even ban outsiders from carrying their mobile phones inside. But how can, she asked, only women be blamed for making videos inside the premises. Iram Usmani, a social activist in Deoband, expressed her disappointment over the decision. It will send a wrong message about the seminary, she said, wondering what would happen to the women scholars and girl students who came to the seminary and its library. Aamna Roshi, who is associated with the womens organisation Muttahid Khawateen, however, said the seminary, an educational institution, had lately been turned into a tourist spot and that she had seen a large number of women visiting the seminary on a picnic, making reels and jeopardising the seminarys dignity. I think a ban on such crowds would help to keep the dignity of the seminary intact, she said. MBABANE Suspended EPTC Corporate Affairs Manager Nqobile Magagula says her disciplinary hearing is just a box-ticking exercise to ensure that she is dismissed. Magagula said fairness was not one of the attributes of the disciplinary hearing. She also argued that the disciplinary hearing panel was allegedly not composed in terms of the Disciplinary Code. She said her attorney questioned the attendance of the Chairperson, Ndumiso Mamba, and the initiator. According to Magagula, Mamba was not supposed to be sitting in the hearing. Magagula, who has been charged with gross misconduct, dishonesty, gross dishonesty and misappropriation, was on Wednesday granted an order interdicting the corporation from proceeding with the hearing, pending finalisation of the matter in the Industrial Court. Review She wants the court to review and set aside the decision of the Chairperson of the hearing, Mamba, for refusing to recuse himself from the proceedings, which is allegedly in violation of the disciplinary and grievance procedure. She also prayed for an order interdicting EPTC and Mamba from continuing with the hearing, pending the finalisation of these court proceedings. In her founding affidavit, Magagula, in demonstrating the alleged defect in the sitting and/or in the composition of the panel, her attorney demonstrated that Mamba was not catered for in the disciplinary code. She said her Lawyer Banele Gamedze demonstrated that for each offence, the rightful individual to give out a sanction was a member of the management. According to Magagula, the chairperson was directed to the schedule of offences, which showed who the presiding officer should be. She alleged that the initiator did not in any way dispute what was being submitted but made, among other things, submissions on fairness. What was not in dispute is that, the disciplinary code and grievance procedure form part of the terms and conditions of my employment and I am advised that an employer cannot willy-nilly deviate without getting my consent.The initiator went on to say that I am somewhat senior and it was always neat to have external representation. The initiator and/or the first respondent (EPTC) failed to direct where exactly the agreement to deviate was derived from, Magagula argued. She averred that the employers defence was that there was no prejudice to be suffered by her, even if the code was not being followed. The corporate affairs manager submitted that the human resources representative, whose role was explained, made submissions on why the code should be breached and went on to make submissions in favour of EPTC. She alleged that her attorney was never given the opportunity to respond to that, but the chairperson went on to give directions as to when he would deliver his ruling. May I place it on record that there are people who are more senior than I am, who could have chaired the disciplinary hearing. The managers are above my grade, which is D4. May I also place it on record that there are senior managers such as one Mr Kenneth Dlamini, Musa Mabuza, Wilson Shongwe, Sabelo Dube, Lungile Nxumalo, Mxolisi Dlamini and others. Had I been given the opportunity to respond, I was going to demonstrate that there are individuals above me who are senior and there are those at my level who could represent me, prosecute the matter and also chair the hearing. Ruling She placed it on record that it was requested on her behalf to be at least given enough time to consider what to do with the ruling once Mamba delivered same. She said there was no positive response from Mamba and having raised the issue, on the day the ruling was delivered, her points of law were dismissed and the parties were told to proceed with the hearing. I was saved by the initiators unreadiness. She informed the court that Company Secretary Mtshali was the rightful person to issue the notice of the hearing based on the organogram. She said what was very strange was that the said organogram was never displayed at the hearing for all parties to see. Magagula said she reported directly to Mtshali and it was wrong for Mamba to find that the notice was in compliance with the disciplinary code. The second respondent (Mamba) also finds that the employer has the right to depart from the code where exceptional circumstances prevail. The employee is not expected to be consulted. I am advised that the finding is incorrect and not supported by legal authorities. EPTC Head of Human Resources Nompumelelo Ngabisa Kunene told the court that there was evidence to the effect that Magagula was engaged in a systematic ploy to frustrate and delay the investigation process. She said it was these machinations that necessitated the extension of the suspension in order to facilitate the investigation. She described the investigation of the matter as very complex because it entailed the employment of cyber experts and the analysis of computer data, as well as an appreciation of the functions of certain social media platforms. Confirmed Kunene confirmed that the correspondence was exchanged and reiterated that there was nothing untoward in Mtshali signing off the correspondence as Company Secretary. EPTC is represented by Zweli Jele of Robison Bertram. 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. 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. In the third charge, Magagula is accused of 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. Lucknow's St. Josephs College will award those students an additional 10 marks whose parents cast their votes in the Lok Sabha elections. Staff members who exercise their fundamental right to vote will get an extra day's salary. Voting in the Uttar Pradesh capital will take place in the fifth phase of the elections, on May 20. We have taken the decision with the aim to increase voting percentage in the Lucknow Lok Sabha polls, which goes to polls on May 20, the school said. (File) St Josephs Group of Institutions' Managing Director Anil Agarwal told Times of India: "We have decided to award one-day extra salary to our staff who will vote while students will be awarded 10 extra marks. It can be 10 marks in a single subject, or divided into different subjects. We have taken the decision with the aim to increase voting percentage in the Lucknow Lok Sabha polls, which goes to polls on May 20, he added. To take advantage of this offer, parents will have to visit the school on the day after the polling and show their inked fingers. Meanwhile, Christ Church College has declared that students whose parents vote will receive an additional 20 marks, TOI reported. Furthermore, the college also organised a voting awareness rally in Gomtinagar, encouraging people to vote. During the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections, which was held on May 13, several shops in Madhya Pradesh's Indore were distributing free breakfast and ice creams to early voters. Moreover, Makarand Narwekar, a former corporator from Colaba, has called upon housing society federations, ALMs, and residents associations in South Mumbai to discourage residents from going on vacation and encourage them to stay present on May 20, polling day in Mumbai. Additionally, Narwekar has urged travel agents and companies to waive cancellation fees for rescheduling travel plans and to provide discounts for post-poll vacations. In Karnataka's Bengaluru, during the second phase of voting, various restaurants, businesses, and transport services were offering free coffee and dosa and discounts on airfare. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that he was a yogi without any personal ambitions and one who wouldnt think twice to relinquish power for the sake of ideology and commitment. The remark was clearly aimed as a counter to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals claim that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a third term, Adityanath would be removed as chief minister. Yogi Adityanath recalled Anna Hazares agitation, emphasising that Arvind Kejriwal had formed the Delhi government to combat corruption but has since been embroiled in controversies himself. (FILE PHOTO) Yogi Adityanaths strong rebuttal to Arvind Kejriwals claim came on a day when the Delhi chief minister was in Lucknow to address a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and where he again reiterated that in case of a win, the BJP leadership would remove Adityanath. He came back hard at Kejriwal during his election campaign where he noted that lack of public support had forced the Samajwadi Party to resort to hold press conference instead. He then targeted Kejriwal, affirming his allegiance to the nation over personal ambitions. Since Kejriwals release from jail, he has lost his mind. My commitment to Sanatan and Hindu religion is unflinching and I could relinquish power for their sake, even after 100 lifetimes, he said during his rally in Hamirpur-Mahoba on Thursday. Accusing Kejriwal of betraying Anna Hazare, he said, Someone who aligned with the corrupt is now targeting me. Kejriwal has embraced the Congress like a necklace, forgetting that it was a party against whom Anna protested. He also said: It must be disheartening for Anna to witness the kind of politics that has arisen from his movement. Anna Hazare might never forgive him for this betrayal. Yogi Adityanath also noted that since assuming power, the Aam Aadmi Party has surrounded itself with corrupt individuals. He also commented in a lighter note that when Kejriwal was in jail, the people of Delhi felt relieved. Thats because people felt that 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, he said. He recalled Anna Hazares agitation against the Congress emphasising that Arvind Kejriwal had formed the Delhi government to combat corruption but has since been embroiled in corruption scandals himself. Mumbai: Is it time Indian regulators step in to regulate access to social media for young people? This may sound unpalatable, but my answer is Yes. India, South Korea and Japan social media usage has shot through the roof (Representative Photo) Last month, the state of South Australia started pushing for a ban on access to social media for children under 14. Teenagers between 14 to 15 will need parental consent. A judge has been appointed to look at how to implement such a ban. Opinions across Australia are divided. Anecdotal evidence has it that teachers like the idea. For instance, Sydney-based Pearl Jenifer, who works at a private school, is witness to an increase in mental breakdowns and a decline in attention spans in class. While Jenifer and her colleagues support the ban, the school they work at is unwilling to endorse it officially. Their sentiment is being echoed in other parts of the world as well. Last month in the US, Florida imposed a ban on platforms that include Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. The state of Utah wants to follow suit. US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy recently articulated his concerns and pointed out, Im still waiting for companies to show data that their platforms are safe. His concerns extend to other parts of the world, including India, South Korea and Japan, where social media usage has shot through the roof. He is backed by Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist at the Stern School of Business and best-selling author when he says that Gen Z is fighting a mental health issue that impacts them hugely and cannot be wished away In an interview with the New Yorker, Haidt draws an analogy. Policymakers thought it was apt to step in when cigarettes had to be banned. The freedom to live the way they want to argue took a backseat then. There is evidence now that suggests the brains of young people are changing. The brain is literally rewiring in the sense that neurons are seeking each other out. Neurons are fading away if they are not used. Synapses are forming or fading away. That happens rapidly in the first couple of years of life and then slows down. But in puberty, it speeds up. So puberty is a time of really important rewiring, and traditional societies would give young people some guidance on how you make the transition to adulthood. We dont do that. A researcher in the neurosciences at the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research who did not want to come on the record said, I strongly agree with Jonathan Haidt and his advice. That, she said, is why she monitors her childs social media consumption as well as her own. Dr Siddika Panjwani, a neuropsychologist affiliated with Lilavati Hospital and Gleneagles Hospital, is however, unsure if there is physical rewiring of the brain happening. The data available right now, she believes, is insufficient to make such a dramatic conclusion. But that said, her clinical experience has it that the mental health of more young people is sliding downwards after age 12. This, Dr Panjwani says, has amplified after the pandemic. How does she explain this? The hypothesis she holds right is that during the pandemic, young people who otherwise found happiness in some hobby or outdoor activities were exposed to social media in large numbers. Since then, it has got them addicted. Dr Panjwanis experience also has it that this cuts across all economic strata and isnt just an urban phenomenon. Unlike cigarettes or alcohol that was tangible, social media is intangible and you cannot see it creep in and get you hooked. This is why, she says, she is opposed to a ban. How do you ban what is intangible? A replacement is more viable, she says. By way of example, nicotine patches are used for smokers to wean them off cigarettes. It is time to think up something for social media addicts. A Bengaluru-based investor strongly disagrees and argues for a ban. India banned TikTok, and China couldnt do a thing about it. With the border issues apart, both countries still trade. India knows what to do and how to, when it chooses to do it. The US and the EU cant because they are woke. You cant be woke on such things. Its time to step in and do what must be done. NOIDA: Ahead of the rainy season, the Gautam Budh Nagar health department has started gearing up to combat the deadly disease of dengue. In 2023, over 970 cases of dengue were reported across the district. As many as 468 cases of dengue were reported in 2022 while 2021 saw as many as 637 cases of dengue, as per the health department. (HT Photo) On Thursday, officials informed about their preparations and shared that as part of this endeavour a new dengue ward has been commenced at the Noida Sector 39 district hospital. With May 16 observed at the National Dengue Day, the district hospital authorities commenced preparations to combat the deadly disease of dengue in the district and a facility of six-bed dengue ward has been thrown open to the patients on the first floor of the hospital, said chief medical superintendent (CMS) (Noida district hospital) Dr Renu Agarwal. The number of beds will be gradually increased depending upon the cases at the hospital. The hospital has in place as many as 500 ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kits and 500 ELISA cards for dengue patients, the CMS added. To be sure, the ELISA kit is used as a screening tool by the doctor upon detecting signs or symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, nausea, muscle and joint pain, rash, among others. ELISA is a common laboratory testing technique that detects and counts certain antibodies, antigens, proteins and hormones in bodily fluid samples. The test is conducted to rule out dengue, informed health department officials. Dr Agarwal also informed that other necessary directions have been issued to officials concerned and a nodal officer has also been appointed at the dengue ward. Besides the setting up of dengue ward, instructions have also been issued to start operating the Random Donor Platelets (RDP) separator machine. It is a device which enables separating the platelets and returning the other portions of the blood to the donor, the CMS added. Officials said that the health department is taking adequate preventive measures to tackle dengue, which usually trickle in as soon as the monsoon sets in, with rainwater getting accumulated. This stagnant water provides a breeding ground for the mosquitoes. In 2023, over 970 cases of dengue were reported across the district. As many as 468 cases of dengue were reported in 2022 while 2021 saw as many as 637 cases of dengue, as per the health department. LUCKNOW Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said if the opposition INDI alliance came to power at the Centre, it would put a lock on the Ram temple in Ayodhya in the name of re-consecrating it. Union home minister Amit Shah. (HT file) Leaders from the Congress and the INDI alliance are saying that the Pran Pratishtha (consecration) of the Ram temple was not done in a proper manner and if they come to power, they will go for fresh consecration of the temple. These people will instead put a lock on the Ram temple in the name of re-establishing sanctity, he said while addressing a public rally in support of BJP candidates Smrati Irani (Amethi) and Dinesh Pratap Singh (Rae Bareli) at Daulatpur under Jagatpur block of Rae Bareli district. Speaking in the same vein, he said: The INDI alliance is a family alliance of the Congress party. In this, Lalu wants his son to become chief minister. Mamata Banerjee wants her nephew to become chief minister. Sonia Gandhi wants her son to become prime minister. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Partys rebel MLA from Unchahar Manoj Pandey joined the BJP in presence of Shah during the rally. Along with him, several block heads also joined the ruling party. Pandey said he had joined the BJP for the cause of Sanatana. Shah said some people said the Rae Bareli seat was their family seat. There is no family seat. This seat belongs to the people of Rae Bareli and Amethi. Whoever they want, they will choose and send to Parliament, he said. Shah said this time, party candidate Smriti Irani will win from Amethi for the second straight term and Dinesh Pratap Singh from Rae Bareli and both will reach Parliament. This is my conviction, he said. Continuing his attack on the Congress, the senior BJP leader said Congress and its leaders Mani Shankar Aiyar besides Farooq Abdullah called Pakistan-administered Kashmir as Pakistans. I want to tell them that Pakistan-administered Kashmir was and will remain Indias. No one can snatch it from India. It will soon be merged with India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended Article 370. Congress wants to bring it back, but I want to say that no one has the courage to challenge PM Modi who is the leader of 140 crore people, Shah said. He said Narendra Modi was the chief minister for a long time before becoming the PM, but no allegations were made against him. The Congress, he alleged, had looted the country. Rahul Baba! Listen to me carefully; corrupt leaders will go to jail. The Modi government will not spare them at any cost, he warned. Shah said under the leadership of Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, tremendous development had taken place in Uttar Pradesh. Factories have opened. Industries have been set up. People got employment, Shah said. He pointed out that in 70 years, the collectors office was not built in Amethi. When Smriti Irani became the MP from there, Yogi Adityanaths government got the collectors office built there. The Gandhi family claims that they consider people of Amethi and Rae Bareli a part of their own. More than 200 people died in the NTPC power plant accident in Unchahar (in 2017), but Sonia Gandhi did not even go to see the victims, he added. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) formally expelled legislators Sita Soren and Lobin Hembron for six years for anti-party activities, the party said in a statement on Friday. Sita Soren resigned from the JMM in March and joined the BJP. (ANI) Sita Soren is the eldest daughter-in-law of JMM president Shibu Soren. A three-term legislator from Jama, Sita resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 19, alleging she was being sidelined in her parent party and that Kalpana Soren, wife of incarcerated former chief minister Hemant Soren, was being promoted. The JMM had refused to comment on her resignation at the time. Dropping its sitting MP Sunil Soren, the BJP has fielded Sita from the Dumka Lok Sabha seat, considered the citadel of the JMM that has been represented by Shibu Soren in the Parliament on eight occasions. On March 19, you sent a resignation letter making baseless allegations against senior party leadership. Later, it came to light through various mediums that you have filed a nomination for the Dumka Lok Sabha seat. The two developments show that you made baseless allegations to justify your pre-decided step to contest the Lok Sabha election. Therefore, you are being relieved from all posts, and your primary membership of the party is being suspended for six years, the letter from Shibu Soren read. Besides Sita Soren, the party on Friday also suspended a three-term legislator from Borio, Lobin Hembron, who is contesting as an Independent from the Rajmahal parliamentary seat. The JMM has given the ticket from Rajmahal to two-term sitting MP Vijay Hansdak, which was being opposed by Hembron across different platforms. ...By filing a nomination as an independent, you have acted against the principle of coalition dharma, besides creating confusion in the minds of party workers. In that context, you are being removed from all posts and suspended from the primary membership of the party for six years, the letter issued by party chief Shibu Soren said. Hembron is the second sitting MLA after Bishunpur MLA Chamra Linda to have been suspended from the party for contesting as an independent against INDIA bloc candidates. Linda contested as an independent against Congress candidate Sukhdeo Bhagat from the Lohardaga seat. Besides the two sitting legislators, the party has suspended two former MLAs for turning rebels in the ongoing parliamentary elections. The party suspended former Gandey MLA JP Verma for contesting as an independent from Koderma and former Torpa legislator Basant Lounga for contesting as an independent from the Khunti parliamentary seat. In April, Sita Soren claimed that the people of the state were standing with her and that the future is dark for the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Soren told a news agency, The people of Jharkhand were already standing behind me with the dreams of Durga Soren. Even now, I have assurance that the people where we are standing are also with us. The Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) has taken a special initiative to promote girls higher education, wherein one each supernumerary seat has been created for Single Girl Child for admission in each of the UG/PG programme at the University School of Studies from the academic session of 2024-25. GGSIPU adopts special initiative to promote higher education for girls. The university will create supernumerary seat has been created for Single Girl Child for admission in each of the UG/PG programme at the University School of Studies. A press release issued by the university said that the move will enable female students to procure a seat and pursue their higher studies. The decision has been taken in line with the Governments effort to promote the Girl Child Campaign. Also read: AP EAPCET 2024: Exam from tomorrow, important guidelines for candidates appearing in AP EAMCET As per the release, the special provision has been made under the GGSIP University Act, 1998, wherein a seat will be allotted purely based on the merit of the applicable National Level Test/ Common Entrance Test/ Merit of Qualifying Examination. Prof Mahesh Verma, Vice Chancellor of GGSIPU, informed that the new provision is applicable for any single girl child, female twins, and the girl child in case of twins with both boy and girl. Prof Verma termed the initiative as another milestone towards women empowerment. Also read: AP SSC Supply Hall Ticket 2024 released at bse.ap.gov.in, download link here Highlights of the initiative: The seat can be filled on a pan-India Basis, without any regional allocation (Delhi/outside Delhi). There would be no caste-based or other reservation for such seats. Candidates eligible for the initiative need to apply afresh in the application forms that will be available soon. For more information, visit the official website at ipu.ac.in and ipu.admissions.nic.in. Also read: CHSE 12th Result 2024: Odisha Class 12 scores by May last week, informs board official The Council of Higher Secondary Education will be releasing the CHSE Odisha Class 12 Result 2024 by May last week. This was informed to Hindustan Times by an Odisha board official. Once released, students who took the Class 12 examination in Science, Commerce, and Arts streams will be able to check their results through the official site of CHSE Odisha at chseodisha.nic.in. CHSE 12th Result 2024: Odisha Class 12 scores by May end, informs a board official. (HT file image) The Board is expected to announce an official date and time of the results before releasing it. Heres how to check CHSE 12th scores when released: Visit the official website of CHSE Odisha at chseodisha.nic.in. On the homepage, click on the Odisha Board 12th Result 2024 link. Furnish the login details and click on submit. Download your results and keep a printed copy of the same for further need. It may be mentioned here that students need to use details like roll number and date of birth to check their scores on the official website. Along with the results, other details such as overall pass percentage, gender-wise percentage, and district-wise performance will also be shared. Also read: Odisha Board 10th Result 2024: BSE Odisha Matric results to be declared by May end In 2023, the Odisha Class 12 results for the Science and Commerce streams were released on May 31, whereas the results for the Arts stream were released on June 8. The overall pass percentage for the Science stream was 84.93%, and that of the Commerce stream was 81.12%. In Arts, the total pass percentage was recorded to be 78.88%. This year, the Odisha Class 12 examinations were held from February 16 to March 30, 2024. Students are required to score a minimum of 33% marks in each subject to qualify for the examination. RBSE Result 2024 Live: Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education will declare RBSE Result 2024 for Class 10 and 12 likely soon. All the candidates who have appeared for Rajasthan Board 10th, 12th examination in the state can check their scores on the official website of RBSE at rajeduboard.rajasthan.gov.in. As per past trends, the Rajasthan Board Class 10 and 12 results date and time will be announced prior to the announcement of the scores....Read More The Rajasthan Board Class 10 examination was conducted from March 7 to March 30, 2024. The exam was held from 8.30 am to 11.45 pm. The Rajasthan Board 12th examination was conducted from February 29 to April 4, 2024. The regular examination was conducted from 8.30 am to 11.45 pm on all days. This year, around 10 lakh candidates have appeared for the Class 10 board examination, and around 9 lakh have appeared for the Class 12 board examination across the state. Follow the blog for latest updates on results, direct link and more. Jujutsu Kaisen is heading towards another explosive page. Chapter 260 spoilers are teasing a major comeback, and fans are freaking out. Remember how things went down for the beloved Gojo? Fans have been waiting for makers to plan the comeback ever since his death in Shinjuku Showdown Arc shattered the hopes, letting the king of curse Sukuna win the battle. Now, the upcoming chapter has teased some mysterious figure and the potential plot has sparked a frenzy. Suguru Geto, Shoko Ieiri and Satoru Gojo in Jujutsu Kaisen anime. Is Satoru Goju returning in Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 260? characters of JJK in the manga as well as the series. As Yuji, Todo, and other sorcerers gear up to fight Sukuna after he delivers a massive blow that results in Chosos death, it seems that the creators have listened to the long-standing fans wish for Gojo to return. Jujutsu kaisen manga might have just dropped the smallest of hints that Gojo is coming back. The fan-favourite character was cut in half by the mighty villain in chapter 236. According to Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 260 spoiler, Sukuna saw Gojo's shadow. Also read: Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 260 leaks: Yuji tears apart Sukuna as Mei Mei and Todo join forces Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 260 spoilers Titled Inhuman Makyo Shinjuku Showdown-Part 31, JJK Chapter 260 will follow the usual release schedule and arrive on Monday, May 20. Fans were left in tears after Choso offered to sacrifice himself to save Yuji and the others while apologising for not being able to be a good teacher. The new chapter will begin with Todo's missing arm replaced by a bionic one called Vibraslap, which has the ability to throw a woogie at a dizzying speed. The remainder of the chapter will see Yuji come up with various strategies to fight Sukuna. Finally, Yuji will use a deadly Black Flash against Sukuna, piercing his clawed arm through his chest in the process. As Sukuna is about to be torn to pieces, the narrator states that Sukuna is seeing the strongest spirit he has ever killed with his handsSaturu Gojo. Also read: Popular South Korean actress hints dating BTS Jimin with major social media update, fans fume While we dont have an official confirmation of the same, its quite debatable. Physically seeing Gojo might be impossible, and there is a possibility that Sukuna saw a ghost or hallucinated. However, since fans never properly saw Gojos death sequence, there are countless theories regarding his death. The fan who translated these leaks on X also said that the editors note at the end of the chapter said Those eyes are unmistakable, referring to the bright blue eyes of Satoru Gojo. NHLANGANO Government says the residents of Mbondzela are residing illegally on the farm, which is owned by a liSwati family. Mbondzela Farm No.19 is located along the road to Gege from Nhlangano, in the Shiselweni Region. The farm is owned by Sandile Simelane of Mahamba Gorge (Pty) Ltd. On Wednesday, farm dwellers of Mbondzela went to deliver a petition to the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan). They alleged that they were evicted because the farm owner had plans to give the farm to the Taiwan Embassy. They had also delivered another one on Tuesday to Gege Inkhundla, with 12 demands. In a bid to set the record straight on the now explosive eviction at the rural farm, Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo cited interventions and rulings by former ministers of Natural Resources and Energy, who ruled in favour of the farm owner. Resisted He said whenever farm dwellers resisted to move, they compromised investor confidence. Nxumalo said the family had no connections with any country or government. The owner of this farm has had many engagements with the residents, where the former informed the latter that he required the portion of the land that they occupied for development. However, the residents have consistently resisted the proposed development and have even become violent and damaged property while doing so, reads part of governments statement.Nxumalo said the matter between the owner of the farm and the residents was heard by the regions farm dwellers tribunal, which ruled that the residents be evicted from the farm. Decision The residents appealed the decision of the regional tribunal to the Central Farm Dwellers Tribunal, which also ruled in favour of the owner of the farm. He said the residents then appealed to the now late former Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, Peter Bhembe, who ruled in July 2020 that the parties must negotiate agreements. Nxumalo said the parties failed to negotiate agreements, because the residents rejected the terms that were proposed by the owner of the farm. Instead, he said, the residents became violent while resisting eviction. The residents then went back to the then Acting Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, Jabulani Mabuza, last year to report that the owner of the farm was not complying with the ruling of the late minister. The owner of the farm mentioned to the then acting minister that the people who were benefitting from his property were squatters and not the owner who invested capital to purchase the farm, said Nxumalo. The government spokesperson said former Minister Mabuza convened several meetings with the residents and the owner of the farm, adding that he informed the residents that it was not in their best interest to live at the mercy of some person and encouraged them to look for alternative land, so that they can live in peace. Farm It was said by Nxumalo in the statement that Mabuza also requested the owner of the farm to offer some help to the residents, so that they could resettle outside the farm. The farm owner is said to have offered to assist the residents with the construction of structures for them (residents) on a piece of land allocated to them by the Mashobeni Royal Kraal. The farm owner, according to Nxumalo, also offered to remove the graves of their family members when the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy was last seized with this matter. Nxumalo said it was common that, when squatters reside in a property that the owner requires to develop, the dwellers then resist vacating and even begin to challenge the legal ownership. Notwithstanding this particular incident, the government wishes to highlight that the law frowns upon illegal occupation of private property. Farm dwellers and owners are both protected under the rule of law, he added. Nxumalo said they encouraged citizens to show full respect and recognition of private property, whether it belongs to individuals or corporate citizens. He said lack of respect for private property puts the country in bad light in terms of attracting investments for purposes of job creation and development. Nxumalo said citizens were supposed to respect the rule of law at all times, adding that no amount of noise would sway the country from its constitutional obligations. It is worth noting that the Mbondzela court case is still pending, after the dwellers went to appeal their matter. It was gathered that the case would be heard in court before the end of the month. Responding to the statement by the government spokesperson, Mbondzela residents questioned if Nxumalo was aware that the matter was pending in court, for him to issue a statement as if the matter had been finalised. They also called for him to give them a court order that permitted the owner of the farm to demolish their houses while the case was pending in court. Since he has turned to be the owners mouthpiece over a matter that is in court, he needs to produce a court order that permited the farm owner to demolish our homes, remarked one of the residents. They shared that in his statement, Nxumalo failed to mention that their houses were demolished and they had to spend nights in the cold, adding that he was picking sides in his statement. He cares more about investors than our well-being, safety and security. This is strange as he should have just kept quiet, said another. According to the residents, demolitions are carried out in broad daylight, in the presence of the police, when there is a court order. They said Nxumalo did not mention any of that in his statement. Land Activist Senator Dlamini, on the other hand, quoted an incident where the demolition of 400 homes was stopped by the now Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala, when he was a judge back in 2010. A Times of Eswatini article dated November 11, 2010, quoted Maphalala at the Nhlangano High Court, stating that in terms of the Constitution, which supersedes the Swazi Administration Order, no structure must be demolished or evictions carried out without a court order. When Government Spokesperson Nxumalo was later reached for comment on the residents sentiments, he questioned if he had mentioned anything about a court order. He said the only thing that they did as a government was to issue the statement and they were not going to say anything more. I am not going to respond to them and you either. We have issued a statement and that is all we stand with, he said. Nxumalo said they only narrated that to date, what had been done by government in trying to address the matter of Mbondzela farm. He added that government was not saying their houses were demolished through a court order. Nxumalo said as government, they knew that the matter was pending in court; something that the residents were also aware of. The 77th edition of the ongoing Cannes Film Festival will witness a significant milestone for Indian cinema on a global stage as Shyam Benegal's classic Manthan will be screened during a prestigious gala on Friday at Salle Bunuel. (Also Read | India at Cannes Film Festival 2024: Kinnari Jain heads to the gala to support Smita Patils film Manthan) Smita Patil and Girish Karnad in a still from Manthan. Manthan, which starred late actor Smita Patil, is the only Indian film to be selected under the Cannes Classic section of the festival this year. The film also featured Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Mohan Agashe, Anant Nag, and Amrish Puri among others. The film, based on the pioneering milk cooperative movement of Dr Verghese Kurien -- the father of the White Revolution in India, was produced by five lakh dairy farmers of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets its products under the Amul brand. The Gujarat-set movie was the first crowd-funded Indian film which was entirely crowdfunded by 500,000 farmers who donated 2 each. Kurien, along with Vijay Tendulkar, had penned down the script for the movie. Manthan won two National Film Awards in 1977: for Best Feature Film in Hindi and for Best Screenplay for Tendulkar. It was also India's official entry to the 1976 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The premiere of the restored version of the film at Cannes will be attended by Naseeruddin Shah, the family of the late Smita Patil, the producers of the film and Film Heritage Foundation's Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. About the film's screening at the Cannes, Shyam Benegal earlier 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." He added, "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." Cannes Film Festival 2024 opened on May 14 and will go on till May 25. On Friday, Akshay took to social media to review Rajkummar's latest film, Srikanth, and applaud him. Akshay praises Rajkummar Sharing a poster of the movie on his Instagram story, the Bade Miyan Chote Miyan actor encouraged his fans to watch the film, which hit the theaters on May 10. In his post, Akshay called Rajkummar as 'simply brilliant'. In the playful note, with his signature wit, he even suggested that Rajkummar should consider starting acting classes. Along with the poster, he wrote, Nothing is impossible. #Srikanth is a must watch! Picture dekh ke mazza aa gaya. (I had so much fun watching the film). rajkummar_rao bhai ab toh acting ki classes shuru kar de (Brother, start giving acting classes now). You are simply brilliant. Akshay Kumar's Insta Story. Rajkummar was overwhelmed with the words of appreciation by Akshay, and responded, Thank you so much my dearest @akshaykumar sir. Aapse hi seekhte hain sir (We learn from you sir). Youre the best. About Srikanth In the film, Rajkummar plays the role of industrialist Srikanth Bolla. Rajkummar essays Srikanth who pursued his dreams despite his visual impairment, ultimately founding Bollant Industries. Apart from Rajkummar, the film also stars Jyotika, Alaya F and Sharad Kelkar in prominent roles. It is helmed by Tushar Hiranandani. Recently, in an interview with ANI, Rajkummar talked about how he prepared for the role. "Preparation was needed for this film because I have never played a visually impaired role before. So, it all started when I started going to blind school. I started working with a lot of people who were visually impaired in real life. I sat with them for hours and talked to them, he said, adding, I took videos and used to watch those videos many times. Just to understand their perception and what they feel about the world and how they deal in situations. I spent a lot of time with Srikanth as I am depicting his life on screen. So, I got a lot from him which I used in my performance." She took to Instagram Stories to share photos of herself. The actor also met fans before walking the red carpet. Brut India posted a video of Urvashi blowing flying kisses and showing the heart sign at the gala. Reactions to Urvashi's second Cannes 2024 look While some on Instagram gave her look a thumbs-up, others were less than impressed. A person wrote, "She is looking like a million dollar. Even the people behind her are appreciating her. Just see the man who nods his head and says nice." Another wrote, "Looks like she is the red carpet." A person also said, "She looks stunning." A few on Instagram were not okay with the actor's plunging neckline and choice of outfit. One commented, "Why do Indian celeb dresses look so cheap as if its from the store next dooronly Sabyasachi, Gaurav Gupta and Manish Malhotra make fine dresses for celebs I would say." Another said, "Is it mandatory to always show the cleavage?" One person also wrote, Just for sake of fashion, she shows their cleavage, and unfortunately mostly people appreciate and say 'hot'. So now where is our Indian culture... it's really disgusting... Urvashi's earlier Cannes 2024 look After the opening ceremony of Cannes Film Festival 2024 on Tuesday, Urvashi took to Instagram to share a bunch of photos and videos of her look for the night: a pink ruffled gown. The fuchsia outfit was by Lebanese label, Khaled and Marwan. Urvashi captioned one of her posts, "Festival de Cannes 2024 opening ceremony with my ultimate fav Meryl Streep." The 77th Cannes Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday night with a dazzling display of glamour and talent at the Grand Theatre Lumiere. Among the guests was none other than Hollywood icon Meryl Streep, who was honoured with the prestigious Honorary Palme d'Or. In a tragic turn of events, the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse in Mumbai has claimed the lives of Kartik Aaryan's relatives. Among the 16 deceased were the actor's maternal uncle and aunt, identified as retired Air Traffic Control (ATC) officer Manoj Chansoria and his wife Anita Chansoria. (Also read: Mumbai hoarding collapse: Vijay Varma reacts, Soni Razdan says BMC 'discovers illegal billboards' only after a disaster) Kartik Aaryan lost two relatives in Ghatkopar Mumbai hoarding tragedy. 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 others trapped under the illegal hoarding, which fell on the petrol pump amid heavy dust storms in Mumbai. Their bodies discovered on Thursday The couple, who resided in Jabalpur near Mariam Chowk, were found three days after the incident, trapped in their car. The exact time and cause of their deaths remain undetermined. According to a report by Indian Express, Kartik, who was busy with work on his next release Chandu Champion, took out time and attended the funeral of the relatives. He joined the last rites along with his family in Sahar Cremation Ground, mourning the loss of his loved ones in this accident. It is believed that Manoj and Anita were in Mumbai to complete paperwork for their visas to visit their son Yash in the United States. On Monday afternoon, Yash lost contact with his parents. As per the Indian Express report, Their son had been trying to contact them since 5 pm on May 13. Unable to reach Manoj and with Anita not answering her phone, he contacted his fathers colleagues for help. After several hours of searching, their bodies were found trapped beneath the collapsed hoarding. About the incident A giant hoarding in Mumbai's Ghatkopar collapsed on Monday evening, resulting in the death of at least 16 people. The hoarding collapsed after being hit by a short spell of unseasonal rain and gusty winds. The massive billboard fell on a busy petrol pump, trapping close to 100 people under it. The incident left 74 injured. On Thursday, the Mumbai Police arrested Bhavesh Bhinde, director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd, the advertising agency that owns that billboard that collapsed. The company had applied to the Limca Book of Records to declare it as the largest commercial hoarding in India. Jackie Shroff had recently approached the Delhi High Court to protect his personality rights. The actor had objected to several entities using his name, pictures, voice and word bhidu without his consent for commercial gain. Krushna Abhishek's fans had expressed concern on social media as the actor is known for imitating Jackie. His wife, actor and reality TV personality Kashmera Shah, has now reacted to the same. (Also read: Jackie Shroff moves Delhi High Court, objects to insulting memes and 'unauthorised' use of the word 'bhidu') Kashmera Shah reacted to Jackie Shroff taking legal action against unauthorised imitation. Kashmera clarifies after Jackie files petition Kashmera took to Instagram to speak about Krushna's future skits after Jackie filed a petition against his unauthorised impersonation at Delhi High Court. Her caption read, To all the disappointed fans that have been messaging us I just want to tell you all that please understand that Imitation is The Highest Form Of Flattery. Krushna loves #jaggu dada @apnabhidu @krushna30. Fashion designer Rohit Verma commented, I think @krushna30 is super talented and i completely enjoy him seeing jaagu dada its extremely entertaining. Actor Bakhtyar Irani wrote, He started it and made it larger than life...l et's be honest @krushna30 gave a new dimension to look at Jaggu dada (Jackie Shroff)... Fans divided over Jackie Shroff's impersonation However, fans had mixed reactions to Kashmera's post. One pointed out, Here Jaggu dada means he isnt getting paid because Krushna is earning crores by copying Jaggu dada. And thats completely fair. Krushna is earning because of his talent and because of the characters he copies like Jaggu, Dharam (Dharmendra), etc. Another commented, There is a difference between Imitation and Insulting.... and Krushna portrayal is fine example... he is simply mocking legends to fill his coffers. However, others backed Krushna. A fan commented, "@apnabhidu @krushna30 A lot of young people who havent been introduced to sir Jackie Shroff are getting to know him at the Kapil Sharma show with krushna. I believe it is of great honour for someone to mimic you on a great show. This way everyday, people are reminded of Jackie sir. Both of them are doing amazing. Love to both (two hearts emojis) of you." A person also wrote, I find no offense is @krushna30 copying Jaggu Dada. He is hilarious and Jaggu Dada will always be a legend. I wasn't sure what has prompted celebs like Kjo (Karan Johar) and Jaggu dada to publicly rant against mimicry. This is an art. For the unversed, Krushna recently impersonated Jackie in the Heeramandi episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show. Ranbir to begin shooting of Love And War News18 quoted a source as saying, Ranbir will continue shooting for Ramayana and begin the prep for Love And War in the second half of August or early September simultaneously. While Alia will get busy with filming YRFs upcoming spy thriller with Sharvari Wagh, Ranbir will dive into script reading sessions and discussions with Bhansali before beginning its shoot. Bhansali, in fact, will begin Love And War with him as the latter may reach the conclusion of the shoot of the first part of the Ramayana trilogy by November. The shoot of Love And War will begin in Mumbai but a set for the same is yet to be constructed." The working title of Ramayana is reportedly God Power. According to the report, the film will have some "elaborate song sequences" for which Bhansali is "personally in discussions with his production design team". It is still not revealed when Vicky Kaushal, who is also a part of the film will join the shoot. Ramayana team tightens surveillance on sets According to the report, the Ramayana team has decided to cover up the sets and film indoors to avoid photos being leaked. The producers didnt want any glimpses of the film to come out before an official announcement, and despite trying their best including opting for a no-phone policy on set shutterbugs managed to click pictures of Ranbir and Sais looks from the film. Curtains have been put all around and the surveillance has been tightened to avoid further leaks, as per the report. About Ramayana The film is being directed by Nitesh Tiwari. Ramayana stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Goddess Sita, Lara Dutta as Kaikeyi, Sunny Deol as Hanuman and Sheeba Chaddha as Manthara. However, an official announcement regarding the film is still awaited. About Love & War Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic saga Love & War will release in theatres in Christmas 2025. The film will star Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal. Bhansali announced his next film in January this year. Nothing can describe the modern generation more aptly than what the Cannes Film Festival Competition French title, Wild Diamond, purports to. Helmed by Agathe Riedinger, it traces the life, at least a part of it, of 19-year-old Liane (played with restless ease by Malou Khebizi) as she struggles to cope with social media influencing, fame, fortune and, above all, vanity. (Also Read: As Cannes Film Festival opens with The Second Act whispers of controversies can be heard) A still of the film Wild Diamond. Living with her mother and kid sister at Frejus in southern France, her entire waking hours are geared towards climbing the social ladder through what I would call superficial sites like TikTok and Instagram. She craves for adoration, and dresses provocatively. And wolf whistles do not bother her; rather they boost her ego, although she may not show it, pretending to be displeased with such boisterous attention. Karl Marx would perhaps describe this kind of obsession as the opium of the present set of youngsters. Boosting her confidence is realty television whose corrupting influence eats into Liane although she seldom seems to realise it. Or, maybe brushes it aside. To jump up this kind of devastating social ladder, she stoops at nothing. As the movie kicks into motion and movement in all its sometimes irritating restlessness, we see the teen in revealing clothes shoplifting. This is the only way she knows to survive in her world that is actually degradingly shallow. She has had her breasts done, her lips injected with a chemical which gives it a tarty pout. Dressing up in really short shorts and a top which hugs her body scandalously, she runs about to try and find the magic of life. She posts endless selfies on social-media sites, sometimes going to torturous extents. She even crudely tattoos her stomach that causes her excruciating pain. Khebizi reminded me of Brigitte Bardot, with her daringly sexy looks that once fetched her scandalous admiration. Success strikes Liane eventually, and a reality television producer ends a message saying that they were impressed with her photographs on social media and would want her to interview for a spot on Miracle Island, where 15 girls would shack up in a beach house. We do not want goody-goody girls, the producer says and packages his show in way that the participants bitch with and claw each other. This is how they will become stars, he assures her. And Liane get completely sold on this. Coming from the first-time writer-director, Wild Diamond is a revealing commentary on the destructive type of wild dreams the young people sink into. The film looks dramatic with a handheld camera that captures the Liane's jitteriness. It is undoubtedly as powerful as the work of Andrea Arnold or Dardenne Brothers. Liane's hundred percent selfishness is told in a compelling way, underlining her notorious narcissism . Vying for the Festival's top Palme d'Or, Wild Diamond may though find it a tad difficult to impress the jury lead by the American director Greta Gerwig, whose Barbie stole the show last year. SANTA FE, N.M. A New Mexico judge plans to rule next week on a grand jury indictment against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting on the set of Rust," after hearing arguments Friday that the proceedings were unfair to the defendant. HT Image The indictment in January charged Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Oct. 21, 2021, at a movie ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Baldwin, a lead actor and co-producer on the Western, has pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 1.5 years in prison. His attorneys argued during the virtual hearing on Friday that the grand jury received a one-sided presentation in bad faith from prosecutors who steered jurors away from exculpatory evidence and witnesses. During rehearsal, Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and injuring Joel Souza, the director. Baldwin has maintained that he pulled back the guns hammer, but not the trigger. Baldwins motion to dismiss the indictment argued that the grand jury received inaccurate and limited testimony about the revolver and safety protocols on movie sets. Over more than two hours of arguments Friday, defense attorneys for Baldwin accused the special prosecutor of neglecting her responsibilities to ensure impartiality and access to the defense's witnesses and evidence. The fix was in, said defense attorney Alex Spiro. There were no witnesses there to testify. There was no evidence binder of the defense exhibits. They never intended for the grand jury to ask for witnesses, he continued. They never wanted the grand jury to ask for exhibits. Special prosecutors say they followed grand jury protocols and accuse Baldwin of shameless attempts to escape culpability, highlighting contradictions in his statements to law enforcement, to workplace safety regulators and in a televised interview. A jury trial is scheduled for July. Lead prosecutor Kari Morrissey on Friday defended her oversight of the grand jury, noting that she read to jurors a court-approved letter that outlines procedures for accessing exculpatory evidence and witnesses and that she physically pointed at the defense's boxes of evidence. The grand jury never asked to hear from witnesses. There is nothing I can do about that, Morrissey said. We followed all of the judge's orders. Defense attorneys also highlighted that jurors were interrupted when they brought up questions about safety procedures on film sets. Baldwin's attorneys said jurors were guided away from listening to testimony from a sheriff's detective and instead toward an expert witness paid by the prosecution to talk about film set safety. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer seized on that point in a series of questions for Morrissey, asking why the detective wasn't allowed to answer. Morrissey said the detective was well acquainted with the wrong ways to handle gun safety on a movie set from investigating the Rust set, but not well versed on proper industry protocols. I did not prevent the grand jury from getting answers, Morrissey said. I made sure the grand jury got the answers to their questions from the witness with the most experience. Baldwin did not appear at the hearing. Prosecutors have turned their full attention to Baldwin after a judge in April sentenced movie weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to the maximum of 1.5 years at a state penitentiary on an involuntary manslaughter conviction for Hutchins death. Prosecutors last year dismissed an earlier involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin after being told the gun he was holding might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned. A new analysis of the gun last year enabled prosecutors to reboot the case. The indictment against Baldwin offers two possible standards for prosecutors to pursue. One would be based on the negligent use of a firearm. An alternative is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Baldwin caused Hutchins death without due caution or circumspection, also defined as an act committed with total disregard or indifference for the safety of others. Defense attorneys also accused prosecutors of making little to no effort to ensure the jury could access several witnesses, including the film's director, as well as assistant director and safety coordinator Dave Halls and props master Sarah Zachry. Halls last year pleaded no contest to negligent handling of a firearm and completed a sentence of six months of unsupervised probation. The judge asked Morrissey of Friday about her efforts to communicate with defense witnesses in case they were called upon by the grand jury. Morrissey said she contacted several but not all witnesses but received assurances from a relevant judge that the grand jury's time could be extended if a witness was not immediately available. The two-week trial of Gutierrez-Reed gave attorneys for Baldwin and the public a unusual window into how the actor's own trial could unfold. Baldwin figured prominently in testimony and closing arguments that highlighted his authority as a co-producer and the lead actor on Rust. Both the prosecution and defense in Gutierrez-Reeds trial dissected video footage of Baldwin before the fatal shooting for clues about breakdowns in firearms safety. Prosecutors said Gutierrez-Reed unwittingly brought live ammunition onto the set of Rust, where it was expressly prohibited, and failed to follow basic gun safety protocols. Gutierrez-Reed is appealing the conviction, decided by a jury in March, to a higher court but hasnt yet filed detailed arguments. At sentencing, Gutierrez-Reed told the judge she tried to do her best on the set despite not having proper time, resources and staffing. After the shooting in New Mexico, the filming of Rust resumed but in Montana, under an agreement with Hutchins husband, Matthew Hutchins, which made him an executive producer. A wrongful death lawsuit in civil court by Matthew Hutchins and the Hutchins' son was settled under undisclosed terms. Defense attorneys say Baldwin last year was offered a deal to plead to a minor offense before a grand jury was convened, but the offer that was inexplicably retracted before the deadline to respond. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. After 40 years in making, Francis Ford Coppola's ambitious Megalopolis finally premiered at the ongoing 77th edition of Cannes Film Festival, and has taken the internet by storm and left critics buzzing. The film, described by Coppola as a "Roman epic, is being met with a mixed response, with some appreciating the wild attempt and some questioning the muddled vision. (Also read: Francis Ford Coppola's passion project Megalopolis to vie for Palme d'Or at Cannes) Francis Ford Coppolas Megalopolis premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Megalopolis had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday. It is Francis Fords first movie since Twixt in 2011. Running through some first reactions With the first reactions pouring in through reviews as well as tweets, it is clear that the early word around the film is predominantly positive, sprinkled with some lows. According to Deadlines Damon Wise the film is a mad modern masterwork that reinvents the possibilities of cinema. He said the film is something of a mess; unruly, exaggerated and drawn to pretension like a moth to a flame, adding that it is a stunning achievement, the work of a master artist. After seeing the film, Matt Donnelly from Variety was more expressive with his thoughts. He tweeted, Still processing #Megalopolis, but at tonight's Cannes premiere, I went to the restroom about an hour in because my brain was melting. There was a man leaning against the wall in a way that made me worried he needed a medic. He looked up at me and said, It's a nightmare. IndieWire called Megalopolis as the directors boldest and most open-hearted of his many bids to stop time before its too late. It labelled the film as Wild and Delirious Fever Dream Inspires New Hope for the Future of Movies. Francis Fords has poured a whopping $120 million of his own money into the project, which comes with VFX-heavy shoots. Film critic Jason Gorber says the film is a part fever dream, part excercise in indulgence. Not since BABYLON has such bonkers boldness been birthed, here reared without any pesky studio help. A cri de Cur about a dying empire, the death rattle of a giant of cinema flailing, flumouxing, yet occasionally fascinating, Jason tweeted. The Hollywood Reporter's chief film critic David Rooney felt that the film is windy and overstuffed, frequently baffling and way too talky, adding, But its also often amusing, playful, visually dazzling and illuminated by a touching hope for humanity". In the abstract, one can be somewhat glad that something like this exists and that we all get to see what it was that Coppola was cooking for decades. The trouble is, in execution, its a meandering fable (as the opening title card calls it) that plays more as a farce, stated Collider's review from Chase Hutchinson. New York Magazines Bilge Ebiri calls Megalopolis fevered thoughts of a precocious child, driven and dazzled and maybe a little lost in all the possibilities of the world before him. In fact, The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave the film two stars, saying it is hyperactive and lifeless. And lumbered with some terrible acting and uninteresting, inexpensive-looking VFX work which achieves neither the texture of analogue reality nor a fully radical, digital reinvention of existence, wrote Peter. About Megalopolis Megalopolis is set in a futuristic city, much like the Roman Empire, and follows an architect named Caesar, essayed by Adam Driver, who wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia, following a disaster. Alongside Driver, the film also stars Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Shia LaBeouf, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, and Jason Schwartzman. Francis Ford was trying to make Megalopolis for decades. He used $120 million of his own money from his wine empire to produce the film. At the Cannes film festival, it is competing for this years Palme dOr, which Coppola won twice previously for The Conversation (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979). Lady Whistledown is back, and this time the penchant for gossip might cost her a little too dearly if she's not careful. With its first four episodes out on Netflix, Bridgerton still manages to delight and captivate, and delivers every little sparkle viewers have come to expect of it ever since the first season was released in 2020. The pop songs in instrumental covers (Billie Eilish! Sia!), the immaculately designed costumes and makeup, and the pointed approach to matters of courtship. It is all there, and Season 3 delivers on it with aplomb. Yet, the bigger reason why this season works is because it has finally found an intelligent heroine at the centre. (Also read: Bridgerton season 3: Banita Sandhu makes her debut as Miss Malhotra; Twitter can't keep calm) Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton in a still from Bridgerton Season 3. After spending the last two seasons nestled on the sidelines, Nicola Coughlan's Penelope Featherington has finally got her moment to shine. Coughlan is anxious, warm, hilarious, and constantly on the watch, delivering a deceptively intelligent performance within the framework of this Regency-era drama. Her long-neglected romance with the foolish Bridgerton boy Colin (Luke Newton) will have to come down to a revelation or else how much more can she wait? She decides that it is about time to find a husband. So of course Colin returns from his Europe tour and is all sturdy, no less eager to be at the centre of attention among the ladies this season around. Yet all those books have not helped Penelope hold a proper conversation with possible suitors, as she fumbles with her hilarious introduction in an early scene. It is here where Colin tries to come in as the large-hearted friend who could help Penelope find a husband. A little help could also be of use to the rather too slow of a burn in the initial episodes, and the elaborately dull dialogues that follow the rest of the supporting characters. It seems all of them are cardboard cutouts, suited with their uni-dimensional arc. For Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley), it is still a honeymoon. For Francesca (Hannah Dodd), her debut this season is not quite eventful. For Eloise (a scene-stealing Claudia Jessie), it is still the fallout with Penelope that lingers on. October-girl Banita Sandhu is a welcome addition as Miss Malhotra, but is given little to do or say other than engage in gossip. Then there is Benedict (Luke Thompson), who is given the dumbest subplot with a new entrant that goes nowhere else than the bed. In the meantime, there is Lord Debling (Sam Philips), the vegetarian suitor who stands in the way of Penelope and Colin. The writing is not as sharp this time, unable to reach the heights of Season 1 with the slow build of attraction between the two leads. Where is the yearning? Where is the attraction? Were they buddies earlier? Do they not know each other at all? Expect no answers from Colin, who only gets to have confused expressions, thanks to the one-note performance of Newton. It is only Penelope who seems to be torn between her sense of purpose and her alter ego- Lady Whistledown. Penelope has the biggest task of all, to register details of her own life and colour them with acidic words. How must she get herself together this time? Coughan single-handedly saves the day this season, adding to the sparkle in the amazing creations by costume designer John Glazer. She is certainly the most radiant Bridgerton heroine so far, one who owns, and deserves, every second of the spotlight. Part 2 of Bridgerton Season 3 will release on June 13. Delhi has great shooting locations, and a majority of them fall in the Delhi University. Today, lets explore the colleges of DU where some of your favourite Bollywood films were shot. Bollywood films shot in DU colleges Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) The trend of shooting at colleges began with Ranveer Singhs debut film Band Baaja Baaraat, also starring Anushka Sharma. The romantic comedy revolves around two students who start their wedding planning binness after college. The beginning scenes were shot at Hansraj College and Ramjas College Rockstar (2011) In the Imtiaz Ali masterpiece, Ranbir Kapoor plays the role of a college student struggling to get his singing career off the ground. When he learns that he needs a broken heart to produce soulful music, he decides to propose Heer aka the heartbreaking machine played by Nargis Fakhri. The film was shot at Hindu College and St. Stephen's College Fukrey (2013) The sleeper hit began with a dream of two school backbenchers, played by Varun Sharma and Pulkit Samrat, who hoped to go to college one day. Most of the first half in Fukrey has been shot at Miranda House, where Hunny and Choocha meet college guard Pankaj Tripathi before being introduced to ex-student Ali Fazal and future student Manjot Singh aka Lali Akaash Vani (2013) A college romance which begins on a bright and happy note untill lovebirds Akaash and Vani, played by Kartik Aaryan and Nushrratt Bharuccha, are separated because of the harsh realities of their lives. They are brought together by fate to give love a second chance at their college reunion. This Luv Ranjan directorial was shot at DUs St. Stephens College Raazi (2018) Sehmat, played by Alia Bhatt, gets married to Pakistani military officer Iqbal aka Vicky Kaushal and sets out to become a RAW agent to fulfil her fathers last wish. But before turning into a spy, Sehmat was a student of the Delhi University. Alias introductory scene, where she saves a squirrel and hurts her ankle, was shot at Miranda House Alia Bhatt's introductory scene in Raazi Kabir Singh (2019) Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani played the role of medical students in Sandeep Reddy Vangas romantic drama. A majority of their college scenes were shot in Miranda House, right from their first meeting to the time they moved in together and ultimately graduated as doctors Did you recognise the DU colleges in any of these films? Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is one of the most beautiful women on planet earth. Since we know thats a fact it pains us, as well as her fans, when we see her in unflattering outfits. The latest example is her first look at the 77th Cannes Film Festival where she attended the premiere of Megalopolis. On Thursday, Aishwarya walked the red carpet wearing a black corsetted gown by Falguni Shane Peacock with a fluffy white shrug and a matching train featuring huge molten gold flowers. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's unflattering looks at the Cannes red carpet The actor had a white cast on her injured arm, gold detailing on the bust of the gown and massive gold hoops in her ears. Well, this disappointing look has forced us to revisit times we wished Aishwarya had listened to fashion critics and worn something more flattering on the Cannes red carpet. The neon fiasco at Cannes 2003 After a stunning debut in a yellow-gold saree, Aishwarya returned to the Cannes red carpet for the second time in a neon green saree with a front pallu by designer Neeta Lulla. She completed her look with neutral makeup, a heavy gold set and an embroidered blouse. This look was very underwhelming and the top knot did not help Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in her neon green saree at Cannes 2003 The teal tragedy at Cannes 2013 In 2013, Aishwarya walked the red carpet in a teal blue one-shoulder Gucci Premiere gown. It was pretty, but not exactly red-carpet-worthy. She completed the look with a hot pink pout which suited her. However, the tightly wound top knot disappointed the fashion police. The actor later made up for this by giving us two gorgeous looks on that trip a heavily embroidered anarkali by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla and a monochrome couture gown designed by Elie Saab Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in teal blue at Cannes 2013 The purple pout at Cannes 2016 Who can forget Aishwaryas pale purple pout that surprised the entire nation? The actor didnt look bad, but a deeper lip shade would have brought an extra oomph to the look. But that was not the only disappointing element. Her off-shoulder Rami Kadi gown in pastel pink, with intricately embroidered flowers and leaves, was meh Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her popular purple pout at Cannes 2016 Aishwarya as the white swan at Cannes 2019 Just look at her! That makeup and her features are pure perfection. But when you zoom out and see the outfit and her hairdo, you wonder why the actor ever said yes to this look. Aishwarya opted for a tiered off-shoulder white gown by Ashi Studio with a dramatic feathered cape, which was honestly just too much. Also, leaving her hair open would have definitely helped Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in white at Cannes 2019 The aluminium hood for Cannes 2023 Last year, Aishwarya looked pretty with her bold red pout and poker-straight hair, but her outfit left us deeply dissatisfied. She wore a Sophie Couture gown which looked as if it was made up of aluminium foil, with a black corset that was barely visible and a huge hood. The look was rounded off with a big black bow around her waist. This outfit soon became fodder for memes on social media Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a Sophie Couture gown at Cannes 2023 Aishwarya is a beloved star of our country. Fans adore her and instead of trolling, they often feel bad that a woman so beautiful is wearing something this unimpressive. Nevertheless, we hope her next look from Cannes 2024 blows us away! In a world where hourglass figures are setting the norm, showing off your obsessively svelte figure can lead you into dangerous territory! Take Kim Kardashian, the reality TV star whose Met Gala red carpet appearance whipped up a concerned frenzy. Her tight and sexy Maison Margiela corset, meant to flaunt an impossibly tiny waist, had her fans wondering if she was struggling to breathe. Canadian actress Taylor Russell also evoked reactions as she wore a Loewe corset that was styled to look like wood, at the Met Gala. Kim Kardashians tight corset that she recently wore to the Met Gala, is putting the spotlight on how extreme fashion can hamper health (Instagram) Taylor Russell wore a Loewe corset that was styled to look like wood at the Met Gala (Angela WEISS/AFP) The warning on this centuries-old practice of using corsets to cinch the waist has been out for long. Despite this, it remains one of the leading trends among top fashion houses. This leads to the question: are we sweeping the corset risk under the carpet? Experts delve into its potential health hazards. MATTER OF THE HEART Underlining the heart health risks to wearing tight clothing, Dr Vanita Arora, Senior Consultant, Cardiac Electrophysiologist and Interventional Cardiologist at Apollo Hospital, Delhi, says, From a medical standpoint, you are effectively squeezing the organs inside the abdominal cavity. This may result in breathing difficulties, reduced lung capacity and poor circulation. With shallow breathing and reduced oxygen intake, it increases the risk of hypoxia (low blood oxygen levels). In turn, this may lead to a reduction in the amount of oxygen reaching essential organs, resulting in exhaustion, light-headedness and even fainting. She adds, Long-term compression of the chest and abdomen can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders like heart attack, stroke and even heart failure caused by the bodys increased resistance to blood flow. The tight, laced-up corset restricts breathing and can bruise internal organs if worn for too long (Shutterstock) DIGESTION DISRUPTION Tight compression via corsets can affect digestion. Dr Sharad Malhotra, Senior Consultant and HOD, Gastroenterology Hepatology, Aakash Healthcare, New Delhi, explains, A corset not only compresses the waist, but also enhances the upper part of the chest and the lower part of the waist. If the compression of the abdominal muscles is for a few minutes or an hour it may not end up causing any damage, but prolonged and daily wearing may cause suppression of blood flow to different organs of the stomach leading to indigestion and problems in the motility of the intestine. He adds, Too much pressure on the stomach and the upper part of the small intestine can cause acid reflux, belching and bloating. It can also cause erosion and ulceration of the food pipe. LUNG TROUBLE Wearing extremely tight clothes can impact the lungs in several ways. Dr Rahul Kendre, Lung Transplant Physician, DPU Super Specialty Hospital, Pimpri, Pune, outlines the issues: Increased pressure: The tightness can exert pressure on the chest and abdomen, making it difficult for the diaphragm to move freely. Risk of pneumonia: In extreme cases, tight clothes can compress the chest to the extent that it hinders the proper functioning of the lungs, increasing the risk of respiratory infections like pneumonia. Long-term consequences: Continuously wearing tight garments over a long term can lead to chronic respiratory issues, such as decreased lung function, increased susceptibility to respiratory infections and disorders like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Silchar: The authorities at Assams Kaziranga National Park (KNP) and Tiger Reserve, in collaboration with the state police, have framed new strategies to strengthen anti-poaching vigil at the vulnerable areas of the park, officials said on Friday. Forest guards at Kaziranga National Park in Assam have been empowered to use firearms against poachers (File Photo) The director of the park, Sonali Ghosh, said they held a meeting on Thursday regarding strengthening the anti-poaching surveillance in vulnerable areas considering the recent attempts by the poachers. The key agenda of the meeting was to review the existing rhino protection measures, forest-police coordination, deployment of existing Forest Protection Forces and strengthening of the intelligence networks, she said. Ghosh said the Rhino population is increasing in Assam due to the concerted efforts of the Assam government. Kaziranga National Park has seen several attempts of poaching in the past but it has reduced in recent years. In 2022, the park recorded zero poaching. The Rhinos are increasingly venturing into newer areas, including Bura Chapori and Majul, she said. Ghosh said that to protect the wildlife from poachers, the task force has recommended that the vulnerability of the newer areas should be mapped and measures identified, including setting up of forest camps and patrolling routes, need to be considered. According to Ghosh, the task force also recommended the inclusion of additional members like senior officials of all the security forces, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Nagaon, Golaghat, Jorhat territorial divisions and the Commandants of the Assam Forest Protection Force) in the committee for greater coordination and strengthening the surveillance. She said that in the meeting, they decided to conduct regular coordination meetings in all Rhino-bearing areas to increase operational capabilities. The second anti-rhino poaching task force meeting was attended by Assam Police special director general Harmeet Singh and other top officials. Singh later wrote on X, Chaired the 2nd meeting of the Anti-Rhino Poaching Task Force today at Kaziranga National Park, with senior Police & Forest officials. Strategies to bolster Rhino protection, enhance coordination, cover new vulnerabilities & strengthen existing networks were deliberated. We are committed to the protection of Assams Wildlife, as envisioned by the chief minister. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that the number of tourists has increased in Kaziranga this year. Taking to X, he wrote, Kaziranga is fast developing as a preferred tourist destination and Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the world heritage site recently has elevated its tourism potential by several notches. In the 2023-24 tourist season, a total of 3,27,493 tourists visited the park. Bhubaneshwar: Union Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that this time there will be a double change in Odisha, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win over 15 Lok Sabha and 75 Assembly seats in the state. Union home minister and BJP leader Amit Shah (Twitter Photo) Addressing an election rally in Rourkela city, Shah said the 2024 election is an election to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister for the third time and start a new chapter in Odisha by ousting chief minister Naveen Patnaik and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Double change is going to take place in Odisha. With more than 15 MPs and 75 MLAs, Odisha is about to turn saffron, Shah said. He added, If the state needs to develop, the people here should vote for the double-engine government under PM Narendra Modis leadership. Shah said that Odisha has lost 24 years under Patnaik. The Western part of Odisha has been meted out with step-motherly treatment by the Odisha government. Today, 27 lakh (2.7 million) families do not have pucca houses, 26 lakh (2.6 million) houses do not have piped drinking water facilities, 6,412 villages lack proper roads and farmers incomes are much lower, Shah said, adding that If voted to power, the BJP, to help farmers of the state, will procure paddy at Rs. 3,100. Shah said the 2024 election is all about restoring the Odia language, literature, culture and pride. It was PM Modi who appointed Droupadi Murmu as the President of India. Similarly, PM Modi deliberately picked the Konark Sun temple as the backdrop to welcome the top delegates at the G20 Summit. The BJD government is not giving importance to Odishas language, culture and pride. Should the governance be in the hands of an Odia or a Tamil? In the name of the Parikrama project, the government here tried to make Puri a tourist hub while no steps have been taken to open all gates of Srimandir, alleged Shah. Slamming chief minister Patnaik-led government over the Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath temple in Puri, Shah said that for a long time, the people of Odisha and millions of Jagannath devotees have been asking about the Puri Ratna Bhandar keys. CM Naveen Patnaik should answer where are the original keys of Ratna Bhandar, who made duplicate keys and whether they were used to open the treasure trove. Shah added that all four gates of the 12th-century Jagannath temple in Puri will be opened for the devotees for smooth darshan of the deities after the BJP forms its government in the state on June 10. Further targeting Patnaik, Shah alleged that under Naveen Babu, officers are running the government, and the tribals are losing their land. On Friday, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma questioned V K Pandian, BJD member and Patnaiks close aide, over the missing keys of Shree Jagannath Temples Ratna Bhandar. Reacting to speeches made by the BJP leaders at public rallies, Patnaik called it unfortunate. He termed as derogatory and abusive, the campaign speeches by the opposition leaders from other states and Union ministers and described them as political tourists who visit Odisha during elections only. Speaking to PTI, Patnaik said, This time there are some chief ministers and Union ministers who come as political tourists only at the time of elections and then they disappear. Their speeches have no effect on the people of Odisha, and it is most unfortunate that many of them use derogatory and abusive language. I never believe in doing that and the people dont, here in our state, appreciate such language. (with PTI inputs) External affairs minister S Jaishankar, in a candid interview with Hindustan Times, accused India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, of losing the country's territory to Chinese aggression. External affairs minister S Jaishankar (Hindustan Times) Asked about the Opposition's allegations that China has been building a model village near Arunachal Pradesh and nibbling away territory in east Ladakh, S Jaishankar said the area where the village is being built was captured by China in the late 1950s, when Nehru was the prime minister. "Model village are the Chinese building these model villages? Yes. The village which became the subject of controversy is in a place called Longju. If you check the records of the Indian Parliament or you read any book on our border problem with China, the Chinese captured Longju in 1959, then there was a discussion with them. The Chinese came back in 1962; this time they captured it in its entirety and held it. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959 told Parliament, 'I am sorry but it has gone out of my hands'," S Jaishankar told HT's R Sukumar and Shishir Gupta. "The second example which they cited was a bridge. There is a bridge which is being constructed on the northern side of the Pangong Tso lake. You can look at the coordinates of that bridge, it is close to a place called Khurnak, Khurnak Fort. The Chinese came to Khurnak Fort in 1958 and that particular part of Pangong Tso, that segment, they actually illegally occupied in the 1962 war," he added. Answering a query on a road being built by the Chinese in the Shaksgam valley, which can potentially threaten India's positions in Siachen, he said it was Nehru who allowed the area to become part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Also read: HT interview: Strengthen Modis hands... hes going to see you through this stormy period, says Jaishankar "The recent one which came out during the campaign; their spokesperson said under Modi, we are actually now even risking Siachen because a road is built out of Shaksgam valley which has implications for the security of Siachen. Now Shaksgam valley; in 1949, Jawaharlal Nehru allowed it to become part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by accepting a ceasefire and not pressing our attack on Pakistan further. Then in 1963, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as the foreign minister made an agreement with the Chinese and handed over 5,180 sq km of that territory to the Chinese. Nehru let it happen, Bhutto handed it over to the Chinese and now you are saying Modi has culpability," S Jaishankar added. S Jaishankar said that Rahul Gandhi doesn't attack China's Belt and Road Initiative(BRI), which violates India's sovereignty. "The Congress party has actually been practising a very sort of clever doublespeak. On the one hand, Rahul Gandhi will actually meet the Chinese ambassador secretly while Doklam is going on. On the other hand, they claim to be a great nationalist outside. Please read Rahul Gandhis speeches on China, because he has a sense he knows a lot, and maybe he does. He doesnt attack the Belt & Road [Initiative]. Belt & Road violates our sovereignty but the Congress party is very, very cautious about it. You can actually sense his admiration for China you know a great civilization coming back, a great manufacturing power," he added. The Congress on Friday responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks where he said that INDIA bloc allies should learn from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath where to run bulldozers. Jairam Ramesh, MP & Chairman, Communications Department, AICC addresses the media, at Gauhati Press Club.(ANI) In a video shared on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh cited an article on Adityanath's website to claim that it reflected the chief minister and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) anti-reservation mindset. Follow full coverage of Lok Sabha elections here. In the video, Ramesh also showed where the article was on the UP CM's website and said it might not be available for long. He also cited portions of the article which according to Ramesh, reflected an anti-reservation mindset. "The outgoing prime minister today said that the INDIA bloc should learn from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath where to run the 'bulldozer'. See how Yogi's 'bulldozer' is against the reservation system for Dalits, tribals, and backward classes!" Also Read | Bulldozers line up during Yogis roadshow in SP bastion Mainpuri "The prime minister should clearly say that he is supporting Yogi because of his views on reservation. This is the secret behind his slogan of '400 paar'. He wants to do this so that with a majority of 400 seats in the Parliament, he can amend Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution and snatch the right of reservation from Dalits, tribals and backward classes," Ramesh alleged. What PM Modi said On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed the Samajwadi Party and the Congress would run a bulldozer over the Ram temple in Ayodhya if they came to power. In a sharp jibe at the INDIA bloc allies, he further said that the former must take tuition from Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to learn where to run bulldozers. "If SP and Congress come to power, Ram Lalla will be in a tent again and they will run a bulldozer on Ram temple. They should take tuition from Yogi ji, where to run a bulldozer and where you shouldn't," PM Modi said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lashed out at the Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections, calling it Maoist. The Congress is fighting a battle for its survival and can go to any extent (to save itself). Its Maoist manifesto is eyeing gold from temples and 'mangalsutra' of women. The Maoist manifesto will put a break on economic growth and lead the country to bankruptcy, Modi said at a rally in Mumbai's Shivaji Park. Continuing his attack, the prime minister was quoted by PTI as saying,"It (the Congress) also plans a 50 per cent inheritance tax... the party is planning an X-ray of your property and handing it over to their vote-bank which speaks of vote Jihad." During the rally, Modi lashed out at Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray, accusing his undivided party of stealing the people's mandate in 2019. When these people 'stole' the mandate in Maharashtra, they hindered developmental work. Bullet train, Mumbai metro...they stalled every single developmental work. Modi has one important resolve. Modi has come to give back the rights of Mumbai, Modi said. ALSO READ: PM Modi hurls nakli jibe at Uddhav Thackeray's Sena faction: Balasaheb said This fake Shiv Sena betrayed Balasaheb and the sacrifices of Shiv Sainiks. For power, they went with people who abused Ram temple. For the sake of power, they backed those who partied after Mumbai terror attacks, the prime minister said. The Congress abuses Veer Savarkar day and night. This fake Shiv Sena is sitting on its lap, Modi said. ALSO READ: Cong leaders supporting Kasab, is Uddhav Thackeray on same page?: Amit Shah Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses rally in Mumbai's Shivaji Park(Raju Shinde/HT Photo) New Delhi, A judge of the Delhi High Court on Friday recused himself from hearing a plea by an NGO seeking damages from the British Broadcasting Corporation , claiming its documentary India: The Modi Question casts a slur on the countrys reputation and makes false and defamatory imputations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian judiciary. The two-part documentary by BBC titled India: The Modi Question aired in January (AFP Photo) Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said he was recusing himself but did not assign any reason for it. The court said the petition be listed before another bench for hearing on May 22 subject to orders of the Acting Chief Justice. The high court had earlier issued notice to BBC and BBC on the plea filed by Gujarat-based NGO Justice On Trial. The plea has said BBC is the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom and has released the news documentary "India: The Modi Question" which has two episodes and BBC is its local operations office. It said the two episodes were broadcast in January 2023. The petitioner has sought damages of 10,000 crore in favour of the NGO and against the defendants on account of the loss of reputation and goodwill caused to the Honble Prime Minister of India, the Government of India, the Government of the State of Gujarat as it was during the period of the Gujarat Riots, and also the people of India. The documentary relates to the 2002 Gujarat riots when Modi was the state's chief minister. The government had banned the documentary soon after it was released. The plaintiff organisation, which says it is a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and also registered as a Public trust under the provisions of the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950, has filed the suit for damages. The NGO has also filed an Indigent Person Application which enables an indigent person to file a lawsuit. It has contended that the documentary contains content which casts a slur on the reputation of the country and also makes false and defamatory imputations and insinuations against the Prime Minister of India, the Indian judiciary and the Indian criminal justice system. The plea claimed the "disparaging and defamatory" statements of the defendant have caused grave and irreparable injury to the reputation of and denuded the goodwill that has been built by the Prime Minister of India, the Government of India, the Government of the State of Gujarat and also the people of India. The plea said for an order of damages, the relief is provisionally valued for the purposes of court fees at 10,000 crore. The plaintiff has filed an application under Order 33 Rules 1 and 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure seeking permission to sue as an indigent person since it does not have sufficient means to pay the court the fee prescribed by law. Under the CPC, a plaintiff is obligated to deposit a certain amount as court fee. Order 33 of the CPC deals with filing of suits by indigent persons. It says a person is an indigent person if he does not possess sufficient means to enable him to pay the fee prescribed by law for the plaint in such a suit. The Centre had earlier issued directions for blocking multiple YouTube videos and Twitter posts sharing links to the BBC documentary, which was described by the Ministry of External Affairs as a "propaganda piece" that lacks objectivity and reflects a colonial mindset. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Schengen countries received the third-highest number of visa applications from India last year, totalling 9.7 lakh, marking a 44 per cent increase from 6.7 lakh in 2022. Among the top five countries, India experienced the second-highest rise in visa applications after China, with Morocco and Turkey following suit, as reported by the European Commission. However, due to the surge, many Indians faced obstacles because of the unavailability of visa interview slots, causing disruptions to their travel arrangements. According to travel experts in India, the real demand for Schengen visas is likely much higher than the official numbers suggest. (AP.File) Vice-President of the Travel Agents Federation of India, Anil Kalsi told the Times of India, Appointments are simply not available with a majority of Schengen countries. If you want to travel to Europe this summer, the earliest appointment date for Germany and Italy is in July. This is making life very difficult for travellers. Rules require people to apply to the consulate of the country which will be their primary destination in Europe. But people are forced to opt for any country that has an appointment available for a visa in time. According to travel experts in India, the real demand for Schengen visas is likely much higher than the official numbers suggest. However, due to the lack of available visa interview slots, many Indians who wished to travel were unable to even apply for Schengen visas. Russia and China have experienced different dynamics. China, having opened its borders for international travel just last year, saw a significant surge in demand, jumping from 22nd place in 2022 to the top of the table in 2023. It recorded the highest increase, a remarkable 1,104 per cent, indicating a tenfold rise in applications compared to the previous year. Russia, on the other hand, slipped from rank 2 in 2022 to rank 5 in 2023, mainly due to the war on Ukraine and the sanctions that were imposed thereafter. Russians' Schengen visa applications fell 25 per cent in this two-year span. As per Times of India, several travel agents have complained to the Visa Facilitation Services (VFS) on various occasions but haven't received any responses. Read Here: This is the most popular destination in Schengen area for Indians Talking about the complaints, the VFS Global spokesperson told TOI, Visa decision timelines are entirely at the discretion of the respective embassies/consulates... We urge travellers to plan travel early to avoid last-minute surprises. Most countries accept visa applications up to 90 days (3 months) before the date of travel." According to the revised Schengen Visa Code, effective Feb 2, 2020, you can apply for a Schengen visa up to 6 months before your date of travel. In fact, until recently European Union policy allowed the issuance of short-term visas to frequent visitors, which involved applying again and again. However, it has not changed, TOI reported. The Schengen visa zone includes 25 EU member states along with four non-EU countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. The EU member states are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. Kandhamal: A remark by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader VK Pandian last Saturday accusing the states Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of triggering communal riots in Kandhamal district 15 years ago has triggered a bitter back-and-forth between the two parties in the battle for power in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. But the people who bore the brunt of the violence, and those who faced criminal cases for participating in bloody attacks, say they want to move on. Kandhamal will go to polls on May 20 (Representative Photo) It did though hurt for a long time, recalled Sukant Nayak, a 74-year-old retired school teacher of the district. Having seen the violence from close quarters, I could finally return to my village only six years ago with my family, said Nayak. It was on August 26, 2008 afternoon when Nayak, a Dalit-Christian teacher in Kandhamal, saw his house being set afire by a mob. His wife, hiding behind a bush near their house, froze as the semi-pucca house, paddy, two motorcycles and all belongings started burning while a marauding mob kept on screaming. Also Read: BJD, BJP vie for women voters to tip the scales in Odisha Nayak, his wife, son, daughter-in-law, a two-month-old granddaughter and another two-year-old granddaughter ran for their lives to a hillock where they hid without food and water for three days till they were rescued. My daughter-in-law almost went mad for several months as the two-month-old granddaughter died in her lap when we were hiding. It took me and my family several years and counselling to get over the loss that we suffered in 2008, said Nayak, sitting in his newly-built pucca house in Nilungia village, G Udaygiri block. Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi last Saturday launched an attack on Pandian, the bureaucrat-turned-politician and presumptive successor of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, accusing him of acting as a super chief minister, Pandian responded to the jibe saying whenever the BJP is in a losing position, its leaders talk of caste, region and religion. In Kandhamal, there was a bomb blast and bullets were fired. It (BJP) triggered riots in Kandhamal. Naveen Babu took strong steps and brought peace to Kandhamal, said Pandian. Two days later, the BJP hit back accusing the Patnaik-led government of withdrawing the security cover of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati whose murder on August 23, 2008, triggered the riots. Everything happened on the instructions of Naveen Patnaik and he is responsible as security cannot be withdrawn without the home departments order, alleged BJP MP Pratap Sarangi, asking why the report of the judicial commission that probed the murder, as well as, the riot has not been published as yet. A few months later, BJD and BJP severed their alliance over the riot as Patnaik accused the BJP of being a communal party. As Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency goes to polls on May 20, the 2008 riots in which 43 Christians and Hindus were killed and thousands of houses and churches in the district were demolished, is now a distant but painful memory for most tribal Hindus, tribal Christians as well as Dalit Hindus and Dalit Christians. Also Read: BJP will win 15 Lok Sabha, 75 assembly seats in Odisha: Amit Shah For some like Nayak, the pain of the 2008 riots lingered a lot longer as they found it difficult to obliterate the bad memories. Having seen the violence from close quarters, I could finally return to my village six years ago with my family, said Nayak. Spread over seven assembly constituencies and four districts Kandhamal, Boudh, Ganjam and Nayagarh the Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency was carved out in the 2009 delimitation exercise and has 1.33 million voters. While BJD has renominated its sitting MP and education baron Achyut Samanta, BJP has given a ticket to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh veteran Sukanta Panigrahi and Congress has fielded former GST commissioner Amir Chand Nayak, who took voluntary retirement from government service in 2019. The constituency is a BJD stronghold with the party winning all seven assembly seats in the last state election. In the 2019 elections, Samanta had defeated his nearest rival, Kharabela Swain of the BJP, by a wide margin of over 150,000 votes. In the 2009 Lok Sabha election for Kandhamal Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP candidate forfeited his security deposit. It was only in the G Udaygiri assembly constituency that BJP candidate and riot convict Manoj Pradhan won with over 40% tribal Hindu voters. However, in subsequent elections of 2014 and 2019, the BJP failed to win any of the assembly seats and came third behind BJD and Congress. Despite Pandian raking up the Kandhamal riots, many of the riot victims, as well as, those who were accused of participating in the riots, would rather forget the episode. For many, a job and drinking water is a more pressing issue than religion. Shankar Pradhan, a tribal Hindu of Nilungia village, spent a couple of years in jail after being accused of participating in the riots. He was finally acquitted of the cases last year. The riot cases took a toll on our family as we spent most of our earnings on lawyers and bribing the officials. The riot was inevitable, but we have forgotten it now, said Shankars wife Radhefula. In Dadda Padia village under Ratingia gram panchayat, Shravan Kumar Pradhan, a 26-year-old Kondh tribal, hopes to crack the Odisha Teachers Education test scheduled for December this year. Hailing from a landless family, Pradhan worked as a newspaper hawker and a daily wager as well as a house painter to complete his graduation from a local college. On Saturday, he could make it to PM Modis rally in Phulbani town, but by the time he could reach, it had ended. I like Modi because he talks of employment for youths like us and a strong India, said Pradhan. Also Read: 87 candidates contesting in phase 2 of Odisha polls face criminal charges: ADR In Nilungia village, Kabir Nayak, a 60-year-old Dalit-Christian is unhappy over the erratic drinking water supply and lack of jobs. My daughter-in-law has to walk at least a kilometre to get water as water comes every alternate day in the piped drinking water connection. My son has migrated to Kerala as there is little work available here, he said. His neighbour Airam Nayak, also a Christian, is more worried about the drinking water supply and delayed payment of MGNREGA. Having voted for the BJD in the last election, both say they would vote for Congress this election. But in Katringia gram panchayat, most of the Dalit-Hindus say they would vote for the BJP only because of Modi. Now no one remembers riots. We have been getting free rice from the Modi government since Covid. The Naveen Patnaik government could have added more rice and maybe pulses. The local school does not have enough teachers hampering the education of our children. I want a change in the state, said Luisi Digal, another local. Emmanuel Rath, a local Christian leader of Kandhamal, said that despite people rooting for change, the BJD would again romp home in the constituency due to its strong booth-level presence. Though the Congress candidate is a local person, the party lacks resources to take on the might of BJD candidate Samanta, who has got hundreds of tribal students from the district admitted to his university. The BJD winning margin would come down due to anti-incumbency, but the party would win, said Rath. Kandhamal will go to polls on May 20. The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said that it has discovered chats between Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and hawala operators regarding the alleged proceeds of crime in the money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy case. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has been named as an accused by the ED in the excise policy case. The agency claims that the chats were recovered from the devices of hawala operators after Kejriwal refused to share his devices' passwords. Follow Live updates here. The submission was made during a hearing on Arvind Kejriwal's petition challenging the validity of his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the case. A top court bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta reserved its judgement after hearing senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who appeared for Kejriwal and the Enforcement Directorate, respectively. Arguments heard. Judgement reserved. Notwithstanding the same, and without prejudice to rights and contentions, the appellant can move the trial court for grant of bail in accordance with law, the bench said in its order. The Delhi chief minister was arrested on March 21 in the money laundering case. He was granted interim bail from May 10 to June 1 for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections by the Supreme Court. The top court has ordered him to surrender on June 2. ED files charge sheet against Kejriwal, AAP The Enforcement Directorate has filed its charge sheet against Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22, making it first political party ever to be named as accused in a charge sheet. An official familiar with the development said, A detailed prosecution complaint (or charge sheet) has been filed based on irrefutable evidence that shows that Kejriwal is the key conspirator who used his position as the CM of Delhi to facilitate the offence of money laundering punishable u/s 4 of PMLA (prevention of money laundering act) by the company i.e. AAP. AAP has been named as accused under PMLA as it was the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the excise policy, said the official. At least Rs.45 crore out of Rs.100 crore bribes taken in lieu of favouring certain liquor traders was used for AAPs Goa poll campaign and as national convenor and member of partys national executive, Kejriwal was ultimately responsible for funds being used and generated, added the official. This charge sheet is the eighth in the series filed by the ED under PMLA in the excise case since November 2022. New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday filed its charge sheet against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22, making it first political party ever to be named as accused in a charge sheet. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by ED on March 21, he is currently out on interim bail (File Photo) An official familiar with the development said, A detailed prosecution complaint (or charge sheet) has been filed based on irrefutable evidence that shows that Kejriwal is the key conspirator who used his position as the CM of Delhi to facilitate the offence of money laundering punishable u/s 4 of PMLA (prevention of money laundering act) by the company i.e. AAP. AAP has been named as accused under PMLA as it was the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the excise policy, said the official. At least Rs.45 crore out of Rs.100 crore bribes taken in lieu of favouring certain liquor traders was used for AAPs Goa poll campaign and as national convenor and member of partys national executive, Kejriwal was ultimately responsible for funds being used and generated, added the official. The latest charge sheet is the eighth in the series filed by the ED under PMLA in the excise case since November 2022. Kejriwal was arrested by the federal financial crimes probe agency on March 21 from his residence at Flagstaff Road in Delhi. Also Read: CM out on bail, MCD likely to restart process for Delhi mayor polls A day after the arrest, the ED informed a special court that Kejriwal was and is not only the brain behind the AAP who controlled its major activities, but he was also one of the founding members and was also involved in the decision-making of the policy as evident from the statements of the witnesses. He is also involved in the demand for kickbacks which have inter-alia generated further proceeds of crime, the agency has claimed. The Supreme Court last Friday ordered his release on interim bail till June 1 amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Elaborating EDs decision to name AAP in the charge sheet, a second officer said, AAP has been defined as a company under section 70 of the PMLA, which deals with offences by companies. The AAP received around Rs100 crore in bribes and Kejriwal used his position to utilise proceeds of crime worth about Rs.45 crore from the alleged kickbacks in AAPs election campaign in Goa in 2022, the ED has alleged. Statements of various persons engaged in the election campaign-related activities by the AAP in Goa have revealed that cash payments were made to them for their work done as survey workers, area managers, assembly managers etc. These persons and activities related to the election campaign were overall managed by Vijay Nair and Durgesh Pathak, AAP, MLA in Delhi, the agency said on March 22 in court. This also shows the dissipation/utilisation of proceeds of crime by the representative of Manish Sisodia in Goa elections. This is also corroborated by one of the candidates of AAP of Goa elections in 2022 who received funds for election expenses in cash from the AAP volunteers in Goa, the agency added. The ED has linked Kejriwal to the generation and use of the kickbacks saying that at the time of the offence, the CM was in charge of and responsible for the said company, that is AAP. Therefore, not only the AAP but Kejriwal shall be deemed to be guilty of offences punishable u/s 4 of PMLA and shall be liable to be prosecuted and punished as provided u/s 70 of PMLA, ED said in court while seeking his custody on March 22. The agency further claimed that the money laundering had taken place in the Delhi excise policy with Kejriwals knowledge and that he didnt exercise any timely diligence to prevent such contravention. The ED also said the CM has been intrinsically involved in the entire conspiracy of the Delhi liquor policy irregularities, referring to his actions involving policy formulation, hatching the conspiracy of kickbacks with the South Group members, and eventually using part of the proceeds of crime in the election campaign of AAP. Also Read: Kejriwal responsible for assault on Maliwal, says Niramala Sitharaman In this manner, it is established that Kejriwal, who is the ultimate in charge of the AAP, was intrinsically involved in the acts of policy formulation, kickback scheme and the final use of the proceeds of crime thus generated, including conspiracy thereof. Therefore, he is also liable for the use of the proceeds of crime of Rs.45 crore in the election campaign of the AAP in Goa under section 70(1) of PMLA, 2002 apart from his role in his personal capacity, ED said. According to the agency, the AAPs former communication in-charge, Vijay Nair, acting on behalf of the partys leaders, received kickbacks to the tune of Rs.100 crore from the South Group to let liquor dealers gain control of the wholesale business and licenses under the now scrapped excise policy. The agency cited a statement by businessman Sarath Reddy, who claimed he met Kejriwal, who then asked him to stay in touch with Vijay Nair as someone who could take care of every problem. Linking Nair with the Delhi CM, ED contended that Nair is Kejriwals very close associate who acted as a broker and middleman on behalf of top leaders of AAP (especially Kejriwal). The Delhi governments 2021-22 excise policy aimed to revitalise the citys flagging liquor business. It aimed to replace a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. The policy also introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor, a first for Delhi. The plan, however, came to an abrupt end, with Delhis lieutenant governor VK Saxena recommending a probe into alleged irregularities in the regime. This ultimately resulted in the policy being scrapped prematurely and being replaced by the 2020-21 regime, and the AAP alleging that Saxenas predecessor sabotaged the move with a few last-minute changes that resulted in lower-than-expected revenues. The Trinamool Congress on Thursday moved the Election Commission against former high court judge and BJP candidate, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, for allegedly making misogynistic remarks against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Former Calcutta high court Judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay (M) joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in March. (Hindustan Times file photo) Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who joined the BJP after resigning from his post as the Calcutta high court judge, allegedly asked what "Mamata Banerjee's price" was. He made the alleged remarks at an election rally in East Midnapore's Chaitanyapur on Wednesday. "Trinamool says Rekha Patra (BJP's Sandeshkhali candidate) was bought for 2000. So, Mamata Banerjee, what is your price, 10 lakh?" he said, according to the Times of India. The Trinamool Congress slammed the politician, saying he crossed all limits. The party claimed shameful words were used to malign a woman chief minister. "It is shameful that a former judge who is now a BJP candidate uses such words to malign a woman chief minister. This is the guarantee of the BJP that women under BJP rule will be insulted in this way," TMC leader Santanu Sen told PTI. A video clip of the alleged remarks have gone viral. The BJP, however, said the clip was fake. The party said the TMC wanted to malign the BJP with such fake videos. "We don't agree with the existence of any such videos. This is a ploy by the TMC to release fake videos and malign the BJP. But that won't make any difference in the elections," BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said. Abhijit Gangopadhyay is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from West Bengal's Tamluk. Earlier this month, Gangopadhyay moved the Calcutta high court alleging police overaction by registering an attempt to murder case against him. His lawyer told the court that the FIR was registered in order to prevent him from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls. Mamata Banerjee's TMC is facing a stiff challenge from the BJP, which won 18 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections. NEW DELHI: Indian firms have to assess business dealings with China through a national security filter and do more sourcing from domestic manufacturers amid the standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Friday. External affairs minister S Jaishankar at the CII Annual Business Summit in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI) Jaishankar, who was speaking at the annual business summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said the Russia-Ukraine conflict, escalation of violence in West Asia, disruption of logistics due to war and sanctions, and a crisis of fuel, food and fertilisers have all combined to create a perfect storm for the world economy. While Jaishankar didnt refer to China in his speech, he addressed Indias concerns about its northern neighbour during a question-and-answer session, including the need to address natural security sensitivities in business dealings. Also Read: Strengthen Modis hands... hes going to see you through this stormy period, says Jaishankar Where China is concerned, we will still encourage people in this country manufacture in India, source in India, procure from India, Jaishankar said in response to a question on trade with China. We have not completely and utterly prohibited people working with China, but frankly we would much rather you work with Indian companies if there is an Indian option available to you. That I think is good for our national security, we hope you think that it is good for your own business in the long term. Indian businesses will have to use a national security filter, which doesnt mean that nothing would come in from China, but that national security sensitivities are evaluated in business propositions, he said. Also Read | Jaishankar interview: What EAM said on China, relations with Canada? | Top points In a reference to the standoff on the LAC triggered four years ago by China moving large numbers of troops closer to the disputed border while disregarding agreements on managing the frontier, Jaishankar asked: Would you do business with somebody whos just barged into your drawing room and is trying to make a mess of your house fencing? You wont. Theres a common sense proposition there. Jaishankar has maintained throughout the standoff that the overall India-China relationship cannot be normalised without peace and tranquillity on the border. This has been in marked contrast to Chinas call for the border issue to be placed in the appropriate place in the overall relationship while the two sides take forward ties in other areas. According to the latest figures, China overtook the US to emerge as Indias largest trading partner during 2023-24, with two-way trade worth $118.4 billion. Indias exports to China during this period were worth only $16.67 billion. Jaishankar alluded to the trade imbalance built up over the past two decades and said there is a problem with Indias business community making choices based solely on a price point. India will have to encourage businesses to do more domestic sourcing while simultaneously encouraging domestic production, he said. This doesnt mean that business with China will stop, and this is also borne out by trade figures, Jaishankar said. India needs to define the problem, take precautions and identify a list of businesses, including sensitive sectors, and then assess its possibilities, he added. Jaishankar highlighted the challenges that are currently impacting the global economy, including the Ukraine conflict in its third year, a huge escalation of violence in West Asia that could spread beyond, disruption of logistics due to war, sanctions, drone attacks and climate events, and a crisis of fuel, food and fertilisers. In Asia, new tensions have emerged in land and sea as agreements are dishonoured and rule of law disregarded, he said without naming China. In many ways, we are actually going through the perfect storm. For India, the task is to mitigate its impact on itself and contribute to stabilising the world to the extent possible. It is this judicious combination of Bharat First and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam that defines our image as Vishwa Bandhu, he added. India also has concerns about a combination of excessive market shares, financial domination and technology tracking as these have allowed for the weaponisation of virtually any form of economic activity. We have seen how both exports and imports, access to raw materials or even stability of tourism has been utilised to exert political pressure. At the same time, the power of currency and the threat of sanctions have been deployed in the toolbox of international diplomacy, Jaishankar said. The current government has also sought to address the neglect of manufacturing by past administrations, which led to three challenges a lack of employment, especially for SMEs, the lack of technology strengths, and consequences for national security. Foreign policy helps create comfort levels between governments for trust and reliability, especially the de-risking of supply sources and enhancing collaboration in sensitive and critical technologies, as is being done with the US through the iCET dialogue with the EU through the Trade and Technology Council. As India looks to access global resources to fuel its growth, Russia presents fresh economic opportunities as it turns eastwards, he said. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said on Friday that she is giving her son to the people of Rae Bareli and "Rahul will not disappoint you". Ex-Congress chief Sonia Gandhi addressing the crowd in Rabareli, UP.(Deepak Gupta/Hindustan Times) She also thanked the people for giving her an opportunity to serve them as an MP for 20 years. Follow full coverage of the Lok Sabha elections. "My everything is all given by you. So, brothers and sisters, I am giving you my son. You consider me yours," she said. Trying to strike an emotional chord with the voters, Sonia asked the people to consider Rahul Gandhi too as their own. "Rahul will not disappoint you," said Sonia Gandhi, as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stood by her side on the stage at a joint election rally here. "I taught the same lessons to Rahul and Priyanka which Indira Gandhi and the people of Rae Bareli had taught me. To respect all, protect the weak, fight against injustice for the rights of people. Don't be afraid, because your roots of struggle and traditions are very deep," she said. Sonia Gandhi said, "Not only the tender memories of life, but also the roots of my family are connected to this soil for the last 100 years... this relationship as sacred as Mother Ganga is with the farmers of Awadh and Rae Bareli. It started with a movement and continues till today." Talking about her mother-in-law and former prime minister late Indira Gandhi, who was the MP from Rae Bareli, Sonia Gandhi said, "Indira ji had a special place for Rae Bareli in her heart. I saw her closely while working. She had immense affection for you." Sonia Gandhi was first elected as an MP from Rae Bareli in 2004 and represented the seat till earlier this year when she vacated it on getting elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Rahul Gandhi is in the fray from the Rae Bareli constituency this time. "You gave me a chance to serve you as an MP for 20 years. This is the biggest asset of my life," she said. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, along with other senior leaders of the Congress and the SP, was also present on the stage at the rally. Speaking before his mother, Rahul Gandhi said the "youth across the country have made up their mind that they don't want Narendra Modi", and asserted that the INDIA alliance government will be formed after June 4, the day results will be declared. "Narendra Modi will not remain prime minister after June 4 and the INDIA alliance government will be formed. That government will be of the public," said Rahul Gandhi. "The youth across the country have made up their mind that they don't want Narendra Modi," he added. Raising a copy of the Indian Constitution, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the people of the BJP and the RSS want to tear it away. "I want to tell the people of the BJP and the RSS not to dream as no one can put an end to this book," Rahul Gandhi added. He reiterated the promises made by the Congress in its manifesto and listed the schemes promised for the women and the youth. "We made it a law to provide free ration to the poor. Currently you are getting 5 kg ration but on coming to power we will provide 10 kg of free ration," Rahul Gandhi said. He talked about the connections of his family with Rae Bareli. "The relation between you and me is of truth and heart. Whatever I will say, I will make it happen for you," Rahul Gandhi said. The Congress party has only lost the seat on three occasions till date. Earlier in the rally, Priyanka Gandhi said the current government neglected the voices of the farmers, women, poor and the youth. "Today a storm has kicked up in the country. It is the voice of the nation that the dictatorship of the BJP government should be removed and a new politics with a new awakening be established in the country. "Send a message from Rae Bareli to the nation that you need clean politics and throw away the government of Narendra Modi," she said. Rae Bareli will go to polls in the fifth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on May 20. The Indian embassy Cambodia on Friday issued an advisory for those travelling to Cambodia and Laos for jobs, asking them to verify their employers with authorities as scams related to fraudulent job offers are on the rise. Thousands fall prey to social media ads promising high-paying jobs in Cambodia and Laos (UnSplash) Job scams in Southeast Asia Thousands fall prey to social media ads promising high-paying jobs in Cambodia and Laos. Organised crime rings, which flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic, have expanded from Southeast Asia to form a global network, generating up to $3 trillion annually, as per Interpol. The UN reported last year that over 1 lakh individuals were trafficked into online scam centres in Cambodia alone. Recently, 250 Indians were rescued and repatriated by the government after being duped into fake employment schemes in Cambodia. ALSO READ- India to Cambodia first direct flight: Cambodia Angkor Air to launch direct flights between Phnom Penh and New Delhi Indian government's advisory on fake job scams in Cambodia 1. The authorities have warned Indian nationals travelling for jobs in Cambodia and Southeast Asia about fake agents luring people into scam companies, particularly those involved in cyber crimes. 2. Instances have been reported of Indian nationals being lured for employment through Thailand into Laos, involving call-center scams and cryptocurrency frauds, the advisory said. 3. Victims were promised high salaries, hotel bookings, return air tickets, and visa facilitation, only to be illegally taken into Laos and held captive to work in harsh conditions, it added. ALSO READ- Devyani Khobragade: 6 things about Indian envoy who dressed as Apsara on Cambodian New Year 4. The authorities made it clear that Visa on Arrival in Thailand or Laos doesn't permit employment, and Lao authorities don't issue work permits to Indians on such visas. 5. Tourist visas should be used solely for tourism purposes, and individuals are advised not to engage in fraudulent job offers to avoid severe legal consequences, it advised. 6. Those convicted of human trafficking crimes face up to 18 years in prison in Laos, it warned. ALSO READ- After Cambodia crypto scam, Indians demand more jobs at home 7. Indian nationals are urged to exercise caution, and verify recruiting agents and companies' antecedents before accepting job offers in Laos, the advisory said. 8. Travellers are advised to stay vigilant, avoid falling for fraudulent job offers, and seek assistance from official channels in case of any doubt or concern. 9. The Embassy of India, Phnom Penh provides assistance and clarification on job offers in Laos via email: cons.phnompenh@mea.gov.in and yisa.phnompenh@mea.gov.in, it added. 10. For help or clarification on job offers in Lao PDR, Indian nationals can contact the Indian Embassy at conu.vientianne@mea.gov.in. Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy accused the state government of trying to tarnish the reputation of the Deve Gowda family instead of seeking justice in the sex videos scandal case linked to Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. He alleged the government was misusing its power rather than carrying out a fair investigation into the allegations against Revanna. Speaking to the media in Mysuru, Kumaraswamy slammed the Special Investigation Teams (SIT) handling of the case. (AP) Speaking to the media in Mysuru, Kumaraswamy slammed the Special Investigation Teams (SIT) handling of the case, claiming it was not adequately targeting those responsible for disseminating the explicit videos. He also called for an impartial probe into the matter. Taking a veiled jab at Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, implying that a thorough and honest investigation could quickly identify the main culprits, he referred to Shivakumar as whale, saying, If the SIT conducts the investigation honestly, the whale can be found in 10 minutes. Every bit of information on the investigation is being sent to the MLA of Mandya district, but not the Home Minister. Why have they not been able to arrest and interrogate the alleged accused (Revannas former driver Karthik who allegedly leaked the sexual abuse videos) who is giving interviews to news channels? If they arrest him the whale will be also be found, Kumaraswamy said. The statement comes as police continued raids in connection with the case. Officials familiar with the matter said that police have recovered some electronic evidence, particularly from associates of former BJP MLA Preetham Gowda. The evidence has been sent for forensic test, police added. Deve Gowda family not aware of Prajwals whereabouts: JD(S) leader JD(S) Core Committee President and MLA GT Devegowda added to the controversy stating that neither the party leaders nor the HD Deve Gowda family know the whereabouts of Prajwal. A Blue Corner notice has been issued to 196 countries to track him, but he has not been located so far. Prajwal Revanna has not been in touch with the leaders since the scandal came to light. No one knows where he is, Devegowda said. Meanwhile, Minister for Small Scale Industries and Public Enterprises Sharanabasappa Darshanapur questioned the inconsistency in demands for justice, citing the instance when the BJP and JD(S) leaders had sought an encounter of the assailant in Neha Hiremath murder case. Neha, daughter of Congress councillor Niranjan Hiremath, was fatally stabbed by her former classmate Mohammad Fayazz at BVB College in Hubballi in April. Both BJP and JD(S) leaders had sought an encounter of the assailant in Neha Hiremath murder case. Why are they not demanding the encounter of Prajwal Revanna now? Where have these leaders gone? Why is justice not the same for all?, the Congress leader asked. Mumbai: Maharashtra, which sends the second-highest Members of Parliament (MP) to Lok Sabha (48), is a key swing state in this election. In 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance supported by one independent MP (Navneet Rana from Amravati) swept the state with 43 seats. Five years on, the states politics is considerably fragmented with the split in the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). How these following five questions play out will decide the 2024 mandate in the state: Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigning in Mumbai (Bloomberg) Will splitting the Shiv Sena and the NCP help the BJP? In the 2014 and 2019 elections, at the height of the Modi wave, and when it was in alliance with the Shiv Sena, the BJP won 23 seats, and its vote share hovered a few decimal points above 27%. Following the split with the Shiv Sena, it became clear that the party needed another ally to continue to do well. The BJPs stated aim is to win 45 seats in Maharashtra. By splitting two strong regional parties, it has weakened them but it remains to be seen whether it has strengthened itself. In an election that has largely become about local issues and sentiment, the anger on the ground about breaking up the Shiv Sena and the NCP will impact the electoral arithmetic. Will the Maratha agitation have an impact? The Maratha community comprises 38% of the states population. It is a dominant force in the states politics with an overwhelming majority of Maharashtras chief ministers having been Marathas. The nine-month-long agitation led by reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil has had considerable traction, especially in Marathwada. At the same time, the Eknath Shinde governments move to provide reservation to a section of the Marathas under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category by enveloping them in the Kunbi foldas they were classified under the Nizamshahi rulehas created unrest among the powerful OBC bloc. It complicated matters that for a significant part of Jarange-Patils agitation, the chief minister and his two deputies spoke at variance with one another. While Shinde proposed the idea of reservation under the Kunbi fold to bypass the 50% cap, Devendra Fadnavis, especially, and Ajit Pawar, consistently opposed the idea of engaging with Jarange-Patil. Shindes cabinet colleague Chhagan Bhujbal, a powerful OBC leader, too rallied against the Maratha reservation. So, how will this play out in the election? In the eight constituencies in Marathwada, there is a discernible impact among the pro-Maratha agitators. The OBC agitation will have a bearing on electoral outcomes in Nashik and Dindori in north Maharashtra, in Raigad and Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg in the Konkan belt, and also in the 10 seats in the Vidarbha region. Can Uddhav Thackeray reinvent his party and maintain his relevance? The chief reason the BJP split the Shiv Sena was that a strong Shiv Sena would never allow the party to become hegemonic in Maharashtra. When the BJP first came to power in the state in 1995, it was on the back of the Shiv Sena. Mumbai continues to be a Thackeray stronghold with their control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Sena won six of the 10 seats in the Mumbai Metropolitan region. In the 2014 and 2019 elections, while the partys tally was constant at 18, its vote share went up from 20.63% in 2014 to 23.29% in 2019. When the split with the BJP happened over sharing the chief ministership after the 2019 assembly win, it not only shocked the BJP but also alarmed it. In opposition, the Shiv Sena would be its only ideological rival and one that also mined the nativist narrative successfully. The 2022 split in the Shiv Sena has left the party bleeding men and money. Uddhav Thackeray lost the party name, and symbol, while the bulk of his lawmakers is now with the Eknath Shinde. The ideological dilution by allying with the Congress has left a section of Sainiks confused and unhappy. Thackeray is trying to counter that by upping the rhetoric of Gujarati versus Marathi manoos. If he does manage to hold on to his seats, Uddhav Thackeray would have scripted a miraculous comeback. Is this NCP founder Sharad Pawars make-or-break election? Comebacks have no meaning for Sharad Pawar, for the stalwart Maratha never went anywhere. He has been the dominant force in Maharashtra politics for the last five decades, becoming the states youngest chief minister at 36. He broke away twice from Congress each time to build a new party for himself. But he is hamstrung this time around because of his advancing years. His daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule is the working national president of the NCP, but whether she is his true political inheritor remains unclear. This is why Pawar recently floated the trial balloon about a possible merger with Congress in the months ahead. It keeps his party in the long game. In the previous two general elections, the NCP won four seats and its vote share remained steady at a shade below 16%. This time the party is contesting its lowest number of seats, and with all eyes peeled on the high-decibel Pawar versus Pawar contest in the pocket borough of Baramati, any wins will be a bonus for the grand old man of Maharashtra politics. Will Eknath Shindes gamble pay off? If there has been one winner in Maharashtras game of thrones, it is Eknath Shinde. His take-no-prisoners approach got him not just the chief ministership but also the effective control of the Shiv Sena right from under Uddhav Thackerays nose. But elections are a different game. Between chipping away at Uddhav Thackerays faction, and running the government with two powerful deputies from different parties, it is to be seen whether Shinde has also had the time to build a grassroots organisation essential for winning elections. He succeeded in getting 15 seats with hard-fought ticket negotiations, and on 13 of which he has a direct contest with Shiv Sena (UBT). Shindes political future hinges on how his party performs in this election. The BJP will be keeping a close eye on him to assess if he remains a useful fellow traveller. Punjabs all 13 Lok Sabha seats will go to the polls in the seventh and the last phase of the polling on June 1 with farm crisis emerging among the major issues. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is contesting on its own even as it managed to ally with the Congress in neighbouring Haryana and Delhi. Here are the five questions that will matter in deciding the 2024 contest in Punjab, which is set for a four-cornered contest: AAP appears to be in the pole position in Punjab. (REUTERS) What impact will the farm crisis have? The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is bearing the brunt of the farmers anger. Farm unions have disrupted the BJPs campaign, blocked its candidates from entering villages, and called for their boycott. This is likely to hurt the partys rural outreach, which is critical since the BJP is contesting on its own in the state for the first since 1996. The BJP depended on its ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for the rural votes in elections between 1996 and 2019. It needs to increase its footprint beyond the Hindu-dominated urban pockets to expand its base. Opposition from the farmers has also cast a shadow on the partys well-choreographed inductions of Sikh faces, mostly defectors from the Congress, who have been fielding on six of the 13 seats. Can the BJP make a dent? The BJP is looking to expand beyond its traditional base in urban pockets by contesting all 13 Lok Sabha seats for the first time since 1996 after its alliance with SAD ended three years ago over the now-scrapped farm laws that triggered protracted protests. The party, which won two of the three seats it contested in 2019, is counting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ram temple issue. In 2014 and 2019, the Modi factor did not translate into anything significant for the SAD-BJP alliance. As it faces a backlash from farm unions in rural Punjab, the BJP is banking on counter-polarisation in urban areas. It remains to be seen whether the party makes inroads in rural Punjab or remains a Brahmin-Bania party. Can AAP sustain gains made in the assembly polls? AAP appears to be in the pole position having swept to power in 2022 with a landslide win of 92 seats in the 117-member assembly. It is facing a stiff challenge from Congress on at least 10 of 13 seats. AAP is counting on populist measures such as 300 units of free power for households, chief minister Bhagwant Manns clean image, and his folksy campaign, which resonates with the electorate. AAPs best Lok Sabha poll showing in Punjab was in its debut election in 2014 when it won four seats with 24.40% votes. AAP may fall short of the 42% vote share it got in the assembly polls but looks on course to be a major gainer. Can the Akalis and Congress make a comeback? The parliamentary elections present an opportunity to both the Congress and Akalis after the 2022 assembly election debacle. But Congresss prospects look brighter. The Congress, which won eight Lok Sabha seats with a 40.12% vote share in 2019, floundered in the state polls, getting just 18 of 117 seats with 23% votes. Congress faced defections in the run-up to the parliamentary polls. But it is pinning hopes on anti-incumbency against the AAP government, former party chief Rahul Gandhis anti-BJP rhetoric, and bigwigs such as Charanjit Channi, Raja Warring, and Sukhjinder Randhawa, Sukhpal Khaira, who are in the fray. It is a fight for survival for Akalis after their vote share plummeted to 18.38% in 2022 due to a weakening support base among the Sikhs and peasantry. The party has returned to its core religious agenda to redeem itself among the Sikhs while also trying to placate the farmers. The Congress looks resurgent while Akalis rough patch may continue. Will the Khalistani sentiment resurface, especially with the candidature of Amritpal Singh? There are no signs of a resurgence of pro-Khalistan sentiment after radical Sikh leader Amritpal Singh, who is lodged in Assams Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act, announced his candidature from Khadoor Sahib as an independent. Singhs parents and supporters are managing his campaign, which has not been centered on the separatist ideology that he swore by before his arrest last year. The campaign has portrayed him as an anti-drug campaigner and a Sikh preacher. It is seeking votes for him for his release from internment. Far from reviving the pro-Khalistani voices, Singhs candidature may moderate his image. Sangrur member of Parliament Simranjit Singh Mann, a long-time Khalistani sympathiser who heads an Akali faction, is the only one to have lent support to Amritpal Singh. Uttar Pradesh has been at the centre of Hindutva politics since the 1980s when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took charge of the campaign for the Ram Temple construction in Ayodhya. But Hindutva gained political salience only after 2014 with the emergence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi nationally. The BJP swept the 2014 general elections in Uttar Pradesh, winning 71 of the 80 seats. Ally Apna Dal won two seats, Samajwadi Party (SP) five and Congress two. In 2019, the BJP bagged 62 seats and its allies two. And in both 2017 and 2022, the party swept the assembly elections. As the BJP looks to the state in pursuit of its 370 target, here are the five questions that will matter in the state, which sends the highest lawmakers to Parliament: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public meeting in Uttar Pradeshs Bhadohi. (PTI) What is the likely impact of the Ram Temples opening? The BJP hopes the fervour over this acts as a binding force for the larger rainbow coalition of Hindus, across castes and classes that the party has built since 2014. Modi was front and centre of the consecration ceremony on January 22 in the run-up to the national polls. Top BJP leaders including Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath have referred to the temple in their speeches. On May 5, Modi visited the temple and held a road show ahead of the polling in eastern Uttar Pradesh. But theres a theory that the Ram-wave may have peaked too soon. Can the SP-Congress alliance achieve what the SP-BSP tie-up failed to in 2019? The seemingly stronger SP-BSP alliance failed to dent the BJP in 2019 despite its social base among the Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Muslims, and the BJP increased its vote share to over 50%, presumably because of strong counter-polarisation. The Congress has been a spent force in the state for years and received just around 3% of the votes in the 2022 assembly polls. Its alliance with the SP was expected to prevent a split in the Muslim votes, which account for around 20% of the total. The SP has managed better coordination with the Congress , unlike what happened in the BSPs case in 2019. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have campaigned together; Yadav held a press conference with Gandhi in Ghaziabad and Congress president Malikarjun Kharge in Lucknow; and there has also been better co-ordination in candidate selection with the SP focussing on OBCs, Dalits, and Muslims. The opposition is banking on the promise of caste census and hoping that its effort to build a narrative around the BJPs pursuit of an absolute majority being a ploy to change the constitution and end reservations the BJP has countered this strongly finds some traction. Who will the BSP hurt? In 2014, the BSP could not even win a single seat even as it captured almost a fifth (19.70%) of the vote. It won 10 seats with a similar vote share in alliance with the SP in 2019. But its vote share shrunk to 12.8% as it won just one assembly seat in 2022. The BSP still maintains its sway over its core Jatav voters, although it may have lost the support of other Dalits. BSPs move to contest on its own was expected to help the BJP, but there is a growing realisation that it may have hurt both the BJP and SP-Congress alliance. In Ghaziabad, Bijnor, Mathura, Meerut, and Aligarh, BSP candidates are believed to have cut into the BJPs vote bank. And in Badaun, Saharanpur, and Amroha, BSPs Muslim candidates are believed to have eaten into the SP-Congress vote. The BSP factor remains relevant in the remaining phases in the state too. How important is the Adityanath factor? Adityanath is the BJPs most sought-after campaigner after Prime Minister Modi and Union minister Amit Shah. He has so far addressed 135 rallies, including 26 outside Uttar Pradesh in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir. Adityanath has since 2017 built an image of a strong leader, tough on crime, and with unwavering commitment to Hindutva and development. Modi has emphasised this in his election rallies and said he is fortunate to have an able administrator such as Adityanath. How important is the caste factor amid debate over reservation, caste census, and the Constitution? Caste has always shaped politics in Uttar Pradesh. From the early 1990s to 2012, Dalit and OBC politics countered the BJPs faith-based agenda. By 2014, the BJP had expanded its social base by reaching out to non-Jatav Dalits and the non-Yadav OBCs to build a larger Hindu base. The social coalition seems to be under stress as the opposition has been able to make the caste census a major poll issue. The opposition has also claimed that the BJP wants to change the Constitution and do away with reservation. The claim has emerged as a major issue. The BJP has rubbished the claim even as its opponents have stuck to it ahead of the polls in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where Dalits and OBCs have a significant presence. In these regions, the BJP is also banking on its allies such as the Apna Dal, which has a strong base among Kurmi OBCs, to do their bit. Bengaluru: Two police officers were suspended for dereliction of duty and two teams were formed to nab the man who allegedly murdered a 20-year-old woman in Karnatakas Hubballi on Wednesday. Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Renuka Sukumar formed the teams and dispatched one to Mysuru as no arrests were made even 24 hours after the incident. Hubballi Murder: 2 policemen suspended, accused absconding even after 24 hours According to police, 21-year-old Girish Savant, alias Vishwa, knocked on the victims door and attacked her as soon as she opened it. There were around seven-eight knife wounds on her body. A senior officer said that the CCTV footage is being reviewed to trace the chain of events. The accused arrived at victim Anjali Ambigeras house in an autorickshaw and was inside for only two minutes before stabbing her multiple times and fleeing. As per CCTV footage, he was last seen at the new bus stand in Hubballi, police said. Sukumar also suspended Inspector Chandrakanth and constable Rekha Havareddy of Bendigeri Police Station for neglecting their duty. Anjali was murdered after rejecting the advances of Sawant, who had previously threatened her with a fate similar to that of Neha Hiremath, who was murdered in the same city in April. Anjalis family had reported Sawants threats to the Bendigeri Police, but their concerns were dismissed. Meanwhile, the BJP organised a protest rally from Anjalis house to the Town police station, demanding the transfer of the police commissioner. The protest witnessed participation from various community leaders, including Moorusavira Math seer and MLA Mahesh Tenginakai, who visited Anjalis family and promised support, including free education for her sisters. Dingaleshwara Swami of Shirahatti Fakireshwara Math and HDMC councillor Niranjan Hiremath also offered condolences. MLA Tenginakai blamed police laxity for the deaths of both Neha and Anjali, calling for stronger action to prevent public unrest. People are so angry that they want the culprit shot. Before the people take the law into their hands, the government should act, Tenginakai said. Congress leaders echoed the dissatisfaction, demanding the transfer of key police officials, including Commissioner Sukumar. KPCC General Secretary Rajath Ullagaddimath wrote to Home Minister G Parameshwara, criticising the current handling of law and order, while party corporator Niranjan Hiremath, father of Neha Hiremath, condemned the state home minister over the latest murder. Minister for Home G Parameshwara has failed. If you are not capable, you better resign, he said, urging the transfer of Police Commissioner Sukumar and the appointment of a more efficient officer. Hiremath said that there was a need for urgent action, noting that the police had been warned about the threats but failed to prevent the murder. The killer had threatened Anjali a week back and stabbed her in front of her family members, showing a total failure of police and no fear of the law, he added. External affairs minister S Jaishankar said there were two occasions when Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervened to stop shelling between Russia and Ukraine to ensure Indian students were taken out of the war zone safely. In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times' R Sukumar and Shishir Gupta, Jaishankar said 'Modi ji ne war rukva di papa' is the most frequently asked question to him as people are genuinely interested to know what Narendra Modi did to stop the war. External affairs minister S Jaishankar spoke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the Russia-Ukraine war during India's evacuation of its students from Ukraine. There were two episodes: one in Kharkiv and the other in Sumy, Jaishankar said. The first one was in Kharkiv which at that time was under artillery shelling and India worked out a safe zone to extricate the students who were walking out of the city as there was no other transport. "Now, while this was under progress, shelling started again very close to the vicinity of the safe zone. So on that occasion, the Prime Minister spoke to President Putin, and specifically told him, Look, this was an agreement between your people and our people, this is happening. So I would request you to personally have someone look into this and stop it -- which it did. It took a few hours, but the Russian shelling stopped and the buses went there to pick them up and brought them out," Jaishankar said. HT interview: We empower citizens, Opp wants to steal their wealth, says PM Modi The second episode of Sumy took place later when everyone else got out of Ukraine, Jaishankar said referring to the 'war rukva di papa' campaign. "It was a particularly complicated place, because other than the Russian military and the Ukrainian military, there was also a kind of a Ukrainian militia which didnt seem to be under anybodys particular command and control. So everybody was firing at everybody else. And the students started getting more and more agitated because they felt everybody else was leaving," the external affairs minister explained. India made two calls at that time --Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. "I requested the PM, saying that look, you will have to speak to Putin and Zelensky, which he was very willing to do and he actually spoke to both of them and told them Look, this is very, very important, you know, we want your forces to stand down and give us a pathway and my officials will work out the details. So, they passed the instructions down. I was actually sitting with the PM, and he called up Putin and Zelensky," Jaishankar said. New Delhi: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday held Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal responsible for the assault on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, saying the AAP chief was present in the house when the incident took place. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman (PTI Photo) In a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi on Friday, Sitharaman said, Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for this incident. He was present in the house when the incident took place. His own staff attacked Maliwal. On this issue, the focus should remain only on Kejriwal. He is shamelessly roaming around with the accused when he should apologise for the assault. All the women in Delhi are asking can this CM even provide security to the women in the city? she added. Also Read: Maliwal slapped 7-8 times, kicked in chest, stomach, pelvis: FIR Instead of taking action against the accused as Sanjay Singh [AAP Rajya Sabha MP] had assured, Kejriwal has shown his true colour, said Sitharaman. She also alleged that Maliwal was under enough pressure from the high level to not lodge a police complaint. The fact that Swati Maliwal did not register a complaint with the police for three to four days (after the incident) means that there was pressure on her from a high level. It is possibly continuing. But she was brave enough to come forward and lodge a complaint. There is reason to believe there was enough pressure on her and probably continues on her, Sitharaman alleged. Maliwal, a former Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief, on Thursday filed a complaint with Delhis Civil Lines police station accusing Kejriwals personal secretary Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her at the CMs residence on May 13 when she went there to meet the chief minister. The Delhi Police on Thursday named Kumar in its first information report (FIR), hours after recording Maliwals statement at her residence. Maliwal has accused Kumar of outraging her modesty, slapping, kicking and threatening her. In the FIR registered, the police mentioned that she was hit by him in the stomach, slapped and kicked. The FIR was registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with crimes like assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and criminal intimidation. Also Read: Delhi Police likely to record Swati Maliwals statement before magistrate Referring to Kejriwals refusal to talk on the issue at a press conference in Lucknow, Sitharaman said, He is the CM. His staff assaulted a woman who is a party MP and a Delhi womens commission chief till recently. Yet, the CM refused to give any answer and pushed aside the microphone. Meanwhile, BJP Delhi Mahila Morcha launched a protest outside Kejriwals house for not acting against Kumar. The National Commission for Women (NCW) took cognisance of the matter of the alleged assault of Maliwal and summoned Kumar. At a press conference on Friday, NCW chief Rekha Sharma said that the Delhi chief minister is siding with his personal secretary. Twenty-year-old Gunjan Kumar spends 12 hours out of the house every single day. He leaves the 250-square-foot four room home his father Suresh Das, a daily wage labourer, built assiduously over several years in Hajipurs Masjid Chowk, at 8 am. For the next half a day, he meanders the clogged streets of the town on the outskirts of Patna, hunting for customers on his battery-powered three wheeler. Ram Vilas Paswans brother Pasupati Paras is the Hajipur MP, but the seat has now been given to LJP (RV) chief Chirag Paswan. (HT Photo) Chirag Paswan might face stiff opposition from political dark horse, RJDs Shiv Chandra Ram In all this time, he earns between 400 and 500 a day, but after rental instalments for the vehicle, and food, there is very little left. It is little surprise then that the political issue top of his mind when he votes on May 20, is the ostensible lack of employment. I will vote for a party, which can give me employment, Kumar said. For Kumar, what this means, is a leaning towards the RJD and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, who has made employment one of the central motifs of the opposition campaign. Right next to him however, his father Suresh Das, is almost irate in his opposition, playfully threatening to throw him out of the house if he does not vote for Prime Minister Modi. A vote for Chirag Paswan(the Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas candidate from Hajipur) is a vote for Modi, Suresh said. It is between these two poles that Hajipur will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The seat is significant because it was once home to Ram Vilas Paswan, former union minister and LJP president, whos death in 2020 brought a internal struggle within both party and family. There was a split, and while Pasupati Paras, Ram Vilas Paswans brother is the sitting MP from Hajipur, the seat has now been given to Chirag Paswan, who heads the LJP(RV) faction of the party. But even as there is sympathy for Chirag Paswan in several quarters, there are also those like Gunjan Kumar that articulate criticism. He (Chirag) has done nothing for us or the constituency. He is simply carrying the goodwill and legacy of his father the late Ram Vilas Paswan. Chirag is yet to visit any house in Hajipur, let alone rural areas. He is either addressing public rallies or flying around in a helicopter, Gunjan Kumar said. Vikas Anand, a Hajipur based journalist, said that despite its proximity to Patna, the town is still bereft of development, suffering from dilapidated roads, waterlogging, and faulty drainage and sewage networks. Other than a district hospital, not much has been achieved in the health and education sector. For any medical exigency, people still prefer going to Patna, Anand said. Anand however said that despite this, the memory of Paswan, and Prime Ministers popularity could still make a difference for Chirag Paswan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains the sole point of certitude in the NDA. Paswans son Chirag is being seen as close to Modi, and people expect him to get a cabinet berth if the NDA returns to power. That may influence their choice, especially after the PM heaped lavish praise on Chirag during an election rally in Hajipur on May 13, he said. In Hajipurs Lalganj block, Pushpendra Kumar, an employee at the RBS collage said, People have seen Modis development. He has given free ration and gas connection to the poor... the Beti Bachao Beti Badhao campaign is successful and most importantly the country is safe. But some political leaders said that Paswan has challenges ahead, including from within. While former union minister Pashupati Paras, whos faction was not given a seat in the alliance, continues to be in the NDA, there are murmurs of discomfiture. Ravindra Singh, former state organisation secretary of the LJP(RV) who resigned on April 3 in protest against the distribution of tickets to outsiders said, Chirah is a two time MP from Jamui, and is contesting Hajipur for the first time, ignoring his uncle who defeated the RJDs Shiv Chandra Ram. Chirag has never stayed in Hajipur and does not have a house here. Ram, who is fighting the election again, is a local from Mahua. Awadhesh Singh of the LJP(RV), refuted the allegation. Chirag is the son of the soil. Though Chirag has stayed here occasionally, he will start spending more time once he becomes an MP, said Singh. No cakewalk for Chirag in Hajipur amid silent Paras play At Hajipurs masjid chowk, the argument between father and son will rage for the next three days. Gunjan Kumar though, on his way out of the house, has a word of advice for his father. There could be a surprise, he said. A 35-year-old tourist from Kerala died due to a lightning strike at Miramar beach in Goa on Tuesday, the authorities reported on Thursday. He has been identified as Akhil Vijayan. At around 8:50 pm, the beach was hit by heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning. (File/PTI) At around 8:50 pm, the beach was hit by heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning, The Goan stated. As Vijayan, along with a group of seven to eight people, hurried to their car from Miramar to avoid the rain, lightning suddenly struck. The weather phenomena left Vijayan, his wife, and a male friend unconscious, the Times of India reported. Speaking to The Goan, witnesses described the terrifying moment when the group hurriedly left the beach due to worsening weather. While Vijayan's wife and the friend soon regained consciousness, he remained unconscious. Police suspected he had suffered a heart attack and took him to GMC hospital for treatment. The 108 Ambulance was swiftly called and Vijayan was rushed to the Goa Medical College (GMC) Hospital in Bambolim. Efforts to save his life proved futile, as doctors stated he was dead on arrival, the police told The Goan. Vijayan, who was a resident of Kerala's Ernakulam, died by electrocution and blast injuries consistent with lightning strike, the postmortem revealed as per the police. Herald Goa reported that Vijayan and his friends reached Goa on May 13 and checked into Circuit House in Altinho. On May 14, the group rented a car and visited Miramar Beach, where the incident happened. As per reports, the body was handed over to the family members, who flew it to Kerala. Vijayan, who worked in the taxi business, is survived by his wife and two daughters, as per Herald Goa. Miramar Beach, located three kilometres from the capital city of Panaji, is often bustling with tourists and locals. Meanwhile, at least 11 individuals lost their lives on Thursday afternoon after being struck by lightning in various locations across the Malda district of West Bengal. May 17, 2024 9:33 PM IST Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE: Taking a swipe at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat thanked Kejriwal's acknowledgment of the BJP's anticipated victory for a third consecutive term. Shekhawat's remarks were prompted by Kejriwal's recent assertions that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would retire in September 2025 and appoint Amit Shah as his successor. He suggested that Kejriwal's statements indicate a lack of confidence in the INDIA bloc's electoral prospects, remarking, If the INDIA bloc were poised for victory in the Lok Sabha elections, Kejriwal, as a prominent figure in the bloc, would not have made such declarations. He dismissed Kejriwal's claims as mere products of imagination aimed at sowing confusion. The senior BJP leader extended his thanks to Kejriwal for indirectly recognizing the BJP's anticipated triumph in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Shekhawat also criticised the INDIA bloc leaders, suggesting they were so overwhelmed with confusion and panic that they could not even fabricate a cohesive falsehood. NEW DELHI: India on Friday described its long-term pact with Iran for operations at Chabahar port as a major achievement for creating a connectivity hub for landlocked countries in the region, and said even the US has appreciated the larger relevance of this project. Union minister for ports, Sarbananda Sonowal at the signing of a contract between India Ports Global Ltd. & Ports and Maritime organisation of Iran for the operation of the Shahid Beheshti Port in Chabahar, Iran. (PTI) External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks at a regular media briefing while responding to questions about a US warning regarding the potential risk of sanctions on Indian entities eyeing business deals with Iran following the signing of the 10-year agreement on Chabahar port on May 13. Jaiswal described the long-term agreement, signed in Tehran in the presence of ports and shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal, as a major achievement in the context of Indias commitment to realise the potential of Chabahar port as a connectivity hub for Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries, which are all landlocked. State-run India Ports Global Limited (IPGL) has been operating a terminal at Chabahar port since 2018 on an interim lease, and the long-term agreement was essential for port operations. The US understands the importance of Chabahar port for continued humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan and to provide Afghanistan with economic alternatives, Jaiswal said. He noted that external affairs minister S Jaishankar has said a narrow view should not be taken on this issue. Also Read: Why Iranian envoy thinks US wont impose sanctions on India over Chabahar port The project will benefit the entire region and connectivity, particularly landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asia. The US has in the recent past appreciated the larger relevance of Chabahar project, particularly in the context of humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan, he said. Chabahar port has been used on several occasions to provide humanitarian assistance, including the supply of 85,000 tonnes of wheat, 200 tonnes of pulses and 40,000 litres of the pesticide Malathion to Afghanistan. Without giving details, Jaiswal said the Indian side will take forward the conversation on Chabahar port with the US. The 10-year agreement between India and Iran is aimed at facilitating the long-term development of Shahid Beheshti terminal of Chabahar port. The Indian side plans to invest $120 million on equipping the terminal and New Delhi has offered a credit window of $250 million to improve infrastructure around Chabahar. After India, Afghanistan and Iran signed a tripartite agreement for developing the port in 2016, the US had granted a carve-out for Chabahar from its sanctions regime for Iran in 2018. At that time, the US decision was influenced by the ports potential for facilitating trade and development in Afghanistan. Hours after the signing of the agreement, US state department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said American sanctions on Iran remain in place and will continue to be enforced. Any entity considering business deals with Iran will be open to the potential risk of sanctions and there is exemption for the new India-Iran agreement, he said. New Delhi A massive row erupted on Friday between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal after she alleged grave assault by chief minister Arvind Kejriwals aide Bibhav Kumar in a police complaint, prompting the party to accuse her of being a part of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) conspiracy to entrap the CM. Swati Maliwal leaves Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Friday. (PTI) I was kicked, slapped, dragged: Swati Maliwal accuses Bibhav in FIR Maliwal filed a first information report (FIR) where she alleged that Kumar slapped her 7-8 times without any provocation at the chief ministers residence when she went to meet Kejriwal on Monday, pounced on her, kicked her chest and pelvis, and deliberately pulled up her shirt. But in the evening, the party pointed towards an unverified but viral video clip that purportedly showed Maliwal sitting on a sofa in the drawing room of the CMs residence, and talking in a raised voice to some security personnel nearby. HT could not independently verify the clip. The AAP alleged that no visible injuries were seen on her and that she didnt detail any assault to the security people even as she abused them and said that she had called the police. This was a BJP conspiracy, said senior minister Atishi at a press briefing. She also disputed the timelines in the FIR and said that Kumar who travelled with the CM to Mumbai on Friday had filed a counter police complaint. In her complaint to the police, she said she was assaulted. The video which has come out today shows her sitting comfortably in the drawing room and threatening the police officials. She was also seen threatening Bibhav Kumar and using abusive language in the video. Neither her clothes were torn nor any injury on her head can be seen in the video, Atishi said. This is the first time that the party has openly dismissed Maliwals allegations as false and called her a pawn in a political conspiracy. Earlier in the week, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh had supported Maliwal once a firebrand leader of the AAP who was considered close to the leadership and named Kumar as the man who misbehaved with the Rajya Sabha MP. But on Friday, the party backed away from Singhs earlier statement, saying he spoke on the basis of only a partial knowledge of the incident. The truth will be revealed to everyone as soon as the CCTV footage of the house and the room is checked, Maliwal retorted soon after, appearing to call Kumar a political hitman. Swati Maliwal barged in, abused Delhi CM staff: Bibhav Kumars charges The dramatic sequence of events that engulfed the party since the allegations first surfaced earlier this week are playing out against the backdrop of the Lok Sabha poll campaign in Delhi and Punjab, two states where Kejriwal, out on bail after spending 50 days in jail in connection with an excise policy case, is heavily campaigning. The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, attacked Kejriwal over the row even as the AAPs allies in the INDIA bloc remained silent. 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. The saga began on Monday, when Maliwal recently back after weeks in the US went to the chief ministers residence. Around 9.30am, 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. In her FIR, Maliwal alleged that Kumar slapped her at least seven to eight times while she continued screaming and brutally dragged her while kicking her in her chest, stomach and pelvis area. Maliwal recorded her statement before the magistrate in the Tis Hazari court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on Friday. He [Kumar] slapped me seven to eight times at least while I continued screaming. I felt absolutely shocked and was screaming for help over and over again. In order to protect myself I pushed him away with my legs, she said. At that time, he pounced on me, brutally dragged me and deliberately pulled my shirt up. My shirt buttons opened and my shirt flew up. I landed on the floor while hitting my head on the centre table. I was constantly screaming for help but no one came. After that, Bibhav Kumar did not relent and attacked me by kicking me in my chest, stomach and pelvis area with his legs. I was in extreme pain and kept telling him to stop. My shirt was coming up but he still continued to assault me, the MP said. But, in the evening, the party disputed the sequence of events using the viral clip where Maliwal can purportedly be heard saying that she had called the police and speaking in a raised voice to the security personnel, one of whom is a woman. Ever since Arvind Kejriwal has got bail, the BJP is rattled. Due to this, the BJP hatched a conspiracy, under which Swati Maliwal was sent to Arvind Kejriwals house on the morning of May 13. Swati Maliwal was the face and pawn of this conspiracy. She went there unannounced without an appointment. They intended to entrap the CM but the CM was not there at that time and he got saved, Atishi said. Atishi detailed the partys version of the events. Swati Maliwal without any appointment reached CMs residence. When she was stopped and asked about the details of her visit, she said that there was a prior appointment with the CM. When security cross-checked her claims, it was found that there was no prior appointment. After which, Maliwal started threatening police officials and said she was a Rajya Sabha MP and could get them sacked, Atishi said. The minister alleged that Maliwal then forcibly entered the main building of the CM house and sat in the drawing room. The residence staff called Bibhav Kumar. Kumar told him that CM wont be able to meet you. Maliwal started shouting at him and she wanted to enter the other main parts of the residence to which Bibhav did not give permission. Maliwal started pushing him aside. Later, Bibhav Kumar called CMs security and asked them to escort her. This was a BJPs conspiracy, she added. When asked why Singh said on Wednesday that the party was with Maliwal, Atishi said that at that point, Singh was only aware of Maliwals version of events. Till that point, Sanjay Singh was only aware of Swati Maliwals side. Now he got to know about Bibhav Kumars side. The video which has surfaced clearly shows that what Maliwal mentioned in FIR are just mere false accusations. Her lies have come out in front of the whole country, she said. Maliwal attacked her own party. The leaders who joined the party (AAP) yesterday declared a worker who has been with it for 20 years an agent of the BJP. Two days ago, the party had accepted the truth in a press conference and, today, it has taken a U-turn, she said. Swati Maliwal row: Bibhav Kumar files complaint against AAP MP in 'assault' case Today, under his pressure, the party gave in and to save a goon, my character was questioned by the entire party. No problem, I have been fighting alone for women of the entire country, I will fight for myself too. Do character assassination as much as possible, the truth will come out when the time comes, Maliwal said on X. Delhi Police did not issue any official statement on the complaint or the proceedings. Bibhav Kumar, chief minister Arvind Kejriwals personal secretary, allegedly screamed at Swati Maliwal without any provocation before slapping the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lawmaker 7-8 times and kicking her in her chest, stomach, and pelvis, according to the first information report (FIR) filed in the assault case. AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal. (PTI/File) The FIR, a copy of which HT has seen, detailing the alleged assault said Kumar allegedly dragged Maliwal and her shirt was pulled up as well as she screamed for help. Maliwal said she had gone to meet Kejriwal around 9am on May 13 and was informed he was home and she should wait in the drawing room. Suddenly...Kumar barged into the room. He started screaming at me without any provocation. He even started abusing me. I was stunned by his reaction... I reacted by telling him to stop talking to me like this and call the CM [chief minister], she said in the FIR. Kumar allegedly shouted and told her How will you not listen to me?... What is your standing? Maliwal said Kumar soon started slapping her while she continued screaming. She added she was shocked and screamed for help. Maliwal said she pushed Kumar to protect herself. Maliwal alleged that Kumar pounced on her, dragged her and in the process, her shirt was pulled up and buttons opened. She alleged that she hit her head on the centre table but Kumar continued the assault her. Maliwal said she eventually managed to sit on a sofa and call the police even as Kumar allegedly told her she could do what she wanted but nothing would happen and also allegedly threatened to get her killed. She added she was later taken to the chief ministers camp office, where she told the staff about the ordeal but was asked to leave. Maliwal said she sat outside the chief ministers house before going to Civil Lines police station but left without giving a statement because of the trauma. The Delhi Police on Thursday registered the FIR under the Indian Penal Codes Section 354 (assault or criminal force with the intent to outrage modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt). Maliwal broke her silence around the assault, which stunned the national capital, on Thursday, She confirmed that she recorded a police statement even as she urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) not to politicise the matter. The BJPs women wing leaders on Friday organised a protest near Delhi chief ministers residence demanding action against Kumar and resignation of Kejriwal. AAP leader Sanjay Singh on May 14 said Kumar misbehaved with Maliwal when she was waiting to meet Kejriwal. He added Kejriwal has taken note of the incident and has asked for strict action. Bhavesh Bhinde, whose advertising firm had installed the hoarding in Mumbai's Ghatkopar that collapsed on May 13, killing 16 people, has been sent to police custody till May 26, reported news agency PTI. Bhinde is the director of M/S Ego Media Pvt Ltd which managed the massive hoarding. Crime Branch Team arrived along with the accused Bhavesh Bhinde at Mumbai International Airport, Bhinde, the owner of the advertising firm, The 120x120-foot advertising hoarding set up by Bhinde's company in Pant Nagar collapsed on May 13 in Mumbai, India,(Hindustan Times) On Thursday, Bhinde was arrested from Rajasthan's Udaipur and brought to Mumbai. He was staying using a fake identity card at a hotel in Udaipur, said Lakhmi Gautam, joint commissioner of police (crime). After Bhinde's arrest, Mumbai Police crime branch produced him before additional chief metropolitan magistrate (Esplanade court) and sought his custody for 14 days. Since the terrible incident, Bhinde was absconding. Police had registered a case against him 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. ALSO READ| Eight billboards without BMC permission in Dadar belong to Bhavesh Bhinde's firm Meanwhile, advocate Rizwan Merchant, appearing for the accused, claimed that police did not tell Bhinde the grounds of his arrest which made the remand plea invalid. In the horrifying incident caused by a dust storm in Mumbai, more than 70 vehicles, including cars, suffered damages after the gigantic 120 feet x 120 feet billboard fell. ALSO READ| Ghatkopar tragedy: Who is Bhavesh Bhinde, owner of ad firm behind hoarding? A BMC official has said as many as 73 vehicles, including 30 two-wheelers, 31 four-wheelers, eight autorickshaws and two heavy vehicles all damaged in the crash were retrieved from the site, and handed over to the police as their owners came forward to claim them. The hoarding defied the permissible size of 40x40 feet and was erected on a 10-year lease. The company had applied to the Limca Book of Records to declare it as the largest commercial hoarding in India. Pointing to recent statements by Pakistani leaders praising India, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that, even the neighbouring nation, which has never spoken favourably about India, is now acknowledging its growth as a powerful country. Union defence minister Rajnath Singh (File Photo) Globally, we will rank third in terms of wealth by 2027. One of our neighbours has never spoken well of our country. Today, their leaders are saying that while India is becoming powerful, Pakistan is still backward, Singh mentioned at a public rally in Lucknow. The perception of India has changed worldwide. World leaders are now saying that the 21st century belongs to India, the senior BJP leader further stated. Singh, who is the sitting MP from the Lucknow parliamentary constituency and is contesting the seat again in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, also exuded confidence that the BJP-led ruling NDA will win more than 400 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. Elections are underway, and four phases already completed. After four phases, political analysts are of the opinion that the NDA will win more than 400 seats this time, he remarked. Lucknow is among 40 parliamentary segments (across six states and two Union territories) where polling will be held on Monday in what will be the fifth leg of the seven-phase general elections, with two more phases to follow, of which, the last round will be on June 1. The counting of votes will be conducted on June 4. The BJP is seeking a third consecutive term at the Centre, and a third consecutive single-party majority. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, is targeting a hattrick in the top post. (With ANI inputs) Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday said people would never forgive the Aam Aadmi Party for the alleged manhandling of senior party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal inside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's official residence. People won't forgive AAP, Kejriwal must apologise: MP CM Yadav on Maliwal assault case The Delhi police on Thursday registered an FIR in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal by Bibhav Yadav, the personal assistant to Kejriwal. According to sources, in her police complaint, Maliwal named Kumar as the "main person" who allegedly assaulted her when she had gone to meet Kejriwal on Monday. The BJP has hit out at the A supremo for maintaining silence over the incident. Talking to PTI, Yadav said, "This has happened for the first time in the history of the country that a chief minister was put behind bars, and then a person was manhandled inside his residence. He is not doing anything in the matter. It is disappointing as she is a big leader of the party, and women are treated like goddesses in our country." People will never forgive the A and its leaders, the chief minister said, adding that Kejriwal should apologise and clarify his position on the issue. "He should have taken cognisance of the entire matter and taken action against the accused person at the party level," Yadav said. Yadav is travelling to Uttar Pradesh, where he will address a public meeting in the Shravasti Lok Sabha seat. Former Rajya Sabha members Raghu Nandan Sharma and Narayan Kesari and party leaders Om Mehta and Ramesh Sharma are accompanying the chief minister to the Ram temple in Ayodhya. "Our party has decided that people from different districts should visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya. We will facilitate people's visits to the temple," he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, saying that he has been informed that their tickets for a foreign trip post-Lok Sabha elections have been booked. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting for the Lok Sabha elections, in Fatehpur district,(PTI) "'Panje aur cycle ke sapne toot gaye, khatakhat khatakhat; ab 4 june ke baad ki planning ho rahi hai ki haar ka thikra kispe phodaa jaaye, khatakhat khatakhat; mujhe to koi bataa rha tha ki videsh yatra ka ticket bhi book ho gya hai, khatakhat khatakhat'..." (Dreams of Congress and Samajwadi Party got shattered and now they are making plans for post-June 4 and who is to be blamed for the defeat. I have been informed by someone that their tickets for a foreign trip have been booked), " the prime minister said at a rally in Fatehpur. ALSO READ: PM Modi slams Rahul Gandhi's khata khat remark: Gone in Amethi Continuing his attack, Modi said that the Congress has no existence in Uttar Pradesh. "The entire Congress is engaged in safeguarding the respect of a family. But still, the partnership of two boys gets launched every election because compatibility of both SP and Congress matches each other as both are dedicated to family, both are in politics for corruption, both can do anything to please their vote bank, both promote criminals and mafias, and both SP and Congress are equally sympathetic to the terrorists," he was quoted by ANI as saying. Prime Minister Modi also slammed Akhilesh Yadav for visiting the ancestral house of deceased gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in Ghazipur. ALSO READ: PM Narendra Modi to INDIA bloc: 'Learn from Yogi Adityanath where to run bulldozer' SP's love for mafias hasn't ended yet, their party chief is reading 'fatiah' on the grave of the mafia... Pakistan used to attack our country, Congress used to give them a clean chit and they have weaved a false narrative of 'Saffron Terrorism'. And if UP SP government is giving hospitality to rioters and they use to take helicopters to visit CM, he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday slammed the Congress and the Gandhi family for amending the Constitution during their tenure at the Centre. In an interview, he claimed four generations of the Gandhi family tinkered with the Constitution. PM Narendra Modi gesturers to supporters during a campaign rally in Mumbai, on May 15. (Bloomberg) Asked about the Opposition's allegation that the BJP plans to change the Constitution if it gets 400 Lok Sabha seats, PM Modi said it was Jawaharlal Nehru who brought the first amendment. He said Nehru brought the amendment to curb freedom of speech. He said Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi overturned court verdicts. "The question that should be asked- who was the first to play with the Constitution? Pandit Nehru did. He brought the first amendment which was meant to restrict freedom of speech. His daughter (Indira Gandhi) then overturned the court verdict by bringing an amendment. Then her son (Rajiv Gandhi) came and overturned Shah Bano's verdict. He changed the Constitution," he told India Today. PM Modi also attacked Rahul Gandhi for tearing apart a copy of an ordinance brought by the Manmohan Singh government in 2013. He said the Gandhi family was running the government from remote control. "Then his son (Rahul Gandhi) came, a remote control government was being run at that time, they had a PM of their choice. A Cabinet formed as per the Constitution took a decision, a Shehzada came and publicly tore apart the cabinet decision. Later the Cabinet also overturned its decision," he added. PM Modi said four members of the same family destroyed the Constitution at different times. He vowed that he will not allow them to change the fundamentals of the Constitution. "I won't allow reservation based on religion, you already partitioned a country on the basis of religion," he added. The Opposition claims the Modi government wants to change the Constitution. The BJP says the Congress will snatch away the reservation quota of SC, ST and OBC communities, and hand it over to Muslims. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that if the Bharatiya Janata Party wins the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and tries to change the Constitution, the whole nation will be set on fire. "If the BJP wins these match-fixed elections, and changes the Constitution, the whole country will be on fire. Remember this," Rahul Gandhi said at an election rally in Delhi. With inputs from ANI Confident of returning to power for a third term, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government already has a blueprint for the next 100 days ready, as disclosed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a television interview on Thursday. A BJP supporter at a roadshow of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI Photo) The blueprint, which he plans to extend to 125 days, was prepared after witnessing the enthusiasm among first-time voters and the youth of India, he said. The PM had earlier included youths among the four castes that he said were a priority for his government, the others being, women, farmers and the poor. The PM also conveyed how he is seeking ideas from the youth for his development agenda .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, he said. Inputs from over 2 million people across the country have already been gathered to help draft the blueprint of the governments agenda for the first 100 days. Amit Shah in the Valley Union home minister Amit Shahs visit to the Kashmir Valley amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections has come as a surprise to many as the BJP is not contesting in any of the three seats in the valley. However, Shahs visit is expected to galvanise the cadre ahead of the assembly elections. The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to ensure that assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir are held by September this year. During his two-day visit, Shah is meeting representatives of various communities, including the Pahadis who were recently given the benefits of reservation in the Union Territory. He is also learnt to have directed the party into to begin preparations for the assembly elections. The cadre in the UT was dismayed by the leaderships decision of not contesting the three seats in the valley. A senior leader said the decision was taken for strategic reasons. Quotas Notwithstanding the BJPs assertion that there will be no changes to the Constitution or the existing caste-based quota system, its political opponents continue to raise the matter. Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday alleged that if the BJP is voted back to power with a majority, it will end reservation for SCs, STs, OBCs. Addressing public gatherings in Punjab, he said the BJPs slogan of 400 paar was an indication of wanting a brute majority to make changes to the Constitution. We asked why they need 400 seats. They said (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji wants to do many big things. But we found out that Modi ji wants to end reservation, which was given by Babasaheb Ambedkar, Kejriwal alleged. A severe heatwave warning in north India is not good news for any political party as it might impact the polling rates in some seats. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast on Thursday that a severe heatwave will likely envelope Delhi, Punjab and Haryana between May 18 and 20, adding that similar conditions will grip other parts of northern India and Bihar over the next five days as the summer heat cranks up across most parts of the country. A woman shows her ink-marked finger after casting her vote in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in Bardhaman, West Bengal. (PTI Photo) The political heat, too, is rising as the national election shifts entirely to north, western and eastern India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to attack the Congress and its popular face Rahul Gandhi. The latter, this time supported by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the national campaign, has not failed to hit out at PM Modi over the Adani-Ambani issue even as the Congress larger focus remained on its manifesto. Swati Maliwal kicked, slapped: FIR Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals interim bail had boosted the AAPs campaign in the national capital and elsewhere. But the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal by Kejriwals PA Bibhav Kumar has certainly dented the AAPs image and shifted the focus out of its feverish campaign. Maliwal has accused Arvind Kejriwals personal secretary of slapping her multiple times inside the Delhi chief ministers house earlier this week. In the FIR registered against Bibhav Kumar on the basis of the Rajya Sabha MPs statement on Thursday, the Delhi Police mentioned that he hit her on the stomach, slapped and kicked Maliwal. The Delhi Police named Bibhav Kumar in their FIR, hours after recording Maliwals statement at her residence. The FIR was registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with crimes like assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty, and criminal intimidation, reported ANI. Subsequently, Maliwal went to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi for a medical checkup. I always stand with women: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra When many Opposition parties have maintained silence over the alleged assault on Maliwal, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came out in her support. 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. PMs charge of budget allocation for Muslims foolish: Sharad Pawar Prime Minister Modis claim that the Congress wanted to keep 15% of the budget for Muslims is foolish, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said, emphasising that allocations based on caste and religion can never happen. Talking to reporters in Nashik, Pawar said the central governments budget is of the country, not of any caste or religion. PM Modi had earlier alleged that the Congress during its previous rule wanted to allocate 15% of the central governments budget for Muslims, and vowed not to allow the splitting of budget or reservation in jobs and education on the basis of religion. Calling such claims foolish, Pawar said, Budget allocation on the basis of caste and religion can never happen. When asked about PM Modis vote jihad remark, Pawar said, There is not even 1% truth in what Modi speaks these days. He has lost confidence. NDA will get 200 seats: DK Shivakumar After his political boss Rahul Gandhi predicted that the BJP will be reduced to 150 seats in this years general elections, Karnataka deputy chief minister and the partys state unit head DK Shivakumar has announced that the NDA will not get more than 200 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. In an interview to Umesh Raghuvanshi, Shivakumar, who is in UP for election campaigns in Rae Bareli and Amethi, spoke about the ongoing polls and larger issues pertaining to his home state. Shivakumar also said that the opposition INDIA bloc will get 300-plus seats and the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance in Uttar Pradesh will continue even after the parliamentary elections. The Supreme Court on Friday underscored that offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) are parasitic, requiring predicate offences to exist. Without a predicate offence, the top court held, PMLA charges cannot stand on their own. Supreme Court of India. (ANI File Photo) Supreme Court calls for a sentencing policy to ensure uniformity In a decision that emphasised the necessity for a robust legal foundation in financial crime investigations, a bench of justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan highlighted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) must thoroughly establish the underlying predicate offences before pursuing money laundering charges in a case even though one or more accused may not be named in the predicate offence. But there must be a predicate offence registered in the case. Otherwise, how can the agency proceed on its own? PMLA is a parasitic offence. It must have a predicate offence to survive. It doesnt have its own legs to stand, the bench told additional solicitor general SV Raju. On his part, Raju contended that the probe into offence of money laundering was independent of the probe conducted by any other law enforcement agency in a predicate offence and thus, a person accused in an ED case need not necessarily be accused of a scheduled offence. The law officer cited a few Supreme Court judgments to buttress his submission. Agreeing, the bench responded that the cavil was not with the ASGs proposition in law but the fact remained that PMLA offences do not have independent standing and rely on the commission of a scheduled offence for their sustenance. You (ED) will be left clutching at straws if there is no predicate offence. There has to be a predicate offence somewhere and against someone for you to proceed under PMLA, it added. The courts statements came as it released on bail a Chhattisgarh businessman arrested in connection with a money laundering case involving the illegal levy on coal transportation. In this case, the bench noted the absence of a predicate and scheduled offence in the case. While the federal agency took up its investigation on the basis of a report from the Income Tax department and arrested businessman Sunil Kumar Agarwal in October 2022 following the registration of an ECIR in Chhattisgarhs Raipur, a connected criminal case against a co-accused in the case was registered at Karnatakas Bengaluru. The FIR in Bengaluru initially mentioned Section 384 (extortion, which is a scheduled offence under PMLA), but the charge sheet in the case later was filed under non-scheduled offences of destroying records and assaulting public servants. Noting the absence of predicate offence in the matter, the court said that a strong prima facie case is made out for releasing Agarwal on bail. It also gave the ASG six weeks to come back with a statement whether the Chhattisgarh police have independently investigated the allegations of an alleged scam of illegal levy on coal transportation. The proceeds of the crime, ED has alleged, were being used for investing in benami assets, bribing officials to influence senior officers and also used by or on behalf of political executives of the state. ED initiates prosecution under PMLA predicated on a base case registered by CBI or any other law enforcement agency. ED registers an ECIR (equivalent to an FIR in ordinary criminal case) in order to probe the cases of money laundering related to the proceeds of crime which have been committed prior and an FIR for such an offence already exists. If the base FIR is quashed or the accused is exonerated of the charges, ED cannot continue its probe under PMLA, the Supreme Court held in its 2022 judgment in the Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary & Others v Union of India case. In a November 2023 ruling in Pavana Dibbur, the top court further declared that criminal conspiracy, punishable under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code, cannot be the only offence for the opening of a money laundering probe and that the conspiracy must relate to a crime enlisted as a scheduled offence under the 2002 Act. Based on this judgment, the Supreme Court in March quashed a case lodged against Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar. Supreme Court seeks Election Commission's reply on plea over voter turnout data The development on Friday has similarities with another case from Chhattisgarh relating to alleged corruption in the states liquor industry. This case was also based on a complaint by the Income Tax department, prompting the top court on April 8 to quash money laundering proceedings, holding that no scheduled offence was established for the agency to proceed under PMLA. A day later, ED lodged a fresh ECIR based on an FIR filed on January 17 by the Chhattisgarh Police, which named 70 people including Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Anil Tuteja, his son Yash Tuteja, several Congress leaders, bureaucrats, and businessmen over alleged corruption worth 2,000 crore. Kozhikode , Revolutionary Marxist Party leader K S Hariharan was on Friday arrested over his alleged sexist remarks against senior CPI leader K K Shailaja and Malayalam film actress Manju Warrier, which he made during a recent public speech. Vadakara police here recorded his arrest and then released him on station bail, an officer said. The action was taken based on a complaint recently lodged by the All India Democratic Women's Association , a Left outfit. The police had, on May 12, booked Hariharan under IPC Sections 509 and 153 . After he was released on station bail, Hariharan told reporters that in Kerala a lot of people make controversial remarks in their speeches, but cases are not registered against them. He further said that after his speech, both he and his party leader K K Rema were attacked on social media. "We have decided to face it legally and politically," he added. Hariharan also said that what he said was wrong and that is why expressed regret regarding it. The RMP leader said that following the incident bombs were hurled at his home, but no one has been caught in connection with that. An unidentified gang, which came on a two-wheeler, hurled some explosives at the house at around 8.15 pm on May 12, he had claimed earlier. Hariharan had made the objectionable remark on the night of May 11 while speaking at a meeting in Vadakara here, which was inaugurated by the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan. The event was organised in response to the ruling LDF's charges that UDF workers had made a morphed video of Shailaja, who was a candidate in Vadakara in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. As the remark sparked a huge political storm, his own party high command and the UDF openly criticised him and said Hariharan should not have made such objectionable comments against any woman. Later, Hariharan came out with a Facebook post saying friends and journalists brought to his attention that he had made an "inappropriate" remark during the speech. The senior leader, through the post, also expressed regret for his comment. RMP leader Hariharan arrested over sexist remarks against Shailaja, Manju Warrier Sentencing shall not be a mere lottery, the Supreme Court said on Friday, directing the Union government to submit a report within six months on the feasibility of introducing a comprehensive sentencing policy in India to ensure uniformity and fairness in sentencing. Supreme Court of India (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo) A bench of justices MM Sundresh and SVN Bhatti emphasised the necessity of a such a policy, underscoring that sentencing should not be judge-centric and must avoid unwarranted disparities. We will not go into that: Supreme Court to ED on Kejriwal's wont have to return to jail' remark In criminal justice, a sentencing policy serves as a guiding framework for judges to determine appropriate punishments for convicted individuals. It outlines principles, guidelines and factors that courts should consider when imposing sentences, aiming to promote consistency, fairness, and proportionality in the administration of justice. Hearing the accused on the sentence is a valuable right...The real importance lies only with the sentence, as against the conviction. Unfortunately, we do not have a clear policy or legislation when it comes to sentencing. Over the years, it has become judge-centric and there are admitted disparities in awarding a sentence, lamented the bench. It added that there is a crying need for a clear sentencing policy, which should never be judge-centric as society has to know the basis of a sentence. Sentencing shall not be a mere lottery. It shall also not be an outcome of a knee-jerk reaction. This is a very important part of the Fundamental Rights conferred under Articles 14 (equality before law) and 21 (life and liberty) of the Constitution of India. Any unwarranted disparity would be against the very concept of a fair trial and, therefore, against justice, said the bench. In the 90-page judgment, the bench highlighted the importance of considering the provisions of Section 360 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which advocates for the release of convicts on probation of good conduct or after admonition. The court noted that this reformative approach should be prioritised before proceeding to sentencing, pointing out that ignoring these provisions renders them ineffective. Emphasising the need for a balanced approach that includes both retribution and reformation, the court proposed the formation of a sentencing commission comprising legal experts, psychologists, sociologists, criminologists, executives and legislators to develop comprehensive guidelines. The bench highlighted its insights into sentencing policies and the comprehensive models adopted by countries such as Canada, New Zealand, Israel and the UK while also citing previous reports and recommendations on criminal justice reforms by the Law Commission in 2003, underscoring the urgent need for a distinct sentencing policy in India. These countries have developed a structured framework for sentencing to assist judges, taking into account factors such as harm caused, culpability and antecedents of the offender, need for rehabilitation and need to protect the public. The court asked the Centre to respond to the suggestion by filing an affidavit within six months that should address the feasibility of introducing a comprehensive sentencing policy, taking into account the need for guidelines that ensure judicial discretion is exercised uniformly and fairly. The judgment, which came on a case of rape on a minor in Bihar in which the trial had commenced and concluded in a single day, took the occasion to highlight extensively that every trial is a march towards the truth and that it is the primary duty of the court to search for the truth using procedural law as its tool. Nothing exceptional in bail to Arvind Kejriwal: Supreme Court A fair trial is the heart and soul of criminal jurisprudence. The principle of democracy lies in a fair trial. It is not only a statutory right, but also a human right... The absence of a fair trial would seriously impair and violate the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, held the court. Hyderabad to become global investment destination : Uttam Reddy Hyderabad, May 17 (UNI) Telangana Civil Supplies and Irrigation Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that Hyderabad would be transformed into a truly global investment destination, competing with the world's top metropolises. Speaking at the inauguration of the IGBC Green Property Show 2024 at Hitex on Friday, Reddy stated that the current Congress Government aims to send a clear message to global investors, the country, and the state: Hyderabad will become a truly global city in every sense. He highlighted that the existing infrastructure in Hyderabad, including the international airport, Outer Ring Road, expressway, flyovers, and drinking water from the Godavari and Krishna Rivers, was primarily developed by the Congress Government from 2004 to 2014. "We will build infrastructure in Hyderabad to an unprecedented level," he said. Citing examples, he mentioned Chief Minister A Revanth Reddys plans to develop the Musi Riverfront to global standards and expand the Metro Rail to reach every corner of the city. Additionally, he assured that the Telangana Government would foster a business-friendly environment and that the Ease of Doing Business in Telangana would be the highest in the country. Investors and businesspeople will find the government highly supportive. "We will be transparent, friendly, and efficient. We will be business-friendly and entrepreneur-friendly. Whatever needs to be done to boost investment, industries, Information Technology, construction, and real estate, our government will be at the forefront," he said. Reddy assured everyone in the state and country that the Congress Government in Telangana intends to elevate Hyderabad and Telangana to a truly global level. "Real estate is largely driven by perception. Our government will take the necessary steps to create real momentum in the construction and real estate sectors and boost investment," he said. "We are accessible round the clock and available to address your grievances, needs, and demands. Our single-minded goal is to make Hyderabad a centre of investment, a truly global city with world-class infrastructure," he said. Reddy noted that the Congress Government had been in power for about five months, with nearly two months spent on elections, limiting their actions due to the model code of conduct. "Now we are focused entirely on governance. We will address any issues in industry, construction, and real estate. We assure you that we will take care of them," he said. "I personally believe that Hyderabad will compete with other global cities. We will provide perfect law and order, world-class infrastructure, ease of doing business, and anything else needed to boost real estate, construction, IT, and other sectors. The ease of doing business will be the best," he said. Regarding Green Energy, he appreciated the initiatives by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)'s Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). He noted that IGBC has been instrumental in promoting green initiatives across all forms of the built environment. He expressed happiness that Hyderabad has been recognised for its sustainability efforts. "Sustainability is not just a buzzword; it's a mindset, a way of life that we must embrace wholeheartedly. The real estate, construction, and allied industries significantly impact the environment, but they also offer tremendous opportunities for positive change," he said. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he said, "The world has enough for everyone's needs, but not enough for everyone's greed." He emphasised the need to adopt green practices for the planet's survival and to leave it as it was for future generations. "We are committed to promoting renewable energy and achieving a net carbon-zero society as early as possible," he said. MORE UNI VV KK The Supreme Court on Friday paved the way for the prosecution of six alleged Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terror operatives accused of carrying out the failed car suicide bomb attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in Jammu and Kashmirs Banihal in March 2019. Supreme Court of India. (ANI File Photo) A bench of justices MM Sundresh and SVN Bhatti on Friday set aside the April 2021 judgment of the J&K high court, which had affirmed a trial court order to exonerate the six accused of the terror charges on account of a procedural lapse in initiating their prosecution. The unsuccessful attack on the CRPF convoy was likened to and closely followed the 14 February 2019 attack in Pulwama, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed by a suicide bomber, owing allegiance to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). The top court said that the procedural lapse was a curable one, putting the authorities concerned at liberty to grant approval for the prosecution of the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by following the prescribed procedure. Reading out the operative part of the verdict, justice Sundresh said that it was open for the authorities to grant proper approval, as mandated under the law. Additional solicitor general SV Raju represented the federal agency in the case. On March 30, 2019, suspected HM operatives tried to carry out an attack on a CRPF convoy in Banihal on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The suspect, Amin of South Kashmir, allegedly tried to ram explosives laden Santro car into the CRPF convoy at Banihal on the pattern of February 14 Pulwama attack. The CRPF personnel on board had a lucky escape as the plan for a Pulwama-like attack failed. The only damage to the bus was the broken rear-glass windows. The car caught fire as the cylinders exploded. Amin escaped into a hamlet from the spot, only to be nabbed a day later. Subsequently, five other accused Umar Shafi, Aqib Shafi Shah, Wasim Ahmed Dar, Hilal Ahmad Mantoo and Shahid Ahmad Wani were also nabbed. After Pulwama, the Union home ministry transferred investigations into this copycat ambush on CRPF convoy to the National investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA filed its charge sheet in the case in September 2019, naming Amin and five others as accused of hatching a plot to kill the security personnel and also waging a war against the country. However, in March 2020, a special court in J&K discharged Amin of the UAPA as well as other penal charges noting that the district magistrate concerned could not have filed a complaint in the case without an authorisation from the government to do so. By its judgment in April 2021, the J&K high court affirmed this order, upholding Amins exoneration. In February 2021, the NIA filed a supplementary charge sheet against Naveed Mushtaq Shah, a former J&K police constable who later joined HM. According to a NIA statement on the day, the investigation established that accused Shah was actively involved in the planning and execution of the attack on the CRPF convoy, along with other terrorists Riyaz Ahmed Naikoo, Rayees Ahmed Khan and Dr Saifullah Mir who were subsequently killed in encounters with security forces. Naikoo, one of Kashmirs most wanted terrorists and the commander of HM, was killed during an encounter in Pulwama in May 2020. New Delhi, The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a PIL alleging violation of voter secrecy in the existing electoral system, saying there is no merit in the petition. SC dismisses PIL alleging violation of voter secrecy A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta dismissed the petition and told the petitioner's counsel that he had not read the April 26 verdict of the apex court, which rejected the allegation of manipulation of the Electronic Voting Machines . The counsel for petitioner Agnostos Theos asserted a polling officer can see the VVPAT slips and the data stored in the polling device. "From the VVPAT slips and data in EVMs, the officer) can identify which voter cast his vote for which party," he said. The bench said had he seen the April 26 verdict he would not have made this submission. "There is no way a presiding officer can know which voter cast his vote for which party. Go through the verdict. We find no merit in the petition. Dismissed," the bench said. On April 26, terming the suspicion over manipulation of the EVMs as "unfounded", the top court had rejected the demand for reverting to the old paper ballot system, saying the polling devices were "secure" and eliminate booth capturing and bogus voting. However, the apex court had opened a window for aggrieved unsuccessful candidates securing second and third places, allowing them to seek verification of microcontroller chips embedded in five per cent EVMs per assembly constituency on a written request upon payment of a fee to the poll panel. It directed that from May 1, the symbol loading units should be sealed and secured in a container and stored in a strongroom along with the EVMs for a minimum period of 45 days after the declaration of results. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to respond within two days to a plea by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, who is seeking interim bail in connection with an alleged land scam due to the ongoing general elections. During the brief hearing, ED opposed Sorens plea, arguing he was arrested way before the dates for general elections were even announced. Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren (File Photo) A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, however, agreed to an expedited hearing in the matter, setting the next date for May 21 following a fervent appeal by senior counsel Kapil Sibal, who represented Soren, pressing the need for parity with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Jailed in connection with a money laundering case, Kejriwal was on May 10 granted interim bail for political campaigning during the Lok Sabha polls. Sibal argued that Soren is willing to surrender to Jharkhand jail authorities on June 2, the same day Kejriwal is required to return to Delhi prison after his 21-day bail period ends. Also Read: Supreme Court dispose Sorens plea seeking interim bail in land scam case While the bench agreed to list the matter before a vacation bench on May 21, it noted that ED must get a couple of days to put in its affidavit on Sorens plea for interim bail. Additional solicitor general SV Raju, representing the ED, opposed Sorens plea, pointing out that his petition for regular bail has already been rejected by a Jharkhand court and that the agency had sufficient evidence to demonstrate that former CM was a beneficiary of the proceeds of crime in the alleged land scam. At this, the bench said, We have to be prima facie satisfied there is some issue and that determination will require some time. We cant say something when Mr Raju says he is not ready and asks for some time. We will ask them to file a short reply by Monday (May 20) and the matter can be heard on Tuesday (May 21). Sibal, demanding continuity of Sorens political involvement in election campaigning, especially in the light of the precedent set by the recent bail granted to Kejriwal, lamented that delay in deciding his clients plea has already cost him the first phase of the election in Jharkhand on May 13, and the second phase, scheduled for May 20, will also be over by the next date of hearing. After these two phases, the polling in Jharkhand for the Lok Sabha seats will be held on May 25 and June 1. The top court on May 10 granted Kejriwal temporary bail in the Delhi excise policy case until June 1st while rejecting the EDs argument that the Delhi chief ministers release for political campaigning would imply preferential treatment for politicians, highlighting the significance of elections in a democracy. On the same day, the apex court closed proceedings in a separate petition filed by Soren seeking interim bail because there was a prolonged delay by the Jharkhand high court in deciding his appeal against his arrest by ED in January. Also Read: PMLA court rejects former Jharkhand CM Hemant Sorens regular bail petition The apex court noted that the high court had already rendered a decision on May 3 rejecting Sorens challenge to his arrest, which has been assailed in an appeal before it. On April 29, the apex court issued a notice to ED on Sorens petition seeking interim bail in a money laundering case lodged by the agency in connection with an alleged land scam in Jharkhand. In his plea, Soren also cited the ongoing general elections while pointing out the high court had failed to deliver its order on his challenge to the ED arrest despite reserving its judgment on February 28. But three days later, the high court dismissed Sorens plea, noting that he cannot wriggle out of the mess he created for himself, adding there is an abundance of documents that lay a foundation for the arrest and remand of the petitioner to police and judicial custody. A day later, Soren filed an appeal against the May 3 high court order in the Supreme Court, amid the approaching elections phase in the state on May 13. The land alleged scam pertains to usurping prime landed parcels, including a 4.55-acre defence land at Morabadi Mouza at Ranchi, and a land parcel of 7.6 acres at Hehal, Ranchi both valued at over 74 crore at the current market price, besides several other land parcels by the accused persons by making fake deeds using manufactured identities and falsifying original land records at Circle Offices and Registrar of Assurances (RoA), Kolkata and Circle Offices in Jharkhand, according to the ED charge sheet. Overall, ED has recovered documents related to at least 27 properties of which alleged fake deeds were created by the accused people. Sorens arrest happened minutes after he resigned as chief minister of Jharkhand. ED has claimed that it has evidence that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader is the key beneficiary in alleged land-related irregularities in Ranchi, where a network of brokers and businessmen were allegedly working over the years to create fake deeds of landed parcels by forging records in the registrar offices and further selling them off. He has denied the charges. The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for taking them for a ride by suppressing material facts on the cutting of trees in the Delhi Ridge area and initiated suo motu criminal attempt against the agencys vice-chairperson for obstructing the administration of justice even as it directed that no further permission for tree felling in the Ridge shall be processed by the Ridge Management Board (RMB) without the courts prior approval. Insaaf Bagh, in the Ridge, created at the orders of Delhi HC. (HT photo) Directing stoppage of further road construction work by DDA at Satbari, the court directed the Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India (FSI) along with three independent experts Pradip Krishen, Sunil Limaye and retired bureaucrat Ishwar Singh to visit the site and assess the number of trees felled and its impact on the environment. There was no accurate figure forthcoming on the number of trees felled as the DDA affidavit disclosing 642 trees was at variance with a Delhi high court order which recorded cutting of 1,100. The court directed DDA to furnish all relevant files to the committee, which will submit a preliminary report by June 20. The bench was of the view that for every tree cut, 100 new trees should be planted even as it directed the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change to enquire how trees were felled without mandatory forest clearance. The court agreed to sit during the summer vacation on June 24 considering the seriousness of the issue. The order of the court came while hearing a contempt petition against DDA vice-chairman Subhashish Panda, for undertaking cutting of 1,000-odd trees in Satbari, part of southern ridge, without approval of the court. While Panda was facing a civil contempt notice, his affidavit filed before a bench headed by justice AS Oka revealed shocking details about how 642 trees came to be cut in the ridge even before an application by DDA seeking permission for cutting was heard by the top court on March 4. I have never seen a public authority misleading the court like this in my 20 years as a judge, justice Oka sad as a bench, also comprising justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued criminal contempt to Panda and said, The conduct of felling of trees and completing the same before hearing by the court and suppressing this fact amounts to interference and obstruction with the course of administration of justice by this court. The court directed DDA VC to name the officers involved and asked him to enquire lapses of his legal department for not conveying the fact about cutting of trees before the case hearing. Panda stated in his response that the contractor awarded the road widening work began cutting trees on February 16, which continued for 10 days, after in-principle approval was obtained from the Delhi forest department on February 14, 2024. The bench said, We are not prepared to believe that the contractor on his own volition undertook to cut trees. It has to be on a direction of an officer of DDA. Panda accepted the mistake on part of DDA and offered unconditional apology, but the court said termed it as mere lip service. In his affidavit, Panda admitted that permission of court was necessary which was not obtained and said that appropriate action is being initiated against DDAs assistant engineer (civil) and junior engineer (civil) for failing to undertake site visit. The court said that the dishonesty of DDA was evident as even after the March 4 order, it approached the Lieutenant governor (who is Chairman of DDA) for constituting a body of experts to ensure minimum trees are cut for widening of the road. The highest authority of DDA was also misled, the bench observed calling for the file of L-Gs approval and directed Panda to personally apprise LG through a letter abbout the suppression of facts. We hope LG will take the matter seriously not only as LG of state but as DDA chairperson. Attorney general R Venkataramani appeared in the matter to assist the court while senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani appeared for the DDA VC. Sending across a strong message, the bench said, The government body should not create an impression that only courts are interested in protecting trees... Action should be taken against the public authority (DDA). This is gross misleading of the court. They are taking the court for a ride. Felling of trees without permission of this court (as mandated by a 1996 decision in MC Mehta case) is wilful breach of orders of this court. The court appreciated the presence of AG and said, We are happy to note AG has appeared on his own to assist court. This is important as the issue is of tree cover of Delhi and ensuring at least in the Capital, laws related to environment and forests are scrupulously implemented. Although Jethmalani urged the court that criminal contempt be withdrawn, the bench said, it had not formed an opinion of guilt against him, realising that duriing the period trees were cut he was on medical leave. But the bench said, If this had been done by a common citizen, what would have been the approach of this court. Even while responding to contempt notice, DDA has not come clean on all aspects. The court found affidavit evasive on several aspects including restoration plan of the ridge site. Senior advocates ADN Rao, Guru Krishna Kumar and Anitha Shenoy assisting the court as amici curiae (friends of court) said that permission from the RMB was obtained for the project in September 2023 but without waiting for Courts nod and Stage 2 forest clearance, the trees were cut. The petitioner Bindu Kapurea, on whose contempt plea the proceedings were initiated, was represented by senior advocates Huzefa Ahmadi and Madhavi Divan who said that DDA VC is part of the RMB which is sanctioning felling of trees. The court allowed them to add RMB and the Delhi forest department to the contempt proceedings and said, We restrain the RMB from entertaining proposals for divergence of ridge forest land without permission of this court. The bench reminded the petitioners that this case is also an eye-opener on the functioning of court-appointed central empowered committee (CEC) which gave approval for felling of trees without visiting the site. The court directed the MoEFCC to initiate appropriate action for violation of Forest (Conservation) Act against its officers who failed to prevent cutting of trees based on Stage 1 clearance granted in March this year. DDA was further directed to facilitate the working of the committee of FSI and independent experts by providing for their expenses and sharing all relevant files. The committee was also asked to indicate which species of trees to be replanted and said, Tentatively we are of the view apart from statutory regulation of compensatory afforestation, 100 new trees per tree felled has to be planted by DDA. Panda had stated in his affidavit that DDA has earmarked a space of 55 acres for utilising it as urban forest. The court said that the hearing during the vacation will be subject to approval from the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and asked the registrar (judicial) to take instructions from the CJI in this regard. The Supreme Court on Friday sought the response of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the disclosure of the authentic voting percentage of the first two phases of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections after a plea filed by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) pointed out that the final voting figures showed an increase of 6% from the tentative voting percentage released soon after the conclusion of polling. In the hearing, the court asked EC, On what basis do you disclose the tentative voting percentage. Is it based on Form 17C? What is the difficulty of putting this on website? (HT File) Lok Sabha polls: Phase 4 voter turnout higher than earlier phases A bench headed by chief justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud gave a weeks time for the poll panel to file its response and posted the matter for hearing on May 24, the eve of the sixth phase of polling. The plea, argued by advocate Prashant Bhushan, said that soon after voting for the two phases on April 19 and 26 ended, ECI issued a press release giving tentative voter turnout across 21 states and Union territories to be 60% in first phase and 60.96% for second phase as of 7pm. The revised data published on April 30 recorded an increase of nearly 6% with the total voting figures for the two phases being 66.14% and 66.71%. To be sure voting percentages usually rise in the days after provisional turnout is released as it takes time for polling team to return from far-flung polling booths situated in geographically challenging terrains, depending on weather conditions among other things. The delay in updating data can also occur due to re-polling in any constituency. However, the lag this time has been longer, and that was fixed in the third phase. Being the last working day before the court closes for vacation, the bench took up the matter on an urgent mentioning by advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for ADR and told EC counsel Amit Sharma to take instructions. Taking up the matter after 4pm, the court asked EC why there was delay in uploading the voting percentage. In the hearing, which resumed at 6pm (after judges returned from a farewell function of retiring judge justice AS Bopanna), the court asked EC, On what basis do you disclose the tentative voting percentage. Is it based on Form 17C? What is the difficulty of putting this on website? Bhushan said that every polling officer in the election booth is required to fill up Form 17C and submit to the returning officer. This form contains the actual figures of voting which needs to be uploaded by EC, he added. The EC counsel explained that after polling is completed, the returning officer collects data from the entire constituency, which takes time. While some constituencies are at far flung places, there are other constituencies where repolling is ordered. This application is filed on May 9 and there is a set pattern. It started with questioning of electoral roll, EVMs and now voting percentage. This issue is only to create doubt in the minds of new voters. Such impression creates an impact on voter turnout, Sharma said. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, who later joined the hearing on behalf of EC said that the Supreme Court had on April 26 given an authoritative pronouncement on all aspects including EVMs where the issue of Form 17C was also discussed. Bhushan denied this but Singh said that the issue should not detain the court any further noting that the matter was being taken up after hours at the behest of some vested interest. The bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, objected to this comment. That is a very wrong charge against the court. If need arises, we will sit through the night,it said. Realising that the issue cannot be decided in a hurry, the bench allowed ECs request to respond to the application. It is submitted that four phases of elections have been completed and since the application have been filed in a petition filed by ADR (pending since 2019) after four years, we find the request of EC to be fair. We grant EC a weeks time to file response and direct that the application be listed before the assigned bench on May 24, the order said. EC told the court that the Form 17C data is shared with every poll candidate and in case of any objection, the candidate is free to raise it . There is no ground taken to demonstrate that there is any aggrieved person. The preliminary figures of voting are provided in the app which is not accurate and gets updated later. The application by ADR took exception to the unreasonable delay shown by ECI in disclosing data on votes polled as the data for first phase voting was disclosed 11 days after voting ended on April 19 and 4 days after the second phase voting closed on April 26. Asking EC to put these apprehensions to rest, it added: In order to uphold the voters confidence, it is necessary that the ECI be directed to disclose on its website scanned legible copies of Form 17C Part- I (Account of Votes Recorded) of all polling stations which contains the authenticated figures for votes polled, within 48 hours of the close of polling. SC to hear on May 17 NGO's plea for release of voter turnout data for LS polls within 48 hours ADR filed the application in a pending petition filed by it in 2019 raising concern over EVMs. Over the last few weeks, the Trinamool Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) have written letters to ECI to publish the total number of electors in each parliamentary constituency, total number of voters noted in the register of voters kept at the polling station, and the number of votes as per EVM across all parliamentary constituencies that voted in the first and second phases. The Congress party, too, wrote to political leaders raising concern over the issue. New Delhi 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 court outlined seven fundamental procedural rights that must be observed before any valid acquisition of property. (ANI) 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, which reinforced 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 conclusion, meaning the acquisition process must lead to a final 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 a 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. The Thursday judgment closely follows conclusion of an important hearing before a nine-judge bench of the top court on May 1 on the issue whether state can acquire privately owned property of citizens under a cherished directive principle of state policy contained in Article 39(b) of the Constitution. Article 39(b) says: State shall direct its policy towards securing that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good. Articles 300A and 39(b) of the Indian Constitution address property rights and socioeconomic policy, respectively, but they differ significantly in their scope, application, and implications. While Article 300A protects individual property rights from unlawful deprivation, Article 39(b) guides the State in creating policies for equitable resource distribution. The latter reflects the broader goals of social justice and economic equity within the constitutional framework. In a scathing attack on the Congress, Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday accused the Gandhi family of capturing polling booths during elections including in the erstwhile family bastion Amethi. BJP leader Smriti Irani and Congress' Rahul Gandhi.(File) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said that the party couldn't digest when an ordinary party worker defeated them and ended their long stint in Amethi. Follow full coverage of the Lok Sabha elections. "Why it (Amethi) hurts them so much, why they say that Smriti Irani has no 'aukaat' (status) because those who used to loot booths lost to an ordinary party worker," Smriti Irani told ANI in an interview. She alleged that "one of the Gandhi siblings" in the late 1990s told a senior journalist by identifying "these (party workers) capture the booths for us." "You can check a New York Times story, which says when Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Rajmohan Gandhi contested against Rajiv Gandhi from Amethi, the Congress party captured 97 booths," Irani further alleged, according to ANI. She also said that late former UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav also allegedly claimed of "transferring 1,00,000 votes" in favour of Rahul Gandhi in the 2014 elections. Also Read | JP Nadda slams Rahul for leaving Amethi, bats for Smriti Irani "Mulayam Singh Yadav on record, said in an interview that Sonia Gandhi in 2014 had requested him to help his son (Rahul Gandhi) in Amethi by transferring 1,00,000 votes," she alleged. Irani also slammed the Congress party over their treatment of Maneka Gandhi, alleging that she was "stripped and assaulted" when she contested against Rajiv Gandhi from Amethi. "When Maneka Gandhi contested against the Gandhi family from here (Amethi)...a young widow with a young child...literally she is stripped, she is assaulted. And the message goes in the region, that if we didn't leave her, how will we spare you?" Irani said. "This whole subset, that is so enamoured by the giggling Gandhis, they don't realize the muck, violence, torture, they are capable of. Beneath that sheen, is so much of dirt," she added. Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi in the Amethi constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This time, she is pitted against Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma, a long-time loyalist of the Gandhi family. The Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) has also fielded Nanhe Singh Chauhan from the seat. Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav on Friday called for strict action in the case pertaining to alleged assault on INDIA bloc ally Aam Aadmi Party's MP Swati Maliwal. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal leaves the Tiz Hazari Court after recording her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in connection with the alleged assault on her by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar at the CM's residence, in New Delhi on Friday.(ANI) "...FIR has been registered...Today when she has recorded her statement, I think there should be a proper investigation into the matter. Strict action should be taken against the accused after proper investigation...," Yadav told ANI. The Delhi Congress chief's remark comes a day after party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also spoke on the issue. 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 ANI. ALSO READ| AAP slams Swati Maliwal on viral video:Faint light of truthdarkness of lies' On Friday, a video showing Maliwal arguing with staff members at Arvind Kejriwal's residence has gone viral. HT cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video. In a post on social platform X, Maliwal said,"Like every time, this time also this political hitman has started efforts to save himself.By getting his people to tweet and playing videos without any context, he thinks he can save himself by committing this crime. Who makes a video of someone being beaten up? The truth will be revealed to everyone as soon as the CCTV footage of the house and the room is checked." "Fall to whatever level you can, God is watching everything. One day everyone's truth will come out in front of the world," she added. AAP MP Sanjay Singh On Tuesday acknowledged misbehaviour against Maliwal at the Delhi CM's official residence. He shared that the misbehaviour happened in Arvind Kejriwal's drawing room. "Yesterday, a condemnable incident took place. Swati Maliwal had gone to Arvind Kejriwal's residence to meet him. While she was waiting for him in the drawing room, Bibhav Kumar allegedly misbehaved with her. The CM has taken cognisance of the matter, and he will take appropriate action," Sanjay Singh had said. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal on Friday hit back at her own party after Delhi minister Atishi accused her of being the face of a Bharatiya Janata Party conspiracy' against Arvind Kejriwal. The leaders who joined the party yesterday dubbed a party worker active for 20 years as a BJP agent. Two days ago, the party had accepted the truth in a press conference and now a U-turn, Maliwal posted on social platform X. Swati Maliwal assault row LIVE coverage This goon is threatening the party, saying that I will expose the secrets if arrested. He is roaming around under full protection. Under pressure from him, the party accepted defeat. To save a goon, the party questioned my character. I have been fighting alone for the women of this country, and will continue to do so. You are free to assassinate my character, truth will come out eventually, Maliwal added. Maliwal's rebuttal comes after the AAP called the former Delhi women's panel chief as the face and pawn of a BJP conspiracy against the Delhi chief minister. "Ever since Arvind Kejriwal has got bail, the BJP is rattled. Due to this, the BJP hatched a conspiracy, under which Swati Maliwal was sent to Arvind Kejriwal's house on the morning of May 13. Swati Maliwal was the face and pawn of this conspiracy. She went there unannounced without an appointment. They intended to accuse the CM but the CM was not there at that time and he got saved," Atishi said at a presser. ALSO READ: Swati Maliwal's political hitman barb over argument with staff in viral video On the video that went viral on Friday, showing Maliwal arguing with the staff at Kejriwal's residence, Atishi said the footage suggested that accusations made by Maliwal are false and she can be seen threatening police officials at the residence. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal arrives at Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal's residence at Civil Lines(PTI) A video footage of what happened at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on May 13 has been released amid raging controversy over AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal's allegation that she was assaulted by Kejriwal's PA Bibhav Kumar. In the video, not independently verified by Hindustan Times, Swati Maliwal could be seen arguing with the staff of Kejriwal's residence. She could be heard saying she already called the police and she would leave only when the cops came. I will make sure you lose your job if you touch me, Swati Maliwal said. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal at the Tis Hazari Court after she recorded her statement on the alleged assault by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar, in New Delhi, Friday, May 17, 2024.(PTI) It is not known who made this 52-second video doing the rounds on social media now. Swati Maliwal reacted to the video and said the video was out of context and the truth will be revealed when the CCTV footage is checked. On Monday morning, Delhi Police received a call from Kejriwal's residence in which the caller said she was assaulted there. In the second call, she identified herself as Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. Later in the day, Swati visited the police station but did not file any complaint. Swati Maliwal assault case: Follow latest developments After remaining in silence for three days, Swati Maliwal recorded her statement with the police on Thursday night following which a medical examination was done at AIIMS which confirmed internal injury in her face. On Friday, she recorded her statement on the assault case in court. In her FIR, Swati Maliwal said Kejriwal's PA Bibhav Kumar slapped her at least 7-8 times with full force. "In order to protect myself, I pushed him away with my legs. At that time, he pounced on me, brutally dragged me and deliberately pulled my shirt up," Swati Maliwal's complaint read. Bibhav then repeatedly kicked her on her chest, stomach and pelvis area. "I repeatedly told him that I am having my period and he should please let go of me as I am in unbearable pain. However, he attacked me with full force again and again. I somehow managed to get free. I then sat on the sofa of the drawing room and gathered my spectacles that had fallen on the ground during the assault," the FIR read. "...I was deeply traumatised and called the 112 number and reported the crime against me. Bibhav threatened me and said 'Kar le tujhe jo karna hai. Tu hamara kuch nahi bigad sakti. Teri haddi-pasli tudwa denge aur aisi jagah gad denge kisi ko pta bhi nahi chalega (Do whatever you can. You can't do anything. Will break your bones and bury you in such a place that no one will find you)," Swati wrote recounting the assault. God is watching everything: Swati Maliwal reacts to video footage Like every time, this time also this political hitman has started efforts to save himself. By getting his people to tweet and playing videos without any context, he thinks he can save himself by committing this crime. Who makes a video of someone being beaten up? The truth will be revealed to everyone as soon as the CCTV footage of the house and the room is checked. Fall to whatever level you can, God is watching everything. One day everyone's truth will come out in front of the world, Swati Maliwal posted on X. New Delhi, May 16 (UNI) Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal was on Thursday elected President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).Sibal secured 1,066 votes and defeated his nearest rival Senior Advocate and former SCBA Vice President Pradeep Rai by a margin of 377 votes. Pradeep Rai got 689 votes.Sibal had earlier served as the president of SCBA in 19951996, 19971998 and 2001-02. There were six candidates in the fray for the post of the president. Despite it being a very hot day and temperatures soaring,the voter turnout was very high. A total of 2350 out of 2850 voters cast their votes, registering 82.45% polling. Other candidates who contested for the top slot are Adhish Aggarwala, Priya Hingorani, Neeraj Srivastava, and Tripurari Ray. UNI SNG SSP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, campaigning extensively for Rahul Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Kishori Lal Sharma in Amethi, would like her brother to be married, happy, and become a father, the Congress general secretary said in an interview. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (HT PHOTO) As a sister, I would like my brother to be a happy man. I'd like him to get married, have kids, Priyanka said, when asked by the interviewer if she would be happy if Rahul is made the PM face of the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc. On Rahul as PM, Priyanka replied that the INDIA bloc would decide that if it came to power. So far, however, the alliance has refused to project a face against Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the BJP. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was expected to make her electoral debut from either Amethi or Rae Bareli, two Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh that are synonymous with the grand old party's first family. Eventually, however, the Congress fielded Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli, vacated by Sonia Gandhi, the siblings' mother, who shifted to Rajya Sabha in February. On the other hand, in Amethi, which gave Rahul Gandhi three consecutive Lok Sabha terms but elected BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019, the Congress gave ticket to Sharma, a Gandhi family loyalist. The Congress general secretary was questioned about not taking the plunge. Both of us (Priyanka and Rahul) were campaigning across the countryyou can see I am here for 15 days. Somebody is required to be here (Amethi and Rae Bareli) as these are not constituencies where you can fight elections by remote control. We have worked hard herewe have a family relationship with people of these constituencies. They expect us to be around. Had both of us fought, we would have been managing our respective constituencies, she replied. Amethi and Rae Bareli will vote on Monday in the fifth leg of the seven-phase national polls. On both seats, the BJP has fielded its candidates from the 2019 elections: Irani and Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, respectively. Replying to a media query on the chances of BJP not crossing the half-way mark in the Lok Sabha, union home minister Amit Shah said on Friday that he didn't see the possibility of that happening. He said the BJP didn't need a Plan B. Union home minister Amit Shah during the Lok Sabha elections campaign. (PTI file photo) Asked what would be the BJP's course of action if it wins less than 272 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, Amit Shah said: "I don't see any such possibilities. An army of 60 crore-strong beneficiaries are standing with PM Modi, they have no caste or age group...Those who have received all these benefits know Narendra Modi kya hain aur kyun 400 dena chahiye". In an interview with ANI, when asked about BJP's Plan B in case it doesn't reach the majority mark, Amit Shah said the party's Plan A will succeed. "Plan B needs to be made only when there is less than a 60% chance for Plan A (to succeed). I am certain that PM Modi will come to power with a thumping majority," he added. Amit Shah said PM Modi is the biggest supporter of SC, ST and OBC reservations. Asked about BJP's charge that the Congress has been trying to foment a 'North-South divide', Amit Shah said the BJP will emerge as the single largest party in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka combined. "If someone says that this is a separate country, it is very objectionable...This country can never be divided now. A tall leader of Congress party spoke about dividing north and south India and the Congress party doesn't even deny it or separate itself from the statement. People of the country should think about the agenda of the Congress party...Combining the 5 states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, BJP is going to emerge as the single largest party in these elections," he said. Amit Shah said more than 400 seats are needed to bring stability to the country's politics. He said the BJP had the mandate to change the Constitution but they never did. He said with 400 seats in the Lok Sabha, the BJP wants to protect borders, make India the third-largest economy in the world, and ensure the welfare of the poor. The Congress claims the BJP wants to amend the Constitution by winning more than 400 seats. The BJP claims the Congress intends to snatch away the reservation benefits of SCs, STs and OBCs, and give them to the Muslim community. New Delhi: Even as the Aam Admi Party (AAP) refuted its lawmaker Swati Maliwals claim that she was assaulted by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals aide Bibhav Kumar and termed her as the face and the pawn of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) conspiracy against Kejriwal, Maliwal is all set to retain her Rajya Sabha seat. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal (File Photo) According to the rules governing the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, a lawmaker can be disqualified only in two circumstances if he/she voluntarily resigns or if a lawmaker votes or abstains during division (voting) contrary to the directions of the party. This means that, even if, say, AAP suspends Maliwal from the party, she will continue to remain the party MP and has to abide by the AAPs directions on voting in the House. But if AAP expels, she will automatically become an independent MP of the Rajya Sabha and would not remain bound to the directions of any party, according to experts. Also Read: Swati Maliwal gives statement to Delhi police, says Kejriwals aide assaulted her On Disqualification on ground of defection, according to the Tenth Schedule, (1) Subject to the provisions of 3 [paragraphs 4 and 5], a member of a House belonging to any political party shall be disqualified for being a member of the House (a) if he has voluntarily given up his membership of such political party; or (b) if he votes or abstains from voting in such House contrary to any direction issued by the political party to which he belongs or by any person or authority authorised by it in this behalf, without obtaining, in either case, the prior permission of such political party, person or authority and such voting or abstention has not been condoned by such political party, person or authority within fifteen days from the date of such voting or abstention. To be sure, there is no indication so far that AAP will suspend or take action against its MP. Maliwal is the AAPs newest MP in the Upper House. She took her oath in January this year. But even if the ties between AAP and Maliwal result in her expulsion from the party, Maliwal cant join any other party during the remainder of her term. According to Section (2) of paragraph 2 of the Tenth Schedule, An elected member of a House who has been elected as such otherwise than as a candidate set up by any political party shall be disqualified for being a member of the House if he joins any political party after such election. A Communist Party of India (Marxist) Rajya Sabha member, Ritabrata Banerjee, was recently expelled from the party but he remained an independent MP. Maliwal is at the centre of a massive controversy ahead of voting in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections after the former Delhi womens panel chief accused Kumar, the personal secretary of Kejriwal, of assaulting her at the chief ministers residence. On Thursday, a first information report was registered against Kumar at the Civil Lines Police Station following a complaint by Maliwal in which she accused him of outraging her modesty, slapping, kicking and threatening her at the CMs residence three days ago. Meanwhile, the AAP had called her allegations lies and said that it was a conspiracy hatched by the BJP against Kejriwal. If I want to see a wide array of African artifacts, my best bet is to apply for a Schengen or UK visa and catch a $1,000 flight from Nairobi to Europe or Britain, where the majority of Africas material cultural legacy is found. As much as 90% of Sub-Saharan Africas cultural artifacts are outside of the continent, according to a 2018 report commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron. A significant share is indeed housed in European and British museums. Debate over the restitution of looted African artifacts intensifies as Western museums face scrutiny for keeping treasures seized during colonial times.(Pixabay) Even after making a trip to London, one set of treasures I definitely will not get to see are some Ethiopian altar tablets that have been hidden in a sealed room in the British Museum for the past 150 years. The institution is under investigation by the UKs information watchdog over allegations that it failed to disclose key details about the tablets in response to a freedom of information request in August 2023. Looted during the 1868 Battle of Magdala, the tablets symbolically represent the ark of the covenant for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. They were part of a large number of items seized during the colonial conquest. Many artifacts from the battle have not been returned to Ethiopia, though there have been several requests from the country since 2019 and discussions are ongoing. These tablets represent the latest controversy in the debate over European museums keeping African artifacts, most of which were seized from the continent during colonial times through questionable and often violent means. In this case, the altar tablets have never been on display and are considered so sacred that even the museums curators and trustees dont have permission to see them. Theres simply no good reason why they should remain languishing in a sealed room rather than be returned to their country of origin. On a moral ground, the restitution debate is easy. Why should communities that were dispossessed of their cultural legacy, sometimes quite violently, have to prove they are deserving of objects that they never chose to leave their shores? Opponents of restitution of looted assets, of course, claim that Europe is doing a great service to the world by preserving these artifacts centrally, that these treasures wouldnt be cared for properly if they were to be returned, that the ways by which the West came to possess such items should stay in the past. Its hard to believe, however, that an institution that recently acknowledged the yearslong theft of more than 1,500 objects from its collections is the safest place to hold African artifacts. Western museums are surely worried about setting a precedent that could empty their tremendous public art collections. But by keeping these assets, Europe continues to perpetuate an injustice that began centuries back when colonial powers looted the African continent of objects as well as people. For Africans and the diaspora, it means they are prevented from learning about parts of their history because this tangible heritage is no longer in the communities that valued it and understood its importance. These objects are history, they are legacy and they are community. And they risk being forgotten. Isnt it time we move beyond the question of whether Europe and the UK should return Africas belongings, and focus instead on the when and how? This is critical, because laws in the West have made it difficult for African nations to get artifacts back. In the UK, this is primarily the 1963 British Museum Act(1), which offers very limited options for disposal of objects. In February, the country also altered a recent restitution law that gave more power to trustees of major national museums to return objects on moral grounds. The new change severely restricts their ability to do so by reinstating approval processes in restitution claims even for objects of low value. France too has similar laws on inalienability of public art collections, which means they belong to the state and cant be given back. Political will so far hasnt been enough to overcome these legal hurdles; indeed, France has only given back a reported 28 items from its large holdings since the release of the restitution report in 2018. Even when communities successfully advocate for the return of their looted assets, they might only be able to get them as long-term loans that must be renewed periodically. In January, for example, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the British Museum agreed to loan a number of significant Asante gold and silver cultural objects to a museum in Ghana. What gives me more hope are signs of progress from the African side. After the release of the 2018 report, the African Union created the Common African Position on restitution, which offered a guide to member countries for filing claims for lost assets. In 2021, the Republic of Benin successfully got France to return 26 artifacts to the Dahomey state. Although restitution happens at the state level, some community efforts have fared better than governments in building momentum for it, according to Veronika Chatelain, who co-leads the $15 million Global Initiative for the Restitution of African Cultural Heritage at the Open Society Foundation. For example, RegArtLess, a grassroots arts organization in Cameroon, created a global movement using social media (#BringbackNgonnso) to demand Germany return the Queen Mother statue to the Nso plans for its return are reportedly now underway. And Open Restitution Africa, a women-led activist organization, has created a database where communities are able to file and track claims. Governments can learn from such examples. Swaying public opinion requires bringing the debate closer to people. Efforts to get artifacts back should therefore prioritize a few at a time and focus on telling a compelling story around them on social media and elsewhere. More public pressure within the continent and in Europe can be the spark to changing blinkered laws. With each passing year, it will get harder for Europe to justify keeping these looted cultural possessions. In the digital age, its only a matter of time before various communities in Africa and elsewhere learn about what was taken from them, protest the continued injustice of it and lend their voices to an ever-growing group of those demanding restitution. More From Bloomberg Opinion: Zimbabwe Gold Won't Solve the Country's Problems: Justice Malala Anglo American Gives BHP the Blueprint for a Takeover: Javier Blas Europe's New Power Map, From ASML to the Arctic: Lionel Laurent (1) Returning Heritage, the organization behind the freedom of information request about the Ethiopian altar tablets, argues they can be lawfully returned to Ethiopia under a clause in the law that allows for the discretion of the museums trustees. Ladies and gentlemen, hold your breath as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has arrived at Cannes 2024. The gorgeous Bollywood actress is making her 21st appearance at the prestigious 77th Cannes Film Festival on the French Riviera. Ever since the red carpet event began on June 14, fashion enthusiasts have been eagerly awaiting Aishwarya's arrival, and we must say that she didn't disappoint. The actress stunned on the red carpet in a dramatic floor-sweeping gown for the premiere of Megalopolis. The former Miss World let her show-stopping ensemble speak volumes of sartorial elegance, leaving onlookers swooning with admiration. Her appearance undoubtedly caused a stir in the fashion world. Scroll down to know more about her appearance. (Also read: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan leaves for Cannes with daughter Aaradhya, donning stylish navy blue trench coat worth 64k. Watch ) Aishwarya Rai Bachchan makes a glamorous appearance at Cannes 2024 in a custom black and white gown adorned with stunning gold details.(Instagram) Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stuns at Cannes red-carpet The Cannes veteran set the red carpet ablaze as she arrived in an enchanting black and white gown that perfectly combined different elements. Looking ethereal in a custom Falguni Shane Peacock couture, Aishwarya had a golden moment on the red carpet. Her breathtaking gown showcased the perfect combination of black and white and was meticulously crafted with exquisite hand-beaten molten gold flowers and plates, making it a true work of art. Decoding Aishwarya's Cannes look Her show-stopping gown featured an off-the-shoulder sweetheart neckline, corseted bodice, bodycon fit and striking fishtail hemline. However, what really took her look to new heights were the dazzling gold embellishments that adorned her gown and added a touch of oomph. To further enhance her look, she paired it with oversized white puff sleeves and an attached train at the back that was adorned with enchanting golden molten flowers, adding an extra touch of drama and demonstrating fashion sophistication. Assisted by celebrity fashion stylist Akshay Tyagi, Aishwarya kept her accessories to a minimum to let her outfit shine and styled her look with just a pair of oversized gold hoop earrings, a statement ring adorning her finger and a pair of high heels. Her glam make-up look included smoky eyeshadow, smudged winged eyeliner, mascaraed lashes, darkened brows, contoured cheekbones, rosy cheeks and a shade of nude lipstick. With her luscious locks styled in soft curls and tied up in a centre-part half updo hairstyle, she finished off her ethereal red carpet look. I still remember the exact moment the thought occurred to me. I had just landed in Dubai, gone through immigration in a jiffy, walked to the baggage belt to see my bags already serenely coasting along on the conveyer belt, walked outside to get a car to take me to my hotel and thats when I had opened my phone to scroll through Twitter. And there it was: An endless stream of tweets about how people who had landed in Heathrow the same time that my plane had touched down in Dubai, were going to be stuck in the airport for hours on end because the e-gates had failed. Its not just Cairo that has pickpockets and muggers, but first-world cities like Paris and Naples too. (SHUTTERSTOCK) Thats when the thought popped into my head. The tables have truly turned, I marvelled. The First World has turned into the Third World and vice versa. The signs had been there for a long time. The first time I planned a trip to London post-pandemic, I was inundated with slightly intimidating advice by friends who lived in the city. One told me how her son had been held at knifepoint and divested of his laptop, watch and wallet in the heart of Belgravia. Another recounted how her husband had had his phone snatched out of his hand by a gang on Bond Street. Dubai is considered one of the safest cities to travel in. (SHUTTERSTOCK) The stories were endless but the advice was always the same. Please leave all your valuables behind in India. Do not wear any jewellery not even the fake kind (because, honestly, who can tell the difference?). Dont flaunt an expensive watch. Do not carry a designer bag. Dress down as much as possible. And if, despite all these precautions, you are still the victim of a mugging, for Gods sake, dont fight back. Just hand over your valuables and be grateful you have been spared your life. Honestly, it sounded like the kind of advice that we were given when we were headed to the lawless streets of Lagos or the souks of Egypt. But here we were, in a situation when going to London was being treated like a trip into a zone of anarchy. Earlier, if you were going to Lagos, you were advised to avoid taking valuables along. Now, the same rules apply for trips to London. (SHUTTERSTOCK) So, frightened out of my wits, I complied with all the advice. I left every expensive item I owned back at home, carried a crossbody bag that I wore underneath my jacket and kept my mobile firmly in my pocket. I came back home unscathed but a friend wasnt quite so lucky. Sitting outside a popular pub, enjoying a pint, she felt a tug at her side and turned around to see her bag disappear, stolen by two men whizzing past on a mobike. Contrast this to my trip to Dubai. Everywhere I went, I found people dressed to the nines, wearing flashy jewellery, expensive watches, designer handbags, without a care in the world. There were groups of women out and about till late into the night, partying without worrying about how they would get home, secure in the knowledge that they were in a safe city. I enjoyed every moment of it. But back in my mind was the thought that I should make the most of it while I could. My next trip is to Naples and I am sure I am going to be peppered with the same kind of advice I got when I was headed to London. Truly, the First World has turned into the Third World. And vice versa. From HT Brunch, May 18, 2024 Follow us on www.instagram.com/htbrunch Promoters of Kiran Gems have bought an around 16,000 sq ft sea-facing apartment in the luxury project Oberoi 360 West in Mumbai for 97.4 crore, documents accessed by Zapkey showed. Promoters of Kiran Gems have bought an around 16,000 sq ft sea-facing apartment in the luxury project Oberoi 360 West in Mumbai for 97.4 crore, documents accessed by Zapkey showed. Mavjibhai Shamjibhai Patel, Rasikaben Mavjibhai Patel and Munjal Mavjibhai Lakhani have bought the property located in the project, Oberoi 360 West, in Mumbai, the documents showed. HT Digital reached out to the offices of Kiran Gems via email. An email has also been sent to the seller Skylark Buildcon Private Limited. The story will be updated if and when a response is received. The apartment spread across an area of 14,911 sq ft (Rera carpet) plus an additional area of 884 sq ft has been bought for 97.4 crore, the documents showed. Also Read: Mumbai real estate: All that you need to know about bulk property deals being registered in the financial capital The sale documents were registered on April 29, 2024. It is located on the 47th floor and comes with nine parkings. The seller of the property is Oasis Realty partner Skylark Buildcon Private Limited, the documents showed. Kiran Gems, a leading player in the jewelry industry, specializing in the production of diamonds and precious stones, had in January taken the decision to cease operations at the worlds largest trading hub in Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) and relocated to Mumbai, according to media reports. According to media reports, Kiran Gems had shared a video on their LinkedIn platform last year showcasing their Trading Hub at the Surat Diamond Bourse. In 2021, a bungalow in Worli was sold to a Surat-based diamond firm headed by Ghanshyambhai Dhanjibhai Dholakia for a staggering 185 crore. Panhar bungalow consists of a basement and ground-plus-six storeyed structure located opposite Worli sea face, one of the sought-after locations in Mumbai. It occupies an area measuring 19,886 square feet and was purchased by Harikrishna Exports Private Limited from Arkay Holdings Limited. Also Read: Mumbai: Surat-based diamond firm buys Worli bungalow for 185 crore In a bulk deal in 2023, 28 apartments in Three Sixty Wests Tower B were purchased by D Mart owner Radhakishan Damanis immediate family and close associates for a sum of 1,238 crore last year. Also Read: Worli distress sale: Damani daughters among 28 buyers Three Sixty West by Oberoi Realty is a project that has two towers - Tower A with 66 floors and 28 apartments, while Tower B has 90 floors and 256 units including 4BHK, 5BHK, duplex configurations. It also has two penthouses of 11,036 sq ft each. The sea-view project presumably gets its name because its height is 360 metres and all apartments face the west. It is a ready-to-move-in uber luxury housing project. As per the MahaRERA portal, Three Sixty West project is registered in the name of Oasis Realty as the promoter, and has four promoters including SkyLark Buildcon Pvt Ltd, and Shree Vrunda Enterprises, part of Sudhakar Shettys Sahana Group, and Oberoi Constructions Ltd and Astir Realty LLP which are Vikas Oberoi promoted companies. French door refrigerators have become a popular choice for modern kitchens due to their stylish design and practical features. These refrigerators have two doors on the top that opens outwards, providing easy access to fresh food items, while the freezer compartment is typically located at the bottom. This design not only adds an elegant touch to any kitchen but also offers several benefits. Enjoy great deals on the top 5 French door refrigerators to upgrade your kitchen this summer.(Pexels) One of the main advantages of French door refrigerators is their spacious and flexible storage. The wide shelves and adjustable bins can accommodate large items like platters and pizzas, making them ideal for large families and those who entertain frequently. Additionally, the double doors allow for better organization and easy visibility of contents, reducing the time spent searching for items. Energy efficiency is another key benefit. By opening only one door at a time, less cold air escapes, helping to maintain a consistent temperature and reduce energy consumption. Many models come with advanced features such as water and ice dispensers, smart temperature controls, and air filtration systems, enhancing convenience and food preservation. During Amazon's Summer Deals, you can enjoy discounts of up to 41% on the top 5 French door refrigerators. This is a great opportunity to upgrade your kitchen with a high-quality appliance at a reduced price. Don't miss out on these savings while they last. The Godrej 670 L Four Door Refrigerator in Graphite Black is a spacious and versatile appliance perfect for large families of 5 or more members. With its frost-free technology, you never have to worry about manual defrosting, ensuring hassle-free maintenance. The energy-efficient inverter compressor not only keeps the refrigerator quiet but also adjusts cooling according to usage, saving energy and money. Its special features include a Convertible Freezer, allowing you to switch between fridge and freezer modes effortlessly, and a Flexi Zone with three compartments, each with customizable temperature settings for ultimate convenience. Specifications of Godrej 670 L Four-Door Refrigerator Capacity: 670 litres Energy rating: Not specified Suitable for family size: 5 or more members Special features: Convertible Freezer, Flexi Zone / Triple Zone Reasons to buy Reasons to avoid Sleek design Limited capacity Auto-defrost function Fewer special features Also read: Refrigerators with water dispensers for cold water throughout the day: Top picks 2. Electrolux 524L Frost Free Inverter French Door Refrigerator The Electrolux 524L Frost Free Inverter French Door Refrigerator, also known as UltimateTaste 700, is your kitchen companion for keeping food fresh and organized. With TasteLockAuto technology, it ensures your fruits and veggies stay fresh for up to a week by regulating moisture levels. The NutriFresher inverter compressor maintains a consistent temperature, saving energy while preserving your food's freshness. Enjoy ice on demand with the AutoIce function, and keep every shelf evenly cooled with EvenTemp technology. Say goodbye to odours with the TasteGuard Deodorizer, and store meats and cheeses conveniently in the ChillRoom compartment. Plus, bright LED lighting makes finding items effortless. Specifications of Electrolux 524L Frost Free Inverter French Door Refrigerator: Capacity: 524 litres Energy rating: A+ Suitable for family size: Medium to large Special features: TasteLockAuto technology, AutoIce function Reasons to buy Reasons to avoid Convertible feature High price Twin Cooling Plus feature Energy rating not provided Also read: Best 5-star refrigerators in India to keep your food fresh: Top 10 energy-efficient, eco-friendly options 3. Samsung 550 L, Convertible, Digital Inverter, Frost Free French Door Refrigerator The Samsung 550 L Frost-Free French Door Refrigerator is a full-sized appliance designed to meet the needs of large families, boasting a generous capacity of 550 litres. With its French Door configuration, it offers convenient access to both fresh food and freezer compartments, making it easy to organize your groceries. The Twin Cooling Plus feature ensures that your food stays fresh and moist longer while preventing odours from mixing between compartments. The digital inverter compressor provides greater energy efficiency, less noise, and long-lasting performance, backed by a 20-year warranty. Special features like Convertible, Power Freeze, and Power Cool add versatility and convenience to your kitchen. Specifications of Samsung 550 L Frost-Free French Door Refrigerator: Capacity: 550 litres Energy rating: 4-star Suitable for family size: 5 or more members Special features: Twin Cooling Plus, Convertible, Power Freeze, Power Cool Reasons to buy Reasons to avoid Stylish design Limited color options Futuristic technology High price 4. Toshiba 650 L Frost Free Inverter 4-Door Refrigerator The Toshiba 650 L Frost Free Inverter 4-Door Refrigerator. This classy blue glass-door appliance combines style with functionality, offering a spacious capacity of 650 litres, making it ideal for large families. With its French Door configuration, it provides easy access to all compartments. The Ideal 3-System Cooling ensures uniform cooling without any cross-contamination, keeping your food fresh at all times. The Futuristic Plasma + Pure Technology deactivates bacteria, ensuring the purity of the air inside for healthier food storage. The Convert Zone feature allows you to convert compartments from fridge to freezer and vice versa, providing flexibility as per your needs. Equipped with a Real Inverter and A++ technology, it maximizes efficiency and saves energy. The Smart Control Digital Panel adds sophistication to your kitchen, allowing you to control all functions with a simple touch. Specifications of Toshiba 650 L Frost Free Inverter 4-Door Refrigerator: Capacity: 650 litres Suitable for family size: Not provided Special features: Futuristic Plasma + Pure Technology, Convert Zone, Real Inverter Reasons to buy Reasons to avoid Stylish design Limited color options Futuristic technology High price The SHARP 678L J-Tech Inverter French Door Refrigerator offers ample storage and advanced cooling technology for large families. This frost-free refrigerator prevents ice build-up, ensuring hassle-free maintenance. With its J-Tech Inverter compressor, it minimizes fluctuations, reducing power consumption and maintaining a stable temperature. The toughened glass shelves can hold up to 120 kg, making it perfect for heavy items. Special features like Extra Cool and Express Freeze provide quick cooling options, while Plasmacluster technology keeps the air clean and fresh. Additionally, the Door Alarm and Eco mode enhance convenience and energy efficiency. Specifications of SHARP 678L J-Tech Inverter French Door Refrigerator Capacity: 678 litres Energy rating: 5 stars Suitable for family size: Large Special features: Extra Cool, Express Freeze Reasons to buy Reasons to avoid Spacious capacity High price Energy-efficient Limited color options Also read: Best LG convertible refrigerators in India: Top 4 models to keep your food fresh for longer Top 3 features of the best French door refrigerators(Amazon Summer Deals): French Door Refrigerators Capacity No. of doors Special Features Godrej 670 L Four Door Frost Free Inverter Refrigerator 670 litres 4 Convertible freezer, Energy Efficient Inverter Compressor Electrolux 524L Frost Free Inverter French Door Refrigerator 524 3 Auto Ice Function, Less Energy Consumption Samsung 550 L Frost-Free French Door Refrigerator 550 litres 2 Twin Cooling Plus, Convertible, Power Freeze, Power Cool Toshiba 650 L Frost Free Inverter 4-Door Refrigerator 650 litres 4 Futuristic Plasma + Pure Technology, Convert Zone, Real Inverter SHARP 678L J-Tech Inverter French Door Refrigerator 678 4 Plasmacluster Technology, Door Alarm Best value for money French door refrigerators(Amazon Summer Deals): Hisense 507 L Inverter Frost-Free Multi-Door Refrigerator The Hisense 507 L Inverter Frost-Free Multi-Door Refrigerator stands out as the best value-for-money product due to its sleek design, auto-defrost function, and competitive pricing. While it may have a slightly smaller capacity compared to some other models, its features make it a practical choice for families seeking both functionality and affordability. Best overall French door refrigerators(Amazon Summer Deals): Godrej 670 L Four Door Refrigerator The Godrej 670 L Four Door Refrigerator stands out as the best at the Amazon summer sale for its flexible Triple Zone feature and Convertible Freezer, offering unparalleled storage options. Its energy-efficient inverter compressor ensures quiet and cost-effective operation, making it a top choice for large families. Also read: Fridges under 10,000: Top 5 pocket-friendly refrigerators for savvy shoppers How to pick the best French door refrigerators(Amazon Summer Deals): To select the best French door refrigerator during Amazon Summer Deals, follow these steps. Begin by assessing your household's needs regarding capacity, features, and budget. Consider factors like family size, kitchen space, preferred features, and energy efficiency. Next, research available models on Amazon, paying attention to customer reviews, ratings, and product specifications to evaluate performance, reliability, and suitability. Compare features such as capacity, energy efficiency ratings, special functionalities, and design aesthetics to prioritize those aligning with your preferences and lifestyle. During Amazon Summer Deals, watch for discounts, coupons, and bundle offers on French door refrigerators, comparing prices to find the best value. Read reviews from other buyers to gain insights into real-world experiences and consider after-sales support, including warranty coverage and customer service reputation. Finally, make an informed decision based on your priorities, preferences, and budget constraints, choosing the French door refrigerator that best meets your needs and offers the most value for your money. FAQs: The best French door refrigerators(Amazon Summer Deals) 1. What makes French door refrigerators stand out during Amazon Summer Deals? French door refrigerators are popular for their spacious design, flexible storage options, and advanced features. During Amazon Summer Deals, you can find these refrigerators at discounted prices, making them an attractive option for upgrading your kitchen. 2. What factors should I consider when choosing the best French door refrigerator on Amazon? Consider your household's needs in terms of capacity, features, and budget. Look for features like energy efficiency, special functionalities (such as ice and water dispensers, and smart connectivity), and design aesthetics. Pay attention to customer reviews, ratings, and product specifications to gauge performance and reliability. 3. Are there any specific deals or discounts available on French door refrigerators during Amazon Summer Deals? Yes, Amazon Summer Deals often feature discounts, coupons, and bundle offers on French door refrigerators. Keep an eye out for these deals to find the best value for your budget. 4. What makes the Godrej 670 L Four Door Refrigerator the best choice among French door refrigerators in the Amazon Summer Deals? The Godrej 670 L Four Door Refrigerator excels with its energy-efficient inverter compressor ensures quiet, cost-effective performance, making it perfect for large families seeking versatile and reliable storage solutions. Disclaimer: At Hindustan Times, we help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and products. Hindustan Times has an affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase. We shall not be liable for any claim under applicable laws, including but not limited to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, with respect to the products. The products listed in this article are in no particular order of priority. Looking for the best kitchen appliances to gift your loved ones on special occasions? Our home appliances gifting guide is here to help! Whether its a wedding, anniversary, housewarming, or any other celebration, we have a selection of top kitchen and home appliances that are perfect for gifting. From practical kitchen gadgets to innovative tech devices, our guide has the best gift ideas for every taste and budget. Home appliances gifting ideas your friends and family would love! Say goodbye to generic gifts that gather dust. Instead, surprise your friends and family with something they'll use and appreciate every day. Whether youre shopping for a newly married couple, celebrating a milestone anniversary, or congratulating friends on their new home, our guide has something for everyone. Discover unique and creative home appliance gifts that bring joy and convenience to the recipients life. Our suggestions range from stylish kitchen appliances to smart home gadgets, carefully selected to add value and happiness to their daily routine. Finding the perfect gift doesn't have to be stressful. Let our guide inspire you to choose presents that combine utility and delight. Whether its a state-of-the-art coffee maker, a versatile air fryer, or a sleek toaster, we have recommendations that will make any occasion special. Give the gift of happiness and utility with our expert picks for the best home appliances and best kitchen appliances. Home appliances you can gift on weddings, anniversaries or housewarmings Whether it's simplifying meal prep or keeping the home clean and organized, home appliances make for thoughtful and appreciated gifts on special occasions. Smart home devices like voice assistants or robotic vacuum cleaners can also make life easier. Explore our recommendations for the best gift ideas and buy the perfect present for which your friends and family will cherish you for life. Below, we have also separated sections for various budgets. Read on to find out! Kitchen appliance gift ideas: Best microwaves for gifting The Samsung 23 L Grill Microwave Oven (MG23A3515AK/TL) in sleek black is designed to meet various cooking needs with efficiency and style. With a compact size of 39.2D x 48.9W x 27.5H centimetres, it's suitable for families of 3 to 4 members. This microwave boasts a range of features including Browning Plus (Grill +30 Sec) for achieving the ideal texture and colour of food, Eco Mode for energy efficiency, and Keep Warm function to maintain dishes at serving temperature. The Quick Defrost feature ensures rapid and even thawing, while the Deodorization setting eliminates lingering odours. Check out more suggestions for best-selling microwaves Kitchen appliance gift ideas: best induction cooktops for gifting The Pigeon by Stovekraft Cruise Induction Cooktop is a sleek and efficient addition to any kitchen, boasting a powerful 1800 watt heating element. Its crystal glass top and black design lend a modern touch to your cooking space. Equipped with a 7-segment LED display for easy monitoring of power and temperature, this cooktop offers convenience and precision. The smart timer feature allows for hands-free cooking, while the preset timer ensures auto switch off for added safety. With 93-percent energy-saving technology, it promotes eco-friendly cooking practices. Safety is prioritized with its mechanism that only activates when compatible cookware is placed on the top. . Perfect for everyday cooking needs, it combines functionality with style, making it a must-have appliance for any home kitchen. Check out more induction cooktops here Also read: Best microwaves under 10000: Top 8 models that are a perfect fit for small families and bachelors Kitchen appliance gift ideas: Best food processors for gifting The Preethi Zion MG-227 Mixer Grinder is a powerful and versatile kitchen appliance designed to make cooking easier. Featuring a robust 750W Vega W5 motor, it ensures efficient and quick grinding, saving both time and energy. The appliance includes four jars: three stainless steel jars and a Master Chef Plus food processor jar, allowing you to handle various tasks like atta kneading, chopping, slicing, grating, and meat mincing. The flexi lids provide flexibility in jar capacities, making it easy to adjust for different quantities. Safety features include dishwasher-safe jars and an overload indicator. This mixer grinder is an excellent addition to any kitchen, combining durability, functionality and aesthetics for every modern and contemporary kitchen. Check more food processors you can consider gifting Also read: Best juicer mixer grinder: Find your all-in-one kitchen appliance for juicing, grinding and blending needs, top 10 picks Home appliance gift ideas: Air purifiers for gifting The Coway Airmega Aim Professional Air Purifier is an advanced solution for maintaining clean and healthy air at home. This newly launched model features a HEPA filter that traps 99.99% of viruses and PM 0.1 particles, ensuring superior air quality. It has an impressive filter life of 8500 hours and covers up to 355 square feet, making it suitable for medium-sized rooms. The purifier comes with a 7-year manufacturer warranty, offering long-term reliability. Its sleek white design complements any home decor, and it includes a remote control for convenient operation, making it one of the best gift ideas for home. Check out more options for air purifiers you can consider gifting Kitchen appliance gift ideas: Coffee makers for gifting The Pigeon Brewster Coffee Maker is a compact and efficient drip coffee machine ideal for quick and easy brewing. With a 600-watt heating plate and a 600 ml capacity, it can make up to 4 cups of coffee, making it perfect for small households or travel. Its advanced brewing technology and mesh filter ensure a smooth and rich coffee experience. The anti-drip mechanism prevents spills, keeping your kitchen clean. Made from durable plastic, this modern coffee maker is easy to operate with its simple button interface. Check out more options for coffee makers you can gift Kitchen appliance gift ideas: Vacuum cleaners for gifting A vacuum cleaners makes a great home appliance for gifting. The Eureka Forbes Quick Clean DX Vacuum Cleaner is designed for efficient and powerful cleaning. Equipped with a 1200-watt motor, it offers strong suction power to tackle deep-embedded dirt and dust. It features a 2-litre capacity dust bag with a full indicator, ensuring timely disposal of collected dirt. The vacuum cleaner comes with multiple accessories, including a flexible hose pipe, extension tubes, a floor cum carpet brush, a crevice nozzle, an upholstery nozzle, and four reusable dust bags worth 500. It has an easy-to-use foot-operated power on/off switch and an auto cord winder for convenience. Check out more options for vacuum cleaners from top brands Kitchen appliance gift ideas: Air fryers for gifting The Instant Pot Vortex 6 Litre Air Fryer is a versatile kitchen appliance designed to make cooking healthier and more convenient. With a large 5.7-litre capacity, it's perfect for family meals, allowing you to prepare a variety of dishes such as French fries, samosas, kababs, chicken nuggets, and even cakes. This 6-in-1 appliance can air fry, roast, broil, bake, reheat and dehydrate, making it a multifunctional tool for your kitchen. It uses 95% less oil thanks to its EvenCrisp Technology, delivering the same crunch and tenderness as traditional frying. The touch control panel is user-friendly, offering easy access to all cooking functions, time, and temperature settings. Made from the highest food-grade stainless steel (SS304), it ensures durability and safety. Additionally, it is designed for easy cleanup with a non-stick, dishwasher-safe air fry basket and tray. Operating on 230 volts, it is tailored to Indian electrical standards and comes with a one-year warranty. If you wish to encourage healthy eating for your loved ones, what's a better gift idea than an air fryer? Check out more air fryer options for gifting Also read: Best washing machines under 10000: Top 9 options for budget-conscious buyers Home appliances gift ideas between 10k - 20k Searching for the perfect home appliance gifts within the 10k to 20k price bracket? Our curated selection offers a range of options, from stylish kitchen gadgets to cutting-edge smart home devices. Thoughtful and practical, these gifts are sure to impress without straining your budget. Find the best gift ideas for home appliances in budget today. Our exclusive list of recommendations includes washing machines, refrigerators, TVs and air purifiers from top brands within your budget. Home appliances gift ideas under 10k From essential kitchen tools to innovative smart home gadgets, there's something for everyone in this affordable range. These gifts not only demonstrate your thoughtfulness but also provide practical utility, enhancing the recipient's daily life. Whether you're celebrating a wedding, anniversary, or housewarming, these budget-friendly and best gift ideas allow you to express your affection without straining your wallet. Choose from a range of high-quality appliances that cater to different preferences and needs, ensuring that your gift will be both appreciated and useful. Also read: Best air purifiers under 5000: Top 6 smart investments for improved breathing Home appliances gift ideas under 5k When it comes to gifting, practicality and affordability often go hand in hand. Our selection of home appliance gift ideas under 5k offers a range of options that are both thoughtful and budget-friendly. Whether you're celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or housewarming, these affordable options allow you to express your thoughtfulness without breaking the bank. Treat your loved ones to best home appliances gifts that enhance their daily lives, from coffee makers and toasters to handheld mixers and much more. Also read: Best refrigerators under 8000: Choose from 9 budget-friendly mini fridges Home appliances gift ideas under 2k Finding the perfect gift that is both thoughtful and budget-friendly can sometimes be a challenge. However, our selection of home appliance gift ideas under 2k aims to make the process easier. Despite the modest price tag, these gifts offer practicality and utility. Whether it's a simple coffee maker, a versatile toaster, or a handy electric kettle, these items can make everyday tasks easier and more enjoyable. They not only demonstrate your consideration for the recipient's needs but also showcase your ability to find affordable yet meaningful gifts. Explore our collection of home appliance gifts under 2k and make every occasion memorable without overspending. FAQs on home appliances gift ideas 1. What are some popular home appliances to gift for a wedding? Answer: Popular home appliances for wedding gifts include coffee makers, blenders, microwave ovens, and multi-cookers. These appliances are practical and help newlyweds set up their kitchen with ease. 2. What is a good home appliance gift for a housewarming party? Answer: For housewarming parties, consider gifting an air purifier, vacuum cleaner, or an induction cooktop. These appliances are useful for maintaining a clean and comfortable home environment. 3. Are there budget-friendly home appliances that make good gifts? Answer: Yes, there are many budget-friendly home appliances perfect for gifting, such as toasters, electric kettles, and handheld blenders. These items are generally affordable yet very useful for daily tasks. 4. Can I gift home appliances for special occasions like anniversaries? Answer: Absolutely! For anniversaries, you might consider higher-end appliances like a mixer grinder, a slow cooker, or a robotic vacuum cleaner. These gifts can add convenience and luxury to everyday life. 5. What should I consider when choosing a home appliance as a gift? Answer: When choosing a home appliance as a gift, consider the recipient's needs, lifestyle, and kitchen space. Look for appliances that are user-friendly, have good reviews, and come with a warranty. Its also a good idea to ensure the appliance fits within your budget and offers good value for money. Disclaimer: At Hindustan Times, we help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and products. Hindustan Times has an affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase. We shall not be liable for any claim under applicable laws, including but not limited to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, with respect to the products. The products listed in this article are in no particular order of priority. Reddit Inc. forged a partnership with OpenAI that will bring its content to the chatbot ChatGPT and other products, while also helping the social media company add new artificial intelligence features to its forums. HT Image Shares of Reddit, which had their initial public offering in March, jumped as much as 15% in late trading following the announcement. The agreement will enable OpenAIs AI tools to better understand and showcase Reddit content, especially on recent topics, the companies said Thursday in a joint statement. The deal allows OpenAI to display Reddits content and train AI systems on its partners data. Reddit will also offer its users new AI-based tools built on models created by OpenAI, which will place ads on its partners site. Financial terms of the deal werent disclosed. Reddit content has long been a popular source of training data for making AI models including those of OpenAI. Last week, Reddit released new policies governing the use of its data, part of an effort to increase revenue through licensing agreements with artificial intelligence developers and other companies. Our data is extremely valuable, Chief Executive Officer Steve Huffman said at the Bloomberg Technology Summit earlier this month. Were seeing a ton of interest in it. Finding new moneymaking opportunity was part of Reddits pitch in the lead-up to its IPO. The company also signed an accord in January with Alphabet Inc.s Google worth $60 million to help train large language models, the technology underpinning generative AI. Huffman previously declined to discuss the specifics of the Google deal but said typical terms can govern how long a Reddit summary can show up in a Google search or whether a licensee has to display Reddit branding in AI-generated results. The San Francisco-based social network has signed licensing deals worth $203 million in total, with terms ranging from two to three years, and has been in talks to strike additional licensing agreements. OpenAI, for its part, is increasingly forging partnerships with media companies to help train its AI systems and show more real-time content within its chatbot. The ChatGPT maker also penned deals with Dotdash Meredith earlier this month and the Financial Times in April. Read More: OpenAI Inks Deal With People Magazine Publisher Dotdash Meredith Backed by Microsoft Corp., the startup has emerged as a driving force in the development of AI. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has a long history with Reddit. He was one of the companys largest shareholders at the time of its IPO earlier this year and briefly served as Reddits interim CEO in 2014. The companies noted in the statement that their partnership was led by OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap and was approved by its independent directors. The shares of Reddit, which had declined 5.5% to $56.38 in regular New York trading Thursday, soared as high as $64.75 after the partnership was announced. The stock has gained 66% since its IPO. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Gina Rinehart, the richest woman in Australia, has demanded that the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) remove her portrait from public display at an ongoing exhibition, the BBC reported, quoting local media. Gina Rinehart is also Australia's second-largest cattle producer. Twenty-one paintings are on display at an exhibition titled Australia in Colour in the gallery in Australia's capital, Canberra. The artworks are by aboriginal artist Vincent Namatjira, who is best known for his caricature style. The artwork includes the Late Queen Elizabeth II, American musician Jimi Hendrix, Australian Aboriginal rights activist Vincent Lingiari, and the former Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison. How did NGA react to the removal request? In a statement to CNN, the NGA said that it welcomes public dialogue on its collection and displays. The statement further read: Since 1973, when the National Gallery acquired Jackson Pollocks Blue Poles, there has been a dynamic discussion on the artistic merits of works in the national collection, and/or on display at the Gallery. We present works of art to the Australian public to inspire people to explore, experience and learn about art. What did the artist say? Vincent Namatjira said that he paints wealthy, powerful and significant people who have influenced him and his countrywhether directly or indirectly, whether for good or for bad, reported CNN. I paint the world as I see it. People dont 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? What is he trying to say? Namatjira told CNN. He added, 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. About Gina Rinehart She is the only daughter of the late mining magnate Lang Hancock. Over thirty years ago, she inherited her father's business, Hancock Prospecting, and has turned it into a company now estimated to be worth billions. Rinehart is the executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting. Rinehart, 70, has a net worth of $30.9 billion. She is also the second-largest cattle producer in Australia, according to Forbes. In 2011, she was sued by one of her twin daughters over what reports said was a commercial dispute. Gina Rinehart married twice, first to taxi driver Greg Hayward, with whom she had a son and daughter, and then to Frank Rinehart, a lawyer who died in 1990. They have twin daughters, including Hope, who launched the lawsuit. Debarghya (Deedy) Das, an Indian-origin tech influencer on X (formerly Twitter) and a former Google engineer, said that NRIs who praise India should feel "obligated" to answer why they are not living in their home country. The viral post sparked a discussion, with perspectives from both Indians living abroad and those residing in India. Debarghya (Deedy) Das is a principal at Menlo Ventures, and is based in Palo Alto, California, (LinkedIn/debarghyadas) "When Indians living abroad talk about how bustling the scene is India, they should feel obligated to answer why they are not living there," Das, better known as Deedy on X, wrote on Thursday. In two more posts, he clarified that it is okay for NRIs to think that India is not a place where they would want to live because of various reasons even though they believe in the country's growth story. Take a look at Deedy Das's post: "Its disingenuous to try to act like its the best place in the world to be if youre not in it," he said, adding that Indians abroad should clarify why they are residing in a foreign country. "And this isn't about not feeling proud and cheering on your own country. You should do that. Do that. But be honest about why youre not there." Das's first post received strong engagement, with over 2.3 million views and over 9,333 'likes'. The post also got over 500 comments. Among those who weighed in on the subject was Venkatesh Elayavalli, an Indian-origin engineer based in Austin, Texas. He moved back to the US in 2022 after spending several years in Bengaluru because his children joined colleges in the US. He listed pros and cons of living in India in a long note. There are plenty of valid legit reasons why you cant be living back home but still find it exciting meanwhile there's also no reason you can't be enthusiastic about its growth while already being in a place that is giving you more, an X user, whose handle is named shrihacker, said. Debarghya Das, who is based in Palo Alto in California, works at Menlo Ventures. He worked at Google for three years, between 2016 and 2019. A post by an IIT-Madras alum has created a debate among X users. In her post, Anjali Lal claimed that Delhi is not liveable and that Bengaluru is headed the same way. While her post resonated with some, others strongly spoke against it. A post by an IIT-Madras alum on Delhi and Bengaluru's living conditions has divided X users. (Unsplash/ravinepz) Bangalore is not going to be liveable in the next five years. Just like Delhi isn't now, she wrote. In the following line, she added, Folks, which city we all planning to go to and make unliveable next? Take a look at the post here: Screengrab of an X post by an IIT-Madras alum on Delhi and Bengaluru. (X/@AnjaliLal14) The post was shared a day ago. Since then, it has accumulated more than 2.8 lakh views - and the numbers are only increasing. The share has collected close to 1,500 likes. People posted varied comments while reacting to the share. While some agreed with Lal, others had opposing views. What did X users say about this post about Delhi and Bengaluru? Wdym Delhi isnt liveable? And please come up with a better reason than pollution, shared an X user. Lal replied, Can't breathe during winters. Can't roam outside without being ogled at. Rude people. Water problems in addition to all that. Another posted, Pune on its way. Hyderabad is already there. Let's not name any places that still have some sanity left, else we will soon be rushing there too. A third joined, If you've been in cities like Mumbai for most of your life, Bangalore won't look like a liveable city to you ever. PS - I'm not saying Mumbai doesn't have its own cons. A fourth added, Kochi is a great candidate. Metro, malls, tech company scenes, international airport, great tourist spots nearby, etc. A fifth wrote, Delhi has good infrastructure. Pollution is an issue, but that is for nearly the whole of North India to a certain extent. Delhi is better than Bangalore in terms of water availability. According to Anjali Lals LinkedIn profile, she completed her schooling at Delhi Public School and graduated with a BA from Gargi College. In 2018, she completed her MBA from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. Presently, she works as a senior marketing manager. What are your thoughts on this post by the IIT-Madras alum about the living conditions of cities like Delhi and Bengaluru? Content creator Varun Mayya recently conducted a face-to-face interview with Google CEO Sundar Pichai at Google headquarters. Their conversation delved into a diverse range of topics, from the emergence of AI to India's position as a market for this new technology, and the popularity of FAANG jobs among Indians. Pichai also made a notable reference to the iconic motor scene from Aamir Khans 3 Idiots while answering a question by Mayya. Although the entire interview is yet to be published, a snippet posted on the content creator's Instagram has already sparked amusement. The image is from an interview in which Google CEO Sundar Pichai mentioned a scene from Aamir Khans 3 Idiots. (Instagram/@thevarunmayya) "I also asked Sundar what he thinks of wrapper startups. Coming soon. Make sure you subscribe to me on YouTube. You dont want to miss this," Varun Mayya wrote while sharing a part of his interview with Sundar Pichai on Instagram. In the video, he asks Pichai if he knows that an entire industry in India is built to help young Indians crack the FAANG interviews. He added, "How do you get out of the competitive exam mindset?" "I think real success comes from understanding things in a deeper way," Pichai answers. He then explains his reply by mentioning the iconic motor scene from Aamir Khan's film 3 Idiots. For the unversed, FAANG is an acronym used for the American tech giants - Meta (Facebook), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (Alphabet). Take a look at the video of Sundar Pichai here: Since being shared ten hours ago, the video has accumulated close to 3.6 lakh views. The share has further collected nearly 24,000 likes. People posted varied comments while reacting to the share. What did Instagram users say about this viral video? "Bro just woke up and randomly collaborated with the CEO of Google," posted an Instagram user. "Dude, this is so amazing!! I'm super happy to see Varun like these. Crazy progress, bro, crazy," praised another. "I have been following you for the last three years, and you always keep things new every time. Love you, Varun bro," added a third. "You've come a long way! Super proud," wrote a fourth. CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, also serves on Alphabets Board of Directors. He recently hosted the Google annual I/O developer event and announced a new version of Google's search engine with responses written by artificial intelligence (AI). What are your thoughts on this video of Sundar Pichai? Vijay Mallya, the former boss of Kishfisher Airlines, condoled the death of Anita Goyal, wife of Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal. She died in Mumbai on Thursday after battling cancer. She was 70. Vijay Mallya (L) condoled the death of Naresh Goyal's wife Anita Goyal. The fugitive liquor baron, who is wanted in India for defaulting bank loans worth 9,000 crore, described Anita Goyal as a formidable competitor at Jet Airways. He said he is sad at what Naresh Goyal is enduring. My heartfelt condolences to the Goyal family on the sad passing of Anita. She was a formidable competitor at Jet but a lovely human being. I am also sad that Naresh is enduring what he is given his creation of Jet, a worthy and long standing competitor to KFA, Mallya wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Both Indias finest airlines are sadly no more. Wonder why ? May truth prevail eventually. See Vijay Mallya's post on X: Anita Goyal died weeks after the Bombay High Court granted the Goyals a two-month-long interim bail in a money laundering case on medical grounds. Naresh Goyal, 75, faces allegations of money laundering and misappropriation of loans amounting to 538.62 crore provided to Jet Airways by Canara Bank. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in September last year. The former aviation tycoon sought interim bail on medical and humanitarian grounds, as he too is fighting cancer. Vijay Mallya, meanwhile, fled India in 2016 when public sector banks approached the Debt Recovery Tribunal. He is in the United Kingdom and the government is making an effort to extradite him. Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines collapsed in 2012. Among those who attended Anita Goyal's cremation were friends and family, including Anil Ambani, veteran actor Shabana Azmi and her lyricist husband Javed Akhtar, news agency PTI reported, quoting sources. A few former Jet Airways employees too were reportedly present. Three foreign tourists and one Afghan citizen were killed by gunmen in Afghanistan's central Bamyan province on Friday, the Taliban interior ministry said. Three foreign tourists and one Afghan citizen were killed by gunmen in Afghanistan's central Bamyan province on Friday, the Taliban interior ministry said.(File photo) Four foreign nationals and three Afghans were also injured in the attack when gunmen opened fire, said interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qaniee. Four people have been arrested, he said. The nationality of the tourists and identity of the attackers was not immediately clear. ALSO READ| Taliban 2.0: Stronger or moving towards fragmentation? Mountainous Bamyan is home to a UNESCO world heritage site and the remains of two giant Buddha statues which were blown up by the Taliban during their previous rule in 2001. Since taking over Afghanistan in 2021 the Taliban have vowed to restore security and encourage a small but growing number of tourists trickling into the country and sell tickets to access the Buddha statues. Friday's attack was among the most serious targeting foreign citizens since foreign forces left and the Taliban took over in 2021. The Islamic State claimed an attack that injured Chinese citizens at a hotel popular with Chinese businessmen in Kabul in 2022. The Peruvian government is under fire from LGBTQ groups which called a protest for Friday against a new decree listing transsexualism as a "mental disorder." Anger in Peru over decree describing transsexuality as 'mental disorder' The government on May 10 updated its list of insurable health conditions which since 2021 has offered benefits for mental health treatment to include services for transgender people. In the decree, the health ministry describes the condition as a "mental disorder" an obsolete term long officially abandoned by the World Health Organization. A demonstration has been called for Lima on Friday, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. But the government said it would not scrap the decree. Health ministry official Carlos Alvadrado told AFP that doing so would "remove the right to care." The ministry has previously insisted it does not consider gender diversity as an illness, and in a statement expressed "our respect for gender identities and our rejection of the stigmatization of sexual diversity." It said the decree was meant merely to extend mental health coverage "for the full exercise of the right to health and well-being" of those who want or need it. Transgender people are those who reject the sex they were assigned at birth. Some opt for surgical or medical intervention. "We demand the repeal of this transphobic and violent decree, which goes against our trans identities in Peru," activist Gianna Camacho of the Coordinacion Nacional LGTBIQ told AFP. "We are not mentally ill and we do not suffer from any mental disorder," she added. An article on the website of Human Rights Watch describes the decree as "profoundly regressive" in a country that does not allow same-sex marriage nor for transgender people to change their identity documents. "It is a decree that takes us back three decades," added Jorge Apolaya, spokesman of the Collective Pride March, a Lima-based rights group. "We cannot live in a country where we are considered sick," he said. For Percy Mayta, a medical doctor and activist, "pathologizing" transgender people "opens the door to... conversion therapy" which UN bodies have equated to torture and is not illegal in Peru. In its press statement, Peru's health ministry underlined that "the sexual orientation and gender identity of a person does not in itself constitute a physical or mental health disorder and therefore should not be subjected to medical treatment or care or so-called reconversion therapies." bur-vel/lbc/mar/mlr/dw This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. The man convicted of attempting to kidnap then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison. Paul Pelosi (AP) Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley handed down the sentence for David DePape, 44, whom jurors found guilty last November of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. Prosecutors had asked for a 40-year prison term. DePape was given 20 years for one count and 30 years for another count. The sentences will run concurrently. He was also given credit for the 18 months that he's been in custody. DePape stood silently as Judge Corley handed the sentence and looked down at times. His public defense attorneys had asked the judge to sentence him to 14 years, pointing out that he was going through a difficult time in his life and had no prior criminal history. Corley said she took into account when giving DePapes sentence the fact that he broke into the home of public official, an unprecedented act in the history of the country. He actually went to the home, that is completely, completely unprecedented, she said. Before sentencing, Christine Pelosis read victim statements on behalf of her father and mother, explaining how the violent attack changed their lives. DePape admitted during trial testimony that he broke into the Pelosis San Francisco home Oct. 28, 2022, intending to hold the speaker hostage and break her kneecaps if she lied to him. He also admitted to bludgeoning Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police showed up, saying his plan to end what he viewed as government corruption was unraveling. The attack on Paul Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, was captured on police body camera video just days before the midterm elections and sent shockwaves through the political world. Defense attorneys argued DePape was motivated by his political beliefs, not because he wanted to interfere with Nancy Pelosis official duties as a member of Congress, making the charges against him invalid. One of his attorneys, Angela Chuang, said during closing arguments that DePape was caught up in conspiracy theories. At trial DePape, a Canadian who moved to the U.S. more than 20 years ago, testified that he believed news outlets repeatedly lied about former President Donald Trump. In rants posted on a blog and online forum that were taken down after his arrest, DePape echoed the baseless, right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory that claims a cabal of devil-worshipping pedophiles runs the U.S. government. DePape also told jurors he had planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and record his interrogation of the Democratic speaker, who was not at the home at the time of the attack, to upload it online. Prosecutors said he had rope and zip ties with him, and detectives found body cameras, a computer and a tablet. Paul Pelosi also testified at the trial, recalling how he was awakened by a large man bursting into the bedroom and asking, Wheres Nancy? He said that when he responded that his wife was in Washington, DePape said he would tie him up while they waited for her. It was a tremendous sense of shock to recognize that somebody had broken into the house, and looking at him and looking at the hammer and the ties, I recognized that I was in serious danger, so I tried to stay as calm as possible, Pelosi told jurors. DePape is also charged in state court with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Jury selection in that trial is expected to start Wednesday. Paul Pelosi suffered two head wounds in the attack, including a skull fracture that was mended with plates and screws he will have for the rest of his life. His right arm and hand were also injured. Toronto: A majority of Hindus and Sikhs in Canada plan to vote for the opposition Conservative Party in the next elections, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus ruling Liberal Party loses traction across all religious groups, according to a new survey. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre at a Navratri event in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada in October last year. (Credit: Pierre Poilievre/X) Hindu support for the Conservatives is at 53%, just a point lower than the figure for Sikhs in Canada. The opposition Conservatives lead in vote intention among decided and leaning Canadian Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Sikh voters, and those with no religious identity, the non-profit, non-partisan Angus Reid Institute or ARI noted in the poll released on Thursday. The Liberals have the support of 22% of Hindus, and 21% of Sikhs. The level of momentum for the Conservatives within these faith communities is significant as they form significant voting blocs in major urban areas in the Greater Toronto Area, Metro Vancouver and Calgary, which could prove decisive in the next elections, scheduled for October next year. In fact, both groups support the Conservatives in larger numbers than the overall national picture, where the Pierre Poilievre-led party enjoys the backing of 43%, which still makes for a hefty 20% lead over the incumbent. Meanwhile, as the situation in Gaza and Rafah play out after the terror attacks targeting Israel in October last year, and the Trudeau government attempts to maintain balance in the conflict, it appears to be losing out with both the Jewish and Muslim communities. Muslims prefer the New Democratic Party (NDP) over the Liberals, with 41% and 31% support respectively. Canadas Jews opt for the Conservatives with 42% support, nine per cent more than their liking for the Liberals. In fact, with just 15% support, Muslim are the one major religious grouping that the Conservatives have failed to capture. According to a report from Statistics Canda in 2022, based on the 2021 Census, there were approximately 830,000 Hindus in the country, or around 2.3% of the population, with their numbers more than doubling over the last 20 years. Similarly, the Sikh population has also more than doubled over the past two decades and numbers about 770,000. However, those figures were based on 2021 data and since then these numbers will have grown as India has been the largest source country for immigrants to Canada in recent years. Immigrants from India comprise nearly 30% of newcomers in most categories. In 2022, they comprised 118,224 or nearly 27% of the total 437,539 of permanent residents admitted. The percentage climbs in temporary categories: According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data, till the end of November 2023, Indian nationals accounted for 215,910 out of the total of 579,075, over 37%, of those with study permits. Till October 2023, there were 828,335 temporary work permits issued, with Indians making for 247,495, or about 30%. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered accelerated production to strengthen the country's nuclear force more rapidly, on the same day he oversaw a test of tactical ballistic missiles with new guidance technology, state media KCNA said on Saturday. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) inspecting the missile launcher vehicles to be newly equipped by the combined missile units of the Korean People's Army (KPA)(AFP) While visiting an arms factory on Friday, Kim made the production order to bolster nuclear war deterrence, KCNA said. This way, the enemy would be afraid of North Korea's nuclear combat posture, Kim added. North Korea fired a number of short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Friday, South Korea's military had said. Kim expressed satisfaction at the successful test, KCNA said. Friday's launches came a day after the U.S. and South Korea conducted joint drills with stealth fighter jets simulating air combat. In a landmark decision, a young Dutch woman's fight for her own end has come to a conclusion. Zoraya ter Beek, a 29-year-old physically healthy woman, has been granted approval for euthanasia due to her severe and treatment-resistant depression. The approval was confirmed by officials in the Netherlands, and her decision will come into effect in the coming weeks. The move has caused a stir across Europe. Zoraya received the final approval last week after a three-and-a-half-year long battle. Passive euthanasia refers to the withdrawal of medical treatment with the deliberate intention of hastening a terminally ill patients death.(HT File (Representational Image)) Dutch woman granted euthanasia According to the Post, Zoraya first applied for assisted suicide in 2020, citing prolonged depression and continuous suicidal thoughts resulting from childhood trauma. Her case has further intensified the ongoing controversy in the Netherlands regarding the rising number of euthanasia for people. The Guardian reports that in 2010, there were only 2 cases related to psychiatric illness, but by 2023, this number had risen to 138, accounting for 1.5% of the 9,068 euthanasia deaths. The numbers continue to climb. Also read: Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 260 spoilers: Is Satoru Goju rising from death? LEAKS teases major comeback Who is Zoraya ter Beek? Zoraya was once an aspiring psychiatrist. Initially, she believed that a good partner and a safe living environment would help her cope with her troubling childhood memories. However, this did not help her. The report states that her hopes for mental healing were dashed after she saw no recovery and the suicidal thoughts continued haunting her. The Dutch woman was suffering from chronic depression, anxiety, trauma, borderline personality disorder, and was diagnosed with autism. Zoraya ter Beeks response to her euthanasia Her case caught the attention of international media and sparked a massive public debate on social media about the severity of her illness. Zoraya responded to the discussions, criticising the widespread commentary that she cant think straight because of her condition. People think that when youre mentally ill, you cant think straight, which is insulting, she spoke to Guardian. I understand the fears that some disabled people have about assisted dying, and worries about people being under pressure to die. But in the Netherlands, weve had this law for more than 20 years. There are really strict rules, and its really safe. She said. Also read: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck 'won't split', insider speaks out amid growing divorce tension What are the criteria for euthanasia in Netherlands? In the Netherlands, a person can be granted permission for euthanasia if their request is "voluntary and well-considered." Additionally, there are several other criteria, such as "unbearable suffering without prospect of improvement" and the absence of any reasonable alternative. In Zorayas case, she revealed that she was receiving intensive therapy, including talk therapy, medication, and over 30 electroconvulsive therapy sessions. In therapy, I learned a lot about myself and coping mechanisms, but it didnt fix the main issues. At the beginning of treatment, you start out hopeful. I thought Id get better. But the longer the treatment goes on, you start losing hope. Zoraya ter Beek, after a decade of battling severe depression with no success, said she never hesitated with her decision. In the three and a half years this has taken, Ive never hesitated about my decision. I have felt guilt I have a partner, family, and friends and Im not blind to their pain. And Ive felt scared. But Im absolutely determined to go through with it. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently went on a royal style trip to Nigeria despite them stepping back from being working royals in 2020. The couple was invited to Nigeria by the country's chief of defence staff, the highest-ranking military official soon after Harry's UK visit. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their trip to Nigeria. (Photo by Kola SULAIMON / AFP)(AFP) The couple's excursion confirmed the worst fears of Harry's family and made Prince William and King Charles absolutely furious, according to author and royal expert Tom Quinn. Why is Prince William furious over Harry and Meghan's Nigeria tour? 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 stated. Charles is said to be angrier than anyone has ever seen him. According to reports quoting sources at the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Harry and Meghan were visiting Nigeria in a private capacity and the UK Government was not involved in arranging or facilitating their activities. Nevertheless, it exhibited all the hallmarks of a classic royal trip. Meghan and Harrys speeches and their whole attitude has been designed to give the impression that they are still fully paid-up royals, said Quinn, adding Prince William and King Charles "don't like that one bit." Quinn stated that the couple's travel to Nigeria was a sign that they had "gone rogue," and that the Firm was concerned that they would "try to pull a fast one. For Charles and William, its as if Meghan and Harry are saying, We dont need your permission to be working royals we will do it on our own terms whenever and wherever we like,' he continued. William and Charles are scratching their heads and thinking, How are we going to control this nightmare situation?' Also Read: Harry, Meghan Markle's Nigeria visit a farce: Its a fake royal tour What did the trip entail? While in the country Markle referred to as "my country," the Duchess of Sussex co-hosted a Women in Leadership event with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director general of the World Trade Organisation. The mother of two praised the experience as "eye-opening" and "humbling" to discover more about her heritage during her and Harry's three-day journey. The couple, who were given a traditional wooden beaded necklace, also visited students at the Lights Academy in Abuja, where they were greeted by ecstatic crowds. Harry also visited a military hospital to see injured service members. In 2014, the royal family established the Invictus Games, a multisport Paralympic-style event for injured service members and veterans. Harry and Meghan also participated in a training session for the organisation "Nigeria: Unconquered." They then went to a reception hosted by the Chief of Defence Staff to honour military families. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be celebrating six years of their marriage as the couple enters their seventh year together on Sunday, the 19th of May. However, the public eye is still not certain if the Windsor will send out any greetings to the couple. Britain's Prince Harry (2ndR), Duke of Sussex, and Britain's Meghan (R), Duchess of Sussex, react as Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu (unseen), gives a speech at the State Governor House in Lagos on May 12, 2024 as they visit Nigeria as part of celebrations of Invictus Games anniversary. (Photo by Kola SULAIMON / AFP)(AFP) In the last 2 months, Royal Family took no part in congratulating Prince Archie and also didn't come to the Deadmans Victoria House for the Duke of Sussex's Invictus Games on Wednesday, 8th of May, and a royal watcher says the Buckingham Palace residents are ready to ignore the Sussexes also this time. Grant Harrold, a former royal butler told Fruity Slots, Typically, the royal family do acknowledge wedding anniversaries, we usually see social media posts so itll be interesting to see if that happens this year. If they dont, once again it goes to show the ongoing division. If it does happen, then I see that as an olive branch. ALSO READ| Prince Archie desperate to visit UK to meet King Charles, but why are Meghan and Harry worried about it? Prince William preventing Prince Harry from reconciling with King Charles III Prince Harry returned to his homeland for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, but he wasn't able to meet King Charles III due to the monarch's full schedule. However, recently it was reported that difficult Prince William is the one who was preventing Prince Harry from reconciling with the King, maybe not the full schedule. 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, a former palace official told the Daily Telegraph. ALSO READ| Queen Camilla gives big update on King Charles health but is frustrated because of. King Charles hands Colonel-in-Chief title to Prince William The situation was further complicated when Prince William was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Aviation Centre, a position previously slated to be filled by Prince Harry, who served in the armed forces for a decade. Buckingham Palaces statement detailed, At the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop, His Majesty The King will officially hand over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In August 2023, following His Majestys Accession, The King was pleased to announce military appointments including that The Prince of Wales would become Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps. The role was previously held by His Majesty The King, as Prince of Wales, for 31 years. Royal biographer Katie Nicholl addressed the implications of Prince William receiving the honour over Prince Harry: For many years, he served two tours in Afghanistan. You know, the timing is curious. I think many people will see that as a bit of a snub, really, from the palace, and perhaps a little bit of a poke in the ribs to Prince Harry. ALSO READ| Meghan Markle strides off from Prince Harry in LA, body language expert reveals it could be a sign that Nicholl further commented on the situation, saying, Yes, hes over here part of the Invictus community celebrating 10 years, but hes been stripped of his right to wear his military uniform. And now his brothers taken over the role that I think Harry would have expected to have come to him, had he still been a working member of the royal family. So, yes, I think the timing does feel poignant. And, yes, I think its probably another slap in the face for Prince Harry, and yet another reminder that hes very much out rather than in when it comes to the royal family. Slovak police on Friday searched the home of the man charged with shooting and seriously wounding Prime Minister Robert Fico, local media reported. Slovak Police Corps Vice President Lubomir Solak (L) and 2nd Vice President Rastislav Polakovic hold a press conference. (AFP) Officers brought along the alleged gunman, who was wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, to the apartment he shared with his wife in the western town of Levice, Markiza TV footage showed. "Police stayed in the apartment for several hours... They took the computer and documents out of the apartment," the private broadcaster said. Police, who told AFP they would not comment on an ongoing investigation, have not named the suspect but media have identified him as 71-year-old writer Juraj Cintula. He was charged on Thursday with attempted murder with premeditation in what the authorities have called a politically motivated attack. Fico was hospitalised Wednesday after the attack, which happened as the 59-year-old leader was speaking to members of the public after a meeting in the central town of Handlova. A witness, train conductor Richard Krajcik, told AFP that Fico stretched out his hand to greet the crowd gathered behind a security barrier when the gunman fired a quick succession of shots. Security guards quickly bundled Fico into a nearby car, before he was airlifted to a hospital for an five-hour emergency surgery to save his life. President-elect Peter Pellegrini said Thursday that Fico remained in a serious condition at the hospital in the central city of Banska Bystrica. "He is able to speak but only a few sentences and then he is really, really tired... The situation is very critical," Pellegrini told reporters. He added that a medical council would meet on Monday to discuss further steps. They will "decide whether he will be treated further, if everything is fine, in Banska Bystrica, or whether he will be considered for transportation closer to his place of residence" in Bratislava, Pellegrini said. He added that Fico had remained conscious after the shooting. "He remembers the shooting, he was surprised that it could happen and how fast it happened," Pellegrini told the TA3 news channel on Thursday. The shooting has prompted fears of further violence in the politically polarised nation just weeks before European parliament elections. Cannabis advocacy groups in Thailand urged the government to reconsider a plan to relist marijuana as a narcotic to protect the interest of a nascent industry and a large community of weed growers. Thai Cannabis Groups Rally Against Plan to Relist Plant as Drug Supporters rallied in Bangkok and other cities on Thursday to protest Prime Minister Srettha Thavisins order earlier this month to re-criminalize cannabis. Members of Writing Thailands Cannabis Future, an advocacy group, gathered at the Health Ministry office in the Thai capital and handed a petition to minister Somsak Thepsutin against reclassifying marijuana as a category five drug again. Prasitchai Noonuan, member of the advocacy group, asked Somsak to weigh the pros and cons of cannabis in comparison to alcohol and cigarettes, and use science and facts to determine what should be drugs. Benefits of the plant arent limited to sellers and dispensary owners as Thai people have long used cannabis as a traditional medicine and food ingredient, Prasitchai said. Experience across the world tells us that we can use the law to control cannabis for beneficial use and rein in the cons, Prasitchai said. Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis in 2022 with the authorities then pitching it as a way to boost agricultural income and wellness tourism. But widespread cannabis use became a hot-button political issue ahead of the Thailands national election last year. With efforts to establish regulations around the marijuana industry failing, concerns grew about the social impact of addiction from easy availability of the drug. Sretthas Pheu Thai Party campaigned on a hard-line anti-drug campaign and vowed to reinstate cannabis as a drug. While his coalition government initially pledged to pass a bill to outlaw recreational use and tighten licensing rules on planting, sales, exports and imports of cannabis, the premier shocked the industry by ordering its use to be limited to medicines, cosmetics and food. Thailands Cannabis Policy U-Turn Risks Protests, Lawsuits Almost 8,000 dispensaries and a large number of consumer-agro firms have cropped up across Thailand, selling everything from cannabis buds to oil extracts and weed-infused candy to baked goods. Under current decriminalization laws, cannabis products must not contain more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol the psychoactive compound that provides a high sensation to be considered legal. More than 1 million households have registered with Thai authorities to plant cannabis in addition to commercial cultivation by companies seeking to benefit from the booming demand. Medical marijuana will still be allowed and the government will soon specify what constitutes medical and recreational uses, Somsak said without elaborating. Once the health ministry wraps up the process of classifying cannabis as a category five drug, its possession could land one a jail sentence of up to 15 years and a maximum fine of 1.5 million baht . This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. The US State Department on Friday issued a worldwide caution security alert, saying it is aware of increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQ+ people and events. Onlookers watch as LGBTQ+ rights activists hold a rally (AFP) Due to the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution, the department said in a statement. The alert comes two weeks before the start of LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the United States. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement people in the LGBTQ+ community continue to face insidious forms of stigma and discrimination. The warning, which did offer specific threat information, came after a similar warning from the FBI. In a May 10 notice, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security pointed to recent anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in social media postings of the Islamic State group which called for "followers to conduct attacks on unidentified soft targets." It also pointed to the arrest in Vienna last year of three alleged Islamic State sympathizers accused of plotting to attack a Pride march with knives and a vehicle. During Pride month in 2016, the United States experienced one of the deadliest mass shootings in its history at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, in which a gunman killed 49 people. The perpetrator, Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a 911 emergency call during the attack. He was killed in a shootout when police stormed the building. (With agencies input) Arizona woman has been accused of working with some persons related to the North Korean government in a plot to appropriate remote telework positions with different firms under the United States of America, according to federal prosecutors who said so on Thursday. Federal prosecutors accuse Arizona woman and North Korean operatives of a $7M remote work scam.(Image created by Bing AI image creator) Christina Chapman was said to have worked with North Korean information technology employees Jiho Han, Chunji Jin, and many others as a part of a scam to get the identities of US citizens and get remote employment through fake identities by submitting false documents, the indictment says. The operation, as described by the prosecutors, was extensive and lucrative. Chapman and her accomplices are accused of exploiting the identities of over 60 U.S. residents to amass close to $7 million, which allegedly funded the North Korean government. This sum was extracted from over 300 unsuspecting U.S. companies. Notably, some of the enterprises impacted by this fraud are listed among the Fortune 500, spanning a major television network, a defence contractor, and an automobile manufacturer. ALSO READ| Joe Biden says No one should be in jail merely for using marijuana as US proposes reclassifying the drug as low-risk Prosecutors uncover laptop farm in scheme Investigators have unearthed evidence suggesting that Chapman utilized laptops, deceitfully obtained under the guise of legitimate US residents, to orchestrate the appearance that her co-conspirators were operating from within the United States. This facade was part of a broader strategy to launder the salaries earned through the scheme. The governments case against Chapman includes the operation of a so-called laptop farm, a ploy that ultimately failed to secure employment for the conspirators within US government agencies, such as the Government Services Administration. Chapman is accused of facilitating overseas workers' connection to their remote jobs in the US through these laptops and collecting their paychecks at her residence. As per a State Department memo, the trio of Han, Jin, and Xu are believed to be associated with the North Korean Munitions Industry Departmenta body involved with ballistic missile and weapons production. The memo, which offers a $5 million reward for information disrupting this operation, implicates them in working alongside Chapman to funnel the ill-gotten gains back to North Korea. The charges in this case should be a wakeup call for American companies and government agencies that employ remote IT workers. These crimes benefitted the North Korean government, giving it a revenue stream and, in some instances, proprietary information stolen by the co-conspirators, stated Nicole M. Argentieri, the head of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. ALSO READ| North Koreans posing as American tech workers to fund weapons: US The investigation has uncovered that since at least 2020, the implicated IT group has been actively engineering a remote-work fraud targeting U.S. companies, leading to the transmission of falsified identification details to government entities. An unidentified individual approached Chapman via LinkedIn in March 2020, saying that she represented their company in the US. From August 2022 to November of the same year, North Korean operatives allegedly began compiling pertinent resumes. They leveraged an online background check system to pinpoint and steal the identities of specific American citizens. The House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday turned into a battle ground between Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) as the duo traded barbs at each other during a fiery debate. The brawl broke out after MTG made a snarky personal statement about Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, mocking her false eyelashes. AOC and Greene have a long history of hostility as they had numerous disagreements over the years. Greene previously accused AOC of acting like a "teenage girl", and even labelled her as a "chicken". The House Oversight Committee voted to charge Merrick Garland, the attorney general, with contempt of Congress for declining to send over an audio tape of President Joe Biden's discussion with Special Counsel Robert Hur. Mayhem erupts in the House The brawl broke out after the firebrand Republican made a snarky personal statement about Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, mocking her false eyelashes. With legislators yelling at one other, the chaos in the committee continued for an hour, leaving Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) scrambling to keep order. In an attempt to convince everyone to stop shouting, Comer even declared, I have two hearing aids, I'm very deaf. AOC then intervened, and the pair insulted each other until she told Greene: Oh girl, baby girl... don't even play. Greene's antics were captured on video, with footage showing her first taking a potshot at Crockett. Greene inquired whether "any of the Democrats on this committee are employing Judge Merchan's daughter?". She was alluding to Representative Dan Goldman, who has hired a political consulting company that employs the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over former US President Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York. Crockett asked Greene, "Please tell me what it has to do with Merrick Garland." Also Read: Marjorie Taylor Greene endorses bizarre conspiracy theory about Slovakia PM Fico's shooting: No wonder they shot him Responding to her, Greene said: I don't think you know what you're here for... I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. Following Greene's remark, AOC called her remarks absolutely unacceptable and blasted her for insulting another person over physical appearance. She requested that Greene's words be "taken down", a practice that allows a speaker to retract or amend their remarks if they are considered out of order. Greene went on to ask AOC, "Are your feelings hurt?" AOC replied by screaming again, ''Move her words down." Greene then responded, "aww", to which AOC answered, "Oh! Do not even play, girl!" Greene then stated, "Baby, girl?" I don't think so," and AOC declared "We're going to move and take your words down" and sought an apology from her. Calling AOC "not intelligent", Greene refused to apologise but said she would strike her words. Chairman Comer halted the session while they considered whether to strike Greene's statements. Crockett asked Comer, "If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?" Greene responded by repeatedly asking Crockett to cool down, prompting Crockett to yell and say "you're talking all this noise, but you can't take it." Crockett hits back at Greene after hearing In a post on X, Crockett later bashed Greene, writing: "So MTG wanted to talk about my appearance in COMMITTEE?" Comparing her to "mentally deficient people", she said this happens when those who can't read, follow rules, or just don't give a damn end up in CONGRESS! Later, the committee ultimately decided to hold Garland in criminal contempt, advancing the matter to the entire House for a vote. The vote occurred after Biden invoked executive privilege over audio tapes of his conversation with Hur in an attempt to insulate Garland from criminal charges. Former US First Lady Melania Trump is reportedly shielding her son Barron from the chaos surrounding Donald Trump, according to a report by The Mirror. Former US President Donald Trump (R) stands with his wife Melania Trump (2L) their son Barron Trump (C) and father-in-law Viktor Knavs in Palm Beach, Florida.(AFP) Residing in the luxe haven of Mar-a-Lago, Melania and her towering 6ft 7in son are staying clear of trouble amid Donald Trump's legal battles. An insider told the news outlet that Melania keeps busy with beach strolls and spa treatments while Barron. As Junior Trump nears graduation from Oxbridge Academy he remains in a tight bubble formed by his mother and rarely steps out. Barron is like a little Melania "He's so regal," an insider told the Mail Online, describing the youngest Trump, adding, "He's a little Melania." Despite Melania's efforts, her protective barrier is reportedly weakening even though she is trying hard to shield Barron from Trump's apparent indiscretions. Reports suggest, Melania perceives the trial as Donald's predicament rather than hers to address. Yet she is keeping a close eye on the press updates, including Trump's discontent about possibly missing Barron's graduation due to court duties. Former top aide Stephanie Grisham told The Mirror, Melania's disapproval when Trump discussed Barron in relation to his legal case. She often uses a tactic of withholding her presence to express her disapproval and "wasn't happy" when Donald Trump discussed their son Barron in relation to his legal case. Even during their time in the White House, Melania rarely allowed Barron to attend official events, preferring him to travel separately from his father in the presidential motorcade and on Air Force One. Melania wants Barron to be treated equally with President's older children Melania has fiercely protected Barron, ensuring he's treated equally with the President's older children, renegotiating her prenup post-2016 election for Barron's benefit. Despite the Florida GOP confirming Barron as an at-large delegate for the Republican National Convention, Melania declined the role on his behalf due to prior commitments. While Melania avoids her husband's New York trial, she keeps a watchful eye on developments, maintaining clear public boundaries between her husband's political career and her personal family life. Witnesses shed light on their dynamic, highlighting a relationship of mutual respect and Melania's influential role. By Saadeq Ahmed Canada asks chemical plants to check pollution after leaks hit Indigenous community TORONTO, - Canada on Friday ordered some petrochemical plants in Ontario to take strict measures to control pollution from cancer-causing chemical benzene after release from a facility forced a First Nation community to declare a state of emergency. Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault issued the order to the petrochemical industry in Sarnia, Ontario, a city less than 300 km west of Toronto. Last month, Aamjiwnaang First Nation declared a state of emergency due to a chemical release from German company INEOS Styrolution's plastic manufacturing plant, which resulted in at least 10 people visiting the hospital. The order will require some petrochemical production facilities to implement vapor-control measures, specifically, those that have fenceline concentrations of benzene above 29 micrograms per cubic metre in any of the two-week sampling periods ranging from March 1, 2023, to Feb. 29, 2024. "It is simply unacceptable that the people of Aamjiwnaang First Nation and Sarnia face ongoing issues with poor air quality," Guilbeault said in a statement. "Indigenous peoples have a right to a healthy environment and too often are impacted by polluting industries." Aamjiwnaang First Nation, which has 1,000 residents, is surrounded by industrial facilities. The Frankfurt-based company, a unit of privately owned INEOS Group had shut down its facility on April 20. The First Nation community said that the order will add to the protection of the air quality in Aamjiwnaang. According to University of Toronto research, around 40% of Canada's petrochemical plants are located in the Sarnia area, known as "Chemical Valley." This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. On Thursday, Counsel for Donald Trump strenuously objected to the prosecution and accused the lynchpin witness, Michael Cohen, of being untruthful repeatedly. I want this man [Donald Trump] to go down, Cohens words haunt him in cross-examinationen.(AP) Trumps former attorney and fixer, Cohen, found himself under intense scrutiny as he recounted a direct conversation with the former president about the payment to pornstar Stormy Daniels. Blanche was quick to counter, raising his voice and slamming Cohens account as a lie. He pointed to records indicating that Cohen had actually been in contact with Trumps bodyguard regarding a prank call, not the payment. Cohen countered, explaining that the call also addressed the issue of a 14-year-old prank caller. He knew Schiller was with Trump at the time and insisted that the call encompassed more than just the harassment. Cohen said that he always consulted everything by the boss immediately on such matters, including during that call. Blanche responded loudly to Cohens assertion: That. Was. A. Lie. ALSO READ| CNN's Kaitlan Collins catches Donald Trump's lawyer off-guard on live TV over grossed up payments: Watch Defence wasn't ready to brace against Trump lawyer's fireballs The defences strategy to cast grounds of doubt appears to fall on deaf ears as it was part of the witnesses' third-day testimony before the jury throughout the event. Blanche came and sat with her back straight, using threatening gestures, sitting next to Trump. It was as if a collective sense of relief was heard from those who were present in the courtroom at the time. The judge announced that court recess would be in the afternoon. The charges against Trump are serious, with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The allegations suggest that payments to Cohen were disguised as legal expenses when they were, in fact, reimbursements for the payoff to Daniels, who has claimed an alleged affair with Trump. The prosecution argues that Trump aimed to suppress this information to safeguard his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has consistently denied the allegations, pleading not guilty to all charges and refuting any sexual involvement with Daniels. Cohens past criminal convictions, including lying to Congress and publicly denouncing Trump, have tainted his reliability as a witness. Despite his guilty plea to federal campaign finance violations related to the hush-money payment in 2018, Cohen insists that he acted under Trumps direction. ALSO READ| Barron is 'little Melania', mother is shielding him in 'tight bubble' amidst media scrutiny around Trump's trial The defence has capitalized on Cohens credibility issues, portraying him as a disgruntled liar with a grudge against Trump. On Thursday morning, Blanche played excerpts from Cohens podcast, Mea Culpa, where Cohen expressed his eagerness to see Mr. Trump face justice, stating, I want this man to go down. Blanche also highlighted a social media post where Cohen derogatorily referred to Trump as Dumbass Donald. When Blanche asked him, Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally? Cohen simply responded, Yes. A day after it was revealed that the US government funded a dangerous research at Wuhan Institute of Virology in China before COVID-19 pandemic, Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Friday demanded the arrest of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former Chief Medical Advisor to the US President. "Prosecute/Fauci," Musk tweeted, posting The Post's Friday front page with a photo of Fauci and the heading SICK LIES. On Thursday, Lawrence Tabak, a principal deputy director at National Institutes of Health, revealed to Congress that NIH funded risky "gain-of-function" research in Wuhan lab. Representative Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), a member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, asked Tabak about the NIH's support to Wuhan Institute of Virology through the Manhattan-based nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance. "It depends on your definition of gain-of-function research," Tabak replied, adding that "If you're speaking about the generic term, yes, we did." Tabak's response contradicts Fauci's repeated denials of the same. During his appearance in Congress in May 2021, he claimed that NIH has never and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Netizens react as Musk demand arrest of Fauci "Prosecute/Fauci," Musk tweeted, posting The Post's Friday front page with a photo of Fauci and the heading SICK LIES. Although Musk did not specify what criminal charges Fauci should face, House Republicans have proposed fraud and misleading Congress. Both felonies can result in up to five years in jail. Reacting to Musk's post, one of his followers wrote: Fauci deserves a prison cell! Another X user commented, He's always been a liar. Also Read: Covid-19 social distancing was not based on scientific data, Fauci admits Know more about Wuhan lab's experiments Notably, the Chinese lab is accused of releasing the deadly respiratory virus, which claimed lives of at least 1,190,546 residents in the US, and caused massive financial, social, and educational loss around the world, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. According to documents disclosed by the Intercept in late 2021, the Manhattan-based organization EcoHealth Alliance utilised Fauci's agency money to fund the Chinese institute's trials that transformed three bat coronaviruses that were not connected to COVID 19. When human-type receptors were introduced to "humanised" mice, the researchers discovered that the viruses became far more contagious. On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the NIH, prohibited EcoHealth from obtaining government funding for the next three years. While the world remains unaware about the origins of COVID-19 due to refusal of the Chinese government to permit an unbiased international probe, the FBI and the Energy Department suspect the epidemic originated following a leak from Wuhan lab. Moreover, US President Joe Biden has spoken less about the cause of the outbreak, but his GOP rival Donald Trump has advocated compelling China to pay $10 trillion in "reparations." Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead on March 9, 2024, ahead of his testimony against the world's largest aerospace company. Questions were raised about his sudden death and even his attorneys urged Charleston, South Carolina, police to probe the matter accurately, adding that they need more information about what happened to John. Barnett, who had worked at Boeing for three decades, was discovered dead inside his truck with a gunshot injuries to the head near the Holiday Inn at 301 Savannah Highway. Barnett, who had worked at Boeing for three decades, was discovered dead inside his truck with a gunshot injuries to the head near the Holiday Inn at 301 Savannah Highway. He was declared dead on the scene. He had submitted a whistleblower report alleging safety issues. The US Department of Labor was investigating the matter and was scheduled to begin hearings on the complaint in June. Here's what Barnett's autopsy report says According to the autopsy report that was released on Friday, Barnett, 62, was found seated in the driver's seat of his orange Dodge Ram. Charleston County deputy coroner Ella Butler wrote, his body was warm, rigor had not yet set in, mentioning that the bullet struck him in the right temple. Black powder/discoloration, which appeared to be gunshot residue, was noted on the decedent's right hand, the official noted, as per NY Post. A semi-automatic Smith & Wesson pistol, a loaded magazine, and unfired 9mm Luger cartridges were located on the vehicle console. Butler further said that a notebook bearing writing suggesting a "suicide note" was found on the passenger seat. According to coroner, the writings were reviewed by the Charleston Police Department, who discovered only Barnett's fingerprints on the journal. The writings contained information known only to his family. Butler concluded the autopsy report, stating that the cause of death was determined to be: Gunshot Wound of the Head and The manner of death is best deemed, Suicide. Also Read: Is Boeing in big trouble? World's largest aerospace firm faces 10 more whistleblowers after sudden death of two A look at Barnett's suicide note: Im at peace Meanwhile, the Charleston Police Department said the note discovered from his truck suggested that he was going through a period of serious personal distress. The unsteady writings on the note show Barnett's dissatisfaction with Boeing and protection provided to whistleblower, according to WMBF News. "I pray Boeing pays," the note reads. "Whistleblowing protection is f----- up too!" Barnett left a message for his loved ones as well. "Family and friends, I love you," it says. I found my purpose! Im at peace! John Barnett's suicide note(Charleston Police Department) According to police, Barnett's medical documents revealed a history of mental health issues that appeared to worsen with his continuing legal battles. He displayed symptoms of "post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, sadness, fear of the impending death of others, and intrusive thoughts." Barnett worked for Boeing as a quality control engineer for almost thirty years. He retired in 2017 after making numerous complaints to his managers, which he said went unheard. He reportedly warned supervisors about use of substandard parts and oxygen systems that had significant issues. According to the BBC, those management allegedly did nothing to address the issues, and Boeing refuted Barnett's allegations. A Charleston Police representative told the POST that the probe into Barrett's death is still underway, but the autopsy reports will play a major role. Hundreds of Indian students in Canada's Prince Edward Island (PEI) region are staging protests and demanding authorities to allow them to remain in the country. They allege, despite graduating we are being denied work permits and now face deportation. Now they threaten to go on a hunger strike, if demands aren't met. Hundreds of Indian students in Canada protest against government for changing policy overnight and deny them work permits. Students who have been in the country for over a year now claim the government changed the policy overnight. "They called us here, now they want us to leave, protest leader Rupender Singh told the CBC. "Our province gave us false hopes," asserted Singh, who came to Canada from India in 2019. "They were giving us wrong information. This is totally an exploitation." Video footage shows large groups of Indian students marching through streets of Charlottetown, chanting for fairness and protesting against sudden policy changes. One protestor highlighted the impact on both immigrants and locals, suggesting that without international graduates, locals might face delays in services like coffee at Tim Hortons. We only get a once in a lifetime chance. We came to PEI because they made these rules that we can apply for PR after six months, one year. Yes they will be affected, but the people of PEI will also be affected, because now theyll have to wait 20 minutes for a cup of coffee. What does the Canada's PEI law state ? Last July, PEI passed a law restricting postgraduate work permits to students with specific qualifications. They now allow only students with construction/home-building and healthcare qualifications to get a permit, leaving many international students unable to continue working in Canada. Similar restrictions were imposed in Manitoba earlier this year, but after protests, the Trudeau government had to extend postgraduate work permits by two years. Now, students in PEI are demanding similar treatment. What are protesting Indian students demanding? Students demanding an extension of work permits and a review of the recent changes to immigration policies. They want to be grandfathered that will allow them to be exempted from new regulations or policies based on their previous status or circumstances. Hence, if a new immigration policy is implemented that imposes stricter requirements, individuals who applied before the policy change may be "grandfathered in," meaning they are allowed to proceed under the previous, less stringent criteria. This status acknowledges the rights of individuals who initiated their immigration process under different conditions and ensures they are not unfairly affected by subsequent changes in the law. Grandfathered status provides a measure of stability and fairness in immigration systems, allowing individuals to plan their lives and futures with greater certainty. They've set a deadline for action, threatening a hunger strike if their demands aren't met by mid-May. As tensions rise, the protests are growing, with hundreds joining in and garnering support from various communities. Employers and minority groups have backed the cause, highlighting the broader impact of these policy changes on the community as a whole. US President Joe Biden's administration formally proposed on Thursday reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift that would bring federal policy more in line with public opinion. A volunteer displays jars of dried cannabis buds at the La Brea Collective medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles, California, March 18, 2014. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo(REUTERS) "No one should be in jail merely for using or possessing marijuana. Period," Biden said in a video statement. "Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana and I'm committed to righting those wrongs." Marijuana has been classified since 1970 as a so-called Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) -- the same level as with heroin, ecstasy and LSD. That classification means it is deemed to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. But it would be downgraded to a Schedule III drug under the proposal, putting it alongside drugs like ketamine and painkillers containing codeine, considered to have a moderate to low likelihood of dependence. That wouldn't make it legal, but it could lead to fewer arrests at the federal level. ALSO READ| Biden vs Trump: What to know as Jake Tapper, Dana Bash set to moderate first face off next month Biden administration moves to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous drug The proposal to reclassify cannabis was unveiled by the Biden administration at the end of April and the Justice Department officially launched the process on Thursday. Marijuana will remain a controlled substance until the process -- which includes a public comment period and a potential hearing before a judge -- is complete. In 2022, Biden became the first president to initiate a federal review of marijuana policy. The issue is seen as a potential vote winner for Biden as he faces Republican Donald Trump in a tough election rematch this November, especially among younger people that the Democratic incumbent is struggling to court. A Pew Research Center survey found 88 percent of Americans believe marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use. Just 11 percent said it should not be legal at all. ALSO READ| US presidential election: A look at candidates running for White House this year Cannabis industry welcomes Bidens move Cannabis was first outlawed at the federal level in 1937, a decision critics say was made largely on the basis of racist ideas, as the drug was perceived as being intimately tied to jazz music, the Black community and Mexican immigrants. The 1970s brought the "War on Drugs," which likewise disproportionately hit minorities -- before the medical marijuana movement took root in the 1990s. In 2012, US states began to make recreational cannabis legal for adults. Cannabis is today a multibillion-dollar business in the United States, with more than half of all states having legalized recreational and medicinal cannabis use, including California and New York. But figures show that racial minorities, in particular Black Americans, are overrepresented in marijuana-related arrests. "This decision is monumental," the NAACP civil rights organization said on X, formerly Twitter. Far too many Black Americans have fallen victim to a system designed for their demise. Since the drug remains a controlled substance at the national level, everyone involved is still technically breaking the law of the land. ALSO READ| Biden vs Trump: What to know as Jake Tapper, Dana Bash set to moderate first face off next month The classification makes it difficult for businesses in the marijuana industry to access banking services, stops federal funding for medical marijuana research and prevents interstate commerce as well as federal regulation on best practices and protocols for marijuana. A reclassification would also allow companies to deduct their operating expenses from their taxes, which is currently prohibited. Thursday's decision "will unlock important research on the medical efficacy of cannabis and bring about real change for legal operators," Curaleaf CEO Matt Darin said in a statement to AFP. On Wall Street, industry shares rose, with Curaleaf gaining 1.07 percent and Verano Holdings .69 percent. DENVER A Colorado man pleaded guilty to murder charges on Friday for starting a 2020 house fire that killed five members of a Senegalese family out of misplaced revenge for a stolen iPhone that he mistakenly tracked to the house. Man who sought revenge for a stolen phone pleads guilty to fire that killed a Senegalese family of 5 Kevin Bui, now 20, was a teenager at the time of the fire but prosecuted as an adult. He has been portrayed by prosecutors as the ringleader of three friends who started the Aug. 5, 2020, fire in the middle of the night in a Denver neighborhood. Bui wrongly believed people who had recently robbed him lived in the home after using an app to track his stolen iPhone to the general area, according to prior testimony in the case. Bui pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. A plea deal reached between the defendant and prosecutors proposes a sentence of up to 60 years in prison 30 years for each count. The maximum penalty for each count of second-degree murder is 48 years and a $1 million fine. Judge Karen Brody set sentencing for July 2. Bui was seated at the table with his lawyers during the hearing with his hands cuffed in front of him and wearing a green jail uniform. He gave perfunctory answers to the judges questions as his parents watched from the court gallery and listened to the proceedings as relayed by an interpreter through headphones. Buis father told reporters after the hearing that they accepted the plea agreement. No relatives of the victims appeared to be present in court. Bui is the last of the three friends to enter a plea in the fire that killed Djibril Diol, 29, and Adja Diol, 23, and their 22-month-old daughter, Khadija Diol, and their relative, Hassan Diol, 25, and her 6-month-old daughter Hawa Baye. Three other people escaped by jumping from the second floor of the home. Last year, Dillon Siebert, who was 14 at the time of the fire, was sentenced to three years in juvenile detention and seven years in a state prison program for young inmates. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder under a deal that prosecutors and the defense said balanced his lesser role in planning the fire, his remorse and interest in rehabilitation with the horror of the crime. In March, Gavin Seymour, 19, was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree murder. Seymours plea came after a failed effort to get the internet search history evidence that led to their arrests thrown out. The investigation of the fire dragged on for months without any leads. Surveillance video showed three suspects wearing full face masks and dark hoodies. Fears that the blaze had been a hate crime led many Senegalese immigrants to install security cameras at their homes in case they could also be targeted. Without anything else to go on, police eventually obtained a search warrant asking Google for which IP addresses had searched the homes address within 15 days of the fire. Five of the IP addresses found were based in Colorado, and police obtained the names of those people through another search warrant. After investigating those people, police eventually identified Bui, Seymour and Siebert as suspects. They were arrested about five months after the fire. In October, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld the search of Google users keyword history, an approach that critics have called a digital dragnet that threatens to undermine peoples privacy and their constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. However, the court cautioned it was not making a broad proclamation on the constitutionality of such warrants and emphasized it was ruling on the facts of just this case. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Sam Altmans latest post on OpenAI criticises that the former and the current CEOs of Google possessed poor leadership skills during the peak rivalry in the AI sector. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, speaks during The Wall Street Journal's WSJ Tech Live Conference in Laguna Beach, California. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)(AFP) AI was the centre of the recent events by OpenAI and Google that were for the year with AI as the main agenda. OpenAI rolled out the latest version of its AI system, GPT-4o, with the ability to process data instantaneously and effortlessly handle multimedia, such as audio, visual, and textual data. Not to be outdone, Google followed suit the next day, announcing significant updates to its AI models. This included the introduction of Project Astra, a new AI agent, and notable improvements to the Google Search experience. Altman chose not to engage in a direct war The OpenAI boss took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his thoughts on the visual aspects of Googles event. His post featured a side-by-side comparison, juxtaposing OpenAIs modest presentation with Googles more extravagant affair. ALSO READ| How to access GPT-4o's voice mode? OpenAI CEO Sam Altman explains this Altman remarked, I try not to think about competitors too much, but I cannot stop thinking about the aesthetic difference between OpenAI and Google. In the posted images, OpenAIs team was shown in a dimly lit setting, surrounded by midcentury modern decor, exuding a sense of sleek sophistication and intimacy. On the other font, Googles event was portrayed as a theatrical spectacle, with a brightly illuminated stage, artificial windows, and clouds adorned in the companys iconic rainbow hues. Not only visuals, Googles event lasted nearly two hours, included a roster of speakers, including CEO Sundar Pichai, and even featured a live performance by musician Marc Rebillet. ALSO READ| After co-founder, another executive quits OpenAI within a day of GPT-4o launch On the other hand, OpenAI's event lasted less than 30 minutes, conducted within the confines of their office space, and notably, without Altmans presence. Google also did the demo video explaining its AI functionality just 30 minutes before OpenAI started. Days before Project Astra, Pichai warned Altman that Google is ready to go to war Just before GPT-40 rolled out, Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Bloomber Originals that OpenAI has to remember that the engine it is using was developed by the. When Bloomberg Originals host and executive producer Emily Chang, with a question in her eye, told Pichai, Google researchers invented the transformer. Literally the T in the ChatGPT. Do you wish you capitalized on that lounder and sooner. Google boss responded, We use transformers in search. That's what led the large gaps in search quality compared to other products.So we have infused transformers across our products. We have a chance do to do that better with generative AI and with the Gemini series of models and there gonna be more breakthroughs in the field. Pichai warned that Google may not be the first one to break the glass, but they are ready to shatter the whole palace. ALSO READ| Google rolls out AI Overviews in Search in US, revamps Gemini 1.5 Pro| Top updates Responding to Altmans aesthetic critique, Google engineer Zachary Nado pointed out, Interesting how all your launches are timed with ours then. Amid King Charles' undergoing cancer treatment, a royal expert has claimed that he is being looked after by two crucial persons who are rallying around the monarch and serving as his tower of strength" and pillar of support. Queen Camilla, who claims her top priority right now is the King's health, revealed during a royal engagement that he is "getting better". She joked, "Well, he would be [getting better] if he behaved himself."(AFP) Queen Camilla, who claims her top priority right now is the King's health, revealed during a royal engagement that he is "getting better". She joked, "Well, he would be [getting better] if he behaved himself." However, the King appears to be in good spirits as he returned to public life after physicians gave him permission last month. The King was seen in a good mood during a surprise appearance at the Royal Opera House on Thursday night, just a week after he was accused of ignoring Prince Harry twice during his visit to the UK. Know about King Charles' first pal, David King Charles is said to rely Tom Parker Bowles and David, the Earl of Snowdon. According to Fabulous, Charles relies on his cousin David, 62, the Earl of Snowdon, to fill in the gaps between his carefully scheduled engagements. David's parents were late Princess Margaret and photographer Tony Armstrong Jones, who were relatives of King's late mother. While working for Charles, then Prince of Wales, David used to give him opinions on mutually interesting topics such as design or architecture, according to the source. The warmth of trust and respect between the two has continued to grow since Charless succession to the throne, and during the Kings treatment for cancer. David and King share a strong bond as he officially assists to oversee the King's Foundation, a collection of Charles' charities [previously the Prince's Foundation]. Camilla, the "ultimate gatekeeper" of Charles, wants to keep him "away from all stress." According to the source, the Queen understands that communicating with David benefits Charles and gives him the impression that everything is under control. David, the Earl of Snowdon(Getty Image) Who is Tom Parker Bowles? Tom Parker Bowles, 49, who is Camilla's son, is believed to be "guaranteed to put a smile on the king's face". Tom, a restaurant critic who frequently appears on MasterChef: The Professionals, is Charles' godson, and his 13-year-old son Freddy was a Page of Honour at the King's coronation. Charles has played an important role in Tom's life and they both have mutual regard for one another. The insider said that "charming" Tom has an easygoing personality and he always makes Charles laugh. Tom, who is known for having a good rapport with journalists, has always been cautious about publicising his mother's marriage to the King. Tom Parker Bowles(Getty) As King and Kate Middleton are undergoing treatment following their cancer diagnosis, the source said they both are "seeking solace and comfort from one another" and they will be each other's "shoulder to lean on". 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." 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. 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. 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." 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. 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." 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 Four people were killed, windows were blasted out of hundreds of buildings, trees were toppled and nearly one million homes and businesses were without power after thunderstorms raged throughout the Houston area. Two people were killed by falling trees in the Texas storms Thursday, another died when high winds toppled a crane, officials reported. Wind speeds reached 100 mph with some "twisters," Houston Mayor John Whitmire reported at a Thursday evening briefing. Whitmire said the furious winds and destruction was reminiscent of Hurricane Ike in 2008. This was the window-busting, tree-toppling storm that blasted Houston. Mamajuana Cafe, downtown Claudia Prats Sanchez pic.twitter.com/d3FytWIewH Adam Krueger (@AdamKrueger) May 17, 2024 The storms also moved into Louisiana, cutting power to more than 215,000, including 100,000 in the New Orleans area, NOLA.com reported. Some streets and neighborhoods of the Houston area remained flooded, and shattered glass littered the downtown streets. "Downtown is a mess," Whitemire said at the briefing. "Stay at home tonight. Do not go to work tomorrow, unless you're an essential worker. Stay home, take care of your children," Whitmire said. "Our first responders will be working around the clock." In the days after a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt presidential election results on Jan. 6, 2021, an upside-down American flag a "Stop the Steal" symbol embraced by the rioters flew outside the Virginia home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, the New York Times reported Thursday. The flag at Alito's home in Alexandria was photographed by neighbors and obtained by the New York Times. At the time, the high court was considering cases involving the 2020 election between Joe Biden and Trump. The court is currently considering whether the former president should be immune from prosecution, an argument that has sidelined the federal trial against him stemming from his actions on Jan. 6. Alito blamed his wife. "I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag," Justice Alito said in an emailed statement to the New York Times. "It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor's use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs." He did not detail the language. Judicial experts told the newspaper that the flying of the upside down flag was a blatant violation of ethics rules because it was expressing a political opinion. "It might be his spouse or someone else living in his home, but he shouldn't have it in his yard as his message to the world," Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia, told the Times. This is the "equivalent of putting a 'Stop the Steal' sign in your yard, which is a problem if you're deciding election-related cases," she said. The court has advised its employees about public displays of partisan viewpoints, and court ethics demands that judges remain independent and steer clear from making statements or opinions about matters that could come before the court. "You always want to be proactive about the appearance of impartiality," Jeremy Fogel, a former federal judge and the director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, told the newspaper. "The best practice would be to make sure that nothing like that is in front of your house." A House committee meeting to consider a contempt of Congress charge against Attorney General Merrick Garland exploded into chaos Thursday night as lawmakers began trading personal barbs after Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene blasted Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crocket's eyelashes. Soon Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greene were going at one another, with the New York Democrat warning Greene, "Baby Girl. Don't even play." Greene sparked the congressional chaos when she brought up the name of the daughter of the Manhattan judge hearing the hush-money trial against former President Donald Trump. "I'd like to know if any of the Democrats on this committee are employing Judge [Juan] Merchan's daughter," Greene asked during the meeting of the House Oversight Committee. Crocket, a Texas Democrat, demanded what Merchan's daughter has to do with Garland. "I don't think you know what you're here for ... I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you're reading," Greene shot back. As Committee Chair James Comer tried to restore order and Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the panel, blasted Greene for the remarks, chaos ensued. "That is absolutely unacceptable," Ocasio-Cortez shouted. "How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person." "Are your feelings hurt?" Greene replied. "Aww." "Oh, girl, baby girl, don't even play," Ocasio-Cortez hit back. "Oh, really? Baby girl? I don't think so," Greene retorted. Comer then asked Greene to take her words down, which she agreed to do. "I'm not apologizing," she said, and then challenged AOC to debate her. "I think it's pretty self-evident," Ocasio-Cortez responded. "Yeah, you don't have enough intelligence," Greene said. The panel eventually voted to advance the contempt charge against Garland for not releasing the audio recording of President Joe Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur over classified documents found in Biden's Delaware home. Authorities arrested an Alabama middle school assistant principal more than a decade after three bodies were found stuffed in the backseat of an abandoned car. Keante Harris, 45, has been charged with three counts of malice murder in connection with the torture and deaths of the trio of victims found dead in a Dodge Charger dumped along I-85 in Fulton County, Georgia in 2013, the Clayton County Sheriff's Office said. It's unclear if he entered a plea to the charges. Harris, an assistant principal at McAdory Middle School in McCalla, Alabama, was among four people arrested last week in the cold case triple murders of Cheryl Colquitt-Thompson, 32, Quinones King, 33, and Rodney Cottrell, 43, according to police, WAKA-TV reported. Authorities allege the victims were forced into a home in Jonesboro, Georgia, at gunpoint, and later loaded into the backseat of the Charger that was driven to Clayton County, and later ditched. Kenneth Thompson, Kevin Harris, and Darrell Harris are also accused in the slayings and face similar charges. The suspects were taken into custody across three states. It's unclear how the men were tied to the case. The Jefferson County School District confirmed Keante was placed on paid administrative leave pending investigation. "At this time we still are gathering facts about the specifics of this situation. However, early indications are that the charges are not related to this individual's employment with Jefferson County Schools," the district said in a statement, in part, WBMA-TV reported. "As more facts become available, we will act according to our district's policy." Republican House Representative Lauren Boebert came to Donald Trump's defense on Thursday, offering explanations for his courtroom appearance as many critics claim he was dozing off during his criminal trial. "But if he is sleeping, he certainly looks pretty while he sleeps. Maybe it's an endearing moment of prayer, though," Boebert explained. Her comments follow Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia's outlining of the many times Trump appeared to have fallen asleep in court. "I know when I fall asleep on airplanes, my mouth kind of drops open," said the GOP Colorado lawmaker. "And his mouth is kind of tightlipped, so maybe it's just a somber moment of thought." She made mention of the "boring" trial proceedings and stated they would put anyone to sleep: "It's not as exciting as the House Oversight Committee." Trump is on trial for 34 counts of falsifying business records over an alleged "hush money" payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The former president continues to deny the allegations, saying he has done nothing wrong and that the trial is politically motivated. A teen farm worker killed in a Florida bus crash with seven other workers earlier this week after it was sideswiped by a suspected impaired driver was saving up to get married and build a house, his mom said. Alfredo Tovar Sanchez, 19, traveled from Queretaro, Mexico, to Marion County, Florida on a temporary work visa two weeks before he was killed. Sanchez planned to harvest melons for two months in order to save enough money for his wedding and build a home for his future bride. Maria Sanchez revealed her late son had no idea his 17-year-old fiancee was expecting their first child. She was two months pregnant. "I feel I can't continue without my son," Maria said from her home in Mexico, NBC News reported, citing an interview with Telemundo News. "I've been left with so much pain. I don't know that I can live with this pain." "If they arrest the man who is responsible, then all I ask for is justice," she added. Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, pleaded not guilty to eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter in connection with the deadly crash, according to the Associated Press. Howard allegedly admitted to investigators he smoked marijuana and took prescription pills before getting behind the wheel of his Ford pickup truck, sideswiping a bus, sending it into a tree and causing it to overturn. He was denied bond in part due to his criminalistic driving history after the prosecutor alleged Howard had at least five prior incidents involving a vehicle he was operating, CNN reported. The bus was carrying 53 migrant workers. Evarado Ventura Hernandez, 30; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Isaias Miranda Pascal, 21; Jose Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27; Manuel Perez Rios, 46; Santiago Benito De Jesus, 24; and Oscar Temoxtle, 31; were also identified as among the deceased. Donald Trump was able to excuse himself from the hush money trial on Friday in order to attend his son Barron's high school graduation in Florida. The former president and first lady, Melania Trump, were in attendance alongside other parents at the Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach. Shortly before the ceremony began, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, to broadcast his presence. "Going to Barron's High School Graduation. Great student, wonderful boy! Very exciting!!! DJT" His attendance was not guaranteed, as the judge overseeing the hush money trial did not immediately grant Trump permission to attend, prompting a slew of rants from the former president on social media last month. The Manhattan trial is set to resume on Monday. President Vladimir Putin said Russia, which has made rapid military advances in northeast Ukraine, has no plans to capture the embattled city of Kharkiv "as of today," according to a report. Putin said troops are attacking the Ukrainian city to create a buffer zone in the region, claiming the barrier is needed to prevent Ukrainian forces from shelling the Russian city of Belgorod, the Kyiv Independent reported. "As for what is happening on the Kharkiv front, this is (Ukrainians') fault, because they have shelled and continue to shell residential neighborhoods in border areas including Belgorod," the Russian leader said Friday while on a trip to China. "And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone." Asked about Moscow's intention to capture Kharkiv, Putin said, "There are no such plans as of today." Ukraine's top commander warned of "heavy battles" ahead in northeast Ukraine as Russia has advanced about six miles since stepping up attacks last week in the region where Russian troops far outnumber Ukrainian forces, Reuters reported. "We understand there will be heavy battles and that the enemy is preparing for that," Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement. The Kyiv Independent pointed out that military officials said that Russia often uses Belgorod to launch missile attacks across the border on Ukraine. Paramount Hotel Dubai has appointed Dadirai Mutasa as the executive producer of marketing and communications. She will oversee the marketing efforts for its portfolio of seven hotels, which includes Paramount Hotel Dubai, Paramount Hotel Midtown, and Aykon City. With over eighteen years of experience, Mutasa brings extensive knowledge and strategic insight to her new role. She began her career at Jumeirah, where she played a key role in forming Jumeirah's cluster marketing team, managing six hotels and resorts in the UAE. Mutasa's expertise spans digital marketing, PR, brand revitalization, and pre-opening projects. As the director of marketing at DAMAC Hotels & Resorts, Mutasa has set new standards in luxury hospitality marketing through her strategic initiatives, enhancing the brands she works with and leaving a significant impact on the industry. Mr. Spierto, age 34, joined the Company in November 2023 and previously served as Vice President, Corporate Controller of the Company from November 2023 until his May 2024 promotion to Chief Accounting Officer. As Vice President, Corporate Controller of the Company, Mr. Spierto was responsible for overseeing corporate accounting, financial reporting and technical accounting. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Spierto spent 12 years in the real estate and hospitality audit practice at Ernst & Young, LLP, most recently as a Senior Manager. Mr. Spierto is a certified public accountant and earned a B.S. and Master's in Accounting from the James Madison University. DiamondRock Hospitality Company Bethesda, Maryland United States Website Chicago, IL (60637) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 68F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight A widely scattered shower or thunderstorm is possible this evening. Then cloudy skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Eurovision 2024: Streaming Trends and Big Hits Europes Eurovision Song Contest has developed a symbiotic relationship with the Internet and streaming services, enabling rewards for artists brave enough to submit themselves to the joyful madness. by Jon OBrien of Chartmetric The weird and wonderful world of Eurovision is no longer a one-night-only affair. Since the inaugural contest way back in 1956, the musical feast has launched the careers of ABBA, Celine Dion, and, more recently, Maneskin. It used to enter the European consciousness for only one Saturday evening each May, but since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, the four-hour extravaganza has turned into a week-long spectacle. Even more significantly, the internet age has allowed fans across the world to familiarize themselves with every bombastic key change, shoehorned-in dance break, and lost-in-translation lyric months in advance. Indeed, Eurovision season now starts from the moment the first song is announced, which in this years case was Frances Mon amour by Slimane back in November. By the time the first semi kicked off at the Malmo Arena on May 7, the track had already racked up an impressive 23.5 million Spotify streams. In fact, basically all 37 entries even the last to be confirmed (Ozunl Apar by Azerbaijans Fahree and Ilkin Dovlatov in mid-March) had over a million Spotify streams at this point, and the remaining few reached that milestone before the contest ended. Artists are getting the kind of numbers most mainstream acts would be proud of, too. The most streamed entry this year was Italys Angelina Mango, which accrued 65.1 million Spotify streams with the infectious cumbia of La Noia. Netherlands Joost Klein wasnt too far behind with 59.4 million for the curious mix of Dutch hardcore, Europop, and pro-EU sentiments that is Europapa. And feminist statement ZORRA by Spains Nebulossa, The Weeknd-does-trance banger Unforgettable by Swedens Marcus & Martinus, and hip-pop hybrid Teresa & Maria by Ukraines Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil have all reached figures over ten million as well, in addition to a handful of others. With interest in Eurovision continuing to grow although previously ignored by America, the contest has gradually built up a loyal following here since it debuted on Logo in 2016 and was livestreamed this year for American fans on NBCs Peacock the artist reveals have naturally had a significant impact on their Spotify monthly listenership. Baby Lasagna had only a few thousand before the techno/emo mash-up of Rim Tim Tagi Dim was selected to represent Croatia: by the time he graced Eurovisions famous opening ceremony turquoise carpet on May 5, he had nearly 500k! Other previous unknowns who enjoyed similar gargantuan leaps from barely any listeners to significant numbers included Lithuanias Silvester Belt, Finlands Windows95Man, and Fahree. Those who could already boast significant listenerships saw their numbers go through the roof. Mango, whod previously had two Top 10 hits in her native Italy, achieved the second biggest increase since the start of the year, doubling her audience from 2.12 million Spotify monthly listeners to 4.2 million. In total, eight entrants added at least a million to their tallies as well. Spotify itself can help an act reach a wider audience. With 37 songs to discover, those in the first half of its official 2024 playlist inevitably received more attention from its over one million followers than the second half, when Eurovision fatigue may well have set in. Its little surprise its final two tracks, Moldovas In the Middle by Natalia Barbu and Icelands Scared of Heights by Hera Bjork, were two of the last to pass the million-streams figure. And Spotifys curators have also helped boost certain tracks thanks to their inclusions on other major official playlists. Mon amour , for instance, features on Hits Du Moment and Grand Hit , both of which have more than a monthly million followers. Likewise, Hot Hits Italia which features La Noia. And Before the Partys Over by Belgiums Mustii , The Code by Switzerlands Nemo , and Dizzy by the United Kingdoms newly solo Olly Alexander have even crossed over to U.S. playlists, with all three featured on GLOW , which has over one million followers. Of course, there are many external factors at play when it comes to the disparity in streaming numbers, too. The majority of each acts listeners will inevitably come from their home country a whopping 83% of Mangos hail from Italy, for example. Therefore, those representing the most populated nations will inevitably have a headstart on the smaller. Its no coincidence the UK, France, Spain, and Ukraine were also in the Top 10 most streamed (pre-contest). Likewise, it makes sense that Iceland, Luxembourgs Fighter by TALI , and Maltas Loop by Sarah Bonnici were in the bottom six. Several countries have a rich Eurovision heritage which ensures their chosen entry immediately becomes part of their pop-cultural landscape: certain national selections such as Swedens Melodifestivalen, Italys Sanremo Music Festival, and Spains Benidorm Fest are arguably just as big in their respective nations as Eurovision itself. And six of the Top 10 most streamed had already reached number one back home, including Belts Luktelk , and Zari by Greeces Marina Satti . Then there are the artists whose large established fan bases will instantly gravitate toward any new material. Slimane has a remarkable 85 songs that have been streamed at least one million times, with his most popular track about to hit 100 million. And, Marcus & Martinus and Klein are fast catching up, each having around 60 songs hitting the one million mark. Its not just on Spotify where the Eurovision effect can be seen, though. Dizzy and Unforgettable have pushed Olly Alexander whose total also includes his work with electro-pop trio Years and Years and Swedens twin brothers , respectively, even further into YouTubes one-billion-views club. The latter are certainly the most social media-savvy of this years lot, having amassed a remarkable 213 million likes and five million followers on TikTok even before participating in Melodifestivalen. And like The Voice: La plus belle voix winner Slimane, theyd already achieved a million Instagram followers, too. So, was there any correlation between these figures and what actually happened at the contest itself? Well, of the 11 countries eliminated in the semi-finals, eight were in Spotifys 10 least streamed, with Australias One Milkali (One Blood) by Electric Fields , Czechias Pedestal by Aiko , San Marinos 11:11 by Megara , and Albanias Titan by Besa joining Moldova, Azerbaijan, Iceland, and Malta on the plane home. Denmarks SAND by SABA (23rd most streamed with 3.5 million) and Belgium (18th with 6.6 million) will be disappointed they didnt convert their online presence to audience votes. However, the biggest outlier was The Tower by Polands LUNA , which despite racking up 6.7 million streams (17th), still failed to progress even though at one point during the competition it was the 12th most streamed song. And in the final , six of the 10 highest point-getters were also in Spotifys 10 most streamed (this figure would almost certainly have been seven had Klein not been disqualified at the last minute). Switzerland, of course, won on the night, receiving a total of 591 points. But if we look solely at where the public have their say the televote half of the scores then their 226 points ranked them fifth, two places higher than their streaming position (seventh with 16 million streams). Overall runners-up Croatia were the audience favorites, picking up 337 points. But Rim Tim Tagi Dim had even less streams than The Code on Spotify: 13.3 million, putting them in ninth. The biggest outperformer was undoubtedly Jako by Armenias world music duo Ladaniva (Spotify 24th/televote ninth). However, the most significant was achieved by this years most controversial entry. Hurricane by Israels Eden Golan finished 11th on Spotify (8.2 million), but placed second in the televote, a result which will do little to dispel the notion that Eurovision is all about the politics . Italys Mango may have been expecting to finish higher than seventh on the televote, considering la noia is by far this years most streamed entry. Likewise with Spains Nebulossa, who was fifth on Spotify but only 22nd with TV audiences. But its the UKs Alexander who will be wondering where it all went wrong. Dizzy was 13th on Spotifys list (8 million streams), yet finished rock bottom on the televote with the dreaded nul points. Did its unashamedly homoerotic staging deter some of Europes more conservative viewers? Or was this proof that high streams are no guarantee of on-the-night success? Nevertheless, all artists, whether they took home the iconic glass microphone trophy or failed to qualify from the semis, will continue to enjoy social media and streaming boosts well into the summer. Spotifys Eurovision 2023 playlist only peaked in followers in July, a full two months after Loreen scored her record-equaling second victory. And within just two days of the May 11 grand final, the 2024 version now reordered to replicate the results order had already attracted an additional 53k followers. As youd expect, having made headline news across the world for storming to victory, Nemo has also seen a major uptick. The Code was streamed 814k times in the 24 hours after their win and then an even more impressive 1.08 million times the day after. In the same period, their finals performance racked up 11 million YouTube views, while their victory lap rendition got 1.8 million. Add their semi-qualification (3.28 million) and official video (7.4 million), and thats a lot of eyeballs and eardrums on their literal balancing act. Echoing their close results on the night, Croatia has achieved a similar boost in streams (818k) since finishing just 44 points behind Switzerland, while their anthemic finals performance was the second most-watched with 5 million. Interestingly, though, the Eurovision track to receive the biggest jump in Spotify streams was the one that didnt get to compete. Yes, proving that all publicity is good publicity, the furor surrounding Kleins dismissal appeared to immediately entice more than 1.69 million listeners to see what all the fuss was about, and then another 2.92 million the following day. It will be interesting to see how the eccentric Dutchman bounces back. But, several of this years entrants are wasting little time in striking while the iron is hot. Mango releases her debut LP, Poke melodrama, at the end of May, while Dons will celebrate Latvias first qualification since 2016 with his tenth studio effort, Laiks, arriving in August. Aiko and Serbias Teya , meanwhile, have already started capitalizing on their momentum with a new duet, Hunger , thats racked up 147k streams. Indeed, while most previous Eurovision entrants even the runaway winners fell back into obscurity within a month, artists now have much more opportunity to maintain, and indeed build on, the percentage of 160 million viewers they first hooked in with a three-minute ditty. Just ask the Netherlands Duncan Laurence , who hit the Hot 100 with Arcade two years after it won in 2019, or Armenias Rosa Linn , whose Snap finished a lowly 20th in 2022, yet thanks to the power of TikTok has since become only the second Eurovision song ever to achieve one billion Spotify streams. So if you thought youd heard the last of Finlands thong-wearing, firework-spurting Windows95Man , Irelands ouija-pop pagan witch Bambie Thug , or Estonias hip-hop/nu-folk supergroup 5MIINUST and Puuluup , theyre likely to keep casually sliding into your New Music Fridays until at least the next Eurovision circus rolls up in Zurich 2025 whether you like it or not. Visualizations by Nicki Camberg and cover image by Crasianne Tirado. Data as of May 14, 2024 (including Spotify stream counts used throughout the article). Share on: Greylock Federal Welcomes Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer PITTSFIELD, Mass. Following an extensive search, Greylock Federal Credit Union has announced the hiring of Michael A. King, CPA, as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. King brings extensive banking and finance experience in budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting and analysis, capital and liquidity management, plus team development and management. "We are excited to have a person with Mike's skills and background join the Greylock family," said President and CEO John L. Bissell. "His experience and depth of knowledge make him a welcome addition to our leadership team." As a member of the senior management team, King is responsible for assisting the overall financial management of the credit union, ensuring financial stability and sound financial strategy balanced with the best interests of the membership. His input will be key to the strategic direction and vision of the CEO and Executive Vice President. Additionally, King will participate in the formulation and implementation of Credit Union policies and objectives, as well as long-range planning and forecasting. "I'm thrilled to be joining this amazing team," King said. "Greylock does so many great things for our Members and our community, and I'm excited to be a part of that." King has 15 years of financial services experience. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President/Head of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) with Berkshire Bank, where he focused on budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting and analytics for the $12 billion commercial bank. King holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. King lives in Pittsfield with his fiancee Cheryl and their dog Beau. The City Council voted to make parking free for veterans with plates or who register with the city effective June 1. Pittsfield Says 'Thank You' to Veterans with Free Parking PITTSFIELD, Mass. City officials have decided to thank veterans for their service with free parking starting June 1. The City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance allowing veterans to park in municipal lots and spaces at no charge. This was brought forward by Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren, Ward 4 Councilor James Conant, and Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey. The original proposal was for veterans with designated plates but to ensure equity, it was amended to allow veterans with regular plates to register with the city for free parking. Warren came to the meeting with an amended proposal after suggestions were made during a subcommittee meeting last month. "This is the same ordinance that we petitioned for. It was mentioned that the Committee on Ordinance and Rules two things," he said. "One, they wanted to move this along as quickly as possible and two, there's going to be a provision for registration with the city in a way that's going to be proposed and implemented so this covers both. Either veterans plates or registration will be able to use parking for free for veterans." City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta said the amendment is "unusual," as there is not yet a system to register veterans' license plates. "The rest of the ordinance is not a problem approving it," he said. "This particular provision can't be implemented until a system has been approved. If the City Council wants to move ahead as it is now, just you should recognize that we don't know what that system is yet." Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales recommended leaving free parking to veterans' plates, explaining that it could be burdensome for veterans with regular plates to have to register with the city. "The reason for that was because certain people pay the additional amount of money to the state to get 'veteran' on their plates," Kavey explained. "What about the veterans that don't pay that extra fee? They should also get free parking." Morales confirmed that the city is capable of registering plates into its system so that registered veterans cannot be flagged. He suggested having a system where the plates can be taken off the list. At first, there were differing views on the amendment, with some thinking it was clunky and sloppy, but everyone agreed by the end of the conversation and voted in favor. Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi was absent. The effective date was also pushed out a few weeks. "I love this idea in concept but as we're hearing, the more I think about it the clunkier it gets. So does the vehicle have to be registered to the veteran themselves? Could it be if that person is disabled and somebody else is driving them everywhere does that person get to register?" Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said. Hoosic River Revival's Judith Grinnell points to problems areas in the chutes in Willow Dell last summer. Neal Secures $700,000 for North Adams Flood Chutes Project Mayor Jennifer Macksey at last August's signing of an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. U.S. Rep. Richard Neal has secured $700,000 in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' budget to complete a feasibility study of the Hoosic River flood chutes. The Corps of Engineers is in the midst of a three-year, $3 million study of the aging concrete flood chutes that control the passage of the river through the city. North Adams has ponied up $500,000 as part of its share of the study and another $1.5 million is expected to come from state and federal coffers. Neal previously secured $200,000 in the fiscal 2023 omnibus spending package to begin the feasibility study. The additional funding secured by Neal will allow for the completion of the study, required before the project can move on to the next phase. Neal celebrated it as a significant step in bringing the flood chutes project to fruition, which he said came after several months of communication with the Corps. "The residents of North Adams have long advocated for much needed improvements to the city's decades-old flood chutes. This announcement is a substantial victory for the city, one that reaffirms the federal government's commitment to making this project a reality," said the congressman. "As a former mayor, I know firsthand the importance of these issues, especially when it comes to the safety and well-being of residents. "That is why I have prioritized funding for this project, one that will not only enhance protections along the Hoosic River Basin and reduce flood risk, but also make much critical improvements to the city's infrastructure and create jobs." The nonprofit Hoosic River Revival has been working for years to restore as much of the river as possible into a more natural attraction along the lines of similar works in San Antonio, Texas, and Colorado. The possibilities include walking and biking paths, fishing areas and stepped or walled structures that will continue to contain and channel the river. Built by the Corps in 1961 after several devastating floods, the flood chutes have played a vital role in providing flood protection to about 85 percent of the city's industrial and commercial firms and about 25 percent of residential property. After nearly 60 years of use, the flood chutes are in severe disrepair and in need of significant structural improvement. The River Revival has estimated more there is more than $600 million in real and property assets endangered by the river, and that's not including some $240 million in art inside the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The river cuts through and around the massive museum in the former Spraque Electric and Arnold Printworks mills "We are pleased to be able to continue the work on the Hoosic River flood control project," said Mayor Jennifer Macksey in a statement. "We are delighted with the continued support of the federal delegation including Congressman Neal, Senator Markey, and Senator Warren. This project is ever so important to the city, not only from a safety perspective, but also for the overall well-being of the river and the community at large." Neal said he would continue working with the mayor and Corps to ensure future funding. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Kevin Spacey has branded the #MeToo movement as unfair and having gone too far as he called for his career to be uncancelled in the wake of further sexual misconduct allegations. The actor gave the rare interview to US network NewsNation in the wake of the Channel 4 documentary Spacey Unmasked, which aired fresh allegations about the American Beauty star earlier this month. Spacey claimed he now wants to get back to work and has learned from his experiences, adding he paid a price for his mistakes. Speaking on the Chris Cuomo show, Spacey said: Ive listened. Ive learned. Ive got the memo. Im not going to behave in any way in the future that is questionable. The actor added hed spent the past seven years going into myself and having conversations with people he felt he owed amends to. But at a certain point, I just want to get back to work, he added. I feel very strongly that whatever mistakes Ive made in my life, that I paid a price. Spacey claimed the #MeToo movement had swung too far in the direction of unfairness and he would work hard to be uncancelled by the public. I want to prove Im a man of great character, he said. open image in gallery Kevin Spacey at Southwark Crown Court for his sexual assault trial in 2023 ( Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images ) 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, [and] disgusting. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free 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. Spacey was one of the most recognisable 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. open image in gallery Spacey in House of Cards ( Netflix ) Channel 4s recent documentary Spacey Unmasked 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. Sharon Stone, Stephen Fry, and Liam Neeson all subsequently spoke out in support of Spaceys return to Hollywood, calling him a genius and fun. Channel 4 stood by its documentary, broadcast over two nights at the start of May, 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. Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Get our The Life Cinematic email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Francis Ford Coppola has questioned the legitimacy of some of the negative criticism his latest epic, Megalopolis, has received. The 85-year-old directors self-funded dystopian drama had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday (16 May). Coppola struggled to get funding for the film, which has cost $120m (96m) and taken decades to make. After an industry screening in Los Angeles in late March, Megalopolis was already being dismissed as yet another of its legendary directors folies de grandeur. And days before its premiere, The Guardian published a damning report, which included accusations against Coppola of inappropriate on-set behaviour. Coppola did not respond to the reports allegations; though, his executive co-producer Darren Demetre said he was never aware of any complaints of harassment or ill behaviour during the course of the project. The day after the films premiere, it has continued to draw negative press, with one report from The Washington Post saying it sparked frenzy and furious debate. Meanwhile, reporters present at Cannes said the film drew a mixture of boos and applause once it ended. Of the negative press his film has received, Coppola told Air Mail: If you look at each and every mixed or negative notice its always something heard from an unknown source. I really feel its unpardonable to attack a movie because it doesnt play by Hollywoods current rules, by quoting unnamed sources who probably werent at the screening and may not exist. Its a cold, meaningless business, he said in regards to the films lack of distributor. open image in gallery Francis Ford Coppola attends the Megalopolis' Photocall at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival ( Getty Images ) Coppola argued: Youd think, Why would anyone want not to root for Megalopolis? An accepted filmmaker using their own money to fund an ambitious movie. Well, there are plenty of interests who would. Addressing pejorative comments that have reduced the film to a passion project, he hit back, saying: Ive never made a film that wasnt a passion project. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Who wants to see a film that someone made without passion, or even a meal that the chef had not prepared passionately? As for the genre they want to force my film into, sci-fi: no, Megalopolis is a fable of future history. Megalopolis stars Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, an architect-scientist who wants to better a fictional version of New York City called New Rome. It also features Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Dustin Hoffman, Giancarlo Esposito and Nathalie Emmanuel. In his three-star review for The Independent, Geoffrey MacNab called the movie a deeply flawed sci-fi spectacle. Ultimately, this isnt the car crash it could have been, he wrote, adding: You cant help but marvel at his gumption (and folly) in making a blockbuster in which town planning features so prominently, and characters quote ancient philosophers like Plutarch and Marcus Aurelius at length. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy MasterChef viewers are furious at the show for featuring a dish inspired by notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper, accusing the cooking series of celebrating the murder and dismemberment of women. The semi-final of the 2024 season of the popular cooking competition aired on Thursday (16 May) with the aspiring chefs tasked with cooking up a theatrical dish for judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode. There was no shortage of innovative ideas in the kitchen, as contestants set about cooking a duck to look like heart and lungs within a ribcage, to a bone marrow panna cotta resembling a dogs dinner. Viewers, however, took issue with one immersive dish that they felt took it too far. Circus performer Chris made an impression with his murder mystery dish inspired by Jack the Ripper, which he served up alongside a fire-breathing performance completed in a black cloak. Chris, 44, told the judges:You are now detectives and you have to work out who I am by the clues inside the box. On the table was a box with the numbers 1888, which was used to open its padlock to reveal a glow-in-the-dark bone marrow beef tartare dish. open image in gallery A glow-in-the-dark bone marrow beef tartare dish ( BBC ) Wallace guessed Chriss identity as Jack the Ripper after reading the clues: Whitechapel, London, 1888 and seeing a tally of five. Jack the Ripper killed at least five women in or near Whitechapel between August and November 1888: Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Kate Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly. Fans of the series were left unimpressed and offended at his choice of inspiration, which they criticised as tasteless. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. 8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Did that just happen? A man on #MasterChef just served beef tartare on a bone as part of a celebration of Jack the Ripper dish? Murdered womens innards, so creative. What? wrote one person on X/Twitter. open image in gallery ( BBC / MasterChef ) open image in gallery ( Twitter / X ) Apparently its really tasty food but theres a guy on #Masterchef who has just done some kind of cabaret/meal event on the theme of Jack the Ripper (steak tartare) which is frankly pretty tasteless, said another. A third viewer added: Celebrating Jack the Ripper? Have I misunderstood? while someone else wrote simply: Masterchef Jack the Ripper theme for a dish! WTF? open image in gallery ( Twitter / X ) Cant imagine the fact he served up steak tartare (in a bone) was coincidental. Just yeuch. Felt really inappropriate, agreed one person. Cant beat a lovely bit of nosh themed on a man who committed some of the most heinous acts of assault and murder of women in British history, said another. open image in gallery ( Twitter / X ) Others questioned how the idea got through the production team at the BBC, with one writing: Er, did no one at Masterchef think that Jack the Ripper might not be a fun theme for a meal? How delightful to see celebrating the murder and dismemberment of women. #BadTaste in so many different forms. Worst episode I have ever seen. Who on earth at @BBCOne thought this was a good idea? said another. open image in gallery ( Twitter / X ) The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment. Despite the online controversy surrounding his dish, Chris has gone through to the final of the competition, which is expected to air on Thursday 23 May. open image in gallery ( MasterChef / BBC ) Dr George, who presented an anatomy-inspired dish, was sent home after his heart of beetroot, duck breast resembling lungs, and parsnip crisp ribcage failed to impress. Wallace called Georges anatomical dish slightly alarming. One viewer wrote: Gregg think the anatomical dish is slightly alarming but not the one that celebrates *murder*? On the first day of the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, recently, Yuan Qinshan of the car maker Dayun Group could barely hide his joy. We secured export orders for hundreds of pickups and trucks, worth more than 60 million yuan (6.6 million), said Yuan, chairman of the company, whose headquarters are in Yuncheng, Shanxi province. Ningbo APG Appliance and Technology Co Ltd, a manufacturer in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, said it sealed deals worth nearly $1 million (798,000) during the first four days of the fair, also known as the Canton Fair, with more than 70 per cent of these agreements involving new customers. The 135th Canton Fair, which ran from 15 April until 5 May, attracted 246,000 overseas buyers from 215 countries and regions, 24.5 per cent more than in the last session in October, said the China Foreign Trade Centre in Guangzhou, one of the organisers. The fair exemplifies Chinas commitment to sharing developmental opportunities with the world, said Zhao Ping, dean of the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in Beijing. Through this and similar platforms such as the China International Supply Chain Expo, China provides a wide range of high-quality products to the world and helps strengthen the resilience and stability of both regional and global industrial and supply chains, she said. The value of Chinas foreign trade rose 5.7 per cent to 13.81 trillion yuan (1.53 trillion) in the first four months compared with the corresponding period last year, with exports rising 4.9 per cent to 7.81 trillion yuan (864 billion), and imports growing 6.8 per cent to 6 trillion yuan (664 billion), the General Administration of Customs said. A container vessel busy loading in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province ( GENG YUHE / FOR CHINA DAILY ) The countrys trade progress is underpinned by a robust industrial foundation, fast-growing technology, technology-intensive green product industries, improved innovation capabilities, numerous free trade agreements and tangible development spawned by the Belt and Road Initiative, market watchers said. Amid numerous formidable challenges to worldwide economic growth, Chinese companies are focusing on developing and exporting products that are technologically sophisticated, environmentally friendly and have high added value, supporting the countrys efforts to improve its trade mix, said Lin Jiantian, director of the department of enterprise management and audit-based control in the General Administration of Customs. Chen Bin, deputy director of the expert committee of the China Machinery Industry Federation in Beijing, said Chinas export portfolio has performed solidly in machinery and electronics, as well as labour-intensive products, underscoring their sustained international appeal. The steady increase in imports of bulk commodities and consumer goods reflects vibrant and expanding domestic market demand, Chen said. Xu Hongcai, deputy director of economic policy committee of the China Association of Policy Science, said that expanding intermediate goods trade can also be a priority for maintaining the stability of Chinas foreign trade. By providing reliable and high-quality intermediate goods, China can support the development and expansion of manufacturing industries in countries such as Algeria, Hungary, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam, fostering their economic growth and ultimately contributing to global economic recovery, Xu said. Many people hold at least one memory of a kite from their childhoods, be it a simple yet classic diamond or a colourful bird-shaped kind with vividly flapping wings. It could be a sunny spring day in a pastoral landscape with family members. As the wind picks up, the user runs as fast as he or she can, until the kite ascends high into the sky and dances in the air. However, the kite that Yang Hongwei of Yangjiabu village in Weifang, Shandong province, remembers is slightly different. It was a gigantic dragon-headed centipede that stretched for 1,180 feet and took dozens of people to fly. That was at the third Weifang International Kite Festival in 1986. To celebrate their villages legacy of crafting kites, her grandfather, Yang Tongke, and uncle, Yang Qimin, both master kite makers, envisioned and created a model 10 times bigger than any they had ever made. Weifang is renowned as the world capital of kites, and Yangjiabu village has long remained at the heart of local production. Yang Hongwei, who was born to a family of artisan kite makers in the village in 1966, became a national-level representative inheritor of Weifang kite-making techniques this year. Yangjiabu is home to two national-level intangible cultural heritage items, kites and Yangjiabu new year pictures, a type of traditional woodblock printing used to decorate peoples homes during Spring Festival. Both art forms emerged in Yangjiabu in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and prospered in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), she says. Our kites decorations draw inspiration from new year pictures, each one carries its own story and auspicious connotations. She took a variety of representative Weifang kites to the recent 37th International Kite Festival in Berck-sur-Mer, France, including a dragon-headed centipede kite with images of 100 children. The kite features a dragon head with a body and tail fashioned from about 50 discs, each of which is hand-painted with images of children, carrying wishes for longevity, prosperity and other blessings. Throughout history kites have been close to peoples daily lives and influenced by folk traditions, says Ma Zhiyao, a professor at Tianjin University who specialises in folklore and intangible cultural heritage. Kites origins can be traced back to the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), with historical accounts attributing their invention to the philosopher Mozi, who spent three years crafting a wooden hawk, which is considered a prototype for todays kites. Later, Lu Ban, a master carpenter and engineer, made improvements by substituting wood with bamboo. During the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) the inventor Cai Lun improved papermaking techniques, leading to the invention of paper hawks, which resembled the kites we know today. A dragon-headed centipede kite made by Yang Hongwei, a national-level representative inheritor of kite-making techniques in Weifang, Shandong province ( PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ) Kites origins reveal the remarkable ability and creativity of ancient Chinese to imitate nature and explore its mysteries, Ma says. They observed birds and thought of using wood and paper to make objects that could soar in the sky. They were driven by curiosity and a spirit of scientific exploration to understand and harness the power of wind. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907) relative stability and prosperity made paper more affordable, and kites became part of ordinary peoples lives. As kite-making techniques became more refined, varieties adorned with imagery and that produced sound effects were developed. In this period, too, kite flying during festivals became a custom. The late Tang-era poet Luo Yin wrote prose about a kite flying on the Cold Food Festival, which then fell directly before the springtime Tomb Sweeping Day and was later merged with it. The custom was popularised in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). By the Ming and Qing dynasties, significant progress was continuing in design, style, production, decoration and flying skills. From an item as modest as a kite, we can see Chinese peoples attachment to the cultural values associated with happiness, positivity and health. This is why the thin string linking us to kites and culture has endured until today and remains a cherished part of contemporary life, Ma says. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Vladimir Putin kicked off his second day in China with a visit to Harbin city as the Russian president trumpets deeping economic and strategic ties between the two powerful neighbours. Harbin in the northeastern Heilongjiang province, which borders Russias Far East, has deep social, economic and cultural ties with its neighbouring country. The city was once known as Little Moscow for its substantial Russian population and cultural influence. It remains a centre of Sino-Russian cooperation. Mr Putins itinerary in Harbin includes attending the 8th Russia-China Expo and the 4th Russia-China Forum on Interregional Cooperation. Hes expected to be joined at these functions by his counterpart president Xi Jinping. Mr Putin will also meet students and faculty at the Harbin Institute of Technology. The Russian leader arrived in China for a state visit on Thursday. He met Mr Xi and signed a 7,000-word joint statement heralding a new era of partnership covering a range of political, economic and strategic interests. The no limits relationship, as Moscow and Beijing have previously described it, is aimed at counterbalancing Western, especially American, influence in Asia and Europe. open image in gallery Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping attend an informal meeting in Beijing ( AP ) The statement condemned the US and its allies for their intimidation in the military sphere against North Korea, which has strengthened its ties with Moscow in recent years and is accused of being a major supplier of weapons for Russias war in Ukraine. Mr Putin hosted leader North Koreas Kim Jong-un last year. On Thursday Mr Putin and Mr Xi also attended a gala celebration marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between their countries and gave speeches at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. open image in gallery Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping attend the gala celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations ( Reuters ) I am very sorry for talking for so long, not allowing the translator to speak, Mr Putin said at one point during his speech. Im just feeling so much at home and thought that everybody understands Russian here. Mr Xi and Mr Putin spent some leisure time at Zhongnanhai, a government complex in Beijing similar to the US White House. They strolled and held "in-depth exchanges on strategic issues of common concern" over a cup of tea, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. The discussion included the Ukraine war. Mr Xi bid Mr Putin goodbye with a hug as they concluded the first day of the Russian leaders two-day visit. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy North Korea has rejected as a false rumour claims that it is delivering weapons for Russias war in Ukraine, despite mounting evidence and a large body of intelligence reports pointing to the fact that Pyongyang has become one of Vladimir Putins main arms suppliers. The statement from Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, came as the United States imposed fresh sanctions on Russian individuals and companies for facilitating the transfer of North Korean arms. Ms Kim described reports of North Korean arms exports as an absurd paradox meant for misleading the public opinion, according to state media agency KCNA. The US and South Korea have said there is compelling evidence to suggest that the Russians are using weapons supplied by North Korea in large numbers in Ukraine. This includes analysis of missile debris found in the northeastern Kharkiv region which, Ukrainian officials said, showed the weapon likely came from North Korea. The US on Thursday sanctioned three Russian companies and two individuals it claimed are connected to the transfer of military equipment and components from North Korea. The US Treasury claimed the Kremlin has used more than 40 ballistic missiles from North Korea in its attacks in Ukraine as well as other munitions, a clear breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions. open image in gallery Kim Jong Un oversees a tactical missile weapons system at an unknown location on 14 May 2024 ( Reuters ) Ms Kim denied such claims outright. The hostile forces are misleading public opinion with a false rumour that the weapon systems produced by the DPRK are for export to Russia, Ms Kim said on Friday, referring to her country by its official name, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. We have no intention to export our military technical capabilities to any country or open them to the public. She directed her wrath at South Korea, with the kind of bombastic threat that has come to characterise the Kim regimes public statements regarding its southern neighbour. We dont conceal the fact that such weapons will be used to prevent Seoul from inventing any idle thinking, she said. South Korea responded that it is ready to repel any military threat from North Korea in alliance with the US. Kim Inae, a government spokesperson, also reiterated that "illegal" arms dealings between North Korea and Russia must be stopped immediately. open image in gallery South Korean Defense Ministry displays retrieved debris of a ballistic missile that North Korea flew across their de facto maritime border in November 2022 ( Getty ) North Korea has shipped about 7,000 containers filled with munitions to Russia since last year, South Korean defence minister Shin Wonsik said in March. In return, he added, Pyongyang received over 9,000 Russian containers likely filled with aid. In January, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said missiles supplied by North Korea had been fired in Ukraine. In May, the White House also said that Russia was shipping refined petroleum to North Korea at levels that exceed UN Security Council limits. North Koreas strategic partnership with Moscow has deepened significantly since Mr Kim travelled to Russia for a rare foreign visit last year. North Korean state media reported in January that Mr Putin will return the favour and visit Pyongyang at an early date soon, though there have been no updates on the matter from the Kremlin since. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Taiwanese MPs punched, kicked, pushed and shoved each other during a heated debate over a set of reforms in the islands parliament. The scuffle took place on Friday morning when the parliament was set to debate a proposal to give lawmakers more power to oversee the governments actions. During the chaotic scenes that followed, some MPs surrounding the speakers seat, with many jumping over tables and others pulling colleagues to the floor. The fight was stopped but it restarted later and continued until the afternoon. The brawl came just days before president-elect Lai Ching-te is set to take office without a legislative majority on Monday. Taiwans two major parties, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which is set to form a government and the Kuomintang (KMT), the main opposition, are in strong disagreement over draft reforms which includes a controversial move to criminalise officials who are deemed to make false statements in parliament. The law was proposed by the KMT and its allies but it has been rejected by Mr Lais DPP as an unconstitutional abuse of power. The debate got heated even before the lawmakers entered the House, with members exchanging accusations and insults outside the chamber. Wang Mei-hui, a DPP lawmaker representing the southern city of Chiayi, told Reuters: Why are we opposed? We want to be able to have discussions, not for there to be only one voice in the country. Jessica Chen, a KMT legislator from the Taiwan-administered Kinmen islands just off the coast of mainland China, said the reforms were aimed to improve legislative oversight of the executive branch. The DPP does not want this to be passed as they have always been used to monopolising power, she told Reuters, wearing a military-style helmet. Politicians from all three parties which have MPs in parliament the DPP, the KMT and the smaller Taiwan Peoples Party (TPP) were involved in the fight and later traded accusations about who was to blame. The formation of the new government is already under dispute, as Mr Lais DPP lost its majority in parliament despite winning the January elections. The opposition KMT has more seats than the DPP but not enough to form a majority of its own, and is seeking to form a coalition with the TPP, which controls eight of the parliaments 113 seats. The brawl is being seen as an ominous sign of troubles ahead for the new government. The DPPs Wang added: I am worried. This isnt the first time an ugly physical fight has broken out in the Taiwanese parliament. Indeed, while parliamentary brawls occur occasionally in other countries, Taiwans Legislative Yuan is notorious for them. In 2020, members of the Nationalist Party brought pig guts into the chamber and threw them around in a melee to protest Taiwans removal of a ban on American pork products. In 2021, lawmakers again descended into a rowdy brawl after opposition lawmakers interrupted an important policy address and rushed the podium. A few lawmakers were shoved to the ground and others poured out bottles of water onto their opponents. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Severn Trent has outlined plans to spend a major cash injection on reducing sewage spills as chief executive Liv Garfield defended her seven-figure pay package. In an announcement on Friday, the water firm said it will spend 450 million by late 2024 to early 2025 after a 1 billion equity raise from investors in October. The money is going to a range of storm overflow solutions across 900 locations in the Midlands, it said. It comes as the industry faces fresh scrutiny over the quality of Britains water after revelations of a massive Lake Windermere sewage spill and that the parasite cryptosporidium has contaminated water systems in Devon. Ms Garfield was forced to defend her seven-figure pay package on Friday as she spoke about Severn Trents capital investment programme on BBC Radio 4s Today programme. We've had not a great year in the last 12 months - accepted. But if you've looked at that four-year period over time - dramatic, dramatic progress Liv Garfield, Severn Trent chief executive The chief executive admitted she had been paid 13 million in the last four years, saying: Yes, it probably is true because it is performance-related. During that period of time weve been the best-rated company across the piece whether its by the Environment Agency weve had the best environmental record whether its Ofwat in terms of our service performance, whether its investors contributing cash in. So, weve had the second lowest bill. Ms Garfield was then challenged about her recent 3.2 million pay package due to the firms performance on sewage spills in the last 12 months, which saw an increase of more than a third to 60,000. She argued the company has improved river health and made major progress in reducing spills over the last four years. Weve had not a great year in the last 12 months accepted. But if youve looked at that four-year period over time dramatic, dramatic progress. Speaking of plans to spend some of the 1 billion cash injection, she said: Were talking about hundreds of people across ourselves and our supply chain literally building capital solutions between now and ideally Christmas funded, as I said, by that investor contribution. The money is being spent on initiatives like installing 700 storage solutions at treatment works to capture more flows during high rainfall. Around 300 engineers and data scientists will be working in a zero spills hub dedicated to storm overflow improvements, the firm said. Severn Trent is carrying out a large-scale community trial, supplying 8,000 free water butts across 10 communities to reduce surface water going into drains and introducing nature-based solutions like the creation of more than 70 reed beds to treat sewage at the storm route for overflows. The firm said that once the region-wide capital investment programme is complete, 20% of spills from storm overflows will be eradicated. Last year, the water supplier revealed an increase in its profit and turnover but admitted the sector should have acted faster to tackle sewage spills. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Anna Delvey turned the courtroom into her own personal runway show. Last year, the 33-year-old convicted con artist, whose legal name is Anna Sorokin, partnered with business tycoon Kelly Cutrone to launch a fashion-focused public relations company, the OutLaw Agency. On 16 May, the power duo planned to stage a presentation during an upcoming immigration hearing, according to reports by Page Six. OutLaw told Page Six that they wanted to put on the first court-appearance-as-fashion-presentation. Taking advantage of the press inside the New York courtroom, Outlaw put on a press preview for SHAO New York, a client under the agency, by dressing Delvey in a suit by the brand. The self-proclaimed heiress donned an oversized black blazer, matching pencil skirt with a high slit, long-sleeve collared shirt with a long black scarf tie, open-toe pumps, and a baguette shoulder bag. Of course, her ankle monitor was on and planned for ahead of time, as seen in sketches obtained by Page Six. The inspiration for the ensemble stemmed from wanting to make a statement on the general expectation that defendants should wear demure outfits in front of judges, according to the outlet. In their statement to Page Six, Cutrone questioned: Why are we as women being asked to dress a certain way when we enter a courtroom, or a boardroom, or a dinner party? Why are others trying to control our level of innocence based on what we wear? This is discrimination in its most subtle and intriguing form and were here to change it up. We have respect for the legal system and they should have respect for the fashion system, she continued. SHAO New York is helmed by Shao Yang. The first fashion show OutLaw organised for them was during fashion week on the roof of Delveys apartment in the East Village. An internet frenzy transpired promptly after the 2023 runway show. Some praised Delvey for the business move, while others admitted they were unimpressed. Really admirable, a fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Another bluntly asked: Insane. When is she getting deported? Why is anyone working with her? The Thursday hearing was a status conference on the Board of Immigration Appeals decision last month to release Delvey from her conditions, including house arrest and a ban on her social media, per an email from her attorney, John Sandweg, to Fox Business. In February of 2021, Delvey was released from prison after being convicted of larceny in the second degree, attempted grand larceny, and services theft. Originally, she was sentenced to four to 12 years but only served two years. Following her release, Delvey was returned to the custody of ICE and has been trying to fight to stay in the US since. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Saturday Night Live star Chloe Fineman has addressed negative comments surrounding her appearance at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The comedian, 35, walked the red carpet at the annual film festival in Cannes, France, on 16 May for the premiere of director Francis Ford Coppolas Megapolis. For the occasion, Fineman was dressed in a red, shimmering floor-length gown by Celine, which featured a strapless neckline and a bow detailing on the bodice. She accessorised the look with a diamond Cartier necklace. The popular Instagram account Check The Tag, which is dedicated to posting photos of celebrities and details about their outfits, reposted a photo of Fineman from the red carpet. However, there were many trolls who left negative remarks about the actors red carpet look in the comments section. These pictures are weird. Her head looks too big for her body or something, one Instagram user wrote. Very odd proportions here, another person said. This dress is giving us nothing, a third user commented. In response, Fineman took to the comments section to hit back at the criticism, while also sharing an important reminder. No need to be so mean! Thank you, she commented, along with a red heart emoji. Despite the negative comments, there were also some fans who defended Fineman from the social media trolls. You look beautiful, ignore all these trolls with fake confidence behind their screens, one user replied to Fineman. Youre the one at Cannes - no need to worry about loser opinions, another person said, while someone else wrote: Yikes. These comments arent it. She looks gorgeous!!! Imagine feeling beautiful and confident walking out the door only to see awful things said about your look online. Fineman posed with Megapolis co-stars Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza ahead of the premiere of Coppolas self-funded $120m (94m) epic. The 140-minute film received mixed reviews following its Cannes debut, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation. However, there were also reports of booing from the audience after the film ended. The SNL star pulled another memorable look during the 4 May episode of the long-running NBC sketch show, in which she appeared as Jojo Siwa during the Weekend Update segment. Fineman was dressed as Siwa in her Karma music video, resembling a member of the rock band KISS with black eye makeup and a mohawk. open image in gallery SNL star Chloe Fineman hits back at trolls over her Cannes red carpet appearance ( Instagram / Chloe Fineman ) Im a bad girl now! Fineman told co-host Colin Jost as Siwa. Yeah, its a pretty big change. I used to be way more sparkles and now Im black sparkles. The sketch went on to poke fun at Siwas outfit, as well as her comments about her sexuality. Im 20 and Im gay! Finemans character said. Im the first gay girl in the world! Bet you never met a gay girl before! The real Siwa rose to fame as a dancer on the US series Dance Moms between 2015 and 2016. She came out as gay in 2021, though shes recently received criticism for claiming to have invented a new genre of music called gay pop. While some viewers applauded Finemans impression of Siwa, branding it a highlight of the episode, others argued that the shows mockery of Siwa crossed the line and was starting to border on straight up bullying. Wtf, one person commented. Look, Im not a Jojo Siwa fan, but a bunch of adults getting together to make fun of a 20-year-old is just awful and pathetic. Just let her be a young person and figure out how to be a young adult. No I dont think the Karma video is the best rebrand but why on earth do you guys care so much? Guys its over SNL killed Jojo Siwa we can all go home now, another person joked. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Timothee Chalamets commercial for Chanel has finally dropped, more than one year after a viral video showed the actor getting hit in the chest by a camera. On 17 May, the French luxury label released the long-awaited ad for its Bleu de Chanel mens fragrance. The 90-second spot directed by Martin Scorsese features the 28-year-old Oscar nominee in a dream-like version of New York City, as he breaks free from the bounds of fame. Set to Rockit by Herbie Hancock, the commercial begins with Chalamet waking up in his fictional Soho apartment and immediately launching into his busy, A-list schedule: being snapped by paparazzi to guest starring on a late-night talk show. The film-within-a-film shows Chalamet haunted by his new project, which depicts a mysterious blue world, as its displayed on a billboard across from his apartment and on his TV screen. The Dune actor is then seen running away from the set and finding himself at an elevated subway stop in Queens, New York. As he gets on the train, Chalamet steps into the mysterious blue world, where he can finally express his authenticity as an artist. The new Bleu de Chanel film is an invitation to discover the many facets of a man who is forging his own path, the description for the ad reads. An actors conflict between celebrity and staying true to himself. A dialogue between Timothee Chalamets artistic sensibility and Martin Scorseses virtuosity. Timothee Chalamet stars in Chanel ad directed by Martin Scorsese The campaign which was inspired by Federico Fellinis 1968 short Toby Dammit comes one year after the Wonka star was announced as the newest ambassador for Chanels best-selling mens fragrance. Since then, several photos and videos of the actor-director duo parading around New York City have garnered excitement for the collaboration. Most notably, Chalamet became the subject of online sympathy after a viral video showed the actor being hit in the chest with a massive camera while filming the ad. Scorseses daughter Francesca, who also had a cameo in the short film, could be seen standing next to Chalamet with a surprised look on her face after the incident. Following the release of the Chanel ad, Chalamet revealed to GQ that the accidental collision was actually used in the short films final cut. Its a lesson worth learning a thousand times, whether its as an actor or as a director or as a creative in general, that, you know, mistakes are your best friend, even when youre Martin Scorsese, he told the magazine. French actor Gaspard Ulliel originated the role as the face of Bleu de Chanel upon the products launch in 2010. He starred in his own short film for the fragrance, which was also directed by Scorsese. Ulliel held the position as Chanels first male ambassador until his death in 2022. Bleu de Chanel is an aromatic scent with notes of sandalwood, citrus, labdanum, vetiver and mint. The fragrance was originally composed by Jacques Polge, and is now care-taken by Chanels in-house perfumer Olivier Polge, who is also Jacques son. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Jessica Biel has explained why her marriage to Justin Timberlake is a work in progress. The 42-year-old actor spoke candidly about her relationship with Timberlake who shes been married to since 2012 during a recent appearance on The View. During the episode, TV host Sara Haines asked Biel how she and Timberlake manage their separate work schedules and time apart, while also raising their two sons, Silas, eight, and Phineas, three, together. In response, Biel explained how she and her husband whos currently on tour try to prioritise time with each other, despite how busy they are in their careers. Its always a work in progress, she said. Its constantly trying to find the balance, trying to find the time to connect. Thank goodness for Zoom and FaceTime. After noting that technology has been extremely helpful for her family, especially when theyre travelling, she emphasised how important quality time is for her and Timberlake in their marriage. Just finding we can connect and see each other in person, she continued. Get him with the kids. Weve never done this before with two [kids]. The 7th Heaven star went on to quip about how tiring its been to travel with her children, as Timblerlake is on his latest international tour Forget Tomorrow World Tour following the March 2024 release of his newest album, Everything I Thought I Was. Im already exhausted, and theres been four shows, she said, referring to her husbands tour. I dont know how he is going to do it. I dont know how were going to do it. But were going to get through it. Last April, Biel took to Instagram to share some sweet snaps of her and her children at Timberlakes show. One photo in the post showed the longtime couple backstage, while another picture showed Silas and Phinease posing in Justin Timberlake-themed merch. Its a family affair yall, she wrote in the caption. Throughout their relationship of nearly 12 years, Biel and Timberlake have been vocal about supporting each other. In January, Biel posted a video montage on Instagram that featured sweet moments of her and her husband, in honour of his birthday. I ALWAYS got you. Happy birthday, babe, she wrote in the caption. In October 2022, the couple also revealed that in honour of their 10th wedding anniversary, they renewed their vows in Italy. While opening up about the occasion a month later, Biel also confessed that the ceremony wasnt as big as a milestone as it would seem. That kind of sounds, [a] big deal right a vow renewal. It was not, she said, during an appearance on Today in November 2022. She explained that only a few loved ones attended the vow renewal, before noting that it nearly didnt happen at all. However, Biel acknowledged that she was ultimately grateful the ceremony happened, as it was a special moment for her and her husband. It was very intimate, it was very small, the actor explained. A couple of our friends, and we literally barely put this thing together. We almost cancelled it. We thought: Oh, is this silly? Are we going to feel goofy doing this? And, actually, it was so moving. I felt like: Wow, were really kind of, were going to keep doing this. Look at us. It felt really nice. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A traveller has sparked a debate after flying from the US to London for only a 24-hour trip. On his Instagram, Kevin Droniak frequently shares videos of his solo trips, along with tips to his followers for travelling. In a video shared earlier this week, he documented his trip from New York to London, noting that hed only be in England for one day. If you dont travel often, youre going to have a conniption at what Im doing right now, he said, as he documented himself going to an airport in New York City. Im going to London for just one night. Thats why Im heading to the airport with just a backpack. He explained that he was only going to London for 24 hours because he found a cheap flight. As he showed himself walking through the airport, he added: And you know how I love a quick trip. After briefly showcasing the front of his passport, he shared one of the airport workers candid reactions to his trip, continuing: Even the check-in lady was like: Are you seriously flying across the world for one night? He then explained his logic behind the situation and why it ultimately made sense for him to fly to a different country for a one-day trip. My flight is only six and a half hours, and its a red eye, he said. And Im going to be going to sleep anyway tonight. So I might as well go to sleep on a plane and wake up in London. The video continued with footage of Droniak on the plane as he was preparing to go to sleep before he showcased a view of London from his seats window on the flight. Good morning London. There is nowhere else Id rather wake up to, he said. He went on to share a shot of himself in the city and quipped: What am I doing here? He then described another takeaway that he wanted viewers to get from his trip, as he filmed himself walking through different parts of London, including Tower Bridge. I want to break the stigma of having to block out a week to travel somewhere, he said. Its not that serious and youre going to have fun for a quick trip. Droniak ended the video with footage of himself on a double-decker bus, while he concluded: Im just enjoying the day. He quipped about the quick trip in the caption, writing: Im so chaotic for this, but going to London for the day was so cheeky of me. The video has quickly gone viral on Instagram, with more than 74,800 likes, as of 17 May. However, there have been mixed reactions in the comments, with many people claiming the flight for the short trip was bad for the environment. They also critcised Droniaks decision to post the video, since not everyone has the finances to travel in this way. Nice work dumping all that carbon in the atmosphere for one day, one wrote, while another added: Fun content, but its also very polluting! A third asked: How out of touch and rich do you have to be to make content like this. Speaking to The Independent, Droniak hit back at the critcism, noting that he doesnt do spontaneous trips like this often and that the plane was going to be flying out of New York with or without him on it. Therefore emitting the same amount of carbon as it would have if I didnt board the plane. I believe people should put their energy towards celebrities who abuse their private jets and also the major corporations who are contributing to climate change, instead of me, a consumer, he said. However, many people came to the travellers defence, praising his idea to take the trip to London, even if it was only for 24 hours. Others hit back at the claim that his flight was contributing to pollution. I have to sleep tonight anyway so I might as well wake up somewhere else is SO SMART OMG, one wrote. Imagine a quick weekend getaway. So what did you do over the weekend? Oh I went to London, was craving a baguette, another added. EPIC. Yall talking about pollution like the plane wasnt going there anyway, a third commented. Wasnt a private plane that only he took. Droniak later shared another video about his trip to London and the things he did throughout the day, which included getting tea with friends and going on a stroll through Notting Hill. The video ended with him back on his plane to New York, at which point he revealed why he was grateful that he took the trip. I was back on the plane at 6am thinking to myself: Was this worth it? And I thought about it, and honestly yes, he said. Because the flight was only $350 and I would have spent that much going out in a weekend in New York. And now I have a memory that Ill never forget. Speaking to The Independent, Droniak emphasised that the trip was worth it, since he didnt waste any time in the city because he knew the clock was ticking. I knew I only had a short amount of time in London, so I made the most of every minute and knew that I could sleep on my flight back home. Personally, I dont mind flying, so with just a 6 hour flight to get to London, I justify it as a fun day trip, he added. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Guatemala President Bernardo Arevalo were meeting Friday in this Mexican border city to tackle issues of shared interest, foremost among them immigration. Arevalo, who took office earlier this year, noted that they were meeting in the same city where his father Juan Jose Arevalo, a former president of Guatemala, had met with his Mexican counterpart, Manuel Avila Camacho, in 1946. We want a border that unites, a border that unites our people, the Mexican people and the Guatemalan people, a border that allows us to develop and grow together, with reciprocal benefit, trust, enthusiasm and collaboration, Arevalo said. But both countries are under pressure from the United States to increase control of their shared border to help control the flow of migrants north. The border also carries security concerns, as so many do. Before their meeting the first for the two leaders -- Lopez Obrador said he was worried about security in the border area. Two Mexican cartels have been battling for control in the area, causing death and displacement in remote, rural areas as they try to assert control of the drug, migrant and weapons flows through the area. He said Guatemala was concerned too and the leaders would discuss how to address it. The encounter also comes at a time of intense diplomatic activity between the United States and Mexico and with other countries in the region as the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden tries to get a handle before the November election on migration to the U.S.-Mexico border that reached record levels in late 2023. Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Barcena said Tuesday that Mexico, the United States and Guatemala are in agreement that they will direct more resources to the Mexico-Guatemala border, accelerate development programs, commerce and job creation. She also said Mexico would discuss issuing more temporary work visas to bring Guatemalan labor to Mexico. Perhaps to that end, Lopez Obrador announced Friday that Mexico plans to extend a cargo train line that spans a narrow isthmus its the south to the Guatemalan border. He also repeated his interest in eventually extending his Maya Train legacy project to Guatemalas Peten jungle, something Arevalos predecessor declined. For migrants headed north, the critical points in their journey tend to be the Darien Gap on the border of Colombia and Panama where 500,000 migrants mostly Venezuelans crossed last year and then again at the Mexico-Guatemala border. Panamas President-elect Jose Raul Mulino has promised to shut down traffic through the Darien. To what extent he can remains to be seen. On Friday, Panamas outgoing immigration chief said the country was incapable of carrying out mass deportations. We cant make it massive because of the high cost and the coordination you have to do with the other countries, Samira Gozaine, director general of Immigration said. If we could deport all of those who enter we would do it. Barcena, Mexicos foreign minister, said the shared Mexico-Guatemala-Belize border is also important. But it is similarly challenging to police. The border is long, mountainous and remote, filled with blind crossings for migrants and their smugglers. Those are many of the same routes currently being disputed by the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels. We want to make that border space an exemplary space no walls, Barcena said. The people should feel they entered a country that is pleasant, that can offer them opportunities. Migrants have typically found traversing Mexico anything but pleasant. They are repeatedly robbed and kidnapped by organized crime and systematically extorted by Mexican authorities, who in recent years have either tried to contain them in the south or return them there time and again until they exhaust their resources. The same day Barcena spoke, Carlos Campos, a Venezuelan travelling with his wife sister and nieces and nephews, was flown from Mexico City back to Tapachula after trying to hop a train north. They sent us back and were (north) again, he said as they made their way out of Tapachula. __ AP writers Maria Verza in Mexico City and Sonia Perez D. in Guatemala City contributed to this report. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} One of Indonesias most-wanted drug suspects has been arrested in the Philippines after an international manhunt and efforts were underway to have the suspect extradited to Jakarta to face charges, Indonesian and Philippine officials said Friday. Philippine Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was detained in Bogo city in the central province of Cebu after the Interpol issued a red notice, an international alert for a wanted person, stemming from a criminal complaint filed against him by Indonesian authorities. Tansingco described Haas as a high-profile fugitive for being an alleged member of the Sinaloa cartel, a large international organized crime syndicate based in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico that specializes in drug trafficking and money laundering activities." Media reports say Haas is the father of popular Australian rugby league player Payne Haas. Indonesian authorities have implicated Haas in an attempt to smuggle into Indonesia in December a shipment of floor ceramics filled with more than five kilograms (11 pounds) of methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant which is prohibited in Indonesia and the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration in Manila said in a statement. "The drugs were seized by Indonesian authorities who later discovered via testimonies elicited from arrested drug couriers that the packages were sent by Haas from Guadalajara, Mexico, it said. In Jakarta, Indonesia, Krishma Murti, the head of the National Polices International Relation Division, told The Associated Press that Indonesian authorities wanted Haas to be flown to Indonesia immediately and face an investigation. "We suspect he has networks all over Asia and in Australia, Murti said. There were no immediate comments from the arrested suspect and Payne Haas. Under Indonesias strict drug law, Gregor Johann Haas could face the death penalty by firing squad. Haas was flown from Cebu province to an immigration detention center in Metropolitan Manila while deportation proceedings were underway, the Philippine immigration bureau said without elaborating. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built U.S. floating pier into the besieged enclave for the first time Friday as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hinder food and other supplies reaching people there. The shipment is the first in an operation that American military officials anticipate could scale up to 150 truckloads a day entering the Gaza Strip as Israel presses in on the southern city of Rafah as its 7-month offensive against Hamas rages on. But the U.S. and aid groups also warn that the pier project is not considered a substitute for land deliveries that could bring in all the food, water and fuel needed in Gaza. Before the war, more than 500 truckloads entered Gaza on an average day. The operation's success also remains tenuous due to the risk of militant attack, logistical hurdles and a growing shortage of fuel for the trucks to run due to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. Israel's offensive since then has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, local health officials say, while hundreds more have been killed in the West Bank. The U.S. military acknowledged the aid movement in a statement Friday. Troops finished installing the floating pier on Thursday. Hours later, the Pentagon said that humanitarian aid would soon begin flowing and that no backups were expected in the distribution process, which is being coordinated by the United Nations. The U.N., however, said fuel deliveries brought through land routes have all but stopped and this will make it extremely difficult to bring the aid to Gazas people. We desperately need fuel, U.N. deputy spokesperson 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. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the issue of fuel deliveries comes up in all U.S. conversations with the Israelis. She also said the plan is to begin slowly with the sea route and ramp up the truck deliveries over time as they work the kinks out of the system. Aid agencies say they are running out of food in southern Gaza and fuel is dwindling, while the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Food Program say famine has taken hold in Gazas north. Israel asserts 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. Israel also fears Hamas will use the fuel in its fight against Israeli troops. 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. There's also been violent protests by Israelis disrupting aid shipments. Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push against Hamas around that city on the Egyptian border, raising fears about civilians' safety while also cutting off the main entry for aid into the Gaza Strip. U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the pier project, expected to cost $320 million. 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 the initial shipment totaled as much as 500 tons of aid. 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, said Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of USAID'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. The fear follows an Israeli strike last month that killed seven relief workers from World Central Kitchen whose trip had been coordinated with Israeli officials and the deaths of other aid personnel during the war. Pentagon officials have made it clear that security conditions will be monitored closely and could prompt a shutdown of the maritime route, even just temporarily. Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, a deputy commander at the U.S. militarys Central Command, told reporters Thursday that we are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved. 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. Biden has made it clear that there will be no U.S. forces on the ground in Gaza, so third-country contractors will drive the trucks onto the shore. Cooper said 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 are in charge of security on shore, but there are also two U.S. Navy warships nearby that can protect U.S. troops and others. The aid for the sea route is collected and inspected in Cyprus, then loaded onto ships and taken about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to a large floating pier built by the U.S. off the Gaza coast. There, the pallets are transferred onto the trucks that then drive onto the Army boats. Once the trucks drop off the aid on shore, they immediately turn around the return to the boats. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Moroccan asylum seeker has been jailed for life after stabbing a pensioner to death in revenge for the Israel-Hamas conflict. He must serve at least 44 years. Ahmed Alid, 45, stabbed Terence Carney, 70, six times in Hartlepool town centre early on 15 October eight days after Hamas attacked Israel. Minutes earlier he attempted to murder his housemate, Christian convert and former bodybuilder Javed Nouri, by breaking into his bedroom and hacking at him while he slept. During his police interview the day after the murder, Alid told police he launched his attacks because Israel had killed innocent children. Alid shouted Allahu Akbar God is great during the attack at the Home Office-approved asylum seekers accommodation before fleeing into the street, still armed with a knife. Doorbell camera footage showed Carney, who was out walking in the town centre, cry out no, no as he was stabbed by the stranger. Wharton Terrace in Hartlepool where Alid attacked Javed Nouri ( PA Media ) Prosecutors at Teesside Crown Court said it was not a frenzied attack but a deliberate attempt to target Carneys body repeatedly before he walked off, leaving his victim for dead. In a holding cell at Middlesbrough police station after his arrest, Alid launched into a speech in Arabic saying that Allah willing, Gaza would return to be an Arab country and how he would have continued his raid if his hands had not been injured. Alid, who strongly disapproved of Mr Nouris conversion to Christianity, said God was displeased with those who went astray. Carneys wife Patricia Carney said her husband went out walking early every morning because he enjoyed the peace and quiet on the streets. In a statement read to the court during the sentencing hearing, Ms Carney said: Tess was doing what he had always done and enjoyed doing he was taking a walk on a street he believed to be safe and a chance encounter with this man ended his life. CCTV still issued by Counter Terror Police of Ahmed Alid holding a knife. ( Counter Terror Police /PA Wire ) She said she had been with Carney from a young age and, although they had been living separately for a few years, were still very much together. Ms Carneys statement said she could no longer go into town because it was too painful to be near the spot where her husband was murdered. From that day on, my life would be forever changed. I dont feel anything anymore, she said. Javed Nouri, 31, said since the attack, he did not trust anyone or anything and that all thoughts and feelings I had of being in a safe country have gone. I would expect to be arrested and killed in my home country for converting to Christianity but I did not expect to be attacked in my sleep here, his statement read. How is it possible for someone to destroy someones life because of his religion? Mr Nouri said he now struggled with mental health problems and had had to move cities, losing all his friends. Alid shouted Allahu Akbar during the attack ( Counter Terrorism Police North East/AP ) He added: I want to tell Ahmed: You are a weak person, because of your religion you attack someone in deep sleep and an old man who struggled to walk. During Alids trial, jurors heard his housemates noticed he had watched a lot of coverage of the Hamas attacks on Israel and began carrying a knife. Concerned, Mr Nouri complained to housing bosses, the Home Office and Cleveland Police, and a manager warned Alid to behave or risk being thrown out. Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting, told the court: He said he had committed the attempted murder of Javed Nouri and the murder of Carney in revenge for what he believed to be the killing of children by Israel. He swore by Allah that, if he had had a machine gun and more weapons, he would have killed more victims. Alid admitted Carney was innocent, justifying the attack by saying that Britain had created the Zionist entity of Israel and should make them leave, adding: They killed children and I killed an old man. During questioning, Alid began to get agitated and got into a struggle with two female detectives, one of whom pressed a panic button that did not work. The situation was so frightening, Alids own solicitor rang 999 to ask for help, before officers were able to force entry into the room and subdue him. The judge at Teesside Crown Court in Middlesbrough told Alid he had shown no genuine remorse or pity for his victims ( Evening Gazette ) The judge, Ms Justice Cheema-Grubb, ruled Alid had committed terrorist offences when he murdered Carney and attempted to murder Nouri. She said due to time spent on remand, Alid would serve 44 years and 52 days in prison. She added he had waited to assault Mr Nouri when he was asleep and vulnerable, and that the life he had started to build in this country was shattered by what happened. Justice Cheema-Grubb said Alid then attacked an unarmed and elderly man who was unable to defend himself. The judge told Alid the jury had seen through [his] lies after he claimed the explanations he gave to the police had been mistranslated and that political and religious causes were not his actual motivation. She said psychiatric reports had found no evidence of psychosis or any other serious mental illness in Alid. Alid was deemed to have a minor mental illness called an adjustment disorder which would have affected his judgement and was caused by pressures including his tension with housemates and Christian convert Javed Nouri, the drawn out decision of his asylum application and the emotional impact on his religious sensibilities of Israels response to the Hamas attack. The judge said this offered very limited mitigation as it was not sufficiently linked to such a serious level of violence. She told Alid he had shown no genuine remorse or pity for his victims. Alid denied murder, attempted murder and assaulting the two officers, claiming he did carry out the stabbings but without intention to kill or cause serious harm. He was found guilty of all four charges last month. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Met Police officer who manhandled and wrongly arrested a woman for bus fare evasion in front of her young son, has been found guilty of assault. PC Perry Lathwood, 50, of Normans Bay, East Sussex, assaulted Jocelyn Agyemang and caused bruising injuries to her arm during the arrest on July 21 last year in Whitehorse Road, Croydon, south London. He was convicted at Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday after a trial. Footage of the arrest was widely circulated online, showing the woman repeatedly asking the officer to let go, and insisting that she had not done anything wrong. Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram said on Friday it was not necessary to grab the womans arm, arrest her and handcuff her. There were not reasonable grounds to suggest arrest was necessary, he continued. The officer made an error of judgment and overreacted. While he had initially been investigated by the IOPC for racially aggravated assault, this was not pursued and he was instead charged with assault by beating. The trial had previously heard police officers were helping ticket inspectors on a bus in Croydon at the time. Paul Jarvis, prosecuting, said Ms Agyemang was dropping her son off at her mothers house before heading to an appointment in Marylebone scheduled for 12.30pm. After she and her son disembarked the bus at around 11am, she was asked to show she had paid her fare by a bus inspector. She does not hand it over and she walks off, Mr Jarvis told the court. It is at this moment that Pc Lathwood becomes involved. He said Lathwood put a hand on her, but she moved away, so he then grabbed her arm and arrested her for fare evasion. Metropolitan Police constable Perry Lathwood was charged with assault by beating in relation to bruising injuries caused to a womans arm during during a wrongful fare evasion arrest ( PA Wire ) A crowd gathered, with people filming the officer and asking him why he had arrested her. Footage posted online shows the woman shouting What the hell? and What the f*** is going on? while handcuffed, as two male officers hold her arms. She repeatedly asks one of the officers to let go and says I havent done anything wrong, while a member of the public films what is happening and asks why she is being arrested. Mr Jarvis said Lathwood continued to hold her, demanding she tap her card. He also handcuffed her. Another officer took her Oyster card from her hand and went away with it to see if she had paid. It was confirmed that Ms Agyemang had paid her fare and she was de-arrested at the scene. In her evidence to the court, Ms Agyemang gave evidence to the court and said she felt very violated by the incident. I just felt like they did not care, she said. I just felt a bit degraded because I had not done anything wrong. She added that the experience was very scary and said I just remember the strong grip. The woman said the incident had left her feeling very violated' ( Victoria Jones/PA Wire ) With things I have experienced in my past, when someone is holding me, especially when I feel like I have done nothing wrong, it is very scary for me. PC Lathwood also gave evidence and told the court he had no idea what else he could have done other than arrest her. He said he arrested her to stop her from leaving the scene. Because of her actions and her refusal to show that card to other people who had continuously asked her to do so, he said. He was asked why he did not tell her why she was being arrested. If the card had come back as not paid we would have progressed and explained everything to her if she had allowed us, he said. Screengrab of the bodyworn footage shows the woman being manhandled ( IOPC/PA Wire ) The incident sparked an anti-racism protest outside of the local police station days later. Benjamin Clement, 53, who filmed the womans arrest was at the demonstration and told The Independent: I saw just another Black person being abused by the police. I just couldnt believe the way they were handling the woman. They were trying to get her onto the floor at one point she was so distressed and it just seemed like no one cared. Everyone was just standing around watching. So, I felt like I had to start filming. Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regional director Mel Palmer said: Any use of force by officers should be reasonable, proportionate and justifiable in the circumstances. This was a high-profile incident that caused significant concern, particularly in the Croydon community, after footage of the incident was published online. We carried out an independent and impartial investigation to establish the facts surrounding this incident, including the actions of the police officers involved. The decision to refer a file of evidence to the CPS to consider criminal charges is not something we take lightly and this was done after careful consideration of the evidence, including liaison with the CPS. The police watchdog said it will now liaise with the force to progress disciplinary proceedings for the officer. Lathwood will be sentenced at the same court on 14 June. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A woman who was brutally raped has spoken out about a catalogue of catastrophic police failures that led to a six-year wait before her attacker was convicted. Amanda, whose name we have changed to protect her identity, was viciously assaulted by Paul Green on their second date after they originally met online. Seriously injured, she immediately went to a hospital. She then reported the crime to South Yorkshire Police. But her case was closed twice by the police, and she was forced to use the Victims Right to Review procedure four times before the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) agreed to look at the case. South Yorkshire Police has since apologised for its failings. Green, who is 50, was jailed for 16 years for rape, assault, and two counts of making a person engage in sexual activity without gaining consent in a trial at Sheffield Crown Court. He was also put on the sex offender register for life. A detective who took part in the initial police investigation was found guilty of misconduct and given a written warning last month in the wake of Amandas complaints. Speaking after Greens conviction, Amanda said: I have continued to fight this case, accepting the horrific effects of reliving this again and again, because I cannot and will not accept for my daughters and all women that this is OK. It is not OK. She accused South Yorkshire Police and the CPS of gaslighting her into giving up instead of confessing to their failings, as she warned that their shortcomings have had catastrophic repercussions for her. Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Hodgman of South Yorkshire Police told The Independent: We are profoundly sorry that following such a horrific ordeal, Amanda subsequently faced a long and difficult process to finally secure justice. DCI Hodgman said the force is steadfastly committed to the continuous improvement of its handling of rape and serious sexual offences, but that cases like this demonstrate there is more to be done. A spokesperson for the CPS described rape as a devastating crime and Greens attack on Amanda as an appalling assault. Amanda, who was supported by the legal charity the Centre for Womens Justice, said Greens attack has had an overwhelming impact on her life. Had any person on the street inflicted the violence and degradation I was subjected to that night, there would have been no question as to their guilt. So to understand that as long as they rape you too, they can claim you consented to your own abuse, horrifies me Amanda, rape victim Had any person on the street inflicted the violence and degradation I was subjected to that night, there would have been no question as to their guilt, she said. So to understand that as long as they rape you too, they can claim you consented to your own abuse, horrifies me. Appearing via video link to read her statement, she said: He wanted to break me, and I am broken. Amanda met Green after they linked up on a dating website in 2018. Green became violent and sexually abusive on their second date at his flat. He raped, threatened, verbally abused, beat and strangled Amanda as well as smearing vomit onto her face among other degrading acts. Judge Rachael Harrison told Green that she was certain he had planned to take advantage of Amanda while she was in a vulnerable position, and that his violence and unpleasant, threatening and abusive behaviour had extended far beyond anything Amanda had consented to. Amanda fled from Greens flat after he fell asleep, and arrived at hospital with injuries and in severe pain. She immediately told medical staff and the police about the sexual abuse she had experienced. Around a year later, it emerged that South Yorkshire Police had closed her case. Although the police acknowledged that she had endured violence at the hands of Green, they said it would be hard to persuade a jury that she had not consented an assertion that was in part founded on an examination of Greens electronic devices, which revealed that he wanted to enter into a relationship with Amanda. Given wider evidence of the increasing normalisation of violence in sex, both in real life and online, it is reassuring that neither the judge nor the jury seem to have accepted Mr Greens defence that this was an acceptable way to treat a woman Kate Ellis, solicitor Amanda requested a formal review, which concluded that the case should be handed to the CPS for a charging decision, but her case was yet again closed without ever being referred. It then emerged that the police had misplaced CCTV footage and important documents. The CPS refused to prosecute the case twice, and Amanda had to go through the Victims Right to Review procedure four times before it agreed to look at the case. The first trial of Mr Green led to a hung jury. He was only convicted by a second jury after a retrial took place. Kate Ellis, a solicitor at the Centre for Womens Justice, who has represented Amanda since 2019, said: Given wider evidence of the increasing normalisation of violence in sex, both in real life and online, it is reassuring that neither the judge nor the jury seem to have accepted Mr Greens defence that this was an acceptable way to treat a woman. Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673) Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} British digger maker JCB has admitted that some of its products were sent to Russia after saying it had stopped all exports because of the war in Ukraine. The company said the equipment was sent via a third party due to contractual obligations but insisted that it has since completely withdrawn from Russia and closed a facility in Moscow. The Guardian reported that Russian customs records showed that the firm, owned by the billionaire Bamford family - major donors to the Conservative Party - continued to make new products available for Russian dealers after 2 March 2022 - the date on which it said it had stopped. The firm, which opened a factory in Russia in 2016, announced that it had voluntarily paused all operations in Russia. The Guardian claims the disclosure casts doubt on the accuracy of JCBs statements about its business in Russia and relationship with its biggest dealer in the country - Moscow-based Lonmadi, and that companys former owner, UK-based JVM group. JCB has repeatedly said that it stopped exporting products to Russia and JVM companies after 2 March 2022 less than a week after Putin sent his troops to invade neighbouring Ukraine. JCB says it has now completely withdrawn from Russia ( Reuters ) But customs records collated by a trade data provider, seen by The Guardian, reportedly show the serial numbers of dozens of vehicles, worth millions of pounds, which appear to have been supplied to companies in Russia after 2 March. When approached for comment, JCB admitted that JVM continued to collect diggers from JCBs factories months after the voluntary pause, but said this was due to contractual obligations. JCB also confirmed that the manufacturing of some of the equipment continued after that date. Lawyers for the firm told The Guardian: Any collection of goods by a JVM company after 2 March 2022 was pursuant to contractual obligations already entered into and completed or substantially completed prior to that date. The firm also denied any inconsistency or inaccuracy in its public statements. Lord Anthony Bamford, 78, is a close ally and financial backer of former prime minister Boris Johnson and he and his family have donated millions to the Tories. He was made a Conservative peer in 2013. JCB was founded by Lord Bamfords father, Joseph Cyril Bamford, and The Sunday Times Rich List 2023 said the family was worth 5.9bn. Boris Johnson celebrated the launch of a new JCB Factory in Vadodara, Gujarat in 2022 ( PA Wire ) According to this years list, the Bamford family fortune has risen to 7.65bn, putting them in 19th spot, up from 32 last year. In 2022 JCB, based in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, had 22 factories and more than 750 dealers around the world. Weeks after pausing work in Russia, on 22 March, the firm opened its newest factory in India as the company sought to strengthen its global manufacturing presence. Mr Johson opened the factory and was joined by Lord Bamford, who led JCBs expansion in India in the late 1970s, including the opening of its first factory in Ballabgarh, near Delhi. JCB has six factories in India at locations including Jaipur and Pune. The company also has a presence in China. In another case confirmed by JCB, the manufacture in China of a digger ordered by a smaller Russian dealer in 2021 was completed on 7 March 2022, five days after the voluntary ban. A profile of Lord Bamford in The Independent, published in 2006, described him as one of Britains leading power players, boasting celebrities, royals and politicians on all sides among his friends. Sir Anthony was said to be on first-name terms with King Charles - then the Prince of Wales - who used his helicopter, as well as former prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron. The familys business dealings have come under scrutiny in recent months amid reports that Lord Bamford and his brother could be hit with 500m bill to settle an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs. A JCB spokesperson told The Independent the firm has now completely withdrawn from Russia, including shutting down its small assembly facility in Moscow resulting in many long standing and loyal colleagues in Russia being made redundant. All of JCBs concerted efforts have been to support its complete withdrawal from the Russian market. In a small number of cases JCB products were collected by a third party company after 2 March 2022. Any such collection was pursuant to contractual obligations already entered into and completed or substantially completed prior to that date. To suggest otherwise is completely false. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Home Office has started releasing migrants detained for Rwanda flights under bail conditions. Asylum seekers have been being detained for removals since the beginning of May, with Rishi Sunak promising that flights will start by July. The Home Office is deploying around 800 officers under the plan dubbed Operation Vector to bring selected asylum seekers to removal centres. It emerged on Friday that the first asylum seekers detained under the plan have been released from detention after a court granted them bail. The government has refused to confirm how many people have been rounded up for deportation to Rwanda, how many have now been granted bail, or how many have been released from detention. Home Secretary James Cleverly has said that the Rwanda Act is robust ( PA Wire ) Charity workers have said that the initial cohort of asylum seekers picked up in the first week of May were mainly from Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea or Iran. Women as well as men have been detained for removal to Rwanda. It comes as the number of migrants detected crossing the English Channel hit a new record high for the first five months of the year. Some 9,681 people have been recorded crossing to the UK in 2024, provisional data from the Home Office shows. This would be the highest figure for the first five months since the data count began in 2018. Home secretary James Cleverly announced this week that failed asylum seekers would also be deported to the east-African country, along with those who have not yet had their claims assessed. Mr Cleverly also defended the Safety of Rwanda Act as robust and said the government was ready for any legal challenges. Demonstrators at a removal centre at Gatwick protest against plans to send migrants to Rwanda (PA) ( PA Archive ) It emerged last week that the government has pencilled in 24 June as the earliest possible date for the flights to take off. Mr Sunak is facing at least two legal challenges to his Rwanda plan that could delay flights past July. One is being brought by the civil service union the FDA, which is worried about what could happen if civil servants were told by ministers to break international law. The second is brought by charity Asylum Aid who are arguing that courts should be able to consider whether Rwanda is a safe country when assessing individual challenges from migrants. It is likely that individual asylum seekers will bring separate legal challenges to their removal, with Home Office officials reportedly fearing that the number of migrants on the first flight could be in single figures. One source close to planning the flights told The Telegraph: We will do well to get to double figures on the first flight because of the attrition rate due to legal challenges. Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the The Race Report email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Dancehall star Sean Paul has criticised the UKs visa restrictions on Jamaican citizens after The Independent revealed that the British government is being lobbied to lift these curbs. The chart-topping artist, 51, is also backing Jamaicas bid to remove King Charles as the countrys head of state, citing UK immigration regulations as a key reason for this, he told Good Morning Britain on Friday. Every child got to grow up and be independent - and I think that countrys can be perceived in that same way, the Kingston-born rapper, whose real name is Sean Henriques, told broadcaster Noel Phillips during the interview. We need to prove ourselves to be us, so salute to the great UK and Im not saying so long, Im just saying give us our chance to stand up and make you proud. Speaking to the visa issue and how it affects creative talent seeking to tour the Britain, Paul explained: We are Commonwealth. A lot of times we get scrutinised. Oh: red light, come to the back here, oh: Jamaican passport. Okay, cool, let me check you out more. Its unfortunate that has been that way for that long. This comes as a Jamaican state foreign affairs minister told this news platform that Jamaica is asking the British government to scrap visa restrictions for its citizens so they may freely travel to the UK. In an exclusive interview with The Independent during his visit to London last month, Alando Terrelonge said the matter remains an ongoing concern. Following 2003 sanctions, Jamaica remains the only country with the British monarch as head of state that requires visas to enter this country. Andrew Holness told Prince William and Kate that Jamaica is moving on during the couples royal tour of the nation ( Getty Images ) All Jamaican citizens are subject to the restrictions if they wish to enter the UK, including the Kings representative, Governor-General Allen, and the prime minister Andrew Holness. Given the historic ties between Jamaica and the UK, we believe it would be good for the visa restrictions to be lifted, Mr Terrelonge said. As a point of compromise, the state minister suggested that Britain should begin by lifting travel restrictions on Jamaican creatives, business owners and members of government. Mr Terrelonge also said that nation is on track to remove Charles as its head of state by 2025, signalling the end to 350 years of colonial rule. We remain hopeful that by 2025 we would have completed those reforms and removed the British monarch as the head of our democracy, he said, adding notwithstanding it being a figurehead and that real power resides with the government of Jamaica and the people of Jamaica. Ive always maintained that we owe it to our ancestors who fought and died so that we could be free, we owe it to the framers of our constitution, the work done by our national heroes, for Jamaica to now walk as truly liberated and independent. The Jamaican government previously announced a Constitutional Reform Committee to help oversee the republic-forming process. However, a member of committee, Hugh Small, recently told local press that the nation will not become a republic next year, saying that all the required processes would not be completed by then, and urged the government to be frank with people. In 2022, The Independent first reported that Jamaica had long-begun the process of becoming a republic well before the nations prime minister announced the news. Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Britains so-called migrant hotel king has entered the UK rich list for the first time, in a year in which the number of billionaires fell but the prime minister and monarch both saw their vast fortunes increase, new data reveals. Asylum tycoon Graham King is currently pocketing 3.5m of taxpayer money a day for his role in helping to transport and house vulnerable migrants amid the ongoing crisis making him the 221st richest person in the UK. He is estimated to have amassed a 750m fortune from holiday parks, inheritance, and housing asylum seekers for the government. With Mr Kings contract with the Home Office running until 2029, he is expected to become the first man to become a billionaire off the back of increased migration to the UK. open image in gallery L-R: Akshata Murty, Rishi Sunak, Alfie Best, King Charles III and JK Rowling ( Getty ) On the subject of kings, King Charless fortune has also increased by 10m in the last year to 610m, the Sunday Times Rich List reveals. Prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty have also seen their personal fortune surge by 150m to 651m. Britains richest gypsy Alfie Best has seen an even bigger increase in his fortune, amassed from the creation of caravan parks in the face of the UKs housing crisis. He is now very nearly a billionaire after his net worth increased by 202m to 947m. open image in gallery The prime minister and his wife have seen a 150m increase in their personal fortune ( PA Archive ) However, despite having such immense wealth, Best recently chose to leave the UK just last month for tax purposes. He criticised Mr Sunak on his departure, admitting that he thought the Conservative prime minister would have had his financial interests at heart. I thought Rishi Sunak would be like a second Jesus for our country encouraging the wealth creators, he said. There was someone who understood business and was married into a wealthy family. How wrong I was. Best has now relocated to Monaco, where he is awaiting entry to a so-called millionaires playground where residents enjoy a tax-free existence. open image in gallery Alfie Best is on track to become a billionaire ( CEOCAST/YouTube ) In terms of celebrities on the list, the Beckhams have also featured, with the new data revealing that their fortune has increased by 30m to 455m. open image in gallery Victoria and David Beckham have seen their fortune grow by 30m ( Getty ) The updated Sunday Times rich list did, however, reveal that there has been a slight drop in the number of British billionaires, from 177 in 2022 to 165 in 2024. The list features the 350 wealthiest people in the UK. Those set to become billionaires in the near future include author JK Rowling, who previously lost that status after giving away so much of her fortune to charity. According to the 2024 rich list, she is currently worth 945m an increase of 70m in the past year. open image in gallery JK Rowling is on track to become a billionaire again ( PA Archive ) Paul McCartney, meanwhile, is now the UKs first ever billionaire musician, according to the list, with a net worth of 1bn, up from 865m in 2022. His increase in wealth is in part credited to his 2023 Got Back tour as well as to Beyonces cover version of Blackbird from the Beatles white album. open image in gallery Paul McCartney is the UKs first musician billionaire ( Getty ) The UKs wealthiest man is now businessman Gopi Hinduja, who is worth a staggering 37.2bn the largest fortune ever featured on the list. He made it to the top spot after adding an additional 2bn to his fortune. Another notable fortune is that of investor Leonard Blavatnik, who owns a majority stake in Warner Music, thought to account for his 29.25bn fortune. The sum was previously 28.63bn, but increased with the price of shares in the music group, which have gone up by 20 per cent. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The boss of a water company has apologised for the outbreak of a diarrhoea-type illness in Devon that has left dozens of people ill. CEO of South West Water (SWW) Susan Davy said she was truly sorry after health officials confirmed 22 cases of cryptosporidiosis in Brixham, with up to 100 people reporting symptoms to their GP. Residents have been told to continue boiling their water before using it and that the outbreak in Brixham and surrounding areas of south Devon could last at least a week. Cryptosporidiosis is an infection caused by a parasite found in animal stools that can be passed on to humans. Brixham the main area affected by the outbreak ( PA Archive ) SWW said it had identified a damaged valve on its network where the parasite might have entered the water system. Ms Davy said the company would not stop working until the situation has been resolved. Our ground technicians have been working around the clock to identify the source of the contamination and rectify the situation so we can resume a normal water supply, she added. To those in the affected area and our customers across the South West, I am truly sorry for the disruption and wider anxiety this has caused. "While incidents like these are thankfully very rare, our customers expect a safe, clean, and reliable source of drinking water. Ms Davy said the company would not stop working until the situation has been resolved ( PA Archive ) The government has said the incident would be investigated thoroughly by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. People can contract cryptosporidiosis by drinking contaminated or unprotected water or by swallowing it in swimming pools, streams, rivers, lakes and other recreational waters. The time taken from picking up cryptosporidiosis to becoming ill is between one and 12 days, but most commonly one week. Symptoms include profuse watery diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea or vomiting, low-grade fever and loss of appetite which can lead to dehydration and weight loss, with symptoms usually lasting two weeks but can be longer. It is most common in young children between one and five years. SWW releases map showing the areas that need to boil tap water ( SW Water ) Brixham resident Chaz Attwood told Sky News his wife had been ill for 16 days after drinking the contaminated water. My wife has been drinking water to keep hydrated because shes diabetic and the insulin that shes had to have has doubled, and basically that affected her to start with, he said. So thats made her worse. Were in a dreadful state. She was so weak I even phoned 999, and told the guy what was happening because shed collapsed. The infection can also be picked up directly from another person or animal by touching faeces, for example when changing a nappy or petting a lamb and putting your hands near or in your mouth without washing them thoroughly. Cases of prolonged diarrhoea and affect between 3,000 to 6,000 people a year in the UK, according to health officials. Eden Park Primary School in Brixham was forced to close over the outbreak ( Google Maps ) SWW provides water and sewerage services to about 1.8 million residents in Devon, Cornwall and parts of Dorset and Somerset. Eden Park Primary School in Brixham was forced to close on Thursday after claiming it failed to receive assurances or bottled water from SWW. Brixham, which has a population of around 17,000 people, is a busy fishing harbour and a popular holiday hotspot. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Hunt accused Labour of telling a lie about Tory tax plans as he launched his partys fightback in the week that saw the starting gun fired for the election campaign. In an unusually fiery speech, the chancellor claimed that Labours attempt to scare voters about the future of the state pension was disgraceful. He also alleged that the most conservative estimate had concluded that Sir Keir Starmers spending plans would cost 38.5bn, meaning that Labour will have no choice but to put up taxes further to fill a 10bn black hole in government finances by 2028-29. Mr Hunt acknowledged that difficult decisions had been needed because of the global financial shock brought about by the Covid pandemic, and said that the war in Ukraine had forced him to increase taxes. However, he insisted that the election will be framed [by] what the parties want to do about the tax burden. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has attacked Labours economic plans ( PA Wire ) He added: There is a choice. The Labour Party does not want, and a future Labour government does not want, to cut the tax burden. A future Conservative government will. That is the big choice in British politics, and our argument is, this isnt just about family budgets. He went on: We understand how important those are when it comes to cost-of-living pressures. Our argument is, this is about the future growth of the economy, because we can see looking around the world that more lightly taxed economies have more dynamic private sectors, they grow faster, and, in the end, that is more money for precious public services like the NHS. Labour hit back, saying that Mr Hunt wanted to distract attention from his unfunded 46bn pledge to end national insurance. And, while Mr Hunt said he would gradually bring down national insurance which he described as the double tax on work he was unable to give a timeframe or commit to any other tax cuts, including raising the thresholds for higher rates of income tax. A Labour spokesperson said: This is another desperate attempt by the Tories to deflect from their 46bn unfunded tax plan that could lead to higher borrowing, higher taxes on pensioners, or the end of the state pension as we know it. All of Labours policies are fully costed and fully funded. Unlike the Conservatives, who crashed the economy, Labour will never play fast and loose with the public finances. Jeremy Hunt would be better [off] getting Rishi Sunak to confirm the date of the election, rather than putting out any more of these dodgy dossiers. Mr Hunts speech came on the day when another poll put his party 23 points behind Labour, and the day after Sir Keir and his top team in effect launched their own election campaign in the target Essex seat of Thurrock. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves told the rally that the stability of the economy would be Labours top priority with Deliver economic stability being at the top of a list of six first steps on Sir Keirs pledge card. Rachel Reeves sets out Labours economic plans during a speech in Purfleet, Essex, on Thursday ( PA Wire ) Labour warned that scrapping national insurance would mean a reduction in the state pension or a rise in the retirement age to 75. Mr Hunt described this claim as disgraceful. He branded Labours claims a myth, and when pushed further, he added: It is a lie, fake news, an absolute disgrace by trying to scare pensioners about a policy that is not true. However, the chancellor struggled to identify where the money to pay for other tax cuts might come from, having identified cutting national insurance as his priority to help boost growth. He declined to give a cast-iron guarantee of tax cuts, while insisting that the tax burden would come down under a future Conservative government. Mr Hunt said: If youre saying, can I look into a crystal ball and predict what is going to happen in the world in the next five or 10 years, and therefore give you a cast-iron guarantee of when we will be able to reduce the tax burden and to what level, the answer is of course I cant, and it would be irresponsible to do so. But he also signalled a desire to cut taxes further in the autumn, following the 2p cut to national insurance in the spring Budget, and to scrap national insurance altogether in the future. If we can afford to go further, responsibly, to reduce the double tax on work this autumn, that is what I will do, he said. Because over time, we make no apology for wanting to keep cutting the double tax on work until it is gone, but only when we can do so without increasing borrowing, and without cutting funding for public services or pensions. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A member of Keir Starmer's shadow cabinet has said he misspoke - to the tune of 70bn about one of his partys key green policies. Months after Labour faced criticism for scaling back plans to spend 28bn a year on environmental investments, shadow environment secretary Steve Reed appeared to suggest that figure had increased again. But he later said he clearly misspoke and insisted the cost of GB Energy was much lower. Labours pledge to create a state-owned clean energy firm is a key plank of its plans for government. The party believes it can create jobs, cut energy bills and help meet its 2030 clean power target. After Russias invasion of Ukraine caused energy bills to skyrocket, Labour also argues it will help to make the UK less reliant on others. Labour wants to creat a state-owned clean energy company ( iStock/ Getty Images ) But asked about analysis that the new company would need between 61bn and 82 bn of public capital investment in its first decade, Mr Reed replied: It may well be. The Tories seized on his comments to claim there was a multi-billion-pound black hole in Labours finances. Mr Reed rejected that charge. He said: I clearly misspoke. The cost of GB Energy is 8.3bn, fully funded by our windfall tax on the oil and gas giants making record profits at the expense of the British people. Labours green policies are one of the headaches for the party as it prepares to potentially enter government later this year. The general secretary of the Unite union, one of Labours largest donors, Sharon Graham also told the Guardian she fears oil and gas workers risk becoming like 1980s coal miners sacrificed on the altar of net zero, after the party said it would ban new drilling licenses in the North Sea. Steve Reed, the shadow environment secretary (Peter Byrne/PA) ( PA Archive ) Alongside his gaffe, Mr Reed also ruled out a role for former prime minister Gordon Brown in a future Labour government, amid mounting speculation. Earlier this week Mr Brown piled pressure on Sir Keir by publicly calling for the two-child limit to be scrapped in benefits payments while The Independent revealed he has warned countries they may never be forgiven if they did not offer African nations urgent debt relief. Mr Reed told the BBCs Newscast podcast: I think going forwards you dont bring back figures from the past in quite that way. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Plaid Cymru has ended its cooperation deal in the Senedd with Welsh Labour, in the latest blow for newly-elected first minister Vaughan Gething whose opponents claim could soon face a no-confidence vote. The three-year deal had been due to end in December 2024 but Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth announced on Friday that the agreement had been terminated with immediate effect. Mr ap Iorwerth said he was proud of how the agreement had demonstrated a new way of doing politics which focused on areas of policy which impact peoples everyday lives. Rhun ap Iorwerth cited the series of controversies plaguing Vaughan Gething in his announcement on Friday ( Plaid Cymru/PA ) But he cited deep concerns over donations to Mr Gethings campaign, his decision to sack minister Hannah Blythyn on Thursday, and the emerging approach of the government in relation to some elements of the co-operation agreement, including the recent decision to delay Council Tax Reform. The collapse of the deal comes after the Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies claimed it was odds on that a no-confidence motion to force the first ministers resignation would soon be brought forward by opposition members. Reacting to Plaids announcement on Friday, Mr Davies insisted the dissolution of the partys Senedd agreement means nothing after three years working hand in glove with Welsh Labour to divert resources away from the peoples priorities, adding: This attempt to save face will not work. Describing the co-operation agreement as being about mature politics, Mr Gething thanked the deals two designated Plaid members and said: While it was always a time-limited agreement, we are disappointed Plaid Cymru has decided to walk away from their opportunity to deliver for the people of Wales. Mr Gething has come under sustained pressure in recent weeks, with repeated calls for an investigation into donations he received while running to be Welsh Labour leader prior to his election in March. Earlier this month, he survived a Senedd vote calling for an independent inquiry into the 200,000 donation he took from a man convicted of environmental offences. And on Thursday, the BBC reported that more than 31,600 from Mr Gethings leadership campaign would go to the Labour Party. Vaughan Gething expressed his gratitude to Hannah Blythyn for work she had undertaken as minister for social partnership ( Ben Birchall/PA ) That news emerged as Mr Gething sacked his minister for social partnership Hannah Blythyn following the leak of a phone message to the media which the deeply shocked MS for Delyn insisted she was not behind. A report on the Nation.Cymru news website last week featured a message posted to a ministerial group chat by Mr Gething at the height of the pandemic in August 2020, stating that he was deleting the messages in this group. Mr Gething previously told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that lost WhatsApp messages were not deleted by him, but by the Welsh Parliaments IT team during a security rebuild. The first minister told plenary last week that the leaked message was from an iMessage group chat with other Labour ministers and related to internal discussions within the Senedd Labour group. He said the message did not relate to pandemic decision-making and denied that it contradicted his evidence to the inquiry. Announcing the dissolution of the cooperation deal agreed in December 2021, Mr ap Iorwerth said on Friday: I am proud of the way in which the agreement demonstrated a new way of doing politics which focused on areas of policy which impact peoples everyday lives. These include rolling out free school meals for all primary school pupils, expanding the free childcare offer for thousands more families, taking radical action to address the housing crisis, steps to safeguard the Welsh language, the creation of a national energy company Ynni Cymru and more. Working collaboratively was a constructive response to the chaos and uncertainty of Brexit and the Covid pandemic and the harm caused by the UK Conservative Government. We will continue to try to secure the delivery of policies agreed as part of the co-operation agreement. But citing a determination to hold the Welsh Government firmly to account, he continued: I remain deeply concerned that the First Minister has failed to pay back the 200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a company convicted of environmental offences, and believe it demonstrates a significant lack of judgment. Money left over has now been passed on to Keir Starmers Labour Party. I am worried by the circumstances around the decision to sack a member of the government this week relating to matters that should be in the public domain already. I am also concerned by the emerging approach of the government in relation to some elements of the co-operation agreement, including the decision to delay action in supporting the poorest families in our communities, as evidenced most recently by the decision to delay Council Tax Reform. Additional reporting by PA Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunaks attempts to kickstart the general election campaign with a threat of nuclear war and a need to have a government strong on defence and security has failed to move voters, a new poll has revealed. The Techne UK weekly tracker poll seen by The Independent has shown that Mr Sunaks speech at the Policy Exchange thinktank has left his party rooted on just 21 percent, unchanged from last week. It also followed a week where pollsters - including Techne UK chief executive Michela Morizzo, Professor Sir John Curtice and Lord Hayward - all also warned that a Tory push to use culture war issues to win back voters would not save the Tories. Initiatives this week included tackling woke activism in the civil service with banning rainbow lanyards one of the measures proposed, and banning lessons about trans issues in schools. While the tactics of Mr Sunaks appeared to have failed Labour maintained a 23-point lead although their support fell by 1 percent to 44 percent from last week. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appears to be on his way out of 10 Downing Street (PA) ( PA Wire ) Both the Lib Dems and reform UK were on 12 percent while the Greens remained the same on 6 percent. According to Electoral Calculus, if this poll was the result of a general election, the Conservatives would be reduced to 51 seats, less than a third of their previous all time low in their 346-year history. Labour would enjoy a majority of 342. Ms Morizzo said that nothing appears to be working for Mr Sunak in trying to shift public opinion which remains stubbornly determined to see his party booted out of office. She said: There very much is the feeling that the general election starter gun has been fired. With the prime minister talking some days back about the fact that there could be nuclear escalation in the world and the Labour leader coming back today with his first steps policy pledge card, all voters could be forgiven indeed for feeling that the election is upon us already. Starmer launched his new pledge card ( Victoria Jones/PA Wire ) But she added: It seems that the voters minds are made up and they seek a change after 14 years of Conservative rule. We all know that in politics all can happen, but this time the scenario seems to be very clear. The one thing that Ms Morizzo and Tory MPs believe could shift the poll is a different economic message from the party. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will try to start that turn around today with a major speech in London where he will talk about cutting taxes. With Labour in the middle of a 48-hour campaign blitz on key battleground constituencies, privately many Conservative MPs have said they have given up or hope local factors will help them save their seats. Added to that the polling emphasises that the Tories are coming from a long way behind. Crucially, the Techne survey of 1,641 voters taken on Wednesday and Thursday shows that 23 percent would not vote. This includes one in 10 (10 percent) of Tory voters in 2019. Only 42 percent of Conservative voters would still back the party and Labour leads in every age, socio economic and education level category. The 14 percent of Tories who have switched to Labour were represented yesterday by the lifelong Conservative introducing Sir Keir at his rally and two former Tory donors also speaking at the event. Close Hunt attacks Labour and says he refutes 'myths' the economy is worse under Tories Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} 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. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Watch as Jeremy Hunt delivered a speech on Friday, 17 May, promising further tax cuts if the Conservatives win the general election. The chancellor accused Labour of playground politics over attacks on the historically-high burden being borne by households and businesses following Sir Keir Starmers speech on Thursday. Speaking from London, Mr Hunt to vowed that taxes will go down under a Conservative government and has accused his shadow, Labours Rachel Reeves, of plotting hikes to fund the opposition partys spending pledges. Mr Hunt claims Labours electoral pledges would cost tax payers 59bn over the next four years and accused the party of lying and labelled fake news their economic plans. It comes as Rishi Sunaks attempts to kickstart the general election campaign have failed to move voters, a new poll has revealed. The prime minister has claimed the UK is facing a threat of nuclear war and that the Government needs to have a government strong on defence and security. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Nearly two thirds of voters would be more likely to back a political party committed to higher taxes on the wealthiest to fund the NHS and public services. The data on public opinion on taxes comes as the annual Sunday Times Rich List found Britains 350 richest families hold a combined wealth of 795bn with the fortune of prime minister Rishi Sunak rising. Both major political parties clicked into general election campaign mode this week, with Sir Keir Starmer unveiling a Tony Blair-style set of election pledges and chancellor Jeremy Hunt using a speech on Friday to warn that taxes would rise under a Labour government. But a new FocalData survey commissioned by the group Tax Justice UK suggests that there is public support for major changes to the tax system. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt used a speech on Friday to claim that tax would rise under a Labour government ( Aaron Chown/PA ) Told that a 1 to 2 per cent mansion tax on assets worth over 10m would affect around 20,000 people and could raise up to 22bn a year, 72 per cent of respondents indicated that they would support for such a tax, with 73 per cent backing such a toll to help invest in the NHS. And 57 per cent of the surveys 1,011 respondents said they would support charging the same tax rate on income derived from wealth as on income earned from employment. The findings come as the publication of the Sunday Times Rich List suggested that prime minister Rishi Sunak is now wealthier than King Charles. The personal fortune of the prime minister and his wife, Akshata Murty, surged by more than 120m over the past year, soaring to 651m in the latest list as the latters shares in her fathers IT firm Infosys grew in value by 108.8m. This put the Sunaks wealth above that of the King, whose fortune rose by 10m to hit 610m. Rishi Sunaks wealth is greater than that of King Charles ( Getty Images ) Responding to the new Rich List, Downing Street insisted Mr Sunak should be judged on his actions and not his personal fortune. The prime ministers deputy spokesperson told reporters: Hes been asked about this before and wed always point people to the actions that he takes to support people ... Thats his focus and his priority and he should be judged on that. The 350 wealthiest individuals and families on the list together held combined wealth of 795.36 billion, according to the new data which showed the number of British billionaires tumbled slightly from a peak of 177 in 2022 to 165 this year. Robert Watts, who compiled the rich list, said the findings suggested that Britains billionaire boom has come to an end, adding: Many of our home-grown entrepreneurs have seen their fortunes fall and some of the global super rich who came here are moving away. Thousands of British livelihoods rely on the super-rich to some extent. Well have to wait and see whether we have now reached peak billionaire, and what that means for our economy. Responding to the findings indicating support for taxing such individuals more stringently, Tax Justice UKs head of advocacy and policy Rachael Henry said: Taxing the wealth of the very richest is an extremely popular policy a vote winner and an incredibly sensible way to help fix the country. People in Britain are really struggling and so are public services. The NHS is wounded, getting an NHS dentist is akin to a lottery win, and GP surgeries are creaking under pressure. Politicians need to see the wood for the trees and use the tools available to them to inject life back into the country. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The vaccines minister has spoken of the overwhelming death threats she receives, just days after the leader of Slovakia was shot in an assassination attempt. Maria Caulfield said threats on her life rose every time the House of Commons discussed jabs. The Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, was attacked on Wednesday during a meeting with his supporters. Mr Fico remains between life and death, his ally the Hungarian leader Viktor Orban said on Friday. The shooting, the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years, has sent shockwaves through Westminster. Minister Maria Caulfield (PA) ( PA Wire ) MPs are already on high alert after two MPs were murdered in recent years. They currently receive much more security than they did even a decade ago, and many have panic alarms installed in their homes. Health minister Ms Caulfield told MPs that threats against her life increased when the Commons discussed vaccines. Just last year the Tories were forced to suspend one of their own MPs, Andrew Bridgen, for spreading misinformation about the Covid jab. The last straw was when he posted a tweet that compared inoculation to the Holocaust. Ms Caulfield told the Commons: As the vaccines minister, whenever there is a debate in this place on that subject, the number of death threats and the amount of abuse that I get is overwhelming at times. There was a noticeable backlash whenever those debates are held, she said. Rescue workers wheel shot Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to a hospital in the town of Banska ( Tlacova agentura SR ) Earlier this week a London Tory MP said Mike Freer said attacks were a constant worry as he was finally able to re-open his office following an arson attack. The Finchley and Golders Green MP admitted he had made significant changes to his own personal safety. His office now has additional security, including more cameras and lighting, but he also tends to drive to work now rather than get the Tube and has a GPS-linked device which enables him to quickly contact the police. Tory chairman Richard Holden said he was worried about the safety of MPs, telling the Evening Standard: And I think it goes beyond party [lines] as well. Weve seen the assassination of both Jo Cox and Sir David Amess. This is something I think which all MPs and all parties are thinking about, and I know things can get heated in election campaigns, for example - but I always like to think that my political opponents in mainstream parties are political opponents - they arent enemies. I think its incumbent on us all, where there are things around MPs safety and campaigners safety, that we work together wherever possible. A pilot programme has also revealed the level of abuse directed at members of the Scottish Parliament, with almost 500 posts passed to Police Scotland in less than a year. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The cause of death of one of the Boeing whistleblowers, who had been set to continue testifying against the aircraft manufacturer, has been revealed. John Barnett, 62, a quality control engineer at Boeing for 32 years, was found dead at a hotel in March, reportedly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An autopsy report released by the Charleston County Coroner stated that a review of Barnetts medical records and interviews with his family had shown he had been suffering from chronic stress brought on by the lawsuit, as well as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The cause of death was listed as suicide, according to the report. Prior to his death, Barnett had alleged that Boeing intentionally used defective parts in its planes and warned that passengers on its 787 Dreamliner might face a lack of oxygen if a sudden decompression occurred. He had traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, on 26 February from Louisiana, to take part in a deposition as part of the lawsuit with Boeing. He was deposed by Boeing attorneys on 7 March and by his attorneys the next day. John Barnett, 62, a quality control engineer at Boeing for 32 years, was found dead at a hotel in March, reportedly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, days after beginning testimony against the aircraft manufacturer ( @Megatron_ron/Twitter ) He was due to resume testimony on 9 March. In the autopsy report, Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo ONeal, noted that Barnett had not responded to a courtesy call from his lawyers on that day. After he failed to arrive for the proceedings, his lawyers called for a wellness check, and he was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the parking lot of his hotel, according to authorities. Per the report, Barnett was wearing a multicolored sleeveless shirt, denim pants, and a black belt. He had a pistol in his right hand, and investigators later confirmed gunshot residue on his hand. They found a single shell casing in the truck and a suicide note on his passenger seat. The report also noted that, per surveillance footage, Barnett was seen exiting his hotel and the truck where he was later found was seen backing into a parking space. At no time did anyone engage or try to make contact with Mr Barnett, the report said. The report comes following the death of a second Boeing whistleblower earlier this month. Joshua Dean, who worked as a quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, died in the first week of May, according to his family. The 45-year-old who had an active lifestyle and was believed to be in good health, passed away in the hospital following the onset of a fast-moving infection. The autopsy report has been released shortly after the death of another Boeing whistleblower, Joshua Dean, was announced earlier this month ( Supplied ) He suffered from Influenza B and MRSA, and developed pneumonia, according to Fox59. My handsome brother Joshua passed away this morning and is with our baby brother. I dont know how much more my family can take. I dont know how much more I can take honestly, his sister, Taylor Rae Roberts, wrote in a Facebook post. Attorney Brian Knowles, who represented both men, described them as heroes who wanted to help the company do better. He told The Independent: What I dont want to see is, these two unfortunate circumstances, what happened with Josh or John, is to make them fearful to speak up. [But] there are other people out there... there are others. Mr Knowles added that there were at least ten other Boeing whistleblowers out there, both former and current employees, who are safe and sound. Days after Deans death, Santiago Paredes, a former quality manager for Spirit AeroSystems, Boeings largest supplier, and which builds much of the 737 Max aircraft, also claimed that he was pressured to play down any defects he found when inspecting fuselages on the plane. Speaking to CBS and the BBC in an interview, Mr Paredes said he worked on the end of the production line at Spirit AeroSystems for around a decade in Kansas, doing final inspections on 737 fuselages before these were shipped off to Boeing. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Canned food has been raining down from a highrise tower in Portland, and nobody knows who the culprit is for the particularly dangerous shower of tin cans. Cans have been smashing down onto the streets below the 23-story Ladd Tower in Portland, Oregon, for weeks now, and local residents have become increasingly concerned over the potentially deadly consequences. Workers at the neighboring Higgins Restaurant in downtown Portland say they have been recently noticing cans being thrown out of a building and crashing down beside them, sometimes barely missing them. The cans have already damaged the car of one employee at the restaurant, Lauren Ellis, who told KOIN that the roof of her vehicle was dented after she found cans, including an obliterated tin of ravioli, lying around her car after her shift. I kind of looked at my car at first to see there wasnt any initial damage and didnt think to look at the top of my car, Ms Ellis said. Im lucky it didnt hit the windshield or I wasnt in the vehicle when the can hit my car. Dylan Shmitt, a general manager at Higgins, told the outlet that there have been some close calls with some of their employees and other pedestrians wandering down the street. The cans are allegeldy being thrown from an upper-floor unit of Ladd Tower, Portland ( Google Maps ) Its been happening in the afternoons when people are arriving for our evening shifts, and so its a danger to actual commuters and civilians out here, Mr Shmitt said. The end of last week when our most recent encounter was one of our chefs almost got hit by it and exploded right next to him. The Portland Police Bureau are aware of the shower of cans coming from the building, after receiving their first report of the peculiar incident nearly six weeks ago, the police told The Independent, adding the situation is extremely troubling. The police say the person is most likely occupying an upper-level apartment in the 23-story Ladd Tower, but it is very hard to pin down exactly what unit that would be from, so are asking for the publics help and ask anyone who may know the identity of the person to contact them. Even if they were to go door-to-door conducting interviews throughout the building, which they say remains an option, most people do, in fact, own at least one or two canned goods, making investigating this bizarre situation increasingly difficult. Tins of food are being hurled off a highrise in Downtown Portland ( KOIN 6 ) Short of someone confessing, PPB personnel cant search an apartment without probable cause and/or a warrant, a police spokesperson said. Most people have canned goods in their homes, so even if they are in possession of them, it doesnt make them a suspect. At first, Atlas Pacific, the security team at Ladd Tower, did not see the tin cans lying on the street as anything out of the ordinary as theres a church food bank nearby and the streets surrounding the building can occasionally be littered with food. However, when they received a report from Ms Ellis, they realized how mysterious the can throwing is, they told The Oregonian. Nobody has been hurt in the incidents. The cans have had a few near misses with passersby ( KOIN 6 ) Holland Partner Group, which manages the Ladd Tower, also said they are willing to cooperate with police and Dan Tremaine-McCarthy, the communications manager for the group, told the outlet they have sent a letter out to the tenants notifying residents of the situation. The letter reportedly asks residents to report anything they see and, if done safely, record video or take images of the tin can hurling taking place. Meanwhile, residents are sitting tight waiting to hear if the culprit gets caught. Its still happening, Ms Ellis told the outlet. I think were all interested in trying to figure out who this is so they dont continue. A can from 18 stories, could obviously kill somebody if not hurt them pretty badly. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has raised concerns about the future of the United States, saying the current political climate has created a one-in-three chance for civil war. In an interview with The Financial Times this week, Mr Dalio described how the polarization of American politics has contributed to an extremely turbulent time in history. We are now on the brink, Mr Dalio told the news outlet, adding that he sees a 35 to 40 percent probability of a second civil war. Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, said he has concerns about the future of the United States ( Getty Images for Fast Company ) He clarified that the civil war he sees is not one where people grab guns and start shooting but one where people stop seeing the middle ground in politics. But he imagines, People move to different states that are more aligned with what they want and they dont follow the decisions of federal authorities of the opposite political persuasion, Mr Dalio said. Studies have shown that Americans are growing more politically polarized now than ever before. A Pew Research Poll found that only 32 percent of Americans have a roughly equal number of conservative and liberal positions compared to 49 percent in 2004. Contentious election cycles are becoming more common, which contributes to the growing rift between both political parties. Social media has made it easy for like-minded extremists to connect and support each other which emboldens people to take radical action. Like those who organized protests and eventually stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. ( Getty Images ) It was ultimately Donald Trumps false claims of widespread election fraud in the 2020 election that led to the extreme and violent action that day. But his refusal to call off his supporters and continue claiming the election was stolen from him has justified their actions that day. Even now, as more Republicans echo his claims and refuse to believe the 2020 election was done fairly, it has inspired his supporters to continue backing him and ignore any criticisms from the other side of the aisle. Mr Dalio, who founded Bridgewater Associates, said the upcoming 2024 election will be a test of democracy. Will there be an acceptance of the rules and an ability to work well under those rules? he asked. Trump will follow more rightist, nationalistic, isolationist, protectionist, non-regulatory policies and more aggressive policies to fight enemies internally and externally, including political enemies. Biden, and even more so the Democratic party without Biden, will be more the opposite, though they too will play political hardball. Close Chad Daybells daughter testifies in his murder trial The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} 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. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Tennessee man was sentenced to 80 years in prison Friday for raping a woman a year before he was charged with kidnapping and killing a school teacher who was on an early morning run. Cleotha Abston, whose history of criminal charges dates back to the 1990s when he was a juvenile, received 40 years in prison for aggravated rape, 20 years for aggravated kidnapping and another 20 years for being a felon in possession of a weapon. The sentences will run consecutively, or one after the other, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee ruled. Abston, 40, was convicted April 12 of raping a woman while holding her at gunpoint in September 2021. The victim said she had been raped after meeting Abston on a social dating site and agreeing to meet him at his apartment. A jury found Abston covered the womans face with a T-shirt, walked her outside the apartment and raped her in the backseat of his girlfriends vehicle. Cleotha Abston walks from the witness stand to his seat in a courtroom during his sentencing hearing for an April rape conviction on Friday, 17 May, 2024, in Memphis, Tennessee Coffee said Abston treated the victim with exceptional cruelty. Abston waived a sentencing hearing in which witnesses could have testified for or against him. His lawyer, Juni Ganguli, said waiving a sentencing hearing meant they were able to avoid a circus in court. Prosecutor Paul Hagerman said Abston received what is effectively a life sentence. Ganguli said he plans to appeal the conviction and he will file a motion for a new trial. We had a strong defense, Ganguli told reporters outside court Friday. I do not believe for a second that he raped or kidnapped or had a gun, that he put a gun to that woman. Abston was not charged in the 2021 rape case until after being charged with snatching Eliza Fletcher from a street while she was jogging before dawn near the University of Memphis on Sept. 2, 2022, and forcing her into an SUV. Her body was found days later near a vacant duplex. Eliza Fletcher, a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of two, was killed in September 2022 Abston was not arrested on the rape charges before Fletchers killing because of a long delay in processing the sexual assault kit, authorities have said. He has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say they will pursue the death penalty if Abston is convicted of first-degree murder in Fletchers death. No trial date has been set in that case. The killing of Fletcher, a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of two, shocked the Memphis community and led to a flood of support for her family. Runners in Memphis and several other cities held an early-morning running events in her honor a week after she was abducted. A second run honoring Fletcher was held last year. Abston, who also has gone by the name Cleotha Henderson, was arrested after police detected his DNA on sandals found near the location where Fletcher was last seen, an arrest affidavit said. An autopsy report showed Fletcher died of a gunshot wound to the head. She also had injuries to her right leg and jaw fractures. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A 17-year-old human trafficking victim was rescued by authorities in California earlier this month after she texted 911 asking for help. The unidentified woman texted a dispatcher at the Ventura County Sheriffs Communication Center around 3am on Thursday 9 May. An official engaged in a text message conversation with the woman, who was sending messages in Spanish. According to the sheriffs office, the woman did not know where she was but was able to detail nearby landmarks and other identifiable information to the dispatcher. That information was passed along to sheriffs deputies who began searching the Casitas Springs area. The woman was located in 20 minutes, the sheriffs office said in a news release. While investigating the matter, officials discovered that the woman had been trafficked to Ventura County from Mexico two months prior. A human trafficking victim was rescued in California earlier this month after texting 911 ( Getty ) She was able to identify a suspect in the case as Gerardo Cruz. Authorities quickly located the suspect and arrested him. The woman was transferred to the Ventura County Child Family Services department in order to be reunited with her family. Cruz was charged with human trafficking, forcible rape, lewd acts upon a child, luring and sexual penetration with force. He is currently in custody, and his bail has been set at $500,000. He denied any wrongdoing in the case during a hearing on 13 May, according to online records. The sheriffs office said it was able to help the victim through new technology that allowed the dispatcher to quickly interpret the womans message and send a response back in English, which was then translated into Spanish for the woman. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Thanks to meticulously preserved DNA evidence, police have arrested a murder suspect over 30 years after a woman was killed in her home. Rose Hnath, 78, was found on the floor of her Pennsylvania home on 21 January 1989. She had been beaten and stabbed to death. Ms Hnath had tried to fight off whoever had broken into her home in the Coplay section of North Whitehall Township, investigators said, but they were unable to pinpoint a suspect until this year. On Thursday, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P Holihan announced that Michael Breisch, 65, had been arrested on suspicion of her murder. "Although [the case] went cold, it was never forgotten and it was never put aside," the District Attorney said at a press conference. Police were called out to Ms Hnaths home after her family went to check on her when she failed to show up for her regular church service. They found her with multiple stab wounds and other signs of trauma. Her home had also been ransacked and it appeared as if the victim had tried to fight off her attacker. In doing so, Mr Holihan said she aided officers in collecting vital evidence on her killer. Mr Holihan praised the work of officers at the time of the murder for collecting and preserving vital evidence that was used to identify the suspect using a new form of DNA testing not available in 1989. That evidence included a knife and pellet gun found near the crime scene, which police believed could have been used by whoever killed Ms Hnath. "They didnt 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... Its a testament to the work they did then," the DA added. Mr Holihan explained that DNA touch testing was used to match the evidence to Mr Breisch, meaning very small samples left behind on the preserved items were able to be tested at a level not possible 30 years ago. Back then, the suspect was supposed to have been held at a community corrections facility in nearby Allentown. He was arrested and charged with escaping from that facility 10 days after Ms Hnaths murder. After his arrest in Ohio, Mr Breisch was extradited to Pennsylvania, where he is being held at the Lehigh County Jail pending an initial hearing on 21 May. As for Ms Hnaths family, the district attorney said they were gratified and relieved that an arrest had finally been made. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A homeless man accused of punching actor Steve Buscemi last week has been arrested. The man has been identified as 50-year-old Clifton Williams, a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department told The Independent. Officials with the NYPD previously said the actor was punched in the face on Friday on Third Avenue near East 27th Street in Kips Bay, Manhattan, around 11.45am. Suspect who punched Steve Buscemi in random attack in NYC identified. A spokesperson for the NYPD told The Independent on Friday that the man, 50-year-old Clifton Williams, is in custody ( NYPD ) The actor, 66, sustained bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye. The actor was later treated at the hospital and is doing well, his publicist said. Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Midtown Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city, the publicist said. He is OK and appreciates everyones well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to while also walking the streets of NY. The Independent has emailed the NYPD for comment. The department put out a statement about the assault earlier but did not not identify Mr Buscemi as the victim. In March, his Boardwalk Empire co-star Michael Stuhlbarg was also assaulted at random while out in the city, marking the second actor from the HBO hit series to be attacked this year. The NYPD previously released images of the suspect which showed him wearing a blue T-shirt, black trousers, a black cap and carrying a book bag. Mr Buscemi has lived in New York City for most of his life. According to the NYPDs latest numbers, overall crime in the city is on decline compared to the same period last year. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A gunman in California who is suspected of gunning down a victim in a parked UPS truck has been arrested after a standoff with a SWAT team. The Irvine Police Department said they first received calls of a shooting in Orange County around 3pm on Thursday, announcing a few hours later, that investigators were conducting a homicide investigation after it was confirmed one victim had been shot. The suspect had pulled up to a parked UPS van and fired several rounds at the unnamed driver as he was sitting behind the wheel, before fleeing from the area without even exiting his vehicle. He literally pulled up next to the UPS truck, shot him and drove away, Sgt. Karie Davies told the Los Angeles Times. It looks like it was targeted, but we dont know the relationship yet. Police told KTLA that in their preliminary investigation, they identified a white man, wearing a dark-colored shirt, hit and a face mask as the suspect, but did not name the culprit. SWAT teams used a K9 to help get the suspect out of his vehicle during a standoff ( ABC7 ) The victim was still sitting behind his steering wheel when first responders arrived, who found him suffering from a gunshot wound. Around three hours after the police said they launched their investigation, the Irvine Police Department SWAT team arrested a man suspected of committing the homicide, detaining him near Santiago Canyon and the Toll Road, not far from where the shooting occurred. Aerial footage from ABC7 showed that two SWAT vehicles pulled up to a man inside a silver truck. It then showed officers breaking one of the windows. A K9 was released on the truck before the suspect was finally pulled from the vehicle and arrested, the video shows. The suspects name has not been released. They ultimately had to force him out of the vehicle with SWAT techniques, Ms Davies said. SWAT teams pull what appears to be a suspect from his vehicle after a deadly shooting earlier that day ( ABC7 ) Video footage from local reporters shows a large presence of police and fire officers on the scene of the shooting, littered with shell casings. A witness who works in a nearby building told KTLA they heard several gunshots, but thought at first it was jackhammering from a nearby construction site. He also revealed that from what Ive been told, [the UPS driver] sometimes parks here and just takes a break. The victim was parked in a UPS truck when the deadly shooting occured ( Fox 11 ) "It sounds like, based on witness testimony, this is his normal route," said Sgt. Karie Davies of the Irvine Police Department. "That area where he was shot is normally where he takes his breaks. We dont know if the suspect was waiting for him to come back after a delivery." In a statement to Fox11, UPS said that their "hearts are heavy tonight after hearing of the loss of one of their drivers in Irvine. We are assisting authorities however we can to understand what happened, they wrote. As a result of the ongoing investigation to find those responsible, we are deferring any additional questions to authorities. The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority, and we are providing support and counselling services to our employees affected by this tragedy." The Irvine Police Department thanked the community for their concern as they investigated the tragic homicide and added that more information will follow. Our hearts are with the victim and his loved ones, officials wrote. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A Vermont university has bestowed the honorary degree of doctor of litter-ature on Max the cat, a beloved member of its community, ahead of students graduation on Saturday. Vermont State Universitys Castleton campus is honoring the feline not for his mousing or napping, but for his friendliness. Max the Cat has been an affectionate member of the Castleton family for years, the school said in a Facebook post. The popular tabby lives in a house with his human family on the street that leads to the main entrance to campus. So he decided that he would go up on campus, and he just started hanging out with the college students, and they love him, owner Ashley Dow said Thursday. Max the Cat stands in front of Woodruff Hall at Vermont State University Castleton on on 12 October, 2023 in Castleton, Vermont. He received an honorary degree from the university for being a beloved member of the college community ( 2023 Vermont State University ) Hes been socializing on campus for about four years, and students get excited when they see him. They pick him up and take selfies with him, and he even likes to go on tours with prospective students that meet at a building across from the familys house, she said. I dont even know how he knows to go, but he does, Dow said. And then hell follow them on their tour. Vermont State University students pet Max the Cat in front of Leavenworth Hall at Vermont State University Castleton on 12 October, 2023 in Castleton, Vermont ( 2023 Vermont State University ) The students refer to Dow as Maxs mom, and graduates who return to town sometimes ask her how Max is doing. Max wont be participating in the graduation, though. His degree will be delivered to Dow later. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Two Mercedes-Benz plants in Alabama will not be joining the United Auto Workers union after a Friday vote. About 5,000 workers at facilities near Tuscaloosa rejected the proposal 2642 to 2045. The National Labor Relations Board is expected to announce the official results. The union had dedicated $40m to organizing plants across the South, which is the least unionized part of the country, as electric vehicles continue to enter the market in large numbers. UAW had a breakthrough win in April by securing the votes of a Tennessee Volkswagen plant. That same month, it reached a deal with Daimler Truck, avoiding a strike of more than 7,000 workers in North Carolina. The United Auto Workers union will see if a Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama will enter the organization on Friday ( AP ) Following the defeat, UAW President Shawn Fain said: These courageous workers at Mercedes reached out to the UAW because they wanted justice. They led us and they lead us. What happens next is up to them. The campaign didnt go without some wins. Workers managed to oust their CEO, raised their wages and killed wage tiers. Support for the union has started to emerge across the region, even though the UAW lost elections at Volkswagen in 2014 and 2019. Alabama workers at Hyundai in Montgomery and Mercedes in Vance have grown in their support for the UAW, the organization said. The UAW claimed that Mercedes-Benz was against the union and has been accused of retaliating against workers for supporting it. The company has allegedly fired union supporters and disciplined workers for discussing organization efforts. The National Labor Relations Board is investigating six alleged violations the UAW has filed against the company since March, CBS reported. The Independent has emailed the board and Mercedes-Benz for comment. Alabamas Republican Governor Kay Ivey has also opposed the union and has gone so far as to introduce legislation that would take away tax incentives for companies that recognize labor unions. Alabama is not Michigan, the governor said to the Madison County Chamber of Commerce on Monday. Following the vote, she said, The workers in Vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly. Latesha Henry, a worker at the Mercedes-Benz plant, said she wanted to form a union for her children. Its for their future, for someone elses childs future, she said in a campaign video released by UAW. I dont want them to go through what weve been through. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Police are desperately searching for two New York teens who have been missing for a week as their families say they are lost without them. Evelyn Jimenez, 17, and Violet Munroe, 15, disappeared on 12 May in Westchester County. They were last spotted in Peekskill, New York State Police said in an update on Wednesday. She has never been gone like this ever, shes never left home. She is a beautiful young girl with so many people that love her, Violets father, Brian Munroe, told News 12. Violet Munroes parents pleaded for her to come home ( New York State Police ) Her mother, Nicole Munroe, pleaded for both girls, who often spend time in the White Plains area, to come home. "You know we are always here for you no matter what and we are lost without you," she said. A photo released this week shows the two teens leaving a train in southeast Putnam County. Munroes family said she went missing from their home on Saturday night. Evelyn Jimenez, 17, was last seen in Peekskill, NY ( New York State Police ) State police are working with Yorktown Police Department to search for the girls, with the latter saying they are working around the clock on the search, "We are just running down all the leads we can, knocking on doors, hoping to find these girls and get them home," Lt. James Graham, with the Yorktown Police Department, told News 12. Anyone with information on the girls whereabouts is asked to contact New York State Police at 914-769-2600 or the Yorktown Police Department at 914-962-4141. The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The last U.S. zoo with pandas in its care expects to say goodbye to the four giant bears this fall. Zoo Atlanta is making preparations to return panda parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang to China along with their American-born twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun, zoo officials said Friday. There is no specific date for the transfer yet, they said, but it will likely happen between October and December. The four Atlanta pandas have been the last in the United States since the National Zoo in Washington returned three pandas to China last November. Other American zoos have sent pandas back to China as loan agreements lapsed amid heightened diplomatic tensions between the two nations. One of four panda bears at Zoo Atlanta rests in their habitat on Dec. 30, 2023, in Atlanta. The zoo's giant panda bear agreement with China expires in late 2024, and plans are underway for Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun to travel to China later in the year Atlanta received Lun Lun and Yang Yang from China in 1999 as part of a 25-year loan agreement that will soon expire. Ya Lun and Xi Lun, born in 2016, are the youngest of seven pandas born at Zoo Atlanta since their parents arrived. Their siblings are already in the care of Chinas Chengdu Research Center of Giant Panda Breeding. It is possible that America will welcome a new panda pair before the Atlanta bears depart. The San Diego Zoo said last month that staff members recently traveled to China to meet pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, which could arrive in California as soon as this summer. Zoo Atlanta officials said in a news release they should be able to share significant advance notice before their pandas leave. As to whether Atlanta might see host any future pandas, no discussions have yet taken place with partners in China, zoo officials said. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Joe Biden is heading to Georgia and Michigan this weekend to shore up his falling support with Black voters, which is at a historic low for a Democratic incumbent president It comes as Mr Bidens 2024 rival for the White House, Donald Trump,has taken steps to improve his standing with Black voters, particularly Black men. Mr Biden is scheduled to give the Saturday commencement address at Atlantas Morehouse College, a historically Black college where the late Martin Luther King graduated. Given the way the Biden-Harris Administration has delivered for Black America, and HBCUs, there is no better speaker for this years commencement ceremony than President Biden, Tsaid Trey Baker, a senior campaign adviser to Mr Bidens re-election campaigns in a memo to reporters. The president will also speak at the NAACP Freedom Funds dinner in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday. A New York Times/Siena College poll this week showed that 14 per cent of Black voters said they would vote for Mr Trump if the election were held today while only 49 per cent said they would vote for Mr Biden. Mr Bidens tour comes after Vice President Kamala Harris visited Detroit last week to highlight the Biden administrations focus on Black-owned businesses. US Senator Raphael Warnock, the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, greets US President Joe Biden during a worship service in Atlanta, Georgia, on 15 January 15 2023 ( AFP via Getty Images ) But the visit was derailed by news that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would attack Rafah as part of its war against Hamas in Gaza. We are not, and will not, parachute into these communities at the last minute, expecting their vote, the memo said. Every day, from now until election day, we will continue working diligently to ensure that come November, Black voters send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris back to the White House to continue delivering for Black America in unprecedented ways. The Biden campaign is investing heavily in Black voter outreach and has launched a $30m ad campaign in battleground states that would also target Black and Latino voters. US Representative Byron Donalds, Republican of Florida, speaks outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 14, 2024 ( AFP via Getty Images ) Meanwhile, Mr Trump and an outside group have run ads to reach Black voters. Mr Trump also had prominent Black surrogates such as Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and Representative Byron Donalds of Florida campaign for him. More recently, Mr Donalds traveled to New York to show his support for Mr Trump amid his criminal trial related to hush money he paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Mr Scott is seen as a frontrunner to be Mr Trumps running mate. The survey also showed Mr Biden underwater against Mr Trump in both Michigan and Georgia. Mr Trump had won both states in 2016, but Mr Biden flipped them both in 2020, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since Bill Clinton did in 1992. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A high-profile group of financiers, billionaires and executives joined a private WhatsApp group to sway public opinion on the Israel-Hamas war, culminating in some members participating in a Zoom call with New York mayor Eric Adams urging him to use police to deal with protests at Columbia. A section of the powerful pro-Israel group held a video call with Mr Adams on 26 April, in which it was discussed how to get New York City Police Department officers onto the Ivy League campus in Manhattan where one of the most high-profile pro-Gaza encampments was located, according to The Washington Post. Members of the group included Kind snack company founder Daniel Lubetzky, hedge fund executive Daniel Loeb, billionaire Len Blavatnik, and real estate investor Joseph Sitt, according to a log of chat messages referencing the meeting obtained by the newspaper. During the meeting, which took place a week after the NYPDs first major operation at Columbia, where scores of students were arrested, participants allegedly discussed how they could lobby Columbia leadership into requesting the mayor send the NYPD back on campus for another round of arrests. A few days later, at the request of the university, NYPD riot police were indeed back on campus in response to the takeover of a campus building, and hundreds were arrested. Demonstrators are on the Columbia University campus in New York at a pro-Palestinian protest encampment on April 29 ( AP ) During the Zoom, participants also allegedly spoke about donating to the mayor and hiring private investigators who could assist the NYPD in managing protesters, an offer that a member of the chat group suggests Mayor Adams accepted. The alleged April meeting was part of larger efforts by members of the WhatsApp group, which reportedly included figures from the very upper echelons of business including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, and investor Joshua Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, Donald Trumps son-in-law and a former Trump administration official. When asked byThe Independent about the alleged meeting and the discussions therein, the mayors office responded with the following statement, attributed to deputy mayor Fabien Levy: Lets be very clear: Both times the NYPD entered Columbia Universitys campus on April 18th and April 30th were in response to specific written requests from Columbia University to do so. Prior to these operations, Mayor Adams consistently stated that Columbia is a private institution on private property and that assistance would be provided only upon request. Any suggestion that other considerations were involved in the decision-making process is completely false, and the insinuation that Jewish donors secretly plotted to influence government operations is an all too familiar antisemitic trope that the Washington Post should be ashamed to ask about, let alone normalize in print. A Post spokesperson declined to comment. The Independent has contacted representatives of Messrs Lubetzky, Loeb, Blavatnik, and Sitt for comment. Spokespeople for Mr Lubetzky and Mr Sitt told the Post they did not donate to the mayor. A spokesperson for Mr Blavatnik told the paper he attended the Zoom, during which participants voiced a variety of opinions and ideas, some of which didnt agree with. The spokesperson said, Mr Blavatnik, a Columbia alum, attended the session to see how the mayor was thinking about the Columbia protests, and gave $2,100 to the mayors reelection campaign in April. The NYPD told The Post it has not and is not using private investigators to manage the protests. Starbucks founder Howard Schultz ( AP ) The April meeting wasnt the only time the groupchat rubbed shoulders with government officials. Following the outbreak of the 7 October conflict, members reportedly sat for briefings with former Israeli prime minister Naftali Benneft; Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Herzog, and Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz. Most appreciative for the behind the scenes briefing by Naftali Bennett, Mr Schultz wrote the group chat in October, according to the chat records. Quite extraordinary! A spokesperson for Mr Schultz told the Post the executive attended the briefing with Bennett, and the Israeli Embassy confirmed to the paper the briefing with Mr Herzog took place, calling it one of dozens of such sessions with members of the public, a reflection of how communities here in the US understandably wanted to learn more about what was happening on the ground in Israel. A Schultz representative told The Independent the entrepreneur is pained by the loss of innocent lives in Gaza and Israel, but left the chat group in October, did not attend the April Zoom meeting, and did not participate in, or contribute financially to, any of the groups work. A spokesperson for Mr Kushner, when asked if he was a member of the group chat or attended the alleged Zoom meeting with the mayor, told The Independent, No, Josh has not participated in this. The Independent has contacted Mr Bill Ackman ( AP ) for comment. A representative for the hedge fund billionaire confirmed his membership in the group to the Post. Mr Ackman has been one of the most vocal business leaders about the conflict and its wider cultural ramifications, often criticising what he perceives as an insufficient response from university officials to allegations of antisemitism on campus. Last year, the executive publically floated the idea of releasing a list of students at Harvard who signed onto a letter arguing Israels policies towards Palestine were responsible for the outbreak of war so companies could avoid hiring them. The WhatsApp group was reportedly founded by a staffer of real estate magnate Barry Sternlicht after the 7 October Hamas surprise attack on Israel. Reportedly titled Israel Current Events, the chat was established to change the narrative around the conflict to be more favourable to Israel by highlighting the atrocities committed by Hamas to all Americans, according to the Post story. The Independent has contacted Mr Sternlicht for comment. The chat reportedly shut down earlier this month after seven months. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The man who attacked former Speaker Nancy Pelosis husband with a hammer in their San Francisco home has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. David DePape, 44, was found guilty in November of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. Aaron Bennett, a spokesperson for Ms Pelosi, issued a statement on behalf of the Pelosi family after the sentencing, saying that the Pelosi family couldnt be prouder of their pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case. Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to all who have sent love and prayers over the last 18 months, as Mr Pelosi continues his recovery, he added. Prosecutors had argued for a sentence of 40 years. DePapes public defense attorneys argued for 14 years, noting that he faced hardship and didnt have any previous criminal history. On Friday in a California federal court, DePape was handed a sentence of 20 years for one count and 30 years for another they will be served at the same time. He has been credited for the 18 months he has already spent in custody. Bodycam footage from the night Paul Pelosi was attacked ( San Francisco Police Department ) As he testified at trial, DePape admitted he broke into the Pelosis San Francisco home around 2am on October 28, 2022, and that he was set to take the then-speaker hostage and break her kneecaps if she lied to him. He also admitted to striking Paul Pelosi, 82 at the time, with a hammer after police appeared at the residence. He said his plan to put a stop to what he saw as government corruption was coming apart. As Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley handed down the sentences, DePape was silent, sometimes looking down where he stood. The judge noted that he entered the home of a public official. He actually went to the home, that is completely, completely unprecedented, she said. The attack was captured on police body camera video, taking place just days before the 2022 midterms. In a letter to the judge, Mr Pelosi outlined the attack, writing about how he was awakened by a large violent man holding a hammer and zip ties yelling wheres Nancy? David DePape was convicted of attempting to kidnap Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer ( AP ) Mr Pelosi said he was followed by DePape even after he became aware that Ms Pelosi was in Washington, DC. He kept me hostage in my own home saying he would wait for her, he wrote. He threatened me, saying he would tie me up and wait for my wife. He repeatedly said that he could take me out, he added. After convincing DePape to go downstairs, Mr Pelosi faced the blows of the hammer, leaving him unconscious in front of the police officers who responded after the then 82-year-old made an emergency call from a bathroom in the home. When I awoke in a pool of my own blood, I had severe head, arm and hand injuries, Mr Pelosi wrote. Defense attorneys said DePape was pushed on by his political beliefs and not by a will to obstruct the official work of a congresswoman, arguing that this made the charges invalid. One of the lawyers noted that he had been interested in conspiracy theories. The Canadian who moved to the US more than two decades ago said at trial that he was convinced that the media lied about former president Donald Trump. He also shared the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory online, which falsely argues that the people in charge of the US government are pedophiles who worship the devil. DePape told the jury that he was planning on wearing an inflatable unicorn costume when recording his planned interrogation of the speaker. In addition to the federal charges, DePape has also been charged in state court with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Jury selection is set to begin on Wednesday. Paul and Nancy Pelosi attend the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on 10 March 2024 in Beverly Hills, California ( Getty Images ) My head injuries continue to affect my life. My hair grew back but I have bumps on my head from the hammer blows and a metal plate from skull surgery. The dizziness has not gone away, Mr Pelosi wrote, noting that Ms Pelosi remains under 24-hour security even though she hasnt been speaker since January last year. We cannot fully remove the stain on the floor in the front entryway where I bled, he wrote, adding that he doesnt address the attack with family and avoids media reports about it. In her letter to the judge, Ms Pelosi noted that Mr Pelosi has fainted on multiple occasions, cant be exposed to bright light during extended periods and mostly remains seated. Once you are attacked in such a public and political manner with such threatening language, you always have to fear a copycat, she wrote. When I encourage people especially women to consider running for office, physical threats to the family should not even be a factor, but they are, Ms Pelosi added. The Associated Press contributed to this report Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} It was the immediate reaction for many after hearing of the fight between AOC, MTG and others in Congress on Thursday evening - Babe wake up a new season of Jerry Springer just dropped, The comparison to the infamous rowdy talk show came after the House Oversight Committee on Thursday descended into chaos in a similar fashion to so many of Springers episodes. Reps Majorie Taylor Greene, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett all hurled insults during the firery exchange that led to a flood of memes and comments on social media. Yeah, whats better than Jerry Springer shows put on by our own government. Loving it, one X user wrote. Others were less than impressed with the way the congresswomen conducted themselves. This is embarrassing for all sides of the political spectrum! one X user said. Petty, childish, and a total disgrace to women. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was forced to strike two comments from the record on Thursday ( Independent TV ) The moment left many stunned as it goes against traditional decorum seen in the House. That led to the flood of posts, memes and deepfakes all referencing the spat between the three. This is the best thing ever happened in the House. Who needs Hollywood concocted fake drama when we have AOC and MTG ready to rumble, user Abdi wrote. Listen to AOC conveniently turning the Bronx accent on. Oh girl, baby girl, dont even play! Sounds more like a middle school than the floor of Congress. Sad, but amusing, X poster Mia wrote. So an episode of Jerry Springer broke out in Congress, featuring intellectual luminaries like Jasmine Crockett, AOC, and MTG. Congress is filled with utter and complete imbeciles. And, in a representative democracy, thats our fault, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said. Even a Senator got in on the discussion, as Pennsylvanias John Fetterman posted to apologise to the Jerry Springer show. In the past, Ive described the US House as The Jerry Springer Show, he posted Friday morning. Today, Im apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show. That didnt go down well with AOC, who quoted his post and replied: I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a both sides issue, she said on X. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one, she continued. And to the women of Pennsylvania: Id stand up for you too. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seen during Thursdays House Oversight Committee ( Independent TV ) It all began when Ms Greene fired back at Ms Crockett for questioning her comments on Judge Juan Merchan in Donald Trumps hush money trial. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading, Ms Greene told the Democrat, sparking outrage from NYC representative AOC. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person? she shouted across the chamber at the Georgia Republican, as chairman James Comer tried to interject ala Springer, in what sparked around an hour of drama C-Span producers might only have dreamed of before. It included AOC telling Ms Greene oh baby girl, dont even play as she objected to Greene attacking a reps apperance. At Thursdays hearing, Ms Greene was seemingly forced to strike her words from the record, twice, and offered to debate with AOC. The Democrat refused, with Ms Greene replying: Yeah, you dont have enough intelligence. Eventually the drama subsided and the committee got back to its regularly-scheduled programming. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has doubled down on her claims that tribe members are in cahoots with drug cartels operating on reservations in the state, leading to seven Native American reservations banning her from stepping foot on the land. Ms Noem has now claimed in a recent NewsNation interview, according to The Hill, that she has evidence of cartel activity in the state and will present this apparent evidence to the public on Friday. They are [sic] definitely have set up operations in South Dakota. Weve seen the Bandidos there, MS-13 is there, the governor claimed in the interview. Theyve recruited members from the tribes. Ms Noem has announced she will be holding a press conference at South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre on Friday morning to discuss the crisis at our southern border and the negative impact the open border and cartel presence are having on South Dakotas tribal lands. The governor has previously alleged, with little evidence so far, that tribal leaders have been personally benefitting from cartel activity in the state, leading to Ms Noem being banned from a total of seven out of the nine Native American tribes as of Tuesday. The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe was the latest to confirm that the tribe council had voted to ban the Republican governor from its reservation located in central South Dakota. This means that the Republican leader is banned from entering almost 20 per cent of her state now that over 90 per cent of the states tribal lands have barred her from visiting the reservations. "We do not have cartels on the reservations," Crow Creek Sioux Tribe chair, Peter Lengkeek, told NPR following Tuesdays vote. "We have cartel products, like guns and drugs. But they pass over state highways getting to the reservation, Mr Lengkeek continued. So, putting us all together like that and saying that all tribes are involved in this really shows to the ignorance of the governors office. Ms Noem has previously blamed the alleged cartel activity on the Biden administration for not doing their job, and called on tribal leaders to ban the cartels and accept her help to restore law and order to their communities while protecting their sovereignty. She also cemented her cartel claims further on social media this week and has criticised the tribes for banning her rather than banning the alleged cartels. Kristi Noem speaks at a Trump rally in Ohio in March ( AFP via Getty ) Banning me does nothing but distract from the crime, drug trafficking, and sex trafficking. Banish the cartels, she wrote on Wednesday, also again targeting the Biden administration and Congress over their apparent lack of action over this matter. She also made the sweeping claim the week before on X that Biden allows drug cartels to come across the border and operate unchecked trafficking drugs and selling women and children into sex slavery. The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe joins the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe and the Yankton Sioux Tribe in banning Ms Noem from their reservations in South Dakota. The tribe leaders have come forward and condemned Ms Noems statements, such as the Standing Rock Sioux tribe saying that her attempt to connect cartels with tribes was wild and irresponsible while the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe says that they are taking action to protect our values and prevent further marginalization of tribal nations. Her allegations come after a series of controversies surrounding her new memoir No Going Back, with reports speculating as to whether this could have damaged her placement on Donald Trumps potential vice-president list. In the book, she featured a dubious claim that she met North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, which her publishers have since backtracked on, as well as a story about shooting a misbehaving dog, that sparked severe backlash. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Drinking was allegedly taking place in a committee room where a hearing devolved into insults of fake eyelashes and bleach blonde bad-built butch body being slung across the chamber by Republican and Democrat lawmakers on Thursday. Both Republicans and Democrats told Politico that some members had been drinking that evening but no names were made public. At a hearing to decide if US attorney general Merrick Garland could be held in contempt of Congress, Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene launched the first salvo about Democrat Jasmine Crocketts fake eyelashes. Id like to know if any Democrats on the committee are employing Judge [Juan] Merchans daughter? Ms Greene said on Thursday evening, referring to the judge who is overseeing Donald Trumps hush money trial. Mr Trump and other Republicans have attacked Judge Merchan as too partisan, and highlighted that his daughter has worked for Democrats. Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland? Ms Crockett, a freshman member of the Oversight Committee, asked. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading, Ms Greene said. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) engaged in a vicious war of words with Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.), mocking her for wearing fake eyelashes. ( Independent TV ) The hearing then erupted with Chairman James Comer unable to contain proceedings for around an hour. Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rebuked Ms Greenes disgusting and unacceptable remarks about Ms Crockett. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person? Ms Ocasio-Cortez said. The Republican taunted her, asking whether her feelings had been hurt. Oh girl, oh baby girl, dont even play, Ms Ocasio-Cortez retorted, leading to her counterpart mockingly adding: Oh really, baby girl? Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, also admonished her. Thats beneath even you Ms Greene, he said. Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), criticises Reprentative Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling her a bleach blonde bad-built butch body during a hearing of the House Oversight Committee ( US House of Representatives/YouTube ) The back-and-fourth continued, with Ms Greene agreeing to strike her words from the record. However, she did not agree to apologise to Ms Crockett, which caused further anger in the Democratic camp. When asked, Ms Ocasio-Cortez refused to enter a debate with Ms Greene, which resulted in the Republicans final damning remark: Yeah, you dont have enough intelligence. Mr Comer said that Ms Greenes insult ultimately did not violate House rules, leaving Ms Crockett scratching her head at the ruling. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blond, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? she asked the chairman. Her question was met with confusion from Mr Comer. Uh, what now? he asked. That prompted Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna to request that Ms Crocketts words be stricken from the record, inviting a vocal response from Democrats. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) adominishes Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for mocking the appearance of Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.) ( Independent TV ) Im trying to get clarification, Ms Crockett said. Dont tell me to calm down, because yall talk noise and then you cant take it, because if I come and talk s*** about her, yall gonna have a problem. Later, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania criticised the hearing, comparing it to The Jerry Springer Show. But that earned criticism from Ms Ocasio-Cortez. I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a both sides issue, she posted on X. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one. And to the women of Pennsylvania: Id stand up for you too. Enjoy your Friday. Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas also admonished Mr Fetterman. Women of color in congress are frequently targeted by misogynistic, xenophobic, ignorant people. Ive lived it, she said. One of the shameless extremists we work with insulted @JasmineForUS, and @AOC used parliamentary procedure to demand a standard of decorum. There is no both sides. The hearing was the latest chapter in House Republicans failed attempts to impeach Mr Biden since they voted to begin an impeachment inquiry in December. House Speaker Mike Johnson admonished members after the hearing. When we disagree even vehemently we have got to treat one another with dignity and respect, he said. I think its an important principle. Last week, Ms Greene led a failed effort to remove Mr Johnson, with an overwhelming number of Democrats joining almost all Republicans to save him. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Texas Democrat Rep Jasmine Crockett called Georgia Republican Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene absolutely racist after the Georgia congresswoman she made comments about her appearance during a House Oversight Committee hearing. Ms Green mocked the Texans for her false eyelashes, prompting the Thursday night hearing to derail into chaos with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joining the confrontation. She is racist. I mean, I dont have any questions about that. Because, I mean, I dont know that shes ever attacked her own colleagues, Ms Crockett said, according to The Hill. She went on to say that Ms Greene and Colorado Republican Rep Lauren Boebert arent getting along. Boebert has clip-ins in her hair. And Boebert wears lashes, too, sometimes it looks like. I dont know. But she doesnt attack her for any of that, Ms Crockett said. She doesnt do that, right? But she decided to do it to me, she added, saying that Ms Greene is absolutely racist. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks during a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol March 20, 2024 in Washington, DC ( Getty Images ) She probably will raise money, because the racists are going to be so happy to give it to her, Ms Crockett argued. The hearing on Thursday night had been moved to 8pm to accommodate some Republicans who went to New York to back former President Donald Trump during his hush money trial. It was scheduled to mark up the resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to share audio from President Joe Bidens interview with then-Special Counsel Robert Hur regarding his handling of classified documents. Mr Biden asserted executive privilege over the audio. But the hearing was taken over by Ms Greene, her comments, and the ensuing sniping and flurry of insults. Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland, Ms Crockett asked during the hearing. Do you know what were here for? I dont think you know what youre here for, Ms Greene said. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. Those comments prompted a discussion about whether to strike Ms Greenes statements from the record, with New York Democratic AOC branding them as disgusting, telling Ms Greene to apologize. Im just curious, just to better understand your ruling, Ms Crockett told Chair James Comer about Ms Greenes jabs. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (l) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (r) argue during a commitee meeting ( Independent TV ) Ms Greene went on a social media rant on Friday morning, writing in part: Pardon me if I dont talk as nicely as some people would like to hear. Im not going to keep you all addicted to outrage and hopium that never solves a problem or stops the inevitable implosion of the United States of America. Im completely over it. Ms Boebert, at one point, voted with Democrats, backing a motion to censure Ms Greenes comments. Ms Ocasio-Cortez told the press on Friday, It is not lost on me that Ms Greene targeted one of the only Black women on the committee for some of the most egregious and disgusting comments and with the expectation that it will be ignored, according to Punchbowl News. You had a bunch of members who had skipped legislative votes yesterday in order to go to Donald Trumps trial. There was drinking going on in the hearing room on the Republican side. I dont even want to imagine how much drinking was taking place on the train or up in New York, Maryland Democratic Rep Jamie Raskin said on Friday morning, according to The Hill. And these members came back out of control. And the chairman did not rein them in, and the institution pays the price. They skipped legislative votes in order to go to Trumps trial and they came back jacked up on a lot of Trump-style animosity, he added. Republican Speaker Mike Johnson admitted that it wasnt a good look for Congress. Democratic California Rep Robert Garcia said, I think theres no question that Marjorie Taylor Greene uses racist language all the time ... shes always ... coddling to white supremacists, shes coddling to the language that Donald Trump uses. And so theres no question that thats the case. Arizona Republican Rep Andy Biggs said, Things were said on both sides of the aisle that were not proper decorum. Jasmine Crockett is a class act and she pushed back when she was pushed multiple times, Mr Garcia said. Democrat Greg Casar of Texas argued that Ms Greene was behind the fracas, adding that at the end of the day, its Chairman Comers responsibility to try to maintain decorum in that room and he just couldnt do it. The Independent has contacted the office of Ms Greene for comment. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Lawmakers Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez got into a heated exchange during a House committee meeting after the Georgia Republican remarked on another legislators fake eyelashes and intelligence. Just 30 minutes into House Oversight Committee proceedings, Greene lined up Democrat Jasmine Crockett in her crosshairs after straying away from the focus of the meeting. The Houses rare evening session was supposed to center on resolving whether Attorney General Merrick Garland was to be held in contempt of Congress. Marjorie Taylor Greene sparred with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at a House hearing on Thursday night ( Independent TV ) Id like to know if any Democrats on the committee are employing Judge [Juan] Merchans daughter? Rep. Greene said , concerning the judge who is overseeing Donald Trumps hush money trial. Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland? Rep. Crockett replied. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading, the fiery Georgia Republican said. Ms Greenes outburst came during an already-tense hearing, and prompted nearly an hour of disorder in the committee. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person? Ms Ocasio-Cortez shot back at Greene ( Independent TV ) Law-makers bickered and exchanged blows, leaving Chairman James Comer unable to contain the furore. Ms Greene continued to attack a second Democrat, Ms Ocasio-Cortez, after she rebuked the right-wing lawmakers disgusting and unacceptable remarks about Ms Crockett. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person? Ms Ocasio-Cortez responded to Greene. The Republican taunted the progressive Democrat asking whether her feelings had been hurt. Oh girl, oh baby girl, dont even play, Ms Ocasio-Cortez retorted, leading to her counterpart mockingly adding: Oh really, baby girl? Greene insulted Jasmine Crocketts eyelashes ( Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) The back-and-fourth continued, with Ms Greene agreeing to strike her words from the record. However, she did not agree to apologise to Ms Crockett, which caused further anger in the Democratic camp. When asked, Ms Ocasio-Cortez refused to enter a debate with Ms Greene, which resulted in the Republicans final damning remark: Yeah, you dont have enough intelligence. Mr Comer concurred that Ms Greenes insult ultimately did not violate House rules, leaving Ms Crockett scratching her head at the ruling. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blond, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Rep Crockett asked the chairman. After further tiffs, the hearing began to simmer down with the panel voting to allow Ms Greene to continue speaking. Nearly an hour after the hearing was derailed, the committee got back to the focal point of the meeting: whether Mr Garland should be held in contempt of Congress. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump is planning to headline a political fundraiser on the day he demanded a break in his hush money trial so that he could attend his youngest son Barrons high school graduation. The Minnesota Republican Party has announced that the former president will headline its annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner event on Friday 17 May, the same day that Barron Trump graduates from Oxbridge Academy in the Sunshine State. We are thrilled to welcome President Trump back to Minnesota, state GOP chairman David Hann said in a statement. I can think of no one more fitting to join us this year than President Trump. The fundraiser will be held in St Paul, Minnesota, a roughly three hour and 45 minute flight from West Palm Beach, where Barrons graduation ceremony will take place. The high school event starts from 10am ET. It is not clear what time the Republican fundraiser gets under way. However, Mr Trumps busy schedule that day comes after he falsely claimed the judge in his hush money trial wouldnt give him a day off to attend his sons graduation from Oxbridge. At the start of the trial in April, Mr Trumps legal team asked the judge to allow the criminal defendant the day off. Judge Juan Merchan told the former president he was not going to make a decision until the trial was underway, saying that he would not be able to grant the request if the trial was running behind schedule. Donald Trump with then-first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron as the former delivered his acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination on the South Lawn of the White House on 27 August 2020 ( AP ) Mr Trump hit out at the judge saying that he was blocking him from attending the special moment. Who will explain for me, to my wonderful son, Barron, who is a GREAT Student at a fantastic School, that his Dad will likely not be allowed to attend his Graduation Ceremony, something that we have been talking about for years, because a seriously Conflicted and Corrupt New York State Judge wants me in Criminal Court on a bogus 'Biden Case' which, according to virtually all Legal Scholars and Pundits, has no merit, and should NEVER have been brought, he wrote on Truth Social on 15 April. Mr Trump's other sons and allies got in on the outrage as well. Donald Trump Jr reposted a video compilation made by right-wing online personality Jack Posobiec calling Judge Merchans non-existent decision pure evil. Judge Merchan is truly heartless in not letting a father attend his sons graduation, Eric Trump also chimed in. Senate candidate Kari Lake called the judge corrupt, heartless and cruel, while Utah senator Mike Lee wrote that it was deliberately cruel. Despite all the complaining, Judge Merchan ultimately granted the request saying on 30 April that it was not a problem for Mr Trump to take the day off for the ceremony because the trial is currently running to schedule. His appearance in Minnesota on 17 May will also come after Mr Trump once vowed never to visit the state again if President Joe Biden won it in the 2020 election. First lady Melania Trump with her son Barron at the White House on 27 August 2020 ( Getty ) What we've done for Minnesota, if I lose Minnesota, I'm never coming back, he said during his 2020 presidential campaign. I don't care. I'm never coming back! Apparently that promise didn't stick. The Independent has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment. Unlike his siblings, Barron has largely been kept out of the spotlight. After the end of Mr Trump's presidency, his youngest son left Washington and enrolled at the school from which he will now graduate near the familys Mar-a-Lago home and is next expected to enrol in college. A source close to the Trump family told People in March that if Barron goes away to college, there is a chance that his mother will follow him. Melanias main job is taking care of Barron, the source said. I think its possible that she will follow him wherever he goes to school. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Donald and Melania Trump attended their son Barron Trumps high school graduation ceremony together in Florida on Friday as the former presidents criminal hush money trial entered its final throes. The former president and first lady stood in the stands at Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida alongside Ms Trumps father, Viktor Knavs, and other parents to witness the ceremony at the private school. Shortly before the ceremony began, Mr Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce his attendance. Great student, wonderful boy! Very exciting!!! Mr Trump wrote. The former presidents presence was not guaranteed after the hush money trial judge did not immediately grant Mr Trump permission to attend the ceremony, spurring rants from the former president on Truth Social last month. Mr Trump is required to attend proceedings in his trial under New York criminal law. The ceremony was the first time that Mr Trump has been seen in public with his wife since the trial heard excruciating details from adult film star Stormy Daniels about her alleged affair with the former president, which allegedly took place after Mr and Ms Trump were married. He has denied that the affair ever took place. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Melania Trump, attend the graduation ceremony of their son Barron Trump, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. May 17, 2024 ( Reuters ) The former first lady has not attended her husbands criminal trial in New York, though her name was brought up this week by Mr Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen when he took the stand. Cohen alleged that it was Ms Trump who suggested Mr Trump excuse his sexist language in a leaked Access Hollywood tape as locker room talk. The Manhattan trial is set to resume on Monday. Soon after the graduation on Friday, Mr Trump took further advantage of his day off by heading to Minnesota for the GOPs annual Lincoln Reagan dinner. Barron was one of 116 seniors graduating from the private school on Friday. Oxbridge Academy said the graduation ceremony was private, by invitation only due to the heightened interest in this years event according to USA Today. We respectfully ask all media to refrain from coming to the school to allow for the safety of our graduates, family members, and other guests in attendance, the school said in a statement obtained by The Palm Beach Post. Barron Trump, the son of former U.S. President Donald Trump, attends his graduation ceremony, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. May 17, 2024. ( Reuters ) The youngest Trump son is set to attend college in the fall but it is unclear where he will be going. Mr Trump told guests at Mar-a-Lago recently that his son is considering several colleges. The former president has not revealed what his son will be majoring in or if he has any career aspirations thus far. Politics may be an option for Barron as he was recently chosen, by Floridas Republican Party, to be one of the states 41 at-large delegates tasked with nominating his father as the Republican presidential candidate at the annual GOP convention. While Barron was honored to be chosen, the former first lady said in a statement that her son, regretfully, cannot attend the convention in July due to prior commitments. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Seth Myers poked fun at Donald Trump s army of Republican puppets that have taken it upon themselves to act as the former presidents mouthpiece while hes prohibited from speaking publicly about his hush money trial. In March, Mr Trump , 77, was issued a gag order from Justice Juan Merchan , whos overseeing the criminal trial, in an attempt to stop him from making statements about jurors, witnesses and families of the judge and prosecutors. This week, an army of Maga faithfuls have attended Manhattan Criminal Court in a show of solidarity with the former president, with the latest being Colorados Lauren Boebert and Floridas Matt Gaetz . These GOP lawmakers were just some of Mr Trumps loyalists in the firing line on Thursdays episode of Late Night with Seth Myers. Well, I get it. Its good publicity for Boebert and good practice for Gaetz, the host said. You see, Trump is under a gag order and cant attack people involved in the case the way he wants to, so his workaround is to summon his army of puppets to do his bidding, he added. Seth Myers poked fun at GOP duo Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz ( Getty ) Ms Boebert and Mr Gaetz arrived at the New York City courthouse on Thursday where Mr Trump is on trial charged with falsifying business records over alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels to quash claims of an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Mr Trump denies all 34 felony counts against him and accusations of an affair. The two members of Congress, however, could do something the presumptive Republican presidential candidate could not: speak publicly about key figures in the trial. We are here of our own volition, because there are things we can say that President Trump is unjustly not allowed to say, Mr Gaetz told reporters outside of the court. He added that prosecutors had made up the Mr Potato Head of crimes to bring Trump to trial. Ill never stop standing up for President Trump, even if Im the last one standing, Ms Boebert chimed in. Lauren Boebert also joined Mr Gaetz in Manhattan ( AP ) Mr Meyers heckled the pair for their unwavering show of support for the former president. If youre on trial for a criminal charge where character is central to the case, Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert arent exactly the role models you want with you in the room, he said. Thats like if OJ [Simpson]s buddy at his trial were Charles Manson, Hannibal Lecter, the host teased. Inside the courtroom, Ms Boebert and Mr Gaetz sat in the first row behind the defense table. Mr Gaetz sat next to Mr Trumps son, Eric Trump, occasionally speaking to one another. Mr Myers quipped that sitting front row at the Trump trial must be like the Mega version of sitting courtside at a Knicks game. It comes a day after House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson attended Mr Trumps trial in New York on Wednesday, and received scathing criticism after skipping a House session. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Stephen Colbert has poked fun at the relatively sparse crowds at Donald Trumps inauguration in 2017 after Michael Cohen revealed at the former presidents hush money trial that he had a hard time getting tickets for the event. As the fourth week of Mr Trumps ongoing criminal trial over hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels drew to a close, his former attorney Michael Cohen took the stand again for a tense morning of cross-examination. Mr Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of alleged cover up of the payments. He has pleaded not guilty. A clip from Cohens podcast was played aloud on Thursday in the courtroom, revealing how Cohen celebrated his former boss indictment on criminal charges saying, I hope he rots in jail for what he did to me. The inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on 20 Janurary 2017 ( AFP/Getty Images ) Mr Trumps lawyer Todd Blanche used this clip to try and undermine Cohens credibility as the prosecutions star witness, portraying him as seeking revenge. As motivation for Cohens vindictiveness, Colbert explained on his Thursday night show, the defense tried to show that Cohen felt rejected by Trump, including getting him to confirm that he had a hard time getting tickets to Trumps 2017 inauguration. Mr Blance confronted Cohen with texts between him and his daughter, noting that he was having difficulty obtaining tickets to Mr Trumps 2017 inauguration, and Cohen confirmed this on the stand. Wow, Colbert reacted. That had to sting. Because we all know, there were plenty of seats available. Colbert then put the infamous picture from the 2017 inauguration on screen, which showed areas of the National Mall in front of the United States Capitol in Washington DC being glaringly sparse at lerast compared to Barack Obamas inauguration in 2009 . Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017 (left) and Barack Obamas first swearing-in ceremony in 2009 ( Reuters/Getty ) After Mr Trump was sworn in as president, the new White House had spent the large part of Mr Trumps first day in office falsely claiming his inauguration was the most-viewed in history, with the largest audience in attendance in Washington. At the time, Mr Trump complained about "a lot of empty areas" he had seen from his inauguration in photos released by the National Park Service, and documents later appaered to reveal that pictures from the inauguration had been edited to crop out areas that had not been filled by audience members. It is unclear in the documents if those photos had been released. 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 ) Elsewhere during Cohens cross-examination, Mr Blanche spent several hours in court trying to paint the former fixer as a serial liar, even raising his voice and screaming at the witness over a pivotal phone call that connected Mr Trump to a conspiracy at the centre of the case. Thats a lie! Mr Blanche fumed on Thursday. At one point, Mr Blanche pushed Cohen to admit that he was lying about the true purpose of the call. No, sir, I cant, Cohen replied. Ooh, so close, Colbert said, clicking his fingers. Was kind of a weak way to try and get a confession. It would be like a detective gathering everyone in the room at the end of a murder mystery and saying, And the murderer is..any volunteers? It would really help me out. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} 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. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The White House is staying out of the controversy surrounding Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after reports of a pro-Trump election denial display at his Virginia home in the days before President Joe Biden took office. The flagpole on the judges front lawn had flown an upside-down American flag in late 2020 and early 2021, according to a report from The New York Times on Thursday. The traditional military distress symbol was repurposed as a political symbol to indicate rejection of the legitimacy of Mr Bidens election victory over former president Donald Trump by his GOP supporters. The upside-down flag was visible up to 17 January 2021, The Times reported, 11 days after a violent pro-Trump mob attempted to block certification of the election by storming the Capitol, and three days before Mr Bidens inauguration. On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that she would not be commenting on the matter but that the US flag should not be misused. The President believes that the American flag is sacred... we should be respecting that flag, we should be making sure that it is respected in that way, she said. I do not want to get into the business of the specific actions that that Supreme Court justices, if they should recuse themselves or not on on a court that is something for the court more broadly, they have to make that decision. That is something that we're not going to step into we're not going to comment from here. In an interview with Fox News, Justice Alito blamed the display of the political symbol on his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, and said she had been incensed and offended by a vulgar anti-Trump sign displayed in a window at the home of one of their neighbours. The conservative judge said that Ms Alito had gotten into an argument over the sign with their neighbour, who subsequently put up a different sign. The judge said that sign referenced his wife in vulgar terms and blamed her for the attack on the Capitol. He also told Fox that he had no role in the flags orientation and stressed that it was flying outside their property only for a short time. Despite Mr Alitos denial, the Senate Judiciary Committees top Democrat, Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, called for him to recuse himself from a pair of cases related to the January 6 attack. Flying an upside-down American flaga symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movementclearly creates the appearance of bias. Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former Presidents immunity in US v Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering, Mr Durbin said. The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust. The flag controversy is not the first to face the high court justices on account of spousal support for Mr Trump. Ginny Thomas, who is married to senior associate justice, Clarence Thomas, has long been associated with conservative and pro-Trump causes. She became a subject of interest to the House January 6 select committee after it became known that shed been present at a protest near the Capitol on the day of the riot. Prominent Democrats have also called for Justice Thomas to stand aside from Trump-related cases on account of Ms Thomas activities. He has refused to do so. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} An Irish woman who claims to have been raped at knifepoint by the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has said she feared for her life during the assault and that she could never forget the attacker, whose eyes bored into my skull. Hazel Behan, 40, who was allegedly raped by Christian Bruckner in 2004, detailed her traumatic experience in a German court on Thursday. She described how her assailant, masked and dressed in black, tied her up, raped her and whipped her for hours, leaving her with enduring physical and psychological scars. Bruckner, 47, is accused of carrying out multiple sexual assaults in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. Ms Behan said she still carried the scars from the attack that took place in Praia da Rocha in the Algarve, where she was working as a holiday representative. The Algarve is also where British girl Madeleine McCann, then aged three, disappeared from her familys holiday apartment in 2007. Ms Behan told the court that she would never forget the attackers blue eyes. I believe that this man was my attacker, she said. She described him as very aggressive and hateful. I knew his eyes, I know his eyes, she said. I see blue eyes every day. My son has blue eyes. I know the difference when you spend time in that situation and theres nothing else you can see of this human other than their eyes, its the only thing to remember, she added. They were boring into my skull, I will never forget them. They were just so blue. Everything else he had on was so dark, so it was like his eyes were lights. I just know them. He was very aggressive and hateful. He really didnt like me. He was in control, he was in charge. Ms Behan chose to waive her right to anonymity when she approached investigators with her testimony in 2020, after a police appeal featuring Bruckners photo, which she claimed caused her severe distress due to the striking resemblance to her attacker. Bruckner, currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for the 2005 rape of an American woman in the Algarve, has denied all charges related to Ms Behans case and the McCann disappearance. He is scheduled for release at the end of next year. The ongoing trial, which began in February and includes testimony from numerous witnesses and experts, is set to continue into the autumn. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Spain is not allowing ships carrying arms to Israel to call at its ports, the countrys foreign minister said, in keeping with its commitment to not contribute to war. The European nation refused to let a ship carrying 27 tonnes of explosives from India to Haifa dock at the Cartagena port, El Pais reported. 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, Jose Manuel Albares, the foreign minister, said in Brussels on Thursday. 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. The vessel had requested to call at the Cartagena port on 21 May, transport minister Oscar Puente said. Spains ruling Socialists have reportedly landed in a dispute with their hardline leftist partners over the transit of vessels carrying arms to Israel. The dispute erupted over the docking of German owned cargo ship Borkum, which is due to dock in Cartagena on Friday. The leftists have asked for Borkum to be turned away saying its shipping weapons to Israel but Mr Puente has claimed it is transporting military material to the Czech Republic. The UN Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories said a vessel reportedly carrying weapons for Israel entering Spains waters poses a challenge to Spains stance on human rights. I place my trust in the peoples of Spain students, educators, intellectuals, workers, civil society, and politicians to make sure that an effective arms embargo on Israel is progressively and fully enforced, Francesca Albanese said. Spain has been a vocal critic of Israels war on Gaza which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians so far and left over 80 per cent of the territorys 2.2 million population homeless and on the brink of starvation. The war began on 7 October after Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people. Spain has led the European push to recognise Palestine with Ireland, Malta and Slovenia expected to join it. The time has come for the international community to once and for all recognise the State of Palestine, prime minister Pedro Sanchez said in November. It is something that many EU countries believe we have to do jointly, but if this is not the case, Spain will adopt its own decision. His government has also suspended weapons sales to Israel. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} As Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico recovers from surgery having been shot five times at close range, critics of his ruling party are worried the attack could be used to widen the political faultlines in a country that has been on edge for months. Mr Ficos condition is stable but serious according to hospital officials, while a suspect has been charged with attempted murder and could face life imprisonment. Miriam Lapunikova, director of the University FD Roosevelt hospital in Banska Bystrica, where Mr Fico was taken by helicopter after he was shot, said he underwent a CT scan and is currently awake and stable in an intensive care unit. She described his condition as very serious. I think it will take several more days until we will definitely know the direction of the further development, said defence minister and deputy prime minister Robert Kalinak, speaking at the hospital. Interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok, in a statement, described the gunman as a lone wolf who is not a member of any right-wing or left-wing radicalised party. But in the same breath he asked journalists to reflect on how they had covered Mr Ficos policies, before insisting that the attack was politically motivated. Mr Ficos pro-Russia views he has criticised the previous governments military support for Kyiv have contributed to deep divisions in the small European country that borders Ukraine. After his election victory last year, the new government immediately halted arms deliveries to Ukraine. Thousands repeatedly took to the streets across Slovakia to rally against Mr Ficos pro-Russian and other policies, including plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor and to take control of public media. Mr Ficos return to power he is a three-time prime minister has caused concern among his critics that he and his party will lead Slovakia away from its pro-Western course. He vowed to pursue a sovereign foreign policy, promised a tough stance against migration and non-governmental organisations, and campaigned against LGBT+ rights. Last month, the government approved a proposal to abolish the public broadcaster and replace it with a new body, sparking outrage among opposition parties who say the government will then have control of public radio and television. A man waves the Slovakian flag outside the hospital in Banska Bystrica where Mr Fico is being treated ( AFP via Getty Images ) Members of Mr Ficos ruling SMER party, as well as more extreme figures from the far-right Slovak National Party (SNS) part of the prime ministers three-party coalition have wasted no time in suggesting the attack was the result of political tension. Lubos Blaha, the deputy speaker of parliament from the SMER party, issued a direct address to opposition politicians and the media. This is your fault, he said. I want to express my deep disgust at what you have been doing here for the last few years. You, the liberal media, the political opposition, what kind of hatred did you spread towards Robert Fico? You built gallows for him. Mr Blaha later claimed, without providing evidence, that the suspect accused of shooting the PM had been at events run by the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party. We [ruling coalition MPs] are the biggest next targets, he said. Lubos Blaha, the deputy speaker of parliament from the SMER party, blamed the media and political opposition for the attack on Mr Fico ( Alamy Stock Photo ) Another deputy speaker, Andrej Danko from SNS, blamed the attempted assassination on independent media. Are you happy now? he asked. I still cant believe that someone in society would be willing to cross that line. He then referred to some journalists as disgusting pigs and said his party saw the attack as the start of a political war. I believe that with Robert Fico well handle the situation, but there will be some changes here, he added. Media freedom has been the subject of extensive discussion in Slovakia in recent weeks as Mr Ficos government pushed the controversial proposal forward to replace the public broadcaster RTVS. Journalists now fear the populist prime ministers crackdown on independent media outlets could worsen after this attack. The countrys media signed a common online statement condemning the attack on Mr Fico as the path of hatred, which we cannot allow to take over Slovakia, because it will send us to the darkest place on the map. Slovakias president-elect Peter Pellegrini speaks to reporters on Thursday to try and calm tensions ( AFP via Getty Images ) They added: We appeal to politicians not to divide our society any further, and not to immediately start looking for guilty parties. Now is the time to come together. Slovakias outgoing liberal president, Zuzana Caputova, joined her successor and Mr Fico ally, Peter Pellegrini, to make a joint address on Thursday to try and calm tensions. This came despite interior minister Mr Estok claiming that the perpetrators decision [to try to assassinate Mr Fico] was born closely after the presidential election. We are standing here together because we want to send a signal of reconciliation in this tense moment, Ms Caputova said. Were one country, one nation, and along with our national minorities we form a single human community. [This] attack is first and foremost a great human tragedy, but also an attack on democracy. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The Vatican has radically reformed its rules for evaluating reported supernatural events such as weeping Madonnas and blood-dripping crucifixes that have for centuries whipped up the Catholic faithful. Its doctrine office has overhauled procedures, first issued in 1978, arguing that they were no longer viable in the internet age. Nowadays, word about apparitions or weeping Madonnas travels quickly and can actually harm the faithful if hoaxers are trying to make money off peoples beliefs or manipulate them, the Vatican said. The Catholic Church has had a long and controversial history of the faithful claiming to have had visions of the Virgin Mary, of statues purportedly weeping tears of blood and stigmata erupting on hands and feet mimicking the wounds of Christ. Church figures who claimed to have experienced the stigmata wounds, including Padre Pio and Pope Franciss namesake, St Francis of Assisi, have inspired millions of Catholics even if decisions about their authenticity have been elusive. Francis himself has weighed in on the phenomenon, making clear that he is devoted to the main church-approved Marian apparitions, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, who believers say appeared to an Indigenous man in Mexico in 1531. But Francis has expressed skepticism about more recent events, including claims of repeated messages from Mary to seers at the shrine of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, even while allowing pilgrimages to take place there. When confirmed as authentic by church authorities, these otherwise inexplicable signs have led to a flourishing of the faith, with new religious vocations and conversions. That has been the case for the purported apparitions of Mary that turned Fatima in Portugal, and Lourdes in France, into enormously popular pilgrimage destinations. Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, head of the Vatican doctrine office, is flanked by Sister Daniela del Gaudio, head of the Observatory on Marian Apparitions and Mystical Phenomenon, during a press conference at the Vatican on Friday ( AP ) The revised norms acknowledge the real potential for such abuses and warn that hoaxers will be held accountable, including with canonical penalties. That was the case when the Vatican in 2007 excommunicated the members of a Quebec-based group, the Army of Mary, after its foundress claimed to have had Marian visions and declared herself the reincarnation of the mother of Christ. The new norms reframe the evaluation process by essentially taking off the table whether church authorities will declare a particular vision or event supernatural. Instead, the new criteria envisages six main outcomes, with the most favorable being that the church issues a noncommittal doctrinal green light, a so-called nihil obstat. Such a declaration means there is nothing about the event that is contrary to the faith, and therefore Catholics can express devotion to it. The bishop can take more cautious approaches if there are doctrinal red flags about the reported event. The most serious envisages a declaration that the event isnt supernatural or that it needs a public statement that adherence to this phenomenon is not allowed. At no point are the faithful obliged to believe in the particular events, said Argentine cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, the head of the Vatican doctrine office. The church gives the faithful the freedom to pay attention or not, he said at a news conference. Despite the new criteria, he assured that the churchs past decision-making on alleged supernatural events such as at Fatima, Guadalupe or Lourdes remains valid. What was decided in the past has its value, he said. What was done, remains. To date, fewer than 20 apparitions have been approved by the Vatican, according to Michael ONeill, who runs the online apparition resource The Miracle Hunter. Associated Press For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including food and temporary shelter, are starting to head into Gaza via a US-constructed temporary pier , less than a day after it was completed. The trucks began moving into the enclave at around 9am local time on Friday, US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement. No US military personnel set foot in Gaza in conjunction with the operation, it said. This is an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza via a maritime corridor that is entirely humanitarian in nature, and will involve aid commodities donated by a number of countries and humanitarian organisations, Centcom wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The aid delivery system became operational in less than 24 hours after the pier, known as a Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore system (JLOTS), was towed from the Israeli port of Ashdod and installed on Thursday morning. An aid ship off Gaza coast ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Boats carrying supplies were expected to be chaperoned by US Navy vessels to move its stockpiles from the pier to the causeway, which is anchored to land, Centcom said. Trucks would then drive the supplies along the causeway ashore. The JLOTS system promises to provide more packages than air drops, as Israels military assault has shut off a number of crossings that are crucial for supplies to reach Palestinian civilians. Gazas main entry point from which it disseminates aid is the Rafah crossing. The once-perceived Palestinian safe zone has been embroiled in an Israeli ground assault , resulting in the crossing to shut for nearly two weeks causing furor among world leaders. US President Joe Biden has been vocal in his frustration with Israels operations in Rafah, calling its offensive on the city as wrong and warning it will stop the supply of certain weapons if the assault proceeds. Image from last month of the floating pier for Gaza being constructed ( US Army via Reuters ) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNBC that we want to see it [the Rafah crossing] open, before blaming Egypt for the delay. While the United Nations (UN) thanked the US for its efforts, it warned a floating dock wasnt a concrete solution for the flow of aid into the besieged region. UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said the antidote would be for all crossing points to be opened, with land routes remaining the most efficient logistical method of transporting aid into Gaza. US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said that the pier was meant to be additive to the other routes, not the primary means of supplying humanitarian aid to desperate Palestinians. It comes as stockpiles of food in the region are running out with almost none left, Martin Griffiths, the UNs aid chief, told Reuters. The JLOTS system was assembled and waiting in Ashdod earlier this month, costing the US an estimated $320 million. Components of the pier were shipped from Virginia to the Mediterranean in March after Mr Biden announced plans for JLOTS in his State of the Union address. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The bodies of three Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during the deadly 7 October attack have been discovered, including the remains of the German-Israeli tattoo artist Shani Louk. A photo of the 22-year-olds body in the back of a pickup truck went viral around the world in the aftermath of the attack, and brought to light the tragic scale of the militants assault on communities in southern Israel. The other two bodies have been identified by the Israeli military as those of a 28-year-old woman, Amit Buskila, and a 56-year-old man, Itzhak Gelerenter. Bodies of three Israeli hostages have been recovered in Gaza ( AP ) All three were killed by Hamas at the Nova music festival, an outdoor dance party near the Gaza border, and their bodies were taken into the Palestinian territory, military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a news conference. Israels prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths heartbreaking saying: We will return all of our hostages, both the living and the dead. Shani Louks father said the return of her body to her family had offered a form of closure. Nissim Louk told Haaretz that his daughter radiated light, to her and those who surrounded her, and in her death she still does. Tattoo artist Shani Louk was kidnapped and killed after Hamas gunmen attacked a music festival ( Sourced ) She is a symbol of the people of Israel, between light and darkness. Her inner and outer beauty that shone for all the world to see is a special one. He said: The tormented soul knows that there is a hole in the heart somewhere in Gaza. Today we got a final answer. In a statement, the IDF said the bodies had been recovered in an operation overnight. It said it had acted on intelligence gleaned from interrogations of terrorists who had been detained in Gaza. Around 1,200 people were killed in an unprecedented and shocking attack when Hamas gunmen burst through the border in October last year. The attackers took an estimated 252 others back to Gaza as hostages. Louks mother pictured during a press conference about the hostages ( AP ) Half of those have since been freed, most of them during a weeklong ceasefire in November when an agreement was reached for their release in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It is believed that around 100 hostages are still being held captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. Meanwhile, Israels retaliatory war on the small territory has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to officials in the Hamas-run health ministry. Alin Atias, right, holds a picture of her daughter Amit Buskila ( AP ) Mr Netanyahu has vowed both to eliminate Hamas and to bring all the hostages back, but he has made little progress. He is under pressure to resign, and the US has threatened to scale back its support because of the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israelis are divided into two main camps: those who want the government to put the war on hold and free the hostages, and others who think the hostages are an unfortunate price to pay for eradicating Hamas. On-and-off negotiations mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt have yielded limited results thus far. Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A new Google feature aimed at alerting people to scams has led to fears from privacy campaigners. The tool uses artificial intelligence to listen in on peoples phone calls, and try and spot if they sound like a scam. If they do, then a pop-up will show alerting people to a likely scam. The feature was announced at Googles I/O event this week, during which it announced a host of new AI tools. Like many of those features, Google did not say when it would actually arrive. It also gave little information on how the feature would actually work, such as what kind of conversations would prompt the AI to suggest that the call could be a scam. But it said that it relied on Gemini Nano, a recently released, much smaller version of its AI that is built to run on phones. Google stressed that all the listening and analysis of phone calls would happen on the phone itself, so that private conversations would not be sent to its servers. This protection all happens on-device so your conversation stays private to you, it said in its announcement. But nonetheless security experts suggested that listening to phone calls in such a way at all was incredibly dangerous and terrifying. They noted that even if the calls stay on the device, then allowing AI to listen in on calls could lead to other problems. The phone calls we make on our devices can be one of the most private things we do, Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, told NBC News. Its very easy for advertisers to scrape every search we make, every URL we click, but what we actually say on our devices, into the microphone, historically hasnt been monitored. This is incredibly dangerous, said Meredith Whittaker, president at messaging app Signal. It lays the path for centralized, device-level client side scanning. Ms Whittaker, who worked at Google for 13 years and helped organise internal protests against its policies, said that the use of the technology could quickly expand. From detecting scams its a short step to detecting patterns commonly associated w[ith] seeking reproductive care or commonly associated w[ith] providing LGBTQ resources or commonly associated with tech worker whistleblowing, she said. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy 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. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The mother of a boy who fell to his death from his 15th-floor tower block window had complained to the council about safety repeatedly, according to his family. Aalim Makial Jibril, 5, plunged 150ft from a kitchen window - which can apparently be opened to its full extension by pressing one button - in Jacobs House on New City Road, Plaistow, in east London shortly before 6am on Thursday. A fundraiser from a local mosque has raised more than 650 so far. The boys aunt, Maryan Hadafow, said her Arsenal-mad nephew, who was a pupil at New City Primary School, had died after getting up early for school and fell while his family were asleep. Accompanied by Alams grandmother, Maryan told The Sun: He went in the kitchen and opened the window. He got up early to go to school. He was a lovely boy. Maryan added: His mother has complained to Newham Council about that window. She sent five emails about how they open, and said they were not safe for her kids, but no one did anything. Floral tributes left outside Jacobs House in Plaistow, east London ( Samuel Montgomery/PA Wire ) Teachers at New City Primary School came to the scene to leave floral tributes to the popular pupil. A school statement sent to The Independent said: Aalim was a beautiful, happy and caring boy who thoroughly enjoyed school and was popular with all his friends. He was much loved by his family and all the staff at New City. This is a terrible tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this sad time. Ansert Davis, who lives in Jacobs House, said he saw the boys father after the tragedy. I just ran down and tried to speak to the dad but hes inconsolable, he said. 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, he added. 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. A spokesman from the familys Masjid Ibrahim & Islamic Centre (MIIC) extended his deepest condolences and sympathies after launching a fundraiser to support them. He told The Independent: The family was in a temporary accommodation and both parents are totally devastated by the accident. The unfortunate incident has again highlighted the tough conditions vulnerable families find themselves in. The community has come together not only to mourn the life of a young person cut short needlessly but also to support the two distraught parents and each other in these testing moments. We urge the authorities to support the affected family in whatever possible way and hope they wont be left alone. Abi Gbago, Chief Executive of Newham Council said in a statement: Yesterday was a heartbreaking and tragic day for all concerned, and we are united both in our grief, and in our determination to ensure the family are fully supported. What they have been through with the loss of Aalim, their child, is truly devastating and they will need time and space to mourn such a terrible loss. We are undertaking a full investigation to reach the fullest possible understanding of what happened, and will fully support any other investigations. Once all of the relevant facts are established and investigations are concluded, which we will do as quickly as possible, we will provide an update. Fiona Bruce's four-word warning to Stephen Flynn during Thursday's (16 May) episode of Question Time prompted laughter from the Aberdeen audience. The SNP Westminster leader had called out Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar for interrupting him during a question on housing. As Mr Sawar cut in, Mr Flynn asked for him to allow him to finish before the panel host interjected. Ms Bruce sparked laughter after saying: "You've interrupted everybody here." Mr Flynn then continued his point, discussing how many homes Scotland had built compared to England and Wales. Suella Braverman was met with silence when she approached pro-Palestine protesters who had set up an encampment at Cambridge University. The former home secretary attempted to engage with people wearing masks, asking them what their "message" would be to Israel and Hamas and if they thought hostages should be released. Each time she tried to talk to protesters, they did not respond to her. Tents were set up outside the university's Senate House ahead of graduation ceremonies due to take place there. The events were instead held at Downing College due to the protest. Platform provides information and resources about the candidates and their policies Jon Hawkins and Dermot OKane at the launch of the new election hub. Photo: David Murphy A digital mapping system created by software firm Esri Ireland is being used by Waterford City and County Council ahead of the upcoming local and European elections on Friday, June 7. The resource provides information on the elections for 127,000 citizens in the region and was built using Esris dedicated technology. The election hub shares insights on existing representatives and candidates running in both races, as well as information about the six electoral areas in the county. It also advises visitors on voting and registration. Users can enter their Eircode to access updates on their electoral area and current representatives, including local councillors and TDs. The system also provides directions for citizens to their allocated polling station ahead of election day, while interactive maps are available to download. Esri Ireland also reported that the platform is updated daily with information from the register of electors and is available in both Irish and English. The councils involved in the rollout of the new initiative indicated that the technology is improving the accuracy of the electoral area. They can now note if homes have been assigned to the wrong electoral area or if a voter has entered the incorrect Eircode. Waterford City and County Council plan to display online dashboards on the hub following the elections to update voters on the results of each count. Esri Ireland head of sales Dermot OKane said the platform will demystify the voting process for members of the local community. It also helps local candidates to better connect with households in their electoral areas, he said. Our system is flexible and can scale as the councils capabilities continue to grow. Jon Hawkins, Waterford City and County Councils geographic information systems project lead, said that configuring the hub was a straightforward process. It was an intuitive and responsive solution to build, he said. Waterford City and County Council needed to make information about elections more accessible to members of the public, help them find their polling stations, and remove other barriers to participation. Esri Ireland is part of the Esri Global Network, a private software company which employs almost 10,000 people across the world. The companys Irish office is located in Dublin. Sony Music Group, one of the worlds biggest record labels, has warned artificial intelligence (AI) companies and music streaming platforms not to use the companys content without explicit permission. Sony, whose artists include Lil Nas X, Doja Cat and Celine Dion, sent letters to more than 700 companies in an effort to protect its intellectual property, which includes album cover art, metadata, musical compositions and lyrics, from being used for training AI models. Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, shares some steamy scenes with Luke Newtons Colin Bridgerton in the third season of Bridgerton. Photo: Netflix Nicola Coughlan has revealed that she asked to be very naked in a particular Bridgerton season three scene as a f**k you to trolls who commented on her body. The 37-year-old takes the lead in the newest chapter of the Netflix period drama, portraying Penelope Featherington alongside Luke Newton, who plays Colin Bridgerton. In a new interview, the Irish actress discussed working with Bridgertons intimacy co-ordinator, Lizzy Talbot, regarding the sex scenes in this season and how she was adamant about going very naked in one scene as a direct response to the trolls who slammed her weight online. You go, OK, what do I want to show? What dont I want to show? Whats scripted, and what do I want to add?, she told Stylist. I specifically asked for certain lines and moments to be included. Theres one scene where Im very naked on camera, and that was my idea, my choice. It just felt like the biggest f**k 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 f**king hot I looked!. Her remarks came after Coughlan posted on Instagram in 2022 asking her fans to refrain from 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. Coughlan recently told the Los Angeles Times that she found shooting sex scenes with her co-star to be a liberating experience, despite her initial nerves. By the end of the day, we were both lying under a blanket, not clothed, just chillin. We were like, This is why nudists do it, she said. She also requested a PG version of Bridgerton was made so that she could watch it with her Catholic family. The actor said she requested a diluted version of the period drama, devoid of its many sex scenes. Coughlan said Netflix chiefs agreed and its literally written into my contract. People think Im saying it as a joke, she said. I grew up Irish Catholic, thats just not how we vibe. The newly released third series is expected to continue the shows success, after the first was viewed by more than 82 million households in its first four weeks and the second became Netflixs most popular English-language drama. The romance between Coughlans character and her close friend Colin Bridgerton progresses in the new instalment, catapulting her from the fringes of the storyline to the centre. Having played a supporting character since the show launched in 2020, the Derry Girls actress is still coming to terms with her new-found starring role in the third series. Coughlan said it was definitely intimidating, given the shows large audience, but the sex scenes were one of the things I enjoyed most. Speaking of the more romantic scenes with Newton (31) as Colin Bridgerton, she said: Its steamy. I was like, Oh wow, are we really doing that?. Earlier this year, Coughlan told Harpers Bazaar that some people assume that she views herself as hideous and therefore unsuitable as a choice to play a leading lady. While she said she was in disbelief about the casting, she clarified that she is pleased with how she looks. Now best known for Bridgerton, Coughlan rose to fame playing Clare Devlin in Channel 4s hit comedy Derry Girls. She made a recent cameo in Greta Gerwigs box-office hit Barbie. and earlier this year starred in another Channel 4 sitcom, Big Mood. Coughlan has also campaigned for same-sex marriage and abortion rights in Ireland, as well as calling more recently for a ceasefire in Gaza. I think you have to be led by your moral compass, she told The Irish Times in April. And I dont want that to sound worthy, but I do feel a massive weight of responsibility. ( Evening Standard) Bridgerton season three, part one is streaming now on Netflix. Part two will air on June 13 Also reviewed this week: Tiger Stripes and Rome: Open City When she died in 2017, many obituaries described her using that odious word muse, but Anita Pallenberg was rather more than that. Photo: Dogwoof Myths about Anita Pallenbergs extraordinary story extend even to her place of birth. Throughout her life, she insisted shed been born in Rome, a romantic entry point, but after her death in 2017, her son Marlon clarified that it may in fact have been Hamburg. And if that port city seems too grey and northern to have produced so exotic a flower, Anita would not let it or anything else deter her from her quest for adventure. Catching Fire (Club, 110mins) This film, made with the blessing of her son Marlon Richards, is based on an unpublished memoir found after Pallenbergs death: telling extracts, read by Scarlett Johansson, are enhanced by an extraordinary cache of archive footage of Anita during her romantic encounters with various Rolling Stones. Through this sometimes compelling audio-visual combination, we get a real sense of the drug-fuelled madness that engulfed that band. Born in Hamburg then, or possibly Rome, Anita would recall dodging Allied bombs as a toddler, and her time among German nuns at a Catholic convent in Italy. Her parents were intensely conservative: when Anita later became an actor, they were horrified. They said that acting was for prostitutes, and that I had dirtied the Pallenberg name. But of course that was only the start of it. Destined to consort with greatness, she fled to New York at the age of 19, and before you know it was hanging out with Warhol and Ginsberg, cleaning brushes for Jasper Johns. Gaunt and striking, she started modelling. Keith Richards and Pallenberg were together for over a decade. Photo: Dogwoof It was in Munich, in 1965, that Anita first encountered the Rolling Stones. After a raucous gig, Anita made her way backstage and noticed Brian Jones straight away he was the most beautiful one in the group. Beautiful perhaps, but also deeply troubled. At first they were inseparable: Everyone said we looked like twins, she writes. Jones, though, had a drug problem, and acid made him volatile. Anita tried to accommodate him: I started doing acid and I stopped modelling you couldnt do both. He was violent towards her, and during a disastrous trip to Morocco, Anita transferred her affections to Keith Richards. Richards and Anita would stay together for over a decade, and have three children, but heroin would be their undoing. Through the persuasion of Marlon Richards, no doubt who is an executive producer on the film we get to hear from Keith, who speaks with genuine fondness about Anita, and says you know were talking about a one-off here. He is modest, and wryly philosophical. I never really understood quite what she saw in me, he admits. Though Marlon was born in 1969, narcotic interludes and the pressures of fame put paid to any notion of an ordinary domestic life. When they fled a drug bust in London and moved to a chateau on the Cotes dAzur, the Stones invaded it to make an album. When she died in 2017, many obituaries described her using that odious word muse, but Anita Pallenberg was rather more than that. Photo: Dogwoof Keith had to watch from the sidelines while Anita had a fling with his best friend Mick during the making of the film Performance. After escaping yet another potential drug conviction by moving to Switzerland, they made a real go of settling down, but drugs were still in the picture. Marlon and his sister Angela speak movingly about the chaos of their childhoods. In three years, Marlon recalls, I think we moved home about 30 times. Keith and Anita were drifting apart, and in June of 1976, their 10-week-old son Tara died in his cot: a devastated Anita would always blame herself. And chaos followed her: when the couple separated and Anita moved to America, a 17-year-old neighbour shot himself dead in her bedroom. In Catching Fire, we get a blow-by-blow of the tabloid headlines of Pallenbergs life, but not enough room, perhaps, is given to her thwarted and promising acting career, her fashion sense, or the impressive way in which she got sober and resurrected her life. When she died in 2017, many obituaries described her using that odious word muse, but Anita Pallenberg was rather more than that. In selected cinemas only from Friday, May 17 Rating: Four stars Zafreen Zairizal in the sharp and witty Tiger Stripes. Photo: Modern Film Tiger Stripes (Club, 95mins) If Brian De Palmas Carrie thought she had it tough, she might try being brought up in rural Malaysia. Twelve-year-old Zaffan (Zafreen Zairizal) is a bit of a free spirit: in my favourite moment in Tiger Stripes, she gives it socks in a hilarious TikTok dance. She hangs out with her less daring friends Farah (Deena Ezral) and Mariam (Piqa), but gets in trouble at her strict Muslim school for trying on a bra in the toilets, and taking off her headscarf. Shes given a public dressing down by her teacher, and things get even worse when she gets home. You bring shame on our family, her mother says, while dragging her out into the street by her hair. That night, Zaffan wakes in confusion to find blood in her bed: her period has begun. Youre dirty now, her mother tells her, echoing the wider societal mood. When her friends find out, they start to shun her, but Zaffan has noticed other changes in her body, a new power even, and may get her own back. Amanda Nell Eus debut feature is sharp and witty, justifiably angry, and while the supernatural inferences are somewhat half-hearted, her three young leads are wonderful. In cinemas from Friday, May 17 Rating: Three stars Hard-hitting 1945 drama Rome: Open City is back in cinemas. Photo: BFI Distribution Rome: Open City (No Cert, IFI, 101mins) As Italy flirts with fascism, this timely restoration of a 1940s classic reminds us how well it went last time they tried it. Filmed only months after Rome had been liberated by the allies, Roberto Rossellinis hard-hitting drama charts the struggles of those who resisted both the Nazis and Mussolinis fascists in the dying days of World War II. Luigi Ferrari (Marcello Pagliero) is a prominent Communist resistance fighter, and the Gestapo are scouring Rome for him. Despite their ideological differences, he seeks the help of priest Don Pietro (Aldo Fabrizi). Ferraris presence in Don Pietros working-class parish is dangerous for everyone, especially as his girlfriend Marina (Maria Michi) is a Gestapo spy. Rome: Open City is often called a neorealist film, but Rossellini used the heightened tropes of melodrama to draw us into his moving tale. He does not shirk from the reality of torture, and in one beautiful scene Don Pietro sees in the badly beaten Ferrari a vision of Christ. Aldo Fabrizi is wonderful as the pragmatic priest, and the great Anna Magnani towers above all as the fearsome working class matriarch Pina. A masterpiece. In cinemas from Friday, May 17 Rating: Five stars A man in his 70s has died in Co Derry 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. Tests by a Stormont department have revealed that a fifth of badgers killed on Northern Irelands roads had tuberculosis. The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) said the results collected as part of the Department of Agricultures (DAERA) ongoing roadside collection and testing of dead badgers emphasises the need for TB to be tackled in all hosts. DAERA has stated that in 2023, 459 deceased badgers were collected from roadsides here. Of 459 badgers collected, 428 were in a condition that was suitable for laboratory testing. Some 91 of the badgers tested were confirmed positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB), equating to a rate of 21.3% positive. UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said: Here in Northern Ireland we are in desperate need for an effective program that tackles TB in all of its host, and we have been long lobbying for this. The results from DAERAs roadside badger collection speaks for itself. In order to have healthy livestock and wildlife, every single avenue which supports TB transmission must be addressed urgently. Cattle are subjected to a rigorous testing regime to try and control TB, but for years, it has failed to be successful. It is not effective on its own and highlights a serious level of inaction. Why should wildlife not be addressed in a similar way, especially when you consider that in 2023, bTB was confirmed in 0.5% of all cattle tested. There is a significant difference between a positive rate of 0.5% in NIs cattle population and 21.3% testing positive for bTB out of 91 roadside badgers. If we do not tackle TB in wildlife, a huge amount of money will continue to be wasted because DAERA have not acted appropriately to eradicate TB in all of its hosts. This is not about demonising badgers, it is about creating a healthy, prosperous environment for all animals to thrive in, side by side. A Stormont consultation on dealing with bovine TB ended on Monday. I sought views on proposals to introduce a targeted badger intervention policy. It would mean badger culling would remain an option in areas where there is evidence to support that its needed. This would be where there are both high levels of infection in cattle and evidence suggesting badgers are part of the local disease problem. In these targeted areas, culling would continue until the disease situation has improved, based on an annual review by the UKs chief veterinary officer. Badger vaccination would then be used to ensure the results achieved through culling are maintained. This will prevent the return of disease in these areas. Yesterday, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir delivered his first Ministerial Address at Balmoral Show. Speaking on disease control, public and animal health, Minister Muir said: I am acutely aware, as you will be also, that Bovine Tuberculosis is one of the most challenging issues facing us. With herd incidence currently at just under 10%, one farm in 10 has experienced the difficulties associated with a new TB breakdown in the past year. BTB is not the only challenge we face and we will continue our efforts to prevent and eradicate other diseases. Taoiseach Simon Harris said agriculture was making relative progress on emissions reductions compared to other sectors of the economy (Brian Lawless/PA) Fine Gaels agricultural group has presented Taoiseach Simon Harris with a new farming wishlist for his consideration, which includes CAP reforms, land leasing tax break limits and funding for slurry storage. Over the past two years the partys National Agricultural, Food, and Rural Development Forum (NAFRD), led by former IFA president Eddie Downey, has been canvassing the views of farmers, rural dwellers and business people. Taking inspiration from the 16 public meetings, the group formulated a series of recommendations for the Taoiseach. At the publication of the report in Kildare on Thursday, the Taoiseach said: Today were here to take the next step, which is about this party, the party of farmers, endeavouring to rebuild, reconnect and renew our relationship with farmers right across the country. The Taoiseach also took the opportunity to renew his support for farmers, claiming: There is a disproportionate focus often on the agri-food sector versus other sectors of the Irish economy. I think thats unfair, unhelpful and certainly not a position that I intend to play in with. Fine Gael Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture Martin Heydon told RTEs Drivetime it is the result of two years' work, where a voluntary group of Fine Gael members held a series of meetings and engagements and presented that report to the Taoiseach. At its essence its the democratic process of a political party engaging on issues and talking on policy. Some of which are policies that could be incorporated. Minister Heydon was asked to clarify if the party will be endorsing the requests contained within the plan, to which he responded: No, but were going to consider them and talk to our coalition partners about it and some of it in the longer term will be beyond the election cycle as well. On CAP, the NAFRD recommend the examination of the effectiveness of moving farm income supports from the current structure of a single farm payment to one that is subdivided into numerous headings. This should include a review of payment redistribution mechanisms including convergence, capping, and front-loading to consider their impact on farm viability and the fair distribution of payments, it suggests. The group also warns that the increasing number of schemes has led to a corresponding increase in the number of actions, terms and conditions, and inspection regimes farmers must comply with. It suggests that one overarching scheme be considered which allows farmers of any farm type to select actions that best suit their farm. On the reform of land leasing, the group wants to introduce an upper per acre limit on the tax-free proportion offered for a long-term lease. The upper limit could be introduced and slowly lowered over time to avoid disrupting existing leases and the normal operation of the market, NAFRD recommends. To help with the process of retaining Irelands Nitrates Derogation, the group says that every avenue to improve water quality should be progressed ahead of the 2026 renewal date. Including but not limited to a 70pc grant aid for additional slurry storage, dedicated catchment programmes, farm-level advisory and action supports, and embracing actions under the bioeconomy and biomethane strategies. Pat Buckley in his chapel in Larne in 1992. The Oratory Society said Bishop Buckley, who lived in Larne but was born in Offaly, died peacefully on Friday morning. He was 72. Bishop Buckley was the subject of many controversies including police investigations throughout his life. In 2017, the former Catholic priest accused the hierarchy of the Church in Ireland of using the PSNI to conduct a vendetta against him over an online religious affairs blog he ran. A potential case against him involving accusations of incitement to hatred had reportedly been dropped, but he told the Belfast Telegraph at the time that the 11-month-long saga convinced him that his former church was attempting to silence him by closing the site down. Bishop Buckley was excommunicated in 1998 as a result of his ordination as a bishop into an independent church. A year later he came out as gay, and in 2010 married his partner in a civil ceremony. In 2013, he admitted his involvement and was convicted for his part in 14 sham marriages in Northern Ireland, with the purpose of flouting immigration laws. He received a three-and-a-half-year jail term, suspended for three years. I run a blog called Thinking Catholicism, which is critical of the Catholic Church hierarchy and they dont like it, Bishop Buckley told this newspaper in December 2017. On January 6 of this year Archbishop Eamon Martin reported a comment made on the blog to the PSNI as incitement to hatred. This comment wasnt made by me, but someone who comments on the blog. There are people out there, probably pro-Catholic Church people, who do not like the blog and who are using the PSNI to close the blog down. He ran the online blog and posted on it regularly right up until his death. In 2021, the contentious cleric branded evangelical preachers in Larne as brainwashed parrots and told them they are not welcome in the town for saying homosexuality is a sin. Bishop Buckley lived in Larne with his husband Eduardo Yango, a Filipino chef. He said then that he had never experienced homophobic abuse in the Co Antrim town: You might expect a tale of horror from me, but nothing could be further from the truth. Ive lived in this town for 37 years and I love it. I am very much part of the community. Bishop Buckley made headlines over the years for many reasons. Seven years ago, he buried a 107-year-old Ballyclare Presbyterian in a cross-community service. Peggy Dunbar, who was then believed to have been Northern Irelands oldest woman, took a shine to the rebel priest when he married her eldest daughter over 30 years ago. She never forgot him and her last wish was that he bury her. Mrs Dunbar died of pneumonia in February 2017. Her body had lain at rest in Bishop Buckleys church, the Oratory, in Larne. 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 A former soldier, who was convicted last month of sexually assaulting two colleagues, has told a military court that he is unsure if he can ever forgive himself for his offences. How Liam Cosgraves great deception may have prevented victims of Dublin and Monaghan bombings getting justice On the anniversary of the atrocity, a new book by retired garda John OBrien claims no action was taken against UVF as former taoiseach considered IRA to be a greater threat A victim of the Talbot Street bomb in 1974 is taken away by emergency workers after the Dublin and Monaghan bombings Paul Williams Fri 17 May 2024 at 03:30 Retired detective chief superintendent John OBrien accuses former taoiseach Liam Cosgrave of morally washing his hands of UVF attacks because he considered the IRA to be the greater evil of the two. Fianna Fail local election candidates have vowed to not oppose social and affordable housing if elected. Party councillors, and leader Micheal Martin, have previously opposed certain housing projects. But now the partys local election manifesto promises that councillors will not oppose social and affordable housing projects. In 2021, three Fianna Fail councillors voted against housing developments in south Dublin despite the then taoiseachs pleas for politicians to not oppose housing. Councillor Emma Murphy voted against two social housing projects for older people, totalling 22 units. Her colleagues, Yvonne Collins and Teresa Costello, also voted against one of the projects, although votes for both of them passed. Mr Martin has previously called on politicians to stop objecting to all kinds of housing. However, the Tanaiste has himself opposed housing, previously objecting to the construction of accommodation for 350 students. Speaking at the partys manifesto launch, Mr Martin said this had been because of issues around density. He accused Sinn Fein of being a serial offender when it came to objecting to the building of homes. We need councillors who ultimately get it, that you have to make a decision in the end, he said. You cant have one ideological group saying, Its our way, or nothing. Cities need to be run, counties need to be administered and that takes councillors with determination and courage who are prepared to make decisions that, whilst not always popular, will result in efficient management. The manifesto also promises to support all appropriate housing projects and proposals, and vows to reform rent pressure zones certain parts of the country where rent controls are set to prevent excessive rent hikes. It also wants to extend the renters tax credit, keep development levy exemptions and the water charge rebate until December and review annually. The manifesto calls the target of 250,000 extra homes built by 2030 initially floated by Taoiseach Simon Harris in his first Fine Gael ard fheis speech ambitious. The party is running 365 local election candidates, of whom 90 are women. Mr Martin also spoke about a video circulating on social media of abuse being directed at local election candidate for the party in Limerick, Suzzie ODeniyi. He called the video shocking and said the anger, hostility, the hate in the video was clear to be seen. Mr Martin said it was off the wall that people from different nationalities are subject to attack. Tanaiste Micheal Martin lays a wreath on Talbot Street to mark the 49th anniversary of the bombings last year. Pic: Brian Lawless/PA President Michael D Higgins will join Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tanaiste Micheal Martin at a memorial event for the 34 people, including one unborn baby, killed in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings on this day fifty years ago. Over 300 people were injured in four separate bomb explosions in Parnell Street, Talbot Street and South Leinster Street in Dublin, and Heatons Corner in Monaghan on May 17, 1974. The three bombs in Dublin exploded almost simultaneously at around 5.30pm, while the fourth exploded at around 7pm in Monaghan. The scene on Talbot Street on the day of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. The bombs were later claimed by the UVF in a statement in 1993. It represents the greatest loss of life in a single day in the Troubles. The Irish Victims Commissioner John Wilson proposed a judicial inquiry in 1999, which was chaired by Justice Henry Barron. The report was critical of the initial garda investigation which was the subject of a further report in 2007 and also attributed the bombings to the UVFs Glennane gang. It also suggested collusion involving British State actors. Successive Irish Governments have requested access to certain British files relating to the bombings in order to substantiate or eliminate suspicions of collusion, but responses to these requests have not been forthcoming to date. Dublin-Monaghan bombings: She walked straight into the bomb An investigation into the Glennane gang is ongoing in Northern Ireland. The memorial, organised by Justice for the Forgotten, which represents bereaved families and survivors of the bombings and other atrocities, will take place on Talbot Street later this morning. Mr Higgins will also attend a memorial event in Monaghan Town today, where the Government will be represented by Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys. President Michael D Higgins has said the relatives of the 34 people killed during the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which occurred on this day 50 years ago, deserve the truth behind what happened. More than 300 people were injured and 34 people, including an unborn baby, died during the bombings on May 17, 1974. Mr Higgins told those gathered at the memorial on Talbot Street today that he shares in their feeling of being abandoned and failed by the system, of their being denied justice for the loss of loved ones. Three bombs on Parnell Street, Talbot Street and South Leinster Street in Dublin exploded almost simultaneously at around 5.30pm on May 17, 1974, while the fourth exploded at around 7pm at Heatons Corner in Monaghan town. It represented the greatest loss of life in a single day in the Troubles. Taoiseach Simon Harris, Tanaiste Micheal Martin and former Taoisigh Leo Varadkar and Bertie Ahern were among those in attendance at a memorial event on Talbot Street today, alongside U2 member Larry Mullen Jr and representatives from both Dublin and Monaghan local councils. The event was led by Aidan Shields, who is a member of the campaign group Justice for the Forgotten, who was 19-years-old when his mother Maureen died in the bombings. Families and friends of the victims lay wreaths, flowers and framed photos and tributes at the foot of the memorial on Talbot Street. Survivor Bernie McNally read out the names of each victim during the ceremony, telling those gathered: I am very grateful, despite my injuries, to have survived and to go on to live a good life, that I can continue to fight for justice. Taoiseach Simon Harris arrives for a wreath-laying ceremony A poem was recited by the poet laureate for Dublin 1, Rachael Hegarty, who had been shopping in Guineys with her mother and brother on May 17, 1974, when the bomb went off outside. "Seamus Heaney, our great Nobel laureate, said: Hope and history rhyme. It is very hard for hope and history to rhyme when there is no justice, Ms Hegarty said. The bombs, which exploded in each of the four locations, were later claimed by the UVF in a statement in 1993, almost twenty years after the attacks. The Irish Victims Commissioner John Wilson proposed a judicial inquiry in 1999, which was chaired by Justice Henry Barron. The scene on Talbot Street on the day of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. The report was critical of the initial garda investigation which was the subject of a further report in 2007 and also attributed the bombings to the UVFs Glennane gang. It also suggested collusion involving British State actors. Successive Irish Governments have requested access to certain British files relating to the bombings in order to substantiate or eliminate suspicions of collusion, but responses to these requests have not been forthcoming to date. Speaking at the commemorative event today, President Michael D Higgins described May 17, 1974 as a dark day of terror in Dublin and Monaghan. He acknowledged the pain and suffering that remains with the bereaved and the injured, including the unanswered questions and the ongoing pursuit of justice. Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings of 1974 were crimes of a particular level of savagery, executed consciously upon workers and civilians with total disregard for human life and suffering, he said. As well as personal injury and the horror of seeing the impact of the bombs on human bodies and in what were familiar streets, now altered forever, many families experienced the slow realisation that a family member was missing, the panic and foreboding of the search that ensued in overcrowded city hospitals, for some the grim task of identifying loved ones through body parts, bits of clothing or fragments of jewellery, followed by the ordeal of the funerals and then, for many, seeking basic information, nothing. Relatives of victims attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Memorial to the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings on Talbot Street in Dublin, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Mr Higgins acknowledged systematic failures at State level and shared with the families their feeling of being abandoned and failed by the system, of their being denied justice for the loss of loved ones. "Many people have listened to the heart-breaking stories, heard of the remarkable bravery of bereaved families and survivors, and of their battle for the truth. However, relatives need more than an empathetic ear. Justice demands that they deserve the truth no more, no less. He said it is not morally acceptable to ask those impacted by the Troubles to forget about the past, adding that people on this island have a responsibility ethically deal with the legacy. "A strategy of feigned amnesia, or hoping time will deliver one is simply not an option, nor is any strategy of continuing the protection of previous evasions or failures to act, he said. "It is not morally acceptable, nor is it politically feasible, to request that those affected by such tragedy should forget about the past, draw a line or move on in the name of any naive desire for a supposed closure that may never be attainable, Mr Higgins added. Coalition scrambles for a solution as up to 90 tents seen along Grand Canal Gardai at the entrance to the Thornton Hall site yesterday afternoon. Photo: Collins Hundreds of asylum-seekers are set to be accommodated at a site originally earmarked for a super prison, in what will be the States first major migrant camp. Thornton Hall in north county Dublin will be operational as an asylum-seeker campsite within the next six weeks, with other sites being examined as the Coalition scrambles to deal with migrant encampments in Dublin city centre. Another site near Carrickmines, south Dublin, previously leased by the State to accommodate Ukrainian refugees is to be repurposed to house asylum-seekers. The site can house around 300 people. Sites owned by the HSE and Office of Public Works (OPW) are also being examined. A significant effort is also being made to identify unused office blocks that can be renovated into asylum centres. Taoiseach Simon Harris said using Thornton Hall would be logical and the best thing to do is to secure some state land. A portion of the Thornton Hall site, which was previously earmarked to be a super prison site, is being assessed over the coming days to see how many people it can accommodate. Asylum-seekers will be housed in tents and military-style accommodation on the site. Migrants who have their applications processed and receive status are also being moved out of direct provision and newly arriving asylum-seekers are being moved in. The Government is still looking at a number of sites to hold six reception centres to accommodate migrants in the long term. However, a Government source emphasised these will not be finalised before next months local and European elections and perhaps not for months while the sites are scouted and examined. A portion of the Thornton Hall site, which was previously earmarked to be a super prison site, is being assessed over the coming days to see how many people it can accommodate. I want to know are we out of kilter with other European countries? - Simon Harris on Ireland's application of migration rules The Taoiseach and Tanaiste backed the use of Thornton Hall yesterday. Mr Harris said the Government was identifying state-owned land that would be suitable for tented accommodation for those seeking asylum in Ireland and he said Thornton Hall was a logical site. I believe the best thing to do is secure some state land land in the ownership of this country and provide space for tented accommodation with access to sanitation, he said. There are a number of potential sites; Ive heard ones mooted. Thornton Hall is logical in that sense. But its a matter for the Department of Integration to come forward with specific proposals in relation to that. In 2005, Bertie Aherns government bought the 150-acre site for 29.9m, or just under 200,000 an acre. The purchase of the land, located at Killsallaghan on the Dublin-Meath border, was approved by Michael McDowell, who was the justice minister, to replace the outdated Mountjoy complex. The plan for the site was to turn it into a 1,400-place super prison. However, these plans were shelved in 2011 due to the economic crash. The use of state-owned land for temporary tented accommodation would allow the Government to look at longer-term solutions to shelter for asylum-seekers, the Taoiseach said. Im working closely with Minister [Roderic] OGorman, on these matters and he has my full support in trying to progress this, Mr Harris said. But what this would do is provide a period of time where it would allow the government to advance some of its more medium and longer term plans, and I hope we can make progress on that shortly. Tanaiste Micheal Martin said the State faced an enormous challenge with the growing number of migrants seeking asylum in Ireland. I believe Thornton Hall should be used and that is under consideration, Mr Martin said. I understand theres work under way between the Department of Children, Department of Justice and other departments in that respect. He said the Government was exhausting all accommodation opportunities in respect of the unprecedented numbers that have arrived into the country. We have had unprecedented numbers and that is increasing at the moment, Mr Martin said. It comes as the number of tents along a section of the Grand Canal in Dublin rose to nearly 90 yesterday from 57 on Wednesday. The new camp started to grow late last week between the Baggot Street and Leeson Street bridges. The tents were side by side and were on both sides of the towpath, with some pitched on the slope between the path and the canal itself. Asylum-seekers are drawn to the area due to its closeness to the International Protection Office in Mount Street Lower. There were about 40 tents there on Tuesday morning. The Irish Independent counted 75 to 90 tents yesterday morning. A number of protesters are preventing modular homes earmarked being installed in a complex in a Co Westmeath village. Around 20 protestors, comprised of local residents, are blocking access to lorries, cranes and modular homes in the northwest village of Coole, Westmeath. Todays protest follows a larger gathering last night, of about 60 people. Gardai are at the scene of the protest primarily to ensure peace and public order is maintained and that no criminal offence is committed according to a spokesperson. The modular homes are from a company in the North. The site is positioned next to Coole Court, where 100 international protection applicants have been residing since the end of last year. Protestors from the Coole Concerns group set up camp at the site earlier this week, where the modular homes are intended to be installed. Last week, Westmeath County Council issued an enforcement notice to the owner of Coole Court, who also owns the earmarked site, after it received a number of complaints concerning groundworks being undertaken to facilitate the installation of modular homes, according to RTE. The modular home are from a company called Taggart Modular. Each double bedroom is ensuite with a kitchen / diner / living room area at the centre of each building, accommodating up to four people. The new two-bedroom units are being assembled at a site in County Derry and more will be delivered to sites in Leinster in the coming days. More than 60 people are people are involved in the construction of the units. The pre-built units can be occupied within 24 hours of delivery once water and electricity are connected. A spokesperson for Taggart Modular confirmed: We are currently fulfilling an order from the Irish Government for high quality modular homes... We have no further comment at this time. Protests more than double in one year in Dublin - and most are anti-immigration A senior garda has said that protests more than doubled in one year in Dublin and most are anti-immigration. Assistant Garda Commissioner for Organised and Serious Crime, Justin Kelly, told the European Anti-Financial Crime Summit (EAFCS) at the RDS in Dublin that 300 protests took place in Dublin in 2022. However, that number increased considerably last year, with Mr Kelly saying: We had 617 protests, so we can see the huge rise in protests, most of which were anti-immigration protests. The rise of the far right in Ireland is similar to other European countries. We are seeing arson attacks on accommodation for asylum-seekers, we see threats to politicians. It has brought into sharp focus what we saw in Slovakia, he said, referencing the assassination attempt of Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico, on Wednesday. A man in his 70s has been charged with the attempted murder of the politician. Mr Kelly said: Here in Ireland we've had to considerably increase our protection around politicians. That takes a lot of our resourcing. Speaking to an audience of legal and tech experts, he said Ireland rated third on the global peace index. He said Ireland is in the bottom half of the table for murders per capita in the EU. Mr Kelly said although there had been 10 murders this year, gangland murders were actually at a 10-year low. We had one gangland murder recently but the majority are domestic-related homicides, unfortunately, he said, before adding that detection is usually around 85pc, Mr Kelly said gardai are making multi-kilo seizures of cannabis herb and cocaine almost daily, as the war on drugs in Ireland continues. He added that some of the challenges Ireland is facing are a result of international political instability, with these threats coming from the Middle East, North Africa and Georgia, among other places. Political instability in these and other states has led to knock-on effects in Ireland, he said, particularly with people trafficking and the fallout from Ukraine. We are starting to see some of that now, said Mr Kelly. We anticipate we will see this for years to come, particularly with weaponry, like with the Balkans years ago. However, he said the dissident republican threat in Ireland is now significantly reduced. A protest in 2022 against the housing of migrants at the former ESB office block in East Wall, Dublin. Photo: PA The counter-terrorism unit, based in Dublin, monitors threats and is never complacent, said Mr Kelly, even when it comes to the threat of radical Islamic fundamendalists. You can never be complacent, and we are very fortunate we haven't seen some of the attacks in Europe. But weve seen support and returning foreign fighters and we have successfully prosecuted some here, he said. Economic crime is a threat to international security, the garda said, driving criminals to get involved in more serious criminality. In 2021, there were 17,873 reported incidents related to economic crime. Last year, there were 11,819 reported incidents. However, this year, reports were up by 11pc already, said Mr Kelly. And Irish citizens are more than playing their part, with half of reports coming from residential settings and not banks and financial institutions. We are trying to follow the money and to see how its laundered, he said. Legislation had helped officers secure organised crime gang (OCG) arrests. Mr Kelly credited the Criminal Justice Act 2006, in particular, for helping with securing such prosecutions. The focus was around gangs involved in drugs and homicides initially but theres been success in economic crime and human trafficking, which is hugely important to us, he said. Since 2019, there had been a 170pc increase in referrals from financial intelligence units, he told the audience. Much of the reports had been driven by virtual asset service providers and concerned money laundering. One major success for gardai recently had been the successful arrests of 300 people connected to the so-called Black Axe gang an OCG whose activities include human trafficking, money laundering and fraud. Forsa unhappy about comments made at an Oireachtas Committee 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, 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 as saying the fact more than 500,000 people were on waiting lists was unacceptable and suggested 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 said at the conference in Killarney. Speaking afterwards, he said he did not think it was helpful when there was an attempt by someone in his position to blame staff for waiting lists. He claimed Mr Watt did this in a report to an Oireachtas committee last week. The union leader said the problem was the fact the health service had been cut to the bone in the wake of the financial crash of 2008. We have a rapidly growing population, not just because we have a lot of the Ukrainians or 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. A Department of Health spokesperson said at no time had the secretary general sought to blame healthcare workers. 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, the spokesperson said. He said Mr Watt outlined increased levels of activity being delivered by staff, particularly in hospital emergency departments, in spite of the significant increases in demand. Meanwhile, librarians attending the conference revealed that they were described as groomers and paedophiles by far-right agitators who took exception to a book about teenage sexuality. Rose Smyth, an executive librarian at Cork City libraries, said a long-running conflict between activists and staff began when some individuals took issue with This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson. Staff said protesters were filming outside the library again during an LGBTQ+ event yesterday. The book is a guide for teenagers who may be questioning their sexuality, she said. It deals with issues of transgenderism, but there is a small section of the book that deals with gay sex. They kind of took this totally out of context and accused staff of being groomers, paedophiles absolutely horrendous slurs at staff while they were carrying out their duties. She said the protesters read out explicit graphic passages from the book. They didnt care that there may have been children present, she said. They basically said we were in contravention of some child protection legislation by having this on our shelves. Its a legally available book. Its not our job to censor. On one occasion, the protesters tore up the book outside the library. They [the protesters] were also videoing staff, live-streaming, placing on social media, trying to name staff from their ID badges, she said. She said they covertly filmed two colleagues. Ms Smyth said gardai were helpful at first, but she believes they became less so and they did not get a massive amount of support from management. After contacting Forsa, she said risk assessments were carried out and violence and aggression training given to staff. They were told not to engage and to walk away. Michael Devine, a library assistant, said the individuals involved were engaged on many fronts, including anti-immigrant and anti-vax protests. It really had a very distressing effect on staff, particularly, Ill say, some of the gentler staff. An Garda Siochana were contacted for comment. An investigation is underway after security guards were attacked and vehicles damaged at a site in Tipperary set to house asylum seekers. Gardai are looking into an incident that occurred at 11.40pm on Heywood Road, on the outskirts of Clonmel, last night at a site earmarked for modular homes for Ukrainian refugees. "Gardai are investigating an incident of assault and criminal damage at a site in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary on Thursday 16th May 2024 where security personnel contracted to work on the site were assaulted by a number of individuals, a garda spokesperson said. One of the workers required hospital treatment, while a number of vehicles were also damaged during the incident. No arrests have been made at this time, gardai confirmed. There are plans from the Department of Integration and the OPW to place 82 modular homes there to house Ukrainian refugees. RTE News reported that both the OPW and the HSE are aware of the incident. The HSE currently own the land and are transferring it to the OPW. The HSE said it is encouraging anyone who may have information surrounding the attack to assist with the garda investigation. Gardai said they are appealing for any person with any information on this incident to contact Clonmel garda station on 052 617 7640, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station. Gardai are also appealing for any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling near the Heywood road and Clonmel Rugby Club areas 10:45pm and 11:30pm are asked to make this footage available to gardai. Today's News in 90 seconds - 17th May 2024 Tanaiste Micheal Martin will raise his concerns relating to the investigation into the death of Private Sean Rooney with authorities in Lebanon this weekend. Private Sean Rooney (24), of Newtown Cunningham in Co Donegal, was killed when the UN convoy he was travelling in was attacked in December 2022. He was serving with the 121st Infantry Battalion in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Speaking to RTEs Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said he is concerned about the pace of the Lebanese investigation and will raising the issue during his visit this weekend. He will meet with his Lebanese counterpart and press strongly for progress on the case in relation to the murder of Private Sean Rooney, he said. Lebanons military tribunal released a man on bail last November, after Mohamad Ayyad and four others were charged with the killing following a half-year investigation. His trial has not yet recommenced. It was reported that the four others facing alleged charges Ali Khalifeh, Ali Salman, Hussein Salman, and Mustafa Salman remain at large. Hezbollah has repeatedly denied any role in the killing. Mr Martin said the Irish Government is not happy with the progress so far, the manner in which the trial has been conducted. He said the role of the Peacekeeper has to be validated and the trial must reflect that, describing the killing of Sean Rooney as an appalling attack on Irish troops. "I want to pay tribute to all of our troops at the moment, theyre serving in very difficult circumstances where theres been an escalation as a result of the war in Gaza between Hezbollah and the IDF, he said. Mr Martin will visit Lebanon to pay tribute to them, but to specifically focus on getting justice for the family and all those concerned in relation to the murder of Private Sean Rooney. Pte Rooney was the 48th Irish soldier to die in Lebanon over 44 years of peacekeeping deployments. It comes amid concerns that the Israel-Gaza conflict could spill across the border into southern Lebanon, the stronghold of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, who act independently of the Lebanese Government. Belgroves very own Calamity Jane used to return to this Ballybrittas cottage after her Irish husband passed away Cornelia 'Ninia' Wadsworth Ritchie (right) is inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Photo: Getty Images The couple went on a buffalo hunt in 1874 Asking price: 675,000 Agent: DNG Kelly (057) 8663333) Locals around Ballybrittas in Laois still talk about the localitys very own Calamity Jane the wealthy American rancher Cornelia Wadsworth, whose extensive fortunes became entangled with the area when she met John G. Adair at a ball in New York City in 1867. The diarist and rancher, whose ancestors had founded the town of Hartford in Connecticut, fell head over heels for the Laois-based landowner. Cornelias father, who was a general on the Union side in the Civil War, owned over 50,000 acres outside Geneseo in New York State and from a young age, she became a capable horsewoman who participated in cattle round-ups on the family ranch. Adair, known also as Jack, was a Scots-Irish landowner whod made his fortune buying up estates at knockdown prices in post-Famine Ireland. The exterior of the property He and Cornelia were married two years later, and divided their time between Ireland, England and the US. With Adair and the legendary US cattle man Charles Goodnight, Cornelia set up the JA Ranch in New York State. Adairs ancestral home was Belgrove House, an impressive mansion on an estate in Ballybrittas, Co Laois, and the couple spent much of their time here. After they married, they renovated Belgrove House and changed its name to Rathdaire House. It didnt take much for Cornelia to turn the Laois man into a full-blown cowboy. A trip to the States in 1874 saw them embark on a wild buffalo hunt in Nebraska and Colorado, where they attended a council of US military and Oglala Sioux, detailed by Cornelia in her published diaries. Cornelia Wadsworth Adair Adair died in 1885 however, and two years later, their grandiose country pile in Laois was destroyed by a fire, reputed to have been accidental. Between 1891 and the 1920s, the lands of the estate were broken up and gradually sold off. But Cornelia had been active in the States and by 1917, she owned half a million acres of land there and 48,000 head of cattle. Despite also having a luxury home in Londons Mayfair, the twice-married Cornelia continued to return to Ballybrittas after the fire. However, the house had been burnt to a cinder and was uninhabitable. The couple went on a buffalo hunt in 1874 She used to stay in Rathdaire Cottage, which had previously been a schoolhouse, says Paul McGarry, who originally comes from Mount Merrion. He owns the house now with his wife Maria, a textile designer from Laois. Built in 1824 as a schoolhouse for the children of the estate, the 3,370 sq ft stone cottage originally comprised of just two big classrooms, which are now the kitchen/dining room and the master bedroom. In the 1970s, a more modern two-storey section, including three bedrooms, a bathroom and a utility room, was added. Owners Paul and Maria McGarry in Rathdaire Cottage. Photo: Barbara McCarthy At the turn of the century, the now five-bedroom house was used as a rectory and later inhabited by several local families. Paul and Maria bought it in 2006. The couple had been living in Kildare and, before that, in the UK and Belgium. They have four grown-up daughters Grace, Jenny, Martha and Emily who were living with them at the time. The cottage was in relatively good repair when they bought it, but given its age, has required maintenance over the years. We didnt change it radically, but we repaired the roof, added insulation to the walls and upgraded the central heating, says Paul, who has worked for Colgate and Palmolive. The kitchen/dining room has a distinctly cottage feel. Here, the presses, the Belfast sink and the unusually shaped island in the middle were there when they moved in. The dining room The cupboards and island have been painted blue, which combines well with the yellow walls and multicoloured tiles to give it a homely feel. The kitchen would have been one of the classrooms originally, says Maria. Its always been the heart of the house and where everyone gathers. Theres a high ceiling here and an original fireplace with decorative tiles in the dining section, which has a long wooden pine table and chairs. There are five reception rooms in the house and the front-hall room is one. The home office This was also a classroom originally and retains the original floor tiles and panelling on the stone walls. Theres a long dining room table and chairs here now and the family use it for entertaining. Its a beautiful room at Christmas as it really lends itself to decorations, says Maria. The main sitting room has an original fireplace made of Kilkenny marble and the couple added a stove. They use this room mostly to watch TV in the evening. The beauty of a house this size is we could be in the sitting room and the kids could be in another part of the house, says Paul. Theres a study, which also has an original fireplace and would be suitable for working from home. The living room Although now retired, Paul used to work in Citywest and could be there in 45 minutes by car. Dublin is an easy commute, he says. You can also be in Ballybrittas in five minutes with access to all amenities. The house is near to the Electric Picnic site, which means they can hear the music during the festival every summer. My daughters used to bring big groups of friends in on their way to the festival, says Maria. The house is on a 2.5-acre site and includes a separate field, which is currently not in use, but could be used for farming or keeping horses. The couple are selling the house now as the children have moved away. Cornelia 'Ninia' Wadsworth Ritchie (right) is inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Photo: Getty Images We plan to downsize and are considering our options about where to live, says Paul. We love the house and have been happy here, but its simply too big for us now. Meantime, Cornelia died in 1921 aged 84 and, in accordance with her wishes, was buried with her husband in Ballybrittas. Today, Cornelias great granddaughter, Cornelia Ninia Wadsworth Ritchie, continues her ancestors trailblazing tradition as boss of the JA Ranch, now located at Colorado. In 2009, she was voted into the National Cowgirl Museums Hall of Fame for ranching trailblazers. DNG Kelly seeks 675,000. The award-winning designer used Irish tones for this California mansion The Atlantic is wide and deep. So is the gulf between American and Irish interiors. We dont have their architecture, we dont have their climate, and we dont have their light, but American homes are still a source of inspiration for many. We admire them on platforms like Houzz and Instagram, and long for something similar at home. This often results in bemused Irish interior designers surveying their clients Pinterest page and struggling to explain how the LA courtyard-and-infinity-pool-combo is never really going to work in Mullingar. And flat roofs are not designed for rain. As an Irish interior designer who lives and works in LA, Grania Murray sees the issue from both sides. Shes recently designed a home for James Rallison, the multi-talented creative behind the YouTube channel TheOdd1sOut (19.6 million followers). Rallison lives in Burbank, in a home built to a Californian scale and on a Californian budget. This is a far cry from the lived experience of most people on this island. And yet, theres a lot to be learnt from the project. Grania Murray is Irish interior designer who lives and works in LA. Photo: Tim Hirschmann Many of the things I used on this job are not unobtainable, Murray explains. You may not be able to afford the coffee table, but look at what informs it its a plank from a tree! The wallcovering behind the taxidermy in the hall is by Rebel Walls (from 50 per metre), the acoustic wall panelling is widely available (the price depends on the level of sound insulation behind it), and the paint is Irish. Specifically, its taken from the Clements and Moore Collection by Kraftsmann Paints, a range designed for historic Irish homes. Kraftsmann is the Irish manifestation of the Californian paint brand Dunn-Edwards. They make the best paint in the States, says Joe Meaney, who launched Kraftsmann in 2020. I wanted to bring them to Europe. Irish people require a different approach to marketing than Americans. All the Irish paint companies work from paint cards they present a selection of colours that work well with each other. In America, they show you the full range of colours! Rear exterior at James Rallison's home. Photo: Tim Hirschmann If you go to one of Dunn Edwards American stockists , they will proudly show you all 2,000 colours from the brand. That can be overwhelming for Irish people, Meaney says. All our colours come from their range but weve narrowed it down to make it more manageable. The Clements and Moore Collection is based on samples taken from Irish period homes by paint historian Nat Clements. Its a very specific range, but this was the one Murray decided to use in her Burbank project. There was an element of coals-to-Newcastle about it, Meaney admits. There was no point in mixing up Californian paints and sending them back to California! We got in touch with a Dunn-Edwards supplier in LA and sent them the recipe. Since then its become a talking point for the owners. The colours have an exquisite quality and theyre excited to have Irish tones in their home Murray chose Olive Daub for the family room and studio; Slane Yellow for the double interior front door; Deep Clay for the exterior front door; and Warm Off White for the tongue and groove ceiling. Using the Clements and Moore Collection was a real close-to-home moment for me, Murray says. Since then its become a talking point for the owners. The colours have an exquisite quality and theyre excited to have Irish tones in their home. Originally from Dublin, and working on both sides of the Atlantic, Murray is a big fish in a big pond. Shes the recipient of multiple awards from Houzz and featured in a recent Luxe magazine as an Influential Woman in Design. But she still cant quite believe how she got here. There was no masterplan, she says. I just did it. James Rallison's sound booth. Photo: Tim Hirschmann The story began in 1996 when Murray, having trained in Advanced Computer Programming, was selling a home shed renovated herself. I loved changing my rooms around but the concept of working in interior design wasnt something Id even heard of. Her home was photographed for Image magazine and Jane McDonald (then editor) picked up the phone and asked for Murrays design credentials. Im not a designer, Murray said. Well, you should be, McDonald replied. You need to get one of those mobile phone thingeys and Ill put your number at the end of the article. McDonald did as she promised and the phone started ringing. I just said yes to everything, Murray admits. I felt like such a fraud but I rolled up my sleeves and got on with it. When I didnt know how to do something, I asked someone. She made the definitive move to America in 2013, in the aftermath of the 2009 property crash. It had got to the point where it wasnt cool for people to be spending money on design when the country was in such an awful state. I decided to give LA a go. At the time, people told her she was brave but Murray has a different perspective. My dad was killed in a traffic accident when I was 15 and ever since then Ive thought: its just a life go and live it! A bedroom at James Rallison's house. Photo: Tim Hirschmann Even for a high-profile designer, James Rallison is a prestigious client. I was extremely honoured, Murray admits. The design-cool of designers in LA is fiercely competitive! She first went to the house to update a truly hideous fireplace (17-foot-high and made in fake stone) and realised the project offered a tremendous opportunity for change. Designing for twenty-something clients, as she explains, is a fine balance of mixing sophistication with fun. The project includes classic elements like the living room wall, bookmarked with granite slabs so the grain in the stone forms a symmetrical pattern like a butterflys wing. The artwork in the centre of the wall, which looks like a high-end print, is a Samsung The Frame TV, designed to display artwork when not in use as a telly (1,149 for a 55-inch version from Harvey Norman). The powder room. Photo: Tim Hirschmann The orange Camaleonda sofa in the kitchen and dining area, designed in 1970 by Mario Bellini and available in Ireland from Minima, was chosen to give character and comfort to a very large space with many doors and windows. When a similar sofa in grey featured on the HBO TV series Succession, Murray felt she had her finger on the pulse of the YouTube generation. The next week, the pendant lamp chosen for the living room also turned up on Succession. Her reputation was secured! Elements of whimsy within the design include a Tiki bar, built in the propertys former stables, and decorated with glass fishing floats. Tiki bars are kind of a thing here, Murray says. Its a cool place for him to hang out with his friends. graniamurray.com, kraftsmann.com, rebelwalls.com Lisbon's main airport is operating at full capacity, frustrating the tourism industry Portugal will build a new international airport in the municipality of Alcochete, across the River Tagus from Lisbon, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has announced after decades of back-and-forth over the location. The new airport will be built at the site of a military airfield in Alcochete, about 40km east of Lisbon, and should the ready by 2034. This location has been favoured by an independent technical commission, which had studied several possible sites. The new airport will replace Lisbon's Humberto Delgado airport, just near the city centre, but the current airport will be expanded while the new airport is being built. "The government sees having one single airport as a solution more suited to the country's strategic interests," Montenegro told a news conference. Infrastructure Minister Miguel Pinto Luz said the project would cost up to 9 billion, adding that it would be built using EU funds, public-private partnerships and airport tariffs and not through the state budget. The government said it would initiate talks with airport operator ANA, owned by French construction firm Vinci. ANA already has a concession for a new airport in the Lisbon region. To make it faster for passengers to get to Lisbon city centre from the Alcochete airport, the government said it would build a third bridge crossing the Tagus river. Pinto Luz said it was still not decided if the bridge would be just for trains or also for vehicles. The announcement by the new centre-right minority government, which won a general election just two months ago, comes after several studies and decades of indecision. The tourism industry has grown increasingly frustrated in the past few years as Lisbon's main airport is operating at full capacity. Portugal is going through a tourism boom, which attracted record numbers of visitors. Foreigners staying in Portuguese hotels also made the first quarter of 2024 the best on record. "I just hope this is a definitive decision and it won't be called into question by other governments, something we have unfortunately seen in recent years," said Francisco Calheiros, head of the Portuguese Tourism Confederation. The government has also said it would build the long-delayed high-speed train connection between Lisbon and the Spanish capital by 2034. There are currently no direct rail links between Lisbon and Madrid. Taoiseach Simon Harriss statement that he believed a blind eye was turned by official Ireland to the development of what became almost a public health emergency, regarding a shanty-town now dismantled on Mount Street, raised more questions than it answered. Among them is how Mr Harris now as Taoiseach, or before as a senior minister, can credibly see himself as separate from official Ireland. Any attempt to put daylight between the Government and responsibility when it comes to managing immigration will play very badly. Even as Mr Harris was speaking, close to 100 tents were sited along the Grand Canal. Those sleeping there have been given tents by agencies due to an indefensible absence of state accommodation. Mr Harris accepted that there continues to be an issue with tents emerging, but it is very different to what happened on Mount Street over recent months. In terms of security, sanitation or suitability, it is hard to see any difference. All are completely inappropriate and unsafe. Commenting on the crisis, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the lack of co-ordination 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. Whatever the motivation, it speaks to a lack of strategy and falls far short of what is expected in meeting obligations. Mr Harris had pledged that the days of such camps were over. Eyebrows, and possibly temperatures too, were raised with his remark that I dont think the people of Ireland are well served when the only aspect of the conversation around immigration that weve been having on loop for quite a period of time is around accommodation. Accommodation is fundamental to the issue. Expecting the Government to have immediate initiatives ready to roll out for every contingency under all circumstances would be unreasonable. But Mr Harris accepts that there is a lot more work to do. Our current system is unacceptable and unfit for purpose. Implementing a coherent, consistent sustainable process that provides secure temporary shelter is not beyond us. It may be problematic, and Mr Harris has a point in framing the solution in terms of concerted EU action. All options must now be put in play. The use of more state land is now being mooted, something which surely might have been considered before now. Lack of promised wrap-around services for towns that have taken in big cohorts of migrants is also a source of tension. Do we need to be reminded that there is only one race, the human one? If we accept this as a society, it ordains we must treat all comers with dignity and process arrivals or departures swiftly and humanely. The Deposit Return Scheme has not been without controversy. Photo: Andres Poveda Photos showing the result of the Governments decision to fence off the Grand Canal to tackle a perceived problem are particularly grim. Considering the chaotic outcomes delivered thus far by its plans to address housing, healthcare and the provision of other social goods, maybe it would serve us all better if this Government stopped trying to solve problems imagined or otherwise for the remainder of its tenure. Its most recent attempt at doing some good has merely added to frustrations. The over-the-top, ill-thought-out Deposit Return Scheme for plastic bottles and cans has managed to infuriate many diligent recyclers. On top of that, it fails to account for the difficulties experienced by elderly and disabled people who feel cut off from the system. A combination of good intentions and incompetence at government level never ended well. Jim OSullivan, Rathedmond, Co Sligo Governments drastic cuts to Ukrainians benefits will not paper over cracks In providing supports for migrants to Ireland, a balance is required to ensure proper provision for genuine asylum-seekers while not creating a pull factor that attracts illegal economic migrants trying to play the system. All those here from Ukraine genuinely require asylum, many have lawfully obtained employment and are not dependent on state aid. Others, for a variety of reasons, have not been able to do so. Under political pressure due to gross government incompetence in administering our asylum system, and with elections looming, it seems Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Greens believe they can boost their electoral support by drastically and rapidly cutting benefits to an estimated 27,000 Ukrainian recipients. This is also at a time when Russia is expanding its war on Ukraine and Kharkiv is again at risk of Russian occupation. The coalition parties have, essentially for perceived electoral benefit, declared a political war on Ukrainians who have no choice but to remain in Ireland. This ill-conceived emergency government initiative designed to distract from urban migrant encampments has nothing to do with that issue. Nor does it address government failings that are responsible for current difficulties. The announced cut in benefits has understandably created panic and confusion within a Ukrainian community grateful to Ireland for the welcome and supports received so far. This particularly applies to the most vulnerable, such as the elderly, women with young children and those detrimentally impacted by violence seen and experienced when still in Ukraine. Alan Shatter, Dublin 16 Eurovision vote does not reflect Irish peoples views of Israels appalling acts In his opinion of the Eurovision Song Contest, Jason Fitzharris claims the Irish public is not interested in the constant Israel-bashing (Eurovision public vote has shown politicians hitting the wrong notes on Israel, Letters, May 14) Does Mr Fitzharris actually perceive the votes in a song contest to be the Irish peoples approval of Israels actions in Gaza? Time and again the Irish public have shown their abhorrence at Israels slaughter of civilians. Apart from the actions of students, one only has to observe the public debates and the participation of various groupings in street rallies such as nurses organisations, trade union members, artists and musicians groups, and people of all races and ages to understand the revulsion felt at apartheid Israels ongoing attacks on Gaza. The ballot in a song contest hardly counts as a national poll, nor does it show solidarity with the people of Israel. I agree with Mr Fitzharris on one thing that the Irish Government had better be listening. Alas, not to the Eurovision Song Contest, but to the voice of its own people. David Murphy, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14 Raising age limit merely a smoke screen to mask health systems failings I had to visit the emergency department at Beaumont Hospital yesterday. It was pitiful to watch people trying to handle their illness with some level of dignity, while doctors, nurses and floor staff desperately strived to treat patients. This is third-world country medical provision, at best. I thought of Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who was beaming on Tuesday as he announced another groundbreaking innovation by Ireland. This related to raising the legal age to buy cigarettes from 18 to 21. A first for Europe. I hope other countries will follow our lead, he said. This announcement epitomises just how seriously our politicians are taking our health crisis. Far simpler to strut about proclaiming a facile victory in the smoking debate, rather than try to get to grips with the real issues. Eamon Kearney, Dublin 13 Spectre of Taylors world title fight sharing bill with gimmick bout sits uneasy Katie Taylor expressed admiration for Mike Tyson in the New York press conference for her upcoming fight against Amanda Serrano. She spoke warmly about the equal billing her fight will receive with that of 57-year-old Tyson against 27-year-old YouTuber Jake Paul on July 20. This will, for some, represent a new low in Irish sporting history. It is another illustration of the crass and reckless commercialisation of sport. Chris Fitzpatrick, Terenure, Dublin 6 Direct phone calls were not just romantic they made us more reasonable Mary Kennys article about the days of the direct phone call reminded me of the man, during that time, who got out of his bath on hearing his phone ringing (The age of the direct phone call may be receding, but what a romantic era it was, Comment, May 15). When the caller apologised for disturbing him, he responded: Dont worry. Sure I had to get out of the bath to answer the phone anyway. Tom Gilsenan Beaumont, Dublin 9 Portal transported us to another dimension where mortification is felt by all Who would have thought the word portal could mean severe national embarrassment? Peter Declan OHalloran, Belturbet, Co Cavan The Book of Wisdom says: The multitude of the wise is the salvation of the world (chapter 6, verse 24). Alas, the wise are not to be found on the Dublin side of the portal. Declan Foley, Melbourne, Australia I am ashamed to share a heritage with Joe Biden as he continues to arm Israel The obscenity of tens of thousands of innocent children and their penniless, dispossessed mothers being annihilated by one of the most powerful militaries on the planet is a stain on humanity. That Joe Biden knowingly supplies Israel with weaponry of immense destructive power against an impoverished peasantry, who have lived under a brutal occupation for years, leaves me ashamed to share a heritage with such a man. Joe Murphy, Finglas, Dublin 11 You must consider the entire picture when you use religion as a defence In his letter, (The Middle East death toll is a failure of democracy in a so-called modern world, Letters May 15) Anthony McDonagh cites Deuteronomy (11:24), in which God promised a land of ample size to the Jews, to show a God who plays favourites with them. However, there were limits. The Israelites were forbidden to seize the land inheritance of the descendants of Esau, the Moabites and Ammonites (Deuteronomy 2:5, 9, 19). Moreover, Deuteronomy emphasizes that the Promised Land is based on a covenant to live a life of morality and obligations to God. Its ironic that in criticising Israel, Mr McDonagh refers to the Irish statesman Conor Cruise OBrien on the danger of mixing religion and nationalism when he was a great friend of Israel and Jews. As were Irish-American writer Thomas Cahill, who wrote two books on the Irish and the Jews and their contributions to civilization; Irish-American senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan; and former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney of Irish descent. And, of course, US president Joe Biden, of Irish descent, who has called himself a Zionist. Jacob Mendlovic, Toronto, Canada Wonderful to see support shown at Cork marches for the people of Gaza It is good to see people attending Cork citys marches on Saturdays in support of the people of Gaza, who are going through a desolate war, and in support of a resolution for peace from both sides. The gardai provide a very low-key presence and Senator Frances Black recently gave a speech at the end of a march. Mainstream media has a vital role in reporting the news. I also find YouTube to be a helpful source. It was there I learned of Healthcare Workers for Palestine, who stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and record the experiences of doctors and medics in the war in Gaza. Hamas crossing the border last October into Israel, killing over 1,000 people and taking hostages was horrific, but Israels response of all-out war in their mission to eliminate Hamas in Gaza has been equally horrific. In Gaza, 35,100 people, including 13,000 children have now been killed. An estimated 70,000 are injured. Israel had told the population to move to safe areas. They were not all able to do so. Humanitarian aid workers have been killed, many of them Palestinians. And Palestinian journalists have also been killed. There is a moral imperative to ensure no man-made famines take hold in Gaza and for Israel to ensure safe and well-equipped facilities for operations on Gazas injured civilians to be done quickly and humanely. Doctors reported doing operations and amputations with little anaesthetics available to them. Many community hospitals have been evacuated and are ruined. Israel has, for years, ignored UN resolutions to stop illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and to protect Palestinian people there from attacks. The West Bank, like Gaza, is a Palestinian territory. Mary Sullivan, College Road, Cork Political reaction to the Dublin-Monaghan attacks was a win for the bombers I was a history student in Trinity College when the bombs went off at rush hour in Dublin city centre on May 17, 1974. I can clearly remember hearing the three bombs going off at two-minute intervals, culminating in the third one at South Leinster Street, directly outside the wall of Trinity. Some of my fellow students from the North instantly recognised the loud explosions as car bombs. When I went out the front gate of Trinity on to College Green, there was panic and confusion everywhere. Even the gardai didnt seem to know what to do. It was a Friday evening and the bombs, which went off with military precision, were designed to inflict maximum civilian casualties. There was a bus strike at the time and this added to the difficulties faced by people in the aftermath of the bombs. I had to walk as far as Templeogue on the outskirts of the city and from there I hitched a lift home to Co Wicklow. I stayed in a flat in Dublin during the week but went home at the weekends, so I knew I would be expected home and I was anxious to reassure my worried parents as there were no mobile phones back then. I also remember the then taoiseach Liam Cosgrave appearing on television that night, saying that, regardless of who actually planted the bombs, anyone who had ever resorted to such tactics was also to blame. His comment was clearly aimed at the IRA and it was fair enough comment in the circumstances. Nevertheless, even then, it did strike me as somewhat odd coming from the taoiseach. It seemed as much designed to spread the blame as to find out who exactly committed the outrage in the Irish State. Looking back on it now, Mr Cosgraves reaction was in keeping with the Broadcasting Act Section 31 narrative of the time that the IRA was the basic problem of the North and that loyalist or British state violence was merely a response to the IRA. Conor Cruise OBrien, the Labour partys spokesman on the North, would always refer to loyalist violence as the Protestant backlash and he never tired of predicting that it could get even worse. The Dublin bombings of May 17, 1974 definitely had the overall effect in the Republic of reinforcing the Section 31 attitude that the northern Troubles were in essence a regional sectarian conflict which the less the Republic had to do with, the better. In this way, it could be said that the bombers who struck Dublin and Monaghan on that fateful day 50 years ago succeeded in their objective. John Glennon, Hollywood, Co Wicklow Its just three weeks to polling day for the local elections. Five years on from the most recent count in 2019, however, Irish politics has fundamentally changed. Taoisigh and party leaders have come and gone, and we have witnessed the rise and fall in popularity for Sinn Fein. Increasingly, over the last few months, migration has become a contentious issue in local and national politics, with huge swathes of politicians witnessing instances of intimidation and abuse while on the campaign trail. This week, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said he has been threatened on a "small number of occasions" and that the intensity of the threats has increased. His comments come as a new survey from UCD found that female TDs and senators are more likely to be threatened with sexual violence, to be sexually harassed, to receive unwanted sexual approaches and sexually explicit images. Female Oireachtas members are also more likely to experience harassment online and to be subject to prejudicial slurs. Around 94pc of politicians who responded to a survey about abuse said they have experienced some form of threat, harassment or violence. The survey also found that 72pc of political staff have had similar experiences. Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnan Sheahan is joined by John Downing and Gabija Gataveckaite, political correspondents with the Irish Independent, to preview the upcoming local elections, and to ask, is now a particularly bad time for a politician to be knocking on the doors of the Irish public? The Bishop was honoured on his silver jubilee year as a Church of Ireland leader A civic reception has been held for the longest serving Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross in 400 years in Cork city. The reception was held by Lord Mayor of Cork, councillor Kieran McCarthy, to honour Bishop Paul Colton, who has spent 25 years in his role. Born in Derry (while his family were living in Buncrana, Co. Donegal), Bishop Colton moved to Cork when he was just two years old and was elected Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross by an Electoral College on January 29, 1999. Bishop Colton is now the second-longest serving person ever in his role. Speaking at the reception, Lord Mayor McCarthy said that the Bishop has made 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. 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, the Mayor said. Joining the Lord Mayor in paying tribute to Bishop Colton, chief executive of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty, said that the leadership the Bishop showed during the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis stands out. Bishop Colton was a key leader in our community response forum and actively contributed to supporting out most vulnerable communities at times of significant need. On this special occasion I extend warm wishes and congratulations to Bishop Colton and his family, Mrs Doherty said. The Lord Mayor of Cork, councillor Kieran McCarthy, and Bishop Colton previously planted an oak tree in the Bishops Palace grounds as part of the annual Civic Service and Festival Eucharist at St Fin Barres Cathedral on St Patricks Day in honour of his silver jubilee. Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank OFlynn has acknowledged that moving Irish Water away from the remit of local authorities to a state-owned water utility company was probably the biggest mistake ever. Mayor OFlynn was responding to a motion brought before a recent full council meeting by the West Cork Municipal District which requested that representatives from Uisce Eireann attend development committee meetings on a regular basis to update the members on water services matters. Sign up to the This is Cork newsletter here Independent councillor Declan Hurley who is a member of the West Cork MD who moved the motion said the current system is not working. The issue of communication and interaction between elected members and Uisce Eireann is an ongoing issue. It is another farce of an issue from the Irish Government from the point of view of not dealing with the situation on the ground. We have outdated waste and water infrastructure. We want Uisce Eireann to come in to our development meetings every quarter to discuss issues with us, he said. The current system they have in place in relation to clinics are not working, said Cllr Hurley. We feel as members we are not able to get our issues that are pertaining to local areas across. With the summer approaching we are going to have burst water mains and water outages. Particularly at weekends we are left with no means of communicating with Uisce Eireann officials. We want a regional manager from Uisce Eireann to attend our meetings so we can discuss issues, work with them and put a proper system in place. Fianna Fail councillor Michael Looney urged Uisce Eireann to wake up and to take responsibility. His party colleague Deirdre OBrien said the situation will only get worse in the future. We rue the day Irish Water was taken from the remit of Cork County Council. When Cork County Council move fully away from Irish Water we will be dealing with issues via emails and over the phone saying the issue is being looked into. We wont know what is happening. Coming down the road it is going to get worse. We are going to be looking at a Health Service Executive (HSE) or a Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) type organisation that we wont have direct contact with. Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty echoed the sentiments of his fellow councillors. When representatives from Irish Water sat at the top table and addressed us they assured us that there would be better communication with the elected members. That hasnt happened. We need to sit around the table with them and discuss where we are going. Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank OFlynn bemoaned the day the local authorities relinquished control over Irish Water. Probably the biggest mistake that was ever made in this country was to take Irish Water out of the hands of the County Councils. By God we had some team. You could ring them, meet them and talk to them. You could raise it in the chamber and you would have action. I like to sit down across the table and see the colour of a persons eyes. Today's News in 90 seconds - 17th May 2024 I propose that we write to the Minister and the Department. I fully support the motion. I call on the minister and Irish Water to reply to our answer and to come back and meet the people. We represent the people and we know what is happening, he added. It was agreed that a letter would be sent to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh OBrien and his department requesting that representatives from Uisce Eireann attend development meetings of Cork County Council on a regular basis. Cill na Martra GAA Club has been allocated grant aid of 116,496 which will enable the Muskerry divisional club to upgrade club facilities ahead of Comortas Peile na Gaeltachta 2024. The grant aid means the GAA club will be able to commence work on improving the car parking area and the grounds around the dressing rooms. Sign up to the This is Cork newsletter here Fianna Fail TD for Cork North West Aindrias Moynihan has welcomed the funding allocation for the progressive club who are based in the Gaeltacht. It means the club will be able to improve car parking area and the grounds around the dressing rooms. I am delighted that Minister Thomas Byrne was able to approve this significant funding to Cill na Martra GAA in recognition of the huge work carried out by the community to promote the Irish language, he said. Deputy Moynihan continued: The club are doing huge work preparing for Comortas Peile next month and have already been upgrading the grounds. This funding will help improve the car parking and the area around the dressing rooms. Locals will have the benefit of these amenities for many years after the Comortas. Fine Gael TD for Cork North West Michael Creed echoed the sentiments of his constituency colleague. Im delighted that Gaeltacht Minister for State Thomas Byrne has allocated grant aid of 116,496 to Cill na Martra GAA Club, in recognition of the excellent work done by the club to promote the Irish language. Deputy Creed said: My understanding is that the funds are to be used to resurface the car park and build a footpath to the gym. The grant will cover 80% of the cost of these works, and the news will come as a huge boost to the club as they prepare to host this years Comortas Peile na Gaeltachta at the beginning of June. Today's News in 90 seconds - 17th May 2024 The local committee has been working for over a year to put plans in place for the Comortas, which is the highlight of the summer for Gaeltacht communities up and down the country. I know that they will do a great job and I look forward to attending matches in Cill na Martra during the Comortas, he added. BoCo pizzeria will serve their last pizzas from Harry Byrne's on June 9 BoCo pizzeria has been operating out of Harry Byrne's car park for the past four years A popular pizza truck located in a pub car park in Clontarf is set to close after fighting to stay there for the last four years. BoCo, based at Harry Byrnes pub on the Howth Road, must now stop trading there, with their last service due on June 9. They say the closure comes due to some very strict planning restrictions and other local issues, and it is actively seeking a new location for the business. BoCo has become a big part of the Harry Byrnes family, and to say we are gutted is an understatement, Harry Byrnes said in a post online. What started as a small idea during Covid grew into a wonderful and successful partnership. We will miss Colm and his amazing team and wish them every success for the future, they added. Fortunately, locals who have been expressing their devastation at the news wont have to wait too long to have BoCo pizza again. Colm Bodkin, of BoCo restaurant, spoke to the Irish Independent about the closure, saying that he felt lucky to have been there for that long. BoCo pizzeria will serve their last pizzas from Harry Byrne's on June 9 The current plans are to stop trading in Clontarf on June 9 and to bring the truck away for some much-needed repairs. They eventually hope to open a restaurant in Clontarf, with the location yet to be revealed. Speaking about the impending closure, a member of the BoCo team said it will be a bittersweet moment to leave Harry Byrnes on June 9. Weve had an absolute blast with you all over the past 4 years and we cant thank you enough for welcoming us into your hearts and stomachs and supporting us, especially during those tough Covid times, they said. A huge shout out to the amazing staff and management at Harry Byrnes for making our journey incredible. Alan Byrne, youre a legend! But hold your horses! This isnt goodbye, so dont fret Clontarf - were not going far! Were staying right here in your beautiful neighbourhood and we cant wait to share our exciting plans with you. Keep your ears to the ground because theres more to be revealed, and trust us, its going to be as EPIC as our pizzas. Work has begun on the transformational multi-million euro refurbishment of Balbriggans Quay Street and Harbour. Pic: Fingal Co Co. Work has begun on the transformational multi-million euro refurbishment of Balbriggans Quay Street and Harbour. Pic: Fingal Co Co. The first sod was turned on the construction site today by Minister for Housing and Heritage, Darragh OBrien, and the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy. Pic: Gareth Chaney. The sod has been turned on a multi-million-euro development in north county Dublin for the complete rejuvenation of Balbriggans Quay Street and Harbour. The first sod was turned on the construction site today by Minister for Housing and Heritage, Darragh OBrien, and the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy. The transformative project aims to create a high-quality public amenity and premier visitor destination to revitalise what has been proven to be Irelands youngest town. Work has begun on the transformational multi-million euro refurbishment of Balbriggans Quay Street and Harbour. Pic: Fingal Co Co. Dr David Begg, chair of the Our Balbriggan Leadership Group, AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, and Victor Smyth of contractors John Craddock Ltd were also present at the ceremony, which signals the beginning of the building phase of a multi-purpose plaza area and linear park designed to host markets, events, and festivals. Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, spoke at the ceremony today, stating that the enhancement will provide a new and much-needed high-quality public focal point for the town. Minister for Housing and Heritage, Darragh OBrien, highlighted the areas young population and stated that there was an unmatched determination across the community of Balbriggan to build a bright future for the area with the governments assistance. The construction aims to change the use of the former RNLI boathouse and develop new harbour buildings along with new public amenities, including toilets and changing rooms. The project will also include enhancement works to the River Bracken, with new surfacing to be installed along with more seating, green, and play spaces. Areas of Quay Street, Mill Street, and Harbour Road will become an integrated space that seamlessly links the town. Work has begun on the transformational multi-million euro refurbishment of Balbriggans Quay Street and Harbour. Pic: Fingal Co Co. Some 75pc of the funding for the project will come from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritages Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, with the remainder from Fingal County Councils capital spending programme. AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, believes the development will provide an ideal central meeting place on the Fingal coast. This is one of the most significant milestones in our ambition to redevelop Balbriggan and represents a major investment in the town, she said. There is also hope that these new developments will promote domestic tourism in the town and give it a boost. John Craddock Ltd have been appointed as the contractor responsible for overseeing these developments and have developed other areas of the country in similar ways, such as the Market Square in Dundalk. Author spent five years researching book about his hometown The author of a book on the history of his hometown of Tallaght, said most people dont realise that the place is quite extraordinary. Albert Perris, a native of Tallaght, has been prominent in the promotion and preservation of the areas history and heritage for 25 years, and was recently appointed Heritage Officer with Tallaght Community Council. Now living in Kildare, he is founder and author of the popular blog, A Ramble About Tallaght, which has recently been turned into a book. The Ramble about Tallaght started as a series of short little local history articles on the things that had never been written about before, he told the Irish Independent. Nothing had ever really been written about the local pubs, the local shops, or local characters. The blog was set up to cover those things, to tell the tales of Tallaght that hadnt been told before. People loved the blog; they loved the stories, and they recognised that the population of Tallaght now is nearly bigger than Limerick City. Theres a lot of people here, its no longer a small country village. It took three years of very focused research, but a lot of the research started in line with the establishment of the blog. So, about five years of research went into the book itself. Mr Perris says that people walk by places in Tallaght all the time and dont know the unique history behind it. In terms of the audience being surprised about Tallaght, one is the name, where the name Tallaght came from, he said. Its from the Irish tamhleacht, which means a plague grave. It goes back almost 4,000 years to a Greek Prince called Partholon, who fled his fathers kingdom in what is now Macedonia. He tried to overthrow his fathers rule and was banished. He set sail and they arrived in Ireland of all places. But after 300 years, the descendants of Partholon and his people were all wiped out by a great plague. All 9,000 Partholonians were buried in the hills around Tallaght, or Tamhleacht. Its an intriguing story, but really, its the earliest written reference we have to Tallaght. People walk by places in Tallaght all the time and dont know the history behind it. I feel the most obvious ones are Saint Maelruains Church and the graveyard. There are extraordinary stories and tales about those places going back the last 200 or 300 years. Even in terms of the suburban housing estates, like Killinarden and Old Bawn, most of these estates were once the estates of large country houses. Nothing remains of those houses except the name. But on those estates, and in those great houses, there are tales of tragedies, romance, comedy, and all that happens in life. The book tries to capture some of those tales. For me, there is something quite unique about Tallaght in terms of just how ancient it is and the documented history surrounding the town, which most people might not be familiar with. For me, all these features around Tallaght, I knew very little about growing up. As I grew older, I wondered what the history was, even if it was just a pub. Alberts blog showed that there was a great interest in Tallaght and the history behind it, which he believes is down to the community spirit in the area. There was clearly a lot of reminiscing, memories and sharing. It became a focal point in the community for people to share their own stories and their own memories of a change in Tallaght, he said. Most people are proud of and attach themselves to the place from which they come, whether thats Cavan, or Limerick, or Tallaght. I lived in Tallaght for 26 years and Im proud to come from Tallaght. The transformation of Tallaght over the last 50 years brought with it some growing pains as a community. There is a catch-up period in terms of infrastructure, development, services and facilities. Ireland has had its ups and downs economically, and so has Tallaght. The growth of Tallaght is quite extraordinary in a sense. There are still people in Tallaght who were born there in the 1940s and remember it as a small country village. In the space of one lifetime, over 60 or 70 years, the place has been utterly transformed into what is essentially a city, or it contains all that you would expect to find in a city. Now, obviously, other areas such as Clondalkin, Blanchardstown and Finglas followed a similar pattern. But Tallaght was one of those first country villages that the transformation was really applied to, he added. A Ramble About Tallaght, published by The OBrien Press, is available now at all good book outlets Taoiseach Simon Harris said he is familiar with the case while his mother is at her wits end fighting for her son 13-year old Liam Dennehy Quinn from Fossa in happier times. He is now in hospital for 40 days waiting for a scoliosis operation. A Fossa teenager can no longer talk clearly due to pressure from the curve of his spine pressing on his lungs. Thirteen-year-old Liam Dennehy Quinn is in constant pain and on oxygen as he awaits vital surgery for scoliosis, a condition that is now so bad that he has been hospitalised for 40 nights. Understandably, his mother Pamela Dennehy is at her wits end as she fights for her son to have the operation immediately and Liams critical situation was raised in the Dail this week by Sinn Fein leader May Lou McDonald. Liam is non-verbal, wheelchair-bound and was born with serious medical issues, including cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a rare condition called glutaric aciduria type. Despite battling all of these conditions, he remains a happy little boy. He was diagnosed with scoliosis in March 2023 and his condition has declined rapidly. His case was marked urgent in December, yet almost six months later he is still waiting for his operation. He now has a 92 per cent curve which was originally only 35 degrees. It is so bad that his right side has completely collapsed in and Liam has to use oxygen. He also can no longer use his wheelchair due to sores and is now lying flat on his back and in constant pain. Today marks 40 days and nights of living in hospital unnecessarily, Pamela told The Kerryman on Friday. She has to stay beside his side and watch her beloved son in pain every hour of every day while her other children are at home. Liam Dennehy Quinn who has spent 40 days in hospital as his condition deteriorates while waiting for a Scoliosis operation. The family has a preliminary date for surgery in Crumlin Children's Hospital on May 30 but Pamela says that, given the pain and constant deterioration in Liams condition, this is not soon enough. She says he has not been assessed for the operation and the last time he was seen was March. His condition is now so much worse and nobody is seeing this decline, she says. May 30 is still too far away. If Liam picks up an infection it will delay surgery by at least six weeks. It is getting increasingly difficult for him to sit without creating pressure sores, Pamela states. "Liam has deteriorated greatly since January 1 and it is becoming more difficult to keep up with all things needed to keep him well enough for surgery, despite numerous medications, adapted positioning and a feeding routine changed to suit his crushed tummy. We are no closer and May 30 could come and go. We do not have time and we can't afford for him to be living in a hospital at risk of picking up an infection on top of this everyday This is gone beyond ridiculous, she said. "Nobody is f**king listening. How has this been allowed to happen .. why won't someone listen? she questioned. In addition to criticising the delay in operating at the hospital, Pamela was also critical of the government. She has been campaigning tirelessly for Liam, as has the wider community. They have also sent letters to Taoiseach Simon Harris, while Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach to intervene this week. His mother cannot understand him now when he speaks because his spine is pressing so hard against his lungs, the Sinn Fein leader informed the Dail on Tuesday. "Pamela says that May 30 may seem like it is just around the corner but it is too far away when you are in Liam's dire situation. She is on a knife-edge trying to keep Liam stable for surgery, fearing that he will pick up an infection that could prevent that surgery. Liam cannot wait any longer. Every day counts. He needs his emergency surgery now. I ask the Taoiseach, as Head of Government, to intervene, she added. Liam Dennehy Quinn (13) who is declining daily as he waits for spinal surgery. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae has also intervened and raised Liams case in the Dail previously. The Taoiseach said he well aware of Liams plight and said he is to be operated on. It is one with which I am very familiar because I have heard from many of Liam's family and friends, Mr Harris stated. "Many of them have written to me, as have many people in his community. Of course, this case has garnered, quite rightly, much public attention. While I am reluctant to talk too much about any individual patient on the record of the Dail, I do know that Liam was admitted to hospital while he awaits spinal surgery. This course of action was recommended by the doctors and nurses who are caring for him and who are due to operate on him later this month. This is an extraordinarily anxious time for his parents, his family and for him and I wish them the very best. Liam had a consultation with his consultant in April and, as the Deputy rightly said, his surgery is scheduled for two weeks' time. The spinal assistant director of nursing has been in contact with Liam's mum this month and has explained the pre-operative pathway. Children's Health Ireland, on behalf of Crumlin Children's Hospital, said they cannot comment on individual cases. "Even if a family decides to make their story public, we are still bound by patient confidentiality. The patient's clinical team can speak to the family directly to explore all treatment options available, their statement said. Rachel O Sullivan, winner of the Student of the Year Award, pictured with Mr Dermot Healy, Principal, parents Justine and Johnny O Sullivan and Ms Maureen Foley, Deputy Principal. Gabby Cronin, winner of the Dan Cahill Memorial Award and Orla O Brien, winner of the Helen Quinn Memorial Award. Siena Ryan and Kate McGann with Principal Dermot Healy receiving awards for their outstanding results in the Junior Certificate examinations. Students and teachers of Pobalscoil Inbhear Sceine, who won two national awards for an environmentally conscious project on pair trawling. Its awards season across our countys schools, and at Pobalscoil Inbhear Sceine in Kenmare, theyve been rewarding their best and brightest and outside groups have also recognised some of the schools best and brightest. Principal Dermot Healy explained to The Kerryman that the school held its annual awards last Friday, recognising excellence across a wide range of fields, curricular and extracurricular alike. Leaving-cert student Rachel OSullivan scooped the Student of the Year prize, while Siena Ryan and Kate McGann were honoured for their outstanding Junior Cert results. Gradam Sceine, sports, and year-head prizes were also handed out on a day co-ordinated by Chris OBrien and emceed by Maureen Foley Hayes. And the winning continued a little further afield the following Wednesday as eight transition-year students travelled to the capital to complete in the finals of the ECO-UNESCOs Young Environmentalist Awards. Oisin Hanley, Diarmuid Healy, Kate McGann, David OBrien, Liam OSullivan, Kaleigh OSullivan-Nash, Maedbh Rochford, and Sadhbh Sheehy travelled to Dublins Royal Convention Centre with teachers John OSullivan and Patricia Holbein, and Mr OSullivan explained that they showcased a topical project rooted in their local community, The Impacts of Unsustainable Pair Trawling in Kenmare Bay. Well over 250 projects entered the competition which recognises efforts to raise environmental issues and improve the local environment with 110 making it to the national finals, but despite that stiff competition, things couldnt have gone any better for the Kenmare cohort. The team managed to place first in the overall Senior Marine Category and then went on to win the Overall Senior Winners Award, Mr OSullivan told The Kerryman. The students were very happy with the outcome of their continued efforts and will continue with the project, and they hope to get a result by getting a ban imposed on pair-trawling boats, which are over 18 meters long, within a six-nautical-mile exclusion zone around the coast of Ireland. Local environmentalists Rachel Hawker and John F OSullivan were thanked for their involvement in the project, which came through a lengthy process, including interviews by judges and individuals from RTE. The National Dairy Council (NDC) has expanded its Farmer Ambassador Programme with a new ambassador from Limerick. Paddy OKelly from Broadford, Co Limerick, will join NDCs troop of dairy farmers who continue to spread the message of sustainable dairy production across Ireland. Paddy went to agricultural college in Pallaskenry, then spent three years with the farm apprenticeship board working in farms in Kerry and Cork. Follow Independent Limerick on Facebook He then spent a year traveling and working on farms in New Zealand and Australia before returning home in 1999 and taking over the home farm. Paddy is the 7th generation on this family farm, his dad is 89 and is still very involved. Paddy was named Ambassador by the National Dairy Council along with James OFlaherty, from County Kerry. The current group consists of 15 Farmer Ambassadors who act as advocates and spokespeople for Irelands family-farm-based, grass-fed dairy production system. Farm Advocacy Manager at NDC Majella McCafferty said: For some time now, the industry has lacked a consistent approach to communicating our side of the story, and, as a result, weve been reactive rather than proactive and on the back foot. They say that if youre having to explain, then youve lost, and sadly thats where we are. What we need is a clear voice, championing our industry with positive stories about the reality of life on the farm, the effective measures being undertaken to address the environmental challenges, the people that make dairy happen and the future that they want to have. With our Farmer Ambassador programme we now have that voice and our role is to provide the platforms that they need to tell their stories so that the general public can feel better connected to the production system that puts top quality Irish dairy in the chiller cabinet. Tributes have been pouring in for the late George Belton following the father of three's tragic passing last night. A man in his 60s who died in a workplace incident in Co Longford last night has been named locally as George Belton. The deeply-admired father-of-three died after being struck by a works vehicle while carrying out road resurfacing works along a section of the Athlone Road, just outside Ballymahon at around 7:30pm. The incident took place on a closed section of road along the main N55 and just outside a local filling station. Follow Independent Longford on Facebook Emergency services rushed to the scene, but were unable to save the much loved and respected Ardagh man who was pronounced dead at the scene. The area was preserved overnight for a technical examination with the local coroner also being notified. The road itself re-opened this morning ahead of a Health and Safety Authority (HAS) investigation over the coming days. A spokesperson confirmed to the Irish Independent website this morning that the authority was aware of the incident and that an investigation had been launched. In the aftermath of last nights tragedy, tributes to the late Mr Belton have poured in from across the local community. Local Fianna Fail TD Joe Flaherty said the tragic events of last night had yet to fully sink in to a locality that had been left stunned by the passing of a pure gentleman and lovely man. It is heartbreaking news, he said. Our solidarity and sympathy are with Georges family at this time. There is no comprehending the sense of loss for the family at this time and the community are as one with his wife, Pauline and the family. Pauline runs a very successful business in town. She is a very passionate and committed woman to Longford as indeed was George and it is a terrible loss for all the community, especially the Belton family. Today's News in 90 seconds - 17th May 2024 Mr Belton was a cousin of the late Fine Gael TD and Senator Louis Belton and hailed from a family whose reach extended far and wide. Fianna Fail Cllr Seamus Butler followed suit, saying the wider community of Longford town had been left numbed by the tragedy. The College Park and Templemichael Glebe area are in absolute shock trying to come terms with this tragedy, he said. A sudden death like this is so hard to come to terms with an all we can do at times like this is support the family as well as we can. Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Colm Murray said the county, as one, were very much behind the Belton family following the tragic events of last night. On behalf of myself and all the members of Longford County Council I want to extend my sincere condolences to the deceaseds wife and family, he said. It is terrible news to receive at any stage. We all got out to work every day of the week and we expect to come home and live our lives normally and for such a freak accident to occur it is a terrible tragedy. Dean Devine was serving a 40 year driving ban at the time he led gardai on a 20 minute high speed chase in Westmeath. A county Offaly man who was banned from driving for 40 years after leading armed gardai on a 20-minute high speed pursuit in a midlands village has failed in his bid to have his licence returned after a court heard he was already serving a 40-year driving ban at the time of the offence. Dean Devine, of Kingston House, Cree, Fortal, Birr, Co Offaly, received the four-decade-long ban in May 2015 following an incident in the Tyrellspass area of Westmeath in February 2013. That episode resulted in an Armed Support Unit (ASU) car crashing, being written off and two officers having to be cut from the vehicle, taken to hospital and signed off work for a number of months. In an application tendered before Judge Bernadette Owens at Mullingar District Court, Devine described the ban handed down as ridiculous. Today's News in 90 seconds - 17th May 2024 He said the late former District Court Judge Seamus Hughes had instructed him at the time to steer clear of trouble for five or six years and to return to court in a bid to get the ball rolling in restoring his licence. The 32-year-old also stated it wasnt my fault two gardai were hurt arising out of the incident, a claim he contended the court had corroborated at the time. Devine told Judge Owens he was in or around 23 at the time of the offence and had not come to garda attention in over seven years. He said one of his main reasons in making the application was to further his own employment ambitious after attempts to set up his own business last year proved unsuccessful. I was stupid when I was younger, he told Judge Owens. I was suffering from bad mental health at the time and wasnt taking medication I was supposed to be taking, but I have been out of trouble the last six or seven years. Those assertions were, however, were brought into question by Inspector Dave Jordan on behalf of the State. In a series of objections, Inspector Jordan labelled Devines application as procedurally flawed under the terms of Section 7 of the Road Traffic Act 2006. He said in accordance with law, Devine was precluded from making any such application given that he was already serving a 40 year driving disqualification from Naas District Court in 2011 at the time of the Mullingar offence. Devine, who represented himself throughout the ten minute hearing, said that conviction was under appeal. Inspector Jordan, however, revealed to the court that Devine had picked up a further 19 road traffic offences since 2015. Dean Devine leaving Mullingar Courthouse. They included a further 40 year ban from Longford Circuit Court in February 2017, a 20-year ban recorded at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in November 2018 and most recently a four year ban from Nenagh District Court dated from October last year. Inspector Jordan also stated how Devine, according to current road traffic legislation, was obliged to serve half his period of disqualification before making any such application to the court. Devine, for his part, insisted the vast bulk of those convictions were either under appeal or in the process of being struck out. Judge Owens, in delivering her ruling, said she had been left concerned at claims made by Devine that he had steered clear of any garda attention before the court learned of his 19 subsequent convictions. She said of more pressing relevance was the fact Devines previous 40-year disqualification in Naas had effectively prohibited him from being in a position to lodge any licence restoration application. Judge Owens, in refusing the application, told Devine should he overturn that conviction, there was nothing preventing him returning to the court to apply for an early return of his licence. In doing so, however, she warned him any such case would be taken on its merits and whatever State objections which may be made at that juncture would be considered at that point. Green Party Cllr Mark Hackett and Senator Pippa Hackett in Daingean, one of the two towns to benefit from the latest tranche in funding from Town Centre First policy Daingean and Kilmalogue (West Portarlington) have been named as the Offaly towns to benefit under the Town Centre First policy, as part of an announcement on Friday by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys. Follow Independent Offaly on Facebook Minister Humphreys named the latest towns to be selected to benefit from the Town Team Support Fund, which provides 20,000 across the two towns in order to support the development of a Town Team for that community. A total of 68 towns will be supported with 10,000 in funding per town. The funding may be used to support the establishment and, or development of town teams where they are not already well established, and to better understand the unique features of towns. The projects will be managed by the DRCD-funded Town Regeneration Officers across the country. This funding follows on from the recent announcement of 780,000 which will support the development of a Town Centre First Plan in a further 26 towns, with Clara the selected town in Offaly to benefit. Ferbane has also been named as a future beneficiary of this scheme, and they are currently in the process of developing their plan. These plans represent the communities own vision for the future of their towns. The Town Centre First policy was created and introduced to the Programme for Government by the Green Party, and Minister Pippa Hackett, a member of the Green Party, welcomed Fridays announcement and hailed the towns involved for their effort in working towards more sustainable and vibrant town centres for their residents. Daingean and Portarlington both have significant numbers of local residents who commute towards Dublin, with large growth in population over the past generation. Having so many people working away from home presents particular challenges when it comes to creating a lively town centre that caters for all local citizens, but the Town Centre First policy is a crucial ingredient in meeting that challenge head on, she said. Cllr Mark Hackett said, Vibrant towns require active local community groups who understand the needs and strengths of a particular area, and harnessing that energy, insight and skill into the Town Team structure has been proven to have huge benefits. Senator Hackett added, I look forward to working with the Town Teams of Kilmalogue and Daingean, as well as those of Clara, Ferbane and the other existing Town Teams all across Offaly, to make sure that they get every possible support from the government, from Offaly County Council and from us as local elected representatives, and I cant wait to make sure that this initiative is a huge success, with tangible benefits for all the residents of these proud communities. To find out more about the Town Centre First policy, the Town Centre First Suite of Supports 2024 and how towns can become involved, visit www.towncentrefirst.ie A delegation from Kempten experienced the very best of what Sligo has to offer during a recent visit. The bond between Sligo and Kempten in Germany continues after a delegation from Kempten recently visited Sligo, following the visit of 21 students. A delegation from Kempten, led by Mayor Thomas Kiechle and his wife Ulrike Kiechle, embarked on a special visit to Sligo to reinforce the longstanding friendship and collaboration between Sligo and Kempten. The visit commenced with a warm reception hosted by Mayor of Borough District of Sligo, Cllr Declan Bree, at Sligo City Hall on Friday, 3rd May. The reception was a lively affair, filled with music and singing provided by Tom and Kate Gavin, as well as impressive dance performances by talented dancers from Eimear Mulvey - Broga Briomhar Dance School. The lively atmosphere set the tone for the special visit, which aimed to further strengthen the bond and cultural exchange between Kempten and Sligo. During his address, Mayor Cllr Bree emphasised the significance of the town twinning association that has nurtured the strong bond between the two cities over the years. This partnership has facilitated the sharing of cultures, traditions, and values, fostering a deep understanding and respect between the communities of Kempten and Sligo. Mayor Cllr Bree extended a warm welcome to Mayor Thomas Kiechle and Ulrike Kiechle, recognising their presence as a testament to the enduring friendship and shared values that unite the communities of both cities. He expressed his delight in having them in Sligo and expressed hopes that their visit would be filled with memorable experiences and enriching exchanges. The visit coincided with the Queen Maeve Festival, organised by Sligo County Council to celebrate the official opening of Queen Maeve Square. Highlighting the importance of international cooperation and collaboration, Mayor Cllr Bree emphasised the lessons learned, shared knowledge, and explored growth opportunities through the town twinning association. He expressed confidence that the visit would strengthen the existing bond and pave the way for even greater collaboration in the future. The Kempten delegation had the privilege of experiencing the best that Sligo has to offer during their stay. Their itinerary included the highly anticipated A Taste of Sligo Tour, allowing them to savour the flavours of the local cuisine and indulge in the culinary delights for which Sligo is renowned. In addition, they had the opportunity to explore The Model, a renowned for showcasing the diverse talents of Sligos artists and cultivates a vibrant creative community. A trip to Strandhill, a place of natural beauty, awaited the delegation, including a visit to the National Surf Centre, the first of its kind in Ireland. Mayor Cllr Bree encouraged the Kempten delegation to engage with the local community, immerse themselves in Sligos traditions, and embrace the warmth and hospitality that define Sligo. The visit of the Kempten delegation signifies the enduring friendship and shared values between the Kempten and Sligo, setting the stage for a future of enhanced collaboration and cultural exchange. Mayor Cllr Bree expressed his belief that the visit would further deepen the connection between Kempten and Sligo, fostering new avenues for collaboration and opening doors to exciting possibilities. A number of second level students from Kempten also visited Sligo in recent weeks. The 21 students attended Mercy College in Sligo, which was facilitated by Principal Ann Gorby and Lorraine Sherlock with German teacher Nicola Burke and German language assistant Ms. Kristin. As Kempten is located away from any coast, the 21 students, visiting Sligo for the first time, enjoyed visits to Mullaghmore, Easkey, Strandhill and Rosses Point. The Kempten students were facilitated on an Eramus programme and with funding enabled them to stay in The Glasshouse Hotel for the 7 day Exchange programme. In spring 2024 the Mercy College students will take part on the return leg of the exchange to Kempten. The visit has undoubtedly strengthened the bond between Kempten and Sligo, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of all involved. Crews have been on site since this morning, Friday May 17, and are working to restore normal water supply as quickly as possible to impacted customers (stock image Uisce Eireann is working to restore normal water supply to homes and businesses following a fault at the treatment plant in Springmount in County Tipperary. As a result, water supply to Cashel and surrounding areas is impacted. Crews have been on site since this morning, Friday May 17, and are working to restore normal water supply as quickly as possible to impacted customers. Uisce Eireann anticipates that the water supply will start returning to most areas over the course of the morning, but some customers on higher ground may have a longer restoration site. Follow Independent Tipperary on Facebook Uisce Eireanns Colin Cunningham regrets the inconvenience for customers, adding: We understand how disruptive unplanned outages are and we regret the inconvenience caused. We would like to thank impacted customers in the Cashel area for their patience while we work on repairs and restore the water supply as quickly as possible. Vulnerable customers who have registered with Uisce Eireann receive direct communications from the company for planned and unplanned outages lasting more than four hours. The Uisce Eireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 and customers can also contact the company on Twitter @IWCare with any queries. For updates, customers can visit the Supply and Service Updates section of their website. Uisce Eireann is responsible for the delivery of all public water and wastewater services in Ireland. We are committed to continuously upgrading and developing critical infrastructure to support the growth needed in housing and across our economy, while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies, added a spokesperson. Colm Toibin will be in conversation with Mary Conway, Waterford City and County Librarian at Dungarvan Library at 7pm on Thursday, June 13 Colm Toibin, internationally acclaimed Irish author and current Laureate for Irish Fiction, has released a new book called Long Island, and will be in conversation with Mary Conway, Waterford City and County Librarian at Dungarvan Library at 7pm on Thursday, June 13. Long Island is the much-anticipated sequel to Toibins 2009 novel Brooklyn which was also adapted into a film in 2015. In Long Island we see Eilis and Tony living a happy, secure life in Long Island twenty years on from the ending of Brooklyn. When a stranger with an Irish accent knocks on Eiliss door however, she turns towards Ireland once again and the life she left behind. In his follow on to the best-selling and prizewinning novel Brooklyn, we see Toibin at his best, a master of deeply moving scenes full of quiet restraint. The author of eleven novels, including The Magician, The Master, Nora Webster and Brooklyn, Colm Toibin has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize three times, was winner of the International Dublin Literary award for The Master, and has won both the Costa Novel award and the Impac Award. Long Island is the much-anticipated sequel to Toibins 2009 novel Brooklyn which was also adapted into a film in 2015 He has published two collections of stories and many works of non-fiction. Colm Toibin is the Irene and Sidney B. Silverman Professor of the Humanities at Columbia University and been named as the Laureate for Irish Fiction for 2022-2024 by the Arts Council of Ireland. Waterford City and County Librarian, Mary Conway, said she is looking forward to the evening stating, I am delighted to welcome Colm Toibin to Waterford and to Dungarvan Library, and look forward to discussing his wonderful writing with him. It is sure to be an insightful conversation. Mr Toibin will also discuss his inspirations including Henry James, his creative processes and the machinations of writing. As the current Laureate for Irish Fiction, Mr Toibin will also speak about Irish writers and the new generation of writers representing Ireland. While this event is free, booking is required by calling Dungarvan Library on 058 21141. Ballygarrett Tidy Towns have taken a stand against election posters being hung in their village and banned them within a 50 km zone on any approach road to and within the village. Bernie Byrne of Ballygarrett Tidy Towns said they first requested that no election posters be erected in the village in 2015, to cut down on the amount of rubbish in the area. Theyre unsightly and the thing is, we dont take part in the Tidy Towns competition anymore but when we were being judged in that, posters and litter came up big time. "When one person starts to do it, everybody starts to do it so we try to keep it to a minimum within the village and last time around, we only had one councillor that didnt do it, said Bernie. Many other towns and villages around Ireland have taken the same stance on this issue including Ferns in Wexford. "Its sort of like a dirty bottle bin, if you leave it dirty then everybody thinks its a dumping ground whereas if its kept clean then people are more inclined to keep it clean, said Bernie. Bernie says theyve never received any complaints about the arrangement and believes that some election candidates would prefer an outright ban. "Im of the opinion if there was an outright ban candidates would like it. Its costing them money and personnel trying to put them up. Any councillor thats already insitu, everybody should know who they are. If they dont know who they are then they didnt do their job well in the previous term, she said. Bernie suggested that instead of having individual posters and flyers, a flyer which includes all of the names and details of the candidates in the Gorey Kilmuckridge District be distributed. I think the majority of people prefer it now without the election posters. The amount of junk thats coming in the door too. One sheet of paper with everybodys picture on it of whos running and everybody has it. That doesnt cost anybody a huge amount and its just a bit of joint up thinking, said Bernie. Ballygarrett Tidy Towns have also been considering installing noticeboards around the town for local residents and councillors to post advertisements which could be another alternative. Ballygarrett Tidy Towns look after Old Bawn Beach, the Walking Trail, Cahore Beach as well as the new toilet facilities there. The group collect rubbish at least twice a week and theyre always looking for new volunteers to help out. You dont have to come out on Tuesday and Thursday night, you can come out anytime you like, she said. Gus Handcocks Wexford: Photographs 1885 - 1905 have been digitized and feature in a talk in New Ross library on Tuesday, May 28, at 7 p.m. During long holidays on his parents farm in Colebrook, Wellingtonbridge, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, amateur photographer Gus Handcock captured dozens of images of family, neighbours and of local places and events. His surviving photographs give a fascinating insight into life in south-west Wexford on the cusp of major social, economic and political change. 70 Gus Handcock photographs have now been donated to Wexford County Archive as part of The Jack & Peggy Handcock Collection of historic family materials. These, along with several other Handcock photographs, have been researched and catalogued by Colebrook native, Monica Wallace, with funding assistance from Creative Ireland, and will shortly be published on the Wexford County Archive website. Monica will present an illustrated talk on Gus Handcocks life and his Wexford photographs. Booking essential. Pictures show Selskar Colleges Multicultural Day Students from 42 nations gathered as one at Selskar College last week for the schools inaugural multicultural day. Organised by third year student, Cian Martin, the event saw the cultures and traditions of countries such as Botswana. Vietnam. Cambodia, and Gambia celebrated alongside Ireland, Latvia, Poland, and many others. Last year, Selskar became an official School of Sanctuary, an initiative which encourages schools to become places of welcome and inclusion for everyone. And that was certainly the case at its multicultural as students, and their parents, from all types of backgrounds mixed freely, learning about one anothers culture through food, music, and history. Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has called on the Department of Education to speed up the delivery of several outstanding school extension plans in Wicklow, particularly in high-demand areas such as North Wicklow, which has seen a huge increase in the demand for school places this year. Deputy Whitmore expressed concern that the Department of Education is not doing enough to plan for school places in September 2025. This follows months of work by Deputy Whitmore and parents in Greystones to secure school places for September 2024, with several students still waiting to receive a place. The classroom chaos we saw this year in Greystones cannot be allowed to happen again, she said. The only way to avoid that is to ensure we have a clear plan for delivering extra classroom places for September 2025 with fixed deadlines. The department must also do all it can to deliver outstanding building applications. In October this year, enrolment will be open for September 2025. This will undoubtedly be another chaotic and stressful process for parents and students, as based on the current capacity we have in Greystones and Kilcoole, there will be nowhere near the needed capacity. There are currently three building programmes outstanding which can elevate this. The Department of Education needs to urgently progress works on school building expansions for Greystones Community College, Colaiste Chraobh Abhann and Templecarrig. It is invaluable to Greystones that GCC took three extra classes this year to address the shortage of 70 places for children starting secondary school. However, this will have a knock-on effect on their capacity next year. While I welcome the announcement today (Friday, May 17) that the letter of approval for the school build is due to be with the developer before the end of the month, it is important to note that this is still a delay of a month from when the Taoiseach announced this move. He made a commitment that it would be issued within two weeks, she continued. This lack of clarity and adherence to timelines is making it increasingly difficult for us to know exactly when to expect the delivery of the new build for Greystones Community College, which is not scheduled to be ready for September 2025. While that project is ongoing, the Department of Education needs to work with the Colaiste Chraobh Abhann and Templecarrig to have their school extensions delivered. The process is taking far too long. Templecarrig, a 750-person school, took 45 months to build. They are now 38 months into their application for an extension to that same building and are still in stage one of the process. The Department must ramp up the delivery of these schools extensions. At my request, my colleague Catherine Murphy TD raised this issue today at the Public Accounts Committee with the Department of Education Forward Planning Unit. The response from the department is wholly inadequate. It shows me that they do not understand or accept the department's failure to deliver schools in high-density areas such as Greystones and Kilcoole," concluded Deputy Whitmore. Independent TD Michael McNamara visited Greystones as part of his campaign for the European elections, where he is running as a candidate for Ireland South, and, as a barrister, stressed his credentials in legislative matters and his pledge to advance progressive policies on the national stage. With his further background in farming, agriculture and renewable energy are also his key priorities. Deputy McNamara is currently an Independent TD for Clare and he was joined on the campaign trail by Cllr Stephen Stokes and local supporters on Thursday, May 9. "It was great to welcome Michael McNamara to County Wicklow., Cllr Stokes said. We received a very warm welcome across Greystones. Michael would be a superb MEP. His parliamentary contributions are remarkable." With a strong background in community engagement and policy development, Deputy McNamara said he aims to bring fresh perspectives and proactive solutions to the European Parliament. "Over the past few years, many people have felt unrepresented in the making of decisions that affect their lives. I have questioned the Government and tried to make them explain the decisions they make, and I will be asking people for their support to do the same in Europe where more and more of the decisions that affect us in Ireland are made," he said. Having demonstrated a deep commitment to serving the interests of his constituents and advancing progressive policies on the national stage, Deputy McNamara also highlighted his experience in legislative matters, coupled with his passion for addressing global challenges, which position him as a promising candidate for the European elections. Cllr Stokes concluded: "Many people in Clare don't want to lose Michael McNamara as their TD, because of his hard work and dedication. However I would see it as huge win for Ireland South, which includes Wicklow." Deputy McNamara was first elected as a Labour TD in the Clare constituency in 2011, and while he failed to retain his seat in 2016, was re-elected as an Independent TD in 2020. He has served as chair of the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response. From 2011 to 2016 Michael was a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. As a farmer and barrister, he has previously said that that "agriculture and renewable energy are key issues" for him. Talking about his decision to run in the elections last month, the Clare TD said: When the Irish people voted for greater integration of the European Union, they voted to opt out of justice / immigration measures for reasons as valid now as then. This government is intent on ceding these key areas of national sovereignty to Brussels. Thats why, more than ever, we will need representation in Europe asking the difficult questions. He added that he was committed to protecting family farms, which uphold the highest environmental and welfare standards, from greedy multinational retailers and conglomerates, as well as calling for the introduction of price transparency in the food chain at a European level, which our government has resisted domestically. On immigration, he said that while reform is being carried out, the European Union must use its position in the world to address the root causes of mass migration. Deputy McNamara said he would use his position as MEP to advocate for funding as part of the European Green Deal to increase Irelands housing stock through the conversion and renovation of upper floors over commercial units on the streets of every town and city in Ireland South into residential accommodation. He also promised he would work to ensure those on hospital waiting lists can obtain treatment in other European states. Members of the East Wicklow Business Network (EWBN) hosted a meeting with Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe at the Greystones Municipal District Offices, when the Minister visited the town on Thursday, May 9. They were joined by the EWBN Committee members Mark Atkins, Gordon ONeill, Feargal McKenna and Paul McKnight. The local business network highlighted key concerns local businesses have to contend with, regarding economic development and infrastructure challenges in Greystones and the surrounding areas. The first item on the agenda was the stalled plans for the much-vaunted 300m media campus, which was earmarked for a 44-acre site and was expected to open in 2024. This would greatly boost Irelands creative economy and generate substantial local employment and the EWBN urged the Minister to seek clarification on the project's status and secure investor commitment, or explore alternative uses for the site if necessary. Business owners in the town were also keen to highlight the importance of fair distribution of commercial rates, advocating for proactive engagement and transparent allocation of funds by the county councils. The Minister was asked to encourage county councils to release annual breakdowns of funds collected and distributed to ensure investment matches local needs. Another issue that was raised was that of the Cliff Walk and whether any improvements to the towns rail service were forthcoming. The closure of the Cliff Walk due to coastal erosion has impacted local retailers, while train cancellations have caused dissatisfaction among businesses. The EWBN requested that the government develop a cohesive plan to preserve this key attraction while ensuring a safe, reliable rail service. Minister Donohoe said he recognised the significance of these issues and committed to providing updates on the progress. He was confident that the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), the Government body involved in the transaction, would have stringently reviewed the business plan for a project such as the Media Campus and was likely to have legally binding commitments from private enterprise that have benefited from their support. He emphasised the governments interest in supporting economic growth in the region and the vital role businesses play in achieving this. He also noted the significant need for Ireland to secure its own energy security and expressed the economic opportunity for the country was substantial with renewable energy being akin to, if harnessed correctly, the benefits the country receives from FDI, and added that communities could benefit greatly from the development funds being created around the renewable energy projects. The East Wicklow Business Network will continue advocating for the business community, striving to foster relationships that benefit the economy of Greystones and the surrounding areas. The East Wicklow Business Network can be contacted at hello@wicklowbusiness.ie and its services can be viewed on wicklowbusiness.ie. Students from Woodbrook College in Bray were rewarded for their efforts to promote the Irish language after they were presented with a Gaelbhratach (Irish flag) at a ceremony in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. Travelling to Tik Tok Head Office as part of the technology day during Seachtain na Gaeilge, creating an Irish wall full of the students' art as well as art projects, quizzes and a ceili are just some of the activities set up and run by the student committee in Woodbrook College, that were recognised for raising more awareness of Irish. Run by Gael Linn, Gaelbhratach is a national initiative that encourages primary and secondary students to speak Irish outside of the formal classroom setting. Students from Wicklow attended the ceremony, on Thursday, May 16, which marked the 10th year of the scheme in post-primary schools. As part of the ceremony, 67 flags were awarded to post-primary schools from all over Ireland the highest number of recipients in any one year. Commenting on the event, Siomha Ni Ruairc, Youth Coordinator with Conradh na Gaeilge, How to Gael podcast host and television presenter said: I was very lucky to grow up speaking Irish at home with my family. Being able to speak Irish has opened so many doors for me in life, and I wouldnt be where I am today without it. "The Gaelbhratach scheme is a great way for students to take charge of their own use of the language, bring it into everyday life and make it fun! Its exciting that young people are starting to see the potential of the language outside of their learning in the classroom. Im delighted to be at Gaelbhratach to speak on the panel about my experiences in Irish and to meet all of the students receiving their flags. Commenting on the rewarding aspects of the scheme for students, Edel Ni Bhraonain, Bainisteoir Gaelbhratach said to be celebrating 10 years at secondary level was a significant milestone for the scheme. "Gaelbhratach gives young people of any age or background the opportunity to use and develop their Irish language skills outside of the traditional classroom setting, she said. The programme aims to put the student voice at the centre of their learning through the Gaelbhratach committee. The role of this student-led committee is to direct the Gaelbhratach activities throughout the school year - empowering students in Wicklow to take ownership of how and when they use their language. We have new schools hoping to join the scheme each year and its inspiring to see young peoples passion for the language. The most rewarding part of the scheme is hearing feedback, from students and teachers in Wicklow, on how they have integrated the language into their everyday lives and the impact it has had. Were so appreciative of the dedicated teachers in each school who support and encourage their students on the Gaelbhratach committees, she added. Gaelbhratach is an Irish language scheme focused on promoting Irish in primary and secondary schools around the country. Each year, Gaelbhratach organises the post-primary Gaelbhratach Awards Ceremony to celebrate the significant contributions made by teachers and students around the country towards the promotion of the Irish language in their schools. The water quality for Silver Strand dropped from Excellent in 2022 to Good in 2023. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have just released their bathing water quality results for 2023, which reveal that all six beaches included in County Wicklow boast good or excellent water quality. Each year local authorities take samples of selected bathing waters just before, and then during, the bathing season, which in Ireland runs from June 1 to September 15. In 2023, 148 identified bathing waters in Ireland were monitored and managed under the Bathing Water Regulations. In County Wicklow, Brittas Bay North Beach, Brittas Bay South Beach and Greystones South were all deemed to have excellent water quality for at least the fourth year running. Bray South Promenade retained its status of good water quality, as did Clogga Beach. The only change in status for Wicklows beaches was Silver Strand, which dropped in quality from excellent in 2022 to good in 2023. Overall 97pc of the 148 identified bathing waters met or exceeded the minimum required standard, with 114 bathing waters (77pc) deemed excellent quality - a slight decrease from 117 for 2022. Urban waste water was most frequently reported as the likely cause of incidents in 2023. Other reported causes included agricultural run-off, and pollution entering the surface water collection system through misconnections or run-off from urban areas. Overall, it was a challenging year for bathing water quality in 2023, with extended periods of heavy rain. This highlights the need to build climate resilience into the management of pollution from pressures driven by heavy rainfall, including overflows from urban wastewater systems, and runoff from agricultural land and urban areas. Local authorities consider a number of factors when identifying bathing waters including water quality, the level of use, safety, access and facilities. They also ask local people to help them identify these spaces and the Wicklow County Council portal for this is currently open to submissions. If you wish to propose your favourite beach/river etc. as a new bathing water site, or comment on an existing site, email your submission to bathingwater@wicklowcoco.ie or post it to Climate Environment Recreation and Amenity Section, Wicklow County Council, County Buildings, Whitgates, Wicklow town, Co. Wicklow. A67FW96. The closing date for submissions is Thursday, September 26. Residents of Rathcoran Housing Estate, Baltinglass, and neighbouring community groups are invited to participate in Street Feast Festival Day on taking place on Saturday, May 25, for an afternoon of fun, food, community planting and outdoor games. Running from 12pm until 3pm, it will allow the community to come together to celebrate diversity, encourage integration, and honour our community spirit. On the day, youll get a chance to meet the estates Artist in Residence Project Artist, Suzie Cahn and help her plant the beginnings of a new community growing space. Local artist and resident Avril OReilly will provide face painting, and there will be other activities for children and families to enjoy, such as giant outdoor snakes and ladders and Jenga, candle and jewellery making workshops, and music. All of these events are free to participate in. A group of Rathcoran residents have worked over the past year with Respond and Wicklow County Councils Creative Places Baltinglass programme to think of ways to deliver new projects and activities for the estate to enhance the neighbourhood. The participating residents aims were to see what work from the Brain Health Village Initiative could be achieved to build a greater sense of community in the estate, and to see what options would enhance the appearance of and improve gathering spaces for residents. As a result of the input of the residents group, Respond and Wicklow County Council are providing this day of community participation by joining in the Street Feast national day of food sharing. You are encouraged to bring along your own food and drinks to consume and share. Speaking on the upcoming event, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council Cllr. Aoife Flynn Kennedy said: Im delighted to see this community and family engagement event taking place in the Rathcoran Estate as part of the Creative Places Baltinglass programme. We thank the residents for their input in planning what promises to be a great day out. Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Emer OGorman said: Such partnerships between Wicklow County Council and Respond are innovative and they support wellbeing in communities for residents to thrive. We hope everyone has an enjoyable afternoon at the Street Feast Festival. This event has been coordinated as part of the Creative Places Baltinglass initiative run by Wicklow County Council and supported by the Arts Council. The project has also been funded and supported by Respond as part of the Brain Health Project initiative. Thanks are also extended to Mens Shed for their support in building the planting structures and the residents of the estate who came on board to design this day for all their neighbours to enjoy. Brown Thomas birthday: From Dior and Louboutin to Liz Hurley and Michael Buble, iconic store celebrates 175 years in the theatre of retail Through changing fashions and new owners, store has always known how to put on a show Christian Louboutin visiting his boutique in Brown Thomas for the first time in 2011. Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland Bairbre Power Fri 17 May 2024 at 03:30 When Christian Dior visited Dublin in 1950 to open his boutique in Brown Thomas, a century after the store first opened, the French couturier was the talk of town. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping pledge new era for Russia-China partnership and condemn threat of aggressive US Leaders issue joint statement covering issues from Taiwan and Ukraine to peaceful nuclear technologies Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping attend an official welcoming ceremony in Beijing yesterday. Photo: Reuters Bernard Orr Fri 17 May 2024 at 01:00 Chinas Xi Jinping and Russias Vladimir Putin yestrerday 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 that was sowing chaos across the world. Leader in stable condition as the suspect believed to be a lone wolf A man has been charged with the attempted murder of Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico, who was last night in a stable condition in hospital but not out of the woods yet, officials said. Mr Fico (59) was left fighting for his life after he was shot several times in the stomach in what the government has described as an assassination attempt. He 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. Israeli tanks face rockets and mortars as they push into Jabalia in northern Gaza Strip Slow progress in north, while forces pound Rafah from ground and air Mourners with the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes during their funeral yesterday in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters Nidal Al Mughrabi and Emily Rose Fri 17 May 2024 at 03:30 Israels tanks pushed into the heart of Jabalia in northern Gaza yesterday, 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. Meet RFK Jr: the anti-vaxxer with a worm in his brain who wants to become the second President Kennedy His siblings wont vote for the independent candidate but he says such discord is natural for an Irish family and their disapproval has not stopped him building momentum Siobhan Brett reports on how he is building momentum despite being accused of trading in conspiracy theories Robert F Kennedy Jr on the campaign trail in Los Angeles. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images Siobhan Brett Fri 17 May 2024 at 03:30 No nation trades in identity politics quite like the United States. Thats something Robert F Kennedy Jr, the presidential challenger and fifth member of his family to run for the office, knows all too well. Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) and Your India Investment Strategy India has double taxation avoidance agreements (DTAAs) in place with over 90 countries, with certain tax treaties offering lower withholding tax (WHT) rates on certain types of income. This article examines how DTAAs can impact foreign firms and their India investment strategy. Double taxation avoidance agreements (DTAs or DTAAs) are designed to prevent the same income from being taxed by multiple states, promoting tax compliance and facilitating efficient cross-border trade. Primarily bilateral in nature, DTAAs draw inspiration from model conventions developed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) or, less commonly, the United Nations. While the wording of DTAAs may share significant similarities, the specific provisions and applicability can vary substantially from one tax treaty to another. For investors, navigating international taxation can be confusing due to the potential clash of different tax systems. Hong Kong and Singapore, for instance, operate under a territorial source principle, taxing only locally sourced profits. In contrast, countries like India and the United States follow a worldwide tax system, where resident enterprises may face taxation on income earned both domestically and abroad. DTAAs not only offer clarity on potential tax obligations for investors but also serve to structure international investments for tax efficiency. DTAAs apply to individuals and companies from the countries or jurisdictions involved in the agreement. Their primary objective is to prevent double taxation by enabling the tax paid in one of the two countries to offset taxes owed in the other country. Additionally, they may offer exemptions or reduced tax rates for certain types of income, including royalties, interest, and dividends. Withholding tax and profit repatriation under double taxation avoidance agreements DTAAs also affect the repatriation of profits and earnings, allowing for strategic location of profit taking and distribution. Under legally permitted favorable circumstances, profits can be taken in a lower-cost jurisdiction and distributed from there to the overseas headquarters. This makes complete sense when developing a business in Asia, as capital injections and investments can then be made from the lower tax jurisdiction. The distribution of dividends back to the home domicile can also be arranged in a beneficial and less tax burdensome manner than would otherwise be possible. Many preferred holding company jurisdictions maintain DTAAs that limit or eliminate withholding taxes on dividends transferred from subsidiaries to parent companies. For example, Singapore has a DTAA in place with India that lowers dividend distribution (withholding) taxes for foreign companies to 10 percent (provided the beneficial owner is a company that owns at least 25 percent of the shares of the company paying the dividends). The agreement also includes a rate of 15 percent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases. What this means for foreign businesses is that they have the option to create a corporate structure so that profits from an India subsidiary may be remitted to a Singaporean holding company at a 10 percent withholding tax rate on dividends, before then being passed on to the overseas parent company with no additional tax obligations. Such reductions can result in significant tax savings over time, effectively increasing profits. Permanent establishments and holding companies DTAAs also serve to define scenarios where companies may not be considered to be generating taxable income in a particular country. A crucial concept within these agreements is the idea of permanent establishment (PE) status. Globally, three general types of PEs are recognized: Fixed Place PEs: These are physical locations such as offices, branches, or factories where business activities are carried out. These are physical locations such as offices, branches, or factories where business activities are carried out. Agency PEs: This type includes situations where a person or entity, acting on behalf of the company, has the authority to conclude contracts or habitually exercises such authority. This type includes situations where a person or entity, acting on behalf of the company, has the authority to conclude contracts or habitually exercises such authority. Service PEs: These are created through the provision of services, such as consulting or technical services, within a country for a specified duration. Understanding and appropriately managing PE status is essential for businesses to navigate international tax liabilities effectively. Type of permanent establishment Requisites Fixed Place PE Fixed place of business Business of the foreign entity is wholly or partly carried out here Agency PE Authority to conclude contracts on behalf of the foreign enterprise Secures and delivers orders wholly or almost wholly on behalf of the foreign enterprise Service PE Foreign enterprise furnishes or performs services in the foreign country Staff works in the foreign country for a total of 6 months or 183 days during a 12-month period What happens when an enterprise triggers PE status Triggering PE status is a significant issue as it determines the taxable status of specific legal structures and trade activities. A typical DTAA includes clauses related to the PE concept, which can favorably impact the total investment needed to enter a target market. It can also influence the type of legal vehicle required to be incorporated and, in some cases, eliminate the need for one altogether. The concept of PE is primarily used to determine a specific states right to impose tax on the business activities of foreign companies operating within its borders. Under a DTAA, the profits of a resident company doing business in another country will not be subject to tax in the other country unless the business is conducted through a PE. Once a PE is triggered, the enterprise will be subject to the host countrys business taxes, and any qualifying staff will be subject to individual income tax in that country. Therefore, it is critical for foreign businesses operating in Asia to stay informed about their PE status and the relevant tax rates in the region. The OECD Model Income Tax Treaty defines a PE as a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on. Although most DTAAs use the OECD definition, countries can independently define what constitutes a PE. This flexibility can have highly beneficial results. For example, a well-structured incorporation can provide effective services for its parent companysometimes even billing local companies on their behalfwithout triggering tax exposure in the secondary country. The specifics depend on how the PE issue is addressed within the DTAA. Choosing a favorable holding company channel for investing in India is challenging due to the need to consider both the tax treaty network and Indian domestic tax law. However, certain reforms in Indias tax regulation seek to ease the burden on enterprises. Dividend distribution tax The Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) was a tax on dividends paid by corporations to shareholders, deducted before distribution. Under section 1150 of the Income-tax Act, 1961, companies had to pay a 15 percent tax on gross dividends, while section 2(22)(e) imposed a 30 percent tax on presumed profits, exempting shareholders from further tax on these dividends. The Finance Act 2020 abolished the DDT, shifting the tax burden from companies to shareholders. Now, shareholders pay tax on dividends according to their tax bracket. This change aims to reduce the burden on businesses, improve ease of doing business in India, and make India more attractive to international investors by eliminating double taxation of profits. Under the new system, dividends are taxed at the shareholders applicable rate, such as 30 percent for those in the 30 percent tax bracket. Indias position on the BEPS MLI: Tax implications In November 2016, over 100 jurisdictions, including India, concluded negotiations on the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS MLI). This convention swiftly updates international tax rules and reduces tax avoidance opportunities for multinational enterprises. The BEPS MLI was first signed on June 7, 2017 and entered into force on July 1, 2018. Currently, 102 jurisdictions have joined, with 85 having ratified, accepted, or approved it, covering around 1900 bilateral tax treaties. The MLI entered into force for India on October 1, 2019. For Indias 22 treaty partners who deposited their Instrument of Ratification by June 30, 2019, the MLIs provisions took effect from the financial year 2020-21, starting on April 1, 2020. The BEPS MLI provides concrete solutions to close gaps in international tax rules, implements minimum standards to counter treaty abuse, and enhances dispute resolution mechanisms, while allowing flexibility for specific tax treaty policies. Indias Double Tax Treaties and Withholding Tax Rates Recipient Dividend (%) Interest (%) Royalty (%) Technical services (%) Albania 10 10 10 10 Armenia 10 10 10 10 Australia 15 15 10; 15 Austria 10 10 10 10 Bangladesh 10; 15 10 10 Belarus 10; 15 10 15 15 Belgium 15 15 30 30 Bhutan 10 10 10 10 Botswana 7.5; 10 10 10 10 Brazil 15 15 25; 15 Bulgaria 15 15 15 20 Canada 15; 25 15 15 20 China 10 10 10 10 Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) 12.5 10 10 10 Colombia 5 10 10 10 Croatia 5;15 10 10 10 Cyprus 10 10 10 10 Czech Republic 10 10 10 10 Denmark 15; 25 10;15 20 20 Egypt Estonia 10 10 10 10 Ethiopia 7.5 10 10 10 Fiji 5 10 10 10 Finland 10 10 10 10 France 10 10 10 10 Georgia 10 10 10 10 Germany 10 10 10 10 Greece Hungary 10 10 10 10 Iceland 10 10 10 10 Indonesia 10 10 10 10 Ireland 10 10 10 10 Israel 10 10 10 10 Italy 15; 25 15 20 20 Japan 10 10 10 10 Jordan Kazakhstan 10 10 10 10 Kenya 10 10 10 Korea 10 10 10 10 Kuwait 10 10 10 10 Kyrgyz Republic 10 10 15 15 Latvia 10 10 10 10 Libya Lithuania 5; 15 10 10 10 Luxemburg 10 10 10 10 Macedonia 10 10 10 10 Malaysia 5 10 10 Malta 10 10 10 10 Mauritius 5; 15 7.5 15 10 Mexico 10 10 10 10 Mongolia 15 15 15 15 Montenegro 5; 15 10 10 10 Morocco 10 10 10 10 Mozambique 7.5 10 10 Namibia 10 10 10 10 Nepal 5; 10 10 15 Netherlands 10 10 10 10 New Zealand 15 10 10 10 Norway 10 10 10 10 Oman 10; 12.5 10 15 15 Philippines 15; 20 10;15 15 Poland 10; 15 10;15 15 15 Portugal 15; 10 10 10 10 Qatar 5; 10 10 10 10 Romania 10 10 10 10 Russian Federation 10 10 10 10 Saudi Arabia 5 10 10 Serbia 5; 15 10 10 10 Singapore 10; 15 10; 15 10 10 Slovenia 5; 15 10 10 10 South Africa 10 10 10 10 Spain 15 15 10 20 Sri Lanka 7.5 10 10 10 Sudan 10 10 10 10 Sweden 10 10 10 10 Switzerland 10 10 10 10 Syria 5; 10 10 10 Tajikistan 5; 10 10 10 Tanzania 5; 10 10 10 Thailand 10 10 10 Trinidad and Tobago 10 10 10 10 Turkey 15 10; 15 15 15 Turkmenistan 10 10 10 10 Uganda 10 10 10 10 Ukraine 10; 15 10 10 10 United Arab Emirates 10 5; 12.5 10 United Kingdom 15; 10 15; 10 15; 20; 10 15; 20; 10 United States 15; 25 10; 15 15; 20; 10 15; 20; 10 Uruguay Uzbekistan 15 15 15 15 Vietnam 10 10 10 10 Zambia 5; 15 10 10 Source: Income Tax India Key developments In April 2024, India and Mauritius signed the protocol amending their DTAA, which now incorporates the Principal Purpose Test (PPT). This provision serves as a criterion to determine the eligibility of foreign investors to avail benefits under the India-Mauritius DTAA. Mauritius was one of the top choices as an investment destination for decades, since the country offered non-taxable capital gains. However, the tax agreement was revised in 2016, and India was able to tax capital gains on share transactions that went through Mauritius, beginning on April 1, 2017. On December 30, 2016, Singapore and India agreed on amending their DTAA for capital gain income. The agreement came into effect on April 1, 2017, and India aims to tackle investments coming into the country through shell companies and prevent tax avoidance. In February 2024, it was reported that the Mauritius government had decided to amend the DTAA with India in order to go with OECDs proposal on base erosion and profit shifting. The two nations first signed the agreement in 2016. The India and Cyprus DTAA, first signed in November 2016, was revised next year with the inclusion of a Grandfathering clause for investments made before April 1, 2017. The two countries had also decided to make further use of the Joint Economic Committee as a mechanism to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas of common interest. It may be worth noting that in 2023, Indias Supreme Court ruled that it is mandatory to issue a notification under Section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961, to implement changes in DTAA provisions. The ruling considered most-favored nation (MFN) clauses in DTAAs between India and France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. In March 2024, the Income Tax Department aligned with this ruling, extending lower tax rates from the India-Germany DTAA to taxpayers under the India-Spain DTAA. India has gradually adopted OECD standards to regulate residency and transfer pricing norms and became a signatory to the OECDs Multilateral Competent Authority agreement for the automatic exchange of Country-by-Country reports (CbC MCAA) in 2016. Place of Effective Management (POEM) regulations in India came into effect on April 1, 2017. POEM is an internationally recognized test for determining the residence of a company incorporated in a foreign jurisdiction. The new norms came into effect in the assessment year 2017-2018. As per the October 23, 2017, CBDT circular, the PoEM provisions will not apply to a foreign company having turnover or gross receipts of INR 500 million or less in a tax year. The General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) came into effect in India from April 1, 2017. GAAR is an anti-avoidance regulation that allows tax authorities to deny tax benefits on transactions conducted with the purpose of avoiding taxes. It has been applicable since the assessment year 201819. Both POEM and GAAR tackle the perceived weaknesses in international tax rules, addressed in the OECD Country-by-Country Reporting Agreements BEPS measures. Conclusion In addition to the above-mentioned taxation implications, DTAAs lay out the ground rules for many other bilateral tax agreements. The nature of these differs significantly depending upon each individual treaty; however, each should be studied in detail to ascertain both the required legal structure and the scope of trade. International businesses intending to trade with India and/or establish a physical presence would be wise to examine the applicable treaties and seek professional advice over the legal and financial implications prior to contemplating the legal structure itself. (This article was originally published in July 2013. It was last updated May 17, 2024.) Mumbai: Indian IT services firm Wipros Chief Operating Officer Amit Choudhary has resigned to pursue opportunities outside the organization, according to an exchange filing by the company. Choudhary's tenure will end on May 31, the filing said. Sanjeev Jain has been appointed as his immediate replacement, based in Bengaluru. Choudhary's departure is the second major exit from Wipro recently, following the resignation of Anis Chenchah, President of the Asia Pacific, India, Middle East, and Africa (APMEA) region, on May 10. These resignations come shortly after former CEO Thierry Delaporte resigned on April 6. Its worth noting that Choudhary, Chenchah, and Delaporte all previously worked at the France-based company Capgemini. Both Chenchah and Choudhary joined Wipro during Delaporte's tenure as CEO. Meanwhile, Jain will report to chief executive officer and managing director Srinivas Pallia and will continue to be a member of Wipros executive committee, the filing said. Jain had joined the IT firm in 2023 as the global head of business operations. Jain played a major leadership role in developing and implementing Wipros AI training and upskilling strategy. He will now manage global business operations, the chief information office, the chief information security office, and the enterprise risk management function. Before joining Wipro, Jain worked at Kyndryl Holdings (an IBM spin-off), IBM, Cognizant, and GE. He is also an alumnus of IIM-Mumbai. Photo Courtesy: Bhavesh Bhinde Instagram page Mumbai Police have arrested the owner of the advertisement agency that was responsible for installing the billboard in Ghatkopar area of the west Indian city which collapsed on May 13 killing 16 people, As many as 74 people were hurt after the 120-foot hoarding collapsed in Mumbai amid heavy rains. After a massive manhunt, police arrested Ego Media Pvt Ltd owner Bhavesh Bhinde on Thursday (May 16, 2024) from Rajasthan's Udaipur city. He is expected to be presented in a Mumbai court later in the day. After he escaped from the city following the mishap, more than 10 police teams from Mumbai and Gujarat were formed to trace Bhavesh Bhinde. Following the collapse of the billboard, a video of the moment went viral on the social media. Footage showed the tragic moment the giant hoarding came crashing on the ground. In a clear violation of rules, the crashed billboard measured 120x120sqft and weighed 250 tons. As per the local civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a hoarding can have a maximum size of 40x40sqft. The company had applied to the Limca Book of Records to declare it as the largest commercial hoarding in India, reported Hindustan Times. The Mumbai Police had registered a case under sections 304, 338, 337, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code against Bhavesh Bhide and others at Pantnagar police station. Photo Courtesy: video grab New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed in an interview on Thursday that India had sent a special envoy to Israel to stop bombing Gaza during Ramadan. Speaking to India Today, PM Modi underscored the efforts made by India to pursue Israel against bombing on Gaza. Modi stated that despite relentless efforts by the opposition to corner him on the Muslim issue, he has chosen to not publicise his effort to counter such allegations. "It was the month of Ramadan. So, I sent my special envoy to Israel and asked him to convey and explain to the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) that at least do not carry out bombings in Gaza during Ramadan. They (Israel) made every effort to follow it but in the end, there was a fight for two-three days," the Prime Minister said. "Here, you keep on cornering me on the Muslims issue but, I didn't publicise it," Modi said. Modi added that several other countries also tried to stop the war between Israel and Hamas, and their efforts must have borne fruit as well. The conflict in Gaza intensified after the Hamas terror group attacked Israel on October 7, when around 2,500 terrorists breached the border from the Gaza Strip, resulting in casualties and the taking of hostages. Recently, during another interaction about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Modi recalled telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that today's era is not one of war. Modi mentioned that he had the courage to look Putin in the eye and say, "this is not the time for war." He emphasized that India has maintained an independent stance on ongoing global conflicts. Language and culture play an important role in films and those centred around LGBTQ issues are no exception, said filmmaker Jeo Baby whose recent critically acclaimed Malayam film "Kaathal The Core" starring top mainstream actors explored the difficult lives of women married to gay men. Speaking at the 15th edition of KASHISH Film Festival 2024 in a panel discussion on LGBTQIA+ Narratives in Regional Cinema, he said: Language, and culture is very important, that's how characters are made better and understood too." "Subtitles are a barrier for me. Since my film Kaathal The Core is being situated in Kothad, Kochi my hometown, it became important to fine tune the screenplay accordingly, said Jeo Baby whose 2023 film is a courtroom drama where actor Mammootty plays an introverted gay man in a Kerala small town who is fighting an election when his wife (played by Jyotika) decides to file for divorce to end her suffering for 20 years of their married life. Besides Jeo Baby, other panelists in the discussion were Rohit Prajapati, Kling Johnson, Priyakanta Laishram, Disha Bhardwaj and moderator Ashish Sawhny. Panel coordinator Juhi Rajpal introduced the theme of the panel discussion which intended to focus the conversations around inclusion of queer narratives across regional language films in states of Karnataka, Manipur, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and more. The moderator of the evening began with a quote of the Oscar winning Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films. This led to the first question for the panellists of how essential is the role of a particular language to retain the authenticity of their characters and worlds. Filmmaker Priyankanta from Manipur talked about his experience of making his film Oneness, in his native language which helped the audience to connect better. English is not popular in Manipur. While growing up there were no queer films and so I felt the need to make queer films in my language, he said. Many Hindi films are being banned in Manipur, but people still watch commercial films instead of parallel cinema and so the audience for films like Priyankantas are less. When asked about placing their films amongst the regional cinema audiences, which is understood to be conservative towards queer content, the panelists made some interesting points. Rohit Prajapati, director of Kaatla Curry, which is based in Gujarat, had passionate love making scenes, and the filmmaker wasnt hesitant to say that this film is not made for the regional audience, but holds a mirror to the conservative society." Rohit focused on the original language, culture and local dialects to present the story authentically. This also brought the moderator to ask about the process of casting for the respective films. Having stars like Mammoothy and Jyotika for the film worked in our favour, said Jeo Baby. Having commercial stars to play a queer character on screen helped the film to reach a wider audience. For Disha Bhardwajs film Chupi Roh, having locals as actors for her film brought the rawness and relatability factor, which made the storytelling part even more honest according to her. The whole debate of casting queer actors or non-queer actors to play queer roles on screen was also a question brought in by moderator Ashish Sawhny. Sensitization workshops with actors helped the filmmakers to understand the comfort level of their leads, as well as to learn to tackle tough situations where the actor isnt ready to do a particular scene. It is a sin in Karnataka to show men kissing on screen, I kept it very less for the actors comfort ,'' explained Kling Johnson, director of Dvamdva. The session came to a close with questions from the audience and the panelists were later felicitated for their participation in the evenings conversation. Photo courtesy: Facebook/Robert Fico Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico is stable after a five-hour surgery which he underwent after he was shot five times in an assassination plot, media reports said. "At this point his condition is stabilised but is truly very serious, he will be in the intensive care unit," Miriam Lapunikova, the director of the hospital where Fico was admitted, said as quoted by India Today. Fico was shot multiple times and rushed to a hospital with gruesome injuries on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting. The attack has been condemned by EU leaders. Fico, a populist leader accused of having pro-Kremlin leanings, was elected the prime minister of the country last year. Local reports say Fico was shot in the abdomen, arm, and leg. Pictures show police detaining a suspect. Fico previously led the government from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018. Since his election last October, Fico has made a series of remarks that have strained relations between Slovakia and neighbouring Ukraine. He has questioned Ukraine's sovereignty and called for compromise with Russia. His has also sparked mass protests with controversial changes, including a media law that critics claim will undermine the impartiality of public television and radio. According to media reports, police nabbed the shooter immediately. Children travel in the trunk of a car as they leave Rafah in southern Gaza.Photo Courtesy: UNICEF/Eyad El Baba UN chief Antonio Guterres reiterated his warning on Thursday against a full-scale assault on Rafah, just as aid teams issued increasingly urgent appeals for safe passage throughout Gaza, to replenish dangerously low stocks of lifesaving supplies. In a related development, the UNs top court prepared to hear a new request from South Africa to issue more constraints on Israeli military action in the enclave. In a call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages still held in Gaza, the Secretary-General told Arab League leaders at a Summit in Bahrain that nothing justified the collective punishment of Palestinians. Any assault on Rafah is unacceptable; it would inflict another surge of pain and misery when we need a surge in life-saving aid, he added. Flanked by Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, Mr. Guterres also renewed his strong backing for the UN agency. It remains the backbone of our operations in Gaza and a lifeline for Palestine refugees across the region. It needs full support and funding, he insisted, as the UN World Food Programme (WFP) issued a new warning about looming famine in Gaza. Crossing barriers Food and fuel stocks will run out in a matter of days, WFP warned in a social media post on X. Since 6 May, we have not been able to access and receive aid from the Kerem Shalom crossing. The situation is becoming unsustainable. Tweet URL The UN agency highlighted the very real threat that any further escalation of hostilities in Gaza could bring aid operations to a complete standstill and lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. Although WFP has provided special nutritional foods to pregnant and breastfeeding women along with children under five across Gaza, the UN agency said that as of 11 May distributions were suspended in Rafah and are only ongoing in Khan Younis and Deir El Balah in a limited capacity. In northern Gaza, WFP also warned that rates of acute malnutrition among under two-year-olds doubled from 15 per cent in January to 30 per cent in March. Humanitarians warn that acute malnutrition is the most deadly form of malnutrition, leaving affected children between three to 12 times more likely to die than a well-nourished child. The dire assessment comes as the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported late Wednesday that 600,000 people one quarter of Gazas population - have now been forcibly displaced from Rafah in the last week, amid ongoing Israeli military activity and evacuation orders. Another 100,000 people have been uprooted from the north to comply with evacuation orders by the Israeli military, while heavy gun battles have reportedly raged. Evacuation orders at scale According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, 285 square kilometres, or approximately 78 per cent of the Gaza Strip are now subject to evacuation orders by the Israeli military. In its latest update, OCHA reported continuing bombardment from the air, land and seaacross much of the Gaza Strip, resulting in further civilian casualties, displacement, and destruction of houses and other civilian infrastructure. The UN office confirmed reports of ground incursions and heavy fighting in Jabalia in northern Gaza, as well as in Deir al Balah in central Gaza and eastern Rafah in the south. As of 15 May, Rafah crossing remains closed. Kerem Shalom crossing is operational, but the prevailing security and logistical conditions are hampering humanitarian aid deliveries at scale, OCHA noted. Echoing those concerns, the WFP insisted that multiple entry points for aid are required to reverse six months of near starvation conditions and avert a famine, steady flows of food supplies, every day and every weekThe threat of famine in Gaza never loomed larger. South Africa v. Israel In an effort to halt the military operation in and around the enclaves southern-most city, South Africa filed a new request to the UNs top court which it was due to hear on Thursday. Urgent provisional measures are required to ensure the survival of Palestinians in Gaza, the South Africa application said, in its latest claim filed on 10 May. The situation brought about by the Israeli assault on Rafah, and the extreme risk it poses to humanitarian supplies and basic services into Gaza, to the survival of the Palestinian medical system, and to the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza as a group, is not only an escalation of the prevailing situation, but gives rise to new facts that are causing irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Rafah the last refuge Rafah is the last refuge for Gazans, the South Africa petition continued, adding that the city is also the last viable centre for shelter and basic services including medical care. The Israeli militarys seizure of Rafah crossing and the brief closure and ongoing access problems to nearby Kerem Shalom crossing have blocked the main entry points for lifesaving humanitarian aid to Gaza, South Africa also insisted. The remaining population and medical facilities are at extreme risk, given the recent evidence of evacuation zones being treated as extermination zones, the mass destruction and mass graves at Gazas other hospitals and the use by Israel of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify kill lists, ICJ court documents show. The International Court of Justice previously issued special orders to Israel in late January known as provisional measures to prevent harm to Gazans, following South Africas allegation that Israel was in violation of its obligations as a signatory of the Genocide Convention. There was no explicit call for an immediate halt to Israels full-scale military operation in the Strip. Israel strongly denied the allegations and is scheduled to respond to the latest South Africa request on Friday. Photo Courtesy: Unsplash A firing incident in Pakistan's South Waziristan left two police personnel injured recently, media reports said. The attackers, in a car with tinted glasses, opened fire on the police personnel who were riding a motorcycle, reported The Nation. The attackers escaped from the spot. The injured people were identified as Nawaz Khan and Noor Muhammad. Nawaz Khan was shifted to Dera Ismail Khan tertiary hospital in critical condition, police sources told The Nation. The incident triggered widespread fear among people. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay Family members of a seven-year-old rape victim in Pakistan demonstrated outside the National Institute of Child Health when they expressed dissatisfaction over the medical treatment the minor girl is receiving in the hospital. During a media talk outside the hospital, the grandfather of the minor girl expressed concern about the medical assistance provided, stating that the hospital was not offering adequate treatment to the girl, reported The Nation. The grandfather of the victim alleged the minor went out to get some snacks when she was allegedly raped by an unknown person. The MPA of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Orangi town also joined the protest to support the affected family, the newspaper reported. He expresses dissatisfaction over the treatment given to the patient in the hospital. MQM leader Ejaz slammed the police for failure to arrest the suspect. Photo Courtesy: Sarfraz Bugti X page At least three men, including a close friend of the chief minister, were gunned down by unknown men in Pakistan's Balochistan on Tuesday, media reports said. Police officials said CM Sarfraz Bugtis friend was killed when three armed men opened fire in the Sui town of Dera Bugti. The victim, Allah Rakhia, received three bullets, which resulted in his instant death, reported Dawn News. The motive behind the attack is still not known. Police have launched an investigation into the incident. Cannes 2024 started with a bang earlier this week, not just for its films but also for its fashion. Urvashi Rautela made a grand return to the famous Cannes red carpet, and her outfit was the talk of the event. This year's outfit brought back memories for many fans, reminding them of Deepika Padukone's iconic look at Cannes in 2018. Urvashi, who first appeared at Cannes in 2022, continues to make a strong impression with her bold fashion choices. How Much Did Urvashi Rautela's Hot Pink Gown Cost? The price of that jaw-dropping gown is approximately Rs 4.17 lakh. But that's not all. She added diamond bracelets and a bejeweled headband to complete her look and when you add the cost of her luxury accessories, the total cost of her look at the Cannes opening ceremony exceeds Rs 7 crore. Also Read: Cannes 2024: Did Urvashi Rautela's Look Draw Inspiration From Deepika Padukone's 2018 Hot Pink Gown? Picture Of Urvashi Rautela's Look/Instagram Urvashi Rautela's Stunning Looks At Cannes So Far Cannes 2022: Dress: Urvashi made her Cannes debut in 2022 wearing a glamorous white gown adorned with intricate floral embroidery. The dress featured a plunging neckline and a flowing train, exuding elegance and sophistication. Also Read: Cannes Throwback: Did You Know SLB's Devdas Starring Aishwarya Rai-Shah Rukh Khan Was Screened In 2002? Cannes 2023: Dress: For one of her appearances at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Urvashi Rautela opted for a stunning floor-length gown adorned with green feathers and sequins. The embellished dress hails from Ziad Nakad's Spring Summer 2023 Couture Collection. Urvashi paired the ensemble with a matching feather-adorned headpiece, dangling earrings, and rings, and wore her hair down in loose locks. Her makeup featured bold eye makeup, a plum lip shade, blushed cheeks, and heavy contouring, completing her glamorous red carpet look. Also Read: Cannes 2024: Aishwarya Rai Shines At The Red Carpet In Dramatic Falguni Shane Peacock Gown For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment. Sonu Sood has come to the rescue once again, this time for a young child from India's Jaipur. The actor raised Rs 17 crore to buy the world's most expensive injection, saving the life of a 22-month-old baby with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2 in Jaipur. Yes, you read that right. The amount of the injection is Rs 17 crore. The campaign received a lot of support from people all over and raised 9 crore in just three months. Sonu Soods Rs 17 Crore Effort Saves Babys Life In Jaipur Sood, who has helped save around nine lives before, worked tirelessly on this campaign. Thanks to his hard work and the support from many people across the country, the needed money was raised quickly, saving the child's life. This act of kindness shows Sood's strong commitment to helping others and proves why he is seen as a national hero. Picture Of Sonu Sood/X Sonu Sood has earned a lot of praise for his humanitarian work, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the lockdown in India began, millions of migrant workers were stranded without transportation. Sood arranged buses, trains, and flights to help thousands of these workers get back home safely. He also set up food drives to provide meals to those affected by the lockdown, ensuring many poor families did not go hungry. To help migrant workers find jobs, he launched the "Pravasi Rojgar" app, offering employment opportunities in various sectors and regions. Also Read: Sonu Sood Supports Hardik Pandya After MI Captain & Wife Natasa Stankovic Face Massive Trolling Remember coming from Moga to Mumbai on an unreserved ticket. Thank you everyone for all the love. Miss my parents more. @flyspicejet pic.twitter.com/MYipwwYReG sonu sood (@SonuSood) March 20, 2021 Sood arranged hospital beds, oxygen supplies, and essential medicines for COVID-19 patients. He also provided PPE kits and safety gear to frontline workers. Additionally, he regularly offers scholarships to underprivileged students, ensuring they have access to quality education and better opportunities. Sonu Sood's diverse approach to helping others and his dedication to those in need have made him a true humanitarian and a national hero in India. In addition to his charitable work, Sonu Sood is also focused on his professional career. He is preparing for his directorial debut with the film 'Fateh,' in which he stars alongside Jacqueline Fernandez. The movie, produced by Shakti Sagar Productions and Zee Studios, has been shot in various international locations and is set for release this year. For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment. Maharashtra's capital, Mumbai, is set to have three consecutive dry days starting from Saturday, May 18, due to the Lok Sabha Elections. Wine shops and bars in Mumbai city will remain shut from 5 PM on May 18 to 5 PM on May 20. Restaurants within the city limits will also not serve alcohol during the same period when Mumbai votes in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections. Dry day on voting day According to a directive from the Election Commission of India (ECI), the constituency where the voting will take place and the adjacent constituencies must observe these dry days. All wine shops and bars will be closed on polling day to maintain public order. Also read: Here's How Much Liquor You Can Legally Store At Home In India BCCL Dray day in Mumbai on June 4 Similarly, Mumbai will observe another dry day on June 4 when votes will be counted until the results of the Lok Sabha Elections are revealed. There will also be "dry days" in Gurgaon, Haryana, from 6 PM on May 23 to 6 PM on May 25 due to the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, according to reports. Delhi-NCR will similarly prohibit the selling of alcohol on these days. Lok Sabha Election in Maharashtra A total of 13 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Kalyan, Palghar, Bhiwandi, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, and Mumbai Southwill go to the polling booths on May 20 in the fifth phase of the general elections. Also read: Maharashtra Groom Arrives With Family To Vote On The Day Of Wedding REUTERS Phase 5 of Lok Sabha Elections Apart from Maharashtra, seven more states and Union Territories will vote for a total of 49 seats on May 20. These are Bihar (5), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Jharkhand (3), Ladakh (1), Odisha (5), Uttar Pradesh (14), and West Bengal (7). For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. It is summer, and it is time to pack your bags for your next foreign vacation. However, if you are planning your next vacation in Europe, it might not be smooth sailing. This is because there are so many Schengen visa applicants and not enough interview slots. In 2023, some 9.7 lakh Indians applied for Schengen visas, the third-highest globally. This was an increase of 44 percent from the 6.7 lakh in 2022. The trend is only expected to continue as more and more Indians prefer to travel abroad for vacations. Unsplash Not enough interview slots However, according to those in the travel and tourism industry, a large portion of Indians who wish to travel to European countries are not able to do so due to the unavailability of interview slots. "If you want to travel to Europe this summer, the earliest appointment date for Germany and Italy is in July. This is making life very difficult for travelers," Anil Kalsi, the Vice President of the Travel Agents Federation of India, told The Times of India. Also read: 10 Cheapest Countries Indians Can Visit In 2024 Losing money due to cancellations According to him, people are forced to choose any country that has an appointment available for a visa in time, instead of the place they wanted to visit. Unsplash The lack of interview slots also means that Schengen visa applicants end up losing a significant amount of money in cancellation charges as they are required to book flights and hotels in advance. Also read: Top 3 Places To Visit If Youre Young And Broke Multiple-entry Schengen visa for Indians Last month, the EU announced that Indian nationals can now apply for a multiple-entry Schengen visa with a validity of up to five years. Unsplash According to the newly adopted visa 'cascade' regime for India, Indian nationals can now be issued long-term, multi-entry Schengen visas valid for two years after having obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. A British tourist's attempt to get even with a restaurant in Thailand has landed him in trouble, in ways beyond what he could have imagined. A British tourist, identified as Alexander, has been arrested by the Thai authorities for an orchestrated attempt to leave negative online reviews about a restaurant. According to reports, the incident happened in 2022, when the 21-year-old was staying in a rented property in Phuket. After realizing that he could reach his accommodation faster if he passed through an Italian restaurant, he started using it as a shortcut. This went on for days and even multiple times a day until the restaurant owner noticed it. Unsplash Since he was not a paying customer, the restaurant owner asked Alexander to use the public road instead and claimed that he was disturbing his guests. This led to a heated exchange between Alexander and the restaurant owner before the tourist left the premises. However, soon after the incident, the restaurant owner noticed that the Google rating of his business had dropped from 4.8/5 to 3.1/5 because it got a lot of new 1-star reviews. Suspecting Alexander was behind this online defamation campaign, he filed a complaint against him. An arrest warrant was issued against Alexander in August 2023 on charges of entering false computer data likely to cause damage to the general public, and he was taken into custody by the police last week. After the argument, Alexander allegedly got his friends to leave negative reviews on Google, bringing its ratings down. TWITTER 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. For more news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News. Isn't it a fantasy to become fabulously rich without doing any hard work? Many of us have been guilty of hoping for free money, which can only be obtained if someone wins the lottery. But what if you suddenly discover Rs 6 crore debited to your account? For one African student, however, the scenario was very different, as she opted to splurge, which resulted in her imprisonment. Who is the woman who accidentally got Rs 6 crores in her bank account? Sibongile Mani studied at Walter Sisulu University | Image: Pexels Sibongile Mani studied at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa. She was 32 years old at the time and relied on subsidies to pay her school expenses, receiving around $100 (approximately Rs 8,300) each month for food. (Also read: German Woman Said To Be Possessed, Allegedly Ate Spiders And Barked Like Dogs) But one morning, she discovered that the government aid scheme had unintentionally transferred 14 million Rand ($768363.26 or nearly Rs 6 crore) into her account. Despite the mistake, Sibongile Mani opted to keep the money and spend it lavishly. Where did she spend all the money? She ended up spending the money on luxury clothes | Image: Pexels She ended up spending the money on luxury clothes, the latest iPhone, and high-end booze bottles. She spent approximately $40,000 (Rs 33.3 lakh) of the funds that were unintentionally deposited. She has also started hosting expensive parties and showering her friends with gifts. Sibongile Mani was eventually apprehended after leaving a bank receipt at the supermarket by mistake. She was reported to police, detained, and charged with theft and fraud. Why did she spend all the money? She was caught in 2017, and in 2022, she was sentenced to five years in prison. However, her lawyer, Asanda Pakade, argued that Sibongile Mani was not a threat to society and did not seek the money that had been wrongly deposited in her account. (Also read: Agra Woman Asks For Divorce After Husband Forgets To Bring Rs 5 Packet Of Kurkure) Sibongile Mani claimed she thought the money was a "miracle" and a "gift from God," therefore she didn't think twice about spending it. Sibongile Mani claimed she thought the money was a "miracle" | Image: Pexels What do you think about this? Tell us in the comments. For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been making a lot of headlines recently. From launching Gemini AI to laying off thousands of employees, a lot is happening in Google. Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and Alphabet, additionally holds a position on Alphabet's Board of Directors. He recently presided over the Google annual I/O developer event, where he unveiled a new iteration of Google's search engine featuring responses generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Also Read: Meet Thomas Kurian, CEO Of Google Cloud, Who Is Richer Than His Boss Sundar Pichai! pinterest Pichai sat down with content creator Varun Mayya for an interview at the Google HQ and their conversation flowed from the emergence of AI, India being the best market for new tech and popularity of FAANG jobs. Also Read: Daughter of Google CEO Sundar Pichai's Batchmate Shares Rare Photo From His IIT Convocation Day Sundar Pichai Quoted A Scene From Aamir Khans 3 Idiots Pichai made a memorable mention of the famous motor scene from Aamir Khan's "3 Idiots" while responding to a question from Mayya. While the complete interview is still pending publication, a clip shared on the content creator's Instagram has already generated amusement. "I also asked Sundar what he thinks of wrapper startups. Coming soon. Make sure you subscribe to me on YouTube. You dont want to miss this," Varun Mayya wrote while sharing a snippet of his interview with Sundar Pichai on Instagram. youtube In the video, he inquired whether Pichai was aware that an entire industry in India is dedicated to assisting young Indians in cracking FAANG interviews. He then posed the question, "How do you transition out of the competitive exam mindset?" "I think real success comes from understanding things in a deeper way," Pichai answers. He then explains his reply by mentioning the iconic 'what's a machine' scene from Aamir Khan's film 3 Idiots in which his character Rancho is asked about a motor, showing how truly understanding something is more valuable than just knowing its definition. Almost tempted to go back to the movie 3 Idiots or something like that. And like, theres a scene in there, when they ask Aamir Khan the definition of motor. And like theres a version which describes what a motor is. And theres a version where you actually understand what a motor is, he added. Here's the video: What Is FAANG? agencies The acronym "FAANG" refers to the world's top five highly successful and renowned technology companies: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (now Alphabet). The application process for FAANG companies is highly competitive due to their notoriously low acceptance rates. Murli Gyanchandani, The Richest Man In UP: Their well-known slogan, "Pehle istemaal karein phir vishwas karein" (First use it, then trust it), caught the attention of consumers, contributing to Ghadi's widespread popularity. Murli Dhar Gyanchandani, the richest man in Uttar Pradesh, owns the RSPL group, which makes Ghadi detergent. With a net worth of Rs 12,000 crore, he has turned a small family business into one of the fastest-growing brands in the FMCG market. According to the 2022 Hurun Rich List, Murli and his brother Bimal Kumar Gyanchandani had a combined net worth of Rs 20,000 crore. Who is Murlidhar Gyanchandani? Murlidhar Gyanchandani, along with his brother Bimal Kumar Gyanchandani, has steered their family business, RSPL Group, to become a significant player in the FMCG market. Based in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, RSPL Group has evolved into a consumer goods powerhouse, with their Ghadi detergent being a standout product, renowned for its affordability, particularly catering to the middle and lower-middle-class demographics. UP's Richest Man Murlidhar Gyanchandani - Owner Of Ghadi Detergent READ ALSO: Meet Ajit Jain, The Right Hand Of Worlds 8th Richest Man, Warren Buffett India's second-largest detergent brand Under Murlidhar's guidance, RSPL Group has experienced rapid growth, establishing Ghadi detergent as the country's second-largest brand in the detergent sector, largely due to its cost-effectiveness. Originating from soap production, the Gyanchandani siblings diversified their business ventures into sectors like dairy and shoe manufacturing. Alongside the detergent line, RSPL Group has ventured into dairy, managed by Murlidhar's eldest son, Manoj Gyanchandani, and footwear manufacturing through Leayan Global Private Limited. Murli Dhar and his brother, Bimal Kumar Gyanchandani, based in Kanpur, have followed in their father's footsteps, Dayaldas Gyanchandani, to expand the consumer product business. Their father began the business by making soaps from glycerin on a small scale. The Richest Man in UP In 2022, Murli was the 149th richest man in India, whereas his brother had a net worth of Rs 8,000 crore last year. The brothers belong to Kanpur. It needs to be noted that their father, Dayaldas Gyanchandani, made oil soap using glycerine, and the business was taken forward by the brother-duo, who now owns the Ghadi brand. In addition to their business success, they contribute to society by running a charitable hospital in Kanpur named after their parents. The hospital provides treatment to thousands of patients, especially those unable to afford expensive medical care. READ ALSO: From Mark Zuckerberg To Elon Musk: Why Do The 'Rich CEOs' Take A $1 Salary? For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here The debate over why non-resident Indians (NRIs) prefer to live away from their homeland and spend their lives in a different country is never ending. Recently, a user added fuel to this fire when he called out NRIs for praising India but choosing to stay outside of the country. His post went viral and sparked a heated discussion among users . Indian-origin techie and ex Google employee, Debarghya Das said that NRIs who praise India are obligated to answer why they are not living in their home country. "When Indians living abroad talk about how bustling the scene is India, they should feel obligated to answer why they are not living there," Das wrote on X. Also Read: The Patanjali Story: How An NRI Pair's Rs 50 Crore Loan Shaped Baba Ramdev's Ayurvedic Empire basunivesh He added two more tweets to this thread and clarified that its completely normal for NRIs to not live in India and still believe in the countrys growth. "Its disingenuous to try to act like its the best place in the world to be if youre not in it," he said, adding that Indians abroad should clarify why they are residing in a foreign country. "And this isn't about not feeling proud and cheering on your own country. You should do that. Do that. But be honest about why youre not there." Das's post has over 2.3 million views and over 10k likes and it also got over 500 comments. Also Read: Married To An NRI Or OIC? Here Is Why Law Panel Has Recommended Registration Of Such Alliances Heres How The Internet Reacted To Dass Post Several individuals continued their conversation in the comments section, sharing their perspectives. A user wrote, The only reason Indians living abroad miss India is the cheap labour. When you ask what they like about India, its mainly how they get daily household chores and stuff done through cheap labour. Another commented, Meh, why? There are plenty of valid, legit reasons why you cant be living back home but still find it exciting; while theres also no reason you cant be enthusiastic about its growth while already being in a place that is giving you more. A third user wrote a long comment on it, As an Indian, living in India, I am here to help those who should feel obligated to answer why they are not living here (Choose any 5): 1. Overpopulation. We crossed China too. The land of billion people. Much wow! 2. Extreme Pollution (we have at least 15 cities in top 20 polluted cities in the world) & lack of basic sanitization. People piss, sh!t, spit, vomit, litter on the streets & talk about how much they love India & its culture & how the government is not doing its job (which they are not doing obviously). 3. Religion based politics (unless you like it yourself) 4. Zero respect for privacy (Aunties & uncles are so nosy) 5. Zero respect for taking risks like entrepreneurship. Infact they will put you down as soon as you fail. 6. Potholes & traffic. Irritating af. 7. Mass Unemployment. 8. Discrimination, Racism, Casteism, Sexism at home, at workplace, in metro. They will find you wherever you go. 9. Sexual harassment & rapes. Women (& even men) safety is a huge issue. The lady who heads NCW, recently blamed a victim for getting raped. 10. Corruption. Adani, Ambani, Modi ji haha. Sarkari babus, police, judges and lawyers, you can buy anyone if you have money. 11. Lawlessness & Disorder. Crime is high af. 12. Crypto ban. Indians are high on UPI. 13. Taxes. People who are earning ethically have a huge disadvantage. 14. Lack of basic infra. 15. Schools suck. They don't give a sh!t about education but profits. 16. Can't question your parents, teachers and elderly no matter how wrong they are. 17. Can't say anything bad about India (even if its the truth) in front of Indian folks, especially on social media. Get ready for the abuses. (I am ready). There are more & specific from person to person. But this list should be enough to cover major reasons why anyone would not want to live here. Sorry for the typos and grammatical errors. What are your thoughts on it? Tell us in the comments section below. A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, denied the bail application of Binance crypto currency executive, identified as Tigran Gambaryan. Recall that the company and its officials are facing a number of criminal charges in Nigeria after the federal government recently cracked down on the cryptocurrency platform in a bid to strengthen the naira. Justice Emeka Nwite, on Friday, while delivering the ruling held that the bail application is refused as he has carefully gone through the application submitted before him and resolved that the defendant will jump bail if granted. Advertisement It was gathered that the crypto company and its executive were arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on money laundering before the judge. READ MORE: Money Laundering: Binance Founder Sentenced To Four Months In Prison In U.S The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge. Counsel to the defendant, Mark Mordi, argued that the court had the power to grant bail to his client and impose conditions to ensure his presence in court. The Prosecution Counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, opposed the bail application, stating that the defendant was a flight risk. He stated that Tigrana tempted to obtain a new passport which he claimed was stolen, and this was a suspicious act given the proximity to his colleagues escape from custody. He added that the court cannot risk granting him bail, especially since he is not attached to any community in Nigeria. Ekele said: The fact that the passport of the defendant is with the complainant does not guarantee that he will remain in Nigeria because the defendant is not only an American citizen but also an Armenian citizen by birth. Delivering ruling, the judge said several factors including the nature of offence and its severity must be considered when trying to decide whether or not bail should be granted to the defendant applicant. Justice Nwite agreed with the depositions made by prosecution and was of the view that the applicant will jump bail if bail is granted to him. He subsequently ordered that the trial be given an accelerated hearing. Former spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar campaign in the 2023 elections, Daniel Bwala, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubus leadership style. According to him, Tinubus style of leadership is yielding positive results. Advertisement Bwala was reacting to a report by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) that Nigerias average daily crude oil production increased to 1.28 million barrels per day in April. Information Nigeria reports that on May 14, OPEC disclosed the increase in crude oil output by Nigeria was the highest in Africa. OPEC noted that it received data on crude oil production from two sources: direct communication, which is from member countries, as well as secondary communication, such as energy intelligence platforms. READ ALSO: Death Penalty Should Be For Politicians Who Steal N1 Trillion, Not N1 Billion Ndume Reacting via X on Thursday, Bwala wrote: OPEC in its April statement, reports that Nigerias average daily crude production rose to 1.28 million barrels per day (bpd) which signifies 4.07 percent increase from the 1.23 million barrels per day (bpd) in March 2024. Please note that OPEC states that its report is based on primary and secondary data. The primary meaning is direct communication with OPEC member states (Nigeria) and the secondary meaning, communication from energy intelligence platforms. (Fact-checkers). Leadership is key. Thank you @officialABAT for providing leadership without making noise. The Federal Government, on Thursday, disclosed that it has no reason to illegally access the pension fund. Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, disclosed this in a video uploaded by the ministry on X. Recall that at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, Edun said there were plans to borrow from the pension fund and other locally available resources for infrastructure development in the country. Advertisement According to him, the government was focused on tapping into domestic financial resources, particularly pension and life insurance funds, to leverage local funds for national growth. Clarifying his statement, Edun said the federal government has no intention to violate the pension fund regulations. His comment stems from the reaction of Atiku Abubakar, former Vice-President, who criticised the plan, saying it was another attempt to perpetrate illegality by the federal government. Abubakar said the federal government must not act contrary to the provisions of the extant regulation on investment limits to which Pension Funds can invest no more than 5% of total pension funds assets in infrastructure investments. Edun, however said: It has come to my notice that stories are making around that the federal government plans to illegally access the hard-earned savings and pension contributions of workers. READ ALSO: Tinubus Plan To Use Pension Funds For Infrastructure Another Attempt To Perpetrate Illegality Atiku Nothing could be further from the truth. The pension industry, like most of the financial industry, is highly regulated. There are rules, limitations about what pension money can be invested in and what can not be invested in. The federal government has no intentions whatsoever to go beyond those limits or go outside those bounds which are there to safeguard the pension of workers. What was announced to the federal executive council (FEC) merely for noting, no approval was sought for, or any action whatsoever was that there was an ongoing initiative, drawing in all the major stakeholders in the long-term savings industry, those that handle funds and are available over a long period. To see how within the regulations and laws, these funds could be used maximally, most effectively to drive investment in key growth areas, infrastructure, housing, and of course, to find a way to provide Nigerians with affordable mortgages. Within this context, there is no attempt or no consideration to provide less safe investments for pension funds or even insurance funds or any investment funds that are made available. No attempt whatsoever to increase the risk, to lower the returns that would otherwise be earned. We must remember that the federal government possesses the ability to provide guarantees where stocks are needed to unlock funding that will lead to growth, the creation of jobs and the alleviation of poverty. He furthered that the initiative was an ongoing conversation, a challenge, a test for the best and the brightest in the financial industry to come up with solutions that whilst safeguarding the long-term savings, we do provide an avenue that can help the economy. The new terminal of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, in Apapa, Lagos has been gutted by fire. The Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, led this out in a statement made to the public on Friday afternoon. She said the fire started around 1 pm on Friday, which resulted from a spillage of petroleum products within the perimeter of the tank farm. Advertisement Adeseye noted that the service is currently attending to the fire outbreak at the new NNPC Terminal, formerly OVH, Kayode Street, Marine Beach, Apapa. READ MORE: Avoid Panic Buying, Petrol Prices Not Changing NNPC To Nigerians The statement reads: Around 1 pm on Friday, the fire resulted from spillage of petroleum products within the perimeter of the tank farm as concerted efforts with various emergency responders within the oil and gas industry to contain the situation. The public is hereby assured that the emergency operation is under control from escalating further. Also confirming the incident, in a contrary report, the NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, said that the fire was not from the companys depot but from HOGL. He said: It is not at the NNPC, but at HOGL. The fire is at a pipeline at HOGL. The fire has since been extinguished. Its at the Honeywell depot but it has now been extinguished. Not NNPC. African Television and the African Foundation for Justice have offered a N50 million reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of Mohbads murderers. Mohbad, born Ilerioluwa Aloba, passed away on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27. His death sparked debate and protests, causing the Lagos State administration to order a coroners inquest. Advertisement The pledge was made following a failed attempt to ascertain the reason of Mohbads death during a coroners inquest at the Ikorodu High Court on Wednesday. The doctor identified the degraded status of the body as a major impediment to determining the cause of death, leaving the case shrouded in mystery. We have been told at the courthouse the cause of death is unascertained meaning the cause of death is unknown. Meaning this could be the mystery of all mysteries in Nigeria, Larry Omodia told newsmen after the court hearing. Larry Omodia, CEO of African Television and the African Foundation for Justice, expressed concern over the inconclusive autopsy results, underlining the need for finality in Mohbads case. He applauded the Nigerian police forces efforts to investigate the incident. In his exact words, In support of what the police are doing, African television is announcing officially that together with our partners, we are raising N50 million for anyone with information that leads to the conviction of whoever eliminated or killed Mohbad. You can take this globally. We know somebody somewhere knows something. Omodia claimed this on Wednesday at the Ikorodu High Court following the coroners inquest session, which included the cross-examination of key witnesses such as Primeboy, the deceaseds close friend, and the doctor who performed the autopsy. According to the report, the cause of death was unknown due to the bodys decomposition. To put an end to this mystery, African television and African Television Foundation for Justice is raising this N50 million for anybody; Police officer, market women or gatemen, if you know something or anything that may have caused the death of Mohbad, contact us, we guarantee you, we will raise N50 million for you and you will be taken abroad for safety, he stated. READ MORE: Dont Sleep Late Mohbads Wife, Wunmi Reacts To Autopsy Report African television came into this movement, creating a foundation to ensure that the freedom of the press in Nigeria is not suppressed. In the quest to find the perpetrators, journalists and bloggers are being arrested, Arifa and Veron, two popular bloggers are currently sitting in police custody. We came in asking for DNA. We promised N10 million to do the DNA of Mohbads son. In addition, the foundation has taken a step further in offering free DNA for every child in Nigeria. In collaboration with our partners in Belgium, UK, and Malta we made an agreement that anyone that wants DNA for their child can contact us. I encourage Nigerians to join in the movement. We are also organising a Sing For Mohbad tribute concert coming up in September to keep Mohbad name alive, Omodia said. Watch video below The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it will not change its position on the vacation of seats by former 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who defected from the Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a statement on Thursday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, clarified that the Party is not under pressure to compromise its position in court. Recall that the Party stated that the former lawmakers are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, effective December 11, 2023, when they publicly announced their defection to the APC. Advertisement Ologunagba said, This clarification is a refutal of a mischievous report in a section of the social media falsely claiming that there are plots to compromise the Partys position and provide an unattainable lifeline to the former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to return to their seats which they have constitutionally vacated. Our party therefore stands by its position that the affected members have since lost their seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly having arrogantly committed an unpardonable constitutional breach. To erase all doubt, the PDP in its Counter Claim by its National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade SAN in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1681/2023 filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, stated that the former Rivers State lawmakers are no longer members of the Rivers State House of Assembly from December 11, 2023 when they publicly announced their defection. READ ALSO: Wike, Fubara Will Fix Their Problem, Dont Cry More Than The Bereaved Bishop Kukah To Nigerians The PDP sought legal action, filing a counterclaim at the Federal High Court Abuja, seeking declarations and orders that: Information Nigeria reports that the PDPs acting National Chairman, Umar Iliya Damagun, was accused by the PDP Stakeholders Forum of allegedly receiving the sum of $2m along with the Partys National Legal Adviser on behalf of the National Working Committee (NWC). This, the Forum alleged, will allow the lawyers of the Minister Nyesom Wike of the Federal Capital Territory, file secret processes to stop the Court from declaring vacant the seats of the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly who moved to APC. Abubakar Isa, Publicity Secretary of the group, it alleged that one of the members of the NWC who was privy to the deal confided in him that though he has received his own share of the money, he was not happy with the way the party was drifting. This might have been the reason Wike boasted on Saturday to the member of the House of Assembly from Ogu-Bolo State constituency, Hon. Davids Okobiriari Arnold that nobody would remove him and declare his seat vacant in the Assembly. The court action is to allow the 27 defected lawmakers time to impeach Governor Fubara and restore the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike as the leader of the Party in the State with unfettered access to the Rivers treasury, he alleged in a Thursday statement. Yul Edochie, a Nollywood actor, has advised filmmakers in the country to stop making films that portray Nigerians as clowns and uncivilised when they travel overseas. He pointed out that such tales tarnishes the countrys image. He asked them to write stories in which Nigerians travel abroad and propose traditional solutions to problems and become leaders over there. Advertisement READ MORE: Liz Benson Makes Nollywood Comeback After Hiatus On his Instagram page, Edochie wrote: I wish our producers will stop making films where Nigerians travel abroad, dey mumu. We sell ourselves short with such storylines. Oyibo people will never make a movie where a white man is foolish on African soil. Instead theyll make the white man smarter than all the Africans in the movie. Its intentional. They use movies to sell themselves as superheroes, while we use ours to run ourselves down. Lets make movies where a Nigerian goes abroad and becomes the focal point for Oyibo people. He or she always walks with shoulders high, with so much pride and dignity. Always on Nigerian wears. And teaches Oyibo people beautiful things they never knew about us. Offers traditional solutions to problems and becomes a leader over there. Lets sell ourselves as superheroes as well. SEE POST: Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, says some youths who trade in cryptocurrencies do not know that they are being used to fund terrorism in Nigeria. Olukoyede disclosed during a multi-stakeholders national dialogue on preventing terrorism financing and violent extremism. Advertisement According to him, some of the people who receive money to trade in cryptocurrencies do not know that their financiers are sponsors of terrorism. He added that some of the 1,146 bank accounts recently frozen by the anti-graft agency were conduits for terrorism funding. Some of you are aware of our activities in the area of investigating virtual currency trading and the likes of cryptocurrencies. They are potential platforms to fund terrorism. A lot of us dont understand that. Some of our discoveries during investigation of some of these platforms were mind boggling. READ ALSO: Nobody Has Monopoly For Violence, Youll Pay If You Hurt Anyone Gov Fubara Warns We thought Binance was a major one. Yes, it was. We are prosecuting them. But there are other platforms we have discovered. They used some of these young men. Some of them dont know that the people who gave them money to trade are people who fund terrorism, Olukoyede said on Wednesday. The anti-graft agency boss said there is need to adopt technology in tracking money used to fund terrorism in the country. Olukoyede narrated how he was informed by a friend in the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that dollar bills across the world can be tracked with technology. It is important for us to adopt the use of technology. I was comparing notes with an assistant director in the FBI a friend of mine. He said: My brother, from our systems in the US, we can track every printed dollar anywhere in the world, he added. The EFCC boss added that Nigeria must get to that stage where technology can be deployed to track naira notes used for terrorism financing. The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy -Ohanenye, on Friday, said the suit filed against Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, over his plans to marry off 100 orphans from his constituency, still stands. Speaking with reporters, she noted that the ministry in collaboration with Sarkindaji, and traditional rulers from the State, are currently investigating the ages of the girls to ascertain if they are within the stipulated age for marriage. Kennedy-Ohanenye also noted via X that the Ministry will, for now, focus on empowering the girls. Advertisement She posted: The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, has resolved with the Emir of Kotangora, HRH Alh Mohammed Barau Muazu and the Speaker Abdumalik Sarkindaji to seek ways of collaboration to give new lease of life to the girls, but the Courts injunction remains. I havent withdrawn my case until we carry out due diligence and profiling on the girls. We will also engage the girls on enrollment in schools, skill acquisition training and empowerment of the girls. The Ministrys primary aim is to ensure that the Welfare and interests of the girls is guaranteed. Recall that last week, the speaker, Sarkindaji, announced plans to sponsor marriages of 100 orphans in his constituency as part of measures to alleviate their sufferings. READ ALSO: You Didnt Think Of Empowerment Or Sending Them To School Women Affairs Minister Sues Niger Speaker Over Plans To Marry Off 100 Female Orphans The development had sparked national outrages, which saw the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), urge the minister to withdraw the litigation and petition she wrote to the Inspector General of Police. The Chairman, Kano State Chapter of MURIC, Malam Hassan Indabawa, who made the call on Thursday night in a statement, urged Nigerians to learn to respect one anothers culture and traditions. We found the harsh and hasty decision taken by the Honourable Minister for Women Affairs over a matter that is entirely beyond the scope of her ministry. The ministers attempt at media demonisation of marrying off of 100 poor and orphaned girls, who were largely traumatised for losing both parents to brutal and bloody banditry and insurgency, exposed her ignorance to the culture and traditions of the Muslim North. This elaborate media blitz, over the matter, MURIC observed, was deliberately done to sway public opinion against the marriage institution, and an attempt to vilify Sarkin-Daji, after demonstrating his genuine concern for the needs of members of his constituency, Indabawa said. The marriage arrangement in question is slated to take place on May 24, 2024. Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) workers are on the 13th day of their strike for a labor contract that provides fair and equitable wages and affordable health care. They picket on the west side of the museum on Oct. 7, 2022. Read more The Philadelphia Museum of Art and its workers have finally reached a settlement in the contentious, yearlong dispute over pay raises called for in their 2022 labor contract. The agreement also includes putting the pending arbitration case over the dispute on hold until museum management and employees start negotiating a new contract in 2025, according to Maggie Fairs, spokesperson for the PMA. Advertisement In the shorter term, the museum workers will soon be paid some of the additional money theyve been waiting for. This is something the [union] membership has fought really hard for, and its definitely been a large effort on everybodys part. So were definitely considering this a win through the power of collective action, said Halcyone Schiller, president of AFSCME Local 397, the union for Philadelphia cultural workers. Fairs said its museum leaderships hope the settlement is the start of improved relations between museum management and the workers. It has always been the goal of the museum to reach an equitable resolution that recognizes our employees for their contributions to this institution, she said. The staff here are deeply committed to the museums success, and it is our hope that this measure will help guide a collaborative workplace at PMA forward. But that goal may not be easily achieved. Union leaders and members say staff morale remains a serious issue after a bitter, nearly three-week strike in 2022, followed by the longevity pay dispute. In the years prior, staff had dealt with alleged abusive behavior under previous management. Sasha Suda, PMAs current director who started her job the first day of the strike, cited healing between management and staff as a goal early in her tenure. Union leadership say there is still a long way to go on that front. I know management has expressed that they would like to see this as a turning point in our relationship, Schiller said. I would love that to be the case, but Ill wait until I see it to believe it. Under the settlement reached, the museum has agreed to make two lump-sum payments to the union, one in the current fiscal year and the other in the new fiscal year, said Fairs. She declined to specify the amounts. In the dispute between the PMA union and its management, the workers had contended that their contract their first, won after two years of tense negotiations in 2022 called for them to receive $500 longevity pay increases for each of their 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th work anniversaries, retroactively including the time before the union contract started. PMA management, however, claimed the contracts intent was to give them a pay raise if any of those anniversaries actually occurred during the three years of the contract. A worker would only get a raise for that anniversary. The settlement, union officials described to the workers Wednesday night, allows for $500 bonuses not wage increases for each of the five-year-increment anniversaries workers completed by July 1, 2023. Someone who had reached 20 years of service by that date will get a $2,000 bonus, according to Schiller. On this years July 1, that employee will be entitled to another $2,000. Schiller estimated that the settlement is costing PMA less than $150,000 about the same amount the union claimed the longevity pay increases would have cost over the three years of the union contract. Membership of the union was very receptive and supportive of the settlement reached, she said, and we are celebrating a collective win. Consumers say it seems like more products than ever are locked up at CVS, Target, and other stores in the city and suburbs, and "it takes the fun out of the experience" of shopping in person. Read more When Bryan Calhoun goes on a Target run, he avoids the Wynnewood store just a few miles away from his Broomall home. He opts instead to drive to Wayne or Malvern, where fewer items are locked behind antitheft glass. At a place like Target, its fun to look around. You go in for toothpaste, and you end up with $200 worth of stuff, said Calhoun, 55, an agency recruiter. When seemingly mundane items like socks, body wash, and detergent are behind a secure case, it takes the fun out of the experience. Advertisement Philadelphia consumers are often used to locked cases in pharmacies and retail stores. In recent years, some suburban shoppers say they have encountered more, too. Theres debate among experts about whether the theft prevention tactics are warranted at a time when its hard to parse whether retail theft is actually on the rise. Theres little transparency from companies about how they determine which items are locked. CVS and Walgreens spokespeople told The Inquirer that they use data to drive these decisions but declined to provide numbers. Among consumers, however, The Inquirer found consensus: The contraptions are an inconvenience, one that is often just another reason to buy those products online. READ MORE: Philly shoppers have a love/hate relationship with Amazon but cant stop spending as much as $2,000 a month I recognize there is a reason why those things have been put in place, but it just makes me not want to patronize that store, said Andrew Lax, 38, of Bala Cynwyd, who has shopped at stores in the city and suburbs for the past decade. For him, part of the draw to in-person shopping is the ability to browse aisles and compare products. If Im going to lose that experience anyway, said Lax, a business owner, Im just going to shop online. Many people are starting to feel this way, said Peter Fader, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School who studies consumer behavior. You just dont want the shopping trip to have that kind of friction, Fader said. In-person retailers are already facing these online pressures, he added. By locking up so many items, companies are making it harder for themselves to keep customers loyal. Retailers say locked cases are a measure of last resort Diapers. Face wash. Advil. Detergent. At some Philadelphia-area stores, all those products may be under lock and key. Retailers say its a deterrence strategy necessary to combat theft, some perpetrated by organized rings that then sell the stolen goods online. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner earlier this year launched a task force to go after repeat offenders and organizations, noting a 27% rise in reported retail theft in the city between 2022 and 2023. Different products experience different theft rates, depending on store location and other factors, and our product protection decisions are data driven, CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault said in a statement. We utilize a variety of different measures to deter or prevent theft and locking a product is a measure of last resort. Across the country, political figures such as Eric Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have pointed to the locked cases in drug stores to push for the tough-on-crime policies often favored by conservatives. Meanwhile, some experts cast doubt on the scope of the problem, noting that retail theft data is unreliable, not uniformly tracked by law enforcement, and often unreported. And some retailers have blamed crime for store closures and underwhelming profits, only to retract their claims or have them called into question by independent data analysis. The picture is especially unclear in the suburbs: Despite headlines about high-profile shoplifting incidents in some towns, state data on retail-theft arrests show the number of cases decreased slightly in Chester and Delaware Counties, and increased slightly in Montgomery and Bucks Counties, between 2018 and 2022, the most recent period for which the data was available. Spokespeople for Target and Rite Aid the bankrupt Philadelphia-based chain that has cited local business conditions as a factor in its recent decisions to close dozens of area stores did not respond to several requests for comment from The Inquirer. In response to written questions, Walgreens spokesperson Megan Boyd said: Retail crime is one of the top challenges facing our industry today. We continue to take measures, like installing antitheft devices, to deter theft and ensure safety and security in our stores, she added. These steps are taken in response to theft data and for that reason only, and these additional security measures allow us to improve on-shelf availability of products to customers. Lack of uniformity in what products are locked Consumers say there sometimes appears to be no rhyme or reason as to why certain products are locked up and others arent. The amount and type of products can differ by store location. At a Philadelphia Target near Northern Liberties, for instance, entire aisles, containing store-brand pore strips, CeraVe face wash, and every variety of toothpaste, were locked on a recent day, while more expensive body washes, hair care products, and medicines could be browsed freely without employee assistance. Advil, Tylenol, and Aleve were behind small plastic covers that shoppers had to slide in order to pick up an item. Meanwhile at a Target in the Main Line suburb of Wynnewood, the same common pain medications were behind antitheft glass, as were some mens socks and underwear, while long aisles of more expensive skincare products were unobstructed. All toiletry items locked at that Target could be bought, barrier-free, at a Rite Aid in the same shopping center. At a Target in Deptford, there were no locked cases, though some products, including hair and grooming tools that cost around $100, had protective packaging that can be removed at the register. Earlier this year, Marcus Philpot was about to impulsively buy a car air freshener at a Delaware County Walmart until he saw that the $2 items were behind lock and key. Philpot, who owns a junk removal company, decided he didnt want the product enough to call an employee over to unlock the case. It just took away from the convenience, he said. And it gave him an uneasy feeling. It just makes me feel like, Damn, crime must be increasing, said the 32-year-old Collingdale resident. People will steal anything if they need air fresheners behind glass. Retailers risk driving more consumers to Amazon, other online stores From a business perspective, its unclear whether the locking-up of merchandise has been effective since large retailers do not publicly share data specifically on theft. More than 70% of shoppers said in a national Harris Poll survey that theft deterrents, including locked cases, made them less likely to shop at stores in person, Fast Company reported in November. Taryn McNabb says she still likes to shop in person, though she sometimes opts for curbside pickup if she has her young children with her. We do Amazon but for things like toothpaste and shampoo and the stuff that is locked up, the stuff that I need, I like to do in person, said the 37-year-old stay-at-home mom, who recently moved from Bryn Mawr to Pittsburgh. If youre getting shampoo or something, half the time its leaking when you buy online. Others, like Lax, have turned to Amazons Subscribe and Save service for his family of five, setting up automatic monthly orders of household products he used to buy at neighborhood stores. When Calhoun sees an essential item is locked, he makes a note to pick it up at a store in a different area or he, too, pulls up Amazon. Hey, Im buying shampoo. Do I really want to wait 10 minutes for someone to come over and unlock a case, he said he asks himself. Calhoun paused. Ive actually never called someone over to unlock the thing, he added. I just end up not buying it. Mujahid Sabir, the 16-year-old nephew of Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir, was found fatally shot in Cobbs Creek Park in Philadelphia last Friday. Mujahid Ibn Jamal Sabir returned to Allah on May 10, 2024, a digital flyer said announcing his Friday morning Janazah prayer, which was posted on Commissioner Sabirs Instagram page. The Janazah was held at Khadijah Alderman Funeral Service in West Philly, according to the flyer. Advertisement Sabir, the commissioners nephew, was found unresponsive last Friday morning by a person walking their dog on the Cobbs Creek Trail behind the 6000 block of Angora Terrace, according to police. The teenager had multiple gunshot wounds to his back, chest, and leg, and there were about 14 fired cartridges near his body, Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said. He was declared dead on the scene by a medic at 7:02 a.m., according to police. The commissioner said in a statement on Instagram that the murder of his nephew left an immense void in our hearts. He encouraged people to contact the Philadelphia Police department with any information to ensure that those responsible are immediately brought to justice so that they are no longer a danger to our community. A week after the teenagers murder was discovered, no arrests have been made and the motive is unclear, according to Vanore. The Homicide Unit is investigating the case, according to the police department. Mujahid Sabirs family worried about him after they hadnt seen the teen since Thursday evening, and went days without knowing where he was because his assailants took his identification, Commissioner Sabir told ABC. The teenagers family was notified of his death earlier this week, the commissioner said, according to the report. Just talking to my brother and his mother, the look on their face, it just looks like something was taken away from them that will be never been given back, Commissioner Sabir told ABC. Sabirs death is the latest loss of a young person in citys gun violence crisis. This year, 48 children have been shot in Philadelphia, seven of which were killed, according to the City Controllers office. Last year, 24 children were killed in shootings in Philadelphia. READ MORE: At 15, she started an Instagram page to honor Phillys gun violence victims. Then, her brother became one. A photo of Sandrea Williams, 17, of West Philadelphia (left) is displayed as First Deputy Commissioner John Stanford, Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Palmer, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and District Attorney Larry Krasner (at podium) hold a press conference announcing that law enforcement has identified two men they say shot and killed 17-year-old Sandrea Williams in May 2018 -- a shooting that prosecutors say ignited what would become a years-long feud between two West Philadelphia gangs and lead to more gunfire. Read more Philadelphia police this week identified two men they say are responsible for the shooting death of a 17-year-old girl in West Philadelphia six years ago a killing that prosecutors say ignited a running gun battle between neighborhood crews that left at least 28 people dead within two years. Residents of the 300 block of North Simpson Street in West Philadelphia were enjoying a balmy spring evening on May 11, 2018, when two men with guns suddenly opened fire down the block. They unleashed more than 20 shots in all, police said, and struck three teenagers. Advertisement Among them was Sandrea Williams, a cherished teen from the block, who was fatally struck in the neck and back. She died within minutes of arriving at the hospital. For six years, Williams family has said theyve lived in fear, while holding onto fleeting hope and their trust in God that one day police would identify the men who fired those shots. This week, after collecting hundreds of pieces of evidence and persuading reluctant witnesses to speak up, officials said they did just that. Devin Bryant, 26, turned himself in to police on Tuesday and has been charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, and related crimes. A warrant has been issued for Salik White, 26, who remains a fugitive and will face similar charges once apprehended, authorities said. That was our motto from day one: God, in time, will give us justice, said Naisha Rhoden, Williams aunt. Bob Marley says whatever happens in the dark must come to light. I knew that one day, we would get justice. Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Palmer of the Gun Violence Task Force, who investigated the case alongside Philadelphia police, said Williams killing shook the neighborhood, and detectives and prosecutors remained determined to solve it even as years passed. It was impossible for any of us to forget, Palmer said. Anytime we had an angle to talk to someone with a potential connection, it was the first thing we would say to each other: Lets see if we can figure something out about Sandrea. The motivation was, in part, he said, because the shooting ignited a wave of violence through the neighborhood. Bryant and White were affiliated with a street group from the intersection of 61st and Jefferson Streets in West Philadelphia, he said, and had gone to Simpson Street that day targeting members of the group 02da4. They were seeking retaliation, he said, for a recent fistfight or verbal dispute at a nearby park between members of the groups. A feud between the crews had started about a month earlier, Palmer said, following a botched marijuana sale that led to one member of 02da4 dissing a dead 61st Street member over Instagram Live. Bryant and others in the group, according to Palmer, said, Well, once you dishonored the memory of our dead friend, its on. Williams, affectionately known as Bro Bro, was a fun-loving student at Camelot Academy, her aunt said, and elderly neighbors and relatives alike often relied on her to run errands or help care for her younger siblings and cousins. She spent the first five years of her life in Jamaica, Rhoden said, and those cultural roots led her to become a more independent and responsible young woman. She was interested in joining the military. Williams was not a member of 02da4, Palmer said, but having grown up on the block, she knew people from the group by proximity and they cared for her. Her death crossed a line for the group members, Palmer said. They felt that she was unfairly targeted and was not involved, he said. The shooting sparked a significant escalation between the groups, he said, and even ignited beefs between other crews in the area who were aligned with the different sides. In total, he said, at least 66 shootings were linked to the feud through August 2020. In those shootings, 28 people died and some of them had nothing to do with the feud, he said, like 36-year-old Monae Burrell. This is Bryants second time being charged with a shooting. He was arrested in 2021, but ultimately found not guilty in connection with a string of West Philadelphia shootings alongside his brother and fellow 61st Street member Dashawn Packer, Palmer said. Packer is currently serving decades in prison. In Williams case, Palmer said investigators recovered hundreds of pieces of evidence, including video footage, social media posts, and text messages, and spent hours tracking down people with knowledge of the shooting. At a few points over the past few years, he said, investigators felt they were close to issuing a warrant, but continued to seek more and more evidence to solidify the case. The last thing we wanted to do was try this case, give the family hope, then not have enough information and lose in court, he said. Palmer said there was no recent smoking gun just years of dogged work. Cases like this are the reason we do this job, said Deputy Police Commissioner John Stanford, who was captain of the 19th Police District at the time of the shooting. Rhoden, 42, said her family was grateful to all the detectives and prosecutors who worked on the case. The last six years without her niece have been agonizing and while the arrest brings relief, she said, now we have to relive this all over again. Her family has tried to make sense of their lives in the absence of Sandrea, but knowing the killers were still out there ate away at them, she said. Neighbors left the block out of fear, and Rhoden moved with her children to the suburbs. She said she hopes that as the case moves forward her family will learn the answer to the question that has forever haunted them: Why did you do this to her? Rutgers University president Jonathan Holloway is among the latest group of college presidents to be called before a congressional committee probing the handling of antisemitism on college campuses. He will testify on May 23 before the Committee on Education & the Workforce, along with Michael Schill, president of Northwestern University, and Gene Block, chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles, the committee announced Thursday. Among other universities whose presidents have already testified before the committee since Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel are the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia. Advertisement Both former Penn president Liz Magill and former Harvard president Claudine Gay resigned from their jobs in the aftermath of the contentioushearing and a subsequent bipartisan backlash. Holloways selection comes less than three weeks after the university negotiated a deal with students who had erected a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. The deal was quickly criticized, with one New Jersey senator calling for hearings into the matter and another condemning the universitys action. READ MORE: While a few other universities reach compromises with protesters, why cant Penn? Rutgers received thousands of emails expressing frustration or dismay following the agreement, Holloway said at a board meeting earlier this month. The Committee has a clear message for mealy-mouthed, spineless college leaders: Congress will not tolerate your dereliction of your duty to your Jewish students, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx (R., N.C.), chair of the committee, said in a statement. No stone must go unturned while buildings are being defaced, campus greens are being captured, or graduations are being ruined. READ MORE: Penn weighs risk of removing encampment, saying it is causing fear for many Holloway will attend the hearing, Rutgers said in a statement. Holloway, the school said, will discuss with committee members how Rutgers has worked to combat antisemitism, advance our educational mission, and handle protests on campus while prioritizing the safety of our students and community members. Both Northwestern and UCLA have contended with encampments on their campuses, with Northwestern striking a deal with protesters around the same time as Rutgers. Foxx noted the shocking concessions made by Rutgers and Northwestern in announcing their presidents appearances before the committee. At Rutgers-New Brunswick, a 43,859-student campus, the 75-tent encampment went up in late April and came down peacefully three days later after the agreement was reached. Rutgers agreed to review as part of the regular university process a demand that the university divest its financial holdings from any firm connected to Israel. The agreement also included commitments for the president and chair of the joint committee on investments to meet with up to five students to discuss their request for Rutgers to divest, the establishment of an Arab Cultural Center and staff training in anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim racism. In the face of criticism, Holloway said he was confident in the decision, which allowed us to maintain a safe and controlled environment, to protect Rutgers students and Rutgers property, and to assure that our students academic progress taking finals and completing the semester was not impeded. Aakash Patel selected a shiny bagel, laid it on the cutting board, and targeted his knife not slicing at the equator, but closer to the Tropic of Capricorn. After cutting through, he yanked the innards out from the bagels thicker side, packed the void with cream cheese (schmear, in bagel-ese), then popped the thinner side on top. There it was: a scooped bagel sandwich, $4.50. Advertisement This is what people lost their collective minds over last month, after hearing that Patel planned to offer scooped bagels at Slice & Schmear, the new bagel shop that replaces the beloved Korshak Bagels. It opened Friday at 10th and Morris Streets. To scoop or not to scoop was previously a controversy in New York, after an Angeleno walked into a bagel shop, ordered a scooped bagel, then faced withering opprobrium. Apparently an L.A. thing, scooping is the path to enlightenment or, at least, a crunchier bagel. Southern Philly, however, is not Southern Cali. The notion of a scooped-bagel option sent locals to social media to rant; one commenter branded them as perverse. Even Slice & Schmears manager, James Morales, isnt wild about the practice. As a baker, he said, scooping a bagel rips a piece of my heart out. Scooping sandwiches has been a long-standing practice among carbophobes. At the Northeast Philadelphia deli where I worked in the 70s, customers ordered their scooped hoagies, sometimes with extra cheese and extra oil, and, in a sugar-free finish, a Tab to drink. Cream cheese and childhood memories Patel had a career in finance before he quit the corporate world to open Bar1010, a pizzeria in Northern Liberties, last year. Patel, 30, was raised in Galloway Township, N.J., the son of poker dealers in nearby Atlantic City. (Theres no such thing as a poker face in front of them, he said.) Although the trendy L.A. tie-in is one reason he is offering scooped bagels, mostly its just because my parents used to work and they wouldnt be there to help me make breakfast. In a pinch, Bagel-fuls, Krafts old line of frozen cream cheese-filled bagels, became his easy breakfast. I grew up on them, Patel said. Trying a scooped bagel with cream cheese recently brought back happy middle-school memories. It would be the same feeling as drinking a Capri-Sun after 10 years, he said. Its like, Wow, I remember this. At Galloway High School, Patel bought a bagel for lunch, pumped in lots of Philadelphia cream cheese from the foil packets, and stuffed Flamin Hot Cheetos inside. Were going to put that on the menu eventually, he said. Patel said four varieties of square pizza, the Slice in the shops name, will be introduced in about month. He describes the pizza as a hybrid of a Sicilian, a grandma, and a Detroit. About Slice & Schmear Patel kept the shop much as it was, with the disco ball and LP turntable still in the mix. Korshaks spinning wheel of bagel options, however, will be donated to a museum. The shops previous owner, Philip Korshak, has stopped in from time to time, imparting tips. Korshaks bagel recipe, a two-day process that earned his shop national acclaim, relies on a sourdough starter (nicknamed Helen Mirren) that began life 11 years ago, when he lived in Austin. Patel has rolled his own bagel recipe: He uses a three-day process, starting with a biga (flour, water, yeast, malt) that sits in the fridge for 24 hours. On the second day, he mixes the biga with salt and additional flour and salt. On that same day, he rolls the dough and form the bagels, which proof for 24 hours in the fridge. On the third day, he boils the bagels with honey, then bakes them. The outsides have a crispy, thin crust, almost like a laminated dough, with pillowy insides. Single bagels, depending on style, are $2.25 or $3, or $22 for a bakers dozen. Sandwiches, sold by the half or whole, top out at $22 for one topped with wild Alaskan salmon roe, dill, red onion, and cream cheese. Speaking of the insides: Patel plans to collect the scooped innards, bake them on a sheet with olive oil, and package them in containers that will be sold in the shop as breadcrumbs, with proceeds donated to charity. He said he would donate proceeds from the sales of day-old bagels, as well. The outside of the Bucks County Courthouse, where the trial between Sigmapharm Laboratories and five former employers took place. Read more A Bucks County jury ordered a Bensalem-based pharmaceutical company, Sigmapharm Laboratories, and its founder to pay $26.6 million to five former employees for firing them improperly in 2014. The verdict is among the largest awarded by a Bucks County jury in recent history. The civil verdict is the latest turn in a decade-long dispute between company founder Spiro Spireas and the five scientists who used to work for Sigmapharm Laboratories, which specializes in the development of generic medications for diseases such as hepatitis C and psoriasis. Advertisement READ MORE: Johnson & Johnson is suing a former Philly-area employee, saying he took trade secrets to Pfizer Spireas fired the scientists, claiming they threatened to force him to give them a greater ownership share. He then sued his former employees to block them for taking positions with competitors, alleging that their behavior cost his company close to a billion dollars. The scientists filed a lawsuit in response, alleging wrongful termination and demanding compensation they lost when they were fired. The two competing lawsuits were considered by the jury during one trial. Jurors rejected Sigmapharms claim that the former employees breached their contract and stole trade secrets, and instead found that the scientists were wrongfully terminated. This trial set the record straight and vindicated all of our clients, said Maurice Mitts, founder of Mitts Law, who represented one of the scientists. The lawyers for the scientists say the $26.6 million award is the largest in Bucks County history. The Bucks County Court of Common Pleas was unable to confirm that. Sigmapharm and Spireas are appealing the verdict. From mentorship to court Spireas fired the five scientists, all executives at the company, in September 2014 after a dispute over their compensation, according to court records. The company said the employees threatened work slowdowns and to leave as a group if they didnt receive more ownership shares in the privately held company. Upon their firing, Sigmapharm sued the scientists that day to ensure that they would not take positions with competitors. The scientists responded with their own lawsuit against Sigmapharm and Spireas, alleging wrongful termination. They say they had followed Spireas, who taught four of the five scientists at Long Island University, to his new start-up because he promised each would receive a 5% to 10% share of the company. After a year at the company, the scientists signed a written contract that gave them only 1% to 3.5% of the companys shares, which they would lose if their jobs were terminated for cause. Once the company became profitable, a dispute between the parties emerged. They asked their ownership share to be honored, and instead he fired them and sued them, said Gavin Lenz, a founding partner of Bochetto and Lentz, who represented four of the five scientists. The jury sided with the scientists in a late April decision. The judge calculated the award for the scientists in early May based on their seniority at the company. The vast majority of the $26.6 million award is punitive damages against Spireas. These type of damages are meant to punish egregious behavior, as opposed to compensatory damages, which are meant to compensate a plaintiff. Timothy Myers, an attorney with the Elliott Greenleaf law firm representing Spireas, asked the court reduce to zero the amount that Spireas owes. He said that it is unusual for a jury to award high punitive damages without any compensatory damages, which is now the crux of his appeal. There are no issues of public policy or safety. It is a private breach of contract dispute, Myers said in an email. We are therefore hopeful that the Courts will address this disparity. Sigmapharms general counsel, Mary Kohart, declined to comment beyond noting that the company is appealing. John Abraham, a former Rothman orthopedic surgeon, had accused Thomas Jefferson University of violating his civil rights when it did not investigate his assertion of being sexually assaulted by a former Jefferson medical resident during a 2018 pool party at his house. The federal case settled for undisclosed terms this week. Read more A former Rothman Orthopaedic Institute surgeon and Thomas Jefferson University reached a settlement agreement in federal court on Wednesday, avoiding a new trial in a nationally watched gender discrimination case. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The settlement ends a yearslong legal saga in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia that began after John Abraham, an orthopedic oncology surgeon and a former Jefferson professor, sued the university over its investigation into rape allegations against him. He accused the university of conducting a gender-biased investigation and interfering with his financial contract with Rothman. Advertisement The settlement is for all claims, Abrahams lawyer, Lane Jubb Jr., said Thursday. I cant comment on what it entails because its confidential. William Harvey, a lawyer for Jefferson, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. After a five-day trial in December 2023, a jury sided with Abraham and ordered Jefferson to pay him $15 million. At the time, the award was the largest-ever verdict under a federal law, known as Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination at schools that receive federal funding. Then in March, the judge voided the jury verdict and the multimillion-dollar award. U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson ordered a new trial, citing his own errors during the trial and inconsistencies in Abrahams testimony. Abraham is now suing Jefferson and a top professor and Rothman surgeon, James Purtill, for libel and slander. He filed the lawsuit last week in Philadelphias Court of Common Pleas, just ahead of Wednesdays settlement conference before a new federal judge. Jubb declined to say whether Abraham would continue with the pending lawsuit now that the federal case is over. Dueling sex allegations In the federal civil rights case, Abraham claimed Jefferson discriminated against him as a male during its investigation into a former medical residents allegations that he raped her during a 2018 pool party at his Main Line home. Abraham said Jeffersons leadership ignored his assertion that the medical resident got him drunk and forced herself on him. They told him no one would believe that a woman forced her male supervisor to have sex, Abraham testified. The university closed its Title IX investigation without a conclusive finding. Separately, Montgomery County prosecutors did not bring charges in a criminal investigation into the medical residents allegations. Purtill, a partner at Rothman, served as the residency program director for both Jefferson and Rothman at the time of the June 2018 pool party. (Rothman and Jefferson are separate institutions, but they are academically and financially linked. They share office space, and Rothmans doctors serve as faculty and supervising physicians at Jefferson.) During the high-profile federal trial late last year, Purtill testified that he was very concerned that the medical resident didnt consent to sex with Abraham. Purtill also said he talked to new medical residents about the womans rape allegations after The Inquirer published a story about the case last May. Did it ever occur to you, sir, that it would be inappropriate to relay a one-sided version of events to those residents, Jubb questioned Purtill during the trials third day. Purtill did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday. The newspaper detailed how leaders at Jefferson and Rothman had quietly brokered Abrahams exit from Jefferson to avoid a Title IX sexual misconduct hearing. Abraham resigned from Jefferson in early 2019. Rothman terminated his contract four years later, saying Abraham had failed to meet his financial obligations as a partner. Anne Bortner (right) with sister Karen Schiendelman at Schiendelmans Sicklerville, N.J. home, May 10, 2024. They invested an inheritance with accountant Joe Pezzano and now are among dozens trying to locate millions of dollars after Pezzanos death. Read more Lawyers for the estate of Collegeville accountant Joseph Pezzano say theyve been unable to find any records supporting millions of dollars in investments hed handled on behalf of dozens of clients in at least three states. Pezzanos death last Christmas Day at the age of 73 has set off a flurry of litigation as clients seek to recover investments ranging from $12,000 to $3 million each. Advertisement The FBI is conducting interviews and issuing subpoenas. On Thursday, the accounting firm where hed worked pulled down its website. This is disaster recovery. Thats the best way I can describe it, said Eric Lechtzin, whose Newtown legal practice represents victims of securities fraud. He is not involved in the Pezzano case. He might not have been a crook. Maybe he was just irresponsible and things got out of hand, Lechtzin said. But now nobody knows how to put the pieces back together. Court records put the number of Pezzano investors at about 70, but that number has been growing since alarmed clients stopped receiving quarterly statements and regular distributions of funds following his death. Rough estimates on the total amount missing run from between $10 million and $30 million. READ MORE: Ponzi scheme or bookkeeping error? The FBI is probing a Collegeville investment firm. New court filings in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court have done little to assuage investors concerns or even confirm that the money is recoverable. In a filing Wednesday, lawyers at Timoney Knox, which is representing Pezzanos estate, wrote that it appears that Pezzano had performed, or purported to perform, certain investing services for clients through his investment operation, JPA R/E Associates. Nearly five months after Pezzanos death, however, they have been unable to locate or identify investments made by JPA that would correspond to investments shown on the statements the decedent prepared and delivered to investors, the lawyers wrote. The estate is asking a judge to appoint a receiver to handle the claims being filed by Pezzano investors. Some clients have told The Inquirer that they believed the investments were in real estate, while others said they were told the money was going to IRAs. Adam Sager, who represents two investors, has questioned whether Pezzano was running a Ponzi scheme, perhaps involving at least 10 Jersey Shore rental properties that are in his name. The Bernie Madoff story comes to mind, Sager said last week. But a handful of Pezzano clients and friends believe the matter could be attributed to poor record-keeping and Pezzanos failure to plan for how JPA would be managed after his death. I think all the money is there and somewhere there is paperwork, said Earl Peacock, a friend of Pezzanos who said he is out at least $3 million. He wouldnt have stiffed me like this. Pezzano, a South Philadelphia native and longtime Collegeville resident who was widely trusted in the community, was the senior business adviser at the public accounting firm Bond, Pezzano and Etze. Peacock said Pezzano, whom hed know for 20 years, lived modestly. Hed get a turkey club sandwich, eat half and take the other half home for dinner, Peacock said. Ill never in my life believe he was a criminal. Youd have to do something with your crime money. Thats why youre a criminal. Bond, Pezzano and Etze has sought to distance itself from Pezzanos investment operation, repeatedly sending e-mails to clients stating that it has no affiliation with JPA. But statements that JPA sent to investors list the same address and phone number as the accounting firm. The firm removed Pezzanos profile from its website after The Inquirer published an article last week on the missing funds. Later, the entire website was shut down. The estate attorneys told a judge that Pezzano appears to have commingled investor funds within JPA and was making payments to some, but not all, investors from a common pool of JPA funds. They also found that he had invested heavily in a company called Quantum Mechanix, which makes pop-culture action figures and other collectibles. It was acquired by a U.K. company last year. Records show that Pezzano was the treasurer of Quantum Mechanix. It is unclear if any JPA funds were invested in the company. The estate attorneys also said they had located a Truist Bank account in the name of JPA containing about $900,000. Lechtzin said investors should always search the BrokerCheck database run by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to get information on financial brokers. If youre talking to someone who wants to give you investment advice or take your money, and you cant find them on there, you better think twice, Lechtzin. Youre just rolling the dice, and far too often, this is how things end up. Pezzano is not in the database. Nor does it appear that he had an active public accountant license in Pennsylvania. His estate told the court that there is no record of JPA as a formal entity within the Commonwealth. Lawyers for Pezzanos estate and his accounting firm declined to comment for this article. A $1.6 million jury verdict Tuesday against Camden School Advisory Board president Wasim Muhammad and the district in a civil sex abuse case by one of his former students left questions, for many, about what the decision means. After deliberating for about 5 hours over two days, the jury of four men and two women rejected claims that Muhammad sexually assaulted the plaintiff starting when he was her seventh-grade social studies teacher 30 years ago. But the jury did hold Muhammad and the district liable for counts including willful misconduct and negligence in supervising Muhammad, then known as Donnie Walker, for permitting a sexually hostile educational environment. Advertisement Heres what we know and dont know about the verdict that found Muhammad, 56, now a Muslim minister in Camden, liable on five counts: Jury verdicts dont offer their reasonings for findings. The jurys verdict, which came down in a series of 18 questions to which they voted yes or no, does not provide insight into the findings. For example, the jury found that Muhammad recklessly or intentionally committed extreme and outrageous conduct against the plaintiff, but it does not describe the conduct its citing. Among the allegations made by the plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, was that Muhammad took her to a porn theater and made her have intercourse with a stranger while he masturbated. (The Inquirer is not identifying her because it does not identify victims in sexual assault cases without their consent.) The jury also found that the district violated New Jerseys law against discrimination. The anti-discrimination law protects against sexual harassment, which could include inappropriate comments. The plaintiff alleged that Muhammad frequently told her, I like you, and Youre beautiful when she was his student at Cooper B. Hatch Middle School. Besides the assault and battery allegations it rejected, the jury ruled in favor of Muhammad and the district on four other questions. It rejected a claim that the district knowingly permitted or acquiesced in sexual contact by another person, and, therefore, did not violate the Child Sexual Abuse Act. Muhammads lawyer, Troy Archie, said jury deliberations should have ended after the jury found Muhammad was not liable on the sexual assault allegations. The $1.6 million verdict will likely fall to Camden City Public Schools. Although the jury found the district 60% liable and Muhammad 40% liable, the Camden school district will be responsible for the entire amount. If the verdict is upheld, the judgment would be paid by the districts insurance carrier. Under state law, the district could not recoup Muhammads portion $640,000 because he was considered an employee at the time of the allegations. The jury did not allocate any financial responsibility to Muhammads wife, Stephanie, or a man referenced during testimony as Will. The plaintiff said Will was involved in a sexual act that Muhammad inflicted upon her, and Stephanie was aware of her husbands relationship with the plaintiff. The defense sought to add both to bear a portion of any judgment. Stephanie is Muhammads legal wife, but he has other wives he has married under his Muslim faith. Before the trial, an arbitrator recommended a $1 million settlement, but that was rejected by all parties. Does lawyer, Jeffrey Fritz, also plans to try to recover his legal fees with interest, which he said could total several million dollars. The jury will return in June to decide punitive damages. Superior Court Judge John Kennedy ordered the jury to return on June 17 to answer a final question. When the jury returns, it will decide whether punitive damages should be awarded in addition to the $1.6 million verdict. The punitive phase is similar to a mini-trial, said Fritz, with testimony given on the school districts and Muhammads finances. The jury will be asked to decide whether both should pay punitive damages, and if so, how much each should be punished. Fritz is expected to seek testimony from Camdens business administrator Raymond Coxe, a forensic expert, and possibly Superintendent Katrina McCombs. The judge said the testimony would likely last about a day. Unlike the $1.6 million verdict which would be paid by the districts insurance carrier, any punitive damages would be incurred by the district directly. The Camden school district, under a state takeover since 2013, is largely funded by state and federal tax dollars. The governor has called for Muhammad to resign from the school board Hours after the verdict was announced, Muhammad said he plans to remain on a leave of absence from his board position, at least for now. Muhammad has been a minister at Muhammads Temple No. 20 for 15 years. After the verdict, Fritz called for Muhammad to be ousted from the nine-member board. A board member can be removed after missing three consecutive meetings, and Muhammad has had seven absences. In a statement Tuesday, a spokesman for Gov. Phil Murphy said: While we understand litigation is ongoing, the appalling and heinous nature of these allegations casts doubt on Mr. Muhammads ability to effectively serve the Camden City School District. The governor believes he should immediately resign. Muhammad was appointed to the school board in 2013 and later elected to two three-year terms. He has been president since 2020. The board serves in an advisory capacity and has no decision-making authority. The board is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Camden High School. The plaintiff has claimed a victory. Married and the mother of three, the plaintiff returned to her home in the South hours after the verdict. She plans to return to New Jersey for the punitive phase next month. In the meantime, she planned to spend time with her family after completing the school year as a first-grade teacher. A weight has been lifted, a 31-year weight, she told The Inquirer. I feel like it is what I had to do. Lombard Cafe owner Jasmine Amira Taibi-Bennoui (center) addresses crowds at a news conference in front of the shop on Friday, May 17, 2024. The cafe was broken into earlier that week, one in a string of incidents Taibi-Bennoui said were sparked by her pro-Palestinian advocacy. Read more Philadelphia police are investigating a reported break-in and act of vandalism at Lombard Cafe, a Society Hill coffee shop whose owner claims her business was targeted for being vocally pro-Palestinian. The incident has drawn interest from Gov. Josh Shapiro and other elected officials. Lombard Cafe owner Jasmine Taibi-Bennoui said the incident took place between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, alleging that someone had pried open the rear door, disconnected the cafes three security cameras, tampered with the cash register, and plastered stickers featuring the Israeli flag around the property. Advertisement A police spokesperson said Thursday that it appeared nothing was taken from the register and there is no proof on why the break-in occurred. The investigation remains ongoing. It was not clear Friday whether authorities would be able to recover surveillance footage showing what happened. The alleged perpetrator unplugged the portal that connects our cameras to WiFi, so our footage cuts out, Taibi-Bennoui told The Inquirer. Ive given the police every tool I have to solve this. Taibi-Bennoui, who is Arab and Muslim, said Lombard Cafe had been targeted by vandals several times since October due to her pro-Palestinian advocacy, beginning in November after the store hosted an art show to fundraise for a Palestinian aid organization. Since then, Taibi-Bennoui said, shes filed four reports with Philadelphia police over confrontations and threats made toward her and Lombard Cafes staff. Shapiro said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday night that state troopers would assist the Philadelphia Police Department with their investigation. Vandalism of any kind against our small businesses is unacceptable, Shapiro wrote. Whatever that investigation shows, let me reiterate everyone has the right to both be safe and feel safe in their communities here in our Commonwealth, which was founded on the principles of religious tolerance and understanding. Shapiro, who is Jewish, has condemned several incidents of alleged antisemitism since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel. Amid upheaval over the war in Gaza, the Democratic governor has also faced criticism from pro-Palestinian advocates who say he has been less responsive to allegations of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias in Pennsylvania. Shapiro supported last weeks dismantling of the pro-Palestinian protest encampment at the University of Pennsylvania, drawing condemnation from the Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Flanked by a reverend, a rabbi, and other supporters, Taibi-Bennoui held a news conference outside the shop Friday morning, where she defended her right to use her business to advocate for Palestinians. I felt an immense sorrow for the innocent lives lost and hostages taken on both sides of the territory, and the price innocent people would pay, Taibi-Bennoui said while draped in a keffiyeh. It is my right to call for a cease-fire. It is my right to raise funds for lifesaving care. Also in attendance was State. Sen Nikil Saval, a Democrat whose district includes the cafe. Saval who called Lombard Cafe one of his neighborhood coffee shops condemned the reported incident. This should never happen again, said Saval. We cannot accept this targeted hatred and division. The Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia, a Jewish advocacy group, issued a statement deploring the vandalism, saying that disagreement should never justify intimidation or the destruction of property. One neighborhood resident, who spoke with The Inquirer on condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said pro-Palestinian cafe staff and pro-Israel neighbors had been engaged in a months-long feud over the war. An early altercation erupted after cafe staff took down posters of missing Israeli hostages that had been pasted on utility poles outside. As tensions escalated, some residents began filing complaints about code violations at the cafe. City records show the Department of Licenses and Inspections visited Lombard Cafe three times since February, and cited the business on March 22 for operating without a proper license. The following day, Lombard Cafe announced via Instagram that it would close for the weekend, blaming the calls from neighbors while acknowledging the license mishap. Lombard Cafe closed again the day after the reported break-in. It has since reopened. We want to continue to stay here and serve the community that we love, Taibi-Bennoui told the crowd. The Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, senior pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church, said the church is in the midst of sending out thank-you notes to everyone who made the replacement of the historic stained-glass windows possible. More than 400 donors gave thousands of dollars to fund the repairs after three windows were shattered in February in a predawn act of vandalism. Advertisement On Wednesday, only three months later, the church held a service for the rededication of the new windows. Tyler said the flow of money came from an interfaith community of donors, many of whom neither shared the race or faith of the historical African American church. Tyler, who would not disclose how much was donated, said that the outpouring of donations reminded him of the biblical story of Moses building a tabernacle and people, who were giving so much support, had to be restrained from giving. READ MORE: Mother Bethel AME is vandalized, shattering both windows and peace An act of vandalism On Feb. 19, someone smashed three of the churchs historic stained-glass windows, which date to 1889, when the church was built. There were other incidents of window smashing that morning, including stained-glass windows broken at the National Shrine of St. John Neumann, which is housed in St. Peter the Apostle Church, and the double-paned glass on the front door of InterAct Theater on the 300 block of South Hicks Street. It was a pretty hefty rock thrown through [the] front door to shatter both panes, theater manager Ann Garner said at the time. Police later charged Haneef Cooper, 39, with the vandalism. READ MORE: Northeast Philly man arrested for a string of vandalism that includes Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church Restoring a window The moral of this story, Tyler insisted, is that a bad moment, an attack on a sacred historical place, in this case, can bring out the best in a community. The African Methodist Episcopal denomination was formed in 1816 by Philadelphia Preacher Richard Allen, a former enslaved person who also founded Mother Bethel AME Church. The current church, at 419 S. Sixth St. in Society Hill, is on the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by Black people in the U.S., and in 1974 was designated a historic landmark. A month before the attack, Mother Bethel was awarded a $90,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to preserve the windows. Tyler originally thought the church would have to return to the funder to ask for more money to cover the costs of the damage, but the donations made that unnecessary. Owusu Ansah, a master stained-glass artist, said restoring Mother Bethels windows was an uncomplicated project. Tyler said he was surprised that the work was done much faster than he expected. This is true, said Ansah, whose studio is in Germantown. It was squares and that is the reason I say it was very easy. The windows should last another 100 years. File photo of the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia City Hall Read more A 22-year-old paralegal who was raped, physically assaulted, and robbed at work after an intruder was able to get through building security undetected in July 2022 has reached a $6 million settlement with the Center City landlord of the space, according to her attorneys. The victim, referred to in court filings as R.F., filed a civil suit against the buildings landlord 211 N. 13th Street Associates, LP, and related entities last March in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, accusing the agency of being negligent in its security measures in a high-traffic area. Advertisement But for the negligent security of the landlord and their security guard, this brutal attack would not have occurred, one of R.F.s attorneys, Lorraine Donnelly of Kline & Specter, said in a statement. Attempts to reach the landlord and their attorneys were unsuccessful. According to the suit, another unauthorized person attempted to access the building that same day its unclear in filings if it was R.F.s attacker but security never alerted tenants. To enter the building, a person would have to have a key card or use a call box to be let in by the security guard positioned in the lobby. But on the day of the attack, Camden resident Willie Harris entered the nine-story office building on the 200 block of North 13th Street shortly after 2 p.m. by piggybacking his entry off someone leaving the building and not long after the initial attempted breach. The front entrance and stairs, said R.F.s attorneys, were out of the security guards field of vision while he was in the lobby, and a live closed-circuit television feed was the only way the guard could see who was accessing the stairs. The stairs had no security feature, such as an alarm or buzzer, that would notify the guard on duty that someone was gaining access to various floors, which is what R.F.s attorneys said Harris did undetected. After scoping out several floors, Harris reached the eighth floor where he attacked R.F. The attack stopped because Harris heard someone returning to the office from lunch. R.F.s attorneys said Harris left the same way he came in, unnoticed by the security guard on duty. Harris was later arrested and convicted of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, strangulation, burglary, robbery, criminal trespassing, and related charges. His sentencing is scheduled for August. Harris attorney could not be reached for comment. The victims attorneys argued lax security allowed the attack to happen. According to the lawsuit, the attack left R.F. experiencing depression, PTSD, anxiety, flashbacks, and other detrimental effects after the attack. We hope that landlords in our city and elsewhere will realize the importance of having reasonable security to protect their tenants and employees, including from criminal acts of intruders, said Donnelly. Joseph Becton, a member of the 3rd Regiment Infantry United States Colored Troops Civil War Re-enactors, carries a U.S. flag in Camden in May 2019. Read more Soon, in preparation for Memorial Day, hundreds of soldiers will fan out at Arlington National Cemetery with backpacks full of American flags, placing them on every grave. In communities around the country, many civilians will be doing the same, placing an American flag at the grave of their loved one who served in the military in defense of our great nation. But not all of our nations fallen soldiers are able to be honored in this way. Advertisement For example, in Westtown Township, near West Chester, there is a half-acre cemetery on a suburban road that no one would mistake for a burial ground. There are no tombstones visible on the overgrown property where groundhogs and rabbits have dug their homes at times unearthing the bones of those buried there. The cemetery was once part of a thriving African Methodist Episcopal congregation, Shiloh AME Church, founded in 1817 and thought to be one of the first AME churches outside of Philadelphia. Over time, with the death of congregants and people moving away, the parish closed its doors in the 1920s; the deteriorating church was razed in the 1960s. The cemetery, with about 140 graves, did not move with the congregation. And in that cemetery are the verified burials of 14 United States Colored Troops Civil War veterans. We know a little about some of these veterans: Isaac Winters, a soldier in the 43rd U.S. Colored Infantry F Company, did his training at Camp William Penn and was sexton at Shiloh AME Church for more than 60 years. Thomas Henry was a private in Company B of the 3rd United States Colored Troops. Shiloh AME Church was also home to Jarena Lee, who was born in 1783 in Cape May and became the first Black female preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Shiloh AME cemetery represents a profound history for both the community and the country. We dont know where the veterans of Shiloh AME Church are buried because a previous owner had the remains of the church bulldozed and the tombstones removed. All the headstones are gone except for the headstone of Alfred Bye, Company A, 32nd U.S. Colored Regiment, which was rescued and preserved by a neighbor. We have no idea of the location of the headstone for his brother, Richard, who served in the same regiment and is also buried at Shiloh. Right now, entry to the Shiloh AME Church cemetery is strictly prohibited by the owner. No one will be allowed to lay flowers or place a flag on the graves this Memorial Day. This situation, with individual variations, is playing out across Chester County and the country. More and more abandoned or neglected Black cemeteries are being discovered (many with U.S. Colored Troops burials), and efforts are being made to preserve and restore them. In Chester County alone, at least eight unkempt graveyards with U.S. Colored Troops burials have been identified. In 2022, Congress passed the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program, authorizing the National Park Service to establish a $3 million grant program to aid preservation efforts of historic African American burial grounds. Yet, this amount is woefully insufficient. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservations African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a grant competition last year drew proposals from 5,400 Black cemeteries seeking a total of some $650 million more than six times the amount available. Shiloh AME cemetery represents a profound history for both the community and the country. There is evidence this Black congregation aided fleeing enslaved people in their race to freedom, and the church sits only a few miles from several historic Quaker establishments along the Underground Railroad. The least we can do is encourage our elected officials to provide access to and maintain the cemetery. We must create a memorial in Westtown Township to honor the U.S. Colored Troops dead. Gail Guterl and Stephen Lyons are volunteers with Friends of Shiloh AME Church and Cemetery, a local organization working to preserve the memory and accessibility of the church. shilohamefriends@gmail.com The author, a former occupant of the encampments on Kensington Avenue, watched with dismay as they were recently cleared by the police. What helped me get through my time in Kensington was the unconditional love and support of harm reductionists, he writes. Read more I come from a loving suburban family, I work and live in the city of Philadelphia, and for years I was homeless in Kensington. Id like to be clear that my experience there wasnt special in any way. I injected the same drugs, slept on the same sidewalks, and made money the same way as everyone else trapped under the El. Advertisement I ate at the same soup kitchens, washed in the same bathrooms, and endured the same random violence that every homeless person suffers through. In Kensington, I was shot in the arm by a young drug dealer. I was pistol-whipped and beaten multiple times. These are not particularly unique experiences for a homeless person. And these were not the wake-up calls most people would expect them to be. Experiencing violence did not inspire any meaningful change within me bruised and undaunted, I continued to sleep alone on the sidewalk. I read the newspaper about the recent clearing of the homeless encampments along Kensington Avenue and wondered what I would have done had I still been there. The answer is obvious: I would have done the same thing I did when I left the hospital with a bandaged head. The same thing I did when discharged from the rehab or was released from the county jail. I would have suffered from addiction and continued to suffer. One day I was struck in the head with a hammer at MacPherson Square, a place better known as Needle Park. While the blood was running down my face, I sat down and cooked up a bag of fentanyl. The police arrived, and as we waited for an ambulance, a police officer stopped me from shooting up. One of the neighborhood drug dealers tried to explain that I wouldnt go in an ambulance without getting well first. For a person like me, using came before everything. This is the language addicts use: we get well, we fix. It reflects what the drug does for us, the purpose it serves. When I was on drugs, my life was divided into two different states of being: well and sick. Feeling well was fleeting the drugs helped with that, but only for a short time. Sickness was eternal. The need to be well superseded every other desire. The cop held firm; he wasnt going to allow a junkie to fix in his presence. The dope boy made a pretty compelling point by telling the officer that getting me to the hospital was more important than enforcing the rules. That a little leeway would be fair in that moment. The cop countered with a reasonable concern about me potentially overdosing. As they argued about what was best for me, I wiped the blood out of my eyes, picked up my syringe, and walked off. I could hear my own blood squishing inside my shoes. I was one of those belligerent homeless people you find in our citys hospitals. I hadnt changed my clothes or showered for weeks. My hands and arms were swollen with infections from reusing needles in filthy living conditions. My feet were cracked and red from something called trench foot a common condition among the homeless in Kensington, although we lovingly referred to it as Kenzo foot. I thrashed around, withdrawing on hospital beds, pleading and cursing with the staff. Eventually, Id sign the form for discharge against medical advice the nurses would offer. Before leaving, the doctors are legally obligated to warn a patient of the potential outcomes they may face. In my case, it was usually amputation or death. Upon hearing this, Id sign the necessary paperwork, change back into my dirty clothes, and limp off toward the nearest El stop. Ive been tackled a few times by the same kind of Philadelphia police officers who cleared the encampments earlier this month. They werent wrong for doing so I was breaking the law. I was arrested for participating in the typical hustles addicts support themselves through: shoplifting and dealing dope. Theyd pitch solutions to my drug problem while we drove to the station. Ive had cops suggest maintenance drugs, rehabs, even herbal remedies to me. I remember a particular narcotics detective promising to hose me off before taking me to jail because of all the dried blood on my skin and clothes. He did exactly that. I sat before the judges, I entered the rehabs, and every time, I ended up right back on that sidewalk, alone and dope-sick. I dont mention my experiences with any of these services in an attempt to discredit them or garner sympathy for myself. These are people doing hard, necessary jobs. I was not a pleasant or rational person to deal with at the time. I was still a person, though, and these are my experiences. I do not believe it is fair or realistic to expect much more from these professionals. A police officer is not a social worker. A nurse is not a social worker. Rehab isnt a magical place that cures addiction in a 30-day period. The jails are overcrowded, and we do not need any more nonviolent drug offenders within their walls. Had it not been for harm reduction organizations like Prevention Point, I would either be dead or still suffering on those corners. Harm reduction organizations provide an invaluable service that the hospitals and jails and rehabs arent able to provide. They meet people where they are. In whatever condition a person is, they are treated with dignity and provided with the help they require at that moment. They dont make demands of sick people. They nurture and support us. They dont displace addicts or dump us in rehabs and congratulate themselves afterward. Its disheartening to see our city behave like this, to see our mayor be so willfully ignorant in her approach to Kensington. If a change of scenery and a brief stint at a rehab were sufficient in treating addiction, why were there so many homeless in there to begin with? What good does cutting funding from a syringe exchange do? Where were the outreach workers those people so desperately needed? I know I was incapable of adhering to our mayors expectations for years. I know being forced into drug treatments failed multiple times for me. I know that if I didnt have access to clean needles, I would have shared them. I know taxpayer dollars would have paid for my hepatitis or HIV treatment. I know violence and threats of amputation didnt hinder my drug use. I know the threat of jail didnt stop me. What helped me get through my time in Kensington was the unconditional love and support of harm reductionists. In that moment, they kept me alive and met my needs. Only later, in this supportive environment, was I able to seek out rehabilitation on my own terms. It is that kind of progressive attitude we need in this city. We started with simple goals and built them up as time progressed. The beauty of harm reduction is whether or not those goals were met, theyd still be there. For a person sleeping on a cardboard bed every night, I can tell you that having people like that in your life reignites a sense of importance, dignity, and value. Youre reminded of your significance that even you are deserving of health and safety. What harm reduction services know and Mayor Cherelle L. Parker doesnt seem to understand is that it is up to the individual what they do with their life. If you ask any recovering addict or alcoholic, they will tell you the same thing: You are the only person who can get you sober. My early encounters with harm reduction groups like Prevention Point were brief. I would go pick up syringes or get something to eat. At the time, that was all I was looking for. Occasionally, theyd give out clothes. Eventually, I was assigned a caseworker who introduced me to a maintenance doctor who is my doctor to this day. She supported me from homelessness until where I am today, working in a pizzeria in Fairmount and living in an apartment in Roxborough. I would not be alive if it werent for her. When my head was bleeding and I was wandering dazed through the streets of Kensington, I walked to Prevention Point. I wasnt sure what was going to happen to me at that moment, but I needed to see a kind face. The social worker who called the ambulance that day would later help me write a resume for a job. That resume got me the job I have today. She helped me get my ID and health insurance. She showed up to court dates. She is another reason Im where I am today. There are numerous other people from Prevention Point and other organizations including Drug Court who were there for me when I needed them most. These people make it their mission to care for others. They work difficult and sometimes dangerous jobs and are rarely thanked. Through their combined efforts, I am here today. I am grateful for them all. Theo Fountain, who lived on the streets of Kensington from 2019 to 2021, is approaching two years of sobriety, lives in Roxborough, and works at a Fairmount pizzeria. Sandrea Williams, 17, was shot and killed on Friday, May 11, 2018, in West Philly. Read more It was "almost like a terror attack," Homicide Capt. Jack Ryan said Monday. Two shooters likely teenagers "indiscriminately" opened fire on a group of teens Friday night in West Philadelphia, killing 17-year-old Sandrea Williams and wounding two teenage boys, Ryan said. Advertisement Shortly before 10:30 p.m., the gunmen crept up a driveway on the 300 block of North Simpson Street and fired 23 shots in approximately seven seconds at a group of at least six teens hanging out near Simpson and Carlton Streets, Ryan said. Williams, who had just driven to West Philly with a 17-year-old friend to visit friends and her mother, who lives on Simpson, was an apparent bystander. She was pronounced dead shortly afterward at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Her 17-year-old friend and another boy, 15, were each shot in a leg and hospitalized in stable condition. Ryan declined to say who the shooters may have been targeting except to say it was likely not Williams. Police believe the shooting was motivated by "some manner of petty neighborhood dispute," said Ryan, who declined to elaborate. Police were still investigating Monday and working on collecting surveillance video, he said. Fired cartridge casings were found from two guns a .45-caliber and a 9mm. "It's a miracle that there weren't any more casualties," Ryan said. In an interview Saturday, Williams' mother, Nadia Syblis, 34, said she had been sitting on her front steps talking to an older brother when she heard the gunshots. She ran inside, came back out after she saw someone lying on the 6400 block of Carlton, then realized it was her daughter. Doctors at Penn Presbyterian told her that the girl was hit by a bullet that entered her back and exited her neck, the mother said. The teen had lived with her mother and two sisters, ages 10 and 18, on Simpson, but had moved in February to East Mount Airy to live with an aunt and help care for her three children, family members said. Williams was a junior at Camelot Academy in North Philadelphia after spending her freshman and sophomore years at Overbrook High School, her mother said. A $20,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Tipsters can call the Citizens' Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS or homicide detectives at 215-686-3334. Nadia Syblis (center), the mother of homicide victim Sandrea Williams, takes part in a prayer walk on Thursday in West Philadelphia. At right is Williams aunt Yasheca Rhoden. At left is Ronald Ryan of Town Watch Integrated Services. Behind them are Williams aunt Naisha Rhoden (left) and grandmother Hyacinth Douglas (right). Read more It was a particularly meaningful Thursday evening for relatives of 17-year-old Sandrea Williams. Singing and pleading to Jesus, accompanied by police and West Philadelphia residents, they walked in prayer in memory of the teen who was fatally shot two weeks ago. Coincidentally, the walk took place on the evening when Williams' older sister, Dashana Harvey, 18, a senior at Overbrook High School and the Class of 2018's valedictorian, was getting ready for her prom Thursday night. Advertisement For the family, the day was a mixture of sweetness and sadness. "Please, Lord, help us," Ronald Ryan, of Town Watch Integrated Services, said as he held hands with Williams' mother, Nadia Syblis, and with 19th Police District Capt. John Stanford. "We're tired of the guns in the neighborhood. We're tired of the drugs in the neighborhood." The walk was organized by Town Watch and police to show support for Williams' family and to urge people to speak out about crimes, including the triple shooting at Carlton and Simpson Streets that killed Williams and wounded two teenage boys. Police are searching for two shooters. About 75 people participated in the solemn walk that started about 6 p.m. at Vine and Daggett Streets and ended several blocks away in front of Syblis' Simpson Street home, near the shooting location. "May God provide conscience to the person who did it to turn himself in," City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., a Democrat who represents parts of West Philadelphia, told the crowd during the walk. "Make sure somebody speaks up about what happened," added State Rep. Morgan Cephas (D., Phila.). "If anybody knows anything about the death of my niece [Sandrea], please come forward," urged an aunt, Yasheca Rhoden, 39, as she stood in front of Syblis' house. "It's kind of like bittersweet for us here. We are split between good and evil," she said, as yellow and black balloons tied to the railing of the home's front steps blew in celebration of Harvey's prom while on the opposite sidewalk red and black balloons fluttered from a vigil held the night after Williams' fatal shooting. It was shortly before 10:30 p.m. May 11 when Williams, a 17-year-old male friend, and a 15-year-old boy were shot while hanging out with other teens on Carlton Street near Simpson. Police Homicide Capt. John Ryan has said that two shooters likely teenagers crept up from a driveway on Simpson and "indiscriminately" opened fire on the group, firing 23 shots. Williams, described by police as an innocent bystander, was shot by a bullet that entered her back and exited her neck, her family said. She was pronounced dead that night at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Ryan who is not related to Ronald Ryan has said that police believe the shooting was motivated by "some manner of petty neighborhood dispute," but declined to elaborate. Williams was a junior at Camelot Academy in North Philadelphia, after spending her freshman and sophomore years at Overbrook High School. Earlier Thursday, Overbrook's principal, Yvette Jackson, recalled Williams as "a loving force." "She was true to her friends, and when she became connected with various teachers, she built a bond," Jackson said. "For the family, despite dealing with a very difficult time in their lives, the family bond is strengthening them," said Jackson. "And they are celebrating the life of both of their children through this process." Williams' wounded 17-year-old friend participated in Thursday evening's walk, but declined to comment. In an interview four days after the shooting, he said he didn't see the shooters or know why they fired their guns. Sitting in a plastic chair on the front porch of his home that day with a bandage around his left calf, the teen who did not want his name published said he and Williams had been talking with about seven other teens when shots rang out, and they all ran down Carlton Street toward 64th. Williams was like a sister to him, said the teen, who wore a silver chain with her photo and the words "P.I.P." for Peace in Paradise and Williams' nickname, "Bro-Bro." ("She wasn't girly," he explained.) "She didn't want to do nothing but be successful in life," he said. Darin Toliver, a community activist and vice president of the Black Men at Penn School of Social Work, said Thursday that he is organizing another rally for Williams at 7 p.m. May 31 at Carlton and Simpson Streets, which will serve as "a call-out to the community" to step up with information about the shooters. Tipsters can call the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS or homicide detectives at 215-686-3334. A $20,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Democratic campaign consultant Tracy Hardy was charged this week for conspiring to steal from a health care workers union. Read more News that state authorities had charged Chris Woods, the former head of Phillys health-care workers union, and Democratic campaign consultant Tracy Hardy with felony crimes spread quickly through political circles this week. Prosecutors say they conspired to steal more than $150,000 from Woods union in 2019 to back candidates in that years Democratic primary. Advertisement For Hardy a former aide to ex-Mayor John F. Street and later chief of staff to State Sen. Sharif Street this isnt the first time hes found himself on the wrong end of a criminal probe. More than a decade ago, Hardy was a central witness in a scandal and subsequent federal prosecution involving campaign-finance violations during Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Grays underdog bid in 2010 to unseat his predecessor. The feds alleged Gray benefited from a $660,000 shadow campaign funded by Jeffrey Thompson, a prominent D.C. businessman, who bankrolled get-out-the-vote efforts in coordination with the official campaign but insisted his contributions be off the books. Hardy led that secret get-out-the-vote push and told The Washington Post he brought half a dozen operatives with him from Philly to coordinate with Grays campaign. Though Hardy and Gray were never charged, prosecutors secured convictions against seven others, including Thompson. As part of his guilty plea, Thompson admitted that when he caught word of the FBI probe in 2011, he paid to have key players including Hardy leave the country so they couldnt be questioned. Hardy was sent to Brazil for an extended period with a minder to ensure he stayed there, according to court documents. He eventually resurfaced and testified before the grand jury investigating the Gray campaign, according to news reports from the time. But that brief brush with the feds doesnt seem to have damaged his stature in Philly. He continued to work as a get-out-the-vote specialist, including for former Mayor Jim Kenneys 2019 reelection campaign and for several down-ballot races that year the focus of the charges hes now facing. The state Democratic Party paid Hardys firm more than $111,000 since 2019, according records, before parting ways with him earlier this year. Sharif Street has chaired the state party since 2022, after previously serving as vice chair. If that werent enough to keep him busy, Hardy also broke into hospitality. He and his wife took over North Philly staple Lou & Choos Lounge in 2014 and also own Manayunks The Cresson Inn. As for the criminal charges Hardys now facing, he and his lawyers are tight-lipped. They didnt respond to multiple requests for comment. 4 targets of Parkers town hall zingers Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is doing a series of town halls about her budget. Youd be forgiven if you havent watched all six shes done so far. Clout did it for you, and we caught some moments when the mayor went beyond the numbers. Here are four targets of Parkers zingers: 1. Campaign experts from D.C. During an event in Center City, Parker said she has a rule for her town halls. This really made the campaign experts from D.C. we paid em to give me some advice when I was running this really made them mad. ... The message that we are communicating to the public, it doesnt change if the audience is Black, if its white, if its Latino, if its Asian, I dont care what it is. The message remains the same. And maybe that was a little shade to her former opponent caught shifting his tone when he spoke to audiences in majority white versus majority Black neighborhoods? 2. One well-off resident In Mount Airy, Parker talked about her plan for year-round school and described an awkward conversation with a constituent. A woman said to me, Is this going to be mandatory? Because we stay for three weeks down at the Shore and also go to the Vineyard. Parker paused. The audience chuckled. You cant make it up. I mean, someone actually came to me and said this. She added: We are not trying to stop any family who has the means from doing whatever it is you usually do with your family in the summer. 3. Keyboard warriors In Kensington, Parker suggested online opponents of her plan to stabilize the neighborhood might have well-connected backers. You forget that theres a billion-dollar business going on with people who have enough money to hire the best marketers in the world. They can hire the most expensive keyboard warriors in the world. Dont you think that people who are running the billion-dollar drug trade in Kensington, dont you think theyre smart enough to have keyboard warriors who dominate social media? 4. Us Parker also panned coverage of her Kensington plan, nodded at Managing Director Adam Thiel taking heat for it, and suggested journalists tend to whine. Theres a reporter somewhere sitting in the audience, somebodys recording. (Guilty.) I dont want you to hear it from Thiel or anybody else. The mayor said this. The plan wont be perfect. We dont have every T crossed and every I dotted. Im building the plane while Im flying it, and aint been here six months. And Im putting a system in place thats trying to counter a culture, a status quo that has persisted for 30 years. And the only thing people can say is, Well, we dont have answers to all of the questions that weve asked. The women may be for Murphy. But not that Murphy. Theres no shortage of Murphys in New Jersey, which is convenient for Burlington County Assemblymember Carol Murphy. Shes running on being the first woman to represent South Jersey in Congress in a five-way Democratic primary to replace U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, whos running for Senate. Carol Murphy sent out a mailer with a photo of her surrounded by women holding up Planned Parenthood-branded Women for Murphy signs, as shared by an astute X user. A similar photo was on her campaign website, but was removed after Clout reached out. But the women werent rallying for Carol Murphy. They were supporting New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, whos not related to Carol. (Phil Murphys campaign declined to comment.) Carol Murphys spokesperson Emily Dalgleish confirmed the signs were for Phil and from a 2018 event. She said the campaign would have included the photos even if the pols didnt share the same last name, and argued theyre relevant to Carol Murphys work with Phil Murphys administration on reproductive rights. She said objecting to two people having the same last name is nothing more than disingenuous gotcha politics that voters have grown tired of. Carol Murphys biggest competition, Assemblymember Herb Conaway, said she should apologize. Its shocking that Carol Murphys campaign would seek to deceive voters into thinking she has the support of groups who have not endorsed her, Conaway said. Maybe she can find some Eddie Murphy fans to take photos with for her next mailer. Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics. Former President Donald Trump greets the crowd during a campaign event in Wildwood on Saturday. Read more Former President Donald Trump told a crowd of thousands in Wildwood the baseless claim that Democrats want to pass an abortion law that enables doctors to execute newborns. If the radical Democrat extremists get their way, Trump said during his rally last Saturday, they will have a federal law an abortion in the eighth and ninth month, and even executing the baby after birth. Advertisement Trump has mentioned infant executions in prior speeches that were repudiated by the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit media research organization, which asserted: Democrats arent calling for the killing of infants after birth. That Trumps statement is untrue seemed to mean little to audience members, who cheered as Trump repeated it an example of how misinformation about abortion has taken hold with a significant portion of Trumps base. And the falsehoods are expected to multiply in the lead-up to a high-stakes presidential election in which abortion will be a key dividing line between the candidates. READ MORE: Theres only one key issue where Pa. voters trust Joe Biden over Donald Trump: Abortion What some people say about abortion becomes resistant to facts and knowledge, said sociologist Judith Levine, director of Temple Universitys Public Policy Lab. They create confirmation bias the comfort of having your fears and angers validated, and enjoying having company in outrage. Levine said repetition of inaccurate information about the procedure creates an echo chamber of inflammatory ideas, as was demonstrated by Trumps speech. READ MORE: Wildwood rally shows Trumps base has only grown louder and prouder since 2016 Levine stressed that theres a difference between those who simply believe abortion is wrong, and those who perpetuate lies about an already fraught topic. How is abortion misinformation spreading on the campaign trail? Trumps influence on abortion was evident last month at the conservative Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in Camp Hill, which was attended by Republicans who will appear alongside the former president on the Pennsylvania ballot, including Senate nominee Dave McCormick and U.S. Rep. Scott Perry. Known as the premier gathering of conservative politicians, advocates, and thinkers in the commonwealth, the conference has for 35 years spread Republican thinking throughout election seasons. Melanie Kornides, a professor of nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing who specializes in combating medical misinformation, said the conference was designed to manipulate by using incomplete or fake facts. Trumps claims about abortion were matched by conference speaker Cheryl Allen, a former Pennsylvania Superior Court judge, and currently of counsel to the Pennsylvania Family Institute, a conservative organization working to make the state a place where God is honored, religious freedom flourishes, families thrive, and life is cherished. She said that abortion-rights supporters promote abortion until the due date of a child. Allen also declared, Abortion is unsafe, and she asserted that abortion medications threaten the lives of women. In attacking abortion-inducing medications, a panel discussion that Allen anchored concluded that mifepristone, half of a drug combination that can be used to end a pregnancy, starves the baby to death. Doctors said these claims circulating on the political right have no basis in fact. Sarah Gutman, a Philadelphia obstetrician-gynecologist and an abortion provider, said its inaccurate to label the abortion procedure, as well as the drugs used in a medication abortion, as unsafe. Its seven times more likely for a pregnancy to end in fatality than an abortion, she said. Other estimates are twice that rate. Sarah Prager, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington in Seattle, said that abortion is safer than colonoscopy, tonsillectomy, and plastic surgery. Medical abortion is approved by the FDA and considered safe, with serious complications requiring hospitalization (for vaginal bleeding, pelvic pain, or infection) occurring in less than 0.3% of patients, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges. Referencing the starvation of a baby as opposed to a fetus, Gutman said, is absolutely inflammatory and inaccurate. And theres no point in a pregnancy when a fetus is getting food. It gets blood flow from the placenta. She also said that physicians allowing abortions into the ninth month of pregnancy is simply not a thing, especially at a time when performing abortions can be considered a crime in some places. Incorrect information from conferences such as these spreads to the general public through social media, experts said. Something from a conference like this that gets passed on as fact, when its only a way to sow fear and discord, Gutman said. Its intentional and malicious. Do other Republican candidates sound like Trump when they talk about abortion? While neither Perry nor McCormick addressed abortion in Camp Hill, theyve disseminated misinformation in other campaign appearances. Perry said in April that the left demands absolutely no limit on how or when pre-born babies can be aborted. And in February, a McCormick spokesperson mischaracterized his opponent, Sen. Bob Casey, by saying the incumbent Pennsylvania Democrat has repeatedly voted to allow abortion up until the moment of birth. McCormick then compounded abortion misinformation during a May 2 radio segment on the Dawn Stensland Show, which airs in Philadelphia on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT. He agreed with Stensland, a longtime Philadelphia broadcaster and media figure, that abortion is a money laundering operation for Democrats. Stensland said, I always say the abortion issue is really not about reproductive rights. Its not, its really, to me personally. Look at the money, and its a money laundering operation. Look at the money that goes from Democratic administrations to Planned Parenthood. McCormick then said: Yeah, and you know, Bob Caseys position and others is federal funding [for Planned Parenthood], which I am opposed to. So, I agree with you. Planned Parenthood gets no federal funding for its abortion services, but its affiliates receive Medicaid reimbursements for other medical services. They also receive federal grant funding under the Department of Health and Human Services Title X program, which supports birth control, breast cancer screenings, and other reproductive health care. The 1977 Hyde amendment banned the use of federal funds for abortion. Senate Democrats, including Casey, supported ditching the amendment from a 2021 federal budget bill, but it was ultimately restored in a 2022 omnibus bill after negotiations with Republicans. Tara Murtha, director of strategic communications for the Womens Law Project, a Philadelphia-based organization that advocates for abortion rights among other issues, called the money laundering characterization too absurd to have to seriously address when asked about McCormicks radio appearance. Staff writer Aliya Schneider contributed to this article. Dr. Sarah Gutman, a Philadelphia OB-GYN, quoted in this story is married to Abraham Gutman, an Inquirer staff writer. This story updated to reference a 2021 vote on the Hyde Amendment. Sen. John Fetterman works in his Capitol office in 2023 after six weeks of hospitalization getting treatment for clinical depression. Read more Sen. John Fetterman, who has been open about his struggle with depression, wants to create a federal commission focused on mental health. Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, introduced a bill last week with Sen. Tina Smith (D., Minn..) to create the commission, which would provide policy recommendations to Congress and the president about improving access and affordability of mental health care. Advertisement The commission would produce reports each year. In its first year, it would study coverage of mental health services under federal health plans; reimbursement rates for mental health care services; and workforce challenges in the mental health field. Mental health challenges impact people all across Pennsylvania and the country from our reddest counties to our bluest, from our biggest cities to our smallest towns, Fetterman said. Im committed to ensuring that everyone suffering from mental health challenges has access to the same resources and treatment that I did. This bill will help make that the reality. He said in a CNN interview he wants mental health to be viewed as part of health as a whole, and not separated from physical health. Fetterman faced a battle against severe depression early on in the first year of his term. He checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in February 2023 and stayed there for six weeks. Before I sought help for my depression, I was the biggest cynic but it truly worked, Fetterman said. READ MORE: So grateful: Inside John Fettermans hopeful first week back in the Senate after his treatment for depression His stay was reportedly longer than it would have been because doctors were working on his medication balance. The senator had suffered a stroke during his campaign less than a year earlier. While he was worried his decision to openly seek help would damage his career, he was largely applauded by colleagues despite mental health often being stigmatized. But he continued to face close scrutiny over his health. Smith, his cosponsor, has also spoken publicly about her struggle with depression. In 2019, she spoke about suffering from depression as a teenager and in her 30s when advocating for more mental health federal funding. She published an essay in 2023 to revisit the topic while Fetterman was facing his struggle. Both senators are members of the bipartisan Senate Mental Health Caucus. Caucuses are informal groups that are formed to discuss mutual issues of interest and potentially work on policy research or planning together. Committees are part of the legislative process, and commissions serve as advisory bodies. The proposed commission has the support of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Association of Suicidology, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Childrens Hospital Association, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Earlier this year, City Councilmember Quetcy Lozada passed a late-night curfew for businesses along Kensington Avenue to crack down on nuisance establishments selling drug paraphernalia and operating gambling machines in an area harrowed by open-air drug sales. The idea appears to have caught on, and business curfews are coming to neighborhoods near and far. Advertisement This Thursday three additional councilmembers introduced similar legislation for their districts. Businesses with liquor licenses would not be affected, leaving neighborhood taverns to operate as normal. Violations come with a $500 fine. In upper North Philadelphia, Councilmember Anthony Phillips introduced a midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew for businesses along Ogontz Avenue, between Haines Street and 66th Avenue on both sides of the street. Also in North Philadelphia, Councilmember Cindy Bass curfew for businesses around the Olney Transportation Center on North Broad Street would last from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Neighboring the area included in Lozadas bill, Councilmember Mike Driscoll would also require closure between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. along East Allegheny Avenue, Kensington Avenue, Torresdale Avenue, and Frankford Avenue. This wave of legislation partly reflects Councils frustration with the proliferation of so-called games of skill unregulated electronic gambling terminals that have been cropping up in small businesses throughout the state. (An attempted ban on these machines faces a lawsuit.) Similarly, smoke shops selling drug paraphernalia and nicotine products have greatly expanded their footprint in the city, to the chagrin of many neighborhood groups. But Council also sees these bills as a means to strike a blow against the kind of lawlessness that many residents feel spun out of control during the pandemic, with its apotheosis in the open-air drug market of Kensington. Residents dont want what happened in Kensington and some other areas of the city to happen in our area, Phillips said in an interview last week, when he introduced a similar bill for a different part of his district. This bill sends a clear message that in our neighborhood were not going to tolerate any level of disruption. What was this weeks highlight? Tax-hike timeout: More than 60,000 low-income Philadelphians would be able to freeze their property tax bills if their homes assessment increases under legislation advanced by Council Thursday. Philadelphia already allows low-income seniors to freeze their tax bills as a result of hikes, but the new legislation by Councilmember Jamie Gauthier would expand that opportunity to any homeowner in the city considered low-income. Thats defined in this case as individuals who make less than $33,500 per year and married couples who combined make less than $41,500. A Council committee advanced the bill Monday, and it was brought before Council Thursday. It is expected to be called up for a vote next week and would then head to Mayor Cherelle L. Parkers desk. But her administration has expressed reservations. Finance Director Rob Dubow testified Monday that the administration has concerns about the programs implementation, enforcement, and cost. He said estimates suggest the proposed program would result in between $39 million and $94 million in lost revenue over five years, depending on how many people sign up. About half of that would have gone to the School District of Philadelphia. Dubow also pointed out that the city already has an array of programs meant to ease tax burdens. We balance the cost of programs against other priorities, as well as other proposed relief measures, he said. Advocates and residents who testified in favor of the legislation said Monday that the city needs to fill a gap for low-income residents who dont qualify for existing programs but get hit with rapidly rising property assessments. Angela Thomas, who has long lived in the citys Graduate Hospital section, saw her assessment increase by more than 45% last year. She said her husband unexpectedly died during the pandemic, and so she was left to pay a $3,400 annual property tax bill on less than $600 a month. There is no possible way I can pay that amount and put food on the table, Thomas said. The city last year paused reassessments after homeowners saw their property values increase by 31% on average citywide. Thousands of assessments more than doubled. Reassessments are expected to begin again this year. What else happened? Bump-stock ban, maybe: Philadelphia officials rarely get their way when it comes to gun control laws thanks to firearm-friendly legislators in Harrisburg who use the states preemption powers to overrule the city. Parker and councilmembers know that. But they keep trying anyway, and on Thursday Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. introduced a bill on behalf of the mayors administration to ban bump stocks, which are devices that allow semiautomatic weapons to fire much more rapidly. Bump stocks called rate-of-fire acceleration devices in the legislation and known informally as switches became infamous after being used by Stephen Paddock in the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that killed 60 people. As we see an uptick in suspects using guns with switches and similar rate-of-fire acceleration devices, my administration is working to ensure that we hold accountable the people who use them, Parker said in a statement. These devices facilitate mass shootings and have no place on the streets of Philadelphia. Jones acknowledged he was fighting an uphill battle to crack down on the devices in Philly thanks to the states control over firearms regulations. But he noted the citys recent success in fighting the spread of untraceable ghost guns by settling a lawsuit with two manufacturers of the weapons. READ MORE: City reaches settlement in case against two ghost gun manufacturers Fighting the good fight is what this Council should do, he said. Quotable I am ashamed of the University of Pennsylvania. I am ashamed that my university, our citys largest private employer, with an endowment of over $20 billion, five times the size of the entire budget of the School District of Philadelphia, has continuously nickeled and dimed workers across campus. State Rep. Rick Krajewski (D., Phila.) State Rep. Rick Krajewski, a University of Pennsylvania alumnus, spoke at Councils public comment session on Thursday to criticize his alma mater for what he called union-busting tactics. The Ivy League schools graduate student workers voted to unionize earlier this month. According to Reade, EV drivers will be able to safely stretch their legs away from the bustle of the highway and recharge while exploring Port Pirie because of the strategic location. This event underscores Wawanesas commitment to helping brokers adapt and excel in a rapidly changing commercial market, McCrindell said. The commercial market has never been more complex, yet there has never been so much opportunity for brokers and insurers to add value to every business we insure. Peter Zaffino (pictured), AIGs chair and chief executive, expressed confidence in the deal, stating: 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. In a context of lower growth, trade disruptions and geopolitical uncertainty, 42% of corporates are now expecting the length of export payment terms to increase in the next six to twelve months, Coqui said. Longer payment terms mean stronger pressure on cashflow, and the situation might even worsen. Moreover, 40% of respondents are expecting non-payment risk to rise in 2024. This is in line with our forecast for global business insolvencies to rise by +9% this year. Anne is an outstanding client advocate whose passion for and understanding of the fine arts market make her the perfect fit to lead this new practice for Marsh McLennan Agency and expand our capabilities and resources in the fine arts space, Jeatran said. Zurich reported: In P&C, the group has seen strong growth in both the commercial and retail businesses. Insurance revenue grew 8% in commercial insurance and 10% in retail. In commercial, rates improved across all regions with an average of 5%. North America was a key contributor with overall rate increases of 8%, including commercial auto where rates increased by 14%. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara cut a deal with the insurance industry, one that he says will get them selling more home insurance in California. But internal documents Consumer Watchdog obtained under the Public Records Act show that the deal is a bait and switch on consumers that wont get a single new homeowner covered, Consumer Watchdog executive director Carmen Balber says in the video. The arrival of DOrs experienced leadership team and proprietary technology will significantly elevate our benefits and health proposition. Drawing on their legacy in the market and combining it with our own, MDS is poised to solidify our position as one of the leading brokers in Brazil and Latam, Couto said. Capabilities benchmarking and best practice reviews lead to technology and change, she said. Before carriers embark on such changes, they need support in charting roadmaps and prioritizing - because theres so much happening. Once they want to make those changes, there are very few consulting groups out there - the niche that we fall into is at the intersection of the technology and industry expertise. As such, we have people in our practice that have been on the carrier side and we also have that deep technical knowledge. A group of Atlantic City casino workers asked a judge Monday to ban smoking in the gambling halls, citing the toxic effects of working in a poisonous atmosphere, while the state said ending smoking could jeopardize a half-billion-dollar pot of money for senior citizens and the disabled. Superior Court Judge Patrick Bartels did not issue a ruling after both sides presented their case but said he aims to do so as quickly as possible. A ruling banning smoking in the nine casinos would be a seismic event for the citys gambling industry, whose core business money won from in-person gamblers still has not returned to where it was before the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. But it would be an equally impactful change for workers who say they are sick of having to breathe other peoples smoke in order to make a living, and who cite illnesses they attribute to secondhand smoke, including bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory ailments, including several cases of cancer. Whether to ban smoking is one of the most controversial issues not only in Atlantic City casinos, but in other states where workers have expressed concern about secondhand smoke. They are waging similar campaigns in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Virginia. Currently, smoking is allowed on 25% of the casino floor in Atlantic City. But those areas are not contiguous, and the practical effect is that secondhand smoke is present in varying degrees throughout the casino floor. A lawsuit filed last month by the United Auto Workers, which represents dealers at the Ballys, Caesars and Tropicana casinos, seeks to overturn New Jerseys indoor smoking law, which bans it in virtually every workplace except casinos. The purpose of the act is to protect workers from sickness and death, said Nancy Erika Smith, the attorney who brought the lawsuit. It is not to put money in the casinos pockets. We are seeking to end a special law which does a favor for casinos and seriously harms workers. She also raised the issues of equal protection under the law, and what she called a Constitutional right to safety. But Deputy Attorney General Robert McGuire, representing Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and the states acting health commissioner, said there is no such constitutional right. Murphy has said he will sign a smoking ban into law, but has recently expressed concern about the casinos economic arguments. Citizens have the freedom to pursue safety and happiness, but nowhere does the government guarantee those things to them as a right, McGuire said. McGuire also repeatedly cited the states Casino Revenue Fund, into which 8% of the casinos revenue is paid to fund programs for senior citizens and the disabled. In fiscal year 2024, he said, $526 million from the fund will be spend on such programs. The implication was that this money would be at risk if smoking is banned and the casinos do less business as smokers take their money elsewhere. Smoking opponents dispute that the casinos would lose business, citing a study showing casinos that ended smoking did better financially without it. Smith said the argument that people should be poisoned so that casinos can do well and generate more state tax revenue is repugnant and shocking. Seth Ptasiewicz, an attorney for casino workers who want to keep the current smoking policy, said steep economic declines have followed the imposition of smoking bans in several places, including Atlantic City, which tried it in 2008, only to quickly reverse course after a 19.8% decline in casino revenue in two weeks. These workers understand that (smoking) is a part of the job, and they accept it, he said, adding, No job is 100% safe. One of his clients, Local 54 of the Unite Here union, said in court papers it fears as much as a third of its 10,000 members could lose their jobs if smoking is banned. Attorney Christopher Porrino, representing the Casino Association of New Jersey, said the state Legislature has had nearly a half-century to change Atlantic Citys smoking policy, and has opted not to. In a few weeks it will be 46 years since the first casino opened in Atlantic City, he said. From that day forward and every day since, patrons of casinos have continuously smoked. The anti-smoking workers are in the fourth year of a campaign to end smoking in Atlantic Citys casinos that previously relied on political efforts to get lawmakers to change the law. But those efforts have yet to bear fruit. Shortly after a bill that would end smoking advanced out of a state Senate committee, other lawmakers introduced a competing bill that would continue to allow smoking on 25% of the casino floor, but would reconfigure where it is allowed. No employee would be forced to work in a smoking area against their will, under the bill. Neither measure has been acted on in months. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits Legislation The judge who oversaw a landmark trial about New Hampshires youth detention center has refused to discard the $38 million verdict, saying the facilitys leadership either knew and didnt care or didnt care to learn the truth about endemic physical and sexual abuse. A jury earlier this month sided with David Meehan, who alleged he was repeatedly raped, beaten and held in solitary confinement at the Youth Development Center in the 1990s. The attorney generals office is seeking to drastically reduce the award. While that issue remains unsettled, the state also asked Judge Andrew Schulman to nullify the verdict and issue a judgment in its favor. In a motion filed Monday, attorneys for the state again argued that Meehan waited too long to sue and that he failed to prove that the states negligence led to abuse. Schulman swiftly denied the motion, ruling in less than 24 hours that Meehans claims were timely under an exception to the statute of limitations, and that Meehan had proven beyond doubt that the state breached its duty of care with respect to staff training, supervision and discipline. According to Schulman, a jury could easily have found that the facilitys leadership was, at best, willfully blind to entrenched and endemic customs and practices that included frequent sexual and physical assaults as well as constant emotional abuse of residents. Maybe there is more to the story, but based on the trial record liability for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty was proven to a geometric certainty, he wrote. Michael Garrity, spokesman for the attorney generals office, said Wednesday that the motion was intended to preserve the arguments the state made at trial for any appeal. Meehan, 42, went to police in 2017 and sued the state three years later. Since then, 11 former state workers have been arrested and more than 1,100 other former residents of what is now called the Sununu Youth Services Center have filed lawsuits alleging physical, sexual and emotional abuse spanning six decades. Charges against one former worker, Frank Davis, were dropped earlier this month after the 82-year-old was found incompetent to stand trial. Meehans lawsuit was the first to go to trial. Over four weeks, his attorneys contended that the state encouraged a culture of abuse marked by pervasive brutality, corruption and a code of silence. The state portrayed Meehan as a violent child, troublemaking teenager and delusional adult lying to get money. Jurors awarded him $18 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in enhanced damages, but when asked the number of incidents for which the state was liable, they wrote one. That trigged the states request to reduce the award under a state law that allows claimants against the state to get a maximum of $475,000 per incident. Meehans lawyers say multiple emails theyve received from distraught jurors showed the jury misunderstood that question on the jury form. They filed a motion Monday asking Schulman to set aside just the portion of the verdict where jurors wrote one incident, allowing the $38 million to stand. As an alternative, the judge could order a new trial only on the number of incidents, or could offer the state the option of agreeing to an increase in the number of incidents, they wrote. Last week, Schulman denied a request from Meehans lawyers to reconvene and poll the jury, but said he was open to other options to address the disputed verdict. A hearing is scheduled for June 24. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation 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 Key Bridge hours later, according to congressional testimony Wednesday. 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. Their full investigation could take a year or more. The ships first power outage occurred after a crew member mistakenly closed an exhaust damper while conducting maintenance in port, causing one of its diesel engines to stall, according to the report. A backup generator automatically came on and continued to run for a short period until insufficient fuel pressure caused it to kick off again, resulting in a second blackout. Ship Owner in Bridge Collapse Seeks to Limit Its Liability Baltimore to Court: No Way Should Ships Liability for Bridge Collapse Be Limited While recovering from those power outages, crew members made changes to the ships electrical configuration, switching to a different transformer and set of breakers, according to safety investigators. Switching breakers is not unusual but may have affected operations the very next day on the accident voyage, Homendy testified Wednesday morning before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. She said the board is still gathering more information about what exactly caused the various power outages. The FBI has also launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the collapse. When the breakers tripped as the Dali approached the bridge, Homendy said the ships emergency generator kicked on. That generator can power the ships lights, radio and other operations, but it cant restore propulsion. Without the propeller turning, the rudder was less effective, Homendy said. They were essentially drifting. While there is redundancy built into the ships systems, she said its not unlike other vessels in terms of the functions of its emergency generator and other factors. She said investigators are working closely with Hyundai, the manufacturer of the Dalis electrical system, to pinpoint what went wrong after it left the Port of Baltimore. We are still on scene and evaluating everything about this accident, Homendy said. She also reiterated another finding from the report, which said testing of the ships fuel revealed no concerns about its quality. Boarded the Ship The safety board launched its investigation almost immediately after the collapse, which sent six members of a roadwork crew plunging to their deaths. Investigators boarded the ship to document the scene and collect evidence, including the vessels data recorder and information from its engine room. The preliminary report details the chaotic moments prior to the bridge collapse while crew members scrambled to address a series of electrical failures that came in quick succession as disaster loomed. Maryland Hopes to Rebuild Baltimore Bridge for $1.9B With Insurance, Federal, Other Funds At 1:25 a.m. on March 26, when the Dali was a little over half a mile away from the bridge, electrical breakers that fed most of the ships equipment and lighting unexpectedly tripped, causing a power loss. The main propulsion diesel engine automatically shut down after its cooling pumps lost power, and the ship lost steering. Crew members were able to momentarily restore electricity by manually closing the tripped breakers, the report says. The ship was less than a quarter of a mile from the bridge when it experienced a second power blackout because of more tripped breakers. The crew again restored power, but it was too late to avoid striking the bridge. A last-minute mayday call from the ship allowed police to stop traffic, but they didnt have enough time to warn a team of construction workers who were filling potholes on the bridge. One man was rescued from the water. A road maintenance inspector also survived by running to safety in the moments before the bridge fell. The last of the six victims bodies was recovered from the underwater wreckage last week. On Monday, crews conducted a controlled demolition to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed bridge, which landed draped across the Dalis bow. The ship is expected to be refloated and guided back to the Port of Baltimore early next week, officials said Wednesday. Photo: The Dali container vessel after striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland on March 26, 2024 Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. More than half of the oil sands production from Canada could be impacted if the wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia worsen, Rystad Energy said in a report on Thursday. WHY ITS IMPORTANT Canada is one of the biggest oil sands producers in the world. Companies like Suncor Energy, Canadian Natural Resources and Imperial Oil have oil sands projects within 150 km of Fort McMurry, an oil sands hub in Northern Alberta, with many workers living in the city. In 2016, a huge wildfire shut in over 1 million bpd of output in Fort McMurry. CONTEXT Canadas oil sands industry produces roughly 3.3 million barrels per day of crude, two-thirds of the countrys total energy output. Last year, more than 200,000 bpd of oil output was shut in due to the fires. There are currently 43 active fires in Alberta. Wildfire season typically runs from April until September or October, when cooler temperatures and rain help dampen fire activity in Canada. BY THE NUMBERS May is seasonally the maintenance season for the oil industry as it gets ready to ramp up production for the higher-demand summer driving season in North America, with an estimated 365,000 bpd going offline. Excluding that, Rystad Energy estimates more than 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil sand output could be impacted in a worst-case scenario, or 2.6% of global crude and lease condensate production. This comes up to around 52% of affected volumes of the synthetic crude produced from Canadian facilities, when accounting for maintenance impacts, or closer to 60% when excluding it. KEY QUOTE The current flora around Fort McMurray is still recovering from the events that took place eight years ago, thus, MFW-017 (the current out-of-control blaze) is spreading on the ground at a slower pace, said Thomas Liles, vice president of upstream research at Rystad Energy. (Reporting by Seher Dareen in Bengaluru; editing by Devika Syamnath) Photograph: This photo provided by the BC Wildfire Service shows a view of the Parker Lake wildfire near Fort Nelson, British Columbia, on Monday, May 13, 2024. (BC Wildfire Service/The Canadian Press via AP) Related: Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Energy Oil Gas Canada MDS Brazil, a subsidiary of Ardonagh-owned MDS Group and one of the countrys major brokers, announced it intends to acquire DOr Consultoria, a health, dental, life insurance and pensions broker from Rede DOr Sao Luiz. S.A. The transaction, which has a consideration of R$800 million (US$155.8 million), is subject to regulatory approval and approval from the countrys competition authority, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE). Ardonagh said it will fund the acquisition via the groups available liquidity. Upon completion of the acquisition, Ariel Couto, CEO of MDS Brazil, will lead the joint operation. The DOr Consultoria executive team, led by CEO Bruno Iannuzzi, will remain with the company, ensuring continuity of service to current customers and the continued growth of the business. MDS Brazil, which specializes in insurance, reinsurance, benefits management and risk consulting, currently manages around R$4 billion ($780 million) in premium. With the future incorporation of DOr Consultoria, it will be one of the major players in the corporate benefits segment. DOr Consultoria has a portfolio of primarily health plans, serving approximately 2.5 million users. The combined operation will manage more than R$8 billion (1.3 billion) in gross written premiums, creating one of the largest brokers in Brazil, at the forefront of risk management and consultancy for the local market. Until regulatory approval is obtained, the companies continue to operate independently. The acquisition is part of MDS expansion plan in Brazil and Latin America, adding to 12 acquisitions carried out in the country and one in Chile in the last five years. I am thrilled to welcome this exceptional team of benefits experts into MDS. Their deep industry knowledge and commitment to service excellence combined with the scale of MDS globally will unlock many new opportunities to deliver value to our customers in Brazil, commented Jose Manuel Fonseca, CEO of MDS Group, in a statement. This transaction marks an exciting evolution of our regional strategy fortifying our footprint, in the Latin American market, with cutting-edge solutions tailored to our clients needs, according to Ariel Couto, CEO of MDS Brazil. The arrival of DOrs experienced leadership team and proprietary technology will significantly elevate our benefits and health proposition. Drawing on their legacy in the market and combining it with our own, MDS is poised to solidify our position as one of the leading brokers in Brazil and Latam, Couto added. We are excited to be announcing the next chapter for DOr today, one which we believe will deliver long term value for our people, customers and partners, said Bruno Iannuzzi, CEO of DOr Consultoria. The transaction will allow for a differentiated and more complete offering to our clients and market in general, while contributing for the development of the economy and the society of one the biggest economies and insurance markets in the world. MDS is a multinational insurance and reinsurance brokerage, risk consultancy and benefits management group, which is part of The Ardonagh Group, the UK-based independent insurance distribution platform and a top 20 broker globally. MDS is a market leader in Portugal, among the largest in Brazil and also operates in Angola, Mozambique, Spain, Chile and Cyprus. Source: Ardonagh Group Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agencies A consultant the Chicago Blackhawks hired to improve relationships with American Indian tribes has filed a lawsuit accusing the team, its charity foundation and its CEO of fraud, breach of contract and sexual harassment. Nina Sanders filed the civil action late Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court. She alleges in the lawsuit that the Blackhawks were facing intense public pressure to change their name and logo in 2020. The teams CEO, Dan Wirtz, hired her that year to serve as a tribal liaison. Wirtz promised that he would create positions for American Indians, buy land to give to the Sac and Fox Nation and change the teams logo if she decided to accept the job, according to the lawsuit. She took the job based on those promises, but Wirtz never followed through on any of it, the lawsuit alleges. Sanders goes on to allege that she told her immediate boss that an employee had been sexually harassing her and tried to force her into his hotel room in 2021. The harassment continued into 2022, but nothing was ever done about it, according to the lawsuit. Sanders also maintains that she reported two other incidents of male employees groping women, but nothing was done. Wirtz ended Sanders contract last summer, according to the lawsuit. A Blackhawks spokesperson didnt immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press on Wednesday afternoon seeking comment. The team said in a statement to WBBM-TV that the organization noted operational issues in Sanders work, and external partners told the team that they didnt want to work with her. The team still extended her a new contract in 2023, but Sanders chose not to renew it. The team said it investigated Sanders sexual harassment allegations and couldnt find enough evidence to substantiate them. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Fraud Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a measure Wednesday that could have earmarked up to $5 million for gun-detection systems in schools while expressing concern that it could have benefitted only one particular company. Kellys line-item veto leaves in place $5 million for school safety grants but deletes specific wording that she said would have essentially converted the program into a no-bid contract by eliminating nearly all potential competition. The company that stood to benefit is ZeroEyes, a firm founded by military veterans after the fatal shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. ZeroEyes uses surveillance cameras and artificial intelligence to spot people with guns and alert local school administrators and law officers. Though other companies also offer gun surveillance systems, the Kansas legislation included a lengthy list of specific criteria that ZeroEyes competitors dont currently meet. The vetoed wording would have required firearm-detection software to be patented, designated as qualified anti-terrorism technology, in compliance with certain security industry standards, already in use in at least 30 states, and capable of detecting three broad firearm classifications with a minimum of 300 subclassifications and at least 2,000 permutations, among other things. Though new weapons detection systems are laudable, we should not hamstring districts by limiting this funding opportunity to services provided by one company, Kelly said in a statement. She said schools should be free to use state funds for other safety measures, including updated communications systems or more security staff. ZeroEyes has promoted its technology in various states. Firearm detection laws enacted last year in Michigan and Utah also required software to be designated as an anti-terrorism technology under a 2002 federal law that provides liability protections for companies. Similar wording was included in legislation passed last week in Missouri and earlier this year in Iowa, though the Iowa measure was amended so that the anti-terrorism designation is not required of companies until July 1, 2025. That gives time for ZeroEyes competitors to also receive the federal designation. ZeroEyes already has several customers in Kansas and will continue to expand there despite the veto, said Kieran Carroll, the companys chief strategy officer. Were obviously disappointed by the outcome here, Carroll said. We felt this was largely based on standards that have been successful to a large degree with other states. The anti-terrorism technology designation, which ZeroEyes highlights, also was included in firearms-detection bills proposed this year in Louisiana, Colorado and Wisconsin. It was subsequently removed by amendments in Colorado and Wisconsin, though none of those bills has received final approval. The Kansas veto should serve as an example to governors and lawmakers elsewhere that schools require a choice in their security programs, said Mark Franken, vice president of marketing for Omnilert, a competitor of ZeroEyes. Kelly made the right decision to veto sole source firearm detection provisions to protect schools and preserve competition, Franken said. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Tech K-12 Kansas Gun Liability Marsh McLennan Agency, headquartered in New York, appointed Anne Rappa to the newly created position of fine arts and specie leader effective May 20. Based in New York, Rappa will work with teams in the U.S. and London to deliver global expertise and solutions to individuals, museums, universities, art galleries and others with private collections. Rappa joins Marsh McLennan Agency from Aons Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency, a fine arts insurance broker, where she was most recently a senior vice president. She has nearly 30 years of experience in the fine arts insurance field representing large and complex museum, commercial, private and corporate collection risks. Topics Leadership Sony Music Group, one of the worlds biggest record labels, warned artificial intelligence companies and music streaming platforms not to use the companys content without explicit permission. Sony Music, whose artists include Lil Nas X and Celine Dion, sent letters to more than 700 companies in an effort to protect its intellectual property, which includes album cover art, metadata, musical compositions and lyrics, from being used for training AI models. Unauthorized use of Sony Music Group content in the training, development or commercialization of AI systems deprives the company and its artists of control and compensation for those works, according to the letter, which was obtained by Bloomberg News. Copyright infringement has become a major battleground issue for generative AI, which is being used to produce all kinds of content from text to images and video. While Hollywood actors and writers went on strike last year to protect their craft from AI, a new crop of startups is churning out entire albums of AI-generated music, heightening worries over artists livelihoods and rekindling tensions with streaming platforms. Sony Music, along with the rest of the industry, is scrambling to balance the creative potential of the fast-moving technology while also protecting artists rights and its own profits. We support artists and songwriters taking the lead in embracing new technologies in support of their art, Sony Music Group said in statement Thursday. However, that innovation must ensure that songwriters and recording artists rights, including copyrights, are respected. Universal Music Group NV has been particularly outspoken over the past year-and-a-half, going so far as to take the nuclear option of pulling its entire catalog of music off of TikTok and suing AI startup Anthropic for publishing song lyrics without permission. After months of stalemate, Universal ended its feud with ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok earlier this month, with an agreement that secured a commitment from both parties to work together to ensure AI development across the music industry will protect human artistry and the economics that flow to those artists and songwriters. In another sign of the growing conflict between creators and AI companies, synthetic speech startup Lovo Inc. was hit with a proposed class action lawsuit on Thursday alleging the company misappropriated actors voices and deceptively promoted its product as legally marketing their use. Two voiceover actors are seeking to represent people whose voice Lovo used without permission or compensation for the purpose of creating or refining its AI text-to-speech generator or whose AI-replicated voices were used or sold without proper compensation, according to a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. In many jurisdictions around the world, especially the European Union, copyright owners are encouraged to state publicly that their content isnt to be used for data mining and AI training without specific licensing agreements. In the US, the music industry has supported federal legislation in Congress that would protect artists voices and images from unauthorized AI use. In April, Warner Music Group Corp. Chief Executive Officer Robert Kyncl testified in front of a congressional subcommittee, stating his support for the NO FAKES Act. We must ensure a robust free-market licensing system to allow the use of copyright-protected materials for training AI models and strong legal protection for name, likeness and voice rights, he said in prepared testimony. Photo: Jon Platt, CEO of Sony Music Publishing, left, and Neal Manowitz, president and chief operating officer of North America at Sony Electronics Inc., during the 2024 CES event in Las Vegas. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Copyright 2024 Bloomberg. Topics InsurTech Data Driven Artificial Intelligence Training Development Citing the stabilizing impact that legislative reforms have had on the Florida market, Security First Insurance Co. executives this week announced two residential property rate reductions of more than 5%. For the first time in nine years, were going to be reducing our Signature Home Insurance (HO3) rates by 5.2%. This represents a major shift for our customers, the Ormond Beach-based carrier said in a statement this week. The company, which had some 139,000 policies in force at the end of April a drop of 20,000 policies in the last two years also announced a 5.9% average reduction in renters, or HO-4 rates, effective at the end of August. Earlier this year, Security Firsts DP-3 rates also were dropped by 2.5%. The three rate decreases could result in an average premium reduction of $160 to $230 for policyholders. Security First CEO Locke Burt, himself a former state senator, credited statutory changes made in 2022 and 2023 that appear to have had a limiting effect on claims litigation, roof claims and attorney fees that insurers had blamed for major losses and premium increases. The result of this legislation has been an improvement in the financial results for companies like mine and were happy to pass along the benefits to our customers in the form of reduced rates, Burt said in a statement. This filing reflects all premium savings that are reasonably expected to result from legislative enactments and are in accordance with generally accepted and reasonable actuarial techniques, the Davies North America actuarial firm wrote in Security Firsts Feb. 2 HO-3 filing with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Floridas CFO, Jimmy Patronis, joined Burt and other company leaders at a storm response showcase event this week, which also highlighted the carriers network of repair contractors. Were at 15 months right now and days like today are the good days in the process, where the Legislature can look at our partners and the regulated industries like insurance and say thank you for helping us do the right thing for the policyholders of this state, Patronis said. The rate news comes a month after Boca Raton-based Florida Peninsula Insurance announced an average 2% decrease in homeowners and condominium policy rates. Six other carriers have filed for slight decreases this year, and 10 have made filings that ask for no increase or decrease, the OIR reported. Policyholders across the state have hoped for rate decreases following the 2022 legislative reforms, but some in the industry had predicted that cuts would not materialize only that the changes would help to limit further premium increases. Now, though, industry advocates have suggested that more carriers will soon follow with their own rate filings, giving homeowners at least some small measure of relief. The average annual homeowners premium in the admitted market is about $3,600, according to OIR. Topics Trends Florida Pricing Trends An investigation began after an employee was found dead in a company owned semi-truck led to the arraignment of a California man on three felony counts of workers compensation fraud. Heigo Kubar, 84, of Fresno, was arraigned this week on three felony counts of workers comp fraud after a Central Valley Workers Compensation Fraud Task Force investigation reportedly discovered Kubar allegedly underreported over $2 million in payroll to save on workers comp for his trucking company. Kubar is the former owner of TKJ Trucking. Kubars insurer became suspicious and began an investigation following an incident in which a TKJ Trucking employee was found dead in company owned semi-truck. The insurer reportedly found that leading up to the death of the employee, Kubar had classified the employee as a company salesperson, not a truck driver. Less than a month after the death, TKJ Trucking amended the employees job classification to truck driver. An investigation led by the Fresno County District Attorneys Office found the dead employee was working for TKJ Trucking as a truck driver for roughly 15 years. At the time of death, the cost to insure a sales person was roughly $1 for every $100 in payroll, but the cost to insure a truck driver was roughly $20 for every $100 in payroll. An audit by the California Department of Insurance was as part of the task force investigation. It showed that between Dec. 1, 2018 to Dec. 1, 2021, TKJ Trucking had workers comp coverage and reported $875,591 in employee payroll. However, the company actually had a reported $3,233,899 in payroll, an underreporting of $2.3 million, resulting in insurance premiums of $480,093 owed to the insurer. The case is being prosecuted by the Fresno County District Attorneys Office. Kubar is scheduled to appear in court next on Aug. 14. Topics California Workers' Compensation Trucking Two Washington companies face a combined $650,000 in fines for violations in connection with a worker who died from asphyxiation after entering an apple storage facility where the oxygen had been removed from the air. The incident on Oct. 1, 2023. involved a worker for Pace International LLC, who was at the Stemilt Growers controlled atmosphere room to apply a fog fungicide to help preserve the apples. A Stemilt employee reportedly had unlocked the room to allow him in. According to an investigation by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, a Stemilt employees oxygen monitor alarm sounded when near the open entry port, signaling the room was oxygen deficient. However, the employee reportedly didnt point it out to the Pace worker, and instead allowed him to enter the storage room and work alone without an attendant to monitor for safety. In controlled atmosphere rooms, oxygen can be depleted to nearly 1% to keep the fruit from spoiling. L&I inspectors said air monitor readings that morning ranged from 1.9 to 2.09% oxygen (normal oxygen at sea level is roughly 21% of the atmosphere), according to investigators. Another Pace employee eventually found him inside the room and unresponsive. Pace Internationals Thermofogging Training Handbook states that workers are permitted to enter controlled atmosphere rooms when the oxygen level is 17.5%. State regulations require the oxygen level to be at 19.5% or higher, according to investigators. In total, Pace International was fined $574,000 for eight willful serious and two serious violations related to confined space hazards and disturbing the scene. Pace International is now in the Severe Violator Program and is subject to greater scrutiny by the state. It is appealing the fines. Stemilt Growers was fined $76,300 for one willful serious and one serious violation related to confined space rules to protect workers. It did not file an appeal, according to L&I. Money collected from fines goes into the workers compensation supplemental pension fund, helping workers and families of those who have died on the job. Topics Washington Contractors Family members of a Navy veteran who died in 2020 after a police officer pressed a knee to his neck for nearly five minutes while he was in a mental health crisis have settled a federal lawsuit against the Northern California city of Antioch for $7.5 million, their attorneys said. After Angelo Quintos death, his family also pushed for reforms that led to city and state changes in how law enforcement agencies respond to people who are in a mental health crisis. John Burris, one of the attorneys, said in a statement that while no amount of money can compensate for Quintos death, his family is to be commended for their unwavering commitment to improving the relationship between the community and Antioch police. The lawsuit alleged that Antioch police officers used excessive force when restraining Quinto. It named as defendants the city of Antioch, then-police Chief Tammany Brooks and four officers who responded to a 911 call from Quintos family. Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe said Quintos death was a catalyst for change in the city of 115,000 people 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of San Francisco. How we look at public safety is different than what did literally three or four years ago when we all thought public safety meant cops, cops, cops, he said. Not everything requires a police response. The family called police on Dec. 23, 2020, because the 30-year-old was in mental distress and needed help. One officer pressed a knee on his neck for nearly five minutes while another restrained his legs, according to the complaint. After about five minutes of the prone restraint, Quinto appeared to become totally unresponsive, the lawsuit said. He lost consciousness and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died three days later. Quintos death came months after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and amid a nationwide outcry over police brutality. In the aftermath, Antioch police officers were equipped with body cameras and city officials created a mental health crisis team and a police review commission. Quintos mother, Cassandra Quinto-Collins, thanked the city of Antioch for the policy changes and said her familys fight is not yet over. I thank you for what has been a courageous beginning to bring about transparency and accountability to the Antioch Police Department so that it may serve our diverse community with respect and mutual trust, Quinto-Collins said. Quinto, who was born in the Philippines, served in the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged in 2019 due to a food allergy, according to his family. He had depression most of his life, but his behavior changed after an apparent assault in early 2020, when he woke up in a hospital not remembering what had happened and with stitches and serious injuries. After that he began having episodes of paranoia and anxiety, his family said. Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics California Here is a selection of people starting new roles with FTI Consulting, Ergo, Microsoft Ireland, McCann FitzGerald, Ecocem and Excel Recruitment. Orla Cox, senior director with FTI Consulting, is joining the cybersecurity and data privacy communications global practice in the firms strategic communications segment, as it expands its cybersecurity crisis communications across the EMEA region. Orla has more than 20 years of experience in crisis communications and cybersecurity. She is based in FTIs Dublin office. Since joining FTI in 2021, she has advised companies across EMEA on a range of reputation issues and crises. She was previously head of threat intelligence communications at cybersecurity firm Symantec, working on investigations and responses to major cybersecurity incidents, including those involving Stuxnet and the WannaCry ransomware attacks. John OShea has been appointed as relationship manager in the IT Resourcing division of IT services firm Ergo, connecting IT experts with world leading companies. Johns promotion bolsters Ergos offering, bringing his expertise from a range of industries and sectors, John has a strong history of delivering valuable outcomes for Ergo clients; he previously worked as an account director with Ergo. He was previously head of business development at BoatyardX, a company acquired by Ergo in 2022. He has also worked with The Irish Times and Independent News and Media, as well as helping to grow early pioneers in the web and mobile space. Catherine Doyle has been appointed as general manager of Microsoft Ireland, leading its sales, marketing and services business in Ireland with a focus on AI-powered digital transformation. She joins from Dell Technologies, where she was managing director for Ireland. Over the past 23 years, Catherine held senior roles at Dell in Ireland and UK; she led the EMEA software sales division, driving growth and market share with solutions that help customers leverage the latest tech to support their business goals. I am excited to join Microsoft as we embrace AI to help organisations across Ireland achieve new levels of efficiency and effectiveness, said Catherine. Adam Finlay has been appointed as head of the technology and innovation group with law firm McCann FitzGerald. He succeeds Paul Lavery in the role, who led the group since 2007. A partner with the firm, Adam advises on a wide range of data protection, information technology, intellectual property, cyber security and outsourcing issues. His clients include international and domestic market leaders, innovative disruptors and regulatory bodies. He is also a registered trademark agent and acts as trusted advisor to clients on all aspects of data protection and e-privacy law and compliance strategies, with a particular focus on providing sector specific and commercial advice. Sally Anne Sherry has been appointed as managing director for UK and Ireland with Ecocem, a provider of low carbon cement technologies. She will drive the firms and sustainability initiatives, and market presence in the UK and Ireland. Sally Anne brings almost two decades of experience in the property industry and expertise from several positions as a non-executive director. She is responsible for all aspects of Ecocems UK and Irish business, from operations and finance to market development, partnerships and sustainability. This appointment follows Susan McGarrys recent move to take up the role of director of public affairs and sustainability at Ecocem Global. Luca Zelli has been appointed as senior principal consultant of the finance recruitment division with Excel Recruitment. Luca brings seven years of focused experience in finance placements within corporate and multinational environments. Having started his professional journey with Excel, Luca has since worked in prominent financial hubs like Ireland, London, Singapore, New York. Luca will lead Excels finance recruitment division, serving companies in the corporate, asset management, and wealth management sectors. He will steer the financial recruitment division contingent, exclusive, and retained assignments; and he will drive business expansion by broadening Excel Recruitments client base and identifying novel opportunities within the financial domain. CORK GP Dr Nick Flynn didnt think the lump in his right forearm looked nasty. This was four years ago and due to covid-related pressure on hospitals, he didnt get the lump checked out until 12 months after hed first spotted it. It turned out to be a sarcoma, which is normally severe. I was just very lucky mine wasnt aggressive, says Flynn. On holiday abroad two years ago, he got a bout of food poisoning after which he spent a week in CUH. During that week they incidentally found I had kidney cancer. Id never have known but for the food poisoning. While a cancer diagnosis is never a happy thing, Flynn knows he has had a lot of luck and that, in a very personal way, he has experienced the importance of early cancer detection. He is now chief medical officer with Certior Health, a Blanchardstown-based company that has partnered with Indian cancer research company Datar Cancer Genetics, to provide a blood-based cancer-screening test called Trucheck. Im the type of patient who will really benefit from this test, somebody asymptomatic with a silent cancer. With Trucheck you get an opportunity for early diagnosis where treatments most effective and less invasive, says Flynn. Launched in Ireland in July 2023, the company claims the test can distinguish 70 types of cancers accounting for 81% of all cancer cases. Daniella De Paula Daniella De Paula, clinical scientist at Certior Health, explains that Trucheck evaluates blood samples to detect circulating tumour cells (CTCs) cancer cells that escape from the tumour and enter the bloodstream. It can detect solid tumours. Its not intended to detect haematolymphoid cancers tumours that affect the blood, bone marrow, lymph, and lymphatic system, such as leukaemia, says De Paula. Flynn says screening programmes only cover 14% of cancers diagnosed in Ireland in any one year. Currently, 86% of cancers diagnosed arent subject to a screening test. The advantage of Trucheck is that it has the potential to detect 81% of cancers diagnosed in Ireland in any one year. It has a far broader scope than a screening test. Trucheck is not the only new blood test promising early detection of cancer several others are in various stages of development, chiefly in the US. Examples are Guardant Healths Shield blood test according to the companys website it is demonstrated to be accurate at detecting colorectal cancer and Freenomes blood-based test for early detection of lung cancer. Freenome is currently enrolling up to 20,000 individuals in a validation trial. Grails Galleri test Some blood tests screen for multiple cancers (MCED multi-cancer early detection) such as Exact Sciences Cancerguard, and Grails Galleri. Speaking to the Irish Examiner from Cleveland, Ohio, Dr Eric Klein, a scientist with healthcare company Grail which developed Galleri, says the MCED test is trying to fill a major unmet need: In the US, we screen for five cancers: Breast, colorectal, cervical and prostate cancers, and lung cancer in smokers. All of these programmes have been shown to reduce cancer-related mortality. Despite this we still have more than 600,000 cancer deaths a year in the US. Seventy per cent of the cancer deaths are from cancers we dont screen for because theres no existing screening. This is the big unmet need. And its in the background of the World Health Organisation predicting a 50% increase in cancer worldwide over the next 15 years. Explaining that the Galleri test is designed to detect an array of cancers, including the 12 most aggressive that account for two-thirds of cancer deaths, Klein says a study of the test in more than 6,000 mostly asymptomatic people found 1.5% of these participants had a cancer signal detected, and it found cancer in about 1% of participants including types for which there is no established screening method. The false positive rate for the test is 0.5% meaning one in 200 people dont actually have cancer, despite a cancer signal being detected, says Klein. He compares it to a false positive rate for mammography, which he says is about 11%. Klein who worked for 35 years in the field of urological cancers says adding the Galleri MCED test to the cancer-detecting toolkit doubled the numbers of cancers detected over standard-of-care screening. While different blood-based tests may each deploy different mechanisms for detecting cancer, the Galleri test works by looking for tiny fragments of cancer DNA in the bloodstream. The idea of using liquid biopsy for cancer detection through blood, or potentially urine or saliva has been around for decades, says Paul Mullan, professor of molecular oncology at Queens University Belfast (QUB): Advances in technology in the last five to 10 years mean were increasingly able to do it more sensitively and accurately, by being able to sequence low levels of tumour DNA circulating in blood. Were able to detect mutations and methylation [a chemical modification of DNA] much quicker, and at much lower levels. Tests are much more sensitive, they may have many markers, or even measure different types of markers together, so we can get much more information back. Mullan says while tests like Galleri look very promising, there is a long way to go before they are accurate or sensitive enough to be rolled out in the general population: Early detection of cancer, in particular, is a high bar to jump over. We cannot afford to make mistakes. And where youre measuring methylation or mutation, the tumour may be so small and release such little signal that its going to be very difficult to detect. He also points to the complexity of the information coming back for analysis from some tests, which may require specialist expertise that regular hospital labs may not have. Not for general public Prof Lorraine ODriscoll, research director at Trinity St Jamess Cancer Institute, says while the emergence of MCED tests represents great hope, much more research is needed: I think its very positive, but for the tests to be useful wed want to be at the stage where regulators FDA in the US, EMA in Europe and HPRA in Ireland are saying: Yes, we believe the evidence is strong enough now to take this on board. Dr Antoinette Perry, Associate Professor, UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin. Cancer Biology and Therapeutics laboratory. Dr Antoinette Perry, associate professor in cell and molecular biology at UCD, also sees the tests as promising, but believes using them for early detection is very challenging: If you look at the performance metrics for early stage detection for any kind of diagnostic test, you have sensitivity how good is it at catching people with the disease. And specificity how good is it at only catching people who have the disease and not giving false positives? Looking at these tests, their sensitivity at picking up various cancers in the early stages is not very high. On the other hand, their specificity tends to be quite high. Sensitivity is the issue, and the only way to address this is through different technological advancements that will get better at picking up really tiny tumour DNA or cells in the blood. ODriscoll would like the tests to be at the stage where health insurance companies are willing to reimburse the cost these tests are expensive. Galleri, for example, costs upwards of $900 and Trucheck, 1,450. Currently, says ODriscoll, the tests are for rich informed people but not the general public. About 100 to 120 people here have taken the Trucheck test for cancer detection. Were looking to expand that through partnering with established medical organisations around Ireland, says founder and director of Certior Health, Declan Malone. He confirms that 80% of those taking the test have a strong family history of cancer, while the remaining 20% are proactive about preventive health. Work is being done on the development of such tests by scientists here, too. In 2022, the All-Ireland Cancer Liquid Biopsies Consortium (CLuB) a collaboration between TCD, QUB and NUIG was selected for funding under the North-South Research Programme of the Governments Shared Island Fund. CLuBs work is focused on identifying and developing minimally invasive, cost-effective blood tests to complement surgical biopsies for cancer diagnosis and treatment selection. Mullan is the lead investigator on the QUB side of the collaboration: Were very interested in liquid biopsy blood detection of cancers, particularly the difficult-to-diagnose ones: Ovarian, pancreatic, lung, triple-negative breast cancer. The stage of detection for a lot of these cancers can be quite late when it has had more chance to spread and develop resistance to treatment. Generally speaking, the earlier you can detect and remove cancer, the better the outcome. Professor Paul Mullan of Queen's University Belfast Ovarian cancer detection Mullan says their work is most advanced in developing a blood test for ovarian cancer detection: Its a PCR-type test, a bit like some covid tests. It looks at a few different markers at the same time, focusing on changes in DNA methylation. A spin-off company from QUB, Genome Diagnostics, is currently developing the test (called OvaME). Were hoping the finalised test will arrive towards the end of 2024. Then it has to be tested validated in many independent samples so its a long process. As to when it will be released publicly, theres no timeframe at present. ODriscoll leads the TCD side of the collaborative research CLuB group. While Mullans team in QUB is looking at DNA in blood samples donated by patients, ODriscolls team is examining extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the same blood samples. EVS are little packages of information that are released from cancer cells into the blood, like little mini-maps of the cancer, she says. A third element involves a research group studying circulating tumour cells (CTCs), breakaway cells from the tumour and in the bloodstream. ODriscoll says studying three component parts from the same blood samples gives much more information than would be garnered by studying just one alone. Were not going after one single thing, hoping that has all the answers. Were studying everything being released into the blood by the tumour, she says. A fourth group in Galway is doing big data and number crunching around the massive amounts of information generated, says ODriscoll. It is also looking at which component part gives the strongest signal for cancer. Mullan says the combined approach could allow researchers to detect cancers earlier and more accurately, ultimately improving patient survival rates long-term. Tissue biopsy still king When it comes to cancer screening, tissue biopsy continues to be the gold standard. But for tissue biopsy you have to know somethings there, says ODriscoll, who hopes the disadvantages of tissue biopsy can be overcome by liquid biopsy. Tissue biopsy can be quite uncomfortable whereas a blood test is minimally invasive. Also, every cell type in the tumour isnt necessarily the same as the other so, depending on where the tissue biopsy is taken from, it may not represent the whole tumour. Blood is a richer source because the tumour cell is releasing a lot of information into it, she says, adding that tissue biopsy is time-consuming, must be done in a hospital setting and isnt easily repeated (unlike blood tests). The only drawback, says ODriscoll, is that early cancer-detecting blood tests are not yet reliable enough: More big-study research is needed to get to that point. She predicts a different timeline for different cancers: For some in the next five years but to complement tissue biopsy, not to replace it. For others, probably more than a decade. ODriscoll has a vision: That the person at the tip of Kerry or Derry can have a blood test taken by a nurse locally and sent in [for analysis]. But we have to be comfortable that the tests are reliable, the best possible. When that happens, I think itll be a game-changer. Valerie Caro, Arizona A tumour was found but I had no symptoms Arizona-based Valerie Caro, aged 56, read about the Galleri test in 2022. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, she says: I do conventional screening, but thought it [would be] great to have a baseline for other cancers with a simple blood test. I received my results in about 10 days. I was called by two doctors who informed me a cancer signal [had been] detected in my gall bladder or pancreas. The next step was to get an MRI. The MRI didnt show cancer, but the radiologist said my gall bladder was angry and needed to come out. After the pathology report, it was confirmed I had a 4.5cm cancerous tumour in my gall bladder. I had no symptoms. I was surprised because cancer doesnt run in my family. I had a second surgery to confirm all cancer was removed around the gall bladder. Then I went through a six-month chemotherapy cycle as insurance that all cancer cells were gone. Im great now, my life is active. I meet with my care team twice a year to confirm Im cancer-free. If I hadnt taken the test? My gall bladder was kissing my liver when the cancer was discovered. Since I had no symptoms, Id guess it would have travelled to my liver and then to my lungs. Itd likely be a significantly different outcome. Ive been told Im very lucky to have found the cancer at the stage I did. May 22, 2024: Two statistics have been updated in this article since original publication. The Tanaiste intends to tell Lebanese authorities that he is unhappy with how the trial in the case of the murder of Sean Rooney is being handled. Micheal Martin will travel to Lebanon this weekend to meet with Irish troops but will also meet with the Lebanese Minister for Defence and Minister for Foreign Affairs. Irish soldier Private Sean Rooney was killed when the UN jeep he and three other colleagues were in was fired on late at night on December 14, 2022, on its way to Beirut. Speaking on RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Mr Martin said that he will press strongly for progress on the case saying that he is "not happy" with the manner in which the trial has been conducted so far. Mohammad Ayyad, the main suspect in the case failed to appear at a hearing at the military tribunal last December citing medical reasons. The court accepted the medical report and postponed the hearing until June 2024. "Despite all of the language that we hear, the manner in which the court case is heard and the progress on that trial will really reflect whether Lebanese authorities value our peacekeepers and all peacekeepers who are currently serving in Unifil," he said. "That was an appalling attack on Irish troops and reflected an escalation of tensions within the Lebanon itself and within the area of operation of Unifil." Mr Martin said the role of the peacekeeper has to be valued and affirmed adding that it is what distinguishes Ireland's role in the world. The Government has been criticised by the UNs refugee agency over plans to cut payments to Ukrainian refugees living in serviced accommodation. Under plans announced earlier this week, payments to Ukrainians that live in State-provided serviced accommodation will be cut from 232 per week to just 38.80 a week. While final figures have not yet been determined, it was estimated at Cabinet on Tuesday that 27,000 people will be impacted. Taoiseach Simon Harris said that there needed to be a consistency of approach on welfare payments to Ukrainian refugees, as payments were cut for all new arrivals two months prior. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has said that it is concerned with the Governments plan, describing the cuts in welfare as drastic and urging a reconsideration. [The agency] urges the Irish Government to carefully consider the scale of the proposed reductions, and to carry out a thorough review of their impact before implementing any changes, the statement reads. Many of the almost 27,000 people estimated by Government to be living in such accommodation are vulnerable including children, older people, women at particular risk, and people with disabilities. Some of those affected may be unable to work or to sustain themselves and depend on ongoing support from the Government. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees called on the Government to ensure that any people impacted by the cuts are protected from any reductions that would have an adverse impact on them. It is also critical of the new payment level, which is the same as what international protection applicants receive, as it has not been increased by Government since 2019. President Michael D Higgins has laid a wreath in Monaghan at the location where a bomb devastated the town centre 50 years ago. A ceremony marked the anniversary of deadly attacks on May 17 1974 when three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one in Monaghan town. The names of the victims were read out and the bells of St Patricks Church tolled at 6.58pm, the exact time the Monaghan bomb exploded, before Mr Higgins laid the wreath on behalf of the people of Ireland. Heather Humphreys laid a wreath on behalf of the Irish Government before prayers were said and a tree planted. No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings, but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. A commemorative event also took place in Talbot Street in Dublin earlier on Friday, where an official memorial honours the 35 people killed in the bombings, including two unborn babies. President of Ireland Michael D Higgins during wreath laying ceremony at the Memorial to the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings (Brian Lawless/PA) It was the biggest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. Another 300 people are estimated to have been injured in the blasts. Speaking at the event in Dublin, Mr Higgins said there was a manifest failure of the UK and Irish governments to adequately respond to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. He said: Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings of 1974 were crimes of a particular level of savagery, executed consciously upon workers and civilians with total disregard for human life and suffering. Like the families of so many other victims and survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict, so many of you here today have been trying to find answers about what happened. Mr Higgins said it is a matter of profound regret and unacceptable that no-one had been held accountable for the atrocities. The president said systemic failures at state level include possible collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitaries, the disappearance of important forensic evidence and a refusal to supply information. He said: The manifest failure of both the British and Irish governments to initiate suitable responses in the aftermath of the attacks has left a legacy that cannot be left unaddressed. I share with the relatives gathered or represented here their feeling of being abandoned and failed by the system, of their being denied justice for the loss of loved ones. Mr Higgins said the relatives need more than an empathetic ear, adding: Justice demands that they deserve the truth no more, no less. The president also criticised the current British Governments Legacy Act, saying: The enactment of that unilaterally sourced legislation has resulted in families who have spent decades fighting for an effective investigation into their cases of not only facing further uncertainty and delays but of the deprivation of legal rights. Mr Higgins said there was a collective responsibility to deal with legacy issues in an ethical manner, adding: A strategy of feigned amnesia, or hoping time will deliver one, is simply not an option, nor is any strategy of continuing the protection of previous evasions or failures to act. It is not morally acceptable, nor is it politically feasible, to request that those affected by such tragedy should forget about the past, draw a line or move on in the name of any naive desire for a supposed closure that may never be attainable. He said the families call for the full truth to emerge should be supported, however embarrassing or painful it may be. Irelands premier Simon Harris and deputy premier Micheal Martin also attended the event organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Sir Iain Livingstone, who leads the Operation Denton operation, were among other attendees. Former Irish premiers Leo Varadkar and Bertie Ahern were also present. Before the Dublin ceremony, Mr Martin and Mr Boutcher attended a memorial Mass at nearby St Marys Pro-Cathedral. Leading the service, Archbishop Dermot Farrell read out the names of those killed in the bombings. Calling for reconciliation, he added: Pray that those with the power to be able to deliver that justice, which will ultimately bring peace, will come quickly so that all may be fully healed of that awful atrocity and tragedy. A 19-year-old student accused of harassing a 17-year-old girl was arrested and brought before Cork District Court on Friday. Sergeant John Dineen arrested the teenager and brought three separate charges against him arising out of the alleged offences. Firstly, he was charged that between January 1 and May 15 in Cork City, he harassed the named girl, contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act. Secondly, he was charged that between January 1 and April 21 he did send threatening or grossly offensive communication to the teenager with intent to cause harm, contrary to the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act. The third charge under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act refers to allegedly engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour on May 14 in Cork City centre. Judge Mary Dorgan asked if there was an objection to bail being granted to the young man. Sgt Dineen said there was no such objection but that strict conditions were required. Defence solicitor Shane Collins-Daly said the defence was in agreement with those conditions. He is to have no communication either in person, directly or indirectly, on social media platforms with the teenage girl, or by any electronic devices. He is to have no contact directly or indirectly with her friends, family or associates. He is not to harass, follow, watch, pester or beset the 17-year-old. The defendant is not to come within 200m of her, he is to stay away from her school or surrounding areas and to stay away from her family home. On the application of Sergeant Gearoid Davis, Judge Dorgan adjourned the case until September 18 to allow time for directions to be obtained from the Director of Public Prosecutions. The complainant cannot be identified under the Childrens Act and it is understood that naming the accused would lead to identification of the 17-year-old. A Star of David marked on the path outside a Palestinian restaurant in Cork City has been condemned as an attempt to intimidate the owners and staff. On Friday morning, the graffiti was found outside Izz Cafe on George's Quay. It was first discovered by a neighbouring business owner, who then alerted owner, Izzeddeen Alkarajeh. Paul Walsh, owner of Three Little Piggies, said as far as he could tell, the marking on the pavement was not painted on or scratched but instead appeared as if someone had used a powerwasher and a stencil. He said it did not look like something that was done spontaneously but rather something that was pre-planned and would have taken time to carry out. Mr Alkarajeh came to Ireland in 2016 with Jordanian wife Eman and their children. "I do not know if he is someone related to Israel or not," he said of the person who made the mark. Speaking to 96FM Opinion Line with PJ Coogan, Mr Alkarajeh said the incident, while unfortunate, was nothing compared to what is being done to people in Gaza. "This is not war, this is not something acceptable and it must end. Occupation is not accepted anymore. Genocide cannot be committed in front of our eyes." Izzeddeen Alkarajeh: 'The incident is nothing compared to what is being done to the people in Gaza.' File picture Dan Linehan The person who did the graffiti has a limited understanding of the conflict and they should go and educate themselves more on the matter, Mr Alkarajeh said. "The Israeli flag is not about a respectful, normal state that they can express any respect to. It is a flag that represents a rogue state that is not abiding by international law and they are performing a live genocide. "If they are real human beings, they would discover that they are not on the right side of the conflict," he added. The popular restaurant owner spoke of the kindness he and his family have witnessed since the escalation of the attack on Palestine. As first reported in the Irish Examiner, a local woman who is Jewish approached Mr Alkarajeh's wife and asked to speak with her one day and expressed her solidarity with the people of Palestine. "She hugged her and she was crying. She said 'I don't support this. I don't want this to be happening to your people. We love you, we know you are good people'. "She said she was deeply sorry for what is going on and did not support genocide." Mr Walsh took the opportunity to praise Mr Alkarajeh, his family and his staff for all the good that they do. "He celebrates his culture, his upbringing and everything. He has raised thousands and thousands of euro for medical aid and food aid to help during the conflict at the moment," Mr Walsh said. "I know him and his wife well, they are two beautiful people who preach nothing but peace and love and they want a peaceful resolution to all of this." He condemned the actions of the perpetrator and said he viewed it as a blatant attempt to intimidate the people of Izz Cafe. Urgent should mean urgent and not months down the line. That is the feeling of a Kerry mother whose child is one of a number of children who still face long waiting times for spinal surgery almost nine months since controversy erupted over the issue. Up to April, 251 children were on waiting lists for spinal surgeries at Childrens Health Ireland (CHI). A similar report for April last year showed 327 children waiting. This year, up to April, 150 surgeries were carried out between CHI and outsourcing. In April last year, the tally was 140. Families say waiting times are still far too long. Liam Dennehy, 13, has been in hospital since early April between University Hospital Kerry (UHK) and CHI at Temple St, where he is now. His mother Pamela said his scoliosis became noticeably worse last year, but they were told only on May 3 that he could have surgery on May 30. She was also devastated to hear he may require two surgeries now because his condition has become so severe. He cant drive his chair anymore because he doesnt have the stability in his body to do it, said Pamela. He was a brilliant driver of his powerchair, brilliant. He could reverse, he was unreal, Now he cant even drive it because he is so shaky and he doesnt have the stability in his body. He struggles to breathe at times with even his ability to speak affected. He also has GA 1 (glutaric aciduria type 1) which is a rare but serious inherited disorder. Pamela said that his spine, judged as straight in November 2022, showed a 35-degree curve by March last year and 85 degrees by November. He managed to stay in school until December but has not attended since. A member of the Scoliosis Advocacy Network, Pamela is acutely aware they are not the only family facing delays. I know what every parent or child is going through that is dealing with this and I understand very much there are people that have it with six years, seven years, four years our situation is our situation and their situation is theirs. They shouldnt be waiting for surgery either, but I cant do anything about that but only keep this fight up after Liam has his surgery. And the reason Liam needs his surgery is he cant go home. When Liam was seen by his Crumlin consultant at an outpatients clinic in Ballincollig in late March, the mother of three was advised she needed night nurses to help her, but this never happened. On April 8, he was admitted to UHK. The following week she attended a meeting in Crumlin travelling alone from Killarney at 2.30am to make the 8am slot to discuss his care. There, she heard: [They said] it could be potentially two surgeries now because he is gone past the 85 degrees. On April 25, Liams UHK paediatrician wrote to Crumlin in concern over Liams deteriorating condition. Then on May 3, Liam was transferred to CHI at Temple St by ambulance. The surgery date was confirmed this week. It may or may not go ahead depending on if they have the ICU bed for it, if an emergency comes in or if something else happens; its never going to be definitively that date, said Pamela. Many other parents have seen dates come and go, she added. She has raised her case with politicians, including Independent TD Michael Healy Rae and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, because she feels expanded services are the only answer. We literally have nowhere to go, she said, adding that even though Liam has health insurance they were told he is too complex for treatment abroad or private care. Urgent is urgent you dont ring an ambulance and get told you will have a GP appointment in three weeks time. He is at risk of picking up an infection every time he is in a hospital. Scoliosis Advocacy Network co-founder Claire Cahill said long waits remain common. The first thing to note is there are over 4,000 children on an outpatients list for a first appointment in CHI for orthopaedics, said Ms Cahill. That is important because usually 20% of that 4,000 will be spinal. So before we even get to a point where surgery is indicated, children accessing timely first appointments is the first step. She said surgery is the final step and commitments to ending those waiting lists must be supported by overall changes. She pointed to a scathing report by the Ombudsman for Children last June on scoliosis care for Ivy who waited five years for surgery. The report made seven recommendations. I would question how have things changed, because on the ground change is not visible for patients, they are not feeling the impact of those recommendation being acted on. David Moore, lead for a new paediatric spinal surgery management unit set up in CHI as part of the response to the crisis, told the Irish Examiner: Our facilities are pretty much at capacity. He said they are also looking at all sorts of out-sourcing options. He could not comment directly on Liams case as doctors and hospitals are precluded from commenting on patient details. It is CHI policy to treat children firstly on the basis of clinical priority and secondly on the basis of length of wait. Dr Moore also said a visiting surgeon saw 12 children in a one-day clinic following requests from parents for a second opinion on their childs condition. Some of these children were previously patients at the centre of a controversy over spring implants. Investigations are underway after a number of security workers were assaulted and vehicles damaged at a site designated for refugees in Clonmel, Co Tipperary on Thursday. Several security personnel who were contracted to work on the site were assaulted by a number of individuals. The Department of Integration and the Office of Public Works (OPW) are planning around 80 modular homes for Ukrainian refugees on the site. One of the workers required hospital treatment. "No arrests have been made at this time," a Garda spokesperson said. It is the latest in a wave of public order incidents across the country as anti-migrant group protests escalate. A spate of incidents have culminated in fires and unrest as politicians grapple with how to deal with the burgeoning refugee accommodation issue. Separately, a convoy of trucks carrying modular homes was stopped by protesters from entering a site in Coole, Co Westmeath on Friday after reports it was to be used to house asylum seekers. In relation to Clonmel, the OPW said: "Works have commenced to enable this site in Clonmel for the provision of 82 rapid build homes to house people displaced by the war in Ukraine. Public engagement has taken place over the last number of weeks with local councillors and Tipperary County Council. Works will progress on the site over the coming months with a view to site completion by the end of 2024. "The OPW is aware of an incident in relation to damage caused to machinery on the site. The OPW is engaging with the contractor Sisk in relation to site security, and An Garda Siochana in relation to the public order issues arising at the site." Gardai are appealing for any person with any information on this incident to contact Clonmel Garda Station on 052 617 7640, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station. Gardai are also appealing for any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling near the Heywood road and Clonmel Rugby Club areas 10:45pm and 11:30pm are asked to make this footage available to Gardai. It was 50 years ago today that 33 people and an unborn child were murdered in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. In a highly synchronised operation in Dublin, three bombs were set off in less than four minutes around 5.30pm. Just 90 minutes later, another bomb went off in Monaghan. There were no warnings. The aftermath of one of the bombings in Dublin, one of three set off in less than four minutes 50 years ago today. The operation was designed to kill and maim. And there is considerable evidence that elements of the British security forces were involved in what was effectively a bombing operation in a neighbouring liberal democracy in western Europe. The tragedy and trauma was compounded by the scandal that followed. In the aftermath of the worst atrocity in the state since the civil war 50 years previously, the government of the day largely sat on its hands. Nobody was ever really pursued for the crime, not to mind prosecuted. HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading Last Wednesday, there was all party support in the Dail for a Sinn Fein motion calling on the Government to press the British to release files that might assist an investigation into the Glennane gang, a Loyalist murder gang who are believed to have been responsible for Dublin-Monaghan. The motion and its sentiment and support was suffused with rank hypocrisy on the part of Sinn Fain, Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, and to a lesser extent Labour. As with other outrages from the period of the northern conflict, Sinn Fein seeks justice with one eye open. In the partys value system, any victims of loyalists or British forces deserve justice for their murdered loved ones. Any victims of the Provisional IRA were not murdered, they were killed for political reasons in a conflict. The justice to which they are entitled, including cooperation from anybody who knows anything, is highly qualified. There is a hierarchy of victims here in so-called Republican ideology based on the righteous pursuit of a fantasy island by the Provos. As such, emotional statements from Sinn Fein reps on behalf of the bereaved and wronged ring hollow. A Garda cordon the morning after one of the bombings on Dublin's Talbot Street. In this instance, there is a further element to Shinner hypocrisy. The bombs used in Dublin were highly advanced. No such synchronised operation had taken place previously. The only group known to have the kind of bombs needed for such an operation were the Provos. In retired garda John OBriens recently published book on the outrage, The Great Deception, he points out that the loyalists did not have the capacity to carry out the attacks. What is possible, if not probable, is that the British security element which colluded with the loyalists supplied the bombs. And where did they get the bombs? Retired British army lieutenant colonel Nigel Wylide told OBrien that in 1974 the army were consistently recovering large quantities of crystalised ANFO each week from the Provos. This is the kind of bomb that was used in Dublin-Monaghan. So Provo bombs, initially designed to kill innocents in the North or Britain, were used by security services to kill innocents in Dublin and Monaghan. Same instrument of terror, different perpetrators, but all the victims are equally innocent, equally robbed, all equally deserving of justice. The hypocrisy from the parties that were in government in 1974, Fine Gael and Labour, and that of Fianna Fail, which came to power in 1977, is of an even higher order. The aftermath of one of the bombings in Dublin which, along with the other two explosions in the capital and the bombing in Monaghan on the same day, was the worst atrocity in the state since the civil war. At two top-level intergovernmental meetings in September and November 1974, British prime minister Harold Wilson told Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave that the people who bombed Dublin were now interned (in the North) and that this was the only way which they could be dealt with because the sort of evidence against them would not stand up in court". Wilson was certain as to the culpability of those he referenced, he told Cosgrave. This information was central, critical, crucial, and pertinent to the discovery of the culprits and never actioned, OBrien writes. The Taoiseach and senior government did not inform the garda commissioner, did not push the British for more detail, did absolutely nothing. One theory for the inaction is that the government was so obsessed with the violence of the Provos they did not want to do anything that might deflect and point towards violence from the Provos enemies. In a horrible coincidence, the second meeting noted above occurred on November 17, 1974, the same day as the Birmingham pub bombings, which killed 21 people and injured 182 others. The Provisional IRA was responsible for that outrage. No doubt the Irish government would have done anything at all to assist the British in bringing to justice those who perpetrated Birmingham. Yet for the sake of expediency, justice for those murdered in Dublin and Monaghan was not given anything like the same priority. That changed in 1997 when Bertie Ahern came to power, about 23 years too late for a proper investigation. Since then the main obstacle to accessing the truth has been obstinance from the British who refuse to release the relevant files. The aftermath of one of the bombings in Dublin. The bombs used in Dublin were highly advanced. So today, all parties are seeking justice. Everybody in the Dail can sing from the same hymn sheet and point a finger at the Brits. What is really missing is an abject State apology to the victims, the bereaved and injured. Their plight was ignored when it really mattered, when their government quietly consigned them to collateral damage in the prevailing conflict. The British may or may not eventually get a conscience, but in the meantime the proper and decent thing to do for wronged citizens is to give them the apology they deserve. We are living through an unprecedented age of contested knowledge, so much so we have to have not one but two words for such contested knowledge misinformation and disinformation. The American Psychology Association defines the terms thusly: "Misinformation is false or inaccurate information getting the facts wrong. Disinformation is false information which is deliberately intended to mislead intentionally misstating the facts." Some of this contested knowledge is relatively harmless if someone believes the world is flat and claims to the contrary are a conspiracy by Big Globe, it doesn't impact our lives much. In other cases, it's incredibly harmful. The idea our planet isn't burning to the ground, and that we don't have to radically change our behaviour, spells disaster. Follow the science? A popular response to conspiracy theories is to 'follow the science'. You can't go wrong when you Follow the Science. It's the rational position, upholding the finest traditions of the Enlightenment, upon which our modern world is built. Science doesn't care if you think the moon landings were faked or that Tupac is still alive. Science is true, objective, without agenda. Except it's not. Any human endeavour carries the risk of human bias. The best journalists, for example, are not those who claim to be objective (in itself this is an a priori claim that your views carry more weight than others) but rather those who acknowledge their subjectivity and take steps to mitigate it. The best newsrooms are pluralistic the Irish Examiner is staffed by farmers' daughters and printers' sons, Corkonians and Dubs, the privately educated and graduates of St Brendan's of the Perpetual Thump on the Ear. This diversity of views, or of biases if you will, gives readers the most rounded view of the world around them a view they won't always agree with. So it is with science. Celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has a famous line beloved by Follow the Science adherents: "The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it." It's a good line. It has neat, incontrovertible interior logic. It fits equally well in a tweet or on a t-shirt. But it's misinformation. It's the last line of a much longer quote in which Tyson says science must be rigorously contested, not 'followed': Once science has been established, once a scientific truth emerges from a consensus of experiments and observations, it is the way of the world. What Im saying is, when different experiments give you the same result, it is no longer subject to your opinion. Thats the good thing about science: Its true whether or not you believe in it. Imagine a world in which science was never challenged, if it was just 'followed'. We'd still be blood-letting with leeches. Cigarettes would still be deemed good for you. Women would not be allowed on trains for fear their wombs would fly out of their bodies above speeds of 50mph. Shasa Shame, from Dublin, at the protest outside St Steevens Hospital, Dublin. And that's just the fun, 'gosh, our ancestors were dumb' science. Science also underpinned Belgium's atrocities in the Congo in the 19th century and the Holocaust in the last century, and while these horrors are disappearing into the past, it was in 1998 that Andrew Wakefield's notorious study erroneously linking vaccines to autism did irreparable damage to public health worldwide. It was as recently as 2007 that Nobel-winning microbiologist James Watson was using 'science' to demonstrate black people are stupider and hornier than white people, that Indians are naturally servile, and so on. A genius in his own field, but a prime example of how science is politicised and manipulated. Science is politicised because it's a claim to truth, and being able to dictate what is 'true' is a position of power. Donald Trump will tell his supporters up is down, day is night, and he's not a thieving pervert, and they'll believe him. So, when new science arises, the wrong thing to do is simply 'follow' it. As Tyson's contemporary, the late Carl Sagan, said: There are many hypotheses in science that are wrong. That's perfectly alright; it's the aperture to finding out what's right. Science is a self-correcting process. To be accepted, new ideas must survive the most rigorous standards of evidence and scrutiny. Britain's Cass Review into healthcare for young trans people Sagan was speaking in 1980, but his words are relevant today. Under scrutiny now in Britain is last month's Cass Review into healthcare for young trans people. Commissioned by the NHS in 2020, its findings, broadly, are that healthcare for young trans people is administered without sufficient oversight, and so should be restricted. Sadly but predictably, the review was greeted with triumphalism by campaigners who feel the expansion of trans people's rights has strayed into over-reach. Just as predictably, it was met with dismay by trans people and their advocates. Commentators trying to thread a precarious path across the middle ground stressed it was important to follow the science, especially in such an important matter as child healthcare. Generally, that middle ground is correct, but not if the science is brand new, because potential error and bias has not been scrutinised, and especially not if the science is not science but in fact a review of science, which adds a second layer where error and bias can creep in. On its release, various arms of the NHS vowed to implement the review's recommendations, and it was welcomed in the British parliament by both major parties. Outside of the officialdom that commissioned it, however, the reaction was more challenging, with health organisations from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others remarking it did not follow international best practice. And if you follow the science, it doesn't get much better for Cass. One of its key methodologies was to disregard almost all evidence that medical interventions for trans or gender-questioning young people were safe "no conclusions could be drawn", says the review as they did not meet the standard of being 'double blind', the gold standard of medical testing, whereby one group receives the treatment being tested and the other receives a placebo. This sounds like a good thing after all, we want gold standard healthcare for children. However, double-blind studies on trans youth healthcare, in review chair Hilary Cass's own words in an interview with The Kite Trust, are "inappropriate and not possible" inappropriate because it would be the depths of cruelty to tell test subjects they're receiving life-affirming treatments when they're in fact getting a sugar pill, and impossible because the placebo group soon notices the lack of results. It would be like if you broke both your legs and the doctor healed one of them and expected you not to notice which was still broken. A common methodology in scientific reviews, the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, recommends including 'low quality' studies in the absence of any or many 'high-quality' studies; that 'low quality', in layman's terms, is still an 9/10 where double-blind studies are 10/10. Where 10/10 is "inappropriate and not possible", do you reject 9/10 for not being 10/10? So it seems the Cass Review spuriously rejected multiple reports that could have led to a different outcome. It also ignored reports not in English and scientific communities outside of the Anglosphere are much more positive on medical interventions for young trans people. On the other hand, Cass considered in its findings reports from the 1980s, YouTube videos, and studies with sample sizes as small as 24. If you follow the science, the review does not withstand much scrutiny, even before you consider its headline recommendation, that trans healthcare should be banned up to age 25, is based on the pseudoscientific idea that the brain doesn't stop developing until you're 25. The review also speaks favourably of other pseudosciences, social contagion and rapid-onset gender dysphoria, as well as gender exploratory therapy conversion therapy by another name. And, addressing the Scottish parliament earlier this month, Dr Cass told politicians anti-anxiety medicine and antidepressants, which do have well-documented side-effects, and "psychological treatments" could be a more suitable treatment than puberty blockers. Academics have questioned Cass's methodology, including in areas such as suicidal ideation and neurobiology. Trans advocates say the review team was working towards a predetermined outcome. Speaking of gold standards, the Cass Review is not peer-reviewed. Context is important, too culture war-riven Britain does not have a good record with government-commissioned reports on minorities, with the 2022 Sewell Report (which found there was no such thing as institutional racism and there were positives to the slave trade) laughed almost out of existence. Where does this leave Ireland? So where does this leave Ireland, considering calls that our trans healthcare be re-examined in light of Cass, and when our trans healthcare is ranked the worst in the EU? Well, where Britain does government-commissioned reports on minorities badly, what we do well here is the committee, which considers a plurality of views to find the most reliable, robust outcome. Take the recent Oireachtas joint committee on assisted dying. Chairman Michael Healy-Rae made no secret of his opposition to assisted dying, yet steered the assembly to a conclusion largely in favour of it, notwithstanding objections that will also inform legislation. The Citizens Assembly on abortion is another example of the best of plurality when, in consultation with 100 different views, it found the Irish public was ready to lift the ban on abortion. Waiting lists for trans healthcare in Ireland are up to 10 years long, effectively meaning there is no trans healthcare here. Just as it was with abortion, this ban means people will either travel for it or access the black market. Yes, trans healthcare needs to change in Ireland, but it is far too important to blindly follow the misinformed, unrigorous Cass. THINK the key to a decent property purchase is location, location, location? It can be all of that, and more, in the case of the Boom to Bus, Dervla Dekker, a former Dublin City 69-seat double decker bus converted to a comfortable tiny home on wheels that can sleep up to six. Currently Munster-based, but mobile enough to easily relocate, all you need to do to call it home is to find the location yourself upon which to site it, and hook it up to power and a tap. Oh, and to buy it. Pretty as a picture in purple and with her name spelled out in neon, Dervla, with many, many hundreds of thousands of miles under her fanbelt, is now for sale, with a price tag of 50,000, all ready to roll up, or drive up to its next place to call home. Creating the home on wheels from a robust Dublin double decker after the heroic solo traveller, cyclist and acclaimed writer, the late Dervla Murphy, were Waterford-based musician and lecturer Mark Graham, and freelance journalist Ellie OByrne. Author Dervla Murphy at her home in Lismore, Co, Waterford in 2014. Theyd stayed in something similar around the start of the coronavirus, the Wild Atlantic Bus in Galway back in 2020 and almost immediately fell for its charms. Mark was googling busses for sale before theyd even made the return trip from the west, says Ellie. Converting and creating and curating Dervla over two years and mid-way through the conversion, the duo doubled down. They bought a second bus and called it Desmond, after the Jamaican reggae musician and songwriter Desmond Dekker. Peddling a bus? Ellie and Mark have cooked up ambitious travel plans Desmond Dekker is nearly done and dusted, and as he approaches completion, Dervla Decker is ready for road so to speak for sale, at least, as the couple plan to take two years off and to cycle around the world, starting in 2025. Theyve already done much of southern Europe, Croatia, Albania, Greece and the like, and Mark did the entire Wild Atlantic Way on a wooden bike. Next stop for them both is the exotic Silk Road, and the various stans heading towards Mongolia, and Asia.sort of following in the tracks to the great voyager Lismores very own Dervla Murphy. Full tilt ahead To pave the way, theyve invited prospective tiny home hunters to come to Tramore and to literally kick the tyres of this personalised property and sample its creature comforts, or to even stay a night or so. Dervla has already proven its worth as a five-star rated Airbnb venue, notes Superhost Ellie. She reckons theres still only a small number of successfully converted double deckers around Ireland, and a fair share of them are used as guest accommodation, for small corporate gigs or as diners. Domesticated Dervla has already had lots of media exposure in national newspapers, and radio, and can be lived in year-round, with a pot-belly stove downstairs and two electric heaters upstairs. The Red Dot favourite spot is the double bed up front (pic, left) with views of starry skies. Last weeks northern lights was a free light show, they enthuse. The bus underneath it all is a 7.3 litre Volvo that they bought with a full CVRT in 2021, with unspecified mileage and which had served as a school bus after its time ferrying Dublin city commuters. Even chewing gum found under the seats didnt burst their bubble.... Upstairs Downstairs Weve had people thinking they can buy it and use it as a mobile home, but its really not suitable for that. It drives or can be transported but should be parked up, so it needs a site, explains Ellie. Ideally, it will be one with power supply (but it is wired for off-grid power, and has been professionally certified by an electrician) and water. It also has a 1,000 litre tank, hot water and cassette toilet. Dervla is up on DoneDeal, with 4,500 views to date and showing a slight price reduction from 55,000 to 50,000. That sales site also has other buses in various states from a few thousand euros upwards, but in various raw or rusty states. VERDICT: Over its two levels, Dervla has about 50 sq metres, or 49 sq metres if you take away the drivers cab up front. It cant really go up on property websites like Myhome or Daft as it needs a location search and thats exactly whats up for decision now, waiting for the rubber to hit the road. Choosing a cool ceramic creation or buying a bespoke bench? As demand for ethical, handcrafted goods continues to rise, Cork Craft & Designs community of professional and semi-professional artisans is ticking every box. The social enterprise and membership organisation represents over 110 specialist makers and artists living in the city and county and is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a record-breaking product line-up. Theres a diverse range of over 3,000 handcrafted items, all of which can be viewed at corkcraftanddesign.com with a selection also available at the Makers Collective Shop in Douglas Woollen Mills. The organisation is committed to promoting Corks exceptional craft tradition, says James McConville, managing director of Cork Craft & Design. Monica Fergus, designer, and James McConville, managing director, Cork Craft & Design, pictured near Kinsale, Co Cork. Pictures: Michael O'Sullivan Now that wedding, communion, and confirmation season is in full swing, Cork crafters are anticipating heightened interest in locally made, artisanal gifts, adds James. For 15 years, weve celebrated the rich tapestry of creativity woven by our makers, artists, and creators, he says. Our platform online and instore offers a captivating array of unique, locally made treasures. In the past five years, our membership has grown tremendously, showing the surge in makers taking up craft, as they see the support is there for them, and the interest is there too. James McConville, Cork Craft & Design, and Tony Scannell of Coppiceworks. Consumers should consider the value of locally crafted gifts when thinking of special occasions, adds James. In a world of mass-produced goods, choosing a gift thats made locally and handcrafted with care is a statement of ethical consumption. Designer Monica Fergus. A handmade gift by the people in your community is something that will last. Plus, you are supporting Irish entrepreneurs and their stories. In keeping with its vision to position Cork as a hub for contemporary and traditional craft, Cork Craft & Design will also host the annual Cork Craft Month in August. Last years event, which attracted over 20,000 visitors, showcased the creativity and talent of Corks craft community through a series of over 80 exhibitions, studio trails, and meet the maker sessions. See Corkcraftanddesign Siemens Multi-Door refrigerator. LET'S CHILL Fabulous fridges are always on our radar as soon as the sun appears. Because who doesnt reach for ways to cool down the moment things heat up? Nobody said we werent a contrary crew. Were also a party pack and thats why the Siemens Premium Multi-Door refrigerators captured out imagination. They boast a quick-ice system that can produce up to 5kg of ice each day enough for up to 30 glasses (220ml) which is ideal for summer parties and get-togethers. The sleek design also offers a statement look in any sophisticated kitchen. See Siemens Outdoor rugs by Kukoon. FEET FIRST Patios are posher draped with an outdoor rug. You saw it here first. Yes, these are the superheroes of the textile world. Heres why: Because theyre created from flatweave materials, outdoor rugs are highly resistant to moisture and quick drying compared to indoor compadres. Leading Irish rug retailer Kukoon designs its ranges inhouse offering a variety of styles and shapes, from monochromatic, minimalist numbers like the Souci to the boho Morelle or the lush Lanark. See Kukoonrugs The timber-effect tiles from Versatile. CLASSIC LOOK We havent tired of the notion of bringing the outdoors in and vice versa so adore the look of Versatiles wood-effect tiles. Ideal for balconies/apartment living, the tiles (57.85 per metre including VAT) can be used indoors or outdoors. Wood-effect tiles are perfect for creating the look of classic wood flooring, says Versatile: They have no limitations regarding damp areas and can be installed in any room from the bathroom to the hallway. See Versatile EMBRACE THE DRAMA In interior design, the focus often falls on walls, furnishings, and decor. But paint pros are turning the spotlight on dramatic trims subtle yet transformative power. Trims, such as skirting, door frames, and windowsills, have long been overlooked, quietly inhabiting the background of our spaces. These humble accents are being recognised for their hidden potential to transform an ordinary space into something truly magnificent. According to Colourtrend Paints, the subtle application of deeper or contrasting hues on woodwork yields striking results. Picture this: a room with walls bathed in the serene tones of Natterjack, a hue specifically selected from Colourtrends Weather Collection. The range of colours is designed to harmonise with the Irish landscape, with Natterjack echoing the earthy pigments found in the deep green spots of our endangered native toad, says Colourtrend. Trims are compelling because they inject personality into the space, turning average features into "focal points of intrigue", according to the paint pros: "Whether its the rich, velvety hue of Ben Bulben framing a doorway or the subtle contrast of Natterjack on the skirting, each colour choice adds its unique charm. They possess the ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, to infuse spaces with personality and warmth, and to create a canvas upon which design dreams can unfold." Robert Costello, Corporate Finance Partner & Energy Transition Lead, PwC, says Ireland is ideally placed to play a lead role in Europe's renewable and sustainable energy ambitions Robert Costello, Corporate Finance Partner and Energy Transition Lead, PwC. The global energy transition is driven by the urgent need to address climate change. By shifting from fossil-based energy systems to renewable energy sources, we can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming. This involves a collective effort to create a greener, healthier and more resilient world for current and future generations. The challenge is immense, but we are already seeing Governments, businesses and investors increasingly focused on sustainability and decarbonisation to tackle the transition. As a small country on the edge of Europe, some argue that Irelands ability to affect change as part of the energy transition is limited. However, as a nation, not only do we have an opportunity to deliver a more sustainable, healthier future for our population, we can lead as a major provider of renewable and sustainable energy resources to other countries, and to benefit from this economically as a result. The energy transition involves the use of many technologies to decarbonise. From the renewable generation possibilities of offshore and onshore wind and solar to smart grids and hybrid grids that will transmit our energy in an efficient way to interconnections between Ireland, the UK and Europe to export our energy, to batteries that can store energy from different sources and discharge it when needed. In our homes, we will retrofit to reduce our energy usage and install heat pumps to electrify our heating systems. We will drive electric vehicles, whilst public transport and shared mobility solutions will be much more prevalent. Opportunities will exist for farming communities in areas such as the provision of biomethane and initiatives to decarbonise the agricultural sector. In the longer term there will also be opportunities for Ireland to lead on the harder to decarbonise sectors, for example through the provision of sustainable aviation fuel and green hydrogen for industry and long distance transport. Already, we are seeing Irish companies and Irish people leading the way in the energy transition. Our recent PwC Climate Tech report identified 36 Irish companies involved in the provision of climate change solutions in Ireland and abroad and we have leading professionals in the renewables sector globally. As we progress the energy transition, more jobs will be created for technical, design and engineering, policy and regulation, financial and investment and communication skills. The construction industry in particular will see an increase in activity as we build out our new infrastructure and there will be new types of operational and maintenance jobs across the country enabling people to work in well-paid roles in areas of Ireland that may have had fewer job opportunities in the past. The Irish Government needs to take a lead role in driving European policy for a European master plan for interconnection. Challenges To really benefit from the energy transition though, we have to overcome challenges around policy, people and supply chain and accelerate our build out of offshore wind generation. And to do this we will have to take the following steps: Step 1: Plan the offshore wind programme with the end in mind Our offshore wind projects will be led by the Government through the plan led approach. This is a programme of projects for both offshore wind generation and grid that will extend around the east, south and west coast of Ireland. Like any well-planned programme, you begin with the end in mind and work backwards to identify the gaps and prioritise solving the most critical items first. Doing this will give a masterplan for offshore grid and wind projects with clear dates and timelines that will attract interest in investment in the projects, the people and the supply chain to deliver. Step 2: Drive European Policy on interconnection Ireland has the potential to generate up to 50GWs of renewable energy, while Irelands peak demand estimate is 8-10GWs of capacity. So to derive further benefit for our population we need to look for more customers for our excess supply. This will mainly come through export via grid connections into Europe. To enable this, our Government needs to take a lead role in driving European policy for a European master plan for interconnection. As an island on the periphery of the continent, and notwithstanding our huge wind resource, theres a risk that we get left behind if we do not get this right. Step 3: Eliminate inefficiencies and reduce risk There are currently significant uncertainties and structural risks that pose a threat to deliver our offshore wind ambition. They include uncertainty on grid infrastructure and access to grid, ports and supply chain challenges and routes to market -- the means to generate revenue. These structural risks and inefficiencies are increasing the costs, creating delays, and making projects less viable, to the extent they might not go ahead at all. These risks and uncertainties must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Step 4: Foster innovation and invest in skills Ireland is a country of highly skilled people. For years we have provided expertise in financial services, medicine, pharmaceuticals and tech. We now have an opportunity to foster innovation, develop skills and support jobs in the renewables sector. This will be needed if we are to fully reap the economic benefits of the sector into the future. Step 5: Strong leadership We will have a general election coming up in the next 11 months. High on the agenda will be housing, health and immigration. These are important issues that need to be addressed. But so too is Climate Change. If our population can realise the importance of renewable energy as well as the opportunity for the country, it should be one of the highest issues on the agenda for the next Government. And that will require leadership and accountability at the Toiseachs Department to ensure silos and competing challenges around decision making and governance are addressed. Energy Transition is the next industrial revolution and we have an opportunity to create world-changing jobs for our young people; they will implement the transition so the economy and society can thrive. As an island off Europe, on the Atlantic, we are endowed with enormous natural and human resources just waiting to be tapped. www.pwc.ie With prosecutors hush money case against Donald Trump heading towards its end, defence lawyers pressed former lawyer Michael Cohen on his criminal history and past lies as they worked to convince jurors not to believe the star witness pivotal testimony. As Trump looked on, defence lawyer Todd Blanche peppered Mr Cohen with questions about his own misdeeds, painting him to the jury as a serial liar who is bent on seeing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee behind bars. Whether the defence is successful in undermining Mr Cohens testimony could determine Trumps fate in the case. Over several days on the witness stand, 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. Former president Donald Trump in court (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP) Trumps lawyers are seizing on Mr Cohens chequered past to try to sow doubt in jurors minds over his version of the story, underscoring the risk of prosecutors reliance on Mr Cohen. Mr Cohen acknowledged lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate deal in Russia. He also testified that he lied under oath when he pleaded guilty to federal charges, including tax fraud, in 2018. The defence also attacked Mr Cohens motivations, suggesting he turned on Trump after he was denied a White House job. Mr Blanche confronted Mr Cohen with a a series of text messages showing private conversations he had in November 2016. In one message, Mr Cohen texted his daughter that he still had a shot at becoming the presidents chief of staff. Another shows Mr Cohen telling a friend that she could serve as his assistant once he gets the position. The truth is, Mr Cohen, you really wanted to work in the White House, correct? asked Mr Blanche. No sir, Mr Cohen replied. Mr Cohen 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. Michael Cohen is prosecutors star witness in the case against Donald Trump (Andres Kudacki/AP) 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. 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, he told reporters on Thursday before entering the courtroom, flanked by a group of congressional allies. The former president has been joined at the courthouse in recent days by a range of conservative supporters, including some considered potential vice presidential picks and others angling for future administration roles. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared on Tuesday. 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. A court artist sketch of Michael Cohen (Elizabeth Williams via AP) 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, in earlier testimony, told jurors how his life and relationship with Trump were upended after the FBI raided his office, apartment and hotel room in 2018. Trump initially showered him with affection on social media and predicted that Mr Cohen would not flip. Trumps tone changed when, months later, Mr Cohen pleaded guilty to federal campaign-finance charges and implicated him in the hush money scheme. Trump was not charged with a crime related to the federal investigation. Mr Cohen also described a meeting in which he says he and Trump discussed with Allen Weisselberg, a former Trump Organisation chief financial officer, how the reimbursements for Cohens 130,000 dollars hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels would be paid as legal services over monthly instalments. That is important because prosecutors say the reimbursements were falsely logged as legal expenses to conceal the payments true purpose. 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. Mr Blanche told Judge Juan . Merchan on Tuesday that the defence may call one expert witness and that there was still no determination on whether Trump would take the stand. In any event, the trial will take Friday off so Trump can attend the high school graduation of his youngest son, Barron. A massive Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea early on Friday caused power cutoffs in the city of Sevastopol and set a refinery ablaze in southern Russia, Russian authorities said. The drone raids marked Kyivs attempt to strike back during Moscows offensive in northeastern Ukraine, which has added to the pressure on outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces who are waiting for delayed deliveries of crucial weapons and ammunition from Western partners. The Russian Defence Ministry said air defences downed 51 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, another 44 over the Krasnodar region and six over the Belgorod region. It said Russian warplanes and patrol boats also destroyed six sea drones in the Black Sea. A destroyed MiG 31 fighter aircraft and fuel storage facility at Belbek air base, near Sevastopol (Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies via AP) Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, which is the main base for Russias Black Sea Fleet, said the drone attack damaged the citys power plant. He said it could take a day to fully restore energy supplies and warned residents that power would be cut to parts of the city. Communal services are doing their best to restore the power system as quickly as possible, he said in a statement. Mr Razvozhayev also announced that schools in the city would be closed temporarily. Earlier, Ukrainian attacks damaged aircraft and a fuel storage facility at Belbek air base near Sevastopol, according to satellite images released by Maxar Technologies. In the Krasnodar region, the authorities said a drone attack early on Friday caused a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse which was later contained. There were no casualties. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted refineries and other energy facilities deep inside Russia, causing significant damage. Ukrainian drones also attacked Novorossiysk, a major Black Sea port. The Krasnodar regions governor, Veniamin Kondratyev, said fragments of downed drones caused several fires but there were no casualties. A damaged house after a Russian airstrike in Vovchansk, Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP) Belgorov governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, killing a woman and her four-year-old child. Another attack set a fuel tank ablaze at a gas station in the region, he said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops were fighting to halt Russian advances in the northeastern Kharkiv region that began late last week. The town of Vovchansk, located just five kilometres (three miles) from the Russian border, has been a hot spot in the fighting in recent days. 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. Thanks to Ukraine's Defense Forces and our efforts, we were able to instill more confidence in the Vochansk direction. But Russian shelling continues, and threats remain. Today, the head of the Vovchansk local administration was wounded. We also continue to counter Russian pic.twitter.com/FGaoiaS25E Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) May 16, 2024 Russia has also been testing defences at other points along the roughly 1,000-km (620-mile) front line snaking from north to south through eastern Ukraine. That line has barely changed over the past 18 months in what became 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. 1371138342::cfb49c8e-2422-11e5-99a3-d7f5c6e8b241 A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. 05/17/2024 In a collaborative effort with the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship and three other esteemed Alabama universities, Dr. Christie Calhoun, Jacksonville State University Associate Professor of Education and Interim Associate Department Head, has spearheaded a groundbreaking initiative in education - the launch of Alabama's inaugural Teacher Apprenticeship Program. This pioneering program, born from our collective dedication, represents a significant milestone in the state's educational landscape, providing a transformative pathway for aspiring educators. Governor Ivey set clear marching orders for us to develop an apprenticeship program to remove barriers for people who want to become teachers, said Josh Laney, Director for the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship. The AOA is truly thankful to have leading institutions like Jax State helping to forge these new paths in apprenticeship. We are looking forward to executing this pilot and seeing it flourish with the help of our great partners. Over the past academic year, Dr. Calhoun has tirelessly championed integrating three critical academic programs at Jax Statesecondary English Language Arts, Secondary Social Studies, and Elementary Educationinto the innovative apprenticeship framework. These efforts have laid the foundation for a program that meets the evolving needs of the education sector and opens new avenues for aspiring teachers to gain hands-on experience and invaluable mentorship. On Thursday, May 2, 2024, the culmination of these efforts came to fruition as the Alabama Office of Apprenticeships proudly registered the State of Alabama's FIRST teacher apprentice through the Jax State FutureEd Apprenticeship Program. This landmark achievement underscores the commitment of all stakeholders to revolutionize teacher preparation and support the next generation of educators. "We are thrilled to announce the registration of Alabama's first teacher apprentice," said Dr. Calhoun. "This milestone reflects our dedication to innovation and excellence in education and signifies the beginning of a transformative journey for aspiring teachers across the state." The introduction of the Teacher Apprenticeship Program signifies a paradigm shift in teacher education, offering a unique blend of academic rigor and real-world experience. As we look ahead, we are excited about the immense potential of this initiative to transform the educational landscape of Alabama, and we remain committed to expanding the program throughout the summer and in the years to come. The Jax State College of Education and Professional Studies has an esteemed tradition of producing highly qualified educators, said Dr. Kimberly Gaiters-White, Dean for the College of Education and Professional Studies. We also continually explore innovative and creative strategies to help our school partners meet their current critical staffing demands. As such, we embrace Governor Ivey's apprenticeship initiative and are happy to host the state of Alabama's first teacher apprentice at Jax State. For more information about the Teacher Apprenticeship Program and how to get involved, please visit www.alapprentice.org. Visit the Jax State program page ( Tomdispatch.com) An acquaintance who hails from the same New Jersey town as I do spends his free weekends crawling through the woods on his stomach as part of a firearms training course, green camouflage paint on his face and a revolver in his hand. He considers this both a way to have fun in his free time and to prepare for the supposed threat from immigrants everywhere. (You never know when something could happen, he tells me.) Hes never gun-less. He brings his weapon to diners and dinners, to work meetings, and always on walks in his quiet neighborhood, where he grumbles this is America! whenever he hears Spanish spoken by neighbors or passersby. The implication, of course, is that the United States has become both less American and, to him, by definition, less safe in these years. He spends his other weekends right-swiping on dating apps to try to find a new partner (hes being divorced) and watching yep, you guessed it! Fox News. He can be counted among a growing population of White, rural Americans who are lonely, lack people to count on as confidants, and feel poorly understood, not to say excluded from this country (at least as they imagine it). In 2019, even before the Covid pandemic made gatherings more dangerous, social scientists and public officials had already noted an uptick in Americans who would describe themselves as lonely nearly three in five many from rural areas and many of them older. Today, though schools, parks, and businesses have reopened, things dont seem much better. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy recently highlighted the problem, claiming that loneliness was as dangerous to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It increases the risk of various illnesses like heart disease and raises quality of life issues like addiction, depression, the urge to commit suicide, and the odds of premature death. Our poor relationships, in short, are killing us. Loneliness and a Lack of Self-Control Im a clinical social worker who treats Americans from all walks of life, including serving troops and veterans affected by our post-9/11 wars. Since I live in a rural area just outside Washington, D.C., I can work with both city dwellers and farmers in a single day and so get a sense of what seems to shape the wellness (or lack thereof) of an increasingly sweeping demographic. A key insight in my discipline is the value of human connection, particularly relationships with people who understand your experience and can reflect it back to you. Ive seen the transformative power of just such relationships and how, when people feel supported and understood, they start to venture out more often, even volunteer in their communities, and cease having angry meltdowns in public. Empathy, in other words, leads to motivation and self-control. Its underbelly, however, is alienation, loneliness, and their close cousins, anger and fear. Ive seen a lot of anger lately in people who, like my friend, rant about immigrants and carry guns on their errands in the name of self-defense, while all too often isolating themselves at home or in solitary activities. Both young adults and older ones tend to feel more isolated than the middle-aged, especially if theyre poor and live in rural areas like mine. And many of those who feel lonely and depressed are also angry. Trump and His Band of Lonely Followers Im hardly the only one whos noticed that former President Donald Trumps die-hard supporters tend to fall exactly into that crew of people who live in rural America, are poorer, older, and (much like the Donald himself) socially isolated. As pollster Daniel Cox wrote shortly after the 2020 election, The share of Americans who are more socially disconnected from society is on the rise. And these voters disproportionately support Trump. As Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender also noted, Trump rallies build a sense of community among mostly older White men and women who lived paycheck to paycheck retired or close to it, estranged from their families or otherwise without children Trump had made their lives richer. He noted how Trump supporters came to share homes and transportation, form relationships, and chant the same slogans (like Build the wall) in unison. I would add that those slogans can get so much uglier: Fuck those dirty beaners and Fuck Islam are anything but unheard of. Writing in the wake of the Nazi movement that murdered more than six million European Jews, the philosopher Hannah Arendt noted that those people most likely to align themselves with totalitarian movements lack a sense of their own usefulness to society and feel excluded. In my own world, Arendts insight feels true when it comes to the Trump supporters I know in my family and community and know about in this country at large. What Donald Trump and other MAGA leaders have done is take emotions like loneliness and channel them into a social movement. Key evangelical Christian figures like Trumps former vice president, Mike Pence, or the Reverend Franklin Graham provided the initial ideological scaffolding by selling Trump as someone who could deliver policy wins on issues like abortion and prayer in schools. Later, when Trumps extramarital affairs and crude sexual remarks made it clear to such figures that he was not exactly a shining example of Christian morality, they needed a different tack. As journalist Tim Alberta has pointed out, evangelical leaders then began selling Trump as one of a line of unlikely Biblical figures (if not Jesus himself) who led the Israelites out of peril. In other words, they saw him as powerful exactly because he was an outsider. Donald Trump, in short, has provided a world in which isolated Americans can be yes! alone together, while embracing hate in an unabashed and distinctly public fashion. In doing so, hes made the experience of being a resentful outcast a transcendent one in twenty-first-century America. Trumps rallies are invariably both loud and distinctly angry, like the motorcycle gangs with Confederate flags that roar past me on the rural highway I often take, or church services with MAGA preachers. These sorts of gatherings seem to reflect what French sociologist Emile Durkheim once called collective effervescence, or shared emotional experiences that transform isolated people into something larger (if also in this case angrier) than life. The anger of the MAGA movement is transcendent. When people act on it, their bodies trigger the release of adrenaline, which can alter behavior. I saw this outside my home once when a White male driver who had crashed his speeding car into a guardrail then threatened a group of Spanish-speaking drivers hed just passed, calling them beaners and kicking and punching the side of their car, even though theyd stopped to help him. Reason and self-control prove elusive at such moments in a world infused with racial slurs as solace for peoples woes. The most striking recent example of how anger can find collective social expression was, of course, the January 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington that came all too close to giving us a new autocratic-style government founded on a sense of rootlessness, victimhood, and rage. Our Loneliness Epidemic Ever since Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, many of us have been scratching our heads, wondering how to explain what gave rise to his self-styled band of lonely followers. Are they the victims of global capitalism and university systems that all too few can afford? Are they a cultural movement responding to demographic shifts involving immigration and low birth rates among White families? Personally, Id like to see more discussion about the decisions many American voters and our representatives in Washington have made to support endless foreign wars with trillions of our tax dollars, instead of investing them in protecting the places here at home that would make community more possible for more of us. After all, even a relatively modest percentage of our wildly overblown annual defense budget, now heading for the trillion-dollar mark, would have funded many of the types of programs Americans need in order to work less and live in cleaner, safer environments. Military spending and where it goes can be hard to understand but, for instance, the Costs of War Project at Brown University, which I helped to start, has broken down our disastrous war expenses all eight trillion-plus dollars of it in this century. And now, as defense expert William Hartung points out, a significant part of the Pentagon budget is being spent to deter a hypothetical war with China, whose military isnt configured to threaten American safety. Meanwhile, since 2018, at least tens of billions of dollars of classified defense contracts have been transferred to some of the worlds largest private tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, in addition to tech startups, to develop surveillance technologies, artificial intelligence, and advanced weapons systems. President Bidens original Build Back Better Act (voted down in the Senate in 2021) would have allocated $400 billion over six years to fund universal preschool, $150 billion to be applied to homecare for elderly and disabled Americans, and $200 billion in child tax credits. So, for less than the amount we spend on defense in just one year, taxpayer dollars could have made it possible for Americans with children to stay at work (at a time when more than one in four of us have had to leave jobs or school to avoid soaring child-care costs). Today, the vast majority of nursing homes are short-staffed, but had we decided not to fund the disastrous Global War on Terror, we could have helped seniors get high-quality care in their own homes. And just think how much more money we would have been able to devote to cleaning up pollution, investing in safer public transportation and infrastructure, restoring state and national parks, and mitigating the worst effects of the Covid pandemic on schools, houses of worship, and businesses not to mention American lives. And if so, just think how much less isolation, loneliness, and MAGAtivity there might have been. An incident I witnessed at my rural home last summer epitomized what it means for so many of us to lack the necessary resources to relax and enjoy life with one another in reasonably good health. While smoke from Canadas wildfires engulfed the D.C. area last June, my children and I watched as the young, Black grocery delivery driver wed paid to bring us food arrived in his car. A child in a car seat squirmed in the back. He wore a tiny KN95 mask. Why wasnt he at home or at a childcare facility while his father worked? What kind of quality of life did he have driving through hills and woods he would probably never have a chance to enjoy? I cringed with guilt. The quiet appearance of isolation and alienation in that car stood in marked contrast to the angry Whites at Trump rallies, who looked a lot like me. In such an ongoing climate of isolation, anger, and underdevelopment, there seem few safe and accessible ways for Americans to gather peacefully anymore. Much has been made lately of antisemitic chants at the student protests against the Israel-Gaza war and the American weaponry eternally being shipped to Israel. As Columbia journalism professor Helen Benedict pointed out in the case of the protests at her university, a majority of the students couldnt have been more peaceful and less MAGA-style angry as they advocated for a cease-fire and the release of Israeli hostages, even in the face of a disproportionate law enforcement response. Such protests say everything about the ability of disaffected young voters to claim space and connect around common values, even in the face of a militarized police response. And when you think of those 2,000-pound bombs our government has been sending to Israel to devastate Gaza, they should remind us of just how far afield our spending priorities have taken us from what we should truly value. I do try to claim space thats positive and community-based in my world, but it isnt easy. Even going to our church on a Sunday sometimes feels precarious to me. I find myself worrying about what I would do to protect my small children if someone as disturbed as many in my community of origin entered with a gun and started shooting the place up. (And though that doesnt happen often, it certainly does happen.) I recently participated with a family friend in a race in deep blue Syracuse, New York, meant to benefit local community-based healthcare. As my young companion and I moved through the starting gate together, a large banner hung above us with a Blue Lives Matter flag on it, signaling support for law enforcement as a counter to Black Lives Matter. As we ran, I couldnt help noticing boarded-up public housing and abandoned schools, potholed roads and a visible (though supportive) armed police presence to help us make our way through city traffic. I wondered what it meant that an event as innocent as a race to benefit healthcare could just as easily have been mistaken for some sort of post-apocalyptic scene. Yes, the degradation has been gradual, caused by the bleeding out of U.S. cities, thanks at least in part to the dozens of large and small armed conflicts weve fought so disastrously around the world in this century and our taxpayer dollars that have been funneled in that direction. If only we were to reshape our priorities in enough time to vote in leaders who cared about peace, perhaps our democracy and the ideas that define it wouldnt be coming apart at the MAGA seams. Wouldnt it be great if we all could get out more and do so together? Copyright 2024 Andrea Mazzarino Via Tomdispatch.com Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) South Africa returned to the International Court of Justice in the Hague on Thursday over the Israeli invasion of Rafah, which its attorneys alleged is a further act of genocide in Gaza. South Africa had laid out its initial case in January. The court will take months to come to a decision on whether Israel has violated the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The court ruled on January 26 that it is plausible that Israel is committing genocide and issued the equivalent of a preliminary injunction against the further commission of acts of genocide. It issued a further injunction on March 28. The South African case has now been joined by Ireland, Egypt, Colombia, Libya, and Nicaragua, and Turkey says it too will join shortly. Egypt and Turkey have had strong trade and security relations with Israel and their decision to support Pretorias suit is a slap in the face of the Israeli government and a signal that Israel is losing what few friends it had in the region. The Israeli government, given impunity from UNSC sanctions by the Biden administration, thumbed its nose at the injunctions and went on with its slaughterhouse policies. Adilah Hassim, one of several South African attorneys pressing Pretorias case, pointed to five pieces of evidence that the Rafah campaign is genocidal. At one point in her detailing of Israels atrocities she broke down. She said, (1) First, Israel has continued to kill Palestinians in Gaza, including women and children, at an alarming rate. (2) Second, as a result of Israels onslaught, Palestinians in Gaza are facing what the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations has described as the worst humanitarian crisis he has seen for more than 50 years. (3) Third, Israels systematic targeting and bombardment of hospitals and medical facilities, and its throttling of humanitarian aid, has pushed Gazas medical system to collapse; (4) Fourth, Israels direct attack and siege of Gazas biggest hospitals have led to the uncovering of mass graves evidencing Israeli massacres of Palestinians seeking shelter and medical treatment; (5) Finally, most recently, Israel has intensified its attacks in the north while pressing on with its Rafah offensive leaving displaced Palestinians nowhere safe to go. Video: Lawyer Adila Hassim Outlines Genocidal Conduct in Gaza at South Africas ICJ Hearing Against Israel Earlier in the trial, Vaughan Lowe, Chichele Professor of Public International Law in the University of Oxford and himself a barrister, explained that Israels action is directed against the Palestinian people throughout Gaza and the West Bank. South Africas request was initially focused on Rafah, because of the imminent prospect of death and suffering on a massive scale resulting from Israels attack. Since that request was made, it has become increasingly clear that Israels actions in Rafah are part of the endgame in which Gaza is utterly destroyed as an area capable of human habitation. Professor Lowe is clearly flabbergasted that partisans of the far, far right Netanyahu government continue to attempt to gaslight us all and to assert that nothing out of the ordinary is happening in Gaza. To the contrary, he said, we have the evidence of continued bombings, attacks on people in so-called safe areas to which they have been directed by Israel, attacks on aid convoys, and of mass graves and the horrors of which the corpses speak. Lowe deals summarily with the smarmy claim that the Israeli government is only exercising its right to self defense: First, the right of self-defence does not give a State a licence to use unlimited violence. No right of self-defence can ever extend to a right to inflict massive, indiscriminate violence and starvation collectively on an entire people. Second, nothing not self-defence or anything else can ever justify genocide. The prohibition on genocide is absolute, a peremptory norm of international law. Third, the Court ruled in 2004 that there is no right of self-defence by an occupying State against the territory that it occupies. (Emphasis added.) If I owned a fleet of small aircraft Id arrange for these words to be sky-written over every major city in the world. What Lowe is saying is that in some instances, two legal principles might come into conflict with one another. Where, for instance, does free speech stop and libel begin? But there are some laws that trump others. Genocide is the ultimate in this regard. It trumps every other law. There is no legal principle you can invoke to justify genocide, not even the right to self-defense, which is enshrined in the UN Charter and is generally sacrosanct. Remember this the next time you hear a glib US government spokesman dance around the Gaza genocide by saying that Israel has a right to defend itself from Hamas. As Max du Plessis explained Israels command that Palestinians who had taken refuge in Rafah must now leave is genocidal in effect: Not only is there nowhere for the 1.5 million displaced people and others in Rafah to safely flee so much of Gaza having been reduced to rubble but that if Rafah is similarly destroyed there will be little left of Gaza or prospects for the survival of Palestinian life in the territory. In particular, he said, the last functioning hospitals are in Rafah, and if they are destroyed as all the others have been, health care in the Strip will be dead. At the same time, du Plessis pointed out, virtually all aid has now been blocked by the Israeli government, which seized the Rafah border checkpoint from Egypt and closed it. Gaza cannot feed itself in the best of circumstances, but it is now a basket case needing hundreds of trucks of food and medical aid a day to survive. Hunger and disease are spreading, since most of the trucks are now barred. Du Plessis said, Deliberately herding 1.5 million Palestinians into Rafah and then carrying out a full-scale bombardment while sealing off entry and exit for life-saving aid to an already devastated population, while exposing them to famine and human suffering, leaves only one inference, regrettably, and that is of genocidal intent. Prominent attorney and senior counsel (SILK) Tembeka Ngcukaitobi pointed to the extensive statements made publicly by Israeli officials that prove their genocidal intent: The Israeli Minister of Defence: Yoav Gallant said that Israel is taking apart neighbourhood after neighbourhood and will reach every location in Gaza. Finance Minister and Cabinet heavyweight Bezalel Smotrich : [T]here are no half measures. Rafah, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat total annihilation. He goes on to say: We are negotiating with the ones that should not have existed for a long time. Ngcukaitobi cited reams of quotations showing genocidal intent from government officials quotes that somehow I never see quoted by CNN anchors in the United States. On January 26, the court had found that Israel was violating specific provisions of the Genocide Convention, to which Tel Aviv is signatory, regarding targeting a group of people because of their ethnicity: (a) killing members of the group; (b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and (d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group. All of these genocidal actions have continued and intensified ever since. By Rabia Ali | ( Middle East Monitor ) As Israel shows no signs of stopping its devastating assault on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the question now is what it plans to do with the besieged enclave. The growing fear among Palestinians is that after inflicting all this death and destruction on 2.3 million people in Gaza, Israel is now planning to reoccupy the Palestinian territory, as suggested by various recent reports and developments on the ground. These include the construction of a buffer zone and the establishment of corridors that give Israel strategic control in vital areas, all fuelling speculation about Israels intentions and its long-term strategy for Gaza. Over the years, there has been a gradual encroachment by Israelis on Palestinian territory, where they gradually take off more and more territory, partially occupy it militarily, and then eventually cut Palestinians off from access to that territory, analyst Andreas Krieg told Anadolu. That could very well happen in Gaza as well. Krieg said that there are certain groups within the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushing for the reoccupation of Gaza. Basically, reoccupying it in the same way that theyre doing in the West Bank, explained the senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at Kings College London. Reports of Israel creating a buffer zone in Gaza first emerged last November, with local media revealing that a zone one kilometre wide would extend all along the nominal Gaza-Israel border, from Beit Lahiya in the north to the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south. Israeli Adi Ben-Nun, a professor at the Hebrew University and expert in geographic information systems (GIS), used satellite images to explain to Anadolu how Israel has been remodelling the enclave. For the buffer zone, he said that 90 per cent of approximately 3,000 buildings in its path are already demolished. It forms a new perimeter along the border and reduces Gazas total territory by around 16 per cent, Ben-Nun added. Back in February, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk commented on reports about Israels plan to create a buffer zone, asserting that it could constitute a war crime. Israeli human rights group BTselem also condemned the plan, saying that the demolitions carried out by Israel are unlawful and do indeed constitute a war crime. The group pointed out that these demolitions are a preventive measure intended to thwart a future threat, which is absolutely prohibited under international law. Another major step in remodelling the Gaza Strip has been the establishment of the so-called Netzarim Corridor. This four-mile stretch of road, named after a former Israeli settlement in Gaza, has basically split the north from the south, according to Ben-Nun. Large swathes of agricultural land and around 200 to 300 buildings were razed to make way for the corridor, which is officially known as Road 749 and stretches from the nominal border to the Mediterranean coastline, he said. He also pointed out that the corridor is near the pier that the US has built off the Gaza coast to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid. Al Jazeera English Video: IRC says the scale of the crisis defies imagination in southern Gaza Elaborating on the specifics of the corridor, Krieg said it has two east-west connections that cut the Gaza Strip into two. I think its a quasi-permanent structure that I dont think the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] is going to withdraw from any time soon. He explained that the corridor has barriers and forward operating bases, along with a partially tarmacked road, making it very much a solid barrier to passage from north to south in Gaza, or vice versa. Its not a temporary one, but a permanent structure that suggests that the IDF is most likely going to keep the corridor and create checkpoints, making it part of a wider stabilisation operation which can last years, he explained. For Krieg, it is clear that the Israeli military is dictating a political strategy for Gaza. The militarys plan is to defeat Hamas by keeping a quasi-permanent presence for years on the ground with forward operating bases from which they can go and strike deep inside the territory. The effect on the ground will be that the Gaza Strip is no longer one territory, but divided into two territories. Israel will probably create quotas that will limit how many people can move south and how many people can move north. It will very much undermine the freedom of movement of Gazans. He noted that this sort of thing has already been seen in the West Bank. And even if it is not a full reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, it will have a similar impact on the psyche of people in Gaza, who will feel the Israeli presence basically suffocating them. Krieg believes the Israelis are enforcing a very strict policy that will lead to more radicalisation and potentially more resistance. They will probably operate a martial policy and martial law across the Gaza Strip for years to come, which will mean it makes it very, very easy for them to kill indiscriminately any suspect who they consider to be a threat. The victims could be youngsters or women, as has also been in the occupied West Bank. That can be, and often is, civilians, so this will really determine the future moving forward. He thinks that the international community, including the US and European nations, will not allow a permanent Israeli presence, such as settlements, in the Gaza Strip. However, Krieg pointed out that there has been no initiative, from the UN or other members of the international community, for the governance of the Gaza Strip or for the day after. The US has no real policy and has been pushing the idea of the two-state solution, said Krieg. In this vacuum, in the absence of a clear strategy, its quite concerning that the Israelis will do whatever they want to do, and gradually, bit by bit, create a fait accompli on the ground that would see Palestinians basically being more confined and more restrained in their freedom of movement on the ground. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment. Middle East Monitor Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - American Eagle Gold Corp. (TSXV: AE) ("American Eagle" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced upsized private placement of 7,866,715 charity flow-through common shares of the Company (the "Charity FT Shares") at a price of C$1.04 per Charity FT Share (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$8,181,234 (the "Offering"). Proceeds from the Offering will be used for exploration work at the Company's NAK project located in the Babine Copper-Gold Porphyry district in central British Columbia. The final drill hole of the 2023 exploration season yielded 302 metres of 1.09% within 606 m of 0.74% Copper Equivalent starting from 98 metres downhole. The Company plans to step out from this drill hole to begin the 2024 drill season, set to begin this month. The Charity FT Shares qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act"). An amount equal to the gross proceeds from the issuance of the Charity FT Shares will be used to incur eligible resource exploration expenses which will qualify as (i) "Canadian exploration expenses" (as defined in the Tax Act), and (ii) as "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" (as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act) (collectively, the "Qualifying Expenditures"). Qualifying Expenditures in an aggregate amount not less than the gross proceeds raised from the issue of the Charity FT Shares will be incurred (or deemed to be incurred) by the Company on or before December 31, 2025 and will be renounced by the Company to the initial purchasers of the Charity FT Shares with an effective date no later than December 31, 2024. Final acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange of the Offering is subject to the completion of customary post-closing filings. The Charity FT Shares were offered for sale to purchasers resident in Canada pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of NI 45-106 (the "Listed Issuer Financing Exemption"). The common shares of the Company issued in the Offering are immediately freely tradeable under applicable Canadian securities legislation. In connection with the Offering, the Company paid finder's fees to certain parties ("Finders") for purchasers introduced to the Company by such Finder. In total, the Company paid a total of $295,466 finders' fees to Finders in connection with the Offering. Additionally, the Company issued finder's warrants ("Finders' Warrants") to Finders for purchasers introduced to the Company by such Finder. The Finders' Warrants entitled the holder to purchase one common share in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") at a price of $1.04 per Common Share, for a period of 24 months following the date hereof. In total, the Company issued 468,994 Finders' Warrants. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to or for the account or benefit of a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. It is not anticipated that any new insiders will be created, nor that any change of control will occur, as a result of the Offering. Details of NAK's 2024 Drill Program: The 2024 drill program, scheduled to begin soon, will integrate the Company's growing understanding of the relationship between the emplacement of multi-phase Eocene dikes and sills with reactive and permeable host rocks to form the extensive Nak mineralized system. The company is developing models for geology, mineralization, alteration, and structure for the system, which will form the basis for its ongoing planning. The expanded 2024 drill program, currently planned for 15,000 metres, will aim to link, better define, and expand upon the historical North and South zones, which the Company showed in its 2022 and 2023 drill programs to extend to considerable depths (close to 950 m below surface) along a strike length of 750 m and across a width of 400 m. Intercepts from 2023 include 900 m of 0.50% Copper Equivalent from surface in the North zone (Link to NAK23-12 News Release) and 302 metres of 1.09% within 606 m of 0.74% Copper Equivalent starting from 98 metres downhole in the South Zone (Link to NAK23-17 News Release). Click Here to View the 2024 Drill Plan at NAK Click Here to View 2024 Drill Plan Webinar Hosted by Geologists Charlie Greig and Neil Prowse About American Eagle's NAK Project The NAK Project lies within the Babine copper-gold porphyry district of central British Columbia. It has excellent infrastructure through all-season roads and is close to the towns of Smithers, Houston, and Burns Lake, B.C., which lie along a major rail line and Provincial Highway 16. Historical drilling and geophysical, geological, and geochemical work at NAK, which began in the 1960's, tested only to shallow depths. Still, the work revealed a very large near-surface copper-gold system that measures over 1.5 km x 1.5 km. Drilling completed in 2022 and 2023 by American Eagle has returned significant intervals of high-grade copper-gold mineralization that lie beyond the extent of historical drilling, indicating that several zones of near-surface and deeper mineralization, locally with considerably higher grades, exist within the broader NAK property mineralizing system. For the latest videos from American Eagle, Ore Group, and all things mining, subscribe to our YouTube Chanel: youtube.com/@theoregroup. About American Eagle Gold Corp. American Eagle is focused on exploring its NAK copper-gold porphyry project in west-central British Columbia, Canada. Anthony Moreau, Chief Executive Officer 416.644.1567 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.americaneaglegold.ca Q.P. Statement Mark Bradley, B.Sc., M.Sc., P.Geo., a Certified Professional Geologist and 'qualified person' for the purposes of Canada's National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Properties, has verified and approved the information contained in this news release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the receipt of final regulatory approval, including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, the intended use of proceeds and intended drill program or its anticipated results at the Company's NAK project, the ability of the Company to make the qualifying expenditures as anticipated by management, and other matters ancillary or incidental to the foregoing. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results might differ materially from those suggested in forward-looking statements. American Eagle Gold Corp. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to American Eagle Gold Corp. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by American Eagle Gold Corp. with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under American Eagle Gold Corp. profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange policies) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES TORONTO, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Ionic Corp. (TSXV: LTH; OTCQX: LTHCF; FSE: H3N) reports that it has filed the independent NI 43-101 compliant technical report for its Salinas Lithium Project (Salinas or the Project) in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, related to an initial Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Project announced on April 4, 2024. The Technical Report, titled Independent Technical Report on Mineral Resources Estimate for the Baixa Grande - Salinas Lithium Project was prepared by GE21 Consultoria Mineral Ltda. (GE21) in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and has an effective date of January 4, 2024. The technical report details the MRE comprising Measured and Indicated resources of 5.86 million tonnes (Mt) at 1.09% Li2O, and Inferred resources of 8.90Mt at 0.97% Li2O, which significantly increased its global mineral resources to 60.1Mt.* The technical report is available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under Lithium Ionics issuer profile and on the Companys website at www.lithiumionic.com. The Company is currently undertaking a Preliminary Economic Assessment for Salinas, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024. Exploration work and drilling will also be ongoing at the Project for the remainder of 2024 to continue to expand and upgrade the mineral resources. An upgraded MRE for Salinas is expected later this year. *See press release dated April 12, 2024, for details related to the Bandeira MRE (effective date of Jan. 10, 2024; QP: Carlos Silva of GE21); See NI 43-101 compliant technical reports related to the Salinas MRE titled Independent Technical Report on Mineral Resources Estimate (effective date of January 4, 2024; QP: Leonardo Soares, P.Geo., M.Sc., of GE21); and the NI 43-101 compliant technical reports related to the Outro Lado deposit titled Mineral Resource Estimate for Lithium Ionic, Itinga Project (effective date of June 24, 2023; authored by Maxime Dupere, B. Sc., P.Geo. and Faisal Sayeed, B. Sc., P.Geo). About Lithium Ionic Corp. Lithium Ionic is a Canadian mining company exploring and developing its lithium properties in Brazil. Its Itinga and Salinas group of properties cover 14,182 hectares in the northeastern part of Minas Gerais state, a mining-friendly jurisdiction that is quickly emerging as a world-class hard-rock lithium district. Its Feasibility-stage Bandeira Project is situated in the same region as CBLs Cachoeira lithium mine, which has produced lithium for +30 years, as well as Sigma Lithium Corp.s Grota do Cirilo project, which hosts the largest hard-rock lithium deposit in the Americas. Qualified Persons Leonardo Soares, P.Geo., M.Sc., of GE21 is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 And has reviewed and approved the technical information and data regarding the MRE included in this news release. Mr. Soares is independent of Lithium Ionic. All other scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared by Carlos Costa, Vice President Exploration of Lithium Ionic and Blake Hylands, CEO and director of Lithium Ionic, and both are qualified persons as defined in NI 43-101. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Lithium Ionic Corp. Blake Hylands Chief Executive Officer, Director Investor and Media Inquiries: +1 647.316.2500 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that constitute forward-statements. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Companys actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. When used in this press release, the words estimate, project, belief, anticipate, intend, expect, plan, predict, may or should and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include information relating to the prospectivity of the Companys mineral properties including Salinas, the Companys ability to produce a NI 43-101 compliant Preliminary Economic Assessment and the timing thereof, the Companys ability to obtain the requisite licences and permits, the Companys ability to obtain adequate financing, the mineralization and development of the Companys mineral properties, the Companys exploration program and other mining projects and prospects thereof and the Companys future plans. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that managements beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Information and links in this press release relating to other mineral resource companies are from their sources believed to be reliable, but that have not been independently verified by the Company. 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 press release. Malborne Claim Block Expanded Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 17, 2024) - Record Resources Inc. (TSXV: REC) reports that it has acquired more uranium properties northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Record Resources has entered into option agreements with two private exploration companies to explore for uranium on an additional 200 claims. The claims are contiguous or in close proximity to the company's 16,320 hectare (780-claim) Malborne block (see news release of April 8, 2024). "This is an acquisition of more highly prospective ground for uranium," said Record Resources CEO, Michael Judson. "We are further building on our land position in the area. The deals happen to be with some of the explorers with whom we are already working." The Black Sturgeon crustal fault system forms the western boundary of the company's claim package. "Our properties are located on a mineralized belt which runs parallel to the Black Sturgeon Fault system," said Judson. In an agreement with Optionor One, Record Resources acquired an option on the Church North property located to the southwest of the main Malborne block. The Church North property consists of 100 claims. Optionor One consists of prospecting groups 2758145 Ontario Inc and Robin Dunbar. In an agreement with Optionor Two, Record Resources acquired an option on the Ferguson Lake property consisting of 75 claims which are located on the north side of the Malborne claim block. Optionor Two are prospecting groups 2758145 Ontario Ltd, Peter Gehrels, and Allan Onchulenko. Also, in the same agreement with Optionor Two, the company acquired an option on the Church Northwest property (14 claims) and the "U" property (11 claims) both situated on the southwest side of the Malborne claim block. Terms of Agreement: The terms of the agreement for the Church North property (Optionor One) are the same as they are for the Ferguson Lake properties (Optionor Two). Record Resources can own 100 percent of each package of claims by paying to each Optionor separately $20,000 at closing on or before June 30, 2024 and by issuing a total of 300,000 common shares of the company. On the first anniversary of the closing and additional cash payment of $30,000 is due and on the second anniversary of closing a final cash payment of $50,000 is due. The Optionors will retain a 1.5% Royalty. Record Resources or its assigns shall have the right at any time to purchase from Optionors zero-point five percent (0.5%) Net Smelter Returns Production Royalty by way of a payment to the Optionor of the sum of $500,000.00. An additional zero-point five (0.5%) Net Smelter Returns Production Royalty can be purchased by Record Resources for $1 million. The final zero-point percent (0.5%) Net Smelter Returns Production Royalty can be purchased by Record Resources for $1.5 million. The shares to be issued as part of this agreement are valued at $0.05 per share. No finders fee was paid. This arms length agreement was signed on May 2, 2024. This transaction is expected to close on or before June 30 , 2024. Stock Option Plan The Board of Directors has granted a total of 6,500,000 stock options in accordance with its stock option plan. Options include 4,000,000 issued to directors, officers and insiders of the company exercisable at $0.05 for a period of five years. In addition, 2,500,000 options were issued to consultants of the company exercisable at $0.05 for a period of five years. All options were granted in accordance with and subject to the company's stock option plan, the applicable policies of the TSX Venture Exchange and are also subject to shareholder approval. Shares for Debt Transaction Additionally, Record Resources reports that it has agreed to settle an outstanding debt in the aggregate amount of $50,000 owing to a vendor through the issuance of 1,000,000 common shares of the company at a deemed price of $0.05 per common share. The debt was accrued pursuant to the acquisition of the Kenogami East gold property (see August 10, 2022 news release). All common shares will be subject to a four-month and one-day hold period. This debt settlement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval. Qualified Person: Edward Procyshyn, P.Geo, a qualified person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. For more information please contact: Michael C. Judson, Chairman & CEO Record Resources Inc. T. +1-514-865-5496 Website: www.recordgoldcorp.com Cautionary Statements 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", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes", an 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 relate, among other things, to: approval of the Private Placement and obtaining a full revocation order. This forward-looking information reflects the Company's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to the Company and on assumptions the Company believes are reasonable. These assumptions include, but are not limited to: the market acceptance of the Private Placement; the ability of the Company to obtain a full revocation order and the receipt of all required approvals in connection with the foregoing. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors may include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; general capital market conditions and market price for securities; and the delay or failure to receive board, shareholder, court or regulatory approvals. 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. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. 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 does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change. 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. The Units and the securities comprising the Units 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 news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor shall there be any sale of securities in the Unites States, or any other jurisdiction, in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws. Ukraine on Thursday accused Russia of detaining and killing civilians in the border town of Vovchansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces launched 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." 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. AFP could not verify the claims. There was no immediate response from Moscow to the allegations. Ukraine has evacuated almost 9,000 people in the week since Russian forces stormed across the border in a surprise ground assault. 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 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. Egypt, after months of measured condemnation of Israel over the Gaza war, has hardened its tone and formally supported an international case accusing its neighbour of genocide. Cairo and its state-aligned media have stepped up scathing criticism of Israel over the conflict raging next door, reflecting public anger in the world's most populous Arab nation. The two countries have also traded blame over the closure of Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt, a crucial lifeline for aid trucks, since Israeli forces and tanks captured the Gaza side last week. But despite the war of words, analysts don't expect a threat to the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, both US allies and recipients of billions in American aid. Since the worst ever Gaza war broke out with the Hamas attack of October 7, Egypt under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has walked a diplomatic tightrope. While condemning Israel and warning it against pushing Palestinian refugees across the border, it has also mediated in truce talks, kept its ambassador in Israel, and long helped deliver aid through Rafah. But its patience was been strained further as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a full ground invasion of Rafah city in southern Gaza, where about 1.5 million Palestinians have been pushed against the Egyptian border. Cairo "was put in a position it didn't want to be in, where it had to react", said Cairo University political science professor Mustapha Kamel al-Sayyid. Last Sunday, Egypt announced it would intervene in support of South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, without however announcing details. Sayyid said the move signalled a "major shift", with Egypt "moving from criticising Israeli policies to joining in trying to prove it is committing a genocide". - 'Backed into corner' - Since Israeli forces seized the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, Egypt has refused to coordinate aid deliveries through the Gaza border point. When Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he hoped to "persuade Egypt" to reopen the crossing, his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry shot back that Israel was "distorting the facts and disavowing its responsibility" for Gaza's humanitarian crisis. On Wednesday, Netanyahu again blamed Egypt and said Israel would want the Rafah crossing open "yesterday, if we could". Ahmed Aboudouh, associate fellow at Chatham House, wrote this week that any agreements with Egypt on aid coordination had been bound to "crash under the weight of Israeli control of the crossing". Emad Gad of Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies said Israel had "embarrassed" key mediators Egypt and Qatar by going into Rafah, especially after Hamas had said it agreed to a truce proposal. In response, he said, "Egypt is taking calculated steps" -- a view shared by other analysts, although many argued these are largely aimed at Egypt's domestic audience. Aboudouh said joining the ICJ case remains a "largely symbolic" move, albeit one that "still reveals a deep sense in Egypt that it is backed into a corner and has to push back". Nonetheless, he predicted that Cairo won't go so far as "to suspend the peace treaty", an option "everyone knows is not on the table". - 'Cold peace' - Egypt became the first Arab country to recognise Israel with the 1979 Camp David accords, and their relationship since has often been labelled a "cold peace". The accords also demilitarised the Sinai Peninsula and limited the arms allowed on both sides of the border. Sayyid said that Israel, by "putting tanks and armoured vehicles near the border", has already committed "a flagrant violation of the peace treaty". Shoukry, when asked about the issue, called the treaty "a strategic choice" and said "violations are tackled within a technical, military framework under set mechanisms". The language was in line with decades of careful security coordination, which has also allowed Egypt to move more forces into the Sinai to fight an Islamist insurgency over the past decade. And with the neighbours' long history of quietly dealing with disagreements, Aboudouh said Egypt is likely to stick to its "risk-averse foreign policy". Sayyid said Egyptian officials even seemed to "hesitate to respond" to Israel's Rafah operation, but said Cairo had "realised a limited response would not satisfy Egyptian public opinion". Already, online footage showing Israeli flags on an armoured vehicle just across the Gaza border has stirred widespread anger in Egypt. Aboudouh warned that the sight of "Egyptian aid being inspected by Israeli soldiers would be a nightmare for Egyptian officials, who would face unruly public anger". Protests are banned in Egypt, but activist voices have called for stronger support for Palestinians in Gaza, where the war has claimed more than 35,000 lives. State-aligned media has taken a harder line against Israel in what Sayyid called a "/media escalation". But Aboudouh wrote that even this should be "primarily understood as domestic (and pan-Arab) messaging". South Africa accused Israel Thursday at the top UN court of stepping up what it called a "genocide" in Gaza, urging judges to order a halt to the Israeli assault on Rafah. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) heard a litany of allegations against Israel from lawyers representing Pretoria, including mass graves, torture, and deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid. Israel will respond on Friday. It has previously stressed its "unwavering" commitment to international law and described South Africa's case as "wholly unfounded" and "morally repugnant". "South Africa had hoped, when we last appeared before this court, to halt this genocidal process to preserve Palestine and its people," said top lawyer Vusimuzi Madonsela. "Instead, Israel's genocide has continued apace and has just reached a new and horrific stage," added Madonsela. South Africa kicked off two days of hearings in The Hague by imploring judges to order a ceasefire throughout Gaza. In January, the ICJ ordered Israel to do everything to prevent genocidal acts and enable humanitarian aid to Gaza. But the court stopped short of ordering a ceasefire and South Africa's argument is that the situation now -- notably the operation in the crowded city of Rafah -- requires fresh ICJ action. The Rafah campaign is "the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its Palestinian people", argued Vaughan Lowe, a lawyer for South Africa. "It was Rafah that brought South Africa to the court. But it is all Palestinians as a national, ethnical and racial group who need the protection from genocide that the court can order," he added. The United States, Israel's top ally, has strongly opposed the South African case. Asked about the latest accusations, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters, "We have been pretty clear about the fact that we do not believe that what is happening in Gaza is genocide and we continue to believe that those claims are unwarranted and false." "South Africa's claims are both morally and factually distorted and constitute an abuse of the Genocide Convention and the ICJ," said Israel foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein. - Rafah operation 'to continue' - The orders of the ICJ, which rules in disputes between states, are legally binding but it has little means to enforce them. It has ordered Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine, to no avail. South Africa wants the ICJ to issue three emergency orders while it rules on the wider accusation that Israel is breaking the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. It wants the court to order Israel to "immediately withdraw and cease its military offensive" in Rafah. Second, Israel should take "all effective measures" to allow "unimpeded access" to Gaza for humanitarian aid workers, journalists and investigators. Lastly, Pretoria asked the court to ensure Israel reports back on its measures taken. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Rafah offensive in defiance of international warnings that more than a million civilians sheltering there could be caught in the crossfire. Just minutes before the court hearings opened, Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the operation in Rafah "will continue as additional forces will enter" the area. - 'Permanent ceasefire' - The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Wednesday that 600,000 people have fled Rafah since military operations intensified. "As the primary humanitarian hub for humanitarian assistance in Gaza, if Rafah falls, so too does Gaza," said South Africa in a submission to the court. "The thwarting of humanitarian aid cannot be seen as anything but the deliberate snuffing out of Palestinian lives. Starvation to the point of famine," said lawyer Adila Hassim, her voice choking with emotion. Israel's military operations in Gaza were launched in retaliation for Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. Militants also seized about 250 hostages, 128 of whom Israel estimates remain in Gaza, including 36 the military says are dead. Israel's military has conducted a relentless bombardment from the air and a ground offensive inside Gaza that has killed at least 35,233 people, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The two bills passed in The Gambia on April 22 are meant to be complementary. The Special Accountability Mechanism (SAM) bill is a set of principles that will guide the entire post-TRRC implementation process. The three SAM institutions are the Special Prosecutors Office (in charge of investigations and building cases - which we will start setting up now), the Special Criminal Division of the High Court (already established for the purposes of trying domestic crimes), and the Special Tribunal (a court which the government has partnered with ECOWAS Commission to try international crimes), said Ida Persson, special adviser on transitional justice at the Ministry of Justice. On the same day, a second bill was adopted to set up the Special Prosecutor Office (SPO). Yahya Jammeh, who ruled The Gambia from July 1994 to January 2017, has been in exile in Equatorial Guinea since he left power after losing the presidential elections. His reign was marked by widespread human rights violations and abuses, including disappearances and murders. The hybrid court is expected to try persons recommended for prosecution by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), which issued a final report in November 2021 after a 3-year process. No timeline, no budget This will make a big difference, Abdoulie Fatty, secretary general of the Gambia Bar Association, told Justice Info. These legislations mean we can now formally begin the process of recruiting and appointing a Special Prosecutor and the required staff. The TRRC uncovered a lot of abuses and violations but there is still a lot of missing evidence and links that the SPO should investigate. The SAM will also allow The Gambia and ECOWAS to enter into a treaty to set up the hybrid court. Once the hybrid court is established it will be in a position to issue arrest warrants, for example in relation to some of the Junglers [a group of hitmen under Jammehs rule] who are on the run and are believed to be in Guinea Bissau. So, these two laws should give practical effect and benefits and hopefully achieve positive results, even before the hybrid court starts. But as of now, there is no set timeline, nor a budget determined, and the strategy for trials remains unknown. According to Persson, the Ministry of Justice is working on constituting a selection panel which has the mandate to draw up the methodology for selecting the Special Prosecutor, Deputy Special Prosecutor and division heads. In February the government and ECOWAS constituted a joint technical committee to develop the legal framework necessary to establish a Special Tribunal for The Gambia, she said. The joint technical committee is being advised by people with expertise in cost implications of policy decisions. Best practices from other internationalised tribunals are being studied and applied. The government should be advised on the range of potential costs in a few months, she added. Holding Jammehs trial in a third country? Whilst Jammeh is in a self-imposed exile and a number of Junglers are at large, trials could also take place outside The Gambia. As it has been considered, the new hybrid court would have its seat in Banjul [the capital of Gambia] but would have the possibility of detaining suspects and holding trials in third countries. It would be up to the prosecutor and the court to decide where to hold Jammehs trial, and where to hold him pending trial, as for security reasons, most people think that his detention and trial would best be held outside of The Gambia, said Reed Brody, an American human rights lawyer and one of the leading promoters of the Jammeh 2 Justice Campaign, aimed at bringing Jammeh to justice. Given that the court will carry the political and diplomatic weight of the entire ECOWAS region, including countries like Ghana, which lost 44 citizens in a migrant massacre; Nigeria, which lost an unknown number of migrants; and Senegal, which lost several citizens and whose territory in Casamance was used by Jammeh and the Junglers as a dumping ground for dead bodies, Equatorial Guinea would probably be amenable to a request for Jammehs transfer to the court, Brody hoped. It will be up to the Special Prosecutor to decide how to charge Jammeh but Brody suggested that he be charged in one big criminal trial for the worst atrocities. This might include, Brody said, the killing of 59 West African migrants, the death of 41 people in the so-called presidential alternative treatment AIDS programme, his system of personally abusing and raping women brought to him by his subordinates, the death of dozens and detention of hundreds in the witch hunts, the killings of peaceful protesters in several demonstrations, the summary execution of nine death row inmates in April 2012, and a number of enforced disappearance and killing. The list could be quite long. Long overdue trials Two trials have so far been held in The Gambia during the TRRC process for Jammeh-era crimes: the trial of the National Intelligence Agency heads, and the trial of former Junta member and local government minister Yankuba Touray. Other trials are ongoing abroad: Bai Lowe, a former Jungler, was sentenced to life imprisonment in Germany last year; Ousman Sonko, a former Interior Minister, was sentenced to 20 years in jail in Switzerland on May 15, and another Jungler, Michael Sang Correa, is meant to be tried in the United States in September. But there has been no trial in The Gambia after the TRRC report despite its recommendations. For several observers and human rights activists, the Gambian government is not serious about prosecutions. The Gambian government has claimed that it is diligently working to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive transitional justice process. However, the governments commitment to implementing the TRRC recommendations has often been met with scepticism, as its actions have not always aligned with its rhetoric, said Priscilla Yagu Ciesay, co-founder and senior technical advisor of the Womens Association for Victims Empowerment (WAVE-Gambia), who hails nonetheless the laws that have just been passed. All Junglers released or at large Under the current Adama Barrow government, Junglers who were arrested, including those who confessed to participating in heinous crimes, have all been released. It was the case in 2019 for Junglers Omar Oya Jallow, Amadou Badjie, Malick Jatta, Pa Ousman Sanneh, who had all testified before the TRRC. And in February 2022, the High Court of The Gambia ordered the release of Lieutenant General Saul Badjie along with two other Junglers, Landing Tamba and Musa Badjie. They had been arrested in Banjul only one month earlier, following their arrival from Equatorial Guinea where they were with the former president. The following month, two other Junglers, Alieu Jeng and Ismaila Jammeh, were released by the Gambian Armed Forces. Reason given was that they were being held without charge. The government of The Gambia is determined to ensure accountability, justice, and prevent the recurrence of such serious crimes, as expressed in the governments White Paper on the TRRC recommendations, Persson tried to reassure. However, unlike in other jurisdictions, the lack of an adequate legal framework and capacities to try, in particular, international crimes, necessitated the design and implementation of the Special Accountability Mechanism, she said. It may still not be enough to convince everyone that the government is determined to act. I think the Government is being reluctantly pushed into this and so, of course, theyll find every reason to make things difficult for those pushing them, said Alagie Barrow, the former lead investigator of the TRRC. The Government is not interested in accountability and I believe they will only cooperate to the extent that they can say they cooperated. When the rubber meets the road theyll chose political survival (power) over holding certain people accountable. I caveat this to say that Im not a fan of what I consider to be an obsession with prosecuting Jammeh and the Junglers, Barrow continued. Addressing Gambias dark 22-year history should go beyond criminal prosecution of security personnel and Jammeh. Israel lashed out Friday at South Africa's case before the UN's top court, describing it as "totally divorced" from reality, as Pretoria urges judges to order a ceasefire in Gaza. "South Africa presents the court for the fourth time with a picture that is completely divorced from the facts and circumstances," top lawyer Gilad Noam told the International Court of Justice. Pretoria has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order a stop to the Israeli assault on the Gaza city of Rafah, which Israel says is key to eliminating Hamas militants. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Rafah offensive in defiance of US warnings that more than a million civilians sheltering there could be caught in the crossfire. Netanyahu argued Wednesday that "we have to do what we have to do" and insisted that mass evacuations there had averted a much-feared "humanitarian catastrophe". Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday that the operation in Rafah "will continue as additional forces will enter" the area. On Thursday, judges heard a litany of allegations against Israel from lawyers representing Pretoria, including mass graves, torture and deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid. "South Africa had hoped, when we last appeared before this court, to halt this genocidal process to preserve Palestine and its people," said top lawyer Vusimuzi Madonsela. "Instead, Israel's genocide has continued apace and has just reached a new and horrific stage," added Madonsela. - 'Protection from genocide' - In a ruling that made headlines around the world, the ICJ in January ordered Israel to do everything in its power to prevent genocidal acts and enable humanitarian aid to Gaza. But the court stopped short of ordering a ceasefire and South Africa's argument is that the situation on the ground -- notably the operation in the crowded city of Rafah -- requires fresh ICJ action. The Rafah campaign is "the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its Palestinian people", argued Vaughan Lowe, a lawyer for South Africa. "It was Rafah that brought South Africa to the court. But it is all Palestinians as a national, ethnical and racial group who need the protection from genocide that the court can order," he added. The orders of the ICJ, which rules in disputes between states, are legally binding but it has little means to enforce them. It has ordered Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine, to no avail. South Africa wants the ICJ to issue three emergency orders -- "provisional measures" in court jargon -- while it rules on the wider accusation that Israel is breaking the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. It wants the court to order Israel to "immediately" cease all military operations in Gaza, including in Rafah, enable humanitarian access and report back on its progress on achieving these orders. The arrival of occasional aid convoys has slowed to a trickle since Israeli forces took control last week of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. Israel's military operations in Gaza were launched in retaliation for Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. Militants also seized about 250 hostages, 128 of whom Israel estimates remain in Gaza, including 36 the military says are dead. Israel's military has conducted a relentless bombardment from the air and a ground offensive inside Gaza that has killed at least 35,303 people, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. With her expanding global fame, Kim Ji Won can't escape the large crowd at the airport, making fans worried about her safety. The actress' agency immediately responded to the safety measures issue. Keep on reading to know more what happened. Kim Ji Won's Recent Airport Incident Sparks Concerns Among Fans After the conclusion of "Queen of Tears," its lead star Kim Ji Won is experiencing a massive following. Since she is already booked and busy with her new projects, the actress has been seen going out to attend events. On May 12, the "Fight for My Way" star was spotted at the Incheon International Airport, as she headed to Singapore for a brand event. Prior to her departure, Kim Ji Won was bombarded by a large crowd at the airport, which the actress was also shocked to experience. She also had the same scenario when she arrived in Korea on May 15. Despite the love and support that she is receiving, some fans expressed their sentiments over the lack of safety measures for the female star. HighZium Addresses Safety Measures Issue On May 16, Kim Ji Won's label HighZium Studio officially addressed the issue and released instructions for the fans to follow in order to ensure the actress' safety anywhere she goes. "Recently, when Kim Ji Won enters and leaves domestic and international airports, a large crowd of people gathers and safety concerns arise." They went on, "We are aware of the seriousness of the safety issue and we are concerned about everyone's safety. We are writing this, for some guidance to follow." HighZium stated, "To ensure a safe distance, please refrain from excessive filming or direct delivery of letters and gifts. If you send letters and gifts to the agency, we will ensure that they are properly delivered to the artist. Also, for security reasons, please refrain from taking excessive pictures or videos in the departure hall and duty-free area." They continued, "We are always grateful for the interest and love we show towards our artists. We will also strive to ensure the safety of all pedestrians, including artists and fans, as it is our priority. After wrapping up her overseas schedule on May 15, Kim Ji Won returned to Seoul, and the airport was crowded by fans to see her. The moment she appeared, fans and reporters flocked at once, turning the scene into chaos. According to reports, the "Queen of Tears" star responded calmly despite the dangerous situation, but some expressed concern that there were only two bodyguards to control the huge crowd. In particular, they emphasized that there was no improvement done by the agency as she experienced the same situation on the way out of the country. For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars. Kdramastars owns this article. Shai San Miguel wrote this. In the midst of the fervor surrounding tvN's latest hit drama "Lovely Runner," fans have stumbled upon a revelation that has sent shockwaves through the K-Drama community. It appears that the on-screen chemistry between lead actors Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Won Hae, who portray father and son respectively, extends far beyond the realms of their current roles. As eagle-eyed netizens delved into the actors' past projects, they unearthed a surprising truth: Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Won Hae had previously shared the screen as villains in the acclaimed series "Strong Woman." The duo, known for their impeccable performances, had portrayed antagonistic characters, adding a layer of complexity to their on-screen reunion in "Lovely Runner." The discovery sent waves of excitement and disbelief rippling across social media platforms, with fans expressing their astonishment at the unforeseen connection between the two actors. ... pic.twitter.com/3vO3PBMPZ5 (@chorock_green) May 14, 2024 NETIZENS' COMMENTS Here's what fans are saying: "I never would've imagined that Ryu Sunjae and Ryu Geun Deok were once adversaries in another drama! It just goes to show the depth of talent these actors possess." "The chemistry between Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Won Hae in 'Lovely Runner' is undeniable, but knowing they've shared the screen before adds a whole new dimension to their performances. It's like uncovering a hidden treasure!" 'Ah, this is fate lol.' What adds an extra layer of amusement to this revelation is the continuity in character names across the two dramas. Byeon Woo Seok's character in "Lovely Runner" bears the surname Ryu, mirroring his role as Ryu Shi Oh in "Strong Woman." This coincidence, or perhaps fate as some fans jest, has sparked a flurry of humorous observations online. "It's like the universe conspired to bring these characters together again," mused one fan, while another quipped, "Who knew that the name Ryu held such significance in the K-Drama universe? It's like a saga unfolding before our eyes!" Amidst the excitement surrounding the unfolding drama, tvN has announced a special treat for devoted fans. In a gesture of gratitude for their unwavering support, the network will be hosting a pop-up store in Seoul, offering exclusive merchandise and opportunities for fan meetups. Scheduled to take place from May 23 to May 29 at The Hyundai Seoul, the pop-up store promises to be a haven for enthusiasts eager to immerse themselves in the world of "Lovely Runner" and celebrate the captivating performances of its talented cast. For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars. KDramaStars owns this article. Written by Joana Cabigas. Wi Ha Joon dishes on his experience filming "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon" and the preparation he did for the role. As the South Korean heartthrob returns to the small screen, he reveals the unusual preparation he made to get immersed in a challenging role. Wi Ha Joon skyrocketed to fame after landing a lead role in the blockbuster Netflix K-drama "Squid Game." Since then, viewers have gotten to see more of the actor's portrayal in thriller and action series, which includes his role in "Bad and Crazy." In addition to this, he also played the villain role in "The Worst of Evil" alongside Ji Chang Wook. As Wi Ha Joon continues to showcase his flexibility in acting, his new drama, "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon," delves into heavy romance. Wi Ha Joon Reveals Different Preparation He Did for 'The Midnight Romance in Hagwon' During his appearance with Elle Korea together with co-star Jung Ryeo Won, Wi Ha Joon shared how he prepared for his role in "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon," considering that it's far different from his previous K-dramas. While others opt for beefing out and spending their time at the gym to be physically fit, he found himself listening to music. "To get immersed, I listened to emotional music that I didn't normally listen to and also referenced melodrama." Through this, he got to know more about his character and somehow unexpectedly showed changes in his lifestyle. "What's interesting is that the more I fell in love with Jun-ho, the more kind people around me became. My clothing style also changed, and my friends would ask me what was going on." In the TVN series, Wi Ha Joon played Lee Joon Ho. He is a former star student at the academy where Seo Hye Jin (Jung Ryeo Won) teaches. Apart from this, she was also Joon Ho's first love. Years later, he decides to quit his high-paying job and start his career as an instructor. Despite his parents opposing his decision about his career change, he felt the fulfillment that he was longing for through his drastic change. Besides learning to love his character, Wi Ha Joon revealed his good working relationship with Jung Ryeo Won. Wi Ha Joon on Working With Jung Ryeo Won in 'The Midnight Romance in Hagwon' When asked about his first impression of his co-star, the actor said she "was somehow cold and chic." "But when I got to know her, she was like a 'dog' and had a charm that made me want to make fun of her," the actor explained. Besides the duo, "The Midnight Romance in Hagwon" also featured So Ju Yeon as Joon Ho and Hye Jin's colleague, and Kim Jong Tae as the academy's director. Wi Ha Joon and Jung Ryeo Won's new drama premiered after "Queen of Tears," with broadcast dates every Saturday and Sunday via TVN, TVING, and Viki. For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars. KDramaStars owns this article Written by Geca Flores Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford attend an announcement at Seneca College in King City, Ont., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Ford has asked the federal government to put a pin in approving new sites that supply safe opioids. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Tony McFarr, the stuntman who has played a double for some of Hollywood's biggest stars, especially Chris Pratt, has passed on at the age of 47. He died on Monday, May 13, at his home just outside Orlando. His family doesn't know the exact circumstances of his death just yet. His mother, Donna, told TMZ he was active and healthy. The medical examiner's office is running toxicology tests on Tony's corpse. The Orange County Medical Examiner also confirmed that an official cause is still pending. Tony began his stunt career in the industry in an episode of the network television hit "Bones" back in 2011. He went on to perform stunts in well-known projects like "Homeland," "Teen Wolf," "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 1," "Furious 7," "Captain America: Civil War," "The Accountant," and "Allegiant" among many more films. McFarr developed a relationship with Pratt over time, first doubling as him in "Jurassic World" in 2015 and, he took on the job again in "Passengers," "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" ... where he suffered a nasty fall. Tony also showed off his acting chops over the year, racking up a few acting credits in shows like "Macgyver," "Burn Notice," and One Tree Hill. In more recent years, it seems Tony turned his attention to restaurant ownership, opening up a couple eateries down in Florida including Reel Bowls, a poke and salad stop with a film theme near Orlando. Tony is survived by his daughter, his sister, and his mom and dad. His family is getting together in the next few weeks for a celebration of his life. He'll be buried near his grandmother in Pennsylvania. Friday, May 17, 2024 - Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi has vehemently denied claims that the Head of State's camp is sponsoring Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro to position himself to be President William Ruto's running mate in 2027 and eventually take over in 2032. Speaking during an interview, Sudi stated that neither he nor Rutos close aide Farouk Kibet is funding Nyoros revolution against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Sudi distanced himself from Mt. Kenya politics, noting that leaders from the region should go about their activities without muddling others in their murky business. The Rutos right-hand man further reiterated that he and Gachagua were close and he could not envisage a scenario where he would undermine the country's second in command. In 2027 we do not have other plans, we are all speaking one language, Farouk and I are supporters of Gachagua, stated Sudi. Sudi also explained that it would be authoritarian and unfathomable to restrict Kenyan politicians on what to say and the areas that they can tour. When you see a politician securing an elective seat, more often than not, there is a solid reason behind the popularity. "All the people you have mentioned including Ndindi were present (when UDA was settling on a running mate in 2022), please do not restrict politicians from speaking or visiting certain areas, stated Sudi. Additionally, Sudi refuted claims that the Kenya Kwanza government was considering fielding a female candidate as presidential running mate in 2027. According to Sudi, when President Ruto made the remarks, he was referring to future elections and not 2027 as most people had come to believe. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17, 2024 Renowned Constitutional Lawyer Ekuru Aukot has dealt President William Ruto a severe blow in his bid to deploy Kenyas police to Haiti. This is after he sued Ruto for disobeying the court order barring him from deploying police to the war-torn Caribbean nation. In his petition yesterday, the lawyer accused the government of contempt, claiming the state contravened a court order issued in January stopping the deployment. According to Aukot, the government had already selected a contingent of 200 police officers who would travel to Haiti later this month. The lawyer thus urged the court to treat the petition as urgent since the government was planning to kick off the deployment on May 23. "The applicants are reliably informed that the impugned deployment may be done any time from now," Aukot claimed in his petition. Aukot further argued that the government intentionally breached the law by continuing with what he termed as illegal activities despite a pending court case. The Thirdway Alliance Party leader also claimed that Haiti had not written a formal request to Kenya for the deployment of its officers to quell the situation in the war-ravaged country. "There is no government in place in Haiti to give us such a request or sign a bilateral agreement with Kenya," Aukot noted. The move comes days after reports suggested that Kenya was planning to send the first batch of police officers to Haiti on May 23. The development is set to coincide with President William Rutos state visit to the United States in which the deployment will be among the focal points of discussion. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, May 16, 2024 - A 10-year-old boy with "big plans for the future" has taken his own life. Sammy Teusch, from Greenfield, Indiana, died by suicide on May 5 and, according to his family, he was being bullied up until the night he passed away. The boy had been bullied again and again at school over his teeth and his glasses, relatives said. Funeral services were held Wednesday, May 15, for the Indiana boy who loved to fish and had "the best smile," while his anguished parents struggled to understand why their child took his own life. Sammy was in the fourth grade at Greenfield Intermediate School and had been bullied by his classmates, according to his parents. He killed himself on May 5 in his bedroom, his family said. Sammy was remembered as a boy who "knew no stranger, meant no harm to anyone, never sat still, had the biggest heart along with the best smile," according to his online obituary. Sammy "had big plans for the future." Sam Teusch, the child's father, said he and his wife had contacted the school 20 times to report Sammy was being emotionally and physically bullied at school, and had recently been beaten up on a school bus and had his glasses broken. "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 Teusch told WTHR-TV. "They knew this was going on," the father told the station, referring to school officials. Greenfield-Central Community Schools has released a statement saying the district is investigating the death, along with the Greenfield Police Department. "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," the statement said. "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," the district said. "While the investigation continues, we are primarily focusing our resources on meeting the immediate needs of the students we serve in Greenfield-Central Schools," the statement concluded. Greenfield police also issued a statement, saying Sammy's death was under investigation. "Parents, now is the time to talk to your kids," police said. "There shouldnt be anything in their lives you dont know about. School, homework, sports, friends, every aspect of their lives. The more conversations you have about everyday life, the more comfortable they will be talking about the hard stuff," the police statement advised parents. Sammy's mother and father said the school should have done more to protect their son. His abuse went beyond school and showed up on social media, where classmates posted threats against him, his father told WTHR-TV. The messages were from students who wrote, "'I'm going to beat you up. I'm going to beat you up when you get to school,'" Sam Teusch told the station. The posts often said "mean things about his (mother), which would really, really set him off," the father said. It was Sam Teusch who discovered Sammy's body on a Sunday morning inside his son's bedroom. "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 dad said. A GoFundMe account has been established by the family to help with financial costs. As of Wednesday, donations had reached nearly $37,000, surpassing the fund's goal of $30,000. "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 campaign page said. "He unexpectedly ended his time here on earth, Sunday May 5th 2024, as a result of bullying." Thursday, May 16, 2024 - A teenager who went missing in 1998 was found alive over the weekend in the cellar of his alleged kidnappers home, just 300 feet from his familys residence in Algeria. Omar Bin Omran went missing on his way to vocational school about 26 years ago, according to Algerian media reports. Omar, now 45 and with a beard, was rescued Sunday, May 12, from the house of his captor. He was saved from the basement below his neighbors hay-covered floor in some sort of sheep pen, a video showing the confused-looking detainee posted on social media shows. His accused captor, a 61-year-old man who lived alone, was taken into custody, according to the Djelfa Attorney Generals Office. Investigators were reportedly tipped off by the victims family after the suspects brother suggested his sibling was involved in the kidnapping in a social media post while the pair were fighting over inheritance. The National Gendarmerie then re-opened the investigation and searched the mans home until they discovered a trapdoor hidden underneath hay on the floor. They found Omar behind the door, the prosecutors said. Omar was taken to a medical center for treatment both physical and psychological, while the unnamed suspect will go to trial for the heinous crime, the attorney generals office said. The teens alleged abductor has also been accused of killing his dog seen in photos with him the year he went missing, according to Algerian news reports. The dog lingered around the suspects home for a whole month after Omar disappeared. Shortly after, the dogs body was left in front of Omars familys home and was believed to have been poisoned. Sadly, Omars mother, who never stopped looking for her missing son one of her nine children died in 2013, his uncle told Algerian media. While other family members believed he was killed during the countrys civil war during the 1990s and early 2000s, his mother felt in her heart that he was still alive. Her last wish was; Please, do not stop searching for Omar. I am sure he is still alive, according to the reports. The victim reportedly told family members that he would sometimes see them walking by through a window in his abductors home, but was unable to speak or call out to them like he was under some kind of spell, according to Algerian news articles. Friday, May 17, 2024 - Residents of Nakuru are living in fear as marauding gangs terrorize them while armed with guns and other crude weapons. On Wednesday night, a gang of 6 was captured on CCTV installed in a nearby building attacking and robbing a man at Kiamunyi area. The victim was walking home at night while carrying a bag when he was accosted by the notorious gang believed to be behind a spate of armed robberies in the area. The ruthless gang members, some of whom disguised themselves as boda boda riders, ordered him to sit down and ransacked his pockets looking for valuables. They also ordered him to open his bag and ransacked it. They then left in motorbikes after the robbery mission. Watch the CCTV footage. Incidents of insecurity seem to be on the rise in Nakuru and residents are increasingly feeling unsafe in their own neighborhoods. This was captured in Kiamunyi area on Wednesday night. pic.twitter.com/RHWOj5NPPJ Cyprian, Is Nyakundi (@C_NyaKundiH) May 17, 2024 The Kenyan DAILY POST. Friday, May 17, 2024 - A section of coast leaders has blasted Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for advocating for the one-man, one-vote, one-shilling idea. Speaking in Embu County last weekend, Gachagua said he is pushing the idea after realizing that the Mt Kenya region was not getting a fair share of national resources. However, speaking during the unveiling of a joint campaign team at the UDA grassroots command center, Nyali, on Thursday, East African Legislative Assembly member Hassan Omar, urged the deputy president to abandon the proposal, citing concerns that it could incite hostility within the country. "I want to tell the deputy president this with a lot of respect. Drop this proposal of one man one shilling. "It will bring a lot of hostility to the country," said Omar. Voicing his frustrations, Omar emphasized that he was one of those who advocated for devolution to ensure equitable resource allocation across all regions. "If you start fighting for one man one shilling, what will happen to regions with 20 million people? "This country is governed by a constitutional framework. "We fought for the Constitution to ensure equality nationwide," he added. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17, 2024 - Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Muthoni Passaris has shared her thoughts about the Finance Bill, 2024 which has attracted a lot of criticism from Kenyans. The Bill, sponsored by the Treasury, has introduced a raft of taxes, including bread tax, boda boda tax, Mpesa tax, and bank transaction tax, among other taxes. However, giving her views on Thursday, Passaris, who was elected on the Orange Democratic Movement party ticket, said she wants the 5 percent withholding tax on the interest income earned from infrastructure bonds increased to 20 percent. This, she argued, will punish banks, Saccos, and Pension Funds and deter them from investing all money in the government's infrastructure bonds at the expense of doing business with common Kenyans and the private sector. "In my opinion, the proposed 5% withholding tax on the interest income earned from infrastructure bonds should be increased to 20% to completely bar commercial banks, pension funds, and Saccos from lending to the government. "They ought to concentrate on businesses, not the government," she stated. While defending Finance Bill 2024, Passaris explained that the country had pending bills which are suffocating counties. "Now is the time to seriously tighten the belt and show it by action. "No-go zones are; the health, education and security sectors. "Healthy and skilled people in a secure environment are more productive. "A healthy nation is a wealthy nation," she said. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, May 16, 2024 - A teen who started college at the age of 10 earned a doctorate degree at 17 Dorothy Jean Tillman IIs participated in Arizona State Universitys commencement on May 6. It was the latest step on a higher-education journey the Chicago teen started when she took her first college course at age 10. In between she earned associates, bachelors and masters degrees. When Tillman successfully defended her dissertation in December, 2023, she became the youngest person at age 17 to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health at Arizona State, associate professor Leslie Manson told ABCs Good Morning America for a story Monday. Its a wonderful celebration, and we hope ... that Dorothy Jean inspires more students, Manson said. But this is still something so rare and unique. Tillman, called Dorothy Jeanius by family and friends, is the granddaughter of former Chicago Alderwoman Dorothy Tillman. When most students are just learning to navigate middle school, her mother enrolled Tillman in classes through the College of Lake County in northern Illinois, where she majored in psychology and completed her associates degree in 2016, according to her biography. Tillman earned a bachelors in humanities from New Yorks Excelsior College in 2018. About two years later, she earned her masters of science from Unity College in Maine before being accepted in 2021 into Arizona States Behavioral Health Management Program. Most of her classwork was done remotely and online. Tillman attended her Arizona State commencement in person and addressed the graduating class during the ceremony. Tillman told The Associated Press on Tuesday, May 14, that she credits her grandmother and trusting in her mothers guidance for her educational pursuits and successes. 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, now 18. Friday, May 17, 2024 - A hate crime planned and financed by a Kenyan living in the diaspora has now been moved from Thika Law Courts to Kiambu High Court. On diverse dates, Patrick Mutugu (currently hiding in the USA) sent money to Margaret (Girlfriend) and Edwin (Nephew) to hire hitmen to cause harm to a business lady in Juja named Dorothy. They trailed Dorothy as she left her work assignment in Kabati, Muranga, waited until she had a meal along Kenyatta Road, and then trailed her as she left for her home in Juja, Kiambu County. They rammed into her car from the rear and it was when she opened the door to assess the damage that Simon Mbua doused her with corrosive liquid acid, causing severe burns and loss of eyesight. In total, Patrick Mutugu wired over Kshs. 2m. The 4th accused said to be his girlfriend was arrested at her hideout in Kirinyaga County on Monday this week. Impeccable investigations by the DCI Juja Police Station team saw four (4) suspects apprehended with the case initially heard at the Thika Law Courts. The accused were represented by lawyer Danstan Omari, who had managed to secure the release of the 3rd and the 6th accused on amended bail terms of Kshs. 500,000 each, but the DCI Kenya homicide team and the Director of Public Prosecution office moved swiftly to the High Court in Kiambu, which set aside the ruling from Thika. The suspects appeared before a Kiambu magistrate today who ordered that they be held at Industrial Area and Langata Womens Prison respectively. The 4th accused requested 3 working days to get counsel and her prayer was granted. The prosecution team will seek Interpol's assistance to apprehend the main suspect Patrick Mutugu for extradition to Kenya. He owns a company called Caring Home Services in Indiana USA. He also works at Grant Blackford Mental Health in Marion City Indiana. Below are photos of the financier. The Kenyan DAILY POST. Friday, May 17, 2024 - Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has said he will attend the Limuru III conference at Jumuia Centre in Limuru. The conference is organized by Narc Kenya chairperson Martha Karua and former Ndarawgwa Member of Parliament Jeremiah Kioni. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungwah are among Mt Kenya leaders who've opposed the meeting. But Kuria argued that he is among the few leaders who have attended the Limuru meetings that have shaped Mt Kenya politics in the past. "I am the only common thread between Limuru I, II, and III; you are talking about a period of 15 years between Limuru I and now," he stated. Kuria further pointed out that most of those at the meeting will be concerned about revenue allocation to the populous region. The CS observed that it would be questionable for him, a senior government official, to be among those complaining at the meeting. "It is a legitimate question and I think the bulk of the people who'll be at Limuru III will be justified to talk about one man, one vote, one shilling. "What I cannot understand is people like me crying with them, yet I am a cabinet minister," he added. The Kenyan DAILY POST Wednesday, May 17, 2024 - An outspoken Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party lawmaker has vowed to oppose the passing of Finance Bill, 2024 which has introduced a raft of taxes on suffering Kenyans. In a statement on his social media page, Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi stated that he would be fighting for Kenyans on condition that they vote President William Ruto out in 2027. "Dear taxpayers, I am going to fight for you one more time, against the most punitive draconian, almost satanic finance bill in history since the 1648 peace of Westphalia that birthed sovereignty. "But I want voters to promise me one thing come 2027 when Ruto revises his #Taxes and his many unpopular policies for the sake of re-elections you will not forget, you won't forget, that you will not forgive and forget. "Please, Kenyans, promise me! Kenya needs a Renaissance!" Amisi said. Amisi's remarks come shortly after Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino called on citizens to protest against the proposed taxes. The legislator remarked that the proposed taxes are likely to burden citizens who are already struggling to survive the lean times. He added that the tax increases are escalating expenses without matching the income of the citizens. "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 to 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 said. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17, 2024 - Lang'ata Member of Parliament Phelix Adiwour alias Jalang'o has revealed fascinating insights into his association with President William Ruto and veteran opposition leader, Raila Odinga. In an interview with Radio Jambo, Jalango, who has of late been working with Ruto despite being elected on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, revealed intriguing details of his association with Ruto. Jalang'o disclosed that William Ruto is a devout Christian, emphasizing the President's commitment to prioritizing God in all aspects of his life. " He also loves tea. When you sit with him in the evening, especially when we travel outside the county, for instance, at Kisumu State House, he has a bonfire set up, and all we do is drink tea," Jalang'o said. On his association with Raila Odinga, Jalango described Baba as an exceptionally nice individual, highlighting his incomprehensible levels of humility. " He's a very forgiving person and doesn't harbour any grudges against others. After work, Baba and I have lots of fun," he said. Jalang'o affirmed that being in Raila's company is a highly enjoyable experience, emphasizing the consistent enjoyment he finds in his presence. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17, 2024 Kenyan police officers are terrified to death after video footage released yesterday showed how guns manufactured in the United States were being smuggled into Haiti. Coincidentally, this happens just a week before Kenya deploys police officers to the troubled Caribbean nation According to the international media CNN, the guns are smuggled through the Central Plateau, which had been for years used as a drug smuggling route. The guns are then transferred through Haitis mountainous and hard-to-reach rural areas before finding their way into the capital Port-au-Prince. For a country that is struggling to feed its nation or provide medical supplies, the video footage showed that the guns arrive in the plateau through Cessna planes. One gang leader, Vita Lom Innocent, even confessed on camera that it was easier to import guns than food and basic supplies. The Cessnas land in the dark of the night and under the radar to avoid detection by Haitian security forces. Some of the guns are also smuggled across the land border or by sea from the United States. Innocent refused to confirm his US contacts by stating, I do not go to the US, I cannot accuse the US to say weapons come from there. While he remained cagey, experts analyzed the weapons and confirmed without unreasonable doubt that they had been manufactured in the US. Due to the plentiful of guns and ammo in Haiti, 80 per cent of Port-au-Prince is now controlled by the gangs. Once Kenyan police land in Haiti, they will come into face with 5 million hungry Haitian citizens who are being terrorized by multiple gangs with sophisticated weapons. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17,2024 - Public Service Performance and Delivery Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has castigated Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua after he summoned Narc Kenya chairperson Martha Karua and former Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni for organising the Limuru III conference. Karua and Kioni, both aligned with the Azimio La Umoja Coalition Party, called the publicized conference to deliberate on the issues bedeviling the Mt Kenya region. Before the third convention, dubbed Limuru III, which would be held today, Gachagua asked the conveners to seek an audience with him, arguing that he is Mt Kenya's senior-most leader, by virtue of being the country's second in command. Gachagua suggested that such major political undertakings in the region could not go on without his blessing. "A good idea has room to become a better one, which must give room to the best one. "Let my sister Martha come and Kioni come. Instead of coming to disturb the people of Limuru when we are having floods and many challenges, we have an office. "There is a senior leader from the mountain at the level of the deputy president. "This region is, therefore, well accommodated in government, and there is an avenue for us to listen to them. My doors are open," Gachagua previously said. However, speaking on Thursday, Kuria differed with Gachagua, saying all leaders in the region are capable of charting the community's course without having to be subordinate to others. While acknowledging that Gachagua was his senior and boss, Kuria argued that he (Gachagua) erred in inviting Karua and Kioni to dialogue in light of their resolve to hold the Limuru meetings. "He is my boss, but I don't agree with him. "We were elected by our people to solve our issues. "If Martha Karua or Kioni call me to their houses I will go, with respect. "They don't have to come to me. Solutions for this country have no forwarding address, so we take them to someone. "This country has many challenges and we will need all of us. "You can't tell me that when I have a problem I come and see you, who are you," Kuria stated. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17, 2024 Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has ignited debate after he proposed the collapse of East African Countries to form one big country. Speaking from State House Nairobi, Museveni noted that the unification of East African states into a federation would enhance relations among nations in the region. He emphasized the necessity of strategic security in an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape. Reflecting on historical missed opportunities, Museveni lamented the failure to establish the East African Federation in 1963, suggesting that decades of progress have been forfeited as a consequence. "If we had formed the East Africa Federation in 1963, many of the problems that we have now would have been avoided," Museveni remarked, citing instances such as the reign of Idi Amin Dada in Uganda and the genocide in Rwanda. "Our agenda is to create one government of East Africa," he stated. The longest-serving President among EAC Heads of State, stressed the need for the East African Community (EAC) to fulfill its objective of establishing a single sovereign state, arguing that such consolidation is essential for the protection and prosperity of the region's populace. Many have viewed the call to collapse the East African states as a pet project of Museveni. "Apart from economic integration for prosperity, we need to address the issue of security. The only way we can do it is through political integration. "In the case of East Africa, our main target is one authority, one government for East Africa.," Museveni asserted, highlighting the intertwined nature of economic and political integration. However, skepticism persists regarding the feasibility and motivations behind the federation, with concerns raised over Museveni's perceived ambition to assume leadership post-retirement. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, May 16, 2024 - Amid resignations and allegations made against the Miss USA organization in the last two weeks, Miss Hawaii USA Savannah Gankiewicz, who was originally the first runner-up at the 2023 Miss USA pageant has stepped up to be crowned Miss USA. 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 organization that I hold dear to my heart, said the 28-year-old, who was crowned by the governor of Hawaii, Josh Green at a ceremony in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday, May 15. 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. 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 said addressing a crowd in a hotel in Waikiki, a small aquarium in the background. Gankiewicz has taken over the title from Noelia Voigt, who surprisingly gave up her crown earlier this month. Voigt (pictured below with Miss Teen USA) cited mental health as her reason for stepping down, but her resignation letter to the Miss Universe organization, in her resignation letter she accused CEO Laylah Rose, of actively building a culture of fear and control. Among her claims, she wrote that Miss USA management often failed to provide her with travel accommodations or an effective handler, the latter leading to an instance where Voigt says she was sexually harassed during a Christmas parade event in Sarasota, Florida, while alone with an unnamed person in a car. Two days after Voigts resignation, Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava relinquished her title as well, writing on Instagram that her values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization. Friday, May 17, 2024 - Retail and e-commerce company, Copia Kenya, has issued a warning to its employees about potential job cuts and a complete shutdown due to ongoing financial difficulties. A one-month formal notice period for potential redundancies was issued in accordance with Section 40 (I) (b) of the Employment Act, 2007, during a company meeting held on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. During this time, there will be consultations with affected staff to discuss the changes. Labour Office will also be informed as required by law. The company has been suffering some financial constraints for some time. Despite our best efforts to navigate this challenge, we find ourselves in a position where we must consider a far-reaching organizational re-structuring to ensure the sustainability of our operations, the memo read in part. Copia has warned that approximately 1,060 roles could be eliminated, with affected employees receiving one months notice as mandated by Kenyan labor laws. A lot of companies have been shutting down and exiting the Kenya market due to punitive taxes introduced by President William Ruto. This has led to massive job losses. Below is a memo that was sent to Copia Kenya staff. The Kenyan DAILY POST. Friday, May 17,2024 - Narc Kenya chairperson Martha Karua has responded to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who had invited her for dialogue to address issues affecting Mt Kenya residents. Last week, Gachagua invited Karua and former Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni for dialogue to discuss issues bedeviling the Mt Kenya region. Gachagua observed that he was the most senior leader in the region and that the two politicians should dialogue with him. The deputy president's remarks came amidst plans for Limuru III, where the community is expected to chart its political future. "Let them come and talk to me. I am the senior leader in this region. My doors are open. "Let my sister Martha Karua come. Let my brother Jeremiah Kioni come. "You know I mean well for this region and I am the best person to talk to any time any day," said Gachagua. Speaking to journalists, Karua stated that she hadn't received an invitation and added that she doesn't take what she described as marketplace invitations, urging the DP to invite her directly. "Invite me directly not in the market place especially if it's a person-to-person talk. I have not received any invitation and I repeat I don't take a marketplace invitation," Karua said. Read more: The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17, 2024 - Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has blasted National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula after he attacked MPs opposing the proposed Finance Bill 2024 in public. In a statement yesterday, Sifuna accused Speaker Wetangula of being hypocritical on the Finance Bill. Wetangula thinks we are all fools. I have heard him on several occasions say he will not allow legislation that is against our African values especially when speaking at Catholic events. "Now he is pretending to be powerless. Secondly, he reminds us at every turn that he is a Principal in KK and 3rd in command, Sifuna stated. At the same time, Sifuna accused Wetangula of participating in the writing of the controversial Finance Bill, 2024 which seeks to burden Kenyans. We know he participated in writing the Finance Bill 2024. Lastly, he is still the Party Leader of Ford Kenya. "All his MPs voted for the punitive taxes last year and I know for a fact that is the same instruction he has given them this year, Sifuna added. Wetangula had blasted Azimio MPs and asked them to stop discrediting the Finance Bill, 2024 in public gatherings, noting that they are responsible for crafting and passing the budget through parliamentary committees. The National Assembly Speaker told the MPs to save the public agony and sit in parliament and do what is right for the people of Kenya. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, May 16, 2024 - A teenager upset over his upbringing tried to kill his parents hours after Mothers Day ended and was disappointed to learn they both survived the sick attack he had allegedly been planning for years. Jeremiah Estel Blair, 19, allegedly shot his parents inside their home in Chandler, about 20 miles from Phoenix, Monday morning, May 13, police said. The pair were rushed to the hospital, where they were treated for their wounds. The teen was arrested without incident at the scene and he quickly admitted to the shooting, courts documents obtained by Fox 10 alleged. He also whined about his childhood. [Blair] reported being upset over his upbringing and he felt he was not treated as he should have been as a child, Chandler police detectives wrote. [Blair] stated he had been planning for years to kill [the victims]. His initial plan was to carry out the shooting on Mothers Day, but instead waited hours later, court documents stated. When Blairs father came downstairs around 5:30 a.m., his son was waiting with a gun and video camera to record the shooting, AZ Family reported. He told his father about this day coming before he shot him in the forearm, court documents outlined, according to the Arizona Republic. Blairs father ran back to the bedroom, but his mother came out of the room to see what was happening and was shot in the chest, the outlet reported. While he knew in the immediate aftermath of the shooting his father was likely going to live, he was happy when he thought his mother was going to die, the court documents alleged. Defendant showed remorse for the fact that his parents will live, court documents stated. Defendant knew [his] actions [were] wrong, but still attempted to shoot and kill his parents. Blair is facing two counts of first-degree attempted murder, cops said. He remains in custody. Friday, May 17, 2024 - National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula indirectly begged Raila Odingas Azimio to save Kenyans from President William Rutos draconian Finance Bill, 2024. Speaking at a funeral service in Bungoma County, Wetangula challenged Azimio MPs to contest the Finance Bill, 2024 in Parliament instead of complaining to Kenyans in public forums. He castigated politicians for using such forums to air their opinions instead of operating in the best interests of Kenyans. The Speaker opined that the legislators had the power to ensure that Kenyans were well represented by how they vote on the floor of the house. He further challenged MPs to avoid debating the bill in such forums, without harbouring any intentions of taking any action on the same. I am asking our MPs to save the public from the agony of crying that the Finance Bill, 2024 is bad. You are the ones who pass bills. Come to Parliament and do the right thing for the people of Kenya, stated Wetangula Wetangula also noted that the MPs are the drafters of the bill through the Budget Committee arguing that unlike Kenyans, they have a forum where they can get their voices heard. The people of Kenya are dependent on you because they elected you, Wetangula stated. Wetangulas sentiments came at a time when the provisions of the Finance Bill, 2024 had attracted criticism from Kenyans across the board over the proposed increase in multiple sets of taxes. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17, 2024 - Controversial lawyer, Miguna Miguna, has exposed how Safaricom Company Ltd has been stealing internet bundles from unsuspecting Kenyans. In a rant on X (formerly Twitter)on Friday, Miguna wondered why a package meant to last through a week would run out two days after purchase. The General said the sudden depletion was akin to robbery, calling out the telecommunication giant for a supposed fraud. The package in question was a weekly 3.5 gigabytes package. "This is daylight robbery. I purchased bundles yesterday. Safaricom told me they would expire on May 23rd. "However, this morning, they suddenly sent a message stating that they expire on May 18th, and I have barely used them. This is unacceptable!" Miguna lamented. Miguna is not the first Kenyan to complain about Safaricom stealing internet bundles. Many Kenyans accuse the giant Telco of stealing bundles but the company has not been offering concrete reasons for why some bundles are depleted fast. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17, 2024 - President William Ruto pitched for Raila Odinga yesterday in his bid for the African Union Commission Chairmanship amid stiff competition from our neighbors. Speaking during a two-day visit of President Yoweri Museveni to Kenya, Ruto reaffirmed his belief in Raila as a perfectly suited candidate for the African Union Chairmanship He stated that he was appreciative of Ugandas support for Railas candidature. I have expressed to President Museveni and the people of Uganda the appreciation of Kenyans from all walks of life for Uganda's endorsement of the Kenyan candidate for the position of AUC Chairperson and I assured him of our full confidence that Raila will deliver effective leadership at the commission, stated Ruto. While the President has continued to drum up support for Railas candidature, competition for the AUs top seat has continued to intensify. This is after Seychelles fronted a new candidate for the position endorsing Vincent Meriton, their former Vice President and former Foreign Affairs Minister, for the job. In the same race, Djibouti and Somalia have also fronted candidates that have posed hurdles for Kenyas opposition leaders bid. The Kenyan DAILY POST Friday, May 17, 2024 Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is on the receiving end from his own Kenya Kwanza faction over his support for one-man, one-shilling, one-vote for Mt. Kenya region. Speaking during an event in Nyali, EALA Member of Parliament Hassan Omar blasted Gachagua over his call for the one man, one shilling formulae for resource allocation, saying his campaign might cost William Ruto the presidency. Omar expressed that the campaign would cause division among Kenyans. He explained that the move would disgruntle a large population of Kenyans given that some regions had been sidelined by previous governments. Omar added that the DP needed to support the constitution which created equality for many underdeveloped communities. "We have a constitution and we fought for it as it brought us social justice. Those who had plenty in the past now have to leave it for others too. Some communities have suffered for a long time. "For so many years, our people did not have roads and money to go to school. Now that they are getting out, what is the problem?" he posed. Further, he noted that it would be wise for elected leaders across the country to be consulted before such pronouncements are made. "I will say this will have a lot of respect for the DP. This talk of one vote, one shilling leave it alone. It will bring us a lot of problems in the country. "Whenever the president and the DP want to push for something, let them ask us because we also represent these communities," he stated. Gachagua has been the centre of debate in recent days following his push for the one-man, one-vote, one-shilling model that was proposed in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI). The DP's remarks have not sat well with a section of leaders from UDA who expressed that the formulae would segregate parts of the country. The Kenyan DAILY POST Nation Media Group-Uganda (NMG-U) in partnership with the Uganda Aids Commission has today joined in paying tribute departed loved ones lost to HIV and AIDS. This comes amid growing concern about the rising HIV infection rates especially among adolescents. This is in commemoration of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, which takes place on the third Sunday of May, and this year it falls on May 19. Speaking at the event held at the Monitor Publications offices here in Namuwongo, NMG-U Human Resource Manager Alice Nankya said it is meant to raise awareness about stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/Aids. It is important that organization come up with policies of discrimination against HIV/AIDS and also not just coming up with them but also sensitizing staff about the policies and ensuring that they are implemented at the end of the day. Ms. Nankya said. Meanwhile the NMG-U Company Secretary Timothy Ntale says the companys staffs join in commemorating the Candlelight Memorial Day to encourage local communities to take on health literacy and adapt HIV preventive practices. You know we are a media house and we are doing what we know best and that is to raise awareness, so we are doing our beat we hope that the decision makers, policy makers will also do their beat, all we want to do is to first of all remember people that have been affected by HIV/AIDS and also to just keep the matter for the decision makers to take It up and do what they are supposed to do. Mr Ntale said. The national commemorative event for the International Candlelight Memorial Day is currently underway in Hoima City under the theme; Ending AIDS by 2030; Keeping Communities at the Centre. The Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group has cautioned the government over the possibility of increasing the tax burden on the already over stretched Ugandans. This comes a day after Parliaments Budget Committee tabled a revised proposal of the Financial Year 2024/25 national budget by a whooping Sh 13Tn to take care of recurrent expenditure and development projects. Speaking to KFM, Julius Mukunda, the Executive Director CSBAG says Uganda has no capacity to internally raise the over 70 Trillion Shillings. They are two biggest challenges that this project will face number one is that we do not have the capacity to raise this money internally here in our economy and secondly even if they get this money can the put it in the budget on time. Mukunda said. Kilkenny is gearing up for the Marble City Music Festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday, May 17-19 and there is truly something for everyone. It all takes place in the glorious setting of St Marys Cathedral on James Street. Violin, piano, soprano, pan-flute, harp and more are some of the instruments and voices attendees can expect to look forward to. With the last available tickets starting at just 15, do not miss out on this opportunity to hear musicians performing some of the music you love best in one of Kilkennys most beautiful buildings. Do you love films? There will be an opportunity to hear a world class violinist (Patrick Rafter) with piano (Billy OBrien), harp (Claire ODonnell) and pan-flute (Julian Pusca) performing some of the greatest movie themes, including The Godfather, James Bond, The Wizard of Oz, Out of Africa and many more. Lovers of classical music are in for a treat as violinist Rafter, one of Irelands most renowned classical musicians, joins forces with Michael McHale, again one of Irelands most respected musicians, for an incredible programme to include the Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams, Cesar Francks Sonata in A for violin and piano, some Chopin and more. Disney Spectacular People of all ages and tastes will adore this magical display of all the greatest themes from Cinderella, Frozen, Tangled, Hercules, ToyStory and more. Megan Walsh, formerly of Celtic Women, takes the lead in this dazzling and magical lineup of songs that you all know. On stage will be Megan joined by Patrick Rafter, harpist Claire ODonnell, and pianist Billy OBrien. Follow the festival on Instagram and Facebook to see some videos of all the performers. Keep an eye out for prizes and free tickets also! Marble City Music Festivals Artistic Director, Patrick Rafter, is a proud Kilkenny man and he aims to spread a love of live classical music in his home city. Whether youve never been to a classical music concert before, or whether youre a seasoned music aficionado theres joy to be experienced in each one of the festivals concerts, he told the Kilkenny People. Come and see for yourself. I can personally guarantee that you will have a wonderful time and feel truly welcomed and overjoyed by the music! TICKETS Book your tickets at www.marblecitymusicfestival.com. The Irish premier has expressed deep concern to the Israeli president about the potential for catastrophe in Rafah. Taoiseach Simon Harris spoke by phone with president Isaac Herzog on Friday. Mr Harris set out the Irish Governments position on Gaza clearly, including a desire to see an immediate ceasefire as well as urgent and unhindered access for humanitarian aid. In a statement, the Government said: He expressed deep concern about the potential for catastrophe in Rafah. The Taoiseach expressed the view that peace and security for Israel and Palestine can only be built on a two-state solution. He also outlined Irelands intention to recognise the State of Palestine. The Taoiseach made clear Irelands abhorrence of Hamas and Irelands support for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. Ireland is aiming to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of the month. Irish and Spanish officials have been in discussions with other European countries about making a joint recognition of the state of Palestine. A couple of weeks ago Michael Duggan, endearingly known by others as Mike or Mick, celebrated an incredible birthday with his immediate family - he had just passed his 90th year. I met him in the beautiful home he shares with his wife Trudy on the edge of the village of Glenmore just off the Glenmore Bypass. BH: Tell me about your early days in Glenmore. We lived on a small holding on the edge of the village. I had three brothers and two sisters. I went to school in Ballyfassy and hated every minute of it. One of the great memories I had was of German bombers circling Glenmore and then dropping bombs on Campile. It was the first time I had ever seen an airplane; in fact, I would say that nobody in our village had seen a plane in reality. The stories lads were telling in school and around the village were unbelievable. Some would have you believe that they were standing under the bombs as they fell and exploded. Not to be outdone, other lads would try to convince you that they saw the pilot. Given Irelands declaration of neutrality, the incident got press coverage, apparently all over the World. The story was that the German bombers mistook Dublin for their intended target of Belfast and decided to return home after dropping some bombs on Dublin. They realised apparently that they would not have sufficient fuel to get back as some of them were still carrying their bombs so, staying as far removed from the British mainland, they flew down over the Irish coastline and dropped what bombs they still had on board before turning homewards over the Atlantic. When did you start working and where? I went to New Ross technical school for a few years. I got a job in the New Ross Steel Company who made all sorts of commodities like cement mixers, pots and pans, gates. My brother and I started up our own garage called Duggan Bros when I left the Steel Company. I am aware that you went to America a couple of times, came back and went again. How did that saga materialise? One day in the garage an American tourist with Irish connections came in and asked me to have a look at his car. He had already tried four garages to solve the fuel feed to the engine. I unscrewed the carburettor and found an insect like a flea. Job OK. When the American returned, he was thrilled with my solution. He had a very big oil burner business in America, with a big number of oil tankers and service trucks. The following year, he returned to Ireland and came looking for me. We had dinner in the Granville Hotel and he asked me about going to America - the upshot was that I told him I would chance it. He made all the arrangements, which were fairly demanding, but I bit the bullet and went over in 1960. Two years later I got married. I never regretted one moment of my decision. I loved the place. Did you get involved with the Irish diaspora quickly? No, I didnt for the simple reason that I was living in Long Beach Long Island which was about 40 miles from New York City. Life was great. I was making great money, and I got married two years after arriving in America. You wouldnt believe it, but I married a girl from down the road. We had two boys they are the lads that are running Duggan Bros Transport over there (pointing to their garage/transport depot opposite Micks house). As good as things sounded, and given that you regularly visited Ireland, the lure of home convinced you to come back with your wife and three boys - Dick, Kevin and Michael jnr. My brother was running the Garage, so we hooked up again, and life returned to normal, so to speak. But that scenario only lasted 14 years. You had your daughter, Helen, on returning, but your Slieverue wife Caith (nee Grant) passed away after a battle with cancer. We were shattered. To be honest, but for my sister-in-law Statia Grant we would not have survived. God rest the great woman but she was a miller. She came up every day, cooked and worked around the house for years. And then I met and married Trudy in 1980. Trudy is a Carlow woman from Ballon, and brought a special quality into all of our lives. The garage was going great. My two lads were now running the business. They added a string to their bow by starting a haulage business. That developed into Duggan Bros Transport, and to the present day you can find their trucks driving on every road in the country. That surely must give you a tremendous sense of pride. Of course, it does. They are tremendous lads. Both Trudy and I and the rest of our family are truly proud of what they have achieved. You went back to America regularly, every year. With Trudy, Kevin and Helen, they went in 1986. The kids were only 13 and 14 respectively. Did you work? I went straight into my old job, and we stayed until 1999 before coming back to Glenmore. Mick you had a tremendous interest in the GAA and, in particular, hurling. I did. I still kept in touch with the GAA all of my time in the States, the highlight of course for me being a Glenmore man was the winning of the All-Ireland club final in 1991. That was so special for me given where I was living. I flew home for that final. The celebrations were unbelievable. I mean, we were only a small club having come up from the junior ranks and ended up beating a big Limerick club (Patrickswell) by 1-13 to 0-12. Being from Glenmore of course interest in hurling was unavoidable, Mick. Ah sure I was playing it from the time I took my first steps. I grew up with lads who knew nothing else. Many of them have passed on, but some are still around. I would have fond everlasting memories of lads like Pat and George OConnor, Mickie, Paul and Billy Fitz, John OShea and Mickie Barron and more. I played in New York too. Since I have finally come home Im very much involved with the club (Mick had just finished cutting the grass on the clubs three hurling pitches when we met). I remember in 1969 we had the Kilkenny team out to the house for a barbecue. There were over 30 players and Paddy Grace and Nickey Purcell out on the lawn. A big crowd of Kilkenny people came out to Long Island from New York to meet and greet Henderson, Keher, Skehan, Cummins, Treacy, Paddy Grace and Fr Maher. Mick, you have enjoyed a great life, great health, and have a wealth of brilliant memories. You have met setbacks full on and came home in front. If it was all to finish in the morning, you surely could have no regrets. I wouldnt change one minute of it. I was lucky in many ways. I have enjoyed great health, and my family has grown up around me with little or no problems that couldnt be solved. We had a terrific birthday celebration surrounded by 26 of my family, including the first great grandchild, Lotty Mae. I go to every match around the county and I follow my county to the four corners, driving no problem. And, with the help of God, Ill be in Croke Park again this year with the black and amber. Stuff reports: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and French President Emmanuel Macron have announced a new non-governmental organisation, the Christchurch Call Foundation, to coordinate the Christchurch Calls work to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. Jacinda Ardern will remain part of the initiative, as Patron of the Call. New Zealand taxpayer funding for the Christchurch Call will end on June 30, as support functions transfer to the new Secretariat, funded by the new Foundation. The new Secretariat will be up and running under the Foundation from July 1. The Christchurch Call Foundation has already attracted pledges from members of the Call Community and philanthropic donors. Auburn, IN (46706) Today Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 73F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly late. Low 53F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Seoul, South Korea - Recently, during a livestream on Weverse to celebrate ILLIT's 50th day since debut, member Wonhee was seen reporting hate comments herself, drawing significant sympathy from fans. However, this incident has ignited a wave of speculation among netizens, who believe it to be a strategic move by HYBE Corporation to gain "sympathy points" amid ongoing criticism of the group. During the livestream, Wonhee appeared visibly distressed as she read and reported hate comments directed at her and the group. Fans initially praised her bravery, but scrutiny quickly followed. Observant viewers noted that Wonhee frequently glanced off-screen, seemingly at staff members. Shortly after, she was handed a phone, making her the only member to have one, while the others used tablets. Im so sad #WONHEE Was reporting the bad comments in the Weverse Live, shes only 16 years old, the girls dont deserve to suffer hate They are so sweet with everyone and just wanna be happy and successful # #ILLIT # pic.twitter.com/vnk8OkA6Xv illitxlove (@illitxlove) May 14, 2024 In previous livestreams, Wonhee had always used a tablet alongside her group members, even when positioned at the edge of the group. This detail, combined with the unusual timing of the livestream, has fueled suspicions. Whats Belift doing? Just chilling in the corner? Why are the artists the ones reporting during their own live?? May 14, 2024 Traditionally, K-pop groups celebrate their milestones with livestreams on significant anniversaries such as the 100th day, making the 50th-day celebration seem out of the ordinary. illit 50th rak April 15, 2024 Given the context, many believe this was a deliberate attempt by HYBE to manipulate public perception and garner sympathy for ILLIT, which has been embroiled in controversy over alleged similarities to another HYBE group, NewJeans. READ MORE: K-Netz Express Dissatisfaction About ILLIT Wonhee Being Visuals of Group: 'She's Not Ugly But' The online community has been vocal about their doubts, with various comments expressing skepticism about the authenticity of the situation HERE ARE SOME OF THE NETIZENS' COMMENTS: "Why are they handing her a phone out of nowhere? With everything that has been going on, they totally did it intentionally." "I feel really sorry for the member, to be forced to read hate comments just for the company's media play scheme." "HYBE is really trash..." "This is so obviously staged. The member was so young and could not act but had to do what was told." "Shouldn't they protect the artists by not letting them come on live at a sensitive time like this? They want sympathy points so bad." Despite the backlash, some fans continue to support ILLIT and emphasize the importance of addressing hate comments. They didn't deserve all of this :( I can't figure out why those who dislike them keep tuning in to their content.. It's pretty clear the only intention is to spread hate. Like if it's not your cup of tea, simply just don't drink the tea. Marseagate (@Marseagate) May 14, 2024 However, the controversy highlights ongoing concerns about the pressures and potential exploitation faced by K-pop idols, particularly young and newly debuted artists. I don't even stan them but i feel so bad they just debuted after the survival show and they're getting treated by kpop stans like this stay strong illit veomgyu (@vinterim_) May 14, 2024 As the debate rages on, the impact on ILLIT's reputation remains to be seen. Fans and critics alike are calling for greater transparency and better protection for idols from their managing companies, urging HYBE to prioritize the well-being of their artists over strategic media plays. ALSO READ: ILLIT Wonhee's Charm Dethrones Son Ye-jin? The Internet is Buzzing KpopStarz owns this article Written by Cassidy Jones In a recent development, Min Hee Jin has accused LE SSERAFIM of stealing a luxury brand deal from NewJeans. On March 17, 2024, ADOR revealed the email that they sent to HYBE Labels regarding their issues with LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT in regard to their artist, NewJeans. During the email, they recounted how this situation occurred. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Was ILLIT Wonhee Forced To Delete Comments By Staff? Here's Why K-Netz Think So In the email, ADOR notes that there were several instances where HYBE's business operations failed to meet business expectations. They then mention that since their debut, NewJeans has received several love calls and advertising proposals from different brands. If things turned out well, NewJeans would have been able to represent several brands by now. However, due to issues raised by HYBE's Brand Synergy Business Team, there were several unnecessary disputes with advertisers and brands. YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED: Is HYBE Behind the Attack on NewJeans? Reporter Faces Allegations of Slander Whenever these types of situations arose, ADOR raised the issue internally. However, HYBE showed no signs of improvement, and the matter was only resolved during an incident of defamation. They then recalled how a conflict of interest emerged after HYBE pursued a contract for LE SSERAFIM with a luxury brand. However, that luxury brand was already in negotiations with NewJeans. According to Min Hee Jin, the Brand Synergy Business Team reportedly disclosed the contents of ADOR's contract with the brand, accompanied by lies. CHECK THIS OUT: Will NewJeans Survive Without CEO Min Hee Jin? Identity Crisis Explored ADOR accused HYBE's Brand Synergy Business Team of favoritism towards a specific artist, pointing out that they should be treating each label equally, However, it was only after cases of favoritism were exposed that they accepted ADOR's objection and refunded the agency three months of fees. ADOR recounted how difficult the cancellation process of the contract was because although they paid a commission equivalent to an external business, ADOR, and HYBE are still in the same corporation under the same joint venture. Following the cancelation, rumors within the label circulated, claiming ADOR is a difficult label to work with. FOR YOU: NewJeans Accused of Plagiarizing Two Songs For Latest Release 'Bubble Gum' Though unconfirmed, many believe the luxury brand referenced in the email is none other than the French fashion house Louis Vuitton. Currently, LE SSERAFIM is the global brand ambassador of the brand. What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below! KpopStarz Owns This Written by Alexa Lopez 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. Zarazeno pa 17.05.2024 05:05:52 Vydano Zdroj scio.gov.cn Original english.scio.gov.cn/pressroom/2024-05/17/content_117194481.htm lang en Agreement on sustainable fisheries The EU welcomes the important decisions reached during the 28th annual meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), which will make fisheries in the Indian Ocean more sustainable. 11 new conservation and management measures were adopted. After three years of complex negotiations, and based on a proposal from the EU, the Members of the IOTC adopted a much-needed resolution for the management of drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs). They also agreed on several other measures that are key for the sustainable management of stocks in the Indian Ocean. A significant agreement on fish aggregating devices Since 2022, the EU has consistently presented proposals to improve and tighten the management of FADs in the Indian Ocean. A FAD is a floating device used to attract tuna and/or other fish to facilitate their capture. A FAD can be drifting and tracked by means of a satellite buoy or anchored to the bottom of the seafloor. Their use depends on the needs of the fleets using them. Purse seine vessels, including those flagged in Member States of the EU, use a majority of drifting FADs in the high seas, while coastal communities tend to use anchored FADs that are located closer to the coastline. Based on an EU proposal, the IOTC adopted the most ambitious and stringent management framework for drifting FADs ever adopted in any ocean. This includes: the immediate prohibition of the use of fully non-biodegradable drifting FADs; the gradual phase out of non-biodegradable components in drifting FADs to fully biodegradable FADs in 2030; the reduction of the number of drifting FADs per vessel (from 300 today to 250 FADs in 2026 and 225 in 2028, the lowest limit ever adopted in a regional fisheries management organisation); and the introduction of the first-ever register of FADs to ensure an improved control of this fishing practice. Better management of skipjack tuna and swordfish The parties to the IOTC agreed on management procedures for skipjack tuna and for swordfish that will allow for a much more informed, automatic and science-based decision-making process in the IOTC. The adoption of these measures, sponsored by the EU, place the IOTC at the forefront of modern fishery management. The IOTC is the first tuna RFMO to adopt a management procedures for swordfish, a non-tuna species, and to have management procedures for two out of the three tropical tuna stocks skipjack and bigeye tuna. No temporary closure of fisheries Despite the good progress, the EU regrets that its proposal to establish a fisheries closure of one month in the Indian Ocean was not adopted. It would have helped the recovery of the yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna stocks, which are currently overfished. Background The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is the regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO) mandated to manage the fisheries on tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas. It was established in 1993 and entered into force in 1996. The last annual meeting took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 13 to 17 May 2024. There was a record number of 24 proposals, of which 7 introduced by the EU. The IOTC is an intergovernmental organisation gathering the countries bordering the Indian Ocean and the countries having an interest in the tuna fisheries in the area. The objectives are to promote cooperation among its members for the conservation and optimal utilisation of the tuna stocks in the area and to ensure the establishment of sustainable fisheries in the region. To achieve these objectives, IOTC members meet annually, discuss and adopt measures for the conservation and management of tuna and tuna-like species. The EU became a member of IOTC in 1995. The other members of IOTC are Australia, Bangladesh, China, Comoros, France on behalf of its overseas territories, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Yemen. The EU, represented by the Commission, plays an active global role by participating in 18 RFMOs. This makes the EU one of the most prominent actors in RFMOs worldwide, enabling it to promote international ocean governance and the sustainability of international fisheries. For More Information Regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) Documents of the 28th annual meeting of the IOTC Quote Over the past years, the European Union has worked tirelessly towards an improved and tightened management of fish aggregating devices in the Indian Ocean. I am glad that the IOTC approved the EU proposal regarding FADs as well as other measures to strengthen the sustainability of fisheries in the Indian Ocean. Virginijus Sinkevicius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries 2024-05-16 Zarazeno pa 17.05.2024 17:05:00 Zdroj Evropska komise en Original ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/documents?reference=IP/24/2683&language=en lang en guid /IP/24/2683/ New Delhi [India], May 17 (ANI): India will train Maldivian pilots to fly Dornier aircraft if Male requests to New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday. While addressing a media briefing, Jaiswal called capacity building an important component in defence and security engagement between India and Maldives. Also Read | Mehar Ashfaq Siyal Shot Dead in Pakistan: Journalist Killed by Unidentified Assailants in Punjab Province. Asked about the Maldivian Defence Minister's recent remarks that their pilots do not know how to fly Dornier aircraft and if the issue was raised during a meeting between foreign ministers of two nations, Jaiswal stated, "Capacity building is an important component in our defence and security engagement with the Maldives. We have in the past trained their personnel on the defence side. And if we receive a request for training of pilots, if this request is made, we will be happy to take it forward." Days after the withdrawal of Indian soldiers, Maldives Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon has acknowledged that the country's defence forces are still not capable of operating the three aircraft donated by India, local media reported on Sunday. Also Read | European Union Directs Microsoft To Provide More Information on Generative AI Features in Its Search Engine 'Bing' or Face Fine. This comes a day after Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer said 76 Indian military personnel in the island nation, were replaced by civilian personnel sent by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which manufactured the helicopter donated by the Indian government. Maumoon, at a press conference, said that the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) "still does not have soldiers capable of" operating the aircraft, Maldives-based Adhadhu reported. Responding to a question, Ghassan said there were no Maldivian soldiers with the ability to operate the aircraft, despite some soldiers who began training to fly the Dornier and two helicopters under agreements formed by previous governments. "As it was a training that required passing various stages, our soldiers had not reached completion due to various reasons. Therefore, there aren't any people in our force at the moment who are licensed or fully operational to fly the AHL platforms and Dornier," Ghassan said. However, it is pertinent to note that contrary to Ghassan's remarks, when the current administration's senior officials were in the opposition, they criticised the previous government and claimed that "there were capable pilots" in the MNDF, Adhadhu reported. Maldives Foreign Minister Zameer said that the agreement to replace the Indian soldiers with civilians also included provisions for training local pilots. Earlier on May 10, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives and the "deputation of competent persons" to the archipelago nation. Mohamed Muizzu-led Maldives government had formally requested India withdraw its troops from Male. The removal of Indian troops from Maldives was the main election campaign of Muizzu's party. The relations between New Delhi and Male have been strained since Mohamed Muizzu assumed office. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Muzaffargarh, May 17: A journalist named Mehar Ashfaq Siyal was shot by unidentified assailants in the Muzaffargarh area of Pakistan's Punjab Province and succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on Wednesday. Siyal, who worked in the Daily Khabrain, was shot several times while travelling in the area, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported. In its report, the IFJ quoted Siyal's brother, Muhammad Ishaq, stating that Siyal was attacked when both of them were travelling towards Muzaffargarh city. Describing the incident, he said that the assailants on a motorcycle approached the journalist, stopped his motorcycle, and fired several shots into the journalist's stomach. Pakistan: Kashmiri Journalist Ahmed Farhad Allegedly Abducted by Security Agencies From His Residence in Islamabad. Muhammad Ishaq also claimed that the attackers also shot several rounds in the air before fleeing. According to the report, Siyal was taken to the DHQ Hospital in South Muzaffargarh. In a video shared on social media, a visibly unwell and unresponsive Siyal can be seen with wounds to his stomach at the hospital, shortly before he dies, according to an International Federation of Journalists report. According to the same report, the incident that occurred with Siyal is the second incident of targeted killing of journalists in May and the fourth in the year 2024. Previously, Muhammad Siddique Mengal was killed on May 3 after an unidentified individual placed and detonated an explosive device in his vehicle. Journalist Sagheer Ahmed Laar was killed in Punjab on March 14 after unidentified men shot into a pharmacy, while the body of Pakpattan journalist Tahira Nosheen Rana was discovered in the province's north on March 11. The President GM Jamali and Secretary General Rana Muhammad Azeem of the Pakistan chapter of the IFJ stated that "The Provincial Government of Punjab and the Inspector General of Police Punjab should immediately arrest the killers and give compensation to the family of the killed journalist." Pakistan Shocker: Kidnappers Kill 13-Year-Old Boy Over Non-Payment of Ransom Money, Throws Dead Body in Katcha Area. Additionally, IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: "Journalists and media workers in Pakistan are under constant threat, and the tragic killing of Mehar Ashfaq Siyal must be subject to a thorough and transparent investigation. The Pakistani government must fulfil its duty in safeguarding journalists, honour its constitutional and international commitments to press freedom, and ensure that those responsible do not escape with impunity." Meanwhile, 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. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Times Staff Writers Like many of the Californians he represents, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger now spends more than three hours commuting because he lives so far from the office. But his ride is a private jet. After flirting briefly with buying a Sacramento abode for his family, then living alone for a while in a 2,000-square-foot hotel penthouse across from the Capitol, the governor has decided to stay nearly every night at his Brentwood mansion. The commute costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, which aides say the governor pays for himself. Some environmentalists say the trips expand his carbon footprint enough to undermine his image as a crusader against global warming, despite the pollution credits he buys to offset the damage. Advertisement Abandoning more glamorous parts to settle in Sacramento has long been a trade-off governors made for the privilege of running the state. But Casa de los Gobernadores, the 12,000-square-foot suburban ranch home that Ronald Reagan and his family had built when they ruled the town, did not lure Schwarzenegger and kin, despite five visits to the home by California first lady Maria Shriver and a Realtor. I just dont have a home in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger said in a recent interview at a Starbucks in Washington, D.C., where he had flown -- by private jet -- to attend the winter meeting of the National Governors Assn. The question is how can I be with my family, because that is extremely important, to be with my kids. They are all growing up. They are in their teens. They need their father around, the governor said as he sipped a decaf espresso drink and ate an oatmeal cookie. I felt it took a toll on my family not being at home every day. So what I am trying to do is find that balance between the family and running the state. Advertisement It is unclear whether the commute affects the governors ability to do his job; legislators and advisors were reluctant to risk alienating Schwarzenegger by publicly criticizing him for it. But there have long been complaints in Sacramento that his attention is too often focused elsewhere. Schwarzenegger has used his vast financial resources to create a kind of roving governorship, with almost constant travel in and out of California. He spent more than $591,000 in campaign funds, donated mostly by special interests, for travel in 2007 -- a year in which he was not running a major campaign. Administration officials said none of that money was used for commuting, which they said costs the governor at least the same amount from his own pocket. But they refused to provide details of what trips were paid for with campaign contributions. Advertisement The governors Gulfstream jet does nearly as much damage to the environment in one hour as a small car does in a year, according to figures compiled by the Helium Report, an online publication for buyers of luxury items. Administration officials say Schwarzenegger is well aware of this and makes amends by purchasing pollution credits for the carbon dioxide his jet releases. The credits fund efforts worldwide to reduce greenhouse gases, such as projects that harness energy from wind, landfill gas and farm waste, although they dont eliminate the pollution from Schwarzeneggers plane. Flying the Gulfstream and other jets the governor uses costs as much as $10,000 an hour. Some conservationists say Schwarzenegger is essentially attempting to buy a clean conscience with the carbon offsets, which cost about $43 an hour. He has been very bold on all these [environmental] initiatives, so it is sad to see him undercut that, said Denis Hayes, president of the Bullitt Foundation, a philanthropy that funds conservation efforts in Western states. If you are going to be talking about an issue, you should be living the reality you are trying to embrace. Capitol denizens cant recall another commuting governor. I cant think of anybody in modern times that hasnt stayed up there most of the time, said former Gov. George Deukmejian, a Republican from Long Beach. Deukmejian had wanted to live in the ranch home the Reagans had built. But just before Deukmejian took office, lawmakers and then-Gov. Jerry Brown decided the estate was too far from the Capitol, sold it and put the money into a governors residence fund. Advertisement In order to see and be with my family, I wanted to have them with us in Sacramento, and so that was important to me, Deukmejian said. Deukmejian and an advisor formed a foundation that purchased a home where he and successors Pete Wilson and Gray Davis lived. (Brown slept on a mattress on the floor of a $250-a-month apartment when he was governor.) Deukmejian entertained legislators and others at the Sacramento house, as did Wilson and Davis. It was sold after Davis moved out, and the proceeds went to charity. I was hoping that the Schwarzeneggers would buy a nice, huge, suitable governors residence and then donate it to the state, Deukmejian said. I figured the only way that California is ever going to get a governors residence is if some wealthy person donates it. The governor rarely sleeps now in the $62,000-a-year hotel penthouse paid for by a tax-exempt charitable foundation. But in the early years of his administration, Schwarzenegger spent most weeknights there, working late, receiving visitors and playing chess, former aides said. When I worked for him, he was there almost every night, said Donna Lucas, a public relations consultant who was a senior advisor to the governor and first lady during Schwarzeneggers first term. We were working so hard, I cant even tell you. I know it was important for him to have an opportunity to be up here in Sacramento. Advertisement When he went out, his security detail would knock loudly on the door of the hotel garage where his caravan of SUVs was parked, wave to the workers and bring the governor down from his suite, as garage and hotel employees took pictures. Now he is rarely sighted. I didnt see him in a very long time, a cashier said from inside a booth at the garage, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear of losing the job. Schwarzenegger says his commute is no big deal. I do my work on the airplane instead of in a hotel room, he said. It is all doable. -- evan.halper@latimes.com michael.rothfeld@latimes.com On 16 May authorities in Mexicos southern state of Chiapas opened an investigation into an incident that left six people dead in La Concordia municipality, including a mayoral candidate. End of preview - This article contains approximately 402 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options On 16 May Argentinas economy minister,, announced that the government had posted a financial surplus in April for the fourth consecutive month. End of preview - This article contains approximately 387 words. Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article Not a Subscriber? Choose from one of the following options The Brazil floods have truly devastated the southern portion of the country, with the death toll constantly rising. However, misinformation on social media is making things worse and making search and rescue operations even more complicated. Fake news postings on social media have been stirring outrage all over Brazil, such as false information about official agencies not conducting rescues in Brazil's southernmost state, as well as fake news about the Brazilian bureaucracy preventing donations of food, water, and clothing from being distributed in the affected areas. However, the most persistent piece of fake news is about the government hiding hundreds of corpses, which Jairo Jorge, mayor of the hard-hit city of Canoas, told the Associated Press is not true. He warned that "hidden actors behind the postings are exploiting the crisis to undermine trust in government." The most alarming would be the posts that tell people that government alerts "were just politicians trying to alarm people." Ary Vanazzi, mayor of Sao Leopoldo, told the AP that this is making people ignore official warnings as they heed the social media posts instead. "Because of that, many didn't leave their homes in this emergency. Some might have died because of it," said the Brazil mayor. "Sometimes we spend more time defending against lies than working to help our population." Disinformation has been plaguing Brazil for years, with it becoming very prevalent head of the 2018 election won by Jair Bolsonaro, who is also infamous for spreading fake news himself. Much of the latest pieces of misinformation are also directed at the military. One persistent rumor claimed that the general who leads the army's southern command was responsible for nonexistent deaths inside a hospital. "These reports are disturbing because they do not reflect reality," an Army statement to the AP read. "Many active military were also victims of these floods. Many soldiers have lost their homes after the rains and remain on the front lines helping the population." READ MORE:, Brazil Floods: Lula Visits State Affected by Severe Floods as Death Toll Reaches 29 Brazil Floods Death Toll Rises to 149 The floods have devastated southern Brazil, especially in Rio Grande do Sul state. The death toll there has risen to 149 while there are still 108 people missing. Search and rescue operations continue as 250,000 houses are still without power and over 136,000 people have lost access to water. According to WION, several towns are now completely submerged. In Porto Alegre, the downtown area has been described to be completely underwater. Brazil Floods May Take Weeks to Subside Experts say it might take weeks for the flooding to end. According to Reuters, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), water levels around southern Brazil could stabilize or keep rising if it rains again and this could take a month before the water retreats below flood levels. They based this on historical comparisons. Meanwhile, Brazil President Lula has announced that the federal government will distribute 5,100 reais, which is around $992 to families affected by the floods. Around 240,000 families who have lost their houses or furniture in the historic floods will receive that money. READ NEXT: Brazil Supreme Court Denies Jair Bolsonaro's Request To Travel to Israel This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Deadly flooding in southern Brazil sparks fear of climate migration - NBC News In the initial four months of 2024, over 30,000 children ventured across the treacherous Darien Gap or "Donkey Route", an unforgiving expanse of jungle straddling Colombia-Panama border. This figure marks a substantial 40% surge compared to the same period last year, as reported by the United Nations' children's agency, UNICEF. Most of these minors, driven by hopes of reaching the United States, embarked on this perilous journey, seeking a better life, BBC reports. However, their passage through this dense wilderness is fraught with dangers, including extortion, robbery, and the horrifying risk of sexual abuse. UNICEF has been on the ground, providing vital assistance to these child migrants, offering essentials like water, sanitation, hygiene, and healthcare services. Despite their efforts, the organization stresses the pressing requirement for more funding to meet the increasing needs of these at-risk children. According to Ted Chaiban, UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director, the current influx of migrants demands enhanced support, with children constituting a significant portion of the travelers. Without adequate funding, UNICEF's capacity to aid these children, irrespective of their origin or destination, remains constrained. READ NEXT: Panama's President-Elect Vows to Close Darien Gap Migration Route, Deport Migrants Tales of Hardship and Resilience Echoing the sentiments of hardship, Ted Chaiban shared poignant narratives from his recent visit to the community of Bajo Chiquito in Panama. He recounted the harrowing experiences of children like Esmeria, an 11-year-old from Venezuela, who was separated from her mother during the perilous jungle crossing. Esmeria's tearful account unveiled the grim realities faced by these young travelers, navigating swollen rivers, hunger, and the constant fear of the unknown. Her story, emblematic of countless others, underscores the urgent need for comprehensive support mechanisms to safeguard the well-being of child migrants embarking on such arduous journeys, according to the United Nations. Since 2018, UNICEF has been actively engaged in providing support to child migrants traversing the Darien Gap and Panama, offering a spectrum of services ranging from child protection to gender-based violence interventions. Although facing difficulties due to the rough terrain and logistical challenges, UNICEF's unwavering commitment to these vulnerable populations remains steadfast. However, with only a fraction of the required funding secured thus far, UNICEF appeals for greater financial assistance to bolster its efforts in addressing the pressing needs of migrant children and families. Escalating Crisis and Calls for Action The escalating number of minors navigating the perilous Donkey Route underscores the gravity of the situation, with projections indicating a 34% rise to an estimated 160,000 children by year-end. This alarming trend, if left unaddressed, could exacerbate the already dire humanitarian situation in the region, News 18 noted. Furthermore, the persistent challenges faced by migrants highlight the urgent need for coordinated, region-wide policies to ensure the rights and safety of individuals on the move. Human Rights Watch (HRW) criticized restrictive immigration policies in a report last November, highlighting migrant and asylum seeker risks crossing the Darien Gap. The report details sexual violence and exploitation, urging policy reforms for migrant safety, says HRW's Americas Director Juanita Goedabertus. READ MORE: Shelter in Panama Destroyed Amid Migrant Brawl Near Darien Gap This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ross Key WATCH: Migrating to the US through the deadly Darien Gap | Fault Lines Documentary - From Al Jazeerah English The Rolex Scandal has rocked the already-tenuous political landscape of Peru, and Peruvian lawmakers are once again trying to oust yet another president as Dina Boluarte faces another removal attempt. Currently, Boluarte, who replaced the imprisoned Pedro Castillo in office as she was his vice president, is under investigation for corruption over her unexplained ownership of luxury items, such as luxury watches and jewelry. This new removal attempt from the opposition minority is over that "Rolex Scandal." There is only a small opposition minority in Peru's unitary legislature, but they are still moving forward in their attempt to oust her, citing "moral incapacity" as the reason for the removal request they submitted to Parliament. According to the Associated Press, this is the latest attempt to oust Boluarte from office, with the embattled president already surviving four previous attempts to remove her from office. She has mainly survived thanks to a coalition of conservative lawmakers as they kept these measures to remove her from getting the necessary votes to move forward. One of these lawmakers attempting to remove Dina Boluarte from office is Susel Paredes, who explained that t due to "the serious new acts" that the president allegedly did, she and her colleagues are presenting the motion to kick her out of office. Paredes stated on X that Boluarte's acts "are incompatible with continuing to lead the country." Her announcement of the motion came in less than a week after prosecutors opened an investigation into the Boluarte administration over its disbanding of a police unit that was looking into the activities of her inner circle, including one of her brothers. READ MORE: Peru President Dina Boluarte Requested To Be Removed from Office by Lawmakers Over Rolex Scandal Peru Interior Minister Resigns After a Month in Office Meanwhile, as Boluarte faced yet another attempt to remove her form office, her new interior minister, Walter Ortiz Acosta, resigned this Thursday. As TeleSur English noted, the resignation came a month and a half after he was sworn in. Ortiz Acosta presented his resignation letter on Thursday after he was questioned about his alleged interference regarding the investigations into Boluarte's inner circle. Earlier this month, Boluarte's bother and her lawyer were arrested in relation to the Rolex Scandal. The minister reportedly interfered in the investigation, leading to a wave of criticism and people asking him to resign. He allegedly withdrew police support to the unit investigating Boluarte. Peru President Dina Boluarte Heading to China in June Meanwhile, as she faces down scandals at home, Peru President Dina Boluarte is also looking to have bilateral talks with China and is heading there to meet with Xi Jinping. This was confirmed by her Agriculture minister. According to MSN, Peru will seek a trade agreement with China, which will have the South American country, one of the biggest beef producers in the world, export beef to the Asian country. he estimated beef shipments could mean that Peru could earn a massive economic boost worth $3 billion to $4 billion. READ NEXT: Peru: Former Intelligence Chief to Dictator Alberto Fujimori Gets 19-Year Prison Sentence Over Deaths of Farmers This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Peru's Rolex Case: Police Raids President Boluarte's House | Vantage with Palki Sharma - Firstpost Panama President-Elect Jose Raul Mulino is trying to fulfill his promise to close down the Darien Gap, a feat experts believe is impossible. However, Mulino is presenting some suggestions on how to do this, including putting more checkpoints in the infamous jungle between Panama and Colombia. An unprecedented number of migrants, many of whom are children, have crossed what is considered one of the most treacherous stretches of jungle in the world, all in an effort to get to the United States. However, the United States is pressuring countries that these migrants pass through to stem the flow, including Panama. Mulino's incoming security chief, Frank Abego, also suggested that Panama may close its border with Colombia, adding checkpoints to process the migrants and deport them. Along with Mulino, he is expected to take office on July 1, but it is not yet known when they will implement their plans. With Mexico clamping down on air travel and helping the US in deporting migrants, more and more migrants are forced to travel by land. An estimated d 520,000 migrants crossed the Darien Gap last year, setting a new record, and most of them are fleeing crisis-stricken countries like Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti, and China. "If a border closure were declared tomorrow, we establish the checkpoints where we can detain ... these illegal immigrants," said the incoming administration's security official. "I think that's going to happen." During the campaign period leading up to the election, Mulino had promised to close the Darien Gap, saying, "Those who arrive here are going to be returned to their country of origin." READ MORE: Mexico Imposes Travel Restrictions on Peru to Help Curb Migration Panama President-Elect Jose Raul Mulino Increasing Anti-Migrant Rhetoric The Darien Gap is a sparsely populated region between Panama and Colombia. It is filled with all sorts of dangers, from strong rivers to treacherous wildlife and rebel groups seeking to extort migrants for money. Yet, these migrants still push on in their hope of getting to the US. Jose Raul Mulino wants to stop this. "Panama and our Darien are not a transit route. It is our border, he previously said right after winning the election with 34% of the vote. He previously promised to end "the Darien odyssey that does not have a reason to exist." However, experts have warned that closing the border would only get migrants to try even more dangerous routes, such as trying to head to Mexico or the US by boat. New Panama President-Elect Jose Raul Mulino Expected to be Business-Friendly As for his policies, Jose Raul Mulino is a right-wing politician and is expected to be more business-friendly than the current administration. This is widely seen as he has tapped business leader Felipe Chapman for the economy and finance minister post and economist Javier Martinez-Acha as foreign minister, according to Reuters. "The campaign is over, from here on out it's our job to lead the country with the best people possible," said the president-elect regarding his cabinet picks. These picks have certainly made many business experts happy as the analysts from BancTrust & Co. stated that they are "clearly a positive development, one that increases the likelihood of more sound fiscal management in upcoming years." READ MORE: Panama Slams Nicaragua Over Ricardo Martinelli Asylum, Claims Neighbor Is Meddling in Internal Affairs This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Colombia - Panama: The Darien Gap | ARTE.tv Documentary Texas Governor Greg Abbott has granted a full pardon to Daniel Perry, a former US Army sergeant convicted of murder in the shooting death of an armed protester during a 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstration. This decision follows a unanimous recommendation from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, emphasizing Perry's extensive military service and the circumstances surrounding the incident. Daniel Perry's conviction stemmed from the shooting of Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old BLM protester carrying an AK-47 rifle through downtown Austin. Perry, also armed, argued self-defense, a claim disputed by prosecutors, Fox News reports. Perry's defense highlighted Texas' 'Stand Your Ground' laws, which prioritize self-defense rights, while critics, including Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, condemned the pardon, alleging political bias and injustice. READ NEXT: Texas: Daniel Perry Faces Consequences Following BLM Shooting Governor's Decision and Reactions Texas Governor Greg Abbott's pardon, facilitated by the Board of Pardons and Paroles, prompted mixed reactions. Daniel Perry 's attorney, Douglas K. O'Connell, expressed Perry's relief at being free but acknowledged the grief of Foster's family. Conversely, Garza criticized the pardon as a betrayal of justice, accusing the governor and the board of prioritizing politics over fairness. The fatal encounter occurred when Perry, stationed at Fort Hood, drove into a crowd gathered at the protest, according to CNN. Prosecutors asserted Perry instigated the confrontation, while defense attorneys argued Foster's actions compelled Perry to use lethal force. Perry's military background and psychological condition, including PTSD, were central to his defense. In May 2020, Perry mentioned possibly killing rioters outside his apartment. Perry compared Black Lives Matter protesters to monkeys in a June 2020 comment. Foster's Family Response Whitney Mitchell, BLM protester's fiance, condemned the pardon, accusing Texas Governor Greg Abbott of disregarding justice and public safety. Mitchell highlighted Perry's prior statements indicating hostility toward protesters. Despite pursuing a civil case against Perry, Foster's family dropped it after his conviction, relying on the criminal justice system for accountability. The pardon reignited debates on racial justice, self-defense laws, and political influence in legal proceedings, the New York Times noted. Greg Hupp, a forensic psychologist, testified to Perry's psychological issues, contrasting with military records. Daniel Perry's defense centered on his perception of an imminent threat, while prosecutors emphasized his aggressive tendencies and racially charged statements. During Perry's sentencing, emotional testimonies, including Mitchell's, underscored the profound impact of the BLM protester's death. However, Perry's defense challenged the trial's integrity, citing juror misconduct, which Judge Cliff Brown dismissed as insufficient to overturn the verdict. The pardon of Daniel Perry reflects broader societal tensions surrounding race, justice, and accountability. While some view it as a triumph of self-defense rights, others perceive it as a failure to address systemic issues. The case underscores the complexities of legal proceedings and the challenges of reconciling competing interpretations of justice in a polarized society. READ MORE: Wife Claims Russian Girlfriend Stabbed American Soldier Before Arrest This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Ross Key WATCH: Texas governor pardons ex-Army sergeant convicted of murdering Black Lives Matter protester - From NBC News More Republican lawmakers attended the Donald Trump porn star hush money trial in New York, including Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, who was viciously mocked by the New York crowd. Meanwhile, inside the courtroom, things got heated between star witness Michael Cohen and Donald Trump's attorneys as the cross-examination continued. Lauren Boebert and several other Republicans, including far-right MAGA Republicans like Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs, showed their support of the embattled former president and even spoke from a makeshift press conference podium. "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," said Boebert. However, several hecklers mocked the congresswoman. At least one person could be heard saying "Beetlejuice," according to The Hill. This was in reference to her sex scandal, where she was captured on camera fondling a man who was not her husband while watching Beetlejuice. The incident led to her getting kicked out over unruly behavior, including vaping and taking flash photography. Those present during Thursday's trial included GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Fla.), Eli Crane (Ariz.), Andy Ogles (Tenn.), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Ralph Norman (S.C.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (Va.). Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas slammed Boebert and the other Republicans who attended the trial, saying, "Cool. You're paid to be here in Washington legislating, it's the middle of a work week, I guess we'll hold down the fort for you while you're tapdancing on Broadway." Exchange Between Donald Trump's Lawyer and Michael Cohen Got Heated While Lauren Boebert got heckled, Michael Cohen was grilled by Trump's lead attorney, Todd Blanche in a very tense and heated exchange where Blanche tried to paint Cohen as a "dishonest and unreliable narrator whose claims cannot be believed." READ MORE: Rudy Giuliani Missing? Former New York City Mayor Nowhere To Be Found as Arizona Prosecutors Look For Him Blanche pushed Cohen regarding the details of the phone call he had with Trump on October 24, 2016. This call was about Cohen paying hush money worth $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels. The Trump lead defense attorney claimed that Cohen's account of talking to Trump that night "was a lie!" However, Cohen shot back, pointing out that he "believed he was telling the truth, based upon the records and documents" he reviewed. Blanche also read excerpts from Cohen's podcast, where he insulted Donald Trump and called the former president various insulting nicknames. He admitted he wanted Trump to "rot in prison." Cohen admitted to this. "Do you agree with me that when you plead guilty to a crime and you are lying, that's not accepting responsibility, is it?" the current Trump attorney asked his predecessor. "I accepted responsibility, and I am suffering the consequences as a result," Cohen answered. What Happens Next in the Donald Trump Hush Money Trial The prosecution has stated that its final witness will be Michael Cohen, according to CNN. This means that after his testimony, the prosecutors are expected to rest their case, with the defense team expected to present their case soon after. It is still not known whether or not Trump will testify in his defense, as the former president has dodged questions regarding this despite previously telling the public that he would do so. READ MORE: Donald Trump Hush Money Trial Gets 'Stormy' as Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand This article is owned by Latin Post. Written by: Rick Martin WATCH: Gaetz and Boebert Heckled at Trump Trial as Court Becomes New MAGA Hotspot: A Closer Look - Late Night with Seth Meyers UPDATE: Victim identified in Bethlehem house fire Authorities responding to an emergency call Friday in Bethlehem discovered a house fire had occurred and found one person had died. The Bethlehem Fire Department responded about 8:53 a.m. to assist city paramedics at the call on Johnston Drive, according to a news release from Deputy Chief/Fire Marshal Craig Baer. Upon arrival, it was determined a fire had occurred at a previous time and there was one fatality, Baer stated. A neighbor told lehighvalleylive.com near the home in the 1700 block of Johnston Drive, just east of East Boulevard, that an elderly man lived there alone. Neighbors routinely walked the mans dog, and when one of them went to the home Friday, the dog was in the garage, according to the resident, who spoke to a reporter on the condition of anonymity. Another neighbor then entered the home through the garage and found it filled with smoke. Authorities removed a body from the home about 11:45 a.m. The cause of the fire remained under investigation, Baer said. Bethlehem police and the Northampton County Coroners Office are assisting the fire department in the investigation. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. The High Court has made a declaration in proceedings that a Laois couple are the owners of a disputed garage where they had kept exotic pets including an alligator. The declaration was made by Mr Justice David Nolan on Thursday with the consent of the parties as part of on-going proceedings brought by Alan O'Neill, and his partner June Finnegan against Drumgoan Developments Limited, Mr Noel Martin Senior and Darren Martin. The garage, which the defendants had claimed was owned by Drumgoan, is located adjacent to the couple's home of 20 years at Crann Nua, Edenderry Road, Portarlington. The case first came before the court last month when the couple obtained orders including an injunction restraining the defendants, who are alleged to have threatened and intimidated them, from communicating directly with the plaintiffs. Over the years the couple kept and bred exotic pets in the garage including chameleons, tarantulas, scorpions and a female caiman alligator. Mr Martin Snr is alleged to have breached that order on two occasions, and was made the subject of contempt of court proceedings. He subsequently apologised to the court, and agreed not to contact the plaintiffs. On Thursday when the matter returned before the judge Mr Ruaidhi Giblin for the couple said that both sides had agreed following out of court discussions that the court could make a declaration to the effect that the plaintiffs are entitled to be registered as the legal owners of the garage. The declaration also stated that they had not been registered as the owners due to a mistake and that Drumgoan was not the owner of the garage. Conor Feeney Bl for the defendants said that his side was consenting to the declaration, and that there had been no further breach of the injunction. The judge welcomed the development and praised the legal teams for their efforts in resolving this aspect of the case. He said that Mr Martin Snr was "not out of the woods yet" and adjourned contempt proceedings against that defendant to a date in June. When the matter returns the judge said he will rule if Mr Martin Snr was in contempt, and if so what sanction to impose. Other aspects of the action, including the couple's claims for damages against the defendants remain live before the court. In their action the couple claim the defendants had asserted ownership of the garage. The couple claim they purchased their home and for an additional fee the garage, which was built by Drumgoan, in 2005. The couple say the garage was not properly conveyed to them, due to an oversight and they say they were unaware of this issue until recent months. They alleged that the defendants engaged in a "land grab" and made demands for payment from them and their neighbours who have garages in the estate. They also claimed that the garage was damaged by agents of the defendants using a JCB.They claimed that Mr Martin Snr sent them threatening communications, including messages allegedly designed to intimidate his family into complying with the defendant's scheme. The plaintiffs allege that Mr Martin Snr threatened to make complaints about them to various agencies including Tusla and the Irish Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In his evidence to the court earlier this month Mr Martin apologised over what he said was a genuine mistake and a misunderstanding. He accepted the plaintiffs had "paid handsomely" for their property. There had been an issue with the conveyance of the garage which, he said, would be rectified. He rejected the plaintiffs' claim that he was involved in "a land grab," and said that he was trying to mediate the situation, and repair any damage allegedly done to the O'Neill's property. A teenager has been arrested following vandalism of a Laois GAA club. Graiguecullen GAA Club on the Carlow border, suffered smashed windows and a car was also smashed, in the early hours of Monday, May 5. Carlow Gardai gave a statement. Following a burglary of Graiguecullen GAA Club in the early hours of Monday morning, 6th May, as part of their investigations, Carlow Gardai conducted a search of a property in the town on 15th May in connection with the incident. "A male in his late teens was arrested and detained for questioning at Carlow Garda Station. This male was subsequently charged with the burglary of the GAA Club along with three other charges, including damaging a car and with the theft of property from two other vehicles, all on the same date, 6th May. "He is due to appear before the local district court in the coming weeks. Carlow Gardai would like to thank the public for their assistance in this matter following their earlier appeal for information into these crimes." The Garda Siochana Press Office has also confirmed the arrest. "One adult male aged in his late teens has been arrested and charged in connection with this investigation. "He is due to appear before a sitting of Carlow District Court at a later date." Three Laois biodiversity projects are getting almost 30,000 of funding, supporting nature education and a special living bog. New signs identifying native roadside planting in Portlaoise, a nature podcast and Abbeyleix Bog Project were awarded, among 233 projects nationwide sharing a pot of 2.8m from the Local Biodiversity Action Fund (LBAF). In Portlaoise, 13,976 will go towards Biodiversity Awareness on the Portlaoise Orbital Route, where Portlaoise Tidy Towns has planted flowering meadows along the roadside and on roundabouts. In Abbeyleix, 11,766 will fund IAS (invasive alien plant species) treatment on the restored bog, tackling damaging species like rhododendron. It follows a grant of over 10,000 for the same issue last year. Fnally the In Your Nature podcast series with Laois bird expert and Offaly Biodiversity Officer Ricky Whelan, and Niall Hatch of Birdwatch Ireland, has received 3,967. Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, announced the 2.8 million, awarded through local authorities to carry out the biodiversity projects. Some of the other projects approved this year include: A two-year project involving 29 local authorities recording the Irish mayfly Six local authorities will participate in the Hares Corner project looking to create new habitats for biodiversity Hares Corner project looking to create new habitats for biodiversity Carlow County Council will survey protected and rare flora species across the county over the next three years Wexford County Council will devise a programme of biodiversity training for the staff in the Council Sligo County Council will carry out an Invasive Alien Species programme across the county, mainly treating Giant Hogweed Dublin City Council will carry out a Biodiversity Stewardship programme Kerry County Council are building a Strategic Alliance for the Management of Marine Biodiversity First established in 2018, the fund was created to assist local authorities in the implementation of actions in support of biodiversity. A total just over 8.6m has been granted to local authorities through the LBAF since the scheme launched. Minister Noonan said: Local Authorities play a vital role in addressing the biodiversity crisis and in this important week for biodiversity, Im delighted to see a record number of projects approved through the Local Biodiversity Action Fund 2024. The benefits realised by the locally-led projects created through this Fund are shared by all of us, not least local communities. As more and more Biodiversity Officers join the ranks of our local authorities through the Biodiversity Officer Programme, I know that the benefits for nature and people that this Fund provide are only going to grow. Id like to congratulate the successful applicants and wish them the very best of luck in the implementation of their projects this year. Engagement with communities and local authorities is crucial to the implementation of Irelands 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan, launched in January this year. The LBAF is operated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and represents a commitment to support implementation of the Irelands 4th NBAP at community, county and regional level. The Fund recognises the importance of the work carried out by local authorities through their Biodiversity and Heritage Officers. All 31 local authorities applied for and will receive funding this year, with a total of 233 projects approved, covering a range of biodiversity related activities, including invasive alien species control, bird and bat conservation, wetland surveys and community biodiversity awareness and training. Niall ODonnchu is Director General of the NPWS. Were so impressed with the diversity and creativity of these projects. Partnership is the engine that will deliver the National Biodiversity Action Plan. By working with local authorities, we can make a difference in communities on the ground, and that combined effort will make a huge impact in delivering on the ambition of the plan, he said. The implementation of the the Food Vision Tillage report must be swift according to the Laois man who represents tillage farmers in the IFA. Speaking following the publication of the Food Vision Tillage Report this afternoon, IFA Grain Chair Kieran McEvoy has said that the release of the report is welcome, nearly one year since the process started. He urged active implementation of the recommendations. Its vital that actions identified in the report are implemented swiftly to prevent terminal damage to the tillage sector. Tillage farmers have faced a perfect storm since summer 2023, with falling grain prices; input costs remaining high; loss of rented land; and heavy rainfall right up until the middle of April this year. Thankfully, the weather has improved in recent weeks, but the delay in planting this spring will hit tillage incomes hard in 2024, he said. The Laois farmer said the action is urgent. There is no question that our tillage sector is fighting for its very future. The Government says it wants to have more tillage production and this will only happen if they step up and support growers, he said. Kieran McEvoy said in light of the difficulties in the tillage sector, IFA has proposed a 250/ha, five-year payment for tillage farmers. The 100/ha tillage payment announced by Minister McConalogue in March is a step forward in addressing the need for immediate financial support for the sector in 2024, but details on the scheme must be agreed and finalised by the Department urgently. Challenges in the tillage sector extend beyond the need for Government funding in 2024. It is welcome to see the report identify the urgent need for actions to drive the preferential use of native feed grains and facilitate the movement of organic manure onto tillage farms. These actions are important in helping to underpin the future sustainability of the tillage sector. The IFA Grain Committee will continue to work on these issues, concluded Mr McEvoy. He was speaking after Minister Charlie McConalogue published of the Final Report. A Department of Agriculture team has been appointed to implement the new blueprint for tillage farming according to the Minister for Agriculture who has said that a 'vibrant' sector is 'hugely important'. The Group was established by Minister McConalogue in May 2023 under the chairmanship of Matt Dempsey to set out a roadmap for the growth and development of the sector between now and 2030. He spoke after bringing the report to Cabinet. It is a very detailed and comprehensive report and identifies opportunities that will improve the efficiency and long-term competitiveness of the sector along with actions that will allow the sector to further improve its environmental footprint, he said. The Report lists 28 actions that address a number of key objectives including increasing the area under tillage crops to 400,000 hectares, adding value to tillage crop output, improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the sector, improving the environmental footprint of the sector, developing greater linkages and enhanced cooperation with the livestock sector and exploiting opportunities in renewable energy and organic tillage. The Minister has tasked his officials with putting a plan in place to oversee the implementation of the strategy. The Minister concluded with a view on the future. A vibrant and sustainable tillage sector is hugely important in increasing our food and feed security while also contributing to our climate change objectives. I am very aware of the challenges faced by tillage growers this year, and in response I announced last month my commitment to seek a 100 per hectare payment for field crops planted for this years harvest. I am committed to the sector and its importance within the wider agricultural industry, and I want to put the sector on a firm footing into the future, he said. Minister McConalogue thanked the members of the Group for their work in compiling the report. The Group included representatives from farming organisations, tillage industry stakeholders, state agencies, UCD and Department officials. Fine Gaels National Agricultural, Food, and Rural Development Forum (NAFRD) has a plan to create a new partnership with farmers in Laois and Offaly according to Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan. In a statement, the Laois Offaly TD said that since its formation, NAFRD has held a series of public meetings with farmers, rural dwellers and agri-businesses around the country. At the Fine Gael Ard Fheis, Taoiseach Harris requested that NAFRD bring forward a report detailing a plan on how action could be taken on the feedback received. Fine Gael values the essential role farmers across Laois & Offaly play in our economy and our society," said Dep Flanagan. The agri-food sector employs over 170,000 people, making a hugely significant economic and social contribution to rural and coastal communities, including communities here in the Laois/Offaly constituency. There is a bright future for this sector. We must continue to work with the farming community to address the challenges ahead and this policy contains a number of significant recommendations and charts a pathway forward, he said. The Chairman of the Form is Eddie Downey who said agriculture is Irelands oldest and most important indigenous industry; its future must never be dominated by uncertainty or indifference. That is why this group was formed. Over the last two years, we have travelled the countryside canvassing the views of farmers, rural dwellers and business people. The report is a summary of the main issues raised at our meetings and a set of recommendations formulated by this forum, he said The report covers five main areas - the future of CAP, farm succession, a reform of land leasing, climate and environmental issues, and protecting rural life. A statement from Dep Flanagan said it would be considered by Fine Gael in the formulation of future agricultural and rural policy. Irish president Michael D Higgins has laid a wreath in Monaghan close to the spot where a bomb devastated the town centre 50 years ago. A ceremony was held to mark the anniversary of the deadly attacks on May 17 1974 when three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one in Monaghan town. The service on Friday evening was watched by some survivors of the atrocities and families of victims as well as hundreds of people who had gathered in the centre of the town. The names of the victims were read out and the bells of St Patricks Church tolled at 6.58pm, the exact time the Monaghan bomb exploded, before Mr Higgins laid the wreath on behalf of the people of Ireland. Local TD Heather Humphreys laid a wreath on behalf of the Irish Government before prayers were said and a tree planted. No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings, but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. A commemorative event also took place in Talbot Street in Dublin earlier on Friday, where an official memorial honours the 35 people killed in the bombings, including two unborn babies. It was the biggest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. Another 300 people are estimated to have been injured in the blasts. Delivering her address in Monaghan, Ms Humphreys said the Irish Government was committed to ensuring justice and access to information for all Troubles victims. She said: This Government and our political system has made clear that the British Governments ongoing refusal to release the relevent documents related to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings remains a fundamental barrier to achieving justice. This week, for the fourth time, the Dail supported a motion calling on the British Government to look afresh at the urgent request for access to information. We are committed to doing everything possible to ensure access to justice and to information for victims of the Troubles, north and south and to continue to press the British Government to respond positively to our collective calls for answers. It is enormously disappointing that so many years on the British Government have failed to respond adequately in any way. Speaking earlier at the event in Dublin, Mr Higgins said there was a manifest failure of the UK and Irish governments to adequately respond to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. He said: Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings of 1974 were crimes of a particular level of savagery, executed consciously upon workers and civilians with total disregard for human life and suffering. Like the families of so many other victims and survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict, so many of you here today have been trying to find answers about what happened. Mr Higgins said it is a matter of profound regret and unacceptable that no-one had been held accountable for the atrocities. The president said systemic failures at state level include possible collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitaries, the disappearance of important forensic evidence and a refusal to supply information. He said: The manifest failure of both the British and Irish governments to initiate suitable responses in the aftermath of the attacks has left a legacy that cannot be left unaddressed. I share with the relatives gathered or represented here their feeling of being abandoned and failed by the system, of their being denied justice for the loss of loved ones. Mr Higgins said the relatives need more than an empathetic ear, adding: Justice demands that they deserve the truth no more, no less. The president also criticised the current British Governments Legacy Act, saying: The enactment of that unilaterally sourced legislation has resulted in families who have spent decades fighting for an effective investigation into their cases of not only facing further uncertainty and delays but of the deprivation of legal rights. Mr Higgins said there was a collective responsibility to deal with legacy issues in an ethical manner, adding: A strategy of feigned amnesia, or hoping time will deliver one, is simply not an option, nor is any strategy of continuing the protection of previous evasions or failures to act. It is not morally acceptable, nor is it politically feasible, to request that those affected by such tragedy should forget about the past, draw a line or move on in the name of any naive desire for a supposed closure that may never be attainable. He said the families call for the full truth to emerge should be supported, however embarrassing or painful it may be. Irelands premier Simon Harris and deputy premier Micheal Martin also attended the event organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Sir Iain Livingstone, who leads the Operation Denton operation, were among other attendees. Former Irish premiers Leo Varadkar and Bertie Ahern were also present. Before the Dublin ceremony, Mr Martin and Mr Boutcher attended a memorial mass at nearby St Marys Pro-Cathedral. Leading the service, Archbishop Dermot Farrell read out the names of those killed in the bombings. Calling for reconciliation, he added: Pray that those with the power to be able to deliver that justice, which will ultimately bring peace, will come quickly so that all may be fully healed of that awful atrocity and tragedy. Kildare County Council has published details of three exciting grant and residency opportunities to support professional artists living/working in the county in 2024/25. These news schemes come in addition to 17 Arts Grants published earlier this year, and will provide financial resources to professional artists and support the development of opportunities for individuals and communities to engage in the arts where they live. Creative Places Athy Connect and Gather Award Creative Places Athy welcomes expressions of interest from local, national or international professional artists/creatives or arts organisations/collectives to respond to the notion of Connect and Gather, inspired by the Third Space Theory. The 30,000 Connect and Gather Award, supported by Kildare County Council and the Arts Council, will support proposals to open a third space for discussion and collaboration by working with the community of Athy in a participatory, inclusive process that embraces the everyday. The selected artist/creatives will be supported by Creative Places Athy to build relationships in the community, in a proposal that prioritizes creative collaboration, co-production, learning and knowledge exchange. For more information and apply to online visit: https:// kildarecocoarts.submit.com// show/290 Deadline for receipt of Expressions of Interest: Tuesday 21st May, 12:00 Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Artist Practice Bursary Award Kildare County Council Arts Office welcomes applications from professional artists across all artforms at any stage of their career, for a new EDI Artist Practice Bursary supported by the Arts Council. This award (5,000) is available to artists specifically from under-represented backgrounds and communities, including those based on gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller Community and socio-economic status. The bursary aligns with Kildare County Councils Integration Strategy 2020 2026 and the Arts Councils Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy towards ensuring that everyone who lives in Ireland has the opportunity to engage with and participate in the arts. This Artist Practice Bursary Award will provide the opportunity for the successful applicant to focus on the development of their professional practice, or develop a specific artistic project, or both. For more information and apply to online visit: https:// kildarecocoarts.submit.com// show/292 Deadline for applications: Wednesday 12th June, 12:00 Musician in Residence/Major Creative Project 2024/25 Maynooth University, Kildare County Council Arts Service, Music Generation Kildare, Music Generation Offaly and Music Generation Westmeath with support from the Arts Council, invite applications for a major creative project to be delivered over a 12-month period, coinciding with the 2024-25 academic year. The call is open to established musical artists including but not limited to performers, composers, sound designers, music producers, music/stage directors, songwriters, or combinations thereof. The partners are keen to hear how enthusiastic project-leaders will implement and deliver their proposed creative plan. For more information and apply to online visit: https://kildarecoco.ie/ ArtsService/PressReleases/ CalloutforMusicianinResidenceM ajorCreativeProject202425.html Deadline for applications: Monday 3rd June, 23:59 A teenager who repeatedly raped his defenceless younger cousin in their mutual grandparents' house has received 18 months detention. The Central Criminal Court heard how a happy extended family structure has now been shattered as a result of the teenage boy repeatedly sexually abusing his younger cousin a previously fun child, who was carefree until his cousin preyed on him. The now 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to two counts of raping his cousin on dates between June 2021 and November 2022 when he was aged between 13 and 14 and his victim was aged between seven and eight. The pleas were entered on a full facts basis, with the court hearing the teenager sexually assaulted the boy on around 10 to 13 occasions during the time period. Neither child can be named to protect their anonymity. In emotional victim impact statements previously read out in court, the boy's parents outlined their devastation at discovering their nephew had been abusing their little boy and they described the difficulties he continues to face as a result. The court also heard that the teenager himself is alleged to have been the victim of sexual offending while living with his mother. He is now living with his father and other family members who are supporting him in a more secure upbringing, defence counsel said. Sentencing the teenager, Ms Justice Caroline Biggs described the evidence in the case and victim impact statements as heart-breaking. She said if the accused had been an adult at the time of the offending a headline sentence of 10 years would be warranted. A headline sentence of five years was set before imposing a three-year-term, having taken into account the mitigation in the case. Ms Justice Biggs then imposed 18 months detention and ordered that the teenager be placed under 18 months supervision upon his ultimate release. The teenager must never have any further contact with the victim either directly or indirectly. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for ten years. A local garda detective told Maurice Coffey SC, prosecuting, that the abuse came to light in November 2022 when the boy and his younger siblings were staying in their grandparents' house, where the teenager, their first cousin, was also staying. The victim told his mother that his cousin had been sexually abusing him for some time. He said that the abuse started when he was aged seven and his cousin touched him was in his grandparents' sitting room. He estimated his cousin then sexually assaulted or raped him on 10 to 15 occasions when they were both in their grandparents' house. He described it happening while family members were in the kitchen, or downstairs. He said his cousin told him not to tell anyone. When arrested by appointment, the teenager had a pre-prepared statement in which he made full admissions. He stated the abuse started in June 2021 with inappropriate touching and progressed to him carrying out oral sex on his younger cousin and then anal rape. He said he believed he raped his cousin on three occasions. He also said that he had himself been the victim of sexual abuse from a young age before he came to live with his father. He has no previous convictions and has been receiving counselling since the abuse came to light, the court heard. In her victim impact statement, which was read out by counsel, the mother described how her son had been a carefree, fun little boy before the abuse, but now he has had to go through things no little child should go through. She recalled how her nephew had blatantly lied to her about being in her child's bed and that he had been abusing her son for the previous year, while family members were in the next room - like a predator looking for prey. Our family is now broken, she said. Ronan Munro SC, defending, said the family structure is now shattered as a result of the teenager's actions. This is an appallingly difficult case for everyone involved, Mr Munro said. He handed in a number of reports to the court which stated that the teenager is engaging fully with the appropriate services and is receiving counselling in relation to his harmful sexual behaviour as well as his own childhood abuse. A man who secretly filmed his lodger while she was showering has been given a suspended sentence of 16 months. Le Wang (42) of Balally Drive, Dundrum, Dublin 16, pleaded guilty to harassing a foreign student over three months between December 2022 and March 2023. At a sitting of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court two weeks ago, Judge Martin Nolan remanded Wang in custody for a fortnight to think about what he did while he considered his verdict. Judge Nolan described Wangs behaviour as disgraceful but said he didnt deserve a longer stay in prison. Wang had videoed the woman twice in the shower and was attempting to do it a third time when the woman noticed the phone. He had hidden the phone in a laundry basket, balanced on clothes at the foot of the bathtub, the court heard. Judge Nolan said that when confronted, Wang implied threats to disclose the videos and harassed the young woman for three months, which had been very distressing for her. The court heard that the woman had arrived in Ireland from China in 2021 to study and was offered a room to rent in Wang's house. Garda Paul Kane told Jane Murphy BL, prosecuting, that the woman paid 950 for her first month's rent in December 2022. She told gardai that when she moved in, Wang started to text her every day, asking her things like what she was up to and whether she would like to go to a bar. He also asked her to let him know when she wanted to have a shower, the court heard. On December 20, 2022, the woman was in the bathroom getting ready to have a shower when she noticed the accused's mobile phone balancing on clothes in the laundry basket. She immediately brought it to the attention of Wang's wife, who said her husband must have put it there by accident and gave it back to him. Wang overheard the conversation and heard the student crying, the court heard. That evening, he sent her a series of text messages that contained the following threats: If you make a big deal out of what happened tonight and ruin my family, I have a way of ruining your reputation. You better pretend nothing happened tonight. The student moved out that evening. Wang's wife later rang the injured party and told her she had looked through her husband's phone and found many videos of her on it. In the months that followed, Wang tried to contact the student through several social media apps, including WhatsApp and WeChat, a messaging app used by the Chinese community. The woman always tried to block his contact, and after 18 incidents of attempted conversations, the harassment ended on March 11, 2023. Gardai seized the man's phone and found two videos of the woman naked in the shower, taken on December 5 and 10, 2022. Garda Kane said the videos had been deleted and then restored, and photos had been screenshotted from them and shared to Wang's own WeChat app. Garda Kane agreed with Marc Murphy BL, defending that there was no suggestion that the images or videos had been shared with anyone else. The court heard that Wang cooperated fully with gardai and seemed to suggest to them that his behaviour had been an extraordinary misjudgement or a moment of madness. Many moments of madness, interjected Judge Nolan. Wang came to Ireland about twenty years ago from China and has always worked, the court heard. He is currently self-employed as a taxi driver, working up to 50 hours a week. Counsel said Wang had made an utter fool of himself and put his marriage and his employment at risk. The court heard that the psychological report placed Wang at a low risk of recidivism. He's a man who's learnt his lesson, said counsel, submitting letters from Wang and his wife to court. ARIS MINING ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING VANCOUVER, BC, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Aris Mining Corporation (Aris Mining or the Company) (TSX: ARIS) (NYSE-A: ARMN) reports voting results from its Annual General Meeting of shareholders (the Meeting) held earlier today. AGM Voting Results Shareholders holding 46,147,782 shares, being 32.54% of the outstanding shares of the Company were represented by proxy at the meeting. The voting results from the Meeting are as follows: Election of Directors The number of directors to be elected was fixed at eight and the following directors were elected to the Company's Board: Nominee Votes for % for Votes withheld % withheld Ian Telfer 43,820,313 94.96 % 2,327,469 5.04 % Neil Woodyer 46,060,638 99.81 % 87,144 0.19 % Daniela Cambone 37,717,766 81.73 % 8,430,016 18.27 % Monica de Greiff 42,171,905 91.38 % 3,975,877 8.62 % David Garofalo 40,474,977 87.71 % 5,672,805 12.29 % Attie Roux 46,058,660 99.81 % 89,122 0.19 % Gonzalo Hernandez 46,048,558 99.78 % 99,224 0.22 % German Arce 46,045,578 99.78 % 102,204 0.22 % Appointment of Auditors KPMG LLP were re-appointed as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year with their remuneration to be set by the Board. Votes for % for Votes withheld % withheld KPMG LLP 46,117,508 99.93 % 30,274 0.07 % About Aris Mining Aris Mining is a gold producer in the Americas, currently operating two mines with expansions underway in Colombia. The Segovia Operations and Marmato Upper Mine produced 226,000 ounces of gold in 2023. Aris Mining is targeting a production rate of 500,000 ounces of gold per year in the second half of 2026, following a ramp-up period after the Segovia mill expansion scheduled for completion in Q1 2025 and the Marmato Lower Mine's first gold pour in late 2025. Aris Mining also operates the Proyecto Soto Norte joint venture, where environmental licensing is advancing to develop a new underground gold, silver and copper mine. In Guyana, Aris Mining is advancing Toroparu, a gold/copper project. Aris Mining intends to pursue acquisitions and other growth opportunities to unlock value through scale and diversification. Aris Mining promotes the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining into contract mining partners as this process enables all miners to operate in a legal, safe and responsible manner that protects them and the environment. Additional information on Aris Mining can be found at www.aris-mining.com , www.sedarplus.ca, and on www.sec.gov. SOURCE Aris Mining Corporation 16 may 2024 at 17:00 News published onand distributed by: Accessibility Standards Canada and Nova Scotia's Department of Justice connect to pave way toward a barrier-free Canada GATINEAU, QC, May 17, 2024 /CNW/ - Accessibility Standards Canada and the Nova Scotia Department of Justice have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate in their work to develop accessibility standards. The agreement will improve efforts, coordination, and the sharing of resources dedicated to creating a Canada without barriers. This MOU encourages both parties to consider each other's respective accessibility priorities. This may include aligning or harmonizing work on the development, review, and implementation of accessibility standards, where possible. It may also include the promotion, support, and conduct of research. Harmonizing standards across Canada carries benefits for all Canadians: It makes sure that standards fully reflect the needs of people with disabilities, regardless of jurisdiction. It reduces the potential for differing accessibility standards, ensuring a seamless and inclusive accessibility experience across Canada . . It promotes equity, and consistency of accessibility for people with disabilities as they live, work, and travel in Canada . Accessibility Standards Canada is committed to working with all provinces and territories to create similar agreements. Together, we can deliver on our respective accessibility mandates while contributing to a Canada without barriers. Quote(s) "Our organization strives to foster an inclusive society that is designed to accommodate everyone. Collaboration is key to driving meaningful change. By joining forces with Nova Scotia's Department of Justice, both organizations are showing a true commitment to align work on accessibility standards. Through this partnership, we are paving the way towards a future where accessibility is a reality for Canadians from coast to coast to coast." ? Philip Rizcallah, Chief Executive Officer, Accessibility Standards Canada "As Nova Scotia continues its work to develop accessibility standards, we welcome this opportunity for increased collaboration with Accessibility Standards Canada. Whether it be sharing information, considering each other's priorities, or aligning our work where possible, we know it will support our goal of an accessible province by 2030." ? Dawn Stegen, Executive Director, Nova Scotia Accessibility Directorate Quick facts The MOU with the Nova Scotia's Department of Justice was officially signed on April 22, 2024 . It is intended to last 5 years, with a possibility for renewal. Department of Justice was officially signed on . It is intended to last 5 years, with a possibility for renewal. The MOU establishes how Accessibility Standards Canada and Nova Scotia will collaborate to develop accessibility standards in the province and across the country. will collaborate to develop accessibility standards in the province and across the country. The MOU formalizes a mutually beneficial working relationship to optimize the parties' individual and collective objectives. Sharing knowledge and best practices reduces and eliminates the duplication of resources and efforts. Accessibility Standards Canada, a key partner in this collaboration, is a federal organization responsible for developing standards, advancing accessibility research, and sharing information about accessibility. The Government of Nova Scotia's Accessibility Directorate is responsible for administering the Accessibility Act and advancing disability issues. Working jointly with people with disabilities and others, they strive to achieve an accessible Nova Scotia by 2030. Accessibility Directorate is responsible for administering the Accessibility Act and advancing disability issues. Working jointly with people with disabilities and others, they strive to achieve an accessible by 2030. This is Accessibility Standards Canada 7th MOU with a provincial partner to date. Similar agreements have been signed with the Governments of Manitoba (1), Saskatchewan (1), British Columbia (2), and Ontario (2). Associated links Accessibility Standards Canada Nova Scotia Accessibility Directorate Follow us on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn SOURCE Accessibility Standards Canada 17 may 2024 at 09:00 News published onand distributed by: Giving every child the best start in life WINNIPEG, MB, May 17, 2024 /CNW/ - Every generation deserves a fair, healthy future ? from kids, to parents, to grandparents. That means we support each other at every stage of life ? starting from childhood. The federal government has made generational investments such as the Canada-wide early learning and child care system, the Canada Dental Benefit, and the Canada Child Benefit, which together are helping families across Canada save thousands of dollars every year. Since 2015, we have helped lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. When it comes to supporting families and kids, we're going to keep going. With Budget 2024, we're delivering fairness for every generation. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today highlighted the new National School Food Program. With an investment of $1 billion over five years, the Program, included in Budget 2024, will provide meals to 400,000 more kids every year, beyond those served by existing school food programs. This will mean peace of mind for parents and healthy meals for kids ? helping them learn, grow, and get the best start to life. The Program will also be a safety net for the kids who need this support the most. We're going to work with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to get this program to schools across the country. The Prime Minister also highlighted other measures from Budget 2024 to support parents, families, and kids: Supporting after-school learning. Budget 2024 invests $67 .5 million to help students, including Indigenous, low-income, and at-risk youth, reach their full potential. By investing in after-school learning and supports, such as mentorship and academic assistance, students will be able to better learn, grow, and succeed. Budget 2024 invests .5 million to help students, including Indigenous, low-income, and at-risk youth, reach their full potential. By investing in after-school learning and supports, such as mentorship and academic assistance, students will be able to better learn, grow, and succeed. Launching a new Child Care Expansion Loan Program. With up to $1 billion in low-cost loans and $60 million in non-repayable grants, public and not-for-profit child care providers will be able to build new spaces and renovate their existing child care centres. This means more resources for child care providers and more affordable child care options for families. With up to $1 billion in low-cost loans and $60 million in non-repayable grants, public and not-for-profit child care providers will be able to build new spaces and renovate their existing child care centres. This means more resources for child care providers and more affordable child care options for families. Helping students acquire coding skills with a $39 .2 million investment in CanCode. CanCode has helped over 4.5 million students ? from kindergarten through grade 12 ? develop coding and digital skills, so they can succeed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These measures will help ensure our kids have everything they need to succeed, prosper, and reach their full potential. These are just some of the things that we're doing in Budget 2024 to build a better and fairer Canada for every generation. We're also building more homes, improving health care, and investing in our economy ? to make sure every Canadian has a fair chance to succeed. Quotes "Budget 2024 is about fairness ? and that starts right from childhood. The measures we're talking about today will support families, make life more affordable, and invest directly in the future of our kids. Let's make sure our youngest Canadians can reach their full potential ? feeling happy and healthy." ? The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada "Fairness for every generation starts with ensuring every child in Canada has the best start in life. It's why we've made transformative investments in our social safety net, such as affordable child care, the Canada Dental Benefit, and the Canada Child Benefit. But more needs to be done. That's why in Budget 2024, we're doing even more to build a better, fairer Canada for children and families and ensure every generation can reach their full potential." ? The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance "Ensuring that every child has the best possible start in life is the drive behind so many of our investments. Budget 2024 is about ensuring fairness for everyone, and that includes the youngest amongst us. With measures such as the Canada Child Benefit, the Canada Dental Benefit, affordable high-quality child care, and our new National School Food Program, children in Canada will be able to reach their full potential." ? The Hon. Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development "Manitoba is leading Canada in our universally-accessible school nutrition programming. Students can't learn on an empty stomach. Providing meals to students who need them will help set them up for academic success and positive learning outcomes. Our government is providing a record $30 million into school meal programs to ensure that children have barrier-free access to food, particularly in areas where the needs are greatest and where students need it the most." ? The Hon. Nello Altomare, Manitoba's Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning Quick Facts The Government of Canada's Budget 2024 was tabled in the House of Commons by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on April 16, 2024 . Budget 2024 was tabled in the House of Commons by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on . The new $1 billion National School Food Program includes investments that will support school food programming for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities as well as Self-Governing and Modern Treaty partners, many of whom have some of the highest rates of food insecurity in Canada . Investments will also support capacity building and engagement with Indigenous partners to develop culturally appropriate solutions. These partnerships will aim to tackle food insecurity by advancing Indigenous-led solutions and will further our work on reconciliation. National School Food Program includes investments that will support school food programming for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities as well as Self-Governing and Modern Treaty partners, many of whom have some of the highest rates of food insecurity in . Investments will also support capacity building and engagement with Indigenous partners to develop culturally appropriate solutions. These partnerships will aim to tackle food insecurity by advancing Indigenous-led solutions and will further our work on reconciliation. As part of Budget 2021, the Government of Canada made a transformative investment of more than $27 billion over five years to build a Canada -wide early learning and child care system with provinces and territories. Combined with investments since Budget 2021, the federal government is investing nearly $40 billion in early learning and child care. And in just three years, we've made incredible progress: Across the country, over 750,000 kids are already benefiting from affordable, high-quality child care, with some families saving up to $14,300 per child, per year. Alongside provinces and territories, we have also announced measures to create over 100,000 new spaces, well on our way to reaching our goal of creating 250,000 new spaces by March 2026 . made a transformative investment of more than $27 billion over five years to build a -wide early learning and child care system with provinces and territories. Combined with investments since Budget 2021, the federal government is investing nearly $40 billion in early learning and child care. And in just three years, we've made incredible progress: Across the country, over 750,000 kids are already benefiting from affordable, high-quality child care, with some families saving up to per child, per year. Alongside provinces and territories, we have also announced measures to create over 100,000 new spaces, well on our way to reaching our goal of creating 250,000 new spaces by . To give every child the best start in life, Budget 2024 is also: Increasing training for early childhood educators. We're investing $10 million over two years to train more early childhood educators, building up the talent needed for the expansion of affordable, high-quality child care. Improving child care access for military families. Military service often demands frequent moves and deployments, making quality child care more than just a convenience. Budget 2024 invests $100 million over five years to provide Canadian Armed Forces personnel and their families with better access to child care on bases across Canada . Launching a new Youth Mental Health Fund to ensure that younger generations have the access they need to mental health supports, so they can have a healthy start to adulthood. Budget 2024 proposes an investment of $500 million over five years to ensure youth have access to mental health supports in their community. Ensuring a brighter and more prosperous future for First Nations children, youth, and communities with a proposed new investment of $1 .2 billion in First Nations' kindergarten to grade 12 education and $242 .7 million to increase access to post-secondary education for First Nations students. Keeping our children safe by protecting them from online harm. Budget 2024 proposes an investment of $7 .5 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to the Public Health Agency of Canada to support Kids Help Phone in their work providing mental health, counselling, and crisis support to young people. These new investments build on the significant progress we have already made to help kids reach their full potential and level the playing field for parents, including by: Giving families more money through the Canada Child Benefit, to help with the costs of raising their kids and make a real difference in the lives of children in Canada . The Canada Child Benefit, which can provide up to $7,437 per child per year, is indexed annually to keep up with the cost of living. Improving access to dental health care for children under the age of 12 through the Canada Dental Benefit, and soon for children under 18 with the Canadian Dental Care Plan, because no one should have to choose between taking care of their kids' teeth and putting food on the table. Associated Links This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca SOURCE Prime Minister's Office 17 may 2024 at 12:11 News published onand distributed by: Parliamentary Secretary Drouin announces over $9.6 million to help the Canadian pork industry to prevent and prepare for a possible African swine fever outbreak LONGUEUIL, QC , May 17, 2024 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is protecting the resilience of Canada's rural communities and the Canadian pork sector by supporting prevention and preparedness measures for African swine fever (ASF). ASF is a viral disease that only impacts pigs. While it has not been found in Canada to date, as it spreads around the globe, it poses a significant risk to the health of the Canadian swine herd, the pork industry, and the Canadian economy. Today, Francis Drouin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced an investment of up to $9,645,586 to fund 29 African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program (ASFIPP) projects in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. This investment will fund ASF research, improved biosecurity measures, wild pig management activities, retrofits of existing abattoirs, regional preparation for the welfare depopulation and disposal of healthy hogs, and sector analysis, engagement and education tools, and will help ensure the sector is prepared should a case be detected. Quotes "Animal diseases, including African swine fever, are a serious threat to Canada's pork sector, and it's vitally important that all orders of government and industry take steps to prevent and prepare. These projects are a key part of Canada's efforts to prevent an ASF outbreak while ensuring our pork sector is ready to respond." - The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food "To be successful in countering foreign animal diseases, cooperation between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and industry is crucial. This program not only supports our pork industry's commitment to prevention and preparation efforts against African swine fever, it also supports efforts to prevent and prepare for other potential foreign animal diseases." - Francis Drouin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food "The Canadian Pork Council has been thrilled to work with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) as it delivers on its commitment to industry preparedness through the African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program (ASFIPP). This crucial and innovative initiative, part of AAFC's broader efforts to enhance biosecurity and disease management in Canadian agriculture, reflects a shared commitment to safeguarding our pork industry's resilience and sustainability through embracing new ideas and an industry-wide approach. This initiative, and its proactive approach, underscores our commitment to invest in advanced technologies, rigorous training, and collaborative partnerships to fortify our defenses against African Swine Fever and other potential threats. This strategic focus not only protects our swine producers and their livelihoods but also upholds Canada's reputation as a reliable supplier of safe and high-quality pork products globally." - Rene Roy, Chair of the Canadian Pork Council "We would like to thank the Canadian government for its participation in the efforts to prevent African swine fever. This is a sword of Damocles dangling over the heads of every member of our industry. Les Eleveurs de Porcs is a long-standing, leading partner in this effort, and has been very proactive in advancing the work to ensure that we are ready to manage and limit the damage to farmers caused by such a crisis. This financial assistance is essential, as are compartmentalization and zoning agreements with countries with which we trade pork and pork products." - Louis-Philippe Roy, president of the Eleveurs de porcs du Quebec and the Equipe quebecoise de sante porcine Quick Facts Preventing and preparing for foreign animal diseases is a shared responsibility between federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and industry. A detection of ASF in Canada would immediately stop exports of pork products and live pigs, which could significantly impact the pork industry, a major economic driver which supports over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs and generates over $24 billion for the Canadian economy. would immediately stop exports of pork products and live pigs, which could significantly impact the pork industry, a major economic driver which supports over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs and generates over for the Canadian economy. ASF is not a threat to human health, it cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans, and it is not a food safety issue. However, it is a contagious and deadly viral disease affecting both domestic and wild pigs. Since 2018, ASF has spread through parts of Asia and Europe , and was detected in the Caribbean in 2021. It has never been found in Canada or the United States . and , and was detected in the in 2021. It has never been found in or . The $23.4 million ASFIPP was launched in 2022 and to help Canada's pork industry prepare for the possibility of ASF entering the country. The ASFIPP is still accepting applications. African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program: Prevention and Preparedness Stream African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program: Welfare Slaughter and Disposal Stream ASFIPP was launched in 2022 and to help pork industry prepare for the possibility of ASF entering the country. The ASFIPP is still accepting applications. The Canadian pork industry exports roughly two-thirds of its pork production and millions of live hogs per year. In 2023, pork exports were valued at $4.7 billion , excluding the 6.7 million live swine exported throughout the year. Associated Links Backgrounder African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program projects On May 17, 2024, the Government of Canada announced over $9.6 million in funding for 29 projects under the African Swine Fever Industry Preparedness Program (ASFIPP). The projects must be completed by March 31, 2025. The ASFIPP has five priority areas for projects: Biosecurity assessment and improvements including wild pig management; Sector analysis, communication and engagement; African swine fever-related research projects; Processor retrofits; and Regional preparation for welfare slaughter and disposal of surplus healthy hogs The 29 projects are: Recipient Organization AAFC Funding Province Priority Area Project focus 2076939 Ontario Inc. O/A Cornerstone Group $757,893 Ontario Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal This project aims to invest in CO2 storage, a mobile CO2 trailer, a portable swine depopulation system, and a commercial wash bay for cleaning and disinfection. Alberta Pork Producer Development Corporation $1,103,274 Alberta Biosecurity / Wild Pigs This project aims to implement new approaches to: producer education on African swine fever, Biosecurity, eradication of wild boars at large, Biocontainment, and provide equipment and training for on-farm response for field staff in industry., Aliments Asta $93,539 Quebec Retrofits This project aims to install a slaughter line to process surplus healthy hogs in the event of an ASF outbreak. Canadian Pork Council $412,971 Ontario ASF Research This project aims to develop an ASFMeter: a portable, low-cost tool for rapidly diagnosing African swine fever virus in the field. Eleveurs de porcs du Quebec $167,431 Quebec Biosecurity / Wild Pigs This project aims to improve the Quebec pork industry's preparedness for the introduction of ASF through: 1. Detecting and raising awareness about ASF and biosecurity among small-scale pig and wild boar farmers and owners of pet pigs. 2. Transition of the Quebec hog manifest from paper format to an electronic tool. Eleveurs de porcs du Quebec $37,447 Quebec Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal This project aims to adapt, develop and implement a legal framework for crisis management for the Quebec pork industry. It will focus on amendments to the marketing agreement and production restriction guidelines. Equipe quebecoise de sante porcine (EQSP) $658,546 Quebec Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal This project aims to prepare producers for the closure of export markets by providing logistical, financial and operational planning with tools and technologies for mass depopulation of surplus healthy hogs. HyLife Foods LP $533,131 Manitoba Retrofits This project aims to retrofit HyLife Foods' processing plant to be ready to move depopulated surplus hogs destined for disposal out of the processing plant, while maintaining normal production. HyLife Ltd. $873,534 Manitoba Retrofits This project aims to design and build a portable depopulation system and acquire trailers for hauling and removing disposed animals. Manitoba Pork Council O/A Manitoba Pork $418,000 Manitoba Biosecurity / Wild Pigs The objective of this project is to utilize the expertise and experience of the swine industry within Canada to conceptualize, assemble, and test a low-cost rapid deployment depopulation unit for adult swine that can be used on-farm for full-barn depopulations or at a centralized site. Manitoba Pork Council O/A Manitoba Pork $285,340 Manitoba Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal This project aims to assess the feasibility of 60 hog farms across Manitoba to identify suitable carcass disposal locations. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. $118,575 Alberta Retrofits This project aims to develop engineering plans to be able to retrofit for mass depopulation of surplus healthy hogs and then move directly to a truck for disposal. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. $361,000 Manitoba Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal This project aims to fabricate and assemble the components to build a fully mobile system needed to complete on-site mass depopulation of surplus healthy hogs. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. $204,000 Manitoba Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal The project aims to complete the pre-engineering/detailed design for the Brandon site to support mass processing of surplus healthy hogs. Olymel LP $641,623 Alberta Retrofits This project aims to modify the Red Deer processing plant to be ready to humanely process surplus healthy hogs destined for the landfill. Ontario Pork Industry Council $156,090 Ontario Biosecurity / Wild Pigs This project aims to develop biosecurity recommendations and design concepts to reduce disease transmission risks associated with assembly yards. Ontario Pork Industry Council $144,687 Ontario Biosecurity / Wild Pigs This project aims to train and prepare key players in the pork industry to help with welfare slaughter and herd depopulation in the event of an ASF outbreak. An already developed training course (knowledge and hands-on training) will be delivered. The project will also create and acquire training aids for use after the project ends. Ontario Pork Producers' Marketing Board $367,912 Ontario Biosecurity / Wild Pigs This project aims to create farm-specific planning for humane depopulation and disposal of healthy surplus animals for all Ontario commercial swine farms; and survey available on-farm resources. Ontario Pork Producers' Marketing Board $88,000 Ontario Biosecurity / Wild Pigs This project aims to evaluate the existing Ontario Swine Incident Command Centre program structure and identify and address gaps. Ontario Pork Producers' Marketing Board $175,973 Ontario Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal This project aims to operationalize and facilitate the prompt deployment of two newly built Emergency Mobile Depopulation trailers in response to an ASF or other foreign animal disease event. PEI Hog Commodity Marketing Board $959,530 Prince Edward Island Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal This project aims to develop a new animal depopulation technology that considers the welfare of both the operator and the animal. The technology applies to multiple species and is planned to be fully scalable from single animal to large commercial size. PEI Hog Commodity Marketing Board $26,040 Prince Edward Island Sector Analysis, Communication, Engagement This project aims to prepare Animal Health Emergency Handbooks and ensure producers complete them to have a good working knowledge of available resources. Pork Producers Association of Nova Scotia $13,090 Nova Scotia Biosecurity / Wild Pigs This project aims to train individuals on the proper use of equipment already owned by Pork Nova Scotia, in an effort to prepare for potential disease outbreaks. Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture $68,523 Saskatchewan Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal This project aims to assess the geological suitability of two locations to be used, in the event of an ASF outbreak and market closures leading to the need for the large-scale disposal of surplus healthy hogs. Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture $17,148 Saskatchewan Regional Preparation for Welfare Slaughter / Disposal This project aims to develop an operational plan for a large-scale central disposal site for surplus healthy hogs in case of an ASF outbreak and market closures. Saskatchewan Pork Development Board $460,949 Saskatchewan Biosecurity / Wild Pigs This project aims to: 1) Determine locations of feral swine populations through surveillance 2) Increase the capacity of ongoing population control 3) Develop and implement an educational campaign to inform the public, producers and industry about the risks of feral swine. University of Guelph $118,415 Ontario ASF Research This project aims to develop a model to estimate the production impact of a disruption to swine production and marketing with an interactive user interface. University of Saskatchewan $94,435 Saskatchewan ASF Research This project aims to develop a rapid peptide-based diagnostic assay to allow for surveillance and detection of ASF. University of Saskatchewan $258,490 Saskatchewan ASF Research This project aims to identify African swine fever virus antigens. Related products Minister MacAulay announces support for Animal Health Canada's work to prevent and prepare for animal disease outbreaks Government of Canada helping pork producers prepare for a possible outbreak of African swine fever Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Web: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 17 may 2024 at 12:18 News published onand distributed by: Terra Balcanica Announces Private Placement Financing NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES Vancouver, British Columbia, May 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Terra Balcanica Resources Corp. ("Terra" or the "Company") (CSE:TERA; FRA:UB1) is pleased to announce the intent to complete a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") for gross proceeds of up to C$600,000 through the issuance of up to 6,000,000 units (each a "Unit") at a purchase price of C$0.10 per Unit. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company ("Common Share") and a Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant") to purchase an additional one common share of the Company ("Warrant Share") at an exercise price of C$0.15 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months from the closing date of the Private Placement (the "Closing Date"). The Units will be offered by way of prospectus exemptions in Canada, in the United States pursuant to available exemptions from the registration requirements and in certain jurisdictions outside of Canada and the United States, as determined by the Company. The Common Shares, Warrants and Warrant Shares, if issued within four months of the Closing Date, will be subject to a hold period of four months plus one day from the Closing Date in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. The Closing Date is expected to occur on or before June 14th, 2024, subject to regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange and certain other customary conditions including, but not limited to, execution of subscription agreements between the Company and the subscribers. In certain circumstances, the Company may pay finder's fees in cash and warrants on a portion of the Private Placement. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Private Placement for land holding costs, project payments, to continue drilling the Company's portfolio of mineral exploration properties in the western Balkans and for general corporate and working capital purposes. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. About the Company Terra Balcanica is a polymetallic and energy metals exploration company targeting large-scale mineral systems in the Balkans of southeastern Europe and northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company has 90% interest in the Viogor-Zanik Project in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina and owns 100% of the Ceovishte mineral exploration licence in southern Serbia. The Canadian assets comprise a 100% optioned portfolio of uranium-prospective licences at the outskirts of the world-renowned Athabasca basin: Charlot-Neely Lake, Fontaine Lake, Snowbird, and South Pendleton. The Company emphasizes responsible engagement with local communities and stakeholders. It is committed to proactively implementing Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) and sustainable health, safety, and environmental management. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terra Balcanica Resources Corp. "Aleksandar Mi?kovi?" Aleksandar Mi?kovi? President and CEO For the complete information on this news release, please contact Aleksandar Mi?kovi? at [email protected], +1 (514) 796-7577, or visit www.terrabresources.com/en/news. Cautionary Statement This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"). The use of any of the words "will", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, the terms and completion of the Private Placement, the anticipated Closing Date, the payment of finder's fees and the use of proceeds for the Private Placement. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect including, but not limited to, the ability to obtain regulatory approval for the Private Placement; the state of the equity financing markets in Canada and other jurisdictions; volatility and sensitivity to market prices; volatility and sensitivity to capital market fluctuations; and fluctuations in metal prices. Such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. Actual results achieved may vary from the information provided herein as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors. The Company believes the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. 17 may 2024 at 16:00 News published onand distributed by: Police have cordoned off Storgatan street, close to the Israeli embassy, on May 17, 2024, in Stockholm where gunfire was heard during the night. HENRIK MONTGOMERY/TT / AFP Sweden was strengthening security measures for Israeli interests and the Jewish community in the country after gunfire near Israel's embassy in Stockholm, police said on Friday, May 17. Police sealed off the area around the embassy and carried out searches in several Stockholm neighborhoods after hearing gunshots in the early hours of Friday morning. "Due to suspected shots near Israel's embassy in Stockholm, the police are taking security measures (to protect) Israeli and Jewish property and interests across the country," the police department announced on its website. Israel's ambassador to Sweden Ziv Nevo Kulman thanked the authorities on X "for their immediate reaction and investigation, and for enhancing the security measures around our embassy and around the Jewish communities." In February, police found a device within the Israeli embassy compound which the ambassador said was an attempted attack. The Swedish intelligence services opened an investigation for a "terrorist crime." Read more Subscribers only Protesters gather in support of Israel or Palestine during Eurovision contest in Sweden French prosecutors on Thursday, May 16, charged former minister Damien Abad with the attempted rape of one of three women who have accused him of sexual assault, according to sources close to the case. The 44-year-old, formerly the minsiter for solidarity for President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Renaissance party, called the accusations "unfounded". The attempted rape charge dates from a 2010 incident at a party he gave at his Paris home. The allegation was made by another MP. Two other cases dating from 2010 and 2011 are still being investigated. In a statement to Agence France-Presse, Abad said he would prove "the unfounded nature of the accusations". He said he had "no doubt" he would be cleared in the other cases. In May 2022 Abad was named solidarity minister, with a portfolio to oversee policies on disability. But soon after that, the Mediapart investigative website published testimonies from two women who said he had assaulted them in 2010 and 2011. Those reports led a third woman to come forward. Parliament lifted his immunity and he was briefly arrested in June 2023, before being released as the investigation progressed. He was removed from the cabinet in July 2022. Pastor Abraham Benjamin celebrates with his lawyer after he was set free by the court WE HEADED off to the Radisson Blu in Cork for the Hi Style Villa Maria Women of Vision Awards 2024, and oh, what a night! It was just incredible, as the focus of the ceremony is to showcase and award Irish female entrepreneurs and businesswomen. The Limerick winner on the night was none other than Sinead OBrien, more popularly known as Sinead Curvy Style. The extraordinarily talented woman founded her own shapewear and swimwear brand, Vacious by Sinead. The Patrickswell native took the Women Empowerment award on the night. How very proud I am of you, Sinead! READ MORE: Chance meeting at Queen concert brings Scottish choir to Limerick RTEs Miriam OCallaghan was host on the night, where Irish women in academia, science, beauty and indeed, fashion were recognised for their work and efforts in a range of areas. Taoiseach Simon Harris even made an appearance on the night and I had the honour of speaking to him - albeit a brief chat! The Taoiseach presented Irish politician and Limerick native, Frances Fitzgerald MEP, with a lifetime achievement award, which was a highlight on the night. I wore a floor-length, teal-coloured gown and was over the moon that Frances Fitzgerald mentioned me in her award-acceptance speech on stage. How honoured I was after Ms Fitzgerald said that she admired me and my style! Limerick women stick together and it is important that we support each other! Like so many other Limerick hurling supporters were, I was so disappointed for our boys with the outcome of the match but we all remain so very proud of the team and their efforts. We will dust ourselves off and hit the ground running again! -XxCelia READER DISCRETION ADVISED A LIMERICK woman said in her victim impact statement that Denis ODonovan is a dangerous sexual predator and everyone should know his name. The woman, who doesnt wish to be identified, told Limerick Circuit Court that everything ODonovan has done to me has completely destroyed my life. Denis ODonovan, aged 38, of Ballyryan, Donohill, Co Tipperary was found guilty by a jury of two sexual assaults, false imprisonment and assault causing harm at a two week trial in April. The defendant was before Judge Dermot Sheehan for judgement on Thursday, May 16. Lily Buckley, prosecuting barrister, instructed by State solicitor Padraig Mawe, gave a summary of the evidence with the assistance of Detective Garda Chris Cowan. She said the offences occurred on a date in January 2020. It was at a property in County Limerick. She was at home alone in the evening. There was a knock on her door. The light outside was not working. She had a torch. A car was on her drive. She was pulled into the car and kept against her will. The car went down the road and it stopped. She was grabbed by the neck and choked by the accused. Her hips were pinned between the front seats. Her tracksuit pants and panties were pulled down. He jabbed his fingers into her vagina repeatedly. He licked her vagina. At the time she had her period and was using an improvised sanitary towel, said Ms Buckley. The court heard the victim, a woman in her 40s, made good her escape by saying she wanted to get more comfortable. She fell out of the car, pulled up her tracksuit and panties and was so desperate to get away that she went through a ditch with briars where she stayed, said Ms Buckley. She said the victim returned to her home and rang 999. READ MORE: 'Beyond vile' - Politicians condemn racial attack on Limerick candidate Gardai took her to a sexual assault treatment unit where it was found she had a scratch on her forehead, bruise below her clitoris, and marks on her neck which were consistent with sexual assault and choking. ODonovan was arrested in January 2020 and was interviewed five times. Det Garda Cowan said ODonovan was adamant the victim was not in his car and he did not touch her. The detective garda said ODonovan told gardai that the victim was mad. Ms Buckley said Forensic Science Ireland found fibres from ODonovans top on the victims cardigan which is consistent with a struggle. The prosecuting barrister said ODonovans DNA was in saliva found in the gusset of the victims panties. When this evidence was put to him by gardai after he was rearrested and questioned in September 2020, Det Garda Cowan said ODonovan put it down to the hoppin and trottin. I falsely imprisoned her but did not sexually assault her, ODonovan told gardai. Det Garda Cowan said ODonovan has a number of convictions for public order, possession of drugs, driving offences and an aggravated burglary, which occurred on March 17, 2019 in Tipperary. He was on bail for that matter at the time (of this incident). He had an axe and broke in the back door. A woman was asleep on a couch. He chased her up the stairs. A 16-year-old was asleep upstairs. When he realised there was another person there he fled, said Det Garda Cowan. Mark Nicholas SC, who represented ODonovan, said his client and the woman asleep on the couch were on-and-off partners at the time. He said they have a four-year-old child so there was some reconciliation following the aggravated burglary. Mr Nicholas said the mother of their child has died. The victim read out her own impact statement in Limerick Circuit Court. She said everything Denis ODonovan has "done to me has completely destroyed my life and what happened on the night in question was terrifying, traumatising, degrading and disgusting. To be dragged into his car, driven at speed down the road, to have to try to escape by jumping out of a moving car, only for him to grab me with both hands choking me violently, pinning me down with one hand on my throat while he sexually assaulted me in a disgusting degrading way, made even more degrading and disgusting by the fact that I had my period, she said. The woman said no words can ever fully describe the absolute terror of being choked, and believing she was going to die. After the attack, she said she couldn't eat or sleep and lay awake at night listening for fear of him returning. She told the court she was going to kill myself and spent weeks in a secure mental health unit due to the trauma. I have suffered panic attacks, flashbacks and nightmares since the attack on an almost daily basis. I became confined to home because the fear and panic was overwhelming. I changed from being a happy confident person who loved the outdoors - hiking and walking - to not being able to leave my house for years. He has taken everything I enjoyed about life away from me, she said. The woman said she knows the importance of cervical screening but can't bring herself to go for a smear test. I turned to alcohol to try to block out the trauma. I went from never really being a big drinker to developing a serious alcohol problem. For him to put me through a trial which was so daunting, as I had never been to court in my life, and to have to sit and listen to his outrageous and disgusting lies, felt like another attack. "He has taken years of my life that I will never get back. He may be going to jail, but I feel like I've been in jail for the last four years. She said it has been an incredibly difficult and dark time in her life, but today she is a stronger person for surviving everything he has done to her. I refuse to let him destroy the rest of my life. He is a dangerous sexual predator and everyone should know his name, said the woman. She thanked Judge Dermot Sheehan, the DPP and all the guards involved in this case, in particular Garda Noelle Fitzgerald and Garda Robert Young. I especially want to thank Det Garda Chris Cowan for all his hard work on this case and for the kindness and compassion he has shown to me. I cannot speak highly enough of him, said the woman, who also thanked a friend for the strength and love she gave her through the darkest times which saved her. READ MORE: Munster abuse case: rapist uncles fail in bid to overturn convictions over letter sent by juror to judge Mr Nicholas said ODonovans position, still, is that there was no sexual assault element. He made admissions he was there. She tried to get out (of the car) and he pulled her back in and there was a scuffle. He does express regret. There is a softening of his position within the limited narrative. "He comes from a fine family. He tragically lost his mother when he was four. He did an apprenticeship in engineering maintenance and has worked in ground works ever since, said Mr Nicholas, who added that it was a well-paid role but ODonovan spent a lot of it on drink. He described ODonovan previous convictions as drink sodden and said he had consumed alcohol prior to the aggravated burglary. The court heard that he had been in pubs before he sexually assaulted the victim in this case. He has a four-year-old girl. Her mother died tragically last year. He has access and pays maintenance, said Mr Nicholas, who asked Judge Sheehan to measure matters as best he can. Judge Sheehan said he needed time to consider sentencing and adjourned matters until June 7. ODonovan was remanded in continuing custody. He has been in prison for 107 days on this matter. Judge Sheehan said nothing should be published that would identify the victim but the accused can be named. GARDAI have seized thousands of euros of heroin and crack cocaine following a search operation in a Limerick city estate. The illegal substances, with a street value of 20,650 were recovered this Thursday as part of a major operation targetting their sale and supply. Local officers teamed up with the regional armed support unit for the operation, with five search warrants executed at properties in Kings Island area. During the course of the searches, heroin to the value of 10,500 and crack cocaine to the value of 10,150 was seized along with 1,300 cash. READ MORE: Enterprising Limerick students honoured for their innovation All drugs seized are now subject to examination by Forensic Science Ireland. No arrests have been made at this time. It comes after garda reinitiated Operation Feabhsaigh under the direction of Superintendent Andrew Lacey of Henry Street garda station. Its key priorities are targetting the sale and supply of drugs in the King's Island area. On top of this, it aims to stamp out open drug use, chronic anti-social behyaviour, aggressive begging and general crime in the community. There was a manifest failure of the UK and Irish governments to adequately respond to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, Irelands president has said. A wreath-laying ceremony was held in Dublin to mark the 50th anniversary of the deadly attacks on May 17 1974 when three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one in Monaghan town. No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. It remains the biggest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. The ceremony took place in Talbot Street, Dublin, where an official memorial honours the 35 people killed in the bombings, including two unborn babies. Another 300 people are estimated to have been injured in the blasts. President Michael D Higgins said: Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings of 1974 were crimes of a particular level of savagery, executed consciously upon workers and civilians with total disregard for human life and suffering. Like the families of so many other victims and survivors of the Northern Ireland conflict, so many of you here today have been trying to find answers about what happened. Mr Higgins said it is a matter of profound regret and unacceptable that no one had been held accountable for the atrocities. The president said systemic failures at state level include possible collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitaries, the disappearance of important forensic evidence and a refusal to supply information. He said: The manifest failure of both the British and Irish governments to initiate suitable responses in the aftermath of the attacks has left a legacy that cannot be left unaddressed. I share with the relatives gathered or represented here their feeling of being abandoned and failed by the system, of their being denied justice for the loss of loved ones. Mr Higgins said the relatives need more than an empathetic ear, adding: Justice demands that they deserve the truth no more, no less. The president also criticised the current British Governments Legacy Act, saying: The enactment of that unilaterally sourced legislation has resulted in families who have spent decades fighting for an effective investigation into their cases of not only facing further uncertainty and delays but of the deprivation of legal rights. Mr Higgins said there was a collective responsibility to deal with legacy issues in an ethical manner, adding: A strategy of feigned amnesia, or hoping time will deliver one, is simply not an option, nor is any strategy of continuing the protection of previous evasions or failures to act. It is not morally acceptable, nor is it politically feasible, to request that those affected by such tragedy should forget about the past, draw a line or move on in the name of any naive desire for a supposed closure that may never be attainable. He said the families call for the full truth to emerge should be supported, however embarrassing or painful it may be. Irelands premier Simon Harris and deputy premier Micheal Martin also attended the event organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Sir Iain Livingstone, who leads the Operation Denton operation, were among other attendees. Former Irish premiers Leo Varadkar and Bertie Ahern were also present. Mr Harris said: Today, 50 years on from that dark day, I remember all those who lost their lives and were injured, and think of their families. I know their hurt has been compounded by a lack of truth and of justice for the victims since, and of immediate support for the families in the difficult years that followed. Today, we honour the memories of those who died, the more than 300 people injured, and the bereaved, both those living and those who have died in the years since. Today, Dublin and Monaghan remember. Mr Higgins will lay another wreath in Monaghan on Friday evening, where local minister Heather Humphreys will represent the Government. Before the Dublin ceremony, Mr Martin and Mr Boutcher attended a memorial Mass at nearby St Marys Pro-Cathedral. Leading the service, Archbishop Dermot Farrell read out the names of those killed in the bombings. Calling for reconciliation, he added: Pray that those with the power to be able to deliver that justice, which will ultimately bring peace, will come quickly so that all may be fully healed of that awful atrocity and tragedy. Earlier, Mr Martin pledged that all Government-held files in connection with the bombings should be released to inquiries. He said: Ive a general view that any files we have in Dublin, or within the Department of Justice or in An Garda Siochana, should be released to all inquiries in respect of atrocities in Northern Ireland. Today is a very poignant day and the Justice for the Forgotten group has been extraordinary in their efforts they have made to focus attention many decades on, on what was the worst atrocity, in what was a terrible time in Ireland when there was murder and mayhem across the land. Earlier governments from the 1990s on, we had two inquiries and both those inquires made it very clear that they didnt get full co-operation, particularly from the British state. Mr Martin told RTEs Morning Ireland radio programme that the Legacy Act had created a huge challenge. NEW DELHI : Among the many learnings from the covid-19 pandemic, one was that Indias aviation sector could do with a graveyard for aircraft. Not just for aircraft that have been retired and can be stripped for scraps, but also as a low-cost parking option for planes not in commission. The Airports Authority of India has concluded following a preliminary assessment of airports, airstrips, and special economic zones that there is indeed potential for development of aircraft boneyards in the country, said two people familiar with the governments thinking. However, it isnt clear yet if the civil aviation ministry or the airports authority want to actively take this proposal forward, one of them said. It depends on whether there is any commercial interest in running such establishments in the country, and also on the plans of the government that comes to power next month." Indias parliamentary election concludes this month, and a new government will be sworn in following the poll results in June. The civil aviation ministry and the Airports Authority of India did not reply to queries on the plans for establishing aircraft boneyards in the country. India currently has only one such facilitya graveyard for defence aircraft at Allahabad. Globally, aircraft boneyards came to be used during the pandemic as a cheaper option for parking aircraft. In normal times, typically, boneyards are used as a resting space for retired aircraft, but also for storage before resale, scrapping for parts, or for long-term storage of a jet that may be used again. The viability test Aviation authorities first felt the need for aircraft boneyards during the pandemic lockdowns, but as a low-cost parking option and not as a retirement facility for planes. During the covid years, airlines were left with several planes stranded because there werent enough passengers to fly, and had to pay hefty sums to park their aircraft at commercial airports. As a retirement facility, however, aircraft boneyards may not yet make much commercial sense in India. Most Indian airlines lease aircraft from global manufacturers rather than take ownership of planes. The exception is Indias largest carrier, Interglobe Aviation Ltd, or IndiGo, whose management recently stated during a post-earnings call that the airline was looking to invest more in owning aircraft and engines. IndiGo increased its owned fleet to 26 aircraft in December, from 16 in September and 14 in June. But an aircraft boneyard would make sense for an airline like Go First, whose 54 leased aircraft have been grounded since the company filed for bankruptcy in May 2023. The Delhi High Court last month ordered the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to deregister the aircraft leased to Go First so its lessors could fly back their planes. Davinder Sandhu, co-founder and chairperson at consultancy Primus Partners, said it was not clear if there was commercial viability for aircraft boneyards in India. Indias civil aviation sector is relatively young and growing fast with the acquisition of new aircraft. (But) since obsolescence on the civilian aircraft side is not an issue, it will not be viable to consider the expensive real estate at airports for boneyards," said Sandhu. However, one has seen continuing commercial turbulence in the industry post-covid, with parked aircraft taking up precious space. In this context, it may be viable to develop parking boneyard facilities away from congested airports," he added. This will release space at airports for enhanced operations, and lower parking costs for airlines. A good example is the Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona." The US has at least half a dozen aircraft boneyards, for both civilian and military planes, including some that are popular for their collection of vintage jets. Some of these boneyards are used not only for scrapping parts from retired aircraft, but also for storage, modification and repair. A World War connection Aircraft boneyards came into existence after World War II in 1946. Following the war, the US military needed to store thousands of fighter aircraft and bomber jets such as the B-29s and C-47s. As these aircraft were part of the USs strategic reserve, the military found a place with low humidity, low rainfall, and high altitude so as to reduce corrosion and prevent rust in the planes. Also read | Airport privatization 3.0: Here are the 13 candidates In India, the Airports Authoritys preliminary assessment has indicated that aircraft boneyards can be established at airstrips around special economic zones and at small airports. One has seen continuing commercial turbulence in the industry post-covid, with parked aircraft taking up precious space," said Sandhu of Primus Partners. In this context, it may be viable to develop parking boneyard facilities away from congested airports." Is India ready for boneyards? The US is the worlds largest boneyard market, with seven aircraft graveyards. The largest lies in the Arizona desert inside the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, where more than 4,000 aircraft can rest. Argentina, Brazil, and Chile too have a large number of boneyards. There are almost 30,000 private owners of aircraft in the US. Brazil has over 20,000 general aviation aircraft," said Mark D. Martin MRAeS, chief executive officer of aviation research firm Martin Consulting. Such concepts work more successfully where there is a higher ownership of aircraft." India currently has a total fleet of about 3,000 aircraft. Also read | A 15-year tax on imported private jets might fly into the sunset Aircraft boneyards are somewhat similar to ship graveyards, where decommissioned ships are sent to be dismantled. India boasts of the worlds largest shipbreaking yard, in Alang, Gujarat, which dismantles about half of the worlds sea vessels. But, Martin said, unlike with the shipbreaking industry, an aircraft boneyard needs rigorous and delicate implementation as plane parts, even from retired jets, need to be handled very efficiently. The processes of storing the aircraft and then using it for resale of spare parts will also need companies that are ready to invest in such facilities," Martin said, adding that aircraft boneyards would need to be authorised to release aircraft spare parts after recertification and reassessment. Indian fugitive former businessman Vijay Mallya condoled the demise of Anita Goyal, wife of Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal who passed away around 3 am on Thursday after battling cancer. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mallya wrote, My heartfelt condolences to the Goyal family on the sad passing of Anita. She was a formidable competitor at Jet but a lovely human being. He further trained guns at Naresh Goyal, saying I am also sad that Naresh is enduring what he is given his creation of Jet, a worthy and long standing competitor to KFA. Both Indias finest airlines are sadly no more. Wonder why ? May truth prevail eventually. Anita Goyal dies at 70 Anita's health had been declining over the past few months, with medical reports indicating she was battling third-stage cancer. She is survived by her husband, Naresh, and their two children, Namrata and Nivaan. The Bombay High Court recently granted the couple a two-month interim bail on medical grounds in a money laundering case. Naresh, 75, had sought bail on both medical and humanitarian grounds as he is also a cancer patient. During the hearing, Goyal's lawyer, senior advocate Harish Salve, made an appeal on humanitarian grounds, emphasizing Goyal's physical and mental challenges, especially in light of his wife's illness. Salve noted that Goyal had opted for chemotherapy over more invasive surgery to remain by his wife's side during her treatment. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has accused Jet Airways of borrowing funds from a consortium of 10 banks to manage its daily operations, while still owing 6,000 crore to these banks. A forensic audit revealed that 1,152 crore was diverted under the guise of consultancy and professional fees, and another 2,547.83 crore was funneled to its sister concern, Jet Lite Limited, to settle its loan, according to the ED. Mumbai: Looking to cut losses and return its wind turbine business to profitability by 2026, German energy major Siemens Energy AG has put the India wind turbine unit of its subsidiary, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, up for sale, two people aware of the development said. The India business is said to have annual revenues of $700 million, and is being valued at $1 billion for the transaction, the people said. The Munich-headquartered global manufacturer has appointed investment bank Barclays to find buyers. The appointment follows the parents decision to explore either part or full exit of the wind turbine unit from the Indian market. Adani is one of the front runners to this asset," the first person said. In addition to Adani Renewable Energy, TPG Rise, Brookfield Energy Transition Funds, Macquarie, and middle eastern energy company Masdar have also been sounded out, the second person said. Both persons spoke on condition of anonymity. The deal could swing from a significant minority stake to a control deal based on investor interest," the second person added. A Siemens spokesperson did not specifically comment on the deal. Siemens Gamesa recently presented a plan on how we can return the company to profitability. Part of this action plan is also the focus on core markets in the onshore sector, that is, with wind turbines on land. Here, the company will concentrate on the core markets of Europe and the US, but will also serve other markets where profitable business is possible. Further detailed decisions have not yet been made. The Indian market is fundamentally interesting for us; we have service obligations here that we will of course fulfil," the spokesperson said. The prospective buyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Barclays did not immediately comment on Friday evening. The deal was launched last week. Initial teasers have been sent out to infrastructure funds, climate funds and strategic investors," said the second person cited above. Why the sale Siemens Gamesa has reported poor results over the past few years and has been working on a turnaround. Siemens projected negative profit of 2 billion for Siemens Gamesa for fiscal 2024, per its Q2 FY24 earnings. (For Siemens Energy AG, fiscal calendar 2024 ends in September 2024.) In November, Siemens Energy chief executive Christian Bruch said Siemens Gamesa was aiming to break even by 2026. This followed Siemens Energy initiating the process to acquire all the outstanding shares of Siemens Gamesa in May 2022 with a plan to fully integrate the two units over 2024 and 2025. From 1 August, Siemens Gamesa has appointed Vinod Phillip as chief executive officer, who takes over from Jochen Eickholt. From 1 June, the integration of Siemens Energy and Siemens Gamesa will begin. Earlier this month, Bruch told analysts that Siemens Gamesa was still working through the resolution of the quality matters and the offshore ramp-up. Also read | Niva Bupa ropes in Kotak, Axis, HDFC & three others to run its 3,000-crore IPO We will only focus on attractive markets where we have a stable regulatory framework and attractive profit pool, and a value-based customer landscape and where there's a match between the market requirements and our offering," he said, presenting a turnaround plan on 8 May during the companys earnings call. We may also serve other markets opportunistically, but only if it makes real commercial sense," he added, noting that Europe and the US fit this criteria and it will ramp up operations in these geographies. We will not try to defend markets in which there is no money to be made in the medium term as far as margins are concerned," Bruch told Recharge, an energy-focused news platform on 8 May, referring to Siemens Gamesa. The India windscape In India, Siemens Gamesa set up in 2009, and has an installed capacity of 9 GW. The company has blade factories in Nellore (Andhra Pradesh), a nacelle factory in Mamandur (Chennai, Tamil Nadu), and an operations and maintenance centre in Red Hills (Chennai). The company is market leader with a 40% market share, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie. In the Indian market, Gamesa competes with players such as Suzlon Energy, which is listed on the bourses and has seen a surge in its stock price post a restructuring of debt, in which its lenders reportedly took a haircut of 62%. The performance of Suzlon on the stock market also gives a lot of comfort to other EPC players such as Gamesa on the lucrative valuation that they can extract," the second person added. There has been a rerating in the industry and Gamesa will benefit from it." Also read | Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed IKS Health revives plan for IPO Meanwhile, on 14 May, BSE-listed Siemens Ltd said it will demerge and separately list its energy business, on the lines of a global carve-out by its German parent three years ago. The new company will mirror the shareholding of Siemens Ltd, and shareholders will receive one share of Siemens Energy India Ltd for every share of Siemens Ltd. About 10 months ago, a user took to social news website Reddit to complain about how online travel agency (OTA) MakeMyTrip had not refunded his money for a holiday package to Greece booked with the OTA. Despite concerns about visa delays, the traveller paid in two installments and submitted his visa documents, verified by the travel agency's visa team. However, he did not receive a visa in June and promptly wanted a refund. This isn't an isolated case. Many users chimed in to discuss the same experiences they had with this website and others. The visa cancellation issue is a big problem for holidaymakers. Many have sought a refund when their holiday visa has not come through, even when they have booked non-cancellable tickets and hotels. Following a spate of cancellations due to visa challenges and lack of availability, the online travel service provider has launched a new third-party insurance product for its travellers called visa guarantee, which ensures a full refund of the flight fare to the customer in case their tourist visa gets rejected by the embassy, the companys co-founder and group CEO Rajesh Magow said. In the company's recently announced Q4 results earlier this week, Magow said India is one of the top three fastest growing outbound tourism markets and is expected to become the fourth largest global spender on travel by 2030. With the country being a key source market and major tourism destination, foreign tourism boards have been trying to lure Indians with incentive campaigns, simplified visa requirements and new initiatives to attract more Indian outbound travellers. Also read: Visa waivers, special deals: The global rush to woo the Indian traveller However, tourist visa rejections remain a huge issue and that is probably why the company decided to introduce this feature. The add-on feature at an additional cost is a third party insurance product and the insurer offers a 100% refund if the traveller cancels 24 hours prior to departure. This includes regular tourist and e-visas but not visa on arrival. Of course, there has to be a formal rejection letter which needs to be presented. The option does not provide coverage for the inability to fly resulting from a delay in visa processing by the embassy or delays in the visa application process by the traveller. Interestingly, there is no standard fee. It can range from anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand rupees to less popular locales in Europe to several thousands to regions like Australia. In general, while travel agencies are not responsible for any visa issues, the consumer complaints authority or Jago Grahak Jago by the ministry of consumer affairs and consumer courts come down hard on travel agencies when they do not provide these types of refunds. The company said it generated revenue of $202.9 million in Q4 FY24, reflecting a 36.6% increase over $148.5 million in the corresponding quarter last year. The increase in revenue was primarily due to the sustained elevated travel demand in India for both domestic and international outbound travel in the Q4. Magow added that the company's international air ticketing business has also registered a strong growth of 33% year-on-year in this quarter. But while it continues to maintain its market share of over 30% in the domestic air ticketing business, during Q4, there was some reduction in overall departures possibly owing to the general elections and high airfares. For the entire year, its domestic ticketing business improved 5% year-on-year. The total number of domestic departures remained similar to Q3. The company had mentioned in its last earnings call that the domestic supply situation will only gradually start improving and reiterated the same this quarter. It expects domestic departure supply only to improve in the second half of the current fiscal. "Go First has been grounded. So it seems like that despite all those issues that we see and hear (about engine issues, pilot and staff strikes), both IndiGo and Air India, and also SpiceJet have been able to get alternatives in place and have been able to replace some of their planes where there were engine issues earlier or the new planes coming in as part of their expansion plans. So the potential of growth is higher. I'm not necessarily overly worried about the mid-term to long-term outlook on domestic air supply. Keeping aside the short term headwinds, the long term outlook for the Indian aviation sector is robust, driven by the expansion of aviation infrastructure, as well as record planes ordered by the Indian carriers," he added. Also read: Airfares, hotel rates to remain high in the short term: Thomas Cook's Menon On the hotels and homestays and packages front, the company saw a 41% year-on-year (y-o-y) growth in adjusted margin in constant currency terms. "Hospitality in India continues to be strong with most global and local hotel management chains and have set ambitious targets of signing more properties, especially in tier two and three cities. In the last couple of quarters, these chains have announced plans to add over 650 properties in India on a base of about 1,000 properties," he added. This will also increase its supply and now has 84,000 plus properties on its platform, MakeMyTrip said. CBSE Board Results 2024 marks verification: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has opened the window to register for verification of marks for those Class 12 students who are unsatisfied with the Board exam 2024 announced on Monday, i.e. May 13, 2024 at cbse.gov.in. In addition to the marks verification, students can also apply for photocopy of answer sheets and re-evaluation. The last date to apply for CBSE Class 12 marks verification is May 21. As per the CBSE data, out of the 16,21,224 students who appeared in the board exam, as many as 14,26,420 students cleared the exam. The overall pass percentage of Class 12 students stood at 87.98%. As many as 1,22,170 students have been placed in the compartment category. Also Read | CUET UG: Kanpur centre exam rescheduled after wrong paper distributed Although CBSE has taken a large number of possible steps in assessment and in the preparation of results, however, if students are still not satisfied with their evaluation/result, they are provided the facility for verification of marks, the facility to obtain the Photocopy of their evaluated answer books, and the re-evaluation of their answers," the release read. The circular further stressed that all these activities are time-bound and can be availed only online". Also Read | UGC NET June 2024: NTA extends registration date till May 19. Direct link to app CBSE Board Results 2024: Application Fee for Marks Verification Candidates will have to pay 500 per subject to avail the marks verification facility. Verification of marks: May 20 to May 24, 2024 (upto 11.59 pm) 500/Subject the circular read. CUET UG 2024: The National Testing Agency (NTA) Friday evening said the Common University Entrance Test, Undergraduate (CUET UG) 2024 for the Kanpur centre has been rescheduled for the last Wednesday of this month. i.e. May 15, 2024 as a wrong CUET question paper was distributed at the exam centre. "The exam will be conducted on May 29 for over 220 students at an exam centre at Maharana Pratap Group of Colleges in Kanpur. This decision was taken after a wrong question paper was distributed on May 15," PTI quoted a senior NTA official as saying. Also Read | UGC NET June 2024: NTA extends registration date till May 19. Direct link to app Denying any question paper leak in Kanpur, the NTA said it was a case of wrong distribution of test paper at one centre, and the exam conducting body said it would reconduct the CUET UG) 2024 examination on May 29, 2024. Earlier on May 14, the NTA rescheduled the May 15 exam for the Delhi centre for May 29 due to unavoidable reasons. Rescheduling the Delhi centre exam, the NTA had said that it would issue revised admit cards for candidates. Also Read | CUET UG: Delhi candidates asked to download updated admit cards for May 18 exams The PTI report further said a similar incident occurred in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur on May 5, during which Hindi-medium students at one centre were handed English-medium question papers. It is important to note that the exam nodal body announced the release of admit cards for CUET UG 2024 on May 13. However, in the evening, the NTA--in another notice, requested the candidates to download the hall tickets only after May 14 evening. Also Read | JAC Class 11 Result 2024: Girls outshine boys, overall pass percentage 98.48% Candidates are advised to download the admit card on May 14th Evening so that any changes in the Examination Centre due to administrative reasons may be reflected in the admit card," an NTA notice read. CUET UG 2024 Exam: Shifts The exams will be administered in four shifts -Shift 1A from 10 am to 11 am, shift 1B from 12.15 pm to 1 pm, shift 2A from 3 pm to 3.45 pm and shift 2B from 5 pm to 6 pm. JAC Class 11 Result 2024: The Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC), Ranchi, declared the results of the Class 11 Board Exam 2024 on Friday, May 17, 2024. Students who appeared in the Jharkhand Class 11 board Examination 2024 can check and download their scorecards from the official websites of the JAC at jacresults.com and jac.jharkhand.gov.in. As per JAC, Kodarma has emerged as the highest-performing district in the state. The overall pass percentage for the JAC Class 11 Board examinations is 98.48%. According to the JAC date, a total of 3,85,742 students had registered for the Class 11th Board exams, out of which 3,73,960 students were declared to pass the examination. In Class 11, girls outshined boys by 98.28%. Boys recorded 97.71%. Also Read | UGC NET June 2024: NTA extends registration date till May 19. Direct link to apply JAC Class 11 Result 2024: Websites to check JAC Class 11 Result Students can check their Class 11th board exam results at: jacresults.com jac.jharkhand.gov.in JAC Class 11 Result 2024: Documents required to check the results Students will require their roll numbers and roll codes given on their admit card to check the results. Also Read | CUET UG: Delhi candidates asked to download updated admit cards for May 18 exams JAC Class 11 Result 2024: Step-by-step guide to check, download the results Go to the official website of the JAC: jac.jharkhand.gov.in Click on the JAC 11th Result 2024 activated link available on the homepage A new window will open; enter your roll number, roll codes Click on the Submit button Your Jharkhand Board 11th result will appear on the screen Download your result and take a printout for future reference JAC Class 11 Result 2024: Minimum marks required to be decleared pass Students will be required to score at least 33% marks in their exams to qualify for the Jharkhand Board class 9 and 11 exams to be considered pass. Lok Sabha elections 2024: The Election Commission of India (EC) on Friday issued a show-cause notice to Abhijit Gangopadhyay, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency, for his "improper, injudicious, undignified" remarks against Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The polling agency, in its notice, noted that the comment is improper, injudicious, beyond dignity in every sense of the term, in bad taste and prima facie violates the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and its advisory to political parties dated March 1, 2024. The EC has sought Gangopadhyay's response by 5 PM on May 20. Also read: Bank Holiday on May 20: Banks to be closed in THESE states for Phase 5 Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Earlier today, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had lodged a complaint with the EC against Gangopadhyay, a former judge of the Calcutta High Court, alleging that he made "sexist" remarks against Mamata Banerjee at a public rally. According to the letter TMC leader Derek OBrien wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, Gangopadhyay, in his May 15 speech in Haldia, said, "Mamata Banerjee, how much are you being sold for? Your rate is 10 lakhs. Why? Because you're getting your make-up done by Keya Seth? Mamata Banerjee, is she even a woman? I keep wondering sometimes." Also read: NDA may not win 370-410 seats, but will improve 2019 tally, says Antique Broking "This clearly shows the misogynist conduct of the BJP candidate. It is unfortunate that having being held a prominent position in the judiciary, he has chosen to attack on the dignity of women, especially one who is holding a position of power," OBrien said in the letter. The TMC had demanded that the office of the CEO should issue orders to initiate criminal proceedings against Gangopadhay and impose a complete ban on him from attending any public meetings, processions or rallies, besides restraining him and other BJP candidates from making any personal or disgraceful remarks. BRUSSELSAmerican military leaders believe Russia lacks sufficient troops to break through on the new front in northeastern Ukraine, but is stretching Ukrainian forces there and creating a buffer zone for its own border. Russian troops over recent days have advanced from inside their country into Ukrainian territory near Kharkiv, raising fears that Ukraines second-biggest city is at risk. Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, said in separate comments that while they see Moscows forces taking some ground, the push appears aimed more at protecting Russian territory and tying down Ukrainian forces redeployed from elsewhere than staging a large assault on Kharkiv. Ukrainian drones this year have hit targets inside Russia, particularly the city of Belgorod, which is only about 25 miles from the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian commandos have staged raids into villages across the border. The attacks were an embarrassment to Russian President Vladimir Putin before a carefully stage-managed election in March that secured him another six-year term. The current Russian military movements in the Kharkiv region are a buffer for Belgorod because Ukraine went in mid-March, before the election," Brown said Thursday about Russias advance near the border. In a rare alignment of commentary from the U.S. and Russia, Putin said essentially the same. He rejected suggestions that Russia is planning to take Kharkiv and said Kyiv had prompted Russias advance. The push is Ukraines fault, because they continue to shell civilian districts in the border area, including Belgorod," he said during a visit to China on Friday. Ive said publicly that if this continues, well be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone. And thats what were doing." To be sure, Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and outgunned. The fresh offensive came at an acutely vulnerable time, as Kyivs military waits for newly dispatched U.S. weaponry to reach the battlefield in sufficient quantities to have an impact. Ukraine is struggling to replenish its depleted ranks with fresh manpower. Ukrainian forces were already extended before Russias new offensive, and Russia has in recent weeks inched forward in the east, including toward the city of Chasiv Yar, located on heights, and in villages west of Avdiivka, which Russia seized in February. By stretching Ukraines military, Russia could create opportunities for a breakthrough elsewhere. Ultimately, the Russians will advance as far as they can until Ukraine stops them. Russian officials have often pointed to Kharkiv, once a capital of Soviet Ukraine, as a city they want to control. The operation near Kharkiv has forced Ukraine to adjust. So it just puts pressure on them," Brown said while traveling to Brussels for a regular meeting of NATO military leaders. I know theyre nervous about it, and I would be, too." Cavoli said later that Russia isnt in a position to advance on a large scale, and Ukrainian defenders should be able to thwart further Russian progress. I am confident they will hold the line," he said of Ukraine at a press conference after the NATO meeting. The Russians dont have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough," he said. More to the point, they dont have the skill and the capability to do itto operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage." Cavoli said Russia has the ability to make local advances, and they have done some of that." He added that they have also made some local losses." Ukraines military said Friday that it was fending off fresh Russian assaults in the Kharkiv region, concentrated in the border city of Vovchansk, where Russia controls northern parts, and villages between the border and Kharkiv. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy, Ukraines top general, said Russia had opened the new front with the aim of forcing Kyiv to send additional brigades from its reserve to the Kharkiv area. He said in a statement that the Russian military launched its offensive sooner than it had originally planned after it saw that Ukraine was sending reinforcements to the area, and Russia hadnt managed to make a breakthrough. But there will be tough fights ahead, and the enemy is preparing for it," Syrskiy said. Ukraine is also preparing, now with more Western military aid following the approval last month of $61 billion in U.S. military support after months of delay in Congress due to political fights among Republicans. Brown said the arriving weapons, some of which are already on the front lines, give Ukraine a lot more flexibility because they were conserving some of their weapons, waiting for the supplemental." Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, NATOs most senior military officer, said he was convinced that we will see in the near future some serious improvements in the ammunition that Ukraine will receive." Speaking alongside Cavoli, he said, There was a delay, for a lot of reasons that we know. But I think we see nowthat theres practical help on its way to Ukraine." While Ukraine is struggling to regroup in the north near Kharkiv, it is complicating Russian operations in the south along the Black Sea. Reports indicated that Ukrainian forces have twice over recent days struck a Russian air base on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014. Open-source intelligence analysts said the strikes were likely conducted using long-range ATACMS rockets supplied by the U.S. Overnight and early Friday, Ukraine struck other Russian military posts and fuel facilities, in the Crimean city of Sevastopol and in the seaports of Tuapse and Novorossiysk. Todays special operation proved that the Russians are not capable of protecting their main naval bases in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk," Ukrainian officials said. James Marson contributed to this article At least once a day, a group of American doctors and nurses stranded in Gaza get word that they might be able to leave the enclave. They have waited all week, and that moment hasnt come. Weve come to terms with the fact that we dont know when were leaving," said Dr. Adam Hamawy, a 54-year-old plastic surgeon from South Brunswick, N.J., who missed his daughters graduation from Rutgers University on Tuesday because he couldnt get home. The crew of 19, including 10 Americans and one U.S. permanent resident, arrived in Gaza on May 1 for a medical mission that was set to span almost two weeks. But Israels seizure on May 7 of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing to Egypt left them trapped, and they arent alone: Civilians have been prevented from leaving Gazaand aid from enteringthrough the Rafah crossing, which had been one of the main arteries in or out of the besieged territory. The doctors came to provide urgent medical assistance in Gaza, where most of the healthcare infrastructure has collapsed during Israels war with Hamas, now in its eighth month. They face a critical shortage of medical supplies, as they use up sutures, antibiotics and sterile equipment that they brought for a two-week mission. The group was scheduled to leave Gaza on Monday but was told there was no longer a safe corridor. They have been waiting at the site of their volunteer work, European Hospital, on the northern edge of Rafah. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Biden administration is working to get the impacted American citizens out of Gaza" and has engaged with its Israeli counterparts on the subject. We need to get them out," Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday. These are Americans." Egypt, frustrated with Israels military operation in Rafah, refuses to cooperate with Israel to operate the crossing. Some United Nations workers used the Kerem Shalom crossing, usually reserved for goods only, to relieve colleagues inside Gaza this week, but it isnt clear if the American medical volunteers will eventually be able to use that route. To reach either of the southern border crossings, the group will need to safely pass through areas of active military presence and activity in the city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge from fighting elsewhere in the strip. In the past two weeks, hundreds of thousands have fled north and west as Israeli forces intensify ground operations aimed at rooting out Hamas militants. On Thursday, the Israeli military said it was sending additional brigades to southern Gaza, signaling an intensifying conflict in a city that has become the latest point of tension between the U.S. and Israel. Hamawy said his wife and four children are increasingly worried about his safety, though he has tried to reassure them. We have a false sense of security here," he said. Im working with a lot of doctors who have worked in other hospitals and had to flee them." The group of medical professionals traveled with the Palestinian American Medical Association, a nonprofit that arranges medical missions to the West Bank and Gaza and supports healthcare training for Palestinians. The nonprofit has been coordinating with the World Health Organization and the U.N. to help the group get out of Gaza. The team also includes foreign nationals from Jordan, Egypt and Australia. Some U.S. lawmakers are putting pressure on the Biden administration and the Israeli government to ensure their safe return. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D., Ill.,) who credits Hamawy with saving her life when she was wounded in the Iraq war, has been in touch with him directly this week. Hamawy was one of the trauma surgeons stationed in Iraq who treated Duckworth when her helicopter was struck down in 2004. Duckworth has raised the plight of the volunteer group with both the White House National Security Council and the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Herzog, her office said. Doctors on the team described a humanitarian situation that was dire even before the cutoff of aid deliveries. They spoke of having to make decisions about rationing medical supplies among patients who had a better chance of survival. Dr. Mohamad Abdelfattah, a 37-year-old from Orange County, Calif., who is part of the group, said most of the patients coming in are children, many with burns covering 60% to 80% of their bodies. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war in October, most of them civilians, Palestinian officials say, without specifying how many were combatants. In Gaza, with the lack of staff and the lack of proper supplies, its just a guaranteed death," he said. They call them a hopeless case." On Thursday, the group received five victims, all under the age of 18, whose nearby house had been hit by Israeli forces, according to the doctors. None of the five survived. Among them was a 5-year-old girl, her nails painted glitter pink and her hair in braids, who suffered from severe head trauma and fractured ribs. Abdelfattah said the doctors attempted CPR for 30 minutes but were unable to resuscitate her. Treating the children has been harrowing for Abdelfattah, who has a 2-year-old and a five-month-old back home. This week, he said, a child told him he hadnt eaten in two to three days. As fears of famine grip Gaza, the doctors described patients who had lost 30-to-40 pounds since the war began and were eager to show them photos of what they looked like before. The doctors, who brought enough supplies for a two-week stint, now eat one meal a day. Staying in dorm rooms at the hospital complex, they are rationing water and snacks. Monica Johnston, a registered nurse on the mission trip, said she was surprised to learn when she arrived that basic supplies such as hand soap, paper towels and linens for patients werent available. Some patients were living off a can of Ensure for an entire day, Johnston said. Malnutrition has made it impossible for their wounds to heal. Patients have no chance of success here," she said. Johnston has a teenage son and daughter waiting at home in Portland, Ore. She typically texts her loved ones once in the morning and once before she goes to bed. One day, an internet outage kept her from her morning check-in; she couldnt stop worrying about what her family might be thinking, she said. Members of the medical team say that the Palestinian American Medical Association has told them repeatedly that efforts are under way to arrange for a trial convoy to check on passage to Rafah the next daybut then word arrives that the plan isnt panning out. The aid group didnt respond to a request for comment. Its this constant dangling of a carrotmaybe, maybe not, maybe, maybe not," Johnston said. You feel like a guinea pig. Whats to say that the next convoy doesnt run into problems? Its left a really sick feeling among us." Despite the many unknowns, one thing is certain: The team doesnt want to abandon the hospital and patients in Gaza without another mission taking its place. Another group of medical professionals, including some Americans, has been waiting in Egypt to take over, but it also is unable to cross the border. Some have gone home because of the delay. Abdelfattah said the Palestinians they have been working with see their presence as a form of protectionan assurance, almost, that the hospital wont be attacked while foreign nationals are there. The locals know theres no safe space in Gaza," he said. Everyone is expecting the worst." On May 20, as part of the phase 5 of the Lok Sabha election, voting for approximately 695 candidates from 49 constituencies across six states and two Union territories will commence. This fifth leg of polling will take place in Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Ladakh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Jammu & Kashmir. In certain cities, as declared by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), banks will observe a holiday. However, it is important to note that banks will not be closed throughout India The RBI decides holidays for scheduled commercial banks in the country. According to the RBI, on May 20, banks will be closed in Belapur and the financial hub of Mumbai. The RBI categorizes holidays for banks into three types: Holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act, Holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act and Real Time Gross Settlement Holidays, and Banks' Closing of Accounts. In addition to the May 20 holiday, the last leg of bank holidays in May 2024 includes May 23 for Buddha Pournima, and May 25 for Nazrul Jayanti and Phase 6 of the Lok Sabha General Elections. May 25 is a holiday for the fourth Saturday and banks are shut also on May 26, Sunday. Bank holidays in India for 2024 vary from state to state and city to city. Customers planning to visit bank branches this week for financial transactions should take note of these dates. Digital Banking Despite the ease of digital banking through mobile phones, ATMs, and the Internet, there are still several reasons to visit bank branches. These include transactions related to high amounts beyond maximum limits, foreign exchange transactions, queries and procedures related to accounts in other banks, loan closures or payments, and guidance or help related to bank accounts. In May, there are a total of nine special holidays for banks, excluding the second and fourth Saturdays and four Sundays. As per the latest update by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 have seen a voter turnout of about 66.95 per cent so far, with approximately 451 million people voting during the first four phases. To enhance voter turnout, the ECI has introduced various interventions to motivate voters to cast their votes. Mountain View, California: India's rich tapestry of languages is emerging as a significant driving force behind future advancements in mainstream artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, according to Josh Woodward, vice president and global head of Google's innovation engine, Google Labs. Woodward said India may be paving the way for integrating diverse linguistic datasets into AI systems, thereby unlocking new possibilities in revolutionizing AI technologies. For instance, a state-backed initiative, such as the Bhashini project, which is spearheading efforts to harness the potential of the 22 official Indian languages, could be a major catalyst. Bhashini is spearheading efforts to harness the potential of all 22 official Indian languages. Innovation in AI could be country-specific, and not just global. There is a platform shift happening to move AI into a general purpose technology. This will happen around the world, but some specific cases can be seen in, say, Gemmaour open AI model," Woodward said in an interview with Mint on the sidelines of the companys annual conference, Google I/O. Also Read: India well positioned to leap ahead of developed worlds with AI: Sundar Pichai "Thats an area where Indias language diversity and richness makes it very unique. Here, India can take a general purpose model and customize it into 15 Indic languages in a hybrid AI approach. Innovation can therefore happen in very custom ways." Developers, language diversity take India to top Were seeing so much energy and excitement from Indian developers to invent new ways in making AI useful for more Indian customers. Developers, along with the language diversity, make India a top contributor to the innovation that we at Google Labs do for creating future mainstream technologies," Woodward added. As the head of Google's global innovation engine, Woodward has a profound understanding of India. Previously, he spearheaded Google's 'Next Billion Users' initiative, focused on investment and innovation in India. Besides, having traversed several Indian cities, he also has a nuanced understanding of jugaad, the concept of improvisation, ingrained within Indian culture. This, he said, is working to Indias benefit in a modern world. Look at Google Pay in India, for instance, as an ideal example of how India took an existing technology domain of digital payments, and had a very specific way to innovate and make it what the industry is today." Also Read: Google employees writes open letter to Sundar Pichai on job cuts. What they ask? "With AI, too, there is a possibility that innovation will come from outside of Silicon Valleybe it from India, Indonesia or even Nigeria. Weve seen this happen when mobile devices were just taking off globally, and we got a lot of innovations that grew from around the world," Woodward said. For Google, India is already contributing a great deal. A significant" number of the 500-odd Google Labs team is of India origin, and are working with Googles Research team in Bengaluru on a range of projects, including language research and development, he said. During a press roundtable on Thursday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai also echoed Woodward's sentiments. Responding to a question from Mint, Pichai emphasized that the technological shift propelled by AI presents India with the chance to either catch up or leap ahead in terms of innovation. India was never going to cross developed worlds in personal computing penetration. But on mobile, more people got access as a percentage of the population than the prior generation. With each technology shift, you get an opportunity to drive that penetration. I think thats genuinely true with AI. India is the number one geography for a lot of our products in terms of our user base. We see a lot of developer activity from India on top of our AI platforms alreadythis will be an exciting moment, and India will be well positioned as the shift to AI happens," Pichai said. Industry stakeholders, on this note, are not surprised with Googles push to rope in Indias developer base in hope of taking on rivals such as Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI. Kashyap Kompella, analyst and founder of tech advisory firm RPA2AI Research, said that a key factor amid the innovation will be quality versus distribution". OpenAI has had a head start, and its developer approach and interfaces are more flexible. Meta, because of open sourcing its foundational model, has made a leap too. But, Google has the worlds biggest distribution platforms, and India is one of its biggest markets on many of its products. Weve seen distribution trump just quality in the past, which is why its important for Google to push for roping in Indias developers extensively," Kompella said. To be sure, roping in Indias developer base in its favour would give Google a substantial edge in taking frontier technologies to mainstream consumer and enterprise marketswhich Woodward said is a clear goal for Google Labs. To do so, however, the unit is taking a people-centric approach. We have musicians come in and create music like never before on our AI tools. But, theres the other side where non-musicians are coming in and creating music using our technology toowhich makes production of music so accessible. Were witnessing a barbell effect where we have innovators work with Labs to create results that were never possible before, helping AI evolve," Woodward said. Eventually, Woodward said a future may exist where copyright tussles with artists are resolved alongside innovation. We are working through it, and may have more to share in the future," he said. A final tenet of innovation, meanwhile, would lie on the innovators ability to understand how platforms evolve. Woodward, on this note, agreed that some degree of AI innovation will be derived through philosophies. At Labs, we do think of what the undefined future looks like. The answer we reach is that its not about small features here or thereits an entire workflow that has to come together and change. We also talk to a lot of people to take our innovation forthmany have very specific opinions. One of the things we do is to find ways that are pain points, and we go about understanding and resolving that," he said. The author is in Mountain View, California to attend Google I/O 2024, on Google's invitation. Bengaluru: Global venture-capital firm RTP Global, which has backed Indian startups such as Cred, Rebel Foods, Mobile Premier League and Dehaat, expects to increase the pace of its early-stage investments this year, its Asia partner Nishit Garg told Mint in an interview. This is another indication that Indias yearslong startup funding winter could be thawing. Since the start of the year there have been 122 early-stage deals including series A and series B rounds worth $1.05 billion in Indias startup ecosystem, according to data from Tracxn. RTP, which typically strikes six to eight deals a year, has already wrapped up five deals in the past four months and expects to strike another five by the end of 2024. "We are very bullish on India and we will probably deploy more than what we planned to at the start of the year. If the momentum continues, we expect to do about 10 deals this year," Garg said, adding that the quality of companies being launched has drastically improved. Funding winter ending? As valuations become more realistic and companies focus on product-market fit, those with a path to profitability have managed to secure successive rounds of funding despite a broader liquidity crunch and macroeconomic uncertainties. This was not the case during the pandemic, when capital was more readily available. This led to inflated valuations and an abnormal number of unicorns (startups valued at $1 billion or more). This had ripple effects in 2022 and early 2023 as investors stopped writing large cheques for businesses and became more picky. Also read: Funding winter for startups likely to thaw this year As markets stabilised, some fledgling companies went bust while others changed their business models to attract funds and survive the downturn. "We started seeing many companies that had raised seed funding come back to us towards the end of last year," Garg said. Today, the market is in very good shape as we have enough time to do our due diligence before giving a term sheet. Founders have also become a lot more reasonable." According to Tracxn data, there have been 33 late-stage deals (series C and above) since the start of the year, compared to 36 during the same period last year. A total of $1.38 billion has been raised so far, compared to $2.24 billion in the same period last year. Garg said companies will take time to mature and become unicorns. "While good companies were also funded in 2021, you can't build sustainable unicorns in just three to four years. Many companies today are building solid fundamentals and will take five to six years to hit a billion-dollar valuation. We'll see that cohort achieve unicorn status in 2026-27." Last month we reported that Indian unicorns are finding little love this year, as investors hitch their wagons to smaller startups. There were 318 deals in companies valued below $1 billion this year, five in those valued at $1-2 billion, one in a startup valued at $2 billion, and none in those valued at more than $3 billion, according to Tracxn data. Quick commerce back on the radar While tier-2 and tier-3 towns are generating significant revenue for startups, consumer-facing businesses are now also tapping quick commerce to grow in the metros, Garg said. "Two years ago, everybody in the ecosystem including us had written off on quick commerce as it required plenty of capex and high operational efficiency. Even the larger e-commerce players were not profitable," he said. "However, as its use-cases have diversified, today it is back on our top 5% affluent consumer proposition and we see quick commerce as very real competition to e-commerce majors." Also read: How India could become the worlds first quick-commerce success story Quick-commerce firms (such as Zomatos Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto), which typically deliver groceries and other essentials in 10 minutes, took off during the pandemic and are now seeing demand grow in other categories such as beauty, fashion and electronics. Focus on emerging sectors Founded in 2000, RTP Global has about $3 billion in assets under management and has backed more than 100 companies. It is currently investing from its fourth global fund its largest ever, at about $1 billion which it raised last year. Its two previous funds, which were also invested in India, were about $650 million and $220 million in size. It plans to invest a third of the $1-billion fund in India & South-east Asia and the rest in other markets, including the US, UK and Europe. Half of the fund is meant for early-stage investments while the rest will be used to top-up winning investments. The company plans to make 20-22 investments in India and five to six in South-east Asia. It will dedicate about 10-15% each to emerging sectors such as electric mobility. Also read: The curious case of India's first crypto mutual fund "I think nearly 45-50% of the fund will go towards new sectors while the remaining will go to the usual bread-and-butter areas such as consumer, SaaS and fintech," Garg said. RTP is largely sector-agnostic, with investments spanning e-commerce, education, healthcare, software-as-a-service and transport & logistics, among others. Garg said there were common themes emerging in India and the broader Asian markets, with many countries in the region building some of their main businesses in areas such as e-commerce, logistics and payments. "Since many of these were already built in India in the last five to seven years, an investor can apply those learnings there as well, but you also have to adapt yourself to the consumer dynamics, which can be very different there," he said. RTP Global typically invests $1-10 million in early-stage firms that are valued at $25-$70 million. Its recent transactions include a $4-million investment in Noida-based fixed-income startup Dexif. It also led a $2.5 million round in SydeLabs, an artificial intelligence security and risk-management startup. Before he joined RTP in 2022, Garg had a stint at Tiger Global, where he monitored startups such as Delhivery, Blinkit and Inshorts. He also worked at Flipkart for more than eight years. Digital health platform IKS Health, which is backed by investors Rakesh and Rekha Jhunjhunwalas Rare Enterprises, is working towards a $350-million initial public offering, three people with knowledge of the development said, asking to remain anonymous. The IPO contours are still being worked out, but it is expected to be largely an offer for sale by early angel investors and other shareholders, including Rare Enterprises. IKS Health has appointed ICICI Securities Ltd, Nomura, Jefferies, JPMorgan, and JM Financial to manage the issue. The company had explored an IPO in August 2023 and was looking to raise 2,500 crore, or about $300 million, a CNBC report at the time said. IKS Health eventually did not pursue the plan at the time. The company expects to finalise and file draft papers for the IPO over the next 60 days, one of the people mentioned above said. Rare Enterprises owns a 54% stake in IKS Health. The company has raised $14.5 million in funding from angel investors. IKS Health declined to comment, while the merchant banks did not immediately respond to queries. The last company that Rare Enterprises backed that went public was Concord Biotech in 2023. Bolstered by acquisitions Founded in 2006, IKS Health, operated by Inventurus Knowledge Solutions Ltd, offers backend administrative, clinical and patient documentation, and operational services to hospitals. The company has more than 14,000 employees and said it serves over 150,000 clinicians. The company reported a profit of 232.9 crore on consolidated sales of 767.8 crore for financial year 2021-22. Following that, IKS Health acquired AQuity Solutions, a US-based clinical documentation and medical coding provider, for $200 million. At the time, IKS Health said that both companies together would have a combined revenue of $330 million following the acquisition. In 2022, IKS Health acquired a strategic stake in healthcare payments analytics and data science company Sift Health. Another healthtech IPO Another healthtech company that recently made a debut on the Indian bourses is Indegene. The Carlyle and Nadathur Fareast-backed company caters to various aspects of the pharmaceutical industry, including drug development, clinical trials, and regulatory submissions. On 3 May, Indegene garnered over 548.77 crore from anchor investors at the upper price band of 452 per equity share ahead of its IPO. The anchor book saw participation from a wide variety of marquee investors, including Fidelity Investments, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, SBI Mutual Fund, Premji Invest, and Custody Bank of Japan. Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals, one of the leading consumer companies in India, saw its shares surge by 15% during early morning trading today, reaching a 20-month high of 390.40 per share. This increase followed the company's impressive performance in the March quarter, surpassing street estimates, largely due to heightened demand for its fans and air coolers. In March, the company achieved its highest-ever quarterly standalone revenue of 1,797 crore, marking 12% year-on-year growth. Additionally, it maintained a robust EBIT margin of 11.5% (12.3% adjusted for EPR). On a consolidated basis, the revenue for the quarter stood at 1,961 crore. Sales in the ECD segment grew by 14% year-on-year to 1,520 crore, primarily driven by fans (13% growth), pumps (9% growth), and appliances (27% growth). However, lighting sales remained flat year-on-year at 280 crore due to persistent price erosion, despite witnessing healthy volume growth in B2C lighting categories such as ceiling lights, battens, and accessories. The company saw a 40-basis point increase in gross margin year-on-year to 31.9%, attributed to cost savings from Project Unnati and a better product mix. During the fiscal year, the company achieved significant milestones, including selling more than 20 million fans with double-digit volume growth and executing several solar pump orders with a total empanelment of 122 crore. Moreover, the company surpassed the milestone of selling 1 million units of mixer grinders in FY24, contributing to a robust growth of 39% in small domestic appliances. "The B2B segment demonstrated strong growth during the quarter, led by streetlight and industrial segments; we secured large projects from NHAI, TCS, JSW, and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd," the company said in its earnings report. Butterfly Gandhimathi's revenue declined by 11% YoY in Q4, impacted by one-time settlements and extraordinary items. "Core categories revenue sustained along with stable market share, and regional chain stores continued to grow for the fourth consecutive quarter. New product launches and premiumisation contributed substantially to Q4 revenue," the company said. On the bottom line, the standalone profit after tax for the March quarter surged to 161 crore, marking a 22% year-on-year increase. However, for the full fiscal year (FY24), the company's net profit stood at 466 crore, reflecting a 2% decline compared to the previous fiscal year's net profit of 476 crore. Additionally, the revenue from operations (standalone) increased by 10% year-on-year to 6,388 crore in FY 24. Following the company's financial performance, Centrum Broking retained its 'Add' rating on the stock with a revised target price of 345 apiece. "We expect Crompton to report a revenue CAGR of 17% and an EPS CAGR of 36% (on a low base) over FY2426E. Growth will be led by premium fans, appliances, and lighting. Sustainable levels of ECD margin and Butterfly turnaround are key variables and risks, said Centrum Broking. Shares of Dixon Technologies (India) surged almost 10 percent in intra-day deals on Friday to their record high of 9,064 apiece, after global brokerage firm Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock to 'equal-weight' from an earlier 'underweight rating post its March quarter results (Q4FY24). However, the brokerage has a target price of 8,696 for the stock, implying a 4 percent downside from today's record high. Morgan Stanley expects an earnings CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 42 percent for the firm during FY24 to FY28, which led to this upgrade. The brokerage also noted that Dixon Technologies has on-boarded large mobile customers in the last six months and the company is looking to invest $30 million in manufacturing display modules for mobiles, which are some key positives. However, Morgan Stanley highlighted that concerns about delivering guidance and sustaining low working capital remain. Read here: FPI outflows led by skewed selling in banks, robust inflows in domestic cyclical Following today's surge, the stock has now soared almost 206 percent from its 52-week low of 2,965.85, hit on May 18, 2023. It has already rallied over 178 percent in the last one year and 38 percent in 2024 YTD, giving positive returns in 4 of the 5 months so far. The stock has risen 7.6 percent in May so far, extending gains for the 4th straight month. It also rose 11.5 percent in April, 11.9 percent in March and 11.5 percent in February. However, the scrip fell 8.8 percent in January 2024. Dixon Technologies missed the Street's estimates for the January-March quarter, mainly due to a 110 basis points year-on-year contraction in margins. This contraction was caused by the proportion of low-margin mobile and electronics manufacturing services (EMS) businesses rising to 66 percent from 46 percent earlier in the quarter, pointed out the brokerage. Read here: Ashok Leyland share price hits lifetime high for second straight session For the March Quarter, the company reported a 25 percent year-on-year (YoY) increase in net profit at 98.5 crore. Meanwhile, the electronics manufacturing major posted a 52 percent YoY increase in revenue from operations to 4,658 crore as against 3,065 crore in the corresponding period of the preceding fiscal. On the operating front, the company's operating EBITDA increased by 17.3 percent YoY to 183 crore compared to 156 crore in the same period last year. However, its margin experienced a slight decline to 4 percent. The board of directors of the company also recommended a final dividend of 5 per share of the face value of 2 each, for FY24. Read here: Kaynes Technology stock climbs over 16% on solid Q4 earnings While Morgan Stanley has upgraded the stock, most brokerages maintained their cautious view. Jefferies has maintained an 'underperform' rating on Dixon Technologies but raised its target price to 6,350, indicating a significant 30 percent downside. The fourth-quarter performance met expectations, driven primarily by mobile segment sales. However, excluding mobiles, most other product segments were subdued throughout FY24, with a notable 13 percent year-on-year decline in LED TV volumes. Meanwhile, Kotak Institutional Equities recommended a 'Sell' with a target price of 6,000 (34 percent downside), citing expensive valuations that already account for the company's electronics manufacturing services (EMS) segment, components, and exports. The firm has lowered its FY24 earnings estimate by 8%, while raising its FY25 and FY26 estimates by 9% and 6%, respectively, due to the anticipated ramp-up in the mobile segment driven by the Ismartu acquisition. As per the brokerage, Dixon's prudence in adapting to changing demand conditions and adjusting its business mix accordingly. While growth rates in Consumer Electronics and Lighting have slowed, the company has swiftly increased its presence in the mobile segment, now serving major brands like Nokia, Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Itel, and Oppo. Dixon has also established a strong position in IT hardware with Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) benefits, securing clients like Acer and another global customer, along with increased orders from existing customers such as Motorola and Samsung. ICICI Securities anticipates a cyclical recovery in Consumer Electronics, Lighting, and Home Appliances by FY26. Additionally, Dixon's investments in multiple backward-integrated initiatives are expected to enhance margins and strengthen customer relationships, it explained. Read here: Endurance Technologies jumps 14% post Q4 results. Time to buy, sell or hold? Moreover, the firm announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Association (MoU) with Acerpure Indian CE to manufacture a range of consumer appliance products. Acerpure is involved in the trade, import, and export of consumer durables and home appliances. Dixon will begin manufacturing Acerpure products, starting with advanced TVs, pending the signing of definitive agreements. Sunil Vachani, Dixon's executive chairman, emphasised that this partnership marks a significant step toward enhancing India's self-sufficiency and global competitiveness in electronics. Aligned with the 'Make in India' initiative, the goal is to produce premium consumer products for both domestic and international markets, promoting economic growth and innovation while supporting local talent. In Empires of the Sea, maritime historian Radhika Seshan attempts the ambitious task of presenting the story of Indias engagement with the sea from the era of the Indus Valley civilisation to the 18th century. Despite consulting a shipload of books, Seshans reach far exceeds her grasp. The final product is a book that, while well researched, is poorly organised and is often unable to forge a meaningful connection with the reader. Empires of the Sea centres around the Indian peninsula to provide maritime history of the Indian subcontinent in a manner that aims to appeal to a general audience. Seshan claims that the region, which was often politically fragmented, is well worth studying by virtue of being at the centre of the Indian Ocean world, both geographically and economically. The book is largely concerned with trade and the circulation of commodities across Indias eastern and western coasts. Seshans key argument is that Indians have had a close engagement with the seas for millennia, contesting colonial historiography that has shown Indians to be unconcerned with maritime affairs. The book has strengths worth applauding. First, it deploys a highly extensive literature on the Indian Ocean, with which the author is clearly well versed. A variety of works, both classic and cutting edge, from the vast realm that is Indian Ocean studies find mention through the book, including Sanjay Subhramanyam, K.A.N. Sastri, Ashin Das Gupta, and M.N. Pearson. Second, the book makes excellent use of sculptures, such as those in the Jor Bangla temple in Bishnupur, West Bengal, and paintings, such as those in the Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, to supplement secondary sources. The Jor Bangla sculptures, which also feature as photographs in the book, offer solid material evidence for Seshans central claim that Indians were closely involved with shipping and trade in the pre-colonial era. Third, the book offers an engaging narrative of the late medieval and early modern era in its second half. We learn of the sustained contributions of merchant communities such as Armenians, Jews, Parsis and a variety of Arab groups to trade in South Asia. Also read: Spotting the Amur Falcon on its migratory journey The section on Indian responses to European trade and conquest, which focus on powerful entrepreneurs such as Malaya Chetti, a Vijayanagar politician who traded with the Dutch, paint a nuanced picture of the complexities of the era. The early history of European trade and violence in the Indian Ocean world is well chronicled. These strengths, however, ultimately fail to make up for the books many deficiencies. The key problemis the lack of organisation of chapters, which makes it difficult to read, even for subject experts. Academic writers are often accused of taking a didactic tone in their writing by providing far too many sub-headings. The author, in this case, might have benefitted from this style of structuring as the writing often comes across as disorganised. The reader is given little indication of what the subject of a chapter or even sub-sections of the chapter might be. In chapter 2, for instance, a discussion on naval warfare in the Shilahara kingdom in 1265 CE pivots to a discussion of trade between Bahrain and the Harappan civilisation, in the course of a couple of sentences. As such, it comes across as simultaneously well-researched and incoherent. This is particularly the case for the first two chapters, which deal with Indian Ocean geography and the early phases of maritime history. Many of the books issues appear to spring from an inability by the author to find a balance between what the books blurb describes as scholarly rigour and a storytellers flair. On the one hand, Seshan appears to assume that her readers are experts. So, we are told, for instance, about how Captain William Hawkins of the East India Company received nothing but ill-will at the Mughal court without being given any reason for why this happened. On the other hand, Seshan does not hesitate to make excessively simplistic statements like as every age in its own time is modern, so is all technology modern. Empires of the Sea: A Human History of the Indian Ocean World: By Radhika Seshan, Pan Macmillan India, 228 pages, 550 Caught between establishing its authors academic credentials and engaging with a wider reading public, the book struggles to maintain a clear, consistent tone, afflicting the reader with a certain amount of whiplash. This need not be the case as can be seen in the works of other magisterial histories of India, which balance academic rigour with excellent storytelling, such as India: A History by John Keay and A History of Modern India by Ishita Banerjee Dube. Through the length of the book Seshan is unable to decide whether she is writing for fellow academics or a wider public. The incoherence of the books narrative means that it is often difficult to get any real sense of historical change. We learn next to nothing about how the ships of the Rashtrakutas might have differed from the Vijayanagar empire and how these, in turn, might have been different from those of the Marathas. The key focus of the book is trade, with naval warfare a distant second, meaning that we learn next to nothing about other facets of maritime history. Also read: Indian culinary genius shines in Cannes Film Festival Piracy gets a handful of pages while law, religion and health receive almost none. We learn, for instance, that Islam and Buddhism used the Indian Ocean as a highway to spread across the Indian Ocean world but find very little by way of mention of how these religions were changed by their maritime transmission. Furthermore, there is little in the book on the social aspects of maritime history, including caste, class, and gender. Seshan does succeed in substantiating her claim to rescue Indian maritime history from colonial historiography through the deployment of a substantial body of secondary literature from the field of Indian Ocean studies. Despite, or perhaps because of, this the final product is a poorly organised work that will appeal neither to dedicated academics nor to a wider public. When it comes to savings and investments, one of the key hurdles faced by lay investors includes financial awareness and knowledge. A number of financial literacy campaigns are conducted by a number of government and private agencies. Angel One has launched one such initiative Fin One that aims to make youngsters aware about wealth generation via saving and investments. Fin One aims to deliver infotainment content that engages, entertains, and empowers, transcending geographical and socioeconomic barriers. The content comprises interactive quizzes and challenges that make learning about finance as engaging as scrolling through social media feeds. In an email interaction, Paarth Dhar, Vice President, New Growth Opportunities of Angel One told MintGenie more about the initiative, what it entails and how the investing landscape emerges once the young investors join the investing population. Edited Excerpts: What are the key objectives of launching Fin One besides spreading financial literacy among youngsters? Beyond spreading financial literacy among youngsters, Fin One aims to create a robust financial awareness platform that supports informed decision-making for all demographics, particularly the younger generation. The initiative seeks to address gaps in financial education, reduce the intimidation factor around financial topics, and foster a culture of informed financial planning and investment. Moreover, Fin One aspires to empower India's youth to be proactive in managing their finances, thereby contributing to broader economic stability and growth. While teaching youngsters about the basics of finance, do you look forward to promoting Angel one at the same time? While Fin One's primary goal is educational, there is a strategic alignment with Angel One's services. Around 49 per cent of new demat accounts opened in 9M in FY24 on Angel One are by those below 25. ALSO READ | Investors below 35 most financially savvy, says report By engaging young individuals through financial awareness content, Fin One naturally introduces them to Angel One as a viable platform for applying their new knowledge to real-world investing and savings. Was any study or survey conducted before conceptualising Fin One? Before launching Fin One, extensive research was undertaken to understand the specific needs, behaviours, and preferences of the target demographicIndia's Gen Z and Millennials. Studies provided insights into the financial aspirations and challenges faced by young Indians. These insights guided the creation of Fin One's content strategy, ensuring it was tailored to not only educate but also resonate and engage with the younger generation effectively, thereby boosting financial awareness among a billion Indians. Can you tell us your thoughts on the future of Indian markets when many youngsters join financial markets as investors in the next five years? The participation of a large number of young investors in the Indian markets over the next five years is poised to alter the financial landscape significantly. Approximately 48 per cent of Angel One's clients are below the age of 25, indicating a strong youth demographic that the company aims to engage and retain over the long term. This demographic is typically more open to adopting new technologies and innovative financial products, which could lead to greater diversification and resilience in the market. Educated young investors are likely to contribute to more vibrant and sustained market activity, promoting growth and stability. There are two key building blocks of wealth creation savings and investment. What will Fin One emphasise on between the two? Fin One will provide a balanced educational approach that emphasises both saving and investment. Understanding the importance of saving is fundamental and serves as a foundation for effective financial planning. However, investment education is equally crucial as it introduces the concepts of wealth creation over time and maximising the potential of accumulated savings. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an interview with India Today on Thursday, May 16, that he had dispatched a special envoy to Israel during the holy month of Ramzan. The move was to urge the Israeli government to cease bombing in Gaza during the holy month. While speaking over ongoing global conflicts, PM Modi said, It was the month of Ramzan. So I sent my special envoy to Israel and asked him to convey and explain to the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) that at least do not carry out bombings in Gaza during Ramzan. Also read: 'There's sense of pride about where PM Modi has taken the country,' External Affairs Minister Jaishankar amid LS polls. PM Modi added, They (Israel) made every effort to follow it, but in the end, there was a fight for two-three days. Modi's comments about halting the bombing in Gaza come at a time when the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are taking place in the country. Elections for the first four phases of seven have already taken place. The upcoming polls for the fifth phase are scheduled for May 20. Polling will take place across 49 Lok Sabha constituencies covering six states and two Union Territories. Also read: Top Events on May 17: Modi-Kejriwal in Mumbai, IPL 2024, Samsung Galaxy F55 5G launch, and more. While referring to the Opposition's frequent attacks on him over the Muslims issue, PM Modi said, Here, you keep on cornering me on the Muslims issue, but I didn't publicise it. Meanwhile, Modi said that during the same period, other countries also tried to engage with Israel to stop the bombings. He said his ideology doesn't revolve around token secularism, noting that he carried out standalone visits to both Israel and Palestine. He said, There was a fashion earlier that if one has to go to Israel, a visit to Palestine is a must. Do secularism and come back. But I refused to do it. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar warned that tolerance for any cross-border terrorism activity in India is very low and said that if Pakistan winds down this industry that it has created, then people will treat them as a normal neighbour. The External Affairs Minister was speaking at the annual general meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in Delhi on Friday. Speaking about China, Jaishankar asked if peace and tranquillity in border areas are disturbed, would you do business with someone who has just barged into your drawing room? These are some statements that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made on our neighbouring countries. On Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan Looking at the last 10 years, there has been great improvement in regional connectivity and inter-dependence. Look at Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. You can definitely see that in Bangladesh and Nepal, there is road and rail connectivity, fuel pipelines, increased volume of business, and access to ports in Bangladesh is very big. On Sri Lanka In the case of Sri Lanka, we have three big proposals: 1) a land bridge to Sri Lanka, 2) a power grid to Sri Lanka and 3) a fuel pipeline to Sri Lanka. On Maldives Our development projects are doing well. We had some political turbulence, which we are hopeful about managing. Things are a little bit more constructive after the visit of my counterpart. Also read: 'There's sense of pride about where PM Modi has taken the country,' External Affairs Minister Jaishankar amid LS polls On Pakistan We have struggled continuously with the fact that they have unrelentingly practised cross-border terrorism. It was the attitude in our country earlier that we put up with terrorism as the eccentricity of a neighbour. The people of this country made a clear decision in 2024 that they will not accept it. In our country, the tolerance for any cross-border terrorism is very low. It is clear that there will be consequences both across LoC and IB if something like this happens. Now, the ball is in their court. Message to Pakistan If they wind down this industry they have created, then people will treat them as normal neighbours. If they make this their core competence, that will define their image. We have been straight with them. They have to make up their mind. Part of the problem is that after 2019, the Imran Khan government took a number of steps that downgraded relations. We did not do, they did. Our messaging is very clear. - Where China is concerned, there are at least three aspects to it. The fundamental aspect is, if peace and tranquillity in border areas are disturbed, would you do business with someone who has just barged into your drawing room and is trying to make a mess of your house fencing? It's common sense that if a country has gone back on written agreements and is doing something on our borders, how can we say that the business world will continue as normal and other things won't? By the way, this doesn't mean business stops, and numbers show that. We need to define the problem, such as whether we take precautions today and identify more sensitive businesses. - Another issue that has built up over the last twenty years is trade imbalance. In the long run, we will have to consider how we encourage domestic sourcing and manufacturing. - Third, we need to put a national security filter. Where China is concerned, we will still encourage people in this country to manufacture in India and procure from India. We are not completely and utterly prohibiting people from working with China, but we would much rather you work with Indian companies if the option is available. That's good for national security. Also Read: Narrow: EAM S Jaishankar reacts to US' sanction warning after Chabahar Port deal On consequences of the Ukraine conflict According to PTI, Jaishankar extensively delved into the consequences of the Ukraine conflict, escalation of violence in West Asia and disruption of logistics because of the geopolitical tensions, sanctions, incidents of drone attacks and climate events. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been advocating for dialogue and diplomacy in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict since Vladimir Putin started the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He made phone calls with Putin and Volodymyr Zelansky to ensure safe passage for Indians stranded in war-torn regions. Putin and Zelensky have invited him to their respective countries after the Lok Sabha elections 2024. The Indian government launched Operation Ganga to safely evacuate its citizens stranded in neighbouring countries of Ukraine during the war. Students who returned from Ukraine praised PM Modi for bringing them back safely from the war zone. Also Read | Jaishankar speaks on India's stand on China People are genuinely interestedIve had functions from Odisha to Maharashtra, where students or families of students who came out of Ukraine wanted to come up to the stage to thank us for it, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times. Speaking about PM Modi's intervention in Ukraine-Russia crisis, Jaishankar stated that the Prime Minister had a conversation with Russian President Putin when shelling started in Kharkiv and told him Look, this was an agreement between your people and our people, this is happening. So I would request you to personally have someone look into this and stop it. It took a few hours, but the Russian shelling stopped and the buses went there to pick them up and brought them out, the minister told HT while narrating the second incident when PM Modi stepped in. Referring to Sumy city in Ukraine, Jaishankar said, everybody else in Ukraine had got out or was getting out. And this one place was stuck. It was a particularly complicated place.so everybody was firing at everybody else. And the students started getting more and more agitated because they felt everybody else was leaving. Also Read | Jaishankar speaks on Lok Sabha elections 2024 He stated that the Indian government took two calls to rescue people from Sumy. Two senior MEA officials were sent to Sumy. Then, Jaishankar himself requested the Prime Minister to speak to Putin and Zelensky about it. Lok Sabha election 2024: The BJP-led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) may not win 370-410 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election but will still surpass its 2019 tally of 353 seats, according to brokerage firm Antique Stock Broking. Highlighting the debate on the prospects of the incumbent government's return amid a decline in voter turnout, Antique believes the incumbent party may improve its 2019 tally. "The current debate is on the prospects of the incumbent government (polling is complete in nearly 70 per cent of the Lok Sabha seats) as there has been a decline in voter turnout (from 68.6 per cent in 2019 to 66.5 per cent in 2024, a decline in 252 seats out of 365). Based on our analysis of voter turnout data, we believe that the incumbent party may improve its 2019 tally but fall short of the opinion poll expectation of NDA winning 370-410 seats," said Antique. Four of the seven Lok Sabha election 2024 phases have been completed. The fifth phase is due on May 20. The sixth and seventh phases will be conducted on May 25 and June 1, respectively, and the results will be out on June 4. The average voter turnout so far has been 67 per cent. Antique said voter turnout could be revised upward due to the first-time optional postal ballot facility for voters over 85 and the disabled. "Voter turnout has declined from 68.6 per cent in 2019 to 66.5 per cent in 2024 and a decline in 252 out of 365 seats polled so far excluding Assam. We believe that the final turnout data may increase further as the Election Commission has provided an optional postal ballot facility for the first time to voters above 85 years (8.2 million or 0.8 per cent of the total electorate) and with disabilities (8.8 million or 0.9 per cent of the electorate)," said Antique. There have been concerns that poor voter turnout, a trend observed in the 2004 elections, could result in the BJP's loss. However, Antique said a repeat of the 2004 trend of poor voter turnout resulting in seat losses for the BJP is unwarranted as its voter base significantly expands, especially among lower-income households. "Our recent interaction with a leading psephologist suggests that the linkage of lower voter turnout with a decline in BJP's winning seats worked in the pre-2014 era when its voter base was largely urban, middle to higher income households. However, the trend stands broken as a series of welfare schemes have resulted in significant broad-basing of its voter base (especially among lower-income households), evident from the significant rise in the winning voter share," said the brokerage firm. Antique said the drop in voter turnout might have a minimal impact on BJP-held seats as the drop is mainly seen in seats where the party won with a very high winning margin of over 20 per cent in 2019. On the other hand, Antique believes Congress might be impacted as lower voter turnout is higher in Congress-held seats, where the winning margin is less than 5 per cent in 2019. "Empirical analysis on 2019 voter turnout change and 2014 winning margin suggests that voter turnout drops in seats won with a high winning margin (more than 20 per cent) have a lower chance of losing the seat as compared to those in seats won with a low winning margin (less than 5 per cent)," said Antique. Read all market-related news here Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Congress party over its promises in the election manifesto. If we go by the announcements made in the manifesto of the grand old party, the country will go bankrupt, he said. Modi made the remark while addressing a Lok Sabha election campaign rally for the Mahayuti (BJP-Sena-NCP) candidates at Shivaji Park in Mumbai's Dadar. Invoking the late Bal Thackeray in his speech, PM Modi termed Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena nakli sena and accused them of betraying the Shiv Sena founder. For power, they went with those who partied after the Mumbai attack. They are sitting in the lap of Congress who insulted Veer Savarkar. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has betrayed the country. They are giving clean chit to Kasab, who painted the city with blood. The MVA is speaking the language of Pakistan on surgical strike. What can be more insult for the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the PM said. The prime minister also exuded confidence that the results of these elections will break all previous records, and India will emerge as a huge power on June 4. Here's what Modi said on various topics: On Mumbai Mumbai city doesn't just see dreams; it lives them. In this dream city, I have come here with a dream of 2047. Mumbai is going to play a huge role in making India Viksit Bharat. On Economy When the country got freedom, we were the sixth largest economy. In 2014, when we were handed over the power, India stood 11th in economy. However, in the last 10 years, since you gave the responsibility to this 'sevak', the country has become the fifth largest economy. Record investment is coming to Mumbai. In a few years, we will become the third largest economy. I am going to give you Vikasit Bharat. On Ram temple Some people say that what Modi says is impossible. These are the same people who thought that the Ram Temple was impossible. The world will have to accept that the people of India were so strong with their thoughts that they kept struggling for 500 years for one dream. As a result, Ram Lalla is Virajman in a grand temple. On Article 370 Those who are nurturing the dream of reviving Article 370 should listen carefully no power in the world can bring back Article 370. On Poverty For 60 years, the Congress claimed to eradicate poverty in the country. If you listen to their speeches, they used to talk only about poverty. However, in the last 10 years, we have lifted 25 crore people out of poverty. The thing that seemed impossible became possible. This feat was made possible not because of Modi, but because of your vote. On Congress If the Congress had been dissolved after independence on the advice of Gandhiji, then today India would have been at least five decades ahead. The Congressisation of all the systems in India after independence has ruined five decades of the country. On Maharashtra politics When these people 'stole' the mandate in Maharashtra, they hindered developmental work. Whether it was the work of Bullet train, Mumbai metro, dedicated fright corridor, JNPT container terminal work or any other project of Mumbai, they stalled every single developmental work. Modi has come to give back the rights of Mumbai. Today, the most modern infrastructure in the world is in Mumbai. Mumbai metro is expanding, the railway is modernising, an airport is being constructed at Navi Mumbai and the day is not far for Mumbai to get the first bullet train. On employment The NDA alliance is creating new employment sectors. In the last 10 years, 1.25 lakh start-ups were created. Over 8,000 start-ups are only in Mumbai. India has become the second largest country in manufacturing mobiles. Once we used to import mobile phones, today we are exporting. From textile to technology, talent to tourism, space to sports, India will be a country of opportunities in the next five years. It will benefit the youth of Mumbai and professionals. On ease of living Modi prioritises ease of living. Hut dwellers' dreams of a pakka house are also fulfilled. Our focus is on quality and cheaper healthcare. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Friday made an emotional appeal to the people or Raebareli and asked them to bestow the same love and affection to Rahul Gandhi as they did to her. I am handing over my son to you. Like you considered me yours, bestow the same love and affection to him. Rahul will not disappoint you, said Sonia Gandhi while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli. Rahul Gandhi is contesting Lok Sabha elections from Raebareli against the BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh. The seat was held by Sonia Gandhi for two decades before she moved to Rajya Sabha. Gandhi said that the biggest asset of her life was that the people of Raebareli gave her the opportunity to serve as an MP for 20 years. My family members from Raebareli, I am happy that I have got the opportunity to be amongst you after a long time. I am grateful to you from the bottom of my heart. my head bows before you in reverence, said Gandhi. Stating that Raebareli is her family, similarly Amethi is also her home, Gandhi said, The tender memories of my life and roots of family are connected to this soil for the last 100 years. This relationship, as sacred as Mother Ganga, started with the farmers' movement of Awadh and Raebareli, which continues till today. Indira Ji had a special place for Raebareli and I have seen her working closely. She had lot of affection for you. I have give the same teachings to Rahul and Priyanka that Indira ji and the people of Raebareli gave me respect everyone, protect the weak, fight to protect people's rights against injustice, the Congress leader added. Meanwhile, addressing the rally, Rahul Gandhi said that the government will be formed on June 4, and on July 4, 8,500 will get credited into the bank accounts of lakhs of families. Not once, but even in the following months." "We have to make crore of people millionaires (lakhpati) in India. "Narendra Modi made 22 billionaires, we will make crores of people millionaires," said Rahul Gandhi. Top Events on May 17: The ruling BJP-led NDA and the opposition bloc INDIA are both set to address their respective rallies for the Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai today. Samsung will introduce its new smartphone Galaxy F55 5G in India on Friday, while MI vs LSG will face each other for the IPL 2024 match at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 17. Take a look at top events of the day below, - The ruling BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A.) are gearing up for a massive show of strength in Mumbai on May 17, ahead of the fifth and final phase of polling in Maharashtra. As many as 13 constituencies are set to go to polls during this phase. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend Jahir Sabha organised by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MVS) in Dadars Shivaji Park, Mumbai today. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and his Deputy Devendra Fadnavis are also expected to attend the event. - Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal will attend attend an Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rally in Mumbai on May 17, where he was welcomed by former Maharashtra C Uddhav Thackeray. Kejriwal has been granted interim bail until June 1 to participate in Lok Sabha election campaigns. - The Supreme Court of India on Friday will hear a plea from an NGO, seeking a direction to the Election Commission to upload polling station-wise voter turnout data on its website within 48 hours of the conclusion of polling for each phase of the Lok Sabha elections. - IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians (MI) will play Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on May 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The evening match will commence at 7.30 pm. Having won four out of 13 matches, MI is at the bottom of the points table. Hardik Pandyas boys will be playing this match for pride. Top news on May 17: From logistics firm Delhivery announcing to conduct research and development in drone technology and manufacturing, to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rejecting allegations levelled by party's Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal in assault case, here are some of the top stories. Delhivery announces drone research plan as revenue grows, loss narrows in Q4 Logistics firm Delhivery reported a rise in fourth-quarter revenue on Friday as it clocked strong volumes in segments such as part truckload (PTL) freight, and truckload services. Before announcing its Q4 results, the company said it has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary, Delhivery Robotics Pvt Ltd, to conduct research and development in drone technology and manufacturing. Read More Here 'I am handing over my son to you, Rahul won't disappoint you': Sonia Gandhi makes emotional pitch in Raebareli Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Friday made an emotional appeal to the people or Raebareli and asked them to bestow the same love and affection to Rahul Gandhi as they did to her. I am handing over my son to you. Like you considered me yours, bestow the same love and affection to him. Rahul will not disappoint you," said Sonia Gandhi while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli. Read More Here Bandhan Bank Q4 Results: Net profit plunges 94% to 54 crore, NII up 16% YoY; dividend declared Bandhan Bank Q4 Results: Bandhan Bank announced its January-March quarter results for fiscal 2023-24 (Q4FY24) on Friday, May 17, reporting a drop of 94 per cent in net profit to 54.6 crore, compared to 808.3 crore in the corresponding period last year. Read More Here AAP reject's Maliwal's allegations The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday rejected allegations levelled by party's Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar "baseless". AAP leader Atishi also claimed that the whole incident proves that it was a BJP conspiracy. Read More Here North Korea fired a ballistic missile off its east coast on Friday, South Korea's military said, the latest in its recent series of weapons tests. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff gave no further details like how far the weapon flew. Also read: Russias North Korea embrace could embolden Kim Jong Un, says US North Korea in recent months has maintained an accelerated pace in weapons testing as it continues to expand its military capabilities while diplomacy with the United States and South Korea remained stalled. Observers say North Korea likely believes an upgraded weapons arsenal would give it leverage to win greater concessions from the U.S. if negotiations resume. The lineup of this week's new releases on popular OTT platforms, featuring a range of genres such as action, drama, romance, and mystery, is out. OTT platforms ZEE5, Jio Cinema, Apple TV, Disney Plus Hotstar, Netflix, Amazon Prime, DUST, and others offer a variety of contentt his week. Major attractions include the animated series 'Baahubali: Crown of Blood', the film Bastar: The Naxal Story and The 8 Show. Also read: JioCinemas ultra-cheap subscription plan likely to expand Indias OTT universe. Baahubali: Crown of Blood OTT release date: May 17 Platforms: Disney+ Hotstar Baahubali: Crown of Blood, is an animated series which is a prequel to the iconic Bahubali films. The series revolves around the early exploits of Amarendra Baahubali and Bhallaladeva. It takes viewers to explore pivotal events that shaped their legendary statuses. Also read: OTT platforms serve shows heavy on political messaging to exploit poll fervour The 8 Show OTT release date: May 17 Platform: Netflix 'The 8 Show' is South Korea's dark comedy thriller series. The tale takes viewers on an intense journey through eight individuals competing in a high-stakes contest while being trapped within an eight-storey building. It delves into themes of human desperation, collaboration and competition. Also read: Ullu founder launches mythological OTT platform The Big Cigar OTT release date: May 17 Platform: Apple TV+ This captivating series revolves around the audacious escape plan of Huey P. Newton, the Black Panther Party co-founder disguised as a fictional movie production. Starring Andre Holland, the series captures the high-octane drama of true with a blend of historical events encapsulated with cinematic storytelling. Also read: Tata Play brings Prime Video to Binge; offers multiple OTT bundles for the first time Bastar: The Naxal Story OTT release date: May 17 Platform: ZEE5 Sudipto Sen and Vipul Amrutlal Shah directorial Bastar: The Naxal Story revolves around the NaxaliteMaoist insurgency in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. Its star cast includes Adah Sharma, Indira Tiwari, Shilpa Shukla, and Raima Sen in significant roles. Adah Sharma plays the role of IPS officer Neerja Madhavan, who navigates through the ethical complexities of her duty. Randhane Bandhan OTT release date: May 20 Platform: ZEE5 This competitive cooking show in the Bengali language features family members pairing up to create delicious dishes. They compete against other families for the prestigious title. Thalaimai Seyalagam OTT release date: May 17 Platform: ZEE5 Most of India's metro cities are fraught with problems associated with pollution, traffic, population, and water availability. Above that, cities like Delhi are even infamous for crimes against women. An IIT-Madras alumnus sparked a social media debate after her critical comments about life in Delhi and Bangalore went viral on platform X (formerly Twitter). The social media post has garnered nearly 3.6 lakh views Bangalore is not going to be liveable in the next five years, just like Delhi isn't now. Folks, which city are we all planning to go to and make unliveable next?" wrote IIT-Madras alumna Anjali Lal on X. As the IIT graduate declared that Bangalore will not be liveable in the next five years and Delhi is not even liveable now, many social media users agreed with her opinion. However, multiple X users put forward their rebuttal to disagree with Lal's statement. Wdym Delhi isnt liveable? And please come up with a better reason than pollution, commented an X user on the post. "If you've been in cities like Mumbai most part of your life, Bangalore won't look like a liveable city to you ever. PS- I'm not saying Mumbai doesn't have its own cons," wrote another X user. Northies complaining about Bengaluru, it's an never ending cycle. Delhi is perfectly liveable. Just don't breathe outside air for 2 months. The social media post sparked a debate on rising numbers of crime in Delhi along with high pollution. Some users, came in to defend the national capital and declared it to be in better condition than Bengaluru. Also Read: Beauty brand Anastasia Beverly Hills signs Malaika Arora as brand ambassador Delhi is good in infrastructure. Pollution is an issue but that is for nearly whole of North India to a certain extent. Delhi is better than Bangalore in water availability. Problem with Bangalore and Delhi is civic sense. Inspite of being the highest education per capita Bangalore is on par with Delhi in civic sens. Unfortunately Mumbai is being killed by systemic corruption else the city is unbeatable. Other Options are Hyderabad, Indore, Pune. Kolkata: Metro connection Affordable living Malls Water & Electricity abundant, wrote an X user. On this day: Several incidents have occurred on May 17 in past years that continue to affect our present. The day is of immense importance for the LGBTQ community, as the World Health Organisation approved homosexuality for the first time in 1990. India witnessed some of the most fierce battles in history today, including the Battle of Kannauj. Take a look at the key events that were held on this day. WHO removal of homosexuality from mental illness list, 1990 On May 17, 1990, the WHO removed homosexuality from its mental disease list, paving the way for the legalisation of same-sex marriages in countries across the world. Nearly 14 years after the omission, United States's Massachusetts legalised same-sex marriage. Ehud Barak as Israel Prime Minister, 1999 On May 17, 1999, Ehud Barak became Israel's Prime Minister. He also tried to revive the please negotiations talks with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO). He became Israeli Prime Minister after defeating Benjamin Netanyahu. World Hypertension Day Every year, World Hypertension is celebrated across the world on May 17. The day is celebrated to spread awareness about hypertension, also called high blood pressure. The disease is also called as slow poison, as it has multiple side effects and sometimes it comes without any symptom. Battle of Kannauj, 1540 The Battle of Kannauj is also known as the Battle of Bilgram. The battle was a significant conflict in Indian history on May 17, 1540. This battle was fought between the Mughal Emperor Humayun and Sher Shah Suri, the founder of the Suri Empire. Battle of Arras, 1775 The Battle of Arras was a significant military engagement during World War I, occurring from April 9 to May 16, 1917. The battle involved British and Commonwealth forces against the German Empire and was part of a larger Allied offensive on the Western Front. May 17: Notable personalities born on this day Sugar Ray Leonard, 1956 Sugar Ray Leonard, born Ray Charles Leonard on May 17, 1956, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. Hundreds of Indian students in Canada's Prince Edward Island (PEI) region took to the streets on Friday to protest against the Canadian government for "changing the [immigration] policy overnight and denying them work permits." According to the Hindustan Times, the students alleged that despite graduating, they were denied work permits and now face deportation. However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied the claims, saying that while there might be a few cases here or there, it doesn't see any major problem. The students reportedly threatened to go on a hunger strike if their demands weren't met. The protests near the PEI government buildings began on May 9. According to CBC News, over 200 protesters gathered in Charlottetown on Monday, May 13, urging the provincial government to intervene and help the many foreign workers whose work permits are about to expire. What's the new law? In July last year, PEI passed a law restricting postgraduate work permits to students with specific qualifications. They now allow only students with construction, home-building and healthcare qualifications to get a permit. This reportedly meant that hundreds of immigrants in other industries, such as retail sales and service, may not have their work permits extended when they run out in the next few months. This left many international students unable to continue working in Canada, the HT report said. In February, the PEI government announced it would reduce the number of people from other countries that it nominates for permanent residency in Canada through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). "The number of nominees will fall by 25 per cent in 2024, partly as a result of pressure on PEI's healthcare system and housing market," CBC News reported. Protest leader Rupender Singh told CBC News, "They called us here, now they want us to leave...Our province gave us false hopes. Singh, who came to Canada from India in 2019, said, "They were giving us wrong information. This is totally an exploitation." What are Indian students demanding? As per the report, the protesting students demanded an extension of work permits and a review of the recent changes to immigration policies. They want to be grandfathered, which will allow them to be exempted from new regulations or policies based on their previous status or circumstances. A "grandfathered" status provides a measure of "stability and fairness in immigration systems", allowing individuals to plan their lives and futures with greater certainty, the HT reported. ALSO READ: Canada to deport 700 Indian students for producing fake admission documents The students are threatening a hunger strike if their demands aren't met by mid-May. Several videos showed a large group of Indian students marching through the streets of Charlottetown, protesting against sudden policy changes. MEA Reaction Meanwhile, reacting to the report, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected the claim that hundreds of Indian students are facing 'deportation'. Jaiswal said there might be a few cases here or there, but he doesn't see any major problem. When a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian jungle, it could cause a tornado in North America's central plains, noted a mathematician, observing that minute differences in his models initial conditions resulted in enormous changes in weather outcomes. US President Bidens 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) could cause a similarly unpleasant butterfly effect on Indian EV makers. Watch out, Tata Motors. First, let's understand what has happened. Biden is locked in a close race with his presidential rival Donald Trump. Trump has been wooing auto union workers with the promise of 60% import duties on China-made cars. Biden has trumped Trump by a margin of 40%. Penal duties have also been announced on imports from China of solar cells, semiconductor chips, steel, aluminium, EV batteries, and some critical minerals. The tariffs are expected to crimp imports that amounted, pre-tariff, to $18 billion, which is just 4.2% of total US merchandise imports from China. China is likely to reciprocate with higher tariffs on imports from the US. A likely target with lots of political charge but little actual effect on the ground is planes from Boeing, for which China has been a major market. Boeing is already in trouble because of its own internal quality problems and is not in a position to meet orders. So, restricting aircraft imports from the US would please those looking for a major showdown between the worlds largest and second-largest economies over unfair trade practices without causing much actual damage to either party. The US has announced the trade restrictions under Section 301 of its Trade Act of 1974. Section 301 allows the US government to restrict trade or negotiate trade agreements when it determines that a foreign countrys subsidies or other practices represent a persistent violation of labour rights, constitute anticompetitive behaviour, deny fair and equitable trading opportunities for US producers, or constitute an effort to increase penetration of export markets. There are no objective criteria for making such a determination, and the US has defanged the World Trade Organizations Dispute Settlement Mechanism by blocking the appointment of judges to its appellate body. A bilateral trade war will, therefore, ensue. Read This | Globalization under threat: US import tariffs have dealt free trade a heavy blow A major beneficiary is likely to be Mexico, where Chinese EV makers are likely to locate production facilities to make products for export to the US under the US-Canada-Mexico free trade agreement. When Chinese producers of EVs and other goods find access to the US market closed, they will want to step up exports to other markets. India is a prime target for the entire range of goods whose entry to the US now stands restricted. Indian producers of these goods are likely to feel the heat. This would be most acutely felt in the EV segment. India has created an EV import policy that slashed import duties from 70-100% to 15% on completely built-up units (CBU), provided the importer promises to invest $500 million in a domestic production facility and the price of the imported CBU is at least $35,000 or 29 lakh. The US restriction could well be the trigger to catalyse large-scale manufacturing in India to bypass the high tariffs India has on imported cars. Since Chinese EV makers produce some of the cheapest parts and components, including batteries, these could produce extremely low-cost EVs in India for the Indian market. Tata Motors' share of the Indian EV market was 72% in 2023. That dominance makes it the prime target of price competition from cheap EV makers from China who invest in plant and machinery in India. While India has domestic EV producers demanding and receiving protection from Chinese EV makers, other countries that lack similar local champions could see more EVs entering their markets than would have happened if the output of Chinese EV factories had been shipped to the US. The net result would be many smaller countries seeing a larger share of their domestic passenger car market shifting to climate-friendly EVs than the US or India. Their challenge would be to generate the power, at the requisite high load, needed to meet the electricity demand arising from a rising EV population. This, in turn, would generate additional demand for power generation equipment, grid management software, and energy pricing models from these economies. It would make sense for Indian providers to gear up for this demand, ranging from solar cell producers to software service providers and integrated engineering solutions providers like KEC Ltd. The Baramulla parliamentary constituency in north Kashmir, one of the 49 seats voting in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 today, saw a shift in dynamics. Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference (NC) Vice-President Omar Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) chief Sajad Lone were the main contenders until Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, entered the fray. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Fayaz Ahmad Mir is also contesting from Baramula seat Rashid, whose nomination papers from the Baramulla seat were filed on April 29, is contesting the election from behind bars. Rashid's presence, despite being in Tihar jail facing UAPA charges for five years, has stirred the election. Son leads the campaign In August 2019, soon after the abrogation of Article 370, Rashid was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case of terror funding. Rashid's 26-year-old son, Abrar Rashid, is leading his campaign, drawing large crowds as he travels to seek votes for his jailed father. Supported by the Democratic Progressive Azad party, led by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Engineer Rashid's posters, showing him in prison, are commonplace in the election campaign. When I go to people, I tell them my father has been in prison for the last five years. I say to them, please vote for him so that his election as a Member of Parliament paves the way for his release," Scroll.in quoted Abrar as saying. Baramulla is one of the three seats in the Kashmir division, other than Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not fielded any candidates. It comprises assembly segments of Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Budgam districts. Srinagar voted in the fourth phase of polling on May 13, and Anantnag-Rajouri will go to the polls in the sixth phase on May 25. Who is Engineer Rashid? Engineer Rashid, 57, is a former two-time MLA from Langate seat in north Kashmir. Before joining mainstream politics, he was a close aide of slain Hurriyat leader and JKPC founder Abdul Gani Lone, father of Sajad Lone. Unknown gunmen assassinated Abdul Gani Lone in Srinagars Eidgah on May 21, 2002. Rashid quit his government job as an engineer, left the JKPC in 2008 and successfully contested the Assembly elections as an Independent candidate from Langate in Kupwara district. Rashid founded the Awami-e-Ittihad Party (AIP) in 2014. Since his party is not registered with the Election Commission of India, he is contesting Lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate. Booked under UAPA Firebrand leader Rashid has found himself in many controversies. In 2015, for example, Rashid was beaten up inside the Assembly of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state by the BJP lawmakers after he hosted a beef party at Srinagars MLA hostel. In October 2015, Rashid was attacked with ink at the Press Club of India in the national capital. The same year, he hoisted the J&K flag at Srinagars Pratap Park, protesting against the BJPs ek vidhan, ek pradhan aur ek nishan slogan. While mainstream media had reduced him to a separatist masquerading as an MLA, in Kashmir, the separatists attack me for embracing the Indian Constitution, Rashid had said in an interview in 2015. Finished 3rd in 2019 Rashid contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from the Baramulla seat, too. He finished third and polled over one lakh votes, finishing ahead of the PDP and the Congresss candidates. Then, Rashid was supported by bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal's Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM). Faesel has since rejoined the civil services. NC leader Mohammad Akbar Lone won the seat. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that he can make Prime Minister Narendra Modi speak on whatever (topics) he wants to. Gandhi made the claim while addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli while referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's counter reactions to his remarks. "I can make Narendra Modi speak whatever I want to. When I said Narendra Modi doesn't take names of Adani and Ambani, he took their names. When I said we would put takatak takatak money in a bank account, Modi, in his speech, said takatak takatak. You tell me what you want me to make him say. I will do so. It will take two minutes," said Rahul Gandhi. On May 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked that after the announcement of Lok Sabha results on June 4, opposition's INDIA bloc will get scattered "Khatakhat, Khatakhat, Khatakhat". "Somebody make them understand that the people of Raebareli will send them home--khata khat, khata khat. They went away from Amethi and will go away from Raebareli also," reported ANI quoting Modi. On May 8, Prime Minister had attacked Rahul Gandhi while addressing a rally in Telangana and invoked Ambani and Adani. Modi said, "Ever since the elections were announced, these people (Congress) have stopped abusing Ambani-Adani. What deal has been struck? For five years, you abused Ambani-Adani and stopped abusing them overnight. Certainly, there is something fishy." Meanwhile, the Congress leader also claimed that Narendra Modi has accepted the defeat and he won't be India's Prime Minister on June 4. Rahul Gandhi on crediting money Rahul Gandhi said that the government will be formed on June 4, and on July 4, 8,500 will get credited into the bank accounts of lakhs of families. "Not once, but even in the following months." "We have to make crore of people millionaires (lakhpati) in India. "Narendra Modi made 22 billionaires, we will make crores of people millionaires," said Rahul Gandhi. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday launched a scathing attack on his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal over the Swati Maliwal assault case. Why is he still roaming with Bibhav Kumar and not taking any action against him, Sarma posed a query aimed at the Delhi CM. There should not be any politics on this. We are not aligned with her (Swati Maliwal) ideologically, but when there is a crime against women, it is our job to raise our voices. Swati Maliwal has filed a complaint to the Delhi Police, the BJP leader told ANI. "Kejriwal has become a criminal now. The question is, why is Arvind Kejriwal silent? Where was he when it was happening? Was he in the same room or not? Why is Kejriwal still roaming with that man (Bibhav Kumar)? Why is he not taking action against him?" he asked. What happened with Swati Maliwal? On May 13, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal reportedly went to the Civil Lines police station and alleged that a member of Arvind Kejriwal's personal staff assaulted" her. However, she did not file a formal complaint with the police then. Following this, a two-member team of the Delhi Police took Swati Maliwal's statement in which she informed the police about the incident at the chief minister's residence. A case has been registered under Indian Penal Code sections: 354 (Assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (Word gesture or act of intent to insult), 323 (Assault) and other sections of IPC. Maliwal said on Thursday she had given her statement to the police and hoped appropriate action" would be taken against the accused. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the former DCW chief wrote, What happened to me was extremely bad. I have given my statement to the police on the incident that happened to me." Swati Maliwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP arrived at Delhi's Tis Hazari Court around noon on Friday, May 17, to record her statement regarding the alleged assault by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's PA Bibhav Kumar. Swati Maliwal took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), where she recorded her first reaction to the incident. The post in Hindi read, 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 post further read, The last few days have been very difficult for me. I thank those who prayed for me. 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 added. On Thursday, she broke her silence over the issue by filing an FIR, accusing Bibhav Kumar of assaulting her at the chief minister's residence. She filed the complaint three days after the incident happened. As per Swati Maliwal's statement, Bibhav Kumar's assault ranged from slaps and punches to kicks in the stomach and chest. She alleged that the PA even used a stick to pelt blows at her. Meanwhile, a medical examination confirmed internal injuries on the face. Also read: Swati Maliwal case: Arvind Kejriwal's PA Bibhav Kumar 'slapped and kicked', AAP MP says. Top 10 updates A magistrate will record the AAP MP's statement under Section 164 during the police investigation before the trial. According to reports, the police will use footage from all eight CCTV cameras installed outside the CM's house to probe the incident. News agency ANI quoted NCW Chief Rekha Sharma saying, "We have asked for an Action Taken Report from the Police. FIR charges have been framed. A medical examination of Swati Maliwal has also been done today. Bibhav has not replied to our notice." Also read: Swati Maliwal breaks silence on assault incident: Past few days were difficult, what happened with me Furthermore, out of a total of 10 police teams that are investigating the matter, four teams are trying to trace the personal secretary. In March last year Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, paused at the door of the Kremlin. Before bidding farewell to Vladimir Putin, he offered him a final thought. Using the phrase bainian bianju, shorthand for what China views as a historic change in the world order, Mr Xi said: Let us promote it together." Now the two leaders are meeting for the 43rd timeMr Putin arrived in Beijing on May 16th as the war rages in Ukraine. Russia has become an ever more important partner in Chinas push against American might. Economic ties have been growing stronger and there are signs of deepening military links. So far this month America has twice tightened sanctions on Sino-Russian trade. Mr Xis government has responded furiously, urging the West to stop smearing and containing China". China is Mr Putins first destination abroad after a sham election in March that gave him a fifth term as president. There is a symmetry of sorts with the meeting in 2023. That came just after Chinas parliament had given its rubber-stamp approval for Mr Xi to break precedent and serve a third term as president, and days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin for war crimes in Ukraine. For both men their encounters are a display of contempt for the Wests efforts to hobble autocrats. View Full Image ... Mr Putin is a frequent flyer to China (see chart 1). This will be his 19th visit since he became president in 2000. A trip to Beijing in February 2022, a few days before he launched his full-scale war against Ukraine, crossed a rubicon. The two leaders issued a joint statement in which they attempted to redefine dictatorship, boasting of their two countries long-standing traditions of democracy". They backed each other in their struggles against attempts by external forces", by which they meant America, to undermine security and stability in their common adjacent regions". Most eye-poppingly, when describing the Russia-China relationship, they said it has no limits, there are no forbidden areas of co-operation". Whether there are limits to Chinas support of Russia is now the subject of intense scrutiny by the West. In many domains the two countries friendship has been scaling new heights. America and its allies say Chinese firms provide critical support to Russias defence industry. Chinas, as well as Indias, booming trade with Russia have been a lifeline for Mr Putin (see chart 2). The Russian and Chinese armed forces have been exercising together ever more frequently. View Full Image ... Not long before Mr Xis trip to Moscow last year, Americas national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, spoke of a cartoonish notion that these two countries have become unbreakable allies". During that visit, a White House spokesman called the Russia-China relationship a bit of a marriage of convenienceless than it is of affection". The picture today belies those disparaging remarks. Start with the flow of Chinese tech and other useful items to Russian manufacturers of weapons. During separate visits to China in April, Americas treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, and the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, berated Chinese officials about this. Mr Blinken told reporters at the end of his trip that China was the top supplier" of machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulose (a crucial ingredient in artillery shells) and other items deemed by America to be dual use", meaning they have both civilian and military applications. Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without Chinas support," he said. Later he told the World Economic Forums president, Borge Brende, that, during the past year, Chinas tech had been enabling Russia to produce arms and ammunition, including missiles and tanks, at a faster pace than at any time in its modern history, including during the cold war". Trade data support Americas view. Take metalworking machine tools, which are needed to make arms. Before the war in Ukraine, many of Russias providers of advanced types were from America, Europe and rich countries in Asia. Sanctions cut those supplies, prompting Russia to turn to China. In 2022 Russias imports of machine tools from China grew by nearly 120% to $362m, according to Chinese trade figures. In 2023 they rose again by nearly 170%. Chinas share of these Russian imports grew from less than 30% before the war to about 60% in 2022 and 88% in 2023, trade numbers show. Writing for the Jamestown Foundation, an American research outfit, Pavel Luzin calls this dependency on China a growing weakness and vulnerability" for Mr Putin. View Full Image ... China doubtless relishes this transformation. In the early days of the Peoples Republic, before the Sino-Soviet split that began in the late 1950s, China leaned heavily on the Soviet Union, its big brother", for aid and arms. The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an American think-tank, reckons Mr Xis trip to Moscow in March last year accelerated the shift. In a report on Russias defence industry, published in April, it said there was a sharp increase" that month of Chinese shipments to Russia of dual-use goods that are designated by America as high priority" (see chart 3). This means they are of great importance in the manufacture of Russian arms and are subject to tight export controls in America and its allied countries. Electrical machinery and parts, such as computer chips, make up the biggest share of Russias imports of high-priority products. Nearly all of Russias leading foreign suppliers of key military-related goods are from mainland China and Hong Kong, CSIS notes. Data compiled by The Economist show that Chinas exports of semiconductors to Russia were worth nearly $230m in 2023, up from $157m in 2021. Its sales to Russia of machinery for making computer chips grew spectacularly in the same period, from a mere $3.5m to nearly $180m (see chart 4). The high-priority list includes ball bearings, which are used in the manufacture of tanks. Chinas exports of these surged nearly 170% last year compared with the same period of 2021, the year before Russias all-out invasion. Chinas sales of them to Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, rocketed by more than 1,800%. While its possible that Kyrgyzstans domestic market suddenly requires ball bearings, the much more likely explanation is that these products are immediately re-exported to Russia," Markus Garlauskas and fellow scholars wrote for the Atlantic Council, a think-tank in Washington. A roaring business has also been developing for Chinese producers of items that are not on the list, but are still subject to Western export controls because they may be useful for Russias army. Take excavators, which are handy for digging trenches. Chinese deliveries of these to Russia quadrupled in 2023 compared with 2021. Large Chinese-made lorries have been helping Russia to keep its troops supplied. Sales of them to Russia last year were seven times greater than in 2021. America is now ramping up pressure on China to stop selling the high-priority kit. On May 1st it imposed sanctions on nearly 300 foreign entities, including 20 firms from mainland China and Hong Kong. The Treasury Department accused them of helping Russia acquire key inputs for weapons or defence-related production". It is unclear whether any of the Chinese firms were acting under the governments direction. They included one in Wuhan, Global Sensor Technology, which had allegedly exported infrared detectors to Russia. Another, called Jinmingsheng Technology HK, is a Hong Kong-registered firm with an address in Shenzhen. It allegedly supplied pressure sensors that are used in Russian drones and missiles. On May 9th America imposed sanctions on several more Chinese firms for similar reasons. Chinas foreign ministry insists its trade with Russia is normal" and accuses America of aggravating the conflict in Ukraine by supplying that country with weapons. In some respects Western countries can rest easy in the knowledge that there are limits to the China-Russia relationship. China is clearly mindful of the risk of escalation with America. In December President Joe Biden allowed the Treasury Department to impose sanctions on foreign banks involved in deals that help Russias army. Several of Chinas state-owned banks have become extra cautious, either halting or slowing down transactions involving Russian entities. Trade between Russia and China reached a record high of $240bn in 2023. But having surged by 47% last year to $111bn, Chinas exports to Russia have fallen in the past two months, by 16% in March and by 14% in April, year on year. Banking woes are likely to be a factor. Chinese diplomacy is not all one-way, either. Mr Blinken has credited China with persuading Russia not to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine when Mr Putin was toying with the idea (Mr Xi is reported to have raised this during last years visit to Moscow). China did not appear enthusiastic about Russias decision to invade Ukraine (it does not recognise Crimea or Donbas as part of Russian territory, as Mr Putin claims them to be). And a total Russian victory may not be to Chinas liking. It would risk focusing even more attention in the West on Chinas failure to rein in Russia and on the threat that China poses to the Western liberal order. Yet China is ultimately keen to underwrite the Russian regimes survival. It would not want any outcome that causes Mr Putin to lose power. For one thing, he is just too useful in Chinas struggle with the West. This is evident in the ever closer relationship between the Chinese and Russian armed forces. Since Mr Xi came to power the two countries have stepped up the frequency of their joint military exercises, and their geographic range. In March the Russian, Chinese and Iranian navies staged joint drills in the Gulf of Oman, the latest in a series that began in 2018. A joint naval patrol in August by Russia and China near Alaska was possibly their largest so close to the American mainland. It involved eleven ships, including destroyers and frigates. Americas navy sent four destroyers of its own, plus a surveillance plane, to shadow them. Russia and China are not yet preparing to fight alongside each other. In their latest annual threat-assessment, published in February, Americas spies said the joint manoeuvres had resulted in only minor enhancements to interoperability". They appear more a way of signalling the depth of the Russia-China relationship. One implicit message is that, should China and America go to war, America would have to reckon on Russia giving China indirect support, at least. Given Russias difficulties in Ukraine, China may have concluded that attacking Taiwan across a strait more than 125km wide with troops lacking any combat experience would be a risk best not taken for a while longer, if hazarded at all. However, Mr Xi wants to show America that he is prepared to fight, and to get his country ready for that possibility. Russia has a useful role to play here. Were war to break out between China and America, Russia could keep China supplied with at least some of the energy it needs, bypassing American-controlled maritime chokepoints by using pipelines and overland routes. Last year Chinas imports of Russian oil reached a record high of 107m tonnes, 24% more than in 2022 (see chart 5). Russia supplied nearly one-fifth of Chinas crude imports, making it the biggest source (the second, Saudi Arabia, shipped 86m tonnes). Chinas imports of Russian natural gas rose 62%. Russia would like China to buy even more, through a proposed second gas pipeline called Power-of-Siberia 2. Talks have dragged on for years, with China playing hardball on the price. Mr Putins war in Ukraine has not made life easy for Mr Xi, to put it mildly. It has focused Western attention on the need to bolster Taiwans defences, potentially making it even more challenging for Mr Xi to seize the island. It has made European countries more wary of China: its support for Russia (despite its avowed neutrality in the Ukraine conflict) is seen as an indirect threat to the continents security. But if Mr Xi has any misgivings about negative fallout from the war, he will not let them weaken the relationship. He and Mr Putin appear genuinely chummy. They give each other birthday cakes, down vodka together and call one another dear friend". Mr Xi is also a hard-nosed realist. He values the friendship for the security it provides along their 4,300-km border (a vital precondition for taking on AmericaChina has bad memories of its cold-war tension with the Soviet Union). Mr Putin also makes the Communist Party feel more safe: were Russia to be ruled by a liberal pro-Western leader, Mr Xi would fear contagion. At their meeting in Moscow last year, the two leaders pledged to co-operate in fighting colour revolutions", meaning popular challenges to authoritarian rule. This is not a marriage of convenience. For both men, it is one of vital, long-term necessity. 2024, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com CERT-In, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has issued a critical security advisory warning of potential vulnerabilities affecting individuals and organizations. The warning emphasizes numerous vulnerabilities found across a range of Microsoft offerings, including Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Dynamics, Bing browser, Microsoft Developer tools, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft applications. These vulnerabilities, as identified by CERT-In, pose significant risks, including unauthorized access to sensitive data, remote code execution, bypassing security controls, spoofing, tampering attacks, and triggering denial-of-service conditions. A statement on CERT-In's website warns, "Multiple vulnerabilities have been reported in Microsoft Products, which could allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges, obtain sensitive information, conduct remote code execution attacks, bypass security restrictions, conduct spoofing attacks, conduct tampering attacks, or cause denial of service conditions." Exploitation of these vulnerabilities, as cautioned by CERT-In, can result in security breaches leading to financial losses, data theft, and unauthorized access to sensitive information. To mitigate the risks associated with these vulnerabilities, CERT-In advises users to ensure regular software updates, encompassing systems, applications, and security software. Security updates typically contain patches addressing such vulnerabilities. Furthermore, users are encouraged to maintain robust passwords for accounts containing sensitive information and to install antivirus software to mitigate the risk of malicious viruses. Additionally, exercising caution when interacting with links and phishing emails is emphasized to prevent unauthorized access by malicious actors. In separate developments, a newly discovered zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome has sparked worry among both regular users and cybersecurity specialists. CERT-In has issued a high-severity warning, emphasizing the seriousness of these fresh security vulnerabilities. As per the most recent security advisory from CERT-In, the vulnerabilities detected in Google Chrome could potentially enable a remote attacker to breach a user's system. These identified issues encompass a use-after-free flaw in the visuals and angle components, alongside a heap buffer overflow in WebAudio. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. 3.6 Crore Indians visited in a single day choosing us as India's undisputed platform for General Election Results. Explore the latest updates here! Apple is all set for its WWDC 2024 annual developer conference, which will run from June 10 to June 14. The event is set to reveal significant updates to Apple's flagship products, with a particular focus on the highly anticipated next-generation iOS updateiOS 18. This update is expected to be the most extensive in iOS history, with a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI), according to recent reports. Before the official unveiling at WWDC, Apple has already teased several innovative features of iOS 18, including eye-tracking technology, music haptics, and generative AI. Here is everything we expect to roll out with the latest update. Eye-Tracking Technology Originally introduced in the Vision Pro, Apples eye-tracking technology will now be available on iPhones and iPads. This feature allows users to navigate their devices using only their eyes, eliminating the need for touch input. The device will leverage the front camera along with on-device machine learning to enable this functionality. Users can simply focus their gaze to choose items on the screen. Notably, this feature doesn't need any extra hardware, though it does require a short setup procedure. Generative AI Capabilities iOS 18 will introduce a range of on-device AI features across all Apple devices, significantly enhancing their intelligence. These AI features might also feature auto-generated playlists on Apple Music, along with AI-powered writing assistance in Pages and Keynote. Unlike other AI services that rely on cloud servers, these features will operate directly on the device. Several applications are expected to benefit from these AI enhancements: Notes App: The app can feature generative suggestions and editing tools powered by on-device Large Language Models (LLM). Photos App: It will likely receive AI-driven editing capabilities, similar to those available on Google Pixel devices, allowing users to alter images by erasing unwanted elements. Siri: Apple's virtual assistant is anticipated to get a significant AI upgrade, enhancing its overall functionality. Additionally, iOS 18 will introduce a real-time audio transcription feature. This tool will enable users to read, edit, copy, and share transcriptions, with an expected summarization feature to follow. Vehicle Motion Cues This innovative feature aims to reduce motion sickness for passengers using their devices during travel. By mimicking the motion of the vehicle, the screen will display animated dots on the edges, reducing sensory conflict and alleviating discomfort for users who often experience motion sickness. Music Haptics Apple is set to launch the Music Haptics feature, designed for users who are hard of hearing or have lost their ability to hear. This feature will translate songs on Apple Music into tactile sensationstaps, textures, and vibrationsallowing users to experience music in a new and immersive way. iOS 18 Release Date Apple traditionally releases new versions of iOS during its September event, coinciding with the launch of new iPhone models. During WWDC 2024, Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 and initiate beta testing for developers and possibly the public. Milestone Alert! Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world Click here to know more. 3.6 Crore Indians visited in a single day choosing us as India's undisputed platform for General Election Results. Explore the latest updates here! Analysis Idahoans are accustomed to infighting between the Republican Partys mainstream and hard-line factions. What unfolded this week, just days before the May 21 primary, was something quite different. A split within the GOPs hard line. Its great theater. By next week, well know if it has any impact at the polls and maybe, any impact on Statehouse policy. The drama blew wide open Monday, when Daniel Walters of Investigate West broke a remarkable and courageous story illustrating the hard-line rift. (Calling the story courageous, by the way, is not hyperbole; the Idaho State Police has warned Investigate West that it could be criminally liable for publishing the story, which hinges on a secret recording.) The recording pulls back the curtain on a tense two-hour conversation between two of Idahos most prominent hard-liners: state Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, and Maria Nate, Idaho director of the State Freedom Caucus Network and the secretary of the Idaho Republican Party. If Walters article only wove the narrative of a heated, profane meeting, it would be a must-read on that basis alone. But the story maps out a collision course between endorsements and money. Scott tells Nate that conservatives are planning to publicly endorse House Speaker Mike Moyle, much to Nates dismay. Such a move could have very, very devastating ramifications, said Nate, who then referenced Young Americans for Liberty, a Texas-based group that was planning to sink $1.1 million into Idaho elections. Its not yet clear whether that $1.1 million will materialize. But it is clear that Moyle is YALs top target. Make Liberty Win, a group that lists YAL as a donor, has spent about $466,000 in Idaho elections, according to state sunshine reports analyzed by Idaho Education News. The group has spent about $81,000 on negative messaging against Moyle, R-Star. Make Liberty Win isnt acting alone. As EdNews first reported last week, a Washington, D.C., group, Retire Career Politicians, has sunk its own $76,000 into an anti-Moyle campaign. This groups funding sources remain shadowy. The Idaho secretary of states office has asked Retire Career Politicians to register in Idaho. In a letter to the state Tuesday, obtained by EdNews, treasurer Christopher Koob said the fledgling organization would file its initial disclosure reports with the Federal Election Commission by Monday a day before Idahos primary. The paper trail, involving both Make Liberty Win and Retire Career Politicians, illustrate a rift over allegiances. Scott and some of her colleagues were ready to throw their support behind Moyle because, as Walters reported, they see him as an ally as conservatives seek traction in the Statehouse. But two well-funded out-of-state groups with, presumably, at least some encouragement from within Idaho see Moyle as a 26-year politico who is too deeply ingrained in the mainstream. A day after Walters story broke, 16 hard-line lawmakers joined the fray. In a two-page letter, shared over social media, the lawmakers withdrew from YAL and its Hazlitt Coalition, a national network of legislators. The move leaves only one Idaho lawmaker aligned with YAL: Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Viola. MOSCOW The Humane Society of the Palouse, in Moscow, received a national grant to support operations at the shelter. The organization was given a $10,000 grant by Maddies Fund, a nationwide charitable family foundation established by Dave and Cheryl Duffield to revolutionize the well-being of animal companions, according to a news release Wednesday afternoon by the humane society. The grant will finance general operating expenses. This will allow shelter staff to focus their attention on reuniting lost pets with their families, and finding homes for adoptable pets. GRANGEVILLE An Idaho attorney generals investigation has concluded that Syringa General Hospital and Clinics and St. Marys Health in Cottonwood may have violated the Idaho Competition Act and have agreed to terminate a prior management agreement. Attorney General Raul Labrador wrote in a news release Thursday that an investigation opened in 2023 in cooperation with the Federal Trade Commission has been approved by the court. My office is concerned about the trend of consolidation within healthcare markets in Idaho, Labrador said in the news release. We are committed to enforcing the laws that protect and promote fair competition in Idaho and we are pleased that we reached a resolution addressing our current concerns. The investigation stemmed from a management agreement between Syringa and Kootenai Health in Coeur dAlene in 2017. Under the agreement Kootenai Health hired and paid for Syringas chief executive officer, Abner King, making King an employee of Kootenai Health. As a result of this agreement, Kootenai Health had access to Syringas significant, competitively sensitive nonpublic information. In 2020, Kootenai Health purchased St. Marys Health in Cottonwood and Clearwater Valley Health in Orofino from their out-of-state owner. St. Marys, which is about 15 miles away from Syringa, is its nearest competitor. After the acquisition, Kootenai Health owned or had a substantial relationship with the only two hospitals in Idaho County. The investigation found that as a result of this relationship between St. Marys and Syringa, the hospitals may have engaged in conduct that violates the Idaho Competition Act. Redistricting battles have mostly ended. Heres how they could determine the balance of power in the US House Longford's Pat Lynch was the Irish Suffolk Sheep Society National Hall of Fame award recipient for 2024. Pat Lynch, from Moatfarrell, Ballinalee, was honoured in the Sheraton Athlone Hotel on Sunday, May 5. Pat's Moatfarrell flock has also been a member of the West of Ireland Suffolk club since it was formed back in August 1971. Champion horse trainer Willie Mullins was the recipient of the National Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award. Pat Lynch Moatfarrell Flock In 1949, 75 years ago my father Denis Lynch established the Moatfarrell flock of pedigree Suffolk Sheep. That same year, he also established the Moatfarrell herd of Hereford pedigree cattle. He was a very astute judge of livestock and an exceptional stock man. I grew up under his influence and I would like to think that some of it may have rubbed off on me. The flock enjoyed almost immediate success. At the Premier Show & Sale in Prussia Street in 1950 and 1951, he obtained the second-highest price and the top average price. Stock rams were imported from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Top Irish bred rams were purchased such as the Premier Sale Champions in 1952, 1959, 1975 and 1979. A ram, Moatfarrell Discoverer was the Spring Show Champion for three years in succession and sired the Prussia Street Champion in 1962. The flock has produced numerous Champions, Reserve Champions and Champions Groups of Three at both Premier Sales and Club Sales. The Champion Group of Three was won then times which included a record run of nine consecutive wins. The Sire of the Year trophy was won five times. Numerous Moatfarrell Rams have been registered and many breeders chosen Moatfarrell Ewes as a foundation stock. For many years, the team at Moatfarrell consisted of my brothers Philip, Con, Michael, Seamus and myself. We did all the hard work-washing, carding etc. I usually did the trimming, the easy job which was done under my fathers watchful eye. My mother and sisters were the team behind the team and their input was invaluable. Con, my brother took over running the flock from my father. He was a very good judge; he had an encyclopedic knowledge of pedigrees, and he served on the Committee of the Suffolk Sheep Society. Sadly, Con passed away suddenly in 2015. We used to go to all the Suffolk events together. He was my best friend and he is really missed. I wish to thank Cons family for their assistance in helping to keep the flock intact at very difficult time. Thanks to Suffolk Sheep, I have made many friends down through the years. As I write this article, I remember many breeders and their folks whose names are no longer heard in Suffolk Sheep conversations. Those breeders were the heartbeat of the Suffolk Sheep breeding in their day. In 2019, the Irish Suffolk Sheep Society was formed. The ethos of the Society is to produce top-quality sheep presented in their natural state that are suitable for the commercial breeders. I am proud to be a member of this Society of which I the current Vice- Chairman. I have been involved with Suffolk Sheep for as long as I can remember and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I thank the Irish Suffolk Sheep Society for nominating me for this prestigious award which I humbly accept on behalf of my family and the Moatfarrell Flock. The Taoiseach has said he does not think there should be a reduction in the number of cattle in Ireland, saying no-one in Diageo is saying they should cut back on the beer. Simon Harris also said he did not think the decision made by a previous government to expand Irelands dairy sector was a mistake. Ministers have been repeatedly asked whether they think the number of cattle in Ireland should be reduced to help Ireland halve its carbon emissions by 2030. Speaking in Co Kildare on Thursday, Mr Harris said he did not believe so, comparing it to asking an alcoholic drinks company to cutting down on beer production. I think you have to be agile in any sector in the economy, and I think when we talk about agriculture it is a sector in the economy, he said. There isnt a sector of the economy not having to change. I started my morning at 8am out at Diageo today, a major iconic institution thats decarbonising its entire St Jamess Gate site by 2030. No-one is questioning do you need Diageo, do you need less beer? Theyre just saying theyre going to do things differently. Thats the sort of approach that we need to bring to farming as well. Farming is sometimes seen by people as a discretionary extra, its a core part of the Irish economy. So there was no-one in Diageo this morning saying should they cut back on the beer? What theyre saying is how do they do it in an environmentally sustainable way. Thats the approach we need to take with farming. I would note when you look at emissions reductions, agriculture is a sector making relative progress compared to other sectors of the economy. So I think its a question of whether we can actually support the transition. When I go around the country and when I engage with farmers farmers are up for the change, but they also want a family farm at the end of it. This is about supporting the family farm, farmers arent afraid of change, what theyre afraid though is that sometimes people have a view of change that seems to be about dissing the agrifood sector. We have to do both, we have to have food security, we have to support our oldest, best, indigenous industry and the planet is on fire we have to make really significant changes. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Speaking in Dublin, Tanaiste Micheal Martin said Thornton Hall, a site in north Dublin that had been intended to be used to build a prison, is being considered as a site to put tents for asylum seekers. I believe Thornton Hall should be used, he told reporters. I understand theres work under way between the Department of Children, Department of Justice and other departments. Were exhausting every possible opportunity that exists. He also said that the provision of tents in Dublin city can be dangerous, and the first response needs to be the government providing sites to put tents. The first and most important response has to be for government to provide facilities for a significant number of tents on a given site, as well as accommodation solutions, he said when asked about whether he had an issue with tents being handed to asylum seekers in Ireland without accommodation offers. Also there are many non-government organisations, for whom I have the highest of esteem to work with migrants is a very noble pursuit. I just want to say that. In terms of tents per se, I have concerns because of safety and other issues. The alternative (to tents) has to be better facilities in terms of either sheltered accommodation or sites. Theres no great alternative, but certainly from previous experience the provision of tents in certain locations in the city centre can be dangerous in itself. A west Belfast schoolboy has become the toast of conservationists after discovering Northern Irelands first recorded water stick insect. Kohen Fitzsimmons, eight, had been pond-dipping with his Holy Trinity Primary School classmates at the Bog Meadows Nature Reserve when he went back for a second look. It was then he spotted what he thought was a floating stick, only to spark excitement among the Ulster Wildlife personnel during the Feile na gCloigini Gorma: Bluebell Festival when they identified it. It was raining during the visit this week, and Dawn Patterson, community engagement officer with Ulster Wildlife, said they had considered changing the pond dipping session. But she said that despite the rain, the youngsters were raring to go, with rain gear and nets at the ready. Kohen was so keen that he squeezed in a double dip by nipping to the end of the line, and thats when he struck it lucky, she said. At first I hadnt a clue what the creature was in his net, as it was so well camouflaged. I double-checked the ID sheet and couldnt quite believe it, so I sent pictures to experts who confirmed the exciting discovery. The kids and I are absolutely thrilled. It just shows you dont need to be an expert to find a new species for Northern Ireland. Kohen said: I thought it was just a floating stick. Im really surprised. The environmental conservation organisation said the water stick insect Ranatra linearis was first recorded in Wexford in the Republic of Ireland in 2016, by entomologist Brian Nelson. While it is deemed native to Ireland, its presence has only been documented relatively recently, with 16 sightings across the island. Now the Bog Meadows Nature Reserve is distinguished across the border as the first location in Northern Ireland to record its presence. The water stick inspect is described as resembling a praying mantis, and it is the largest water insect in Europe. An underwater predator, related to the water scorpion, it hides among reeds and stems, using its front legs to catch prey such as tadpoles and small fish. Its long tail acts like a snorkel, enabling it to breathe under water and, like many freshwater insects, it can fly, enabling it to move between ponds and lakes. Rosemary Mulholland, head of nature recovery with Ulster Wildlife, described a fantastic find for this urban wetland haven in the heart of west Belfast. Well done, Kohen, she said. Although we will never know where this water stick insect came from, its possible that a warming climate is causing it to spread, as our closest records are in Offaly and Dublin. As a native predator, it will take its place alongside the more common water scorpion, diving beetles and dragonfly larvae, that thrive here. Find out more about Bog Meadows Nature Reserve at ulsterwildlife.org. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: May 17 2024 Rand Heckler swindled friends and neighbors into investing in bogus stocks and used their money to pay other investors, his mortgage, and country club fees. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a former investment broker from Glen Cove was sentenced today up to seven and a half years in prison for running a $1 million Ponzi scheme that targeted friends and acquaintances. Rand Heckler, 67, pleaded guilty in April 2023 before Judge Terence Murphy to one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree (a C felony) and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (an E felony). The defendant was sentenced today to two and a half to seven and a half years in prison. NCDA recommended a sentence of three to nine years in prison. The defendant also received a civil judgement order for the restitution balance of $919,160 and forfeited $48,000 that was seized from his bank account. This defendant executed a classic Ponzi scheme, promising his friends and neighbors high-value investments, using money from new investors to pay earlier ones, and ultimately stealing a total of more than $1 million from several victims, said DA Donnelly. Heckler lived large off of his victims funds, paying for a country club membership, the mortgage on his home, and his daily living expenses. Having a trusted financial advisor is essential to making safe and smart investments. Rand Heckler used the trust of friends and neighbors against them only to enrich himself. DA Donnelly said that beginning in 2015, the defendant recommended to his friend and friends son that they invest in a hedge fund of stocks and securities that he was managing. The offer was only to be for Hecklers closest 15 to 20 friends and associates. Between December 2015 and January 2020, the victims wrote Heckler 24 checks, totaling $755,159. During that time, the defendant showed them statements with the names of the stocks and the hedge fund accounts current value. The defendant also showed them false trade confirmations as proof that the stocks had been purchased. In January 2020, the friends son, who has power of attorney for his father, asked the defendant for $100,000 from his fathers account, part of which was for his childrens trust fund. In February 2020, after several weeks of delay, he received the $100,000 via a wire to his bank account and was told the money was from the sale of stock. However, the NCDA discovered in May 2020, after receiving the case from the Securities and Exchange Commission, that the money was wired directly from another victim in February. That victim, the defendants neighbor, went to the bank with the defendant in February 2020 believing she was wiring a $100,000 life insurance payment from her deceased husband into the hedge fund, when in fact, she was wiring the money directly to the first victims son. The defendants neighbor was led to believe she would receive monthly dividend payments from her investment and did not know there was a problem until NCDA investigators contacted her. During the investigation, at least two other victims were discovered to have been defrauded by the defendant in a similar manner. The defendant solicited additional victims by cold-calling people in other states and getting them to agree to invest. Heckler spent the money on his mortgage, a country club membership, credit card payments and daily expenses like dry cleaning and phone bills. In total, he stole $1,004,159 from four victims. The Nassau County District Attorney wishes to thank the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for bringing this case to our attention. Local News By Chris Boyle Published: May 17 2024 Partnership Offers Microcredentials Through the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals for Current and Aspiring Direct Support Professionals at SUNY Campuses Statewide. The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) and The State University of New York (SUNY) joined with Farmingdale State College and developmental disabilities service providers Community Mainstreaming Associates, Developmental Disabilities Institute, Epic Long Island, Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Life's WORC, The Center for Developmental Disabilities, Inc., and Viability today to celebrate the success of its Direct Support Professionals Microcredential Program. Officials were on hand to acknowledge 26 students from the first cohort who are graduating this month. Enrollment for a second cohort is happening now. The SUNY Microcredential program, a partnership between The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals, SUNY and OPWDD, provides training that leads to national certification in the distinct skills and competencies required of todays direct support professionals. The Direct Support Professional Microcredential opportunity is being offered at 19 participating SUNY colleges throughout the state. Direct Support Professionals who are enrolled in the program report feeling empowered to make decisions and employ best practices on the job, while preparing to take the next steps in their careers. NYS OPWDD Commissioner Kerri Neifeld said, The response from DSPs who want to participate in this professional development opportunity has been tremendous and is a testament to what we know to be true the field of direct support needs and deserves a career pathway that honors the skills and best practices that these professionals bring to their jobs every day. Thank you to our SUNY partner Farmingdale State, Chancellor King and the providers who are helping their employees to take these next steps in their career. New York State is a leader in this effort and DSPs who are earning credentials from the NADSP SUNY Microcredential Program should feel proud to be a part of this movement to professionalize the field. SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. said, SUNY is committed to increasing upward mobility for all New Yorkers and this program does just that. The high demand for the Direct Support Professionals Microcredential Program shows that more individuals, whether working in the field already or not, want to provide vital care to New Yorkers in need, and want to improve their skills at doing so. The success of the program has opened up more opportunities for DSPs across SUNY, including at Farmingdale State College, and I couldnt be more excited. CEO of The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals Joseph Macbeth said, The direct support workforce crisis has been well-documented for decades. Direct support work is not easy and its certainly not a job that just anyone can do. It requires complex skills, adherence to ethical standards and impeccable judgment. Over the past few years, OPWDD has worked closely with the SUNY system to address these challenges by developing a comprehensive microcredential initiative. Now, prospective and incumbent direct support professionals can achieve college credit, national certification and financial assistance as they learn and demonstrate their direct support skills. The leadership at SUNY and OPWDD in this area is commendable. Laura Joseph, EdD, Senior Vice President and Provost, Farmingdale State College said, Farmingdale State College is honored to be part of this joint initiative with OPWDD and SUNY to provide an educational opportunity for students to become Direct Support Professionals. The funding has allowed us to develop the curriculum for the Direct Support Professional I and II credential as well as the wrap-around support needed to help students complete the course of study. Students enrolled in the DSP I and II Microcredentials are frontline workers and serve as the backbone of the Human Services industry. These microcredentials empower these professionals and further legitimize the profession. Dr. Michael Figuccio, Chair of the Psychology Department, has been instrumental in launching this program with over 30 students in the first cohort. Supported through over $50 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Microcredential Program aims to assist direct support staff already working in the profession and those new to the developmental disabilities field in earning college credits that meet requirements for certification from The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals. Students will be able to secure national certification and college credit toward a certificate, associate degree or bachelors degree. The grant program covers tuition, certification, fees, books and student support, and students can earn a one-time $750 stipend. Each participating SUNY campus is working with an OPWDD-operated or affiliated provider partner to help upskill incumbent workers or to provide internships for those new to the field. Enrolled students not yet working in the developmental disabilities field will be offered work-based learning opportunities with OPWDD or OPWDD-certified service providers. These programs build on Governor Kathy Hochul's efforts to expand the direct service professional workforce and address worker shortages. About SUNYs Microcredential Program This academic year, SUNY will offer nearly 700 microcredentials at 51 of its 64 campuses. Microcredentials are smaller, academic- and skills-focused credentials that can be completed in months, not years. SUNYs program is designed to provide earners with immediate workforce-ready skills, knowledge, and experience, while also providing a pathway to additional credentials, certificates and degrees. Recognized with the inaugural Business Council of New York State Workforce Innovation Award in Higher Education, SUNY Microcredentials increase access to higher education by providing another pathway for New Yorkers to earn the credentials they need to meet their academic and career goals, all while collaboratively meeting the needs of New York businesses and industry. About OPWDD The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) provides high-quality person-centered supports and services to people with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders and other neurological impairments. OPWDD provides services directly and through a network of over 600 not-for-profit providers. OPWDDs mission is to help people with developmental disabilities live richer lives that include meaningful relationships, good health, personal growth, and a home within their community. For more information, visit www.opwdd.ny.gov or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter , and Instagram. About The State University of New York The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNYs 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the countrys oldest school of maritime, the states only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2022, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu . About Farmingdale State College Farmingdale State College offers 46-degree programs focused on emerging, high-demand, and relevant careers to help prepare the next generation of leaders in technology, engineering, business, healthcare, science and the arts. With nearly 10,000 students, FSC is SUNYs largest college of applied science and technology. More than half of our graduating seniors leave debt-free and 82% are employed six months after graduation or enrolled in graduate school. FSC is home to Broad Hollow Bioscience Park, which supports the development of biotech start-up companies and partners with surrounding businesses and research institutions along the Route 110 Business Corridor. Our engaging student experience, highly inclusive campus and sustained commitment to accessibility, affordability, and student support, helps make FSC one of the best values in higher education. Crime By Chris Boyle Published: May 17 2024 Christopher Semoy allegedly shot and killed 20-year-old Khasiem Woton after a dispute. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that an alleged Bloods gang member was arraigned yesterday on murder and weapon charges for the shooting death of a young man in Elmont in 2021. Christopher Semoy, 22, currently incarcerated in Marcy Correctional Center, was arraigned Wednesday before Judge Robert Bogle on charges of Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony) and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a C violent felony). The defendant pleaded not guilty and was remanded. He is due back in court on June 14, 2024. If convicted, the defendant faces up to 25 years to life in prison. This defendant allegedly used extreme violence to settle a score with 20-year-old Khasiem Woton in 2021. Semoy allegedly shot the young man in the stomach, chased after him, and fired once more to ensure he had inflicted as much damage as possible, said DA Donnelly. My homicide prosecutors are determined to find and hold accountable anyone who takes a life in our communities. They will not stop until there is justice for victims. DA Donnelly said that, according to the charges, on September 24, 2021, at 1500 DePaul Street in Elmont, the defendant, Christopher Semoy, and his friends went to the St. Vincent DePaul parking lot to meet victim Khasiem Woton and others to fight. After a dispute, Semoy allegedly fired one shot and hit Woton in the stomach. Woton ran back to his vehicle and attempted to leave the parking lot when Semoy allegedly fired another shot into the vehicle, striking Woton in the face. The victims friends drove him to Franklin Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The defendant was arrested on May 15, 2024, by members of the Nassau County Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Stefanie Palma of the Homicide Bureau. Semoy is represented by Scott Gross, Esq. Local News By Chris Boyle Published: May 17 2024 $19 Million to Fund 17 Projects in Huntington Station, City of Long Beach and Village of Lindenhurst. Render of the proposed renovation to the civic space of Kennedy Plaza in Long Beach and the surrounding area by using a combination of urban design elements such as paving patterns, landscaping, wayfinding, lighting and enhanced pedestrian crossings. Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a total of 17 transformational projects for Long Island as part of two economic development programs: the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and NY Forward. Six projects were announced for Huntington Station, the Round 6 winner of a $10 million DRI award; four projects were announced for the City of Long Beach, a Round 1 winner of a $4.5 million NY Forward award; and seven projects were announced for the Village of Lindenhurst, also a Round 1 winner of a $4.5 million NY Forward award. Through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward, we are investing in New Yorks downtowns the heartbeat of our communities, Governor Hochul said. These projects will help Huntington Station, Long Beach, and Lindenhurst reimagine their downtowns to enhance the quality of life for residents, draw visitors, and spur economic opportunity throughout their communities for generations to come. Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Huntington Station was named Long Islands winner of the sixth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative in 2023. The six projects selected seek to provide more housing, improve public gathering spaces, and increase pedestrian connectivity along New York Avenue south of the LIRR to further encourage the walkable lifestyle and sense of community. The Town and its partners envision new attractive mixed-use buildings, a centralized park and public plaza, colorful pedestrian-friendly cross walks, the elimination of above-ground utility lines, bike safety improvements, new trees planted throughout the area, integrated informational and safety kiosks and facade improvements to existing buildings, all which will attract people to the downtown. The creation of aesthetically pleasing parklets throughout the area will create opportunities for people to gather with their neighbors and enjoy the many benefits of green space. New investment combined with past investments will create a robust environment for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic downtown buildings and infill development that incorporates mixed-income residential opportunities. The DRI investments are part of the Governor's ongoing efforts to revitalize the economy and create more opportunities on Long Island. The DRI is led by the Department of State, which provides technical assistance as each participating community develops a Strategic Investment Plan identifying specific projects with a unique vision for the revitalization of the downtown area. The specific projects to be funded through the DRI support several goals and strategies contained in the communitys Strategic Investment Plan, such as amplifying the city's unique sense of place with a genuine and authentic experience that will be catalytic for future organic growth and will foster development that is inclusive while embracing its strong heritage and ethnic diversity. Huntington Station joined the communities of Westbury, Hicksville, Central Islip, Baldwin, Amityville and Riverhead, which were Long Island's winners in the first five DRI rounds. The $9.7 million State investment in these projects through the DRI will leverage additional public and private investments as the revitalization process proceeds and builds momentum. The Huntington Station DRI projects , totaling $9.7 million, include: Redevelop Southgate Affordable Rental Housing Redevelopment at 1264-1268 New York Avenue ($2,000,000) This project involves the demolition of existing buildings and the redevelopment of the site into a mixed-use, three-story building. The new building would provide new commercial sites on the ground floor and apartments on the second and third floors. Transform 1328 New York Avenue into The Concord Mixed-Use Development ($1,087,000) This project will transform an underutilized site into two three-story mixed-use buildings containing workforce housing and retail space. The development will include residential units, residential amenity space and commercial space. Create New Open Space and Play Area at Huntington Public Library Station Branch ($536,000) This project will redesign a portion of Town property, located adjacent to the LIRR station and within portions of the southern parking lot, into an attractive and inviting pedestrian walkway and seating area. The new pedestrian walkway would extend south from the LIRR station to New York Avenue, ending north of the intersection of New York Avenue and East 2nd Street. Implement New York Avenue Streetscape Improvements ($4,675,000) This project will implement roadway and pedestrian improvements along New York Avenue between Depot Road and 9th Street (11th Street if funding allows) to improve walkability, safety and attractiveness. Implement Small Business Facade and Renovation Grant Fund ($600,00) The Town of Huntington Economic Development Corporation will establish a grant fund to assist small businesses with (re)investing in their commercial space within the DRI area. The grant will fund exterior renovations including: signage/awnings, windows, entrances/patios, doors, lighting, painting and exteriors/sidings. The Town will establish design guidelines for the grant fund. Construct Pedestrian Walkway Improvements Connecting to LIRR Station ($802,000) This project will redesign a portion of the parking lot south of the LIRR station to provide an attractive and inviting pedestrian walkway and seating area. The walkway connects the LIRR station to New York Avenue. NY Forward Building on the momentum of the State's successful Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), the $100 million NY Forward program adopts the same "Plan-then-Act" strategy as the DRI to support a more equitable downtown recovery for New York's smaller and rural communities. NY Forward investments are part of the Governor's ongoing efforts to revitalize the economy and create more opportunities on Long Island. The Four Long Beach NY Forward Projects, totaling $4.5 Million , include: Redesign Kennedy Plaza ($2,150,000) Renovation to the civic space of Kennedy Plaza and the surrounding area by using a combination of urban design elements such as paving patterns, landscaping, wayfinding, lighting and enhanced pedestrian crossings. Improve Streetscape and Pedestrian Conditions ($1,209,000) Implementation of a two-part project to improve walkability and pedestrian safety through upgrades of sidewalks, crosswalks and the overall public realm conditions, with a focus on the train station area. New Commercial Building with Performance Space ($941,000) Remediation of a contaminated site and construction of a new commercial building with four retail spaces at ground floor and performance spaces on the second floor. Convert Five Single-Family Homes into Two-Family ($200,000) Conversion of five single-family homes to two-family homes with workforce housing components to increase the supply of affordable housing in the North Park neighborhood. The Seven Lindenhurst NY Forward Projects, totaling $4.5 Million , include: Expand and Enhance Village Square as a Center of Downtown Activity ($2,300,000) Expand and redesign Village Square to provide a focal point for downtown events, with enlarged public space, a bandshell structure and enhanced amenities. Renovate and Expand the BACCA Arts Center Building on North Wellwood Avenue ($90,000) Renovate the BACCA multi-use arts center, including interiors and facade improvements and a rear expansion to create additional rehearsal and practice spaces. Create the Lindenhurst Greenway ($639,000) Create a Greenway/Walking Trail to better link Village Park to the LIRR Station, as the first phase of a longer-term greenway network. This will include improving pedestrian infrastructure and expanding walkways through the Heling Boulevard median and the commuter parking lot along the creek. Establish a Small Project Fund to Support Local Businesses ($300,000) Create a fund to support small businesses and property owners in improving their properties. Fund could be used for interior/exterior renovations, major equipment, public art, handicapped accessibility and green building measures. Improve Pedestrian Streetscapes with a Focus on Hoffman and Wellwood Avenues ($765,000) Complete streetscape enhancements along Hoffman and Wellwood Avenues to improve pedestrian safety, connectivity and overall aesthetics. Upgrade Facade of 101-109 North Wellwood Avenue ($322,000) Enhance the facade of a large corner building at the Hoffmann-Wellwood intersection, including resurfacing and upgraded features such as windows, crown molding and storefronts. Improve Facades of Storefronts at 197-201 South Wellwood Avenue ($84,000) Update and enhance the facade of a four-unit building to create a more uniform look that adds to the quality of the South Wellwood Avenue streetscape. Acting New York Secretary of State Brendan C. Hughes said, These projects in Huntington Station, Long Beach and Lindenhurst have been identified directly by community members to advance their vision for revitalization. From repurposing old buildings into community assets and diverse housing, to improving walkability and creating more public gathering spaces, these projects will enhance the quality of life for existing residents while attracting new residents to call these desirable communities home. Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, The DRI and NY Forward programs are catalysts for positive change, breathing new life into Long Island's downtowns. The investments in Huntington Station, Long Beach, and Lindenhurst will foster inclusive growth and create vibrant spaces that embrace the region's rich heritage and diversity. These transformative projects not only revitalize the physical landscape but also open doors to new opportunities, strengthening the economic fabric of Long Island for generations to come. Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, New York State is taking the lead in empowering communities including Cohoes, Cambridge, Coxsackie, and Kinderhook to chart and fund their own inclusive economic growth potential. These diverse projects range from rebuilding a fire-damaged residential building to creating new artists' housing. Congratulations to the awardees and thanks to Governor Hochul's powerful advocacy for the Housing Communities initiative to accelerate housing production and preservation on behalf of all New Yorkers, we will be celebrating more progress with groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings and more good quality homes in the near future. Every home makes a big, big difference. LIREDC Co-Chairs Linda Armyn, President & CEO at Bethpage Federal Credit Union and Dr. John Nader, President of Farmingdale State College, said, The DRI and NY Forward awards are transforming Long Island's communities by strategically investing in projects informed by each locality's unique vision and aspirations. By supporting actionable plans that both celebrate and build on the characteristics of each area, these groundbreaking initiatives will create a ripple effect of economic growth and opportunity throughout the region. We look forward to seeing the dynamic changes these projects will deliver. State Senator Monica R. Martinez said, When we invest in our downtowns we invest in the fabric and souls of our communities. The seven projects being funded within the Village of Lindenhurst will not only renovate this beautiful business district but will also reinvigorate its liveliness. Thank you to the Department of State, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, NY Forward, and Governor Hochul for supporting projects throughout Long Island, including in the Village of Lindenhurst. City of Long Beach Manager Daniel Creighton said, I would like to thank Governor Hochul, the Department of State, Empire State Development and the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council for their recognition of the needs of our barrier island community. Thanks to their hard work, this investment will help transform our Central Business District into a more vibrant and thriving economic hub for the region. Village of Lindenhurst Mayor Michael A. Lavorata said, We are deeply grateful to Governor Hochul for her unwavering support and commitment to the revitalization of the Village of Lindenhurst. Over the last five years, the Village of Lindenhurst has undergone a transformative revitalization. These new transformational projects will further breathe new life into our community, fostering economic growth and enhancing the quality of life for our residents. We would also like to thank the Department of State, Empire State Development, and the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. We look forward to the positive impact these initiatives will bring to Lindenhurst. Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth said, On behalf of the Town of Huntington, I would like to thank the Governors office, the Department of State, Empire State Development, and the Long Island Regional Economic Development for their generous Downtown Revitalization Initiative award, which will contribute to the restoration of Huntington Stations New York Avenue business district. With this award, we will be able to restore Huntington Station to the vibrant community we know it can be, and I am looking forward to working with the State to achieve this. DRI and NY Forward communities developed Strategic Implementation Plans (SIPs), which create a vision for future of their downtown and identify and recommend a slate of complementary, transformative and implementable projects that support that vision. The SIPs are guided by a Local Planning Committee (LPC) comprised of local and regional leaders, stakeholders, and community representatives, with the assistance of an assigned consultant and DOS staff, all of whom conduct extensive community outreach and engagement when determining projects. About the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward The Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and NY Forward are cornerstones of the states economic development policy. The Downtown Revitalization Initiative was created in 2016 to accelerate and expand the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods in all ten regions of the state to serve as centers of activity and catalysts for investment. NY Forward was created in 2022 to revitalize smaller and rural communities throughout the state so that all communities can benefit from the states revitalization efforts, regardless of size, character, needs and challenges. Led by the Department of Statewith assistance from Empire State Development, Homes and Community Renewal and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority the DRI and NY Forward represent an unprecedented and innovative "plan-then-act" strategy that couples strategic planning with immediate implementation. Both programs are creating a critical mass of vibrant downtowns in every region of the state that is enhancing economic development, promoting quality of life, fostering socio-economic development and achieving the states bold climate goals. In the first seven rounds of the DRI, the state has committed $800 million, investing in 81 downtowns ripe for revitalization that have the potential to become magnets for redevelopment, business, job creation, greater economic and housing diversity and opportunity. In the first two rounds of NY Forward, the state has committed $200 million, investing in 43 smaller and rural downtowns. With the Governors commitment this year of an additional $100 million each for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative and NY Forward, the State has now invested a combined total of $1.2 billion in both programs since their inception, serving 124 downtown communities combined. Governor Kathy Hochul today announced construction has begun on The Grove, a 55-unit mixed-use, affordable and supportive housing development in East Patchogue. The newly constructed three-building development includes 17 apartments for residents in need of support services. With each new housing development, we are boosting regional economies and creating a more affordable New York, Governor Hochul said. When complete, The Grove will provide dozens of homes where they are needed most. I remain fully focused on increasing housing supply, building sustainable and healthy homes, and improving affordability for New York families. In the last five years, New York State Homes and Community Renewal has created or preserved nearly 3,500 affordable homes in Suffolk County. The Grove continues this effort and is part of Governor Hochuls $25 billion comprehensive Housing Plan that will create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with support services for vulnerable populations, plus the electrification of an additional 50,000 homes. All 55 apartments will be available to households earning at or below 90 percent of the Area Median Income. Support services for 17 households will be provided by New Ground Inc., a Long Island-based non-profit, and include assistance in financial literacy and career development. Rental and operating subsidies for these units will be funded through an Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative award administered by the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Services. Each building will be all-electric and constructed to meet Enterprise Green Communities 2020 Plus certification requirements. Environmentally sustainable features include on-site solar panels and Energy Star appliances. Residents will have free high-speed broadband internet access in both units and common areas. The Grove is being constructed on land rezoned to reduce blight and enhance neighborhood walkability by the town of Brookhaven in line with its Montauk Highway Corridor Revitalization Plan. Developed by Georgica Green Venture, The Grove also includes nearly 1,000 square feet in commercial space along East Patchogues walkable downtown. State financing for The Grove includes $21.1 million in Federal and State Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity and $2.4 million in subsidy from New York State Homes and Community Renewal. Suffolk County is providing $1.8 million in acquisition and infrastructure loans. HCR Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, The Grove creates a valuable resource in East Patchogue by creating 55 affordable, energy-efficient homes and providing support services for those who need it. Importantly, this development fulfills two critical goals creating more housing to accommodate the regions growing workforce and bolstering the towns Main Street corridor by revitalizing an underutilized and dilapidated property. Thank you to our partners for their work on this vital development and to Governor Hochul for her continued determination to increase the housing supply and improve affordability for New Yorkers. New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Barbara C. Guinn said, We are grateful for Governor Hochuls commitment to increasing the supply of much-needed affordable and supportive housing options across New York State and for her steadfast support of the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative. When completed, The Grove will provide vulnerable families and individuals experiencing homelessness in Suffolk County with stable housing, access to vital support services, and the opportunity to thrive in their community. State Senator Dean Murray said, As we put the shovels in the ground, I'm very excited about moving one step closer to welcoming so many new neighbors to East Patchogue as part of this incredible workforce housing project. The Grove Apartments is a prime example of exactly the type of transformative, community driven project that is needed to help overcome the current housing crisis that we face on Long Island and all across NY State. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine said, "The Grove will play a key role in advancing the community's revitalization plans. I was proud to advance this project as Brookhaven Town Supervisor and I am pleased that Governor Hochul and New York State have provided the support for this project." Suffolk County Legislator Dominick Thorne said, My office, after considerable community meetings and input, is happy to join the overall community support of the Grove project. Which address actual local workers housing Challenges for our residents. This well-planned building furthermore will remove a blighted property and provide a more cohesive aesthetically pleasing add to our community while having a low impact on the surrounding residential area. Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri said, The addition of the type of housing proposed at the Grove fulfills a very important need for the greater Patchogue community. This project will help energize the East Patchogue corridor and will provide needed housing. Georgica Green Ventures President David Gallo said, Georgica Green Ventures, LLC, along with our partners, is excited to begin the transformation of a blighted property into a vibrant, sustainable, and affordable community. The Grove will boost economic activity in the area with new high-quality housing and retail opportunities along the downtown corridor, and residents and visitors will benefit from easy access to transportation and expanded infrastructure as a result of years of planning. New Ground Inc. Executive Director Shannon Boyle said, New Ground is very excited to be part of this project, providing much needed affordable and supportive housing to Suffolk County and allowing us to serve even more families needing assistance. Many Long Islanders will benefit, as well as the overall community. A fight broke out at a Boston high school on Wednesday, resulting in one girls arrest, a knife taken at the scene and a report being made of a gun brought into the school earlier in the week, according to a report from Boston Police Department. At about 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Excel High School in South Boston, four girls met outside a classroom and two of the girls started throwing punches, the police report said. After one of the girls was tossed to the ground, a witness said the other pulled out a knife and swung it at the girl, slicing her left cheek. She then chased her up the stairs, police said. Witnesses tried to break up the fight. A school safety officer then arrived and was able to confiscate the knife, the report said. The girl whose cheek was sliced was treated at the scene, and the report said declined to go to the hospital. A letter to the community from Principal Nachelle Gordon to the community said the school went into safe mode for approximately 25 minutes during the fight on Wednesday, and that her staff was able to de-escalate the situation. Excel High School, like all schools in the Boston Public Schools, focuses on fostering a safe environment for every member of our community, Gordons letter read. Any student in need of support is encouraged to speak with our school social worker. The school day altercation was the culmination of an ongoing, potentially-deeper and dangerous issue between the children, the police report claims. The girl who had the knife told police the other three girls had tried to check her and told her to stay in a females place the day prior. The next day, she said the trio told her they wanted to fight her, began jumping her and that she pulled the knife in her own defense, the report said. The trio told police a different story. The girl whose cheek was cut told police her aggressor was with a boy who doesnt go to the school on Tuesday, the report said. She told police the pair snuck a small black gun into the school in someone elses bag, the report said. The spokesperson for Boston Public Schools, Max Baker, said that did not happen in response to report of a gun being brought into school. The report also details an incident at Andrew Station in South Boston at 2:30 p.m. that day. It involved at least one of the girls, who said she was approached by a male and questioned about plans for the fight at school. It appeared that [redacted] then attempted to pull a gun on them by reaching into the front pocket of his waistband area however, stopped after noticing that Transit PD was in close proximity, the police report read. The report also said threatening texts were later reported to be sent between the parties throughout the night. A threat assessment into the report of a gun being brought in was conducted by the police officers, who said they went to the boys home and spoke with his mother on the front lawn. The mother told police her son had been expelled from Excel High School about three weeks prior. She also said he had been home all day that Tuesday and Wednesday, does not have any guns and would not bring any firearms inside her home, the report read. She told officers they had to get a warrant if they wanted to search her home. The girl who had the knife at the high school was arrested and faces two charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the report read. A third person was arrested in connection with the fatal, car-to-car shooting of a 35-year-old Chicopee man in March on Interstate 391, the Hampden District Attorneys Office announced Friday. Miguel Dones, 21, of Springfield, faces one charge of murder in connection with the death. Dones will be arraigned in Chicopee District Court on Monday, May 20. Hes the third person to be arrested in connection with the killing, after Noah Torres, 19, of Springfield and Kiana Gonzalez, 22, of Holyoke, were arrested and charged in March. Dones was already in custody after his arrest on several drug and gun charges on March 22, 10 days after the killing, the office said. He had been stopped on the highway in Holyoke and officers found an AR-15 assault rifle and a trafficking-weight quantity of drugs in his possession, the office said. The 21-year-old Springfield man is being held in Ludlow at the Hampden County House of Correction. He was arraigned on March 25 in Holyoke District Court on the drug and gun charges, and his bail was set at $25,000. Guyton Windspeare was previously identified as the fatal shooting victim on March 12. Read more: Man killed in Chicopee shootout while in SUV on Interstate 391 Massachusetts State Police were notified of the shooting on the southbound side of I-391 around 8:45 p.m. and responded to the scene, State Police said in a statement. Around 10 p.m., a car with four people inside arrived at Bay State Medical Center, some of whom were suffering from gunshot wounds, the office said. Windspeare, one of the men in the car, died at the hospital, the office said. The other people in the car were uncooperative, leaving investigators trying to locate a crime scene, Gullunis office added. However, investigators were able to find the area the next morning, between exits 3 and 4. Torres was arraigned on March 26 on charges of murder, possession of a large-capacity firearm without a license, possession of a large-capacity feeding device without a license, and possession of ammunition. He is currently being held in custody without the right to bail and will next appear in court on May 23. Gonzalez was arraigned on March 25 on charges of accessory after the fact, tampering or destruction of evidence, possession of a large-capacity firearm without a license, possession of a large-capacity feeding device without a license, and possession of ammunition without a license. She is in custody with bail set at $25,000 and is next scheduled to appear in court on June 20. The investigation is being conducted by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Hampden District Attorneys Office and the Hampden District Attorneys Murder Unit. A 70-year-old man was arrested Friday after prosecutors say he paid cash bribes to a road test examiner at the Registry of Motor Vehicles in Brockton to issue drivers licenses to people who did not pass or did not take road tests, acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levys office said. Carlos Cardoso, of Brockton, was indicted on five counts of honest services mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, according to Levys office. He was expected to appear in federal court in Boston Friday afternoon. Prosecutors say Cardoso, the owner of a driving school, paid cash bribes totaling between $20,000 and $30,000 to a road test examiner at the Brockton RMV to report to the RMV that certain drivers license applicants had passed their tests when in fact they had failed. Some of the applicants did not show up to take the test at all, Levys office said in a statement. The fraud led to the RMV issuing drivers licenses to unqualified applicants, according to the statement. The charge of honest services mail fraud carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, as does the charge of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud, according to Levys office. A 65-year-old man is facing wire fraud charges after prosecutors say he obtained close to $7 million in pandemic relief funds by submitting fraudulent loan applications and used the money to buy a luxury condo in New York City. Durgaprasad Rao, of Carlisle, was arrested Wednesday and made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Thursday. He is set to appear for a detention hearing on Friday, acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levys office said in a statement. Rao owns Accelerated Engineering, LLC, a product engineering service provider, and Upstream Global Services, a software company that offers consulting services and temporary staffing. Between April 2020 and May 2021, Rao is accused of submitting numerous fraudulent applications requesting more than $18 million in funds from the Paycheck Protection Program for companies in multiple states, including Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Georgia, according to the statement. Prosecutors say Rao submitted nine fraudulent applications for companies he owned and controlled. For his Massachusetts-based companies, Rao received close to $7 million in loans through the program, $1.5 million of which was approved for forgiveness, Levys office said. Officials say Raos loan applications contained false statements about payroll and the number of employees that worked for his companies. The applications also contained falsified tax returns and payroll records, according to the statement. Rao is accused of misusing the funds he received by transferring the money to foreign businesses he owned and buying a luxury condo in New York City. Rao could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted on both counts of wire fraud, according to the statement. After an autopsy confirmed a Worcester teen was killed by the high amount of capsaicin, a chili pepper extract, contained in a chip that gained viral popularity thanks to a social media challenge, one lawyer says he expects a lawsuit to be filed against Paqui, the manufacturer and for it to be tossed out in court. 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. An autopsy report confirmed his death was caused by cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration, said Elaine Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Wolobah had a congenital heart defect and an enlarged heart, according to his autopsy. The heart defect the teen had, myocardial bridging, can lead to sudden death, according to the National Institue of Health. 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. Attorney Matthew Dolman with Dolman Law Group, which specializes in accident injury with offices in Boston and elsewhere around the country, said he wouldnt be surprised if a lawsuit is brought forward against Paqui, which is owned by Hershey, but any suit would likely have little chance of success. When you look at the culpability of the manufacturer, I think its minimal, Dolman told MassLive on Friday, noting that the company pulled the chip from shelves after Wolobahs death. Theres not a significant number of adverse event reports that have been filed with the FDA. I want this child and his family to have proper recourse, I just dont think theres a case there, he added. 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 chip came with a warning on the backside of its packing, telling consumers it was intended for adults, should be kept away from children and should not be eaten if you are sensitive to spicy foods, allergic to peppers, nightshades or capsaicin, or are pregnant or have any medical conditions. But, children have had no problem buying the chips. The warning label on the backside of a One Chip Challenge carton from Paqui. Amazon screenshot. 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. While Wolobahs death was a tragic outcome, Dolman said the fact that he had a congenital heart issue makes him an outlier and discredits the notion that the chip itself is dangerous. But he still expects a lawsuit to come forward, despite the challenges it may face. Generally when these things happen, theres a lawsuit filed, he said. But I think that lawsuits not gonna have a very good chance of surviving. If a lawsuit is filed against Paqui, Dolman said he wouldnt be surprised if Hershey opted to settle the case out of court to avoid more negative publicity while avoiding admitting any culpability. Paqui's One Chip Challenge chips use ingredients from Carolina Reapers and Naga Viper peppers, two of the spiciest peppers on Earth. Amazon screenshot. To Dolman, the chip represents a far different case than when people were eating Tide Pods, because it was used for its intended purpose. But both cases serve as an example of the dangers posed by social media, he said. Still, it is difficult to see a future where ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, or Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, could be found liable for the death of someone who attempted a social media challenge. Dolman pointed to Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act of 1996, which he said serves as a a sword and shield for internet companies and states those companies cant be held responsible for content posted by third parties. Its going to be a big stretch to say ByteDance or Meta had designed an algorithm that was so dangerous and create such predictive behavior based on past search results and past search queries that they specifically target these individuals with these challenges, he said. At some point, individuals need to take some type of responsibility. Getting past that section of the law is an almost insurmountable hurdle, Dolman said. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. A 25-year-old man pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials, according to acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levys office. Cristopher Vladimir Pineda Martinez, of East Boston, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography. He is set to be sentenced on Aug. 14, Levys office said in a statement. Pineda was arrested in January 2023 and has since remained in custody. Investigators identified Pineda as a member of several private large-scale group chats where child sexual abuse material was distributed on an online chat platform, according to the statement. On Dec. 12, 2022, Pineda sent eight videos depicting child sexual abuse to three online group chats. More than 50 additional videos depicting abuse, some involving children as young as six years old, were found in an application on Pinedas cell phone, Levys office said. Pineda faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for both charges, and a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison, according to the statement. A 14-year-old Springfield boy is being charged with murder as an adult. But prosecutors didnt have a choice. Since 1996, all children over the age of 14 in Massachusetts charged with first or second degree murder have been charged as adults meaning their cases have proceeded through the states court system as any other murder case would. Massachusetts General Law Chapter 119 Section 74 reads the juvenile court shall not have jurisdiction over a person who had at the time of the offense attained the age of fourteen but not yet attained the age of 18 who is charged with committing murder in the first or second degree. The law states any complaints and indictments brought against teens between 14 and 18 for first or second degree murder and other criminal offenses joined with the murder charges shall be brought in accordance with the usual course and manner of criminal proceedings. Its a law that means in cases like that of 14-year-old Legacy Lopez, a Springfield boy charged with shooting a 20-year-old resident of the Western Massachusetts city to death, the full weight of the states justice system is brought on residents who are young enough to be starting high school. The previous statute, Chapter 119 Section 61, was repealed in 1996. It allowed prosecutors to bring cases in Juvenile Court, where a judge would decide whether or not to transfer the proceeding outside of that level, according to Supreme Judicial Court rulings. Specifically, the judge would determine if probable cause existed that the child in fact committed the crime, and later, at another hearing would evaluate dangerousness and amenability to rehabilitation. But, the statute was repealed due to societal concerns about violent crimes committed by juveniles, justices wrote in a 1999 decision. A Hopkinton man pleaded guilty to tax and mail fraud charges this week after he failed to pay more than $1 million in employment taxes, according to acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levys office. Dariusz Pietron, 51, pleaded guilty to three counts of failure to collect and pay over employment taxes to the IRS and one count of mail fraud relating to underpaid workers compensation insurance premiums. Pietrons sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 28. Over a six-year period beginning in 2012 and ending in October 2018, Pietron, who owned and operated TJM Construction, Inc. and Point Construction, Inc., failed to withhold required employment taxes and did not pay employment taxes to the IRS, according to Levys office. Peitron also did not accurately report the actual wages he paid employees to Travelers Insurance Company, which led to him paying lower workers compensation insurance premiums than he otherwise would have owed. Prosecutors say Pietron recruited and paid a pair of employees to establish three shell companies to create the appearance that the employees of both construction companies were subcontractors he did not have a tax obligation to. As a result, Pietron failed to pay more than $1.1 million in employment taxes and defrauded Travelers, the insurance company, of about $244,000, according to the statement. In all, the charges Pietron pleaded guilty to carry a sentence of up to 35 years in prison, Levys office said. Pietron also agreed to pay restitution to the IRS and the insurance company and to forfeit $244,000. Testimony in the trial of Karen Read, a Mansfield woman charged in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John OKeefe, continued Friday 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. Matthew McCabe, who was at the Canton home the night before OKeefe was found, testified Thursday. He again took the stand Friday morning and and described the chaotic morning after OKeefe was found. Also on Thursday, witness Colin Albert, the Canton homeowners nephew, faced intense questioning from Reads attorney, Alan Jackson, about a photograph of his cut-up knuckles weeks after OKeefes death. This story will be updated throughout Friday as testimony continues. Finding John OKeefe 2:57 p.m. As Jennifer McCabes testimony continued, Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally presented photos of the Lexus SUVs damaged back taillight. The vehicle was seen outside the home when jurors previously saw the house and the SUV on May 3. In photos shown on Friday, May 17, the back taillight looked shattered with jagged pieces of glass sticking out. Weeks earlier, no glass fragments remained and were removed. The back of the Lexus LX-570 that prosecutors said Karen Read used to kill her boyfriend John O'Keefe outside 34 Fairview Road on Jan. 29, 2022.Ryan Mancini Read screamed at the two women to go back to Fairview, Jennifer McCabe said. As Roberts drove, Read was screaming their names and asked again and again, Did I hit him? Jennifer McCabe said. It was a crazy situation, she said. Were just looking out the window looking for John. They drove past the flag pole outside 34 Fairview Road, she said. Read started to bang on the window. There he is! There he is! Jennifer McCabe quoted Read. Jennifer McCabe didnt immediately see him and Roberts dismissed Read as crazy or shes bats**t crazy, Jennifer McCabe said. Read ran out of the car to OKeefes body, straddled him, lifted up their shirts and laid on top of him, Jennifer McCabe said. Roberts also stepped out of the car to remove snow from his face I got out of the car and came around, Jennifer McCabe said. For a second or two, I completely just froze. Then Kerry and I made eye contact and I called 911... I could not believe that was John laying there. He was just laying flat on his back. There was enough that his body was covered in snow. At this point, she started to cry. Roberts and Jennifer McCabe started to do chest compressions, she said. Shortly after, Canton police arrived at Fairview Road and approached the three women. He was trying to figure out what had happened, Jennifer McCabe said. Karen just ran around screaming my name, Kerrys name on repeat. Is he dead? Is he dead? Did I hit him? More officers came and Read continued screaming, Jennifer McCabe continued. One EMT asked for OKeefes information from Read and she said she hit him before she went into the back of a police cruiser, Jennifer McCabe recounted. Three times, she continued. I hit him. I hit him. I hit him. Earlier it was Could I? Did I? This was crystal clear. I hit him. When Read asked to pray, Jennifer McCabe said they all noticed blood on Reads hands. Could it have been my period, Read asked, but the women told her it was OKeefes blood. Then [Read] said, What if hes dead? Promise me youll take care of the kids. Someones got to take care of the kids, Jennifer McCabe said. Then we prayed. Then at the end they were moving John and at that point Karen told Kerry to go over, look, Is he dead? Is he dead? over and over. Kerry said Ill go over and check on him. Read grabbed Jennifer McCabes hands and said, Google hypothermia. Google How long it takes to die in the cold, Jennifer McCabe said. She took out her phone, her hands shaking from the cold and Read shaking her arm. More police arrived and started to ask what happened, she said. In that moment, Jennifer McCabe said she was in a state of shock and disbelief while she gave a brief overview of what had happened the night before. She went inside to wake up the Alberts. Brian Albert was startled, and it took his wife Nicole Albert longer to wake up, Jennifer McCabe said. I could have possibly said John is dead outside? she said. They had no idea, they were just waking up. They were both shocked... Shocked, confused, not understanding. When speaking with EMTs that morning, Jennifer McCabe told one of them that Read said she had hit OKeefe, Jennifer McCabe said. By 3:56 p.m., Lally wrapped up his questions and handed it off to Reads defense attorney David Yannetti. Noticing the time, he told the judge that he likely would not get through all of his questions until 4 p.m. At this point, the judge sent the jury home and said court would not be in session on Monday. The trial would pick back up on Tuesday at 9 a.m. Where are you? 2:07 p.m. Witness Jennifer McCabe testifies during the trial of Karen Read at Norfolk County Superior Court, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool) AP Jennifer McCabes testimony continued after lunch. On a monitor in the courtroom, Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally showed text messages between her and OKeefe the night before he died. The texts show a back and forth between them before the SUV was seen outside the Alberts home on Fairview Road. Here!? she texted. Later, Jennifer McCabe texted to OKeefe, Pulll [sic] behind me, followed by Hello. Where are you? she texted him at 12:42 a.m., followed again with Hello three minutes later. By around 5 a.m., she texted him several times and asked for his whereabouts. Read was worried about him, Jennifer McCabe said. She was then shown a photo of the Alberts home. Lally asked where the SUV was when she saw it. With a laser pointer, Jennifer McCabe indicated that the SUV was facing to the left, towards the flagpole on the homes front lawn. Early the next morning, OKeefes niece to tell Jennifer McCabe that OKeefe didnt come home the night before. There had been a fight between them at the Waterfall. Karens screaming, Jennifer McCabe said she heard over the phone. Jen! Jen! Jen! She turned to her husband about the phone call. Matthew McCabe asked what she was talking about the couple was seen outside the Alberts home, her husband told her, according to Jennifer McCabe. She told me that she didnt remember going there, Jennifer McCabe said. She said, Did I hit him, could I have hit him? Then she proceeded to say she had a cracked headlight. Honestly, I thought she was talking crazy. The McCabes got out of bed to look for OKeefe, she said. Then she heard screaming outside. I ran to my front door, she said. Miss Read came running up my walkway... It was more of the Jen! Jen! Did I hit him? The dark-colored Lexus SUV the same one seen in front of the Alberts house the night before was in the McCabes driveway, Jennifer McCabe said. They entered Reads SUV to back out and, with their friend Kerry Roberts, head to OKeefes home on Meadows Avenue about five minutes away. Standing in OKeefes driveway, Read directed Jennifer McCabe to the broken back taillight, Jennifer McCabe said. Before they went inside OKeefes home, Jennifer McCabe and Roberts stopped to take their snow boots off while Read ran in, Jennifer McCabe said. They looked throughout the house to see if OKeefe was home. [The bed] was made, Jennifer McCabe told Lally. The three then went back to Fairview Road, she added. Jennifer McCabe begins testimony 12:14 p.m. Matthew McCabes wife Jennifer took to the stand next on Friday. Jennifer McCabe recalled knowing OKeefe for about 10 years, having gotten closer to his family over those years. My daughter was very good friends with his niece, she said She would be over all the time... [OKeefe] was my friend, he was an amazing guy. When OKeefe told Jennifer McCabe that he was dating someone, he mentioned that his new girlfriend, Read, has multiple sclerosis, Jennifer McCabe said. She added that she too has multiple sclerosis and wanted to meet her. As OKeefe and Read dated, Jennifer McCabe said they would all cross paths regularly on special occasions. She and Read connected and was someone she felt like she could talk to about MS who understood, Jennifer McCabe said. Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally asked her about when the Alberts saw OKeefe and Read meet them at the Waterfall Bar & Grille. She said the mood was cheerful and they were all drinking. Jennifer McCabe had a beer, she said, but was not certain about what OKeefe was drinking, while Read held a ridged glass with clear liquid in it. After the Alberts left at around 12 a.m., Jennifer McCabe spoke with Read about OKeefes niece but Read was frustrated. Welcome to parenthood, Jennifer McCabe replied to Read at the time when the latter said that all she and OKeefe do was argue about the kids, Jennifer McCabe testified. As snow started to fall, Jennifer McCabe entered her car and her husband soon joined her, she said. OKeefe texted her: Where to? She called him back as she drove them from the Waterfall and she gave him the Alberts address, 34 Fairview Road. OKeefe called again about five minutes later, Jennifer McCabe said. He was driving to the Alberts home and was looking for it, she said. She directed her to go by the home of a girl who was a mutual friend of Jennifer McCabes daughter and OKeefes niece, whos mother had once dated OKeefe, Jennifer McCabe said. The McCabes arrived at around 12:20 a.m. and met with the Alberts and Nagels, among their other friends, she said. The McCabes then left about an hour later. It was a good night with everyone talking and spending time together, Jennifer McCabe said. Just a normal night. After her nephew said another car was out front, Jennifer McCabe went to look, she said. I saw a vehicle, she said. I saw a dark SUV... Once I took out my phone, I texted John. The headlights of the car were pointed leftward while it was outside the house, Jennifer McCabe said. She recognized it as Reads Lexus SUV but did not see anyone step out of it, and the engine was running, she said. I think I said, Here? she said she recalled texting OKeefe. After Jennifer McCabe was given a sheet of papers to look at with text messages, Judge Beverly Cannone paused all court proceedings at 1 p.m. for a lunch break. The guy never went in the house 12:05 p.m. During cross-examination about the text messages, Read attorney David Yannetti read one text aloud while Matthew McCabe was still on the stand. The guy never went in the house, Yanneti said. ... Mr. McCabe, who is the guy you are referring to? Does he have a name? That would be John. John OKeefe, Yanneti replied. When you told the group, Tell them the guy never went in the house, that was you talking about how you should all get your stories straight, correct? No, McCabe said. ... John never went in the house. Its not a story, its a fact. ... And in response to you saying, The guy never went in the house, Brian Alberts response was, Exactly. Correct? Yannetti asked. McCabe once again confirmed. The them McCabe was referring to was WBZ-TV, McCabe told Yannetti. None of us in the house had any idea what happened to John OKeefe, so we instructed I was saying, We dont know what happened, he never came in the house, McCabe continued. At this point, Yannetti cut him off and asked if he asked for that response from McCabe. OK. So, your answer to my question is the them was you were saying that Channel 4 be told that the guy never went in the house. Yes or no? Yannetti said. Channel 4 is who I was referring to, yes, McCabe said before he was allowed to step down. Group chat with the Alberts 10:54 a.m. Witness Matthew McCabe testifies during the trial of Karen Read at Norfolk County Superior Court, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool) AP Read attorney David Yannetti asked Matthew McCabe about a group chat that he was in with his wife and the owners of the home where OKeefe was found dead, Brian and Nicole Albert, in the days after Jan. 29, 2022. On Feb. 1, Yannetti asked McCabe if he was near or at their home on 34 Fairview Road as investigators were outside. I was not monitoring anything that the troopers were doing, McCabe said. If I had driven down the street dropping somebody off or picking somebody up and saw the troopers, I saw the troopers. After Yannetti showed McCabe a text exchange with the Alberts, McCabe confirmed that he told the couple that investigators were outside and that he was going to take a picture to send to them. I said I was going to try to take a photo, he said. I just happened to be driving through the neighborhood... I was not monitoring what was going on, I just happened to drive by at that moment. McCabe had difficulties looking at the text message screenshots on the sheet of paper Yannetti handed to him to read. After several minutes and without his phone on him, McCabe was handed an iPhone with its flashlight turned on so he could read the texts. He repeated that he happened to be driving through and wanted to let them know what was going on along Fairview Road with the investigators. At around 11:08 a.m., Yannetti asked to speak with Judge Beverly Cannone, who stepped down to speak with him and the prosecutors. She asked McCabe to step down too and allowed him to have his smartphone in case he needed the flashlight again. Just before 11:30 a.m., Yannetti, Cannone and the prosecutors returned and Yannetti continued to scroll through, on a screen, screenshots of the group chat messages between McCabe and the Alberts about the investigators outside their home. After almost 20 minutes of speaking with Cannon off to the side, Yannetti handed three more screenshotted text messages to McCabe to review. Held under a phone flashlight, McCabe silently read the texts. You saw that at 3:01 p.m. on Feb. 1 that you texted, Very weird that shes been barely interviewed. The whole dead comment was just told. I was supposed to have them talk last night and forgot to tell Proctor to call her, Yannetti read to McCabe. Do you recall that? McCabe confirmed he did. In that discussion, at 3:03 p.m. it was Brian Albert who texted, Hope they dont think shes making it up after the fact for some reason. Correct? Yannetti asked McCabe, who confirmed it. [Brians] next response, which is at 3:05 where he said, But if they barely interviewed her, thats on them. Correct? Yannetti asked. McCabe said yes. Matthew McCabe: My memory is not exhausted 10 a.m. Defense attorney David Yannetti gestures while describing evidence to witness Matthew McCabe during the trial of Karen Read at Norfolk County Superior Court, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool) AP As cross-examination continued, Read attorney David Yannetti tried to pin down the exact location of the SUV outside the Alberts home while Matthew McCabe was back on the stand Friday. You will agree with me that youve given conflicting information about where the black SUV was when you first saw it? the defense attorney asked. If you tell me I gave conflicting information, you can show it to me, McCabe replied. I dont recall. Ive always said the SUV was in front of the house. Yannetti raised what McCabe told Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor about the whereabouts of the SUV outside the home, that McCabe had said then that the SUV was to the right of the residence. McCabe denied this and asked for clarification. I will just repeat the question, Yannetti said. Did you tell Michael Proctor on Jan. 29 of 2022 that you observed a big, dark SUV parked to the right of the house? What right? McCabe asked. Looking at the house to the right or looking at the house to the left? When you say right, I dont know what you mean by right. Is your memory exhausted as to what you told Michael Proctor? Yannetti asked. No, not at all... My memory is not exhausted... Ive always stated the SUV was in front of the house if looking out the front door, McCabe told the court. While he testified, McCabe would flash a grin. Yannetti called him out and asked is this funny? This is not funny, sir, McCabe said back, hiding the smile. Not at all. Its been two years of misery. OK? You keep repeating the same question. The first time he saw the SUV, McCabe said it was in front of the house from the perspective of the front door. The second time he saw it, it was to the right of the house, he said. Matthew McCabe says mood at Waterfall bar was festive 9:52 a.m. When he arrived at 34 Fairview Road on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022, Matthew McCabe said he saw police cars, fire trucks and an ambulance parked in front. The home was owned by Nicole Albert, Jennifer McCabes sister, and Nicoles husband Brian Albert. As he entered the home, Matthew McCabe said he saw his wife, the Alberts, and a Canton police officer, Michael Lank. McCabe said he spoke with Lank, telling him they had last seen OKeefe the night prior at the Waterfall Bar & Grille. Later that day, McCabe said he spoke with Massachusetts State Police Troopers Michael Proctor and Yuri Bukhenik. Under cross-examination from Read attorney David Yannetti, McCabe agreed that the mood at the Waterfall Bar & Grille was festive and happy when the McCabes, Read, OKeefe, the Alberts and others gathered there the night of Jan. 28, 2022. OKeefe was happy his niece, who he cared for after her parents deaths, had gotten into Bishop Feehan High School, McCabe testified. Neither John nor Karen was intoxicated, in your view? Yannetti asked. They were drinking, McCabe responded. I dont know the guideline for intoxication but they were drinking. Matthew McCabe describes morning OKeefe was found 9:30 a.m. Witness Matthew McCabe testifies during the trial of Karen Read at Norfolk County Superior Court, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool) AP Matthew McCabe returned to the stand just after 9 a.m. He and his wife, Jennifer McCabe, were inside the home at 34 Fairview Road on Jan. 28, 2022, the night before OKeefes body was discovered on the homes front lawn. The home was owned by Brian and Nicole Albert, Jennifer McCabes sister. Facing questions from Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, McCabe said he awoke on Jan. 29, 2022, to his wife on the phone with a frantic Karen Read. Read said she didnt know where John was, and the last time she saw him was at the Waterfall, McCabe recalled, referring to the bar where he and his wife, OKeefe, Read and others had gathered before they made plans to return to Fairview Road. McCabe said he thought Read was crazy, since he had seen her SUV parked outside the Fairview Road home when he and his wife arrived from the bar. We saw your car, we saw you come to 34 Fairview, McCabe said, though he noted Read and OKeefe never made it inside the home. He said Read responded: I dont remember. I dont remember going there. Roughly half an hour after calling Jennifer McCabe, Read arrived at the McCabe home. Jennifer McCabe and Read departed to search for OKeefe, Matthew McCabe said. McCabe said he called and texted OKeefe, Where the hell are you? Now Karen and Jen are out looking for you. He said he later learned from his wife that she, Read and another friend had found OKeefe at 34 Fairview Road. McCabe said he drove to the home slowly as heavy snow fell. Kayla Montgomery, the stepmother of Harmony Montgomery who served as a key witness in the trial and eventual conviction of her husband and Harmonys father, Adam Montgomery, for the 5-year-olds murder in 2019, was released from prison this week, the New Hampshire Department of Corrections told MassLive. Kayla Montgomery was granted parole in March after serving prison time for perjury, according to the department. She was arrested by Manchester Police in June 2022, the same month she told investigators Harmony was murdered by her father, according to court documents. Adam Montgomery wanted her to lie about where Harmony was on several occasions, basically giving Kayla a cover story and telling her that as long as she stuck to the cover story everything would be OK, the documents said. Adam Montgomery was sentenced to 56 years to life in prison earlier this month for Harmonys murder and the disposal of her body, which has not been found. He beat and killed Harmony on Dec. 7, 2019, while the family was living in their Chrysler Sebring. Harmony had several bathroom accidents in the car and Montgomery yelled and hit her in the head, according to prosecutors. Montgomery admitted to two of the lesser charges in the case on Feb. 7: falsifying physical evidence and abuse of a corpse. Montgomery did not appear in court during his trial, nor was he present when the jury delivered the verdict. Harmony was living with her mother when she was born in 2014, but shortly after Harmony was placed in a foster home. By 2018, Harmony was in Adam Montgomerys custody and she lived with him and his wife Kayla Montgomery. Adam Montgomery is believed to have taken a U-Haul van around the Boston area and prosecutors think he dumped her body around the Revere/Saugus area. Three New Bedford men were indicted this week in connection with a drive-by shooting in Saco, Maine, earlier this year that prompted an hours-long lockdown of the citys downtown and surrounding schools, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine Darcie N. McElwee announced Thursday. Joshua Estrada, 19, Yancarlos Abrante, 20 and Jason Johnson-Rivera, 18 are all charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and perpetrating a drive-by shooting. Prosecutors say the three men fired at least five rounds from a 9mm handgun into another vehicle in what they described as a drug trade dispute. All three men are accused of trafficking cocaine in and around Saco and Biddeford in Maine since at least January 2024, according to the statement from McElwees office. Estrada was arrested in New Bedford on May 6, and made an initial appearance in federal court in Maine on Thursday to be arraigned on the charges. Abrante and Johnson-Rivera are being held by Massachusetts on unrelated charges and will be arraigned on the charges tied to the February drive-by shooting later this month, McElwees office said. If convicted of both charges, the three men face up to 45 years in prison. Brazen violent crime of this magnitude is not something the City of Saco is accustomed to, but when it happens, Maine law enforcement responds, Saco Police Chief Jack Clements said. President Joe Biden is heading to Boston next week after he makes a stop in New Hampshire, the White House said according to multiple reports. On Tuesday, Biden is expected to hold an official White House event in Merrimack, N.H., before he travels down to Boston, WCVB-TV reported citing the White House. It will be his second trip to New Hampshire this year after he was in the Granite State in March. The last time he was in Boston, back in December, Biden appeared at a James Taylor benefit concert where funds went to the Biden Victory Fund. He attended several fundraisers, including one where he suggested the nation is at a real inflection point in history, hinting at the election and the likelihood of facing former President Donald Trump again in November. Because this time were running against an election denier-in-chief. Trump is not even hiding the ball anymore, Biden said, according to a pool report. Hes simply not hiding the ball. Hes telling us what he wants to do. Hes proud to say he killed Roe v. Wade by the [U.S. Supreme] court he appointed. Hes running again to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, Biden continued. I could go on. But lets be clear about the side whats at stake in 2024: Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans are determined to destroy American democracy. Then-Republican National Committee Chairperson Ronna McDaniel slammed Biden at the time for getting cozy with his elite donors. A rollover multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 495 in Milford on Friday morning has backed up traffic on the highway well into the afternoon, according to Massachusetts State Police. The crash happened at 11:40 a.m., police said, and was on the southbound side of the highway, according to MassDOT. There is a significant traffic backup on I-495 as of 1:13 p.m. Friday, police said. Rollover crash with serious injuries in #Milford on I-495-SB at MM-49.4. Left lane closed. Mass. Transportation (@MassDOT) May 17, 2024 Several motorists were involved and multiple injuries were reported, police said. MassDOT said the injuries were serious. Information on the number of people involved in the crash and the extent of their injuries was not available as of 1:13 p.m., police said. The incident was still under active investigation as of Friday afternoon with troopers at the scene from the Millbury police barracks, the department said. Once again, Olivia and Liam were the top names given to babies nationally in 2023, the Social Security Administration announced. For the fifth consecutive year, Olivia and Liam were the most popular names parents chose for their children, the Social Security Administration wrote in a press release. Also for the fifth consecutive year, Noah and Emma were the second most popular baby names. Only one new name entered the top 10 most popular baby names in the U.S. in 2023, with Mateo ranking sixth for boys, the Social Security Administration said. These annual rankings were released on Mothers Day as a way to celebrate the incredible moms across the country, Social Security Commissioner Martin OMalley said in a statement. Know that Social Security is here to help you continue to provide for your families by securing a Social Security number for your child, filing for benefits for yourself or your family members, and so much more. We will never stop working for you, OMalley added. The Social Security Administration is the top source for baby names, since parents apply for their childs Social Security card when they are born, the agency stated in the press release. The agency started compiling baby names in 1997, with names dating back to 1880, the Social Security Administration stated. The agencys annual list reveals how pop culture influences baby names. Social media stars had a major influence on new parents in 2023, according to the Social Security Administration. Read More: These were the most popular baby names in Massachusetts in 2023 Kaeli, the fastest-rising girls name, went viral in 2023, climbing 1,629 slots, the agency wrote in its press release. Parents must have really smashed the like button for YouTube and TikTok star Kaeli McEwen also known as Kaeli Mae who routinely promotes a clean, tidy, and neutral-aesthetic lifestyle, the Social Security Administration stated in its press release. For boys names, Eiden was trending in third place as the fastest riser, the Social Security Administration wrote. The agency suspects TikTok creator Wyatt Eidens 1.6 billion views and over 3 million followers, could be the reason for the names popularity. Powerful names were also popular among parents, the Social Security Administration wrote. For the first time, Emryn made the top 1,000 baby names after it jumped up 1,287 spots. Since Ryn means ruler, the Social Security Administration said it was no surprise the name was popular among girls. Chozen, the second fastest-rising boys name, shot up to number 813 in 2023. This was the name of a hero in the Netflix show Cobra Kai, the Social Security Administration wrote. A 25-year-old man who prosecutors say is part of a Boston-based gang pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud in federal court in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain money from the Paycheck Protection Program, a pandemic relief program. Donovan Scarlett, of West Roxbury, is set to be sentenced on Sept. 5, 2024, acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua S. Levys office said in a statement. Scarlett was among the more than 40 people prosecutors accused of being part of the Heath Street gang charged and arrested in February on racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, firearms and fraud charges, according to Levys office. The Heath Street Gang operates out of the Mildred C. Hailey Apartments in Jamaica Plain, a public housing development formerly known as the Bromley Heath Housing Development. Prosecutors say the gang was formed in the 1980s and has been linked to numerous violent crimes in the city. Scarlett, in March 2021, submitted a loan application to the federal program on behalf of a purported business, which contained multiple false statements about his criminal history and the businesss gross income in 2020. Scarlett also submitted false tax returns to support the loan application and ultimately received nearly $14,000, which he spent on non-business-related expenses, Levys office said. The charge of wire fraud carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, according to the statement. A Michigan man is facing 29 criminal charges after prosecutors say he defrauded a Northampton construction company of close to $1 million, which he used for personal expenses such as the purchase of a luxury hunting lodge and snowmobiles, acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levys office said in a statement. Jonathan McCormack, 39, of Lapeer, Michigan, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Springfield of 17 counts of wire fraud and 12 counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property of a value greater than $10,000, according to Levys office. McCormack will appear in federal court in Springfield at a later date. McCormack worked as a project supervisor for Northampton-based BluRoc, LLC. and owned a Michigan-based company, JDM Site Services, LLC, that rented equipment to BluRoc. For two years beginning in January 2019, McCormack came up with a scheme to defraud the Massachusetts company, prosecutors say, by submitting materially false invoices for equipment usage by JDM and by redirecting labor, equipment and materials from BluRoc for his use and benefit. A 44-year-old man pleaded guilty this week to 23 charges in connection with the rapes of students at a residential school for youth where he worked, according to the Berkshire County district attorneys office. Douglas Agyeh, of Pittsfield, pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior court to nine counts each of rape of a child with force and rape of a child, aggravated by age. He also pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy J. Shugrues office said in a statement. Agyeh was sentenced to 10 to 12 years for the charges of rape and three to five years for the charges of indecent assault and battery, which will be served concurrently. He will serve his sentence in state prison, Shugrues office said. SPRINGFIELD A Hampden Superior Court judge set a Nov. 4 trial date for a civil lawsuit filed against Heriberto Herbie Flores as well as the former mayor of Westfield and other defendants. The complaint alleges mismanagement of nonprofit organizations run by Flores. SPRINGFIELD Westfield State University celebrated its 185th commencement Friday and conferred more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate degrees on the Class of 2024 in a year of firsts for the university. In the arena of the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, black-robed graduates waved at thousands of family and friends in the stands as they prepared to receive their diplomas. The Class of 2024 was able to celebrate its first full-fledged commencement ceremony after its high school graduation in 2020 was scrubbed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A retired Westfield State University professor received the first newly created Presidents Medal. Catherine Sharron was recognized for her work in creating the Honors Program and American Irish Studies curriculum at WSU. Shannon is recognized for her symposiums on Northern Ireland that brought Irish and British representatives together in Boston to discuss political issues that led the way for peace in Northern Ireland. AN INDEPENDENT councillor has told his Fianna Fail counterparts that their calls to disband Irish Water are too late and 'that ship has sailed'. Castlebar-based councillor Michael Kilcoyne made his comments at the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council following calls by Fianna Fail councillor Damien Ryan to disband the state-owned water utility company Uisce Eireann, which is still commonly known by its former name Irish Water. The south Mayo councillor earlier told the meeting that the state-owned water utility company has let down rural Ireland and it was time responsibility for water and sanitary services was given back to the local authorities. Irish Water has let down rural Ireland and we should write to the national government and to the three leaders and ask to have Irish Water disbanded. The way rural Ireland is being dealt with is a disgrace and they should be dissolved and the powers given back to the local authorities. It was one of the things we did famously well, Cllr Ryan said. His proposal was supported by a number of councillors on Mayo County Council but Cllr Kilcoyne felt that while he supports its disbandment, disbanding Uisce Eireann will not be allowed to happen. I have lost faith in Irish Water ever going back to the local authorities and you should realise it is never going to happen. You sat on your hands with these people [Fine Gael councillors] over here whose national representatives introduced Irish Water. It [disbandment of Irish Water] is not in the programme for government, it won't be in the next programme for government unless Gerry Murray [Sinn Fein councillor] is in there. It means that Breaffy getting the extension to the sewerage scheme is not going to happen and you will have to accept the boat is gone, he said. Independent councillor John O'Malley said that every day he gets complaints from people in his constituency about Uisce Eireann while Cllr John O'Hara criticised them for not connecting 13 householders in a community in north Mayo to the public mains. Achill councillor Paul McNamara asked whoever is elected to the next council after June's local elections to ensure that rural group water schemes are upgraded to ensure they are taken over by Uisce Eireann. Cllr McNamara said that Uisce Eireann do not want to take over group water schemes until all criteria are met and it was causing difficulties in some rural communities. A lot of our group schemes are all voluntary and if a pipe bursts people go out and repair it themselves. That has been the case for the last 40 or 50 years but unfortunately the young people are not following up and are caught up in their own work. The group schemes are going to run into serious problems if they are not taken over. I would urge the next council to push to bring all the group schemes up to a proper standard that meets Irish Waters specifications to have them taken over, he said. ALONE is calling on local election candidates in Mayo to take action for the older people across the county. Mayo has the oldest population per capita in Ireland, with 26 percent of all residents aged 60. The national organisation enables older people to live at home, and wants local election candidates to transform communities for an ageing population. ALONE is calling on candidates to commit to action on the three areas of housing, loneliness and access to services. We are calling on all Local Election candidates to commit to making Mayo a positive place to grow old, said ALONE CEO Sean Moynihan. Our population is ageing and the people of Mayo need political leaders who will work for and with them to ensure it is a positive place to live for all older people. Candidates who are not prioritising older people are leaving almost one quarter of their constituents off their agenda," he added. Regarding housing, ALONE is seeing more and more older people in the private rental sector, on social housing lists and at risk of homelessness. They are looking for all local election candidates to identify and plan for the broad spectrum of housing needs of older people. Additionally, according to research by the EU Commission, Ireland is the loneliest country in Europe. ALONEs request is for local election candidates is to develop a local plan aimed at addressing loneliness across the life course, support initiatives aimed at reducing loneliness and develop a public awareness campaign that highlights loneliness and social isolation, to support and enable the community togetherness and social connection which is so vital at local level. In relation to access to services, ALONE sees many people unable to access essential support and grants due to excessive bureaucracy and asks that all written materials, forms, and services provided by the Local Authority are provided in an accessible format to all older people, regardless of their digital access or literacy status. Since its founding over 40 years ago, the population of those aged 65 and over in Ireland has more than doubled, and the organisation said the Government, especially local government, must plan for this. Fine Gaels National Agricultural, Food, and Rural Development Forum (NAFRD) has a plan to create a new partnership with farmers across the Midlands-North West, European election candidate Maria Walsh has said. Since its formation, NAFRD has held a series of public meetings with farmers, rural dwellers and agribusinesses around the country. At the Fine Gael Ard Fheis, Taoiseach Simon Harris requested that NAFRD bring forward a report detailing a plan on how action could be taken on the feedback received. The current sitting MEP called the role of farmers essential across the Midlands-North West play in our economy and our society. The agri-food sector employs over 170,000 people, making a hugely significant economic and social contribution to rural and coastal communities, including communities across the Midlands-North West. She continued: There is a bright future for this sector. We must continue to work with the farming community to address the challenges ahead, and this policy contains a number of significant recommendations and charts a pathway forward. NAFRD Chairman Eddie Downey said when putting his name forward to chair the forum, he believed this party sees a future for Irish agriculture. Agriculture is Irelands oldest and most important indigenous industry; its future must never be dominated by uncertainty or indifference. That is why this group was formed. Over the last two years, we have travelled the countryside canvassing the views of farmers, rural dwellers and business people. The report is a summary of the main issues raised at our meetings and a set of recommendations formulated by this forum, he added. The report covers five main areas - the future of CAP, farm succession, a reform of land leasing, climate and environmental issues, and protecting rural life. It will be considered by Fine Gael in the formulation of future agricultural and rural policy. Castlebar Rotary Club and Mayo County Fire Service are joining forces to promote the importance of smoke alarms in the community. The event will take place from 9am-3pm on Friday, May 24, in the car park at Tesco/Dunnes, Castlebar. This joint venture aims to raise awareness about fire safety and encourage the use of smoke alarms in every home. EI Electronics, a leading manufacturer of smoke alarms, will also be present with their mobile smoke alarm display unit. The event will provide a unique opportunity for attendees to learn about the latest technology in smoke detection and receive technical advice from industry experts. During the event, attendees will see live demonstrations of smoke alarms and their benefits, receive guidance on installation and maintenance, as well as learning about the importance of fire safety and early warning systems, and engage with the organisers. "Our goal is to ensure that every home is equipped with functioning smoke alarms," said Finian Joyce, Castlebar Rotary Club and Ex Chief Fire Officer of Leitrim Fire Service. "This event will help educate the community about fire safety and demonstrate how simple steps can save lives, he continued. Aileen OConnell, Mayo County Fire Service Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer added: This event is open to the public, and everyone is encouraged to attend. There will be opportunities to ask questions, participate in demonstrations, and receive advice on fire safety. For more information, please contact Martin Bond on mbond@mayococo.ie . Mayo resident, Ellen Sanders, is raising funds to build a secondary school in a Kenyan slum. Chair of TABS International, a UK-based charity founded by her late mother, Ms Sanders is looking to build a network for the charity here in Mayo. Supporting a school in a slum called Kiandutu on the outskirts of Thika, Ms Sanders described the families and children they work with to The Mayo News as the poorest of the poor. Already providing primary education to 500 Kenyan students, as well as feeding them, without the charity, these children would not have access to education. We can't expand the project any more in the slum because we've really completely run out of space, and we do want to meet the needs of everybody that comes into the project. My mum, bless her, left some money in her will, and with those funds we've purchased a small plot of land about a 15-minute journey outside the slum and that is where we are going to plant and base the majority of our secondary school and provide accommodation for children, so it will be a boarding school as well as a secondary school. She continued: Everything we do as TABS is done through our sister charity TABS Kenya, which is working on the ground in Kenya, and we have a board of trustees, who are all the local Kenyans that support the project and are our key partners. They said to us we really want to show these children what life is like outside of the slum and give them access to opportunities, you know, just so they can get a taste of a different way of life, and in Kenya, really, the route out of poverty really is still through education. Pupil's of the primary school The group is set to climb Mount Kenya as the main fundraising event to kick off progress on the new school, an event they will fundraise for with a night of music in Westport this summer; but there is no finalised date just yet. At the music event, you know, hopefully we can be selling things, and doing a raffle, and people can give cash on the night. I'll do a presentation about the charity, who we are, why we're here, what we're trying to do, which is to put the water borehole in the new land, because without water we can't progress any of our plans. So that's the main thing we're raising funds for at the minute, she said. Urging the importance of building the new school, Ms Sanders explained how there is no other school in the slum they work in. If we weren't in there delivering our project, those children just wouldn't be going to school. So that's 500 plus children that wouldn't be at school, wouldn't be eating a regular meal, so we're talking about real basic needs being met. She added: The land that we've bought will also be a sort of vocational training centre, so not only will they get academic education, but they will have space to grow food, maybe have some animals, to teach them other sorts of wider life skills. With the charity close to her heart for multiple reasons, one being carrying on the legacy of [her] mother, Ms Sanders has called on people to support the charity to make a positive change in the world. There's so much awfulness in the world, there's always so much that can depress you, so much to drag you down, and I think sometimes people can feel quite overwhelmed by just how bad things are, and if you could just do something positive, just get involved in one small thing, just give five euros or whatever, or go and volunteer with another charity somewhere. If everybody just did a little something positive, I think for you personally, you feel better. You don't feel so overwhelmed about how difficult things are in the world, but every single cent helps. She concluded: It really does make a difference, the money goes very far in Kenya, as well as it does in other Third World countries, what we think is of a little bit can be a really massive support and help over there. To donate, or more information on TABS International, see their website. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has revealed that "an innovation in Roads Policing will be introduced in the coming weeks". This will take the form of an "unmarked HGV cab", as used in articulated vehicles, which will enable gardai to see into the cabs of lorries and also look down on motorists for signs of distracted driving. The Commissioner was responding to a number of issues raised by TD Michael Lowry during an Oireachtas Transport Committee Meeting, where the Tipperary Deputy emphasised that safety on roads across the country is a major concern. Deputy Lowry said that he gave a public welcome to the decision that each member of the gardai would spend 30 minutes per shift on road policing. "It gave a sense of reassurance that the gardai were stepping up activity to keep motorists safe. I can certainly say, that I have seen a noticeable garda presence both in Tipperary and on the motorway," he said. Deputy Lowry also highlighted that adequate, reliable transport for Garda Members is absolutely crucial. A large number of Garda vehicles are approaching, or have already passed their "sell-by date" he said. "I am aware of several instances across the Tipperary Division where cars and vans are out of commission to such an extent that, at times, gardai do not have vehicles to respond to incidents. "These problems are not only arising in Tipperary its a countrywide problem. Gardai need more cars and, at the very least, a reliable fleet of vehicles to enable to them to carry out their work, including Road Policing, quickly and consistently. "Who is responsible for the fleet of Garda vehicles, because it is not cost-effective to be using clapped-out cars or cars with extended mileage on them? They go to the garage for repair and are in the garage indeterminately and, when they come back into service, there is a re-occurrence of the issue. "We need a dedicated workshop to deal solely with Garda vehicles. This system operates efficiently across other countries and ensures a reliable and safe fleet of vehicles," said Deputy Lowry. Outlining the introduction of the new unmarked HGV cab, Commissioner Harris said that the An Garda Siochana now has the largest fleet it has ever had, numbering over 3,000 vehicles. This number represents one of the biggest vehicle fleets in the country. He said it takes time to refresh such a fleet, but that work to do so is ongoing to do so. He added that the An Garda Siochana is allocated a Capital Programme annually to replace and refresh the garda fleet and that, as a result, the fleet has expanded significantly over the last five years. The Commissioner undertook to pursue the matters raised by Deputy Lowry in relation to Tipperary at local level, saying that no Division should be short of vehicles. by Fern Siegel , May 17, 2024 Paige DeSorbo, a main cast member of Bravo's reality series "Summer House," is also an ambassador for Malibu, a coconut liqueur. Its "Vacation You" summer campaign posits the drink as an easy way to kick back and enjoy a vacation at home. A brand extension of the Pernod Ricard spirit, it includes a Malibu x ResortPass exclusive poolside cabana experiences that encourages urbanites without leaving home. Other offerings include a new LSPACE x Malibu exclusive tote bag and DeSorbo's signature cocktail. "Vacation You" is part of Malibu's larger global brand campaign "Do Whatever Tastes Good," created by Wieden + Kennedy London. "Vacation You" is a local campaign conceived by Malibus U.S. agency team, led by ARC, with support from Articulate, Publicis Sante, 160over90 and Casanova. advertisement advertisement Malibus "Do Whatever Tastes Good" campaign will be running across connected TV, online video, display, social, audio and OOH in Miami, Las Vegas, New York, New Orleans, Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Phoenix and San Diego. No matter your location, Im here to tell you that you can unlock your vacation self in simple ways that starts with finding a spot to meet up with your friends, putting on a fabulous outfit and sipping a delicious cocktail like my Malibu Paige Breeze, said DeSorbo. Her summer concoction is a mix of Malibu, sparkling water, pineapple and cranberry juice. by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, May 16, 2024 Traffic data on the day OpenAI made its latest announcement shows another daily peak in visits to the company's services, according to Similarweb data, saying that the rise in traffic is a good sign if OpenAi is determined to build a massive audience with fewer features behind a paywall. Following Mondays OpenAI announcement of GPT 4o, daily traffic reached 96.2 million visits, up 16% from the previous daily peak set a few days before. GPT 4o responds to voice, image, and video prompts as well as text input. During the announcement, the company said it would make its GPT generative AI algorithms, including many new features, available in the free version of its platform. This also means that developers building Custom GPTs for OpenAIs app store will gain access to a bigger audience. advertisement advertisement Similarweb estimates if traffic levels seen during the past week are maintained for the rest of the month, OpenAI chatgpt.com monthly visits could to top 2 billion -- a significant jump from its previous monthly traffic peak of 1.8 billion visits in May 2023. Microsoft is benefiting from its $13 billion investment in OpenAI. On Monday, the company said it has built GPT 4o into Azure. The combination of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) in Bing generated about 5 billion chats in the first year, with numbers doubling in the past quarter. Copilot launched in the ad platform last month. Searches combined with AI chats see a 30% uplift in engagement compared with only search, the company said during a presentation on Thursday. Microsoft has integrated GAI throughout its services and advertising platforms, such as Performance Max. The group that was the fastest to adopt Microsoft Performance Max saw in aggregate an increase of 265% in clicks, a 113% increase in impressions and a 66% increase in clickthrough rates, from 1.8% to 3%, the company said. Microsoft is trying to sell advertisers on its expansive network of partnerships such as Netflix, Roku, Axel Springer -- as well as more than 1 billion people, many of whom use Bing and other Microsoft-related platforms, but not Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. Some 58 million who use Bing and do not on Amazon, for example, and 217 million on Bing do not use Pinterest. by Danielle Oster , May 16, 2024 Budweiser is draping itself in the American flag ahead of Memorial Day weekend, and preparing to unleash the horses. The brand is rolling out patriotic packaging for the summer across its cans and aluminum bottles sold at retailers, bars, and event concession stands. Budweisers limited-edition packaging arrives for Memorial Day, and supports Anheuser-Buschs long-running partnership with Folds Of Honor, a charitable nonprofit organization providing educational scholarship opportunities to the families of fallen or disabled U.S. armed service members and first responders. Budweiser promoted the release via a 15-second ad cutting from footage of an American flag to a close-up of the new can, while informing consumers that Every limited-edition case sold supports military families. advertisement advertisement Parent company AB InBev has committed to donating $0.25 for each case of its limited-edition Budweiser 12 ounce cans and 16 ounce aluminum bottles sold from May 13-September 1 to the Folds Of Honor organization, with a cap of $1.7 million. As it teased earlier in the year, Budweiser is also trotting out its famed Clydesdales for the summer. The horses will appear at a series of events this summer in support of the brands partnership with Folds Of Honor. Kicking off Memorial Day weekend, they will appear at events including military events, air shows, fleet weeks, and other military events, as well as sporting events and state fairs. Consumers can check the brands Clydesdale Hitch Schedule online to find out when the Clydesdales will make an appearance near them. The campaign marks the 14th consecutive year of AB InBev supporting the nonprofit, and the company claims its the longest-standing partner of the organization, which launched in 2007. According to the company, it has donated $28 million during that timespan, helping to fund over 5,000 scholarships. by Teresa Buyikian , May 16, 2024 McDonalds is known for its interesting limited time only McFlurry offerings (remember Shrek Swamp Sludge and Bubblegum Squash?), but the latest blended treat honors some of todays hottest content creators and influencers: grandmas. The new Grandma McFlurry will be available nationwide May 21 for a limited time. Per the announcement, the newest McFlurry addition is sweet just like grandma and features a delicious syrup and chopped, crunchy candy pieces (like grandma's favorite treat that she hid in her purse!) - all blended in our creamy vanilla soft serve. Grandma culture has been trending since the pandemic with grandma chic on runways, home decor -- and endless videos online of vintage homemade recipes. advertisement advertisement "Grandmas have always held a special place in our hearts, and today they're having a major moment influencing culture -- inspiring trends in fashion, decor and now, even food with our newest McFlurry," said Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's, in a release. Social media is where grandmas have really captured national attention. Grandmother TikTok personalities like @grandma_droniak have over 13.8 million followers, while @momyemma1938 has more than 1.2 million watching their antics. As part of the LTO, McDonalds has also partnering with two new music artists, Remi Wolf and Jay Wheeler, to remake the classic hits "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" and the Latin song "Piel Canela." In addition to online videos, the songs will be available on all music platforms on May 21. The nods to old school grandma culture dont end there. McDonald's is rolling out Grandma's McFlurry Mobile (the chains version of a vintage ice cream truck) in New York City on May 17 and 18, offering a free taste of the new Grandma McFlurry before it's available in-store. The trucks stops around the city will include senior centers and assisted living homes. The chain said in honor of the launch of the McFlurry, a donation will be made to the nonprofit Little Brothers -- Friends of the Elderly, which supports older adults experiencing isolation. by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, May 17, 2024 Walmart, which has been busy laying off corporate employees and shuttering its healthcare centers, has also been busy making plenty of money. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer released quarterly results showing impressive sales and profit growth, including market share gains among higher-income consumers. It also benefit8ed from fast-growing ad sales in its Walmart Connect retail media network, gaining 24% overall and 26% in the U.S., and raised its financial forecast. Revenues climbed 6% to $161.5 billion, up from $152.3 billion in the first quarter of 2023. Operating income advanced 8% to $6.84 billion, compared with $6.24 billion a year ago. Comparable sales rose 3.8% in Walmarts U.S. operations, and the company now expects sales to grow by 3.5% to 4.5% in the coming quarter, better than earlier predictions. advertisement advertisement Consumers in the U.S. shopped more, and upper-income shoppers looking for better value helped it gain market share. Ecommerce sales jumped 22%. In a conference call webcast for investors, Doug McMillon, president and chief executive officer, commented more fully on the companys recent surprise decision to pull the plug on its five-year-old healthcare clinics. There were a number of aspects that were going well, and we really want to be part of the solution to improving healthcare in this country, he said. But the reality is that given reimbursement rates and cost to serve, we could no longer see a path to achieving an acceptable level of profitability, and we're committed to being disciplined with our investments. Walmarts financial results are better than analysts expected. Noah Rohr, an analyst who follows the company for Morningstar, calls the numbers impressive, noting strength in grocery sales, up in the mid-single digits, and health and wellness, climbing in the high single digits. That helped offset weakness in general merchandise sales, he writes. We think the retailer is well positioned to continue taking market share across various income cohorts. Rohr also called out improvements at Sams Club, with sales climbing 4.6% to $21.4 billion, on top of 7% growth last year. The warehouse club saw a 13% uptick in membership income, and we were encouraged by continued growth in Sams Club Plus membership penetration, now at a new high of 54%. That exceeds Costcos executive membership penetration, which is in the mid-40 percent range. Krisztina Katai, an analyst who follows Walmart for Deutsche Bank, is even more enthusiastic and continued to rate the retailer as a buy. The debate coming into the quarter was whether Walmart saw decelerating sales trends amid a choppy and weakening consumer backdrop, she writes. Not only did Walmart refute this, she adds, but the continued strength into May reinforces the many ways Walmart is evolving from a dominant retailer to a more versatile and tech-driven player, enabled by a strategic push into areas like digital advertising, marketplace, fulfillment, and data analytics. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, May 17, 2024 The tech industry group NetChoice has asked Vermont Governor Phil Scott to veto a bill that would impose sweeping restrictions on companies' collection and use of data, and would also create an age-appropriate design code that would restrict how social media platforms serve content to minors. Those privacy restrictions and design-code provisions were originally proposed as separate laws, but combined into one piece of legislation at the last minute. The privacy portions of the bill, passed in the early morning hours of May 11, would limit the amount of data that companies can collect, curb online ad targeting, and allow consumers to bring private lawsuits in some circumstances. The design-code includes a mandate that would prohibit social platforms from using minors' data in ways that could result in emotional distress or compulsive use. advertisement advertisement That prohibition would violate minors' right to access content, and platforms' First Amendment right to wield editorial control over the material on their services, NetChoice argues. In state after state, courts have invalidated restrictions on internet communications or content deemed harmful to minors, NetChoice writes in its veto request. The group notes that the Supreme Court in 2011 struck down a California law that banned the sale of violent video games to minors, without parental consent. No doubt a State possesses legitimate power to protect children from harm ... but that does not include a free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority in that case. NetChoice adds that social media platforms also have a First Amendment right to decide which messages to host, how to curate those messages, and how to disseminate them. The organization challenged a similar California bill in court, and last year obtained an order blocking enforcement. The ad industry is expected to separately ask Scott to veto the bill due to its privacy terms -- including one that would allow consumers who have been harmed by the collection or transfer of sensitive data to bring private lawsuits. That provision, known as a private right of action, would foment a flood of feckless filings, driving up costs for Vermont residents and businesses while enriching unscrupulous out-of-state trial lawyers, Chris Oswald, executive vice president of Association of National Advertisers, said after the bill was passed. Advocacy groups like Consumer Reports and the Electronic Privacy Information Center have praised the measure, calling it stronger than other state privacy laws. Other privacy provisions would require businesses to let consumers opt out of targeted advertising -- meaning ads served based on non-sensitive data collected across distinctly branded sites or apps. The bill also would obligate companies to honor opt-outs made through mechanisms like the Global Privacy Control, which transmits opt-out requests to every site consumers visit. Additionally, the bill would prohibit companies from collecting or harnessing sensitive data -- including biometrics, location data and information that reveals consumers' race, religion, citizenship, sexual orientation or health -- without opt-in consent. Advertisement 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. Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis will meet on Monday, 20 May at 12:00 pm, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry. Following the expanded talks between the delegations, the two Ministers will deliver joint statements to the Press at 1:15 pm. A working lunch will follow. WASHINGTON 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 as they tried to highlight Democratic divides on the Israel-Hamas war. 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. The move underscored growing differences between his administration and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government over its handling of the war. 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. At the same time, a group of moderate Democrats in Congress have expressed almost unconditional support for Israel. In a rare scene, a group of about two dozen House aides gathered on the Capitol steps just as lawmakers were entering the chamber to vote, displaying 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. Faced with the potential for a significant number of those Democrats voting for the GOP House bill, the White House reached out this week with lawmakers and congressional aides about the legislation, including with a classified briefing on the security situation. 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. Ahead of voting on Thursday, several Democrats who have been openly critical of Biden's hold on the bomb shipment came out in opposition to the House bill. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat who signed onto the letter criticizing the pause, said she was voting against the bill because it threatened to defund U.S. national security programs. It's being done to score cheap political points, she said in a floor speech. As an alternative, Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a separate bill on 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 defy the president's handling of the U.S. relationship with 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 this week. Another Democrat who has criticized the pause on the bomb shipment, Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, said this week he was also considering 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. The military has made progress over the past year in reducing the number of sexual assaults in the ranks -- the first time there's been a reduction in nearly 10 years. The news comes from the release of the Defense Department's annual report on sexual assault in the military, which found that approximately 29,000 active-duty members were sexually assaulted in the past year -- about 15,000 women and almost 14,000 men -- out of a force of nearly 1.3 million service members. "The department estimates that nearly 7,000 fewer service members experienced sexual assault in 2023 than in 2021, the last year the department measured this," Beth Foster, the executive director of the Office of Force Resiliency, told reporters Thursday. Read Next: Staff Sgt. Gordon Black Reportedly Pleads Guilty to Theft While Being Held by Russia Foster stressed that the Defense Department's leaders "made this a top priority issue ... and that work is starting to bend the curve." The department said it would spend $1 billion on sexual assault prevention in fiscal 2024. However, both Foster and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin cautioned that the department's work is far from over. In a statement released after the results, Austin said that he found the data "encouraging" but noted that "we have far more work to do." Austin said that he "made clear" that the department "must double down on our efforts to end sexual assault and sexual harassment" to the deputy defense secretary, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the service secretaries and the service chiefs. The officials who briefed reporters on the report's results pointed to command climate as a significant factor in the prevalence of sexual assaults. They said they are looking to capitalize on the reduction by growing an independent "prevention workforce" that will help commanders analyze data to better understand the climate among the troops they lead and also help in "identifying, assessing and ultimately driving down those risk factors," according to Foster. Foster said that the department has hired about 40% of this workforce to date -- more than 1,000 personnel -- but added that they are still working toward a 2,500-personnel goal that they want to hit by the fall of 2028. Despite the gains that have been made over the past several years, there are still areas where military leaders are struggling for progress. Data presented by Foster and her team showed that, though service members would overwhelmingly turn to their unit commanders or senior enlisted advisers when faced with a case of sexual harassment or assault, those experiences rarely left them satisfied. While nearly 90% of service members surveyed went to an immediate supervisor for help, only about 40% reported being satisfied with the help they received. The numbers for military law enforcement were even lower, with only about one-third of service members finding them to be helpful. Only about 43% of female service members said that they trusted the military system to ensure their safety or treat them with dignity or respect after an incident. Officials also had few answers to offer on last year's revelation that the service academies -- universities that are charged with producing many of the military's junior officers -- had reported the highest number of sexual assaults since the Defense Department began closely tracking the problem in 2006. Foster said that her team saw that the "number of reports did decrease at the academies in this academic program year, but we don't know if this represents a decrease in prevalence until we see next year's report." Related: Service Academies Report Highest Number of Sexual Assaults Ever SEOUL, South Korea North Korea fired suspected short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Friday, South Koreas military said, a day after South Korea and the U.S. flew powerful fighter jets in a joint drill that the North views as a major security threat. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapons launched from the North's east coast Wonsan region traveled about 300 kilometers (185 miles) before landing in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said a North Korean missile landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff statement called the launches a clear provocation that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula. It said South Korea will maintain a firm readiness to repel potential aggressions by North Korea in conjunctions with the military alliance with the United States. North Korea has extended its run of weapons testing in recent months as part of its efforts to enlarge and modernize its arsenal while diplomacy with the United States and South Korea remains stalled. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test firing of a new multiple rocket launch system, according to the Norths state media. North Korea says it has been forced to boost its nuclear and missile programs to deal with U.S.-led hostilities. North Korea cites expanded U.S.-South Korean military training, which it calls an invasion rehearsal. Many foreign experts say North Korea uses its rivals' military drills as a pretext for building a larger weapons arsenal in the belief that it would boost its leverage in future diplomacy with the U.S. On Thursday, two South Korean F-35As and two U.S. F-22 Raptors were mobilized for a combined aerial exercise over the central region of South Korea. North Korea is extremely sensitive to the deployment of sophisticated U.S. aircraft. It was reportedly the first deployment of a U.S. F-22 to South Korea in seven months. The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Friday the re-deployment of the U.S. F-22s for joint training with South Korea is another clear proof of the hostile nature of the U.S. which seeks a showdown of force with North Korea. KCNA accuses the military gangsters of South Korea of intensifying tensions to keep pace with their master's confrontation scheme against the North. It warned the F-22s flyovers will only precipitate the advent of a situation that the U.S. does not want to see." But it didn't elaborate what steps North Korea would take. Also Friday, Kim's sister and senior official Kim Yo Jong said North Koreas recent weapons tests were part of the countrys five-year arms buildup plan launched in 2021. She said the recently tested weapons are designed to attack Seoul, the South Korean capital, and denied outside speculation that the tests were meant to display weapons that North Korea plans to export to Russia. We dont conceal the fact that such weapons will be used to prevent Seoul from inventing any idle thinking, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by KCNA. __ Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report. Officers who outrank their military physicians and personnel who have been recently promoted receive better attention and care in Defense Department health facilities than lower-ranking service members, new research on military emergency room visits has found. The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, also found racial bias in treatment and care in military ERs, with white physicians "exerting less effort" on Black patients. While the study also found that white physicians treated higher-ranking Black patients with more care, their treatment was still only on par with lower-ranking white patients. Black military doctors treated lower-ranking patients of either race fairly equally, the study found, but they provided high-ranking Black patients "off-the-charts" care. Read Next: Marijuana Testing for Recruits Could End Under House's Must-Pass Defense Policy Bill The researchers, with the University of Texas at San Antonio and Carnegie Mellon University, conducted the study to further understand implicit bias in health care in civilian settings as well as military care. Stephen Schwab, the study's co-author, said that, while bias regarding gender and race is often the subject of research, the role that power dynamics play in medical services is less understood. The military, with its obvious rank structure, presents opportunities to understand this relationship, he said. "The military is doing everything it can to reduce these biases. Part of it is understanding the scope of the issue. It's not just race and gender, it's also power and wealth," Schwab, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who now works at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said in an interview with Military.com on Friday. For the study, the researchers examined data from 1.5 million emergency department visits in the military health system, looking at the rank of a patient compared with the doctor's rank and examining treatment response, including resources expended such as medical tests, imaging and certain prescriptions, and outcomes, such as hospital admissions at the time of the ER visit or within 30 days afterward. They found that higher-ranking patients received 3.6% more physician effort and resources and were 15% less likely than lower-ranking patients to have poor outcomes. Lower-ranking patients seen by doctors attending to higher-ranking patients at the same time were 3.4% more likely to have poorer outcomes, according to the study. "Our findings indicate that power confers nontrivial advantages: 'High-power' patients (who outrank their physician) receive more resources and have better outcomes than equivalently ranked 'low-power' patients. Patient promotions even increase physician effort. Furthermore, low-power patients suffer if their physician concurrently cares for a high-power patient," the researchers wrote. The military health system serves nearly 1.3 million active-duty personnel of all ranks, in addition to military family members, retirees and their families, in 51 hospitals and 424 clinics. The active-duty force is 18% officer and nearly 82% enlisted, 82.5% male and 17.5% female. Roughly 69% of the force is white, while 31.2% identify as a person of color. The research looked at how physicians responded to or treated officers of higher rank than themselves, as well as equal and lower-ranked officers, and enlisted personnel. Additional trends that were observed included a finding that male physicians are more rank-conscious and respond to a patient's "power" more than female doctors did and showed more sex-based discrimination than female physicians. Male physicians also were significantly more responsive to higher-ranking female patients than male patients, possibly because high-ranking women are still fairly uncommon across the services, perhaps eliciting "more respect and attention," the research said. Schwab said the findings demonstrate that physicians are "human" and, as such, are susceptible to implicit bias. But there may be other factors at play, such as a high-ranking patient demanding care or unknowingly drawing it as leadership. The concern with such bias is what Schwab called "the spillover effect": If physicians are spending more time with their peers or those of higher rank, then other patients are getting less attention. "The effort has to come from somewhere," Schwab said. Schwab said the research was supported by the military health system through access to records and data support. The study, he added, lends value to medicine as a whole because it is an opportunity to show that implicit bias exists in the profession and the perception of power plays a role. As a retired financial officer for the military health system, Schwab said he recognized that he likely received more attentive health care in the system from his colleagues than other troops. "It's hard to tell [bias] as an individual patient because you get the care you get, but I definitely felt I received more respect because of my circumstances," Schwab said. He said the study was not designed to place blame on physicians; instead, it was meant to raise awareness of implicit bias to influence education and training. "We want people to recognize that these implicit biases exist, and we can address them by developing physicians that are more representative of society or improving training for our physicians," Schwab said. A spokesman for the Defense Health Agency said the organization is reviewing the article and its supporting materials but would not comment on the findings until they could be thoroughly reviewed. DHA spokesman Peter Graves said the agency "is committed to delivering the highest quality of care to all of our patients, regardless of rank, race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, age or any other demographic." "We always expect the same high standards to be applied to every patient in an exceptional way, anytime, anywhere, always," Graves said. Related: In Reversal, Defense Department Now Wants to Bring Tricare Beneficiaries Back to Military Health System The As relocation plan took a couple steps forward this week. On Monday, the Nevada Supreme Court upheld a November 2023 lower court ruling that stopped a petition to put public funding for the stadium up for a vote this year (link via Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times). A Nevada teachers union had sought a referendum during this Novembers elections on the $380MM earmarked by the county and state for construction of the Vegas stadium. (Voters in Kansas City rejected a public funding measure for the Royals and Chiefs in a referendum process in April.) The court agreed with arguments by a coalition which included the As that the language of the proposed petition was misleading and did not abide by state law. That takes the possibility of a 2024 referendum off the table. A political action committee backed by the union filed a separate lawsuit in an attempt to challenge the funding in February, arguing that the law didnt meet the procedural requirements of the state constitution. The As were not named as a defendant the suit was against the state and its governor, Joe Lombardo but the team filed a motion last month attempting to intervene in the proceedings. Theres no current indication that suit poses a serious threat to the relocation plan. On the heels of their legal victory, the As presented their non-relocation agreement to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority on Thursday afternoon (link via Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). Thats one of a handful of documents which the Stadium Authority needs to approve before construction on the facility will officially begin. The Authority has already signed off on a community benefits agreement. Theyre now evaluating the lease and non-relocation agreements. The final, most important, of the group is the development agreement detailing how the As plan to meet their commitments (projected north of $1.1 billion) for construction costs. Shaikin reported last month the As are seeking $500MM in private funding, potentially offering minority ownership shares of the franchise to incentivize investment. Akers writes that the team plans to submit the development agreement for review at some point this summer. The 2024 Childish Gambino tour comes to Detroits Little Caesars Arena in August. The New World Tour tickets are on sale now. Purchase yours on SeatGeek , Vivid Seats , StubHub , and Ticketmaster . FILE - Donald Glover, who goes by the stage name Childish Gambino, performs at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York on June 3, 2017. Childish Gambino has returned with a reimagined album and a new tour announcement. Early Monday morning, Glover posted on X that a new album, ATAVISTA, had hit streaming platforms. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)Charles Sykes/Invision/AP Donald Glover, also referred to by his stage name Childish Gambino, begins his North American, European, and Australian tour at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on August 11, stopping in Michigan by the 17th. The multiple Emmy and Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor, writer, and comedian is known musically for several top hits like Sober, 3005, and This is America, among others; and has made his mark on screen through popular shows Community and Atlanta, the latter of which he both starred in and wrote. The upcoming tour, titled The New World Tour, showcases the stars latest album, Atavista, which simultaneously reimagines and completes his 2020 album, 3.15.20. On Saturday, August 17, see Childish Gambino and WILLOW live at Little Caesars Arena . Starting ticket prices: SeatGeek from $73 Vivid Seats from $80 StubHub from $85 MUSKEGON, MI -- Put your car in park, your pup on a leash and walk down to the shoreline of Lake Michigan in moments at Kruse Park in Muskegon. Beach access has been restored at the popular dog beach after high water eroded the staircase four years ago. Its a straight path down, just 45 steps to the sand and then a one-mile stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline is open for you and your furry friend note that leash and pet waste rules are enforced. RELATED: 9 dog-friendly beaches at Michigan state parks Outside of the shoreline, Kruse Park encompasses 52.3 acres of park trails and amenities, including stellar lake views above the sand dunes. Coming up from the beach, theres a wooden ramp that will take you up several flights of stairs for different levels of lake views. Theres no beach access from this wooden path though. Go about 60 steps up to a bench looking out over the dune or carry on further to go higher. Youll wind around the dune and head up another 48 steps for a view clear out over Lake Michigan. Youll spot Muskegon South Pierhead Lighthouse at Pere Marquette in the distance. The descent down takes you around to a paved trail toward the Kruse Park pavilion, picnic and playground area. This spot has additional parking as well as public restrooms. You can carry on and connect to a trail or take a shortcut back to beach access. Dont worry you dont have to go back up all those stairs, theres a sloped wooden path that takes you back to beach parking. RELATED: Food Truck plaza or pickleball courts? Muskegon parks looking for public input Norman F. Kruse is located at 3205 W. Sherman Blvd. off Beach Street. This park has been selected as one of the five parks Muskegon is updating as part of its Parks & Recreation Master Plan. The parks department is looking for feedback on what the public would like to add. Ideas for Kruse Park include a hammock park, new picnic area and nature-themed playground. The public survey is open until May 30 at https://muskegon-mi.civilspace.io/en/projects/park-planning Looking for more to do along Michigans Great Lakes? Check out MLives Lakeshore Travel series. EASTPOINTE, MI The cousin of a 17-year-old girl who went missing in January 2022 has been convicted of murder in her death, officials announced. Zion Foster, of Eastpointe, was last seen on Jan. 4, 2022. Jaylin Omar Brazier, 25, of Detroit, admitted to putting her body in a dumpster. Despite a five-month-long landfill search, Fosters body was never found. This week, a jury found Brazier guilty as charged of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence, the Wayne County Prosecutors Office announced. On Jan. 5, 2022, the Eastpointe Police Department was contacted by Ciera Milton, Fosters mother, because her daughter had not been seen since Jan. 4. On Jan. 6, Ms. Milton filed a missing persons report with the Detroit Police Department. RELATED: Murder trial begins in death of Zion Foster, whose disappearance led to a landfill search After a year and a half of investigation by the Detroit Police Department, Brazier was charged. He was arraigned and remanded to jail on June 13, 2023. Braziers sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 3 before Judge Donald Knapp. Early in the investigation, Brazier admitted to the police that he dumped Fosters body in a dumpster. He said she died suddenly while they were smoking marijuana at his Detroit home, and he panicked. That confession led to the landfill search. RELATED: Landfill search for missing teen Zion Foster ends During the trial, jurors were shown evidence that Brazier searched the internet about whether garbage trucks crush trash and the possibility of charges when a body cant be found, The Associated Press reports. Prosecutor Ryan Elsey told jurors that text messages between Brazier and Foster revealed that Brazier was grooming her for a sexual relationship, the report said. Inside that house that night there was some sort of sexual encounter that was resisted, he said. Zion paid with her life. It took the jury less than an hour to reach a verdict, AP reports. Brazier already served a short prison term for lying to police related to this case. BERLIN TOWNSHIP, MI -- The woman accused of killing two children last month when she crashed into the Swan Creek Boat Club has spoken out in an interview with WXYZ-Detroit. Marshella Chidester, 66, is facing numerous felony charges in relation to the April 20 crash, including two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of 8-year-old Alanah Phillips and 4-year-old Zayn Phillips. Chidester has not spoken publicly about the incident and for the first time provided her explanation of what she thinks happened. Chidester told WXYZ-Detroit that she believes she had a seizure while driving and that she doesnt remember what happened before the crash. She went on to say that she hadnt driven since October 2023 because of her health issues, but felt comfortable driving again after not having seizures for six months. The interview with Chidester can be found on the WXYZ website. While Chidester and her attorney Bill Colovos say the crash was caused by a seizure, prosecutors allege she was driving under the influence. During Chidesters arraignment, Monroe County Prosecutor Jeffrey Yorkey claimed a preliminary breath test showed Chidester was significantly over the legal limit. Colovos admitted in court that his client visited a local tavern in the hours prior to the crash and had a glass of wine with lunch. He went on to claim a receipt obtained through a search warrant shows that Chidester only ordered a single glass at that time. However, it is unknown if she consumed any other intoxicants in the hours between the lunch and the crash. Along with the children who were killed, several other people were seriously injured in the crash, including the mother and another sibling of Alanah and Zayn Phillips. The crash happened while a childrens birthday party was going on inside the boat club, which is near Chidesters home. Chidester hit the building with such force that her car traveled approximately 25 feet into the facility before coming to a stop. Mariah Dodds, the mother of Alanah and Zayn Phillips has filed a lawsuit against Chidester, the tavern and the boat club itself. Dodds suffered broken ribs, a collapsed lung, cuts and bruises while her other child suffered broken legs, broken ribs and a fractured skull. Earlier this month several other plaintiffs joined the lawsuit. During her arraignment, Chidester was given a bond of $1.5 million with no 10% allowed, however she was able to post bond two days later. As part of her bond Chidester is not allowed to leave the state without permission and must refrain from using alcohol or any illegal controlled substances. She must wear a GPS tether as well. Along with the murder charges, Chidester is also charged with wo counts of operating while intoxicated causing death and four counts of operating while intoxicated causing serious injury. A preliminary examination in the case was delayed by nearly two months as Colovos says he needs more time to prepare for the examination due to the amount of discovery in the case. Chidester is due back in court on June 27 and remains free on bond. Editors note: The name of one of the victims has been corrected after receiving updated information from the Wayne County Prosecutors Office. DETROIT A man has been charged in the Cinco de Mayo murders at a vacant house in Detroit. Two women were fatally shot in the head and a male victim was non-fatally shot in the face just before 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, at an apparent vacant house on the 3800 block of 33rd Street in Detroit. People were out and about in the area for Cinco de Mayo celebrations. GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, MI The Grand Traverse Sheriffs Office is seeking information regarding a fatal crash that occurred earlier this month. The crash occurred on County Road 633 between West County Line Road and Miller Road around 4:30 p.m. on May 3. UpNorthLive reported a 26-year-old Imlay City man was driving a pickup truck north on County Road 633 when he struck a vehicle driven by 22-year-old Sam DeKuiper. DeKuiper, a former standout student-athlete at Traverse City West High School, was pronounced dead at the scene. Specifically, deputies are seeking motorists who were passed by, followed by, or observed a red Ford F-150 truck. Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriffs office by calling 231-995-5000. We are not looking for this pick-up truck. Only witnesss that may have seen it in that area at that time, a statement read. ANN ARBOR, MI - Four pro-Palestinian protesters were charged for accusations they assaulted police during the November sit-in at University of Michigan President Santa Onos office. The Washtenaw County Prosecutors Office released a statement on Thursday saying that further investigation and video review of the Nov. 17 protest brought enough evidence to charge four individuals for assaultive behavior. In one case, an individual was charged for allegedly attempting to disarm an officer, officials said. These actions are not protected by the First Amendment, officials added. Individuals included in this category initiated contact with law enforcement officers, and their actions went beyond incidental contact, according to the release. Those in this category are alleged to have intentionally made sustained physical contact with officers in an attempt to dislodge them from their positionsin some cases for minutes. No matter the context, the First Amendment does not protect assaultive conduct, officials added. Police arrested 40 people who forcefully gained access on Nov. 17 to the Ruthven Administration Building, which houses Onos office. Another protester was identified and arrested in December. The charges are for resisting/obstructing/assaulting a law enforcement officer. The individuals include the following: A man, 59, was accused of trying to take an officers baton, which was not being used. He was charged with an additional count for trying to take away an officers weapon. A man, 22, was accused of pushing into an officer with his full body weight to force his way into the Ruthven building. The physical contact lasted for more than 30 seconds until the officer yielded, officials said. A man, 22, was accused of repeatedly pushing officers in a doorway and fighting with them for several minutes. A man, 25, was accused of lowering his shoulder and charging at an officer to dislodge him from his position blocking entry. Consistent with our communitys proud tradition of activism, our office provides wide berth to the First Amendment right to protest, officials said. The right to protest, however, does not grant license to assault, destroy property or engage in other activity that harms or threatens other people. A message was left with the Tahrir Coalition, the main student organization behind the pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrations since the war in Gaza broke out on Oct. 7. A representative said a statement would come on Friday. The four individuals charged include three university alumni and one person was was expected to graduate at Mays Commencement ceremony, said university spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen. The university also shared surveillance footage of the protesters forcing entry into Ruthven. It can be seen here. Read more: No arrests signal hands-off approach as tents for Gaza came to 3 Michigan universities The prosecutors office said while it normally does not explain charges, it made these comments public since the incident concerns First Amendment rights, community safety and law enforcement behavior. In one instance, prosecutors explained that while 40 people were arrested for the November protest, all but four did so in a non-violent matter and would not face charges for impermissible entrance to a building. For individuals who engaged in non-assaultive civil disobedience, we believe that any internal University sanctions that may be pursued are sufficient at this time, officials said, pointing to the university barring entrance to Ruthven for one year. The non-violent students arrested in the incident were referred to the universitys Office of Student Conflict Resolution for appropriate university conduct actions, Broekhuizen said. We take the safety of our university community very seriously, she said. Our processes and protocols are carefully designed to protect all students, employees, and visitors to our campus. The Tahrir Coalition has demanded divestment from Israel in multiple protests on the Ann Arbor campus since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7. This was the day Hamas killed more than 1,200 mostly civilian Israelis, according to the Associated Press. More than 34,500 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territorys Health Ministry, though the Associated Press reports the toll does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The United Nations released a report on May 14 saying the death toll of women and children is lower than previously reported. The university protest has included an encampment of about 200 people on the Diag for the last three weeks. There have been no arrests at the encampment, though a non-student was arrested at a protest led by the same group Friday, May 3, outside the universitys Museum of Art. On May 15, protesters went to seven of eight homes owned by members of the Board of Regents, placing demands and fake, bloody corpses simulating the human toll in Gaza. The regents and university criticized these actions as unacceptable. If you would like more reporting like this delivered free to your inbox, click here and signup for our weekly newsletter: Michigan Schools. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. ANN ARBOR, MI Two ballot initiatives are underway in Ann Arbor seeking to reform city elections. One would make mayor and City Council races nonpartisan, while the other seeks to establish public campaign financing for those races, using city taxpayer funds. A grassroots group called the Coalition for Ann Arbors Future is collecting petition signatures to put both questions to voters in November. Ive been working with a whole bunch of other people to get this going and it really is a broad group of folks, said Ann Arbor resident John Godfrey, who said about 80 people are circulating petitions for the Voters Not Money and Democracy for Everyone proposals. Residents behind the effort are concerned about the way city elections have gone in recent years and the level of campaign spending. Its no longer unusual for candidates to raise and spend tens of thousands of dollars, making it harder for anyone to compete on a shoestring budget. Ann Arbor resident Beth Chen shows the Voters Not Money petition she is helping circulate at the Farmers Market downtown on May 15, 2024. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News The coalition says it wants to level the playing field and make city elections more open, inclusive and insulated from special interests, noting similar public campaign financing measures have been adopted in cities like Seattle, Denver, Portland and Evanston. Were sort of drawing inspiration from a number of other progressive communities, Godfrey said, noting Ann Arbor would be the first in Michigan. The Voters Not Money proposal calls for creating a Fair Elections Fund equal to 0.3% of the citys annual general fund budget. If it was in place already, that would amount to about a $370,000 pot of city funds that could go to campaigns this year. Candidates who wanted to access the funds, if the measure goes through, would need to voluntarily agree to lower campaign contribution limits and refuse donations from corporations, PACs and other organizations. And if they did, they would receive a 9-to-1 match on small donations up to $50, meaning for every $50 someone gave them, they would get another $450 from the city up to a maximum of $40,000, Godfrey said. As for the possibility it could result in city taxpayers funding the campaigns of candidates whose views they consider abhorrent, Godfrey said Ann Arbor is a well-educated town and people with such views arent going to get anywhere. What were hoping to achieve, in its simplest form, is to really strengthen civic and political life in the city by making our politics more accessible to more people, to a greater diversity of individuals who have all kinds of ideas, he said, adding that includes ideas about growth and development. Ann Arbor mayor Christopher Taylor speaks during the bicentennial mural unveiling at Veterans Memorial Park in Ann Arbor on Friday, April 19, 2024. Rebecca Villagracia | MLive.com Mayor Christopher Taylor said he doesnt support either proposal and encourages people not to sign the petitions. Money doesnt win elections shoe leather, ideas and teamwork win elections, he said. I think using taxpayer money to support the campaigns of losing political candidates is not a good use of public funds. Ann Arbor mayor starts new PAC called Ann Arbor For Everyone Taylor also has long opposed attempts to move to nonpartisan elections, twice flexing his veto power over it several years ago. He still believes party labels such as the Democratic one next to his name on the ballot convey important information to voters. It is crucial that people understand the value set of their candidates. Im proud to be a Democrat and I think Ann Arbor shares that view, he said. Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are the last two cities in Michigan that have partisan city elections after Ionia voters decided in 2023 to switch to nonpartisan elections. The coalition in favor of nonpartisan elections in Ann Arbor argues the way elections are done now in the city, races are effectively decided in low-turnout Democratic primaries because the town is so heavily Democratic. Taylor and his allies, all Democrats, have swept the last two rounds of city elections and control all 11 seats on council. 4 of 5 Ann Arbor City Council races uncontested as primary filing deadline passes Council Member Jen Eyer, D-4th Ward, said shes worried nonpartisan elections would put Ann Arbor at risk of seeing people elected who dont represent the vast Democratic majority. She also shares Taylors stance against public funding of campaigns and argues the barrier to entry for local office is minimal. Yes, funding is helpful for staff, signs and mailers, but candidates can literally knock every voters door in their ward and connect with folks directly, she said. In 2020, I wore out my shoes knocking doors, and Ill do it again this year. Candidates with the best ideas are the ones who win. Ann Arbor resident Beth Chen collects petition signatures for the Voters Not Money and Democracy for Everyone ballot initiatives at the Farmers Market downtown on May 15, 2024. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com)Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News Ann Arbor resident Beth Chen, who collected petition signatures for both ballot initiatives at the Farmers Market on Wednesday, May 15, has a different view. She tried getting out the vote in 2022 for Eric Lipson, who ran for mayor as an independent against Taylor, losing by a 3-to-1 margin. Even though she thought Lipson was the better candidate, she said, without a D next to his name and without the resources Taylor had, he didnt really stand a chance. Chris Taylor could send out mass mailings ... but we had to go door to door, she said, estimating she went to about 5,000 or 6,000 houses. Kim Winick, another Ann Arbor resident collecting signatures for both ballot initiatives, said hes worried money has entered city politics at a much higher level than in the past, some of it coming from people who dont live in Ann Arbor. People are not willing to run against incumbents or run a campaign for City Council or mayor, because its so expensive and they cant possibly generate the amount of money they need to even run a minimal campaign, he said, adding helping candidates who agree not to take PAC money and limit contributions seems like a good way to go. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter. JACKSON COUNTY, MI Johnson Sign Co. has been helping businesses make first impressions matter for generations. The company near Jackson is celebrating 60 years in 2024. Through the years, three generations of the Johnson family have worked to help businesses, medical centers and college campuses be easily recognized by everyday people, co-owner James Jay Johnson said. It amazes me how many third-generations businesses succeed, and its by far against the odds, Jay said. What our core focus is as a company is that we could have a positive impact on our employees, the community and our customers. If we can keep that in mind, that makes a difference. The sign business began in 1964 when James Johnson, Jays father, was selling billboard advertisement and saw a need for reliable signage for businesses. He took a risk and opened Johnson Sign Co. at 2240 Lansing Ave. The sign industry is very unique because every business needs a sign, so he wanted to offer that value to customers so they could identify their businesses and advertise, co-owner and Jays son, Jim Johnson, said. Back then, making signs was a lot different than it is today due to todays advancements in technology, Jay said. Everything was drawn and painted by hand, and designs werent crafted on a computer like they are today and LED lighting wasnt as prevalent. Jay grew up in the business and followed in his dads footsteps. He worked at a national sign company in California before he came home to take over the family business in 1988. Jays sons Jim and Will Johnson grew up working in the business during summers or between sports, sweeping floors, working in the trucks or just picking up around the shop, Will said. However, they were never pressured to join the family business, and the decision to do so was their own, Jim said. In 2014, Will and Jim became owners. I think its giving them responsibility to take it and make good choices, poor choices and learn by it, Jay said. The business expanded through the years with the acquisition of Douglas Sign Company, Huron Sign Company and Amor Sign Company, which offered outreach to other places in the state, including Manistee, Saginaw, Lansing and Ypsilanti. As a result, Johnson Sign Co. to has designed, crafted and installed interior and exterior signs all over the state at a range of medical centers, credit unions, restaurants and small mom and pop shops. Were working with customers, and they have a brand, Jim said. Its created through their blood sweat and tears. We get to help build that brand, and make it come to life. In Jackson, drivers can see their work at Jackson College, Grand River Brewery and True Community Credit Union. Signage is important to businesses when it comes to advertisement, helping patrons locate the establishment and adding aesthetic to the building, Jim said. The interesting part of signs, is theyre so ingrained in everybody, Will said. Whether youre ordering food, or trying to find the emergency room quickly, people expect signs to be there. Johnson Sign Co. attributes its longevity to their customer base, hard-working staff and their faith. Were just feeling very grateful for all that our company has been through, and all the hard work of the employees in the past, Jim said. Will and I, we dont take it for granted being a third generation, were very grateful and excited to build upon the past 60 years so were here for another 60 years. More information can be found on Johnson Sign Co.s website. Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Jackson daily newsletter. KALAMAZOO, MI -- Patients are waiting for hospital systems to get back online after a disruptive cyberattack against Ascension hospitals that the company announced last week. Patient Dan Newman was among the patients impacted, as he headed in for specialized blood work at an Ascension Borgess facility in Portage on Monday, May 13. He was surprised to see the waiting room empty. The lady at the counter told him his bloodwork could not happen as scheduled because the computer systems were down. Newman and other patients still wait for services to return, now nine days after a ransomware attack crippled the nationwide Ascension hospital system on May 8. Patients cant get prescriptions filled, access their patient portal or get some tests done, among other issues. Ascension operates more than a dozen hospitals across Michigan, including in Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Novi and others. There was nothing they could do, Newman said, since the disruption began last week on Wednesday, May 8. They couldnt even look at the computer to see what the specialist had ordered. All Ascension Michigan hospitals, physician offices and care sites across Michigan remain open, the company said on May 12, though some facilities have temporarily delayed diagnostic imaging and testing. Despite challenges from the ransomware incident, patient safety is still the top priority, the company said. Employees are using paper-based systems during the ongoing disruption, Ascension said, thanking patients for understanding during the unexpected situation. The company also called it a ransomware incident. Ascension Michigan doctors offices and care sites are operating with normal business hours, the company said, though patients may see longer wait times and delays. Ascension said it will contact patients directly if appointments need to be rescheduled. Ascension Rx retail pharmacies in Michigan cannot fill prescriptions. Please ask your doctor to send your prescription to a different pharmacy while we work to get our systems back online, Ascension said in a news release. If you cant get your medicine from another pharmacy and youre running out, call your local Ascension Rx retail pharmacy for help. Our pharmacies may be able to give you a short-term supply using your current prescription bottle. All Ascension Michigan emergency rooms are open and accepting walk-in patients, though some hospitals are implementing a diversion process for ambulance services for specific medical cases to ensure the best triage for patients, the hospital system said. Related: Cyberattack has Michigan hospitals pausing some elective procedures, diverting emergency care Parts of the hospitals website are missing, Newman said after logging in Friday, May 17, as the website says the system remains down. Appointment requests, messaging and prescription renewals are some of the disabled features on the site, Newman said. He saw others traveling to appointments only to be turned away and felt bad for them. Newman said the employee told him labs could be performed if a patient has a document stamped stat, meaning it is more urgent in some way. He said a lot of people go through those offices daily, wondering about the number of patients left without services and answers to medical questions. For his case, the specialized lab work was done as part of an investigation of earlier bloodwork, he said. He has an upcoming appointment to discuss the blood test results he has not been able to get. The company did not immediately respond to questions sent by MLive on Friday, May 17. The company said on May 15 it was working with forensic experts from Mandiant to conduct an investigation into the attack and how it occurred. Ascension brought in additional cybersecurity experts from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 and CYPFER to help supplement the rebuild and restoration efforts. We are focused on getting systems back up and running as safely and as quickly as possible, an Ascension spokesperson said on May 15, indicating it will take time to return to normal operations. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter. MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI -- The city of Muskegon Heights narrowed its search for a new city manager this month. The city council has been without a permanent city manager for over a year since voting 4-3 not to renew former City Manager Troy Bells contract in February 2023, after three years at the helm. Nearly all health care jobs are expected to experience workforce shortages over the next decade. Home health and personal care aides are projected to face a shortage of more than 170,000 jobs over the next decade. Its the largest expected shortage in the industry according to an analysis published Thursday, May 16, by the Michigan Health Council. Nursing assistants are on the unhealthiest job growth trend thanks to some of the worst position shortages and turnover numbers, according to the 2024 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index. Other low-ranking jobs include dental assistants and hygienists, clinical lab technologists and technicians, and psychologists. At the other end of the spectrum, optometry jobs are projected to see the healthiest job growth, followed by group physicians, nurse practitioners, diagnostic medical sonographers, and physician assistants. The Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index assessed position increases, wage growth, and turnover rates to rank the outlook for 36 industry job types. Data compiled by the Michigan Health Council points to a growing health care workforce crisis that requires intervention from state leaders, according to Craig Donahue, the councils CEO and president. The Index helped confirm what weve known anecdotally for years, Donahue said in a prepared statement. Now we need to identify and support solutions. Our hope is that decision-makers use this report to inform how to invest limited time and resources for maximum impact. Below is a database that ranks each of the 36 industry job types by projected job growth, job shortage, wage increases, and turnover rates based on data from 2012 to 2022. After home health and personal care aids, the jobs with the largest projected shortages are nursing assistants, dental assistants, physical therapy assistants, and phlebotomists. Only four occupations -- radiation therapists, dentists, diagnostic medical sonographers and social workers (BSW) -- are projected to have a surplus over the next 10 years, though the report found they can be poorly distributed throughout the state. Michigans dentist supply, for example, is at the national average per 10,000 people, but about half of the counties in the state live in areas with a shortage of dentists. The Michigan Health Council first published its healthcare workforce index last year. It pulled job counts and wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and generated projections using historic jobs data as well as college enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Among the jobs that improved their standing since the 2023 report, due to a variety of factors including higher wages, were group physicians, licenses practical nurses (LPNs), licensed vocational nurses (LVNs), and social workers (child, family and school). Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) also improved nine spots, largely due to job growth and a reduction in the states EMT shortage. Nurse anesthetists, general dentists and occupations requiring a Masters degree in social work slipped furthest since the 2023 rankings, largely due to poor wage trends. The 2024 Michigan Healthcare Workforce Index is a vital, unbiased tool to help stakeholders and policymakers understand the current healthcare workforce landscape and build the healthcare workforce of the future, said Ruthanne Sudderth, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. The full 24-page report is available at mhc.org/index. Follow us on: Tesla 'silent'; yet to communicate its India plans: Official You are already a Moneycontrol Pro user. OK Follow us on: Kerala University Admissions 2024: Registration opens for UG courses at keralauniversity.ac.in, here's how to apply for FYUGP OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All TS EAMCET Result Date 2024: TS EAPCET 2024 Results releasing next week at eamcet.tsche.ac.in, check updates here Follow us on: 'Dictatorship' going on in country is unacceptable: Arvind Kejriwal Follow us on: Election wrap: EC notice to BJP's Abhijit Gangopadhyay, Swati Maliwal vs AAP, PM's swipe at Cong, and more May 17, 2024 / 23:03 IST Congress candidate from Northeast Delhi Kanhaiya Kumar was allegedly assaulted and attacked with ink on Friday by some people in the constituency. The incident happened outside the AAP office in the New Usmanpur area as Kahnhaiya was coming out after a party meeting with local Councillor Chhaya Sharma. According to a complaint by Sharma, "Some persons came and put garland around Sh. Kanhaiya Kumar. After garlanding him, some persons threw ink on Sh. Kanhaiya Kumar and tried to assault him. When Smt. Chhaya Sharma tried to intervene, they misbehaved and threatened her." Kanhaiya in a statement said the attack was ordered by rival contender from the constituency Manoj Tiwari. 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Suvarna is Senior Correspondent at Moneycontrol. He writes on the Indian money markets, RBI, Banks and NBFCs. He tweets at @manishsuvarna15. Contact: Manish.Suvarna@nw18.com No proposal to merge public sector banks, not aware of any such discussion: Official Kayezad E Adajania heads the personal finance bureau at Moneycontrol. He has been covering mutual funds and personal finance for the past two decades, having worked in Mint and Outlook Money magazine. Kayezad was the founding member of Mints personal finance team when it was set up in 2009. Souptik Datta Reports on Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai. Btw, curiosity never kills the cat. You can reach me on souptikdatta@nw18.com OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Relief for SpiceJet: Delhi HC quashes order upholding arbitral award in favour of Kalanithi Maran Follow us on: Severe storms kill 4 in Houston; plunges over 800,000 homes and businesses into darkness Follow us on: Who is new Prosus and Naspers CEO Fabricio Bloisi? OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Efforts on to bring Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna back to India: Karnataka Home Minister Govt to fund up to 50% of AI compute infra to be set up in partnership with industry Follow us on: IMD warns of heatwave over next five days across Rajasthan, Delhi, UP, Haryana Follow us on: Rising sea levels may force Thailand to move its capital Bangkok. Check other top cities at risk Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication. OTHERS OTHERS Follow us on: My Account or or Hello, Login All Constitutional backing, welfare programmes help to uplift minorities in India Follow us on: SC reserves judgment in Kejriwal's plea against arrest, says he can move trial court for bail Follow us on: 'Bibhav slapped me 7-8 times, pulled my shirt up, kicked my chest...': Swati Maliwal's shocking charges in FIR Danish Khan is the editor of Technology and Telecom. He was previously with the Economic Times and has tracked the sector for 13 years. Best cities to find a job in the US Follow us on: Geologist claims to know possible location of the Mona Lisa's background landscape Follow us on: 8 EU members say conditions in Syria should be reassessed to allow voluntary refugee returns Follow us on: Mortal remains of former army officer Kale killed in Gaza reach India, says MEA "My name sounds like truffle, but with a P." No, this isn't some cheesy pickup line. It's how Prafulla Dhariwal introduces himself on his website. And he's more than just a catchy introduction Dhariwal is the mastermind behind the creation of GPT-4o (with the 'o' standing for Omni). Dhariwal leads the Omni team at OpenAI, and GPT-4o marks their first foray into natively multimodal models. Earlier this week, OpenAI unveiled its latest flagship AI model GPT-4o at its Spring Update event, showcasing its ability to reason across voice, text, and vision. But until OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's recent post on X (formerly Twitter), the world knew little about this Pune native. GPT-4o would not have happened without the vision, talent, conviction, and determination of Prafulla Dhariwal over a long period of time. That, along with the work of many others, led to what I hope will turn out to be a revolution in how we use computers, Altman said in the post. Who is Prafulla Dhariwal? Dhariwal's journey has been marked by a string of remarkable accomplishments. In 2009, he won the National Talent Search Scholarship from the Government of India. The same year, he also won the gold medal at the International Astronomy Olympiad in China. In 2012 and 2013, he won gold medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad and the International Physics Olympiad, respectively. His Class XII performance was nothing short of stellar, evidenced by his remarkable score of 295 out of 300 in the physics-chemistry-mathematics (PCM) group. He even excelled in entrance exams, securing 190 in the Maharashtra Technical Common Entrance Test (MT-CET) and 330 out of 360 in the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE-Mains). He was even awarded the annual Abasaheb Naravane memorial prize in 2013, instituted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE). In class XII I studied throughout the year and my special focus was on JEE preparations as I wanted to study in IIT. But now, I am more than happy that I have also been selected in MIT, Dhariwal had told the Mid-Day newspaper in 2013. Dhariwal pursued his Bachelor's in Computer Science (Mathematics) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), graduating in 2017 with a perfect GPA of 5.0/5.0. Dhariwal joined OpenAI in May 2016 as a research intern and grew up the ranks as a research scientist at the company working on generative models and unsupervised learning. He is one of the co-creators of GPT-3, text-to-image platform DALL-E 2, music generator Jukebox, and reversible generative model Glow. Prior to joining OpenAI, Dhariwal had short stints as a software engineering intern at Pinterest, a quantitative analyst intern at the D.E. Shaw Group, and as an undergraduate researcher at both the Centre for Brain, Mind and Machines, and the Computer Visions Group at MIT. Legendary rockers Pearl Jam are headed to New Zealand as part of their Dark Matter World Tour 2024. Ten years since they last performed in New Zealand, the band will be taking over Go Media Stadium Mt Smart this November, with support from special guest Pixies. Pearl Jam is known for some of the greatest rock songs from the past 30 years, including Black, Better Man and Daughter. In their time together, theyve released 12 studio albums, sold over a whopping 85 million albums worldwide and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Dont miss your chance to see Pearl Jam live as they celebrate their upcoming album Dark Matter, expected for release this year. CCPH Community Health Improvement Plan Survey View Photo Calaveras County, CA The Calaveras County Public Health Department is asking residents to share their health needs, which could get them a free gas card. Health officials are working on the Calaveras Community Health Improvement Plan, which will prioritize community health needs and inform the department about future community health programs and services. It will be a three-year plan focusing on three priority health issues identified in the 2023 assessment and what health needs the public helps identify that should be addressed within the next three years. To get those answers, health officials are asking residents to take a 2-minute survey, but you only have until next Wednesday, May 22nd, to take it, as that is when the survey closes. Those who do take the survey and are a valid entry will be eligible to win one of five $45 gas gift cards. To view the 2023 health assessment and take the survey, click here. Murphys, CA This weekends Mother Lode Views will feature Joel Metzger, the General Manager of the Utica Water and Power Authority. There are challenges on the horizon for the district that supplies water to many customers along the Highway 4 corridor. It is related to FERC relicensing, which the federal government requires every 30 years. The process is anticipated to cost the small district approximately $10 million. The district is instead seeking a FERC exemption, which is a one-time effort, and if approved, would save ratepayers considerable money over the long haul. If it is not approved, however, very difficult financial decisions are ahead. Metzger will explain the process, which requires federal approval, and the early support it has received from both a local Congressman and a US Senator from California. Metzger will also detail the history of the infrastructure which was developed during the Gold Rush. Switzerlands top criminal court on Wednesday convicted a former interior minister of Gambia for crimes against humanity and sentenced him to 20 years over his role in murder, torture and other repression committed by the West African countrys security forces under its longtime dictator. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Ousman Sonko, Gambias interior minister from 2006 to 2016 under then-President Yahya Jammeh. But legal rights groups, led by TRIAL International, which helped bring the case, hailed what they called a landmark decision involving a former government official for crimes against humanity, saying it could set a precedent for international justice. In its judgement of 15 May 2024, the criminal chamber finds Ousman Sonko guilty of multiple counts of intentional homicide, multiple counts of torture and false imprisonment, each as a crime against humanity, the court in the southern city of Bellinzona said in a statement. It cited repression of political opponents, journalists and suspected coup plotters under Jammehs 22-year rule. Human Rights Watch trumpeted a monumental verdict, calling it a major achievement for Switzerlands efforts to hold accountable those responsible for grave crimes committed abroad. The Swiss Attorney Generals office said it was satisfied with the ruling, touting a milestone in international criminal law and an important decision for victims in Gambia. Defense lawyer Philippe Currat said Sonko, 55, planned to appeal the ruling to the criminal chambers appeals court. In a phone interview, Currat said the alleged wrongdoing didnt rise to the level of crimes against humanity, and that a direct connection to his client and the crimes was not established. He said the court should have provided more English translation for Sonko, who does not speak German the language of the proceedings and that failing to do so violated the rules of a fair trial. In what I heard today, the court was not able to specify Sonkos individual role in the acts described, that it was a case of collective responsibility: Because he was minister, he was necessarily responsible for everything, Currat said. That in the end, he gets convicted because somebody has to be convicted, and theres no one else at hand so hes the one to do the trick. Thats a real problem, he added. Currat also argued that Swiss law which was revised in 2011 when it comes to crimes against humanity could not fairly be applied to acts before that date. The two-month trial was welcomed by advocacy groups as a watershed application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows for the prosecution of serious crimes committed abroad. However, the court deemed that the crimes committed by Sonko did not rise to aggravated cases that could have brought the maximum penalty of life behind bars, according to several lawyers who attended the trial. Sonko, who was in the courtroom for Wednesdays verdict, offered little reaction when a translation was read out in English, said TRIAL Internationals legal adviser Benoit Meystre, who also attended the proceedings. Activists and legal experts say the verdict could send a message to Jammeh, who fled Gambia an English-speaking West African country surrounded by neighboring Senegal and remains in exile in Equatorial Guinea. Sonko who left Gambia shortly before Jammeh lost power in 2016 applied for asylum in Switzerland in November that year and was arrested two months later. The indictment filed by the Swiss attorney generals office in April last year covered alleged crimes over the previous 16 years. Because Sonko has been in custody since January 2017, he would have fewer than 13 years more behind bars if the verdict is upheld. Among other things, the court found Sonko guilty of the murder of an alleged political opponent in 2000; torture and arbitrary detention in connection with an attempted coup detat in 2006; the murder of a politician in 2011; illegal detention and torture including one murder against peaceful protesters in 2016, according to TRIAL International. Reed Brody, an American human rights lawyer who attended the trial, said: The long arm of the law is catching up with Yahya Jammehs accomplices all around the world, and hopefully will soon catch up with Jammeh himself. Nyima Sonko, the widow of activist Ebrima Solo Sandeng, who was killed by state security agents, said: What goes around comes around, he (Sonko) deserved it. Outside the courtroom, Olimatou Sonko, the defendants daughter, told Swiss public broadcaster SRF it isnt fair that the full proceedings of the trial werent translated to English from German, which her father doesnt understand. Philip Grant, executive director at TRIAL International, said Ousman Sonko was the highest-level former official ever to be put on trial in Europe under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Sonko, who joined the Gambian military in 1988, was appointed commander of the State Guard in 2003, a position in which he was responsible for Jammehs security, Swiss prosecutors said. He was made inspector general of the Gambian police in 2005. He was removed as interior minister in September 2016, a few months before the end of Jammehs government, and left Gambia to seek asylum in Europe. Ousman Sonko is not to be confused with leading politician Ousmane Sonko in Senegal, who spells his first name slightly differently. Jammeh seized control in a 1994 coup. He lost Gambias 2016 presidential election but refused to concede defeat to Adama Barrow, and ultimately fled amid threats of a regional military intervention to force him from power. Modou Faal, a mechanic living in the Gambian village of Lamin, said the country should move forward after the verdict and said he was concerned that it would hinder the reconciliation process. We can forgive but not forget, he said. AP. Breaking News via Email Related Zimbabwe Latest News Surely just a coincidence! As regular readers are well aware, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing a number of legal challenges over the Pfizergate scandal, including from the New York Times, the governments of Hungary and Poland, a Belgian lobbyist and the European Public Prosecutors Office, or EPPO. In early April, we discussed the possibility that her reelection campaign may be over-shadowed by these multiple lawsuits as well as other corruption allegations. At that time, the EPPO had just proposed taking over a Belgian criminal probe into the highly opaque vaccine negotiations between von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla. Since then, the Commission, it seems, has gone on the offensive. According to an article published earlier this week by POLITICO EU, the EU executive plans to reduce the EPPOs funding, prompting the EPPO, in a rare move, to threaten to sue the Commission. Founded in 2017 with the mission of investigating transnational and complex financial crimes, notably serious organised crimes and money laundering flows, the EPPO last year launched more than 200 fraud investigations related to the EU-wide Recovery and Resilience Facility, which has provided 800 billion of EU cash to help support post-COVID economic recovery. Also last year, the EPPO launched an investigation into the Commissions procurement of 4.5 billion COVID-19 vaccines for a continent of 450 million people (Ill let readers do the maths) after the Commission had refused to provide EU auditors with records of its preliminary discussions with Pfizer, whether in the form of minutes, names of experts consulted, agreed terms, or other evidence. The EPPO has warned that the Commissions plans to slash its budget will make it difficult for its prosecutors to continuing fulfilling their duties. From the POLITICO EU piece: On April 9, Laura Codruta Kovesi, who heads the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) tasked with investigating serious financial crimes affecting the EUs interests took the unusual step of launching a so-called amicable settlement procedure with the Commission. This is the last legal step before litigation and if no agreement can be found, the fight could go as high as the EUs General Court. The prosecutors fear they will be unable to do their job properly if the Commission goes through with a plan to squeeze its budget a move that was announced in February and came as a surprise, EPPO claims. Kovesis letter was shared in early April with three senior officials from the Commission, according to the document obtained by POLITICO. In it, the EPPO chief alleges that the Commission is depriving it of the means to carry out its work effectively by putting pressure on its budget, notably on the amount spent on IT. When EPPO was launched in summer 2021, the Commission agreed to provide IT facilities with no end date given. The Commission has now told EPPO it wants to withdraw the IT support. The amount of money involved is around 5 million, according to EPPOs estimates. The unilateral decision to terminate, on 31 December 2024, the provision of the mentioned services to the EPPO risks that the Unions independent prosecution office will be in the impossibility to carry out its tasks and achieve its mission, Kovesi wrote, adding that it is incumbent on the Commission to abstain from any measure that could jeopardize the attainment of the Treaty objective entrusted to EPPO in combating crimes affecting the financial interests of the Union. In response to the EPPOs letter, a Commission spokesperson said: The Commission has replied to EPPO within the designated period for an amicable settlement. In its reply, the Commission has expressed willingness to continue to support the IT services of EPPO for the foreseeable future under specific conditions. We cannot comment further. What Conditions? What are the Commissions specific conditions? Who knows? Presumably, Kovesi or someone else at the EPPO will soon find out in a private meeting and certainly not by text message if they havent already. As for the rest of us, we will probably never know. By all outward appearances, the Commission is sending a message to the EPPO to stay in its lane, and not ruffle any feathers at the Berlaymont, particularly those of the president as she prepares to secure a second term. Otherwise, the flow of funds will slow. If that is indeed the case, it raises serious questions about the EPPOs operational independence. That in turn throws up yet more questions about the state of the rule of law, democracy and judicial independence in the very heart of the EU, especially given how the Commission has been using judicial independence and rule of law issues (largely) as a pretext to withhold billions of euros of EU funds from Hungary over the past two years. In reality, the main reason for freezing the funds is President Viktor Orbans unyielding opposition to project Ukraine, as Conor Gallagher explained in a previous post. It is uncommon for an EU institution like the EPPO to threaten to sue the Commission, but according to the POLITICO EU piece, tensions have been building: Through an open letter sent to MEPs and public remarks at the European Parliament, Kovesi has for weeks been asking the Commission to reevaluate its decision to cut a substantial part of the support it provides to the Luxembourg-based EPPO team, who have recently taken over a case looking into von der Leyens handling of Covid vaccine deals. The Pfizergate story was first broken in April 2021 by the New York Times when it revealed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had negotiated a contract for 1.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses during the pandemic with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in mobile phone texts. Those texts remain undisclosed to this day. They may have already been destroyed. In May 2021, the journalist Alexander Fanta tried to obtain a copy through an FOI request but the Commission refused. Since then the New York Times has presented a legal complaint against VdL based on articles 41 and 42 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union articles that recognise the right of access to the documents of the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission. In April 2023, Federic Baldan, a Belgian lobbyist specialising in EU-China trade relations, lodged a criminal complaint at the Lieges courthouse, accusing VdL of interference in public functions, destruction of public documents and illegal conflicts of interests and corruption. A dozen other organisations, individuals, and even the countries of Hungary and Poland (under the previous PiS-led government), have joined his complaint. The governments of Poland and Hungary did so after Pfizer and its German vaccine partner, BioNtech, announced they were suing both countries over their refusal to take delivery of millions more doses of their COVID-19 vaccines, many of which would never be used. There have already been at least 4 billion worth of wasted vaccine doses in the EU. More Questions Than Answers In its investigation, the EPPO can theoretically seize phones and other relevant material from the Commissions offices or in other countries in Europe. That doesnt appear to have happened yet. In fact, it is unclear just how far the EPPO investigation has progressed. There are still far more questions than answers regarding this case. What will happen to the charges being pursued in the Belgian investigation that do not fall within the EPPOs remit, such as interference in public functions and destruction of evidence? Today (May 17), the EPPO is presenting its indictment at a hearing before the Court of First Instance in Liege. It will try to explain why it and not Belgian prosecutors should be in charge of the investigation. According to sources cited by Euractiv, the Belgian investigating judge does not agree with the EPPO taking over the case and is calling for the case to remain in Belgian hands. If the EPPO does take over the case, how long will it be before its prosecutors actually present charges (assuming they ever will)? The EPPO has been investigating the EUs vaccine purchases for well over a year, yet no one has been charged in connection with the case. This has prompted accusations from some quarters that the EPPOs role in all this is to take the case off the hands of Belgian prosecutors and bury it, at least until well after the elections. In which case, why is the Commission threatening to cut the EPPOs operational budget? As I said, there are a lot more questions than answers. Heres what we do know so far: Maladministration. VdLs behaviour has been denounced by the European Ombudsman, Emily OReilly, who concluded in 2022 that the Commissions refusal to properly consider FOI requests for the text messages constitutes maladministration. More recently, OReilly has warned that the EUs mounting political scandals risk having a shattering effect on how people perceive and trust the entire project of European integration. VdLs behaviour has been denounced by the European Ombudsman, Emily OReilly, who concluded in 2022 that the Commissions refusal to properly consider FOI requests for the text messages constitutes maladministration. More recently, OReilly has warned that the EUs mounting political scandals risk having a shattering effect on how people perceive and trust the entire project of European integration. Auditors up in arm s . A September 2022 report by the EUs Court of Auditors claims that VdL threw out the existing rule book by directly participating in preliminary negotiations for the vaccine contract, in a total departure from the EUs standard negotiating procedures. The Commission then refused to provide the auditors with records of the discussions with Pfizer. A senior auditor told POLITICO EU that the Commissions refusal to divulge information was highly unusual: This comes up almost never. Its not a situation that we at the court normally face. . A September 2022 report by the EUs Court of Auditors claims that VdL threw out the existing rule book by directly participating in preliminary negotiations for the vaccine contract, in a total departure from the EUs standard negotiating procedures. The Commission then refused to provide the auditors with records of the discussions with Pfizer. A senior auditor told POLITICO EU that the Commissions refusal to divulge information was highly unusual: This comes up almost never. Its not a situation that we at the court normally face. Refusal to testify . Both VdL and Bourla were called to testify to the European Parliaments COVID inquiry. Bourla refused, on two occasions, and ending up sending one of his minions, while European Parliament bigwigs rallied around to protect VdL from a public grilling. Instead, she was invited to answer questions in private at a future meeting of the Conference of Presidents. A motion tabled by the recently deceased French Green Party leader Michele Rivasi to at least curtail Pfizer lobbyists privileged access to EU institutions was blocked by the European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. . Both VdL and Bourla were called to testify to the European Parliaments COVID inquiry. Bourla refused, on two occasions, and ending up sending one of his minions, while European Parliament bigwigs rallied around to protect VdL from a public grilling. Instead, she was invited to answer questions in private at a future meeting of the Conference of Presidents. A motion tabled by the recently deceased French Green Party leader Michele Rivasi to at least curtail Pfizer lobbyists privileged access to EU institutions was blocked by the European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. Familial conflicts of interes t . VdL has also faced accusations of conflicts of interest over her husbands role as scientific director at US biotech company Orgenesis. Heiko von der Leyen was appointed to the role just months before the Commission signed the mega-deal with Pfizer. Orgenesis would go on to receive around 320 million in EU-backed subsidies from the Italian government, shortly after which Heiko was elected to sit on the supervisory board of the project. He stepped down from the board after EU lawmakers and Italian media drew attention to his role. VdRs public declaration of interest did not mention her husbands position on the board and was only updated after the allegations were made public. . VdL has also faced accusations of conflicts of interest over her husbands role as scientific director at US biotech company Orgenesis. Heiko von der Leyen was appointed to the role just months before the Commission signed the mega-deal with Pfizer. Orgenesis would go on to receive around 320 million in EU-backed subsidies from the Italian government, shortly after which Heiko was elected to sit on the supervisory board of the project. He stepped down from the board after EU lawmakers and Italian media drew attention to his role. VdRs public declaration of interest did not mention her husbands position on the board and was only updated after the allegations were made public. A history of deleting sensitive information . This is not the first time that VdL has faced a criminal investigation for alleged deliberate destruction of evidence. In late 2019, just after VdL had resigned as German Defence Minister, Tobias Lindner, a member of the opposition Green party, filed a complaint over suspected deliberate destruction of evidence requested by a German parliamentary committee investigating lucrative contracts her defense ministry had awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight. Just as in Pfizergate, VdL was accused of deleting all of her mobile communications, not on one phone but two. . This is not the first time that VdL has faced a criminal investigation for alleged deliberate destruction of evidence. In late 2019, just after VdL had resigned as German Defence Minister, Tobias Lindner, a member of the opposition Green party, filed a complaint over suspected deliberate destruction of evidence requested by a German parliamentary committee investigating lucrative contracts her defense ministry had awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight. Just as in Pfizergate, VdL was accused of deleting all of her mobile communications, not on one phone but two. EU security and weapons procurement. If VdL wins reelection in two weeks time, she is determined to play a larger role in Europes security. Given her disastrous record as German defence minister, which included a committee investigation into potential nepotism and malfeasance among her close advisers, this should give everyone serious pause. As part of her plan, she has pledged to create a new disinformation unit for detecting and weeding out online disinformation promoted by foreign agents while inoculating (interesting choice of words) EU citizens against false information through education. The Orwellian title for this new initiative? European Democracy Shield. The irony of VdL, once described by POLITICO EU as Europes American president, talking about the risks posed by foreign agents is certainly rich. VdL also wants to play a larger role in the procurement of weapons for EU member states, building on the apparent success of the Commissions vaccine purchases. As we first reported in October 2022, the Commission wants a direct role in procuring not only vaccines for all EU Member States, but also energy and even arms, arguing that pooling demand through a commission-run platform would allow EU Members to secure better terms from suppliers. Yet that is the exact opposite of what appears to have happened with the Pfizer BioNTech deal: the more vaccines the Commission agreed to buy, the higher the price went up. In a speech to the European Parliament in February, VdL called for joint defence procurement to reassure Europes defence industry that it will be able to find buyers for its increased production. She also said it was time to start a conversation about using the windfall profits of frozen Russian assets to jointly purchase military equipment for Ukraine. As the German satirist and a German MEP and former editor-in-chief of the Satirical magazine Titanic, Martin Sonneborn, documented in an article last May, similar procedural irregularities and opacity to those witnessed in the Commissions vaccine deals are already in evidence, even at this early stage in proceedings: The Commission has entrusted the approval of projects from the 8 billion European Defence Fund to an opaque network of external experts without even remotely guaranteeing that conflicts of interest will be avoided and that the EU code of conduct will be observed. According to Politico, Ombudsman Emily OReilly pointed out that the names of these experts were nowhere to be found, which is unusual by EU standards and which she says undermines public scrutiny. Of course, energy and arms particularly arms, as US readers well know are two industries where huge sums of money change hands, and often not in the most transparent of ways. Ungodly sums of money can get lost in the process. Whatever the outcome of the multiple investigations VdL faces, the Commissions handling of the COVID-19 vaccine purchases for the entire 27-nation bloc has demonstrated that it cannot be trusted to abide by even the most basic standards of transparency or accountability in its dealings with large corporations. It still remains to be seen whether the accusations against VdL end up harming her bid to secure a second mandate. Even if that were to happen, it appears that French President Emmanuel Macron, who was instrumental in appointing VdL as Commission president, already has a plan-B candidate up his sleeve: Mario Draghi, the consummate technocrat-cum-Goldman Sachs alum who has already served as Italian prime minister despite never standing for election and who has compiled an as-yet unpublished report on the future of EU economic competitiveness which is expected to have significant influence on the Commissions next mandate. Per Bloomberg, VdL is grappling with deep dissatisfaction in many European capitals, including Paris, over how she has run the commission over the past five years particularly the way in which she has over-politicised the role, taking unilateral decisions in key areas where she has no purview. Even if VdL is selected by the national leaders at the EU post-election summit, she would still face a daunting confirmation vote in the European parliament. In 2019, she was elected by only nine votes, despite having no challengers. Her margins are likely to be even finer this year, given the expected increase in support for populist parties. In California, otters are turning to tools to eat prey in Monterey Bay The Hill The Dow Hit 40,000. It Doesnt Matter. John Authers, Bloomberg When Economists Navigate by the Stars Federal Reserve Bank of RIchmond Climate Pandemics China? So Many Questions, So Little Time for Pacific Logistics RAND Land Forces in the Pacific Mick Ryan, Futura Doctrina. Awesome. Land wars in Asia. Lessons from the Red Sea: Considerations for Naval Strategy in the 21st Century US Naval Institute Myanmar Western volunteers join the battle against Myanmars military regime Al Jazeera. The last thing Myanmar needs, except for NGOs. The Koreas India Partners in Growth? Phenomenal World Syraqistan NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana underlined the importance of boosting Allies resilience against sabotage and cyber-attacks during a speech at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin on Thursday (16 May 2024). We need to be more resilient and better prepared to counter and contest hostile actions or attacks, he said. While NATO was stronger than ever, the current times were nothing short of a systemic earthquake, the Deputy Secretary General stressed. But NATO also had more partners around the world, including countries, organisations, and companies. And we are deepening our cooperation with many of them. He explained the importance of boosting resilience and investing in innovation. A new security landscape in Europe is in the making. What we do, and do not do, will define the decades to come. Mr Geoana praised Germany as an Ally: Your leadership makes NATO stronger, he said. And a strong NATO is what we need in these more dangerous times. The Deputy Secretary General also thanked the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for its support in promoting democratic values. During his visit the Deputy Secretary General also met parliamentarians in the German Bundestag to plan for the NATO Summit in July. Speaking at NATOs 2024 Cyber Defence Pledge Conference in the Hague on Friday (17 May), NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said that Allies "must be big on ambition" on cyber defence and called for "a new mindset" to strengthen our resilience against cyber threats. Our adversaries are increasingly defying international norms and using cyber and hybrid operations against us Mr Geoana said, stressing that there is no peace in cyberspace. The Cyber Defence Pledge, established in 2016, is helping boost Allies cyber defences. It is also helping to strengthen national networks and infrastructures, and enhance NATOs collective resilience to cyber threats. Following the 2023 Vilnius Summit, Allies have taken further steps to develop a cyber maturity model to help focus their resources more efficiently. Looking ahead, NATOs Deputy Secretary General stressed the importance of strengthening civil-military cooperation at all times, including through closer cooperation with the tech industry. He indicated that this will be a focus of the upcoming Washington Summit. He welcomed the participation, for the first time, of eighteen NATO partner countries in the Cyber Defence Pledge Conference. Cyber is something that our partners most request from Allies, the Deputy Secretary General said. I encourage all Allies to be open to these requests, and help all of us become stronger and more resilient in cyberspace. The Netherlands and Romania co-hosted NATOs 2024 Cyber Defence Pledge Conference. Following his address, the Deputy Secretary General met with the Dutch Minister of Defence, Kasja Ollongren, and with students from Leiden University to discuss NATOs agenda for the Washington Summit. Despite BILLIONS of taxpayer money spent, the Biden administration has only built SEVEN new EV charging stations Taxpayers in the United States have paid over $1 billion and two years of effort for the construction of new electric vehicle charging stations. Yet, the federal government has only been able to build seven EV charging stations and 38 parking spaces for EVs out of the $7.5 billion allocated to help build those stations out of a targeted 500,000 new charging stations built by 2030. This inefficiency fueled public frustration over tax expenditures and government mismanagement highlighting the challenge of building a nationwide EV charging network. When President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in November 2021, he allocated $7.5 billion for the building of new EV charging stations. Of this, $5 billion was given to states to fund the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program aimed at establishing a rapid charger network along major highways. Progress, however, has been slow with only seven EV chargers built across four states. This slow pace could impede the government-mandated transition to more EV usage especially given the Environmental Protection Agency's new emission regulations requiring more electric and hybrid cars. Twelve additional states that have awarded contracts for charging station construction have yet to begin or complete building of new charging stations. Seventeen other states have yet to issue proposals. Alexander Laska, deputy director for Transportation & Innovation, Climate and Energy Program at Third Way, expressed concerns about the project's timeline. Delays were partly due to new standards for EV chargers, which must provide 150 kilowatts of electricity, have 97 percent uptime and be located within a mile of a highway. 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. These standards, while necessary, reportedly complicated approval processes and energy requirementsslowing progress. The NEVI program aimed to reduce "range anxiety" by increasing rapid charging capacity by 50 percent, but states must first build the EV chargers. Currently, the U.S. only has slightly under 10,000 fast charging stations, including over 2,000 Tesla Superchargers that are considered fairly reliable. Non-Tesla charging stations often suffer from poor performance. Concerns raised over Biden administration's mismanagement of taxpayer dollars In a letter to the Biden administration, Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Jeff Duncan (R-SC) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA) voiced concerns about the alleged mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. "We have significant concerns that under your efforts American taxpayer dollars are being woefully mismanaged," they wrote. "The problems with these programs continue to grow delays in the delivery of chargers, concerns from states about labor contracting requirements and minimum operating standards for chargers" Nick Nigro, founder of market research firm Atlas Public Policy, noted that state transportation agencies that received the funds generally lacked experience in deploying EV charging stations before this law. The Federal Highway Administration responded to criticisms by emphasizing its commitment to creating a reliable nationwide EV charging network, noting progress as states bring NEVI stations online. A White House spokesperson added that EV sales were rising faster than sales for traditional gas-powered cars. The White House then claimed this is because of Biden's "Investing in America Agenda," which aimed to make EVs more affordable and charging more accessible. (Related: Sustainable energy? Individual EV charging stations use equivalent power of 280 homes every single hour.) Learn more about electric vehicle infrastructure in America at RoboCars.news. Watch the following video about how Tesla charging stations are being stripped for copper, leaving Tesla owners stranded at charging stations without a way to leave. This video is from the PureTrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Transportation Secretary Buttigieg admits finding reliable EV charging stations is DIFFICULT. Electric vehicle entrepreneur struggles to find charging station for his car during road trip. EV owners complain about "logistical nightmare" caused by lack of charging stations. Sources include: GreatGameIndia.com OilPrice.com AFDC.Energy.gov CBSNews.com WhiteHouse.gov Brighteon.com China launches spacecraft that will explore the hidden side of the moon China recently launched Chang'e-6, a robotic spacecraft, on a round trip to the far side of the moon The May 3 launch is the first of three "technically demanding missions" that will lay the foundations for an inaugural Chinese-crewed landing and a base on the lunar south pole. Since the first Chang'e mission in 2007, named after a lunar deity in Chinese mythology, China has made significant advances in its lunar exploration. The country has quickly narrowed its technological gap with the United States and Russia. Back in 2020, China brought back samples from the moon's near side in the first sample retrieval in over four decades. The successful mission confirmed for the first time that it could safely return an uncrewed spacecraft to Earth from the lunar surface. China launched Chang'e-6 using the backup spacecraft from the 2020 mission to gather soil and rock samples from the "hidden" side of the moon that permanently faces away from Earth. But with no direct line of sight with the Earth, Chang'e-6 will depend on a recently deployed relay satellite orbiting the moon during its 53-day mission. The mission will also try a never-before-attempted ascent from the moon's "hidden" side on its return journey home. The same relay satellite will support the uncrewed Chang'e-7 and 8 upcoming missions in 2026 and 2028, respectively, which is when China plans to probe the south pole for water and build a rudimentary outpost with Russia. China has announced that it plans to put its astronauts on the moon by 2030. (Related: NASA sounds alarm over Chinas plans to control parts of the moon.) 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. Chang'e 6 will attempt to land on the northeastern side of the South Pole-Aitkin Basin, a vast and the oldest known impact crater in the solar system. Researchers have described the moon's south pole as the "golden belt" for lunar exploration. Polar ice could sustain long-term research bases without requiring expensive resources transported from Earth. In 2008, India's Chandrayaan-1 confirmed the existence of ice inside polar craters. Chang'e-6's sample return could also unearth more information about the early evolution of the moon and the inner solar system. The lack of volcanic activity on the moon's far side suggests that there are more craters not covered by ancient lava flows, preserving materials from the moon's early formation. To date, all lunar samples taken by the U.S. and the former Soviet Union in the 1970s were from the moon's near side. Chang'e-6 will gather at least two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of samples with a mechanical scoop and a drill. NASA worried about China's ambitious missions The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is worried about Beijing's ambitious plans. NASA administrator Bill Nelson has even warned several times that China would claim any water resources as its own. Despite his warnings, Beijing claims that it remains committed to working with all countries on building a "shared" future. China's Chang'e-6 will transport payloads from France, Italy, Pakistan and Sweden. Meanwhile, Chang'e-7 will carry payloads from Russia, Switzerland and Thailand. U.S. law bans NASA from any collaboration, direct or indirect, with China. Under the separate NASA-led Artemis program, U.S. astronauts will land near the lunar south pole in 2026. The astronauts will be the first humans on the moon since 1972. Clive Neal, a professor of planetary geology at the University of Notre Dame, explained that international cooperation is crucial to lunar exploration. He added that while "China and the U.S. aren't cooperating right now," he hopes that it will become a possibility in the future. Leonard David, the author of "Moon Rush: The New Space Race," said that China's mission to the hidden side of the moon "would be a milestone-making event." "The robotic reach to the Moon's far side, and bringing specimens back to Earth, helps fill in the blanks about the still-murky origin of our Moon," added David. However, not everyone is excited about China's moon missions. Military analysts have warned that, if war breaks out among the major spacefaring nations, the first shots could be fired in space. China has also developed technology capable of targeting U.S. satellites. The former also has the tech for better monitoring Earth and developing coordination between land, sea, air and space operations. Reports suggest that the Pentagon is focusing on the development of technology that can counter China's alleged plans to take out U.S. satellites. Tory Bruno, the chief executive of United Launch Alliance (ULA), said engineers are working on maneuverable satellites that could move out of the way of Chinese satellites that are fitted with robotic arms to take them out of orbit. Experts have also advised that the stakes in the race for the dominance of space "could not be higher." After all, the winner will have control over the moon and might also emerge as "the top power on Earth." Visit Space.news for more news about the race to explore the moon and the rest of outer space. Watch this clip about China's taikonauts. This video is from the DITRH channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: China planning to ANNEX SPACE, control the moon. Strange source of water on the moon connected to Earths magnetic shield. Indias Chandrayaan-3 first to land near the moons south pole. Just days after Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said moon is made of "gases," NASA director Bill Nelson says far side of moon is "always dark" is everybody in government an idiot? Sources include: Reuters.com BusinessInsider.com Brighteon.com Jewish students endangered not because of anti-Israel protests, but because of police involvement and third-party doxing of participants Contrary to mainstream media, the government and other Israeli violence sympathizers' narrative that the Gaza solidarity protests are antisemitic, unnecessary and disruptive, a Columbia University sociology PhD student said that the claims are dangerous distractions from real threats to safety , especially to Jewish students like him. "As a Jewish student at Columbia, it depresses me that I have to correct the record and explain what the real risk to our safety looks like," Jonathan Ben-Menachem wrote in his Substack newsletter titled "Zeteo." "I still can't quite believe how the events on campus over the past few days have been so cynically and hysterically misrepresented by the media and by our elected representatives." The anti-Israel rallies started at his university a few weeks ago. The first peaceful campus protest was organized by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) coalition, which represents more than 100 student organizations, including Jewish groups, who vowed not to leave the grounds until the university divests from companies that profit from their ties to Israel. They prayed, chanted, ate pizza and condemned the university's complicity in Israel's attacks on Gaza. However, the campus' response to the encampments was an "imposition of a miniature police state," Ben-Menachem said. Just over a day after the encampment was formed, university President Minouche Shafik authorized the New York Police Department (NYPD) to clear the lawn and load 108 students, which included Jews, onto Department of Corrections buses to be held at NYPD headquarters. 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. "One Jewish student told me that she and her fellow protesters were restrained in zip-tie handcuffs for eight hours and held in cells where they shared a toilet without privacy," Ben-Menachem said. There were also reports of various arrests where violence was implied. However, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell later told the Columbia Spectator that "the students that were arrested were peaceful, offered no resistance whatsoever, and were saying what they wanted to say peacefully." Suppression did not stop when the protesters were arrested with force as dozens of undergraduates who were nabbed have been locked out of their dorms without notice. Barnard College, an affiliate of Columbia, gave students just 15 minutes to retrieve their belongings after returning from lockup and finding themselves evicted. Also, suspended students are still not able to return to campus and struggling to access food or medical care. Giving us 15 minutes to pack up and leave from our housing is seriously twisted. I am not surprised at all I am glad administration is finally showing their face to the general student body, because student organizers have known from the start how evil these administrators are. pic.twitter.com/gnFxSMWZYA maryam ??????? (@bluepashminas) April 19, 2024 "This crackdown was the most violence inflicted on our student body in decades. I implore you, as our Jewish Voice for Peace chapter does, to consider whether arresting Jewish students keeps us and Columbia safe," he said. Smears from the press and pro-Israel influencers, who have levied charges of antisemitism and violence against Jewish students, are a dangerous distraction from real threats to our safety. The real danger started when the Columbia administration invited police onto campus. Also, third-party organizations dox undergraduates while some politicians compare student organizers to neo-Nazis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration even called for a National Guard deployment at the university rallies. "I am wary of a hysterical campus discourse gleefully amplified by many of the same charlatans who have turned DEI into a slur that draws attention away from the ongoing slaughter in the Gaza Strip and settler violence in the occupied West Bank. We should be focusing on the material reality of war: the munitions our government is sending to Israel, which kill Palestinians by the thousands, and the Americans participating in the violence," Ben-Menachem appealed. "Forget the fringe folks and outside agitators: the CUAD organizers behind the campus protests have rightfully insisted on divestment as their most important demand of the Columbia administration, and on sustained attention to the situation in Palestine." (Related: NYC Mayor Eric Adams wrongly accuses Columbia University visitor of being an outside agitator during Gaza solidarity protest.) Pro-Palestine graduates hold "silent walkout" during commencement exercises Demonstrations continued and new encampments were erected at universities across the country during the weekend of commencement ceremonies. In fact, during the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) graduation, dozens of students silently walked out as Gov. Glenn Youngkin delivered the commencement address. Before the event, VCU said on its website ahead of commencement that disruptions at the ceremony were strictly prohibited. But student groups, including the VCU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, left the ceremony to protest Youngkins policies and his role in the arrests of pro-Palestinian student protesters in April. REPORTING LIVE: Graduating students are flooding into the Greater Richmnd Convention Center, where they will undergo the spring 2024 commencement ceremony. Students are expected to walk out of the ceremony in protest of Gov. Glenn Youngkin appearing as the keynote speaker. pic.twitter.com/5BitLOwyh9 The Commonwealth Times (@theCT) May 11, 2024 On Saturday, students dressed in caps and gowns quietly marched toward the back of the Greater Richmond Convention Center, prompting some people in the crowd to erupt in cheers. The Commonwealth Times, the university's student newspaper, said in a post on X that the walkout was "in protest of Gov. Glenn Youngkin appearing as the keynote speaker." Other footage posted on X showed a group of people, including some graduates, outside the convention center chanting and holding signs, including one that read, "No graduation as usual." Attendees who left the convention center after the ceremony began would not be allowed to re-enter, the school said. Head over to Resist.news for more updates on the ongoing pro-Palestinian protests across the United States and even overseas. Sources for this article include: Zeteo.com NBCNews.com Defiant Netanyahu insists Israel will act alone if U.S. doesnt provide more weapons for Rafah offensive Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that even if President Biden makes good on his threat to withhold some arms from the Jewish state, they will press forward with their offensive in Gaza anyway. Biden recently took a strong stance against a potential Israeli invasion of the city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are believed to be taking shelter, announcing that the U.S. will not provide Israel with any offensive weapons for such an effort. However, Netanyahu said in a statement that they are prepared to take action even without American support, insisting that if we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than our fingernails, and with that strength of spirit, with God's help, together we shall be victorious." The country's top military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, claims that America's weapons are not needed anyway, saying: The army has munitions for the missions it plans, and for the missions in Rafah, too -- we have what we need. It is believed that around 1.3 million Palestinians are currently seeking refuge in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, which amounts to more than half of the enclave's population. Gaza is already suffering from a devastating humanitarian crisis, and much of the world is opposed to an invasion there. According to the UN, most Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from hunger, with northern Gaza already in the throes of a full-blown famine. Given that even smaller Israeli operations, such as a tank brigade recently capturing the Gazan side of a border crossing in Rafah, have been enough to seriously compromise humanitarian operations, a full-scale invasion could be the final straw. Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Use our decentralized, blockchain-based, uncensorable free speech platform at Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions. The Biden administration maintains that it will not support a major invasion of Rafah without a credible plan in place to ensure the safety of noncombatants. In an interview with CNN, Biden admitted that some of the American weapons that have been sent to Israel have been used to kill Gazan civilians. Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers, he said. 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, he added. However, he said America remains committed to providing Israel with defensive weapons such as the Iron Dome air defense system. For its part, Israel continues to insist that going into Rafah is necessary because it is a Hamas stronghold, and they have already started warning some people in the eastern part of the city to "evacuate immediately ahead of an impending military operation there. Biden's refusal to send weapons a major setback for Israel Israeli officials have reportedly expressed deep frustration to American officials about the paused shipments. Biden's refusal to send the weapons is considered a major setback for Israels war efforts as the U.S. has been their most powerful and important ally since the war broke out in October. Biden has long been pressuring Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza and improve the flow of humanitarian aid to the enclave. So far, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, and most of them are women and children. Around four-fifths of Gazans have been forced to flee their homes. Sources for this article include: YourNews.com APNews.com The NYT suddenly pivots against campus chaos, pretending like it was the champion of free speech and law and order all along All politicians are the epitome of saying one thing and doing anotherits part of their DNA. However, calling them hypocrites is too easy and lazy, almost as if were just shrugging it off and giving them a free pass. Their actions are more like a choreographed dance, gliding along with the spotlight. And make no mistake, both sides are shaking their thing in this performance, leaving we the people as the unfortunate audience of yet another political gong show. (Article republished from Revolver.news) This time around, we watch as Republicans flip the switch and crusade against free speech in the name of safety and democracy (sound familiar?). Meanwhile, the New York Times flips the script, backing away from the pro-Palestinian protesters while simultaneously posing as the big defenders of free speech and law and order. Of course, theyre conveniently glossing over their own history of cheering on tyrannical censorship. All of this unfolds as the right starts using the lefts censorship tactics to shut down so-called hate speech on campusesa term that doesnt even have a legal leg to stand onand now the Times has snatched up the free speech banner, strutting around and calling out the tyrannical censors on the right. And what does the right do in response? They just keep spinning in circles, blubbering on and on about hate speech. The New York Times: For years, right-wing Republicans, at the federal and state level, have found opportunities to crusade against academic freedom, with charges of antisemitism on campus serving as the latest vehicle. Speaker Mike Johnson of the House of Representatives used this moment of chaos as cover to begin a legislative effort to crack down on elite universities, and lawmakers in the House recently passed a proposal that would impose egregious government restrictions on free speech. The Senate should reject those efforts unequivocally. The lawmakers on the right, led by Speaker Johnson, have done the unthinkable. Theyve created a massive gap by pushing the lefts hate speech mantra, allowing the very tyrants weve been fighting against to grab hold of the free speech torch and march to victory. Revolver discussed this in a recent piece, warning that the Republican push to silence and chill dissenting political speech would backfire right in Americas face. The New York Times piece goes on: Schools ought to be teaching their students that there is as much courage in listening as there is in speaking up. It has not gone unnoticed on campuses but also by members of Congress and by the public writ large that many of those who are now demanding the right to protest have previously sought to curtail the speech of those whom they declared hateful. Establishing a culture of openness and free expression is crucial to the mission of educational institutions. That includes clear guardrails on conduct and enforcement of those guardrails, regardless of the speaker or the topic. Doing so would not only help restore order on college campuses today, but would also strengthen the cultural bedrock of higher education for generations to come. Short of threats, violence, and illegal or dangerous trespassing, which are clearly against the law, whether we like it or not, these pro-Palestinian protesters have the right to say what they want. Those of us on the right should not be obstructing their right to do so while simultaneously championing free speech for J6 political prisoners, President Trump, or Douglass Mackey. Thankfully, there are many true warriors on the right fighting for freedom of speech, like former Brazilian President Bolsonaro, whos currently getting the Trump treatment in his country. His son is championing real freedom, especially when its labeled so-called hate speech, because thats precisely when you need to fight the hardest to speak freely. ? ONLY ON ? can you get a shout-out from Brazilian President Bolsonaro's son and fellow patriot as we ALL do our part in the battle for free speech! Free speech is a human right, and if we lose it here, we lose it everywhere! pic.twitter.com/6ORHkRfjZG Diligent Denizen (@DiligentDenizen) May 7, 2024 Another one of those warriors is Elon Musk, who is also battling it out, scoring a huge victory against another group of tyrants: the Australian government, over free speech. ???BREAKING NEWS Elon Musk has won the Federal Court case against the Australian government over censorship. The Australian government wanted the Sydney stabbing of the Bishop to be removed but Elon refused. A win for free speech! pic.twitter.com/EpCTlXpBs5 Wise Philosophy (@Wise1Philosophy) May 13, 2024 While the aforementioned right-wing free speech warriors battle for God-given American rights and liberties, the GOP establishment, on the other hand, is in a moral panic over hate speech and anti-Semitism on college campuses when it should instead be calling simply for law and order whenever and wherever the left-wing mob is illegally threatening, intimidating, and disrupting order. You know its bad for the GOP establishment when the New York Times is grabbing the mantle of law and order right out from under its nose and chiding the GOP for impinging on free speech, all while the likes of Speaker Johnson and Fox News do a hate speech Chicken Little act. More from the NYT: Campuses should be able to tolerate some degree of disruption, which is inherent to any protest. That makes it even more important that school administrators respond when the permissible limits for speech are violated. During the current demonstrations, a lack of accountability has helped produce a crisis. It has left some Jewish students feeling systematically harassed. It has deprived many students of access to parts of campus life. On campuses where in-person classes or commencement exercises were canceled, students have watched their basic expectations for a university experience evaporate. And at times, the protesters themselves have been directly endangered the disarray and violence of the past weeks has been escalated by the continued involvement of both the police and external agitators. Amid the protests, there has been much discussion of both antisemitism and Islamophobia, and when the line is crossed into hate speech. There are profound risks to imposing overly expansive definitions of inappropriate speech, and universities have been rightly chided for doing so in the past. But it should be easy to agree that no student, faculty member, administrator or university staff member on a campus should be threatened or intimidated. School policies should reflect that, and they should be enforced when necessary. Of course, imminent, lawless threats, violence, and the like are illegal and must be punished if we are to have an orderly civilization. But where was the New York Times during the George Floyd summer of love, when violent, lawless, mostly peaceful thugs burned down half the countrys inner cities in the name of protesting? Obviously, the Times was cheering on the mostly peaceful protests and declaring riots the language of the unheard. Readf more at: Revolver.news Pro-life activist Lauren Handy sentenced to nearly 5 YEARS in prison for protesting in front of abortion clinic Coleen Kollar-Kotelly, a federal judge nominated by former President Bill Clinton, has sentenced the leader of an anti-abortion group to four years and nine months in prison for violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Lauren Handy, the former director of activism for Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), a group known for organizing protests outside D.C. area clinics and the U.S. Supreme Court, will also serve three years of supervised release following her prison term, with conditions restricting her from approaching reproductive health clinics within 1,000 feet without authorization. In 2020, Lauren Handy, the former director of activism for Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), a group known for organizing protests outside D.C. area clinics and the U.S. Supreme Court, was arrested for "conspiring and creating a blockade" at the entrance of Washington Surgi-Clinic on F Street to stop patients from entering the abortion clinic. Also arrested at the time were Handy's co-defendants Jay Smith, Johnathan Darnel, Herb Geraghty, Joan Andrews Bell, William Goodman, Paulette Harlow, Jean Marshall, John Hinshaw and Heather Idoni. All defendants coordinated their plan in a Facebook group and traveled to the clinic from different states to block the facility using chains, bike locks, furniture and their bodies to stop patients from entering the abortion clinic. The group sat on chairs, sang hymns, prayed and protested against the clinic for "killing babies" even after birth. (Related: D.C. medical examiner will keep the remains of aborted babies recovered from abortion clinic, leaving open possibility of investigation and charges.) 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. However, inspectors have found no evidence that the clinic is performing abortion. In line with this, Handy, Hinshaw, Idoni, Goodman and Geraghty were convicted of felony conspiracy against rights and a FACE Act offense in 2023. Smith pleaded guilty to the charges and served 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, while others who did not plead guilty face up to 11 years in jail for blocking the clinic. Federal judge condemns pro-life activists for protecting the life of the unborn Martin Cannon, a defense attorney from the anti-abortion law firm The Thomas Moore Society and representative for Handy, argued for a reduced sentence from the 63 to 78 months she faced under her federal sentencing guidelines. Cannon listed all of Handy's charitable works and her commitment to nonviolence. "I am here to argue that she is a person of good faith who is acting out of conscience," Cannon said. Moreover, Handy's attorneys have requested that she serve her sentence at FCI Danbury, a low-security facility in Connecticut. Kollar-Kotelly agreed with the reduced imprisonment and sentenced Handy from 78 months to 57 months in prison. However, Kollar-Kotelly rejected Handy's comparisons to civil rights icons Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. "The law does not protect violent and obstructive conduct, nor should it," Kollar-Kotelly said. "That's what youre being punished for today. Neither you nor any of the other co-conspirators showed any compassion, empathy, toward those two women needing medical care. Your views took precedence over, frankly, their human needs." Interestingly, the protest made by the pro-life activists happened around the time members of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) were roving the streets of D.C. burning down buildings and hurting people. They were blocking traffic and disrupting the movement of emergency vehicles that were trying to save people's lives. Yet, none of them were ever tried or convicted. Visit Abortions.news for more stories about abortion around the world. Watch this video exposing the dangers of chemical abortions under the Biden regime. This video is from the High Hopes channel at Brighteon.com. More related stories: Pro-lifers call for shutdown of U.S. Attorneys office in D.C., along with FBI field office and federal court, after protesters were thrown in a GULAG. While Democrats let actual criminals roam free, these two elderly women were CONVICTED and face 11 years in prison for peacefully blocking an abortion clinic. WATCH: Aggressive pro-abortion professor vandalizes table at Hunter College, accuses pro-life students of violence. Being pro-life a potential stepping stone to terrorism, says UK government. Pro-life groups sound alarm about new Alberta abortion clinic offering chemical abortion drugs via TELEMEDICINE. Sources include: ThePostMillenial.com Revolver.news MSN.com Russia intensifies ground assault in Kharkiv region Russian forces escalated their ground assault in Ukraine's Kharkiv region on Monday, May 13, launching attacks in new areas with small groups aimed at expanding the front and testing Ukrainian defenses, according to Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov. This strategic move is designed to divert Ukrainian forces from the eastern front, where Russia has been steadily advancing. Syniehubov described the situation as challenging, highlighting the deliberate strategy of the Russian military to widen the front lines by initiating attacks in various directions. The escalation began on May 10 when Russian troops advanced near Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, opening a new northeastern front in the ongoing conflict, which has primarily focused on the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. (Related: Russia ramping up production of weapons, ammunition ahead of expected offensive.) In response to the heightened Russian offensive, Ukraine appointed Brigadier General Mykhailo Drapatyi to lead the defense on the Kharkiv front. Drapatyi, previously in charge of operations in the southern Kherson region in November 2022 and serving as deputy head of the General Staff, now oversees defense efforts in this crucial area. Facing challenges due to a slowdown in Western military aid, particularly from the United States, the Ukrainian military is struggling to counter the larger Russian forces effectively. Despite these obstacles, Ukrainian forces are reportedly holding back Russian advances, although there is a persistent threat of the conflict spreading to more areas. 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. Russian military sources claimed to have captured nine villages in the Kharkiv region and reported further progress, asserting that their troops had strengthened their positions and inflicted significant losses on Ukrainian territorial defense forces. The Ukrainian military acknowledged some "tactical successes" by Russian forces in their daily update and indicated plans to deploy reserves to stabilize the situation. Intense fighting persists around the town of Vovchansk, located approximately five kilometers from the Russian border. Syniehubov stated that about 5,700 people had been evacuated from the Vovchansk area, urging the remaining approximately 300 residents to evacuate due to the escalating military activities. Blinken meets with Zelensky, conveys America's unwavering support for Ukraine On Tuesday, May 14, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his inaugural visit to Kyiv, marking the Biden administration's first official presence in Ukraine since the delayed approval of U.S. supplementary funding to the war-torn nation. During his visit, Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and delivered a speech emphasizing the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine across various domains, including military aid, economic assistance, energy cooperation and the promotion of democratic institutions. The visit comes at a critical juncture as Russia intensifies its offensive in northeastern Ukraine, making significant advances in the region over the past week. Blinken aims to convey a strong message of reassurance to the Ukrainian people amid these challenges. Blinken's trip follows the recent approval of a $95 billion foreign aid package by U.S. President Joe Biden, which includes nearly $61 billion earmarked for Ukraine. This funding was secured after a six-month effort by the White House to garner support. In addition to discussing the implementation of aid packages, Blinken will engage in talks about long-term security commitments and bilateral agreements with Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. He will also meet with representatives from civil society and the private sector to discuss Ukraine's economic recovery and ongoing security challenges. As Ukraine faces a challenging situation exacerbated by delays in U.S. support, Blinken and U.S. officials acknowledge the urgency of providing assistance to counter Russian aggression. Watch this video about Russia opening a new front in Kharkiv, Ukraine. This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Russia accuses Ukraine of using American-made chemical weapons. Ukraine RUNNING OUT of soldiers to fight Russia. Ukraine will JOIN NATO, Blinken announces, signaling imminent WWIII with Russia. Sources include: YourNews.com Edition.CNN.com Brighteon.com Thousands of Columbia University alumni sign letter vowing to withhold financial support over war in Gaza Columbia University alumni have issued a letter threatening to withhold financial support over the Gaza war if the Ivy League school does not meet their list of 13 demands. The letter, which has been signed by more than 1,800 alumni so far, demands that the university divest from "all companies and institutions that fund or profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and occupation in Palestine." Those who sign the statement are listed anonymously and are prompted to fill out a form with their degree year and affiliation, along with an estimate of the amount of money theyve given to the school so far in terms of donations, tuition and fees, along with their anticipated potential lost future contributions. The letter notes that the university has an undisclosed number of investments with a variety of entities that are either funding the Israeli military occupation or profiting from it. Studentswho paid $1.53 billion in tuition last year aloneare rightfully demanding that they have a say in where that money goes. We are in full support of Columbia University divesting from Israel, and we are beyond appalled at how far University administration has gone to protect their investments at the expense of student safety and intellectual inquiry, the letter notes. It is not just about finances, however; those who sign the letter are vowing to hit the school from all angles, asserting: As a unified coalition, we each pledge to withhold all financial, programmatic, and academic support of Columbia University until the demands in this letter are met. 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. It also calls on the university to drop all charges against student activists who have been demonstrating against the genocide in Gaza and demands that the university remove president Nemat Minouche Shafik from her role, taking aim at her decision to call in the NYPD Strategic Response Group to violently storm campus. They identified a number of military tactics that the group subjected students to, including the use of gunfire, flashbangs and stun grenades, in addition to forcibly removing hijabs from Muslim students in the presence of men, which violates their religious rights, and denying students access to medication, water and food when they were taken into police custody. It also demands that the university cover the healthcare costs for students who were brutalized by the NYPD on April 30th, 2024. In a section entitled For the Safety, Integrity, and Well-being of Columbia and Surrounding Community they called on the university to hold administrators, faculty members and affiliates who have assaulted and harassed students accountable and to sever all academic ties with the entire country of Israel, including their GS dual degree program in conjunction with Tel Aviv University and their global center in Tel Aviv. According to a financial contribution ticker on the website where the letter is published, $111 million in financial contributions are at risk. Alumni reject administrations use of false antisemitism claims to justify actions against protesters Crucially, the letter notes that the university has been using claims of combating antisemitism to justify their brutal assault on student protesters. It says that the signatories of the letter who are Jewish take issue with the narrative that criticizing Israel is inherently antisemitic and points out that many Jewish people support the idea of Palestinian liberation. Baseless claims of antisemitism have been increasingly used to silence critics of Israel, falsely equating any calls for an end to genocide in Gaza with a hatred toward Jewish people. Weaponizing claims about antisemitism to silence student speech is based on faulty logic, harms Jewish students, and distracts from true antisemitism, including the attempts by a craven American right to tokenize, exploit, and appropriate Jewish trauma and resilience, the letter states. Sources for this article include: MiddleEastEye.net WeAreColumbia.org Barge strikes Pelican Island Bridge in Galveston, causing oil spill and bridges partial collapse On Wednesday, May 15, a tugboat operator leaving the nearby container terminal Texas International Terminals lost control of two barges it was pushing. One of the barges, owned by Martin Petroleum, struck the Pelican Island Bridge at around 10 a.m. Central Time. "The current was very bad, and the tide was high," said David Flores, a bridge superintended with the Galveston County Navigation District. "He lost it." The impact caused a portion of the bridge to collapse. The impact even sent massive pieces of the bridge tumbling on top of the barge. The impact also affected nearby electric lines, causing a temporary power outage on Pelican Island. Galveston County Judge Mark Henry reported that the collision resulted in a spill of vacuum gas oil. The barge has a capacity of 30,000 gallons, but Henry reported that it is unknown at this time how much oil was on board when it struck the bridge. Two people jumped off the barge in the collision, but they were quickly rescued. No injuries were reported. Multiple local and state officials have responded to the incident, including officials from the Texas Department of Transportation, and fire, police and emergency management officials from the City of Galveston. The Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) has even sent units to help out, as its main campus is on Pelican Island. The United States Coast Guard has also been called in to determine the extent of the spill and initiate the containment and cleanup process. 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. On Wednesday night, local officials allowed residents to cross the bridge on foot. As of press time, one lane of the bridge has reopened to allow people to leave the island, but cars are still not allowed to drive into Pelican Island. (Related: Two Pittsburgh bridges closed after 26 barges broke loose on Ohio River.) Collision could affect Galveston's local economy Ports along the Texas Gulf Coast are hubs for international trade, but experts have noted that the waterways along Pelican Island are lesser-used and the collision is unlikely to result in serious economic disruptions. "Because Pelican Island is a smaller location, which is not in the heart of commercial events, then the impact is not as devastating," noted Marcia Burns, a maritime transportation expert at the University of Houston. "It's a relatively smaller impact." However, the local economy could be affected, as Pelican Island is on the opposite side of Galveston Island's beaches which draw in millions of tourists each year. Pelican Island also hosts a shipyard and multiple industrial facilities. TAMUG reported that there were fewer than 200 people on campus when the collision happened, and students were allowed to leave after officials allowed Pelican Island residents to leave through the bridge. A handful of students may still be on campus, and university officials have warned those who left to "be prepared to remain off campus for an unknown period of time" should the bridge be shut down again. Visit Disaster.news for more stories like this. Watch this news clip from KTRK reporting on the barge that struck the Pelican Island Bridge. This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Another container ship "loses power" in NYC harbor right before Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. Rebuilding Francis Scott Key Bridge could cost $1 billion and take 10 years. Hundreds of jobs, millions in tax revenue at risk while Port of Baltimore remains closed. Cargo ship that hit Baltimore Bridge was also involved in Belgium collision in 2016. Sources include: Fox7Austin.com APNews.com Brighteon.com Bidens ICE to roll out pilot program giving illegal immigrants VALID IDs Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is set to roll out a pilot program for a controversial, taxpayer-funded ID card for illegal immigrants in a bid to modernize documentation processes for non-citizens. Initially reported in 2022, the "Secure Docket ID Card" initiative aims to enhance efficiency and security within the immigration system. Despite ICEs assurances, the program faces significant opposition from conservatives, who view it as a step towards legitimizing illegal immigration. (Related: Fox News leaks Bidens planned ICE ID card to keep track of illegal aliens.) ICE reportedly plans to roll out the Secure Docket pilot program in the coming weeks targeting illegal immigrants released into the United States. Expected to commence this summer, the program will start with providing approximately 10,000 cards distributed across three or four locations, with Atlanta and Houston being potential sites. The agency emphasized that the program is still in its development phase and subject to alterations. ICE asserted that the ID cards were designed solely for use by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies such as ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Citizenship and Immigration Services and will not serve as official federal identification. Instead, the ID cards will facilitate identity verification and access to essential immigration documents through DHS systems. Advocates of the ID card program highlighted its potential benefits, including enhanced efficiency, resource optimization and reduced vulnerability to document loss or degradation. 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. By transitioning from paper documents to secure ID cards, ICE aims to streamline processes and alleviate the agencys Freedom of Information Act backlog. Additionally, proponents argued that digital modernization would provide ongoing access to critical immigration documents for provisionally released non-citizens. Conservatives concerned program could facilitate more illegal migration Despite ICEs assertions, the Secure Docket Card program faces staunch opposition from conservatives. Critics expressed broader concerns about the normalization of illegal immigration which they have described as an "invasion" orchestrated by the federal government and the potential repercussions of providing identification to unauthorized individuals. They feared that such initiatives could facilitate access to benefits, rights and even the creation of new identities exacerbating existing immigration challenges. The controversy surrounding the Secure Docket Card program reflected broader debates within the political landscape. Republicans have actively opposed President Joe Biden's immigration policies advocating stricter border controls and measures to deter illegal immigration. Efforts to add a citizenship question to the census and pass border security legislation underscored the contentious nature of the issue. National Immigration Center for Enforcement president and The Heritage Foundation visiting fellow RJ Hauman told Fox News Digital: "Just in time for the election, the Biden administration is quietly legitimizing a government-sanctioned invasion of our nation. Providing illegal aliens with identification will undoubtedly lead to obtaining other documents, benefits and rights or create an entirely new identity," added Hauman. "After all, most who cross the border have no identification information in their possession. So, how do we even know who they are? Biden claims government needs more funding to fix "broken system" of immigration In response to criticism, the Biden administration contended that it is addressing a multi-faceted crisis and working with a "broken system" necessitating comprehensive reforms. While advocating for bipartisan solutions, the administration emphasized the need for congressional support and funding to address systemic challenges within the immigration system but it has failed to drum up enough support from conservatives. According to data from the CBP, nearly eight million migrants have entered the country since 2021 when Biden assumed office, with over 189,000 individuals in March alone the most recent month for which data is available. Against this backdrop, the distribution of 10,000 ID cards under the pilot program would cover less than one percent of the total migrant population. The disparity between the programs scope and the scale of migration raised questions about its efficacy in addressing border immigration challenges. Several Republican House lawmakers have voiced opposition to the program by introducing legislation to block its implementation. They argued that providing ID cards to illegal immigrants could incentivize further unauthorized migration exacerbating existing challenges at the southern border. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), a co-sponsor of the "No IDs for Illegal Act," criticized the program and asserted that it rewarded criminal behavior and undermined the integrity of the immigration system. In a statement in October 2023, McCaul said: "Under the Biden administrations open-border policies, illegal border crossings have reached an unsustainable record high, wreaking havoc on our nations communities. Its incomprehensible to think we would reward this criminal behavior by granting those present in the country illegally an ID that all but legitimizes their presence and is intended to be used in ways beyond their immigration proceedings. Its insulting to those who made sacrifices to follow our nations laws to live the American dream." Watch the following video about leaked images that show Biden admin's ICE ID card for illegal immigrants. This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Worlds biggest biometric ID system experiences massive breach, impacting 10% of global population. Illegal immigrants are throwing away their military IDs before entering America, says Border Hawks Dan Lyman. INVASION USA: Swarm of military-aged immigrants arriving in Texas, citizen journalist warns. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com FoxNews.com 1 FoxNews.com 2 NYPost.com 1 NYPost.com 2 Brighteon.com DeSantis to start fundraising campaign for Trump in Florida and Texas Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is planning to set up a fundraising campaign for former President Donald Trump in Florida and Texas following a private meeting with him in April. The three-hour meeting, held at the Shell Bay Club in Hollywood, Florida, was organized by real estate investor Steve Witkoff for the two Republican rivals to bury the hatchet and explore ways to support the campaign to take back the White House for the GOP. During the meeting, DeSantis reportedly committed to supporting Trump against President Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election. The meeting concluded with the two men shaking hands to symbolize their newfound cooperation. "The conversation mostly concerned how we would work closely together to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. Also discussed was the future of Florida, which is FANTASTIC!" Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social. "I greatly appreciate Rons support in taking back our Country from the Worst President in the History of the United States." In response, anonymous sources disclosed that DeSantis is already making calls to donors, while his finance team is rapidly assembling a schedule that will likely include fundraising stops in Florida and Texas. "We are actively working on plans to fundraise in support of President Trump, as well as other Republicans up and down the ballot," said Taryn Fenske, a spokesperson for DeSantis. DeSantis committed to supporting GOP candidates across the board Even before their meeting, DeSantis already announced his intentions to assist in fundraising campaigns for Trump to a group of donors and supporters during a private retreat at South Floridas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. 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. "He did say it in front of a group of people at the Hard Rock," confirmed a DeSantis adviser. The adviser stressed DeSantis' commitment to supporting Republican candidates across the board, including Trump's own campaign. (Related: DeSantis withdraws from presidential race, endorses DONALD TRUMP.) "[Trump] has my endorsement because we can't go back to the old [Republican] guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that [former South Carolina Gov.] Nikki Haley represents," DeSantis said at the time. "I signed a pledge to support the GOP nominee and I will honor that pledge." Attendees of the retreat, including many prominent bundlers, are set to follow DeSantis' lead in supporting Trump. "I will follow the governors lead and I will do anything that he or President Trump ask me to do to help him win this election," said Texas businessman Roy Bailey, a former co-chair of DeSantis national finance advisory board at that time of the retreat. "I know where there are DeSantis supporters all over Texas and all over the country that will want to help President Trump. So thats what Ill try to make happen." Meanwhile, a Trump campaign adviser mentioned they were unaware of DeSantis' planned fundraising campaigns but stressed the importance of unity in defeating Biden: "Everyone should be working toward defeating Joe Biden and electing President Trump." Head over to Trump.news for more stories about the former president's campaign. Watch this Fox News report about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropping out of the GOP presidential race and endorsing Trump. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Trump thanks former rival DeSantis for RAISING FUNDS for his campaign. DeSantis DROPS OUT of presidential race, leaving Trump as clear Republican nominee. Trump meets with DeSantis in quest for donors, calls for protests to be shut down one day later. Major DeSantis donor now bankrolling Donald Trumps election campaign. Vivek Ramaswamy drops out of Republican primary race, endorses Donald Trump. Sources include: 100PercentFedUp.com APNews.com 1 APNews.com 2 NBCNews.com APNews.com 3 Brighteon.com Does Western civilization any longer exist? Western Civilization has long been under attack by its own intellectuals and professors. Is there anything left of it? (Article republished from PaulCraigRoberts.org) I defend Western Civilization, but Is there any civilization left to defend when the leaders of Western governments endorse Genocide not only of the Palestinians but of their own white ethnicities and brand criticism of Palestinian Genocide as anti-semitism and criticism of white replacement as a hate crime? Even Donald Trump, whose own right to speak is being throttled, wants to deport those who protest Israels Palestinian Genocide. The question increasingly before me is: Is there anything left of the West to defend? How can we make America Great Again when there is nothing left with which to work? Even the leader who wants to make us great again opposes free speech. How can he possibly take the oath of office to defend the Constitution? When Im president, we will not allow our colleges to be taken over by violent radicals, and if you come here from a violent country and try to bring jihadism, or anti-Americanism, or antisemitism to our campuses, we will immediately deport you. Youll be out of that school. Donald Trump Trumps supporters cheered. Not even those who are for us understand that without free speech there is no accountability. I defend Christianity. Yet, Christian evangelicals and Christian Zionists support genocide. Western morality has been inverted. We now live in moral inversion. How can the indefensible be defended? Former British ambassador Craig Murray concludes that all that remains of the West is an Israeli colony: The only possible conclusion is that the Zionist political and media classes in the West, including Biden, Blinken, Trudeau, Macron, Sunak, Starmer, Scholtz, von der Leyen and all, are active and willing participants in a programme of genocide. The West is on its moral high horse about a Russian invasion of Ukraine, but fully supports Israels invasion of Gaza. https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/05/shameless-2/ Politicians such as Senator Marco Rubio have redefined protests against genocide to be anti-semitic pro-Hamas, pro-terrorist protests. Why do our elected representatives shame us in this way? How is it that we can defend Israel but not our own whiteness? Why does Israel have a right to exist, but not white ethnic nations? https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2024/04/29/the-shieldmaiden-takes-the-field-against-the-destroyers-of-the-west/ Vladek Filler, a legal immigrant from Kiev, Soviet Union, and a successful US citizen, wonders why feminists side with immigrant rape gangs against raped European women. https://vladekfiller.substack.com/p/feminists-silent-as-germany-allows What is left when feminists refuse to defend women? Read more at: PaulCraigRoberts.org Big Government censorship collusion with Big Tech RESUMES efforts to block all misinformation before Election Day Just in time for the 2024 election, the federal deep state is working overtime to silence online free speech so the selected candidate "wins." Senate Intelligence Committee chair Mark Warner is behind the push to once again 'synchronize' the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and FBI with social media companies across the gamut, all for the purpose of steering users to the selected candidate(s). Using the excuse that they are fighting "misinformation" and "disinformation," Warner and other members of the deep state hope to squelch all online communications that threaten the establishment before the general public learns too much truth and votes another way. Believe it or not, the Biden regime actually did a good thing from the start of the current presidential term by "freezing" such collusion, because of the First Amendment case that is currently being deliberated by the Supreme Court in Murthy v. Missouri. Sad to say, that freeze has been reversed and now the internet is open game for deep state censorship as the election approaches. (Related: Did you know that the GOP is ordering the IRS to target student protesters at Gaza solidarity demonstrations?) When government becomes the enemy Warner, a Democrat the censors exist on both sides of the political aisle, just to be clear believes he found a valid argument to resume the practice of deep state collusion and censorship not only on social media but across the tech spectrum. Warner told reporters at the RSA IT security conference that his stance appears to coincide with the majority of Supreme Court justices, several of which were appointed by Donald Trump. 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. "There seemed to be a lot of sympathy that the government ought to have at least voluntary communications with (Big Tech firms)," Warner is quoted as saying. SCOTUS has not yet issued its final ruling on the case, but it seems as though we already know what that ruling is going to be, hence why Warner and his kind are taking full advantage of the court's temporary resumption of collusion allowances. Was it a coup for Trump to install these justices, or is the story still being written with a surprise ending? Stay tuned, is all that can really be said about that. According to Warner and his ilk, allowing people to speak freely online ahead of the 2024 election is hazardous because in his mind it threatens to upend the normal electoral process. He said he also believes that the system has been "too timid" in going after free speech online. Another excuse he is using besides "disinformation" is that free speech constitutes "foreign interference," and thus has to be stopped. In short, the Murthy v. Missouri case is going after Warner and the establishment for violating the First Amendment rights of Americans. It establishes that the government itself, which is supposed to represent We the People, has instead turned into a monster that dictates and controls We the People. What Warner and his ilk are trying to do is fully unconstitutional no matter how they try to spin it, and the question remains: will they get away with it or will this time be different? The case was originally brought to the courts by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who has been very busy lately going after a host of corruption embedded within the Washington, D.C., establishment. It is usually Democrats who play the "foreign meddling" card when trying to restrict free speech while Republicans seem to prefer calling things "terrorism" in order to scare their base into allowing the First Amendment to be eroded. How about we reject and ignore both parties and see what happens? The latest news about the deep state's assault on free speech can be found at FirstAmendment.news. Sources for this article include: ReclaimTheNet.org NaturalNews.com Hezbollah urges Lebanon to OPEN THE SEA to migrant boats to further destabilize Europe Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is urging Lebanese authorities to "open the sea" to migrant boats as a means to pressure Europe. His announcement comes ahead of the European Union's parliamentary elections on June 9, where immigration is a critical issue. In a televised address, Nasrallah called for "a national decision" for "anyone who wants to leave for Europe" to be allowed to leave for Cyprus, the closest EU country to Lebanon's Mediterranean coast. (Related: EU is codifying MIGRATION QUOTAS to flood Europe with illegals.) Many in Lebanon have long held the sentiment that the EU wants to keep the nearly two million Syrians displaced by the ongoing Syrian Civil War in the country. Many in Lebanon have long accused the EU of instituting policies to keep Syrian refugees in the country. Nearly two million Syrians, many of whom are undocumented, are residing in Lebanon due to the Syrian Civil War. The majority of the displaced Syrians belong to Sunni groups that are opposed to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, who is an ally and supporter of Hezbollah. The massive amount of refugees in Lebanon gives the country the highest per capita ratio of refugees to legal residents in the world. Beyond the refugee crisis, Lebanon has been in a deep economic crisis since 2019 and has repeatedly urged the international community to repatriate the refugees. The presence of nearly two million Syrians has sparked protests in the country, with many Lebanese frustrated by the influx. Some Lebanese politicians blame Syrians for the country's worsening situation, with tensions rising ahead of an annual EU conference on the future of Syria in Brussels on May 27. 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. However, Nasrallah clarified in his speech that he has no intention of pushing refugees to leave by "forcing displaced Syrians to board boats." EU providing over a billion euros to keep migrants in Lebanon Meanwhile, the EU has been working to keep Syrians in Lebanon amid growing anti-refugee sentiment across Europe. In early May, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a one billion euro ($1.09 billion) aid package to Beirut to combat illegal immigration. Many Lebanese see this as a bribe to keep Syrians from fleeing to Europe and making sure Lebanon bears the financial burden of caring for the refugees. Nasrallah pointed out that Syrians "are forbidden to leave and therefore turn to smuggling and inflatable boats, leading to drownings at sea because the Lebanese army is enforcing a policy to prevent emigration." He also urged the Parliament of Lebanon to pressure the EU and the United States to lift sanctions against Syria, which Damascus claims hinders aid and reconstruction and efforts to bring Syrians back. Lebanon must tell the West that "we must all coordinate with the Syrian government to send displaced people back to Syria and provide them with aid on the spot," he added. The EU's one billion euro initiative for Lebanon is meant to curb the influx of asylum seekers and migrants from Syria fleeing the country through the Mediterranean Sea to southern European nations like Cyprus and Italy. This initiative follows similar EU aid packages for countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Mauritania, aimed at reinforcing their borders. The move comes amidst growing hostility toward Syrian refugees in Lebanon and a notable increase in irregular migration of Syrian refugees from Lebanon to Cyprus. During a visit to Beirut alongside Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, Von der Leyen disclosed that the aid distribution would commence this year and continue until 2027. The bulk of the aid, amounting to 736 million euros ($799 million), will be directed toward supporting Syrian refugees and other vulnerable groups in Lebanon, while 200 million euros ($217 million) will be earmarked for enhancing Lebanese security services to enforce border and migration control, as per figures provided by the Cypriot government. Additionally, a portion of the aid will be allocated to support Lebanese fishermen, aiming to dissuade them from selling their boats to groups who smuggle migrants to Europe. Von der Leyen further announced the EU's commitment to facilitating a "more structured approach to voluntary return" of Syrian refugees in collaboration with the United Nations' refugee agency. The EU will also continue to uphold "legal pathways" for refugee resettlement in Europe. Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the aid package, emphasizing the interconnectedness of Lebanon's security with that of European countries and warning against the escalation of the crisis, which could have repercussions extending beyond Lebanon's borders. Watch this clip from Real America's Voice discussing how the White House has allocated $3.5 billion to support mass migration from the Middle East. This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Study finds MASS MIGRATION is a bigger problem than climate change. Be careful what you wish for: European commissioner wants EU to welcome ONE MILLION MIGRANTS each year to offset declining workforce. Leftist governments in Australia and Denmark now moving to halt MIGRATION. Sources include: RMX.com APNews.com Brighteon.com War on Gaza: How the western rules-based order is a sham It is not yet clear whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) will issue arrest warrants for top Israeli political and military leaders, as rumoured by the media in recent days. (Article by Marco Carnelos republished from MiddleEastEye.net) There has also been speculation that the US would seek to prevent this and Israel would consider retaliation, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was frightened and unusually stressed at the prospect. The ICC prosecutors office indirectly confirmed US activism and Israeli threats in a sober but unequivocal statement. Whether the warrants will ultimately be issued is irrelevant, as Netanyahu has already defined them as an outrage of historic proportions. Noting that bodies such as the ICC arose in the wake of the Holocaust (it was actually created decades later, in 2002), he said this would be the first time that a democratic country fighting for its life according to the rules of war, is itself accused of war crimes. Israel has even hinted that if the ICC proceeds with the warrants, it will retaliate against the Palestinian Authority in a way that could cause its collapse. With his typical insensitivity, Netanyahu allegedly asked the families of hostages to lobby the ICC on his behalf. Leaving aside such predictable reactions, it is important to note Israels contention that democracies, and particularly Israel, should not be judged on how they exercise their right to self-defence. The ICCs Rome Statute, signed by 124 countries, does not suggest that citizens of democratic nations should be exempt from its jurisdiction. Unsurprisingly, the US State Department rushed to assert that Washington does not recognise the ICCs jurisdiction over Israel, while curiously adding that the White House work[s] closely with the ICC on a number of key areas Ukraine, Darfur, Sudan. Neither Israel nor the US have ratified the Rome Statute, putting them outside the courts jurisdiction. The American Service-Members Protection Act, known informally and chillingly as the Hague Invasion Act, is also designed to shield American military personnel and other officials against criminal prosecution. In addition, Washington has levelled sanctions against ICC officials for their investigations into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan. Political expediency As dismaying as it might seem, while asserting that the court has no jurisdiction over Israel, the US has supported its investigation of Russia, which is also not a signatory, over the war in Ukraine. Such a position, like many others promoted by Washington, is easily encompassed in the so-called rules-based order (RBO). The US National Security Strategy published in October 2022 defined the rules-based order as the foundation for global peace and prosperity. How naive the rest of the world has been for so many decades in believing that such a foundation was provided by the UN Charter. Washington and its main allies are increasingly and inexplicably quoting the rules-based order to make their cases, to the point that leading American scholar Stephen Walt noted that referencing the concept seems to have become a job requirement for a top position in the U.S. foreign-policy apparatus. Are such references casual or deliberate? Professor John Dugard, an eminent scholar of international law, observed that western leaders have invoked the rules-based order to criticise non-western states, particularly Russia and China, for their international misconduct, but such references have been inconsistent or used interchangeably with international law. In an era of increasing great-power competition, the minimal requirement would be to have rules valid for all The use of the RBO, at least by US officials, is so assiduous that it is difficult to believe that it might be casual. Furthermore, in leading international law textbooks, there is no mention of the RBO; instead, there are references to the UN Charter and other UN or international treaties and conventions. Thus, it is very tempting to believe that the RBO is referenced out of political expediency, or worse, that it is a semantic trick. While international law, codified in UN conventions and international treaties after World War Two, is extensively spelled out, the RBO is present only in western leaders discourse. It is so obsessively used that it cannot be ignored. While it is not formally spelled out, we might hope that proponents of the RBO view it as a liberal international order based on principles of democratic governance, economic openness, equality, human rights, multilateralism, the free movement of goods, and collective security. It would thus be aligned with key pillars of international law. Why, then, is it quoted so frequently? Unorthodox application Dugard outlines the real US purpose in using it: The indeterminate and undefined nature of the rules of the RBO and the failure to consider their relationship with international law has led to the questioning of the reason for the resort to the RBO on the part of the United States. The manner in which the United States has justified apparent violations of international law by its own forces or those of it[s] close friends has inevitably resulted in a cynical, albeit plausible, explanation for the US preference for the RBO a chimera, meaning whatever the US and its followers want it to mean at any given time. For decades, the RBO and its unorthodox application has fuelled heated jurisprudential debate between the Global West on one side, and Russia and China on the other, as the Global South watches - its brain conditioned by the first, and its heart beating for the second. The situation is so obnoxious that, according to Dugard, the International Court of Justice would probably have no competence to hear a dispute based on a rule of the RBO as such rules lack content and cannot be identified as belonging to any recognized source. Among the main exhibits for criticism of the RBO are the 1999 Nato intervention in Kosovo, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the 2011 intervention in Libya, the ongoing western meddling in Syria, and the impunity long guaranteed to Israeli actions in the Middle East. In all these cases, the US allegedly acted in accordance with the unclear RBO, rather than the well-known procedures of international law. As Dugard describes it, the RBO is an alternative regime outside the discipline of international law which inevitably challenges and threatens international law a competing order advocated by some Western states, particularly the United States, which seeks to impose the interpretation of international law that best advances the interests of the West. In an era of increasing great-power competition, the minimal requirement would be to have rules valid for all. The US and its allies seem to struggle with this elementary principle, and it is thus not surprising that they are losing the battle for hearts and minds, even within their own societies. This has spurred clumsy attempts to suppress dissenting voices on campuses and elsewhere, using methods that sound like a blatant disavowal of the RBO that is so dear to them. Read more at: MiddleEastEye.net U.S. Navy supply ship RAN AGROUND after captain left to eat dinner and placed junior officer in charge An investigation revealed that a United States Navy supply ship was run aground by a junior officer off the coast of Bahrain after the ship's captain left the bridge to eat dinner The USNS Alan Shepard had completed a maintenance period on July 15 and was headed to a port in Bahrain when she was diverted to an area just offshore to wait for a pilot. The master took the ship there and then went to eat dinner, leaving the ship in the hands of a far more junior third officer. Not more than 30 minutes later, the Alan Shepard was grounded on a shoal. The ship's master when it went aground was Adel Desouki, a civilian captain with the Military Sealift Command. According to Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), the ship had 85 crewmembers aboard when the grounding incident occurred. NAVCENT's investigation summary stated that Alan Shepard was moving to a pier at Khalifa Bin Salman Port in Al Hidd, Bahrain to finish repairs to one of its marine diesel generators. Bahraini port authorities had told the crew to wait for a harbor pilot to guide them into the pier. The ship traveled toward a designated waiting area. At 4:49 p.m., the master of the ship handed control to the third officer and told him to proceed as planned and keep the ship within the waiting area. Based on the findings the master, the navigator and the chief's mate all left the bridge to eat dinner. (Related: "We're going to lose a major war:" U.S. Navy deletes photo of ship commander shooting rifle with scope optics mounted backwards.) Human knowledge is under attack! Governments and powerful corporations are using censorship to wipe out humanity's knowledge base about nutrition, herbs, self-reliance, natural immunity, food production, preparedness and much more. We are preserving human knowledge using AI technology while building the infrastructure of human freedom. Use our decentralized, blockchain-based, uncensorable free speech platform at Brighteon.io. Explore our free, downloadable generative AI tools at Brighteon.AI. Support our efforts to build the infrastructure of human freedom by shopping at HealthRangerStore.com, featuring lab-tested, certified organic, non-GMO foods and nutritional solutions. The investigative summary that was given to Military.com discovered that after the ship's master in addition to the navigator and the chief mate left to eat, the ship's third officer "became distracted by a fishing vessel" and tried turning the Alan Shepard to avoid it. The third officer, whose name was not mentioned in the summary, "was not cognizant of the ship's position with the shoals and shallow water while he was maneuvering the vessel." The ship would not be freed until the next day with the aid of tugboats and the rising tide. The investigation cited that Alan Shepard's standing orders command "the master will be on the bridge" when the ship is in shallow water. It mentioned the failure of the ship's highest officers to follow their own rules as one of the reasons that led to the incident. Navy could have lost the Alan Shepard in the accident According to Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian and professor at Campbell University in North Carolina, the U.S. narrowly avoided a disaster. "It could have easily resulted in the loss of the ship. This for me solely falls on the shoulders of the master," Mercogliano said during a recent phone interview after reviewing the investigation summary. Mercogliano, who has traversed the region before as a merchant mariner, stressed that a ship's master would not usually leave the bridge while sailing through Bahrain's busy waters. "You're asking your most junior officer to do some tight maneuvering," said Mercogliano, adding that the master could have asked for food to be delivered to the bridge. The investigative summary presented by the Navy made no mention of any disciplinary actions taken in the wake of the incident, and Stars and Stripes, which was the first to report on the investigation's results, discovered that the master in charge of the ship that day still holds a valid merchant mariner credential. The summary added that a later diver inspection and evaluation revealed that the ship suffered only minor scratches to the paint on its hull and no other damage. The Navy in contrast generally relieves warship commanders of their command for even minor grounding incidents. Just weeks after the Alan Shepard incident, the Navy dismissed the skipper of the USS Howard, Cmdr. Kenji Igawa, after the ship suffered a "soft grounding" on August 10 as it was going into Bali, Indonesia, for a port visit. The ship was able to free itself after the grounding incident. The Alan Shepard was launched in 2006 and has capacity for a crew of more than 120, all of whom are usually civilian mariners licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard. The ship is employed to transport cargo and supplies for Navy vessels at sea. The Alan Shepard is presently operating in the Middle East, based on public ship trackers, and has been assisting the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the rest of that strike group. Watch this episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as host Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses how the U.S. Navy has turned into "clown world" following the release of an embarrassing photo with a Navy commander. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com. More related articles: U.S. Navy bought surveillance data through adtech company that harvests location data from smartphones. Navy to randomly test special operations forces for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Biden's woke Navy now training sailors to create proper pronoun "safe spaces" as Russia, China laugh. Purposeful sabotage? U.S. Navy responds to recruiting shortages with drag queen digital ambassador. Biden regime turning military into a freak show as Navy uses "non-binary" sailor who performs as a drag queen in recruitment campaign. Sources include: Military.com Stripes.com Brighteon.com Top Japanese oncologist says COVID-19 vaccines are essentially murder Japan's top cancer doctor recently made headlines for openly admitting what many American doctors have been too afraid to say out loud: the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are the work of evil and have amounted to what is essentially murder. The comments were made by Dr. Masanori Fukushima in a recent interview. The decorated oncologist set up the first outpatient cancer clinic at Kyoto University in Japan and was responsible for the first course at the school in pharmacoepidemiology. He cited one particularly alarming side effect that the mainstream media in the U.S. hasn't reported on the prevalence of turbo cancers that were previously unseen by doctors. He said that these cancers started appearing after the rollouts of the vaccines and have been progressing so quickly that they are often in stage 4 by the time doctors diagnose them. He added that the jump in these cancers has been accompanied by increases in excess mortality from cancer in general to a degree that cannot be explained simply by missed treatments or screenings during COVID-19-related lockdowns. He also pointed to sudden deaths seen in individuals shortly after receiving the vaccines, such as a 28-year-old man whose wife found him dead five days after his second dose of Pfizer's mRNA vaccine. Its a story that is all too common these days, even in people with no history of health problems. He said: Its serious. Its essentially murder. In the end, I want to state clearly that this is my view. For Dr. Fukushima, it is no surprise that the countries that launched the most aggressive COVID-19 vaccination campaigns are seeing the highest rates of both infections and deaths, like Israel. 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. Israel led in early and widespread vaccination but also had the highest death and infection rates. The less aggressively vaccinated areas saw less harm, he said, adding that Israel was quick to halt the vaccine. Increasing numbers of vaccinated people need medical care for health issues related to the jab He said that the Japanese government has already documented more than 2,000 deaths connected to the shot, an estimate that he believes is low, along with numerous others who need medical care for serious health issues related to the jab. There are tens of thousands of people who must see a doctor because of vaccine-related issues, he said. He estimates at nearly a third of them are dealing with issues like chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis, and the problem is only going to get worse as numerous diseases have been spiking since the vaccine rollout. Unfortunately, theres a chance that some of these patients may not get the attention and care they need. Its as if weve opened Pandoras box We must take these damages seriously and address them earnestly. Any efforts to dismiss these damages as if they didnt happen are frankly the work of evil. This is a quintessential example of the evil practice of science, he asserted. Dr. Fukushima also had some harsh words for the mainstream media and its failure to report on the dangers of the vaccines. He also called out the media for calling vaccine critics anti-science heretics and said those who silenced these individuals are the ones going against science, adding that they are more akin to faith, hysteria or even cult behavior. He added: I am now deeply concerned not only about a serious crisis in medicine but in science and democracy. Sources for this article include: LifeSiteNews.com FoxNews.com Ukrainian generals warn that Kyivs reserve forces are DEPLETED as Russian forces advance in Kharkiv As Russian forces advance in the northeastern city of Kharkiv in Ukraine, the Ukrainian military has warned that Kyiv's reserve forces are depleted According to The Sun, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) has admitted that it is struggling to contain the Russian onslaught in Kharkiv. Even the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) revealed this dire reality. "I've used everything we have," said DIU Chief Gen. Kyrylo Budanov. "Unfortunately, we don't have anyone else in the reserves." In contrast, Moscow has tapped its massive troop reserves for the Kharkiv assault, which it kicked off days earlier. Close to 40,000 soldiers and 500 tanks were initially massed along Russia's border with Ukraine. According to AFU soldiers, Moscow is using the tried-and-tested Russian tactic of launching human wave attacks throwing troops into meat grinder assaults to gain territory at the cost of human lives. Dr. Jack Watling, a war expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said unless Ukraine could gather more troops, its prospects were bleak due to Russia having "significant numerical superiority." "The Russian forces have now expanded to 510,000 troops," Watling explained. "The outlook for Ukraine is bleak. Its allies must replenish stockpiles." Another limiting factor for Ukraine is the fact that it cannot attack Russian forces gathering near its border. This is because Washington has forbidden Kyiv from using U.S.-made weapons such as HIMARS rockets in enemy territory. But for retired Gen. Richard Barrons, former head of the British Joint Forces Command, this restriction had allowed Russian forces to be able to "form up at leisure." He argued that the HIMARS rockets "are the only weapons that will break up Russian forces as they organize themselves for an offensive." 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. To address the situation, Ukrainian forces have now started deploying kamikaze drones in an attempt to push back Russia's growing army. The AFU also launched a major aerial attack on the port city of Sevastopol in the Crimea oblast (province), which Russia has annexed into its territory. The Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions were also targeted using 10 long-range ATACMS missiles from the United States. Kyiv pulling out all the stops to replenish its forces Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government is pulling out all the stops to replenish its forces and push back the Russian advance into Kharkiv. In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a draconian military mobilization bill into law that ensured all Ukrainian men would fight in the front lines. (Related: No escape from the meat grinder: Zelensky signs tyrannical mobilization bill that lets no man escape.) According to InfoWars, the version of the proposal signed into law no longer has a demobilization clause which means all draftees are set to remain in the military indefinitely. All Ukrainians, whether at home or abroad, must now "update data" on themselves with the military authorities within 60 days after the measure takes effect. Draft dodgers could face fines, have their driver's permit suspended or even be dragged to the nearest enlistment office by law enforcement under the new law. The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's unicameral parliament, has also passed a bill allowing some prisoners to join the AFU. People's Deputy (PD) Olena Shuliak, who leads the ruling Servant of the People Party, said the measure would be voluntary. Prisoners who wish to fight in the front lines must have no more than three years left of their sentence to be eligible, she added. Shuliak clarified in a Facebook post that the bill forbids prisoners from joining the AFU if they have been convicted of certain crimes. Those convicted of the murder of two or more people, sexual violence, crimes against "the foundations of national security of Ukraine" and serious corruption offenses are prohibited from enlisting. The bill received support from 279 PDs out of the 450-member Verkhovna Rada. But before it becomes law, it needs to be signed by Zelensky and Ruslan Stefanchuk, the parliament's chairman and both are expected to support it. Visit UkraineWitness.com for more similar stories. Watch this clip of Ukraine's attacks on Belgorod and against Russian forces at Kharkiv. This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com. More related stories: Ukraine suspends visa renewals for military-aged Ukrainians living overseas as punishment for NOT DYING in battle with Russia. Kyiv to penalize, block bank accounts of draft dodgers amid serious shortage of soldiers. Ukraine's parliament passes bill allowing certain PRISONERS to join the military. Ukrainian general: NOBODY can sit out the draft, and ALL MUST FIGHT. Sources include: The-Sun.com InfoWars.com News.AntiWar.com Brighteon.com In the dense tapestry of the Amazon rainforest, a group of terrestrial insectivores has been silently weaving a story of adaptation and survival. Recent studies have cast a spotlight on these unassuming avian inhabitants, revealing their sophisticated thermoregulatory strategies as they navigate the escalating challenges of climate change. Warming Up to the Challenge: The Dawn Ritual As the first blush of dawn tinges the Amazonian skies, a remarkable phenomenon unfolds within the understory. Terrestrial insectivores, a group of birds that forage on the forest floor, commence their warming routines, hours before the sun graces the horizon. This daily ritual, a sophisticated strategy honed through evolution, allows them to reach their peak warming rates just as the ambient temperatures plummet at sunrise. The study, conducted near Manaus, Brazil, utilized cutting-edge bio-logging technology to monitor these birds. The bio-loggers, minuscule devices attached to the birds, recorded their behavior and physiological responses, offering an intimate glimpse into their lives without disruption. Sunset Soaks: The Cooling Conundrum As the midday heat intensifies, these birds demonstrate an acute awareness of their thermal environment, moderating their warming rates to avoid overheating. This delicate balance is further managed through behaviors such as bathing, which peaks around sunset. The cooling effect of water plays a pivotal role in their thermoregulation, preparing them for the cooler night ahead. However, the torrential rains of the tropics present a double-edged sword. While water is essential for temperature management, excessive cooling can be detrimental. The study highlights that some species are better equipped to handle this challenge than others, showcasing the diversity of responses within this group. Also read: Birds in Amazon Rainforest Are 'Shrinking', Experts Blame Climate Change The Bio-Logging Technology Bio-logging is a fascinating field of study that involves attaching electronic devices to animals to record a variety of data over time. These devices can track physical and geochemical parameters, allowing scientists to reconstruct the activities of the animal, the characteristics of the environment it travels through, and the interactions between the two. The technology has evolved from bio-telemetry, which dates back to the 1950s and was initially used by the military to transmit data to satellites or ground stations. Bio-logging differs in that it records data in the device's memory, ensuring that data collection is not interrupted by signal loss. This allows for the assembly of large, near-continuous datasets of various data types. Modern bio-loggers can combine the benefits of both bio-logging and bio-telemetry, transmitting data when communication with a satellite or ground-based station is available. The key challenge in bio-logging is to balance the size and weight of the logger to minimize its impact on the animal while maintaining sufficient battery life and memory size. These devices come in different shapes and functions, tailored to the scientific questions at hand. The collaboration between engineers and field scientists is crucial, especially during the prototype phase, to customize devices to the requirements of the study. Bio-logging has been instrumental in ecological and conservation studies, providing insights into animal behavior, physiology, and their interaction with the environment, which would otherwise be difficult to obtain. It's a multidisciplinary approach that has significantly advanced our understanding of wildlife and their habitats. Conclusion: A Call for Conservation The findings underscore the importance of these birds as indicators of forest health and their heightened sensitivity to environmental changes. As the world grapples with the impacts of climate change, understanding the adaptive strategies of the Amazon's wildlife becomes crucial for conservation efforts. The thermoregulatory tactics of terrestrial insectivores not only provide them with a means to cope with fluctuating temperatures but also emphasize their preference for a stable environment-a stability increasingly threatened by the changing climate Related article: Two New Species of Endangered Screech Owls Discovered in Amazon Rainforest! Putin says no current plans to capture the city of Kharkiv R ussian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that at the moment he has no plans to capture the city of Kharkiv, but that Russian forces were establishing a buffer zone in the area because of attacks from Kharkiv on the Russian region of Belgorod. He made his comments in response to a question from Russian state media reporters at the end of his visit to China in the city of Harbin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the heavily attacked Kharkiv region on Thursday and said the situation had stabilised. The area has come under heavy Russian attack recently. Putin said the buffer zone around Kharkiv is needed because the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, was being massively bombarded with drones and missiles from Kharkiv. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who is currently deputy head of the National Security Council, described Zelensky's trip to Kharkiv as a farewell visit. Russian leaders repeatedly refer to Kharkiv as a Russian city, leading many experts to assume that the Kremlin wants to annex the region. Putin's denial, at least for the time being, is the first time he has stated that there are no current plans to do so. Putin says no current plans to capture the city of Kharkiv Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Why Kartik Aaryan was initially sceptical about 'Chandu Champion': 'It demanded a lot' A ctor Kartik Aaryan went through a lot physically for his upcoming film 'Chandu Champion'. However, the actor honestly admitted in front of his own people in Gwalior that he initially had reservations with regard to the film given it demanded him to maintain a very strict lifestyle. The actor completely gave up sugar for more than a year, maintained a strict diet and even cut down the water intake. Initially sceptical, the actor is grateful that he chose the film and to bring this story of resilience to the audience. 'Chandu Champion', is based on India's first Paralympic gold medalist, Murlikant Petkar. It is directed by Kabir Khan and has been shot across India and the UK. Talking to the media in Gwalior at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Kartik said, "I couldn't believe at first that the story of 'Chandu Champion' was real. I asked Kabir Khan twice if the story was real." "I was initially sceptical even though I had said yes to the film because of the arduous journey that it would entail. I thought 'Kabir sir aur Sajid sir ke pyaar mein maine haan toh keh diya par ye sab kaise hoga?' (I have said yes to the film because of the love that I have for Kabir sir and Sajid sir but, how would it happen?). Today, when I look back at the journey, it was all worth it, and I would do it all over again without a shadow of a doubt." The film, jointly produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Kabir Khan, is set to release on June 14. Why Kartik Aaryan was initially sceptical about 'Chandu Champion': 'It demanded a lot' Post your comments Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us! Download Now The News-Gazette mobile app brings you the latest local breaking news, updates, and more. Read the News-Gazette on your mobile device just as it appears in print. Among the accounts given to CPD seven times in the second quarter of 2024: An Urbana woman says she doesnt always leave her fully loaded Smith & Wesson M&P EZ handgun in the center console of her Chevy Malibu overnight but sometimes she forgets and does. This is one of those times. People from a higher socioeconomic status drink more alcohol on average than those of lower socioeconomic background, according to new research from The University of Queensland. Dr Ben Tscharke from UQ's Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS) said the team analyzed wastewater samples collected from 50 sites across Australia between 2016 and 2023, covering 50 percent of the population. We used wastewater analysis to assess long-term trends in alcohol consumption based on community socioeconomic status and remoteness. We found alcohol consumption is more prominent in regional communities and areas with higher socioeconomic status, which includes higher levels of education, income and skilled occupation. This could be due to a variety of factors including affordability of alcohol and lifestyle, with Australians of a higher socioeconomic status more likely to engage in social activities that involve drinking." Dr. Ben Tscharke from UQ's Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences The research team reported alcohol consumption dropped by approximately 4.5 percent in major cities, and by approximately 2.5 percent and 3 percent in regional and remote areas respectively over the 7 year period. Study co-author Associate Professor Phong Thai said although there was a decline in alcohol consumption in Australia, it wasn't consistent across population groups. "We found the decline of alcohol consumption was steeper in cities than regional and remote areas, while there were smaller annual decreases in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas," Professor Thai said. "There's a risk that if this trend continues it may increase Australian health inequalities, which is why it is necessary to maintain a sustained and multi-faceted effort to reduce the harms associated with alcohol consumption in more disadvantaged areas. "Policy and prevention work should be appropriately targeted in these areas to produce more equitable long-term outcomes." The study was part of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program The study was part of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program led by UQ and The University of South Australia that enabled regular monitoring of alcohol use in cities, regional and remote areas. The study was published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. In a recent study published in the European Heart Journal Open, a group of researchers investigated the influence of sex on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) assessment of left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP) in heart failure (HF) diagnosis. Background There is a critical need for distinct strategies to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women. HF is a growing global health issue, with over 64 million affected individuals. Women disproportionately suffer from HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) due to factors like aging and hypertension. The ejection fraction (EF) method for classifying HF has limitations, leading to fewer therapeutic options for HFpEF compared to HF with reduced EF (HFrEF). Women are less likely to receive specialist HF care or optimal guideline therapy, resulting in lower quality of life. Sex-specific differences in cardiac imaging and biomarkers have been noted. CMR-derived pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) shows prognostic utility, but current non-invasive methods require refinement. Further research is needed to refine sex-specific diagnostic models and improve the accuracy and efficacy of HF diagnosis and treatment in women. About the study The present study diagnosed HF in participants based on European Society of Cardiology guidelines, which require symptoms like breathlessness, clinical signs like peripheral edema, and evidence of cardiac dysfunction. Two cohorts were included: a derivation cohort from the Assessing the Spectrum of Pulmonary Hypertension Identified at a Referral Centre (ASPIRE) registry in Sheffield, United Kingdom (UK), and a validation cohort from Leeds, UK. The ASPIRE registry involved patients with suspected pulmonary hypertension who underwent imaging and right heart catheterization (RHC) within 24 hours. The validation cohort included patients with new HF diagnoses recruited between 2018 and 2020 and assessed with CMR. Invasive studies used a thermodilution catheter to record PCWP. CMR studies involved capturing cine images with General Electric High Definition X (GE HDx) and Siemens Magnetom Prisma scanners. Blinded image analysis was performed using GE Advantage Workstation and Circle Cardiovascular Imaging version 42 (cvi42) software. Cardiac volumes, left ventricular mass (LVM), and maximum left atrial volume (LAV) were calculated. The derivation cohort included 835 subjects, and a sex-specific CMR-derived PCWP equation was developed. The validation cohort, consisting of 434 subjects, applied this equation. Outcomes were evaluated for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and HF hospitalization. Statistical analysis included t-tests, X2 tests, multivariable regression, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis, and KaplanMeier and Cox models. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Study results In the study, the derivation cohort included 835 participants, 60% of whom were female. The mean age was similar between sexes (66 13 years, P = 0.84). Females had a significantly lower mean body surface area (BSA) than males (1.8 0.2 vs. 2.0 0.2 m, P < 0.0001) and higher systolic blood pressure (146 28 vs. 140 24 mmHg, P < 0.001). Females also exhibited a slightly higher mean heart rate than males (72 15 vs. 70 16 bpm, P = 0.02) and had a lower prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (9% vs. 15%, P = 0.005). HFpEF was more common in females than males (62% vs. 40%, P < 0.001), while males had more HF with mid-range EF (7% vs. 2%, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in invasive mean PCWP between females and males (14.0 6 vs. 13.7 6 mmHg, P = 0.52). In CMR evaluation, females had lower left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), resulting in smaller left ventricular stroke volume (LVSV) and higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) than males. Males demonstrated higher LVM and LAV. In the right ventricle (RV), females had lower right ventricular end-diastolic volume (RVEDV), right ventricular end-systolic volume (RVESV), and right ventricular stroke volume (RVSV), but higher overall right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF). Generic CMR-derived PCWP values were significantly higher in males (14.7 4.0 vs. 13.0 3.0 mmHg, P < 0.001) compared to females. Sex, LAV, and LVM were used as input variables in stepwise multivariable regression to develop a sex-specific CMR-derived PCWP equation, with age as a weighted variable. The non-indexed equation was selected for better goodness of fit (R-value of 0.571) compared to indexed values. Internal cross-validation showed that the novel sex-specific model retained its independent association with invasively measured PCWP, while the generic CMR-derived model did not (beta = 1, standard error = 0.005, P < 0.0001, partial r = 0.57). The generic equation underestimated PCWP in females and overestimated it in males, whereas the sex-specific CMR equation showed no significant difference compared to invasive assessment. During a mean follow-up of 2.4 1.2 years in the validation cohort, 56 patients (12.3%) experienced MACE. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression indicated that only the sex-specific model was independently associated with MACE (beta = 0.92, standard error = 0.23, P = 0.001, HR 2.5, 95% CI 1.44.3). KaplanMeier analysis confirmed that sex-specific CMR-derived PCWP predicted MACE (X2 = 11.4, P = 0.0007). CMR-derived PCWP remained predictive for MACE and HF hospitalizations, independent of LVEF, across all HF classifications. Conclusion This study demonstrated that a sex-specific CMR-modeled LVFP improves the precision of PCWP estimation and enhances prognostic performance in patients with HF. Suzuki has launched a special edition of its iconic Jimny in Australia, celebrating its 44 legacy from the 1970s to the 1990s. Limited to just 500 units, the Jimny XL Heritage edition aims to rev up the sales with a nostalgic twist and some top-notch features. Drawing inspiration from its Indian counterpart, the Maruti Jimny, the Jimny XL Heritage edition boasts unique decals and Heritage logo, along with striking red mud flaps. It comes in a total of five color options namely White, Chiffon Ivory with Bluish Black Pearl roof, Jungle Green, Bluish Black Pearl, and Granite Grey. Under the hood, the Suzuki Jimny XL boasts a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, offering 100 bhp and 130 Nm of torque. It comes with either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed torque converter automatic transmission for easy driving. Loaded with features, the Jimny XL includes a 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The safety features include hill-hold control, hill-descent control, and a suite of airbags. Notably, it exceeds the India-spec model with standard Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) featuring Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), meeting local safety standards. According to Motorbeam, in India, the Maruti Jimny faces a slowdown in sales, prompting discounts up to Rs. 1.50 lakhs for MY2023 units and Rs. 50,000/- off for newer MY2024 models. Looking ahead, Maruti Suzuki might introduce special editions of the Jimny in India to attract more attention in the competitive off-roader market, where it battles against rivals like the Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha. Anita Goyal, wife of Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, passed away in the wee hours of Thursday, according to a close family source. She was reportedly suffering from cancer and was in the third stage of her condition, undergoing treatment. However, Anitas health had started declining over the past few months. After a long battle with the deadly disease, Anita Goyal died in a Mumbai hospital on Thursday at 3 am. Her mortal remains would be brought back to her home. As the demise has led to a wave of grief across the Goyal family, Vijay Mallya, once the King of Good Times and airline tycoon, has sent his condolences to Naresh Goyal. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Mallya wrote, My heartfelt condolences to the Goyal family on the sad passing of Anita. She was a formidable competitor at Jet but a lovely human being. In addition to this, the fugitive businessman also made a veiled mention of Naresh Goyals legal battles, stating that he has given a lot to create Jet Airways, which he believes is a worthy and long-standing competitor to KFA. My heartfelt condolences to the Goyal family on the sad passing of Anita. She was a fordimable competitor at Jet but a lovely human being. I am also sad that Naresh is enduring what he is given his creation of Jet, a worthy and long standing competitor to KFA. Both Indias finest Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) May 16, 2024 To conclude, Mallya, while noting that both Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways are sadly no more, hopes the world will eventually know the truth. Naresh Goyal In Money Laundering Case Vijay Mallyas cryptic remarks come in the wake of the ongoing investigation against Jet Airways. The Enforcement Directorate has accused the airline of borrowing money from around 10 banks while still owing Rs 6,000 crore to these banks. The ED revealed that Rs 1,152 crore was diverted under the guise of consultancy and professional fees, while another Rs 2,547.83 crore was diverted to Jet Lite Limited. Owing to the allegations of money laundering and misappropriation of loans, Naresh Goyal was arrested in September 2023. On the other hand, the late Anita Goyal was intricately connected with the operations of the carrier and also served as the executive vice president. It was recently that the 75-year-old businessman was granted a two-month interim bail by the Bombay High Grounds on medical grounds. Goyal, who is himself a cancer patient, is also undergoing chemotherapy and wanted to stay by his wifes side during her treatment, his lawyer appealed. Speaking about Vijay Mallya, he was declared a fugitive in 2019 under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018, four years after he fled to the UK. Mallya is accused in a loan scam case and money laundering, owing an estimate of Rs 9,000 crore, that was loaned to now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines. The luxury real estate in India is picking up fast as companies after companies are focussing on this segment. Now, with the launch of its ultra-luxury project, The Estate Residences, real estate company Anant Raj Ltd is focussing on their 200-acre integrated residential township in Sector 63A, Gurugram. The township has a composition of Villas, Floors, Commercial and Group Housings. The Estate Residences features just 248 units of spacious 4 BHK residences, totalling over 1.00 million sqft of saleable area. Signifying demand in the market, the units under the project have been completely sold out within a few days of launch. In a statement, Anant Raj Ltd said it plans to introduce more projects within this township in various phases over the coming years. Anant Raj Ltds founder chairman Ashok Sarin said he also plans for the affordable housing project in Neemrana, Rajasthan, tailored to meet the needs of industrial workers. One more such project in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, represents another step towards enhancing the living conditions of factory workers. Ever since its launch in 2016, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has transformed the world of digital payments in India. Today, almost all digital wallets and online payment apps in India have incorporated UPI. On May 15, Wednesday, PhonePe, a popular mobile payment platform, which was one of the first apps to adopt UPI, started its UPI service in Sri Lanka. Now, PhonePe users can scan LankaPay QR codes to make digital payments. This is set to reduce the Indian tourists dependency on cash transactions and cut down the hassle of calculating currency conversions. The launch event for PhonePe UPI activation was attended by Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe and Indias High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha. According to a December 2023 report by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, a whopping 66 per cent of tourists visiting Sri Lanka were from India. The prevalence of PhonePe UPI will serve Indian tourists in the island nation. In February, UPI was launched in Sri Lanka and Mauritius in a virtual event. It was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth and President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe. While addressing the event via video conferencing, PM Modi said the UPI launch would strengthen cross-border transactions as well as cross-border connections between the three nations. He also described Unified Payment Interface (UPI) as Uniting Partners with India. Mauritius Prime Minister Jugnauth, said, India and Mauritius share strong cultural, commercial and people-to-people linkages which date back centuries ago. Today we are giving yet another dimension to this relationship. Sri Lanka President Wickremesinghe said that the launch of UPI in Sri Lanka was an important milestone in upgrading the financial and commercial relations between India and Sri Lanka, which had been taking place for hundreds of years. UPI, an instant real-time payment system that enables inter-bank transactions through mobiles, was developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). UPI got a boost in use and popularity after the Government of India announced the demonetisation of all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes on November 8, 2016. According to data from the NPCI, in just January 2024, UPI transactions accounted for Rs 18.41 lakh crore (equivalent to $222.17 billion), this was a 41 per cent increase in transaction value compared to January 2023. For people who aspire to join the Indian Army, this is a golden opportunity. The Indian Army recently released a notification for admission in the B.Sc Nursing programme under the affiliation of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMC). According to the official notification, only female candidates can apply for the programme. Interested candidates can apply through the official website www.joinindianarmy.nic.in. The application process is set to start soon. The candidates selected after the selection process will qualify for the four-year B.Sc nursing course. A total of 220 seats are to be filled by this admission drive. The shortlisting of the candidates will be done through NEET (UG) scores. Let us look at all the details of the admission drive. First, let us look at the number of seats in each of the colleges: Armed Forces Medical College Pune- 40 seats Command Hospital (Eastern Command) Kolkata- 30 seats I.N.H.S. Asvini College of Nursing, Mumbai- 40 seats Army Hospital Research And Referral- 30 seats Command Hospital (Central Command) Lucknow- 40 seats Command Hospital (Air Force) Bangalore- 40 seats Know the Eligibility criteria here: Female candidates who are unmarried/ divorced/ legally separated/ widow are eligible to apply for the programme The candidate should be an Indian Citizen The candidate should born between 01 Oct 1999 and 30 Sep 2007 Education Qualification: Candidates who are interested in the Nursing programme must have passed the Senior Secondary Examination (10+2) or equivalent on the first attempt with Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Botany & Zoology) and English. The candidate must pass the Class 12 examination with a minimum percentage of 50 per cent from any recognised board or institution. Selection Process: After the completion of the application process, the candidates will be shortlisted based on their NEET (UG) scores. The shortlisted candidate will have to appear for ToGIGE, Psychological Assessment, Interview and Medical examination that will be held at Base Hospital Delhi Cantt. The admit card for the assessment process will be available to download on the official website. Stay ahead with all the exam results updates on News18 Website. Growing up in the narrow alleys Kamathipura, Sandhya Nair endured unrelenting bullying, humiliation, and torture from an early age, yet her journey from Kamathipura, Mumbai, to the University for Peace in Costa Rica is nothing short of extraordinary. According to The Better India, Sandhya was raised in Mumbais red-light district, Kamathipura, and is the daughter of a sex worker, which brought about her tremendous hardship and stigma throughout the course of her life. But her experience also demonstrates the transformational potential of education and guidance, as well as resilience. She received unwavering support from Kranti, an NGO dedicated to revolutionizing the lives of daughters of sex workers. Sandhya spent a considerable portion of her life being bullied and discriminated against because of her mothers profession. Her mother struggled to get her into a private school by hiding her job, fearing that being open about it would result in rejection. However, eventually, Sandhyas life turned into a nightmare as the truth of her mother being a sex worker came to light. She suffered from intense bullying, which included harsh pranks from her classmates and insults for her skin colour. It started with bullying over my skin colour. They would call me different names, including a black crow and more, Sandhya told The Better India. The harassment progressed to the point where she was being humiliated by the teachers in the classroom and made to sit on a separate bench at the back. There was no relief at home. Sandhya was raped several times between the ages of 10 and 16, and her abuser threatened her that no one would believe her if she came forward and spoke about it. When Sandhya relocated to Kerala in Class 10, she was able to escape the abuse and stigma, which brought about a huge change. But the pain from those early years followed her, affecting her academic performance and self-worth. According to Better India, Sandhyas Life took a total turn when she read a newspaper article about Shweta Katti, the first Indian girl from a red-light area to be awarded an international scholarship to Bard College in New York. Driven by inspiration, Sandhya contacted Robin Chaurasiya, who is a co-founder of Kranti, an NGO that empowers sex workers daughters. Robin persuaded her to join Kranti, and Sandhya embraced the opportunity. Sandhyas life was completely changed by Kranti, which offers females between the ages of 12 and 21 housing, education, and support. Sandhya is currently enrolled at the University for Peace in Costa Rica to pursue an MA in gender and peacebuilding. Her path from Kamathipuras struggles to an international university serves as an effective example of how opportunities and the correct kind of support can transform peoples life. For girls from similar backgrounds, Sandhyas narrative and many others at Kranti serve as an inspiration and catalyst for societal change. Stay ahead with all the exam results updates on News18 Website. JAC Board Result 2024 for Class 9, 11, has been released by Jharkhand Academic Council on May 17, 2024. Candidates who took the Class 9 and Class 11 board exams can view their results by visiting the official JAC Results website at jacresults.com.The Class 9 board exam was held this year from March 1 to March 2 while the class 11 exams were held from February 27 to February 29. The state-wide Jharkhand Board Class 11 examination saw the participation of over 3 lakh students. The overall pass percentage for class 9th and 11th recorded this year are 98.39 per cent and 98.48 per cent respectively. While 471201 students took the Class 9 board exams, 463637 candidates passed them. On the other hand, 379720 students took the Class 11 exam, and 373960 were promoted to class 12. Kodarma district scored highest in Jharkhand Board classes 9 and 11, according to data made public by the Jharkhand board. Simdega is the lowest-performing district in class 9, whereas Garwa is the least performing district in class 11. JAC 9th and 11th result 2024: how to check By following the guidelines provided below, students can check their results: Step 1: Go to jacresults.com, the Jharkhand Boards official website. Step 2: Select the link labelled JAC 9th and 11th results 2024. Step 3: Register by entering your roll code and roll number. Step 4: A screen displaying the results of the Jharkhand Boards 9th and 11th grades will appear. Step 5: Download your JAC 9th and 11th marksheet for future admission purposes. Passing the Jharkhand Class 9th exam in 2024 requires students to score at least 33 per cent. A student will be considered qualified for the third division if their grade falls between 33 and 45 per cent. Those who score between 45 and 60 per cent will be deemed to have passed with second division. Students will be considered to have passed the first division if they receive a score of at least 60 per cent or higher. Stay ahead with all the exam results updates on News18 Website. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Login Credentials JEE Advanced registration number JEE Advanced password Registered mobile number JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Exam Pattern The JEE Advanced papers will have a combination of numerical answer type (NAT) questions, multiple-choice questions (MCQs), and matching-type questions. In the MCQs section, three marks will be awarded for the correct answer and -1 for the wrong answer.For NAT questions, three marks will be given for the correct answer and no negative marking for the wrong answer. In the matching type questions, one mark for correct match and no negative mark for incorrect response JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: When Will the Exams Be Held The JEE Advanced 2024 is slated to be held on May 26. The exam timings are as follows:Paper 1 will be conducted from 9 am to 12 noon while Paper 2 will be held from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Eligibility Criteria As per the eligibility requirements of IIT JEE Advanced, those who get a spot in the top 2.5 lakh in JEE Main 2024 and hold a score of 75 per cent in the the Class 12 board test or place in the top 20 percentile in the final board exam are eligible to appear in JEE Advanced. Individuals who fall under the SC or ST categories must have received a minimum of 65 per cent in aggregate marks in the Class 12 exams administered in 2024. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Helpline Those who find any discrepancies in their JEE Advanced 2024 admit card are encouraged to get in touch with the NTA at the earliest for assistance at the helplines 044-22578224 or jee@iitm.ac.in. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Provisional Answer Key The provisional answer key will be published by IIT Madras on June 2. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Exam Date This year, the JEE Advanced will be held on May 26 and the results, as per the schedule on the official website, are expected to be released on June 9. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: How To Access Step 1: Go to the official website of JEE advanced at jeeadv.ac.in Step 2: On the homepage, select the link that reads JEE Advanced 2024 admit card Step 3: As soon as a new window opens, enter the login details such as registration number and ID in the space provided and click on submit. Step 4: The JEE Advanced 2024 admit card will appear on the screen. Step 5: Download and print a copy of the the JEE Advanced 2024 hall ticket for future reference. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: What does the Official Website Say? JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Link to Be Activated Soon The JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 have been sent to the candidates registered e-mail IDs as a direct link. Soon, a download gateway for admit cards will be available at jeeadv.ac.in. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Released JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Toppers List NTA will release the toppers list along with the JEE Advanced result 2024 scheduled to be released on June 9. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Carry Hall Ticket for Entry The JEE Advanced admit card 2024 is a required document for the exam day. Applicants who do not have their admit cards will not be permitted to take the exam. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Hall Ticket Link Not Activated According to the JEE Advanced official website, IIT Madras was set release the admit card today, May 17 at 10 AM. However, the admit card has not yet been released. To download the hall tickets candidates would need their IIT JEE Advanced login credentials such as registration number. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Top 15 Engineering Colleges as Per NIRF 2023 Rank 1: IIT-Madras, Tamil Nadu Rank 2: IIT-Delhi, Delhi Rank 3: IIT-Bombay, Maharashtra Rank 4: IIT-Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh Rank 5: IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand Rank 6: IIT-Kharagpur, West Bengal Rank 7: IIT-Guwahati, Assam Rank 8: IIT-Hyderabad, Telangana Rank 9: NIT Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu Rank 10: Jadavpur University, West Bengal Rank 11: Vellore Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu Rank 12: NIT Surathkal, Karnataka Rank 13: Anna University, Tamil Nadu Rank 14: IIT Indore, Madhya Pradesh Rank 15: IIT (Banaras Hindu University) Varanasi, Uttar Pradeshread more JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Registration Window The IIT Madras commenced the registration process on April 27, and candidates had until May 7 to submit their application forms. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Language of Exam While the JEE Main is held in 13 languages: Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu, the JEE Advanced is only conducted in English and Hindi . JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: No City Intimation Slip For JEE Advanced 2024, a city intimation slip is not available. The JEE Advanced 2024 admission card contains information on the IIT zone, the precise name and address of the exam facility that has been assigned to them, and much more. JEE Advanced Admit Card 2024 Live: Whats Next? Those who pass the JEE Advanced test will be eligible to apply for courses at Indian Institutes of Technologys and other centrally funded colleges located around the country.The JEE Main and JEE Advanced test sessions will be followed by JoSAA and CSAB counselling. Union Home Minister Amit Shah suggested that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or the oppositions INDIA bloc during the Lok Sabha Election 2024 would not bear fruits as people will remember the scam and his association with the alleged liquor policy case whenever they see him. As a voter, I think wherever hell go for the poll campaign, the people will remember the liquor scam, even in Punjab. Kayi logon ko toh badi bottle dikhai padegi (many people will see big bottles in front of them when they see Kejriwal), Shah told news agency ANI during an interview. #WATCH | On out-on-interim bail Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal campaigning for elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, As a voter, I believe that wherever he will go people will remember liquor scamKayi logon ko toh badi bottle dikhai padegi. pic.twitter.com/JIsMNFvFQC ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024 The Union Minister said this while responding to a question about whether the INDIA bloc could benefit from the Supreme Courts decision to grant interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 for campaigning during Lok Sabha election 2024. I dont want to comment on the SCs verdict. But the way the leaders of AAP are claiming the courts decision as Kejriwals victory, I want to explain this. What was their plea before the SC? They said that his arrest was illegal but the apex court dismissed it. Then they modified their plea and asked for bail; the court rejected that too. The Supreme Court said that as per your demand to campaign in elections, we are giving you interim bail and you have to surrender on June 1, he said further. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also lashed out at Kejriwal for his wont have to go to jail if you vote for me remark and said that there can be no bigger contempt of the Supreme Court than this. I believe this is a wrong comment on the functioning of the Supreme Court There is no bigger contempt of the Supreme Court than this Now, the judges who pronounced the judgement have to see if their judgement is used or misused, Amit Shah said. Will the Supreme Court decide the crime based on victory or defeat? Shah further asked. Since his release from jail, the Delhi Chief Minister, on several occasions during campaigning, urged people to vote for AAP and the INDIA bloc if they dont want him to return to jail. The Supreme Court on May 10 granted interim bail to AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged money laundering case linked to Delhis excise policy. As per the court order, the bail is applicable till June 1 and Kejriwal has to surrender to the jail authorities on June 2. However, the result of the polls will be declared on June 4. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Bhiwandi is one of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra and is located in the Thane district. Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituency comprises six Vidhan Sabha segments Bhiwandi Rural (Shiv Sena), Shahpur (NCP), Bhiwandi West (BJP), Bhiwandi East (Samajwadi Party; MLA resigned from party recently), Kalyan West (Shiv Sena) and Murbad (BJP). The constituency will vote on May 20. Current MP: Kapil Patil (BJP) Key candidates: Kapil Patil (BJP), Suresh Gopinath Mhatre (Balya Mama) NCP (Sharad Pawar) POLITICAL DYNAMICS ADVANTAGE BJP: The BJP has held Bhiwandi since 2014 and is now hoping for a hat-trick. The party is more or less assured of victory here. The saffron party has fielded sitting MP Kapil Patil from Bhiwandi again. Patil, who belongs to the Agri caste, which forms the most important voting bloc in the constituency, is a well-known political face in the region. The BJPs biggest poll plank appears to be that they have not only fielded a candidate from the Agri caste, but even provided him with a ministerial designation in Modi 2.0. Patil serves as the Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj. The BJP is making a big issue out of this, telling the electorate here in Bhiwandi that this is the first time a member of the Agri caste has got a place in the Union Council of Ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains a big factor here. The BJPs Hindutva push finds special traction in this constituency. Some decisions of the Modi government, like banning triple talaq, abrogating Article 370 and the fulfilment of the Ram Mandir dream, are big factors working to the saffron partys advantage here. Meanwhile, to counter the Maha Vikas Aghadis (MVA) accusation that he has not done any work for the constituency, Patil has prepared an extensive list of developmental work undertaken by him so far, of which he claims nearly 25% has been completed, 20-25% is in the pipeline, 25% is on the verge of completion, while the remaining projects are also awaiting approval. Much to the BJPs glee, the election in Bhiwandi does not appear to have turned local. Voters are largely convinced, especially among the BJPs core support base, that Narendra Modi must be voted back to power. Here in Bhiwandi, the Muslim and Dalit population is high as well. However, Patil is a seasoned politician who knows how to navigate the Muslim and Dalit vote banks. Bhiwandi is famous for its warehouses, many of which span several acres. The warehouse industry is among the biggest employment and livelihood generators in Bhiwandi, in which both Muslims and Dalits are actively engaged. Patil has maintained amicable relations with communities and is said to even help them in times of need. This business relationship between the BJP MP and communities which would otherwise be construed as anti-saffron voting blocs is expected to soften the opposition MVAs impact in this election. Bhiwandi is among the select states in Maharashtra where the Mahayuti/NDA house largely appears to be in order. There is no significant tension over candidate selection, and the NDA cadre has united behind Patil to ensure a BJP victory. SHARAD PAWAR BETS ON BALYA MAMA: The BJP indeed faces a good fight in Bhiwandi this time, courtesy the decision of Sharad Pawars NCP to field Suresh Gopinath Mhatre. Mhatre is a well-known face who happens to be Patils arch business rival. Mhatre, however, has changed political parties several times recently, as a consequence of which he may have to fight the tag of being a political turncoat, apart from also fighting the election against the BJP. The fight for Bhiwandi has also turned interesting due to the entry of Nilesh Sambre as an independent candidate. Known as the NGO man of Bhiwandi who has extensive influence among many voters, especially tribals, Sambre had filed two nomination papers after NCP (Sharad Pawar) announced Mhatre as its candidate. Sambre filed one form as an independent candidate, and one from the Congress. However, he was not fielded by the Congress since under the MVAs seat arrangement, Bhiwandi was allotted to Sharad Pawars NCP. Sambre is now contesting as an independent candidate and is campaigning extensively across the constituency. His events are drawing a large number of participants in what should be a sign of worry for both the NCP and BJP. However, the stakes might be a lot higher for Sharad Pawars NCP, as Sambre was keen on getting a Congress ticket, which indicates he has been primarily targeting the anti-BJP, secular vote in Bhiwandi. As such, him contesting as an independent candidate could cause a real dent to the NCPs vote share. The NCP (Sharad Pawar), meanwhile, is focussing on attacking the BJP to consolidate its own support base. Patil is primarily on target, as the MVA accuses the MP of not doing any development work for Bhiwandi. However, these allegations do not appear to stand, as voters can see that the BJP MP has indeed brought in a lot of changes to the constituency in terms of development. There is no significant anti-incumbency against Patil, which is why he appears to be in pole position to win the seat again. The NCP (Sharad Pawar) is largely dependent on its own support base in Bhiwandi. The Congress is facing an existential crisis of sorts here, as was evidenced from the exit of the partys only big leader, Prakash Mutha recently. He, along with his supporters, joined the BJP in April, dealing a severe blow to the Congresss organisation here in Bhiwandi. As such, the NCP (SP) is on its own, and should not hope for any significant vote transfer from either the Congress for Shiv Sena (UBT). KEY ISSUES Illegal encroachments on tribal land: The encroachment of tribal land has become a major issue in the Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituency. Land sharks have been taking advantage of tribal communities for decades. Back in 1978, the government gave 80 acres to 23 tribal families. But over time, these land grabbers illegally took control of the land, building luxury homes and even artificial lakes, leaving the rightful owners with nothing. Now, authorities are taking action, demolishing these illegal structures and returning the land to the tribal families who should have had it all along. High electricity bills: Constituents are angry at private players responsible for the supplies, maintenance of and collection of electricity bills in Bhiwandi city and Bhiwandi rural areas. Thousands from the city and rural areas have demanded regulations and checks at the service provided by these private players along with high electricity bills. People have also raised their voices against the arbitrary management of the Torrent company in the city and rural areas which charges high electricity bills, forceful collection of electricity bills, and filing false cases against citizens regarding electricity theft. Last year, protesters took out a protest march against the power company demanding the removal of the Torrent Power company. Warehouse worker issues: Bhiwandis warehouse workers are facing a tough reality. Building collapses and fires have become more frequent, putting these workers at risk. Many live in the warehouses where they work, struggling to make ends meet. For Bhiwandi, which falls under Maharashtras zone I, the state government has prescribed a minimum monthly wage of Rs 14,076 for skilled workers and Rs 12,465 for unskilled ones in zone I. Unfortunately, not everyone receives the minimum wage. All warehouse workers are employed through contractors and not directly by the companies. These contractors pocket a huge chunk of their wages. Besides not receiving minimum wage, the workers have no proper means of public transport, no insurance and no medical cover. On top of low pay, these workers lack decent transportation, insurance, and healthcare, making their lives even more precarious. Inadequate Infrastructure: While Bhiwandi is becoming a major logistics centre, it is struggling with growing pains. The city is booming with new warehouses and businesses, but the roads, transportation, and basic services havent kept up. This means traffic jams are common, getting around is difficult, and goods and people cant move as easily as they should. It is holding Bhiwandi back from reaching its full potential. Unemployment: Unemployment is one of the major issues in Bhiwandi, especially in rural areas. While the urban centres are full of warehouses and are becoming a logistical hub, there are no major industries in the rural areas in Bhiwandi Lok Sabha, as a result, youth move to urban centres which has led to a decline in the agricultural workforce. However, even the urban centres in the region do not guarantee jobs for the locals, as half the warehouse workers are labourers from UP, Bihar and Jharkhand. Unplanned and illegal construction: Bhiwandis warehouse boom is coming with a cost. The rush to build new storage spaces means many are going up without proper planning or safety measures. This can be seen in recent fires and building collapses, putting workers and nearby communities at risk. These unauthorised warehouses are often operating without permits, creating legal problems for the businesses inside. There is a need to enforce safety standards and regulations to make sure this industry grows responsibly, protecting both lives and investments. While razing of the warehouses was stopped by the Mumbai high court, their construction has turned the city into a dust bowl. DEMOGRAPHICS Total Voters: 19,77,507 SC: 108,763 (5.5%) ST: 268,941 (13.6%) Religious Composition Hindu: 73.9% Buddhist: 4.1% Christian: 2.5% Muslim: 18.7% Geographical Composition Urban Voters: 1,315,042 (66.5%) Rural Voters: 662,465 (33.5%) INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT The Chatra Lok Sabha constituency, among the 14 parliamentary seats in Jharkhand, falls under the general category and encompasses the entire Chatra and Latehar districts and a portion of the Palamu district. Currently, it comprises five legislative Assembly segments: Simaria (SC), Chatra (SC), Manika (ST), Latehar (SC) and Panki. The constituency will vote in phase five on May 20. Current MP: Sunil Kumar Singh of BJP since 2014, preceded by Dhiraj Prasad Sahu of Congress (2009). Candidates: Kalicharan Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Krishna Nand Tripathi (Congress) POLITICAL DYNAMICS BJP Takes the Lead: The Chatra constituency in Jharkhand covers a highly backward region where over 95% of the population lives in rural areas. In this seat, the BJP has a solid edge, leading by a large margin against its closest rival, the Congress. This time around as well, it is a direct contest between the two, but a one-sided election in favour of the BJP is all, but imminent, if local sources are anything to go by. In the Assembly polls of 2019, the BJP bagged the seats of Simaria (SC) and Panki, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) bagged the Chatra (SC) seat, the Congress won the Manika (ST) seat and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) won the Latehar (SC). Its a mixed bag of political parties involved in the poll fray, all vying for a breakthrough, but none close enough to the BJP juggernaut, particularly in the general elections. In the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the BJP scored a vote share of 57%, up from 41.8% in 2014. Its closest opponent was the Congress with 16.2% of the votes, followed by the RJD with 9% and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with 2%. The BJP snubbed its sitting MP Sunil Kumar Singh, who had been facing growing anti-incumbency, and named Kalicharan Singh as its nominee, in a decision that has been welcomed by voters, but also opposed internally with some discord among party workers. Two-time MP Sunil Kumar Singh allegedly did not spend enough time with his constituents or successfully push for proper implementation of central schemes, which makes people look forward to the new BJP nominee who is a local and is perceived with hopes that he would deliver on promises that the previous MP fell short on. The party momentarily suffered a setback when a rivalry between cousins took centre stage and threatened to split the BJP votes. Former BJP MLA Jai Prakash Singh Bhogta, son of the late MLA Mahendra Singh Bhogta, was considered loyal to the BJPs state president Babulal Marandi and filed his nomination to contest independently after not being granted a ticket. This posed a serious concern for Kalicharan Singh. The rebel leaders cousin, Ramdeo, meanwhile, deployed his heft on the ground to minimise the damage and ensure the BJPs victory. Owing to this pushback and backstage efforts to mollify the situation, Bhogta withdrew his candidature right before the withdrawal deadline, and will now be backing the party. Bhogta is the BJPs SC Morcha national vice-president who was elected from Simaria in 2009 and also won Chatra on a Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) ticket. The JVM was a regional political party initiated by the first chief minister of the state, Babulal Marandi, in 2006, who later merged his political enterprise with the BJP in 2020. This faction within the BJP has a stronghold over SC and ST voters in the region, bolstering the BJPs overall standing. The Modi factor is one of the leading reasons why the BJP is so popular among the electorate. The Prime Minister is credited for a slew of welfare schemes which have benefited this rural constituency, despite shortcomings and lack of cooperation between the Centre and the Hemant Soren-led state government. With Assembly elections scheduled for the end of 2024, voters hope that this time, they may finally receive the benefits of major schemes like PM Awas Yojana, an alternative to which was launched by the Soren government, but was lost in limbo ever since. The Ram Mandir issue has also found some resonance here. Moreover, the BJPs grip over SC and ST voters who form almost 50% of the voting population in Chatra is a major plus point for the party. Forward castes also lean towards the BJP adding to its heft. Ultimately, the region is craving for a double-engine BJP government, which has been heavily marketed by the party citing examples like the Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath. The general sentiment is that in such political conditions, the government benefits meant for the people would be optimised. Congress Putting Up Decent Fight: The Congress has nominated Krishna Nand Tripathi as its candidate from Chatra. Tripathi is a former MLA from Daltonganj who was elected from the seat in 2009. The party, which has an MLA in Manika constituency, enjoys the support of the RJD which has an MLA in Chatra, and scored a vote share of 9% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which can significantly boost the Congresss fortunes which recorded a vote share of 16.2% in the same election. However, Tripathi faces a set of challenges, including opposition from within the party ranks as well as from the RJD, as some of the allys leaders are discontented with the party high commands decision to support the Congress. Moreover, Tripathis biggest challenge is the substantial Muslim vote bank of over 13.5%, which traditionally stood with the Congress, but stands disillusioned at this juncture as its demands for a Muslim candidate have not been met. The Muslim community is miffed by the fact that despite its electoral heft and the Congresss reliance on it, the grand alliance has not fielded a single Muslim candidate on any of the 14 seats in Jharkhand. Intellectuals from the community in Chatra have threatened to hold back their votes against Tripathi and have even considered leaning towards the BJP. According to reports, they demand that the Congress must nominate Muslim candidates from Chatra, Godda, Koderma and Giridh and would not vote for the party if it fails to do so. It remains to be seen whether the party can bag Muslim votes in all its entirety or whether there would be a split, hurting the candidates already poor prospects. The party also has considerable support from the ST-reserved Manika seat, drawing a party of the ST vote bloc. The Congresss political attack on the BJP in the state level has raked up some political heat in the upcoming elections. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh recently questioned the BJP, claiming that the Centre had been giving a stepmotherly treatment to the state and owed Jharkhand lakhs of crores in coal royalties and central scheme benefits. This attack, while seeking some resonance among the electorate, has not managed to portray the Congress as a popular alternative, despite shortcomings at the other end. KEY ISSUES Maoists: The issue of Maoists remains a headache in Chatra for locals and security forces. There have been reports of major clashes in the region between the forces and the Maoists which have resulted in multiple casualties. In the latest incident, two cylinder bombs, meant to target polling officials to disrupt preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the region, were defused by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The incident took place on April 14. Besides the bombs weighing 5kg and 2 kg, bomb-making material, wires and daily essential items were also seized. In another incident which took place back in February this year, two security personnel were killed following a gunfight between Maoists and police. The clash took place at the Bairio forest between Sadar and Basisthnagar Jori in the Chatra Lok Sabha constituency. Unemployment and Migration: Unemployment has been a major issue in Chatra region. There are no major industries owing to the Maoist extremism. Businesses avoid the region for fear of becoming a Maoist target. As a result, thousands of youth migrate to other states in search of employment opportunities. However, these migrant workers often face discrimination at the hands of the local population and are also forced to live in slums with no access to healthcare and basic necessities, which also leads to a number of deaths of the migrants from Chatra district. People have been disappointed with the neglect from the state government and have lamented their miseries and demanded more jobs in the region time and again but to no avail. Railway Connectivity: The demand for railway connectivity has been a raging issue in the region for decades. Despite continuous demands by the people and promises made by the local and state government, no work has been done until now. The locals have accused the MP of not fulfilling the promise of a railway line before the upcoming general election. To address the issue, the Central government approved the first Chatra-Gaya line in 2022. However, the project has since stalled, and no work has been done. Opium Production: Due to unavailability of jobs and Maoist extremism, Chatra has become infamous as an opium hub in the state. The police has launched major drug busting operation across the region, with the latest operation in April 2024, which led to the seizure of 28 kg of opium worth Rs 1.40 crore. Opium production, distribution and sale is also a source of income for the Maoist groups in the region who provide protection to opium cultivators in exchange for a percentage of the profits. Therefore, increasing opium production is also a sign of increasing Maoist activities, which is a headache for the local administration and the security forces. Local Leader: One of the main issues that have perplexed the voters in Chatra is the horde of outside candidates, which take the stage for Chatra at the national level. People have complained a number of times that they want a local man, a son of the soil from Chatra, to represent them at the national level. They believe that the reason that Chatra has failed to develop is because the MP has been a non-local who does not understand local issues. This time, however, the BJP has nominated a local leader to contest the elections removing the incumbent MP. Civic Amenities: There is a scarcity of all basic civic amenities in the district such as piped water, electricity, housing, all-weather roads, heath, education, street lights, etc. Central schemes such as the Jal Jeevan Mission and the PM Awas Yojana have been implemented scarcely, which has been one of the major reasons for denying nomination to the incumbent BJP MP. People have lamented the living conditions, which have seen little to no betterment since independence. In 2006, Chatra was included in the list of most backward regions in the country and has remained there since. VOTER DEMOGRAPHICS (2011 CENSUS) Total Voters (2019): 14,74,625 Urban Areas: 4.7% Rural Areas: 95.3% Social Composition SC: 28.2% ST: 19.5% Religious Composition Hindu: 83.5% Muslim: 13.5% Christian: 2.94% INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT Even as the first batch of 300 got their citizenship certificates on Wednesday under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the war of words between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the law continues. One constituency for which the CAA is key is West Bengals Bongaon. Of the seven assembly constituencies in Bongaon, five have more than 40% Matua voters, making them the decision-makers for the seat. ALSO READ | Will Proceed With CAA-ution: In West Bengals Bongaon, Hindu Refugee Matuas Confused, Will Wait And Watch Matuas are Scheduled Caste (SC) refugees from Bangladesh, who have been seeking citizenship. The implementation of the CAA is a key plank for the BJP. The TMC, on the other hand, is stating that as in this process one has to declare that they are foreigners, there is every possibility that these people will be sent to detention centres. Amid the confusion and counter, News18 travels to Bongaons Thakurnagar, the headquarters of Matua Mahasangh, to gauge the sentiment on ground. THE BACKGROUND In 1812, Hari Chand Thakur was born in the Namasudra family in undivided India. He started the Matua sect, which believed he was the incarnation of God. After Partition, his grandson PR Thakur set up the Thakurnagar Bongaon Matua Sangh Headquarters. Soon, they started the movement for citizenship. PR Thakur was a Congress MP. After his death, his wife, Binapani Devi, took the movement forward. With the Left coming to power in Bengal, they, too, managed to forge a solid base among the Matuas. Since 2006, TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been trying to get the support of Binapani Devi Baro Ma. Baro Mas son Kapil Krishna Thakur became an MP, while his brother became an MLA. After Kapils death, his wife, Mamata Bala Thakur, became a TMC MP. However, his brother, Manjul Krishna Thakur, suddenly joined the BJP. Shantanu Thakur, MoS Shipping, is the son of Manjul Krishna Thakur. AT THAKURNAGAR Amid the CAA war of words, Thakurbari, which decides which party will go to Parliament, is also seeing an internal fight. Prashanta Roy, who came from Bangladesh in 2011, has a voter ID and Aadhaar card, but he says he wants citizenship because police created problems in his passport. We dont want to stay like Rohingya, we are always under threat. We dont know when we will be thrown. Thats why this citizenship certificate is very important for us, he said. Like Roy, thousands want the certificate. This March, when the government notified the CAA, there was a huge celebration in Thakurnagar. However, not many applications for citizenship have gone from Thakurbari, say sources. Tarun Mondals family came to India after 1980. He told News18, Some of them have applied, but Shantanu Thakur will conduct a camp here. We are waiting for it. Mamata Banerjee is trying to spread a fake narrative and we are not falling for it. Babu Biswas, another Matua from this area, told News18: All are waiting for the election to get over. They will then start applying. We want to see what details are required to get citizenship certificates. People from various parts of Bengal are coming to meet Shantanu Thakur to know more about the application process. Thakur, who is contesting on a BJP ticket, told News18: All will apply once this election frenzy gets over. Their 70-year-old dream has come true. Mamata and the TMC spreading fake a narrative that whoever applies will become a foreigner. I heard her nephew said that they will support the CAA if the NRC is not there. This means, Mamata Banerjee is supporting the CAA as there is nothing against it. ALSO READ | MHA Issues First Set of Citizenship Certificates Under CAA, 14 People Granted Indian Nationality Locals say Shantanu Thakur will anyway win with a high margin this time. Biswajit Das, the TMC candidate who in 2021 contested the MLA election from here, told News18: If everything is so good, why have they not applied? Why has Shantanu Thakur not applied? Matuas have understood the clever plan of the BJP and they will vote for Mamata development, not the CAA. Bongaon will vote on May 20. Whether Matuas decide for or against the CAA will only be known on June 4. Shantanu Thakur, the descendant of Harichand Thakur who founded Matua-ism, a Vaishnavite religious reform movement and Minister of State for Shipping has been the face of the CAA movement for the BJP. Thakur is contesting from Bengals Bangaon, which is set to vote in phase 5 of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to CNN-News18, Thakur expressed confidence in his victory as he hailed the grant of first lot of citizenship certificates. Edited Excerpts: Whats the response on ground? We are getting a huge response. I am sure the winning margin will increase. Is the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) the reason for that? We have been fighting for citizenship for three to four generations. This was our demand and the Union governments decision has helped people get an identity. The first certificates have been given. What do you have to say? Some political parties were trying to show that our citizenship promise is fake. But our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah proved that they were serious about it. But why are a lot of people not applying for the certificates? This is long process. It cant be done in a day. More than one crore people have demanded citizenship so the government will take some time and do it. What about Mamata Banerjees stand on the issue? Now she is saying she supports CAA but with the condition of no National Register of Citizens (NRC). Her nephew also said that without NRC, they will support CAA. There is no NRC anyway. She tried to spread a fake narrative but it did not work. What is your pitch to the people? PM Modi has brought development in the last 10 years. Indias situation has improved internationally. PM Modi is a world leader. We believe in Vasudev Kutumbakam. Mamata Banerjee has said she will support the INDIA bloc from outside. Whats your take on it? She has only 42 seats; she will anyway not leave a mark anywhere. She does not have any policies in Bengal. Her partners will cut her vote. Is corruption an issue? Corruption is a big issue across West Bengal. If we [BJP] are using ED and CBI as alleged by the Opposition, then how come money is being found in their ministers homes? PM Modi has said he is the last person to indulge in Hindu-Muslim rhetoric. Whats your take? Accusing the prime minister is Oppositions propaganda. India is a Sanatani haven. Everyone stays together here. TMC says Sandeshkhali is BJPs game plan. Its a fact that there has been torture in Sandeshkhali. Amit Shah said BJP will cross 30 seats in Bengal. Whats your take? The situation is conducive to increase our seats. We are working hard and our margin will increase. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Not many would have noticed, but the top leadership of the Congress was not euphoric over Arvind Kejriwals interim bail. And, as days pass, the Grand Old Party is left wondering if its a better idea that the Delhi chief minister goes back to jail as soon as the bail deadline ends. Its the Punjab and Delhi polls that are bothering the Congress. As skeletons tumble out of the AAP cupboard, many seniors are wary of sharing the stage with the partys candidates. In Punjab, the worry is bigger where the Congress has no alliance with AAP. So, it came as no surprise when former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi came down heavily on the Delhi CM, saying he is corrupt and must be punished. Like Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who needed to attack West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for his political survival, the Congress needs to be very unhappy with the Congress-AAP bonhomie in Delhi for it to do well in Punjab. As pictures of Arvind Kejriwal with Congress candidate Kanhaiya Kumar went viral, many leaders of the Grand Old Party were left scratching their heads. One of these is Ajay Maken, who has not been comfortable with the AAP-Congress friendship. He got a shot in the arm when Arvinder Singh Lovely quit Congress to join BJP. Maken stood vindicated as he had objected to Lovelys push for an alliance with AAP. The senior leader is avoiding being seen campaigning for any AAP candidate. In Punjab, Congress leaders are avoiding direct contact with AAP leaders as, for them, Kejriwals party is a thorn in the flesh. While Delhi goes to polls on May 25, Punjab goes later. However, by the time Punjab votes, the damage could have been done. This is why the INDIA bloc has little credibility left. Add to this is the U-turn by the Bengal chief minister. After saying that she would give outside support to INDIA bloc, she ended up saying that she was the one who had formed the alliance. The fact is that Congress is a partner that many are wary of. Its needed as it has pan-India presence but, at the same time, its ambition and pan-India status are also the reasons why regional parties like AAP and TMC know that they cannot rise till Congress is chipped at. The dilemma and discomfort within the Congress suits the AAP and TMC. And hence, the U-turns and multiple messages. It may sound confusing to voters but for the regional parties, it makes perfect sense. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website From Congress will not get 40 seats to Will provide outside support to INDIA bloc and help them form the government Mamata Banerjees statements and her stand on the opposition alliance continue to pass through twists and turns as the Lok Sabha elections progress. Banerjee, who in February expressed doubt about the Congress securing even 40 seats, and later said that her party was on its own in West Bengal, has now said that she is the one who stitched up the alliance and named it INDIA. Addressing an election rally in the state on Wednesday, Banerjee said that her party would provide outside support to the alliance to form the government. Her statement created ripples in the political circles as many questioned her stand on the alliance. A day later, the chief minister of West Bengal clarified, saying that she was very much a part of the INDIA bloc as she constituted the alliance and named it. She added that the Congress unit of West Bengal and the Left parties were not in it. In the past four months, Banerjee has altered her statements and stand on the alliance several times. She accused some senior politicians of the bloc of humiliating her in meetings. She did not take part in Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra that passed through Bengal, and in the last few months, she was not seen attending the crucial meetings and rallies of the INDIA front. Her party was represented by senior MPs, while her nephew and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee too remained absent from such meetings. An analysis of her speeches during the election campaign in Bengal brings out how her political targets in the state have always been two parties: the BJP and Congress. Banerjees Trinamool Congress refused to share seats in Bengal with allies the Congress and Left. Unlike what happened in Kerala, the Congress and Left joined hands and are fighting the election in Bengal together. According to political analysts, and senior politicians of both the TMC and Congress, the bone of contention has always been the share of Muslim votes. Confusing voters Reacting to the chief ministers comments over giving outside support to Congress and her clarification that she was a part of the opposition national alliance, Congresss West Bengal unit chief and MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the TMC chairperson had sensed his partys upswing in the elections. Mamata Banerjee is confusing voters. She has been saying that her party is a part of the INDIA bloc, but the Pradesh Congress of Bengal and the CPMs state unit are outside the alliance. This is an impossible lie she is uttering every day. Is the Bengal unit not part of the national Congress? We are our partys representative. She is trying to confuse voters. She is now scared and she can see that her partys political graph is plummeting, Chowdhury told News 18. She has always used Muslims as her vote bank. Muslim votes have been the foundation of her victory. In this election, she can sense that Muslims have also deserted her for false promises, lies, corruption, and violence. She can see that the Muslim votes are swinging towards the Congress-Left alliance. She is nervous and that is why she is making such politically impossible statements. We tried, but Apart from Mamata, Abhishek Banerjee said that the Trinamool was serious about the alliance in Bengal as well. He said that he went and met Rahul Gandhi at 6 am at his residence in Delhi. However, the electoral arrangement did not work out for Bengal, said a source in Trinamool Congress close to the Banerjees. A senior TMC leader said, Bengal is Trinamools turf. Congress should have supported us here. The party offered some seats, but they wanted more. That is why the talks failed. Before the elections, Congress lost its ground connection and that was probably the reason why Didi mentioned such things about them not getting 40 seats. But, in politics, things change fast. We can see the anti-BJP feeling, the angst against the party at the Centre. Didi can feel the peoples pulse. But it goes beyond doubt that without Trinamools support, Congress cannot form the government. Muslims as movers Out of a total of 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bengal, around 14 to 15 have more than 30 per cent Muslim population. These are called the Muslim-dominated seats, of which in around eight to nine, the community has over 25 per cent population. This means they could be the deciding factor in these areas. According to political analysts, Muslims are the prime movers for the opposition alliance in Bengal. Since the absolute consolidation of the Hindu vote has not yet happened in the state, the TMCs political calculation always moves around the chunk of Muslim votes through block voting, and a considerable percentage of Hindu votes that includes all castes. Traditionally, the ruling parties of Bengal both the Left and Trinamool have continued to secure a well-consolidated Muslim vote. Any split in this may put the ruling TMC in trouble. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarmas recent comments while campaigning in Jharkhand for the Bharatiya Janata Party have received criticism from opposition leaders in his home state. Sarma alleged that infiltrators from Bangladesh make up 1.25 crore of Assams population and control 40 of its 126 MLAs. His remarks have sparked a buzz following the conclusion of polling in Assam in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 7. At a Ranchi press conference, Sarma warned that these infiltrators pose a threat to Jharkhands tribal population, using Assam as a cautionary example. He criticised past Congress governments for failing to prevent this alleged infiltration, asserting that Assams identity has been compromised as a result. Sarma urged Jharkhand to avoid similar mistakes and to prevent the entry of Rohingyas, emphasising the importance of border protection and expressing support for Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership. Sarmas comments also referenced the Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC), which excluded 19 lakh people in its final 2019 draft. He depicted an ongoing existential threat in Assam, suggesting that infiltrators could similarly affect Jharkhands indigenous population within 20 years. Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, Aminul Islam, general secretary of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) dismissed Sarmas claims as politically motivated. He said, Why, if there are indeed Bangladeshis, the current government hasnt taken action? Himanta Biswa Sarma is only trying to show his anti-Muslim stand to the people everywhere in an attempt to win sympathy votes from Hindus in the name of religion. If 40 per cent of Assam is filled with infiltrators, even his government is a government of infiltrators. Its very shameful that the CM comes up with such undemocratic, unconstitutional things time and again. Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah also criticised Sarma, highlighting the inconsistencies between Prime Minister Narendra Modis public statements and the CMs rhetoric. Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dol leader Akhil Gogoi condemned Sarmas speeches as communal and fundamentalist, urging the chief minister to refrain from disrespecting the people of Assam. He said, CM Sarma should resign from the post of chief minister and then state such statements. He has put the people of Assam into utter shame by saying such communal things in other states. He is putting the entire state of Assam in shame. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Afzal Ansari, donning a hat and shades, tells villagers in rural Ghazipur that the government calls him a mafia while he has always been a messiah of the poor. Have you ever seen a mafia wearing a hawai chappal or drive a 12-year-old car, Ansari asks News18 when confronted. A court convicted him under the Gangsters Act in 2023 and handed him a four-year jail term. Situated next to the BJPs bastion of Varanasi, Ghazipur is a Samajwadi Party (SP) fortress. The opposition party won all seven seats of Ghazipur in the 2022 assembly polls. Afzal Ansari, then with BSP, defeated BJP heavy-weight Manoj Sinha to win the parliamentary seat in 2019 and is in the contest again now from the SP. This time, the death of his brother Mukhtar Ansari in a UP jail two months ago has become a major poll issue, with Afzal Ansari seeking justice. It is a fact that Mukhtar was poisoned and murdered by the government inside jail. I do not trust the government medical reports as they are involved themselves. If our government is formed, trust me, the truth will come out and big culprits will go to jail, Afzal told News18, saying he wants the people to deliver justice to him at the EVM booths for his brothers death. At every rally, Afzal strikes this emotional chord with people. Many nod in agreement and doubt Mukhtars natural death. Bulldozer Model UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths bulldozer model has worked the most in Ghazipur against the Ansari family, with action taken against the familys properties. Afzal calls it unjust but adds that people have given their verdict on the same. BJP faced reverses in Purvanchal (East UP) in 2022 assembly elections due its arrogance. BJP lost in all assembly seats in Ghazipur and Azamgarh districts. Same will happen in the Lok Sabha polls, Afzal told News18. The aggressive pursuit of legal cases against the Ansaris in courts by the Yogi government pushed Mukhtar into jail and Afzal Ansari saw the first conviction against him last year under the Gangsters Act. He was earlier acquitted in the Krishnanand Rai murder case which has been challenged in the high court. Afzal has moved for a stay on his conviction and the matter will be heard on May 20. His daughter Nusrat has filed nomination as an independent to act as a back-up. Afzal says his family has an illustrious history, has fought for independence, and has been unfairly targeted. Those who have no history are jealous of my familys history. Those who did not sacrifice even a nail in the fight for Independence, they hate our illustrious history. Our ancestor, Dr MA Ansari, was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and joined Congress to become its president in 1926. He gave his house in Daryaganj to Gandhi to make it the Congress office in Delhi, Afzal said. He said 12 members of his family had gone to jail during the Independence movement. My house was once run over by British forces because freedom fighters took shelter there, and now the BJP government in the state is running a bulldozer over it. A school in the name of MA Ansari in Ghazipur was demolished by them, Afzal told News18. He said the BJP government in UP was arrogant and will pay the price for it. BJPs challenge Manoj Sinhas right-hand man, Paras Nath, is the BJPs candidate from Ghazipur and has been associated with the RSS, leading to the right-wing organisation putting in full efforts on the seat. Paras Nath may be fighting his first election but he is a well-known face to BJP workers as he has managed all elections of Manoj Sinha for over two decades. But yes, if Manoj Sinha had contested, BJP would have won from Ghazipur this time, a group of BJP workers here said. The demographics of the seat suit the opposition alliance of the SP-Congress, other locals said. But Ghazipur needs to decide will the people stick on with the SP which won all seven assembly seats here, or join the mainstream of the BJP which is in power both in the state and the Centre. The district needs to get rid of its mafia-raj image, a group of elderly men in the Ghazipur market told News18. Thousands had turned up for Mukhtar Ansaris last rites two months ago and Ansaris hope the sympathy card will see them through. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website The Jalaun (SC) Lok Sabha constituency is one of 80 parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. This seat is reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Castes. It comprises entire Jalaun district and parts of Jhansi and Kanpur Dehat districts. Five Assembly segments fall under the Jalaun (SC) Lok Sabha seat, of which four are currently held by the BJP (Bhognipur, Madhaugarh, Orai-SC and Garautha) and one by the Samajwadi Party (Kalpi). Polling Date May 20, 2024; Phase 5 Sitting MP Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma (BJP) Candidates Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma (BJP), Narayan Das Ahirwar (SP) Political Dynamics A bipolar contest is on in Bundelkhand regions Jalaun between the ruling BJP and the Samajwadi Party, which is contesting as part of the INDIA bloc. The Samajwadi Party is giving a tough fight to the sitting BJP MP this time, but the latter is said to have the edge in the constituency. BJP Gunning for Hat Trick: The saffron party has held a dominant streak in Jalaun, winning on the trot since 2014 after successful runs in 2004 and between 1991 and 1998. The saffron party has held a dominant streak in Jalaun, winning on the trot since 2014 after successful runs in 2004 and between 1991 and 1998. Its also a prestigious seat for the party with Union minister and sitting MP Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma on the ticket. Verma is a five-time MP from Jalaun, having won in 1996, 1998, 2004, 2014 and 2019. In 2019, he had retained his seat by a margin of 158,377 votes with a vote of 51.49%. This time, Verma is in the hunt for a hat-trick from Jalaun. If he manages to win, he would be the first MP since 1971 to score three consecutive wins from Jalaun. Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma is a prominent SC face of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. In 2001, he became vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh BJPs SC Morcha and a decade later, became its president. As an MP, he was a member of the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. In 2021, he was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet as Minister of State in the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Even though he is a union minister, Verma is said to have strong connect with Jalaun voters since he makes it a point to visit the constituency regularly. Many locals cite his simple personality as one of the points in his favour since it makes him appear more approachable and accessible. Challenger from SP: The Samajwadi Party, which is fighting the elections as part of the INDIA bloc, has fielded Narayan Das Ahirwar from the Jalaun seat. The Samajwadi Party, which is fighting the elections as part of the INDIA bloc, has fielded Narayan Das Ahirwar from the Jalaun seat. Ahirwar was a founding member of the Bahujan Samaj Party and was made cabinet minister from 2007 to 2011. Somewhere in 2014, his ties with the party leadership soured and he jumped ship to the Samajwadi Party. The last time the SP won the Jalaun seat was back in 2009 when Ghanshyam Anuragi unseated BJPs Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma Addressing a rally in Jalaun on May 14, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav promised that farmers loans will be waived, and Minimum Support Price will be guaranteed if his party is voted to power. Tapping Into Bundeli Sentiments: The demand for creation of a Bundelkhand state by carving out districts from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh has been around for decades. Jalaun is one of the constituencies that falls within the geographical limits of this proposed state. The demand for creation of a Bundelkhand state by carving out districts from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh has been around for decades. Jalaun is one of the constituencies that falls within the geographical limits of this proposed state. Seven districts in Uttar Pradesh Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Jalaun, and Chitrakoot and eight districts in Madhya Pradesh Datia, Tikamgarh, Chhattarpur, Sagar, Damoh, and Panna come in this region. All major parties in Uttar Pradesh BJP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and BSP have at some point paid lip service in support of Bundelkhand statehood but there has been no concrete action on paper or on the ground. On May 14, BSP supremo Mayawati said if her party is voted to power, it will carve a separate state of Bundelkhand. Caste Factors: Caste arithmetic plays a major role in candidate selection in the reserved Jalaun seat. Caste arithmetic plays a major role in candidate selection in the reserved Jalaun seat. Scheduled Caste and OBC voters play the decisive role in who gets the mandate, followed by around 1.25 lakh Muslim voters. Apart from the Muslim votes, the Samajwadi Party can count on the sizeable Pal, Yadav and Ahirwar votes in the constituency. Around 100 households in Madhaugarh Assembly segment are said to be extended relatives of BJPs Bhanu Verma whose votes the party can count on. Kushwahas also enjoy significant numbers in the constituency and are likely to stand behind the BJP as always. The General category voters in the constituency are also likely to back the BJP. Key Issues Water Scarcity: Water scarcity is one of the problems faced by locals in Jalaun. Historically, the region has been impacted with concurrent droughts and famines. Water scarcity is one of the problems faced by locals in Jalaun. Historically, the region has been impacted with concurrent droughts and famines. While the issue has been addressed up to a point that famine and drought do not occur regularly, some areas in the region still face water scarcity. According to reports, every summer, Jalaun is faced with a water crisis in several areas. There is a big problem of drinking water in Kotra Nagar Panchayat with a population of 12,000. Despite being located near the Betwa river, there has been a major water crisis in the region. The groundwater is saline and hence groundwater extraction is not a viable source. Jal Nigam board had installed a tube well and a tank 3km kilometres away years ago, but the entire Panchayat is not getting supply from it. Farmer Issues: Farmers in Jalaun are distressed due to repeated crop failures. Incessant rains, hailstorms coupled with water scarcity in the summers has made agriculture a difficult task. Farmers in Jalaun are distressed due to repeated crop failures. Incessant rains, hailstorms coupled with water scarcity in the summers has made agriculture a difficult task. Repeated crop failures have led to increasing debt burden and loans on the farmers, especially for those who procured loans from local money lenders. Delayed compensation has added to the farmers financial crisis. Moreover, rising costs of production due to unavailability of fertilisers and pesticides at government rates has cut into the profits of the markets and has even led to huge losses. Farmers have also been unable to sell their produce directly to the government due to the many regulations and complexity of the process. This forces them to sell their produce at cheaper rates to local traders. Farmers have demanded a higher MSP for their produce from the government, and timely delivery of compensation in times of crop failure to help recover their losses. Sewage Issues: Inadequate sewage infrastructure which has failed to be upgraded for over more than two decades has become a major issue in Jalaun city. People have complained about stinking overflowing manholes and nalas. Inadequate sewage infrastructure which has failed to be upgraded for over more than two decades has become a major issue in Jalaun city. People have complained about stinking overflowing manholes and nalas. The issue has worsened in the area of Konch Nagar where sewer water is flowing on the streets with no solution provided despite the people repeatedly calling on the local administration. In March, the people submitted their complaint to the District Magistrate after which the manholes and streets were cleaned, but the cause still remains to be addressed. Women Safety: Women safety has become a major issue in Jalaun. In 2023, a 17-year-old Dalit girl was gang raped in the region. She died by suicide after the police allegedly forced her family members to reach a compromise with the accused. Women safety has become a major issue in Jalaun. In 2023, a 17-year-old Dalit girl was gang raped in the region. She died by suicide after the police allegedly forced her family members to reach a compromise with the accused. In another incident last year, a 38-year-old man died by suicide after the police took no action against the men accused of gang-raping his minor daughter in Akodhi village. The father had also filed a complaint against the local policemen on the Chief Ministers Jansunwai online portal. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of crimes against women in 2022. Railway Connectivity: Jalaun district has been deprived of railway connectivity with the only proper railway station being in Jalaun city. Jalaun is a rural constituency, and the majority of the population has to travel to the city to avail railway connectivity. Jalaun district has been deprived of railway connectivity with the only proper railway station being in Jalaun city. Jalaun is a rural constituency, and the majority of the population has to travel to the city to avail railway connectivity. Eight years ago, a survey was conducted regarding the railway track. However, no action was taken. From Lal Bahadur Shastri to Mamata Banerjee, everyone promised railway connectivity but failed to deliver on their promises. A survey of 89.66 km railway line from Konch to Phaphund via Jalaun and 217 km railway line from Mahoba to Bhind via Jalaun was done in 2014, however the project was shelved in 2016 citing a lack of budget. People were incensed and went on an indefinite hunger strike. To placate the issue assurances were provided but again no work was done. Unemployment and Migration: There is a lack of new major industries in the region. Moreover, the old industries in the region are declining due to issues pertaining to absence of government support. In addition, there is also a lack of central and state government projects. There is a lack of new major industries in the region. Moreover, the old industries in the region are declining due to issues pertaining to absence of government support. In addition, there is also a lack of central and state government projects. This forces the people to stick to agriculture where returns have been dwindling and most farmers are under tremendous debt. This has resulted in the youth migrating outwards to find better employment opportunities in Kanpur and Lucknow or even as far as Delhi. Lack of Civic Infrastructure: Civic infrastructure in the region has been an issue for decades. While the city has adequate healthcare infrastructure and roads, it is the rural regions which suffer. Civic infrastructure in the region has been an issue for decades. While the city has adequate healthcare infrastructure and roads, it is the rural regions which suffer. According to onground reports, there is a lack of all-weather roads in many villages scattered across the region. This hampers movement and connectivity especially in the rainy seasons when roads are washed away. Moreover, educational infrastructure in the region is lacking and there is no major higher education institute for people wishing to achieve a masters degree. There is also a lack of sanitation facilities in the rural areas exposing the people to various diseases, for which they have to travel to the city on broken and washed away roads. Demographics Total Voters: 1929137 SC: 536,300 (27.8%) ST: 1,929 (0.1%) Geographical Composition Urban Voters: 408,977 (21.2%) Rural Voters: 1,520,160 (78.1%) Religious Composition Hindu: 90.2% Muslim: 9.5% Infrastructure Development Bundelkhand Expressway: It is a 296 km-long, four-lane wide access-controlled expressway which provides improved connectivity to the Bundelkhand region of which Jalaun is a part of. It is a 296 km-long, four-lane wide access-controlled expressway which provides improved connectivity to the Bundelkhand region of which Jalaun is a part of. The total cost of the project was approximately Rs 1,500 crore. The expressway is an immediate need of the region to provide improved connectivity to facilitate the movement of goods and people within the region to foster economic growth in the backward regions of Bundelkhand. Solar Park: The Jalaun Solar PV Park, a ground-mounted solar project spanning 250 acres, began operations in October 2021. The park generates 85,000 MWh of electricity annually, enough to power approximately 25,000 homes. The Jalaun Solar PV Park, a ground-mounted solar project spanning 250 acres, began operations in October 2021. The park generates 85,000 MWh of electricity annually, enough to power approximately 25,000 homes. Jalaun Ultra Renewable Energy Power Park: It is an under-construction power park which will be constructed in the Orai region of Jalaun Lok Sabha constituency, at an investment of Rs 796.96 crore. It is an under-construction power park which will be constructed in the Orai region of Jalaun Lok Sabha constituency, at an investment of Rs 796.96 crore. Railway Infrastructure: A limited height subway was constructed in place of level crossing no. 180 at Tow Case 1200 between Erich Road and Parauna. Manned level crossing no. 200 between Chaumrah and Pokhrayan was replaced with a limited height subway, as was unmanned level crossing no. 152 between Moth and Erich Road. Orai station received 30 new stainless-steel dustbins, its platforms were raised, and it received retro-reflective signage, a water vending machine, and four automatic ticket vending machines. A waiting room was added for passengers at Pokhrayan station. Retro-reflective signage was also installed at Ait and Kalpi stations. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website The Shiv Sena has seen massive changes since the 2019 Assembly elections in Maharashtra. In 2019, Uddhav Thackeray broke the 35-year alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2022, Eknath Shinde rebelled against Uddhav, dividing the Sena into two factions, and gaining control over the party name and symbol. Uddhavs faction, which is contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), has candidates on 21 seats. The Shinde-led group is part of the Mahayuti, an alliance with the BJP and NCP (Ajit Pawar). The Lok Sabha elections will act as a litmus test for Uddhavs Sena UBT ahead of the assembly elections likely in October this year. THE RIFT Sena supremo Bal Thackeray got into an alliance with the BJP based on its common ideology of Hindutva. Jitendra Mhatre, originally from Jalgaon, but settled in Mumbai, said, Before 2014, we thought we only had the Shiv Sena which fought for us. After PM Narendra Modi came to power, we realised that the BJP and Sena have similar ideologies and can help Maharashtrians. Thackerays Sena was against migrants diluting the Maharashtrian identity, parties favoring Muslim vote bank and dynastic politics. Bal Thackeray was the upholder of Maharashtrians. He was our father, brother, son and friend. The Shiv Sena has done a lot for us. We will always stand by the party and Thackeray family, said Vinod Kamble from Mumbai. According to Shinde, while Uddhav capitalised on his fathers legacy to gain support in the state, he was not true to his ideals, which caused rift within the party. Shinde has repeatedly said that Uddhav looked to further his son Aadityas career, failing to recognise key contributions of other loyal local leaders. Some of the disgruntled MLAs, who joined the Shinde camp, even felt that Uddhav didnt do enough to support and protect its core Maharashtrian electorate. THE BREAKING POINT Many Sena leaders, who have joined the Shinde faction, said that Uddhavs breaking of the alliance with the BJP and joining hands with the Congress and then intact NCP under Sharad Pawar to become the CM was what became the last nail. Bal Thackeray had previously made statements strongly denouncing the possibility of any alliance between the Shiv Sena with Congress or NCP ever. Calling Pawar names, Thackeray had even claimed he would dissolve the Shiv Sena if the party ever allied with the Congress. Calling it an unnatural alliance, Shinde revolted with 40 other MLAs and formed a government supporting the BJP. This was followed by Pawars nephew Ajit breaking away from the NCP with some MLAs to support the government. While Shinde called it a move to honour Thackerays ideology, Uddhav called it an act motivated by greed. VOTERS CONFUSED For the voters, the Sena split has added to their confusion and options. Voters who initially supported the Shiv Sena as a party standing for Hindutva now have another outfit, the BJP. Those who looked for regional power can now pick between Sena UBT and Shinde Sena. We are confused as to which Sena to back. One side has the Thackeray name, but on the other is the Sena that supports Modi. We want Modi as the PM, said Mumbaikar Ajay Deshpande. Mala Deshmukh, a first-time voter, said, Uddhav Thackeray seems to only be favouring his son, and he has abandoned all his ideas to just get power. Her father, Nitin, however, vouches for the Thackeray family. While the Modi factor could give a boost to Shinde, Uddhav can bank on the Thackeray factor. All eyes are now on June 4, as Uddhavs groups performance will decide the status of his Shiv Sena, supporters and his future bargaining power in the MVA in the Assembly elections. Jayant Patil, state president of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) (SP), in an exclusive interview with News18, said that Maharashtra wont vote in favour of the Mahayuti the alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shindes Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawars faction of the NCP. The way PM Narendra Modi is holding rallies in Maharashtra until the last day of campaigning shows that Mahayuti will not be getting the results they expect from the state. He is trying to reach all possible constituencies just to do damage control, said Patil. Patil criticised the PM for holding a road show in Mumbais Ghatkopar, where a hoarding collapse on Monday killed 16 people. Patil said the PM should have avoided the road show in that area on Wednesday. He should have visited the families of the victims, but he didnt. Due to his road show, many people were stranded as traffic was diverted and stopped. Metros, too, were kept shut, causing delays for people trying to reach home after their office hours, said Patil. Stating that his faction will not merge with the Congress, Patil said his party is independent and working smoothly. At least eight MPs from NCP (SP) and 30-35 from Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) the Congress-Sena UBT-NCP SP alliance will be elected, he said. ON THE SPLIT Modi recently said that people should not vote for NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) because they couldnt do anything when their parties split and so cant be trusted to run the country. The BJP used all its power to break the Shiv Sena and NCP in Maharashtra. Many from our faction went to the other side unwillingly because of the BJPs unethical breaking of the party. Although the BJP leaders may say they were not behind the split in both the parties, it is no longer a secret now. Moreover, a BJP leader said that the plan was cooked in Maharashtra and not in Delhi, said Patil. ON RESERVATION The state recently saw incidents of violence between two communities. After the last Maratha agitation, houses of Other Backward Class (OBC) leaders in Marathwada region were burnt. Cases of violence were reported between Hindus and Muslims from Kolhapur, Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Whenever the BJP has found itself in trouble, they have taken the help of such things. During this election too, they are trying to create tension between two communities. This government didnt satisfy the demands of those demanding reservation based on caste and community, so they have also gone against this government. Marathas and Dhangars are not happy with this government. People who have received reservations from the Constitution are also worried that BJP leaders are speaking of changing the Constitution, so they might lose their reservation if the BJP comes to power, said Patil. People are worried when the BJP leaders say that vote for us, as we need to change the Constitution. What do they mean by that? Are they going to remove reservation? The way everyone has the right to cast their vote, will it only be given to a few? Will there be freedom of expression and freedom of speech? Will the rights given to the citizens of India by the Constitution remain the same? All these questions have emerged in peoples minds, said Patil. ON BUSINESSES, NAKLI CHARGE Patil questioned the state government on the businesses and industries that have gone to other states. If they are alleging that their businesses and industries went to other states due to the MVA government, I want to ask them how many new industries did they bring to Maharashtra? Rather, we saw projects like Vedanta Foxconn go to other states. Many projects that should have come to Maharashtra were diverted to other states, especially Gujarat. People of Maharashtra are not happy as this government has not even generated employment for them, said Patil. Reacting to Modis statement that the Sharad Pawar-led faction is nakli NCP, Patil said, I find this statement of PM Modi childish. Sharad Pawar is one of the founders of the NCP. Due to such statements made by BJP leaders, people are moving away from them. Today, people are behind Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. People have made their decision and all will know on June 4 which is the asli NCP. The debate on the so-called north-south divide in the country has been reignited. Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah once again raised the issue as he launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying that they have been trying to create a divide between the people of the north and the south. Calling Karnataka a daughter of India, the CM stated that India as a country has never discriminated against anyone, but people like Modi spew venom. Taking to social media site X, Siddaramaiah added, Just because the elections in the Southern States are over, an ungrateful Prime Minister is now trying to divide South and North Indians by targeting people from the Southern States. The reaction from Siddaramaiah came in the background of PM Modis public address in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday, where he described the ongoing elections as a battle between BJPs policy of Santushtikaran (contentment) versus the INDIA blocs Tushtikaran (appeasement). PM Modi, during his speech, accused Congress leaders, especially the top brass, of coming to northern states and seeking votes and then, when they go down south, they abuse north Indians. Down south, they abuse north Indians, but come and seek your votes here. They do nothing to oppose their allies like DMK, whose leaders abuse our Sanatana Dharma. Leaders from the Congress and SP keep mum when leaders from the Left parties in Kerala, Congress leaders from Karnataka and Telangana abuse north Indians. Can we forgive such divisive forces? asked the PM during the rally. Modi said that parties like the Congress and Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh have been trying to change the Constitution and allocate the quota set aside for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes to Muslims, just like how they have done in Karnataka. He added that under the garb of pseudo-secularism, the opposition has been triggering a fight between Hindus and Muslims while also looking at allocating a 15 per cent quota to minorities alone. They (INDIA bloc) are looking at applying the Karnataka model of quota allocation on a communal basis across the country, and this Modi will never allow them to do, in his lifetime, the PM said. Senior Congress leader and AICC member Mansoor Khan reacted to this statement by the PM as one of political appeasement to seek votes at a time when the BJP is desperate to win. We, the Congress, are the ones who have been going around the country with our Bharat Jodo campaign, but Modi is all set to implement his Bharat Todo strategy. No Prime Minister in the history of India has used the north-south divide, discriminating between Hindus and Muslims as much as this PM has. Be it mangalsutra, wealth redistribution, or the Muslim bogey, he has brought the election down to such low standards. Where does he speak about development or the achievements of this government? said Khan to News18. BJP spokesperson Malavika Avinash countered the Congress by asking the party and CM Siddaramaiah to recall what the partys lone state Lok Sabha MP, DK Suresh, said on a separate nation (South India) just before the elections. Neither Siddaramaiah nor the Congress asked Suresh to apologise to the nation for his statement, she said. It is the Congress that discriminates. PM Modi has done all he can to keep the country together, all its communities together, and never discriminated on the basis of region, religion, language, or community when it comes to providing for the people. It is Siddaramaiah who subscribes to the extreme Left and Dravida philosophy, which he has imbibed from the DMK in Tamil Nadu, Malavika said. This is not the first time that the Karnataka chief minister has taken on the Centre and the BJP on the issue of divisive politics. Siddaramaiah, along with the state Congress unit, had carried out a protest at Delhis Jantar Mantar in February against the Centres alleged injustice to Karnataka when it came to tax devolution and grants-in-aid. Karnataka, which led the protests, alleged that the central governments reduction in tax devolution has resulted in a loss of over Rs 45,000 crore to the state in the last four years. The hard-earned money and taxes paid by our Kannadigas have not been useful for the state during our tough times as we face severe drought across the state. All the money that the state deserves is going to the northern states, Siddaramaiah told News18 during an interview at the Delhi protests. Three of the major southern states, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, are leading what is called the #southtaxmovement, which the governments say is against PM Modi and his governance, which favours the northern states. As an example, they point out that when it comes to states like Uttar Pradesh (around Rs 2.29 thousand crore), the distribution tax revenue has been unfairly more than the southern part of the country. UP benefits more than the entire southern states combined (around Rs 1.93 thousand crore), they argue. The BJP had earlier countered this allegation by Karnataka as a politically opportunistic move by the Congress. BJPs social media head and spokesperson Amit Malviya called this stand by the Congress deplorable and a typical characteristic of the partys leaders, who are trusted allies of the tukde tukde gang (a phrase used by the BJP to refer to those who are alleged sympathisers of separatists in India). The BJP asked Siddaramaiah to examine the funds Bengaluru gets versus the regions like Kalyana Karnataka and Kalburgi before taking up issues such as the north-south divide in politics. He (Siddaramaiah) is trying to blame the Centre for his own failures and broken promises. He forgets that many companies in Bengaluru have pan-India operations and pay taxes accordingly. The location of direct tax collection is not a fair basis for sharing tax, as the money comes from all over India, Malviya earlier said in a social media post. Siddaramaiah also took on Maharashtra chief minister and BJP ally Eknath Shinde, who recently remarked that the Congress-led government in Karnataka would collapse after the Lok Sabha elections. Instead of speaking about the collapse of our Congress government, let him first save their (Shindes) government from collapse, retaliated the Karnataka CM. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website The Swati Maliwal assault issue threatens to derail Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwals election campaign, reversing the chances of a fillip the AAP was expecting to its poll chances post Kejriwals interim bail. ALSO READ | Swati Maliwal News LIVE Updates HERE While Kejriwal has hit the campaign trail in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, all attention is on Maliwals shocking charges against Kejriwals right-hand man Bibhav Kumar. In her First Information Report (FIR), Maliwal has alleged that Kumar slapped her seven-eight times, deliberately pulled up her shirt, kicked her in the chest, stomach and pelvis area, and called her a neech aurat. The matter is both of assault and outraging modesty. Kejriwals silence over the matter, especially after the incident happened inside the Chief Ministers residence, while he was present inside, has put the AAP in a bigger quandary. The CMs gesture to push the microphones away when asked about the issue in Lucknow has not helped matters either, strengthening the perception that he is shielding Kumar, who was spotted travelling alongside him to Lucknow on Thursday. #BreakingNews | AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal reached Delhi's Tis Hazari Court around noon and recorded her statement on the assault by CM Arvind Kejriwal's PA Bibhav Kumar.@GoyalYashco @poonam_burde #SwatiMaliwal #AAP #BibhavKumar pic.twitter.com/BJgsWutidN News18 (@CNNnews18) May 17, 2024 The party is also indulging in classic double-speak as senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh just a day ago had broken the partys silence over the matter to say that the CM had taken serious cognisance of the matter and would be taking action against Kumar for his condemnable behaviour with Maliwal. The AAP has also released a video trying to push the blame on Maliwal, which flies in the face of what Singh admitted a few days ago. Senior Punjab Minister of AAP, Harpal Singh Cheema, on Friday termed Kumar a good human being and alleged a conspiracy behind the matter. Arvind Kejriwals PS Bibhav is a good human being. He meets everyone with love and arranges our meeting with Kejriwal whenever we message him for the same. I think there is some conspiracy behind this. The investigation is ongoing but Bibhav ji is a good person, Cheema said. Maliwal has alleged that some are trying do her character assassination. ALSO READ | He Slapped Me 7-8 Times, Pain And Trauma Is Mind-Numbing: Swati Maliwals FIR Details Assault At CMs Residence The AAP was hoping for a resurge in its poll chances with the release of Kejriwal on interim bail till July 1 and has lined up his election campaigns in various states. The Swati Maliwal issue, however, is now putting the AAP in a tight spot with the BJP attacking it for failing to protect its woman Rajya Sabha MP and further not acting against Kumar even after so many days. The BJP is making this an issue both in Delhi and Punjab elections where the AAP has been expecting some gains in these elections. The AAP, which came up on the plank of anti-corruption and recently propped up a woman, Sunita Kejriwal, as a face in its election campaign, is facing considerable flak. Will the Kejriwals speak up for Maliwal or continue to protect Kumar? Protests erupted in Patna after the body of a four-year-old child was found in a private school in the city. A group of protesters stormed the school and set fire to the premises after the body of the child was found in the drainage of the school in Patnas Digha area. An investigation has been launched into the case and three people have been detained. Superintendent of Police Chandra Prakash said that the child was seen entering the school, but did not leave. In the CCTV footage, we saw that the child was entering the school but at no point can he be seen leaving the school premises. We will investigate it as a murder case as they were hiding the body and it shows criminal intent. We have detained three persons, inquiry is on, he said, addressing the media. As per reports, the parents of the child had launched a search operation after the child did not return home from school. The parents raised doubts after the school authorities could not answer their questions. This led them to search throughout the school premises and finding their childs body in the drainage. #WATCH | Patna, Bihar: An angry crowd sets a school on fire after the body of a student was allegedly found on school premises. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/6OwmDe8mjY ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024 The parents accused the school of trying to hide what happened to their child and took to the streets. Protesters set fire to the walls of the schools and also blocked traffic on roads. Following incidents of arson, a large number of police forces have been deployed outside the school. The fire in the school building has been extinguished and the police have appealed to the people to maintain peace. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website The Supreme Court has reserved the judgment on Arvind Kejriwals plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta clarified that Kejriwal will be entitled to move the trial court for bail notwithstanding the fact that the Supreme Court has reserved judgment and without prejudice to the parties contentions. The ED on Friday apprised the Supreme Court that the Aam Aadmi Party has been made accused in the Delhi liquor policy scam case. On Thursday, the bench heard the arguments of the ED against the petition and said it would give the probe agency 15 minutes and 45 minutes for the rejoinder arguments of Kejriwal on Friday. Arvind Kejriwal SC Hearing Updates ASG Raju, appearing for the probe agency told the top court that AAP is made an accused in the liquor policy scam and the prosecution complaint is being filed today. How do you prove, Justice Khanna asked, to which ASG Raju responded that the probe agency found chats between Kejriwal and the hawala operator. kickbacks were sent through hawala, ASG Raju said. The bench further asked if these were mentioned in the reasons to believe recorded in writing for the arrest. Where have you given in your reasons to believe, Justice Khanna asked again, to which, ASG Raju responded, In the grounds of arrest. We have not given in reasons to believe. Justice Khanna then asked, How will you not give reasons to believe? How will he challenge those reasons? ASG, in response, stated that the Investigating Officer need not give these materials and added that if the grounds/reasons based on material supplied prior to arrest, they can challenge the same. The investigation will be delayed, and witnesses will be tampered with, he said. No, no, no, no, Justice Khanna said referring to the recent judgment in the Prabir Purkayastha case. In rejoinder, Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned that the ED officers gave weight to one inculpatory statement while ignoring nine exculpatory statements of witnesses. ED Files Chargesheet Against Arvind Kejriwal, Names AAP As Accused On the other hand, the ED on Friday filed a charge sheet against Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam and also named his Aam Aadmi Party as accused. The prosecution complaint was filed before a special court in Delhi and the accused have been sought to be charged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), a PTI report said. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website The Enforcement Directorate (ED), for the first time in the countrys jurisprudence, named a political party as an accused in a case on Friday. The probe agency filed a charge sheet against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam and named his Aam Aadmi Party as accused. The prosecution complaint was filed before a special court in Delhi and the accused have been sought to be charged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), sources said. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED from his official residence on March 21 in connection with the said case. He is currently out of jail on interim bail till June 1. This is the eighth charge sheet filed by the ED in this case overall in which 18 arrests have been made so far. ED had earlier called Arvind Kejriwal the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi liquor scam and alleged he acted in collusion with ministers of Delhi government, AAP leaders and other persons. We have direct evidence that Kejriwal stayed in a seven-star hotel, whose bills were partly paid by an accused in the case, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju told the Supreme Court on Thursday, adding that Kejriwal played a key role in the formulation of the now -scrapped Delhi excise policy. On the other hand, the Supreme Court on Friday reserved the judgment on Arvind Kejriwals plea challenging his arrest by the ED in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta clarified that Kejriwal will be entitled to move the trial court for bail notwithstanding the fact that the Supreme Court has reserved judgment and without prejudice to the parties contentions. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Citing its order in the money laundering case involving Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his former Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren on Monday sought from the Supreme Court interim bail to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections. Soren was arrested on January 31 in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam after he resigned as the Jharkhand chief minister. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta agreed to hear Sorens plea against his arrest and sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate by May 17. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Soren, said, My case is covered by Arvind Kejriwals order. I need interim bail for campaigning. The bench said it cannot grant interim bail to the JMM leader without hearing the Enforcement Directorate. The top court, which was initially inclined to list the matter for May 20, fixed it for May 17 after Sibal and senior advocate Arunabh Chowdhury, also appearing for Soren, submitted election will be over by then and he will be prejudiced if a long date is given in the matter. The bench said there was too much work this week as a lot of matters were listed before it. Then dismiss this petition. Why should I be prejudiced? Elections will be over in the state, Sibal said. The bench told Sibal the matter can either be listed after the summer vacation of the court or during the vacation. Justice Khanna said , I cant help it. May 20, this is the shortest date available. We never give one weeks time. The bench initially expressed unwillingness to advance the date, but as Sibal persisted with the request, it agreed to list it for May 17. We dont know whether we will be able to take up the matter but still we are posting it for May 17, the bench said. Sibal said he would take a chance. At the outset, the bench asked Sibal whether Soren is in possession of an 8.86 acre plot which he was accused of acquiring illegally. One Raj Kumar Pahan is in possession of that land but I have nothing to do with it, Sibal responded. Soren has challenged the May 3 order of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his petition against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He has also sought interim bail for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections till the court delivers its verdict on his plea against his arrest. In his appeal filed through advocate Praghya Baghel, Soren said the high court had erred in dismissing his plea on May 3. Soren is at present lodged in judicial custody at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. The ED has alleged that huge amounts of proceeds of crime were generated by Soren through manipulation of official records by showing dummy sellers and purchasers in the guise of forged/bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores of rupees. 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. The top court granted Kejriwal interim bail on May 10 in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise scam to enable him to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections but barred him from visiting his office or the Delhi secretariat, and signing official files unless absolutely necessary for obtaining the lieutenant governors approval. Polling is underway in four Lok Sabha seats in JharkhandKhunti, Singhbhum, Lohardaga, and Palamutoday. It will be held in the remaining 10 Lok Sabha seats in the next three phases on May 20, 25, and June 1. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website The Delhi Police on Friday said that a member of the Himanshu Bhau gang was killed in an encounter on Thursday evening. Ajay Singroha aka Goli was killed in an encounter between Delhi Police and criminals. The encounter was carried out by the Counter Intelligence Unit of Special Cell in Rohini Sector 29 of the Shahbad Dairy Police Station area. Ajay aka Goli was involved in the firing incident at a car showroom in Tilak Nagar. One of his associates was caught by the Crime Branch from Kolkata Airport. He was also accused of murdering a person at Murthals Gulshan Dhaba on March 10, the police said. The Delhi Police said that the encounter took place after police had received a tip-off on Ajays whereabouts. The police said that on March 16, the Special Cell received information that Ajay, a resident of Rohtak, will be coming to the Khera Khurd village in the outskirts of Delhi. #WATCH | Delhi: Ajay aka Goli, a member of the Himanshu Bhau gang was killed in an encounter between Delhi Police and criminals. The encounter was done by the Counter Intelligence Unit of Special Cell in Rohini Sector 29 of the Shahbad Dairy Police Station area. Ajay aka Goli was pic.twitter.com/vP45uJMSXr ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024 The Special Cell laid down a trap to catch him. At around 11:30 pm on Thursday, Ajay was spotted in a Honda City car by the police. The police asked him to surrender, following which he started firing shots at the police party. During the clash, Ajay was hit by shots fired by the police and was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead. Encounter by Special Cell : Ajay alias Goli involved in killing at #Murthal and firing at Delhi car #showroom shot dead in encounter by @CellDelhi in Shahbad Dairy. #DelhiPolice #Gangsters #Extortion @PTI_News pic.twitter.com/YNsZD1RGNR Alok Arjun Singh (@AlokReporter) May 17, 2024 The police recovered two pistols from the gangster. Investigation is underway in the case. The police have also arrested Abhishek aka Churan, an active member of the Himanshu @ Bhau-Naveen Bali gang. One pistol of .32 bore with 6 live cartridges was recovered from him at the time of his arrest. A case under relevant provisions of law has been registered against him at Special Cell, Delhi. He had earlier provided shelter to Himanshu @ Bhau before the latters escape. He was previously involved in four criminal cases of murder, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation, Arms Act in Delhi & Haryana, the police said. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website In a shocking and bizarre case of medical negligence, a doctor at Kozhikode Medical College in Kerala operated on a four-year-olds tongue instead of finger. He was suspended after he operated on the tongue of the girl who was supposed to undergo surgery for the removal of her sixth finger. State Health Minister Veena George suspended Associate Professor Dr Bijon Johnson after receiving a report from the Director of Medical Education. The family of the girl has also filed a police complaint 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 family said that their four-year-old had gone inside the operation theatre for the removal of her sixth finger. Theiy were shocked when she came out with an operated tongue instead of finger. When questioned, the hospital authorities said that the doctor had found a cyst on the girls tongue. The Superintendent of Mother and Child Department of Kozhikode Medical College said that an problem in the tongue of the girl was noticed when the child cried and, hence, it was surgically removed. The family of the girl said that she had no such issues with her tongue and also called the doctors act shameful. One of the family members said that hospital authorities had informed them that it was a mistake with two surgeries scheduled on the same day. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached one property belonging to terrorists, gangsters, On Ground workers, and financers every fourth day since 2019 under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). According to official data, NIA has attached 392 properties and confiscated 11 from different parts of the country. Interestingly, the maximum properties attached are neither from Punjab nor from Jammu and Kashmir, but from Ranchi, which makes up for almost 50 per cent of the total attachment. According to a senior NIA official, property attachment figures of the Ranchi branch are high as most of them belong to Naxal sympathisers or supporters. Majority of the properties are money kept in bank accounts. The official said while Maoists do not operate the accounts, their financers use them to fund Naxalism. Properties sized by NIA in Jammu stand at 99, followed by Punjab (33). Kochi, which was the epicentre of banned organisation PFI, saw eight properties being confiscated. Properties attached NIA attached properties, including 46 kanal agricultural land in Khankot village of Amritsar and 1/4th share of a Chandigarh house belonging to Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Pannun, who operates from the United States and Canada, has been on the NIAs radar since 2019. Last week, NIA attached four properties owned by members of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in Kupwara region of Jammu and Kashmir. A day before, NIA had said the agency attached six immovable properties of a top militant of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in J&K as part of its drive to dismantle the terrorism infrastructure in Kashmir and other parts of India. In March, the agency attached several immovable properties belonging to two accused in a Punjab narco-terror case involving the killing of Shaurya Chakra awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh Sandhu by agents of the banned Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). In another major step towards demolishing the terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler nexus in the country, NIA in January had attached four properties owned by members of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnois organised terror-crime syndicate. The properties included three immovable and one movable. This year in January, NIA attached the property of accused Aamir Mushtaq Ganaie, identified as one of the masterminds in the case of larger conspiracy relating to drone dropping of weapons and money by a Pakistan-based module operating in J&K. The property was attached as proceeds of terrorism by an NIA team in Kiran Colony in Chanapore region of Srinagar. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the SP and the Congress will use peoples votes to come to power and then gift a part of their property to those who carry out vote jihad for them. Addressing a rally here, Modi cautioned people against the intentions of the two opposition allies in Uttar Pradesh. Today I have come to caution you against the SP and the Congress. They will take your vote but after coming to power, they will distribute these gifts to those who do vote jihad for them, he said. This time, the SP and the Congress have made their intentions clear even before the elections. The Congress is saying that it will investigate everyones property. Then they will give a part of your property to the vote bank that does vote jihad for them, he said. While addressing a rally on April 29, Samajwadi Party (SP) functionary and Congress leader Salman Khurshids niece, Maria Alam, called for vote jihad in favour of the INDIA bloc candidate from the Farrukhabad Lok Sabha seat, Naval Kishore Shakya. Modi has been hitting the INDIA bloc hard over vote jihad since then. Virtually going all guns blazing at the principal opposition party, he said, The Congress is saying that they will bring back Article 370 in Kashmir. These days the Congress is threatening to be afraid of Pakistan because it has the atom bomb. I want to tell the Congress that they should come to this land of Bundelkhand and see what bravery is, he said. They say that Pakistan has a nuclear bomb, but those giving these threats do not know that it does not even have the money to maintain it. They say it has missiles. The defence corridor we are building in Bundelkhand is not for making firecrackers but for making missiles, Modi added. Today, I want to ask a question from the land of Alha-Udal. You tell me, can anything be above the honour of the nation? Modi removed (Article) 370 from Kashmir and gave a befitting reply to Pakistan for the self-respect of the country. Modi fought with the big powers of the world. But the Congress is talking about spoiling it, he said. Alha was a legendary general of the Chandel king Paramardideva (also known as Parmal), who fought Prithviraj Chauhan. Udal was his brother. In a video clip, Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar was heard saying India should give respect to Pakistan as it is a sovereign nation and engage with it as it also possesses the atom bomb. He indicated in the video that if a mad person comes to power there and uses the atomic bomb, it will have its effect in India too. While Aiyar said the video was old and dredged up now as the BJPs election campaign is faltering, the Congress said it totally disagreed with the remarks made by Aiyar some months ago. Attacking the previous governments, Prime Minister Modi said, The previous governments used to say Bundelkhand is a rugged area. Who will go there? I say, Bundelkhand is the land of bravery and development. Who will not come here? he said. Throwing light on the Ken-Betwa Link Project, Modi said, Our government has started work on the Ken-Betwa Link Project. To solve the water problem for you, our government is spending more than Rs 40,000 crore on this project. He said a new chapter will begin in the history of Bundelkhand when this scheme is completed. The development here will get new wings. Only the BJP can complete this plan, he said. The PM said he has come to seek the blessings of the people for the rapid development of Bundelkhand. Paying tributes to former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, Modi said he was a great leader of the country who raised the honour of the backward classes. But when he died, the SP chief did not even go to pay tributes to him, he said. Our Kalyan Singh ji was a Ram devotee. He sacrificed his government for the Ram temple. Had he (SP chief) gone to pay tributes to Babuji, his vote bank would have got angry. What do these people do to please their vote bank? When a mafia dies in UP, they reach his grave to read fatiha, Modi said. Accusing the opposition of trying to give reservations to Muslims by amending the Constitution, Modi said, Now these people want to change the Constitution and give the entire reservation of the SCs, STs and OBCs to Muslims. I had said to the Samajwadi Party that you do politics of the backward classes. Please avoid the trap that is being laid to snatch the reservation of the backward classes from the back door. But the SP people have kept their mouths shut, the PM said. Modi said B R Ambedkar had strongly opposed reservation on the basis of religion and the Constituent Assembly had also decided that there will never be reservation on the basis of religion in our country. But where there is a Congress government, these people are reducing the reservation of the Dalits and backward classes and giving it to Muslims, he said. Attacking the previous opposition governments, Modi said, The previous state governments had forced the farmers of Bundelkhand to commit suicide. Today, Modi has given Rs 1,800 crore under the Kisan Samman Nidhi in Hamirpur, Jhansi, and Jalaun. He also spoke about providing free rations, free medical treatment and housing to the poor. The prime minister also spoke about plans to build three crore new PM-Awas houses. This is my guarantee, he said. There are 11 candidates in the poll fray in Hamirpur. The main contest is between BJPs Kunwar Pushpendra Singh Chandel and SPs Ajendra Singh Lodhi. Hamirpur will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Bibhav Stays With Kejriwal 24*7 And He is Behaving Like a Criminal, Says SAD Leader On AAP MP Swati Maliwal assault case, SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said, It is unfortunate. Respect, security and safety of women was a slogan of the AAP. The slogan has been proven fake. A woman, who has been chief of NCW, is a Rajya Sabha MP, is not safe in the CMs residence. It is the saddest day for Indian democracy This is the real face of AAP They have not given a Lok Sabha ticket to any woman Bibhav stays with Arvind Kejriwal 24*7 like a shadow, and he is behaving like a criminal today. Arvind Kejriwal is providing him protection The land of Punjab, which has always respected women, will give them a befitting reply Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Matter Of Shame How Atishi Is Victim Blamimg Maliwal, Says BJP Leader On AAP Minister Atishis statement, BJP leader Shazia Ilmi said, It is a matter of great shame how Atishi Marlena is trashing and victim shaming Swati Maliwal, many years her senior in the party Being a woman, instead of expressing sympathy for Swati, she is lying blatantly When asked a question, Atishi says that Sanjay Singh said and acknowledged that this was done Sanjay Singh also said that Kejriwal has taken cognizance Either Swati Maliwal is being misquoted or Atishi is lying right now or Sanjay Singh was lying earlier Videos are being released and you will see more of that. And I had predicted this. They will now victim shame and talk about her in terrible terms This is complete shamelessness and brazenness. This party indeed is a criminal organization Swati Maliwal News LIVE: They Are Now Tampering With the CCTV of the House, Alleges Ex- DCW Chief AAP MP Swati Maliwal took to X on Friday night and claimed, I have received information that now these people are tampering with the CCTV of the house. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Shocked To Listen To Atishi Saying Nothing Happened With Maliway, Says BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, I am shocked to listen to that Atishi said that nothing happened (with Swati Maliwal)A few days ago Sanjay Singh agreed that the incident (of assault) took placeNow whom should we trust? Swati Maliwal News LIVE: AAP MP Maliwal Changes Profile Picture To Black Image On X AAP MP Swati Maliwal changed his profile picture on X to a black image on Friday. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: FSL Team Investigates Outside Delhi CM's Residence FSL team investigated and videographed outside Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwals residence on Friday. #WATCH | Delhi: FSL team investigates and videographs outside Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence pic.twitter.com/sehh0mpkYh ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2024 Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Bibhav Kumar Files Complaint Against AAP MP Swati Maliwal Bibhav Kumar submitted a complaint against AAP MP Swati Maliwal to Delhi police. The complaint has now been received by the police. In the complaint, he mentioned that Maliwal not only entered the residence of the Chief Minister forcefully but also hurled abuses at Kumar. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: AAP MP Swati Maliwal Arrives At Her Residence AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal arrived at her residence. She was taken to the CMs residence earlier today to recreate the crime scene as Delhi Police is currently investigating the alleged assault on her there earlier this week. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Forensic Team Exits CM Kejriwal's Residence The forensic team left from the residence of CM and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Ex-DCW Chief Hits Back At AAP For 'U-Turn' Under Pressure Of A 'Goon'; Says 'I'll Fight For Myself' AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal on Friday slammed the party for questioning her character to save a goon. The former DCW head, in an X post, wrote, Two days ago the party had accepted the truth in the PC and today it has taken a U-turn. This goon is threatening the party, if I get arrested I will reveal all the secrets. That is why he is roaming around in Lucknow and everywhere seeking shelter. Today, under his pressure, the party gave in and to save a goon, my character was questioned by the entire party. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: More Foresnic Team Members Reach CM Kejriwal's Residence More members of the forensic team have reached the CMs residence along with equipments. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Maliwal Reaches CM's Residence Swati Maliwal has now reportedly arrived at CM Arvind Kejriwals residence. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: AAP's Atishi Calls Maliwal's Allegations 'Baseless' While addressing a press conference on Friday, AAP leader Atishi said that in the video from May 13 that has emerged today, it can be seen that Maliwals clothes are not torn, there are no injuries on her head. The AAP leader further said that all these allegations made by Maliwal are baseless. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Hope More CCTV Videos Will Bring Out The Truth, Says AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj took to X and said, Some things can be understood by watching this video of 13 May..I hope more CCTV videos will come out and everyone will know the truth. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Maliwal Likely To Reach CM Residence, Say Sources According to sources, Swati Maliwal is likely to reach CM Arvind Kejriwals residence. Swati Maliwal 'Assault' Case: Delhi Police, Forensic Experts at CM Kejriwal's House A Delhi Police team accompanied by forensic experts reached Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals civil lines residence on Friday evening in connection with the alleged assault on party MP Swati Maliwal, officials said. The team is led by Additional DCP (north) Anjitha Chepyala and has three other police officers. They are also accompanied by five forensic experts. The officials reached there around 4.45 pm, with sources saying they may collect evidence and CCTV footage from the CM house where Maliwal was allegedly assaulted on Monday morning. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: AAP's Atishi To Hold Press Conference On Swati Maliwal Issue Today AAP leader Atishi took to X on Friday and said, Will be doing a Press Conference today at 6pm to bring out the reality of the Swati Maliwal issue Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Kejriwal, INDIA Alliance's Silence Reflects Their 'Dual Nature,' Says Fadnavis Speaking against the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the INDIA bloc alliance remaining silent on the incident reflects their dual nature. Fadnavis stated that Kejriwal should speak on the issue. Swati Maliwal News LIVE: Bibhav Kumar Fails To Appear Before NCW Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals aide Bibhav Kumar did not appear before the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday in connection with the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. The NCW had summoned Kumar to appear before it at 11 am. NCW chief Rekha Sharma said a team of the commission had gone to Kumars residence on Thursday to serve him a notice, but he was not home. Kumars wife refused to receive the notice. My team has gone to his residence again today with police and if he does not appear (before NCW) by tomorrow, then we will go personally to inquire, Sharma told reporters. A 62-year-old man, who ventured into the jungles of Madhya Pradesh to collect tendu leaves, was killed and eaten by a tiger. The incident took place in Obedullaganj area of Raisen district, barely 20km from Bhopal city limits. Local reports suggested that it is the first reported human kill by a tiger in the vicinity of Bhopal in decades. According to a report in Times of India, forest officers have set up 40 camera traps in the area to track tigers and push them back into the forest if needed. Villagers have been told not to step into the jungle after sunset. Roads with tiger activity are being closed off, the report further stated. The incident was reported in Neemkheda Kushiyari region of Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary, in Obedullaganj area of Raisen district. The report quoted its sources as saying that victim Maniram Jatav, had gone deep into the forest, alone, to collect tendu leaves, disregarding warnings to villagers from forest officials. TOI further quoted foresters as saying that the tiger probably mistook him for four-legged prey when he was crouching to gather tendu leaves. His family raised the alarm when he didnt return home and a search party went looking for him. They found his half-eaten body in some bushes, the report stated. The autopsy was conducted by a medical team from the district hospital, in the presence of DFO Vijay Kumar and SDO Sudhir Patle on Thursday morning. It confirmed Jatav was killed and eaten by a tiger, the publication mentioned. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Aishwarya Rai Bachchan makes a second red carpet appearance in a dramatic tinsel gown. After turning heads with her Falguni Shane Peacock black and gold ensemble at the screening of Megalopolis on May 16, the global icon once again has everyones jaws drop to the floor when she graced the screening of Kinds of Kindness dressed in an avant-garde silhouette designed by Falguni Shane Peacock. This second look, as opulent and sparkly as it may seem, is a one of a kind, unconventional look to sport on a red carpet. Aishwarya has been a game changer when it comes to red carpet appearances and always manages to win hearts with her effortless flair and flamboyance. Daring and opulent, the silhouette featured larger than life bow-life accents adorned with blue tinsel detailing. The tinsel detailing was strategically placed around the mermaid-style gown which fit Aishwarya like a glove. Complementing this luminous silhouette was the embellished tinsel train. The gown also featured silver and blue sequins intricately embroidered on the tulle fabric. Wearable Art best describes this look which stood out on the red carpet. Aishwarya was accompanied by her dear friend and actress Eva Longoria. The stunning ladies exchanged pleasantries and posed for the shutterbugs on the iconic red stairs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by News18.com (@cnnnews18) For global icon Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, we have meticulously crafted a gown centered around the luminous beauty of moonstone, enhanced by intricate silver and azure embroidery, adorned with sequinned tassels. Our selection of moonstone and silver as the primary hues stems from their fundamental role in defining our brands aesthetic, says fashion designer duo Falguni and Shane Peacock. The metallic sheen of these shades serves as a recurring element, reflecting Falguni Shane Peacocks commitment and consistency in marrying edginess with high-octane glamour. According to the designer duo, the celestial and ethereal nature of moonstone resonates with the timeless elegance of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Furthermore, the inclusion of azure is a subtle homage to the unique colour of her eyes, which became the talk of the town during her rise to stardom. The blueish-green tint of her eyes has inspired us to incorporate azure into the gown, adding a touch of her exquisite gaze to the ensemble, adds Falguni and Shane Peacock The designer duo further embellished the ensemble with a plethora of sequinned tassels and fringes, elevating its glamour quotient to the hilt. The addition of a bow serves to crown the ensemble, infusing it with elegance befitting a personality as iconic as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. ALSO READ: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Casts A Spell On The Cannes 2024 Red Carpet; Gold Flowers Steal The Show Was this look as fabulous as her previous Cannes ensembles? No. Will it be talked about even after all this is over? Definitely! The impact Aishwarya Rai Bachchan leaves on the Cannes red carpet always remains eternal. What we love about Aishwaryas look, is the effort Falguni Shane Peacock, celebrity stylist Akshay Tyagi and Cartier put in to bring this opulent look to life. It does take a village to create something spectacular! And if you have Aishwarya donning your look, you know she is going to make it worth every stitch. The Kinds of Kindness film screening was attended by an array of celebrities including Lily Gladstone, Emma Stone, Hunter Schafer, Joe Alwyn, Kirsten Dunst, Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe, Soo Joo Park, Kimberly Garner among others. The 77th Cannes Film Festival is on till May 25 and is being hosted at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France. 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. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) 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. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sharvari (@sharvari) 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. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sharvari (@sharvari) 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? National Endangered Species Day is an annual event that strives to raise awareness about the significance of safeguarding endangered species and their habitats. This special day, observed on the third Friday of May each year, provides an opportunity for individuals, groups, and governments to band together and take action to conserve and restore the magnificent biodiversity that exists on our earth. In 2024, the National Endangered Species Day will be observed on May 17. To emphasise how important it is for plants and animals to coexist peacefully to maintain the ecosystem, National Endangered Species Day is observed. An ecosystem is out of balance when a species faces extinction as a result of a large population fall or the loss of vital habitat. All living organisms on earth are interconnected, losing one often results in the extinction of others. As a result, National Endangered Species Day is marked every year to raise awareness about endangered species of plants and animals. National Endangered Species Day 2024: History and Significance The Endangered Species Coalition and David Robinson co-founded National Endangered Species Day in 2006. People from all over the world observe the day by learning more about endangered animals and their conservation. These yearly events motivate them to take action to safeguard these threatened species. Robinson defines Endangered Species Day as a worldwide day of action to rescue species and celebrate conservation triumphs. In 2006, the Endangered Species Coalition submitted the day to the US Senate, which passed a unanimous resolution declaring Endangered Species Day to be observed annually on the third Friday of May. The Endangered Species Coalition sees its aim as preventing the extinction of the countrys at-risk species, protecting and restoring their ecosystems, and guiding these fragile populations toward recovery. The organisation has helped to save species such as the bald eagle, humpback whale, and whooping crane through its efforts and the Endangered Species Act in the United States. How People and Communities Can Help Safeguard Endangered Species Veteran actor Prakash Rajs versatility in acting needs no introduction but he also dominates the news because of his political and social stance. Not known to mince his words, Prakash Raj is one of the strongest critics of the present government. However, his personal life also does come under the limelight. Prakash Raj divorced his first wife Lalitha Kumari in 2009 and married choreographer Pony Varma the next year itself. Recently, Tamil celebrity Jayanthi Kannappan discussed Prakash Rajs divorce from Lalitha in an interview. Jayanthi commented on how Prakash Raj and Lalitha met, their marriage, and eventually, their divorce. Lalitha Kumari is the younger sister of Tamil actress Disco Shanti, known for her item numbers in Tamil cinema. Jayanthi Kannappan said that Lalitha used to provide accommodation for struggling movie artists who came to Chennai from other states. Prakash Raj had arrived here from Karnataka and Lalitha helped him with finding accommodation. That is how they both met and eventually fell in love, according to Jayanthi. Jayanthi added that the couple were having a happy married life with two daughters and one son when tragedy struck them. Their son Sidhu died at the age of 5 in 2004 when he fell off the terrace while flying a kite. Jayanthi further said that this tragic incident in their lives slowly caused an emotional distance between Prakash Raj and Lalitha. This was the time that Pony Varma entered the life of Prakash Raj. Jayanthi also said that change in a persons life is inevitable when one makes new contacts in the world of cinema. When Prakash Raj decided to get a divorce, Lalitha did not object. She stated that he is her husband and the father of their three children, and she would accept whatever decision he made. Even after their divorce, Prakash Raj continued to fulfil his responsibilities towards their children. Jayanthi mentioned that they have sent two of their children abroad. Prakash Raj and Poni Verma got married in 2010 and they have a son named Vedant. Rakhi Sawant has confirmed that she has a tumour in her uterus. Recently, photos of the actress from a hospital in Mumbai went viral on social media, leaving everyone shocked. While Rakhis former husband Adil Khan Durrani has called her hospitalisation a drama to escape from the legal proceedings of the leak video case, the Bigg Boss fame has now revealed that she will undergo surgery soon. I will be fine very soon, I am facing health issues. Ive a 10 cm tumour and will be undergoing surgery on Saturday. I am not able to talk much about my health, but Ritesh will keep you all updated about my condition. He will inform everyone about the hospital also. I will show the tumour, once the surgery is done. I had to be admitted because, before the surgery, things needed to be brought under control like blood pressure and all. I dont know the exact details as I am not a doctor, Im an actor, Rakhi told E-Times. Rakhi further mentioned that she has full faith in doctors and shared that she will be fine soon. The actress further called herself a fighter and stated that she will be back soon to entertain people. Doctors are best here and they are doing their job perfectly. Ive never given up in life and fought many obstacles and battles since childhood. I am going to fight in the operation theatre as well (starts crying), I know nothing is going to happen to me as Ive my mothers blessings with me, shes there with me, she said. I am a fighter and Ill come back, nothing will happen to me. Chota sa tumor hi toh hai nikal jaayega (cries). Ill come back and dance and sing. Ill entertain people again. I had no idea that there was a tumour, I was dancing in the towel and when I returned home I fainted. Ritesh ji rushed me to the hospital. After all the reports it was found I have a tumor. But I know Ill be back to entertain everyone, she added. Recently, Rakhi Sawant shocked everyone after photos of the actress from a hospital went viral on social media. While her fans were left worried about her health, Ritesh Raj Singh, ex-husband of Rakhi, told News18 Showsha that doctors discovered a tumour in her uterus after a couple of tests were performed. They have suspected Rakhi has cancer, according to Ritesh. However, the additional test results are awaited. Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are one of the most talked about couples in Bollywood. From their wedding to their relationship, no part of their lives if hidden from public scrutiny. As such, two old interviews have resurfaced on Reddit, putting Alia Bhatt on the chopping block again. Neetu Kapoor, speaking to Film Companion, informed that the couple wanted to have a destination wedding in South Africa, but eventually ended up having a ceremony on their own terrace. Ranbir and Alia had planned so much that Well go to South Africa, well do a recce, and eventually, where did they do it? At their home. Since two years we were planning well go here, and we were seeing pictures. We were going absolutely nuts. But this was the best, and she looked so beautiful, she said. Posts from the bollyblindsngossipcommunity on Reddit Whereas talking about a destination wedding, Alia Bhatt told Mid-Day, I dont like to show off, its actually very stressful for me. The idea of taking people and travelling to another location and setting up that place. Thats just too stressful for me. I literally wanted to get out of my room, go to the makeup room I get ready in every day and then go get married. It is exactly what happened. It was perfect and I got to interact with everybody because there were only 40 people. Thats just exactly the kind of people we are. We are not like big kind of celebratory people. Now, netizens are dubbing Alia a liar for saying that she doesnt like destination weddings. One person wrote, It would be so refreshing for someone to just be unapologetic and say, I wanted to do a big do, but we were pregnant and it was COVID, so we decided to do it at home and it actually turned out to be perfect.' Another added, This is such a non-issue Why lie about it? One comment read, She could have just said her wedding was eventually the one they wanted to go with. One person called it a case of sour grapes. One user wrote, Shes just salty she didnt get to do a destination wedding because it happened in a hurry, and now acting like she never wanted it. Another one said, She could have simply said that initially, she did want a destination wedding but it didnt work out. Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt tied the knot in April 2022 in their Mumbai home. It was in November of the same year when Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor welcomed a baby girl into the world. Superhero fans are eagerly anticipating the on-screen collaboration of Deadpool and Wolverine, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman respectively. This marks the debut of the Merc with a Mouth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside Logan. Other than their bromance, fans are curious about the extended cast. The film has been reported to include one of the largest casts in MCU history, including Avengers, past X-Men and even Taylor Swift. With such a massive lineup, the film is expected to be lengthy and going by the reports, the rumoured runtime of the threequel is 127 minutes or 2 hours and 7 minutes. Although this runtime surfaced on AMC Theatres website ahead of its release on July 26, Marvel Studios has yet to confirm it officially. If the rumoured duration holds true, the upcoming MCU project will become the longest film in the Deadpool franchise. Reportedly, part 1 had a runtime of 1 hour, 48 minutes and the second instalment was 1 hour, 59 minutes long. However, this runtime is still shorter than other MCU films. As of now, Avengers: Endgame holds the record for being the longest Marvel movie at 3 hours and 1 minute. Following that, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a runtime of 2 hours and 41 minutes, Eternals is 2 hours and 36 minutes long, and both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Avengers: Infinity War have a runtime of 2 hours and 29 minutes each. However, an X (formerly known as Twitter) page, known for accurately leaking movie runtimes in the past, recently dismissed the duration listed on AMC Theatres website. The user stated that the given duration is for a test screening and its expected that the final cut of the movie will be longer. The note read, 2 hours 7 minutes is not what I heard tbh (thats literally one of the test screening runtimes) I strongly believe AMC might make another update at some point. They do put placeholders near finalisation so Ill wait a little longer. 2 hrs 7 mins is not what I heard tbh (that's literally one of the test screening runtimes)I strongly believe AMC might make another update at some pointThey do put placeholders near finalization so i'll say wait a little longer. pic.twitter.com/7AvPDmTj8n Cryptic HD QUALITY (@Cryptic4KQual) May 16, 2024 Meanwhile, talking about cameos in Deadpool and Wolverine, Karan Soni who plays Dopinder, earlier told Variety, This new MCU version is ultra-secretive. There are a lot of surprises. Lets just say a lot of people travelled to London. When we were making the second one, Ryan was plotting back then. I remember him spilling that at lunch one day that he had started a conversation with Hugh. I remember saying, People are going to flip out. Then the studio got sold to Disney and a lot of other stuff happened. Directed by Shawn Levy, Deadpool and Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni and Matthew Macfadyen. Ahead of the fifth phase of voting for the Lok Sabha Election 2024 in Mumbai, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has urged everyone to exercise their right to vote. The actor, who will next be seen in AR Murugadoss Sikandar, took to his official X account to make the request to his 45.6 million followers. Salman wrote, I exercise 365 days a year no matter what and now Im going to exercise my right to vote on the 20th of May no matter what. So do whatever you want to do man, but go and vote and dont trouble your Bharat Mata Bharat Mata ki Jai! I exercise 365 days a year no matter what and now Im going to exercise my right to vote on the 20th of May no matter what. So do whatever you want to do man, but go and vote and dont trouble your Bharat Mata .. Bharat Mata ki Jai Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) May 17, 2024 This is not the first time Salman has encouraged the people to vote. In March 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested Salman to motivate youth to strengthen the country and democracy. Following this, Salman had shared on his social media: We are a democracy and it is every Indians right to vote. I urge every eligible Indian to exercise your right and participate in making the Government. We are a democracy and it is every Indian's right to vote. I urge every eligible Indian to exercise your right and participate in making the Government. https://t.co/WsTdJ3w84O Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) March 21, 2019 On the work front, Salman Khan revealed the title of his upcoming film with AR Murugadoss on the occasion of Eid this year. The actor, who is known for his Eid releases, promised to return to the big screen on Eid 2025. Title Sikandar, the film also features Rashmika Mandanna. Sikandar will reportedly be shot in Portugal and other European countries apart from some portions in India on a huge budget of Rs 400 crore, making it the most ambitious film of Sajid Nadiadwala, as per Pinkvilla. Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore reminisces about her granddaughter Sara Ali Khan, revealing her innate talent for acting. Reflecting on Saras childhood, she recalls how Sara was always entertaining. Sara, the daughter of Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh, showed a natural flair for performance. During a recent Mothers Day event organized by YFLO, the 79-year-old actress shared that Sara had a knack for storytelling and playing pranks. Tagore also noted that Sara exuded tremendous confidence as a child, often speaking up and engaging with others. The actress recalled, as quoted by the Indian Express, She had that germ in her to do things. She would also often say things which were very outrageous. I remember when Saif was not well and Amitabh Bachchan had come to meet him in the hospital, they started conversing in Hindi. All the Devrani, jethani, mami sa and then she invented a word and Amitabh said, I dont think that is quite right. She just made up a bogus word. She had that confidence, didnt feel overawed by anybody. She was well behaved, but never held back. She was always very entertaining. Sharmila Tagore also opened up about her first time being a mother. She said that she had a busy work schedule when Saif Ali Khan was born and was an absent mother. However, by the time she had her daughters Saba Pataudi and Soha Ali Khan, she learnt from her previous experience and was there for them. The Indian Express quoted Sharmila Tagore as saying, When I had Saif, I was very busy. I was working two shifts a day and for the first six years of his life, I was really absent. I did whatever I had to do. I went to the parent-teacher meeting and attended his plays but I dont think I was a full-time mom. My husband (Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi) was there, but I wasnt. Then when I became a mother, I became an overzealous mother. I wanted to feed him, bathe him and everything. That was the other side of the pendulum. I made a few mistakes, honestly. But he has grown up pretty okay. My husband was there, and we had the support of the extended family and my friends. One of his schoolteachers would live across the apartment in Mumbai. She and her husband really looked after Saif as well For the girls I was there, she added. A poster doing the rounds on Americas vaunted Princeton campus shows a Hamas fighter-like figure with his head and face wrapped in a keffiyeh. His hand holds aloft a slingshot in a revolutionary pose, with the red and green of a giant watermelon looming in the backdrop. Princeton Gaza solidarity encampment, it says. With a few deft flourishes of the digital paintbrush, the artist and his handlers have delivered a masterstroke in Left-Islamist propaganda. Replacing Hamass rocket launchers, machine guns, swords, knives, machetes and other weapons including mass rape with a harmless slingshot is meant to airbrush the October 7 massacre. The green of the melon is downplayed and the red is cleverly played up for the young western audience, which has been flirting with Marxist and Maoist anarchy but is perhaps not yet ready for a full show of radical Islam. The face-covering keffiyeh, the chief accomplice to the anonymity of terror groups like the Hamas and Hezbollah, is being normalised in the West with masterful deceptiveness. The raised arm, long a symbol of peoples power and peaceful resistance, is another subtle yet powerful distraction from the depravity of Hamas. Billions of dollars get spent worldwide to advertise Islamic terror as resistance, whether it is in Tel Aviv, Paris, or New Delhi. The protests on American campuses are a perfect example of how the Commie-Islamist collective operates, how it subverts the truth and throws a pall of denial over even mass murder, managing to draw both liberal sympathy and intellectual legitimacy while at it. As global allies, Islam and Communism complement each other, although the two can never coexist in the same physical space. Communism gives Islam the sophistry of propaganda, intellectual defence, sanitising of savagery, and subtle tug of sympathy which it completely lacks. Islam gives unelectable Communism the street power. Whether it is by using a photo of dead three-year-old Alan Kurdi to make a strong case for immigration to Europe from Syria and Iraq during the peak of ISIS years, or amplifying the image of a head-to-toe burqa-clad Karnataka girl as a rebellious tigress, the Left has built romanticised pedestals for Islam without caring for the disastrous consequences of violent demographic takeover or bigoted cultural subversion. Communists have evolved propaganda and messaging to such a fine art that it can make the worst crimes look cool and just. In the OTT series Money Heist, for instance, the main protagonist is a Professor, often the central figure of Leftist fantasy given its ideological grip over campuses. The bearded indoctrinator-in-chief is obsessed about robbing a bank after the police shot his father while he was robbing a bank! The entire system trying to stop the bank robbery is the villain. The robbers, of course, get laid and are the heroes. Back home, Rang De Basanti was a wonderfully nuanced piece of Leftist propaganda. Atul Kulkarnis character is the regressive and uncouth Hindutva activist, supposed to be the representative of the entire Right/non-Left in India. He finally redeems himself by jettisoning his cultural values and surrendering to his westernised, liberal mates. A question arises: what will India do if it ever faces the kind of blinding propaganda war that has been unleashed against Israel? Is Bharat ready? No, it is not. It may excel in funny memes, parodies, and blunt-force truth bombs, but in the department of eliciting global sympathy, even if through brazen lies wrapped in the most sophisticated weave of words and images, India will be blown out of the water. India needs to learn from the Commie-jihadi collective. It is sometimes good to learn from the bad. Abhijit Majumder is a senior journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. Political leaders come and go, but politics goes on. I often wonder if people would still join politics if they knew how quickly they would be forgotten, or how short their obituaries would be, and what little impact their passing away would make, especially if that were to happen in the dust and din of an ongoing national election. Of course, I know that people make decisions not in the light of how their political careers would end, but in the glow of the convictions, ambitions, and (occasionally) ideals that inspire them when the journey begins. These melancholic thoughts came to me when I read that Sushil Kumar Modi, a towering figure in the politics of Bihar for decades, died due to cancer on May 13, 2024. I knew that the day of his demise was not far, ever since he announced in April that for the last six months, he had been battling cancer, and would not be able to campaign in the current elections. Yet still, his death came as a shock, and a rude reminder of the essential transience of our puny lives, however triumphant and invincible they may appear when at their peak. I first met Sushil Modi when I joined Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in January 2013. While Nitish was, undoubtedly, the supremo uno, his undisputed and highly respected number two was the deputy chief minister and finance minister, Modi. I found him exceptionally polite, humble, accessible and urbane. Always soft-spoken, his amiable personality hid a very good administrator, who was an equal partner with Nitish in the recovery of Bihar after the bruising misrule of 15 years of Lalus rule. However, he always knew his place as the number two in the cabinet and never sought to overshadow or compete with Nitish. Together, they made a formidable team, based on genuine respect and camaraderie, something not easily seen in the competitive, cut-throat world of politics. In fact, in those days, common people often referred to them as Ram-Lakshman ki jodi. Sushil Modis political career began with Jayaprakash Narayans (JP) peoples movement for Sampoorna KrantiTotal Revolutionin 1974 against the Indira Gandhi regime at the Centre. He was a promising student of MSc in Botany at the Patna Science College, but left his studies to join the movement. For most leaders in Bihar at that time, student politics was the doorway to state-level and national politics. Lalu Prasad was the president of the Patna University Students Union, and Sushil Modi was the general secretary. Both were members of the Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti that, at the youth level, was supporting the protest movement. One was a socialist, the other a thoroughbred product of the RSS, but JP was the bridging factor, and irrespective of differing political ideologies, they jointly responded to his clarion call. People judge leaders by what they achieved when successful, but rarely remember the sacrifices that have led up to it. Sushil Modi was arrested four times during the 1974 agitation and was jailed for 19 months during the Emergency. His political career began later when in 1990 and 1995, he won elections to the Bihar Assembly. From 1996 to 2004, he was the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, after which he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur. He was also at the forefront of the filing of a public interest litigation (PIL) against Lalu in the fodder scam, which ultimately put the latter in jail. Things took a dramatic turn when Nitish Kumars Samta Party and the BJP came together to defeat Lalu Yadav in 2005. From 2005 to 2013, with Nitish as the CM, Modi was his deputy, and one of the most prominent figures in Bihar politics. Such was his reputation for quiet competence that in 2011, he was appointed the Chairperson of the Empowered Committee of state finance ministers relating to the GST. But, however deep his friendship with Nitish, he was a loyal soldier of the BJP-RSS. When Nitish opposed Narendra Modi and broke with the BJP in 2013, Sushil became his bitter opponent. For the people of Bihar, it was a sad spectacle to see this jodi uttering calumnies against each other. Nitish won the 2015 state election in partnership with Lalus RJD, and Sushil continued to be a relentless critic of the mahagathbandhan. When, in 2017, suddenly, and in a complete ideological volte-face, Nitish joined the BJP, Sushil Modi was back as his trusted deputy. But Nitish dumped the BJP in 2020, only to rejoin it in 2023 again. But this time, Sushil Modi was not given the choice to be the deputy chief minister. Ironically, his well-known friendship with Nitish stood in the way. He was not, his friends alleged, trusted sufficiently by the new dispensation, and was sent to the Rajya Sabha instead. Sushil Modi lived an effortlessly simple life. I remember once on a flight from Patna to Delhi, where I was flying business class, he met me cordially, and then moved to economy class, when he too was entitled to fly business. When I asked him why, his honest answer was that he prefers economy. He was simply in the class of that generation of RSS leaders who shunned ostentation. Character-wise, he fitted far more into the milieu of the Vajpayee-Advani era and was a misfit in the ruthless transactional world of politics that we see today. My sincerest condolences go out to his wife, Jessie George, a Keralite Christian whom he had known since his Patna Science College and his family. The author is a former diplomat, an author and a politician. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections have entered midway with the completion of four phases and only three phases remaining. During this election, the centre of discussion has been the low voter turnout although in the fourth phase, this trend reversed with a marginal increase in turnout percentage compared to 2019. Amid this, the Opposition leaders have started claiming that the BJPs numbers are falling. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the BJP would win 180 seats, but days later he revised the figures to 150. Compared to Rahul, who seems to be very strict regarding the BJPs figures, TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave more seats to the BJP 195, at best. However, AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seems to be more liberal than Gandhi and Banerjee when it comes to assigning numbers to the BJP. He projected that the saffron party may get 220 seats. When the Opposition leaders are trying their best to propagate that the BJP is even struggling to cross the 200 mark, this month, in an election rally in Krishnanagar, West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that people have decided that the BJP-led NDA is poised to secure not only 370 seats but is looking forward to crossing the 400 mark. Such claims are routine for politicians during the election season to energise their ground-level workers and attract floating voters. But what caught the attention are the claims made by some journalists and political analysts, who are saying that the BJP is unlikely to get a majority on its own and even the NDA may struggle to get the majority on its own. Psephologist turned political leader and activist Yogendra Yadav has given a loose figure of around 233 seats based on his ground assessment to the BJP and around 268 seats to the NDA. A revisit to the 2019 election Before analysing the current election, first lets revisit the 2019 Lok Sabha election, which is being cited nowadays often by many journalists and political commentators. According to this section, this years election has no dominant narrative unlike the 2019 election, which, according to them, was won by the BJP-led NDA with a big mandate because of the nationalist wave generated by the Pulwama terror attack followed by the Balakot airstrike. Interestingly, a section during the election campaign then had claimed 2019 as a waveless election. Nevertheless, post the results, they concluded that Modi came to power for the second time only because of the opportunity provided by the Pulwama terror attack. This argument is faulty, thats why a revisit to the 2019 elections is necessary. According to the Lokniti-CSDS post-poll study, the Pulwama terror attack and Balakot air strike were important issues for only 0.4 per cent of voters while voting. The survey pointed out that development was an important issue for 14.3 per cent of voters. This was followed by unemployment, which was important for 11.3 per cent of voters. Other issues included economic growth, corruption, price rise, water-related problems etc. These figures have been in the public domain for the last five years, still, it is amazing that in this country, we have some eminent journalists and political commentators misinterpreting the 2019 election as mostly decided on the basis of Pulwama and Balakot. Despite Dissatisfaction, Modi Remains Popular Coming to the 2024 elections, Lokniti-CSDS released a pre-poll survey in April where the data pointed out that the satisfaction level towards the Modi government has seen a dip of around 8.1 per cent a sign of serious concern for the BJP. Increasing unemployment (12.2 per cent), price rise (7.6 per cent) and falling income (4.1 per cent) are some of the crucial issues in the survey that matter to voters. The pre-poll survey also points out that there is an increase of around 5 per cent in support for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi 26.5 per cent as the next prime minister compared to the 2019 pre-poll survey. Interestingly, there is also a 2 per cent increase in support for Narendra Modi 47.5 per cent as the next prime minister. This is despite 10 years of anti-incumbency. Why Narendra Modi Remains Popular Many journalists and political commentators are seen discussing that Ram Mandir in Ayodhya isnt a poll issue. First of all, this isnt an issue for a particular election Ram Mandir is a sentiment for the Hindus. That said, its still an issue in this election. According to the pre-poll survey, for 7.5 per cent of voters, Ram Mandir is an important issue when they vote, with an additional 2.3 per cent of voters separately pointing to Hindutva as an important issue when they vote. Clearly, the BJPs Hindutva agenda remains a significant factor for 9.8 per cent of voters in this election, though a small fraction of them may be anti-Hindutva voters. Unemployment remains the most important issue for voters 27.3 per cent when they vote. However, it is wrong to conclude that all voters citing unemployment as an important issue are necessarily anti-BJP voters. If they vote for the Modi-led BJP, liberals and Leftists label them as being blind towards basic issues like unemployment and price rise. Interestingly, according to the pre-poll survey, 9.1 per cent of voters cited employment as the most liked work of the Modi government the second most liked factor after Ram Mandir. This means that there is a section that believes that although unemployment is a burning issue, the Modi government has been working to address it. After unemployment, price rise has been cited by 23.4 per cent of voters as an important factor. However, its worth noting that despite price rise being an important issue during the 2009 elections, the Congress-led UPA came to power with an increased number of seats. This is not to deny the disillusionment of voters towards the Modi government on price rise. However, welfare schemes, cited by 18.1 per cent of voters as the biggest change since Modi became prime minister, and infrastructure-related works are likely to aid the government, lessening the impact of this disillusionment and preventing it from converting into votes against the BJP-led NDA. Modi is aware of the ground reality Liberals and Leftists arent happy with Narendra Modis election speeches targeting Congress-led Opposition for Muslim appeasement. They argue that this is not a significant issue. While the Congress manifesto does not discuss wealth redistribution, the CSDS-Lokniti pre-poll survey suggests that concerns about policies targeting Muslim communities resonate with some voters. The survey found that 47.3 per cent of voters agreed that Muslims are unnecessarily pampered, compared to 32.2 per cent who disagreed, while 20.4 per cent chose not to respond. Modis speeches on Muslim appeasement, targeting the Opposition, particularly Congress, aim to address the concerns of these voters, close to 50 per cent of those surveyed, while also appealing to undecided voters. NDA ahead of Opposition? In the most crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, BJP-led NDA is ahead of the Opposition, which is divided between the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and the BSP. Mayawatis party may be weak but still is a force having the potential to split anti-BJP votes. Not only this, SPs experiment to forge a social alliance with smaller caste-based parties with some success in 2022 state Assembly polls got setbacks with the desertion of four of the five OBC-based parties Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, Jayant Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal, Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) and Jan Janwadi Party. Two of them SBSP and RLD have joined the NDA. Last time, the NDA won 64 out of 80 seats, this time it is expecting gains here. In Bihar, where the NDA almost swept by winning 39 of 40 seats, the Janata Dal (United) indeed remains a weak link for the NDA due to the decline in popularity of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar but voters too are aware that this election is not about Nitish, its about Modi. There may be a loss of some seats here and there in states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana and West Bengal but BJP and NDA may also see some gains in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Northeast, Telangana and probably in Tamil Nadu too. If this happens, BJPs tally may get reduced but is unlikely to fall below the 272 mark with NDA likely to cross the 300 mark. This time, Chandrababu Naidus Telugu Desam Party is likely to add a considerable number of seats to the NDAs tally. Speaking arithmetically, the BJP IN 2019 won 224 seats with more than 50 per cent votes. Swing does happen but for that, the Opposition needs to be strong on the ground. Talking about the Congress, which is mostly contesting against the BJP in the Hindi belt barring Uttar Pradesh, it lacks a strong active organisation. Only creating a mahaul (environment) during the election season through social media is unlikely to help in getting votes. Opposition is already lacking behind the BJP-led NDA, which has been active on the ground much before the beginning of the election season. Kejriwals recent statement that BJP may get 220 seats this number still is likely to make BJP the single largest party gives a perception that even the Opposition isnt very sure of their claims about the saffron party losing the elections. This gives an impression that the BJP is likely to win and it is this perception that is likely to play a role in adding the floating voters to the BJPs side. As the election season is progressing, the Opposition has been able to lessen this perception to some extent but will this be able to convert into votes against the BJP, and if yes, then to what extent? Will it match the threshold required to defeat the juggernaut BJP? This remains a critical question. Definitely, there is a consolidated anti-Modi wave than there was in the 2019 elections, but there is also a silent pro-Modi wave, without losing much of its 2019 strength on the ground. Sagarneel Sinha is a political commentator and tweets @SagarneelSinha. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Friday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his khata-khat jibe at the SP and the Congress, and said the public is now going to remove him from the top post fata-fatt, fata-fatt, fata-fatt (quickly). Yadav targeted the prime minister while addressing an INDIA bloc rally here in the presence of Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also joined the public meeting later. Yadav said, They (BJP and PM Modi) are saying that we will go abroad, but the people of our country are aware, they know that he (Modi) has sent his important people and friends abroad one after the other. His friends, one after the other, fled abroad khata-khat khata-khat (swiftly). Accusing the Modi government of drowning the country in debt, Yadav said, Now, the public is telling them that they will remove you fata-fatt, fata-fatt, fata-fatt (quickly). He also said that those who asserted they will not indulge in corruption themselves nor allow others to indulge in corruption (na khaunga-na khane dunga), have swallowed everything and are saying gata-gat gata-gat. Sab dakar gaye aur keh rahen hain gata-gat gata-gat). They have not even burped after devouring electoral bonds, he said. Addressing a public meeting on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi had said the INDIA bloc will disintegrate post-elections and Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav will go abroad on a summer vacation khata-khat, khata-khat (quickly). He used the khata-khat, khata-khat phrase at a rally in Fatehpur on Friday also too attack the two parties. The dreams of panja (Congresss poll symbol) and cycle (SPs poll symbol) have shattered khata -khat, khata-khat. Now they are planning for post-June 4 as to who should be blamed for the defeat khata-khat, khata-khat. And, someone was telling me that tickets for foreign trips have also been booked khata-khat, khata-khat. Modis jibe came in response to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi often using the phrase Khata-khat khata-khat to claim that a fixed stipend would flow into the accounts of poor women if his party comes to power. Hitting out at Modi without taking his name, Yadav said at his rally on Friday, There is a very big leader of the country who feigns relationship with every place he goes (jhuta rishta). Pointing towards the crowd, Yadav said, Let them also see and hear that Rahul Gandhijis true relationship is with Rae Bareli. If Ra is for Rae Bareli then Ra is also for Rahul. Those who do not understand counting should also understand that one plus one has become 11 and the BJP has become nau do gyaraha (fled). Those who have seen the four phases of elections know that the BJP is defeated, Yadav said. Taking aim at MLA Manoj Pandey, who left the SP and joined the BJP, Yadav said, I heard that our second traitor has also gone there (to BJP). One specialty of the fraudster who has just gone there is that wherever he goes, he digs a hole. SP MLA Manoj Pandey, who came out in support of the BJP candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections earlier this year, joined the BJP in Rae Bareli on Friday and sat next to Home Minister Amit Shah on the stage. Recently Shah had also visited his residence. Voting will be held in the fifth phase in Rae Bareli on May 20, where BJP has fielded state government minister Dinesh Pratap Singh against Congress Rahul Gandhi. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday claimed that the Congress and Samajwadi Party would bulldoze the Ram temple if elected to power. He suggested they take tuition from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on where to run bulldozers. The Prime Minister made the comment while addressing an election rally in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. A senior SP leader had said on the day of Ram Navami that Ram temple is useless. At the same time, the Congress is preparing to overturn the Supreme Courts decision on Ram Temple. For them, only their family and power matter. If the SP-Congress come to power, they will send Ram Lalla back to the tent and bulldoze the temple, PM Modi claimed, while asking them to take tuition from UP CM Yogi Adityanath as to where bulldozers should be used. Maintaining that nothing is bigger than vote bank for the SP-Congress, PM Modi remarked, But when I expose them, they grow restless and lose sleep. They start saying anything and start hurling abuses. The SP-Congress have surrendered to appeasement. And when Modi is telling their truth to the country, they say Modi is creating Hindu-Muslim divide. The vote bank these people run after has also started understanding their truth now. Our mothers and sisters are happy with the law on triple talaq and are continuously blessing the BJP, he stated. Modi further stated that the INDIA bloc is attempting to sow instability and is crumbling like a house of cards as the polls advance. Asserting that his government is poised to achieve a hat-trick, PM emphasised that in the new government, he will have to make significant decisions for the welfare of the poor, youth, women, and farmers. He expressed his intent to seek the blessings of the people of Barabanki and Mohanlalganj for this purpose. June 4 is not far. Today, the whole country and the world knows that the Modi government is going to score a hat-trick, he told the crowd. (With inputs from PTI) Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said had Congress been dissolved after independence in 1947, the country would have been five decades ahead from now. While addressing a public rally in Mumbai, PM Modi said, The government who did not trust the capabilities of Indians, was inefficient I have seen Prime Ministers who called Indians lazy from the Red Fort PMs with such a mentality cannot develop India. Under the guidance of Gandhiji, if the Congress had been dissolved after independence, the country would have been 5 decades ahead from now The prime minister further said that with Modi 247 for 2047 mantra, he is engaged with all his heart and soul for a developed India. I guarantee that I am going to leave you with a developed India That is why with the mantra of Modi 247 for 2047 every moment in your name, every moment in the name of the country he is engaged with all his heart and soul, he said. PM Modi also expressed confidence that the results of the Lok Sabha election 2024 will break all previous records and India will emerge as a huge power on June 4. I have travelled across the country, and I can assure you that the results of these elections will break all previous records. India will emerge as a huge power on the 4th of June, he said. PM Modi visited Chaitya Bhoomi during his Mumbai visit and offered prayers. Sharing pictures of his visit to Chaitya Bhoomi on microblogging site X, the prime minister wrote, Upon landing in Mumbai, I went to Chaitya Bhoomi and prayed there. It feels very special to come back here again. Every Indian is grateful to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for giving us a Constitution we take immense pride in. Our Government has always and will always strengthen the ideals of Dr. Ambedkar and the values enshrined in our Constitution. Jai Bhim! Upon landing in Mumbai, I went to Chaitya Bhoomi and prayed there. It feels very special to come back here again. Every Indian is grateful to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for giving us a Constitution we take immense pride in. Our Government has always and will always strengthen the pic.twitter.com/DLL39S3ekp Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 17, 2024 The prime minister also paid tribute to Shiv Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray and said, Our Party and Alliance will always work to fulfil the great Balasahebs vision for our society. Balasaheb Thackeray lives on in the hearts of countless people, especially in Mumbai. He was known for his bravery, commitment to Indias cultural regeneration and efforts to celebrate Marathi culture. I consider myself honoured that I got a chance to interact with him closely and also received his blessings, an X post by PM Modi said. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Friday expelled Sita Soren, sister-in-law of jailed former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, from the primary membership of the party for six years. The party also expelled its Borio legislator Lobin Hembrom, who filed his nomination to contest the Rajmahal Lok Sabha seat as an independent candidate against sitting JMM MP Vijay Hansdak. According to an office order, signed by her father-in-law and JMM supremo Shibhu Soren, Jama legislator Sita was expelled for anti-party activities. You had tendered your resignation levelling serious and baseless allegations against senior party leadersAs per social media, you have filed nomination for contesting from Dumka seat. Both the turn of events show that you had levelled false allegations against party and senior leaders to contest elections. You are being relieved from all posts, if any, including primary membership of the party for six years, JMM said in a letter to Sita. Sita Soren, a three-term MLA, had joined the BJP in New Delhi on March 20, citing isolation and neglect by the JMM since the death of her husband Durga Soren in 2009. Sita said she has already submitted her resignation to JMM and has nothing to do with the party now. I have no expectations from JMM It failed to respect my family, did not even remember my late husband, she said. Earlier, Sita had alleged that Hemant Sorens wife Kalpana had insulted her. My husband Durga Soren, who shed his blood and sweat to strengthen JMM, died under mysterious circumstances. I demand a high-level probe into his death, Sita had said. Durga Soren passed away in 2009 in Bokaro. Earlier, a rift in the Soren family had surfaced after Sita had openly opposed any move to make Kalpana the chief minister.. The Jama legislator also alleged a deviation from the partys core values by accommodating people whose principles do not align with its ethos. The tireless efforts of Shri Shibu Soren, who worked hard to keep us all together, unfortunately, also failed. I have become aware of a conspiracy being orchestrated against me and my family I am left with no choice but to tender my resignation, Sita had said. Sitas decision to join the BJP proved a shot in the arm for the partys efforts to boost its connect with the Scheduled Tribes, a community which has been the main vote base of the JMM. Dumka will go to polls on June 1. The BJP has fielded her from Dumka Lok Sabha seat, replacing sitting MP Sunil Soren, who had defeated JMM president Shibu Soren in the 2019 polls by a margin of 47,590 votes. Meanwhile, JMM MLA Lobin Hembrom too was expelled for working against the interest of coalition and filing nomination from Rajmahal seat. As per the seat-sharing agreement in the ruling alliance in Jharkhand, the Rajmahal seat went to JMM, which has fielded its sitting MP Vijay Hansdak. Hembram, the Borio legislator, filed his nomination from Rajmahal to protest against Hansdaks selection by the party. JMMs Bishunpur MLA Chamra Linda had on April 24 filed his nomination as an Independent candidate from Lohardaga Lok Sabha seat, which went to Congress as per the seat-sharing agreement in the alliance. The JMM earlier this month suspended Linda from the party. Polling for the seat will be held on June 1 along with Dumka and Godda parliamentary constituencies. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Details of an FIR emerged on Thursday after AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal spoke out about the alleged assault on her, revealing that she has recorded her statement with the Delhi Police. This follows the recent alleged incident at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence, where his close aide Bibhav Kumar reportedly assaulted Maliwal. In her complaint, Maliwal mentioned that she was slapped, hit on the stomach, and kicked by Bibhav at the Chief Ministers residence, news agency ANI reported. READ MORE: Swati Maliwal Assault Case LIVE: Womens Panel Summons CM Kejriwals Aide; AAP MP Says BJP Should Not Do Politics An FIR has been registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC, among other sections, for offences including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or acts of intent to insult and assault. After complaining to the Delhi police, Maliwal requested the Bharatiya Janata Party to not do politics over the incident. What happened to me was 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. She said crucial elections are going on now, and stressed that she is not important but the issues of the country are. There is a special request to the BJP people not to do politics on this incident, she said in the same post. A two-member team of the Delhi Police recorded her statement Thursday at her residence in Central Delhi. According to an officer, Maliwal told police about the incident that happened at the chief ministers residence on Monday. The officer said with Maliwals statement recorded, police might register an FIR in connection with the matter. BJP Mahila Morcha Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha Thursday extended support to Maliwal, saying the incident affects the honour of the countrys 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. Maliwal on Thursday recorded her statement with police about the incident that took place on Monday morning. The legal process is necessary to stop recurrence of such an incident, said Mishras letter, lauding Maliwal as a strong woman leader whose voice was a source of inspiration to crores of women in the country. 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. It said the Mahila Morcha was concerned about her physical and mental health. We believe you will maintain your self resolve and become a voice of the women in the country. This is not just a personal matter but related to the honour of countrys women, it said. The BJP Mahila Morcha was extremely concerned and disgusted by the condemnable incident that happened at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals residence, it said. Our ideologies may differ but we are with you as women, it said and added that it was scary to think about the safety of normal women in the city when she was misbehaved at a safe place like the chief minsters residence. (With agency inputs) Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website It is not very uncommon to find various instances of everyday conflict in public places among strangers, friends and even couples. One such incident has surfaced online, in which an old woman is seen getting into a fierce fight with a couple on the streets of Delhi. A video of the clash was posted online and quickly went viral. Interestingly, while social media users were concerned about the fight, they could not overlook the surroundings, which showed the big banner of a sweet shop. The video was posted on Instagram by the handle Delhi Connection. The old woman was seen standing in the middle of the road, near a car and fighting with a couple. The road was completely blocked while the passersby stood there watching the conflict. People chastised both parties for causing the traffic. After some time, an old man can be spotted intervening and trying to calm down the woman. As others also came along, the situation was eventually brought under control. However, the reason behind the fight remains unknown. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Delhi meri Jaan! (@delhi.connection) A majority of online users claimed that such incidents are normal for Delhi, while some speculated on what caused the brawl. A user pointed out how no one tried to stop the fight, I dont understand when people will understand that stopping then fighting is more important than getting viral on social media. Another joked, Achcha ladai uncle ne barbaad kar diya. A person sarcastically stated, Nowadays, Delhi people are not able to handle warm weather. Meanwhile, several viewers were drawn to the videos background, which showed a sweet shop. One user said, Grover Mithaivala ki acchi advertisement ho rahi hai, while another asked, GROVER MITHAIVALA paid collab? Some weeks ago, another such video went viral, depicting a tense altercation on a train. The video showed a heated argument between a guy and two women on a train. The viral footage showed a lady aggressively clutching the mans collar as they exchanged furious remarks in front of the other passengers. As the debate progressed, another woman joined in, increasing the tension. Kalesh b/w a Mother-Daughter Duo and a Man inside Dehradun to Gorakhpur train over Seat issues on Women's Day pic.twitter.com/N4Xrcy7hAS Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) March 8, 2024 According to the details provided in the post, the incident occurred on a Dehra-Gorakhpur train. The video was first shared on the social networking platform X (by a user named Arhant Shelby) and then reposted by an account named Ghar Ke Kalesh. A former Infosys employee recently took to LinkedIn to share his frustration, claiming that he was a victim of silent layoff in the company and was let go from the company without warning or support for his future career. Kumar Shubman, the employee in question, outlined the events leading up to his dismissal Within [a] few hours my whole internal access [was] taken after forcefully telling me to resign. Not even giving notice period so that we can have at least some time to apply for new jobs without being jobless," he expressed. He also noted similar instances of layoffs in other well-known companies. Also Read: Very Hard To Let Go: Pakistani Womans Heartbreaking Note After Getting Laid Off By Tesla Speaking on behalf of others in similar situations, he wrote, When we never thought to leave the current job but next day suddenly HR person schedules a meeting to announce the exit and force to leave the company. How much bad it is but who care. I thought to say here because it is something that should not happen. Like this event can destroy someones career but who care." Following its circulation, the post gained traction on LinkedIn. While some offered guidance and legal recourse against the company, others doubted its authenticity, perceiving it as a ploy for attention. Surely this is an incomplete story. And by this post, you are letting peoples imagination go wild on the possibilities. And it will only hurt your chances of getting a new job, isnt it? Instead of such posts, if I may humbly suggest, please consider building a strong leetcode, github profile. You would land with a job for sure if you have these in order," one commenter advised. As discussions extended to X (formerly Twitter), similar skepticism emerged. This guy must have done something which is not as per policy. They might have caught him and asked to resign without serving the notice period duration," speculated one individual. Another dismissed such grievances as attention-seeking behaviour typical of certain demographics: Most these gen Z are crying babies and do such posts to grab attention and views." Also Read: Tesla Employee Says He Lost His Job Despite Sacrifices: Sat In My Car In Disbelief Meanwhile, News18 could not verify the authenticity of the claim. Also, Infosys has not issued any statement regarding the matter. Popular content creator Varun Mayya recently conducted an in-person interview with Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Interestingly, Pichai made a notable reference to a scene from Aamir Khans movie 3 Idiots during the conversation. While the full interview is yet to be published on YouTube, Varun gave his followers a sneak peek by sharing a snippet from the interview on his Instagram feed. It all started when Varun asked Sundar if he was aware that an entire industry in India is dedicated to helping young Indians crack FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) interviews. Varun added, How do you get out of the competitive exam mindset with all these shifts? Sundar responded thoughtfully, emphasising the importance of deeper understanding rather than just memorising facts. He said, I think real success comes from understanding things in a deeper way. He then referred to a memorable scene from the movie 3 idiots, where Aamir Khans character is asked to define a motor. He highlighted the difference between merely describing what motor is and truly understanding its workings. Almost tempted to go back to the movie 3 Idiots or something like that. And like, theres a scene in there, when they ask Aamir Khan the definition of motor. And like theres a version which describes what a motor is. And theres a version where you actually understand what a motor is, he added. Sharing the snippet of the interview, Varun wrote, I also asked Sundar what he thinks of wrapper startups Coming soon. Make sure you subscribe to me on YouTube. You dont want to miss this. Watch the video here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Varun Mayya (@thevarunmayya) Since being shared online, the video has amassed over 400,000 views and garnered numerous reactions from users in the comment section. One user exclaimed, Absolute gold, looking forward! @thevarunmayya, while another joked, Bro just woke up and randomly collaborated with the CEO of Google. Fans were clearly excited, with one remarking, We got Varun interviewing Sundar before GTA VI, and another praising, Varun representing India globally, all ventures of Varun are going to the moon very soon. Youve surprised all of us! I cannot wait to watch the video. Please drop it soon, someone remarked. During the interview, the duo delved into a wide range of topics, including the emergence of artificial intelligence and Indias position as a market for this new technology. Sundar noted that India is now one of their top markets due to its large user base. An 88-year-old US couple has taught the internet that its never too late to find love. Elaine Hall, after reconnecting and falling in love with her childhood crush, got married to Roland Passaro after over 70 years of having feelings. They tied the knot in front of their children, grandchildren and even their great-grandchildren in Palm Coast, Florida, in March of this year. Both 88, the newlyweds attended middle and high school together in Allentown, where they grew up blocks apart. After going separate ways in life, they eventually reunited at their high schools 50th reunion in 2003. Following her schooling, Elaine Hall got married, but her husband was soon deployed to Germany for military service. During this time, she raised three children while working at the local newspaper. Unfortunately, the marriage ended in 1975, leaving Hall single for the next 28 years. On the other hand, Passaro also got married and has three kids. However, his wife and one of his sons tragically passed away in 2002. The following year, both Hall and Passaro met at the reunion and rekindled their old feelings. Soon they were talking over the phone and the conversations eventually turned romantic. I always had a special place in my heart for Roland all through those years. I often wondered how he was, if he was happy, and if he had a good life, Hall told Today.com. After being together for almost 20 years, they finally decided to get married in late 2022. With their extended family around, Hall and Passaro had the wedding of their dreams. Sharing his feelings about his newly-wed wife, Passaro said, When I saw her in 9th grade, I thought she was very beautiful and exciting. I thought she was, I guess in todays parlance, quite hot. I thought I had my life all figured out. Retire to the beach, (be with) my friends and family. But when it did happen, to me, it was pure and simple chemistry, Hall further shared. Their story has gone viral on the internet with social media users showering love on them. Many even expressed curiosity about their high-school romance. A user wrote, This generation might never witness this in the future, while another commented, I need to know what they looked like in highschool. There has been a long-standing debate regarding the existence of aliens. To date, there is no official evidence that can officially confirm the presence of aliens. We often come across various videos claiming the existence of aliens on various social media platforms. Such videos often come from various places in the United States. Recently one such video went viral on the internet claiming that a UFO was spotted in the sky of Jaipur, India. The video created a massive buzz among the netizens. The video that attracted huge viewership on social media was reportedly shot on May 4. According to the video, some people spotted a flying structure in the sky which didnt look like a bird or an aeroplane. The video was taken from a high-rise building. Due to the presence of clouds, the object kept disappearing and reappearing but then vanished completely sparking curiosity among the people. However, there is no official confirmation regarding the authenticity of the video. The video was posted from an Instagram handle named Bien_forever. The account is famous for posting strange videos that often amaze people. Posting the video the user captioned it, UFO spotted in Jaipur, India (May 4, 2024). What do you think about it? The video attracted millions of views. It was liked by over 70,000 users on Instagram. After watching the video some people claimed the object to be a UFO while some questioned the authenticity of the video. One user commented, Finally aliens discovered other countries and states besides New York City, while another user commented, This is a real incident after this around 10-11 people died in mysterious ways reports say everything was normal and the reason for their death is still a mystery. Meanwhile, another user jokingly commented, Finally the Aliens visited India. I am sure they are here to try some tasty food. The user often shares such UFO videos from across the world. Some days back, he shared another video from Croatia that was reportedly taken in 2013. In the video, a mysterious object was seen flying in the sky but after a few minutes, the object vanished. In a video going viral on social media, a man is seen fixing the dislocated knee joint of another person. The injured person, in the video, is screaming in agony with some people surrounding him. People with such injuries need to be transferred to the hospital. The professional support they need cannot be provided by medically untrained people. In the video shared by the Instagram handle @masterchrisleong, the man is seen lying on a muddy field, grabbing his dislocated knee. In the video, he is wearing shorts and his left foot is completely dislocated from the knee. In the video, a man is seen trying to fix his legs. The man grabbed the dislocated knee gently, and everyone was watching the whole incident in awe. He slowly pressed his knee and pushed the bones in place while the injured guy screamed in pain. As the man fixed the dislocated knee, the internet breathed a sigh of relief. The expertise shown in the video is generally very rare. Medical personnel, including orthopaedic doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and paramedics, are trained to fix such issues swiftly. Doctors working for the national defence forces are seen showing such expertise. According to the reports, the video of the dislocated knee is from Jakarta, Indonesia. The man who fixed the knee is Chris Leong. Chris is a therapist who uses Chinese medicine to repair bents, twists, and dislocated bones. It is a very common practice for him, as shown in the video. The video went viral within a few minutes, and people reacted to the video by commenting and asking for help. Around 12 hundred people commented on the video. Someone in the comment section wrote, It has happened to me many times. It sucks. I have always popped it back in myself and then headed to the doctors to drain the blood.. Another viewer commented and praised the rescue act by saying, You are amazing. The video received 33 lakh views. Looking at the expertise level of the person, someone also wrote, Keep calm, brother; you are in safe hands. Some of the people who had similar experiences with knee dislocations said that they had to have surgery for the issue to be fixed. Even after surgery, the knee joint never came back to normal. Medication and psychotherapy were needed to fix the issue. In todays digital age, vlogging has gained immense popularity. It has offered a platform for content creators to showcase their unique perspectives on various topics, from travel to lifestyle and beyond. The key to a successful vlog often lies in the creators storytelling and narration skills. Many digital influencers share their daily experiences to engage with their audience. One such example is Mohammad Shiraz, Pakistans youngest" YouTuber, who provides his followers with a behind-the-scenes look into his life through his vlogs. On May 15, Mohammad Shiraz shared his last vlog" as he bid an emotional goodbye to his fans and followers on social media. In the 11-minute video he posted on YouTube, Shiraz explained that his father wants him to concentrate on his studies at the moment instead of vlogging. I will not make vlogs now onwards. My father has asked me to study and not make videos for now. I love making vlogs. But, this is my last vlog. What should I do?" Shiraz said in his video while wiping tears. Shortly after, the YouTuber decided to take a leisurely walk through his village accompanied by his younger sister, Muskan. During his stroll, Shiraz encountered a man crafting baskets and took a moment to inform him that he would be taking a break from posting videos for a while. When questioned about the hiatus, Shiraz explained his reasons, but the man insisted that he should spare some time to create vlogs as well. Shiraz extended his gratitude towards his fans for all the love and asked them to request his father to allow him to make vlogs. My Last Vlog. Emotional Good Bye," read the title of Shirazs video. Watch the video here: About Shirazi Village Vlogs: Mohammad Shiraz (6) lives in Khaplu village in Gilgit-Baltistan (PoK). Shirazi Village Vlogs" is the name of his YouTube channel and Instagram account. He posts videos that capture the essence of his family life, village surroundings and daily chores. Shiraz has 1.56 million subscribers on YouTube and 2 million followers on Instagram. A while ago, after the subscriber count on his channel reached the one-lakh mark, Shiraz got the silver play button. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Niche Lifestyle (@nichelifestyle) He unboxed the gift (reward) on camera and the video became an instant hit. The government on Friday once again warned its nationals against the increasing numbers of fraudulent jobs being offered by scammers in Southeast Asia countries, including Laos and Cambodia. In an advisory issued by the Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh, and Laos, the government warned about the presence of fake agents operating in the region, luring individuals with promises of lucrative employment opportunities. All Indian nationals who are traveling for jobs in Cambodia and the Southeast Asian region, are advised that there are many fake agents operating in the region, who along with agents in India, are luring people to scam companies, involved especially in cyber crimes, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement, similar to issued in then past few months. Advisory for Indian Nationals travelling to Laos & Cambodia. pic.twitter.com/eSm0mgh48C Diaspora Engagement Division (@DiasporaDiv_MEA) May 17, 2024 In the latest advisory, the government in particular warns against dubious job offers in Cambodia, where scam companies, often involved in cyber crimes, exploit unsuspecting victims. Instances have surfaced wherein Indians are lured with job offers purportedly in Laos, specifically in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone. These fake offers, for positions such as Digital Sales and Marketing Executives and Customer Support Service, come with enticing perks including high salaries, hotel accommodations and visa facilitation. However, people later find themselves coerced into harsh working conditions, facing physical and mental torture. Anybody who takes up a job in Cambodia should do so only through authorised agents approved by the Ministry of External Affairs of India. Job seekers can also approach the Embassy of India, Phnom Penh through e-mail id cons.phnompenh@mea.gov.in and yisa.phnompenh@mea.gov.in, the MEA added. Victims are illegally taken across the border into Laos from Thailand and held captive to work in Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Laos under harsh and restrictive conditions. At times, they are taken hostages by criminal syndicates indulging in illegal activities and forced to work in strenuous conditions under constant physical and mental torture, the advisory read. The MEA said that the modus operandi involves recruitment processes conducted in various international locations like Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, and India, where agents associated with dubious firms promise employment after a simple interview and typing test. The advisory also stressed that a visa on arrival in Thailand or Laos does not permit employment and the Lao authorities do not issue work permits to Indian nationals coming to Laos on such visas. It may be noted that tourist visa is to be used only for the purpose of tourism. Please note that those convicted of human trafficking crimes have been sentenced up to 18 years in prison in Laos. Therefore, Indian nationals are advised not to get enticed and entrapped in such fraudulent or exploitative job offers and are requested to exercise extreme caution and verify the antecedents of recruiting agents as well as any company before taking up any job offer in Laos, it said. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website An unidentified man riding a bicycle in the US city of New York violently attacked two Orthodox Jewish boys as they played on a sidewalk Sunday night. The assault in Brooklyn, captured on video, prompted the New York Police Departments (NYPD) Hate Crimes unit to launch an investigation into the possibility of an antisemitic motive, the New York Post reported. The attack on boys aged 11 and 13 unfolded on Franklin Avenue near Myrtle Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant around 9 pm on Sunday. Witnesses described the assailant stopping his bike between parked cars before aggressively confronting the children, who were dressed in traditional Orthodox Jewish attire. The accused shoved one boy to the ground and knocked another before kicking and stomping on him. Disturbing video footage showing the perpetrator assaulting and beating kids on Franklin Avenue on Sunday night. @NYPD79Pct @NYPDBklynNorth pic.twitter.com/Fiwh8F7NQp Williamsburg 365 News (@Williamsburg365) May 15, 2024 Although police noted minor injuries, including cuts to the backs of their heads, they did not report any explicit antisemitic remarks from the attacker. The perpetrator fled the scene on his bicycle, and as of Thursday, no arrests had been made in connection with the incident. The investigation remains ongoing amid the war in Gaza, which has resulted in a surge in antisemitism in the US and Europe. Last year, the New York-based Jewish advocacy group Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded 8,873 incidents of antisemitism in the United States, marking the highest number since the outfit began tracking data in 1979. The annual audit released by the Jewish civil rights group revealed a 140% increase from the previous year, surpassing the all-time high set in 2022. These incidents, which include harassment, vandalism, and assault, reflect a significant rise from the nearly 3,700 cases reported in 2022. The majority of documented incidents, totaling 6,535, involved harassment, characterized by antisemitic slurs, stereotypes, or conspiracy theories directed at Jewish individuals or those perceived as such. This category encompasses both online and in-person occurrences. The ADLs audit identified 2,177 cases of vandalism and 161 assault incidents. Several gunmen opened fire in central Afghanistan late on Friday, killing at least four people, including three foreign nationals, a Taliban spokesman said. Four suspects were arrested at the scene in Bamyan province, a major tourist area, and an investigation was underway, the official said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the late-evening attack. According to Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Talibans interior ministry, seven other people, including four foreign nationals were wounded in the attack. He did not elaborate or give the nationality of the foreign citizens. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war. Blame is likely to fall on the Islamic State groups affiliate in Afghanistan, a major Taliban rival. IS militants have carried out scores of attacks on schools, hospitals, mosques and minority Shiite areas throughout the country. Bamiyan is probably best known as the site of two massive Buddha statues that were carved into the cliff face between the 4th and 6th century and which were destroyed by the Taliban at al-Qaidas urging in early 2001. Indian embassy officials and UN agencies in Israel on Friday paid their final respects to Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd.), who lost his life in Gaza while working as a UN staffer. Colonel Kale, 46, who had served in the Indian Armys 11 Jammu & Kashmir Rifles, was recently transitioned to a role as a Security Coordination Officer within the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS). He died this week while travelling in a UN vehicle to a hospital in the Khan Younis area from Rafah amid Israels war against Hamas. Embassy officials joined by senior officials from @IsraelMFA, @IDF, @UNDSS and other UN organizations paid their last respects to the mortal remains of Col. Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd.), who lost his life in Gaza. The mortal remains are on their final journey to India. pic.twitter.com/DIPr6hZYrL India in Israel (@indemtel) May 17, 2024 The Permanent Mission of India to the UN on Tuesday condoled the death of a former Indian Army officer working with a UN agency in Gaza. Col Anil Kale who took premature retirement from the Indian Army in 2022, joined the UN as a Security Coordination Officer in the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) two months ago. The former Indian army officer was travelling along with another DSS staffer to the European Hospital in Rafah when their UN vehicle was struck on Monday morning. We are deeply saddened by the loss of Col Waibhav Kale, working for the UN Department of Safety and Security in Gaza. Our deepest condolences are with the family during this difficult time, The Permanent Mission of India to the UN said in a post on X Tuesday. Kale is the first casualty among international UN staff in Gaza since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict following the October 7 terror attacks. The United Nations has called for a full investigation while Israel has ordered a separate investigation into the attack. on Wednesday, the External Affairs Ministry said that Indian missions in the UN and in Israel are assisting in bringing back the mortal remains of the former Indian officer. Our Permanent Mission to the UN in New York and our Missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah are extending all assistance in the repatriation of mortal remains to India and continue to be in touch with relevant authorities regarding the investigation into the incident, the MEA said in an official statement. (With agency inputs) Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys recent trip to Nigeria has reportedly stirred up controversy within the UK royal family, leaving King Charles and Prince William fuming. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveled to Nigeria to promote the Invictus Games, but their visit has faced backlash, with critics labeling it as an unofficial royal tour. Royal expert Tom Quinn suggests that Prince Charles is particularly displeased with the estranged Royal couples actions, The Mirror newspaper reported. Quinn revealed that Prince William is absolutely furious and determined to prevent similar incidents in the future. Meanwhile, Prince Charles is reportedly angrier than ever before. The Nigerian reception to Meghan and Harrys visit added fuel to the fire, as locals treated the couple as if it were an official royal tour, complete with receptions, school visits and charitable engagements. Quinn suggests that this response from Nigerians confirmed the fears within the royal family that Meghan and Harry were attempting to circumvent established protocols. According to Quinn, the trip shows a departure from traditional royal behaviour, with Meghan and Harry seemingly asserting their independence from royal constraints. According to The Mirror, their actions have prompted William and Charles to contemplate how to regain control of the situation. Despite their stepped-back roles within the monarchy, the royal expert said the couples speeches and demeanor conveyed an impression of full-fledged royals. Before Nigeria, Prince Harry was in London to mark the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. His trips to the UK since he moved to the United States in 2020 always prompt fresh speculation over a potential reconciliation with his family. But he did not meet with his father on this trip. (With agency inputs) Nepal has become the latest country to ban spices from the brands MDH and Everest after reports of the presence of ethylene oxide in them. A report in news agency ANI suggests that Nepals Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has started testing the two Indian spice brands and has banned its import, consumption and sale. Everest and MDH brand spices which are being imported in Nepal have been banned from import. This comes after the news about traces of harmful chemicals in the spices, ban on import was imposed a week earlier and we also have banned the sales of it in the market, Mohan Krishna Maharjan, spokesperson of Nepals Department of Food Technology and Quality Control told ANI. This comes days after Hong Kong and Singapore had also banned spices from these two brands. The Centre for Food Safety of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region had collected samples of three of MDHs pre-packaged spice products Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala Powder and Curry Powder and Everest Groups Fish Curry Masala for testing under its routine food surveillance programme when it detected the presence of the said pesticide. In Singapore too, the food regulator found carcinogenic ingredients in the products of both companies, following which authorities have directed the importer of the two brands of spices to initiate a recall of the products. Ethylene oxide is unfit for human consumption and a cancer risk with long exposure. In fact, the US customs have refused a staggering 31 per cent of all spice-related shipments exported by MDH over the past six months due to salmonella contamination, An Indian Express report said that this refusal rate is double from the previous years 15 per cent. Amid bans and rejections in different countries, the Spice Board of India has stepped in to ensure the safety and quality of Indian spice exports. The Techno-Scientific Committee conducted the root cause analysis, inspected processing facilities, and collected samples for testing in accredited labs. The recommendations of the committee have been implemented by the board. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has also initiated nationwide quality checks for various brands of powdered spices. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website A team of scientists has revealed the face of the fabled Egyptian king Amenhotep III, known as the richest person to ever live. Using the remains of his mummy, an international team of researchers created the first facial reconstruction of this famous Egyptian king after thousands of years of curiosity. Amenhotep III was the grandfather of Tutankhamun who reigned in Egypt in the 14th century BC and was revered as a divine ruler. Under his rule, Egypt flourished economically and politically, earning him acclaim as one of the greatest pharaohs, immortalised in dozens of statues. Using data from the skull of his mummy, a multinational team has unveiled his true likeness for the first time in nearly 3,400 years, The Daily Mail reported. Who was Amenhotep III? Amenhotep III, an important figure in the Eighteenth Dynasty, constructed and renovated numerous temples across Egypt, including those in Luxor, Memphis, Elkab, and Armant. During his time, he also commissioned a series of scarabs adorned with extensive inscriptions detailing the events of his reign. King built or rebuilt many temples Led by Brazilian graphics designer Cicero Moraes, the team meticulously recreated Amenhoteps features, imbuing life into ancient history. Moraes expressed astonishment at the vivid portrayal, including attire and accessories. Named after the sun god Amun, Amenhotep III spearheaded monumental construction projects across Egypt and Nubia, reflecting his opulent reign. Speculation abounds regarding the kings opulence, with suggestions that his mummy was adorned entirely in gold leaf, resembling a deity. The king 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, according to University College London (UCL). Dr. Michael Habicht, an archaeologist at Australias Flinders University shed light on Amenhoteps physical condition, depicting him as an obese and ailing ruler. Despite his diminutive stature, standing at approximately 156cm, Amenhoteps wealth and influence were unparalleled in his time, potentially making him the richest individual of antiquity. He might well have been one of the richest men that ever lived, at least in his epoch, Dr. Habicht was quoted as saying by The Daily Mail. 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. 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. Last year, scientists unveiled what Egyptian King Tutankhamun would have looked like during his reign of power over 3,300 years ago. Using a digital model of his mummified skull, researchers managed to re-create the face of King Tut. He looks like a young man with a delicate face, said Brazilian graphics expert and co-author Cicero Moraes in a study that is set to be published in the Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology. Looking at him, we see more of a young student than a politician full of responsibilities, which makes the historical figure even more interesting. In February 2022, a sex game gone wrong led to the death of a 26-year-old professional UK dancer and subsequently the suicide of her boyfriend. Georgia Brooke died after her 31-year-old boyfriend, Luke Cannon, choked her during a sexual encounter at his home in West Yorkshire. The British couple had consumed cocaine and a nervous system depressant called GHB. After Brooke passed out, Cannon panicked and called emergency services. She was rushed to the hospital but died from cardiac arrest. West Yorkshire Police launched a murder probe and began searching for Cannon, who went missing soon after. He was later found hanging in a forest near the hospital. After an investigation into both deaths concluded on Wednesday, Georgias mother, Samantha Beaumont, blamed her daughters partner, accusing Luke of being controlling and coercive and of dictating what she wore, UKs Daily Mail reported. She said her daughters behaviour changed after she started dating Cannon in 2021. However, Cannons brother described him as a generous person who genuinely cared for Brooke. The Georgia Brooke case is yet another appalling example of the normalisation of strangulation. Last night I announced a change in the law that will always make punishments more severe for this kind of homicide.Its too late for Georgia but its her Im thinking of today pic.twitter.com/uxGN1Rj096 Laura Farris MP (@Laura__Farris) May 16, 2024 UK MP Laura Farris said, The Georgia Brooke case is yet another appalling example of the normalisation of strangulation. Last night I announced a change in the law that will always make punishments more severe for this kind of homicide. Its too late for Georgia but its her Im thinking of today. According to the British media reports, text messages revealed that Brooke had previously consented to choking during their sexual activities. Despite this, a UK court ruled her death as an unlawful killing, noting Cannon used excessive force. The post-mortem determined the principal cause of death was forceful and prolonged neck compression. Deep sympathy for the family of Georgia May Brooke. Controlling boyfriend killed beloved, talented daughter/sister but coroner/police admit evidence of her supposed sexual choices. Blame her for her own death. What did police/coroner think they were doing, UK lawmaker Harriet Harman said in a post on microblogging website X. Reiterating that they would continue to raise the issue of human rights in India with its leadership, Indian American lawmakers on Thursday, however, said that lecturing New Delhi on this issue is unlikely to work and they favoured entering into a conversation with the Indian leadership on their concerns with them. India was colonized for over 100 years. So, when were having a conversation about human rights, and youre having a conversation with (External Affairs Minister S) Jai Shankar or someone else, you have to understand that just coming in from a perspective of lecturing India. When they say that weve had colonial powers lecture us for hundreds of years is not going to be productive, Congressman Ro Khanna told members of the Indian American community during the Desi Decides Summit of Indian American Impact. Khanna, who is also co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus, was joined by three other Indian American lawmakers Shri Thanedar, Pramila Jayapal and Dr Ami Bera during the panel discussion, which was moderated by Zohreen Shah, ABC national correspondent, who asked them about Prime Minister Narendra Modis relations with the Muslim community. Having a conversation (with India) saying, here are the imperfections in our democracy, what are the imperfections in your democracy, and how do we collectively advance democracy and human rights, I think is a more constructive approach, Khanna said. Bera said he agrees with Khanna. Ive said the same to the (Indian) foreign minister. If India loses its secular nation, it changes who she is as a country and how the rest of the world views it, he said. He also said that a Trump presidency is not necessarily the same as Prime Minister Modi being in power. Because we still have a vibrant democracy here. We have a vibrant opposition party in the Democratic Party. We still believe in the freedom of the press and those are all things that I worry about Indias future, he said. You see whats happening to the freedom of the press. Youre not really seeing a viable opposition party or its being dismantled. The vibrant democracy has to have all of those things, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the ability to push back. I hope you dont ever see a second Trump presidency. But if that were to happen, you will see our democracy survive the first time, push back, and our democracy will survive. I certainly hope Indias democracy survives, Bera said. Jayapal said she agrees with both Bera and Khanna. The only thing I would add is that I think we have to be able to critique our own countrys imperfections and any other countrys imperfections. Thats actually our job in Congress. We shouldnt lecture, I agree with Roe (Khanna). But we do have to think about all of the United States interests. That is economic, for sure. India is an important partner for us. Its an important partner because of other regional dynamics as well and global dynamics, she said. It is also important for us to think about our values. Just like we criticize the Chinese government for the treatment of Uyghurs or any other country in the world, we have to be able to also look at whats happening in India and call attention to it, she said. I know that I have been called a bad Indian and all kinds of other things for raising these. But I would just say Im not backing away from that because those are the values of the United States. Those are my values. I dont think it means that you dont appreciate or like or want a partnership between India and the United States to raise legitimate concerns about freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and all of the other things that we are seeing in India any more than if we raise it here it means somehow that were bad Americans. No, that is our job to be moving towards a more perfect union in the United States and with all of our global partnerships, Jayapal asserted. Thanedar said he favours a strong India-US relationship. We need a strong US-India relationship. India historically has been playing both sides, Russia and US. But its time for India to commit to a strong friendship with the United States, and thats something that I want to work on. The United States has to recognize Indias power, its economic power, and India remains the best solution to counteract Chinas aggression. So, Im just working on a strong India-US relationship, he said. Explore in-depth coverage of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Schedule, Voter Turnout, Upcoming Phase And Much More At News18 Website The Vatican on Friday revised its procedure for assessing purported visions of the Virgin Mary, statues shedding tears, and other seemingly supernatural occurrences prevalent in church history. The new protocol emphasises refraining from definitive declarations unless the event is evidently fabricated. The updated guidelines, replacing regulations established in 1978, now stipulate that bishops are to refrain from autonomous decisions regarding such phenomena and instead seek guidance from the Vatican. These alterations, implemented by the Vaticans doctrinal office (DDF), contend that the previous norms were no longer effective or applicable in the internet age. The Vatican explained that in todays digital age, information about apparitions or weeping Madonnas spreads rapidly, which can harm the faithful if hoaxers attempt to exploit peoples beliefs for financial gain or manipulate them, Associated Press reported. The new norms state that the exploitation of peoples faith in this manner can be subject to canonical punishment. They emphasised, The use of purported supernatural experiences or recognized mystical elements as a means of or a pretext for exerting control over people or carrying out abuses is to be considered of particular moral gravity. The Catholic Church has a lengthy and controversial history of believers claiming to have experienced visions of the Virgin Mary, statues allegedly shedding tears of blood, and individuals exhibiting stigmata resembling the wounds of Christ on their hands and feet. Under the new Vatican guidelines, as a rule, bishops and church officials will not make declarations regarding the supernatural nature of alleged phenomena. Instead, this decision will be entrusted to the Pope. The Vatican clarified that under the previous guidelines, a local bishop could declare a phenomenons supernatural nature, only for the Holy Office to express a different decision later. Additionally, there were cases where a bishop might determine whether an occurrence was supernatural, only for his successor to reach a contrary conclusion, the statement elaborated. The document also cautions against actions that could lead to damage to the unity of the Church and highlights the potential for serious errors that might cause scandals and undermine the credibility of the Church. Former West Virginia House of Delegates member Doug Skaff lost the Republican primary for secretary of state on Tuesdaybut that wasn't the worst thing to happen to him this week. The 47-year-old was bitten by two copperhead snakes while he was taking down campaign signs with his 7-year-son in Danville on Wednesday. Skaff tells MetroNews that he initially thought he had stepped on something sharp. "I look down and there are two copperhead snakes," he says. "There was a baby snake and a bigger snake. I may have stepped on a nest or something." Skaff says he's thankful that his son wasn't harmed. After the bites, "some great people from Boone County pulled up, helped me out and called 911," he says. He was hospitalized with snake bites to the small toe of his right foot and the calf of his left leg and remained in the hospital on Thursday. "It hurts more than I've had anything hurt me in my life," says Skaff, a former Democratic minority leader in the House of Delegates who resigned and switched parties to run for secretary of state. Asked by WSAZ which was worse, losing the election or being bitten by snakes, he said: "Snake bites. Elections come and go, but I wouldn't wish this on anybody. It was scary. It hurt. When I saw that venom going through my body like that, and feeling that sensation." (More West Virginia stories.) Rep. Matt Gaetz's expression of support on Thursday might have sounded familiar to Donald Trump. "Standing back and standing by, Mr. President," Gaetz posted on X, the Hill reports. Gaetz included with a photo showing Trump outside the New York courtroom where he's on trial , with the Republican lawmaker in the background. It was during a 2020 presidential debate that Trump, when challenged by Joe Biden to denounce such groups, issued his call for the Proud Boys to " stand back and stand by ." A spokesperson for Gaetz declined to comment on the post, telling the Hill that "the tweet speaks for itself." The extremist group has adopted the phrase as a badge of honor since Trump used it, per the AP. Jeremy Joseph Bertino of the Proud Boys later told the House committee investigating the attack on the Capitol the group's membership "tripled, probably" after the debate. Its leaders have been convicted of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6 attack and given prison sentences. (More Trump hush-money trial stories.) It was indeed a high level of the chemical found in spicy chili peppers that killed a 14-year-old Massachusetts boy last year, the state's medical examiner found. Harris Wolobah ate an ultra-spicy chip branded as the "One Chip Challenge," made by the company Paqui, at school in September and lost consciousness hours later at home after complaining his stomach hurt. He never recovered. The autopsy, which was completed in February but is only just now making headlines, found that the teen's cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest "in the setting of recent ingestion of a food substance with high capsaicin concentration," according to a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the Washington Post reports. / It Could Soon Be a Crime to Wear a Mask in Public in NC The bill passed North Carolina's state Senate, was sent to the House Hundreds of Air Force members in dress blues joined Roger Fortson's family, friends, and others at a suburban Atlanta megachurch on Friday to pay their final respects to the Black senior airman, who was shot and killed in his Florida home earlier this month by a sheriff's deputy. "As you can see from the sea of blue in front of me, I am not alone in my admiration of Senior Airman Fortson," Col. Patrick Dierig told mourners. "We would like to take credit for making him great, but the truth is that he was great before he came to us," said Dierig, the commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Air Force Base in Florida. "He will live in our Air Force hearts forever." More, from the AP: Fortson, 23, grew up in the Atlanta area before joining the Air Force. He was a senior airman who served in overseas combat zones and was stationed at Hurlburt when the deputy killed him. His sister Raven Fortson spoke fondly of her brother, but bemoaned how his life was cut short. "I thought Roger was the coolest person in the world. He was supposed to have a million more accomplishments," she said. The Senate Judiciary Committee chair has called on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, whose home reportedly displayed an upside-down US flag shortly after the attack on the Capitol, to recuse himself from all cases concerning the 2020 election and Jan. 6 riot. "The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said Friday, contending that displaying the flag, "a symbol of the so-called 'Stop the Steal' movement, clearly creates the appearance of bias." He said Alito also should recuse himself from Donald Trump's immunity case now pending before the court, the Hill reports. Similar calls for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from the cases because his wife, Virginia, worked to overturn the 2020 election results had no effect. Durbin has tried to put a new ethics code for the court in place; as of now, the justices decide on their own whether to recuse themselves over potential conflicts of interest. The court has countered that Congress isn't the boss of it. Charles Geyh, a professor at Indiana University's law school, said the likelihood of Alito recusing himself over this "is at or near zero," per NBC News. Durbin said the flap is an example of why Congress should pass legislation to set up a code of conduct for the justices. "Supreme Court justices should be held to the highest ethical standards, not the lowest," he said. (More Samuel A. Alito stories.) The man at the centre of what's been labelled as the biggest illegal lottery ever discovered in New Zealand can be revealed as 23-year-old Waiariki McIlroy-Jones. The Rangiora man is before the courts on multiple illegal gambling offences, after an investigation by Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) found the man and his company allegedly made $11,125,500 in a little more than one year. It's alleged they sold illicit lotteries online to people in New Zealand, offering prizes such as cash, expensive cars and boats, and even a freehold house. Marty Greentree, DIA's investigations manager, said the Gambling Act (2003) consolidated and updated a lot of older legislation and is there for a reason. "It has three overarching objectives and they are to reduce harm, benefit the community through returns from gambling proceeds and also to ensure the integrity of gambling processes," said Greentree. Under the Act, only authorised not-for-profit organisations can offer gambling services with prizes valued over $5000, for specific purposes. They also need a Class 3 gambling licence. Police have also filed proceedings against the man and his company in the High Court, after a referral from the DIA. McIlroy-Jones and his company have been charged with conducting illegal gambling, promoting illegal gambling, and making a pecuniary gain from illegal gambling. He will reappear in court next month. "The education in schools, the sun smart campaigns have reduced our sun exposure," said the study's co-author, Dr Marius Rademaker. He said the lower death rate over the past decade is likely due to increased awareness leading to earlier diagnoses as well as more effective treatments. While it may seem like good news, he said there still hasn't been an overall decrease in new melanoma cases. "We're still seeing as many melanomas as before. And a melanoma in itself causes quite a lot of problems." Alongside Australia, Aotearoa has the highest rates of melanoma in the world, with more than 6000 people diagnosed each year and around 300 deaths. It's why catching it early is so important, something Simone Davie knows all too well. She was studying for a university exam when she noticed a change in a mole on her back. "It appeared different in colour, asymmetrical and slightly raised," she said. "I never thought at 24 I'd be going through melanoma. I always associated it with the older generation." Getting it checked was a decision that saved her life. "Now I'm very cautious in terms of being out in the sun at certain times and being covered up as much as I can." Dr Rademaker is calling for increased investment from the Government so there are more success stories like Davie's. "Key thing is recognising primary prevention is important," he said. "More money to Pharmac, more money to fund dermatology and plastic surgeons are really key things for us to reduce that melanoma rate." And his message to Kiwis is to enjoy the sun - safely. By Natalie Akoorie for RNZ A reduction in funding for the Waikato to Auckland commuter train Te Huia, which was less than expected, may still spell its demise. Waikato Regional Council and Te Huia supporters have welcomed news Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) will continue to fund the service at a reduced rate. It would do this by progressively reducing its contribution to the funding assistance rate (FAR) from 75.5 per cent to 60 percent, starting on 1 July. Supporters are claiming the outcome as a victory, but Waikato Regional Councillor Angela Strange would not be drawn on whether it could ensure the survival of the service. That is because the council has to go through its long-term plan budget in the next fortnight and work out where it can find the 5.5 percent in FAR that NZTA will drop next year. Strange said the announcement was good news but she did not want to pre-empt the long-term plan outcome and could not conclusively say that Te Huia would continue. Associate Education Minister David Seymour told RNZ: "When state schools convert to charter schools, or when students transfer from state schools to charter schools, there will be baseline funding that effectively 'follows the school' or 'follows the child'." However, the papers indicated the transfer would not be cost-neutral to the government for newly created charter schools. They said the students were likely to be funded at a higher per-student rate because charter schools were generally small, and small schools received higher per-student funding than larger schools. The papers showed the Ministry of Education estimated the schools might deliver a benefit equivalent to up to $1250 per student per year - but only if they were 10 percent more efficient at delivering education than state schools. "We consider it unlikely that changing to a charter school model could improve efficiency by more than about 10 percent," they said. However, long-term benefits could be greater, the papers said. The ministry had advised that improvements to student achievement were possible, but overseas and New Zealand evidence was mixed. "Evidence from other jurisdictions show mixed results on whether model [sic] will benefit achievement and engagement," it said. "There is evidence that partnership schools attracted a high proportion of "priority learners" (Maori, Pacific, students with learning support needs, and students from low socio-economic backgrounds), as was intended by the policy, including roughly double the proportion of students from a long-term benefit-dependent household, or those with an Oranga Tamariki notification, relative to state schools. "However, it was unclear if the model had an impact on the academic achievement for these specific learner groups." The biggest improvements might occur if existing kura kaupapa Maori that were struggling to grow converted to charter schools and enrolled more children, the papers said. "Overall, the evidence suggests that under the right settings (such as good leadership, implementation, and a widespread uptake of the model) school choice policies can drive innovation, improve efficiencies in the system and improve outcomes for students." Though for-profit schools would be permitted, the ministry said based on the previous round of schools "we expect very little profit to be taken". Seymour said there was "no reason to disallow" for-profit schools as an option if they ensured the educational needs of students were being met and they were accountable for positive outcomes. "Operating for profit can also encourage investment in charter schools. Profit is also not a deduction." The papers also showed that distance education charter schools would be allowed, breaking the monopoly on state-funded distance schooling held by Te Kura The Correspondence School. Seymour said a separate funding model would be considered for distance charter schools. "While it is not envisaged that any distance charter schools will open in the first year, the charter school model is designed to give greater flexibility to innovate, and it allowed for distance schools in the future - in the event that a suitable sponsor wants to apply," he said. "Any potential distance schools will still need to meet the mandatory requirements for becoming a charter school. As well as that, when the Authorisation Board is deciding whether to approve any distance schools, it will consider the size of the school, whether students are full time or part time, whether the students are onshore or offshore, as well as plans to provide adequate pastoral care to distance students. Large sections of the papers relating to the conversion of state schools to charter schools were redacted. Seymour said that was because some of the information was under active consideration and some was legal advice. However, they showed that the Crown would retain ownership of any school buildings and land it already owned. They also showed that local students would retain the right to continue attending a school that converted to charter status. RNZ This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Space-out competition, founded by a visual artist, who goes by the pseudonym Woopsyang, after she suffered severe burnout. "I wondered why I was so anxious about doing nothing," she recalled, adding that that's when she realized her anxiety came from comparing herself to other people leading busy lives. "In fact, those people could also be wanting to space out and do nothing like me," Woopsyang said. "So, I created a competition thinking that it would be nice to pause all together at the same place at the same time." Competitive idling "overturns the social convention that spacing out is a waste of time in today's busy society and turns it into a valuable activity," she said. "This contest tells you that spacing out is no longer a waste of time but a time that you really need." The competition is also performance art, she said. "Although the contestants are staying still inside the competition venue, the audience is constantly moving around," Woopsyang said, adding her goal was to "create a visual contrast between a group that does nothing and a group that is busy." Fairbanks, AK (99701) Today Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High near 45F. Winds NE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Cloudy with showers. Low around 30F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Before coming up with a joint action plan to ensure peace and stability in the GCC region, especially in Palestine, Arab leaders attending the 33rd regular session of the Arab Summit in Manama, Bahrain spoke about the issues facing the Arab countries, with the focus being on the Palestinian cause. His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa presided over the Arab Summit at the Sakhir Palace while the Bahraini delegation was led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The meeting began with a recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by a speech by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, being the president of the 32nd Arab Summit session, delivered on his behalf by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, and Prime Minister, of Saudi Arabia. Through the speech, the importance of pursuing a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue was stressed, underlining that the efforts should be based on UN legitimate resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, guaranteeing the Palestinian peoples right to establish an independent state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. With HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman handing over the presidency of the 33rd Arab Summit to His Majesty the King, His Majesty began the summit with a speech that highlighted the exceedingly complex regional and humanitarian circumstances, including destructive wars, heart-wrenching humanitarian tragedies, and threats to Arab national security. His Majesty said the Kingdom of Bahrain is proposing a suit of initiatives essential to the stability and development of the region, including the call for an international conference for peace in the Middle East, in tandem with supporting full recognition of the State of Palestine and the acceptance of its membership in the United Nations. Other initiatives proposed by Bahrain, and approved by the Arab Summit on Thursday, included providing educational and health services to those affected by conflicts in the region and developing Arab cooperation in the field of financial technology and digital transformation. Antonio Guterres, SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations The war in Gaza is an open wound that threatens to infect the entire region, the UN chief said, noting that it is the deadliest conflict, for its speed and scale, during his tenure. Nothing can justify collective punishment of the Palestinian people, he said, adding that the only permanent way to end the cycle of violence and instability is through a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security. What the Arab leaders said: Ahmed AbulGheit, Secretary General of League of Arab States Noting that the Summit is being held under extraordinary circumstances, the Arab League Secretary-General said the brutal aggression on the Palestinian people in Gaza is considered a critical juncture. Arab peoples will never forget this blind violence by the Israeli occupation that is targeting women and children, the Arab League chief pointed out. The whole world community has become well aware that occupation and peace do not meet, he said. His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan The consequences of what occurred in Gaza will impact generations and it will lead to more conflict, the Jordan King said. It is human responsibility to end the war and to support the Palestinians to establish a state and government, His Majesty said. All international efforts should be mobilized to support the Palestinian people and to end the one-sided actions of Israel, His Majesty stated. H.E. Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of Egypt The Palestinian issues make us choose either peace and stability or chaos and history will stop long to look at this war, the Egyptian President said. Egypts position on the issue is fixed and is opposing the destruction of Palestine and the creation of an environment not suitable for living there, he said. Those people who think that military intervention will secure their security are dreaming and the results and outcomes of this region are far bigger than those they are dreaming, the President stated, adding that he is optimistic that the region can be saved from unlimited war and bloodshed. H.E. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine Until when will the Israeli aggression continue and when will we be free from occupation, the Palestinian President asked while highlighting that thousands of women and children have been killed already and over 70 percent of houses and institutions have been demolished. It is time to extend very urgent Arab support to help the Palestinian government discharge its duties, to press Israel to release funds seized from Palestine, to make the US stop vetoing against them, and to stop the double standards by the international community, the President said. We dont want to repeat the tragedy of 1948, the President said in reference to Nakba. Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister and Crown Prince Saudi Arabia supports the establishment of a Palestinian state and its international recognition. In this context, Saudi Arabia has paid great attention to Arab issues and emphasises the importance of preserving the security of the Red Sea region. We call for the cessation of any activities that threaten the safety of maritime navigation. Saudi Arabia recently hosted a meeting that condemned Israeli aggression against Gaza under any pretext and supported efforts to address the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. We also call on the international community to support ceasefire efforts in Gaza. The Kingdom advocates for resolving conflicts through peaceful means. The international community must stop the brutal aggression against our Palestinian brothers. Mohammed Darwish TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Under the generous patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of the National Council for Arts, the Bahrain Society for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) will launch its ninth Whisper of Hope festival today. Zakaria Al-Kadhem, the Secretary-General of the Bahrain Society for SCD Patients, expressed his gratitude for the support provided by His Excellency Shaikh Rashid Al Khalifa. Al-Kadhem stated, The generous patronage and attention given by His Excellency Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifa is a testament to the efforts of the artists who have worked tirelessly to establish this festival through their remarkable artistic endeavours. It is a true expression of embracing and celebrating the exceptional talents of the Bahraini people. Furthermore, Al-Kadhem extended his appreciation to all those who have contributed to the ongoing success and growth of the festival over the years. Their dedication and contributions have been instrumental in making this event a cherished cultural celebration for the people of Bahrain. Mission The annual Whisper of Hope festival is an exuberant celebration of artistry, melody, and cultural heritage. Its mission is to elevate awareness about SCD and extend a supportive hand to those affected by this condition. The festival will showcase an eclectic array of events, including art exhibitions, musical performances, and enlightening workshops. This festival serves as a conduit for dialogue between patients and all concerned entities, including ministries and civil society organisations, to spread the festivals uplifting messages of hope. Since its inception 15 years ago, in 2009, the festival has captivated a broad audience. AFP | Beijing The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Chinas military showed off its machine gun-equipped robot battle dogs yesterday at the start of its biggest-ever drills with Cambodian forces, as the United States frets about Beijings 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 armored 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. The Bahrain Declaration was issued by the Thirty-Third Regular Session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the Summit Level, held at the Sakhir Palace in the Kingdom of Bahrain under the presidency of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The text of which is as follows: Bahrain Declaration Thursday 8 Dhu Al-Qi'dah 1445, 16 May 2024 At the kind invitation of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Their Majesties, Highnesses and Excellencies, the leaders of the Arab States, held the Thirty-Third Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the Summit level (the Bahrain Summit), under the Chairmanship of His Majesty the King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in affirmation of the bonds of brotherhood, history and common destiny that unite the Arab countries. Believing in the importance of joint Arab action in maintaining the security and stability of Arab States, and of cooperation and integration in all fields, and emphasizing the importance of dealing with the challenges and requirements of sustainable development through a unified strategic vision, for the good and benefit of the Arab peoples; Recognising the strategic importance of the Arab nation at the global level, its economic potential and human resources, and the need to create conditions for enhanced cooperation, building economic partnerships and achieving comprehensive development based on common interests and mutual benefits, in order to meet the aspirations of our Arab peoples and achieve growth and prosperity; Believing in the values of tolerance and human coexistence, promoting human fraternity and mutual respect among the nations and peoples of the world, supporting dialogue and understanding among religions, cultures and civilizations, promoting world peace and stability, adhering to the principles of our Islamic religion and our authentic Arab values, and consolidating fraternity, harmony and cooperation among the States of the world for the good and interest of humanity; Committed to the principles of good neighbourliness, non-interference in internal affairs, mutual respect, peaceful resolution of disputes and directing efforts towards achieving peace, security and stability in the Middle East; Keen to uphold solidarity, unity and synergy to deal collectively with current circumstances, and underlining the importance of communication, cooperation and integration to promote the collective progress of our States in all fields towards a secure, stable and prosperous region that meets the interests and aspirations of their peoples; We, the leaders of the Arab countries collectively: 1- Express our condolences to the State of Kuwait and its brotherly people on the death of the late Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, the late Amir of Kuwait, may God rest his soul, and we congratulate His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah, on His Highness's assumption of the reins of power in the State of Kuwait, wishing His Highness success and the people of Kuwait development and prosperity. 2- Express appreciation for the fine efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during its presidency of the Thirty-Second Arab Summit, and its generous endeavours to unify efforts, support joint Arab action, enhance regional security, and defend the interests of Arab countries and their peoples. 3- Reaffirm the importance of the continuation of the Arab-Islamic Joint Ministerial Committee in its efforts aimed at stopping the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, ending the humanitarian catastrophe afflicting over two million three hundred thousand Palestinian citizens, and mobilising an international position in support of the right of the brotherly Palestinian people to live in security, safety and freedom in their independent and sovereign State on their national soil. We thank the Committee for its efforts at the regional and international level, expressing appreciation for the efforts of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in preparing and arranging for the holding of the Thirty-Third Summit. 4- Emphasize the need to immediately halt the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from all areas of the Strip, the lifting of the siege imposed on it, the removal of all obstacles and the opening of all crossings for the entry of adequate humanitarian assistance throughout it, and enabling United Nations organizations, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to operate, and to provide them with financial support to carry out their responsibilities freely and securely. We reiterate our categorical rejection of any attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from their land in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. We call for urgent action for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, an end to the aggression in the Gaza Strip, protection of civilians and the release of hostages and detainees. In this context, we strongly condemn Israel's obstruction of ceasefire efforts in the Gaza Strip and its continued military escalation through the expansion of its aggression against the Palestinian city of Rafah, despite international warnings of catastrophic humanitarian consequences. We also condemn the Israeli forces' control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with the aim of tightening the siege on civilians in the Strip. This has led to the suspension of the crossing's functioning and the cessation of the flow of humanitarian aid, and the loss of the main lifeline of the Palestinian population of Gaza, and in this regard we call on Israel to withdraw from Rafah, in order to ensure safe humanitarian access. We reaffirm the firm and permanent Arab position in support of the Palestinian issue, which remains a central issue and the foundation upon which peace and stability in the region can be achieved, and our categorical rejection of all attempts to displace the Palestinian people inside or outside their land, as a clear violation of international law, which we will collectively confront. We reaffirm our strong condemnation of all illegal Israeli measures and practices that target the brotherly Palestinian people and deprive them of their right to freedom, statehood, life and human dignity, as are guaranteed by international laws. We reiterate our firm position and call for a just and comprehensive peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue, and we support the call of His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, to convene an international peace conference and to take irreversible steps to implement the two-state solution in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and resolutions of international legitimacy to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the lines of 4 June 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, and to accept its membership in the United Nations as an independent and fully sovereign state in common with other countries in the world, and to ensure the restoration of all legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, in particular, the right to return and self-determination, empowerment and support. We call on the international community to implement the relevant Security Council resolutions issued since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, including resolution 2720, and urge the United Nations Senior Humanitarian Coordinator to expedite the establishment and activation of the UN mechanism stipulated in the resolution to be established inside the Gaza Strip to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid, and to overcome all obstacles imposed by Israel to the entry of aid in sufficient quantities to respond to the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip. We call for the coordination of a joint Arab effort to provide humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip urgently and immediately, in cooperation with the relevant United Nations organizations. In this context, we call on the international community to fulfil its legal obligations and take decisive measures to end the Israeli occupation of the Arab territories occupied in June 1967, including the occupied Syrian Golan and southern Lebanon, and to implement the relevant Security Council resolutions. We stress the need for Israel, the occupying Power, to cease all its illegal actions that violate the rights of the Palestinian people and undermine the two-State solution and the prospects for a just and comprehensive peace in the region, including the construction and expansion of settlements, the confiscation of Palestinian land and the displacement of Palestinians from their homes. We stress the need to halt all Israeli military operations and settler terrorism against the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank and to end all measures that impede the growth of the Palestinian economy, including the withholding of Palestinian funds, in violation of international law, international humanitarian law and resolutions of international legitimacy. We stress the sanctity of the occupied city of Jerusalem and its place among the monotheistic religions. We reject and condemn all Israeli attempts aimed at the Judaization of Jerusalem, changing its Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, or changing the historical and legal status quo in it and its holy sites, whilst also stressing the need to protect the holy places in Bethlehem and to not compromise its cultural identity and religious sanctity. We affirm our support for the historic Hashemite Custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and its role in protecting its Arab, Islamic and Christian identity, as well as its role in protecting the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its holy sites, noting that the Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif with its entire area of 144,000 square meters, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, emphasizing that the Jordanian Directorate of Jerusalem Endowments and the Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs is the exclusive legitimate body with jurisdiction to manage the affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to maintain it and regulate entry to it. We reaffirm our support for the role of the chairmanship of the Al-Quds Committee and the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency, chaired by His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco. We express grave concern over the recent military escalation in the region and the seriousness of its repercussions for regional security and stability. We call on all parties to exercise restraint and spare the region and its peoples the dangers of war and the increase in tension, and we call on the United Nations Security Council to assume its responsibility towards the maintenance of international peace and security, and to work to implement its resolutions related to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and to prevent the escalation of the crisis and the expansion of conflict in the Middle East. We call on the international community to assume its responsibilities to follow-up efforts to advance the peace process to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which embodies an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the lines of the fourth of June 1967, able to live in security and peace alongside Israel in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and established references, including the Arab Peace Initiative. We call for the deployment of United Nations international protection and peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territory until the two-state solution is implemented. In this context, we stress the responsibility of the Security Council to take clear measures to implement the two-state solution, and we stress the need to set a time limit for the political process, and for a resolution to be issued by the Security Council under Chapter VII to establish an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous Palestinian state on the lines of the fourth of June 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, and to end any occupation presence on its territory, while holding Israel responsible for the destruction of cities and civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip. We welcome the decision of the United Nations General Assembly at its meeting on 10 May 2024 on the request of the State of Palestine to obtain full membership of the United Nations, supported by 143 countries, and we call on the United Nations Security Council to reconsider its resolution issued in this regard in its session on 18 April 2024. We ask the Council to be fair and supportive of the rights of the Palestinian people to life, freedom and human dignity, and to work to implement its resolutions related to the Palestinian issue and the occupied Arab territories. We value the positions of the countries which have recognised the State of Palestine, and those which have announced that they will recognise it. We call on all Palestinian factions to join together under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and to agree on a comprehensive national project and a unified strategic vision to focus efforts towards achieving the aspirations of the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights and establish their independent national State on their national soil, on the basis of the two state solution, and in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and established references. 5- Express our full solidarity with the brotherly Republic of Sudan in preserving its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and preserving the institutions of the Sudanese state, foremost of which are the armed forces, and we call for commitment to the implementation of the Jeddah Declaration in order to reach a ceasefire that guarantees the opening of humanitarian relief channels and the protection of civilians. We also urge the Sudanese government and the Rapid Support Forces to engage seriously and effectively with initiatives aimed at settling the crisis, including through the Jeddah platform, neighbouring countries and others, in order to end the ongoing conflict, restore security and stability in Sudan and end the plight of the brotherly Sudanese people. 6- Reaffirm the need to end the Syrian crisis, in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, in a way that preserves Syria's security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, achieves the aspirations of its people, rids it of terrorism, and provides an environment for the dignified, safe and voluntary return of refugees. We reject interference in Syria's internal affairs and any attempts to bring about demographic changes in it. We stress the importance of the role of the Arab Liaison Committee and the Arab initiative to resolve the crisis and the need to implement the Amman Communique. We also support the efforts of the United Nations in this regard. We stress the need to find conditions to ensure the dignified, safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their country, including the lifting of unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria, and the need for the international community to continue to shoulder its responsibilities towards them and to support host countries until their dignified, safe and voluntary return to Syria is achieved, in accordance with international standards. We warn of the repercussions of declining international support for Syrian refugees and their host countries. 7- Renew our firm support for the Presidential Leadership Council of the Republic of Yemen headed by His Excellency Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, and support the efforts of the Yemeni government in its endeavour to achieve national reconciliation among all components of the brotherly Yemeni people, as well as Yemeni unity to achieve security and stability in the country. We also support UN and regional efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis in accordance with the internationally established references represented by the Gulf Initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcomes of the Yemeni National Dialogue and Security Council Resolution No. 2216, in order to achieve our collective goal to achieve the legitimate aspirations of the brotherly Yemeni people for peace, stability, development and prosperity. 8- Express our full support for the State of Libya, its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, the cessation of interference in its internal affairs, and the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from its territory within a specified period of time. We call on the Libyan House of Representatives and the High Consultative Council of the State to quickly agree on the issuance of electoral laws that meet the demands of the Libyan people to achieve simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections and end the transitional periods. We affirm support for efforts to reach a political settlement in line with the terms of reference of the solution, leading to the simultaneous holding of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible, holding elections and unifying state institutions, to achieve the aspirations of the Libyan people. We call on all parties in Libya to continue the political process and achieve national reconciliation in a way that preserves the supreme interests of the State of Libya and achieves for its people their aspirations for peace, stability and prosperity. We praise the efforts of Libya's neighbouring countries, the League of Arab States, the United Nations and the African Union in bringing the views of the Libyan parties closer to restore Libyan unity and reach a political settlement to the Libyan crisis. 9- Also affirm our support for the Lebanese Republic and its sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity, and urge all Lebanese parties to give priority to the election of the President of the Republic, and to strengthen the work of constitutional institutions, address political and security challenges, implement the necessary economic reforms, and strengthen the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces to maintain Lebanon's security and stability and protect its internationally recognised borders in the face of Israeli aggressions. 10- Reaffirm our unwavering support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of The Federal Republic of Somalia, and our solidarity with Somalia in protecting its sovereignty and confronting any measures that may detract from this. We support the efforts of the Somali government in combating terrorism, maintaining its security and stability, and advancing the process of sustainable development, and prosperity for the good and benefit of the brotherly Somali people. 11- Reaffirm the sovereignty of the United Arab Emirates over its three islands (Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa), and call on the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond to the initiative of the United Arab Emirates to find a peaceful solution to this issue through direct negotiations or recourse to the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, which will contribute to confidence-building and enhancing security and stability in the Arabian Gulf region. 12- We reaffirm that Arab water security is an integral part of Arab national security, especially for the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Sudan, and emphasise the rejection of any action or procedure that infringes their rights to the waters of the Nile, as well as in the case of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Iraq in respect to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and express solidarity with them in taking necessary measures to protect their security and water interests, expressing deep concern about the continuation of unilateral measures that would harm their water interests. 13- Reiterate our total and firm rejection of any support for armed groups or militias that operate outside the sovereignty of states and pursue or implement foreign agendas that contradict the supreme interests of Arab states, while stressing solidarity with all Arab countries in defending their sovereignty and territorial integrity and protecting their national institutions against any external attempts to attack, impose influence, undermine sovereignty, or prejudice Arab interests. 14- Strongly reiterate our firm position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, categorically rejecting its motives and justifications, whilst working to dry up its sources of financing, supporting international efforts to combat extremist terrorist organizations, prevent their financing, and confront the serious repercussions of terrorism on the region and its threat to international peace and security. 15- Call for the adoption of deterrent measures, in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the League of Arab States and the United Nations Security Council, to combat extremism, hate speech and incitement, and to condemn these acts wherever they may occur, given their negative impact on social peace and the sustainability of international peace and security, and how they encourage the spread, escalation and recurrence of conflicts around the world, and destabilizes security and stability. We also call on all States to promote the values of tolerance, peaceful coexistence and human fraternity, and to reject hatred, sectarianism, intolerance, discrimination and extremism in all its forms. 16- Reaffirm our adherence to the freedom of maritime navigation in international waters in accordance with the rules of international law and the conventions of the law of the sea, and to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf, and strongly condemn the threats to commercial shipping which threaten freedom of navigation, international trade and the interests of the countries and peoples of the world. 17- Reiterate our call for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction, and support the right of States to possess peaceful nuclear energy. We urge them to fulfil their obligations and cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency and not to exceed the uranium enrichment rates required for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 18- Affirm our determination to continue efforts to strengthen partnerships, strategic dialogues and joint cooperation with international blocs and friendly countries at all political, security, economic and social levels, within the framework of the principles of mutual respect, non-interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries, constructive dialogue, understanding and joint coordination, to promote common interests, and advance development and prosperity, to face all current challenges. 19- Reaffirm our keenness to cooperate closely with the United Nations and its specialized agencies, and to adhere to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law to maintain international peace and security, and support their efforts to address global challenges, including achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030, climate change, environmental protection, human rights, poverty, water and food security, renewable energy, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. 20. Express our appreciation to the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting the Thirty-Third Arab Summit and for its keenness and interest in developing prospects for joint Arab cooperation in various fields, and for the initiatives it has proposed aimed at creating a secure and stable environment for all peoples of the Middle East to start the phase of the recovery of the region, as follows: Issuing a collective call to convene an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations to resolve the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution, which ends the Israeli occupation of all occupied Arab territories, embodying an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy, to live in peace and security alongside Israel, as a way to achieve a just and comprehensive peace. Directing the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Arab States to take immediate action to communicate with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries of the world to urge them to quickly recognize the State of Palestine, and for the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to consult on how to proceed, and to inform the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, in support of Arab efforts to obtain full membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations as an independent and fully sovereign State, and to intensify Arab efforts with all members of the Security Council to achieve this recognition. Providing educational services to those affected by conflicts in the region, who have been deprived of their right to formal education due to the security and political situation and the repercussions of displacement, asylum and migration, in cooperation and coordination between the League of Arab States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Improving healthcare for those affected by conflicts in the region, developing the pharmaceutical and vaccine industry in Arab countries, and ensuring the availability of medicine and treatment, in cooperation and joint coordination between the League of Arab States, the World Health Organization and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Developing Arab cooperation in the field of financial technology, innovation and digital transformation, in order to provide an appropriate environment for the development of innovative financial products and services using modern technology. Global LEADR clinical trial meets safety and effectiveness objectives; results presented at Heart Rhythm 2024 and simultaneously published in Heart Rhythm DUBLIN and BOSTON, May 17, 2024 /CNW/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT), a global leader in healthcare technology, announced that its investigational OmniaSecure defibrillation lead met its primary safety and effectiveness endpoints, exceeding prespecified performance goals, in the global Lead Evaluation for Defibrillation and Reliability (LEADR) Pivotal Trial. Late breaking results were presented at Heart Rhythm 2024 and simultaneously published in the journal Heart Rhythm. Worldwide, the OmniaSecure defibrillation lead is investigational and not yet approved for sale or distribution. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are the gold standard for preventing sudden cardiac death. Yet transvenous defibrillator leads, which are thin wires connected to the ICD and threaded through the veins into the heart muscle, remain the weakest point of the system,1 given the harsh environment inside the human body where the lead must remain attached and yet flex with millions of heart contractions over a patient's lifetime. Existing defibrillation leads have a large diameter (7-8 French), which can contribute to venous occlusion or tricuspid valve complications. For patients where an extravascular defibrillator may not be appropriate, Medtronic engineers designed the OmniaSecure defibrillation lead based on the Medtronic SelectSecure Model 3830 pacing lead, which has offered safe and effective treatment to patients for more than 20 years. By beginning with this highly reliable pacing lead and building a larger lead suitable for defibrillation therapy, the Medtronic OmniaSecure lead is the world's smallest transvenous defibrillation lead (4.7 French, equivalent to the diameter of graphite in a wooden pencil). LEADR Primary Results: Effectiveness Defibrillation testing conducted at device implantation in 119 patients was successful in 97.5% of cases. The study exceeded the prespecified efficacy goal of 88%. LEADR Primary Results: Safety At six months, 97.1% (Kaplan-Meier estimate) of 657 patients with an implant attempt were free from lead-related major complications such as hospitalization, lead fracture, system revision, or death. The study exceeded the prespecified safety performance goal of 90%. There were no lead-related major complications observed between six and 12 months (average follow up of 12.74.8 months). "The positive results from the LEADR Pivotal trial are a significant advancement for patients at risk of sudden cardiac death who rely on ICDs to deliver life-saving therapy in the event of a dangerous heart rhythm," said George H. Crossley, M.D., Director of the Electrophysiology Lab and Cardiac Research Enterprise, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn., and LEADR Pivotal trial steering committee chair. "Patients with defibrillators are living longer today, and we need to strive for reliable therapy for the lifetime of the patient. This innovative, low-profile defibrillation lead leverages a highly reliable pacing lead design to help achieve this goal, and the unique catheter-based method of implantation helps the physician place the lead in the optimal position for the patient." The LEADR Pivotal trial is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm, non-randomized, global clinical study that assessed the safety and effectiveness of the Medtronic OmniaSecure defibrillation lead when placed at traditional locations in the right ventricle to achieve defibrillation, sensing, pacing and cardioversion in patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. The study enrolled 675 patients at 45 sites in 17 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Secondary and Ancillary Results: Reliability The lead demonstrated reliable performance with zero (0) study lead fractures through an average follow up of 12.74.8 months. Medtronic developed and validated an in-vitro model that accurately predicts lead reliability out to 10 years,2 and then applied that model within the study to predict a fracture-free survival of 99.9% at two years for the investigational OmniaSecure lead. The lead also demonstrated a 97.9% implant success rate, and stable electricals (R-wave, pacing capture threshold, and pacing impedance) through 12 months. Nearly 12% of patients in the study received appropriate therapy (shock, or anti-tachycardia pacing [ATP]) for dangerously fast ventricular arrhythmias by 14.05.0 months. ATP terminated 74.9% of episodes, preventing a shock in 49 patients. Medtronic plans to present additional reliability model results from the LEADR study in the coming months. "For 75 years, Medtronic has innovated to bring better life-saving technologies to the patients who need them," said Alan Cheng, M.D., chief medical officer of the Cardiac Rhythm Management business, which is part of the Cardiovascular Portfolio at Medtronic. "Given our history in working with health care providers to design technology for patients with arrhythmias, we applied learnings from our deep experience with both transvenous defibrillation and pacing leads to create the novel OmniaSecure lead, a catheter-delivered lead that can be placed in the desired location. The LEADR study results are an encouraging step forward in achieving the goal of an even more reliable defibrillation lead for patients." In addition to the LEADR results presented at Heart Rhythm 2024, Medtronic recently initiated the LEADR LBBAP study (Lead Evaluation for Defibrillation and Reliability in Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing), which is assessing the safety and efficacy of the investigational OmniaSecure defibrillation lead when placed at the Left Bundle Branch Area in patients eligible for an ICD or Left Bundle Branch-Optimized Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (LOT-CRT). Placing the defibrillation lead in the left bundle branch area is being evaluated as an alternative to right ventricular stimulation for sensing, pacing, cardioversion and defibrillation. First implants were recently conducted by Muhammad Afzal, M.D., MBBS, principal investigator at The Ohio State Medical Center Wexner Medical Center, and John Zakaib, M.D., principal investigator at Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. About Medtronic Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people across 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for our world. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), visit www.Medtronic.com and follow Medtronic on LinkedIn. Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results. 1 Swerdlow CD, Kalahasty G, Ellenbogen KA. Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator Lead Failure and Management. J Am Coll Cardiol 2016;67:1358-1368 2 Wilkoff, Bruce L., et al. In vitro modeling accurately predicts cardiac lead fracture at 10 years. Heart Rhythm 18.9 (2021): 1605-1612. Contacts: Tracy McNulty Ryan Weispfenning Public Relations Investor Relations +1-763-526-2492 +1-763-505-4626 SOURCE Medtronic plc Authorities on Thursday arrested a driver theyve been searching for since a February crash at the Jersey Shore that killed at 17-year-old pedestrian. Absecon police on Friday said Everette D. Williams, of Atlantic City, was arrested by U.S. Marshals after a warrant was issued. The 52-year-old was found in Atlantic City, police said. Attorney information for Williams was not available Friday. Williams allegedly struck the teenager near the Executive Lodge on Route 30 in Absecon on Feb. 17. Police released photos days later of a white Jeep Compass, believing the vehicle sustained front-end damage from the impact. Until his arrest, Williams could not be located, police said. He is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle crash, driving with a suspended license, being involved in a crash that resulted in the death of a person, removal of a vehicle identification number and other traffic offenses, police said. The crash disrupted traffic for about five hours. Authorities have not publicly identified the teenager who was killed. Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com. The movie It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively ... and New Jersey. Based on the bestselling 2016 romance novel by Colleen Hoover, the film set up shop not once, but twice in a series of Jersey locations. Lively and director Justin Baldoni (Jane the Virgin), who is also her co-star in the movie, started filming in the spring of 2023. They had to halt production due to picketing related to the Writers Guild of America strike, which began in May 2023 and ended in September. The Sony Pictures movie commenced filming again after the Screen Actors Guild strike, which started in July and ended in November. It Ends with Us, which is set in Boston, filmed in Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Chatham, Harding, Newark, Parsippany-Troy Hills and Plainfield, spending an estimated $34.2 million in state, the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission tells NJ Advance Media. Now the It Ends with Us trailer (see below) has drawn more than 20 million views. Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar on the set of "It Ends With Us" last year in Hoboken.Nancy Rivera | Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Hoovers popular story, adapted for film by Christy Hall, involves romance and domestic violence. Lively plays Lily Bloom, a woman from Maine who moves to Boston and falls for Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon played by Baldoni. As she tries to come to terms with Ryles violent behavior, which echoes her familys history with domestic violence, she reunites with Atlas Corrigan, her high school flame, played by North Jerseys own Brandon Sklenar (1923). In the film, Bloom owns a flower shop called Lily Blooms, which occupies some real estate in the trailer. Jenny Slate also stars as Allysa Kincaid, Ryles sister. Lively, Baldoni and Hoover are all executive producers of the movie, which is due in theaters August 9. Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup. A Jersey City teen has been missing for 10 days, despite his familys arduous efforts to locate him. Matthew Fernandez, a 16-year-old sophomore at Dickinson High School, was last seen by his family May 8, his mom, Cynthia Amaya, told The Jersey Journal. She and her husband, Gianni Fernandez have notified the police, checked the local hospitals and placed fliers across the area. But they havent heard a word about their son. He could be anywhere, I just dont know, Amaya said. Police are looking for him. Detectives came to the house. They went to the school to talk to the teachers. But nothing so far. Jersey City officials did not respond to a request for more information on the investigation. School district officials could not be reached for comment. Amaya said her son suffers from ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and has trouble learning and staying focused. When Matthews uncle went to Dickinson High to tell them Matthew was missing, they told him Matthew had missed many days of school this year. He was many days absent from school, but I was never notified, Amaya said. I think its the people he was hanging out with. ... I think he has gotten involved with the wrong crowd. Amayas and Fernandezs older son is an NJIT graduate and their daughter attends Rutgers University, so its not like my kids are street kids. My kids are very smart, intelligent, very good students. I dont know what happened with (Matthew). I just want him home. Amaya is hoping Matthew will walk through the door, or at the least someone will provide information on his whereabouts and if hes OK Hes never done this before. (Police) tried to ping him through his cell phone, but they couldnt; and they tried to call his cell phone; and they have been checking the whats app communications app, Amaya said. A North Bergen man who attempted to hire a person to murder a woman has been arrested after police were tipped off, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Miguel Cortes, 37, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, a first-degree offense after his arrest outside his Paterson Plank Road home by the prosecutors offices Major Case Unit Tuesday. The state has filed a motion for detention, tentatively scheduled for Monday. The North Bergen Police Department received a tip on May 9 of a possible murder-for-hire scheme, Suarez said. The investigation found Cortes offered money to another person to murder a woman known to Cortes. The intended victim was not injured. The prosecutors office did not provide information on the relationship between Cortes and the victim. Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutors Office Major Case Unit and the North Bergen Police Department with the investigation and arrest. Four years after Rima Samman-Whitakers brother died of COVID-19, a group of Belmar residents and officials met last week to unveil a permanent memorial dedicated to him and others who died from the virus. The memorial follows a modest beachside memorial that began near the site in 2021 with yellow-painted clam shell hearts and pebble stones with names written on them to remember those who died of COVID. That memorial eventually grew to include more than 3,000 names from all over the world before it was moved to a permanent location in Wall. It just shows how an act of kindness can do so much, Samman-Whitaker said of peoples support when a group of strangers gathered together on the Monmouth County beach for the first memorial. Roughly than 70 people showed up to Saturdays unveiling of a permanent marker on a stone next to the boardwalk. They included Belmar Mayor Gerald Buccafusco, councilwomen Maria Rondinaro and Jodi Kinney, and Samman-Whitakers husband and co-founder of the memorials nonprofit group, Travis Whitaker. Samman-Whitakers younger brother, Rami, died from COVID in May 2020. The family initially held off on holding a funeral, because of the stringent pandemic restrictions. So, the next January, Samman-Whitaker created Ramis Heart, a memorial on the beach to mark her brothers birthday. She asked others in a Facebook support group who had lost loved ones to COVID if they wanted to join, and about 20 strangers showed up at the initial event, she said. In May 2021, Samman-Whitaker moved the memorial of stones and shells off the beach. A few months later, the installation, called Ramis Heart COVID-19 Memorial, was taken to its permanent home at Allaire Community Farm, a farm based in Wall. The Rami's Heart COVID 19 Memorial was dedicated in September 2021 at Allaire Community Farm in Wall, its permanent home.Phil McAuliffe For The Times Of Trenton It was the first permanent national COVID-19 memorial, organizers said. But, because the makeshift memorial officially left the borough, Samman-Whitaker wanted to create a new one in its place in Belmar. Ramis Heart COVID-19 Memorial Dedication, located on the boardwalk at Third Avenue Beach, is a large boulder meant to resemble the pebble stones included in the original memorial, said Samman-Whitaker. A plaque describing the memorial is affixed to the top of the boulder. This dedication stands not just as a structure but as a testament to our communitys resilience and unity, wrote Samman-Whitaker in an invitation to the unveiling. It marks the spot where, during the pandemics peak, many gathered to mourn and support one another. It is here, at its original location, that we will honor that collective strength and remembrance, she said. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Brianna Kudisch may be reached at bkudisch@njadvancemedia.com. The controversial $6.2 billion plan to replace the Newark Bay Bridge with two wider spans between Newark and Bayonne is poised to have the U.S. Coast Guard okay it after a public comment period. Coast Guard officials said in a May 9 public notice they plan to issue a Finding of No Significant Impact for the proposed first phase project, unless significant impacts are revealed during the 30-day public comment period. Opponents of the project said they plan to ask the Coast Guard for more time because the May 9 start of the public comment period was not widely publicized and the June 11 end date leaves just a few weeks for comments. A camouflage-wearing man seen walking around a Clifton neighborhood Wednesday afternoon with a rifle strapped to his body was arrested shortly thereafter, police said. Officers found the man in the area of Union Avenue an Sixth Street at 3:10 p.m. and when he saw them, he retreated into his home, according to a release from the Clifton Police Department. He stayed inside for a small amount of time before coming out again with the rifle still on him, the department said. He made several concerning statements before going back inside. The man, who was not identified by police, eventually surrendered and was taken into custody before being taken to a local hospital for mental health treatment, authorities said. Several weapons were recovered from his home after officers executed a search warrant there. Criminal charges were later filed but they were not disclosed by the department. No one was injured during the incident, police said. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. A New Jersey man who was drunk, high and driving without a license was sentenced to five years in state prison for causing a crash last year that left six people injured. Jose C. Villanueva-Izaguirre, 24, of Plainfield, was also ordered to pay $17,623.73 restitution to one of the injured, the Somerset County Prosecutors Office said Friday. Villanueva-Izaguirre blew through a red light at the intersection of Route 22 east and Vosseller Avenue at about 2:10 a.m. on June 11, 2023, officials said. One of the three passengers in the car he took from an acquaintance without permission suffered near-fatal injuries, the prosecutors office said. Two of the three people in the car Villanueva-Izaguirre struck were seriously hurt. The others in the two vehicles were left with minor injuries. Villanueva-Izaguirre had a blood alcohol content of 0.12%, well above the legal limit of 0.08.%. He also had cocaine in his system, tests revealed. In March, he pleaded guilty to 10 total counts of assault by auto assault, driving while unlicensed, and causing serious bodily injury and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. Villanueva-Izaguirre also admitted he was drunk and driving while unlicensed. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. A Union County man was sentenced to 40 years in state prison Wednesday for the strangling death of his 19-year-old girlfriend in 2020, authorities announced Friday. Bryan Gonzalez Martines, 24, of Plainfield, was found guilty by a jury in July 2023 of first-degree murder in the July 6, 2020 killing of Brenda Montoya-Cruz, who had reported just a week before her death that her boyfriend had threatened and attacked her. Gonzalez Martines initially eluded police by jumping from a second story roof of an apartment building on Kensington Avenue in Plainfield when police arrived for a wellness check on Montoya-Cruz and found her dead, authorities said. The wellness check was requested by Gonzalez Martines father who told police his son called him earlier in the day and said he had done something bad, according to court documents. His father told police that His son told him he got into a fight with his girlfriend and did something grave, according to a criminal complaint filed at the time of Gonzalez Martines arrest. Authorities said they found Gonzalez Martines wallet in the apartment where Montoya-Cruzs body was discovered, and a neighbor reported seeing Gonzalez Martines. One week before she was killed, Montoya-Cruz reported to the Plainfield police that Gonzalez Martines choked her and threatened to kill her, but she declined to file a restraining order against him, officials said. Instead, Gonzalez Martines was charged with aggravated assault, according to authorities. Gonzalez Martines attorney, Wanda M. Akin said Friday that the prosecution requested a 50 year sentence while the defense asked for 30 years. She added that Gonzalez Martines was 19-years-old at the time of the incident and endured childhood trauma escaping from El Salvador as a 13-year-old. Akin said Friday that Gonzalez Martines was evaluated by a psychological expert to present a mitigating factor to Judge Thomas Isenhour to reduce the sentence. She said that Gonzalez Martines may still appeal his sentence. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost. If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below. BEIJING China is becoming even more attractive to foreign investors, as the latest figures from the Ministry of Commerce showed that the number of newly established foreign-invested firms in the country hit 12,000 in the first quarter of 2024, up 20.7 percent year-on-year. The upbeat sentiment was also evidenced in the 2024 Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, where China jumped from seventh to third place, and retained top position among emerging markets. What has attracted so many foreign investors, including multinational corporations, to pick China is the country's massive market, premium supply chains, top-class talent pool and sound growth prospects, which were what business executives and academics mentioned the most in recent interviews. "No company can afford to survive if it does not sell in China," Khairy Tourk, a professor of economics at the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, the United States, said in a recent interview. For multinational firms, China's vast market represents tremendous opportunities and is essential for them to maintain global competitiveness. "China has a large population and vast market space, and demand for diversified and high-end consumption is increasing day by day," said Frederico Freire Jardim, Asia president of US food giant Kraft Heinz. Calling the Chinese market "hugely important," Ola Kaellenius, chairman of the board of management of Mercedes-Benz, said he saw great potential in the Chinese auto market, the world's biggest. The German automaker is poised to bring into China a total of 15 new models, signaling intensified efforts to consolidate its presence in the increasingly competitive market. Recently, many overseas organizations have upgraded their forecasts for China's economic growth. Goldman Sachs expects the Chinese economy to expand by 5 percent in 2024, up from 4.8 percent previously, while Citi raised its China GDP forecast to 5 percent from 4.6 percent. China has become an optimal supplier for a vast array of products, owing to its efficient supply chain, convenient logistics and highly productive workforce. "There's no supply chain in the world that's more critical to us than China," Apple CEO Tim Cook said last month in Shanghai, reiterating the company's long-term commitment to the Chinese market. Patrick Charignon, vice-president for Asia-Pacific of EDF Renewables, a subsidiary of France's leading electric utility company EDF, said China's supply chain "perfectly" meets all the needs for making investments, and Chinese banks have also been supporting energy investment projects. In Rugao, Jiangsu province, production lines of Swedish truck maker Scania are being built. The new factory is expected to launch production in 2025 and raise the company's global production capacity with an annual output of 50,000 trucks. "We want to tap into the innovative power of China and also its supply chains," said Mats Harborn, president of Scania China Group. Valeo, a world-leading auto parts supplier based in France, launched the Valeo (Shenzhen) intelligent manufacturing center last year. Zhou Song, president of Valeo China, said that currently the group has its largest research and development team in China, and has become a part of the innovation ecosystem in China's auto sector. The plane crash that took the lives of a Baton Rouge plastic surgeon and two of his children near Franklin, Tennessee, on May 15 happened minutes after the plane entered an area of moderate to heavy rain, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Safe N Sound Program from the Kenner Police Department allows caregivers and guardians of children and adults on the autism spectrum or with cognitive challenges such as dementia, Alzheimers or Down Syndrome to register their loved one with the department and provide updated photos and information should they go wander from home or school. Clarice Gallegos is the founder and director of Focus Clubhouse in Lafayette, a community mental health program for adults living with serious mental illness. Tens of thousands go to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival each year. Some go every single day. WHO are these people? Some pick a few VALPARAISO Valparaiso and Porter County police were justified last month in protecting themselves and the public when they shot to death 20-year-old Valparaiso resident Caden Mura during a public shootout, Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann said Friday morning. "Were it not for the response of these well trained and courageous police officers, the outcome of this incident could have been much worse," Germann said in a prepared statement. Caden Mura Caden Mura, 20, had a criminal history, including pleading guilty last fall to a charge of resisting law enforcement, records show. As a result, Germann said his office will take no action against the officers. Germann said the officers responded April 25 to a report of a man flashing a gun at another person near the Taco Bell on Calumet Avenue in Valparaiso. The suspect, later identified as Mura, was located by police in the nearby Fairgrounds Park, Germann said. As a uniformed officer approached, Mura reportedly fired three shots "directly at the officer." "Multiple shots were fired during the incident by the suspect at five police officers, three from the Valparaiso Police Department and two from the Porter County Sheriff's Department," Germann said. "All the officers returned fire ultimately resulting in the death of ... Caden Mura," he said. "During what can only be described as a shootout, five police officers and numerous members of the community were at risk for serious injury and even death," Germann said. Man guilty of murdering roommate, cutting up body and tossing it in the trash, prosecutor says "John then moved Pauls body into a bedroom for a few days but then moved him into the basement where he was kept for 56 days," police said. Indiana State Police investigated the shooting because of the local officers involved and concluded that Mura initiated the gun fight before fleeing on foot to the porch of a local home where he again raised his gun before being fatally shot. All the involved officers had been placed on paid administrative leave until the investigation is complete and results reviewed by the Porter County prosecutor's office. Valparaiso Police Chief Andrew McIntyre released a prepared statement Friday saying, "I appreciate the thorough, yet timely, investigation completed by the Indiana State Police, and I fully support Prosecutor Gary Germanns decision to take no further action regarding the officer involved shooting on April 25, 2024." "Throughout this process, our thoughts and prayers have gone out to all those affected by the events of that day," he said. "I am grateful for the quick, heroic efforts of all the first responders on scene that day, and I am appreciative that no matter which agency they represented, they came together as one." DNA test in Portage-area murder case could destroy evidence, court told "We have been informed, by the private laboratory, that the process of DNA extraction of the hair follicle may cause the hair follicle to be consumed," prosecutors said. McIntyre said all of his officers involved have been released from administrative leave. Porter County Sheriff Jeff Balon said Friday in a prepared statement, "I commend the heroic actions displayed by the police officers of the Porter County Sheriffs Office and the Valparaiso Police Department. Their willingness to put themselves in harms way to protect our citizens and to stop further potential danger in our community is a testament to who they are as human beings." "I cannot express in words how proud I am of every police officer involved in this tragic event," he said. "They acted professionally and within department policies. Officer involved shootings are always taken seriously and are never easy, I would like to thank the vast majority of citizens who were patient during the investigative process." Records show Mura had a lengthy criminal history, including pleading guilty last fall to a charge of resisting law enforcement. Valparaiso City Council President Robert Cotton, D-2nd, recently issued an apology after causing a stir with a comment on social media that charcterized the incident as "recklessly inaccurate gunshots being fired by a panicked boy/young man while he is running away from gunshots being fired from the guns of a team of skilled marksmen that were targeting him." An online petition calling for Cotton to resign from the council has generated hundreds of signatures. VALPARAISO Prosecutors in a brutal Portage-area murder case are taking the unique step of pursuing a DNA test on a hair sample from the victim that could destroy the evidence. Porter County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Armando Salinas Jr. filed a motion ahead of a Friday morning hearing before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer that puts the defense in the case on notice of the unique move. The notice says a hair follicle was taken from the 35-year-old victim, Derek Hartz, of Hobart, during an autopsy June 15. It is unknown if the hair follicle has a root, but Indiana State Police does not do testing on rootless hair samples, Salinas said. Any handling of the sample reportedly could degrade the DNA present. Prosecutors are thus seeking to send the hair follicle to a private laboratory in Virginia for rootless DNA testing. "We have been informed, by the private laboratory, that the process of DNA extraction of the hair follicle may cause the hair follicle to be consumed," Salinas wrote. Man guilty of murdering roommate, cutting up body and tossing it in the trash, prosecutor says "John then moved Pauls body into a bedroom for a few days but then moved him into the basement where he was kept for 56 days," police said. The prosecutor's motion puts attorneys for both defendants in the case on notice to voice any objections to the proposed testing. The test results are expected ahead of the Aug. 5 trial set for defendant Domonic Brothers, 28, of Gary. Brothers is charged along with Jada Monroe, 29, of Virginia, with murdering Hartz on June 13 at the Chustak Public Fishing Area located at 331 W. County Road 600 North in Portage Township. Police say the stabbing and beating death came about during what was supposed to be a sexual encounter arranged on a hookup app. Valpo police warn that growing vigilante efforts put public at risk "When law enforcement operations of this nature occur, considerations are taken to protect all parties involved, including the public." "Domonic and Jada then left the body of Derek on the path in the wooded area and drove away in his vehicle," police said. Brothers and Monroe were later picked up in Ohio. The trial for Brothers was supposed to begin May 6, but was postponed at the request of the defense, which is hoping to obtain more information about DNA results provided by police. Defense attorney Mark Chargualaf referred to the request for the delay as "extremely significant." GARY The vacant building of the former Norton Elementary School could be demolished by the Gary Community School Corp. in the coming months. During both the Indiana Distressed Unit Appeals Board and Gary School Board meetings earlier this week, the district's emergency manager, Mike Raisor, said the school corporation was seeking quotes on the cost of tearing down the property located at 1356 Harrison Boulevard. Once they receive the quotes, Raisor said they will seek estimates for the demolition costs of other vacant buildings, including the former Melton and Riley elementary schools. In a survey conducted by Gary schools a few years ago, Norton was voted as the property residents wanted to see demolished the most. The push to raze many of these abandon school properties comes as the City of Gary looks to take down abandoned or neglected buildings in the city center and Broadway corridor in anticipation of construction of a new transit hub. Additionally, the school corporation is fielding offers to buy the vacant properties where Lew Wallace High School was once located, and for the former Webster Elementary School. Lew Wallace was torn down in 2022. Earlier this month, the district announced it had agreed to sell the properties of the former Lincoln Achievement Center and Duncan Elementary School to Steel City Academy for $250,000. During Tuesday's school board meeting, Mary Ann Reedus, a former member of the Gary schools Advisory Board, criticized the sale of both properties to the charter school, noting it would further take students from the school district as soon as this fall. However, Raisor reassured the former Lincoln and Duncan properties would not be in use by Steel City until 2025 at the earliest. Some abandoned school buildings in Gary have been the scene of crimes and incidents over the past few years. In 2019, the body of Adriana Saucedo, a 27-year-old Portage woman who was shot to death, was discovered by police inside Norton. Eight years prior, a group of children found the body of Jennifer Kocsis behind Riley. She was a Griffith woman murdered by a man who lived less than a half-mile from the school building. Support for holding parents accountable for their children's crimes is growing in the US Support for holding parents accountable for their children's crimes is growing in the US Support for holding parents accountable for their children's crimes is growing in the US One of NPRs most prominent hosts asked the companys top editor on Thursday to disclose the identity of an anonymous funder who is helping pay for a new layer of editing several weeks after the radio network faced a prominent accusation of having a liberal bias in its coverage. Michel Martin, a host of NPRs Morning Edition, pressed Edith Chapin, NPRs chief content officer, to identify the source of the funding in an editorial meeting at the networks Washington headquarters, according to four people with knowledge of the exchange. Ms. Chapin declined to elaborate on the source of the money but said that it wouldnt be a surprise to NPRs editorial staff. Ms. Martin replied she would not accept that answer from a source, the people said. The meeting was held to discuss the new layer of editing, called the Backstop, that was announced to the full staff on Wednesday. The group, to be made up of six senior editors, will review all of NPRs journalism before it is released. A Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee and his wife appeared in federal court Thursday to face charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Kevin Moore, who works for the M.T.A.s department of buses, and Carol Moore, of Massapequa, N.Y., were arrested by the F.B.I. on Wednesday and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Arlene Lindsay in Central Islip, N.Y., on Thursday to face the charges, both misdemeanors. They were released without bail. The F.B.I. was first alerted to allegations of the Moores participation in the Capitol riot through an anonymous tip, according to the charges, which were unsealed Thursday. The couple were identified through photographic evidence before and during the assault on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., the charges said. Security photographs showed a man and woman, said to be the Moores, entering the Senate Wing door at 3:12 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, walking back and forth through the lobby and then exiting about eight minutes later, according to the document. The charges say that Mr. Moore, now 61, aggressively yelled and gestured at a law enforcement officer while he was inside the lobby. With the corruption trial of Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey underway on Thursday, a prosecutor handed a juror in the first row of the jury box a plastic bag containing an object at the heart of the governments case: a gold bar that glinted under the courtroom lights. One by one, jurors held the bag, turning it over in their hands and feeling its weight before passing it to their neighbor the jurys first tangible exposure to evidence prosecutors say was a bribe paid to Mr. Menendez, 70, and his wife. The prosecutor, Lara Pomerantz, soon handed jurors another bag containing several gold bars. But before she could hand over a third, the judge, Sidney H. Stein, said the jury has gotten a feel for the weight of gold. Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, and his wife, Nadine Menendez, have been charged with accepting gifts collectively worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, including gold, cash and a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz convertible, in exchange for the senators dispensing of political favors to the governments of Egypt and Qatar and to three New Jersey businessmen. The central struggle in the world right now is between liberalism and authoritarianism. Its between those of us who believe in democratic values and those who dont whether they are pseudo-authoritarian populists like Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Narendra Modi or Recep Tayyip Erdogan or straight-up dictators like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping or theocratic fascists like the men who run Iran and Hamas. In this contest, we liberals should be wiping the floor with those guys! But were not. Trump is leading in the swing states. Modi seems to be on the verge of re-election. Russia and Iran are showing signs of strength. Over the last two centuries liberalism has evolved into a system that respects human dignity and celebrates individual choice. Democratic liberalism says we dont judge how you want to define the purpose of your life; we just hope to build fair systems of cooperation so you can freely pursue whatever goals you individually choose. Liberalism tends to be agnostic about the purposes of life and focused on processes and means: rule of law, the separation of powers, free speech, judicial review, free elections and the rules-based international order. In his stirring and clarifying new book, Liberalism as a Way of Life, Alexandre Lefebvre argues that liberalism isnt merely a set of neutral rules that allow diverse people to live together; liberalism, he writes, has also become a moral ethos, a guiding philosophy of life. As other moral systems, like religion, have withered in many peoples lives, liberalism itself has expanded to fill the hole in peoples souls. Police officers on Thursday night raided a complex at the University of California, Berkeley, that had been occupied by pro-Palestinian protesters, taking several people away in handcuffs. A university spokesman said at least 12 people had been arrested, but that the number was expected to grow. The new encampment sprang up at the Anna Head complex on Wednesday after demonstrators dismantled another larger camp earlier this week following an agreement with university officials. Some in the splinter group remained overnight in the complex, a fire-damaged structure near Peoples Park, while others camped in tents outside it, hanging Palestinian flags and spray-painting the area. Around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, dozens of officers from the California Highway Patrol and local police and sheriffs departments began surrounding the area, using bullhorns to order protesters to disperse within 30 minutes or face arrest. Family members of the Army reservist who killed 18 people last fall in Lewiston, Maine, opened up on Thursday about their grief, remorse and anger in testimony before the commission investigating the shooting. Frequently struggling to maintain their composure, relatives of the gunman, Robert R. Card II, apologized to the families of his victims and shared wrenching accounts of the months leading up to the shooting, when they repeatedly tried to get help for the troubled 40-year-old as his mental health deteriorated. Nicole Herling, Mr. Card's sister, addressed some of her most pointed remarks to the Army and Defense Department, calling for a clearer, more accessible system for families of military members to share concerns with their supervisors. Ms. Herling also said that the military should provide more education about the risk of brain injury to soldiers and reservists like her brother. Mr. Card, a longtime Army Reserve grenade instructor, was exposed to thousands of blasts in his years of training cadets; trauma detected in his brain by scientists after his death has raised questions about the effects of the repeated exposures on his mental health. President Biden commemorated the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education on Thursday, meeting with plaintiffs and their families at the White House as he tries to shore up support among Black Americans, who helped deliver him the White House in 2020. Mr. Biden thanked the litigants for their sacrifice in being part of what would become a major legal landmark that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional. He recognized that back in the 50s, in the 40s, 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, Cheryl Brown Henderson, one of the daughters of Oliver L. Brown, a lead plaintiff, told reporters after the meeting. The Oval Office meeting was one of a series of events planned over the next several days to highlight Mr. Bidens commitment to the Black community. The outreach culminates on Sunday with a highly anticipated commencement address at the prestigious Morehouse College, one of the oldest of the nations historically Black colleges and universities. Israel said on Thursday that it would send more troops to Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, which has become the focal point in the war between Israel and Hamas. The announcement signaled that Israel intends to press deeper into Rafah despite international concerns about the threat to civilians from a full-scale invasion of the city, where more than a million displaced people had been sheltering. Hundreds of targets have already been attacked, Yoav Gallant, Israels defense minister, said after meeting with commanders in the Rafah area. This operation will continue. For the past week Israel has described its offensive as a limited military operation, but satellite imagery and Mr. Gallants comments on Thursday suggested that a more significant incursion was already underway. The Arab League called on Thursday for a United Nations peacekeeping force to be deployed in the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank until a two-state solution can be negotiated, in a statement that also called for the U.N. Security Council to set a time limit for that political process. The notion of deploying U.N. peacekeepers into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been mentioned occasionally by diplomats. But the Arab Leagues statement appeared to be the first time the group had officially made such a request in a written document, according to Farhan Haq, a U.N. spokesman. Its unlikely that U.N. peacekeepers would be deployed to Gaza and the West Bank in the near future because sending U.N. peacekeepers into any conflict requires first the authorization of the Council. U.N. forces, which are typically drawn from the armed forces of multiple countries, do not enter live battle zones and do not engage in fighting. Both Israel and Hamas would also have to agree to having U.N. peacekeepers on the ground. There first has to be peace to keep, Mr. Haq said. We dont go into active combat, and parties themselves have to agree on allowing the presence of peacekeepers. We dont go in as an enemy force or an occupying force. The proposal came as part of a final statement issued by the league after its 22 members met on Thursday in Manama, Bahrain, a summit dominated by discussion about the war in Gaza. In addition to calling for an immediate cease-fire and accusing Israel of obstructing those efforts, the Arab League called for the deployment of United Nations international protection and peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territory until the two-state solution is implemented. When pro-Palestinian student protesters took over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University last month and renamed it Hinds Hall, the banner they unfurled contained images of a cartoon character created over 50 years ago that symbolizes the resilience of Palestinians. On either side of the text were two images of a barefoot boy with tattered clothes and spiky hair, his back turned to us. The character is called Handala (variously transliterated as Hanzala or Handzala), a name derived from a native plant that is deep-rooted, persistent and bears bitter fruit, and has become a potent symbol of the Palestinian struggle. The image was created by the Palestinian political cartoonist Naji Al-Ali in 1969, one of the most widely read cartoonists in the Arab world, who was murdered in London in 1987. (The case remains unsolved.) Israeli forces recovered the remains of three Israeli hostages during an operation in Gaza last night, the Israeli military said today, but officials did not say where they were found. The three were taken captive by Hamas as they fled a music festival during the Oct. 7 attack. The Israeli military spokesman identified them as Amit Buskila, Shani Louk and Yitzhak Gelernter. The recovery of the remains highlighted a growing anxiety over how many hostages are still alive after seven months of war. Roughly 125 living and dead hostages remain in Gaza, including several U.S. citizens, according to the Israeli authorities. Separately, trucks of humanitarian aid began moving ashore into Gaza today through a temporary pier built by the U.S. military. But the aid shipment falls far short of what humanitarian groups said was needed to meet the staggering levels of hunger and deprivation in Gaza. This is how the pier works. Workers at two Mercedes-Benz factories near Tuscaloosa, Ala., voted on Friday against allowing the United Automobile Workers to represent them, a stunning blow to the unions campaign to gain ground in the South, where it has traditionally been weak. The defeat came after Kay Ivey, Alabamas governor, and other Republican leaders argued that a pro-union vote would choke off the investment that has transformed the state into a major auto producer. The unions setback dims the chances that it will be able to quickly organize workers at Hyundai and Honda, which also have large factories in Alabama. The vote had national significance as a test of whether the U.A.W. could build on a string of recent victories and make strides in a state whose elected officials have been hostile to organized labor. The union has said it wants to organize every automobile factory in the United States, expanding its membership to include the employees of companies like Toyota and Tesla. But the loss at the Mercedes plants will almost surely slow down the unions campaign and probably force it to do more spadework to secure the support of workers before seeking to hold elections at other auto plants. Union leaders will want to spend time figuring out how best to counter the messages and tactics of local lawmakers and company executives. The racetrack known as Old Hilltop has long been a safe space for the trainer Bob Baffert. Eight times he has come to Baltimore with a horse fast enough to leave with the blanket of black-eyed Susans that are draped over the withers of the Preakness Stakes winner. The green stakes barn with white trim is a friendly bunker for Baffert. It houses all the horses competing in the second leg of the Triple Crown and is the daylight-to-dusk hub for those who care for them. There are familiar faces, like Bafferts mentor and friend D. Wayne Lukas, 88, who wears a Stetson better than anyone this side of John Wayne. There are colleagues he would like to know better, like Ken McPeek, a burly Kentuckian who has brought his Kentucky Derby-winning colt, Mystik Dan, to Pimlico Race Course this week in search of another victory on Saturday. In what ways is your school investing in your future? Do you think it is equipping you with the skills and experiences to become financially independent and secure, such as providing internships, clubs, after-school programs, financial literacy courses or vocational training? A nonprofit group in New York City is giving thousands of students in Harlem $10,000 each to invest. Its goal is to help students build wealth over their lifetimes and to close the racial wealth gap. What is your reaction to their plan? Would you want your community to adopt a similar one? In A Plan to Help Harlem Students Build Wealth: Start Them Off With $10,000, Stefanos Chen writes about a bold pilot program to address wealth inequality: A New York City nonprofit group, flush with millions in private capital, is piloting a first-of-its-kind savings program to address the racial wealth gap by giving thousands of students in Harlem $10,000 each to invest. The Harlem Childrens Zone, an influential anti-poverty organization, said it is raising $300 million for an initiative called Wealth Builds that will launch in Upper Manhattan, where the group operates, and expand to 10 other cities, including Atlanta and Minneapolis. The group said it has already raised enough money to provide the funds to more than 2,200 youths: the entire student body at two charter schools it runs called Promise Academy, from kindergarten to 12th grade. And most of the students dont know it yet. The parents will definitely lose their minds, Kwame Owusu-Kesse, the nonprofits chief executive, said with a smile, after a tour of one of the schools. A kindergartner enrolled this year in the program could expect the $10,000 allotment, which will be controlled by professional money managers, to accrue interest of about 5 percent a year, Mr. Owusu-Kesse said. At the age of 25, the student could have roughly $26,000 in savings. Admittance into the Promise Academy schools is decided through a lottery system with preference given to the local district, which is predominantly lower income. The fund, Mr. Owusu-Kesse said, is an acknowledgment that education alone cannot bridge the gap in wealth, which has been growing along racial lines for decades. The median family income at a nearby public housing complex, St. Nicholas Houses, where many of the students live, was about $18,000 a year, he said, far below the poverty line. What good is financial education, if you dont have the assets to apply said education to? he asked. Its the next logical step. The $10,000 grants, called Youth Opportunity Funds, will be invested on behalf of students who will only be able to access the full amount at the age of 25, after reaching milestones like graduating high school and college, and completing financial literacy courses. Students who dont reach all the milestones would still be entitled to part of the money. The article discusses how the pilot fund could have dramatic effects: For every dollar a typical white household had in 2022, a Black family had 16 cents, and a Latino one had 22 cents, according to the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization focused on upward mobility and equity. Early access to capital is important because the wealth gap balloons over time. The typical younger Black family had median wealth of less than $1,000 in 2019, compared with over $25,000 for a similar white family, according to research by the Federal Reserve. A more established white family, led by someone over 55, had $315,000 in assets, compared with $54,000 for a similar Black family. Darrick Hamilton, the founding director of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at the New School, said the program is probably the largest private investment to address the countrys racial wealth gap, adding that he was excited about its potential. We look at wealthy people, and they already do this, he said. In some ways this is democratizing trust funds for others. Students, read the entire article and then tell us: The bomb was of the most powerful construction ever employed in the perpetration of an outrage of this kind in this city, Eagan told the assembled reporters after a thorough examination of the crime scene. I cannot understand why there was not even a greater loss of life. But if the destructive power of the explosive was unusual, the fact that civilians were tinkering with dynamite in an apartment building was hardly anomalous at that moment in the citys history. Eagan spent a quarter-century on the force, until his death in 1920; over that period, he was called on to either dismantle or survey the wreckage from something on the order of 7,000 bombs, or infernal machines, as the press came to call them. The bombs came in all kinds of packages. Often they arrived in tin cans, emptied of the olive oil or soap or preserves they were manufactured to contain, now wedged tight with sticks of dynamite. Sometimes they were wrapped with an outer band of iron slugs, designed to maximize the destruction; conveyed to their target location in a satchel or suitcase; accidentally left behind in the courthouse, or the train station, or the cathedral. And sometimes the bomb was just a naked stick of dynamite with a fuse simple enough to be lit with the strike of a match, ready to be flung into an unsuspecting crowd. New York City once sold a promise of free prekindergarten for all as an unusual benefit designed to make it far easier to raise children in this expensive city. So as families worried over whether their 3-year-olds would have spots this fall, Mayor Eric Adams pledged last month that everyone would have access to a seat. But when the Education Department released offers this week, hundreds of families were left without a place after all, facing another potential year of child-care bills that often soar over $2,500 a month. Every 4-year-old in New York is guaranteed a free preschool seat, and 3-year-olds were next in line for a universal program. But Mr. Adams canceled plans to expand that initiative because of empty slots in some neighborhoods, and he has cut millions of dollars from the program. On Thursday, about 2,500 children did not receive a prekindergarten offer, leaving their parents in limbo. Many are still on huge waiting lists and scrambling to rethink their finances and future in the city. Follow live updates of closing arguments in the Menendez trial. Senator Robert Menendezs bribery trial got underway this week in a Manhattan courtroom eight months after he was first indicted on corruption charges. Jurors received a photographic tour of the New Jersey senators home, touched the gold bars at the heart of the case and heard a lawyer for Mr. Menendez pin much of the blame on the senators wife. The government has brought a complicated set of accusations against Mr. Menendez, 70. He is charged with accepting cash, gold and other gifts in exchange for doing favors for the governments of Egypt and Qatar and for several allies in New Jersey. But this week, prosecutors started simply. This case is about a public official who put greed first, said Lara Pomerantz, an assistant U.S. attorney. A public official who put his own interests above his duty to the people. Who put his power up for sale. Two businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, are on trial with Mr. Menendez, accused of plying him with bribes. The senators wife, Nadine Menendez, is also charged; her trial has been delayed. All four have pleaded not guilty. At one point during the demonstrations at Columbia University in 1968, protesters took the acting dean of the liberal arts college hostage. Barricading his office door with furniture, they kept Henry Simmons Coleman, a former Navy man, locked up for 26 hours. When he was finally released, he seemed unfazed; there had been plenty to eat. Retaliation was not on his agenda. So little did it interest him, apparently, that he went on to write letters of recommendation on behalf of those captors who applied to law school. Although elite-college officials have been spared kidnapping amid the current turmoil resulting from the war in Gaza, it is hard to imagine any administrator acting quite so forgivingly now. In the decades since the previous round of unrest, the modern university has become paradoxically more coddling and less conciliatory caught between its subservience to the student consumer demanding an almost therapeutic comfort and a donor base insistent in its perceived authority, bending to no one. Inevitably, questions around consequences for the student protests have become entangled in these contradictions. A few days after she and dozens of other students and faculty members were arrested at a demonstration at New York University on April 22, Ellis Garey, who had just completed a doctorate in history, got an email from the Office of the Dean of Students that she found perplexing. Living and processing this distressing experience evokes various emotions and complex feelings which may affect your ability to focus and feel safe, it read. But the only distressing experience, to her mind, was N.Y.U.s decision to call in the police to quiet the protests in the first place. The office went on to promise guidance, encouragement and support for the problem it had created. Between Kentucky and Ohio, theres a bridge that will eventually be rebuilt and replaced. Early last year, Joe Biden flew there and stood next to Mitch McConnell and they celebrated the $1.6 billion dedicated to this bridge from the infrastructure laws $1.2 trillion budget. Sixteen months later, $15.7 million of federal funds have been spent toward the project, while the yearslong formal process for awarding the bulk of the money continues. Billions and billions of infrastructure money is similarly slowly winding its way through various processes, but, as Politico recently reported in an in-depth look at Mr. Bidens domestic agenda, only some of it has been actually spent. Gina Raimondo, the commerce secretary, has a huge team cutting grants in the billions and has said her goal is that 20 percent of the worlds most advanced logic semiconductors will be produced in the United States by the end of the decade, a transformative shift made possible through deals with Taiwanese and Korean-based firms and major government support to Intel. Currently the percentage produced is zero. Some of those factories might come online next year. In reporting about voters views of Mr. Biden, its clear that at least some think hes hardly doing anything at all and that if re-elected, there might be no change. In the way the Biden campaign talks sometimes, they make it sound like manufacturing is already booming. Hes trapped in an in-between: Bigger changes are coming, and the things people said they wanted are coming, but not for years. Dispersing funds on this scale takes years. To rewire international chip production takes years. To rebuild a bridge often takes years. Companies announce they will build factories to build chips and solar panels, and at a certain point, but not quite now, they very likely will. Someday, years from now, a new bridge will exist. In the intervening years, people will just have to imagine the bridge. Who feels the presence of a factory that isnt yet there? There has hardly ever been as fierce a defender of free speech as the current Supreme Court. Since John Roberts became chief justice almost 19 years ago, the court has expanded the protective net of the First Amendment to cover such activities as selling videos depicting animal torture, spending unlimited amounts of money in support of political candidates and refusing to pay dues (or a dues-like fee) to a public employee union. This last decision, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 31, overturned a 41-year-old precedent and led a dissenting justice, Elena Kagan, to accuse the majority of weaponizing the First Amendment. In the 303 Creative case last year, the court gave a Christian web designer the First Amendment right not to do business with would-be customers whose same-sex wedding websites would violate her views about marriage. The courts version of free speech has become a powerful tool against government regulation. Six years ago, effectively striking down a California law, the court gave so-called crisis pregnancy centers offices that try to imitate abortion clinics but strive to persuade women to continue their pregnancies a First Amendment right not to provide information on where a woman could actually get an abortion. The state said the notice was needed to help women who came to such centers under the false impression that they provided abortions. In his majority opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the unduly burdensome requirement amounted to unconstitutionally compelled speech. Now the question is whether the courts solicitude toward those who would rather not talk about abortion extends in the other direction. What about state laws that prohibit rather than require offering information about where to get an abortion? Appearing last week on Morning Joe, Hillary Clinton lamented what she views as the ignorance of students protesting the war in Gaza. The host, Joe Scarborough, asked her about the sort of radicalism that has mainstream students getting propaganda, whether its from their professors or from the Chinese Communist government through TikTok. Ms. Clinton was happy to oblige. I have had many conversations, as you have had, with a lot of young people over the last many months, she said. They dont know very much at all about the history of the Middle East or frankly about history in many areas of the world, including in our own country. Ive taught students at the college level for 12 years, most recently at New York Universitys journalism school. Ive also seen and heard the assumptions made about them by some of their elders administrators, parents and others. So its no surprise now to hear protesters described as spoiled and entitled kids or delicate snowflakes who cower in their safe spaces and dont believe in free speech. Billionaires like Ken Griffin, Bill Ackman and, of course, Donald Trump as entitled as anyone have been particularly vocal in their disdain, calling the students in one instance whiny and demanding that they be punished for protesting. Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, even suggested that TikTok should be banned in part because youre seeing how these kids are being manipulated by certain groups or entities or countries to foment hate on their behalf and really create a hostile environment here in the U.S. Whether they realize it or not, Ms. Clinton, Mr. Lawler and the rest are engaging in a moral panic about Americas youth that is part of a larger effort to discredit higher education in general. That effort includes fearmongering about diversity programs and critical race theory. But it starts with students. In the current panic, the protesters are described as somehow both terribly fragile and such a threat to public safety that they need to be confronted by police officers in riot gear. To justify the police departments excessive response at Columbia University, Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry showed Newsmax viewers a large chain and a book with the title Terrorism that had been recovered from one site of protest. The former was a common bike chain Columbia sells to students and the latter was part of Oxford University Presss lovely Very Short Introductions series, which covers topics from animal behavior to Rousseau and black holes. There is a good chance that Donald Trumps polling lead in the 2024 presidential election is more fragile than it looks. The most immediate problem for him is the fact that hes on trial in a criminal case. Even if Trump isnt convicted, the trial keeps him away from the trail. There is also the issue of the campaign itself, which is a smaller affair than his 2020 effort, with fewer resources. The situation has alarmed G.O.P. officials in key states, like Arizona, Georgia and Michigan, who have yet to receive promised funding, staff or even briefings on the new plans since the Trump team took control of the Republican National Committee in March, The Washington Post reports. Trump could very well hold his lead through the summer and into the fall but still fail to turn stated preferences into actual votes. What looks solid in the numbers could turn out to be ephemeral in the final tallies. The conger eel was the favorite, weighing at least three times more than its eight-armed opponent. But by the time the video footage begins, the underdog octopus had already asserted its toughness, blocking off the eels eyes and stuffing arms into its mouth and out the gill hole. I thought that with such difference in size it would be hard for the octopus to avoid death, said Jorge Hernandez-Urcera, a marine ecologist at the Institute of Marine Research of the Spanish National Research Council. The common octopus not only defended itself, but also seemed to come out on top. The divers who made the video not scientists broke up the brawl, and the two animals survived, the octopus tearing off in a cloud of ink. It was very impressive to see, said Dr. Hernandez-Urcera, who collects amateur diving videos and analyzes them for previously undescribed behavior. He believed this video, recorded in 2008 off the coast of Galicia in northwestern Spain, showed the intelligence of octopus and the big repertoire of defensive behavior. But it was only a single video, not enough to suggest that this eight-armed technique was a regular form of octopus martial arts. Debates can get, well, ugly in Congress, but rarely do they descend to the level of physical taunts. Yet that is exactly what happened on Thursday during a meeting of the House Oversight Committee. During a discussion about whether Attorney General Merrick B. Garland should be held in contempt of Congress, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, told Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas, I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York whose own signature red lipstick has become something of an online lightning rod, then leaped to Ms. Crocketts defense. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person, she said. Further name-calling ensued, culminating in Ms. Crocketts covertly returning the insult by asking the chair, James R. Comer, If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blond, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? (That description being a not-entirely-implicit reference to Ms. Greene.) For a food that begins with just flour, water or sometimes eggs, there are infinite variations of pasta. So what happens when you convene a panel of five Italian cuisine experts and ask them to determine the 25 most essential pasta dishes throughout Italy? Im sweating, said Davide Palluda, the chef and owner of AllEnoteca restaurant and osteria in the Piedmont region. This is too heavy, he joked during the two-hour video call that I convened to debate his nominations and those of the four other panelists: Stefano Secchi, the chef and a co-owner of New York Citys Rezdora; the Tuscany-based cookbook author Emiko Davies; the Umbria-based culinary historian Karima Moyer-Nocchi; and the food writer and novelist Roberta Corradin, who lives in Florence, Sicily and Boston. A week before our call, Id asked each to make their own list of 10 standouts (since he was a panelist, Palludas restaurants were automatically excluded); after an energetic debate and several more phone calls, emails and WhatsApp messages, we whittled that list in half. The final picks appear below in unranked alphabetical order, along with the ideal wine to drink with each pasta dish, as recommended by the chosen restaurants and reviewed by Daviess husband, the sommelier Marco Lami. This list is the latest in our T 25 series, which highlights significant achievements in the worlds of design, literature, fashion, architecture and food. Previous debates about where to eat right now were confined to major cities like Paris and Mexico City, but this time around, we wanted to see what we might learn if we surveyed the culinary landscape across an entire food-crazed country. We chose pasta because its the food most associated with Italy, and because its the subject of Ts new Travel issue. Its also the staple that reveals just how much Italian cooking, even in 2024, remains firmly anchored to a specific place. While most countries have regional fare, Italy is particularly fixated on a recipes exact provenance the town, the valley, the strip of coastline which is why youll often find different pasta shapes or sauces, even over the span of just a few miles. This culinary diversity informed many of the panelists decisions: sometimes, they opted to include a dish because its rarely made beyond its birthplace (see Lombardys pizzoccheri, No. 12); other times, they chose a favorite sauce (for example, carbonara) or simply a type of pasta like strangozzi (typical of Umbria) since it, like so many local specialties found in the countryside, is paired with different ingredients depending on the time of year. Only two specific dishes were nominated by more than one panelist: the agnolotti del plin at Madonna della Neve in the Piedmont and the vincisgrassi at Osteria dei Fiori in the Marche region, both centuries-old dishes served at decades-old restaurants. The classics, in general, came up again and again. Even the more idiosyncratic dishes that merited inclusion were riffs on familiar fare: Secchi, for example, made an impassioned plea for the dish called the Crunchy Part of the Lasagna, the chef Massimo Botturas technical take on the beloved casserole, offered at his Francescana restaurant at Maria Luigia in Modena, Emilia-Romagna. If were talking about transcendent pasta experiences, thats it, Secchi said. (Lasagna, in fact, made a strong showing on this list, which features three varieties.) Secchi suggested one reason the old favorites took primacy: relentless demand. You cant choose your family. And you also cant choose your neighbors. This week, my colleague Jodi Kantor reported that an upside-down American flag a symbol of the Stop the Steal movement that falsely contended the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald J. Trump flew outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. in early 2021. Mr. Alito said his wife had put it up in response to objectionable signs displayed by their neighbors. Its a red flag of sorts that raises major questions about Justice Alitos impartiality as the court was weighing whether to hear a case related to the 2020 election. But its also a story about a tale as old as the cul-de-sac: the intra-neighbor political dispute. We want to know: Have you had a fight with your neighbors over politics? Have you fought over yard signs or what makes for an appropriate political display? What are the politics of dealing with the politics of your neighbors? At the University of California, Berkeley, student activists got their chancellor to agree to support a cease-fire in Gaza. At Rutgers University, they won a promise of scholarships for 10 Palestinian students displaced by the war. Brown University pledged that its board of trustees would vote on divesting from Israel. As protests over Israels military campaign in Gaza have roiled college campuses across the country, dozens of universities have moved to shut down encampments and arrest demonstrators. But more than a dozen institutions have struck agreements with protesters over the past few weeks that effectively conceded to some of their demands. None of them offer outright pledges to end the billions of dollars that college endowments have invested in companies that are said to support Israels occupation, a key demand of most of the protesters; some offer little more than amnesty for students suspended as a result of the protests or vague pledges to widen the curriculum in Palestinian studies. But already, the agreements have come under criticism both from other student activists, who say that not enough concessions were extracted, and from conservatives and Jewish advocacy groups, who complain that they are rewarding students who disrupted campuses and violated university policies. Andrew and Debbie James are evangelical Christians. Born in England, the couple moved to Denver years ago and raised their children there. Mrs. James had a profound religious conversion experience early in parenthood, and their large nondenominational church quickly became the focal point of their lives. They used to say that if the doors were open, they were there. We always joked that we had this perfect little scenario, Mrs. James said. We had our boy, then we had our girl, and they were two years apart and they were just perfect. They were strict parents too strict, they say in hindsight, with the goal to shield them from absolutely everything. When the couples older child was 19, living at home as a college student, Mrs. James got a call from the pharmacy informing her that her childs prescription for estradiol, or estrogen, was ready. In a panic, she searched the teenagers room, confronting her that evening. It went badly. They initially refused to use their daughters chosen name, Lilia, and Mrs. James could barely be in the same room with her when she was wearing a skirt. Then a pastor at the church encouraged them to kick their daughter out of their home. Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, a pathologist and lawyer whose professional reputation as the godfather of forensic medicine was at times overshadowed by his side gig as a TV commentator on suspicious celebrity deaths, his prominent criticism of the Warren Report, which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating President John F. Kennedy, and his role as one of the most powerful figures in the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, died on Monday at his home in Pittsburgh. He was 93. His son Benjamin confirmed the death. Dr. Wecht, who spent almost his entire life in Pittsburgh, was best known as a celebrity coroner, offering his opinions on famous deaths, both in courtrooms as an expert witness and on television as a frequent guest on shows like Geraldo and Larry King Live. Never shy with his opinion, he insisted that Elvis Presley had most likely died of a drug overdose at a time when fans did not want to admit that the King was an addict, and he contended that the coroners in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson had botched the autopsies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. His pugnacious character kept him on speed dial among media bookers. Dr. Wechts early prominence came from his willingness to challenge the conclusion by the commission led by Chief Justice Earl Warren that Oswald was solely responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas in 1963. The man who broke into the San Francisco home of Nancy Pelosi two years ago and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in federal prison, with credit for time already served. Ms. Pelosi was the speaker of the House and second in line to the presidency at the time of the attack, which raised fears of politically motivated violence in the run-up to the 2022 midterm elections. The assailant, David DePape, was convicted in November 2023 on federal charges. He admitted on the witness stand during the trial that he had carried out the attack, as he had done before in interviews with the police and media outlets. But he said that he never intended to hurt Ms. Pelosis husband, Paul Pelosi. Mr. DePape said his intrusion into the couples home in the affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood was part of a plot to kidnap Ms. Pelosi and interrogate her about a supposed corrupt conspiracy led by Ms. Pelosi and other prominent liberal figures. An Oregon man has been charged with murder in the deaths of three women whose bodies were found about a year ago in the northwest part of the state, the authorities said on Friday, bringing at least some answers to a case that had stoked a sense of dread across the Portland region. The man, Jesse L. Calhoun, 39, was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday on three counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Leanne Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, 32, the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office said. Mr. Calhoun was also indicted on three counts of abuse of a corpse in the second degree. Prosecutors said that the women were found deceased under suspicious circumstances but did not say how they had been killed. John Eastman, a lawyer who advised Donald J. Trumps 2020 election campaign, was arraigned in Phoenix on Friday on state criminal charges that he helped try to keep Mr. Trump in power after he lost the last presidential election. Mr. Eastman is the first of 18 defendants to come before a judge in the Arizona case, which was brought by Kris Mayes, the state attorney general. Mr. Eastman faces charges of fraud, forgery and conspiracy. Several other prominent defendants in the case are scheduled to be arraigned next week, including Boris Epshteyn, who remains one of Mr. Trumps top legal advisers, and Mark Meadows, a former White House chief of staff. Rudolph W. Giuliani, formerly Mr. Trumps personal lawyer, has also been charged in the case. When she filed the charges last month, Ms. Mayes, a Democrat, said: I will not allow American democracy to be undermined. Its too important. It is a tale as old as Adam and Eve: A husband, faced with accusations of misconduct, blames the wife. It is also a time-honored, bipartisan political strategy. This week, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey pointed ringed fingers at their wives for episodes that have landed each man in political or legal trouble. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito, Justice Alito, one of the Supreme Courts most conservative members, told The New York Times in explaining an upside-down American flag a Stop the Steal symbol of protest by Donald J. Trumps supporters flying on a pole in the familys front lawn in the days before President Bidens 2021 inauguration. The justices wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was in a feud with neighbors at the time over an anti-Trump sign, The Times reported. In the case of Mr. Menendez, a Democrat, it was his lawyer who did the finger pointing. On Wednesday, in a federal courtroom in Manhattan, the lawyer, Avi Weitzman, blamed the senators wife and her financial troubles for what prosecutors have described as a bribery scheme involving foreign governments and hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts. President Biden is spending much of his time this week speaking directly to Black voters, a constituency that carried him to the White House in 2020 and whose voters are now threatening to withhold their support as Mr. Bidens final presidential campaign unfolds. Mr. Bidens most high-profile event this week is still to come. On Sunday, he will deliver a commencement speech at Morehouse College, a prestigious, historically Black institution. But he has spent the days leading up to it running down a list of achievements and otherwise making his message clear: My names Joe Biden, and Im a lifetime member of the N.A.A.C.P., he said during a speech on Friday. He was speaking to a crowd at the National Museum of African American History and Culture celebrating the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark civil rights ruling that outlawed racially segregated schools. Not even the venue choice seemed like a complete coincidence: As a senator, Mr. Biden was one of the original co-sponsors of legislation establishing the museum, and he attended its opening as vice president in 2016. For most of his life, Leo Brent Bozell IV has been known as the devout, but somewhat troubled, scion of a famous conservative family the son of L. Brent Bozell III, a culture warrior and longtime critic of the media, and the grandson of L. Brent Bozell Jr., a fierce anti-Communist and one of the early architects of the anti-abortion movement. But on Friday, with some of his family sitting near him in the courtroom, Mr. Bozell was sentenced to just under four years in prison for having played a central role in the attack by Trump supporters on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The 45-month sentence imposed by Judge John D. Bates at a hearing in Federal District Court in Washington was only about a third of the 140 months that the government had initially requested. Judge Bates dismissed the governments request as untethered to the circumstances of this case. As part of his ruling, Judge Bates determined that Mr. Bozells conduct on Jan. 6 technically fit the description needed to apply a so-called terrorism enhancement to his sentence. But the judge decided not to use that enhancement in coming up with the final penalty, saying that branding Mr. Bozell a domestic terrorist was excessively harsh. Two years into President Bidens term, his aides began negotiating with Saudi leaders to have the kingdom establish diplomatic relations with Israel. But when the Israel-Hamas war began last October, the talks withered. American and Saudi officials have tried to revive prospects for a deal by demanding more from Israel a cease-fire in Gaza and irreversible steps toward the founding of a Palestinian state. Now those officials say they are close to a final agreement on the main elements of what the Saudis want from the deal: a U.S.-Saudi mutual defense pact and cooperation on a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto Saudi leader, about these matters in private on his visit last month to Riyadh, according to the State Department. And Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, is expected to follow up when he goes to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend. Even by the rock-bottom standards of the 118th Congress, Thursday nights three-hour voting session of the House Oversight Committee was perhaps a new low. There was shouting and chaos. There were insults about eyelashes, hair dye and body composition. It was behavior that would get most elementary school kids suspended. The members of the Republican-led committee gathered after 8 p.m. in a Capitol Hill hearing room ready for a fight some members of the audience were even said to have brought alcoholic beverages to enjoy the show. They had gathered so late because so many Republicans traveled to Manhattan to show support for former President Donald J. Trump at the courthouse where he is on trial on criminal charges involving hush money payments to a porn star. Back in Washington, lawmakers were ostensibly meeting for the most serious and somber of reasons: to debate whether to hold a cabinet official in contempt of Congress. Republicans were recommending charging Attorney General Merrick B. Garland an action that the committee chairman, Representative James Comer of Kentucky, proudly touted in a fund-raising appeal earlier in the day and they would eventually get to that. But first, it was time for fight club. Who better to instigate the chaos than Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the right-wing Georgia Republican best known for her penchant for incendiary statements and stunts? Her first target was Representative Jasmine Crockett, the Democrat from Texas who frequently takes on Ms. Greene in the committee. While President Biden tries to assuage voter concerns about his age in a presidential race that includes the two oldest men ever to seek the White House, a couple of miles away in the U.S. Senate, the gerontocracy remains alive and well and little commented upon. The recent news that two octogenarians Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, 82, and Angus King of Maine, 80 are each running for another six-year term generated little in the way of criticism or worry over age of the kind that Mr. Biden has faced. Their races, which both men are likely to win, are a reminder of how the Senates roster is chock-full of lawmakers staying in office at an age when most people are well into retirement. At the start of this Congress last year, the average age of elected officials was 64 in the Senate and 57.9 in the House. Theyre not in short supply around here, Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, 77, said of octogenarians. Ukraine has asked the Biden administration to provide more intelligence on the position of Russian forces and military targets inside Russia as Ukrainian troops struggle to hold ground in the war, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials. A group of Ukrainian Parliament members also met with members of Congress in Washington to press for the United States to allow Kyiv to use American weapons in Russia. Ukraines requests have become more urgent in recent weeks as Russia has taken advantage of delays in shipments of American weapons and intensified military operations in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine. But White House officials said the administrations longstanding policy remained unchanged: The United States is not encouraging or enabling attacks inside Russia. American officials, seeking to avoid escalating the war, have insisted they do not want U.S. weapons used in cross-border attacks or their intelligence reports used to target sites in Russia. A chocolate factory and a soda bottling plant set on fire. Molotov cocktails thrown at the police, and prisoners taking guards hostage. Five people dead. As protests against French control boiled over this week in New Caledonia, the South Pacific archipelago experienced some of its most intense violence since a civil war decades ago. Im in a state of shock, I cant move, Lizzie Carboni, a writer who lives in Noumea, the capital, said by phone as the fourth night of protests began on Thursday. When she checked on her parents, Ms. Carboni said that her mother told her: We never wanted to tell you about what happened in 1984, but its happening again. France annexed New Caledonia, which lies about 900 miles off the eastern coast of Australia, in 1853. It built a penal colony and over time shipped in more foreigners to mine New Caledonias vast nickel reserves. That eventually made the Indigenous Kanaks a minority in their own land. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia attended a trade fair on Friday in a northeastern Chinese city and toured a state-backed university famous for its cutting-edge defense research, highlighting how economic and military ties between the countries have grown despite, or perhaps because of, Western pressure. Mr. Putins visit to Harbin, a Chinese city with a Russian past, is part of a trip aimed at demonstrating that he has powerful friends even as his war against Ukraine a campaign that he is escalating has isolated him from the West. The visit followed a day of talks between him and President Xi Jinping of China that seemed orchestrated to convey not only the strategic alignment of the two powerful, autocratic leaders against the West, but a personal connection. State media showed Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi, neckties off after formal talks on Thursday, strolling under willow trees and sipping tea at a traditional pavilion on the sprawling grounds of Zhongnanhai, the walled leadership compound in Beijing, with only their interpreters. As Mr. Xi saw Mr. Putin off in the evening, he even initiated a hug a rare expression of affection for the Chinese leader. Struggling to contain Russian advances on the battlefield, Ukraine is increasingly taking the fight to Russia beyond the front lines in an effort to disrupt its military operations and put pressure on its economy targeting airfields, logistics hubs and critical energy facilities with missiles and drones. That strategy was on full display early on Friday when a series of explosions struck fuel depots, oil facilities and a power station in southwestern Russia and Crimea, the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula. Just a day before, Ukrainian missiles hit an airfield in Crimea, destroying at least three jets. Russias Defense Ministry said it had shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones on Friday, a figure that would represent one of Ukraines largest air assaults against Russia in months. A Ukrainian security official said Ukraine was behind the attack. Although the full extent of the damage was unclear, the Russian authorities reported that an electricity substation was hit in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, leading to rolling blackouts. Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia underwent an additional surgery, officials said on Friday, as the authorities for the first time identified the suspect in an assassination attempt that has reverberated in Europe and raised fears about what comes next for the deeply polarized country. Details on Wednesdays attack, including about the assailant and about who is leading the country while the prime minister is hospitalized, have been scant, driving a swirl of speculation and questions. On Friday, the authorities appeared to acknowledge the scarcity of information in a statement from the General Prosecutors office that identified the suspect albeit with only a first name and an initial as Juraj C. In the statement, the prosecutors office said it was not possible to provide more information yet because the authorities needed to properly clarify the sensitive matter and fairly punish the perpetrator. Some local news outlets had reported that an amateur poet, similarly identified as Juraj C., from the central Slovak town of Levice, was the suspect. Slovakias interior minister has described the suspect as a lone wolf radicalized after last months presidential election. Diplomatic tensions are rising here in London. On Tuesday, the British foreign ministry summoned the Chinese ambassador for an official reprimand. The day before, the police charged three men with aiding the Hong Kong intelligence service and forcing entry into a residential address. In a statement, the Foreign Office criticized the recent pattern of behavior directed by China against the U.K, and cited, among other things, Hong Kongs issuing of bounties for information on dissidents who have resettled in Britain and elsewhere. Im not going to speculate on whether the three men are guilty or innocent, as their court case is ongoing. But the arrests have drawn attention to the phenomenon of transnational repression, in which autocratic governments surveil, harass or even attack their own citizens abroad. Last month, following a string of attacks on Iranian journalists, Reporters Without Borders proclaimed London a hot spot for the phenomenon. Although transnational repression is an old practice, it appears to be gaining prevalence. Globalization and the internet have made it easier for exiles to engage in activism, and have also increased autocracies desire and ability to crack down on political activity in their diasporas. Lawyers representing Israel on Friday defended the military operation in Rafah as limited and localized, arguing at the United Nations top court that the judges should not seek to restrict Israels actions in Gaza. At a hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Israel responded to a South African petition for the court to order an immediate halt to its ground assault in Rafah. Israeli forces have advanced into the outskirts of Rafah, Gazas southernmost city, over the past week and a half, ordering mass evacuations and intensifying their bombardment ahead of a long-anticipated invasion of the city. More than 630,000 people have fled the area, many of them already displaced from elsewhere in Gaza, according to the United Nations. The hearings are part of South Africas case accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which it filed in December. In late January, the court ordered Israel to do more to prevent acts of genocide, but is not expected to hear the main case over whether genocide is being committed until next year. Last week, South Africa asked the judges to issue an emergency order aiming to prevent wide-scale civilian harm in Rafah. Lawyers for South Africa argued at the court on Thursday that Israels Rafah operation was the last step in the destruction of Gaza and its Palestinian people. The court has no means of enforcing its orders, but the South Africa case has contributed to the international pressure on Israel to rein in its campaign in Gaza. It was not clear when the court would issue a decision on South Africas request for an emergency order. Xi, Putin hold talks in Beijing, charting course for enhanced ties Xinhua) 08:08, May 17, 2024 Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing on Thursday. The two sides had a comprehensive review of the successful experience in developing the China-Russia relationship, and had an in-depth exchange of views on the relationship as well as major international and regional issues of mutual interest, charting the course forward for their cooperation across the board. FINE EXAMPLE OF MAJOR-COUNTRY 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, and stood the test of changing international landscape. The relationship has become a fine example for major countries and neighboring countries to treat each other with respect and candor, and pursue amity and mutual benefit. The 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. The most important conclusion drawn from the 75-year history of China-Russia relations is that two neighboring major countries must always promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, respect each other on an equal footing, trust each other, accommodate each other's concerns, and truly provide mutual assistance for the development and revitalization of both sides, Xi noted, adding that this is not only the correct way for China and Russia to get along, but also the direction that major-country relations should strive for in the 21st century. Putin expressed his pleasure to visit China again after he was sworn in as Russian president for a new term. Noting that President Xi also paid a state visit to Russia in March last year shortly after his re-election as Chinese president, Putin said that it is a friendly tradition between the two countries, which demonstrates that both sides attach high importance to enhancing the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era. The development of Russia-China ties is not out of expediency or targeted at any third party, Putin said, adding that it benefits international strategic stability. Li Ziguo, director of the Department for European-Central Asian Studies under the China Institute of International Studies, said that both as major countries in the world, China and Russia have been adhering to the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, and finding the right way to get along, which overcomes the outdated mindset that major countries are bound to differ in interests and inevitably become competitors. COMMITMENT TO WIN-WIN COOPERATION Xi said that with concerted efforts from both sides, China-Russia relations have been moving forward steadily, with enhanced comprehensive strategic coordination and further cooperation on economy and trade, investment, energy, and people-to-people exchanges, at the subnational level and in other fields. This has made positive contributions to maintaining global strategic stability and promoting greater democracy in international relations. The two sides should take the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic ties as a new starting point, further synergize development strategies, and continue to enrich the bilateral cooperation to bring greater benefits to the two countries and peoples, he said. Last year, China-Russia two-way trade exceeded 240 billion U.S. dollars, close to 2.7 times 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. "Chinese products are renowned for their good quality, extensive variety, and competitive pricing. In recent years, our company has maintained good cooperation with dozens of Chinese suppliers, and the trade volume has increased year by year," said Dmitry Pismennyy, a Russian businessman engaged in foreign trade in southwest China's Chongqing. 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 and close to people's hearts, and encouraged closer interactions between various sectors and at subnational levels to enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples. Putin said that the intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms between Russia and China are functioning well, and bilateral cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, agriculture, industry, energy, and connectivity has grown steadily. He noted that the signing of a series of cooperation documents demonstrates that the two sides are committed to further deepening win-win cooperation. Russia is willing to work with China to implement the pre-2030 development plan on economic cooperation between the two sides, well organize the Russia-China Years of Culture activities, and strengthen the alignment between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative, Putin said, adding that next year, Russia and China will hold events to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. SAFEGUARDING UN-CENTERED INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM China and Russia are committed to strategic coordination as an underpinning of relations, and steer global governance in the right direction, Xi said when jointly meeting with the press with Putin. The two countries are firmly committed to safeguarding the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law. They stay in close coordination and collaboration in multilateral platforms such as the UN, APEC and G20, and advance multipolarity and economic globalization in the spirit of true multilateralism, he said. With Russia chairing BRICS this year and China taking over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 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. China and Russia are committed to fairness and justice as the purpose of relations, and dedicated to the political settlement of hotspots, Xi said. Putin said that Russia and China have maintained close coordination on the international stage and are jointly committed to promoting the establishment of a more democratic multipolar world order. Both sides are willing to continue to strengthen cooperation within the frameworks including BRICS and SCO as well as communication on major international and regional issues, so as to promote regional and world peace and development. Li Yongquan, head of the China Society for Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, said that faced with numerous challenges in global governance, a healthy development of China-Russia relations and their cooperation within such mechanisms as BRICS and SCO are pivotal for maintaining regional and international stability, and improving global governance. After the talks, Xi and Putin 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 bilateral cooperation documents. Prior to the talks, Xi held a grand welcoming ceremony for Putin. Xi also hosted a welcoming banquet for Putin around noon. Senior officials including Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang attended the events. Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held a welcome ceremony for Putin, who is in China on a state visit, before their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. After their talks, Xi and Putin jointly met the press. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds large-group talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Li Tao) Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly meet the press after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign and issue 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 after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign and issue 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 after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) The Israel Ministry of Tourism has signed a one-year agreement with MMGY Global to handle its PR efforts in the US. Development Counsellors International inked a one-year $22,500 monthly retainer pact to represent the Ministry on March 26, 2023. That contract was not renewed. MMGY, which came in second place to DCI in last years tender competition, has taken over the Isreal PR duties for $20K a month, as of May 1. The Ministry reserves the right whenever and under whichever circumstances it sees fit, to perform PR activities by itself, or to purchase PR Services directly from another agent, at its sole and exclusive discretion, according to the agreement. It may extend MMGYs contract for four additional one-year periods. MMGY has Lauren Kaufman (MD-PR, North America); Julie Freeman (EVP, PR, Americas), and Lea Komitzky (senior account director, PR) working the Israeli account. The firm reports to Eyal Carlin, the Ministry's North America tourism commissioner. Ron DeSantis With a stroke of a pen, Florida's Ron DeSantis has banned climate change. He will be will be 81and hopefully long out of politicswhen 60 percent of Miami-Dade County will be submerged in 2060 by rising seawater triggered by climate change. Miami currently struggles with blue-sky flooding, which occurs from rain or storms but from high tides or rising sea levels on sunny days when the sky is clear. Though the city ranks as ground zero for climate risk, DeSantis signed a bill on May 16 that bans the state from considering the potential of global climate change when setting its agenda. Were restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots, he said in signing the bill. DeSantis may have his head in the sand of Floridas beaches that being eroded by climate change but hes out of touch with his fellow Floridians A Florida Atlantic University report released on May 14 found that 90 percent of people in the state say climate change is happening. That tops the results of a national survey from Yale University that found that 72 percent of all Americans believe climate change is real. The climate change denying DeSantis is setting himself as a GOP leader in the post-Trump party. In signing the no to climate change bill, DeSantis didnt restore sanity, he furthered insanity. His anti-climate change may win the support of the MAGA crowd after its leader is gone from the picture, but it is bad news for the people of Florida. Count your blessingsTexas State University (San Marcos) and Virginia State University (Petersburg) were supposed to host two presidential debates September 16 and October 1, respectively. The Commission on Presidential Debates announced those sites and dates on November 20, 2023. The schools are now off the hook as CNN and ABC have swooped in to broadcasts the debates. Texas State and Virginia State should thank their lucky stars that they are now off the hook. The Trump/Biden debates will hardly draw comparisons to the Lincoln/Douglas match-ups in 1858 for the Illinois Senate seat. They will be loud performative affairs and a general waste of time. Few voters will switch the political preferences after seeing the Mango Mussolini and Sleepy Joe swap insults. Everyone is a winner. I used to manage my daughters softball teams, and all players got a participation trophies. Newsweeks inaugural list of Americas Best PR Agencies brought back those happy softball memories. Each of the initial 150 firms received either a four star or five star rating, which makes the list pretty meaningless. For instance, Finn Partners and Edelman received five stars in the brand reputation & marketing category. Thats tied with ICF Next, 24 Communications and KGBTexas Communications. Really! FleishmanHillard and BCW are four-star winners in the consumer goods, retail and fashion section. They share that honor with BRAVE PR, Fish Consulting and Beach House PR. Next year, Newsweek should remove the word "best" from the list, and award zero, one, two and three star ratings. JACINTA Glasgow, nurse manager and healing therapist, combines a career in caring with the healing power of painting, in an exhibition of her original works at the Nenagh Arts Centre, Banba Square, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary from May 20th to June 30th. The exhibition titled, Inner Stillness Achieving Balance is a collection of colourful, uplifting works in acrylic on canvas, depicting vibrant images inspired by the natural world and inner journeys. Glasgow, a native of Limerick, grew up in a large family where her creativity was nurtured and developed from an early age. She combines a passion for caring and creativity in her painting. Jacinta has almost 40 years healthcare experience and professional development in Nursing. This culminated in the expansion of local services, to include a specialist nurse-led clinic at Nenagh Hospital, which she currently manages, providing education, treatment and support to patients with heart failure. Training in holistic therapies, reflexology and energy healing modalities brings a new dimension to her nursing care, while caring for colleagues mental health and well-being, resulted in the development and facilitation of a staff wellness programme at Nenagh Hospital. Jacintas art journey mirrors her nursing career with continuous learning and development using a variety of media and techniques to convey her life experiences. She studied Jungian psychology and art therapy, in South Tipperary Institute of Technology. This artist channels the empathy, emotions and resilience gained from nursing into the painting works she creates, balancing her self-care as her response to the world. Walking in the hills or woods near her home, trips to the coast and the joy of singing are a source of inspiration supporting her well-being after a busy work day. The artist works to integrate the healing power of art into the local hospital environment. The artists paintings are infused with vibrant colour and emotions, forming a connection with the viewer, highlighting the connection of all life through the essence within. The work draws on Jungian symbolism, travel and inner journeys in a meditative style. The artist explains her painting process. I sit and contemplate in front of the blank canvas, clear my mind using breathwork, meditation or music and the response flows out of my brush in paint onto the canvas she says. The creative process can start with a word, song, or a concept e.g., peace or a phrase e.g., Spring Equinox and the idea of the light returning and expanding in our lives, returning us to balance. Glasgow has exhibited nationally and internationally and her work is on display in Nenagh Hospital and the University of Limerick Hospital, in addition to private collections in Ireland and Europe. The artists holistic healing centre A Gift of Healing, in Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary, combines her creativity and healing practices. Glasgows exhibition Inner Stillness - Achieving Balance, will be launched by Dr Maeve O Sullivan, Assistant Professor at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, University of Galway. The launch will take place at 6pm on May 20th at the Nenagh Arts Centre. Admission is free, all are welcome. The exhibition will run from May 20th to June 30th. Why not call in, take a look, and be inspired. Browsers are very welcome. The artist expresses her appreciation to the staff of Nenagh Arts Centre, her family and friends and the wider community for their continued support. For further information visit Website: www.agiftofhealing.com or www.nenaghartscentre.com . There is an agenda against farming and that is why we need your back. The comments of Offaly IFA chairman, Pat Walsh, to candidates in the local elections as he closed a sometimes heated questions and answers session in Tullamore last Thursday night. He explained IFA organised the event to ensure candidates got a feel for what our needs are so that you can champion the agriculture agenda. Concentrating on environmental issues, the Belmont farmer predicted the Nature Restoration Law will have a major negative impact on farming in Offaly where peat based soils predominate in many parts of the county. Comparing the law to a diktat, he said there was no consultation with farmers and no mention of compensation. The law has to be stopped and I ask all councillors to prevail on their counterparts nationally and in Europe to get it scrapped. He claimed Minister Eamon Ryan had gone to Europe to ram it through and warned the impact on the family farm and the rural economy would be enormous. Mr Walsh said there was a hidden agenda against farmers while George Grant, from Clareen, said farmers were being bullied and pushed out of business. Hitting out at price increases in fuel, Mick Camon, from Cloghan, said there was no money in farming apart from niche areas and claimed the main producer at the bottom is being ripped off while the people in the middle and at the top are making the profits. Speaker after speaker from the floor rounded on green policies such as bog rewetting and the Nature Restoration Law. The Green Party came under sustained criticism from speakers with Ballydaly farmer, Ollie Neville, claiming a lot of farmers were up to their neck with land rewetting. He said the policy was taking land from us like Cromwell did in the past. If Eamon Ryan wants to talk about land rewetting let him go to the housing housing estates where they get their votes. Green Party candidate in the Tullamore electoral area, Liam Walsh said he wanted to walk the land with Mick Camon, Cloghan, and stressed the importance of engagement. If we don't engage with each other we're not going to learn. He said he was 100 per cent behind the Nature Restoration Law. We have to look at the big picture . . we've got to think of the future, not just for our children but for our children's children and so on . . we have to find the solutions together. Replying to Mr Walsh, after he asked for a show of hands as to who believed there was a climate crisis, Ollie Neville, said the climate agenda was being forced on children. Climate change is being driven into people. You need to be honest with people and stop bamboozling people. IFA County Secretary, Joe Daly, said the farming industry did not create any new carbon but rather recycled it. He called for an honest debate and highlighted plans for rewetting, the installation of solar panels and wind energy which he said did not meet biodiversity criteria. Unannounced farm inspections by Offaly County Council were also highlighted with Cathaoirleach, Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick, revealing he discussed the issue with council officials who promised to liaise with farmers before the Department of Agriculture became involved in problems. Noel Keyes, IFA Farm Business officer, said the council needs to put a protocol in place for inspections rather than inspectors just turning up at farm gates. Issues such as water quality, greenways, the buying up of farmland by big business and the land rezoning tax which will apply at three per cent of the land's market value from 2025 onwards were also raised. Speaking at the outset of the meeting, IFA Chairman, Pat Walsh, said the CAP Budget had been degraded over the years and finance for environmental measures were being taken from it rather than from a separate Budget. Fine Gael candidate in the Birr area, Hughie Egan, a dairy farmer from Doon, said decisions will be taken in the next five years which will define farming and promised to be there fighting the corner for agriculture. Green Party candidate in the Birr area, Ekaterine Koneva stressed the importance of organic farming and biodiversity while Claire Murray, Fianna Fail contender in the Edenderry area, highlighted the fodder crisis. Cllr Eddie Fitzpatrick, Edenderry area, said farming by the calendar had created huge problems such as in the area of slurry spreading. Liam Walsh, Green Party, Tullamore, described farmers as the greatest environmentalist and said the issue of climate change was coming up on the doorsteps during his canvass. Aoife Masterson, Sinn Fein, Tullamore, said she was aware of young people leaving farming because they did not see a future in it. Cllr Neil Feighery, Fine Gael, Tullamore highlighted the issue of roads and pointed to huge investment by the current Government in rural areas such as Mountbolus and Killeigh. Aubrey Claffey, Aontu, Birr, said planning restrictions in rural area meant people could not build homes there which had a knock-on effect on the viability of schools, shops and churches. Jonathan O'Meara, Independent, Birr, highlighted the problem of flooding particularly in the Lusmagh area. Barbara Daly, Fianna Fail, Birr, said farmers had made huge sacrifices and warned they are being regulated out of business in a way no other sector is being. Ferbane farmer, John Keena asked candidates what they could do to get a fair price for farmers for their produce from the big retailers. Hughie Egan said the multiples had huge powers and admitted he did not see how they could be tackled. His party colleague, Neil Feighery, also admitted it was a huge challenge and the large supermarkets had such buying power. Entering the debate, Sinn Fein's Aoife Masterson said farmers needed to concentrate on high quality branded produce in order to achieve value. Mick Camon, from Cloghan claimed the producer at the bottom was being ripped off. There is no money in farming apart from certain niche areas, he added. George Grant said the planning situation is ridiculous when someone in west Cork can object to development in Offaly. We're being bullied out of business and it's time for politicians to do something. We saw what happened in the referendums and June 7 will be the second stage of that. Aoife Masterson said Sinn Fein has asked for the planning system to overhauled but had been voted down in the Dail. She said her party opposed the Nature Restoration Law in the European Parliament. IFA County Secretary, Joe Daly said it was very important that councillors represent the people who elected them and liaise on the electorate's behalf with officials in county buildings Aoife Masterson said she is fully committed to engaging with farmers and added it was a disgrace if decisions were being handed down from on high. She called for more transparency from the council when it comes to videos and minutes of meetings and how individual councillors voted on issues. Niamh McIntosh, an eighth generation farmer from Cloghan, said people must realise that land is finite and highlighted so much beautiful farmland around us going under concrete. She complained that so much new legislation is being introduced farmers could not keep up with it. Sewage spewed into the Grand Canal from a Tullamore street where a thunderstorm before 6pm on Thursday evening caused severe flash flooding in a matter of minutes. Sewers were unable to cope with the huge volume of rain which fell onto the Callary St/ Convent View area and faeces and toilet paper washed onto the street and into the waterway. A stench of sewage permeated the air as startled motorists attempted to navigate their way through the floodwaters. A number of cars were abandoned by their drivers on the Convent View side of the floodwaters with residents fearing the situation would worsen if more rain fell. Visiting the scene around 7pm on Thursday, the Cathaoirleach of Tullamore Municipal District, Cllr Declan Harvey called on Irish Water to take immediate action to address the issue which has bedevilled the area for over 30 years. Cllr Harvey also contacted the council to ensure a waste water operator came to area to lower the floodwaters. He said pipes taking rainwater under the canal were simply too small to cope with the volume of water now passing through them especially during heavy downpours. A woman said in her victim impact statement that a Tipperary man is a dangerous sexual predator and everyone should know his name. The woman, who doesnt wish to be identified, told Limerick Circuit Court that everything Denis ODonovan has done to me has completely destroyed my life. ODonovan, aged 38, of Ballyryan, Donohill, Co Tipperary was found guilty by a jury of two sexual assaults, false imprisonment and assault causing harm at a two week trial in April. The defendant was before Judge Dermot Sheehan for judgement on Thursday, May 16. Lily Buckley, prosecuting barrister, instructed by State solicitor Padraig Mawe, gave a summary of the evidence with the assistance of Detective Garda Chris Cowan. READER DISCRETION ADVISED She said the offences occurred on a date in January 2020. It was at a property in County Limerick. She was at home alone in the evening. There was a knock on her door. The light outside was not working. She had a torch. A car was on her drive. She was pulled into the car and kept against her will. The car went down the road and it stopped. She was grabbed by the neck and choked by the accused. Her hips were pinned between the front seats. Her tracksuit pants and panties were pulled down. He jabbed his fingers into her vagina repeatedly. He licked her vagina. At the time she had her period and was using an improvised sanitary towel, said Ms Buckley. The court heard the victim, a woman in her 40s, made good her escape by saying she wanted to get more comfortable. She fell out of the car, pulled up her tracksuit and panties and was so desperate to get away that she went through a ditch with briars where she stayed, said Ms Buckley. She said the victim returned to her home and rang 999. READ ALSO: Cyclist hospitalised after being struck by car in Midlands this morning Gardai took her to a sexual assault treatment unit where it was found she had a scratch on her forehead, bruise below her clitoris, and marks on her neck which were consistent with sexual assault and choking. ODonovan was arrested in January 2020 and was interviewed five times. Det Garda Cowan said ODonovan was adamant the victim was not in his car and he did not touch her. The detective garda said ODonovan told gardai that the victim was mad. Ms Buckley said Forensic Science Ireland found fibres from ODonovans top on the victims cardigan which is consistent with a struggle. The prosecuting barrister said ODonovans DNA was in saliva found in the gusset of the victims panties. When this evidence was put to him by gardai after he was rearrested and questioned in September 2020, Det Garda Cowan said ODonovan put it down to the hoppin and trottin. I falsely imprisoned her but did not sexually assault her, ODonovan told gardai. Det Garda Cowan said ODonovan has a number of convictions for public order, possession of drugs, driving offences and an aggravated burglary, which occurred on March 17, 2019 in Tipperary. He was on bail for that matter at the time (of this incident). He had an axe and broke in the back door. A woman was asleep on a couch. He chased her up the stairs. A 16-year-old was asleep upstairs. When he realised there was another person there he fled, said Det Garda Cowan. Mark Nicholas SC, who represented ODonovan, said his client and the woman asleep on the couch were on-and-off partners at the time. He said they have a four-year-old child so there was some reconciliation following the aggravated burglary. Mr Nicholas said the mother of their child has died. The victim read out her own impact statement in Limerick Circuit Court. She said everything Denis ODonovan has "done to me has completely destroyed my life and what happened on the night in question was terrifying, traumatising, degrading and disgusting. To be dragged into his car, driven at speed down the road, to have to try to escape by jumping out of a moving car, only for him to grab me with both hands choking me violently, pinning me down with one hand on my throat while he sexually assaulted me in a disgusting degrading way, made even more degrading and disgusting by the fact that I had my period, she said. The woman said no words can ever fully describe the absolute terror of being choked, and believing she was going to die. After the attack, she said she couldn't eat or sleep and lay awake at night listening for fear of him returning. She told the court she was going to kill myself and spent weeks in a secure mental health unit due to the trauma. I have suffered panic attacks, flashbacks and nightmares since the attack on an almost daily basis. I became confined to home because the fear and panic was overwhelming. I changed from being a happy confident person who loved the outdoors - hiking and walking - to not being able to leave my house for years. He has taken everything I enjoyed about life away from me, she said. The woman said she knows the importance of cervical screening but can't bring herself to go for a smear test. I turned to alcohol to try to block out the trauma. I went from never really being a big drinker to developing a serious alcohol problem. For him to put me through a trial which was so daunting, as I had never been to court in my life, and to have to sit and listen to his outrageous and disgusting lies, felt like another attack. "He has taken years of my life that I will never get back. He may be going to jail, but I feel like I've been in jail for the last four years. She said it has been an incredibly difficult and dark time in her life, but today she is a stronger person for surviving everything he has done to her. I refuse to let him destroy the rest of my life. He is a dangerous sexual predator and everyone should know his name, said the woman. She thanked Judge Dermot Sheehan, the DPP and all the guards involved in this case, in particular Garda Noelle Fitzgerald and Garda Robert Young. I especially want to thank Det Garda Chris Cowan for all his hard work on this case and for the kindness and compassion he has shown to me. I cannot speak highly enough of him, said the woman, who also thanked a friend for the strength and love she gave her through the darkest times which saved her. READ MORE: Company directed to submit application for Tipperary windfarm to An Bord Pleanala Mr Nicholas said ODonovans position, still, is that there was no sexual assault element. He made admissions he was there. She tried to get out (of the car) and he pulled her back in and there was a scuffle. He does express regret. There is a softening of his position within the limited narrative. "He comes from a fine family. He tragically lost his mother when he was four. He did an apprenticeship in engineering maintenance and has worked in ground works ever since, said Mr Nicholas, who added that it was a well-paid role but ODonovan spent a lot of it on drink. He described ODonovan previous convictions as drink sodden and said he had consumed alcohol prior to the aggravated burglary. The court heard that he had been in pubs before he sexually assaulted the victim in this case. He has a four-year-old girl. Her mother died tragically last year. He has access and pays maintenance, said Mr Nicholas, who asked Judge Sheehan to measure matters as best he can. Judge Sheehan said he needed time to consider sentencing and adjourned matters until June 7. ODonovan was remanded in continuing custody. He has been in prison for 107 days on this matter. Judge Sheehan said nothing should be published that would identify the victim but the accused can be named. "The conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence of the Military-Industrial Complex [MIC] -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government." President Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address, January 17, 1961. Why exactly does the US government go to war with so many of Israel's enemies? Why has the US destroyed Iraq and half of Syria? The costs were enormous, the results horrible, the rewards imperceptible. The Iraq war not an outlier; it was the second in a long series of US invasions, bombings and destructions of majority-Muslim states. It's still going on, with Israel the only obvious beneficiary. How does this happen? Is the Israel lobby that powerful, and even if it is, why has the rest of the US establishment gone along? The explanation lies in the MIC and the deeply sinister marriage that has grown between them and Israel. Israel's wars have become major parts of the MIC's business plan. Every bomb Israel drops; every missile the US fires, every Muslim country the US invades makes money for the MIC. Israel receives almost $4 billion in military aid from Washington every year, along with periodic large supplementals. Most of this money immediately returns to US military corporations to buy weapons. They're partners. Eisenhower named the MIC on his last workday in office. Where most Americans heard Eisenhower's speech as a warning, Israeli leaders and their militant American supporters saw an opportunity. By allying with the MIC, this group, which became known as the Neoconservatives, set out to reshape the world. The Pentagon and military corporations already had powerful lobbying programs in place, but industry lobbying typically takes the form of 'Buy our product'; 'Try this weapon system'. They didn't lobby for new wars. Some Israel loyalists realized that if they could provide the wars, the MIC would reap the profits, strengthening Israel in the process. From the '70s onward, the MIC and the Neoconservative s recognized and built on their mutual interest. The Neocons provided the intellectual and public relations muscle the MIC lacked. It is this alliance of corporations, think tanks, media organizations, and military agencies that pulls the US into war after war, specializing in destroying Israel's enemies, but by no means limited to them. The Armchair Warriors' Club The group that became the center of neoconservatism started with Jewish intellectuals, many of them followers of Leo Strauss and Albert Wohlstetter at the University of Chicago. Strauss was a philosopher who had escaped the Nazis in 1937 and had observed Stalin's purges of mostly Jewish Bolsheviks. Wohlstetter was a New York-born researcher who became a leading light at the RAND corporation, consulting with the Pentagon on intelligence and weapons systems. He was a constant advocate for more weaponry and a less conciliatory attitude toward the USSR. From their beginning, the causes of America and Israel appeared inseparable in Neocon writings. According to former CIA officer Phil Giraldi of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), the neocons have two unshakeable beliefs: "First is their insistence that the United States has the right or even the responsibility to use its military and economic power to reshape the world to align with its own interests and values. The second principle, inextricably tied to the first, is that Washington must uncritically support Israel no matter what its government does, which makes the defense of all things Israeli an American value." The neocons set out to popularize these ideas among the American people and government. Young disciples of the founders went to work for Senators Henry "Scoop" Jackson (D-Wash) and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY,) both strongly pro-MIC Democrats. Wohlstetter, with his military connections, helped young neocons Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz get jobs with Jackson, known as the "Senator from Boeing" for his constant advocacy of increased military spending. He was also militantly pro-Israel, sharing all the core neocon foreign policy positions. Perle and Wolfowitz were soon followed by colleagues Douglas Feith, Elliott Abrams, and Abram Shulsky. As Senators Jackson and Moynihan's leadership shows, neoconservatism is not just a Jewish thing. Researchers Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould wrote on Truthdig "Although clearly acting as a political front for Israel's interests and an engine for permanent war, neoconservatism would never have succeeded as a political movement without the support and cooperation of powerful non-Jewish elites." Many neocons have been non-Jewish, and their numbers grow year by year. Secretaries of Defense Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld were early adopters, as were UN Ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick, National Security Adviser John Bolton, and by now thousands of others. Neoconservatism has become dominant in the Department of Defense and increasingly at the State Department and CIA and has tremendous influence in Israel and the UK. Neoconservatism gained this influence through decades of setting up think tanks and commissions and serving on them as "fellows," "scholars," and directors. They move between these jobs and positions in the Departments of Defense and State, or in the White House or on Senators' staffs, or defense corporations, becoming known as "experts." They write position papers and op-eds; they appear on TV and testify before Congress. They lie. They work constantly to control the narrative. Early neocon dominated formations were the Committee on the Present Danger (CPD), founded in 1976 and the Committee for the Free World (CFW), founded in 1981. Both advocated strenuously for nuclear buildup aimed at the USSR. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, military spending dropped, threatening MIC profits. They needed new enemies to replace the USSR, and Israel was happy to provide theirs. Neocons set up new formations to target these enemies. These think tanks collaborate with longer-standing Israel advocacy groups like AIPAC and Stand with Us. They share staff and funders and rent space from each other. One of the most influential, PNAC, the Project for a New American Century, met in offices rented from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI, another neocon operation) and included at least six men who later served in the Bush administration as well as Bush's brother Jeb. Two Neocon documents that ended world peace Neocons created two documents crucial to the endless 21st-century wars. In 1997, neocons meeting with the Jerusalem-based think tank Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies wrote a paper for the Likud Party called A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm. Clean Break proposed that Israel no longer try to make peace with Arab neighbors such as Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, but push them back, destabilize them, and ultimately change their regimes for ones who embraced Israel. The recommendations in Clean Break have largely been carried out using Israeli and American military force. In 1999, PNAC wrote a similar paper, Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategies, Forces, and Resources for a New Century, advocating massive growth of the US military budget, seeking the ability to wage multiple simultaneous wars and police actions. Authors Donald Kagan, with former Pentagon consultant Gary Schmitt, and Thomas (now Giselle) Donnelly, a former director at Lockheed Martin, called the paper a "blueprint for maintaining global US pre-eminence, precluding the rise of a great power rival, and shaping the international security order in line with American principles and interests." Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). I'm old enough to remember a video of a New York Times reporter who let slip that she'd been instructed never to say the president of the United States had lied, even if he (George W. Bush) was just blatantly lying. Not that she objected to the policy. It made perfect sense to her. Now I can't find that video because the internet is so weighted down with accounts of Trump and Biden lying. But I was quite pleasantly surprised when the only local daily here in Charlottesville, the Daily Progress, printed a straightforward report on the president of the University of Virginia recently lying about police violence against students protesting genocide. I was less excited about the following chart from the local weekly, the Cville Weekly. It's "UVA SAID" versus "PROTESTERS SAID." But three of the eight disagreements are actually between what "UVA" said and the evidence on video recordings. Two are disagreements between what "UVA" said and the evidence of every eyewitness, photograph, and video in existence. The headings should have been "UVA SAID" and "EVIDENCE SHOWS." Of the remaining three items in the list, one involves "UVA" claiming that students didn't want to talk. This is supposedly in contrast to a students' claim that there was no point in talking when no substantive actions result. And yet, in one of the other two items we see the documentable claim that students attempted multiple times to contact those in charge of UVA throughout the morning and afternoon of May 4. This information is provided opposite the central absurdity at the top of the "UVA SAID" column, namely: "The decision to end the encampment was made for the safety of the community." Nothing has ever been found or shown or even alleged that endangered the safety of the community. Many of us in the community feel less safe knowing that armed thugs can attack nonviolent protesters, tell nonsensical lies about it, and achieve this sort of he-said/she-said "news" reporting. The final item in the list is about the tents and whether UVA had a policy against them. It did. But there was an exception. But it changed the rules at the last minute to undo the exception. But students knew they were being threatened because they had tents and chose to keep the tents. But faculty didn't just mention that other students had other tents in another part of campus who weren't protesting genocide, and nobody cared about those tents -- this was also TRUE. You can look at photos of the tents on that day. And why the hell are "public servants" attacking and arresting students for having TENTS? The claim, not mentioned here, has been that having tents might make it harder to attack the students. But you can't just attack people because they have something that might make it harder to attack them! That would be like producing horrible journalism because a trend toward truth-telling might make it harder to produce horrible journalism. Dear Nety: If you want more military aid We will ask you to answer two questions correctly: One, Who is the biggest, most macho power in world? (Make that the universe.) And two, How many legs does a dog have? If you guess right we will keep Being your chump, your gull, your soft touch, your sucker, Starting with a billion dollars. Just promise us one thing: That you will consider ending your siege Of Gaza sometime in the foreseeable future. Signed: Biden PS Love you As the third year of the Russo-Ukraine War continues, Ukraine is increasingly imperiled. Shoved off the front pages by the crises in the Middle East, there is mounting opposition in the United States to extending further aid to Ukraine. Its valiant resistance against a seemingly far more powerful fascist invader has been tainted by shake-ups in its military general staff, corruption scandals, criticisms of its battlefield strategy, and a 2023 counter-offensive that did not dislodge Russia from the territories it conquered. Even worse, Russia has launched a Northern offensive that has overrun numerous villages, caused 17,000 citizens of Vovchansk to flee, leaving 200-300 behind, and set its sights on Kharkov. In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of buildings have been destroyed, Ukraine's infrastructure is in tatters, public services are in disarray, its economy is a wreck, and the United Nations fears that 90% of its citizens could "freefall into poverty". American officials put the number of Ukraine's war casualties as somewhere between 120,000-131,000 with 31,000 dead, 3.7 people are internally displaced, and 14.6 million require humanitarian assistance. Young men are fleeing the country, and Ukraine is short of recruits. Convicts have been conscripted into the military and the draft age has been lowered from 27 to 25. The situation is likely to get worse before it gets better. Morale is sinking and Russia has publicly expressed its readiness for a war of attrition. Ukraine might not survive the year without American aid. Extremists within the Republican Party are adamant in their opposition to aid and a significant minority of Democrats have little sympathy with Ukraine's plight. Right-wing extremists have inherited the xenophobic isolationism of the quasi-fascist "America First Movement" of the 1930s while the far Left believes that Russia's invasion was an understandable response to NATO's imperialist aims and Ukraine's Western leanings. Imbued with a pacifist spirit, and skeptical about the United States' geo-political ambitions, their views converge with those of reactionaries who insist that the nation cut its losses and stop throwing good money after bad. In the New York Times (April 13, 2024), Senator J.D. Vance (R-OHIO) insisted that the United States can supply only a fraction of Ukraine's needs for ammunition, artillery, aerial bombs, drones, missies, and interceptors (The New York Times April 13, 2024). If President Joe Biden's critics are correct, indeed, the impact of his $60 billion aid-package will prove minimal. Moreover, should he win the election of 2024, ex-President Donald Trump has already made it known that he will not "give a penny" to Ukraine. Its future is bleak and the United States might be facing the prospect of providing long-term financing for an ally doomed to inevitable defeat. However, such pessimism is somewhat exaggerated. Ukraine is now bombing sites within Russia and, despite the fear of escalation by its allies, this will surely continue. Much of the military hardware promised Ukraine has not yet arrived and it may yet get the F-16 fighter jets for which it has pleaded. Furthermore, the United States is not alone in keeping Ukraine's hopes alive. NATO has contributed $100 billion in 2023, another $100 billion will be sent over the next five years, while a consortium of investors is set to invest $15 billion to rebuild Ukraine after the war has ended. Russia's military badly mismanaged the war resulting in about 400,000 Russian casualties and, between January and April 2024, the death of 85,000 soldiers. For all the bluster, indeed, trench warfare is draining Russia's finances and resources. The number of active soldiers has risen by 13% and the government is still drafting convicts. The Russian army has failed to capture Kyiv or the Donbass, and Ukraine still enjoys control over most of its territory. Russia also received a serious geo-political blow with Finland and Sweden's decision to join NATO. In spite of its resilient economy, defense spending has skyrocketed, and enough analysts suggest that Russia can only sustain its war effort for another few years. Russia has more resources, personnel, and especially air power than Ukraine. Nevertheless, military strategy maintains that the invader must have at least a 3:1 advantage to overcome the defender at any given point of attack. Neither Russia nor Ukraine is a safe bet to "win" this war and, most likely, it will not be won on the battlefield at all; indeed, both antagonists would benefit from a cease-fire. However, President Vladimir Putin has visions of recreating the Russia Empire and basing it in his quasi-fascist state. Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has left himself little room to negotiate. He has also been heavy-handed in dealing with the rights of minorities and dissidents, and pushed elections into the future. However, Ukraine is clearly the aggrieved party. Its territory has been invaded; its sovereignty has been shattered; its citizens have suffered indiscriminate bombing and mass atrocities. To believe that either government's interests are in line with those of their citizens is naive. Both presidents have staked their reputations on victory, and both have been disingenuous when talking about peace. Before entering into talks, Putin demands that Ukraine demilitarize, accept the "independence" of Luhansk and Donetsk, "de-nazify", and recognize Russian rights to Crimea and the territories that it has already seized. As for Zelensky, he will not enter into negotiations unless Russian forces first leave Ukraine, accept restoration of its borders including control over Crimea, guarantee justice and reparations for victims of Russian war crimes, and provide a set of security guarantees. Neither side is showing good faith; indeed, both insist that their war aims be met prior to any dialogue, which would naturally make negotiations superfluous. The future looks bleak, but there are a few dim signs of hope. Exchanges of prisoners have taken place, the Black Sea Grain Initiative has enabled Ukraine to export food and fertilizers, and back-channel discussions are continuing, Without some degree of good will on both sides, however, the current stalemate will continue and each side will go on celebrating its pyrrhic victories and lying about its defeats. America's national interest is served neither by providing ongoing and unconditional aid any more than by abruptly cutting it off. Support for Ukraine must be conditional on the steps it takes toward peace. This means that riders should accompany each aid package because negotiations cannot wait until de-escalation and troop withdrawals take place. The United States should also make clear that no settlement is possible without recognizing certain claims on both sides, providing both governments with an "exit strategy," and dealing with their security concerns. Ukraine will probably need to withdraw its application to join NATO and, in exchange, receive accelerated access to join the European Union. It will also probably need to cede Crimea, which is over 80% Russian anyway, compromise on the Donbass, and maintain humanitarian corridors. Russia requires access to warm water ports but, more immediately, sanctions should be lifted in accordance with the measures taken by its leadership to de-escalate the conflict. Finally, international commission are surely required to monitor the peace, investigate human rights violations, create an international bank to secure investments, and manage a new Marshall Plan to rebuild Ukraine. Peace hangs in the balance. Neither Ukraine nor Russia can afford many more mistakes. Russia's hopes for a quick victory have vanished. It underestimated Ukraine's resilience and the resolve of that besieged nation's allies. By contrast, Ukraine overestimated the likelihood of Russia's economic collapse, its willingness to sacrifice its seemingly limitless manpower, and the legitimation crisis that the war would produce. Neither government seems ready to compromise and, under these circumstances, civil society in the two nations might start a dialogue. New proposals are necessary to pressure stubborn dealmakers and raise the level of public awareness and debate. Indeed, the intransigence that exists at the moment is surely not in the interest of anyone. *** Stephen Eric Bronner is Co-Director of the International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue and Board of Governors Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Rutgers University. A former head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at Facebook and Nike was sentenced to five years in prison this week for a brazen fraud scheme she ran while working at the companies. Barbara Furlow-Smiles pleaded guilty in December to stealing more than $5 million from the two massive companies, though the vast majority was taken during her time working for Facebook from 2017 to 2021. She used the stolen cash to fund a luxury lifestyle, prosecutors said. I blew it big time, Furlow-Smiles admitted in a letter to the judge in her case. Furlow-Smiles said she had a lifetime commitment to being a voice for disenfranchised people, but acknowledged that her actions added fuel to the fire of disengagement and attack of DEI efforts. Exploiting her access to company credit cards at Facebook, which is now called Meta, Furlow-Smiles would pay people for services they did not do for the company, then have those people kick back the money to her. She brought dozens of people into her scheme, prosecutors said, including relatives, former interns from a prior job, nannies, a hair stylist, and her university tutor. Sometimes, Furlow-Smiles had Facebook directly pay third parties for personal goods or services, including $10,000 for specialty portraits and $18,000 for her childs preschool tuition. She would then submit false reports about the work the people had done for the company. She stole about $4.9 million from Facebook as part of the scheme, prosecutors said. After Furlow-Smiles was terminated from Facebook, she continued a similar scheme at Nike, where she worked from 2021 to 2023. At Nike, Furlow-Smiles stole more than $100,000. Furlow-Smiles attorney, Phillip Hamilton, had asked the court not to put her behind bars. In a sentencing memorandum, Hamilton argued that his client got caught up in Facebooks move fast and break things culture and that she was far from the only person who exploited the companys expenses for their own benefits. Barbara ... quickly learned that coworkers were friends with vendors and relied on these vendors to do certain things, which included providing kickbacks for referring Facebook business to them. It was the norm, Hamilton alleged in the memorandum. The number of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion positions like the ones held by Furlow-Smiles skyrocketed in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, when many companies were forced to reckon with racial hiring disparities or issues within the workplace. But by the time Furlow-Smiles was arrested in December, the positions were falling out of favor. DEI initiatives became a frequent target of Republican politicians, and when layoffs hit the tech sector, the positions were often among those that were first slashed. -- Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. 2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. State and federal authorities are asking for the publics assistance in their investigation of an unlawful poisoning of wildlife in Wallowa County, the Oregon State Police said in a statement. Three gray wolves, two golden eagles, a mountain lion and a coyote were poisoned in an Imnaha River drainage area in northeast Oregon in February before officials discovered the poison and removed it, the state police said. Jesse Lee Calhoun, identified last year as a person of interest in a series of suspicious deaths of women in Oregon, has been indicted in three of the killings as detectives continue to investigate two other mysterious deaths, authorities said Friday. The announcement capped more than a year of fear and speculation about the possibility of a serial killer preying on women in and around the Portland metro area as police discovered the bodies of women left in remote areas over a three-month span. Acknowledging the agonizing wait for charges to be filed, Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey ODonnell thanked the public for its patience and recognized the grief of the families of the women who went missing. Their deaths have caused fear and anxiety across our area, Morrisey ODonnell said at a joint news conference with the district attorney, Portland police chief and detectives and prosecutors handling the case. And for the families who have been waiting for answers, we want our community to know that all of us in public safety have been working tirelessly to achieve this result. A Multnomah County grand jury on Thursday returned a six-count indictment against Calhoun, 39, charging him with three counts each of second-degree murder and second-degree abuse of a corpse in the deaths of Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Leanne Webster, 31, and JoAnna Speaks, 32. Police and prosecutors said they continue to investigate the deaths of two other women Ashley Real, 22, and Kristin Smith, also 22, and that Calhoun may face additional charges. Police and prosecutors didnt answer questions about how their investigation linked Calhoun to the crimes or how he knew the women. Calhouns ex-girlfriend previously linked the prolific burglar and car thief to Webster. The ex-girlfriend described seeing a video on Calhouns cellphone that showed Webster without a shirt and a needle in her hand while in a car, saying she had just quit shooting up. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said he met with the womens families earlier in the morning. He noted the deep pain and the grief theyve shouldered the past year. This community holds you in our hearts and is here to support you, he said. Theres still more work to be done. Investigations are ongoing. County sheriffs detectives worked with Portland police detectives, Clackamas County sheriffs deputies, other law enforcement agencies and investigators in the district attorneys office on the case. Family and friends of the women attended the news conference, wearing shirts bearing photos of their loved ones. The back read: WE DEMAND JUSTICE. Theyve clamored for answers in the womens deaths. CoLene Vargas, the mother of JoAnna Speaks, described her past year as hell. She said she has questions still and didnt get many of them answered during the news conference. She said she just feels empty. Suspicion regarding Calhoun surfaced after The Oregonian/OregonLive began reporting on the string of dead women, which authorities initially denied were connected. But county prosecutors said last summer that they had identified a person of interest in some of the deaths, without naming Calhoun. Sources familiar with the investigation identified Calhoun as that man. Police and prosecutors said repeatedly that the investigation was complex and that they devoted considerable time and resources to it. Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero dismissed suggestions that the indictment was in any way an attempt to influence Tuesdays election for district attorney. Incumbent Schmidt faces one of his prosecutors, Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, in a divisive race. Marrero said police and prosecutors last year scheduled a grand jury to hear the case in May, aware that Calhoun was set to be released from prison next month. We knew that we would need to move forward by that time, she said. The election had nothing to do with why we chose to do it at the time we did or the speed at which the investigation went forward, she said. The collection and development of the evidence is what controlled that completely. 17 1 / 17 Jesse Lee Calhoun indicted in 3 killings Calhoun is being held at the Snake River Correctional Institute in Ontario, where hes been serving the second half of a four-year sentence in a burglary and car theft case dating back to 2019. His punishment was cut short in 2021, when then-Gov. Kate Brown commuted his and 40 other prisoners sentences as thanks for serving as volunteer firefighters. Brown made expansive use of her pardon powers, freeing more than 1,000 people during her administration. Calhouns early release was conditional and subject to revocation if he violated his release terms. Yet its unclear how closely authorities monitored Calhoun. While a county spokesperson said Calhoun reported to his probation officer as required, Real, who later died, told Portland police he attacked and strangled her in November 2022. The alleged attack was never referred to the district attorneys office for prosecution, and Calhoun hasnt been charged in Reals death. Calhouns ex-girlfriend also said that Calhoun had at one time a sexual relationship with Real. It wasnt until July 3, 2023, that Schmidt requested Gov. Tina Kotek rescind Calhouns commutation, citing unspecified criminal conduct. The governor revoked his early release later that day. A Clackamas County SWAT team caught up with Calhoun during a traffic stop on July 6 at a Milwaukie gas station, according to Calhouns ex-girlfriend, Krista Sinor. Calhoun jumped into the Willamette River to evade capture, according to Sinor and police, but eventually returned to shore and was arrested. Hes been held in near isolation in prison since and will remain behind bars once he is transferred to the Multnomah County Detention Center to face charges here, prosecutors said. The new indictment against Calhoun was not filed in court as of Friday afternoon. Portland Police Chief Bob Day said that while the announcement of the indictment was gratifying, it remained a very somber day for the families who have lost their loved ones. Although we cannot bring them back, we will do our very best to find justice and resolution in this process, Day said. The women named in the indictment were in vulnerable circumstances as they struggled to survive on the streets or while grappling with the effects of addiction, their families previously told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Speaks was found dead of blunt force trauma to the head and neck April 8, 2023, in a derelict barn east of the Interstate 5 interchange in Ridgefield, about 20 miles into Washington state. Homicide detectives believe she was killed in Portland and was later moved across state lines. Perry, who suffered from schizophrenia and was last seen alive near a notorious open-air drug market in downtown Portland, was found April 24, 2023, in a culvert near Ainsworth State Park. Her mother, Diana Allen, previously told The Oregonian/OregonLive her daughters body had likely been left in the drainage ditch for two weeks before being discovered. Websters body was found next, on April 30, 2023, on Harmony Road near Mill Creek in northwest Polk County, though she was known to frequent the Portland area and last lived in Clackamas County. Authorities havent released a cause of death for either Perry or Webster. Perrys mother, Diana Allen, and Melissa Smith, whose daughter Kristin Smiths death remains unsolved, stood to speak at the news conference. Kristin Smith, of Gresham, was reported missing on Dec. 22, 2022, and her body was found in a wooded area in Southeast Portlands Pleasant Valley neighborhood in Feb. 19, 2023. Portland police identified Kristin Smith, 22, of Gresham as one of the women found dead.Portland Police Bureau Allen said not having answers has been very frustrating but she praised the detectives dedication to the investigation. Just because not all of these girls have charges that have been brought up yet, that does not mean were not still standing beside them. Were still together, Allen said. Melissa Smith said she hopes a resolution will come in the future for her family and Reals family. Real disappeared from Southeast Portland on March 27, 2023, and was found dead in a heavily wooded area in the Eagle Creek area on May 7, 2023. Ashley RealPortland Police Bureau Weve done a lot of investigating all year, Melissa Smith said. We just keep going. We keep waiting. We keep praying. ... We stay hopeful that we soon can get justice for them as well. Last year, the specter of a suspected serial killer given a second chance by state leaders unleashed fierce criticism and finger-pointing among law enforcement leaders. Schmidt previously said he was given only a week to review the 14 commutations, including Calhouns, that were submitted by the governors office. A spokesperson for Schmidt said he ended up not having time to review the commutation request, though prosecutors in Washington, Clackamas and Marion counties did object to the majority of Browns proposed commutations. Regardless, Brown signed off on Calhouns early release in July 2021 about a year before his sentence on burglary, stolen car and assaulting a public safety officer convictions was up. The first of the missing women was found dead about 18 months later. Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane. Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, mbernstein@oregonian.com, follow her on X @maxoregonian, or on LinkedIn. Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe. Its been an eventful week for Northwest-based players on Jeopardy!, with Vancouvers Yogesh Raut making it to the semifinals in the primetime Jeopardy Masters tournament on ABC, and two Portland-area contestants trying their luck on the syndicated weeknight series. Monday night, a Portland elections worker named Michael Richter didnt win his Jeopardy! game, but on Thursday night, another local competitor, Chen Yan, a surgeon from Happy Valley, entered the fray. Yan played well, but he faced tough competition from the returning champ, Grant DeYoung, a grocery clerk from Prescott, Arizona. The third player was Elizabeth Brzozowski, a social studies teacher from Fishkill, New York. When it was time for Final Jeopardy, DeYoung had amassed a big lead, with $20,800. Yan was second, with $9,600. Brzozowski was third, with $2,400. The Final Jeopardy category was The Early 20th Century. The clue: Before entering history, this man visited the grave of Bogdan Zerajic, who had died just a few years earlier. Brzozowski guessed, Who is Archduke Franz Ferdinand? Youre on the right track, said host Ken Jennings, But Im afraid thats incorrect. Brzozowski wagered everything, leaving her with zero. Yan guessed, Who is Sirhan Sirhan? which was also incorrect, and on his answer card he included a greeting,:Hi, baby Oliver! Yan wagered zero, leaving him with $9,600. DeYoung had the correct answer, with Princip, referring to Gavrilo Princip, whose assassination of Franz Ferdinand helped start World War I. DeYoung also wagered zero, leaving him with a total of $20,800, and the win. Yan took $3,000 for finishing second, and Brzozowski took $2,000 for her third-place finish. Kristi Turnquist covers features and entertainment. Reach her at 503-221-8227, kturnquist@oregonian.com or @Kristiturnquist Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe What has already been a competitive Jeopardy Masters tournament is heating up even more, with the semifinals that begin tonight, Friday, May 17. The six high-ranking Jeopardy! veterans who began the tournament have now been whittled down to four. No cable or satellite? You can watch Jeopardy Masters tonight with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial) The quartet of masters who have made it to the semifinals are Victoria Groce, a writer and television personality from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Vancouvers Yogesh Raut, a cognitive and behavioral scientist; James Holzhauer, the Las Vegas-based, self-described Final Boss of Jeopardy!; and Amy Schneider, a writer from Oakland, California. As has been the format so far, two games, featuring three players, are scheduled for tonights hour-long episode. But with four, instead of six, players, that means some players will be competing in both games. We'll let the numbers do the talking before the Semifinals tonight at 8pm on ABC. pic.twitter.com/PJyzA9qfyW Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) May 17, 2024 For example, the first game in tonights episode will feature Groce, Raut and Holzhauer. The second game will feature Raut and Groce again, and Schneider as the third contestant. The Jeopardy Masters leaderboard at this point shows Groce at the top, followed by Raut, Holzhauer, and Schneider. Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio have been eliminated from the tournament. 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 continues 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 Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe In the quiet expanse of the Hopi Reservation in northeast Arizona, amid the mesas and canyons that stretch across the arid landscape, artist Mikaela Shafer breathes life into her work. Within the atmosphere of her ancestral lands, Shafer delves into her heritage Hopi, Coyote Clan and connects with her past, combining elements from nature into creations of her own. Against this backdrop of culture and connection, Shafer has shaped her exhibition, Matrilineal Memory, featured through June 6 at the Center for Native Arts and Cultures in Portland. In the space, Shafers mixed-media pieces line the walls and fill the room. Chiffon-printed images, canvases and installations merge under the familiar style that Shafer has created. The immersive showcase invites viewers to explore their own history and trauma so they can heal properly. Incorporating her grief, processing and healing over her turbulent upbringing and the death of her 9-day-old daughter 17 years ago, Shafer confronts her memories in a cathartic and artistic display. The center installation of Mikaela Shafer's exhibition, "Memory is Ephemeral," explored memory's vivd and fragile nature. Photo by Robert Franklin courtesy of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation.Robert Franklin Its a very emotional exhibition, Shafer said. I encourage people to bring a friend. Around half of Shafers paintings for her most recent exhibit were created in and around the house where her mother lives in Bacavi, a village on the Hopi Reservation. Sitting on the mesa, surrounded by the desert landscape, she was inspired by her ancestors and connection to the land. Ive always been hidden in my studio creating art, Shafer said. There always felt like there was this kind of disconnection between the story I was trying to tell with these landscapes and where I was actually creating the art. When she returned to her home in Olympia, Washington, Shafer continued to work outdoors, hauling her generator and sewing machine to the forests and beaches of the Pacific Northwest. Working on her art pieces outdoors, Mikaela Shafer finds inspiration in nature.Daniel Overstreet. I thought it was this really beautiful way to connect the homeland to where my home is now, Shafer said. Weaving the desert into the ocean. Shafers art is a fusion of painting, sewing, layering, and collagraph. Materials collected on the Hopi Reservation, such as coal and corn husks, are a part of her creations. The elements combine on the canvas to tell a story, with the help of Shafers poems. We grew up pretty poor, so I couldnt afford art supplies and I had to really piece together what I could find, Shafer said. I think a lot of that has really informed my art today where its very mixed-media based. The focal point of Shafers gallery comprises 6-by-6 inch canvases portraying dreamlike landscapes using a blend of watercolor, gauze, canvas, thread, and paper in mixed media. Additionally, larger images printed on chiffon are suspended from the ceiling, magnified to see detail. Installations of tumbleweeds and an antique bed frame fill the remaining space of the exhibit. The bed explores the space of dreams and subconsciousness, where memory resides. Shafers self portraits float above the bed on chiffon fabric, symbolizing the way memories flicker in our minds. The tumbleweeds, from Eastern Oregon, represent how memories can be destructive and beautiful. During the May 10 opening reception, attendees were welcomed to immerse themselves in her exhibition while also savoring a taste of her Hopi culture in a home-cooked meal.Mario Gallucci Epiphany Couch, a Puyallup and Yakama artist, helped Shafer set up the exhibit, expressing her thoughts on the themes she utilizes. Her work is very dreamlike, Couch said. Dreams are a place where your ancestors share knowledge. And so its really gracious of her, in this exhibition, to share so much of that with the viewers. Couch said that Shafers work is very vulnerable and open to individuals of all backgrounds. Whats really special about her project is that it really marries current and modern takes on matriarchy to her Hopi heritage, said Mandy Yeahpau, director of marketing and communications at the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. She brings in that heritage with the tumbleweeds and the look and feel of her home and puts that together with her poetry which is really reflective of the experience of being a mother. As a mother to 16 and 11-year-old daughters, Shafer is drawn to the theme of matriarchy in her work. Hopi culture is matrilineal, meaning stories, goods and clan membership descend through women. This project for me, is a way of healing myself in order to have a better connection with my mother, Shafer said. To help her heal her connections with other matriarchs and in order for me to be able to tell stories to my daughters that are not just about survival and struggle, theyre more about strength and resilience. Growing up, Shafer moved around a lot due to her fathers military service. After her parents divorced, her mother moved back to the Hopi Reservation when Shafer was 15. According to Shafer, healing their relationship and seeing her mother as her own full person has been a large part of her work. While her parents didnt have a lot of money, they always made the effort to support her art, says Shafer. Without their encouragement, she wouldnt have been able to create. Although Shafer didnt grow up on the Hopi Reservation, she spent time there. She was able to visit her mother for a longer period of time with the help of a grant provided by the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. She received the LIFT award in 2023, which supports early career Native artists with $10,000 grants. Over the course of a year, awardees are given the freedom to pursue a creative project. Shafer used some of the money to visit the Hopi Reservation and buy supplies for the exhibition. Working with found materials, Mikaela Shafer combined watercolor, gauze, canvas, thread and paper to create many of her pieces. Photo by Robert Franklin courtesy of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation.Robert Franklin I think getting that award really inspired me to keep going because at that point I was like I dont know if its even worth it to pursue art, Shafer said. So getting that award really was affirming and inspiring to me. Matrilineal Memory is Shafers first curated exhibition. She said the process has been an incredible learning experience that has opened doors to more artistic opportunities. Shafer was recently accepted as a vendor at the prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market in August and will be selling prints of her work. At the culmination of her yearlong project, Shafers exhibition will be on display select dates this month, ending with an artist talk and community tour of the building on June 6. Shafers artist talk will include a walkthrough of the exhibition and a Q&A. Register for the artist talk and tour here. The remaining dates and times for the exhibition are as follows: 5-7 p.m. Friday, May 24 12-4 p.m. Saturday, May 25 5-7 p.m. Friday, May 31 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 6 All of Shafers work in Matrilineal Memory is for sale and can be picked up after the exhibition ends June 7. Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327; cprofenna@oregonian.com or @chiara_profenna The Oregonian/OregonLive receives support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to bring readers stories on religion, faith and cultural connections in Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive is solely responsible for all content. Post offices in at least two Oregon counties created minor delays in getting ballots to county elections offices, but the situation has been resolved and will not cause any major problems in the May 21 primary election, Oregons elections director said. The delays were caused by confusion over who is responsible for counting ballots to calculate the amount of money that the state owes the U.S. Postal Service for postage. Under an Oregon law passed in 2019, voters are not required to put stamps on their ballots. For people with kids, a spontaneous night out is a distant dream. First, you have to find a babysitter. Then a place to go. Then money for both the babysitter and the place. And finally, you need the energy to get there and back and maybe drive the babysitter home. But, for people in the Portland area, theres another option: Ilani, the Cowlitz casino and resort a mere half-hour drive from Portland (OK, depending on where you live). And not just for the adults in the family. You can take everyone to ilani for a little out-of-town adventure and maybe even go on a date with your spouse while youre at it. First, a brief history of the casino. When Ilani, owned by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, opened in 2017, it brought a casino within 20 miles of Portland. At the time, the casino was run in partnership with the Connecticut-based Mohegan Tribe, a group with experience running its own casino which also has management contracts around the globe. The Mohegan Tribe oversees operations of the highly profitable ilani. The Cowlitz Tribe announced last spring that it would end its relationship with the Mohegan Tribe at the end of its seven-year contract in June 2024. The Cowlitz Tribe will save the 24% cut of the ilani net revenue that it had agreed to pay to the Mohegan. But it will have to manage the casino itself. On a recent weeknight, my husband and I took our daughter for a quick night out at the casino and it appeared to be running just fine. What felt a little strange was bringing a kid to a casino. Can you take a child to a place with gambling? Should you? What kind of parents do such a thing? But, ilani has a year-old hotel with a pool, which alone was enough to pique our interest. And, they have something else. Something almost unbelievable, so rare as to be a windfall before we even put a dollar in a slot machine: affordable, on-site childcare. After school, we headed over the river to Washington. The casino and resort are in Ridgefield, not too far past the RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater. With a bit of traffic, it took us about 40 minutes to get to ilani. We checked in quickly and headed to our room. Rooms at ilani start at about $219 midweek. Expect to pay substantially more on the weekends or if theres a show at the amphitheater. Our room came with two soft, clean queen beds and one of the biggest TVs weve ever seen in a hotel room, plus slippers the woman who checked us in encouraged us to take home. Its a new hotel and you can feel it. The floors are clean, the art is fresh and especially on a weekday, it was remarkably quiet. After dropping our bags, we headed down to the casino area. No one under 21 is allowed on the gaming floor at ilani, even if kids will be tempted to cross onto the carpet once they see the enticing slot machines with dancing piggy banks and other cute animated characters. But, keep them out, for real, its very illegal. Instead, take them directly to Kids Quest, which is in the back of the arcade called Cyber Quest. Kids Quest at ilani in Ridgefield.Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian Kids Quest is a drop-off childcare center with a massive slide, a top-shelf play kitchen and Elsa dresses for dress-up. There are iPads too, and video games, and a lot of other things. For $15 an hour, you can let your kid play in a safe, supervised environment with other kids between 2-and-a-half and 12 years old. The center is open noon to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, noon to 1 a.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday. We left it up to our 4-and-a-half-year-old, Nona, if she wanted to try it out and she was an almost immediate yes. They have a food menu and you get to pick what you want your kid to have access to and how much they can spend. For the novelty of it, I left our daughter with an open tab, and directions to eat dinner before a treat. She opted for macaroni and cheese and Oreo cookies, and was very happy with her choices. The great thing about Kids Quest is that its enclosed so kids cant wander away, but open so you can come in and spy on your children, which we did many times over the two-plus hours she was there. Several times we also let her know we were there and asked if she wanted to stay. The answer was always, Yes! While leaving your child alone in a childcare center with strangers might sound wild, weve done it before with great results. She is a fan of the Ikea play area and on a recent vacation in Mexico, she became a regular at the hotels kids club. The fact that the people who were working there were friendly and told me employees leave their kids at Kids Quest too made me feel pretty solid about the decision, beyond the standard I am a terrible mom abandoning her child feeling I get any time I leave my child with someone who isnt her dad or me. While Nona made friends in the Kids Quest, we stifled our parental anxiety by losing money in those bright and encouraging slot machines. After we each put in about $20, half our limit, we went to find dinner. Drinks at ilani in Ridgefield.Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian Ilani has around 15 restaurants, though not every single one is open all the time. We wanted to keep it reasonable and quick, so we opted for Longhouse, a sushi and noodle spot that is close to Kids Quest. We ordered some sweet cocktails mine was called High Class Affair and included huckleberry vodka, melon liqueur, lychee liqueur, berry puree and simple syrup. It was basically dessert in a glass. Longhouse was busy, even on a weeknight, so our sushi took a while to come. When it did come, it was serviceable. Not the best sushi weve ever had and not nearly the worst. But the fact that we could eat it without worrying about what our child was eating or doing elevated the sushi by at least two levels. Sushi at ilani in Ridgefield.Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian After dinner, and one last try at the slots, we picked up Nona, who gave Kids Quest rave reviews, did a quick outfit change in our room and headed to the pool. The pool is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., longer for adults Thursday through Sunday. It has a bar, a hot tub and a large door that opens to an outside lounging area, plus plenty of loungers inside. Pool at ilani in Ridgefield.Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian While this might not be a Las Vegas pool experience, it was clean, with a shower and plenty of towels and it was perfect for kids. Nona paddled around in her life jacket until long after we told her it was time to get out and get ready for bed. The next morning, we woke up with the sun, as usual. Inside the casino, of course, the sun never sets. And while Nona and I wandered around, availing ourselves of the endless free soda (we got soda water), we were in good company, with plenty of either early risers or late-to-bed types gambling at the machines and at the tables. One of the things that makes ilani a fine place to take a kid is that there is no smoking indoors. The lack of cigarette smoke also makes it kind of fun to walk around and people-watch. After a croissant-based breakfast from the hotel lobbys cafe, Nona and I waited for the pool to open again while watching massive screens in the hall connecting the casino and the hotel. Breakfast at ilani in Ridgefield.Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian Another nice thing about ilani is the cultural elements throughout the hotel and casino the art, photos and screens tell the story of the Cowlitz people. The screens show beautiful outdoor scenes while giving information about the Cowlitzs history, along with soothing nature sounds. Woven baskets and other hand-made items are also on display there in glass cases. Ilani in Ridgefield.Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian Will we go back? Maybe! While gambling makes me feel a bit uneasy, the drop-in childcare situation was unmatched. And a couple hours in a pool followed by a night in a fluffy bed that someone else made? Any parent would jump at the chance. Jeff Manning contributed to this report. Lizzy Acker covers life and culture and writes the advice column Why Tho? Reach her at 503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com or @lizzzyacker Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com. A Texas man, Alek Isaiah Collins, is indicted of kidnapping a 10-month-old girl from a New Mexico park after badly firing her mom and another woman. Federal investigators reported that Collins had previously threatened to "start killing people and children." Texas Man Previously Threatened To Start Killing People and Children Collins had made two threatening calls to the FBI last year, resulting in a mental health assessment. As a result, he was restricted from buying a firearm in Texas, and an alert was set up to inform law enforcement if he attempted to purchase one. On May 6, Collins was arrested in Abilene, Texas, for the killings and kidnapping at Ned Houk Park near Clovis, New Mexico. On May 3, authorities discovered the bodies of Samantha Cisneros and Taryn Allen near a silver Dodge minivan at the park. Cisneros' 5-year-old daughter was found with a gunshot wound and taken to the hospital, while her 10-month-old daughter, Eleia Maria Torres, was missing, prompting an Amber Alert. Eleia was found safe with Collins in Abilene. Collins faces federal charges of interstate kidnapping and state liability of first-degree killing, child abuse, and kidnapping. Collins supposedly contacted the FBI in 2023, demanding assistance in finding his missing 5-year-old daughter and making threats. He was subjected to mental health assessments, and during interviews, he claimed he made threats to get help in finding his daughter. According to a federal complaint, Cisneros and Allen were shot numerous times, and it appeared Cisneros was struck by a vehicle. Investigators found a maroon vehicle's side-view mirror cover at the scene, linking it to a maroon Honda rented by Collins. GPS data and surveillance placed the car near the park before the killings and tracked it traveling rapidly from Clovis to Abilene post-shooting. Collins was eventually apprehended after attempting to flee in an Uber he hijacked at gunpoint. Authorities have not established a motive for the shootings and kidnapping and believe Collins was not related to the victims. Read Also: 3 Dead Including Pregnant Woman in Severe Storms Across the Southern Region Suspect Desperate in Search for Missing Child Investigators learned that Cisneros was the mother of the injured child and the missing infant. Multiple law enforcement agencies collaborated to identify Collins as a suspect within hours of the shooting using cell phone tower data, security videos, and witness statements. The GPS on Collins' rented vehicle led investigators to a home in Abilene, where they saw him leave the house carrying the baby and attempt to carjack a driver at gunpoint. Collins was quickly arrested, and the baby was rescued. Collins admitted to taking the child but denied shooting anyone. Investigators found no link between Collins and the victims. However, FBI agents discovered phone messages from October in which Collins threatened to kill people, including children, if the agency didn't help him find his missing child. A month earlier, Collins made a similar threat and was taken into custody in Brazoria County for a mental health evaluation, which concluded with a prohibition on purchasing firearms. It is unclear how he obtained the weapon found during his arrest. New Mexico's Ninth Judicial District officials plan to file a motion to extradite Collins from Texas. The principal of an elementary school in central Florida was arrested this week, and indicted of keeping a child in a room for 40 minutes, subjecting him to a chokehold, and hitting him with a charging cable. Florida Elementary School Principal Arrested for Child Abuse Dontay Akeem Prophet, aged 33 and previous principal of Destiny Leadership Academy in Ocala, was arrested on Saturday for accusations of aggravated child abuse and false confinement of a child under 13, according to statements from the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Following his arrest, Prophet was dissolved from his position at the private school. Prophet has pleaded not guilty, according to court records. A judge neglected a motion for pretrial confinement on Tuesday, setting bond at $50,000, per court records. As of Wednesday night, Prophet remained in detention, as determined by jail records. Despite Prophet's claim that he confined the child to prevent self-harm, investigators refute this assertion. According to reports from WESH, Prophet affirmed that he was indecisive to permit the boy to leave the classroom due to issues about self-inflicted harm. However, the sheriff's office spokesperson declared that Prophet's actions heightened physical abuse. Authorities asserted that security footage showed Prophet confining the child in the classroom for roughly 40 minutes, during which he supposedly slapped, choked, and attacked the child with a charging cable. An attorney representing Prophet did not answer quickly to a request for comment late Wednesday. Authorities did not issue the identity, condition, or age of the child, and the investigation into the cause of the circumstances is continuous. Video Showed School Principal Choking Student in the Classroom Surveillance footage reportedly captured Prophet taking a male student inside a classroom for more than 40 minutes, as stated by the Marion County Sheriff's Office. In the video, Prophet is seen gripping the student's arm, constraining him, and placing him in a chokehold. He also supposedly twisted the boy's ankle and slapped him in the face. Valerie Strong of the Marion County Sheriff's Office stated, "Dontay Prophet started touching the child and pushing on him, and it turned into where he started to physically abuse the child," as reported by WESH. Authorities confronted Prophet with the video evidence during his arrest, Click Orlando disclosed. Prophet claimed that the altercation was an effort to prevent the boy from harming himself, although investigators assert that the footage contradicts this claim. Prophet is currently being held without bail, according to Marion County records, and is scheduled to appear in court on June 11. Following Prophet's arrest, Destiny Leadership Academy terminated his employment, as reported by WESH. The school held a meeting with parents on Monday to address the incident. Dominique Hernandez, who was considering enrolling her brother at the academy, demanded answers, asking, "Why would he do that, what was the reasoning? What was going on in their heads to do something like that?" Due to the Florida prom dress code of a school, a teenager was denied entry to her prom due to wearing a suit, igniting a debate over dress codes and gender expression. 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 school's prom with her mother, Holly Savidge, and friends. However, upon arrival, Sophie was informed by Vice Principal Nissa Mitchell that her suit violated the school's formal dress code. Florida Teen Denied Prom Entry for Wearing a Suit Sophie and her mother were taken aback by the school's stance. Holly recounted the moment, stating, "I was so upset. I said, 'Sophie doesn't wear dresses. She doesn't like to wear dresses-it's just not her.' And the vice principal said, 'Well, unfortunately, those are the rules.'" Sophie was told she could only attend the prom if she went home and changed into a dress. This encounter left Sophie feeling nervous and shocked, as she had never expected her suit to be an issue. "I didn't think that it was going to be a problem," she said. Mason Classical Academy did not immediately respond to requests for comment but later issued a statement emphasizing its clear dress code guidelines for formal events. The statement reads that the dress codes are clearly presented and outlined to all students and parents. Aside from that, it turns out that the school have laid out that any student who shows up to an MCA dance and does not abide by the dress code will be given the chance to return to the dance in the proper attire. The school added, all students are treated equally at MCA and are welcome and encouraged to attend these voluntary events. According to the school's website, the dress code for formal occasions mandates that ladies must wear dresses and one piece attire only. A Challenging Year Holly and Sophie acknowledged that they were aware of the dress code but noted that Sophie had previously worn suits to other school events, including a Valentine's Day dance in February. Holly stated that the institution have never denied her before, but they were willing to take that risk because that's just who Sophie is. Holly added that she is very proud of her for taking that risk. Sophie had researched laws and court cases regarding dress codes prior to the event. She discovered a court decision, Peltier v. Charter Day School, where the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that dress codes requiring girls to wear skirts violated Title IX, the law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded schools. Although Sophie was prepared to argue her case, she was too shocked and nervous to speak up at the time. Holly mentioned that despite the incident, she does not plan to take legal action against the school but hopes the dress code will be revised. Furthermore, the Florida teen also shared that she plans to home-school Sophie for her senior year, a decision unrelated to the prom incident. This year has been particularly challenging for their family, as Sophie's father passed away last month, adding to their struggles. Community Support Since the incident gained local news attention, Sophie has received support from fellow students and the community. Two students approached her at school to thank her for speaking out and shared that they also wanted to wear suits to school events. Local fashion designer Peter Jean-Marie reached out after hearing her story and gifted Sophie five silk bow ties, teaching her how to tie an Eldredge knot. Sophie encouraged others in similar situations to stick up for what they believe in, adding, to keep on pushing through even if other people don't agree with how they want to express themselves. A mother overcomes addiction for 14 years and reunites with her second-born son in a heartfelt Walmart chance encounter. In 2004, Amanda Rector was grappling with addiction when she welcomed her second child, Hunter, into the world. Hunter was born with a dependency on opioids and was promptly placed under separate care due to his mother's circumstances. Prior to Hunter, Amanda had also lost custody of her eldest son, Jameson. Mother Overcomes Addiction for 14 Years Rector shared that during her pregnancy, she struggled with self-disgust due to her substance use. Upon Hunter's birth, she felt overwhelmed by his discomfort, leading her to emotionally shut down to avoid the pain. The nurse compassionately guided Rector and her baby into a dimly lit room with a rocking chair, encouraging her to take all the time she needed before departing. Alone with Hunter, Rector whispered apologies, expressing deep remorse for the situation. These suppressed emotions finally surfaced, marking a pivotal moment of emotional release for her. Four months later, Hunter found a permanent home through legal adoption within their community. Following this, Rector faced legal consequences for her involvement in an armed robbery and served two and a half years in prison. During her time there, she found solace in her faith, embraced recovery through 12-Step programs, and actively engaged in positive activities like choir participation. Anticipating her release, Rector reached out to Hunter's adoptive parents, reassuring them about her future church plans to avoid any discomfort. Despite her efforts, she never received a response from them. Occasionally, Rector caught glimpses of Hunter, reinforcing her desire for eventual reunification. After regaining custody of her son, Jameson, they encountered Hunter at a fundraising event, marking a hopeful connection in their journey toward reconciliation. Mother Reunites With Son in Walmart Chance Encounter Fourteen years later, during a visit to Walmart, Rector spotted her son Jameson, now 21, engaged in conversation with a teenage girl. This chance encounter led to a surprising revelation when the girl pointed out Jameson's brother down the aisle. The news that Hunter had been searching for his biological mother and had found her left Rector speechless. She was prepared for any reaction, even if it meant facing anger or harsh words from him. To her relief, their reunion was marked by a warm hug and genuine connection. Despite initial disbelief, Hunter expressed gratitude for what he saw as a divine intervention, attributing their meeting to their faith. Before parting ways, Rector and Hunter exchanged contact information and discussed plans to meet again. Overwhelmed with emotions, Rector couldn't hold back tears once they were out of sight. Their relationship has since blossomed, with Hunter regularly spending time with Rector, whom he admires for her transformation and dedication to helping others in their recovery journeys. Rector's journey of sobriety, coupled with her advocacy work as a certified peer support specialist and her engaging storytelling on platforms like TikTok, has earned her admiration and pride from Hunter, who sees their bond as a testament to second chances and personal growth. One of the Mexican farmworkers perished in Florida when a pickup truck sideswiped their bus had been in the U.S. for just 15 days, hoping to work and save money for his forthcoming marriage, his mom discloses. 19-Year-Old Bus Crash Victim Was Saving for Marriage and Home Nineteen-year-old Alfredo Tovar Sanchez had arrived in the U.S. through a temporary workers program. He never learned that his fiancee is two months pregnant, his mom, Maria Sanchez, shared in an interview with Telemundo News. "I don't know how I can go on without my son," she said crying at her home in Mexico. "I am overwhelmed with pain. I don't know how I can endure this." Sanchez explained that her son planned to spend two months in Florida harvesting melons to save money for building a house and getting married. Family and friends gathered at Sanchez's home in a poor region of central Mexico on Wednesday to mourn her son, who lived there with her, his five sisters, and his fiancee. Sanchez expressed concern that her son's 17-year-old fiancee would face many difficulties once the baby is born. "If the man responsible has been arrested, then I only ask for justice," Sanchez said. Eight of the 44 farmworkers on the bus died, and seven were hospitalized, with two in critical condition on Thursday, according to the Mexican consul in Orlando, Juan Sabines Guerrero. Sanchez was one of six deceased individuals identified by authorities. The others included Evarado Ventura Hernandez, 30; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Isaias Miranda Pascal, 21; Jose Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27; and Manuel Perez Rios, 46. Read Also : Florida Principal Arrested, Charged with Child Abuse for Hitting Student with Charging Cable Florida Bus Carrying Farmworkers Crashed The farmworkers were headed to harvest watermelons at a farm in Dunnellon, Florida when a pickup truck hit their bus at 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday. Similar to the rest of the farmworkers, Tovar Sanchez was in the United States under the H-2A temporary agricultural workers program, designed to aid U.S. farmers in filling temporary positions. With the H-2A visa, farmworkers can stay in the U.S. for up to a year but cannot bring family members with them. According to farmworker associations, the majority of workers engaged in the accident had no family members residing in Florida. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stated that a Mexican American farmer had hired the workers to labor on a watermelon farm. He stated that the Mexican consulates in Miami and Orlando were aiding the victims. The pickup truck driver, Bryan Maclean, 41, was arrested and entered a plea of not guilty on Wednesday for charges of driving under the influence-manslaughter. He had been involved in a crash three days earlier and had taken a mix of drugs hours before Tuesday's accident, as revealed in court. Karen Patricio, the central Florida organizer for the Farmworker Association of Florida, stated that her group is working to ensure the injured workers receive the necessary medical and mental health care. "This was a deeply tragic accident. For those unfamiliar with our health care system, this whole situation is overwhelming," Patricio said. "The conditions most of these workers already endure are terrible. Adding the accident's trauma on top of that is indescribable." A 10th-grade Massachusetts teen's death after participating in the viral social media spicy chip challenge has now been finally revealed. The teen, Harris Wolobah, has fatally died after consuming a significant amount of paqui chip, a Texas-based subsidiary of the Hershey Company. Wolobah passed away on September 1, 2023. The autopsy reveals that this challenge prompted the death due to the presence of an underlying congenital heart defect. Massachusetts Teen Dies After Spicy Chip Challenge Harris's passing was attributed to cardiopulmonary arrest, as revealed in the autopsy conducted by the Chief Office of the Medical Examiner. The examination also highlighted his existing conditions, including cardiomegaly, denoting an enlarged heart, and a congenital defect termed "myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending coronary artery." The tragic incident involving a Massachusetts teenager who reportedly consumed an extremely spicy tortilla chip has sparked widespread concern regarding the associated social media challenge. This concern has prompted retailers to withdraw the product from their shelves at the manufacturer's request. The spicy chip challenge involves participants eating the chip and then abstaining from consuming any other food or water for a period of time. On September 1, authorities responded to a call at Harris's residence, where he was found unresponsive and not breathing. He was subsequently taken to a hospital, but was pronounced dead shortly after. Following this, Paqui took swift action by removing the product from store shelves. Underlying Congenital Heart Defect A myocardial bridge is a condition where a segment of a major heart artery runs within the heart muscle rather than on its surface, according to Dr. James Udelson, chief of cardiology at Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Udelson explained that significant heart stimulation could lead to abnormal blood flow beyond the bridge, potentially causing a severe arrhythmia due to ischemia. He noted reports of capsaicin causing heart muscle ischemia due to acute toxicity. Dr. Syed Haider, a cardiologist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, added that large doses of capsaicin can increase heart contractions, putting extra pressure on the artery. Although the autopsy indicated that Harris' heart defect made him more susceptible to the chile pepper extract, Dr. Haider emphasized that even those without underlying risk factors could experience serious heart issues from large amounts of capsaicin. Both doctors spoke generally and were not involved in Harris' case. Elaine Driscoll, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, reported that the cause of Harris' death was determined on February 27, with the death certificate released on March 5 to the Worcester city clerk's office. Only the cause and manner of death were made public, as the full report is not part of the public record. The Paqui chip, which sold for about $10, came in a coffin-shaped box with a warning label indicating it was for adult consumption only and should be kept away from children. Harris' death prompted warnings from Massachusetts authorities and doctors, advising that consuming extremely spicy foods can lead to unintended health consequences. Poison control centers have cautioned that the high concentration of capsaicin in such products can cause allergic reactions, breathing difficulties, irregular heartbeats, and even heart attacks or strokes. New drugs for treating serious menopause symptoms, specifically hot flashes, are now available or in development. However, doctors report that insurance companies often deny to cover this treatment or need women to try other, probably less efficient medications first. This circumstance leaves many women who could perk from the new drugs dependent on their health insurance providers. What Are the New Menopause Drugs? Hormone replacement therapy is typically suggested during menopause, but it's not advisable for all females, such as those with breast cancer, because it contributes to hormones that can worsen their circumstances. Newer drugs, however, do not include hormones. Bayer currently declared that its nonhormonal drug, elinzanetant, essentially lessens the frequency and seriousness of hot flashes-sudden bursts of body heat that can happen at any time-among women in clinical trials. Elinzanetant works by targeting two brain receptors: NK-3, which manages body temperature, and NK-1, which also affects mood and sleep. Participants in the trial reported better sleep while on the drug. Bayer plans to submit its data to the FDA this year. If approved, it would be the second nonhormonal drug for hot flashes. Last year, the FDA approved the Astellas drug fezolinetant, marketed as Veozah, which targets the NK-3 receptor. Research has shown it can reduce hot flashes for nearly six months. More Women Are Speaking Openly About Menopause Celebrities are starting to talk openly about menopause, a condition influencing about half the population that was once considered taboo. Currently, actor Halle Berry shouted, "I'm in menopause!" at a media event on Capitol Hill to support a congressional bill aimed at promoting menopause care. "Menopause is having a moment," said Dr. Rajita Patil, director of the Comprehensive Menopause Care Program at UCLA Health. "But it should have happened much earlier. Menopause isn't a new condition." Despite this increased attention, some insurance companies still hesitate to cover newer menopause treatments. For instance, Kaiser Permanente requires women to try at least two other non-FDA-approved drugs for hot flashes before switching to Veozah, which can cost over $550 for a month's supply. These alternatives might include the pain treatment gabapentin or the antidepressant Effexor used off-label. Read Also : Biden to Sign Executive Order Promoting Research in Women's Health "Women are being asked to try medications that are not specifically FDA-approved for managing hot flashes before they can access a drug that is FDA-approved for this purpose," said Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of the North American Menopause Society and director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women's Health. "It's frustrating." Pinkerton added, "Most providers feel limited in their ability to choose the best medication for their patients." Bayer has not disclosed the price of elinzanetant yet, but it could be as expensive as or more than Veozah, analysts suggest. Cindy Laughery, 60, a pediatric organ transplant nurse at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, began experiencing hot flashes and trouble sleeping-typical menopause symptoms-about six years ago. "I would turn red and sweat profusely," Laughery said. "People would stop me and ask if I was okay." She encountered these hot flashes 10 to 15 times a day and had challenges falling asleep at night. She enrolled in Bayer's elinzanetant trial. "It was a "life changer," Laughery said. Her hot flashes became rare and milder when they did occur. "It was a revelation," she said. "Suddenly, I felt great in the mornings." Although Laughery didn't encounter any negative side effects, Pinkerton noted that some participants in the research reported fatigue, headaches, and muscle aches. What to do if Medication Isn't Covered by Insurance? Salganicoff from KFF offers these tips: California lawmakers reject bills intended to ban anti-aging products for children. A proposed piece of legislation in California seeking to prohibit the sale of anti-aging skincare items to minors under 13 faced a setback in the state assembly on Thursday, May 16, following deliberations at an Appropriations Committee session. The bill, known as AB 2491, was presented by Assemblymember Alex Lee with the goal of addressing concerns surrounding the pervasive influence of online trends promoting extensive skincare routines among young children. California Lawmakers Reject the Bill To Protect Tweens In recent times, discussions on social media have surged regarding "Sephora Kids," depicting instances where young children dominate retail spaces like Sephora, engaging in confrontations with adult shoppers over trendy skincare products. These children, some still sporting baby teeth, have gained significant online followings by showcasing their makeup and skincare routines, often resulting in chaotic shopping scenes. Health experts have cautioned against the use of certain skincare products popularized on social media, citing potential skin irritations among young users. Several dermatologists reported a rise in cases where pre-teens experienced redness, dryness, bumps, and itching after using unnecessary skincare items. The proposed bill, previously approved by the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee, aimed to restrict minors under 13 from purchasing over-the-counter anti-aging products containing vitamin A derivatives or alpha-hydroxy acids, substances known to include retinoids, retinol, glycolic acid, ascorbic acid, and citric acid. Expressing disappointment at the bill's outcome, Assemblymember Alex Lee emphasized his dedication to safeguarding children from the potential adverse effects of anti-aging skincare products in a statement. Misuse of Anti-aging Products in Children Twenty California legislators have penned and dispatched a missive to the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), a national trade association representing 600 firms in the cosmetics and personal care industries, as noted by Lee. These legislators are urging the industry to outline tangible measures they intend to implement to tackle the issue of minors purchasing anti-aging products. Lee emphasized that the responsibility lies with the multi-billion-dollar beauty industry to take effective action on this matter. He highlighted in an April press release that anti-aging products containing potent ingredients like retinol, glycolic acid, and ascorbic acid have become increasingly accessible in retail outlets over recent years. However, in their latest statement, the PCPC advised California lawmakers to oppose the legislation, labeling it a rushed attempt to curb a social media trend. They cautioned that the bill could lead to excessive regulation of safe skincare items such as sunscreens, moisturizers, and cleansers. Had the bill been approved, sellers would have been required to implement various reasonable measures to enforce the age limit, including prominently displaying notices indicating the products are not intended for minors under 13, age verification at checkout, and restricting the use of prepaid credit cards for online purchases. The PCPC spokesperson echoed Assemblymember Lee's concerns about minors using anti-aging products due to social media influence but noted that California AB 2491 posed significant compliance challenges, including the need for cashiers to verify product claims and customer ages during checkout. Im pleased to report that Jeff Bradshaw and others working on the Interpreter Foundations Not by Bread Alone film project are safely landed in Africa, where they have already begun their work. Im also pleased to note the appearance of a new article on the website of the Interpreter Foundation which, according to its critics, is ever dying, but which is somehow never able to come to a direct knowledge of clinical death: Hugh Nibley Observed: Words, Words, Words: Hugh Nibley on the Book of Mormon, written by Marilyn Arnold. Very interesting! Newly mapped lost branch of the Nile could help solve long-standing pyramid mystery A couple of years ago, I bought a few books at the bookshop at KZ-Dachau, the former Nazi concentration camp located near Munich. One of them was Hitler: Die 101 wichtigsten Fragen (Munich: Verlag C. H. Beck, 2019). It was written by Volker Ullrich, who has also written several other books on German history, including a two-volume study of Adolf Hitler (2013, 2018). Here, in my translation, are three of the passages that I marked while reading Hitler: Die 101 wichtigsten Fragen. I hope that you too will find them of interest: Hitler needed only five months to establish his dictatorship. By the summer of 1933, basic rights and the constitution had been nullified, the individual German states had been coordinated, the labor unions had been smashed, all political parties except the NSDAP [the Nazi Party] had been forbidden or dissolved, the print and broadcast media had been brought into line, the legal equality of the Jews had been abolished. It was not only the speed with which the transformation was accomplished that astonishes, but the ease with which it was done. Everything that existed in Germany outside the National Socialist Party , reported the French ambassador in Berlin, Andre Francois-Poncet, was destroyed, scattered, dissolved, annexed, or assimilated. Hitler won over the Party at little cost. He merely needed to puff, and the edifice of German politics collapsed like a house of cards. (70) The speed and ease with which Nazism transformed Germany from a free democracy into a totalitarian dictatorship should give all of us pause. And heres something else that might be worthy of reflection: Hitlers private library has been estimated to have contained more than 16,000 volumes. U.S. soldiers discovered just a portion of it, roughly 3,000 volumes, in a salt mine near Berchtesgaden in the spring of 1945. Of those volumes, approximately 12oo made their way in the fifties to the Library of Congress in Washington. There, the American historian and journalist Timothy W. Ryback undertook a methodical investigation into not merely what Hitler read but how he read. For example, in his copy of the newly published 1934 Deutsche Schriften of the Jew-hater Paul de Lagarde, Hitler marked more than one hundred pages with underlining, vertical lines on the margin, and exclamation marks though question marks were rare. From this emerges the conclusion that reading didnt help Hitler to gain new insights but rather to reinforce his preexisting convictions. He was seeking mosaic pieces that could be fitted into his already-existing picture of the world. An avid reader, he stored in his memory what he could use for his purposes. Everything else he quickly forgot. (98) It is imperative, of course, that we not follow Hitler in his approach to reading. (It is clearly imperative, of course, that we not follow him in much of anything at all!) In an address at the Berghof on 22 August 1939 to the foremost commanders of the military, Hitler laid out how he pictured the war against Poland [which would be launched on 1 September]: Heart closed against mercy. Brutal procedure. . . . The stronger has that right. Maximum hardness. The dictator had thereby made it unmistakably clear that the imminent campaign would violate the norms of traditional warfare. Poland was conceived as an experimental laboratory for the re-ordering of Europe according to racial-ideological criteria. For the very first time, this would be a concrete test of what the conquest of living space [Lebensraum] actually meant. (124) But Hitler was a relative piker. An amateur, right? The contents of the Christopher Hitchens Memorial How Religion Poisons Everything File make it absolutely clear that the abominations perpetrated by theism and theists arent merely sudden crimes of passion. In many cases, as in this one, they are the product of cold, cruel calculation and long-term planning: Taking the Long View: Latter-day Saints Continue to Help Brazil Flood Victims: When the waters recede and things begin to return to normal for the next few years people will need help, and we cannot fail to notice that, says Brazil Area President As, probably, these also were: Canadian Youth Participate in Global Youth Service Month Empowering Education in West Africa: Enhancing the Succeed in School Program in Sierra Leone: Program administrators meet with local Church leaders in Freetown Mothers in Pakistan and Yemen Find Hope in the Fight Against Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus: The Church supports UNICEFs efforts to eliminate deadly maternal and neonatal tetanus in Africa and the Middle East And so the dreary litany of religious offenses goes on and on and on. Baptist anti-Catholic apologist James White debated Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin on the topic of sola Scriptura at First Baptist Church of Livingston, Louisiana, on April 24, 2024 [see the YouTube video]. This is my response to the White portion only. His words will be in blue. I use RSV for Bible citations. *** 1:14 I say that sola Scriptura is the default biblical position . . . the Bible says the Lord Jesus said scripture is God speaking to each and every individual who reads its words in Matthew 22:31, where he held men accountable for what had been written 1400 years before them, as if God had spoken it directly to them. Peter wrote that prophetic scripture does not find its origin even in the prophet but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit [2 Peter 1:21] and Paul directed Timothy to that which is God breathed so that he might be thoroughly equipped for every good work 2 Timothy 3:16-17. You will not find any other source spoken of in these ways. None of this proves that the Bible is the only rule of faith. It proves that it is inspired revelation, which is not in dispute. The rule of faith need not always be inspired. It can also be infallible (which in Catholicism, includes the Church, tradition, apostolic succession, the papacy, and ecumenical councils). White himself highlighted this characteristic of infallibility in his definition elsewhere: The doctrine of sola scriptura, simply stated, is that the Scriptures alone are sufficient to function as the regula fidei, the infallible rule of faith for the Church. (The Roman Catholic Controversy, Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996, 59) At 3:26 White also stated: we believe scripture is the sole infallible rule of faith of the church. This being the case, if the Catholic can show how the Bible regards the Church or tradition or apostolic succession or the papacy or ecumenical councils as infallible authorities functioning as a rule of faith, then it inexorably follows that the Bible doesnt teach sola Scriptura. 2:40 is there anything else that we can meaningfully describe as equal to Scripture in nature and hence in authority? If we cannot point to anything else that is the specific revelation of God outside of scripture then clearly sola scriptura is the default position. Its not clear at all. This is the same category mistake again. Scriptures intrinsic nature and whether it shares authority with anything else in terms of the rule of faith are two different things. White assumes a thing that is itself unbiblical: the notion that only inspired revelation can be the rule of faith. The Bible doesnt teach that! The quickest and easiest disproof of that is in the following Bible passage: 1 Timothy 3:15 . . . the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. Once that is exegetically and logically unpacked (as I have done), we see that it is definitely presupposing an infallible, authoritative Church. Another clear passage is the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). Church (and papal) authority is exhibited there, guided by the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28), and proclaimed far and wide as binding by no less than the Apostle Paul (Acts 16:4). 3:04 so do we find Jesus or the apostles directing us to any other ultimate source of authority? Yes. St. Paul appeals to tradition many times: 1 Corinthians 11:2 I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 2 Timothy 1:13-14 Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me . . . guard the truth which has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. 2 Timothy 2:2 And what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. For more, see: Biblical Evidence for Apostolic Oral Tradition [2-20-09]. Our Lord Jesus did the same. See, for example, Jesus, the Oral Law, and the Talmud, by James Pyles (9-11-11). 3:59 by the way, elder, bishop, and overseer are synonymous in the New Testament. They are not different offices. A bishop is not above an overseer. These are all the same office. This is why I have called White a bishop these past 23 years. He wrote to me personally back then and made this same point and noted that as an elder in a church he was also a bishop. Yet he has objected all that time to me calling him what he called himself. Go figure . . . 5:18 it is claimed that during the days of the apostles a certain paradigm was established, that it is said Rome continues to follow to this day and that those who oppose Romes authority claims must prove was changed after the apostles passed from the scene, so you have to prove: where does the bible teach that the paradigm is going to change after the apostles pass from the scene? Very good! This is the burden for those who posit this notion of inscripturation, which I have critiqued. Ive never seen Bishop White adequately answer that, and I really didnt expect that he would do so for the first time Ive ever seen in 29 years of critiquing him, in this debate. In fact, he immediately obfuscated and changed the subject (in case someone didnt notice that) classic White debate tactics. So, once again, we arent informed of exactly where in the Bible this Protestant tradition of inscripturation is taught. Failing that, there is no ironclad, unquestionable evidence that anyone must believe in the notion. Why would we? Just because the good bishop says so? 7:41 2 Thessalonians 2:15 is misused at this point where Paul instructed the Thessalonians, so then brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions which you were taught whether by word that is orally or by epistle from us. But in context Paul is talking about the gospel; just look at the preceding two verses. The verse before is, To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. But this doesnt necessarily have any direct correlation to the next verse. Nothing there requires the reader to equate the traditions and the gospel altogether. The same applies to 2:13, which refers to being saved and to sanctification. But there is no requirement to equate the traditions of 2:15 with only the saving gospel. Its very shoddy thinking and exegesis. 31:22 he referred to apostolic tradition as teachings taught alongside scripture, and said that the apostles were referring to this. What the apostles were referring to was the preaching of the gospel. He cant absolutely prove that, beyond all doubt. The Catholic view is at least as plausible; I think more so, because we take the word tradition at face value, rather than forcing it to be the equivalent of gospel every time it appears, because of a view already assumed before one even examines Scripture, requires us to do so. 31:36 the gospel is recorded for us in the New Testament * Yes it is. But we dont disagree on what the gospel as presented in the Bible is . We disagree that it is everywhere and always the exact same thing as what is called tradition. * * Most of it is, but not all, and White cant prove that all of it is in the Bible. You notice he offers no prooftext. He simply asserts (which is not argument). * 36:39 in Acts chapter 15 not only do they quote scripture as a foundation, by the way, did you notice, if you read it, Peter didnt run [the Jerusalem council], James did. James made the final decision. Peter was not considered the head of all Christians or anything like that [at] this particular point in time. * Nonsense. First, to reply to his final sentence: here is the scriptural evidence in the book of Acts to the contrary: * 1. Peter is regarded by the Jews (Acts 4:1-13) as the leader and spokesman of Christianity. 2. Peter is regarded by the common people in the same way (Acts 2:37-41; 5:15). 3. Peters words are the first recorded and most important in the upper room before Pentecost (Acts 1:15-22). 4. Peter is the first person to speak (and only one recorded) after Pentecost, so he was the first Christian to preach the gospel in the Church era (Acts 2:14-36). 5. Peters proclamation at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-41) contains a fully authoritative interpretation of Scripture, a doctrinal decision and a disciplinary decree concerning members of the House of Israel (2:36) an example of binding and loosing. 6. Peter was the first charismatic, having judged authoritatively the first instance of the gift of tongues as genuine (Acts 2:14-21). 7. Peter is the first to preach Christian repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38). 8. Peter (presumably) takes the lead in the first recorded mass baptism (Acts 2:41). 9. Peter works the first miracle of the Church Age, healing a lame man (Acts 3:6-12). 10. Peter utters the first anathema (Ananias and Sapphira) emphatically affirmed by God (Acts 5:2-11)! 11. Peter is the first to recognize and refute heresy, in Simon Magus (Acts 8:14-24). 12. Peter was the first traveling missionary, and first exercised what would now be called visitation of the churches (Acts 9:32-38, 43). Paul preached at Damascus immediately after his conversion (Acts 9:20), but hadnt traveled there for that purpose (God changed his plans!). His missionary journeys begin in Acts 13:2. 13. Peter is the first person after Christ to raise the dead (Acts 9:40). 14. Cornelius is told by an angel to seek out Peter for instruction in Christianity (Acts 10:1-6). 15. Peter is the first to receive the Gentiles, after a revelation from God (Acts 10:9-48). 16. Peter commanded the first Gentile Christians to be baptized (Acts 10:44-48). 17. Peter instructs the other apostles on the catholicity (universality) of the Church (Acts 11:5-17). 18. Peter is the object of the first divine interposition on behalf of an individual in the Church Age (an angel delivers him from prison Acts 12:1-17). 19. The whole Church (strongly implied) offers earnest prayer for Peter when he is imprisoned (Acts 12:5). White misrepresents what happened at the Jerusalem council. From Acts 15, we learn that after there was much debate, Peter rose to address the assembly (15:7). The Bible records his speech, which goes on for five verses. Then it reports that all the assembly kept silence (15:12). When James speaks, he refers right back to what Simeon [Peter] has related (15:14). He adds nothing to it. This highly suggests it seems to me that Peters talk was central and definitive. James speaking last could easily be explained by the fact that he was the bishop of Jerusalem and therefore the host. St. Peter indeed had already received a relevant revelation, related to the council. God gave him a vision of the cleanness of all foods (contrary to the Jewish Law: see Acts 10:9-16). 46:20 Apostolic tradition is what Jesus teaches the apostles and what the apostles teach, thats called the gospel Once again he asserts what he needs to prove offering no biblical arguments for his bald assertion. Merely repeating it again and again makes it no more believable. 48:10 you cannot find anything today including in the Vatican, anything that is properly described as God breathed It doesnt have to be, to be an infallible rule of faith. This is the same fallacy about only inspired documents can be a rule of faith repeated again. Two persons, a driver and a teacher have been handed jail term and fines by the Odumase-Krobo Circuit Court in separate incidents involving attempted smuggling of cocoa beans to neighbouring Togo. The latest convictions mark yet another success in the crackdown in activities of syndicates engaged in smuggling of Ghanas cocoa to neighbouring countries. The suspects were accosted by the Anti-Cocoa Smuggling Taskforce during routine operations last week around Mame Water in the Eastern Region, whilst attempting to transport the smuggled beans to the neighbouring country. The first accused person, Abraham Benning Donkor 38, a driver, was handed a five-year jail sentence with hard labour on one count of unauthorized Purchasing of Cocoa Beans contrary to Section 4 (1) of the Ghana Cocoa Board Act. He was additional fined of 250 penalty units (GH3,000.00) for two counts of attempting to Export Cocoa Beans which has not been Inspected, Graded and Sealed by an Inspector of Cocoa contrary to Section 3 of Cocoa Industry Regulations Act 1968 (NLCD 278). George Ametekpor a teacher, was also sentenced to a fine of GH3,000.00, after being found guilty on two counts of attempting to export cocoa beans which has not been inspected, graded and sealed by Inspector of Cocoa and attempt to smuggle and export cocoa beans contrary to section 317(g) of the Criminal Offences Act 29/60. The convicts pleaded guilty to all the charges and were convicted on their own pleas by the Court presided over by His Honour Kwesi Abaiddu Apiate. According to the facts of the case, the Anti-Smuggling Taskforce on Thursday, May 9, 2024 intercepted Abrahams vehicle at Mame Water just after crossing the Adomi Bridge with the five (5) bags of cocoa. Upon interrogation, the convict admitted ownership and revealed that he loaded the goods from Agbogbloshie Yam Market and was heading to Dzinidzini in the Oti Region. On Friday, May, 10, 2024, the team again intercepted another vehicle loaded with four bags of cocoa at the same location at about 3:15am. Upon questioning, George Ametekpor, admitted ownership but said he was contracted by someone to transport the cocoa beans from Kpong to someone in Juapong. However, when the alleged owner was reached on the phone, he promised to follow up but never showed up. George was subsequently arraigned before the court where he pleaded guilty and was sentenced accordingly. The court also ordered that the cocoa beans should be confiscated and handed to authorities at Ghana Cocoa Board. Source: dailyguidenetwork.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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. Read NAPO's full article below: Your browser does not support iframes. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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 Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Police Service has 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 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 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 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 In a tragic incident, Sergeant Amoah Moses of the Ashanti Regional Police headquarters was shot dead by unknown assailants in the Bobiri Forest Reserve near Ejisu, specifically in Kubease. The shocking discovery was made following a report from Caleb Adu Agyemang, the Assemblyman of Kubease Electoral Area, who came across the lifeless body of a man believed to be in his 30s on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The deceased, identified as Sergeant Amoah Moses, was found dressed in a green long-sleeve shirt, khaki trousers, and a black boot, lying in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound on his right leg below the knee. Additionally, a single-barrel gun and a machete were discovered beside him in the forest reserve. Upon receiving the report, officers from the Ejisu District Police headquarters, led by DSP Patrick Okai Kodjoe, the District Commander, along with ASP Hannah Amoafo the District Crime Officer, joined forces with the Ashanti Regional Crime Scene Management Team, led by DSP Francis Nimoh. They quickly responded to the scene of the crime to commence investigations. Sergeant Amoah Moses was swiftly rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for medical attention, but tragically, he was pronounced dead upon arrival by a medical officer. Subsequently, his body was conveyed to the hospitals morgue for preservation and an autopsy to ascertain the exact cause of death. The police authorities have launched an intensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing of the young policeman. As details remain sparse, law enforcement officials are working tirelessly to uncover the identity of the perpetrators and bring them to justice. The community of Kubease and the entire Ashanti Region are left in shock and mourning as they await further updates on this distressing incident. By Vincent Kubi Source: dailyguidenetwork.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The 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 Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The flagbearer of the 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 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 Former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the defunct Unique Trust (UT) Bank, Prince Kofi Amoabeng says he would change President Akufo-Addo, if given the opportunity. According to him, democracy is the ideal form of governance but feels hopeless about its effectiveness in Ghana because it has failed to produce effective leaders. Speaking on JoyNews AM Show, he said that there is an urgent need for transformational leadership in the country. Mr. Amoabeng said that many leaders are already corrupt before assuming office, making it challenging for them to cease engaging in corrupt practices. By the time the leader gets into position, he is corrupt already. He owes too much money. Too much favours. He owes the party. He owes individuals, then our constitution also makes him too powerful to satisfy all those he owes. For example, the president appoints or approves over 6,000 appointments and he has to make sure all his people are there. According to the former CEO, a lot of appointments given by the president are based on political considerations rather than expertise or merit. "The way of awarding the position to people is that who has served me or who can serve me. I have a problem with a whole lot of appointments. I dont want to be mentioning names. People get appointed not because they know the subject, not because they have the expertise and experience but its because they are serving the powers that be, he said. In addition, he stated that the government has failed in addressing key challenges including those in education, roads, and health sectors. According to him, road projects have either been halted or are progressing slowly due to the government's inability to pay foreign financiers. A whole lot of things have come forward. Cocoa has gone down, the volumes have gone down even though thats a main source of foreign exchange. Bank of Ghana is owing six hundred and something billion, when they call the figures, you cant even understand. The corruption that we see and feel and the disrespect and arrogance of those in power makes Ghana not a nice place to be. This is the only land that we have so we have to do our best about it, he said. Source: myjoyonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 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 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 By Chris Reber, LNP, Lancaster, Pa. (TNS) Oregon Dairys owners have sold the site of the market and restaurant to a group of local developers, but third- and fourth-generation family members plan to continue operating the business while leasing the property for at least 15 years. On Thursday, brothers George, Vic, Willie and Curvin Hurst announced the sale of the familys property on Oregon Pike in Manheim Township to Jerry Horst, CEO of Lancaster County-based Vanguard Development Group, and his sons, Mark and Chad Horst. The Horsts did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. No deed has been recorded for the sale, which was finalized May 10, according to a statement from the Hurst family. The statement indicates the Hurst family has agreed to a long-term lease of the land, which will keep the market and restaurant open. Our decision to sell to the Horst family is due to our long-term relationship with them. They are good people, and we understand the quality of their products, and we trust they will continue to have a positive influence on our community. Heck, most of their children worked at Oregon Dairy over the years and they are still frequent customers at our store, Vic Hurst wrote in a statement. Jerry Horst is CEO of Vanguard Development Group, which has developed projects including the Apartments at Lititz Springs in Lititz, and Reserve at Willow Ridge in Pequea Township. Vic Hurst declined to share the sale price for the property in an interview Thursday. He said the decision to sell the property comes as he and his brothers are taking a step back from operating the business. Earlier this year they sold Oregon Dairy Inc., the company that operates the market, which dates to 1974, to George Hursts daughter Krista Martin, her son Konrad, and Willies son, Jon Hurst. They are the third- and fourth-generation owners of the market started by Earl and Mary Hurst. Vic Hurst said the markets lease with the new property owners is for an initial 15 years, with three five-year options after that. Vic Hurst said he doesnt know the Horsts long-term plans for the 25-acre property. He said if any real estate development does occur, it is unlikely that he would be part of it. The Hurst family plans to continue its annual family farm days at their farm, located a mile south of the market at 2870 Oregon Pike. Oregon Dairy Farm LLC, owned by George Hurst, his children Chad and Maria, and son-in-law, Tim Forry, are seeking approval from the Manheim Township commissioners for an agritourism business, which would allow them to relocate the dairys corn maze and pumpkin patch to the farm. Change of ownership at the market and restaurant, as well as the move to expand the dairy farm operations, came after a dramatic turn in February, when the Hursts dropped a long-running court battle over their effort to turn 75 acres into Oregon Village, a development of 554 housing units, restaurants, stores and a 120-room hotel along Route 272. The proposed development had been tied up in lawsuits since 2019, when a neighbor claimed in court that the developments impact on her historic property had not been properly considered during the review of the development. Shortly before dropping the court fight, the Hursts sold 25 acres of what had been slated for part of the Oregon Village development for $3.2 million to two Manheim Township residents who were considering what they would try to develop there. The Hurst family began farming along Route 272 in Manheim Township in 1952. A 26-year-old Delaware man was arrested this week after police said he obtained a master key to a Lancaster County hotel, which he used to steal money, goods and medications from several customers rooms. An officer with the Lancaster City Police Department responded to the Holiday Inn location in downtown Lancaster around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14 for a reported theft after multiple hotel guests reported missing cash, medications, clothing and other items. At 11:20 p.m., hotel staff found the man with the master key, who police identified as Lawrence Bracy, of Wilmington, Delaware, on the 10th floor of the hotel, the police report said. The man ran away from the officer but was arrested near Binns Park after a short foot chase around the block, police said. Investigators searched the man and found the Holiday Inn master key and multiple items reported missing from the hotel, the release said. Criminal charges were filed against Bracy on Wednesday May 15. Its unclear how Bracy obtained the master key. Bracy had active arrest warrants out of Delaware and Georgia, according to the police report. He is charged with five counts of burglary and one count of forgery, identity theft, providing a false ID, evading arrest, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and fugitive from justice stemming from the Holiday Inn incident. As of Thursday night, Bracy was unable to post his $75,000 bail and is in the Lancaster County Prison. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 22 at 9 a.m. A 65-year-old Ohio man who formerly lived in Northumberland County has been charged with felony homicide in a decades-old Lehigh County cold case, authorities announced Thursday. Michael J. Breisch was arrested this week in Ohio and extradited back to Pennsylvania after new DNA technology connected him to the 1989 crime, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said. Breisch had been living in Wind Gap borough until recently moving to Ohio, the district attorney said. UPDATE: Jan. 6 rioter apologizes to Dauphin County school that got bad rap after his arrest A Palmyra man who helped storm the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, and bashed in two windows, will spend almost four years in prison eight fewer years than what prosecutors originally requested. UPDATE: Disabled womans legs went black from neglect, disease before she died in homicide: police A 50-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of her elderly mother. Yeawah Sanu, 50, was charged with homicide and neglect of a care- dependent person after she was arrested Thursday by Lower Paxton Township police with assistance from the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force. The charges were filed after an investigation, which began in January after allegations of elder neglect were reported involving Christiana Blake, 77, according to Lower Paxton Township police. Police also charged Sanus husband Minkailu Sanu Sr. Investigators say Blake was the victim of gross negligence while under the care of her daughter. Yeawah Sanu previously was certified as a licensed practical nurse. She has no prior criminal record. The joint investigation included Lower Paxton Township police, Dauphin County Elder Abuse Task Force, Dauphin County Coroners Office, and Dauphin County District Attorneys Office. Police said the investigation is ongoing. Sanu was denied bail and will be held at the Dauphin County Prison. Police have accused a Lehigh County man of killing his roommate with a hammer, and then dismembering the corpse and leaving the remains in three different locations. Joshua Moser, 33, was arrested and charged in the death of David Hittinger, 37, of Slatington, according to reports from 6ABC and NBC10. Police said they received a missing persons report for Hittinger, who had not been heard from since May 11, on Monday. Investigators said they then learned that Hittinger, who lived in the 600 block of West Franklin Street in Slatington, had allowed Moser to move in with him recently. While executing a search warrant of the home, police said they the basement had been hastily staged to conceal what appeared to be a large amount of blood. During an interview with state police on Wednesday, Moser admitted that he had strangled Hittinger and hit him over the head with a hammer, killing him. He then told police he dismembered Hittingers corpse and left the body parts in different locations in Slatington and Washington Township. Investigators were able to find some of the body parts in a trash bag, and identified Hittinger via a fingerprint on a dismembered hand. A motive for the killing is not yet known but Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said during a press conference that the two men apparently had some sort of disagreement, NBC10 reported. Moser is charged with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering/fabricating evidence. He is being held without bail in Monroe County Prison, news reports said. Noah Kahan and the Foo Fighters will headline the inaugural Soundside Music Festival. Kahan will perform on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, while the Foo Fighters will be there on Sunday, Sept. 29. The festival will be held along the banks of Long Island Sound at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The Sept. 28 full lineup includes - Kahan, Goo Goo Dolls, Fleet Foxes, Boyz II Men, Grace Potter, Three Sacred Souls, Christone Kingfish Ingram, Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories, Madi Diaz and Rijah. The lineup on Sunday is - Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Norah Jones, Teddy Swims, Gregory Alan Isakov, The Kills, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, The War & Treaty, Hurray For The Riff Raff and Darren Kiely. The festival was previously called Sound on Sound. The new version is presented by C3Presents, the same organization that produces Sea.Hear.Now, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Gov Ball and Lollapalooza. Food options from the areas establishments will include PopUp Bagels, The Gotham Burger Social Club, Grumpy Dumpling Co., 29 Markle Ct, The Blind Rhino, Walters Hot Dogs, a curated selection of cocktails, craft beer and wine options and more. Tickets can be purchased from the festival website as well as from these secondary sites (prices are as of the time of this post): Dont forget, the Foo Fighters will perform at Hersheypark Stadium on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. Noah Kahan will perform on Wednesday, May 29, at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown. Noah Kahan will headline the first day of the inaugural Soundside Music Festival, Sept. 28-29, 2024, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Here, he performs at Lollapalooza Music Festival on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, at Grant Park in Chicago. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP Walmart celebrated the opening today of a new mega facility in south-central Pennsylvania. Store associates, elected officials and community members gathered at the 1.5 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Antrim Township, Franklin County. The retailer said the facility, located at 1915 Ebberts Spring Court near Greencastle, will increase fulfillment capacity and speed up shipping and delivery times. Its the fourth of five next-generation facilities planned by Walmart. The retailer said the five centers will enable Walmart to reach 95% of the U.S. population. More than 1,000 associates will be employed at the Franklin County center. These tech-powered jobs will drive the future of Walmarts continued promise of speedy shipping and delivery for customers on the East Coast, said Karisa Sprague, senior vice president, Fulfillment Network Operations for Walmart U.S., in a press release. Our next-generation fulfillment centers are the perfect example of how we are a people-led, tech-powered retailer. As part of the celebration, Walmart presented a $10,000 donation to the Greencastle-Antrim School District. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation contributed more than $38 million in cash and in-kind donations to nonprofit organizations in Pennsylvania in 2023. Walmart said it continues to hire at the facility for full-time positions, including new tech-focused jobs such as control technicians, quality audit analysts and flow managers. The retailer employs over 55,000 associates in Pennsylvania, and supports local business across the state, spending $16.2 billion with suppliers in fiscal year 2024 and supporting 156,519 supplier jobs. PORTLAND, Ore. It was nearly six weeks ago that Lauren Ellis returned to her car after working her evening bartending shift at Higgins restaurant in downtown Portland when she noticed a smashed can of ravioli on the ground. She said she inspected her car in the darkness but didnt until the next morning notice any obvious damage: A sizable dent on the roof. Ellis recounts how that early April day had been the first that a co-worker warned her that someone had dropped or thrown a can from the luxury high-rise apartment building the Ladd Tower onto the sidewalk or street below. Soon, a few deeply shaken co-workers who had been on breaks reported seeing cans plummeting down from the top floors of the 23-story building, Ellis said. An inspection of Higgins roof led to the discovery of a few more, totaling at least eight to 10 cans in all, Ellis said. Ellis has become the point person for Higgins and its concerned employees embarking on a mission to stop the can-throwing. She has reached out to security staff and management at the Ladd Tower, filed reports with Portland police and talked to the Oregon Historical Society, which is next-door-neighbors with the restaurant, to learn if theyve seen anything. Weeks into her queries and with no result yet, Ellis is at wits end overwhelmed with concern that someone is going to end up hurt if the culprit isnt caught. Its still happening, Ellis told The Oregonian/OregonLive after learning of two more cans tossed last week. I think were all interested in trying to figure out who this is so they dont continue. She added: A can from 18 stories, could obviously kill somebody if not hurt them pretty badly. Portland police spokesperson Mike Benner described the can-throwing incidents as extremely troubling. But he told The Oregonian/OregonLive that because the person responsible is reportedly occupying an upper-level apartment thats above the leafy green tree-line, it is incredibly difficult to pinpoint which apartment is involved. Benner said police would like the publics help in identifying the person. He confirmed officers have received multiple reports, all from Ellis. However, Ellis and Higgins employees arent the only ones whove seen the cans. Rachel Randles, the historical societys chief marketing and communications officer, told The Oregonian/OregonLive in an email that a few cans/fruit have been dropped from the Ladd Tower and that the food has almost struck pedestrians on a couple of occasions. As dropping anything from that height could cause serious injury, and with so many folks frequenting this block from school children to museum visitors to diners, we hope this will stop immediately, Randles said. The cans appear to be striking the ground on the north side of the Ladd Tower, along Southwest Jefferson Street between Park Avenue and Broadway. According to the Ladd Towers security company, Atlas Pacific, employees have noticed canned goods or other food outside their building. But they didnt think much of it until Ellis contacted them because theres a church food bank nearby and sometimes people leave food on the streets and sidewalks. Atlas Pacifics vice president, James Woehrman, said there have been no reports from staff or tenants about someone dropping cans from the building, but security would cooperate if police reach out to them. Its very mysterious, Woehrman said of the can-throwing. Holland Partner Group, which manages the Ladd Tower, said it, too, will cooperate if police contact the company. Dan Tremaine-McCarthy, said his group sent a letter this week to tenants notifying them that a vehicle parked at a nearby business was damaged by an object that appeared to have been dropped from a high elevation and that objects were seen falling more recently. The letter asked residents to report anything they see. And, if it can be done safely, record images or video of this taking place, the letter read. Benner, the police spokesperson, said police are limited in what they can do. Although going door-to-door to interview tenants in the upper floors of the building remains an option, it likely wouldnt yield anything useful. Short of someone confessing, PPB personnel cant search an apartment without probable cause and/or a warrant, Benner said. Most people have canned goods in their homes, so even if they are in possession of them it doesnt make them a suspect. Ellis has taken to using gloves to collect the smashed cans found by Higgins staff. She has put them in Ziploc bags so they can potentially be used as evidence. But it seems unlikely police would have the cans tested. For one, Benner points out that the suspects fingerprints would need to be in a criminal database. Fingerprinting falls under investigative tactics, so Im not going to comment further except to point out that it might only help add evidence if a person is apprehended or has been arrested previously, Benner said. In the meantime, Ellis said she and her co-workers will continue on their current course of vigilance. Every time we find another can, I call them and report it to them, Ellis said. Dylan Shmitt, Higgins general manager, said the restaurant gave Ellis its blessing to reach out to The Oregonian/OregonLive even though any negative publicity could hurt business. The can-throwing incident is coming at a time when business is already reduced because of downtown Portlands tarnished reputation and, more recently, the disruptions from the pro-Palestinian protests at Portland State University about eight blocks away. People only need the smallest push to cancel a reservation, Shmitt said. But Shmitt said its more important to consider the safety of pedestrians and drivers in the area, and put out the word for the publics help to try to catch the person responsible. Were hoping therell be an easy way to find this one culprit, Shmitt said. Its just one person on top of a building. Aimee Green covers breaking news and the justice system. Reach her at 503-294-5119, agreen@oregonian.com or @o_aimee. A 3-year-old South Carolina girl was crushed to death after a birdbath fell on top of her. Jasmine Denise Mickell was pronounced dead on Mothers Day, May 12, at Childrens Hospital of Georgia, according to People. The incident report lists the toddlers cause of death as blunt force injury to abdomen with a suspected manner of accident at a home in Warrenville on May 11 around 9 p.m., WRDW reported. First responders and deputies from the Aiken County Sheriffs Office rushed to the scene after receiving reports that the 3-year-old was crushed by a bird bath. Upon arrival, they observed the family in the middle of the road with the child. They immediately took the child and began compressions. The little girl was then transported to the Childrens Hospital of Georgia, where she died. Deputies are calling the incident a tragic accident, and said that no one has been charged in the childs death, WRDW reported. A GoFundMe set up for Mickell has now reached $1,310, exceeding its $1,000 goal, as of Friday, May 17. I am the aunt of JAZZY a beautiful 3-year-old who sadly passed May 12-24 I am trying to raise money for her family to recover from this devastating loss any little bit will help GOD BLESS, organizer Kayla Wyatt shared on the post, accompanied with a photo of the Mickell smiling. She brought joy to anyone that she met. Even though she was only here for a short time, the impact that she had on people will never be forgotten. She loved honey grahams, candy, swimming, and trips to the park, an obituary for Mickell read. Celebration of life services will be held for Mickell on May 19 at the Gloverville Community Park and on May 26 at the Langley Pond Recreation Area. Police in Chambersburg are looking for a person they said has not been seen by his family for months, according to a police report. Adarrius Daron Scott was reported missing on Thursday, May 16, but his family told police they have not seen him in two months and have not heard from him in any way in over a month. More than 80 Pennsylvania physicians and other healthcare providers have signed a letter warning that former President Donald Trump would take the state backwards by targeting the Affordable Care Act and womens reproductive care. We are also acutely aware of whats at stake in this election: if Donald Trump wins, he will take us backwards by raising Pennsylvanians health care costs and rolling back protections, including around reproductive health care, reads the letter addressed to fellow Pennsylvanians and signed by physicians, nurses and other providers from across the state who support President Joe Biden. One signee is Dr. Sharee Livingston, a Harrisburg native and Lancaster County OB-GYN, who said she grew up in poverty and knows firsthand what it is like for people to lack healthcare access. Im acutely aware of the impacts and I dont want to see us go back to that, she said. Livingston said she is very concerned about another Trump term particularly with Black women already 3-4 times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. States that have limited or banned abortion and reduced reproductive care are predicted to have higher maternal morbidity and mortality rates, she said. We cannot afford a second presidency by a president who does not recognize the importance of the Affordable Care Act, who does not recognize the importance of reproductive healthcare and abortion care, said Livingston. Abortion is healthcare. Another signee is Dr. Benjamin Abella, an Emergency Department physician and medical school professor for the University of Pennsylvania. I joined this because I, first and foremost, want to make sure that my patients get the very best healthcare they can and Ive seen the benefits that the ACA has provided thousands of Pennsylvanians, including many of my patients in the emergency room, Abella told PennLive. Ive also seen what happens when reproductive freedom is curtailed and threatened through talking to colleagues in other states where it has been curtailed. Abella said that he has heard horrific tales from physicians in other states that have restricted reproductive rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. They are faced with a massive moral injury of having to often deny patients care that they know they can provide and that they know will help save lives, said Abella, but because of fears of litigation or fears of arrest or other legal concerns because of state laws they are unable to provide them. Livingston said many of her patients are terrified of what might happen to reproductive healthcare under Trump. Theres a direct line between reproductive health and contraception access and maternal morbidity and mortality, said Livingston. In the open letter the healthcare providers say the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, is a lifesaver for millions of Pennsylvanians, but its fate hangs in the balance this fall. President Joe Biden speaks at the Wilmington Convention Center in North Carolina on May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)AP The letter recounts efforts by congressional Republicans and Trump to repeal the now 14-year-old ACA, which offers tiered coverage plans and protections for those with preexisting conditions. Trump has repeatedly called for the ACA to be dismantled over the years, usually citing its cost, even though about 60% of Americans had a favorable view of the ACA in a May 2023 poll, according to the Associated Press. This spring, however, Trump has shifted his remarks amid negative attacks from Democrats and now claims that he will not terminate the ACA but improve it through unspecified changes, the New York Times reported in April. Were going to make the ACA much better than it is right now and much less expensive for you, the Times quoted Trump saying in a video. But, Abella said it is clear what the intentions are of Trump and Republicans, who have pursued multiple court challenges to the ACA. Ive often been taught when people tell you who they are believe them, he said. CBS News reported last week that Trump has said he will leave abortion to states to decide, but he could limit reproductive rights in other ways, such as having agencies review approvals of medications that induce abortions. If Donald Trump gets a second term and fulfills his dream of terminating the ACA, more than 100 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, including as many as 5.2 million Pennsylvanians, could be denied coverage or charged thousands of dollars more for health insurance coverage, the letter from Pennsylvania healthcare providers states. Those providers also warn that more than 7 million Pennsylvanians would lose guaranteed free cancer screenings, annual check-ups, cholesterol tests and other preventive care services, adding that more than 2.4 million women in the state might lose access to affordable birth control and contraception, too. The Pennsylvania-focused letter comes shortly after the Biden campaign launched Health Care Providers for Biden-Harris, a national coalition of healthcare providers the campaign said would organize and mobilize key communities around whats at stake for healthcare in America in the 2024 election. As part of the new effort, the campaign hosted events in Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Erie, and Scranton. SUNBURYA Northumberland County man has been acquitted of the most serious charges against him stemming from a fatal shooting inside a Sunbury convenience store two years ago. Jurors Thursday found Ajani Munsh-Ousha Uhuru, 25, not guilty of first- and third-degree murder but guilty of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated and simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person. County Judge Paige Rosini set bail at $500,000. Uhuru had been held without bail since his arrest in 2022 in Philadelphia, four days after the killing. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August. Uhuru was charged with killing Kareem Jakes, 30, inside the Penn Jersey Mart in the 200 block of North Third Street on May 19, 2022. The shooting was captured on video. Testimony and video evidence during the two-day trial gave this account of the killing: Jakes had been in the store but was outside when Uhuru arrived. Uhuru got two iced teas and had placed them on a counter in preparation for paying for them when Jakes came back inside. Jakes refused Uhurus offer to shake hands. A short time later while Uhuru is standing in line at the counter, Jakes punches him. Uhuru immediately pulls a gun from his pocket and shoots Jakes. Uhuru picks up his iced teas, walks by Jakes who is on the floor bleeding, leaves the store, gets into his car and drives off. Jakes sister Charisma, who had run out after the shooting, held the door for Uhuru as he left the store and she was re-entering. She claimed Uhuru talked junk as he stopped briefly where her brother was lying. Uhuru testified Jakes, after refusing the handshake, asked him if he wanted to go outside and rumble, which he said he inferred as an offer to fight. The underlying issues between the two men did not come out because of pretrial rulings. Uhurus testimony also included a claim he did not intend to shoot Jakes, rather the punch hurt and he felt threatened by him because of a rumor he had shot at a house in Sunbury. He claimed there was no way he could have left the store to avoid Jakes. There was earlier testimony the store has one public entrance/exit plus an emergency door. An autopsy revealed Jakes was shot three times with the bullet that entered the right side of the neck striking vital organs. He also was shot in the right and left shoulders. Uhuru obtained a permit to carry a firearm on June 17, 2021, a clerk in the sheriffs office testified. District Attorney Michael C. ODonnell said he respects the jurys verdict, noting they watched the videos several times. A challenge for the prosecution was overcoming Jakes being the instigator, he said. He told jurors deadly force is not the response to non-deadly force. Defense attorney Robert A. Hoffa said he was disappointed at the verdict because he argued it was self-defense. Rosini cleared the nearly full courtroom after the first not guilty verdict was read after spectators erupted in outbursts. That action to restore order came after a warning to clear the courtroom earlier in the day when she said she did not want a repeat of inappropriate behavior like she saw on Wednesday when the courtroom smelled of marijuana. Smoking is not permitted in the courthouse but for Thursday Rosini banned vape pens. Supporters of Uhuru and Jakes argued and had to be separated outside the courthouse Wednesday after court adjourned. Police and deputy sheriffs were stationed there Thursday as a precautionary measure. Uhurus father also is charged in the case and is scheduled to plead guilty next month to hindering apprehension charges. Ajani Munsho Uche Uhuru, 56, of Sunbury, was arrested driving the car that was seen on video leaving the store. The younger Uhuru was accused of calling his father and asking him to get the car he had left in the Elysburg area. When asked under cross-examination about that call, he said he did not remember making it. By Julia Terruso and Aliya Schneider, The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS) PHILADELPHIA 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. Fettermans overall favorability rating was at 48%, just one percentage point lower than Sen. Bob Casey, his quieter U.S. Senate counterpart, according to The Inquirer, New York Times, and Siena College 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. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Artisom Lasouski Takes Down a $40K Event on His Triton Poker Debut Matthew Pitt Senior Editor Copy link Artisom Lasouski probably is not a name you are familiar with but it could be a name that poker fans will hear plenty more about in the future. The young Belarusian got his Triton Poker Super High Roller Series debut off to the best of starts, taking down Event #5 of the Montenegro series, the $40,000 Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold'em 7-Handed tournament. Lasouski busted before the money in the first two events, but everything aligned in the $40K Mystery Bounty, and he became a Triton Poker champion during his series debut. Lasouski reeled in a career-best $669,000 for this impressive debut victory, a sum that is set to swell because he also collected 12 bounty tokens en route to becoming a Triton Poker champion. The mystery bounties are being drawn on May 17, so there is every chance Lasouski's first live poker victory could be worth in excess of seven figures. Little is known about Lasouski. His first recorded live cash came in October 2023, when he finished in the money in a $1,100 buy-in and a $5,150 buy-in European Poker Tour (EPT) Cyprus side event. In May 2024, Lasouski finished eighth in the EAPT Grand Final in Cyprus for $63,000, and min-cashed in the $5,300 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event. Now, the young grinder looks set to become a millionaire. The Final Table Event #5 - $40,000 Mystery Bounty NLH 7-Handed Final Table Chip Counts Rank Player Country Chips Big Blinds 1 Nikita Kuznetsov Russia 7,400,000 74 2 Artisom Lasouski Belarus 6,250,000 63 3 Daniel Rezaei Austria 5,000,000 50 4 Chris Moneymaker United States 3,675,000 37 5 Samuel Ju Germany 3,000,000 30 6 Dylan Linde United States 1,975,000 20 7 Stephen Chidwick United Kingdom 1,950,000 20 8 Danny Tang Hong Kong 925,000 9 The final table started with eight players hoping to win the largest slice of the $6,040,000 (including mystery bounties) prize pool, created by a field of 151 entries. Stephen Chidwick was the second-shortest stack at the start of the finale, and the first player heading for the exits. Chidwick came unstuck when his ace-jack failed to get there against Chris Moneymaker's pocket jacks. Chidwick rushed to the registration desk and bought into the $50,000 NLH 7-Handed Bounty Quattro event but busted before day's end. Danny Tang then lost a coinflip with pocket eights against the ace-ten of spades in the hand of Daniel Rezaei, leaving only six players in the hunt for the title. Six-handed play spanned across more than a couple of hours before Rezaei opened with jack-ten and called a shove from Lasouski, which had been made with ace-deuce of hearts. An ace on the flop ended Rezaei's participation in this event, although the $156,000 plus bounties Rezaei scooped will help numb the pain of defeat. The increasing blinds began swallowing up the shorter stacks' chips, and they were forced to make moves. Germany's Samuel Ju lost all but three big blinds when his ace-eight of clubs lost to Nikita Kuznetsov's pocket jacks, yet he was not the next player out of the door. Dylan Linde That dubious honor went to Dylan Linde, who found himself all in with king-jack and needing some help from the board to best the ace-deuce of diamonds of Lasouski. No help arrived, and Linde fell in fifth. Ju then tripled up after calling all in from the small blind after Lasouski had ripped it in from the button. Kuznetsov called from the button, creating a chunky pot and a potential double elimination. A jack on the flop saved Ju's bacon, meaning his ace-jack had beaten Lasouski's dominating ace-queen and Kuznetsov's dominated ace-five. While Ju climbed up the chip counts, Kuznetsov crashed out in fourth place. The 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event champion Moneymaker achieved an incredible comeback in the opening event, turning a solitary big blind into an impressive victory. However, Lady Luck was not on his side during his latest escape attempt, his shove with jack-trey getting snapped off by the resurgent Ju and his king-ten. Moneymaker missed the board and headed into the night with a third-place finish and $311,000 to show for his efforts. Chris Moneymaker Moneymaker's demise left Ju heads-up against Lasouski, with Ju trailing by more than two to one. Ju managed to turn the chip counts on their heads when his middle pair held against Lasouski's nut flush draw before the chip lead changed hands several times. The final hand saw the player get to the river on a six-three-jack-nine-nine board, with Lasouski betting enough to set Ju in for all his chips. Ju eventually called with eight-six only to discover Lasouski's pocket queens had him crushed the entire time. Ju bowed out in second, leaving Lasouski to take down the first Triton Poker event he had ever played, a dream start to Super High Rollers for the Belarusian. Event #5 - $40,000 Mystery Bounty NLH 7-Handed Final Table Results Rank Player Country Prize 1 Artisom Lasouski Belarus $669,000 2 Samuel Ju Germany $452,000 3 Chris Moneymaker United States $311,000 4 Nikita Kuznetsov Russia $253,000 5 Dylan Linde United States $202,000 6 Daniel Rezaei Austria $156,000 7 Danny Tang Hong Kong $114,000 8 Stephen Chidwick United Kingdom $82,000 Mateos Leads the $50K NLH 7-Handed Bounty Quattro The Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Montenegro is showing no signs of slowing down, with the action continuing to come thick and fast. May 17 will see the conclusion of Event #6 - $50,000 NLH 7-Handed Bounty Quattro, where only 28 of the 126 starters remain. Superstar Spaniard Adrian Mateos (2,125,000) is the man to catch and the only Day 2 player with at least two million chips in their stack, although Paulius Vaitiekunas (1,990,000) will argue his stack is essentially two million. Mike Watson (1,735,000) is looking for his second Triton Poker title in a week, while Ramin Hajiyev (1,515,000) is hopeful of repeating the heroics from his Triton Poker adventure last May that saw him win the $210,000 buy-in Cyprus event for $4,122,554. Others lurking in the wings include Isaac Haxton (1,230,000), Jason Koon (600,000), Michael Soyza (505,000), Seth Davies (440,000), and short stack Kosei Ichinose (170,000). Event #6 - $50,000 NLH 7-Handed Bounty Quattro Top 10 Chip Counts Rank Player Country Chips Big Blinds 1 Adrian Mateos Spain 2,125,000 71 2 Paulius Vaitiekunas Lithuania 1,990,000 66 3 Mike Watson Canada 1,735,000 58 4 Artur Martirosian Russia 1,670,000 56 5 Ramin Hajiyev Azerbaijan 1,515,000 51 6 Dimitar Danchev Bulgaria 1,360,000 45 7 Shyngis Satubayev Kazahkstan 1,355,000 45 8 Henrik Hecklen Denmark 1,290,000 43 9 Isaac Haxton United States 1,230,000 41 10 Patrik Antonius Finland 1,130,000 38 Play resumes at 1:00 p.m. CEST and continues until a champion is crowned. Discover who that champion is by returning to PokerNews over the weekend. Photography by Joe Giron/Poker Photo Archive Share this article 2023 WSOP Winner Auctioning Bracelet to Benefit Cancer Research Connor Richards Editor & Live Reporter U.S. Copy link Just weeks before the 2024 World Series of Poker, one of last year's bracelet winners has put his WSOP hardware up for auction to raise money for cancer research. Last July, Paul Berger won the summer closer $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em for his first bracelet and $212,645 after defeating a tough heads-up opponent, Brazilian super pro Yuri Dzivielevski Now, Berger is auctioning that bracelet and will donate the proceeds to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The bracelet is listed for auction on the fundraising platform GiveSmart, giving the golden band a value of $5,000. The auction is live until May 18 at 8 p.m. Pacific Time. "Every summer poker players flock to the city of sin to try their hand at winning one of poker's most prestigious and sought-after awards: a World Series of Poker gold bracelet," the auction listing reads. "Enjoy this coveted (collectible) with case and event engraving today!" An Instagram post by bracelet winner Paul Berger It isn't the first charitable deed by Berger, a wildlife photographer whose Instagram shows him traveling the world and documenting nature's wonders. The bracelet winner who won six figures last year told PokerNews "I play poker for fun and donate the prize money that I win." "To me it made sense to donate the bracelet as well," he said. "The more I can help with poker winnings the better. Ive been very fortunate in life and this is a great way to give back and for me it makes poker more fun knowing that my winnings help others." Paul Berger Berger told PokerNews the same thing in a winner's interview last summer. "The fact that I've got the biggest score of my life and it'll go to a good cause is very cool." This is not the first WSOP bracelet to be auctioned off for charity. 2008 Main Event champion Peter Eastgate famously auctioned his bracelet to William Haughey for $147,500 after a bidding war with Tony G. WATCH: How Tony G Made His Millions Others who have auctioned bracelets for charity over the years include 2017 Tag Team winners Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov and Max Pescatori, who auctioned his 2015 bracelets for earthquake relief in Italy. Visit the PokerNews 2024 WSOP hub for up-to-date information about the upcoming summer series, including the latest news, strategy tips and player interviews. 2024 World Series of Poker Hub Bookmark this page! All you need to know about the 2024 WSOP is here. Click Here Share this article WATCH: Which Billionaires Partied with Hellmuth? | PokerNews Podcast #830 Chad Holloway PR & Media Manager Copy link In the 830th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, which is sponsored by 888poker, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England are at Level 9 Studio in Las Vegas to talk about Chris Moneymaker winning the Triton Super High Roller Series Montenegro Event #1: $25K NLH for a huge $903K score. The trio discusses Arden Cho getting felted four times in five hands on Hustler Casino Live (HCL) and Phil Hellmuth celebrating his 60th birthday two months early in Las Vegas with his "Billionaire Bestie Bash". Several big names made appearances, which are revealed in the episode. Hellmuth shares various clips from his birthday festivities, which you can watch in this new episode. From there, the crew talks about a jam-packed weekend of tournament action that may have been a tad too busy, resulting in two significant overlays at The Lodge in Texas and Borgata in Atlantic City. Meanwhile, Maurice Hawkins returns as a controversial topic on the PokerNews Podcast as he shipped the WSOP Circuit Harrah's Cherokee Main Event for $259K and his 16th gold ring. Is this an opportunity for Hawkins to do right and settle the court judgment against him? A new PokerNews Podcast drops every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode! Other winners highlighted included Jonathan Wang taking down the RGPS Graton for $86K, and Lex Veldhuis winning his first-ever COOP title when he won SCOOP 41-H: $5,200 NLHE Titans for $140K. More importantly, he did it while streaming the action. May 14 marked the first anniversary of Doyle Brunson's passing. Chad shares some stories about "Texas Dolly," including the time he played beer pong, and then reviews the audiobook version of Brunson's autobiography The Godfather of Poker. You can win a copy of that audiobook by listening to or watching the podcast on YouTube and leaving a comment. We'll randomly select a winner before next week's show. Tell us who you want to hear from. Let us know what you think of the show tweet about the podcast using #PNPod, and be sure to follow Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz on X. Time Stamps Subscribe to the PokerNews Podcast on Apple Podcasts here! Check Out Past Episodes of the PN Podcast Here! Share this article House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) embarrassed House Republicans for their pilgrimage to court for Trump and exposed James Comers investigation as a fundraising ploy. What Jamie Raskin Said Ladies and gentlemen, in this special nighttime episode we resume the madcap comedy mystery series called Comers High Crimes and Misadventures: The Hilarious Quest to Impeach a President Who Has Done Nothing Wrong, an avowedly low-budget but multi-million dollar taxpayer funded production which most Americans assumed had ended two months ago and everyone had completely forgotten about. But tonight, with the cast and crew fresh back from a surprise trip to New York City itself, its clear the show must go on! Now, our originally scheduled performance was supposed to be at 11:00 am 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, an adjudicated fraudster and rapist, as he faces 34 felony counts of falsifying corporate financial records to cover up $130,000 paid in hush money to a porn star sex partner. Although some people are churlishly complaining that Members of the House should actually be here to vote on public business and should not have forced a last-minute change in the Committee schedule, our colleagues properly demonstrated for all of history their fierce devotion to this clearly reformed, devout, and pious Florida spiritual leader who many supporters are calling the Messiah from Mar-a-Lago. Of course, in the meantime, Chairman Jordan in the House Judiciary Committee preempted our GOP colleagues on Oversight, rendering this exercise not only absurd, but completely meaningless and redundant. They have already held Attorney General Garland purportedly in contempt. Now, when we last met on this matter, youll recall that the Majority still had not identified a single high crime or misdemeanor that the President had committed. The Committees impressive 3.8 million pages of documents and 80 hours of testimony from 20 witnesses produced nothing but overwhelming and definitive proof that President Biden had nothing wrong. So, desperate for a new story line, Republicans have come up with this astonishing new plot twist: they now propose to hold the Attorney General of the United States in contempt for giving the Committee the information it asked for, and it is information that has absolutely nothing at all to do with their failed impeachment investigation, or any high crimes or misdemeanors. True fans of the show will recall from prior episodes this plot device of punishing people for complying with Committee orders, but this new episode of not taking yes for an answer sends us off into strange new worlds of absurdity where no Congressional Committee has truly ever gone before. The Majority wanted to know what President Biden said in his voluntary interview with Special Counsel Hur. Maybe there was an impeachable diamond lurking in the rough. So, the Justice Department complied with the request. It turned over the 250-page transcript of President Bidens 5-hour interview with the Special Counsel. We had a hearing on it, in this Committee. The Special Counsel came, and there was nothing impeachable there. If there had been, you would have taken up Mr. Moskowitzs offer and you would have voted on impeachment after it happened, but you didnt. Committee Membersand hundreds of millions of Americansgot to read the entire transcript and can read it right now, if theyd like. We all can learn what the President was asked and see how he answered each and every question. But, the Chairman insists that is not enough. He and the rest of America are clearly able to read the Presidents entire interview, but he wants to be able to hear the interview. The book isnt sufficient; he wants the audio-book. And because of this gratuitous and comical request, the whole troupe and congregation now seek to hold the Attorney General of the United States in contempt. Anyone watching can grasp the ridiculous fallacy cleverly tucked into this new special primetime episode. There is plainly nothing relevant or material that our Committee can learn from an audiotape which we cannot learn from the 250 pages of the transcript. The format of the medium does not change the content of the communications. So, in this absurd twist, our friends now seek to blame the spectacular bellyflop of their own impeachment probe on Attorney General Garland and his sneaky efforts to obstruct the investigation by cooperating with it. We know what obstruction looks like because the last president specialized in it. This president agreed to sit down for a voluntary 5-hour interview with the Special Counsel investigating him. Attorney General Garland turned over the complete 250-page transcript interviewthats not obstruction. Real obstruction was Trump and his Administration refusing to provide information Congress requested in more than 100 different congressional investigations and inquiries. And I know that pleases the Gentlelady from Georgia. The last president issued an edict directing federal officials in his Administration to categorically ignore and reject all congressional subpoenas. Do my colleagues remember that? Do they know that? He told them not to cooperate with any federal investigation at all by Congress. And we did not hear a peep from any of them. That was real obstruction. Real obstruction happened when two members of this Committee, who may be preparing to vote tonight to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt, brazenly refused to comply with subpoenas from the U.S. House Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol, and still have not responded to those subpoenas. But now, it seems, Mr. Chairman, I just got passed something, that the whole obstruction gimmick may just be a fundraising ploy, which demeans the overwhelming legal integrity and impressive theatrical ambitions of this enterprise. I was just handed a mass fundraising email solicitation for your campaign that you sent out this evening, Mr. Chairman, stating that, Biden and his advisors are terrified that I will release the recordings, forcing the media and Democrats to answer for the dismal decline of Bidens mental state. [] This could be the final blow to Biden with swing voters across the country. [] The Democrats are pulling out all the stops to stop the bleeding. [] Signed, James Comer, Chairman, House Oversight Committee. Video: The original impeachment plan that was implemented when Kevin McCarthy was speaker called for President Bident to be investigated through the Democratic convention, but never impeached. House Republicans thought that the impeachment investigation would be such a big headline-getter that they could use it to influence the presidential campaign. However, the investigation never caught on outside of conservative media because Comer never found any evidence that Biden did anything wrong, so here we are. Chair Comer is stretching for time and trying to prolong the dead impeachment probe with oddball detours, like holding AG Garland in contempt for providing information that the committee asked for. James Comer has been an embarrassment to the Oversight Committee, and his investigations have turned one of the most important committees in the House into a punchline. The American people deserve actual oversight, not a community theater production for an audience of one ex-president. An Aiken man will spend the rest his life behind bars after a shooting claimed the life of an Aiken High School senior in April 2021. After a four-day trial, Kemontee Blocker was sentenced May 16 to life in prison by Second Judicial Circuit Court Judge Matie Murphy in connection to an April 25, 2021, shooting that claimed the life of 18-year-old Joseph Copeland and the attempted murder of the 19-year-old Michael Allen, according to Aiken County Second Judicial Circuit Deputy Solicitor Ashley Hammack. Hammack said the jury handed down guilty verdicts for murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and discharging a firearm into a vehicle. They found Blocker not guilty of armed robbery in connection to the shooting. Hammock said the shooting occurred in the parking lot belonging to apartment homes across the street from Schofield Middle School. Two teenagers, Copeland and Allen, were sitting inside a vehicle near an apartment complex near Barnwell Avenue and Kerhsaw Street a little after midnight , when an unidentified man fired into the vehicle, the Aiken Standard reported. Copeland was shot and was taken to a local hospital where he died. Copeland had sustained at least one gunshot wound. Hammock said the shooting was three weeks before Coplelands high school graduation, and Allen was Copelands best friend. Blocker was taken into the custody of police May 5, 2021. Hammack said Blocker's alledged accomplice Reggie Jones has not yet gone to trial . Jones is facing charges of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and discharging firearms in connection to the shooting. 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. Two of the better football teams in Region 7-5A, if not the best two, did battle on the first cool night of the season and the defensive units showed up ready to play. Read moreImproved defense on display for Gators in key region win Medical entrepreneur Douglas Smith has been named in a federal grand jury investigation looking into offshore accounts, tax issues and a loan tied to his telemedicine company that treats opioid dependence. The criminal probe surrounding the Bupe.me founder is the latest sign of trouble for the nonprofit treatment company. Its former medical director already faces federal charges accusing him of prescription fraud, and a Charleston County lawsuit from a former consultant-turned-whistleblower seeks to have Smith removed from the company. The grand jury is scheduled to meet June 6 in a federal courthouse in West Palm Beach, Fla., to consider testimony and records in the probe, according to a copy of a subpoena obtained by The Post and Courier. The papers don't specify which potential crimes are being investigated, but the terms "tax shelter," "offshore," "Swiss," "fraud," "evasion," "felony" and "nonprofit" are among the keywords the subpoena recommends for identifying records that agents in the Southern District of Florida want to see. The subpoena demands records of all communications with Smith, treatment program director Suzanne Berman, and any other company officers, as well as any other entities involving Smith. The subpoena also seeks records related to a $285,600 Paycheck Protection Program loan Smith never repaid. Smith and Berman did not immediately respond to phone calls or text messages May 17. Rhett DeHart, a former Acting United States Attorney for South Carolina and partner at Womble Bond Dickinson, is not involved in the case and has not seen the subpoena. But he said the Southern District of Florida "is a hotbed of health care fraud, and that district leads the country in health care prosecutions. He added that a federal grand jury subpoena that seeks information about offshore bank accounts also "often indicates an investigation into tax fraud and money laundering. One of the most challenging aspects of preserving a run-down historic building isn't figuring out what needs replacing and what only needs repairing. It isn't pulling the permits or getting the needed approvals and design review. It's not even finding the necessary money, even though the amo Read moreEditorial: Sometimes, preservation requires finding a very creative new use SUMMERVILLE South Carolina House Speaker Murrell Smith showed up to the barbecue with a warning. The Statehouse, the Sumter Republican told the crowd of 60 eating pulled pork at the Dorchester Boat Club, could soon become a lot more like the GOP cannibalism seen in the nations capital. Unfortunately, whats happening here today is that those forces from Washington, D.C., are coming down to South Carolina and other states," he said gravely. "And what do they want to do? They want to bring their chaos and their dysfunction to South Carolina. The forces Smith was talking about? His fellow Republicans. More specifically, the hard-right, headline-grabbing House Freedom Caucus the 16 GOP members who have refused to join the Republican Caucus and have instead pressed their own agenda, repeatedly clashing with the speaker. Openly, the Republicans leadership that runs the House of Representatives is out working to defeat the upstart caucus in their June 11 GOP primaries while at the same time the Freedom Caucus is pushing to expand its ranks. "Do I want to take out bad Republicans who refuse to live up to their campaign promises and the Republican Party platform? Absolutely," said state Rep. RJ May, vice chairman and political strategist for the caucus. The conflict, which has already turned negative and nasty, has transformed about three dozen House primaries from Charleston to Seneca into all-out intraparty war. Both sides are backed by outside groups pumping thousands of dollars into the contests where the stakes are being portrayed as either a tack further right to better reflect South Carolina values as the Freedom Caucus says or a future of more chaos and division. The Palmetto Truth Project is funding a flurry of mailers and ads to oust the Freedom Caucus, while the Palmetto Freedom Fund is supporting them. Other out-of-state groups are in on the action too. A fight in the suburbs PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 12:00:21 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 707 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Camino Corp. (TSXV:COR)(OTC PINK:CAMZF)(WKN:A116E1) ("Camino" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has increased its claims at its Los Chapitos copper property ("Los Chapitos" or the "Project") by an additional 1,700 hectares. In a land auction, Camino successfully competed against other bidders that included Rio Tinto, to gain titles to new exploration claims immediately adjacent to the Company's Los Chapitos copper claims. The claims increase brings the Los Chapitos areas to a total of 22,571 hectares. This is the second increase in claims by Camino in the last year (see news release dated November 8, 2023). Rio Tinto also had the winning bid for part of the auction and increased their claim position next to Camino.The first new claim block 59 (Figure 1), is located to the northwest, connecting Camino's claims and Rio Tinto's claims, and follows the extension of a major fault structure called La Estancia (see news release dated October 24, 2023). The La Estancia fault has been mapped on Camino's existing Los Chapitos claim to extend over 12 kilometers in a northwest direction.The second new claim block 54 (Figure 1) extends Camino's claims immediately to the north, adjacent to the existing Los Chapitos claims near the Diana prospect. The claim block is located between two major regional faults, the Rumi Puka fault that extends over 10 kilometers over Los Chapitos claims in the North-South direction, and the Pochco fault that extends over 8.5 kilometers in the East-West direction.Figure 1. Locations of Copper Projects and Claims in the Los Chapitos District About Camino CorporationCamino is a discovery and development stage copper exploration company. Camino is focused on advancing its high-grade Los Chapitos copper project located in Peru through to resource delineation and to add new discoveries. Camino has also permitted the Maria Cecilia copper porphyry project for a planned exploration drilling program. In addition, Camino has increased its land position at its copper and silver Plata Dorada project. Camino seeks to acquire a portfolio of advanced copper assets that have the potential to deliver copper into an electrifying copper intensive global economy. For more information, please refer to Camino's website at www.caminocorp.com Jose A. Bassan, FAusIMM (CP) 227922, MSc. Geologist, an independent geologist and a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this document. Mr. Bassan has reviewed and verified relevant data supporting the technical disclosure, including sampling and analytical test data.ON BEHALF OF THE BOARDFor further information, please contact:/S/ "Jay Chmelauskas"Camino Investor RelationsPresident and CEOinfo@ caminocorp.com Tel: (604) 493-2058Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements: Certain disclosures in this release constitute forward-looking information. In making the forward-looking disclosures in this release, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information in the release includes the prospectivity of future exploration work at Los Chapitos and the receipt of necessary authorizations and approvals. Although the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking information in this release is subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking information. Such risk factors include, among others, that actual results of the Company's exploration activities will be different than those expected by management, that the Company will be unable to obtain or will experience delays in obtaining any required authorizations and approvals and the state of equity and commodity markets. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.SOURCE: Camino Minerals Corp. PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 18:59:38 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 640 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Recent advancements signify a new era in liver disease diagnosis and treatment.GREENVILLE, SC / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 /Luxor Scientific and CIMA Sciences join forces for the US launch of OWLiver, an exclusive non-invasive blood test able to detect all dangerous stages of Metabolic dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) and Metabolic dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH). The OWLiver metabolic assay meets the urgent need for a non-invasive test for identification of individuals who have "at-risk" MASH and are at high risk for progressing to end-stage liver disease. This collaboration coincides with the FDA's March 2024 approval of the first and only medication for MASH treatment, marking a transformative step forward in enhancing liver disease testing and management.Luxor Scientific is the only laboratory offering CIMA Sciences' OWLiver testing in the US, which utilizes the MASEF (Metabolomics-Advanced Steatohepatitis Fibrosis) score.1 With advanced metabolomics technology, this test holds the potential to transform approaches in understanding and treating metabolic dysfunction associated liver conditions."As we continue to see a rise in metabolic syndrome in the US, MASLD is becoming more and more prominent," stated Dr. Marion Snyder Luxor Scientific. "For years, physicians have had to rely on invasive liver biopsy procedures and costly imaging studies. OWLiver can identify MASLD in its early stages, giving patients the chance to stop and reverse the disease and live a healthier lifestyle." MASLD, previously known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), is the most common cause of chronic liver disease, impacting over 30% of adults in the US, and is expected to increase in the coming years with the steady rise of obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. As many as 20% of type 2 diabetic individuals with MASLD will develop MASH. Studies show that 15-20% of patients with MASH can progress to liver disease and ultimately liver failure. Early identification of "at-risk" MASH is a priority, as these patients are at increased risk for disease progression and may benefit from developed therapies to prevent the disease and further liver damage and related complications."The availability of this test is incredibly significant for patients at this time," expressed Alejo Llopart-Mascaro, CIMA Sciences. "We take pride in our collaboration with Luxor Scientific to address the growing issue of metabolic associated liver disease. This partnership enables healthcare providers to diagnose and subsequently offer effective treatments that are now readily available to their patients." About CIMA Sciences, LLCStrategically bringing proprietary technology to the US, CIMA Sciences is a biological company which primary focus is on developing and providing the scientific community and the US population with cutting-edge, non-invasive diagnostic technologies for high-prevalence diseases, with a specific emphasis on liver and cardiovascular risk. CIMA recognizes the critical need for accurate and early detection of diseases and aims to revolutionize the diagnostic landscape and empower healthcare professionals with groundbreaking, accurate, non-invasive and accessible tools to identify and manage these conditions effectively. CIMA actively collaborates with key stakeholders in the scientific and medical communities to ensure the effective deployment of its solutions and their integration into existing healthcare systems. For more information about CIMA Sciences, please visit www.cimasciences.com About Luxor ScientificLuxor Scientific was founded with the mission of providing better information faster. As a full-service privately-held CAP-accredited medical and research laboratory, Luxor offers a robust menu of clinical and anatomical testing services. Today, Luxor Scientific is one of the fastest-growing companies in the southeast, specializing in cutting-edge diagnostic testing solutions in the areas of metabolomics, genomics, toxicology and histology. Luxor's industry-leading turnaround times and state-of-the-art equipment and diagnostic solutions, allows Luxor to provide personalized service, accurate testing, and innovative functional reporting. For more information about Luxor Scientific and our full test offering, please visit www.luxorscientific.org 1 The Metabolomics-Advanced steatohepatitis fibrosis score (MASEF). Hepatology. 2024 Jan 1;79(1):135-148.doi: 10.109724Media Contact:Kristina Loughrey kristina@ klcoms.com SOURCE: Luxor PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 08:45:56 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1069 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SURREY, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Condor Gold (AIM:CNR)(TSX:COG) is pleased to announce its audited results for the year ended 31 December 2023 and provides notification that the Annual General Meeting of shareholders of the Company will be held at 3:00 p.m. on 28 June 2024 at 7/8 Innovation Place, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1JX, United Kingdom.The Company has published the formal notice of meeting (the "Notice") on its website ( www.condorgold.com) together with the related voting proxy form for use by shareholders. A copy of the Notice, together with the proxy voting form, the Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 will be posted to all shareholders who have elected to receive them in hard copy.Highlights for twelve months to 31 December 2023There continues to be significant interest in the sale of the Company's assets. On 5 December 2023 the Company announced that it was in receipt of 5 non-binding offers, 3 site visits had been completed and advanced discussions were taking place with 2 gold producers. Discussions are still continuing, and the Board is optimistic that a resolution should be concluded in the near future. The current open pit Mineral Resource Estimate is 8,693 kt at 3.2 g/t gold for 893,000 oz gold in the indicated mineral resource category and 3,026 kt at 3.0 g/t gold for 291,000 oz gold in the inferred mineral resource category. The underground Mineral Resource Estimate is 979 kt at 6.2 g/t gold for 194,000 oz gold in the indicated mineral resource category and 5,615 kt at 5.0 g/t gold for 898,000 oz gold in the inferred mineral resource category. The current October 2022 Feasibility Study (FS) demonstrates a robust and economically viable base case for the La India open pit: Probable Mineral Reserve of 7.3Mt at 2.56g/t gold for 602,000 oz gold Production averages 81,545 oz gold per annum for the first 6 years of an 8.4 year mine life An Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 23% and a post tax, post upfront capital cost NPV of US$86.9 million using a discount rate of 5% and price of US$1,600 oz gold (Mineral Reserve Case). An IRR of 43% and a post tax, post upfront capital cost NPV of US$205.2 million using a discount rate of 5% and price of US$2,000 oz gold. Low initial capital requirement of US$105.5 million (including contingency and EPCM contract) Low average Life of Mine All-in Sustaining Cash Costs of US$1,039 per oz gold Land acquisition continued at the La India open pit and associated mine site infrastructure. To date, 99.6% of the core areas have been purchased. Site clearance of 14 hectares has been completed for the processing plant location, including areas for offices, warehouses, a stockpile, and a buffer zone. 400 m west of Cacao deposit a 0.66 g/t gold from an isolated high-level chalcedonic rock chip sample indicates continuity of the hidden, deep-seated high-grade mineralised Cacao deposit to the west. 2 km east of the Cacao deposit up to 6.29 g/t gold from a 0.5 m thick quartz breccia in artisanal mine workings confirms mineralisation along the Cacao trend, which has now been identified along 5km. 26.1 g/t gold and 200 g/t silver from new artisanal mine working at the southern end of the main El Paraiso vein trend on the Rio Luna Concession extends the strike length of medium to high-grade mineralisation on the El Paraiso structure from 3.5 to over 4 km. On 4 July, 2023 the Company announced it had raised 1 million by way of the exercise of warrants by Galloway Limited, a company wholly owned by Burnbrae Group Limited, which is, in turn, wholly owned by Jim Mellon, Condor's Chair, increasing Galloway's shareholding in Condor Gold to 23% of the ordinary share capital. On 12 December, 2023 the Company announced it had raised a total of 1,851,999 by way of a private placement of new ordinary shares raising 851,999 and the exercise of 1million worth of warrants by Galloway Limited, a company wholly owned by Burnbrae Group Limited, which is, in turn, wholly owned by Jim Mellon, Condor's Chair, increasing Galloway's shareholding in Condor Gold to 25% of the ordinary share capital. The FS was completed at US$1,600 oz gold, at today's gold price the pit would push deeper, increasing recovered ounces from open pit mining methods, the EBITDA increases approximately 100%, the IRR 3 fold. Post Period HighlightsAs at 16 May 2024, eight companies are under Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), five non-binding offers received and three site visits completed. Although none of the non-binding offers have progressed to firm proposals to date, the Company is in advanced discussions with one gold producer, while 2 other parties are actively reviewing the Company's assets. The Board is optimistic that a sale will be concluded in the near future. Chairman's Statement for the Year Ended 31 December, 2024Dear Shareholder,I continue to be impressed by the executive teams' dedication to getting our project shovel ready. This has elicited considerable interest in the current sales process, which has been aided by a 20% increase in the gold price since the lows of 2023.The focus during the 12-month period to 31 December 2023 has been on the sale of the Company's assets in Nicaragua. On 22 November 2022, the Company announced a strategy update and informed the market that it had appointed an advisor to sell its assets. The Board carefully reviewed the Company's options as the Project is "construction ready" with an 18-month construction timeline. Such options included going through a financing and construction phase but, as a single asset, single jurisdiction company without an experienced mine building team and without gold production from other mines, the Board formed the view that this would not be in the Company's best interests, and concluded that it was in the best interests of the Company and all stakeholders to sell the assets of the Company to a gold producer with mine building expertise, thus ensuring a new mine at La India and significant investment in the local area, which will regenerate the local communities. As a result of this strategy, the Board has reclassified the Nicaraguan assets as held for sale within the Group and Company Statements of Financial Position within the 2022 financial year and have remained classified as held for resale in 2023. The focus for 2024 is to execute a successful sale of the assets while maintaining a social license to operate at the fully permitted La India Project.By way of an update on the sales process as at 16 May 2024 there are currently eight companies under Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), five non-binding offers received and three site visits completed. Although none of the non-binding offers have progressed to PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 13:01:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 951 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 DALLAS, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Envela Corporation (NYSE American:ELA) ("Envela" or the "Company"), announced today that it is expanding its lineup this week with the introduction of Bijoux Exchange-an exceptional buyer of pre-owned luxury items in private, pressure-free environments. Bijoux Exchange boutiques will be located inside select Envela stores as "stores within a store." "Drawing on our company's heritage, we are delighted to introduce Bijoux Exchange, our new take on a concept at the heart of our brand," said Allison DeStefano, Head of Envela's Consumer Division. "The core of our strategy has always been to be an information resource for clients, bring transparency to transactions, and offer liquidity to those seeking to sell high-value items and receive immediate payment." About Bijoux ExchangeBijoux Exchange is a premier buyer of fine pre-owned jewelry, natural diamonds, and luxury watches. Established with a mission to transform the luxury resale market, Bijoux Exchange provides a unique and elevated selling experience to clients. For over half a century, Envela's been committed to delivering exceptional value and service to its clients while keeping a strong focus on global sustainability by extending the lifecycle of luxury items. With its team of experts, including GIA-certified gemologists, Bijoux Exchange is built on this solid foundation and carries on these principles.What We OfferWhether clients are selling a single diamond ring, a collection of vintage Rolex watches, or an entire estate of rare jewels, Bijoux Exchange strives to provide them discrete, pressure-free experiences that leave them feeling confident in their sale decisions and confident in Bijoux Exchange. Bijoux Exchange simply delivers unparalleled service, guidance, and value to sellers, with immediate payments. Clients can schedule private, in-person appointments at any of our locations.Expertise and CommitmentThe foundation of Bijoux Exchange's no-pressure experience lies in the expertise of its team. Boasting dozens of experts with decades of experience, each specialist is trained to recognize nuances that can maximize the value of luxury items. Bijoux Exchange is committed to offering the best possible prices. With access to real-time market data, innovative technology, and proprietary sales knowledge, Bijoux Exchange can offer the most competitive prices and pay top dollar for fine jewelry, diamonds, and luxury watches.Diverse and Comprehensive ServicesBijoux Exchange purchases a wide variety of items:Fine jewelry from every era, including Antique, Edwardian, Georgian, Art Nouveau, Belle Epoque, Art Deco, Retro, and Contemporary Signed jewelry by renowned makers like Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, David Yurman, and Tiffany Loose diamonds, diamond rings, and jewelry made from gold, silver, platinum, and other precious metals Luxury watches by famous brands including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Breitling, Cartier, Omega, and Panerai Collectibles, paper currency, coins, and silver flatwareWith wide-ranging experience in the fine jewelry industry, Bijoux Exchange is uniquely qualified to value and purchase fine jewelry. Whether clients are selling because their jewelry no longer matches their style or lifestyle, or due to life-altering events such as divorce or the loss of a loved one, Bijoux Exchange is there to provide the best value and immediate payment.SustainabilityBijoux Exchange is dedicated to global sustainability. Extending the lifecycle of pre-owned luxury items contributes to this effort. Sustainability is a core value that Bijoux Exchange takes to heart, aligning with the growing consumer demand for environmentally responsible practices.ConclusionBijoux Exchange is not just a marketplace for pre-owned luxury; it's a revolution in how these items are valued and sold. With a mission to provide a rewarding and elevated selling experience, the company combines unparalleled expertise, superior service, and a commitment to sustainability. Whether you're looking to sell fine jewelry, diamonds, or luxury watches, Bijoux Exchange offers a trusted and satisfying solution.About EnvelaEnvela a leading provider of re-commerce services at the forefront of the circular economy. The company is comprised of primarily two key business segments: Consumer and Commercial. The Consumer segment operates retail stores and online sites that offer premium brands and luxury hard assets, while the Commercial segment provides personalized re-commerce solutions to meet the needs of various clients, including Fortune 500 companies. We execute with passion and meticulous attention to detail, focusing on our strengths rather than trying to be everything to everyone.At Envela, we Reuse, Recycle, and Reimagine. To learn more, visit Envela.com and follow our social media channels on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking InformationThis press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995's safe harbor provisions, including statements regarding future events and developments; potential expansions, purchases and acquisitions; potential future success of business lines and strategies; and management's expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates and projections relating to the future. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "may," "intends," "will," "should," "expects" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's then current views and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks described more fully in Item 1A in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, which are expressly incorporated herein by reference, and other factors as may periodically be described in the Company's filings with the SEC. By making these statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release except as required by law.Investor Relations Contact:Andrew Stacey ir@ envelacorp.com 972-587-4030SOURCE: Envela Corporation PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-18 01:05:11 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1002 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATESLONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Further to the news release of April 26, 2024, Gabriel Resources Ltd. (TSXV:GBU) or ("Gabriel" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has completed closing of an initial tranche of its previously disclosed non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of up to 377,594,750 common shares of the Company ("Common Share") at a price of $0.02 per Common Share ("Purchase Price") for gross proceeds of up to US$5.575 million (approximate $7.5 million), subject to stock exchange and other approvals as applicable.In connection with closing the initial tranche of the Private Placement, the Company has issued an aggregate of 220,122,500 Common Shares for gross proceeds of US$3.25 million (approximately $4.4 million) representing approximately 21.2% of the Common Shares currently issued and outstanding on a non-diluted basis prior to the Private Placement and are subject to a statutory 4-month hold period expiring on September 18, 2024.It is anticipated that the remainder of the Private Placement may close on or about May 23, 2024, or such earlier or later date as may be determined by the Company, subject to satisfaction or waiver by the relevant party of the conditions of closing.The Company reserved the price for the Private Placement by filing a price reservation form with the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") on April 19, 2024. The Private Placement was conditionally accepted by the TSXV on May 16, 2024 and remains subject to final acceptance by the TSXV and the receipt of all other applicable approvals. The Company will not pay a cash finder's fee in connection with the Private Placement.The securities described herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and accordingly may not be offered or sold within the United States or to "U.S. persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act ("U.S. 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 news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company's securities to, or for the account of benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. Persons.Further detail regarding the Private Placement, including use of proceeds and the participation of insiders, can be found in the news release issued by the Company on April 26, 2024, which is available on the Company's website and filed on SEDAR+, and the related material change report also filed on SEDAR+.For information on this press release, please contact:Dragos TanasePresident & CEOPhone: +40 730 399 019 dt@ gabrielresources.com Richard BrownChief Financial OfficerMobile: +44 7748 760276 richard.brown@gabrielresources.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.Further InformationAbout GabrielGabriel is a Canadian resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's principal business had been the exploration and development of the Rosia Montana gold and silver project in Romania. The Rosia Montana Project, one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in Europe, is situated in the South Apuseni Mountains of Transylvania, Romania, an historic and prolific mining district that since pre-Roman times has been mined intermittently for over 2,000 years.The exploitation license for the Rosia Montana Project is held by Rosia Montana Gold Corporation S.A., a Romanian company in which Gabriel owns an 80.69% equity interest, with the 19.31% balance held by Minvest Rosia Montana S.A., a Romanian state-owned mining company.Following issuance of the exploitation license in June 1999, the Group focused substantially all of its management and financial resources on the exploration, feasibility and subsequent development of the Rosia Montana Project. Gabriel invested over US$760 million to develop the Rosia Montana Project and to define two promising gold, silver and porphyry copper-gold mineral deposits in the Bucium concession area located in the vicinity of Rosia Montana ("Bucium Projects" and together with the Rosia Montana Project, the "Projects").The Rosia Montana Project had the potential to be a flagship development project in Romania presenting opportunities to:boost the Romanian economy through direct and indirect contributions to GDP; create several thousand of much-needed direct and indirect jobs in an area that has record unemployment, thus ensuring Rosia Montana's sustainable economic development; make Romania the leading producer of gold and silver in the European Union; remediate, through significant investment in infrastructure and environmental rehabilitation, the severe environmental degradation that besieges Rosia Montana's landscape today as a consequence of unregulated historical State mining operations; and add further significant investments to the preservation and restoration of Rosia Montana's important cultural heritage (beyond the significant investments already made by Gabriel). Forward-looking StatementsThis press release contains "forward-looking information" (also referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of the Company's operating environment. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the ability of the Company to source further capital.In this press release, forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies that may cause the Company's actual financial results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied herein.Some of the material factors or assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements include, without limitati PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 18:16:02 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 281 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / The GCIC's Masters Forum on "ESG and Sustainable Development" was successfully concluded on March 16, 2024, featuring a lineup of distinguished experts in the field. The forum provided a platform for in-depth discussions on emerging trends and opportunities, climate change challenges, policy making, and social participation in the context of sustainable development.Senior Project Specialist Yingjie Chen highlighted the importance of ESG from the perspective of non-profit institutions, emphasizing its role in addressing environmental challenges and resource depletion. Dr. Chen Yushi explored the core position of ESG integration in investment strategy, while Dr. Li Kai stressed the need for cooperation among capital parties and assets to drive positive cycles in ESG investment. Professor Hongtao Zheng underscored the significance of ESG in China's economic transformation, urging a comprehensive approach to ESG assessment.The discussions delved into the impact of climate change risks on the financial industry, the challenges in risk management, and the importance of stakeholder involvement in adaptation and resilience projects. Participants emphasized the need for a more comprehensive assessment framework under the ESG framework to consider both environmental and social impacts.In conclusion, the forum provided valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges within the field of climate economy, sustainable economy, and ESG investment and integration. Participants expressed gratitude for the engaging discussions and pledged to continue working together to advance the cause of sustainability and promote the sustainable development of society. Just like the coordinator Zuqi Su said, "looking ahead, there is a collective commitment to gather more wisdom and strength to drive progress in the sustainable field." Website: http://www.gcic-sdg.org/ Email: president@ gcic-sdgs.org SOURCE: Global Climate Innovation Center PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 07:01:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 791 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Kinder Ready, a trailblazing company in early childhood education in Southern California and their CEO Elizabeth Fraley, are pleased to announce the launch of its latest course on Executive Functioning (EF). These course skills are aimed at supporting early learners in a variety of areas, including planning, organization, self-control, task initiation, time management, metacognition, working memory, attention, flexibility and perseverance.SANTA MONICA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 /Santa Monica, CA: The EF programis the latest approach byKinder Ready's CEO Elizabeth Fraley , for students to take effective notes, synthesize information, and manage a schedule. This new approach will assist students with the organizational skills they need to succeed in today's ever-changing academic environment. Children today strive to understand large volumes of information, take high-stakes exams, and meet many educational and extracurricular deadlines.Under the leadership ofElizabeth Fraley , the program will begin with an intake to determine the individual student's needs to serve them better. Next, the program will assess the student and their abilities to follow the EF skills. By underscoring the students' direct needs, the Kinder Ready will implement strategies to support them and create a timeline to maximize their potential in EF skills. Throughout the EF process, students will receive ongoing evaluations to ensure their academic needs are met.In addition, students enrolled in theKinder Ready (EF) Coursewill have customized plans to support a range of areas including:Planning - The course ensures success through calendaring both weekly and monthly and color coding important dates and assignments to anticipate. The holistic approach empowers students to learn how to prioritize and execute tasks through planning.Time Management - In time management, students will have customized schedules with time management guidelines on how long specific tasks should take to ensure they make the most of their after-school schedules. Students will create and follow their personalized schedules to maximize time for family, school work, and extracurricular activities.Working Memory - Kinder Ready's portion of the (EF)course will help teach students to keep information in their heads until it is ready to be utilized.Self Control - This is another program facet that will allow students to develop regulation skills to navigate school expectations, feelings, thoughts, and actions to ensure positive outcomes.Perseverance - The program's portion will help students develop the ability not to give up and to stick with something, seeing the task from beginning to completion. Additionally, students learn never to give up, no matter how hard something may seem.Flexibility - Through coursework, students develop an understanding of flexibility when navigating unforeseen obstacles and a new curriculum. Students work on adapting when something changes or shifts, whether a due date or expectation.Organization - The Executive Functioning Coursework will help students organize all facets of their lives. By having an organized backpack, room, and environment, students feel more confident and productive. When students learn organizations systems and strategies at an early age, they are far more productive in their future.Task Initiation - It enables students to work on independence in completing a task and developing self-direction skills.Metacognition - An area of the course work that will focus on utilizing what students know and applying it to new information. The guidance will help students plan and prepare for how to attend various presentations and people.Attention guidance will help students plan and prepare for how to attend various presentations, and people.Kinder Ready's CEO Elizabeth Fraleyand Elementary Wise will provide a comprehensive suite of Executive Functioning Resources, including calendar planning, journaling, modeling, and conversations, each student receives personalized materials to track Executive Functioning skills across linguistic domains, ensuring tailed instruction that meets individual needs.In addition to these innovative methodologies, Kinder Ready and Elementary Wise offer a range of incentives to enhance Executive Functioning learning, including schedule boards, vision board assignments, and ongoing communication with students and families through weekly reports. By fostering a collaborative partnership between educators, parents, and caregivers, Kinder Ready and Elementary Wise ensure that each child is set up for success.About the Company - Kinder Ready:Kinder Ready, a top tier provider of early childhood education, committed to nurturing young minds and empowering students to reach their full potential. With a focus on innovative teaching methodologies and personalized instruction,Kinder Readyoffers a transformative learning experience that prepares children for academic success and lifelong learning.In an ever-evolving world where organization is an essential part of life, Executive Functioning (EF) plays a pivotal role in nurturing inclusive learning environments and promoting positivity and productivity. Kinder Ready's Executive Functioning Initiative is a testament to its commitment to educational excellence and equity for all students.Media Details:Company Name: Kinder ReadyWebsite: www.kinderready.comContact Person: Elizabeth FraleyEmail:kinderreadyla@ gmail.comLocation: 1112 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90403SOURCE: Kinder Ready PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 15:45:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 407 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / RedSwan Markets LLC ("RedSwan Markets"), the wholly-owned affiliate of RedSwan CRE ("RedSwan"), a leader in tokenized commercial real estate, has received FINRA approval for SEC broker-dealer membership.This FINRA approval marks a significant milestone for RedSwan and RedSwan Markets, allowing them to legally offer and sell digital securities of commercial real estate shares from their digital marketplace platform. This marks a new era for tokenized real estate as a physically liquid asset class, allowing for future integration into treasury management solutions. Investment managers will no longer have to classify all real estate as an illiquid asset, modifying the future investment benefit of accretive yield and liquidity options. RedSwan focuses on high-quality global real estate assets and will democratize investor access, management, and trading as compliant digital securities. This announcement comes as RedSwan launches its latest institutional Core+ offerings, including an unleveraged GCC Growth Fund I for global investors."This FINRA membership approval recognizes our team's unwavering commitment and hard work," said Ed Nwokedi, Founder & CEO of RedSwan CRE. We can now expand our reach to a broader range of institutions, family offices, broker-dealers, RIAs, and money managers by offering digital asset securities as an alternative to traditional illiquid products. I am grateful to our RedSwan Markets team and the leaders of FINRA for their diligent efforts in helping us achieve this milestone. RedSwan Markets is committed to adhering to all regulatory standards and best practices on all offerings." "Tokenization will prove to be a game changer for the commercial real estate capital markets," says Will Powers, President of RedSwan Markets. "With the recent news of institutional adoption, we are extremely excited to be a part of this space and look forward to growing the industry with our partners." About RedSwan CRE:Founded in April 2018, RedSwan CRE is a blockchain-based marketplace that leverages tokenization technology to fractionalize ownership of commercial real estate, making investments more accessible, affordable, and tradable. RedSwan Markets LLC is the broker- dealer subsidiary established to be RedSwan CRE's regulatory arm for compliant transactions. Sponsors and private investors now have early liquidity options through the issuance and tradability of asset-backed digital securities. Drawing on the team's deep expertise in real estate, finance, and technology, RedSwan CRE is providing leading-edge capital market solutions for the $75T global industry.Please visitRedSwan CRE .CONTACT:Ed NwokediCEO, RedSwan CREEd@ redswan.io SOURCE: RedSwan CRE PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 03:15:59 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 421 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / May 16, 2024 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until June 24, 2024to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between November 4, 2020 and November 2, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Lincoln National and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-lnc/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byJune 24, 2024 .About the LawsuitLincoln National and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On November 2, 2022, post-market, the Company released its 3Q 2022 financial results, disclosing a net loss of $2.6 billion for the quarter, compared to a net income of $318 million for the third quarter of 2021 the previous year, due to "net unfavorable notable items of $2.0 billion, or $11.62 per share, related to the company's annual review of DAC and reserve assumptions," and that the Company "incurred a $634 million goodwill impairment to the life insurance business." On this news, the price of Lincoln's shares fell by $17.27, or 33.2%, to close at $34.83 per share on November 3, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.The case is Meade v. Lincoln National Corporation, et al., No. 24-cv-01704.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partner lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com 1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 18:16:57 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 543 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 ALPHARETTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 /Nam Technologies Inc. , a software services and professional staff augmentation services company, has launchedNamLEX , a cutting-edge, cloud-based proposal information management system. Designed by Senior Software Engineer Jaya Krishna Tummala and his team of developers, NamLEX simplifies how businesses draft, develop, and manage proposals and quotations, leading to more efficiency, increased availability of data, and time saved.Nam Technologies is the creator of NamLEX, which streamlines the creation and management of proposals and quotations.For over twenty years, Nam Technologies Inc. has been delivering strong, proactive software solutions for its clients in the financial, education, healthcare, energy, retail, insurance, energy, and utility industries. The company's goals are to ensure shorter product development lifecycles, improved time-to-market, and enhanced overall efficiency through services that include software maintenance, technical support, and the development of system enhancements, connectors/extensions, applications, and new capabilities. Nam Technologies Inc. has its own R&D facility whose focus is on building "commercial off the shelf" (COTS) products. Whether it is assisting with staff augmentation, talent management, upgrades to IT infrastructure, or S/W design and programming, Nam Technologies Inc. aims for the highest functionality and performance standards.Jaya Krishna Tummala explains that NamLEX is Nam Technologies Inc.'s latest tech solution for organizations. "Many businesses struggle with outdated proposal management processes that are time-consuming, error-prone, and hinder productivity," he says. "At Nam Technologies, Inc., we recognized this challenge and developed NamLEX to provide companies with a way to streamline the proposal workflow, enabling faster turnaround times and improved efficiency." Jaya Krishna Tummala, Senior Software Engineer at Nam Technologies Inc.NamLEX offers a comprehensive suite of features tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses across industries. As it is built on open source, cloud-native technologies, it can be accessed by both on-site and work-from-home employees. NamLEX helps companies manage and process all of their business proposals information ready for analytics, compliance, optimization, availability, and security. The technology also completely integrates an organization's marketing, sales, and business development systems, stores and allows access to data, and is scalable. As a result, repetitive tasks normally encountered in the building of proposals are minimized, and organizations can focus on measuring performance and sharpening their ability to reach their target client base.The launch of NamLEX represents a significant milestone for Nam Technologies Inc. and underscores the company's commitment to innovation and customer service. "At Nam Technologies Inc., we understand the importance of efficient proposal management in driving the productivity of businesses," says Jaya Krishna Tummala. "We invite organizations to learn more about how NamLEX can allow them to have relevant information readily available, ultimately eliminating repetitive tasks and accelerating their proposal development processes." NamLEX allows organizations to ramp up their productivity and efficiency.About Nam Technologies Inc.:Since 2003, Nam Technologies Inc. has been providing software services and other professional staff augmentation services to clients across the United States. Its team is passionate about delivering reliable, robust software solutions that eliminate friction in the product development and time-to-market processes for organizations in diverse industries. For more information about Nam Technologies Inc., including NamLEX, please visit https://nam-lex.com/or contact:Jaya Krishna Tummala, Nam Technologies+1 (678) 341-5166sales@ nam-tech.com SOURCE: Nam Technologies Inc. PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 13:45:22 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 906 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Stand 8A230 | Rai, Amsterdam | June 4-6, 2024AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Money20/20 is a global conference for the financial ecosystem, providing premium content, inspirational speakers, world-class insights, partnership and networking opportunities in the Payments, FinTech, and Financial Services industries. Launched by industry insiders in 2012, Money20/20 is the heartbeat of the global fintech ecosystem.This year, Flyfish is proud to announce the launch of its innovative platform in Amsterdam at Money 20/20; which serves as an all-in-one marketplace for financial services. The platform bridges the gap between businesses and financial institutions by offering easy access to a variety of payment and financial products and services, all in a single location, from multiple providers worldwide. With Flyfish, businesses can access everything from corporate IBANs, debit cards, and crypto exchange to payroll and expense management systems. This platform provides all the payment methods businesses require and opens up new avenues for innovation that they may not have even considered yet.The rise of digitalisation has made managing finances more crucial than ever, emphasising convenience and accessibility for consumers. Yet, accessing banking and financial solutions remains a daunting task. Traditional banks and payment institutions demand extensive verification, physical presence, and are often limited by geographical boundaries, offering a narrow range of services. This complicates and prolongs the process for individuals and businesses to access banking, make payments, and transfer funds. Additionally, no single financial institution can fully satisfy all the financial needs of a business, leading to the necessity of maintaining multiple accounts across various providers. The onboarding process for these services is hindered by complex compliance and verification procedures, representing a significant risk and challenge to business operations.Flyfish offers a unique marketplace concept to make financial services and payment solutions more accessible and convenient for everyone. The platform has collaborated with various financial institutions and payment providers from around the world, enabling Flyfish to offer tailored solutions based on individual requirements. The sign-up process is simple, and users can easily verify themselves to access all the financial products and services they need in one place. Additionally, businesses can onboard new services without requiring additional compliance or KYB procedures. With Flyfish, managing finances has never been easier, as the platform offers convenience, flexibility, and efficiency at your fingertips, empowering you to manage your finances with confidence and ease.Key Features of The Flyfish Platform1- A World of Financial Solutions, All in One PlaceEasily access a wide range of payment solutions and financial services, including corporate IBANs, debit cards, payroll, payouts, and more. Whether you need a checking account, savings account, debit card or payroll system, we have diverse options to choose from. With Flyfish, you can access all the financial products and services you need in one place, even the ones you didn't know you needed. Why onboard with multiple providers when Flyfish brings them all to you?2- Simple, One-Time OnboardingSign up with Flyfish today! Our user-friendly interface guides you through the account opening process step by step, ensuring a hassle-free experience. Opening a new bank account or obtaining a debit card is as simple as a few clicks. You don't need to navigate through multiple sign-ups-simply add the services you need on your Flyfish dashboard and proceed with ease.3- Multiple Providers, Single SolutionFlyfish collaborates with top financial institutions, EMIs, and banks to provide users with a wide range of financial products and services. These include traditional banking solutions, customised payment cards, payroll and expense management systems, and more. Users have the flexibility to mix and match the products and services they need to create a tailored solution that aligns with their financial goals and preferences.4- Personalised RecommendationsLooking for the right payment solution is challenging, especially when there are so many options out there. This is where Flyfish comes in, using advanced algorithms to provide you with personalised recommendations based on your financial profile and preferences. Whether you are a business manager looking for a globally accepted corporate debit card or an accountant in search of a reliable payroll system, our platform suggests the most suitable solutions to meet your unique needs.5- Security and PrivacyAt Flyfish, we prioritise the security and privacy of our users' information. Our platform utilises advanced encryption technology to protect sensitive data and guarantee a safe financial experience. Users can have peace of mind knowing that Flyfish adheres to the highest standards of the industry and complies with global regulations.6- Continuous SupportAt Flyfish, we believe our relationship with our users goes beyond just opening an account. We provide 24/7 support to assist our users with any questions or concerns they may have. Our dedicated support team is always here to help, whether you are looking for guidance on choosing the right financial products or need assistance troubleshooting a technical issue. You can rest assured that we are committed to providing assistance around the clock.Meet Flyfish at Stand 8A230Witness a significant moment in financial innovation at Money20/20 Europe with Flyfish. Our mission is to close the gap between businesses and financial institutions, one transaction at a time, paving the way for a new era in finance. Join us and be part of this exclusive opportunity to empower financial growth.To learn more about Flyfish and its transformative platform, visit Stand 8A230 at Money20/20 Europe, and unlock a world of financial opportunities.MEDIA DETAILSFlyfish support@ flyfish.com Andrea Kariolou 38, Agios Athanasios, Limassol 4102, CyprusSOURCE: Flyfish PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 22:00:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 717 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Do you, or did you, own shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH)?Did you purchase your shares between March 14, 2022 and February 27, 2024, inclusive?Did you lose money in your investment in UnitedHealth Group Inc.?Do you want to discuss your rights?NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the common stock of UnitedHealth Group Inc. ("UnitedHealth" or the "Company") (NYSE:UNH) between March 14, 2022 and February 27, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the "Complaint").If you purchased or acquired UnitedHealth common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit UnitedHealth Group Inc. Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later thanJuly 15, 2024 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.UnitedHealth is a health care and well-being company comprised of two distinct and complementary businesses: Optum and UnitedHealthcare. UnitedHealthcare provides health insurance to individuals, employers, and small businesses and is the largest insurance provider in the United States. Optum provides healthcare-related services, including software solutions, payment services, and data analytics.On February 24, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") filed a lawsuit challenging UnitedHealth's previously announced acquisition of Change Healthcare ("Change"). The DOJ alleged that the proposed acquisition would violate antitrust laws because the integration of Change and Optum would give UnitedHealth unparalleled access to information regarding nearly every health insurer, as well as health data on every single American. UnitedHealth assured the DOJ, investors and customers that Optum would "maintain robust firewall processes" to prevent confidential supervisory information (CSI) from being shared between Optum and UnitedHealthcare.On February 27, 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that the DOJ had re-opened its antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth. In that article, the public learned for the first time that the DOJ was investigating the relationships between the Company's various segments, including Optum.UnitedHealth was aware of the DOJ investigation since at least October 2023. Instead of disclosing this material investigation to investors or the public, UnitedHealth insiders sold more than $120 million of their personally held UnitedHealth shares. In the four months between learning about the DOJ investigation and the investigation becoming public, UnitedHealth's Chairman Stephen Hemsley sold over $102 million of his personally held UnitedHealth shares and Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, sold over $15 million of his personally held UnitedHealth shares.On this news, UnitedHealth's stock price fell $15.14 per share, or 2.95%, to close at $498.28 per share on February 28, 2024.If you purchased or acquired UnitedHealth common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit UnitedHealth Group Inc. Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for sixteen consecutive years.ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2024 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.Contact Information:Peter AlloccoInvestor Relations ManagerBernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (212) 951-2030 pallocco@ bernlieb.com SOURCE: Bernstein Liebhard LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-17 08:30:22 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 544 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / May 17, 2024 / Valeura Energy Inc. (TSX:VLE)(OTCQX:VLERF) ("Valeura" or the "Company"), an upstream oil and gas company with assets in the Gulf of Thailand and the Thrace Basin of Turkiye, announces the release of its 2023 sustainability report.Sean Guest, President and CEO commented:"I am very pleased to present Valeura Energy's inaugural sustainability report, which highlights the deliberate steps we are taking to ensure the ongoing sustainability of our business. Preserving the environment, protecting the health and safety of our people, along with meeting our social and governance responsibilities are paramount to generating long-term value for all stakeholders. We take our responsibilities seriously, not only as compliance obligations and as a means to maintain our social and regulatory licence to operate, but also as part of our duty as a responsible provider of primary energy." Valeura's sustainability report was approved by the Company's Board of Directors, and has been made available on the Valeura website, under the Sustainability section. The Company has also published a report on its compliance with the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (commonly referred to as Canada's Modern Slavery Act) and has uploaded its latest annual report in accordance with Canada's Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act.For further information, please contact:Valeura Energy Inc. (General Corporate Enquiries) +65 6373 6940 Sean Guest, President and CEOYacine Ben-Meriem, CFO Contact@ valeuraenergy.com Valeura Energy Inc. (Investor Enquiries) +1 403 975 6752 / +44 7392 940495 Robin James Martin, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations IR@ valeuraenergy.com CAMARCO (Public Relations, Media Adviser to Valeura) +44 (0) 20 3757 4980 Owen Roberts, Billy Clegg Valeura@ camarco.co.uk Contact details for the Company's advisors, covering research analysts and joint brokers, including Auctus Advisors LLP, Canaccord Genuity Ltd (UK), Cormark Securities Inc., Research Capital Corporation, Schachter Energy Report, and Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited, are listed on the Corporation's website at www.valeuraenergy.com/investor-information/analysts/ About the CorporationValeura Energy Inc. is a Canadian public company engaged in the exploration, development and production of petroleum and natural gas in Thailand and in Turkiye. The Corporation is pursuing a growth-oriented strategy and intends to re-invest into its producing asset portfolio and to deploy resources toward further organic and inorganic growth in Southeast Asia. Valeura aspires toward value accretive growth for stakeholders while adhering to high standards of environmental, social and governance responsibility.This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction, including where such offer would be unlawful. This announcement is not for distribution or release, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Ireland, the Republic of South Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction in which its publication or distribution would be unlawful.Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@ lseg.com or visit www.rns.com SOURCE: Valeura Energy Inc. The Kano State Hisbah board, also known as the Sharia Police, has banned Disc Jockeys (DJs) from performing at female-dominated events in the state, Leadership newspaper reports. The boards Commander General, Aminu Daurawa, announced the ban during a meeting with representatives of DJs in the state during the week. Mr Daurawa explained that henceforth, only females would be allowed to officiate at womens gatherings. Furthermore, he said the prohibition was intended to prevent the mixing of men and women during public events, citing religious and moral concerns. As an Islamic state, it is unacceptable for us to allow the indiscriminate mixing of males and females at the same event. This is because this act can promote and spread immorality, said Mr Daurawa Mr Daurawa emphasised that as a state guided by Islamic laws, it was imperative to uphold standards that discourage actions contrary to Islamic tenets and teachings. The Commander General of the Board further stressed that, as an Islamic state, it is unacceptable to allow the indiscriminate mixing of males and females at the same event. 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 stated that allowing males and females to participate in the same event can promote and spread immorality. Mr Daurawa revealed that before the decision was made, Hisbah Board had engaged with the owners and managers of event centres in the state to educate them about the laws governing their activities. In response, DJs representative in the state, Ibrahim Abdullahi, aka DJ Farawa, appreciated Hisbah for their guidance. DJ Farawa stressed the importance of upholding and adhering to the new directives, noting that it would guarantee prayer sanctity time and the segregation of male and female genders during public gatherings. He encouraged DJs in the state to register with their associations to comply with the new directive. DJ Farawall declared that any DJ who violates Hisbahs guidelines and is not a union member will not receive protection. Precedent In addition to matters relating to social gatherings, the Hisbah command also regulates the social media activities of influencers in the state. In February, they arrested popular and controversial TikToker Murja Kunya for allegedly posting inappropriate and un-Islamic content on TikTok. Kunya is known for her controversial content, frequently stirring debate in most Northern Nigerian states. In the same month, the Hisbah launched a hunt for six TikTok influencers who they said were violating the tenets of Islam daily while using social media sites. In November 2023, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Hisbah, during a meeting, announced a plan to facilitate marriages for TikTok influencers in the state and support their businesses. The security outfit said it will offer guidance to TikTok users on improving their moral values and using TikTok for the benefit of the people. Mr Daurawa advised the popular TikTok user Murja Kunya and others in attendance to be good people with good morals despite TikTok. The Hisbah, however, provided N2,000 as a stipend to TikTokers who attended the meeting. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State has convicted a famous plastic surgeon, Anu Adepoju, over a failed plastic surgery that resulted in Nneka Onwuzuligbos death in 2020. Shortly after the news of Onwuzuligbos demise went viral four years ago, Ms Anu was arrested and later charged to court alongside her company by the Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Commission (FCCPC) in 2020. Ms Anu, founder of MedContour Services LTD, was convicted on Friday on a five-count charge including a refusal to honour an invitation for an investigation into post-body surgery complications and failure to produce investigation documents. Justice Mohammed Liman found her guilty and sentenced her to a one-year jail term. However, she was given the option of paying N100,000 instead of the jail term. Babatunde Irukera, the former head of (FCCPC), who instituted the case against Ms Adepoju, broke the news on X on Friday. Mr Irukere earlier disclosed that the offence carries either a prison term, a fine, or both. Background In April 2020, PREMIUM TIMES reported how the FCCPC sealed her plastic surgery hospital, Med Contour, on suspicion of illegal activities. 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 Around the same time, the embattled plastic surgeon was called out by a Twitter user, Omohtee, for allegedly performing a fake surgical procedure on her. Omohtee, who disclosed that she wanted a normal waist, accused the plastic surgeon of blocking her on social media platforms after the alleged botched surgery. She urged Nigerians to be wary of Med Contour clinic. So apparently my offence is that her waist is too tiny, Dr Anu said in defence on Instagram. Over the last few years, there have been several reports and pictures of botched surgeries allegedly carried out by Dr Anu. But her accusers have remained anonymous. In a divided outrage, Nigerians called for her arrest after the alleged botched hip reduction was made public, while others advised Omohtee to accept her fate. But Dr Anu denied causing her patients deformity. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print On Wednesday, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, convicted and sentenced Aluko Tunmise, a social media influencer and model, to one-year imprisonment for scamming. He was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Command of the EFCC on a one-count charge of cybercrimes. One of the counts revealed that the influencer took on a false identity in Lagos between January and March 2024. It partly read, You held yourself out as a white man by name KEANU REEVES on your Telegram Account, knowing same to be false and with the intent that the representation is relied upon to procure the issuance of financial instrument to yourself and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 22(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2015. Guilty as charged He pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him. Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel C.C. Okezie sought to present an EFCC operative, Vincent Kwambuge, to review the facts of the matter. Mr Kwanbuge told the court that the defendant was arrested in March 2024 at Lekki County Estate, Lagos, following credible intelligence from the Commission on the activities of some internet fraudsters operating 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 According to him, an iPhone 12 Pro Max was recovered from the defendant at the point of arrest. The prosecution counsel also told the court that he was duly processed upon his arrest, and the defendant volunteered his statements. The investigation was conducted, and forensic evidence was printed from his phone. In his statement, he confessed to being involved in a celebrity scam, which involves impersonating celebrities. Therefore, Mr Okezie sought to introduce the defendants extra-judicial statements, iPhone, and forensic investigation documents as evidence. Justice Aneke admitted them as exhibits. Plea Counsel to the defendant, A.O. Idowu, prayed to the court for leniency, saying that the defendant is a first-time offender and is sorry for his actions. He also prayed the court for a non-custodial sentence. Justice Aneke convicted and sentenced the defendant to one year imprisonment, with an option of a fine of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) and 100 hours of community service. The judge also ordered his mobile phone to be forfeited to the Nigerian federal government. Tunmise bagged his imprisonment for impersonating celebrities for financial gains. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The final funeral rites of Nollywood star Jnr Pope, who died on 10 April while filming Other Side of Life, produced by Adanma Luke, are ongoing in Enugu State. His remains arrived in his hometown, Ukehe, Enugu State, for his final burial rites and interment. His episcopal burial mass commenced at 9:00 a.m. in St. Peters Catholic Church in Ukehe, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, Enugu State. Filmmaker Stanley Nwoko shared photos from the ceremony while the late actors fans visited their social media platforms to pray for his eternal peace. His fans also prayed to God to grant strength to his beloved wife, children, and family in coping with their loss. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) prohibited the taking of video and pictures at the burial. President Emeka Rollas announced on his Instagram page that thirty representatives were appointed to oversee various aspects of the event. 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 Here are some photos from the event. Details later SEE MORE PHOTOS BELOW Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print BELLINZONA, Switzerland Victims have expressed joy and frustration at the guilty verdict handed to Ousman Sonko, Gambias former interior minister, in his trial for crimes against humanity committed under the leadership of former dictator Yahya Jammeh in Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Court handed Mr Sonko a 20-year prison sentence for multiple counts of intentional homicide, multiple counts of torture and false imprisonment, each as a crime against humanity, according to a statement issued by the Court. Sonko was also ordered to pay $3.9 million in legal fees and compensation to the nine plaintiffs in the case. Mr Sonko becomes the highest-ranking official convicted in a European court under the principal of universal jurisdiction, which holds that crimes against humanity can be tried anywhere, regardless of where they were committed. Perpetrators from Liberia, Rwanda and Syria are among others convicted in Europe. Activists said it was a warning to perpetrators everywhere who tried to hide from prosecution in exile. They include Mr Jammeh, who is in Equatorial Guinea. This decision gives us the closure we had been waiting for long and shows that there is no hiding place for anyone who perpetrated international crimes in The Gambia, not even the highest-level individuals, said Ramzia Diab Ghanim, one of the ten plaintiffs in the case, in a statement issued by TRIAL International, justice advocates who supported the victims in the case. 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 Reed Brody, a member of the International Commission of Jurists who was instrumental in developing universal jurisdiction. The long arm of the law is catching up with Jammehs accomplices all around the world, and hopefully will soon catch up with Jammeh himself. But to the disappointment of some victims, the court dismissed charges of gender-based violence. 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 Mr Sonko was accused of raping one woman and sitting on an investigation panel that oversaw the torture and rape of another at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency. Without judging whether the alleged crimes took place, the Court found the prosecution did not show the alleged offences met the standard of crimes against humanity. During Gambias Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission hearings the victims of rape and other sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) were subjected to insults and taunts. They said this latest rejection of their claims, by a European court, has come as a blow. We are very disappointed to see that the court has decided to discontinue the case concerning the GBV-related charges, said Anninna Mullis, a lawyer for one of the alleged rape victims. 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. The Court did order the rape victims be included in a compensation payment Mr Sonko was ordered to pay. TRIAL International said victims were considering an appeal of that aspect of the verdict. Gambias Truth Commission, which the Swiss court relied on for evidence of the context of violations under Mr Jammeh, concluded sexual violence was widespread and used as a torture tool for political opponents. Sexual violence was used to repress, punish, intimidate, humiliate and ill-treat men and women who were opposed to or perceived as being opposed to the former President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, said the Truth Commission. Gambian human rights activists said the ruling risked perpetuating a double standard for sexual violence crimes. Sexual violence was rampant in detentions. Both women and men endured sexual violence in detention, said Fatou Baldeh, Executive Director of Women in Liberation and Leadership, a leading Gambian rights organization. We have always feared that other violations will be taken more seriously than sexual violence. I think this will discourage women more, from coming forth with their stories of sexual violence as we move forward with prosecutions of other perpetrators. Otherwise victims expressed relief that Mr Sonko had finally been found responsible for their suffering. The verdict is a powerful precedent, said Isatou Jammeh, a niece of Jammeh whose father was murdered by Mr Jammehs hit squad known as the Junglers, according to the Truth Commission. She said it gives victims hope that all perpetrators of crimes under the Jammeh regime will someday be held to account. The Federal Court ordered the former minister to pay the legal costs of victims and the Swiss state. It also ordered USD$250,000 payment to the nine plaintiffs for pain and suffering. The total added to USD$3.9 million, (D268 million). It is not clear how much money and assets Sonko has. The court will now investigate and attempt to seize assets where possible. Experts said it was possible the money could be pursued in a civil case in Gambia. The Court had seized USD$16,000 from Mr Sonko during his arrest. It has been shared among the plaintiffs. Mr Sonko, who was in the court for the verdict, showed little emotion according to TRIAL Internationals legal adviser Benoit Meystre. In an interview with the Associated Press after the verdict his lawyer Philip Currat said they would appeal the verdict. In what I heard today, the court was not able to specify Sonkos individual role in the acts described, that it was a case of collective responsibility: Because he was minister, he was necessarily responsible for everything, Mr Currat said. Mr Currat also said the court should have provided English translation for Sonko, who does not speak German the language of the proceedings and that failing to do so violated the rules of a fair trial. Among Mr Sonkos four person legal team was his daughter Olimatou Sonko. I feel like the trial was unfair, Ms Sonko said. Because even if you see the people who spoke during this trial, there were no witnesses on our side I dont think thats a fair trial because if you are having a trial, there should be witnesses from both sides. The decision of the court, we will analyse it once we have it in English so we can discuss the main issues with Sonko. This is for him to decide if we are going to appeal or not. Mr Sonko has been detained for seven years so he would be free in a maximum of 13 years if the verdict is upheld. He could be released years earlier for good behavior and would then likely be compelled to return to West Africa. The Gambian Ministry of Justice welcomed the verdict. The importance of this verdict in the global fight against impunity, it said in a statement. It noted the verdict comes at a crucial moment in the countrys history as it makes a transition from an autocratic system to a democratic system of governance. The Ministry thanked Swiss authorities, in particular to the Attorney Generals Office and the Swiss Embassy in The Gambia, for their close partnership and mutual legal assistance throughout the process. READ ALSO: Victims of alleged Jammeh henchman Ousman Sonko welcome Swiss trial The Gambia is moving quickly to establish a hybrid Gambia and international court to try accused perpetrators under Jammehs regime. Mr Sonko fled Gambia in 2016 after a fallout with Jammeh. Mr Sonko had served him at various levels, rising from the head of state guards, an elite unit protecting the Gambian presidency to his police chief and interior minister, for a period spanning a decade. Mr Sonko is considered one of his most loyal accomplices. Among his alleged crimes is the killings of 49 West African migrants from Ghana and other countries in 2006. Jammeh was found to have been responsible for the deaths of more than 200 people, according to the countrys Truth Commission. This story was a collaboration with The Republic and New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project. Mariam travelled to Bellinzona with funding from Reporters Without Borders. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says he is not distracted by the political crisis in Rivers State, saying he remains focused on his duty as minister. Mr Wike, a former governor of the state, said this on Friday during the final inspection of ongoing projects slated for inauguration by President Bola Tinubu in the coming weeks. The minister has been at loggerheads with the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who he helped to power last year. During the week, five commissioners loyal to Mr Wike quitted the Fubara administration, bringing to eight Mr Wikes loyalists that have recently resigned from the cabinet. The court had earlier barred the 25 members of the state assembly loyal to the minister from parading themselves as lawmakers for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Both Messrs Wike and Fubara are PDP members. The minister told journalists that if he had not remained focused, he would not record any achievement in the FCT. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later I am not distracted. If I were, you wouldnt see this level of performance here. I am focused on my work as minister of the FCT, and work is progressing well. I dont even think about the situation in Rivers State, he stated. Mr Wike also announced that President Bola Tinubu has approved a nine-day period, designated as FCT Week, for the inauguration of completed projects in the nations capital. He said the FCT Week would commence on 27 May with the launch of the commercial operation of the Abuja Rail Mass Transit. By the Presidents approval, we believe that from 27 May, we shall commence the inauguration of various projects. The president is also expected to flag off the commercial operation of the Abuja Metro line on the same day, he said. Among the projects to be inaugurated during FCT Week are the official residence of the Vice President, the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) from the Villa Roundabout to Ring Road 1, which includes four interchanges, as well as the B6 and B12 Circle Road. Mr Wike expressed satisfaction with the completion levels of the projects and commended the contractors for fulfilling their commitment to the project timelines. He also said the FCT Administration has provided adequate funding and that the projects are ready for inauguration. Regarding streetlights in the FCT, Mr Wike noted that testing is underway in areas where projects are ongoing. He assured that the streetlights would become operational once the projects are completed. As I speak, work is progressing on the streetlights. In most of the ongoing projects, the lights are not yet operational. However, we believe that before the commissioning, most of the lights will be on, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A group, FIST Africa, in collaboration with the Madiba Foundation and with the support of the MacArthur Foundation, will on 30 May unveil the I AM THE NEW NIGERIA campaign. The innovative project aims to inspire a new generation of Nigerians who are committed to building a brighter future for their country. In a statement shared with PREMIUM TIMES, the Executive Director of FiST Africa, Kemi Fred-Adetiba, said the campaign will leverage the power of creative messaging and digital technology to instil core values like integrity, accountability, and respect for diversity among Nigerian youth. Read the statement below FIST Africa, Madiba Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation Launch I AM THE NEW NIGERIA Campaign to Empower Young Nigerians Abuja, Nigeria 13th May 2024 FIST Africa, in collaboration with the Madiba Foundation and with the support of the MacArthur Foundation, is proud to announce the unveiling of the I AM THE NEW NIGERIA Campaign. This innovative project aims to inspire a new generation of Nigerians who are committed to building a brighter future for their country. The Campaign will leverage the power of creative messaging and digital technology to instil core values like integrity, accountability, and respect for diversity among Nigerian youth. Through compelling campaign materials designed in various formats, the initiative seeks to: 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 Promote Positive Values and Behavioural Change : Encourage responsible and patriotic attitudes, reducing negative behaviours such as crime and violence. : Encourage responsible and patriotic attitudes, reducing negative behaviours such as crime and violence. Increase Civic Engagement: Motivate active participation in civic activities, including voting, community development, and volunteerism. Motivate active participation in civic activities, including voting, community development, and volunteerism. Boost National Pride: Foster a strong sense of identity and belonging to Nigeria. Foster a strong sense of identity and belonging to Nigeria. Shared Ownership for a New Nigeria: Promote shared responsibility for the countrys progress, moving beyond blame-shifting. I AM THE NEW NIGERIA is a project under the umbrella of Organising for a New Nigeria (ONN), which aims to harness the skills, creativity, and energy of young Nigerians to build a nation that works for everyone. The official unveiling of the Campaign will take place on Thursday, May 30th, 2024, at the YarAdua Centre in Abuja, Nigeria. The event will also be streamed online for wider participation. Those interested in attending the event, either physically or virtually, can register here: https://bit.ly/Iamthenewnigeria Join the Movement We invite all Nigerians, especially young people, to join the I AM THE NEW NIGERIA Campaign. Together, we can build a more positive and prosperous future for our nation. Organising for New Nigeria (ONN) project is supported by CJID and MacArthur Foundation. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The five pro-Wike commissioners, who resigned from Governor Siminalayi Fubaras cabinet on Wednesday have given reasons for their actions. They are Commissioner for Housing, Gift Worlu; Education, Chinedu Mmon; Environment, Ben-Golden Chioma; Transport, Jacobson Nbina, and Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Inime Aguma. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that their reasons for quitting the cabinet are contained in separate resignation letters dated 15 May and addressed to the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo. Why Wike loyalists quit Fubaras cabinet In a letter justifying their resignations, the Commissioners for Housing and Education, Gift Worlu and Chinedu Mmon respectively, attributed their resignation to the toxic atmosphere that characterised their relationship with Governor Fubara. I resigned with all sense of responsibility especially as there is no room for progression and development in the workplace, another commissioner, Inime Aguma, who was in charge of the ministry of social welfare and rehabilitation, said in her resignation letter. For Austen Ben-Chioma and Jacobson Nbina, former commissioners for environment and transport, respectively, they said their resignations were as result of the unending political crisis in the state. The political crisis The five former commissioners are loyalists of the immediate-past governor of the State, Nyesom Wike, who is now the FCT Minister. 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 They were among the nine commissioners that served under Mr Wike administration. Mr Fubara also served under Mr Wike as accountant general of the state. Mr Fubara inherited the nine commissioners from Mr Wike but the commissioners resigned last December in the wake of the political feud between the FCT minister and Governor Fubara. The commissioners however returned to Governor Fubaras cabinet after President Bola Tinubu brokered a peace deal between Messrs Fubara and Wike. The resignations of the five Wike loyalists came less than a month after two of other colleagues the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Zacchaeus Adangor, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Finance, Isaac Kamalu, rejected ther redeployment by Governor Fubara and resigned their appointments. The resignation of the five commissioners brings to eight the number of Wike loyalists serving in Governor Fubaras cabinet who have resigned their appointments. One of them, Dakorinama Kelly-George, who served as commissioner for works, had earlier resigned to take up a federal appointment. Governor Fubara has so far replaced one of the resigned commissioners with the swearing into office on Monday of Dagogo Iboroma as the new Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu on Thursday received President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal and called for an alignment of purpose and structure in West Africa to effectively address the challenges confronting the region. Speaking during a meeting with the Senegalese President at the State House, President Tinubu said West Africa must work together to defeat the hydra-headed problems of terrorism, banditry, human trafficking and poverty. He advised that leaders in the region must make the people the point of convergence in governance, noting that the essence of democracy is lost when the people are not the focal point. The president emphasised that democratic governance, democratic values, and constitutional order are sacrosanct and must be protected. He also stated that critical institutions and precepts, like the judiciary and the rule of law, must be respected and observed for the sustenance of democracy. Constitutional democracy is what Senegal proved to the rest of the world and Africa. It is a joy to have you here; to meet the hope and aspiration of our youths. You fit in perfectly well. A critical time it is in the history of constitutional democracy, particularly in West Africa. What you have embarked upon, a struggle couched in freedom, is remarkable, President Tinubu said. 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 president described Nigeria and Senegal as brotherly nations, recounting both countries long history of cooperation. We are brothers. We have shared interest in democracy. To make democracy sustainable in the interest of our people, we definitely must work hard. I am glad that you are a shining example of patience, perseverance, and commitment to democratic values. We must partner to make our people the focus of our democratic commitment. Your belief in the sovereignty of Africa is shared by all of us. But how can we work for our people and make them the focus of our democracy if we are violating the rule of law and promoting unconstitutional takeover of government? As the Chairman of ECOWAS, I am inviting you to collaborate and meet those other brothers. To persuade them to come back to the fold. We will continue to work together. We share good backgrounds, and we will continue to embrace and promote democratic governance. We must be able to partner and build the freedom we believe in in economic growth, development, and other spheres of governance. It is left for us to provide assurance to our people and walk our talk. We must defeat human trafficking; we must defeat terrorism, banditry, and poverty in our society. That must be our focus and commitment, President Tinubu said. In his remarks, President Faye acknowledged Nigeria and Senegals shared values, ideals, and challenges, emphasising that both nations have always had good relations since the 1960s. The good relations we have and the relations between our private sectors should be beneficial to our countries, he said. The Senegalese president, who assumed office recently after his election, called for the reactivation of the Nigeria-Senegal joint commission to strengthen bilateral relations across the areas of diplomacy, trade, and other spheres. Speaking on ECOWAS, President Faye said that with President Tinubus wisdom and experience, relations among member states can be strengthened and bolstered for the advancement of the community. ECOWAS is the beacon of successful regional integration in Africa and globally. It is something we owe to the founding fathers of the community, and I have no doubt that you want to continue this legacy of integration. The union is going through a rough patch, but not everything is lost. I know I can rely on your wisdom and experience, as the leader of this great African nation, and the more recent example of Senegal; so that together, hand in hand, we can grow together, and that we can discuss with our brothers and convince them to come back into the fold. To come back and share our common democratic values and what we stand for. Your wisdom and your democratic values should be an asset to that vision, and my youth and determination can also be an asset. If we come together, with all these assets and advantages, I am convinced we can open a window of opportunity to discuss. United, we are stronger. Faced with common challenges, such as human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and all other challenges, we need to show resolve to confront these challenges so that economically we can thrive and satisfy the wishes of our people, the Senegalese President said. Senegalese president awarded honourary citizenship of Abuja Meanwhile, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has conferred honorary Abuja citizenship on President Faye. Mr Wike had earlier represented President Tinubu to welcome the Senegalese leader upon his arrival at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday. The minister honoured President Faye with the title of honorary citizenship of Abuja, along with the symbolic key to the city. While conferring the title, Mr Wike extended to the Senegalese president all the rights and privileges of a citizen, emphasising the enduring friendship and cordial ties between Nigeria and Senegal. President Faye was accompanied to the Presidential Villa by some government delegation. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Hasan Abubakar, says the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is committed to flushing out terrorists, bandits and other criminals from all parts of Nigeria. Mr Abubakar, an air marshal, said this while addressing journalists during the Jumaat Prayer in commemoration of the NAF 60th Anniversary Celebration on Friday at the NAF Base Central Mosque Asokoro, Abuja. He said the Air Force would continue to collaborate with other sister services and other security agencies to ensure the return of peace and prosperity to all parts of the country. According to him, the essence of the Jumaat prayer is, first, to thank the God Almighty for all the achievements of the NAF thus far and for the significant operational success and other achievements in the recent past. Secondly, to pray for His guidance, blessings and mercies in our efforts to continue to transform the Nigerian Air Force into an agile and resilient force that effectively meets the airpower demands of national security in all operational environments. This is in tandem with our command philosophy. The NAF has evolved over the years from a basic tactical air force in the 60s and 70s to an air force today that is capable of conducting strategic operations whenever required. 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 So we have every reason to celebrate and be happy as a service, he said. The CAS thanked all Nigerians also for the cooperation, support and encouragement to the air force personnel. He assured the airmen and airwomen that NAF had acquired a lot of platforms already, with more coming into the system. He also assured them that a lot of welfare packages were being provided, urging them to look forward to better days. The Juma prayer we just witnessed is one of the activities designed to commemorate very important milestone achievements. There are several other activities also designed to mark this very important occasion, including an interdenominational service that will be conducted on Sunday. We are also conducting medical outreaches and educational outreaches to all parts of the country. This will improve our civil-military relations. We are also hosting the third African Air Forces Conference and exhibition, and this is to also improve and enhance our international collaborations in the areas of defence and security. We are also having parades and aerial displays, amongst many other activities designed to commemorate this very important occasion, he said. Bala Naalla, a former senator representing Kebbi South in the 9th Senate, commended NAF for operation successes so far recorded. Mr Naalla urged them to sustain their loyalty to the country despite the challenges and redirect their energy towards addressing all security challenges within the shortest possible time. So far, they have done well with the little resources that they have and with their various interventions that we can see. We are extremely happy, and we remain grateful to all the airmen and women and the officers for their dedication in the discharge of their duties, he said. In his sermon, the Chief Imam and Deputy Director of Islamic Affairs, NAF, Haruna Idris, a group captain, called for dedication and obedience on the part of all service personnel to ensure operational success. He said that the Almighty Allah had granted the NAF immensely with the human and material resources that must be harnessed effectively to achieve breakthroughs. According to him, they have got sufficient training and sufficient assets in recent years and have all the capacities that will be able to overcome the security challenges. So, we are reminding the entire citizens of this country that we need to put ourselves in prayers so that God can give us the spirit to use available resources he has given us, he said. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print A former Nigerian Army general, who at different times served as military administrator of Sokoto and Bauchi states, Garba Duba, is dead. Former senator for Kaduna Central District, Shehu Sani, announced Mr Dubas death in a Facebook post on Friday. Mr Sani further explained to PREMIUM TIMES that the retired lieutenant-general; died on Friday and his remains were interred at Gudu Cemetery in Abuja. Mr Duba, who hailed from Niger State, died at 82. He served as military governor of Bauchi State under the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime between 1978 and 1979 and military administrator of Sokoto State under Muhammadu Buharis regime from 1984 to August 1985. Mr Duba, as a young officer, participated in the counter-coup of 1966 in which Nigerias first military Head of State, Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, was killed. Who is Garba Duba? He joined the army as a cadet officer at the Nigerian Military Training College, Zaria in 1962 as a coursemate of Ibrahim Babangida, who overthrew Mr Buhari in 1985. Mr Duba was also trained at the Indian Military Academy. 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 During the Nigerian Civil War, he was a Captain and commanded an armoured unit. According to a report by Blueprint Newspaper, Mr Duba during his tenure as military governor of Bauchi, Steyr Nigeria Limited, a tractor manufacturing company, was founded. He also established the Bauchi State Polytechnic, using one of the teachers colleges as a campus while the rector used the administrators Brigade Commanders guest house as accommodation and other army formations for offices. Under Mr Duba, some Teacher Training Colleges and School of Basic Studies were established in Bauchi. He later served as Commander, 2nd Mechanised Division between 1987 and 1988) as well as Commander, 3rd Armoured Division and Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy between 1990 and 1992. In 1993, he retired from the army and went into private businesses where he held positions like chairman, New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC); chairman, SGI Nigeria Limited; director, First Bank of Nigeria; non-executive director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc and chairman, board of Leadway Pension Fund. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian government has halted the transfer of regulatory oversight of the electricity market to state governments. Nigerias Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this while speaking at the eighth edition of the Africa Energy Market Place (AEMP) Nigeria, in Abuja, on Friday. He explained that this was due to the need for state governments and stakeholders in the power sector to properly understand what is required to operate an electricity market. We must tread carefully, we should not be in a hurry. The market is not mature, it is not mature enough. With everything centralised for a single regulator, we have a myriad of issues. Now we tend to create a regulatory framework across 36 states, it is something that we must do in a highly systematic and strategic manner. We need just a couple of states as a pilot, which is why I halted granting of further regulatory autonomy to states, Mr Adelabu said. In June 2023, President Bola Tinubu assented to the electricity bill, which authorises states, companies, and individuals to generate, transmit and distribute electricity. The new electricity law repeals the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA), signed by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005. 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 EPSRA (2005) provided the legal, regulatory and governance frameworks underpinning the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). The new Act, signed by Mr Tinubu, consolidates all legislations dealing with the electricity supply industry to provide an omnibus and ideal institutional framework to guide the post-privatization phase of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry and encourage private sector investments in the industry. It also provides a framework for improving access to electricity in rural, unserved, underserved, peri-urban and urban areas through the use of conventional sources and renewable energy off-grid and mini-grid solutions. With the new law, states would be able to issue licenses to private investors who can operate mini-grids and power plants, but such state licenses are not to extend to inter-state or transnational distribution of electricity. In April, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) directed the transfer of regulatory oversight of the electricity markets in Enugu, Ekiti and Ondo states from NERC to the Enugu State Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC), Ekiti State Electricity Regulatory Bureau (EERB) and the Ondo State Electricity Regulatory Bureau (OSERB), respectively. On Friday, Mr Adelabu said adequate understanding of the transfer of regulatory oversight of the electricity market to states is imperative for the survival and sustainability of the nations power sector. He added that the transfer of regulatory oversight will be piloted in selected states across the geopolitical zones in the country while noting the peculiarities in each zone. When we have each of these zones represented in the pilot and we allow it to run for three to six months, or up to a year, all the possible issues would have been reflected so that we are going to have a learning curve, and all those issues will be addressed before granting further regulatory autonomy because I have a feeling that we dont have a comprehensive understanding of what this autonomy means. The fact that we gave a state regulatory autonomy doesnt mean that its just about distribution of electricity but it is regulation across the value chain. Generation within your territory, transmission within your territory, and distribution in your territory, including tariff setting, he said. For example, he said Lagos State has almost over 40 per cent of national consumption today in terms of electricity distribution. The moment you take over the regulatory activities of Lagos State, when we talk about tariff, about subsidy, it will be on your neck as a state. I do not know the balance sheet you want to leverage to guarantee the necessary settlements on a monthly basis. So we all have to sit down and let everybody have a complete understanding of what this means. And we will know if we are ready to have full autonomy or it will be a partial autonomy for the meantime before we achieve a mature electricity market, he said. He noted that most stakeholders underestimate the capacity required to have regulatory authorities in 36 states, including the FCT. Each state that takes up regulatory oversight must have a framework and structure to prevent energy theft, vandalism and enough capital for continuous investments and maintenance of infrastructures, he said. In his address, Bart Nnaji, the chairman of Geometric Power, said while the Act has been able to bring regulation closer to the people, there are a lot of challenges that may arise at the implementation stage. He explained that many state governments may have difficulties with building adequate capacity to carry out the regulatory functions as required by the Act. On the issue of capacity, he noted that what the national regulator has done so far would not be easy to just replicate by the states as each commissioner has a lot of training that has been done and they have an institution within a particular area. So success in terms of capacity for states will be, to say, we will face it over time. The first thing you begin to do is hand holding by the national regulator till eventually, you can now stand. Now, on the issue of limits, there is a tendency for state governments to believe that it is possible for them to have the ability to generate, transmit and distribute, that they can do it all. But there are distribution companies (DisCos) within the environment, and these DisCos are owned by companies. And so the wires are owned by this DisCos. So understanding that they just cant act as if they can suddenly take over the wires would be an issue. So let them understand how to collaborate with the existing companies. Now, the last one about this is sensitivity. I think that all the state governments that are going to want to do this regulation need to be sensitive about a whole number of issues such as cost recovery. People who invest in infrastructure must recover their costs, and so it requires the federal government to work with the states to give them guidance, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The police in Imo State, south-east Nigeria, have arrested suspects who allegedly kidnapped and murdered a retired major general in the state. The victim, Richard Duru, was kidnapped along Bishops Court, Area 7, Orji/Uratta Owerri in his black Mercedes Benz in September 2023. Mr Duru was later killed by his abductors after receiving a $50,000 ransom from his family. Arrest The Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Aboki Danjuma, paraded the suspects at the State Police Headquarters on Thursday, according to a report by the Nation newspaper. Mr Danjuma, who was represented by the police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, said the suspects were arrested after a tip-off as well as sustained follow-up by police operatives from the Anti-kidnapping Unit. The police commissioner identified the suspects as Chukwunonso Emmanuel, Okoroigwe Goodness and Innocent Ogu. He said that one of the suspects, Mr Emmanuel, was arrested in Lagos while trying to obtain a new number plate for the car stolen from the slain retired major general. 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 added that Mr Emmanuel subsequently assisted the police operatives with information that led to the arrest of two other suspects- Messrs Okoroigwe and Ogu- from Imo and Anambra States respectively. They (the suspects) confessed to the crime of kidnapping and murdering Major General Duru, as well as being members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) /Eastern Security Network, he said. Mr Danjuma also announced that 13 kidnap victims were rescued from the kidnappers den during the operation. Forty-eight different firearms, 552 various calibres of live ammunition, and several stolen vehicles were among the items recovered from the hoodlums during the operation, according to the police. Others were cash of N9 million and other undisclosed properties. The police commissioner commended the operatives for the successful operation. He urged them to sustain the tempo of their commitment to crime fighting in the state. Arrest of 32 other crime suspects Apart from the three suspects, Mr Danjuma also paraded 32 other suspects over various offences. The police chief said in the last two months, the police in the state have arrested a total of 435 suspects for various criminal offences. He said the alleged offences include murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, terrorism, advance fee fraud, cultism activities, stealing and receiving stolen properties. The suspects will be charged to court upon completion of investigations, he stated. Increased attacks Like in other states in the South-east, security has deteriorated in Imo State with frequent attacks by armed persons. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities. Hundreds of persons, including security agencies, traditional rulers and government officials, have been killed or abducted in such attacks The Nigerian government has accused IPOB of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. However, the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks. IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the south-east and some parts of south-south Nigeria. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print It has been observed in recent engagements by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), financed by GIABA-ECOWAS, that poor collaboration on the part of law enforcement and regulatory agencies has contributed to the problem of terrorist financing in Nigeria. Effective information sharing is crucial in combating terrorism financing, yet there seems to be a lack of coordination among various agencies and institutions. Terrorism constitutes a global threat, and Nigeria, unfortunately, is one of the countries that faces a high level of terrorism. While attempts to combat terrorism and violent extremism in the North-East of Nigeria continue, policy attention has been shifted towards many sources of terrorism financing, which have continued to fuel the menace and other violent conflicts in Nigeria. Without doubt, terrorism financing is the backbone of these subversive groups, as these funds go into buying weapons, recruiting militants, and operating terrorist organisations. Just as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) puts it, terrorist groups need money to sustain themselves and carry out terrorist acts. Terrorist financing, in this context, encompasses the means and methods used by terrorist organisations to fund their activities, leveraging finances from legitimate sources, such as businesses and charitable organisations, or from illegal activities, including the trafficking in weapons, drugs or people, or kidnapping. It is worthy of a note that poor governance and corruption drive terrorism and violent extremism, which are among observed cases in the North-East of Nigeria. Also, the religious dimension, which has to do with extremism, hard beliefs and ideologies held and taught by some religious leaders, have led to indulgence in the North-East. 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 weak security and surveillance at national borders contribute to the issue of terrorism financing in Nigeria. This lack of control and monitoring allows terrorists, as well as small arms and light weapons, to infiltrate the country quickly. This stresses the imperative of strengthening security measures at borders by Nigerian authorities, to prevent the inflow of funds and resources for terrorist activities. The consequences of terrorism have continued to aggravate extreme poverty rates among Nigerians, internally displacement, devastated livelihoods, just as opportunities for broader growth, development and prosperity are destroyed. The increasing concerns about the financing of terrorist activities within the country, have triggered unfavourable indices from the 2023 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), which ranks Nigeria eighth among the top ten countries with the greatest levels of terrorism in the world. In March, the Federal Government, naming 15 entities including nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms that are said to be involved in terrorism financing, has highlighted the pressing issue of terrorism and terrorist financing in the country. As poor awareness at community levels hamper collective monitoring and timely response to warning signals of potential terrorist activities and violent extremism, the security situation in Nigeria has become increasingly complex and uncertain, as various non-state armed groups have emerged and consolidated coercive power to terrorise the population in Nigeria, as evident in the North-East and other parts of the country. Moreover, weak security and surveillance at national borders contribute to the issue of terrorism financing in Nigeria. This lack of control and monitoring allows terrorists, as well as small arms and light weapons, to infiltrate the country quickly. This stresses the imperative of strengthening security measures at borders by Nigerian authorities, to prevent the inflow of funds and resources for terrorist activities. It is worrisome that illegal money exchangers, including Bureau De Change have been featured in several Terrorism Financing investigations. The 2022 National Inherent Risk Assessment of Terrorism Financing report reveals that between 2019 and 2022, about 19 companies were linked to illegal money exchangers, who have used their companies to commingle funds considered to be linked to terrorism financing. It has been observed in recent engagements by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), financed by GIABA-ECOWAS, that poor collaboration on the part of law enforcement and regulatory agencies has contributed to the problem of terrorist financing in Nigeria. Effective information sharing is crucial in combating terrorism financing, yet there seems to be a lack of coordination among various agencies and institutions. More importantly, the capacity gaps within law enforcement and regulatory agencies also hamper efforts to address the challenge of terrorism financing effectively. These institutions must be adequately equipped and trained to detect and disrupt the financial networks of terrorist organisations. The financial sector has been exploited for terrorism financing, which indicates the increasing capabilities of some terrorist groups. These include the Bureau de Change operators, Point of Sale (POS) devices, wire transfers, and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions, among other enabling platforms that are expanding the scope and depth of terrorism financing. It is worrisome that illegal money exchangers, including Bureau De Change have been featured in several Terrorism Financing investigations. The 2022 National Inherent Risk Assessment of Terrorism Financing report reveals that between 2019 and 2022, about 19 companies were linked to illegal money exchangers, who have used their companies to commingle funds considered to be linked to terrorism financing. Furthermore, while the banking sector in particular has in recent times been subjected to strict regulations that intend to increase transparency and identify suspicious transactions, however studies illustrate that the banking sector continues to offer opportunities for terrorist financing, as current measures employed by banks have proven ineffective, due to the knowledge gap that surrounds concrete methods that terrorist financiers employ. Muhammed I. Saheed, a communications specialist and policy analyst, writes from Abuja. Email: isiaksaheed@gmail.com Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print - AbbVie will present 15 abstracts, including three oral presentations, in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis reinforcing AbbVie's commitment to advancing the standards of care in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) - Data to be presented from the SEQUENCE head-to-head trial comparing risankizumab (SKYRIZI) versus ustekinumab (STELARA) in Crohn's disease include an economic analysis and oral presentation that assessed inflammation biomarkers - Additional presentations include efficacy and safety data evaluating clinical, endoscopic, and histologic outcomes from both the INSPIRE Phase 3 induction study and the COMMAND Phase 3 maintenance study of risankizumab as a therapy for adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) announced it is presenting 15 abstracts at the 2024 Digestive Disease Week (DDW) Annual Meeting, being held May 18-21 in Washington, D.C., and virtually. "AbbVie is presenting research at DDW that evaluated rapid symptom relief and visible improvement in the GI tract across our portfolio," said Andrew Anisfeld, Ph.D., vice president, global medical affairs, Immunology, AbbVie. "Advancing the standard of care for IBD patients helps doctors address acute needs, as well as long-term care goals, in a way that can be felt by the patient and measured by their health care team." As a leader in gastroenterology, AbbVie is identifying opportunities, driving discoveries, and advancing science to enhance the understanding of IBD. Recognizing that every patient is different, AbbVie has taken bold steps to help shape the IBD landscape, building a diverse portfolio of marketed and investigational products, sharing new evidence that further builds upon our strong scientific foundation and helping elevate the standards of care for people living with IBD. The research presented at DDW will encompass risankizumab (SKYRIZI) and upadacitinib (RINVOQ) across IBD. Notable data presentations will include: Risankizumab vs. Ustekinumab in Crohn's Disease (SEQUENCE Trial): Compared the efficacy of risankizumab and ustekinumab in achieving STRIDE-II* recommended short- and long-term treatment goals of symptomatic, endoscopic, and biomarker improvements in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease. Compared the efficacy of risankizumab and ustekinumab in achieving STRIDE-II* recommended short- and long-term treatment goals of symptomatic, endoscopic, and biomarker improvements in patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease. Risankizumab in Ulcerative Colitis (COMMAND Study): Evaluated achievement of corticosteroid-free clinical, endoscopic, and histologic outcomes in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis treated with risankizumab. Evaluated achievement of corticosteroid-free clinical, endoscopic, and histologic outcomes in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis treated with risankizumab. Risankizumab Maintenance Therapy in Ulcerative Colitis (COMMAND Study): Investigated the efficacy and safety of risankizumab maintenance therapy in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Investigated the efficacy and safety of risankizumab maintenance therapy in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Upadacitinib Therapy in Ulcerative Colitis: Explored corticosteroid-free remission over two years of upadacitinib therapy in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Explored corticosteroid-free remission over two years of upadacitinib therapy in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Effect of Upadacitinib on Lipid Profiles in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Analyzed the impact of upadacitinib on lipid profiles in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, pooling data from Phase 3 induction and maintenance studies in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Select AbbVie abstracts at 2024 DDW are outlined below. The 2024 DDW Annual Meeting program is available here. Abstract Title Presentation Details All times ET Risankizumab Efficacy and Safety Up to Three Years of Risankizumab Treatment in Patients with Moderate to Severe Crohn's Disease: Results from the FORTIFY Open-Label Long-Term Extension Poster #Su1761 IBD: Controlled Clinical Trials in Humans May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Risankizumab Versus Ustekinumab for the Achievement of Clinical Remission and Reduction in Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Crohn's Disease: Results from the Phase 3b SEQUENCE Trial Oral Presentation #763 Immunology, Microbiology & Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IMIBD) Section Distinguished Abstract Plenary May 20, 2024 2:00-3:30 PM Risankizumab is Associated with Lower Cost Per Responder and Cost Per Remitter Versus Ustekinumab in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Crohn's Disease: Economic Analyses from the SEQUENCE Trial Poster #Tu1095 Health Economics (Cost of Illness, Cost- Effectiveness, and Health Economic Models) May 21, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Achievement of Clinical and Endoscopic Outcomes by Baseline Corticosteroid Use in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis Who Received Risankizumab Induction Treatment: A Post Hoc Analysis of the INSPIRE Study Poster #Su1773 IBD: Controlled Clinical Trials in Humans May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Efficacy Outcomes of Placebo Maintenance Treatment in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis Who Responded to Placebo Induction Therapy: Results from the Phase 3 COMMAND Study Poster #Su1792 IBD: Controlled Clinical Trials in Humans May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Achievement of Corticosteroid-Free Clinical, Endoscopic, and Histologic Outcomes in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis Treated with Risankizumab: Results from the COMMAND Study Poster #Su1751 IBD: Controlled Clinical Trials in Humans May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Effect of Risankizumab on Early Symptoms in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis: A Post Hoc Analysis of the INSPIRE Induction Study Poster #Su1770 IBD: Controlled Clinical Trials in Humans May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Additional Risankizumab Therapy is Effective in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis Who Did Not Achieve Clinical Response to Initial 12-Week Induction Therapy: An Analysis of Phase 3 INSPIRE and COMMAND Studies Oral Presentation #904 IBD Controlled Trials I May 20, 2024 4:00-5:30 PM Economic Impact of Risankizumab Induction Therapy on UC-Related Hospitalizations and Work Productivity: An Analysis of Data from the Phase 3 Induction Study Poster #Tu1102 Health Economics (Cost of Illness, Cost- Effectiveness, and Health Economic Models) May 21, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Risankizumab Maintenance Therapy in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis: Efficacy and Safety in the Randomized Phase 3 COMMAND Study Oral Presentation #984 IBD Controlled Trials II May 21, 2024 8:00-9:30 AM Upadacitinib Upadacitinib Improves Clinical and Endoscopic Outcomes in Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease Regardless of Baseline Body Mass Index Poster #Su1792 IBD: Controlled Clinical Trials in Humans May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Improvements in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire Items Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, and Bowel Urgency in Patients with Crohn's Disease Treated with Upadacitinib in Phase 3 Trials Poster #Su1863 IBD: Quality of Life and Psychosocial Care May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Upadacitinib Treatment is Associated with Improved Clinical and Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients with Crohn's Disease: Results From the U- ENDURE Long-term Extension Poster #1798 IBD: Controlled Clinical Trials in Humans May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Effect of Upadacitinib on Lipid Profiles in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Pooled Analysis of Phase 3 Induction and Maintenance Studies in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis Poster #Sa1757 IBD: Controlled Clinical Trials in Humans May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM Corticosteroid-Free Remission Through 2 Years of Upadacitinib Therapy in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis Poster #Su1786 IBD: Controlled Clinical Trials in Humans May 19, 2024 12:30-1:30 PM About SKYRIZI (risankizumab-rzaa) SKYRIZI is an interleukin-23 (IL-23) inhibitor that selectively blocks IL-23 by binding to its p19 subunit.2 IL-23, a cytokine involved in inflammatory processes, is thought to be linked to a number of chronic immune-mediated diseases.3 SKYRIZI is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn's disease.4,5 Risankizumab is not approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Risankizumab (SKYRIZI) is part of a collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim and AbbVie, with AbbVie leading development and commercialization globally. SKYRIZI (risankizumab-rzaa) U.S. Uses and Important Safety Information 6 SKYRIZI is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with: moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who may benefit from taking injections or pills (systemic therapy) or treatment using ultraviolet or UV light (phototherapy). active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). moderate to severe Crohn's disease. What is the most important information I should know about SKYRIZI (risankizumab-rzaa)? SKYRIZI is a prescription medicine that may cause serious side effects, including: Serious allergic reactions: Stop using SKYRIZI and get emergency medical help right away if you get any of the following symptoms of a serious allergic reaction: fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded (low blood pressure) swelling of your face, eyelids, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat trouble breathing or throat tightness chest tightness skin rash, hives itching Infections: SKYRIZI may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. Your healthcare provider should check you for infections and tuberculosis (TB) before starting treatment with SKYRIZI and may treat you for TB before you begin treatment with SKYRIZI if you have a history of TB or have active TB. Your healthcare provider should watch you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during and after treatment with SKYRIZI. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have an infection or have symptoms of an infection, including: fever, sweats, or chills cough shortness of breath blood in your mucus (phlegm) muscle aches warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body different from your psoriasis weight loss diarrhea or stomach pain burning when you urinate or urinating more often than normal Do not use SKYRIZI if you are allergic to risankizumab-rzaa or any of the ingredients in SKYRIZI. See the Medication Guide or Consumer Brief Summary for a complete list of ingredients. Before using SKYRIZI, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you: have any of the conditions or symptoms listed in the section "What is the most important information I should know about SKYRIZI?" have an infection that does not go away or that keeps coming back. have TB or have been in close contact with someone with TB. have recently received or are scheduled to receive an immunization (vaccine). Medicines that interact with the immune system may increase your risk of getting an infection after receiving live vaccines. You should avoid receiving live vaccines right before, during, or right after treatment with SKYRIZI. Tell your healthcare provider that you are taking SKYRIZI before receiving a vaccine. are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if SKYRIZI can harm your unborn baby. are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if SKYRIZI passes into your breast milk. become pregnant while taking SKYRIZI. You are encouraged to enroll in the Pregnancy Registry, which is used to collect information about the health of you and your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider or call 1-877-302-2161 to enroll in this registry. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. What are the possible side effects of SKYRIZI? SKYRIZI may cause serious side effects. See "What is the most important information I should know about SKYRIZI?" Liver problems in Crohn's disease: A person with Crohn's disease who received SKYRIZI through a vein in the arm developed changes in liver blood tests with a rash that led to hospitalization. Your healthcare provider will do blood tests to check your liver before, during, and at least up to 12 weeks of treatment and may stop treatment with SKYRIZI if you develop liver problems. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you notice any of the following symptoms: unexplained rash, nausea, vomiting, stomach (abdominal) pain, tiredness (fatigue), loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), and dark urine. The most common side effects of SKYRIZI in people treated for Crohn's disease include: upper respiratory infections, headache, joint pain, stomach (abdominal) pain, injection site reactions, low red blood cells (anemia), fever, back pain, and urinary tract infection. The most common side effects of SKYRIZI in people treated for plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis include: upper respiratory infections, headache, feeling tired, injection site reactions, and fungal skin infections. These are not all the possible side effects of SKYRIZI. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Use SKYRIZI exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to use it. SKYRIZI (risankizumab-rzaa) is available in a 150 mg/mL prefilled syringe and pen, a 600 mg/10 mL vial for intravenous infusion, and a 180 mg/1.2 mL or 360 mg/2.4 mL single-dose prefilled cartridge with on-body injector. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit AbbVie.com/myAbbVieAssist to learn more. Please click here for Full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for SKYRIZI. Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information. About RINVOQ (upadacitinib) Discovered and developed by AbbVie scientists, RINVOQ is a selective JAK inhibitor that is being studied in several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. In human leukocyte cellular assays, RINVOQ inhibited cytokine-induced STAT phosphorylation mediated by JAK1 and JAK1/JAK3 more potently than JAK2/JAK2 mediated STAT phosphorylation. The relevance of inhibition of specific JAK enzymes to therapeutic effectiveness and safety is not currently known.7 Phase 3 trials of RINVOQ in rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, giant cell arteritis, Takayasu arteritis, and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis are ongoing. RINVOQ (upadacitinib) U.S. Uses and Important Safety Information 7 RINVOQ is a prescription medicine used to treat: Adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when 1 or more medicines called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. when 1 or more medicines called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. Adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. Adults with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. Adults with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) with objective signs of inflammation when a TNF blocker medicine has been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. with objective signs of inflammation when a TNF blocker medicine has been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. Adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. Adults with moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD) when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. It is not known if RINVOQ is safe and effective in children with ankylosing spondylitis, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease. Adults and children 12 years of age and older with moderate to severe eczema (atopic dermatitis [AD]) that did not respond to previous treatment and their eczema is not well controlled with other pills or injections, including biologic medicines, or the use of other pills or injections is not recommended. It is not known if RINVOQ is safe and effective in children under 12 years of age with atopic dermatitis. It is not known if RINVOQ LQ is safe and effective in children with atopic dermatitis. RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ is a prescription medicine used to treat: Children 2 years of age and older with active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. Children 2 to less than 18 years of age with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) when 1 or more medicines called TNF blockers have been used, and did not work well or could not be tolerated. It is not known if RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ is safe and effective in children under 2 years of age with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. What is the most important information I should know about RINVOQ*? RINVOQ may cause serious side effects, including: Serious infections. RINVOQ can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious infections have happened while taking RINVOQ, including tuberculosis (TB) and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that can spread throughout the body. Some people have died from these infections. Your healthcare provider (HCP) should test you for TB before starting RINVOQ and check you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with RINVOQ. You should not start taking RINVOQ if you have any kind of infection unless your HCP tells you it is okay. If you get a serious infection, your HCP may stop your treatment until your infection is controlled. You may be at higher risk of developing shingles (herpes zoster). RINVOQ can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious infections have happened while taking RINVOQ, including tuberculosis (TB) and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that can spread throughout the body. Some people have died from these infections. Your healthcare provider (HCP) should test you for TB before starting RINVOQ and check you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with RINVOQ. You should not start taking RINVOQ if you have any kind of infection unless your HCP tells you it is okay. If you get a serious infection, your HCP may stop your treatment until your infection is controlled. You may be at higher risk of developing shingles (herpes zoster). Increased risk of death in people 50 years and older who have at least 1 heart disease (cardiovascular) risk factor. Cancer and immune system problems. RINVOQ may increase your risk of certain cancers. Lymphoma and other cancers, including skin cancers, can happen. Current or past smokers are at higher risk of certain cancers, including lymphoma and lung cancer. Follow your HCP's advice about having your skin checked for skin cancer during treatment with RINVOQ. Limit the amount of time you spend in sunlight. Wear protective clothing when you are in the sun and use sunscreen. RINVOQ may increase your risk of certain cancers. Lymphoma and other cancers, including skin cancers, can happen. Current or past smokers are at higher risk of certain cancers, including lymphoma and lung cancer. Follow your HCP's advice about having your skin checked for skin cancer during treatment with RINVOQ. Limit the amount of time you spend in sunlight. Wear protective clothing when you are in the sun and use sunscreen. Increased risk of major cardiovascular (CV) events, such as heart attack, stroke, or death, in people 50 years and older who have at least 1 heart disease (CV) risk factor, especially if you are a current or past smoker. Blood clots. Blood clots in the veins of the legs or lungs and arteries can happen with RINVOQ. This may be life-threatening and cause death. Blood clots in the veins of the legs and lungs have happened more often in people who are 50 years and older and with at least 1 heart disease (CV) risk factor. Blood clots in the veins of the legs or lungs and arteries can happen with RINVOQ. This may be life-threatening and cause death. Blood clots in the veins of the legs and lungs have happened more often in people who are 50 years and older and with at least 1 heart disease (CV) risk factor. Allergic reactions. Symptoms such as rash (hives), trouble breathing, feeling faint or dizzy, or swelling of your lips, tongue, or throat, that may mean you are having an allergic reaction have been seen in people taking RINVOQ. Some of these reactions were serious. If any of these symptoms occur during treatment with RINVOQ, stop taking RINVOQ and get emergency medical help right away. Symptoms such as rash (hives), trouble breathing, feeling faint or dizzy, or swelling of your lips, tongue, or throat, that may mean you are having an allergic reaction have been seen in people taking RINVOQ. Some of these reactions were serious. If any of these symptoms occur during treatment with RINVOQ, stop taking RINVOQ and get emergency medical help right away. Tears in the stomach or intestines . This happens most often in people who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or corticosteroids. Get medical help right away if you get stomach-area pain, fever, chills, nausea, or vomiting. . This happens most often in people who take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or corticosteroids. Get medical help right away if you get stomach-area pain, fever, chills, nausea, or vomiting. Changes in certain laboratory tests. Your HCP should do blood tests before you start taking RINVOQ and while you take it. Your HCP may stop your RINVOQ treatment for a period of time if needed because of changes in these blood test results. Do not take RINVOQ if you are allergic to upadacitinib or any of the ingredients in RINVOQ. See the Medication Guide or Consumer Brief Summary for a complete list of ingredients. What should I tell my HCP BEFORE starting RINVOQ? Tell your HCP if you: Are being treated for an infection, have an infection that won't go away or keeps coming back, or have symptoms of an infection, such as: Fever, sweating, or chills Shortness of breath Warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body Muscle aches Feeling tired Blood in phlegm Diarrhea or stomach pain Cough Weight loss Burning when urinating or urinating more often than normal Have TB or have been in close contact with someone with TB. Are a current or past smoker. Have had a heart attack, other heart problems, or stroke. Have or have had any type of cancer, hepatitis B or C, shingles (herpes zoster), blood clots in the veins of your legs or lungs, diverticulitis (inflammation in parts of the large intestine), or ulcers in your stomach or intestines. Have other medical conditions, including liver problems, low blood cell counts, diabetes, chronic lung disease, HIV, or a weak immune system. Live, have lived, or have traveled to parts of the country, such as the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and the Southwest, that increase your risk of getting certain kinds of fungal infections. If you are unsure if you've been to these types of areas, ask your HCP. and Mississippi River valleys and the Southwest, that increase your risk of getting certain kinds of fungal infections. If you are unsure if you've been to these types of areas, ask your HCP. Have recently received or are scheduled to receive a vaccine. People who take RINVOQ should not receive live vaccines. Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Based on animal studies, RINVOQ may harm your unborn baby. Your HCP will check whether or not you are pregnant before you start RINVOQ. You should use effective birth control (contraception) to avoid becoming pregnant during treatment with RINVOQ and for 4 weeks after your last dose. There is a pregnancy surveillance program for RINVOQ. The purpose of the program is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. If you become pregnant while taking RINVOQ, you are encouraged to report the pregnancy by calling 1-800-633-9110. Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. RINVOQ may pass into your breast milk. Do not breastfeed during treatment with RINVOQ and for 6 days after your last dose. Tell your HCP about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. RINVOQ and other medicines may affect each other, causing side effects. Especially tell your HCP if you take: Medicines for fungal or bacterial infections Rifampicin or phenytoin Medicines that affect your immune system If you are not sure if you are taking any of these medicines, ask your HCP or pharmacist. What should I avoid while taking RINVOQ? Avoid food or drink containing grapefruit during treatment with RINVOQ as it may increase the risk of side effects. What should I do or tell my HCP AFTER starting RINVOQ? Tell your HCP right away if you have any symptoms of an infection. RINVOQ can make you more likely to get infections or make any infections you have worse. Get emergency help right away if you have any symptoms of a heart attack or stroke while taking RINVOQ, including: Discomfort in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back Severe tightness, pain, pressure, or heaviness in your chest, throat, neck, or jaw Pain or discomfort in your arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort Breaking out in a cold sweat Nausea or vomiting Feeling lightheaded Weakness in one part or on one side of your body Slurred speech Tell your HCP right away if you have any signs or symptoms of blood clots during treatment with RINVOQ, including: Swelling Pain or tenderness in one or both legs Sudden unexplained chest or upper back pain Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Tell your HCP right away if you have a fever or stomach-area pain that does not go away, and a change in your bowel habits. What are other possible side effects of RINVOQ? Common side effects include upper respiratory tract infections (common cold, sinus infections), shingles (herpes zoster), herpes simplex virus infections (including cold sores), bronchitis, nausea, cough, fever, acne, headache, increased blood levels of creatine phosphokinase, allergic reactions, inflammation of hair follicles, stomach-area (abdominal) pain, increased weight, flu, tiredness, lower number of certain types of white blood cells (neutropenia, lymphopenia, leukopenia), muscle pain, flu-like illness, rash, increased blood cholesterol levels, increased liver enzyme levels, pneumonia, low number of red blood cells (anemia), and infection of the stomach and intestine (gastroenteritis). A separation or tear to the lining of the back part of the eye (retinal detachment) has happened in people with atopic dermatitis treated with RINVOQ. Call your HCP right away if you have any sudden changes in your vision during treatment with RINVOQ. Some people taking RINVOQ may see medicine residue (a whole tablet or tablet pieces) in their stool. If this happens, call your HCP. These are not all the possible side effects of RINVOQ. How should I take RINVOQ/RINVOQ LQ? RINVOQ is taken once a day with or without food. Do not split, crush, or chew the tablet. Take RINVOQ exactly as your HCP tells you to use it. RINVOQ is available in 15 mg, 30 mg, and 45 mg extended-release tablets. RINVOQ LQ is taken twice a day with or without food. RINVOQ LQ is available in a 1 mg/mL oral solution. RINVOQ LQ is not the same as RINVOQ tablets. Do not switch between RINVOQ LQ and RINVOQ tablets unless the change has been made by your HCP. *Unless otherwise stated, "RINVOQ" in the IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION refers to RINVOQ and RINVOQ LQ. This is the most important information to know about RINVOQ. For more information, talk to your HCP. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit AbbVie.com/PatientAccessSupport to learn more. Please click here for the Full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide. Globally, prescribing information varies; refer to the individual country product label for complete information. About Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of diseases characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the most common forms of IBD. In both CD and UC, the immune system causes inflammation and damage to the mucosa or lining of the gut.8,9,10 Specifically, CD manifests as inflammation within the GI tract, most commonly in the area between the small intestine (ileum) and the colon, causing persistent diarrhea and abdominal pain.8,11 UC is a chronic, idiopathic, immune-mediated IBD of the large intestine that causes continuous mucosal inflammation extending, to a variable extent, from the rectum to the more proximal colon.10,12 The hallmark signs and symptoms of UC include rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, tenesmus (a sense of pressure), urgency and fecal incontinence.10,12 CD and UC are progressive diseases, meaning they get worse over time and may lead to life-threatening complications or surgery.13,14 Because the signs and symptoms of CD and UC are unpredictable, they cause a significant burden on people living with the diseasenot only physically, but also emotionally and economically.15 About Digestive Disease Week Digestive Disease Week (DDW) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW is an in-person and online meeting from May 18-21, 2024. The meeting showcases more than 3,100 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. More information can be found at www.ddw.org. About AbbVie in Gastroenterology With a robust clinical trial program, AbbVie is committed to cutting-edge research to drive exciting developments in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. By innovating, learning and adapting, AbbVie aspires to eliminate the burden of IBD and make a positive long-term impact on the lives of people with IBD. For more information on AbbVie in gastroenterology, visit https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/therapeutic-focus-areas/immunology/immunology-focus-areas/gastroenterology.html. About AbbVie AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube. Forward-Looking Statements Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions and uses of future or conditional verbs, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, challenges to intellectual property, competition from other products, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines, to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law. US-IMMG-240075 *The Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE)-II recommendations were published in 2021 by the International Organization for the Study of IBD, to assist clinicians with helping their patients attain short- and longer-term treatment goals. Short-term goals include reducing or eliminating symptoms, while longer-term goals include absence of inflammation or lesions in the colon (mucosal healing), a normal quality of life, and absence of disability.1 STRIDE-II: An Update on the Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (STRIDE) Initiative of the International Organization for the Study of IBD (IOIBD): Determining Therapeutic Goals for Treat-to-Target strategies in IBD. Accessed May 1, 2024 : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33359090/ Duvallet E, Sererano L, Assier E, Falgarone G, Boissier MC. Interleukin-23: a key cytokine in inflammatory diseases. Ann Med. 2011;43(7):503-11. doi:10.3109/07853890.2011.577093 Pipeline. AbbVie. 2021. Accessed March 20 , 2024. https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/pipeline.html A study comparing risankizumab to placebo in participants with active psoriatic arthritis including those who have a history of inadequate response or intolerance to biologic therapy(ies) (KEEPsAKE2). ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated February 28, 2023 . Accessed March 20 , 2024. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03671148 A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled induction study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of risankizumab in participants with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. ClinicalTrials.gov. Updated March 10, 2023 . Accessed March 20 , 2024. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT03398148 SKYRIZI (risankizumab) [Package Insert]. North Chicago, Ill. : AbbVie Inc. RINVOQ [Package Insert]. North Chicago, IL : AbbVie Inc. Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. The facts about inflammatory bowel diseases. Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Published November 2014 . Accessed March 29 , 2024. https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2019-02/Updated%20IBD%20Factbook.pdf Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Overview of Crohn's disease. Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Accessed March 29 , 2024. https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/what-is-crohns-disease/overview National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Ulcerative colitis. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Accessed March 29 , 2024. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/ulcerative-colitis Mayo Clinic. Crohn's disease - Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. Accessed March 29 , 2024. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/crohns-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353304 Monstad, I., et al. Clinical course and prognosis in ulcerative colitis: results from population-based and observational studies. Ann Gastroenterol. 2014; 27(2): 95104. Mehta F. Report: economic implications of inflammatory bowel disease and its management. Am J Manag Care. 2016 Mar;22(3 Suppl):s51-60. Kaplan, G. The global burden of IBD: from 2015 to 2025. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2015 Dec;12(12):720-7. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2015.150. Gajendran M., et al. A comprehensive review and update on ulcerative colitis. Dis Mon. 2019 Dec;65(12):100851. doi: 10.1016/j.disamonth.2019.02.004. Epub 2019 Mar 2 . SOURCE AbbVie Info-Tech Research Group's latest research explores the ethical integration of artificial intelligence in policing, offering key strategies to address challenges like data privacy, bias, and public trust. The newly published blueprint provides actionable insights that enable law enforcement agencies to enhance operational efficiency and accountability through responsible AI practices, ensuring public safety while upholding ethical standards. TORONTO, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - As law enforcement agencies increasingly adopt artificial intelligence, the urgency of ensuring ethical and responsible use of AI technologies has never been greater. With rising concerns about data privacy, bias, and public trust, Info-Tech Research Group's newly published blueprint, Responsible Use of AI in Policing, provides a timely and comprehensive guide for law enforcement leaders. This blueprint addresses the complexities of AI integration, offering strategies for data curation, transparency, bias mitigation, and fostering public trust through stakeholder engagement. By implementing these practices, agencies can enhance accountability and ensure AI serves as a beneficial tool in modern policing. Info-Tech Research Groups Responsible Use of AI in Policing blueprint provides actionable insights that enable law enforcement agencies to enhance operational efficiency and accountability through responsible AI practices, ensuring public safety while upholding ethical standards. (CNW Group/Info-Tech Research Group) "The responsible use of AI in policing and public safety is a multifaceted issue that encompasses several critical areas, including data privacy, safety and security, explainability and transparency, fairness and bias detection, validity and reliability, as well as accountability," says Neal Rosenblatt, principal research director at Info-Tech Research Group. "Each of these areas presents its own set of challenges and necessitates specific initiatives to ensure that AI technologies are used ethically, effectively, and in a manner that respects individual rights and promotes public trust." Info-Tech's blueprint underscores the importance of integrating AI responsibly in modern policing. By using AI for enhanced data analysis, predictive policing, and resource allocation, law enforcement agencies can significantly improve their operational efficiency and effectiveness. The firm's research promotes a structured AI implementation approach, prioritizing ethical considerations such as robust data governance, transparent AI processes, and active community engagement. These strategies can help police build public trust, enhance accountability, and achieve better public safety outcomes. "The responsible use of AI in policing requires a comprehensive approach that addresses these critical areas through continuous improvement, stakeholder engagement, and adherence to ethical, legal, and societal standards," explains Rosenblatt. "By tackling the challenges and implementing initiatives presented in this research, law enforcement agencies can leverage AI technologies to enhance public safety while respecting privacy, ensuring security, and promoting fairness and transparency." The firm's research details how responsible AI integration can transform law enforcement practices, emphasizing the necessity for a seamless and strategic implementation. This process involves continuous improvements that not only adapt to technological advancements but also align with public safety objectives. By embedding AI technologies into core policing operations, agencies can significantly enhance the accuracy of data analysis, predictive policing, and resource management. This approach ensures that law enforcement organizations can keep pace with technological progress while maintaining ethical standards and improving public trust. Responsible AI guiding principles are essential for the development and deployment of AI models that consider human-based principles. According to Info-Tech's blueprint, without these principles, the outcomes of AI use can be extremely negative for both individuals and organizations delivering the AI application. The research highlights six core principles for IT leaders to consider for responsible AI implementation: Safety and Security AI models must be secure, safe to use, and robust, preventing misuse and ensuring operational integrity. AI models must be secure, safe to use, and robust, preventing misuse and ensuring operational integrity. Privacy Individual privacy, personal data, and relevant regulations must be respected, safeguarded, and complied with. Individual privacy, personal data, and relevant regulations must be respected, safeguarded, and complied with. Explainability and Transparency Predictions and decisions should be explainable, allowing stakeholders to understand AI processes and build trust. Predictions and decisions should be explainable, allowing stakeholders to understand AI processes and build trust. Fairness and Bias Detection Data must be unbiased to produce fair predictions and be representative of the population, addressing potential discrimination. Data must be unbiased to produce fair predictions and be representative of the population, addressing potential discrimination. Accountability A person or organization must take responsibility for decisions from the model, ensuring oversight and ethical use. A person or organization must take responsibility for decisions from the model, ensuring oversight and ethical use. Validity and Reliability - AI systems should perform reliably and as expected, maintaining consistency and accuracy in diverse scenarios. Info-Tech's blueprint emphasizes the necessity of responsible AI implementation in policing to enhance operational effectiveness and public trust. By adopting these guiding principles, law enforcement agencies can ensure ethical AI usage that respects privacy and mitigates bias. This approach not only addresses current challenges but also prepares agencies for future advancements. By investing in responsible AI practices, law enforcement can achieve sustainable and impactful improvements, reinforcing their commitment to ethical standards and community trust in an exponentially evolving technological landscape. For exclusive and timely commentary on this topic from Info-Tech's analysts and access to the complete Responsible Use of AI in Policing 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 to 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 DALLAS, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- American Skin Association (ASA) announced the recipients of the 2024 Inaugural Founders Award and the 2024 Research Achievement Awards at the 2024 Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) Annual Meeting. For over three decades, ASA has honored members of the dermatology community who embody the characteristics that made the late Dr. David Martin Carter an inspiration to dermatologists, investigators, and medical students throughout the world. Dr. Carter and ASA's late co-founder, Dr. George Hambrick, worked tirelessly to grow the organization into a leading force to defeat melanoma, skin cancer and other skin diseases. This year, the organization is presenting the first ever Founders Award to highlight the enormous contributions of both Dr. Carter and Dr. Hambrick to the field of dermatology. The 2024 Inaugural Founders Award was presented to Kim Yancey, MD of UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Yancey is a professor and the former Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He has been a National Institutes of Health-funded researcher for more than 25 years. An eminent dermatologist, medical scientist, and lecturer, Dr. Yancey has devoted much of his career to mentoring the next generation of dermatologists. He is also a distinguished author, editor, and scholar. ASA is proud to recognize his four decades of teaching, leadership, and investigative research in the field of dermatology. "Congratulations to Dr. Yancey and the 2024 Research Achievement Award recipients. We are honored to recognize these outstanding physicians in the field of dermatology for their vital work," said Howard P. Milstein, Chairman of ASA. "We are excited to present the 2024 Inaugural Founders Award to Dr. Kim Yancey," said David A. Norris, MD, President of ASA. "Dr. Yancey is the first honoree to receive this reimagined, prestigious award. Throughout his distinguished career in dermatology, he has prepared a generation of young scientists for careers in dermatology." ASA's Research Achievement Awards were instituted in 1989 to identify established scientists in investigative dermatology and cutaneous biology. This year, ASA acknowledged individuals who significantly progressed research in autoimmune and inflammatory skin conditions, vitiligo, skin cancer, melanoma, pigment cell disorders, psoriasis, and translational research, as well as community education and outreach. The following 2024 Research Achievement Awards were presented: 2024 Research Achievement Award in Psoriasis Joseph F. Merola, MD, MMSc, FAAD, FACR UT Southwestern Medical Center 2024 Research Achievement Award in Autoimmune & Inflammatory Skin Disorders and Vitiligo David Fiorentino, MD, PhD Stanford Medicine 2024 Research Achievement Award in Skin Cancer, Melanoma and Pigment Cell Disorders Madeleine Duvic, MD MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas 2024 Research Achievement Award in Discovery Thomas S. Kupper, MD, FAAD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School 2024 Research Achievement Award in Translational Research Laura Korb Ferris, MD, PhD University of Pittsburgh 2024 Research Achievement Award in Community Education/Outreach SPOTS - Sun Protection Outreach Teaching by Students Sofia Chaudhry, MD, St. Louis University School of Medicine M. Laurin Council, MD, MBA, FAAD, FACMS, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis "We are excited to present the Research Achievement Awards this year to such exceptional doctors. Drs. Merola, Fiorentino, Duvic, Kupper, Ferris, Chaudhry, and Council have all made impressive contributions in their respective fields. ASA is pleased to celebrate their many exciting achievements," said David A. Norris, MD. ABOUT AMERICAN SKIN ASSOCIATION A unique collaboration of patients, families, advocates, physicians and scientists, ASA has evolved over nearly four decades as a leading force in efforts to defeat melanoma, skin cancer and other skin diseases. Established as a 501(c)(3) organization to serve the now more than 100 million Americans one-third of the U.S. population afflicted with skin disorders, the organization's mission remains to: advance research, champion skin health particularly among children, and drive public awareness about skin disease. For more information, visit americanskin.org . American Skin Association has earned Candid's 2024 Seal of Platinum Transparency and Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator. SOURCE American Skin Association Company to Broadcast Conference Call COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) today announced it will report the results for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 on Thursday, June 6, 2024. The company will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, June 6, 2024. A live webcast of the call will be available through the Investor Relations section of its website at http://www.biglots.com/corporate/investors/ or by phone by dialing 877.407.3088 (Toll Free) or 201.389.0927 (Toll). An archive will be available on the Investor Relations section of the company's website at http://www.biglots.com/corporate/investors/ through midnight Thursday, June 20, 2024. In addition, a replay of the call will be available through June 20 by dialing 877.660.6853 (Toll Free) or 201.612.7415 (Toll) and enter the Replay Conference ID: 13746656. About Big Lots, Inc. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is America's Discount Home Store, operating more than 1,300 stores in 48 states, as well as an ecommerce store with expanded fulfillment and delivery capabilities. The Company's mission is to help customers "Live Big and Save Lots" by offering bargains to brag about on everything for their home, including furniture, decor, pantry essentials, kitchenware, pet supplies, and more. For more information about the company or to find the store nearest you, visit biglots.com. SOURCE Big Lots, Inc. In the pivotal phase of the admIRE trial, the VARIPULSE Platform demonstrated 85% peak primary effectiveness with minimal adverse events, short PFA application times, and low fluoroscopy exposure Additional findings presented at HRS show the potential of the VARIPULSE Platform in treating patients with diverse arrythmias IRVINE, Calif., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Biosense Webster, Inc., a global leader in cardiac arrhythmia treatment and part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, announced late-breaking results from the pivotal phase of the admIRE pivotal clinical trial, plus additional results from the VIRTUE study, presented at the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) Annual Meeting in Boston from May 16-19. Both studies explore the potential of the VARIPULSE pulsed field ablation (PFA) Platform to treat patients with cardiac arrythmias including atrial fibrillation (AFib). Twelve-month data from the pivotal phase of the admIRE study assessed the safety and efficacy of the VARIPULSE Platform among 277 participants with paroxysmal AFib treated across 30 healthcare centers in the U.S. by 39 operators. Presentation highlights include:1 75% overall primary effectiveness success i 85% peak primary effectiveness for participants receiving 73-96 PFA applications for PVI ii 2.9% overall primary adverse event rate iii There were no reported incidents of device or procedure-related death, atrioesophageal fistula, coronary spasm, or hemolysis-related renal failure requiring hemodialysis 100% of patients achieved acute procedural success; iv 98% first-pass isolation recorded per vein v 98% first-pass isolation recorded per vein Median procedure time of 81 minutes in pulmonary vein isolation (PVI)-only procedures, 90 minutes in all procedures, and a fluoroscopy time of 7 minutes 43% of patients were able to leave the healthcare facility on the same day as their procedure 25% of procedures were performed without fluoroscopy, with no impact to safety or efficacy due to the full integration of the VARIPULSE Platform with the CARTO 3 System The admIRE study evaluated the safety and efficacy of the VARIPULSE Platform to treat paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), and supported the recent Premarket Approval Application to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for the VARIPULSE Platform. The VARIPULSE Platform is not for sale in the United States "The admIRE study demonstrated good safety and effectiveness results. The primary effectiveness success was 74.6%, and among the subset of participants receiving 73-96 PFA applications for PVI, 85% achieved success. Primary safety events occurred in 2.9%, demonstrating promising evidence of the capabilities of the VARIPLUSE Platform," said Vivek Reddy, M.D., director of electrophysiology, Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, New York. "Differentiated by its unique CARTO 3 System integration, this was the first PFA IDE study to support a substantial number of fluoro-free procedures; 25% of procedures were performed with zero fluoroscopy." Findings from the admIRE study build on previous data from the inspIRE study published earlier this year, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of the VARIPULSE Platform in patients with PAF in Europe and Canada. These latest data are part of Biosense Webster's comprehensive global clinical trial strategy across PFA solutions including the recently announced three-month results from the SmartfIRE clinical trial published in April 2024, the SmartPulse study announced in December 2023, and the Omny-IRE clinical trial announced in September 2023. Data from the VIRTUE study were also presented at the HRS Annual Meeting, evaluating the further use of the investigational VARIPULSE Platform in patients more reflective of usual clinical practice, including patients with paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation as well atypical atrial flutter, either as first-time or redo procedures. The inclusion criteria for VIRTUE extended beyond what is typical for catheter ablation trials and reflected the range of patients more commonly seen in clinical practice. For example, of the 125 patients in the VIRTUE trial, only 23% would have met the criteria for the admIRE trial. Ablation beyond PVI was performed in 80% of study participants. The VARIPULSE Platform was demonstrated to be able to treat a variety of paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation patients, as well as those with atypical atrial flutter, with lesions beyond PVI.2 "Findings from the admIRE study add to our comprehensive PFA evidence generation strategy and continue to point to the safety and efficacy of the VARIPULSE Platform, and other PFA tools," said Jennifer Currin, Ph.D., Vice President, Scientific Affairs, Cardiovascular & Specialty Solutions, Johnson & Johnson MedTech. "The breadth of data presented by Biosense Webster at this year's meeting underscores our commitment advancement of knowledge and innovation in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias." AFib is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia and affects more than 8 million people in the United States and nearly 50 million people worldwide.3 Approximately 1 in 4 adults over the age of 40 are at risk for developing AFib.4 Despite these projections, about one-third of patients with AFib are not aware they have the condition, and AFib often goes unrecognized until the onset of complications.5,6 Catheter ablation is a safe and effective procedure when drugs don't work to help restore the heart's incorrect electrical signals, which cause an abnormal heart rhythm.7 Additional information on Biosense Webster's data presented at HRS can be found here. About the VARIPULSE Platform The VARIPULSE Platform is Biosense Webster's Irreversible Electroporation ablation system. The fully integrated platform includes the VARIPULSE Catheter, TRUPULSE Generator, and CARTO 3 Mapping System VARIPULSE Service Pack Software. In January 2024, Biosense Webster announced that the VARIPULSE Platform received its first regulatory approval from the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for the treatment of symptomatic drug refractory recurrent PAF using PFA. In Europe, the TRUPULSE generator received CE mark in late 2023 and the VARIPULSE Platform received CE mark in February 2024. In the U.S., the VARIPULSE Catheter and TRUPULSE Generator are currently investigational and are not approved by regulatory authorities. In March 2024, Biosense Webster announced the submission of the VARIUPLSE Platform for Premarket Approval Application to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. About admIRE The admIRE study (Assessment of Safety and Effectiveness in Treatment Management of Atrial Fibrillation With the Biosense Webster IRE Ablation System) (NCT05293639) is a prospective, multi-center, single-arm study to demonstrate the safety and long-term effectiveness of the VARIPULSE Platform when used for isolation of pulmonary veins in treatment of patients in the United States with symptomatic drug refractory paroxysmal AFib. Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) was achieved using the VARIPULSE Platform. The study consisted of a pilot phase, which assessed initial device safety and effectiveness, and a pivotal phase, which assessed these against pre-specified performance goals. The primary safety endpoint was incidence of early onset (within seven days) primary adverse events; atrioesophageal fistula (within 90 days); cardiac tamponade or perforation (within 30 days); and PV stenosis (within 12 months). Acute procedure success (defined as confirmed entrance block at the end of procedure) and freedom from documented atrial arrhythmia recurrence at 12 months were also assessed. About VIRTUE The VIRTUE study is a collaborative, investigator-sponsored, prospective, single-center, nonrandomized, interventional clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of using the Biosense Webster VARIPULSE Platform, inclusive of the VARIPULSE Catheter in combination with the TRPULSE Generator, and the compatible EAM system to treat patients with a variety of atrial arrhythmias during clinically-indicated ablation procedures. A total of 125 evaluable subjects were enrolled including all types of AFib-related arrhythmias and were evaluated for 12 months post-procedure. About Biosense Webster Biosense Webster, part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, leads in cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis and treatment worldwide. We are dedicated to advancing electrophysiology and interventional cardiology tools and solutions for improved patient care. Learn more at biosensewebster.com and connect on LinkedIn and X, formerly Twitter. About Johnson & Johnson MedTechvii At Johnson & Johnson MedTech,vii we unleash diverse healthcare expertise, purposeful technology, and a passion for people to transform the future of medical intervention and empower everyone to live their best life possible. For more than a century, we have driven breakthrough scientific innovation to address unmet needs and reimagine health. In surgery, orthopaedics, vision, and interventional solutions, we continue to help save lives and create a future where healthcare solutions are smarter, less invasive, and more personalized. Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the VARIPULSE Platform clinical trials. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Biosense Webster, Inc. and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: uncertainty of regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; challenges to patents; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of healthcare products and services; and trends toward healthcare cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in Johnson & Johnson's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at sec.gov, jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Neither of Biosense Webster, Inc. nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. i. Primary effectiveness was defined as 12-month freedom from documented (symptomatic or asymptomatic) atrial tachyarrhythmia (atrial fibrillation [AF]/atrial tachycardia [AT]/atrial flutter [AF]) episodes of 30 seconds duration based on rhythm monitoring during the post-blanking evaluation period (day 91-365), as well as freedom from other failure modes: failure to achieve entrance block in all PVs; >1 repeat ablation for atrial tachyarrhythmia during the 3-month blanking period or any repeat ablation during the evaluation period; use of a nonstudy catheter to treat the PVs and/or to ablate left atrial non-PV AF targets during the index procedure or to perform a repeat procedure during the 3-month blanking period; taking new or previously failed Class I/III AADs at greater doses during the evaluation period; continuous AF/AT/AFL of unknown origin during the evaluation period; or direct-current cardioversion during the evaluation period for AF/AT/AFL recurrences. The protocol defined performance goal is 50%. ii. Peak primary effectiveness was defined in a post-hoc analysis as receiving 73-96 applications for PVI (n=85). iii. Primary adverse events were defined as: Device- or procedure- related death, major vascular access complications or bleeding, myocardial infarction, pericarditis, heart block, permanent phrenic nerve paralysis, stroke, thromboembolism, transient ischemic attack, pulmonary edema, and vagal nerve injury/gastroparesis within 7 days of the index ablation. PAEs also included cardiac tamponade/perforation occurring up to 30 days postprocedure, atrioesophageal fistula occurring up to 90 days post-procedure, and PV stenosis occurring anytime during the 12-month follow-up period. The protocol-defined performance goal is 12%. iv. Acute procedural success was defined as the percent of participants with electrical isolation of all PVs with confirmed entrance block at the end of the procedure (n=255). v. First pass-isolation was defined as achievement of entrance block after first encirclement evaluated prior to the adenosine challenge (979/1004 of targeted veins, n=255). vi. Dr. Reddy served as a study investigator and as a consultant for BWI. Dr. Reddy was not compensated for this authorship contribution. vii.Johnson & Johnson MedTech comprises the surgery, orthopedics, vision, and interventional solutions businesses within Johnson & Johnson's MedTech segment. Johnson & Johnson Biosense Webster, Inc. 2024. All rights reserved. M_US_BWI_THER_370349 1 Reddy VY, Calkins H, Mansour M, et al. Long-term Safety and Effectiveness After Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Pulsed Field Ablation From the U.S. Multicenter admIRE Study. Late-breaker LB-469804-04 presented at: Heart Rhythm Society 2024; May 17; Boston, MA. 2 Musikantow D, Reddy V. Pulsed Field Ablation to Treat Atrial Fibrillation and Related Arrhythmias Resembling Usual Clinical Practice: Initial Results of VIRTUE [abstract]. In: Heart Rhythm Society Annual Meeting.; May 16-19; Boston. 3 Mensah, G, Fuster, V, Murray, C. et al. Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risks, 1990-2022. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2023 Dec, 82 (25) 23502473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2023.11.007 4 Staerk, et al. 2018 Lifetime risk of atrial fibrillation according to optimal, borderline, or elevated levels of risk factors: cohort study based on longitudinal data from the Framingham Heart Study. doi: 10.1136_bmj.k1453 | BMJ 2018;361:k1453 5 Dilaveris PE, Kennedy HL. Silent atrial fibrillation: epidemiology, diagnosis, and clinical impact. Clin Cardiol. 2017;40:413418. 6 Benjamin EJ, Go AS, Desvigne-Nickens P et al. Research Priorities in Atrial Fibrillation Screening: A Report From a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Virtual Workshop. Circulation. 2021;143:372388. 7 Natale, A. Reddy VY, Monir G, et al. Paroxysmal AF catheter ablation with a contact force sensing catheter: results of the prospective, multicenter SMART-AF trial. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2014;64(7),647656. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2014.04.072 SOURCE Biosense Webster BIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This Sunday, May 19, at 1:00 P.M. at Boutwell Auditorium, Birmingham School of Law will celebrate its 109th graduating class. The 2023-2024 class consists of 113 students who have earned juris doctor degrees from BSL. Begun in 1915 by Judge Hugh Locke, Birmingham School of Law has continually stayed true to Judge Locke's initial vision of offering a low-cost, quality legal education to those who otherwise might not have the opportunity to obtain one. The students who have completed the program have done so exclusively on weeknights and Saturdays. The vast majority of the students graduating on Sunday have maintained a full-time career throughout their matriculation, making their accomplishments all the more remarkable. On the February 2024 Alabama state bar exam, 24 of 51 BSL first-time examinees passed the bar - yielding a 47% first-time pass rate. Six BSL graduates achieved a score of 300 or above on the test, which is in the 90th percentile nationally. Please join us in congratulating Birmingham School of Law's class of 2023-2024. Media Contact: Dean Scott Garrett (205)322-6122 [email protected] SOURCE Birmingham School of Law OAKLAND, Calif., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California today announced the appointment of two senior executives to help the nonprofit health plan accelerate its ambitious plans to transform the healthcare system and bolster its growth plans. Lois Quam, president, Blue Shield of California Susan Mullaney, executive vice president of strategic initiatives, Blue Shield of California Lois Quam will join as president of Blue Shield of California. She will focus on providing leadership and management of the health plan. Susan Mullaney will join as executive vice president of strategic initiatives, leading special projects that help to transform the broken healthcare system. Both Quam and Mullaney will begin their new roles in August and report to Paul Markovich, CEO, Blue Shield of California. "Lois and Susan are dynamic leaders who share our mission-driven passion to think big and be fearless in solving the kinds of complex problems we face in health care," Markovich said. "Our current healthcare system is unsustainable and unacceptable. That's why we are running hard and fast with talented leaders to make bold moves that fundamentally change the way our healthcare system works and make it worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable for everyone." Quam comes to Blue Shield from Pathfinder, where she served as CEO of the global nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare access for women and girls, with a focus on maternal and reproductive health care. Previously, she worked with then-Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton at the U.S. State Department to lead then-President Obama's Global Health Initiative serving Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Prior to those roles, she worked at UnitedHealth Group for nearly two decades, including as a senior executive leading the company's business division that served the federal government, states and AARP (formerly American Association of Retired Persons). Quam graduated from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota and later attended Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar. "I believe California can lead the nation in creative, enduring solutions in health care, and Blue Shield of California is uniquely positioned to lead that charge," Quam said. "I'm honored to join this talented team in making that vision a reality." Mullaney also has deep experience in health care and most recently served as senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group. Previously, she held various leadership roles at Kaiser Permanente, including serving on their national executive team and later as president of Kaiser Permanente Washington. Prior to those roles, she held leadership positions at Fairview Health Services, a hospital system in Minneapolis. In addition, she mentors early-stage, science-based healthcare technology companies through Creative Destruction Lab, a healthcare accelerator that collaborates with leading universities across the globe. Mullaney earned her Bachelor of Arts at Eastern Connecticut State University and received a Master of Health Policy and Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. "Health care needs courageous leaders now more than ever because we have to do things differently to transform how it works today," Mullaney said. "Clearly, Blue Shield of California has been doing that and I'm really excited to be part of this team." The executive appointments also highlight Blue Shield's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. The health plan is one of the largest companies in California to achieve gender balance on its board and the senior executive staff has more women than men. Blue Shield also maintains pay equity by both gender and ethnicity with a balanced representation of women and men in leadership roles (director and above). About Blue Shield of California Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with more than 4.8 million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $24 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $97 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last three years to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com . Or follow us on LinkedIn , Twitter , or Facebook . CONTACT: Mark Seelig Blue Shield of California 510-607-2359 [email protected] SOURCE Blue Shield of California Brinc, a global leader in corporate innovation and venture acceleration has acquired Callmi, a MENA-centric mentorship platform that offers 1:1 video consultations with top-tier experts Callmi will scale offerings to users and also be further integrated into Brinc's ecosystem for enhanced offerings Brinc and Callmi will donate 100 percent of fees from the first 100 calls in May to charities like Red Crescent and Abu Dhabi Mangroves. Planned upgrades include multi-language support and enhanced mentorship tools to better serve a global audience. DUBAI, UAE, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Brinc , a global leader in corporate innovation and venture acceleration, has acquired Callmi , a MENA-centric mentorship platform that offers real-time, one-on-one video consultations with top-tier experts, including C-suite executives and industry thought leaders including Jad Halaoui, Co-founder and COO at Washmen, Nelio Leone, founding team of Careem (MENA's first unicorn), and Siddiq Faird, Smart Crowd Founder and Director. Brinc, a global leader in corporate innovation and venture acceleration acquires Callmi, a MENA-centric mentorship platform that offers 1:1 video consultations with top tier experts The platform will be integrated into Brinc's founder pathways to offer specialized mentorship to Brinc Academy alumni and participants in Brinc's sector-specific accelerator programs, further enhancing support for entrepreneurs within its ecosystem. As a firm, Callmi is deeply committed to their philosophy of giving back. Embedded in its mentorship model, an impressive 40 percent of Callmi mentors commit to donating proceeds they earn on Callmi to charities of their choice, a practice that Brinc fully supports and is dedicated to upholding. Brinc and Callmi will donate 100 percent of its fees earned from the first 100 calls in May to the Red Crescent, Dubai Center for Special Needs, and Abu Dhabi Mangroves charities. This approach aids various philanthropic causes while allowing both mentors and mentees to make a positive societal impact from their very first interaction. Through this acquisition, Brinc is set to further establish its support for the immediate needs of entrepreneurs in the rapidly growing MENA region, while also connecting innovators across the globe. Brinc will continue to invest into the Callmi product development to include calendar syncing, multi-user sessions, and multi-language support to better serve a diverse global audience. Brinc intends to maintain rigorous standards for Callmi, ensuring high-quality consultations through strict vetting of mentors, ongoing monitoring of consultation quality, and user feedback mechanisms. Manav Gupta, CEO & founder of Brinc, stated, "This acquisition is not just a strategic step towards enhancing our global footprint, but also a reaffirmation of our commitment to the MENA region. Integrating Callmi into our suite of services enriches our offerings with its innovative solutions and deep local insights. We're excited about how Callmi will help us empower entrepreneurs in the MENA region, driving the development of industry leaders who are well-versed in both local and global markets." Looking ahead, Brinc envisions significant growth and an extended reach, leveraging Callmi's features and the planned expansions to enhance accessibility and scalability. Democratizing access to expert knowledge, this marks a crucial milestone for Brinc in its mission to empower entrepreneurs and professionals within the MENA region. This year, the Callmi team plans to expand their operations to Brinc's existing markets followed by introducing new ways for founders to engage with experts online (group mentoring, interactive workshops, etc.) as well as offline (mentor meetups, in-person events, etc). Brinc highly encourages founders to take advantage of an exclusive sign-up offer currently available. For those interested in mentoring, now is the perfect time to join Brinc's growing community of industry leaders and experts. About Brinc Brinc is a leader in global venture acceleration and operates 15+ multidisciplinary accelerator programs across seven countries. Brinc accelerates startups focused on climate tech, CDR, food technology, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, web3, connected hardware, robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT) with a view to creating a more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive future. Brinc recently announced plans to raise a series of venture funds to invest in high-potential early-stage companies through accelerators and provide LPs with a dedicated innovation platform and access to Series A+ co-investment opportunities. Brinc also supports corporations with distributed innovation strategies, sourcing of new startups and technologies and venture capital as a service. Global corporations (Manulife, Huawei, Schneider Electric, Puma, Batelco, Merck, Omantel, Linrun Group, Zhihui Park), government organizations (Hong Kong Science Park, NEOM, MBRIF, Guangdong Soft-tech Park), tertiary institutions (HK City University, National University of Singapore), fast-growing companies (Animoca Brands, The Sandbox), and leading venture funds (Artesian, LeverVC, Tamkeen, EDB, Hatcher+) have all run programs with Brinc. Learn more: www.brinc.io Contact: Sana Alibux, [email protected], +97332050532 Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2413531/Brinc_Callmi.jpg SOURCE Brinc NEW YORK, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadway Licensing Global is excited to announce the successful conclusion of the first-ever pilot productions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child School Edition. These landmark events took place at Hoboken High School in Hoboken, New Jersey, and Riverside School in Barking, UK each with very diverse resources showcasing the adaptability and magic of how this global phenomenon can be produced across educational theatre programs of any size. Student cast members fend off dementors at Hoboken High School. Photo BLG. Riverside School students receive a standing ovation. Photo BLG. Hoboken High School will conclude the North American premiere on May 19. The final dress rehearsal, several days before, concluded with a thrilling surprise as the Broadway cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child attended unannounced. Following the performance, the Broadway actors celebrated on stage with the students, giving high fives and sharing in the excitement. The Hoboken performers, and hundreds of theatre students from neighboring schools who were also in attendance, erupted into cheers, creating a memorable night for all involved. The Hoboken production featured more than 100 students, which included students on rigged harnesses to convey flying and digital scenic projections. On the other side of the pond, Riverside School's production took place in March. Riverside's performance was in a more intimate space, utilizing stage platforms in the school's cafeteria, and used classic theatre techniques to create magical effects. This production was particularly notable, as approximately 50% of the cast were first-time participants in the school's theatre, drawn by the opportunity to engage with such a significant title. Both schools sold out their runs and received standing ovations, a testament to the hard work and passion of the students and staff involved. These productions not only entertained but also demonstrated the power of theater in education, regardless of the level of resources available. "Broadway Licensing Global could not be prouder of the achievements of both Hoboken High School and Riverside School," said Ted Chapin, Interim Chief Executive Officer at BLG. "These productions are vital in our learning process, ensuring that any school, no matter its resources or budget, can and will successfully stage this show. We are eager to take what we've learned and assist other schools in future productions." For more details or to license the title for production, visit: www.licensecursedchild.com. ABOUT HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the first Harry Potter story to be presented on stage and the eighth story in the Harry Potter series, has sold over 10 million tickets worldwide since its world premiere in London in July 2016 and holds a record 60 major honors, with nine Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Play and six Tony Awards including Best Play. The international phenomenon has cast its spell worldwide with productions currently running in London, New York, Hamburg, and Tokyo with a North American tour launching in Chicago in September 2024. Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a play by Jack Thorne, directed by John Tiffany. It's time to believe in magic again. When Harry Potter's head-strong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them allwith the power to change the past and future forever. Prepare for a mind-blowing race through time, spectacular spells, and an epic battle, all brought to life with the most astonishing theatrical magic ever seen on stage. "You'll be wondering 'how'd they do that?' for days to come" (People Magazine). ABOUT BROADWAY LICENSING GLOBAL Broadway Licensing Global and its family of imprints (Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, Stage Rights, abd Broadway on Demand) is the global leader in theatrical licensing and distribution. Representing an astonishing 40 Tony Awards and 49 Pulitzer Prize-winning iconic works, BLG titles epitomize the greatest collection of authors, composers, lyricists, and underlying rights holders across the globe, including Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Lynn Nottage, Alan Menken, Stephen King, Elvis, the Bee-Gees, the Beatles, and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. MEDIA CONTACT & ASSETS For Broadway Licensing Global: Hannah Thulin & Danielle Colletti | Account Directors, Interdependence | [email protected] SOURCE Broadway Licensing Global MIAMI, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cafe Domino, a flagship subsidiary of Star 8, Inc. (OTC MARKETS: STRH), and a renowned Florida-based coffee roaster, is proud to announce its expansion into popular South Florida supermarkets. "Miami has a rich history with Cafe Domino, and we are committed to being the market leader here," said Pino Impagliazzo, CEO of Cafe Domino. "Our company has a unique family history stemming from a century of artisan coffee producers in Italy, Colombia, and the USA. The Miami community understands Cafe Domino, and we have high confidence their support will continue to drive our success in South Florida." Cafe Domino has gained new distribution in several major grocery retailers across Florida, with a presence in nearly 100 locations. The company just added four SKUs of bagged coffee: 10oz, 14oz, 2-pound bags, and Frack packs to be carried in select stores. With goals to expand to an additional 120 supermarkets within the next 12 months, Cafe Domino is under negotiation to open a flagship cafe located in Miami's Little Havana, the capital of espresso in the USA. This flagship cafe will serve as a hub for coffee lovers and enthusiasts, offering a unique experience that celebrates the rich coffee culture of Miami. Furthermore, Cafe Domino is now available in Novotel Miami Brickell, further solidifying its presence in the hotel industry. This addition marks a significant milestone in Cafe Domino's expansion strategy, providing guests at Novotel Miami Brickell with premium coffee options and enhancing their overall hospitality experience. "Cafe Domino's sales in Florida have increased since it was acquired 2020 by Impagliazzo Holdings Group, now part of Star8. In just three short years, the brand has secured over 350 accounts including boutiques, grocery retail, and large restaurant chains. Cafe Domino's sales have increased over the last quarter, reflecting its strong market presence and growing consumer demand," Pino Impagliazzo added. "With over 10 million cups of Domino's coffee brewed, we are in an aggressive growth stage with a goal to become the coffee of choice nationwide." With a commitment to sustainability, quality, and community, Cafe Domino is poised to revolutionize the coffee industry and bring premium coffee to every corner of the country. For more information, visit www.cafedominocoffee.com Follow us on Instagram @CafeDominocoffee and Facebook @cafedominocoffee About Star8 Corporation With its acquisition of Impagliazzo Holdings Group, Star8 maintains interests in real estate, hospitality and coffee distribution. Cafe Domino specializes in the sale and distribution of high-quality, freshly roasted coffee beans. Our products are sourced from all over the world, enabling us to provide customers with a wide selection of coffees that are sure to suit all tastes. We are passionate about coffee and take pride in delivering the freshest and most flavorful products available. Our dedication to providing quality products is demonstrated in our extensive selection of freshly roasted coffees, including single origin, specialty, and decaffeinated coffees. At Cafe Domino, we are committed to providing our customers with excellent service and competitive pricing. We are also dedicated to providing our customers with access to the finest selection of coffee beans, as well as the latest brewing and roasting technologies. We strive to make sure our customers enjoy the highest quality coffee, while ensuring that the environment is respected and protected. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding our business, financial condition, and prospects, based on our current assumptions and beliefs. However, the company cannot guarantee that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements will be realized. There may be unforeseen risks and circumstances that we are unable to predict. While words such as "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "estimates," and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements, there may be forward-looking statements that are not accompanied by such expressions. Investors should exercise caution when relying on these forward-looking statements, as they speak only as of the date of this press release. The company's actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results expressed in these forward-looking statements due to various factors, including risks discussed in the company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available on its website (www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributed to the company or individuals acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors, except as required under securities laws. The company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Investors should refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SOURCE Star8 Corp CHICAGO, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CareBand, a leader in low-powered, location-based health and safety wearables, is proud to announce the award of US Patent No. 11,978,555. This patent significantly extends CareBand's ability to safeguard individuals by incorporating low power cellular wireless communications, thus enhancing the robustness, reliability, and adaptability of its technology. As the industry evolves towards multi-modal wireless networks, CareBand remains at the forefront with innovative solutions that address increasing demands for connectivity. The addition of this patent enriches CareBand's portfolio, which now encompasses context-aware wearables, edge computing, and data communication through both licensed and unlicensed LPWAN networks such as Amazon Sidewalk, LoRaWAN, Sigfox, and NB-IoT. The introduction of Patent '555 not only broadens CareBand's product line but also consolidates its presence in the LPWAN marketa sector anticipated to witness exponential growth as more industries integrate IoT solutions. The fusion of edge computing with low power wireless communication sets the stage for advanced, context-sensitive applications in areas like remote healthcare monitoring, industrial automation, and defense operations. Adam Russek-Sobol, CEO of CareBand, shared his excitement about the patent award, stating, "This patent reflects our commitment to innovation and our focus on enhancing connectivity and computing within low power networks. It paves the way for deploying sophisticated IoT solutions that ensure people are safe and healthy, while facilitating real-time decision-making and operational efficiency across various industries." About CareBand is a Chiaco-based company that enhances the lives of older adults, particularly those with dementia, through advanced technologies in low-power wireless communication, machine learning, and healthcare. The comprehensive platform features precise location tracking, innovative gesture and fall detection, and detailed behavior monitoring. Initially focused on senior living communities, CareBand's adaptable solutions now also benefit hospitals, manufacturing facilities, construction sites, and the hospitality sector through strategic partnerships with systems integrators. For more information about the patent and its applications, or to discover more about CareBand's range of solutions, please visit: https://carebandremembers.com Contact: Adam Russek-Sobol, [email protected] SOURCE CareBand, Inc. BEIJING, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from China.org.cn: China Duty Free Group (CDFG), the world's leading travel retail operator, outlined its strategy for continued growth at the recently concluded TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference held in Singapore from May 12 to 16. The event, which marked the 40th anniversary of the Tax Free World Association (TFWA), brought together industry leaders from around the globe. CDFG, the event's diamond sponsor, sent a high-level delegation led by President Luke Chang, Vice President Zhao Feng, and Assistant President Michelle Sun. The delegation engaged in productive discussions with industry partners throughout the conference. During the China Watch Workshop on May 14, Matt Liao, CDFG's senior vice president of marketing, branding and public relations, shared his insights into the industry's development trends in his presentation titled "Opportunity and Development." Liao emphasized the positive outlook for the sector, citing a more relaxed travel environment, a vibrant market, and the ongoing implementation of key policies and national strategies like the Hainan Free Trade Port. These factors, he noted, will create significant growth opportunities for the industry as a whole. Liao further outlined CDFG's strategic roadmap for capitalizing on these opportunities. This includes growing its channel network by focusing on popular tourist destinations, accelerating overseas expansion, and expanding its presence at key domestic airports and border points. Additionally, CDFG will optimize downtown store operations by closely monitoring policy changes and adjusting plans accordingly. The company will also solidify its presence in Hainan by promoting the development of key stores towards differentiated and diversified business models. As the tourism market accelerates its recovery, the global travel retail market has entered a phase of significant growth and expanded opportunities. CDFG plans to leverage its existing brand, supply chain, and channel advantages, alongside broader industrial support from its parent company, China Tourism Group, to expand vigorously into international markets while maintaining a strong domestic presence. CDFG is committed to working collaboratively with industry peers to offer consumers a wider range of high-quality products and services, seizing new opportunities in China's travel retail market and contributing to the global prosperity of the duty-free and travel retail industries. SOURCE China.org.cn A class action settlement totaling $2.7 million may affect your legal rights if you lived or have a business located in the Impacted Area of Philadelphia defined below where people were notified in March 2023 of the accidental release of chemicals in the Delaware River and that their water might not be safe to drink. If so, you may have suffered economic harm and be eligible for a settlement payment by submitting a Claim Form. PHILADELPHIA, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A class action settlement has been reached with Altuglas LLC and Trinseo LLC in the lawsuit captioned McGraw, et al. v. Altuglas LLC, et al., No. 240100060 (Phila. CCP). The settlement resolves claims alleging that class members suffered out-of-pocket losses as a result of the release of chemicals in the Delaware River in March 2023, and the public notice and drinking water advisories issued by the City of Philadelphia and other media reports in connection with that release. Defendants vigorously deny that they violated any law but agreed to the settlement to avoid the expenses associated with continuing the litigation. The settlement entitles Settlement Class Members who suffered economic harm to compensation as described further below. The proposed settlement class includes "all persons that resided in, or entities that operated a physical business located in, the Impacted Area during March 24 to March 30, 2023." The term "Impacted Area" means the following Zip Codes: 19102, 19103, 19106, 19107, 19109, 19111, 19112, 19114, 19115, 19116, 19119, 19120, 19121, 19122, 19123, 19124, 19125, 19126, 19128, 19129, 19130, 19132, 19133, 19134, 19135, 19136, 19137, 19138, 19140, 19141, 19144, 19145, 19146, 19147, 19148, 19149, 19152, 19154. The lawsuit alleged that Defendants' manufacturing plant in Bristol, Pennsylvania caused a release of chemicals into a tributary of the Delaware River on March 24, 2023, upstream from the Baxter Drinking Water Treatment Plant that supplies drinking water to parts of Philadelphia. The City of Philadelphia subsequently issued an alert, including via cell phone text messages, that recommended people in the Impacted Area use bottled drinking water until further notice, which media and news outlets also broadcasted. The plaintiffs alleged that over the next several days, residents in the Impacted Area incurred out-of-pocket losses by purchasing bottled water and related transportation costs that they would not have otherwise incurred, and that certain businesses in the Impacted Area suffered business interruption losses. Settlement terms. Under the settlement, Defendants agreed to create a fund of $2.7 million from which to pay, subject to the Court's approval, payments to Eligible Settlement Class Members who submit a Claim Form, any attorneys' fees and expenses, a service award to the class representatives, and notice and administration costs. Eligible class members who submit a Claim Form affirming they suffered economic loss as a result of the accidental release of chemicals in the Delaware River, or because of the public notice and drinking water advisories issued in connection with the release, are eligible to receive a Base Payment of $25, which may be adjusted, as described in the Settlement Agreement available at www.PhillyWaterSettlement.com. Class members may also be eligible for additional damages if they provide documentation to the Settlement Administrator showing economic harm greater than $25. How do I receive payment? To receive a payment, you must submit a valid completed Claim Form. Claim Forms can be submitted online at www.PhillyWaterSettlement.com, and can also be mailed to the Philly Water Settlement Administrator, 1650 Arch Street, Suite 2210, Philadelphia, PA, 19103, or emailed to [email protected]. Claim Forms must be postmarked or submitted online by August 16, 2024. Do I have any other options? You may exclude yourself from the Settlement Class by sending a written request for exclusion to the Settlement Administrator emailed or postmarked no later than July 17, 2024. If you exclude yourself, then you cannot receive a settlement payment, but you will not be bound by the Settlement. If you do not exclude yourself, then you may object to the Settlement, and you or your lawyer can appear before the Court. Your written objection must be sent to the Settlement Administrator emailed or postmarked no later than July 17, 2024. Specific instructions on how to exclude yourself from the Settlement or object are available at www.PhillyWaterSettlement.com. Who Represents Me? The Court has appointed lawyers from Berger Montague PC, Levin Sedran & Berman LLP, and Kohn, Swift & Graf, P.C. to serve as Lead Class Counsel. They will petition to be paid legal fees and their reasonable expenses from the Settlement fund. You may hire your own lawyer at your expense if you so choose. When Will the Court Consider the Settlement? The Court will hold a final approval hearing on September 23, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. in Courtroom 636, City Hall, Broad and Market Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This notice is only a summary. For more information, including the full Notice of Settlement and Settlement Agreement, visit www.PhillyWaterSettlement.com, email [email protected], or call 888-605-0772. Media Contact: Philly Water Settlement Administrator Angeion Group Shiri Lasman (215) 563-4116 SOURCE Angeion Group NEW YORK, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global pharmaceutical market in Denmark size is estimated to grow by USD 852.1 mn from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 3.63% during the forecast period. For more insights on the forecast market size and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download Free sample report in minutes Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Pharmaceutical Market in Denmark 2024-2028 Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2018 - 2022 Segment Covered Class Type (Musculoskeletal system, Nervous system, Respiratory system, and Others), Distribution Channel (Offline and Online), Type (Prescription drugs and OTC drugs), and Geography (Europe) Region Covered Denmark Key companies profiled AbbVie Inc., ALK Abello AS, Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca PLC, Baxter International Inc., Bayer AG, Biogen Inc., DANCANN PHARMA A S, Eli Lilly and Co., F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd., Ferring BV, FUJIFILM Corp., Genmab AS, H Lundbeck AS, LEO Pharma AS, Novo Nordisk AS, ORIFARM GROUP A S, ResoTher Pharma, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., and Zealand Pharma A S Key Market Trends Fueling Growth In Denmark, the pharmaceutical market is witnessing significant advancements in personalized medicine, driven by progress in genomics, molecular diagnostics, and bioinformatics. The Danish healthcare system integrates genomic information into clinical decision-making processes, backed by robust infrastructure, collaborative research initiatives, and a patient-centric approach. This shift focuses on chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and allergies, with trials like the SUSTAIN FORTE ongoing. Scandinavian universities, university hospitals, and science parks contribute to research and development in areas like respiration, urology, muscles, joints, bones, hormones, sense organs, and dermatology. The Danish market includes prescription drugs, public health insurance, and export commodities like PDE4 inhibitors and cancer medicines. Tax rates and prescription drugs are subjects of ongoing discussions in the Danish political landscape. Market Challenges The pharmaceutical market in Denmark navigates the complex task of providing access to advanced therapies while managing healthcare costs within a centralized system. The Danish Medicines Agency (DKMA) regulates pricing and reimbursement, prioritizing cost-effectiveness and sustainability. However, stringent regulations, including reference pricing, can create challenges for pharmaceutical companies, particularly for innovative or niche medications in areas such as immune system, infection, respiration, urology, muscles, joints, bones, hormones, sense organs, dermatology, and cancer. Denmark's focus on public health insurance and chronic disease management, as seen in the SUSTAIN FORTE trial, further influences the market landscape. Universities, university hospitals, and science parks contribute to scientific advancements and exports in this sector. Key commodities include PDE4 inhibitors and tax rates for prescription drugs (Rx). Research report provides comprehensive data on impact of trend, driver and challenges - Buy Report Segment Overview This pharmaceutical market in Denmark report extensively covers market segmentation by Class Type 1.1 Musculoskeletal system 1.2 Nervous system 1.3 Respiratory system 1.4 Others Distribution Channel 2.1 Offline 2.2 Online Type 3.1 Prescription drugs 3.2 OTC drugs Geography 4.1 Europe 1.1 Musculoskeletal system- In the Danish pharmaceutical market, drugs targeting the musculoskeletal system, including those addressing immune system disorders, infections, respiration, urology, muscles, joints, and bones, hold significant importance due to an aging population and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and allergies. The elderly demographic, which is projected to account for approximately 25% of Denmark's population of 6.3 million in 2040, requires pharmaceutical interventions to manage age-related conditions like osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, sedentary lifestyles and desk-bound work contribute to musculoskeletal issues, driving demand for drugs. The Danish market also exports various pharmaceutical commodities, including PDE4 inhibitors and cancer medicines, which are subject to specific tax rates. The public health insurance system covers prescription drugs (Rx), and universities, university hospitals, and science parks in Scandinavia contribute to the advancement of research and development in this field. According to Globocan 2020, chronic diseases account for a substantial portion of the disease burden, making the development of effective treatments a priority. Notable trials, such as the SUSTAIN FORTE trial, focus on addressing musculoskeletal disorders and hormonal imbalances. For more information on market segmentation with geographical analysis including forecast (2024-2028) and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download a Sample Report Research Analysis ai_research_analysis Market Research Overview The Pharmaceutical Market in Denmark is a significant sector, characterized by its focus on research and development (R&D), innovation, and high-quality standards. The market is driven by a large and aging population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and a strong focus on preventive healthcare. The Danish government plays a crucial role in the market through its universal healthcare system, which ensures affordable access to medicines for its citizens. The market is also influenced by international trends, such as the shift towards personalized medicine and digital health solutions. The Danish regulatory environment is known for its stringent regulations, ensuring the safety and efficacy of medicines. The market is expected to grow in the coming years, driven by these factors and the ongoing development of new treatments and technologies. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation Class Type Musculoskeletal System Nervous System Respiratory System Others Distribution Channel Offline Online Type Prescription Drugs OTC Drugs Geography Europe 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Company Landscape 11 Company Analysis 12 Appendix About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contacts Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio While museums like the Louvre Museum, the Palace Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art continue to draw significant interest from global travellers, this International Museum Day on 18 May, Trip.com a leading one-stop travel service provider unveils some of the major current trends that museums are shaping around the world. Rising museum trends: Innovative installations and use of technology Increasingly, museums are using innovative installations and technology in their exhibitions to elevate the visitor experience, and blend the past and the future in a dynamic way. The monumental installations that have been conceived as part of the Guardians of Time exhibition at the Guimet Museum in Paris, sponsored by Trip.com, provide a brand new iteration of Chinese culture and mythology by bringing together art and technology. From April 2024 to February 2025, works by Chinese artist Jiang Qiong Er take over several emblematic spaces of the museum, including its facade and its ancient Asian art collections, creating a captivating journey and a visionary reflection on time. This exhibition takes place during the China-France Year of Cultural Tourism. Furthermore, as global tourists flow into Paris for the upcoming Summer Olympics, the exhibition will offer a unique experience for them to get a deep dive into the resonance and convergence of different cultures. The facade of the museum building is a contemporary reinterpretation of the Chinese grottoes of Mogao, Yungang, and Longmen through the installation Origin. Twelve mythical creatures conceptualised with the help of artificial intelligence stand guard on the windows and at the top of the main entrance. Each of them celebrates the Year of the Dragon, and represents core philosophical and humanistic values such as peace, inclusion, and care for nature. A gigantic net is suspended above the museum rooftop in the Her Voice Bravery installation, where the stories collected from 60 diasporic Chinese women are embroidered using a new "women's script" inspired by nv shu, the now extinct secret female script developed by peasant women in Hunan, China over 3,000 years ago. The poetic words of these women tell of their life experience, aspirations, agonies, and courage. Digital developments are further helping museums around the world to reach a broader audience. Age-old museums take on a new life with virtual and augmented reality experiences, digital access, and streamlined booking procedures. As one of the top attractions for international travellers to China, the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Xi'an offers a VR film to complement the visitor experience. Sitting in a 360 rotating chair with a VR headset, visitors can witness the terracotta warriors come back to life and exercise their might on the battlefield to found the first centralised dynasty in ancient China. The museum collaborated with Trip.com recently to launch a platform for integrated overseas service, which includes allowing visitors to access a mini digital museum to learn about its renowned collection even before the trip and offering more convenient online booking and payment options for inbound travellers. Trip.com is leveraging its global user network and leading product capacity to open up new avenues for museum partners to engage and welcome knowledge seekers far and near, unlocking fresh opportunities as these museums leap into the future. A museum for tomorrow: Looking to the past for a sustainable future Responding to the pressing environmental challenges faced by our planet and our society, museums are using immersive exhibits, interactive displays, and state-of-the-art installations to engage visitors in thought-provoking conversations about our relationship with the natural world. From 27 January to 23 June, the National Museum of Singapore is holding a special exhibition "Plastic: Remaking Our World" to chart the material's meteoric rise in the 20th century, its environmental impact, and cutting-edge solutions for a more sustainable way of using plastics. An immersive film installation contrasts the long-term formation of oil with the rapid generation of plastic waste, whereas an interactive space recreates a home full of objects to illustrate the pervasiveness of plastics in our daily lives. Meanwhile, "Story of the Forest", one of the museum's permanent exhibitions, takes visitors on a tour across the virtual and visual landscape of Singaporean history through the stunning 3D display created by the renowned Japanese digital art collective teamLab. Inspired by the museum's treasured William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings, the exhibition invites visitors to interact with the animated wildlife of the Malay Peninsula in the nineteenth century up close. With its rapidly expanding tour and ticket offerings around the globe, Trip.com is dedicated to connecting travellers with captivating exhibits, engaging programmes, and the opportunity to discover the world's cultural heritage. Whether it's exploring ancient civilisations, marvelling at masterpieces, or listening to new voices, Trip.com actively works with museum partners around the globe to expand their reach and keep memories alive for generations to come. About Trip.com Trip.com is an international one-stop travel service provider, available in 24 languages across 39 countries and regions in 35 local currencies. Trip.com has an extensive hotel and flight network consisting of more than 1.7 million hotels and flights from over 600 airlines covering 3,400 airports in 220 countries and regions around the globe. Trip.com's world-class 24/7 multilingual customer service, as well as additional centres in Edinburgh, Tokyo and Seoul, help to 'create the best travel experience' for its millions of customers worldwide. To book your next trip, visit trip.com. SOURCE Trip.com WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED MENLO PARK, Calif., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm Protiviti has earned a leading spot on Glassdoor's inaugural Best-Led Companies list, ranking third out of 50 companies. This honor recognizes companies with exceptional senior leadership teams that go above and beyond the employee experience, putting people first. "This achievement affirms our ongoing commitment to shaping a workplace that exemplifies our core values of integrity, inclusion, innovation and a commitment to success," said Protiviti President and CEO Joseph Tarantino. "Our people are our greatest asset, and we are thankful for their shared dedication and passion for excellence as we work together to help our clients navigate the future." To determine the Best-Led Companies, Glassdoor leveraged its sentiment analysis tool, which analyzed and categorized anonymous company reviews and then scored those reviews mentioning "senior leadership" topics. Each company was assigned a leadership approval rating based on the quantity, quality and consistency of reviews submitted by U.S.-based employees between March 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024. "At Protiviti, we're focused on inspiring our people to succeed and helping them feel supported in their daily lives," said Scott Redfearn, Protiviti executive vice president, Global Human Resources. "By ensuring our employees have the ability to grow professionally and make an impact while enjoying flexible work and meaningful benefits, we are creating an environment in which everyone can thrive." To be considered for the list, companies must have more than 1,000 employees and have received at least 100 ratings across two leadership attributes CEO job performance and senior management during the past year. In 2024, Protiviti was named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for the 10th consecutive year and to the Glassdoor Best Places to Work list. In 2023, the firm was recognized on the Best Workplaces for Millennials and PEOPLE Companies That Care lists, and as a Best Workplace for Parents by Great Place To Work. About Protiviti Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned member firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, digital, legal, HR, risk and internal audit through a network of more than 90 offices in over 25 countries. Named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list for the 10th consecutive year, Protiviti has served more than 80 percent of Fortune 100 and nearly 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies. The firm also works with government agencies and smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half Inc. (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index. Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. SOURCE Protiviti VANCOUVER, BC, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - GoldMining Inc. (the "Company" or "GoldMining") (TSX: GOLD) (NYSE: GLDG) is pleased to announce that at its annual general meeting held on May 16, 2024 (the "Meeting"), all nominees listed in its management information circular dated March 25, 2024 were elected as directors of the Company. A quorum of 32.49% of the votes attached to the outstanding shares of the Company was present in person or by proxy at the Meeting. Each of the following eight nominees proposed by management was elected as a director. The results of such vote were as follows: Director Total Votes For Total Votes % of Votes For Amir Adnani 31,193,565 33,899,057 92.02 % David Garofalo 31,215,384 33,903,847 92.07 % Garnet Dawson 32,014,502 33,896,287 94.45 % David Kong 31,947,337 33,891,443 94.26 % Gloria Ballesta 23,184,218 33,903,827 68.38 % Hon. Herb Dhaliwal 31,896,964 33,886,279 94.13 % Mario Bernardo Garnero 32,045,008 33,901,443 94.52 % Anna Tudela 31,853,340 33,903,835 93.95 % In addition, at the Meeting, shareholders approved the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as the Company's auditor for the ensuing year. Detailed voting results for the Meeting are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. About GoldMining Inc. The Company is a public mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of gold assets in the Americas. Through its disciplined acquisition strategy, the Company now controls a diversified portfolio of resource-stage gold and gold-copper projects in Canada, U.S.A., Brazil, Colombia and Peru. The Company also owns approximately 21.5 million shares of Gold Royalty Corp. (NYSE American: GROY), 9.9 million shares of U.S. GoldMining Inc. (Nasdaq: USGO), and 26.7 million shares of NevGold Corp. (TSXV:NAU). See www.goldmining.com for additional information. SOURCE GoldMining Inc. Truck concept showcases new demonstration project as Honda seeks business partners for future production of fuel cell powered products for North America Honda exec Ryan Harty to keynote May 22 Ultra Clean Heavy-Vehicle Summit to keynote Ultra Clean Heavy-Vehicle Summit ACT Expo display to feature other Honda zero-emission products, including Autonomous Work Vehicle prototype and all-new 2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV LAS VEGAS, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Honda will debut a Class 8 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Concept at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo on May 20, showcasing the start of a new demonstration project aimed at future production of fuel cell powered products for the North American market. Honda is seeking new business collaborations as the company expands its hydrogen business to achieve its global goal of zero environmental impact, including carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities by 2050. Watch an overview of the Honda Class 8 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Concept at https://honda.us/Class8FuelCellTruck. Honda is seeking business collaborations and customers to help bring these hydrogen fuel cell solutions to market. Post this The Honda Class 8 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Concept showcases the start of a new demonstration project aimed at future production of fuel cell powered products for the North American market. Co-developed by Honda and General Motors over the last decade, the new Honda fuel cell system advances performance and doubles durability while reducing cost by two-thirds compared to the previous generation system. "Commercial vehicles, including Class 8 trucks, where fuel cells offer the best zero-emission replacement for existing diesel applications, are a key part of Honda's broad hydrogen business strategy," said Ryan Harty, assistant vice president, sustainability & business development, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Honda is actively seeking business collaborations and customers to help bring these hydrogen fuel cell solutions to market here in North America." The operational Honda Class 8 truck concept is powered by three new Honda fuel cell (FC) systems, now in mass production at Fuel Cell System Manufacturing, LLC (FCSM), a joint venture production facility with General Motors (GM) in Brownstown, Michigan. The new FC system is key to the Honda hydrogen business strategy. Co-developed by Honda and GM over the last decade, the Honda FC system advances performance and doubles durability while reducing cost by two-thirds compared to the previous generation1 system. Honda has identified four core domains for the initial utilization of its new fuel cell system: fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), commercial fuel cell vehicles, stationary power stations and construction machinery. In addition to the Honda display at ACT Expo, Harty will provide the keynote presentation at the expo's Ultra Clean Heavy-Vehicle Vehicle Summit on May 22 to provide further details about Honda hydrogen plans. Honda ACT Expo Display Items Honda will showcase the following zero-emission products and technologies at its ACT Expo display booth (#1031): Class 8 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Concept to make global debut at ACT Expo. to make global debut at ACT Expo. 2025 Honda CR-V e:FCEV , the first production plug-in hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle in America. , the first production plug-in hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle in America. Honda Fuel Cell System at the core of Honda's strategy to expand the range of applications that use hydrogen toward the decarbonization of society. at the core of Honda's strategy to expand the range of applications that use hydrogen toward the decarbonization of society. Honda Autonomous Work Vehicle (AWV), a prototype, all-electric off-road vehicle designed to enhance worksite efficiencies and support repetitive tasks. Companies interested in collaboration and partnership with Honda hydrogen business may contact [email protected]. Class 8 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck Concept Specifications Total length/width/height 8,000 mm / 2,400 mm / 4,000mm GCW GCW : 37,273kg (Tractor Weight Target : 12,918kg, Load Weight Target : 24,355kg ) Top Speed 70 mph (Estimated) Driving range 400 miles at GCW (Estimated) Fuel Cell System Output 240kW combined (80kW x 3 FC systems) Hydrogen Tank High pressure 700bar Hydrogen Tank 82kg-H2 Vehicle Battery 120kWh High Voltage Battery About Honda Commitment to the Environment Honda is working toward its global goal of zero environmental impact by 2050 through its "Triple Action to Zero" approach, including achieving carbon neutrality for all products and corporate activities, 100% utilization of renewable energy, and resource circulation, utilizing 100% sustainable materials by reprocessing products back to raw materials and reusing those materials in the creation of new products. Toward this goal, Honda will strive to make battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles represent 100% of auto sales in the U.S. and globally by 2040. To reduce the environmental impact of its business operations, Honda also is offsetting CO2 emissions from its North American manufacturing operations through long-term virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) for renewable wind and solar power that seek to cover more than 60% of the electricity Honda uses in North America. Honda also promotes environmentally responsible business practices with its suppliers and retail dealer partners across North America. Learn more at https://csr.honda.com/environment/na-environmental-report/. 1 In comparison to the fuel cell system that powered the 2019 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell sedan. SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Scientists, regulators and public health officials gathered in the US for The E-Cigarette Summit 2024 SAO PAULO, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dozens of experts debated how to improve the rules regarding electronic cigarettes, the consumption of which is a global reality, at the eighth edition of The E-Cigarette Summit, this Tuesday (14) in Washington DC, USA. Scientists, regulators, consumers and public health representatives presented studies and strategies to adopt these products as harm reduction tools in nicotine consumption for adult smokers. In the USA, marketing approval is the responsibility of the FDA, an agency similar to Anvisa in Brazil, which certifies that products are "appropriate for the protection of public health". According to Brian King, director of the FDA, companies undergo strict authorization so that adult smokers can access lower-risk products. At the same time, the agency carries out campaigns to prevent consumption by young people and improve authorized products. For Clive Bates, a public health consultant, maintaining illegality will not make it disappear. "We need strong regulations and the industry concerned about making safer products. Many people die because others don't see vapes as a harm reduction tool", he says. Anvisa maintained ban Contrary to the rest of the world, Anvisa maintains a ban in Brazil. However, the Senate will hold a public hearing on 5/21 to discuss Bill 5008/2023, by Senator Soraya Thronicke. The Bill contains requirements such as toxicological reports, nicotine limits, flavors and points of sale, and also proposes prison sentences and fines for sales to minors. Rules that would protect consumers from the illegal market. Since 2018, the number of consumption has grown by 600%, with 3 million regular consumers (Ipec, 2023). The United Kingdom Among the more than 80 countries that regulate vapes, the United Kingdom stands out in the fight against conventional cigarettes, including an incentive to exchange devices: the Swap to Stop program that distributes 1 million vape kits. Martin Dockrell, leader of the initiative at the Ministry of Health, highlights that the program maximizes the exchange of cigarettes for vapes and prevents young people and non-smoking adults from consuming the product. Deborah Arnott, executive director of the ASH NGO, stated that improving regulation is crucial to reducing consumption by young people and presented recommendations, such as banning a number of flavors, restrictions on packaging and points of sale. SOURCE The E-Cigarette Summit Join thousands of Catholic cemeteries across the United States in a national celebration, "Serving God and Country: A Memorial Day Salute to Our Heroes." This national program, developed by the Catholic Cemetery Conference, honors men and women who died while serving in the armed forces, as well as recognizing both active duty military and veterans. "Let us come together to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have served our nation with honor and sacrifice. We are called to cherish their memories, support their families, and celebrate their legacies," says Joseph Heckel, Executive Director of Catholic Cemeteries, CCCE. Most Masses will be held outdoors under large canopy tents, with seating provided. *Memorial Day Masses at Gate of Heaven and Maryrest cemeteries will be held inside their mausoleums. This inspiring event promises to be a powerful experience of community and remembrance. His Eminence Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., D.D., Archbishop of Newark, will con-celebrate Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery, which is currently constructing the stunning Open-Air Mausoleum of the Holy Spirit. Memorial Day Mass will be celebrated simultaneously at various Archdiocesan Catholic Cemeteries locations with distinguished celebrants. Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington, NJ Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., D.D. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., D.D. *Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Hanover, NJ Most Reverend Manuel A. Cruz , D.D. Most Reverend , D.D. *Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, NJ Most Reverend Michael A. Saporito , D.D. Most Reverend , D.D. Saint Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia, NJ Most Reverend Elias R. Lorenzo , O.S.B., D.D. , O.S.B., D.D. Holy Name Cemetery, Jersey City, NJ Most Reverend Gregory J. Studerus, D.D. Most Reverend Gregory J. Studerus, D.D. Christ the King Cemetery, Franklin Lakes, NJ Very Reverend John J. Chadwick, S.T.D. Very Reverend John J. Chadwick, S.T.D. Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, East Orange, NJ Rev. Philip J. Waters, O.S.B. Don't miss this opportunity to honor our heroes and their families. Join us in person for Memorial Day Masses and be part of this special celebration of remembrance and gratitude. Visit www.rcancem.org/memorial-day-mass for more information and location details. Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark is committed to honoring and remembering veterans throughout the year during monthly Masses, Veteran's Day, Flag Day, and Memorial Day. Flags fly daily in designated areas across all Archdiocesan cemeteries, and over one thousand American flags are placed at the memorials of interred veterans for Memorial Day, remaining through Flag Day. For more information about Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark and their ministry, contact a Memorial Planning Advisor at [email protected] or visit www.CatholicJourney.org. #MemorialDayMass #HonoringHeroes #CatholicCemeteries #ArchdioceseOfNewark About Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark The Ministry of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark exists to meet the needs of individuals and families before, at the time of death and burial, and throughout bereavement. They also provide Monthly Masses of Remembrance celebrated at Archdiocesan Catholic cemeteries throughout the year, typically during the first week of each month and on special days. Contact a caring and professional Memorial Planning Advisor at [email protected] or learn more at www.rcancem.org. SOURCE Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Newark President and CEO Ellie Hollander Hosted Panel Discussion About OAA Reauthorization and Opportunities for This Crucial Legislation to Better Address the Pervasive Challenges of Senior Hunger and Isolation ARLINGTON, Va., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Meals on Wheels America the leadership organization supporting the around 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation recognized Older Americans Month on Capitol Hill Wednesday, May 15 by hosting a congressional briefing, "Opportunities to Improve Senior Nutrition and Social Connection in the OAA Reauthorization: Perspectives from Community Providers." Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander led a congressional briefing around recommendations for Older Americans Act reauthorization that would strengthen and improve senior nutrition and social connection services. The organization's President and CEO Ellie Hollander moderated a panel discussion of local Meals on Wheels program leaders to discuss recommendations for the OAA reauthorization that would strengthen and improve senior nutrition and social connection services. Senator Bob Casey, Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, also spoke at the briefing, sharing the importance of Meals on Wheels programs and emphasizing the need for greater funding and flexibility for the OAA. The following, who are leaders from local Meals on Wheels programs and members of the Meals on Wheels America Board of Directors, joined Hollander for the panel: Patti Lyons : President of Senior Citizens, Inc. in Savannah, GA and Chair of the Meals on Wheels America Board of Directors : President of Senior Citizens, Inc. in and Chair of the Meals on Wheels America Board of Directors LuAnn Oatman : President and CEO of Berks Encore in Reading, PA and Vice Chair of the Meals on Wheels America Board of Directors : President and CEO of Berks Encore in and Vice Chair of the Meals on Wheels America Board of Directors Sandra Noe : CEO of Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana in Merrillville, IN and Meals on Wheels America Board of Directors Member Approaching its 60-year anniversary, the OAA continues to successfully deliver on its original intent to address hunger, promote socialization and improve health and well-being, and has shown great resiliency and adaptability through challenging times, including a global pandemic. As its reauthorization approaches, Meals on Wheels America recommends the following to further enhance the support and services provided to older adults: Increasing authorized funding levels across all OAA programs, with an emphasis on closing the existing needs gap for nutrition services as more than 12 million older Americans are currently facing hunger, and one in three local Meals on Wheels programs has a waitlist with seniors waiting on average three months for meals due to rising costs and lack of funding Unifying the Congregate and Home-Delivered Nutrition Services under a single Title III-C Nutrition Program and funding stream, which would improve efficiency and enable local providers to more easily tailor services to seniors' needs Prioritizing community-based organizations for nutrition services contracts and grants, as local providers deliver a holistic service that starts with a meal and opens the door to so much more, leading to better health outcomes for seniors In her opening remarks, Meals on Wheels America President and CEO Ellie Hollander said, "Fundamentally, our recommendations are about serving more seniors and serving them better. Critical elements to reaching this goal include sufficient funding to meet growing need, functional flexibilities to enable local providers to be more responsive and meet seniors where they are, and a focus on community-based organizations that are trusted, know their communities best and are vested in their success." Senator Casey further highlighted the value of Meals on Wheels programs and the need for greater congressional support. "Over and over again, we hear about the direct impact that you have on the lives of so many individual Americans. You become, in essence, the only person that some individuals will see in the course of a week or month, and the value of that is, in a word, incalculable." Speaking to the temporary support provided during the pandemic, he said, "It shouldn't take a once in a century public health crisis to urge us to do the right thing when it comes to funding and flexibility." During the Q&A portion, panelists shared stories that painted a vivid picture of the difference Meals on Wheels makes to seniors in need and discussed the challenges their local programs are currently facing without increased resources. "Every penny more it costs to make a meal is fewer meals that we can provide. There's higher demand and it's costing more. I know very few programs across the country that haven't been affected. Please don't make us take somebody off this program, because we know what it means for them," shared Meals on Wheels America Board Chair Patti Lyons. Read more about Meals on Wheels America's OAA reauthorization priorities and recommendations. To learn more about how Meals on Wheels opens the door to addressing nutrition, social connection, safety and so much more, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org. ABOUT MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation. Powered by a dedicated volunteer workforce, this network delivers a comprehensive solution that begins with a meal and is proven to enable independence and well-being through the additional benefits of tailored nutrition, social connection, safety and much more. By providing funding, programming, education, research and advocacy, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. For more information, or to find a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org. SOURCE Meals on Wheels America BOSTON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring, fourth graders in New York City Public Schools literally jumped into learning to code with Unruly Splats , a STEM education tool that combines coding and active play. Unruly Studios is the creator of Unruly Splats, the first STEM learning tool that combines coding with active-play. Four students at PS/MS 029 Melrose School in the Bronx noticed that physical education classes are ripe for disruption and could benefit from some enhancements to meet the needs of 21st century learners. Fourth grade student Evangelin V. noted that "sometimes playing the same game over and over in PE gets boring," and thus began the mission to answer the question, "Can coding in physical education class increase engagement?" Using Unruly Splats, fourth graders Jasper, Evangelin, Clementine, and Caden designed and coded their own relay race-style game to be played in PE. According to Jasper, "Deciding what kind of game we wanted to create and building all the pieces of it was the hardest part." Coding was brand new to this group of students, so they had to work together to succeed. The group sprung into action, creating roles within their group and breaking down their Unruly game idea into smaller parts, just like a team of developers and designers might do when building new technology. The group of fourth graders successfully built their relay race and presented it to their whole grade as part of the District 7 STEM Fair. For Jasper and Evangelin, presenting their game and findings was their favorite part. This project sparked such a buzz that they were chosen to compete at the Bronx Borough STEM Expo at Yankee Stadium on May 11th. At the STEM Expo, Jasper and Evangelin presented a letter to Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson about their recommendations for community impact based on their research findings. Parents, school administrators, and classmates proudly watched the group of fourth graders share their learnings with attendees, including Alberto Cruz, the assistant principal at Melrose School. "Watching this group of students go from ideating different games to working together to bring their creation to life was my favorite part," said Alberto. He noted that "because the Unruly Splats are so hands-on and the students were so invested in their project, they were learning without even realizing they were learning." Going up against hundreds of other students, the fourth grade team must wait to see if they are one of six projects advancing to the NYCPS 2024 STEM Expo on June 3. And in case you were wondering, this group of fourth graders hypothesized correctly and their research proved it: Coding in PE does,in fact, increase engagement. 94% of their fourth grade classmates reported they were excited to participate in PE class after using Splats. To learn more, visit www.unrulysplats.com . About Unruly Studios Unruly Studios is the creator of Unruly Splats , the first STEM learning tool that combines coding with active-play. Unruly Studios' vision is to create an electronic playground that makes learning more playful, collaborative, and inclusive. Media Contact: Alexa Poulin [email protected] 978-866-8058 SOURCE Unruly Studios TORONTO, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Lance Stroll, driver for Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, today announced Metro Supply Chain as his Official Marketing Partner. The new partnership sees Lance become the Canadian company's Official Brand Ambassador, with the iconic Metro Supply Chain logo featuring proudly on the Canadian driver's race helmet. Metro Supply chain shapes and delivers innovative supply chain solutions for leading brands (CNW Group/Metro Supply Chain inc.) Metro Supply Chain is a strategic supply chain solutions partner to some of the world's fastest growing and most reputable organizations. For 50 years, it has excelled at tailoring integrated, data-driven solutions, fuelled by advanced systems and technology, that fulfill complex and challenging distribution needs. Managing 19 million square feet operating out of more than 175 sites across North America and Europe with a team of 9,000, it is one of Canada's largest privately owned supply chain solutions companies. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Aramco F1 Driver, said: "I'm incredibly proud to be working with Metro Supply Chain, one of Canada's most recognizable companies. They have a huge amount of experience in offering innovative solutions to deliver world-class results which is what F1 is all about so it's great to work with likeminded people." "We are delighted to work with Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Aramco F1 Driver," said Chiko Nanji, Founder and Group Chairman of Metro Supply Chain. "Both F1 and Metro Supply Chain share a common focus on speed, accuracy and teamwork, making our partnership a natural fit." About Metro Supply Chain Metro Supply Chain is a strategic supply chain solutions partner to some of the world's fastest growing and most reputable organizations. For 50 years, it has excelled at tailoring integrated, data-driven solutions, fuelled by advanced systems and technology, that fulfill complex and challenging distribution needs. Managing 19 million square feet operating out of more than 175 sites across North America and Europe with a team of 9,000, it is one of Canada's largest privately owned supply chain solutions companies. Metro Supply Chain is a 2024 winner of the Canada's Best Managed Companies program, recognized for its strategic expertise, culture of innovation and commitment to its people and local communities. About Lance Stroll A mercurial talent from Canada after blitzing the junior single-seater ranks, Lance jumped straight from F3 to F1 in 2017 while still a teenager, becoming the second youngest driver to compete in Formula 1 machinery. His steely determination and focus have characterised his F1 career: partnered against race winners and World Champions alike, he has always held his own. With almost 150 races to his name, Lance is one of the most experienced drivers on the Formula 1 grid, now competing for Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team in his eighth season of iconic World Championship. Renowned for his skilful race craft in the trickiest of conditions, Lance has recorded three podiums as well as snatching a sensational pole position during treacherous wet weather at Istanbul Park. SOURCE Metro Supply Chain inc. BOSTON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, Dr. Ursula Martin and Dr. Allyson Chappell of the Instructional Technology team in Mobile County Public Schools won the "Unruliest District Innovators'' award. This award is presented annually by Unruly Studios, the creator of Unruly Splats , for outstanding efforts in bringing high quality computer science education to the elementary and middle school students. Known as "The Doublemint Twins" for their teamwork and collaboration, the duo's work is driven by a shared goal of "having the most positive impact on students," noted Dr. Martin. In 2019, Alabama passed the Computer Science Bill, which mandated every K-12 school to offer a high-quality computer science course by 2022. With this bill and the required digital literacy standards, the team began their work to support schools, administrators, and teachers on their instructional technology journey. To do this, the Instructional Technology team has created comprehensive support and resources for both school administrators and teachers. This includes initiatives such as online professional development courses, in-person instructional technology trainings at the central office, and even pushing directly into classrooms. One of the biggest challenges to tackle is building awareness of how the digital literacy and computer science standards can integrate into core subject standards, such as math and reading, without being viewed as an additional requirement. For Dr. Chappell, "We want to help teachers get to the point where integrating the [technology] standards in their classroom is fluid." Access to resources that easily integrate into multiple classrooms throughout the school day helps foster this fluidity. For them, one of those resources is Unruly Splats. Starting in one school in May 2023, Unruly Splats quickly expanded into eight Mobile schools. Dr. Chappell attributes the growth of Unruly Splats to its ease of use and seamless integration with both computer science and core subjects. "The Unruly Splats give teachers an accessible entry way to incorporating computer science without having to do high tech coding," said Dr. Chappell. For Dr. Martin, "The movement component of Unruly Splats is really engaging for students. With Unruly, students do not have to be tied to their computer to learn coding. They can be out of their seats and moving and there is a lot of research that supports the benefits of movement in learning." The availability of direct teacher support from the Unruly team has also allowed Dr. Chappell and Dr. Martin to feel confident introducing Unruly Splats to other schools within Mobile. From "The Doublemint Twins" to the "Unruliest District Innovators", Dr. Martin and Dr. Chappell look forward to continuing to create impactful computer science education opportunities for the students of Mobile County. Learn more about Unruly Splats in Mobile at https://pages.unrulysplats.com/mobile . About Unruly Studios Unruly Studios is the creator of Unruly Splats . Unruly Studios' vision is to create STEM learning experiences that are playful, collaborative, and inclusive. Their newly released Unruly Math product brings the kinesthetic learning of Unruly Splats into elementary math classrooms. Media Contact: Alexa Poulin 9788668058 [email protected] SOURCE Unruly Studios Destination Tomorrow brings its on-the-ground, community support to the nation's capital, aiming to fill resources gaps and advocate for visibility in the country's political epicenter WASHINGTON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, LGBTQ+ organization Destination Tomorrow opens its third center in the heart of Washington, D.C., marking a significant expansion of its work to service and uplift the LGBTQ+ community nationwide. Known for its trauma-informed and holistic approach to providing healthcare, career readiness, housing and financial literacy services, the center is poised to fill crucial resource gaps in the country's capital, particularly for Trans and gender nonbinary/nonconforming (TGNC) individuals. Located at 1701 Q Street, NW Washington D.C. 20009, the center invites all community members to join the team for a celebratory open house on Thursday, May 17th from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. ET. All interested can RSVP on Eventbrite for a free night of fun, music and opportunities to learn more about Destination Tomorrow's services. "We are thrilled to collaborate with community members, allies and organizations in D.C. that share our commitment to LGBTQ+ rights," said Sean Ebony Coleman, Destination Tomorrow's founder and CEO. "At our center's core, we prioritize providing comprehensive care and amplifying the voices of LGB and TGNC individuals. Operating in the country's political epicenter will allow us to more effectively advocate for policy reform and bridge the severe gaps in service equity. We are humbled to stand alongside fellow organizations that have long been at the forefront of driving political change toward greater inclusivity and equity." With locations in New York, Atlanta and now D.C., Destination Tomorrow is excited to use its community-oriented approach to better advocate for TGNC individuals at grassroots and policy levels. Destination Tomorrow D.C. will offer a diverse array of programs tailored to meet the unique needs of the local community. From free HIV testing and sexual health education to LGBTQ+ mentorship programs and Pride community events, the center will serve as a vital hub for connection, support, and empowerment. As services expand in the coming months, Destination Tomorrow aims to deepen its relationship with the local D.C. queer community and identify ways to support their unique needs. Since opening its first location in 2009, Destination Tomorrow has served more than 80,000 individuals in the Bronx and Atlanta, providing comprehensive care tailored to the diverse needs of the community. Each location has implemented successful programs designed to address pressing issues, including a local food pantry addressing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, the "SWITCH" program offering housing to TGNC individuals who are former or current sex workers 25 or over and free testing during the MPV outbreak. The organization aims to continue to expand its reach to more individuals, bringing its unique brand of grassroots engagement, socially inclusive care, and political activism across the country. For interest in attending the event or speaking with Sean about the expansion, please contact Cecilia Apodaca at 970-237-0440 or [email protected]. About Sean Ebony Coleman and Destination Tomorrow Sean Ebony Coleman is the founder and CEO of Destination Tomorrow, a national LGBTQ organization with centers located in the South Bronx and Atlanta, serving the community through educational, financial, housing, health, and personal support programs. The grassroots organization puts an emphasis on providing support to vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community that takes them off the path of requiring emergency care, focusing on economic, social, and mental empowerment on a holistic level. As a nationally recognized leader in the Transgender community and the first African American of Transgender experience to operate an LGBTQ center in the state of New York, Sean plays a key role in advocating for policies that directly impact the lives of millions of LGBTQ individuals. Through Gilead Science's TRANScend Community Impact Fund, Sean is the only Black Trans grant maker in the country, providing crucial funding to Transgender and Gender Nonconforming-led grassroots organizations nationally. Sean is also the founder and managing partner of Sean Ebony Coleman Consulting, where he has worked with companies including Unilever, Lululemon and Equinox on campaigns and DEI strategies to support the LGBTQ community. Contact: Cecilia Apodaca The TASC Group Email: [email protected] SOURCE Destination Tomorrow DALLAS, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NXG Cushing Midstream Energy Fund (NYSE: SRV) (the "Fund") announced today that it has established an "at-the-market" offering program (the "Offer"), pursuant to which the Fund may offer and sell common shares of beneficial interest, par value $0.001 per share ("Common Shares") through a distribution agreement with Foreside Fund Services, LLC (the "Distributor"). The sales, if any, of Common Shares made under the program will be made through the Distributor in transactions that are deemed to be "at-the-market offerings" as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Fund intends to invest the net proceeds of any sales of Common Shares in the Offer in accordance with its investment objective and policies. The Common Shares will be offered under the Fund's effective registration statement on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The Fund has filed a prospectus supplement, dated May 17, 2024, with the SEC in connection with the Offer. The Fund will pay expenses associated with the Offer which will be borne indirectly by the Fund's common shareholders. The information herein is not complete and is subject to change. This document is not an offer to sell any securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. This document is not an offering, which can only be made by a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. Investors should consider the Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The Fund's prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus contain this and additional information about the Fund and additional information about the Offer, and should be read carefully before investing. Additional Information About the Fund The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company with an investment objective of seeking a high after-tax total return from a combination of capital appreciation and current income. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in a portfolio of midstream energy investments. The Fund considers midstream energy investments to be investments that offer economic exposure to securities of midstream energy companies, which are companies that engage provide midstream services in the energy infrastructure sector, including the gathering, transporting, processing, fractionation, storing, refining and distribution of natural resources, such as natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil refined petroleum products, biofuels, carbon sequestration, solar, and wind. The Fund considers a company to be a midstream energy company if at least 50% of its assets, income, sales or profits are committed to, derived from or otherwise related to midstream energy services. The Fund's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SRV." About NXG Investment Management Cushing Asset Management, LP ("Cushing") is an SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Cushing serves as investment adviser to affiliated funds and managed accounts. Cushing is doing business as NXG Investment Management providing Next Generation investment strategies to investors seeking long-term growth in companies focused on a clean and sustainable future as well as traditional and transformational infrastructure companies. IMPORTANT INFORMATION This press release contains certain statements that may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are "forward-looking statements." Although the Fund and NXG Investment Management believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the company's reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Other than as required by law, the Fund and Cushing do not assume a duty to update this forward-looking statement. Contact: Blake Nelson NXG Investment Management 214-692-6334 www.nxgim.com NOT FDIC INSURED NO BANK GUARANTEE MAY LOSE VALUE SOURCE NXG Investment Management Hundreds of Teamsters, Community Leaders, Elected Officials, and Labor Allies to Demand Fair Contract for Warehouse Workers COMMERCE, Calif., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, May 17, Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien will join hundreds of rank-and-file Teamsters for a rally outside the headquarters of Chedraui, the parent company of Smart & Final, in support of warehouse workers represented by Teamsters Local 630. Teamsters are fighting plans by Chedraui USA, the U.S. subsidiary of the Mexican grocery giant Grupo Chedraui, to close two unionized Smart & Final warehouses in Commerce and Riverside, Calif., forcing longtime workers to reapply for employment of $10 to $12 less an hour from their current wage rate, at a new warehouse in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Chedraui USA/Smart & Final is accused of violating federal and state laws such as California Assembly Bill (AB) 647 that went into effect in January 2024. The Teamsters are demanding that the multinational corporation protect American jobs and negotiate a fair contract with more than 600 workers at the company. WHO: Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien California Attorney General Rob Bonta Teamsters Joint Council 42 President Chris Griswold California Assemblymember Chris Holden, District 41 California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez Smart & Final Workers Daniel Delgado and Joe Lagano WHAT: Rally for Smart & Final Workers & American Jobs WHEN: Fri., May 17, 2024 10:30 a.m. PDT WHERE: Chedraui USA Corporate HQ (600 Citadel Dr., Commerce, CA 90040) VISUALS: Banners with messages "Stop Destroying American Jobs" & "Boycott Smart & Final/Protect American Jobs", hundreds of workers with rally signs, Teamsters Joint Council 42 semi-truck, Chedraui USA Corporate HQ will serve as the backdrop LIVESTREAM: https://www.facebook.com/teamstersjc42 INTERVIEWS: English and Spanish interviews available. Requests should be sent to: [email protected] For more than 80 years, Teamsters Local 630 has represented California workers in warehousing, food services, liquor, food processing, dairy and more industries. Find out more at teamsters630.org. Contact: Christian Castro, (310) 857-9817 [email protected] SOURCE Teamsters Local 630 HEMPSTEAD, Texas, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Grossman Law Offices, with its principal office in Dallas, TX, reports on an incident involving a Friendswood man who was injured in an 18-wheeler accident on April 22, 2024, around 6:00 a.m. on Highway 6 in Waller County, TX . Details About the Truck Accident in Waller County: The accident occurred at the intersection of Highway 6 and Kelley Road, just outside a Bes Strop Chevron station north of Hempstead. Preliminary reports indicate that a 65-year-old man from Friendswood was traveling northbound in a Dodge Ram pickup along the highway. At Kelley Road, an 18-wheeler was stopped facing westbound and proceeded across the northbound lanes to the crossover. Subsequently, the 18-wheeler stopped at the crossover yield sign, leaving its trailer in the northbound lanes where the Friendswood man's pickup collided with it. As a result of the collision, the Friendswood man sustained serious injuries. There were no other reported injuries resulting from the crash. Authorities have recommended a citation for the 18-wheeler for failing to yield right-of-way. No further information can be confirmed at this time. Related Reading: The Media Is Missing Serious Accidents: What Is to Be Done? About Grossman Law Offices: Grossman Law Offices is a Texas-based personal injury and wrongful death firm with a commitment to educating the public about road safety awareness. For more than 30 years, their firm has highlighted crashes that don't make the news. For More Information: For additional details about this incident or to learn more about Grossman Law Office's public outreach and educational initiatives, please visit our website at Grossman Law Offices or contact us at 866-513-3847 . SOURCE Grossman Law Office, P.C. NEW YORK, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media Inc. (NYSE: OUT) announced today that Jeremy Male, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at J.P. Morgan's 52nd Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 2:25 p.m. Eastern Time. A live and replay audio webcast will be available on the investor relations section of the Company's website at www.outfront.com. About OUTFRONT Media Inc. OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location, and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go. Contacts: Investors Media Stephan Bisson Courtney Richards Investor Relations Communications & Event Manager (212) 297-6573 (646) 876-9404 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc. BOSTON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Silicon Photonics and PICs market is experiencing robust growth, driven by the surge in AI and datacom transceiver demand. Key players in the industry, such as Intel, Coherent, and Infinera, are actively using PICs within their transceivers. What are the benefits and challenges for Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits? The 8% CAGR of the PIC market is set to be fueled by applications in Quantum, 5G, LiDAR, Sensors (such as Biosensors and Gas Sensors), and Datacoms for AI. Source: IDTechEx Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) are tiny optical systems made of materials such as Silica (Glass), Silicon, or Indium Phosphide. PICs enable everything from complex optical designs that allow billions of bits of information to be sent and received in a package the size of a candy bar to artificial noses that can detect different compounds and molecules in the air around them. By leveraging the billions of dollars in investment in the CMOS chips, PICs can unlock new processing scaling potential beyond Moore's law. However, there are still significant challenges for the PIC market, such as material limitations, integration complexity, and cost management. Large demand volumes are required to offset the initial cost of designing and manufacturing PICs, and production lead times can take months. The brand new IDTechEx report on the topic, "Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits 2024-2034: Market, Technologies, and Forecasts", thoroughly investigates the PIC market and has identified Photonic Transceivers for AI as an emerging segment that is soon to be the largest source of demand for PICs. What are the PIC materials of the future? There is a wide variety of future PIC materials. Most of the current market uses Silicon and Silica-based PICs for light propagation; however, as an indirect semiconductor, Silicon is not an efficient light source or photodetector. Therefore, Silicon is usually combined with III-V materials for light sources and photodetection. Silicon's market dominance is set to continue; however, Thin Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN), with its moderate Pockels effect and low material loss, is emerging as a strong contender for applications that require high-performance modulation, such as quantum systems or potentially high-performance transceivers in the future. Monolithic Indium Phosphide (InP) continues to be a major player due to its ability to detect and emit light. Additionally, innovative materials like Barium Titanite (BTO) and rare-earth metals are being explored for their potential in quantum computing and other cutting-edge applications. How AI is changing the demand for Silicon Photonics and PICs The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has spurred an unprecedented demand for high-performance transceivers capable of supporting the massive data rates required by AI accelerators and data centers. Silicon Photonics and PICs are at the forefront of this revolution, with their ability to transmit data at speeds of 1.6Tbps and beyond. As shown by Nvidia's latest Blackwell CPUs, which, according to IDTechEx's research, require approximately two 800G transceivers per GPU, the need for efficient, high-bandwidth communication is becoming more critical for AI, positioning Silicon Photonics and PICs as essential components in the AI-driven future. The biggest driver of the development of PIC transceivers is AI, as higher-performance AI accelerators will require higher-performance transceivers, with 3.2Tbps transceivers expected to arrive by 2026. What are the future applications? Other applications for Silicon Photonics and PICs vary - from high-bandwidth chip-to-chip interconnects to advanced packaging and co-packaged optics. These technologies are paving the way for next-generation computing. Photonic Engines and Accelerators: Using certain photonic components, such as Mach-Zehnder Interferometers, and controlling these components through electro-optical interconnects, high-performance processors and programmable PIC devices can be designed and manufactured, unlocking higher performance than what is possible with electronic accelerators alone. PIC-based Sensors: Certain PIC materials, such as Silicon Nitride, can used for a range of different sensors, from gas sensors to 'artificial noses'. The healthcare sensor industry may be able to take advantage of the miniaturization of optical components into PIC devices, which could see applications in Point-of-Care diagnostics or Wearables. PIC-based FMCW LiDAR has the potential to transform the automotive and agricultural industries with applications in drones and autonomous vehicles. Quantum Systems: Companies investing in Trapped Ion and Photon-based Quantum Computing are looking to PICs for more stable and scalable quantum systems. PICs are used in photonic quantum systems to achieve the precise control of photons necessary for quantum computation. The market for Silicon Photonics and PICs is experiencing robust growth, driven by the surge in AI and datacom transceiver demand. Key players in the industry, such as Intel/Jabil, Coherent, and Infinera, are actively using PICs within their transceivers. Innolight, a China-based transceiver company, hit 1.6Tbps of transfer speed in their latest transceivers in late 2023, which are due to start shipping for data-center applications in 2024. Coherent, which has its own InP wafer fab facilities, is also developing higher-performance transceivers for 1.6T+ applications. Intel Silicon Photonics, which is potentially going to be acquired by manufacturing firm Jabil, sold ~1.7 million PICs in 2023, according to IDTechEx's analysis, and is continuing to develop datacom and telecom transceivers. IDTechEx forecasts that PIC technology will continue dominating the high-performance transceiver market, further solidifying its position as a critical component in the modern technological landscape. Key aspects of the IDTechEx report, "Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits 2024-2034: Market, Technologies, and Forecasts", include: Key Player Analysis for the High-Performance PIC-based Transceiver Market A breakdown of Co-Packaged Optics and its key concepts Analysis of Photonic Integrated Circuits for Quantum Systems Benchmarks and comparisons of photonic materials, with an industry breakdown by material. It also includes an insight into emerging materials such as Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) and Barium Titanite (BTO). Photonic Integrated Circuit Fundamentals and Key Concepts, including important components and underlying principles. An analysis of how AI is changing demand for PIC-based transceivers, with a look at how Nvidia's recommended server architecture requires large numbers of transceivers. An overview of PIC manufacturing techniques. A look into future applications of PICs such as interconnects, LiDAR, biosensors, and gas sensors. To find out more about this report, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/SemiPIC. Upcoming free-to-attend Webinar Photonic Integrated Circuits: Materials, Forecasts, and How AI Accelerator Demand Is Affecting the PIC Market James Falkiner, Technology Analyst at IDTechEx and author of this article, will be presenting a free-to-attend webinar on the topic on Thursday 30 May 2024 - Photonic Integrated Circuits: Materials, Forecasts, and How AI Accelerator Demand Is Affecting the PIC Market. This webinar will include: What is a photonic integrated circuit? What are current and future applications for PICs? An insight into IDTechEx's Total PIC Market Forecasts How AI accelerator demand is affecting the PIC Transceivers market The roadmap for the future of Datacom Transceivers PIC Material Benchmarks and Forecasts Please click here to check timings and register for your specific time zone. If you are unable to make the date, please register anyway to receive the links to the on-demand recording (available for a limited time) and webinar slides as soon as they are available. About IDTechEx: IDTechEx provides trusted independent research on emerging technologies and their markets. Since 1999, we have been helping our clients to understand new technologies, their supply chains, market requirements, opportunities and forecasts. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com. Image download: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/pf7po53noehr685zsz2zh/APpohA52-QCT0fpKlvMWJBA?rlkey=vvdqces2k9ruabal750wlzoa9&st=5d0bauyt&dl=0 Media Contact: Lucy Rogers Sales and Marketing Administrator [email protected] +44(0)1223 812300 Social Media Links: Twitter: www.twitter.com/IDTechEx LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/IDTechEx Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2415911/IDTechEx.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478371/4712862/IDTechEx_Logo.jpg SOURCE IDTechEx ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Porte Brown LLC, www.PorteBrown.com, a Chicago metro accounting firm, is pleased to announce it has earned the top spot in the 2024 Best Places to Work in Illinois competition at the recent award luncheon at Abbington Distinctive Banquets in Glen Ellyn. The BPTW program is a combination survey, study and awards ceremony established to identify the top employers in the state of Illinois, benefiting the state's economy, workforce, and businesses. Porte Brown LLC, a Chicago metro accounting firm, has earned the top spot in the 2024 Best Places to Work in Illinois competition. "This is really exciting news," stated Joe Gleba, Porte Brown CEO and Managing Partner, after Workforce Research Group President Peter Burke awarded Porte Brown the number 1 slot among medium-sized companies that are between 100-499 U.S. employees. As part of the anonymous survey portion of the competition, Porte Brown staff members catapulted the 78-year-old firm to the top due to their appreciation for a benefit package that includes a focus on work-life balance, 100% paid health and vision insurance, opt-in dental insurance, profit-sharing, paid maternity-paternity-adoption leave, paid short-term and long-term disability, numerous staff appreciation events throughout the year, as well as a 100% paid master's degree program. Gleba continued, "Our accounting firm has been participating in this program for many years. We love to hear about all the wonderful companies, the perks, the benefit packages, and team-building events. In fact, we have implemented a lot of these ideas at Porte Brown. For many years we've been fortunate to be named to the short list of recognized businesses and watch our name slowly make it to the top of the list. It's a great feeling just to be recognized, so being named first this year is a real honor." 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 company's workplace policies, practices, and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. The final rankings are posted on the Daily Herald Suburban Business website (dailyherald.com/business). For more information on the Best Places to Work in Illinois program, visit bptwillinois.com. About Porte Brown Porte Brown LLC is a full-service accounting and consulting firm headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village, Illinois. For more than 75 years, Porte Brown has focused on providing the highest level of service to individuals, businesses, and organizations throughout the region. In addition to the traditional accounting services such as tax planning and preparation, audit, business valuations, and retirement plan administration. Porte Brown also provides strategic consulting and leading-edge technology implementation for clients in cloud and non-cloud environments. For more information, visit www.portebrown.com or call 847-956-1040. Contact: Pam Metzger [email protected] 847-956-1040 www.portebrown.com SOURCE Porte Brown STOCKHOLM, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FIRST QUARTER (JANUARY - MARCH 2024) Oder intake SEK 238.5 M (206.6) (206.6) Net sales SEK 257.2 M (230.2) (230.2) Operating profit SEK 45.8 M (23.7) (23.7) Profit after tax SEK 36.7 M (17.6) (17.6) Earnings per share before/after dilution SEK 1.07 (0.51) (0.51) Cash flow SEK 87.9 M (84.5) (84.5) Order backlog SEK 1,848.0 M (1,903.3) MSEK at the end of the period SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING THE FIRTS QUARTER RayStation in more than 1,000 radiotherapy centers worldwide. The Royal Marsden set to be the first center in the world to implement online adaptive radiation therapy utilizing ARTemis from RaySearch. RaySearch acquires the product DrugLog from Pharmacolog. World leading carbon ion center QST in Chiba, Japan , selects RayStation. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AFTER THE END OF THE REPORTING PERIOD Raigmore Hospital in Scotland selects RayCare. selects RayCare. RaySearch and C-RAD signed collaboration agreement. RayCare has been certified to be interoperable with Varian TrueBeam. WEBCAST CEO Johan Lof and Interim CFO Annika Blondeau Henriksson will present RaySearch's interim report for January-March 2024 at a webcast to be held in English on Friday, May 17, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. CET. Link to webcast: RaySearch Q1, 2024 You can also join the webcast by phone: Sverige: +46 (0) 8 505 100 31 UK: +44 (0) 207 107 06 13 US: +1 (1) 631 570 56 13 The information contained in this interim report is such that RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) is obliged to disclose under the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Swedish Securities Market Act. The information was submitted for publication on May 17, 2024 at. 7:45 a.m. CET. For more information, please contact: Johan Lof, founder and CEO, RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) Telephone: +46 (0) 8 510 530 00 [email protected] Annika Blondeau Henriksson, Interim CFO, RaySearch Laboratories AB (publ) Telephone: +46 (0) 8 510 530 00 [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/raysearch-laboratories/r/interim-report-january-1---march-31--2024,c3983281 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/1102/3983281/2803463.pdf RaySearch Interim Report Q1 2024 SOURCE RaySearch Laboratories SHENZHEN, China, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RLX Technology Inc. ("RLX Technology" or the "Company") (NYSE: RLX), a leading global branded e-vapor company, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024. F irst Quarter 202 4 Financial Highlights Net revenues were RMB551.6 million ( US$76.4 million ) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB188.9 million in the same period of 2023. were ( ) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with in the same period of 2023. Gross margin was 25.9% in the first quarter of 2024, compared with 24.2% in the same period of 2023. was 25.9% in the first quarter of 2024, compared with 24.2% in the same period of 2023. U.S. GAAP n et income was RMB132 .6 million ( US$18.4 million ) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with U.S. GAAP net loss of RMB56 .3 million in the same period of 2023. was .6 million ( ) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with U.S. GAAP net loss of .3 million in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP net income[1] was RMB207.5 million ( US$28.7 million ) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB183 .6 million in the same period of 2023. "We started 2024 with a steady first quarter," commented Ms. Ying (Kate) Wang, Co-founder, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, and Chief Executive Officer of RLX Technology. "Our international business is developing positively as we refine our regional strategies. Despite challenges posed by regulatory changes across various regions, we continue to identify opportunities and leverage our core strengths to prudently enter potential markets. Domestically, we are encouraged by the positive impact of China's recent regulatory crackdown on illegal products, but much progress remains to be made. We remain committed to collaborating with regulators and advocating for a well-regulated and healthy e-vapor industry. As a trusted e-vapor brand for adult smokers, we are dedicated to optimizing our product portfolio with premium, compliant, and innovative products that meet our users' needs and drive growth in this evolving industry." Mr. Chao Lu, Chief Financial Officer of RLX Technology, commented, "In the first quarter, net revenues increased to RMB551.6 million, marking our fifth consecutive quarter of sequential revenue growth. Our gross margin improved by 170 basis points year-over-year to 25.9%, thanks to our supply chain efficiency enhancements. Furthermore, excluding the impact of share-based compensation, our non-GAAP operating profit remained positive, bolstered by an increasing contribution from our international operations, compared to a RMB133.3 million loss recorded in the same quarter last year. With our resilient business model, effective regional strategies, and consistent strong execution, we are confident of sustaining this growth trajectory and delivering sustainable value to our stakeholders." First Quarter 2024 Financial Results Net revenues were RMB551.6 million (US$76.4 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB188.9 million in the same period of 2023. The increase was primarily due to our international expansion. Gross profit was RMB142.8 million (US$19.8 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB45.7 million in the same period of 2023. Gross margin was 25.9 % in the first quarter of 2024, compared with 24.2% in the same period of 2023. This improvement was primarily driven by our supply chain efficiency enhancements, partially offset by an increase in inventory provision and an unfavorable shift in the revenue mix. Operating expenses were RMB194.4 million (US$26.9 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB418.9 million in the same period of 2023. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in share-based compensation expenses, from RMB240.0 million in the first quarter of 2023 to RMB74.9 million (US$10.4 million) in the same period of 2024, along with a decrease in salaries and welfare benefits. The changes in share-based compensation expenses were primarily due to the changes in the fair value of the share incentive awards that the Company granted to its employees with the fluctuations of the Company's share price. Selling expenses were RMB52.9 million (US$7.3 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB85.8 million in the same period of 2023, primarily due to a decrease in salaries, welfare benefits and share-based compensation expenses. General and administrative expenses were RMB110.0 million (US$15.2 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB256.5 million in the same period of 2023, mainly driven by a decrease in share-based compensation expenses, salaries, and welfare benefits. Research and development expenses were RMB31.5 million (US$4.4 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB76.7 million in the same period of 2023, mainly driven by a decrease in salaries, welfare benefits and share-based compensation expenses. Loss from operations was RMB51.6 million (US$7.1 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB373.2 million in the same period of 2023. Income tax expense was RMB16.3 million (US$2.3 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with income tax benefit of RMB17.6 million in the same period of 2023. U.S. GAAP net income was RMB132.6 million (US$18.4 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with U.S. GAAP net loss of RMB56.3 million in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP net income was RMB207.5 million (US$28.7 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with RMB183.6 million in the same period of 2023. U.S. GAAP basic and diluted net income per American depositary share ("ADS") were RMB0.106 (US$0.015) and RMB0.101 (US$0.014), respectively, in the first quarter of 2024, compared with U.S. GAAP basic and diluted net loss per ADS of RMB0.043, in the same period of 2023. Non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS[2] were RMB0.166 (US$0.023) and RMB0.159 (US$0.022), respectively, in the first quarter of 2024, compared with non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS of RMB0.139 and RMB0.136, respectively, in the same period of 2023. Balance Sheet and Cash Flow As of March 31, 2024, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term bank deposits, net, short-term investments, net, long-term bank deposits, net and long-term investment securities, net of RMB14,681.4 million (US$2,033.3 million), compared with RMB15,138.4 million as of December 31, 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, net cash generated from operating activities was RMB4.0 million (US$0.6 million). Conference Call The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on May 17, 2024 (8:00 PM Beijing/Hong Kong Time on May 17, 2024). Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows: United States (toll-free): +1-888-317-6003 International: +1-412-317-6061 Hong Kong, China (toll-free): +800-963-976 Hong Kong, China: +852-5808-1995 Mainland China: 400-120-6115 Participant Code: 5404850 Participants should dial in 10 minutes before the scheduled start time and ask to be connected to the call for "RLX Technology Inc." with the Participant Code as set forth above. Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://ir.relxtech.com. A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call until May 24, 2024, by dialing the following telephone numbers: United States: +1-877-344-7529 International: +1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 5345683 About RLX Technology Inc. RLX Technology Inc. (NYSE: RLX) is a leading global branded e-vapor company. The Company leverages its strong in-house technology, product development capabilities and in-depth insights into adult smokers' needs to develop superior e-vapor products. For more information, please visit: http://ir.relxtech.com. Non-GAAP Financial Measures The Company uses non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS, each a non-GAAP financial measure, in evaluating its operating results and for financial and operational decision-making purposes. Non-GAAP net income represents net income excluding share-based compensation expenses. Non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS is computed using non-GAAP net income attributable to RLX Technology Inc. and the same number of ADSs used in U.S. GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS calculation. The Company presents these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by the management to evaluate its operating performance and formulate business plans. The Company believes that they help identify underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain expenses that are included in net income. The Company also believes that the use of the non-GAAP measures facilitates investors' assessment of its operating performance, as they could provide useful information about its operating results, enhances the overall understanding of its past performance and future prospects and allows for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by the management in its financial and operational decision making. The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. They should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to net income, basic and diluted net income per ADS or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of its operating performance. Investors are encouraged to review its historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures. The non-GAAP financial measures here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to our data. The Company encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on any single financial measure. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release. Exchange Rate Information This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB are made at a rate of RMB7.2203 to US$1.00, the exchange rate on March 29, 2024, set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or U.S. dollar amounts referred could be converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "is/are likely to," "potential," "continue" and similar statements. Among other things, quotations from management in this announcement, as well as the Company's strategic and operational plans, contain forward- looking statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including but not limited to statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's growth strategies; its future business development, results of operations and financial condition; trends and competition in global e-vapor market; changes in its revenues and certain cost or expense items; governmental policies, laws and regulations across various jurisdictions relating to the Company's industry, and general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is current as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law. For more information, please contact: In China: RLX Technology Inc. Head of Capital Markets Sam Tsang Email: [email protected] Piacente Financial Communications Jenny Cai Tel: +86-10-6508-0677 Email: [email protected] In the United States: Piacente Financial Communications Brandi Piacente Tel: +1-212-481-2050 Email: [email protected] [1] Non-GAAP net income is a non-GAAP financial measure. For more information on the Company's non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release. [2] Non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ADS is a non-GAAP financial measure. For more information on the Company's non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the table captioned "Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release. RLX TECHNOLOGY INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (All amounts in thousands) As of December 31, March 31, March 31, 2023 2024 2024 RMB RMB US$ ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents 2,390,298 2,322,277 321,632 Restricted cash 29,760 52,484 7,269 Short-term bank deposits, net 2,631,256 2,320,529 321,390 Receivables from online payment platforms 6,893 7,284 1,009 Short-term investments, net 3,093,133 2,691,275 372,737 Accounts and notes receivable, net 60,482 113,665 15,742 Inventories 144,850 99,768 13,818 Amounts due from related parties 118,736 179,645 24,881 Prepayments and other current assets, net 508,435 620,771 85,976 Total current assets 8,983,843 8,407,698 1,164,454 Non-current assets: Property, equipment and leasehold improvement, net 77,358 69,973 9,691 Intangible assets, net 69,778 65,004 9,003 Long-term investments, net 8,000 8,000 1,108 Deferred tax assets, net 58,263 58,263 8,069 Right-of-use assets, net 52,562 47,708 6,607 Long-term bank deposits, net 1,757,804 1,624,802 225,032 Long-term investment securities, net 5,236,109 5,669,997 785,286 Goodwill 66,506 64,136 8,883 Other non-current assets, net 4,874 11,746 1,627 Total non-current assets 7,331,254 7,619,629 1,055,306 Total assets 16,315,097 16,027,327 2,219,760 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts and notes payable 266,426 213,849 29,618 Contract liabilities 49,586 15,058 2,086 Salary and welfare benefits payable 39,256 50,620 7,011 Taxes payable 77,164 106,658 14,772 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 103,996 118,805 16,454 Amounts due to related parties 101,927 63,141 8,745 Dividend payable 881 - - Lease liabilities - current portion 29,435 31,093 4,306 Total current liabilities 668,671 599,224 82,992 Non-current liabilities: Deferred tax liabilities 23,591 22,584 3,128 Lease liabilities - non-current portion 24,419 17,968 2,489 Total non-current liabilities 48,010 40,552 5,617 Total liabilities 716,681 639,776 88,609 Shareholders' Equity: Total RLX Technology Inc. shareholders' equity 15,609,393 15,397,603 2,132,543 Noncontrolling interests (10,977) (10,052) (1,392) Total shareholders' equity 15,598,416 15,387,551 2,131,151 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity 16,315,097 16,027,327 2,219,760 RLX TECHNOLOGY INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS)/INCOME (All amounts in thousands, except for number of shares and per share data, or otherwise noted) For the three months ended March 31, December 31, March 31, March 31, 2023 (As adjusted) (a) 2023 2024 2024 RMB RMB RMB US$ Net revenues 188,877 520,468 551,623 76,399 Cost of revenues (78,693) (327,325) (327,610) (45,373) Excise tax on products (64,458) (69,730) (81,240) (11,252) Gross profit 45,726 123,413 142,773 19,774 Operating expenses: Selling expenses (85,761) (37,985) (52,887) (7,325) General and administrative expenses (256,504) (204,030) (109,954) (15,228) Research and development expenses (76,682) (21,904) (31,540) (4,368) Total operating expenses (418,947) (263,919) (194,381) (26,921) Loss from operations (373,221) (140,506) (51,608) (7,147) Other income: Interest income, net 148,803 157,928 158,858 22,002 Investment income 21,385 182,699 12,776 1,769 Others, net 129,157 30,925 28,943 4,009 (Loss)/income before income tax (73,876) 231,046 148,969 20,633 Income tax benefit/(expense) 17,571 (15,078) (16,344) (2,264) Net (loss)/income (56,305) 215,968 132,625 18,369 Less: net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 661 2,491 717 99 Net (loss)/income attributable to RLX Technology Inc. (56,966) 213,477 131,908 18,270 Other comprehensive (loss)/income: Foreign currency translation adjustments (148,096) (132,470) 12,706 1,760 Unrealized income/(loss) on long-term investment securities 2,873 (11,288) (13) (2) Total other comprehensive (loss)/income (145,223) (143,758) 12,693 1,758 Total comprehensive (loss)/income (201,528) 72,210 145,318 20,127 Less: total comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests 661 2,491 730 101 Total comprehensive (loss)/income attributable to RLX Technology Inc. (202,189) 69,719 144,588 20,026 Net (loss)/income per ordinary share/ADS - Basic (0.043) 0.166 0.106 0.015 - Diluted (0.043) 0.161 0.101 0.014 Weighted average number of ordinary shares/ADSs - Basic 1,316,798,713 1,285,752,182 1,249,317,641 1,249,317,641 - Diluted 1,316,798,713 1,324,466,240 1,301,431,007 1,301,431,007 Note (a): The Company acquired various companies on December 13, 2023, which was accounted for as an under common control transaction in accordance with ASC 805-50. The Company retrospectively adjusted the above comparative unaudited condensed consolidated statements of comprehensive (loss)/income in prior quarter. RLX TECHNOLOGY INC. UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS (All amounts in thousands, except for number of shares and per share data) For the three months ended March 31, December 31, March 31, March 31, 2023 (As adjusted) (b) 2023 2024 2024 RMB RMB RMB US$ Net (loss)/income (56,305) 215,968 132,625 18,369 Add: share-based compensation expenses Selling expenses 23,955 12,128 4,603 638 General and administrative expenses 201,343 194,153 66,414 9,198 Research and development expenses 14,654 10,335 3,881 538 Non-GAAP net income 183,647 432,584 207,523 28,743 Net (loss)/income attributable to RLX Technology Inc. (56,966) 213,477 131,908 18,270 Add: share-based compensation expenses 239,952 216,616 74,898 10,374 Non-GAAP net income attributable to RLX Technology Inc. 182,986 430,093 206,806 28,644 Non-GAAP net income per ordinary share/ADS - Basic 0.139 0.335 0.166 0.023 - Diluted 0.136 0.325 0.159 0.022 Weighted average number of ordinary shares/ADSs - Basic 1,316,798,713 1,285,752,182 1,249,317,641 1,249,317,641 - Diluted 1,345,828,279 1,324,466,240 1,301,431,007 1,301,431,007 Note (b): The Company acquired various companies on December 13, 2023, which was accounted for as an under common control transaction in accordance with ASC 805-50. The Company retrospectively adjusted the above unaudited reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP results in prior quarter. RLX TECHNOLOGY INC. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (All amounts in thousands) For the three months ended March 31, December 31, March 31, March 31, 2023 (As adjusted) (c) 2023 2024 2024 RMB RMB RMB US$ Net cash (used in)/generated from operating activities (230,686) 305,197 4,020 557 Net cash generated from investing activities 381,954 310,274 420,665 58,261 Net cash generated from/(used in) financing activities 4,346 (791,905) (472,885) (65,495) Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 10,409 (18,544) 2,903 404 Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash 166,023 (194,978) (45,297) (6,273) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the period 1,289,086 2,615,036 2,420,058 335,174 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the period 1,455,109 2,420,058 2,374,761 328,901 Note (c): The Company acquired various companies on December 13, 2023, which was accounted for as an under common control transaction in accordance with ASC 805-50. The Company retrospectively adjusted the above comparative unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows in prior quarter. SOURCE RLX Technology Inc. TORONTO, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) (FWB: RJIB) (WKN: A1XF0V) ("Rock Tech" or the "Company") is very pleased to announce that it has received the full permits for its planned Lithium refinery in Guben, Germany. Today, the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment issued the final approval for Rock Tech's Lithium refinery. The approval was preceded by an extensive review according to the federal immission control act (BImSchG) by the State Office for the Environment (LfU). The Company plans to produce 24,000 tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide annually. "This is an exciting day for Rock Tech. Not only have we received the full permits to operate our Converter in Germany, but also are we the first company in Europe to permit a full-scale Lithium Refinery - without any appeals to the project. This is testament to the great work of our team. I also would like to thank the Brandenburg authorities for their support and diligence." said Rock Tech's Chairman and CEO Dirk Harbecke. ABOUT ROCK TECH Rock Tech is a cleantech company with operations in Canada and Germany on a mission to produce lithium hydroxide for electric vehicle batteries. The Company plans to build lithium converters at the doorstep of its customers, to guarantee supply-chain transparency and just-in-time delivery, beginning with the Company's proposed lithium hydroxide merchant converter and refinery facility in Guben, Germany. The second Lithium converter is planned to be built in Red Rock, Ontario, Canada. Rock Tech plans to source raw material from its wholly-owned Georgia Lake spodumene project located in the Thunder Bay Mining District of Ontario, Canada, as well as procuring it from other responsibly producing mines. In the years to come, the Company expects to also source raw material from discarded batteries. To close the most pressing gap in the clean mobility story, Rock Tech has gathered one of the strongest teams in the industry. The Company has adopted strict environmental, social and governance standards and is developing a proprietary refining process aimed at further increasing efficiency and sustainability. Rock Tech's goal: to create a closed-loop lithium production system. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. CAUTIONARY NOTE CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws and are referred to herein as "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, which address events, results, outcomes or developments that the Company expects to occur are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as "expects", "anticipates", "plans", "predicts", "believes", "estimates", "intends", "targets", "projects", "forecasts", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could" or negative versions thereof and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements by their nature are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in the Company's most recent management's discussion and analysis and annual information form filed with the applicable securities regulators. No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, and the Company cautions the reader not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, nor does it assume any obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changes in assumptions, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law. SOURCE Rock Tech Lithium Inc. ATHERTON, Calif., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This Sunday, Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (SHS) will conclude a yearlong celebration of its 125th milestone anniversary. The school community will attend a Mass and Conge, French for "leave taking," a traditionaloften surpriseday of play for students observed by Sacred Heart schools worldwide. Explore the institution's long history as a top independent Bay Area preschool12th grade school by visiting its 125th anniversary website developed to showcase the theme, "125 Years - Educating For A Lifetime." The website is the culmination of a two-year-long project by Sacred Heart Preparatory (SHP) librarians and students who assembled a visual timeline of the school's growth from thousands of photographs housed in the historic SHS Main Building archive room. On August 1, 1898, SHS opened its doors to its first 23 students. Since then, the school has expanded to a vibrant, co-educational day school for 1,185 students, situated on 63 acres. Sacred Heart's Main Buildingthe first structure built on campusis considered an architectural jewel of the San Francisco Peninsula; it survived both the 1906 earthquake and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, although both caused damage. Designed by Irish-immigrant architect Charles Devlin, it echoes the Romanesque features of nearby St. Patrick's Seminary, which also withstood both earthquakes, as well as many of the area's churches, convents, hospitals, and schools also built by Devlin. Over 300 Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (RSCJ) have served on the school's grounds since 1898. The school's Catholic identity, mission, and goals mirror the historic priorities of the RSCJ, founded by Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat, who also established the first Sacred Heart schools in post-revolutionary France. Today, the RSCJ has grown its ministry to include over 150 schools in 44 countries worldwide. SHSthe 13th Sacred Heart school to be built in North Americacontinues an equally-long tradition of ensuring access to education, emphasizing personal faith, preparing students for lives of meaning and purpose, and active service to its community. "For 125 years, what has remained constant throughout our growth has been the school's dedication to service," said Sister Nancy Morris, the former SHS director of schools from 1971 to 1989, who still lives on campus adjacent to the RSCJ retirement center, Oakwood. To mark its 125th anniversary, the school's iconic Main Building underwent a timely restoration project of its two historic parlors. "We invite the community to celebrate the longevity of Sacred Heart as we recognize the achievements of our students, educators, RSCJ, alumni, and parents," said SHS Director of Schools Richard Dioli. "We are paving the way for the next 125 years, preparing students to meet tomorrow's challenges with compassionate hearts." ABOUT SACRED HEART SCHOOLS, ATHERTON Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (www.shschools.org) was founded in 1898 and is located on a 63-acre campus in Atherton, California. It is an accredited preschool12th grade school, with a total enrollment of 1,185 students, and is a member of the International Network of Schools of the Sacred Heart. SOURCE Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton ATLANTA, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scripps News has been honored with two national journalism awards for its investigation about the plight of Ukrainian orphans abducted and sent to Russia amid the war. "Scripps News Investigates: Ukraine's Stolen Orphans" won a Deadline Club Award and a New York Press Club Award. Scripps News' award-winning international correspondent Jason Bellini introduces viewers to the innocent Ukrainian orphans who were abducted and sent to Russia. Scripps News shared the chilling images of the youngest orphans as they're taken away video now considered evidence in a war crimes trial. Watch here: "Scripps News Investigates: Ukraine's Stolen Orphans" The December report sparked a new sense of urgency to rescue Denys, a central character in the forced deportation of Ukrainian orphans. After covering Denys' story for more than two years, this year, Bellini exclusively reported on Denys and his escape, when he was finally free to tell his story. Additional members of the Scripps News team that helped produce this investigation include: Dmytro Horyevoy, producer; Linda Pattillo, deputy managing editor-investigative/global affairs; Scott McGhee; Alex Brauer; Max McClellan, executive producer, investigative; and Steve Turnham, Washington Bureau Chief and managing editor. "This team's well-deserved recognition comes after providing more than two years of coverage on the Russian-Ukraine War," Pattillo said. "Jason has brought viewers to the frontline trenches and behind-the-scenes to show stories of heroism and heartbreak in Ukraine." Deadline Club Award "Scripps News Investigates: Ukraine's Stolen Orphans" won a Deadline Club Award from the Society of Professional Journalists in the National TV Series or Investigative Reporting category. Scripps News was nominated alongside ABC News and NBC News. The Deadline Club is one of SPJ's largest chapters, serving New York-area journalists. The 2024 winners were selected from more than 550 entries. Scripps News was honored on May 16 at the annual awards dinner. New York Press Club Award "Scripps News Investigates: Ukraine's Stolen Orphans" won a New York Press Club Journalism Award in the national continuing coverage television category. The annual New York Press Club Journalism Awards honor excellence in various categories by writers, reporters, editors, producers and photographers. The competition is open to individuals and news organizations based or operating in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and to individuals working elsewhere on behalf of New York metro-area news organizations. Winners will be celebrated during an awards dinner, hosted by the New York Press Club, on June 3. Bellini and the Scripps News team also received a third place National Headliner Award in April for their reporting on Ukraine's Stolen Orphans. View all of Bellini's reporting on the Russian-Ukraine War here. Scripps News delivers independent, original reporting from journalists in more than 50 U.S. markets, including New York broadcasting over-the-air and streaming live on every major streaming device and platform. To search your local channel number or find a list of streaming platforms, visit ScrippsNews.com. Media contact: Molly Miossi, The E.W. Scripps Company, 513-977-3713, [email protected] About Scripps News Scripps News is the nation's only free 24/7 broadcast news network, serving viewers opinion-free national and international news across the United States. Scripps News partners with the Scripps local station group to cover news from over 50 bureaus. Scripps News is available in more than 94% of U.S. television homes free and over the air with a digital antenna, on mobile with the Scripps News app and online at ScrippsNews.com. It is also carried on streaming platforms and services, including Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Sling, Vizio and Xumo. Scripps News is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP). SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company DENVER , May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SDR Ventures is pleased to announce that Imagine Baking, Inc. ("Imagine Baking" or "the Company") has been acquired by Commercial Bakeries Corp., a portfolio company of Graham Partners ("Graham"). SDR served as the exclusive sell-side advisor to Imagine Baking throughout the transaction process. Imagine Baking is a manufacturer of specialty, premium, and better-for-you crackers, cookies, biscuits, brittles, and chips, focusing on the gluten-free, organic, and better-for-you space. Headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio, Imagine Baking operates a 114,000+ square foot facility that includes segregated manufacturing lines, multiple packaging capabilities, and a sizeable R&D laboratory, which will help to unlock additional opportunities for the combined businesses. Adrienne and John O'Donnell, Owners & Founders of Imagine Baking, commented, "We are grateful to Logan and the SDR team for relentlessly advocating on our behalf throughout the process. Their strategic vision and dedication was integral in aligning the path to shared success for our new partnership. 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 destination shopping for both brands and private label needs." Imaging Baking has formulated and launched successful national brands for decades. The Company continues to add creativity to the contract baking arena as their experienced team members develop and produce private label products for leading retailers. Committed to shaking up the marketplace and providing next-generation baking, the team is energized by making top-quality, trend-forward products. With Commercial Bakeries headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the acquisition of Imagine Baking expands their capabilities within the fast-growing North American private label cookie and cracker market. "We are delighted to welcome John and Adrienne O'Donnell and their Imagine Baking team into the expanded business," said Shawn Warren, CEO of Commercial Bakeries. "We are confident that together we will accelerate towards our promise of 'Baking Up Better' every day and in every way." "The shared vision and complementary strengths that Imagine Baking and Commercial Bakeries bring to the table is apparent. Together they are poised to unlock greater opportunities than they could achieve individually. I'm excited for their future," concluded Scott Mitchell, Managing Director at SDR Ventures. Vice President Logan Bohlender concluded, "It was a pleasure working with John and Adrienne. Their infectious enthusiasm for revolutionizing the better-for-you food industry was truly inspiring. It was a privilege to be part of their journey and help their vision come to light." About Commercial Bakeries Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Commercial Bakeries is a producer of private label packaged cookies with a focus on specialty / premium, better-for-you, and seasonal / limited time offering ("LTO") products. Commercial Bakeries primarily serves the retail and co-manufacturing channels, partnering with many retail grocery chains and brands in North America. About Imagine Baking Imagine Baking is a manufacturer of upscale crackers, cookies, biscuits, and brittle. Imagine Baking has a strong track record of partnering with its brands to develop, optimize and commercialize innovative, trend-forward specialty baked products. About Graham Partners Graham Partners is a private investment firm focused on investing in technology-driven companies that are spurring innovation in advanced manufacturing, resulting in product substitutions, raw materials conversions, and disruptions to traditional end markets. Based in suburban Philadelphia, the firm has access to extensive operating resources and industrial expertise and is a member of The Graham Group, an alliance of independent operating businesses, investment firms, and philanthropic entities, which all share in the common legacy of entrepreneur Donald Graham. Media Contact Rebecca Kemp [email protected] SOURCE SDR Ventures The sale of these two properties generated over $5,000,000 in proceeds for VanWest Storage Fund II Post this The two properties, located in Minooka and Ringwood, Illinois, were acquired by VanWest in the fall of 2021. Both properties were rebranded and operated by VanWest's vertically integrated management arm, ClearHome Self Storage (ClearHome). During the hold period, ClearHome increased net operating income more than 67% by growing physical occupancy and in-place rents. The sale of these two properties generated over $5,000,000 in proceeds for VanWest Storage Fund II. "We focus on cash flow and typically underwrite our acquisitions for longer-term holding periods. However, we decided to sell earlier than expected by balancing future cash flows against an attractive return by selling now. It was an easy decision to monetize the significant value our operations team created over the past few years," shares Jacob Vanderslice, VanWest co-founder and Principal. With 11 of the original 14 properties remaining in VanWest Storage Fund II, the Fund has distributed over $15,200,000 to investors, representing 40% of the Fund's original equity since its launch in early 2021. VanWest's asset base consists of 37 value-add self storage facilities across the country, representing over 3,000,000 NRSF and over 19,000 self storage and parking units. In aggregate, the firm's self storage portfolio saw same-store revenue growth of 5.3% and same-store NOI growth of 10.8% comparing Q1 of 2023 to Q1 of 2024. VanWest invites accredited investors to participate in the firm's various investment offerings, including the company's most recent acquisition in Jacksonville, FL. About VanWest Partners VanWest Partners is an opportunistic real estate investment firm specializing in self-storage acquisitions and management. With expertise spanning development to value-add assets in primary, secondary, and tertiary markets, the firm consistently identifies opportunities to create cash flow and capital appreciation for its investment partners. Learn more at www.VanWestPartners.com. SOURCE VanWest Partners LAFAYETTE, La., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine U-Haul stores in southern Louisiana and southeast Texas are offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box container usage to residents impacted by extreme weather. Severe thunderstorms and flash floods affected communities across the region on Thursday night, the latest in a series of spring weather events to cause residential and commercial damage. Many homes are without power, and some schools have closed until further notice. Access to dry and secure self-storage rooms and portable storage containers is critical for communities during the recovery process following natural disasters. "Our team wants to help," said Emily Upshaw, U-Haul Company of South Central Louisiana president. "For any of our neighbors impacted by these storms who need storage, we're here to support your recovery with a month of free services." The 30-day free offer applies to new self-storage and U-Box rentals and is based on availability. The free U-Box offer is for on-site storage at U-Haul facilities and does not include residential delivery and pick-up of containers. People seeking more information about the U-Haul disaster relief program or needing to arrange storage should contact their nearest participating facility: LOUISIANA U-Haul Moving & Storage at MacArthur Dr 2901 S. MacArthur Dr. Alexandria, LA 71301 (318) 448-3651 U-Haul at Airline 7650 Airline Highway Baton Rouge, LA 70815 (225) 927-4175 U-Haul Moving & Storage at Florida Blvd 13151 Florida Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70815 (225) 272-9335 U-Haul Moving & Storage at Greenwell Springs Road 8415 Greenwell Springs Road Baton Rouge, LA 70814 (225) 424-5995 U-Haul Moving & Storage at Kaliste Saloom 700 Kaliste Saloom Road Lafayette, LA 70508 (337) 443-4637 U-Haul Moving & Storage of Lafayette 3700 Ambassador Caffery Parkway Lafayette, LA 70503 (337) 993-9898 U-Haul Moving & Storage at Highway 14 1011 Highway 14 Lake Charles, LA 70601 (337) 436-5014 U-Haul Moving & Storage at Fort Polk Entrance Road 1246 Entrance Road Leesville, LA 71446 (337) 537-8635 TEXAS U-Haul Moving & Storage at I-10 and College 3885 Milam St. Beaumont, TX 77701 (409) 833-4358 In addition to its 30 days free self-storage disaster relief program, U-Haul is proud to be at the forefront of aiding communities in times of need as an official American Red Cross Disaster Responder. About U-HAUL Founded in 1945, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers with more than 23,000 rental locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The enhanced U-Haul app makes it easier for customers to use U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 to access trucks anytime through the self-dispatch and self-return options on their smartphones through our patented Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to 192,200 trucks, 138,500 trailers and 44,500 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America with 967,000 rentable units and 83.3 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the top retailer of propane in the U.S. and the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. Get the U-Haul app from the App Store or Google Play . Contact: Yasmine Esparza Jeff Lockridge E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 602-263-6194 Website: uhaul.com SOURCE U-Haul NEW YORK, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global synthetic graphite market size is estimated to grow by USD 6.46 bn from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.25% during the forecast period. For more insights on the forecast market size and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download Free sample report in minutes Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Synthetic Graphite Market 2024-2028 Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2018 - 2022 Segment Covered Distribution Channel (Direct sales and Distributors), Application (Electrodes, Metallurgy, Parts and components, Nuclear, and Others), and Geography (APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa) Region Covered APAC, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East and Africa Key companies profiled AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group NV, Asbury Carbons Inc., Brookfield Business Partners LP, BTR New Material Group Co. Ltd., Graphite India Ltd., Imerys S.A., Kaiyu Industrial HK Ltd., Lianyungang Jinli Carbon Co., Ltd., Mersen Corporate Services SAS, Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp., Morgan Advanced Materials Plc, Nippon Carbon Co. Ltd., Resonac Holdings Corp., Schunk GmbH, SGL Carbon SE, Shamokin Carbons, Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd., and Toyo Tanso Co. Ltd. Key Market Trends Fueling Growth Synthetic graphite plays a pivotal role in electric arc furnaces (EAFs) for steel production, particularly in generating high temperatures for melting and refining scrap metal. The escalating demand for steel, driven by infrastructure investment, climate change goals, and industrial growth, fuels the increased use of synthetic graphite in specialty steel and iron alloys. This demand stems from the automotive and aerospace industries, which require improved properties such as hardness and strength. Synthetic graphite is also integral to Li-ion batteries as a negative electrode material, contributing to the terawatt-hour energy storage market. The chemical sector, including resources and human resources, requires high-purity levels of synthetic graphite for refractories, bricks, monolithic crucibles, and various applications in steel, ferroalloys, aluminum, and process energy sources. The global steel industry, including emerging economies, consumes finished steel and produces crude steel and alloys, making synthetic graphite an indispensable component in these processes. Market Challenges Synthetic graphite, known for its high purity levels and superior properties, comes with a significant price tag. This high cost poses a challenge for industries that are heavily cost-sensitive, such as steel manufacturing and the chemical sector. The use of synthetic graphite electrodes in electric arc furnaces and other high-temperature applications adds to the production costs. Despite its advantages in battery technology, particularly in Li-Ion batteries for electric vehicles, the high cost may hinder its widespread adoption. Industries seeking clean energy sources and reducing carbon emissions may face cost-related challenges due to synthetic graphite's high price. Research report provides comprehensive data on impact of trend, driver and challenges - Buy Report Segment Overview This synthetic graphite market report extensively covers market segmentation by Distribution Channel 1.1 Direct sales 1.2 Distributors Application 2.1 Electrodes 2.2 Metallurgy 2.3 Parts and components 2.4 Nuclear 2.5 Others Geography 3.1 APAC 3.2 Europe 3.3 North America 3.4 South America 3.5 Middle East and Africa 1.1 Direct sales- The Synthetic Graphite market exhibits segmentation based on distribution channels, with direct sales playing a pivotal role, particularly in industries with intricate product specification requirements. This approach facilitates personalized interaction, allowing manufacturers to communicate detailed technical information about synthetic graphite's applications in various sectors. Infrastructure investment, climate change goals, and battery technology are significant drivers for synthetic carbon in the production of negative electrodes for Li-Ion batteries, which account for terawatt-hours of energy storage. Government incentives and environmental awareness further fuel market growth. Synthetic Graphite's diverse applications span the chemical sector, refractories, bricks, monolithic crucibles, steel, ferroalloys, aluminum, and process energy sources. High-purity levels distinguish synthetic graphite from natural graphite, making it indispensable for specialized applications such as graphite electrodes, anodes for lithium-ion batteries, and energy density storage in electric vehicles (EVs). Direct sales enable manufacturers to cater to the unique needs of customers, offering tailored solutions in industries where synthetic graphite is essential. This customization is crucial in the production of anodes for lithium-ion batteries, which are integral to clean energy sources like crude steel, alloys, and graphite electrodes. The construction sector, solar infrastructure, and metal furnaces also benefit from synthetic graphite's high-temperature capabilities. The World Steel Association reports that global steel production and finished steel consumption continue to rise in emerging economies, driving demand for synthetic graphite in various applications. Key trends include the increasing adoption of Li-Ion batteries in electric vehicles, the shift towards clean energy sources, and the growing importance of energy density and charging times in metal fabrication processes. For more information on market segmentation with geographical analysis including forecast (2024-2028) and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download a Sample Report Research Analysis The Synthetic Graphite market plays a pivotal role in various sectors, including the Construction industry for reinforcing bars and the Electric Vehicles (EVs) market as anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries. Synthetic Graphite's high energy density and shorter charging times make it an essential component in Metal Fabrication for Solar Infrastructure and Metal Furnaces. The World Steel Association recognizes its importance in climate change goals, as it contributes to the production of Synthetic Carbon and refractories, as well as Ferroalloys. The Chemical Sector demands high purity levels for Synthetic Graphite production. China's supply chain dominates the market, contributing significantly to the global production of Terawatt-Hours.Refractories, Ferroalloys. Market Research Overview The Synthetic Graphite Market encompasses the production and sale of artificial graphite, primarily used in various industries such as electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, refractories, and fuel cells. This market is driven by the increasing demand for energy storage solutions and the growing adoption of electric vehicles. Synthetic graphite is preferred over natural graphite due to its superior electrical conductivity and consistency in size and shape. The market is segmented based on application areas, including electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells, and refractories. The synthetic graphite market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years due to the increasing demand for energy storage solutions and the shift towards electric vehicles. The market is also influenced by factors such as technological advancements and government regulations. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation Distribution Channel Direct Sales Distributors Application Electrodes Metallurgy Parts And Components Nuclear Others Geography APAC Europe North America South America Middle East And Africa 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Company Landscape 11 Company Analysis 12 Appendix About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contacts Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Local owners Kipp and Brooke Koeppel say their reusable containment system is perfect for a growing city like Austin that is also concerned with environmental impact AUSTIN, Texas, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Temporary Wall Systems (TWS), the first and leading full-service, temporary containment wall provider in the United States, will introduce its new Austin, Texas, location at the Austin Build Expo at the Palmer Events Center on May 22-23. Temporary Wall Systems Austin owners Kipp and Brooke Koeppel will be on-hand at Booth 333 to give out information about the company and will offer a giveaway of a YETI 24 hard cooler. Temporary Wall Systems Austin owners Kipp and Brooke Koeppel say their reusable containment system is the perfect solution for a growing city with several construction and renovation projects. "We're excited about our new Temporary Wall Systems venture and look forward to bringing a cleaner, more efficient containment and abatement solution to the Austin construction industry," Kipp Koeppel said. "Austin is a rapidly growing city, and there is a lot of construction and renovation as a result. Our system will allow businesses to safely expand and reinvent themselves while continuing to operate as usual and do it in a way that is better for the environment." The Koeppels moved to Austin in 2020 after spending several years in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple met while selling advertising at an Alabama newspaper. Kipp Koeppel then spent the next 15 years in the financial services industry in a variety of positions, including 401(k) recordkeeping, sales and relationship management. Brooke Koeppel continued her work in sales before eventually moving on to staffing and then financial advisor recruiting for several large financial institutions. In addition to their corporate jobs, the couple also invested in real estate and rental properties over the past 14 years, doing a lot of the renovation work themselves. It is with this experience that they saw a need in the market for reliable contractors with a focus on customer service. After moving to Austin, the couple introduced The Brothers that just do Gutters franchise to the area and have since earned recognition as a "Best Place to Work" by the Austin Business Journal in 2022, 2023 and 2024. "We love Austin's unique vibe, plentiful outdoor activities, delicious food options and live music scene," Brooke Koeppel said. "Opening another franchise in this community just solidified our commitment to invest in Austin and all it has to offer." The couple believes their experience in sales, marketing, recruiting, HR, accounting, operations, home improvement and social media will prove valuable in launching their TWS location. Temporary Wall Systems Austin serves the greater Austin area including Buda, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Hutto, Kyle, Lakeway, Leander, Manor, New Braunfels, Pflugerville, Round Rock, San Marcos, and Spicewood. TWS is part of HomeFront Brands, a family of emerging, franchised residential and commercial property service brands that offers integrated technology, data support, lead generation, business intelligence systems and training to its partners. For more information about Temporary Wall Systems Austin, visit https://tempwallsystems.com/locations/austin/. About Temporary Wall Systems Founded in 2017 and franchised since 2022, Temporary Wall Systems (TWS) is the first and leading full-service, rentable containment wall provider in the United States. TWS offers commercial contractors and facilities managers a turnkey alternative to labor-intensive interim containment methods like drywall. Our customers benefit from clean and quiet business continuity during construction, renovation, or maintenance projects in healthcare, public transportation, education, retail, and commercial office facilities. TWS is a brand partner of HomeFront Brands, a platform company of emerging property service franchises. Explore the versatility of Temporary Wall Systems at https://tempwallsystems.com/. About HomeFront Brands HomeFront Brands empowers entrepreneurs to create thriving franchised residential and commercial property service brands. Driven by an experienced team of franchise executives and rooted in family values, HomeFront Brands helps emerging or established concepts accelerate their growth by delivering enterprise-level solutions to local business owners who aspire to build a dynasty and create generational wealth. By leveraging integrated technology, data-driven intelligence and advanced learning management systems, HomeFront Brands is building a foundation for its brands -- Window Hero, The Designery, Temporary Wall Systems, Top Rail Fence and Yard Patrol Pros to transform lives through franchise ownership. For more information about HomeFront Brands' current solutions, new business development, and franchising opportunities, please visit https://homefrontbrands.com/. MEDIA CONTACT: Heather Ripley Ripley PR 865-977-1973 [email protected] SOURCE HomeFront Brands CHANGSHA, China, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On the morning of May 17th, the 12th China (Hunan) International Mineral & Gem Expo (hereinafter referred to as the Mineral Expo) opened at the Chenzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center in Hunan. Mineral and gemstone enthusiasts from around the world have once again gathered in Chenzhou. The theme of this year's Mineral Expo is "The Past and Present of Gems," and the exhibition will run from May 17th to 21st. The event adopts a dual format of both online and offline exhibitions, fostering interactive integration. The offline exhibition covers an area of approximately 60,000 square meters and features 1,200 international standard booths. The online expo, showcased through the Mineral Expo Cloud, includes 30 VR panoramic special booths and 500 standard booths. This year's Mineral Expo has attracted over 600 exhibitors, a 7% increase from last year. Among them, more than 530 are domestic exhibitors, and over 70 international exhibitors from more than 20 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Morocco, South Africa, and Zambia, have brought numerous high-quality mineral and gemstone products. Chenzhou is the earliest city in Hunan to open up to the south and serves as the "bridgehead" for the central region's integration with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Since the Mineral Expo settled in Chenzhou in 2015, it has become a window for Chenzhou to establish a new development pattern, a platform for high-level openness, and a channel for international integration. Over the years, the Mineral Expo has attracted a total of 2.337 million visitors and achieved a total transaction amount of 14.3 billion yuan. Website: https://www.hunan-show.com/ NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Agency Nashville is excited to announce the launch of its innovative office space on Music Row. This chic office, located at 1009 17th Ave S in Nashville, TN, is not your ordinary real estate office. With an all-day cafe featuring a Realtor lounge and adjustable workstations, The Agency Nashville offers a high-end open work environment for its agents. Amy Doyle & Scott Coggins, Owners & Managing Partners of The Agency Nashville. But that's not all. Agents at The Agency Nashville also have access to impressive building amenities, including a 50-person conference and technology room, a private gym with resort-style locker rooms, and an outdoor sky deck for hosting client appreciation events. This new office truly embodies the luxury and sophistication that The Agency Nashville represents. Amy Doyle and Scott Coggins, the Managing Partners of The Agency Nashville, are thrilled about the new office space. According to Amy, "The buildout and move to this amazing location has taken a long time, but it was well worth the wait." Echoing her sentiments, Scott added, "The location cannot be beat. We are right on the path of all the tour buses cruising through Nashville, and many people stop to take pictures of our office based on the success of the Buying Beverly Hills show on Netflix." The Agency Nashville invites you to visit their website for more information on their services. As an agent-first, tech-driven boutique luxury global brokerage, The Agency Nashville represents clients worldwide in a wide range of classes, including residential, new development, resort real estate, luxury leasing, and vacation rentals. Unlike traditional brokerage models, The Agency Nashville takes a collaborative approach to business, fostering a culture of partnership where clients and listings are represented in a unified environment. Agents and clients benefit from the shared resources and networks of the entire global team, including in-house creative, public relations, and cutting-edge technology divisions. With over $72 billion in real estate transactions since 2011, The Agency has become one of the fastest-growing boutique, luxury real estate franchise brands in the world, with over 115 offices in 12 countries and counting. In case you missed it, you can catch The Agency on Buying Beverly Hills, a new real estate occu-soap that showcases the high-stakes world of luxury real estate in Los Angeles, currently streaming on Netflix. Join our list of satisfied clients at The Agency Nashville, where our exceptional services can be trusted. About The Agency Nashville The Agency Nashville is an agent-first, tech-driven boutique luxury global brokerage representing clients worldwide in a broad spectrum of classes, including residential, new development, resort real estate, luxury leasing and vacation rentals. Breaking away from the traditional brokerage model, The Agency-Nashville takes a collaborative approach to the business, fostering a culture of partnership in which all clients and listings are represented in a collaborative environment. Agents and clients benefit from the shared resources and networks of the entire global team, including in-house creative, public relations and cutting-edge technology divisions. The Agency has closed more than $72+ billion real estate transactions since 2011, comprising over 115+ offices in 12+ countries, and counting, as one of the fastest-growing boutique, luxury real estate franchise brands in the world. Watch The Agency on Buying Beverly Hills, a new real estate occu-soap highlighting the high-stakes world of luxury real estate in Los Angeles, currently streaming on Netflix. CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE The Agency Nashville Global Companion Diagnostics Market, as forecasted by BCC Research, to Grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15.2% from 2023 to 2028 BOSTON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Companion Diagnostics: Technologies and Markets' is all about using special tests alongside certain medicines to figure out which treatment will work best for each person. These tests are called companion diagnostics because they go together with specific drugs, helping doctors choose the right treatment based on things like a person's genes or other important factors. When discussing "Technologies and Markets," it involves two main aspects: the fascinating scientific advancements behind these tests, such as genetic testing or advanced imaging, and the business side of things, like understanding the market size, growth rate, regulations, and competition. Essentially, it's a combination of scientific innovation and business strategy aimed at enhancing healthcare treatments and outcomes. "According to the latest research study, the demand for Companion Diagnostics: Technologies and Markets expected to grow from $7.6 billion in 2023 and will reach $15.4 billion by the end of 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.2% from 2023 through 2028" This report dives deep into the companion diagnostics market, looking at both its present and future potential. It examines what's driving the market forward, what opportunities exist, and what challenges might slow it down. The report breaks down the market by different aspects like the products and services offered, the types of tests conducted, the technology used, and where these diagnostics are applied. It also looks at who's using them, such as labs, drug companies, and research organizations. The report even gives snapshots of the major companies in this field, including what they offer, how well they're doing financially, and what new developments they're working on. It also looks at where all this activity is happening, splitting the market into regions like North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World, providing data from 2020 to 2028. Some Interesting Facts In the world of companion diagnostics, cancer testing is the big thing right now because more people are using treatments that boost the immune system, and companies and doctors in cancer care are working hard on this. Another growing area is a special kind of technology called Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) which is getting better and more popular for these tests because it's teaming up with others and advancing quickly. And when it comes to the stuff used for these tests, like kits and materials, they're super important because they're used a lot. Companies make a lot of money selling these because they're needed for testing all the time. To discover more insights and information about Companion Diagnostics: Technologies and Markets, click here for further exploration. Companion diagnostics: technologies and markets are driven by factors such as: Rising Incidence of Cancer: more people are getting diagnosed with cancer over time. This can happen because the population is growing, people are living longer, and lifestyle choices like smoking and unhealthy eating are more common. Environmental factors like pollution and sun exposure also play a role. As more people get cancer, it puts a strain on healthcare systems to diagnose and treat it, and to make sure there are enough resources to go around. Growing Adoption of Personalized Medicine.: Physicians are using treatments customized for individuals, considering factors like their genes or unique characteristics. Rather than applying one-size-fits-all approaches, they tailor treatments to suit each person, aiming for better effectiveness and fewer side effects. As personalized medicine becomes more widespread, it has the potential to enhance treatment outcomes and revolutionize healthcare practices. Expanded Application in Non-Oncology Areas.: medical treatments or tools developed for cancer are now being used for other health problems too. For example, tests or therapies originally meant for cancer might now help with things like brain diseases, heart problems, infections, or other illnesses. This expansion could make healthcare better for lots of different medical issues, not just cancer. Optimization of Drug Development Costs: Discovering methods to speed up and reduce the cost of developing new medicines. By enhancing the drug development process, companies can save money and resources, making it more affordable to introduce new medications to patients. This ensures that resources are utilized efficiently and helps deliver new drugs to patients faster and at more affordable prices. Request a Copy of the Companion Diagnostics: Technologies and Markets Report Synopsis Report Metrics Details Base year considered 2022 Forecast Period considered 2023-2028 Base year market size $6.6 billion Market Size Forecast $15.4 billion Growth Rate CAGR of 15.2% for the forecast period of 2023-2028 Segment Covered Product and Service, Type of Test, Technology, Application, End User Regions covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Rest of the World (RoW) Countries covered U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Rest of Europe, China, India, Japan, Rest of Asia-Pacific Key Market Drivers Rising Incidence of Cancer Growing Adoption of Personalized Medicine Expanded Application in Non-Oncology Areas Optimization of Drug Development Costs Segmentation Analysis By Product: When discussing 'Product' in this context, three main categories are involved: Instruments, which are the tools or machines used for testing; Consumables, which are the materials or supplies needed for the tests, like test kits or chemicals; and Services, which include assistance or support provided alongside the products, such as training or maintenance. In simpler terms, it's about the different things needed to perform tests: the machines, the materials used during testing, and the help or services that accompany them." Type of Test: When discussing 'Type of Test' in this context, two main categories are considered: LDT-CDx and Commercial CDx. LDT-CDx stands for 'Lab-Developed Tests for Companion Diagnostics,' which are tests created and used by specific labs. Conversely, Commercial CDx refers to 'Commercial Companion Diagnostics,' which are tests developed and sold by companies for widespread use. Simply put, it's about whether the test was made by a specific lab or by a company for broader use. By Technology: When discussing 'Technology' in this context, it refers to the various methods doctors use to test for different things. This includes PCR for DNA analysis, Immunohistochemistry for detecting proteins in tissues, and Next-generation sequencing for quickly reading DNA. Additionally, there's in situ hybridization for identifying specific DNA or RNA in cells, Genotyping for spotting genetic differences, Immunoassays for measuring substances in blood, and Exosomes for cell communication. 'Others' may include additional testing methods. Alongside these, there are also 'Services' provided, such as training or maintenance. By Applications: When discussing 'Applications' in this context, it refers to the various health issues these tests can assist with. This includes testing for Cancer, checking for Neurologic Disorders like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, monitoring cardiovascular disease such as heart conditions, and diagnosing Infectious Diseases like flu or COVID-19. 'Others' might encompass a range of additional health problems these tests can help identify. End Users: In this context, 'End Users' refers to the different groups or organizations that use these tests. This includes Clinical Laboratories for diagnosing diseases, Pharmaceutical Companies for drug development, and Contract Research Organizations (CROs) for conducting research. 'Others' could be other groups using the tests for different reasons. This report on companion diagnostics: technologies and markets provide comprehensive insights and analysis, addressing the following key questions: What is the projected market size and growth rate of the companion diagnostics market? The global companion diagnostics market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.2% to reach $ 15,433.3 million by 2028 from $ 7,606.8 million in 2023. What are the key factors driving the growth of the companion diagnostics market? Key drivers of the companion diagnostics market are the growing incidence of cancer, the increasing need for personalized medicine, and advances in NGS technologies. What segments are covered in the companion diagnostics market? The companion diagnostics market is segmented based on product, type of test, technology application, end user, and region. By product, which segment will dominate the market by the end of 2028? The consumables segment will dominate the market by the end of 2028. Which region has the highest market share in the companion diagnostics market? North America holds the highest share of the market. Some of the Key Market Players Are: ABBOTT AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. ARUP LABORATORIES BIOMERIEUX DANAHER CORP. F. HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE LTD. ILLUMINA INC. MYRIAD GENETICS INC. QIAGEN THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC. Browse for more Related Reports: Cardiac Biomarkers: Technologies and Global Markets: is likely a study or report that looks at two main things: how doctors detect signs of heart problems using specific methods and tools, and how these heart-related tests are used and sold around the world. It gives insights into the latest technologies for spotting heart issues and covers the business side, like market trends, key companies involved, rules, and what factors affect how these tests are used in different parts of the world. Basically, it's all about understanding both the science and business of heart health on a global level. Renal Biomarkers: Technologies and Global Markets: is probably a report that looks at two things. First, it explores the scientific tools used to detect kidney health indicators, called renal biomarkers. This includes tests like biochemical assays and genetic testing. Second, it checks out the worldwide market for these kidney health tests. It might talk about how big the market is, who's leading it, and what rules and trends affect it in different parts of the world. Basically, it's all about understanding both the science and business of kidney health tests globally. Directly Purchase a copy of the report with BCC Research. For further information or to make a purchase, please get in touch with [email protected]. About BCC Research BCC Research provides objective, unbiased measurement and assessment of market opportunities with detailed market research reports. Our experienced industry analysts' goal is to help you make informed business decisions, free of noise and hype. Contact Us Corporate HQ: 50 Milk St. Ste 16, Boston, MA 02109, USA Email: [email protected], Phone: +1 781-489-7301 For media inquiries, email [email protected] or visit our media page for access to our market research library. Data and analysis extracted from this press release must be accompanied by a statement identifying BCC Research LLC as the source and publisher. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2183242/BCC_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE BCC Research LLC CHOWHAN, Md., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Anika Chowhan is acknowledged as a Most Trusted Healthcare Professional for her contributions to Pediatrics. Dr. Chowhan received a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Berkeley and earned a Medical Degree from Baylor College of Medicine. She is an expert in General Pediatrics and practices in Manassas VA. The doctor specializes in the health care of children and notes that a pediatrician diagnoses and treats infections, injuries, diseases, and other disorders in children. Pediatricians typically work with infants, children, teenagers, and young adults up to age 21. They practice medical care as well as preventative health care. They can oversee and manage the physical, mental, and emotional health of their patients. Dr. Chowhan has worked in the pediatric field for more than 25 years and also works as a Clinical Professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Neonatology and Emergency Medicine. The doctor is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP) and a member of the Virginia Chapter of the American Association of Pediatricians. Dr. Chowan notes that her mentor is Dr. Ralph Feigin. The doctor would like to dedicate this honor to her dear parents, Masooda and Zak. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE The Inner Circle GOLETA, Calif., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Douglas William Trantow is acknowledged as a Pinnacle Life Member for his contributions to the fields of Music Production and Wine Retail. Douglas William Trantow Mr. Trantow attended California State University, Dominguez Hills where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Music Production in 1991. He has experienced an extraordinary career in both the music industry and his most recent project in the wine industry. In the Music Business Doug worked on a variety of projects as a mixer, engineer, and producer. He was the recording engineer for Joe Cocker on the '2010 album Hard Knocks, Matchbox20's '2012 album North, Nine Inch Nails' '2007 album Year Zero; Santanas' 2010 collection entitled Guitar Heaven, and Hanson's '2000 album This Time Around. Doug engineered and mixed the '1998 Hootie & the Blowfish album Musical Chairs, produced and engineered Linkin Park's '2002 remix album Reanimation, and Widespread Panic's '2001 album Don't Tell the Band. He has also mixed and produced a number of movie and television scores, including 82 episodes of CSI Miami from '2005-2008; the '2003 film Intermission, the '2005 film The Book of Eli; the '2017 films The House; The Pirates of Somalia; and the '2019 film Drunk Parents. Expanding his business acumen, Mr. Trantow recently opened his own company, The Good Land Wine Shop & Bar in 2022. He notes that it is well-regarded in the community and offers a unique selection of locally sourced and produced wines from the central coast of California. He explained that the shop hosts winemaker events every week where customers can meet the makers of the wine sold by his company. A Grammy and Juno-nominated music professional, Mr. Trantow continues to maintain his affiliation with several music industry-related organizations, including the Audio Engineering Society Inc. and the Recording Academy (formally known as the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences). Along the way Mr. Trantow has earned his sommelier accreditation from The Court of Master Sommeliers to be able to provide the highest quality experience for his clients. When considering his illustrious career, Doug largely attributes his success to his determination. He decided to pursue selling wine when he realized that in his 30 years of experience in the music industry, it was rapidly changing, and he was compelled to seek a new trade. Crediting his experience working in the restaurant industry as a waiter, manager, and wine buyer in his early years as the catalyst for his move to owning a wine shop, Mr. Trantow has established an exclusive market with his shop that only specializes in locally made wine. Looking to the future, Mr. Trantow plans to continue his work with local wines. He would like to dedicate this honor with special thanks to Brian Babcock. Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE The Inner Circle Organizing Momentum Hits "All-Time High" at Natural Food Distributor POMPANO BEACH, Fla., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second time in under two weeks, United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) workers in Florida have voted unanimously to join the Teamsters Union. The 74 drivers are seeking to address years of concerns at the natural food distributor over wages, benefits, and working conditions. "We just won 74 to nothing, and I feel like we're unstoppable. Justice has been served. I can't wait to negotiate our Teamsters contract," said Laronn Houston, a UNFI driver in Pompano Beach who served on the worker-led organizing committee. Despite facing an aggressive anti-union campaign by UNFI, Houston and his co-workers remained united and prevailed to secure representation with Teamsters Local 769 in Miami. "We are proud of UNFI workers who have stood up and chosen unanimously to join Local 769. We look forward to negotiating improvements in the workplace for our newest members," said Josh Zivalich, President of Local 769 and Teamsters Joint Council 75. "This is a proud day for Local 769 as well as Joint Council 75." This is the third group of UNFI drivers within Joint Council 75's jurisdiction to join the Teamsters this year. In February, nearly 100 drivers in Georgia voted by 95 percent to join Teamsters Local 728 in Atlanta. On May 5, more than 80 drivers in Sarasota, Fla., beat back the company's attempt to outsource their jobs and unanimously voted to join Teamsters Local 79 in Tampa. Since 2022, the Teamsters have organized more than 1,500 workers at UNFI nationwide. The Teamsters now represent more than 4,000 members at UNFI facilities across the U.S. "Our momentum is at an all-time high at UNFI, and for good reason workers know they deserve better. They are fed up with this company's anti-worker ways and demanding what's rightfully theirs," said Tom Erickson, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. "This is the second group of Florida workers to unanimously vote to join the Teamsters this month. It's a trend that will continue as more campaigns spread across the country." Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters . Contact: Daniel Moskowitz, (770) 262-4971 [email protected] SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters HOUSTON, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Congress has just passed a landmark bill that lays the policy groundwork for the American high speed flight aviation industry. The bipartisan and bicameral bill reauthorizes the FAA for 5 years and directs the agency to take steps leading to the eventual certification and integration of supersonic and high speed flight aircraft into our aviation system. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 ensures that American companies like Venus can innovate, test, and build aircraft here at home. Bill ensures the U.S. is ready for Venus and others to continue leading in deploying advanced high speed flight capabilities Post this This legislation is a testament to the collaboration and hard work of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO); Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA); House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA); and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (D-TX) and their respective teams. Venus also wishes to express its gratitude to Representative Mike Collins (R-GA) for his leadership on American high speed flight aviation and to our hometown Congressman Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) for his steadfast support. The bill not only achieves a commitment to ensure that the United States continues to lead the world in aviation in the years ahead, but will help aid defense and both national and economic security. "The entire Venus Aerospace team is thrilled to see that Congress and the Administration worked together to enact the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. This law paves the way forward for Venus and other American companies that are working to make high speed flight a reality. This is technology that will create new opportunities, prosperity, and keep our country safer and secure in the years ahead," says Sassie Duggleby, CEO and Co-Founder. America's competitors including China and Russia, have been hard at work on high speed flights and have already made substantial progress. Such legislation ensures that the federal government prepares and will be ready as Venus and other American companies continue to lead in deploying advanced high speed flight capabilities. We believe it will change the world, create new opportunities, achieve continued prosperity for our country, and, importantly, strengthen our nation's security. About Venus Aerospace Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Venus Aerospace is a startup aerospace company focused on engineering the future of high speed flight. An expert team of PhD's, rocket scientists, and engineers taking on the biggest challenges in aerospace at Mach 9 speed, Venus is making one-hour global transport possible to connect the world and make it safer. Media Contact Stephanie Gracia [email protected] SOURCE Venus Aerospace NEW YORK, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global well testing services market size is estimated to grow by USD 2.69 bn from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of almost 6.69% during the forecast period. For more insights on the forecast market size and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download Free sample report in minutes Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Well Testing Services Market 2024-2028 Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2018 - 2022 Segment Covered Application (Onshore and Offshore), Type (Horizontal wells and Vertical wells), and Geography (North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America) Region Covered North America, APAC, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America Key companies profiled Baker Hughes Co., China Oilfield Services Ltd., EXALO Drilling SA, Expro Group Holdings NV, Gulf Energy SAOC, Halliburton Co., MB Petroleum Services LLC, Minerals Technologies Inc., National Energy Services Reunited Corp., Oil States International Inc., OiLSERV, Rays Well Testing Service Inc, Schlumberger Ltd., SGS SA, Stuart Wells Ltd., TechnipFMC plc, TETRA Technologies Inc., Weatherford International Plc, Well Services Group, and WellMax Oilfield Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Key Market Trends Fueling Growth The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized the upstream oil and gas sector through automation, processing, and evaluation of well performance. IoT technologies, such as downhole and surface well testing, are particularly useful in monitoring hydrocarbon reserves in real-time. These advanced services are essential for various oil and gas activities, including shale gas, tight gas, coalbed methane, shale oil, tight oil, natural gas hydrates, exploration, and production. IoT integration enables accurate data collection, reducing risks and maximizing hydrocarbon recovery. Additionally, it supports enhanced oil recovery, drilling activities, and various testing methods, such as injection testing and production testing. The fossil fuel industry's rapid industrialization, energy demand, and geopolitical tensions further emphasize the importance of efficient well testing services. Market Challenges The fluctuations in crude oil prices significantly impacted the profitability and performance of upstream oil and gas companies. In 2018, the average cost of crude oil was USD73.6/bbl, but in April 2020, it briefly became negative due to the global economic contraction and oil market collapse. Consequently, oil and gas revenues for major producers declined by 50%-85% in 2020. The Asian Development Bank reported a 25% year-over-year decline in global oil demand in April 2020, primarily due to reduced transportation activities. Well testing services, including downhole and surface testing, are essential in the exploration and production sector, particularly in reservoir characterization, permeability analysis, and fluid characterization. These services are crucial for optimizing oil recovery, enhancing production, and maintaining infrastructure in onshore and offshore environments. Despite the challenges, the well testing services market continues to evolve, driven by technological advancements, liberalization, and the ongoing demand for fossil fuels. Research report provides comprehensive data on impact of trend, driver and challenges - Buy Report Segment Overview This well testing services market report extensively covers market segmentation by Application 1.1 Onshore 1.2 Offshore Type 2.1 Horizontal wells 2.2 Vertical wells Geography 3.1 North America 3.2 APAC 3.3 Europe 3.4 Middle East and Africa and 3.5 South America 1.1 Onshore- The Well Testing Services Market exhibits segmentation based on application, with a focus on onshore projects involving coalbed methane (CBM), conventional resources, unconventional oil production from shale reserves and tight oil formations, and natural gas hydrates. Onshore projects encompass the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons from reservoirs, including shale gas and tight gas, using pipelines and drilling activity. Oilfield operators engage in exploration activities, targeting hydrocarbons on a commodity basis, while addressing the challenges of greenhouse gas emissions. Downhole Well Testing and Surface Well Testing are crucial services in the segment, with Reservoir Sampling essential for optimizing production from onshore reservoirs. Market growth is driven by the increasing demand for energy, particularly oil and gas, due to global energy demand projected to rise by 30% between 2017 and 2040. The market also caters to offshore energy, including enhanced oil recovery, and various exploration and production techniques, such as drill stem testing, injection testing, and production testing. Horizontal wells and vertical wells are integral to both onshore and offshore projects, contributing to the overall market expansion. For more information on market segmentation with geographical analysis including forecast (2024-2028) and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download a Sample Report Research Analysis The Well Testing Services Market encompasses a range of specialized services essential to the Exploration and Production (E&P) industry. These services include Drill Stem Testing, Injection Testing, and Production Testing, which are crucial in evaluating the productivity and performance of wells drilled for various energy resources. The market caters to various hydrocarbon reserves such as Shale Gas, Tight Gas, Coalbed Methane (CBM), Shale Oil, Tight Oil, Natural Gas Hydrates, and Offshore Energy. The services play a vital role in enhancing the recovery of Crude Oil and Natural Gas from reservoirs by improving permeability and optimizing reservoir performance. The market is significantly influenced by factors like Energy Demand, Geopolitical Tensions, Crude Oil Prices, and the liberalization of drilling activities. Horizontal and Vertical Wells are common applications for these testing services. Market Research Overview The Well Testing Services Market encompasses a range of solutions designed to evaluate the productivity and efficiency of oil and gas wells. These services are crucial in the exploration and production industry, enabling operators to assess the reservoir characteristics, identify potential issues, and optimize production. Well testing techniques include pressure build-up tests, production tests, and injection tests. The data obtained from these tests are analyzed using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to gain insights into the well's performance and enhance overall operational efficiency. The market is driven by factors such as increasing oil and gas production, the need for enhanced oil recovery, and the growing adoption of smart well technologies. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation Application Onshore Offshore Type Horizontal Wells Vertical Wells Geography North America APAC Europe Middle East And Africa South America 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Company Landscape 11 Company Analysis 12 Appendix About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contacts Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Real estate and hospitality veteran to lead Wyndham's accelerating growth strategy PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) appointed Amit Sripathi Chief Development Officer reporting to the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Ballotti. Sripathi will lead Wyndham's North American franchise sales team as they help hotel owners tap into the power of the world's largest hotel franchise company and its iconic brands. "Amit's deep experience in mergers & acquisitions and capital markets focused on the real estate and hospitality sectors at Deutsche Bank and RLJ Lodging are instrumental as we increase our focus on growing our midscale-and-above portfolio while reinforcing our leading position in the resilient select-service segments," said Ballotti. "Since joining Wyndham, Amit has demonstrated a strategic approach to growth. He's helped divest our owned and managed segments leading to a pure-play U.S. franchise business and worked with our sales teams across the country and around the world deploying over $250 million in development support for our owners. He hits the ground running, knowing what our franchise sales teams need to continue outperforming expectations." "With 15 consecutive quarters of organic net room growth and our largest development pipeline ever, it's clear that existing and prospective franchisees appreciate Wyndham's market-share leading brands and the world-class sales, marketing and distribution systems curated for their individual needs," said Sripathi. "Together with the best franchise sales team Wyndham has ever assembled, we will help even more owners discover the power of partnering with Wyndham and experiencing our Owner-FirstSM approach." After a successful career, which began at Wyndham's predecessor company, Hospitality Franchise Systems, Chip Ohlsson, Chief Development Officer, will be leaving the Company in June. During his tenure, Chip helped expand the Wyndham portfolio from 14 to 25 brands including ECHO Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham, the industry's fastest-growing, new-construction brand launch. A champion for diversity on the franchise sales team and for owners, Chip was instrumental in creating groundbreaking programs like Women Own the RoomSM (an industry first) and BOLD SM by Wyndham, which help make our industry more diverse while bringing new owners into the Wyndham family. "From launching his sales career with us in 1993, to returning nearly ten years ago to lead our North America franchise sales teams, Chip has shown unwavering commitment to Wyndham and our franchisees," said Ballotti. "We are extremely grateful for his proven leadership and ability to attract, promote and develop a best-in-class sales team that consistently delivers, and we wish him all the best." Images associated with the above release can be downloaded here. About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world's largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties, with approximately 9,200 hotels across over 95 countries on six continents. Through its network of approximately 876,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 25 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Microtel, La Quinta, Baymont, Wingate, AmericInn, Hawthorn Suites, Trademark Collection and Wyndham. The Company's award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty program offers over 106 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com. SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts 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 Jaipur, May 17 : Food Safety officials issued challans against four traders after seizing a huge quantity of fruit ripening chemicals from their shops in Muhana Mandi's vegetable market here on Thursday. The seizures were made on Thursday morning during an inspection led by Pankaj Ojha, Additional Commissioner of the Food Safety Department. Ojha said, "Chemicals were kept between heaps of papaya and mango baskets and they were used to get them ripened. Small packets of these chemicals were seen in different places among the fruits. Apart from this, there were large quantities of raw bananas in gas chambers which were constructed in (some) shops. These bananas were also being ripened with the use of chemicals." Ojha said that a Food Safety team inspected shops, firms and warehouses of fruit sellers following the direction of Food Safety and Drug Control Commissioner Iqbal Khan. Challans were issued against four traders and fruit samples collected from their shops were sent to the Central Food Laboratory, Jaipur for testing. Further actions will be taken on the basis of lab reports, officials said. Chennai, May 17 : Tamil Nadu Congress President K. Selvaperunthagai's remark that the party has been cheated for the past 57 years might trigger a row among the INDIA bloc constituents in the southern state. Addressing an election rally in Dharmpuri on Wednesday night, Selvaperunthagai also asked how long the Congress will have to seek alms for seats from another party, adding that it was high time the Congress stopped the 'betrayal' meted out to the party since 1967. "From asking for seats during elections, the Congress party should grow to the stature of allocating constituencies to its alliance partners. We waited patiently for the last 57 years, and now the party cadres should work hard to realise the dream of Kamaraj rule in Tamil Nadu," Selvaperunthagai said. He added, "How long can we seek alms for seats from another party? Rahul Gandhi was worried about the party's current scenario when he visited the state. Once the Congress used to allocate seats to other parties, and the same should happen again in Tamil Nadu." Selvaperunthagai's speech can create problems in the INDIA bloc in Tamil Nadu in which both the DMK and the Congress are allies. While senior leaders of the DMK refrained from responding in public, in private they said the statements of Selvaperunthagai made from a public platform were quite unacceptable. A senior DMK leader told IANS on condition of anonymity, "I don't know in what context the TNCC President made such a statement. The ground reality is the Congress is not even entitled to the nine seats the DMK allocated the party for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. "DMK, the largest political party in Tamil Nadu, contested only 22 seats, so this statement of the Congress leader is not fair. If the Congress is not growing among the public, it is for them to do introspection rather than making such public statements." When contacted, several senior leaders of the DMK said that while party President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is unlikely to comment on Selvaperunthagai's remarks, he would communicate the matter to the Congress high command. Some second-rung leaders of the DMK told IANS that the Congress did not even have booth committees in most of the Lok Sabha seats they contested in the state, and it was the DMK cadres who worked for the party candidates at the grassroots level. so such public statements from the state Congress chief were quite unacceptable. In February 1967, the DMK came to power in Tamil Nadu for the first time after the party led by iconic Dravidian leader C.N. Annadurai trounced the ruling Congress led by M. Bhaktavalsam. The Congress has not formed a government in Tamil Nadu since then. Panaji, May 17 : The Wanarmare sub-tribe of the Katkari community, dwelling in Malpe-Virnoda in North Goa, is in a joyous mood as the first student of their community has cleared the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination with a score of 44 per cent, without taking tuitions. The Wanarmare tribe, originally from Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, made Goa their home about a century ago. The tribe resides at two locations in Goa -- Nirankal in South Goa and Malpe in the North, with a population of around 200 to 300 people. Ganesh Pawar has distinguished himself as the first student from Virnoda to pass the SSC examination. Hanuman Pawar, father of Ganesh, told IANS that it was the best moment in his life, wherein his eldest son passed the SSC examination. "He is the first student from our tribe, who has completed the tenth standard. I am very happy and hope children from our community get educated," Hanuman Pawar, father of five children, said. "We have no permanent job. Whoever hires us to do any work in agriculture or any other field, we take it and earn money. We donat have a permanent location to stay as we don't own any land. We stay on landlords land and have to vacate it whenever they ask," he said. Pawar said that Ganesh has not yet decided about pursuing further education. "But I am encouraging him to pursue whatever he wishes," he said. Ganesh said that he is deeply grateful for the opportunities that education has opened up for him "My journey through school was challenging, but it taught me that perseverance and support can change our destinies. This achievement is not mine alone, it belongs to my entire community. I hope my story will inspire other children from my community to pursue their dreams and believe in the possibility of a brighter future," he said. Peter F. Borges, Chairperson, Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said: "We are immensely proud of Ganesh's accomplishment, which marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to ensure education for every child. His success reaffirms our belief that with the right support and opportunities, every child can overcome barriers and achieve their potential. This is a victory for Ganesh, a victory for the Katkari community, and a victory for all of us who believe in the power of education to transform lives." The Hague, May 17 : 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", Xinhua news agency reported. "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 December 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. Gaza, May 17 : The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that distributing humanitarian aid "is almost impossible" in Gaza, due to the irregular fuel supply and interrupted communications amid the ongoing intense war between Israel and Hamas. OCHA in a statement posted on social media platform X on Thursday said that key crossings for aid into Gaza have been closed for several days and now the access to the Palestinian enclave is neither safe nor logistically feasible. On May 5, Israel closed the only commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom with Gaza, in response to a Hamas rocket attack on an Israeli military point nearby that killed four soldiers. Shortly after its reopening on May 8, militants fired eight rockets from southern Gaza's Rafah toward the Kerem Shalom crossing area in Israel. The attack came after the Israeli army announced on May 7 "operational control" of the Gazan side of the Rafah crossing, which in effect closed this crucial entry point for truckloads of aid from Egypt into Gaza. OCHA and other humanitarian organizations warned of the devastating impact of the crossings' closure on over 2 million Palestinians in war-stricken Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported. On Thursday, the Jordan Armed Forces said it conducted three airdrops of humanitarian aid over various locations in southern Gaza. The move was part of Jordan's commitment to assisting Gazans to overcome the difficult conditions, said the army without detailing further. Earlier in the day, local sources and eyewitnesses in Gaza told Xinhua that aircraft were seen flying over and dropping food aid through parachutes in Al-Mawasi, an open area along the enclave's southwestern coast that is now flocked with residents coming at the Israeli army's evacuation order. This is the first eyewitness report of an aid drop operation in Rafah since the Israeli army's renewed attacks on the southernmost Gazan city last week. Sydney, May 17 : Australia on Friday imposed financial sanctions on six entities linked to North Korea's supply of weapons to Russia. Sydney, May 17 (IANS/DPA) Australia on Friday imposed financial sanctions on six entities linked to North Koreaas supply of weapons to Russia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the continued transfer of weapons from North Korea to Russia was a "flagrant violation" of United Nations Security Council resolutions. "Australia condemns, in the strongest possible terms, North Koreaas illegal export and Russiaas procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles, in support of Russiaas full-scale war against Ukraine," she said in a statement. "The use of North Korean ballistic missiles by Russia increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russia's illegal and immoral war of aggression and undermines the global non-proliferation regime." Wong said deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia had "grave security implications" for Europe, the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region. "Together with our partners, we call on North Korea to engage in constructive dialogue and move toward permanent peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Wong said. "Australia remains steadfast in supporting Ukraine to defend itself. Todayas announcement underscores that those who provide material support to Russiaas illegal and immoral war will face consequences." Tensions in the Asia-Pacific region are high. Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has significantly increased the scope of its weapons tests, including the testing of nuclear-capable missiles, and has stepped up its rhetoric against the US and its allies. --IANS/DPA sha/ Srinagar, May 17 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told various delegations during his two-day visit to Kashmir that they should not vote for dynastic parties. The Home Minister met delegations of the Pahari community, Sikh community and Gujjar/Bakarwals, and also had detailed discussions about party affairs with local BJP leaders. Speaking to reporters later the leaders of the Pahari community said they had thanked the Union Home Minister for granting them the ST status for which the community had been fighting for several decades in J&K. "We expressed our unhappiness for the BJP not fielding any candidate in the three Lok Sabha seats of the Valley. We, however, assured him that the community would abide by the decisions taken by him in such a situation," the Pahari leaders said. Sikh delegation members have told the Union Home Minister that the members of this community living in Baramulla, Keran and Uri are all Paharis, but they had been kept out of the ST status granted to the Paharis. The Sikh delegation also demanded that the language in which their holy scriptures are written should be included in the Universities to preserve this language. Bakarwal delegation also met the Union home minister. Their leaders later said that he had asked them to vote for any candidate they liked except those of the dynastic families of NC, PDP and the Congress. Shah also met BJP leaders with whom he had detailed discussions about the political situation and the party interests in J&K. "He said while the BJP has been strengthened at the grassroots level throughout the country, it had decided not to fight Lok Sabha elections in the Valley. "Sometimes battles are not fought to defeat the enemy, but to check, reinforce and strengthen the party cadres. the home minister told us," said one of the BJP leaders who attended the meeting with Amit Shah. He also said that the Union Home Minister had asked them to ensure that every worker of the BJP should vote in the Baramulla and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats and ensure that they vote for like-minded parties to defeat dynastic parties. The home minister told the party leaders that the BJP will fight all the Assembly seats in J&K in the elections likely to be held later this year. Tarun Chugh, Ravinder Raina, Sunil Sharma, Darakshan Andrabi, Hina Bhat, Altaf Thakur and other BJP leaders were among those who discussed the party affairs with Amit Shah. The annual Amarnath Yatra begins on June 29 and will end on August 19 and after that, the Assembly elections are expected to be held here. Amit Shah arrived here on Thursday evening. He was received by the BJP leaders at the Srinagar International Airport, and the Union Home Minister drove to the Lalit Grand Palace Hotel overlooking the Dal Lake in Srinagar city. New York, May 17 : Relatives of the Israeli hostages being held by the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip have addressed a specially convened meeting of the UN Security Council in New York. Among others at the meeting on Thursday, Gilli Roman, who is also a German citizen, recalled his sister-in-law Carmel, who was abducted from Kibbutz Beeri on October 7 last year. "We know little about Carmel's situation," said Roman. "We hope she is alive. But we don't know." The representatives of the Security Council and several other UN member states present, including Germany, promised to continue their efforts to secure the release of all hostages. Hamas and its supporters killed around 1,200 people, including around 800 civilians, in the attacks on October 7. They also kidnapped more than 200 women, men and children. Out of all the hostages, 105 of them were released after almost two months, following an agreement between Israel and Hamas. The fate of the remaining hostages is unclear. According to Israeli estimates, around 100 of them are probably still alive. --IANS/DPA sd/dan Mumbai, May 17 : 'Kartam Bhugtam' is a compelling journey into the realms of belief, fate and human emotions, masterfully crafted by Soham P. Shah. Known for his earlier works like 'Kaal' and 'Luck', Shah demonstrates his storytelling prowess once again, taking the audience on a gripping ride filled with twists and turns. The film follows the story of Dev Joshi (Shreyas Talpade), an NRI who returns to Bhopal from New Zealand after ten years to attend to his late father's affairs. His encounter with Anna (Vijay Raaz), a local astrologer, sets off a series of events that challenge Dev's beliefs and perceptions. As Dev gets entangled in a web of fate and illusions, he finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew. Talpade delivers a nuanced performance as Dev, portraying his vulnerability and inner turmoil with depth. Vijay Raaz is mesmerising as Anna, his baritone voice adding an eerie charm to his character. Madhoo and Aksha Pardasany shine in their respective roles, adding layers to the narrative. The screenplay is the backbone of 'Kartam Bhugtam', keeping the audience hooked with its unpredictable twists and emotional depth. The background score and songs enhance the mood of the film, adding to its overall impact. Soham Shah's direction is top-notch, creating a world that is both captivating and thought-provoking. He skilfully navigates through the complexities of belief and fate, leaving the audience questioning their own perceptions. 'Kartam Bhugtam' is a must-watch for those who enjoy psychological thrillers that delve into the human psyche. With its strong performances, engaging storyline and impactful direction, it is a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll. Film: Kartam Bhugtam Duration: 2 hours 11 minutes Director: Soham P. Shah Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Vijay Raaz, Madhoo and Aksha Pardasany IANS Rating: **** Seoul/New Delhi, May 17 : As the world leaders deliberate on AI safety to reach a global framework, the next global summit on the new disruptive technology will be held in South Korea next week. After the maiden aAI Safety Summita in the UK in November last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 29-nation, Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) summit in New Delhi in December, saying AI has the potential to transform Indiaas tech landscape. Now South Korea and Britain will jointly host the AI summit in Seoul next week, the science ministry here said on Friday. The aAI Seoul Summita will kick off on Tuesday with leaders of major countries and global tech firms attending, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT, reports Yonhap news agency. It will consist of the leaders' session, which will be themed aBuilding on the AI Safety Summit: towards an Innovative and Inclusive Futurea and the ministers' session, where AI safety and sustainable development of AI will be discussed. In detail, government, industry and academic officials from 19 countries plan to attend the ministers' session to discuss global cooperation on AI safety and discuss measures to respond to possible risks involving AI in the future, such as massive energy consumption, according to the ministry. On the second day, the AI Global Forum will also take place, solely hosted by the South Korean government as proposed by President Yoon Suk Yeol during his keynote address to the U.N. General Assembly last year to launch a new AI global governance structure. "The AI Seoul Summit plans to propose safety, innovation and inclusiveness as three goals of AI governance to international society," Song Sang-hoon, deputy minister of the office of ICT policy at the science ministry, said, noting the event will help the country reflect its AI and digital vision in the global initiative. Mumbai, May 17 : Academy Award winner Guneet Monga will be pioneering a new initiative, a part of the global WIFTI (Women In Film & Television International) network, to advance gender equity in Indian screen industries, which was launched at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Guneet said: "From being in rooms where male colleagues have had to communicate on my behalf so I'd be taken seriously, to leading international co-productions and studio-scale projects, I've seen and been actively involved in the progress over two decades." "Yet comprehensive studies like the 'O Womaniya! The 2023 report' still suggests a lack of gender diversities across key filmmaking departments. The study of 156 films reported that only 12 per cent of head-of-department positions were occupied by women." In an exclusive Cannes Film Festival event hosted by the Paris Film Region and WIF (Women In Film, Los Angeles), the official launch of a new Women In Film chapter was announced; WIF: India. According to a statement, WIF: India aims to bring parity and opportunities for women seeking careers in the screen industries. An advisory council of industry leaders will be assembled with representation from across India to support the programming and advocacy of WIF: India, including research, mentorship, and creative labs for women filmmakers. She added: "Throughout its 50 years, WIF has worked to transform the culture in Hollywood by helping build the pipeline of emerging women creatives. My hope for WIF: India is to help lower the systemic barriers in accessing these jobs for women, as well as excite a new era of transformation by offering mentorship, networking, and opening up fellowships, workshops, and an industry helpline to help sustain the careers of those currently in the industry." "Women are truly the future, and alongside WIF and WIF: India, we hope to tap into that limitless potential, building parity and opportunities for women seeking careers in the screen industries." "With an ever-expanding global market and deeper connections between the film industries in India and the US, this is a natural next step in the evolution of our gender parity work," said Kirsten Schaffer, CEO of WIF. "We realise the immense value in creating community and resources for women filmmakers in India, and we're looking forward to collaborating with Guneet in this initiative." Founded in 1973 as Women In Film, Los Angeles, WIF has been fighting for gender equity for more than 50 years. Hubballi, : May 17 (IANS) Karnataka Police have nabbed the killer, Vishwa, also known as Girish, in the sensational Anjali Ambigera murder case, police said on Friday. Preliminary investigations reveal that Vishwa was a habitual thief who exploited innocent young women. The accused is also a drunkard and was caught while attempting to commit theft. He was also part of a gang which stole bikes. The accused targeted gullible young women, enacting a drama of love and playing the emotional card to forcefully extort gold, silver, and cash from them. When Anjali did not agree to any of his attempts to rob her and outrightly rejected his offer to go with him to Mysuru city, he brutally killed her. The police had formed two teams to hunt down the killer. One of the teams was searching in the south Karnataka region, and another team, which launched a hunt in Davanagere, nabbed him. The accused was arrested by the police on Thursday. The police could not catch him sooner as the killer did not carry a mobile phone and did not use his phone for 15 days, before murdering Anjali. The jurisdictional Bendigeri Police were aware of the killer's history, but even after the complaint by the girlas family, they showed "utter negligence". The 24-year-old Vishwa entered Anjali Ambigera's (20) residence at 5.30 A.M. on Wednesday and stabbed the young woman multiple times before she could react. Vishwa dragged Anjali Ambigera all over the house, kicking and stabbing her. Later, he pushed her into the kitchen where he stabbed her repeatedly. Despite efforts by Anjalias grandmother and two sisters to stop the attacker, he killed her and managed to flee. The incident occurred in the Veerapura Oni area within the jurisdiction of the Bendigeri Police Station. Vishwa had been blackmailing Anjali and pressurising her to accompany him to Mysuru without informing her parents. The incident which took place close on the heels of MCA student Neha Hiremathas brutal murder by the jilted lover has raised concern over the safety of women all across the state. The BJP had demanded the resignation of Home Minister G. Parameshwara while the Congress leaders have also demanded that the Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Renuka Sukumar should be transferred for failing to sensitise the police force regarding issues of womenas safety. Kolkata, May 17 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will open a camp office in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali to probe into the alleged illegal land-grabbing, extortion and sexual harassment of women. Kolkata, May 17 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will open a camp office in West Bengalas Sandeshkhali to probe into the alleged illegal land-grabbing, extortion and sexual harassment of women. Sources said that two platoons of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel will be deployed in Sandeshkhali to provide security for the camp office. The camp office will increase the pace of the investigation as the CBI officials will not have to commute daily from Kolkata to Sandeshkhali. It will also ease the process of filing complaints by the local people who are not accustomed to the process of filing the same through emails. The locals will also be able to file their complaints at the camp office instead of commuting to Kolkata. However, sources, said that besides the process of physical filing of the complaints the system of e-filing will also continue. Also, the CBI officials will be able to conduct the questioning of the witnesses or interrogation of the suspects from the camp office instead of summoning them to the agencyas Nizam Palace office in central Kolkata. Sources added that the decision has also been taken following allegations that there is pressure on a section of the local women to withdraw their complaints of sexual harassment. As the CBI officials will operate from ground zero, it will help build faith among the victims while threats to victims can also be avoided to a great extent. New Delhi : Kerala CM and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan during a demonstration over Israel-Palestine conflict at party office. Image Source: IANS News Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 : Amid a looming major financial crisis in Kerala and state Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal falling ill, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has cut short his private three-nation trip and is scheduled to return next week. CM Vijayan was originally expected to return on May 22, but now he is likely to arrive on May 19 from Dubai, which was his last leg of the three-nation private visit. He left Kerala on May 6. The challenge before CM Vijayan and his cash-strapped government is the mass retirement of more than 13,000 state government employees on May 31, which entails a massive payout to retirees. The amount is approximately over Rs 8,500 crore. The way out for the Vijayan government is to either turn to the Centre or immediately increase the retirement age of state government employees from the present 56 years upwards. But for the Vijayan government increasing the retirement age could invite the wrath of the youth wings across all political parties. "The Vijayan government has a few proposals to tide over the financial crisis temporarily. It includes increasing the retirement age to 58 years or deferring paying the retirement benefits, and when given, paying the interest for it," said a source. However, it remains to be seen if CM Vijayan will take the gamble of extending the retirement age. Of late the vacancies in many colleges have become an issue in the state. Several colleges, including engineering colleges, have seen a huge exodus of students to foreign universities, as jobs available in the state government are only a handful. More than four million educated unemployed youth are waiting for jobs in the state. The coming days are going to be crucial for the Vijayan government. and With the Finance Minister still recovering from a medical emergency, CM Vijayan will have to take extra caution while making the crucial decision. Barabanki : , May 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that all leaders of the INDIA bloc are day dreaming to become Prime Ministers. "They have even left behind Mungeri Lal when it comes to day dreaming. Babua (Akhilesh) has found a new Bua from West Bengal who has assured them of outside support. They are already disintegrating and their sole purpose is to create disturbances," PM Modi said while addressing a rally in Barabanki. He said that a Congress leader had announced in Raebareli that the voters would be electing a Prime Minister from the constituency. "This has made the SP leaders disheartened. Will you waste your vote for such people? Can you expect development from such people? You need a 'damdar sarkar' to ensure speedy development and for this it is only kamal," he said. The Prime Minister said that the work of the INDIA bloc MPs would be to compete with each other in abusing Modi. "If you need an employee, you will look for one who has the ability. You will not employ one who can only abuse," he said. The Prime Minister said that he had come to seek the blessings of the people and he assured that he would repay the debt of love by working harder. "I am ready for a hat trick and we will work for all sections of society," he said. He further said that if the Ram Mandir could be built after a struggle of 500 years, 'it was because of the strength of your vote'. "Congress and SP first put Lord Ram in a tent and then said that a hospital or Dharamsala should be constructed there instead of the temple. I have come to know that Congress is preparing to overturn the Supreme Court verdict on the Ram Mandir and use a bulldozer over it. They should learn from Yogi Adityanath how to use the bulldozer judiciously," he said. The Prime Minister appealed to the people to ensure that deposits of the opposition members should be forfeited in the ongoing elections. He said that if the INDIA bloc is voted to power, it would strengthen its vote bank by taking away the reservation from SC/ST, Adivasis and OBCs and will give it to their voters as part of the appeasement policy. "The one who went to jail in the fodder scam is saying that their entire vote bank should get the benefit of reservation. When I try to expose their intentions, they blame me for polarising elections," he pointed out. Jaipur, May 17 : The Jodhpur High Court on Friday stayed the anti-encroachment drive in the Odwada village of Rajasthan's Jalore. The drive had started on Thursday. Justice Vineet Mathur's bench announced the decision while hearing the petition of 29 people. The petitioners' lawyer Shyam Paliwal told the court that the villagers have a lease and other necessary papers. "They have been living in those houses for the last 80 years since their great-grandfathers. The state government and the Central government have also taken welfare measures in these localities. Electricity and water connections have also been provided," he added. "In such a situation, we cannot be considered encroachers," he said, The High Court stayed the order to remove encroachment after hearing the side of the petitioners. Additional Advocate General Rajesh Panwar presented the case on behalf of the government. Meanwhile, Jalore District Collector Pooja Parth said the entire matter was being looked into. The District Council CEO has been directed to look into it, she said. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also shared his views on the X handle and said, "It is not appropriate for the administration to use force to demolish more than 400 houses in the name of removing encroachment in Odwada of Jalore. This is a matter related to poor families. The administration should have given these families adequate time so that they could find a legal solution. The state government and administration should look into this matter on humanitarian grounds. I have also spoken to the Jalore Collector in this regard. We will ensure justice for these victim families by providing them legal assistance." The villagers in Odwada, including women, strongly resisted a team of officials and police personnel that visited the village on Thursday 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. Amaravati, May 17 : A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be constituted to probe post-poll violence in Andhra Pradesh. The SIT will submit an action taken report to the Election Commission of India (ECI) in each of the cases of violence. FIRs will be updated with additional appropriate IPC sections and other relevant statutory provisions. Chief Secretary K. S. Jawahar Reddy and Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta had on Thursday appeared before Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and two election commissioners in New Delhi. The ECI had summoned the top officials to personally explain the reasons for the failure of the administration to contain post-poll violence. Several incidents of violence were reported in Anantapur, Palnadu and Tirupati districts during polling on May 13 and on subsequent days. The Chief Secretary and DGP shared their assessment of negligence and lack of supervision on the part of officials in violence-hit districts. Based on their report, the Election Commission cracked the whip on 16 officials. It suspended Palnadu Superintendent of Police (SP) Garikapati Bindu Madhav and Anantapur SP Amit Bardar. The Commission also ordered the transfer of Palnadu district collector Siva Sankar Lotheti and Tirupati SP Krishnakanth Patel. Departmental enquiry will also be initiated against these officials. Bindu Madhav had taken charge of Palnadu district as SP a month ago after the Election Commission transferred Y. Ravi Shankar Reddy. Krishnakanth Patel too had taken charge as Tirupati SP two months ago. The state government, in its report to the Election Commission, stated that these officials failed to prevent violence despite its apprehension. The officials failed to take adequate precautionary measures despite the history of political violence in these districts. The Election Commission also approved the suspension of 12 subordinate police officials in the Palnadu, Anantapur and Tirupati districts. The suspended officers in Tirupati districts are Tirupati DSP A. Surender Reddy, Special Branch Inspector K. Rajashekhar, Special Branch DSP Bhaskar Reddy and Alipiri Inspector Ramachandra Reddy. In Palnadu district, the Commission has suspended Narasaraopet DSP VSN Varma, Gurazala DSP A. Pallapu Raju, Inspectors K. Prabhakar Rao, E. Bala Nagi Reddy, Karempudi SI Ramanjaneyulu and Nagarjuna Sagar SI DV Kondareddy. Those suspended in Anantapur district are Tadipatri DSP C. M. Gangaiah and Tadipatri Inspector Murali Krishna. The poll panel directed CS and 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 state government also requested to retain 25 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for 15 days after counting to control any possible violence after the declaration of results. The Commission decided to direct the Ministry of Home Affairs to retain the 25 CAPF companies in Andhra Pradesh for 15 days after counting. 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 incidents in Guntur, Anantapur and Nandyal. Mumbai, May 17 : National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao has talked about his humble beginnings, sharing that he was not raised with a lot of money, but it was his mother who supported him and helped him reach where he is today. Rajkummar told IANS: "It's not been easy. That's why I love parents, no matter whose parents they are. My parents really supported me. My mother especially supported me, and there were a lot of tough times. I was not raised with money around." The actor talked about how he got the chance to go to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). "I have not seen too much money in life, but I also know other parents who knew that I wanted to go to FTII and there's not enough money at home, and they would also come out and help my mother so that she can do those things for us," said the actor, who has appeared in over 30 films since 2010. Rajkummar, who made his acting debut with 'Love Sex Aur Dhokha' in 2010, is happy that today he is referred to as "ghar ka beta" by the audience. "That's why I am grateful to my parents, and that's the reason that people connect as 'humare ghar ka hi ladka hai' because main hoon. I am that boy who has come from nowhere and who has worked genuinely very hard to be where I am today," said the Gurgaon-born star. The actor has been keeping busy with film promotions. Just last week, his film 'Srikanth' was released, and now he has 'Mr. and Mrs. Mahi' with Janhvi Kapoor hitting the big screen. "It was not planned that 'Srikanth' would come and then 'Mr. and Mrs. Mahi'. I think no actor wants that because you want a breather because you have been promoting this and then that. But I am proud of both films," he added. Talking about his upcoming film, Rajkummar shared: " 'Mr. and Mrs. Mahi' is about a husband and wife. It's all about togetherness, love, dreams, and egos." The actor also talked about 'Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video', which he described as "very funny," and then there is 'Stree 2'. Fatehpur : , May 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that the Congress has now launched 'Mission 50' and is working to win a minimum of 50 seats only in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. "The entire Congress family is working to save its face and win 50 seats now. The 'cycle' has also punctured," he said. PM Modi said that he had definite information about Congress' 'mission'. "I had said that the 'Shehzada' will flee from Wayanad. I had also said that he has no courage to go to Amethi and I was proved right," he added. The Prime Minister added that the two 'shehzadas' (Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav) share the 'same horoscope'. "Both pursue the politics of appeasement, promote mafia, give protection to corruption and believe in nepotism. You should vote in large numbers for the BJP and ensure the development of your area," he said. The Prime Minister further said that the INDIA bloc has started falling apart like a pack of cards and their workers too are disillusioned. PM Modi when he came to power in 2014, Akhilesh Yadav, who was leading the government in Uttar Pradesh, did not cooperate on the developmental issues. "Now the 'do ladkon ki jodi' is being relaunched but their efforts have flopped. They have already booked tickets for their holiday abroad," he added. New Delhi, May 17 : Online food aggregator Zomato's Co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal on Friday launched a new feature to help customers make healthier choices. New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Online food aggregator Zomato's Co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal on Friday launched a new feature to help customers make healthier choices. To begin with, the company has started suggesting 'roti' as an alternative to 'naan'. Goyal said the company has seen a seven per cent "attach rate" for these suggestions, and "we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback for this feature". "We are soon planning to scale this to other dishes and categories as well. For example, if you are craving a dessert, we might show you lower calorie desserts as options when you add the former to your cart," Goyal posted on X social media platform. In March, Goyal faced flak over his decision to launch a 'pure veg mode' on the Zomato platform with riders wearing 'green' uniforms. After strong criticism, the company later 'changed' the colours from green to red even for rushing vegetarian deliveries to its customers across the country. The food delivery platform posted a net profit of Rs 175 crore in Q4 FY24 compared to a loss of Rs 188 crore in the same period a year ago. The company's stock hovered around Rs 194 apiece on Friday. Hyderabad, May 17 : Hyderabad Police have arrested five persons on charges of attempt to murder after they attacked a neighbour, his wife and their pet dog after an altercation. Police said that the accused attacked N. Srinath and his wife and their pet dog on the evening of May 14 in the Rahmath Nagar area under Madhura Nagar Police Station limits. Srinath and his wife suffered grievous injuries along with their dog. The CCTV footage of the incident went viral on social media. The accused and injured persons are neighbours and have been involved in altercations for the last few days over certain petty matters which have manifested into the planned assault on the injured persons and their dog, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) Vijay Kumar. The Madhura Nagar police registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with a deadly weapon), and 307 (attempt to murder) r/w 149 (unlawful assembly) and Section 11(1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The accused, all relatives of each other, were produced before a court, which sent them to judicial custody for 15 days. The investigation is under progress and the investigation officer will file a chargesheet with appropriate evidence after completion of the investigation, the DCP said. The trouble started on May 8 when Srinath took his Siberian Husky for a walk without a leash. The dog allegedly attacked Dhanunjay and his brother-in-law, Sai Kumar. They filed a complaint with the local police. On May 14, when Srinath was again out with his dog, the husky reportedly barked at three neighbours. They along with Dhanunjay and Sai Kumar attacked Srinath and his dog with sticks. Srinath's wife, who tried to intervene, was also injured. Srinath and his wife were taken to a hospital for treatment. The dog was also sent to a veterinary hospital for medical care. New Delhi, May 17 : As demand for skilled people in emerging technologies surges in the country, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), IIT Ropar and Masai School on Friday introduced a jointly certified minor programme in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML). The course includes seven modules -- fundamentals of prompt engineering, introduction to machine learning, data handling and processing, neural networks and deep learning, natural language processing (NLP), functioning of large language models (LLMs) and capstone project. "Integrating AI into our curriculum underscores our commitment to equipping students with cutting-edge competencies that are highly sought after in today's job market," said Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). By embracing AI education, "we are preparing our workforce to meet future challenges and ensuring our nation's competitive edge in the global arena," he added. The credit-linked micro-specialisation in AI and ML is the most in-demand and the highest-paying tech job in India. The course is meticulously crafted to equip learners with the skills, knowledge, and industry exposure necessary to thrive in the rapidly evolving tech landscape, said the stakeholders. "The minor programme in AI and ML epitomises our dedication to providing students with a holistic educational experience, blending academic rigour with hands-on application," said Rajeev Ahuja Director, IIT Ropar. Cities like Jaipur, Gwalior, Haridwar, Jodhpur and Agra are witnessing a boom in AI jobs, according to a latest report by HRtech platform GetWork. Driven by talent growth, the AI market in India is projected to grow at 31.5 per cent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) to reach $5.1 billion by 2027. "We are not just transforming education; we're sculpting a new paradigm in skill-based learning, sculpting a dynamic talent pool primed for global success," said Prateek Shukla, Co-Founder, and CEO of Masai School. Kolkata, May 17 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's contradictory statements about the Opposition INDIA bloc are consistent with her history of shifting political stands. On February 2 while interacting with media persons she said that the Congress will pay heavily throughout the country in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls and expressed doubt whether the grand old party would be able to win 40 seats also. She had also said that the Congress does not have the strength to take on the BJP in the saffron-ruled states in North India. Now, with just three phases of the Lok Sabha polls remaining, the Chief Minister has taken a 180 degree turn and is saying that the INDIA bloc will finish the tally with 315 seats, while the BJP will bag a maximum of 195. Poll statisticians are wondering how the INDIA bloc will bag 315 seats if the Congress, which is a major partner in the alliance, remains limited to 40 constituencies. The confusion is compounded by the fact that though she is making such rich predictions about the INDIA bloc, she has remained silent on the Trinamool Congress' possible seat-count in West Bengal. Her recent statement that she will provide outside support to the probable INDIA bloc government at the Centre is yet another contraction of her earlier claims of Trinamool Congress leading the alliance after the polls. However, her predictions give rise to the question that if the INDIA bloc ends up with a tally of 315 seats, how relevant will the Trinamool Congress' support be to the alliance then? While the BJP's West Bengal leadership has chosen to ignore such contradictory statements by the Chief Minister, the Congress and CPI(M) leaders have started attacking her on this issue. Congress President in West Bengal and five-time party Lok Sabha MP, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said such contradictory statements are examples of the Chief Minister's constantly shifting political stand. "I do not trust her. She broke away from the INDIA bloc. Now she is trying to unite with us again after understanding that we are becoming stronger nationally," he said. CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has claimed that after total non-cooperation with the INDIA bloc for the last few months, such contradictory statements in their favour are meaningless to them. Political observers, however, say that such U-turns are nothing new since the formation of Trinamool Congress by Mamata Banerjee in 1998 by breaking away from the Congress. In the beginning the Trinamool Congress had an alliance with the BJP and she even became the Union minister of Railways in the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led Government. However, she resigned from the Cabinet following the Tehelka sting-operation on Defence bribery just before the 2001 West Bengal Assembly elections and allied with the Congress to take on the mighty CPI(M)-led Left Front. After the Left Front came back to power with a huge majority in 2001, she again broke her ties with the Congress, reunited with the BJP and again became a minister in the Union Cabinet. Thereafter, in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls Trinamool Congress became a single-MP party with only Mamata Banerjee winning from the Kolkata-Dakshin constituency. She started distancing herself from the BJP after that and before the 2009 Lok Sabha polls she partnered with the Congress, taking advantage of Left Parties withdrawing support to the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA-I Government. After spectacular results in 2009 in West Bengal in alliance with the Congress, she continued with that political friendship with the country's oldest national party till the 2011 West Bengal Assembly polls, which marked the end of the 34-year Left Front regime and the beginning of the Mamata Banerjee-led government's rule. However, her relations with the Congress started to sour as the latter started complaining about constant poaching in its camp by the ruling party. The Congress and Trinamool Congress again parted ways before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Hamburg, May 17 : A member of the regional state parliament for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has had an ashtray thrown at him in a pub in the northern German city of Schwerin, injuring his head. A 52-year-old man first insulted the politician, Martin Schmidt, just after midnight and then attacked him with the ashtray, the police said on Friday morning. Schmidt was taken to hospital but was discharged again on Friday morning, according to the AfD parliamentary group of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern regional parliament. According to the police, the attacker claimed to hold left-wing political views and to have acted out of political motives. The 52-year-old is now being investigated for dangerous bodily harm and insult. AfD party chairman for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Leif-Erik Holm said that this was a further escalation of political violence from the left. "The attack is also the result of months of incitement and propaganda against our party," Holm added. Nikolaus Kramer, regional parliamentary group leader of the AfD, spoke of a cowardly attack, saying: "Violence against politicians, regardless of party, is an attack on freedom of opinion and democratic discourse." --IANS/DPA sd/svn New Delhi, May 17 : Soon after recording her statement before the magistrate, the AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal on Friday took to X and said that "the truth will be revealed to everyone as soon as the CCTV footage of the house and the room is checked". Maliwal was allegedly assaulted at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Monday, and on Thursday an FIR was filed against CM Kejriwal's personal secretary Bibhav Kumar. The FIR has been registered under sections 308, 341, 354 D, 506, and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Civil Lines police station. A video from the Delhi CM house of the alleged assault incident is also doing rounds on social media in which an altercation could be seen between the staff and the AAP MP. "Like every time, this time also this political hitman has started efforts to save himself. By getting his people to tweet and play videos without any context, he thinks he can save himself by committing this crime. Who makes a video of someone being beaten up? The truth will be revealed to everyone as soon as the CCTV footage of the house and the room is checked," Maliwal wrote on X in Hindi. "Fall to whatever level you can, God is watching everything. One day everyone's truth will come out in front of the world," she posted on X. YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. Ahead of the Students and Youth Day in Armenia, Yerevan State University students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. The Bank and the university have a history of successful collaboration. One of the key projects implemented to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Bank in 2023 was the memorandum of cooperation signed with the university. During the 2023-2024 academic year, 10 YSU students were granted nominal scholarships of AMD 1 million each, while five others received tuition reimbursement. May 16 marks Students and Youth Day, as well as the day of the foundation of YSU, which served as an opportunity for scholarship recipients to express how support from the Bank further fueled their motivation.Following the meeting, Byblos Bank Armenia CEO Hayk Stepanyan expressed his admiration for the students. "We are very happy for this opportunity provided by the university, which allowed us to meet students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia. I am impressed by them and I hope that the scholarships will help them achieve their goals. Byblos Bank Armenia prioritizes academic education, and this scholarship program too is in the center of our attention," said Hayk Stepanyan. YSU Rector Hovhannes Hovhannisyan also joined the gathering and stressed that the university appreciates its partnership with Byblos Bank Armenia, highlighting its role in bridging the gap between education and employment. "In our conversation with the students today, we once again emphasized that this scholarship is also a responsibility, because they should be able to use the results of their education to boost their career in the future. Such collaborations between the university and the employer create wide opportunities for all. I think our students will make the best of this opportunity, and scholarships provided by Byblos Bank Armenia will serve their purpose," said Hovhannes Hovhannisyan. The initiative is ongoing. In the coming years too Byblos Bank Armenia will grant scholarships to high-achieving students of the YSU Faculty of Economics and Management. Prioritizing meaningful social impact, the Bank continuously invests in causes that foster healthy, thriving communities by implementing diverse CSR programs and educational projects. Details of the scholarship and tuition reimbursement program can be found here. Kolkata, May 17 : In a blow to the West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the release of a woman BJP leader from Sandeshkhali, Mampi Das who was arrested after a sting operation video went viral in which a BJP leader stated that the women's protest was plotted and orchestrated by the BJP and Das played a key role in it. While raising questions on the justification for the arrest, the single-judge Bench of Justice Jay Sengupta also questioned who was behind the police action. Justice Sengupta ordered that Das be released on a personal bond and put a stay on Section 195A (punishment for threatening to give false evidence) of the Indian Penal Code imposed on her. The next hearing in the matter will be on June 19. He also observed the manner in which Das was arrested. Stating that there were clear directions of the Supreme Court on the use of Section 195A, a non-bailable offense, he observed that if not the Calcutta High Court, the state government and police should at least go by the directions of the Supreme Court. He also questioned the order of the Judicial Magistrate who ordered the arrest of Das in the matter. "Who is the Investigating Officer in this case and who is the mastermind?" he questioned. He also questioned how the lower court ordered police custody for Das without examining the Case Diary. The BJP's state spokesman Samik Bhattacharya said, "Since the beginning we had been saying that Mampi's arrest was a part of a bigger conspiracy." Bengaluru, May 17 : Reacting to charges of "negligence" by the police in Hubballi in connection with the Anjali Ambigera murder case, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Friday said that he would seek a report from an ADGP-rank officer. Bengaluru, May 17 (IANS) Reacting to charges of "negligence" by the police in Hubballi in connection with the Anjali Ambigera murder case, Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Friday said that he would seek a report from an ADGP-rank officer. Anjali (20) was stabbed to death at her residence by a jilted lover on Wednesday. "I will conduct a review meeting to determine if there were any lapses on the part of the police officers. If these offences are occurring repeatedly, we must identify other contributing factors," Parameshwara said. Home Minister Parameshwara said that the accused has been arrested and also emphasised that there would be no leniency and stringent punishment would be taken against the accused. "I am sending the ADGP there. He will submit a report on the series of crimes taking place in Hubballi. If possible, I will also visit Hubballi. The ADGP will analyse the reasons behind these incidents, identify the responsible factors, and submit a report," he said. He said that the police inspector was immediately suspended for lapses in handling the case. "There is no written complaint from Anjali Ambigera's family about the threat by the jilted lover, as far as I know. The police were informed orally about the threats by the jilted lover," he said. He said that the parents had claimed that they informed the police about the threats. "This will also be investigated. If it is proven, further actions against the police officer will be initiated," he said. The 24-year-old Vishwa entered Anjali Ambigera's (20) residence at 5.30 A.M. on Wednesday and stabbed the young woman multiple times before she could react. Vishwa dragged Anjali Ambigera all over the house, kicking and stabbing her. Later, he pushed her into the kitchen where he stabbed her repeatedly. Despite efforts by Anjali's grandmother and two sisters to stop the attacker, he killed her and managed to flee. The incident occurred in the Veerapura Oni area within the jurisdiction of the Bendigeri Police Station. Vishwa had been blackmailing Anjali and pressuring her to accompany him to Mysuru, without informing her parents. New Delhi, May 17 : The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday pasted a notice at the residence of Bibhav Kumar, the personal secretary of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, after his family refused to accept it. The NCW team along with the Delhi Police personnel served the notice for hearing to Bibhav Kumar but due to non-acceptance by the family members it was pasted on his residence gate, an official said. "Officers of the NCW, along with the ACP of Civil Lines, New Delhi, attempted to serve a Notice of Hearing to Mr. Bibhav Kumar at his residence. When the occupants of the house refused to accept the notice, the officers affixed it on the gate of his residence. The hearing is scheduled for 18th May, 2024, at the NCW Office," the NCW said in a post on X. Earlier, addressing a press conference, NCW chief Rekha Sharma said the organisation was constantly monitoring the situation and encouraged AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal to file a police complaint against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary Bibhav Kumar. The Delhi Police on Thursday evening lodged an FIR against Kumar in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal that took place on Monday at CM Kejriwal's official residence. Sharma said that the NCW swung into action immediately after the matter came into the limelight. Seoul, May 17 : A US F-16 fighter jet crash incident in South Korea in May of last year occurred due to a partial power loss experienced by the aircraft and weather conditions at the time, a US Air Force unit stationed in the country said Friday. On May 6, 2023, the single-engine fighter jet assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing (FW) of the US 7th Air Force crashed into farmland near Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 60 kilometres south of Seoul, shortly after take-off, Yonhap news agency reported. The pilot ejected safely, with no serious injuries or fatalities being reported. After a yearlong investigation, the US Air Force's Accident Investigation Board found the jet experienced the power loss about 11 seconds after take-off, resulting in inaccurate information being displayed on its flying instruments, according to a 7th Air Force release. That left the pilot spatially disoriented as the weather conditions at the time limited the pilot to solely relying on the instruments to maintain aircraft control, it said. As the jet flew to a very low altitude, the pilot ejected at 710 feet (216 metres) above ground level, while the aircraft plunged into the ground, resulting in its total loss. The investigation board noted that the absence of either the power loss or the weather conditions may have prevented the crash, according to the release. The incident marked the first of three US F-16 crashes in South Korea over the past year, raising concerns over the safety of civilians living near US air bases in the country. Another US F-16 crashed into the Yellow Sea last December, while the third one into the waters in January. All of the pilots safely ejected and were rescued. "The investigations for two other 8th FW F-16 incidents in December 2023 and January 2024 are still being conducted, and their results will be published as soon as they are available for public release," the 7th Air Force said, adding that it takes every aircraft incident seriously. Amethi : , May 17 (IANS) Just three days before the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls kicks off, Amethi turned into a virtual battleground on Friday with big guns from the BJP, Congress and SP addressing major election rallies in the constituency. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav raised political temperatures in Amethi while campaigning. In his speech, HM Shah slammed nepotism in the Congress and SP and said that Amethi and Raebareli were not family seats and did not belong to one family. He termed the Congress and SP as anti-Hindu and said that they spurned the invitation to the opening of the Ram Temple. He also said that the Modi Government was committed to protecting the boundaries of the country. "Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir belongs to us and we will take it back," he promised. HM Shah asked people to make the lotus bloom in Amethi and Raebareli and the BJP will be '400 paar'. The INDIA bloc rally was jointly addressed by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. An emotional Rahul Gandhi recalled his 42-year-old association with the constituency and said that he had first come to Amethi with his father, late Rajiv Gandhi, as a 12-year-old. "Whatever I know of politics, is what I have learnt from Amethi," he added. Rahul Gandhi further said, "I belonged to Amethi. I still belong to Amethi and will continue to belong to Amethi. I will ensure that whatever Raebareli gets in future, Amethi will get the same." Appealing for votes for Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma, he said that Sharma had been working in Amethi for four decades and people knew him as a simple man. Rahul Gandhi said that the 2024 elections would decide the future of the people of the country and the Constitution. On his part, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav said that the coming together of the Congress and SP was like "ek aur ek, gyarah" which would make the BJP go "nau, do, gyarah." Akhilesh Yadav reminded farmers about the manner in which they had been treated by the central government during their agitation against the farm laws. He promised the MSP guarantee that the farmers had been demanding from the Modi Government, if the INDIA bloc formed the government at the Centre. "The BJP wants to change the Constitution and take away your rights. They are not only against the poor, but also against animals. My farmer friend in Amethi kept an injured crane and nursed it back to health. The government took away that crane," he said while referring to the incident that had gone viral. The SP leader promised to reopen all industrial units that had shut down in Amethi. Patna May 17 : A four-year-old child was found dead in the sewer of a private school in Patna on Friday after which angry locals, including his family, set the educational institution afire. The angry people of Digha locality created a ruckus and leveled murder charges against the school management. They blocked the Digha-Ashiana road and Danapur-Gandhi Maidan road. The child, who went to the school on Thursday morning, did not return home, after which his family members started searching for him. The local police station was also informed about it. The cops of the Digha police station launched a search operation in the vicinity but could not trace the child. The family members found the child's body from the sewer inside the school. The police said that the construction of the sewer was done recently. "During the search, we reached his classroom and spotted a sewer adjoining it. When we opened the slab of the sewer, the body of my nephew was found in it. It seems someone killed him and threw his body in the sewer," said the uncle of the deceased. "We have taken the body and sent it for post-mortem. The CCTV footage is being examined," said Brajesh Kumar, SHO, Digha police station, Patna. New Delhi, May 17 : A notorious gangster, also a member of the Himanshu Bhau gang, was killed following an encounter with Delhi Police's Special Cell in the national capital, an official said on Friday. The accused was identified as Ajay Singroha a.k.a Goli, a resident of Ritoli village, Rohtak district in Haryana. According to police, on Thursday, the Special Cell received information that a shooter from the Himanshu Bhau Gang, Ajay -- who was wanted in a sensational attempted murder case in Tilak Nagar, Delhi on May 6 and in the murder of a person named Sundar at Gulshan Dhaba in Murthal on March 10 -- would be coming to the village of Kheda Khurd in Outer Delhi. "A trap was laid and around 11:30 pm. Ajay was spotted in a Honda City car. The police party asked him to stop and surrender. In response, the accused started firing indiscriminately at the police party, resulting in an encounter between the police and the accused," said a senior police official. The official said that the accused, Ajay, was hit by police bullets and was injured. "He was promptly taken to the hospital by a PCR vehicle, where the doctor declared him dead. Two pistols and cartridges were recovered from the criminal," said the official. In the brutal incident at Murthal Dhaba, the criminal Ajay was captured on CCTV dragging the victim Sundar out of a vehicle and then chasing and shooting him multiple times. In the Tilak Nagar incident, the criminal's indiscriminate firing outside a showroom in a posh area of the national capital, amidst a crowded area, for extortion, created an atmosphere of fear in the entire locality. Moscow, May 17 : Russian authorities on Friday reported more than 100 Ukrainian drone attacks, causing at least one fatality and damage in various regions. The Krasnodar region in the south of Russia and the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine were particularly badly affected. In Belgorod, a woman and her son died after a drone hit their car, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. The father and another man were injured. According to images from the scene, a large fire also broke out at a petrol station after it was hit. In Tuapse in the Krasnodar region, there was a major fire at an oil processing plant. As per the eyewitness reports on social networks, a harbour and an oil depot were hit in the Black Sea city of Novorossiysk. The local authorities reported that, however, all drone attacks had been repelled. In the city of Sevastopol on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, the power went out after debris from a downed drone hit a municipal substation, according to the governor there. The Defence Ministry in Moscow reported that Russian air defences had intercepted or destroyed 102 drones, half of which were over Crimea. Six unmanned explosive boats were also destroyed in the Black Sea, Russia said. Ukraine is firing at targets on Russian territory on a daily basis, over two years after the war broke out. With Western help, the country has also significantly expanded its own drone production. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 : A book written by a former journalist has spilled the beans on the role he and another journalist played in settling a massive protest in 2013 called by the CPI-M against the then Congress Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who was caught in the Solar Scam. However, on Friday, the CPI-M flatly denied any settlement. In his yet-to-be-piblished book on the Solar Scam, John Mundakayam, former chief of bureau of Malayala Manorama -- a top vernacular daily -- claims that John Brittas, a former top employee of the CPI-M backed Kairali TV, who is presently the party's Rajya Sabha member, called him and the subsequent discussions led to the calling off of the protest, a claim that Brittas has denied now. On August 12, 2013, the CPI-M then led by present Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan along with thousands of Left workers from all across the state surrounded the state Secretariat, demanding Chandy to step down. The solar scam case pertains to a live-in couple -- Saritha and Radhakrishnan -- who cheated numerous people by taking money without supplying promised solar panels. Chandy got into trouble after it was found that three of his staff members had links with Saritha. Mundakayam, who was a close aide of late former Chief Minister Chandy, states in his book that on August 13, 2013, he got a call from Brittas asking if something can be done to end the protest. "I asked him if they were ready and Brittas said the protest could come to a close if Chandy called a press briefing and announced a judicial probe into the matter. Soon I spoke to Chandy and he asked me to speak to P.K. Kunhalikutty (then state Industries Minister). Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan was also spoken to. "The final round of talks took place when Left ally RSP leader N.K. Premachandran spoke to CPI-M veteran Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and the protest was called off after Chandy announced a judicial probe," writes Mundakayam. Radhakrishnan told the media that all that Mundakayam said was true. But on Friday, Brittas flatly denied ever speaking to Mundakayam. "I don't know how Mundakayam can say this. In fact, I wish to ask, I am very surprised how he did not put out this news in Malayalam Manorama. He being a seasoned journalist, this should have been put out as news," said Brittas. "It was Radhakrishnan who spoke to him and he called me on the phone of Cherian Phillip (a Congress veteran who moved to the CPI-M and was with Kairali TV). Later, I went and met Radhakrishnan, as I was asked by my party. I then raised the demand for the judicial probe and it was accepted and that was how the protest was called off. "I am really surprised how can Mundakayam say things that never took place. Look, we know most journalists after retiring come out with books to stay in the limelight," added Brittas. Phillip, who has since returned to the Congress, preferred to remain silent. Meanwhile, CPI-M veteran M.V. Jayarajan, a close aide of CM Vijayan and who was at the forefront of the protest in 2013, dismissed Mundakayam's revelation as "rubbish". "This is baseless and is meant to defame the CPI-M, which happens time and again," said Jayarajan. Responding to Brittas' denial of speaking to him, Mundakayam said he understands the former's position. "Brittas has agreed that Radhakrishnan spoke and that's the second part of what happened. I can understand the position of Brittas. My only intention was the protest should end. My book was written to portray that Chandy was named in a scam where he did not do any wrong," Mundakayam told mediapersons from Singapore. Thiruvananthapuram, May 17 : Following reports about an altercation involving the personnel attached to the Southern Air Command and the staff of a restaurant here, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has begun its probe into the matter. A statement issued here on Friday by the IAF said that news has been circulating in the media about an altercation on May 15 involving Indian Air Force personnel. "The headquarters Southern Air Command has taken serious cognizance of the incident and the same is being enquired thoroughly to ascertain the facts, in accordance with Indian Air Force policy of zero-tolerance to cases of misdemeanour, especially in public places," the statement read. The probe comes a day after the Kerala Police registered a case against four Southern Air Command officials based on a complaint given by a hotel. 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 registered a case against four Southern Air Command officials. Later the police registered another case based on a complaint given by the IAF officials of them being harassed by the restaurant staff. YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza have begun moving ashore after arriving through the floating pierbuilt by the US military, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM) statement on X. CNN reports that the pier was anchored to a beach in Gaza on Thursday and will be used to funnel aid from various countries into the besieged strip, with all other border crossings closed and a catastrophic humanitarian disaster unfolding inside. The US, which began building the $320 million pierin late April, has emphasized it is a temporary measure that is entirely humanitarian in nature and will involve aid commodities donated by a number of countries and humanitarian organizations, CNN adds. No US troops went ashore in Gaza, according to the CENTCOM statement. Aid first arrives from abroad to Cyprus, before being brought by ship to a floating platform near the Gaza coast, then finally transported to the floating pier and loaded onto trucks to distribute on land. The new maritime corridor is coming at a critical moment with the Rafah border closing into Gaza having been closed for more than a week, preventing aid from getting through. The Rafah crossing was the only one between Gaza and Egypt with all other border points in the strip controlled by Israel, the report adds. Paris, May 17 : A knife-wielding man, who set France's synagogue on fire on Friday, has been neutralised, Interior Minister Gerald Dermanin said. In a post on X, French Interior Minister Gerald Dermanin said, "In Rouen, national police officers neutralised early this morning an armed individual who set fire to the city's synagogue. I congratulate them for their responsiveness and courage." According to the report, the incident happened at around 6:40 a.m. (0440 GMT) when the knife-wielding man attacked a police officer who was responding to reports of smoke emanating from the city's synagogue, BFM TV reported, citing police sources. The attacker finally died after being fatally wounded by the police officer. Kohima, May 17 : The Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) on Friday rejected the Nagaland government's appeal and remained firm on abstaining from participating in the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) elections, scheduled on June 26. ENPO Secretary W. Manwang Konyak said that they did not receive any written appeal and only saw in the media that the state government has made an appeal not to boycott the ULB polls. "We have to go by the decision of our grassroots level people and organisation. We would abstain from participating in the ULB polls," Konyak told IANS. After a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, the Nagaland government on Thursday urged the ENPO not to boycott the vital ULB polls. Parliamentary Affairs Minister K.G. Kenye, who is the Spokesman of the state government said that the government has appealed to ENPO and its constituent bodies to participate in the ULB elections, which are being conducted on the directions of the Supreme Court. The ULB election is for empowering local self-governance and facilitating development and uplift of the citizens at the grassroots, he said. Kenye said that after a prolonged battle involving the women's reservation in the ULBs, the state would be holding the ULB election in the larger interest of the public and their welfare. He said that ULB elections should not be seen as a means for ENPO to register resentment and protest for their demands on Frontier Nagaland Territory. Since 2010, the ENPO has been demanding a separate 'Frontier Nagaland Territory' or a separate state comprising the six eastern Nagaland districts -- Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator, and Tuensang and it also boycotted the election to the lone Nagaland Lok Sabha seat on April 19 in support of its demand. The ENPO Secretary 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. Konyak 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 'Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT)' as offered and assured by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on December 7, 2023. "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 earlier said that the state government has proposed the constitution of an autonomous body for the development of eastern Nagaland and its people. The ENPO has been demanding a separate 'Frontier Nagaland Territory' 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. Gandhinagar, May 17 : The Consul General of Germany, Achim Fabig, who is based out of Mumbai, was in Gandhinagar on Friday. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel had invited a German delegation to visit Gujarat and explore the possibilities of a Sister State Agreement to strengthen ties between Gujarat and Germany. CM Patel presented the Consul General with a Kutch handicraft. Officials shared that during the meeting, CM Patel highlighted Germany's role as a partner country in the successful Vibrant Global Summit-2024 and recalled the seminar on a Sustainable Global Supply Chain - Indo-German Perspective held during the summit. The CM assured the Consul General of the state government's commitment to supporting "German industrialists interested in setting up industries in Gujarat". He noted the presence of prestigious German companies in the state and mentioned that "Deutsche Bank has started operations in GIFT City, benefiting from a favorable working environment". Discussions also included the potential "establishment of higher education institutes from Germany in GIFT City and the successful MoU between Gujarat's Labor and Employment Department and German companies for technical and vocational education, which has enhanced the state's skilled workforce". Achim Fabig expressed eagerness to cooperate with Gujarat in sectors such as renewable energy, engineering, automobile, tourism, and skill development. He highlighted the productive discussions on "AI, health, and the pharma sector at the recent G-20 Summit and indicated Germany's interest in advancing in emerging sectors", including renewable energy. Hamirpur, Up : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday highlighted the significance of some major projects, including the establishment of a Defence Industrial Corridor (DIC), that will transform the entire Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh. Laying out his detailed vision for the development of Bundelkhand, PM Modi asserted that he wants the region to become the centre of industry and employment. "The BJP government is building two defence corridors in the country. Modi decided that a defence corridor would be built in Bundelkhand, the land of heroes. Our effort is that the youth do not have to leave Bundelkhand. Our resolve is that Bundelkhand should become the centre of industry and employment," the Prime Minister said while addressing a public meeting in Hamirpur. It was in February 2018 that Prime Minister Modi announced that one of the country's two Defence Industrial Corridors (DICs) will be set up in the Bundelkhand region passing through six nodes of Agra, Aligarh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi and Chitrakoot. "There is a possibility of Rs 20,000 crore investment in this corridor, providing employment to almost 2.5 lakh people. Yogi ji's government is also going to industrialise Purvanchal and Bundelkhand by creating Purvanchal Expressway and Bundelkhand Expressway," said PM Modi. On Friday, even as he mentioned the importance of the two defence corridors - the second one is coming up in Tamil Nadu - in providing a solid ecosystem to the defence industry, the Prime Minister slammed the Congress and opposition parties for demanding respect for Pakistan just because it has nuclear weapons. "They say that Pakistan has a nuclear bomb... Those giving these threats do not know that the country does not even have the money to maintain it. They also say that they (Pakistan) have missiles... I want them to know that the defence corridor that we are building in Bundelkhand is also for the same purpose and not for manufacturing firecrackers," said PM Modi. As it inches closer to its goal of achieving 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence, the government led by Prime Minister Modi believes that setting up of the two DICs will add to the momentum of becoming completely self-reliant in the sector. Jaipur, May 17 : Four people were killed while 13 others injured when a bus hit a truck on the National Highway in Halena village in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district. The incident occurred when the bus, belonging to Aligarh depot of Uttar Pradesh Roadways, which was proceeding towards Jaipur, hit a truck while trying to overtake a vehicle, one of the passengers said. The driver and conductor of the bus were injured in the accident while the truck driver fled the scene. Halena police station in-charge Brijendra Sharma said, "The accident was reported at around 1.30 p.m. The injured were rushed to Halena Hospital. Of the total injured people, eight were referred to RBM Hospital in Bharatpur while five are being treated at Halena Hospital." Bharatpur Collector Amit Yadav, Superintendent of Police Mridul Kachhawa and CMHO Gaurav Kapoor reached RBM Hospital and enquired about the condition of the injured. The front portion of the bus was badly damaged in the accident. A passenger said that the accident happened as the bus driver was trying to overtake. As the bus driver lost control of the vehicle, it hit the moving truck. After this, the truck dragged the bus for a long distance, he said. Another bus passenger, Suryapratap Singh, admitted to Bharatpur's RBM Hospital, said, "It is the bus driver's fault." Most of the passengers have suffered head injuries, police said. Athens : Unknown persons on Friday sent lurid e-mails threatening bomb attacks on numerous Cypriot schools, prompting a major evacuation operation of pupils on the island. The threats, which were later published by several media outlets, also contained pledges to "sever your necks" and "drown you in your blood," which police categorized as having an Islamist background. The messages were received by almost all primary and secondary schools, as well as some kindergartens, police spokesman Christos Andreou said on Cypriot radio. "We have carried out the evacuation calmly. So far, no explosive device has been discovered," Andreou said. Many frightened parents took their children out of the schools, media reported. The threats referred to Islamic law, or Sharia, which the author of the message said demanded the punishment of all unbelievers. According to the police, it was written in poor Greek and appeared to have been translated online. Security authorities were trying to determine where the mails were sent from. Why Cyprus should suddenly be exposed to Islamist threats initially remained unclear. The small EU island republic is home to many Israeli citizens, but also many refugees from the Middle East. Nicosia maintains good relations with both Israel and the Arab world. At the request of the Cypriot government, aid supplies have been repeatedly sent by ship to the suffering population in the Gaza Strip in recent months. --IANS/DPA int/as Seoul, May 17 : The influential sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, has rejected accusations that her country is engaged in prohibited arms trading with Russia. As reported by state media on Friday, the high-ranking official of the ruling Workers' Party described it as an absurd rumour that was "interwoven with a distorted view and fiction." "We have no intention of exporting our military technical capabilities to any country or releasing them," Kim said. North Korea, which is largely isolated due to its nuclear weapons programme, is internationally accused of supplying weapons and ammunition for Russia's war against Ukraine. The governments in Moscow and Pyongyang have repeatedly dismissed reports of such arms deliveries. However, the US government maintains that Pyongyang supplied missile launchers and ballistic missiles, among other equipment, in violation of UN prohibition resolutions. The South Korean Defence Ministry reported that thousands of containers of ammunition and military equipment have been sent from North Korea to Russia since last July. --IANS/DPA int/as/dan Kolkata, May 17 : Soon after the Trinamool Congress on Friday moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) accusing the former judge of Calcutta High Court, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, of making derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the poll panel issued a show-cause notice to Gangopadhyay, who is the BJP Lok Sabha nominee from Tamluk in East Midnapore district. Sources in the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said that after receiving the complaint from the ruling party, it sought a detailed report from the district electoral officer concerned on the matter. After receiving the report, the CEO's office forwarded it to the ECI headquarters in Delhi, which issued the show-cause notice to Gangopadhyay seeking a reply from him by 5 p.m. on May 20. The remarks by Gangopadhyay were made at a public meeting in Haldia district on Wednesday. They were made public after a purported video emerged online a day later in which Gangopadhyay could be heard wondering about the amount at which CM Banerjee was getting sold. In its plea, the Trinamool urged the poll panel to bar Gangopadhyay from addressing public meetings, holding roadshows, or giving interviews to the media. In its letter to the Commission, a copy of which is available with IANS, the Trinamool said, "It is shocking that BJP candidates are stooping to such low levels of indecency on a regular basis, making indecorous, unwanted, and degrading statements involving the integrity and honour of a woman just to garner votes." The Trinamool has also urged the Commission to ensure that no other BJP leader makes such derogatory remarks about the Chief Minister in the future. London, May 17 : The European Commission on Friday directed Microsoft to provide more information about the generative AI (GenAI) features in its search engine Bing else face fine, as the tech giant failed to respond to a March 14 request for inputs regarding specific risks stemming from Bing's GenAI features. The Commission stepped up its enforcement actions against Microsoft and the company now has time till May 27 to provide the requested information to the Commission on Bing's generative AI features, notably "Copilot in Bing" and "Image Creator by Designer". If Bing fails to reply within the deadline, the Commission may impose fines up to 1 per cent of the provider's total annual income or global turnover and periodic penalties up to 5 per cent of the provider's average daily income or worldwide annual turnover. The regulator can also impose fines up to 1 per cent of the provider's total annual income or worldwide turnover for incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information in response to a request for information. "Following its designation as 'Very Large Online Search Engine', Bing is required to comply with the full set of provisions introduced by the Digital Services Act (DSA)," said the Commission. Microsoft was yet to react to the "legally binding request for information,". Patna, May 17 : While Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav is claiming surprising results in the Lok Sabha elections, LJPR national president Chirag Paswan hit back at him and said the Grand Alliance will draw a blank in Bihar. "The Grand Alliance is not going to get a single Lok Sabha seat in Bihar. The Congress had won one seat in Kishanganj in 2019. This time, the Congress is losing that seat too. The NDA candidates will win 40 out of the 40 seats in Bihar, this is the change that is going to happen here," Paswan said while interacting with media persons in Patna on Friday. "Due to this change, all the leaders of the Grand Alliance including Tejashwi Yadav are in a panic. The people of Bihar are giving immense support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the first four phases of voting, the public has supported the NDA candidates," he said. Tejashwi Yadav earlier said that Bihar will give surprising results and the NDA will lose here badly. Narendra Modi is not going to become the Prime Minister for the third time. "I want to ask the Grand Alliance leaders why the big leaders of the Congress are not coming to Bihar. The reason for this is clear: the big leaders of Congress have understood that the Grand Alliance is not going to win in Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav should answer why the big leaders of Congress are not coming to Bihar," he said. YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenia reaffirms its commitment to the lasting, stable peace in the South Caucasus based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said at the 133rd Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The full statement of Minister Mirzoyan is presented below. "Dear Colleagues, Ladies and gentlemen, This year we celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of our Organization. 75 years after its establishment, the Council of Europe still remains one of the most important international organizations in protection of human rights and the rule of law. As we navigate through challenging times, where the threshold for violation of these basic principles, including the use of force, is alarmingly high, it is imperative that we recommit ourselves to the values and ideals that have guided this institution during three quarters of a century. Unfortunately, that is not necessarily the case for all the member states not only in the context of internal democratic institutions, but also in their relations with other states. In this sense since the Reykjavik Summit, significant human rights and humanitarian developments have unfolded in the geographic area of the Council of Europe, particularly in South Caucasus. In September 2023, after 9 months of blockade, the world witnessed the forcible displacement of the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijans military attack on the region, as documented by the Commissioner for Human Rights after her fact-finding visit in October 2023. With the help of the international community, the Armenian Government has taken necessary measures to meet the short-term needs of the refugees. Another pressing humanitarian issue remains the issue of the release of all Armenian prisoners of war and civilians illegally detained in Azerbaijan. Along with this, we should also note the positive developments. In April, Armenia and Azerbaijan finally started the delimitation process based on the 1991 Alma-Ata declaration, which was welcomed by many countries and organizations, including the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. Following my most recent meeting with the Azerbaijani counterpart on 10-11 May in Almaty, Armenia reaffirms its commitment to the lasting, stable peace in the South Caucasus based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity as per Alma-Ata declaration, the delimitation of the state border in line with the Alma-Ata Declaration, as well as the unblocking of communications under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of two states, based on the principles of equality and reciprocity. We believe the Council of Europe with its conventional system, has an important role to play in contributing to the democratic security of Europe and upholding the rights of all persons living in its geographical area. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank Liechtenstein for its dedicated guidance of the work of the Committee of the Ministers and wish all the best to the Lithuanian chairmanship. Thank you." Baramulla, May 17 : The electoral battle has become both interesting and intriguing in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency where the contest is triangular, with large crowds in rallies of each contestant defying a sense of winner and loser. Former Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah of the National Conference (NC), Sajad Gani Lone of the People's Conference (PC) and Sheikh Abdul Rashid, alias Engineer Rashid of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) are locked in a triangular contest, although Fayaz Ahmad Mir of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is also in the fray. The entry of former MLA, Engineer Rasheed, who is in Tihar Jail since 2019, has added fire to the election campaign in Baramulla. The NC and PC are slugging it out with each other over acrimony of the past. While PC is blaming NC of having converted J&K into a family fiefdom, the NC is accusing PC of being the visible extension of the BJP in Kashmir. In sharp contrast to politics and politicking between the NC and PC, the son of incarcerated Engineer Rasheed is spearheading a fiery campaign and asking people to vote for the AIP so that his father can be released from prison. Significantly, the youth are lending support to the son's campaign for release of Engineer Rasheed. Interestingly, for the voters of this constituency and intriguingly for his rivals in the election, Engineer Rasheed's campaign does not speak of employment, development, tourism, healthcare, education, infrastructure or any developmental issue. "Vote for our party to get my father released whom we haven't met for the last 5 years. To break the lock of my father's prison, use your vote", this emotional appeal seems to have gone down well with the voters in Baramulla constituency. The old parents of Engineer Rasheed also joined a poll rally of the AIP, walking barefoot among the people. This is sitting well with the voters since no electoral promises are made and hence there is no danger of such promises being broken if the incarcerated former MLA gets elected to Parliament. Interestingly, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) headed by former Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad has announced its support to AIP. Sensing the fast spreading sympathy for a person in prison, both NC and the PC have started campaigning aggressively in Baramulla constituency. Omar Abdullah has even sought the release of Engineer Rasheed to buttress the feelings of his opponent's supporters. The NC undoubtedly has cadre-based presence in Baramulla constituency and despite the sympathy wave being seen in favour of Engineer Rasheed, one cannot overlook the fact that the voting segments of this constituency are much beyond the line of influence of AIP. There are voting segments in Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Budgam Districts where the NC is well-entrenched and can get enough support to counterbalance the sympathy vote that Engineer Rasheed is likely to get. In addition to this, Sajad Gani also belongs to Handwara town of Kupwara District and his late father, Abdul Gani Lone remained a respected and popular politician of the area. Sajad has been working hard along with his colleague, Imran Raza Ansari, the senior Shia Muslim leader known to wield considerable influence among his community. The main electoral plank of the PC has been to oppose the NC for the alleged 1987 rigging which Sajad says gave birth to the over 30-year-long armed violence in J&K. Sajad also blames the NC leader, Omar Abdullah of having chosen to visit the remote areas of the constituency first time primarily to seek votes. The PC spurns the NC's charge of being close to the BJP by saying that Omar was first the commerce minister and then the deputy foreign minister in the government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and he has no right to blame Sajad for being close to the BJP. J&K Apni Party headed by Syed Altaf Bukhari is supporting Sajad Gani Lone in the constituency and the party has not fielded any candidate in Baramulla. If one goes by the large crowds attending the election meetings and rallies of the NC, PC and the AIP, then any one of them could be a winner in Baramulla constituency. But, the great magic of India's democracy is that the voter weighs options a hundred times before s/he presses the button on the EVM. How many of the crowds attending the rallies of the 3 rivals in this constituency would vote for those they went to hear during the poll rallies will decide the winners and losers in this constituency. There are 17,32,459 voters including 8,73,171 male, 8,59,255 female and 33 third gender voters in the constituency. The EC has set up 2,103 polling stations including 244 urban and 1,859 rural polling stations. Areas like Gurez, Tangdhar, Keran, Karnah and Uri falling in this constituency are close to the Line of Control (LoC). Campaigning ends at 6 PM on Saturday and voting will start at 7 AM on Monday in Baramulla Lok Sabha seat. Karnal, May 17 : Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda on Friday said people in the state are excited about the "formation" of the Congress government both at the Centre and in the state. Addressing a public meeting in Balla village of Assandh in the Karnal Lok Sabha, Hooda said that the BJP has "baton-charged" every section of society, including farmers, workers, employees, traders, temporary workers and sanitation workers. "Now, the opportunity has come to avenge the injury of the batons through votes. This is not just an election, but a fight to save the Constitution and democracy. Just as entire Haryana is unilaterally voting for Congress to defeat the BJP, Karnal has also become a part of the campaign," he said. Hooda was in Karnal to seek votes for Congress candidate Divyanshu Budhiraja for the parliamentary seat and Trilochan Singh for the Karnal assembly by-poll. The two-time Chief Minister said inputs coming from all over the country "shows that a coalition government will be formed at the Centre." "After the victory in the Lok Sabha, the Congress government is certain to be formed in Haryana as well. As soon as the Congress government is formed in Haryana, criminals and miscreants will not be allowed to live here," he said. He said that Congress wants the youth should move forward on the path of employment, instead of becoming victims of drugs, crime and migration. "That is why the Congress in its manifesto has promised to provide 30 lakh government jobs within a year. The Haryana Congress has also announced to provide more than 2 lakh jobs." Speaking on the occasion, Divyanshu Budhiraja said the BJP undoubtedly has money power, but the Congress has manpower and youth power. "The Congress high command has fielded a youth from an ordinary family against the former Chief Minister. That's why the people of Karnal themselves are contesting his elections. Many big leaders like former Panipat MLA Rohita Revdi, Independent MLA from Nilokheri, Dharampal Gondar, and former deputy mayor Manoj Wadhwa have joined the Congress after deserting the BJP," he said. BJP veteran Manohar Lal Khattar, who as the Haryana Chief Minister advocated simultaneous Assembly and general elections in the state, is facing a litmus test in his main support base Karnal, where Assembly by-poll and Lok Sabha elections will be held simultaneously on May 25. Khattar not only has to ensure the victory of his successor Chief Minister Nayab Saini in the by-polls but also win his maiden Lok Sabha battle to script BJP's hat-trick in Karnal, which is spread over nine Assembly segments. The by-election was necessitated after the resignation of Khattar as the Chief Minister on March 13. Polling in Haryana will be held in the sixth phase for 10 parliamentary seats and the by-poll for the lone Karnal assembly seat on May 25, while the results will be out on June 4. Kolkata, May 17 : Border Security Force (BSF) has arrested a Bangladeshi couple from the Land Customs Station (LCS) in Gede in the Nadia in West Bengal after finding at least (78) Rs 2,000 currency notes in their luggage. The couple, identified as Zahurul Islam and Kanji Fatema, from Narayanpur village in the Rajbari district of Bangladesh, were travelling to India with valid documents but Rs 2,000 currency notes are no longer in circulation in India. "They were taken into custody after they failed to come up with a satisfactory explanation about how they got these notes. BSF troops of the 32 Bn were searching the luggage of all people who had crossed over from Bangladesh when they detected the money," said A K Arya, DIG and Spokesperson, BSF, South Bengal Frontier. Zahurul claimed that the couple had visited India last in 2018 for Kanji's treatment. He had collected 2,00,000 Bangladeshi Taka for her treatment thereafter and got it exchanged into Indian currency. He had received Rs 1.56 lakh in Rs 2,000 currency notes from the money changer. The man claimed that he wasn't aware that Rs 2,000 currency notes are no longer in circulation in India. The authorities do not believe this though. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced recently that 97.69 per cent of the Rs 2,000 currency notes have returned to the system while Rs 8,202 crore worth of such notes are still unaccounted for. Authorities suspect that a large number of such notes are in other countries. While Rs 2,000 currency notes are no longer in circulation, they can still be exchanged from 19 RBI offices across the country, including one in Kolkata. It is suspected that Zahurul was bringing the cash into India with a plan to exchange it for a tender that is in circulation. A K Arya said that 1,000 to 1,200 people travel through LCS Gede every day and their luggage is thoroughly checked by the BSF personnel on duty. Several illegal items are seized during the search. Mumbai, May 17 : JSW Steel on Friday said that its board of directors have approved the acquisition of mining company Minas de Revuboe (MDR) in Mozambique to secure supplies of high-quality coking coal used for steel production. The Sajjan Jindal-led company said in an investor presentation that its subsidiary JSW Natural Resources Limited will buy a 92.19 per cent equity stake and shareholders loans of MDR for $73.75 million. The deal will give the Indian steel major access to more than 800 metric tonnes of premium hard-coking coal reserves in Mozambique. MDR owns a high-quality and large-scale pre-development stage premium hard-coking coal mine project in the Moatize Basin of Tete Province in Mozambique. The deal is subject to approval from Mozambiqueas Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy and other applicable approvals. Indian steel companies consume around 70 million metric tons of coking coal annually, and imports constitute around 85 per cent of the country's total requirement. as the commodity is not available in the country in sufficient quantity. Coking coal is imported from Australia, Indonesia, Russia, the USA and Canada. However, there has been a spike in prices of coking coal in recent months which has been impacting the bottomlines of the steel companies. Pune, : , May 17 (IANS) In an incident of diabolical proportions, a Nepali national, suspecting his wife's fidelity, allegedly cut two holes and 'locked' up her private parts after brutally assaulting her, officials of the Wakad Police Station in Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune said on Friday. The accused Upendra Hudake, 30, has been arrested, while his 28-year-old wife has undergone emergency surgery in a local hospital where her condition is now described as 'stable.' Investigating Officer Balaji Mete of Wakad Police Station told IANS, "The couple hails from a village in Nepal. They had come to Pune in early-May to look for employment and were living with Upendra Hudake's sister and her family near Wakad." The horrific incident occurred on the night of May 11, when Upendra Hudake came home in a heavily drunken state and abused and assaulted his wife. Upendra Hudake threatened her with a kitchen knife and accused her of being unfaithful to him, which she denied. Not believing her, Upendra Hudake continued to beat and kick her, terrifying her with the knife, and tied her up with a stole on the floor as she lay pleading with him to stop. Continuing his chilling assault Upendra Hudake took a sharp blade, cut two holes on both sides of her genitals, put iron screws and affixed a small brass lock on it, as the helpless woman lay bleeding and screaming for help. He even threw away the key of the lock. Hearing the commotion, a neighbour Lalit Parihar, a migrant labourer, rushed to the house where he saw the badly injured and profusely bleeding woman lying writhing on the floor in pain. He called for help and several people from the vicinity, including some other Nepalis living there, reached Upendra Hudake's home and they shifted her to a nearby hospital in a semi-conscious state, said the IO. There, she underwent an emergency surgery to remove the iron screws and lock, and stitch the deep wounds. IO Mete said that five days later on Thursday, when she was in a better condition, the woman took courage and lodged a complaint against her husband at the Wakad Police Station. "We took immediate cognisance of the brutal crime and arrested the accused Hudake. He was produced before a Wakad Court which has given him two weeks' magisterial custody," said Mete. Mete added that Upendra Hudake has been charged under IPC Section 323, 506(2) and others, and further investigations are ongoing in the matter. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in) Bhubaneswar, May 17 : The Odisha Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker during a pre-poll clash at Khallikote in the state's Ganjam district on May 15, an official said on Friday. Director General of Odisha Police Arun Kumar Sarangi has directed the SIT to ensure the submission of a chargesheet in the matter within 30 days by expediting the investigation. The SIT has also been directed to give a status report to the IG of Police, Southern Range, from time to time. "A Special Investigation Team will investigate the Khallikote murder case. The SIT will arrest the rest accused persons early, collect proper evidence (scientific/ forensic/ digital), and submit the chargesheet within 30 days for early trial of the case," a source with Odisha Police said on Friday. Meanwhile, senior IPS officer and Additional DGP (Headquarters) RK Sharma has been instructed to camp at Chhatrapur to oversee the law and order situation in Ganjam district during the poll scheduled to be held in eight Assembly constituencies of the district on May 20. Keeping in view the pre-poll violence in Khallikote, a high-level committee headed by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha, Nikunja Bihari Dhal, had earlier approved the deployment of 20 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) in the district for the 5th phase of election on May 20. Dillip Pahan, a BJP worker, died while three others sustained serious injuries in a scuffle with the alleged workers of the state's ruling Biju Janata Dal over putting up of campaign posters at Krushnasaranpur village. Tension erupted in the locality following the brutal murder of Dillip. The aggrieved BJP workers held a protest outside the Khallikote Police station seeking immediate arrest of the prime accused in the case. Police resorted to mild cane-charge near Khallikote Police station when the protesting BJP workers attacked the cops with stones and water bottles on May 16. As many as eight persons have so far been arrested by the Ganjam Police in this connection while several others are still at large. Assembly and Lok Sabha elections will be held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases from May 13 to June 1. The results of the polling will be out on June 4. New Delhi, May 17 : Since May 13 morning, when the news broke that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Personal Secretary Bibhav Kumar had physically assaulted Swati Maliwal -- one of the founding members of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) who served as the chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and is presently an AAP Rajya Sabha MP -- at the Chief Minister's official residence here, the main question that is doing the rounds is what was the provocation for the shameful incident? The story seemed even more complex because Bibhav Kumar has been working as a close aide to Kejriwal since the latter's NGO days. And Maliwal had her own stature within that setup for long. There seems to be something more than the initial details that came out. Maliwal's FIR has chilling details of how Bibhav Kumar thrashed her on her chest, abdomen, and pelvic area. Yet, it misses some other details, perhaps because those were not required in the FIR. Reliable sources told IANS that Maliwal's refusal to sign a pre-drafted resignation letter to step down as AAP Rajya Sabha MP eventually led to her assault by Kejriwal's close aide. The party leadership, the sources said, was keen to give that seat, if vacated by Maliwal, to a senior lawyer who has been fighting Kejriwal's cases in courts. In January this year, Maliwal was elected as an AAP Rajya Sabha MP from Delhi whose term will end in 2030. A victory for whosoever AAP gave the ticket for a by-election (if such a situation arises) for the Rajya Sabha seat looked certain. Maliwal was abroad when Kejriwal was arrested (in the excise policy case) and was largely absent when other party leaders were issuing various statements on the matter. Sources said she was asked to return to Delhi and take part in the Lok Sabha poll campaign. But on her return, she wasn't given any worthwhile assignment, the sources said. Certain dynamics in AAP have changed since Kejriwal was jailed in the alleged liquor scam. Though Kejriwal remains the unquestioned 'Boss' and his word is final in AAP, some new power centres, of whatever capacity, are trying to carve out a space for them, which reportedly had quite a few grouses against Maliwal. Maliwal wanted to discuss these issues and a few other things with Kejriwal, so she went to the CM's official residence on the morning of May 13, the sources said. The sources also said when Maliwal was asked to sign a resignation letter addressed to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, she asked "why her", as there were nine others from the party in the Rajya Sabha, so why not anyone else? She was promised something else in the near future. But she flatly refused, the sources said. In the FIR, Maliwal says "I was constantly screaming for help but no one came. After that, Bibhav Kumar did not relent and attacked me by kicking me repeatedly on my chest, stomach, and pelvis area. I was in extreme pain and kept telling him to stop. "My shirt was coming up but he continued to assault me. I repeatedly told him that I was having my periods and that he should please let go of me as I was in unbearable pain. However, he attacked me with full force again and again." She was reportedly told that Kejriwal was at the residence and would meet her shortly. This raises a pertinent question -- if Kejriwal was at home, didn't he hear the screams or the commotion of a fight taking place in his drawing room? Bihav Kumar has not been sacked yet from the post of Private Secretary to the Chief Minister even after the formal registration of an FIR, and the Nation Commission for Women (NCW) issuing notices to him. He was even spotted with Kejriwal and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh recently, suggesting that Kumar continues to enjoy the confidence of the Chief Minister. Maliwal's post on X in Hindi on Friday is also interesting. She wrote, "Like every time, this time also this political hitman has launched efforts to save himself Fall to whatever level you can, God is watching everything. One day everyone's truth will come out in front of the world." Maliwal did not name anyone, leaving it to the wisdom of the people to make an informed guess as to who she was referring to. Kolkata, May 17 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is nothing but an 'eyewash'. "CAA is nothing but an eyewash. Often those Indians who are staying abroad because of work or academic-related assignments are provided with Green Cards. CAA is just like that. The act is no guarantee for citizenship," the Chief Minister said while addressing an election meeting at Jhargram in support of the party candidate Kalipada Soren. She also accused the BJP candidate from Jhargram, Dr Pranat Tudu, of contesting elections ignoring the medical profession of his greed for money. "There is a shortage of doctors in this area. Who will give medical services to the local people if you contest the polls? Had I wished I could have refused the release order. But I did not. I thought when the lust is so much, let him go and make money," the Chief Minister said. Tudu was a government doctor attached to the Jhargram Medical College & Hospital. He resigned from his government services to contest the polls and the BJP is banking on his popularity in the constituency as a doctor to retain its seat. BJP candidate got elected from Jhargram in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. BJP's state leadership has, however, reminded that Trinamool Congress's three-time Lok Sabha member from Barasat Lok Sabha constituency and the fourth-time party candidate Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, is also a medical practitioner in private life. Earlier, the Trinamool Congress had sent another medical practitioner Dr Shantanu Sen to the Rajya Sabha. Bhubaneswar, May 17 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is heading towards a major triumph in Odisha. "This time, Odisha is going to witness a 'double change'. It is going to be 'saffronised' with over 15 MPs in Lok Sabha and over 75 MLAs in the Assembly," claimed HM Shah while addressing a public gathering in Rourkela Assembly constituency of Sundargarh district. HM Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ending the menace of Left Wing Extremism and stated that this election is all about restoring the Odia language, literature, culture and pride. "This election is to make Modiji the Prime Minister for the third time. This election aims to make India the world's third-largest economy. This election aims to create three crore 'lakhpati didis' in the country. This election is an election to start a new era of development by dethroning Naveen Babu (CM Naveen Patnaik) in Odisha," the Home Minister said. In his speech, HM Shah mentioned that, for years, crores of devotees of Lord Jagannath have been wondering about the issue of Ratna Bhandar (treasury of Jagannath Temple). "They want to get the mystery of the keys of Ratna Bhandar unfolded. Naveen Babu is misleading the people and is playing with the faith and beliefs of the people," the Home Minister said. He also slammed the ruling BJD government in Odisha for making Puri a 'tourist hub' in the name of the Parikrama project and alleged that the western region of Odisha was meted out with step-motherly treatment. Highlighting President Droupadi Murmu's journey, HM Shah said that PM Modi has left no stone unturned to ensure the tribals' welfare. "An amount worth Rs 200 crore has been earmarked for building a tribal museum in the country. The budget for tribal welfare has been increased to Rs 1,24,000 crore. Also, 740 Eklavya Model residential schools have been established for empowering the tribal students," the Home Minister said. He also mentioned that officials are running the state government instead of the elected representatives. "Who should run the government, the elected MPs and MLAs or the officers? Under Naveen Babu, officers are running the government for which tribes are losing their land," HM Shah said. He recalled that PM Modi welcomed the world leaders in front of an image of Konark Sun Temple during the G20 Summit last year and had also released a commemorative stamp and coin on the Paika Rebellion. The BJP has fielded former Union Minister Jual Oram from the Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat where the polling is going to be held on May 20. Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are being held simultaneously in Odisha in four phases from May 13 to June 1. The results will be out on June 4. Ranchi, May 17 : Kalpana Murmu Soren, wife of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has formally made an entry into politics on March 4, this year. In the last few months, she has become a key face of the INDIA bloc in Jharkhand. Kalpana Soren is contesting the bypoll from Gandey Assembly seat on a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) ticket. Moreover, she is also touring the country as a star campaigner for the INDIA bloc. Amid the hectic election campaign, she spoke to IANS in an exclusive interview on a wide range of issues. Here are some excerpts. IANS: One and a half months after your husband's arrest, you announced your entry into politics on March 4. Exactly three months later, when the election results will be declared on June 4, where do you see yourself? Kalpana Soren: Public has been showering their love on me after I decided to enter politics. The love I am receiving is because of the hard work and sacrifice of Hemant Soren. I am happy that the public perceives one of their sisters and daughters. I am hopeful that on June 4, because of the immense support from the people of the Gandey Assembly constituency, I will become an elected member of the Jharkhand Assembly. IANS: Some political analysts predict that after becoming MLA on June 4, Kalpana Soren might also take the chair of Jharkhand Chief Minister. What do you think? Kalpana Soren: This is a hypothetical question. My priority right now is the Gandey Assembly by-poll and the Lok Sabha elections for 14 seats in the state. I am dedicated to the election campaign as a devoted party worker. IANS: Has the absence of Hemant Soren affected the INDIA bloc's election campaign in Jharkhand? Are you able to fill the void left by Hemant Soren? Kalpana Soren: Millions of people in the state who love Hemant Soren are missing him. No one can replace him. His presence makes everyone feel stronger. The slogan 'Hemant hai toh himmat hai' (If Hemant is there, there's courage) stems from the emotions of the people. The public knows that he has been sent to jail under false accusations and conspiracies. Even though he is not physically present among the people, he is with us mentally. As his representative and a party worker, I am conveying his messages to the people. IANS: The ED has filed a chargesheet against Hemant Soren and preparations are underway to begin a trial. What do you think about this? Kalpana Soren: Not just me but the entire state knows that Hemant has been falsely accused. The land case for which he was arrested has fallen flat. The ED has not been able to provide a single document or piece of evidence showing that this land belongs to him. They arrest some people, put them in jail and then put words in their mouths. Just because someone says it verbally, does it become true? Hemant Soren was falsely implicated at the behest of the BJP. He was and will remain untainted. We have faith in the courts. IANS: Crores of rupees were seized from the house of the servant of Personal Secretary (PS) of a Jharkhand Cabinet Minister and people connected to them. And now, even Minister Alamgir Alam has been arrested. Is this not a case of corruption? Kalpana Soren: Let me make it clear that if there is any form of corruption, we do not support it. Hemant Soren himself has always taken a strict stance against corruption. What accusations were made against the minister and on what basis he was arrested should be revealed. We will stand with truth and integrity. I also want to add that sending someone to jail for purely political reasons and targeting opponents selectively is also corruption. The media should expose these forms of corruption as well. IANS: Sita Soren, your sister-in-law, has left the party and the family and is contesting the elections on a BJP ticket. She is also making several allegations against you... Kalpana Soren: What she thinks and does is her personal decision. She is our elder sister, and we respect her. Moreover, the public knows everything about our family. IANS: In the Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand, on one side is the influential face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and on the other hand is your alliance with multiple leaders. What do you think will be the outcome on June 4? Kalpana Soren: Their focus is on one person, one face, while our face is no different from the faces of millions of people. The veil of their jumlas (empty promises) has been lifted. From our side, the public itself is in the fray. In a democracy, the public always wins. We are confident about winning all 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand and the Gandey assembly seat. There is not much time left for June 4, and the complete picture will be soon in front of everyone. Mumbai: Mumbai Police Crime Branch team brings Bhavesh Bhinde (in black cloth), an accused in the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case. Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, May 17 : A Mumbai court on Friday sent Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of the gigantic hoarding that crashed in Ghatkopar claiming 16 lives, to police custody till May 26. Bhinde, Director of EGO Media Pvt Ltd., was arrested from Rajasthan's Udaipur town on Thursday and brought to Mumbai. He was produced before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Esplanade Courts, K.S. Zanwar who sent him to 10 days police custody. On May 13, when a sudden dust storm followed by rains, thunder and strong winds lashed Mumbai, the mammoth illegal hoarding had crashed on some homes and a petrol pump, crushing more than 100 people and 71 big and small vehicles. Soon after the tragedy, the Bhandup police booked Bhinde under various charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and launched investigations. Seeking 14-day custody, the Mumbai police prosecutor said that Bhindeas firm owns several more hoardings in the city and the police needed to carry out a thorough investigation. This would include the financial aspects as it requires at least Rs 5 crore to manage one hoarding, the details of who granted permission for erecting the billboards, its structural stability clearance, and related aspects. Bhindeas lawyer Rizwan Merchant contended that the grounds for the remand plea were invalid as the police did not inform his client about the reasons for his arrest. Bhopal, May 17 : If the defeat in the assembly elections in November last year was a major setback for the Madhya Pradesh Congress and several prominent leaders joining the ruling BJP led to shrinking ground, it is also believed that these political developments of the past six months have some positive aspects too. These setbacks have undoubtedly demoralised the Congress cadre. However, at the same time, to some extent it has reduced the factionalism the party has been suffering from for decades in Madhya Pradesh. Until a few years back, the Congress in Madhya Pradesh boasted a number of stalwarts -- Jyotiraditya Scindia, Suresh Pachouri, Kamal Nath, Digvijaya Singh, Ajay Singh (Rahul) with a strong base in their respective regions. Scindia left the Congress and joined the BJP in March 2020 and contested the Lok Sabha election on the Lotus symbol in 2024. Suresh Pachouri also shifted to the BJP. Another Congress veteran Kamal Nath led the party for over five years and under whose leadership the party won the assembly election in 2018. However, the political developments unfolding after the 2023 assembly elections restricted him to his pocket borough Chhindwara. Kamal Nath managed to secure a ticket for his son Nakul Nath, however, he did not campaign beyond his bastion even after polling in Chhindwara was completed in the first phase on May 19. He did not visit the Congress headquarters in Bhopal after he addressed a press conference in December last year, a Congress functionary told IANS. "Kamal Nath has restructured the party and undoubtedly he led the party single handedly and he was an unopposed leader. But, rumours of his possible shifting to the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections and the drama which unfolded from Bhopal to Delhi was a drawback for him," a senior Congress leader said requesting anonymity. Two other senior MP Congress leaders, Ajay Singh (Rahul) and Kamleshwar Patel, also do not have much to do because the party lost badly in the Vindhya region (BJP won 25 out of the 30 assembly seats in the Vindhya region) to which the duo belong. Former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, who contested his last Lok Sabha election (as he announced) from his home district Rajgarh has given his full backing to new state party president Jitu Patwari, reliable sources in the Congress claimed. "Jitu Patwari is Rahul Gandhi's choice, but he obliged Digvijaya Singh more than any other state leader because the latter has a strong base in the state. And overall, Jitu Patwari has always enjoyed Digvijaya Singh's support," another Congress leader said. Now, the new MP Congress chief has started reshaping the party from top to bottom and the process will move ahead in earnest after the results of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections are announced on June 4. After the Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh concluded on May 13, addressing a press conference Jitu Patwari said, "The party has lost four assembly elections between 2003 and 2023, and we can't always blame our opponent (BJP) every time. We need to introspect over it and the process will start soon after the Lok Sabha results are out." Mumbai, May 17 : Union Minister Nitin Gadkari visited the prestigious Asian Heart Institute (AHI) here for a cardiac and full medical checkup and was declared hale and hearty, official sources said here on Friday. Gadkari, 66, underwent a battery of cardiac, stress and other medical tests under the supervision of top medicos for several hours. After all the tests, the doctors examined the reports and gave an all-clear to Gadkarias heart and overall health condition. An official told IANS that Gadkari was suffering from the extreme summer heat and dehydration, as he was engaged in a gruelling campaign schedule for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. In fact, on the blistering hot afternoon of April 24, Gadkari fainted during his speech at an election rally in Pusad town of Yavatmal and had to be carried off the stage by his aides. After he was given some medication, he recovered and resumed his speech, though his health sparked concerns in state political circles. Gadkari is also the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from the Nagpur LS constituency a" where heas aiming for a hat-trick victory. Polling for the seat was held in the first phase on April 19. Geneva, May 17 : The civil war in Sudan is on the brink of spiralling out of control, the United Nations warned on Friday, a year after the start of major fighting in the East African country. At least 16,000 people died so far, with 33,000 injured and around nine million displaced, and a famine is now looming, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). More than a third of the people in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and in the Darfur region are already suffering from acute food deprivation, the agency said. The number of children under the age of five and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers suffering from acute malnutrition has risen from 3.9 million at the beginning of 2023 to 4.9 million in 2024. A bloody power struggle is raging between the forces of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, an army general who is Sudan's de facto leader, and his former deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker TArk, spoke to the two men separately on the phone for the first time since 2022, his office reported on Friday. He called on them to enter into peace negotiations, not to obstruct humanitarian aid in the country and to prevent atrocities committed by their fighters. Both had agreed that international humanitarian law must be respected, TArk's spokeswoman said. She did not give any details about further reactions from either side. Concrete proposals for new peace negotiations or a meeting between the two men were not discussed, according to the spokeswoman. During the calls, TArk expressed his extreme concern at the recent escalation of fighting between the sides in Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur. There, 1.8 million inhabitants and displaced persons are caught between the fronts and have hardly any food left, he said. --IANS/DPA int/as/arm Bengaluru, May 17 : Claiming that a rape charge has been included in the sexual harassment case against JD-S MLA H.D. Revanna, the prosecution argued on Friday before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (ACMM) court that he should be handed over to judicial custody. Countering this, the counsel for Revanna claimed that the case against his client itself was false and lodged intentionally. After hearing the arguments, the court adjourned the matter to Monday (May 20). To recall, Revanna, the son of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, recently came out of prison in a kidnap case involving a woman victim of the alleged sex video scandal in which his son and JD-S MP Prajwal Revanna is the prime accused. On Friday, special public prosecutor Jayna Kothari, appearing for the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case, submitted that IPC Section 376 (rape) has been added to the sexual harassment case registered at the Holenarasipur police station. "The victim claimed that she had left her house, as she was unable to bear the harassment at the hands of H.D. Revanna and his son Prajwal Revanna. The house allotted to her under the Ashraya scheme was taken back, but a complaint to the District Commissioner in this regard made no difference," Kothari argued. "H.D. Revanna and Prajwal Revanna both committed sexual assault, and the court should not see the case against Revanna as separate from that of Prajwal Revanna. Under no circumstances should he be granted bail. Since the rape charge has been added to the case, the trial should be conducted in the session's court," she argued. "The SIT probe is ongoing. If bail is granted now, it will influence the witnesses. Also, bail should not be granted to Revanna as a non-bailable section has been invoked in the case. The sexual assault was committed by both Revanna and his son Prajwal Revanna at their home," Kothari added. She also argued that since it is difficult to ascertain the exact nature of the sexual assault by Revanna, it has to be determined through investigation. "It cannot be said that Revanna does not face rape charges at this stage. Once the charge sheet is filed, the exact nature of the offence will become clear," she submitted. Special public prosecutor Ashok Nayak, also appearing for the SIT, claimed that sexual assault was committed by both father and son. "Repeated atrocities were committed against the same victim. The father and son committed the same offence. The first accused, H.D. Revanna, is protecting the second accused, his son Prajwal Revanna. The first accused helped his son to escape from India," Nayak claimed. C.V. Nagesh, the counsel for H.D. Revanna, claimed that the complaint in this regard was not lodged by the complainant in the first place. "It is a false case created intentionally. The victim does not know what sexual assault is," he argued. Nagesh also argued that the IPC sections invoked against his client are available. "The rape charge against Revanna has been added only now. The alleged act was not committed on the day when the complaint was lodged. It did not occur a week ago or even a year ago. The complaint states that the alleged act was committed years ago. "The victim did not register the complaint at the Holenarasipur police station. Instead, the sub-inspector from Holenarasipur police station went to Bengaluru and got the complaint written as wanted by the victim. The station book mentions that at 11 p.m. on April 24, one victim had come from Bengaluru who was in a distraught state," Nagesh claimed. The station book also says that after informing the seniors, the case was filed after visiting the victim at her place, he said. "This shows the complaint was not registered properly, but was altered to suit some people's convenience. The complaint against Revanna was not recorded by a woman police officer, and her statement was not recorded in writing," Nagesh claimed. Kolkata, May 17 : Friday turned out to be a politically eventful day in West Bengal which brought both relief and anxiety for the state unit of the BJP. The relief came after the Calcutta High Court ordered the immediate release of a woman BJP leader from Sandeshkhali, Mampi Das, who was arrested after a sting operation video went viral in which a local BJP leader was heard saying that the womenas protest there was plotted and orchestrated by the BJP in which Das played a key role. The order came as a political reprieve for the BJP as the single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta raised questions over the justification behind Das' arrest, and the justification of implicating her in a non-bailable section of the Indian Penal Code. The state BJP is terming the order as an endorsement of the partyas claims that the viral video and the subsequent arrest of Das were nothing but conspiracies plotted by the Trinamool Congress and the state police. However, the BJP also received a jolt on Friday after the Election Commission of India issued a show-cause notice to the former judge of the Calcutta High Court, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, over the latteras derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The notice came after the Trinamool Congress filed a complaint with the poll panel against Gangopadhyay, who has been fielded by the BJP from the Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency in East Medinipur district. The remarks by Gangopadhyay were made at a public meeting in Haldia district on Wednesday. They went public after a purported video emerged online a day later in which Gangopadhyay could be heard wondering about the "amount at which CM Banerjee was getting sold". While Gangopadhyay has been asked to file a reply by 5 p.m. on May 20, there is anxiety in the BJP camp whether the reply will satisfy the poll panel. If the Election Commission bars Gangopadhyay from addressing public meetings, holding roadshows, or giving interviews to the media, as demanded by the Trinamool, it will be a major embarrassment for Gangopadhyay before Tamluk goes to the polls in the sixth phase on May 25. New Delhi, May 17 : Bibhav Kumar, the personal secretary (PS) to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, lodged a complaint at the Civil Lines police station on Friday evening in connection with the allegations of physical assault levelled against him by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, the former chairperson of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW). Kumar's complaints read, "This is to bring to your kind notice that on the morning of May 13, Swati Maliwal forcefully and unauthorisedly entered the Chief Minister's residence. Not only did she breach the security, create a ruckus, and assault the complainant, she is now trying to falsely implicate the undersigned so as to create undue pressure on him." He also claimed that on May 13 at around 8:40 a.m., Maliwal came to the Chief Minister's official residence in Civil Lines, and sought permission to enter the house. "The security officer present at the main entrance inquired about her identity, to which Swati Maliwal identified herself as a Rajya Sabha MP. She then told the security officers to clear her path and allow her to enter as she had an appointment with the Chief Minister," Kumar said in his complaint. "The said security officer requested her to wait till he got the details of her appointment verified. Upon verification, the security officer informed her that there was no such appointment on record and therefore he could not allow her to enter (the house). "Maliwal then forcefully entered the CM's residence despite the objections of the office staff. So not only did she make false claims of having an appointment to gain entry into the CM's residence, she also forcefully and illegally trespassed into the premises despite repeated objections of the security and CM office staff," he said. "Since Ms. Maliwal had by now gained unauthorised entry into the premises of the CM's residence, the office staff asked her to wait in the waiting area. The said waiting room is located on the campus of CM's residence, but not in the main building where the CM resides," Kumar claimed in his complaint. "Upon being asked to wait outside the main building, she started shouting at and abusing the CM office staff. She told them to leave the waiting area and check with the Chief Minister about her appointment. At around 9 a.m., despite strong objections of the office staff, she stormed out of the waiting area and entered the main building where the CM resides," he added. As per the complaint, Bibhav was informed that she had no appointment and had made an unauthorised entry into the premises of the CM's residence despite the objections of the staff. "At around 9:22 a.m., the complainant entered the main building and found Ms. Maliwal sitting in the drawing room. The complainant approached Ms. Maliwal and politely requested her to follow the proper procedure for meeting the Chief Minister. "As soon the complainant stated the above, Ms. Maliwal started screaming and shouting at the complainant and hurled abuses at him, saying, 'Tumhari himmat kaise hui ek MP ko rokne ki... Tumhari aukad kya hai'," Kumar claimed in his complaint. The development came after Maliwal on Friday morning formally lodged a complaint with Delhi Police, revealing the extent of "harassment" and "torture" she faced at the hands of Kumar at the Chief Minister's residence on the morning of May 13. Bengaluru, May 17 : A female student at a private engineering college on the outskirts of Bengaluru was found dead in mysterious circumstances and police are probing the case, officials said on Friday. The deceased student, identified as Harshita, 18, was a resident of Kodihalli in Arsikere taluk of Hassan district. and a first-year student in the electronic and communications branch at the college near Heelalige, close to Chandapura town. According to police, her body was found hanging in her room in the college hostel on Thursday night. The incident came to light when her friend, Pragathi, saw Harshitaas body hanging through the window. She informed other students about the incident, and they broke open the door, brought Harshita down, and attempted to rush her to the hospital. Harshita was staying alone in her room as her roommate had gone to her home. The exact reason for her taking the step is yet to be ascertained. Her father Keshavamurthy told the police that at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Harshita had called up and spoken to him. However, he received a call from the college principal at 10.30 p.m. that she was found hanging in her room. The father has asked police to probe the matter. Suryanagar police, which is investigating the matter, said that they will record the statements of her friends and staff of the college and hostel. Mumbai, May 17 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lashed out at Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, saying the "fake" Shiv Sena has betrayed Balasaheb Thackeray and the sacrifices of Shiv Sainiks. Speaking at a rally here at the Shivaji Park ahead of polling in all six Lok Sabha constituencies of Mumbai on May 20, PM Modi said: "For the sake of power, he (Uddhav) sided with those who mocked Ram Mandir. For power, he went along with the people who were partying after the Mumbai attacks. He is sitting on the lap of the Congress which disrespects Veer Savarkar." The BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) are contesting three seats each against Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Congress. Addressing the well-attended rally, PM Modi appealed to the Mumbaikars to turn out in large numbers and exercise their franchise as every vote will be a vote for him. PM Modi also dared NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar to tell Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to not disrespect towards Veer Savarkar. PM Modi also accused the INDIA bloc leaders of "repeatedly insulting the Constitution". "Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was against reservations on the basis of religion. The Constituent Assembly decided not to give reservations on the basis of religion. But the INDIA bloc is going to give reservations to those doing 'vote jihad' on the basis of religion," PM Modi said. PM Modi also lashed out at the INDIA bloc for playing appeasement politics for the vote bank, saying "these people caused bloodshed in Mumbai". "They said the surgical strike was false. The INDIA bloc has betrayed Mumbai... the entire country. Ajmal Kasab terrorised the people of Mumbai, painted this city with blood... but these people are giving him a clean chit," PM Modi said. PM Modi, who was accompanied by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar among others at the public meeting, accused the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government of hindering developmental work in Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra. "They stalled a slew of projects including Bullet train, Mumbai Metro, dedicated freight corridor, JNPT container port. Modi has come to give back the rights of Mumbai. Today, the most modern infrastructure in the world is in Mumbai. The city of Mumbai does not just see dreams, it lives with them. In this dream city, I have come up with a dream of 2047. A dream... a resolve to build a Viksit Bharat. Mumbai is going to play a huge role in it. I guarantee that I am going to leave you with a developed India," PM Modi said while speaking at the rally. "That is why, with the mantra of Modi 24x7 for 2047... every moment in your name, every moment in the name of the country... he is engaged with all his heart and soul," PM Modi said, adding he has a report card of 10 years and a roadmap for the next 25 years. "On the other hand, you have the INDIA bloc, which has many prime ministerial candidates as there are many parties in the alliance. The country will go bankrupt if you go by the Maoist manifesto of the Congress party. They have an eye on the gold of our temples and 'mangalsutras' of women. They came up with the idea of 'Inheritance Tax'," PM Modi said. For 60 years, PM Modi said, the Congress claimed to have eradicated poverty from the country. "They used to talk about eradicating poverty in their speeches. In the last 10 years, we have pulled out crores of people out of poverty. It's the power of your vote that made this feat possible. Today, Article 370 has been abrogated. And those who are nurturing dreams of bringing it back, they should listen carefully - no power in the world can bring back Article 370," PM Modi said, while also slamming the opposition over Ram Mandir issue, saying the government has ensured construction of Ram Temple, bringing an end to years of waiting. "Record investments are coming, and I guarantee that in a few years, we will become the third-largest economic power in the world," PM Modi said. He also took a swipe at the Congress, saying: "After Independence, had the Congress been dissolved on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi, India would have been ahead by five decades. The 'Congressisation' of all the systems of the country after Independence destroyed five decades of the country." Meanwhile, in his speech, Raj Thackeray urged PM Modi to provide a Classical Language status for Marathi after getting a third term, and also include the 125-year rule of Marathas in the History books, complete the delayed Mumbai Goa highway, beautify forts to regain their glory and provide more funds for development of Mumbai. Jaipur, May 17 : Speculation is rife in the Desert State as to who will be the next chief of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee. Whether an Ashok Gehlot loyalist will be given the coveted post or someone from the Sachin Pilot camp will be made the state Congress chief are the million-dollar questions doing the rounds in the political corridors of the state. Party sources said that the results of the Lok Sabha elections, due on June 4, will decide whether state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra's will retain his chair. aThere is a possibility of extensive changes in the Congress after the Lok Sabha elections," said a party worker. Gehlotas fate depends on the results for the Jalore and Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) Lok Sabha seats. While Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot is the Congress nominee from Jalore, the former Chief Minister has been made the party observer for the prestigious Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. Now, all eyes are set on these two seats which will decide Gehlotas political stature in the state, said sources. The fate of former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot will also be decided after the declaration of the Lok Sabha results on June 4. Many candidates have reportedly been fielded in the LS polls on the recommendation of Pilot, including from Jaipur Rural, Tonk, Dausa, Karauli, Jodhpur, Jhunjhunu, Bharatpur, and Sri Ganganagar. If these candidates win, Pilot's stature will grow significantly, and in that scenario, the post of state Congress chief might as well go to a leader of his choice, sources said. Another point of discussion in the state's political circles is why Gehlot was appointed the observer for Amethi, while Pilot was sent to North East Delhi as the observer where the party has fielded former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar. Many party workers feel that Gehlotas proximity to the Gandhi family was the reason for sending him to Amethi, which used to be a Congress bastion before BJP's Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi there in 2019. However, Pilot was also seen campaigning for Rahul Gandhi in Raebareli recently, which somewhat silenced those questioning Pilotas close connection with the Gandhi family scion. Earlier, there was speculation that Dotasra would be removed from the chair after the party's defeat in last year's Assembly polls. Now it is being said that the results of the Lok Sabha elections will decide his stature in state Congress, sources said. "Wait till June 4, and you will get a clear picture. If Gehlotas son wins from Jalore, his opinion will matter, and if Pilot's candidates win a few seats, he will emerge as the decision maker in selecting the new PCC chief," said a party worker. NASAs Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate Nicky Fox and ESAs Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander sign an agreement on the Rosalind Franklin mission at ESAs headquarters in Paris, France on May 16, 2024. Credits: ESA/Damien Dos Santos NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) announced Thursday they signed an agreement to expand NASAs work on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, an ESA-led mission launching in 2028 that will search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. With this memorandum of understanding, the NASA Launch Services Program will procure a U.S. commercial launch provider for the Rosalind Franklin rover. The agency will also provide heater units and elements of the propulsion system needed to land on Mars. A new instrument on the rover will be the first drill to a depth of up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) deep below the surface to collect ice samples that have been protected from surface radiation and extreme temperatures. The Rosalind Franklin rovers unique drilling capabilities and onboard samples laboratory have outstanding scientific value for humanitys search for evidence of past life on Mars, said Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA supports the Rosalind Franklin mission to continue the strong partnership between the United States and Europe to explore the unknown in our solar system and beyond. Through an existing, separate partnership with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French space agency CNES (Centre National dEtudes Spatiales), NASA is contributing key components to the Rosalind Franklin rovers primary science instrument, the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer, that will search for the building blocks of life in the soil samples. NASA has a longstanding partnership with the Department of Energy to use radioisotope power sources on the agencys space missions and will be partnering again with the Energy Department for the use of lightweight radioisotope heater units for the rover. The Rosalind Franklin rover mission complements the Mars Sample Return multi-mission campaign led by both agencies. For more information on NASAs research on Mars, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/mars Astrobiology Guwahati, May 17 : The Assam unit of Trinamool Congress on Friday moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) accusing Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of making "hate speech" at an election rally in Jharkhand recently. Guwahati, May 17 (IANS) The Assam unit of Trinamool Congress on Friday moved the Election Commission of India (ECI) accusing Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of making "hate speech" at an election rally in Jharkhand recently. Ripun Bora, President of Trinamool Congress in Assam, wrote to the ECI saying, "During his speech, he (Himanta Biswa Sarma) incited and instigated the Hindu community against the Muslim community." According to Bora, the Assam CM allegedly said, "The Mughals had made the entire country dirty, and now we Hindus must clean it." Bora also claimed that Sarma said if the BJP gets 400 seats, a temple will be built on the Gyanvapi mosque site in Varanasi. "Referring to the arrest of Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam in a money laundering case, he (Sarma) said that 'Hindus must not allow the Muslims to keep such huge cash in their possession'. He also said that only Muslim leaders can commit such an offence," Bora wrote to ECI. The Trinamool leader also enclosed a link to Sarma's controversial speech along with the complaint. "The above speech of Himanta Biswa Sharma created hatred against the Muslim community. He instigated the Hindus against the Muslims, which is not only unconstitutional but also a serious violation of the Model Code of Conduct, which is in force in the entire country in view of the ongoing general elections," Borah said in his complaint. Hyderabad, May 17 : While the polling for the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana has ended, the political heat continues as the major political players have intensified their campaign for the by-election of the Member of Legislative Council (MLC) from the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduates' constituency. The candidates of the ruling Congress and opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are vying with each other to woo voters for the May 27 by-election. There are 4.6 lakh voters in the constituency spread over 34 assembly seats in the erstwhile districts of Warangal, Khammam, and Nalgonda. There are 52 candidates in the fray but it will be mainly a triangular contest among the Congress, the BRS, and the BJP. The vacancy arose after Palla Rajeshwar Reddy of the BRS resigned after he was elected to the Assembly from the Jangaon constituency in the November 2023 Assembly elections. The BRS, which is making every effort to retain the seat, has fielded A. Rakesh Reddy, who had quit the BJP to join it just before the Assembly elections after he was denied a ticket from the Warangal constituency. Chintapandu Naveen, also known as Teenmaar Mallanna, who had contested as an independent and finished second in the election for the MLC seat held two years ago, is in the fray this time as the Congress candidate. The BJP has again fielded its state General Secretary G. Premender Reddy, who secured fourth place in 2021. The key candidates have intensified their campaigning. They are meeting the voters and seeking their support for the upcoming by-poll. The by-election is a prestige battle for Congress as the party is keen to demonstrate that it continues to enjoy the support of graduates. Jobs for unemployed youth was one of its key promises in the Assembly elections and it is reiterating its commitment to fill two lakh vacancies through the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) before the end of 2024. In 2021, Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) President and academician M. Kodandaram also contested the poll from this MLC constituency but finished third. There were allegations that money was distributed among voters to defeat Kodandaram, a bitter critic of BRS President and then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). Kodandaram, a former professor of political science at Osmania University, had played a key role in the Telangana movement as convenor of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), which included TRS (now BRS). He was considered close to KCR. However, after the formation of Telangana in 2014, differences cropped up between them and Kodandaram floated the TJS. In the recent Assembly elections, Kodandaram backed the Congress and the latter rewarded him by nominating him to the Legislative Council under the Governoras quota. With Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and ministers backing him, Teenmaar Mallanna is confident of wresting the seat from BRS. The ruling party has 33 out of the 34 MLAs in the graduates' constituency. Mallanna, who belongs to Backward Classes Munnuru Kapu community, joined the Congress before the Assembly elections. He was earlier with the BJP. The BRS is sparing no effort to defeat Mallanna, whom its leaders call a "blackmailer". Mallanna runs a YouTube channel considered highly critical of KCR and his family. He was arrested for his alleged derogatory posts and comments against KCR when BRS was in power. The BRS is appealing to voters to elect the well-educated Rakesh Reddy, who completed his higher studies in the US. The BJP is banking on the PM Narendra Modi factor to win the support of graduates. The polling will be held on May 27 while counting of votes will be taken up on June 5, a day after counting of votes polled in Lok Sabha elections. The key political players in the state are also waiting for the result of another by-poll. The by-election to the Legislative Council from Mahabubnagar Local Authoritiesa Constituency was held on March 28 and the counting of votes was scheduled on April 2. However, the Election Commission postponed the counting to June 2 in view of the model code of conduct announced for the Lok Sabha elections. A total of 1,439 voters, including municipal councillors, MPTCs, ZPTCs and ex-officio members, were eligible to cast their votes in the by-election and barring two, all cast their votes on March 28. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had cast his vote as an ex-officio member in his capacity as MLA from Kodangal constituency. The by-election witnessed a direct fight between Manney Jeevan Reddy of the Congress and N. Naveen Kumar Reddy of BRS. Independent candidate Sudershan Goud was also in the fray. The by-election was necessitated after Kasireddy Narayan Reddy of the BRS resigned and successfully contested as a Congress candidate from the Kalwakurthy Assembly constituency in the Assembly elections. Agartala, May 17 : More than a year after a minor girl was taken away from her village in Tripura's Khowai district on the pretext of a job, she was rescued from Rajasthan by a state police team and one person arrested in this connection, an official said on Friday. A police official said that a neighbour of the 15-year-old girl took her away from Singichara village in Khowai to Jaipur in April last year to engage her in domestic work but in January this year, some people forced her to marry a man in Rajasthan. The girlas father lodged a complaint with the police on May 6 and then a police team headed by Sub-Inspector Champa Das went to Rajasthan, rescued the minor girl, arrested accused Ashok Kumar Chowdhury, 30, earlier this week and brought them back here on Thursday. Police on Friday produced the accused in a local court in Khowai and the court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days. The girl was also handed over to her family. Bengaluru, May 18 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reviewed the preparedness for the rainy season during a high-level meeting with officials on Friday. The Chief Minister also issued directions to concerned officials on various other issues. Meanwhile, Home Minister G. Parameshwara ordered a probe into alleged negligence by police in the Anjali Ambigera murder case. Ambigera, 20, was stabbed to death by a youth when she was asleep at her house in the Veerapur Oni area of Hubballi on Wednesday early morning. Commenting on the sex scandal case involving JD-S MP Prajwal Revanna, the Home Minister reiterated that attempts and procedures are on to bring the prime accused back to India. Also on the day, the prosecution in the sexual harassment case against JD-S MLA H.D. Revanna argued before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (ACMM) court that a rape charge has been included against the JD-S MLA and he should be handed over to judicial custody. Meanwhile, Karnataka's Leader of the Opposition (LoP) R. Ashoka accused the Congress-led state government of letting the banks take away the drought compensation amount meant to save their families in these difficult times. He slammed the Congress government, calling it anti-farmer and accused it of lacking empathy. The LoP criticized the government for letting the banks take away the MGNREGA payments and farmers' pensions as adjustments against their loans. He said that CM Siddaramaiah should direct the district commissioners to instruct banks not to use the deposited money to recover loans. "If the banks do not comply, CM Siddaramaiah should announce a waiver of farmersa loans," he said. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar claimed that the Congress and INDIA bloc is winning the confidence of people across the country. Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha, he said, "I am confident the India alliance will win more than 40 seats in Uttar Pradesh." Established in 1973, Literacy Partners is a New York City-based nonprofit focused on strengthening families through literacy. To celebrate a milestone birthday--50 years!--PW spoke to the organization's Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Tassi, about the group's roots in America's social-justice and anti-poverty movements, the different programs it offers, and some of the people whose lives it has impacted. Congratulations on your 50th anniversary! Can you explain the mission behind Literacy Partners? We create the conditions for low-income and immigrant parents to transform their lives and create a brighter future for their children through the power of literacy. Parents come to our program to enhance the literacy and language skills they need to succeed in todays world while boosting their capacity to promote their childrens early learning, social-emotional growth, and school readiness. What sorts of programs and opportunities does Literacy Partners provide? In New York City, we offer free reading, writing, and English classes along with a unique GED prep and college transition program for young adult mothers who dropped out of high school. Nationally, we offer free workshops in Spanish for parents to better promote their childrens early literacy and informal STEM learning based on television content we created with Univision. How do you reach the families who would most benefit from your programming? Word of mouth is the best way to reach new families. Once our students experience a sense of empowerment, they often want the same benefits for their family members and friends. We also receive referrals from a network of healthcare providers in New York City who screen the parents of their pediatric patients for factors that will disrupt their health and they find the number one issue is low literacy or limited English proficiency. Literacy Partners has a unique dual-generation approach to supporting families. What does this mean and how does it translate into your work? Ten years ago, we thought about exiting the adult market to focus on childrens literacy. But, when we did the research, we found that the biggest factor driving gaps in student achievement was the educational attainment of the parents. The difference in outcomes for children of college graduates vs high school dropouts is greater than the so-called achievement gap when measured by race or by family income. But, in K-12 funding, strategies to boost the skills of parents are almost non-existent. Our approach as an adult literacy organization was to design a program specific to the needs and strengths of parents of young children. We focus on the tangible, functional skills they need in their everyday lives, whether it is getting a better job, navigating the healthcare system, or dealing with their landlord. Then, we embed child development and parenting topics into the curriculum so parents can achieve one of their most important goals supporting their childrens healthy development. How has Literacy Partners evolved and/or shifted focus since its inception? In recent years, Literacy Partners has changed in three really important ways: we created educational television programs with Univision reaching 9 million viewers across the country; we are implementing a national program entirely in Spanish to help families promote their childrens early language and literacy development; and our team has transformed from majority white to majority women of color at every level, from frontline staff to the C-Suite. Circling back to the anniversary, can you share a few milestones youll be celebrating? Last fall, our second social impact telenovela miniseries was broadcast nationally on Univision and we reached our 9 millionth viewer. That was a thrill. But, perhaps even more thrilling is that we just hired our 26th parent leader26 moms who have been through our program have been trained and hired for pay to organize and facilitate parent education workshops thereby spreading our impact to many more parents. And, speaking of impact, sometime this fall, we will enroll our 50,000th studenta milestone we are very proud of. Families in underserved communities paying a visit to the doctor will soon find something special for them in the waiting room. Thanks to a joint effort between Reach Out and Read and Scholastic, 350,000 copies of a curated 35-book collection will be distributed to medical clinics nationwide, providing greater opportunities for parents to bond with their children through reading and foster early literacy. Turning a Page, Opening a Window Reach Out and Reads $1 million collection, aptly dubbed 35 for 35, marks the nonprofits 35th anniversary of serving more than four million families annually, and its 27th year partnering with Scholastic as publisher, sponsor, and donor. This assortment of books features titles for ages up to five that represent a diverse roster of voices and cultures, enabling young children to broaden their reading experiences. Children from all backgrounds will open a book to find kids who look like them and see stories about families like their ownor theyll discover a window into the lives and cultures of other kids and families, said CEO Marty Martinez. He cited Read Out and Reads research revealing that parents who frequently read to their children help to promote stronger familial bonds and instill a greater sense of self and well-being in their child. But more than 60% of kids in low-income families dont have books at home, and we can aim to reduce that number, Martinez said. Long-time partner Scholastic, whose Jefferson City, Mo., fulfillment and distribution center manages these boxed collections, tapped into its publisher network to curate a robust variety of books. The titles come from a broad range of publishing houses12 to be exactfrom Scholastic, to HarperCollins and Macmillan, said chief impact officer Judy Newman. Together, Scholastic and Reach Out and Read have ensured that a wide range of diverse children and family structures were represented in these titles. Among the 35 for 35 books is We Are Here (Orchard, 2023), Tami Charless follow-up to All Because You Matter (Orchard, 2020) about Black and brown heritage and community. The author, who served as the keynote speaker at Reach Out and Reads Leadership Conference on May 15, said she was delighted that her book was chosen to be part of the collection. Its an honor to see it stand alongside 34 beautifully diverse titles for children to enjoy during pediatric visits, she told PW. The first installment of 35 for 35 has shipped to Read Out and Read clinics in New York, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., with the remaining states to follow. For a complete list of books and authors, visit the Reach Out and Read website. ALA this week shared news that its "Dear Appropriator" letters are now finalized. In all, 104 lawmakers in the House signed on to support LSTA funding and 61 signed on to IAL funding, while 41 signed on to support LSTA and 33 signed on to support IAL in the senate. In all, some 10,793 advocates sent 19,247 messages to Capitol Hill, a solid showing. For next steps, ALA officials are urging library supporters to write thank you messages for members who signed the letters (which isn't just, you know, polite, but is also a very effective form of advocacy and engagement). You can see a full list of members who signed on and find additional information about the federal budget process at the ALA's' #FundLibraries homepage. The Alabama Reflector reports that the Alabama Public Library Service Board has passed new rules that would strip state funding from libraries that do not restrict access to materials deemed to be sexually inappropriate. "The changes, recommended by Gov. Kay Ivey but pushed considerably further by a board member who also chairs the Alabama Republican Party, come amid divisive battles over content and leadership in libraries around the state, often over books with LGBTQ+ themes or characters," the article notes. "Opponents say the new rules amount to censorship and that the language is too vague to determine what materials fall under the ban." In the Alabama Political Reporter, the plaintiffs suing the Autauga-Prattville Public Librarys Board of Trustees write about why they've turned to the courts. "Parents, not politicians, should be the ones deciding what books their children read. And the Alabamians weve talked to agree: these unlawful censorship policies have no home in our state," the editorial states. "The Board is attempting to rid our libraries of books discussing diverse characters or themes, with a particular ire for LGBTQ+ storylines." The Alabama Political Reporter also reports that Atauga-Prattville board has settled another lawsuit, this one filed by director Andrew Foster over his termination. "The settlement seems to be confidential, as Foster and his counsel said they could not speak on the lawsuits resolution." Meanwhile, there's this eye-catcher at the end of the report: the library has turned off Facebook comments after "death threats." In the Arkansas Advocate, Tess Vrbin reports that the plaintiffs who won a preliminary injunction last July blocking portions of Act 372, the state's harmful to minors bill, are seeking a permanent injunction. "The blocked Section 1 of Act 372 would have put librarians at risk of being charged with a Class D felony for 'knowingly' distributing 'obscene' material or informing others of how to obtain it," the report notes. "The other blocked provision, Section 5, would have given city and county elected officials the final say over whether a book challenged on the basis of appropriateness can remain on library shelves or should be relocated to a place minors cannot access." The case is scheduled for trial in October. Over at Book Riot, Kelly Jensen leads off her weekly censorship news roundup with a look at what a book ban form looks like, and how little effort most would-be book banners put into them. "Certainly, its one thing to hear these concerned citizens offer up their moral panic as performances before school and library boards. But there is something especially egregious about seeing the lack of work or effort put into the forms theyre often required to fill out in order to trigger a formal review process." The Star Tribune reports that Minnesota has become the latest state to advance a law seeking to guard against book bans. "The law, which would become effective July 1, establishes a so-called 'Library Bill of Rights' and states that libraries cannot restrict access to material 'because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.' Democrats who backed the provision say it's a necessary step in curbing politicized campaigns against books that focus on multiracialand especially LGBTQexperience. Those efforts have become more pronounced as school board politics have become increasingly polarized in the last few years." The bill now heads to the governor's desk. In a world of talking heads and screaming pundits, the librarians used their silenceessentially a librarians greatest weaponto speak volumes about how they feel On the digital content front, OverDrive announced this week that the full e-book catalog from Chronicle Books in the OverDrive Max access model. OverDrive Max provides libraries and schools the ability to bundle 100 checkouts with no time limits for when they are checked out, allowing multiple users to borrow each title at the same time within the standard lending period. The New York Times has a piece about Open AI's library. "The library also represents the paradox at the heart of OpenAIs technology. Authors and publishers, including The New York Times, are suing OpenAI, claiming the company illegally used their copyrighted content to build its A.I. systems. Many authors worry that the technology will ultimately take away their livelihood." And finally this week, a good piece from Darrell Ehrlick, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Montanan who wrote about an ice-cold move in which librarians in the state snubbed the state library commission by not showing up to their scheduled annual meeting after a long period of politically-motivated actions, such as cutting ties with ALA. "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," the report notes. "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," Ehrlick writes. "And this, dear friends, is why you shouldnt mess with librarians," he concludes. "In a world of talking heads and screaming pundits, the librarians used their silenceessentially a librarians greatest weaponto speak volumes about how they feel." The Week in Libraries is a weekly opinion and news column. News, tips, submissions, questions or comments are welcome, and can be submitted via email. Previous columns can be viewed here. Alexandra, who says she has lived in Australia for 12 years, has shared her knowledge with others heading Down Under. Alexandra, a Canadian woman who has lived Down Under for 12 years, has shared her knowledge of Aussie slang. Source: @Alxelizabeth/TikTok Expats have always been vocal about their culture shock over Australian wildlife, supermarket products, and work-life balance, but there is one thing that always seems to confuse them the most our slang. One American woman living in Sydney revealed last month she had been forced to change her own name Devyn Hales after moving Down Under. My name is Devyn but I go by Dev now because apparently my name means packaged meat in Australian, she said. However, one Canadian woman may have cracked the code, with hundreds of Aussies praising her spot on breakdown of our unhinged lingo. Alexandra, a Canadian woman who says she has lived in Australia for the last 12 years, posted a TikTok earlier this month which shows her detailing the slang tourists need to know before they belly up to the bar. Slang you need to know before your first night out in Australia. So well start easy, Gday means hello, ta means thank you, yeah, nah means no, nah, yeah means yes and yeah, right means ok, she begins the video before moving onto the more complex jargon. Your mate is your friend, but if someone says hey, mate then theyre probably not your friend, she continued. If someone says that theyre spewin that means that theyre pissed off but if someone says that theyre pissed, that actually means that theyre really drunk. Alexandra goes on to warn that being labelled a yobbo, a drongo, a bogan or a derro is bad, but being called a ripper or sick c*** is a term of endearment. At rapid speed, the well-versed Canadian then continues to explain after pub kick-ons and hot chicken feeds, and encourages anyone who is offered a slab or some goon to take it. US woman Devyn Hales, 22, admitted she was forced to change her name to Dev while in Australia. Source: TikTok/dhalesss Aussies praise Canadian's slang breakdown The clip has since gone viral with almost 400,000 views and hundreds of comments, many from Aussies who said the 32-year-old nailed it. This is the best reference of the Aussie slang, one person said, while another exclaimed Alexandra was one of us and didnt need a citizenship test. You are too good at this, which makes me think you really are an Aussie called Shazza just putting on an American accent, someone else joked. Ok, as an Aussie, this was impressive, a fourth commented. However, a handful of Aussies claimed they had never uttered 90 per cent of the phrases mentioned. FYI, no one says Gday, one person argued, to which others responded it probably depends on where you live across the country. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. photo: Dominic Dupont / DB AG / Public domain / Berthold Huber Deutsche Bahn has unveiled a pioneering advancement in noise control technology with the introduction of the MetaWindow, a transparent noise barrier boasting unparalleled sound-absorbing capabilities. Developed in collaboration with Italian start-up Phononic Vibes, the MetaWindow was recently showcased at the Greentech Festival in Berlin. This new system integrates meta technology, which utilizes a unique geometric design to enhance acoustic efficiency far beyond traditional noise barriers. The first real-world application of this innovative technology is set to commence on the S4 railway construction in Hamburg later this year. Berthold Huber, a DB Board Member for Infrastructure, emphasized the dual benefits of the MetaWindow. "To achieve our climate protection targets, we need to get more traffic on the rails and expand and extend the network," emphasized Huber. "But we can only gain the necessary acceptance from residents if rail transport becomes quieter. This is precisely where the innovative MetaWindow comes in. With the transparent noise barrier, local authorities no longer have to choose between appearance and functionality." Read more PHOTO REPORT: Czech Republic-Spain Railways Business Forum 2024 Last week in Prague, the Czech Republic-Spain Railways Business Forum opened its doors, bringing together top figures from the Czech and Spanish railway The barrier achieves noise insulation levels ranging from 34 to 37 decibels while maintaining up to 72 percent transparency, a stark improvement over existing solutions that often sacrifice effectiveness for visual openness. The MetaWindow is specifically designed for sensitive areas where strict noise reduction regulations apply, such as urban settings, tourist spots, residential zones, and protected landscapes. Its design minimizes visual disruptions, aligning better with the environment and reducing public grievances often associated with the construction of conventional noise barriers. Although the MetaWindow comes at a higher material cost, the overall financial implications are mitigated by the potential for faster planning approvals and reduced objection rates from communities, ultimately speeding up project completions. In a time when they would like to see a region united against terrorist and authoritarian infiltration, the United States is getting mixed messages from Latin American leaders. On the one hand, Argentinas new president Javier Milei is taking a pro-Western stance, declaring his unwavering commitment to Israel, applying for NATOs Global Partnership plan, and inviting the U.S. South Command to build a joint naval base on Argentine soil, amongst a number of other security cooperation initiatives officialized just this last month. A very different story is taking place north of the Iguazu Falls. Brazils president Inacio Lula da Silva has deepened ties with the anti-Western bloc BRICS, while openly aiding and abetting rogue dictatorships like Venezuela, Cuba and Iran. These are deliberate efforts to undermine the international liberal order and the hemispheric leadership of the U.S. Some commentators attribute this ambivalence to the contrast between both presidents. Lula comes from an established left-wing party, while Milei is a right-wing outsider. Lulas anti-American flirtations are perceived as part of Brazils traditional skepticism toward the U.S. and a show of pragmatism in the quest for Brazils strategic autonomy. On the contrary, Mileis pro-American turn is interpreted as an amateurish abandonment of Argentinas own tradition of non-alignment, driven by ideology rather than rational calculation. Geopolitical divergence between Argentina and Brazil did not originate with their current presidents. Mileis contender for the presidency, Sergio Massa, was staunchly pro-American, while Lulas archnemesis, former president Jair Bolsonaro, was also friendly to anti-American powers. This tension is deeply rooted in the institutional culture of both nations, regardless of political colors. The two first diverged after World War 2, as both nations, led by their nationalist militaries, had different strategies to resist the ascendancy of the U.S. Brazil tried to limit its dependency while still cultivating friendly relations to the West, which was richly rewarded. Meanwhile Argentina openly defied U.S. hegemony, sharing nuclear technology with enemy regimes and committing gross violations of international and humanitarian law that damaged its reputation, eventually launching the Falklands War against a NATO ally. In the end, the Brazilian dictatorship transitioned orderly to a democracy under military tutelage, firmly established as a reliable Western partner and a moderator in regional conflicts. By contrast, the Argentine military was left weak and forced to give up power to an elected civilian government. Her serial violations of international norms rendered Argentina a virtual protectorate of her larger neighbor. But this balance is breaking down, and the roles are now flipped. In the emerging multipolarity, Brazils age-old ambitions for sole regional leadership have been awakened. Brazilian elites never stopped seeing themselves as heirs to an empire, and the domestic power of anti-democratic corporations was never qualmed. Conversely, Argentinas failed ultranationalist experience humbled her. The military was brought decidedly under civilian control, and the values of human rights and democracy have been deeply ingrained in her peoples identity ever since. Even under left-populist governments, Argentina never questioned its Western alignment or the legitimacy of the international system. But her weak position left her at the mercy of Brazils anti-Western dictates. One such dictate was for Argentina not to pursue dollarization in 2002, which would mean decoupling from the Brazilian economy and opting for an unmediated relationship with the U.S. Non-coincidentally, dollarization is one of Mileis flagship policies. Indeed, Milei is breaking one tradition, that of Argentinas willing subordination to its gigantic neighbor, to uphold another, more important one, his nations commitment to liberal democracy. This divide has consequences for regional and global security. A clear microcosm is the fight against Hezbollah, who have a vital financial and recruitment center in the Tri-Border Area between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. On March 14th, CIA director William Burns traveled to Brasilia, to request cooperation against the terrorist organization. Burns is familiar with the illiberal through-line running in both sides of Brazilian politics as he had to personally intervene to prevent a military coup in 2022. He should also be aware of how Lulas government has aided Hezbollah in the past. Burns spoke to the acting minister of foreign affairs in a very discreet and inconsequential meeting. Three days later, Burns arrived in Buenos Aires, probably expecting similar non-results, but there he was pompously received by top cabinet officials who shared his concerns. Argentina is cracking down against Iranian proxies, denouncing Hezbollahs actions at home and throughout the continent while taking a stance against rogue states who threaten regional stability. Its no surprise that more cooperation projects have been announced since then. The U.S. has clearly identified its newest ally. But the U.S. foreign policy establishment should not mistake Brazil and Argentina drifting apart as something temporary that could solve itself with the next electoral cycle, nor as a merely diplomatic kerfuffle without tangible repercussions. Theres a systemic undercurrent that will continue to undermine peace in the region and feed into the illegal economies in which global terrorism thrives. This can only be solved by curbing the destabilizing anti-Western sentiment endogenous to the region. To secure peace and democracy in South America, the U.S. and its allies should have Brazil incur the cost of defying international norms, while materially supporting Argentinas efforts to course-correct and match the power asymmetries, restoring a regional equilibrium. Eloy Vera is a freelance journalist and law student from Argentina. Hes currently a member of Young Voices Contributor Program and an alumnus of Students for Liberty and the Cato Institute. Property details: GRAND TIMBER LODGEBreckenridge, Colorado Resort Highlights Grand Timber Lodge welcomes you to the perfect family resort in the perfect mountain town, Breckenridge, Colorado. 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Search Real Estate Plus Australia has slapped sanctions on entities linked with North Korea's supply of weapons to Russia. Yahoo's live news blog for Friday, May 17 has concluded. It's another rollover in the Powerball meaning Australians will be playing for a whopping $150 million. It comes after a record $200 million draw earlier this year. Australia has hit entities linked to North Korea's supply of weapons to Russia for its war with Ukraine with financial sanctions. Read more here. And there's a big Centrelink change for JobSeeker recipients. Read about it here. Follow along below for regular updates throughout the day. LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER 12 updates Aussie agent's creative rental ad a big hit on TikTok How's this for a rental ad? Laurelle Brown of PRD Bendigo has been praised for "getting with the times" after jumping on a popular TikTok trend of late that sees people seamlessly transition from a viral fail video. It's fair to say it's gone down very well on the video sharing app. Netflix to raise prices in Australia There's bad news for Netflix customers, with the streaming service announcing it will hike its prices in Australia. Here's how much each subscription tier will go up: Standard with ads: The current rate is $6.99 per month and it's rising to $7.99 Standard without ads: $16.99 to $18.99 Premium: $22.99 to $25.99 Read more from Yahoo Finance here and see why some experts believe Aussies have had enough. Nail gun sold at Bunnings recalled over unexpected discharge A nail gun sold at Bunnings has been recalled over fears it could start unexpectedly firing nails. The Ryobi model Airwave 2-in-1 Brad Nailer/Stapler is being recalled by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over the possible malfunction which sees the safety device "get stuck and allow a nail or staple to discharge through use of the trigger alone". More details are available here. Victorian treasurer says working from home 'liberates women' Victoria's Treasurer Tim Pallas is under fire for a remark this morning suggesting women working from home allowed them to better perform their "home responsibilities". Pallas reportedly told a post-budget breakfast hosted by the Property Council of Australia that working from home wasn't necessarily unproductive, the Herald Sun reported. Certainly a lot of women see that it becomes liberating for them in terms of organising their home responsibilities," he said, prompting gasps from the audience. Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas. Source: Getty Man missing for 26 years found locked up in neighbour's cellar We take you to a remarkable story emerging from Algeria now, where a man has been found in a neighbour's cellar 26 years after he vanished. Omar Bin Omran left his family home in Djelfa city in 1998 at the age of 17 to attend a vocational school and never returned. His family had feared he was dead, most likely killed in a civil war between the Algerian government and Islamist rebels. But Omran, now in his 40s, was rescued on Sunday from the house of his alleged captor and neighbour, located just 200m from his familys home. His alleged 61-year-old captor has been arrested. Read more here. Omar Bin Omran has been freed after 26 years. Macklemore embracing Aussie life on tour It's fair to say American rapper Macklemore is embracing Australian life on his tour down under. He was pictured earlier this week in a NSW State of Origin jersey, as well as performing several shoeys on stage. He's also had a Matildas jersey on as well as a Wallabies one. Performing in Brisbane tonight, he surely now can't don a Maroons jersey, can he? Macklemore is loving life in Australia it seems. Source: Twitter Three A-League players set to be charged over alleged gambling corruption Three A-League players are set to be charged over an alleged betting scheme. NSW Police allege the players manipulated the number of yellow cards received in matches in return for a corrupt payment. The players are contracted to Macarthur FC. "These players betrayed the trust of their supporters and the code they supposedly love," Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said. Read more here. Crackdown on rare parking offence Parking far out from the kerb could cost those in the UK city of Sheffield. A council in the UK is cracking down on unruly drivers responsible for a series of parking offences, including those who don't park close enough to the kerb. It could land drivers in the city of Sheffield a 70 ($130) fine. Is this an issue you've seen on Australian roads and want action on? Have your say below. Albo doesn't hold back after Peter Dutton's Budget response Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hasn't held back responding to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's Budget response. Reacting to Dutton's plan for an in increase in Medicare payments for psychological sessions, Albanese suggested there was a hint of irony about the idea. "This was the Health Minister who cut $50 billion from Medicare, the Health Minister who tried to introduce a tax every time people visited the doctor of $7," he told reporters on Friday morning. "Peter Dutton was the worst Health Minister Australia has ever had." First look at hybrid ute coming to Australia Australians have been given a glimpse of what a new hybrid ute will look like, with the highly-anticipated SUV expected on our roads later this year. Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD has launched its plug-in ute in Mexico and excitement around the vehicle is growing. Named the Shark, a fully electric version will be released at a later point. With Australia's obsession with large vehicles continuing, this will certainly be an interesting option for drivers. The BYD Shark will arrive in Australia later this year. Woman with mental suffering wins assisted dying battle at 29 A woman with mental suffering in the Netherlands has been granted her request for assisted dying at the age of 29. Zoraya ter Beek received the final approval last week for assisted dying after a three and a half year process under a law passed in the Netherlands in 2002. Her case has caused controversy as assisted dying for people with psychiatric illnesses in the Netherlands remains unusual, although the numbers are increasing. People think that when youre mentally ill, you cant think straight, which is insulting, she told the Guardian. Read more here. Zoraya ter Beek. Source: Ilvy Njiokiktjien Aussies look to make Powerball history with $150 million draw Aussies will be vying be the biggest lottery winner in Australia's history next week after the Powerball rolled over to $150 million. No one has ever scooped that amount, with the previous highest jackpot of $200 million in February split between two. No one matched all eight numbers last night in the $100 million draw, with 10 division two winners each taking home $179,059.50. The draw next week will be the third joint-highest in lottery history. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Industrial disputes dropped 89.3 per cent to 34 in 2022 compared to 318 a decade ago, shows central and state data. IMAGE: Kindly note the image has been posted only for representational purposes. Photograph: Kind courtesy Travis Saylor/Pexels.com Air India Express employees called in sick as a mark of protest leading to the cancellation and delay of flights. Before this, employees at Vistara, an airline under the Tata Group, also reported sick leading to cancellations. These incidents notwithstanding, there was a decrease in the number of incidents of employees expressing dissatisfaction with their employers in recent years, according to an analysis of data from the ministry of labour and employment. Industrial disputes dropped 89.3 per cent to 34 in 2022 compared to 318 a decade ago, shows central and state data. In 2011, there were a total of 370 strikes and lockouts. For the past five years, the numbers are provisional but are indicative of a broad trend with fewer than 100 reported each year. Provisional figures show that 18 disputes, six from the central sphere and 12 from the state sphere, were recorded in the first six months of 2023. Of these, 11 were in the private sector and 7 in the public sector. Gujarat recorded the highest number of disputes (7), followed by Tamil Nadu (6), Maharashtra and Rajasthan (2 each) and Haryana (1) between January and June last year. In 2023, 0.2 million person days were lost, with the highest being reported in Tamil Nadu. In the previous year, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Maharashtra accounted for 0.25 million person days lost or 44.9 per cent share in total time lost. In 2022, around 200,0000 workers were involved in strikes and lockouts, resulting in a loss of 0.5 million person days. This is significantly lower than 2012, when 1.3 million workers participated leading to a loss of 12.9 million man days. Financial and insurance activities accounted for 40.8 per cent of the time loss, or 0.23 million person days, among the industries. Manufacturing came next with a 39.6 per cent share in 2022, according to the ministry's Indian Labour Journal. The number of strikes and lockouts was higher in other countries, among the nations analysed with the latest data available from the International Labour Organization. Germany was leading with 1,532 strikes and lockouts, followed by Brazil (1,118), the United Kingdom (749), South Africa (87) and Japan (55). These are higher than disputes in India in 2022, according to the ministry figures. The share of employees who are trade union members is higher in India, according to the latest data available from ILO. The trade union density rate stands at 19.8 per cent compared to 16.3 per cent in Germany and 13 per cent in Brazil. However, the UK has a higher rate at 23.4 per cent. Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com The Enforcement Directorate Friday filed a fresh charge sheet in the Delhi excise policy case, naming Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as accused, the first time that a sitting chief minister and a political party face money laundering charges. IMAGE: Delhi CM and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal holds a roadshow ahead of the Lok Sabha polls at Model Town Lalbagh area in New Delhi on May 15, 2024. Photograph: Mohd Zakir/ANI Photo Official sources said the prosecution complaint, spanning about 200 pages, has been filed before a special court inNew Delhi. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja is likely to take up the chargesheet for cognisance in coming days. The accused have been sought to be charged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. They said Kejriwal has been made made an accused in his personal capacity as well as the national convenor of his political outfit AAP. The federal agency had arrested 55-year-old Kejriwal from his official residence here on March 21. He is currently out of jail on interim bail. This is the eighth charge sheet filed by the ED in this case in which it has arrested 18 people so far, made a total of 38 entities as accused and attached assets worth Rs 243 crore. Last week, a similar complaint was filed by the agency against BRS leader and former Telangana chief minister Chandrashekar Rao's daughter K Kavitha and four others. The CM was earlier called the "kingpin and key conspirator" of the Delhi excise "scam" by the ED. It was alleged that he acted in collusion with Delhi government minister, AAP leaders and others. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju told the Supreme Court on Thursday that Kejriwal played a key role in the formulation of the now-scrapped excise policy. "We have direct evidence that Kejriwal stayed in a seven-star hotel, whose bills were partly paid by an accused in the case," he said, adding that Kejriwal, as the national convenor of the AAP, was vicariously responsible for the alleged scam. The ED had earlier claimed that AAP, being a political party, is defined as an association or a body of individual citizens of India under the Representation of the People Act, and hence it can be categorised as a "company" as contemplated under section 70 of the PMLA. As Arvind Kejriwal was "in-charge of and responsible" for the said company i.e. AAP during the time of offence, he and his party "shall be deemed guilty" of offences mentioned under the anti-money laundering law and liable to be prosecuted and punished, it had said. The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the PMLA. Taking cognisance of a CBI FIR lodged on August 17, 2022, the ED filed its money laundering case on August 22, 2022, to probe the alleged irregularities. A Delhi-bound Air India flight had to abort its take-off and was later cancelled after it hit a luggage tractor trolley while taxiing for departure at the Pune airport, airline sources said on Friday. Image used only for representation. Photograph: ANI Photo The incident occurred around 4 pm on Thursday, they said. There were around 200 passengers on board the flight and following the incident, they got stranded at the airport for around six hours, the sources said. Air India said passengers were refunded their full fares and offered complimentary rescheduling. Those with onward international connections were accommodated on flights operated by other carriers, it said. The airline also said that an investigation into the incident has been initiated. Shahab Jafri, a passenger on board the aircraft, said that the flight was scheduled to depart at around 4 pm. "While taxiing towards the runway for a takeoff, the plane hit a tractor trolley. After the incident, we remained on board for about an hour. The pilot informed us about the incident and subsequently, we were deboarded," he said. After persistent inquiry, the passengers were informed about alternative flight arrangements, Jafri said. "We were stranded at the airport for almost six hours, between 4 pm and 9.55 pm," he added. Refreshments were provided to the passengers by around 7.30 pm after they followed up the matter with the airline staff, he said. "The passengers experienced significant inconvenience. Some passengers had connecting flights, and they must have missed those flights undoubtedly," Jafri said. Eventually, their flight departed at 10.20 pm and landed in Delhi around 12.20 am. In its official statement, Air India did not provide details about what exactly happened, and said that there was an incident related to one of their aircraft, which was to fly from Pune to Delhi, at the time of its pushback. 'The aircraft was held back for checks. All passengers were offloaded safely and the flight was cancelled. Passengers were eventually refunded their full fares and offered complimentary rescheduling. Those with onward international connections were flown to Delhi by other carriers. An investigation into the incident has already been initiated,' it stated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday claimed that the Congress and Samajwadi Party will run a bulldozer over the Ram temple if elected to power, and asked them to take 'tuition' from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath 'where to run bulldozers'. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hold a trident during a public meeting in support of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Barabanki constituency Rajrani Rawat for the Lok Sabha polls, in Barabanki on Friday, May 17, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Addressing a rally in Barabanki, he also said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) is in the fray to create 'instability' and is collapsing like a pack of cards as the polls progress. Asserting that his government is going to score a hat-trick, Modi said in the new government, he has to take many big decisions for the poor, youth, women and farmers, and for that he has come here to seek the blessings of the people of Barabanki and Mohanlalganj. "June 4 is not far. Today, the whole country and the world knows that the Modi government is going to score a hat-trick," he asserted. "On one side there is the BJP-NDA alliance dedicated to national interest and on the other side, the 'INDI alliance' is in the field to create instability in the country. As the elections progress, these 'INDI alliance' people have started collapsing like a pack of cards," he said. "You need MPs who will work and do good for you. We need MPs who will develop the area, not those who will abuse Modi for five years. For this you have only one option - lotus (poll symbol of BJP). Can you achieve a speed of 1,000 CC with a 100 CC engine? If you want rapid development, only a strong government can provide it... Only the BJP government can give it," he asserted. The prime minister also raised the Ram temple issue to hit out at the SP and Congress. "A senior SP leader had said on the day of Ram Navami that Ram temple is useless. At the same time, the Congress is preparing to overturn the Supreme Court's decision on Ram Temple. For them, only their family and power matter. If the SP-Congress come to power, they will send Ram Lalla back to the tent and bulldoze the temple," he claimed while asking them to take 'tuition' from Adityanath as to where bulldozers should be used. The Adityanath government has been accused of using bulldozers to raze property of alleged criminals in the state. Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav had recently courted controversy with his remarks that the Ram temple in Ayodhya is 'bekaar (useless)' as it has not been properly constructed, inviting sharp criticism from Adityanath who said this shows the 'reality' of the INDIA bloc. Maintaining that 'nothing is bigger than vote bank for the SP-Congress', Modi said, "But, when I expose them, they become restless and lose sleep. They start saying anything and start hurling abuses." "The SP-Congress have surrendered to appeasement. And when Modi is telling their truth to the country, they say Modi is creating Hindu-Muslim divide. The vote bank these people run after has also started understanding their truth now. Our mothers and sisters are happy with the law on triple talaq and are continuously blessing the BJP," Modi said. Taking a dig at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, he said, "The babuaji here, the socialist prince, has now taken shelter of a new aunt." Apparently referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Modi said, "This new aunt of his is in Bengal. Now his aunt from Bengal has told the 'INDI alliance' people that I will support you from outside." Yadav earlier used to address Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati as his 'bua' (aunt). He also alluded to the fight between INDIA bloc partners -- the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress in Punjab. "An INDI alliance party has told another that don't speak anything against us in Punjab." Modi said they were day dreaming about getting the prime minister's post. He also mocked former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel for his remarks that the people of Rae Bareli are now going to elect the prime minister of the country, saying, "Look at the extent of their dreams." "A Congress leader said the people of Rae Bareli will elect the prime minister. Hearing this, the heart of the Samajwadi prince broke. No tears came out but all his heart's desires were washed away," the prime minister said. Baghel had said that the people of Rae Bareli are not just electing a Lok Sabha member but also a prime minister. Modi also targeted Rashtriya Janata alD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav, saying, "The champion of fodder scam from Bihar, who is currently out of jail on the pretext of ill health, is even saying that the entire reservation should now be given to Muslims. This means that Dalits, tribals and backward classes will not be able to achieve anything." Targeting the opposition on the issue of reservation, Modi said, "When the Constitution was made, the Constituent Assembly had decided that there would be no reservation on the basis of religion. But, 10 years ago these people (Congress) had tried to give reservation on the basis of religion. They have even done this in Karnataka. There they made all the Muslims OBC overnight. They looted a huge portion of the reservation given to OBCs." Invoking Lord Ram, the prime minister said, "Beyond Ram's work ('Ram kaaj'), now it is time for national work ('rashtra kaaj'). The inspiration for Ram's work is for national work. I am asking you for 400 'paar' to protect your rights." The main contest in Barabanki is between Tanuj Punia of the Congress and BJP's Rajrani Rawat. Tanuj Punia is the son of senior Congress leader PL Punia, a former Lok Sabha MP from Barabanki (SC) Lok Sabha seat. Barabanki will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections in the state on May 20. IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi holds a mace with Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav at an election rally in Jhansi, May 14, 2024, for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Photograph: Vijay Vasanth/X Polling for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election will be held on Monday, May 20, 2024. 49 seats will go to the polls across 8 states. Phase V: Candidates' Financial Background Accoding to data collected by the Association for Democratic Reforms, of the 695 candidates in the fray, 227 are crorepatis. Of these crorepatis, 36 are Bharatiya Janata Party candidates, followed by 20 belonging to Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and 15 to the Congress. Phase V: Candidates with Criminal Records When it comes to criminal candidates, 159 candidates have declared criminal cases against them in the fifth round of elections. 122 candidates have declared serious criminal cases registered against them. The maximum number of criminal candidates in the fifth phase belong to the BJP (19) followed by the BSP (8) and Congress (8). Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Bhavesh Bhinde, an advertising firm's director, whose company had put up the giant hoarding that collapsed in Mumbai killing 16 people, was brought to the city early on Friday, a police official said. IMAGE: Bhavesh Bhinde, arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch in Udaipur, was brought to Mumbai on Friday morning. Photograph: ANI on X Bhinde, director of M/s Ego Media Pvt. Ltd., the advertising agency which recently installed the billboard that crashed in suburban Ghatkopar on Monday evening, was apprehended from Udaipur in Rajasthan on Thursday, he said. Bhinde was then taken to Ahmedabad and from there he was brought to Mumbai by flight, the official said. The police team along with Bhinde arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport around 5 am and he was taken to a crime branch office, he said. He will be produced before the court later in the day, he said. After trailing Bhinde for three days, the Mumbai police nabbed him on Thursday from Udaipur, he said. The 120 feet x 120 feet hoarding collapsed onto a nearby petrol pump in the Chhedanagar area in Ghatkopar during gusty winds and heavy unseasonal rains, killing 16 people and injuring 75 others. After the tragedy, a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Pant Nagar Police Station against Bhinde, all directors of the advertising agency Ego Media, its officials and employees, officials had said earlier. Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal was "kicked and slapped seven to eight times" allegedly by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar at the former's official residence, and "did not relent" despite her asking him to stop, according to the FIR registered by the Delhi Police. IMAGE: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal arrives at the Tiz Hazari Court to get her statement recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in connection with the alleged assault on her by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar at the CM's residence, in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: ANI Photo In the FIR regarding the alleged assault on her, Maliwal also claimed that Kumar hit her with "full force again and again" but no one came to her rescue. She also alleged that despite telling Kumar that she was menstruating and in pain, he did not budge. The FIR quotes Maliwal as saying that this "is one of the most difficult times of my life" and "the pain, trauma and harassment has been mind-numbing". "... I am also having difficulty in walking," she said in the FIR. Maliwal, who earlier served as the chief of Delhi Commission For Women, said her situation is "exacerbated by the fact that having worked all my life for women issues and having helped lakhs of women get justice", she "ended up being brutally beaten by a person whom I know for long". "I am deeply disturbed by this incident and am distraught that someone could display such 'goonda' behaviour," read the FIR. She has called for the strongest possible action in the matter. The details of the alleged assault on Maliwal, which took place at Kejriwal's official residence on Monday, emerged on Friday as the Rajya Sabha MP appeared before a magistrate at the Tis Hazari court to record her statement in the case. The Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR in the matter and named Kumar as an accused in the case, officials said. A purported video of Delhi Chief Minister's residence showing Maliwal arguing with the security staff at the time of the alleged assault, went viral on social media on Friday. According to the FIR, she had gone to meet Kejriwal at his official residence at 9 am on Monday. Recalling the events, she told police that she went inside the camp office and called Kumar but could not get through. She went towards the residential area and asked the staff to inform Kejriwal about her arrival. "I was informed that he was present in the house and I was told to wait in the drawing room," she said. She said while she was waiting for Kejriwal, Kumar barged into the room and started "screaming at me without any provocation and even started abusing me". "Tu kaise hamari baat nahi manegi? Kaise nahi manegi? S**i teri aukat kya hai ki humko na kar de. Samajhti kya hai khud ko n**h aurat? Tujhe to hum sabak sikhayenge (How will you not follow what we are saying? How will you not follow? How dare you say no to us? What to do you think of yourself **** woman? We will teach you a lesson," read the FIR. In the FIR, she said that "without any provocation" from her end, Kumar started "slapping" her with his "full force". "He slapped me seven-eight times at least while I continued screaming. I felt absolutely shocked and was screaming for help over and over again. In order to protect (myself), pushed him away with my legs," she said. "At that time, he pounced on me, brutally dragged me and deliberately pulled my shirt up. My shirt buttons opened and the shirt came up. I landed on the floor while hitting my head on the centre table. I was constantly screaming for help but no one came," she further said. She alleged that Kumar "did not relent and attacked me by kicking me in my chest, stomach" and lower part of the body "with his legs". "I was in extreme pain and kept telling him to stop. My shirt was coming up but he still continued to assault me. I repeatedly told him that I am having my periods and that he should please let go of me as I am in unbearable pain," she said in the FIR. Following the incident, she said she "was in a terrible state of shock at this unprovoked attack". Recalling the time, she said she was "deeply traumatised" and called the emergency number 112 to inform about the incident. Bibhav threatened me and said, "Kar le jo tujhe karna hai, tu hamara kuch nahi bigaad sakti, teri haddi pasli tudwa denge aur aise jagah gadenge kisi ko pata bhi nahi chalega. (You can do whatever you want, you cannot harm us. We will break your bones and bury you at a place where no one would even get to know)". She said that Kumar left the room after learning that she had called the police helpline but returned with the security personnel working at the main gate of the CM's camp offices. In the FIR, she said they asked her to leave "at the behest of Kumar". She said that she kept telling them that she was "brutally beaten up" and asked them to wait until the PCR van comes. She said she got into an autorickshaw with the help of the PCR staff. "I reached there (Civil Lines police station) and sat in the SHO room, where I was crying and informed the SHO about the incident," she said. "I was in terrible pain and having severe cramps. I also started receiving a lot of calls from media on my mobile. Due to the trauma, pain and not wanting to politicise the incident, I left the police station without filing a written complaint," she said, adding her head was splitting in pain and her arms and legs were "aching terribly due to the assault". Maliwal said the past days since the incident have been "extremely painful for her". RJD president Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya has entered the fray to wrest back her father's erstwhile pocket borough. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted by BJP candidate Rajiv Pratap Rudy during an election meeting, Saran, May 13, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Sitting BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy's remark that "my name could enter record books for winning against the maximum number of members of one family" has set the political mood in Bihar's Saran where Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya has entered the fray to wrest back her father's erstwhile pocket borough. Rudy, a former Union minister, who lost to Prasad whenever the RJD supremo was himself in the fray, was successful against the latter's wife Rabri Devi in 2014. Five years later, Rudy defeated Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav's father-in-law Chandrika Roy. Acharya, 47, happens to be the sixth member of her family, and fourth among her siblings to enter politics; yet, in more than one respect, she stands out as an atypical politician. Rudy, 62, had made his debut in parliamentary elections in 1996 from Chhapra, as Saran was known before the 2008 delimitation. In 2004, Prasad wrested the seat in a contest marred by large-scale electoral violence that had necessitated a repoll in the entire constituency. Five years later, Prasad retained Saran, which made up for an embarrassing defeat in Pataliputra, and he held the seat till 2013, when conviction in a fodder scam case caused disqualification and debarment from contesting polls. A qualified doctor, Acharya got married at an early age and chose not to pursue a career but settle abroad with her computer engineer husband and raise their two kids. For quite some time, though, Acharya had been demonstrating that she was no run-of-the-mill homemaker. Be it her stunning decision to donate a kidney to her father or her doughty social media combatant avatar, whenever her family faced a political crisis back home, Acharya grabbed eyeballs. No wonder that the air was thick with anticipation when she arrived in Saran to win back for her father's party the seat from where he had begun his political journey as a young MP in 1977, riding high on the Janata Party wave. The crowds roared in response to her salutation, in chaste Bhojpuri "raua sab ke gor laagatani (I prostrate before you all)" and as she launched into her speech, invoking the memory of legendary poet Bhikhari Thakur, it became clear that she had spark. IMAGE: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav addresses a public meeting in support of his sister and party candidate from Saran. Rohini Acharya, April 29, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Speaking in the presence of the RJD's two biggest crowd pullers, her father and younger brother Tejashwi Yadav, Acharya demonstrated that she could hold her own as she weighed the track record of Prasad against that of Rudy. "My father got a rail wheel plant set up in Saran while he was the railway minister. The current MP had been the Union minister for skill development. He should tell us what he did for the youth here during his tenure," Acharya said, evoking cheers from the crowds and making it clear that she was new, but not a novice. The BJP seems to have realised that its challenger here is no pushover, a reason why the party has run a high-profile campaign in the constituency. The filing of nomination papers was followed, immediately, by a rally of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in an obvious bid to galvanise Rajput voters. The defence minister also referred to Rudy being a trained pilot and remarked "he will send his opponents flying". On paper, both parties look equally well-placed. In 2019, Rudy won by a comfortable margin of just under 95,000 votes. A year later, in the Vidhan Sabha polls, RJD clawed back, grabbing four of the six assembly segments falling in the Lok Sabha constituency. As such, Saran is likely to be one of the most keenly watched seats, in Bihar and beyond, when polling takes place on May 20 and votes are counted on June 4. Despite Dharavi being located in the Mumbai North Central constituency and Mahalaxmi Racecourse in South Mumbai, the issues have caught the attention of all parties and their candidates. IMAGE: Rahul Shewale, the Shiv Sena candidate for Mumbai South Central, files his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections accompanied by Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, April 30, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo In a city where space is at a premium, two vast tracts of land -- the 500-acre Dharavi slums and the 225-acre Mahalaxmi Racecourse -- have become the battlegrounds for the Bharatiya Janata Party-backed Eknath Shinde government (the Mahayuti) and the Opposition alliance, led by Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT). The Maharashtra government's ambitious vision to metamorphose Dharavi, India's largest slum, into a world-class city is facing stiff resistance with Thackeray alleging that the project has been handed to the Adani group under terms favourable to it. 'We want to give 500 square feet houses to all Dharavi residents and scrap the government resolution that mandates other Mumbai builders to buy transfer of development rights (TDR) from Adani that would be generated from Dharavi redevelopment,' Thackeray says at a public meeting. Despite Dharavi being located in the Mumbai North Central constituency and Mahalaxmi Racecourse in South Mumbai, the issues have caught the attention of all parties and their candidates. Rahul Shewale, the 51-year-old MP for Mumbai South Central from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, asserts his deep understanding of the challenges faced by Dharavi's residents. Born and raised in Dharavi, Shewale notes that he has represented the people for several decades, and emphasises that the project is a joint venture, not solely an Adani enterprise. "The government of Maharashtra also owns a stake in the special purpose vehicle and has government nominees on the board of the Dharavi Redevelopment Corporation. We will take all Dharavi legal residents into confidence who are supporting the project," Shewale assures. Without any social security, the workers living in Dharavi survived by doing odd jobs. The Dharavi redevelopment is a beacon of hope for many of them. IMAGE: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray addresses Dharavi residents, February 11, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo However, some locals are opposed to the project because they are deemed ineligible for redeveloped housing and are expected to be relocated to another site in Mulund. This has also led to resentment among residents of Mulund who do not want Dharavi residents in their area. But Mihir Kotecha, the BJP candidate for North East Mumbai, stresses: "Let me reassure everyone that no resettlement from Dharavi will take place in Mulund." "The land sought by the redevelopment authorities was the Mulund dumping ground. Since the waste at the Mulund dumping ground will be processed for the next six years, no development of residential projects can be done there," he clarifies. In Dharavi, residents feel the economic prosperity seen in the rest of the city, with apartments selling for over $1 million in posh towers, has bypassed them. Guddu Kumar, a 23-year-old worker employed at a jeans manufacturing unit, says their shop used to be bustling with workers, but in the past three years, the number of orders has dwindled. Dharavi, home to numerous small-scale industries generating an estimated $1 billion in annual revenue, has the potential to transform into a 'mini-BKC' (Bandra Kurla Complex)' due to its proximity to the airport, business hubs, and its expansive land area. To facilitate this redevelopment, the Maharashtra and Union governments have transferred a portion of railway land to the SPV to accommodate residents in new buildings, allowing the vacated land to be redeveloped. Currently, a survey is underway to identify legal residents. But Varsha Gaikwad, Mumbai regional Congress president and Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate for Mumbai North Central, counters the plan, saying: "What are people of Dharavi getting in redevelopment? The government plans to extend the BKC and not develop Dharavi. Injustice is happening with the people in Dharavi." IMAGE: The Mahalaxmi racecourse. Photograph: ANI Photo The state government's plan to redevelop Mahalaxmi Racecourse into a theme park with malls is also facing strong opposition. Arvind Sawant, the candidate for Mumbai South from the Shiv Sena (UBT), is unhappy with the proposal and believes this to be a ploy to seize prime land for redevelopment, even as the government has clarified that there will be no construction in the racecourse, one of the few open areas in the city. "We want development in Mumbai, but not at the expense of the environment and people's rights. Our central park project for Mahalaxmi Racecourse was about enhancing the space for the common man, whereas the BJP's project will benefit only the builders and the people," says Sawant, also the incumbent MP. In March, the state cabinet cleared the proposal to develop the Mahalaxmi Racecourse into a theme park on 120 acres, including land reclaimed from the sea. 'For too long, vested interests kept the BMC's doors closed to ordinary Mumbaikars. I wrote to the BMC to hold an International Design Contest to transform 300 acres of coastal road and racecourse land into a world-class green space. This will truly create a 'People's Park',' tweeted Milind Deora, who has switched to Shinde's Shiv Sena from the Congress. As Mumbai's six seats head to polls on Monday, May 20, lack of space, bad traffic, and world-class commuting solutions are among the primary concerns for the electorate and key issues for party candidates. With inputs from Anjali Kumari While we're undoubtably a country of dog lovers, most Australians agree there are some spaces that should be left strictly for humans A Sydney mall has banned dogs in lifts, attracting a mixed response from shoppers, some of whom criticised the state of the elevators to begin with. Source: Facebook Locals are divided after a popular shopping mall banned dogs from lifts, moving away from the general trend across Australia of allowing more pets into our shared spaces. Throughout the country, dogs make up half of the nation's pets, with there being an estimated six million in Aussie households. In recent times, we've even seen major airlines allow dogs into cabins on domestic flights, a move that was met with both praise and criticism. While we're undoubtedly a country of dog lovers, most agree some spaces should be left strictly for humans. But are those places elevators? According to some North Sydney locals, maybe not. One shopper said the elevators at Mall 88 in St Leonards are 'disgusting and continuously dirty'. Source: Facebook Residents debate new ban implemented in busy shopping mall Sharing her opinion online, one woman said she was surprised to find that Mall 88 in St Leonards, five kilometres northwest of the city's CBD, had banned dogs in lifts a change handed down by Lane Cove Council. "Is this because we need to keep our dogs safe from the disgusting and continuously dirty lift?" she questioned on social media. "What suggestions are there for people with dogs, who can't physically manage the stairs?" While several people agreed with the woman's sentiment, with some arguing that "dogs in this area are better behaved than most humans", others stood by the council's stance. "There are plenty of people with allergies, phobias, or PTSD from dog attacks," one person stated. "The lifts at 88 are for people with disability or mobility issues." "OK but some people with disabilities have dogs," somebody else said in response. "Id like to point out that dogs arent to go on the escalators either," another person wrote. "So how do you get from the car park to the ground floor if not in the lift? Ive used it with my dog many times for this exact reason." "This doesn't make sense to me," a fourth argued. What do you think about the dog ban? Council defends stance Dozens of others weighed in with their varying views, apparently reflecting the bitter divide among locals in the area. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, a spokeswoman for Lane Cove Council revealed why it decided to prohibit dogs. "The sign has been placed at the lifts by Council as a measure to help address a recurring issue of cleanliness in the lifts," she told Yahoo. Australia is a nation of dog lovers, but where's the line when it comes to sharing our space? Source: Getty "Council had been receiving ongoing reports of a strong urine smell within the lifts and it became apparent over time that the issue was related to dogs urinating in the lift. "As there are other networks of ramps and stairs to reach Wadanggari Park, council has placed signage at the lifts in an attempt to reduce the impacts of dogs urinating within this space as is the case with other scenarios, this does not apply to those with assistance dogs." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. If the BJP does not change its stand, we will hope that those who are in favour of protecting Ladakh come to power. IMAGE: Sonam Wangchuk, engineer turned educational reformist, calls off his hunger strike in Leh, Ladakh, March 26, 2024. The hunger strike was for the statehood of Ladakh and the protection of the fragile Himalayan ecology. Photograph: ANI Photo In March this year, Leh, known for its breathtaking landscapes and monasteries, made headlines as climate activist Sonam Wangchuk led a 21-day fast in sub-zero temperatures seeking autonomy for Ladakh. Thousands joined the Ramon Magsaysay Award winner whose life inspired actor Aamir Khan's character Rancho in Bollywood blockbuster 3 Idiots. After ending his fast on March 26, Wangchuk began a sit-in which was called off on May 10 in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Though the government did not accede to the protesters' demands for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, Wangchuk says the movement is anything but over. "On one hand, land is going to corporations and on the other hand, China is capturing our land, thousands of square kilometres of land. People of the country need to understand our pain," Wangchuk told PTI. "The Sixth Schedule is required to protect the mountains, glaciers and ecology. Though it is required in the whole country, mountains are ultra-sensitive. The use and throw philosophy of the present times, whether it is a plate or a river or a glacier... we don't want it for Ladakh or the nation," he said. Wangchuk said that locals are concerned that in the absence of safeguards, their lands will be taken over by corporates and outsiders who may not respect the environment in the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region. "These glaciers are the source of water. This is Dev Bhoomi, you cannot pollute it," he added. The Sixth Schedule contains provisions related to the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram through autonomous district councils (ADCs). The ADCs are granted autonomy on legislative, judicial and administrative matters and can make laws regarding land, forest, water and agriculture, etc. The climate activist said the inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule will ensure that corporates have to ask the people before doing anything with the mountains and rampant development will be stopped. Asked how he feels after his fast, Wangchuk said, "Better than before. Fasting never hurts." After the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Wangchuk was among those who had welcomed Ladakh getting the status of a Union territory. However, his view has changed now. "We supported the abrogation of Article 370 because Ladakh was reduced to being a district of Jammu and Kashmir. "Ladakh wanted to be a state or Union territory, which could not happen due to Article 370 as the Union government could not do that. So people thought Ladakh would have its own existence now and it was welcomed," he said. At the same time, there was concern regarding preservation of the environment and sensitive ecology of Ladakh, Wangchuk said. "The government came forward and assured that they will protect us under the Sixth Schedule," he said. The BJP had also promised safeguards under the Sixth Schedule in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2020 Hill Development Council polls, he said. "First they went cold on the issue, then they went back on their word, so we had to... (launch) an agitation," he said. After almost 10 meetings, the government said "we can't give anything", he claimed. The activist cited the example of a 10 GW solar power project planned for the Pang region of Changthang that will be spread over an area of 20,000 acres. The land earmarked for the project is pasture land where locals graze their Pashmina goats which produce the most expensive wool in the world, he said. "Hundreds of square kilometres of pastures -- I am talking about an area as big as Delhi -- is being given to Solar Energy Corporation of India without discussing with the people," he claimed. Suggesting that the Union government is probably under "pressure" from corporate lobbies, he said, "We felt we also need to build pressure so that there is a balance. If a deal has been struck, only a change of government can change things." "Whether the government changes or the government changes its thoughts, we will continue with our movement so that the deal is cancelled," he said. A 'Pashmina March' that was announced during the recent protests was later called off. Wangchuk said the march was called off as their point was proved by the restrictions imposed by the administration against the march and they did not want any clashes with the police. "They imposed so many restrictions, imposed Section 144 (of the Code of Criminal Procedure) and threatened to cut off the internet, so we felt what we wanted to prove was done while we were sitting here. The government does not want us to show the truth to the nation," he said. Wangchuk hopes that a new government would fulfil Ladakhis' demands. "If a Congress government comes, we have a lot of hope. If the BJP does not change its stand, we will hope that those who are in favour of protecting Ladakh come to power," he said. If needed, Wangchuk is ready to keep fighting. "Ladakh is the crown of India. We do not want to protest again... But if there is a need, we will sit on protest again," he added. Ladakh goes to polls in the fifth round of seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on May 20. A poster with death threats to West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and her nephew, party's general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, appeared in Uluberia in West Bengal's Howrah district on Friday, police said. IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses an election campaign rally in the Bangaon parliamentary constituency area, in North 24 Parganas on May 14, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo The poster, handwritten in green ink on a piece of white cloth, was recovered from a construction site in Fuleswar area of Uluberia where Lok Sabha elections will be held on May 20. The poster written in Bengali read: "I will kill Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek by hitting them with a car. Everyone will light the lamps after that. I have a secret letter." The poster was found hanging on a stack of bricks. "It is not yet clear what the secret letter meant. It could be a prank. We have to find out whether a single person or a group was involved in it," the police officer told PTI. The police have started an investigation into the matter, he said. The Delhi Police has written to the company that has installed CCTVs at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's place to take footage of the incident in which party MP Swati Maliwal was allegedly assaulted at the Chief Minister's house, sources said. IMAGE: Special CP Pramod Kushwaha and a woman police official leave the residence of Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal after investigating in connection with an alleged assault case, in Delhi on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo All CCTV footage related to the incident will be scrutinised by the police, sources added. There are eight CCTV cameras installed outside Kejriwal's house. Around 10 police teams are investigating the entire matter, out of which four teams are trying to find out the accused, Kejriwal's personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar's location. As per available information, Bibhav Kumar is in Punjab. Police teams from the North District and other teams have started investigating the case, sources said. At first, the police will make a timeline of the incident, following which the police will establish the complete sequence of the day when Maliwal was assaulted. The police will check the time at which Maliwal reached the Chief Minister's House on May 13 and will also be recording the statements of everyone they met at the gate of the CM House. According to the information, Swati Maliwal took a cab to the CM House on May 13. The police will also be recording the statement of the cab driver. The Delhi Police will be recording everyone's statements who met Swati Maliwal at the CM House will be recorded. Delhi Police filed a first information report (FIR) at the Civil Lines police station on Thursday in connection with the alleged assault on the AAP's Rajya Sabha MP a few days ago. She claimed that she was assaulted by Chief Minister Arvind Kejirwal's personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar. The police will now have her statement recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Under Section 164, a magistrate can record a person's statement or confession during a police investigation before the trial. Maliwal had made a PCR call from the Chief Minister's House at 9.34 pm on May 13. The Delhi Police may give notice to Bibhav Kumar and ask him to join the investigation, sources added. According to the police FIR, Maliwal in her complaint said that she was slapped, hit on the stomach, attacked and kicked by Bibhav Kumar at the Chief Minister's residence. The Delhi police filed an FIR in connection with the alleged assault naming Bibhav Kumar. The FIR has been registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the Indian Penal Code, among other sections, for offences including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or acts of intent to insult and assault. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar did not appear before the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday in connection with the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. IMAGE: National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma addresses a press conference regarding the alleged assault on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal PS Bibhav Kumar, in New Delhi on Friday. Photograph: Amit Sharma/ANI Photo The NCW had summoned Kumar to appear before it at 11 am. NCW chief Rekha Sharma said a team of the commission had gone to Kumar's residence on Thursday to serve him a notice, but he was not home. "Kumar's wife refused to receive the notice. My team has gone to his residence again today with police and if he does not appear (before NCW) by tomorrow, then we will go personally to inquire," Sharma told reporters. She also said that she would meet Maliwal. "I was telling Swati ji on Twitter (now X) to speak up, but I think she was traumatised because this incident happened at her (party) leader's house... an MP, who has always raised issues concerning women, was beaten. "Despite our differences, we have always stood by each other... once she feels a bit better, I will personally meet Swati. I hope she is better now, but I understand it would take time for her to come out of the trauma," the NCW chief said. On Kejriwal's silence on the issue, Sharma said it shows that he does not care about anything. "This is an indication that he is siding with Bibhav. Instead of supporting a woman, he is supporting a perpetrator. He distributes freebies in the name of women, but when a woman is being beaten in his house, he turns a blind eye and takes no action against the man responsible," she said. "Kejriwal has clearly chosen his side, which is with Bibhav," she added. While the police are conducting a probe, Sharma said, the NCW will also send its inquiry team. On Monday morning, Maliwal went to the Civil Lines police station in New Delhi and alleged that a member of Kejriwal's personal staff 'assaulted' her at the chief minister's official residence, police officials said. The NCW took suo moto cognisance of a media post titled '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 Kumar. The Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR in connection with the alleged assault on Maliwal. Kumar has been named as an accused in the case, officials said. Kumar allegedly kicked and slapped Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal multiple times and did not relent even as she screamed for help, according to the FIR. The details of the alleged assault emerged as Maliwal appeared before a magistrate to record her statement in the case on Friday. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday shared the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally in Mumbai and praised the Centre over construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya and nullification of Article 370. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated by MNS chief Raj Thackeray during the BJP-led NDA rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Friday. Photograph: ANI Photo Addressing the rally at the sprawling Shivaji Park ground in Dadar, Raj Thackeray, who has extended unconditional support to the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ruling allies in Maharashtra in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, listed out his expectations from the PM in his third term in office. The MNS leader justified his decision to support a third term in office for Modi and referred to the Ram temple construction, removal of Article 370 (which provided special status to J&K) and banning of instant triple talaq by his government. "I consider these as courageous decisions. Now, I expect Modiji to accord classical language status to Marathi, include Maratha history in school curriculums in the country and preserve Shivaji-era forts," he said. The ongoing work on the Mumbai-Goa highway also needs to be expedited, said Raj Thackeray. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was not been seen in public after the May 7 voting in the Baramati Lok Sabha seat in his home turf, was also present at the rally organised in support of Shiv Sena-BJP's Lok Sabha candidates in Mumbai. He castigated the opposition for not speaking about development issues and said only PM Modi can provide a strong leadership to the country. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis slammed Shiv Sena-UBT president and former CM Uddhav Thackeray, saying he has stopped his earlier practice of using the word "Hindu" while addressing gatherings. "The Shivaji Park ground used to hear "my Hindu brothers and sisters" call by (Shiv Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray. Now, Uddhav Thackeray has stopped using the word Hindu. When Modi was giving vaccines against COVID-19, the Uddhav Thackeray regime saw khichdi scam...body bags scam ," the BJP leader said, hitting out at his former ally. Sena founder late Bal Thackeray used to address annual Dussehra rallies in the Shivaji Park ground. Fadnavis maintained Uddhav Thackeray's rallies are seeing Pakistan flags and glorification of medieval-era Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan. "The poor have the first right over country's resources irrespective of their religion," he said. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray, who has allied with the Congress and the NCP-SP, cannot now dare to say "Garve se kaho hum Hindu hai" (say with pride that I am a Hindu). "Never before anyone has seen a chameleon change colours so fast," he remarked, slamming his political rival without naming him. "Balasaheb had asked his supporters to hit (Congress leader) Mani Shankar Aiyar's photo with chappals when he insulted (Hindutva icon Veer) Savarkar. But Uddhav Thackeray is keeping the Congress's shoes on his head," he opined. "We are going ahead with his (Balasaheb's) ideology. We don't want his property. True followers of Balasaheb will never vote for the Congress," said Shinde, who revolted against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in June 2022. Shinde sought votes for Modi, saying he has kept India secure, improved its economy and leading the country towards becoming a super power. Thirteen Lok Sabha seats, including 6 in Mumbai, will vote on May 20 in the fifth and last phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. Indian American Congressman Ro Khanna, 47, is headed towards running for presidency of the United States, his Indian American colleagues in the US House of Representatives believe. IMAGE: US Representative Ro Khanna. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Congressman Shri Thanedar said this during a panel discussion at the annual Indian American Impact Summit in Washington, DC, when moderator Zohreen Shah, ABC national correspondent, asked the panelists to respond to her question in yes or no. "Is Ro Khanna running for president?" she asked. "Yes, Yes. Absolutely yes," Thanedar said amidst cheers from the Indian American audience. Khanna represents the 17th Congressional District of California, which primarily comprises of Silicon Valley. "Who knows?" Khanna said amidst laughter. "The answer is Yes," said Pramila Jayapal. "And we all know it," she said. "We will see," said Dr Ami Bera, the senior most Indian American in the US House of Representatives. All the four made a rare joint appearance at the Impact Summit as they participated in a panel discussion on 'Desis Decide' at the end of which Shah asked a series of rapid fire questions. "Number of years before we have an Indian American president?" Shah asked. "Less than a decade," Dr Bera said. "Very soon," Jayapal said. "Within a decade," Khanna responded. "In four years," was the response from Thanedar. When asked about their favourite Indian movies, Thanedar said 'Kabhi Khushi, Kabhie Gham', for Khanna it is 'Mr India', was 'Lagaan' for Jayapal. Bera said he has not watched Hindi movies. "Who should play you in a biopic? Bollywood Star or Hollywood Indian," was another question asked to them. Bera said Dev Patel. Jayapal said Mindy Kaling. Khanna said Kal Pen. "Absolutely, Shah Rukh Khan," said Thanedar. "Indian food or snack you should stay away from but cannot," Shah asked as her first rapid fire question. "Any of the hosts of the Indian sweets. Should stay away from them, but cannot," Bera said "Anything fried, pakora in particular," Jayapal said. "I love halva," Khanna said. "Ladoos," was the answer from Thanedar. "On Time or Desi Time," was another question fired by Shah. "Desi Time," said Thanedar. "Desi time, but because I want to be married, I've gotten better at it," Khanna said amidst laughter. "Desi Time is what is real, but on time is what I am," Jayapal said. "On time," Bera said. A case has been registered against an unidentified person for allegedly raping a woman after rendering her unconscious onboard an express train in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official from the Government Railway Police (GRP) said on Friday. The Thane GRP on Thursday registered a case under sections 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc, with intent to commit an offence) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code for the incident that took place in March, senior inspector Archana Dhusane said. The victim has alleged that she was travelling by Uttar Pradesh-bound Tulsi Express on March 10 when an unidentified person administered a harmful substance to render her unconscious and raped her, the official said. The woman has claimed that the assault took place 40 minutes after the train left the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Kurla in neighbouring Mumbai and arrived at Thane railway station, she said. The complainant approached the GRP in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, in April, 39 days after the alleged incident, and from there, the complaint was forwarded to Thane after 21 days, she said. As no CCTV footage was available from LTT, the police checked the reservation charts of Tulsi Express and two other trains that left the station at the same time, the official said. The police were examining the mobile phone call records and gathering technical evidence, she said. Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com accompanies 26/11 prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam as he canvasses for votes in his first Lok Sabha election. Photographs: Palashranjan Bhaumick. Photograph: Palashranjan Bhaumick for Rediff.com IMAGE: From left: Ujjwal Nikam, Seema Ramdas Athawale and Ramdas Athawale during the padyatra in Mumbai's Bandra East, May 16, 2024. The air is thick with anticipation as one reaches the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority building in Bandra East in suburban Mumbai. It's almost 11.30 am and a sizeable crowd, some even belonging to -- as Narendra Modi once observed -- the community which could be easily identified by their clothes has gathered in front of the MHADA complex from where the state government runs its housing schemes for the lower and middle income groups in the state. Former special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, the Bharatiya Janata Party's Mumbai North Central aspirant, is scheduled for a roadshow, which begins, of all places in this constituency today, just a stone's throw away from his party's bete noire Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray's residence, Matoshree. On travel by train Photograph: Palashranjan Bhaumick for Rediff.com IMAGE: Ujjwal Nikam interacts with commuters inside a suburban train. Nikam, whose day begins at 9 am with his visit to the Bandra terminus for a meeting with the taxi and rickshaw unions, is supposed to travel by train from the Bandra railway station to Vile Parle at 9.30 am so that he can understand the issues faced by railway commuters. Like any Mumbaikar worth his salt and rail travel, Nikam knows the importance of striking a chord with the people whose life depends upon the Western Line that connects the city's suburban north and tony south. It's 10.30 am and Nikam, already delayed by an hour, pops hurriedly into the second class bogey of the suburban Western Railway from platform number 1 at Bandra station. In the next 15 minutes that the train takes to travel between these two stations Nikam interacts with those travelling in his bogey. He empathises with commuters as he tries to understand their issues. He promises them nothing but in those 15 minutes he has struck a chord with his fellow travelers. Photograph: Palashranjan Bhaumick for Rediff.com IMAGE: Ujjwal Nikam with Bharatiya Janata Party supporters on his way towards MHADA in Bandra East. He alights at the Vile Parle railway station at 11 am and from there rushes towards the MHADA complex in Bandra East where he was supposed to start a padyatra (travel by foot) to meet voters in the neighbourhood. When he reaches there 30 minutes later a band -- the Maratha Band -- welcomes him with the furious beats of Nashik dhol. Firecrackers go crazy and the air is filled with sloganeering. Slogans like "Bharat Mata Ki Jai!... Har Har Mahadev... Ab Ki Baar, 400 Paar, Jai Jai Jai Shri Ram... fill the hot and humid morning air as Nikam begins his show of strength. Nikam, who was appointed by the then Congress government as the special public prosecutor to prove Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab's role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, which killed more than 166 people, is waging a political battle against the Congress's Varsha Eknath Gaikwad to fulfill Modi's dream of winning 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. 'Vote for the man who sent Kasab to the gallows' Photograph: Palashranjan Bhaumick for Rediff.com IMAGE: Ujjwal Nikam and Ramdas Athawale greet passersby. "He is the man who is responsible for sending the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab to death. Vote for the man who sent Kasab to the gallows," a voice repeatedly blurts from a speaker from atop the vehicle on which Nikam and his entourage -- which for the day include Republian Party (Athawale) leader Ramdas Athawale, Athawale's wife Seema for a very short period, and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant -- as his cavalcade winds its way through Bandra Kurla Complex's plush residential societies developed by Mumbai's elite developers, then through the rear side of Patrakar Colony, a typical middle class locality in Mumbai, Government Colony, a low income group colony promoted by the state government and for redevelopment of whose prime land of almost 90 acres the very same developers who have built plush BKC residential complexes are vying with each other, and then through the adjoining slums of Saint Dnyaneshwar Nagar and Valmiki Nagar, dominated by the poorest of the poor Muslims and downtrodden in this constituency whose geographical extent covers Ville Parle, Chandivali, Kurla, Bandra West and East, and Kalina. Photograph: Palashranjan Bhaumick for Rediff.com IMAGE: Ujjwal Nikam and Ramdas Athawale wave at people in adjoining buildings. All through the three hour election campaign trail the theme that Nikam was responsible for getting the death penalty for Ajmal Kasab is highlighted -- the frequency of this pitch rises as the cavalcade passes through the high income and middle income colonies and not so frequent when it passes through Saint Dnyaneshwar Nagar and Valmiki Nagar -- even as Nikam, Athawale and Samant do their mechanical namastes, waving of hands, victory signs, and pose for scores of professional cameras and hundreds of mobile consumers passing by. Apart from the slogans that rent the air with maximum gusto during the first hour when the volunteers -- women, senior citizens, children and the youngsters -- of the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (Raj Thackeray) are agile on their fresh feet, the tempo drops as the sun ascends and the women and elders in the crowd take some time off to cool their heels under the shade of trees that line streets. Missing in action: Huge cutouts of Narendra Modi and Bal Thackeray Photograph: Prasanna D Zore/ Rediff.com IMAGE: BJP supporters from Bharat Nagar. Ask anybody in the crowd how many seats will the Mahayuti alliance win in Mumbai the only answer is: All six. Counter them with 'why' and almost everybody answers 'Modi'. While political experts claim that the Modi Magic is missing in the 2024 general election, the common people in the street -- at least those in the crowd on Thursday -- vow that they will vote for Modi and the candidate who contests the election doesn't matter much. Interestingly, the huge Modi cutouts which had crowded Mumbai's skyline during the 2019 Lok Sabha election are seen nowhere. Photograph: Palashranjan Bhaumick for Rediff.com IMAGE: BJP supporters chant slogans. Ditto for Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, the use of whose pictures, posters and name, has remained a sore bone of contention between the two Shiv Sena factions after their June 2022 split and the subsequent capture of the party symbol -- the bow and arrow -- and the party name by Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. Both Modi and Thackeray were visible in small 2.5-by-2.5 feet tiny cutouts which mostly BJP and Shiv Sena supporters waved with some josh (vigour). Just one small van leading the cavalcade prominently displays only Modi on it while the vehicle in which Nikam travels has small pictures of all the leaders from the BJP, SS, NCP and MNS. No coordination between BJP-SS-NCP-MNS flagbearers Photograph: Prasanna D Zore/ Rediff.com IMAGE: MNS, BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP supporters wave their respective party flags at the election campaign. While political leaders belonging to the BJP-SS-NCP-MNS joined hands to form a grand alliance called the Mahayuti in Modi's bid to win 400 plus seats, the volunteers of these parties on the ground display clear apathy towards each other at Nikam's rally. It is only natural when leaders of these very same parties ridiculed and took pot shots at each other's leaders since 2019, their workers, though exhibiting a disciplined loyalty towards their leaders, were not sharing any bonding with each other on the ground. The MNS, which had the biggest flags on show, led from the front, and formed the first flank of Thursday's rally. They were followed by BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP workers waving flags that were relatively smaller in size then that of the MNS flags (a few obviously envied the size of the MNS's huge flags and wished their flagbearers too would have waved them proudly), who seemed as disinterested in sloganeering, as those of the NCP, Shiv Sena and BJP workers. Video: The Dance and Band of Democracy Palashranjan Bhaumick for Rediff.com "It's difficult to bond with each other when we know how much we had to compromise to be seen as one," quips an MNS worker from Bandra East. "Our leaders had often thrown poisonous political darts at each other and now here we are the flagbearers of the same people who we know hate Marathis," he says. "But orders are orders and since the day Raj saheb publicly declared that he is with Modiji, we too have forgotten our differences and are working wholeheartedly for Modiji's victory," he adds. The flagbearers of the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP (most of whom came from the Bharat Nagar slums in Bandra East) share similar sentiments about bonding with the volunteers of other parties. 'Every government should be booted out after one term' Photograph: Palashranjan Bhaumick for Rediff.com IMAGE: Ujjwal Nikam and Ramdas Athawale during the rally. The most interesting quote of the entire afternoon comes from someone who is not part of this rally. As Nikam's cavalcade halts near the sprawling Government Colony, most of the volunteers quickly grab any and every corner they can to rest their tired feet. It is one of those hot days in May and a few elderly women and men need assistance. A lady in her mid-60s is sent back home in an autorickshaw midway through the campaign. As Nikam's van halts at the junction near Government Colony that faces the Chetana College of Arts and Commerce and where streets on both sides are lined with small and medium enterprises and shops, a lady shopkeeper comes out of her shop to take stock of the commotion outside. Photograph: Prasanna D Zore/ Rediff.com IMAGE: People who travelled with Ujjwal Nikam's padyatra resting under the shade of trees lined along the street. Ask her if she or any of the people and women she knows gets influenced by such shows of pomp when they go out to vote and she says, "Do you think we are fools to vote on the basis of such campaigns?" "What did Modiji or BJP do for us? Nothing. Look at the rates of essentials like gas cylinders, fuel, pulses, vegetables and fruits. Do you think people like us can afford these on a regular basis?" she asks. "If we elect Rahul Gandhi, do you think he will do any better for us? He may also do what Modiji did with prices of essential items, but after ten long years one must think of giving him a chance," she says. "But he sounds very promising now. Let us give him a chance. If he fails, then we can always boot him out after five years. I strongly believe that no political party should get a second chance. Every government needs to be booted out after the first term," she adds. 'No commitment. But will always be available for my voters' Photograph: Prasanna D Zore/ Rediff.com IMAGE: Ujjwal Nikam pays his respects at the Kushinara Buddha Vihar. Nikam, who remains ensconced in his van for almost the entire three hour stretch, steps out to pay his respects at the Kushinara Buddha Vihara (Buddha temple) at Shastri Nagar just where the plus residential skyrises give way to a four-storeyed middle-income colony here. Accompanied by Ramdas Athawale and Athawale's wife Seema, Nikam's entourage enters the Buddhist temple and spends five minutes inside. He is soon flanked on all sides by mediapersons for a quick sound-byte and he happily obliges. This stop also marks one of those phases of the three-hour campaign trail -- otherwise marked with dull moments waving at BJP workers or at windows of highrises that are shuttered and none are in their balconies -- where Nikam shows some sprightliness and agility. Video: Jilani Shaikh garlands Ujjwal Nikam using a JCB. Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com The other two moments that bring some zing to this otherwise dull campaigning is when Nikam and Uday Samant are garlanded by the Shiv Sena's Jilani Shaikh, a leader from Bandra East belonging to Shinde's Shiv Sena, and his supporters using a JCB and showered with flowers from a bulldozer (yes, a bulldozer finally makes an entry into Mumbai politics). "We are not worried about what Modiji says about Muslims," Shaikh tells Rediff.com later when the campaign halts for the afternoon session near Valmiki Nagar, a slum tenement dominated by people belonging to the Valmiki caste. "All these things happen in the heat of election campaigning and we don't need to pay any heed to such bombast. Muslims of Mumbai have no misgivings for the BJP or the RSS or what Modiji is saying about Muslims and they will vote for Modiji's huge victory," says Shaikh who soon joins a group of mourners taking a departed soul for burial at the nearby kabristan. Video: Ujjwal Nikam on why he visited Valmiki Nagar Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com Meanwhile, it's the final halt for the afternoon campaign trail and Nikam accepts the invitation of Anil Mangnani, former BJP corporator Sushma Mangnani's husband, who takes him to the nearby Valmiki temple and meet women from "my samaj so that we can assure Nikam saheb that we will vote en masse for him," Anil tells us. Nikam's entry into a small hall at Valmiki Nagar and his visit to the Valmiki temple marks the second most exhilarating moment of his campaign where he mingles with the aam janata and interacts with them about the issues they face. Speaking to Rediff.com, Nikam says though he will not commit anything to his voters, "I will always be available for them whenever they need me." Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Sunny. High 67F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. Winds light and variable. Trees known to be home to endangered greater gliders have been felled despite repeated warnings from conservationists. Ancient trees harbouring animals on the verge of extinction inside an Australian national park have been cut down by government contractors, in a move a leading conservation scientist has described as "complete madness". While Victorian authorities maintain its works are essential to lessen the threat of bushfires and protect native wildlife, there is mounting concern about its methods. At least one endangered greater glider is dead, while others are presumed homeless and likely will not survive. The hollows these fluffy, koala-like, nocturnal marsupials use to sleep in are in short supply. More than a month ago, conservationists began walking through the muddy tracks within the state's Yarra Ranges National Park to document the specific tree hollows greater gliders were living in. Their efforts were in response to a plan by the states Department of Environment to expand fire breaks and remove vegetation inside the park. They were particularly concerned that Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV), which operates within the Department, had spray painted pink markings on centuries-old eucalypts at the edges of tracks. This indicated the trees had been assessed by its workers as posing a hazard and thus needed to be cut down. Government cut down tree after being warned gliders lived inside Investigators from Wildlife of the Central Highlands (WOTCH) rugged up and braved bitter winter nights for weeks. The suspicions of its volunteers were confirmed when they found greater gliders and critically endangered Leadbeater's possums using trees earmarked for destruction both species are protected under state and federal laws. This information was sent to the Victorian and Commonwealth environment departments, with a plea that the trees be spared. Video was supplied showing the animals clearly utilising the trees as habitat. Amongst them was Tree 15, a large Mountain grey gum which had at least three greater gliders using its hollow. It featured in an independent arborist report commissioned by Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) which found the tree had a poor structure, but was in good condition, resulting in a recommendation that no works should be undertaken at all. Conservationists now claim Tree 15 has since been cut down. Of the 16 trees the independent arborists assessed in the VNPA report, they found only six needed work. The experts concluded all had a high value and made no recommendations that any needed to be removed. The report concluded all trees had a low to very low risk of failure and none had more than a one in a million chance of harming human life. Expert questions why greater glider tree was not protected World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia conservation scientist Dr Kita Ashman has been following reports of tree removal inside Yarra Ranges National Park, and shes questioned FFMVs methods. [FFMVs] commentary has been that it's clearing vegetation encroaching on existing fire breaks. But the trees that are being logged are several hundred years old, and if theyre existing fuel breaks why werent they cleared previously? To me it really doesnt add up she said. Whats been living rent free in my brain over the past 48 hours since I saw that dead glider is that community groups sent in the exact location, video evidence, photo evidence and it fell on deaf ears. Even if it was a hazardous tree, which we know it wasnt, there was an endangered species in there so why wouldnt you not still work to protect it? Disturbing details of greater glider body revealed Following the death of the greater glider on Wednesday, FFMV told Yahoo News it makes every effort to minimise impacts on flora and fauna and follow a rigorous planning and approvals process. To better understand its processes, Yahoo responded on Thursday by asking what specific guidelines it follows when it assesses trees, whether it checks hollows for wildlife before the trees come down, and if fauna spotters have to be present. FFMV did not respond directly to these questions, but claimed again that every effort is made to minimise impacts on the environment, and added that its management of forests can include the installation of nest boxes and carving hollows in suitable trees. The habitat value of every tree deemed hazardous is assessed by our expert staff against the risk to the public and to firefighters, when required this assessment is done in consultation with independent experts, it said. An endangered greater glider was found dead next to a tree in the Yarra Ranges National Park on Wednesday. Source: Forest Conservation Victoria Images supplied to Yahoo showing the dead greater glider on Wednesday are disturbing. They show the animal squashed flat, with its internal organs breaking free from its chest. A statement from a Wildlife Victoria vet who assessed the body before it was handed to relevant experts noted there were multiple injuries to its body. In a statement the rescue group conveyed its CEO Lisa Palma shared her dismay at the animals death. Our wildlife is on the frontline of climate change, habitat destruction, and urbanisation, and Australia has the highest mammal extinction rate in the world. It is incredibly distressing to have reports of endangered wildlife impacted under these circumstances and we renew our call for greater wildlife protection, she said. On Friday FFMV confirmed the greater glider had been recovered for a necropsy, but it is understood to be still waiting on the results. So while the animal was found dead next to a tree, it's unclear whether its cause of death was directly related. Call for urgent environment reform On Thursday, Environmental Justice Australia, which has acted on behalf of WOTCH and VNPA, accused FFMV of "refusing to comply" with the legislated process for assessing environmental impacts. It's special counsel Danya Jacobs called in Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to bring forward reforms to nature protection laws which have been independently assessed as "ineffective". "This conduct raises serious questions about FFMV's governance, impunity and the severe impacts on threatened species that it is actively shielding from legal scrutiny," she said. "The destruction of ancient hollow-bearing trees home to endangered species despite specific advance warning demonstrates that urgent reform to deliver clear and bullet-proof protection for critical habitat of threatened species must come in this stage of National environmental law reform, it cannot await Minister Plibersek's indefinite further process." The Federal Department of Environment confirmed with Yahoo on April 23 that it was making enquiries into works inside Yarra Ranges National Park. This week it confirmed they were ongoing, but it is yet to provide details of what these enquiries are. Conservationists have urged the Victorian government to cease its operations in the national park. Source: Forest Conservation Victoria Government accused of 'logging by stealth' Victorias end to native forest logging began in January 2024, and the state owned timber harvester VicForests was shut down. However conservationists have claimed projects like those in Yarra Ranges National Park, where old-growth trees are chopped down and then hauled away on trucks are logging by stealth. This is understood to be disputed by the Department. To help families and communities impacted by the closure of VicForests, the Department created the Forestry Transition Program. This has resulted in forest contractors being employed by FFMV to carry out specialised tasks including the removal of trees it deems hazardous and other bushfire suppression activities. Although Yarra Ranges National Park is not believed to specifically be part of this program, it is similar in nature to other controversial works across the state. WWFs Dr Ashman said it is infuriating that endangered species habitat is being destroyed, despite these animals being protected under Victorias Flora and Fauna Guarantee and the Commonwealths Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. There are so many claims that theyre doing things the right way, but that cant be the case because theyre killing endangered species. Where is the oversight? Where is the prosecution for killing endangered animals?, she said. Its just complete madness. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. Corinne McIvor, 39, claims little was done to stop the spread of bed bugs on her recent P&O cruise. Corinne McIvor, 39, claims she was bitten by bed bugs in her cabin while traveling on the Pacific Encounter cruise ship this month. Source: Supplied A nurse has sworn to never go on a P&O cruise again after she claims bed bugs "completely ruined" her holiday and left her hundreds of dollars out of pocket in a desperate attempt to prevent the insects from spreading into her home. Earlier this month, Corinne McIvor, 39, spent a week travelling to different Pacific Islands from Brisbane on the Pacific Encounter. After sleeping in her cabin for several nights, the cruise enthusiast said she felt her "skin crawling" and woke up to tiny bites on her neck, chest and legs, with staff urging her to visit the cruise's doctor. "The doctor said, 'Oh my god, I'm so sorry. The bites are in a classic bed bug pattern'," McIvor told Yahoo News. "I asked her outright if this is something she's seen on the ship before and she said 'yeah'." The $150 medical fee McIvor was initially told she would need to pay to see the doctor was waived after the physician allegedly confirmed it was a case of bed bugs. McIvor said she was told she had to immediately return to her cabin where two cruise workers would be waiting to take her belongings and fumigate them. The nurse claimed she suffered bed bug bites on her neck, chest and legs after sleeping in her cabin. Source: Supplied Nurse claims no regard to 'wildfire' spread of bed bugs McIvor was initially pleased with the response from staff, with one worker giving her and her partner instructions from the door of their room while they packed their belongings inside. However, all feelings of "validation" changed when another staff member allegedly didn't take the same degree of caution, entering the room and dumping their clothes and belongings onto the infested bed before carrying it to the "other side of the ship" to their next room. "That's how they spread ... and they spread like wildfire," McIvor said. Their dirty clothes were laundered free of charge, however, the nurse claims she saw no other protocols followed in attempt to minimise the spread of bed bugs. The couple said they were also given no instructions on how to avoid exposing other passengers or their home post-cruise. "It was a s**t show. The bed bugs totally ruined the cruise because of the anxiety. And it's embarrassing, I know it's not about someone being dirty but you do associate it with that," McIvor told Yahoo. Passengers spend at least $500 to address problem The couple stripped in their garage as soon as they got home and spent money on laundry and dry cleaning services to get their clothes properly sanitised. They have since decided to discard the new suitcases they bought ahead of the cruise and McIvor also purchased a steamer. "I know that it sounds really over the top but this is how it spreads. I'm a public health nurse and I know it's a public health issue," McIvor said. "Passengers have no idea this is going on." P&O Cruises Australia said it 'has strict and robust health protocols on its cruise ships'. Source: P&O Cruises Australia After reaching out to P&O Cruises Australia to discuss the issue, she claims the case of bed bugs has since been denied, with the waiving of the $150 medical fee allegedly called a "gesture of goodwill" by P&O in an email. "Money is tight, people are looking forward to their cruise and spend a lot of time money to go on one. Then they get bed bugs and are gaslit I'm not a liar," McIvor said. She is calling for firm protocols to be implemented on cruise liners and is seeking compensation for her trip, confessing she will "never ever" go on a P&O cruise again. P&O Australia claim 'strict and robust health protocols' on ships When Yahoo News approached P&O Cruises Australia about the woman's bed bug claims, the company did not directly answer, instead saying it "has strict and robust health protocols on its cruise ships". "The comfort, health and safety of our guests is of upmost importance to us," a P&O Australia spokesperson told Yahoo News. "Just like hotels, we have rigorous cleaning processes in place to address and resolve any issues that may arise." Yahoo understands the room where McIvor stayed was inspected and cleaned and no bed bugs were found. It also understands there were no complaints of bugs in that room on the previous voyage or since. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Russia's president seeks partnerships with China to aid the war effort and boost the Russian economy. In this pool photograph distributed by Russian news agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Soviet martyrs monument commemorating Soviet Red Army soldiers who died during World War II, in Harbin, northeastern China's Heilongjian province, May 17, 2024. Flanked by goose-stepping Chinese soldiers, Russian President Vladimir Putin laid a bunch of red roses at a World War II memorial to Soviet soldiers in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin known as China's "Little Moscow" on Friday. It was the second day of a state visit analysts said was also an urgent shopping trip for Chinese resources amid Russias war in Ukraine. Putin's visit to Harbin, a city built by Russian and European architects to demonstrate Russian imperial power in the Far East with the extension of the Trans-Siberian Railway to northeastern China in the late 19th century, took in the Harbin Institute of Technology, where he met with students and lecturers. In a speech to the 8th Sino-Russian Expo in Harbin, Putin said Sino-Russian cooperation would be important to jointly develop new technologies. "Russia is ready and able to continuously power the Chinese economy, businesses, cities and towns with affordable and environmentally clean energy," he said. "As the world is on the threshold of the next technological revolution, we are determined to consistently deepen bilateral cooperation in the field of high technologies and innovations," he added. The northeastern region is the base for much of China's heavy industry and would potentially benefit from Russian investment to further develop the military-industrial sector, a Chinese scholar living in Japan who gave only the surname Hong for fear of reprisal. Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd L) visits an exhibition at the Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, northeastern China's Heilongjian province, May 17, 2024. (Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) "The Harbin Institute of Technology is a military school that is half under military management," Hong said. "The military-industrial and heavy industrial sectors in Harbin are pretty good, although there are some areas in which they're no longer very good." "We shall see if the northeast is able to make a comeback with Russian support," Hong said. "That would also strengthen Russias base in the Far East." Desperate for resources U.S.-based current affairs commentator Ma Ju said Putin is currently desperate for resources to continue the war in Ukraine. "Putin is looking to gain even stronger support from China [on this trip] to prop up the faltering Russian economy," Ma said. "That would give him more time and capabilities, and more cards to play in the war in Ukraine." The Russian leader also relies on China's political support on the world stage, and at the United Nations, he said. "China has become an important ally for Putin as he shores up his grip on power," Ma said. Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd R) and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng (2nd L) visit the Russian-Chinese Expo in Harbin, northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, May 17, 2024. (Sergei Bobylev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin have a long-standing agreement to visit each others countries once a year, and Xi was welcomed at the Kremlin last year. As Putin visits China for the first time since beginning a new term as president, he and Xi have been at pains to underline their "long and strong" friendship, and a strategic partnership that has been described as having "no upper limits." Analysts told Radio Free Asia that Thursday's symbolic statements about upholding global peace and stability are actually closely linked to concrete military and economic goals, as well as a common cause in counterbalancing the global power of the United States. An important part of bilateral cooperation has been seen in skyrocketing Chinese exports to Russia, although the figures have been impacted by the threat of U.S. sanctions against Chinese banks, hampering trade settlements and international payments. 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. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Roseanne Gerin. The measures came after US sanctions on Russian individuals and companies over arms transfers with the North. FILE PHOTO: Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks during a joint press conference following an Australia and South Korea Foreign and Defense Ministers' Meeting in Melbourne, Australia, May 1, 2024. Updated May 17, 2024, 04:47 a.m. ET. Australia has imposed targeted sanctions against entities linked to the unlawful weapons trade between North Korea and Russia. Australia is imposing targeted financial sanctions, in coordination with international partners, on a further six entities associated with North Koreas supply of arms and related materiel to Russia, said Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong in a statement on Friday. Australia condemns, in the strongest possible terms, North Koreas illegal export and Russias procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles, in support of Russias full-scale war against Ukraine. Noting the continued transfer of weapons from North Korea to Russia is a flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, Wong said Australia would work with Western allies to hold Russia and North Korea to account and address the security threat posed by the North. Wongs statement came a day after the United States announced sanctions on two Russian individuals and three Russian companies for facilitating arms transfers with Pyongyang. U.S. Treasury officials said in a statement that the two countries had strengthened their military cooperation over the past year, with the North providing ballistic missiles and munitions to Russia in return for weapons and economic aid. The U.S., South Korea and others have accused Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with weapons to use in its war in Ukraine an accusation that both countries have denied. A now-defunct U.N. panel of experts tasked with investigating violations of sanctions related to North Koreas prohibited nuclear and ballistic missile programs, released a report in March, detailing with photographs Russias arms dealings with North Korea. A few hours after Australias announcement, North Korea fired several short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast, the South Korean military said. We identified several projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles fired into the East Sea [Sea of Japan] from the Wonsan area of North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The North Korean missile flew about 300 km (186 miles) before falling into the East Sea, the JCS added. This is North Korea's fifth ballistic missile test launch this year. The JCS said it was analyzing details of the missiles and shared relevant information with the U.S. and Japan. We strongly condemn North Koreas missile launch as a clear act of provocation that seriously threatens the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, the JCS said, adding that South Korea will closely monitor the Norths activities. Edited by Mike Firn. This story was updated to include information about North Korea's missile launch. Police say they are investigating the incident and interrogating the men. Police stand beside two men arrested for suspected drug trafficking in Bokeo province, Laos, May 2024. Lao police seized more than 14 million methamphetamine tablets during raids on two houses in a village in the notorious crime-ridden Golden Triangle area of Bokeo province and arrested two suspects, police in the northern province told Radio Free Asia. Authorities apprehended Nor Khoua Chong, 29, and Yeng Kong, 38, also known as Songkham, and confiscated guns, ammunition and a pickup truck from the houses in Chiengtong village, Paktha district, on May 12, Lao state media reported. Were investigating the case and interrogating the suspects, a police officer from Bokeo province, who declined to be identified so he could speak freely, told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday. Right now, we cant reveal a lot of information about the case. The area where northern Laos converges with Myanmar and Thailand at the confluence of the Mekong and Ruak rivers is a haven for narcotics trafficking, prostitution and online scamming by organized criminal networks. Though Lao authorities have committed to combating the countrys long-running trafficking of illegal narcotics, the crime remains rife in the Golden Triangle. In February 2023, authorities seized 500 kilograms (1,100 lbs.) of crystal meth and arrested four smugglers in one of the largest hauls of the narcotic there. The maximum punishment for smuggling this amount of drugs is death, said a Lao criminal lawyer who requested anonymity for safety reasons. Most convicted drug smugglers are sent to prisons on isolated islands in the Nam Gnum Dam reservoir in the Keo Oudom district of Vientiane province, he said. The islands are like concentration camps for serious criminals awaiting execution, he added. Police have stepped up security in Bokeo province, inspecting vehicles they suspect may be transporting illegal drugs along roads in the border areas between districts and provinces, said a resident of the province. The two suspects might be a part of a big drug smuggling network in the country or region, the person said. A Lao man, whose identity is unknown, took to social media to urge authorities to consider tough punishment for the two drug smugglers. I want to see capital punishment just to deter others from doing the same crime, he said. Translated by RFA Lao. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Mike Firn. More than 100,000 people in Puta-O district are trapped and facing dire shortages. Fighting between ethnic rebels and the military has cut off access to the district of Puta-O in northern Myanmars Kachin state, trapping more than 100,000 civilians and sending the price of food and fuel skyrocketing, residents said Friday. The Kachin Independence Army, or KIA, an ethnic minority force from Kachin state in northern Myanmar, has been on the attack in recent weeks, seizing several major positions from junta forces. On May 5, the KIA captured a number of junta camps along the highway leading from its base in Laiza to the state capital Myitkyina, and launched an assault on the town of Sumprabum, midway between Myitkyina and Puta-O. But residents said Friday that roads have been blocked to Puta-O district since March 10, when the KIA first began attacking the military in Sumprabum. "The road has now been closed for more than two months and many goods are already in short supply, said one resident who, like others interviewed for this report, spoke to RFA Burmese on condition of anonymity, citing security concerns. The resident said the shelves of local shops are growing increasingly empty and building materials are particularly scarce. The most challenging issue right now is the fuel shortage, he said. Gasoline prices now range between 40,000 and 50,000 kyats per bottle, and more than 200,000 kyats (US$49) per gallon. Puta-O district comprises five townships, including Puta-O, Sumprabum, Nawngmun, Machanbaw, Khaunglanhpu and has a population of more than 100,000, according to the General Administration Department. Fuel and basic consumer goods transported from Myitkyina must first pass through Puta-O township to reach Machanbaw, Nawngmun, and Khaunglanhpu townships. But fighting has brought the flow of goods to a halt, residents said. Farming by hand A resident of Nawngmun, who also declined to be named, told RFA that farmers have been forced to pull their plows by hand, due to the lack of fuel. He said the township is completely cut off, with nothing left. Only a few shops remain open, and they have very little to sell, he said. Puta-O township, June 28, 2022. Other residents said that they had been able to order goods via domestic flights to Puta-O township, but prices were prohibitively high. They said onions, which sell for only 2,500 kyats per viss (3.6 pounds) in Yangon, cost more than 10 times as much to ship by air. The fuel shortage has also complicated transportation of patients with urgent medical needs, they said, as few people can afford to drive cars or motorbikes. KIA information officer Col. Naw Bu told RFA that the Myitkyina-Puta-O highway was not closed intentionally. "The road closure on the Puta-O side was not done by the KIA, but it's also unlikely that the junta did it, he said. The closure is probably due to the ongoing fighting. Junta troops have raided the area again, so the fighting has continued, effectively closing off the route for security reasons. RFA tried to contact Moe Min Thein, the juntas social affairs minister and spokesman for Kachin state, to inquire about the problems caused by road closures in Puta-O district, but was unable to reach him. A resident of Machanbaw township called for the reopening of roads to the area as soon as possible. "There is absolutely no fuel for our transportation, and those who have it are selling at an exorbitant price, he said. Our only hope is that the roads are reopened, bringing down the price of commodities. Translated by Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Joshua Lipes. Aid workers say their deportation will place civilian lives in jeopardy. A screenshot of a post on X about the deportation of Myanmar refugees by N. Biren Singh, chief minister of northeastern India's Manipur state, May 2, 2024. Myanmar refugees who fled civil war and sought refuge in border villages in neighboring India's Manipur state said they are being deported by local authorities and a paramilitary group. Manipur state Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh said in a May 8 Facebook post that the deportation of nearly 5,500 illegal immigrants was underway, though he did not specifically refer to the Myanmar refugees. Of that number, authorities had collected the biometric data of almost 5,200 of them, he said. The Indian government has a policy to collect fingerprints of all foreigners residing in India, including refugees deemed illegal immigrants, for security purposes. Thousands of civilians from Chin state and Sagaing region poured over the Indian border and into Manipur state to escape armed conflict between junta troops and rebel forces that followed the militarys seizure of power in a February 2021 coup detat. Another 60,000 Myanmar civilians from Chin state have crossed the border and sought shelter in Mizoram state, south of Manipur, according to Chin civil society groups in Myanmar and aid workers. The Mizoram government, however, has decided not to repatriate any of the Chin refugees until the situation there stabilizes. Many ethnic Mizos in Mizoram believe that they and the Chins belong to the same ethnic group. A screenshot of a post on X about the deportation of Myanmar refugees by N. Biren Singh, chief minister of northeastern India's Manipur state, May 2, 2024. (@NBirenSingh via X) Singhs announcement contradicted an earlier statement by Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah that the government would not repatriate the refugees until peace had been restored in Myanmar. India is not a signatory of the U.N. refugee convention, which states that refugees should not be returned to countries where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. 'A disregard of lives' Soon after Singhs comment, village administrators and soldiers from the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force that protects India 's northeastern border, began removing 30 refugee households, forcing them into a forest near border post 74, said a Myanmar refugee who declined to be named for safety reasons. We were forced to remove our shelters and leave there, said the refugee who fled Htan Ta Bin village in Myanmar after it was burned down. Now we have to live in a yard. An official from the Burma Refugees CommitteeKabaw Valley, an organization that helps people fleeing to Manipur from war-torn Myanmar, objected to the refugees being deported and said they have not received humanitarian aid. They crossed the border because of the conflicts with junta troops who threatened their lives, said the aid worker who declined to be identified out of fear for his safety. They were arrested and handed over to the Myanmar junta, he said. It is a disregard of the lives of displaced persons, and we object to it. Salai Dokhar, a New Delhi-based activist who runs India for Myanmar, a group that raises awareness of the rights of refugees, said it would not be safe for the refugees to return if biometric data collected by the Manipur government is handed over to the Myanmar junta. Before repatriating Myanmar citizens, the Indian government sends immigration documents or background information to the ruling junta based on refugee testimonies or documents they possess. A screenshot of a post on X about the deportation of Myanmar refugees by N. Biren Singh, chief minister of northeastern India's Manipur state, May 2, 2024. (@NBirenSingh via X) If they are handed over [to the junta] along with the biometric information, then the security of the deported persons would be worrisome, he said. Dokhar also said he would question officials about the contradictory statements on Myanmar refugee deportation made by Singh and Shah. Neither the Myanmar Embassy in New Delhi nor the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees responded to RFAs emailed requests for comments by the time of publishing. Call to stop deportations The International Commission of Jurists, a human rights NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland, called on the Manipur government to immediately stop the forced deportations and reconsider treatment of the refugees. On May 2, Singh announced on social media the deportation of 77 detained illegal immigrants from Myanmar, calling it the first phase. Of these, 38 women and children were handed over to Myanmars junta. However, the Manipur government has not yet released the remaining 39 from prison. More than 60 Myanmar refugees arrested by Indian authorities at the border are still being held in prisons, according to volunteer aid workers concerned about the refugees being deported. Translated by Aung Naing for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Joshua Lipes. The military junta representatives and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Taang National Liberation Army and Arakan Army delegations meeting in eastern Shan States Mongla on June 1, 2023. Representatives of a Myanmar ethnic minority insurgent alliance met junta officials for a fifth round of Chinese-brokered talks, with key issues being Chinese border trade and stability in western Myanmar, where China has big investments, a source close to the rebel alliance said on Friday. The insurgent groups in the Three Brotherhood Alliance made significant gains against junta forces in an offensive launched on Oct. 27, and codenamed Operation 1027 after that date, until China arranged a truce on January 11. The two days of talks in the southern Chinese city of Kunming this week focused on fighting in Rakhine State and Chinese border trade issues, said the source from the insurgent alliance, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the negotiations. It is known that the fighting in Rakhine State and Chinas border trade is an issue, said the alliance member. The alliance is made up of the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Taang National Liberation Army. The Arakan Army draws its support from Rakhine State in the west while the other two groups are based in Shan State in the northeast. Junta forces have been involved in heavy fighting against the Arakan Army in Rakhine State, where China has several major projects including a deep sea port and special economic zone at Kyaukphyu, with plans for energy pipelines from the Indian Ocean coast across Myanmar to southern China. The fighting has stalled progress on the projects, which include a railway link. The Arakan Army has claimed control over nearly half of the states 17 townships, with offenses underway in those still under junta control. The rebel alliance source did not give more details of the talks but said that none of the factions sent very senior representatives to Kunming. A political analyst closely monitoring the talks also said neither the insurgent groups nor the junta had sent very senior officials. This meeting was a strange one. The decision-making levels from the Taang army and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army were not included, he said, declining to be named for fear of reprisals. Only one, Dr Nyo Tun Aung from the Arakan Army, attended. Neither the junta nor any of the three members of the anti-junta alliance issued a statement on the Tuesday and Wednesday talks. Taang National Liberation Army department of foreign affairs head Col. Tar Moe Hein, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army foreign affairs department head Brig. Phone Win Naing and Arakan Army vice commander-in-chief Nyo Tun Aung attended the meeting, according to the source close to the alliance. The junta sent Lt. Gen. Myo Thant Naing, a judge advocate general, and not the chairman of the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee, Lt.Gen. Tun Tun Naing, as expected, the analyst said. During their Operation 1027 offensive, the insurgent alliance captured 16 towns in northern Shan State. However, Chinas intervention on Jan. 11 brought the alliances offensive progress to a halt. The Kachin Independence Army, an ethnic minority force from Kachin State in northern Myanmar, has been on the attack in recent weeks seizing several major positions from junta forces. RFA telephoned the Taang National Liberation Armys press office, but officials said they were unable to comment on the discussions. Similarly, Arakan Army spokesperson Khaing Thukha said he could not reveal anything about the discussions. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn. A Philippine lawmaker urges Manila to take Beijing again to an international court over its new policy. Members of the media take footage of a Chinese Coast Guard vessel blocking a Philippine Coast Guard vessel on its way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas (Ayungin Shoal) in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. The Philippines hit back Friday against what it called Chinas illegal new order authorizing its coast guard to detain foreign boats and people suspected of trespassing into Beijing-claimed waters in the disputed South China Sea. The Chinese coast guard on Wednesday issued Order No. 3, which will take effect on June 15 and authorizes its personnel to hold foreign nationals for up to 30 days and as many as 60, in some cases. The orders release took place amid rising bilateral tensions over the waterway and as a Philippine civilian resupply convoy sailed toward Scarborough Shoal, which lies within Manilas exclusive economic zone, but is also claimed by China. This is another illegal action of China, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Jay Tarriela said during a press briefing Friday, as he rejected that Beijings new policy applied to waters within Manilas EEZ. The mere fact that they claim full sovereignty over our own exclusive economic zone and they are trying to justify their imaginary nine-dash line, he said, referring to the boundary on Chinese maps that demarcates Beijings South China Sea claims. According to a Mandarin-language document shared by the Chinese Embassy in Manila to reporters, the order covers administrative cases that occur in the waters under the jurisdiction of China. While the document makes no direct mention of the South China Sea, Beijing claims the waterway almost in its entirety. Under the order, foreign vessels may be seized and a foreign person may be detained with the approval of the person in charge of the coast guard agency if they are suspected of illegal entry and exit, assisting others to illegally enter and exit the country, and of endangering national security and interests, among other activities. Foreigners may be exempted from detention if they are pregnant or nursing an infant, below 16 years old, and older than 70 years old, among others, according to excerpts from the order that were translated into English. Administrative cases that occur in waters under the countrys jurisdiction shall be under the administration of the Coast Guard agency in accordance with the law, and shall be under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard agency corresponding to the place where the violation was committed, the order stated. The new order also prohibits unauthorized conduct of surveying and mapping activities in waters under Beijings jurisdiction, and warns that such circumstances are considered grave or serious. Illegal action At the press briefing, Tarriela warned China against repercussions of implementing its new order. China will also have to understand the fact that once they implement this law that they are saying now, its not just the Philippines that will be affected by this. They have to implement it on waters where Vietnamese, Malaysians, Indonesians, and other Southeast Asians are pressing on the nine-dash line claim of China, he said. Its a very big problem for them. Aside from the Philippines and China, Vietnam, Brunei, and Malaysia also have overlapping claims to the South China Sea. Taiwan is also a claimant. On Friday, a lawmaker and a security analyst urged the Philippine government to file a case against China before an international court over the new policy. If any country has a right to arrest foreigners, it is the Philippines. China is the one trespassing in our territorial waters and our exclusive economic zone, and now it has the gall to say that they would arrest non-Chinese in our waters, House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro said in a statement. The Philippines should expedite filing a case against China again in the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the United Nations. The international community, especially the [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] should also speak up against Chinas blatant disregard of Philippine sovereignty, the 2016 arbitral ruling, and the [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea], she also said. In 2016, the Philippines won a landmark international arbitration case against China that stemmed from a bilateral standoff over Scarborough Shoal, which Beijing has virtually controlled since 2012. On Friday, the civilian convoy returned to Luzon island after an advance boat had delivered food and fuel to Filipino fishermen who were fishing near the disputed shoal, organizers said. A Philippine Coast Guard ship is seen in the background as boats belonging to a civilian convoy sail toward Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, May 15, 2024. (Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews) We see the defiance of the Filipino fisherfolk. The main reason why they went to Scarborough Shoal is to fight for their fishing rights, the [sovereign] rights of our country, Security analyst Chester Cabalza told the ABS-CBN news program Dateline Philippines on Friday. The mere fact that China has pronounced the new law which they will implement by June means that theyre afraid. Theres fear in China right now because theyve seen civilians coming to [Scarborough Shoal], he said. Geopolitical analyst Don McLain Gill called the new Chinese policy illicit and baseless. China is quite notorious for using lawfare as a means to [establish] its de facto exclusionary policies in the greater South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea in particular, Gill told BenarNews on Friday. The West Philippine Sea is how Filipinos refer to South China Sea waters that lie within the Philippine EEZ. From its foreign fishing ban to the recent announcement, Beijing tries to illicitly enforce so-called laws in other countries EEZ as a show of force. However, this doesnt change the fact that such enforcements are illegal and clearly against UNCLOS, Gill said. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council did not immediately respond to BenarNews requests for comment. BenarNews also tried to contact the Chinese Embassy to seek clarification and comment, but was unsuccessful. The Philippine Coast Guard detains MT Hyperline 988, a foreign vessel under the flag of Sierra Leone, May 16, 2024. (Philippine Coast Guard) Meanwhile on Thursday, as the Filipino civilian convoy was heading back to Luzon, the Philippine Coast Coast Guard said it had detained a Sierra Leone-flagged ship, the MT Hyperline 988, on suspicion of having turned off its its automatic identification system (AIS), and its seven-member crew. All seven crew members were Chinese nationals, the PCG said. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service. The measure brings the number of entities to 65 under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Rushan Abbas (C), executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs, and other protesters participate in a rally for Uyghur freedom in New York, March 22, 2021. The U.S. has added 26 Chinese textile intermediary companies" to its blacklist of entities under legislation that prohibits imports of forced labor products, winning praise from Uyghur human rights advocates. Effective Friday, goods produced by the named cotton traders and warehouse facilities will be restricted from entering the United States. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, or UFLPA, signed into law in December 2021, blocks imports from Chinas Xinjiang region into the U.S. without clear and convincing evidence they were not made with forced labor. It also authorizes sanctions on foreign individuals and entities found responsible for human rights abuses in the northwestern region. The addition of the 26 companies most of which operate outside Xinjiang brings the total number of entities to 65 under the act. Adrian Zenz, senior fellow and director in China studies at the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, called the addition of the companies an important and long-overdue step that helps close a loophole. US Rep. Chris Smith speaks during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on the Biden Administration's foreign policy priorities, on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 10, 2021. (Ken Cedeno/AP) It has long been the case that the key challenge from Uyghur forced labor was not posed by direct exports from Xinjiang, but by Xinjiang products entering global supply chains through other intermediaries, said Zenz, who has researched labor transfers of Uyghurs to other Chinese provinces. Adding substantial numbers of such intermediary companies to the entity list helps to address this loophole, he said. 'Only a fraction' U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, and Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, said they endorsed the action to nearly double the number of entities, but recognized that the list contains "only a fraction" of businesses complicit in Uyghur forced labor. The co-chairs of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China said they wanted to see more Chinese companies in the polysilicon, aluminum, PVC and rayon industries blacklisted, as well as companies in other parts of Asia that produce U.S.-bound goods with inputs sourced from Xinjiang. No one should be allowed to profit from genocide, they said in a statement issued on Thursday. The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, an interagency body chaired by the Department of Homeland Security, added the companies as part of the U.S. commitment to eliminating forced labor in the U.S. supply chain and promoting accountability for the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity facing Uyghurs and other Muslim groups in Xinjiang, said a statement issued by the department. Farmers pick cotton in a field in Hami in northwestern China's Xinjiang region, Oct. 14, 2018. (AFP) The designation of the 26 textile manufacturers, which source cotton from Xinjiang, will make it easier for responsible companies to conduct due diligence on their supply chains to ensure they do not include goods made with forced labor, the statement said. We will continue to execute on our textile enforcement strategy and hold the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] accountable for their exploitation and abuse of the Uyghur people, said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. The U.S. government and some Western parliaments have deemed Chinas mistreatment of the Uyghurs a genocide and crimes against humanity. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights said in an August 2022 report that serious human rights violations committed in Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity. With reporting by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Joshua Lipes. Whaling commentators believe Japan's decision to expand whaling is linked to international pressure to reduce its tuna harvest. Tuna is a popular food in Japan and the country is facing international pressure to reduce its catch. Source: Getty Japan wants to add another species of whale to its hunting list, and opponents think they know why. The decision to target fin whales the second longest species after blue whales and harvest more meat was initially confusing for many analysts because consumption of whale has dropped from a peak of 230,000 tonnes in 1962 to just 2000 tonnes in recent years. The situation had become so bad hunters began installing whale meat vending machines around Tokyo. Whaling opponent Ren Yabuki believes the plan to start hunting fin whales is less about consumption and more about sending a message to the rest of the world. Whaling is a symbolic industry that is under pressure from the international community, and Japanese government is using it to show its people that it will not bow to such pressure, Yabuki told Yahoo News. Not only to the Japanese people, but also to foreign countries that Japan will not give in to such pressure. Related: Another Aussie animal faces extinction thanks to popular menu item Yabuki, the founder of advocacy group Life Investigation Agency, thinks international pressure to further regulate the commercial catch of at-risk species like bluefin tuna has sharpened the reaction. Commercial whaling is opposed by most countries, and Japan is one of only three commercial whaling nations the other two are Iceland and Norway. So the proposal to add fin whales to its established target list which already includes minke, sei and Brydes whales is set to be controversial. Japan consumes around 80 per cent of all caught Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna which is popular in traditional delicacies like sashimi and sushi. But its not just consumers who could be affected after Indonesia, Japan is the second biggest tuna fishing nation in the world, and so there are likely concerns about jobs and business profits. Why observers are concerned about new 9300-ton whaling vessel In 2019, Japan ceased its so-called scientific catch in the Southern Ocean and resumed commercial hunting in its own territorial waters. Japanese whaling companies are using cute logos and vending machines to target younger customers. Source: Getty/KRY News But the completion of the massive new $70 million, 9300-ton, Kangei Maru mothership by whaling company Kyodo Senpaku has some observers concerned the company could return to international waters. That's because the ship can travel almost 1300 km and store and freeze the bodies of whales killed by smaller vessels. A spokesperson for the company said in April the company hopes increased haul will enable them to target new demographics. The ship has a cute character logo to help target younger generations and foreign tourists. Kangei Maru has individual rooms for 100 staff. The ship is 112 meters long and 21 meters wide. It can haul up 21-metre-long fin whales. What is Australia's position on whaling now? Looking back a decade, Australias government was once highly critical of Japans whaling in international waters. In 2014, it paired up with the New Zealand government and successfully prosecuted Japan in the International Court of Justice. But since Japan withdrew from the so-called "scientific" whaling Southern Ocean and pivoted to commercial harvesting in its own waters, Australia's response has been muted. The nation's current and previous environment ministers have redirected questions from Yahoo to their departments. They in turn have declined to directly criticise Japan's commercial hunt, and instead restated Australia's blanket opposition to whaling. Australia and New Zealand took Japan to court over its whale hunting in the Southern Ocean. EPA/TIM WATTERS / SEA SHEPHERD AUSTRALIA In 2021, when a whale became caught in a Japanese fishing net and was left to languish for 19 days, before ultimately being drowned by fishermen, the office of Australias then environment minister issued a general statement confirming Australia is committed to the protection of marine mammals and remains strongly opposed to both commercial and scientific whaling. Three years on, in response to Japans expanded whaling plan, an Australian government spokesperson told Yahoo, Australia is opposed to all forms of commercial whaling. Australias efforts through the International Whaling Commission have led to a whaling-free Southern Ocean and a decline in commercial whaling around the world. Australia of course has its own commercial wildlife harvesting industries, an issue that's been raised by Japanese whaling advocates when it's faced criticism. Its kangaroo cull takes the lives of over 1.5 million animals a year and constitutes the largest land-based wildlife slaughter in the world, with much of the meat used to feed domestic cats and dogs. This interest in harvesting native animals in Australia only looks to be expanding. In 2024, the Northern Territory announced a plan to cull 1200 crocodiles a year, and take 90,000 eggs from the wild so they can be hatched inside farms and raised to become luxury handbags. It also refused to rule out crocodile hunting safaris in future. Call for Australia to take stronger stance against Japanese whaling Japan hasn't been a member of the International Whaling Commission since 2019, and some observers think it'll be hard to deter the country from resuming hunting in the Southern Ocean. Speaking through an interpreter, Yabuki urged Australia and other governments outside of Japan to speak out more aggressively against whaling. Its important the international community puts pressure on Japan could go back to the [Southern Ocean]. Its important for Australia to pressure Japan to stop it returning, he said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. Thich Minh Tue follows Buddhism, but not in the way that the state prefers. A man appearing to be a Buddhist monk, in patched attire with bare feet and shaven head, holds an electric rice cooker as a makeshift alms bowl, and he plans to walk all around Vietnam. Thich Minh Tue does not claim to be a monk but he has become a symbol for many Buddhists by drawing attention to what many people say is the lack of religious freedom in Vietnam. Freedom of religion is technically enshrined in Vietnams constitution but Tue does not belong to a Buddhist sect that is recognized by the state. Without recognition, religious groups are not allowed to organize. He practices a form of Buddhism that requires followers to own only three sets of clothes, to subsist by collecting alms house to house, and to live a low-impact life in outdoor places like forests, mountains, or even in graveyards. As Tue walks from town to town, his travels are documented by several YouTubers who follow him, recording his journey. Thanh Do, a former head of a Buddhism research organization and a lecturer at the Paris Buddhism University, told RFA Vietnamese that Thich Minh Tue was popular because he adheres to certain Buddhist principles. The core of Buddhism for a clergy person consists of precepts, determination, and wisdom, he said, adding that by following the precepts, clergy become more determined, which means they gain wisdom, which in turn inspires followers. State meddling A journalist in Vietnam told RFA that monks who follow the state-sanctioned forms of Buddhism do not inspire followers. The monks backed by the state preach in a wrong way, said the journalist, who declined to be identified in order to speak freely. They just ask for donations, creating superstitiously insane theories to manipulate followers into deep holes of lethargy. Thich Minh Tues circumstances are transparent and his practices are completely different from those of the state-backed church, the journalist said, adding that people who are fed up with state-backed Buddhism support him. State-backed monks also ask for too many donations, said Buddhist follower To Nga. [Thats why people] idolize Thich Minh Tue who does not ask for donations. They deem him an authentic monk, she said. The common people who live under the totalitarian regime with deteriorated education, manipulated religions become distrustful in state-backed churches. State-backed clergy are critical of Tue. Thich Chan Quang, head monk of the Chan Quang Pagoda in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and head of the finance committee for a state-backed Buddhist organization, said in a sermon that Thich Minh Tue was a thug who wears ragged attire and holds a rice cooker. A social media post containing a video of the sermon was taken down after an online uproar. On Thursday, the state-backed Buddhist organization told media that Tue was not a Buddhist monk, and the government agency for religions issued a notice asking provincial and city authorities to be vigilant about Thich Minh Tue and not to follow him because that would lead to the disruption of social order. Translated by An Nguyen. Edited by Eugene Whong. Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here. I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead. The Key Issue Leaked data has revealed that some officials of the former Western-backed Afghan government own luxury properties in Dubai. The Dubai Unlocked project, a joint investigation by more than 70 media outlets, named 10 ex-officials or their relatives as holders of multimillion-dollar apartments, houses, or villas in Dubai. They include former parliament speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani and his son, Ajmal Rahmani. The pair own more than $15 million in real estate in Dubai, according to the documents. Others named in the leaks include ex-intelligence chief Asadullah Khalid, who owns a villa worth around $5.4 million, and the brother and son of Mohammad Qasim Fahim, the late former defense minister and vice president, who own luxury properties worth more than $4.6 million. Former ministers Amirzai Sangin, Atiqullah Baryalai, Ratib Popal, a cousin of ex-President Hamid Karzai, and former Ambassador Ahmad Wali Masud also own expensive Dubai properties, according to the leaks. Why It's Important: After the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the first Taliban regime, Washington allocated billions of dollars for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Many ex-Afghan officials and U.S. contractors, some of them members of the new Afghan political elite, were accused of skimming some of those funds. The Dubai Unlocked project has revealed that at least some of them purchased luxury properties in the United Arab Emirates. The leaks have put the spotlight on the widespread corruption that was endemic under former Afghan administrations. Corruption was one of the factors that led to the collapse of the republic, Khan Zaman Amarkhel, an Afghan anti-corruption expert, told RFE/RLs Radio Azadi. What's Next: It is unclear if all the former U.S. contractors and Afghan officials named in the leaks and accused of corruption will be held accountable. In December, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the Rahmanis for "misappropriation of millions of dollars. In January, the Rahmanis filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C. But in April, a court rejected their efforts to lift the Treasury sanctions until the case was settled. The lawsuit revealed that the Rahmanis continue to hold Cypriot passports and own more than $212 million worth of real estate in Germany. What To Keep An Eye On The emergency situation in areas of Afghanistan hit by flash floods that have killed hundreds of people remains dire, according to rescuers and aid organizations. Relief efforts have been hampered by the floods, which have made many roads inaccessible to trucks transporting food, medicine, and tents. Twenty-five of the countrys 34 provinces have been affected by the recent floods, which were triggered by heavy rains on May 10. The northern province of Baghlan, where more than 300 people have died, remains the worst-affected region. Some of the flood victims in Baghlan said they have received little help. They include the family of Mohammad Alam, a resident of Baghlan. The flood didnt last long, but it came over me like a mountain, he told Radio Azadi. It took my son and wife. We have lost a total of six people. Why It's Important: Thousands of people continue to be displaced and urgently need food, shelter, and medicine. International groups and Taliban officials have warned that the death toll could rise significantly. Hundreds of people are missing and feared dead. The flash floods have exacerbated the devastating humanitarian crisis in the country, making thousands of people homeless and robbing many in agricultural areas of their livelihoods. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org Until next time, Abubakar Siddique If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday. Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here. I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead. The Key Issue Afghanistan has briefly returned to the headlines as the United States heads toward a crucial November presidential election. Republicans and Democrats blamed each other for failing to conclude an orderly withdrawal to end the conflict in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history. In the September 10 presidential debate, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris defended President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. She blamed her opponent, former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump, for concluding the 2020 Doha agreement with the Taliban, which "bypassed the Afghan government." In response, Trump defended the Doha deal as "a very good agreement." He blamed the Biden administration for losing soldiers during the withdrawal, leaving behind weapons, and not enforcing the terms of the agreement. On September 8, a new investigative report by House Republicans blamed Biden's administration for the chaotic final withdrawal from Afghanistan. Representative Michael McCaul (Republican-Texas), who led the probe as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Biden administration "had the information and opportunity" to plan for the inevitable collapse of the Afghan government. Still, it chose, "optics over security," he said. However, the State Department accused the committee of issuing partisan statements, cherry-picking facts, and obfuscating "the truth behind conjecture." Why It's Important: America's war in Afghanistan -- particularly its disastrous end -- is unlikely to vanish from public memory and from political debates on how the U.S.-led war on terrorism was conducted and how it ended. Another ongoing probe will likely shed even more light on the war, which lasted for over two decades, between 2001 and 2021. The Afghanistan War Commission, a bipartisan legislative body comprised of former U.S. government officials with experience of the war, is probing the conflict. Its report is slated to be released in 2026. Like the 9/11 Commission report, on which it is modeled, it is likely to attract a great deal of public interest and scrutiny. What's Next: Renewed attention on Afghanistan will likely increase amid the partisan rancor ahead of the November 5 presidential election. However, it is unlikely to prompt a significant change in Washington's policy toward the country in the short term. What To Keep An Eye On Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov inaugurated the construction of the Afghan section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline. On September 11, the Taliban held a groundbreaking ceremony for the long-delayed pipeline. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's top spokesman, said Ashgabat will invest in building the pipeline, money that will be returned, the group says, when his government begins collecting transit fees estimated to be more than $500 million per annum. Mujahid said that the pipeline inside Afghanistan will be built in three phases. The first phase, according to the spokesman, will connect the Turkmen border to the western Afghan city of Herat and will be built within two years from now. It will then begin supplying gas to the energy-starved country. The second phase will extend the pipeline to the southern province of Helmand. In the third phase, TAPI will go through the southern province of Kandahar and on to Pakistan. The 1,800-kilometer pipeline will carry 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually through southern Afghanistan to Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province. From there, it will go through Pakistan's eastern Punjab Province to Fazilka in India's northwestern Punjab state. Why It's Important: TAPI has long been touted as a significant regional energy project. But insecurity in Afghanistan and the lack of international investment has prevented it from taking shape. Given the Taliban's lack of transparency about significant infrastructure projects, it is still possible that TAPI will remain just a pipe dream. That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org Until next time, Abubakar Siddique If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday. Villagers in the Armenian village of Kirants on the border with Azerbaijan have expressed anger after a meeting with the local provincial governor of Tavush was held behind closed doors. Many locals are angry with a border demarcation deal under which four abandoned villages, pasture, and road sections will return to Azerbaijani control. At least 22 people were killed and 117 others injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported on October 10 after an Israeli strike on a school sheltering Palestinians in Gaza killed dozens of people. Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported two evening air raids in central Beirut. The first targeted an eight-story building and the second a four-story building that completely collapsed as a result of the strike, NNA said. A Lebanese security source quoted by Reuters said at least one senior Hezbollah figure was targeted in the attacks, which were the third on Beirut since Israel started a military campaign in southern Lebanon last month targeting the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia and sparking fears of an all-out regional war. Hezbollahs Al Manar TV reported after the strikes that an attempt to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside of either of the targeted buildings. Hezbollah kept up rocket fire into Israel on October 10. The military said several drones heading toward Israel were intercepted. Earlier on October 10 an Israeli strike on a school in the Gaza Strip killed at least 27 people, Palestinian medical officials said, while a separate Israeli strike hit UN peacekeeper headquarters in southern Lebanon, prompting Italy to summon the Israeli ambassador. The Israeli military said it carried out a "precise strike on terrorists" who had a command and control center embedded in the school. "This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization's systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law," a military statement said. The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU, has denied such accusations. People who had been sheltering at the school said the strike hit a meeting of aid workers and injured 54 other people. Israel has continued to strike at what it says are militant targets across Gaza as it battles Hamas militants even as the war broadened to include Hezbollah in Lebanon amid rising tensions with Iran. In a separate incident on October 10 the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said an Israeli tank fired on its headquarters in the town of Naqoura, hitting an observation tower and wounding two peacekeepers. The nationality of the injured peacekeepers was not released. The UN peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL said in a statement that Israeli forces also fired on a nearby bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communication system. The Italian Defense Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador in protest, and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told a press conference that "hostile acts committed and repeated by Israeli forces against the base...could constitute war crimes." Crosetto added that Italy has asked for an official explanation "because it was not a mistake." The French Foreign Ministry said that while no French solider was injured in the incident, it also demanded an explanation. The Israeli military announced earlier on October 10 that it had eliminated another important Hezbollah member as it kept up its attacks against the Iran-backed group. Adham Jahout, a member of Hezbollah's Golan Terrorist Network was killed in an air strike in the area of Quneitra in Syria, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. Jahout was relaying intelligence from Syrian regime sources to Hezbollah and facilitating operations against Israel in the Golan Heights, the IDF said. Israel annexed the Golan Heights after capturing them from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war. The annexation has not been recognized by most countries. Separately, the Israeli military said on October 10 that it had eliminated two Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon and its warplanes attacked munitions depots in the Beirut area and in southern Lebanon. It did not immediately reveal the identities of the two commanders. Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its party, which has seats in the Lebanese parliament. The latest strikes came as the United States, Israel's main ally, warned against bombardments in Lebanon similar to those that caused large-scale destruction in Gaza as Israel retaliated against Hamas following the U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist group's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that left more than 1,100 people dead. Israel's bombardment of central and northern Gaza in recent days has killed dozens of people and trapped thousands in their homes, Palestinian officials say. "There should be no kind of military action in Lebanon that looks anything like Gaza and leaves a result anything like Gaza," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists on October 9. The warning came after U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized in a call on October 9 with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the need for a diplomatic arrangement for the return of both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border. The United States warned Israel on October 9 against launching a military action in Lebanon like the one it has conducted in Gaza, and U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the need for a diplomatic arrangement for the return of both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border. Biden also condemned Iran's ballistic-missile attack on Israel on October 1, a White House statement said. Biden "affirmed Israel's right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of missiles and rockets into Israel over the past year alone, while emphasizing the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut," the statement said. 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 Eighty years ago, over three days from May 18 to May 20, 1944, Soviet security forces rounded up at least 200,000 Crimean Tatars on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and brutally sent them into exile in Soviet Uzbekistan and other remote places in the Soviet Union. Tens of thousands died during the deportation and under the harsh conditions of their first years in exile. Soviet demographers in 1949 estimated there had been nearly 45,000 excess deaths among Crimean Tatars in the previous five years, while Crimean Tatar sources put the losses far higher. The deportation of the Crimean Tatars -- like those of several other Soviet ethnic populations around the same time -- was ordered by dictator Josef Stalin and overseen by notorious secret police head Lavrenty Beria. It was followed by a campaign of de-Tatarization in Crimea, during which the culture of the Turkic, Muslim people was virtually wiped out on the peninsula. Although most of the persecuted ethnic groups were allowed to return to their homelands after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev condemned the population transfers in 1956, Crimean Tatars were not. Only in the late 1980s, after more than four decades of exile, did the Soviet government condemn the deportation as a crime and lift the ban on their return. The deportation has been condemned as genocide by Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, and Canada. To mark the anniversary, RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service spoke with longtime Crimean Tatar spiritual leader Mustafa Dzhemilev, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chairman of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, their supreme executive body, from 1999 to 2013. Born in Crimea in 1943, Dzhemilev survived the deportation and grew up in exile in Soviet Uzbekistan. As a teenager, he was a co-founder of the Union of Young Crimean Tatars, his first step in a lifetime devoted to promoting the rights of Crimean Tatars. The Soviet authorities arrested him six times, and he spent 15 years in prisons and labor camps. In the mid-1970s, he conducted a 303-day hunger strike, surviving only because he was force-fed. Shortly after the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014, Dzhemilev was banned from entering the peninsula and Russia has issued an arrest warrant for him. In November 2023, to mark Dzhemilevs 80th birthday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy awarded him the Golden Star Order and the title of Hero of Ukraine RFE/RL: Thank you for speaking with us on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Stalins deportation of the Crimean Tatar nation in 1944. Tell us about the meaning of this tragedy for Crimean Tatars today. Mustafa Dzhemilev: In terms of the scale of the catastrophe and its consequences, this is the second such date in the history of the Crimean Tatar nation. The first came in April 1783, when the Russians occupied Crimea for the first time. Under pressure from the authorities, Crimean Tatars were forced to leave their homeland and move to the neighboring Ottoman Empire. To this day, there are between 3 million and 5 million Turkish citizens of Crimean Tatar descent living in Turkey, according to various estimates. That is, 10 times as many as are currently living in Crimea. During this first occupation, the goal was simply to clear the land for the Russians. But the second deportation and genocide, evidently, had the goal of completely destroying our nation. It wasnt just a matter of the mass deaths of Crimean Tatars. In the mid-1960s, we conducted a research project into how many people were killed. We came up with the figure that, during the first two years after the deportation, about 46 percent of the entire Crimean Tatar nation had perished. That is why it was entirely just when the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada recognized the deportation as genocide [in 2015]. After the 1944 deportation, they did not only destroy Crimean Tatars, but they also destroyed everything associated with Crimean Tatars. Now the Crimean Tatar language is on the brink of disappearing. UNESCO has listed it as a critically endangered language. I hope it wont disappear. Ukraine is making efforts to preserve the language. RFE/RL: Many younger Crimean Tatars dont speak the language, both those still in occupied Crimea and those in Kyiv-controlled Ukraine. What can be done about this? Dzhemilev: We are really experiencing a language catastrophe. After the deportation, there were no schools [teaching in Crimean Tatar]. We could only hear that language and learn it from our parents. I am old enough to have been born in Crimea, and my parents always spoke their native language at home. I remember that my father forbade us from speaking Russian at home, even though we were attending Russian schools and studying everything in Russian. As children, we spoke with one another in Russian. But my father insisted: Speak a human language so that everyone can understand. Then there was the generation that came after us, people who were already born in exile. Their level of knowledge of their language is very low. They were not capable of passing the language on to their children. As a result, according to various studies, only about 20 percent of Crimean Tatars can be said to more or less know the language. A few speak it quite well, while the rest either dont know anything or speak it very poorly. RFE/RL: Do you see parallels between these experiences and what other Ukrainians have experienced since Russias full-scale invasion in 2022? Many Ukrainians are now forced to live abroad and are struggling with matters of teaching their children Ukrainian and assimilating in the countries where they live. Dzhemilev: Many Ukrainians have been leaving the country since the invasion. Of course, this is a catastrophe. I am very much afraid that many of them will not return, particularly those who made it to prosperous countries. The same thing is happening with Crimean Tatars. Before the full-scale invasion, 99 percent of the Crimean Tatars who left Crimea went to Kyiv-controlled Ukraine. But after the invasion, those routes were cut off, and they left in various directions through Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Baltic countries and then onward to other countries. They simply couldnt get to unoccupied Ukraine. Now, there are about 50,000 Crimean Tatars living outside of Crimea. Maybe that figure seems small, but it is one-quarter of the entire nation. Ukraine is also losing a very large portion of its native speakers. I am very concerned about the children of those who are living abroad. RFE/RL: Since the invasion, many have been discussing the language issue. Do you think the Russian language is a threat to Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian, and other languages? Dzhemilev: The threat to the Crimean Tatar nation and to Ukraine is not just the Russian language but everything Russian. We all know Russias policies, including its language policies: Russification, both toward Ukrainians and toward Crimean Tatars. Ukrainians werent deported, so they are not in the same position as Crimean Tatars and the blow against Crimean Tatars has been worse. Everything that Ukraine is doing now to intensify the use of Ukrainian and to create a Ukrainian environment is very positive, and we welcome it. RFE/RL: Could you please speak a little about your personal experience preserving your cultural identity while in exile? Your family was deported from Crimea when you were very young. When did you understand that you were a Crimean Tatar and that Crimean Tatar was your language? Dzhemilev: For the most part, the worldview of Crimean Tatars is formed in the family. That is why Soviet propaganda didnt have much effect on Crimean Tatars. We knew the truth from our parents. I remember the day Stalin died [in March 1953] when everyone was crying. Only our small circle of Crimean Tatars in school was joking. None of them cried rather, one girl was crying, and I remember thinking that she had a bad family. When they announced over the loudspeaker that the great leader of all times and all peoples had died, my father said: Finally, the dog has kicked off. That is the feeling I had when I arrived in school and all the teachers and children were weeping. At a meeting, they announced that because of the death of the genius of all times and peoples, there would be three days of mourning and school would be closed. I almost shouted hurrah! But if I had, it would have been bad for my parents. Everything about Crimea, we learned from our parents. Since we all lived in one room and slept in a row, my parents held their serious conversations after everyone was asleep. If we hadnt dozed off yet and the conversation became anti-Soviet, I can remember my mother telling my father: Shhh! Quiet! The children. That wasnt because wewere going to go denounce them. But children are children, and they might say something in public. But I would pretend to be asleep because I was very interested in what they were saying. RFE/RL: You mean, honest conversations at home helped you understand yourself? Dzhemilev: Yes, of course. I remember how my father said: Son, the times are such that parents cant tell their children what to do. You will soon be 14 and will have to join the Komsomol [Soviet youth organization]. But if you could somehow avoid going down that road, I would be happy. Of course, to please my father, I didnt join the Komsomol. When they kicked me out of the institute in 1965 [when Dzhemilev was expelled from an agricultural college in Tashkent], the faculty representative said there was no place in a Soviet institution for such a renegade as me. I think our countrymen are doing this now. At least, there are such conversations in homes in Crimea. That is why when people talk about the deafening Russian propaganda and how we are losing a generation, I say that Soviet propaganda 70 years ago didnt change us. All it took was two or three years of perestroika and that propaganda was blown away. I think the same thing will happen after the de-occupation of Crimea. RFE/RL: It has been more than 10 years since Russias occupation of Crimea. Many Crimean Tatars have left, many have been forced to serve in the Russian military, many have been killed. Can the Crimean Tatars survive? Dzhemilev: I believe the Crimean Tatars have no future unless Crimea is de-occupied. Is there any place in the world where people thrive while rockets and bombs are constantly exploding? That is what is happening now in Crimea. People there understand that if Ukrainian bombs are exploding in Crimea, that means Ukraine has not forgotten them and wont forget them. It means there will be no negotiations with the occupier about Crimea or other occupied Ukrainian territories. And people understand perfectly well that without liberation, they have no future. RFE/RL: What prospects for de-occupation do you see? Is it more likely to happen militarily or by diplomatic means? Dzhemilev: After 2014, I consistently said Crimea must be de-occupied through diplomacy. Otherwise, it will become an uninhabitable peninsula, reminiscent of [the Azov Sea port of] Mariupol. But Russia rejects everything and insists that the topic of Crimea will not be discussed because it is Russian territory according to the Russian Constitution. When the full-scale invasion began, there were Russian-Ukrainian talks. And in the final statement, both sides laid out their positions. We wrote that our conditions for ending the war were that Russia return to the borders of February 23, 2022, and agree to open status talks regarding Crimea and the Donbas. And during those negotiations, neither side would use force to control these territories. And when this statement was read, they added the phrase 15 years for negotiations. All the cameras were on me, asking for a comment. Not just Turkish and Ukrainian media, but from around the world. I had heard earlier that they were mentioning those 15 years, and I told Rustem [Umerov, a member of Ukraines delegation to the talks who is now Ukraines defense minister]: No way. You take that figure out or everyone will be furious with us! I was sure that figure would not be left in. When they asked me to comment, of course, I didnt say that I was categorically against this formulation. I said something like: If Russia agrees to hold talks about Crimeas status, that means that Crimea is not Russian territory but rather is temporarily occupied and, under the 1949 Geneva convention that means it is subject to Ukrainian law and Ukrainian democratic rights. And if that is the case and everyone is able to say what he wants, then the de-occupation of Crimea wont take 15 years, but six months. But this didnt save us from the anger. I phoned [Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy] Yermak and said: What have you done? I havent heard such angry words addressed to me in 30 years! Why are you talking about 15 years? And he laughed and said: Calm down. They wont even accept that. And, in fact, the very next day Putins spokesman [Dmitry] Peskov said there could be no talks on the status of Crimea. As a result, now we can only talk about the military liberation of Crimea. But I think that when Ukrainian forces enter the zone between Crimea and mainland Ukraine, we will again propose negotiations. But the topic will be how to allow Russian forces to leave Crimea without losses, without fighting. There is simply no other way. Translated by RFE/RL correspondent Robert Coalson Georgia's fractured political landscape absorbed another blow this month with the swift parliamentary approval of a "foreign agent" bill, which targets media and NGOs despite intense outcry from the public and the Caucasus nation's Western partners. Unlike the situation a year ago when the ruling Georgian Dream party bowed to popular anger over a similar bill, weeks of street unrest failed to derail what some critics describe as "the Russian law," a reminder of a painful Soviet past and invoking the specter of growing Kremlin influence. President Salome Zurabishvili, who has increasingly feuded with Georgian Dream since the party endorsed her candidacy in 2018, has opposed both iterations of the bill. She has described the latest version -- called the Law On Transparency Of Foreign Influence and passed on May 14 -- as an unpopular attempt to divert candidate Georgia from its EU path and "crush civil society." She has repeatedly vowed to "veto" it. But in 2018, after a series of constitutional amendments, power in Georgia swung power heavily away from the presidency and toward the 150-member unicameral Parliament, where Georgian Dream and its nominally distinct ally People's Power control 83 seats. And anyway the presidential equivalent of a "veto," as prescribed in Georgia's revised constitution, packs less of a punch than you might think. What Is President Zurabishvili Empowered To Do? Zurabishvili herself has characterized her option to stall the law's implementation as a "veto." But strictly speaking, neither the Georgian Constitution nor the rules of parliamentary procedure contain any provision for a presidential veto in the sense of the head of state simply "forbidding" a piece of legislation. Instead, a president has two weeks to either sign and promulgate the law or send a carefully argued alternative back to lawmakers in the form of "justified remarks." Such "remarks" cannot simply repeal legislation or demand that it be repealed, according to Vakhushti Menabde, a former constitutional and rights lawyer and activist who teaches public law at Ilia State University in Tbilisi and has commented throughout the current crisis. They must identify specific passages of the bill that are considered unacceptable, argue why they are objectionable, and lay out a new version of the bill incorporating the proposed changes. The president's version can either replace wording or exclude passages entirely. What Does Zurabishvili Intend To Do? Zurabishvili deplores the bill, which she's likened to the "old Russian Soviet propaganda tricks" familiar to many older Georgians. She has repeatedly said she will "veto" it, but she has also conceded that her moves are likely to prove merely "symbolic." And after a meeting with a handful of visiting foreign ministers on May 15, Zurabishvili discouraged Georgians and Western critics of the bill from placing hopes in such a presidential step. She expressed concern at simply enabling "false, artificial, misleading negotiations" with the ruling party over the legislation, adding, "No, and never!" She did not want to become an accessory to Georgian Dream's alleged effort at "transition from this [EU] path," she said. "No one should think that Georgia's president can be used to save some face for this government," Zurabishvili said. "Today, that's not the issue; the issue is saving Georgia." She has 14 days from the bill's submission from parliament to deliver her "justified remarks," in this case reportedly until May 28. Where Does That Leave Parliament? If Zurabishvili submits "justified remarks," a failure by parliament to vote on them indefinitely could effectively kill the bill for now, although the constitution does not address how long lawmakers can wait to conduct such a vote. At that stage, there is no room for negotiations between the legislature and the presidency for changes in either the approved bill or the "remarks" version. Lawmakers are limited to a simple up-or-down vote on the "justified remarks" in their entirety; they cannot accept some changes while rejecting others. If parliament approves the president's "remarks" version with a simple majority of those present (and a quorum of at least 50), the resulting bill goes back to the president within five days for signature and promulgation within five more days. Alternatively, parliament can reject the "remarks" and pass the initial bill with 76 (out of 150 possible) votes, sending it to the president within three days for signature and promulgation within five days. If the president declines to sign it, it goes to the speaker of parliament for their signature. Is It Going Into Force Anyway? Zurabishvili has acknowledged that governing party lawmakers will "most probably" override the "veto," barring a climbdown by Georgian Dream in the face of public and diplomatic pressure. But she also noted that parliament could effectively abandon the legislation by choosing to ignore her justified remarks ("let the veto be") or voting to block the bill themselves -- possibly with an eye to redrafting it or pushing it back until after parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26. Georgian Dream leader and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists immediately after parliament's third reading on May 14 that "no third question will be discussed." In reference to a plan by the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's advisory body on issues of constitutional law, to issue an opinion on the bill by May 28, he added that "if the Venice Commission wants to present any issue [with the bill], it must do so now." Georgian Dream and People's Power lawmakers took 67 seconds to clear the bill in the legal-affairs committee on May 13 and passed it in its third and final reading by an 84-30 vote on May 14, in a plenary session convened after police forcibly dispersed protesters outside Parliament. Orthodox Christian leaders and members of the ruling Georgian Dream party took part in a march marking Family Purity Day on May 17. The new holiday was created in 2014 in reaction to demonstrations marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. Georgian LGBT activists say they no longer mark that event out of fears for their safety. RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government. If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us. To find out more, click here. While the sticker on the car does come with a surprising explanation, disability advocates say it's no excuse for the way it was parked. A car parked in a mobility bay without an official disability permit has been slammed online - but there's a twist. Source: Facebook An Aussie driver has been publicly shamed for parking in a shopping centre disabled parking spot with a sticker embossed with a wheelchair logo stuck to the bonnet without a parking permit on display. The move has since been slammed online, but it turns out there is more to the story. According to an onlooker, who posted a photo on social media, the vehicle was parked in a mobility spot at Orion Shopping Centre at Springfield Central near Ipswich, Queensland at about 1pm on Saturday. The move was slammed on the Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame Facebook group, with members claiming the sticker could be bought off eBay. Nice try, said one commenter. The lengths some people will go to. However, a closer look at the vehicle revealed it was actually a Toyota Esquire Welcab, which is a wheelchair accessible vehicle imported from Japan, specially designed for transporting people with disabilities. One commenter said her daughters father had the same vehicle which comes with the wheelchair logo stickers attached. The chances of the driver forgetting to display are much higher than if it were, say, a Corolla (of course any vehicle can park if displaying a valid permit), they said. Of course, when parking in these spots the permit must be shown. Just pointing out that there is a much higher chance this was a case of forgetting rather than buying off eBay. While some people said the permit may have fallen off inside the vehicle, disability lobbyist Peter Lane-Collett said: All we know is no permit is clearly displayed which is the same as not having one. One more added, "Yes they should have a permit but FFS let's be sensible and make sure we're not dragging down the very people we are supposed to be protecting here." Cars parked in mobility bays should have official permits People with Disability Australia president, former Paralympian Marayke Jonkers, said the sticker displayed on the car could be bought online but they were not valid parking permits. Australia has a national parking permits (system) now with a persons name and a hologram so its very hard to have a counterfeit one, she told Yahoo News Australia. Its highly likely that is an illegally parked vehicle. Even if the owner of the vehicle is in possession of a legal parking permit, it needs to be displayed in the vehicle whenever the person with the disability is in the car and a disabled parking spot is being used. Marayke Jonkers, retired Paralympic swimmer who is paraplegic, said abuse of mobility parking were problems faced by disabled people every day. Source: Facebook Its still illegal to drive the car with the permit and park in that spot if you dont have the person with disability with you. We cant have people circumventing the system with unofficial permits because the impact is theres already limited availability. If its not in the official system they lack the data to force the action thats sorely needed to boost supply, boost enforcement and educate the community. Stricter enforcement and fines needed, says disability advocate She said there needed to be more community awareness around the importance of mobility parking and stricter enforcement such as fines or removal of vehicles parked illegally. Jonkers told Yahoo that common yet unacceptable excuses for parking in disabled spots included: "Im only stopping for five minutes, theres no one disabled here, I have lots of things to carry or its a long way to other spots". I think people know this is wrong, but its still happening, she said. Were calling for community awareness training about how to obtain a valid permit and use it legally. Most importantly for some form of regulation so that when disabled people cant park or others observe a vehicle parked incorrectly, theres a single phone number or an app something that can be utilised to solve the issue and preserve the small number of disabled spots for people who actually need them, Jonkers added. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. TULCEA COUNTY, ROMANIA -- If motorists approaching the village of Slava Rusa ("Russian Glory") wonder whether the settlement might have historical ties with Russia, a road sign translating the name into Russian and a giant Orthodox cross swiftly dispel doubts. Slava Rusa is one of a handful of settlements in Romania's far eastern Tulcea County populated by ethnic Russian "Lipovans" whose existence alongside the Danube Delta stems from a split with the Russian church authorities nearly 400 years ago. In the 1650s, Russian religious leaders pushed to align their faith more closely with Greek Orthodox liturgy and made several "corrections" to how Russians worshipped. Changes included the requirement that religious processions move counterclockwise instead of clockwise, that "hallelujah" be repeated three times instead of twice, and that the sign of the cross be made with three fingers representing the Holy Trinity rather than two fingers symbolizing the divine and human duality of Christ. The decrees made by Russia's religious authorities seem minor in retrospect, but the reaction was momentous. Some Russians burned themselves alive rather than submit to the new liturgy; other Old Believers fled persecution from the tsarist authorities and headed for regions around the edge of the Russian Empire where they could worship freely. One of the places chosen by Old Believers was along the northeastern coast of today's Romania which at the time was a boundary region of the Ottoman Empire. Some 23,000 ethnic Russian Lipovans remain in Romania today. Lipovan Cosmin Leon says the region along Romania's coast was chosen by his ancestors for its rich fishing grounds and for its marshes, which "were easy to hide in" if any mercenaries sent by the tsar came looking for the religious dissidents. When RFE/RL visited in early May, fishing was forbidden along the coast due to the aquatic breeding season, and Lipovan fishing boats, such as those pictured above, lay idle. Maria Fedul, who makes much of the traditional clothing worn by Lipovans in the region, says the culture of Romania's Lipovans "is all based around the church, and faith here is very strong," so she does not worry about traditions dying out. The origin of the name for the ethnic minority is unclear, but Romania's Old Believer Lipovans may have taken their title from the second syllable of Filip -- a prominent Old Believer's son who is said to have led a group of the Russian dissenters who emigrated to what is now Romania. At times in the region it can feel as if one has stepped into an epoch and place far from modern Romania. Members of the community speak in strongly accented Russian reminiscent of the Ukrainian language, and throughout Orthodox Easter, which fell this year in early May, Lipovans greet each other with the phrase "Christ has risen" to which the response is "Indeed, he has risen." On Easter Sunday, Lipovans gather at church for an hourslong ceremony that concludes with the blessing of colored eggs and a cakelike bread known as Cozonac, which Lipovan women bake the day before. In some places, it can be impossible to have a conversation due to the clanging of church bells. Throughout Holy Week, church belfrys are open to anyone game enough to clamber up and ring the bells to celebrate the resurrection. The exact origins of the Lipovans are vague, but many say they are descended from Russian Cossacks from the Volga region of southern Russia. "We are sailors," said Artamon, a retired seaman from the coastal village of Sarichioi. "Our primary occupation was always fishing." I'm Steve Gutterman, the editor of RFE/RL's Russia/Ukraine/Belarus Desk. Welcome to The Week In Russia, in which I dissect the key developments in Russian politics and society over the previous week and look at what's ahead. Over a two-week period that has encompassed an inauguration, a military shake-up, a new offensive in Ukraine, and a trip to China, Russian President Vladimir Putins words and actions underscore the extent to which the war he started will be Russias main focus for years to come. Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward. 'Putin's Priority' Issue a nuclear threat. Start a new Kremlin term. Celebrate a victory won 79 years ago. Shake up Russias military leadership, open a new front in the invasion of Ukraine, and travel to China. Putin did all those things over the past two weeks, and the main takeaway can be boiled down to this: He is intent on continuing the war in Ukraine, and Moscows confrontation with the West, for the foreseeable future. In a busy period that began with an announcement that Russia would hold military exercises to ensure its readiness to use tactical nuclear weapons, there were few surprises and a lot of same-old, same-old. Putin has reminded the West and the world of Russias nuclear arsenal in saber-rattling remarks many times before, both before and since he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He has lashed out at the United States and the European Union countless times, of course, including during celebrations of the greatest feat of cooperation between Moscow and the West: The Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. No Partnership For Peace And Putin has been cozying up to China since he came to power a quarter-century ago. Its just that, because of its war on Ukraine and confrontation with the West, the stakes are higher than ever for Russia -- and so are the risks run by the junior member of what Moscow and Beijing call their no-limits partnership. Following talk of a possibly sizable cabinet shake-up ahead of Putins inauguration to a new term on May 7, he made few major changes, leaving Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and several others in place. While there have been signs that long-time Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu could be ousted since an embarrassing mutiny by Wagner mercenary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin last June -- followed by his death in a plane crash that is widely believed to have been the Kremlins doing Putins choice of a replacement, Andrei Belousov, an economist who has worked in the Kremlin or the government for years, was unexpected. But many observers said that it made sense and that it underscored the preeminence of the war in Putins plans for his new six-year term. Putin's priority is war, Aleksandra Prokopenko, a former Russian central bank analyst and now a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. She added that a war of attrition is won by economics. Belousov is in favor of stimulating demand from the budget, which means that military spending will at least not decrease but rather increase. Digging In Putin's primary objective is to enhance the state's capacity to support military needs more effectively, Tatyana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the same think tank, wrote on X. Belousovs appointment very much speaks to the fact that Putin is aware that this war is not likely to be going anywhere anytime soon, author and analyst Mark Galeotti told RFE/RL. As he digs in for the long term -- and we see this in his rhetoric, but also we're now seeing it within the government apparatus -- from his point of view, this is a war that is going to be one to a large extent on industrial production. Exiled Kremlin opponent and former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky echoed that assessment, saying the appointment shows that Putin views winning the arms manufacturing race with the West as crucial for success in Ukraine. By installing an economist at the helm of the military, Putin is signaling his readiness for a protracted war of attrition, betting that Russia's economic resilience will outlast the West's resolve to support Kyiv, Khodorkovsky wrote. Whether Belousov will succeed is another matter. Officials on both sides in Russias war on Ukraine have spoken of the need for technological advances, but the hurdles including corruption and entrenched bureaucracy within the Russian military are high. Shoigus 'High Bar' Belousovs appointment suggests that the Kremlin wants more where this came from and is focused on modernizing the military with more hi-tech equipment such as unmanned vehicles, AI, and advanced intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance systems, Kirill Shamiev, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in a May 14 article. But technical modernization will be meaningless without improving the skills of Russian officers and the command-and-control system, Shamiev wrote. For that, Belousov, an outsider to the military world, needs allies within the armys general staff to implement and enforce his reforms. So far, the chief of the armed forces' General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, who Galeotti said is even more despised amongst his own men than Shoigu was, which is quite a high bar to vault, remains in place. And Shoigu has not gone very far: Putin made him secretary of the presidential Security Council, and he was at the presidents side on the visit to China this week. Belousov was not -- and has not been named to the Security Council despite his new role as defense chief. The person Shoigu replaced didnt go far, either: Nikolai Patrushev -- the close Putin ally, former Federal Security Service (FSB) chief, and anti-Western conspiracy enthusiast who had headed the Security Council since 2008 -- is now an aide to Putin, a demotion for sure but one whose effects are not yet clear. How much Putins personnel moves will matter is just one of many factors that will affect the course of the war in Ukraine, which is still raging more than two years after Russias full-scale invasion. Other factors include efforts to boost manpower in both countries, how quickly Ukraines forces can benefit from the adoption a long-delayed $61 billion U.S. aid package the bulk of it for weapons, and the outcome of Russias new offensive in the Kharkiv region. That's it from me this week. If you want to know more, catch up on my podcast The Week Ahead In Russia, out every Monday, here on our site or wherever you get your podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts). Yours, Steve Gutterman P.S.: Consider forwarding this newsletter to colleagues who might find this of interest. Send feedback and tips to newsletters@rferl.org. Ukrainian civilians evacuated from border regions with Russia. An important east-west highway in the eastern Donetsk region threatened by encroaching Russian forces. A village captured by Ukraine during last years counteroffensive about to return to Russian control. Ukraines president cancels all foreign trips. The news from Ukraines battlefield these days is grim: Russia is advancing. Ukraine is struggling to hold its positions, if not outright retreating. Ukrainian forces were already under severe pressure in several locations along the 1,100-kilometer front line even before Russia launched a localized offensive north of Ukraines second largest city, Kharkiv, last week. Troops moved into a gray zone -- Ukrainian territory thats not fully controlled by either Ukrainian or Russian forces. On May 16, Russian units appeared to have entered the town of Vovchansk, about 5 kilometers from the border, and the site of the fiercest fighting in the north. By some estimates, the amount of territory Ukrainian troops have ceded in recent months is greater than the earliest months after the full Russian invasion in February 2022. Western military officials, however, downplay Russian chances for a wider breakthrough. 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," U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli said on May 17. "They do have the ability to make local advances and they have done some of that. Still, theres little doubt that Ukraines exhausted, outmanned, and possibly still-outgunned forces are struggling in a way not seen possibly since the opening days of the invasion. By stretching Ukrainian forces along a wide front, Russia is overcoming the limitations of its undertrained army, Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said in a report released this week. Russia has now started the early phases of its anticipated summer offensive with renewed attacks on Kharkiv. Heres where things stand at present on Ukraines battlefield. What's Happening On The Ground? After Ukraines much-hyped counteroffensive fizzled late last year both sides began retooling and resupply, girding for the next major clashes. Russia, however, seized the initiative to push into the industrial city of Avdiyivka, where Ukraine was able to threaten the Russian-controlled regional administrative center of Donetsk to the southeast. The city fell to Russian forces in February. 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. Last month, Russian troops took advantage of a Ukrainian troop rotation -- some reports say botched -- and pushed northwest of Avdiyivka to take control of the village of Ocheretyne. Creeping north and northwest, Russian forces have moved closer to threatening the N32 highway, which runs from Pokrovsk, northeast to the railway town of Kostyantynivka. Just east of Kostyantynivka is Chasiv Yar, a village on high ground that Russia is hellbent on capturing. Ukrainian forces have repelled the effort so far, in part by using a water canal that runs through its eastern district as a holding line. Captain Oleh Kalashnikov, a spokesman for the 26th Separate Mechanized Brigade, told Current Time that Russia had fielded as many as 25,000 troops, including elite paratroop units, in their push to take the city. Seizing Chasiv Yar would allow Russia to threaten Kostyantynivka and its rail and roadway used by Ukraine to resupply its forces. It would crack the door toward Kramatorsk to the north, and Slovyansk, both large population centers and redoubts of Ukrainian troops and supplies. On May 10, meanwhile, Russian infantry crossed the border north and northeast of Kharkiv, attacking in two different locations, seizing a handful of small settlements, and opening a new front. The village of Vovchansk came under some of the worst shelling, forcing rescuers to rush to evacuate civilians. Ukraines General Staff claimed that its forces pushed back some of the Russians units. However, on May 14, officials said troops were moving to more advantageous positions near Vovchansk and Lukyantsi -- suggesting some sort of withdrawal, or even retreat. Two days later, officials announced Ukrainian troops were withdrawing to more advantageous positions near Kupyansk, a town east of Kharkiv that has been under pressure from Russia in recent months. Colonel General Oleksandyr Syrskiy, the countrys top military commander, said the situation had significantly deteriorated. We understand that there will be tough battles ahead and the enemy is preparing for it, he said on May 17. A further sign of difficulties: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed foreign travels and visited Kharkiv a day earlier. He also dismissed the Ukrainian commander in charge of the Kharkiv front. Hundreds of kilometers to the southwest, in the Zaporizhzhya region, Russian forces claimed to have retaken Robotyne, one of a handful of villages that Ukraine succeeded in capturing in its counteroffensive -- their biggest to date. Ukrainian officials denied the claim, but if the village does fall, its loss would be a symbolic blow. It's a challenging situation on the battlefield right now in Ukraine, U.S. Major General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said this week. The Russians have exploited the situation on the battlefield, and are attempting to make advances, he said. Incremental as they may be, it's certainly concerning. Why Is It Happening? From Ukraines side, there are at least two primary reasons why its been knocked back on its heels. First is the monthslong pause in U.S. weaponry that resulted from political deadlock among congressional lawmakers in Washington, D.C. A group of Republican lawmakers blocked a $60 billion package, conditioning its passage on sweeping changes to U.S. immigration and border policies. Ukraine scrambled to keep firing pace with Russia, then fell behind sharply, as stocks dwindled and Russia leveraged its bigger industrial capacity. Analysts said Russia was outfiring Ukraine 10-to-1 in some locations. Russia also leveraged its use of glide bombs -- heavy-explosive dumb bombs retrofitted with wings and satellite navigation -- to devastating effect. The weapons package finally passed the U.S. Congress on April 23, and the Defense Department quickly announced shipments of air defense missiles, ammunition, and precision artillery systems. But it will still require time and logistics to get the weaponry to the hands of gunners or infantrymen in trenches and forests. Just as important an explanation for Ukraines struggles is the lack of men. Ukrainian troops are outmanned and exhausted, and casualty rates are soaring. They are for Russia as well, but Russia has a bigger population to draw from, and authorities there have come up with an improvised system of recruiting using high wages, and lucrative perks to attract men to the fight. As many as 510,000 Russians are employed in the overall invasion at present, Watling estimated. Ukraine has struggled to keep troop levels up, and units rotated and rested. The government dragged its feet in updating its system of mobilization, highlighted by public comments by Syrskiys predecessor, General Valeriy Zaluzhniy, in comments to The Economist magazine last fall. Zaluzhniy was ultimately pushed out. The mobilization reforms were signed into law last month. But as with the weaponry, it will take time to get new troops trained, equipped, and ready to deploy to the front. Oleksandr Demchenko, a staff sergeant deployed to the Kharkiv region with the 516th Separate Special Purpose Battalion, said the Russian breakthrough along the border forced commanders to redeploy units exhausted after Avdiyivka. Instead of rest and recovery, they are again forced to take part in battles. And this will have other consequences, since in the future these brigades will not be able to be used by Ukrainian command, Demchenko, who has also worked for RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, said in a message. There is a critical shortage of personnel, he said. Big problems with ammunition. Also problematic for Ukraine: officials were slow to build defensive networks in trouble spots. Experts say Ukraine should have prioritized digging trenches, laying mine fields, and erecting anti-tank barriers months before, anticipating Russian pressure on Avdiyivka and elsewhere. What Happens Next? That depends on how quickly Ukraine musters its reserves, redeploys experienced units, stabilizes its lines, and reinforces its defenses. The size of the Kharkiv-invasion force isnt large enough to capture the city, which had a prewar population of more than 1 million, experts said. They are likely leveraging their numerical advantage in units and personnel to extend the active front line, thereby stretching Ukrainian troops thinner and forcing Ukraine to shift units away from the Donbas region, according to Frontelligence Insight, an open-source organization run by a Ukrainian reserve officer. Ukraine has already shown that it is using the newly supplied U.S. weaponry. Longer-range missiles known as Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, were reportedly used to attack Russian targets in occupied Crimea on May 16; Russias Defense Ministry claimed it shot down the missiles. But its unclear if its enough to stem the new Russian advance. Adding to the grim prognosis: predictions by Ukrainian and Western analysts that a bigger Russian offensive is in the offing, possibly by summer. The outlook in Ukraine is bleak, Watling said in his analysis. 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, he said. Russian forces opened a new front in the war with an invasion of the Kharkiv region in Ukraine's northeast last week. That has not meant a letup in the fighting in the east, where Ukrainian forces are still battling to defend territory that they retook almost two years ago. Troops in the town of Terny in the Donetsk region say they're short on munitions and manpower as they await fresh military aid. It's incidents like this one that have reminded this Sydney shopper of why she prefers to buy online. A Sydney shopper said she was "abused" by a staffer at a store owned by the Cotton On Group after she declined to donate to charity. Source: TikTok A shopper has shared her frustration after a sales assistant "got annoyed" and "lectured" her at the checkout when she declined to donate to charity at a popular Aussie retail store. The woman's disappointing experience, at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney, has reignited the debate about whether big businesses should be asking for charity donations in general during the cost of living crisis, with the shopper admitting "the interaction I had makes me nervous to go back". Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, the woman, who did not wish to be named, said the retail store in question was part of the Cotton On Group which owns Supre, Typo, Factorie and Rubi but to protect the privacy of the staffer, refrained from revealing which particular store. She said that since she's spoken out about her encounter, "many others" have reached out to her revealing they'd "experienced the same". Woman's frustrating experience sparks conversation "I went to the checkout with my items and before the sales assistant processed them I was asked in a very long spiel if I would like to donate to a women's mental health charity," the shopper told Yahoo. "It took her several minutes to get out the question as she went into detail about the charity and what they do. She was talking for quite some time, and I did say at one point, before she had finished, 'oh um, no, no thanks, I won't today I just want to grab those items please.' "She then got annoyed and started lecturing me on why I should be donating and questioning whether or not I understood the purpose of that charity. She snatched the items off me, processed them and then pushed them aggressively at me across the counter and commenced talking about me to her co-worker as I left the store." Shocked, the shopper said the ordeal reminded her of her preference to buy clothes online. Big retailers are "absolutely 100 per cent not the place" for staff to be asking for cash donations from Aussies, she added. "More often than not, it adds stress to the retail assistant and the customer," the shopper said. "I also feel upset when I think about the interaction that I had and it makes me nervous to go back to that particular store but also to any of their chain as this could happen again." She explained she's a "very, very regular customer [at the store]" and has "always really hated being asked to donate". "I didn't [complain], I just left very quickly and I also do really hate the idea of getting someone in trouble at work as I don't know their circumstances and I don't like the idea of someone losing their job," she explained. "That said, I was super pissed off and wanted to let some steam off. I probably [won't go back] to that specific one for a while." Cotton On Group weighs in Speaking to Yahoo News, a spokesperson for Cotton On Group apologised "if this or any customer has had a bad experience with us." "Our Foundation gives us the opportunity to partner with our team and customers to support causes they are passionate about," the spokesperson said. "We work closely with our retail team on how best to share the work of our Foundation with our customers, and we apologise if this or any customer has had a bad experience with us. We are committed to listening and learning from this feedback as we review the matter with our team." Controversial subject intense topic of debate Whether or not Australians should be encouraged to donate to charities via businesses has been the subject of intense debate in recent years, as many households battle to keep the lights on. In December, a Woolworths customer took aim at the supermarket giant for what was described as an "absolutely" disgusting" request. The shopper blasted Woolies after noticing a food donation trolley at the front of a store, asking people to donate to their charity partner OzHarvest ahead of Christmas. The supermarket, which recorded a $1.62 billion profit in the last financial year and has been accused of price gouging, "needs a stern talking to" according to the customer, who said the company should "be forced to donate themselves" as many shoppers are "struggling to put food on the table". "We are in one of the worst cost-of-living crisis' in Australian history, and Woolworths, a multi-billion dollar company, is currently being accused of price hiking during the crisis", the shopper recently fumed on social media. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Cillian Sherlock, PA Taoiseach Simon Harris has expressed deep concern to the Israeli president Isaac Herzog about the potential for catastrophe in Rafah. Mr Harris spoke by phone with Mr Herzog on Friday. He set out the Governments position on Gaza, including a desire to see an immediate ceasefire, as well as urgent and unhindered access for humanitarian aid. Taoiseach Simon Harris told Israeli president Issac Herzog of his deep concern about the potential for catastrophe in Rafah (Justin Tallis/PA) In a statement, the Government said: He expressed deep concern about the potential for catastrophe in Rafah. The Taoiseach expressed the view that peace and security for Israel and Palestine can only be built on a two-state solution. He also outlined Irelands intention to recognise the State of Palestine. The Taoiseach made clear Irelands abhorrence of Hamas and Irelands support for the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. Ireland is aiming to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of the month. Irish and Spanish officials have been in discussions with other European countries about making a joint recognition of the State of Palestine. Dr. Paul Parkman, a Weedsport native whose isolation of the rubella virus led to the development of a vaccine that eliminated the infection in the U.S., died May 7. He was 91. Parkman was born in Auburn in 1932 and was raised in Weedsport. He graduated from Weedsport High School in 1950. In an interview with The Citizen in 2021, Parkman recalled how he decided to pursue a career in medicine. He was unsure of what to do, so his father, Stuart, provided some options. One was being a doctor. Parkman enrolled in an accelerated pre-med program at St. Lawrence University, according to his obituary. After earning his bachelor's degree at St. Lawrence, he completed his doctor of medicine degree at the SUNY Health Science Center now SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. He interned at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown and was the chief resident focusing on pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. The opportunity that would lead to his significant contribution to science came in 1960. There was a doctor's draft, he said, and he joined the U.S. Army in 1960. He was assigned to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland. "I was at Reed for three years," he said, "and it was the best thing that ever happened to me." Working as a virologist, he began studying the rubella virus, also known as German measles. Rubella is a contagious viral infection that causes a rash. There can be other symptoms, including a fever and a headache. Although someone with rubella would usually experience mild symptoms, it would lead to miscarriages or birth defects if a pregnant woman was infected. To develop a vaccine to protect against rubella, Parkman and his team needed to isolate the virus. He explained to The Citizen that, after repeated failures, he developed the idea to place another virus on top of the rubella virus. It worked. "We knew right from the start that it was the kind of discovery that was really important in terms of the of the vaccine," Parkman said. "We were physicians and we knew about German measles as an unsolved problem." Parkman left the U.S. Army and joined the National Institutes of Health, where he worked with Dr. Harry Meyer to develop the rubella vaccine. They held two patents and could've profited from their innovation. According to Parkman's obituary, the doctors chose to assign the patents to the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare what is now known as the Department of Health and Human Services to allow the vaccine to be distributed "as quickly and affordably as possible, to as many people." Parkman was recognized for the pivotal role he played in developing the rubella vaccine. His obituary mentions one of those honors being a letter from President Lyndon B. Johnson, who lauded the doctors for their work. "Few men can number themselves among those who directly and measurably advance human welfare, save precious lives and bring new hope to the world," Johnson wrote. "Through your accomplishments in developing an effective experimental vaccine against German measles, you and Dr. Harry Meyer have joined that tiny legion." The rubella vaccine was later combined with measles and mumps into one vaccination, known as MMR. It's administered in childhood and protects recipients against the three viral infections. Parkman told The Citizen that when he had trouble sleeping, he would think about his work on the rubella virus and the impact it's had throughout the world. The development of the vaccine led to the rubella virus being eliminated in the U.S. in 2004. "It's hard to believe how we were so lucky," he said. Parkman is survived by his wife, Elmerina, two nieces and extended family members. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 25, at White Chapel Funeral Home in Weedsport. Abbie Llewelyn, PA Political Staff An easier route for people from the Republic of Ireland to get British citizenship has moved a step closer to becoming law in the UK. The British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Bill, which has passed the UK's House of Commons, received its second reading in the House of Lords on Friday with cross-party support. The private members bill will allow Irish nationals to register for British citizenship after five years of living in the UK without the need for an English language or Life in the UK test. Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, people born in Northern Ireland were given the right to choose to be Irish citizens, British citizens or both. The Irish Government introduced a simple process whereby anyone born on the island of Ireland, anyone whose partner was born on the island of Ireland, or whose grandparents or great-grandparents were are entitled to an Irish passport. This will cost them 80. Those born in the Republic of Ireland living in Northern Ireland, or anywhere else in the UK, have the right to work, study and vote in the UK, but they have to follow the same process towards citizenship as any other foreign national. This means they have to pass an English language and Life in the UK test, as well as pay a 1,630 naturalisation fee. DUP peer Lord Hay of Ballyore, who was born in the Republic but moved to Derry at the age of six, branded this an anomaly that was missed or overlooked when the Belfast or St Andrews agreements were being negotiated. He told peers the process is lengthy and costly, and said it is unjust for Irish nationals who have spent years in Northern Ireland to pay the fee. Lord Hay said: We have an opportunity in this Bill to right a great wrong. The House knows our history, our relationship in these isles and how they have intertwined, and this Bill gives us the opportunity to provide the finished piece of that relationship jigsaw. For anyone who was born in the Republic of Ireland, but has made their home in the UK and who satisfy the residency test, should be able to avail of UK citizenship. Lord Hay (Northern Ireland Assembly/ PA credit) UUP peer Lord Rogan branded it an abomination that this easier route to citizenship is not already available for Irish nationals. He said: As chairman of the UUP on Good Friday 1999, I accept my share of the responsibility that people born in the Republic of Ireland were not included in the Belfast Agreements definition of people of Northern Ireland and did therefore not benefit from its birthright provisions on identity and citizenship. It should have been corrected long before now. DUP peer Lord Browne of Belmont branded the current route to citizenship a costly, over-bureaucratic and uniquely discriminatory process, and said it was simply wrong for Irish people to have to pay a naturalisation fee. He said: This is contrary to the spirit of reciprocation offered through the Belfast and St Andrews agreements. I am pleased that this Bill now provides the opportunity to address this imbalance and to provide parity of treatment to allow Irish-born citizens resident within the United Kingdom to identify with their Britishness. As of the 2021 census, there were 324,670 Irish-born people living in the UK. To be eligible for British citizenship, they must have lived in the UK for five years, not have been absent for more than 450 days in the last five-year period or 90 days in the last year, and not be in breach of any immigration laws during that time. It will apply to those living in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man and British overseas territories. UK Home Office minister Lord Sharpe of Epsom reiterated the UK governments full support for the Bill. He said: Many of the immigration-related requirements for naturalisation are designed for those who require formal permission to enter and live in the UK and those are not applicable to Irish nationals. Equally, the UK has a unique relationship with Ireland and the close historical links, geographical proximity and shared institutions between the two countries mean that those who could make use of this Bill would, in our view, already have sufficient knowledge of language and life in the UK, and be further reinforced, of course, by five years qualifying residence. So, as such, being expected to pass the Life in the UK test or demonstrate competence in English is inconsistent with the reality. He added that the issue of the fee is being considered. Disinformation Online There is an urgent need for regulation; fake information and online hate speech, accelerated and amplified by social media platforms Disinformation Online Corina Cristea, 02.08.2024, 14:00 Based on seven key principles, UNESCOs plan to combat the rampant spread of online disinformation and hate speech aims to protect the integrity of democratic processes and the global information landscape. The plan is the result of an unprecedented consultation process that incorporated more than 10,000 contributions from 134 countries over 18 months. There is an urgent need for regulation; fake information and online hate speech, accelerated and amplified by social media platforms, represent major risks to social cohesion, peace and stability,' said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO. A survey commissioned by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and carried out by the polling institute Ipsos in 16 countries where elections are held this year, including the United States, shows that 56% of Internet users rely primarily on social media for news, a percentage that exceeds that for television and traditional media sites. This shift to social media as the dominant source of news has raised concerns, because of the lower level of trust in the information it provides compared to traditional media. More than 85% of respondents expressed deep concern about the consequences of online disinformation, and 87% of them believe that it has already caused damage to the political landscape in their country. Social media platforms were identified as the main breeding grounds for false information in all 16 countries analyzed, with 68% of respondents citing them as the main culprits. In the context of the current geopolitical and security crisis, doubled by this years elections, fake news spreads faster than verified ones, so that people are much more exposed to misinformation than to credible sources. This is according Radio Romania and university lecturer Dr. Antonio Momoc, from the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences of the University of Bucharest. He made an analysis of the way of communicating in the online environment, and talked about how the media is adapting to new challenges. Social networks are the biggest dangers in the spread of fake news, warns Antonio Momoc: There are many studies on various social networks Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok that show that fake news spreads more and with greater speed than verified news. Its a mathematical, statistically verified thing. Far more people are likely to read fake news than verified news, far more people encounter conspiracy theories. If we look at TikTok, we find a conspiracy theory every second, we find a story that explains all kinds of things and invents things about history, about tradition, about current affairs, every moment. Im not talking about deepfakes and so on. What the algorithms do is deliver that information that captures our attention, that keeps us on the platform longer and that generates revenue. The algorithms do their job, at that moment the search engines, artificial intelligence basically monetizes for Google, for Facebook. Whats swirling, whats spreading, whats being amplified there, is primarily our feelings of frustration and hatred, our anger, and the fact that we can somehow retaliate through comments, through reactions on social media. Or, says the professor, thats what makes all this information, these theories, all this fake news, not only keep us captive there, but reinforce the things we believe in and make us vote against an entire system. It is clear that classic journalism is affected by digital platforms, but the public press, radio, and television must quickly adapt to new trends and be present in the digital environment with correct and quality information, adds Antonio Momoc: We did a study on internet consumption and television consumption before and after the pandemic. Television consumption before, during and after the pandemic increased. We were starting from the premise that internet consumption had increased, but in fact internet consumption had nowhere to grow. Of course, people consumed a lot of Internet, in the sense that they made purchases, it was a pandemic, they were stuck at home, but from the point of view of information consumption, they still checked the news from radio and television or from the print media, which was also online. So, from that point of view, television and radio are still reliable mediums. There are environments where people know very well that professional journalists are there, and if they want quality news they go there. Of course, there are more and more professional journalists on alternative platforms, but radio and television, being convergent and operating in the online area, attract their audiences and communicate with the audiences in the online area. The Internet is just another medium where quality journalism can be manifested. The bottom line? Media education that teaches you where to gather your information and news sources, critical thinking, but also general knowledge are valuable weapons in the fight against misinformation on digital platforms. And, in the context of the growing exposure to misinformation online, traditional media can be a balancing factor. May 17, 2024 Click here for a roundup of local and world news Newsflash Newsroom, 17.05.2024, 13:55 ECONOMY Confidex, the index that measures Romanian managers confidence in the local economy, has reached its highest level in 4 years-52.5, according to the latest relevant poll. Companies in the services sector are the most optimistic, followed by IT, constructions and retail firms. At the opposite pole are businesses in agriculture, energy and industry. ELECTIONS Romanias Foreign Ministry and the Permanent Electoral Authority have put together the Guidelines for Romanian voters in polling stations abroad for the European Parliament elections scheduled for June 9, 2024. The document answers the most frequent questions concerning the organisation of the ballot: who can vote, the identity documents required for voting, the opening hours of polling stations, the voting procedure and the operation of the IT system monitoring voter turnout and preventing illegal voting. Citizens can find the guidelines on the ministrys website. The foreign ministry, via Romanias diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad, organises 915 polling stations for Romanias members in the European Parliament, over double the number of stations opened for the European elections in 2019. Romanian nationals who live or travel abroad temporarily will be able to cast their ballots in any polling station abroad, using Romanian IDs valid on the day of the vote. HUMAN TRAFFICKING The government of Romania has put together a national strategy against trafficking in human beings, under which the authorities intend for Romania to have a national system to counter human trafficking operational by the end of 2028. The strategy rests on 4 core pillars: prevention, punishment, protection and partnership, and the novelty is an integrated governmental mechanism to earmark funding for victim protection and assistance. According to the National Agency against Human Trafficking (ANTIP), since 2005 as many as 19,000 human trafficking victims have been reported in Romania, and 4,000 traffickers have been convicted. STUDENTS A government resolution sets out the overall enrolment figures for public undergraduate and higher education units in Romania in the 2024 2025 academic year. The document sets the number of students to be enrolled in preschools, primary, secondary and high schools in the country, including for Romanian nationals living abroad, and for foreign citizens under bilateral agreements and unilateral commitments. Romanians living abroad will benefit from 1,900 places in undergraduate education units and 7,065 places in public universities, with a total of 800 monthly grants. For foreign citizens, 1,800 places have been earmarked in undergraduate education units and 4,430 in higher education institutions, with a total 1,710 monthly grants. Enrolment plans also include special places for minors who have applied for or received protection in Romania, and for stateless minors officially recognised as residing in Romania, the government explained. CHILDREN The Romanian health minister Alexandru Rafila said on Friday in Iasi (north-eastern Romania), that preparations are under way for receiving Palestinian children to be treated in Romanian healthcare units after being wounded in Israeli attacks in Gaza. Alexandru Rafila, who did not disclose the number of beneficiary kids, stated that they will be brought to Romania under the EU Protection Mechanism. He also said the exact date of arrival cannot be made public at the moment, but that the children will reach Romania in the very, very near future. INVESTMENTS The government approved 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, a spokesman for the Cabinet announced. 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 in the next 48 months. NATO The Romanian Defence Chief of Staff, gen. Gheorghita Vlad, took part on Thursday in Brussels in a meeting of the NATO Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session. Topics of strategic relevance were discussed, including the implementation of the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept, the state of play in Russias war of aggression in Ukraine, and NATOs continued support for Ukraine. Gen. Gheorghita Vlad emphasised the need to develop national and regional mobility corridors to ensure smooth and quick transit of troops and materials at the times and to the places requested by the Alliance. (AMP) May 17, 2024 UPDATE A roundup of domestic and international news Newsflash Newsroom, 17.05.2024, 20:00 ECONOMY Confidex, the index that measures Romanian managers confidence in the local economy, has reached its highest level in 4 years 52.5, according to the latest relevant poll. Companies in the services sector are the most optimistic, followed by IT, constructions and retail firms. At the opposite pole are businesses in agriculture, energy and industry. DISINFORMATION The Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization in Romania has launched the #nofake platform, where people can submit reports for social media content they deem inappropriate, such as digital fakes, offensive content, online disinformation and manipulation. The line minister, Bogdan Ivan, said the platform will ensure a swift analysis of digital fake reports. This new reporting system will supplement the authorities efforts in this field, in addition to security and reporting mechanisms provided by each social media platform, Minister Ivan pointed out. ELECTIONS Romanias Foreign Ministry and the Permanent Electoral Authority have put together the Guidelines for Romanian voters in polling stations abroad for the European Parliament elections scheduled for June 9, 2024. The document answers the most frequent questions concerning the organization of the ballot: voter eligibility, identity documents required for voting, the opening hours of polling stations, the voting procedure and the operation of the IT system monitoring voter turnout and preventing illegal voting. Citizens can find the guidelines on the ministrys website. The Foreign Ministry, via Romanias diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad, organizes 915 polling stations for Romanias members in the European Parliament, over double the number of stations opened for the European elections in 2019. Romanian nationals who live or travel abroad temporarily will be able to cast their ballots in any polling station abroad, using Romanian IDs valid on the day of the vote. WAR IN GAZA Health Minister Alexandru Rafila on Friday announced Romanian hospitals are preparing to treat a number of Palestinian children wounded in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. The patients will be transported to Romania under the European Protection Mechanism. The Romanian official did not specify exactly when the children are expected to arrive, mentioning this would happen in the near future. Romanian authorities will ship 90,000 units of canned food to Gaza to support the Palestinian people. The European Commission is expected to cover transport costs. STUDENTS A government resolution sets out the overall enrolment figures for public undergraduate and higher education units in Romania in the 2024 2025 academic year. The document sets the number of students to be enrolled in preschools, primary, secondary and high schools in the country, including for Romanian nationals living abroad, and for foreign citizens under bilateral agreements and unilateral commitments. Romanians living abroad will benefit from 1,900 places in undergraduate education units and 7,065 places in public universities, with a total of 800 monthly grants. For foreign citizens, 1,800 places have been earmarked in undergraduate education units and 4,430 in higher education institutions, with a total 1,710 monthly grants. Enrolment plans also include special places for minors who have applied for or received protection in Romania, and for stateless minors officially recognized as residing in Romania, the government explained. (AMP & VP) Shares of Reddit Inc. were gaining around 14 percent in the pre-market activity on the New York Stock Exchange after the social media company announced a deal with artificial intelligence or AI startup OpenAI, the developer of highly popular generative AI chatbot ChatGPT. The deal will bring Reddit's content to ChatGPT and its products. OpenAI will also become a Reddit advertising partner. OpenAI noted that its co-founder and CEO Sam Altman is a shareholder in Reddit. The latest partnership was led by OpenAI's COO Brad Lightcap and approved by its independent Board of Directors. According to the terms of the deal, OpenAI will gain access to Reddit's Data application programming interface or API, which provides real-time, structured, and unique content from Reddit. The partnership is expected to benefit both the Reddit and OpenAI user communities in various ways. OpenAI will bring enhanced Reddit content to ChatGPT and new products, helping users discover and engage with Reddit communities. Access to Reddit's Data API will enable OpenAI's AI tools to better understand and showcase Reddit content, especially on recent topics. Further, the deal will enable Reddit to bring new AI-powered features to redditors and mods. The company plans to build on OpenAI's platform of AI models to bring its powerful vision to life. Steve Huffman, Reddit Co-Founder and CEO, said, "Reddit has become one of the internet's largest open archives of authentic, relevant, and always up to date human conversations about anything and everything. Including it in ChatGPT upholds our belief in a connected internet, helps people find more or what they're looking for, and helps new audiences find community on Reddit." Bloomberg recently reported that tech giant Apple Inc. is in the final stages of reaching an agreement with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT features into iOS 18. Reddit shares were gaining around 13.8 percent to trade at $64.17 in pre-market on the New York Stock Exchange. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News China's industrial growth accelerated in April driven by robust exports but softening growth in retail sales and fixed asset investment reflects an uneven economic recovery necessitating more efforts from the part of the government to achieve the official growth target. Industrial production registered an annual increase of 6.7 percent after rising 4.5 percent in March, the National Bureau of Statistics reported Friday. This was also better than the expected growth of 5.5 percent. By contrast, retail sales growth slowed to 2.3 percent from 3.1 percent a month ago and also remained weaker than the 3.8 percent expected rise. During January to April, fixed asset investment expanded at a slower pace of 4.2 percent from the previous year, following an increase of 4.5 percent in January to March period. Economists had forecast a faster increase of 4.6 percent. Real estate investment declined 9.8 percent in the first four months of 2024. Fixed asset investment is widely expected to improve with the issuance of CNY 1 trillion special long term government bonds today that is intended to fund strategic projects. Economists at Capital Economics said a renewed pick-up over the coming months is expected as fiscal support ramps up again. However, economists noted that any near-term improvement is unlikely to be sustained for long given the underlying structural challenges facing the . ING economist Lynn Song viewed that consumption growth is likely to remain moderate through most of 2024 as consumer confidence remains downbeat amid tepid wage growth and the lingering negative wealth effects from the past several years of declining asset prices. A possible bottoming out of prices would also take some time before translating to stronger consumer activity, the economist noted. The ING economist said there remains work to be done if China aims to achieve its 5 percent growth target this year. The projections from the Organization for Economic and Co-operation and Development suggested that the government is likely to miss the official target of about 5 percent growth this year. The second-largest economy is forecast to grow 4.9 percent this year and 4.5 percent in 2025. In the first quarter, the economy expanded at a faster pace of 5.3 percent as strong exports on the back of weaker currency helped to counteract the downturn in the property market. RTTNews Economic Calendar helps you stay ahead of the curve and is updated in real-time. Get your Economic Calendar today and make data-driven decisions. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Swiss stocks turned in a fine performance on Friday, extending gains from the previous session, as some encouraging earnings updates and possibility of another rate cut from the Swiss National Bank helped underpin sentiment. The benchmark SMI ended with a gain of 91.33 points or 0.76% at 12,037.99, slightly down from the day's high of 12,046.39. Richemont shares climbed 5.31% after the company announced several changes to its board and management team. The company said group sales increased by 3% to 20.62 billion euros at actual exchange rates as it returned to a profit for the year ended March 31. Richemont said the record sales were largely driven by the group's Jewellery Maisons, which are composed of the Buccellati, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels brands. The company's board also proposed a 10% increase in the dividend to shareholders, subject to shareholders approval for payment in September. Swatch Group rallied 2.57% and Swiss Re gained about 2.3%. Givaudan ended 1.78% up, and Nestle advanced 1.3%. Roche Holdings, Logitech International, Novartis and Lindt Spruengli gained 0.7 to 1%. Zurich Insurance Group and UBS Group posted modest gains. Swiss Life Holding drifted down 5.43%. Sonova, Straumann Holding, VAT Group, Partners Group and Kuehne & Nagel lost 1 to 2%. Data from the Federal Statistical Office showed Switzerland's industrial production slumped 3.1% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024 from an upwardly revised 0.5% fall in the preceding quarter. On a seasonally adjusted quarterly basis, industrial production dropped 1% in the first quarter or 2024, slowing from an upwardly revised 1.1% fall in the previous quarter. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Market Analysis A serious outbreak of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue warnings about its possible spread. The current cases are primarily in the DRC and nearby Central African countries, where the virus is common. Concerns are rising due to the severe illness caused by the clade I mpox viruses. This new strain is more concerning than the clade II viruses responsible for previous outbreaks in 2022 that originated in Nigeria. It is crucial to contain the outbreak within the DRC to prevent further spread, as highlighted by experts at the U.S. CDC. The previous outbreaks in 2022 primarily spread through sexual contact among gay and bisexual men, but an effective two-dose vaccine helped reduce infections. The current vaccine also provides protection against the latest clade I viruses. With increased global travel, officials are on high alert for the potential spread of the new viruses beyond endemic regions. In the U.S., the CDC recommends testing individuals displaying mpox symptoms, especially those with recent travel to affected African regions or contact with infected individuals. Symptoms include fever, headache, rash, and painful sores. Although no clade I cases have been detected in the U.S., vigilant testing is ongoing. Ongoing collaboration between the CDC and health officials in the DRC is in place to monitor and address the current outbreak. The absence of authorized vaccines in the DRC raises concerns about a potential increase in cases and spread beyond the region. In the U.S., the CDC encourages at-risk individuals, particularly gay and bisexual men, to get vaccinated, as only a small percentage have received both doses of the Jynneos vaccine. The vaccine is now more accessible at pharmacies across the U.S. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Health News Thailand (Gasgoo)- On May 17, Ms. Zhou Xiaoying, CEO of Gasgoo, visited Changan Automobile's factory in Thailand and had a brief meeting with Mr. Shen Mingjun, Senior Project Director of the Changan Automobile (Thailand) Manufacture Construction Project. Left: Mr. Shen Mingjun, Senior Project Director of the Changan Automobile (Thailand) Manufacture Construction Project; right: Ms. Zhou Xiaoying, Gasgoo's CEO Gasgoo, as a leading global automotive industry information service platform, aims to "discover promising companies, promote valuable technologies, and power automotive people." It is dedicated to fostering the healthy development of the automotive industry by leveraging its professional understanding, industry insights, and resource integration capabilities to provide one-stop services for businesses and industry insiders. The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year. Thursday, May 18, 1995 In 1995 Shawn Nelson stole a 57-ton tank from a San Diego National Guard armory and took it on a destructive rampage through the streets that ended when he was fatally shot by a police officer. Here are the first few paragraphs of the story: Stolen 57-ton vehicle leaves ruin in its tracks Clairemont plumber killed by police gunfire; Route 163 traffic snarled By Philip J. LaVelle and Patricia Dibsie, Staff Writers A Clairemont man stole an Army tank and took it on a bizarre and destructive rampage through the streets of San Diego yesterday evening before it crashed to a stop over a freeway divider, where he was fatally shot by police. Police identified the man as Shawn Nelson, a plumber in his mid-30s; neighbors said he had been acting strangely in recent months. His Willamette Avenue home was cordoned off by police last night. The tank he stole from the National Guard Armory sped through the streets of Kearny Mesa, leaving a wake of toppled telephone poles, crushed vehicles and geysers spewing from battered fire hydrants. At least 5,100 San Diego Gas & Electric Co. customers were left without power in Linda Vista. Thousands of motorists were stuck on state Route 163, which was closed in both directions as police hauled the mortally wounded Nelson out of the tank and began sorting out the destruction he caused. No other injuries were reported. The National Guard said it was sending two tanks to the freeway to push the disabled tank onto a flatbed truck. And police hoped to reopen the highway by this morning. I saw it come out of the armory, said Bobby Tarantino, but it didnt seem unusual until he started aiming at telephone poles and cars. Barbel DAgostino, a 17-year resident of Armstrong Street, along the route the tank took, said she felt like she was in the movies. This is the most bizarre thing that has ever happened on this street, she said. He wiped everything out on Ashford Street. The tank was identified as an M-60A3, a 31-foot-long vehicle capable of speeds up to 30 miles per hour. It weighs 57.3 tons when fully loaded for combat and carries a 105 mm gun and machine guns. For years, it was NATOs main battle tank in the Cold War standoff against Warsaw Pact forces. Yesterdays unexplained rampage was thought to be the first emergency of its kind for San Diego police, accustomed to fighting crimenot armor. The only similar known incident occurred in July 1982, when an Army private from Pennsylvania stole an M-60 tank and tore through downtown Mannheim, in the former West Germany, causing $50,000 damage before plunging it into a murky river. More: View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories. WASHINGTON The famous Hope Diamond is getting dressed up to celebrate its anniversary. The giant blue diamond was unveiled Thursday in a modernized necklace, a setting designed by Harry Winston Inc., in New York to commemorate the gems half-century on display at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History. It was Harry Winston who donated the diamond to the Smithsonian, sending it from New York to Washington by registered mail more than a half-century ago. The new necklace, entitled Embracing Hope, was chosen from three possibilities in an online vote of more than 100,000 people. Traditionally the Hope has been in a necklace displayed in an oval setting surrounded by a series of white diamonds. Embracing Hope places the diamond in a wider triple-strand necklace that curves around the blue gem, embracing it and reuniting at the bottom. The Hope will be shown in this setting for a year before being returned to its traditional one. The 45.52-carat diamond was long thought to have a curse, bringing bad luck to its owners, but Smithsonian officials say it has been kind to them, drawing throngs of visitors. It attracts an estimated seven million visitors a year, the museum reports. Formed more that a billion years ago, the diamond was mined in India and later is believed to have been part of the French crown jewels, having been stolen during the French Revolution. It later came into the possession of Henry Philip Hope, a prominent British banker from the early 1800s whose name it now carries. In addition to placing the gem on display in the new setting, the Smithsonian Channel plans a broadcast special Sunday entitled Mystery of the Hope Diamond. As part of the anniversary celebration, the Harry Winston Foundation announced a $1 million grant to the Smithsonian to support mineral sciences education. Online: Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/hope MADRID A Spanish bullfighter left intensive care Monday and was recovering satisfactorily in a Madrid hospital after a bulls horn ripped through his throat, pierced his tongue and smashed his palate. Aparicio, 41, suffered the grotesque goring Friday evening during a bullfight at Madrids Las Ventas bullring. The matador lost his balance, fell to the ground and in an instant the 530-kilogram (1,168 pound) bull drove his right horn through Aparicios throat and out his mouth. The beast withdrew the horn rapidly and Aparicio managed to run to the side of the ring for help. Aparicio was initially treated at the rings emergency medical unit, then transferred to the citys October 12th Hospital where he underwent a six-hour operation. The October 12th Hospital said in a statement that Aparicios condition was evolving favorably and that his prognosis was less serious. Most major bullrings in Spain and abroad are equipped with top flight teams of surgeons, traumatologists and anesthetists. Smaller bullrings are obliged to have ambulances on standby during fights Improved medical treatment over the years has cut down the number of deaths by gorings, a fact attested to by a statue to penicillin discoverer Dr. Alexander Fleming being saluted by a bullfighter in name of his all his colleagues outside Madrids venue. The last matador to die from a goring in Spain was Jose Cubero Sanchez Yiyo in 1985. Maximo Garcia Padros, chief surgeon at Las Ventas, told reporters on Friday after initial treatment by the medical team that that Aparicios life was not in danger but they had to wait for a CAT scan at hospital to rule out brain damage. The horn penetrated into the oral cavity, causing a fracture in the upper palate, the hospital said in one of its report. A tracheotomy was performed and the affected structures were repaired without surgical complications arising. Most people at the ring did not fully realize Aparicio he had been gored. It happened so fast, we thought he had been grazed by the horn, said American William Lyon, a former bullfighting critic for two Spanish papers and who was at the fight. The only ones who knew for sure were the press photographers who saw it close-up up through their lenses. I saw him being carried to the ring infirmary and he was still conscious, Lyon told the AP. He said people outside the ring watching it on television or looking at newspaper websites immediately started to phone people at the ring to talk about how bad the goring had been. Bullfights are usually sold out at the 23,500-seat Las Ventas. They are also broadcast live on pay-per-view television channels. It was the second serious goring of a bullfighter in just under a month. Top Spanish matador Jose Tomas suffered a near-fatal goring in the Mexican city of Aguascalientes. The bulls horn severed a vein and an artery and Tomas received nearly 17 pints (eight liters) of blood in transfusions. He is now recovering back in Spain. Hospital spokeswoman Pilar Notario said it was too early to say when Aparicio might be released. HUNTSVILLE, Texas A Fort Worth man convicted of gunning down his ex-girlfriend and her friend after stalking her to collect a debt was executed Tuesday night as his mother begged him not to die. James, dont leave me, you cant die. Dont leave me, cried Marta Martinez after her son, James Edward Martinez, was injected with the lethal drugs. Officers brought a wheelchair into the room and removed her and her daughter before Martinez was pronounced dead at 6:17 p.m., nine minutes after the injection. Martinez, 34, was condemned for the fatal shootings of Sandra Walton, 29, whom he dated briefly, and her 19-year-old friend Michael Humphreys outside her Fort Worth apartment in 2000. Martinez was the 11th condemned inmate to receive the lethal injection this year in the nations most active death penalty state and the first of two that were scheduled to die on consecutive nights this week. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal about four hours before the execution. His attorneys had argued they had a new witness who backed Martinezs claim he was home on the night of the slayings. Prosecutors said the argument wasnt new and that a Tarrant County jury didnt believe the alibi claim at Martinezs trial. Walton was shot at least nine times and Humphreys was hit eight times as they returned home from a late-night fast-food run. Her body was found in her car, and Humphreys body was found about 10 feet away. Authorities found 27 shell casings from a high-powered rifle at the scene. This was a calculated and premeditated act, said Robert Foran, an assistant district attorney who prosecuted Martinez. He destroyed two people in a matter of seconds. When he was arrested, he had an arsenal of weapons as well as literature. He was fascinated with the idea of death. Inside a storage bin Martinez rented, detectives found more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, bomb-making components, pistols, illegal knives, illegally modified firearms and books on killing techniques and body disposal. Martinez had loaned $1,000 to Walton during their relationship, and when they broke up, he demanded quick repayment. Walton gave him a promissory note, but told friends Martinez continued to harass her. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On May 16, GAC AION, a subsidiary of GAC Group, signed a framework agreement for a battery swapping project with CATL and Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology Ltd. (CAES) at the GAC Center. Photo credit: GAC AION According to the agreement, the three parties will leverage GAC AION's market and brand advantages, CATL's battery technology and resources, and CAES's expertise in equipment development, operational management, and software platforms for battery swapping in new energy vehicles to collaborate on developing battery swap models, producing and circulating battery swap blocks, managing vehicle and battery data, and providing vehicle warranties and after-sales services. This partnership aims to promote GAC AION's battery swappable car models and offer users a more efficient and convenient battery swapping experience. In this collaboration, GAC AION will focus on vehicle R&D and manufacturing to create advanced battery swappable car models. CATL will utilize its battery technology and resources to produce and supply standard battery swap blocks. CAES will lead the development of battery swap blocks and provide battery sales, leasing, and "Chocolate" battery swapping services. This partnership is a significant step for GAC Group in enhancing its energy ecosystem and strengthening GAC AION's battery swapping capabilities. Earlier, on May 8, GAC Group and NIO signed a strategic cooperation agreement, through which GAC AION and NIO have achieved network interconnection for battery charging and swapping. The new agreement with CATL and CAES expands GAC Group's network of battery swapping partners, demonstrating its commitment to addressing energy replenishment concerns. GAC AION's battery swapping station; photo credit: GAC AION As of today, GAC AION has built 1,000 EV charging and battery swapping stations nationwide and plans to advance the "Ten Thousand Pile Plan" this year, aiming to build 10,000 ultra-fast charging terminals based on a 1,000V high-voltage platform and exceed 1 million private charging pile users, forming a dual strategy of "ultra-fast charging + battery swapping." With this fresh agreement, CATL's battery swapping network will expand further. Since entering the battery swapping market in 2020, CATL has launched the Choco-SEB (Swapping Electric Block) and relevant battery swapping service solutions, actively promoting the construction of a battery swapping ecosystem. They have partnered with local governments in Xiamen, Shenzhen, and other areas, as well as with car companies, mobility service platforms, and state-owned energy enterprises, to develop battery swapping networks and research long-life battery technologies. Close-up of the new Silverado EV WT plugged into a charging station. General Motors Chevrolet is ready for the new wave of EV customers. The stalwart Detroit brand is ready to close the gap with Tesla. The electric Silverado and Equinox are about to join Chevy's growing EV lineup. Chevrolet is just getting started on its takeover of the electric car market, says Steve Majoros, the brand's chief marketing officer. The longtime Chevy executive sat down with Business Insider at a Tuesday press event for the launch of two electric vehicles that underpin the automaker's future plans: the long-awaited Silverado electric pickup truck and the electric Chevy Equinox. It's not exactly a great time to put more electric vehicles on sale. A changing EV shopper demographic has thrown the segment for a loop, and two years of runaway growth is finally hitting a plateau. ADVERTISEMENT Despite this gloomy backdrop to the day, Majoros is fired up. He starts the conversation by musing at how long this moment has taken to arrive (the electric Silverado was first teased in a Super Bowl ad in 2022) and how exciting it is to see GM's EV ambitions come to fruition. While Chevy and other legacy car brands spent the better part of the past decade playing catchup with Tesla, executives have promised that their century of manufacturing expertise would eventually close the gap. "Sometimes you see things as these discrete pieces and wonder how they're all going to snap together, and then all of a sudden it's like, 'Wow, the puzzle pieces really came together here,'" Majoros said. Chevrolet is done playing catchup with Elon Musk While Chevrolet isn't exactly new to the EV market (the electric Chevy Bolt has been on sale since 2016), the stalwart Detroit brand has spent the better part of the last decade lagging behind Elon Musk's Tesla. Early adopters favored techy startup brands like Musk's over dinosaurs like GM and in the time the Chevrolet spent selling a single electric model in the US, Tesla released a slew of new models, including its affordable Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, which compete directly with the Bolt. Story continues Tesla also beat Chevrolet to the punch on an electric pickup truck, launching the Cybertruck late last year. But the tides finally are turning in Chevrolet's favor, Majoros said, as EV shoppers gravitate to more practical options and legacy brands. "Customers will say 'if it doesn't haul or tow or fit my kids or have the safety features I want, I'm tapping out,'" Majoros said. "I don't care if it runs on electricity, gas, or hamsters." GM is a second-half team GM has always been a second-half team, Majoros said, and he thinks the Chevy brand is perfectly situated to meet a new wave of electric car shoppers. "Momentum is a true force, whether it's autos, sports, whatever," Majoros said. "We've got some momentum, so let's see how the second half unfolds." There is certainly an opening for Chevrolet in this changing electric vehicle market. Recent studies on a new cohort of electric car shoppers show that they are more inclined to consider purchasing an electric car from a legacy brand. After years of a virtual monopoly on the EV market, shoppers are growing tired of Tesla and looking for fresher options. "For people weighing the pros and cons they can look at Chevrolet and see a product they know and trust," Majoros said. Read the original article on Business Insider 2024 EV6 GT While we're waiting for carmakers to hurry up and make actually cheap EVs , I suppose the next best thing is discounts . And now that summer has rolled around, carmakers such as Kia and Polestar are trying to offload EVs with aggressive deals that knock thousands off MSRP. The 2024 Kia EV6 is getting its biggest discount to date, according to Cars Direct , which lowers the price of the EV crossover by nearly $13,000. But there's a catch: any Kia EV6 model that prospective buyers are looking at has to be among eligible vehicles, which is determined by VIN as part of Kia's VIN Summer Sticker Sales Event. The program gives Kia EV6 buyers an incentive of $1,500 on select VINs through July 8. It began on May 10, so the sale is currently ongoing. The incentive is stackable with a $7,500 customer cash incentive for a total of $9,000 off sticker. And there's a $500 loyalty discount that can raise the price cut to $9,500 for folks who are buying an EV6, rather than leasing. Given the starting price of the EV6 at $43,975, this latest sale can potentially reduce the price to $34,475provided that the VIN qualifies, of course. If you are not sure you want to own an EV long-term and would rather lease the EV6, then the deal can be sweetened via incentives in states like California, Oregon, and Washington. There, a 24-month lease can be found with discounts up to $10,800. When combined with the VIN and loyalty bonuses, the price cut goes up to $12,800 off MSRP. Cars Direct says that the biggest discounts apply to the AWD GT-Line models of the Kia EV, although there was no specific mention of the top-of-the-line EV6 GT, which has been heavily discounted in the past. ADVERTISEMENT In a bulletin that Kia sent dealers informing them of the VIN bonus, the Korean carmaker didn't disclose what makes a car eligible. So, your mileage may vary. Think of it as a VIN lottery that can slash the price anywhere from $9,500 to $12,800 depending on whether you are interested in buying or leasing. Again, the figures quoted above depend entirely on VIN so discounts might be less than the max amount allowed by the program. Story continues The 2024 Kia EV6 starts with the Light Short Range trim, and battery range sits between 218 and 310 miles depending on trim. For those of you wondering, similar discounts are not currently available for the Hyundai Ioniq 5, despite it being the EV6's not-so-distant cousins. The Kia EV6 remains the one to buy when seeking incentives, and if you aren't a fan of the 2025's facelifted design , now's the time to buy. 2025 Kia EV6. Kia Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com Elon Musk. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images Tesla is facing an uphill battle to get Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package approved, Tesla's chair said. Robyn Denholm told the Financial Times getting the necessary votes was like climbing "Mount Everest." A Delaware judge previously struck down the package, citing Musk's influence over the board. Robyn Denholm says Tesla is facing an uphill battle to get Elon Musk's record $56 billion pay package approved. The chair told the Financial Times that getting the votes needed to approve Musk's salary and move its legal entity to Texas was like climbing "Mount Everest." ADVERTISEMENT "It's a huge hill to climb because getting 50% of the shareholders to vote, let alone what they vote for, is quite tough," Denholm said. Tesla has been seeking shareholder approval for Musk's $56 billion planned pay package, which was struck down by a Delaware judge earlier this year. The judge claimed that Musk's undue influence over Tesla's board resulted in an "unfair price" because of his close ties to several directors. After the package was struck down, Musk vowed to take Tesla out of Delaware. He announced he was relocating SpaceX to Texas and said in a social media post: "If your company is still incorporated in Delaware, I recommend moving to another state as soon as possible." Denholm has previously called Musk's planned pay package "critical to the future success of Tesla." When asked if Musk would leave Tesla if the planned compensation were not approved, she said: "There is always a risk, but he's not holding a gun to anybody's head." She added he hadn't said "one way or another." Tesla's board has been trying to appeal the judge's decision and get the package over the line, even paying for ads calling for investors to vote in favor of the compensation plan. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Tesla showed that it had paid for some ads on Google and on Musk's social-media site, X. The EV maker has traditionally avoided advertising. Story continues The task has been made more difficult by the slide in Tesla's share price this year. It's down almost 30% at about $175 at Thursday's close, but has been as low as $142. The company is still worth close to $550 billion, but it was worth about twice as much in late 2021. Representatives for Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours. Read the original article on Business Insider HELENA, Mont.The Free Speech Coalition recently announced it is suing Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen to enjoin the state from enforcing Senate Bill (SB) 544. SB 544 is Montana's age verification law, modeled after similar legislation that relies on private parties to bring enforcement actions and levy penalties against adult platforms. As noted in previous coverage by AVN, this is colloquially known a "bounty law," where private parties can sue others to enforce the law. FSC sued Utah in federal court for a bounty age verification law but saw it dismissed due to the technical language outlined in that bill preventing the state from enforcing it. That decision is on appeal at the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Louisiana, the first state in the country to implement age verification, has similar provisions in place that prioritize private enforcement actions to enforce age verification. Note that private enforcement actions are often not the subject of controversy, but a U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow a private enforcement action law in Texas that regulates abortion and reproductive rights access to enter force has emboldened predominately conservative state lawmakers to impose age verification rules in such a manner. Texas Senate Bill 8, or the Texas Heartbeat Act, prohibits doctors from carrying out abortion procedures and empowers private citizens to sue anyone who aids and abets an abortion. Reproductive rights groups and clinics sued to block the law, but the conservative-leaning high court said that state officials can't be sued when private enforcement actions through the state's courts are the only means to enforce the law. SB 544 in Montana is similarly worded to the Utah and Louisiana age verification bounty laws prompting the lawsuit. Alison Boden, the Free Speech Coalition executive director, was quoted in a press announcement saying SB 544 "is dangerous, ineffective and deeply unconstitutional." "These laws, while nominally about age verification, are so dangerous to consumer privacy that their practical effect is to censor constitutionally protected expression," she explained in the press release. "We are fully committed to fighting these attacks on free speech. NEW YORKThe 14th official day in testimony in the hush money trial against former President Donald Trump saw fireworks during the defense's cross-examination of Michael Cohen, the chief witness in the case brought by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Trump was indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in what the prosecution presented as a scheme to silence Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal from selling their stories of Trump's infidelity to the press during the 2016 election. Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney and fixer, played a key role in paying off Daniels a sum of $130,000 that he borrowed against his home's equity line of credit. Cohen made the payment through a shell corporation and a bank account to circumvent any potential legal or regulatory scrutiny. Cohen testified he was paid $420,000 for his services in paying Daniels. The $420,000 was paid out by former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg and other payroll officials in the form of a 12-month retainer of $35,000 to cover a reimbursement, a bonus for Cohen, a technical fee, and funds to cover any state and federal taxes. Note that Weisselberg was indicted and recently sentenced to five months in prison for committing perjury during Trump's civil fraud case. Based on testimony from former and current Trump Organization employees, White House and campaign staffers, bankers, digital forensic analysts, Daniels' former Los Angeles-based lawyer Keith Davidson, and the award-winning adult star herself, prosecutors did their very best to directly link Michael Cohen's actions to Trump's direction and coordination. As expected, Trump's defense lawyer, Todd Blanche, had a field day portraying Cohen as a disgruntled former felon and disbarred attorney looking for revenge against a former client. For example, Cohen was found guilty in the Robert Mueller probe in 2018 for campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. These are felonies. One of the reasons he was charged with campaign finance violations was for making payments to an "adult film star" for $130,000. There is ample evidence to suggest that Cohen did this at Trump's direction, but an aggressive Blanche called into question the former lawyer's credibility. Earlier this week, Cohen testified to the prosecutors on direct examination that he contacted a former bodyguard, Keith Schiller, to speak to Trump about Stormy Daniels on October 24, 2016. On Thursday, Cohen was off kilter when Blanche raised doubt about that phone call by referencing text messages between him and Schiller used to challenge Cohen's account of the call. Blanche implied, "That was a lie, you did not talk to President Trump, you talked to Keith Schilleryou can admit it." No sir, I dont know that its accurate," Cohen told him. The witness said that he remembers the call about the "Stormy Daniels matter" because he has been talking about it for years. Because these phone calls are things that I have been talking about for the last six years," Cohen said. "They are, and they were extremely important, and they were all-consuming." Cohen also had to account for years of inconsistent statements, including lies he told to protect Trump. Blanche presented Cohen as unreliable and someone who has yet to be held accountable for the crimes that he committed. Well before testifying against his former boss, Cohen already expressed dismay for lying on behalf of Trump and said he was upset with him. Cohen's frustration after Trump's election in 2016 was also discussed in cross-examination. It's been said that Cohen was angry that he wasn't asked to join Trump at the White House. Keith Davidson recalled during his testimony earlier in the trial conversations with Cohen where he was "despondent." Judge Juan Merchan adjourned the court for the remainder of the week. Other developments related to the case include Trump's lawyers informing the court that they are asking New York's highest court to decide on the constitutionality of Trump's gag order. Merchan issued a gag order to prevent Trump from intimidating witnesses such as Cohen and Daniels. Trump has already violated the order ten times and has been fined $1,000 per violation. Lawyers representing Trump have appealed the gag order, but a recent ruling found the order to not be in violation of Trump's First Amendment rights during a time he would much rather be campaigning as the presumptive Republican Party nominee for the U.S. presidency. Merchan also informed counsel that they should have summations prepared on Tuesday. This signals that the trial is coming to an end and that the jury could decide the case next week. Prosecutors have no other witnesses to call after Cohen. Defense counsel says they plan to bring up a campaign finance expert and there is scuttlebutt that Trump himself will be called to the stand to testify. Business advisory firm FRP Advisory said on Friday that both full-year revenue and profits were set to come in ahead of expectations, leaving the group confident for the year ahead. FRP said revenues were expected to be 23% higher at 128.0m in the twelve months ended 31 March, while underlying earnings were seen 37% higher at 37.0m, principally due to a 22% increase in business administrations over the year. The AIM-listed group also noted that it had "strengthened its market-leading position, remaining the most active administration appointment taker in the UK by volume of appointments, and growing its market share from 14% to 16%. Chief executive Geoff Rowley said: "The group made excellent progress in FY 2024, continuing to execute our strategy while growing revenues and profits for the thirteenth year. The results achieved are testament to the quality of our colleagues and their continued efforts to provide a high-quality service to achieve the best possible results for our clients. "Activity levels across all our locations and pillars are encouraging. As a result, we start our new financial year with confidence of making further positive progress." As of 1140 BST, FRP shares had surged 11.18% to 142.32p. Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com J Sainsbury announced a five-year partnership with Microsoft on Friday, aimed at enhancing customer and colleague experiences through artificial intelligence (AI). The grocer said the deal would support its Next Level strategy by leveraging Microsoft's AI and machine learning capabilities along with its own extensive data resources. It said that by integrating Microsoft's AI technologies, it planned to improve customer service by creating a more interactive online shopping platform. Enhanced search capabilities powered by generative AI would streamline the shopping process, the board said, making it more user-friendly and engaging. For store colleagues, the partnership would bring real-time data and insights to optimise key processes such as shelf replenishment. Using AI to analyse multiple data inputs, including shelf edge cameras, employees would be directed to shelves that need restocking, saving time and preventing missed sales opportunities. That, the company said, would enable store staff to focus more on customer interaction and service. Additionally, AI-guided support would help employees respond to customer and colleague queries more efficiently, further enhancing the overall shopping experience. Sainsburys said it would also leverage Microsofts smart cloud technologies to power its data operations. By combining its data assets with Microsoft 365 collaboration tools, generative AI, and machine learning, the retailer said it was aiming to improve decision-making and operational efficiency. The transformation will be supported by the Microsoft Azure cloud service, which would accelerate the deployment of new services and innovations. It would also include upskilling programs to help Sainsburys employees adapt to the new AI-driven environment, ensuring they can fully leverage the technology. Our collaboration with Microsoft will accelerate our ambition to become the UKs leading AI-enabled grocer, said Sainsburys chief retail and technology officer, Clodagh Moriarty. Its one of the key ways were investing in transforming our capabilities over the next three years, enabling us to take another big leap forward in efficiency and productivity, continue to provide leading customer service and deliver returns for our shareholders. Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com. The number of UK bank branches that have shut their doors for good over the last nine years will pass 6,000 on Friday, and by the end of the year the pace of closures may leave 33 parliamentary constituencies including two in London without a single branch. The tally is being published by the consumer group Which? as it seeks to make the avalanche of closures and the disastrous impact they can have on local communities an election battleground. Guardian Three UK banks have announced cuts to the cost of fixed-rate mortgages, reversing some of the price rises seen in recent weeks. Barclays Bank has announced it will reduce the price of five-year fixed-rate deals for new borrowers and remortgagors by up to 0.45 percentage points from Friday. Its five-year fixed-rate for borrowers with a 40% deposit is decreasing from 4.47% to 4.34%. Guardian 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. Telegraph A group fighting for compensation for 150,000 Northern Rock shareholders whose shares were seized in the lenders 2007 collapse and nationalisation is to resuscitate its campaign. The Northern Rock Shareholder Action Group accused the government of grabbing profits of as much as 9 billion after it took control of the mortgage bank in the wake of a depositor run. The Times The prospect of government opposition to a proposed 3.5 billion acquisition of the Royal Mails parent company has receded after the business secretary welcomed contractual undertakings being negotiated as part of a Czech tycoons takeover. In a potentially politically significant moment for the deal, on Thursday Kemi Badenoch met Martin Seidenberg, the chief executive of International Distributions Services, Royal Mails parent company, after Wednesdays 370p-per-share non-binding proposal from EP Group, a conglomerate controlled by Daniel Kretinsky, a billionaire investor. The Times photo: Tamara Hijazi Sahar Mustafah grew up in a family of six, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants. Her first novel, The Beauty of Your Face (reviewed below; W.W. Norton, $26.95), begins as a shooter confronts the young women in the private Muslim school where Afaf Rahman serves as principal. Mustafah intersperses scenes of the present with flashbacks to Afaf's girlhood and adolescence as a first-generation Palestinian American--the disappearance of her older sister and her closeness to her younger brother, Majeed--as well as chapters from the shooter's perspective to build tension and empathy for her characters. We spoke with Mustafah by phone from her home in Chicago, where she teaches English to high school students. How did you come up with the structure for The Beauty of Your Face? You have us in the palm of your hands with the opening scene of the shooting in the school where Afaf is principal, and then you reveal Afaf's journey to that moment. I was in a wonderful workshop called "novel in a year" conducted by Rebecca Makkai, who wrote The Great Believers. She's the conductor of StoryStudio Chicago. I went through the year, and it was a failed first draft. I realized it was because I hadn't gotten to the heart of these characters I'd created. I thought, I need to spend time on one. I made a decision: I can look at Afaf from decade to decade, and what would be the monumental moment in each decade. I was interested in what she would look like not having that older sister anymore as a role model. I think we're so vulnerable as teens; let's add on a family that's dysfunctional, and that felt high voltage to me. I couldn't lead into her embracing Islam without looking at that challenging period. There was no question there would be the teenage years before hitting on young adulthood afterwards. In order for that story to be told, I needed to show my readers where the victim was coming from. It was surprising to read the chapters set in the shooter's experience. What made you decide to include them? The shooter had always been part of this novel. I had a sense there'd be alternating chapters. I had Afaf's life unfold, and the present disrupt her journey. That framing allowed me to hold onto the story arc. I didn't want to present this sort of case study of a white male domestic terrorist. I was not at all interested in that. I wanted to consider the potential for daily violence against Muslim women and those communities, especially in this political climate and post-9/11. What ended up happening is there were similarities: they both have immigrant parents; they both experienced the loss of the presence of their sibling. That wasn't planned, but these similarities developed. I was also not interested in "here's how we can stop hate," or "here's the handbook on Islamophobia." I wanted to raise questions in times of fear, in times of a lack of understanding. Hopefully my readers, by the time they're done, are asking themselves those questions and bringing those experiences into their lives. Afaf's embrace by the women of the Islamic Center, especially her classmate Kowkab, whom she'd remembered as wearing hijab at school, is a pivotal moment in the book. It was so important for me that this not be, oh and then she converts. Really what happens is that these women embrace Afaf. She's never had any sort of community; she'd had to deal with her mother's mental illness and her sister's absence. She doesn't start wearing hijab until high school. She's been sitting with it; it's been her journey. I love this women's circle, and they're flawed and we see that, but Kowkab is such an embodiment of those transcendent relationships and experiences. The trip to Mecca with her father turns out to be a momentous and bonding experience for both Afaf and her father. I just did an article for my British publisher about the research experience; Hajj [the pilgrimage to Mecca] was the most challenging because I haven't been there. You need permits! I had to dig, and I was lucky because I found online journals and diaries of women who were there. Not just the emotions and ritual part, but the awestruck part, which I've heard firsthand from relatives. I tried to express that, what it's like to be part of the pilgrimage. "It's like you're falling in love with God," a native Arabic speaker said--I knew she was wary of the translation, but I also knew what she meant. You're doing this collectively and publicly, which can also be stressful and dangerous. That was the thing I was most nervous about--making that as authentic as I could. Can you talk about the tension between Afaf's parents, and their struggle to raise their children in a country whose values differ from theirs so dramatically? That's part of what I consider unique about my story, that the parents are not really pious. I would call them secular. They're not atheists, but they're not practicing Muslims. They're feeling maybe even more disconnected from their roots. I didn't want them to be godless. Baba's trying his best, but Mama has not been able to put down roots and, unfortunately, it's at the cost of their children, and at the root of Afaf feeling lost and not loving herself. This is part of my own experience; I'm familiar with families that aren't particularly religious. There was a resurgence in the 1990s, before 9/11, where women tended to be more practicing, wearing hijab, and more mosques were being built. But with Afaf's family, we have a mom who doesn't feel she belongs, and they're struggling financially. For some people, religion would be a way to navigate or cope, and for them it isn't. When Baba is reawakened, it feels like more than as a Muslim but that he could start over and make things right with his family. He had had the roots, they just hadn't been cultivated in this country. Do you think Afaf's mother also resents that her sister married better than she, in terms of marrying a doctor who could ensure her financial security? Yes, it's a real classic ideal of America being a land of opportunity, which includes economic security. My father was part of a thriving business. But Afaf's parents were struggling. The father was someone who had to put his music career on hold in order to support the family, and this prevents her mother from going home to visit her family. It's sad, understandable, but we also know Mahmood [Afaf's father] is working as hard as he can under the circumstances. I think of my Mom; she wanted to marry an ex-pat who was going to take her out of Palestine. Her family was religiously strict, so she was also fleeing that. We were fortunate to have a roof over our head, and could afford private school. It was another narrative from perhaps what readers were expecting. I hope this is not "the typical immigrant" story. I do appreciate when people see that it's not "a single narrative" of being Muslim in America, or Palestinian in America. Your portrait of Baba's recovery from his near-death accident and his embrace of the Muslim faith is so moving. His newfound faith drives not just a wedge, but a wall between Afaf's parents. Can you talk about this development in their relationship? Her resentment comes from a few places. This intense grief that she's been carrying. Not being able to come to terms with the loss of her daughter enough to function for her children, for the living. She imagines the worst has happened to her firstborn. I think there's also a bit of a symptom of her mental illness--I don't want that to overshadow what she feels is a slight and an injury that her Higher Power has given her, and she has a yearning for home. Religion for her is just not going to do it. I'm very moved by mental illness. It's something that's been taboo, and just starting to change in our communities, through treating mental illness and depression. You were just expected to turn it over to the Lord. She's not buying that, but she's also losing out on a community. Afaf eventually comes to forgive her mother for her absence in their lives. What role does forgiveness play in Afaf's journey, and where does it fit in the Muslim faith? It was important for Afaf to gain forgiveness before going to Hajj, to ask anyone you've injured for forgiveness. Still it was difficult for Afaf. She reveals that no matter how pious you are, there's going to be this intrusion of real human feelings of resentment. Her mother's made that suicide attempt. It's been a volatile relationship. I think Afaf continues to struggle, but she can live in the present. Her circle of women, by virtue of not asking her about her past, that feels like forgiveness too. That may be something that in other religions is a strict ritual--I'm thinking of confession for Catholics. For Muslims, you should always ask for forgiveness for any wrongdoing, but the idea is that you're not going to keep committing those injuries, those sins, so you don't have to ask for contrition. It's about always being present. Do your best now and don't look back. --Jennifer M. Brown, senior editor, Shelf Awareness Kathleen Hanna (photo: Jason Frank Rothenberg) Kathleen Hanna first made her mark fronting the Olympia, Wash.-based punk band Bikini Kill in the 1990s. She was also a force behind the feminist-punk Riot Grrrl movement and went on to front the band Le Tigre and pursue other projects. Hanna lives in Los Angeles with her husband, musician Adam Horovitz, and their son. Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk (Ecco, $19.99, reviewed in this issue) is her first book. Rebel Girl has an incredibly authentic voice. How did you go about writing it? Did you just bang it out on a laptop, or did you record it and take it from there? I tried the recording thing and it totally did not work for me. So, yeah, it was pretty much just butt-in-chair the whole way. I just sat down and would start writing. And I was super lucky: I didn't have that problem that people talk about of, like, the blank page. It was the opposite? Yeah. It was the opposite. The really bad thing was, I am not a writer by trade, and so I started writing it in... TextEdit, or Pages? And I thought the book was only 300 pages--[my editors] were like, "It should be around 300 pages, and then we'll edit it"--so I wrote what I thought was 300 pages. But when we put it into a Word doc, it was 600 pages. Oh my god. So I keep calling it Riot Grrrl Hobbit. I was like, "Oh no! I wrote Riot Grrrl Hobbit! What do I do?" What did you do? So my friend Ada Calhoun, who is an amazing writer--she wrote the book Also a Poet-- I reviewed it, actually. Oh wow! She's a really good friend. She interviewed me for something 20 years ago: I was doing this art show that I put on, and she came to interview me. Usually there has to be some sort of professional thing where you don't hang out in real life, you just do the interview and then it's over. But I was really taken with her. And I was like, "Hey, do you want to be on my softball team?" I felt like I was asking her out on some weird date. And she was like, "I love softball!" Softball is important. It is! We still have a softball team. So, yeah, she started playing softball, and we've been friends ever since. And originally we were going to write the book together, many, many years ago, but I realized I wasn't ready. And then she's in New York and I'm in L.A., and so I just wrote it myself. But when I had the problem of, "Uh-oh: this is 600 pages," I called Ada. I paid her--it wasn't just, like, "Do this as a friend," because it was a lot of work. She came out and hung out with me for two weeks at my house, and we had the best time. It would have been a nightmare doing it by myself. She read it and was just like, "Oh, here's where we're cutting, here's where we're cutting." And I totally trusted her. She's like, "Do we need to talk about every single cut?" And I was like, "Uh, that's a waste of time. Why don't you just cut it?" Did you favor cutting from the end or the beginning? Or was it kind of just dribs and drabs here and there, and eventually you had 300 pages? It was all throughout. I don't know if you've seen that show The Queen's Gambit, where the woman plays chess? Uh-uh. She has this thing where she lies in bed and she looks at the ceiling and she sees chess moves. And Ada was like that. She would sit on the couch and look at the ceiling, and I could see her just moving chapters. In Rebel Girl, you're constantly reading, whether it's Kathy Acker or Andrea Dworkin. What are you reading now, and is there something you're reading that might surprise people? I don't know if it would be that surprising. My friend James Spooner and his literary partner, Chris Terry, edited this book Black Punk Now that I'm loving. It's tons of different writers and musicians who are writing about their experiences in the punk scene. I was really inspired by Viv Albertine's Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys, and then her book after that, which was even better. [Editor's note: The book is To Throw Away Unopened.] I guess the surprising memoir that I read that really influenced me but has nothing to do with my memoir at all is Alan Cumming's memoir. [Editor's note: The book is Not My Father's Son.] If you were going to write another book, what do you imagine it would be about? Actually, I've thought about it, and I definitely think one part would be me writing about me now, on tour and playing shows. I'm in a new band, and I'm writing an album with them, and I've never written about making music while I'm making music, and performing while I'm performing. So I thought it would be really interesting to keep a diary about that. I'm a morning pages person, so I just write whatever: "I dreamt about this," or, you know, "Here's some stuff I have to do." I don't write at the end of the day, like, "Here's what happened yesterday." So, yeah. I would love to write about what my life is like now, and then see what the other story would be. I'm really interested in, what would be the contrasting story? Would it be going back to things that I left out of the first book? Well, if you wrote another book, I would definitely read it. I'm so happy I wrote [Rebel Girl], but it was really the worst possible thing. [Laughs] You found it really difficult? Yeah, I did. I remembered a lot of stuff that I didn't really want to remember, and I think I went back to some really painful things. One of the things was the '90s just in general.... I got to this point where not talking about how desperately unhappy I was for most of the '90s was making me feel really invisible. The story about me in the '90s was that I was in this band and everybody loved us and we changed everything, and how great blah blah blah, and I wore cute dresses onstage, and... you know what I mean? The thing that I was hearing back about myself from young people was, "Oh, I wish I was born in the '90s." I was like, "Oh, no you don't." Every night was a struggle. And it's really hard to do 12 jobs. You're driving the van. You're booking the shows. You're dealing with the promoter. You're dealing with getting paid. It was just too much. And then, on top of it, the feminist thing, so that we would show up places, and typically the guys who ran the space would treat us horribly. And they would just have all these stereotypes of, like, they would think we hate them, so they would immediately be really mean and rude to us.... But I did write [Rebel Girl] in mind of younger musicians, because I know they're still grappling with some of the same things. To be, like, "I see you." --Nell Beram Fintech Surge, the regions most anticipated Fintech event, is set to make its triumphant return to Dubai Harbour from October 13-16, 2024, as an integral part of Expand North Star, powered by GITEX GLOBAL. Boasting 920+ investors, 150+ exhibitors from 25+ countries, 170+ speakers and 58,000 attendees in 2023 Fintech Surge solidified its position as the UAEs powerhouse summit for the global Fintech community and the regions largest gathering of budding entrepreneurs, innovative game-changers, seasoned thought leaders, and industry titans. The UAE serves as the epicenter of the global Fintech community as having received a 92% increase in Fintech funding in 2024 for a total of $1.3B making the UAE the 6th most funded Fintech market in the world. Following the resounding success of their 2023 inaugural debut at the iconic Dubai Harbour, Fintech Surge returns in 2024 for its 4th edition with an even more robust offering as GITEX Impact joins Expand North Stars 2024 portfolio alongside Fintech Surge, Future Blockchain Summit, and Marketing Mania. In line with the global sustainability initiative, Fintech Surge introduces two new climate-centered features: the GREEN FINTECH PAVILION showcasing eight of the most groundbreaking and tree-saving startups offering sustainable finance solutions, and the GREEN DAY CONFERENCE, which aims to facilitate the largest Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing the world has ever seen, with 250 out of 1000 investors committing to only investing in startups that exercise sustainable practices. 2024 marks a major year of recognition for promising Fintechs as MEA Finance, the regions only banking and finance media brand, hosts its prestigious Fintech Awards at Fintech Surge. Six Fintech leaders will be recognized for innovation and excellence in their respective categories of Paytech, Insuretech, Wealthtech, Regtech, Top Customer Services, and Top Tech Solutions on the largest stage at Fintech Surge amongst hundreds of delegates, VIPs, sponsors, investors, and institutional buyers. Imagination takes the center stage at Fintech Surge 2024, as 20 of the worlds most innovative Fintechs descend upon Dubai Harbour for a demonstration day unlike any other. Founders and leaders will showcase live prototypes that push the boundaries of whats possible in Fintech and how their products create a faster, more convenient, and more secure ecosystem that adapts to the ever-changing and fast-paced expectations of todays Fintech userbase. Fintech Surge remains the industry-defining platform for financial innovations. To be part of this transformative event, visit: www.fintechsurge.com. OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence (AI) research organization, has announced a new partnership with Reddit. As part of this collaboration, OpenAI will utilize Reddits application programming interface (API) to access and incorporate Reddit content for training its AI models, including the widely popular chatbot, ChatGPT. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. This partnership with Reddit underscores OpenAI's strategy to enhance its AI products with a diverse range of data sources. Reddit has become one of the internets largest open archives of authentic, relevant, and always up-to-date human conversations about anything and everything, said Reddit CEO Steve Huffman in a joint statement. Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI, echoed this sentiment, stating, We are thrilled to partner with Reddit to enhance ChatGPT with uniquely timely and relevant information, and to explore the possibilities to enrich the Reddit experience with AI-powered features. The OpenAI-Reddit deal follows closely on the heels of Reddit's recent partnership with Alphabet, valued at approximately $60 million per year. This deal enables Google's AI models to train using Reddit's content, signaling Reddit's broader strategy to diversify its revenue streams beyond its traditional advertising business. Reddit, which debuted on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year, has been actively seeking ways to leverage the extensive value of discussions across its numerous subreddits to boost revenues. Following the announcement of the OpenAI partnership, Reddit's shares saw a 12% increase in extended trading. In separate news, there have been allegations that OpenAI is using content from Googles YouTube to train its AI model, Sora. OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, expressed uncertainty over whether Sora is being trained on YouTube videos. Murati clarified that OpenAIs models are developed using publicly available data and licensed data. Google CEO Sundar Pichai responded to these reports, emphasizing that Google will address the situation if OpenAI is indeed using YouTube content without proper authorization. Look, I think its a question for them to answer, Pichai said. I dont have anything to add. We do have clear terms of service. And so, you know, I think normally in these things we engage with companies and make sure they understand our terms of service. And well sort it out, he added. With a vision of Celebrating Africa's Financial Realities: Where Digital Dreams Shine Bright, the 14th Africa Bank 4.0 Summit Pan Africa, is all set to take place on the 29th and 30th May 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya. With a history of 13th successful editions of the flagship Africa Bank 4.0 Summit, the 14th edition aims to serve a dynamic platform for growth, collaboration, and progress within the continent's financial ecosystem. Eminent names in the African financial and technology sector will come together to explore new opportunities, brainstorm strategies and collaborate new technologies and innovations in shaping the future of regions banking and financial sector. This event is all set to open its doors to C-suite officials and industry leaders from Postbank Kenya, Zimbabwe Womens Microfinance Bank, Credit Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, Stanbic Bank Kenya, Diamond Trust Bank Uganda, Commercial International Bank Kenya Limited, Airtel Rwanda, Central Bank of Libya, Absa Bank Kenya, KCB Bank Group, Equity Bank Limited, National Bank of Kenya among many others. Review the event agenda to see all speakers, topics and participating companies. The 14th Africa Bank 4.0 Summit - Pan Africa offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore the latest innovations and solutions at the accompanying exhibition. This summit goes beyond being a mere event; it is a collaborative effort to shape the financial landscape of Africa. ICPS has already joined the event Presenting Partner, and others sponsors and partners who have confirmed their engagement include - DCS by DIXITOR | Arab Financial Services (Platinum Partner), LexisNexis Risk Solution | NetInfo Plc. | C&R Software | Omnisient | Tietoevry (Gold Partners), Avanza Solutions | JuicyScore (Silver Partners), ACI Worldwide (Gala Dinner Sponsor), Perfios (Data and Tech Partner), Fimple | Stanchion | Modefin | PureSoftware (Associate Partner), Eclectics (Bronze Partner), Meliora Technologies | Ebiashara (Exhibiting Partner), BII - FINANCE (Knowledge Partner), Alliance of Digital Finance and Fintech Associations (Supporting Partner). Join us on a compelling journey as we navigate the intersection of cutting-edge biometric security measures, the importance of privacy, and the evolving challenges in the banking sector. The Biometrics Panel among many other panel discussions will be moderated by Ntakisha Kyalusanza, Regional Director, West & Southern Africa from LexisNexis Risk Solutions will delve into critical topics such as traditional security measures, privacy considerations, cybersecurity readiness, and strategies for enhancing cybersecurity defenses in banking. The summit will conclude with the Africa Bank 4.0 Awards (Pan Africa), recognizing and celebrating excellence in the financial industry. These awards aim to honor organizations, associations, and service providers for their outstanding contributions to transforming the Fintech industry, making finance in Africa more accessible, innovative, convenient, and affordable. The 14th Africa Bank 4.0 Summit Pan Africa is an unparalleled opportunity to connect with Africa's financial leaders, innovators, and experts. We invite you to join us on this remarkable journey of growth, collaboration, and progress in shaping the future of finance. To learn more about the event and application procedure for the awards. visit: https://www.biiafricabanksummit.com/14summit/ STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Federal authorities are investigating an early morning blaze in Eltingville at the family home of the man charged with gunning down a Staten Island mob boss, the Advance/SILive.com has learned. Anthony Comello, now 29, who was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the March 13, 2019, shooting of Gambino crime family boss Francesco (Franky Boy) Cali, lived in the home that burned prior to his arrest. Online records for the city Department of Finance still list a family member as the owner. The FDNY and the NYPD initially responded to the fire at around 4 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, at the two-story home with a brick facade. The blaze was deemed suspicious and federal authorities commenced an investigation into the suspected arson, according to a law-enforcement source. It was not immediately clear which agency was handling the probe. When asked what caused the fire, the only response from a spokeswoman for the FDNY was that the blaze was still under investigation. We dont confirm or deny the existence of any investigation, said a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of New York. Spokespeople for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) did not immediately respond to requests for information. No arrests have been made at this time, according to a spokesman for the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. The District Attorneys Office typically does not become involved in cases until there is an arrest. FIRE BURNS MANSE IN ELTINGVILLE About 12 units and 60 firefighters responded to the blaze. The fire was brought under control in just under an hour with no injuries reported, according to an FDNY spokesperson. The Advance/SILive.com is declining to publish the exact address due to safety concerns. Photos taken a few days after the fire show caution tape spread across the front of the private property and a large pile of garbage bags and other debris stacked on the driveway. Some windows were boarded up on the sprawling single-family, 3,800-square foot residence that was built in 1955. A green tag marked Evidence could be seen attached to a fence leading to the backyard on Friday. Francesco (Frank) Cali of Staten Island in shown in this booking photo. CASE AGAINST COMELLO SEALED The Cali slaying sparked speculation of a mob hit and fanned fears of a wiseguy war and a retaliatory rubout. For security reasons, the court file and all proceedings against Comello have since been sealed and the resolution of the case was never revealed to the public. Comellos arrest and subsequent court proceedings, meanwhile, introduced many to QAnon, a right-wing conspiracy-theory group which he claimed to support. During an extradition hearing in New Jersey after his arrest there, Comello held his handcuffed palm up to reporters, showing a symbol that appeared to be a Q and several words scrawled in pen, reported NJ.com. Comello was busted three days after the shooting on March 16, 2019, in a home owned by his family in Brick, N.J. THEORIES ON A MOTIVE Theories about the slaying abounded at first. One speculated that the defendant killed Cali because the victim allegedly didnt approve of Comellos relationship with a female relative. Along those lines, detectives, in a videotaped interview, asked Comello if he had, a few years earlier, booked a trip to the Bahamas with a woman but didnt go. They identified her as Calis niece. Comello was incredulous. I dont know who the f--- his niece is, he said, his voice rising. When did that happen? Told it was two or three years earlier, Comello responded, I didnt have money two or three years ago. I was a junkie. Comello then gave conflicting and sometimes bizarre accounts of the shooting during that three-and-a-half-hour interrogation. He vehemently denied knowing Cali or having any mob connections. He was then asked why he was on the victims street on the night of the slaying. The defendant said he went there to smoke pot because its secluded. Comello also said he had taken suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction, and was high. The events unfolded, he said, when he mistakenly put his pickup truck in reverse, hit Calis SUV on the street and knocked off the license plate. Cali came outside, they spoke, and he apologized; however, Cali became incensed, Comello told cops. He said, What are you, f------ kidding me? You dont know who I am. I could have you killed. Youre lucky I dont kill you right here and now, Comello told police. Frightened, Comello said he shot Cali. I was scared. I was jumpy, I was high. I just zoned out. I would never do something malicious like that, said Comello. Asked about the weapon, a 9 mm, Comello told the investigator, I always had that gun. Its a just-in-case gun. As the interview continued, Comello altered his account of Calis death. He said some people had blackmailed him into the killing. They spread out propaganda on how I got it, he said referring to HIV, which, he said, he contracted from a stripper and for which he was taking medicine. They blackmailed me into doing it, saying thats what theyre gonna do if I dont do it. Seeking to identify those persons, the investigator then mentioned the names of two prominent alleged mobsters. Im not a rat, Comello responded. Im not being a rat. Afterward, Comello provided yet another version of the events. He said some mobsters had given him a burner phone. Two days before the killing, he received a text message telling him to take care of that other guy, he said. Afterward, Comello said he went to Calis house to spill the beans and advise that organized crime had put out a hit on him. Asked where the phone was, Comello said he put it in a microwave. There was more. At the end of a court conference in February 2020, Comello launched into a strange, rambling 20-second monologue in which he said his phone had contained information on human sex trafficking and drug smuggling. Then, in quick succession and without details, Comello referenced Australia, Russia and Ukraine, as well as Operation Mockingbird. The latter is an alleged large-scale CIA program dating to the 1950s which attempted to manipulate the news media for propaganda purposes. Anthony Comello, 24, appears in court in Staten Island on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. (Staten Island Advance/Shira Stoll) QANON CONNECTION In court papers, Robert Gottlieb, Comellos former lawyer, contended the defendant was deluded by conspiracy theories and was defending himself when he shot the victim. He had become obsessed with QAnon a right-wing conspiracy-theory group which he believed had a fundamental role: Protecting then-President Donald Trump, according to a defense motion. Comellos support for QAnon went beyond mere participation in a radical political organization, a defense motion said. It evolved into a delusional obsession. Comello drove to Calis house to affect a citizens arrest on the mob boss, maintains the defenses court filings. He believed Cali held a significant status in a worldwide criminal cabal bent on the destruction of American values and the American way of life, a defense motion contends. That alleged criminal conspiracy group is commonly referred to as the Deep State. According to the motion, Comello planned to handcuff Cali and deliver him to the military. The two men began arguing, and Comello shot Cali in self-defense when the victim made a furtive action with his hand, allege the defendants court filings. The confrontation with Cali was not the first time Comello allegedly tried to conduct a citizens arrest. In February 2019, he went to Gracie Mansion in Manhattan and said he wanted to arrest then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, said officials. A day before, Comello had gone to a federal courthouse in Manhattan and asked to make a citizens arrest of Maxine Waters and Adam Schiff, both California congressional representatives. Comello believed they had committed election fraud, officials said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. As more Americans go to college and earn a diploma, its important to know which common majors offer the most earning potential. Stacker, a data journalism website, looked at data analyzed by Learner from the Census Bureau via the University of Minnesota IPUMS to determine the most common college majors in the United States. It then looked at the median salary for those with a bachelors degree and those with a postgraduate degree (such as a masters, professional and doctoral). A business degree is the most common undergraduate major. As of 2022, around 8.5 million adults working full-time had a bachelors degree in a business-related field, according to data, and bout 2.9 million of these adults also earned a postgraduate degree in the field. Here are the most common majors with the highest earning potential by bachelors degree only, ranked from lowest earning potential to highest, according to Stacker and Learners analyses. 9 - Education Bachelors degree only median salary: $50,000 8 - Fine arts (tie) Bachelors degree only median salary: $52,000 8 - Psychology (tie) Bachelors degree only median salary: $52,000 7 - Communications Bachelors degree only median salary: $57,000 6 - Biology and life sciences Bachelors degree only median salary: $62,000 5 - Social sciences Bachelors degree only median salary: $68,000 4 - Medical and health sciences Bachelors degree only median salary: $70,000 3 - Business Bachelors degree only median salary: $73,000 2 - Computer/info sciences Bachelors degree only median salary: $91,000 1 - Engineering Bachelors degree only median salary: $96,000 Here are the most common majors with the highest earning potential by postgraduate degree median salaries, ranked from lowest earning potential to highest, according to Stacker and Learners analyses. 10 - Fine arts Postgraduate degree median salary: $68,000 9 - Education Postgraduate degree median salary: $70,000 8 - Psychology Postgraduate degree median salary: $74,000 7 - Biology and life sciences Postgraduate degree median salary: $79,000 6 - Medical and health sciences Postgraduate degree median salary: $93,000 4 - Social sciences Postgraduate degree median salary: $99,000 3 - Communications Postgraduate degree median salary: $107,000 2 - Computer/info sciences Postgraduate degree median salary: $120,000 1 - Engineering Postgraduate degree median salary: $127,000 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Wagner College Theatre announced its 2024-25 season of storytelling, so mark your calendars if any of the programming catches your eye. And remember, the theater is consistently ranked in the top five collegiate theater programs in the nation, with performers frequently going on to Broadway and beyond. Visit wagner.edu/theatre for more info. So heres the scoop: Beginning with communication that needs no words, Wagner College Theatre Dance takes the stage to move us with movement, followed by City of Angels, which explores the allure and mystery of film noir and old Hollywood. Next up is Once Upon a Mattress, a fairy tale with a twist, followed by Let It Be, about a generation, as told by the band that defined it. See these future stars today, just around the corner, and for a fraction of the price. Tickets go on sale Sept. 15, 2024. Subscription pre-sale is available now; email boxoffice@wagner.edu for more information. Wagner College Theatre (Courtesy Dillon Burke)Courtesy Dillon Burke ABOUT WCT DANCE Celebrating the beauty of dance and physical communication, Wagner College Theatre Dance presents a collage of dance pieces, each with something different to say. Choreographed by Wagner Dance Faculty and selected students, WCT Dance will explore themes like finding meaning and beauty in repetition, the tension and relationship between the body and the environment, the universality and mythology of The Seven Deadly Sins, and much more. Guest choreographer Caterina Rago will also be returning with excerpts from her ballet, Morso DAmore, powerful for its use of confrontation and subterfuge. Traversing an array of styles, WCT Dance is always rooted in a commitment to meaningful storytelling and healthy technique. Conceived of by Wagner College Professor and Head of Dance, Rusty Curcio, WCT Dance runs Oct. 17, 18, 19 at 8 p.m. and on Oct. 19, 20 at 2 p.m. ABOUT CITY OF ANGELS Winner of five 1990 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and boasting a swinging score by Cy Coleman, City of Angels tells the dueling stories of successful young writer Stine, struggling to maintain creative control of his latest crime novel as its being adapted into a major motion picture, and the hard-boiled adventures of his Private Investigator protagonist, Stone. Keeping the two worlds separate is hard enough, but when the line between Stines reality and Stones film-noir fantasy begins to blur, hilarity and thrills ensue. A glorious musical comedy which is equal parts love letter to Golden Age Hollywood and homage to classic detective yarns such as The Maltese Falcon, City of Angels will keep your toes tapping as you sit on the very edge of your seat. Directed by Prof. Brian Sgambati and Music Directed by Dr. Lauri Young, lose yourself in the City of Angels on Nov. 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at 8 p.m. and on Nov. 16, 23, 24 at 2 p.m. Scene from April 2024 Wagner College Theatre production of "Seussical." (Courtesy Dillon Burke)WCT ABOUT ONCE UPON A MATTRESS Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, lived the domineering Queen Aggravain, the cursed King Sextimus, and the mousy Prince Dauntless. In order to keep the unmarried, the Queen has decreed that only the princess who can pass her impossible test may marry the Prince. After rejecting princess after princess, the Queen has met her match: the brash and charming Winnifred the Woebegone. This hilariously irreverent comedy updates the classic fairytale The Princess and the Pea and features some of musical theaters most beloved melodies like Shy and In a Little While. Music Directed by Dr. Lauri Young, catch the giggles and maybe a dream on March 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 at 8 p.m. and on March 8, 15, 16 at 2 p.m. ABOUT LET IT BE Set in the turbulent times of the 1960s and 1970s at the height of the Vietnam War, Let it Be follows a group of teenage friends and their intertwining stories as they struggle with the unrest of the country, their loss of innocence, and their long journey home. Told solely through the stirring music and compelling lyrics of The Beatles, Let it Be explores the universal themes of love, loss, joy, and desire. Directed by Prof. Michele Pawk. April 24, 25, 26 and May 1, 2, 3 at 8 p.m. and on April 26 and May 3, 4 at 2 p.m. NEW YORK, N.Y. Former fixer turned star witness Michael Cohen continued his testimony Thursday in the historic criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. Todd Blanche, one of the former presidents attorneys, continued his cross examination of Cohen, who says Trump used falsified business records to pay him back for a $130,000 hush money payment to pornstar Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 election to keep her quiet about a sexual encounter she claims to have had with Trump in 2006. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump last year with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in jail, according to the state court system. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan is overseeing the trial. The former president has denied wrongdoing. Prosecutors say Trump directed the falsification of the business records by characterizing 12 $35,000 payments in 2017 to Cohen as legal expenses and income for the former attorney. Since Cohen would lose out on about half of the income after taxes, they doubled the initial $130,000 for the repayment, added $50,000 for other services Cohen provided, and added a $60,000 bonus, arriving at the $420,000 repayment made over the 12 months of 2017. Much of the defenses goal in questioning Cohen is to tear down his credibility as the prosecutions star witness a non-Herculean task given his history. Cohen has changed his story multiple times regarding the payment to Daniels, and the extent of Trumps involvement. In 2011, when the affair story first started to make waves, he worked with Daniels former attorney, Keith Davidson, to push back against outlets who had or were planning to run stories about it. Then in 2018, when the Wall Street Journal published an expose on the payment, Cohen admitted to it, but said he paid of his own accord without Trumps involvement. The former attorney has admitted he previously lied under oath in relation to the payment. Now he says he made the payment on behalf of Trump, who knew about it, as part of a broader scheme the duo organized in 2015 with former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who testified earlier in the trial. Both Cohen and Pecker have said that they worked to promote positive stories about Trump while limiting exposure of negative stories, an effort that culminated in three hush money payments, including the one to Daniels. All this was done to give Trump a better chance at winning the 2016 presidential election, according to Pecker and Cohen. The other suppressed stories included another affair allegation from Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal and a Trump Tower doormans tale about a love child Trump fathered with a housekeeper, which Pecker said he determined was false. Initially, the group had not planned on paying off Daniels, but decided to after the leak of the Access Hollywood tape during which Trump bragged about groping women. Cohen has said then-candidate Trump was particularly concerned about the impact the Daniels story would have on female voters. Braggs felony charges against Trump for falsified business records require the records to have been falsified in connection to another crime. In this case, prosecutors say the hush money payment to Daniels amounted to a federal campaign finance violation, a crime Cohen pleaded guilty to in August 2018. Prosecutors have yet to show documented evidence directly linking Trump to the hush money payments to Daniels for a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) or the alleged repayment of Cohen. However, multiple witnesses, including Cohen and several other Trump Organization employees, have testified that it would have been well outside the norm for Trump not to have final say on a payment like that and for Cohen to take it upon himself to make the payment. Additionally, witnesses, including former Trump Organization Controller Jeff McConney, have characterized Trump as a micromanager who would likely have been aware of what the repayments to Cohen were actually for. Defense attorneys have also sought to paint Cohen as a disgruntled former employee out for vengeance against Trump over a perceived slight for not being name chief of staff after the former president took office. Blanche had an air of exasperation during portions of his questioning, hoping to take Cohen to task for inconsistencies in his story. Throughout Thursdays proceedings, Cohen remained composed. Much of the jurys decision will ride on whether they choose to believe Cohen, whose testimony is expected to wrap Monday. The trial will not be meeting Friday, as Merchan has permitted Trump to attend his sons high school graduation in Florida, but all indications point to the trial ending early next week ahead of jury deliberations. Trumps team has not yet said whether the former president intends to take the stand. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. A bill aimed at strengthening the rights of crime victims recently passed through the New York Senate. Senate Bill S5502, sponsored by State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn), mandates that the court or district attorney, either at sentencing or the earliest possible moment, provide an informational sheet to crime victims detailing their rights. Upholding the rights of victims is not just a courtesy it is a necessity, said Scarcella-Spanton. Reporting a crime is often a daunting first step, and the fear associated with this process is all too common. It is essential for justice and fairness in New York that we extend the same courtesy to victims of crime. By passing this legislation, we are making a significant stride towards a more just and compassionate system, where the voices and rights of victims are acknowledged and respected. According to Scarcella-Spantons office, victims are not often aware of their rights following the conviction of their offender. In remedying the situation, the law requires that the sentencing judge or district attorney provide the victim, parent or guardian of a minor, or survivor in the case of homicide, with a sheet explaining the following rights, including but not limited to: Informing the victim and/or surviving relatives of the requirement to register with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervisions (DOCCS) Office of Victim Assistance if they wish to: Be notified of an offenders release from a New York State Correctional facility Be notified of New York State Parole Board interviews with an offender, and the subsequent results (Exclusive to crime victims and their families) Provide or update a victim impact statement to the Board of Parole (Exclusive to crime victims and their immediate family) The sheet would also inform victims and/or surviving family that they may obtain a copy of transcripts from parole hearings. The bill is a component of a greater legislative package passed by the New York State Senate with the hopes of strengthening the rights of domestic and sexual violence victims and expanding protections for survivors. Although the bill has passed through the Senate, the legislation must also pass through the Assembly and be signed by the governor before becoming law. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is sending more than $5.6 million in refunds to consumers as the result of a settlement with Ring over charges that the company allowed employees to access customers private videos. The access granted to employees enabled hackers to take control of consumers accounts, cameras and videos, and the company failed to implement security protections, according to an FTC announcement. In a complaint first announced in May 2023, the FTC said that Ring, a home security company owned by Amazon, deceived its customers by failing to restrict employees and contractors access to its customers videos, using its customer videos to train algorithms without consent, and failing to implement security safeguards. These practices led to egregious violations of users privacy. The FTC is sending 117,044 PayPal payments to consumers who had certain types of Ring devices, such as indoor cameras, during periods when the FTC alleged unauthorized users may have had access to customer videos. Consumers should redeem their PayPal payment within 30 days. According to a court order, Ring was required to provide a list of customers, their contact information and how much they paid. The FTC is using this information to send payments. Eligible customers who own certain types of Ring devices before Feb. 1, 2018, are eligible for the refund, according to the court order, and should have already received an email from the FTC. In a statement sent to The Associated Press, Ring said that bad actors took emails and passwords that were stolen from other companies to unlawfully log into Ring accounts of certain customers who used the same credentials on multiple sites back in 2019 adding that the company promptly addressed this by notifying those it discovered to be exposed in a third-party, non-Ring incident and taking action to protect impacted accounts. Consumers who have questions should contact the refund administrator, Rust Consulting, Inc., at 1-833-637-4884, or visit the FTC website to view frequently asked questions about the refund process. Requests may also be sent to info@ring.com. The FTC never requires people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund, the announcement said. In 2023, FTC actions led to $324 million in refunds to consumers across the country, the commission said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Staten Island artist and conservative activist Scott LoBaido took to the city Thursday for the literal launch of what could possibly be considered his naughtiest art installation yet. LoBaido released into the air 100 pink, penis-shaped balloons outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse where former President Donald Trumps hush money trial is being held. Each balloon was decorated with the face of a Trump foe, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Special Council Jack Smith and Manhattan Judges Juan Merchan and Arthur Engoron. LoBaido told the Advance/SILive.com, that his statement Thursday was directed at the legal geniuses who he says have brought false charges against the ex-president and are doing little more than using the courtroom to humiliate and keep him off the campaign trail. As an artist you have to come up with different ways, you cant just always stand there and hold a sign,' the artist said. So, my job is to come up with creative ways to make a statement. If youre not going to respect the judicial system as lawyers, judges, D.A.s and prosecutors, then we, the public, will have no respect for you. I speak for many people with what I did today I think theyre a bunch of d---s. While the stunt cost LoBaido over $1,500 between the hard-to-find, phallic-shaped balloons, helium to inflate them and a U-Haul to transport them, he said cost isnt an issue when theres a point to be made. Its not cheap to do these things, but its art and it has to be done,' LoBaido said. Its not about money; its about getting that message across. Everybody was laughing, and I made everyones day because art and humor work when there are issues that are very serious,' he said. LoBaido has always been one of Staten Islands most outspoken activists. In 2022, LoBaido was arrested after pouring red paint on the sidewalk outside Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office in a protest of the officials crime policies. And he was most recently arrested in March outside City Hall during a protest of new city rule affecting restaurant owners. LoBaido flung slices of pizza over the fence outside City Hall during the March protest of the rule that will require restaurants using coal- and wood-fired ovens to install costly emission-cutting devices. Shortly after throwing his fourth slice, LoBaido was detained and led away by NYPD officers, with the artist heard shouting, F--- you, Mayor Adams, as he was being ushered into the police van. Several days earlier, Former President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance, interrupting a private premiere of LoBaidos soon-to-be released autobiographical documentary film, held in the Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida. The Relentless Patriot, was in full swing at Trumps Palm Beach resort, and the eyes of about 200 high-profile conservatives, studio executives and Trump supporters, including former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, were on it when the screen suddenly went dark and the lights came on and Trump stepped out. The documentary about LoBaido, directed by Chris Martini, is scheduled to be released in theaters and possibly streaming services on Flag Day, June 14 which also happens to be Trumps birthday. It delves into both his artistic and political sides, LoBaido said, admitting with a chuckle that it was tough to fit all the arrests into the 90-minute flick. . STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In honor of those who have died, here is a compilation of obituaries posted on SILive. Viewing times and guest books can be seen here. John M. Collins, 64, of The Villages, FL, passed away on Friday, April 26, 2024, after a 37-month battle with 9/11-related cancer. Born in Staten Island, John was a long-time resident of Clark/Rahway, N.J., before relocating to The Villages in 2017. John held a Bachelors Degree from St. Johns University, a Masters Degree, and an Honorary Doctorate from Kean University. He dedicated 32 years to law enforcement, starting as a tour guide at the World Trade Center before joining the Port Authority of N.Y. & N.J. Police Academy in 1984. He rose to the rank of captain, retiring in 2008. Shortly after, he became the Police Chief at The College of New Jersey, serving for nine years. John, a devoted family man, is survived by his wife, Diane, with whom he shared 22 years, and his sons, Christopher and Ryan. He cherished time spent with his family and was known for his love of food and adventure. For the full obituary, click here. Michael Sebexen, 81, of Barnegat, N.J., passed on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Born in New York City, Michael was a United States Air Force Veteran of the Vietnam War and worked as a Military Police soldier. He later became an MTA bus driver on Staten Island and was a Civic Aviation Member. Survived by his wife of 52 years, Anita, and his loving family, Michael spent over 20 years in Barnegat, N.J., while enjoying time at his West Palm Beach condo and being active in the American Legion. For the full obituary, click here. YESTERDAYS OBITUARY Janet Roys Curry, 79, passed away on Monday, May 13, 2024. Born on May 4, 1945, in Staten Island, she was deeply involved in religious education and family traditions. She attended Notre Dame Academy where she developed a lifelong affection for the Congregation of Notre Dame (CND). After meeting her husband Jim Curry in her senior year, the couple traveled extensively due to Jims USAF stationing. Janet, Jim, and their family relocated to Ridgefield, CT, in 1976. There, Janet earned a degree from Western Connecticut State University and dedicated much of her life to creating and running innovative religious education programs at St. Marys and St. Gabriels Parishes. Janets additional endeavors, which she referred to as work outside the home, included serving as a paraprofessional in the Ridgefield Elementary Schools for a decade. Later, she assumed the role of receptionist at Parks and Recreation. She was also a CND Associate and volunteered at a senior residence facility. Janet will be remembered for her humor, adventurous spirit, and commitment to family traditions with her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, children, grandchildren, and extended family. For the full obituary, click here. Generative AI was used to help generate an initial draft of this article, based on data provided by Legacy.com. Unrelenting demand for warehouses and data centres has encouraged investors and developers to pump $1 billion-plus into industrial property transactions over the past month. A lack of new warehouse supply, the AI-driven boom in data centres and buyers desire to pivot away from weak office towers into sheds are underpinning the deals. Dexus Wholesale Fund has sold industrial sites worth $150 million. Credit: Global investment manager Barings last week landed the biggest deal of the year so far when, in partnership with super fund Rest, it scooped up an industrial portfolio worth $780 million from Goodman Group. The 12 warehouses with 17 tenants are on 70 hectares of land with sheds totalling 340,000 square metres in Sydney and Melbourne. The warehouses host global top-tier companies like Metcash, Super Retail Group, Pack Rack, Iron Mountain and Amazon as tenants. Advertisement Eating outJapanese Love sushi rolls? Try onigiri, the lunchtime upgrade thats sweeping Melbourne Japans soul food is creeping onto cafe menus and into convenience store fridges in Melbourne. And these rice balls have a few bonuses that our beloved handrolls dont. Emma Breheny 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 Despite spending a year searching for the perfect rice, Kantaro Okada could not make any money at his Japanese cafe selling onigiri, the rice balls with various fillings that are as common in Japan as sandwiches are here. We were in the red. We couldnt break even for the first six months, says Okada. Onigiri Kitchens salmon and nori-wrapped onigiri sounds similar to a sushi roll, but are quite different. Justin McManus That was five years ago. Now his North Melbourne cafe, 279, is one of about a dozen casual spots in Melbourne and Sydney that are offering onigiri, once only found at a handful of Japanese restaurants in Australia and now part of a new wave of Japanese convenience food. Onigiri are made by moulding warm rice around a variety of fillings into the shape of a ball or triangle, then wrapping it in a piece of nori (seaweed). Advertisement While still seen as a specialty item, onigiri taps into Australians love of hand-held, takeaway sushi and has the potential to become just as loved. Comeco owners Yu Ozone and Masa Haga, who describe onigiri as soul food. Edwina Pickles In fact, onigiri are served and eaten in Japan in a similar way to our sushi rolls. Theyre portable, widely available, a speedy yet healthy lunch, and a favourite of both children and adults. For Japanese people, I believe the soul food is onigiri, says Yu Ozone, co-owner of Comeco Foods in Sydneys Newtown. Japanese people eat onigiri as a meal and also as a snack. Its like the sandwich for Australians. Onigiri have an edge over sushi rolls and that other grab-and-go lunch, the sandwich, for several reasons. Advertisement Firstly, theyre healthier because the rice isnt seasoned with sugar, vinegar or salt, unlike sushi rice. The rice for onigiri only requires salt. Secondly, many onigiri are fresher. Most spots offering onigiri make each rice ball to order, and for only a few more dollars than your average food court sushi roll. Finally, onigiri are gluten-free and yet are still very filling compared to salads and other common gluten-free lunches. Five onigiri essentials to know No chopsticks required - just pick it up and eat it with your hands. Its gluten-free Unlike sushi rolls, theres no sugar (or vinegar) in the rice Traditional Japanese fillings include furikake, a crunchy mix of sesame seeds, seaweed, dried fish flakes and other salty sprinkles, or the more powerful umeboshi (pickled plum). Somewhere in between are cooked salmon, soy-marinated seaweed, or mentaiko and tarako (types of cod roe). Grab and go theyre as portable as a sandwich but remember, the longer the seaweed is in contact with the rice, the softer it gets. The other bonus is that onigiri are much cheaper than the tricked-up sandwiches now taking Melbourne and Sydney by storm. Advertisement Onigiri Kitchen in Melbourne has found so much success with its first store on Little Collins Street and its office catering that its set to grow to four locations by the end of the year, including one on popular Degraves Street, once a hub for espresso bars and French-style cafes. Okada and Ozone think the fact that more Australians travelling to Japan is a big part of the foods current wave of popularity here. If youve been to Japan and youve been to a convenience store, its hard to miss onigiri. Id be surprised if someone hadnt tried it, Okada says. Onigiri Kitchen will expand from one shop to four by the end of 2024. Justin McManus The secret to good onigiri is good rice. You want soft and fluffy cooked rice with a non-sticky surface that crumbles gently when bitten into, with just the right amount of saltiness, says Ozone. Advertisement In its quest for the perfect grain, 279 cafe trialled 20 varieties of rice and 10 different rice cookers, and it continues to test and tweak to this day. The businesses spoken to for this article use quality varieties such as masshigura or koshihikari, both highly ranked by the Japan Grain Inspection Association. Traditional onigiri fillings are usually pickled or preserved ingredients, such as umeboshi (salted pickled plum thats intensely sour) or takana (lightly pickled greens). Western-influenced fillings include tuna with mayonnaise or even fried chicken. Onigiri being moulded by Comeco Foods co-owner, Masa Haga. Steven Siewert If some of these sound like what youd put in a sandwich, the similarities dont end there. Onigirazu is an onigiri spin-off that looks like a sandwich using rice instead of bread, with a nori (seaweed) wrapping around the outside. Advertisement Kaede cafe in Abbotsford, Melbourne, has offered onigirazu since 2021. Owner Yuki Murata says theyre the perfect bridge between Australia and Japan because they have more filling and less rice. Other venues, including Domo 39 and Kura Kura in Sydney, and Onigiri Kitchen in Melbourne, are trying to recreate the true Japanese convenience store experience, through the same triangular packaging for onigiri or grab-and-go fridges. Domo 39 in Sydney styles itself on Japanese convenience stores, with onigiri (top) ready to grab and go. Steven Siewert Five places to find onigiri in Melbourne Chookas This sweet hideaway from hectic Sydney Road serves up to a dozen different rice balls, mainly with traditional Japanese fillings, such as bonito flakes (salty) or pickled plum (sour). Coffee is great and theres the added bonus of dining in one of the archways of this unique Spanish Mission building. Advertisement 1 Ballarat Street, Brunswick, instagram.com/chookascoffee 279 A near-religious devotion to coffee meets an equally careful approach to musubi (aka onigiri), which can be as minimal as a rice ball with threads of salted kombu seaweed throughout, or as loaded as fried chicken with egg and Japanese mayo. Considered, calm, charming: its one of Melbournes best. 279 Victoria St, West Melbourne, 279victoriast.co 279 cafes onigiri with mentai mayo and shiso miso. Justin McManus Kaede The most convincing argument that rice balls and sandwiches have more in common than not is onigirazu: a flatter version of onigiri thats folded around its filling, then cut in half, just like a three-point sandwich. This homely cafe offers two choices teriyaki salmon or a rainbow of pickled veg on their own ($7.50) or with miso soup. Advertisement 325 Johnston Street, Abbotsford, instagram.com/kaede_abbotsford QQQ St Kitchen Settling on even three onigiri from the dozen or so made fresh each day might induce feelings of anxiety. The Danny, containing salty bonito flakes, kelp seaweed and shiso leaf, is a popular choice, or theres barbecued pork belly, and Japanese curry with egg and kale with chilli sauce. 4 Peel Street, Collingwood, instagram.com/qqqst.kitchen Onigiri Kitchen wraps each rice ball individually for freshness. Justin McManus Onigiri Kitchen Tiny triangular parcels channel the little pouches you find at Japans convenience stores, but the fillings here are far more local. Vegetables come from the owners farm in Melbournes east and might be combined with cooked tuna, karaage chicken or an array of pickles. Office catering is also available. Advertisement Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up 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. Whether singing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York or dangling from a pole at the Eurovision finals, opera-trained pop star Kate Miller-Heidke is a model of on-stage poise. So when, during her performance of Rejoice Greatly from Handels Messiah, her gold-clad arm suddenly reaches up to bat flies away from her mouth, I realise just how far we are from the Sydney Opera House. Kate Miller-Heidke performs in Dark Sky Serenade at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum in Winton. Credit: Glenn Hunt This is Dark Sky Serenade, the sold-out, centrepiece, open-air concert of Opera Queenslands Festival of Outback Opera, which is in its fourth year of bringing world-class opera performances to Longreach and Winton, Queensland. Winton sits roughly in the geographical centre of Queensland on Koa Country and boasts a population of just under 900. A Perth man has admitted leaving an autistic, non-verbal 25-year-old he was caring for trapped inside a car on a blistering hot day while he went shopping. Tsz Wing Tam, 38, pleaded guilty in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday to endangering the life, health and safety of Jefferson Do, and also to stealing his money. Jefferson Dos siblings Harry and Fiona at court on Friday. Credit: Rebecca Peppiatt Do was trapped in the back seat of a car at Lakeside Joondalup Shopping Centre for more than two hours on January 13, as the outdoor temperatures reached 40 degrees. Emergency crews forced their way into the car to rescue the man after members of the public saw he was in distress and beating his chest. Economists and property industry figures say Opposition Leader Peter Duttons pledge to drastically cut permanent migration and ban foreign buyers from the housing market for two years will have a negligible effect on freeing housing supply and could make the nation poorer. Dutton conceded foreign buyers made up a small part of the housing market but insisted the measure would still increase supply, after putting his alternative pitch to solve the housing crisis in the Coalitions budget reply on Thursday night. The reality is that if you could free 5000 homes up for people to rent or to buy, over the next couple of years, youd jump at it. Our argument is that through what were proposing, you could bring 40,000 homes, free them up over the first year, and over a five-year period, about 110,000, Dutton told 3AW radio station on Friday morning. Dutton nominated a ban on temporary residents and foreign investors from buying existing dwellings for two years as the first pillar of his housing strategy during his parliamentary address. For more than a week in early May, more than half a million Australians were unable to access their superannuation funds more than $130 billion worth and were left wondering if their balances had been wiped out or taken by hackers. One of the nations largest superannuation funds, UniSuper, succumbed to a technical glitch, which knocked its services offline and left each one of its 600,000 customers this reporter included locked out of their accounts. UniSuper CEO Peter Chun. Credit: Aaron Francis The root cause? The funds cloud computing provider, US tech giant Google, had accidentally erased UniSupers Google Cloud account. Normally that would be easy enough to come back from, given UniSuper typically has duplication in place across two geographies, so if one service goes down it can be restored from the other. However, the deletion hit UniSupers account across both geographies, part of what the companies now call an unprecedented sequence of events and an isolated, one-of-a-kind occurrence. The Japanese government has finally relented. It took decades of pain, separation and despair, but on Friday it passed laws that will give parents the right to have joint custody of their children for the first time. Dozens of Australian parents and children have been caught in this outdated, cruel system. There are 89 Australian children who have been taken by their Japanese father or mother and disappeared since 2004. Scott McIntyre with his children in Japan. They have been protected by a legal system that rewarded Japanese parents for being the first to snatch a child and then gave them total control over their childs life. Just ask Catherine Henderson, a Melbourne mother who struggles to catch a train without thinking about the two children that were ripped away from her while she was at work in 2019. Reddit gives OpenAI access to its wealth of posts San Francisco, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 OpenAI will have access to Reddit data for training its artificial intelligence models and will put its technology to work at the popular discussion platform, the companies said Thursday. Reddit, which debuted on the New York Stock Exchange earlier this year, has been seeking to capitalize on the value of exchanges in its varied discussion groups as it seeks to improve revenues. Financial details of the partnership between the San Francisco-based tech firms were not disclosed. Reddit relies on advertising for revenue. "Reddit has become one of the internet's largest open archives of authentic, relevant, and always up to date human conversations about anything and everything," Reddit chief executive Steve Huffman said in a joint release. "Including it in ChatGPT upholds our belief in a connected internet, helps people find more of what they're looking for, and helps new audiences find community on Reddit." OpenAI will access Reddit data in real-time, enhancing such content in ChatGPT and powering tools at the social media platform, the companies said. Reddit suffered a major outage in December as the site's communities protested against new fees being charged to provide access to developers. The row was fallout in the recent artificial intelligence revolution, with Huffman unwilling to allow companies that build AI chatbots like ChatGPT to have free access to the site to perfect their large-language models. "Reddit needs to be a self-sustaining business, and to do that, we can no longer subsidize commercial entities that require large-scale data use," Huffman wrote in a Reddit post at the time. Reddit is essentially run through thousands of "subreddits" -- forums on a dizzying array of topics moderated by their creators. The biggest subreddits have tens of millions of subscribers, including r/funny, r/games and r/music. Some habits on Reddit became social media standards, including AMAs, or Ask Me Anything sessions where users can ask an interviewee anything during a certain window of time. OpenAI noted in the release that chief executive Sam Altman is a shareholder in Reddit. Measured support for end of UN mission in Iraq United Nations, United States, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024 Several members of the UN Security Council, including Russia and China, on Thursday backed Baghdad's request for the world body's political mission in Iraq to shut down by next year -- but Washington did not immediately offer its support. Last week, in a letter to the council, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani called for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), which has been operational since 2003, to end by December 31, 2025. Iraq's deputy UN envoy Abbas Kadhom Obaid Al-Fatlawi reiterated the request before the council on Thursday, saying: "The mission has achieved its goals." Russian envoy Vasily Nebenzia shared that view, saying "Iraqis are ready to take responsibility for the political future of their country." "The remaining problems should not become an excuse for UNAMI to stay in the country indefinitely," he added. Within the framework of the mission's annual renewal, due at the end of May, the council should "propose a plan... in order to ensure its gradual drawdown and smooth transition toward an ultimate withdrawal," noted China's deputy UN envoy Geng Shuang. Given that UN missions can only operate with the host nation's consent, Britain and France also voiced support for a transition in the partnership between Iraq and the United Nations. The United States was more vague, with ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield saying UNAMI still had "important work to do," and making no mention of Baghdad's request. She emphasized the mission's key role on several important political issues, such as support for organizing elections and promoting human rights, even though Iraq has clearly asked that the mission focus more squarely on economic issues. In an evaluation requested by the council, German diplomat Volker Perthes said in March that UNAMI, which had more than 700 staff as of late 2023, "in its present form, appears too big." Perthes called on the mission to "begin to transition its tasks to national institutions and the United Nations country team in a responsible, orderly and gradual manner within an agreed time frame." Without commenting on Baghdad's request, mission chief Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert painted a picture of an Iraq that "looks different to the country to which UNAMI was first deployed some 20 years ago." "Today we are, so to speak, witnessing an Iraq on the rise," she said, while noting multiple challenges yet unresolved, such as corruption and armed groups operating outside state control. But she added: "I do believe it is high time to judge the country on progress made, and to turn the page on the darker images of Iraq's past." N. Korea fires at least one 'unidentified ballistic missile': Seoul Seoul, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 North Korea has fired at least one "unidentified ballistic missile", Seoul's military said Friday, hours after leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister denied widespread allegations that Pyongyang is shipping weapons to Russia. North Korea "fires unidentified ballistic missile toward East Sea", Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. Japanese broadcaster NHK, citing government sources, said the missile "appeared to be short range and has already fallen". The launch came hours after Kim Yo Jong accused Seoul and Washington of "misleading the public opinion" on the issue with their repeated accusations that Pyongyang is sending weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine. She said the North's "tactical weapons including multiple rocket launchers and missiles shown by us recently are produced to discharge the only one mission... to prevent Seoul from inventing any idle thinking." The launch is the latest since the North fired a volley of what Seoul said were short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on April 22. North Korea is barred by rafts of UN sanctions from any tests using ballistic technology, but its key ally Russia used its UN Security Council veto in March to effectively end UN monitoring of violations, for which Pyongyang has specifically thanked Moscow. The UN panel of experts was investigating allegations that North Korea was transferring weapons to Moscow, with Seoul claiming in March that some 7,000 containers of arms had been sent to Russia for use in Ukraine since around July 2023. Washington and experts have said Pyongyang is seeking a range of military assistance from Russia in return, such as satellite technology and upgrading its Soviet-era military equipment. The North said last week it would equip its military with a new 240mm multiple rocket launcher this year, adding that a "significant change" for the army's artillery combat capabilities was underway. - Reaction to drills? - Kim Jong Un inspected a new tactical missile weapons system on Tuesday and called for an "epochal change" in war preparations by achieving arsenal production targets. Analysts say the nuclear-armed North could be ramping up production and testing of artillery and cruise missiles before sending them to Russia for use in Ukraine. The launch also comes a day after advanced South Korean and US stealth fighters, including Washington's F-22 Raptors, staged joint air combat drills. Such drills infuriate North Korea, which views them as rehearsals for invasion. The North has appeared especially sensitive to air drills in the past, with experts noting its air force is the weakest link in its military. "It appears that this is a counter-military demonstration in response to recent South Korea-US air exercises," Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP. "It also appears to contain a warning message regarding the large-scale South Korea-US joint exercises scheduled for August," Yang said. Inter-Korean relations are at one of their lowest points in years, with Pyongyang declaring South Korea its "principal enemy". It has jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement. Lebanon state media reports fresh Israeli strikes in south Beirut, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 Israeli air strikes hit on Friday an area of southern Lebanon far from the border, Lebanese official media said, following days of escalating clashes between Israel and armed group Hezbollah. The Iran-backed group, a Hamas ally, has traded cross-border fire with Israeli forces almost daily since the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, now in its eighth month. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said "Israeli strikes targeted Najjariyeh and Addousiyeh", two adjacent villages about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Israeli border just south of the coastal city of Sidon. The NNA reported "victims" without elaborating, and an AFP photographer saw ambulances heading to the targeted sites. The strikes hit a pickup truck in Najjariyeh and an orchard, the photographer said. Hezbollah -- which has intensified its cross-border attacks in recent days, prompting Israeli strikes deeper into Lebanese territory -- announced Friday it had launched "attack drones" on Israeli military positions. It came a day after the powerful Lebanese group said it had attacked an army position in Metula, a border town in northern Israel, wounding three soldiers. Hezbollah said the attack was carried out with an "attack drone carrying two S5 rockets", which are normally launched from jets. Also on Thursday the group announced the deaths of two of its fighters in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon. The NNA said they were killed when their car was targeted. Hezbollah earlier on Thursday said it had launched dozens of Katyusha rockets at Israeli positions in the annexed Golan Heights. Israel retaliated with overnight air raids on Lebanon's eastern Baalbek region, a Hezbollah stronghold near the Syrian border. Earlier this week Hezbollah said it had targeted an Israeli base near Tiberias, about 30 kilometres from the Lebanese border -- one of the group's deepest attacks into Israeli territory since clashes began on October 8. The Wednesday strike came a day after the death of a Hezbollah member, which Israel said was a field commander, in an attack on southern Lebanon. The cross-border fighting has killed at least 415 people in Lebanon, mostly militants but also including 80 civilians, according to an AFP tally. Israel says 14 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed on its side of the border. N. Korea fires ballistic missiles after denying Russia arms transfers Seoul, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 North Korea fired multiple suspected short-range ballistic missiles Friday, Seoul said, hours after leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister denied widespread allegations that Pyongyang is shipping weapons to Russia. The launches are the latest in a string of ever more sophisticated tests by North Korea, which has fired off cruise missiles, tactical rockets and hypersonic weapons in recent months, in what the nuclear-armed country says is a drive to upgrade its defences. Seoul and Washington have accused North Korea of sending arms to Russia, which would violate rafts of UN sanctions on both countries, with experts saying the recent spate of testing may be of weapons destined for use on battlefields in Ukraine. Seoul's military said Friday it had detected the launch of what it described as "several flying objects presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles" from North Korea's eastern Wonsan area into waters off its coast. The missiles travelled around 300 kilometres (186 miles), the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that the military had "strengthened vigilance and surveillance in preparation for additional launches" and was sharing information with allies Washington and Tokyo. The launches came just hours after Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong accused Seoul and Washington of "misleading the public opinion" on the issue with their repeated accusations that Pyongyang is sending weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine. They also come as Russian leader Vladimir Putin was in China on Friday, the final day of a visit aiming to promote crucial trade with Beijing -- North Korea's most important ally -- and win greater support for his war effort in Ukraine. The tests also came a day after advanced South Korean and US stealth fighters, including Washington's F-22 Raptors, staged joint air combat drills. Such exercises typically infuriate Pyongyang, which views them as rehearsals for invasion. - 'Warning message' - The North has appeared especially sensitive to air drills in the past, with experts noting its air force is the weakest link in its military. "It appears that this is a counter-military demonstration in response to recent South Korea-US air exercises," Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP. "It also appears to contain a warning message regarding the large-scale South Korea-US joint exercises scheduled for August," Yang said. Inter-Korean relations are at one of their lowest points in years, with Pyongyang declaring South Korea its "principal enemy". It has jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement. The Friday launches are the latest since the North fired a volley of what Seoul said were short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on April 22. North Korea is barred by rafts of United Nations sanctions from any tests using ballistic technology, but its key ally Russia used its UN Security Council veto in March to effectively end UN monitoring of violations, for which Pyongyang has specifically thanked Moscow. Kim Jong Un inspected a new tactical missile weapons system on Tuesday and called for an "epochal change" in war preparations by achieving arsenal production targets. - 'Likely a hypersonic missile' - The unusual wording of the South Korean military's statement implies the Friday test was "likely a hypersonic missile", said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. "Hypersonic missiles are not yet stabilised weapons in North Korea," he told AFP, adding this tallied with the launch site in coastal Wonsan. Despite the short flight trajectory, the launch could have been of "mid-range or longer-class missiles that were fired with an adjusted range for experimental purposes", Hong said. "There is practically no weapon other than a hypersonic missile that can be described as both ballistic and a 'flying object'," he said. The military typically describes missiles as "projectiles". North Korea has long sought to master more advanced hypersonic and solid-fuel technologies, to make its missiles more capable of neutralising South Korean-US missile defence systems and threaten the United States' regional military bases. Hypersonic missiles are faster and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept, while solid-fuel missiles do not need to be fuelled before launch, making them harder to find and destroy, as well as quicker to use. Senegal PM questions French military presence Dakar, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 Senegal's Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has questioned the military presence of former colonial ruler France, which has several bases in the West African nation, saying it impinged on Dakar's sovereignty. Addressing students at Dakar University on Thursday, Sonko also slammed French President Emmanuel Macron for turning a blind eye to political "persecution" in Senegal. Sonko, a firebrand former opposition leader, was at the centre of a three-year stand-off with the government of former president Macky Sall that triggered bouts of deadly unrest. He was among a group of opposition politicians freed from prison 10 days before the March 24 presidential ballot under an amnesty announced by Sall, who had tried to delay the vote. Sonko, speaking to the university students on Thursday, said: "Cooperation must take into account Senegal's sovereignty in both the monetary and security fields". "We must ask ourselves the reasons why the French army still has many military bases in our country and their impact on our sovereignty and our strategic autonomy," he said. "I reiterate Senegal's wish to determine its course which is incompatible with the entrenched presence of foreign military bases," he said. Sonko, who said he was addressing the students as the head of his party and not as prime minister, stressed he sought cooperation with other countries "based on mutual respect and the legitimate aspirations of every nation for sovereignty". He said Macron's government had failed to denounce Sall's crackdown on opposition protests and dissent which led to dozens of deaths and hundreds of arrests. Sonko said Macron had received and "congratulated" Sall at "the worst phase of the repression". "This is an incitement to repression, an incitement to persecution," he added. Israel army reports 'perhaps the fiercest' fighting in Gaza's Jabalia since October Jerusalem, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 The Israeli army told AFP on Friday that renewed fighting in Gaza's northern town of Jabalia was "perhaps the fiercest" in over seven months of war. The army had said in early January that it had "completed the dismantling of Hamas's military framework in the northern Gaza Strip" and vowed to focus its war efforts on central and southern areas of the Palestinian territory. But intense fighting resumed less than a week ago in Jabalia, the second-most populous town in northern Gaza. "Hamas was in complete control here in Jabalia until we arrived a few days ago," the Israeli army told AFP on Friday, four months after its spokesman Daniel Hagari claimed that militants were operating in the area only sporadically and "without commanders". The current fighting in Jabalia is "perhaps the fiercest we have encountered" in this area since the start of the offensive in the Gaza Strip, the army said, adding that it was now operating in the town's refugee camp. Before the war, Jabalia was home to the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, with more than 100,000 people packed into 1.4 square kilometres (0.5 square miles), according to the UN. The army said it had killed around 200 militants since the resumption of fighting in Jabalia on Sunday. Images provided by the Israeli army showed soldiers moving through a maze of heavily damaged and deserted buildings. Intense fighting, accompanied by shelling, also resumed at the beginning of May in the Zeitun neighbourhood in the southwest of Gaza City, also in the north of the Palestinian territory. Until recently, Israel claimed that the last four Hamas battalions were hiding out in Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah, on the Egyptian border. On May 7, the Israeli army sent tanks and troops into eastern Rafah, vowing to wipe out the militant group. According to Israeli military sources quoted in several media outlets, Hamas had about 30,000 fighters in the Gaza Strip, divided into 24 battalions before October 7. The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the death of more than 1,170 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures More than 35,303 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war broke out, according to data provided by the health ministry of Hamas-run Gaza. A policy of increased taxes on domestic energy production has superficial appeal because the UKs own carbon emissions will fall as North Sea production declines- but its not Westminster warming, its global warming. Lower UK gas production doesnt mean the UK uses less gas- the largest use of gas in the UK is still for heating and cooking in our homes. Therefore, if the UK is forced to import more gas from higher carbon-intensity gas producers, it will mean higher emissions- just outside of the UK. The statistics are stark- the emissions intensity of imported gas is three times that of the UKs own gas production, and four times that of LNG imported from the US. This is not the way for the UK to reach net zero. Hundreds of new AI startups have been set up since the start of last year while several major US tech firms have established London bases. Microsoft has said it intends to spend at least 2.5 billion to expand its AI infrastructure in the UK. That includes the opening of a new AI hub in Paddington as well as a group of new data centers, the vast computer warehouses used to store and process the data on which AI is trained. * FIRST NAME * LAST NAME * EMAIL Your email address * PASSWORD Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Show * YEAR OF BIRTH You must be at least 18 years old to create an account 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 * Required fields I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice CREATE ACCOUNT I'LL TRY LATER Already have an account? SIGN IN By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. DI Barry added: If you suspect someone of carrying a knife, speak to them and point out the dreadful results of knife crime. If they will not listen to you call police. Even if they are arrested, those consequences are better than the alternatives. Raw milk from North Dakota dairy cows carries a low risk of avian flu contamination, producers say, but they are still increasing precautions. The so-called bird flu has been detected in dairy cows in nine other states, including South Dakota, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised against drinking raw milk. This issue comes less than a year since the 2023 Legislature lifted a rule against selling raw -- unpasteurized -- milk in North Dakota, though sales can only be at the direct consumer level, not to wholesale or retail outlets or across state lines. There are currently about two dozen raw milk producers in the state. One is Peter Bartlett of Bartlett Farms, Bottineau, who said he received a cautionary notice from the North Dakota Milk Producers Association. The notice advised caution when buying cows and to keep close watch for illness in the herd. He said customers are not deterred. A pasture-based farm thats not confining its animals in more close confinement like a conventional dairy would be a lot less susceptible, Bartlett said. He already follows three levels of safety protocols to ensure the health of his cows. Since the restrictions were eased on sales of raw milk last year Bartlett has seen a steady and growing interest from consumers. In the past six months, we seem to have had almost twice as many inquiries about milk, he said. So that's a good sign. I think that now that the law passed, people look at it as a valid option. Ty Petersen of Bevs Best Dairy, Monango, agrees that larger dairy farms with confined cows are more at risk from transmission and that smaller operators have a better grip on the health of individual animals. He said he isnt greatly concerned about avian influenza infecting his cows. Just being a fussy producer helps a lot, thats a big part of it, and you know just being around them cows all day you notice stuff lickety split. Ava Brokaw of Brokaw Ranch, Kulm, said she is meticulous about the cleanliness of her cows and quality of her raw milk. If I question anything, I dump it, she said. I would never sell anything where I questioned whether my cow was sick or not. Brokaw said shes had a ton of people reach out since the restrictions were lifted, and that people should do their research on whatever it is they are consuming. Ive got kids and I want to make sure that everything that I'm giving them is good, you know, so I read up on the risks on it, Brokaw said. But for us, we've had more problems with store-bought milk than raw milk. Inherent risks North Dakotas Department of Agriculture regulates production of pasteurized milk, but not raw milk. The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services can only offer guidance, according to Heather Steffl, communications manager of the Public Health Division. Pasteurization is the safest choice, Steffl wrote in response to an inquiry from the North Dakota News Co-op. State Veterinarian Dr. Ethan Andress said consuming raw milk has inherent risks aside from the possible transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza. There are organisms that contaminate raw milk that have the potential to cause people to get sick and occasionally die, he said, adding that its the same risk for all raw food, from oysters to meat. Andress advises raw milk producers to minimize contact with wild birds because it is hard to know if they are infected, and ensure that feed is protected from exposure to wild birds. Milk production is a key indicator of a cows health. The most common sign (of illness) is a drop in milk production, Andress said. But even with precautions, some infected cows may not show signs of sickness. I think the most frustrating part of this is the asymptomatic part, that some of these cows have an infection but aren't getting sick, Andress said. Just like people when we get influenza, you have varying levels of how bad people get sick and the same thing occurs in cows. The closest the avian influenza virus H5N1 has been found in dairy cows is in South Dakota. Other states where its been detected are Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas. There have been no cases of avian influenza detected in North Dakota this year, according to the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. Most cases from 2023 occurred in the fall. Transmission risks Federal officials believe the virus is spreading among cows due to contact with milk from other infected cows, but that further testing is needed. It is also unknown if humans can contract the virus through consuming raw milk from infected cows. Pasteurization of milk inactivates the virus, according to the FDA. The agency has tested commercially produced pasteurized milk and other dairy products in 38 states and found no live, infectious virus in pasteurized milk. A recent study published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that cats that consumed raw milk from avian influenza-infected cows became sick and some died. Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, told NDNC that while we dont know if people can get H5N1 from drinking raw milk, due to the high levels of viral loads, its very much a possibility. Animals such as cats, dogs, and bears that eat dead birds have gotten diseased, and some died, from that consumption, Rasmussen said. An FDA statement from May 1 said the agency is continuing to test samples of pooled raw milk routed to pasteurization and processing for commercial use. The FDA currently advises strongly against the consumption of raw milk and recommends that industry does not manufacture or sell raw milk or raw milk products. The FDA has also recommended that precautions should be taken discarding milk from infected cows so it does not become a source of further spread. In a statement read to the court during the sentencing hearing, Mrs Carney said: Tess was doing what he had always done and enjoyed doing he was taking a walk on a street he believed to be safe and a chance encounter with this man ended his life. When an officer is convicted of a criminal offence, their conviction will often be considered at an accelerated misconduct hearing as soon as possible after proceedings have finished. In this case we will wait to hear if PC Lathwood will appeal the conviction, and work to fully understand the decision of the court and its implications for policing. We do not intend to consider an accelerated misconduct hearing in this case. Southwark & Lambeth Anti-Raids said at least five people were removed and taken to the barge in Dorset on Friday. The protest group helped rally people for the large demonstration in Peckham earlier this month, in which 45 people were arrested. Whilst he was taken from us far too soon, and with so much more to achieve in his life, we gain comfort in knowing that he lived every minute of his time on earth, to the fullest extent. The heating plant in Iernut will be ready in December, with other investments such as Neptun Deep and Mintia on the schedule, the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, informed on Friday at a specialized event. "As far as investments in the gas area are concerned, we have everything on check for Neptun Deep, we have everything going on as planned for Iernut. At the beginning of December - I spoke recently with entrepreneur Duro Felguera - we are preparing to be there to mark the completion of this investment. (...) So we will have an extremely important investment carried out to a good end: the modern heating plant running on gas, in Iernut. Indeed, Mintia is also on schedule. Just the other day I saw images of the record-breaking turbine that is to be delivered to Romania - and that means 1,700 MW of installed power," mentioned Burduja, at the conference "Challenges for and from renewables," organized by Focus Energetic. At the same time, the minister referred to the 300 MW cogeneration plant in Craiova, which will be built with money from PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan). "There, we continue to operate on coal. As you know, the acquisition procedures are underway, all preliminary contracts have been signed. We talked about Neptun Deep 2027, Romania has every chance to be the first gas producer in the European Union and this gas we will be able to use in generating electricity, in all these new capacities that are being worked on - and they are definitely not the only ones. We also have Isalnita, so we still have 1300 MW, and things are progressing there as well," added the minister. Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu highlighted the need to increase the role of cyber security in NATO's overall deterrence and defence posture, in The Hague, where she participated in the NATO Cyber Defence Pledge Conference. According to a Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) press release sent to AGERPRES, the head of Romanian diplomacy stressed the importance of ensuring cyber security, essential for national security and collective defence. Luminita Odobescu called for a unified and coordinated approach at NATO and partner level to prevent and respond firmly to hostile cyber attacks and activities. These are increasing in frequency, intensity and sophistication, as demonstrated by the war in Ukraine and the growing pressure felt by the Black Sea states. Thus, a good preparedness to combat all cyber threats is necessary. The conference marked the end of a new cycle of assessing Allied progress in ensuring their own cyber resilience as well as the resilience of the Alliance as a whole. The event takes place annually. This year's event was attended for the first time by NATO partner states as guests in certain sessions. This year's discussion agenda covered topics of particular relevance both in the context of the conflict in Ukraine and from the perspective of the risks and opportunities posed by new technologies to the cyber resilience of critical infrastructure. Port cyber security and the impact of artificial intelligence on critical infrastructure protection and cyber security were among the main topics of discussion. The NATO Cyber Defence Pledge conference, which took place on Thursday and Friday, was co-organised by Romania and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Minister Odobescu was joined at the opening of the event by Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Kajsa Ollongren, and NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana and more than 150 delegates from 50 NATO allies and partner countries participated in the works of the conference. Romania's co-organising and participating in the "NATO Cyber Defence Pledge 2024" conference is in line with the objectives approved by the president of Romania, as well as at the level of the Supreme Council for National Defence, to intensify Romania's involvement at NATO level in the area of cyber defence. According to the MAE, being co-organiser of the conference has increased the visibility of the country's efforts as a NATO ally, while highlighting the contribution and expertise that Romania already brings to NATO in the cyber defence area. The Institute for the Investigation of the Communism Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER) announced on Friday that a judge of the Bucharest Court of Appeal admitted a request to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court regarding the decision of the General Prosecutor's Office to close an investigation concerning the crimes committed by the communist regime at the Siret Hospital for Chronic Neuropsychiatric Children. According to a press release sent to AGERPRES, IICCMER says that, on 25 June 2018, it submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor General's Office regarding the commission of the crime of inhuman treatment applied during the communist regime to children in the Siret Hospital for Chronic Neuropsychiatric Children . The complaint referred to the period from 1 January 1980 to 22 December 1989, when 340 minors died. On 13 March 2023, a prosecutor from the General Prosecutor's Office issued a closure order in the case, and on 7 April 2023 IICCMER filed a complaint against this document, which it considered unlawful and unfounded, with the superior prosecutor. The Institute's complaint was rejected by the senior prosecutor, on the grounds that IICCMER did not have a "legitimate interest" in making such a request, as it was not a genuine victim involved in the case, but a mere complainant. Subsequently, IICCMER appealed against the decision to close the case to the Bucharest Court of Appeal, after which, on Friday, a judge of this court decided to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court with an exception of unconstitutionality regarding the provisions of Article 336 para. 1 rep. to Art. 339 para. 4 and 6 and art. 340 par. 1 Code of Criminal Procedure, as interpreted by RIL Decision no. 13/2011, which refers to the right of persons to lodge a complaint against criminal prosecution acts drawn up by prosecutors. Located in the northern part of Romania, the Siret Hospital for Neuropsychiatric Children, suggestively called in the language of the locals "Orphanage of Horrors," was established in 1956 by order of the minister of Health, being one of the first medical units in communist Romania dedicated to neurological diseases of children. Most of the deaths occurred in the winter months, the causes being, in an overwhelming proportion, pulmonary diseases, followed by epilepsy, heart, kidney, liver and gastrointestinal diseases. The triggering historical context was created in 1966, when the communist regime in Romania initiated one of the most restrictive pro-natalist demographic policies. The forced population growth, strictly quantitative, without respect for the human being and without ensuring all decent living conditions, had among its consequences an increase in maternal and infant mortality, an unprecedented increase in the number of children born with serious congenital malformations, with physical and mental disorders, with various diseases inherited or acquired after birth, thousands of children becoming orphans and an impressive number being abandoned. JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri House endorsed a wide-ranging anti-crime package Friday that includes a long-sought crackdown on celebratory gunfire. The measure, which was sent to Gov. Mike Parson on a 130-5 vote, also would create a state Conviction Review Unit to review innocence claims and increases penalties for assault of police dogs, among other provisions. Passage of the legislation came on the final day of the legislative session as the House pushed a handful of Senate bills across the finish line. A similar measure approved last year was vetoed by the governor over provisions that were removed from the bill. Otherwise, The bill is identical, said Rep. Lane Roberts, a Joplin Republican. Under the measure, the penalty for assaulting a police animal would increase from a class C misdemeanor to a class A misdemeanor, unless the animal requires veterinary care or dies. A class C misdemeanor can be punished by up to 15 days in jail and a $700 fine; a class A misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. The person would be guilty of a class E felony if the animal requires veterinary care and a class D felony if the animal dies. Conviction on a class E felony could mean imprisonment of up to four years; class D would mean up to seven years. The provision targeting celebratory gunfire, called Blairs Law, is named after 11-year-old Blair Shanahan, who died in 2011 from a stray bullet during a backyard barbecue in Kansas City. The practice of randomly shooting bullets into the air also is common in St. Louis, where at least four people were injured in 2022 when hundreds of rounds flew into the air on Jan. 1, according to police records. The measure declares a person commits the offense of unlawful discharge of a firearm if he or she recklessly discharges a firearm within or into the limits of any municipality. There are numerous exceptions, such as use of firearms at shooting ranges or if the firearm is used in self-defense. A persons first offense for unlawful discharge of a firearm would be a class A misdemeanor. The second offense would be a class E felony, and subsequent offenses would be a class D felony. The bill also includes a provision aimed at stopping people from fleeing a police stop. It is named after former St. Louis County Police Officer Antonio Valentine, who was killed by a car fleeing police at high speed. The proposal also raises penalties for unlawful possession of a firearm. Under the measure, the penalty for unlawful possession of a firearm would increase from a class D felony to a class C felony. If the person has already been convicted of a dangerous felony under current law, unlawful possession would be a class C felony. That would increase to a class D felony under the measure. The legislation is Senate Bill 754. Alyse Pfeil of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. ST. LOUIS Prosecutors on Thursday dismissed a robbery case at the center of a controversy that jump-started an effort to remove the citys former chief prosecutor. Daniel Riley, 22, was out on bond last year in the 2020 robbery case when he violated a yield sign, sped into an intersection and collided with another car, pinning Janae Edmondson against a parked car and severing both of her legs. Riley had violated his bond in the robbery case dozens of times, court records showed, and prosecutors had not officially requested the court revoke his bond. That fact, and former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardners response in which she said this is not the time for finger-pointing, marked the beginning of a monthslong effort from Republican state officials to remove Gardner from office or strip her of power. Gardner resigned in May 2023. In March 2024, Riley was convicted of two felonies and two misdemeanors in causing the crash and was sentenced to nearly 19 years in prison. But the robbery case, in which Riley was accused of holding a former St. Louis police sergeants 17-year-old son at gunpoint in order to steal the other teens weapon, remained pending until Thursday. Prosecutors did not provide a reason for dismissing the case. In a memorandum, prosecutor Tanja Engelhardt simply wrote, the state elects not to proceed. But Rileys attorney, Daniel Diemer, had previously raised doubts about the viability of the case. It took prosecutors more than three years to turn over the bill of sale for the gun at issue, Diemer said in February, and even then, the bill raised questions about how the sergeants son came to possess the weapon in the first place. Diemer did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. ST. LOUIS Teachers and staff at KIPP High School will vote Friday on removing the teachers union after more than a year of stalled contract negotiations with the charter school network. In November 2022, the high schools teachers and support staff voted to unionize with the American Federation of Teachers but have yet to reach an agreement. The negotiations have stalled over the unions push for job protections such as third-party arbitration for grievances and just cause for termination. The players have filed dueling grievances with the National Labor Relations Board, the federal office which oversees private sector unions including those in charter schools. Charter schools are taxpayer funded but are not operated by the local school district. On April 24, the local teachers union filed charges of unfair labor practices against KIPP on allegations of refusing to bargain in good faith. Soon after, about two dozen unionized staff members held a one-day strike at the school on north Jefferson Avenue. After the strike, KIPP teacher Robin Johnston started a petition to decertify the union. The National Right to Work Foundation, which provides legal services to workers fighting against unions, filed the case. Johnston has worked for KIPP for three years and made $37,710 last year, according to the Post-Dispatch public salary database. Workers have minds of their own and make decisions on their own, said Mark Mix, president of the foundation. Thats the neat thing about this giving workers the ability to exercise their rights, giving them the chance to have their voices heard. Teachers at KIPP have said the safety issues and 50% annual staff turnover at the 440-student school are unsustainable. Most math and science courses are taught online because of a teacher shortage. State records show 70% of KIPP teachers are not certified for the subject or grade they are assigned this year. The average teacher at KIPP High makes $46,649 and has less than four years of experience. In St. Louis Public Schools, the average teacher makes $53,854 with eight years in the classroom. KIPP has offered the high school teachers 10% raises, but under federal law they cannot be awarded while the contract is being negotiated. Successful negotiations with the union would be the first for a St. Louis charter school, which favor at-will employment. About 10% of charter schoolteachers nationwide are unionized, compared with 70% of teachers in public schools. The decertification vote among 40 to 50 unionized employees will take place by secret ballot in the schools gym and overseen by the federal labor board. Leaders on both sides said they couldnt predict how the vote is going to land. If KIPP votes to decertify, its not the end of the world to us, said Ray Cummings, president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 420, which also represents thousands of staff in SLPS. They came to us and were just trying to help them. We werent trying to recruit anybody. They came because of the way they were treated. Magewell to Highlight AV-over-IP, Streaming and Content Production Advances at InfoComm 2024 New Modator IP conversion family and major Director Mini updates will make Pro AV exhibition debut Nanjing, China( ) Less than two months after its highly successful exhibit at the 2024 NAB Show, Magewell is heading back to Las Vegas to showcase its innovations to AV professionals and integrators at InfoComm 2024. Exhibiting in booth C5747 from June 12 to 14, the company will show off its latest innovations that reflect the increasing scale, significance and maturity of AV-over-IP, streaming and content production in todays Pro AV environments. Magewell solutions making their Pro AV exhibition debut at InfoComm 2024 will include the new Modator IP conversion family. Ideal for multi-channel AV-over-IP deployments, Modator brings the reliability and low-latency performance of the companys standalone IP encoders and decoders to a high-density, modular, rackmount form factor. The Modator 2U chassis hosts up to 10 hot-swappable modules, which convert between baseband video/audio signals and IP streams. Users can configure and monitor the chassis through the integrated LED touchscreen or a browser-based web interface. Initial Modator modules include NDI encoders as well as multi-format decoders that support NDI High Bandwidth and NDI HX3 plus a wide range of streaming protocols. Also making its first InfoComm appearance is a powerful new upgrade of the Director Mini all-in-one production and streaming system. Director Mini combines multi-input switching, graphics, streaming, recording and monitoring in one portable device, enabling users easily to produce engaging multi-camera content through an intuitive touchscreen interface and companion mobile app. New features include instant replay, support for live HTML graphics overlays, network bonding with Speedify technology and much more. In Magewells live streaming portfolio, demonstrations will highlight the newest models in the companys growing Ultra Encode family of advanced live media encoders. The compact Ultra Encode HDMI Plus and Ultra Encode SDI Plus blend exceptional encoding and delivery flexibility with simultaneous multi-protocol streaming, file-based recording, NDI HX3 support, 4K encoding at 30 frames per second, PoE support, and tally lights for live production. Staff from Magewell and MVD (the companys exclusive North and South American distributor) will also demonstrate established solutions including the USB Fusion advanced presentation device; the Pro Convert series of standalone IP encoders and decoders; the Control Hub centralized device and stream management software; and Magewells extensive range of USB, M.2 and PCIe video capture devices. InfoComm attendees can register for a free exhibit hall pass complements of Magewell by using registration code NAN325. For more information about Magewell, please visit www.magewell.com. About Magewell Magewell (www.magewell.com) develops innovative, high-performance video I/O and IP workflow solutions that seamlessly bridge signals, software, streams, and screens. The simplicity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of Magewells capture, conversion, and streaming products and SoM boards make them the preferred choice of integrators, end-users, and OEM customers for bringing high-quality AV signals into and out of IP networks and popular software. Magewell solutions power applications including live streaming, event production, video conferencing, multi-site video distribution, remote learning, medical imaging, and more. ### Copyright 2024 Nanjing Magewell Electronics Co, Ltd. All rights reserved. NDI is a trademark of Vizrt NDI AB. #NDI Surveillance footage shows an F-16C Fighting Falcon just before it crashed near Osan Air Base, South Korea, May 6, 2023. (U.S. Air Force) SEOUL, South Korea A crash that resulted in the total loss of a $30 million fighter jet last year was caused by a power loss and adverse weather conditions, according to an Air Force report released Friday. The F-16C Fighting Falcon, assigned to the 80th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan Air Base, took off at 9:27 a.m. May 6, 2023, for routine training with three other aircraft, said the report from the services Accident Investigation Board. Kunsan, about 115 miles south of Seoul on the Yellow Sea, is home to the 8th Fighter Wing and roughly 40 F-16s that make up most of the 7th Air Forces fleet. The horizon at the time was obscured by clouds from 1,400 feet to 17,000 feet, the report said. The unidentified pilot was flying through the clouds 11 seconds after takeoff when he experienced a partial electrical power loss that resulted in inaccurate measurements from his flight and navigation instruments. The readings caused the pilot to become spatially disoriented and unable to tell where the horizon was located, according to the report. As a result, the pilot unintentionally flew at a low altitude. The [pilot] fought through several human factors while attempting to maintain aircraft control and determine which instruments were providing accurate information, the report said. After two minutes and 41 seconds of flight and at 710 feet above ground, the pilot ejected from the aircraft, the report said. It landed in a farm field eight miles south of Osan Air Base, home of 7th Air Force and the 51st Fighter Wing. The pilot suffered minor injuries, the wing said in a news release at the time. He had roughly 125 flying hours on the F-16 and 425 total flying hours, the accident report said. Debris from an F-16C Fighting Falcon that crashed into a farm field near Osan Air base, South Korea, May 6, 2023. (U.S. Air Force) Aircraft debris flew about 900 feet from the impact zone, according to the report. No other injuries were reported. The combination of power loss and weather conditions were the sole culprits in the accident and the absence of either factor may have prevented this mishap, the investigation board said. It also determined that the aircraft was properly maintained by qualified crew members. Investigators were unable to determine what caused the power loss due to a lack of evidence after the crash. Two more F-16s crashed in and around South Korea since December. Both went down in the Yellow Sea, the first on Dec. 11 and the second on Jan. 31. The pilots suffered minor injuries. On Feb. 22, an F-16 assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing jettisoned two external fuel tanks over the Yellow Sea during an inflight emergency. U.S. Army soldier Jaggert Oakes, then a private first class, trains in Hohenfels, Germany, Feb. 27, 2021. (Christopher Hammond/U.S. Army) SEOUL, South Korea A 22-year-old soldier stationed at Camp Humphreys was found unresponsive in his barracks Wednesday and later pronounced dead, according to the 2nd Infantry Division. Spc. Jaggert Oakes, of Barberton, Ohio, was a human resources specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd ID Sustainment Brigade, the command said in a news release Friday. Oakes was pronounced dead at 10:23 a.m. Wednesday at Humphreys Brian D. Allgood Army Community Hospital, according to the release. No criminal activity is suspected but the bases Criminal Investigation Division is looking into the death, the release said. Oakes was stationed in South Korea for less than a year, division spokesman Maj. Taylor Criswell said by phone Friday. Criswell declined to elaborate on the death, citing the ongoing investigation. The 11th Engineer Battalion is deeply saddened by the loss, battalion commander Lt. Col. Brent Kinney said in the release. Spc. Oakes leaves behind a profound impact of friendship and camaraderie felt by all who had the privilege of serving alongside him, he said. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers as we mourn this loss together. Oakes enlisted in the Army in January 2019, according to the release. His awards include two Army Achievement Medals, the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Medal and Army Service Ribbon. Spc. Jaggert Oakes, 22, of Barberton, Ohio, was a human resources specialist stationed at Camp Humphreys, South Korea. (U.S. Army) Roughly 28,500 American troops are stationed in South Korea, most of them at Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base overseas and about 40 miles south of Seoul. The base is the headquarters for 2nd ID and other major commands, including U.S. Forces Korea, Eighth Army, U.N. Command and Combined Forces Command. The main gate of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, South Korea. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes) The amazing thing about South Korea is that no matter where you go on the peninsula, the countrys rich history is all around you, and no more so than in Suwon. This city is a beautiful mix of modernization and history, symbolized by Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and the imposing wall that surrounds it. King Jeongjo built the complex in 1796 to honor and house the remains of his father, Prince Sado. The walls stretch for 3 miles and incorporate Paldalsan Mountain at the center. There is much to see on a visit to the fortress: four gates and 48 buildings and other structures. The south gate, through which vehicles pass, seems enormous and almost monolithic. The fortress walls are nearly 23 feet tall. The path leading to the west gate of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, South Korea. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes) Within those walls are several points of interest worth checking out. I started with the Temporary Palace, mainly used as a government office or for King Jeongjo to stay in when he visited his fathers tomb. The palace is beautifully decorated and painted in vibrant colors. Next is Daeseungwon, a giant, gold statue of Buddha that is visible from the palace courtyard, followed by Hyowons Bell, which local tradition encourages striking three times for good fortune and gratitude, and the Seonamammun, or secret gate. The view of the city from the path along the wall is amazing. The Suwon Cultural Foundation offers tours of the fortress for about 1,000 won, or less than $1, for military members, 1,500 won for other adults and 700 won for children. You can pay more for traditional archery and bell-ringing experiences. Hwaseong fortress should be on everyones list of places to see in South Korea. The northwestern watchtower of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, South Korea. (Christopher Green/Stars and Stripes) On the QT Location: Yeonghwa-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Directions: A 45-minute drive from Osan Air Base and about an hour from Camp Humphreys. Times: Open daily, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Night tours are available from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Costs: Free admission. Food: Youll find many options, mostly cafes and restaurants, around the fortress. Information: Phone: 031-290-3600; Online: swcf.or.kr/english Ikemiya Shokai Co. Ltd., a printing and scanning company in Naha, is developing a 3D tour of Todoroki Cave in time for the Battle of Okinawas 80th anniversary next year. (Itoman city) ITOMAN, Okinawa The southernmost city on Okinawa is working to create a virtual tour of a deteriorating landmark that provided shelter to refugees and others in the final days of World War II. Ikemiya Shokai Co. Ltd., a printing and scanning company in Naha, is developing a 3D tour of Todoroki Cave in time for the Battle of Okinawas 80th anniversary next year, an Itoman city spokesman told Stars and Stripes by email on May 10. The final product, which will be similar to a Google Street View, will be available on the citys website. The three-month battle in spring and summer 1945 claimed 49,000 U.S. casualties, including 12,500 troops killed or missing. Another 110,000 Japanese troops were killed, and 100,000 civilians were either killed or ordered to die by suicide by the Japanese military. Many of the latter took cover in caves like Todoroki. The 330-foot cave was also home to government offices, where the prefectural governor at the time, Akira Shimada, and other officials took shelter and eventually announced the cessation of all their governmental duties. Ikemiya Shokai Co. Ltd., a printing and scanning company in Naha, is developing a 3D tour of Todoroki Cave in time for the Battle of Okinawas 80th anniversary next year. (Itoman city) More than 600 citizens were rescued from the cave by the U.S. military when the war ended, according to Itoman citys website. The cave is very important to locals since there are worship places where many locals pray, and it also serves as a destination for students from other prefectures for peace education, the spokesman said. The cave is deteriorating, however, as evidenced by repeated instances of falling rocks. The city posted a sign warning visitors against entering the cave because of its dangerous condition. The city decided to scan the cave in 3D to preserve it and allow visitors to see it safely, the spokesman said. Scanning the cave was quite challenging due to the uneven floor and the conditions inside, which were dark and humid, Ikemiya Shokai president Taku Ikemiyagi told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday. Ikemiya Shokai Co. Ltd., a printing and scanning company in Naha, is developing a 3D tour of Todoroki Cave in time for the Battle of Okinawas 80th anniversary next year. (Itoman city) The city initiated the project in Japanese fiscal year 2023 and is planning to release the virtual tour on its website by the end of this fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2025, the spokesman said. The scans were made this February and March, and the data is now being processed. We are planning to release a 360-degree virtual tour where visitors can navigate to the direction they want from the caves entrance. Additionally, we will provide explanations at some important points, the spokesman said. Many Japanese government officials speak to the media only on condition of anonymity. Ikemiyagi said the company is compiling information and images of the cave to integrate with the virtual tour. For instance, theres a photograph of a U.S. soldier encouraging surrender at the caves entrance, he said We aim to associate that image with the location so that people can understand the events that transpired there. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes marksmanship training on March 6, 2024, in this image from the state-run Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA) SEOUL, South Korea North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles that fell into the Sea of Japan, or East Sea, on Friday afternoon, according to the Souths military. The missiles were fired from Wonsan city, roughly 90 miles east of Pyongyang, around 3:10 p.m., South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message to news reporters. They flew eastward nearly 190 miles before splashing down, according to the message. The Joint Chiefs strongly condemned the launches, describing them as a clear provocation that seriously threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The launches mark the fifth day of ballistic missile testing conducted by North Korea so far this year. The North last launched short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast on April 22. Those weapons flew roughly 190 miles before splashing down outside Japans exclusive economic zone. Two days earlier, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said the communist regime had tested a super-large warhead on a cruise missile and a new anti-aircraft missile. Fridays launches follow a joint air exercise between U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors and South Korean F-35A Lightning IIs over South Korean airspace. Four F-22s assigned to the 19th and 199th Expeditionary Fighter Squadrons arrived Monday at Kunsan Air Base for training, 7th Air Force said in a news release the next day. The Hawaii-based Raptors are part of rotational squadrons taking the place of aging F-15 Eagles at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. An aerial drill Thursday between the U.S. and South Korean stealth fighters showcased the fifth-generation jets combat capabilities, the Souths Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that day. Pilots alternated between offensive and defensive scenarios. () Russia has been targeting multiple points along the 600-mile front line in Ukraine, gaining ground against a Ukrainian army waiting for more troops and weapons to arrive. In recent days, a Russian offensive into Ukraines Kharkiv region has displaced thousands of people. Some evacuees said this invasion was even more violent than the first. Russias military has also made gains farther south. While Russias gains have been comparatively small, analysts said they are still significant as they pressure Ukraines military over a broad geographic area. Theyre looking to create vulnerabilities on the Ukrainian side, pressing the enemy on all sides, said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The amount of territory Russia has occupied over the last several weeks is about as large as the territory Ukraine retook during its lackluster spring counteroffensive in 2023. Analysts said this Russian push could be tied to a lack of mobilization in Ukraine: Many of the soldiers called up still need to be trained. They also cited Washingtons seven-month delay in approving more aid to Ukraine. Stocks of artillery shells and other long-range munitions are running low, impeding Ukraines defenses. This new assault from Russia means Ukraine will have to move forces around, especially to the north, said Gian Gentile, a senior historian at Rand. This could hamper any Ukrainian efforts to prepare for an offensive of their own. As Russia presses deeper into Ukraine, civilians living on the front lines are again faced with the all-too-familiar decision of whether to leave their homes or risk living under Russian occupation. Older residents, who waited out the first Russian push in small villages and towns such as Vovchansk are fleeing this time as Russian shelling intensifies. Do you think they need these villages? Valentina Ilyenko, 73, said of the Russians to The Washington Post. Theres nothing left. Theyre going to keep going. Theyre just clearing us all out of there for whatever theyre planning next. Data from the Institute for the Study of War, as of May 15. Calculations were done using territory control files and do not include assessed advances. Isabelle Khurshudyan, Serhii Korolchuk and Michael Birnbaum contributed to this report. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, NATOs supreme allied commander and head of U.S. European Command, is flanked by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany, on Dec. 14, 2023. (Susanne Goebel/U.S. European Command) STUTTGART, Germany The Russian military lacks enough troops for a major breakthrough in Ukraine despite recent battlefield gains, the top U.S. military commander in Europe said this week. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, speaking at the end of high-level talks Thursday in Brussels, said problems in the Russian army will likely confine it to incremental advances for now. The Russians dont have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough, said Cavoli, NATOs supreme allied commander and head of U.S. European Command. The Russians also are hindered by the low quality of their force, as heavy casualties have taken a toll on the officer corps, according to NATO officials. They dont have the skill and the capability to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage, Cavoli said. His comments come after a series of Russian advances in recent days that has caused alarm in Ukraine. While the Russians have their own challenges, Ukraine is struggling with a lack of manpower and a dwindling supply of ammunition. Still, Cavoli said he expects Ukraines military to hold the line. Ukraines position could improve in the days ahead as large amounts of ammunition recently provided by the U.S. after months of political delay begins flowing to ground units. Still, there are concerns about the future course of the war. Dutch Adm. Rob Bauer, head of NATOs military committee, said the Russians have adapted after their failures in the early phase of the conflict. Russia has improved its logistics and ramped up deployment of electronic warfare systems, which, to the surprise of NATO leaders, was absent at the outset of the fighting, Bauer said. The Russians also have transitioned to a domestic wartime economy, churning out weaponry and equipment to replace whats been damaged on the battlefield. Industrial capacity is a change that we see, where they are actually moving forward faster than we (are) in Europe and in North America, Bauer said. Isareli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets a briefing from Israel Defense Forces personnel as seen in a post on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (X | Benjamin Netanyahu) The Israel Defense Forces has recovered the bodies of three Israelis who were held in Gaza, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said Friday. The bodies were found in tunnels in Gaza during a military operation Thursday night, he said. All three civilians - Yitzhak Gelernter, 58; Shani Louk, 22; and Amit Buskila, 28 - had attended the Nova music festival that was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7. They were killed at the Mefalsim intersection in Israel after fleeing the concert grounds, according to an IDF statement. Medical officials at Israels Forensic Institute and the Ministry of Health identified the bodies. Louk, a German-Israeli national, was declared dead by Israeli authorities last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his condolences to the families in a statement on X, restating his commitment to return all our hostages, the dead and the martyrs alike. More than 125 hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities, although it is unclear how many are still living. On Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield chaired an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss the conditions of Israeli hostages, including six U.S. citizens who remain in Gaza. Former President Donald Trump waves as he attends the graduation ceremony of his son, Barron Trump, at Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida, May 17, 2024. (Giorgio Viera/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) MIAMI (Tribune News Service) President Donald Trump made it to his youngest sons graduation on Friday morning, after all. Trump, who is still in the midst of his hush money trial in New York, arrived to Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach with just minutes to spare, the Daily Beast reports. The 77-year-old presumptive Republican presidential nominee sat in the front row in the bleachers, along with his wife Melania Trump and her father Viktor Knaus. Security was high at the private ceremony, with Secret Service and police everywhere. As per The Daily Mail, students were announced in alphabetical order. When Barron William Trump was finally called, the six-foot-seven 18 year old walked up to the podium to get his diploma, towering over school officials. The teenagers father wont be sticking around Florida for a celebratory dinner; Trump was headed to a GOP fundraiser in St. Paul, Minnesota. On Monday, hes back in Manhattan, where the trial is due to restart. Its unclear where the young man is headed next to study. He has great marks, No. 45 said at an event at Mar a Lago earlier this month. Were looking at some colleges that are different [than] they were two months ago. 2024 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. An Oklahoma Army National Guard soldier pulls illegally grown marijuana plants out of their pots in Kay County, Okla., in September 2022. (Haden Tolbert/Oklahoma National Guard) WASHINGTON New recruits and incoming officers into the military would not have to undergo mandatory cannabis testing under the Houses version of an annual must-pass defense policy bill. The draft of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act bars the services from requiring an individual to submit to marijuana testing as a condition of enlisting or commissioning. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., attempted to add the provision as an amendment to last years authorization bill, which sets priorities for the Pentagon, but was unsuccessful. Its inclusion this year was a collaborative effort, he said Friday. Supporters of the measure believe it will help the military attract recruits at a time when few young people want to or are eligible to serve. I do not believe that prior use of cannabis should exclude Americans from enlisting in the armed forces, Gaetz said last year. We should embrace them for stepping up to serve our country. The military has long maintained a zero-tolerance, marijuana-use policy but has revisited and loosened its rules in recent years as more states legalized the drug. The Air Force and Space Force began a pilot program in 2022 that allows some recruits who test positive for THC the main psychoactive component in marijuana to retake the test after 90 days. The Army, Navy and Marine Corps also give applicants second chances to take a cannabis test and the Navy announced in February that it will no longer send home recruits who test positive for marijuana upon their arrival at boot camp. A 2021 Rand Corp. study of the Armys marijuana waiver policies showed recruits who received waivers for testing positive for cannabis or admitting to past drug use perform no worse than other soldiers. That should be welcome news in recruiting offices nationwide. More than half of all new recruits come from states where marijuana is now legal, at least for medicinal use, an essay accompanying the study said. Recreational marijuana is now legal in 24 states almost half the country while medical marijuana use is legalized in another 14 states, according to the Pew Research Center. The use and possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law but President Joe Bidens administration moved Thursday to downgrade marijuana from the most dangerous and restrictive category of drugs. Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana, and Im committed to righting those wrongs, Biden said. The House Armed Services Committee is expected to meet next week to discuss the defense authorization legislation. The Senate Armed Services Committee has not yet released its version of the bill. shkolnikova.svetlana@stripes.com Twitter: @svetashko Niamey announced in mid-March it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Washington, shortly after a US delegation left the Sahelian country. Niger has been a key base for counter-terrorism operations in West Africa, with a major US drone base near Agadez city. Zeine said Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, who led the delegation's visit, threatened Niamey with sanctions if Niger signed an agreement to sell the uranium it produces to Iran. "First, you have come here to threaten us in our country. That is unacceptable," Zeine said he told Phee. "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 recounted. Asked about Zeine's account, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel did not dispute that Phee presented the junta with a "choice" and said that she was conveying a "coordinated US government position." Phee offered "a choice that was rooted in our belief in democratic principles and what was in our national security interests," Patel told reporters in Washington. He said that the United States decided to withdraw forces "in an orderly and responsible" way after realizing that the two sides could not come to an understanding. The United States in April agreed to withdraw the more than 1,000 American personnel and discussions with Niger are underway. "The Americans stayed on our soil, doing nothing while the terrorists killed people and burned towns," said Zeine, who has led negotiations with the United States. "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, because we have seen Ukraine and Israel." After a July coup last year overthrew elected president Mohamed Bazoum, the United States suspended military support. By contrast, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates welcomed the new leaders with "open arms," Zeine told the Post. Following the coup, the junta expelled troops from former colonial power France before the end of 2023 and ramped up ties with Russia, which sent military instructors and equipment in April and May. US development aid is set to continue with a new agreement worth almost $500 million over three years, according to the Niger Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2094 Comments So Wapo wrote an article about a country where a leader took power as the result of a coup and used the coup leader as its primary source of information and perspective. Cmon. Yeah.. that bothers me. Theres so much wrong with this slanted article. (Edited) Slanted doesn't begin to describe it. I've seen the US press amplify propaganda from our own government (e.g. Iraq). But this is straight-propaganda for a murderous, illegitimate, military dictatorship. On top of that, it doesn't hold up to its own internal logic. The article itself specifies that Ms. Phee's visit was "a last ditch effort" after Niger had already threatened to kick US troops out. Among his chief complaints are that the US didn't accept the illegitimate coup "with open arms" as his fellow autocrats did, that we wouldn't sell the illegitimate government weaponry, and that we threatened sanctions if they sold uranimium to Iran? Are you kidding me? The main presence of these new allies in Niger appears to be the reconstituted troops from the Wagner Group, who have wreaked havoc and stolen natural resources in half a dozen other African countries. If you want to argue against a principled (and admittedly imperfect) foreign policy that advances democratic values and human rights, go right ahead. Even though we're facing new challenges in stemming the axis of autocrats who seek interest with other oppresive allies, I'd argue that US interests are still advanced by advancing those principles (again: admittedly imperfectly). Go ahead and interview the leader of any regime that overthrows a legitimate government simply to gather power and enrich a handful of people. Congratulations on your scoop (an "exclusive" -- whooped-de-do!). But place the situation in more context than the anodine descriptions buried in this piece. And for God's sake, ask tougher questions. That scoop means nothing if its merely a soapbox for a despot's propaganda. "I've seen the US press amplify propaganda from our own government (e.g. Iraq)." You can actually see it everyday, right now! Just look at the front page of the New York Times (e.g. Israel). Most of those articles are straight from Israel. I prefer WAPO write the article and trust me to discern that the information may be suspect due to the source. Better to know what DOS had to navigate than not. I think the authors made it very clear that we should be suspicious of Mr. Zeine's words. The comments make it clear that most of us caught that. My only gripe would be about the headline, which isn't the authors fault. WAPO does need some work there. Nah it s so unbalanced that it doesnt merit publication. Its accusations without answer from one side - pointless. Most readers never go to the comments. Most readers take what is written at face value, and worst, this can be used to support more disinformation and propaganda by citing the Post as honest and fair. This is a propaganda article, one of many from this author. (Edited) I applaud Wapo for making the effort -- which separates it from the other 90% of US journalistic orgs. BBC and The Economist are the two main sources for international coverage. The Guardian and the BBC are the best for international coverage. Economist and Al Jazeera also great. Usually MSM reports on Africa are based solely on US government press releases and leaks. It is unusual to quote an African who isn't on the US payroll one way or another. PM Zeine was not the coup leader. He was a technocrat the coup leaders hired to administer the civilian portions of the government. Good observation! Love primary sources unless it's too confusing for you, since this kind of article requires you to think on your own. Also, can we please get rid of Mary Catherine "Molly" Phee. I've been following her career for a while, and she's a total waste of space. I have some experience in that difficult part of the world, and, while opposing coups detat and supporting democracy are important positions, every one of these situations has complicating characteristics and varying US interests which Congressionally-imposed binding general policies (e.g., cut off all aid) do little to help us address effectively. Re Asst. Secretary Molly Phee: She is one of the most accomplished diplomats in our system, with significant achievements in service in Cairo, Amman, in Iraq (where she received high praise from our UK ally), at the US Mission to the UN and as Ambassador to South Sudan. And she speaks Arabic, French and Italian. We are fortunate to have her in the Service. On reading the article i did wonder if the arrogant, inept intervention by Phee was the fruit of drumpf's hollowing out of the State Department? WaPo does these exclusives, and often times he scratch your head why? How about writing some interesting news stories that impact many people. Oh wait, you can find that on the New York Times. You object to foreign news? Every article written about Hamas does the same thing. Uses Hamas as a source and presents it as fact. WaPo lost perspective long ago. 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, because we have seen Ukraine and Israel. And the rift appears at least partly based in the U.S. governments unwillingness to intervene in Nigers internal civil dispute on behalf of an unelected government. Sounds like a sound policy decision by the U. S. Lets ask a corrupt despot bought by Russia for his opinion as to why he kicked out US troops. Im sure he'll tell the truth. (Edited) It's hard to believe that they don't want to be apart of Joe's America. Always winning. Get Blinkin over there asap Theyd fit right in with Trumps America, taking power by discarding democratic elections and working with Putins Russia who wants despots throughout world. Trump always winning, particularly in getting delays in court cases so he can use autocratic means to escape culpability for criminal actions. It seems youre not able to grasp whats going on. The United States is a democracy, and supports democracies. This new government in Niger ousted a democratically elected administration in an illegal coup. While Trump would embrace the new dictator with open arms, because thats what he wants to be, Americans who love democracy cannot. Which do you support: democracy or dictators? Gonzotic is a well-known paid putin propagandist. Has been for years. (Edited) Well, the US (with help of the UK) helped remove a democratically elected leader in Iran back in the day to put in their own puppet -- who then was a brutal, even vicious dictator. And this made the way for the Mullahs to take over with their own brutality. Trying to control another country with your own puppets never works out. We are a very ignorant nation. Shame on you WAPO! What a terrible, misleading headline. According to your own story the US "threat" was that we would stop propping up their country with aid if they didn't restore democracy and stop mistreating/jailing their own people as a result of their illegal military coup. Your headline makes it sound like the US was being a bully, when in fact we were standing up for the weak against a bully. Again, shame on you! Ah, another nation-builder. Don't know how you got "nation builder" out of that comment. The freier's are waking up, mcgloin! Run and hide! I'm confused, if factual WAPO is simply telling a story based on the information received. Please explain at what point did WAPO take sides. If we only intake information based on what we want to hear, we will go back to living in the dark. The U.S. didnt give an ultimatum. Did you read the article? It criticizes the U.S. by sort of taking the side of Niger in indicating the U.S. was bullying. Thats an opinion by Niger. We absolutely have an ultimatum, why are you saying otherwise? You can think the ultimatum is rational and moral (restore democracy as we define it, or else lose military support) or you can think it's bad. But we definitely pressed the new government to make a choice with incentives, with a time constraint. That is an ultimatum. WAPO took sides in the headline, when they accused the USA of making a "threat" against Niger. Without context, "threat" is taken as that's of violence. That is not start happened here. WAPOs editors are professional wordsmiths so they know when they are being misleading. WAPOs editors are professional wordsmiths Im not so sure of that. Did you read the headline? It blames the US for promoting democracy if you read the article. I agree. The article has a negative US spin to it. Niger leader feels condescension? Maybe theyre just insecure. Why would the U.S. jump into a fight just after a coup anyway? Maybe because 'Coups are us'? Because the US policy demanding that every nation be a democracy is unachievable and DOES NOT SERVE AMERICAN INTERESTS. Congress must re-write the limiting laws to allow American institutions to work with foreign governments to serve American interests. Then the State Dept must get its head out of its keister and serve our interests. "US policy demanding that every nation be a democracy is unachievable and DOES NOT SERVE AMERICAN INTERESTS." democracy does serve American interests. Authoritarians oppose American interests with lies and violence. No ideal is 100% "achievable," but that doesn't mean we should just surrender to violent authotarians, or help them. Take your anti-democracy propaganda elsewhere. Are we no longer accepting of news that has a negative US spin? Thought this was a DEMOCRACY? No... It was a terrible lack of cultural sensitivity. In many parts of the world, to go into a home (country) and tell them how to do things is an atrocious affront. They are not the US where we allow other countries (like Israel) to come lecture us. We might see that as insecurity if one doesn't like it. In some cultures it is seen as grave disrespect of your host. Shame on you if you cant dance too. They are just reporting the position of the Niger government. Isn't that newsworthy? They also got the US government reply on the topic - it's up to you to decide which side is trustworthy and which is not. This is a ridiculous article. Wagner, or what's left of it, helped stage the coup in Niger. Of course the US isn't going to give a bunch of anti democracy authoritarians weapons. And besides simply repeating lies as well as Ru disinfo the reporter just had to get that dig in at Biden. At this point it's surprising y'all's weather reports & movie reviews don't include some attack on Biden. This is a ridiculous comment. Just because you don't like the facts it doesn't mean the reporter did anything wrong. Nothing in the article suggests that the U.S. should "give a bunch of anti democracy authoritarians weapons". The reporter was simply reporting what was said and done by both sides. It's called journalism. You should look up the concept. (Edited) Were they, though? There are no independent statements attributed to anyone but Mr. Zeine. The US position is as reported by Mr. Zeine there are no cited statements by US officials, or even by, say, university Niger experts. Edited to add -- there are two paragraphs sourced to "a U.S. official," but no named citations. Everything else is cited to Mr. Zeine. "In response to Zeines comments, a U.S. official said: The message to the CNSP in March was a coordinated U.S. government position, delivered in a professional manner, in response to valid concerns about developments in Niger. The CNSP was presented with a choice, not an ultimatum, about whether they wished to continue their partnership with us, respectful of our democratic values and national security interests." This was fairly far down in the article; it was definitely written to report Niger's statements and point of view, but it did incude a rebuttal by US officials. My first reaction was that it was the coup that created the rift in US-Niger relations, not US "bullying." We have lost an important ally in Africa, which is very concerning. On the other hand, Niger has also lost an important ally in the US. Zeine's choice. Unfortunate for the people of Niger, though, to lose their democracy and to find themselves Russia's newest 'friend.' Your comment is a blatant lie. Did you even read the article? (Edited) Journalism doesn't need prurient headlines to sell the story. Based on the headline, I expected that there was some trump appointed jerk making impossible demands on Niger. Nope, it was a russian backed autocrat complaining that he can't get freebies from US taxpayers like our allies get. "Journalism doesn't need prurient headlines to sell the story." You sweet summer child. We've been reading Yellow Journalism for over a century. ????????????????The United States doesnt seem to bother when they give anti democracy authoritarians weapons and support. Look at how many States worldwide the United States helps that are absolutely disgusting Israel You can't change U.S. policy on supporting dictators without changing that policy one dictator at a time. Biden could have just embraced the new government on behalf of global oil companies, but instead is putting pressure on this new one to bring back democracy. Isn't that what you would want? There's a meme going around that shows the recent Northern Light event which says, " Sky's gay now! Because of woke." WaPo would replace woke with Biden. This article is, as you noted, simply a one sided propaganda piece. The author can join the infamous NYT reporter Walter Duranty in the Hall of Shame now. Exactly. Right, what about all the weapons we sell to the Saudis? We even support a base there. Saudi Arabia would like to have a word with you. Of course the US isn't going to give a bunch of anti democracy authoritarians weapons. Nonsense. Explain weapons sold to Saudi Arabia (Edited) Our base was there to provide intelligence to the French on N African jihadists in the desert attacking Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. With the French ousted from all three countries, our base is no longer useful. We don't need Niger's uranium or gold. Niger's people need the money from their mineral wealth but most of it will be stolen by the elites in concert with the Russians. Only one thing to do here. Defeat Russia in Ukraine. Several good outcomes at once. Have you seen the other headline? Defeat Russia! What happy pills are you taking (Edited) Russia is making use of Ukraine's lack of weapons and planes. This shortage is an outcome of Western policies (and GQP idiocy), I am advocating for a change in this 'cautious' approach. Russia is entirely defeatable. Exactly. That could easily change if the US simply provided ALL our artillery ammunition to Ukraine. Then Congress could decide whether they want to buy more for our troops. It still would be the cheapest war the US ever was involved in. Dreamer. Ukraine must win, Russia must loose. The sooner the better. Must win??? Where are your Nukes? Mr Zeine has just handed over control of his country to the Russians. He may find them a little more unruly and less compliant than the USA - and more inclined to pursue their own narrow economic self interest. And if it suits their purposes to stay the Russians are unlikely voluntarily to quit on demand. Russia, unlike the U.S., doesnt ask that you try and create a democracy. Theyll gladly help you shut down any political opposition - providing arms and military leadership. They are also more amenable to providing bribes and kickbacks to those in power. So who do you think the kleptocracy that runs the country will go for? Their choice is Russia or China. So now the Post is taking the word of a despotic tyrant over the USA? I dont see anything in the message sent the new coup making thugs that is offensive. The Islamic terrorists on the rampage will soon make it clear why American and the French support is desperately needed for West Africa. Colonialism is dead. Niger needs to stand on its own, but stills needs foreign aid to fund the graft. So a coup leader expects to inherit the relationship his predecessor had with the US. Oh well, I'm sure he'll like Wagner mercenaries better. Maybe the US should stop training these coup leaders. So long as Zeine gets his pockets stuffed with cash by Wagner, and he will, everything will be just fine with him and his new Russian friends. At the end of he day, it's all about the cash money. It sounds like Zeine wants power and is trying to shift blame to the US for making aid conditional on democratic norms and allies. No complaints about you writing the article seems to be a lot of opinions what should or shouldnt be written about lately but, Im having a hard time feeling upset about not providing equipment, weapons, and intel to a brand new coup established junta that is fine with selling uranium to Iran. Whole thing stinks of Russian backed Wagnertypes (who are moving in before weve even moved out) and Chinese misinformation campaigns. "Phee said in a previous interview that American officials made the choice as stark and clear as they could during the December meeting, emphasizing that U.S. assistance would remain suspended until Niger set a timeline for restoring democracy." This is not a failure of the Biden administration as the author implies. It is solely a failure of the Nigerian people. Good luck with your new regime. Putin owns you now. Who writes the headlines for the Post? The issue here is not that the US threatened Niger. The US explained to these new leaders, who were put in place through a coup, that we cannot support them if they sell uranium to Iran. Should the headline not have been something like: Coup Installed Nigerien Government Wishes to Sell Uranium to Iran; US will not continue to support. Your headline seems to imply that our government representative has done something wrong, rather than the actions necessary to attempt to ensure the safety and security of the US. And its allies? Why did Phee accuse the Nigerien govt. of something she had no information on? That is arrogance and disrespect. It's arrogance and disrespect to think that saying something makes it true Obviously she had information. And what is that information? This is hilarious. People can't actually be this naive, can they? Russia backed the coup in Niger. It's painfully obvious. They want influence in Africa (which they have already and are rapidly expanding) and they want to screw with us geopolitically wherever they can, and this was an easy opportunity. So Niger's new dictator can say whatever he wants. Seeing off US forces was almost certainly a precondition of whatever aid the Russian intelligence community offered them. Of course if they disliked us, they will have a truly great time with their new Russian "friends", but this seems like two groups who deserve one another. RUSSIA DID NOT BACK THE COUP IN NIGER. (Edited) Of course they did. It is naive to think opposite - with or without caps lock. NazPutins hunger for lebensraum, useful idiots and goodies is almost limitless. This exclusive is unconscionable. So a Russian-supported despot staged a coup, and yet WaPo criticizes the US for not supporting the despot as he purged his terrorists. Got it. I didn't read it like that. It did seem to heavily rely on the reader to read between the lines to figure out what is actually going on, though. I think they were trying to be too neutral and actually made it sound like the US is being unreasonable, when it's fairly clear who is just trying to shake the US down and Russia has been pushing their interests in this area for over a decade now. That they'd sell Uranium to Iran then bring up the "lie ahout WMDs in Iraq" is particularly .. stupid. (people never mention that Saddam was openly acting like he did have a program and wouldn't let inspectors in!) He said he told Phee and Campbell that Niger would rather have American investors than soldiers. Basically they want American dollars and Russian bodyguards. Duh! (Edited) What a dummy! He thinks he can get investors after welcoming the Russians and kicking out the U.S.? He thinks the West are fools. He wants investors to build the resource infrastructure so he can then nationalize it because of the bad westerners demands. He's talking to China, not dumb Americans who give aid in exchange for resources but won't invest in infrastructure. Why would anyone align with the US when all it does in third world countries is try to export democracy when they can get all the aid and infracture without any peaky political meddling? If American investors arrived, we would give them what they wanted, he recounted telling the States Department officials. We have uranium. We have oil. We have lithium. Come, invest. It is all we want. (Edited) Let's not get bent out shape because an African dictator is making demands that change on a weekly basis. More or less, he wants our money to do whatever he wants to do. Nope. He said that if US troops weren't going to join their fight against terrorism, then what were they doing in Niger? This is a perfectly rational response. But the inability of US readers to stomach any external criticism of US policy is little short of hilarious. I have a healthy skepticism of US foreign policy toward non-aligned countries. But Niger seems to have invited all of the US' adversaries into town before talking to or finalizing new deals with the US. Of course the US will be skeptical of a military coup government that suddenly is visiting Iran and setting up Russian troops on the other side of an airbase. (Edited) Zeine said Niger was asking for additional military equipment and what it considered a more equitable relationship between the two forces, according to his account. Translation - Zeine was asking for additional money for his account and if the US will not cooperate- Russia and China will. The court heard that the accused arrived at Dublin Airport from Spain and presented a false PCR test certificate purporting to show a negative result A DUBLIN man who allegedly forged Covid-19 test results so he and his friends could travel around Europe to festivals, concerts, and sports events during the lockdown has been sent forward for trial. Jamie Corrigan, 31, appeared at Dublin District Court today when Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) Detective Joe Gavin served him with a book of evidence containing 24 charges. Following an application by State solicitor Ruairi Staines, Judge Tresa Kelly granted a return-for-trial order, transferring his case to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. It will be listed for mention on June 13. Mr Corrigan, of Cullenswood House, Northbrook Ave, Ranelagh, Dublin 6, was remanded on 200 bail. Jamie Corrigan He faces charges for using false PCR test certification at Terminal 1 on July 11, 2021, contrary to section 26 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. He was also charged with forgery by allegedly making false PCR test certificates in other names at an unknown location on various dates. That offence is under section 25 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. The judge also ordered copies of interview videos to be handed over to the defence and warned him to notify the prosecution within two weeks if he intended to use an alibi in his trial. A ruling had been made earlier that the case was too serious for the District Court and should be dealt with at the higher level, which has broader sentencing powers. At a preliminary hearing in October, Detective Garda Gavin said the investigation started in July 2021 during the pandemic. The court heard that the accused arrived at Dublin Airport from Spain and presented a false PCR test certificate "purporting to show a negative result". The GNIB detective alleged the accused made 22 fake PCR tests, which allowed him and eight friends or family to travel around Europe to sporting events, festivals, concerts and music events. It was alleged the accused "forged" the tests from genuine PCR certificates when travel restrictions were in force. The preliminary hearing to decide his trial venue was told that the GNIB identified nine people, including the accused, "who benefited from this while people in Ireland were in lockdown". Detective Garda Gavin added that there was no financial advantage; however, the accused worked for a company that provided equipment to the HSE, and he knew about the restrictions. Judge Nicola Jane Andrews, then presiding, noted the Director of Public Prosecutions directed summary disposal at the District Court level. However, after hearing the outline of the alleged facts, Judge Andrews refused jurisdiction, saying there were travel restrictions at the time to protect public health. Glen Dempsey (41) was arrested after detectives discovered the Czech-made Skorpion firearm alongside ammunition, magazine and a silencer A FATHER-of-five had a submachine gun concealed in a sophisticated hidden compartment in his car when gardai carried out a search at his Dublin home, it is alleged. Glen Dempsey (41) was arrested after detectives discovered the Czech-made Skorpion firearm alongside ammunition, magazine and a silencer in a metal container in the boot, a court was told. According to gardai, he told them he was under threat to store it for a serious and dangerous criminal group and said I do what Im told. Mr Dempsey was refused bail following garda objections at Dublin District Court. Judge Michele Finan remanded him in custody to next week. Mr Dempsey is charged with unlawful possession of a Skorpion submachine gun in suspicious circumstances at his home at St Cuthberts Meadows, Clondalkin on May 15. Detective Garda Joseph Melvin of the Dublin Crime Response Team told Judge Finan he arrested the accused at Lucan station for the purpose of charge this afternoon. Mr Dempsey made no reply after caution at 2.47pm. Objecting to bail, Det Gda Melvin said a search was being carried out under warrant at the address when gardai became suspicious of wires that they believed were out of place in a Citroen C4 parked in the driveway. They requested the assistance of the dog unit and the dog indicated a positive find in the boot, Det Gda Melvin said. The car was seized and removed to a secure facility for a further search. A large metal container was found in the boot, welded onto the car, with the firearm, silencer, magazine and ammunition found in this sophisticated hidden compartment. Mr Dempsey told gardai he had bought the car four to five years ago and admitted he was aware there was a firearm in it, Det Gda Melvin alleged. Det Gda Melvin said the accused stated that he was under threat and was told a gun was going to be put in the car. Asked why he did not report it to the gardai, he allegedly said: I was under threat, I do what Im told. You shut your mouth and do what youre told. Ill do whatever it takes to protect my family. The court heard the gun was a 9x17mm calibre Czech-made small arms Skorpion, a prohibited weapon capable of fully automatic fire. The gardas concerns over bail included a fear that the accused would not turn up in court. The charge carried a maximum sentence of 14 years on conviction and further serious charges could be brought after ballistic examinations, Det Gda Melvin said. Applying for bail, defence barrister Gareth Casey said Mr Dempsey, who was presumed innocent, lived at his home address with his partner and two of their children. He had strong ties to the area and was prepared to abide by bail conditions including signing on at a garda station, providing a contact phone number and keeping a curfew. His passport was out of date and he would undertake not to apply for a new one, Mr Casey said. Theres absolutely no conditions whatsoever that would satisfy us, Gda Melvin said. Its an extremely serious incident. The firearm was ready to go, at short notice, he said. The gardai were not aware of any threat to the accused other than what he had told them. Judge Finan said the accused was presumed innocent but having heard the objections, she refused bail and remanded him in custody to May 24. Mr Dempsey has not yet indicated how he intends to plead to the charge. At last weeks hearing, Judge Murphy noted that he had been arrested twice recently for public order matters A MAN charged with public order offences after gardai responded to reports of an incident last week at Grand Canal Square in Dublin refused to take up bail. Lazlo Pop, 28, from Eastern Europe but who previously lived at Mayor Walk, Waterford, was also unable, due to illness, to attend a video-link court appearance today. He initially appeared before Judge Paula Murphy at Dublin District Court on May 10. He faces two charges under the Public Order Act for engaging in threatening, abusive, and insulting words or behaviour and refusing to give gardai his name at Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, on May 9. He had been granted 300 bail with conditions but did not sign his bond and opted to stay in custody. Mr Pop was due to appear again today remotely, but he could not attend the video link from prison. Judge Murphy adjourned the case for a week. At last weeks hearing, Judge Murphy noted that he had been arrested twice recently for public order matters and that prosecuting Garda Adam Hannan had no objection to bail with conditions. Defence solicitor Donal Quigley said that his client was a suitable candidate for legal aid, which was granted. The court did not hear any evidence during the brief hearing about the events leading to the arrest. The defence did not oppose the bail terms sought by the garda. Mr Pop, who did not address the court, was ordered to sign on three days a week at Pearse Street Garda station and to refrain from entering the Grand Canal Square area. She remanded him in custody with consent to bail on these terms. He has not yet indicated a plea or signed his bail bond, which would see him released pending his hearing. To enter someones apartment and record her most intimate moments is reprehensible A man who installed several cameras in his friends apartment and secretly recorded her over seven months has been sentenced to four years in prison. The 54-year-old man, who cannot be named in order to protect the identity of the injured party, was ordered to have no contact with her in any way for the next 20 years. He had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of harassment, two counts of burglary and five counts of recording the woman without her consent over a seven-month period in 2021. The court heard that the offences took place at a house in Drumcondra, where both the accused and the victim lived in separate apartments in the same house. They had been friends for many years without issue until the accused, who acted as informal maintenance man for all six flats in the property, obtained a copy of the womans keys and installed hidden cameras in her bedroom and bathroom. He broke into her apartment more than ten times and changed the position of the cameras, downloading video clips and screenshots which he then edited and stored, the court heard. Passing sentence yesterday Judge Martin Nolan said it was a sordid tale and that the offending represented a gross invasion of the womans privacy. To enter someones apartment and record her most intimate moments is reprehensible, said Judge Nolan, imposing a headline sentence of seven to eight years. He said the accused's long, friendly relationship with the woman beforehand was an aggravating factor in the case. Judge Nolan said the womans victim impact statement, which was not read aloud in court, was realistic and fair. She was totally entitled to her privacy. For his own reasons, this man became obsessed with the woman, and his misbehaviour was very serious and atypical. Its hard to say whether he will reoffend, said the judge. Judge Nolan sentenced him to four years in prison. Garda Karen OConnor told Aoife McNickle BL, prosecuting, that the woman went to gardai in December 2021 and made a statement after finding a camera in her apartment. The court heard she had arrived in Ireland from overseas in 2008 and worked as a childminder. She began renting an apartment in Drumcondra and told the accused, who was a friend of the same nationality, that there was a vacant flat in her building. The accused moved into the building three years before she made her statement, and they shared normal communications between tenants. The woman said she was confused when she got a text message from the man asking what her favourite colour was, to which she didnt reply. When the man asked again, she replied, Blue, to which he texted, Oh, I thought it was pink. The woman was doing her laundry and realised she had washed pairs of pink underwear, the court heard. The woman had a male friend to stay in November 2021, and the following day, she received an intrusive and lurid message from the accused, to which she did not reply. She received similar messages the next day and began looking around her flat when she spotted a tiny camera on the door and started screaming. The woman put something over the camera and then got a message from the man saying, Son of a bitch, dont touch my camera. The woman threw the camera on the ground, and the man sent her messages giving out to her for breaking the camera and telling her to pay for it. A neighbour confirmed that she heard someone moving around the victims apartment when the victim was not at home. After the woman complained to gardai, she continued to get texts from the man, and she moved out of the house. Gardai obtained a search warrant and seized a USB drive and SD card from his home containing a large number of photographs and video clips. The footage of the woman in her apartment was dated between April and November 2021. In many of the files, she was dressing, undressing, or coming out of the shower or bathroom. The court heard that he edited some of the images, drawing love hearts around her private parts. The accused was arrested and interviewed by appointment when he made full admissions and said he had obtained a key to the womans apartment without her permission. He said he had installed cameras in her bedroom, bathroom, and main room and had gone into the apartment over ten times to change batteries and move the cameras around. He has no previous convictions. Simon Matthew BL, defending, said the man accepted full responsibility and had written a letter expressing genuine remorse. The accused has been in Ireland for 21 years and is married with children overseas, to whom he sends 1,000 a month, the court heard. Mr Matthews said the amount of content that the man had downloaded, edited and stored showed a serious obsession and clear perversion. The skewed nature of him giving out to her for finding his camera and breaking it shows that he was someone not in the right frame of mind. His sense of right and wrong was warped, said Mr Matthews. The court heard that the man has been an Irish citizen since 2013 and works full-time. A letter was handed into the court from one of his employers commending his character and work ethic. Mark was in a position of power over me not only with his age, but he was also in a position of pastoral and religious authority over me A law graduate and religious youth leader has been given a two-year jail-term for the defilement and sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old girl in Dublin four years ago. Mark McMorrow (27) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the defilement of Sophia Doyle (19) on December 20, 2020. He also pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation on dates between September and December 2020. He further pleaded to communicating with a child for the purposes of exploitation on dates between April 10, 2019 and December 20, 2020. Sinead McMullan BL, prosecuting told the court that Ms Doyle wished to waive her right to anonymity to allow McMorrow to be named. The court heard McMorrow of Woodlands Avenue, Cabinteely, Dublin was 22 years old when the offending began. Judge James McCourt handed down a two-and-a-half-year sentence with the final six months suspended on certain conditions. Detective Garda Lisa McDonnell told the court the events occurred between September and December 2020 and ended just a week before Ms Doyles 17th birthday. She told Ms McMullan that the Doyles and McMorrows families knew each other through a faith-based group called Community of Nazareth. Her parents had joined when Ms Doyle was around seven or eight and all the families became very close, the court heard. She was also part of a youth group in which McMorrow became a leader and they saw each other socially. In 2019 when she was a 3rd year in school and she was struggling with her mental health, they started communicating on social media. He asked her to start messaging him on Discord, which the court heard was a more private type of messaging. The victim told a priest what had happened, who then reported it to Tusla, who informed gardai. The court heard the religious group also hired an independent professional to establish what had occurred. The girls mobile phone was given to gardai and McMorrow met with them at Dundrum Garda Station where he was interviewed but later released without charge. He told gardai that it was a relationship that had turned sexual, having initially considered her a friend. He said he knew what he was doing was illegal but was at a bad time in his life. David Staunton BL, defending, told the court his client achieved very highly in school and was now a law graduate. He said he was a media officer but was not currently working. Mr Staunton asked the court to have regard to the number of references handed into the court on behalf of his client. Judge McCourt sentenced McMorrow to two-and-a-half years with the final two suspended on condition that he has no involvement with the Community of Nazareth, which Ms Doyle no longer attends, and he was not to communicate with the victim in any way. The judge also told him he could not contact her through social media especially through the use of Discord. The court was told McMorrow, who has no previous convictions had taken 800 euro to court to pay for counselling undertaken by the victim but the judge said it didnt affect the sentence. Ms Doyle read a victim impact statement to the court in which she said McMorrow had betrayed her trust. Mark was in a position of power over me not only with his age, but he was also in a position of pastoral and religious authority over me. He knew I wasnt able to say no and he took advantage of that. Mark was a man that I had deeply trusted that the entire community had trusted, she added. For many years I believed him to be a friend to me, a role model, an older brother figure, and a mentor. But that has come crashing down and the scales have now fallen from my eyes. I was his victim, she added. In mitigation, counsel for the accused, who is now married, said references before the court would say the offending was out of character for him. He said his client was now regarded as a sex offender, lost a huge social outlet and was unlikely to be able to visit the United States in the future. Mr Staunton said McMorrow had very genuine and religious beliefs. ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE The court heard they met on a number of occasions and he invited her over to a house he was sharing with other students in Loughlinstown in south Dublin. He asked her to meet up but told her not to tell anyone in the group. They would watch movies together and she would get the bus home. At that time they were using Discord for phone calls and they were texting daily. Her mother asked her to stop texting him because she felt she was becoming emotionally dependent on him. He invited her to his family home and there was nobody else in the house. They were communicating regularly and she went over to his friends house in south Dublin. She said she cycled from her home in Bray to Glenageary in the middle of the night. He told her to pretend she was leaving the house but then sneaked her upstairs past the living room where his friend was. Both got into bed. Her mother asked her where she had gone and she said she had cycled to Dun Laoghaire to watch the sun rise. On another occasion he asked her to come to his family home in Dun Laoghaire. She said she felt sick because she was so nervous. The Dublin-based members of the force, one of whom is also charged with falsely imprisoning a woman, had books of evidence served on them today THREE gardai who were arrested in an anti-corruption probe have been sent for trial charged with burglary and perverting the course of justice. The Dublin-based members of the force, one of whom is also charged with falsely imprisoning a woman, had books of evidence served on them today. They were sent forward to the next sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Sergeant Ciaran Whelan (51) and Garda Mark Duffy (39) and Robert Gorman (43) are charged with perverting the course of public justice and burgling flats in Dublin. Sgt Whelan is further charged with false imprisonment of a woman, with all incidents alleged to have happened in 2021, when the accused were stationed in Store Street in the north inner city. Today, state solicitor Rory Staines told Judge Treasa Kelly the books of evidence were ready and had been served. Judge Kelly gave each accused the formal warning that they had 14 days to furnish the prosecution with details of any alibi they intend to rely on. The judge also ordered the prosecution to provide the accused's garda interview videos to the defence. She sent each man forward to the next sittings of the circuit court, on June 13. The three were remanded on bail in their own bonds of 200, with no cash required, and on condition they are of good behaviour. Judge Kelly granted free legal aid in all cases, to cover both junior and senior counsel at trial. Making the request, Barrister Vanessa Frawley, for Gda Duffy cited the seriousness of the alleged offences. The other two accused's barrister, Fiona Pekaar said the case was a matter of some complexity. Sgt Whelan faces seven charges. He is accused of falsely imprisoning a woman at St John's Road West, Dublin 8, and burglary at a basement flat at Mountjoy Square, both on September 7, 2021. He is also charged with burglary at another flat, at Kenilworth Road, Dublin 6, on June 19. He allegedly perverted the course of justice by making a false report between August 25 and September 15 about a June 19 search at that flat, and by amending data on the garda Pulse system on September 27. He is accused of twice more perverting the course of public justice on August 28, by creating a search warrant and information for the June 19 search, and creating an incident on the Pulse system in relation to that search. Gda Gorman is charged with three offences - burglary at the same Mountjoy Square flat on September 7 and two counts of perverting the course of justice by later signing information for the search warrant and by creating three incidents on the Pulse system. The warrant signing and Pulse incidents allegedly happened between September 30 and December 30, and on September 21. Gda Duffy faces two charges - burglary at Kenilworth Road on June 19 perverting the course of justice between August 28 and December 20. The three are due to appear in the circuit court on June 13. Two other accused are still awaiting service of books of evidence. Gda Colum Ryan, with an address in Co Meath, is charged with false imprisonment, burglary and perverting the course of justice. Peace commissioner and former Labour Party councillor Steven Wrenn (50), of Iveragh Road, Whitehall, Dublin has pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice and forging search warrants for the flats. The prosecutions were brought following an investigation by the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). Both are being detained under the provisions of Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 Gardai have arrested two men after a drugs and cash seizure in Dublin. The two men were arrested following the seizure of cocaine worth 160,000 and cash amounting to 78,460 in south east Dublin on May 16. Gardai attached to the Dublin Crime Response Team (DCRT), targeting an organised crime group involved in the sale and supply of controlled drugs in the capital, carried out the operation on Thursday. During the search of a vehicle in the Sallynoggin area, gardai discovered the cocaine and in a follow-up search at a residential property in the Ballybrack area, gardai seized the 78,460 in cash. Cocaine and cash Two males, one aged in his 50s and one aged in his 40s, have been detained. Both are being held under the provisions of Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996 at Garda stations in the Dublin region. The seizure forms part of Operation Tara; an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy, which was launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on 2nd July 2021. "The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels - international, national, local - involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs, gardai stated. Police in two states are searching for Hughie Buckley Australian cops are searching for a man "with a distinctive Irish accent who is wanted for a series of crimes. New South Wales and Victorian police have issued a public appeal for assistance in locating the wanted man last seen in the Cardiff town area, which is just north of Sydney. Hughie Buckley (21) is wanted by NSW police for an outstanding warrant over pursuit-related offences, the Newcastle Herald reports. Mr Buckley is also wanted by Victoria Police in relation to an aggravated home invasion. CCTV images Mr Buckley is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 175cm to 185cm tall with a slim build, brown hair and a distinctive Irish accent. Officers attached to Lake Macquarie Police District have been conducting inquiries into his whereabouts. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. "Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages, Australian cops added. A car driven by James Mago Gately (35) was stopped at a garda checkpoint in the Ballybofey area of Co Donegal last week and it is alleged that the Hutch-aligned gangster failed a drugs test at the scene. The number-one target for the Kinahan cartel has been arrested by gardai for alleged drug driving. A car driven by James Mago Gately (35) was stopped at a garda checkpoint in the Ballybofey area of Co Donegal last week and it is alleged that the Hutch-aligned gangster failed a drugs test at the scene. He was arrested before being released without charge while the results are analysed. At the time, Mago was travelling with a 37-year-old career criminal from the Darndale area who cannot be named here for legal reasons because he is facing serious cocaine-dealing and money-laundering charges before the courts. Gatelys companion has previous convictions for firearms and drugs offences, and has served jail time. It is believed the two men were travelling to Northern Ireland, where the Hutch gang have long-established connections This was not a planned operation the individuals encountered a checkpoint and the driver tested positive for drugs and was arrested, a source said. It is believed the two men were travelling to Northern Ireland, where the Hutch gang have long-established connections with dissident republicans and other crime gangs there. This is a criminal organisation who are still very much active. Any intention that the duo would cross the Border was foiled when they encountered the checkpoint on Tuesday of last week. The checkpoint had been set up as part of An Garda Siochanas May bank holiday weekend policing operation, in which they announced that they made one arrest during each hour of their roads plan and carried out 5,349 roadside drug and alcohol tests at more than 1,090 mandatory intoxicant testing (MIT) checkpoints. Estonian hitman Imre Arakas was arrested over a plot to kill Gately in 2017 Mago is a major target for the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) and has been described in court as a senior figure within the Hutch organised crime gang who is linked to three murders. Cab is involved in a legal battle against Gately with his family home in Coolock, Dublin, at the centre of the case. The bureau argues that the property, which has been renovated and remodelled at a cost of up to 440,000, as well as a car and a watch, are the proceeds of crime. This is denied by Gately and his partner Charlene Lam, who the High Court heard had a heavy steel door installed at their Coolock home, which was completely covered by a CCTV security system. A judgment on whether the property was refurbished with the proceeds of crime is due later this year. Gatelys links to gangland crime were given in evidence to support Cabs case against him and his partner. In May 2017, Gately who was wearing a ballistic vest was lucky to survive when a gunman opened fire at his car at a north Dublin filling station It showed that he had good reason to install security measures at his home. In April 2017, Estonian hitman Imre Arakas was arrested over a plot to kill Gately at the apartment where he was living in Newry. Arakas later pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court. Then, in May 2017, Gately who was wearing a ballistic vest was lucky to survive when a gunman opened fire at his car at a north Dublin filling station. We have lost the West, but we have discovered the rest: Dugin https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202405/1312443.shtml By Global Times May 16, 2024 The more I know China, the more I admire China: Russian political philosopher Aleksandr Dugin Children wave Chinese and Russian flags before a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 16, 2024 Photo: VCG Editor Note: Russian political philosopher and analyst Aleksandr Dugin (Dugin), whom some Western media call the "Putin's brain," is one of the most controversial scholars in Russia and has now joined China's social media platforms such as Sina Weibo and Bilibili, to seek more and deeper communication with Chinese web users and scholars. Before the announcement of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China, Global Times (GT) reporter Yang Sheng had an exclusive interview with Dugin in Moscow, where he shared his views about China-Russia relations and responses to some sharp and critical comments made by Chinese netizens on his opinions. Some questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity GT: How do you predict the outcome of President Putin's state visit to China and also the future about the China-Russia relations? Dugin: In diplomacy there are many things that have symbolic meanings. This is Putin's first foreign visit after his reelection and inauguration. This visit is, however, quiet unique. There is something more behind - the will of the creation of a multipolar world. China is not just a part of Western capitalist, liberal, economic and political system, but it's already out of this system. China participates in it, it's connected with it, but it is a totally independent pole, a sovereign and civilizational state. So, there is no question about China representing such a sovereign pole and pillar of multipolar world order. The other pillar is Russia. When these two pillars of a multipolar world are meeting and communicating, it's to show the will to continue to build this multipolarity with the two most important instances of it. The world today is not unipolar anymore, so the hegemony of the Western power is over. Thanks to this communication and cooperation between two poles or two pillars (China and Russia), the other countries and regions also want to join "the multipolar club," such as India, the Islamic world, Africa and Latin America. That doesn't mean we are constructing or building alliance against someone. Now, if the West accepts multipolarity, they can participate in the construction of this multipolar world. But if the West continues to oppose an emergence of this multipolarity, we will be obliged to fight against this attempt, not against the West, but against hegemony. We have seen already many times that when the West declares something they pursue, they presume that there is the "rules-based world order." But when it comes to contradiction with their interests, they simply change that position. They invited China into the open global market, but when China started to gain an edge, some Western countries started to impose some protectionist measures against China. They change the rules to serve their own interests, because they are "the rules." Together, we want to defend against any attempt to destroy this multipolarity or to maintain hegemony of any power in the world. GT: How could Russia overcome all those difficulties and challenges that it has experienced in the past two years since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in 2022? A series of sanctions have been launched by the Western world against Russia, but last year we see that according to the data released by the Russian government, the Russian economy has realized about 3.6% GDP growth in 2023. Dugin: In order to answer your question, we need to research different versions of the participation and globalization process. You Chinese have very special experience in that. You entered the globalization as more or less a country delayed in its development. And during and after reforms you have managed to use the participation in globalization to your favor. You have taken all the positive sides of that and to save and reinforce the sovereignty and the rule of the Communist Party of China (CPC). These have guaranteed your country some kind of stability. Russian experience of participation in the globalization was quite different. First of all, we lost order. We lost our geopolitical system, including our control over Eastern Europe. We lost Warsaw Pact countries and gave them to NATO. We accepted Western values, Western systems, Western type of constitution, and we lost the Soviet Union. We also lost our industries, our economy and our financial system. We lost everything during the 1990s. So those are two different experiences of the globalization process. China's style is better and realized the fast growth while also preserving its own independence and sovereignty. Now the wisdom of Deng Xiaoping and the CPC, during all of these decades, is clearly manifested. Putin, when he came to power, he started to restore this sovereignty of Russia step by step. Sovereignty was put at the center of his politics. And when we were cut from the globalist Western economy, we did not lose anything. But we gained because we were obliged to the will of our own, even this will possibly make us lose some interests. And at the same time, we were not isolated and rediscovered that we are not lonely in this world. There are a lot of partners, such as China, the Islamic world, India and so on. We have also discovered who is willing to cooperate with us. We have found that more and more countries are interested in being involved in an economic partnership with Russia. We have discovered the other replacement for the West, such as countries in Africa and Latin America, so we have lost the West, but we have discovered "the rest." GT: You have recently opened your personal accounts in some Chinese social media platforms such as Sina Weibo and Bilibili. Many Chinese web users are following you to see what you are going to say to the Chinese public. Why did you do that, and do you read the comments made by Chinese netizens? Dugin: First of all, I have great respect for modern China and traditions in China. I wrote a book called The Yellow Dragon, dedicated totally to the Chinese civilization from the beginning to the modern time. Now I'm seeing the glory of China's spirit, culture and philosophy. And that is the book of a China lover and admirer. Now I consider that we need to elaborate more the philosophical basis of China-Russia friendship. The two countries are not just tactical partners but are an alignment between two great civilizations, and in order to promote this, we need to understand each other better. Our societies, cultures, civilizations, traditional values are very different. They get divergent, and in some elements, they are convergent. In order to promote a full-scale dialogue between two civilizations, I have decided to open social media accounts in China and to talk to the Chinese public, to open discussion. In this, I'm just expressing my opinion on what is going on in Russia, what is going on in the world, how Russians see the importance of China, and what principles should be put in the basis of our future relations. I started with a very friendly gesture and open for discussion. But after that, a huge wave of debates emerged, and for me, this is amazing and astonishing. I didn't expect that. Some people started to use some fragments of my previous opinions from the 1990s, when we lived in a totally different condition in Russia. Before Putin, the country was ruled by "the traitors of our civilization." I considered [at that time] that China is entering the globalization and it will lose its sovereignty, and it is going to betray its traditional values to in favor of global capitalism by betraying its socialist and communist ideas. GT: So in the 1990s, you thought that China would be changed by globalization, and maybe even join the West to become a threat to Russia. But after that you changed your opinion because China also changed, and China's change surprised you, because you didn't expect that and then you became friendly to China and you support the China-Russian friendship again. Is that correct? Dugin: Absolutely! Absolutely! The fact that the change was about 25 years ago, so it was not a new change. My opinions have changed because China has changed, the world has changed, Russia has changed, geopolitics has changed. And it is not correct to use my opinions that are taken out of context to attack me. I finally changed my opinion after I made visits to China from the 2000s. I met with many Chinese intellectuals, and we had serious and very fruitful discussions. At present, I have a totally different opinion, not only theoretically, but I am heavily involved in working to lift the life of China's academic society. The more I know about China, the more I admire it. Russian political scientist Dugin: Our world goes beyond national borders and includes peoples with linked destinies https://www.agenzianova.com/en/news/Russian-political-scientist-Dugin-Our-world-goes-beyond-national-borders-and-includes-peoples-with-linked-destinies/ November 24, 2023 Agenzia Nova - Reproduction reserved Sources said Cash is currently housed on a semi-restricted regime on B-wing of the Progression Unit of Mountjoy Prison. Triple-killer Andy Cash trashed his cell on B-wing in Mountjoy Prison in a rare show of emotion behind bars. A source confirmed the 26-year-old was hit with formal P19 disciplinary proceedings in July last year after he had a meltdown in his cell. He trashed the cell, a source said. He smashed the TV and broke up some other items before officers eventually managed to calm him down. Sources said Cash is currently housed on a semi-restricted regime on B-wing of the Progression Unit of Mountjoy Prison. He can associate with other inmates on the landing but it would be with other inmates not in general population, the source said. Cash has a chip on his shoulder that is apparently linked to his sexuality and his Traveller background. And he wouldnt be well got over what he did to those kids. He has never shown any real remorse behind bars for what he did. But since the incident in the cell, he has kept his head down and very much seems resigned to his fate. At the Central Criminal Court last week, Cash (26) pleaded guilty to the murders of 18-year-old Lisa Cash and her eight-year-old brother and sister, Christy and Chelsea Cawley, at their family home in Rossfield Avenue in the early hours of September 4, 2022. Elizabeth 'Lisa' Cash and twins Chelsea and Christy Cawley. Mr Brendan Grehan SC, defending Cash, told Mr Justice Paul McDermott that his client, also of Rossfield Avenue, had asked him to say that he is sorry for his actions and sorry to all the people he has hurt. The Central Criminal Court heard Cash had inflicted hundreds of stab and slash wounds on his siblings before throwing the body of his eight-year-old brother out of the first floor window of their home on Rossfield Avenue. Detective Garda Robert Whitty told prosecution counsel Sean Gillane SC that when gardai arrived at the scene it was one of carnage. All three victims had suffered catastrophic injuries having been stabbed multiple times. A post mortem revealed 71 slash and stab injuries to Lisas face, neck, chest and limbs. There were also signs that she had tried to defend herself from the attack. Christy suffered 107 sharp force injuries while his sister Chelsea was stabbed and slashed 65 times. A previous hearing was told that gardai from Tallaght Garda Station, supported by armed detectives and members of an armed support unit, responded to the attack. During a stand-off, officers used non-lethal devices to arrest Cash. At Tuesdays hearing a victim impact statement written by the victims mother Margaret McDonagh, along with other family members was read out in court. Our three innocent children were viciously taken from us and that was the day the world stopped turning, the statement said. What is left is our broken family and every day since has been unbearable. The NCA secured its first Unexplained Wealth Order in Northern Ireland UK cops have nailed a man hiding out in Ireland with a new wealth order. The National Crime Agency (NCA) has secured their first ever Unexplained Wealth Order in Northern Ireland against a man suspected of involvement in serious organised crime. This is a significant milestone in the fight against criminal finance in Northern Ireland, said Suzanne Foster, Head of Asset Denial at the NCA. The Order compels the man and his wife to explain the source of funds used to construct a property in Co Armagh worth approximately 275,000 (320,000). It was obtained this morning at the High Court in Belfast, Friday May 17, as part of an ongoing NCA civil recovery investigation. NCA investigators believe that the man, who is now resident in the Republic, has connections to paramilitary activity, cigarette smuggling and money laundering. NCA logo This is the first Unexplained Wealth Order to have been obtained in Northern Ireland since the introduction of the provisions of the Criminal Finances Act 2017 which came into force in Northern Ireland in June 2021. The Order followed a number of legal challenges in the High Court by the Defendants Senior Counsel, including an unsuccessful challenge to the legal standing of the NCA in Northern Ireland. Ms Foster of the NCA also added: With the first Unexplained Wealth Order granted here, we continue to show that the NCA will use all the tools available to us to target those we believe are involved in serious crime, whoever and wherever they are. To get to this stage we have had to overcome significant legal challenges, and we can now continue to investigate the source of these funds. To be raised by somebody so infectiously authentic was my privilege A 61-year-old man who may have lain dead in his flat in Castletownbere in West Cork for almost six months was described as a magical father and a treasured brother at a service in the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy today. A file is to prepared for the Coroners Court following the discovery of the body of English born screenwriter Mark Watters who was found dead in the hallway of his flat at the Courtyard complex in Castletownbere on May 8 last. Maintenance staff had called to check on the flat. A postmortem was subsequently carried out out. However, there was no suggestion of foul play. Investigating gardai found an unopened Christmas card with a December 18 date stamp, suggesting the father of three possibly died sometime around the middle of that month. Neighbours said that he was a private man who kept himself to himself. He had opted to become reclusive with some locals believing he had left the area as he had not been seen for some time. His son, Samudra, told mourners at the 2pm service today his last physical interaction with his father before he moved overseas was on November 15. He had stayed in West Cork for two months prior to emigrating to Vancouver in Canada and the pair spoke daily in this period. (We were) reliving our precious memories and cultivating our relationship to its former glory. We gave each other closure and this is the most important thing I have ever done. Samudra said that his late father had a beautiful mind. Being exposed to somebody so authentically infectious is rare. To be raised by somebody so infectiously authentic was my privilege. The way he saw the world was outstanding. His ability to transform the hardest in to the hilarious and the worst in to the most comforting showed a level of comprehension of social dynamics and empathy unparalleled by any entity I have ever been exposed to. His magic and eccentricities allowed him to control his fate. He knew himself. Knew what he want and knew how to get himself there. He saw obstructions as puzzles, she added. Unfortunately, with all cerebral gifts lies a responsibility to control them. The cost of this perception and awareness was alienation. My father was my mentor, best friend and biggest inspiration. I have no hesitation that his imprint will remain. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Watters, a late sibling of the deceased, spoke on behalf of herself and her sisters Virginia and Rosemary. She said Rosemary, who was watching the livestream from Australia. had sent a message with memories which the three sisters shared. Mark was born in Oxford on the 9th of January, 1963. The winter of the big freeze and shortly his birth he was rushed to hospital with a life threatening condition. Drama from the start our dear brother Mark. From newborn baby in mums arms. Three sisters on tiptoe in the snow to see Mark through a hospital window. Anxious. Smitten. Our dear brother Mark. The toddler with the cheeky grin. The joyful child and mischievously tweenie who already knew how to charm. The restless and rebellious teenager pushing boundaries. She recalled Marks success as a film scriptwriter and his love of the arts. The raconteur at parties. The life and soul. Our dear brother man. The lovely father to Samudra his soul mate from the beginning to the very end. His son Tiger whom he mourned and daughter Grace whom he deeply missed. Our dear brother Mark. Elizabeth said her late brother was a lover of nature. The mountains and sea. The hermit that he chose to be. His three sisters only allowed to care for him from afar. He now watches over us in the embrace of loved ones who have gone before with true peace and spiritual calm. To our dear brother Mark who we three sisters loved we say a sad goodbye. The service ended with a family reading out a quote from philosopher and orator Jiddu Krishnamurti about relationships. No one can live without relationship. You may withdraw in to the mountains became a monk, a sannyasi, wander off in in to the desert by yourself but you are related. You cannot escape from that absolute fact. You cannot exist in isolation. The loved ones of Mark also thanked gardai in Bantry, staff at the mortuary at CUH, Fordes funeral home and staff at Island Crematorium for their kindness and professionalism in recent days. A second memorial will be held at the Lighthouse pub in Allihies tomorrow evening. Mr Watters had resided in the town for a period of time. He also lived in Walkinstown in Dublin. The live stream concluded with a recording of Into the Mystic by Van Morrison. Samudra also sang a song he had written about his father at the service. Mr Watters is survived by his son Samudra, daughter Grace and his three sisters. He was predeceased by the his child Tiger and his parents Maura and Gerald. He is also missed by his nephew Joseph, brothers in law, aunt and uncle and Nilmini the mother of his children. Gardai are appealing for witnesses The M50 has since reopened but long delays are expected Gardai have appealed for witnesses after a motorcyclist was killed on the M50 in Dublin this morning. The man, aged in his 40s, died after his motorbike collided with a lorry at around 10am. Gardai at Blanchardstown are appealing for witnesses following the fatal road traffic collision. Shortly after 10.15 am, gardai and emergency services were alerted to a collision involving a lorry and a motorcycle on the northbound carriageway of the M50 between Junction 7 (N4 Liffey Valley) and Junction 6 (N3 Castleknock). gardai said. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the lorry, a man in his 50s, was taken to hospital for assessment. The crash site was closed to facilitate an examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators while the local coroner has been notified. Arrangements will be made for a post-mortem examination. Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling on the M50 at the time are asked to make footage available to investigating gardai. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Blanchardstown Garda Station on 01 666 7000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. Meanwhile, the M50 has reopened after severe delays for motorists. "The M50 will reopen momentarily and we anticipate traffic will begin to move gradually, gardai said in an update. We understand the frustration but all road traffic collisions must be forensically examined for the purpose of investigation. Please drive safely on your onwards journey, thank you. Traffic in much of the capital is heavy due to the knock-on effect of the M50 closure, with Live Drive reporting the N3, N4, N7, Outer Ring Road, Merrion Road to 3Arena, St John's Road inbound, North Quays and Merrion Square are all very congested. The M50 has since reopened but long delays are expected Earlier, Dublin Airport advised passengers to make their way to the airport ahead of time as a result of delays. Passengers travelling to Dublin Airport are advised of delays on the M50 northbound due to a traffic collision at Junction 6 (Lucan), they said. Diversions are currently in place at the Lucan exits. Please plan your route accordingly and see @GardaTraffic for further updates. In a further update this afternoon, Dublin Airport is advising passengers there is a shortage of taxis given the road closure. As a result of the ongoing closure of the M50 and heavy traffic around Dublin, there is a shortage of taxis at the airport this afternoon. Passengers are advised to consider using one of the many bus routes servicing the airport, a spokesperson said in a statement. Live Drive said: Severe delays of 90 minutes from J10 (Ballymount). Southbound delays of 30 minutes from J4 (Ballymun). Finglas Road collision at Glasnevin causing delays. The M50 account on X said: All lanes have closed N'bound at J7 Lucan due to a serious collision before J6 Blanch. Emergency services are on scene diverting traffic off at J7. Please avoid the area if possible. They didn't know he was serious so they followed him and he had arrived here, intending to attack me or kill me A prominent anti-immigration activist has claimed he was targeted by a man last night who wanted to kill him while he was out canvassing. Malachy Steenson, who is running in the local and European elections as an independent candidate, says he was lucky to escape as gardai had responded immediately. In a statement to the Sunday World, a garda spokesman said they arrested a man as part of a public order incident. In a video posted on X Mr Steenson can be seen outside his constituency office on North Strand Road, Dublin where he says the man was arrested after threatening him. Well today, we saw reports about politicians being intimidated and some of them giving out about shouting, words being said to them, and they're all so upset, he begins the video. This evening, while we were out canvassing in East Wall, approximately 20 minutes ago, a guy arrived at my office, banging down the door, threatening a young nephew (and) threatening to kill me. Mr Steenson claims gardai arrested the man outside his constituency office They had been followed here, they had been stopped earlier by gardai and he said he was on his way to kill me. "They didn't know he was serious so they followed him and he had arrived here, intending to attack me or kill me. Thankfully, the gardai responded immediately and now a man is in custody. Referring to the shooting of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico yesterday. Mr Stenson added: These are the threats that we face in this country for standing up for our people, just like the Prime Minister in Slovakia was shot today because he opposed the European Union agenda. We are going to pay a heavy price in this country for what's happening. This is the beginning. You have a chance to change it on June 7. Gardai said they had no reports of threats being made but there was a public order arrest in North Strand area. Gardai in Mountjoy attended an incident of public order that occurred on Wednesday, May 15, on Leinster Avenue, North Strand, Dublin 3, gardai said. One man, aged in his late 20s, was arrested in relation to the incident. He has since been charged and is due to appear before a sitting of the Criminal Courts of Justice at a later date. Mr Steenson is a solicitor and former election candidate for the Worker's Party, who has been involved in numerous anti-asylum seeker protests but also defended a demonstration outside Leinster House last September that included a mock gallows and portraits of politicians. There had been widespread condemnation after protesters shouted traitors and obscenities at staff and politicians attempting to enter and exit Leinster House. Politicians were blocked from leaving the parliamentary precinct via the Merrion Street entrance while Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae was harassed as he was given a garda escort down Kildare Street. A new intern in his office had her phone stolen. However, Mr Steenson who was one of the speakers at the controversial protest later described it as a relatively minor skirmish. For Healy-Rae to be talking about people roaring and shouting. I've heard far worse things at protests by the left and the NGOs. He added: I have been at hundreds of protests over the years and that was no more volatile and no more hostile than any other one. I have been at protests the left have organised over the years where they've had guillotines. The Healy-Rae thing was wrong but gardai have to take responsibility for what happened." Mr Steenson had called on people to attend the event in a video posted on the Irish Inquiry Telegram that was captioned: See you all at Gangster House tomorrow. Speaking to the Irish Independent, he said that Gangster House was not terminology he would use but defended the right of protesters to shout obscenities and abuse at people coming in and out of Leinster House. I've no problem with the rhetoric being used; I've heard far worse at rallies against us. If gallows are wrong then we should shut down the theatres these are theatrical props, there is no one suggesting these would actually be used, he said. I think those incidents are counter-productive but the fact is this would not have got any coverage otherwise. He described it as a "relatively minor skirmish" and non-event in the overall scheme of things. Steenson is running in the four seater Dublin European Parliament constituency and as a candidate for the North inner city ward in the elections for Dublin City Council. The North inner city ward takes in East Wall where Steenson attended a protest in November 2022 against asylum seekers being housed in a former ESB building. Steenson joined Hermann Kelly who previously worked for former United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage as members of the crowd shouted get them f***ing out at the rally. Speakers also spent a significant amount of time talking about other issues than the East Wall. Steenson, who was a close friend of murdered Real IRA gang boss Alan Ryan, told the crowd he was involved in a culture war. Weve been accused in some media today of being involved in a culture war. We are involved in a culture war, he told the crowd before talking about The Late Late Toy Show. He also criticised a decision to put a tampon machine in the male toilets of the Dail. The political class are so consumed by themselves. Look at what they did this week. They put a machine for tampons in the mens toilets in the Dail on the basis some men have periods. Are there any men here who have periods? He went on to criticise Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald as the crowd shouted traitor and booed. He attacked other political parties, including Labour and the Social Democrats, and including their local Social Democrat TD Gary Gannon. I dont need to say anything about him. I wouldnt fancy him if he was walking through here, he said of Mr Gannon. Look, this is real. Here are 122 named whistleblowers. Send the link to your Governments. A senior advisor to the US Government regarding UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) has said that a catastrophic disclosure regarding the subject may be on the horizon. Dr Steven Greer, founder of the Disclosure Project, claims to advise members of Congress and law enforcement about apparent covert Special Access Programmes (SAPs) which are allegedly being used to cover up the subject. Greer says he is the Senior Adviser for Intelligence and Information for a group of law enforcement officials in Washington who aim to protect military whistle-blowers regarding UFOs. Dr Greer "There is a guy very high up within the covert programme - he said we are going to do catastrophic disclosure. Huge and all at once that will catch the President and Congress flat foot, Dr Greer stated this week. The former emergency doctor has now rushed to make public all the information his group has in order to prepare the public for what he says, is just around the corner. "That is why I rushed to get the archive out - to prepare people for something much bigger which is coming. Lockheed Range underground entrance (dpi archive) The Disclosure Project Intelligence Archive (dpiarchive.com) contains 112 named military testimonies and 600 redacted testimony from military officers regarding UFOs. "Weve got 151 black sites where operations have occurred. This is disclosure and it can be official when they (Congress) gets organized. "This information is so critical and so timely, and we are providing it all to the public. 122 crash retrievals documented, many with named sources, said Dr Greer. "The projects that underlie this are illegal and unconstitutional. We ask people to support with some of the costs so we dont have to use a paywall. We have had to use artists in some of the more recent documented cases. "Some members of Congress dont know these facilities are there. The underground bases. We have the details of where we build and test the man made UAP/UFOs and where (craft) come up from underground. "Send members of your Government- whatever country you are in- a link to the website. Everything they will need is in there. "Look, this is real. Here are 122 named whistle blowers. Not second hand people. The direct people, Dr Greer stated. McDonnell Douglas range test facility (dpi archive) The researcher describes the topic as being as serious as a heart attack, and that there are many senior military sources waiting in the wings to come forward at the right time. "The Senate Intelligence Committee had provided amnesty for high value whistle blowers to not be prosecuted for six months, but much of the teeth of the Disclosure Bill were taken out, Dr Greer continued. "I have people in these covert programmes who are furious. Two members of Congress killed the momentum. "This needs to be investigated. There are people embedded in the system to stop disclosure. Now we know these folks. "People in the covert programmes - very high up - want to come forward. The people in collusion with the cover up need to be called out, Dr Greer claimed. From June 20 onwards, apparently a three letter agency will be involved to provide protection for UFO whistle blowers. "Ive been working with the Goverment to put together a law enforcement effort. "We need serious 24/7 protection for certain high value people who have worked in the Skunkworks (aerospace and technology facility), who have worked in the major corporations, people who managed illegal programmes for DOD (Department of Defence) off budget. I cant say the agency but that protection is in place and effective from June 20. "Its like trying to get information off the mafia who would kill your whole family. This is not a conspiracy. Alleged triangular UAP (dpi archive) "One Chairman of a Fortune 50 corporation who has documents on propulsion system drawings and energy systems, he had a man come to him and tell him they would kill his whole family. "Congress are slow to realize this is true. "Luckily Special Ops know absolutely this is the case. From June 20 this powerful SAP will be active. Its a big game changer that hasnt existed before. It is claimed that the officers on the verge of whistleblowing are doing so at the highest level and that they have information that can change and shock the world over night. Lives are on the line, according to Dr Greer. "Criminal files will be opened on anyone who pulls a dirty trick. Its time to be on the right side of history. Special Forces and law enforcement know how serious this is. "Theres a cell highly operational within the UAP programmes who are organizing to come forward. I met with them ten days ago. "Grusch said people have been killed for coming forward. He said he needed a SCIF (secure compartmental information facility) to talk about this. You dont need a SCIF to discuss criminal activities. "A lot of these people want out- now we can protect them. Guys in the system are turning, its very exciting. We want to do this in a way that doesnt collapse things, Dr Greer added. The doctors comments come just as the Vatican is preparing to release a document giving guidance on how to discern supernatural phenomena. The Vatican Press Office announced the upcoming document will be published May 17 with a live-streamed press conference featuring Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez. Fernandez previously said the church is "in the process of finalizing a new text with clear guidelines and norms for the discernment of apparitions and other phenomena. An "apparition" refers to an instance in which a divine entity such as a saint, the Virgin Mary, or Christ makes itself known. The concept is a recurring theme in the Bible and most Christian denominations affirm the belief that brushes with the supernatural can still occur today in various capacities. A link to the Disclosure Project Intelligence Archive can be found here. The cool Dub wore a pair of shades and relaxed beach wear to the glam screening The actor was back on the red carpet as the movie was launched at the 77th annual Festival in France. The cool Dub wore a pair of shades and relaxed beach wear to the glam screening on May 16. The Saltburn actor (31) headed to Nespresso's event, held at La Nuova Italia, wearing dark sunglasses and joked around as he posed for snaps. While Keoghan was the biggest name in Bird, loud cheers were also offered to his young co-stars, Jason Buda and Jasmine Jobson, according to reports. Barry Keoghan at Cannes Some of the cast, although they may have been on the red carpet outside, were too young to make it into the screening. Barrys latest flick follows Bailey (Nykiya Adams), who lives with her brother Hunter (Jason Buda) and his father Bug (Keoghan), who raises them alone in a squat in northern Kent. Bug doesnt have much time to devote to them. Bailey looks for attention and adventure elsewhere, Keoghan explained. Barry, who recently shook his naked hips in the film Saltburn, said: I dont think I can dance. Im a bad dancer, Oscar-nominated Keoghan said at the press conference afterwards. I think the beauty of dancing on screen is the effort to try. Music plays a big part in everything I do, I know Andrea is hooked on music as well, he said, referencing Bird director Andrea Arnold. The 'Bird' cast Ive been saying this in interviews since 2014, 2015, that I wanted to work with Andrea Arnold. Ive been saying it over and over again and then the opportunity came on this. "I wasnt given a script, I wasnt given anything like that. It shows the confidence I have in her and the belief, the love. "Id do anything she makes. Id sign on to anything because I know Id be fully immersed, Barry added. Arnold said her creative process to screenwriting begins with one image, and in the case of Bird that happened to be of a tall man with a thin penis. There was a mist around him. Didnt know if he was good or bad, or if he was an alien. She didnt say if there was a connection between seeing Keoghans naked shenanigans in Saltburn. I go on this long journey of trying to figure out what the image means, she said. Arnold also said during the press conference that she shot Bird like all of her films, in chronological order. I do think the film is sort of like an adventure, and you dont really know where youre going, she said. On some level, you have to let go and give yourself over to that adventure. The hardest part is when you see them return or go back to the parent or move somewhere else because you become attached to them like your own children, says Verna and George Kite as they sit in their Bethlehem home. George smiles while Verna reminisces. The couple recently recognised by the Governor General for their selfless and tireless five decades of fostering children are talking to Weekend Sun reporter Ayla Yeoman. Last week, The Sun covered how the octogenarians outstanding accomplishments and 56 years contributing to New Zealands foster care system led to them them receiving an Honouring Excellence award at 2024s Excellence in Foster Care Awards in March. This week, part two of their story allows them to share their experiences with children they fostered over the years, while not identifying the individuals. Ive been heartbroken so many times over children and you sort of think, Im not gonna do this again, but then the next one comes up so you do it, says Verna, who has forgotten how many children she and husband George have cared for in their life. The couple, who are 85 and 80, would love to continue to foster children even at their age, but, unfortunately, Georges health isnt up to it. Every story they tell The Sun, they tell with the same amount of enthusiasm sharing memories of the good and the bad, the times they laughed and the times they cried. The professional thief We got short-term children from Hamilton Court whose parents were fighting for custody. They would bring them out to us [at our Waikato farm] and we might have them for a week, three weeks, we might have them for three months, says Verna, who began fostering in 1968. Those children were quite hard because theyd been torn away from their parents and that was really hard, you really felt for them. One boy, aged 15, was 6ft and a professional thief, says George. You could be sitting here and you could put your purse down there and hed take the money out of it and you wouldnt see it, says Verna. He was so good at it. He said to us: The day I started school my older brother and I broke into a house on our way home from school and we stole jewellery, at 5. I said to him: What did your mother do? He said: Oh, she kept the watch, says Verna. I said to him: Well, do you know what I would have done? You wouldve gone straight back to that house and told the people you what youd done and taken the consequences. Verna says the boy ended up stealing something from the college he was attending. ... George took him back the next morning. The boy said it was the hardest thing hes ever done and no one had ever taken the time to show him that attention, to take him back, and to show him what was right or wrong. It was at that moment Verna and George decided they wanted to continue fostering. Its kids like that that you want to help, that want to be helped, says Verna. He was a very bright boy. Last chances The couple say: You never know what the kids going to be like. One boy, aged 7, they fostered had been in trouble before he got to them. He was a gorgeous little kid. Hed been in trouble so many times and this was his last chance, coming to the farm. The boy had to go to court and Verna and George told the boy to be good. Okay Ill be on my best behaviour, the boy would say. He walks into the courtroom and says: Hi George, how are you?. That was the magistrate, says Verna. The magistrate said to the boy: And what did I say if you came back again, to which the boy replied: You dont have to worry. Im with good people. Im on a farm and I love it. Verna says the boy had met the magistrate so many times that, as he walked out of the courtroom, he said: Oh, you wanna come out to the farm? Come out for morning tea, Vernas a good cook. Verna reckons 99 per cent of the children she and George took in came to them with problems. Theyve all got their own problems. When they first arrive wed let them get a feel of the place and wed sit down and tell them our expectations and then we just work from there. Stock photo. Struggle to connect Weve had some really problem children, says Verna, but the couple asked the agencies involved to remove only one child from their care. We had a 16-year-old girl and wed had her for three months and I just couldnt relate to her, says Verna. I said to the officer: I cant relate to her, can you put her somewhere where someone can do her some good? So when she came off the school bus and came in she said: Are you sending me on? and I said: Well, I cant help you. Ive tried but I just cant get through to you, somebody else might be able to? She burst into tears and she said: I love it here. Its the first time Ive felt that Ive been loved. Yet she couldnt relate to us, and she really opened up after that. There just needed to be something to open her up, shed been so badly damaged, says Verna. Then she went on to become a doctor. Grandma and Granddad Verna says some of the kids she and George fostered still keep in contact with them one little boy even calls them Granddad and Grandma. Unfortunately, his fathers family are all alcoholics and drug addicts, and a couple of them are overseas running gangs. When he was very young he had to come here and we had to try and teach the parents how to feed him and how to be parents. We did this twice a week in the morning for two hours. They werent capable of being parents, they were too heavily on drugs and he was taken off them in the end, which was the best thing because hes in a beautiful home now and he is so loved. Angry Verna says a lot of the children were very angry, very verbal and would swear a lot and throw things. We had one little 3-year-old boy that every word that came out of his mouth was a swear word. He was quite a violent little boy. After about three days we sat him on the couch there and we said: Enough and he said: You cant tell me what to do. I replied: If you want to stay here, you dont swear, you dont throw things, you dont hit people. You remember that you are in a home and we want to love you, but we cant love you when you do this. Nobody loves me, said the boy. He was a real hard little one and then one day George was outside doing something and he went out and he says: Can I help you?, and George gave him a broom and he helped, he just wanted to help. In winter wed hang our clothes on a rack out in front there [Verna points out the window at the veranda]. Hed pick the clothes out of the basket and hand them to me and Id put them on, and the same night hed help bring them in, hed take the pegs out and hand them in and wed bring them in and put them on the table and fold them and hed put them in groups because he knew what belonged to what child and put them on their beds. That was the way we got through to him. If any of the other family came to try and help, oh my all hell would break loose. His sister, aged 5, loved to set the table. He said: Can I help? I said: Well thats your sisters job you ask her. Then he was putting the spoons and forks on and he said to me: Can I put the knives on? I said: Well, okay. They put the knives on and he came back and he said You trust me, dont you? He was 3! says Verna. The boy was still in a nappy so they decided to get him out of nappies. The couple went to buy him underwear and he replied: I dont want to wear them. I asked why and he said: Because Im only going to wee them and poo them. Verna helped potty train the boy with rewards every time he went to the toilet. In three days he was solely using the toilet he never wet the bed again. Then when [they] went back to their parents, he went to school in pull-ups. How demoralising is that for a 5-year-old? They just couldnt be bothered. Its the little things that you can do to help them, says Verna. Many at once The boy was one of a group of siblings. They came to us absolutely filthy, the two little ones stank to be honest; it was terrible. It took four lots of bathwater to get them clean. They all had nits. They arrived just after 5[pm] with what they were standing in, nothing else, not even a nappy for the baby. Verna says social service officers acquired clothes for the children while Verna cooked them dinner. They were so badly neglected. We just fell so in love with those children, they were very affectionate. The older children were in primary school, but were way behind in their schooling because theyd missed so many days. The older boy missed 109 days of school in a year. So we went down to school and just said: How can we help these children? They told us what we could do. The older boy was illiterate and he was two years behind his age group. In six months we had him up to his age group. It gave him all the confidence in the world to know that he could go to school and do the work. Be there Verna and George had this family of children for seven months. I think the biggest challenge for us was just letting them tell you what had happened, you just want to fix it, but you couldnt. You had to be there for them. I think that was one of the things that I found hard is that you cant fix it, you can listen, you cant condemn parents, you can just be there and love them. Verna says the children feel nobody wants them, nobody cares, and that theres no future for them. I always say to them: You can be whatever you want to be if you want it bad enough. A lot of the kids used to say to me: Oh, I didnt think I could do that, and its great and their school work picks up. Theyd say: I was always dumb but now look, I got a good mark. The couples aim with their foster children was always tell them they could achieve their dreams but they had to work for it. ... We did that with our children and then our grandchildren. Theyve all achieved it, they just needed something positive behind them telling them they could do it. We need to know the truth about New Zealand history. These are the words of Tauranga Girls College Year 10 student Aaria Tuhakaraina after she and fellow students welcomed and listened to three original Polynesian Panthers talk to their school on Wednesday, May 15. More than 50 years on the Polynesian Panthers forming in 1971 as teenagers, Tigilau Ness, Rev Alexander Toleafoa and Dr Melani Anae are now seeing what they stood for being realised in Aotearoa schools. New curriculum In 2023 Tauranga Girls College Social Science Department introduced and began teaching their students the new Aotearoa New Histories Curriculum. TGC curriculum leader for social science and history teacher Emma Talbot says this curriculum is a significant shift for many kura/schools. We support and honour the teachings of Aotearoa histories and see them as an integral part of the learning for our students, says Emma. We teach these from a historical and geographical perspective. The Polynesian Panthers emerged in the 1970s as a response to racism towards Pacific peoples. As social activists, the Polynesian Panthers were particularly notable in their response to the Dawn Raids government-initiated crackdowns in Auckland against alleged overstayers from the Pacific Islands. In Term 1 this year, TGC introduced a new unit for Year 10s The Dawn Raids after students developed interest when former Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns publicly apologised to Pacific communities in 2021. Part of it Seeing the Aotearoa New Histories Curriculum being taught in schools is absolutely amazing, says Polynesian Panther Tigilau Ness. In our time there was nothing like this. "It was all monocultural Englishvery happy to be alive and be part of it. Polynesian Panther Dr Melani Anae says: Its taken us 50 years to see the fruits of what we stood for. What we fought for many years ago. Were a very young population still and our generations behind us are picking up the stories, says Polynesian Panther, Rev Alexander Toleafoa. The trio were aged 15-16 when they led social activism against the Dawn Raids. I was surprised they were so young, it encourages me to stand up for our rights, says Year 10 student Luisana Afungia. Tauranga Girls College students and staff welcoming the Polynesia Panthers Rev Alexander Toleafoa, Dr Melani Anae and Tigilau Ness to the school on Wednesday, May 15. Photo: John Borren. We need to learn about what we can do if this happens again, says Aaria. It's important to know this stuff. We live here. Its our history, says Year 10 student Jayda Nicholls. Identity and empathy [The curriculum] will give them a strong sense of identity and a relationship to our own stories that have been subsumed by the bigger narratives of the dominant group, says Melani. Theyll just relate to it so much and hopefully itll teach them the importance of education, the importance of history, and the importance of having a Kiwi New Zealand identity that is diverse and covers all the ethnicities that make it up. Emma felt quite emotional to have the panthers speaking to the colleges students. Were seeing the shift that we are making as a new generation who actually want to know this [history]. They want to be informed. They want to learn empathy. "I think that's the biggest thing for us. "Get the story told and do it well, and as authentically as we can. "We dont all come from Pasifika backgrounds, but we share these stories. Surf Life Saving New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand will continue to be able to keep people safe in, on, and around the water following a funding boost of $63.644 million over four years, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. 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. 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. Costs are rising across the board for these largely volunteer-driven organisations. The funding will cover operational expenses for both organisations as well as rescue equipment, facilities and maintenance. The work of close to 4,500 volunteer lifeguards at Surf Life Saving New Zealand provide the public with an incredible service. I want to thank all of those people who help keep Kiwis safe in, on, or around the water for the work that they do each summer. This funding injection will contribute to lifeguard training and gear, beach and coastal safety initiatives, as well as maintaining and upgrading lifesaving club buildings. Coastguard New Zealand rescues over 6,000 people who get into trouble on the water each year and, with demand for their water safety services growing, this funding will ensure they can continue to deliver their essential prevention and rescue services. Funding for Coastguard New Zealand will cover 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. New Zealand has a tragically high drowning toll, and 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, Matt says. 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, Simeon says. SLSNZ Welcomes Funding Boost from the Government Surf Life Saving New Zealand has welcomed a significant boost in funding from the Government, which promises to enhance the support available for its largely volunteer-based surf lifeguards nationwide. The Government announced this morning that it will allocate $44.12million to SLSNZ over the next four years. Surf lifeguards are incredibly passionate about what they do, says Steve Fisher, SLSNZ CEO. Theyre great New Zealanders who often put their lives at risk to help others. Im so pleased the Government has recognised this and acknowledged them as an integral part of New Zealands frontline emergency and protective service. This investment aims to bolster a range of essential activities, including beach and coastal safety initiatives, equipment and patrol vehicles, rebuilding and upgrading of club facilities, and surf lifeguard training. Weve been around for over 110 years, says Steve. However, recently its become increasingly hard for our Surf Life Saving Clubs to keep the lights on. Along with putting in many hours to keep beachgoers safe, theyve also had to find ways to fundraise to support patrols, training programmes, and operational costs. This funding will come as a welcome relief. SLSNZ represents 74 Surf Life Saving Clubs, over 18,000 members, including more than 4,500 surf lifeguards who, during the summer months, patrol over 90 beaches, from Northland to Southland. It also provides emergency search and rescue services, coastal safety assessments, public education, member education, training and leadership development. LLP Web20 A Tauranga developer is concerned that proposed planning rules to increase building heights in Mount Maunganui wont create affordable homes. Tauranga City Council is proposing to raise the allowable building heights in Mount Maunganui North as part of Plan Change 33. Heights of six storeys were proposed in the shopping area and within 400 metres of it, then four storeys between 400-800m of the shops. A decision on the plan change will be made at Mondays council meeting. The plan change is in response to the Governments medium-density residential standards (MDRS) that allows for greater intensification in urban areas. Classic Group director Peter Cooney says the primary role of the MDRS was to create more availability for housing and more affordability. You will not create affordability, especially in Mount North, just because the cost of the land so expensive and to go vertical is extremely expensive. The proposed heights would create holiday homes or properties for people that could afford homes that cost over $1m. Classic Group director Peter Cooney said building apartments would not create affordable housing. Photo: George Novak / Bay of Plenty Times. He says construction costs in New Zealand were out of kilter with the rest of the word so building vertically was challenging. "As soon as you go above three levels, the construction changes and it's horrendously expensive." A lot of developers wouldn't take that risk especially in the current economic climate, he says. "You'll see very little apartment building going on in the Bay of Plenty for the next five to seven years." An independent hearing panel released its recommendations on the plan change recently after hearings were held in July and October 2023. For Mount Maunganui north it recommended keeping the building height restrictions as they were currently. But the MDRS would still apply to some areas of the suburb that enabled buildings up to three storeys without needing resource consent. This was in response to submitters concerns around traffic congestion, air pollution and a lack of infrastructure. An independent hearing panel has recommended keeping building heights the same around the Mount Maunganui shops. Photo: SunLive. Also, that greater building heights and intensification would impact the unique character of the area. Increasing the permitted height within the area [Mount Maunganui North] will not maintain the existing character and amenity of the area, the panels decision said. Cooney says the panels recommendation was common sense. Having lived in the Mount all his life Cooney says his views werent about NIMBYism (not in my back yard). As a developer he was all for intensification, but you had to pick a location that suited, he says. Solutions were needed for infrastructure, congestion, and air pollution from nearby industry before planning rules were applied carte blanche, says Cooney. You must put the horse before the cart, in this case, they've got the cart before the horse. You must resolve those issues and have a game plan to solve those issues. "It is all about urban good urban outcomes." Mount Matters Residents Group spokesperson Barry Brown. Photo: Alisha Evans/SunLive. Barry Brown, of the Mount Matters Residents Group, agreed the panels recommendations were common sense. Common sense and good planning have prevailed with the Panel recommending that heights in Mount North should remain as originally notified, he said in a statement. When Plan Change 33 was notified in August 2022 the council originally proposed to keep the Mount Maunganui building heights the same but apply the MDRS. This changed in August 2023 after some submissions requested greater heights. In response to Cooneys concerns, a council spokesperson said they wouldnt be commenting ahead of Mondays meeting. Permitted buildings heights are set to change across the city under the plan change. Building heights between four and six storeys would be enabled in areas within five to 10 minutes walk of some of the citys commercial centres including Bayfair in Mount Maunganui and Papamoa Plaza. Building heights of eight storeys would be allowed along Cameron Road in the Te Papa peninsula. In the city centre, buildings up to 13 storeys could be built and eight storey buildings would be permitted within 1500m of the CBD. Six of the panels recommendations do not align with councils recommendations under the plan change. The commission will decide whether to accept the panels recommendations on Monday May 20. If the recommendations are not accepted, they will be referred to the housing minister for a decision, which cannot be appealed. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Angel Mengibar Friday, 17 May 2024, 11:26 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads Jose had everything ready to fly to Melilla from Granada. Plane ticket, luggage? Check. In fact, he had pretty much everything to spend a weekend visiting this Spanish city in North Africa where his wife was stationed for work. Everything except the boarding pass, which he had hoped to obtain and print out a few days before take-off. He never got it. Not even at the Iberia desk in the airport. It is this airline that he has been fighting with in court for the past seven years over an alleged overcharge of 55 euros. The airline had been condemned in court for this oversight and yet it has never faced any punishment for failing to pay out. This resident of Granada city bought an advance plane ticket online to Melilla for 115 euros. He was to fly in August 2016 from Federico Garcia Lorca Granada-Jaen airport. He tried to obtain his boarding pass through the Iberia app, but his ticket did not appear in his account. Neither could airline staff at the airport find it on the day of departure. A computer error during the purchase process had prevented him from checking in and being charged. Yet Jose had received confirmation of a successful purchase. The only solution to solve the problem and still be able to fly to Melilla was to buy a new ticket and report the error. This is what the customer from Granada did, who then had to pay 170 euros to board. A difference of 55 euros compared to the first ticket that he thought he had purchased, leaving this customer outraged and hence he chose to complain. "Iberia ignored me. I contacted them again in November, but in January they refused my refund request. In the end I decided to appeal to Consumer Affairs and the Spanish Aviation Safety Agency, but they ignored the matter. I decided to go to court to defend my rights," Jose Moreno himself explains to Granada newspaper IDEAL. "I'm not doing it for money, I'm doing it to defend my rights as a consumer" Jose filed a formal complaint in February 2017 against the airline for alleged overcharging with the court at Santa Fe in Granada and another in 2018 with the Juzgado de Paz (Justice of the Peace) in Chauchina, the town where the airport and Iberia's Granada office are located. The airline made no response. It did not even attend a conciliation meeting organised by the Chauchina court in March 2019. Its non-appearance led to a trial in 2020, which ruled in favour of the plaintiff. Four years later, Jose still has no news about his compensation. "Iberia has ignored the ruling against the airline. I call the company and they refer me to an incident resolution section. Neither do the courts have the power to seize the amount stated as owing to me in their own judgement. Neither the one in Chauchina nor the one in Santa Fe can do anything," he explains. Far from throwing in the towel, Jose has reported the case to Facua (a consumer organisation) and has filed a complaint with the General Council of the Judiciary. "The indifference of the judiciary leaves me completely unprotected. I don't think I will get my money back, but my case has to be known. The big companies do not care about the small problems of the consumer. Maybe they don't even get the court orders," he adds. A fight worth more than 300 euros Jose is fighting hard for his 55 euros. In the process, he himself claims to have spent more than 300 euros. His cause goes beyond money. "The 55 euros are the least of it. I am doing this to assert my rights as a consumer. I am sure that many other people have similar problems when travelling. We have to stand up for ourselves. I intend to go all the way," he concludes, saying that his next move will be to go to the Supreme Court. This newspaper has contacted the airline for its version of what happened. So far no response has been received. Francisco Grinan Friday, 17 May 2024, 20:28 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads She is often described as a photographer. If she is remembered at all. In reality the long-forgotten Gerda Grepp was also a journalist. So, when she embarked on her mission to tell the world about the civil war happening in Spain, she wangled a camera for herself so her reports could be imprinted in the memory of her readers. This Norwegian correspondent was the last journalist to leave Malaga before its fall in February 1937 and one of the few to tell us how it was on the front. Her fondness for wearing trousers, which left many soldiers open-mouthed, was a symbol of her expression of freedom - this indomitable and, paradoxically, near-invisible woman. Her biography, written by countrywoman Elisabeth Vislie in Norwegian - Ved fronten (On the Frontline) - has now been published in Spanish by Malaga's Plankton Press and will be presented in Liberia Rayuela on 21 May. "A woman in long trousers! Something so strange that the militias in the mountains of Malaga had never seen such a thing before," Grepp wrote in 1937 in one of her letters sent home, family correspondence that was uncovered by Vislie's book. "It was not so strange at the time and less of a rarity if you were at the front, but many of those militiamen from the Alfarnate front, country folk, had never seen a woman wearing trousers," says Grepp expert, Enrique Benitez. It was Benitez who wrote the preface to the Spanish edition - En el Frente. Gerda Grepp y la Guerra Civil Espanola, (On the Frontline. Gerda Grepp and the Spanish Civil War). Zoom Malaga 1937. Children photographed by the journalist before the fall of the city. Gerda Grepp/ ARCHIVO ARBEIDERBEVEGELSEN BIOGRAPHY Title En el frente. Gerda Grepp y la Guerra Civil Espanola Author Elisabeth Vislie. Publisher Plankton Press 288 pages Price 19.90 euros. Malaga launch with author (in Spanish): Liberia Rayuela, Calle Carcer 1, 21 May, 6.30pm Benitez claims this woman was "part of the history of Spain." Not only was this journalist the last to leave Malaga, but also last to leave Bilbao when the Republicans lost that city too. She also covered reporting on the Madrid front. Yet she fell into complete oblivion, even in her own country, despite the fact that the journalist, spy and writer Arthur Koestler wrote of her work in his memoirs. Some written accounts that Elizabeth Vislie found when investigating Grepp's life and work convinced her that Grepp, the war correspondent, should be regarded as a fundamental character of the 20th century: "The story of Gerda Grepp is the history of the press, the history of Spain and the history of women." Ideologically committed to social democracy, Grepp lived in a time when journalism was seen as another player wrapped up in the conflict. For this reason, the journalist "travelled to where the lines were being drawn in the sand, to the trenches of the war in Spain, to report, no matter what the cost," says her biographer about Gerda's idealism, who put her fight for democracy and against another world war far ahead of her own fragile health and private life. "Although she had TB and only one lung, and despite leaving two children at home in Norway, she did not allow herself to be intimidated," says Vislie, whose book focuses on Grepp's trip with Koestler to Malaga and their forays to the main fronts in the province: Alfarnate and Marbella. Grepp, always in trousers, camera in hand. This is how she was portrayed by Malaga film director Jose Antonio Hergueta in the recent Goya-nominated documentary: Caleta Palace. The children of Malaga Upon arriving in Malaga, Grepp was already aware that the republican forces had stopped supplying weapons and that there was a lack of control along the frontline. She then turned up to an event being covered by the writer Andre Malraux: the last raid of the battered and weakened republican fighter squadron as it tried to protect the retreat from Malaga along the road to Almeria. As Benitez explains: "She wanted to be where the action was but she also realised that the bombings of the rear guard and the suffering of the general population were not being covered so, when she reached Malaga, she took photos of the children and spoke to people whose lives were now at risk." These were the people that she took great care to portray in her series of reports on the war front: 10 Days in a Dying Malaga'. However, the republic did not make it easy for Gerda, only allowing her to publish her account as though from still in the city because their censorship was embargoing all information about the fall of Malaga. Despite that difficulty and the imbalance in the fighting there, Grepp avoided pointing a critical finger at the republican government's abandonment of the city and turned her attention to the population - the soldiers, the women, those there to help, and the children. Her intention was not to get bogged down in debates on the risks of different democracies and promoting anti-fascist propaganda. Despite being the last reporter to leave Malaga, she confessed in a letter that "one feels a real coward leaving behind a city in which so many are going to die". While in the trenches at Malaga, this journalist saw the writing on the wall for the tragedy that was to unfold during the exodus to Almeria. After her departure in February 1937, Grepp continued reporting until the end of the Spanish conflict, although her fragile health began to suffer and she ended up dying of TB in 1940 in German-occupied Norway, at the dawn of a world war that she could not prevent. "If she had not committed herself to her work, she probably would not have died so soon," muses Benitez about this sensitive, trouser-clad woman, a feminist and pioneer who, paradoxically, fell into oblivion with her premature death. Nevertheless, like so many unnoticed people, it is her work that has ended up pulling her out of invisibility, reserving a well-deserved place for her in history. Alekk M. Saanders Friday, 17 May 2024, 14:43 | Updated 15:58h. Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads Bjoerg Jahren Andersson left her homeland, Norway, in the 1970s. Since then she has lived in Sweden and now is enjoying life in Spain, although she pften goes to Norway to celebrate Constitution Day, the biggest national holiday in Norway. Celebrations in Bjoerg's hometown. From Bjoerg's archive. We call it simply Syttende Mai (which means 'Seventeenth of May'). This bank holiday marks the anniversary of the country's constitution, which was signed in 1814. It is a fun holiday for everyone, for people of all ages. Processions, people dressed in bunads (traditional folk costumes), and lots and lots of ice cream... Celebrating this day is a time for Norwegians to come together and express their pride in their country's rich history and culture. I especially like the so-called 'barnetoget' (children's parades), which first took place in 1870, Bjoerg told SUR in English. Officially, '17 May' has been celebrated in Norway since 1829. A break in the celebration occurred in the last century when Norway was occupied by Hitler's army. During the Second World War it was forbidden to participate in the parade on 17 May or to wear the colours of the Norwegian flag. After liberation on 8 May, 1945, the flag became an even stronger symbol of Norway's freedom and reinforced our desire to preserve our national identity. I was born just after the war. I remember the enthusiasm with which my parents celebrated this holiday. My generation also loves the 17 May. The secret of its popularity among all Norwegians lies in genuine feelings. The sincere pride comes from the depth of each citizen's soul. In my opinion, the idea of any holiday should come from people, not politicians. Take our neighbours for example. The established National Day in Sweden was received by the Swedes without much enthusiasm, Bjoerg said. "The secret of the 17 May popularity among all Norwegians lies in genuine feelings. The sincere pride comes from the depth of each citizen's soul" Bjoerg Jahren Andersson Bjoerg Jahren Andersson has a close connection with Sweden and the Swedes. She moved to Gothenburg in the 70s and started working in children's care. Soon she met her future husband Frank. In Sweden's cultural city, Bjoerg developed her talent as an actress and started performing in theatre. In 1996, the couple discovered Nerja as a holiday destination. Six years of constant visits passed until in 2012 the couple decided to buy a flat in the centre of Nerja. This moment coincided with Bjoerg's retirement. Most people work hard to let themselves relax in retirement. That's fine, but... Very often relaxation is understood to mean non-doing, a period of no obligations or activities. But I know that just relaxing and a boring routine is not for me at all, and especially here, on the Costa del Sol where you can do so much more, Bjoerg explained. Nerja has become a very inspiring place for Bjoerg because of the weather with almost daily sunshine and also the reasonable prices. She appreciates the pleasant atmosphere that is created here not only by the locals but also by foreigners. In Nerja, Bjoerg immediately felt part of something international. She found other Norwegian nationals in the AHN (Asociacion Hispano-Nordica), a Spanish-Nordic society that promotes mutual understanding and knowledge of Spanish and Scandinavian cultures. In every sentence, Bjoerg emphasises that she has found complete satisfaction in her life since her retirement. My husband soon became president of the AHN society. I supported him as usual, as my name actually dictates, she laughs (Bjoerg means 'support' in Norwegian). Personally, I have taken a creative direction - singing in the choir, playing in the theatre, participating in the film club, going on excursions and taking part in cultural events... Every day in Nerja is about devoting myself to hobbies and interests, to relaxation and pleasure. Sometimes I wish I could have a nine-day week! I want to learn and perhaps catch up on things I have not been able to do earlier in my life. Speaking Spanish well is still my goal. Friends from Sweden and Norway are interested in what we do in Nerja, how we pass the time. They think we live like tourists, but we have a fantastic, busy life here! We are very grateful for that, said Bjoerg. "On the Costa del Sol we have a fantastic, busy life. We are very grateful for that..." Bjoerg Jahren Andersson Bjoerg can be found on the beach around 8am, where she takes kilometre-long walks, and later she enthusiastically competes in games of petanque. This helps her to start the day actively, keep fit and be happy. Incidentally, the longest-running study of human happiness has shown that what makes us happiest in life are relationships and positive social connections. Bjoerg in Nerja is well connected and has also learnt how to pass on the happiness to others. Zoom Celebration in Benalmadena. A.M.S. I am the master of ceremonies for couples from Scandinavia. It gives me joy to entertain people. This makes me happy too. This year, a Swedish wedding will take place here in Nerja on 6 June. That means that I will have to postpone the summer trip to Scandinavia, which we usually start in mid-May. Although... on the bright side, I'll have the opportunity to enjoy San Isidro, one of my favourite holidays. Compared to other Spanish holidays, it's a celebration of joy. More often than not, they are religious and sad. On 17 May I am going to Benalmadena, where the Norwegian school is located, and where they traditionally have children's parades. It's just a pity I don't have my bunad with me, but I'll be proud to wave the Norwegian flag, said Bjoerg. Matias Stuber Friday, 17 May 2024, 15:44 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads A group of young people form a long queue at the entrance to the congress centre in Malaga. It is half past eight in the morning and their faces reflect a mixture of tiredness and nerves. Greetings and shy laughter are exchanged. These young people sense the opportunity that is opening up to them over the next three days and they want to be up to the task. The group is made up of 50 people who have been previously selected from more than 300 who also aspired to be where they are now. After the accreditation process, the young people enter one of the conference rooms at the centre, where several heads of the human resources department of the leading companies in Malaga are waiting for them. Thousands of students leave university every year. Only a few of them manage to get a job that is related to what they have studied. These youngsters many be among those to succeed because what is being held this week is the fourth TalentLab Malaga, the SUR and ESIC-EIG project that connects the university with the world of employment. A bridge to achieve one of the most complicated and decisive steps in this vital process, bringing together, once again, the most cutting-edge companies and talent. The initiative aims to detect talent, understand the dynamics of the workplace, see how to face a selection process or even start the aforementioned professional career. With four editions behind it, the legacy of TalentLab Malaga is already reflected in personified examples. Students who previously passed through here are now part the workforce of the companies they once 'connected' with. From Wednesday to Friday, during intense morning and afternoon sessions, there has been an intense programme of workshops, talks and group activities organised by professionals who know what companies are looking for when they decide to recruit new employees. This year the participating companies are the following: FMIT Group, Grupo MEI, Airzone, EY GDS Spain, Hidralia, Leroy Merlin, EMT, Sinerba, Torcal Formacion and CaixaBank. In addition, TalentLab Malaga is once again supported by Ikea and Malaga city council. The assesment process, which includes a final selection of the participants who took part in this edition, was carried out by Betancourt. The young people were welcomed by the editor-in chief of SUR, Manolo Castillo; Mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre; the director of Marketing ESIC-EIG Director Campus Malaga, Fernando Martin; the director of communication and institutional relations of Ikea Spain, Laura Ruiz de Galarreta; and the partner-director of Betancourt, Mara de Montserrat. Zoom Welcome talk to the young people participating in this TalentLab Malaga. Salvador Salas All agreed on the importance of attitude. An attribute that marks the true differentiating factor in an ever-changing world of work, but in which the curriculum itself is increasingly losing its weight. "We are not looking for CVs, we are looking for people who identify with our values. At Ikea we want to improve people's daily lives," De Galarreta explained. Castillo also stressed the need to "be a good person" and to know how to "play in a team". Selfishness, he suggested, may be useful for one-off success, but it is not compatible with a professional career in the medium and long term. De la Torre, who made a point of greeting almost all the participants one by one, highlighted the value of TalentLab Malaga for a city that yearns to retain its best and avoid brain drain. "I want to express my gratitude for the companies that participate and make this possible. This is a direct connection between the business world and education. TalentLab Malaga is an intense but practical way to achieve this. In three days you are going to do an intensive course," he said. Antonio Contreras Friday, 17 May 2024, 15:06 | Updated 20:58h. Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads This plant is the real protagonist during the month of May and the first fortnight of June. Although it is common for this species to start flowering in April, the temperatures, drought and subsequent rains of the last few weeks have led to an untimely flowering. The jacaranda tree begins to sprout and spread its flowers all over the urban landscape, leaving postcard-worthy images. But not everything is rosy (or violet, in this case), because the tree has its virtues beyond beauty, but also brings with it some problems. We have made a list of the pros and cons of having this kind of plant scattered across the city, so you can make an informed choice about whether to declare yourself a true fan or whether you like it, but prefer it in the parks than on your doorstep. Disadvantages The picture is beautiful, yes, but have you taken a closer look? The flowers that fall end up drying out as the days go by, and their image completely changes: the lilac gives way to a dull, blackish colour. The dried the ones mix with those that have been stepped on by passers-by, completely transforming their original appearance. But this is the least of it. The biggest issue is the dirt they generate. When in season, jacarandas shed a multitude of leaves, flowers and all kinds of traces from their branches and foliage, staining pavements, street furniture and vehicles parked in the shade. The fallen flowers are then attacked by aphids, which release a kind of sticky sap that becomes embedded in the bodywork and windows of cars, pavement slabs, bins, among others. This happens to such an extent that during flowering season, the municipal cleaning company Limasam sends out a team of twelve high pressure street washing units to keep the neighbourhoods clean. The town hall says that they are aware of the inconvenience that this tree species causes for citizens, which is why they have not been planted in public since 2015. Zoom Jacarandas in the Jardin de los Monos. A. C. Benefits But it is not all bad - this imported species (because although the jacaranda abounds in Malaga, it is not native to it; it originates in Brazil) also offers a series of advantages. The jacaranda is one of the most CO2 absorbing species of tree and therefore really cleans the city air. In fact, each of the 6,500 jacaranda trees planted in Malaga can absorb up to one tonne of carbon dioxide per year. Consequently, this means the removal of up to 6,500 tonnes of CO2 in our atmosphere, which considerably improves the quality of the air that enters our lungs. According to the study 'Natural CO2 sinks' by the University of Seville, a 100-metre-long avenue with ten jacarandas would absorb the gases emitted by 1,400 cars, on average. And finally, let's remind ourselves of those postcard images. Plaza de La Merced, the Jardin de los Monos, Plaza de Capuchinos and many other corners of Malaga offer an image tinged with purple, worthy of being photographed and kept in our memory. Julio Cesar Rico Burgos Friday, 17 May 2024, 13:02 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads The nuns from the Poor Clares convent of Belorado and Orduna (Vizcaya province) are on the verge of completing a schism similar to the rift provoked by the infamous case of the sect set up by Clemente de Palmar de Troya in 2021, who took over a church in Utrera (Seville) and declared himself Pope. The abbess of the Belorado convent, Sister Isabel de la Trinidad, has disassociated her community in Burgos and that of Orduna from the Catholic Church to continue following Pablo de Rojas, a former priest who was excommunicated in Bilbao by the now Archbishop of Burgos, Mario Iceta. Events came to a head last Monday evening at 6pm, when the scheduled mass was celebrated by an unknown person, a certain Jose, who was sent to the Belorado community by Pablo de Rojas. With the schism (official separation from the church) being consummated, the nuns of Belorado risk excommunication, like the aforementioned Pablo de Rojas. The split involves a number of different, questionable matters that are ongoing. In the middle it all is an unsuccessful purchase of the order's convent in Orduna for 1.2 million euros in October 2020, which was to be paid for in half-yearly instalments of 75,000 euros. Those payments were never made as the Vatican had blocked the sale of another abandoned property that would have funded the purchase. Furthermore, the Belorado nuns, in a five-page open letter signed by Sister Isabel de la Trinidad, renounced the Catholic Church in Rome. Then they consecrated themselves to the religious jurisdiction of Pablo de Rojas Sanchez-Franco, who in turn claims to have been ordained as a priest by the former Jesuit Derrek Schell, a consecrated bishop involved in the Palmar de Troya case. The plot thickens as these two sets of circumstances seem to have a lot of crossover between them. Add to that the fact that Sister Isabel de la Trinidad is canonically ineligible to stand for re-election as abbess by mandate of the order's rules and begs the question as to her personal motives for the schism. The archbishop of Burgos, Mario Iceta, said at a recent press conference that the abbess had not contacted him at all, and that he was forced to turn to the parish priest of Belorado, Angel Santamaria, for an explanation. The only thing he managed to find out prior to the event was that "a certain Don Jose" would officiate at the mass where the schism was announced last Monday. In view of this situation, Iceta has urged the faithful "to abstain from participating in any liturgical act" that takes place in the monastery of Santa Clara de Belorado and in the monastery of Orduna. Who is Pablo de Rojas? Zoom Behind all this intrigue there is some truth, albeit a strange, somewhat complicated truth. When Mario Iceta was bishop of Bilbao, he was instructed by the Holy See (the Vatican) to excommunicate Pablo de Rojas. From Bilbao, this man was known for being both outlandish and withdrawn while in training at the seminary. He was ordained a bishop and joined the Pious Union of St. Paul the Apostle as "the only true church of Christ". He refers to the Church of Rome as "the sect of the cabal". It is more the open letter, composed like a manifesto and supposedly written by Isabel de la Trinidad, that sets out in detail the whole sectarian doctrine of Pablo de Rojas. Could the root of the Belorado problem be Rojas' revenge against Iceta? This is something that is not known with any certainty. What it certainly is at present is another scene in this unfolding drama that has the nuns of Belorado made to be supporting actors. Pinckney Hugo Group, a full-service marketing communications firm, has hired Theresa Scalisi, of North Syracuse, as office coordinator. >> Send us your companys news about People in Motion Before joining Pinckney Hugo Group, Scalisi was an administrative assistant at SRC Inc. Prior to that, she worked in similar capacities at other organizations in Central New York, including as office administrator and billing specialist at Back to the Future Chiropractic. She has an associates degree from Onondaga Community College. By Erin Edgemon, Las Vegas Review-Journal Southwest Airlines is launching a new non-stop service from Las Vegas to Rochester, New York. The service, which will begin Oct. 3, will be offered four times per week to start, according to an announcement from the county executive of Monroe County, New York. The service will be the first non-stop air service from Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport since 2008. We continue revising our published flight schedule based on an updated expectation of new aircraft to be delivered into our fleet, a Southwest spokesperson said via email. In addition to slight tweaks to current flights within our network, the schedule modifications brought an opportunity to support travel demand between certain markets such as Rochester and Las Vegas. Last month, Southwest announced plans to pull out of Syracuse this summer, blaming Boeing production problems. According to Monroe County, Rochester is the largest unserved domestic market for Las Vegas. The four-times-per-week service will add more than 700 seats weekly from Rochester to Las Vegas on Southwests 175-seat 737-8. With around 270 daily flights to 66 destinations, Southwest Airlines is the largest air service carrier operating out of Las Vegas. 2024 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Visit reviewjournal.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Syracuse, N.Y. A man plead guilty Wednesday to drug trafficking crimes after the agents found cocaine, gun magazines, ammunition, fentanyl and $15,000 in his Clay home in February. Mario Leslie, 32, plead guilty to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, according to court documents filed in United States District Court for the Northern District of New York. On Feb. 6, Drug Enforcement Administration agents searched two of Leslies cars and his home at Spruce Tree Circle F 2 in Clay, according to the court documents. Inside the home and cars, they found 151 grams, or 5.2 ounces of fentanyl and $15,215, the court documents said. Update Friday evening: State police have identified the man as John M. Barr, 58, of Rensselaer Falls. His cause of death is pending histology and toxicology reports, police said. Original article Canton, N.Y. A man was found dead inside his home in St. Lawrence County Thursday by New York State Police. Troopers were called to the home on Heuvelton Street in the town of Canton for a welfare check, Brent M. Davison, a spokesperson for the State Police, said on Thursday. An autopsy will be performed at Glens Falls Hospital Friday to determine the cause and manner of death. Troopers are investigating the mans death and are asking from help from neighbors, Davison said. They ask anyone who lives on the street to check their security cameras for any suspicious activity within the last month, he said. Troopers ask anyone with information regarding the death to call the State Police at 315-379-0012. 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. Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune (TNS) If you have never met a real spy in person and who has? you nevertheless carry an image of a spy in your mind and it may be that of James Bond, Napoleon Solo, Jason Bourne, George Smiley or maybe some combination of those and others. There are a lot of fictional spies but none of them can prepare you for Dave Rupert, the compelling real-life centerpiece of a 12-part podcast series called Underbelly: The Rebel Kind, currently unfolding on various platforms. New episodes come every Wednesday, each roughly an hour in length. I certainly dont want to spoil any of the edge-of-your-chair excitement of this tale, and though I was not an enthusiastic podcast fan until this show, I will do my best to get you to plug into this audio marvel without giving away many of the details that will keep you hooked. >> Podcast suggestion: Firecracker, a syracuse.com documentary about the investigation of Carol Ryans cold case In addition to having no experience with espionage and without political or religious affiliation, Rupert was not exactly the blend-into-the-wallpaper type. He was a giant, standing 6 feet, 7 inches, tall and weighing 350 pounds, give or take. Still, he would become one of the most successful spies in FBI history. It was he who in the late 1990s was responsible for infiltrating and taking down the Real Irish Republican Army, a particularly violent faction of the IRA, and its most notorious terrorist, Michael Mickey McKevitt, convicted of directing terrorism in a 2003 trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison. You will learn of Ruperts childhood in Upstate New York (hes from Madrid in St. Lawrence County); his checkered career; legal and financial troubles and about the night he walked into an Irish bar in Florida. There he met a woman who would take him on trips to Ireland, which he loved and where he met all manner of companionable people, many of whom were in the dangerous business of creating trouble and terror. At one point he was here, running a trucking company in South Holland, when in walked an FBI agent and, based solely on a photo he had of Rupert with an IRA operative in an Irish pub, recruited him to become a spy. No training, no spy skills but with a certain adventurous streak, Rupert accepted and for the next seven or so years climbed deeper into the IRA and, with the FBI buying him a pub in Ireland, began providing information not only to the FBI but MI5, the British intelligence service. When his work was done and never one to pass up an opportunity, Rupert thought there might be a book in his adventures. He contacted then-Chicago Tribune reporter Flynn McRoberts who, with Abdon Pallasch of the Chicago Sun-Times, began to interview and research Rupert. McRoberts had to pull out of the project due to other professional commitments and an eventual job with Bloomberg News. Pallasch then teamed with colleague and friend Bob Herguth. They turned on a tape recorder for hours and hours. But for reasons you will learn when you listen to the podcast, the book deal never came to fruition. They were sued to give up the tapes of their Rupert interviews and soon enough Pallasch and Herguth went back to separate careers. Herguth, a long-time investigative reporter with the Sun-Times, focuses on many subjects, including police corruption, organized crime and government accountability, as well as religion. Pallasch was a reporter for the Sun-Times, where he covered a young Barack Obama and co-wrote (with Jim DeRogatis) the stories that paved R. Kellys road to prison. He left the newspaper business to work in government, where he is now communications director for the Illinois Office of Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Rupert faded into a colorful memory until about three years ago when Herguth was contacted by a producer with an outfit called Entropy Media. They discussed various ideas. The producer was sparked by Rupert and the seeds of this podcast were planted. Entropy is the creation of a former Chicagoan, Anjay Nagpal, who attended Fenwick High School before going off to become a Hollywood movie producer. With Entropy he began to make podcasts. The first was Underbelly: Brokers, Bagmen, and Moles based on wild tales from the 1980s Chicago trading floors and an FBI undercover sting operation against alleged broker fraud. Pallasch and Herguth began working on this project more than two years ago. It took us to Ireland and elsewhere, says Herguth. We were knocking on doors, doing some original reporting. This is a podcast of the most compelling kind, produced by Dalton Main. What makes it valuable beyond its edge-of-the-seat, thriller-like qualities is its substance and breadth. Its a layered story, employing the voices of scholars and other enlightening folks. There is music, the history of Ireland, the Troubles and Chicagos deep and often dark connections to Ireland. Some thoughtful portions deal with the complex political and emotional issues at play, the personal costs of conflict and betrayal. Its an exciting story but a human one too. Pallasch and Herguth, from a script written in collaboration with others, sound polished, professional. They made us sound better than we actually sound, said Pallasch. He and Herguth are pleased. I really think this podcast is better than any book might have been, says Pallasch. There are so many layers to get, making for a powerful narrative. Rupert isnt saying a word. His work earned him the FBIs Lou Peters Award in 2013 and millions of dollars too and he now lives someplace in the United States. One hopes he has a quiet life, out of harms reach. Rick Kogan is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune. 2024 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Platinum-selling artist Richard Marx is returning to Central New York for a summer concert. Marx will perform Aug. 29 at the Rome Capitol Theatre in Rome, N.Y. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.; music starts at 7. The criminal case against Donald Trump began on April 15 in New York State Supreme Courtroom in Manhattan. This marked the first time in in American history that a former president has faced criminal charges. Since then, the eyes of the nation have been fixed on this unprecedented occurrence, loaded with salacious details and language about corruption, where a polarizing, braggadocious former Republican President sits in the defendants chair. While the criminal charges are a first for the country, the trial and the scene surrounding it is not. On April 19, 1915, almost exactly 109 years prior to the day that Trumps trial began, Theodore Roosevelt walked briskly down State Street flanked by two of his attorneys, W.H. Van Benschoten and Stewart Hancock, headed for the entrance to Syracuses magnificent County Courthouse. Dozens of reporters from across the country lined the streets along with crowds of Syracusans who hoped to catch a glimpse of the hero of San Juan Hill and the father of the Square Deal. - President Theodore Roosevelt on the witness stand of Justice Andrews' third-floor courtroom of the Onondaga County Courthouse. The chair he sat in is on public display in the courthouse. Onondaga Historical AssociationOnondaga Historical Association Barricades were built inside the courthouse to control the expected crowds. Perhaps the New York Sun said it best, to Syracuse lead avenues from far and wide. The big Bull Moose again is loose and is in his stride. There, in Onondaga Countys great marble temple of justice, the 56-year-old former President and Governor of New York was to stand trial in a $50,000 libel suit brought by his longtime political nemesis, publisher of the Albany Evening Journal and political machine boss, William Barnes. Though both men came from well-heeled, aristocratic backgrounds and were Republicans, they had battled one another for nearly two decades over control of the Grand Old Party in the Empire State. Barnes, whose grandfather Thurlow Weed, the noted publisher who was instrumental in the formation of the Republican party in the 1850s and ruled the New York Republican Party as State Chairman for years, representing the old-line conservative wing of the party. Roosevelt, famously, had taken a populist turn, becoming a champion of progressive policies that expanded the federal governments scope of authority during his two terms in office. In 1904, he won re-election becoming the first candidate to amass over 300 electoral votes, carrying every state outside of the infamous Solid South, which was controlled by the Democratic Party until 1968. Heeding the example of George Washington, Roosevelt stepped aside in 1908, having served nearly two full terms. Yet, the Bull Moose had a very hard time in the political wilderness. He took umbrage with the administration of William Howard Taft, his handpicked successor, and by 1912 he was ready to enter the political arena and retake the Oval Office. Enter William Barnes. Loathe to see his long-time rival back in White House, Barnes used his considerable talents as a political operative and master of machinations and back room deals to stymie Roosevelts nomination at the Republican Convention in Chicago, where Barnes was a major force in the nomination of Taft. Outmaneuvered by Barnes and the conservative wing of the party, Roosevelt seethed. Driven by a bruised ego and a strong belief that the American people still supported him, Roosevelt formed his own third party, the Progressive Party. Despite his combination of hubris and optimism, Roosevelts attempt failed. His Bull Moose party split the Republican vote and gave the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson, the Presidency. Barnes outflanked Roosevelt again in the governors race in 1914. In his fury, Roosevelt issued a press release decrying machine politics and stating that the state government is rotten throughout. Bosses like Barnes, Roosevelt charged, secure the appointment to office of the evil men whose activities so deeply taint and discredit our whole governmental system. Going even further and speaking to the prevailing sentiments of many Americans during this great age of electoral reform (the 17th Amendment finally ushered in the popular election of U.S. Senators in 1912) Roosevelt asserted that these bosses and their minions form the all-powerful invisible government which is responsible for the maladministration and corruption that thwarted the will of the people. Initially, Barnes dismissed the statements made by the former president as a diatribe. But, in late July 1914, Barnes decided to sue Roosevelt, calling his statements false and malicious, thus setting up what The Post Standard one of the greatest political contests in the history of the United States. Politics were certainly at the center of the Vaudevillian-era media circus that descended on Syracuse for four weeks as a result of Roosevelts lawyers successfully arguing for a change of venue on the grounds that Roosevelt could not get a fair trial in Albany, a city they charged was controlled by Barnes. But, as Dan Abrams and David Fisher so ably demonstrated in their New York Times best-selling book, Theodore Roosevelt for the Defense, published in 2019, the trial became an opportunity for the former Rough Rider to lead the charge into battle once more in a fight to salvage and solidify his legacy and perhaps to make one final run at the White House in 1916. In all the trial lasted four weeks and Roosevelt proved himself to be a master of presentation and publicity. After a scholarly opening statement by the prosecution, Roosevelts lawyer, Syracuse University graduate, William H. Van Benschoten, offered up his opening salvo. He reminded the 12-man jury and the 150 spectators jamming the courtroom of State Supreme Court Justice William Andrews (Roosevelts Harvard classmate), that the trial began rather serendipitously on April 19, the 140th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord. Much like those venerable patriots, the former presidents lawyer contended, Mr. Roosevelt too was fighting against a corrupt government in the name of political liberty and freedom. He then pivoted to attack Barnes and the long record of corruption in state politics. Roosevelts strategy was both ingenious and necessary. He and his legal team had to make Barnes the defendant in what might best be characterized as a popularity contest between a little-known but demonstrable political boss and the brilliant and charismatic former trust-busting President of the United States. It was simple according to Van Benshcoten. The plaintiff stands above all things else fororganization, machine and boss. The defendant stands for the rights of the citizens, the welfare of the people, and honest and decent government. Regardless of the veracity of these platitudes, Roosevelt was at a decided disadvantage as far as the law was concerned and Barness attorney, William Ivins wasted no time cutting to the chase. In a world before the landmark Supreme Court case, New York Times vs. Sullivan (1964) that greatly increased the scope of protected speech aimed at public figures, a defendant in a libel suit had to prove that the statements were true. This meant that when Judge Andrews determined that the statements were libelous per se, which he did, Roosevelts only defense was proving the validity of his claims. As such, the witness list for the trial read like a whos who of New York politics, including names like Simon Guggenheim, Franklin Roosevelt and Alfred E. Smith, both of whom future governors of New York. After the prosecution rested its case having called just one witness, who proved Roosevelt authorized and authored the libelous statements. The burden was now on the former President. Luckily for the defense they had Teddy Roosevelt, a man whose ability to cajole and captivate an audience was as good as any in American history. First though, Roosevelts lawyer called for an immediate dismissal. In response, Ivins called Roosevelt to the witness stand. Did you write it of and concerning the plaintiff? Ivins asked. Roosevelt responded without missing a beat, I did. Laughter filled the courtroom. Again, Ivins rested his case. For the next eight days, Roosevelt beguiled his audience, and the national news media, running roughshod over the proceedings. He dispensed with Ivins easily during his cross-examination. In all, the jury heard over 100 witnesses. Roosevelts lawyer, John Bowers, ended his summation claiming that Barnes was out to destroy Teddy Roosevelts usefulness to the people. Stand for him, he continued, stand for the People. He concluded by reading the Gettysburg Address. To the surprise of almost no one after his masterful performance on the witness stand, on May 22, 1915, after deliberating for two days, the jury of 12 Syracusans delivered a unanimous verdict acquitting Roosevelt. Robert Searings weekly articles are supported by the William G. Pomeroy Public History Media Series. To learn more about the William G. Pomeroy Foundations work to promote public history, visit wgpfoundation.org. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News (TNS) Drug smugglers attempting to use drones to carry MDMA across the New York-Canada border were quickly busted by federal agents, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday. A drone landed at a home in Youngstown on Sept. 21, 2022, carrying about 6.5 pounds of MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, the Justice Department said. But authorities were on the scene and busted all three conspirators, according to the feds. Only one of the smugglers, Yong Chen, 37, of New York City, was identified in court documents. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute, local NBC affiliate WGRZ reported. Federal investigators said the scheme began in April 2022 when the group bought an upscale house in Youngstown, about 10 miles north of Niagara Falls, according to local CBS affiliate WIVB. Beginning in May, the group tested a series of drone flights between Youngstown and Niagara-on-the-Lake, a small town on the Canadian side of the Niagara River on the shores of Lake Ontario. But by the time the crew was ready for a drug-carrying flight, the feds were already onto the scheme. Agents witnessed the drones departure from Youngstown on Sept. 21 and tracked it to Niagara-on-the-Lake, according to a criminal complaint. They then watched it return to the home carrying the MDMA. The feds said agents burst into the home to find three men, two of whom took off running, WGRZ reported. The two fugitives were captured within an hour. Inside the home, agents found several drones and controllers but no furniture other than mattresses on the floor, according to the complaint. Data from the drone showed it had been on five cross-border flights, but investigators believe the earlier flights were only tests, reported WIVB. The feds did not identify the other two suspects, though they said one was from California and the other pleaded guilty in February. With News Wire Services 2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Syracuse, N.Y. When some students entered their classrooms at Le Moyne College, they often mistook 82-year-old Mary Anne Winfield as their professor. The students, some younger than her own grandchildren, would sometimes ask her why she was there and who she was. She was a student, she would tell them. Now, 58 years after she started college in the 1960s, Winfield will finally graduate Sunday. She will be Le Moyne Colleges oldest graduate ever. Winfield, who now lives in Skaneateles, took breaks from college over the decades to raise her family, run two businesses and give back to her community before returning to finish her degree. I have to say, I took more than I needed for this particular degree, she said. Over the years, I took classes in art and in logic and philosophy and things that I really enjoy. It was just kind of continuing to learn things I didnt know. In 1966, Winfield enrolled part-time at the college. She moved to Syracuse from Michigan the year prior. At the time she was part of a Catholic group called Release Time, which set aside a few hours a day to teach children about Catholicism. Being a part of the group inspired her to pursue a religious studies degree, she said. She took classes regularly until she decided to take a break in 1977 when she became the editor and publisher of The Syracuse Magazine. She co-founded the magazine with Mary Kennedy, of Skaneateles, who passed away in 2022. The magazine ran for almost 5 years. In 1985, she created Winfield Ink, a marketing and communications company focusing on corporate and non-profit clients. She recently retired from the business. She didnt return to Le Moyne until 1999. She took classes until 2000 but decided to take another break. I wasnt really dying to get this degree, she said. I was really interested in the theology, the process and the way it was influencing me and my perspective. Winfield has worn many hats throughout life. She is a wife, the mother of three daughters, started two businesses, served as a board member in several organizations including United Way of Central New York and the Onondaga Citizens League. She is also the past president of The Loretto Foundation. All her accomplishments led her back to Le Moyne in 2012 when she was appointed to the colleges board of regents. Being back on campus again piqued her interest to start taking classes in 2019. I enrolled in a couple of classes and when I decided to pursue that, the Continuing Ed department was great. They said, you really should matriculate, youre close to a degree, Winfield said. After more than 50 years, she obtained enough credits to graduate with a bachelors degree in religious studies. She said the excitement of learning about religions, art, music, philosophy and different cultures kept her going. It enhanced my job, my personal life, Winfield said. It was just kind of an all-around fit with how I was. When she was told she was graduating, she said it seemed comical at first. It seemed as though getting a degree at 82 and participating in graduation was just a bonus attached to all the things she learned from taking classes throughout the years, she said. I was not, you know, planning on being a part of the ceremony, she said. I thought Id just sort of slide out the door, its been so many years. But, my family said oh, come on, youve worked hard on all these things; you gotta go for it. So here I am. 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. Subscribe to get the Good Morning, CNY newsletter delivered to your email inbox weekday mornings. Weather High: 77; Low: 60. Cloudy, chance of showers late; see the 5-day forecast. Photo of the Day A helicopter flies overhead to conclude the Fallen Deputy Sheriffs Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service, Thursday, May 16, 2024, at Palladium Memorial in front of the Justice Center in Syracuse. It included several new names, including that of Lt. Michael Hoosock, who was shot and killed in the line of duty, April 14, 2024 in Salina. His badge number was officially retired at the ceremony. (N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com)N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syra Deputy remembered at ceremony: The Onondaga County Sheriffs Office honored deputies and county first responders who have died in the last year. Among them was Lt. Michael Hoosock, who was killed along with Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen in a shootout at a Salina home in April. The ceremony was attended by a crowd of more than 100 people, including some of Hoosocks family. The Latest McMahon, NY lawmakers call for changes to troubled Regional Market: Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon says hes willing to put up $4 million of county money to help turn the troubled Central New York Regional Market into a tourist attraction, but first he wants to see its financial management straightened out. Whats Trending State awards contract to improve I-81 from Destiny USA to downtown Syracuse: The Department of Transportation awarded the third of eight contracts -- this one worth $218.9 million -- to a group called Salt City Constructors LLC. The state rejected the first round of bids on the third contract in December because they all exceeded the states estimated costs. Salt City Constructors also won the bid for the first contract and started work last year where I-81 meets Interstate 481 north of Syracuse Man who raped Le Moyne student sentenced to max: Jerel Walker has been sentenced to an additional 50 years in prison. In 2022, Walker broke into the students campus apartment by climbing through a first-floor window in the townhouses kitchen. The 36-year-old is currently serving 15 years for burglary and will begin his 50-year sentence once that time is served. Clinton Square, circa 1899: It was once a manure-filled marketplace. Todays its Syracuses go-to gathering spot. Heres how everything changed 125 years ago. Looking Ahead Syracuse officials consider hotel tax to help close city budget gap: The Common Councils Monday meeting agenda includes a resolution in support of state legislation that would allow the city to impose a 2% lodging tax in an effort to generate more revenue. The bill, introduced in Albany at the request of Mayor Ben Walsh, would generate an estimated $1.5 million to $1.75 million per year. If approved by the state Legislature, Gov. Kathy Hochul would have to sign the bill into law. After delays, 3 new legal marijuana shops ready to open in CNY: Two legal dispensaries one on Syracuses far west side and another in Fulton are scheduled to open Saturday. Another, in downtown Syracuse, is aiming to open on Memorial Day weekend. Hip-hop legends to play CNY concert ... at a farm: The Sugarhill Gang, Furious 5, Slick Rick and Rakim will perform in Canandaigua. Sports The Syracuse Orange womens lacrosse team beats Yale, May 16, 2024, at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. The team advances to the Final Four in Cary, North Carolina. (Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)dennis nett | dnett@syracuse.com Back in the Final Four: The Syracuse womens lacrosse team took care of Yale on Thursday and is headed back to the NCAA Tournament semifinals. Up next is Boston College, a team that has beaten Syracuse six times in a row and twice this season. West Genesee goalie sets school record for saves: Move over, John Galloway, and make room for Allie Hanlon. Galloway, a former star for the Wildcats and two-time All-American at Syracuse University, now sits at No. 2 on West Genesees all-time lacrosse saves list. Hanlon, who will join the Oranges womens program in the fall, is the new No. 1 after making eight saves in a win over Fayetteville-Manlius. MORE SPORTS: In Brief Woman airlifted to hospital after two-vehicle crash at historic CNY battlefield Old Navy sets opening date for new Onondaga County store Officers fill courtroom for sentencing of man who shot at police Woman hospitalized after being pushed out of car, left on road in Syracuse SU reveals $20M investment for new semiconductor manufacturing center Police: Syracuse man stole brothers identity to avoid paying for child support Todays Obituaries To view todays obituaries, please click here. Your news. Your way. New Custom Email Alerts let you select your favorite topics happening in your town. Choose the topics you love, well do the rest! Albany, N.Y. A disability rights advocate made a complaint to New York State Police saying he was shoved twice in the state capitol building by state Sen. Kevin Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat with a history of violent behavior. Michael Carey said his confrontation with Parker took place Wednesday after he approached the senator before a committee meeting and asked him to cosponsor a piece of legislation. Parker lost his temper, Carey said, after the advocate described the legislation as tackling a Dr. Martin Luther King type of situation regarding discrimination against people with disabilities. By Rick Pfeiffer | Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday that the state is turning the tide in the fight against gun violence. The governor pointed to a two-year drop in incidents of gun violence, including a 37% reduction in shooting incidents in the state through the first four months of 2024, compared to a five-year average. Hochul also said that the New York State Police have seized illegal firearms at a record pace so far this year. Utica University professor Clemmie Harris today endorsed John Mannion, one of his two former rivals in the Democratic primary election for the 22nd Congressional District seat. Harris, a former state trooper and Army drill sergeant, said he is convinced that Mannion offers Democrats a better chance than Sarah Klee Hood at winning back Central New Yorks seat in Congress. Syracuse, N.Y. The two Democrats campaigning for Congress in Central New York have agreed to participate in a debate hosted by syracuse.com |The Post-Standard at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 11. Sarah Klee Hood, a DeWitt town councilor, and state Sen. John Mannion, D-Geddes, will spend an hour debating the issues in the 22nd Congressional District primary election. The debate will be streamed live on syracuse.com and its Facebook page from Syracuse Universitys S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. A recording also will be available to watch on syracuse.com. The debate will be moderated by Chris Baker, an editor at syracuse.com. The candidates will not be provided questions or topics in advance. Only the candidates and their representatives will be allowed to attend the live event. Syracuse.com is presenting the debate in association with SUs Newhouse School. Early voting begins Saturday, June 15 and continues through Sunday, June 23. The primary election day is Tuesday, June 25. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Rep. Brandon Williams, a first-term Republican from Cayuga County, in the November election. The new 22nd District established by state lawmakers this year spans all of Onondaga and Madison counties, and a portion of Cayuga, Cortland and Oneida counties. The district includes the cities of Syracuse, Utica, Auburn and Cortland. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751 The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Wheat Initiative reinforced its commitment to supporting global food security during G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists From May 15 to 17, 2024, Brasilia, Brazil hosted the G20 Meeting of the Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS-G20) meeting under the G20 presidency of Brazil. As a G20 initiative, the Wheat Initiative (WI) participated in discussions with scientists from G20 countries and presented its progress and achievements during the session on Ongoing MACS initiatives. The WI presentation, given by John Spink, Head of Environment, Crops and Land Use Programme at Teagasc, Crops Research Centre, Ireland and Chair of the WI Board, focussed on the recent advances in wheat research and the collaborative efforts of the eleven Expert Working Groups of the WI network. Key WI programmes such as the Alliance for Wheat Adaptation to Heat and Drought (AHEAD) and the Wheat Initiative Crop Health Alliance (WATCH-A) were highlighted during the presentation, with an emphasis on improving the sustainability of wheat production under increasing climate stress. Discussions underscored WIs commitment to increase food security, improve the nutrition and safety of wheat, address societal demands for sustainable and resilient agricultural production, and maximise benefits through international collaboration. John Spink said, Improvements in wheat production and genetics are going to have to accelerate as the impact of climate change challenges wheat production in many regions. Sharing knowledge and genetic resources across the globe is vital to efficiently meet this challenges and this is exactly what the Wheat Initiative was set up to achieve. Representatives of the WI Board attended the meeting with their respective delegations among them Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Turkiye, UK, and the USA. The Wheat Initiative has emerged as a pivotal organisation in coordinating wheat research on a global scale contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and underlining the importance of global coordination in achieving the objectives of zero hunger, responsible consumption and production, and partnerships. The WI, established in 2011 under the name International Research Initiative for Wheat Improvement (IRIWI) to support and coordinate international efforts in enhancing sustainable wheat production for global food security, remains committed to building networks of experts to address threats to the G20's goal of achieving food security. For media inquiries, please contact: WHEAT INITIATIVE (wheat.initiative(a)julius-kuehn.de) Programme Manager: Teresa Saavedra Web: www.wheatinitiative.org X: @WheatInitiative What just happened? As Google uses generative AI and other features to change how users search the internet, many have expressed the desire to turn back the clock on search engines. Thanks to a YouTube channel, users can experience the original search engine, which provides a portal to the internet before the World Wide Web. The operators of the website Serial Port have recently revived Archie, the internet's first search engine. Its FTP search and indexing functions are available to the public again after languishing in obscurity for years. Currently, the tool only hosts one server compared to the many that existed decades ago, but users can find and download almost 30,000 files from anonymous FTP sites. Serial Port also hosts Archie's files and source code to help ensure this important piece of internet history isn't lost again. Finding and rebuilding the ancient search engine took months of detective work. McGill University systems engineer Alan Emtage developed Archie in 1989 to facilitate finding and indexing files on the then-chaotic early internet. Before the World Wide Web emerged, the Internet largely consisted of FTP servers from which users could fetch files, which required knowing the exact names of files and servers. Because no unified FTP directory existed, such information could be difficult to acquire, raising concerns that navigating the internet could become increasingly troublesome. Within months of Archie's initial debut, it became so popular that its use comprised half of Canada's internet traffic. Throughout the early 1990s, Archie became a ubiquitous tool for FTP users who transferred data between numerous servers worldwide. Also read: New study confirms the obvious, search results are only getting worse However, its use declined after the mid-90s with the emergence of the World Wide Web and a new generation of search engines like Alta Vista, Yahoo, and Google. The final version of Archie, version 3.5, was released in 1996. Development ceased in the late 90s, and Bunyip Information Systems the company Emtage co-founded to build and license Archie dissolved in 2003. By the time Serial Port began its search, it seemed as if every known Archie server had shut down, and the source code proved elusive. Eventually, it emerged that the University of Warsaw in Poland had maintained an Archie server for educational reasons until 2023 and still had the source for the version 3.5 beta. This was just enough for Serial Port to rebuild the historic search engine and host a new server. Although FTP is fading from the modern internet, some may still find it useful for downloading specific files without needing to browse websites. Serial Port's FTP hyperlinks make the process faster than when Archie originally debuted. Microsoft has reportedly asked 700 to 800 of its China-based employees to consider relocating outside the country in response to escalating tensions between the United States and China. The unprecedented decision comes amid strained Sino-US relations. With a series of sanctions, Washington has been aiming to limit Beijing's access to advanced technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). Reports: Microsoft Asks Hundreds of China Staff to Relocate According to Reuters, Microsoft is targeting employees involved in machine learning and other cloud computing-related work for potential relocation. These employees, primarily engineers of Chinese nationality, have been offered the option to transfer to locations such as the United States, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. However, the company has not disclosed the exact number of employees contacted in this process. According to a Microsoft spokesperson speaking to Reuters, the company considers offering internal opportunities a routine aspect of managing its global operations. Despite recent developments, Microsoft remains committed to operating in China and other markets. Read Also : Microsoft Copilot Automates Prompt Creation, Makes AI Easier Than Ever Increased US Tariffs on China Tech Imports The reported relocation request from Microsoft follows a series of actions by the US government aimed at restricting Chinese access to critical technologies. President Joe Biden's administration recently announced massive tariff increases on various Chinese imports, including electric vehicle batteries, computer chips, and medical products. These tariffs total approximately $18 billion annually. President Biden's announcement detailed specific tariff increases, including a substantial hike from 27.5% to 100% on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), doubling tariffs on semiconductors from 25% to 50% by 2025, and other increases on targeted imports such as steel, aluminum, legacy semiconductors, and battery components. The tariff regime proposed by President Biden is staggered, with changes set to take effect gradually from 2024 to 2026, allowing for a more strategic implementation focusing on industries perceived as threats to US interests. Furthermore, the US Commerce Department is reportedly considering new regulations to restrict the export of proprietary artificial intelligence models, seen as crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in AI development. Microsoft Denies Asking Staff to Relocate: Chinese Media In response to reports about the relocation request, Microsoft has denied rumors of a collective relocation of its artificial intelligence team from China to the United States or Australia. The company clarified that only a small number of employees in China have been offered the opportunity to choose international rotations, and rumors suggesting otherwise are inaccurate. According to China Daily, Microsoft emphasized that the rumors of a "collective relocation to the US" were exaggerated. The company reiterated that employees in China have the option to either opt for the rotation or continue in their current positions. Stay posted here at Tech Times. Climate warming may aggravate neurological conditions like stroke, migraine, Alzheimer's, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis, according to recent research. Professor Sanjay Sisodiya, the lead researcher at the University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, emphasized the strong relationship between climate and brain diseases, including stroke and nervous system infections, per HealthDay. For the study, published by The Lancet Neurology, researchers reviewed 332 papers from 1968-2023. In a university press release, Sisodiya stated that climate change, particularly severe temperatures, both low and high, and increased temperature variance throughout the day, especially when seasonally atypical, affected brain conditions. According to the study, strokes rose during heatwaves, while dementia makes people more susceptible to heat stroke, hypothermia, and weather catastrophes like flooding and wildfires. Moreover, the research team discovered that high temperatures, daily temperature fluctuations, and extreme hot and cold weather increase the risk of several mental health conditions. Sisodiya stressed that high evening temperatures might interrupt sleep and worsen brain problems. In the face of increasing climate conditions, Sisodiya emphasized the importance of nimble and dynamic research to provide vital knowledge for individuals and organizations. He also noted the lack of research assessing brain illness and health impacts under future climatic scenarios, making planning difficult. Global Temperatures Continue to Rise TechTimes recently reported that the European Union's climate change monitoring service determined April 2024 to be the warmest ever, continuing a 12-month sequence of record-breaking temperatures. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reports that each month since June 2023 has established new temperature records. The 12-month worldwide average temperature, including April, reached 1.61 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period of 1850-1900. Scientists are studying these severe temperature trends to see if human activities tipped the climate system. Julien Nicolas, C3S Senior Climate Scientist, noted that scientists are concerned about serious climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning accelerate climate change, while the El Nino phenomenon worsens high heat conditions in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Read Also: Scientists Discover Volcanic Ash Can Serve As Energy Storage For Renewable Energy C3S recorded above-average rainfall in April over Europe, with southern Spain, Italy, and the Western Balkans drier. Al Jazeera said that Eastern Australia had heavy rain while the rest received below-normal precipitation, similar to northern Mexico. The C3S dataset, dating back to 1940, shows April 2024 as the warmest April since the pre-industrial period, emphasizing the need for global climate action. Separately, the World Meteorological Organisation's (WMO) "State of the Climate in Asia 2023" report shows rising climate change indicators in Asia. Rising surface temperatures, glacier retreats, and sea level rise threaten communities, economies, and ecosystems. Mosquito-Borne Diseases Rise Due to Climate Change Notably, climate change may also increase the risk of mosquito-borne diseases. Professor Rachel Lowe of Spain's Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies says climate change-induced global warming is extending disease vectors' geographic range, causing dengue and malaria outbreaks in previously unaffected areas. Due to the freezing susceptibility of mosquito larvae and eggs, disease vectors, previously restricted to tropical and subtropical regions, now thrive in new environments where populations may lack immunity and public health systems are ill-prepared to manage outbreaks. According to experts, if global warming reaches 1 degree Celsius, 2.4 billion more people may be in danger of dengue and malaria by 2100 than in 1970-1999. Current greenhouse gas emissions and population growth patterns might increase the number of individuals with these diseases to 4.7 billion by the end of the century. Software maker Snowflake Inc. could reportedly acquire Reka AI for more than $1 Billion, but discussions are currently ongoing, and sources indicate it is not a guaranteed deal. Reka AI produces large language models, or software trained on vast expanses of the Internet, which can be used for various purposes, including image captioning and customer care chatbots. Researchers from Google and Meta Platforms Inc., two divisions of Alphabet Inc., formed the company in 2022. Sources claim that during a 2023 financing round that included money from Snowflake's venture arm, it was valued at roughly $300 million. Snowflake manufactures cloud-based data organization and analysis tools. The company views generative as a business accelerator, generating text, speech, or image content in response to user input. In April, it released Arctic, its own big language model. Additionally, the business permits users to apply outside AI models from Reka to their Snowflake data. A representative for Snowflake reportedly declined to comment, while Reka was unavailable. Read Also : Samsung Set to Buy French AI Company as It Looks to Advance Medical Diagnostic Systems Google-Rooted Snowflake Inc. Earlier this year, Sridhar Ramaswamy, who spent fifteen years working at Google, assumed leadership of Snowflake as CEO. Before being appointed CEO, Ramaswamy served as Snowflake's senior vice president of AI. He started working for the company after it bought the AI-powered search engine Neeva last year. This year, Snowflake's shares have lost 17%, trailing the 3.3% increase of the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF. In 2023, numerous organizations reduced their software purchases, halting the company's revenue growth. This trend, known as cost optimization, also impacted cloud service providers Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. Big Tech's Startup Acquisitions Tech behemoths have hurried to collaborate with or buy out companies operating in the cutthroat generative AI space. Microsoft recently invested in Inflection's AI development following the company's $1.3 billion fundraising round. With Microsoft leading the pack, Inflection, a company focused on creating "more personal AI," gained significant funding from several stakeholders. With Microsoft, Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, and newcomer NVIDIA leading the investment push, Inflection AI announced a $1.3 billion cash infusion. This brings the total amount invested in Inflection to $1.525 billion. In collaboration with CoreWeave and NVIDIA, Inflection is kicking off a massive initiative to construct the world's largest AI cluster, featuring an astounding 22,000 NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs. The most recent round of funding is intended to support the ongoing development of Inflection's first product, released in May. Pi is a new generation of AI that aims to be a kind and helpful friend by offering voice and text-based communication, helpful advice, and clear information. In addition to releasing an open-source large language model, Databricks, widely regarded as Snowflake's primary rival, purchased AI startup MosaicML for $1.3 billion last year. In September, Databricks was valued at $43 billion, whereas Snowflake's market value is over $55 billion. (Photo: Tech Times) SSLVPN/WebVPN solutions should now reportedly be replaced by organizations with safer alternatives after multiple cyberattacks proved to be due to their vulnerabilities, as advised by the Norwegian National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The NCSC officially advises SSL VPN/WebVPN product customers to convert to IPsec with Internet Key Exchange (IKEv2) instead of Internet Protocol Security (IPsec). SSL/TLS protocols, SSL VPN, and WebVPN offer secure remote access to a network via the Internet. An "encryption tunnel" secures the link between the user's device and the VPN server. IPsec with IKEv2 encrypts and authenticates every packet with frequently renewed essential keys to secure connections. The cybersecurity group acknowledges that IPsec with IKEv2 has shortcomings but thinks that moving to it would drastically lower the attack surface for incidents involving secure remote access because it is less forgiving of configuration errors than SSLVPN. The United States and the United Kingdom are among the other nations that have advised adopting IPsec over alternative protocols. VPN Alternatives In situations where IPsec connections aren't feasible, the NCSC advises switching to 5G broadband. The NCSC has also provided temporary alternatives for companies whose VPN solutions do not support IPsec with IKEv2. These companies require time to plan and carry out the conversion. These include enforcing stringent geofencing regulations, centrally recording VPN activity, and preventing access from VPN, Tor exit node, and VPS providers. In contrast to IPsec, an open standard that most businesses adhere to, SSLVPN lacks a standard that forces network equipment manufacturers to develop their protocol version. However, this has resulted in several vulnerabilities in SSL VPN solutions like Cisco, Fortinet, and SonicWall being found over time, which hackers actively use to compromise networks. Nissan External VPN Attack This was abundantly clear when a threat actor targeted Nissan's external VPN, took down a few company systems, and demanded a ransom. The company claims that none of its systems were encrypted during the attack. Working with independent cybersecurity experts, the company assessed the situation, took control of the issue, and removed the threat. After further investigation, it was found that the hacker had accessed a small number of files on local and network devices, most of which contained information relevant to businesses. Nevertheless, on February 28, the company found certain personal data in the datamostly concerning former and current NNA [Nissan] employeesincluding Social Security numbers. A cybersecurity expert believes that the hacker most likely obtained an identification code or multi-factor authentication token from an actual Nissan employee to gain access to the company's VPN. According to Erich Kron, a cybersecurity awareness advocate at KnowBe4, concentrating on the VPN would often allow bad actors to avoid detection and get beyond many enterprise security safeguards. (Photo: Tech Times) Google's latest anti-scam venture proves to be an artificial intelligence-powered financial scam phone call detector that scans phone calls in real-time; while certainly advantageous in some regard, privacy advocates are already worried about the tested feature. According to reports, Google revealed the concept on Tuesday at its software developers' conference, Google I/O. According to Google Vice President of Engineering Dave Burke, Google is testing a technology that utilizes artificial intelligence to identify patterns linked to scams and notify Android phone users when frauds are suspected to be underway. A red pop-up window with the wording, "Likely scam: Banks will never ask you to move your money to keep it safe," and buttons to end and continue the call were the examples that were reportedly on show at the event. The phone user was also informed that the scam alert had appeared via an alert noise. That might frighten some individuals because it shows that Google's AI listens to your phone calls. A corporate representative assured in past reports that all information will remain confidential on your smartphone. The new functionality, which is still undergoing testing, has no set date. Privacy Concerns The live audience at the Mountain View, California conference applauded the demonstration. Still, some privacy activists claimed it might unleash a chain reaction as tech companies compete to offer customers more AI-enabled capabilities. In statements posted online and in interviews, they said there were many ways the software might be misused by government agents, private surveillance firms, stalkers, and other individuals interested in listening to other people's phone conversations. Advocates for privacy warned that on-device processing might still be open to attack from savvy hackers, friends with phone access, or government agents served with subpoenas requesting transcripts or audio data. Burke did not specify what security measures Google will implement, and Google did not reply to queries for more details. The consequences of Google's notion are "terrifying," according to Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, especially for vulnerable individuals like political dissidents or those seeking abortions. Those who opposed the scam-detection concept included former Google employee Meredith Whittaker, who claimed it is "incredibly dangerous." Whittaker is the president of the nonprofit organization that promotes the privacy-focused messaging software Signal, the Signal Foundation. Google AI Search Criticisms Google's AI ventures during its I/O event continue to be criticized by different groups. In addition to privacy advocates, news publishers recently voiced their concerns about Google's new AI-powered search results, favoring AI summaries over website links that allow written content to be monetized. When users search on Google, this new feature will prioritize providing them with AI summaries above website links. Google announced on Tuesday that it will incorporate Gemini, a powerful artificial intelligence model, into its popular search engine. Artificial intelligence summaries are designed to show up only when Google's algorithms decide that doing so will be the fastest and most efficient way to capture a user's attention. Danielle Coffey, CEO of the News/Media Alliance, allegedly forewarned CNN that the new feature would hurt their company and provide even less incentive for users to click, decreasing the opportunity for news publishers to monetize their content. This reacted to Google's insistence on going above and beyond for users. (Photo: Tech Times) In the wake of growing concerns about online safety for children, Facebook and Instagram find themselves once again under the microscope of European Union regulators. This fresh wave of scrutiny comes amid mounting pressure for social media platforms to enhance their measures for protecting young users from harmful content and predatory behavior. Facing New EU Digital Scrutiny The European Union has initiated new probes into Facebook and Instagram, alleging their inadequate protection of minors online violates the bloc's stringent digital regulations for social media platforms. This marks another phase of examination for Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, within the framework of the European Union's Digital Services Act. The legislation, implemented last year across 27 nations, aims to enhance oversight of online platforms and safeguard internet users. The European Commission, the EU's administrative arm, voiced concerns regarding the algorithmic mechanisms Facebook and Instagram use to recommend content like videos and posts. There's unease that these mechanisms might take advantage of children's vulnerabilities and lack of experience, potentially fostering addictive behavior. The Associated Press reported that concerns about these mechanisms possibly exacerbate the "rabbit hole" effect, steering users toward progressively distressing content. The commission is also investigating Meta's implementation of age verification tools to prevent young children from accessing Facebook or Instagram and encountering unsuitable content. These steps require users who create an account to be at least 13 years old and examine whether the company adheres to DSA regulations that demand stringent privacy, safety, and security for minors. Meta's Response In a statement, Meta emphasized its decade-long efforts in crafting over 50 tools and policies to ensure safe and age-appropriate online experiences for young people. The company expressed readiness to discuss its initiatives with the European Commission, highlighting that child protection is a shared challenge across the industry. These cases represent the latest instances of child protection being scrutinized under the DSA, which mandates platforms implement rigorous measures to safeguard minors. Earlier this year, the commission initiated two investigations into TikTok over concerns regarding potential risks to children. European Commissioner Thierry Breton expressed skepticism about Meta's compliance with DSA obligations in a recent social media post, citing concerns over the potential negative impact on young Europeans' physical and mental well-being using Facebook and Instagram. These newly announced cases add to the existing investigations into Facebook and Instagram under the DSA, mainly focusing on their efforts to combat foreign disinformation ahead of the upcoming EU elections. Additionally, investigations are underway concerning the compliance of social media platform X and ecommerce site AliExpress with EU regulations. There is no set deadline for the conclusion of these investigations, and potential violations can result in fines of up to 6% of a company's annual global revenue. AMD's artificial intelligence processors could reportedly soon be offered by Microsoft to act as a substitute for its cloud computing customers looking to obtain Nvidia's H100 family of graphic processing units (GPUs), which are currently hard to obtain. Because data and computation cannot fit on a single chip, businesses usually need to connect togetheror clusternumerous GPUs to execute apps or construct AI models. AMD has stated that the chips are strong enough to operate and train massive AI models, and the company anticipates $4 billion in sales from AI chips this year. Microsoft will use Azure's cloud computing service to sell clusters of Advanced Micro Devices' flagship MI300X AI chips; further information will be disclosed during the tech giant's Build Developer Conference. AMD's AI chips are set to substitute for Nvidia's powerful H100 family of graphics processing units (GPUs), which are in high demand and dominate the data center semiconductor market for AI. Microsoft will also unveil a sneak peek of its upcoming Cobalt 100 custom CPUs during the conference. In addition to Nvidia's premium AI chips, Microsoft's cloud computing division offers access to Maia, an AI chip developed in-house. Read Also : Samsung Profits Increase After Riding AI Demand on Chips AI Constricts Memory Chip Supply The AI wave continues to constrict certain supply chains as recent reports indicate that high-bandwidth memory chips from SK Hynix and Micron are nearly sold out for this year and the upcoming year. SK Hynix is now Nvidia's chip supplier, but the company is also looking into Samsung as a potential source. Training LLMs like OpenAI's ChatGPT require high-performance memory chips, so AI adoption has surged. LLMs need these chips to remember information from past interactions with users and their preferences to react to queries in a manner akin to that of a human. SK Hynix intends to increase output to keep up with the surge in demand. To achieve this, the Yongin semiconductor cluster in South Korea, the M15X fab in Cheongju, and state-of-the-art packaging facilities in Indiana will all be invested. According to sources, the need for AI chips is being driven by large tech companies such as Microsoft and Amazon, which are spending billions on training their LLMs to remain competitive. Apple's Own AI Chip Apple is also reportedly developing an AI chip in its data centers to run AI technologies. The initiative would expand upon Apple's previous endeavors to develop internal chips utilized in its Macs, iPhones, and other devices. Apple shares saw a 1.2% increase in late trade after the news. By year's end, they had dropped 5.6%. A request for comment from the Cupertino, California-based corporation was not immediately answered. Apple has been falling behind its tech rivals in terms of generative AI, the technology that powers chatbots, and other cutting-edge technologies. However, the company is preparing to present a novel take on AI at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. (Photo: Tech Times) The recent arrests made by the Justice Department in connection with a North Korean identity theft scheme have shed light on a sophisticated operation involving thousands of IT workers. North Korean Identity Theft Scheme The Department of Justice reveals arrests in a significant North Korean identity theft operation, which implicates thousands of IT workers. This intricate network, which spans borders and utilizes stolen identities, has raised concerns about national security and the integrity of U.S. corporations. This elaborate scheme allegedly funnels substantial profits to the North Korean government, funding various initiatives, including its weapons program. According to the Associated Press, the conspiracy revolves around numerous North Korean IT professionals deployed by their government to reside overseas. These workers allegedly exploit stolen American identities to secure remote positions at prominent U.S.-based Fortune 500 companies, gaining access to sensitive corporate information and substantial salaries. Remarkably, these companies are reportedly unaware of the workers' international locations. Establishing Collaborations with Other Nations In an interview, Marshall Miller, the Justice Department's principal associate deputy attorney general, described the fraud scheme as a method for the heavily sanctioned North Korea to exploit a combination of factors. These include a scarcity of high-tech labor in the U.S. and the increasing prevalence of remote telework. The Justice Department emphasizes that these cases are part of a larger strategy. It aims to prosecute those facilitating the fraud and establish collaborations with other nations. Additionally, it underscores the importance for private-sector companies to remain vigilant and verify the true identities of their hires rather than being deceived. In March, FBI and Justice Department officials initiated a program targeting the fraud scheme. Last year, they also announced the confiscation of numerous website domains utilized by North Korean IT workers. Miller emphasized the growing importance of compliance programs at American companies in safeguarding national security. He noted that corporate compliance and national security are now more interconnected than ever. According to court documents, the scheme has impacted over 300 companies, including a prominent retail chain and a leading technology firm in Silicon Valley. The documents also reveal that workers outside the U.S. in countries like China and Russia have generated over $6.8 million in revenue. Among those apprehended is Christina Marie Chapman from Arizona, who was accused of facilitating the operation by aiding workers in acquiring and verifying stolen identities. She allegedly received and managed laptops from U.S. companies, unaware that they were being sent to individuals overseas, and assisted workers in establishing remote connections with these companies. The indictment suggests that Chapman oversaw multiple "laptop farms," where U.S. companies dispatched computers and paychecks to IT workers unbeknownst to their overseas location. Another defendant, Oleksandr Didenko from Ukraine, purportedly established counterfeit accounts on job search platforms, which he then sold to foreign workers seeking employment with U.S. companies. Didenko was apprehended in Poland recently, with the Justice Department reporting the seizure of his company's online domain. Additionally, Minh Phuong Vong, a Vietnamese citizen, was arrested in Maryland for allegedly obtaining employment at a U.S. company through fraudulent means. NASA has just captured the most intense solar storm witnessed in decades. May 2024 has been particularly stormy for the Sun, which has become a focal point of interest for scientists. The Most Intense Solar Storm in Two Decades In the first week of May, a series of large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched waves of charged particles and magnetic fields toward Earth, culminating in the most powerful solar storm in two decades, according to NASA. This event also produced one of the most spectacular auroral displays in 500 years. The solar storm began late on May 7 with two strong solar flares. Between May 7 and May 11, various strong solar flares and at least seven CMEs were directed toward Earth. Eight were classified as X-class, the most powerful category of solar flares, with the most intense reaching X5.8. Following this, the same solar region produced additional large flares, including an X8.7 flare on May 14, the most powerful flare observed in this solar cycle. NASA reported that the CMEs traveled at speeds up to 3 million miles per hour and struck Earth starting on May 10, triggering a prolonged geomagnetic storm. This storm achieved a G5 rating, the highest level on the geomagnetic storm scale and a level not seen since 2003. The solar storm generated brilliant auroras visible around the globe, extending to unusually low latitudes such as the southern United States and northern India. The most vivid auroras occurred on the night of May 10. NASA notes that advances in camera technology, including standard cell phone cameras, have made it easier to capture the colors of the aurora. By analyzing the geomagnetic storm strength using the disturbance storm time index, which has data dating back to 1957, this storm's intensity was comparable to intense storms in 1958 and 2003. Reports of auroras being visible as far south as 26 degrees magnetic latitude suggest that this storm may rival some of the lowest-latitude auroral sightings on record from the past five centuries. However, NASA said that scientists are still evaluating its ranking. Read Also : NASA Captures Sun Unleashing a Powerful Solar Flare That Triggers Radio Blackouts in Western US Preparing for the Solar Storm In anticipation of the storm, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center released alerts to operators of power grids and commercial satellites to alleviate possible impacts. These notifications also allowed NASA missions to prepare for the storm, with certain spacecraft preemptively shutting down specific instruments or systems to prevent complications. The solar region accountable for this recent surge of activity is now shifting to the far side of the Sun, shielding Earth from its effects. Nevertheless, NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), stationed approximately 12 degrees ahead of Earth in its orbit, will persist in monitoring this active region for an extra day beyond its visibility from Earth. In the realm of audio innovation, a recent breakthrough has emerged: noise-canceling headphones infused with artificial intelligence (AI), allowing users to filter out unwanted noise while preserving essential environmental sounds selectively. AI-powered Noise-Canceling Headphones Noise-canceling headphones are a staple for individuals navigating bustling environments, providing a sanctuary of silence amidst the chaos. However, traditional noise-canceling methods often lump together all background noise, potentially muffling important sounds and disconnecting users from the real world. Shyam Gollakota, a researcher from the University of Washington renowned for his expertise in real-time audio processing using AI tools, spearheaded the development of a novel system tailored to discern speech amidst noisy environments. His team engineered AI-powered headphones designed to suppress specific sounds while preserving others selectively. Gollakota unveiled this at a joint conference of the Acoustical Society of America and the Canadian Acoustical Association, held from May 13 to 17 at the Shaw Center in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. "Imagine you are in a park, admiring the sounds of chirping birds, but then you have the loud chatter of a nearby group of people who just can't stop talking," Gollakota said in a press release statement. "Now imagine if your headphones could grant you the ability to focus on the sounds of the birds while the rest of the noise just goes away. That is exactly what we set out to achieve with our system." Their approach involved integrating noise-canceling technology with a smartphone-based neural network designed to recognize a spectrum of 20 distinct environmental sound categories, ranging from alarm clocks and crying babies to sirens and birdsong. Users can select one or more of these categories, prompting the software to detect and amplify those sounds through the headphones in real-time while suppressing extraneous noise. However, Gollakota noted that realizing this concept presented considerable challenges. Read Also : Ordinary Glasses Could Soon Be Packed with AI, Hologram Tech Thanks to 3D Augmented Reality Identifying Sounds with AI The team required advanced intelligence capable of identifying many sounds within an environment. Additionally, they needed to separate the desired sounds from the surrounding noise and ensure that the extracted sounds synchronized seamlessly with the user's visual cues. This necessitated real-time auditory processing within a fraction of a second, a feat they accomplished. Expanding on this AI-based approach, the team focused on improving speech understanding. Utilizing similar content-aware methods, their algorithm recognizes speakers and separates their voices from surrounding noise, enabling clearer communication in live settings. Additionally, Gollakota conveyed his enthusiasm for the potential advancement of audio technology. He emphasized the chance to influence the development of intelligent audio devices, providing individuals with improved auditory abilities and enhancing intelligence to improve quality of life. European consumer groups leveled accusations against the Chinese shopping app Temu, alleging it employs manipulative techniques to encourage excessive spending and violates the EU's tech law, the Digital Services Act (DSA). EU Consumer Groups Scrutinize Temu Temu, a rapidly expanding app, made its debut in the EU market in April 2023, boasting an average of 75 million monthly active users across the 27-country bloc. According to BEUC, a network of consumer groups, complaints have been lodged against Temu for its alleged failure to safeguard consumers and its utilization of manipulative tactics, which contravene recent EU legislation. Temu reportedly neglects to furnish essential information about product sellers, hindering consumers from determining if the products comply with EU safety standards. Additionally, the group claims that the platform lacks transparency regarding its recommender systems and the suggested product criteria. Allegations also include the implementation of manipulative practices, such as dark patterns, to coerce consumers into spending more or complicate account closure procedures. These alleged actions violate the Digital Services Act, prompting calls for authorities to investigate Temu's conduct. Monique Goyens, Director General at the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), emphasized the necessity of addressing Temu's practices and expressed concern over manipulative techniques employed by the online marketplace. Goyens highlighted instances where consumers are subjected to upselling tactics, encountering more expensive product options once they select an item, or facing hurdles when attempting to close their accounts. Moreover, Goyens said that Temu's reported lack of seller transparency prevents consumers from making informed decisions and obstructs compliance with EU safety regulations. Other Groups Scrutinize Temu Many organizations have raised doubts about the legality and safety of products available on Temu. Altroconsumo, an Italian consumer group, and BEUC member revealed deficiencies in cosmetic products purchased from Temu, including missing ingredient lists or partial disclosures. Similarly, vzbv, a German consumer organization, and BEUC member suspects Temu of violating consumer laws through misleading product reviews and pricing practices. In response to the allegations, Temu told AFP that it takes the complaint seriously and pledges to thoroughly investigate the matter, collaborating with relevant stakeholders to address any identified shortcomings. The company is committed to transparency and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. "Temu may be taking Europe by storm, but today we want to shine a light on its many illegal practices which are disregarding consumers' interests and which authorities must rein in. The online marketplace is rife with manipulative techniques that are designed to push consumers to spend more on the platform," Monique Goyens, Director General at the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), said in a press release. "Temu is being complacent here because it is breaching the EU's Digital Services Act, which is major new legislation designed to keep consumers safe online. 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." Google has announced new accessibility features for Chromebook and Google Workspace, aiming to enhance accessibility options for users with diverse needs. These features are designed to improve screen reading capabilities, mouse cursor customization, and text cursor behavior. "Chromebooks already have great screen reading capabilities built in, including ChromeVox and Select-to-speak, and they're compatible with Braille devices. Here are some new features we're adding in the coming weeks to make Chromebook and Google Workspace accessibility even better," Sara Basson, Emerging Markets Accessibility & Disability Inclusion Lead at Google, said in a recent blog post. Upcoming Accessibility Features for Chromebook Users One of the upcoming features for Chromebook users is the ability to adjust the Screen magnifier. This will allow the magnifier to automatically follow the text being read aloud with Select to Speak. This ensures users do not lose their place while navigating through content. Additionally, users can customize the mouse cursor's size according to their visual preferences, providing a more tailored experience for individuals with low vision. Furthermore, Google plans to introduce an option to disable the blinking text cursor, which can benefit users with photosensitive seizure triggers and cognitive differences. This feature will allow users to turn off the blinking cursor under the Accessibility settings, promoting a more comfortable browsing experience. In Google Drive, users are expected to benefit from updated keyboard shortcuts and first-letter navigation, which will enable more efficient file search and navigation within the platform. The addition of dark mode in Google Drive aims to reduce eye strain and enhance readability. Users can switch to a darker background with light text. Read Also : Google CEO Sundar Pichai and OpenAI Lock Horns over YouTube Misuse in AI Training-Company Promises Action Google Celebrates Global Accessibility Awareness Day Aside from these accessibility improvements, Google has been involved in educational initiatives to integrate robotics and computer science lessons into K-12 classrooms. Recently, 30 Chicago Public Schools teachers participated in a program funded by Google. The program provided professional development and resources to facilitate computer science learning for students with diverse learning needs. This initiative builds upon previous research and curriculum development efforts supported by Google to make computer science education fun, engaging, and accessible to all students. Google's commitment to accessibility is further highlighted by its participation in Global Accessibility Awareness Day, during which the company strives to raise awareness and celebrate the contributions of people with disabilities. As part of Google's accessibility initiatives, Sara Basson, Emerging Markets Accessibility & Disability Inclusion Lead, collaborates with the disability community to gather feedback and ensure Google's assistive technology meets users' needs across different locations and cultures. A tragic incident involving a viral social media challenge has resulted in the death of a US teenager, raising serious concerns about the safety of such internet trends, according to a report by AP. 14-Year-Old Dies After Participating in the 'One Chip Challenge' Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old from Massachusetts, succumbed to cardiac arrest after participating in the "One Chip Challenge," a dare that involves eating a single extremely hot tortilla chip. The challenge involves consuming a chip produced by Paqui. It is known for its extreme spiciness due to the inclusion of Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers, which are among the hottest in the world. The challenge has seen various iterations over the years, with different peppers being used each time. An autopsy revealed that Harris died from cardiac arrest caused by ingesting a food item containing a high concentration of capsaicin, a potent chili pepper extract. The report also noted that Harris had an enlarged heart, which may have been a contributing factor in his demise. In the wake of this incident, Paqui has decided to remove the product from store shelves. The product, which was packaged in a coffin-shaped box adorned with a red skull and a warning that reads 'extreme heat,' has been linked to several other health issues. Three young people in California required hospitalization after participating in the challenge, while seven individuals in Minnesota experienced illness from the same activity, as per news reports. The One Chip Challenge became particularly popular because participants ate the extremely spicy Paqui chip and avoided consuming any food or drink to ease the burning sensation. This challenge attracted celebrities and social media influencers but was criticized for the associated negative health impacts. Paqui's Disclaimer In light of the incidents, Paqui emphasized that the One Chip Challenge was intended strictly for adults. Prominent warnings advised that the product was not suitable for children, individuals sensitive to spicy foods, or those with underlying health conditions. However, the company acknowledged increased reports of teenagers and other individuals disregarding these warnings. "The product's 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," Paqui said in a statement. As a precautionary measure, Paqui worked with retailers to voluntarily remove the product from shelves in September 2023 and has since discontinued the challenge. Paqui's website now offers reimbursement for unopened 2023 Paqui Carolina Reaper + Naga Viper Pepper One Chip Challenge packages. This move aims to mitigate any further risks associated with the product and to address the safety concerns raised by Harris Wolobah's tragic death and other incidents. The North Korean cyber-espionage group Kimsuki, linked to the military intelligence agency Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), has unveiled a new Linux malware known as Gomir. This malware is a variant of the GoBear backdoor, distributed through trojanized software installers. The threatening actions of these state-sponsored hackers alert experts about the scope of the attack on the systems. Kimsuki's Recent Campaigns SW2 threat intelligence researchers revealed a campaign where Kimsuki used compromised software versions like TrustPKI, NX_PRNMAN from SGA Solutions, and Wizvera VeraPort three months ago. These trojanized installers were designed to infect South Korean targets with malware such as Troll Stealer and the GoBear backdoor for Windows. Analysts at Symantec, a Broadcom company, also identified a Linux version of GoBear while investigating attacks on South Korean government entities. Behind the Gomir Backdoor Based on Bleeping Computer's investigation, Gomir exhibits features similar to GoBear, including direct command and control (C2) communication, persistence mechanisms, and support for various commands. Upon installation, Gomir verifies if it has root privileges on the Linux system by checking the group ID value. It then copies itself to the /var/log/syslogd directory for persistence. Persistence and Execution To ensure persistence, Gomir creates a system service named 'syslogd' and initiates this service, deleting the original executable and terminating the initial process. Additionally, the backdoor attempts to configure a crontab command to run upon system reboot by creating a helper file ('cron.txt') in the working directory. If the crontab list updates successfully, the helper file is removed. Supported Operations Gomir supports 17 operations triggered by commands from the C2 server via HTTP POST requests. These operations include: Pausing communication with the C2 server. Executing arbitrary shell commands. Reporting the current working directory. Changing the working directory. Probing network endpoints. Terminating its own process. Reporting the executable pathname. Collecting directory tree statistics. Reporting system configuration details (hostname, username, CPU, RAM, network interfaces). Configuring a fallback shell for executing commands. Configuring a codepage for interpreting shell command output. Pausing communication until a specified datetime. Responding with "Not implemented on Linux!" Starting a reverse proxy for remote connections. Reporting control endpoints for the reverse proxy. Creating arbitrary files on the system. Exfiltrating files from the system. According to Symantec, these commands are nearly identical to those supported by the GoBear Windows backdoor. Supply-Chain Attack Strategies Researchers believe supply-chain attacks involving trojanized software installers are preferred for North Korean espionage actors like Kimsuki. The carefully chosen software to be trojanized maximizes the chances of infection among the intended South Korean targets. Indicators of Compromise Symantec's report on the campaign includes a set of indicators of compromise for several malicious tools observed, including Gomir, Troll Stealer, and the GoBear dropper. These indicators help cybersecurity professionals detect and mitigate threats posed by these tools. The emergence of Gomir is only one of many North Korea-linked attacks. Aside from Kimsuki, there are still more dangerous hackers out there. With a focus on supply-chain attacks and malware-ridden exploits, organizations need to be watchful for these campaigns. In the US, the DOJ unveiled arrests of people behind the identity theft plot in North Korea. The operation reportedly attacked American corporations. Niacet Specialty Chemicals will invest $50 million its Niagara Falls operations, with plans to create 36 jobs, according to Gov. Kathy Hochuls office. The investment is expected to boost the states semiconductor manufacturing supply chain. Niacet, owned by the Ireland-based Kerry Group, is a chemical manufacturer that provides food preservation products and a compound used in semiconductor chip production. Niacet will increase production at the 47th Street facility and add to an existing workforce of 100 employees, Hochuls office said. The company was acquired by the Kerry Group in 2021 in a $1 billion deal. Niacets $50 million investment in Niagara Falls is the next step toward growing our chipmaking potential in Western New York and across New York State, Hochul said in a statement. New York State is aiming to bolster its presence in the semiconductor industry. Other projects taking shape include a Micron Technology chip-making plant planned near Syracuse, and an Edwards Vacuum plant under construction in Genesee County. Edwards plant will produce dry pumps used in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Niacets Niagara Falls facility makes ultra-high purity anhydrous hydrogen chloride, a component in the semiconductor supply chain. The company will receive state incentives to support its plans. Empire State Development will provide $3 million in Excelsior Jobs tax credits, which are tied to the company meeting its hiring targets. The New York Power Authority will provide Niacet with over 7.5 megawatts of low-cost hydropower. The company is applying for funding through the federal CHIPS and Science Act. That legislation was championed by Sen. Chuck Schumer to build up domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Bolstering the semiconductor industry in New York State is the focus of a joint bid by Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse to obtain as much as $54 million in federal funding through a competitive tech hub program. News of the winning bids could come in June. Niacets Western New York operations date back to 1924. The company also has manufacturing operations in the Netherlands. Bratislava, May 17 (TASR) - Dutch King Willem-Alexander voiced solidarity and support for Slovakia over Wednesday's (May 15) attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) life in a telephone conversation with President Zuzana Caputova, TASR learnt from President's spokesperson Martin Strizinec on Friday. "He [Willem-Alexander] wished speedy recovery to the Prime Minister and calm to Slovakia," claimed Strizinec, adding that expressions of solidarity have been addressed to the President by heads of state from across the world. On Thursday (May 16), the President had a telephone conversation with King Felipe VI of Spain, too. Prime Minister Fico was heavily injured by multiple gunshots fired off by a 71-year-old man of Levice on Wednesday. Fico is currently hospitalised in Banska Bystrica in a stable but serious state. Bratislava, May 17 (TASR) - An extraordinary session of the government on European funds will take place next week, Vice-premier and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) announced in his post on social media on Friday. In Kalinak's view, the government must continue pushing its policies at the pace set by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). "Next week, aside from a regular session of the government, there will be also a special one on the EU Funds," he said. The Government Office reported on Friday that the regular cabinet session is slated for Wednesday, May 22, and will be headed by Kalinak. Bratislava, May 17 (TASR) - A prosecutor proposes to take into custody the shooter who heavily injured Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) with multiple gunshots on Wednesday (May 15), with the motion to be decided by the Specialised Criminal Court on Saturday (May 18), TASR learnt from court spokesperson Katarina Kudjakova on Friday. "The prosecutor deems the defendant a potential flight risk and believes that there's also the risk he might continue his criminal activity, hence he pursues both the flight-prevention and preventive custody," claimed the spokesperson. The Specialised Criminal Court received a proposal to take Juraj C. into custody on Friday, at 1.39 p.m. The defendant is charged with an aggravated murder attempt. Bratislava, May 17 (TASR) - Leader of opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) and House Vice-chair Michal Simecka filed a criminal complaint over death threats received by him, his partner and daughter, TASR learnt from PS press department on Friday. According to Simecka, he has received multiple "specific and drastic" death threats from "specific people". He pointed out that similar threats were faced for years also by President Zuzana Caputova, ever since political attacks against her began. Simecka believes that the majority of politicians, journalists and publicly active persons expressing their views face threats. "The horrifying attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) life has drawn attention to the spiralling violence in which we live," he claimed. The PS leader warned that some politicians continue to stir up passions and perpetuate the attacks and accusations even in times when people need to hear an unequivocal signal of reconciliation. He reiterated his call for 100 days of peace. "We need time to reconcile and set up new rules. We need to refrain from making attacks, raising allegations or tabling any controversial, wild proposals," he added. Bratislava, May 17 (TASR) - The next regular government session is scheduled for Wednesday, May 22 and will be led by Vice-premier and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD), the Government Office has informed TASR. At the same time, the office stated that government activities are running in a standard way and that ministers are acting within the powers entrusted to them. Kalinak gave the same assurance at a news conference on Friday, when he informed the media about Premier Robert Fico's condition. The premier was seriously injured by a gunman following an away-from-home government session in Handlova (Trencin region) on Wednesday (May 15). He is now recovering at Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica. His condition is stable, but still serious. Bratislava, May 17 (TASR) - Spain's King Philip VI called President Zuzana Caputova on Thursday (May 16) evening to express his support for and solidarity with Slovakia in connection with the assassination attempt on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), president's spokesman Martin Strizinec has informed TASR. At the same time, the Spanish monarch wished Fico a speedy recovery and expressed his hope that the situation in Slovakia will calm down as soon as possible. The Slovak premier was seriously shot by a 71-year-old man from the town of Levice (Nitra region) with a legally held weapon following the away-from-home government session in Handlova (Trencin region) on Wednesday (May 15). His condition following surgery is stable, but he still isn't out of danger. Bratislava, May 17 (TASR) - Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka called for professional restraint in reporting and commenting on circumstances surrounding the attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) life, TASR learnt on Friday. "In the interest of not escalating tension and the polarisation of society, the public must be informed only factually and about facts provided by relevant bodies," underlined Zilinka. Zilinka voiced understanding for the work of the media and the effort to keep the public informed to the maximum, but he urged the media to respect that the criminal prosecution is not public. "Therefore, I reject the effort to conduct a so-called live coverage investigation," he warned. Tesla's German factory gets approval for extension Berlin, May 16 (AFP) May 16, 2024 Tesla on Thursday said its plans to extend its production site outside Berlin had been approved, overcoming opposition from residents and environmental activists. The US electric car manufacturer said it was "extremely pleased" that local officials in the town of Gruenheide, where the factory is located, had voted to approve he extension. Tesla opened the plant -- its only production location in Europe -- in 2022 at the end of a tumultuous two-year approval and construction process. The carmaker had to clear a series of administrative and legal hurdles before production could begin at the site, including complaints from locals about the site's environmental impact. Plans to double capacity to produce a million cars a year at the site, which employs some 12,000 people, were announced in 2023. The plant, which already occupies around 300 hectares (740 acres), was set to be expanded by a further 170 hectares. But Tesla had to scale back its ambitions to grow the already massive site after locals opposed the plan in a non-binding poll. Their concerns included deforestation required for the expansion, the plant's high water consumption, and an increase in road traffic in the area. In the new proposal, Tesla has scrapped plans for logistics and storage centres and on-site employee facilities, while leaving more of the surrounding forest standing. Thursday's council vote in Gruenheide drew strong interest from residents and was picketed by protestors opposing the extension, according to German media. Protests against the plant have increased since February, and in March the plant was forced to halt production following a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines claimed by a far-left group. Activists have also built makeshift treehouses in the woodland around the factory to block the expansion, and environmentalists gathered earlier this month in their hundreds at the factory to protest the enlargement plans. Four dead as heavy rains, wind lash Texas Houston, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 Four people died in Texas on Thursday as heavy storms with winds up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour lashed the southwestern US state, local authorities said. Streets in downtown Houston were covered in glass from blown-out windows, video and photos posted to social media showed, as the National Weather Service warned of "severe" thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. Downed trees and power lines littered residential areas, and around a million customers in the state had lost power -- including more than 800,000 in Harris County, where Houston is located. The mayor of the city, the largest in Texas, said four people had died. "Mostly from fallen trees, people trapped in their cars," Mayor John Whitmire told reporters, though exact details were not available. Winds had reached speeds of between 80 and 100 miles per hour, he said. Whitmire urged residents to avoid downtown, adding that public schools would be closed on Friday and asking non-essential workers to stay home as well. Restoring power "will take us into late tomorrow," he said. The mayor and the city's office of emergency management (OEM) were working with first responders to assess the damage, the city said. Residents were asked to stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary travel, according to the OEM. With about 2.3 million people, Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States, with an economy driven in large part by the oil and petrochemical industry. For sale: unique piece of land in strategic Arctic archipelago Oslo, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 The last piece of privately owned land in the strategic Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic is up for grabs, a property likely to entice China but which Norway does not intend to let go without a fight. The archipelago is located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, in an Arctic region that has become a geopolitical and economic hotspot as the ice melts and relations grow ever frostier between Russia and the West. For 300 million euros ($326 million), interested parties can acquire the remote Sore Fagerfjord property in southwestern Svalbard. Measuring 60 square kilometres (23 square miles) -- about the size of Manhattan -- the property is home to mountains, plains, a glacier and about five kilometres of coastline, but no infrastructure. "It's the last private land in Svalbard, and, to our knowledge, the last private land in the world's High Arctic," said lawyer Per Kyllingstad, who represents the sellers. "The Chinese are naturally potential buyers since they've been showing a real interest in the Arctic and Svalbard for a long time," he told AFP, adding that he had received "concrete signs of interest" from the country. - Special treaty - Since China's 2018 white paper on the Arctic -- a sign of its interest in the region -- the country has defined itself a "near-Arctic state" and plans to play a growing role in the region. Svalbard is governed by a 1920 international treaty that leaves ample room for foreign interests. It recognises Norway's sovereignty over Svalbard, but citizens of all signatories -- including China -- are equally entitled to exploit the region's natural resources. Russia, for example, has maintained a coal mining community on Svalbard, via the state-run company Trust Arktikugol, for decades. But times have changed. Keen to protect its sovereignty, Norway would not look kindly on the Sore Fagerfjord property falling into foreign hands. Especially hands in China, which Norway's intelligence services say poses the biggest security risk to the Scandinavian country after Russia. Norway's Attorney General has therefore ordered the owners -- a company controlled by a Russian-born Norwegian, according to local media -- to call off the planned sale. "The land can't be sold without the Norwegian authorities' approval," Trade and Industry Minister Cecilie Myrseth told AFP. "Nor is it possible to hold negotiations about the property," she added. That argument is based on clauses of an old loan granted by the state in 1919. Kyllingstad insists the clauses' statute of limitations has expired. - 'Red flag' - The Norwegian state owns 99.5 percent of Svalbard and has declared most of the land, including the Sore Fagerfjord property, protected areas where construction and motorised transport, among other things, are prohibited. But the sellers don't see things that way, and cite the 1920 treaty. "All parties (who signed the treaty) have the same rights," stressed Kyllingstad, noting that Norway had built housing, an airport and a harbour in Longyearbyen, the archipelago's main town. "Imagine if Norway now adopted rules limiting the activities of Russian holdings," he said. "It would be World War Three." According to Andreas Osthagen of the Fridtjof Nansen research institute, the Sore Fagerfjord land has "minimal" economic value and its possible sale does not represent "a huge threat" to Norway. But, he noted, "owning land on Svalbard could have a strategic value in 50 or 100 years." In the meantime, any mention of possible Chinese interest in Svalbard property raises "a red flag to force the Norwegian authorities to do something." In 2016, the government paid 33.5 million euros to acquire the second-last piece of private land on Svalbard, near Longyearbyen, which was also reportedly being eyed by Chinese investors. Critics subsequently accused the government of being misled over unsubstantiated arguments. In 2018-2019, the state had already engaged in negotiations to buy Sore Fagerfjord but the talks collapsed over the price. Trade and Industry Minister Myrseth said the option was still open if the terms were "realistic". Weather bureau warns India faces another election heatwave New Delhi, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 India's weather bureau has warned the country was facing its second heatwave in three weeks, including in areas where millions of people are set to vote in the six-week election. Analysts have blamed a dip in turnout compared to the last national poll in 2019 on widespread expectations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will easily win a third term, as well as hotter-than-average temperatures heading into the summer. The latest round of voting in the seven-phase election will take place on Monday, including in parts of India expected to see temperatures 2-3 degrees Celsius above normal. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Jharkhand states, all of which will hold votes on Monday, could expect to see "moderate" heatwave conditions including temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), a forecast said late Thursday. The Indian Meteorological Department warned of "moderate health concern" for infants, the elderly and those with chronic diseases, and advised residents of those states to avoid the heat. The capital New Delhi was also expected to see maximum temperatures of 45C (113F) at the weekend, the forecast said. Hundreds of millions of people across South and Southeast Asia endured a prolonged heatwave last month that prompted school closures in the Philippines and Bangladesh. India's election commission said last month it had formed a task force to review the impact of heatwaves and humidity before each round of voting. In Mathura, a city near New Delhi, temperatures crossed 41C (106F) on polling day in late April, with election commission figures showing a turnout drop of nearly nine points from five years earlier. Modi urged voters this month to drink "as much water as possible" on polling day after he cast his vote in his home state Gujarat. India is no stranger to searing summer temperatures but years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense both in the Asian subcontinent and around the world. Severe storms also hit parts of the country this week including in the financial capital Mumbai, where strong winds collapsed a giant billboard that killed 16 people and left dozens more trapped under the wreckage. At least 11 people were killed in lightning strikes during a thunderstorm in West Bengal on Thursday, authorities said. Endangered Iberian lynx population doubles in three years Madrid, May 17 (AFP) May 17, 2024 The number of endangered Iberian lynx in the wild in Spain and Portugal has nearly doubled since 2020 to surpass 2,000 last year, the Spanish government said Friday. A total of 722 lynx were born in 2023 bringing their total number in the two countries to 2,021, a record high since monitoring of the species began and up from 1,111 just three years earlier, Spain's environment ministry said in a statement. This rise "allows us to continue to be optimistic about the reduction of the risk of extinction of the Iberian lynx," it added. Known for its pointy ears, long legs and leopard-like spotted fur, the species was on the brink of extinction just two decades ago due to poaching, road accidents and encroachment on their habitat by urban development, as well as a dramatic decline due to disease in wild rabbits numbers, the lynx's main prey. When the first census of the spotted nocturnal cat was carried out in 2002, there were fewer than 100 specimens in the Iberian Peninsula. The ministry party attributed the boom in lynx numbers to the success of a captive breeding and reintroduction programme launched in 2011. Since then, 372 lynx born in captivity have been released into the wild. "The recovery of the Iberian lynx population in Spain and Portugal constitutes one of the best examples of conservation actions for endangered species in the world," it said. The ministry said the Iberian lynx population has continued to rise since 2015, when the International Union for Conservation of Nature downgraded the threat level to "endangered" from "critically endangered -- its highest category before extinction in the wild. Most Iberian lynx can be found in the Donana national park and Sierra Morena mountains in the southwestern region of Andalusia, but the conservation programme has reintroduced captive-bred animals to the Spanish regions of Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Murcia, as well as Portugal. Trocaire College is nearing completion of a $5 million renovation to its former hospitality school on Transit Road into its new Veterinary Science Department, which will offer veterinary assistant and veterinary technician courses to fill a gap created when Medaille University closed last year. The project has added about 3,290 square feet of space to a new, dedicated veterinary sciences department and renovations to 1,500 square feet of existing space in the Transit Road building that was donated by restaurateur Russell J. Salvatore in 2008 and housed the Russell J. Salvatore School of Hospitality until the pandemic. The new space will include amenities needed for the Veterinary Science Departments academic programs, including animal wards, a surgery suite and prep room, dental procedure lab, central sterile processing room, teaching laboratories, a radiology lab and storage areas. There will also be a fenced-in grassy area outside for use by small animals. The new veterinary sciences facility will be isolated from the rest of the building via coded locking doors to ensure the integrity of the surgical and animal treatment and preparation areas from general spaces in the building. The project is on track to be completed this summer in anticipation of on-site classes beginning this fall, Trocaire President Bassam Deeb said. Trocaire is excited to unveil its new veterinary sciences department and share our plans for education in the welfare of animals. We have dedicated resources to construct a state-of-the-art facility that will provide surgical suites and classrooms so students can participate in the most advanced form of learning with animals possible, Deeb said. This is a huge investment for the college and demonstrates our commitment to providing programs that meet the needs of our students and the community at large, Deeb added. There is a demonstrated demand for professionals in the veterinary sciences arena which we hope to meet going forward. Trocaires pursuit of veterinary technician programs came after it tried to help rescue the failing Medailles campus and programs via a merger that fell apart last year, resulting in Medaille closing its doors permanently in August. Medailles popular vet tech program was the only one of its kind in the Buffalo Niagara region. Trocaire hired Dr. Katherine Fitzgerald, who chaired Medailles vet tech department, as the first dean of its new Veterinary Sciences Department, as well as several former Medaille staff who will help teach the programs. Trocaire launched an online certificate program for veterinary assistant training this past academic year and is applying to regulatory agencies, including the New York State Education Department and the American Veterinary Medical Association, for approval for in-person veterinary technician programs for the coming year, Fitzgerald said. The vet assistant program requires 100 hours of hands-on training in a veterinary clinic setting, and prepares students to immediately work in an entry-level veterinary assistant position starting at about $30,000 a year. Those who continue their studies to become veterinary technicians can earn up to double that salary, according to salary.com and other job recruitment companies. Fitzgerald said both positions are in demand at veterinary practices, animal clinics and shelters throughout Western New York. Unlike human health care, veterinary sciences has only three levels of study, from assistant to technician to doctor, Fitzgerald said. Trocaire plans to offer two of the three levels soon. It is very exciting to build a robust veterinary sciences program from the ground up here at Trocaire, Fitzgerald added. The community is in desperate need of professionals who can help with the care of animals both large and small. We aim to support our colleagues by providing a well-rounded learning experience to produce educated students who can immediately hit the ground running. Fitzgerald said the new facility Trocaire is creating may also be used for community outreach and events ranging from continuing education classes to spay and neuter clinics. Our aim is to fill the dire need for veterinary care in WNY in whatever way possible, she said. UB president named fellow of national scholarly society University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest scholarly societies in the nation, UB announced. The AAAS was founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock and other revolutionary leaders, and its fellows include more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners. Tripathi and 249 other new members, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, will be inducted into the society on Sept. 20-21 in Cambridge, Mass. THE LATEST Independent Health is putting one of its buildings on its Amherst campus up for sale. Applicants in Niagara and Chauatuqua counties have sued to invalidate more than 450 Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licenses. Bliss Construction proposed a new mixed-use project near Main-Transit. Citing 'economic' reasons, Tesla laid off 27 more employees at South Buffalo plant. D'Youville paused construction of its new med school building amid financing trouble. Erie County is looking for developer for a light industrial project at Renaissance Commerce Park in Lackawanna. Gov. Kathy Hochul asked the Office of Cannabis Management director to step down. The state is moving to open a lot more legal cannabis shops. What does the federal reclassification of marijuana mean for New York's cannabis market? The NLRB filed a complaint against Tesla over its technology policy for workers. ACV Auctions expects its markets to improve as the year goes on. Why has Buffalo Niagara's recovery lagged, when other cities have thrived Noco has a new president and for the first time, it's not a Newman family member. A closed movie theater in Niagara County could become an auto service center. The visit of a Biden official highlighted infrastructure improvements. The 43North Foundation has big plans to boost the Buffalo Niagara startup scene. ICYMI Five reads from Buffalo Next: 1. The push to get more women and minority contractors working on the Buffalo Bills stadium project could pay dividends on other big construction jobs down the road. 2. The oldest investment club in the state is in Lockport. 3. The struggles facing the Factory Outlets of Niagara Falls. 4. How a Buffalo woman became a pioneer in the architecture field. 5. How Lake Shore Savings Bank's new CEO is trying to get past the shortcomings cited by federal regulators. The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the regions economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435. A sub-contractor for Baton Rouge City-Parish prime contractor DRC Emergency Services uses "the Bear," a nickname for the saws-equipped harvester used to lift trees, cutting them off near the ground when needed, as they work on clearing the banks and bed of Ward Creek earlier this year. In Buffalo and across New York State, the number of shooting incidents has dropped significantly in 2024, and fewer people have been wounded by gunfire, according to Gov. Kathy Hochuls administration. Across the state, shooting incidents are down by 24%, and the number of victims shot has fallen by 25% through May 7, compared with the same period last year. The number of people killed by gun violence statewide has decreased by 18% over the same time period. In Buffalo, the number of shooting incidents is down by 15% in 2024, compared with the same time period in 2023. The number of victims wounded is down by 12%. There have been eight people killed by gun violence in Buffalo this year, one more than during the same months in 2023. That includes a particularly violent 11-day stretch from late April to early May when four people were killed by gunfire in Buffalo. Compared with the five-year average, shooting incidents are down 35% in Buffalo, and the number of victims is down by 32%, according to state Department of Criminal Justice Services data. Statewide, gun violence has dropped by similar percentages over the five-year average, the data shows. Division of Criminal Justice Services Executive Deputy Commissioner Joseph Popcun said at a news conference Thursday in Albany that coordination with law enforcement agencies and citizen-run violence prevention programs have played a major role in the steep decline in gun violence in New York State. Popcun pointed to the Buffalo Police Departments use of hotspot microgrids, a method that sends additional police patrols to areas of the city that have seen recent violence to be more proactive and visible, as an example of the type of strategy where state-supported initiatives have been effective. The Buffalo Police Department implemented micro hotspots, 500-foot-by-500-foot grids of the entire city, and they were able to use those grids and the activities that were within them to focus their policing efforts on the few places where violence is most prevalent, he said. Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia credited the Department of Criminal Justice Services and other state offices with providing the support his department needs to make innovative strategies, such as the microgrids plan, effective. They are significant partners in providing us with all of the data that we need, he said. They help with the mapping. Gramaglia said funding from the Department of Criminal Justice Services is also crucial. In the last budget year the state office provided $2.2 million in support to the department through the Gun Involved Violence Elimination program, he said. The decrease in shootings and shooting-related killings falls in line with national trends. Homicides fell sharply from highs in 1993 to historic lows in 2002, and remained relatively flat until 2020, when killings rose quickly in Buffalo and many other cities across the nation, driving a national spike. FBI data released in March showed a 13% drop nationwide in homicides from 2022 to 2023, and a 6% drop in all violent crime. New York State Police Superintendent Steven James pointed to coordinated efforts for getting illegal guns off the street as another factor in the reduced gun violence trends. Police have seized more than 800 crime guns this year, and more than 3,000 guns in total, more than the previous five years combined, he said. This is being accomplished through our target-related strategies, James said. Weve formed the Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns to collaborate with law enforcement partners in neighboring states, just not within the confines of New York State, along with our federal partners and particularly with the local sharing of our tactics and our strategies and preventing gun trafficking across the entire spectrum of the state. The Buffalo Police Department learned earlier this week that it would receive nearly $6.8 million in state funding to purchase crime fighting and prevention technology. Gramaglia said the department has a list of priorities set for technology purchases and upgrades, including cameras for police vehicles, license plate readers and infrastructure upgrades that will help with the administration and storage of video data, all of which will help the department in the prevention of and investigations into shootings. Were definitely going to utilize this technology grant for everything its worth, Gramaglia said. Were seeing how technology helps us to solve crime and violent crime. Renaming rights, please, to be extended promptly to Gina Rinehart not for one of the swimmers she sponsors, but for what is known as the Streisand effect. That is, the phenomenon of famous, powerful figures trying to suppress information about themselves, but in the attempt, attracting far more publicity of the very thing they wanted to be hidden. Barbra Streisand inspired the term in 2003, when she attempted to stop publication of an aerial photograph of her house, taken to document coastal erosion in Malibu, California. The result was that the photograph was widely circulated for the world to see. Double or nothing: both of Vincent Namatjiras portraits of Gina Rinehart have now been given publicity. According to Wikipedia: the Streisand effect exemplifies psychological reactance: where the desire to hide information instead makes its propagation more likely. Rinehart kicked an analogous own-goal on Wednesday when the Herald and The Age reported that she demanded the National Gallery of Australia remove a portrait of her from an exhibition by Archibald Prize-winning Indigenous artist Vincent Namatjira. Advertisement Eating outJapanese Bored of sushi rolls? This alternative is healthier, fresher, cheaper and gaining popularity Japans soul food is creeping onto Sydney cafe menus and into convenience store fridges. And these rice balls have a few bonuses that our beloved handrolls dont. Emma Breheny and Bianca Hrovat 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 Despite spending a year searching for the perfect rice, Kantaro Okada could not make any money at his Japanese cafe selling onigiri, the rice balls with various fillings that are as common in Japan as sandwiches are here. We were in the red. We couldnt break even for the first six months, says Okada. A plate of onigiri held by Comeco Foods co-owner Masa Haga in Newtown. Steven Siewert That was five years ago. Now, his North Melbourne cafe, 279, is one of about a dozen casual spots in Melbourne and Sydney offering onigiri, once only found at a handful of Japanese restaurants in Australia and now part of a new wave of Japanese convenience food. Onigiri are made by moulding warm rice around a variety of fillings into the shape of a ball or triangle and wrapping it in a piece of nori (seaweed). Advertisement While still seen as a speciality item, onigiri taps into Australians love of hand-held, takeaway sushi and has the potential to become just as loved. Inside, onigiri contain ingredients like soy-marinated seaweed, tuna or salmon. Steven Siewert In fact, onigiri are served and eaten in Japan in a similar way to our sushi rolls. Theyre portable, widely available, a speedy yet healthy lunch, and a favourite of both children and adults. For Japanese people, I believe the soul food is onigiri, says Yu Ozone, co-owner of Comeco Foods in Sydneys Newtown. Japanese people eat onigiri as a meal and also as a snack. Its like the sandwich for Australians. Onigiri have an edge over sushi rolls and that other grab-and-go lunch, the sandwich, for several reasons. Advertisement Firstly, theyre healthier because the rice isnt seasoned with sugar, vinegar or salt, unlike sushi rice. The rice for onigiri only requires salt. Secondly, many onigiri are fresher. Most spots offering onigiri make each rice ball to order, for only a few more dollars than your average food court sushi roll. Finally, onigiri are gluten-free and yet are still very filling compared to salads and other common gluten-free lunches. Five onigiri essentials to know No chopsticks required just pick it up and eat it with your hands. Its gluten-free Unlike sushi rolls, theres no sugar (or vinegar) in the rice Traditional Japanese fillings include furikake, a crunchy mix of sesame seeds, seaweed, dried fish flakes and other salty sprinkles, or the more powerful umeboshi (pickled plum). Somewhere in between are cooked salmon, soy-marinated seaweed, or mentaiko and tarako (types of cod roe). Grab and go theyre as portable as a sandwich, but remember the longer the seaweed is in contact with the rice, the softer it gets. The other bonus is that onigiri are much cheaper than the tricked-up sandwiches now taking Melbourne and Sydney by storm. Advertisement Onigiri Kitchen in Melbourne has found so much success with its first store on Little Collins Street and its office catering that its set to grow to four locations by the end of the year, including one on popular Degraves Street, once a hub for espresso bars and French-style cafes. Okada and Ozone think that the increasing number of Australians travelling to Japan is a big part of the foods current popularity here. If youve been to Japan and youve been to a convenience store, its hard to miss onigiri. Id be surprised if someone hadnt tried it, Okada says. Comeco owners Yu Ozone and Masa Haga, who describe onigiri as soul food. Edwina Pickles The secret to good onigiri is good rice. You want soft and fluffy cooked rice with a non-sticky surface that crumbles gently when bitten into, with just the right amount of saltiness, says Ozone. Advertisement In its quest for the perfect grain, 279 cafe trialled 20 varieties of rice and 10 different rice cookers, and it continues to test and tweak to this day. The businesses spoken to for this article use quality varieties such as masshigura or koshihikari, both highly ranked by the Japan Grain Inspection Association. Traditional onigiri fillings usually include pickled or preserved ingredients, such as umeboshi (a salted, intensely sour plum) or takana (lightly pickled greens). Western-influenced fillings include tuna with mayonnaise or even fried chicken. Onigiri at Domo 39, with small clues about their filling dotted on the top. Dominic Lorrimer If some of these sound like what youd put in a sandwich, the similarities dont end there. Onigirazu is an onigiri spin-off that looks like a sandwich using rice instead of bread, with a nori (seaweed) wrapping around the outside. Advertisement Kaede cafe in Abbotsford, Melbourne, has been serving onigirazu since 2021. Owner Yuki Murata says theyre the perfect bridge between Australia and Japan because they have more filling and less rice. Other venues, including Domo 39 and Kura Kura in Sydney and Onigiri Kitchen in Melbourne, are trying to recreate the true Japanese convenience store experience by using the same triangular packaging for onigiri or grab-and-go fridges. Five places to find onigiri in Sydney Comeco Foods onigiri meal set with tempura vegetables. Steven Siewert Comeco, Newtown Advertisement Everything is gluten-free, plant-based and delicious at this small Japanese cafe, listed among Sydneys best in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. Onigiri made with koshihikari rice come as part of a lunch set, served with crunchy tempura vegetables or grilled teriyaki tofu. Choose from miso-grilled onigiri, umeboshi or the two weekly specials. 524A King Street, Newtown, comecofoods.com.au Salted plum, cha-shu and mustard greens onigiri at Parami. Rhett Wyman Parami, Sydney Parami co-owner Mika Kazato says the Japanese ritual of picking up onigiri from a 7-Eleven fridge inspired the concept for her cafe. The ex-Aria chef makes vividly coloured onigiri, sprinkled with shreds of tart umeboshi (sour plum) and salty-sweet shiso power, or brimming with bright, pickled mustard greens. Its also a must-try for tea lovers, with hard-to-find brews like the umami-driven gyokuro from Uji, Kyoto. Advertisement Shop 101/21 Alberta Street, Sydney, instagram.com/parami_alberta Onigiri from Miso Mart and Cafe Maru, located at St Leonards, Wynyard and Crows Nest. Supplied Miso Mart (Cafe Maru), Crows Nest Affordable and plentiful onigiri come in more than 15 varieties at this Japanese convenience store. From $4.50 (takeaway), theres spicy yakiniku beef, the best-selling zuke (mirin marinated) salmon and more. Pick one up on the way to the nearby train station or head to their cafe across the road, Cafe Maru, where you can eat onigiri and have your car washed at the same time (its hidden inside Snap Car Wash). 105/545-553 Pacific Highway, St Leonards, misomart.com.au Advertisement Onigiri with shiso leaf (left) and takana (mustard greens) at Domo 39. Steven Siewert Domo 39, St Peters Onigiri are available pre-packaged for convenient grab-and-go at Domo 39, but theyre best when made-to-order, when the rice is warm, and the nori is still crisp. Choose from six fillings, including vegetarian-friendly shiso kombu (kelp) and creamy tuna and mayo. Pick up some rice cream while youre there, a toasted rice soft-serve from Mapo Gelatos Matteo Pochintesta. 5/2 May Lane, St Peters, instagram.com/domothreenine Kura Kura Onigiri, Haymarket Advertisement A year ago, this popular Japanese restaurant started selling onigiri, bento boxes and affordable rice bowls at lunchtime on weekdays from a small stand near the entry to the restaurant. Wrapped just like they are in Japans convenience stores, the rice balls come in Aussie-tinged flavours like teriyaki chicken alongside more classic mentaiko (marinated cod roe) or salted salmon. 76 Ultimo Road, Haymarket, instagram.com/kurakura_onigiri/ Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up What were the influences that shaped your politics? Number one: I grew up in a working-class family. We werent poor, but we struggled and lived in what was called a rent-controlled apartment for lower-income families. The stresses and tensions that exist because of inadequate finances have stayed with me my whole life. The other thing is, Im Jewish. When I was growing up, I learnt about the Holocaust and what racism and bigotry can do. That has also influenced my life: trying to create a world in which we look at people as human beings. One of your strengths is your ability to work with a wide group of people, including people you dont agree with. But in American politics, the divides have never felt greater. So how do you continue to do that? Political division is hotter now than it has ever been in my lifetime. What you do is, you pick and you choose. For example, Im the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. It turns out there was a Republican member a physician who agreed with me on many issues. So we sat down and we worked together I had to make compromises to come up with probably the most significant reform in primary healthcare weve seen for a long, long time. [The Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act was announced last September.] Do you fear Donald Trumps re-election as president, despite all of the actions in the courts? If your question is, does Donald Trump have a reasonable chance of winning? Yes, he does. Should Joe Biden step down as the Democrats nominee, given his age and declining popularity? Biden is the candidate; thats the end of the discussion. I think he has a good chance to win. Can Trump win? Absolutely. Can Biden win? Absolutely. If you dont agree with Biden on everything, thats fine. But hes far superior to Trump. Youre the longest-serving independent member of Congress in American history. What accounts for your political longevity? Well, I thank the people of Vermont. We welcome Australians to come and visit us! 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. In the year to April, Chinese students were granted visas for university study at a rate of more than 97 per cent, only slightly down on the year before, even as the government told universities to cut reliance on the market. Other key markets including Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka have maintained visa grant rates above 90 per cent while the average sits at a record low 83 per cent. Countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Kenya and Nigeria all have approval rates below 70 per cent, in significant drops from previous years. The nondescript Parramatta offices housing the new western Sydney outpost of Australias oldest gay community-founded HIV charity is only a short drive from Cumberland City Council chambers, the scene of impassioned protests this week over a childrens book depicting same-sex parents. While the activities going on behind the facades of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and Cumberland City Council appear worlds apart, they are now the unlikely fronts in a widening cultural divide between the inner city and the greater west in Sydneys four-decade-long battle against HIV, homophobia and discrimination. Bobby Goldsmiths niece Jen Hancock and the Bobby Goldsmith Foundations co-founder Ken Bryan at the charitys 40th anniversary at Universal Sydney on Oxford Street on Thursday night. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos Strangely, I think a lot of the issues the stigma, discrimination and isolation which our generation faced, are now confronting people with HIV in those diverse communities in the west that have probably never been to Oxford Street, foundation co-founder and Bobby Goldsmiths former partner Ken Bryan told the Herald at the charitys 40th anniversary on Thursday night. Goldsmiths niece Jen Hancock recalled how her family, who loved Uncle Robert unconditionally, had to keep his HIV diagnosis a secret because of the discrimination and shame that followed the virus at the time. There is the emotional young woman whose attempts alongside her father to have her Apprehended Domestic Violence Order against her mother strengthened are complicated by the fact that she wants to breach them herself, to visit her disabled brother. The mother is in court, too; after the application is refused, she uses a white cane to navigate her way outside. NSW established the Specialist Family Violence list at two city and a handful of regional courthouses in September last year. Local Courts are struggling with the volume of domestic violence-related matters they constitute about 40 per cent of the workload so the list aims to deal with cases more quickly, and in a more respectful and trauma-informed way, by people who have particular expertise. There is intense interest in how this trial is operating, as discussions are under way at the highest levels of government about how the court system should approach domestic and family violence, and whether that should involve a standalone domestic violence court or an expansion of the family violence pilot. The lawyers and court staff who deal with these specialist lists are required to make the experience as victim-friendly as possible to avoid legal jargon, explain in simple terms whats happening and give complainants a voice. The young woman with the disabled brother asks to address the court about the application against her mother, so she is allowed to do so. They must also give witnesses regular breaks, avoid dismissive language and ensure everyone involved understands the next step. The magistrates have special training in trauma, and the volume of DV cases they deal with gives them a better understanding than most about common tactics, such as the abuser taking out an ADVO against their victim to muddy the waters about who is abusing whom. Prosecutors also have special training, both from the Department of Communities and Justice and from police. In one case in Blacktown, an application for a long-term ADVO against a woman who, police domestic liaison officers tell the court, is actually potentially the victim, is met with a so-called lapsing order for three months (if there are no breaches, the order expires after the set period with no need to return to court). Cases can involve many layers of complexity. Over at the Downing Centre, a young man wearing a sharp suit and shiny brown shoes sits in court with his mother, a domestic violence victim at the hands of her own former partner, and his ex, whom hed previously been convicted of calling a f---ing mutt and damaging her property. He is accused of attacking his mothers abusive boyfriend at a family gathering. The boyfriend had reduced his mother to tears, so he punched the man multiple times to the head and body and then held him in a headlock while urging another man to do the same. The magistrate acknowledges he felt protective of his mother, but hed already been serving a DV-related sentence at the time of the offence and should have let the man be dealt with by police, not by you meting out summary justice, she says. She sentences him to jail; as his mother sobs, Corrective Services officers materialise, and escort him away. Most matters involve protection orders; requests for them to be made or dropped, or for conditions to be changed (one woman wanted more access to her abusive partner, which was refused by the magistrate on the grounds it was pointless, as he was in jail). Some concern ADVO breaches, ranging from the serious to the inadvertent; one woman accidentally took the same train as her protected former partner. At the Downing Centre, a young couple try to convince the magistrate to drop an ADVO condition preventing the man from being in the womans company for at least 12 hours after drinking alcohol. Both want the change; they say theyve been together for seven years, they live together, theyre applying for a spousal visa and the incident while drinking was a one-off. He was getting mental health help, and they wanted to socialise together. The magistrate refuses their request. In another case, a woman asks the court to vary ADVO conditions so her estranged partner who is facing domestic violence charges against her, which she says are false can see their son. She says the father-son relationship is important. The child is one year old, she says. The guilt inside me, I just cant take it any more. The magistrate sets a date for a hearing, so police can have a say, and warns her that she must always tell the truth in court. Deputy Chief Magistrate Sharon Freund says the family violence court applies the same laws and penalties as other courts. Its aim is to improve the court experience for victims. Deputy Chief Magistrate Sharon Freund says the family violence list is designed to make the court experience less stressful for victims. Credit: Janie Barrett If complainants come into a court and they feel like they are being respected, it may empower them going forward to leave a relationship that they otherwise might not, she says. And then, hopefully, they can be given a warm handover to other services that could assist them. Domestic violence cases are complex, says Freund. Sometimes, the relationship has ended by the time the matter comes before court, and both parties have moved on. Sometimes its complicated by issues being thrashed out in the Family Court, or by joint custody of children, or by victims who are frightened to leave, or coerced to stay. Sometimes, the victim does not turn up on the day of the hearing. They might have called the police to defuse a difficult situation, but dont want to take it further. Theyre telling the court something, says Freund. They may just not be ready to take that step yet. And I think we need to hear them when they do that. Youve got to understand the psychology of abusive relationships; it takes time. Loading Sometimes, the victim doesnt want a punitive legal response, says Freund. They might say, Look, I just need him to deal with his drinking, she says. Thats when he becomes awful. If we can, we hear that and refer him to whatever treatment he needs because weve got a captive audience. Making it a trauma-informed court, in my view, is listening to the PINOP [person in need of protection]. Everyones relationships are different. There are different trigger points. Liz Snell, the law reform and policy co-ordinator for Womens Legal Service NSW, says the pilot is welcome, and needs to include specially trained staff who prioritise victim-survivor safety. Motorists in parts of western Sydney and a corridor stretching from Sutherland to Chatswood and the northern beaches will pay more under a shake-up of the citys patchwork of toll roads, according to internal modelling by motorway giant Transurban. In a move that piles pressure on the Minns government, Transurban has released modelling that also shows congestion is likely to worsen on free arterial roads such as those near the Rozelle interchange if the network-wide overhaul is adopted. A review led by former competition watchdog chairman Allan Fels has recommended motorists be charged progressively less the further they drive and that two-way tolling be introduced on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel and the Eastern Distributor. Transurban, which controls 11 of Sydneys 13 toll roads, says in a submission to the independent review that plans for declining distance-based charges, as well as two-way tolling and the removal of toll caps, are likely to result in more users worse off, than benefiting. Disingenuous claim Palestinian advocate Nasser Mashnis claim that from the river to the sea is merely a call for equal rights and justice for all between the river and the sea is utterly disingenuous (Labor senators condemn river to the sea chant in Fatima Payman rebuke, 17/5). Its certainly not what Hamas and its many supporters mean by this slogan. And any new state to be established in that region would be more appropriately named Fantasyland than Palestine. That is, the Jews would subsequently constitute a minority in such a new state, and there is simply no example of a Muslim-majority nation in the Middle East where the presence of Jews hasnt all but ceased. Geoff Feren, St. Kilda East Total hypocrisy From Israeli Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu suggesting that dropping a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip was one of the possibilities in the current conflict, to Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calling for sterile zones in the West Bank which would prevent Palestinians entering certain areas and bar them from harvesting olives close to Israeli settlements in the enclave, it is total hypocrisy for only the Palestinian slogan from the river to the sea to be denounced globally, when Israeli warmongers within their own government are expressing similar sentiments about the fate of the Palestinians. Eric Palm, Gympie, Qld Humane response Your correspondent, (Letters, It feels antisemitic to me, 16/5), is right about the fact that the university student protests will have absolutely no impact on the Australian governments influence on U.S. or Israels positions on the war in Gaza. The rationalisation that antisemitism is more egregious than genocide, by comparing other global injustices is wrong. There can be no justification for the wanton killings, imposed starvation, destruction of homes, hospitals, schools and infrastructures. The Israeli government is committing war crimes on a race of people. War crimes are abhorrent wherever they are committed. To protest about war crimes and genocide in Gaza is not antisemitic. It is a humane response. John Lacey, Richmond Trump world Mr Morrison may be yesterdays man, as Nick Bryant describes (PMs cozy up to Trump? God help us, 17/5). However, for Morrison to describe the legal cases against Mr Trump as a pile on betrays his current role in supporting Republican, right-wing populist causes. Morrison went further: politics is brutal (yes, both men lost their last elections), and when you see that being played out in institutions like the courts, that concerns me. It is a shame that an Australian ex-prime minister would seek to question the rule of law, and in support of such a divisive, and possibly, soon-to-be-criminal, presidential hopeful. Our current prime minister is under no obligation to assume the same position. As he and Penny Wong repeat often in relation to another superpower: We will co-operate where we can, disagree where we must and always act in the national interest. Fiona Colin, Malvern East Class divide Schools are microcosms of society (School Behaviour Chiefs clear message for teachers, 15/5). Parental anxieties over the cost of living, inequality and a shortage of affordable housing are in some cases transferred to their children and eventually the classroom in the form of unacceptable behaviour. There is a solution and it is controversial. Students who disrupt classes, waste educational resources and deprive others of a safe and enriched learning environment should be separated from those who are motivated and possess a strong desire to learn. These recalcitrant students should be gainfully employed in a separate class with the hope of them eventually rejoining the mainstream as their conduct and desire to learn improves. For our children, and the future of the country, the greater good must prevail. Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South, NSW It is a completely untenable situation and the university must act, he said. Australian Zionist Federation chief executive Jeremy Leibler, said it was difficult to reconcile the universitys words and inaction. It is not about the law, it is about the university showing leadership and enforcing their existing policies, he said. It is difficult to understand why it is taking so long. University of Melbourne acting provost Pip Nicholson on Friday said the occupation of the Arts West building presented an unacceptable risk to the safety, security and important work of our entire community and was intimidating staff and students. This followed comments from deputy vice chancellor Michael Wesley, who on Thursday told this masthead that protesters had crossed a line by occupying the building. Wesley said police had been authorised to come on campus and foreshadowed a very substantial operation to end both the occupation and encampment if protesters refused to leave. We want to make sure we have the legal basis to act on this occupation, he told this masthead. We also want to make sure we have a plan in place that enables us to end this occupation in ways that protect the safety of our students and staff. Despite the university signalling its willingness to evict protesters, particularly those not enrolled as students, Victoria Police said on Friday it had not received any complaints of trespass a legal requirement for it to forcibly remove the protesters from campus. Meanwhile, student protesters have received broad support from the National Tertiary Education Union and academics and staff employed at Australian universities. Loading Nearly 200 University of Melbourne staff are signatories to an open letter published by Overland describing the student protests as liberation camps and urging university leaders to engage with their demands. We reject the characterisation of these peaceful and urgent student-led protests and encampments by sections of the popular media and politicians as antisemitic, the letter said. The University of Melbourne has posted notices around campus warning off protesters who arent staff or enrolled students and warning that police could attend campus at any time to restore order. The universitys latest steps had no discernible impact on the protesters, who maintained their presence in the Arts West building without incident on Friday. Victorian Liberal Party deputy leader David Southwick, the most senior Jewish member of the state parliament, attended the university to meet with Jewish students and questioned why police hadnt already been called in. Deputy Opposition Leader David Southwick said police should move the protesters on. Credit: Justin McManus How long are we going to let this be where students are actually having classes cancelled? Are we going to turn around and say the campus is no-longer open? he said. If students dont feel safe on campus, then I think the police do need to step in. The protesters insist their action is peaceful and not disruptive and that classes could have continued in the Arts West building despite the sit-in. We havent blocked any doors, security, cleaning staff members, students, theyre all allowed in the building, third-year Arts student Mercedes Scott said. When this masthead visited the Arts West building on Friday, a few dozen students were scattered throughout the multi-level building, mostly studying quietly. A banner stretching over four stories has renamed the building Mahmouds Hall, in honour of Palestinian student Mahmoud Alnaouq, who protesters say intended to study at Melbourne University on a scholarship this year but was killed in Gaza along with his family at the start of the war. Protesters have renamed the Arts West building Mahmouds Hall. Credit: Justin McManus More than 35,000 people have died in Gaza since the latest war began in October last year, according to Hamas officials. The militant group attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1200 people and abducting 252 others. Israeli officials say about 130 people remain in captivity in Gaza. The student demands, posted on the windows of the building, are for the university to take tangible steps towards ending its research agreements with companies linked to Israel and disclosing the full details of those agreements. Those companies listed by the protesters are defence contractors Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems, aviation manufacturer Boeing and global technology giants IBM and Amazon. Two people have been charged with seven counts of criminal damage after allegedly vandalising a Chinese dragon believed to be the oldest complete parade dragon in the world, which was held at a museum in Bendigo. The man, 43, and woman, 44, were arrested after police searched a property at Seabrook on Friday. Police alleged the pair, both from Seabrook, sprayed oily liquid on two parade dragons and statues and paintings worth about $100,000 at the Golden Dragon Museum on May 5. On the same day, the duo also allegedly damaged property at various locations in Bendigo, including statues and paintings at a museum, a cemetery, a cathedral, a temple, an RSL soldier memorial and the Botanic Gardens. An infectious mixture of influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is spreading through Victoria, leading to a rise in hospitalisations and absences from work. The latest data from the Victorian Health Department shows a 37 per cent rise in COVID-19 hospitalisations this week: about 300 people with the virus are being treated at hospitals across the state. Five-year-old Xavier Mellor, who was struck down with flu, in the emergency department at the Austin Hospital in April. Influenza cases have risen by 75 per cent over the past fortnight more than 9185 cases have been reported in the state so far this year, 1532 more than for the same period last year. There has also been a rise in RSV cases, which mostly affect young children and can lead to breathing problems in babies. A total of 9386 cases of RSV have been recorded this year, compared with 5714 cases over the same period last year. Former Perth Glory shareholder Kenneth Keogh has reached a peace deal with ex-owner Tony Sage, marking the end of their seven-month-long row over a million-dollar stake in the club. Supreme Court justice Michael Lundberg issued orders this week ruling the matter be dismissed, according to court documents obtained by WAtoday. Former Perth Glory owner Tony Sage. Credit: Getty Images It is understood the orders followed a settlement deal inked between the two parties. But the precise terms of that agreement are not yet clear. The row began in October, when Keoghs company Kakka Enterprises hit Sages company Okewood Pty Ltd which previously held the A-League club as an asset with a wind-up order. Three people including two teenagers are facing 18 charges between them over an alleged terrifying two-hour long rampage through Perths northern suburbs. Detectives claim the crime spree began on Great Eastern Highway in South Guildford just after 11pm on April 17, when two people were allegedly seen attempting to enter the home before being spooked by a motion sensor light. Later, a 22-year-old man involved then allegedly struck a woman in her 20s with a piece of wood in Guildford before stealing from her. He then refuelled at a petrol station, allegedly without paying, before heading to Baskerville, where he and two teenagers attempted to steal from a bottle shop. A man leaving a fast-food restaurant in Aveley then allegedly had his car blocked by a stolen vehicle. Someone from the stolen car allegedly approached the victim armed with a tyre iron in an attempt to steal his car. He ran to safety. The 22-year-old man, from Swan View, was hit with a string of charges, including attempted aggravated burglary with intent. He is due to appear in court on June 1. A 15-year-old boy from Kiara is facing six charges. He was refused bail and is due to appear in court on June 17. Meanwhile, a 14-year-old boy from Westminster was charged and appeared in Perth Childrens Court on Friday. He was airlifted to a US army hospital in Germany he cant remember if it was Landstuhl or Ramstein because hes having what he describes as a Pete moment, which happens sometimes because of the head injury where the doctors saved his life. Then, it was back to Sydney for a year or so in various hospitals for operations, followed by a return home to Perth, and years of physical therapy before he left the service in 2017. It has provided a new pathway for me, if it hadnt happened, I would still be in Defence, he says. Now it has happened it has given me a unique opportunity to speak on a veterans platform about my experiences and the people I have met. Sergeant Peter Rudland (left) speaks with Vice Admiral Ray Griggs in 2017. Rudland was co-captain of the Australian team at the Invictus Games. Credit: ADF The platform Rudland is talking about is provided by the RSL, for whom he is an ambassador, and the role has seen him attend every session of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicides, aside from some hearings in Wagga. Like tens of thousands of Australian veterans, Rudland has had to deal with the Department of Veterans' Affairs once he left the army. He still had years of physiotherapy ahead of him as well as a long-term need for pain medication (he also works with Pain Australia). The DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs) is an extremely complex benefits system to navigate, governed by three sets of legislation known by the acronyms DRCA (Defence-Related Claims Act), MRCA (Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act) and VEA (Veterans Entitlement Act). Loading For decades, Australias ex-servicemen and women have complained about the department and how difficult it can be to gain access to the care and support they need. Veterans Affairs Minister Matt Keogh set aside $222 million in the budget to simplify those three laws into one new act, the Veterans Entitlement, Treatment and Support bill (VETS for short), which will be introduced in the coming weeks. Much more significantly, buried deep in last Tuesdays budget, Keogh and his department promised a staggering $9 billion would be the estimated increase in compensation and pension payments over the next five years. Payments relating to military rehabilitation and compensation claims alone are expected to grow by $6.5 billion. Keogh is determined to clear the long backlog of claims from veterans, which is a national scandal. On April 30 this year, Veterans' Affairs had 76,149 claims on hand, comprising 2569 that were unallocated that is, they hadnt been looked at yet and 73,580 claims being processed. Loading Incredibly, the figures are an improvement on a year earlier, when there were 36,271 unallocated claims, with close to 10,000 of those claims having sat unallocated for more than 300 days. Labors decision to hire an extra 500 DVA staff in 2022-23 has cleared the unallocated caseload, but the next step is to actually process those claims. The average wait time for a claim to be processed is still an extraordinary 373 days and, again, the waiting time has actually improved by 62 days. Rudland had it relatively easy he had to fight the department because there were some meds they didnt want to pay for that the army had paid for, and because theyll only pay for a 30-minute physio session for the average person each day, where he needed more because I had so many injuries. The decorated soldier did not want to have to make a daily 80-kilometre round trip for his physio session, either. It was frustrating, I get they are bound by policies but they need to be a bit more flexible, he says. After discussions with them we got a good result. All in all, my dealings with DVA have been good. Newcastle-based Paul McGlynn, a former RAAF technician, spent 22 years in the service until 1999 before leaving at the age of 39. It wasnt until 2019, 20 years after he had left the service, that McGlynn got to the point where his back and his mental health had deteriorated to the extent that he sought help from DVA. The former technician, now 64, is reluctant to talk about what happened to his back and blames himself for the accident he had as a 23-year-old in 1983. In those days, you were either in hospital or working. Former RAAF technician Paul McGlynn I was fitting a generator onto a Mirage aircraft, doing maintenance, it was my fault, it was back in the day when there was no such thing as OH&S, I was a bit gung-ho and I picked up a large generator, I was trying to do it by myself and I fell over, it fell on top of me and the next minute I couldnt move, he says. In those days, they put you in traction, so I spent several days in traction at the base hospital at RAAF Williamtown and then got straight back to work. In those days, you were either in hospital or working. When I was a young man I could deal with it but the older I got the worse it got. I couldnt walk for days at a time, my back would go and I would be out of action for four days. So McGlynn put in a claim. Struggling with his mental health at the time, he called on the services of an advocate, Angus Cameron from NSW RSL LifeCare, to help him navigate the labyrinth of DVA forms and requirements. It took 18 months for his claim to be processed and approved and on the day it happened, McGlynn wrote a long letter to Cameron, thanking him, and gave his doctor, Robyn Fried, a huge bunch of flowers for helping him fill out 20 pages of medical forms. Former RAAF technician Paul McGlynn. Approval meant three things: a disability payment, a veterans card that gives him cheaper medicines, and most importantly it was recognition. Someone had put their hand up and said they were going to look after me, he says. Rudland is mostly complimentary of DVA, while McGlynn is also grateful but concerned about how long it takes for claims to be processed. Both recognise the inherent complexities the department faces in assessing claims. 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 Alex Chan is standing in front of what looks like a five-storey, purple cheese grater. The enormous disc is known as a cutter head, and the 4000-tonne engine sitting behind it will soon push it underground. It will carve its way through six kilometres of Silurian-era rock, deposited more than 400 million years ago, beneath Watsonia to create the epic North East Link toll road. The cutting wheel turns, and it grinds and grinds and grinds the face [of the rock], says Chan, as he stands high above one of the 16-metre high and 90-metre-long tunnel-boring machines now being assembled 11 storeys below ground. Just building the gargantuan tunnelling machine has taken seven months. The cutter head of one of the North East Link tunnel-boring machines is 15.6 metres in diameter. Credit: There will be two of the machines, and each can push 11,420 horsepower equivalent to 57 average cars revving at maximum capacity or one-fifth of the power of a Boeing jet. They are scheduled to begin their journey next month and finish in 2026, ahead of the roads opening in 2028. By then, the borers will have cut and scraped through 5.7 million tonnes of dirt and rock. Advertisement Biggest road ever built Melbourne has never seen a road-tunnelling project on this scale. Over the past month, The Age visited North East Links three worksites, travelling inside the tunnels built so far already enormous, these are only ventilation for the tunnels to come to get a look at the project. The sites, in Watsonia and Bulleen, are on a scale thats difficult to comprehend. The biggest stretches 2.2 kilometres from Watsonia to Yallambie. Six kilometres from where we meet Chan in Watsonia is the Bulleen site near the Heide Museum of Modern Art. Near here, the tunnel-boring machines will emerge in 2026. Advertisement All three sites are littered with diggers, giant storage sheds, and cranes taking material out of the ground or lowering steel and concrete into it. A visit to these sites makes clear how an eye-watering $26 billion is being spent on this project. Alex Chan at the Watsonia end of the tunnel. Credit: Justin McManus What is the North East Link and what does it do? This is the largest, most expensive road project ever undertaken in Victoria. Its 6.5-kilometre tunnels dwarf Melbournes other subterranean toll roads (CityLink 3.5 kilometres and EastLink 1.6 kilometres) and, at their deepest, burrow the height of a 15-storey building under the Yarra River in Bulleen. The tunnel from Watsonia south to Bulleen will have three lanes for cars, widening to four lanes from Bulleen to the Eastern Freeway. The project also expands the freeway to more than 20 lanes in places, to take more traffic once the North East Link opens. Going the other way, motorists coming off the Eastern Freeway will be able to take a four-lane tunnel northwards and exit near Heide. Drivers continuing in the tunnel as it narrows to three lanes will travel onto Greensborough Road, where they can exit in Macleod or go onto the Ring Road in Watsonia. The North East Links northern site stretches from Watsonia to Yallambie over 2.2 kilometres. Credit: Joe Armao Advertisement In a perfect world and the many critics of the tunnel would point out this perfect world wont often happen travelling at the tunnels top speed of 80km/h will get a car driver from the Ring Road to the Eastern Freeway in touch over eight minutes. And from the Eastern Freeway to Yallambie will be about five minutes. These trips, of course, will be tolled. Who came up with this idea? The North East Link began its life five decades ago as a line on a map created under then-premier Henry Bolte. In the 55 years since, successive premiers have said a road linking the Eastern Freeway to Melbournes ring road would be worthwhile. All baulked at the cost and what could go wrong. Until Daniel Andrews came along. One of the North East Links ventilation tunnels stretches into the distance. Credit: Justin McManus Treasurer Tim Pallas was roads minister when, in 2008, the North East Link became a serious proposition. Back then, it was to cost $6 billion. In last weeks federal budget, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed a further $3.25 billion in Commonwealth support for the project. Continual blowouts have taken the price to $26 billion. By the numbers First proposed in 1969, the North East Link is the largest transport infrastructure project in Victorian history. Its twin 6.5-kilometre road tunnels will be the longest in Melbourne. Almost 6 million tonnes of rock and dirt will be excavated by the time the road is scheduled to open in 2028. At its deepest, the tunnels will run 45 metres beneath the ground as they pass below the Yarra River. Two tunnel-boring machines will cut through the rock below Rosanna, Heidelberg and Bulleen at between 12 and 15 metres a day. Each machine has 11,420 horsepower equivalent to the power of 57 average cars driving at full capacity, or one-fifth of a Boeing jet. As they drill, the machines will simultaneously lay down 44,000 concrete panels to form the tunnels walls. Construction areas in Watsonia and Bulleen are enormous with the Watsonia site stretching 2.2 kilometres from near Watsonia rail station to Lower Plenty Road in Yallambie. The project will cost $26 billion up from its 2008 estimate of $6 billion. The tunnels will remove 15,000 trucks from local roads daily, improving traffic flow and reducing congestion significantly. Advertisement Why is it being built? Along with the 12,000 jobs the government says the construction will create, traffic modelling finds the road tunnels will shave up to 35 minutes off a typical journey. While these kinds of time-saving predictions for toll roads are notoriously problematic new roads generate fresh demand what is inarguable is that the project gives motorists more options to get around. Time savings for those living near the project will range from five to 15 minutes, according to government estimates. Those who will save the maximum amount of time from the new toll road are trucks, and the project is specifically designed to get 15,000 of them off north-east roads each day. North East Link is about getting trucks off local roads primarily, says Duncan Elliott, chief executive of the project. Cranes dot the skyline in Bulleen - they are all building the $26 billion North East Link. Credit: Joe Armao How will construction crews dig the tunnels? The two Chinese-built, German-designed tunnel-boring machines carry a permanent work crew of 20, operating constantly night and day. They will sit behind that enormous purple cutter head in a 90-metre-long workspace that incorporates the massive engines, an operators cabin with a control room, a break room where workers have their meals, basic site rooms with a few desks, and toilets. There is also somewhere to flee to in an emergency. Advertisement For exotic destinations such as Egypt, Bhutan or India, where language, food, culture and hygiene present a challenge, an escorted journey is a great way to go but how to pick? Group size is one of the most important things to consider. Bigger groups usually mean lower cost but a group of 12 is a different experience from one of 20. Hotel check-ins take longer with larger groups, toilet stops can blow out to 30 minutes. When it comes to tour groups, bigger is definitely not better. Credit: iStock A group of 12 or 14 is big enough for variety but not so big that youll feel submerged. You wont get separated when youre wandering around the souks of Marrakesh, and youll be able to hear what the guide is saying. Theyre also more flexible. If you want to skip the tour of Romes Farnese Palace and sit in a cafe and watch the world go by, thats usually okay. Want to visit 11 European countries in 21 days? There are escorted journeys that will do just that, but if you want to immerse yourself in a place rather than just gliding over the surface, you need to slow down. Australian parents in Japan will be able to seek joint custody of their children for the first time after the Japanese parliament signed off on changes to the countrys century-old system on Friday following years of international outrage. The Japanese government has been accused by parents of facilitating a black hole of child abduction through the sole custody system, which gave one parent total control over a child after separation. At least 89 Australian children have been registered as abducted since 2004 after having all contact legally cut off from their Australian parent. The legislation, which will come into effect in 2026 and will be applied retrospectively, will enable parents to mutually agree to joint or sole custody. It also allows the family court to award sole custody to one parent, including in cases where that parent is at risk of domestic violence. Australian mother Catherine Henderson was living in Tokyo when she says she came home from work to find that her husband had abducted their daughter and son. But while the laws inject flexibility into the family court system, giving judges the power to grant joint custody the first major change to the laws in more than 70 years critics are sceptical that the changes will make a major difference to high-conflict cases. The squatter accused of killing two Bangladeshi handymen at a Zenner Street residence was arraigned Friday morning on a murder indictment. On Zenner Street, a reminder of the dangers posed by Buffalo's vacant buildings The double murder on Zenner Street highlights a challenge city officials have been grappling with for decades what to do with the thousands of abandoned properties left in the wake of steep population declines in the city that took place from the 1950s until recent years? Dale O. Cummings, 31, who does not have a permanent address, was arraigned before Erie County Court Judge Sheila A. DiTullio on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and second-degree and third-degree criminal possession of weapon, all felonies. Cummings was accused of killing Babul Meah and Abu Saleh Mohammod Yousuf, handymen who had been contracted by a real estate agent to repair an exterior side door at 148 Zenner St., a residence that was presumed vacant. When the men went onto the front porch on April 27, Cummings shot them using a TEC-9 rifle, a semi-automatic weapon with a detachable pistol grip magazine, acting District Attorney Michael J. Keane said at a news conference Friday. Buffalo police responded to reports about the shooting at around 12:30 p.m. April 27. For hours, police considered it an active shooting scene, with a SWAT team surrounding the house. Three surveillance video images of the suspected assailant were issued by police the following day as police announced a $7,500 award from Crime Stoppers WNY for additional information about anyone involved in the homicide. Officers apprehended Cummings on April 28, Buffalo police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said. A community member spotted Cummings and alerted patrol officers who were able to detain him after he briefly attempted to run, the commissioner said. 'Where do I keep this grief?': As Bangladeshi community mourns two deaths, families struggle to survive More than 1,000 Muslim men attended a funeral service, known as Janazah, at the Buffalo Muslim Center on Tuesday for Abu Saleh Mohammod Yousuf, one of two Bangladeshi men killed on Saturday. He has no enemies, yet he left the world in such a devastating manner," said his wife, Nusrat Jahan Tapu. A search warrant was obtained for the bag and ultimately turned up the weapon in question, Gramaglia said. The weapons serial number had been scratched off, the DA added, which is a felony. Police are still investigating how Cummings reportedly obtained the weapon. Man charged with criminal possession of weapon in connection with Zenner Street double homicide Dale Cummings, age and address unknown, was arraigned Monday afternoon in Buffalo City Court on a felony charge of criminal possession of a weapon. At a 4 p.m. news conference, Mayor Byron Brown and Police Commissioner Joseph A. Gramaglia referred to Cummings as "a person of interest in the double homicide." Mayor Byron W. Brown attended the news conference with the district attorney and police commissioner. I want to express my condolences to the families of the two men whose lives were taken in this senseless and terrible way by someone squatting in a vacant house. ... They were working and they were shot for absolutely no reason. And this could have been anybody going to that house. They happen to be in the right place, sadly, at the wrong time, Brown said. Could have been a mail carrier, could have been the cable people, could have been the gas company, the electric company, it could have been children ringing that bell trying to sell candy. Anyone going to that door on that time at that time could have been shot. That is how senseless this crime was. I am very thankful that this individual is off the streets of our city, he added. Cummings is scheduled to return to court at 10 a.m. June 27 in front of DiTullio for a pre-trial conference. He is being held without bail. If convicted of the highest charges, Cummings faces life imprisonment without parole. This is a horrific tragedy, a senseless killing of two men that were just there to do some work on the house, Keane said. Meah, 58, is survived by his wife and seven children, while Yousuf, 38, leaves behind a 30-year-old pregnant wife and two children. According to Keane, a victim witness advocate will continue to work with the families to provide them support. The Bangladeshi community has rallied in support of the families since the tragedy, including helping to buy groceries; paying the attorneys fee to help Yousufs widow, Nusrat Jahan Tapu, with her immigration status; and looking for permanent housing solutions for the families, said Talha Bakth, a Bangladeshi community member and activist. The lives are already lost and victims that are suffering, are the children thats left behind, the family, the parents. So, justice, I dont think in this situation can ever be served. Its at least some kind of peace of mind that this person cant do this to someone else, Bakth said. Besides active police patrols, the community would appreciate advice on how to handle squatting situations, Bakth added. The Zenner Street shooting highlighted a challenge city officials have grappled with for decades: how to handle thousands of properties left abandoned in the wake of steep population declines in the city from the 1950s until recent years. Although the number of vacant properties is difficult to track, 2020 U.S. census data shows that there were 14,069 total vacant units in the city, with 8,365 categorized as other vacant, the subsection that includes long-term vacant buildings. Each apartment in a vacant building is counted as a unit. I will not say that were necessarily seeing more squatters, Brown said at the Friday news conference, adding that city police and other city workers routinely go through vacant houses, remove items and make squatters leave. The incident at Zenner Street was an unusual circumstance, he said. So, this is not something that usually happens. This is a once-in-a-million circumstance, Brown said, before adding, there are far less vacant houses in the City of Buffalo than there used to be. During my time as mayor, we have demolished more than 8,000 unsalvageable vacant houses. Now, lets just briefly put aside using the term pile-on for four indictments amounting to 88 felony charges, and a criminal trial that aired allegations of hush money paid to a porn star, one who claims she spanked Trumps bottom with a rolled-up magazine to talk about these optics. An image of an ostentatious, moneyed Manhattan, far, far from Sydneys Sutherland Shire, that our former prime minister appeared thrilled to be briefly part of. Proudly posting the photo on X, he said he was pleased to meet Trump at his private residence, the penthouse in Trump Tower: It was nice to catch up again, especially given the pile-on he is currently dealing with in the US. It was the gilt that struck me first. Shiny gold doors inlaid with an ornate pattern, glinting in the background of a photo of a beaming Donald Trump with a grinning Scott Morrison. Gold, money, success. Or, the appearance of money, the appearance of success. Our former PM is in the US on tour for his new book, titled Plans For Your Good: A Prime Ministers Testimony of Gods Faithfulness, one that appears to be aimed at inserting himself into the American evangelical scene. Former vice president Mike Pence, who wrote the foreword, said: Christians around the world will be inspired by his story and his example of trusting God no matter the circumstances. Morrisons decision to publicise a meeting with Trump in this way serves as a reminder of how many white evangelicals support a man known for his mendacity, grandiosity and insistence that the last US election was stolen, a man a jury found to have raped a woman, a man who boasted about grabbing pussies whenever he felt like it, and who has sledged veterans, people with disabilities, Mexicans, Muslims and a Fox News host who had blood coming out of her wherever. How do we explain this to our daughters? Illustration: Credit: Matt Davidson The photo of Trump and Morrison was a neat depiction of the brotherhood of Christian nationalism, and a reminder of why so many people outside the church associate Christianity with conservatism and a pursuit of power, even now with men like Trump whose alleged lovers tell courts they dont like wearing condoms when they cheat on their wives, but proudly, strategically take credit for the Supreme Courts dismantling of womens reproductive rights. Who hurl slurs at opponents, condemn foreigners and turn backs on migrants. Who dont appear to have, say, read the Bible, the whole do unto others as they would do unto you and look-after-the poor-and-the-vulnerable stuff. I was especially struck by that image this week when the grandson of lifelong Baptist Jimmy Carter informed us that the 99-year-old former president was coming to the end. Carter has long been touted as an average president who fumbled the 1979 hostage crisis but as an excellent ex-president; whatever his flaws, or the merits of his politics, he was a man who united, a humanitarian who supported the civil rights movements and connected faith to compassion, decency and goodness. You might have missed it, but the US Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, appeared outside court on behalf of Donald Trump in New York City the other day. Johnson is an avowed evangelical Christian with performative hang-ups about sex: He once revealed, unappetisingly, that he and his son share an app on their phones that warns the other if one is using the device to look at pornography. But that didnt stop Johnson expressing his support for a man whom we all know had an adulterous assignation with a porn star and was on trial specifically charged with covering up hush-money payments to her before the 2016 election. US Speaker Mike Johnson supporting Donald Trump at a New York court on Tuesday. Credit: AP Not too long ago, when scandals broke, cautious politicians backed slowly away from peers caught in an unwelcome spotlight. In recent years, it seems like the right in America has turned this all on its head. What gives? The answer is a key philosophical precept of the goon squad mentality that has grown up around Donald Trump. He was mentored by a New York lawyer named Roy Cohn. Cohn is a notorious figure in American political history. He was an adjutant to Senator Joe McCarthy, the demagogue who used a blizzard of untruths and smears to catalyse the notorious anti-communist blacklists of the 1950s, which ruined the lives of so many Americans. Galena, a six-year-old cat from Lehi, Utah, had an extraordinary adventure that had her owners and Internet users on the edge of their seats. The cat found herself shipped over 1,000 kilometers from her home in California, after sneaking into an Amazon return box. Galenas journey began on April 10, when her owners, Carrie and Matt Clark, realized she was missing. After a week of intensive searching, punctuated by posters and calls for help on social networks, the incredible news arrived: Galena had been found safe and sound in an Amazon warehouse in Riverside, California. When we realized she was in that box, we burst into tears, confides Carrie. The little cat, usually so discreet, had survived six days without food or water, locked in a 1m box. An Amazon employee discovered Galena, very weak, but alive, provoking a wave of relief among all those who witnessed the scene. Galenas story is a miracle for her owners, who were alerted by her microchip and rushed to California to get her back. Its a total miracle! posted Carrie Clark on social networks after their reunion. Despite dehydration and noticeable weight loss, Galena was in relatively good health. Brandy Hunter, the Amazon employee who took care of Galena, played a crucial role in this story. A cat lover accustomed to rescuing animals in distress, she took Galena in before taking her to the vet. I knew she belonged to someone. I was 100% convinced it was an accident, Hunter explained. The owners are very grateful to Brandy, an Amazon employee. She found Galena, cared for her and took her to a vet. This extraordinary story had a happy ending for Galena, who returned home on April 19 after a 10-hour journey. The Clarks expressed their gratitude to those who helped bring Galena home safely, and hope that this misadventure will inspire other pet owners to get their companions chipped and double-check their packages. In a touching statement, Carrie Clark emphasized how improbable and miraculous this incident was, and thanked everyone involved, especially Brandy Hunter, from the bottom of her heart for their heroic efforts. Barrell Craft Spirits launches in first Asian market American whiskey brand Barrell Craft Spirits (BCS) has launched in South Korea, its first Asian market. Importer UOT has been selected by BCS as distribution partner for the on- and off-trade in the market. Founded in 2013 in Kentucky, BCS creates cask-strength small batch and single barrel releases, with a line of products currently sold in 49 US states, Australia, Canada, and the UK a list to which the brand now adds South Korea. BCS founder Joe Beatrice said: Were excited to launch the brand in our first Asian market in partnership with UOT, which is renowned for its meticulous attention to luxury brands. Jason Kim, global vice president, UOT, added: As discerning Korean consumers continue to explore and embrace diverse whisky categories, including American whiskey, Barrell Craft Spirits exceptional range offers a new frontier of flavours for the local palate. We believe that Barrell Craft Spirits will not only satisfy the current demand but also inspire new whiskey enthusiasts in Korea with its bold and complex profiles. 17 May 2024 - Lucy Schofield Cocchi launches campaign for at-home mixologists Italian vermouth brand Cocchi has launched its first branded campaign. Sip, Stir, Spritz with Cocchi targets at-home mixologists, encouraging consumers to find creative servings for its hero product, the Cocchi Storico Vermouth di Torino. The campaign aims to take bartending beyond the bar, showing how vermouth can be mixed into cocktails at home. Three serves are promoted: sipping neat, stirring into a Negroni, or adding to a Spritz. The visuals, which are described as Italian futurism in style, will launch across digital and social media platforms, as well as in stores. An ambassador tour will be held across the UK with a series of masterclasses using the Cocchi vermouth. Francesca Bava, marketing manager at Cocchi, said: Were very excited to be presenting our first global campaign which aims to show the versatility of Cocchi vermouth to the home bartender. Often lauded as the unsung hero of mixology, vermouth has a key role in many cocktails such as the Negroni, Martini, or Spritz. We hope well encourage drinkers to be more adventurous and discover the many ways it can be enjoyed. The Sip, Stir, Spritz campaign launches in May in the UK, to be followed by global markets later in 2024. 17 May 2024 - Lucy Schofield Govts thrust on inclusive growth yielding results NEW DELHI, UNION Minister for Railways, Communications and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Thursday, said that the Modi Governments 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 Governments resolve to bring generational change in peoples lives and also explained how the country is breaking barriers in public welfare schemes. Citing example of the Centres 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 Indias public welfare scheme. Addressing the Viksit Bharat Ambassador event in Mumbai, the Union Minister said that the Governments 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. 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 past decade. Earlier there were seven AIIMs, today they are 18. Out of the previous seven, six AIIMS were built during Atal Behari Vajpayees 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 partys foremost pledge since 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 peoples lives. At long last THE Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that attracted so much opposition and kicked up national controversy has finally begun getting implemented -- long after its rules were notified. The Government has started issuing certificates under the CAA to people found fit for citizenship of India -- of course from the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi communities. Despite the tough and politically-motivated opposition to the new law, the Government finally succeeded in getting the law implemented. This should be considered as a very major step forward in the domain of governance offering just protection to the harassed people from certain countries and communities on grounds of their caste or creed or religion. Thanks to its strong political will at the top, the Government was able to withstand the pressure from a combined Opposition. Its logic on the issue has been clean and clear of any political manipulation and machination. No matter the big noise the Opposition made on the issue, the Government stayed firm and allowed much political dust to settle before actually implementing the new law. The most vociferous point in the Opposition logic was that the Government led by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi was making a clear and open (read shameless) allegation that an undue favour was being bestowed on certain communities -- including the majority Hindu community -- at the cost of the people from Muslim community. This objection had no logic in any manner. Yet, the Opposition pushed the extremely politicised narrative to an illogical but obstinate end. That, of course, served no purpose as the Government was firm on its intent -- unlike the three new legislations as regards agriculture. That is the reason why the CAA is now operational in the country and will serve a great purpose of assuring the minorities in neighbouring countries of protection in India not on the asylum basis but on the citizenship basis. In other words, through this legislations implementation, India wishes to to communicate to the world that it is a homeland of certain people who will get protection in the land and the larger Indian society fully legally and constitutionally. This is positive governance and a major step forward to the greater idea of justice to all on equal basis. It is common and factual knowledge that minority communities in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, the numbers of minority communities have depleted to shocking levels in the past few decades in percentages and absolute numbers -- thanks to the atrocities majority community has heaped on them almost under official patronage. For such people who have nowhere to go, India must act as homeland and offer them shelter with full honour of constitutional sanction. Hence the CAA. The CAA -- as the whole country knows -- has its origin in the conditions created by the bloody Partition of India in 1947. People from all communities made their choices about where to continue living or shift to either India or Pakistan. In India, the minority communities got complete accommodation since India was homeland -- or motherland (which they do not wish to recognise). In most other countries, the minorities got the roughest possible treatment, so much so that their numbers depleted to shockingly low levels -- in the process generating an outcry for justice and protection from the members of minorities in different countries other than India. Thankfully, with the CAA, all those problems will get sorted out amicably and honourably. CM appreciates Shahs acknowledgement of anti-Naxal operations Staff Reporter RAIPUR, Home Minister Amit Shahs acknowledgment of the governments efforts in combating Naxalism in Chhattisgarh has garnered appreciation from Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, who expressed gratitude via a tweet. Chief Minister Sai emphasised the governments commitment to finding a lasting solution to the Naxal problem under Home Minister Amit Shahs guidance, attributing the successful operations to the double engine governments concerted efforts. Despite opposition attempts to politicise the issue, Chief Minister Sai reaffirmed their determination to continue the fight against Naxalism until its eradication, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an interview, Home Minister Amit Shah provided details of the recent Naxal operations, citing significant progress with 112 Naxalites killed, 5,400 surrendered, and 153 arrested in the last five months since the BJP government took office. He expressed confidence that the country would be free from Naxalism within the next few years. However, he criticised the Congress for labelling these encounters as fake, suggesting that the partys misfortunes might be attributed to their own actions. Meanwhile, former Chhattisgarh Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu responded to Shahs statement, highlighting the BJP governments inconsistent approach to Naxalism, which fluctuates between talk of negotiations and actual military operations. He raised concerns about the casualties among innocent civilians under the current administration, contrasting it with the zero casualties during their tenure. These remarks have sparked debates regarding the authenticity of encounters under the current government. Raipur MP Sunil Soni defended the governments stance, asserting that BJPs policy dictates a willingness to engage in dialogue only if violence ceases. He criticised Sahus lack of clarity on Naxalism during his tenure as Home Minister and emphasised the BJPs commitment to achieving a Naxalite-free Chhattisgarh through decisive action. Soni urged against politicising the issue, emphasising the need to appreciate the governments efforts in addressing this critical security challenge. Common Thread In M-E By James M Dorsey DIASPORA Jews, Palestinian Israelis, and Turkish Kurds have more in common than meets the eye. The similarities in how the three minority communities define themselves offer insights into what will make either a one- or two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict viable. To be sure, its hard to see, amid the Gaza carnage and Israels blinded and traumatised view of future relations with the Palestinians, how the two communities could live with each other or side by side. Yet, neither has a choice. The alternative is continued violence, repression, and destruction that will only escalate. What is clear from a comparison of Diaspora Jewish, Israeli Palestinian, and Turkish Kurdish attitudes is that respect for national, religious, and communal identity coupled with equal rights and economic opportunity are prerequisites for peaceful coexistence. The validity of that maxim is evidenced by the fact that a majority of Israeli Palestinians and Turkish Kurds would remain resident in either Israel or Turkey, even if a Palestinian or Kurdish state were to be established in Israeli-occupied territory or carved out of Iraq, despite discrimination and the limiting or repression of expressions of their national identity. Similarly, a majority of Diaspora Jews, despite rising anti-Semitism and irrespective of whether they support or oppose Israeli policies and the Gaza war, want a Jewish state to exist but have no intention of uprooting their lives and moving to Israel. Acknowledging the parameters of Diaspora support for Israel, Israelis have long joked that New York Jews will fight to the last Israeli. Opinion polls exploring identity among Palestinian Israelis and Turkish Kurds tell a similar story. A yet-to-be-published survey by Rawest, a research and polling outfit based in Turkeys majority Kurdish south-eastern province of Diyarbakir, found that only 22 per cent of the countrys Kurds, who account for 20 per cent of the population, favoured breaking away from Turkey to create an independent Kurdish state. Similarly, the survey, quoted in an email by Al-Monitor reporter Amberin Zaman, reported that only 9.7 per cent preferred exclusively Kurdish-language curricula in education as opposed to 44.1 per cent who advocated a bi-lingual Turkish and Kurdish language system. A majority identified themselves primarily as Muslims, while 67.4 per cent said their Kurdish identity was strong. Even so, only nine per cent defined themselves as Kurdish nationalists. Counterintuitively, an Israel Democracy Institute poll in November concluded that the number of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, who feel they are part of the State of Israel had risen dramatically since Hamas October 7 attack and Israels Gaza war. Palestinians account for about 20 per cent of Israels population. In the poll, 70 per cent of Palestinian Israelis said they had a sense of solidarity with Israel, a 20-year high, compared to 48 per cent in a survey conducted six months earlier. A separate survey conducted by The Center for a Shared Society at Givat Haviva concluded that 55 per cent of Palestinian Israelis believed that a desire to live in peace or a feeling of shared destiny had prevented inter-communal violence from erupting since October as opposed to the violence during the 2021 Gaza war. A third survey conducted by Hebrew University researchers days after the October attack showed that 66 per cent of Palestinian Israelis supported Israels right to defend itself. Fifty per cent said Hamas attack that primarily targeted civilians was contrary to the values of Islam. Like Palestinian Israelis, Jews feel less secure. Sixty-three per cent of American Jews said their place in American society had become less secure, a 22 per cent increase compared to a year earlier, according to a survey commissioned by the American Jewish Committee. Forty-six per cent said they took precautions or avoided posting content online, wearing clothing that would identify them as Jews, or going to certain places out of concern for their safety. Even so, 62 per cent of American Jews polled on behalf of the Jewish Federations of North America said they sometimes find it hard to support actions taken by Israel or its Government and 45 per cent expressed an unfavourable view of the Israeli Government. Yet, 72 per cent noted that in general, Israel makes me proud to be Jewish. Questioned whether the anti-Israel climate, on campus or elsewhere, has forced me to hide my Jewish identity, 62.2 per cent said this too did not describe their experience, and 10.9 per cent said they didnt think there is an anti-Israel climate. The poll elicited similar results when it asked respondents whether the anti-Israel climate, on campuses or elsewhere, has damaged my relationships with friends. (IPA/By arrangement with the Arabian Post) During Putins visit, Xi hints at political settlement to end Ukraine war BEIJING, 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 US to hinder their strategic ties. 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. Putin received a grand welcome upon his arrival here 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. 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. 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. Putins visit to China, the second since last October, follows Xis 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 leaders continuation of the Ukraine war. Though Beijing has not publically 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. ED arrests CSRMA Treasurer Roshan Chandrakar Staff Reporter Raipur, Making further headway in their investigation into Custom Rice Milling special incentive scam, Enforcement Directorate Raipur Zonal Office (ED-RPZO) on Wednesday night arrested Roshan Chandrakar, Treasurer of Chhattisgarh State Rice Millers Association (CSRMA), another key accused in the con. The arrested accused was produced in the court of Special Judge PMLA, which granted 5-days custody of Roshan Chandrakar to ED, even as the federal agency pleaded the court for granting them 14-days custody. Earlier, the ED-RPZO had served 8 notices to Roshan Chandrakar under Section 50 of PMLA Act for questioning pertaining to the scam, but he failed to turn up on medical grounds. With this, the countrys top financial crimes agency has so far made two key arrests, wherein it had earlier on April 30th taken into custody Manoj Soni, former Managing Director, Chhattisgarh State Marketing Federation Limited (MARKFED). Soni was on deputation to Government of Chhattisgarh and remained posted as MD with apex level Federation of Cooperative Marketing Societies in the State of Chhattisgarh, from October 2022 to October 2023. Soni during his tenure as MD MARKFED operated an unholy collection system of illegal kickbacks from the rice millers, in collusion with the mandarins of CSRMA. Roshan Chandrakar was arrested under Section 19 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The arrest was necessitated after Chandrarakar remained evasive from the investigators, who are trying to trace the trail of large amounts of payments made in cash out of the scam. Therefore, we had apprehensions that Chandrakar could have further concealed and alienated this hitherto unearthed Proceeds of Crime (PoC) derived from the scam. Also the ED during the searches at the premises of Manoj Soni found incriminating documents and digital evidence mentioning the name of Roshan Chandrakar, which needed to be thoroughly investigated and corroborated and thus he was arrested, knowledgeable sources privy to the investigation told The Hitavada. According to the sources, the CSRMA office-bearers under the leadership of their Treasurer Roshan Chandrakar and in collusion with Manoj Soni, MD MARKFEd, collected kickbacks amount of Rs 20 per instalment for each quintal of paddy milled from the rice millers. The details of rice millers, who have paid the cash amounts, were sent by the district rice millers association to the concerned District Marketing Officer (DMO). The DMOs, upon receiving the bills of rice millers, cross checked them with the details received from the concerned district rice millers association; this information was then passed on to the head office of MARKFED. The bills of only those rice millers who have paid cash amount to the association were cleared by MD, MARKFED for payment, the sources elucidated on the modus-operandi of the scam. Sources further recalled that the ED-RPZO initiated investigation on the basis of disclosure of Prosecution Complaint filed by I-T Investigation Wing, Raipur wherein it was alleged that the CSRMA office bearers colluded with MARKFED and hatched a conspiracy to misuse the special incentive and earn kickback as in crore of rupees. Till Kharif year 2021-22, a special incentive of Rs 40 per quintal of paddy was paid by the Govt. of Chhattisgarh to the rice millers for custom milling of paddy and subsequently, it was exorbitantly increased to Rs 120 per quintal of paddy later which was paid in two instalments of Rs 60 each. Our investigation revealed that after the hike in the special allowance from Rs 40 to Rs 120 quintal, payments were released worth Rs 500 Crore, generating kickbacks of Rs 175 crore which were collected by Roshan Chandrakar with active assistance of MD MARKFED, for the benefit of higher powers. During the twoday long search operations on multiple premises of ex-MD of MARKFED, CSRMA Treasurer and Office bearers, DMOs and few Rice Millers on November 20 and 21, incriminating documents, digital devices and unaccounted cash of Rs. 1.06 crore were found and seized, the investigators recollected their line of investigation. I.N.D.I.A. bloc wants to make 5 PMs in 5 yrs: Modi PRATAPGARH (UP) PRIME Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said the I.N.D.I.A. 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 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. 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. PM 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. Met records ZERO rainfall Despite heavy rains in South, East Nagpur By Kaushik Bhattacharya South and East Nagpur on Thursday witnessed heavy downpour with severe thunderstorm for one hour from 5 pm to 6 pm that led to power-cut for hours and uprooting of trees in many localities. Despite heavy rainfall, the Sonegaon-based manual observatory of Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Nagpur recorded zero mm of rainfall in city. Government departments, farmers and researchers in city depend on RMCs weather data on a daily basis. The accuracy of weather forecasting by the Weather Department plays a major role in sowing and other agricultural activities. The Weather Department issues timely warnings for hailstorm, heavy rains for farmers. The heavy rains with severe thunderstorm on Thursday would have definitely affected farmers in the form of crop damage. But there is no data of rainfall available with the Department for Thursday evening in the city as the Sonegaon observatory recorded zero rainfall under its observation periphery. In recent times, Nagpur city has been witnessing many events of patchy rains which is increasing by the day. With expansion of Nagpur city, there is a need to increase the manual and automatic weather stations to record accurate weather data of the whole city. The Weather Department right now has just one manual observatory in Sonegaon and three automatic weather stations (AWS) CICR, PDKV and near Wadi. Not a single station of the city recorded the heavy rains of South and East Nagpur that wreaked havoc on Thursday. It raised a question over the capability of the department in their prediction as they are dependent on their only manual station in Sonegaon which has its own limitations and the events of patchy rains in recent time requires more weather stations to cater the accuracy in weather prediction. Like IMD, the state government has their own observatories which also collect weather data for the city. However, it is right that there is a need to increase manual and automatic weather stations in city as Nagpur is expanding, Praveen Kumar, Scientist C, RMC, Nagpur told The Hitavada. Rs 35 cr cash seizure case Alamgir Alam remandedto 6-day ED custody RANCHI : JHARKHAND ministerAlamgir Alam, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its probe into a money laundering case, was on Thursday remanded to the custody of the central agency for six days by a special PMLA court here, lawyers said. The ED sought a 10-day remand for Alam. Alams lawyer Kishlay Prasad said that his six-day remand will start on Friday. Today, he is in judicial custody. There is no specific allegation against Alam. Everything is vague. Neither they are disclosing the name of the person who has taken money or who has taken proceeds of crime. There is no direct involvement of the minister. Cash was recovered from one Jahangir who has no link with Alamgir Alam, Prasad said. Alams counsel also cited the health condition of the 70- year-old minister in the court, while opposing the EDs remand plea. He has been suffering from sleep apnea, due to which his oxygen level reduces during the night. Therefore, he needs oxygen support. Such support was even provided by the family of Alam during ED custodyonWednesdaynight. Heisalsoahypertensionand diabetes patient, Prasad said. The court stated that the requiredmedical aidwill be provided during the remand period, he said. Earlierintheday, theminister was produced before the PMLA court in Ranchi, amid tight security arrangements, an ED official said. The money laundering investigation pertains to alleged irregularities and bribery in the State Rural Development Department. Alam was arrested after a six-hourgrilling by theEDon Wednesday at the agencys officehere.Hewas alsoquestioned by the federal agency onTuesdayforoverninehours andhisstatementwasrecorded. The State Parliamentary AffairsMinisterrepresentsthe Pakur seat in the Jharkhand assembly.Hecameunderthe EDradar,followingtherecent arrest of his personal secretaryandstate administrative serviceofficerSanjeevKumar Lal and the latters domestic help Jahangir Alam. The Central agency recovered morethanRs32croreincash from a flat linked to them during a raid on May 6. CASH SEIZED FROM RANCHIFLATPERTAINSTO ALAMGIR ALAM: ED: THE Rs32.2crorecashseizedfrom theRanchi-based premiseof the domestic help of a secretary of Jharkhandminister Alamgir Alam pertains to thelawmakerandheenjoyed afixedcommissionof1.5per cent from every tender executed inhis department,the ED alleged on Thursday. The federal agency made this claim as it produced the 74-year-oldAlam,aCongress leaderfromPakur,beforethe court of special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Prabhat Kumar Sharma. The Rock is the home of The Morning Rumble with Rog, Bryce, Mulls and Mel, Rock Drive with Jay & Dunc, Not For Radio, The Rock 2000, The No Repeat Workday and just all round good bants. Struggling to find a decent radio station? Unfortunately, we can't help you with that. But if you're keen to hear our average-to-mediocre banter sandwiched between some bloody good rock music, then look no further. Stream The Rock on rova Not in New Zealand? 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World Telecommunication & Information Society Day held | IMPHAL, May 17 : The Institution of Engineers (India), Manipur State Centre observed World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2024 on the theme, "Digital innovation for Sustainable Development" at the Seminar Hall of State Centre in Government Polytechnic Campus, Takyel, today. The observation was graced by Prof Dr Nameirakpam Basanta Singh, FIE, Principal, Manipur Institute of Technology (MIT) Imphal and chairman of the State Centre, Er Loktongbam Swamikanta Singh, FIE as presidium members, said a release issued by IEI Manipur State Centre. Dr Nongmeikapam Kishorjit Singh, HoD & Assistant Professor (CSE), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Manipur also attended the event as the theme speaker. Er Huirem Bharat Meitei, AMIE, joint honorary secretary, IEI Manipur State Centre delivered the welcome address while the vote of thanks was proposed by Dr Thokchom Subhaschandra Singh, MIE, honorary secretary, IEI Manipur State Centre. The programme was hosted by Er Huirem Bharat Meitei, AMIE, joint honorary secretary, IEI Manipur State Centre. IEI Manipur State Centre Committee members, corporate members of IEI, special invitee, faculty members from MTU, MIT and students also attended the event. In two recent meetings, support staff at the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District have complained publicly about wages and raises within the district. During those discussions, a few topics have been raised repeatedly. One is the new support staff wage scale, which is changing as school officials seek to become more competitive with surrounding school districts. An unintended consequence of the changes is a wide disparity between the proposed raises for long-term support staff and new support staff. The second is administrator pay both how it measures up against staff raises percentage-wise and how much administrators receive in annual raises. According to district officials, both staff and administrators are paid under a step-based advancement scale. But while there is a system for support staff that calculates an hourly wage for employee step, the administrators raise system is less clear. Some administrators have averaged more than 7% in annual raises since 2020, and 12 have averaged more than 5%. In the 2023-24 school year, some administrators earned 19%, 21% and even 23% more than during the 2020-21 school year. Some support staff say upcoming raises of $.40 per hour, for example, are offensive when compared with administrator raises, which have jumped by as much as $12,930 for one administrator in one calendar year. Administrator pay Some district administrators have seen big jumps in annual pay since 2020. The second highest paid district administrator is the business manager, Chad Trowbridge. He earned $168,205 in 2023-24, a 6.73% raise over the 2022-23 school year. Between the 2020-21 school year and the 2023-24 school year, the positions pay rose by $29,822, or 21.6%. The high school principal also saw a marked rise in pay over the last four years. Donna Goodmans pay has risen from $114,500 in 2020-21 to $121,083, $127,677 and finally $141,750 this past school year. Between 2020-21 and 2023-24 the position gained $27,250, or 23.8%, in total. At the middle school, principal Derrick Kunsman earned $132,001, a 7.5% increase from 2022-23. Between 2023-24 and 2020-21 his pay rose by 19.9%. Not all administrators have seen similar raises. The highest paid administrative official is the district administrator, otherwise known as the superintendent. In 2023-24, Jeff Holmes earned $191,283. The position paid $185,615 in 2022-23, $180,208 in 2021-22 and $174,960 in 2020-21. Between 2020-21 and 2023-24, the raise equated to about a 9.3% increase overall and 3% annually. Chippewa Falls school district administrator pay Administrative position 2023-24 2022-23 2021-22 2020-21 % increase from 2020 to 2024 Average annual raise District Administrator $191,283 $185,615 $180,208 $174, 960 9.33% 3.02% Business Manager $168,205 $155,275 $146,829 $138,383 21.55% 6.73% Director of SPED $154,350 $146,910 $139,332 $131,753 17.15% 5.42% Director of HR New employee $146,910 $139,332 $131,753 N/A* 5.6% High School Principal $141,750 $127,667 $121,083 $114,500 23.8% 7.41% High School Asst. Principal $117,178 $115,549 $110,148 $104,746 11.87% 3.82% High School Asst. Principal $117,178 $110,148 $104,746 $99,344 17.95% 5.66% Middle School Principal $132,001 $122,760 $116,429 $110,099 19.89% 6.24% Middle School Asst. Principal $87,613 $80,613 $77,113 New employee N/A* 6.61% Alternative High School Principal $117,178 $115,549 $110,148 $104,746 11.87% 3.82% Elementary Principal, Southview $121,686 $114,685 $108,941 $103,018 18.12% 5.71% Elementary Principal, Parkview $127,686 $120,334 $114,129 $103,018 23.95% 7.44% Director of Curriculum $154,350 $146,910 $139,332 $131,753 17.15% 5.42% Assistant Curriculum Director $140,986 $128,975 $122,650 New employee N/A* 7.23% Technology Director $117,980 $108,500 $105,000 New employee N/A* 6.04% *Percent increase from 2020 to 2024 was not calculated for positions with new employees The school district reports its overall average increase for administrative staff between 2022-23 and 2023-24 was 2.65%, with a total impact on the budget of $89,000. Documents shared at the April school board meeting say that administrative pay raises should have no preconceived outcomes and the goal is for administrative staff to have equitable and competitive salaries and benefits. The ad hoc compensation committee, comprised of three school board members, said in an email to The Chippewa Herald, regarding the varying pay scale structures, administrators are compensated using a different nine-step pay scale, largely due to the various Wisconsin statutes that govern employment contracts for administrators, certified staff and non-certified staff, who dont have individual contracts. The committee says these legal distinctions necessitate separate pay structures. However, all groups, including administrators, utilize the same 10 school district comparables when addressing competitive pay schedules, the committee says. School board member David Martineau, who taught in the district for 28 years, said when he started in education, he found pay raises to be easier to understand and more equitable. Salaries were in line, and people got raises that were very similar in terms of percentages where you would go, OK, the superintendent is going to get a 3% raise, and so am I. We're all in the same boat, he said. But since the early 2010s, that has not been what has been going on. And we're not the only district that does this. It just seems very odd to me. Martineau said he expects the superintendent to get paid more than a principal, who gets paid more than a teacher, but he takes issue with raises that are dissimilar in terms of percentage and also difficult to understand. Raises should be something that the community can go, Oh, I understand fully, everyone's gonna get X amount as far as the percentage. The administration is going to get the same raises as the support staff is going to get. But that is not what we're seeing right now, Martineau said. I think some of the other board members think that I'm attacking them, but its not the case. I said it clearly, we need to scrap the whole thing and start over. Support staff, percentiles and wage changes Ashlee Bergerson, the cook manager at the high school, said Monday she was feeling under appreciated. When you show up every day and hear that we're in budget constraints, I'm struggling, she told the ad hoc compensation committee. I feel like the job at the top is always paid, and then by the time it gets down to us, the tap has run dry. Some support staff at the district have described the new proposed pay scale for next year as unfair. Newer hires will see large jumps in pay, sometimes as much as 29% more than current pay. Some employees who have been with the district a long time will see raises of about 1.9% in June, while some new hires will see raises of more than $4 per hour. The numbers to me seem like there's some inequity, Martineau said. Our support staff, what little raises we're giving them, it's just unsustainable for many of them to remain with us, which is unfortunate. According to documents shared at the April school board meeting, much of the pay rate decisions come out of comparables. The Chippewa Falls school district compares its salaries with those of other school districts in the region. In years past, it has calculated staff pay based on a 51st percentile comparable. That means that 51% of schools the Chippewa Falls district is comparing itself against fall below it on the pay scale and 49% are above Chippewa Falls with wages. Chippewa Falls school district classified staff compensation scale Positions in Grade Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Food Service, Noon hour, Van drivers 1 $14.02 $14.62 $15.21 $15.81 $16.40 Asst. Cook, Laundry attendant, Light housekeeper 2 $14.56 $15.21 $15.86 $16.50 $17.15 $17.80 CLC program asst., Educational asst., Health asst., Instructional asst. 3 $14.68 $15.39 $16.11 $16.82 $17.53 $18.25 $18.96 $19.68 Admin. Asst., Cook manager, Medical secretary 4 $14.63 $15.29 $16.04 $16.78 $17.53 $18.28 $19.02 $19.77 $20.51 Adult community ed. coord., Custodian, MS after school coord., Student connections coord. 5 $15.34 $16.12 $16.91 $17.69 $18.48 $19.27 $20.05 $20.84 $21.62 Accounting assist., District Hauler, Lead Custodian 6 $16.41 $17.25 $18.09 $18.93 $19.77 $20.61 $21.45 $22.29 $23.13 Maintenance 7 $17.46 $18.36 $19.25 $20.15 $21.04 $21.93 $22.83 $23.72 $24.62 Interpreter, Maintenance manager 8 $20.15 $21.18 $22.22 $23.25 $24.28 $25.31 $26.34 $27.38 $28.41 Student AODA assistance program coord., Technology support technician 9 $23.33 $24.53 $25.72 $26.92 $28.11 $29.30 $30.50 $31.69 $32.89 For next year, Chippewa Falls decided to move to a 61st percentile comparison scale to be more competitive in the job market. According to interim executive director of human resources and public relations Jenny Starck, an unintended consequence of the scale shift is that new hires will see a larger pay raise than those who have been in the district for years. A Step 1 cook manager currently gets paid $14.63. The proposed pay for that same position next year is $18.67 at the elementary schools and $19.54 at the middle school and high school. I think the different variables you're comparing us to are people who also should be paid more, Bergerson said. 2024-2028 Chippewa Falls school district student support staff compensation scale Positions in Grade Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10 Noon hour aid, Van drivers 1 $15.54 $16.13 $16.73 $17.32 $17.92 18.52 $19.11 $19.71 $20.10 $20.51 CLC program asst., Regular ed. asst., noon hour asst. 2 $17.58 $17.91 $18.23 $18.55 $18.87 $19.19 $19.51 $19.83 $20.16 $20.56 Special ed. asst., Health asst., Instructional asst. 3 $18.12 $18.60 $19.09 $19.58 $20.07 $20.56 $21.05 $21.54 $22.03 $22.47 Admin. asst., Program coord., Medical admin. asst. 4 $19.17 $19.62 $20.07 $20.53 $20.98 $21.44 $21.89 $22.34 $22.80 $23.26 Accounting assist., Admissions & scheduling coord. 5 $21.65 $22.32 $22.99 $23.65 $24.32 $24.98 $25.65 $26.31 $26.98 $27.52 According to the committee, support staff compensation is currently proposed to be structured using a 10-step wage scale, with employees advancing one step annually based on satisfactory evaluations. Martineau said he is not a fan of comparables or the current step system. The comparable system to me, it's a little wonky because it's very subjective how you interpret it. Data can be manipulated to prove what you want. And that's why my idea is to scrap all of this, he said. 2024-2028 Chippewa Falls school district food service staff compensation scale Positions in Grade Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10 Elementary dishwasher and HS 3 hour day 1 $15.21 $15.72 $16.22 $16.73 $17.23 $17.74 $18.24 $18.75 $19.13 $19.51 All breakfast, Elementary lunch asst. cook, MS/HS hourly 2 $15.61 $16.06 $16.52 $16.97 $17.43 $17.88 $18.34 $18.79 $19.25 $19.64 MS/HS lunch asst cook. 3 $16.71 $17.09 $17.46 $17.84 $18.22 $18.59 $18.97 $19.35 $19.73 $20.12 Elementary cook manager 4 $18.67 $18.99 $19.31 $19.63 $19.95 $20.27 $20.59 $20.91 $21.23 $21.65 MS/HS cook manager 5 $19.54 $20.01 $20.48 $20.95 $21.43 $21.90 $22.37 $22.84 $23.31 $23.78 As a result of moving from the 51st to the 61st percentile, some workers will move back steps from the seventh to the fourth, for example according to support staff. That is another frustration for hourly workers. While this step system and our pay scale structures are not the only possible approaches, they have been the district's chosen methods for rewarding employee longevity and performance for many years, the committee says. The committee notes that jobs in the public sector, including school district support staff roles, often have lower base wages compared to similar positions in the private sector. However, this wage gap is typically offset by the fringe benefits offered to public sector employees. In the case of the district's support staff, one key benefit is the 100% district match on their Wisconsin Retirement System contributions. For every 6.9% of earnings contributed by the employee, the district matches that amount in full, the committee said. In addition to these step increases, support staff members also receive percentage-based longevity payments tied to their years of service and are the only group to receive such consideration, the committee says. After completing five, 10, 15 and 20 years with the district, employees receive an additional 1%, 2%, 3% and 4%, respectively, applied to their total wages earned in the previous year, the committee says. IAS officers in the state are all set to get a permanent office for their registered platform, The IAS Officers Association, West Bengal at the residential quarter of the medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal (MSVP) of SSKM Hospital as well as Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (IPGME&R) after a prolonged effort to find out a space for setting up of the association office. According to sources at the SSKM Hospital, MSVPs residential quarter beside the medical students hostels, opposite side of the Rabindra Sadan complex under the AJC Bose Road flyover, has been earmarked for the association office of around 300 bureaucrats staring from chief secretary, home secretary to district magistrates in Bengal. Some senior bureaucrats as well as members of the association recently visited the building and held meetings with their counterparts at Swasthya Bhaban to discuss whether the building can be used for their office permanently. Advertisement Its learnt that the health department has handed over the building to the state urban development department recently for setting up of the association office. The urban development will look after the issue in connection with renovation of the building, some members said requesting anonymity. Health department has handed over the building to us but I wont comment on further details. Our association president and secretary will talk on this issue, Sanjoy Bansal, secretary of the urban development department, told The Statesman. Sources at SSKM Hospital said that MSVPs traditionally stay at their own respective residences close to the SSKM Hospital when they are posted there. We were desperately looking for an office with a permanent address for a long time but could not get a proper space. It will be great for us if we get an MSVP quarter for our office. Bureaucrats in some other states have their association offices provided by the government of respective states, a bureaucrat said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday clarified that she and the Trinamul Congress remain an integral part of the INDIA bloc of Opposition parties, but have no truck with the West Bengal units of the Congress or the CPI-M. Miss Banerjee, campaigning in Haldia in favour of her party candidate Debangshu Bhattacharya for Tamluk parliamentary constituency, emphasised her commitment to the Opposition alliance at the national level. At the All India level, we formed the Opposition alliance India. We will be in alliance. Many have misunderstood me. I am in alliance. I created that alliance. I will stay in the alliance, she declared. But she added: Neither the West Bengal unit of Congress nor the state unit of CPI-M is included in that national bloc. They are with BJP in West Bengal. Miss Banerjee, during her campaign, also launched a scathing critique of her political opponents, particularly targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). I want to say a few things during the vote. I will not call Modi or Modibabu I will not take his name here. Guarantee babu is a liar, Miss Banerjee asserted. She launched into a critique of Mr Modis promises, highlighting issues such as free distribution of rice and gas, which she claimed were not fulfilled. What did he say, giving rice for free. Paying even one rupee for two years? I say either you apologise, or say you paid for the rice, she challenged. Miss Banerjee continued her tirade against the BJPs electoral promises, particularly targeting their pledge of free electricity. Tell me, he said he would give electricity for free, did he give it? That means No Guarantee Four Twenty, she declared, using colourful language to castigate the BJPs policies. Advertisement Predicting defeat for Mr Modi and the BJP, Miss Banerjee warned of dire consequences if they were to win. Modi will not win. If the BJP wins, then the price of gas will be Rs. 2000. Bahba Guaranteelal, Bahba Gaddar Dalal! she exclaimed. The Chief Minister also took a swipe at political turncoats, referencing Subhendu Adhikari who had defected from her party to the BJP. When the Trinamul Congress formed, there was no father or son (Subhendu Adhikari and his father Sisir Adhikari). Here was Akhil Giri. They were in Congress. They lost many times in the polls before we won. Now they went to BJP to save money, Miss Banerjee remarked. Addressing concerns about financial contributions to her party, Miss Banerjee reassured supporters that her party would not solicit money from them. If you are asked for money in the name of the party, dont give it. My party will not ask for your money. We will do as much as we can, she said, drawing a contrast with the BJPs fundraising tactics. Furthermore, Miss Banerjee highlighted her administrations developmental achievements, particularly in areas like Digha, where significant infrastructure projects had been undertaken. Who has made Digha beach or Marine drive? Three bridges had to be built. These are not such cheap jobs. Hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent, she said. The chief minister also reminded voters of her past contributions as railway minister and her commitment to local development initiatives. Remember, I have done a lot of work here. I did it when I was the railway minister. Without me there would be no Digha-Tamluk, she said Four people were killed when the car they were travelling in collided head-on with a bus at Marishda in East Midnapore on Thursday, police said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled the deaths and said that the state government would provide compensation to the next of kin of the deceased. The accident took place on NH-116 at Daisai bus stand in Marishda area around 7.15am when the Kolkata-bound bus coming from Digha met with a head-on collision with the car coming from the opposite direction, a police officer said. Advertisement The four occupants of the car were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were declared brought-dead by doctors, he said. Police said the dead have been identified as Tapas Karmakar (32), Subhankar Ghosh (25), Subham Saha (28) of Simulia and Suman Ghosh (26) of Narayangarh under Bhimpur police station limits in Nadia. We are investigating to ascertain whether the car driver was intoxicated, the officer said, adding that CCTV footage will also be examined. Condoling the deaths, the CM wrote on X, I am saddened to know that four people were killed in a road accident in Marishda, Purba Medinipur this morning. I offer my sincere condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the victims. The district administration will provide all help. The state government will also provide financial compensation to the families of the victims. During her speech in the election campaign rally at Haldia, Miss Banerjee also expressed her condolence to the bereaved family members asking the police to reinforce the Save Drive Safe Life campaign along the road as many tourists frequent the road to reach Digha. For the first time the Indian Postal Service Kolkata Region released a special stamp to recognize the restoration of patachitra in Sunderbans. Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage, which works with the state forest department, is working for the restoration of patachitra in the Sunderbans area. Patachitra, a cloth-based scroll painting, which was developed by the local artists of West Midnapore has become global. Artists and scholars from Europe are staying in Naya Pingla, the seat of patachitra art to learn it. Many patachitra artists have visited Europe in the past one decade. It is interesting to note that most of the patachitra artists are Muslims and their art work centres around Hindu gods and goddesses. Advertisement The stamp was released at a function by the postmaster general. KSCH has been working to develop and restore patachitra in the Sunderbans area for quite some time. Arpita Mukherjee, president of KSCH said 40 women artists were given training on patachitra art at Jharkhali. The patachitra artists of Sunderbans have held exhibitions in different areas and their work has been appreciated too. KSCH has been working for sustainable development of poor and marginal people for the past 11 years. Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee urged the people not to cast a single vote in favour of those who wanted to divide Bankura district and make a separate state comprising Junglemahal. Apply your senses and not get swayed by the lies said over and again by the BJP leaders before exercising your franchise, Mr Banerjee reiterated. He was addressing a public meeting at Barjora in support of Trinamul candidate Sujata Mondol. This is the only constituency where the fight is between Soumitra Khan, the incumbent BJP MP, and his former wife Sujata Mondol. Khan was not allowed to enter the Bishnupur Lok Sabha area in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the election on his behalf was managed by Sujata. This time, Sujata is fighting against him. Advertisement The election in the Bishnupur Lok Sabha seat will be held on 25 May. Mr Banerjee said in 2022, Khan along with two BJP MLAs had announced that Bankura would be a separate state along with Junglemahal. He urged the people: Ask Modi who would be visiting the constituency on 25 May whether he endorsed Mr Khans view. If he does not support this, he should make a public statement to refute what Mr Khan had said in 2022. He said Mr Khan did not visit the area during Covid pandemic when people got terribly frightened and did not know what to do. A few years ago, 50 people got injured following a lightning. I had come but Mr Khan could not be traced. In Sonamukhi, a jawan got killed during an ambush in Manipur, I had visited the house of the jawan and that time also Mr Khan could not be seen. Now, he has come to ask for votes. Give him a befitting reply on 25 May, he maintained. Coming down heavily on Mr Khan, he said You had elected him and he wrote letters to Delhi urging the Centre not to release funds meant for the job card holders, under MGNREGA and Awas plus schemes, he said, adding, the state government has cleared the dues of 59 lakh job card holders and will give the first installment of Awas Plus scheme by 31 December. He said, Prime Minister Modi will visit the area on 20 May to tell more lies. He makes false promises and urges people not to believe him. He had announced plans to set up a stadium at Gangajalghati, however, the construction is yet to start. He will come and tell more lies because he has lost the capability to distinguish between truth and lies. He urged the people to vote for Trinamul Congress as the party will look after them in times of need. If you vote for Sujata, rest assured that she will look after you. Vote this time to establish your rights, Mr Banerjee urged the people. Himachal Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg on Friday directed all the state nodal officers to intensify vigilance and monitor election expenditures in the state. He directed them to ramp up efforts to control the illegal movement of liquor, cash, and drugs, besides completely putting a stop to illegal mining in the state. Garg on Friday held a video conference with various state and central law enforcement agencies, including officers from the state police, state taxes and excise, postal department, ITBP, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Railway Protection Force (RPF), and Income Tax department. Advertisement As the polls are just a few days away, the agencies concerned should intensify their checks to reduce illegal activities and ensure inducement-free and fair elections in the state, a principle upheld by the Election Commission of India as well, he said. The CEO emphasised close coordination of the departments involved in ensuring law and order, besides ensuring seizures of all types. Garg directed the police department to impound bank and postal department vehicles carrying cash if they are found operating without authorised QR codes generated from the ESMS system. He said that the Flying Squad Teams (FSTs) should thoroughly check every vehicle without exception, including buses from both state transport and private operators, without causing any inconvenience to passengers. The FSTs should have tie-ups with other FST teams along their routes, he added. The CEO also directed the postal department and banks to monitor multiple transactions of small values to and fro from single accounts, besides keeping an eye on big transactions. While reviewing the seizures, Commissioner, state taxes and excise, Yunus said that 5.24 lakh bulk litres of illegal liquor had been seized since the imposition of the model code of conduct. The total seizures made by the state taxes and excise department amounted to Rs 8.81 crore. Inspector General of Police J P Singh gave detailed information on the Static Surveillance Teams (SSTs) and FSTs deployed to check any type of illegal activities. He said that 212 SSTs have been constituted, consisting of nearly 1,600 police personnel, besides 213 FSTs having a deployment of nearly 560 personnel. The police have seized cash, liquor, and ornaments worth Rs 4.96 crore. The total quantity of seized liquor was 1.46 lakh litres. Besides, the NCB seized drugs worth around Rs 3 lakh. Overall seizures in the state worth Rs 13.79 crore have been reported since the imposition of the code of conduct, besides mining challans totalling nearly Rs 36 lakh, Singh said. Bhumi Pednekar, the versatile Bollywood actor known for her impactful performances, recently shared a personal journey about battling low confidence during her formative years. Reflecting on her upbringing, she revealed the struggles she faced in aligning with societal beauty standards. However, instead of succumbing to these pressures, Bhumi found solace in fashion as a means of self-exploration and expression. For me, fashion became more than just about appearances or trends, Bhumi explained. It became a tool for embracing my individuality, showcasing my personality, and celebrating my uniqueness. She emphasized how fashion evolved into a medium through which she could convey her emotions and state of mind, ultimately bolstering her self-assurance. In her career, Bhumi has become renowned for her bold fashion choices, seamlessly transitioning between glamorous ensembles and tasteful attire. Embracing experimentation, she expressed her desire to infuse fun into her fashion journey, resonating with audiences across the spectrum, from relatable to edgy styles. Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bhumi Pednekar (@bhumipednekar) Addressing perceptions shaped by her on-screen roles, Bhumi highlighted the misconception of being typecast as the quintessential girl next door due to her portrayal of characters from small towns. However, her foray into fashion serves as a statement of breaking free from stereotypes, asserting her identity as a confident, modern Indian woman unapologetically expressing herself through her fashion sensibilities. Amidst her fashion endeavors, Bhumi continues to captivate audiences with her acting prowess. She is ready to take on the role of a determined cop in the upcoming web series Daldal, directed by Amrit Raj Gupta. The show delves into the complexities of Mumbais underbelly, as DCP Rita Ferreira grapples with her past while confronting a ruthless serial killer. Furthermore, Bhumis recent portrayal of a journalist in Bhakshak has garnered praise for its compelling narrative. Directed by Pulkit and produced by Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma, the film follows the relentless pursuit of justice by a resolute woman, featuring a stellar cast including Sanjay Mishra, Aditya Srivastava, Sai Tamhankar, and Bhumi Pednekar herself. Through her multifaceted career and fashion evolution, Bhumi Pednekar continues to inspire audiences with her authenticity, resilience, and unwavering commitment to self-expression. In a significant moment for Indian cinema, Shyam Benegals celebrated film Manthan will be showcased today at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. The screening will take place at the esteemed Salle Bunuel, highlighting Indias contribution to global cinema. Manthan, featuring the late Smita Patil, is the only Indian film for the Cannes Classics section this year. Dr. Verghese Kurien, the architect of Indias White Revolution, spearheaded the pioneering milk cooperative movement that roots the film. Produced by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), known for its Amul brand, Manthan is a unique example of community-funded filmmaking. An astounding 500,000 dairy farmers each contributed Rs 2, raising the funds needed for production. Advertisement The movie, set in Gujarat, stars actors Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Mohan Agashe, Anant Nag, and Amrish Puri. It earned two National Film Awards in 1977 for Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Screenplay for Vijay Tendulkar. Furthermore, Manthan was Indias official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 1976 Academy Awards. The restored version of Manthan will see its premiere at Cannes, with Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patils family, the producers, and Shivendra Singh Dungarpur of the Film Heritage Foundation in attendance. Reflecting on the films Cannes screening, Shyam Benegal expressed his joy. When Shivendra informed me that the Film Heritage Foundation was restoring Manthan in collaboration with the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation, I was thrilled. Benegal said. He emphasized the films significance, funded by half a million farmers. It played a pivotal role in advancing a cooperative movement aimed at economic and social equity. Benegal highlighted the films enduring impact. He noted, It reminds the world of cinemas power to drive change and honors the legacy of Verghese Kurien. Watching the meticulous restoration process, its almost as if we made the film yesterday. The Film Heritage Foundations work in film restoration is commendable. It is beautifully reviving films from across India and presenting them to modern global audiences. The Cannes Film Festival, which commenced on May 14, will continue until May 25. It will showcase a diverse array of films from around the world. The inclusion of Manthan underscores the rich cultural tapestry and the historic achievements of Indian cinema on the world stage. The low-slung concrete building stood in the middle of nowhere, its parking lot unlit. In the back, the roof eaves sloped down to a lean-to structure which, combined with some discarded appliances left by a former tenant, made for easy access to the roof. It was, Steve Liethen remembered, the kind of place where shady things could happen. Im sure people fooled around back there all the time, Liethen said of the West Side property he owned for more than 20 years that housed his music store, Good n Loud. But that Sunday, Sept. 3, 1989, Liethen was concerned with more pressing problems: A leaking pipe in the basement. After removing the buildings aging boiler, Liethen found a skull at the base of the chimney, where the flue connected to the boiler. Police would later recover an entire skeleton, complete with a sleeveless paisley dress; a long-sleeved, button-down shirt; shaggy-pile sweater; and low-heeled, pointed shoes. It would be 35 years before authorities could finally put a name to Chimney Doe, thanks to advances in reading degraded DNA. But the announcement Monday that the body found inside the chimney at 5225 University Ave. belonged to Ronnie Joe Kirk, originally of Tulsa, Oklahoma, only answered one question. A host of others remain, including how Kirk died, how he ended up in the chimney, and why he was found with the clothing and other artifacts that accompanied his body, which included an iron cross and a butter knife. Liethen is sure of one thing: Kirk couldnt have climbed down the flue to burglarize the store and simply gotten stuck. Before Liethen purchased it in early 1989, the retail space had been a bakery and a Christian bookstore, hardly enticing targets for anybody seeking valuables. Burglarys out, Liethen said. You dont crawl down (the chimney) on your own. And while the roof was accessible, hefting a body up the makeshift ladder behind the building, even one as small as investigators believe Kirks was, wouldnt have been easy. Whoever did it went to some work, Liethen said. Maybe its just sheer malevolence. While the store closed in 2011 and the building has since been torn down, Liethen remembered the chimney rose about 4 feet above the roof. It had two flues, one for exhaust and the other for intake, which formed a closed loop, Liethen said. The intake side was notably larger than the exhaust side, he said, but the body had been discovered in the exhaust side. For years, Liethen puzzled over the find. Theories came and went, grave sniffers treated his business like some macabre museum, and media outlets hounded him, he said. When he learned of the identity of the corpse from his brother this week, he said, it brought some relief. We all knew that the decedent was part of a family of someone somewhere, Liethen said. I felt a sense of closure. Piecing together a timeline While his ID has been confirmed, little is known about Kirk or how long he had been in Madison. Efforts by the Wisconsin State Journal to reach family members have been unsuccessful. According to Dane County Circuit Court documents as part of a divorce in 1970, he was a factory worker. The records did not specify where he worked or what type of factory it was. His ex-wife, who filed for the divorce, noted that the last known address she had for Kirk was in Tulsa. Court records state that Kirk had willfully deserted his wife and child and subjected them to cruel and inhuman treatment. The couple were ordered to appear in court that April 8, but Kirk failed to show up. Efforts to serve Kirk with orders to appear werent successful, according to court records. Kirk was 26 at the time of the divorce, which is the most recent known record investigators have of him alive. Their next goal is to fill in the 19-year gap from those 1970 court proceedings to the discovery of his remains in 1989. Kirks body had been in the chimney anywhere between two months and two years before Liethen made his discovery, investigators theorize, meaning he would have been in his late 40s when he died. Not yet at rest Liethen counts himself lucky that he found the remains over a holiday weekend. With the store closed an extra day, it gave him and his employees a chance to figure out their next steps, while investigators awaited an excavator to dredge up the crime scene. A few years later, after the initial wave of prying reporters and gawkers let up, Liethen felt a need to honor the anonymous bones. He brought a minister friend to the basement of the music store to offer a blessing to help the dead man rest. He still has the big white candle he burned that day, while the minister read the last rites. I said, Good luck buddy, hope it turned out OK, Liethen recalled. Invoking the Ram temple yet again, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said if the opposition-backed INDIA bloc comes to power, it will challenge the Supreme Courts decision on the construction of the temple, adding that the Congress will also run bulldozers on the temple. Speaking at an election rally near Zaidpur Marg here, he also asked the INDIA bloc to take tuition from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on where to run bulldozers and where not. Modi told the crowd that their one vote ended the wait of 500 years and enshrined Shri Ram Lalla in the grand Ram temple. Advertisement He also praised Adityanaths able administration and the ODOP (one district one product) scheme. The whole world knows that Modi is going to score a hat-trick. On one side, you have the alliance of the BJP and NDA dedicated to the interest of the country. On the other hand, the INDIA bloc is hell-bent on creating instability in the country, he said. In the new government, I have to make many big decisions for the poor, youth, women and farmers. That is why I have come to seek blessings from the people of Barabanki and Mohanlalganj, he added. The prime minister called the INDIA bloc a khichdi and said people should not waste their votes on the candidates of the grouping. For five years, Modi needs an MP who will develop the area, not abuse it. For this, you have only one option lotus (BJP party symbol). Rajrani Rawat from Barabanki and Kaushal Kishore from Mohanlalganj have to be made victorious at every booth, he appealed to people. He said when there is a strong government in the country, the difference is clearly visible on the ground. The entire focus of a weak government is to somehow keep its vehicle running. Our Awadh region knows better what a strong BJP government means. Those who are voting for the first time, those who are young, may not know that for 500 years, from generation to generation, our ancestors kept struggling and making sacrifices for this day. Today Ram Lalla is seated in a grand temple, which is a big event in history. This has happened not because of Modi, but because of your one vote. By pressing the button on the lotus symbol, we have to form a strong government and take robust decisions, he said. Further targeting the Congress, Modi said, The Congress wants to overturn the courts decision on Ram temple. Do not be under any illusion, this is their track record. If the SP and Congress come to power, they will send back Ram Lalla to the tent and bulldoze the temple. They should take tuition from Yogi ji on where to run the bulldozer and where not. When I expose them, they become restless, he alleged. In an apparent dig at RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, the prime minister said the champions of the fodder scam in Bihar, who have been punished by the court and are roaming outside on the pretext of health, say full reservation should be given to Muslims. When Modi removed Article 370, the Constitution came into force in Jammu and Kashmir. Dalits got their rights. Two days ago, refugees started getting citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act law. They are celebrating now. Most of these beneficiaries are people from my Dalit and backward communities, he said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union minister Anupriya Patel, state minister Satish Chandra Sharma, among others, were also present. Upping the ante, the BJP on Friday attacked the Aam Aadmi Party on the alleged assault on Rajya MP Swati Maliwal and asked why Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was silent on the matter. She said if a woman MP is not safe in the CMs residence, then what about women security in Delhi. Addressing a press conference at party headquarters here, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Kejriwal was shamelessly visiting Lucknow with his Personal Assistant Bibhav Kumar, who is accused of thrashing Maliwal, for a meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. I demand Delhi CM Kejriwal speak on the Maliwal issue and apologise, she said, adding that it was shameful that CM Kejriwal was seen with Bibhav Kumar. Advertisement The fact that Swati Maliwal did not register a complaint in Police for 3-4 days (after the incident) means that there was pressure on her from high-level. There is reason to believe that there was enough pressure on her and probably continues on her, she said. Sitharaman said, The women in Delhi are asking can this CM (Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) even provide security to the women in the city? Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for this incident Meanwhile, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal arrived at Tis Hazari Court in Delhi. An FIR was registered in connection with the assault on her yesterday after she filed a complaint with the Police. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwals aide Bibhav Kumar has been named in the FIR. 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. She has also urged the Bharatiya Janata Party not to politicise 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. 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 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. 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. | On AAP MP #SwatiMaliwal 'assault' case, BJP leader and Union Finance Minister #NirmalaSitharaman says, "The women in Delhi are asking can this CM (Delhi CM) even provide security to the women in the city?..#ArvindKejriwal #Delhi #BibhavKumar #TheStatesman pic.twitter.com/KLH4Rt9VeI The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) May 17, 2024 Exuding confidence that India will develop all the requisite national strengths that will make it a leading power in the times to come if the Narendra Modi government retains power, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the alternative before the country is a return to the failed policies of the past, one that divide our society, diminish our economic achievements and are pessimistic about our prospects. He said that at the global level, there is a broader consensus about India as a key source of growth, a valuable addition to supply chains and as an important pool of talent. I have every confidence that as the people of our country make their choice, the world will welcome our efforts in the Amrit Kaal to move towards a Viksit Bharat. It is a journey in which all of you, as creators of jobs, of technologies and of wealth, will make a crucial contribution. Just as we, in the government, are preparing for the 125 days after, all of you will surely be applying yourselves too, to similar endeavours, he said addressing the CII Annual Business Summit. Advertisement Dr Jaishankar also took a dig at China for violating sea and land agreements and Pakistan for promoting terrorism and extremism, without directly naming the two neighbouring countries. In Asia, new tensions have emerged in land and sea as agreements are dishonoured and rule of law disregarded. Terrorism and extremism have started to consume those who have long practiced it. In many ways, we are actually going through the perfect storm, he said. Observing that the anxieties that stem from the Covid experience have been further magnified by the conflicts, tensions and divides, the minister said a decade and a half ago, the narrative was one of harmonious globalisation, of peaceful rise and of win-win situations. Even a few years ago, the prospect of significant conflicts on a prolonged basis was inconceivable. Instead today, what is the reality we are staring at? The Ukraine conflict is now in its third year. A huge escalation of violence in west Asia/Middle East that could spread beyond. Disruption of logistics due to war, sanctions, drone attacks and climate events. The world is experiencing a 3F crisis of fuel, food and fertilizers, he said. For India, he said, the task is to mitigate the impact of all that was happening and contribute to stabilizing the world to the extent possible. It is this judicious combination of Bharat First and Vasudaiva Kutumbakam that defines our image as Vishwa Bandhu, he added. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted one more person in the Indian Navy spying case involving Pakistani intelligence operatives. Amaan Salim Shaikh is a key accused in the case, involving a conspiracy by Pak agents to honey trap Indian Navy personnel to gather secret information regarding the defence establishments. The anti-terror agency, which filed a supplementary chargesheet today in NIA Special Court, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, has charged Amaan, a resident of Mumbai (Maharashtra), under various sections of IPC and UA (P) Act. Advertisement The NIA, which took over the case on 5 June 2023, found during investigation that Amaan was working for a suspected Pakistani agent, Usman, to further the anti-India conspiracy. He was also receiving money from other suspected Pakistani operatives, including Meer Balaj Khan, Alven and certain other individuals, through crypto channels for completing tasks assigned by the Pakistani intelligence operatives. The NIA had earlier, on 6 November 2023, chargesheeted two accused persons in the case. Further Investigations in the case are continuing. Jan Adhikar Party (JAP) founder Pappu Yadav, who contested the elections as an independent from Purnea in Bihar, is now campaigning intensively for the Congress in Amethi and Rae Bareli. Despite merging his party (Jan Adhikar) with the Congress and joining the grand old party, Pappu Yadav was not given an INDI alliance ticket from Purnia, and he contested the poll as Independent. Congress leaders in Bihar do not consider him as a Congressman either. Pappu Yadav is appealing to vote for Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in Amethi and Rae Bareli. Addressing an election meeting here on Friday, Pappu Yadav said Priyanka Gandhi can be the future of the country tomorrow. She is your daughter. Just like your daughter is dear, similarly Priyanka Gandhi is also the daughter of the country. She always comes to you like a daughter. There is room for everyone in her heart, he said among the people seeking support for the Gandhi family. He further said, Whenever someone has abused Sonia Gandhi, Congress government was formed. The way the Chief Minister of Assam abused her in Delhi. I think abusing a daughter causes sarvanash (annihilation). The one who took care of her children and the country after the martyrdom of her husband, cannot be praised enough. She is not the daughter-in-law of the country but a daughter, he added. When journalists asked Pappu Yadav why are you campaigning in Rae Bareli and Amethi only? Pappu Yadav said, I have great affection for the Gandhi family. This family has given a lot to the country. I am needed here. Thats why I came here to campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed a massive BJP-Mahayuti election rally at Mumbais historic Shivaji Park and said the Congress is fighting the election just for its survival, while the BJP will break all previous records when the results come out on 4th June and India will emerge as a super-power. He said he had come to the dream city with the dream of Viksit Bharat (developed India) in 2047 and Mumbai will have a big role in realizing this dream. Mumbai knows the value of speed. Many countries getting Independence along with India are today ahead of us, he said. The problem lay with Congress governments which did not have confidence in Indias capacity, he said. There was a time when a Prime Minister called Indians lazy. Such people could never take the country forward, he said, referring to Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. If the Congress had been dissolved, as advised by Mahatma Gandhi, the country would have been five decades ahead today. Advertisement Five decades were lost due to the manner the Congress worked, he said. We were number six in economic terms in 1947, India reached the 11th place in 2014, he said. Ever since he took over, in the last 10 years, India has become the fifth largest economic power in the country, he said. Mumbai and India are getting record investment. In a few years, in his third term of office, India will be the third largest economy in the world, he said. I will leave behind a Viksit Bharat. I am therefore working 247 for 2047, every moment dedicated to the country, he said. Some people say it is not possible, he said. People who are steeped in pessimism cannot be made optimistic easily. They considered Ram temple also impossible. Some day the world will have to accept that people living in India were so firm on their ideas that they fought 500 years for the Ram temple, and made sacrifices for it, he said. These pessimistic people considered removal of Article 370 impossible; it has been buried in a burial ground, those seeing dreams of reviving Article 370, should know, no power in the world can bring back Article 370, the Prime Minister said. We used to have serial blasts, there were terrorist attacks, cities like Mumbai lived in fear, always advised about unclaimed articles lying around. Do you hear of such things now? Parliament ended triple talaq social evil. Women got 33 per cent reservation after 40 years wait and despite opposition, he said. The Congress just talked of poverty removal for 60 years, he said. You can listen to speeches of Congress Prime Ministers; they talked of poverty and the poor, and said it was impossible to do anything about it. Modi took 25 crores out of poverty in 10 years, he said. Who made this possible, this was the power of your vote, he said. Those who want a bright future for their children, development, want to see India as a country of pride, should come out and vote. Mr Modi said while his government has a report card of its work in the last 10 years, and a vision for the next 25 years, the Congress and its INDI alliance partners have only a confused picture of issues. They are eyeing gold in temples, mangal-sutras of women, they are planning an inheritance tax. The Congress wants to deprive you of 50 per cent of your legacy. Mumbai has the fourth largest stock market and one can see how it is going up. The INDI alliance wants to hurt the confidence people have in the stock market. The INDIA thinking can lead to a massive economic crisis, he said. He said the Nakli Shiv Sena has gone with Ram temple abusers for power. Only for elections, the Congress has stopped speaking against Vir Savarkar. Nakli Shiv Sena is opposing CAA, this is unbelievable; for appeasement and vote bank, this party has let down Mumbai. The Aghadi leaders are giving clean chit to Pakistan on 26/11 attack. They are insulting Ambedkar by proposing reservation on the basis of religion, and want to deprive Dalit, backwards and OBCs of their reservation benefit. I will not let them take away the deprived sections reservation benefit, he said. PM began his Mumbai visit by paying tributes to Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar and at Vir Savarkars national memorial. Lately, the debate over wealth taxation has intensified, with proponents arguing for its role in addressing income inequality and funding social programmes. However, implementing a wealth tax is not without its challenges and drawbacks. The Proponents and Detractors were sharply divided even when the debate of retention and abolition of Wealth Tax was at its peak till one fine day when the tax under reference was repealed, through Budget 2016- 17 to be precise. Dating back centuries, a tax on accumulated wealth has roots in ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome which imposed taxes on property acquired and inherited. Rome used to levy the Patrimonium tax on the total wealth of its citizens. Feudal societies in medieval Europe relied on wealth taxes to fund wars and support monarchies. France, as a European monarchy, collected the taille, a direct tax on households based on the amount of land held. In the UK, estate duties were introduced to combat rising wealth inequality during the industrialization of the 18th and 19th centuries. However, it is in the aftermath of World Wars I and II that wealth tax grew to prominence with the introduction of federal estate and gift taxes by the United States in the early 20th century. With the advent of the 21st century, countries scaled back owing to the insignificant contribution to the overall tax revenues, administrative challenges and concerns about the economic impact. Advertisement King must collect tax like honeybee, enough to sustain but not too much to destroy, said Chanakya India introduced wealth tax in 1957. Over time, the tax base eroded, compliance became challenging, and inefficient collection led to the abolition of the wealth tax in 2015. The consequential loss to the exchequer was sought to be subrogated through levy of additional surcharge on the super rich under the existing tax regime. Taxing property unfairly penalizes only a select few. This form of tax often leads to double taxation, first when the money is earned and second on the asset acquired with the tax suffered earning. The State should not dictate the virtuous usage of ones own money. India aims to become a $5 trillion economy in the next three years with a vision to be an economic powerhouse by 2047. The fact that this aspiration can never be translated to reality without the active suppor t of the so called ultra-rich i.e., the businesspeople, industrialists and the like, can hardly be overstated. High-networth individuals may alter their investment strategies, asset allocation, or even residency to avoid taxes and protect their assets. It could distort economic behavior by disincentivizing investment, entrepreneurship, and wealth accumulation. Such taxes could lead to reduced investment potential, further undermining economic competitiveness and distorting economic decision-making. A policy flip-flop environment takes a toll on the trust and confidence with enduring economic development being the casualty. It discourages work, savings, capital formation, potentially hindering innovation and productivity. Advocates push forward the need to redistribute resources to reduce poverty and promote inclusive growth under the cover of the ability-to-pay principle but with alternative options available and working, taxing the wealthy may be counter intuitive. Normatively, the tax policies across jurisdictions are guided by Taxation Doctrines in relation to source, residency, holding, recipient etc. However the essential features peculiar to a State are influenced by the economic model of the day. Tax as an instrument is used by the state depending on the chosen governance model, which brings the conversation of Capitalism v/s. Socialism to the fore. Capitalism emphasises on Increased Production whereas Socialism focuses on Fairer Distribution. It is a matter of fact that India embraced the socialist model for its economic governance till the beginning of the last decade of the 20th century when LPG reforms were rolled out and empirical evidence suggests that in the first four decades after independence more poverty was created than wealth. The shift from the Socialist model to a near Capitalist model (Hybrid system) continues to exert its profound implications on almost all segments of the economy including taxation. When we adopted a new economic belief as a nation that rejects most of the old models principles and favors the opposite framework, it is fair and wise to create policies that align with the new programme. Specifically, under this renewed model, solely using tactics to discourage or single out the wealthy as a primary fiscal tool to pursue a socialist agenda could disrupt the current situation and also be subject to ethical and moral objections. Any deviation even if an aberration would be a negation of the model-in-vogue. As a corollary, holding a few responsible for the inequalities that exist could legitimize Marxisms assertion that Capitalism inherently breeds severe economic disparities, justifying the criminal actions of the disadvantaged as a response. Small wonder, such ideologies have failed to elicit acceptance even in jurisdictions where welfarism remains a formidable article of faith. Besides these two universally acknowledged models, there exists a third model by the name of Restrained Consumption that was introduced by late Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya as part of his seminal treatise titled Integral Humanism. The text opposes Unbridled Consumerism by drawing inspiration from Indian culture. In hindsight the concept resonates well with all the aspects that are actively debated under the overarching Climate/Environment Protection. While the goals of wealth taxation are laudable, its re-entry is likely to bring significant challenges and risks. It could undermine economic efficiency, exacerbate capital flight, and tax evasion. Policymakers must carefully weigh these considerations and explore alternative approaches to address income inequality and promote fiscal sustainability. (The writers are practicing chartered accountants.) Moral righteousness has been the presented face of the foreign policy of the United States of America since time immemorial. But beyond this thin and untenable veneer lurks the dark reality of realpolitik, power play, and even naked ambition at work. Such practicality driving sovereign behaviour is not unusual to any other country, except that the postured pretense of altruism driving American actions, when it isnt, annoys other countries. Americans often dont practice what they preach, or posture. However political correctness couched with deft wordsmithing hides the real impulses and instincts that have legitimised Americas dalliances with dictators, illiberal monarchs, or other unsavoury alliances. The relationship of Washington DC with the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign aid i.e., Israel, is one such glaring contradiction, even though Israel remains the most sanctioned country in the world, by the United Nations. Beyond the stakes and understandable impact of roughly 8-9 million Jews in the United States (with imagined emotions attached to Israel) and their accompanying heft of economic value in terms of controlling Wall Street, media houses and the US economy is general, the state of Israel affords incalculable strategic leverage to the US in global affairs. Put simply, many of the most powerful and decisive positions in the US administration and the larger socio-economic realm are populated by Jews, who bear their own impulses. Israel has been called Americas aircraft carrier in the Middle East for its ability to flex itself militarily and act as a bulwark against traditional foes such as Russia. The Americans have used the Israelis to keep many enemies like Iran or terror groups (even so-called allies in the Arab Sheikhdoms) in check, with Tel Avivs overbearing and lurking presence in the region. Israelis have managed to extract a price for their relationship with the US, which has routinely exposed the hollowness of American morality in foreign policy. The most obvious mismatch has been the unprecedented invocation of the veto power in the United Nations Security Council (often, as the lone supportive voice) to rescue Israel from formal condemnations and sanctions. Advertisement Over half of the veto votes used by the US in its history have involved Israel. Additionally, Washington DC has been the only permanent member of the UNSC to recognise Golan Heights (taken from Syria in the Six-Day War in 1967) as legitimate Israeli territory, recognised the provocative move of recognising Jerusalem as the official capital and shifted its embassy there (thus diluting Palestinian claims), amongst many other symbolic moves that embolden the unilateral approach of the Israelis. Such underlying equations and compulsions have defined the foreign policy of the US towards Israeli reprisals to the terror attack by the Hamas from Gaza. While the world had rightly condemned the Hamas terror attack, it had differentiated between the Hamas and the larger comity of Gazans or Palestinians. Israel didnt, and it lumped the Hamas identity onto the entirety of Gazans/Palestinians and conducted its revenge accordingly. If only the Israelis had conducted targeted attacks against the Hamas ~ as Israel had historically conducted against militias like the PLO, Hezbollah or even the Hamas earlier, there would not have been a global uproar. But the Israelis opted for the brutal scorched earth approach. Today, there are over 35,000 Palestinians (not necessarily Hamas operatives) who have been killed in the disproportionate revenge, besides the complete flattening of the Gaza Strip. Whatever be the mealymouthed and flipflopping statements by the Joe Biden administration since 7 October 2023, when the Hamas attack took place, the US has had a direct hand in the massacre of the hapless Gazans. So, what guided the invaluable and questionable US support to Israeli revenge? A potent combination of history, realpolitik, invariable pressures from the Jewish lobby, and above all, electoral considerations in an election year! Initially, the reaction was wrapped in justness and noble outrage. But the fact is that President Biden would have seen the benefit in tilting towards Israel (beyond reasonableness) to arrest the recent drift of Jews towards Republicans, especially towards Trump personally, who had pivoted completely in favour of Netanyahus Israel during his term with the Abrahamic Accords, scraping the Iran Nuclear Deal, Muslim-Ban et al. Biden may have punted on the moment to assert his own positives with the Jewish Lobby, who are also sizeable contributors to political funding. But over time as the Israeli onslaught in Gaza continued with no restraint or heed, Biden was seen as a willful accomplice to the disproportionate retaliation and bloodshed. The excessiveness of Israeli actions has pricked the conscience of the youth and the recent uproars, protests, and disruptions on Western university campuses are a testimony to a contra-reaction after the genuine condemnation of the Hamas attack. Even many of the younger Jewish voters dont see unequivocal or blind support for Israel as a litmus test for their personal identity, anymore. Many Jews recognise the direct contribution of Israeli actions on the sudden rise of anti-Semitic incidents and many are concerned about the economic consequences to their livelihoods ~ suddenly supporting Israel blindly does not make sense, even to them. Secondly the youth, ethnic diversities, and other progressive communities who make the bulk of the Democrat ranks are equally alarmed at Bidens blank cheque to Israel. These tectonic undercurrents in Democrat constituencies and the Jewish lobby have forced a rethink on Bidens approach towards Israel. It is sheer electoral politics and not morality that is driving Bidens U-turn, after a painfully long time. The optics of encouraging Israel are detrimental to Bidens campaign. The irrelevance of morality also numbs the American electorate in another way, when they see American support to Israel or Ukraine as prohibitively unnecessary, especially as the US economy itself is struggling. After two vetoes to support Israel, the US finally supported a resolution condemning Israeli overdrive. The narrative and discourse will now further change beyond stopping arms supplies and investigations into Israeli excesses and an ostensible blockade to humanitarian supplies. But again, it validates the age-old truism that it is electoral stakes and not morality that drives US foreign policy, whatever be the purported diplomatic line or posturing. (The writer is Lt Gen PVSM, AVSM (Retd), and former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry) Australia on Friday imposed financial sanctions on six entities linked to North Koreas supply of weapons to Russia. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the continued transfer of weapons from North Korea to Russia was a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Australia condemns, in the strongest possible terms, North Koreas illegal export and Russias procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles, in support of Russias full-scale war against Ukraine, she said in a statement. Advertisement The use of North Korean ballistic missiles by Russia increases the suffering of the Ukrainian people, supports Russias illegal and immoral war of aggression and undermines the global non-proliferation regime. Wong said deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia had grave security implications for Europe, the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific region. Together with our partners, we call on North Korea to engage in constructive dialogue and move toward permanent peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, Wong said. Australia remains steadfast in supporting Ukraine to defend itself. Todays announcement underscores that those who provide material support to Russias illegal and immoral war will face consequences. Tensions in the Asia-Pacific region are high. Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has significantly increased the scope of its weapons tests, including the testing of nuclear-capable missiles, and has stepped up its rhetoric against the US and its allies. A Beloit police officer was justified in fatally shooting a carjacker who rammed a stolen vehicle into a squad car in Beloit on March 16, ending an incident that began about 20 minutes earlier in Illinois, Rock County District Attorney David OLeary said Friday. In a statement, OLeary said he concluded that Roscoe (Illinois) Police Department Sgt. Robert A. Lewis acted in line with his duty in shooting Ray Castro, 19, of South Beloit, Illinois, who was pronounced dead at a hospital after being shot in a wild scene captured on video. OLeary said he made his ruling after reviewing investigative reports prepared by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation that included body camera and squad videos from multiple police agencies, scene photographs, witness statements, and home surveillance video. According to OLeary: The incident began with a traffic stop at about 9:10 a.m. on March 16 by South Beloit police. Castro was a front-seat passenger and officers attempted to handcuff him as he had outstanding felony warrants, but he resisted arrest and began wrestling with the officers, pulling one into the vehicle. While officers continued to attempt to pull Castro from the vehicle, Castro yelled at the driver to step on it." The officer who had been pulled inside the vehicle reached over and turned off the vehicle, but Castro restarted it, put the vehicle in drive and yelled again at the driver to drive off, which the driver then did. One officer remained pinned inside the vehicle by Castro and another officer was nearly struck by the vehicle as it pulled away. The officer in the vehicle drew his handgun and shot the driver in the leg as he struggled with Castro, causing the car to drive into the ditch before stopping. Castro and the officer continued to struggle, Castro broke free and ran. Officers attempted to use Tasers to take Castro into custody but were unsuccessful and Castro ran from the scene. Officers called for all available officers to respond then reported shots fired and that the suspect was fleeing on foot. Castro then grabbed a maintenance worker at Macktown Lounge from behind by the neck and said, I want your car keys." The person struggled with Castro, who pulled a pocketknife and held it to the persons throat. Castro took the person's keys and fled in the stolen vehicle. Shortly after 9:20 a.m., Beloit and Roscoe officers were notified of a female who had been shot near the intersection of Highway 251 and Prairie Hill Road in South Beloit, that Castro was the shooter and had run from the scene and was being sought. Lewis and officer Ryan Sarver responded from the Roscoe Police Department, driving toward the area of the reported shooting. Lewis located Castro fleeing the parking lot in the stolen, maroon SUV and began pursuing Castro as he fled into Wisconsin at speeds exceeding 90 mph. During the lengthy pursuit, Castro sped through numerous stop signs and red lights and nearly struck several vehicles. At the intersection of Central Avenue and Strong Avenue in Beloit, Sarvers squad struck the rear axle area of Castros vehicle, causing Castros vehicle to spin around and end up behind Sarvers squad, sideways in the road and stopped. Lewis stopped his squad, opened his door and attempted to get out while pointing his gun at Castros vehicle as it accelerated toward him, striking and slamming shut the drivers side door of his squad as Lewis fired several rounds at the vehicle, fatally wounding Castro. Actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walked the Cannes red carpet for the premiere of Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis in a stunning black gown by designers Falguni & Shane Peacock. A regular at the Cannes Film Festival for the past two decades, Aishwarya Rai struck a pose in the monochrome gown adorned with 3D metallic elements and golden accents while walking the red carpet. The custom-made creation showcased a corset-inspired silhouette and a floor-sweeping train. The 50-year-old actor was attending the premiere of Hollywood legend Coppola's latest movie Megalopolis, starring Adam Driver. Her right hand had a cast, which she has been wearing for an unspecified injury. Aishwarya Rai and her daughter, Aaradhya, who has been attending the film gala for the past few years as well, arrived at Cannes on Thursday. The mother-daughter duo received a warm welcome at the French Riviera and were presented with a bouquet. Besides Aishwarya, several industry celebrities, including Kiara Advani, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Aditi Rao Hydari, are expected to walk the Cannes red carpet in the coming days. At the internationally recognized festival, several Indian movies and productions will be showcased. The highlight will be filmmaker Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine As Light, which has been selected in the Competition section, where it will vie for the top prize, Palme d'Or. British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri's Santosh will be showcased at the 77th edition under the Un Certain Regard section, while "Sunflowers Were the First Ones to Know", a short film by Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students, has been shortlisted in the La Cinef Competitive section. Karan Kandhari's Sister Midnight will be screened in Directors' Fortnight and Maisam Ali's compelling In Retreat in L'Acid. A restored version of veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal's 1976 film Manthan will be screened under Cannes Classics, a section created 20 years ago that features celebrations, restored prints, and documentaries. The Malayalam film industry is basking in the glow of consecutive successes this year. Industry pundits, in a self congratulatory mood, have highlighted how the success of one film paves the way for the next venture. Amidst this self-congratulation, I want to reflect on a small yet powerful criticism that many film critics, actors and viewers, have leveled against the big-ticket releases this year. Barring Premalu, all other major releases in the Malayalam industry, from Manjummel Boys to Aavesham to The Goat Life, egregiously have very few women characters, very few women voices, very few womens stories deemed worthy of being told. From a world-building point of view, I have always wondered how these men landed on earth, without the reproductive agency of women (or lack thereof) and men, for that matter. Yes, our movie makers have mostly covered this through the sacrosanct mother roles. This also extends to the sister role and the grandma rolebecause you know, you need the wombs to make the sons that will eventually populate the films, yeah? While I thoroughly enjoyed the big ticket releases of this year, I was left with a gnawing feeling. I pushed through the discomfort and I accepted them for they were indeed well-made, compelling and somewhat honest in the story they wanted to bring to the surface. But, the gnawing persists. How would Manjummel Boys have unfolded if it had been about a group of girls going to Guna cave? Granted that it was based on a real incident from 2007, what would that look like? Susan Thomas (@afsarnama) writes on instagram If a bunch of girls were to go, can the men b(be) obviated so clinically? The permissions apart, fr (for) a girls trip to go bad, there has to be a man thrown in - the rescue officers, the fire service all will b(be) men. And so I went to sleep knowing well that a boys moviw (movie) cn (can) b (be) made without girls but the vice versa can't be done on the same script. Thoughts? So here are my ruminations on how these movies look at women and what these movies could have looked like if they had done justice to the women in it. The Goat Life: Is Najeebs wife, Sainu's story, a survivor drama? I wonder what The Goat Life would have looked like if we also saw what was happening back home in Kerala while Najeeb was going through hell in the desert? How did Sainu raise their child as a single mother? What tensions came to the surface? How did she survive? As a medium, cinema has the flexibility to move out of Benyamin's Aadujeevitham on which the movie is based, and see how a woman's life is lived and impacted when her husband is facing vulnerable conditions in a forsaken desert. Why is that not a story worth telling? Aaveshams strong mother is a comic-tragic trope Similarly, I couldn't help but be befuddled by the comic lack of women characters in Aavesham. I am reminded of Fahadh Faasil's perplexed look when Anupama Chopra asked him about this. He said, The presence of the mother is very strong in Aavesham, you dont see it but you feel it. Yes, the biology has been covered, the bare minimum. To my mind, Rangas mums presence only had one effect: it created the comedic scenes of Ranga directing his enforcers while they were beating up their adversaries. Ultimately, he disregarded his mums directive. So, whether the mum existed or not, Ranga would have done what it takes to preserve his life. Without the mum, it would have been less hilarious. The other mother, Bibis mum, despite her caricature-ish portrayal stirs something seemingly deep in Ranga which is crucial to how the movie pans out but it is only cursorily engaged. Exploring his emotional scars would have been a great relief to the masculine trope of loyalty and would have enabled viewers to get a handle on how demands of masculinity could cause suffering in men and boys. I am not saying we should have women in every frame, but doesnt it pique your interest to know how the story would have turned out if it were set in a womens college, if women had to contend with a goonda? Or if Amban was a woman? Or if Ranga had a family? Or if Ranga were a woman or identifies as a woman? Or if Ranga had more than brotherly love towards Bibi? Or closer to the story we saw on screen, if Rangas and Bibis mothers were real people with real needs, rather than shadows lurking in the dark? An honest look at mothers rage in Manjummel Boys In Manjummel Boys I didnt think the scenes with Subhash's mums anger towards the end was necessary for the plot, yet it resonated with me. Her rage is distinctly different from the rage that emanates from the cant care less attitude of the police officers who violently assault the innocent boys who came to receive help. The mothers rage is a rage coming from raising boys in a society that lets them run amok and when they run into trouble, they will pull down all the women in their lives. Subashs mum has to bear the burden of nursing her son back to health, no questions asked. The redemptory arc for Kuttettan was unnecessary and not a convincing look at the internal world of Subashs mother. Society demands that she falls at the feet of the savior of her son, but a mother may still find it difficult to fully forgive the friend who endangered her son in the first place. I would like to hear that story told. We need to demand more from our artists It is a no-brainer that these movies paint a mans world and it is a somewhat true reflection of Malayalee society, even though we have a development model named after us. A development model built on remittances, which leaves out the stories of women who raise families single-handedly or not, while their better halves are living out a survival drama elsewhere. To recognize that as a survival story; that is where I would like Malayalam cinema to go. To give an equal canvas to depict lives and tales of Malayalee women. Strong, hairy, warts and all. Not the minuscule, not just the mother, not just the prostitute, not just the bearer of wombs, something more, something vital, something that gives justice to the person and the voice occupying the role and yet, not having to be defined by that role, not just mere caricatures, but real flesh and blood. Like your aunt who can be incisive yet humorous, who could be a guardian and enforcer of patriarchal norms when it suits her, but is also intelligent to game it to get what she needs which she cant otherwise receive by simply being what the system demands her to be. Or that friend, who recently got married and her new status makes her a target of judgment from her not-yet married/unmarried friends who may feel that she is living under her husbands thumb; her new family who are waiting for her to make a mistake to tear her down to build her up in their mold; and her own family, who are cheering her on the sidelines for settling into domesticity; but by no measure does she see herself as a damsel in distress and she takes full ownership of her personhood. Or that friend, cousin, acquaintance who refuses to marry, bears witness to the judgment of the world and is by no means a victim but a force to be reckoned with. Or someone in between, stuck, lost, struggling to find her place in this world, with or without the trappings of marriage, professional success, or relationships? What would it take to build a world around these characters? Why are womens tales, troubles and travails, not considered worthy of popular Malayalam cinema is the question I am posing. Because women are expected to go on, get on with life, no questions asked, no matter what. Perhaps, people do not want to know the messy details of how a single mother survives in a society that is heteropatriarchal? Perhaps, people dont want to know goondas who have strong women influences in their lives, do not want to know the impact of hypermasculine aggression on them, do not want them to be mature adults eking out a living in crime, while also raising a family? Perhaps, they would rather see a mothers rage being subdued at the altar of heroic worship than witness its full and cataclysmic impact? Perhaps, the business of making movies does not want to get into the messy details of life but just wants to play out a formulaic narrative that is sure to recoup their investment and then, some more. In all these scenarios, women, in all their diversity, are left behind. So I live with the gnawing and demand more of our writers, our artists. Make space for women in cinema. Make space for them to live in art as they live in real life. No glory needed, no caricatures, just real characters. About the author: Maria Mathew works on population and development issues, with a special focus on gender equality, at the United Nations. The author can be reached at mmathew2030@gmail.com. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK. A private school in Patna was set on fire on Friday by an angry crowd after the dead body of a student was recovered from the campus premises. Police personnel have been deployed to control the situation. Talking to presspersons, Patna Superintendent of Police Chandra Prakash said, In the CCTV we saw that the child was entering the school but at no point, he can be seen leaving the school premises. We will investigate it as a murder case as they were hiding the body and it shows criminal intent.Prakash added they have detained three persons in connection with the case and they are investigating. According to reports, the body of the 3-year-old was found concealed within a drainage gutter. The boys family launched a frantic search for the boy after he did not return from school and they grew suspicious when school authorities avoided questions about the childs whereabouts, NDTV reported. Cornhusker Public Power District has announced Nicholas Stock as its student winner to attend the 2024 Nebraska Rural Electric Association Youth Energy Leadership Camp. Nicholas, son of Mark and Kris, is a junior at Lindsay Holy Family High School. This is the 44th year Cornhusker Public Power District has selected students to attend the Nebraska Rural Electric Youth Energy Leadership Camp. The camp, July 22 to July 26, is held at Camp Comeca in Cozad. Through workshops and guest speakers, students learn about energy generation, electric safety, and careers in the rural electric industry. A highlight of each camp is the tour of the Nebraska Public Power District's Gerald Gentleman Power Station near North Platte. Three campers will have the honor of being selected by their peers to serve as Nebraskas ambassadors to the NRECA Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. Swati Maliwal MP has alleged that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal aide Bibhav Kumar attacked her when she was sitting in the drawing room of Kejriwal's residence. In the FIR registered on the complaint of Maliwal by the Delhi Police, she alleged that she was "slapped, hit in the stomach and kicked" by Kumar. Maliwal claimed she ran out of the CM's residence and called the police immediately after the incident. Kejriwal was present at his residence when the incident took place, she added. Maliwal broke down several times while giving the statement and sought strict action against Kumar, reported ANI. The FIR was registered after Maliwal's statement was recorded by a two-member team, led by Additional Commissioner of Police P S Kushwaha. It was at the Rajya Sabha member's residence in Central Delhi for nearly four and a half hours since around 1.50 pm. The FIR has been registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC, among other sections, for offences including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or acts of intent to insult and assault. Maliwal was later brought to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for a medical check-up late on Thursday. #WATCH | Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal reaches her residence. pic.twitter.com/s2t1xlRgDV ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2024 Meanwhile, despite her plea to the BJP to not politicise the issue, the saffron party continued to target Arvind Kejriwal on the issue. The Chief Minister had refused to comment on issue during a press conference in Lucknow on Thursday. Kejriwal was with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh when he was asked about the issue. While Kejriwal avoided the question, Singh said his party had already made its stand clear on the issue. Yadav also stepped in as he 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". The BJP on Thursday too slammed Kejriwal, claiming he was the main "criminal" in the complaint filed by Maliwal. "His (Kejriwal) silence speaks a lot. Out of jail, he is more a 'goonda' than a chief minister," BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia told reporters, noting that Kumar was seen with the chief minister in Lucknow. A fire warning from its auxiliary power unit reportedly forced a Bengaluru-bound Air India aircraft to return to New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Friday evening. Air India flight AI 807, with 175 people on board, landed safely at the IGIA at around 6:40 PM, news agency PTI reported quoting sources. "After the pilots exercised necessary protocols, the aircraft made an uneventful landing, and all passengers and crew deplaned at the aerobridge safely," a statement from the civil aviation major said. Alternative arrangements are being made for the passengers of the aeroplane to reach Bengaluru at the earliest. A full emergency was declared at the national capital's airport at around 5:52 PM following the incident, news reports said. Delhi Fire Services (DFS) rushed three fire tenders on standby at the IGIA to deal with any emergency, just in case. According to the report, the Air India domestic service proceeded to make a precautionary landing following a fire incident. Initially, it was declared that an emergency was declared after a suspected fire was detected in the aircraft's air conditioning unit, inside sources told PTI. As per data available on the flight tracking website flightradar24, the flight was operated with an A321 aircraft, the report added. Meanwhile, in another development, a Delhi-bound Air India flight had to abort its take-off and was later cancelled on Thursday after it hit a luggage tractor-trolley while taxiing for departure at the Pune airport. There were around 200 passengers on board the flight and following the incident, they got stranded at the airport for around six hours, the sources said. Air India said passengers were refunded their full fares and offered complimentary rescheduling. Those with onward international connections were accommodated on flights operated by other carriers, it said. Air India added that an investigation into the incident has been initiated to look into the incident in detail. Congresss Lok Sabha candidate Kanhaiya Kumar was allegedly assaulted by a group of people while campaigning in his North East Delhi constituency on Friday. The gang also threw black ink at Kumar. According to reports, the incident happened outside the AAP office in the New Usmanpur area when Kumar was coming out after a party meeting with local AAP councillor Chhaya Sharma. Kumar alleged that he was attacked as per the orders of his rival contender from the constituency and sitting MP Manoj Tiwari. Kumar said Tiwari is frustrated with his rising popularity and that is why he sent "goons" to attack him. Videos of the incident has gone viral on the social platforms. In one of the videos, the alleged attackers were seen saying they asaulted the Congress leader because he had spoken against the country and the Army. In a complaint, Chhaya Sharma said three to four women were also injured. "Some persons came and put garland around Sh. Kanhaiya Kumar. After garlanding him, some persons threw ink on Sh. Kanhaiya Kumar and tried to assault him. When Smt. Chhaya Sharma tried to intervene, they misbehaved and threatened her, Sharma said. The first major human conflict in the Palnadu region of coastal Andhra Pradesh dates back a millennium. The famed Battle of Palnadu took place in the 12th century between the Macherla and Gurazala kingdoms, fought by two cousin brothers of the same dynasty. Dubbed the 'Kurukshetra of the South', the story shares striking resemblances with the Hindu epic Mahabharata, involving a king going into exile. The king of Macherla was backed by his minister and intellectual reformer, Brahma Naidu, who introduced the concept of Chepa Koodu, a practice of communal dining for people of all classes to end the oppressive caste system. Brahma Naidu is revered to this day for his noble work. The king of Gurazala, controlled by his minister, Nayaki Nagamma, a cunning lady, provoked and created differences between the cousins by rigging a cockfight, which led to a feud. The fierce battle, which claimed many lives, has become a legend and bestowed a cultural identity upon the people of this region, who are seen as valorous and, on some occasions, vengeful. The deceased warriors of the Palnadu battle are immortalised in a temple dedicated to them where their heroics are remembered during an annual festival. The tale of bloodshed is still alive in Palnadu, as is the cycle of violence, which now takes a different form. In contemporary history, the region is a powder keg, witnessing faction violence and revenge killings, often influenced by local politics. A thousand years later, Macherla and Gurazala have transitioned from kingdoms into assembly constituencies, with political party leaders and their cadre replacing the rulers and their armies. Recently, violent clashes were reported between ruling YSRCP and TDP workers on the polling day, May 13, and the situation continues to be tense in these two constituencies. We havent slept until 3 am out of fear. Messages circulated that there would be an attack anytime on supporters of one party, revealed a nervous village elder on Thursday. Petrol bombs were hurled, vehicles were torched, and people were attacked with sticks, rods, and stones over the past four days. Many with critical injuries have been hospitalised. The police have imposed Section 144 and are trying to restore peace with additional forces. The region, which had experienced some peace for almost two decades, has been on edge for the last two years due to changes in the political landscape. According to locals, the Macherla MLA and YSRCP candidate Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, and his brother have maintained a tight grip over the constituency, systematically weakening the TDP over the years. All the major factions, which usually align with political parties for protection, had no choice but to remain within the YSRCP and resolve issues under the aegis of the Pinnelli family, who have been ruling the constituency since 2004. As a counter move, the TDP under Chandrababu Naidu decided to field Julakanti Brahmananda Reddy, a candidate with a long history in faction politics. Julakanti, the son of former Macherla legislator Durgamba, has revived the local TDP by encouraging factions loyal to him and the party. Julakanti had distanced himself from politics after being embroiled in a ghastly murder case in 2001, where seven Congress workers were hacked to death. Julakanti, a TDP leader at the time, was one of the accused. Julakanti, who had been residing in Hyderabad, is back in the constituency and trying to consolidate his position as a strong challenger to Pinnelli, leading to flare-ups between YSRCP and TDP. In the adjoining Gurazala constituency, the situation is no better. The police seized country-made bombs during searches in the constituency. On polling day, mobs of TDP and YSRCP supporters clashed and pelted stones, resulting in head injuries. The police had to use force to disperse the crowd in various places. The situation worsened when YSRCP MLA and Gurazala candidate, Kasu Mahesh Reddy, was targeted with stones in one of the villages, after which he was hurriedly escorted away. Mahesh accused the TDP leaders of attacking his supporters from backward sections and holding them up. The TDP candidate, Yarapathineni Srinivas Rao, a multiple-term legislator, is aggressively campaigning to win back the seat. Party workers in mobs and convoys paraded the constituency as a show of strength. Out of fear, shops and establishments were closed to escape the violence. In the ensuing chaos, police officials also received injuries. In the Narasaraopet constituency within Palnadu, dozens of alleged TDP activists attacked the residence of YSRCP MLA and candidate Gopireddy Srinivas Reddy, prompting police to fire rubber bullets to diffuse the situation. The MLA was later put under house arrest. The TDP candidate Chadalawada Aravind Babus car and TDP office were also allegedly attacked by YSRCP supporters. In the Sattanapalle constituency in Palnadu, another troubled segment, minister and MLA Ambati Rambabus family members' car was damaged. The minister and MLA candidate accused the police of failing to act swiftly and maintain law and order. Rayalaseema, another volatile region sharing similar characteristics with Palnadu, has seen extreme faction violence for decades. Warring factions have used every weapon at their disposal, from guns to bombs, to kill their adversaries, leaving thousands of families still reeling from the impact. In interior villages, many men bear the scars of violence, and some households are now only occupied by women, as their male relatives have been killed by rivals. Rayalaseema has inspired writers and filmmakers, resulting in numerous Telugu movies based on real incidents and leaders from the region. After some years of calm, violence erupted in Rayalaseema again due to the struggle for dominance between parties and factions. Tadipatri constituency in Anantapur district demonstrates how typical faction politics work. In 2006, TDP leader and former legislator, Kethireddy Suryapratap Reddy was hacked to death in a train by a group of attackers who also used country-made bombs to create panic. His family suspected the involvement of J.C. Diwakar, then Congress minister and Tadipatri MLA. Today, the rivalry remains within the families, but the parties have swapped. The deceased Venkatrammi Reddy's younger brother, Kethireddy Peddareddy, is the sitting MLA from YSRCP. From the JC family, Ashmith Reddy, son of J.C. Diwakar Reddys younger brother, is contesting against him on a TDP ticket. Since polling day, both groups have been staging protests and attacking each other. A flashpoint was reached when supporters of Peddareddy and the JC family engaged in a unique fight, aiming and bursting rockets and crackers at each others buildings, while locals watched and recorded the scene. The police had no choice but to send both the leaders out of the constituencies. However, for unknown reasons, a large contingent of police force ransacked Peddareddys house, breaking CCTVs and furniture and vacating the inmates. The constituency remained tense, with locals fearing the worst. Villages supporting the losing candidate will migrate from here. That is what will happen after the results. That is a norm here, as the ruling party will crack down on them with full force. There will be some ghost villages too, said a local leader. The Election Commission, taking serious note of the violence, has suspended SP Bindhu Madhav of Palnadu and SP Amit Bardar of Anantapur districts. Another SP from Rayalaseema has also been transferred and is facing a departmental inquiry. Krishna Kanth Patel was the SP of Tirupati when a deadly attack on the TDP candidate of Chandragiri, Pulavarthi Nani, took place. When Nani visited a local center to inspect EVM strong rooms as part of the protocol, his car was attacked with beer bottles, metal rods, and sticks by alleged supporters of YSRCP candidate Chevireddy Mohit. Though Nani escaped with minor injuries, his gunman sustained bleeding injuries and had to open fire to disperse the mob. Nani and his family alleged the attack was pre-planned to eliminate him. In Chittoor constituency, there were allegations of kidnappings of booth agents. YSRCP and TDP party leaders of Palnadu and Rayalaseema have been openly talking about retribution after the results on June 4. The same tone is echoed online, where supporters are warning rivals of the consequences once a winner is declared. Given the political mood, Rayalaseema and Palnadu regions are on the cusp of a violent outbreak post-election results. Adding a new dimension to the maze of complexity that is the India-China border, Arunachal Pradesh Governor Lieutenant General K.T. Parnaik (Rtd) said on Friday that the agreements and protocols currently in place actually favour Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to the disadvantage of India. Gen Parnaik said: We have a peculiar situation with agreements and protocols being mainly framed to suit the PLA with no settlement of boundary cartographic invasions and an invisible non-designated line to defend. With no use of weapons we are disadvantaged along the LAC (Line of Actual Control) Frequent intrusions by PLA violating the agreements is a critical and sensitive issue needing a firm sense of reciprocity. The MEA (foreign affairs ministry) and MoD (defence ministry) need to be prepared with a new set of agreements that can be implemented with clarity and also create arguments to dispel Chinese dynastic claims with our civilisational counter claims, he added. Gen Parnaik was speaking in New Delhi at the second edition of the Lieutenant General PS Bhagat Memorial Lecture that was jointly organised by the Indian Army and United Services Institution of India (USI). It was attended by the top brass of the Indian Army including the chief General Manoj Pande. Several former chiefs were also part of the audience. Mutual understanding and stated terms of engagement between India and China mandate that no guns are to be fired on the LAC come what may. Border patrol teams are either unarmed or carry the gun with its barrel pointed downwards. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own, calling it Southern Tibet. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,125 km-long border with China. On Pakistan, the Governor said an aggressive punitive deterrence policy needs to be continued. With obvious reference to the recent unrest in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), Gen Parnaik said: Unrest in Pakistan provinces allow us space for political maneouver while opposition to CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) would keep the Chinese tentative. He advocated: Focus on re-integration of PoK through peaceful voluntary means. Finally avoidance of a two-front war needs to be strategised and ensured. Delhi BJP Mahila Morcha members staged a protest near Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Friday morning over the alleged assault on Aam Aadmi Partys Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by his aide Bibhav Kumar. Led by Mahila Morcha president Richa Pandey Mishra, the protesters, who were carrying bangles, demanded Kejriwal's resignation. Mishra said the Mahila Morcha wanted to hand over the bangles to Kejriwal for keeping mum over the incident with Maliwal that occurred at his official residence. The Delhi Police on Thursday registered an FIR in connection with Maliwal's alleged assault, naming Kumar, the personal assistant of Kejriwal, as an accused. The FIR was registered after Maliwal's statement was recorded by a two-member team led by Additional Commissioner of Police P.S. Kushwaha. The team was at Maliwal's residence in central Delhi for nearly four and a half hours on Thursday. As per the FIR, Maliwal alleged she was "slapped, hit in the stomach and kicked" by Kumar. Maliwal claimed she ran out of the CM's residence and called the police immediately after the incident. Kejriwal was present at his residence when the incident took place, she added. Maliwal broke down several times while giving the statement and sought strict action against Kumar, ANI reported. The AAP MP underwent medical check-up at All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Thursday. Kumar has been summoned by the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday over the matter. Wafadari mein sheikh-o-barhaman ki azmaish hai. Mirza Ghalib On May 16 one witnessed a sorry spectacle in the Pakistan Supreme Court. Former prime minister Imran Khan has been incarcerated in jail by the Pakistan establishment (meaning its all-powerful army) since August last year on flimsy charges, and even his name is not allowed to be mentioned by the Pakistan media, though he appears to have the support of about 90 per cent of the people of Pakistan (as all opinion polls indicate). However, he was allowed to appear in the Supreme Court, virtually. Though he was shown on the screen for a very short while in light blue garments, one could not hear his voice, and his image soon disappeared and the live streaming stopped, apparently on the Chief Justice's command. When a lawyer in court asked that the live streaming showing Imran Khan be restarted, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa asked him to Shut up. ALSO READ | OPINION: A call to Indian patriots This is the extent to which Pakistan's top judicial functionary has shamelessly surrendered himself before the establishment and become its toady. Even showing Imran Khan on the screen and hearing his voice gives him the shivers. One is sad to see the plight of Pakistan's judiciary. Judges take an oath to uphold the Constitution and protect the liberties of the people, e.g., the right to life and liberty, freedom of speech, etc., which are mentioned in Articles 8 to 28 of Pakistan's Constitution. However, what one sees in Pakistan is judges shamelessly ignoring this oath and turning a Nelson's eye to the large-scale violation of human rights and civil liberties in Pakistan, and the reign of of terror unleashed on its people, by Pakistan's Gestapo-type security agencies. These agencies abducted and imprisoned about 14,000 people on trumped-up charges after the events of May 9, 2023, where they are still rotting in inhuman conditions. Instead of hearing the bail applications of such people Qazi Faez Isa lists and hears old cases in which few people are really interested, e.g., the fairness of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's trial (although Bhutto died 45 years ago) and the old Faizabad dharna case. It seems Qazi Faez Isa is fond of hearing cases of dead people rather than living ones! Six Judges of the Islamabad High Court recently sent an explosive letter to the Chief Justice and members of Pakistan's Supreme Judicial Council complaining of interference by the security agencies in their functioning. What is the remedy for the woes of Pakistan's judiciary? To my mind, there is only one: to have a solid Chief Justice. Justice Athar Minallah, who refuses to surrender to executive pressure or inducements, no matter what the cost, can be a solid Chief Justice. OPINION: Features of India's ideological revolution The Chief Justice of the country is the kingpin of the entire judiciary. If he is of strong disposition, no one, not even the army, will dare interfere with the functioning and independence of judges. If I am the Chief Justice of Pakistan I would solve the problem in 24 hours. I would send a strong letter to the army chief and chief of the Inter Services Intelligence stating that unless they give a solemn assurance and guarantee that interference in judicial functioning, and harassment and threats to judges, are immediately stopped, I am going to close down all courts in Pakistan, from the highest to the lowest level. There is no point in the functioning of the courts if they are not independent, if their judges are getting threats and if their orders are not obeyed (e.g. the Supreme Court's order that elections to the Punjab legislative assembly must be held on May 14, 2023, was promptly thrown into the dustbin). Courts are not meant to perform dramas. Such a letter would soon bring the army authorities to their senses. But Qazi Faez Isa will never do this. He is totally servile to the Pakistan establishment and does its bidding. For instance, by a flagrantly dishonest judgment he deprived Imran Khans party of its symbol, so as to damage its election prospects. Justice Markandey Katju retired from the Supreme Court in 2011. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK. In a tit-for-tat move, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it was expelling the UK defence attache from the country, a week after the British government did the same. A statement by the ministry said the diplomat was summoned and informed that he had been declared "persona non grata." The development comes a week after the British government announced it would expel a senior Russian diplomat who it claimed was an "undeclared" military intelligence officer. The UK also accused Russia's intelligence wing Federal Security Service (FSB) of indulging in a pattern of "malign activity" in Britain and Europe, including hacking and leaking trade documents relating to the United States, and targeting British lawmakers through malicious email campaigns. Besides kicking out Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel, the UK also rescinded the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties, alleging they were being used for intelligence purposes. These included a house in East Sussex that the Russian embassy used as a weekend retreat for its staff and a trade and defence office in London. The UK also imposed new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas and visits. James Cleverly, the British home secretary, also told Parliament that the government was announcing the retaliatory measures "to make clear to Russia that we will not tolerate such apparent escalations." Following the move, Russia retaliated and gave British defence attache Capt. Adrian Coghil a week to leave the country. Coghil is a naval officer who had previously served as the assistant attache in Moscow for over a decade. Moscow had also termed the UK's action as politically motivated, which expressed Russophobic character. Cameron's remark The diplomatic row between the two nations worsened after Russia first summoned the British ambassador to lodge its protest over British foreign secretary David Cameron's remarks over Ukraines using weapons supplied by Britain to strike Russian territory. Cameron had said it was up to Ukraine to decide how to use British weapons and insisted it has the right to strike targets on Russian territory. During a visit to Kyiv, he said the UK would provide 3bn ($3.75bn) per year for as long as necessary. Russia had flayed Cameron's remarks calling it "absolutely crazy" and "aggressive". Moscow had also warned London that it could hit back at British military installations and equipment both inside Ukraine and elsewhere if British weapons were used by Ukraine to strike Russian territory. Britain reacted to this, by stating that Russias attempts to undermine U.K. and European security have become increasingly brazen since the Ukraine war. Cannes, May 16 (PTI) Two-time Palme dOr winner Francis Ford Coppola, 85, is back in the Cannes Competition after a 45-year hiatus with "Megalopolis", a mainly self-funded USD 120 million project, his first directing gig in 13 years. The last time the American cinema stalwart was here, in 1979, "Apocalypse Now", won the festival's top prize. It was his second. Coppola had won the Palme dOr five years earlier for "The Conversation". There is one marked similarity between the paths that "Apocalypse Now" and "Megalopolis" have taken to Cannes. Both had extremely troubled production histories. The late 1970s film, which had a painfully chaotic shoot in the Philippines, was still a work a progress when it was included in the Cannes Competition despite vehement opposition from its US distributor, United Artists. "Apocalypse Now" arrived on the Croisette amid controversy and received terrible press from the American media contingent before and during the festival. At the Cannes press conference that year, Coppola famously launched a broadside at scribes from his country. But once the film premiered, the audience was blown away and the balance tilted in Coppola's favour. The rest is history. Will the octogenarian American cinema legend, one of the prime movers behind the resurgence of US cinema in the 1970s, repeat history with "Megalopolis"? The sci-fi epic starring Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza is set in a "fictional" modern-day US dealing with the aftermath of a disaster. "Megalopolis", too, has not had the best of runs with the media on its way to Cannes. Segments of the film press have reported on Coppolas old-style approach to movie production that has left many in the unit disgruntled. Moreover, a private screening that Coppola organized for friends and industry honchos has reportedly sparked dispiriting noises about the films slender commercial prospects. Written, produced and directed by Coppola, "Megalopolis" has a big ensemble cast that includes Shia LeBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Talia Shire, Laurence Fishburne and Dustin Hoffman. There is understandable excitement in Cannes ahead of the films world premiere on Thursday. How it is received by the press corps here might have some bearing on its eventual fate when the Competition jury, led by Greta Gerwig goes into its final huddle to decide the 2024 winners. Another legendary American screenwriter-director, 77-year-old Paul Schrader, hasn't had a film in the Cannes Competition since 1988's "Patty Hearst". Prior to that he had a film in Competition in 1985 "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters", on which Coppola served as an executive producer along with George Lucas. Schraders film competing at Cannes this year is "Oh, Canada", a drama that reunites him with Richard Gere, with whom the "Taxi Driver" screenwriter worked for the first time in "American Gigolo" (1980). Coppola is one of nine directors who have won the Palme dOr twice. Alf Sjoberg, Bille August, Emir Kusturica, Shohei Imamura, the Dardenne Brothers, Michael Haneke, Ken Loach and Ruben Ostlund are the others. But no director has ever won the prize thrice. Will he? Agartala, May 17 (PTI) Tripura's opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhury wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, urging him to take immediate steps to control the steep rise in airfare. Chaudhury, who is also the state secretary of CPI(M), said the airfare between Kolkata and Agartala has reached an "unprecedented high" of Rs 17,000. "This is particularly distressing given that many of our citizens rely on the more advanced healthcare facilities available in Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and New Delhi. The prohibitive cost of air travel is a significant obstacle for them, effectively denying access to essential health service," he wrote in the letter on Thursday. "A reduction in airfare will not only alleviate financial stress but also potentially save lives by facilitating access to critical healthcare and other passengers of low-income groups," he added. Chaudhury sought Scindia's immediate intervention in the matter and urged him to take steps to make air travel affordable for the people. Low-cost carrier IndiGo withdrew two flights on the Agartala-Kolkata route in April, leading to a steep hike in the prices of tickets, an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said. The two flights are likely to be re-introduced in August, he said. Viewed of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Jewish activists and college students on Wednesday testified before the House Judiciary Committee about antisemitism that has run rampant and unchecked on U.S. college campuses since the October 7th massacre in southern Israel by Hamas terrorists. Speakers included Rabbi Dr. Mark Goldfeder, the Director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center; Shabbos Kestenbaum, a Masters student at Harvard University; and Eyal Yakoby, an undergraduate student at University of Pennsylvania. Watch some of their equally shocking and enlightening testimony to the lawmakers below. A judge decided Wednesday that a Southern California college professor will stand trial for involuntary manslaughter and battery in the death of a Jewish counter-protester during demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war last year. Superior Court Judge Ryan Wright judge declared after a two-day preliminary hearing that theres enough evidence to try Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, according to the Ventura County District Attorneys Office. A preliminary hearing requires a lower burden of proof to move forward, compared to the beyond a reasonable doubt needed for a conviction during a trial. 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 two felonies: involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury, with special allegations of personally inflicting great bodily harm injury on each count, the DAs office said. If found guilty of all charges, he could be sentenced to more than four years in prison. Alnaji posted $50,000 bail. Alnajis lawyer, Ron Bamieh, said he expected the judges preliminary hearing ruling because the burden of proof is so low. Bamieh said Kesslers medical records show he had a brain tumor that caused problems with his balance, and had a history of falling over the last decade. The attorney also said the prosecution does not have credible eyewitness testimony. 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 Kesslers death, according to the Los Angeles Times. (AP) The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a conservative-led attack that could have undermined the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The justices ruled 7-2 that the way the CFPB is funded does not violate the Constitution, reversing a lower court and drawing praises from consumers. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion, splitting with his frequent allies, Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, who dissented. The CFPB was created after the 2008 financial crisis to regulate mortgages, car loans and other consumer finance. The case was brought by payday lenders who object to a bureau rule that limits their ability to withdraw funds directly from borrowers bank accounts. Its among several major challenges to federal regulatory agencies on the docket this term for a court that has for more than a decade been open to limits on their operations. The CFPB, the brainchild of Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, has long been opposed by Republicans and their financial backers. The bureau says it has returned $19 billion to consumers since its creation. Outside the Supreme Court following the decision, Warren said, The Supreme Court followed the law, and the CFPB is here to stay. President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat who has taken steps to strengthen the bureau, called the ruling an unmistakable win for American consumers. Unlike most federal agencies, the consumer bureau does not rely on the annual budget process in Congress. Instead, it is funded directly by the Federal Reserve, with a current annual limit of around $600 million. The federal appeals court in New Orleans, in a novel ruling, held that the funding violated the Constitutions appropriations clause because it improperly shields the CFPB from congressional supervision. Thomas reached back to the earliest days of the Constitution in his majority opinion to note that the Bureaus funding mechanism fits comfortably with the First Congress appropriations practice. In dissent, Alito wrote, 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. The CFPB case was argued more than seven months ago, during the first week of the courts term. Lopsided decisions like Thursdays 7-2 vote typically dont take so long, but Alitos dissent was longer than the majority opinion, and two other justices, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, wrote separate opinions even though they both were part of the majority. Consumer groups cheered the decision, as did a bureau spokesman. For years, lawbreaking companies and Wall Street lobbyists have been scheming to defund essential consumer protection enforcement, bureau spokesman Sam Gilford said in a statement. 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. Jesse Van Tol, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, said the decision upholding the consumer bureaus funding structure would have positive effects across the U.S. economy. Its always nice to see the courts get something right especially in this tawdry circumstance where payday loan predators sought to wriggle out of basic oversight using absurd distortions of law and fact, Van Tol said in a statement. While the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and some other business interests backed the payday lenders, mortgage bankers and other sectors regulated by the CFPB cautioned the court to avoid a broad ruling that could unsettle the markets. In 2020, the court decided another CFPB case, ruling that Congress had improperly insulated the head of the bureau from removal. The justices said the director could be replaced by the president at will but allowed the bureau to continue to operate. (AP) United Airlines says federal regulators are letting it resume adding new routes and planes after a series of incidents, including an engine fire and a tire falling off a plane after takeoff, led them to suspend the airlines authority to make those moves. United said Thursday that the Federal Aviation Administration notified the airline that it can restart those activities. The FAA did not immediately comment on Uniteds report. In a memo to employees, United called the development some good news, but it noted that FAA inspectors were still reviewing the airlines work processes, manuals and facilities. The FAA increased its oversight of Chicago-based United in March after a series of flight problems. In one, a piece of aluminum skin fell off a plane flying from San Francisco to Oregon. Another plane lost a tire after takeoff from San Francisco, and another suffered an engine fire in Houston. Pilots reported that rudder pedals used to steer on the runway failed after landing in Newark, New Jersey, and another plane rolled off a taxiway in Houston. The incidents led United CEO Scott Kirby to assure customers the airline was safe. Kirby said the events were unrelated but they have our attention and have sharpened our focus. He said United would review each incident to see if changes were needed in safety training and procedures. The FAA said at the time that it focuses oversight on airlines ability to identify and manage risks and comply with regulations. (AP) After successfully guiding the administration through a challenging period for Jewish New Yorkers, Joel Eisdorfer, senior advisor and Jewish community liaison, is leaving his role to pursue a new professional opportunity. During his tenure, Eisdorfer served as a vital link between the Adams administration and Jewish communities across the city, facilitating initiatives such as youth employment opportunities, neighborhood infrastructure investments, and government services. Mayor Eric Adams praised Eisdorfer to YWN as an empathetic public servant who forged connections among communities during one of the most trying times for Jewish New Yorkers in our citys history. While acknowledging his departure from City Hall, Adams expressed excitement for Eisdorfers continued support in a new capacity. NYPD Deputy Chief Richie Taylor also commended Eisdorfer, calling him a consummate professional who brought positivity to government and communities. Taylor highlighted their successful partnership in addressing challenges and credited Eisdorfer with contributing to the strongest-ever relationship between the Mayors office, NYPD, and communities. Rabbi Yechiel Kalish, CEO of Chevra Hatzalah told YWN: Joel Eisdorfers relationship with Hatzalah predates his appropriate ascension to Special Adviser to the Mayor. He understood from a young age the role Hatzalah has in the community and the importance of supporting that mission for the sake of the community. Literally from Day 1 at City Hall he Joel was proactive in ensuring we had the answers we needed to operate in the most effective manner possible. Hatzalah looks forward to working with Joel in this new capacity as Chair of the Mayors Jewish Advisory Council. Although leaving city government, Eisdorfer will continue to chair the citys first-ever Jewish Advisory Council, a role he has held since its inception. His continued leadership in this capacity ensures a seamless transition and bodes well for future collaborations. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) In a visit to the headquarters of the IDFs Division 162 in the Rafah area on Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held an operational situation assessment with senior IDF officials, including the Head of the Command and Division Commander. Following the assessment, Gallant announced that additional troops will be joining the ground operation in Rafah, signaling an escalation in Israels military efforts in the region. A number of tunnels in the area have already been destroyed Hamas faucets are being shut, Gallant declared, indicating that the IDF has made significant progress in disrupting Hamas underground infrastructure. Excerpts from the Ministers remarks: I am now in the Rafah area after meeting the Head of the Southern Command, and the Commanders of Division 162, Brigade 84, Brigade 401, and the Fire Brigade. All our troops are working in an extraordinary manner. Hundreds of [terror] targets have already been struck, and our forces are maneuvering in the area. 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. 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. The result is that we are wearing Hamas down. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) A 20-year-old Jewish man is slated for execution on Shabbos, according to Iranian media reports, sparking urgent appeals for Tehillim and diplomatic intervention from the Jewish community worldwide. The young man was sentenced to death following a fatal altercation with a local non-Jewish Iranian. Under Iranian law, the family of the victim has the right to accept compensation, known as diyeh, and spare the accused from execution. However, despite efforts by the Jewish mans family to resolve the situation through this legal provision, the family of the deceased has refused to accept any payment and is insisting on the death penalty. Lawyers and officials within the Iranian-Jewish community in the United States have attempted to persuade the victims family to accept the compensation, but so far, their efforts have been unsuccessful. On Friday afternoon, a gathering was held at Kever Rochel, where Tefillos were recited on behalf of the young man. The Jewish mans family has issued a desperate appeal to the public, seeking Tefillos and urgent intervention. Please daven for Arvin Netanel ben Sonia Tziyona. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced in a press briefing on Thursday that two Thai citizens who were believed to be in captivity in Gaza were murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7th and their bodies are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Thai citizens Sonthaya Oakkharasr and Sudthisak Rinthalak worked in orchards on Kibbutz Beeri before they were savagely murdered. On October 7th, Hamas terrorists brutally murdered 39 Thai nationals, and abducted 31 Thai citizens to Gaza, Hagari said. Many other foreign nationals were abducted as well, including citizens of Tanzania, Nepal, Mexico, the US, and France. The horrifying cruelty of Hamas was directed against everyone in their way, without distinction of origin or nationality. Following the announcement, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying: The Royal Thai Government expresses its profound condolences to their families, which have already been contacted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv, while the agencies involved will render all necessary assistance to the families. The Royal Thai Government reiterates its strong call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages, including the six remaining Thai nationals in Gaza, so that they may return home safely, and call for all sides to exercise their utmost efforts in negotiations leading to an urgent solution to the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Twenty-three Thai nationals were released from Gaza in November after the Thai government held Iranian-mediated negotiations with Hamas. (YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem) The Israeli military confirmed that it carried out strikes against facilities in southern Lebanons Najjarieh, which were used by Hezbollahs air defense unit. The strikes, which occurred in the coastal town south of Sidon, targeted compounds that the IDF said were used by Hezbollahs air defense array and posed a threat to Israeli aircraft. According to the IDF, several Hezbollah terrorists were gathered at the sites, which were located within a civilian area, putting the lives of civilians in southern Lebanon at risk. The IDF emphasized that it will not tolerate any violation of aerial operational freedom and will operate to defend against any threat. Hezbollah announced the death of one of its members, Hussein Khader Mahdi, from Najjarieh, following the strike. Sources also reported that two Syrians were killed in the strikes. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) In a recent military operation in Gaza, IDF troops recovered the bodies of multiple hostages that were being held by Hamas. The IDF has confirmed that all three were murdered while escaping the Nova Festival on October 7th. Their bodies were held in Gaza until the IDF located them on Friday morning. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released the following statement: This terrible loss is heart-breaking. My wife Sara and I grieve with the families; all of our hearts are with them in their hour of heavy sorrow. We will return all of our hostages, the living and the deceased alike. I commend our brave forces whose determined action has returned the sons and daughters to their own border. The three victims have been identified as: Itzik Glarenter, 56, from Irus, was believed to have been kidnapped from the Nova Festival based on the location of his mobile phone, which was pinpointed to the Gaza Strip. His children, Yarden and Ali, discovered this fact. The three friends who were with him in the car were murdered. Amit Buskila, a resident of Ashdod and a successful stylist, attended the Nova Festival in Reim. She was abducted from the Nachal Oz area while trying to escape the terrorists. Last November, she marked her 28th birthday in captivity. Shani Louk, 22, was a German-Israeli tattoo artist and social media influencer. She was murdered during the massacre at the Reim Festival on October 7, 2023, and her body was taken to the Gaza Strip. Born in the village of Adora in the Ela Valley, her family later moved to the United States in the 2000s. Shani returned to Israel as an adult, where she worked as a tattoo artist and Instagram influencer. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) 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. The Virgo Moon is in harmony with Venus and Uranus this Friday, a randomly selected online horoscope tells us. True or not, what is clear is that the stars are aligning for Phoenix Copper Ltd after seeing an $80million corporate copper bond issue fully subscribed by one investor this week. The bonds will be drawn down in stages as the construction of Phoenix's Empire Open-Pit Mine in Idaho, US, gets underway. Copper is undoubtedly hot right now, having soared to a fresh record high this week - and indeed was the catalyst for BHP's rebuffed 34billion swoop for Anglo American. Phoenix's executive chairman Marcus Edward-Jones stated: 'Uncertainties over the Chinese and US economies meant that it took longer for the drivers of electrification and supply issues to reassert their influences on the copper price. It now looks as if the penny has finally dropped.' Popular: Copper is undoubtedly hot right now, having soared to a fresh record high this week - and indeed was the catalyst for BHP's rebuffed 34billion swoop for Anglo American 'Despite several delays and disappointments, we are hopeful that our stars are finally aligning,' he added. Phoenix shares bounced 33 per cent on news of the bond subscription. They have since come off, but managed to close the week a respectable 8 per cent higher. Less fortunate was Belfast shipbuilder Harland & Wolff, which reportedly saw a 200million government funding round rejected. Chief executive John Wood denied the reports, but the negative coverage continued into Friday with The Telegraph reporting today that a 1.6billion Ministry of Defence contract won in 2022 is on the ropes. Wood called the contract 'a truly defining moment' at the time. There's little wonder why Harland & Wolff's share price fell 26 per cent throughout the week. As for the wider state of small-cap stocks, the AIM All-Share Index stayed relatively flat throughout the week, entering Friday afternoon around 0.3 per cent higher. The junior market outperformed the FTSE 100 though, which was off 0.3 per cent despite briefly hitting yet another all-time high on Wednesday. Put it down to some of the largest constituents, including Shell, BP, GSK and Unilever, going into ex-dividend. FireAngel Safety Technology Group was one of the biggest weekly risers, with shares soaring over 50 per cent on Friday alone and nearly 75 per cent across all five days. The rally came after the Secretary of State approved Intelligent Safety Electronics's (ISE) 28million takeover bid of the group. The offer required approval under the National Security and Investment Act 2021. In December, the offer's timeline was paused due to unmet conditions, until now. Orchard Funding is also on the verge of leaving the junior market, but in less desirable circumstances. Legal and regulatory requirements plus associated costs of admission, low levels of liquidity and its inability to attract institutions given the material discount to net asset value, were all reasons cited for potentially dropping its listing. Shares flopped 13 per cent. Zotefoams leapt 22 per cent after announcing 'technical milestones' achieved on its ReZorce beverage carton product. In a Wednesday keynote presentation, chief executive David Stirling said the progress was 'indicative of the gathering momentum on this project'. He said: 'Retailers and brand owners understand the need for a sustainable alternative to LPB cartons and ReZorce meets that need: it is fully recyclable via mainstream collections, contains recycled material in line with the thresholds set out in the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and has a lower carbon footprint.' Cornish Metals gave us the head-scratcher of the week. Despite a 17 per cent Friday uptick, The stock fell by a third over the five-day period without any observable catalysts. 'The company is unaware of any reason for the selling pressure on the Cornish Metals share price this week,' said interim chief executive Ken Armstrong. Contrary to the fall in valuation, Armstrong highlighted a positive preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for its South Crofty tin project in Cornwall. The PEA estimates an after-tax net present value of $201million and an internal rate of return of 29.8 per cent, confirming the project's viability and 14-year mine life. There appeared to be a wider repricing of small-cap mining stocks, with Vast Resources plc off 27 per cent, Metals Exploration plc off 23 per cent and Touchstone Exploration Inc off 18 per cent. Active Energy Group was also a laggard after confirming it is in discussions with a 'number of parties' regarding the potential sale of its CoalSwitch technology that allows lumber waste to be burned cleanly and effectively for power. In the update, AEG also said it was looking at ways to preserve cash and other potential disposals. Shares were down 44 per cent come Friday afternoon. 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. Anglo American last night admitted that jobs will go at its Yorkshire potash mine. The mining giant conceded there will be an 'impact on headcount' days after chief executive Duncan Wanblad announced it would slash spending at the Woodsmith fertiliser project near Whitby. Sources told the Mail that 80 per cent of the 1,400 staff who work on-site could face the axe. That would amount to 1,120 jobs. The cuts to investment at Woodsmith are part of a huge restructuring plan unveiled by Wanblad as he desperately tries to fend off a takeover by the company's larger rival BHP. The plans include offloading its De Beers diamond business as well as its South African platinum arm and its coking coal and nickel operations. Cuts: Anglo American has admitted that jobs will go at its Yorkshire potash mine Anglo has turned down two bids so far valuing it at 31billion and 34billion and Australian giant BHP has until Wednesday to table another offer. The job cuts at Woodsmith will be a bitter blow to the local community and will add to fears that the future of the project is at risk. Many hoped the mine which will dig up an unusual type of fertiliser known as polyhalite, which contains potash would reinvigorate the area and be a key employer. Wanblad's survival plan will see the company focus on its lucrative copper and iron ore mines as well as retain the Woodsmith project. However, despite insisting Anglo is 'committed' to the project, Wanblad said it would spend just 160m on Woodsmith next year and nothing at all in 2026. It previously planned to spend 800m each year. Choking off investment also means that the first extraction of fertiliser from the mine, which was due in 2027, is likely to be pushed back. Anglo wants to make a final investment decision on the project before ploughing in any more cash and also wants to find another investor to share the cost. The scale of the project is one of the major challenges, as it involves digging two shafts that are a mile deep and building a 23-mile tunnel which is longer than the Channel Tunnel under the North York Moors National Park to avoid damaging the landscape. Anglo expects it to cost 7billion. Anglo bought Woodsmith for 405m in 2020 after the company, then known as Sirius Minerals, teetered on the brink of collapse. Sirius was a stock market darling for years but its share price collapsed after it failed to secure a crucial funding package. This wiped out the nest eggs and pension pots of some 85,000 individual investors. Many were locals who wanted to champion the project. An Anglo spokesman said: 'Those [job] numbers are entirely based on rumour. We are focused on being transparent with the project teams and our local stakeholders.' WASHINGTON A conservative activist's son was sentenced on Friday to nearly four years in prison for what prosecutors said was his relentless assault on the U.S. Capitol, where he smashed a window, chased a police officer and invaded the Senate floor. Leo Brent Bozell IV, 44, of Palmyra, was one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol and among the first to reach the Senate floor during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege. Bozell's father, L. Brent Bozell III, founded the Media Research Center, the Parents Television Council and other conservative media organizations. The younger Bozell turned to apologize to two Capitol police officers sitting in the courtroom gallery before U.S. District Judge John Bates sentenced him to three years and nine months behind bars. He also told his parents and wife that he has put a stain on my family forever. I don't recognize that person in the videos," he said. I don't know what I was thinking. Bates said storming the Capitol wasn't a spontaneous act for Bozell. He had made plans to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6 and anticipated violence that day, the judge said. You had plenty of chances to stop doing what you were doing, Bates said. Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of 11 years and eight months for Bozell. They said he mounted relentless and sustained attacks on law enforcement as he joined or led other rioters in breaking through police lines at several locations inside and outside the Capitol. There are few rioters on January 6 who were involved in as many pivotal breaches as Bozell, prosecutors wrote. The judge allowed Bozell to remain free until he must report to prison at a date to be determined. Bozell thanked the judge after learning his sentence. Bozell was arrested in February 2021. An FBI tipster who identified Bozell recognized him in part from the Hershey Christian Academy sweatshirt that he wore on Jan. 6. Bates heard testimony without a jury before convicting Bozell of 10 charges, including obstructing the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory. After then-President Donald Trumps Stop the Steal rally near the White House on Jan. 6, Bozell marched to the Capitol and joined a mob in breaking through a police line. Bozell used a metal object to shatter the windowpane of the Senate wing door. After climbing through the smashed window, Bozell joined other rioters in chasing a Capitol Police officer, Eugene Goodman, up a staircase to an area where other officers confronted the group. Bozell entered then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosis office and left carrying an unidentified object. He later entered the Senate gallery, where he moved a C-SPAN camera to face the ground so it could not record rioters ransacking the chamber on a live video feed. He also spent several minutes on the Senate floor. Bozell roamed thorough the Capitol for nearly an hour, reaching more than a dozen parts of the building and passing through at least seven police lines before police escorted him out, prosecutors said. Prosecutors had argued for a terrorism enhancement that would significantly increase the recommended range of a prison sentence for Bozell. But the judge declined to apply the enhancement, saying it doesn't make a lot of sense in this case. Defense attorney Eric Snyder said Bozell doesn't deserve to be described as a terrorist. Good people do bad things, Snyder said. This is a good person who did a terrible thing. Bozells father submitted a letter to the court in which he expressed support for his son and questioned prosecutors motives for seeking a terrorism enhancement. I have remained silent for the past 3 1/2 years because I didnt want to tip the apple cart of justice, he wrote. But given what I saw in the trial, and more importantly learning about this terrorism enhancement, I no longer can. I believe there is more at play here. More than 1,350 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. Over 850 of them have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving a term of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years. The Tanaiste has said that all Government held files in connection to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings should be released to inquiries, as he paid tribute to those who died in the blast on the 50th anniversary. He made the pledge as Irelands Justice Minister said the anniversary of the atrocity on Friday brought a new determination to find out what happened on May 17 1974. On that date three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one exploded in Monaghan town. No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. Mr Martin said on Friday: Ive a general view, that any files we have in Dublin, or within the Department of Justice or in An Garda Siochana should be released to all inquiries in respect of atrocities in Northern Ireland. Today is a very poignant day and the Justice for the Forgotten group has been extraordinary in their efforts they have made to focus attention many decades on, on what was the worst atrocity, in what was a terrible time in Ireland when there was murder and mayhem across the land. Earlier Governments from the 1990s on, we had two inquiries and both those inquires made it very clear that they didnt get full cooperation, particularly from the British state. The Tanaiste told RTEs Morning Ireland radio programme that the British Governments controversial Legacy Act has created a huge challenge for legacy issues. It has resulted in something we thought wed never be doing now, referring British legislative act in terms of legacy to the European Court Convention (on Human Rights) in respect of non-compliance, he added. An official memorial in Dublin honours the 35 victims of the bombings, which included two unborn babies. It remains the greatest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. Mr Martin and PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher attended a memorial mass at at St Marys Pro-Cathedral in Dublin on Friday morning. Leading the service, Archbishop Dermot Farrell read out the names of those killed in the bombings. Calling for reconciliation, he added: Pray that those with the power to be able to deliver that justice, which will ultimately bring peace, will come quickly so that all may be fully healed of that awful atrocity and tragedy. The service will be followed by a commemoration event at the Talbot Street memorial where President Michael D Higgins will deliver an address. Irelands premier Simon Harris and deputy premier Mr Martin will also attend the event, which has been organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. Mr Higgins will also lay a wreath in Monaghan on Friday evening. Minister Heather Humphreys will represent the Government. Earlier Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that the families of victims of the bombings remain firm in their quest for justice 50 years on. Ms McEntee said it was a day to remember and reflect. She added: Fifty years have passed since that dreadful day on the streets of Dublin city centre and Monaghan town. It is as incomprehensible today, as it was all those decades ago, to think that bombs could be planted so callously, with no regard for human life. Three bombs exploded in Dublin city centre and a fourth in Monaghan town. The scale of the attack was without compare, it is the greatest loss of life on a single day of the Troubles. Such a large scale tragic and unjustified loss of life continues to effect countless families. Despite the passage of time, they continue to feel the loss of their loved ones deeply. The minister said the families loss had been compounded by the frustration and hurt of unanswered questions. Ms McEntee added: The survivors and the families of the victims remain firm in their quest for justice and for information about what happened to their loved ones. The Government is fully committed to seeking out the truth behind those events and, hopefully, to secure some measure of comfort for the victims families and the survivors. This landmark anniversary brings with it a new focus and desire to establish the truth of what happened on May 17 1974. The Government for our part, will continue to pursue all possible avenues to uncover the truth of what happened on this day in 1974. Taoiseach Mr Harris said: Today, 50 years on from that dark day, I remember all those who lost their lives and were injured, and think of their families. I know their hurt has been compounded by a lack of truth and of justice for the victims since, and of immediate support for the families in the difficult years that followed. Today, we honour the memories of those who died, the more than 300 people injured, and the bereaved, both those living and those who have died in the years since. Today, Dublin and Monaghan remember. Earlier, Mr Martin said the Dublin and Monaghan tragedies live on in families in Ireland and abroad. He said: The loss and suffering of families was magnified by inadequate investigation at that time. The Barron and MacEntee inquiries answered some questions and raised some more, including the possibility of collusion. I have been following up with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chris Heaton-Harris) on the provision of sensitive material which may help answer some of those questions. Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG More than a month out from the June 30 budget deadline, top Pennsylvania lawmakers are beginning a new round of negotiations with few specific points of agreement. The renewed deliberations come just five months after the divided legislature finalized a deadlock-plagued deal for the 2023-24 fiscal year. Bills from the legislature's two chambers and Gov. Josh Shapiro's February budget address illustrate the competing visions for the states annual funding plan. Shapiro and other Democrats argue the states $14 billion surplus should be spent on priorities like overhauling the states education funding scheme to comply with a court order, stabilizing struggling public transit systems and boosting the economy. Meanwhile, Republicans broadly believe the money should go toward backfilling a cut to Pennsylvanias income tax and eliminating a tax on private utility companies. The caucus says such cuts would benefit everyone, rather than a select few. Talks havent turned acrimonious like they did last year when a disagreement over funding private school vouchers led to a prolonged stalemate that strained the budgets of libraries and some nonprofits. In his budget address, Shapiro pitched billions in new spending on K-12 and higher education, public transit, economic development, housing and health care. He proposed offsetting some of that spending by legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana and expanding legal gaming. The state House has yet to release a formal plan, but Democratic leaders recently signed on to a bill memo that lays out a major focus for the caucus: spending more than $5 billion over seven years to close an adequacy gap in school funding. Such an investment was recommended by a commission that studied how Pennsylvania should meet a court mandate to make its school funding system more equitable. While state Senate Republicans broadly agree school funding must be overhauled, the caucus recently pitched its vision for taking advantage of the surplus. With support from some Democrats, the chamber passed a bill that would cut the states personal income tax from 3.07% to 2.8%, a change that would restore the rate to its 2003 level and collectively save taxpayers about $1.8 billion annually. The proposal would also eliminate a tax on private electric utilities profits, costing the state about $1.2 billion in annual revenue. There's been a false choice, over the last several months, presented to the people of Pennsylvania, Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, said at a news conference following the bills passage. That false choice is that there's too much money in the savings account and therefore we need to spend it. What we're saying to our friends across the aisle is, If you think there's too much money in the savings account, lets give it back to the people. When asked about the proposal, Shapiro spokesperson Manuel Bonder said in a statement that Republicans are coming to the table and acknowledging that we must invest in Pennsylvanias future. We look forward to continuing to work together with the only divided legislature in the country to make critical investments in our commonwealth, Bonder said. Room for compromise? Every year, Pennsylvania lawmakers and the governor must approve a budget that directs billions of state dollars to education, health care for low-income people, public safety initiatives and more. The governors budget address kicks off a string of public legislative hearings before talks go behind closed doors. Leaders usually dont hammer out the final deal until days before the deadline. Republican state Senate leaders said their tax bill shouldnt be interpreted as the caucus ruling out additional budget negotiations. Were still going to have our debates on what gets funded with the revenues we already have [coming] in, Appropriations Committee Chair Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, said at a news conference following the state Senates passage of the tax cut bill. The caucus' top priorities include lowering energy costs and restructuring the states higher education system while keeping new spending down to a minimum. Elizabeth Rementer, a spokesperson for the caucus, said that while it is open to a mixture of investments and tax cuts to facilitate a decade of economic growth, the Senate bill fails in that effort. Majority Leader Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery, said during a recent panel in the Capitol: We need a tax policy that says we're going to cut rates, we're going to broaden the base, and then bring in more money doing that. In addition to the roughly $14 billion surplus, Pennsylvania has had relatively strong tax returns this year, particularly when it comes to revenue generated from the states corporate net income tax. I'd characterize it as a solid year, said Matt Knittel, head of the Independent Fiscal Office, which performs outside reviews of state finances. A lot of folks last year were projecting a recession. I think two-thirds of the economists in that Wall Street Journal poll. That never happened. So relative to the expectations, I'd say [Pennsylvanias tax returns are] performing well. He said the state still has a structural deficit, which means its annual costs exceed its annual revenue. The IFO studied the deficit around the time of Shapiros budget address. Assuming that the governor's spending proposals make it into the budget, Knittel said, We thought that deficit was anywhere from $4 to $6 billion a year. Shapiros office projects that legalizing and taxing recreational cannabis would net the state $250 million annually after five years, and estimates that regulating and taxing skill games slotlike machines that currently exist in a legal gray area and are fiercely opposed by casino interests would bring in $150 million in year one. While legal marijuana appears unlikely to be part of the final budget deal, Martin said during a recent Pennsylvania Press Club appearance that theres absolutely an opportunity for skill games to be a part of budget negotiations. He said lawmakers need to sit down to find those particulars. Is 2024 the year for private school vouchers? The issue that stalled budget negotiations for months last year, school vouchers, still isnt resolved. During the last cycle of negotiations, state Senate Republicans made a taxpayer-funded voucher program a centerpiece of their budget push. The caucus wanted to use $100 million in state money to fund scholarships that certain K-12 public school students could use to attend private institutions. Shapiro supports the concept. But the governor abandoned the push and cut it from the final budget deal after some state House Democrats balked. Opinions havent shifted much since. Senate Republicans are again advancing a voucher bill, and most legislative Democrats still oppose such a program. I'm saying this to the people in this room, I'm saying this to the colleagues on the other side of the aisle in the House, and I am saying it to the person who sits in the governor's chair: There is no trade for vouchers, state Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Allegheny, said as the chambers Education Committee moved the voucher bill. In his budget address, Shapiro alluded to his support for vouchers, saying there must be conversations about scholarships that let poor families in struggling school districts put their kids in the best position for them to succeed. The issue is unfinished business, he said. What else is on the table? Shapiro wants to spend an additional $283 million on public transit by increasing the amount of state sales tax revenue transferred to agencies across the state. The effort is backed by groups that traditionally support Democrats, including transit unions, environmentalists and urbanist groups that often represent transit riders. Business advocates including Ryan Unger of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and Capital Region Economic Development Corp. are also throwing their weight behind the push. In a survey of local employers, Unger said that training or skills arent necessarily the primary barriers to hiring. Rather, its people who can come in the front door without delay and work. And I think when that becomes the issue, you've got to focus on what are the barriers that are preventing those individuals from coming in? Unger said. He chalked it up to housing, child care and transit. All three have increasingly become key issues in the Capitol, although approaches vary between parties. Legislative Republicans have said more transit funding would require serious scrutiny. The state last year spent $1.25 billion on day-to-day transit operating expenses and $650 million on larger, one-time capital expenses. We are for funding that will provide and produce results, Unger said. I'd also point out that revenues today are higher than they've ever been. Shapiro has also pitched combining the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or PASSHE with the states community colleges under a new governing structure. He also wants to implement a new performance-based funding model for colleges and universities, including Lincoln, Penn State, Pitt and Temple. Senate Republicans have also proposed performance-based funding for those four schools, known as the state-related universities. In recent years, approving state funding for those universities has been politically contentious, particularly in the House, as approval requires a two-thirds majority. BEFORE YOU GO If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. China ready to work with Arab countries for higher level community with shared future -- Xi Xinhua) 08:09, May 17, 2024 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. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) There's a lot to consider right now as we share info on the cont'd struggle to curb crime, debate over ALLEGED misdeeds and just a bit of hope for the future. Check TKC news gathering . . . Shooting leaves child critically injured Thursday night in Kansas City, Missouri A child is in critical condition after a shooting Thursday night in Kansas City, Missouri. Suspect charged in April 22 homicide outside a Dollar General store in Kansas City, Kansas A 17-year-old male is charged with first degree felony murder in the shooting death of a man April 22 outside a Kansas City, Kansas, Dollar General Store. Search on for man wanted in vehicle hijacking in Kansas City, Missouri A reward of up to $2,000 is available for information that leads to the arrest of a man charged in a vehicle hijacking in March in south Kansas City, Missouri. KC-area businessman sentenced for failing to pay $600,000 in income taxes - Kansas City Business Journal The federal court in Kansas City also ordered the Platte Wood business owner to pay a $20,000 fine and $626,012 in restitution, plus interest, to the IRS. Alleged sexual assault investigated at Wyandotte High School FOX4 began asking questions about a sexual assault at Wyandotte high School on Wednesday after school leaders hadn't released any information, and parents and students we spoke with say they ... KCK Police arrest juvenile involved in homicide outside of Dollar General The Kansas City Kansas Police Department announced on Thursday that a suspect has been arrested and charged for the late April homicide outside of Dollar General off Leavenworth Road. Kansas governor cites competition concerns while vetoing measure for school gun-detection technology Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a measure that could have earmarked up to $5 million for gun-detection systems in schools over concerns it could have benefitted only one particular company. Duck boat manslaughter case can move forward after appeals court ruling GALENA, Mo. - A case charging three men with manslaughter in the deaths of passengers on a "duck boat" that sank in a storm on Table Rock Lake in 2018 can move forward after ruling from the Missouri Court of Appeals. Judge who signed off on Marion raids asked to explain accusation she 'erroneously' notarized warrants The judge who signed off the raids of a Kansas newspaper and two homes is being asked to respond to a second complaint filed with the Kansas Commission on Judicial Conduct. KCK couple has warning after property stolen by scammers Thieves who stole a Kansas couple's property has left the victims fighting to not only get the property back but their identities too. Woman can't afford full insurance coverage on car, pays out-of-pocket for damage from car burglars Car insurance rates have soared 20% over the past year and the increase is forcing some customers to cut back on their coverage. Food tampering alleged at Leawood's Hereford House: Was public promptly notified? How was authorities public health response after discovering worker allegedly urinated in food and rubbed it on genitals at Leawood's Hereford House restaurant? Murdered while still alive: How a victim's daughter remembers Robert Courtney Meckenzie Hayes has spent her adulthood trying to understand what happened to her mother. Family members of disgraced pharmacist Robert Courtney's victims oppose potential early release Robert Courtney, the former pharmacist convicted of diluting cancer drugs for profit, could be out of prison by the end of the summer. 180th Entrant Officer Class Graduates From Police Academy Before family and friends at the Regional Police Academy, the 180th Entrant Officer Class graduated on May 16. Prior to the graduation, Chief Stacey Graves swore the officers in at police headquarters. Developing . . . Friday follow-up confronts this political decision what mostly comprised a great deal of tap dancing from politicos. THANKFULLY . . . Police supporters were a lot clearer with their message . . . Critics of the decision arent so appreciative of the efforts to fix a problem they dont see as an issue, and cant help but take the decision personally especially those who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. Its been five years, 333 days and 3,110,400 minutes since my fathers untimely murder, said Emma Rohrer, daughter of Wyandotte County Deputy Sheriff Patrick Rohrer, who was shot and killed in the line of duty on June 15, 2018. Why is the flag that is a small and simple gesture of the remembrance of my dead father such an issue? she asked. Why should one of the only signs of what my father [was] be taken away? Another apt quote . . . Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association, was utterly appalled by Merriams action. By stating that the thin blue line flag is something less than honorable is truly offensive, especially this week, she said, noting it is National Police Memorial Week and that 282 names have just been added to the over 24,000 on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. This is just so incredibly disrespectful of the fallen, of the families, and of law enforcement in general around the county and around the state. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . First off . . . It's not 'doxing' to mention the city where a person resides, that's not privileged information given that Lee's Summit has a population of more than 100,000 people. The AG is simply incorrect to use that terminology and hopefully some of his supporters will show him how to quietly recover from his very minor language error. However . . . Where the AG is spot on 100% CORRECT is that KCMO public accounts have no biz expressing political opinion and jumping into a culture war issue threatens to violate the civil rights of their target using taxpayer resources. We'll have more on this story later but for now here's the AG weighing in against KCMO . . . Our nation is founded on a bedrock commitment to the free exercise of religion," Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement. "In addition, Missouri law specifically prohibits faith-based discrimination against Missouri residents. Yet, your office apparently believes it is appropriate to denigrate a devout Catholic for comments he made about his own faith at a religious college. Bailey's office also provided a letter to Lucas. (Mayor Quinton) Lucas and the city's X account commented about Wednesday night's post, saying it was a mistake. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Missouri's attorney general accuses Kansas City of doxxing Chiefs kicker 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... Missouri AG requests records following city's deleted tweet about Harrison Butker The Missouri Attorney General's office has requested Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas to turn over documents following a since-deleted tweet. Mark Christopher "Chris" Wagner II, a Wintergreen police officer killed in the line of duty last year, is among 282 names recently added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The names were engraved into the memorial in April. The dedication was held during the 36th annual Candlelight Vigil in D.C. on May 13. Wintergreen Police Chief Dennis Russell and Wagners father, Mark Wagner, attended the vigil. Never asking for anything, Chris gave everything on that dark, cold June night. Placing himself between evil and good, Chris did what he had to do to protect his community and sacrificed himself, Russell said. Chris Wagner was killed June 16 during a call in the Wintergreen resort community of Nelson County. Daniel Barmak, of Towson, Maryland, is accused of killing him during a confrontation. Chris Wagner was the first officer to arrive on scene and Wagners gun was used against him, according to evidence presented at a Jan. 17 preliminary hearing in Nelson General District Court. Barmak, who is accused of aggravated murder of a law enforcement officer and three other felony charges, is awaiting trial in Nelson County Circuit Court. According to a National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund statement, Each May 13, during National Police Week, an estimated 30,000 people attend the Candlelight Vigil ceremony in Washington, D.C., including surviving family members, friends, law enforcement colleagues, and others. The vigil is part of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Funds National Police Week. Other events during the week included the 30th annual Pipeband Memorial March and Service, a conference for survivors and memorial services to honor law enforcement. On May 15, I will have the privilege and honor of escorting Chriss dad at the Memorial Service. We will lay a rose at the foot of the Wall to memorialize Chris and the many who have gone before and after him, Russell wrote in an email to the Nelson County Times. The annual peace officers memorial service will be held this past Wednesday. The event included a stand watch for the fallen, where honor guards stood watch for 10 minutes at a time to honor law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. We are grateful that his sacrifice is acknowledged by so many and at this level, Mark Wagner said. Russell said Chris Wagner was a hero and heroes live through our memory forever. Chris Wagner started his law enforcement career at Massanutten and became a Wintergreen police officer in August 2020. He was 31 when he died. He knew the perils of being a Police Officer and spoke on many occasions with his father about the dangers. This never dissuaded Chris and he served his community with excellence and distinction, Russell said in the email. The candlelight vigil was recorded and can be streamed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Funds YouTube channel. Please, if you have information, just share it. It's the plea of the mother of missing teen, President Volodymyr Zelensky had a phone call with the President of Liberia, Joseph Nyumah Boakai. Zelensky reported this via Telegram, Ukrinform saw. "I told of the consequences of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and, in particular, its impact on food security in Africa," Zelensky wrote. Read also: Swiss President hopes Peace Summit will help stop war in Ukraine The head of state thanked the Republic of Liberia for its principled position on supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In this context, the parties also discussed preparations for the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. As Ukrinform reported earlier, Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro confirmed his participation in the upcoming Global Peace Summit. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Moldovan Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu confirmed the country's participation in the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland. He said this at a meeting with members of the Ukrainian delegation for inter-parliamentary relations of the Verkhovna Rada Mykhailo Radutskyi and Mykola Stefanchuk, Ukrinform reports citing MOLDPRESS. Grosu noted that he discussed with his Ukrainian colleagues the current situation in the region and how Moldova can continue to help Ukraine in the barbaric war waged by the Russian Federation. "The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine have the same aspirations - to be part of a large European family in a space of peace and freedom. To this end, together with our colleagues from Ukraine, we are doing our homework to start negotiations with the EU as soon as possible," the speaker of the Moldovan parliament said. Grosu also said that the Moldovan parliament would soon adopt a statement condemning Russia for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children. According to official figures, more than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been found abducted and taken to Russia. "We will also take part in the Peace Summit on Ukraine and the upcoming conference on the restoration of Ukraine in Berlin. From day one, we have condemned the war unleashed by the Russian Federation, supported Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, and we will continue to do so," the speaker concluded. As reported, the Global Peace Summit will be held on 15-16 June in Switzerland. It is expected to be attended by heads of state and government from all continents. The participating countries will develop a common negotiating position and submit it to Russia. The Ukrainian formula for peace is a diplomatic mechanism proposed by Ukraine to achieve a just end to the war unleashed by Russia. About 1,500 participants are expected to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC), which is scheduled to take place on 11-12 June in Berlin. Photo: MOLDPRESS Irving L. Peddrew III, the first Black student to be enrolled at Virginia Tech died on May 11 at age 88, according to the university. In 1953, when Peddrew was enrolled at the school, he was not only the first Black student to attend Virginia Tech, but the first enrolled at any four-year, historically White college in any former Confederate state, according to a university news release. Peddrews parents attended the historically black Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), and he was an accomplished student in public school. When he began to search for universities, he had the University of Southern California in mind. However, a teacher encouraged him to apply to schools in his home state, according to the release. When Virginia Tech accepted him as a student, it was with several caveats. Peddrew was not allowed to live on campus, or even to eat at the dining hall with other students. In a 2020 interview, Peddrew said that he didnt realize he would not be fully integrated into the rest of the Virginia Tech student body until after hed arrived in Blacksburg. I thought I would be a part of the student body all around, Peddrew said. I didnt know about all the restrictions. But since I was there, I said, Well, lets make the best of it. Before the start of his senior year, Peddrew traveled to California to participate in a project called Students in Vocation. During his trip, he opted not to return to Virginia Tech, and to finish his education at the University of Southern California. After graduating, Peddrew had a successful career in business, and eventually moved back to Virginia. In 2016, he was given an honorary degree from Virginia Tech. A residence hall on campus, Peddrew-Yates Hall, is named after Peddrew and another early Black student at Virginia Tech, Charlie Yates. During a dedication ceremony for the hall, Peddrew took time to note the irony of the situation. Back then, I wasnt even allowed to live on campus, Peddrew said. So while this is an ironic honor, it is still a great honor and one that my family and I will cherish. Ed Baine, the rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, gave condolences following Peddrews death. In the university release, he said: It takes a special person to be a pioneer. Im grateful to Irving Peddrew who opened the door for thousands of Black students who followed at Virginia Tech. As a student, he chose to leave after three years, but he came back to Virginia Tech, time-after-time, later in life, to help connect our community. He was a dear member of the Hokie family, and we extend our condolences to his family. We will all miss him. Virginia Tech President Tim Sands recalled his experience conferring Peddrews honorary degree. Mr. Peddrew endured unfair and oppressive treatment with dignity and strength, hoping to make a difference for those who would follow him and he did, Sands said. It was an honor to know him and present him with the Virginia Tech degree he earned. He will be remembered as a leader among those who laid the foundation for our growth as a diverse and inclusive institution. In a bold move to embrace the future, D'Youville University in Buffalo, New York, made headlines by inviting an artificial intelligence robot named Sophia to deliver the commencement address at its spring graduation ceremony. This decision, which met with intrigue and controversy, highlighted the university's commitment to exploring the possibilities of AI and its impact on society. A High-Tech Commencement Traditionally, commencement speeches are delivered by notable individuals such as celebrities, government officials, or distinguished professors. However, D'Youville University decided to break from the convention this year. On May 11, 2024, over 2,000 attendees, including graduates, faculty members, and families, gathered to witness Sophia, a humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics, deliver the commencement address. The decision was part of the university's broader initiative to integrate technology into education and foster discussions on the implications of artificial intelligence. Before Sophia took the stage, D'Youville University shared a Facebook post on April 25, announcing their decision. "We are embracing technology by allowing Sophia, who has appeared on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,' to be our commencement speaker," the post read. This announcement set the stage for a unique and unprecedented graduation ceremony. Sophia's appearance was nothing short of spectacular. As she made her way to the podium, cold sparkler machines lit up the stage, creating a festive and futuristic atmosphere. John Rizk, president of the D'Youville University Student Government Association and a candidate in the accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program, engaged Sophia in an interview-style discussion. The robot introduced herself and shared insights on human-robot interaction, artificial intelligence, and the potential benefits of AI for humanity. Mixed Reactions and Student Petition Despite the university's enthusiasm for this innovative approach, not everyone was pleased with the choice of speaker. Some students felt that having a robot deliver the commencement address was impersonal and did not reflect the values and experiences of their education at D'Youville. In response, a group of graduates petitioned to replace Sophia with a human speaker. The petition garnered over 2,500 signatures, highlighting the strong opposition among a segment of the student body. The petition conveyed that many students felt disrespected by the university's decision, believing that the chosen commencement speaker did not accurately represent their education and experiences at D'Youville University. The students emphasized their pride in the human connections they built through their programs, highlighting the importance of learning to serve real people as real individuals. The petition argued that a human speaker would better represent the importance of human connection and the values instilled in the graduates during their time at the university. It also criticized the decision as a gimmick that detracted from the significance of the ceremony and drew unnecessary publicity to the school. University's Commitment to Innovation Despite the backlash, D'Youville University stood by its decision. Benjamin "BG" Grant, the university's vice president for student affairs, explained that Sophia's choice was aligned with the institution's annual developmental theme. The university selects a timely social topic to guide educational and humanitarian programming each year. For the past year, the theme was artificial intelligence, making Sophia a fitting representative for the commencement address. Grant explained that the university found the idea of having an AI deliver the commencement address intriguing, seeing Sophia, who has spoken in over 65 countries and at the United Nations, as the perfect representative. He stressed that this choice was aligned with their broader goal of preparing students for future opportunities and challenges. Acknowledging the diverse viewpoints on AI, Grant noted that the university did not force any graduating student or faculty member to participate in the ceremony if they were uncomfortable. To accommodate those who preferred a more traditional ceremony, the school arranged an alternative event led by its chief mission officer. However, during the registration period for this option, all students ultimately chose to attend the ceremony featuring Sophia. D'Youville University President Lorrie Clemo underscored the institution's role as an incubator for innovation. "A major role of higher education is to prepare students for both the opportunities and challenges of the future," she said. By inviting Sophia, the university sparked a global conversation about AI and its place in society while celebrating its graduates' achievements in a memorable and forward-thinking way. The decision to have Sophia, an AI robot, deliver the commencement address at D'Youville University was a bold and controversial choice that sparked mixed reactions among students and the broader community. While some viewed it as a groundbreaking embrace of technology, others felt it undermined the personal and human aspects of the graduation experience. Regardless of the differing opinions, the event highlighted the ongoing conversation about the role of artificial intelligence in our lives and the future of education. The Biden administration has recently announced significant updates to Title IX, the landmark 1972 law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities. These changes aim to enhance harassment standards and expand protections for LGBTQ+ students, marking a notable shift in federal policy and addressing long-standing issues of discrimination and safety in educational settings. Strengthening Harassment Standards and Expanding Protections The updated regulations under Title IX seek to create a more inclusive and safe environment for all students, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. According to the U.S. Department of Education, these changes are designed to protect against all forms of sex-based harassment and discrimination, including those based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexual characteristics. This comprehensive approach is intended to ensure that educational institutions uphold a standard of respect and equality for every student. One of the key updates to Title IX removes the requirement for in-person hearings, which were mandated under the Trump administration's 2020 changes. These live hearings, where students accused of sexual assault could confront and question their accusers in a courtroom-like setting, were widely criticized for being traumatic and not survivor-centric. The Biden administration's revisions aim to create a more supportive and restorative process for resolving complaints, better aligning with the needs and realities of college campuses. Kristi Clemens, the Title IX coordinator at Dartmouth College, emphasized how the new changes would affect the institution's procedures. She explained that since 2014, Dartmouth's sexual misconduct policy has included a live hearing component. The 2020 update introduced a requirement for live cross-examination in Title IX Prohibited Conduct hearings, expanding the role of these hearings. The recent removal of mandatory in-person hearings is anticipated to make the process less confrontational and more supportive of survivors. READ MORE : Title IX Revisions Under Biden Administration Leave Trans Athletes In Limbo A Humanist Issue: Addressing Discrimination and Promoting Equality The updates to Title IX are not just a legal or administrative matter; they represent a fundamental humanist issue. Humanism emphasizes every individual's inherent worth and dignity, the importance of diversity, and the commitment to equality and justice. The Biden administration's changes reflect these values by explicitly protecting LGBTQ+ students and addressing the systemic discrimination they often face in educational settings. These changes have not been without controversy. Several states, including Texas and Arkansas, have denounced the updated guidelines, arguing that they undermine traditional values and women's rights. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has even ordered state institutions to ignore the new federal guidance. However, supporters of the updates argue that these protections are essential for creating a fair and inclusive environment for all students. The backlash against the updated Title IX guidelines highlights the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. Many lawmakers opposing these changes are using religious or conservative arguments to justify continued discrimination. For humanists, this opposition underscores the importance of advocating for policies that promote equality and protect the rights of all individuals, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. Implementing Changes and Looking Ahead Educational institutions across the country are now tasked with implementing the new Title IX regulations. At Dartmouth College, the Title IX Office actively reviews and updates its policies to ensure they align with the new federal guidelines. Clemens emphasized the college's commitment to protecting transgender student-athletes and ensuring that all members of the Dartmouth community are free from harassment and discrimination. The Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault at Dartmouth is hopeful that the federal updates will allow the Title IX Office to adopt a more restorative approach toward resolutions. Ann Tran, the committee's executive chair, expressed optimism about the changes, stating, "These new regulations and their more expansive definition of sexual assault will be a lot more beneficial for students, especially as the definitions and norms surrounding sexual assault and sexual violence have changed." As educational institutions work to implement these changes, it is crucial to ensure that the voices of students and survivors are heard and that policies are developed with their needs in mind. The updated Title IX regulations represent a significant step toward creating safer and more inclusive educational environments. However, continued advocacy and vigilance are necessary to protect and expand these hard-won rights. The Biden administration's updates to Title IX reflect a broader commitment to equality and justice, addressing both historical and contemporary discrimination issues. As these changes take effect, educators, policymakers, and advocates need to work together to create an environment where all students can thrive, free from harassment and discrimination. In a nation where diversity and inclusion are prized virtues, universities stand as bastions of enlightenment and progress. Yet, recent events at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have thrust the issue of antisemitism onto the national stage. The U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee has turned its gaze towards UCLA, demanding transparency and accountability in the face of allegations of inadequate response to antisemitism on campus. The Committee's Demands and Criticisms Under the leadership of Representative Virginia Foxx, the Committee has issued a stern ultimatum to UCLA: turn over documents and communications related to antisemitic incidents on campus. The Committee's demand stems from concerns over UCLA's handling of a recent encampment set up in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Critics, including Foxx, lambasted UCLA's decision not to immediately intervene when the encampment was attacked by outside counter-protesters. The failure to protect Jewish students and address instances of antisemitism has ignited a firestorm of controversy and condemnation. READ MORE : House Of Representatives Votes To Codify Broad Definition Of Antisemitism Into Federal Civil Rights Law Chancellor Block Under Scrutiny At the heart of the controversy lies UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, who finds himself under intense scrutiny. As one of three university administrators slated to testify at the upcoming congressional hearing titled "Calling for Accountability: Stopping Antisemitic College Chaos," Block's leadership and response to antisemitism will be under the microscope. The Committee's demand for documents includes communications between university administrators and students involved in the encampment, shedding light on UCLA's internal handling of the situation. Campus Climate and Student Safety The encampment incident has raised serious questions about campus safety and the climate for Jewish students at UCLA. Reports of students fearing for their lives as fireworks were launched into the tent area and barricades torn down paint a harrowing picture of the events that transpired. The delayed response by campus police and subsequent arrests of over 200 individuals have only added fuel to the fiery debate. The Committee's demand for documents is not merely a bureaucratic exercise but a quest for answers and accountability in ensuring the safety and well-being of all students on campus. Historical Context and Ongoing Concerns Antisemitism is not a new phenomenon at UCLA, nor is it unique to the campus. Representative Foxx cited a 2015 study revealing that a third of all Jewish students at UCLA reported experiencing blame for the actions of the Israeli government due to their Jewish identity. Such troubling statistics underscore the persistent challenges faced by Jewish students in an environment where bigotry and prejudice rear their ugly heads. The recent student council resolution calling for Chancellor Block's resignation further highlights the deep-seated tensions and divisions within the UCLA community. Addressing Root Causes and Moving Forward As the congressional hearing looms large on the horizon, stakeholders at UCLA and beyond must confront the root causes of antisemitism and work towards meaningful solutions. This entails not only holding individuals and institutions accountable but also fostering a culture of tolerance, respect, and understanding. Dialogue, education, and proactive measures are essential in combating antisemitism and creating a campus climate where all students feel valued, supported, and safe. The spotlight shining on UCLA serves as a stark reminder of the pervasive nature of antisemitism and the urgent need for action. The Committee's demand for documents is a pivotal step towards uncovering the truth and instigating change. As the nation watches, UCLA stands at a crossroads, facing a reckoning that transcends its campus borders. The path forward requires courage, conviction, and a collective commitment to upholding the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Only then can the shadows of hatred and intolerance be dispelled, allowing the light of understanding and acceptance to prevail. The American Council on Education (ACE) is ushering in a new era of college rankings by redefining how institutions are classified based on their impact on social and economic mobility. This shift comes as part of ACE's comprehensive overhaul of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, a system widely used to categorize and evaluate colleges and universities. Redefining Success: A Focus on Social and Economic Mobility ACE's decision to revamp the Carnegie Classification reflects a broader effort to move away from traditional metrics like research funding and selectivity towards a more holistic evaluation of institutional effectiveness. Central to this new approach is the introduction of a "social and economic mobility" classification, which will assess institutions based on their ability to provide a "springboard to a better life" for students. This new classification marks a significant departure from conventional ranking systems, which often prioritize factors like endowment size and acceptance rates. Instead, ACE's framework emphasizes access and outcomes, seeking to measure not just who enrolls in college, but also what happens to them after they graduate. Measuring Access: A Focus on Diversity and Inclusion One key aspect of the new classification is the focus on access, specifically the socioeconomic and racial diversity of students enrolled in colleges and universities. ACE plans to assess institutions based on the proportion of Pell Grant-eligible and non-white students they enroll, compared to the demographics of the regions they serve. By examining enrollment data in this way, ACE aims to recognize institutions that are effectively serving diverse student populations and providing opportunities to those who may not have access to higher education otherwise. This approach acknowledges the role that colleges and universities play in promoting social mobility and economic equity. Assessing Outcomes: A Focus on Post-Graduation Success In addition to access, ACE's classification will also consider economic outcomes, particularly the earnings of students after they leave college. By analyzing the economic success of graduates, adjusted for factors like geographic location and race, ACE hopes to provide a more nuanced understanding of how colleges contribute to students' long-term financial well-being. This focus on outcomes is not without controversy, as some critics argue that measuring success solely based on earnings overlooks the broader value of a college education. However, ACE asserts that while earnings are not the only measure of success, they are an important indicator of how well colleges are fulfilling their mission to prepare students for the workforce. Addressing Criticisms and Challenges Despite its potential benefits, ACE's new classification system is not without its challenges. One major concern is the potential for bias, particularly in how earnings data is interpreted. Critics worry that colleges with diverse student bodies, who may face discrimination in the job market, could be unfairly penalized under this new system. To address this issue, ACE plans to compare the earnings of graduates to the salaries of individuals in similar fields and locations, taking into account racial and geographic disparities. This approach aims to provide a more accurate assessment of how well colleges are preparing students for success in the real world. Another criticism of the new classification system is its emphasis on economic outcomes, which some argue fails to recognize the value of non-traditional career paths. Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, argues that defining success solely in terms of salary overlooks the contributions of fields like teaching, social work, and public advocacy, which may not be as financially lucrative but are essential for society. Looking Ahead: Implications for Higher Education As ACE moves forward with its plan to redefine college rankings, the implications for higher education could be significant. Institutions that have historically focused on access and student outcomes, particularly those serving diverse and low-income populations, may see increased recognition and support. Furthermore, the shift towards a more holistic approach to evaluating institutional success could lead to changes in how colleges and universities prioritize their resources. Institutions may begin to place greater emphasis on programs and initiatives that promote social mobility and economic equity, aligning more closely with their stated missions. ACE's new approach to classifying colleges based on social and economic mobility represents a significant departure from traditional ranking systems. By prioritizing access and outcomes, ACE aims to provide a more comprehensive and equitable assessment of institutional effectiveness. While challenges remain, the potential benefits for higher education and society at large are substantial, paving the way for a more inclusive and impactful system of higher education. (@FahadShabbir) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) UAE-based British Pakistani entrepreneur Shakeel Ahmad Meer has launched Trade Gate in Pakistan and other countries to stimulate local economic growth, generate job opportunities, and achieve self-sufficiency. Conceived by Chairman Shakeel Ahmed Meer of the Meer Group, Trade Gate is being launched in sixty cities and districts across Pakistan and multiple international locations including Dubai, the USA, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Its objective is to empower talent, businesses, and investors, offering training and assistance to aspiring entrepreneurs in effectively managing their ventures. In an interview, Shakeel Ahmed Meer stated that the Trade Gate platform is designed to link potential investors, educated youth, and job seekers in managing diverse projects under the supervision of Meer Group experts. Its Primary goal is to revitalize local economic growth, create job opportunities, and advance global sustainable development, ultimately achieving self-sufficiency in the country. Shakeel said the initiative, launched as part of the Vision Pakistan project, aims to generate a minimum of one million Dollars per city within six to seven months of operation. Its overarching objective is to establish a sixty-billion-dollar economy within five years. The launch of Trade Gate, the latest venture by the Meer Group, signifies another triumph for Shakeel Ahmad Meer and his team, who remain at the forefront of local economic advancement. As this groundbreaking concept gains traction worldwide, the prospect of collective development and sustainable growth appears increasingly certain. Shakeel Ahmad Meer emphasizes that Trade Gate is a win-win situation for all involved. Investors gain access to promising ventures, businesses acquire the resources they need to thrive, and job seekers discover fulfilling opportunities. It's a recipe for igniting billion-dollar local economic growth, one community at a time. A fresh perspective on the impact of Trade Gate: Many job seekers in the area will now have access to current opportunities, enabling them to excel and support local businesses. As a result, this talent pool is anticipated to attract additional investment, fostering a cycle of growth and economic prosperity. Meer said, Trade Gate, a pioneering initiative aimed at global economic reform. This platform not only propels progress but also cultivates an interconnected network of investors, major projects, and job seekers, potentially injecting billions into local economies for sustainable, long-term growth. Shakeel Ahmad Meer, Chairman of the Meer Group, asserts that the Trade Gate platform should be viewed as more than just a conventional platform; it acts as a catalyst for positive change. He emphasizes its ability to foster stronger connections among investors, businesses, and talent, essential for local economies to flourish and develop with the right momentum. The unique aspect of Trade Gate lies in its ability to connect individuals with both capital and innovative ideas, enabling them to collaborate in bringing these ideas to fruition. Investors on the platform gain access to a wider array of vetted local business ideas, allowing them to invest in ventures and contribute to economic growth within their communities. From time to time, Shakeel Ahmad Meer and the Meer Group collaborate closely in local economic development. Renowned for its diversified business portfolio, the Meer Group has consistently demonstrated loyalty to community growth. Interestingly, with support from the same company, Trade Gate emerged as a significant digital hub where digital natives converge to contribute to the development of a thriving local economy. \395 (@ChaudhryMAli88) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal said Friday that mining sector was the priority area of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Phase-2. During a meeting with a MRDL Saindak, a Chinese mining company working in Chaghi Balochistan, he commended the company's decades long efforts to promote mining sector in the resource rich area of Balochistan. In response to the company's request to seek inclusion of their latest project in CPEC, the minister directed them to prepare their proposal, according to press release issued by the Planning Ministry. It was discussed during the meeting that if their energy needs are met by establishing a national power grid, the operational cost of all mining projects in the province will be reduced. It is pertinent to mention here that the Saindak Copper-Gold Project in Balochistan is operated by MCCT Resources Development Company Pvt Ltd (MRDL). MCCT has submitted a proposal of establishing a mineral industrial park in Pakistan which consists of copper/lead/zinc refining and deep processing, giving more value addition to the mineral products. With the development of more mining projects, establishing such an industrial park will become feasible. The mineral industrial park will also attract investors to invest in metal refineries and processing plant which produces wires, rods, plate and other products. Meanwhile, power supply, water supply, transportation and other industries can also develop to facilitate the industrial park, the statement added. (@ChaudhryMAli88) US lawmakers attacked the head of a top financial regulator for a second consecutive day on Thursday over accusations his agency failed to deal with workplace misconduct, including reports of discrimination and sexual harassment Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) US lawmakers attacked the head of a top financial regulator for a second consecutive day on Thursday over accusations his agency failed to deal with workplace misconduct, including reports of discrimination and sexual harassment. Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee called on Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) chair Martin Gruenberg to step down after an independent report found that the agency, set up to protect bank deposits, had failed to tackle workplace misconduct issues going back years. Gruenberg has led the FDIC on and off since 2005, under both Republican and Democratic presidents, and was recently reappointed to the regulator's top job by Joe Biden. "You should resign," Republican Senator Tim Scott told Gruenberg. "Your employees do not have confidence in you." "This is not a single incident," added Scott. "This spans over a decade-plus of your leadership of the FDIC." Democrats on the committee also criticized Gruenberg's leadership but stopped short of calling for his resignation -- accusing Republicans of playing politics. "Chairman Gruenberg, the Republicans who have called today for your resignation are engaged in a purely political exercise," Senator Elizabeth Warren said, accusing her colleagues of looking to replace Gruenberg with a Republican appointee. "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. - Harassment, discrimination - The FDIC commissioned the independent report, which was released last week, following allegations about its workplace practices in a series of articles by the Wall Street Journal. "For far too many employees and for far too long, the FDIC has failed to provide a workplace safe from sexual harassment, discrimination and other interpersonal misconduct," the report's authors found. They said a "patriarchal, insular and risk-averse culture" contributed to persistent workplace misconduct at the FDIC, and that a "widespread fear of retaliation" had led to underreporting of misconduct. The report noted a few examples, including one employee who said she feared for her physical safety when a colleague who had been stalking her continued to text her even after she complained about him. Some FDIC employees from underrepresented groups reported being told they were "token" hires to fill a quota, while other employees said they had heard supervisors making homophobic statements. "Management's responses to allegations of misconduct, as well as the culture and conditions that gave rise to them, have been insufficient and ineffective," the report's authors said, adding that "cultural and structural change" was needed. - Gruenberg 'committed' to reforms - The report also looked into reports that Gruenberg had a reputation within the FDIC for having a temper, and found some employees "continued to experience deeply unsettling exchanges during which he was extremely 'harsh,' 'aggressive,' and 'upset.'" The report's authors said that while Gruenberg's conduct was not "a root cause of the sexual harassment and discrimination in the agency," workplace culture "starts at the top." The report overshadowed Gruenberg's pre-planned appearances in Congress this week to discuss US bank regulation. "I accept the findings of the report, and as chairman I take full responsibility," Gruenberg told lawmakers Thursday, while rebuffing calls for his resignation. Gruenberg said he was "personally committed" to addressing the issues raised in the report, and implementing its recommendations. "Our employees are extraordinarily dedicated to the agency and its mission," he said. "They deserve to have a workplace where all feel safe, valued and respected." da/acb Malala Funds has welcomed Pakistan's new education emergency plan to address its national education crises and bring more than 26 million out-of-school children into schools under the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) Malala Funds has welcomed Pakistan's new education emergency plan to address its national education crises and bring more than 26 million out-of-school children into schools under the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Malala Fund welcomes this news, which responds to demands from Pakistani activists, educators and civil society for the administration to take urgent action on girls' education, said a press release on Friday. Through the Education Emergency initiative, the government of Pakistan aims to make significant reductions to the overall number of children out of school. In a directive released from the Prime Ministers office on Friday, the government has committed to allocating at least Rs25 billion to education over the next five years. This includes a commitment to increase its education budget from 1.7 per cent to four per cent of GDP. The Education Emergency Initiative is a promising first step, said Lena Alfi, Acting CEO of Malala Fund. If Pakistan fulfils its commitment to double education spending over the next five years, it could change the trajectory of millions of girls lives for the better. Malala Fund looks forward to monitoring the progress of all commitments made to girls alongside our local partners and civil society. The directive also included commitments to fast-track teacher recruitment and support the development and expansion of nutritional, financial literacy, and science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) programming for students. In Pakistan, 12 million girls are out of school, and only 13 per cent of girls advance to grade 9. Malala Fund wants to help speed up progress. Since 2017, the Malala Fund has invested more than $12 million in local activists and organisations who are driving solutions to the education barriers girls in their communities face. This work has focused on advocating for quality education, improved school infrastructure in rural regions and wider digital inclusion. Malala Fund has also worked in partnership with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training over the last two years to improve girls access to STEAM education at public secondary schools across the country. In his remarks at the National Education Emergency Conference in Islamabad last week, Prime Minister Sharif said: Today, with iron conviction, and the support of provinces, we will handle the challenge of 26 million out-of-school children. We will bring them back to schoolI declare from this moment an Emergency in Education all over PakistanThe way we did it in Punjab, we will do it in Pakistan. Leaders including Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Federal Minister for Education, and Mohyuddin Wani, Federal Secretary for Education, also endorsed the Prime Ministers message. Conference attendees included diplomats, donor organisations, academics and members of civil society. The World Bank, UNICEF and the UKs Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) committed to continue investing in education in Pakistan. MUZAFFARABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharf on Friday urged the AJK chapter of Pakistan Muslim League-N to play its role in the progress and prosperity of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and strive for maximum public relief. The prime minister, talking to a delegation of PML-N AJK chapter led by President Shah Ghulam Qadir, assured that as the hearts of Kashmiris and Pakistanis beat in unison, he couldn't leave them in the lurch. The delegation members thanked the prime minister for the immediate resolution of the recently developed situation in the AJK, and lauded the steps taken by his government for economic revival and attracting foreign investment. He told the party members that Pakistan was playing its role in highlighting the Kashmir cause globally and reiterated the resolve for continued moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris. Discussing the PML-N affairs, the prime minister instructed the delegation to further activate the party in the AJK by enhancing public coordination. Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) This year's Cannes Film Festival hosts a trio of heartthrobs from the back end of the 20th century, making their comeback on the red carpet: Demi Moore, Kevin Costner and Richard Gere. From "Ghost" to "Pretty Woman" to "Dances with Wolves", they are responsible for some of Generation X's favourite movie moments. AFP looks at what they've been up to since. - Demi Moore: ghost girl - On the Croisette, 61-year-old Moore will be making her unexpected return in slasher-horror "The Substance", competing for the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or. It has been a long time since Moore came anywhere near a Cannes red carpet, having appeared mostly in small tv roles and forgettable films since the early 2000s. In her heyday, Moore was a global star after the weepie "Ghost" co-starring the late Patrick Swayze as a murdered businessman who watches over his grieving ceramicist girlfriend from beyond the grave and famously helps her mould clay in a steamy supernatural scene. Her baggy, androgynous look in that movie -- the dungarees and boyish crop -- helped define 1990s style, and she had other era-defining hits with steamy dramas "Indecent Proposal" and "Disclosure". An Annie Leibovitz photoshoot -- showing off her pregnant belly on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991 -- was a stunning move at the time, since copied by Beyonce, Rihanna and others. She proved her acting chops in meatier 1990s movies such as blockbuster courtroom drama "A Few Good Men" opposite Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. But since the turn of the century, Moore, who has a life-long passion for collecting dolls and bought an entire house to store her 2,000-strong collection, was in the headlines more for her tumultuous love life than her acting. She formed two Hollywood power couples, first in the 1980s with "Die Hard" star Bruce Willis, father of her three daughters, and then with Ashton Kutcher, the latter union ending acrimoniously in 2013. - Kevin Costner: forever West - The soft-spoken 69-year-old is back in Cannes in his favourite genre, the Western, with the epic "Horizon: An American Saga". Fans are hoping his fourth feature as director -- which is out of competition at Cannes -- will mark a return to form after a series of expensive duds in the 1990s trashed his Oscar-gilded career. His directorial debut "Dances With Wolves", despite being a three-hour Western, was a global hit and in 1991 won the double Oscar whammy of best picture and director. As an actor he captured hearts in smash hits "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991) and as Whitney Houston's protector in "The Bodyguard" (1992). Teaming up with big-gun directors also proved a winning formula, from Oliver Stone's "JFK" (1991) to Clint Eastwood's "A Perfect World" (1993). But then a string of ultra-expensive and hubristic flops -- especially "Waterworld" (1995) and "The Postman" (1997) made him into something of a laughing stock. He continued to work in smaller roles, but invested more in music with his nostalgic country band "Kevin Costner & Modern West". There has been a late resurgence in his 60s, however, thanks to the long-running hit neo-Western series, "Yellowstone". - Richard Gere: zen charm - Gere was the world's sexiest man according to People Magazine in 1999, when he was 50. By then he had charmed audiences with his quiet seduction in "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982) and, of course, "Pretty Woman" opposite Julia Roberts. He and supermodel Cindy Crawford were also the ultimate It-couple. But progressively he gave up glamour for meditation. Gere had been a Buddhist since he was 25, and increasingly used his fame to speak out, in particular against China's control of Tibet. He developed a close friendship with the Dalai Lama and gave a fiery speech against China at the 1993 Oscars that got him barred from future ceremonies. It also cost him movie roles in the 2000s as Hollywood sought to tap the vast Chinese market. For his Cannes comeback, the 74-year-old has reunited with Paul Schrader -- who directed him in dark cult favourite "American Gigolo" (1980) -- for "Oh, Canada", playing a Vietnam War draft-evader haunted by his past. (@ChaudhryMAli88) New York, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) Boeing's annual meeting on Friday comes amid an exceptionally difficult period for the crisis-ridden company, creating potential for drama at an event that is usually a snooze-fest. The company, under heavy regulatory scrutiny following recent safety and quality control problems, has defeated shareholder proposals at past annual meetings that usually have lasted an hour or less. While Boeing brass no doubt wishes for another low-key affair on Friday, the company faces at least a greater chance of a shareholder rebuke following recommendations from leading shareholder advisory firms that take aim at outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun. Calhoun, who has faced tough questioning in the wake of a near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines flight in January, will step down as CEO at the end of 2024, but has been renominated to the board of directors. But the advisory services firm Glass Lewis wants shareholders to reject Calhoun's nomination, while Investor Shareholder Services (ISS) has recommended a "no" vote on Calhoun's compensation package, which came in at about $33 million for 2023. A recent Boeing presentation highlighted the broadened role of new Chair Steve Mollenkopf, the former head of Qualcomm who will oversee the CEO search. "We are committed to ensuring every Boeing airplane meets the highest safety and quality standards," said a Boeing shareholder presentation that reiterated support for Calhoun and his pay package. Glass Lewis said shareholders should use the annual meeting to send a message to Boeing. "We have significant concerns regarding the board's oversight of the Company's safety culture and attempts to overhaul it," said a report that urged investors to vote against the reelection of Calhoun, and Akhil Johri and David Joyce, who chair the audit and aerospace safety committees respectively. The board "will understand the implication of shareholders voting against the company's outgoing CEO and key directors with oversight of the safety culture and risks," the report said. "Shareholders will be sending a clear indication of discontent regarding the Company's recent oversight and handling of safety issues and safety culture." The Glass Lewis report recognized that other Boeing board members on the safety committee have "extensive, critical expertise in risk management and aviation safety" and that voting down the whole group "would not be conducive to long-term shareholders' interests. " ISS meanwhile urged a no vote on Calhoun's executive pay package. Under the plan, Calhoun received a base salary of $1.4 million, plus more than $30 million coming in stock awards. Calhoun declined a potential $2.8 million bonus in light of the Alaska Airlines accident, the company said in a securities filing. In setting Calhoun's package, Boeing alluded to earlier crises he navigated as CEO, including winning regulatory approval to return the 737 MAX to the skies after two fatal crashes and the upheaval of the Covid-19 pandemic. "While the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident shows that Boeing has much work yet to do, the Board believes that Mr. Calhoun has responded to this event in the right way by taking responsibility for the accident, engaging transparently and proactively with regulators and customers and taking important steps to strengthen Boeing's quality assurance," Boeing said in the filing. But ISS said the executive pay package should be rejected because it included an increase in Calhoun's potential long-term incentive award for the third consecutive year. Boeing said the boost was "designed to focus our leadership team at a pivotal moment in our Company's recovery," including enabling Boeing to meet its long-term financial targets. But ISS dismissed the argument as "not particularly compelling... especially given two other recent increases since Calhoun became CEO in 2020." After Friday's meeting, Calhoun will face a full plate of issues, including a late May deadline to present a plan required by the Federal Aviation Administration, which has capped MAX production until the company shows progress on safety and quality control. In July, the Justice Department will make a final determination on whether to prosecute Boeing criminally. Then in September, the company faces a potential strike of 30,000 workers if it cannot reach a contract with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he will on Wednesday announce the date on which Madrid will recognise a Palestinian state along with several EU partners Madrid, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he will on Wednesday announce the date on which Madrid will recognise a Palestinian state along with several EU partners. "We are in the process of coordinating with other countries so that we can make a joint declaration," Sanchez said Friday in an interview with private Spanish television station La Sexta when asked if this step would be taken Tuesday as announced by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. "I think on the 22nd of May... I shall be able to clarify before parliament the date on which Spain will recognise the Palestinian state," he added. Sanchez said in March that Spain and Ireland, along with Slovenia and Malta, had agreed to take their first steps towards recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, seeing a two-state solution as essential for lasting peace. Borrell told Spanish public radio last week that Spain, Ireland and Slovenia planned to symbolically recognise a Palestinian state on May 21, saying he had been given this date by Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said Tuesday that Dublin was certain to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of the month but the "specific date is still fluid". Sanchez said Madrid's policy was "appreciated by the international community". Israel has said plans for Palestinian recognition constitute a "prize for terrorism" that would reduce the chances of a negotiated resolution to the Gaza conflict, which began on October 7 when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel. The unprecedented attack resulted in the death of more than 1,170 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. Out of 252 people taken hostage that day, 128 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 38 who the army says are dead. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a blistering retaliatory offensive that has killed more than 35,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The Israeli military says 279 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza military campaign since the start of the ground offensive on October 27. - Contentious diplomacy - For decades, the formal recognition of a Palestinian state has been seen as the endgame of a peace process between Palestinians and their Israeli neighbours. The United States and most Western European nations have said they are willing to one day recognise Palestinian statehood, but not before agreement on thorny issues like the status of Jerusalem and final borders are agreed. But after Hamas' October 7 attacks and Israel's searing response during months of attacks on Gaza, diplomats are reconsidering once-contentious ideas. In 2014, Sweden, which has a large Palestinian community, became the first EU member in western Europe to recognise a Palestinian state. A state of Palestine had earlier been recognised by six other European countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania. CHZ/ds/imm/cw (@FahadShabbir) Geneva, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) The United Nations on Friday denounced recent arrests of lawyers in Tunisia, saying the detentions, which have also included journalists and political commentators, undermined the rule of law in the North Africa country. "Reported raids in the past week on the Tunisia Bar Association undermine the rule of law and violate international standards on the protection of the independence and function of lawyers," Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in Geneva. "Such actions constitute forms of intimidation and harassment." "UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urges the authorities to respect and safeguard freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly", she said. "Furthermore, the rule of law must be upheld, and those arbitrarily detained, including for defending the rights of migrants and for combating racial discrimination, released". "The human rights of all migrants must be protected, and xenophobic hate speech must stop". The arrests have sparked condemnations by Tunisia's civil society and have sparked an international backlash, which Tunisia's President Kais Saied has slammed as foreign "interference". 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. 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. Saied, who seized sweeping powers in 2021, on Thursday 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. (@FahadShabbir) Geneva, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) The United Nations on Friday denounced recent arrests of lawyers in Tunisia, saying the detention, which have also included journalists and political commentators, undermined the rule of law in the North African country. "Reported raids in the past week on the Tunisia Bar Association undermine the rule of law and violate international standards on the protection of independence and function of lawyers," Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, told reporters in Geneva. "Such actions constitute forms of intimidation and harassment." "UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urges the authorities to respect and safeguard freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly," she said. "Furthermore, the rule of law must be upheld, and those arbitrarily detained, including for defending the rights of migrants and for combating racial discrimination, released. "The human rights of all migrants must be protected, and xenophobic hate speech must stop." The arrests have sparked condemnations and an international backlash, which Tunisia's President Kais Saied has slammed as foreign "interference". Tunisian civil society condemned the arrests as a crackdown on dissent in the country that saw the onset of the Arab Spring. 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. Saied, who seized sweeping powers in 2021, on Thursday 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. vog/yad/gv/ A monthly look at issues facing Wyoming business owners and entrepreneurs from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming. By Maureen Johnson, marketing, communication and database manager for the Wyoming SBDC Network May is known as the U.S. Small Business Administrations (SBA) World Trade Month, so it is the perfect time to determine whether exporting could be right for your small business. Expanding into international markets can be a game-changer for small businesses, offering new avenues for growth and diversification. In Wyoming, entrepreneurs have access to a wealth of resources to facilitate and support their exporting endeavors. Your Wyoming SBDC Network adviser can help you determine if your small business is export-ready. Our entire advising staff will have completed their Export and Trade Counseling certification by June 30 and can provide one-on-one confidential advising to help you find the right international market for your product or even help you decide if exporting is right for your business. The state of Wyoming has State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant funds for international marketing events occurring through Sept. 29. STEP is funded, in part, through a grant from the U.S. SBA and is administered by the Wyoming Business Council. The goals of STEP are to increase the number of small businesses that export; increase the value of exports; and increase the number of small businesses exploring significant new trade opportunities. Participants must meet SBA eligibility requirements and be based in Wyoming to participate in STEP-funded programs. Your Wyoming SBDC Network adviser can help you find out more about this opportunity. The U.S. Commercial Service is a wealth of information for Wyoming-based, small-business owners. The U.S. Commercial Service provides a range of services tailored to exporters, including market intelligence reports; matchmaking services with foreign buyers; and advocacy support to resolve trade barriers. By leveraging the expertise and global network of the U.S. Commercial Service, Wyoming businesses can access invaluable market insights and connect with potential partners worldwide. Wyomings small-business exporting resources provide a robust foundation for entrepreneurs looking to expand their horizons beyond domestic borders. By tapping into the expertise and support offered by programs, such as STEP and the U.S. Commercial Service, Wyoming businesses can unlock new opportunities, drive economic growth and establish themselves as competitive players in the global marketplace, particularly during the commemoration of SBAs World Trade Month. For even more information on exporting, review national resources and guidance from the SBA in an article titled Consider Taking Your Business Global This World Trade Month. Then, be sure to connect with your Wyoming SBDC Network adviser for help with the next steps as you consider exporting in your small business. The Wyoming SBDC Network offers no-cost advising and technical assistance to help Wyoming entrepreneurs think about, launch, grow, reinvent or exit their business. In 2023, the Wyoming SBDC Network helped Wyoming entrepreneurs start 54 new businesses; support 1,857 jobs; and bring a capital impact of $3.1 million to the state. The Wyoming SBDC Network is hosted by UW with state funds from the Wyoming Business Council and funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write Dept. 3922, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071-3922. Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam. 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. When Taiwans President-elect Lai Ching-te is sworn into office on May 20, he will be facing what is perhaps the toughest first term of any leader the democratically ruled island of 23 million has ever elected since 1996. Analysts say that Lai will not only need to carefully manage relations with China but also need to work to maintain steady ties with Washington during an election year. Branded a secessionist by Beijing, China has beefed up the scale and frequency of military activities and coast guard patrols near Taiwan since Lai was elected in January. Beijing has also opened new flight routes near Taiwans outlying islands of Kinmen and Matsu in April, which some analysts view as an attempt to redefine the longstanding status quo across the Taiwan Strait. Such efforts are widely seen as part of Chinas pressure campaign towards Taiwan. But unlike the large-scale military exercises the Chinese military held around the island in 2022 and 2023, Beijings recent actions are quieter by comparison, said Amanda Hsiao, a senior China analyst at the International Crisis Group. China is trying to present itself as seeking peaceful unification and doesnt want to be seen as a provocateur, Hsiao said. China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly vowed to reunite with the island, by force if necessary. Lais four-year presidency falls within the time fame U.S. military and intelligence officials have publicly said Chinese leader Xi Jinping has set for the Chinese military to have an invasion plan in place by 2027. The date also marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Liberation Army. Some Taiwanese experts say while the Lai administration should be aware of the significance of 2027, they shouldnt arrange Taiwans preparation for a potential Chinese invasion around this timeframe. 2027 shouldnt be viewed as the definitive year that China will invade Taiwan, because Beijings calculation involves a lot of factors, including the dynamics across the Taiwan Strait, said Li Da-Jung, director of the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Taiwans Tamkang University. In his view, the Lai administration should prioritize efforts to strengthen Taiwans capabilities to defend itself and deter China from invading the island. Boosting exchanges Since Taiwans pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2016, China has cut off all official communication and increased the level of pressure against Taiwan. Beijing has also suggested that its open to increasing exchange with Taipei by lifting some travel restrictions and hosting several delegations from Taiwans China-friendly opposition party Kuomintang. Increasing exchanges with China-friendly actors in Taiwan will be a major focus in the near term for China, Hsiao said. For his part, Lai has said he is committed to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and that he is willing to engage with Beijing on the basis of dignity and parity. In a pre-recorded speech this week at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2024, he said, "I will not rule out dialogue with China on the principles of mutual respect, mutual benefits, and dignity, with no preconditions. Chinas offer to reopen cross-strait exchanges, especially resuming group tourism between China and Taiwan, is both an opportunity and a challenge for Taiwans new government. The Lai administration could point to the return of group tourism as an early success in their term and this would be a useful way of signaling to international partners that they are responsibly handling their relationship with Beijing, Hsiao said. However, she added that the Lai administration should also be mindful of the potential costs of accepting offers from Beijing. A return to group tourism could create some dependencies on China that Beijing could leverage and exploit next time they are unhappy with the relationship, Hsiao told VOA. For now, she thinks the Chinese government will try to lean on the United States and opposition parties in Taiwan to keep the new Taiwanese government on a more moderate course. Lais inauguration speech will be a key indicator of his administrations approach to China. How he talks about and defines cross-strait relationships will be significant, Hsiao told VOA. Washington announced this week that they will send an unofficial delegation which includes two former senior U.S. officials and a scholar to attend the inauguration. Continuity in U.S.-Taiwan relations While tensions between China and Taiwan will likely remain high, some experts say relations between the United States and Taiwan will largely remain unchanged under the new Taiwanese government, since bilateral ties have reached a new level of stability during Tsai Ing-wens tenure. So much of what we are looking forward to in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship, whether [it] is meaningful bilateral trade agreement or more robust defensive military sales, are all things that rely on the groundwork laid out by Tsai and previous administrations in Taiwan, said Lev Nachman, a political scientist at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. However, despite the predictability of the new Taiwanese governments policy direction toward the U.S., Nachman said the U.S. Presidential election in November, which will likely be a rematch between current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, could add uncertainties to relations between Taipei and Washington. What Biden represents is a level of predictability and certainty and thats important in this part of the world when both sides of the Taiwan Strait are operating off imperfect information about what the other side is going to do, he told VOA in a video interview. But if Trump wins the election in November, Nachman said Taiwans new administration should be prepared for some uncertainties. A potential Trump presidency brings uncertainty, imperfect information, and a level of no pragmatism from the U.S. that would be the biggest challenge for Taiwan and the entire [Indo-Pacific] region to navigate, he added. Tamkang Universitys Li said the Lai administration should start engaging with Trumps advisors as soon as possible. Taiwans incoming government should maintain close communication with Trumps advisors and highlight the importance of Taiwan during bilateral conversations, he told VOA. Efforts to diversify Taiwans foreign relations While relations with China and the U.S. dominate Taiwans foreign policy agenda, the island has increased its diplomatic engagements with European countries during Tsais second term. The EU and Taiwan have been thinking about how they can strengthen cooperation in certain areas while being mindful of potential limitations [over the last four years,] Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, an expert on EU-Taiwan relations at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan, told VOA in a video interview. Since 2020, Taiwan has deepened its economic engagement with some Central and Eastern European countries. In 2021, Taiwan opened a trade office in Lithuania under the name Taiwan instead of the islands official name, the Republic of China. Since then, it has signed several cooperation agreements related to bilateral tech collaboration with countries like Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Additionally, Taiwan has hosted several high-level parliamentary delegations from Lithuania and the Czech Republic in recent years. Ferenczy and Nachman both said that while these visits have helped to elevate mutual understanding and interests between Taiwan and some European countries, the new government under Lai should focus on adding substance to these newly elevated ties. The Lai administration needs to approach these newfound allies with a level of pragmatism [by] pursuing meaningful alliances in trade or [increase] exchanges, Nachman told VOA. The first trucks of humanitarian aid have begun arriving in Gaza using a pier built by the U.S. military. Israel is heckled in the International Court of Justice and Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are trying to force President Biden to send military aid to Israel. Ukraines defenses are strong, but thinly spread; Russia is making some advances in the East of Ukraine while shelling mercilessly. A look at the Putin and Xi summit in China and what it means. Plus, the U.S. military is making plans to leave Niger and a look at possible ethnic cleansing in Sudan. President Joe Biden continues his outreach effort among Black voters this week with a string of events to commemorate civil rights milestones and address the next generation of leaders. Ahead of the November presidential election, his campaign is aiming to address an apparent erosion of support among a group that historically backs Democratic Party candidates. On Friday, Biden delivered an address at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, where he targeted his likely opponent, presumptive Republican nominee former President Donald Trump. My predecessor and his extreme MAGA friends are responsible for taking away our fundamental freedoms, from the freedom to vote to the freedom to choose, Biden said, referring to Make America Great Again Trump supporters, and Republican efforts to restrict voting and abortion rights. The Trump campaign said their candidate is surging with Black and Hispanic Americans despite Bidens persistent gaslighting and the multimillion-dollar ad buys he is forced to make. Black and Hispanic voters, like all Americans, are worse-off now than they were under President Trump by a lot and every poll reflects that reality, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement sent to VOA. They have less money and higher prices for everything while being forced to live under a weak president who puts illegal immigrants interests ahead of theirs, she said. Trump has been courting Black voters, including by using his legal troubles to appeal to them on the theme of unfair persecution by the criminal justice system. I got indicted a second time and a third time and a fourth time, and a lot of people said that thats why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as Im being discriminated against, Trump said during a February speech at the Black Conservative Federation's annual gala, at which he received the "Champion of Black America" award. Targeting young Black voters Aiming to win over young Black voters, Biden met Friday with leaders of the Divine Nine, a group of historically Black sororities and fraternities, social organizations in colleges and universities. His engagements followed a private meeting Thursday with plaintiffs and family members from Brown vs. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision that found laws promoting segregation are unconstitutional. Biden is set to cap his outreach with a commencement address at Martin Luther King Jr.s alma mater, the historically Black, all-male Morehouse College in Atlanta on Sunday. Biden will focus his remarks on the next generation of Black men, a group whose support for the president has been slipping. His speech comes in the wake of campus protests across the country, where young progressives voice their frustration with Bidens handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Many of those protesting have linked Palestinian activism with other global injustices, including racism toward Black Americans. Black people who are concerned about social justice in spaces that are not in the U.S. are similarly thinking about social justice in the U.S., said Dana Williams, dean of the Howard University Graduate School and part of the Howard Initiative on Public Opinion, the schools research arm. That kind of affinity towards justice, a pushback against oppression, an expectation for democracy to be enacted with fairness, and an anticipation for democracy to be enacted in earnest, I think are some of the things that link those causes, she told VOA. Asked whether Biden is sympathetic to Black students who see a parallel of their experience of discrimination with that of Palestinians, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told VOA that Biden is sympathetic to the fact that many communities are in pain. He knows that it is a difficult time, and he respects that, she said during Fridays briefing. Biden is set to end the weekend with an address at a dinner in Detroit for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a leading civil rights organization, and a visit to a Black-owned small business in the city. The Biden campaign said the engagement was a signal of how the administration is working to earn the support of Black voters and addressing their key priorities. "We are not, and will not, parachute into these communities at the last minute, expecting their vote," Trey Baker, a senior adviser to the campaign, said in a statement. Polls slipping Black voters have long been the backbone of the Democratic Party and helped ensure Biden's win in 2020. Ahead of the November election, a Washington Post/Ipsos poll shows Biden continues to enjoy the support of the majority of the Black community. However, lower stated interest in voting relative to 2020 and a slightly narrower gap in standing present some warning signs for the Biden campaign. Only 62% of Black voters said that they are absolutely certain to vote this year, compared to 74% this time in 2020. Meanwhile, Black voter support in national and state polls for Trump has been surprisingly robust, according to research by the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "Older Black voters have far fewer concerns with Biden. They remember the first Trump term, and its a pretty simple choice for them Biden, of course, said Larry Sabato, the centers director. Its younger Blacks who were expecting more from Biden. Many young Black voters are frustrated by what they see as Bidens inaction on their top priorities and angered by his handling of the economy and the Israel-Hamas war. Sabato predicted that no more than 13% of Black Americans will end up voting for Trump. He said that for Blacks it is a choice between Biden and not voting. Black turnout, he added, is key. This week, President Joe Biden drastically increased tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum products, and semiconductors. The move follows his administrations review of former President Donald Trump's trade policies toward China. White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara looks at how the two presidential candidates differ in their approach. Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded his two-day trip to China Friday after Beijing and Moscow reaffirmed their strategic relationship by signing a joint statement and vowing to cooperate against destructive and hostile pressure from Washington. During meetings between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Russian president said Moscow is willing to work with Beijing and other global south countries toward a multipolar world, while Xi said the two countries are committed to steering global governance in the right direction. Some analysts say Putin and Xi are trying to emphasize that Beijing and Moscows close partnership is a force for good in the global system. Both leaders want to emphasize that they are creating a more equal environment and inclusive global economic and political system, said Philipp Ivanov, a China-Russia analyst and the founder of consultancy Geopolitical Risks + Strategy Practice. In addition to challenging the existing world order led by the United States, Putin and Xi criticized the U.S. and NATO for creating negative effects on regional peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region by creating closed and exclusive groupings and expanding military presence. In the current geopolitical context, it is necessary to explore the establishment of a sustainable security system in the Eurasian space based on the principle of equal and indivisible security, read the joint statement signed by Xi and Putin. Some experts say Putin and Xi view Washington and NATOs expanding military presence in Asia as a zero-sum game. The logic of military balance is very central to their view of the international order and their target is the web of military alliances of the United States, said Mathieu Duchatel, director of international studies at the French policy group Institut Montaigne. He told VOA that one of Xi and Putins goals to uphold their partnership is to undermine Washingtons alliance networks in Asia. Beijings limits As Switzerland prepares to host a peace summit dedicated to the Ukraine war next month, Xi and Putin also exchanged views on that ongoing conflict during their meeting Thursday. They believe that the war should be resolved through a political settlement. In a readout published by Chinas state-run Xinhua News Agency, Xi said the fundamental solution to the war is establishing a new, balanced, effective, and sustainable security architecture. He added that China supports an international peace conference recognized by Russia and Ukraine at an appropriate time with equal participation and fair discussion of all options. Putin said Moscow appreciates Beijings objective, just and balanced position on the Ukraine issue and claimed that Russia is committed to resolving the Ukraine issue through political negotiations. Ivanov said Chinas current efforts to help resolve the Ukraine War, including a 12-point peace plan released last February, suggest Beijing is trying to avoid making any commitment. The peace plan is a diplomatic document rather than any substantive strategy for Chinas participation in resolving this war, he told VOA. Since neither Russia nor Ukraine is ready to negotiate, Ivanov thinks there is not much China can do to help end the war. I havent seen any concrete steps from China in trying to resolve the war. Im skeptical about Switzerlands peace conference and Chinas peace plan, he said. Lack of effective pressure on China The meeting between Xi and Putin took place after Xis five-day trip to Europe, during which some analysts say Beijing was trying to exploit the disunity within the European Union. It also follows repeated warnings from the United States about the potential consequences of Beijings ongoing support for Russias war against Ukraine. During a news conference Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told journalists that China cant support the Russian war efforts while simultaneously trying to improve relations with the West. 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, he said. Some experts say Chinas decision to uphold its partnership with Russia reflects Beijings belief that the Wests warnings about potential sanctions against Chinese entities supporting Russias war efforts may not materialize. I think Beijing believes that there is nothing that Europe can do so they are asking Europe to show its hand, Ja Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, told VOA by phone. In his view, the U.S. seems more serious about imposing potential secondary sanctions against Chinese entities while the European Union struggles to determine their responses to Beijings support for Moscow. An upward trajectory of the partnership Considering Washingtons repeated warnings of sanctioning Chinese entities for supporting Russias war efforts, Ivanov said Putin would try to safeguard Russias economic relationship with China through his visit. Im pretty confident that there is an active discussion on how to circumvent sanctions, and we will probably see more transactions and import-export activities flowing through third countries, such as those in Central Asia, he told VOA, adding that one of China and Russias goals is to build a geoeconomic system that is immune from Western sanctions and export controls. Despite Western countries attempts to pressure or persuade China to stop support for Russia, Ivanov and Duchatel say Beijing will continue to uphold its partnership with Moscow. There is no sign that Russias access to Chinese dual-use technology has been seriously reduced, and no actions from China suggest a reduced commitment to supporting Russia, Duchatel told VOA. Ivanov said while there might be some disagreements between China and Russia, the overall direction of their partnership is trending upward. I dont think the U.S. or Europe can substantively influence the course of the China-Russia partnership at the moment, he said. Chinas effort to establish itself as a near-Arctic power have become increasingly confined to the territory of its close ally Russia as other nations lose interest in cooperating with Beijing, according to Canadian security experts. The degree in which China poses a serious geopolitical threat in the Arctic region is debatable among experts. Chinese efforts to establish research stations in up to half a dozen Arctic nations ground to a halt because of travel restrictions during the COVID pandemic. Mounting concerns over Chinas human rights record and its aggressive actions elsewhere have made several of those countries reluctant to see operations resume, said experts. In many ways our fear of China and the Arctic dates back to five or six years ago when Chinas power and influence seemed very much to be on the uptick in the region, said Adam Lajeunesse, a professor focusing on Arctic issues at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Its political, economic and soft power influence in the Arctic outside of Russia has collapsed. Our fears of China are still lagging events. A lot from pre-COVID era when there was a lot of fears that China was going to dominate Arctic infrastructure. That didnt happen, Lajeunesse said. VOA reported in December 2022 that China had sent or announced plans to send several people to its two most important scientific outposts in Norway and Iceland after lengthy absences of Chinese scientists from both sites. But there were no signs of China trying to renew two other scientific projects in Sweden and Finland, where national organizations told VOA that Chinese activity was set to end or had ended. An earlier plan to set up a research base in Denmarks autonomous island of Greenland was shelved in the face of opposition in Copenhagen, according to Marc Lanteigne, a social studies professor at the Arctic University of Norway. That has left Beijing which has no direct access to Arctic waters to focus its Arctic ambitions on Russia, with which it established a no limits partnership days before Russias unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Chinas interests in the region are believed to include fisheries, extraction of minerals and other resources, and a shorter sea route to Europe all of which become more viable as the Arctic ice pack recedes in the face of climate change. "China respects the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction rights of Arctic countries," Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA in an emailed statement. "Issues related to the Arctic not only affect Arctic countries but also have global significance." "China will work with all parties in getting to know more about the Arctic, as well as in its protection, exploration and management, with the view of greater peace, stability and sustainable development in the region," Liu added. Many experts are watching Chinas arctic activities and national security professionals told VOA on the sidelines of an April 30 conference sponsored by the Canadian Military Intelligence Association there are still limits to how much cooperation China can expect from Russia. There is little doubt among Western nations that China will continue to seek research, infrastructure, and increased military engagement through direct and indirect means in support of its Belt and Road Initiatives, said Al Dillon, co-founder and CEO of Sapper Labs, a company that supports the intelligence and cyber defense needs of Canada and other English-speaking countries. The collaboration with Russia is concerning in this regard, while Russia will surely want to retain its own sovereignty and independence in the Arctic. The extent of this collaboration remains to be seen; however, we can be assured it will occur. Artur Wilczynski, a former Canadian ambassador to Norway and retired senior official in several intelligence-related agencies, told VOA that Russia was originally skeptical with non-Arctic state involvement in the region. Given Western sanctions and the Russian need for investment, China may exert more pressure on Russia rather than other Arctic states, Wilczynski said. It may be easier for them to meet their Arctic interests through closer collaboration with Russia in the short term than try to address increasing Western skepticism of their engagement in either the North American or Western European Arctic. Despite the focus on Russia, Samuel Jardine, head of research at London Politica, said Beijing is interested in acquiring access to the Canadian Arctic a goal that may have led to a scandal over Chinese interference in the past two Canadian elections. In effect Canada is a doorway for China to not being seen to be isolated merely in the Russian Arctic and maintaining influence and access to the whole region, Jardine told VOA in an email. Something fundamental for a "Polar Great Power" which claims to be a "near-Arctic" state. Michel Lipin contributed to this article. A new report by Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations and African Union to place an arms embargo on Sudan amid ongoing ethnic cleansing in Darfur. Henry Wilkins speaks to the author of the report, who says the response by the international community has been disappointing. Camera: Henry Wilkins French police on Friday shot dead an armed man who was trying to set fire to a synagogue in the northern city of Rouen. "National police in Rouen neutralized early this morning an armed individual who clearly wanted to set fire to the city's synagogue," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Police responded at 6:45 am (0445 GMT) to reports of "fire near the synagogue," a police source said. A source close to the case told AFP the man "was armed with a knife and an iron bar, he approached police, who fired. The individual died." "It is not only the Jewish community that is affected. It is the entire city of Rouen that is bruised and in shock," Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol wrote on X. He made clear there were no other victims other than the attacker. Two separate investigations have been opened, one into the fire at the synagogue and another into the circumstances of the death of the individual killed by the police, Rouen prosecutors said. Such an investigation by France's police inspectorate general is automatic whenever an individual is killed by the police. The man threatened a police officer with a knife and the latter used his service weapon, said the Rouen prosecutor. The dead man was not immediately identified, a police source said. Asked by AFP, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office said that it is currently assessing whether it will take up the case. France has the largest Jewish community of any country after Israel and the United States, as well as Europe's largest Muslim community. There have been tensions in France in the wake of the October 7 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel, followed by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Red hand graffiti was painted onto France's Holocaust Memorial earlier this week, prompted anger including from President Emmanuel Macron who condemned "odious anti-Semitism." "Attempting to burn a synagogue is an attempt to intimidate all Jews. Once again, there is an attempt to impose a climate of terror on the Jews of our country. Combating anti-Semitism means defending the Republic," Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), wrote on X. France was hit from 2015 by a spate of Islamist attacks that also hit Jewish targets. There have been isolated attacks in recent months and France's security alert remains at its highest level. The German parliament Friday approved plans to relax strict restrictions on family names clearing the way, among other things, for couples to take double surnames and pass them on to their children. The reform of Germany's rigid rules is due to take effect at the beginning of May 2025 after passing parliament's upper house, which represents the country's 16 state governments. As it stands, parents are required to give their children one of their surnames. One partner in a married couple but not both can add the other partners name to his or her surname. The reform will allow both partners to take on a double surname, with or without a hyphen, and for their children to take that name too. Parents will also be allowed to give their children a double surname. The new system still wont allow names that are more than double. The legislation will also make it easier for stepchildren or children of divorced parents to change their family names, and it will allow the use of gender-adjusted forms of surnames for people with names from languages in which that is common a change that will, for example, benefit the Sorbs, an Indigenous Slavic minority in parts of eastern Germany. It will also allow the use of traditional patronymic and matronymic names used by the Frisian minority, which entail childrens surnames being based on their fathers or mothers first name. The change is one of several social reform projects that Chancellor Olaf Scholzs socially liberal three-party governing coalition promised to enact when it took office in December 2021. Several higher-profile plans already have been implemented or approved. The government has legalized the possession of limited amounts of cannabis; eased the rules on gaining German citizenship; ended restrictions on holding dual citizenship; and ended a ban on doctors advertising abortion services. It also is making it easier for transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to change their name and gender in official records. Same-sex marriage was already legalized in 2017. Taliban authorities in Afghanistan said Friday that unknown assailants fatally shot three Western tourists and their local translator in the central city of Bamiyan. The late-afternoon shooting in a busy central market also injured four people, including a foreigner, a spokesman for the Taliban-led Afghan Interior Ministry said. Abdul Mateen Qani shared the details on his official account on the social media platform X, but he did not disclose the foreigners' nationalities. He said Taliban security forces' efforts to apprehend the attackers led to the arrests of four suspects linked to the assault. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the deadly shooting. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this incident, expresses its sympathy to the families of the victims, and assures them that all the criminals involved will be found and brought to justice, Qani said, using the official title of the Taliban government. Area officials and residents were reported as saying that the foreign tourists came from Spain, Norway and Turkey, among other countries. However, the reports could not be verified from independent sources. A spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy of the European Union condemned the armed attack against the tourists visiting Bamiyan. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims who lost their lives and those injured in the attack, Nabila Massrali said in a statement. The United States is deeply saddened to hear about the shooting attack in Bamiyan, which killed and wounded Afghan civilians and foreign nationals, Thomas West, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, said on X. Our thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. Violence is not the answer. Fridays attack on foreign tourists was the first since the Taliban stormed back to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Bamiyan, one of the poorest regions in impoverished Afghanistan, is a popular destination for foreign tourists because it contains Buddhist monastic ensembles and sanctuaries, according to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The scenic city was also the spot where the Taliban destroyed two large Buddha statues in March 2001 during their previous rule in Afghanistan. The group said the statues were blasphemous under Islam. Israeli forces battled Hamas militants in both the north and south Gaza Strip on Friday as trucks began delivering aid shipments through a U.S.-built temporary pier off the embattled enclave. Vehicles ferrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore via the pier at 9 a.m. local time, according to U.S. Central Command. The floating pier was pre-assembled by the U.S. military at the Israeli port of Ashdod and moved to the shore of Gaza this week, allowing for aid deliveries by several countries and humanitarian organizations, CENTCOM said. No U.S. troops went ashore, it added. The World Food Program said that the aid that came through the floating dock on Friday was transported to its warehouses in Deir al-Balah and is ready to be collected and distributed by its partners. Supplies will be subject to Israeli security checks in Cyprus before arriving on the pier and will have to go through additional Israeli checkpoints once they land, U.S. administration officials have said. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the United States remains "vigilant to potential threats to the armed service members that are working on the pier and humanitarian aid organizations and workers helping with the distribution." Despite the new aid route, the U.N. said that truck convoys arriving by land were the "most viable, effective and efficient" method of getting aid into Gaza. "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," U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said. Fierce battles throughout the enclave have hampered humanitarian aid deliveries, and aid groups warn that conditions are too dangerous and unstable for workers to safely be delivering assistance there. The Rafah crossing a key humanitarian aid corridor on the Egyptian border has been closed since the Israeli military launched what it called a limited operation in Rafah city on May 7, sparking an exodus of Palestinians seeking safety farther north in Gaza. The United Nations and other aid groups have said that Israel needs to do more to get aid into Gaza, which has been devastated by the war since Israel launched its military operation in response to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Hamas has been designated a terror organization by the U.S., the U.K. and other countries. Israel has said it is stepping up efforts to get aid into Gaza, and the military said 365 aid trucks had entered through the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossing points Thursday, carrying flour and fuel. In addition, hundreds of tents were delivered, intended for people evacuated from Rafah to the Al-Mawasi area, which Israel has declared a humanitarian zone. The Israel Defense Forces "will continue its efforts to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip by land, air and sea, in accordance with international law," it said in a statement. Fierce battles Meanwhile, Israeli forces were entangled in fierce urban warfare Friday in the narrow alleyways of Jabalia against reemerging Hamas cells in northern Gaza. Israeli armored vehicles rolled into the heart of the city, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, and bulldozers were flattening homes and shops in the path of the advance, said residents in the area. At the southern end of Gaza, Israel has been carrying out a military operation in Rafah that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded parts of Rafah on Friday, while the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they were firing anti-tank missiles and mortars at forces massing to the east, southeast and inside the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Israeli forces recovered the bodies of three hostages from the Gaza Strip, chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Friday. The military did not say where the bodies were found in Gaza. The White House on Friday called the discovery of the bodies "horrible news." "Our hearts go out to the families who were having to deal with this terrible news," Kirby told reporters. Hagari identified the hostages as Shani Louk, Amit Buskila and Itzhak Gelerenter, who he said were killed by Hamas at the Nova music festival and had their bodies taken into Gaza. The White House said it was sending national security adviser Jake Sullivan to the Middle East this weekend for talks on the seven-month war. Sullivan is scheduled to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. The war was triggered by the October 7 Hamas 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 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which includes civilians and combatants in its count but says most of the dead are women and children. Some material for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. As U.N. agencies warn of a looming famine in Sudan, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights says U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk held separate phone calls with Sudans rival generals this week to try to deescalate the conflict. The high commissioner warned both commanders that fighting in el-Fasher, where more than 1.8 million residents and internally displaced people are encircled and at imminent risk of famine, would have a catastrophic impact on civilians, and would deepen intercommunal conflict with disastrous humanitarian consequences, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the high commissioner, told journalists in Geneva Friday. Since fighting for control of el-Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces in western Darfur, dramatically escalated last week, the United Nations says at least 58 civilians have been killed and 213 injured. Shamdasani said during separate telephone conversations Tuesday with Sudanese Armed Forces Commander Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Turk appealed to both generals to put the interests of the people first. She said human rights chief Turk, who has been trying to have a conversation with the two competing leaders since August, expressed his deep distress at the situation in Sudan and urged them to take specific concrete steps to cease hostilities. Shamdasani said the high commissioner told them to resume peace negotiations, to ensure that people have access to adequate humanitarian assistance, to not block humanitarian assistance, and to ensure that their troops and their allied forces fully respect international humanitarian law and human rights law. She said the generals each acknowledged the importance of respecting international humanitarian law and that SAF Commander Burhan indicated that he would facilitate visas for more U.N. human rights staff. The visa issue is an important one, she said, noting that her office currently has only one international staff member in Port Sudan. The high commissioner did ask for his designated expert to get access to Sudan as well as more of our staff to get access, and that was a positive outcome of the call, she said, adding that it is very important for us to be on the ground, to be able to cover such important crises more closely. Since war between the SAF and RSF erupted in mid-April 2023, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, reports more than 15,500 people have been killed, some 33,000 others injured, and an estimated 6.8 million have been displaced within the country. In Sudan, half of the population, 25 million people, need humanitarian aid, said Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson. Famine is closing in. Diseases are closing in. The fighting is closing in on civilians, especially in Darfur. He said that the U.N. aims to reach and support 15 million of the worst-affected people, and that efforts to help so many citizens were under threat because the U.N.s appeal for $2.7 billion was only 12% funded. This is not just an underfunded appeal; it is a catastrophically underfunded appeal, he said. People in Sudan are staring famine in the face. The World Health Organization warns famine is looming, especially in parts of Darfur and in the capital, Khartoum, with more than one-third of the population facing acute hunger. The number of under-5 children and pregnant and breastfeeding women suffering from acute malnutrition has increased by 22% from 3.9 million to 4.9 million people in 2024, Dr. Shible Sahbani, the WHO representative in Sudan, said in Port Sudan Friday. The recent escalation of violence in Darfur, and particularly in el-Fasher, is alarming and causing more deaths and injuries among civilians as access to health facilities is hampered by the ensuing insecurity, he said. The WHO has recorded 62 verified attacks on health care. It says two-thirds of Sudans 18 states currently are experiencing multiple outbreaks of killer diseases. It warns that disease outbreaks such as cholera, measles, dengue fever and malaria are spreading and likely to worsen during the upcoming rainy season as people living in makeshift shelters will be more exposed to the elements and access to those in desperate need becomes even more difficult. We stand ready to do more and utilize all available avenues to reach the most vulnerable populations across Sudan, but we need assurances of security for our staff and supplies, Sahbani said, adding that health cannot be ensured in the absence of peace. Two figures dressed in black and with their faces covered are caught on security camera vandalizing the Media Development Foundation office in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. The video, taken in the early hours of May 9, shows the individuals putting up posters that falsely claim the nongovernmental organizations executive director, Tamar Kintsurashvili, is a foreign agent. Kintsurashvili told VOA the attack didnt come as a big surprise. The goal is to present us as enemies of this country, she said. The vandalism came amid large-scale protests in Georgia over a foreign agent law that passed its third and final reading in parliament Tuesday. WATCH: Georgia riled by new protests after parliament passes foreign agent law If enacted, the law will require nonprofits and news outlets that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as organizations pursuing the interests of a foreign power. They would also be required to submit detailed annual financial accounts. Groups that dont comply would face fines. Kintsurashvilis organization, the Media Development Foundation, receives some foreign funding to support its work. But, said Kintsurashvili, Being labeled as foreign agent undermines trust in our activities. Last week, hundreds of critics of the law including around 30 journalists who covered the protests received threatening phone calls, according to media reports and watchdogs. Numerous offices faced similar vandalism to the Media Development Foundation, and at least six opposition politicians and activists were beaten. Kintsurashvili worries the harassment will become more common in Georgia now that the laws enactment appears imminent. The purpose of this legislation is not transparency, she said. They want to silence unwanted voices, critical voices, she continued, referring to the government. Georgias Washington embassy did not respond to VOAs email requesting comment. As of publication, a VOA request for comment sent Friday via the web portal for the prime minister, who is part of the ruling Georgian Dream party, has received no response. President Salome Zourabichvili said she would veto the bill, but the Georgian Dream party which reintroduced the law last month after protests prompted its withdrawal last year controls a big enough majority to override her. The laws supporters say it will help bolster transparency and protect Georgian sovereignty. Its opponents say it will be used to silence and intimidate critics of the government. Its not just about supporting Georgia. Its about supporting democracy, said Mamuka Andguladze, chair of the Media Advocacy Coalition group in Tbilisi. Nika Gvaramia, a former journalist and the founder of the opposition Ahali political party, told VOA he believes Georgian Dream may use the foreign agent law to try to influence the October elections in its favor. Others say the law could also harm Georgias bid to join the European Union, which the majority of Georgians support. Dubbed the Russian law for its resemblance to a similar piece of legislation that the Kremlin has used for years to stamp out dissent, critics worry the law bodes poorly for Georgias democratic future and risks pushing Tbilisi squarely into Moscows hold. This law will be used to implement some Soviet-style repression in Georgia, and to target critical voices, said Eto Buziashvili, a research associate at the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab. Based in Tbilisi, Buziashvili researches propaganda from Russia and the South Caucasus region. Buziashvili and other analysts have documented a barrage of Russian propaganda about the bill. Were seeing a lot of other overlap between the governments arguments about why the bill is needed and what is being said in Russian and pro-Russian sources, Gulnoza Said, CPJs Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, told VOA. One of the primary narratives is that the Tbilisi protests were organized by the West. The idea that the West is funding and coordinating these protests is something thats being shared pretty explicitly by Russian channels, said Kyle Walter, who heads global research at Logically, a British tech startup that fights disinformation. Other propaganda narratives attempt to distance the Georgian law from its Russian counterpart by falsely claiming the Georgian one is similar to the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act. Another false narrative depicts the law as necessary to stop the West from coercing Georgia into going to war with Russia as a second front of the war in Ukraine. Russias Washington embassy did not reply to VOAs email requesting comment. Many, if not all, of these narratives are not necessarily new, according to Walter and Buziashvili. But they do highlight the Kremlins apparent support for Georgias foreign agent law. The narratives also underscore whats at stake for a country that was once lauded as a bastion of democracy among former Soviet states but in recent years has found itself increasingly wobbling between the West and the Kremlin. Its another stage of Russias conflict with the West more broadly, Walter said. Journalists and political leaders who spoke with VOA, however, said most Georgians can see through the propaganda. They recognize Russian propaganda very easily. For us, its at first sight, said Eka Kvesitadze, a journalist at the pro-opposition Georgian broadcaster Mtavari Arkhi. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The Republican-majority U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would force President Joe Biden to send arms to Israel to aid its fight against Hamas. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports from Capitol Hill. Contributing: Saqib Ul Islam. Camera: Saqib Ul Islam. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, again denied arms exchanges with Russia, the state's Korean Central News Agency reported Friday. The U.S. and South Korea accused North Korea of transferring weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusations, but vowed last year to deepen military relations. Ties between the two countries have strengthened dramatically following Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia's far east in September and a summit with President Vladimir Putin. But Kim Yo Jong said reports of a North Korea-Russia arms deal were false and constituted a "most absurd theory" that does not deserve anyone's evaluation or interpretation, according to KCNA's report on her press statement. Kim Yo Jong added that North Korea's developing weapons were not meant for exports but for defense against South Korea. North and South Korea remain technically at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty. Meanwhile, the United States announced fresh sanctions Thursday on two Russian individuals and three Russian companies for facilitating arms transfers between Russia and North Korea, including ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine. The debris from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on January 2 was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, U.N. sanctions monitors told a Security Council committee in a report seen by Reuters. The leaders of North Korea's major partners, China and Russia, met Thursday and criticized Washington and its allies for their "intimidation in the military sphere" against North Korea, according to a joint statement from Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Amid a growing partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang, North Korea's ambassador to Russia on Thursday called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a U.S. puppet and said Russia would emerge victorious in its conflict with Kyiv, KCNA reported. 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 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. He spoke 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 hug Panama's northern Caribbean coast, offering the most direct path to traverse the roadless jungle. The area, running about 100 kilometers, 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," Abrego said. "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. International and domestic pressure is mounting on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to establish a strategic endgame for the Israel-Hamas war that would tie Israeli military gains to a political solution for the Palestinian enclave. In his harshest public rebuke yet to Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant gave televised remarks Wednesday, urging the prime minister to make "tough decisions" on postwar Gaza at whatever political cost. Gallant warned Israelis that inaction will erode war gains and put the nation's long-term security at stake. Gallant criticized Netanyahu for his lack of postwar plans to replace Hamas rule. "Since October, I have been raising this issue consistently in the Cabinet and have received no response," he said. Gallant's comments echoed earlier remarks by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who told reporters Monday that Israel had yet to "connect their military operations" to a political plan on who will govern the Palestinian territory once fighting ends. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the message Wednesday, saying Israel needs a "clear and concrete plan" for the future of Gaza to avoid a power vacuum that could become filled by chaos. Gallant ruled out any form of Israeli governance of postwar Gaza, saying that the territory should be led by "Palestinian entities" with international support, a position that has been long supported by the Biden administration. The administration would not confirm it coordinated Gallant's statements with those of its top officials. "I'm not going to speak to timing. I'm not going to give an analysis on it," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in response to VOA's question during her briefing on Thursday. "We've made our point," she added, underscoring ongoing conversations with the Israeli government. A senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters said the administration shares Gallant's concern that Israel has not developed any plans for holding and governing territory that the Israel Defense Forces have cleared, thereby allowing Hamas to regenerate in those areas. "Our objective is to see Hamas defeated," the official said in a statement sent to VOA. Netanyahu focuses on destroying Hamas Netanyahu maintains that postwar planning is impossible without first destroying Hamas. While his government and Washington agree that Hamas cannot continue to run Gaza, they differ on who should be in charge after the war that began with the militant group's October 7 cross-border attack on Israel. "We do not support and will not support an Israeli occupation," Blinken reiterated Wednesday. Gallant's statement reflects comments by other current and former Israeli officials and frustration of a war-weary Israeli public, said Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst on Israel-Palestine at the International Crisis Group. "It's not surprising. It's not new," she told VOA. "But I think it's reaching an inflection point for certain people in the government, because the hostage deal and cease-fire is at an impasse because decisions are not being made about how much longer this war is going to go." Netanyahu told reporters Thursday he is planning to summon his defense minister for "a conversation" following Gallant's public criticism. Chances of cease-fire faint Meanwhile, prospects for a cease-fire deal appear dim since talks in Cairo broke down earlier this month. "Any efforts or agreement must secure a permanent cease-fire, a comprehensive pullout from all of the Gaza Strip, a real prisoner swap deal, the return of the displaced, reconstruction and lifting the blockade," Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said Wednesday. Israel has so far refused to provide any commitment to end its military campaign in Gaza. So fundamentally, the strategic endgames of the warring parties are "almost as far as possible from each other," said Nimrod Goren, senior fellow for Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute. The mediators the United States, Egypt and Qatar don't see any way forward at the moment, Goren told VOA, even as reaching a cease-fire deal "becomes more urgent, not only because of Gaza, but because of Lebanon." Cross-border bombardments between Israel and Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group, have escalated since Israel's campaign in Gaza, displacing tens of thousands of people along Israel's border with Lebanon. While a comprehensive and permanent truce may be out of reach at this point, there is yet hope to accomplish the first phase of the cease-fire deal that is currently structured under three phases, Goren said. Put simply, that means a six-week pause in fighting, a swap of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails, and an increase in humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza. However, a longer-term cease-fire has not appeared viable since negotiations began. "There's just been mutually exclusive demands," Zonszein said. "Hamas wants an end to the war and full withdrawal of [Israeli] troops, and Israel's not willing to do that." Israel also wants Hamas completely dismantled and its leaders killed, while Haniyeh declared Wednesday that he would reject any proposal that excludes the group's role in postwar Gaza. US still seeks 2-state solution As bleak as immediate prospects may appear, the Biden administration is keeping its eye on the long-term political horizon: the two-state solution the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Sullivan is traveling to Saudi Arabia this weekend to further talks on securing a major agreement that would see Riyadh establishing diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv, a key element to achieving the two-state solution. Normalization with the leading Sunni kingdom would likely lead to diplomatic recognition of Israel from other Arab countries and Muslim-majority countries in other parts of the world. At the same time, Sullivan is set to urge Israel to refrain from an all-out ground invasion of Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. Washington believes a wider operation in Rafah would threaten a normalization deal with the Saudis. "Israel's long-term security depends on being integrated into the region and enjoying normal relations with the Arab states, including Saudi Arabia," Sullivan said Monday. He said he will be meeting with Israeli officials "in a matter of days" and signaled that the U.S. expects Israel will not move into Rafah until then. Last week, the IDF launched what it calls a "targeted operation" in eastern Rafah, even as the Biden administration announced it is pausing the shipment of 3,500 massive-sized bombs for fear that Israel might use it in the densely populated city. Natasha Mozgovaya contributed to this report. Russian President Vladimir Putin focused on trade and cultural exchanges Friday during his state visit to China that started with bonhomie in Beijing and a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that deepened their "no limits" partnership as both countries face rising tensions with the West. Putin praised China at a China-Russia Expo in the northeastern city of Harbin, hailing the growth in bilateral trade. He will also meet with students at Harbin Institute of Technology later Friday. Harbin, capital of Chinas Heilongjiang province, was once home to many Russian expatriates and retains some of those historical ties in its architecture, such as the central Saint Sophia Cathedral, a former Russian Orthodox church. Though Putin's visit is more symbolic and is short on concrete proposals, the two countries nonetheless are sending a clear message. "At this moment, theyre reminding the West that they can be defiant when they want to," said Joseph Torigian, a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institute. At the exhibition in Harbin, Putin emphasized the importance of Russia-China cooperation in jointly developing new technologies. "Relying on traditions of friendship and cooperation, we can look into the future with confidence," he said. "The Russian-Chinese partnership helps our countries economic growth, ensures energy security, helps develop production and create new jobs." Putin started the second day of his visit to China on Friday by laying flowers at a monument to fallen Soviet soldiers in Harbin who had fought for China against the Japanese during the second Sino-Japanese war, when Japan occupied parts of China. At their summit Thursday, Putin thanked Xi for Chinas proposals for ending the war in Ukraine, while Xi said China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this. Their joint statement described their world view and expounded on criticism of U.S. military alliances in Asia and the Pacific. The meeting was yet another affirmation of the friendly "no limits" relationship China and Russia signed in 2022, just before Moscow invaded Ukraine. Putin has become isolated globally for his invasion of Ukraine. China has a tense relationship with the U.S., which has labeled it a competitor, and faces pressure for continuing to supply key components to Russia needed for weapons production. Talks of peacefully resolving the Ukraine crisis featured frequently in Thursday's remarks, though Russia just last week opened a new front in the Ukraine war by launching attacks at its northeastern border area. The war is at a critical point for Ukraine, which had faced delays in getting weapons from the U.S. China offered a broad plan for peace last year that was rejected by both Ukraine and the West for failing to call for Russia to leave occupied parts of Ukraine. In a smaller meeting Thursday night at Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leaders' residential compound, Putin thanked Xi for his peace plan and said he welcomed China continuing to play a constructive role in a political solution to the problem, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. They also attended events to celebrate 75 years of bilateral relations. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia has increasingly depended on China as Western sanctions have taken a bite. Trade between the two countries increased to $240 billion last year, as China helped its neighbor defray the worst of Western sanctions. European leaders have pressed China to ask Russia to end its invasion in Ukraine, to little avail. Experts say China and Russia's relationship with each other offer strategic benefits, particularly at a time when both have tensions with Europe and the U.S. "Even if China compromises on a range of issues, including cutting back support on Russia, its unlikely that the U.S. or the West will drastically change their attitude to China as a competitor," said Hoo Tiang Boon, who researches Chinese foreign policy at Singapores Nanyang Technological University. "They see very little incentive for compromise." Xi and Putin have a longstanding agreement to visit each others countries once a year, and Xi was welcomed at the Kremlin last year. Africa has long been known for its so-called blood diamonds, a term for mineral wealth that fuels violent conflict. In the Southern Africa country of Mozambique, a report finds blood timber largely fueled by market demand from China is financing an insurgency in northern Mozambique. But security analysts disagree on how much the militants are profiting from the wood sales. An Islamic State-linked militant group has been waging an insurgency in Mozambiques Cabo Delgado province since 2017, with some militants fighting in the name of jihad but most driven by economic exclusion in an area rich in rubies and natural gas. A report this week by a U.K. and U.S.-based charity, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), says one of the regions other natural riches, luxury hardwood prized in China, is further fueling the fighting. The bleeding has to stop. Mozambique has had a log export ban since 2017, but we can see clearly that China the importer of more than 90% of Mozambiques wood has continued massive volume of imports of logs, the EIAs Alex Bloom told VOA. Only some of that amount is wood coming from insurgency-wracked areas, the EIA says, estimating that about 30 percent of timber from Cabo Delgado is coming from insurgent-controlled forests. The agency says the timber is then brought to Chinese-owned sawmills in the town of Montepuez, where legal and conflict timber are processed together to disguise illegality before shipping. Throughout the process, Chinese businesses allegedly pay bribes to government officials to smooth the way for the wood to travel to port for export. Some of the wood going from Cabo Delgado to China is a rosewood known as hongmu, which is used to make luxury furniture. As a species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), rosewood is supposed to go through inspection by Mozambican officials to ensure that trade does not threaten its survival. However, due to corruption, this rarely happens, the EIA said. Corruption allegations What we do is talk to the Chinese nicely so that we get our share of the bribe and they take the containers through the port, one unnamed former official quoted in the report told the investigators. EIAs Bloom told VOA that because of the bribes, some Mozambican officials might not feel much incentive to stop the illegal timber trade. Many sources interviewed for this report described corruption at many levels through the timber trade, and some described a kind of symbiotic relationship between Mozambique officials, including the (governing) Frelimo party, and China, referencing both the state and the Chinese business people in the trade sector in Cabo Delgado, she said in an email. Mozambique has been a beneficiary of Chinese leader Xi Jinpings global infrastructure-building project the Belt and Road Initiative for years. Sources said, for example, that the Frelimo party gains legitimacy from attracting both Chinese business and large infrastructure investments, and even campaign funds; and therefore is reluctant to criticize or crack down on wide-scale corrupt practices involving these players, noted Bloom. The Chinese embassy in Washington and the Chinese mission to the African Union did not reply to emailed requests for comment from VOA. VOA also attempted to contact Mozambiques minister of land and environment, Ivete Maibaze, but received no answer. Contacted for comment, police spokesperson Leonel Muchina referred reporters to the Mozambican attorney generals office. The attorney generals office then referred VOA to a report it presented to parliament in April. In that report, authorities acknowledge that Illicit trade in species of wild flora and fauna or parts thereof has reached alarming proportions. It found there was illegal exploitation of forest resources in Cabo Delgado. These crimes, in addition to causing damage to the common good, the environment, are closely related to the occurrence of other criminal phenomena, such as terrorist financing, money laundering and corruption, it said. Resurgence of violence Cabo Delgado was back in the news this month, after the insurgents staged a major assault on the key town of Macomia on May 10. This, as French oil company TotalEnergies had been looking at resuming a $20 billion liquefied natural gas project in the province that it postponed due to the unrest. The renewed violence comes as regional forces which have been stationed in the area since 2021 begin to pull out. Jasmine Opperman, a security consultant based in South Africa, told VOA in a phone interview the withdrawal of South African troops is going to leave a vacuum. The attack in Macomia should be a harsh wake-up call to the region, in terms of where we stand with the insurgency. Numbers is not a problem, weapons is not a problem, money is not a problem, she said. While she noted the militants were not lacking in funds, she was skeptical they were getting money from the timber trade as the EIA suggests. That report is but speculation. The Chinese are in control of the whole illegal trade in wood, and its a complex, complex network. There is no evidence that insurgents are deriving any income from illegal wood trade, Opperman said. At level best where they could make money with this trade is if theyre being paid protection money by the Chinese. That is to say, to move into an area where there are insurgents, pay them to allow them access, cut the trees, [and] get the trees out with no one being attacked, she added. Piers Pigou, at the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, echoed the idea the militants could be making money that way. "Where they could be involved is extracting rents in some way or another. I think there are some question marks about exactly what the nature of that connectivity to the insurgency would be. Darren Olivier, director at African Defense Review, a conflict research consultancy, did not dismiss the idea either. The insurgency is clearly getting funding from somewhere, as theres no way theyd be able to sustain this level of activity without a fairly substantial source of income, he said. VOAs Portuguese Service contributed to this report. 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. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned what they cast as increasingly aggressive U.S. behavior on Thursday and pledged to deepen their countries' already close defense and military ties. In India, 18 million first time voters in the countrys ongoing general elections include millions of college students, but they want more focus on issues like development and jobs and less on religious issues that have dominated the campaign so far. And Kimia Alizadeh made history by becoming the first Iranian woman to win an Olympic medal back in 2016. After defecting, the taekwondo athlete is aiming for gold at this year's Paris Games under Bulgaria's flag. Aleksander Dugin, a Russian nationalist ideologue and strong supporter of President Vladimir Putin, has been bombarded with attacks on Chinese social media, where netizens criticized and mocked his Russian expansionist views that had once included the dismembering of China. Two years after Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine, pro-Russia sentiment has been prevalent on Chinese internet. But the backlash against Dugin has revealed a less mentioned side of what has so far appeared to be a cozy alliance between Beijing and Moscow -- hostility between Chinese nationalists and their Russian counterparts, the result of centuries of territorial disputes and political confrontations that Beijing has been reticent about displaying publicly in recent decades. On May 6, Dugin opened an account on two of the most popular Chinese social media apps Weibo, Chinas X, formerly known as Twitter, and Bilibili, a YouTube-like video site. In the first video posted on both Weibo and Bilibili, Dugin greeted the Chinese audience and praised Beijings economic and political achievements in recent decades. In the same video, he also criticized an article published in April in The Economist by Feng Yujun, director of Russian and Central Asian studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. Feng said in the article that Russia will inevitably lose the Ukraine war. Dugin countered that Feng and some Chinese people underestimated Russia's "tenacity and perseverance." The video was quickly condemned by Chinese citizens, who posted comments such as "Russia must lose," which received thousands of likes. "This is an extremist who is extremely unfriendly to China and has made plans to dismember China," another message posted by a Weibo user named "Zhixingbenyiti" said. Dugin, 62, was born in Moscow. In the 1980s, he became an anti-communist dissident. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he began to promote Russian expansionism. He believes that Moscow's territorial expansion in Eurasia will allow it to counter Western forces led by the United States. In his 1997 book, Foundations of Geopolitics, Dugin wrote that dismembering China was a necessary step for Russia to become strong. People within Putins inner circle have reportedly shown interest in Dugins writing, which gave rise to his nickname "Putins brain." However, Dugin's attitude toward China has changed significantly in recent years. In 2018, he visited China for the first time. In a speech at Fudan University, he praised China's economy, culture and leadership in the fight against colonialism. He also changed his previous support for containing China and said in a speech that China and Russia could work together to "form a very important and non-negligible containment/pull effect" on Western powers. Dugin is now a senior fellow at Fudan University's China Institute and one of the columnists for China's nationalist news organization, Guancha. Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Dugin said in a column that the alliance between China and Russia would "mean the irreversible end of Western hegemony." Philipp Ivanov, a China-Russia analyst and the founder of Geopolitical Risks + Strategy Practice, told VOA that "Dugin is an opportunist. As the Ukraine war dramatically accelerated the alignment between China and Russia, his position started to change, resulting in his current attempt to engage with China's intellectual and broader community." Ivanov also thinks Dugin's influence on the Kremlin has been exaggerated. Since joining Chinese social media, Dugin has gained more than 100,000 followers on Weibo and 25,000 followers on BiliBili. He has published fewer than five posts on Weibo, but nearly every one of them has more than 1,000 comments, most of which criticized him. Under a post in which Dugin supported Putin on his fifth presidential term, people responded with comments such as "Russia is about to lose the war" and "The gates of hell are waiting for you." Wang Xiaodong, China's most influential nationalist scholar, shared a Weibo post he made two years ago criticizing Dugin and Chinese pro-Russian groups. "Introducing Dugin's ideas is not because I worry that the Kremlin will implement his ideas; He has the intention but not the strength! I just want to tell the Chinese people how some Russians, including elites in the powerful departments, view China. Do we Chinese need to risk our lives for them?" the post read. Ivanov was not surprised by the attacks on Dugin on the Chinese internet. "While Chinese netizens may support Putin's anti-Western/anti-US agenda, they are skeptical or outright negative about Russia's assault on an independent country's sovereignty and Russian expansionism, nationalism and chauvinism (which Dugin represents)," he told VOA in an email. He said the history of China-Russia relations is predominantly about confrontation, competition and mistrust. Among the attacks on Dugin, many netizens also brought up former Chinese territories that Russia occupied in the past 200 years. "For the sake of ever-lasting friendship between China and Russia, please return Sakhalin and Vladivostok," one Weibo comment posted by "lovejxcecil" read. Although China has not been involved in the war, the Russia-Ukraine war has been a hot topic on the Chinese internet. According to Eric Liu, a former Weibo censor, Dugin's joining the platform undoubtedly brought more traffic to Weibo. However, it also means that Weibo needs to invest more resources in censorship to prevent him from making remarks that Beijing considers sensitive. "He is a foreigner. He has no idea about China's 'political correctness or where the boundaries are," Liu said. "This risk will have to be taken care of by Weibo, which brought him in." On Thursday, Dugin posted on Weibo that China and Russia could achieve "anything" together. His comment section has been turned off. North Korea fired multiple suspected short-range ballistic missiles Friday, Seoul said, hours after leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister denied widespread allegations that Pyongyang is shipping weapons to Russia. The launches are the latest in a string of ever more sophisticated tests by North Korea, which has fired off cruise missiles, tactical rockets and hypersonic weapons in recent months, in what the nuclear-armed country says is a drive to upgrade its defenses. Seoul and Washington have accused North Korea of sending arms to Russia, which would violate rafts of U.N. sanctions on both countries, with experts saying the recent spate of testing may be of weapons destined for use on battlefields in Ukraine. Seoul's military said Friday it had detected the launch of what it described as "several flying objects presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles" from North Korea's eastern Wonsan area into waters off its coast. The missiles traveled around 300 kilometers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding that the military had "strengthened vigilance and surveillance in preparation for additional launches" and was sharing information with allies Washington and Tokyo. The launches came just hours after Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, accused Seoul and Washington of "misleading the public opinion" on the issue with their repeated accusations that Pyongyang is sending weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine. They also come as Russian leader Vladimir Putin was in China on Friday, the final day of a visit aiming to promote crucial trade with Beijing -- North Korea's most important ally -- and win greater support for his war effort in Ukraine. The tests also came a day after advanced South Korean and U.S. stealth fighters, including Washington's F-22 Raptors, staged joint air combat drills. Such exercises typically infuriate Pyongyang, which views them as rehearsals for invasion. Warning message The North has appeared especially sensitive to air drills in the past, with experts noting its air force is the weakest link in its military. "It appears that this is a counter-military demonstration in response to recent South Korea-U.S. air exercises," Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP. "It also appears to contain a warning message regarding the large-scale South Korea-U.S. joint exercises scheduled for August," Yang said. Inter-Korean relations are at one of their lowest points in years, with Pyongyang declaring South Korea its "principal enemy." It has jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement. The Friday launches are the latest since the North fired a volley of what Seoul said were short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on April 22. North Korea is barred by rafts of United Nations sanctions from any tests using ballistic technology, but its key ally Russia used its U.N. Security Council veto in March to effectively end U.N. monitoring of violations, for which Pyongyang has specifically thanked Moscow. Kim Jong Un inspected a new tactical missile weapons system on Tuesday and called for an "epochal change" in war preparations by achieving arsenal production targets. Likely a hypersonic missile The unusual wording of the South Korean military's statement implies the Friday test was "likely a hypersonic missile," said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. "Hypersonic missiles are not yet stabilized weapons in North Korea," he told AFP, adding this tallied with the launch site in coastal Wonsan. Despite the short flight trajectory, the launch could have been of "mid-range or longer-class missiles that were fired with an adjusted range for experimental purposes," Hong said. "There is practically no weapon other than a hypersonic missile that can be described as both ballistic and a 'flying object'," he said. The military typically describes missiles as "projectiles." North Korea has long sought to master more advanced hypersonic and solid-fuel technologies, to make its missiles more capable of neutralizing South Korean-US missile defense systems and threaten the United States' regional military bases. Hypersonic missiles are faster and can maneuver mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept, while solid-fuel missiles do not need to be fueled before launch, making them harder to find and destroy, as well as quicker to use. Hundreds of Syrian mercenaries have been sent by Turkey to Niger in recent months to protect Ankara's economic and military interests in the West African nation, a rights group and experts said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has researchers throughout Syria, reports that recruitment of Syrian fighters for deployment to Niger has been going on for several months. "We have confirmed that about 1,100 Syrian fighters have already been deployed to Niger since September of last year," said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory. Syrian nationals are being recruited from areas under the control of Turkey and Turkish-backed Syrian armed groups in northwest Syria, Abdulrahman told VOA. Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ), a France-based advocacy group, said it has also documented such recruitments. "These Syrian fighters are being transported from Syria into Turkey, and then using Turkish airports, they are sent [to Niger] by Turkish military airplanes," Bassam Alahmad, executive director of STJ, told VOA. Turkey has in the past deployed Syrian fighters to other conflict zones, including Azerbaijan and Libya, through SADAT International Defense Consultancy, a private military company that reportedly has close ties with the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "It's very clear that in Niger, Turkey is just extending a policy that views Africa as clear area of growth for Turkey in terms of commercial and military interests, and in terms of extending Turkey's power in the world," says Nicholas Heras, a Middle East expert at the New Lines Institute, a research organization in Washington. Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory also said that SADAT was behind the recruitment of Syrian nationals from areas under the control of Turkey. The Istanbul-based company declined to comment. VOA also contacted Turkey's Foreign Ministry but has received no response. A Syrian fighter, who went by the name Ahmed, told AFP this week that a Turkey-backed Syrian militia called the Sultan Murad Division was involved in recruiting him for the Niger deployment. The Syrian fighter, who was in Aleppo province, said new recruits will be trained at camps before participating in battles in Niger. "The first two batches of fighters have already gone, and a third batch will follow soon," he said. Another Syrian fighter told AFP that he was recruited for duty in Niger "on a six-month contract with a salary of $1,500." A third Syrian fighter said that after two weeks of military training, he was tasked with guarding a site near a mine in Niger, according to AFP. Syrian fighters have cited economic incentives as the main motive for accepting such job offers. The Syrian Observatory said the Turkey-backed Syrian mercenaries have been stationed in the tri-border area between Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. "For those getting wounded in battle, they receive up to $30,000 in compensation," Abdulrahman said. "For those getting killed, their families receive up to $60,000." The United Nations says the tri-border region in recent years has become a major hotspot for insecurity, including terror activities carried out by militant groups. This comes at a time when Nigerien and U.S. defense officials are discussing plans to withdraw all American forces from the country. Niger's military junta, which overthrew the country's democratically elected president in July of last year, has demanded an end to U.S. military presence in the country. In December 2023, France also ended its military presence in Niger after a similar demand was made by the junta leaders. Experts say Niger's junta recognizes a continued need for security support, so they are increasingly relying on mercenaries deployed by Russia and Turkey. "France and the United States were security partners that were there supporting Nigerien forces through cooperation and agreements that didn't cost the Nigerien public significant tax dollars," said Daniel Eizenga, a research fellow at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University in Washington. "Now upon their departure you have smaller contingents of Russian mercenaries, or these reports of Syrian mercenaries being sent by Turkey." "You're just witnessing this very strange rhetoric around the reclaiming of national sovereignty by Niger's junta, which has no legitimate claim to popular political support, and then them ceding that sovereignty to these mercenaries and spending Nigerien tax dollars on hiring these groups whether they be Russian or Turkish," he told VOA. Eizenga said the number of fatalities linked to attacks by Islamist militant groups in Niger has increased significantly since the junta took power in July 2023, arguing that coup leaders' interests are not aligned with national interests in Niger. "The fact that they are inviting and courting these mercenary groups to come in is another example of exactly that," he said. This story originated in VOA's Kurdish Service with some information from AFP. Ukraine launched a wave of drones at Russia and the annexed Crimea peninsula overnight, killing two people, including a child, and setting an oil refinery ablaze, officials said Friday. The attack was Ukraine's largest aerial offensive in weeks and comes as Russian forces advance along the frontline, making their biggest territorial gains in 18 months as Kyiv struggles with ammunition and manpower shortages. Russia's military said it had intercepted or destroyed more than 100 Ukrainian air and sea drones in the south of the country, and over annexed Crimea and Black Sea overnight. "Fifty-one UAVs were destroyed and intercepted over Crimea, 44 over the Krasnodar region, six over the Belgorod region and one over Kursk region," it said, adding naval forces destroyed six drone boats. One drone struck a family driving near the border in Russia's Belgorod region, killing a mother and her 4-year-old son, the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. "The child was in critical condition. Doctors did everything possible to save him," he said, but "to much grief, the 4-year-old died in hospital." The father was injured but "is in shock" and refused medical help, while the driver of the car was treated for shrapnel wounds to his hands, he added. Another drone attack caused a fire at a gas station in the village of Bessonovka, but the flames were quickly put out, according to the governor. In the coastal town of Tuapse in the southern Krasnodar region, two Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery, sparking a large fire but without causing any casualties, authorities said. The Russian-controlled port of Sevastopol on the annexed Crimean peninsula suffered a "partial blackout" after debris from downed drones fell on an electrical substation, the city's Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said. "While restoration work continues, the city will not be able to receive enough energy. There will be isolated blackouts," he warned, adding that schools would cancel lessons. Ukraine did not immediately comment but in the past has denied targeting civilians. The drone wave comes as Russian forces push into Ukraine's northeast after storming across the border in a fresh offensive last week. Ukraine has evacuated almost 9,000 civilians from the border area, as Russia advances towards Vovchansk and nearby villages. US and Nigerien leaders continued high-level talks Friday on plans to withdraw all American military forces from the country, a US military official told VOA. Our Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has more on how the withdrawal affects the counterterror mission in the region. Trucks carrying badly needed aid for the Gaza Strip rolled across a newly built U.S. floating pier into the besieged enclave for the first time Friday as Israeli restrictions on border crossings and heavy fighting hinder food and other supplies reaching people there. The shipment is the first in an operation that American military officials anticipate could scale up to 150 truckloads a day entering the Gaza Strip as Israel presses in on the southern city of Rafah as its seven-month offensive against Hamas rages on. But the U.S. and aid groups also warn that the pier project is not considered a substitute for land deliveries that could bring in all the food, water and fuel needed in Gaza. Before the war, more than 500 truckloads entered Gaza on an average day. The operation's success also remains tenuous due to the risk of militant attack, logistical hurdles and a growing shortage of fuel for the trucks to run due to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip since Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. Israel's offensive since then has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, local health officials say, while hundreds more have been killed in the West Bank. The U.S. military's Central Command acknowledged the aid movement in a statement Friday, saying the first aid crossed into Gaza at 9 a.m. It said no American troops went ashore in the operation. "This is an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza via a maritime corridor that is entirely humanitarian in nature, and will involve aid commodities donated by a number of countries and humanitarian organizations," the command said. Troops finished installing the floating pier Thursday. Hours later, the Pentagon said that humanitarian aid would soon begin flowing and that no backups were expected in the distribution process, which is being coordinated by the United Nations. The U.N., however, said fuel deliveries brought through land routes have all but stopped and this will make it extremely difficult to bring the aid to Gazas people. "We desperately need fuel," U.N. deputy spokesperson 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." Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the issue of fuel deliveries comes up in all U.S. conversations with the Israelis. She also said the plan is to begin slowly with the sea route and ramp up the truck deliveries over time as they work the kinks out of the system. Aid agencies say they are running out of food in southern Gaza and fuel is dwindling, while the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Food Program say famine has taken hold in Gazas north. Israel asserts 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. Israel also fears Hamas will use the fuel in its fight against Israeli troops. 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. There's also been violent protests by Israelis disrupting aid shipments. Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push against Hamas around that city on the Egyptian border, raising fears about civilians' safety while also cutting off the main entry for aid into the Gaza Strip. U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the pier project, expected to cost $320 million. 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 the initial shipment totaled as much as 500 tons of aid. 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, said Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator of USAID'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. The fear follows an Israeli strike last month that killed seven relief workers from World Central Kitchen whose trip had been coordinated with Israeli officials and the deaths of other aid personnel during the war. Pentagon officials have made it clear that security conditions will be monitored closely and could prompt a shutdown of the maritime route, even just temporarily. Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, a deputy commander at the U.S. militarys Central Command, told reporters Thursday that "we are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved." 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. Biden has made it clear that there will be no U.S. forces on the ground in Gaza, so third-country contractors will drive the trucks onto the shore. Cooper said "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 are in charge of security on shore, but there are also two U.S. Navy warships nearby that can protect U.S. troops and others. The aid for the sea route is collected and inspected in Cyprus, then loaded onto ships and taken about 320 kilometers to a large floating pier built by the U.S. off the Gaza coast. There, the pallets are transferred onto the trucks that then drive onto the Army boats. Once the trucks drop off the aid on shore, they immediately turn around the return to the boats. The co-founder of a local reporting initiative in California is being recognized for her work mentoring young reporters and improving community news. Tasneem Raja, who helped set up the Cityside Journalism Initiative in the San Francisco Bay Area, has a long career mentoring reporters and reaching groups typically under-covered by media outlets. The nonpartisan, nonprofit Cityside Journalism Initiative launched at a time when the news media industry was shedding jobs. Its mission statement: to create a newsroom that amplifies community voices, shares the power of real information, and investigates systems, not just symptoms. The organization is now running Berkeleyside, which was founded in 2009, and The Oaklandside, which launched in 2020. We also try to go a step further and say, you know, We're not just here in some cases, to report on what's going on. We're also here to help people, Raja told VOA. As editor-in-chief of The Oaklandside, Raja sees her role as creating opportunities for people who reflect the demographics and concerns of her outlets community. Those efforts led to her being given the 2024 Gwen Ifill Award. Presented by the International Womens Media Foundation (IWMF) in memory of PBS journalist Ifill, the award honors the work each year of a female journalist of color. What particularly struck us about Tasneems work is her dedication to creating spaces [and] making news by and about the communities on which theyre reporting, said IWMF Executive Director Elisa Lees Munoz. Local news is vital to covering underreported issues and marginalized populations; Tasneems career has been spent advancing that much needed coverage. Another area that stood out in Rajas career is her efforts to support new journalists. Her mentoring, Munoz told VOA, builds a new generation of women of color in media and news leadership. Tasneem brings this mentality into her newsrooms as well, seeing the value of diverse perspectives and lived experiences to cultivate green [inexperienced] employees into skilled journalists, Munoz added. Among those efforts is Rajas work to create a policy that allocates an annual stipend for each employee to use for professional development. For me, it starts with creating a healthy newsroom that is going to empower people to do their best work, hiring great talents, creating a space where they feel supported and they have opportunities to learn and grow, Raja said. Gwen was somebody who was really ahead of the curve of that, really modeling what healthy, thoughtful, empowering inclusive mentorship was like. That supportive process is also reflected in the Cityside Journalism Initiatives work. During the pandemic, Cityside set up a hotline where reporters would answer questions and provide information. Actions like that, Raja said, underscore Citysides mission of not only reporting on the community but actively and tangibly helping it. We want to be part of the solution. We cant do everything, we arent setting out to do everything, but we are setting out to just talk to community members in Oakland, Berkeley and now Richmond, said Raja, referring to a third media outlet they are setting up. Before moving to the Bay Area in 2019, Raja was co-founder of The Tyler Loop, a nonprofit news startup in eastern Texas. She has also worked for NPRs Code Switch, focusing on stories on race, culture and identity in America and the nonprofit, politically progressive Mother Jones, where she led a data team that built a database of mass shootings in America. Alongside her work for Cityside, Raja is on the board of directors of The 19th, a nonprofit newsroom focused on women and the LGBTQ community. Similar to media outlets across the U.S., the Cityside Journalism Initiative is currently focused on elections. Oaklandside in particular is looking to engage with the community in its coverage. Among those they are keen to connect with, said Raja, are casual voters and those who are new to voting. By starting with those conversations, were looking forward to building a solid foundation upon which were going to shape all our coverage, said Raja. Ultimately, we hope to be part of moving the needle in empowering more people to feel like they want to and can exercise that big civic right that we have. Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix This article was originally published on December 23, 2020. Weve updated it for Bridgertons third season with even more historical romance novels. Dearest gentle reader, if you are here, you have likely watched (and possibly rewatched) the entirety of Bridgerton on Netflix to date, and one cannot judge you for your enthusiasm on that front. With the debut of its long-awaited third season, this television series is packed to the brim with sexy, steamy, inclusive Regency-era drama and romance. If youve found that your appetite has been whet and more of the same is what you crave, look no further. Those who havent yet explored the historical-romance genre might feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available to them. Consider this your unofficial companion reading guide to the world of Bridgerton and the realm of romance thats waiting beyond. In addition to the series by Julia Quinn upon which the show is based, the following titles are a perfect place to begin. Forever Your Earl, by Eva Leigh $8 $8 Leigh has earned two spots on this list, in part because theres a stark similarity between the first installment of her Wicked Quills of London series and the third season of Bridgerton. Like Penelope Featherington, Forever Your Earls heroine, Eleanor Hawke, has made a reputation for herself as a premier source of gossip thanks to her popular scandal sheet, The Hawks Eye, but her most frequent subject Daniel Balfour, the Earl of Ashford, isnt so keen to find himself being mentioned week after week. Rather than attempt to shut Eleanor down, however, Daniel extends a somewhat illicit invitation to the writer to accompany him on all his wicked pursuits so he can have a say in what gets printed about him. Yet neither of them is prepared for what this window into a rakehells world will rouse in them both, leading to what may be the biggest scandal of all: What happens when a commoner and an earl fall in love? $8 at Amazon Buy $8 at Amazon Buy Wicked Becomes You, by Meredith Duran $51 $51 Meredith Duran is one of the best to ever do it, and while shes no longer writing historicals in the present, this writer cannot say enough good things about her backlist, including Wicked Becomes You. While Gwen Maudsley has had a somewhat more difficult time at finding love than any of Bridgertons heroines shes been jilted at the altar not just once, but twice! it also brings her to the realization that she needs to start living life on her own terms. What better way to do so than by letting her late brothers best friend teach her all she needs to know about being wicked? Alexander Ramsey cant help but question Gwens intentions, especially because hes made a promise to watch over her the way any brother would, but their growing proximity allows each of them to see each other in a wholly new light. $51 at Amazon Buy $51 at Amazon Buy A Reckless Match, by Kate Bateman $9 $9 In the Netflix series, the Bridgertons and the Featheringtons have lived across the street from each other for many years, but what if theyd actually been two households locked in a lifelong rivalry? Thats the premise of Kate Batemans Ruthless Rivals series, which follows the Davies and Montgomery families who have been on opposing sides out of necessity and old grudges. But when Madelyn Mongomery and Gryffud Davies unexpectedly reunite in the Welsh countryside, they learn that some attachments are stronger than ancient feuds. Perhaps their long-held animosity is actually the foundation of something much deeper and significantly closer to unspoken attraction. $9 at Amazon Buy $9 at Amazon Buy A Woman Entangled, by Cecilia Grant $8 $8 Like Bridgerton, Grants Blackshear Family series follows the titular siblings and their respective journeys to love, and the third installment involves a conceit that will be quite familiar to those following season threes events. Kate Westbrook has resigned herself to the necessity of a marriage, but to find a good match, she needs to sort out the rogues who have poor intentions. Little does she know that her longtime friend, Nick Blackshear, has been tasked by her uncle with deterring any ill-fitting suitors or that hes currently burying the very real feelings hes always had for her in order to do so. $8 at Amazon Buy $8 at Amazon Buy To Seduce a Sinner, by Elizabeth Hoyt $18 $18 Hoyt is another must-read historical-romance author, and while every one of her books is worth looking into, the second of her Legend of the Four Soldiers series is perfectly representative of Bridgertons latest leading lady. Self-professed wallflower Melisande Fleming has been in love with Jasper Renshaw, Viscount Vale for years, but always from a distance, having to watch him court and seduce other ladies much like Penelope has pined for Colin Bridgerton from afar. Of course, Melisande takes it one step further when Jasper is jilted on his wedding day, she steps in and offers to marry him herself. But the story doesnt end when they become man and wife, especially as they come to terms with their slowly blossoming (and requited) romance. $18 at Amazon Buy $18 at Amazon Buy The Countess Conspiracy, by Courtney Milan $9 $9 Bridgerton brothers Anthony, Benedict, and Colin have the type of close-knit familial dynamic that is so often an underpinning of the romance genre, but sometimes found families can be just as strong. Enter Milans Brothers Sinister series, which follows the adventures of the three rakish men (and one woman!) and the love stories they become entangled in. The entire set is worth diving into, but one highlight is The Countess Conspiracy, in which a self-professed rake scandalizes society with his bedroom behavior as well as his scientific theories. The thing is, theyre not his theories; hes been taking credit for the ideas that really have belonged to a widowed countess for years. $9 at Amazon Buy $9 at Amazon Buy My Fake Rake, by Eva Leigh $15 $15 Early on in Bridgerton, Daphne and Simon agree to feign romantic interest in one another in order for him to stave off matchmaking mamas and so she can attract more suitors. If the fake courtship trope is what youre after, then try the first book in Leighs Union of the Rakes series, which puts a Regency-era twist on classic 80s movies. Lady Grace Wyatt wants to earn the attention of a handsome naturalist, and what better way than to use another man to spike his competitive interest? But her only potential candidate is her colleague, anthropologist Sebastian Holloway. Shell have to make him over into a rake that would rival any suitor, but she doesnt expect to fall for him along the way. $15 at Amazon Buy $15 at Amazon Buy The Wallflower Wager, by Tessa Dare $13 $19 now 32% off $13 Bridgertons sparkling wit and humor is a cornerstone of the show, but its also something that author Tessa Dare has down to an art. The entirety of the Girl Meets Duke series has been packed to the brim with comedic high jinks, but if you want something especially delightful, take The Wallflower Wager which pairs the titular wallflower heroine, Lady Penelope Campion, with the grumpy duke next door whos had just about enough of all of the animals shes taken in to nurse back to health. When Penelope challenges Gabriel to help her find homes for all of them, she realizes that her neighbor might have a kind heart beneath that gruff exterior. $13 at Amazon Buy $13 at Amazon Buy A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, by Cat Sebastian $7 $9 now 22% off $7 Sebastian has become a rising voice in the realm of queer historical romance, and theres truly no bad place to start with her books but A Gentleman Never Keeps Score, the second in her Seducing the Sedgwick series, manages to tick so many Bridgerton-related boxes its ridiculous. A hero ruined by scandal? Check. A retired boxer? Check and check. Romance that drives home the statement that everyone deserves a happily ever after? You get my point. Its always fascinating to read a love story between two characters who are initially kept apart by societal forces, which is also something that Bridgerton plays into consistently over the first season. $7 at Amazon Buy $7 at Amazon Buy The Devil in Winter, by Lisa Kleypas $17 $17 Kleypas is arguably one of the most widely known authors in historical romance, and with good reason. Like many of the names on this list, the place you begin with her books is really dependent on what mood you might be in but might this humble writer suggest her Wallflowers series, about a group of four friends who enter society and make a pact to find themselves husbands? The Devil in Winter revolves around arguably the shyest member of the group who approaches Londons most notorious rake with a daring proposition: marriage. $17 at Amazon Buy $17 at Amazon Buy The Luckiest Lady in London, by Sherry Thomas $27 $27 These days, Thomas is mostly dabbling in mysteries with her Lady Sherlock series (which are also incredibly worth the read), but one shouldnt overlook her historical romance, either. One aspect of Bridgerton that plays out memorably over the course of its eight episodes is public perception and how society can make or break a reputation. The hero of The Luckiest Lady in London has been held up to such a golden standard for so long that even he starts to believe his own projected image but beneath that seemingly perfect facade exists a man with issues, ones that might not rise to the surface until after he weds his new bride at the end of the London season. $27 at Amazon Buy $27 at Amazon Buy My Darling Duke, by Stacy Reid $12 $12 Marriage and the pursuit of one becomes the goal of many a lady throughout the first season of Bridgerton, but what happens when a heroine gets desperate enough to make up a suitor of her own? Reids first novel in her Sinful Wallflowers series merges the same blend of humor and emotion. Lady Katherine Danvers conjures up a pretend fiance in the reclusive and scarred Duke of Thornton, never thinking that the man himself will emerge back into society to confront a woman hes never met about making up stories. But when Alexander lays eyes on Kitty for the first time, he realizes he might want to make her his wife for real. $12 at Amazon Buy $12 at Amazon Buy Brazen and the Beast, by Sarah MacLean $16 $20 now 20% off $16 MacLeans Bareknuckle Bastards books revolve around brothers bound in secrets and life and the women who bring them to their knees, set in the rougher boundaries of Londons underbelly. Do yourself a favor and read the entirety of this trilogy, but special distinction goes to Hattie, the heroine of Brazen and the Beast. Hattie decides right away that shes going to make the most of her 29th year of living, up to and including experiencing true pleasure she might be denied since shes officially achieved spinster status. Discovering the most attractive man shes ever seen tied up in her carriage wasnt part of that plan, but its going to take more than a Beast to derail Hatties goals for herself. $16 at Amazon Buy $16 at Amazon Buy Tall, Duke, and Dangerous, by Megan Frampton $6 $8 now 25% off $6 Simon Bassets bristling nature and desire to be nothing like his father, the late Duke of Hastings, bears a striking resemblance to another reluctant duke who finds his world upended by a somewhat sheltered society maiden. After the passing of her literal wicked stepmother, Ana Maria might need a helping hand as she finally makes her debut but when her independent streak places her in a precarious situation, her half-brother taps his best friend Nash, Duke of Malvern, to offer her some self-defense lessons. But the closer she gets to someone shes known since childhood, the more Ana Maria realizes she might want Nash to teach her about more than just throwing a punch. $6 at Amazon Buy $6 at Amazon Buy While the Duke Was Sleeping, by Sophie Jordan $7 $9 now 22% off $7 The first book in Jordans Rogue Files series has the advantage of doubling as a fantastic Regency-set reinterpretation of a classic holiday rom-com. Poppy Fairchurch has been dreaming about a romance with the Duke of Autenberry ever since the first time he visited the flower shop where she works. When she narrowly pulls him to safety from a runaway carriage and he falls into a coma, shes soon mistaken for his wife-to-be but theres one person who isnt fooled the Dukes half-brother. Struan Mackenzie doesnt know if Poppys a fortune-hunter or not, but he does know that his half-brother would never willingly marry a working girl. The longer the lie plays out, the more Poppy becomes torn between the fantasy of the duke and the real-life version of the handsome Scottish outsider who might have successfully stolen her heart. $7 at Amazon Buy $7 at Amazon Buy Honorable Mentions These authors offer just enough of a taste of different to complement any Bridgerton-related reading you might want to dive into: Joanna Shupes Uptown Girls series is set in Gilded Age New York, and steaminess abounds. Regency meets secret kink club in Kate Pearces House of Pleasure series. Vanessa Rileys Rogues and Remarkable Women series offers the same type of elegant, diverse, sparkling romances you dont want to miss. Take a fairy-tale spin into the modern era with Alyssa Coles Reluctant Royals series. If you want murder-mystery with your romance, then you need to read Manda Collinss Ladies Most Scandalous series yesterday. Photo: Francis Ford Coppola via YouTube Francis Ford Coppola poured his heart, soul, $120 million, and Jon Voights boner into Megalopolis, the resilient directors latest megaopus. Now, critics have finally had the chance to visit Coppolas garish vision on the occasion of the films Cannes Film Festival premiere on May 16. As early reviews hit the internet, we learned that critics can agree on one thing: Coppola has one wild imagination. Thats no surprise to anyone who has been following the 40-year-long making of the 138-minute passion project the film was plagued by a controversy of old-school on-set behavior; early test screenings indicating just how batshit and unsalable it seems to be; and a lack of funding, which critics say manifests itself in questionable VFX choices, among other issues. While some believe the film to be bloated and boring, with its Petrarch quotes and fall of Rome allegory, others find the madness of Coppolas futuristic fable thrilling thanks to the density of its oddities. Below, what critics who sat through a conversation about Voights (characters) erection thought about Megalopolis. 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. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture True to the advance gossip, Megalopolis is something of a mess; unruly, exaggerated and drawn to pretension like a moth to a flame. It is also, however, a pretty stunning achievement, the work of a master artist who has taken to Imax like Caravaggio to canvas. It is a true modern masterwork of the kind that outrages with its sheer audacity. In the early 20th century, the French shook their umbrellas at this kind of thing, and it will not get a soft landing in 2024, since it commands you to bend to its vision. Damon Wise, Deadline But for me this is a passion project without passion: a bloated, boring, and bafflingly shallow film, full of high-school-valedictorian verities about humanitys future. Its simultaneously hyperactive and lifeless, lumbered with some terrible acting and uninteresting, inexpensive-looking VFX work which achieves neither the texture of analogue reality nor a fully radical, digital reinvention of existence. Yet this sci-fi conspiracy drama-thriller, avowedly inspired by the Catiline plotters of ancient Rome, does ask a valid question. The U.S. empire, like the Roman empire, like any empire, cant last forever. Has Americas decline-and-fall moment arrived? Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian This is the kind of movie that will live on in midnight screenings. The phrase destined to be a cult classic gets thrown around a lot these days and mostly inaccurately something that is weird but popular and critically acclaimed does not a cult classic make and yet it seems to actually apply here. Megalopolis is stilted, earnest, over the top, CGI ridden, and utterly a mess. And yet you can picture a crowded theater shouting along with Jon Voight as he says in one key scene, What do you make of this boner I got? Esther Zuckerman, Daily Beast With Megalopolis, he crams 85 years worth of artistic reverence and romantic love into a clunky, garish, and transcendently sincere manifesto about the role of an artist at the end of an empire. It doesnt just speak to Coppolas philosophy, it embodies it to its bones. To quote one of the sharper non-sequiturs from a script thats swimming in them: When we leap into the unknown, we prove that we are free. David Ehrlich, IndieWire So is it a distancing work of hubris, a gigantic folly, or a bold experiment, an imaginative bid to capture our chaotic contemporary reality, both political and social, via the kind of large-canvas, high-concept storytelling thats seldom attempted anymore? The truth is its all those things. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter Here, backed by an estimated $120 million of the Godfather directors own money, is the sort of big swing audiences and critics have come to adore him for: a recklessly ambitious, ginormous epic in which humanitys eternal themes greed, corruption, loyalty and power threaten to suffocate a more intimate personal crisis. Peter Debruge, Variety Megalopolis doesnt exhibit that common curse of thinking its smarter than it is, but Im also not sure that itll live up to even the most cursory of deeper examinations. There are audiences that will be giddy for its insanity, others angered by a seeming waste of pure directorial talent. But for the vast majority of the cinematic hoi polloi, there will be that most cursed of reactions: indifference. Megalopolis is not a film to be seen while doom-scrolling. A great deal of its joy will be to see it in a room, as I did, with the energy of an audience growing increasingly perturbed by what they were witnessing. Jason Gorber, AV Club Clockwise from top: I Saw the TV Glow, The Strangers: Chapter One, Outer Range, Bridgerton. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Amazon, Netflix, A24, Lionsgate Its time to enter the TV glow. After a limited rollout, a new A24 flick is hitting theaters (the big-screen glow?) nationwide, and its insanely worth the watch. I cant shut up about I Saw the TV Glow, as youll soon see. But there are other things beaming and streaming through the glow of a screen this week: a thrilling season of our favorite steamy Regency romance, a new Ilana Glazer comedy, an Oscar-winning publishing-world satire, and more. Here are the best things for you to watch this weekend. Savannah Salazar Featured Presentations . Jane Schoenbruns second feature, after their lo-fi We All Went to the Worlds Fair, is larger in vision and scale, partly because they have A24s money (good for them!). I Saw the TV Glow tells the story of Owen (a fantastic performance from Justice Smith), a kid in the suburbs who just wants to watch The Pink Opaque, a Buffy-inspired show about two psychic teens (Helena Howard and Snail Mails Lindsey Jordan) fighting monsters on a different plane of existence. He bonds over the show with another queer high-schooler, Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine, who also turns out a force of a performance), but as the years go by, reality and fantasy begin to blur in a way Owen has trouble understanding. Its a unique drama on the exploration of gender identity, loneliness, and how certain media can create a painfully personal language to interpret that dizzying journey. I Saw the TV Glow is sure to stick with you. It doesnt hurt that I Saw the TV Glow has such a banger soundtrack with tracks from Florist, Bartees Strange, Sloppy Jane (featuring Phoebe Bridgers!), and Caroline Polachek. Whats a coming-of-age movie without good music? In theaters now . Its been way too long since Bridgerton has graced our screens, and season three is proving to be well worth the wait. Next up for love is third Bridgerton brother and world traveler Colin (a freshly spray-tanned Luke Newton), as he arrives back in London wooing members of the ton with his newfound charm and confidence. Then theres his childhood friend Lady Whistledown herself, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), looking to find a husband of her own. He decides to help her, which, naturally, kicks off this wonderful friends-to-lovers story. Netflix has split this season into two parts (the second installment arrives June 13), because waiting two years for Bridgerton apparently wasnt enough. Streaming on Netflix . Ilana Glazer is back with another pregnancy story (this time a comedy) and another codependent friendship (this time with Michelle Buteau). In Babes, Glazer is Eden, a single woman who, after a one-night stand, finds out shes pregnant and leans on her best friend, mother-of-two Dawn (Buteau), for support. In theaters now . A movie franchise you can absolutely not convince me to watch in a million years, but I will recount it for you anyway (brave, I know). The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the first in a new trilogy, based on the 2008 movie, with another film coming out later this year and the final one out next year (as of now). Directed by Renny Harlin, this movie stars Riverdales Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez as a road-tripping couple who have to make an emergency pit stop and stay in an eerie, isolated Airbnb for the night. Because, sure, that sounds like a good idea. Okay, but wheres the Barbarian Mother vs. Dollface and Man in Mask spinoff? In theaters now . Director John Krasinski is ditching the terrifying monsters of Quiet Place for imaginary friends in IF. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as a grown man who can see imaginary friends; hes paired up with a young girl (Cailey Fleming) who can also see them, and the two go on to help find the kids who imagined them. Expect voice performances from Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Maya Rudolph, and so many others. In theaters now . This limited series follows Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newtons (Andre Holland) attempt to flee to Castros Cuba to avoid the FBI; Newton and Hollywood producer Bert Schneider (Alessandro Nivola) cook up a scheme using a faux movie production for cover. Roxana Hadadi Streaming on Apple TV+ The One-Sentence Review Back to Black It can be hard for a biopic to re-create the outsize presence of a major performing artist, but Back to Black sets out to do the opposite not to shrink its subject down to human scale, but to leave her diminished. Alison Willmore (Read more here.) Finally Streaming . Answer: No. But now you can come to your own conclusions on the Hunger Games prequel as it finally hits a streaming service this week! Oh, and if you have questions about that ending between Snow (Tom Blyth) and Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), weve got you covered. Plus, writer-director Cord Jeffersons American Fiction is finally streaming on Prime Video. Streaming on Starz . Photo: Claire Folger/Orion Releasing Remember writer-director Cord Jeffersons passionate speech about mid-budget movies at the Oscars? This is the film he won that award for! Adapted from the Percival Everett novel Erasure, American Fiction (starring Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown, and Issa Rae) was one of the buzzier titles of awards season last fall. Now, its free on Amazon Prime Video, so this is your chance to watch it if you happened to miss it during all the Oscars hoopla. Streaming on Prime Video The 30 Second Q&A Outer Range season two is on Amazon Prime Video this weekend. But what is it about? S.S.: What is it about Outer Range that is appealing to you? Nicholas Quah: Its a bizarro, elliptical show about the American West thats almost completely made for weirdos. Very little about the first season feels like it was made by committee, let alone an algorithm The first season ends in a way that flies straight off the deep end! Theres absolutely nothing like it! I should also say that, as a result of that ending, the second season has veered deeper into incomprehensibility. I guess Im having fun still. I dont know! Sons hang out with younger versions of their fathers! Whatever! My brain is melting. S.S.: Do you think more people than just you and Ray should watch? N.Q.: Yes! Who needs Yellowstone! S.S.: Brolin over Costner. N.Q.: 1,000 percent. Streaming on Prime Video Double Feature Buffy the Vampire Slayer I Saw the TV Glow director Schoenbrun talked to Vulture about the many 90s television shows that inspired their new feature from Are You Afraid of the Dark? to Twin Peaks, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the absolute starting point. So why not take the chance to (re)watch? Streaming on Hulu Want more? Read our recommendations from the weekend of May 10. This content is expired! Unfortunely this content is expired and cannot be viewed anymore; if You are the owner of this content please login to our Website, go to our access panel and enable this content again. Dining chat: A waiter gave our anniversary bubbly to the table next to us. What should we have done? A Waterford representative and Senior Inspector with the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) has backed the Minister's hopes to ban electronic shock collars that are operated by hand-held remote controls. Senior ISPCA Inspector Alice Lacey explained to the Waterford News & Star that the remote-controlled electronic shock collars being used on dogs and cats usually "involve punishment." "Such devices can cause pain, fear, or distress," said Ms Lacey. "They impact on the animals welfare, can make existing behavioural issues worse, and other behavioural problems to arise," she added. The recent announcement from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Charlie McConalogue T.D, to take a stance on the use of the devices came after seeking and receiving advice from his companion animal advisory group (ACCAW). The ISPCA is a member of this group, and he acknowledged that some of the small number of dog owners, who currently use these shock collars, expressed worry about controlling their dogs if they stop using them. The Minister intends to permit those who currently use shock collars on their dogs to continue to do so, but only for those dogs. Importantly, these pet owners will need to register their dogs identity with DAFM, exempting that dog from the new rules. As such, the new ban will then protect puppies and dogs who have not previously had shock collars used on them. This proposal by the Minister to ban the collars relates only to the use of electronic shock collars operated by hand-held remote controls. It does not relate to anti-bark collars or collars linked to boundary fences or remote fencing to control other animals. However, other concerning techniques that the ISPCA does not condone while training dogs include choke chains, prong collars, physical force / coercion (for example, hitting the animal or forcing them into a position), the use of citrus sprays and use of high-pitched sonic devices as these techniques can inflict pain and involve punishment, fear or distress resulting in poor animal welfare. Additionally, the ISPCA states the use of these techniques "have no place in modern companion animal training" as concerning behavioural issues arise from this. Rather than shock collars, Ms Lacey encourages pet owners "to use reward-based training techniques." Animal welfare concerns can be reported to the ISPCA on 0818 515 515. 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. Austin: Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a full pardon for a former US 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 a few minutes after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles announced that it unanimously recommended that Daniel Perry be pardoned and have his firearms rights restored. Daniel Perry enters the courtroom in Austin, Texas. Credit: AP Abbotts demand for a review of Perrys case followed pressure from former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, who on national television had urged the governor to intervene after the sergeant was convicted at trial in April 2023. Perry has been held in state prison on a 25-year sentence since his conviction in 2023 in the killing of Garrett Foster. From May 8-10, 2024, the World Customs Organization (WCO) convened its 6th Global Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Conference in the vibrant city of Shenzhen, China. Marking the return to in-person gatherings following the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, this Conference, supported by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, brought together an array of global trade leaders under the theme Harnessing the Power of AEO Programmes for Inclusive and Sustainable Global Trade. Over three days, the event served as a platform for insightful discussions on the future of international trade and the pivotal role of AEO programmes. Kicking off the conference, WCO Secretary General Ian Saunders set the tone with an opening address that not only welcomed attendees, but also outlined the agenda ahead. The Secretary General underscored the critical role of AEO programmes in fostering a collaborative environment where trade efficiency and security are paramount. Emphasizing the vision of making AEO programmes accessible and advantageous across all sectors of global trade, especially for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), he highlighted their potential to drive employment and economic growth worldwide. Addressing the significant gap between MSMEs' contribution to GDP and their representation in global exports, the Secretary General stressed the need to simplify the AEO application process, making it more accessible to smaller enterprises. This approach aims to demystify the compliance landscape and broaden understanding, thus encouraging greater participation in international trade. Furthermore, Secretary General Saunders highlighted the importance of mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) and other forms of international cooperation in amplifying the benefits of AEO programmes globally. Strengthening these agreements enhances the attractiveness and value of AEO programmes, contributing to a more secure and efficient global supply chain. The Vice Minister of the General Administration of China Customs (GACC), Wang Lingjun, thanked the WCO for organizing the conference in Shenzhen and extended a warm welcome to all the participants from around the world. He expressed China Customs strong willingness to actively respond to the WCOs call on cooperation, join hands with other parties and stakeholders, capitalize on the advantages of AEO programmes and contribute to promoting the sustainable development of the global trade. The Mayor of Shenzhen city, Qin Weizhong, congratulated the successful opening of the conference in Shenzhen. He emphasized the significance of this conference in strengthening AEO international mutual recognition cooperation, achieving high-level mutual benefits and win-win outcomes and safeguarding global supply chain security as well as facilitating trade. The Mayor also underscored that Shenzhen stood ready to integrate into a more open global economy through deepening cooperation with the WCO and different Customs administrations. Throughout the conference, discussions delved into various dimensions of the AEO initiative. Plenary sessions explored how AEO programmes serve as a cornerstone for economic security and growth, streamlining Customs procedures while bolstering supply chain efficiency and security through enhanced cooperation across borders. A notable session focused on advancing womens empowerment through AEO programmes, addressing gender-specific barriers in global trade and outlining strategies to foster inclusivity. Another session examined the intersection of technology with Customs and trade facilitation, showcasing innovations in risk management and trade processes through data analytics and emerging technologies. Harmonization and recognition of AEO standards across different jurisdictions were also pivotal topics. Participants explored challenges and opportunities in creating a seamless global trade mechanism through MRAs, aiming to enhance the predictability and reliability of cross-border trade operations. In addition to presentations, interactive streams allowed for deeper engagement on specialized topics, including the expansion of AEO programmes to free zones and fostering an AEO culture within Customs administrations and the private sector. Additionally, an outcome of this event will be the drafting of a Shenzhen Action Plan, intended for discussion at the forthcoming 30th WCO SAFE Working Group Meeting in November 2024. This draft plan will consolidate the key highlights of the conference and propose possible pathways for various topics deliberated upon, serving as a supporting foundation for the new draft Work Programme of the SAFE Working Group for the period spanning 2025-2028. The 6th WCO Global AEO Conference in Shenzhen was a testament to the collaborative effort required to foster a secure, efficient, and inclusive global trade environment. The discussions and decisions made at this event are expected to have a lasting impact on the development and implementation of AEO programmes worldwide, helping to shape a more integrated and equitable global trading system. The World Customs Organization (WCO), in collaboration with the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO) for the Asia/Pacific region, held a regional workshop from 14 to 17 May 2024 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The workshop addressed the best practices for combating counterfeiting and piracy in accordance with the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Strategy adopted by the WCO. With financial backing provided by the Japan Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF/Japan), the workshop took place at the Vietnam Customs School in Hanoi City. In attendance were 27 supervisors and front-line officers experienced in IPR protection in their respective Customs administrations in the following countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Korea, Fiji, Hong Kong (China), Japan, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Vietnam. In his opening address, Mr. Van Khanh Vu, the Rector from Vietnam Customs conveyed his Administrations gratitude to the WCO and Japan for organizing an event of this kind in Hanoi and highlighted the importance of adopting a regional approach for addressing the threat posed to the regions economies by counterfeiting and piracy. Finally, he confirmed his administration's willingness to host other WCO activities on the premises of the Vietnam Customs School. Hosted by an expert from the Secretariat and with support from two pre-accredited experts from Japan and Bangladesh, the workshop began with presentations on global and regional trends in IPR infringements and recommended practices for securing the best protection from those infringements at the borders, in the light of which participants shared their experiences of the challenges they had faced in their respective countries. The next topic of discussion concerned the risk management and targeting techniques applying in relation to IPR. Here, the WCOs IPR CENcomm secure communication tool had been very useful. Two new WCO tools were also introduced, namely the e-learning tool dedicated to combating illicit medicines and counterfeit or substandard medical supplies related to COVID19 and other pandemics and the case studies and risk indicators to identify IPR, health and safety infringing goods related to e-commerce. As part of the activities on the third day, 17 rights holders addressed the workshop to share with participants the issues and challenges of trademark protection, focusing in particular on the techniques for detecting the counterfeit goods affecting their rights. The workshop ended with a practical exercise in the field, conducted at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi City. In carrying out the exercise, participants had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Vietnam Customs control procedures. For further details on our activities in this area, please contact us at: IPRteam@wcoomd.org. A coalition of humanitarian NGOs in Sudan has warned that the shutdown of telecoms services in the midst of the countrys civil war is making a massive humanitarian crisis even worse, and urged all stakeholders including Starlink to restore services as soon as possible. A nationwide telecoms shutdown in February left almost 30 million Sudanese without access to the internet or telephone calls for more than a month. While some levels of services have since been restored in the east part of Sudan, large parts of the country including the Darfur region, and parts of Khartoum and the Kordofans remain disconnected from network providers such as Zain, MTN and Sudani, according to an open letter from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) released earlier this week. In some areas, the only available service has been via satellite connectivity services like Starlink. The NRC letter said that civilians and local responders, such as emergency response rooms (ERRs), often connect through informal Starlink internet cafes. However, Starlink is not licenced to operate in Sudan, and the military government has ordered people not to use the service, in part because the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) has reportedly been using Starlink terminals to communicate. Last month, Starlink said it would halt roaming services to countries where it doesnt have an operating licence effective April 30, although various media outlets have reported that Starlink remains accessible in Sudan. The NRC letter said that services like Starlink remain critical for international humanitarian organizations and local responders to remain operational in unconnected parts of Sudan. The letter warned that shutting down Starlink would have a disproportionate impact on civilians and the aid organizations who are trying to reach them. The NRC letter also said military attacks on telecoms infrastructure, as well as government-ordered shutdowns, have severely affected civilians' ability to cope with the effects of the war, as well as aid workers' capacity to deliver essential services, with local responders most severely impacted. In the midst of the fighting, civilians need internet access to not only share and receive critical and lifesaving information, including safe areas and routes, but also access cash and bank transfers so they can purchase basic necessities like food and water, the NRC said. Meanwhile, local aid groups, who have been the first and main responders in most conflict-affected parts of the country, rely heavily on telecoms to reach vulnerable communities and receive funding for their activities. Humanitarian organizations also need connectivity to coordinate and deliver relief efforts safely, particularly to provide cash assistance into the most remote areas. Any shutdown of telecoms services is a violation of human rights and may be considered to be a collective punishment that will not only isolate individuals from their support networks but also exacerbate the already dire economic situation facing millions, the NRC said. The letter which was signed by 94 humanitarian, civil society, human rights organizations and members of the #KeepItOn coalition calls for all stakeholders to ensure the uninterrupted provision of telecoms services in Sudan, as well as for parties on both sides of the conflict to stop attacking, destroying, damaging or shutting down telecoms infrastructure, and allow repairs to be made. The letter also said restrictions on satellite services and importation of satellite internet devices should be lifted. The NRC letter also said service providers need to ensure connectivity by diversifying the means to access the internet, such as solutions based on satellite (including, though not limited to, Starlink) and WiMAX technology, or the use of e-SIMs near the countrys borders." Meanwhile, development donors and financial institutions should support long-term development of the telecoms sector by promoting decentralized infrastructure and reducing barriers for smaller businesses to enter the telecoms market, the letter said. Finally, the NRC also called on the UN to increase emergency telecoms capacity in Darfur and the Kordofans through the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster. The NRC said that over a year of relentless warfare and indiscriminate violence has led to Sudan becoming the worlds worst displacement crisis and is on the brink of becoming the worlds worst hunger crisis. In total, nearly 25 million people more than half of Sudans population need humanitarian aid. A 25-year-old Winchester mom hoped for a home birth with midwives in attendance and part of her wish came true. A healthy baby boy was born May 3 with the help of Raelyn Williams midwife team, but it wasnt at the house set up for the impending birth. The delivery took place in the back seat of a car at the Stinker Station in North Lewiston on a busy Friday afternoon. Its a boy! the midwives shouted at 5:17 p.m., when the first cry was heard. Loud cheers erupted from customers, emergency responders and curious bystanders in the parking lot. Williams and her husband, Reilly Williams, were showered with support and care, and now have a memorable story of how they wound up having a baby at a Stinker Station. Williams had her first son at home, and since shes a healthy woman and considered a low-risk patient, she opted to get her care at Eden Wifery in Lewiston. The first freestanding birth center in the region has been serving women since 2018 with prenatal care, home births and postpartum supervision. Ivy Warwick, of Anatone, started her practice six years ago and moved locations in 2023 to join Ashley Rogers at the Warner Drive clinic. Warwick is a certified practical midwife, licensed in Washington and Idaho. Rogers, who first launched Essential Womens Wellness, is a certified nurse midwife and an advanced practice registered nurse in Idaho. She is a primary provider who sees many patients throughout the week. Birth assistants Bethany Wilks and Tori Salmeri round out the Eden crew, along with office manager Brigette Moody. Warwick said the Stinker Station birth is one for the record books. For starters, it was her first car delivery. Then you have to factor in the scene: Traffic was shut down, first responders and flashing lights were there, and the parents and baby got a police escort to the birth house after the 7-pound, 14-ounce boy arrived. Williams is the daughter of Lewis County Sheriff Jason Davis and his wife, Janae. They helped coordinate their grandchilds impromptu parade of emergency crews and midwives. All of the hoopla and attention surrounding the special day are a bit overwhelming, but Williams said she hopes to help normalize natural births by telling folks about her experience. Typically, she and her husband of six years are private people who dont live our lives online, Williams said, but we dont mind sharing this story, as long as you dont use our kids names. The day had started with a morning appointment at Edens Lewiston office in the Orchards. Everything was looking good for the babys May 16 due date. After she left, the entire office went to lunch that day to celebrate the International Day of the Midwife, Warwick recalled. Then Williams water broke that afternoon. At that point, the rush was on to get her from Winchester to Lewiston to a birth house set up with a small pool, medical equipment and all of the supplies used for a home birth. However, Williams labor was progressing quickly, and the midwives knew it was time for an impromptu pit stop. The women quickly planned an emergency rendezvous at the closest gas station along the route. We were throwing things in our cars and stuffing our pockets with supplies, Wilks said. On top of everything else, we had to get across Memorial Bridge, which is under construction, and it was one of the busiest times of the day. Adrenaline was pumping in both directions as the parents drove toward Lewiston, and the midwives headed to the Stinker Station. Thankfully, the Lewis County sheriff was instrumental in contacting 911 and getting first responders from Nez Perce County, Lewiston and the fire department to the scene, Warwick said. A few minutes after the couple pulled into the gas station in their red Chevrolet Trax, Warwick delivered the baby with the help of Rogers, Wilks and Salmeri. The paramedics there were great, Warwick said. I handed one of them the placenta. The best part is they all got to see a natural birth, which is so magical. Williams said those few moments are a blur. She started pushing as soon as the midwives arrived, and the baby was ready for his debut. I dont remember exactly how long it took, but it went fast. My mom was there, too. High Court reporters A Dublin drug dealer has been earning thousands each month renting out properties that were last month deemed to be crime proceeds, the High Court has heard. Mr Justice Alexander Owens acceded to the Criminal Assets Bureaus request for its receiver to receive the rental income that would have been sent to David Waldron, who the judge has accepted has been a major player in the illegal distribution and sale of controlled drugs in Dublin since 2000. The judge said Garda intelligence is that David Waldron and his brother Christopher Waldron took a leading role in sourcing and supplying controlled drugs in the Cabra area after Eamon The Don Dunne was murdered in April 2010. Last month Mr Justice Owens made orders under section 3(1) of the 1996 Proceeds of Crime Act deeming three of David Waldrons properties properties in Cabra, Co Dublin; Gorey, Co Wexford; and Leixlip, Co Kildare to be derived from or connected to crime proceeds. This week, the Cabs barrister, Grainne ONeill, said David Waldrons estranged wife, Charlene, is living at the Ratoath Road, Cabra, property, while Waldron is living in Spain. Counsel told the court that the Gorey mansion is being rented by a man called Egidijus Bubnys (31), at a monthly rent of 3,750 under a 40-year lease agreement. The Lithuanian national also rents the three-bed house in River Forest, Leixlip, and sublets it to 13 people, she said. The court heard he received rent of between 5,800 and 6,200 per month, of which he transfers 2,700 to David Waldrons Spanish bank account. Mr Bubnys was not before the court and is not a respondent to the Cabs case. Mr Justice Owens ruled that the Cabs receiver is to be sent any income that David Waldron would have received from the properties. He ordered that Mr Bubnys should be notified of his orders and directed that no new tenants can be moved in. He adjourned the case to a date next month. The judge previously said David and Charlene Waldron enjoyed lavish foreign travel inconsistent with legitimate income up to his imprisonment in March 2015, Mr Justice Owens has said. The lifestyle resumed when he was released from jail and they rarely used their bank accounts to defray ordinary daily living expenses, he said. He said Waldrons main income comes from drug dealing and Ms Waldron cannot but have been aware of the source of her means. The Cab separately seized Christopher Waldrons home at 61 Killala Road, Cabra, Dublin, having successfully secured High Court orders to the effect that it and some expensive watches were bought using proceeds from the sale of drugs in Cabra and Finglas. Eimear Dodd 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. A Mayo councillor has called on the local authority to reinvest any rates received from Ireland West Airport back into the airport. Cllr Gerry Murray made the comments at a recent meeting of Mayo County Council. He said he understands that the airport has received a rates bill of close to 1 million. The Charlestown councillor urged Mayo County Council to sink the airports rates back into the facility. The councils head of Finance Peter Duggan said he could not comment on the rates bill as he understands it might be under appeal. Meanwhile, a Castlebar councillor says he feared a major funding announcement could be a gimmick. Two projects in Mayo have secured combined funding of over 11 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF). Ballyhaunis Community Vision project and Ballintubber Abbey Culture and Heritage Visitor Centre have secured receive 5,285,070 and 5,842,678 respectively. However, Fianna Fail councillor Blackie Gavin remained unconvinced. I welcome the funding for Ballintubber but is it an election gimmick? I think it is a gimmick. It is great to get 5 million for the Castlebar MD but I am awfully afraid we will never see it along with the other projects. We are banging our head against the wall and it is time a lot of the capital projects are rolled out in this county, said Cllr Gavin. He pointed to funding announcements for other project in Castlebar which remain undelivered. Cllr Gerry Murray said he feared the matched funding requirements for major projects places an unfair burden on local authorities like Mayo County Council. The local authorities along the east coast can easily come up with the 25% while down here we struggle to come up with it because we have a much lower revenue stream coming into this county. It is absolutely outrageous and the department and government know the borrowing capacity for rural local authorities isn't infinite, Cllr Murray commented. In the world of payroll, Long Service Leave (LSL) is one area that has the potential to create many headaches for employers. Not only can it be an afterthought following modern award and enterprise agreement compliance, there are also several competing factors that can make LSL a compliance minefield. LSL compliance relies upon understanding the interplay between state-based legislation, industrial instruments (awards and enterprise agreements), the National Employment Standards, and sometimes, internal policies as well. In totality, this creates a complex system that leaves employers at risk of not providing the correct entitlements to their staff. Challenge #1: LSL is a state-by-state proposition For businesses with a national workforce, the first hurdle they will encounter revolves around the legislation governing LSL, which is distinct in each Australian state and territory. While it may seem amazingly antiquated by modern standards, there is a specific reason why LSL entitlements differ in each jurisdiction. In short, LSL laws have their roots in a historical tradition, established by calculating the length of time it would take civil servants to return to England by ship after serving 10 years in their respective states. It may be 2024, but this tradition continues, adding another layer of complexity of todays industrial relations landscape. Depending on the state, the duration of leave provided can differ. State legislation can also vary in relation to the rate at which leave is paid, accrual calculation methods, and the final payment upon termination of employment, which can vary depending on the reason for termination. Challenge #2: The relationship between LSL and enterprise agreements Different entitlements and rules throughout Australia and across industries have the potential to create confusion, particularly for businesses operating in various states and territories or covered by multiple enterprise agreements. These agreements can encompass various entitlements and accrual methods for LSL, and entitlements can differ based on factors like employment status or qualifications. Many agreements feature hybrid structures, blending state-based legislation with negotiated LSL entitlements, evolving over time through negotiation between employees, their union, and the employer. All of these factors need to be considered when incorporating LSL into compliance frameworks. Challenge #3: Payroll systems are not built for Australia Compounding these issues further is the fact that enterprise payroll systems are often provided by global vendors and do not specifically cater for the intricacies of the Australian legal environment. In instances where Australian requirements will not neatly fit into these systems, manual workarounds (such as using spreadsheets for calculations) are frequently required. This in turn increases the risk of human error, impacts scalability, and adds to the time and resources needed to calculate entitlements correctly. Overcoming the challenges: LSL might be archaic, but a modern solution is whats needed The increasing public scrutiny of underpayments by large businesses has made reputation risk management a top priority for boards. These underpayment cases often reveal broader systemic issues with far-reaching financial implications, and LSL looms as the next flash point, should businesses not act soon. The complexities associated with LSL compliance have motivated Yellow Canary to develop a Long Service Leave compliance tool that automates compliance reviews, accurately calculating LSL balances and payments according to state legislation and enterprise agreements. For employers who have yet to assess their organisations LSL compliance, the time to do so is now. Whether you engage with solutions such as ours, or simply begin examining how well equipped your management team is to handle your organisations LSL compliance risk, those who take action will find themselves in a significantly more secure position in the future. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. A Castlebar business will represent Mayo at the National Enterprise Awards next week. Cytidel, a cyber intelligence company, will travel to the National Enterprise Awards in the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin on Thursday, May 23. The company that specialises in fixing security threats will compete against other finalists for a prize fund of 50,000. Along with an overall National Enterprise of the Year winner, there are categories for Best Start-Up, Best Export Business, an Innovation Award, a One-to-Watch Award, and a Sustainability Award. Last years National Enterprise Awards was won by Mayo business Advanced Cosmetics, supported by Local Enterprise Office Mayo. Uisce Eireann, formerly Irish Water, has commenced works at the Mayfield Pumping Station in Claremorris, according to local councillor Tom Connolly. The news comes only weeks after it was reported that dead fish had been found on the banks of Clare Lake, with locals blaming pollution in the lake. Fine Gael Cllr Connolly said the issue of the wastewater operations in Claremorris has been "a huge matter of concern to us all in the locality for some time". "I have been consistently raising this matter with Mayo Co Council," he said. "I am pleased to learn that these representations have been taken on board and that works have commenced. I have been advised that improvement works are currently underway to ensure compliance with current storm water overflow guidelines. This involves improvement works on sections of the pipe network through an Infiltration Reduction Programme (IRP) with the objective of reducing infiltration to the sewer and flow arriving at Mayfield Wastewater Pumping Station. These works are targeting 2km of the sewer network in the town centre and at Mayfield where significant infiltration has been identified through CCTV surveys." Councillor Connolly continued: In addition to these works, Uisce Eireann has scheduled significant improvement works at Claremorris treatment plant, which will increase its capacity to treat wastewater. This work will commence in the third quarter of 2024 and are expected to be finalisation within a 12-month period. Uisce Eireann is examining the possibility of including an improved monitoring system at the pump station. I have worked extremely hard on this issue to try and bring it to the forefront with a view to getting it resolved. I am very pleased that works have commenced with further, significant works planned. This is excellent new for Claremorris and the surrounding areas concluded Councillor Tom Connolly. Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, in association with J Keane & Sons Ltd in Roscommon, will raffle a car this September. The Volkswagen Polo Life is worth in the region of 30,000. All entries into the draw will go towards funding, supporting and developing palliative care services, both in Mayo and Roscommon Hospices as well as their local communities. Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation provides palliative care services to people with life limiting illnesses and their families in County Mayo and County Roscommon. Over the past 31 years, the Palliative Care Teams have assisted in the care of over 20,000 patients and their families. Both Mayo Hospice and Roscommon Hospice were developed and paid for by fundraised income (a combined 16.3 million) and are a result of the great support received from the people of Mayo and Roscommon. CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, Martina Jennings, said: Our 2023 car draw was hugely popular, raising a total of over 150,000 for Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. We are so grateful to J Keane & Sons Ltd in Roscommon for partnering with us to give away a beautiful Volkswagen Polo Life. All of the funds raised in the draw will make a huge difference to our patients, who have life limiting illnesses, ensuring we provide the best facilities possible to both them and their families. We have our two Hospices now up and running but we do need continued support to keep them going as well as continuing to fund our community palliative care service and implement our plans for the future. We are committed to the continuation of funding, developing and providing services in the West of Ireland for all patients with life limiting illnesses. Chairperson of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, Mike Smith, said: We are thrilled to announce our second car draw which not only offers participants to drive away in a brand new car but you are contributing to Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation and supporting those living with life limiting illnesses, whether they are in a hospice or receiving support in their homes. John Keane of J Keane & Sons Ltd said: We are delighted to work in partnership with Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. We hope everyone will purchase a ticket to support the vital services of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. They are so important to our local community. Everyone from all over the country is invited to enter the draw. Tickets are 15 each, four tickets are 50 and ten tickets are 100. Tickets can be bought online now from https://winacar.hospice.ie/, any of the 12 Mayo Roscommon Hospice shops and also in Mulroys Londis, Castlebar. The competition closes in September and the winner will be chosen in a live draw at Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation office in Knock. Entries must be over 18. In the not too distant past, tents were an item of potential pleasure and glee as users looked forward to a cheap and different way to spend a holiday. It has to be said that such holidays were not always the panacea that the tent advocates hoped for. Weather, wind and rain had a way of turning a fairytale into a nightmare. The nostalgic users would make the most of their experience while others concluded never again. This country was never a place where tented holidays were ever likely to become popular. In times past, Ive had experience of sleeping (well trying to sleep) in tents and I found them most uncomfortable and not very conducive to rest or sleep. It is also the case that where you might have a partner in your tent he/she might be loquacious when you wish to slumber down or may erupt into snoring to keep you awake. But these are observations that have little or nothing to do with the tent that increasingly nowadays has to do with a place of refuge, a little haven of hoped-for safety in a changed world where conflict, struggle and mans inhumanity to man takes precedence over justice, fair play, integrity and decency. All around the world, we see tented cities facilitating displaced people, single people, families, young people who have grown up to be men and women who have known nothing but life in a tent. We are not talking here about nomadic peoples who enjoy moving around and making a full and good life, living out of their traditional tents in a lifestyle they enjoy. We are talking about those who have no choice. The reality is that a tent is not the answer. The people of Gaza or a considerable number of them are now forced to exist in tented accommodation. These are people who have been chased out of their homes, forced out by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), some on many occasions from different locations and are again being forced out of Rafah - the city they were forced into - to facilitate the destruction of their homeland. Regarding the IDF, its a mystery to me how reasonable people, including some Israelis, fail to see that the IDF is not a defence force. They are an extremely aggressive, dangerous and reprehensible attack force with no limit placed on their ambition to destroy the Palestinian population. Indeed, they are encouraged in that ambition by their government. It is sad that world governments and an acquiescent media accept that the IDFs role in Gaza is defensive. That acceptance gives the IDF carte blanche to do as they do. There is another whitewash that governments and media acquiesce in and its that these are displaced people. These are people who were forced out of their homes under threat of attack by the tanks and bombs of the so-called defence forces of the state of Israel. Displaced puts a bit of a balm on the reality that these people are dispossessed refugees. Irish history has plenty examples of the pain and cruelty that goes with dispossession. Those are sweeping statements and such statements are open to contradiction, as I discovered recently when I wrote that the people of Israel supported the war in Gaza. I was taken to task by a member (non-practicing) of the Jewish faith living in north Mayo who quite correctly pointed out that there were Israelis who did not agree with the policies pursued by the Netanyahu government. Israeli polling (and no, Im not a fan of polls) show that only 80% of the Israeli people support the war in Gaza. It is a substantial majority and a comfort to Netanyahu. Netanyahu eschews a possible pause in the Gaza war that might allow for the return of remaining hostages held in captivity by Hamas and continues to pursue his war in Rafah, and that will result in a minimum of 500,000 people moving from conflict into yet another tented city somewhere, anywhere, but just get out of Rafah. This is the IDF policy of ensuring the safety of the Gazan civilian population. The success of that policy can be seen in the 36,000 plus dead women and children. And so we bring the tent home to this wonderful little country. Tents have become part and parcel of the protest movement against migrants. No self-respecting Irish protestor can turn up without a tent in tow. They pitch their tent wherever they wish. They are the sole arbiters of right - their right to do as they please without regard to the law or the rights of others. But we have seen the tent used to good effect too. In general, I would not be an admirer of student protests, my cynical view being that they would be better off attending their lectures instead of taking to the streets and disrupting life for ordinary decent citizens. The tents in Fellows Square in the grounds of Trinity College and the sit-down protests may have discommoded tourists wishing to view the Book of Kells but the cause the students pursued was just and worthwhile. They espoused the cause of the Palestinian people, but even more, they shone a light on the disreputable engagement Trinity management had with Israel and some Israeli universities complicit in the war in Gaza. I am aghast (I like that word and think it appropriate!) that a Trinity management from which I would expect impeccable policy controls could be duped into collaborations with an Israeli institution that is less than savoury. After five days, Trinity management saw the error of their ways and acceded to the wishes of the students. It was a policy climbdown by management but one has to wonder about the governance of the Trinity governors that they should have got involved in what was, at best, an unseemly arrangement in the first place. Good governance does not appear to be high on the list of many Irish institutions, University of Limerick being another academic institution with questionable governance practices. And so to Mount Street and the Grand Canal. Because we cant provide appropriate accommodation to our migrants seeking asylum here we give them tents. I dont know whether the asylum seekers are given any guidance as to what they are to do with the tents but it is not unreasonable to expect that they will pitch their tents close to the services they seek to access. And so we have had the tasteless sight of officials with mechanical grabs destroying and removing the tents which only days earlier had been given to the refugees to ease their trauma. Now, one might argue that the refugees could have dispersed to locations where their existence would be hidden from the view of the public - the old out-of-sight, out-of-mind solution so frequently used as an Irish solution to an Irish problem. But these refugees are only recently arrived and cant be expected to understand that while we give them tents we dont give them the right to pitch them anywhere. I can accept the argument that a good number of these migrants are economic migrants rather than genuine refugees and some also have a selfish view of their entitlements and seemingly put themselves ahead of the many Irish homeless people who seek proper accommodation and who have a greater entitlement because of their citizenship. It is obvious that tents are not the answer, though I would not mind having the contract to supply tents which our officials so generously hand out. Thought for the day Nil aon tintean mar do thintean fhein. Niamh ODonoghue A law graduate and religious youth leader has been given a two-year jail-term for the defilement and sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old girl in Dublin four years ago. Mark McMorrow (27) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to the defilement of Sophia Doyle (19) on December 20th, 2020. He also pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation on dates between September and December 2020. He further pleaded to communicating with a child for the purposes of exploitation on dates between April 10th, 2019 and December 20th, 2020. Sinead McMullan BL, prosecuting, told the court that Ms Doyle wished to waive her right to anonymity to allow McMorrow to be named. The court heard McMorrow of Woodlands Avenue, Cabinteely, Dublin was 22 years old when the offending began. Judge James McCourt handed down a two-and-a-half-year sentence with the final six months suspended on certain conditions. Detective Garda Lisa McDonnell told the court the events occurred between September and December 2020 and ended just a week before Ms Doyles 17th birthday. She told Ms McMullan that the Doyles and McMorrows families knew each other through a faith-based group called Community of Nazareth. Her parents had joined when Ms Doyle was around seven or eight and all the families became very close, the court heard. She was also part of a youth group in which McMorrow became a leader, and they saw each other socially. In 2019, when she was a third year in school, and she was struggling with her mental health, they started communicating on social media. Discord messaging He asked her to start messaging him on Discord, which the court heard was a more private type of messaging. The victim told a priest what had happened, who then reported it to Tusla, who informed gardai. The court heard the religious group also hired an independent professional to establish what had occurred. The girls mobile phone was given to gardai and McMorrow met with them at Dundrum Garda Station where he was interviewed but later released without charge. He told gardai that it was a relationship that had turned sexual, having initially considered her a friend. He said he knew what he was doing was illegal but was at a bad time in his life. David Staunton BL, defending, told the court his client achieved very highly in school and was now a law graduate. He said he was a media officer but was not currently working. Mr Staunton asked the court to have regard to the number of references handed into the court on behalf of his client. Judge McCourt sentenced McMorrow to two-and-a-half years with the final two suspended. On condition that he has no involvement with the Community of Nazareth, which Ms Doyle no longer attends, and he was not to communicate with the victim in any way. The judge also told him he could not contact her through social media especially through the use of Discord. The court was told McMorrow, who has no previous convictions had taken 800 to court to pay for counselling undertaken by the victim, but the judge said it didnt affect the sentence. Victim impact statement Ms Doyle read a victim impact statement to the court in which she said McMorrow had betrayed her trust. Mark was in a position of power over me not only with his age, but he was also in a position of pastoral and religious authority over me. He knew I wasnt able to say no and took advantage of that. Mark was a man that I had deeply trusted that the entire community had trusted, she added. For many years I believed him to be a friend to me, a role model, an older brother figure, and a mentor. But that has come crashing down and the scales have now fallen from my eyes. I was his victim, she added. In mitigation, counsel for the accused, who is now married, said references before the court would say the offending was out of character for him. He said his client was now regarded as a sex offender, lost a huge social outlet and was unlikely to be able to visit the United States in the future. Mr Staunton said McMorrow had very genuine and religious beliefs. 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. By Jonathan McCambridge, PA The Tanaiste has said that all Government files held in connection to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings should be released to inquiries, as he paid tribute to those who died in the blast on the 50th anniversary. He made the pledge as the Justice Minister said the anniversary of the atrocity on Friday brought a new determination to find out what happened on May 17th 1974. On that date, three no-warning bombs went off across Dublin city centre and one exploded in Monaghan town. Justice Minister Helen McEntee said the 50th anniversary of the bombings was a day to remember and reflect. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA. No-one has ever been convicted over the bombings but the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) admitted responsibility in 1993. Mr Martin said on Friday: Ive a general view, that any files we have in Dublin, or within the Department of Justice or in An Garda Siochana should be released to all inquiries in respect of atrocities in Northern Ireland. Today is a very poignant day and the Justice for the Forgotten group has been extraordinary in their efforts they have made to focus attention many decades on, on what was the worst atrocity, in what was a terrible time in Ireland when there was murder and mayhem across the land. Earlier governments, from the 1990s on, we had two inquiries and both those inquires made it very clear that they didnt get full cooperation, particularly from the British state. The Tanaiste told RTEs Morning Ireland radio programme that the British governments controversial Legacy Act has created a huge challenge for legacy issues. It has resulted in something we thought wed never be doing now, referring British legislative act in terms of legacy to the European Court Convention (on Human Rights) in respect of non-compliance, he added. Taoiseach Simon Harris said it was 50 years on from a dark day Photo: Brian Lawless/PA. An official memorial in Dublin honours the 35 victims of the bombings, which included two unborn babies. It remains the greatest loss of life on any single day of the Troubles. A church service will take place at St Marys Pro-Cathedral in Dublin on Friday morning, which will be followed by a commemoration event at the Talbot Street memorial where President Michael D Higgins will deliver an address. Leading the service, Archbishop Dermot Farrell read out the names of those killed in the bombings. Calling for reconciliation, he added: Pray that those with the power to be able to deliver that justice, which will ultimately bring peace, will come quickly so that all may be fully healed of that awful atrocity and tragedy. The service will be followed by a commemoration event at the Talbot Street memorial where President Michael D Higgins will deliver an address. Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tanaiste Mr Martin will also attend the event, which has been organised by the Justice for the Forgotten group which represents bereaved families and survivors. Mr Higgins will also lay a wreath in Monaghan on Friday evening. Minister Heather Humphreys will represent the Government. Earlier, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that the families of victims of the bombings remain firm in their quest for justice 50 years on. Ms McEntee said it was a day to remember and reflect. She added: Fifty years have passed since that dreadful day on the streets of Dublin city centre and Monaghan town. It is as incomprehensible today, as it was all those decades ago, to think that bombs could be planted so callously, with no regard for human life. Three bombs exploded in Dublin city centre and a fourth in Monaghan town. The scale of the attack was without compare, it is the greatest loss of life on a single day of the Troubles. Such a large scale tragic and unjustified loss of life continues to effect countless families. Tanaiste Micheal Martin said unanswered questions remained over the atrocities (Brian Lawless/PA) Despite the passage of time, they continue to feel the loss of their loved ones deeply. The minister said the families loss had been compounded by the frustration and hurt of unanswered questions. Ms McEntee added: The survivors and the families of the victims remain firm in their quest for justice and for information about what happened to their loved ones. The Government is fully committed to seeking out the truth behind those events and, hopefully, to secure some measure of comfort for the victims families and the survivors. This landmark anniversary brings with it a new focus and desire to establish the truth of what happened on May 17 1974. The Government for our part, will continue to pursue all possible avenues to uncover the truth of what happened on this day in 1974. Taoiseach Mr Harris said: Today, 50 years on from that dark day, I remember all those who lost their lives and were injured, and think of their families. I know their hurt has been compounded by a lack of truth and of justice for the victims since, and of immediate support for the families in the difficult years that followed. Today, we honour the memories of those who died, the more than 300 people injured, and the bereaved, both those living and those who have died in the years since. Today, Dublin and Monaghan remember. Earlier, Mr Martin said the Dublin and Monaghan tragedies live on in families in Ireland and abroad. He said: The loss and suffering of families was magnified by inadequate investigation at that time. The Barron and MacEntee inquiries answered some questions and raised some more, including the possibility of collusion. I have been following up with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Chris Heaton-Harris) on the provision of sensitive material which may help answer some of those questions. Garrymore GAA has announced that they will host an action-packed fundraising event in Claremorris McWilliam Park Hotel on August 4, 2024. Quid Game will be based on the popular Netflix series Squid Game, without the violence! The south Mayo club will devise six games, including the original classic 'Red Light, Green Light', that will test the competitors' accuracy, endurance and patience to see who will walk away with the 10,000 prize. **ANNOUNCEMENT** Garrymore GAA Club brings you Garrymore GAA Quid Game! Quid Game is a new, action-packed fundraising event that will be held on Sunday 4th August in the @EventsMcWilliam, Claremorris. pic.twitter.com/8iFTjJB9sj Garrymore GAA (@Garrymoregaa) May 6, 2024 Squid Game, a South Korean television series, took Netflix by storm due to its dramatic storyline when it was released worldwide in 2021. In 2023, a reality competition based on the popular programme was released on Netflix named Squid Game: The Challenge. Two Irish contestants appeared on the show where 456 players competed for the $4.56 million reward. Speaking about the upcoming fundraiser on social media, Garrymore GAA stated: "We are undertaking this ambitious campaign to attempt to raise funds for the redevelopment of our clubhouse and grounds which will cater to our growing number of underage teams and membership. "Participation is simple. Our event committee, along with ClubSpot Events, is committed to providing support every step of the way, ensuring a smooth and successful fundraising experience. "If anyone is interested in taking part, please contact us via any of our social media pages or email pro.garrymore.mayo@gaa.ie." Australias trade relationship with Southeast Asia is flourishing, surpassing established partnerships with the US and EU. However, a new report by Asialink Business, a leader in Asian market expertise, warns that Australian businesses must prioritize understanding the regions nuances to truly capitalize on this growth. Asialink Business Chief Executive Leigh Howard, one of Australias leading voices on international business relations, says theres been a spike in the number of medium-sized businesses and SMEs seeking on-the-ground knowledge and tailored market entry strategies to expand trade opportunities into the lucrative Asian market. Asia is the fastest growing region globally, and Australia has a unique economic advantage thanks to our geographic proximity, abundance of natural resources, and education and research credentials, but we need to complement this with knowledge of Asian markets to be able to tap the best commercial outcomes, Mr Howard says. There is a growing affluent class across Asia, and those markets continue to steam ahead in terms of their economic progress and development and theres a lot businesses can do to maximise success in the region, he says. Mr Howard warns businesses need to be Asia-capable to increase their chances of securing tangible and measurable results. Without sufficient investment in understanding the markets, the danger is that businesses will achieve substandard outcomes or no outcomes at all. Being under-prepared and learning how to do business after youve arrived quickly makes a market visit an expensive endeavour, he says. Just because its not without risk doesnt mean its risky. We have governments opening doors through trade partnerships and committing funds, and businesses should be making the most of those opportunities, Mr Howard says. The Australian government has pledged $2 billion for the Southeast Asia investment financing facility, which will provide loans, guarantees, equity, and insurance to increase Australian trade and investment in Southeast Asia, with a focus on clean energy and infrastructure. Engaging confidently and effectively with Asia is essential to our prosperity and overall stability, Mr Howard says. Australias two-way trade with Southeast Asia currently tops $185bn per annum, surpassing our trade figures with Japan, the US, and the EU. Mr Howard believes opportunities in Asia are being under-capitalised, with too many Australian business leaders being complacent. Only a quarter of Australias 56,000 exporters send goods to the region, and thats a surprising statistic considering as a bloc, Southeast Asia is our second largest trading partner overall, he says. Government figures show that 250 exporters make up 90% of our goods exports to the region which means there is a lot of potential upside for Australian businesses. For more than a decade, Asialink Business has helped design strategies and programs to support Australian businesses to grow in Asia. We have a national mandate to develop an Asia-capable workforce through market-leading expertise to help Australian businesses find success in the region. We help businesses assess, identify and then prioritise the right market with a tailored market entry strategy, including due diligence, so businesses can execute their strategy with confidence. This is complemented with a range of freely available resources. Our team of Asia experts design and deliver tailored and practical training to support individuals and organisations to achieve their aspirations within these markets, whether its Vietnam, Indonesia, India, China or Malaysia. Our proven Asia capability framework is based on extensive research and direct insights into the unique challenges and opportunities faced by Australian organisations entering or expanding into Asia. We are championing Australian businesses and looking out for their interests in Asia. We have many success stories due to their preparedness to go into the region engaged, with sound local knowledge and research. Over the last decade, Asialink Business has helped more than 100,000 people via its learning programs, events and resources focused on doing business in Asia. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. [FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE] EBU and the European Parliament excludes ECPM from main Spitzenkandidat debate in Brussels Brussels, 17 May 2024- The European Christian Political Movement (ECPM), one of the ten official parties with five seats in the European Parliament, is excluded from taking part in the main Spitzenkandidat debate at the European Parliament in Brussels on 23 May. The debate is organized by the European Broadcasting Union in collaboration with the European Parliament Directorate-General for Communication. The EBU has refused to allow ECPM to take part in the debate on eligibility grounds, claiming that lead candidates must be nominated by the political groups in the European Parliament, which is not true. The Spitzenkandidat, or lead candidate, is always nominated by a European political party and leads the election campaign with that party, therefore represents the party in the official debates as well. Valeriu Ghiletchi has already represented ECPM as Spitzenkandidat in a previous debate organized by the University of Maastricht. Furthermore, in a recent resolution in December 2023, the members of the European Parliament have demanded that the process of electing the EU Commission President is more clearly and credibly linked to the choice or voters. By excluding ECPM from the debate, the EBU is undermining the democratic process and silencing our voice in the European political landscape, favoring the voice and interests of few over the rights of many. In protesting this unjust and arbitrary decision, President of ECPM Valeriu Ghiletchi sent a letter of protest to the EBU and the European Parliament DG for Communication and are asking them to reconsider this undemocratic decision and to include all Spitzenkandidaten of the European parties in the European Parliament in this debate. NHI: From aspiration to implementation Access to healthcare services is a constitutional right but is equal healthcare in South Africa a reality in our lifetime? A young doctor recently took to social media to bemoan a lack of electricity, making it difficult for her to get ready for work, while the relative of a patient elsewhere complained about a 36-hour wait in a hospital ward for their octogenarian mother to be seen. And no, this was not Limpopo, these incidences were in Liverpool and London, England. Equitable universal healthcare for everyone, including here in South Africa, would be ideal, but what these UK examples show is that, even in well-funded countries, implementing and maintaining a public health system is increasingly difficult. The National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, currently in proposal phase in SA, is a roadmap to universal healthcare. But it has come under sharp scrutiny for its lack of detail and financial modelling. The right to healthcare, but Professor Emeritus Martin Veller, former dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits, says that the birth of democracy sparked the idea of universal healthcare, but that the last 30 years have shown tthat it may not be possible. The principle of NHI is one that is certainly widely recognised as a need, as it is enshrined in our Constitution. How you implement and interpret it is the problem. Certainly, in its current format, it is unlikely to be possible to implement, says Veller. The main issue he cites is that the vast sum of funding needed to meet the basic tenets of universal healthcare is not available to government. Secondly, there are insufficient healthcare professionals to care for the population, he says, adding that overarching a project of this scale is the poor track record of how the public sector has been run for the last 60 to 70 years, particularly for the disenfranchised in our society. NHI is not in their favour. Veller adds, Also missing from the discussion are our current healthcare outcomes, which are poor way below the level of other countries with similar economies. A better healthcare system means that health outcomes, and as a result, the economy, would improve, but the NHI bill is being dangled like a carrot to win favour, despite its obvious limitations. Whats not mentioned is that true universal healthcare has never been achieved anywhere in the world bottomless funding from the public purse is unrealistic. In the UK, you can wait several years for a hip replacement, during which time your quality of life declines along with your ability to earn an income. It is an interesting cycle; when the amount of money spent on an individual is linked to their earning potential. Sectoral and systemic overhaul needed Adjunct Professor Alex van den Heever, the Chair of Social Security Systems Administration and Management Studies in the Wits School of Governance, is frank about the grandiose proposal that the NHI Bill in its current format represents. Its a paper plan. Its not a real proposal. The problem is that the institutional and fiscal elements are not aligned. It is unrealistic and unimplementable and comes on the back of years of government having done very little in the healthcare system, he says. Van den Heever stresses that there has also been no significant structural reform of systems or infrastructure in the public healthcare sector to entice private healthcare to integrate. This is not how you access the private sector intelligence. Sophisticated design is needed, he says. These experts agree that many people do not realise that the NHI proposals in circulation aim to centralise the health budget, eliminating current provincial mandates: To put healthcare into a centralised government structure has enormous implications for the public sector, says Van den Heever. It is not based on the way our systems are designed, nor on the way health systems are designed around the world. The risk of the NHI being run like Eskom is mammoth. He adds that patronage, the capture of public entities, and political interference, that all cause massive collapse and failure of any system, pose too great a risk. Whats the solution? Veller says a pragmatic approach could work. We have to accept that we have a two-tier healthcare system that needs closer alignment. It is simply not fair that 85% of the population is denied access to what just 15% have in private healthcare. We must progressively find a way of integrating the two systems. He says that the NHI should not be funded by increased taxation and that other means of income should be found to improve healthcare. From a universal access to healthcare perspective, we must be able to guarantee that the current dispensation not only guarantees healthcare for everyone, but also quality healthcare and outcomes. We must fix the existing healthcare system. The NHI can be achieved only if what we already have is repaired. First, professionalise and depoliticise healthcare that means the right people, doing the right job, under the right circumstances. Every cent spent, must be well spent. While Veller is in favour of a universal healthcare system, he says there is work to be done before we reach a functional option. It is high time that the public healthcare sector is properly administered and that systems are adequately audited. We must really start looking at incorporating academic health systems into the sector. Where medicine is practised under academia, it is improved and is better for everyone. There is no doubt that academic healthcare is worldclass and should be integrated into the public sector more rigorously. Veller says that at the institutional and individual level, we must incentivise excellence. Measure outcomes and incentivise people to do their jobs well, which happens in Thailand and Sweden. To make the NHI work, Veller advocates: In the short term: We must improve what we have and make it work, and really work. Get rid of political interference that has prevented it from achieving good outcomes. In the medium term: An incremental introduction of private sector participation and buying of services by the public sector. Pricing and competition must be good and that will encourage the public sector to improve, too. If there is good quality control, there will be a gradual integration of the two. Long term: Integration. It is simply not appropriate in a country like ours that most healthcare needs cannot be accessed by a large majority of the population. Improved healthcare outcomes have been demonstrated to make economies grow across the world. The question is how to achieve universal healthcare but not the NHI, which requires a funding mechanism. He concludes: As it stands, the NHI is unaffordable. The proposal must evolve beyond theoretical constructs. A pragmatic approach, informed by systems understanding and decentralised governance, is essential. Only then can we bridge the gap between aspiration and implementation, thereby ensuring equitable healthcare for all South Africans. On a recent visit to Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out a plan for Ukraine to stand on its own feet militarily, economically, democratically so that Americas support can transition to more sustainable levels. First, were helping to ensure that Ukraine has the military that it needs to succeed on the battlefield, to secure a just and lasting peace, and to deter future aggression, he said. Our goal is to lay a foundation so strong that it dispels any doubts about Ukraines ability to impose punishing costs on those who try to take its territory, said Secretary Blinken. This includes eventual NATO membership. Second, we will ensure that Ukraines economy not only survives, but thrives, said Secretary Blinken. But for all the resources our government and others will invest in Ukraines infrastructure, in its innovation, in its people, Ukraines economic transformation will ultimately be driven by the private sector. Were accelerating our efforts to help Ukraine attract more private investment, especially toward dynamic industries like technology, like energy, like agriculture, like defense, he said. Were helping to lower the cost of doing business in Ukraine. Thanks to the provision of war risk insurance, more grain is being exported through the Black Sea today than before the war, and Ukraines breadbasket is once again feeding the world. Finally, the U.S. will help the Ukrainian people fully realize their democratic aspirations, said Secretary Blinken: Thats why were working with the government and civil society groups to shore up Ukraines election infrastructure. That way, as soon as Ukrainians agree that conditions allow, all Ukrainians, including those displaced by Russias aggression, can exercise their right to vote. People in Ukraine and around the world can have confidence that the voting process is free, fair, secure. The spirit of Ukrainians cannot be destroyed by a bomb or buried in a mass grave. It cannot be bought with a bribe or repressed with a threat, said Secretary Blinken. Thats why Ukraine will succeed. Speaking in Washington at the 30th commemoration of Vietnam Human Rights Day, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya noted that in 2023 the U.S.-Vietnam relationship was upgraded to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership: While we seek to deepen our economic partnership and people-to-people ties with Vietnam so that we can work together to address todays global challenges, this engagement remains guided by our democratic values and the protection of human rights. In that regard, the United States continues to be seriously troubled about the state of human rights in Vietnam, said Under Secretary Zeya. First, we are deeply concerned that Vietnam continues to impose severe limitations on freedoms of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and freedom of religion or belief. This includes Vietnams use of vague national security provisions to criminalize the exercise of fundamental freedoms, she said. This in turn has led to a troubling number of cases of harassment, unjust arrests, and harsh prison sentences targeting human rights defenders, independent journalists, ethnic minority and religious freedom advocates, and everyday people who peacefully express their views. Under Secretary Zeya pointed, for example, to imprisoned journalist Pham Doan Trang, as well as to religious actors, who are among Vietnams more than 180 unjustly detained political prisoners. Secondly, the United States remains concerned that the civic space for non-governmental organizations is highly constrained: At least six prominent environmental defenders and NGO leaders have been convicted of tax evasion since 2021. These convictions have left many other NGO leaders afraid that they might be targeted next. The trials of Hong Thi Minh Hong, Dang Dinh Bach, and other environmental defenders raise serious concerns about respect for fair trial guarantees and other human rights. The third area of grave concern for the United States is the efforts by Vietnamese authorities to reach outside their borders to coerce, harass, intimidate, surveil and censor human rights defenders, independent journalists, and others for exercising their rights, she said. Under Secretary Zeya said the U.S. continues to raise these concerns with the government of Vietnam. She commended the resilience and perseverance of Vietnamese civil society members and rights activists both inside and outside Vietnam: Your resolve is an inspiration, she said, and the United States will always stand behind those who work toward a more just, free, and equitable Vietnam. Women engineers working at State Grid are defying traditional roles Liu Ruiying works on ultra-high-voltage direct current transmission lines in Tianjin. [China Daily] Dozens of meters above the ground, a woman adorned in a heavy, custom-made metal shielding suit is hard at work, with arcs of electricity flickering at her fingertips and the crackling sound of current lingering in her ears. From below, the engineer resembles a nimble dancer, gracefully navigating between the pylons and power lines. This is a typical workday for 32-year-old Liu Ruiying, a liveline maintenance engineer at the State Grid Tianjin Electric Power Grid Company. Liu earned her qualification for live-line work on ultra-high-voltage direct current transmission lines in 2019, making her the first woman in China in the industry to do so. Her accomplishments, alongside those of other women engineers, have challenged traditional perceptions of what women are capable of. In Tianjin, women engineers are proving to be just as capable and dedicated as their male counterparts, particularly those born after 2000. Last year, two of the company's teams comprising women engineers achieved national-level recognition, while seven individuals received national-level awards, including accolades such as the May 1 and March 8 role model awards honors granted to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to society. The May 1 award honors laborers, in celebration of China's Labor Day holiday, while the March 8 award honors women in commemoration of International Women's Day. Zhao Nan works in her station in Ninghe District, Tianjin. [China Daily] Zhao Nan, 34, has received numerous awards for her work, including the "March 8 Red-banner Pacesetter" in Ninghe District, Tianjin, and accolades granted by the State Grid. "To protect the 'heart' of the grid, the transformer substation, I believe I should be like a responsible doctor curing diseases," said Zhao, who leads a rescue team of seven engineers, most of whom are men. Ever since she earned her master's degree in electric power engineering from Yanshan University in Hebei Province in 2016, Zhao has been actively involved in various critical tasks, including conducting internal inspections of capacitive switches in substations and overhauling circuit breakers. Additionally, she has contributed to significant projects, including participating in the replacement of many high-kilowatt transformers. Furthermore, she has been instrumental in capacitor and grounding grid transformations. Throughout her tenure, there have been no power grid, personal, or equipment accidents, including during her commitment to a seven-month special task for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. "My passion for my career is the key to my efforts, and carefulness a trait often associated with women is crucial to success," she said. Echoing Zhao, Liu also emphasized the inner strength and endurance that women possess, saying that they persevere even when facing dangerous tasks. "Sometimes, I don't tell my mom that I do some risky work ... for fear she would be worried about me," Liu said. She recalled being impressed by the company's March 8 team, which solely consists of capable, competent women engineers working high above the ground. Liu is the first woman in the industry to hold a live-line work qualification on ultrahigh-voltage direct current transmission lines in China. [China Daily] Sun Baoling, 70, who headed the team when it was first established in 1973, praised its dedication to precision and the meticulousness in their work. The team was founded with 10 women members aged between 18 and 20. They cut their long ponytails, the most popular hairstyle in China at the time, not only as a safety measure but also to demonstrate their devotion to their work. The engineers participated in power grid rescue efforts during the devastating earthquake in Tangshan, Hebei, in 1976. "From my perspective, power grid rescue and maintenance work is for all people in need... so now, our commitment is often highly appreciated at the grassroots level," she said. After retiring, Sun dedicated herself to voluntary community service in Tianjin's Hebei district. "I feel proud to help the needy, and I have been doing so since my younger years when I was a high-altitude power engineer," she said. (Source: China Daily) Click the photo and watch the video. BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing on Thursday. The two sides had a comprehensive review of the successful experience in developing the China-Russia relationship, and had an in-depth exchange of views on the relationship as well as major international and regional issues of mutual interest, charting the course forward for their cooperation across the board. Fine Example of Major-Country 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, and stood the test of changing international landscape. The relationship has become a fine example for major countries and neighboring countries to treat each other with respect and candor, and pursue amity and mutual benefit. The 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. The most important conclusion drawn from the 75-year history of China-Russia relations is that two neighboring major countries must always promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, respect each other on an equal footing, trust each other, accommodate each other's concerns, and truly provide mutual assistance for the development and revitalization of both sides, Xi noted, adding that this is not only the correct way for China and Russia to get along, but also the direction that major-country relations should strive for in the 21st century. Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held a welcome ceremony for Putin, who is in China on a state visit, before their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] Putin expressed his pleasure to visit China again after he was sworn in as Russian president for a new term. Noting that President Xi also paid a state visit to Russia in March last year shortly after his re-election as Chinese president, Putin said that it is a friendly tradition between the two countries, which demonstrates that both sides attach high importance to enhancing the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era. The development of Russia-China ties is not out of expediency or targeted at any third party, Putin said, adding that it benefits international strategic stability. Li Ziguo, director of the Department for European-Central Asian Studies under the China Institute of International Studies, said that both as major countries in the world, China and Russia have been adhering to the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, and finding the right way to get along, which overcomes the outdated mindset that major countries are bound to differ in interests and inevitably become competitors. Commitment to Win-Win Cooperation Xi said that with concerted efforts from both sides, China-Russia relations have been moving forward steadily, with enhanced comprehensive strategic coordination and further cooperation on economy and trade, investment, energy, and people-to-people exchanges, at the subnational level and in other fields. This has made positive contributions to maintaining global strategic stability and promoting greater democracy in international relations. The two sides should take the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic ties as a new starting point, further synergize development strategies, and continue to enrich the bilateral cooperation to bring greater benefits to the two countries and peoples, he said. Last year, China-Russia two-way trade exceeded 240 billion U.S. dollars, close to 2.7 times 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. "Chinese products are renowned for their good quality, extensive variety, and competitive pricing. In recent years, our company has maintained good cooperation with dozens of Chinese suppliers, and the trade volume has increased year by year," said Dmitry Pismennyy, a Russian businessman engaged in foreign trade in southwest China's Chongqing. 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 and close to people's hearts, and encouraged closer interactions between various sectors and at subnational levels to enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign and issue 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 after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin] Putin said that the intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms between Russia and China are functioning well, and bilateral cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, agriculture, industry, energy, and connectivity has grown steadily. He noted that the signing of a series of cooperation documents demonstrates that the two sides are committed to further deepening win-win cooperation. Russia is willing to work with China to implement the pre-2030 development plan on economic cooperation between the two sides, well organize the Russia-China Years of Culture activities, and strengthen the alignment between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative, Putin said, adding that next year, Russia and China will hold events to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. Safeguarding UN-Centered International System China and Russia are committed to strategic coordination as an underpinning of relations, and steer global governance in the right direction, Xi said when jointly meeting with the press with Putin. The two countries are firmly committed to safeguarding the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law. They stay in close coordination and collaboration in multilateral platforms such as the UN, APEC and G20, and advance multipolarity and economic globalization in the spirit of true multilateralism, he said. With Russia chairing BRICS this year and China taking over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 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. China and Russia are committed to fairness and justice as the purpose of relations, and dedicated to the political settlement of hotspots, Xi said. Putin said that Russia and China have maintained close coordination on the international stage and are jointly committed to promoting the establishment of a more democratic multipolar world order. Both sides are willing to continue to strengthen cooperation within the frameworks including BRICS and SCO as well as communication on major international and regional issues, so as to promote regional and world peace and development. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] Li Yongquan, head of the China Society for Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, said that faced with numerous challenges in global governance, a healthy development of China-Russia relations and their cooperation within such mechanisms as BRICS and SCO are pivotal for maintaining regional and international stability, and improving global governance. After the talks, Xi and Putin 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 bilateral cooperation documents. Prior to the talks, Xi held a grand welcoming ceremony for Putin. Xi also hosted a welcoming banquet for Putin around noon. Senior officials including Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang attended the events. Video reporters: Yang Yijun, Wang Bin, Zhang Wen and Jiang Zhiqiang; Video editors: Wu Yao, Zhao Xiaoqing, Lin Qin, Zhu Jianhui, Shi Peng, Meng Na and Mi Ligong (Source: Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin] BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing on Thursday. The two sides had a comprehensive review of the successful experience in developing the China-Russia relationship, and had an in-depth exchange of views on the relationship as well as major international and regional issues of mutual interest, charting the course forward for their cooperation across the board. Fine Example of Major-Country 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, and stood the test of changing international landscape. The relationship has become a fine example for major countries and neighboring countries to treat each other with respect and candor, and pursue amity and mutual benefit. The 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. The most important conclusion drawn from the 75-year history of China-Russia relations is that two neighboring major countries must always promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, respect each other on an equal footing, trust each other, accommodate each other's concerns, and truly provide mutual assistance for the development and revitalization of both sides, Xi noted, adding that this is not only the correct way for China and Russia to get along, but also the direction that major-country relations should strive for in the 21st century. Putin expressed his pleasure to visit China again after he was sworn in as Russian president for a new term. Noting that President Xi also paid a state visit to Russia in March last year shortly after his re-election as Chinese president, Putin said that it is a friendly tradition between the two countries, which demonstrates that both sides attach high importance to enhancing the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era. The development of Russia-China ties is not out of expediency or targeted at any third party, Putin said, adding that it benefits international strategic stability. Li Ziguo, director of the Department for European-Central Asian Studies under the China Institute of International Studies, said that both as major countries in the world, China and Russia have been adhering to the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, and finding the right way to get along, which overcomes the outdated mindset that major countries are bound to differ in interests and inevitably become competitors. Commitment to Win-Win Cooperation Xi said that with concerted efforts from both sides, China-Russia relations have been moving forward steadily, with enhanced comprehensive strategic coordination and further cooperation on economy and trade, investment, energy, and people-to-people exchanges, at the subnational level and in other fields. This has made positive contributions to maintaining global strategic stability and promoting greater democracy in international relations. The two sides should take the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic ties as a new starting point, further synergize development strategies, and continue to enrich the bilateral cooperation to bring greater benefits to the two countries and peoples, he said. Last year, China-Russia two-way trade exceeded 240 billion U.S. dollars, close to 2.7 times 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. "Chinese products are renowned for their good quality, extensive variety, and competitive pricing. In recent years, our company has maintained good cooperation with dozens of Chinese suppliers, and the trade volume has increased year by year," said Dmitry Pismennyy, a Russian businessman engaged in foreign trade in southwest China's Chongqing. 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 and close to people's hearts, and encouraged closer interactions between various sectors and at subnational levels to enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples. Putin said that the intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms between Russia and China are functioning well, and bilateral cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, agriculture, industry, energy, and connectivity has grown steadily. He noted that the signing of a series of cooperation documents demonstrates that the two sides are committed to further deepening win-win cooperation. Russia is willing to work with China to implement the pre-2030 development plan on economic cooperation between the two sides, well organize the Russia-China Years of Culture activities, and strengthen the alignment between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative, Putin said, adding that next year, Russia and China will hold events to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. Safeguarding UN-Centered International System China and Russia are committed to strategic coordination as an underpinning of relations, and steer global governance in the right direction, Xi said when jointly meeting with the press with Putin. The two countries are firmly committed to safeguarding the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law. They stay in close coordination and collaboration in multilateral platforms such as the UN, APEC and G20, and advance multipolarity and economic globalization in the spirit of true multilateralism, he said. With Russia chairing BRICS this year and China taking over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 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. China and Russia are committed to fairness and justice as the purpose of relations, and dedicated to the political settlement of hotspots, Xi said. Putin said that Russia and China have maintained close coordination on the international stage and are jointly committed to promoting the establishment of a more democratic multipolar world order. Both sides are willing to continue to strengthen cooperation within the frameworks including BRICS and SCO as well as communication on major international and regional issues, so as to promote regional and world peace and development. Li Yongquan, head of the China Society for Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, said that faced with numerous challenges in global governance, a healthy development of China-Russia relations and their cooperation within such mechanisms as BRICS and SCO are pivotal for maintaining regional and international stability, and improving global governance. After the talks, Xi and Putin 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 bilateral cooperation documents. Prior to the talks, Xi held a grand welcoming ceremony for Putin. Xi also hosted a welcoming banquet for Putin around noon. Senior officials including Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang attended the events. Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held a welcome ceremony for Putin, who is in China on a state visit, before their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin] Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Liu Weibing] Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. After their talks, Xi and Putin jointly met the press. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin] Chinese President Xi Jinping holds large-group talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Zhang Ling] Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Li Tao] Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly meet the press after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin] Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign and issue 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 after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin] Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sign and issue 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 after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. Xi held talks with Putin, who is in China on a state visit, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Xinhua/Rao Aimin] (Source: Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. [Xinhua/Yue Yuewei] BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping held a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, during which they had in-depth exchanges on strategic issues of common concern. The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century and entering a new period of turbulence and transformation, Xi noted, adding that in the face of the ever-evolving world landscape with volatility and turmoil, China has maintained its strategic resolve. He said that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have overcome various difficulties and challenges, and are striving to promote high-quality development and Chinese modernization. China is willing to work with Russia and other countries to enhance solidarity and cooperation, steer global governance in the right direction, jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, and promote world peace and common development, Xi said. Noting that China's development is unstoppable and that no force can contain China's growth and progress, Putin said that Russia is willing to improve cooperation with China and other Global South countries to promote international fairness and justice, and to work toward a more equal and multipolar world. The two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi elaborated on China's consistent position and efforts to promote the political settlement of the Ukraine issue, stressing that to deal with any major issue, it is necessary to address both the symptoms and the root causes, and to plan for the present as well as for the long term. He said the core of the Global Security Initiative is advocating the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and the fundamental solution to the Ukraine issue is to promote the establishment of a new balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture. Xi said China supports the convening of an international peace conference recognized by Russia and Ukraine at an appropriate time with equal participation and fair discussion of all options, so as to push for an early political settlement of the Ukraine issue, and China stands ready to continue to play a constructive role in this regard. Putin introduced the relevant views and positions of Russia, saying that Russia appreciates China's objective, just and balanced position on the Ukraine issue and welcomes China to continue to play an important and constructive role in the political settlement of the issue. Russia is committed to resolving the Ukraine issue through political negotiations and is willing to demonstrate sincerity and maintain close communication with China in this regard, he said. Xi said that over the years, they have had many meetings and every exchange has been candid, in-depth and fruitful. "I am ready to stay in close contact with President Putin and work together to steer the development of China-Russia relations in the right direction, guide the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era to achieve steady and lasting progress, bring more benefits to the two peoples, and contribute to world security and stability," Xi said. Putin thanked Xi for his warm hospitality, saying that he is willing to maintain close communication with Xi, implement the important consensus reached between them, and ensure the full development of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] (Source: Xinhua) TO ACCESS THIS CONTENT YOU MUST OPEN A SESSION OR CREATE AN ACCOUNT MEMBER LOGIN CREATE YOUR USER ACCOUNT Rhode Island Energy, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), has announced it reached an agreement on new five-year contracts with the Utility Wo. . . BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a congratulatory letter to the eighth China-Russia Expo. The expo opened in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on the same day. Xi said that with the joint efforts of the two countries, China-Russia relations have made solid progress step by step and delivered tangible cooperation outcomes to the benefit of the two peoples. This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic ties, Xi noted, saying that standing at a new historical starting point, bilateral relations will embrace new historical opportunities and show broader prospects for development. Stressing that after years of cultivation and development, the China-Russia Expo has become an important platform for promoting bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Xi added it is hoped that all sectors of the two countries will make full use of the opportunity presented by the current China-Russia Expo to deepen exchanges and share opportunities, jointly contribute to the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia, and inject new impetus into the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. With a theme of "cooperation, mutual trust, and opportunities," the eighth China-Russia Expo is jointly hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce, the Heilongjiang provincial government, Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, and its Ministry of Industry and Trade. (Source: Xinhua) Bian Xiuhui's heart fills with delight as she watches the effects of spring breezes blowing gently across the company's experimental seed fields. Bian, a seed-quality inspector with Yangzijiang Seed Industry Co., Ltd. (in Yangzhou, a city in East China's Jiangsu Province), is somewhat of a celebrity in Zhoushan, a town in Yangzhou. Why? Given her remarkable performance in using scientific and technological knowledge in agricultural production, she was named one of the Most Beautiful Industrial Workers in Yangzhou in May 2022. No Regrets Bian is a native of Wubao, a village in Zhoushan. "My father has devoted much effort to popularizing agricultural techniques among farmers. In 2011, he established Yangzijiang Seed Industry Co., Ltd. Influenced by my father, I developed an interest in agricultural technology when I was a little girl," recalls Bian. In July 2019, a short time after she graduated from university, Bian began working at a medical-device company in Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu Province. However, she was not content with her life, as she wanted to do something to help rural residents (in her hometown) live better lives. In early 2020, she returned home to join her father in running his business. As the youngest worker in the company, Bian knew little about the seed industry. However, her zest for agricultural science inspired her to learn (from her father) various agricultural production skills, and the skills needed to run the business. Bian has never regretted her decision to return home to help her father run the company. "The seed industry, which is referred to as the 'agricultural chip,' is a key element of agricultural production, a cornerstone to ensuring national food security, and a lifeline to promoting modern agricultural development ... Starting with trifle matters, I believe I can do well in my work," says Bian. Skilled Worker On the first day she began working at the company, Bian learned how to cultivate and transplant rice seedlings in a field. She fell into a ditch and was soaked all over. Some of her acquaintances suggested women should not do such toilsome work. However, Bian, a strong-willed woman, persevered, and she worked diligently. As a seed-quality inspector, Bian examines every seed, carefully, before it is stored in the warehouse. That ensures farmers buy qualified seeds. She never complains, even though she often works around the clock. During the past several years, Bian has helped many farmers solve technical problems in their production. Once, she helped a rural resident, who cultivated more than 1,000 mu (67 hectares) of rice, choose a highly efficient herbicide. That helped the resident save both money and the trouble of hiring workers to weed the fields. "Before the crops' seeds are sold in the market, all new varieties of crops (including rice and wheat) must pass through a three-year approval procedure (including trial planting and demonstration) in our laboratory," says Bian. From 6-11 a.m. every morning, she observes and records the seeds' growth in the fields. To verify the accuracy of data, Bian sometimes goes to the fields daily, for several consecutive days, walking nearly 30,000 steps a day. "During the seed-cultivation period, I work in the fields every day. As a result, I have sun-weathered skin," says Bian. "I'm a jack of all trades a seed-quality inspector, a recorder of the seeds' growth, and a seed custodian and shipper." Developing New Agricultural Techniques "I'll work harder to improve my professional skills, so I can provide quality seeds to more farmers," Bian has been quoted as saying. From her simple words, one may understand her original aspiration helping farmers live better lives. Many rural residents (in Wubao and neighboring villages) have praised Bian for her dedication to promoting the development of the seed industry in her hometown. During each seed-harvesting season, Bian has hired many elderly residents (in Wubao) to collect seeds in the company's experimental fields. As a result, the residents have increased their families' incomes. During the past several years, Bian has led her team in applying for four technological patents related to the cultivation of wheat and rice seeds. Under the guidance of Bian and other agricultural technicians, the company has cultivated four new varieties of both wheat and rice. The company has obtained two Chinese patents for its techniques of cultivating two varieties of wheat. That, in turn, has generated tremendous economic benefits. Last year, the Publicity Department of Yangzhou Municipal Party (Communist Party of China) Committee named Bian a moral model (in Yangzhou), who performed exceedingly well in being dedicated to her career. Bian told media she will lead her team in developing new agricultural techniques, and in helping farmers both increase agricultural production and promote sales of their products. She also vows to make greater efforts to promote the development of Zhoushan's seed industry, and to help more rural residents (in her hometown) live better lives. Photos from VCG (Women of China English Monthly April 2024) Mixed response to new 20mph speed limit, says North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner This article is old - Published: Friday, May 17th, 2024 North Wales re-elected Police and Crime Commissioner says the 20mph speed limit has received a mixed reaction with some residents welcoming the law. This month Welsh Labours Andy Dunbobbin was re-elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for the next four years. The Welsh Government replaced the default 30mph speed limit with a new 20mph limit in September, becoming the first country in the UK to introduce the legislation. During an exclusive interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Dunbobbin said he had visited towns where people were opposed to the new law and others, such as those in Gwynedd, where the reduced speed limit was welcomed. Ive been to Buckley where they are very vocal about their views on the 20mph, he said. But equally there have been villages in Gwynedd that have really welcomed it as well, so there are polarised views on the matter. Mr Dunbobbin was then asked if police should be targeting drivers who exceed the speed limit. The Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman should be using evidence-based approach where there is that need, he said. That will be where the chief constable chooses to deploy police officers. The local democracy reporting service then asked Mr Dunbobbin if drivers should receive a speeding ticket if they are caught driving marginally over the limit in a 20mph zone. It is not for me to make the law, said Mr Dunbobbin. It is not up to police officers to make the law. The police officers are there to uphold the law. Thats the law and not within my powers. And has the 20mph speed limit affected police response times? I havent had anything flagged with me, regarding response times and getting to places, said Mr Dunbobbin. There are national arrangements as well regarding how excessive the police vehicles and emergency vehicles can go above (the limit), and to the best of my knowledge, it is 20mph over what the speed limit would be. I could be wrong. It is an operational question. It depends where it is. There are quite a few variables. Id expect police officers to respond as quickly as possible. By Richard Evans Local Democracy Reporter Local politicians blown away by Wrexham primary school transformation This article is old - Published: Friday, May 17th, 2024 Local politicians have hailed the incredible transformation of a Wrexham primary school following a multimillion-pound renovation. Clwyd South MS Ken Skates and Councillor David A Bithell recently visited Ysgol yr Hafod in Johnstown to see the results of the major revamp, which was part of the Welsh Governments 21st Century Schools programme. As part of the works the Victorian frontage of the school has been retained, with the inside modernised to incorporate new and older features of the existing school. The transformation has been incredible I was blown away, said Mr Skates. I visited the school around 12 months ago when the work was taking shape and was excited to see the final result, but it was even better than I was expecting. It looks amazing. The makeover has brought together 350 infant and junior school pupils on one site for the first time and funding also allowed the purchase of a neighbouring two-story home which has been converted to expand the school premises. The work was carried out by North Wales firm Wynne Construction. Mr Skates was given a tour by headteacher Alison Heale and chair of governors Cllr David Bithell. He said: The new-look Ysgol yr Hafod is an exemplar, and undoubtedly one of the best school renovation projects Ive seen. Thats in no small part down to Alison and her teams involvement in the design process and the detailed discussions and planning that went into their vision of how they wanted their school to be. Its a real testament to their hard work and passion. Cllr Bithell said: Ken has taken a keen interest in the school from its early days. The visit was welcomed by the staff, who were keen to show the fantastic learning environment we have at Ysgol Yr Hafod. All governors and staff have worked extremely hard with our education department and Welsh Government to secure funding for our new school. Tour of Britain Women coming to Wrexham parking and road closures information released This article is old - Published: Friday, May 17th, 2024 Wrexham will welcome the return of the Tour of Britain Women this June. Stage 2 will start and finish in Wrexham city centre on Friday 7th June 2024. The start and finish line will both be located on Chester Street (outside Crown Buildings). Cyclists are expected to leave at approx. 11:00am via Powell Road roundabout and onto Chester Road Cyclists are expected to return at approx. 3:15pm via Tuttle Street, Yorke Street and onto Chester Street The staged area will be on the Library car park The Tour Village and additional stalls/activities will be on Llwyn Isaf Crowd barriers will be placed along either side of the road from the Powell Road roundabout down to Tuttle Street. The council are urging residents to take note of the closures/restrictions below as you may be affected and in some circumstances they say any vehicle left unattended will be removed and taken to a secure compound, where a fee will need to be paid for its release. First, Im curious as to what kind of church you are running up there? asked a caller to my church office. His was the kind of question I get lately since returning to the pastor role. Most often, callers are like the young mother of three who told me, I have three churches Im considering attending, but first Im asking the pastors to answer some questions. She squashed that ordinal number FIRST, as if drawing a line in the theological sand. FIRST, does your church teach tithing? I assumed she knew most churches encourage donations, but not wanting to scare her off, I was slow to answer. Was she looking for a discount? Or was she searching for a rich church? Some people call the church directly and others find me through my column. Readers usually leave a voicemail, graciously giving me time to formulate an answer. I played back a message from a man last week wanting to know how he could donate to Chispa Project. I returned the call, excited to tell him about my upcoming trip to Honduras, but he, too, began with a question. FIRST, I want to know if angels are able to speak to us. His challenging question made me want to ask, Can I call a friend? Or ask the audience? Maybe I should have said, Yes. The angels are telling you to donate to Chispa Project at Chispaproject.org/chaplain. Another man saw that I had a woman scheduled to preach while I was away. FIRST of all, should women really be allowed to preach in church? I knew he was referring to 1 Timothy 2:12: I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet (NIV). Since I assumed he knew I invited the guest pastor, his question seemed more challenging than inquisitory, intoned much like the political questions I get. You must FIRST believe that abortion is wrong, suggested a Pro-life advocate. Isnt God against homosexuality? was the message left in a weathered tone. God FIRST made man and then made woman. We need to FIRST return prayer to the schools, said one visitor who dared attend without first checking my political pedigree. God is on the side of Israel! Shouldnt we all be calling for the destruction of Hamas? asked one local pastor. I know that many books have been written about all of these issues by good Christians on both sides. I know sincere believers can disagree about things. But I try to discourage those seeking a binary faith of yes-and-no answers by sharing first, the words from The Message in Matthew 22:36-40. When asked what was the FIRST and most important of all of Gods laws, Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: Love others as well as you love yourself. These two commands are pegs; everything in Gods Law and the Prophets hangs from them. I know I didnt answer most of my callers as they would have hoped. But perhaps once Ive mastered Jesus list, Ill have better responses to their questions. Finally, my best call began last week, with FIRST, I think your new picture makes you look like Jean-Luc Picard. Of course, as a Trek fan, I knew he was referring to Patrick Stewart, the fictional captain of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation. I felt a bit affronted, as Stewart is totally bald. Im not yet. Should I allow this caller to make the final cut for our church membership? Stay tuned. More than three years after ex-president Donald Trump led a fascist conspiracy to overthrow the Constitution and remain in power, recent decisions by courts and judges in Georgia, Washington D.C. and Florida have all but ensured that the most consequential criminal cases against him will not be heard until after the presidential election in November, which Trump is a slight favorite to win according to current polls. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito at the White House in Washington, July 23, 2019. [AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster] That Trump, the dominant figure in the increasingly fascistic Republican Party, is even competitive in the election is not a testament to his popularity, but instead a consequence of the completely anti-worker and warmongering policies of President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, which have sickened and angered millions of working people and youth. Despite Trumps endless caterwauling about political persecutions and election interference, he has yet to spend a single day behind bars for his numerous crimes. There are two justice systems in the United States, based on class. For the rich and the well-connected, armed with millions of dollars and legions of lawyers, the courts are an inconvenience; for the working class, the poor and those who object to, and reveal, the crimes of US imperialism, the justice system is a conveyor belt to prison. The billionaire ex-president is currently facing 88 charges across four criminal cases; two state and two federal. The most trivial of the cases, the New York hush money fraud trial, currently underway, is likely the only one that could have a resolution in 2024. The case has nothing to do with the numerous crimes Trump committed as president, or his efforts to stay in power despite losing the 2020 election. The other state case against Trump is the Georgia election fraud case. Unlike the two federal cases, which Trump could quash by appointing a new attorney general if he regains the White House, he would not be able to pardon himself of any state felony convictions. In August 2023, Trump and 18 of his Republican associates, including several of his top coup lawyers, were charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis with conspiracy related to their efforts to overturn the election result in Georgia. While four of those charged have already pleaded guilty and turned state witnesses, Trump and others have pleaded not guilty. In a major decision, on May 8, the Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia agreed to review a lower court ruling that had allowed Willis to continue prosecuting the case against Trump. The request for review was granted following an appeal from Trumps legal team. Since January of this year, Trump and his lawyers have attempted to remove Willis from the case by using a romantic relationship between her and former special prosecutor Nathan Wade. For several months the case was effectively put on hold as the details of Willis and Wades relationship were discussed at length in court. In March, Judge Scott McAfee ruled that while Willis hired Wade for the six-figure position as special prosecutor, this did not represent a conflict of interest, as alleged by the Trump team, but only an appearance of impropriety. McAfee ruled that Willis could remain on the case only if Wade left and that Trumps team had the option to seek an appeal of his ruling at the Georgia Court of Appeals. Wade left the case the same day of McAfees ruling and now that the case has been taken up for review, Trumps team could appeal an unfavorable decision to the Georgia Supreme Court, further delaying the case. The day before the court ruling in Georgia, Trump was handed another postponement, this time in the federal classified documents case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. In August 2022, Trumps Mar-a-Lago compound was raided by the FBI after Trump refused to return dozens of boxes of documents, some highly classified, he had taken from the White House. While Trump was aided in Georgia by the incompetence or corruption of Democratic DA Willis, in Florida, Trump has benefited enormously from several favorable rulings by federal district Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee. On May 7, Cannon vacated a proposed May 20 start date for the trial while at the same time refusing to set a new date, writing in her order that it would be imprudent and inconsistent with the courts need to fully and fairly consider the various pending pre-trial motions, which had been previously submitted by Trumps lawyers, yet Cannon had refused to rule on for months. Cannon set a future conference for the case for July 22, meaning it is highly unlikely a trial date would be set before the November election. In an article by Rolling Stone, posted following Cannons ruling, a Republican close to the former president told the publication the federal judge was a godsend and my favorite member of the Trump campaign. Citing two other sources with knowledge of the situation, Rolling Stone wrote, Cannons delays and legal reasoning have become something of a running joke among the upper crust of Trumpworld, with various political advisers and campaign staff, lawyers, and media figures in the ex-presidents orbit remarking on how obviously and helpfully Cannon has been in the tank for Trump. The last major case is the federal charges filed against Trump in Washington D.C. for conspiring to stop the certification of the election. This is the only case directly related to the events of January 6, 2021. It was put on hold pending a Supreme Court ruling on Trumps claims of absolute immunity from all crimes, including attempting to overthrow the government, while president. The Supreme Court has until the end of its term in late June to rule on the case. It is expected that Trump will win some of his claims, given that several members of the court are implicated in his failed coup, including Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito. On Thursday, the New York Times reported that following Trumps failed coup, an American flag on the front lawn of Alitos home was hung upside-down, in solidarity with the Stop the Steal movement. In an email to the Times, Alito blamed his wife for flying the flag upside-down, saying it was in response to an anti-Trump sign. The recent decisions follow a pattern that has emerged more than 40 months after the failed coup. Those who orchestrated and led the attack, beginning with Trump and his Republican co-conspirators, have faced few or no repercussions from the so-called justice system. The Democratic Party, and the Biden administration, have been opposed to a full accounting of Trumps coup from the day it happened. Instead, their top priority has been forming a war coalition with their Republican colleagues in order to carry out military conquest abroad and class warfare at home. Instead of revealing the full extent of the conspiracy, Biden and the Democrats have appealed to Trump to join me in prosecuting war on immigrants, against Russia in Ukraine, and genocide in Gaza. The only social force capable of bringing Trump, and the rest of the ruling class criminals to justice for their numerous crimes, from the failed coup to the genocide in Gaza, is the working class, politically organized and steeled with a socialist perspective. The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Sri Lanka are holding a public lecture titled, Two years since the 2022 mass uprising: The political lessons at the Colombo Public Library Auditorium on June 4 at 4 p.m. Two years ago, in the first half of 2022, Sri Lanka was shaken by mass protests and strikes against former President Gotabaya Rajapakse and his government. The anti-government movement erupted against Rajapakses brutal imposition on the working masses of the social burden of the countrys unprecedented economic crisis, produced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the US-NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. These struggles were part of an emerging wave of actions by the working class internationally. These protests came to a head during AprilJuly with the Galle Face Green occupation in Colombo, and demonstrations in other Sri Lankan cities, involving workers, young people and the rural masses across the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim ethnic divides. Workers came out in their millions in two one-day general strikes, on April 28 and May 6. This uprising forced President Rajapakse to flee the country and resign, leading to the collapse of his regime. The trade union bureaucracies, however, with the backing of pseudo-left groups, such as the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), aligned themselves with the capitalist Samagi Jana Balawegaya and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and its National Peoples Power, to derail this mass movement and keep it tied to the parliamentary framework. This political betrayal paved the way for Sri Lankas ruling elite, with the blessing of US imperialism and the Indian government, to elevate the discredited Ranil Wickremesinghe into the executive presidency. Wickremesinghe brutally suppressed the occupations at Galle Face Green and the Presidential Secretariat, and then began implementing harsh International Monetary Fund (IMF) austerity measures and various attacks on democratic rights. Why did this betrayal of the mass movement occur and how was this temporary stabilisation of capitalist rule made possible? The answer lies in the absence of a mass revolutionary party to mobilise the working class in a struggle, supported by the rural poor, to seize power on the basis of an international socialist program. During the eruption of this struggle, the SEP was the only party that provided a program to defend the social conditions of workers and the poor masses and take the movement forward. It proposed building action committees of workers, as well as the rural poor, to lead a united struggleindependently of the capitalist parties, the trade unions and their fake-left hangers-onagainst the government and the profit system. The SEP called for a Socialist and Democratic Congress of Workers and Rural Masses, comprised of delegates from those action committees, to fight for socialist policies and a workers and peasants government. Two years later, Sri Lankan workers and the rural masses are again coming into struggle against the governments IMF austerity measures and attacks on democratic rights. The pro-capitalist trade unions with the assistance of the fake-left FSP, however, are deliberately blocking these struggles, fearing they will escalate out of control. Like the ruling and opposition parties, the trade union leadership is haunted by the AprilJuly 2022 mass uprising that brought capitalist rule to the brink of collapse. Sri Lankan workers, as part of the international working class, face a rapidly changing political situation. The imperialist powers, with the US at their head and amid a deepening capitalist crisis, are driving the world towards a catastrophic third world war. The only way to prevent this catastrophe is the mobilisation of the international working class to lead a global anti-war movement based on socialist policies. While the Wickremesinghe government and other reactionary representatives of Sri Lankas ruling elite attack the 2022 mass uprising as a terrorist act or a conspiracy, the FSP is seeking to use the rising anti-government sentiment to promote the building of a so-called peoples council to pressure the capitalist parliament. In opposition to reactionary forces and the pseudo-left, the SEP/IYSSE fights to draw vital lessons of the 2022 mass anti-government upsurge to politically arm workers and youth. The June 4 public meeting is part of this struggle. The meeting will discuss the political necessity for the building of the SEP as a mass revolutionary party in the context of current global developments. We urge workers, young people and all those determined to defend social and democratic rights to attend the forthcoming meeting and discuss these crucial issues. Meeting venue: Public Library Auditorium, Colombo Date and time: June 4 at 4 p.m. On Tuesday, the university group of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) at Berlins Humboldt University submitted its election statement for the upcoming student parliament elections. The elections on June 18 and 19 will take place under extraordinary conditions this year. While opponents of the genocide in Gaza are being suppressed by brutal police violence and prosecuted at the instigation of the management, university President Julia von Blumenthal and the Berlin Senate (state executive) are planning to tighten the Higher Education Act, which would allow students expressing critical anti-war views to be de-registered on a political basis. Establishment politicians and the media have responded to an open letter from hundreds of lecturers condemning the violent dispersal of a protest camp at Berlins Freie Universitat and defending students freedom of expression and assembly with a vicious smear campaign. At the same time, university campuses across Europe are being occupied by students to oppose Israels attack on Rafah and demand a halt to all Western arms supplies. The struggle that the IYSSE has been waging for the past ten years against the imposed conformity at universities is thus gaining immense significance. We have revealed the militarist driving forces behind the attempt to attack the democratic rights of students and to turn German universities back into training schools for German imperialism. To stop the genocide in Gaza and the NATO war against Russia in Ukraine, the entire working class must be mobilised on the basis of an international and socialist programme against war and capitalism. Below appears the statement of the IYSSE election list, which will be printed in the student election brochure. Take part in our election campaign and register as an active supporter at iysse.de/mitmachen. *** Stop the genocide in Gaza! Stop the police violence against anti-war students! We are running in the Student Parliament (StuPa) elections to oppose police violence against students who express critical anti-war views and media smears against lecturers. We will not allow opponents of war to be silenced at Humboldt University and for it to be turned into a training school for German militarism. It is not only our right, but our historical duty to speak out against the terrible genocide in Gaza, which is supported by the German government in every respect. This war is not about protecting Jewish lives, but about pure economic interests. The same powers that are arming Israel are working together with anti-Semites and Nazi worshippers in Ukraine to defeat Russia militarily. In their fight for world hegemony, they are even prepared to accept nuclear war. Scholarship instead of war propaganda! In order to make Germany fit for war, the whole of society is being militarised and the budgets for education, health and housing are being slashed. Humboldt University plays a central role in the ideological preparations for war. While university management defames peaceful students as antisemites because they protest against genocide, it has for years backed the right-wing extremist Professor Baberowski, who claims that Hitler was not vicious and systematically trivialises the Holocaust. We in the StuPa have been fighting against this war propaganda and the attacks on students democratic rights for 10 years. In view of the enormous escalation of the conflict between the militarism of the university management and the students, this work is of crucial importance. Only with a strong IYSSE in the StuPa can we fend off the attacks by the university management! For a socialist perspective against fascism and war! We students cannot win alone. The only social force capable of ending the genocide and defending democratic rights is the international working class, the great majority that creates all the wealth of society. As the youth organisation of the Fourth International, we stand for the unification of workers across all national, religious, and ethnic boundaries in the struggle against capitalism and war. The brutal violence against opponents of war shows that it is pointless to appeal to the government. A world war can only be prevented if capitalism is overthrown and replaced by a socialist society in which the needs of working people come before the interests of profit. Join the IYSSE and follow us on instagram.com/iysse.de At Deutsche Bahn (DB) Cargo, the logistics branch of the German railway company, the threat of massive job cuts has led to a systematic increase in work pressure. This has considerable consequences for the health of railroad workers and results in life-threatening situations. A report by a railroad worker at the last meeting of the German Rail Action Committee on an incident in Mannheim once more provides a drastic demonstration of exactly this. In rail freight transport, the plans for systemic transformation proposed by the Management Board under Sigrid Nikutta, and worked out by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, include systematic job cuts. DB Cargo is to be trimmed for profit and all costly innovations are to be put on ice. This is because the owner of the railroad, the German government, has passed a war budget slashing the remaining budgetary provisions, the Ministry of Transport being cut by 380 million. The victims are first and foremost railroad workers. Switch yard in Kornwestheim near Stuttgart, Germany [Photo by K. Jahne / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 On the night of May 3, a dangerous accident occurred at the marshalling yard in Mannheim, which has not yet appeared in any press reports, when, as rail workers have reported to the Rail Action Committee, an employee was struck. According to the report, an engine driver was supposed to move several wagons off of a track during the night shift. He positioned his locomotive in front of the empty wagons and got out to prepare the locomotive for the operation. He was not aware, however, that other wagons were being pushed onto the same track at the same time. (To assemble a train, wagons are pushed in the correct order by another locomotive over the hump onto the predetermined tracki.e. pushed off.) However, the driver was not made aware that additional cars were rolling toward his train. They collided with the empty wagons on the track, pushing them in his direction. The wagons hit the train driver, injuring him so badly that he was taken to the hospital. His colleagues reported him breaking several ribs and bruising his lungsdangerous and extremely painful injuries. This accident, which could have been fatal, demonstrates yet again that working under unrelenting high pressure without sufficient precautions to protect workers lives can indeed have life-threatening consequences. A worker from the same marshalling yard told the Rail Action Committee: There is a lot of pressure here at the Mannheim yard at the moment. Because the dispatchers have to meet their targets, their colleagues at the station are under a lot of pressure to work faster and faster. They try not to attract negative attention and do their best to get their work done as quickly as possible. We should really be making sure that we work safely, not just quickly. Above all, there is a shortage of staff on all sides. Another worker reported: There are fewer and fewer staff. Our site manager claims that there are too many of us, but the staffing levels are already so low that six or seven of us from [the German city of] Saarbrucken have been brought to the Mannheim marshalling yard to help us out. The works council and the German railroad workers union EVG are on the side of the DB Cargo Management Board, which has decreed its own transformation in order to trim unprofitable parts of the company and the associated jobs. In the words of one worker, it is terrible that nobody is standing up for their colleagues, so they are speaking out: The works council approves everything. It stands behind the site manager. Employees are being told from all quarters that we railroaders cant defend ourselves against increasing work stress. Many of us already want to stop working and dont want to come on shift. The worker, who is a member of the Rail Action Committee, called upon his colleagues: It cant go on like this. Get organized and join the Rail Action Committee. Safety affects us all; it can happen to us at any time. Dont let yourselves be intimidated any longer. After all, we are the ones lining the bosses pockets and we are the ones who can stop this. The Rail Action Committee, which was founded during the EVG strike a year ago, has expressed its distrust of the EVG and the GDL train drivers union apparatus. It strives for the international unification of all railroad workers and declares that the rights and needs of employees are more important than the profit interests of investors, shareholders and speculators. We call on all railroad workers and all those who want to take part in setting up independent Action Committees to send us reports on the conditions in their area and to contact us: Get in touch via Whatsapp on +49-163-337 8340, register using the form below or send your report to the World Socialist Web Site. For the first quarter of this year, i-80 Gold Corp. reported an adjusted loss of nearly $20.11 million, or 7 cents per share, as the company continued project development, along with the sale of 2,486 ounces of gold. Were still a development company, not a miner, the companys chief executive officer, Ewan Downie, said in an investment day presentation on May 14 in Toronto, stating that as a business it will be several years before i-80 Gold is cash flow positive. He said the company had to slow things down in 2023, but since receiving new funds plans to advance its projects, including completing the feasibility study for Granite Creek for a decision on commercial production there. Test mining continues, however. Downie said i-80 Gold will perform very strongly this year, and i-80 Gold has an advantage with its high-grade deposits because companies that survive the ups and downs of the market are those with higher ore grades. The Reno-based company sold 10,167 tons of mineralized material for $3.2 million under its ore sale agreement from the Granite Creek underground mine in Humboldt County, and i-80 Gold added 28,500 tons of mineralized material to the stockpile at Granite Creek. A total of 2,042 ounces of gold were sold from Lone Tree from residual leaching, as well, at a realized price of $2,097 per ounce, according to i-80s May 13 quarterly update. The update showed revenue was $8.41 million in the first quarter, compared with $4.55 million in the 2023 quarter. Ruby Hill Mine in Eureka Countys residual leaching totaled 444 gold ounces sold at an average realized price of $2,016 per ounce. The adjusted net loss compared with a loss of $18.65 million, or 8 cents per share, in the 2023 quarter. The net loss without adjustments was $15.72 million, compared with $13.12 million in the first quarter of last year. The average realized gold price for all of the companys first-quarter sales was $2,083 per ounce, up from $1,928 per ounce in the first quarter of 2023. Looking at its properties in Nevada, i-80 reported that there was 3,178 feet of horizontal underground development at Granite Creek, and a top priority there is management of increased water flows into the underground workings. The company said that dewatering well No. 6 was completed, and a second water discharge line was commissioned in the first quarter from the underground workings at Granite Creek, which is south of Nevada Gold Mines Turquoise Ridge operations. Exploration is continuing at McCoy-Cove south of Battle Mountain. I-80 Gold says it expects McCoy-Cove to be the highest-grade gold deposit in its portfolio and the core asset of the companys hub and spoke business plan. Downie said there are two drills operating at McCoy-Cove, and a feasibility study is expected in 2025. He also told investors that there is a polymetallic deposit at McCoy-Cove that has yet to be followed up. The company achieved high-grade infill drilling results at the Helen and Gap Zones, with 3,594 feet of drilling completed in the first quarter, according to the report. At Ruby Hill on the outskirts of the town of Eureka, the focus in the first quarter was on infill drilling of the Hilltop zones for metallurgical sampling that ties in with the companys potential joint venture. The company said that 4,032 feet of core drilling was completed at Ruby Hill in the first quarter, fully funded by the potential joint venture partner, whose name hasnt been disclosed, to complete due diligence during the exclusivity period. There also was residual leaching at Ruby Hill, with 444 ounces produced and sold at a realized gold price of $2,016 per ounce, according to the earnings report. The report states that as the leach pad nears the end of its production cycle, i-80 Gold continues to analyze the break-even cost and anticipates the leach pad will cease production this year. Downie said work continues toward establishing a joint venture with the potential partner at Ruby Hill, and the partner is more interested in the base metals than the gold deposits. Meanwhile, permitting continues for an underground mine with portals at the bottom of the Archimedes open pit at Ruby Hill, as well as on continued planning for conversion of the mill to one that can process base metals, according to i-80 Gold. Residual leaching is continuing at Lone Tree along Interstate 80. The company expects Lone Tree to be the hub of operations because of its facilities, which include an autoclave that will process ore from the Granite Creek, McCoy-Cove, and Ruby Hill underground gold deposits. The company also is continuing to review value engineering studies and total refurbishment costs for the autoclave at Lone Tree. To boost finances, i-80 Gold completed a public offering of nearly 69.7 million units for gross proceeds of $84.23 million in U.S. dollars. Each unit included one common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant of i-80 Gold. The extension of the delivery requirements under the gold prepay and silver purchase agreements with Orion Mine Finance, coupled with the recently completed bought deal public offering, significantly enhance our financial flexibility and positions the company to continue to executive its plans, the companys chief financial officer, Ryan Snow, said in the earnings report. We continue to advance exploration and definition drilling at Granite Creek and McCoy-Cove and permitting activities at our projects, allowing the company to advance our projects towards the ultimate goal of building a mid-tier Nevada-focused producer, he said. In a separate May 14 announcement, i-80 Gold reported new high-grade results from the ongoing drill program at Granite Creek designed to define mineralization in the upper part of the South Pacific Zone. The latest results are from seven new holes drilled in the underground drilling campaign focused on the South Pacific Zone, which is immediately north of the current mine workings and is expected to become the primary mining zone. The company said initial mining stopes in the SPZ are planned once mine workings are extended to provide access. In an earlier announcement on the ramp-up of exploration and development at Granite Creek, the company stated that the 2024 drilling program follows underground and surface drilling in 2023 and will be accelerated in advance of completion of the feasibility study for the underground mining operation. The ongoing surface and underground drilling program at Granite Creek continues to confirm impressive high-grade gold mineralization, including over substantial widths, said Tyler Hill, chief geologist of i-80. A three-day vote to authorize a strike by 48,000 academic workers, members of United Auto Workers Local 4811 across the University of California system, has overwhelmingly confirmed workers determination to wage a political struggle against the genocide in Gaza and systematic repression of democratic rights. Anti-genocide protesters at the UC-Irvine encampment, May 15, 2024. The WSWS welcomes the outcome of the vote and calls for an all-out offensive against the Biden administration and its Republican accomplices: the ongoing repression of the protests by the state confirms that a full political struggle is necessary against the Democratic Party and the entire political establishment that supports criminal wars and genocide abroad and attacks on basic rights and freedom of speech at home. On Thursday, police attacked a protest encampment at Chicagos DePaul University, where officers in riot gear dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment, arresting two. The UC struggle is placing workers and students in direct conflict with the UAW bureaucracy. The union apparatus is making every effort to limit and minimize the action to toothless standup strikes only on selected campuses, against the rank-and-file demand for a full strike. The union has artificially imposed a June 30 end date to the strike, which, despite having authorization, they have yet to call. The bureaucracy has deliberately prevented its own members involved in similar action from uniting in a common and more powerful struggle. In addition to 48,000 Local 4811 members, another 6,000 at Local 4121 were involved in a strike at the University of Washington that began and ended on the same day, as it was called off by the union announcing a tentative agreement. In Detroit, workers in UAW Local 869 at Stellantis Warren Stamping Plant also voted in favor of a strike over health and safety grievances but have been kept on the job by the union. Workers must reject attempts to isolate the UC strike from other industrial actions and take the struggle into their own hands. In order to carry out their demands, a political fight against the Democrats, Republicans and the complicit union apparatus is a necessity: the formation of an independent rank-and-file committee must be the priority. The struggle must be expanded to all campuses and factories. The entire UAW membership must be informed of what is at stake: war and genocide must be stopped by halting production and democratic rights must be fiercely defended against the repeated attacks perpetrated by the Biden administration. There is wide support for the protests and for a determined strike across the board among workers and students. On Thursday, the Wayne State chapter of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in Detroit, Michigan issued a statement which read in part: The WSU IYSSE endorses the powerful strike vote by 48,000 California academic workers and pledges to take this fight against genocide, war and attacks on students to the UAW members in the auto plants. In a statement published on April 30, over 100 faculty members at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit also denounced the McCarthyite repression against students on campuses across the United States and violent police attacks on free speech. These actions are important steps in stopping the repression of students on campus and in bringing awareness of our overwhelming opposition to the continuing genocide. However, it is only the working class which can stop this war, and the growing drive to World War III. Students must be warned that the UAW does not intend to carry through a fight against war. On the contrary, UAW President FainGenocide Joe Bidens right-hand man, has pledged to transform the plants back into an Arsenal of Democracy, referencing World War II. In Detroit, we are well aware of the UAWs betrayal of the recent auto contract which paved the way for the mass termination of supplemental employees. The UAW leadership has continually made decisions against the workers interests, including the stand up strikes that let production continue at the auto plants and ending strikes before deals are made. The workers who remain are increasingly facing unsafe conditions, as shown by the strike vote at Stellantis Warren Stamping plant. Therefore, we urge UAW members to form independent rank-and-file committees to wrest control away from the bureaucracy and place it in the hands of workers themselves. The IYSSE supports the call for an immediate strike against the US-Israeli genocide, spreading the strike to the auto plants and mobilizing the industrial working class. We call for workers to stop the handling of any and all supplies to Israel that could be deployed for military purposes. We denounce the arrests of over 3,000 students and the violent attacks on our rights. Hands off students, defend democratic rights! For a nationwide and international strike against the genocide and war! A UC-Irvine grad student in sociology told the WSWS she voted to strike because The bottom line is youre not protecting your workers in any of the ways that you should, whether its a living or wage or just protecting them from violence on campus. You shouldnt allow your workers or your students to be hit with rubber bullets, like what does that say about who these institutions are and how much they care about us? They dont, and I think thats a very obvious sentiment. A faculty member at the University of Washington told the WSWS: The strike action and the encampment have had a positive impact in my workplace. My colleagues and I are discussing this every day and the student perspectives are being heard. I encourage the students to continue studying the broader perspectives and implications of their grievances, and to link their actions. The common struggle is against the corporate power structure, and the struggle is worldwide. Students in the UC system and here at UW must not accept half measures and sellout deals. The working class is hearing you. The students on strike and the students in the encampment are taking a big risk. Weve all seen how far administrations are willing to go to put down encampments. The grad student strike here ended after one day. I asked a student who had been on the picket line if the TA was a good deal; he said it was OK. I asked why the deal was reached so fast; he said maybe the university just needed to know they were serious. But he admitted that a one-day strike probably didnt frighten anyone. In opposition to the UAWs stand up strike the faculty member said, there should be an all-out strike. These students are being attacked by thugs acting on behalf of the administration. Leila, a SAG-AFTRA actress and co-host of the PunchUpPod, told the WSWS, I wholeheartedly support UC academic workers vote to strike in solidarity with their students, who have been attacked by the administration, by brutal police and by violent counter-protesters. The bipartisan mission to keep funding wars, while creating new laws to criminalize speech and our right to protest, must be fought relentlessly. We need all hands on deck for as long as it takes to end this genocide, but also to shift US priorities to invest in people, climate, care, and community. She added, Ill never support a strike where people are still expected to create profit for the evil theyre protesting. On Tuesday a bus carrying farmworkers crashed in Ocala, Florida, some 80 miles north of Orlando, resulting in the tragic deaths of eight young men, most of whom were in their twenties. The bus overturned after it was sideswiped by an intoxicated driver in a pickup truck and flipped after descending down an embankment and hitting a tree. Police and emergency workers inspect a bus that collided with a small pickup truck killing eight of the more than 50 migrant workers in the bus, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Ocala, Florida [AP Photo/Alan Youngblood] The former school bus was carrying about 53 migrant farmworkers to a job at a watermelon field and was hit by a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup truck driving in the opposite direction on a compact two-lane roadway at around 6:30 a.m. In addition to the fatalities, some 40 people were injured, including 13 in critical condition. The driver of the pickup, Bryan Maclean Howard, faces eight counts of DUI manslaughter for striking the bus and pushing it off the road. Howards arrest report identifies six of those killed as Jose Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27; Isaias Miranda Pascal, 21; Manuel Perez Rios, 46; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Alfredo Tovar Sanchez, 20; and Evarado Ventura Hernandez, 30. All of the deceased were from Mexico and working in the US on an H-2A farmworker visa. The bus was transporting farmworkers who were harvesting sunflowers, watermelon and sweet corn at various farms in the area. CBS reported that the farmworkers were making close to $15 an hour. Farmworker Association of Florida member Jeanne Oconomos confirmed that some farmworkers were still in the hospital, in addition to suffering physical injuries which may persist. They definitely are going to have mental traumatic issues. They dont have support systems, family. Most of them are single men. Forty-four of the bus passengers were Mexican citizens and had been hired by a Mexican American farmer to harvest watermelons under temporary or seasonal visas. The Mexican government confirmed that six remain in serious condition, and another three are in critical condition. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) said in a statement Wednesday morning, There was an accident yesterday in Orlando, Florida, involving Mexican agricultural workers on a bus, and eight of our countrymen, who went to work hired by a Mexican American businessman with temporary work visas, lost their lives. Despite his crocodile tears over our countrymen, AMLO has been at the forefront of brutal attacks on migrants. Just three weeks ago he called the National Guard to attack a caravan of 3,000 migrants that included some 500 children in the state of Oaxaca. Members of the migrant caravan describe themselves as international workers and come from at least 20 countries, including Mexico, fleeing poverty and violence and seeking asylum in the US. The caravan, known as Migrant Via Crucis, marches behind a wooden cross and a large sign with the words Killers of Poor Migrants to protest the repressive actions and violence used to block their path. AMLO has been at the forefront of the attacks on migrants and is working closely with the Biden administration to carry out its promises to halt migration and expand state repression, particularly at Mexicos southern border. The H-2A farmworker visas exemplifies the predatory relationship that both the US and Mexican ruling class exert over workers. Exploited for their poverty and desperation, treated like dogs, and have their labor sold on an international market, these workers are forced to live in squalor and work in dangerous and life-threatening conditions. It is now the increasing task of the Mexican government to better control the spigot of labor from workers seeking refuge in the US. Working with Mexico, the US established the CBP One mobile app, which requires asylum seekers to make appointments and wait for months and years to potentially apply for asylum. As we have explained, this is nothing but a version of the Trump era Remain in Mexico policy. The Remain in Mexico policy offers benefits to both ruling classes and is viewed by Mexicos elite as important to fill the countrys labor shortage with immigrants who have traveled north from Southern America and the Northern Triangle in Central America. Migrant farmworkers whose labor is critical to the functioning of US agriculture, which feeds the entire population, continue to face further abuses upon reaching the US. Though immigrants are historically utilized as the scapegoat, the anti-immigrant atmosphere whipped up by both parties and particularly the Republican governors in Florida and Texas, has taken on high-pitched dimensions in the run-up to the November elections. Former President Donald Trump has boasted that he will embark on the largest deportation operation in history. In recent months Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he would authorize the deployment of up to 1,000 Florida National Guard soldiers to help Texas fortify the border, add barriers, and wire against what the far right continually refers to as an invasion. The fascist DeSantis has long advocated for a shoot on sight policy toward immigrants. In March DeSantis made clear he was prepared to deploy hundreds of police and soldiers to south Florida in anticipation of an influx of Haitian refugees fleeing the recent violence in that country, noting, Illegal immigrants feel empowered to enter the sovereign territory of the United States because of the federal governments refusal to diligently enforce our immigration laws and protect the integrity of the border. When a state faces the possibility of invasion, it has the right and duty to defend its territory and people. Contrary to the anti-immigrant agitation of DeSantis and the Republican Party, the site of the crash has been overflowing with flowers from people and families visiting to pay their respects to the farmworkers they never met. This only underscores the need for the unity of the working class across North and South America and the world over who face hyper-exploitation and threats of violence from the bourgeoisie of every nation. Only an international and socialist perspective aimed at uniting the global masses against capitalism, war and oppression can halt the attacks on migrants and workers. Over the past 24 hours, a campaign against student protest encampments opposing the Israeli genocide in Gaza has ratcheted up sharply. Two universities have issued eviction notices, others have held crisis meetings, and at the University of Melbourne, a senior manager has made a frothing denunciation of protesters and called for the police to mobilise against them. Rally at the Arts West Building at the University of Melbourne on Wednesday, 15 May 2024 [Photo: X/@binarythis] Whether the crackdown is being nationally coordinated or notand the timing strongly indicates that it isthe repressive actions of university administrations are in line with demands from the political and media establishment, particularly Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. This week, he has denounced the protests as divisive displays of hatred and ignorance that do not have a place in society. Albanese claimed that antisemitism is greater than at any point in his lifetime, in a deepening of the lying conflation of opposition to Israels horrific war crimes with anti-Jewish bigotry. The remarks have had the character of an incitement to the Zionist thugs and far-right forces who, on three occasions over the past fortnight, have violently attacked student encampments in the dead of the night. They have been aimed at creating a climate of intimidation and manufactured hysteria in which the university administrations will feel compelled and emboldened to dismantle the protests. That was underscored by a statement from University of Melbourne deputy vice-chancellor Michael Wesley yesterday. Referencing the fact that students at the university are continuing an occupation of the Arts West building they began on Wednesday, Wesley declared that red lines have been crossed. Without evidence, he said protesters were intimidating other people and have caused considerable damage. Speaking more like a national security official than an academic administrator, Wesley asserted that intelligence had shown that many involved were not students but professional protesters. They are outside agitators and the sort of actions they are taking suggest to us that they could be potentially dangerous, he said. The way they have organised themselves within the building would suggest to us that they are preparing to resist being forcibly evicted. The deputy vice chancellor menacingly stated that police would now be including the campus in their regular patrols. When it comes to ending the protest, we will largely be reliant on Victoria Police. This is going to be a very substantial operation. Victoria Police this morning stated there had been no formal eviction notice from the university, and so they could not immediately act. Wesleys comments, however, are chilling. The use of quasi-military terminology about red lines and substantial operations is a warning that the university authorities are prepared to greenlight violence against protesters who are not accused of physically harming anyone, or of committing any real wrongdoing. The statements are a practical application of what Albanese meant when he said the protests did not have a place in society. Part of the student rally at Deakin University in Melbourne, May15, 2024 While a tense situation persists at the University of Melbourne as of this writing, management at Deakin University in the same city has issued a second eviction notice, after student demonstrators defied one earlier this week. The Australian National University (ANU) has demanded that an encampment be dismantled by the end of today. Last night, University of Queensland vice-chancellor Deborah Terry convened a crisis meeting, after right-wing provocateurs tried to incite a disturbance at the encampment there. Yesterday the University of Sydney sent an email to all students and staff, alleging, without proof, that protesters had intimidated lecturers and committed other infractions. This morning, the Murdoch-owned Australian crowed that the email had been a response to its inquiries, based on the papers collaboration with pro-Israeli members of academia. Under the deceptive banner of combating non-existent violence and ensuring student safety, the administrations are going to war against the most basic democratic rights on campus, including free speech and political protest. While the claim is continuously made that this is necessary to protect Jewish students, no evidence of harm or threats against students has been presented. Many anti-Zionist Jewish students have played a leading role in the protests. The clear aim is to ban all displays of opposition to the genocide on university campuses. That occurs under conditions where, as the encampments themselves have centrally noted, virtually all of Australias universities have extensive ties to a military-intelligence complex that includes US and other weapons firms that are directly involved in the mass slaughter of Palestinians. The precedent that is being set, however, goes beyond the campuses. The still relatively small encampments are being targeted in a test-case for a wider ban on protests and demonstrations, amid mass opposition to the genocide, a growing anti-war sentiment and intense hostility to all the parliamentary parties. That has openly been stated by commentators in the corporate media, who have asked how it will be possible to end the student encampments, while continuing to allow mass demonstrations against the genocide in the city centres. It is demonstrated by an escalating discussion of senior politicians, including in the Labor government, about protest slogans calling for the liberation of the Palestinians and an end to the genocide being a dangerous threat to national security. This broader turn to authoritarianism underscores the critical importance of opposing the attacks on the encampments. The Socialist Equality Party and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) condemn the witch hunt of the students and call for workers to mobilise in their defence. If the government and the universities succeed in violently dispersing the encampments, it will set a benchmark for assaults against workers struggles across the board. The basis for such a mobilisation exists. It was demonstrated this week in the United States, in the vote by some 48,000 graduate students and university workers to take strike action against a brutal crackdown on pro-Gaza encampments. In Australia too, there is sympathy for the students and hostility to their vilification. An open letter defending the encampments has now been signed by more than 900 university workers and academics across the country, including almost 200 at the University of Melbourne and scores at other institutions. As weekly mass protests throughout the genocide have shown, the opposition goes much deeper, existing in all of the major working-class neighbourhoods and workplaces of the country. A central obstacle to a mobilisation of workers in defence of democratic rights and against the genocide is the trade union bureaucracy. All of the Australian unions have rejected a desperate appeal from Palestinian unions for action to stop the genocide, including to block military and related supplies to Israel. Not a single strike or industrial action has been held. The complicity extends to the National Tertiary Education Union, which covers academics and many staff. While making general statements in support of the students, it has not committed to any action whatsoever. That underscores the urgency of workers, including university staff, organising independently, through the establishment of rank-and-file committees to prepare action against the attacks on the protests, the genocide and war. Above all, what is posed is a political struggle. The pseudo-left organisations that dominate at the encampments are trying to cover this up. Instead, they are directing students to impotent appeals to their own university managements to cut ties with Israel. The involvement of the universities in the supply chains of militarism, however, is a political issue and a subordinate component of the broader militarisation of the country being spearheaded by the Labor government, with the support of all the official parties. That is not only in aid of the genocide, but centrally involves the US alliance and Australias integration into Washingtons advanced preparations for war with China, which the pseudo-left and encampment leaders never mention. And as Albaneses comments this week make clear, the assault on the encampments is not simply a question of the proclivities of university managers, but of a turn to dictatorial forms of rule to impose the program of war and the accompanying assault on social conditions. While workers must defend the encampments from attack, students must turn to the working class, the fundamental revolutionary force in society, and take up the struggle for a socialist program, directed against the source of the horrors in Gaza, the descent into a new world war and the evisceration of civil liberties, the capitalist system. Internationally renowned Israeli historian Ilan Pappe was stopped by federal agents and interrogated for two hours Monday as he entered US territory at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Pappe was visiting southeast Michigan to speak at public meetings in Detroit and two suburbs, Dearborn and Ferndale. Ilan Pappe [Photo: Fjmustak] Agents from the Department of Homeland Security confiscated and copied the contents of his cellphone before returning it to him. They asked him detailed questions about his anti-Zionist political views and who he was in contact with in the United States, before finally admitting him to the country. In a posting on his Facebook page, Pappe recounted some of the details of this outrageous attack on democratic rights, which gives a glimpse of the police-state methods of the US government towards those it suspects of opposition to American foreign policy. The two men team were not abusive or rude, I should say, but their questions were really out of the world! Pappe wrote. Am I a Hamas supporter? Do I regard the Israeli actions in Gaza a genocide? What is the solution to the conflict (seriously this what they asked!) Who are my Arab and Muslim friends in America... how long do I know them, what kind of relationship I have with them. In some cases I sent them to my books, and is some cases I answered laconically yes or no... (I was quite exhausted after an 8 hours flight, but this is part of the idea). They had long phone conversation with someone, the Israelis?, and after copying everything on my phone allowed me to enter. I know many of you have fared far worse experience, but after France and Germany denied entry to the Rector of Glasgow university for being a Palestinian... God know what will happen next. The good news is - actions like this by the USA or European countries taken under pressure from the pro-Israeli lobby or Israel itself smell of sheer panic and desperation in reaction to Israels becoming very soon a pariah state with all the implications of such a status. Pappe was formerly a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Haifa, before moving to Britain, where he was a lecturer at Leeds University. He is now professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of Exeter. He has written more than 20 books on the history of Israel-Palestine, including The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, which provides a thorough examination of the Nakba, the driving out of 700,000 Palestinians and the seizure of their land in the course of the founding of Israel in 1947-48. Other works include The Modern Middle East, A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples and Ten Myths about Israel. Pappe gave an interview to Al Jazeera May 15 marking the 76th anniversary of the Nakba (although he prefers to refer to it, not as a catastropheNakba in Arabicbut as a crime, since a catastrophe could be a natural one, but this was a crime with a perpetrator, the Zionists, and a victim, the Palestinians). Based on his great familiarity with the events of 1948, he observed that the current attack on Gaza is even worse than those terrible events. 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, he said. Ethnic cleansing is a terrible crime against humanity but genocide is even worse. After his interrogation by the DHS, Pappe went on to address the three scheduled public meetings on the topic Gaza in Context: Past, Present, & Future. He spoke before large audiences which included many Arab Americans. The Detroit area has the largest population of Arab Americans in the US. One of his many insights was a detailed explanation of the history of the Gaza Strip, established as a giant refugee camp for Palestinians pushed south by Zionist terrorism in 1948. The territory was originally a third larger than the present Gaza, but additional land, about 110 square kilometers, was subsequently seized by the state of Israel and handed over for settlement after a campaign by the left Zionist party Mapam, which wanted the land to build kibbutzes, because of its fertility. The kibbutzes attacked on October 7 were among those built on land directly adjacent to Gaza which had been confiscated and its Palestinian population driven into Gaza. Two generations of Palestinian youth learned from their parents and grandparents of the dispossession of its original inhabitants from land which remained within view. Israels Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced Thursday that the bloody onslaught on Gaza will be expanded. With over 600,000 people having fled Gazas southernmost city since the ground operation began on 6 May, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is taking its genocide of the Palestinians to a new stage of brutality with the full backing of the US and European imperialist powers. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub) This operation will intensify and Hamas is not an organisation that can regenerate itself now, Gallant declared in a statement released by his office after a visit to the Gaza border near Rafah Wednesday. It has no reserves, it has no ability to manufacture weapons, it has no supplies, it has no munitions, it has no ability to properly treat terrorists who are injured, and this means we are wearing it down. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a similar tone, describing the battle of Rafah as critical. He commented, Its not just the rest of their battalions, its also like an oxygen line for them for escape and resupply. Its completion advances us a huge distance to defeating the enemy. Coming from a government for which terrorists and the enemy are synonymous with the entire population of Gaza, these remarks are chilling. They underscore that the IDF is preparing to butcher a defenceless civilian population and drive the survivors into other areas of Gaza that have been reduced to rubble by over seven months of constant Israeli bombardment. These areas will by no means be exempted from ongoing IDF attacks. Major military operations continued in the north Thursday, where an air strike hit an ambulance in the Jabalia refugee camp, killing two paramedics; a pregnant woman was among four fatalities when an Israeli missile struck a house. Gallants ability to declare an expansion of the slaughter in Rafah is due above all to the green light given by the imperialists in Washington, Berlin, and elsewhere to the Netanyahu government. Late Tuesday, the Biden administration confirmed that it plans to dispatch over $1 billion of weaponry and other military equipment to Israel. German Foreign Minister Analena Baerbock shed crocodile tears about the fate of civilians in Rafah Thursday, but refused to even suggest that Israel could consider halting its ground offensive. Outrageously laying the blame on Hamas for Israels barbaric assault, which went ahead even though Hamas initially acceded to a ceasefire proposal, she pontificated, Its clear that Hamas can immediately end the suffering of the people in Gaza. But its also clear that the war against Hamas cant be won by military means alone. A letter initiated by Baerbock and signed by 12 other foreign ministers, including all members of the G-7 apart from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, reportedly warned against a major military operation in Rafah and called for border crossings for humanitarian aid to be opened. The letter, which was not made public but reported on by the German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung, included a declaration of Israels right to defend itself and a condemnation of Hamas 7 October attack. In other words, the humanitarian phrases are little more than cover for the German government, which was responsible for some 30 percent of Israels arms supply between 2019 and 2023, and has been brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its complicity in the genocide. The expansion of the Rafah onslaught came the same day as South Africa testified at the ICJ to seek the urgent issuing of provisional measures to halt the Gaza genocide. Introducing the petition, South Africas ambassador to the Netherlands stated that Gaza has been largely wiped off the map. Blinne Ni Ghralaigh, a lawyer for South Africa, stated that a child has been killed or wounded in Gaza every 10 minutes since Israel launched its genocidal assault. During the hearing, a video was shown with an Israeli reservist who testified that evacuation areas given out by the IDF are considered extermination zones by soldiers. The evidence before the court indicates that the extent of the carnage in Gaza is of a much-greater magnitude than that pertained to Ukraine and Russia, Gralaigh told the court. Indeed, the carnage in Gaza is in an order which exceeds by far the necessities of war and the limits imposed by the laws of war. The UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated Thursday that it is nearly impossible to distribute aid in Gaza. Israeli forces remain in control of the Rafah border crossing, and although the Kerem Shalom crossing into Israel is formally open, it is virtually inaccessible for aid deliveries due to military operations. The World Food Programme, which was forced to suspend its operations in Rafah on 11 May, reported Thursday, The threat of famine in Gaza never loomed larger. The organisation noted that acute malnutrition among children aged under two in northern Gaza doubled from 15 percent in January to 30 percent in March. The WFP added, We have seen the impact of prolonged closures in northern Gaza, and despite recent improvements in access to help mitigate a famine there, we are now also deeply concerned about the fate of hundreds of thousands in the south, if a full-scale operation and closures continue. In addition to using starvation as a weapon of war, the far-right Zionist regime has demonstrated its genocidal intent by systematically destroying the basic infrastructure for civilised life in Gaza. Seventy percent of residential housing units have been damaged or destroyed, while 24 out of 36 hospitals have stopped operating. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor drew attention Thursday to Israels targeted destruction of schools and clinics during a recent six-day raid on the Zeitoun neighbourhood in Gaza City and ongoing operations in Jabalia. The Zeitoun Medical Clinic and three schools were obliterated during the raid, while six schools have been targeted in Jabalia. Gazas Government Media Office released shocking figures Thursday showing that the IDF has killed over 100 leading scholars, university professors, and researchers since 7 October. A total of 103 universities and schools have been totally destroyed, while some 311 schools and universities have been damaged. The statement appealed for All universities and educational sectors in all countries of the world to condemn this crime, which comes within the framework of the crime of genocide. This genocide has been the stated goal of the Israeli regime from the outset. Guided by a fascist ideology rooted in Zionism, Netanyahus far-right government aims to carry out a barbaric final solution of the Palestinian question. It involves massacring as many men, women, and children as possible, and depopulating Gaza by means of ethnic cleansing and starvation in order to create the conditions for a greater Israel on Palestinian territory. The increased lawlessness in the West Bank, where vigilante settlers have a free hand to kill and assault Palestinians and attack aid trucks bound for Gaza, demonstrates that there is no safe place for the Palestinian people. The only way to stop the genocide in Gaza is through the independent political mobilisation of the international working class. The imperialist powers, who are resorting to methods of ruthless state repression to crush anti-genocide protests and authoritarian forms of rule to contain growing worker opposition to war and austerity, are in alliance with fascists not just in Israel, but also in Ukraine. They are promoting the far right at home, because these are the political forces necessary to enforce their reactionary interests. Opposition to the genocide must be developed by workers around the world, in solidarity with anti-genocide student protesters, by mobilising their social power to halt all military supplies to Israel, and the manufacture of military equipment for the waging of imperialist war and genocide. A motion calling for action by workers to halt all work connected to military exports to, or collaboration with, the Israeli state, was opposed and maligned by National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) branch committee members at the University of Sydney last week. Zac Hambides addressing an NTEU strike rally at the University of Sydney on August 17, 2022 Socialist Equality Party supporter Zac Hambides moved the resolution as an amendment to a branch committee resolution that proposed no such action but instead asked the universitys management itself to cut ties to Israel. This was after seven months of an escalating genocide, in which Israeli forces have killed more than 35,000 peopleduring which no trade union in Australia has called a single stoppage to oppose the slaughterand amid the launching of more mass killing in Rafah and across Gaza. The amendment called for a black ban and cessation of work on all university research, education or other projects linked to the Israeli military or otherwise assisting the genocide in Gaza. It urged all workers, including at other universities, to take similar decisive action. When Hambides moved the motion on behalf of the Committee for Public Education (CFPE), the rank-and-file educators network, NTEU branch president Nick Riemer arbitrarily declared that he would have only two minutes to speak, despite the NTEU standing rules providing for three minutes. Hambides told the meeting: I am moving this amendment because the union resolution proposes workers do nothing except make appeals to management to divest. This will not stop the genocide! The only social force that can end the genocide is the working class, taking decisive action as the Palestinian unions have called for. Rafah is now being invaded and tens of thousands more Palestinians will die. This barbarism is part of a wider agenda. The same governments that are backing and arming Israel in the genocide in Gaza are waging war against Russia in Ukraine and preparing to go to war against China. All these wars are linked. While genocide Joe [Biden] helps Israel kill over 30,000 in Gaza, he says the threat of nuclear weapons wont prevent him from escalating the war in Ukraine. Millions all over the world have protested against the genocide. These are the largest anti-war protests since the 2003 war in Iraq. Yet the slaughter has only intensified. That is because the protests have been limited to the dead-end perspective of appealing to the very same governments, including the Albanese government, that are more fully committed to Israel and US militarism. In the face of this, the union leaders have refused to call a single strike. So we have to decide today to take action ourselves and call for other workers worldwide to do the same. Riemer even blocked Hambides from reading out the full amendment, which began by citing the call issued last October by the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions. That call was for unions in relevant industries all over the world to refuse to build weapons destined for Israel refuse to transport weapons to Israel [to] take action against complicit companies involved in implementing Israels brutal and illegal siege. The amendment denounced the Labor government for supporting and facilitating the genocidal assault on the Palestinians, and condemned the refusal of any union in Australia to take industrial or other action in line with the call by the Palestinian unions. The amendment also called for industrial action to defend the anti-genocide student encampments at Sydney and other Australian universities, if they come under attack by university managements, police or Zionist provocations. Speaking against the amendment, branch committee member Jason Todd falsely claimed that it let management off the hook completely. In fact, the amendment called for action against the managements refusal to cut its lucrative ties with genocide-linked projects. Todd declared it was really counterproductive to denounce the role of the unions and the Labor government. Counterproductive for whom? Todd did not, indeed could not, deny the reality: Neither the NTEU, nor any other union, has called a single strike to block supplies to Israel or prevent the Labor government from continuing to support the Netanyahu regimes genocide in Gaza. The purpose of Todds statement was to provide a further green light for the very forces that have systematically suppressed any industrial action against the genocide for seven months. That includes the Maritime Union of Australia, which has opposed any stoppages to block ships belonging to Israeli shipping line ZIM, which has offered up all of its resources to support the onslaught against Gaza. Riemer imposed an immediate vote after Todd spoke, although the amendment had not been read out to the meeting, denying attendees the right to discuss it. To create an atmosphere of confusion, Riemer did not accurately report the number of votes. At least 1520 percent of the approximately 350 in-person and online participants either abstained or voted in favour of the amendment. After the CFPE amendment was defeated, Zambides spoke against the branch committee resolution, from the left, because it leaves all initiatives and all actions in the hands of university management and the government. He pointed out that genocide is now a policy of every imperialist government in the world, including in Australia. They know the genocide is taking place and wilfully continue to support Israel This is why protests and appeals to the government go nowhere. Just like appeals to management also go nowhere. Riemer and a majority of the branch committee represent two pseudo-left groups, Solidarity and Socialist Alternative. They pushed through a resolution that called on the university management to cut ties with organisations that enable the current Gaza violence and with the weapons industry. This resolution did not commit to any action if the management continues to reject such calls, nor did it propose any action if the student encampment at the university came under attack. The resolution noted the NTEU National Council resolution of October 2023, committing the union to active solidarity with Palestine. That is a fraud. The October NTEU resolution proposed no action by workers against the genocide either. The events at the meeting demonstrated the role of the pseudo-left groups in heading off opposition to the refusal of the trade union bureaucracies to call any industrial action against the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza. After Hambides exposed the fact that the branch committee resolution made no commitment to defend the anti-genocide student encampments, an impromptu motion was proposed to express solidarity with the encampment at the university and to defend it if attacked. The motion passed with 196 for, 5 against and 5 abstaining. The CFPE last week backed the call issued by the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) for workers everywhere to take action to force an end to the genocide and the violent police-state crackdown on university protests. The IWA-RFC said the issues raised by the courageous stand taken by students cannot be resolved on the campuses, but rather in the factories, warehouses, railroads and docks. In supporting this call, the CFPE stated: Workers can and must organise independently of the trade union bureaucracies to stop weapons deliveries and arms production. It specifically urged the development of action along the lines called for by the IWA-RFC statement: Demonstrations, mass meetings and delegations of workers to campus protests must be organised, culminating in a nationwide and international strike to force an end to the assault on the basic right to free speech. We encourage all educators to contact the CFPE and join the global campaign against the Israeli genocide: Email: cfpe.aus@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/commforpubliceducation https://www.facebook.com/groups/opposeaeusellout Twitter: @CFPE_Australia The vote by academic workers to authorize strike action at the ten-campus University of California system is a major step forward in the fight against the genocide in Gaza and the crackdown on anti-war protesters. It poses the entry of the working class into the struggle as the basic political force against war. UCLA faculty and staff members march on the school campus in Los Angeles, Thursday, May 9, 2024. [AP Photo/Jae C. Hong] The impulse for this strike vote came from the 48,000 rank-and-file members of United Auto Workers Local 4811, not the UAW bureaucracy, which has endorsed Genocide Joe Biden and delayed the vote itself as long as it could. The vote occurred as more than 3,000 students nationwide have been arrested and many more beaten, while the media and political establishment slander them as antisemites and call for bringing in the National Guard. The vote is a call for a political strikethat is, for the working class to intervene to halt the state repression and the US-backed genocide. The working class is being drawn into open political conflict with the Biden administration and the two corporate parties. The attacks have only grown during the vote. On Tuesday, police attacked an encampment at UC Irvine. Administrators responded to attempts by protesting students to negotiate by suspending the entire negotiating team. On Thursday, administrators sent out a memo to all Local 4811 members threatening corrective action in the event of a strike. This includes not just mass firing, but potential legal action over supposed misuse of public funds. Failing to accurately report leave, the letter warned, is a serious violation. This escalation only underscores that the entire working class must mobilize to defend the students. Not only must all 48,000 Local 4811 members at the UC campuses begin their strike without delay, but the entire UAW membership, including 150,000 autoworkers, must organize industrial action in support. This should also involve healthcare workers, including those working in the UC medical system, and other key sections of the working class, including weapon plants where many are also UAW members. The university administration claims that the strike is impermissible because of its political character and that it is supposedly not connected with any employment issues whatsoever. What cynicism! The university has been facilitating and collaborating in a political offensive against students, waged on behalf of the ruling class. Behind university administrators stand both parties in the highest levels of government, including the Biden White House. Democrats joined with Republicans, including actual fascists, to organize the police assaults. On Thursday, Chicago police attacked and tore down an encampment at DePaul University. The mayor of Chicago is Brandon Johnson, a figure, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, who emerged out of the Chicago Teachers Union. This demonstrates how the pseudo-left, who are also in control of the UAW and many other unions, are full partners in the crackdown. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson honoring police over the weekend, May 2024. [Photo: Brandon Johnson] The genocide itself is only one front in an emerging Third World War. Another major front is in Ukraine, where the US is allied with the corrupt Ukrainian government, stuffed with neo-Nazis, which has suspended elections and rules by martial law. The defense of the rights of students to protest must be connected with demands for the immediate release of Bogdan Syrotiuk, a Ukrainian Trotskyist arrested by the Ukrainian proxy regime for his principled opposition to both the Ukrainian and Russian regimes on the basis of socialist internationalism. The campuses themselves have become totally integrated with the military-industrial complex. Earlier this week, UC reported that it has more than $32 billion in investments in defense contractors, Israeli companies and others targeted by protesters for divestment. But even this pales in comparison with the massive financial and institutional control of the corporate oligarchy over the campuses and society as a whole. A Washington Post article Thursday reported the police attack at Columbia University was spearheaded by a private WhatsApp chat composed of a group of billionaires and business titans. The fate of the whole working class is at stake. It is the workers of the world who are being killed in the wars and who are being made to pay for them through massive cuts to jobs, wages and public services, such as education and Social Security. The methods of police state rule are being built up against opposition in the working class, which terrifies the ruling class. Above all, they are frightened that enormous pent-up anger over inequality and poverty could coalesce with widespread opposition to war into a political movement against capitalism. They remember well how opposition to World War I was a chief factor in the Russian Revolution of 1917. This is what accounts for the hysterical response to peaceful campus protests. The response in the working class must be to leverage its immense social power into the very political movement which the ruling class so fears. An offensive by the working class is completely connected with the fight by the rank and file against sabotage by the union bureaucracy. The bureaucracys deep ties to the capitalist state and its social function as an industrial police force mean it has more in common with the riot cops attacking protesters than the workers they claim to represent. Its function is to disrupt, isolate and prevent any form of working class opposition which is capable of challenging the corporate oligarchy. The decision by the UAW, made without any input from the rank and file, to shut down an economic strike at the University of Washington after less than a day is a serious warning. It was done deliberately to isolate the UC grad students. It is also highly significant that UC administrators cite a no-strike clause in the contract as giving them the authority to retaliate against strikers. That anti-worker language was part of a deal used by the UAW to betray the 2022 strike by UC graduate students, against widespread rank-and-file opposition. The UAW, having delayed the strike vote for two crucial weeks, is now waiting another two days before the local executive board even meets on Friday to discuss a strike, if circumstances justify. As if circumstances have not justified action for weeks! If it calls a strike, it has made clear that it will try to limit it to a so-called standup strike involving only a fraction of the membership. The model for this, last falls strike in the auto industry, was controlled from beginning to end by the White House. It began with only a small fraction of plants being called out and ended with a rally where Biden appeared on the stage alongside UAW President Shawn Fain, opposite thousands of Gaza counter-protesters. The supposed contract victory is now being used to lay off thousands, while Fain and the UAW bureaucracy move into even closer alliance with the White House. But while the ruling class is trying to use the bureaucracy to rein in workers, the objective growth of the class struggle undermines its ability to play this role. That, however, depends upon the level of independent organization, initiative and, above all, political consciousness in the working class. Academic workers must now impose their democratic will through the formation of rank-and-file strike committees to mobilize for immediate, system-wide work stoppages. Against the attempts by the bureaucracy to limit their struggle, they must turn out to the autoworkers and the entire working class for support, establishing lines of communication to prepare for joint actions. The working class as a whole must come to the defense of the students. Workers must take action to defend democratic rights and organize industrial actions to stop the genocide and spiraling of imperialist wars all over the world whose cause is the bankrupt capitalist system. Since Labor Senator Fatima Payman read a statement to the media on Wednesday denouncing Israels mass killing in Gaza and condemning the complicity of Western governments, she has been roundly attacked by the political and media establishment. Australian Labor Party Senator Fatima Payman, May 15, 2024 [Photo: YouTube/SBS News screenshot ] But significantly, the witch-hunt of the 28-year-old MP has been facilitated and even led by her own Labor government, underscoring its ongoing commitment to Israels war crimes and to a crackdown on popular opposition. Payman had told the media she was terrified at my own inadequacy to stand for what I believe 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. Federal Labor MPs have previously shed crocodile tears over the mass deaths in Gaza. Some have obscenely suggested that the Zionist regime take more care, as though the killings were somehow an unfortunate mistake, all the while proclaiming Israels purported right to defend itself. Payman is the first government representative to brand what is occurring a genocide. That accurate characterisation has vast implications. It refutes the entire official narrative that Israel is conducting a defensive war in response to the October 7 uprising. Instead, it makes clear that the Zionist regime and all of its backers are engaged in the most heinous war crime, the deliberate extermination of an entire people. Payman pointed to those implications. She noted: 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, of the armed jailers against their prisoners, of the dominators against the subjugated, of the well-fed against the starving. Directly addressing her party leader, Anthony Albanese, Payman stated: 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 lives need to be lost before we say enough? What is the magic number? How many mass graves need to be uncovered before we say enough? How many images of bloodied limbs of murdered children must we see? Those comments were a blow to the attempts of Albanese and the Labor leadership to present themselves as largely uninvolved bystanders to the catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, which is a cynical bid to distance the government from the horrific consequences of its own criminal program. That has included full diplomatic and political support to Israel throughout the genocide, as well as material aid and likely data from the Pine Gap spy base in Central Australia that would be used to target strikes in Gaza. Payman said that Australia could do something to stand for what is right, including through divestments from Israeli industry, the imposition of sanctions and demands for a permanent ceasefire. She concluded by uttering the well-known protest chant: From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. The pushback against Payman was almost immediate. Albanese led the charge, telling an interviewer she was a young senator who had made comments that were not appropriate. Other senior Labor MPs followed suit. Albanese and all of them have avoided the substantive content of what Payman said, including about Australian complicity, instead focussing on her use of the From the river to the sea chant. The prime minister again branded this as an attack on the supposed two-state solution. That program was always a bankrupt one, envisioning the creation of a Palestinian Bantustan, ruled by a bourgeois regime that would be subservient to Israel. Now, as the Zionist regime is seeking the complete ethnic cleansing of historical Palestine through genocide, Labors concern over the two-state solution is a cynical absurdity. In addition to publicly criticising their parliamentary colleague as she is rabidly denounced by Zionist organisations and the Murdoch media, Labor went a step further. It joined hands with the Liberal-National Coalition to pass a Senate motion that was clearly directed against Payman. Introduced yesterday by Coalition leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, the motion began by declaring that the Senate notes that the slogan from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free opposes Israels right to exist, and is frequently used by those who seek to intimidate Jewish Australians via acts of antisemitism. That is a complete sham, part of the lying attempts to conflate opposition to the militarist Israeli state with anti-Jewish bigotry. As activists who use the slogan have insisted, including anti-Zionist Jews, its meaning is a complete end to discrimination and oppression of the Palestinians and the establishment of equality regardless of race or religion. The deliberate misinterpretation of the slogan by politicians and the media, as calling for the mass murder of Jewish people, is no different to the racist claims of the 1980s that opponents of South African apartheid wanted to massacre all whites. Most strikingly though, three of the five clauses of the motion introduced by the Coalition hailed and/or cited the statements of Albanese. The second clause welcomed Albaneses lie that the slogan was a very violent statement. The third concurred with his frothing denunciation of peaceful pro-Palestinian student encampments, citing his description of them as displaying divisive hatred and ignorance which doesnt have a place. Labor and the Coalition joined hands to pass their motion, with virtually no debate. That has a significance that goes beyond the immediate question of Payman. It underscores the fact that whatever differences they may have on secondary tactical issues, Labor and the Liberal-Nationals are on a unity ticket when it comes to war. They are in a de facto coalition in their support of Israels genocide, as well as the broader eruption of militarism, of which it is a part, including the US-NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine and the advanced preparations for a catastrophic conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific. Paymans decision to speak out is a limited expression of growing opposition to that program. The senator has previously made a couple of condemnations of Israels mass killing of civilians, but avoided labelling the slaughter a genocide or highlighting the complicity of her own government. As recently as March, Payman issued a statement defending the Labor government and repeating its lie that Australia has not exported any weapons to Israel in the past five years. In the hysterical denunciations of her comments, the media has universally missed a significant element of Paymans statement. While including sharp characterisations of the war crimes, much of it was framed as a warning to the Labor government and the ruling elite more broadly, that their complicity in genocide risked inflaming popular opposition with dangerous implications for the stability of the existing political order. Payman began by noting that she had planned to make her remarks at a protest that night commemorating 76 years since the establishment of Israel and the dispossession of the Palestinians. However, she could not address the rally because understandably there is disillusionment in the community with the parties. Later, Payman warned that the official lack of clarity, the moral confusion, the indecisiveness is eating at the heart of this nation. It is dividing and confusing the nation. Hundreds of thousands are on the streets. Encampments are taking place across the universities. Payman said that social cohesion was at stake, and we cannot be disconnected from the people of Australia. Paymans political career has substantially been based upon multicultural identity politics, related to her background as a Muslim from a family of Afghan refugees. That undoubtedly makes her particularly sensitive to the growing opposition and her own complicit silence has repeatedly been subject to widespread criticism on social media. The reaction to her limited statement, however, underscores that there will be no shift from the Labor government or the political establishment as a whole. It is committed to militarism and war abroad, not only in Gaza but internationally, and to an accompanying war against the social and democratic rights of the working class. The episode with Payman further exposes the fraudulent claim of fake-left organisations that endless protests, appealing to the government, will compel it to shift course. In fact, the more opposition has been expressed, the more Labor has doubled down on its support for the genocide. The disconnect of which Payman warned will only widen, but to go forward, it must take the form of a political movement of the working class directed against Labor, all the parliamentary parties and the capitalist system that is responsible for the deepening barbarism. In a major escalation of the US-NATO war with Russia in Ukraine, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown told the New York Times Thursday that the NATO military alliance will eventually send significant numbers of active-duty NATO troops to Ukraine, which the newspaper said meant the deployment was inevitable. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. [AP Photo/Kevin Wolf] In asserting that NATO sending troops is inevitable, the Times means the decision has already been made, and all that is being awaited is the determination on how best to announce the escalation to the public. Browns statement that NATO will send troops to Ukraine, after US President Joe Biden categorically ruled out such a move because it would lead to World War III, continues the pattern: Every time the White House has said it would not do something in Ukraine, it has subsequently done it. It is high time for President Joe Biden to go on national television and inform the American people that a decision has been made to send US and NATO troops to fight Russia in Ukraine, that this is a massive escalation of the war, that there is a high probability that this will lead to a nuclear war, and that hundreds of millions of people will be killed if that happens. Biden should also explain how the US government, or whatever is left of it, would deal with the obliteration of a large portion of the country. He should also explain clearly why the admission of Ukraine into NATO justifies risking such an outcome. The claim that the troops being sent would merely be training Ukrainian forces, rather than serving as frontline troops, is meaningless. Once inside Ukraine, they would come under fire from Russian forces, leading to direct retaliation against Russian aircraft and air-to-ground sites by NATO forces. The Times makes this clear: As a part of NATO, the United States would be obligated under the alliances treaty to aid in the defense of any attack on the trainers, potentially dragging America into the war. Browns claim that the decision will be made eventually and over time is purely to obfuscate the fact that the USs leading military official has publicly announced an action that Russian officials have said would lead to direct attacks on US troops. In fact, if there is anything the NATO war effort lacks, it is time. The Times article admits this, declaring, 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. In other words, the USs strategy of fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian has played itself out, and there are no longer enough Ukrainian troops left to hold the front. Any effort to rescue the Ukrainian position will require the rapid deployment not just of NATO trainers but of active-duty combat forces to fight on the front line. The Times itself admits that planning for the NATO deployments inside Ukraine is already far advanced. It reports that NATO last month asked Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, the supreme allied commander for Europe, to come up with a way for the alliance to do more to help Ukraine. The declaration by the US Joint Chiefs chairman marks a new stage in a concerted and orchestrated campaign to legitimize the concept of sending NATO troops to Ukraine, which all US and other NATO politicians had vocally declared was beyond the pale. In February, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that NATO should consider sending ground troops to Ukraine, which both he and Biden categorically promised not to do. Within weeks, Macron was joined by officials from France, Canada, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland. Last week, officials from Estonia echoed these statements. Now, a US official has gone even further than Macron, not only declaring that sending NATO troops should be considered, but that it is inevitable. The carefully stage-managed presentation of the US decision to send troops to Ukraine follows the exact same script that was used to introduce the sending of armored vehicles, tanks, fighter jets and long-range missiles. In each case, the first stage is a categorical denial. In March 2022, Biden declared, The idea that were going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crewsjust understand, dont kid yourself, no matter what yall say, thats called World War III. In June 2022, Macron echoed these sentiments, declaring, we are not entering the war. Thus, it has been agreed not to supply certain weaponsincluding attack aircraft or tanks. By January 2023, Macron had declared France will provide light combat tanks and continue its support in air defense, followed by the announcement by Biden that the United States will be sending 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The script was then repeated in the decision to send long-range weapons to Ukraine and to allow them to be used against Crimea and other parts of Russia. In May 2022, Biden declared, We are not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders. In September 2022, Biden declared Were not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia. But last month, the Biden administration announced that it had secretly sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, which had already been used to strike Crimea, which Russia claims as its own territory. Earlier this month, UK Foreign Minister David Cameron declared that Ukraine has the right to use weapons provided by NATO to strike any part of Russian territory. Beyond the Times declaration that the US has decided to send troops to Ukraine, the article makes another staggering admission: The United States has already sent defense contractors to Ukraine to service advanced weapons sent by NATO countries. The article declares, a small number of US defense contractors have already been allowed in [to Ukraine], under State Department authorities, to work on specific weapons systems like Patriot air defenses. The article quotes Alexander S. Vindman, a leading architect of the US war with Russia in Ukraine, who declared, There is an element of ally malpractice in the fact that were providing masses of Western equipment to Ukraine, but not giving them the resources to sustain it. When, last year, the US announced that it was sending M1 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine, the World Socialist Web Site warned, The significance of Bidens announcement lies less in the battlefield impact of the tanks than in the consequences of deploying them. We warned that these weapons will require a massive logistical network inside Ukraine, involving large numbers of specialist American contractors. Attacks on these supply networks and American personnel servicing the tanks will then be used to press for implementation of a no-fly zone and the deployment of US and NATO troops to Ukraine. Under conditions in which the Ukrainian battle front is nearing collapse, these plans have been significantly accelerated, raising the threat of a rapid escalation of a direct war between NATO and Russia. A Turkish court announced its verdict Thursday in the Kobane case. 108 Kurdish politicians, 18 of them imprisoned, are on trial over mass protests in Turkey in 2014 in which at least 37 people were killed. The court handed down heavy prison sentences to politicians, including former co-chairs of the Kurdish nationalist Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). 24 defendants were sentenced to a total of 408 years in prison on various charges. HDP Genel Baskanlar Selahattin Demirtas ve Figen Yuksekdag, 2015 [Photo: Yldz Yazcoglu (VOA)] The verdict on the case came after a meeting between opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 2, after which Erdogan implied a period of political detente. Recently, 50 people were arrested while trying to celebrate May Day in Taksim Square in Istanbul. Five of them were arrested because they had previously taken part in a protest against the governments cooperation with Israel, which is committing genocide in Gaza. HDPs former leader Selahattin Demirtas, who has been imprisoned since 2016, was sentenced to 42 years in prison on charges including helping to destroy the unity and integrity of the state and incitement to commit crimes. Former HDP co-chair Figen Yuksekdag was sentenced to 30 years and three months. Both were ordered to remain in custody. Ahmet Turk, former deputy and elected mayor of Mardin Metropolitan Municipality in the last local elections, was sentenced to 10 years for membership in an armed terrorist organization, former HDP deputy Ayla Akat Ata was sentenced to nine years and nine months, former HDP deputy Emine Ayna to 10 years, and former party deputies Ayse Yagc and Aynur Asan to nine years each. In a statement, the Peoples Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party, formerly HDP) said, The sentences given to our friends held hostage in the Kobane conspiracy case cannot deter us. Those who strike a blow at democratic politics should know that we will defeat your conspiracies. CHP leader Ozel said after the verdict that it was a political case, while Kemal Klcdaroglu, who led the CHPs support for the jailing of HDP deputies after 2016, hypocritically condemned the verdict on Twitter. Following the court decision meetings, demonstrations and marches were banned in many cities, including Bitlis, Diyarbakr, Mardin, Tunceli, Batman, Siirt, Bingol, Agr, Srnak, Mus, Hakkari, Adana, Kars and Izmir. The court ruled that Kurdish politicians were not responsible for the deaths that occurred during the protests. This is an admission that the long prison sentences were politically motivated. The Socialist Equality Group in Turkey has documented and irreconcilable political differences with the Kurdish nationalist movement. However, this in no way diminishes our principled opposition to the state persecution of Kurdish politicians by the government of Erdogan. All political prisoners whose freedom of expression and right to a fair trial have been violated must be acquitted and released. This verdict is the latest round of escalating state repression following the collapse of the peace process between the Turkish state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in 2015. This period has been marked mainly by the US-NATO regime-change war to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia and Iran. In this reactionary war, Ankara has played a critical role in supporting a vast network of CIA-backed jihadist terrorist groups along the Turkish-Syrian border. As a result of this murderous policy, al-Qaeda-linked organizations, including the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have become a major proxy force in a war for regime change that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. The peace process negotiations between the PKK and the Turkish ruling elite, who were seeking to advance their own interests by participating in this onslaught led by the NATO powers in the Middle East, were based on this imperialist intervention. With the escalation of the imperialist proxy war, the PKKs Syrian sister party, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and its armed wing, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), have emerged as the dominant force in northern Syria. The Erdogan government expected Washington to intervene directly in the Syrian war in support of its Islamist proxies and planned to commit its own ground troops. In the same year, the ISIS launched an invasion from Syria into Iraq, threatening Washingtons puppet government in the country and leading to a new NATO intervention. This led to a change in US policy toward Syria, upsetting the calculations of the Erdogan government. As the YPG became the main US proxy force in Syria, Ankara become terrified by the prospect of a Washington-backed Kurdish state on Turkeys southern border, which could encourage similar sentiments among Kurds in Turkey. The ISIS military offensive on PYD/YPG-controlled Kobani in September 2014 was a major turning point. During that period, the Erdogan government was still in talks with the PYD/YPG and the PKK. In early October 2014, PYD leader Salih Muslim was officially received in Ankara. HDP leader Demirtas called for Ankara and the PYD to work together under the US-led anti-ISIS coalition. The HDP has been demanding the opening of a corridor to Kobane through Turkish territory to allow military aid to reach the town from other areas in northern Syria and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Backing the jihadist forces in the Free Syrian Army, Ankara has opposed any policies that would strengthen the Kurdish nationalists and pushed for a NATO intervention in which the Turkish army would participate to secure the interests of the Turkish ruling class in Syria. On October 6, 2014, the HDP headquarters called for mass protests over the situation of Kobane. In response, mass demonstrations began across Turkey, especially in Kurdish cities. Erdogan declared, If there is no cooperation on the ground with those who are conducting ground operations, this will not end with airstrikes [against the ISIS by the US-led coalition air forces]. Months have passed and there is no result. Right now, Ayn-el Arab, also known as Kobane, is falling. By October 8, this statement escalated the violence of the demonstrations. Protesters confronted security forces and supporters of the radical Islamist Free Cause Party (Huda-Par), which was close to the government and mainly organized in Kurdish provinces. According to the authorities, 37 people died in incidents in 35 provinces and 96 districts. The Human Rights Association (IHD) in Turkey said 46 people died between October 7 and 12, 2014. On October 20, 2014, Ankara allowed Peshmerga forces to cross into Kobane via Turkey. In the aftermath of these events, Erdogan declared his governments opposition to the creation of a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria. Inside Turkey, the security forces launched military operations against the PKK militias, including in urban and town centers, aiming to destroy the entire military assets of the Kurdish nationalists. During these operations in 2015-2016, thousands of people were killed or injured and hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced in many Kurdish cities and towns. This was followed by a wave of state repression and arrests of Kurdish politicians. The CHP backed this crackdown. According to a report released by the DEM Party in last December, at least 22,818 party members have been detained since 2015. Over 4,300 have been arrested, including co-chairs, deputies, provincial and district co-chairs, party officials, and members. The report stated that 93 co-mayors elected on March 30, 2014, were arrested and trustees were appointed in 95 municipalities; 43 co-mayors elected on March 31, 2019, were arrested and trustees were appointed in 48 municipalities. Currently 17 co-mayors, seven deputies and 14 members of the party leadership are in jail. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (middle) presides over the meeting (Photo: VNA) Prior to the plenary session in the morning, the Politburo announced its decision to assign Gen. Luong Cuong, Politburo member and Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army to join the Party Central Committees Secretariat and hold the position of its permanent member. Additionally, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and current Chief of its Office Le Minh Hung will assume the role of head of the Party Central Committees Organisation Commission while retaining his current position. Le Minh Hung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, head of the Party Central Committee's Organisation Commission and Chief of the Party Central Committees Office (Photo: VNA) Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong presided over and delivered an opening speech at the session, while Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, on behalf of the Politburo, coordinated the session. Cuong, in his new capacity as permanent member of the Secretariat, presented the agenda for the 9th plenum's deliberations. The committee later discussed personnel issues and disciplinary measures against some officials. Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Popularization and Education (Photo: VNA) 1. The Party Central Committee considered the termination of positions and duties for Truong Thi Mai, Politburo member and member of the 13th Party Central Committee. Mai is a senior leader of the Party and the State, who received fundamental training and matured from the grassroots level. She was assigned to hold many important leadership positions in the Party and the State. Throughout her career and in her leadership roles, she always demonstrated a high sense of responsibility, successfully fulfilled the tasks assigned, and made significant contributions to the leadership and direction of the Party and activities of the National Assembly. However, according to a report by the Party Central Committee's Inspection Commission, during her tenure as a Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, and head of its Mass Mobilisation Commission, Mai had made a number of wrongdoings and violations of regulations on what Party members must not do, the regulations on the responsibility to set an example of officials and Party members, firstly Politburo member, member of the Party Central Committees Secretariat and member of the Party Central Committee, thus affecting the prestige of the Party and her personal reputation. Fully aware of her responsibilities before the Party and the people, Mai submitted a request to resign from the assigned positions and retire. Following the regulations of the Party, the State and based on Mai's wishes, the Party Central Committee agreed to let her resign from the posts of Politburo member and member of the 13th Party Central Committee. Do Van Chien, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee (Photo: VNA) 2. The Party Central Committee decided to introduce candidates for the 15th National Assembly to elect the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the 2021-2026 tenure and the Chairman of the 15th legislature (2021-2026 tenure). 3. The committee elected four additional members to the 13th Politburo. They are Le Minh Hung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, head of the Party Central Committee's Organisation Commission and Chief of the Party Central Committees Office; Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Popularization and Education; Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party Central Committee's Mass Mobilisation Commission; and Do Van Chien, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee. Bui Thi Minh Hoai, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Party Central Committee's Mass Mobilisation Commission (Photo: VNA) 4. The Party Central Committee decided to impose disciplinary measures on several high-ranking members: -Le Thanh Hai, former Politburo member, former Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, former Secretary of the municipal Party Civil Affairs Committee and former Chairman of the municipal People's Committee, was found to have violated the democratic centralism principle, Party regulations, state laws, and regulations on things that Party member must not do, the responsibility of setting good examples, and working rules. He also showed a lack of responsibility, and relaxed leadership and direction, leading to significant breaches and wrongdoings within the city's Party organisation and administration, resulting in severe consequences, risks of substantial financial losses and wastefulness to the States money and asset, along with multiple criminal cases, including very serious ones, which involved many officials and Party members who violated the law and were subsequently disciplined and prosecuted, stirring public concern and causing very negative impact on the reputation of the Party organisation and administration of the city. - Duong Van Thai, a member of the 13th Central Committee and Secretary of the Bac Giang provincial Party Committee, along with Mai Tien Dung, former member of the Party Central Committee and former Minister-Chairman of the Government Office, were found to exhibit moral and lifestyle degradation and serious breaches of Party regulations and state laws while performing their assigned duties and in anti-corruption efforts. They also violated regulations on things that a Party member is banned from doing and on the responsibility of setting good examples, causing severe repercussions, public outrage, and significant damage to the credibility of the Party, local government, and state agencies. Based on the nature, severity, consequences, and causes of their violations, and following the Party regulations on disciplinary measures for violating Party organisations and members, the Party Central Committee decided to strip Le Thanh Hai of all Party positions; and expel Duong Van Thai and Mai Tien Dung from the Party. The Party Central Committee tasked the Politburo with directing relevant agencies to implement these decisions as per regulations. In the afternoon, the Party Central Committee worked in groups, discussing the detailed outlines for the political report of the 13th Central Committee at the upcoming 14th National Party Congress, the detailed outlines for the report on five-year implementation of the 10-year socio-economic development strategy for 2021-2030, and the five-year socio-economic development plan for 2026-2030./. With the Oklahoma music icon's family in attendance, Jason Aldean delivered a heartfelt acoustic tribute to the late Toby Keith Thursday night during the Academy of Country Music Awards. A three-time ACM Entertainer of the Year winner and the reigning ACM Artist of the Decade, Aldean crooned and strummed a special rendition of Keith's breakout hit Shouldve Been a Cowboy during the 59th ACM Awards. He was accompanied only by a string quartet and a pair of backup guitarists. "We love you Toby," Aldean said at the end of the song. Jason Aldean performs during the Toby Keith tribute at the 59th ACM Awards at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, Thursday, May 16, 2024. Toby Keith's family calls ACM Awards performance 'the perfect tribute' Born Toby Keith Covel, the Oklahoma native died Feb. 5 at the age of 62 after a multi-year battle with stomach cancer. During Aldean's affecting salute, the massive stage at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, was solemnly darkened, artfully dotted with blue lights and flanked by giant screens that showed photos of Keith and his family. The family of Toby Keith - from left, his daughter, Shelley Covel Rowland; his wife, Tricia Covel;, his daughter, Krystal Keith; his son, Stelen Covel; and his daughter-in-law Haley Covel - walk the carpet at the 59th ACM Awards at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, Thursday, May 16, 2024. Keith's widow, Tricia, and his three children his daughters, Shelley Covel Rowland and Krystal Keith, and his son, Stelen Covel, plus Stelen's wife, Haley were in the audience for the show, which streamed live exclusively on Prime Video. Tricia could be seen swiping away tears during the performance, and the family released a statement on social media following the show thanking Aldean for the "wonderfully touching performance." "It was the perfect tribute to Toby Keith," the family said in the social media message. Jason Aldean performs during the Toby Keith tribute at the 59th ACM Awards at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, Thursday, May 16, 2024. Blake Shelton pays emotional homage to 'fellow Okie' Toby Keith Last October, Keith made a surprise appearance at Aldean's Oklahoma City concert at Paycom Center, where he performed "Should've Been a Cowboy," with Aldean backing him on vocals and guitar and the whole crowd wailing along. A few weeks prior, the Songwriters Hall of Famer received the inaugural Country Icon award, presented by fellow Oklahoman Blake Shelton, during the Peoples Choice Country Awards. Keith performed his poignant ode "Don't Let the Old Man In" there for what became his last televised performance. Shelton also introduced the ACM Awards' memorial tribute to Keith, calling him "a great friend to me, and he was a real straight shooter who was larger than life." .@blakeshelton welcomes @Jason_Aldean to the stage for a tribute performance honoring the late Toby Keith #ACMawards pic.twitter.com/ZhjQEaO7yq ACM Awards (@ACMawards) May 17, 2024 "As a friend, a fan and a fellow Okie. I feel heartbroken and yet honored to be standing here tonight to remember a man who became one of the biggest country music stars of all time," Shelton said ahead of Aldean's performance. "Toby was a big star in every way. He sold more than 44 million albums, with 33 No. 1 hits and 14 ACM Awards, including Entertainer of the Year. But in the end, the mark that Toby left was much more than just that. Toby was a loving husband to his beautiful wife, Tricia. He was a proud father to their three kids, and we're so honored and moved to have Tricia and the kids all here with us tonight." ACM Awards host Reba McEntire says 'Toby, we'll never forget you' Hosting the ACM Awards for the 17th time, fellow Oklahoma country music superstar Reba McEntire praised Aldean's fervent tribute to Keith and seemed visibly moved at the end of his performance. "Way to go, Jason. That was beautiful. Very nice. Toby, we'll never forget you, and I kind of feel like you're here with us tonight anyway," Reba said in a voice thick with emotion. Presenting Male Artist of the Year, it's @JordanCWDavis and @carinleonofi! #ACMawards Here's to Toby Keith and all the Country Music legends who have ever taken home the Male Artist of the Year award! pic.twitter.com/5Vl8CSGWng ACM Awards (@ACMawards) May 17, 2024 During his storied country music career, Keith was named ACM Entertainer of the Year twice, in 2002 and 2003. The Norman resident also earned multiple wins for ACM Top Male Vocalist and ACM Album of the Year. Ahead of presenting this year's Male Vocalist of the Year prize to Chris Stapleton, presenters Jordan Davis and Carin Leon noted that Keith won the award 20 years ago this year. "Here's to Toby and all the country music legends who have ever taken home this award," Davis said. How can fans stream Jason Aldean's cover of 'Should've Been a Cowboy?' On Friday, Aldean posted on social media that he had been playing "Should've Been a Cowboy" since he started performing in clubs as a teenager. "Thank you Toby Keith for the mark you left on country music, and thank you to his family for letting me be a part of this," Aldean posted. The "Try That in a Small Town" hitmaker also revealed that his acoustic cover of the song now is available to stream. He posted a link where fans can stream his ACM Awards live version of the song on various streaming services, including Apple Music, Spotify and Pandora. How can fans rewatch the 2024 ACM Awards? Big winners on the 59th ACM Awards included Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll and Luke Combs. The full rebroadcast of the 59th ACM Awards now is available to watch on Prime Video. The awards show will be available to stream starting at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17 on the Amazon Music App and for free on Amazon Freevee. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Jason Aldean's Toby Keith tribute on ACM Awards earns praise from Reba [Source] Actor and comedian Charlyne Yi alleges she experienced physical assault by a male scene partner during filming of the upcoming Apple TV+ series Time Bandits. Key points: Yi, who says they was coerced to quit the show, expanded on the alleged sexual harassment in a second Instagram post , describing how they were treated inhumanely. Yi first made allegations via Instagram on May 7, claiming that they were physically assaulted multiple times by an actor and psychologically abused, causing severe back pain and post-traumatic stress. The details: Trending on NextShark: Japan's oldest living person celebrates 116th birthday According to Yi, the actor repeatedly pressed his body against their back during rehearsals and filming, causing injury to their lower back. Despite their attempts to shove him off, the abuser intensified the pressure. Yi described going into shock, disassociating and experiencing chronic pain that led them to throw up in the bathroom. The on-set doctor provided codeine, which Yi said only numbed the pain but did not address the injury. The alleged abuser's actions continued, including an incident where he left a jar of honey in Yi's hair and makeup trailer as a manipulative gesture to control his public image. He allegedly taunted Yi by laughing and making comments about their reporting him to HR. I was stonewalled, told to be grateful for being on a high production set by a producer, told my back would be fine, minimizing the physical assaults, Yi wrote. I told them I was scared, could barely stand upright without being in chronic pain, and mentally was not doing well, shaking in panic attacks, unable to make it on set, vomiting, unable to sleep because of flashbacks, and losing hair. A high production job, meaning big money and power that can dispose of you and sweep you under the rug, treating you inhumanely, proving their deep lack of humanity. Prioritizing people's careers and a fictional world than protecting those most marginalized and targeted, they added. Jimmy James, the beloved frontman of The Vagabonds and the voice behind the enduring ballad Come to Me Softly, died on Wednesday (May 15). He was 84 years old. The musician died in London at Northwick Park Hospital, his family told Jamaica Observer. James reportedly had Parkinsons disease and a heart condition that ultimately led to his decision to retire from performing. More from Billboard James, who was born in Browns Town, Jamaica, moved to the islands capital of Kingston to pursue music in the 1950s. He recorded songs for producers including Clement Dodd and Lindon Pottinger, the latter of which produced the early and original version of Come to Me Softly. The Jamaican dance band The Vagabonds were formed in 1960, and the group relocated to the United Kingdom at the height of the British Invasion in 1964. Throughout their time together, the group played alongside fellow legends including The Who, Rod Stewart and Jimi Hendrix. They released six studio albums together: 1966s The New Religion, 1968s This Is Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, 1968s Open Up Your Soul, 1975s You Dont Stand a Chance If You Cant Dance, 1976s Now and 1977s Life. Jimmy James & the Vagabonds released two hits that made the Billboard Hot 100: Come to Me Softly (which James wrote), which hit No. 76 in 1968, and I Am Somebody, which hit No. 94 in 1976. (In between those two hits, they bubbled under the Hot 100 with a version of Neil Diamonds Red Red Wine.) James went on to records throughout the 1970s, with Ill Go Where Your Music Takes Me and Now is The Time. He is survived by his wife Paula, his five sons, two daughters and his grandchildren. Best of Billboard Some of Kevin Spacey's peers are arguing that he has already "paid the price" for inappropriate behavior and should be allowed to return to work. (Alberto Pezzali / Associated Press) Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson and Stephen Fry are all voicing support for disgraced actor Kevin Spacey following a new documentary out of the U.K. containing fresh sexual assault allegations. The "House of Cards" star disappeared from the public eye nearly seven years ago after he was accused of assaulting and harassing a number of young men. A variety of allegations from the United States and United Kingdom have been dropped or dismissed, or resulted in the actor's acquittal, but "Spacey Unmasked" aims to revitalize the controversy with new allegations of inappropriate behavior from 10 men in Britain. Read more: Kevin Spacey denies new allegations of inappropriate behavior to be aired on U.K. television next week Spacey has denied the new allegations, but some of his peers were so outraged by the documentary that they spoke publicly to the Telegraph to offer their support for the actor. "I can't wait to see Kevin back at work," Sharon Stone told the outlet. "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." Liam Neeson also reached out in alliance with Spacey, saying that "Kevin is a good man and a man of character. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly." Stephen Fry conceded that Spacey had been "clumsy and inappropriate," but said that "surely it is wrong to continue to batter a reputation on the strength of assertion and rhetoric rather than evidence and proof?" "Unless I'm missing something," Fry said in criticism of the documentary, "I think he has paid the price." Read more: A new doc contains fresh allegations against Kevin Spacey. Our takeaways from 'Spacey Unmasked' F. Murray Abraham and Trevor Nunn, who directed Spacey in productions at the Old Vic Theatre in London, where some of the incidents allegedly occurred, also wrote letters of support. I vouch for him unequivocally," Abraham said. "Who are these vultures who attack a man who has publicly accepted his responsibility for certain behaviour, unlike so many others? Spacey, who won Oscars for best actor in 2000 for "American Beauty" and supporting actor in 1995 for "The Usual Suspects," saw his legal troubles start in 2017 when Anthony Rapp accused the actor of molesting him at age 14. He was later cleared of those charges, but subsequent ones have kept him out of Hollywood. Spacey himself told the Telegraph that all he wanted with regard to the allegations was for people to ask questions and investigate" rather than rush to judgment. "And I am well aware that that did not happen." Sign up for Indie Focus, a weekly newsletter about movies and whats going on in the wild world of cinema. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission. With Prince William reportedly furious about Prince Harry and Meghan Markles trip to Nigeria, royal fans are probably wondering how King Charles III feels about the situation. Well, palace sources are finally spilling the tea about the monarchs position on the Sussexes invitation to a country that is a part of the British Commonwealth. More from SheKnows One former royal staffer gave their opinion to The Daily Beast on how Charles is feeling behind closed doors. Be in no doubt, Harry and Meghan being freelance royals is the stuff of nightmares for the Palace, they claimed. Its exactly what the late Queen Elizabeth wanted to avoid. It doesnt sound like Harry and Meghans Invictus Games PR mission is a one-time situation either, because the Duke of Sussex spelled out their future to People. Britains Prince Harry (R), Duke of Sussex, and Britains Meghan (L), Duchess of Sussex, take part in activities as they arrive at the Lightway Academy in Abuja on May 10, 2024 as they visit Nigeria as part of celebrations of Invictus Games anniversary. 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, Harry explained. Theres only so much one can do from home and over Zoom, so we look forward to traveling 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 Daily Beast insider pointed out that Harry and Meghan have different priorities because they are no longer working royals, but the vast majority of the world is ignorant of such distinctions. That means that any future international trips taken by the Sussexes could muddy the waters and rival the work that the royal family is doing. While its understandable that the palace might have some concerns about the confusing optics of Harry and Meghans work, its hard not to feel the tinge of jealousy surrounding their warm welcome in Nigeria. Tina Brown, author of The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsorthe Truth and the Turmoil, spelled it all on a recent BBC appearance. After all of the trashing of Harry this week trying to blame him [for the rift], she shared. When I saw him and Meghan in Nigeria, I had a nostalgia. I felt this is what it could have been. These two, who are enormously appealing to the public and who are very good at it, were out there in Nigeria sort of looking really attractive and being appealing people. With the family feud showing no signs of slowing down, Harry and Meghans international travels will likely ramp up. Everyone wants to host the Invictus Games with the U.K. and the U.S. currently battling it out for 2027, and the palace is going to have to get used to the idea that the Sussexes global popularity is tough to tamp down. Before you go, click here to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harrys milestones since leaving the royal family. Best of SheKnows Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. On May 14, 2024, the Indonesian Embassy held a media gathering with the theme Indonesian Update in Beijing, China. At the event, different officials from the Indonesian Embassy, the Head of the Beijing Office of Bank Indonesia, and the Director of the Indonesia Investment Promotion Center (IIPC) introduced various developments in Indonesia and discussed bilateral relations between China and Indonesia. Photo taken on May 14, 2024, shows Djauhari Oratmangun, Indonesian Ambassador to China, speaking at a media gathering hosted by the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, China. (Junye Zhang/Guangming Online) Djauhari Oratmangun, Indonesian Ambassador to China, gave a speech that summarized the results of Indonesias recent election, recounted achievements in the China-Indonesia bilateral relations, and listed areas that he hopes the two countries can further collaborate. Oratmangun introduced that, following a successful February 2024 election, Indonesia anticipates a seamless transition from the Joko Widodo Presidency to the upcoming Prabowo Presidency, slated to officially commence leadership in October 2024. President-elect Prabowo has expressed commitment to continuing various policies initiated under President Joko Widodo, including strengthening partnerships with China, as demonstrated by his visit to Beijing in March 2024. As the forthcoming 75th anniversary of the China-Indonesia bilateral relationship will be celebrated next year, Oratmangun emphasized hopes for China and Indonesia to continue collaboration based on mutual trust and benefit. He stated that the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations has yielded significant results across sectors like trade, investment, energy transition, health, and digital economy. Recent milestones include the operationalization of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train and advancements in downstream industries, energy transition, and electric vehicle development through bilateral agreements. Oratmangun concluded that Indonesias youthful population and abundant natural resources offer promising opportunities for further collaboration with China. During the information update, different fields of development related to Indonesia and the China-Indonesia bilateral relations were presented. On economic development in Indonesia, despite global uncertainty, Indonesia has shown strong economic and financial fundamentals. In 2023, Indonesias economic growth was 5.05%. In the first quarter of 2024, Indonesias economic growth grew by 5.11% on a year-on-year basis. On trade and investment, China was introduced as Indonesias largest trading partner and second largest investment partner. In 2023, Chinese investment in Indonesia was recorded at USD 7.4 billion. In the first quarter of 2024, investment from China will reach USD 1.87 billion. Photo taken on May 14, 2024, shows Evita Sanda, Director of IIPC Beijing, speaking at a media gathering hosted by the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, China. (Junye Zhang/Guangming Online) In terms of immigration, the Golden Visa immigration policy was introduced to Chinese people who want to invest and stay in Indonesia for a long time without having to go through a difficult application process. In the area of education, opportunities for Chinese citizens to learn the Indonesian language and culture in the country were shared. Photo taken on May 14, 2024, shows a traditional Indonesian music and dance performance performed by dancer Titik Parmuji and musician Risnandar at a media gathering hosted by the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing, capital of China. (Junye Zhang/Guangming Online) Besides the information briefing, traditional Indonesian music and dance performances were also presented at the event. At the end of the event, Oratmangun and music lecturer Risnandar invited Chinese journalists to learn to play the Indonesian instrument angklung, and taught journalists to perform a popular Indonesian song Ayo Mama with angklung. With insightful presentations from distinguished officials and engaging cultural performances, the event encapsulated the depth of bilateral relations between China and Indonesia and the shared commitment to further collaboration. As journalists engaged in learning the intricacies of Indonesian music and culture, the event concluded on a vibrant note, symbolizing the enduring friendship between the peoples of China and Indonesia. Editor: JYZ "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." When Meghan Markle touched down in California after her three-day trip to Nigeria with Prince Harry, her outfit was immediately reminiscent of one that Princess Diana, her late mother-in-law, wore shopping in 1994. Tom Wargacki/WireImage; Backgrid Shop Now Chris two-tone embellished leather loafers net-a-porter.com $1050.00 At Los Angeles International Airport, the Duchess of Sussex channeled Diana's off-duty style in an oversized blazer, a white sweater, and white jeans. She also wore YSL loafers, almost identical to the ones Diana owned. The sartorial tribute to Diana comes on the heels of two other sweet style nods that Meghan made to her late mother-in-law in Nigeria. On the first day of her trip, the Duchess of Sussex also wore a collar necklace and vintage clip-on earrings that were reminiscent of the Princess of Wales's accessories when she visited the country back in 1990: KOLA SULAIMON/AFP/Getty Images; Jayne Fincher/Getty Images And, on her second day in Nigeria, Meghan wore a diamond cross pendant that reportedly belonged to the Diana. Meghan has worn a number of pieces of Princess Diana's jewelry over the years, including Diana's aquamarine cocktail ring and delicate gold butterfly earrings. KOLA SULAIMON - Getty Images In the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, Prince Harry spoke about how Meghan reminds him of Diana. "So much of what Meghan is and how she is, is so similar to my mom," he said. "She has the same compassion. She has the same empathy, she has the same confidence. She has this warmth about her." In his memoir, Spare, he also writes about bringing Meghan to visit Diana's grave at Althorp, her childhood home. "I placed flowers on the grave," Harry writes. "Meg gave me a moment, and I spoke to my mother in my head, told her I missed her, asked her for guidance and clarity. Feeling that Meg might also want a moment, I went around the hedge, scanned the pond. When I came back, Meg was kneeling, eyes shut, palms against the stone. I asked, as we walked back to the boat, what shed prayed for. Clarity, she said. And guidance." You Might Also Like More photos have emerged from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelces secret vacation this week in Lake Como, Italy. This afternoon, Page Six ran images of the couple kissing while taking a romantic boat ride on Wednesday. Swift also had her own photographs taken, enlisting the boats captain to serve as their photographer. The captain used Swifts personal camera to capture her and Kelce cuddled up on the boat and dock. Outlets didnt get Swifts personal photos, of course, but rather those from photographers assembled nearby, who captured Kelce and Swift stepping outside of Grand Hotel Tremezzos Villa Sola Cabiati for their boat excursion. The villa is located right on the water. Swift and Kelce matched in black outfits. The singer wore a sleeveless black A-line minidress and tan trench, while Kelce was dressed in a black and white checkered sweater with black pants. In terms of accessories, Swift had on Mary Jane flats and carried a black purse. Taylor Swift Doesnt Hide the Travis Kelce References in The Alchemy Photo credit: Patrick Smith Swift literally uses the phrase touch down in this song about a love that happens once every few lifetimes. Read the lyrics. Taylor Swifts The Albatross Lyrics Seemingly Reveal the Warnings Travis Kelce Got About Her Photo credit: Michael Owens Fans theorize this song captures the beginning of Swift and Kelces relationship and how they coped with public scrutiny. Taylor Swift Sings About Wanting to Marry Travis Kelce in So High School Photo credit: Johnny Nunez - Getty Images Swift is not subtle about her feelings about Kelce and their high school-like romance in this love songs lyrics. Though photos are just getting released of Kelce and Swifts Lake Como trip, Swift is no longer in Italy. She is performing in Stockholm, Sweden this evening, as its the next stop on the European leg of her Eras Tour. Swift finished her Paris shows on Sunday before traveling to Lake Como with Kelce. Kelce flew in for Swifts final Paris show. On his podcast, New Heights, he gushed about seeing Swift play for the fifth time. He has watched her perform in Kansas City, Argentina, Australia, Singapore, and now Paris. I mean, I dont know if theyre just getting better or if I just keep forgetting how they are, Kelce said. It was electric in there, and Ill tell you what? Kansas City showed out. Argentina was unbelievable. Australia, they partied with the best of them, and they celebrate with the best of them. Those three were unbelievable. Singapore was so unique and so fun. And then Paris was just, it was on a whole other level, man. And Im just, Im happy for everybody thats in the Eras Tour thats performing, from the dancers to the band and obviously Taylor, that it just looks like theyre having so much fun up there, and theyre absolutely killing it, he added. And theyre putting on a show that, you know, you wont get anywhere else. Travis Kelce and Taylor Swifts Full Relationship Timeline Photo credit: Michael Owens - Getty Images How their whirlwind romance took off, from podcast shoutout to Super Bowl kiss. Taylor Swifts 30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30 Photo credit: Jamie McCarthy - Getty Images Read Swifts candid essay for ELLE about the life lessons she learned before hitting that milestone year. Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyns Complete Relationship Timeline Photo credit: Robert Kamau - Getty Images Swift spent six years dating Alwyn. Revisit the history that Tortured Poets is expected to explore. You Might Also Like A hot, strong summer wind is the overriding soundtrack to Three Kilometers to the End of the World the kind of dry, whirring weather that swallows conversations held even a short distance away, and carries stray, light objects far from where they meant to land. For 17-year-old Adi, however, its not loud enough to keep his secrets safe, nor heavy enough to lift and float him away from the home in which he feels increasingly imprisoned. A rural village in thrall to the Romanian Orthodox Church proves as hostile an environment as youd expect for a closeted gay teen in writer-director Emanuel Parvus claustrophobic study of personal and institutional prejudice closing in on a community misfit: If the breeze would just die down for a second, you might hear Adis inner clock tensely counting down his slim shot at freedom. An accomplished actor now making his third feature behind the camera, Parvu is well-versed in the formal and thematic hallmarks of Romanian New Wave cinema, having previously been directed by the likes of Cristian Mungiu (Graduation), Calin Peter Netzer (Familiar) and Bogdan George Apetri (Miracle). Three Kilometers to the End of the World follows faithfully in that national tradition theres no mistaking the cinematic heritage of its patient long takes and preference for static, body-slicing camera placement, nor its preoccupation with the corrupt inner workings of local authorities. But for all its cool, compelling proficiency, theres little about the film that feels idiosyncratic, either stylistically or in its surface-level human portraiture. A Cannes Competition berth will doubtless raise Parvus auteur profile, but feels a touch premature. More from Variety The title is never referenced or explained in Three Kilometers to the End of the World, though it does evocatively imply a location that isnt even the middle of nowhere so much as the very limit of it, before some outer realm of oblivion takes over. Thats certainly how Adi (Ciprian Chiujdea) feels about his home village in the Danube Delta an attractively tangled patchwork of farmland, waterways and massed, swaying reeds, shot by Silviu Stavila in sunburnt widescreen compositions that dont entirely mask its more desolate qualities. Bright, sensitive and soulfully handsome, Adi dreams of a liberated adult life in Bucharest, though his unimaginative, God-fearing parents (Bogdan Dumitrache and Laura Vasiliu) see only a marine academy in his future. We surmise the full extent of Adis unrest in an early, charged scene that sees him furtively hooking up with a male tourist at a nightclub, and sharing a moment of tactile intimacy in the hushed darkness outside. Parvu pointedly doesnt depict the crucial event that follows: a brutal gay-bashing that leaves Adi mapped with welts and bruises, his face a swollen fright, which is how we, along with his father, find him the next morning. The omission isnt for the purposes of mystery. The perpetrators, a thuggish pair of local brothers, readily admit to the attack when probed by the cynical, uninvested local police chief (Valeriu Andriuta); their father, to whom Adis dad owes a sizable amount of money, is happy to cancel the debt in exchange for dropped charges. Hes a fgot, what the hell, he sniffs. If word gets out, the village will be swarming with them. Adis parents arent so willing to let the matter drop, however, since the news of their sons sexuality comes as a genuine shock to them. A beating and a fuck are two things you cant take back, his father seethes, clearly more offended by the possibility of the latter. Their pursuit of justice for the assault rings hollow when viewed against their primitive punishment of Adi, which extends to holding him captive in his locked bedroom, binding and gagging him for an exorcism by the village priest (Adrian Titieni). Theres nervy dramatic tension in their naive indecision between combating bigotry and remaining violently complicit therein, while Parvu and Miruna Berescus script deftly involves the perspectives of the increasingly anxious police, who would rather see the victim quietly slip town than become a cause celebre, the church elders remaining stubbornly righteous in their homophobia, and a visiting child services officer keen to burn it all down. Somewhat overlooked in this furious face-off between love, hate, tradition and justice is the perspective of Adi himself, presented as a victim several times over, though we get limited access to the inner life behind his weary black-and-blue gaze. The character may be an effective stand-in for legions of queer youths living in fear in conservative rural Romania, but Three Kilometers to the End of the World feels more comfortable with emblematic types than messy, conflicted human souls. Adi wants for detail and dimension, but so do his confused parents, victims themselves of entrenched communal prejudice and religious hegemony. There should be a sense of wounding loss in the disintegration the self-destruction, even of their small, frail family. As it is, Parvus film leaves us eager as Adi to flee this pretty, hateful backwater, the warm wind pushing us on, with nary a backward glance. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Andre Holland as Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton in "The Big Cigar," premiering May 17, 2024, on Apple TV+. Credit - Apple TV+ Fifty years ago, talks began for a movie inspired by real Hollywood bigwigs who helped a leader of the Black Panthers flee America. It never got madeuntil now. The Big Cigar, a series debuting on Apple TV+ on May 17, is based on Hollywood producer Bert Schneiders effort to get the black power groups co-founder Huey Newton to Cuba, running the operation like a fake Hollywood movie production he called The Big Cigar. The six-episode series follows Newton (Andre Holland) as he tests Schneider (Alessandro Nivola) to make sure he can be trusted before trusting him with his life. Below is a look at the real history that inspired the show. Who are the Black Panthers? Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the political organization known as the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California, in 1966. The organization began as an effort to combat police brutality, putting its members on patrol on the streets where minority communities lived, as a type of self-defense. It also served those communities through free breakfast programs and free medical clinics offering preventative care in 13 cities nationwide. Dramatizations of these programs can be seen throughout The Big Cigar. At the height of the Cold War, many free services were seen as supporting communist ideals. The Black Panthers faced extra scrutiny for this, and for their overall appearance: Members dressed in all black, while some were armed to protect their fellow community members, and the visibility of the guns sparked fears that they would become violent. The Black Panthers also faced constant FBI surveillance. Huey P. Newtons great escape After co-founding the Black Panther Party, the organization made international headlines when Newton was involved with a shootout with Oakland police that left one officer dead, and Newton was charged with murder and sent to prisonsparking Free Huey rallies worldwide. By the time he met Hollywood producer Bert Schneider in September 1970, Newton had been released on bail. Schneider, riding high on the success of his film Easy Rider (1969) and TV series The Monkees (1966-1968), had been backing a bunch of various left-wing political causes, and began bankrolling the Black Panthers. He realized the power that culture played in shaping ideas, Joshuah Bearman, an executive producer of The Big Cigar, wrote in the 2012 Playboy magazine article that inspired the series. Hollywood figures were helping to raise money for the Panthers. Sporting a Black Panther ring and proudly displaying a photo of him and Newton behind his desk in his office, Schneider (who also had a reputation for a serious cocaine addiction) wouldnt hesitate to write checks to the organization for $10,000. The money went towards community programs and a penthouse in Oakland that served as a headquarters for the group. In fact, he once wrote a check for $250,000 to fund Black Community Survival conferences. As Bert described his fascination with Newton, How can I put it? Hes my hero. But paranoia about the Black Panthers activities reached an all-time high on July 30, 1974, when Newton was arrested after a run-in with two police officers at a bar in Oakland. Six days later, Newton knew he had to get out of the U.S. somehow, when he was falsely accused of killing a 17-year-old prostitute. He sought refuge in the Bel Air home of Schneiders friend Steve Blauner. Referring to themselves as the Beverly Hills 7, Schneider and a group of his Hollywood chums plotted to get Newton to Cuba where he could seek political asylum. As Bearman wrote in Playboy: But paranoia about the Black Panthers activities reached an all-time high on July 30, 1974, when Newton was arrested after a run-in with two police officers at a bar in Oakland. Six days later, Newton knew he had to get out of the U.S. somehow, when he was falsely accused of killing a 17-year-old prostitute. He sought refuge in the Bel Air home of Schneiders friend Steve Blauner. Referring to themselves as the Beverly Hills 7, Schneider and a group of his Hollywood chums plotted to get Newton to Cuba where he could seek political asylum. As Bearman wrote in Playboy: Andre Holland and Alessandro Nivola in "The Big Cigar," premiering May 17, 2024, on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ The Big Cigar stood for Cuba. Schneider nicknamed Newton the Star and dubbed Artie Ross, a recent college graduate who worked for him, the babysitter because he had a boat that was supposed to take Newton to Cuba. One of the most helpful sources for Bearman was Newtons account of the plot, which he found at Stanford University. First, Newton needed to get Mexico. Blauner, who liked to gamble, called his bookkeeper to place some bets so it looked like he was just spending the day gambling, and then drove Newton to the U.S.-Mexico border. I did everything I had ever seen in those movies, recalls Blauner, in Peter Biskinds Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood. This was the first thing that I could think of that I had ever done under conditions of life and deathfor only one reason, the love of another human being. Read More: Black Panthers Meet New Hollywood in the Bold, Thrilling Series The Big Cigar Ross was supposed to sail through the Panama Canal, pick up Newton in Mexico and then continue on to Cuba. Despite new radar and sonar equipment purchased by Schneider for the journey, the boat ran aground after hitting an underwater statue of Jesus in the Florida Keys thats a popular snorkeling destination. The boat was in no condition to transport Newton all the way to Cuba, so Ross hitchhiked to Miami eventually made his way to Newton in Jalapa, a hideaway on the west coast of Mexico that Bert and a few other big kahunas bought in 1968 in case they wanted to flee when Nixon became President. A captain nicknamed Pirate was tracked down, chosen because he had a lot of experience going back and forth between Colombia and Mexico. Schneider agreed to make the captain whole for the boat if it got confiscated. The journey to Cuba was smooth sailing until the dinghy that Newton and his wife Gwen Fontaine needed to get to shore capsized. Fontaine saved Newtons life by dragging him ashore. What happened to the Big Cigar characters? At some point in late 1974 or early 1975, Ross recounted the wild story in a script, titled The Big Cigar. Newton liked it and gave Schneider the green light to shop it around. Though Warner Brothers and Richard Dreyfuss expressed interest in being involved, the film never got made. In 1975, Ross died from an overdose after inhaling too much laughing gas. Schneider built a shrine to Ross and threw a wake for him in the sauna room of his house that was attended by stars like Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, and Roman Polanski, according to a 2011 Los Angeles times obit for Schneider. In 1975, Schneider appeared onstage to accept an Academy Award for his documentary Hearts and Minds about the Vietnam War, which he saw as vindication that political topics could be moneymakers. But he struggled the rest of his life with addiction and died in 2011. Newton spent three years in exile in Cubacutting sugarcane and repairing trucks. Schneider visited him there, along with Hollywood stars Candice Bergen and Francis Ford Coppola. When Newton finally returned to the U.S., in 1977, he was acquitted of charges of assault and murder. About a decade later, in 1989, he was fatally shot by an Oakland drug dealer. As for Newton and Schneiders friendship, it remained close until Newtons death. As Bearman put it to TIME in a recent phone conversation, They stayed in touch. They would see each other. It's what you now would call a bromance. Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The Black Panther Party and its co-founder Huey P. Newton drew both allies and adversariesmost notably, the FBIas they fought for social change and protection for Black Americans. Newtons relationship with one of his most famous supporters is the subject of the new Apple TV+ miniseries The Big Cigar. The six-episode series, which began Friday, stars Andre Holland as Newton and provides a dramatized account of the activists infamous flight to Cuba in 1974 while facing murder and assault charges in the United States. Based on a 2012 Playboy article written by Joshuah Bearman, The Big Cigar highlights movie producer Bert Schneiders unlikely role in the scheme. He financed a fake film production to help Newton temporarily evade authorities and continue his quest for social revolution. But the creative escape plot was only one part of the much more complex story of Newtons role in the Black Panther Party and his repeated legal battles. Newtons impending arrest wasnt his first Newton had developed a contentious reputation after co-founding the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense with Bobby Seale in Oakland, California, in 1966. The Black Power socialist organization was dedicated to fighting police brutality, and its members openly carried firearms. The Black Panthers also took an active role in the community, establishing a school for Black children in Oakland. The group contained a number of outspoken personalities, including Newton, Seale, and Eldridge Cleaver, the partys minister of information who, like Newton years later, fled the United States in November 1968 to escape the police. As a result, according to The New York Times, the party was the subject of extensive FBI surveillance. Eventually, a 1976 report from the Senate Committee on Intelligence Activities found the agency carried out a nationwide effort to destroy the Panthers and divide leaders like Newton and Cleaver. Getty Images In the meantime, Newton regularly made headlines for unfavorable reasons. In 1967, he was arrested after allegedly killing Oakland police officer John Frey during a traffic stop. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1968 and sentenced to two to 15 years in prison, though the conviction was overturned two years later. Then in August 1974, Newton was charged in the murder of a 17-year-old sex worker named Kathleen Smith. He was simultaneously accused of assaulting Preston Callins, a tailor, in a separate incident. Seeing little chance of defending himself against charges he insisted were false, Newton departed for Cubawith Schneider starting production on a fake movie in order to help him escape. The communist leadership of Fidel Castro in Cuba offered a safe haven from prosecution. He stayed in Cuba for almost 3 years After financing Newtons escape, Schneider continued to offer support from afar. The producer even invited some of his celebrity friends, including actors Candice Bergen and Jack Nicholson, to visit Newton on the island, according to The New York Times. Getty Images Roughly one year after his arrival, Newton detailed his experience abroad during an interview with AFRO News. The Cuban Revolutionary Government has been generous and very considerate to me and my family, Newton said, adding he hadnt experienced any racism from the Cuban people. Newton, then 34, said the Cuban government had asked him to work as a literature teacher at the nearby university, but he declined, instead opting to repair cement trucks at mechanical factories located in the countryside. He described his neighbors as being like part of the family, which at the time included his wife Gwen Fontaine. Still, reporter Seth McMillan remarked that Newton seemed homesick in Cuba, and the revolutionary explicitly said he would continue his activism in the United States as soon he felt circumstances allowed. Its where I can identify with the total world struggle for socialism. But I think as a North American, as a Black North American, I have certain understandingscertain contributionsto make that are unique to the North American experience, he said. Newton eventually returned for his day in court Newton finally left Cuba in June 1977 to face the charges against him, continuing to maintain they were false. He cited the Watergate Scandal and public revelations of abuses by the CIA and FBI as evidence he could prove his innocence. A change of administration does not mean an end to the system of exploitation which I oppose, Newton said, referring to the start of Jimmy Carters presidency earlier that year. But there is now a more congenial atmosphere for the kind of court battle that we are going to fight. After all these revelations of recent years, the people are prepared to believe the kind of conspiracies that the government has inflicted on us. According to The Washington Post, Newton had reached an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department that dropped an outstanding federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution before surrendering. Newton officially pleaded not guilty to killing Smith and assaulting Callins on November 22, 1977. Getty Images Callins refused to testify against Newton in court. He was acquitted of the assault in September 1978 but sentenced to two years on a related weapons charge. He served nine months in prison almost a decade later in 1987. As for the murder charge, a deadlocked jury voted 10 to 2 for acquittal, resulting in a mistrial on March 24, 1979. Ive been vindicated by the community, Newton remarked, though he faced a retrial later that year. Again, the jury was stuckthis time at an 11 to 1 vote for acquittalin another mistrial. The Black Panther Party quickly fractured Prior to his escape to Cuba, Newton had appointed Elaine Brown as the Black Panthers new leader. Brown installed women in key administrative positions, stoking discontent among male members. Upon Newtons return to the United States, he was again the face of the party even without the official title as chair. Newton and Brown argued over the partys direction. Browns last straw came when Newton failed to condemn the assault of Regina Davis, a Black Panther school administrator, for a minor offense. The beating of Regina would be taken as a clear signal that the words Panther and comrade had taken on gender connotations, Brown wrote, denoting an inferiority in the female half of us. She soon left the party. Newton, meanwhile, faced more legal trouble in May 1978, when he and his bodyguard were arrested and charged for assault with intent to commit murder following a bathroom brawl in Californias Santa Cruz County. He was later acquitted of these charges, though he faced additional ones for weapons offenses, parole violations, and financial misappropriations over the next few years. He also battled cocaine and heroin abuse. The party dwindled amid its lack of clear leadership and officially dissolved by 1982. Despite escaping the legal problems that caused him to escape to Cuba, Newton couldnt outrun his controversial standing in society. He was shot and killed on August 22, 1989, by a member of the Black Guerilla Family street gang, leaving a substantial but complex legacy that still fascinates today. Watch The Big Cigar on Apple TV+ Executive producer Don Cheadle, who also directs the first two episodes of the new miniseries, said Andre Hollands portrayal of Newton in the series reflects the Black Panther Party founders unyielding nature. He stood 10 toes down, as they say, for what he believed in and was willing to go all the way for it, Cheadle told The New York Times. I think whenever we see that, we are fascinated by it. Its compelling and it draws you in. The first two episodes of The Big Cigar are now streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes drop on Fridays through June 14. You Might Also Like Audrey McGraw shares some majestic photos from a recent trip to Africa. Above, McGraw attends the NSAI 2023 Nashville Songwriter Awards at Ryman Auditorium on September 26, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. One of Tim McGraw and Faith Hills daughters has stunned fans with a few incredible photos she recently shared after a safari getaway. Audrey McGraw, 22, revealed in a Tuesday, May 14 Instagram post that she was recently in Namibia, a country on the southwest coast of Africa. Audrey appeared to have gone out on safari while visiting, with her trio of photos featuring close-up images of some of the animals often seen in the African savanna. The first photo included in Audreys post showed a lone zebra looking ahead as it stood in a grassy area. Several trees and a stretch of hills were visible in the distance as the zebra surveyed its surroundings. The next photo included in the series was a black-and-white image of a large giraffe. The tall creature seemed to look directly at the camera, its gaze focused and curious as it stood still and stared. The giraffe appeared to be surrounded by a small cluster of trees, though no other animals were visible in the photo. The final photo that Audrey included in her post featured what appeared to be several baboons, at least five of which sat perched on a rock. A sixth seemed to be walking away from the group in the photo, while two othersone of which was only half visible in the snapshotappeared to be walking toward the rock. Behind the animals, the dry and brown grassy area stretched out far beyond them, with a fuzzy line of trees visible in the distance. Namibia, Audrey wrote in her Instagram posts short caption. The photos attracted a handful of comments in the days after she shared them, with some Instagram users noting that they, too, would like to visit the country at some point in the future with their families. Majestic pictures of such beautiful animals, one person wrote of Audreys photos as another Instagram user declared they were Awesome! Next: Tim McGraw's Daughter Audrey's New Singing Video Leaves Fans Begging Her to Release Music Stars above the pavilion at the Beaver Island Resort. BEAVER ISLAND Northern Michiganders looking to try their hand at glamping may be just a short flight or ferry ride away from one of the best spots in the nation. The Beaver Island Retreat was recently named as one of USA Today's Best Glamping Spots of 2024. The resort took home the second spot on the list. Stars are shown above a tent at the Beaver Island Retreat. Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage Maria Dal Pra, who owns the resort with her husband, Brian Vaeth, said it was "not only humbling, but incredibly exciting" to be mentioned in the contest with other national locations, with winners stretching from Alaska to Florida. "It's pretty amazing that so many people including the entire Beaver Island community and our past guests and our friends and our family are so supportive and take the time and the effort to to show that through active participation in a contest such as this," she said. The Beaver Island Resort praised by guests for its cleanliness, bamboo sheets, fully stocked kitchen, free concierge service and more was only topped by Sky Ridge Yurts in Bryson City, North Carolina. "Beaver Island is a very small community and all of the businesses here are privately owned, and when we all work together, the entire island is successful," Dal Pra said of the community rallying behind the resort to bring in votes. For more information on the Beaver Island Retreat, visit beaverislandretreat.com. USA Today is owned by Gannett, the same company that owns and operates The Petoskey News-Review. Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN. This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Beaver Island Retreat named top spot for glamping by USA Today Dressing for Summer Airport Travel Is Weird These 18 Outfits Wont Make You Overheat If picturing yourself on a sunny beach somewhere with a sparkly drink in hand has been getting you through the workweek lately, a lot of Us can relate. Everyone seems to be planning a trip to Europe, Asia or some island down South. What a wonderful and exciting time! The only aspect of travel that most people (rightfully) dread is that the travel. Paying for overpriced airport snacks and then sitting on a too-hot airplane for a few more hours isn't ideal, especially when early flights and jet lag are tossed into the mix. It's worth it, of course, but we all know the feeling of desperately needing that post-airport shower! To actually enjoy the airport and yes, this is 100% possible it's essential to dress properly. Lightweight clothing, layers and comfy shoes make all the difference in the world! We found 18 lightweight sets with shorts or pants that will make you even more excited for your trip, including the airport. Just grab one of these, your favorite cardigan and comfy sneakers . . . you're good to go! 19 Office-Appropriate Lounge Finds That Will Make You Want to Commute Two-Piece Sets With Shorts 1. Biker gal: Lightweight and skin-soft, there's a good chance you'll wear this ribbed outfit for the entire trip and beyond $20! 2. Total fashionista: Have you ever seen a set that looks so Greece? This set doubles as a fancy outfit when paired with sandals $37! 3. Stretchy waist: If you're heading somewhere hot hot, you need a set that makes you forget you're wearing clothes $26! 4. Layered up: Forget the cardigan! This linen-looking set comes with a short-sleeve layer to wear over your favorite tank $36! 5. High neck: Quiet luxury alert! You'll look like a rich mom wherever you go in this comfy waffle knit set $25! 6. Barcelona ready: Maybe you're not going to Spain, but the square-neck design will give Euro summer energy wherever you go originally $40, now $33! 7. Classy chic: This set is comfy enough for the airplane and elegant enough for the office . . . but don't think about the office right now $37! 8. Frills and fun: A ruffled hem on both the tank and shorts makes this the quiet luxury outfit of the century $20! Two-Piece Sets With Pants 9. Linen look: You'll want to wear this linen lounge set from the plane straight to the beach originally $40, now $34! 10. Crowd favorite: Don't just take our word for it this is the bestselling tracksuit on Amazon, so you bet it's comfortable $39! 11. Flattering find: Enjoying the airport starts with feeling like a million bucks. Vertical stripes lengthen your legs, an instant confidence boost $38! 12. Khaki stripe: It's not about fashion at the airport, but it's about fashion at the airport for Us fashionistas $39! 13. Early 2000s: Something about this wide-leg set screams Britney Spears. A spandex material makes it ultra-stretchy $40! 14. Probably royalty: The knit material, cap-sleeve design and jogger-style pants are just a few things we love $48! 15. Athleisure girl: Pair this set with white sneakers and your favorite travel backpack you'll be the queen of sporty style $35! 16. Everyday fave: We're taking it as our sign that this 30% linen short-sleeve set is on sale right now originally $48, now $31! 17. Button-up: This jogger and button-up duo is just as lightweight as a tank top and shorts $43! 18. No problems: The reggae music is already playing in our heads! Grab this ocean blue set and get ready for paradise $37! 13 Stretchy Denim Skirts That Are Actually Soft and Comfortable See more Us Weekly Shopping Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships. We receive compensation when you click on a link and make a purchase. Learn more! Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, during which they had in-depth exchanges on strategic issues of common concern. The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century and entering a new period of turbulence and transformation, Xi noted, adding that in the face of the ever-evolving world landscape with volatility and turmoil, China has maintained its strategic resolve. He said that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have overcome various difficulties and challenges, and are striving to promote high-quality development and Chinese modernization. China is willing to work with Russia and other countries to enhance solidarity and cooperation, steer global governance in the right direction, jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, and promote world peace and common development, Xi said. Noting that China's development is unstoppable and that no force can contain China's growth and progress, Putin said that Russia is willing to improve cooperation with China and other Global South countries to promote international fairness and justice, and to work toward a more equal and multipolar world. The two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi elaborated on China's consistent position and efforts to promote the political settlement of the Ukraine issue, stressing that to deal with any major issue, it is necessary to address both the symptoms and the root causes, and to plan for the present as well as for the long term. He said the core of the Global Security Initiative is advocating the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and the fundamental solution to the Ukraine issue is to promote the establishment of a new balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture. Xi said China supports the convening of an international peace conference recognized by Russia and Ukraine at an appropriate time with equal participation and fair discussion of all options, so as to push for an early political settlement of the Ukraine issue, and China stands ready to continue to play a constructive role in this regard. Putin introduced the relevant views and positions of Russia, saying that Russia appreciates China's objective, just and balanced position on the Ukraine issue and welcomes China to continue to play an important and constructive role in the political settlement of the issue. Russia is committed to resolving the Ukraine issue through political negotiations and is willing to demonstrate sincerity and maintain close communication with China in this regard, he said. Xi said that over the years, they have had many meetings and every exchange has been candid, in-depth and fruitful. "I am ready to stay in close contact with President Putin and work together to steer the development of China-Russia relations in the right direction, guide the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era to achieve steady and lasting progress, bring more benefits to the two peoples, and contribute to world security and stability," Xi said. Putin thanked Xi for his warm hospitality, saying that he is willing to maintain close communication with Xi, implement the important consensus reached between them, and ensure the full development of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) Editor: GSY A financial therapist was $19,000 in debt in her 20s. Loud budgeting helped her pay it off in 1 year. Amanda Clayman, a financial therapist, was $19,000 in debt in her 20s. Once she set up a monthly budget, Clayman started to decline expensive social plans. Loud budgeting helped Clayman save more and made her more honest in her friendships. The average American has $104,215 of debt, and paying it all off is a daunting task. Amanda Clayman, a financial therapist who hosts Fresh Produce Media's Audible series "Emotional Investment," once found herself in the same predicament: she owed $19,000 in credit card debt. In a blog post, Clayman shared that when she was in her 20s and living in New York City on an entry-level salary, she threw financial caution to the wind. "I had no budget because I had no plan," she wrote. "I reveled in throwing myself at the world with just my talent and my ambition and treating the whole experience like one amazing adventure." Eventually, Clayman's mother learned of her debt and sat down with her to create a monthly budget. Clayman told Business Insider that paying off the debt took a little over a year. Once she knew her budget, she would put any extra freelance money or Christmas checks toward debt repayment. But one mindset shift helped her save even quicker: loud budgeting. A growing trend among Gen Zers on TikTok, loud budgeting encourages openness around wanting to save money, rather than trying to play it cool and going on lavish vacations you can't afford. It was something Clayman learned on her own 25 years ago. She had to create "a different definition of strength and what's cool and what's valuable," she told BI. Clayman's reframing not only helped her pay off her debt quickly, but it also brought her closer to her friends. No more smiling through expensive meals Once she started engaging with her debt, Clayman realized that she had to change some of her spending habits. "I needed much better boundaries around money," she said. She noticed that she would go to restaurants with friends knowing that she couldn't swing the price, but would "smile and get through it" by putting down her credit card. It was a hard habit to break, because "we want to lead with our kind of strongest seeming self," she said. She felt it was "uncool" to admit she couldn't afford the same things her friends could. The first step was the challenge this belief. She had to find "what's important to me instead of just kind of going with the flow and thinking more about how I look from others through others' eyes." Being honest with her friends With a strict budget in hand, Clayman started to speak up about her financial limitations when making plans with her friends. "If somebody would suggest a restaurant that was outside my budget, I would have to say 'that is outside my budget,'" she said, "As opposed to just sucking it up." In her blog post, she mentioned finding more creative ways to spend time with her friends, such as hosting clothing swap parties instead of going shopping. She saved money and strengthened her relationships An unexpected perk of being upfront about her finances was that "it really created permission for other people to feel like they could be more honest about that as well," Clayman told BI. It also made her realize how much she was hiding in the first place. "It helped me feel like my friendships were more authentic," she said. "Keeping that kind of secret means that it's a boundary on how intimate we can be." Even though Clayman had a plan, paying off her debt was still stressful she "longed for comfort and for the relief from the shame" of having the debt in the first place. Being open about her debt brought her closer to her friends, as they knew how to really support her through tough times. In the end, being real about her finances proved far more valuable to her relationships than just clanking down another credit card at the end of a pricey meal. Read the original article on Business Insider NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) Never made your warm weather escape this winter? Theres always next year, and American Airlines is adding four new direct flights to its winter lineup to make that trip a little easier. Starting November 5, the airline will offer a daily direct flight to Bridgetown, Barbados. Travel agency to give away 50 free vacations to nurses, teachers Then on December 7, Saturday-only flights will go direct to Saint Lucia, St. Maarten and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, American Airlines announced Thursday. Tickets for the new routes will be available starting on May 20. Outside of New York, new American flights have also been added in Charlotte, Miami and Philadelphia. American Airlines winter schedule for next year will include 11% more departures with 10% more seats than last year, according to a representative of the airline. Customers will have more reasons to choose American than ever before for nonstop fun in the sun this year, said Brian Znotins, Americans Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning. Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered New York City since 2023. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter 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. JOPLIN, Mo. Its been said that you cant buy happiness. But owners of a particular brand of car might disagree and there are a lot of them in Joplin this week. To several car enthusiasts, nothing looks or sounds quite like a corvette. A hundred fifty of the high octane machines and the people who swear by them have been in Joplin this week, some since Monday, as part of the first ever national corvette convention to be hosted in and by the Four State Corvette Club based in Joplin. A member of which is Larry Lankford of Neosho. Theyll go to different places to eat and theyll shop at different places, I think it will bring a lot of revenue to to the town, said Lankford. The number of hotel nights is having a great impact, theyre over in the hotel district in the evening time doing things, they were at Downstream last night so theres an impact in the regional market as well, hitting all the sites on Route 66, said Patrick Tuttle, Director, Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau. Theyve done a great job, they really have, the community supported it, the hotels, the restaurants weve been to, the people are very nice to us, theyre very helpful, yeah, terrific, said Larry Boyd, St. Louis Corvette Club. Fred Dugach came all the way from Florida for the event. He watched as his corvette was being built, drove it off the assembly line and later had its valve cover signed by the engineers that designed it. They lower the car down and then you get to start it up for the first time and you get to drive it off and its such a heart felt experience you just cant believe it, its just fantastic, I said ok folks you got to sign these, you got the Mona Lisa, now you have to put the signatures on it, said Dugach. How cool is it to be in this organization? Well, it you like to go out and eat and drive your car, youll have fun, cause we like to go out and eat and we like to drive, said Lankford. 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. He had strict instructions from the groom: Stay away from the bridesmaid. Heres what happened next Ariff Hassan arrived at the wedding under strict instructions: Stay away from the bridesmaid. It was August 2018. Ariff had traveled from his home in Singapore to Kazakhstan to attend the wedding of an old friend. This friend, like Ariff, had grown up in Malaysia. Theyd been close back in the day, but lost touch when Ariff moved to the UK in early adulthood. When Ariff relocated to Singapore, the two friends reconnected, and then the wedding invite followed. Ariff was touched and honored to make the guest list. Plus, his friends soon-to-be wife was from Kazakhstan the couple had met in Kuala Lumpur and the celebrations were set to take place in Kazakhstans largest city: Almaty. A keen traveler, Ariff never turned down the opportunity to explore somewhere new. Right away, he RSVPed yes. Id been to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan before, and I thought, Ive not been to Kazakhstan. When else am I going to go? Ariff tells CNN Travel today. Ariffs friend was delighted that Ariff could make his celebrations. But before the big day, the friend took Ariff aside and gave him a firm warning. The bridesmaid was his fiancees cousin. Ariffs friend wanted to avoid a potentially messy family situation, especially as he figured Ariff wasnt after anything serious. Listen, said Ariffs friend. I know you dont want to get married. And I dont want to have any problems later, with my extended family. So just give her a wide berth, OK? Ariff laughed, but he agreed. Anyway, he wasnt going to the wedding to meet women he just wanted to cheer on his friend on his big day, and experience a new country and culture. In the week leading up to the wedding, the bride and groom planned daily activities for their wedding guests many of whom, like Ariff, were in Kazakhstan for the first time. Ariff liked Almaty right away. He recalls thinking the city seemed like a great mix of old Soviet architecture and modern shiny buildings, quiet alleys and parks, and busy bars and restaurants. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains, he adds. We had the chance to stay in a chalet up there for a few days, where the views were absolutely breathtaking. Then, the night before the wedding, Ariff attended a dinner hosted by the brides side of the family. And thats when he saw Liliya Dauletaliyeva for the first time. I remember Lili walked in, says Ariff. She stood out to him right away. She was wearing a check shirt. All the other girls were wearing evening dresses. Over dinner, Liliya was friendly, chatty and at the center of most of the conversations. To Ariff, she projected self-confidence. She was doing the translating, between Russian and English, for everybodys benefit, Ariff recalls. But when Liliya approached Ariff and tried to make conversation, Ariff made only noncommittal, vague and decidedly awkward responses. He really wanted to talk to Liliya, find out more about her. But Ariffs friends warning was ringing round his head. Because Liliya was of course, inevitably the bridesmaid Ariff had been warned to stay away from. First impressions Ariff was warned to "stay away" from Liliya. But the two couldn't ignore their chemistry. - Ariff Hassan and Liliya Dauletaliyeva Back in 2018, Liliya Dauletaliyeva, born and raised in Almaty, was in her early 20s and living in the Kazakh capital of Astana. Shed recently finished up her bachelors degree and enrolled in a masters program. Liliya was firmly focused on her studies and not planning to get married any time soon. When she wasnt working late in the library, Liliya was planning future travels. She loved exploring the world, and prioritized adventures whenever she could. Shed just got back from a trip to Iceland, and was looking forward to her cousins wedding partly because shed get to meet a bunch of people from across the world. At the pre-wedding dinner, Liliya noticed her cousins fiance only had a couple of friends whod flown in for the celebrations. One of the guys seemed outgoing and talkative. The other Ariff seemed more reserved. Liliya wondered if he was shy, or perhaps nervous. I know a lot of people, their first impression of Kazakhstan, it might be a bit of a cultural shock, Liliya tells CNN Travel. So I thought that he must be feeling a bit weird or maybe even awkward because he just reconnected with his friend that he hadnt seen for ages. Liliya tried to talk to Ariff to make him feel more comfortable. But she approached him, his eyes widened and he seemed even more awkward than before. I didnt talk back, says Ariff. I had instructions to follow. The wedding the next day was an almost 12-hour affair, as Ariff recalls. A Kazah wedding is very different from a Southeast Asian wedding, he says. A lot of drinks and a lot of dancing. It was a great day, and when the celebrations wrapped up at around 1 a.m., the party continued at a nearby hotel. There was a huge karaoke venue at that hotel, says Liliya. And so all the young people the bridesmaids and the friends and family, we all went there. Thats how, in the early hours of the morning, Ariff and Liliya found themselves sitting side by side in the karaoke bar. And thats when we started talking, says Liliya. After all this singing and drinking and dancing. We just sat down and talked. After eight or nine hours of drinking Ariff was no longer preoccupied about his friends warning. The instructions went out the window, he says. Connecting at 1 a.m. Ariff and Liliya got chatting at the wedding after party. Here they are pictured later on in Cappadocia, Turkey. - Ariff Hassan and Liliya Dauletaliyeva At first, Liliya and Ariff talked about Kazakhstan. Liliya asked Ariff what he thought of her home country, commenting that Ariff seemed to be one of very few friends of the groom whod traveled for the wedding. Why did you decide to come? she asked him. I know many people are like, Oh Kazakhstan, what is this place? Why would we go there? I like adventures, said Ariff. I love traveling and exploring new countries. Ariff mentioned the wedding invite had come through when he was planning a trip to Iceland. Hed abandoned those plans, and prioritized Kazakhstan instead. I told him that I just came back from Iceland a couple of months before, recalls Liliya. We realized that we both love traveling. And then just started talking about all these adventures and travel plans, where we want to go Liliya and Ariff spent the rest of the evening deep in conversation, but parted ways without exchanging contact details. Still, Ariff was hopeful they might see each other again following the Kazak wedding, Ariffs friend and Liliyas cousin had a second wedding celebration planned in Malaysia in a few weeks time. Ariff figured Liliya, as a bridesmaid, would likely be there, although he didnt know for sure. I couldnt stop thinking about her, he said. I tried to figure out how to contact her without obviously asking my friend or his wife for help because, you know, the instructions were to stay away from the cousin. In the end, Ariff tracked Liliya down on Facebook and dropped her a friend request and a message: Hey, I hear youre coming to Malaysia this weekend for the second leg of the wedding, he wrote. If youd like to hang out or something, heres my number. And then we did hang out, says Ariff. It was a fun few days Ariff showed Liliya his favorite places in Kuala Lumpur and recalls that they were quite excited to see each other. Still, it wasnt obvious where their connection would go from there. Im not a fan of long distance, says Liliya. I kept thinking, Maybe we can be friends. Taking a risk Before she left Malaysia, Liliya on a whim invited Ariff to come and visit Kazakhstan again, in a months time, for her 24th birthday party. I obviously sat on the decision for about a week and a half, because I thought, Ive just been there, recalls Ariff. He remembers turning the idea over in his mind. Ariff really liked Liliya and wanted to see her again. But traveling across the world on a bit of a whim seemed crazy. I was kind of hesitating to go, because I thought, This is insanity, says Ariff. Ariff mentioned the dilemma to an older family friend whose opinion he trusted. Ariffs confidant told him that, some 40 years ago hed missed an opportunity with a girl and still regretted it to that day. He was like, Dont be me. Go and live your life, Ariff recalls. So Ariff put aside his hesitations and embarked on the 19-hour journey to visit Liliya. I took three planes, he recalls. Singapore to Bangkok, Bangkok to Almaty, Almaty to Astana. I remember I went to pick him up from the airport, Liliya says. I was so nervous. I called my friends and I was like, I dont know what Im doing. Why did I even agree to that? What did I sign up for? This guy, I only saw him for like, four or five days. Liliya wondered what she and Ariff were going to talk about, what were they going to do together, would it be awkward? But as soon as they were together again, Liliya and Ariffs respective worries melted away. We literally spent every single day together. He stayed for 10 days. And every minute that I was not in school, we tried to spend together, says Liliya. It was so much fun. Liliya also felt heartened that Ariff had followed through shed invited him, hed said hed come, and then he did. I was pleasantly surprised, she recalls. I was like, Thats the person that keeps his word, that you can rely on. I started thinking, I wouldnt mind starting a relationship with a person like this. Deciding on the future After Ariff's 10 days in Kazakhstan, he and Liliya were certain about their future. - Ariff Hassan and Liliya Dauletaliyeva By the end of the 10 days, both Liliya and Ariff were certain about their future. That first trip, we decided we were going to get married, says Ariff. It wasnt really a formal conversation, says Liliya: We were just having dinner and talking. Neither of them had been looking for love, let alone marriage. But after meeting each other, Ariff and Liliya were sure they wanted to be together, and to commit to a life side by side. They knew the whole thing was pretty nuts, as Ariff puts it today. But they were confident in their feelings and in each other. A month later, in October, Liliya went with Ariff to visit his parents in Malaysia. That Christmas, Ariffs mother invited Liliya on a family trip to the UK. Ariffs parents liked Liliya right away and, certain marriage was on the cards, Ariffs mother suggested she and Liliya go shopping for wedding dresses while they were in London. Lilya and Ariff wanted to avoid extended periods of long distance, so around this time Liliya decided to quit her masters degree and move to Singapore to be with Ariff. Obviously my family didnt approve, says Liliya. But I thought, You know what, I can get my masters in Malaysia or Singapore, and thats probably an even better option. Its not a big deal. In general Liliya and Ariffs friends and loved ones were supportive, but a little concerned about the speed at which the romance was moving. It was really fast, admits Liliya. Some of my friends, theyre still shocked. Theyre like, He hadnt even proposed and his mom took you to pick a wedding dress. Liliya and Ariff shrugged off the concerns, and in December 2018, Liliya moved to Singapore. A couple of months later, Ariff formally proposed, on Valentines Day 2019. The couple liked the idea of a a very small, intimate wedding, says Liliya. Just friends and family members, somewhere fun. Maybe somewhere in the Mediterranean, a bit of a party with friends, says Ariff. This dream wasnt to be. Parents had different ideas, says Ariff, laughing. Ariff and Liliya ended up with several wedding celebrations a small ceremony to sign the legal papers in April 2019, followed by a 300-person wedding in Malaysia in the summer with a lot of food and alcohol and another big party in Kazakhstan. Amid all the planning and parental negotiations Ariff and Liliya took a break and went on a pre-wedding honeymoon. It was great to go on a honeymoon before. We picked places where it was very hard to reach us, says Ariff. The couple returned from their vacation refreshed and ready to enjoy the August 2019 celebrations. Ariff and Liliya got married in 2019, enjoying multiple wedding celebrations including a big party in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where this photo was taken. - Ariff Hassan and Liliya Dauletaliyeva Liliya and Ariff Kazakhstan wedding celebration incorporated a number of Kazakh traditions. We had qyz uzatu, a Kazakh traditional ceremony where the bride is sent off from her parental home to the grooms family, marked by a farewell party attended by close relatives and friends, says Liliya. The event includes ceremonial rites, blessings from elders, presenting gifts to the grooms family, and the singing of traditional Kazakh songs. Parents give their blessings and advice to the bride. The Malaysian celebration also included recitations of prayers and blessings, a traditional meal, and an exchange of gifts, says Liliya. All of the celebrations were a blast, says Ariff. There was lots of laughter, and moving moments too. The family friend who encouraged Ariff to take a risk and visit Liliya was one of the witnesses when the couple signed the papers. Meanwhile, friends from across the world came to celebrate with the couple including, of course, Ariffs childhood friend and Liliyas cousin, whod unwittingly kicked off Ariff and Liliyas love story the year before. I dont have any siblings, but I grew up with my cousin, says Liliya. We are very close. So obviously she came to both our weddings, and were still super close. Ariffs friend had forgiven him for breaking his promise to stay away from the bridesmaid. But he still worried, right up until the wedding, that it wouldnt work out. I think my friend was very stressed until we got married, until we legally signed the papers because he was like, Please dont mess it up, says Ariff. Now were all part of one big family, says Liliya. Taking risks together Ariff and Liliya love traveling together. Here they are in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. - Ariff Hassan and Liliya Dauletaliyeva Post-wedding, Liliya and Ariff settled into an easy rhythm in their relationship. The couple dont have many cultural differences, says Liliya, even though they grew up in different countries. We quickly learned that Kazakh and Malay cultures are very similar, both emphasizing the importance of family, traditions, and community, she says. Still, they like learning new things about each others history, people, food says Liliya. They enjoy sharing these learning moments with one another. After a few years in Singapore, in 2021 Liliya and Ariff moved to Malaysia. And another big shift occurred last year, when Liliya decided to recommence the masters course she quit back in 2018. Even after years of working, this idea of me leaving something incomplete kept bothering me, so I decided to apply again, she says. Liliya was excited to return to academia, but felt the associated upheaval would only be worth it if she was attending one of the best universities in the world. Thats how she ended up accepting a place at the University of Oxford, in the UK. Liliya is loving the experience studying there. The only downside is she and Ariff are now contending with the long distance they actively avoided at the start of their relationship. That is slightly ironic, admits Ariff. But hes really proud of Liliya and excited for her next career steps. He visits Oxford every month, and is able to work remotely from the UK for significant chunks of time. In between, the couple video chat regularly. I think its actually much easier to have a long distance relationship when youve already been in this relationship for quite some time, says Liliya. The fact Liliya and Ariff both love traveling also makes journeying back and forth a little easier. We want to keep exploring the world and experience living in as many countries as possible, says Liliya, adding they cant imagine their lives without the thrill of new adventures. We like to take risks, both of us, daily, says Ariff, pointing out that mindsets woven into their love story. When they first met, they both jumped into the unknown, flying across the world to visit one another, and then deciding to be together, despite the obstacles. Today, Liliya and Ariff find it surreal to think Liliya barely knew Ariff when she moved across the world to be with him. After five years together, theyre just as certain that they made the right choice. And while they know each other much better, theyre still learning new things about each other. Liliya thinks thats a big part of what it means to be in love with someone. Its just a great feeling when you feel like you just met this person, because you feel like you keep rediscovering, keep learning something new every day, she says. It never gets boring. Thinking about how all these puzzle pieces, how they all came together I just started believing in destiny. What else can it be? For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com I was a single mom when I met who would become my husband. We met at our job and when we started dating he made me quit my job and become a housewife. It's been 15 years since we got divorce and I'm still making up for leaving my job and school. Years ago, in what feels like another life, I elected to trade my freedoms to be a housewife because my then-husband said it was the right thing to do. Growing up in the Midwest in a conservative Catholic family, the ideas of marriage and the importance of motherhood are heavily pushed as being the "right" ways to approach life. I didn't expect or anticipate ending up as a wife as young as I did, let alone a mother before that, but, nonetheless, multiple pieces of that conservative upbringing have shaped the course of my life, often in some of the worst ways possible. It was a decision that affected me 15 years after that divorce. I would never wish this experience to be insisted on anyone, especially knowing everything I do now. I got accidentally pregnant when I was young When I was about half my age, after I'd moved across the country, I found myself pregnant. It was not planned. Young and scared far away from my hometown, I considered my options. I talked to my then-partner, whose only response was to send me a link to Planned Parenthood. My family insisted that they would help me with my son. I believed them and entered motherhood despite my nervousness. I knew it wouldn't be easy as a single mother, but my homegrown values insisted on trusting the process and that they would help me. My dad was initially very warm to assisting me with his first grandchild as I started attending school to pursue graphic design at a local trade school in San Diego. It wasn't the easiest or the best, but it was what it was. I met a man at work When I was going to school, I applied for a job at a video game store to help make ends meet, where I unexpectedly met the person who would later become my ex-husband. He was 10 years older and knew about my struggles and son. He started as a friend, and then it grew into more. When we became romantically involved, little by little, more of my freedoms coincidentally started to disappear. First, I had to quit working where I was because we had worked together. My ex-husband insisted I didn't need to worry about things because he would care for me. Not long after that, he insisted that I quit school, too. I believed him because I wanted to believe him and because this is what my upbringing told me I should believe in. I was young and naive. When we got married, I became a housewife and the mother of two children with him; the freedoms I once had were even further distant than before. I found myself isolated as a housewife without any independence or regard. It manifested in simple things to far larger items. My ex-husband didn't want to take me anywhere or do things with me. He didn't want me to work. He didn't want me to go to school outside a few hobby classes that he would talk me out of attending later, too. I was invisible; it was awful. Fast forward to a few years after my marriage finally ended in 2009. While my marriage was over before that final paperwork, the pain was far from over. The decision of the past would haunt me. I have to make up for years lost The years that followed my marriage were filled with so much pain and hardships, all traced back to the biggest mistake I'd ever made in my life. Everything I had sacrificed compounded in ways that have continued long after that decision. It cost me more than words can express. Kansas Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker recently made a speech about this, urging women that the best thing they can ever do with their lives is be housewives. Maybe it might work out favorably for some who marry rich people. But 15 years after my marriage, I'm still trying to compensate for the time and heart lost in that one decision. If I had a time machine, I would, without hesitation, go back and change my choice of being a housewife in my 20s. I would never encourage someone to give up their independence, as I did willingly. I sadly learned that lesson the hard way. I don't want future generations to learn it and lose everything doing it, too. Read the original article on Business Insider PETOSKEY North Central Michigan College will have a wide range of topics presented this summer as part of its ongoing Luncheon Lecture series. Beginning on June 6, all of the programs in the Luncheon Lecture summer series take place at noon on select Thursdays in the colleges Library Conference Center. Cost to attend is $15 and includes a buffet lunch at 11:30 a.m. The series includes: June 6: Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra Music Director Libor Ondras and Bay View Music Festival organist Kelly Hale will offer a lecture on two major works being presented at Bay View. On Friday, June 14, the orchestra and chorus will be joined by Hale to perform Camille Saint Saens Organ Symphony and Carl Orffs Carmina Burana. June 27: James Lake, communications specialist for the Michigan Department of Transportations North Region and the Mackinac Bridge Authority, will discuss past, current and upcoming road and bridge projects in northern Lower Michigan. He will outline strategies the department employs to mitigate the negative effects of road construction and address some of the most common misconceptions about the states transportation system. July 25: Ron Bazman worked for more than 30 years as a controller for the Federal Aviation Administration at airports across the U.S., most recently as manager of airport operations at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. He will give the audience a behind-the-scenes look at the job of keeping airliners and their passengers safe. Aug. 8: Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigans chief medical executive, will provide an overview of the state of public health in Michigan. She will discuss several pressing public health issues in the state, including: the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis, maternal and infant health, and vaccines for preventable diseases and sexually transmitted infections. Her appearance is underwritten in part by Friends of HDNW, a nonprofit organization supporting the mission of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. To register for a lecture, go to ncmclifelonglearning.com/events. To purchase multiple sessions at once, contact Cathy Degnan at (231) 439-6378 or email cdegnan@ncmich.edu. To view all of NCMCs Lifelong Learning events, visit ncmclifelonglearning.com. This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: NCMC announces summer Luncheon Lecture series Quico and Chavo are two guinea pigs up for adoption at Greenhill Humane Society. Greenhill Humane Society Quico and Chavo are two guinea pigs up for adoption at Greenhill Humane Society. Quico is white and orange while Chavo is black with a white stripe down his face. Together, they are bonded and looking to go home with one another. Quico is very social and outgoing while Chavo is a bit shy, however, he enjoys being held and loves getting pets. Both guinea pigs love chowing down on snacks and climbing their toys. They are looking for an indoor-only home and would make wonderful pets for a family with children. If you are interested in adopting some of Greenhill's guinea pigs or want to learn more about guinea pigs as family pets, please call Greenhill for resources. Greenhill Humane Society is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. 6 p.m. at 88530 Green Hill Road in Eugene. For more information call (541) 689.1503 or visit www.green-hill.org . Oregon Coast Humane Society Pollyanna Pugsley is a 2-year-old cat up for adoption at Oregon Coast Humane Society. Pollyanna Pugsley is a 2-year-old cat who really enjoys her days at "work" at a local business where she's learning about crates and car rides. She tolerates other cats as long as they give her plenty of space and acknowledge her beauty. To meet Pollyanna Pugsley, stop by the shelter at 2840 Rhododendron Drive in Florence, or apply online at oregoncoasthumanesociety.org. Shelter hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Cat Rescue and Adoption Network Wetzel is a gold tabby cat available for adoption at Cat Rescue and Adoption Network Wetzel is a long-haired golden tabby cat who is 4 years old. He is the perfect mix of playful and couch potato. He will spend hours chasing feathers and strings around the room as long as someone is playing with him. Wetzel can also be shy with strangers but will warm up once he gets to know you. He also loves treats and gentle pets and would enjoy a calm home. Wetzel would also be best as the only cat in your home. He is smart and independent and would be best with someone who is experienced with caring for a long-haired cat. He has been neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and is negative for FIV and FeLV. To meet Wetzel, please call 541-225-4955 option 1, or visit our website at CatRescues.org for more info. Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Lane County pet adoption: Guinea pigs, 2 cats look for homes ZANESVILLE A Taste of Ohio, Wine, Bourbon & Beer has been rolling through soft openings this year to prepare for a soon-to-be-announced grand opening.Once we do it will be announced on our social media pages, said Angela Bailey, whose husband, Joseph, owns the self-serve lounge at 524 Main St. across the street from Downtown Exchange with his business partner, Tessa Dickinson. Joseph and Angela Bailey along with Kenneth and Tessa Dickinson, from left, are shown inside A Taste of Ohio, Wine, Bourbon & Beer. The self-serve lounge has been rolling through soft openings but will soon announce its grand opening date on its social media channels. She said the location is a 21 and older self-serve lounge that will serve small plate food. We sell wine, bourbon and beer, said Bailey. Our menu will include homemade soups, dips, salads, appetizers. We have a signature salted caramel bourbon cheesecake, and we also offer handcrafted mocktails. She said they proudly feature Ohio wineries, distilleries and breweries. In addition, we are working to ensure as much of our food as possible comes from Ohio as well as the merchandise that we sell. Currently, you can check out a soft opening or visit the shop during Art Walks on Friday in downtown Zanesville, where A Taste of Ohio, Wine, Bourbon & Beer supports its local artists and businesses. We offer space to artists and vendors during the First Friday Artwalk so they can display their merchandise, said Bailey. And what a display it is. A Taste of Ohio, Wine, Bourbon & Beer is in an historic building that features beautifully crafted architectural pieces. The owners of A Taste of Ohio, Wine, Bourbon & Beer came up with the self-serve concept collectively. Shown is one example of the stations offered: the wine station. The previous owner did an immense amount of work to revitalize this building, said Bailey. Once we purchased the building, we furthered the revitalization and made the downstairs (ADA-accessible). The upstairs of our building houses several businesses as well as rental space for private events. The wood paneling design on the front of the building alone is Instagram-worthy. That is part of the charm of our amazing building, said Bailey. We put effort into retaining as much of the historic building as possible.Bailey said the idea of a self-serve lounge concept was a collective decision among the owners.Instantly we recognized this was a concept that would be a great fit for Zanesville and the surrounding areas, she said. We were passionate about Zanesville downtown revitalization and pleased to be able to incorporate our business into the plan. A Taste of Ohio, Wine, Bourbon & Beer owners are proud of their efforts, and the previous owner's efforts, to preserve the historic architectural elements of the building located at 524 Main St. Our team is very invested in Zanesville, supportive of the local community, and wanting a place for everyone 21 and older to enjoy." Stay tuned to A Taste of Ohio, Wine, Bourbon & Beer social channels for the official grand opening date. This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: A Taste of Ohio, Wine, Bourbon & Beer coming to downtown Zanesville Thanks, Garfield: How to get free Chewy lasagna for your cat (or dog) Free lasagna! For cats, that is. Fans of movie star and comic-strip character Garfield the cat know that he loves lasagna. But the recipe creators at Chewy, the Plantation-based online pet retailer, dont want cats to eat the real saucy and spicy Italian dish. So they have concocted a feline-friendly combo made with cinnamon, flour, honey, applesauce and eggs. Chewy reps will be giving out free samples on Tuesday, May 21, while supplies last, at the Good Luck Cat Cafe in Fort Lauderdale. The event marks the release of The Garfield Movie, which opens in theaters on Friday, May 24. The most beloved cat character is known as a lasagna lover, and we thought there was no better way to pay homage to the new movie than by bringing his favorite dish to cats in Chewys own backyard, especially those living in shelters and rescues waiting on their forever homes, said Diane Pelkey, Chewys vice president of communications and public relations. Chewy will offer the first taste of lasagna to cats that are available for adoption at the Good Luck Cat Cafe, which is run by Lady Luck Animal Rescue Inc. As the cafe is the domain of shelter cats only, patrons seeking free samples are asked not to bring their pets. (And for the dog owners out there, this lasagna is safe for canines to eat, too.) The cafe is a small, bare-bones fundraising office for the rescue, with a few tables and snacks for sale. Were not like a Starbucks where people come to work, its much more informal, said Laura Summers, rescue vice president and manager of the volunteer-staffed cafe. We do have Wi-Fi and bottled drinks and packaged snacks for donations. Some people come by for an hour to play with the cats. There are currently 10 cats on-site at the cafe and 60 in foster homes around South Florida, Summers said. Open since 2016, the cafe has developed a long-term relationship with Chewy, with the retailer and other donors supplying the cats foster homes with everything they need, including food and veterinary care, Summers said. Chewy is donating $250 worth of food, litter and treats to the cafe from its online wish list as part of the lasagna giveaway, Summers said. Chewy is also delivering free lasagna to Cats Exclusive Inc., a shelter and veterinary clinic in Margate. Lady Luck Animal Shelter and Cats Exclusive Inc. are part of our Chewy Gives Back network and frequently use our Chewy Wish List feature to ask community members for essentials for their cats, Pelkey said. In addition to providing lasagnas for both shelters, were donating items off their Wish Lists, such as food and litter. Chewy says this promotion likely will mark the end of the line for cat lasagna, as the company is not planning to sell it on its website. Unless, of course, there is enormous demand from cat-lovers, a spokeswoman said. IF YOU GO WHAT: Free Chewy lasagna samples for pets WHEN: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, while supplies last WHERE: Good Luck Cat Cafe, 901 Progresso Drive, No. 202, Fort Lauderdale INFORMATION: Call or text 754-216-3240. Seventy years after the landmark Supreme Court decision to end segregation in schools, a majority of Americans believe more should be done to racially integrate schools. A new Washington Post-Ipsos survey found that 86 percent of U.S. adults support the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, which outlawed racial segregation in public schools. Though 90 percent of White Americans support the decision, only 80 percent of Black Americans said the same. And while Brown v. Board led to the integration of schools, a third of Black Americans say integration has not improved the quality of education for Black students. In fact, segregation of schools remains an issue today, though 56 percent of U.S. adults believe schools are now less racially segregated than they were 30 years ago. Thirty percent of Black Americans said there has been no change over the past 30 years. Jalisa Evans, chief executive officer and founder of the Black Educator Advocates Network, told The Hill that as white students fled school districts to avoid integration, redlining continued to create segregated schools through housing. Today, schools with large numbers of Black students are underfunded, she explained. In December 2022, the Education Trust found that districts with the most Black, Latino, and Native American students receive significantly less state and local funding than districts with the fewest students of color. Districts with predominantly nonwhite students, the report found, receive more than $2,000 per student less than predominantly white districts. In a district with 5,000 students, the report concluded, this would equate to $13.5 million in missing resources. The Washington Post-Ipsos survey found that nearly 68 percent of Americans say more should be done to integrate schools. Nearly two in three White Americans say more needs to be done to integrate schools. Though a majority of Black Americans support various proposals to reduce segregation in schools, including 79 percent who favor creating more magnet schools and 73 percent who favor redrawing school boundaries to create more diverse school districts, nearly 80 percent of white people say they support letting students go to the local school in their community, even if it means that most of the students would be of the same race. Black Americans are more split, with 51 percent saying students should go to the local school even if most students would be the same race, while 45 percent said transferring students to other schools for more integration is better, even if it means travel. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Visitors read books outside library buses during the Mobile Library Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia on May 16, 2024. On Thursday, a fleet of 18 library buses from Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary pulled up in Ljubljana for a two-day Mobile Library Festival and international conference. LJUBLJANA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Estera Perkovic Secen drives her book-filled bus through the Croatian coastal area of Rijeka, each stop brimming with anticipation. With up to eight destinations daily, she brings the magic of literature to life. "I love the work that I do because I can combine my love for books, literature, children, the young, adventure, travel and the open road," the librarian and driver of the mobile library told Xinhua, her voice tinged with excitement. On Thursday, a fleet of 18 library buses from Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary pulled up in Ljubljana for a two-day Mobile Library Festival and international conference. The event, which also marked the 50th anniversary of the creation of Ljubljana's mobile library, was opened by a local brass band. Slovenian Culture Minister Asta Vrecko and deputy mayor of the city of Ljubljana Dejan Crnek also addressed the conference. "The network of libraries is the largest cultural network in Slovenia, which enables people to enter the world of culture, reading and imagination," Vrecko said, underlining that mobile libraries make information accessible to all, even those who live in remote villages. Slovenia has 14 mobile libraries, which cover the whole country, and travel a combined total of around 131,000 kilometers a year. This is the equivalent of traveling more than three times around the globe. "We go to places where others do not go, like prisons, care centers for the elderly, kindergartens, schools for children with special needs, and remote villages. We lend out about 400 books per day," Neja Drevensek, head of the Ljubljana mobile library, told Xinhua. Many schoolchildren and students, as well as adults came to look inside the library buses. "People are always happy to see us because we are often the one bright moment of their day, they do not only come to borrow books but also to talk to us, to tell us about their sorrows and pleasures," Secen added. Romance and crime novels are the most popular among her borrowers, she said. Experts from 12 countries are participating in professional discussions on the role and practices of mobile libraries across Europe, which will continue on Friday. An exhibition of posters from libraries from Slovenia, Croatia and Portugal is also accompanying the event, which takes place in a different Slovenian city every two years. "I'm taking a look at these library buses because I love libraries. I do not use a mobile library myself as I live in the city but my mom, who lives in a remote village, is a great fan of the mobile library that visits the village every month," said 20-year-old Mojca, a student in Ljubljana. Slovenia has a well-developed library network, but hills and mountains make access to many remote villages difficult. Mobile libraries in the country therefore have around 20,000 regular users. Visitors wait to enter a library bus during the Mobile Library Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia on May 16, 2024. On Thursday, a fleet of 18 library buses from Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary pulled up in Ljubljana for a two-day Mobile Library Festival and international conference.(Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua) Slovenian Culture Minister Asta Vrecko poses for a photo inside a library bus during the Mobile Library Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia on May 16, 2024. On Thursday, a fleet of 18 library buses from Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary pulled up in Ljubljana for a two-day Mobile Library Festival and international conference.(Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua) Editor: JYZ Emergency workers on the scene of a building collapse in the city of George, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Rescue teams trying to find dozens of construction workers missing since a multi-story apartment complex collapsed in a coastal city in South Africa have made contact with 11 people buried alive beneath the mangled wreckage, authorities said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht) CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) An exhaustive rescue operation to find missing construction workers trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in South Africa ended Friday after nearly two weeks, as authorities released a major revision of their figures and said they now believe that no one else is missing. They confirmed that 33 workers died in the collapse of the five-story apartment building that was under construction in the city of George on South Africas south coast. Authorities in the city had said that 19 workers were still unaccounted for and believed to be buried in the rubble of the unfinished building that came crashing down on May 6. But as rescue crews and other personnel finished moving concrete and clearing the debris on Friday, the city said that it now believed that a total of 62 construction workers were at the site when the building collapsed, and not 81 as it previously announced. The conclusion came after more consultations with the building company, police and other new sources of information, the city said. That meant that all workers were now accounted for: the 33 dead and 29 rescued, the city said. Of the dead, 27 were men and six were women, the city said. The tragedy was one of South Africa's worst building collapses. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the collapsed building on Thursday to show support for the victims' families, emergency workers and others who had been on the site for more than 250 hours, working night and day in shifts to try and locate and rescue survivors. Five of the victims were taken out of the building alive but later died in the hospital, authorities said. Ten people remain in the hospital. More than 1,000 emergency responders, rescuers, volunteers and other personnel were part of the search efforts. There were some remarkable stories of survival amid the thousands of tons of concrete that collapsed, including a man who was found alive after being trapped for six days without food and water. Rescuers said he incredibly had only minor injuries. As the rescue operation ended and became a clear-up operation, the building will be handed over to the national department of employment and labor to conduct an investigation into the collapse, the city said. There will be several other investigations, including by police and the provincial Western Cape government. "This was a devastating tragedy," said Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, the head of the provincial government. "We need to understand what happened and what steps need to be taken to ensure that we do whatever we can to hold those who need to be held to account. Many of the workers were foreign nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The construction contractors responsible for the building have come under scrutiny and the investigations will probe whether they adhered to safety standards. The building was due to be completed in July or August. ___ AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa Image of a previous student encampment continues to occupy the area in front of Sproul Hall at the University of California Berkeley campus in Berkeley, California on May 2. An off-campus protest led to 12 arrests on Thursday. Photo by John G. Mabanglo/EPA-EFE May 17 (UPI) -- Authorities arrested 12 pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had occupied a vacant building near the University of California Berkeley campus. Campus police and officers from other law enforcement agencies made the arrests Thursday night and used force to remove others who were not arrested from Anna Head Hall, which is officially off campus but owned by the university. The university said it believed up to 20 people had occupied the building before law enforcement either removed or arrested them. University of California Vice Chancellor Dan Mougulof said potential charges could include trespassing, vandalism and destruction of property. "We are treating this as what it is, and it's a crime scene," he said. Some protesters entered the building while squeezing through holes in the fencing surrounding the structure, but most demonstrators crowded a grass area outside to erect signs and spray paint slogans on the building. The university said the building, which was barricaded after a fire years ago, remains unsafe. No injuries were reported during the protests or the arrests. The university said the group that occupied the building was different from protesters who erected encampments near Sproul Plaza on campus several weeks ago before they were taken down after an agreement between protesters and university officials. More than 19,000 University of California teaching assistants, researchers, tutors and other student workers represented by the United Auto Workers Union earlier this week approved plans for a strike over the university's response to the protests at its various campuses that could begin as early as Friday. The union, Local 4811, authorized the strike on Thursday, accusing the university of "intimidation and retaliation" over their free speech rights. 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. The 17-year-old Mason High School student killed in a wrong-way crash in Warren County on Thursday has been identified. Chad Case, of Mason, was identified Friday by the Ohio State Highway Patrol as the driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee who died on Interstate 71. >> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Teen killed in wrong-way crash on I-71 in Warren County was Mason High student As News Center 7 previously reported, Case was heading north in the southbound lanes of the interstate in the Deerfield Twp. 1:40 a.m. when his Jeep slammed into an oncoming semitrailer. Both vehicles went off the southeast side of the road and the semi overturned. The driver of the semi suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to troopers. Case died from his injuries at the scene. In a statement sent to our news partners at WCPO in Cincinnati, Mason City Schools said they were grieving the loss. >> Local high school senior dies in ATV crash days before graduation Grief can manifest in many ways, and its crucial that we recognize and honor our own feelings and those of others, the district said. The district provided a crisis support team for high school students on Friday. The crash remains under investigation. 18-year-old accused of bringing high-powered rifle onto school property, sheriff says Austin Lee Thomas, 18, of Statesville, is accused of bringing a high-powered rifle onto the campus of West Iredell High School on Friday, the sheriffs office stated in a news release. Teen accused of bringing gun to high school in Iredell County Someone alerted the Iredell County Sheriffs Office that someone who had a gun was possibly going to the school. Schools were put on a security alert and there was a security sweep across West Iredell High. Thomas was not on the property, the sheriff said. Officials looked over school video surveillance and identified Thomas truck, which left the school before deputies got there. Deputies pulled over Thomas on Interstate 77 South and found the rifle and pot inside the truck. Thomas was taken to the Iredell County Detention Center. He was charged with felony possession of a firearm on an educational property, misdemeanor possession of marijuana, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. He is out of jail on a $3,000 secured bond. VIDEO: Woman killed in head-on collision in Iredell County, troopers say At least two civilians were killed and another one injured in the front-line city of Vovchansk on May 17, as Russian troops continued their attempts to break through in Kharkiv Oblast, according to the regional Prosecutor's Office. Russia launched new offensive actions on May 10 in the north of Kharkiv Oblast toward Lyptsi and Vovchansk, a town located less than five kilometers (three miles) from the Russian border and around 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the city of Kharkiv. A 35-year-old man was killed, while a 60-year-old one was injured in recent Russian strikes, the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported. The regional Prosecutor's Office also started a criminal proceeding on the Russian military allegedly shooting a person with disabilities in Vovchansk. Law enforcement service referred to the video published by Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko on his Telegram channel earlier in the day. Tsaplienko said that during air reconnaissance monitoring, Ukrainian forces spotted the body of a person in a wheelchair not far away from the local hospital, which was reportedly captured by Russian troops. Subscribe to newsletter War Notes Subscribe Law enforcement officers consider that the victim tried to escape from the hospital, but the Russian soldiers shot him and left him sitting in a wheelchair in the middle of a damaged street. 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. Russian troops yet managed to capture up to 40 civilians and started to use them as human shields, the police said. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko previously said that Russian soldiers took Ukrainian civilians captive and prevented their evacuation in the embattled northern part of the city. Read also: Russias new Kharkiv offensive pushes Vovchansk to the brink of annihilation Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. 2 civilians killed and 3 injured in Russian attack on Donetsk Oblast On 17 May, the Russians attacked a number of settlements in Donetsk Oblast, killing three civilians and injuring two others. Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram; Donetsk Oblast Prosecutors Office on Facebook Quote Prosecutors Office: "According to the investigation, on 17 May 2024, the invaders once again covered Krasnohorivka with fire, as a result of which two civilians were killed a woman and a man." Details: The Russians also bombarded Chasiv Yar. They struck a residential area, injuring a 61-year-old man, who passed away while being transported to a medical facility. According to preliminary information, the Russians used a Grad multiple-launch rocket system to target civilians in Donetsk Oblast. Photo: Donetsk Oblast Prosecutors Office In addition, on May 17, Russian troops launched a missile strike on the settlement of Bohatyr in Volnovakha District. During the attack, a 31-year-old maintenance station employee was wounded by shrapnel. Russia also targeted the settlements of Selydove and Lyman, most likely using UMPB D-30 CH aerial bombs. The attack injured a 74-year-old man and an 81-year-old woman. Support UP or become our patron! 2 FDNY members, one an Army veteran, seriously injured battling blaze in the Bronx: FDNY 2 FDNY members, one an Army veteran, seriously injured battling blaze in the Bronx: FDNY BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) An Army veteran turned firefighter is recovering at Jacobi Hospital after he and two other FDNY members were injured battling a blaze in the Bronx Friday afternoon, according to officials. I want to thank Jacobi Hospital, Mayor Eric Adams said. This hospital continuously responds to not only everyday citizens in the Bronx but also first responders, and I want to thank them for the level of professionalism. Arrest made in attack on actor Steve Buscemi in NYC: police The two-alarm fire started in a house and spread to a second nearby home at 3 p.m. Fire trucks and firefighters surrounded the houses as black and gray smoke filled the sky, a video posted to Citizen shows. Firefighters sprayed the outside of the house with water to help the fire die down and enter the dwelling. Despite heavy smoke engulfing them, they entered the building. One of the firefighters, who was holding a hose to extinguish the flames, reported feeling lightheaded and fell. A mayday was called, and the firefighter was pulled from the scene. The FDNY member was in respiratory arrest, officials said. EMS members and other FDNY members on the scene used life-saving measures, and the firefighter was swiftly transported to the hospital, authorities said. Officials said the firefighter is recovering in the ICU burn unit and should be released Saturday evening, barring complications. Another firefighter is pending discharge, and one FDNY member was treated at the scene, authorities said. Over 100 FDNY members responded to the scene. The fire was under control by 4:30 p.m., officials said. It remains unclear how the fire started. Five people were displaced due to the fire, FDNY officials said. Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here. 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. A New York mother is facing child endangerment charges after police said they found her 2-year-old son in a cage at their home while covered in feces and suffering from multiple broken bones. New York State Police arrested the 24-year-old woman after her son was found living in deplorable conditions with fractured ribs and bruising on his body, New York State Police announced Thursday in a news release. Police reported that they learned about the toddler's condition while visiting the family's Buffalo home on Feb. 4 to serve a felony arrest warrant for the woman in connection to a separate crime. The release did not elaborate on the alleged crime. A New York mother is facing child endangerment charges after state police allegedly found her 2-year-old son in a cage covered in feces suffering from multiple broken bones in early February 2024. While at the home, investigators found the 2-year-old in a bedroom inside "a makeshift cage," a play pen that was covered by a piece of a crib that was tied to the top, "not allowing the child to stand or exit the play pen," states the release. "The cage and 2-year-old were covered in human fecal matter. There was fecal matter on the walls," investigators wrote in the release. "The child and bedding were soaked in urine and fecal matter." Chicken bones found in cage, mother arrested New York State Trooper James O'Callaghan told WKBW-TV officers found remains of food inside the cage. "Bones or some sort of chicken bones. So I mean, it was something where you look at it and it was disgusting, O'Callaghan told the outlet. Investigators on scene contacted Child Protective Services and EMS arrived and transported the child to a childrens hospital. The woman was transported to a police station in Clarence and arrested on a child endangerment charge, according to the release. It was not immediately known whether the woman was free on bond Friday. USA TODAY is not naming the woman to protect the identity of the child. Mother charged with child abuse: California mom accused of punching newborn son, leaving him with 16 broken bones Doctors: Child's ribs had been broken for at least 10 days At the hospital, doctors determined the baby suffered bruising on his face and body and also was suffering from two fractured ribs that were in healing stages, which could indicate the baby's ribs had broken anywhere from 10 days to two weeks before the child was seen by medical personnel, police said. The woman told police in an interview about the injuries that the child fell down stairs between late December 2023 and early January 2024. The woman added she did not seek medical assistance. It was not immediately known if the woman had obtained an attorney. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boy, 2, found in cage at New York home; mother arrested BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) Two Hamburg residents pleaded guilty Friday for their involvement in a 2022 fatal stabbing in Lake View, the Erie County District Attorneys Office announced. Officials said Kayleigh A. Skybyk-Schuh, 20, and Harrison J. Drozen, 22, both admitted to their role in the fatal stabbing of 25-year-old Brenden Benoit, which took place on July 10, 2022. Both were originally indicted under the theory of accomplice liability. Officials said Skybyk-Schuh drove Benoit, along with three other individuals, to a wooded area near Heltz Road. Drozen and two co-defendants were allegedly hiding in the woods to attack the victim. It is alleged that once Benoit arrived at the wooded area, he was punched by one of the defendants and attempted to retreat into the vehicle to escape the attack, according to officials. Jared M. Adamski, 27, then allegedly stabbed Benoit multiple times in the vehicle, before he and his co-defendants drove away from the area, leaving behind the injured victim. Benoit died at the scene. Both Skybyk-Schuh and Drozen were charged with one count of first-degree manslaughter. Additionally, Skybyk-Schuh was charged with tampering with physical evidence. They each face a maximum of 25 years in prison when they are sentenced on June 27. In addition to Skybyk-Schuh and Drozen, 22-year-old Connor E. Krone, 22-year-old Elexus O. Dean and a youthful offender have all pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the fatal stabbing. Adamski was indicted on one count of second-degree murder and one count of tampering with physical evidence, and his case remains pending. Latest Local News Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find 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 News 4 Buffalo. 200 migrants could be first to reapply for shelter in NYC under strict new rules: Adams administration Migrants who want to stay in city shelters past their allotted time will be subject to strict new guidelines starting next week. Some 200 single asylum seekers whose 30-day shelter stays expired this week are expected to be among the first to reapply for housing and will need to provide extenuating circumstances for why they should be granted a bed for another 30 days, city officials said Friday. While these changes will require some adaptation, we are confident that they will help migrants progress to the next stage of their journeys, reduce the significant strain on our shelter system and enable us to continue providing essential services to all New Yorkers, Mayor Eric Adams chief of staff, Camille Joseph Varlack, told reporters Friday morning. The Adams administration argues the newly granted powers, giving the city emergency exemption from the Big Apples right to shelter mandate, will motivate migrants to move on from the overwhelmed shelter system. The new policy will be implemented by the city starting next week. James Keivom Our shelter system was never intended to be a permanent landing place for people, Varlack said, adding, And our goal in a universe of limited resources is to prioritize our resources to support the most vulnerable families with children and the newest new arrivals. The new rules are part of a deal struck in March following a drawn-out legal fight over the decades-old right to shelter mandate, which forces the city to provide a bed to anyone who wants one. The settlement still leaves the city on the hook for providing shelter to asylum seekers as they arrive but also gives officials the ability to review applications for extended stays on a case-by-case basis if they see fit. Single migrants are given 30 days in the shelters while younger adult migrants, between the ages of 18 and 23, will have 60 days under the deal. If they reapply for shelter once their stay limit has expired, they will need to prove they meet a certain set of circumstances such as plans to relocate within 30 days, recovery from a medical procedure or having one scheduled in the next month or showing they have made significant efforts to find new housing in order to be automatically approved. The policy comes after a months-long court battle that ended in March. Matthew McDermott The Adams administration has held up the stay limits as a key tool to help alleviate the strain on the citys shelter system and budget. The limits were credited with nearly half of migrant families moving out of the citys shelter system in March. Since the start of the crisis, nearly 200,000 asylum seekers have come through the Big Apple, with just over 65,000 still in the citys patchwork of emergency shelters. 22 for 22: Laken Rileys family, friends to hold run-walk to raise money for her foundation The family and friends of Laken Riley will gather on Friday night to hold a race in the nursing students memory. The 22 for 22 run and walk will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at River Ridge High School, where Riley was a member of the schools track team. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Participants can either run or walk 22 laps, one for each year of the nursing students life. All money raised Friday night will go toward the Laken Hope Foundation,. The foundation will donate the funds to organizations focused on womens safety and also to the scholarship created in Rileys memory. Every step taken and every dollar raised will contribute to making a positive impact and creating meaningful change, the event organizers say. You can find more information on how to sign up or participate virtually here. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22. Police arrested Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan migrant, and charged him with her murder. Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted Ibarra on 10 charges in Rileys murder. RELATED STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] 23-year-old woman killed by rock thrown at her car; no arrests made 23-year-old woman killed by rock thrown at her car; no arrests made Police in North Carolina are searching for the person who threw a rock at a moving car, hitting and killing a 23-year-old woman, authorities said. Brittany Elizabeth Ferguson was driving in Burke County around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday when a rock went through her windshield and fatally struck her in the head, North Carolina Highway Patrol said. MORE: 2nd teen pleads guilty in Colorado rock-throwing spree that killed 20-year-old woman Ferguson's 2006 Ford Taurus then drove off the road and hit a house, according to the highway patrol. Ferguson, of Morganton, North Carolina, died at the scene, authorities said. PHOTO: Police in North Carolina are searching for the person who threw a rock at a moving car, hitting and killing a 23-year-old woman, authorities said. (WSOC) After the crash, witnesses saw a white Chevrolet S-10 single-cab truck -- with a man riding in the truck bed -- driving back and forth in the area, the highway patrol said. Anyone with information on the white truck or the incident in general is asked to call the highway patrol at 828-466-5500. 23-year-old woman killed by rock thrown at her car; no arrests made originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The historic Eastern Kentucky coal town of Lynch could face fines for environmental violations so high they would threaten the citys viability. That was one blunt message at a meeting this week on how to fix sewer treatment shortfalls in Cumberland, Benham and Lynch, in Harlan County. The three cities were chosen for a federal pilot program aimed at helping communities facing economic hardship deal with failing sewer systems. The sewer plant in Lynch was built nearly 70 years ago and has not functioned properly for several years, releasing minimally treated sewage that fouls water quality in Looney Creek, according to an assessment. The Lynch system is in very bad shape, Rebecca Goodman, secretary of the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, said at a public forum Tuesday. The wastewater systems in Cumberland and Benham are in better shape, but state regulators have cited all three cities for violations. Authorities advise against contact with the water in Looney Creek, which runs from Lynch past Benham to Cumberland, and into the Poor Fork of the Cumberland River, which Looney Creek enters, Goodman said. The three towns near the states highest peak are trying to promote tourism in order to create jobs, but sewage treatment shortcomings are an impediment, Cumberland Mayor Charles Raleigh said. If they want to go kayaking or fishing, he said of visitors, they dont want to be told theres poop in the river. State authorities have cietd the city of Lynch for violations at its sewage treatment plant In a court motion in April 2022, the Energy and Environment Cabinet argued Lynch had not completed repairs to its water and sewer plants and should have to pay a penalty of $5.8 million. The citys attorneys said in a response that since Justin Wren took over as mayor in 2021, Lynch had worked to secure money for upgrades to the plants and had received $140,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the work. A penalty of $5.8 million would permanently quash the citys operations, its attorneys said in the response. The lawsuit was later put on hold, but the cabinet could move to put it back on the front burner. Goodman said state inspectors have cited hundreds of additional alleged violations at Lynch since the state first sued the city. The maximum penalty for those would be $29 million, she said. Lynch has a budget of over $626,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, according to City Clerk Tiffany Scearse. Goodman acknowledged a judge is not likely to order the maximum potential fine against the city. But the cabinet, charged with protecting the environment, cant allow violations to continue indefinitely, Goodman said. Im not after the penalty. Im after compliance, she said. The state Energy and Environment Cabinet has cited violations at the Benham, Ky., sewer plant. Where would the money come from? The discussion of potential penalties against Lynch was in the context of exploring options to fix sewer problems in the three towns. The three were among only 11 locations in the U.S. chosen to receive free assessments and technical assistance under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which the Biden Administration pushed in 2021. The program, which is under the the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, also could help the cities get federal money to fix their sewer systems. The Kentucky Rural Water Association and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership also are working with the cities under the program. State and federal officials held a meeting in Benham this week to present information on potential plans for fixing sewage treatment in the three cities, along with estimates on the costs and rate increases that would be required to pay for the work. Janet Cherry, an environmental engineer who assessed the systems, identified a number of options, including building a new sewer plant in Lynch and upgrades to the existing plants in Benham and Cumberland. Whatever else happens, Cherry said, all three cities need to first fix a problem they have with rainfall and groundwater infiltrating the sewer systems through manholes and cracks in decades-old clay collection tiles, which increases treatment costs and can top the treatment capacity of the plants. State and federal officials would prefer that all three towns take part in one system, arguing that would lower the cost of operating and maintaining sewer systems and increase the likelihood of getting grants for improvements. Officials presented details on only two options at the community meeting for the cities to combine sewer service. Both would require Benham and Lynch to pump their untreated wastewater to the larger plant in Cumberland which has adequate capacity if all three cities fix the infiltration problem and pay a fee for treatment. Under either plan, Benham and Lynch would abandon their sewage treatment plants. Thats been a sticking point. Before the community meeting on Tuesday, Raleigh and Benham Mayor Danny Quillen said they had agreed in principle for Benham to send its wastewater to Cumberland for treatment. Lynch had not yet signed on, however. Theyre trying to force it down our throats, Wren, the Lynch mayor, said of the regional concept. Wren said he would prefer to get funding to fix collection lines and rehabilitate Lynchs sewer plant. Scearse said the city has paid off about $108,000 in debt since Wren took office in mid-2020, and Wren said he has worked on improving the sewer system and applied for a number of grants. One concern with sending Lynchs waste to Cumberland is that the city would lose revenue, Wren said. After a further meeting with officials, Wren told the Herald-Leader on Thursday that Lynch will adopt a resolution agreeing to discuss the possibility of a joint sewer system with Cumberland and Benham. Wren said he hopes to keep rates as cheap as possible for the residents. Other officials said its unlikely state or federal agencies would approve funding for Lynch for a standalone sewer project, in part because of its small population. In 2020, the population of Lynch was 658. Cumberland had 1,947 residents and Benham had 512 in the 2020 Census. Quillen said it has been a struggle for Benham to maintain its sewer system because of a lack of revenue. All three towns have been hurt by a loss of coal jobs, which plunged beginning in 2012, and a loss of residents. Loss of coal jobs has impacted revenue Coal was the lifeblood of the towns for decades. International Harvester, needing coal for its manufacturing operations, built Benham beginning in 1909 in what was then a remote valley at the foot of the states highest peak, Black Mountain. A few years later, in 1917, U.S. Steel began building Lynch a little further upstream on Looney Creek, creating a company-owned town to serve its mines, with hundreds of houses, schools, churches, a hospital and hotel. With a population that peaked at about 10,000, Lynch was the biggest coal town in the world at one time. A photo from July 1919 shows construction of mining and other facilities at Lynch, in Harlan County. The historic coal town turned 100 in 2017. Cumberland was settled in the 1830s and grew as a trading center in the area. The coal companies gave up ownership of Benham and Lynch decades ago, selling the houses to residents. The three cities are strung together over a distance of six to seven miles. It doesnt make sense anymore for them to continue trying to operate separate sewer plants, Quillen said. This is a golden opportunity for us, he said of the chance to get funding for an improved system under the federal infrastructure law. You can sit around and let the problem get worse or you can do something now. Raleigh said he has worked to improve the Cumberland sewer plant, ordering equipment off eBay at times and doing the installation himself to save money. The plant is in good shape, but the city hasnt been able to fix its infiltration problem, he said. When theyre putting all this money in here, why would you not want to jump on it? Raleigh said. Raleigh said Benham and Lynch would probably save money by sending their waste to Cumberland instead of paying for the employees, chemicals and electricity to run their own treatment plants. Would all of this mean higher rates? All the options for fixing the sewer systems in the three towns would require higher rates, even if they didnt develop a shared system, according to estimates by Cherry. The taller building at left, built in 1923, was the coal-company commissary in Benham, where miners could buy a wide range of goods. The building, which now houses the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum, is among the historic structures in downtown Benham. Cherry said the customer charge for operation and maintenance of the Lynch system as of last November was $38.58 a month for the first 2,000 gallons. That would increase to $64 to $80 to cover operations, maintenance and loan repayments under one plan for a three-city system operating under an interlocal agreement, and $54 to $65 under another option in which the cities would turn over their systems to a new, joint sewer agency, she estimated. The sewer operation and maintenance charge to customers in Benham was $31 for the first 2,000 gallons as of November. That would increase to $61 to $77 under an interlocal agreement for a joint system and $54 to $65 under the option of creating a new, outside sewer agency, Cherry estimated. Those estimates assume the systems receive grants under the federal infrastructure law to cover 75 percent of the cost to fix their collection lines and do other work to link the systems, and loans for 25%. However, officials said the cities could qualify for grants from other sources that would push down the amount they would have to borrow. The goal would be to get 100% grant funding, Raleigh said. Several people at the meeting raised concerns about rate increases because many people in the area have low or fixed incomes. But officials said residents face higher rates even if the cities dont develop a shared system. For instance, Cherry estimated fixing the collection system and building a new treatment plant in Lynch would cost up to $12 million, requiring a rate increase. Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley urged the cities to move together on a sewage-treatment plan, saying funding under the federal infrastructure law could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We want to see Looney Creek clean, Mosley said. We owe it to our kids and grandkids not to squander this opportunity. (KRON) The San Mateo Police Department arrested three men in connection to a series of roofing scams targeting several elderly San Mateo residents. The first reported scam was in November 2023. As the investigation unfolded, officers learned of a group of white men with Irish accents operating under a fake construction company named Statewide Roofing and Siding to conduct a scam specifically targetting elderly residents, police said. According to police, Statewide Roofing and Siding used a fake contractors license and overcharged victims for construction work that was not completed and likely not needed. Heres how much Oakland made in tourism spending last year On May 7, SMPD received another report from a victim who stated that a roofing company he hired to repair the roof of his mothers house was scamming him. After getting a free roof inspection, the company said that minor repairs were needed and were soon after hired, police said. As time went on, however, workers from the roofing scam continued to add additional costs, claiming more work was needed before eventually suggesting the entire roof needed to be replaced, police said. While investigating the May 7 scam, officers learned that the suspects were using fake names and a different fake company name, Teco Roofing and Masonry. The following day, on May 8, officers contacted the three subjects involved in the roofing scam. The suspects were identified as Charlie Anderson, 22, David Anderson, 39, and Darren Temple, 40. All three suspects were Virginia residents. All three were also arrested and booked into San Mateo County Jail under the following charges: Theft from an elder or dependent adult Obtaining money by false pretenses Fraudulent use of false contractors license Conspiracy to commit a crime San Mateo Police Department is still investigating these crimes and is still looking for additional victims. Police ask anyone who had any roofing construction completed by Statewide Roofing and Siding or Teco Roofing and Masonry, to contact Officer Thornburg at the San Mateo 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 KRON4. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Three men were sentenced to prison on Friday, May 17, after the murder of an Army combat veteran back in 2017 in East El Paso. Man accepts plea deal in 2017 murder of Army combat veteran Brandon Olsen, Tristan Chilton, and Adam Acosta were all sentenced on Friday after accepting plea deals for their role in the death of Tyler Croke, 23. Acosta was the first to be sentenced and was given 35 years minus the seven years that hes currently served for first-degree murder. Chilton was also sentenced to 35 years for murder minus the seven years for time served and Olsen was given a life sentence for murder. Rory Croke, Tyler Crokes little sister, gave a victim impact statement, saying that their family has been changed forever and that she will never forget that day. Kristen Croke, Tyler Crokes mother, also gave a statement, saying that Tyler saved their lives when growing up and expressed that the defendants should never see the outside world. My son was taken from you. You brutally took his life with no mercy, Kristen Croke said. As we have previously reported, a total of five defendents were indicted in the case. Stephanie Fernandez, who was the getaway driver, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2018. Zachary Johnston, another co-defendant, pleaded guilty in December 2019 and was sentenced to life in prison. The five defendants are accused of slitting Crokes throat during a violent drug robbery inside Crokes apartment in the 1500 block of Lomaland on May 7, 2017. Fort Bliss officials confirmed Olsen was an active duty soldier stationed at the post at the time of Crokes murder. Johnston and Acosta were separated from the Army one month prior to the 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 KTSM 9 News. 3-Year-Old Boy Was Home When Dad Chased Mom Outside and Stabbed Her to Death Before Killing Himself Police say Michael Aud-Headlee chased his estranged wife Melissa Aud-Headlee outside her home on May 11 and stabbed her on the street Susan James/GoFundMe Melissa Aud-Headlee An Illinois man fatally stabbed his estranged wife in front of her home before dying by suicide, authorities said. On Saturday, May 11, police officers in Joliet, Ill., a Chicago suburb, were called to a home where they found a 35-year-old woman lying in the street with multiple stab wounds to her chest, according to a statement from the Joliet Police Department. An investigation revealed she had been fatally stabbed by her 32-year-old estranged husband, who also stabbed himself in the driveway, police said, adding that the pair had been in the midst of a divorce. Both were officially pronounced dead at a local hospital. Authorities identified the pair in unspecified court documents as Melissa Aud-Headlee and Michael Aud-Headlee, according to Joliet Patch and CBS News. Investigators believe Michael chased Melissa outside her home, armed with a kitchen knife, and then repeatedly stabbed her on the street before doing the same to himself in front of witnesses, per the statement. Police also said that the couples three year old son was at the home when the incident took place and was unharmed. "This was determined to be a targeted domestic-related incident and there is no threat to the community," police added in the statement. Will County court records reviewed by PEOPLE show Melissa filed for divorce from Michael in January. Records also show she had obtained two orders of protection against him; one in January 2022 and another in November 2023. Relatives told CBS News that Melissa had celebrated her 35th birthday the day prior to her murder. Her brother, Daniel Ronczkowski, said he was one of the last family members to see her alive. It was a gift that God gave me that I got to spend the last hour with my sister doing something for her, Ronczkowski told CBS News. 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. Melissa was remembered on a GoFundMe campaign created by a loved one as a mother of three who tragically lost her life through domestic violence. She has three beautiful children who are now being left without a mom and can really use everyones help, fundraiser organizer Susan James wrote. Melissa was a very happy, bubbly person who had gone through a lot in life and was overcoming that, she was a wonderful mom and now I am asking for help for her three kids. The fundraiser has garnered more than $8,500 in donations as of Friday, May 17. If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. The toddler was pronounced dead on Mother's Day Kayla Wyatt/GoFundMe Jasmine Denise Mikell A 3-year-old South Carolina child has died after a birdbath fell on top of her. The toddler, identified as Jasmine Denise Mickell, was pronounced dead on Mothers Day, May 12, according to a case report filed by the Aiken County Coroner's Office and obtained by PEOPLE. The report lists her suspected cause of death as blunt force injury to abdomen with a suspected manner of Accident. Related: New Hampshire Toddler Found Dead Outside Home After Wandering Out in Freezing Cold Deputies from the Aiken County Sheriffs Office responded to the scene after being advised that Mickell was crushed by a bird bath." However, when they and EMS responders arrived, they observed the family in the middle of the road with the child, per an incident report obtained by PEOPLE. T O/Getty stock image of a bird bath First responders took the child and began compressions, the incident report adds. According to Atlantas WSB-TV, the fatal incident happened at a Warrenville, S.C. home. The city is located about 15 miles from Augusta, Ga. Mickell was transported to the Childrens Hospital of Georgia, reports Augusta outlet WRDW. Related: Fla. Toddler Found Dead in Alligator's Jaws Had Just Turned 2, 'Brought the Greatest Joy': Family No one has been charged in the childs death, which deputies called a tragic accident," per WSB-TV. A GoFundMe set up for Mickell had reached almost $600 of its $1,000 goal, as of Thursday, May 16. I am the aunt of JAZZY a beautiful 3year old who sadly passed May12-24 I am trying to raise money for her family to recover from this devastating loss any little bit will help GOD BLESS, organizer Kayla Wyatt shared on the post along with a photo of the child smiling. 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. She brought joy to anyone that she met. Even though she was only here for a short time, the impact that she had on people will never be forgotten. She loved honey grahams, candy, swimming, and trips to the park, an obituary for Mickell read. The toddler is survived by her parents, Alex Baxter and Brianna Jazmine Mikell, and five siblings Karsen, Avery, Olivia, Lizzy and Lily Baxter. Celebration of life services will be held for Jasmine on Sunday, May 19 at the Gloverville Community Park and on Sunday, May 26 at the Langley Pond Recreation Area. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. 3-year-old wounded in Fort Worth drive-by shooting is out of hospital, walking again Mechelle, 3, and KaVion, 6, were injured in a drive-by shooting outside their familys apartment on Las Vegas Trail in west Fort Worth on May 1, 2024. Mechelle, 3, and KaVion, 6, were injured in a drive-by shooting outside their familys apartment on Las Vegas Trail in west Fort Worth on May 1, 2024. The 3-year-old who was injured in a shooting at a west Fort Worth apartment complex has been released from the hospital, Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported. Mechelle Kinney was released Thursday and is walking again, according to WFAA. She had to undergo multiple surgeries, including the removal of her right kidney, after being shot in a May 1 drive-by shooting outside the Miramar Apartments at 3064 Las Vegas Trail. Her older brother, 6-year-old Kadeon, was released from the hospital May 3, KXAS-TV reported. Doctors had to insert a metal plate in Kadeons leg after a bullet from the shooting hit him in the femur, according to a GoFundMe organized by Emmilia Doyle for the family. Mechelle was the youngest victim and also the most seriously injured, police said. A bullet went through Mechelles liver and punctured her right kidney and a blood vessel, Druscilla Rodriguez, the childs mother, told KXAS. A 14-year-old boy was grazed in the leg by a bullet, but he is OK, he told KXAS. Two more victims were taken to Cook Childrens Medical Center and a 19-year-old was transported to a local hospital. According to MedStar, one patient was in critical condition, one in serious condition and three were in good condition with more minor injuries when they were transported by ambulance. The aunt of the 19-year-old victim Tanzania Day spoke at a news conference Thursday at New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth, where Day and the Kinney family were also in attendance. Day suffered a gunshot wound to her right thigh and requires crutches to walk, according to WFAA. Just traumatizing, said Day, KDFW-TV reported. When asked to share her story, her aunt stepped in because Day still struggles with recounting the shooting, the report says. She came to stay with us after this happened. She wakes up screaming, hollering, crying, Days aunt, Janiell Gray, said at the conference. The mental impact all of the children witnessed and suffered through the fear of losing their lives is something I could never imagine any child or human to ever have to experience, said Rodriguez in the GoFundMe. The Alliance for Children Advocacy Center is helping the victims heal, WFAA reported. Its a very fluid process. So, you might feel like youre doing OK at the moment, but then there might be something triggering that brings all of that back, said Katia Gonzalez, with the Alliance for Children. The fundraiser aims to help the Kinney family move out of the Miramar apartments and cover medical expenses for Mechelle and Kadeon. As of Thursday, $3,305 had been raised out of a $5,000 goal. That was all that was important, to see her walk out of the hospital, said father Dontee Kinney. Fort Worth police spokesperson Bradley Perez told the Star-Telegram on Friday that the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and investigators have identified a suspect vehicle. Four officers from the Bluffton Police Department have been placed on paid administrative leave as the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) conducts an investigation into possible misconduct. Blufftons Chief of Police Joseph Babkiewicz initiated the investigation May 9, he told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette on Friday morning. The chief would not provide additional details about the allegations being investigated. The officers on leave include Capt. Scott Chandler, leader of the operations division; public information officer Sgt. Bonifacio Perez; Sgt. Matthew Ferrelli and Thomas Rauchfuss, the departments fleet manager and quartermaster. Chandler served as the Bluffton Police Departments interim chief for brief periods in 2018 and 2020, filling the positions vacancies for about nine months total. As a statewide police agency, SLED investigates any allegations of wrongdoing within other law enforcement agencies across South Carolina. They ensure county and municipal departments follow policing standards, including after any officer-involved shooting. Bluffton mayor Larry Toomer said he did not know the details of the investigation and would not comment while the case was still active. Still, he commended the town governments readiness to keep employees accountable when necessary. We run a tight ship, Toomer said Friday afternoon. If theres a complaint of wrongdoing or violation of protocol or policy, we handle it in a very professional manner. Thats the right way; its the only way. SLED spokesperson Renee Wunderlich confirmed the agencys involvement in the case Friday afternoon but would not further specify the allegations of misconduct. Editors note: A previous version of this story misidentified one of the officers placed on leave. The name has been corrected to Sgt. Matthew Ferrelli. A day care owner and three of her employees have been arrested after allegedly sprinkling melatonin on children's food, police say. The incident began in November 2023 when police in Manchester, New Hampshire, received a report alleging "unsafe practices going on in an in-home daycare at 316 Amory Street," which led to a lengthy investigation, according to a statement released by the Manchester Police Department on Thursday. MORE: School principal arrested for allegedly choking student, whipping him with charging cable and slapping child in face: Cops "Through the investigation, police determined that the children's food was being sprinkled with melatonin without their parent's knowledge or consent," authorities said regarding the case. "The hormone melatonin plays a role in the sleep-wake cycle. Natural levels of melatonin in the blood are highest at night. Some research suggests that melatonin supplements might be helpful in treating sleep disorders, such as delayed sleep phase. They also may provide some relief from insomnia and jet lag," according to the Mayo Clinic. "Melatonin is generally safe for short-term use. Unlike with many sleep medications, with melatonin you are unlikely to become dependent on it, have less response to it after repeated use or experience a hangover effect." MORE: Air Force pilot dies after aircraft ejection seat goes off while on the ground PHOTO: A daycare owner and three of her employees have been arrested after allegedly sprinkling melatonin on childrens food, police in Manchester, New Hampshire, say. (Facebook / Manchester NH Police) MORE: Body of man traveling down Colorado River on wooden raft with dog found in Grand Canyon National Park It is currently unclear how long the day care workers were dosing the children's food with the drug or how much they were giving them. Police also did not disclose how the practice was initially discovered. Arrest warrants were issued for the owner, 52-year-old Sally Dreckmann, as well as 51-year-old Traci Innie, 23-year-old Kaitlin Filardo and 23-year-old Jessica Foster, all of whom hail from Manchester, police said. MORE: Woman uses self-checkout to steal more than $60,000 of items from same Target store over span of a year The suspects turned themselves into police and all four of them were charged with 10 counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The investigation into the case is currently ongoing. 4 day care workers arrested for lacing children's food with melatonin: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Five Troup County high school students were injured in a car crash and two of them are in critical condition. The crash happened around 12:39 p.m. Thursday off Whitfield Road and Hogansville Road. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The Troup County School System says the students were turning onto Hogansville Road when they were hit by a school maintenance truck. Georgia State Patrol says the students failed to yield to the truck. The impact sent the car crashing into the grass and ejected two of the students who had to be airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital. Georgia State Patrol says both are in critical condition. Neither GSP nor the district have released the victims names. TRENDING STORIES: IN OTHER NEWS 6 charged in alleged conspiracy to stage armed robberies to qualify for U.S. visas for crime victims Six people have been charged in federal court in Chicago with conspiring to stage armed robberies across the city and suburbs to qualify for U.S. immigration visas reserved for crime victims. The indictment made public Friday alleged that from July 2022 until January the conspirators paid actors to play the robbers and set up the phony crimes at locations like Subway restaurants, Dunkin donut shops, liquor stores, gas stations and a smoothie shack. The defendants operated in Chicago as well as the suburbs, including in Lombard, Elmwood Park, St. Charles, Hickory Hills, River Grove, Lake Villa and South Holland, according to the 12-page indictment filed under seal on May 2. Other similar robberies were staged in Tennessee, the indictment alleged. The goal was to be able to apply for U nonimmigrant status, also known as a U-visa, which is set aside under an anti-trafficking law enacted in 2000 for crime victims who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful in an investigation or prosecution, according to the charges. During the staged robberies, individuals acting as robbers brandished what appeared to be firearms, approached the purported victims, and demanded money and property, the indictment stated. The individuals acting as robbers, on certain occasions, struck purported victims to make the staged robbery appear real. The individuals acting as robbers took items from the purported victims and fled the scene. The robberies were reported to local police. Afterwards, some of the purported victims submitted forms to obtain certification that they were victims of a qualifying crime and had been or would be helpful in the investigation, the indictment stated. Some victims also submitted fraudulent U-visa applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services predicated upon their alleged status as a robbery victim, the charges alleged. The indictment does not say whether any visas were actually obtained. The alleged leaders of the conspiracy, Parth Nayi, 26, of Woodridge, and Kewon Young, 31, of Mansfield, Ohio, were each charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Four others are charged with arranging with Nayi to be the robbery victims: Bhikhabhai Patel, 51, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Nilesh Patel, 32, of Jackson, Tennessee; Ravinaben Patel, 23, of Racine, Wisconsin, and Rajnikumar Patel, 32, of Jacksonville, Florida. Ravinaben Patel is also charged with an additional count of making a false statement in a visa application. The conspiracy charge calls for a maximum of five years in prison, while the maximum sentence for lying on a visa application is 10 years behind bars. Although the charges have been unsealed, the case was still restricted as of Friday afternoon and it was not immediately apparent whether court dates have been set or if any of the defendants have retained lawyers. jmeisner@chicagotribune.com EL CENTRO, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) A Mexican national was taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Centro Monday after a vehicle check led to the discovery of narcotics. The individual approached the state Route 86 immigration checkpoint in a white sedan around 2:50 p.m. when a K9 detection team alerted agents of the presence of narcotics, CBP said. The vehicle was then referred for a secondary inspection. According to CBP, the driver told agents they were in possession of a firearm, which was located in a backpack. The bag was removed from the vehicle and the K9 team conducted another sweep, alerting agents to the floorboard of the vehicle. Fire at battery storage facility reignites in Otay Mesa: Cal Fire A further search led CBP to uncover 25 packages wrapped in brown paper. A sample was taken from one of the packages and tested positive for the presence of cocaine. The total weight of the narcotics equated to 67 pounds. cocaine At that point, the Mexican national was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further processing and investigation. The drugs and firearm were also turned over. This seizure, according to CBP, is part of a counter-fentanyl effort known as Operation Apollo, which began on Oct. 26 in Southern California. Cocaine, firearms, and foreign smugglers all basic ingredients in the El Centro Sectors battle to thwart bad people and bad things from killing and maiming citizens of our exceptional nation, said El Centro Sector Chief Gregory K. Bovino. I applaud Indio Station Agents in locating this smuggler from the thousands of people traveling through the checkpoint, a very impressive arrest. 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. 70 years after Brown v. Board, America is both more diverse and more segregated FILE - Students from Thomas Leadership Academy play on the school's playground in Eatonville, Fla., Aug. 23, 2023. Seventy years after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board, America is both more diverse and more segregated. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court laid out a new precedent: Separate but equal has no place in American schools. The message of Brown v. Board of Education was clear. But 70 years later, the impact of the decision is still up for debate. Have Americans truly ended segregation in fact, not just in law? The answer is complicated. U.S. schools in recent decades have grown far more diverse and, by some measures, more segregated, according to an Associated Press analysis. On one hand, the number of Black and white students who go to school almost exclusively with students of the same race is at an all-time low. On the other hand, huge shares of students of color still go to schools with almost no white students. Hispanic segregation is worse now than in the 1960s. The nations largest school districts, in particular, have seen a surge in segregation since the 1990s, according to research from Stanford Universitys Educational Opportunity Project. The history of school desegregation efforts, from Brown v. Board to today, shows how far the U.S. has come and how far it has to go. 1954-1964: THE SOUTH DRAGS ITS FEET The Brown v. Board decision declared white and Black students could not be forced to attend separate schools, even if those schools were allegedly equal in quality. A few states such as Kansas and Delaware made some effort to comply with the order. But leaders in the Deep South immediately declared what U.S. Sen. Harry Byrd of Virginia called massive resistance to integration. In all, segregation levels changed little over the next decade, despite the bravery of Black students like the Little Rock Nine in 1957 and 6-year-old Ruby Bridges in New Orleans in 1960, who faced violent, racist mobs when they tried to desegregate their local schools. 1964-1986: DESEGREGATION GETS SERIOUS By the mid-1960s, the federal courts lost patience with the South. They started to mete out desegregation orders with teeth, requiring busing if necessary. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. declared segregation must be ripped out root and branch. At the same time, civil rights legislation of the 1960s reshaped schools in far-reaching ways. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination in education; the Voting Rights Act gave Black voters more power to choose school boards; and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act offered schools federal cash if they desegregated. Meanwhile, the Immigration and Nationality Act opened the country to more immigrants from Asia, Africa and Latin America, leading to far more diverse schools. From there, segregation decreased quickly. Almost every Black student in the South went to school only with people of color in 1963; only one-fourth of Black students did in 1968. But desegregation came with a price: Thousands of qualified Black teachers were laid off, even though they were often more credentialed and qualified than white teachers. Integration has never been equitable, said Ivory Toldson, a professor at Howard University. Courts also began pushing desegregation in other parts of the country. Denver was one of the first cities outside the South called out for segregation in a 1973 Supreme Court case. Places like San Francisco and Cleveland were subject to desegregation orders, and riots broke out in 1974 over busing orders in Boston. The momentum was short-lived. In 1974, the Supreme Court in Milliken v. Bradley struck down a desegregation plan that involved multiple school districts in and around Detroit. That meant metropolitan areas, with rare exceptions, could not be forced to bus students across school district lines. The era saw massive white flight from urban school districts, in places where busing was required and where it was not. Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City collectively lost over half a million white public school students from 1968 to 1980. In just twelve years, the number of white students fell 71% in New Orleans, 78% in Detroit and 86% in Atlanta. Still, federal court orders had succeeded in reducing Black segregation to its lowest level ever by 1986. After that, progress began to stall. 1986-TODAY: DIVERSITY GROWS, DESEGREGATION LOSES STEAM The courts gradually began to focus less on achieving racially balanced schools and more on other ways to promote desegregation, such as magnet schools. It became easier for school districts to argue they had made enough progress to be released from desegregation orders, and most of them were lifted by the early 2000s. A few hundred are still active today, but usually unenforced; school district leaders often dont know theyre still under desegregation orders. The segregation of Black students changed little after the 1980s. As Latino immigration soared, so did the segregation of Latino students. The effects of isolation are particularly pernicious for students who come from an immigrant background, said Patricia Gandara, co-director of UCLAs Civil Rights Project. These families are less likely to speak English or know the unspoken rules of the American education system, like how to apply for college. More court cases chipped away at policy tools to address desegregation, turning toward the conservative idea that setting targets by race is itself a form of racial discrimination. Nevertheless, classrooms became more diverse, reflecting the countrys changing demographics. A historic milestone came in 2014, when for the first time the majority of U.S. students were children of color. Students of color may be more exposed to each other, but theyre still often in separate schools from white students. Around 4 out of 10 Black and Hispanic students go to schools made up almost entirely of other students of color. Racial imbalance is particularly acute in the nations 100 largest districts, according to researchers from Stanfords Educational Opportunity Project. Using segregation scores of 0 to 100, they found Black-white segregation grew over 40% from 1991 to 2019, from 21 to 30 points, while Hispanic-white segregation grew from 15 to 24. Thats both because the government moved away from desegregation orders in the 1990s and because parents took advantage of the school choice movement in the 2000s. Even before school choice, racial isolation was extreme in many large urban school districts. This is one of the reasons that many states with large cities outside the South, such as Illinois, Michigan, New York and California, have been among the most segregated in America since at least the 1980s. This segregation matters, because concentration in high-poverty, racially segregated schools is strongly correlated with poorer outcomes for students. Segregation is at the core of an awful lot of the problems that we have, Gandara said. No matter how much money you throw at it, if youre going to cluster poor kids and kids without family resources to support them in school, youre going to continue to have these uneven outcomes. ___ 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. 70 Years After Brown V. Board of Education, Little Rock Nine Reflect on Their Sacrifice In 1954, the Supreme Courts seminal Brown V. Board of Education decision declared that racial segregation in the countrys public schools was unconstitutional. But despite that monumental ruling, Minnijean Brown, Terrence Roberts, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls LaNier the nine Black students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957 were not welcomed into their new school with open arms. Instead, the group, known as The Little Rock Nine, was met by the National Guard blocking the school doors and a mob of angry protesters who didnt want them there. Now, 70 years after the Brown V. Board of Education decision, The Little Rock Nine are reflecting on their experience and the state of race relations in America today. Speaking exclusively with ABC News, members of the Little Rock Nine said they hoped that by attending Little Rock Central, theyd have access to a better quality education than they could receive at an all-Black high school. But they soon learned that it would not be that simple. Carlotta Walls LaNier said that while she knew they could face some resistance at their new school, she wasnt prepared for how long it would last. First day, it did not bother me. I saw the crowd. I heard the name-calling, she said. I recognized that there would be people out there that did not want me there. That, I expected, okay ... not for it to last as long as it did. Terrence Roberts said that although they faced daily threats on their lives, the teens knew their presence at Little Rock Central was important and necessary. We didnt have time to think about those things because our focus was on staying alive, he said. Believe it or not, this was a life-threatening situation. People threatened to kill us every hour, every day. But in spite of that, we were willing to stay there because it was important to be there. In a day-long celebration on May 17, the NAACP is partnering withthe Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.to pay tribute to the Little Rock Nine.NAACP President Derrick Johnson says the group deserved to be honored for their sacrifice. Those individuals had to carry that trauma from their childhood through adulthood. We just need to say thank you, he said. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Its been 70 years since Brown v. Board of Education. The US is still trying to achieve the promise of integration. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas the landmark Supreme Court decision that declared separate but equal education unconstitutional in the United States remains one of the most consequential court cases in American history. As the nation commemorates the rulings 70th anniversary, civil rights leaders and advocates tell CNN the case may have paved the way for more equal and integrated schools, but fierce and continued opposition to integration means the ruling in no way assured the end of segregated education in the United States. Although progress has undoubtedly been made over the decades, research shows many school districts today are racially segregated because they are divided along residential and economic lines. At times, federal courts have intervened, ordering some school districts to execute plans to integrate Black and Latino students with their White counterparts to improve educational opportunities. Gary Orfield, a professor at UCLA and co-director of the universitys Civil Rights Project, said although theres been a steady increase in enrollment of non-White students in public schools, his research shows more students attend schools that are intensely segregated now than they did 30 years ago. Thats when the Supreme Court ruled in Board of Education of Oklahoma City v. Dowell that court-ordered desegregation plans were not intended to operate in perpetuity, allowing more segregation to take place over time as school districts reverted to neighborhood zoning. De facto segregation persists today, Orfield said, because many states have abandoned efforts to enforce integration. There are many places where courts ended desegregation orders that had been accepted. A great many of the magnet schools that had been integrated for decades under court orders were resegregated, he said. These were such tragic changes, throwing away real successes in a very polarized country. A massive resistance to integration Historically, efforts to desegregate schools were at times met with violent resistance from White Americans. In response to the Brown decision, 101 southern lawmakers roughly a fifth of Congress signed what would become known as the Southern Manifesto, which encouraged states to resist forced integration by any lawful means. Hazel Bryan, center left, and other students of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, shout insults at Elizabeth Eckford as she calmly walks to a line of National Guardsmen who blocked the main entrance and would not let her enter on September 4, 1957. - Will Counts/Arkansas Democrat Gazette via AP If we can organize the Southern States for massive resistance to this order, I think that in time the rest of the country will realize that racial integration is not going to be accepted in the South, Virginia Sen. Harry Flood Byrd said in the days after the ruling was announced. That massive resistance campaign spread throughout southern states. In 1957, three years after the Brown ruling, all eyes turned to Little Rock Central High in Arkansas as nine Black students were escorted into the school by soldiers in the US Armys 101st Airborne Division. The students are known today as the Little Rock Nine. Then, in 1965, a legal battle over integration in Mississippi began that would last more than 50 years. That year, Dianna Cowan Whites parents listed her as the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Bolivar County Board of Education, now the Cleveland School District, in Cleveland, Mississippi, because the district still forced Black students to attend an all-Black school. The district fought the lawsuit for more than five decades and in 2016, it would become one of the last in the country to officially desegregate, CNN previously reported. That ruling, advocates say, signaled that the fight to integrate schools was far from over. According to Orfields research, which examines school integration across the country, desegregation efforts peaked in the 1980s and theres since been a decline in the percentage of Black students attending majority-White schools. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall who argued the original Brown v. Board of Education case as a lawyer wrote the dissenting opinion in Board of Education of Oklahoma City v. Dowell, the 1991 Supreme Court decision that released school districts from desegregation orders. The majority today suggests that 13 years of desegregation was enough, Marshall wrote, adding that in his view, an order to lift any desegregation decree must take into account the unique harm associated with racially segregated schools and must expressly demand the elimination of such schools. But even in schools that are integrated, racist bullying and discrimination persists. From 2018 to 2022, more than 4,300 hate crimes were reported in schools, with the largest number of alleged offenses being motivated by anti-Black bias, according to a report from the Department of Justice released in January. Vestiges of segregation As of 2020, more than 700 school districts and charter schools were under a legal desegregation order or voluntary agreement to desegregate, according to the Century Foundation, an independent think tank that works toward equity in education, among other goals. Leslie Fenwick, dean emeritus and professor at the Howard University School of Education, told CNN the decades of opposition to integration efforts has also led to a decrease in the number of Black educators. She explores the unintended consequences to the Brown decision in her book, Jim Crows Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership. We never define segregation the right way. In everybodys mind still, when we say segregation, were only focused on students, she told CNN. The great failing, not of the decision, but of massive resistance to the decision, was that we wiped out 100,000 Black principals and teachers who were fired, dismissed and demoted. The original Brown v. Board of Education case was also litigated by lawyers with the NAACPs Legal Defense Fund, the nations first civil rights law firm, which Marshall founded in 1940. Since the Brown ruling, the civil rights legal group says it has sued hundreds of school districts across the country to vindicate the promise of Brown. Today, there are more than 200 open school desegregation cases currently on the federal dockets, according to the LDF, which estimates its lawyers are handling about a hundred of those cases. Michaele Turnage Young, senior counsel and co-manager of the Equal Protection Initiative at the LDF, said these lawsuits are necessary because the vestiges of school segregation still exist today. Young said many majority-White schools are often better equipped with educational resources and better trained staff than majority-Black schools in the same school district. She noted other disparities include a lack of screenings for gifted programs, college prep programs and extracurricular activity offerings, and lower graduation rates. The anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education comes nearly a year after the Supreme Court gutted affirmative action in higher education, which sparked a conservative-led movement to outlaw diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at public colleges and universities. Some critics of DEI say the programs are discriminatory against White Americans. But civil rights advocates and legal scholars tell CNN that arguments to end affirmative action and curb DEI are often premised on the idea that America has already achieved racial equality in education a notion they say is far from the truth. Demonstrators for and against the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down race-conscious student admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina confront each other. - Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters/File NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said he hasnt been surprised by the culture war thats now playing out in school districts across the country because history has taught us that progress is not made in a straight line. We will continue to see these reactions until more citizens realize that equal protection under the law, our ability to grow and prosper as a nation, will be based on our diversity and not on a single culture or racial identity, Johnson said. Dianna Cowan White told CNN her parents were able to enroll her in an all-White school while their legal case against the Bolivar School District wound through the courts. More than 50 years later, she says she can still recall how her 6th grade classmates taunted her, often saying go back to where you came from or, did you paint your skin black? They did not want me there, White told CNN. I felt like I was alone. But she also recalled the all-White school had better quality books, and was teaching a curriculum that was far more advanced than the Black school she had previously attended in the same district. The experience ultimately influenced her decision to send her children to racially diverse schools, despite the racism she encountered, because she felt they would have better opportunities. White said when she learned of the judges ruling to desegregate the school district in 2016 her first reaction was, it was about time. We are in the 21st century, when do you let it go? For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com ST. PETER, Minn. Earl "Sonny" Meyer stood at the center of the cavernous chapel Friday afternoon, surprised his little medal was such a big deal: hundreds of spectators, a U.S. senator, the senior enlisted advisor for the Minnesota National Guard, and all of Meyer's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Of course it was a big deal. Seventy-three years after a piece of mortar shrapnel struck Meyer's left thigh during the chaos of Korean War combat, a representative of the U.S. military finally pinned the Purple Heart, the oldest and most hallowed of American military honors, to his chest. His eyes were damp with tears. The retired St. Peter farmer, 96 years old, didn't really want all this attention. In his view, this medal was really about his comrades who didn't make it home. He thinks of them every day. "Oh my," Meyer had said a few minutes before, leaning on a cane his daughter had crafted from Lake Michigan driftwood. "I'd rather be home in my recliner. It's all a bit much." It had been a long road from Meyer's wartime service to the front of Christ Chapel at Gustavus Adolphus College on Friday. His time as a rifleman and machine-gunner in Korea was traumatizing: sleepless nights in mountain foxholes, Army buddies dying next to him, never knowing if his number was next to be called. In June 1951, his unit was trapped by enemy forces when the piece of shrapnel struck him. A medic bandaged him in the field, telling Corporal Meyer he'd put his name in for a Purple Heart. Most of the people from his unit didn't survive the battle. Meyer never saw the medic again. Living a farmer's life, he didn't talk about the war much with family. His three daughters didn't even know he'd been injured, with shrapnel still lodged in his thigh, until Meyer's granddaughter interviewed him for a high school project. His daughters decided they'd try to get their dad his Purple Heart. For years, the military rejected the request, citing lack of evidence. The family gained advocates, with the office of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar persistently nudging the military, and with Alan Anderson, a Minneapolis attorney who first read about Meyer in a 2020 article in the Star Tribune, advocating for his medal. Anderson sued the U.S. Department of Defense on Meyer's behalf but only after he convinced Meyer this fight could help other veterans who are having issues with the Army Board for Correction of Military Records. At the chapel, a Minnesota National Guard officer read a letter sent by the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Army. Scrawled in black Sharpie ink was a note from Command Sergeant Major Michael Weimer: "Thank you for not giving up on us! Long overdue!" Then Command Sergeant Major Jason Rost, the senior enlisted advisor in the Minnesota National Guard, opened a black case. Inside was Meyer's Purple Heart. Before Rost pinned it to Meyer's chest, he explained why this moment was so personally important. Rost had been born in Seoul and adopted by a Minnesota family. Rost had pinned medals before, but never a Purple Heart, and never a medal with such a direct connection to his own heritage. "I am certain that my life and my service would not be possible without the sacrifice and service of men and women like yourself," Rost said. "Thank you." He turned to the crowd: "Standing here today, over 73 years later, we have the opportunity and honor to recognize Corporal Earl 'Sonny' Meyer's sacrifice in the summer of 1951, on a thousands of miles away, a land that's now a prosperous country, a democratic country, a free country, because of the sacrifices of men like Corporal Meyer." He affixed the medal to Meyer's left breast pocket. It fit beautifully. And all the people who came out for this humble 96-year-old veteran burst into applause. An 8-year-old boy who vanished in south Georgia was later found dead in a borrow pit, according to WJCL. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Noah Bush, of Jessup, was last seen in Wayne County around 5 p.m. Wednesday. His body was recovered Thursday morning. TRENDING STORIES: According to Wayne County deputies, Bushs body was found in a construction borrow pit after he drowned. The Wayne County Sheriffs Office told WJCL that Bush took off his shoes and wandered around a no trespassing sign before stepping into water in the hole. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] A borrow pit is a hole dug deep in the ground to provide fill material for construction projects. Students for Justice in Palestine chapters at the University of Houston and the University of Texas at Dallas as well as the Democratic Socialists of America, which runs youth chapters at several Texas universities, are suing Gov. Greg Abbott over his executive order calling for universities to change free speech policies to better prevent antisemitism on college campuses, including by enforcing the policies against Students for Justice in Palestine and the Palestine Solidarity Committee, its chapter at UT-Austin. The plaintiffs, represented by Council on Islamic Relations, filed a suit Thursday asking a U.S. District Court to issue an injunction barring the executive order, saying it targets and chills speech against Israel by specifically naming Students for Justice in Palestine and the Palestine Solidarity Committee and by calling for colleges to recognize a broad definition of antisemitism. CAIR alleges that the order's implementation in some cases has censored students' speech in violation of the First Amendment. Who else is named in the lawsuit and why? In addition to Abbott, the University of Texas System Board of Regents, University of Houston and the UH System Board of Regents are also named as defendants, as well as Rene Khator, who serves as chancellor of the UH System and president of its flagship school. University systems and institutions are responsible for carrying out the executive order at their respective institutions, and they are responsible for the legality of their policies. The president of UT-San Antonio, Taylor Eighmy, is named as a defendant for the second count in the lawsuit, which alleges that UT-San Antonio adopted a "phrase-specific" rule barring Young Democratic Socialists of America members from saying "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free." Pro-Palestine protesters hold a rally after The University of Texas at Austins commencement ceremony at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday, May 11, 2024 in Austin. The Council on Islamic Relations filed a lawsuit Thursday against Gov. Greg Abbott, and the UT and University of Houston Systems accusing them of implementing policies that suppress anti-Israel speech. Abbott's executive order specifically lists this an example of "antisemitic phrases." But the lawsuit says the rule is an illegal content-based free speech limitation, and the suit says "its literal and figurative meaning reflect an aspiration for peace and dignity for all peoplePalestinians, Israelis, Arabs, Muslims, Jews, Christians, and everyone else." A UT-San Antonio spokesperson said the university does not comment on pending litigation and did not answer a question asking if the rule was in place as stated in the lawsuit. The UH System Board of Regents on Wednesday added the state's definition of antisemitism to its policies, the flagship university confirmed in a statement, saying the university has met with Students for Justice in Palestine and "reiterated our commitment to freedom of expression." The University of Houston also asserted that the freedom of expression policy is equally applied without regard to viewpoint and that the system enforces both its freedom of expression policy and anti-discrimination policy. Members of the UT campus community, including students, faculty and alumi and a few organizations begin their march from the tower to the Texas State Capitol ahead of the Texas Senate Education Committee hearing on campus free speech and Senate Bill 17, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. SB 17 is the bill banning DEI initiatives in institutions of public education. "The University recognizes and supports the constitutional rights of free speech and peaceful assembly," the statement said. "We encourage all who engage in expressive activity to do so safely and in a manner that respects the rights of others with differing opinions." The definition of antisemitism that Abbott ordered universities to adopt is "a certain perception of Jews that may be expressed as hatred toward Jews," including "rhetorical and physical acts of antisemitism directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals or their property or toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities." CAIR's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, asks for relief under the First and 14th amendments, and calls for Abbott's executive order and the UT-San Antonio rule about the slogan to be withdrawn. The suit also requests for the UT and UH systems to not include the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism as specified in Abbott's order "or otherwise target individuals because of their political speech about Israel." "We are hopeful that a court will see this for what it is, a clear as day abandonment of the First amendment," Gadeir Abbas, an attorney for the plaintiff with CAIR, told the American-Statesman on Thursday. In a statement Thursday, Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott's press secretary, said antisemitism has been rising, and that the governor "condemns heinous acts of violence and inhumanity against Israel and its people by ruthless terrorists." "Antisemitism is never acceptable in Texas, and we will do everything we can to fight it," Mahaleris said. "Texas will always stand with Israel and our Jewish neighbors here at home and across the world. What was the governor's executive order? Abbott issued his executive order March 27 to address antisemitism at Texas universities. The Anti-Defamation League reports that acts of antisemitic have risen dramatically since Oct. 7, when Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that controlled the Gaza strip, launched a surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. In response, Israel began bombarding Gaza, reportedly killing more than 34,000 people since the war's start. Islamophobic incidents have also risen dramatically since Oct. 7, according to CAIR. Abbott's executive order did not mention rising incidents of Islamophobia but did mention the state's continued support for Israel and Jewish Texans. "While many Texas universities have acted quickly to condemn antisemitism and foster appropriate discourse on the terrorist attacks against Israel and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war, some radical organizations have engaged in unacceptable actions on university campuses," the order said. The order charges all public institutions of higher education in Texas to revise their free speech policies to address antisemitism, instating punishments including up to expulsion, enforcing the policies against groups "such as the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine" and including the definition of antisemitism that is in the Texas Government Code. Alexandra Pierson, 19, participates in a chant outside the Main Building on campus with hundreds of other students. Professors, students, and supporters of UT-Austin demonstrated on campus on Thursday, April 25, 2024 The lawsuit draws a contrast between a 2019 law Abbott signed making college campuses public forums for free speech, and his suppression of anti-Israel speech, which he deems antisemitic. It also draws attention to Abbott's deployment of Texas Department of Public Safety troopers at UT-Austin during pro-Palestinian protests in the past few weeks, which they said further reflects the suppression of anti-Israel speech. "The events of the last few weeks increased the urgency to challenges to these really extreme efforts to make it impossible to do the normal and typical advocacy things that students do," Abbas said. "Only when it comes to Palestine and Israel." What constitutes antisemitic speech? The definition of antisemitism mentioned in Abbott's order is in the Texas Government Code and is pulled from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which describes the definition on their website as a "non-legally binding working definition." "Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity. However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic," the Holocaust remembrance alliance's website states. "Antisemitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for 'why things go wrong.'" The site's FAQ states that "claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor" would qualify as antisemitism. "Israel is a racist state" has been chanted during recent pro-Palestinian protests at UT, as has "From the River to the Sea." The lawsuit states that the definition "once adopted, would transform normal and typical criticism of a foreign country into antisemitism when the foreign country criticized is Israel." Mahaleris did not answer specific questions about the lawsuit or its criticism that Muslim students don't have the same free speech or safety protections as Jewish students. UT System also declined to comment. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Lawsuit accuses Abbott, Texas systems of censoring anti-Israel speech Abilene man found guilty of manslaughter for teens death at Coronados Camp ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) An Abilene man has been found guilty of manslaughter in connection to the death of a teen at Coronados Camp. Sixto Torres received his guilty verdict for Manslaughter Friday after a jury trial in Taylor County for the death of 19-year-old Bernardo Aguilar, who was shot and killed in February 2022. Torres was found not guilty of Murder, which was his initial charge. INDICTED: Abilene man accused of killing teenager at Coronados Camp Witnesses say Torres walked up to Aguilar while they were both at a job site at Coronados Camp and fired the gun. No motive was ever disclosed, and Torres defense argued the gun was negligently discharged. A jury will begin deliberating on Torres punishment Monday. Stick with BigCountryHomepage.com for any additional details on this breaking news. 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. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023. DelBene spoke to reporters Friday, May 17, 2024, about how abortion will affect U.S. House races in November. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. Weve seen huge turnout as a result of that over and over in elections since November of 2022, DelBene said during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. And I have no doubt were going to continue to see that all the way through. The Washington state Democrat, who was elected to Congress in 2012 and leads House Democrats campaign arm this election cycle, said that reproductive rights will also be a crucial issue for voters in swing districts that dont have a ballot question on access. Folks support womens reproductive rights across the country, DelBene said. And thats going to be a huge issue. And for some people, it is the issue. Democrats in Congress have been unable to restore nationwide abortion protections that existed for nearly 50 years under the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade case and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. Conservative Supreme Court justices voted to overturn those two rulings in the Dobbs decision that was released in 2022, writing that the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. The court is expected to rule this summer on two additional cases related to abortion access, just months before voters head to the polls. One originally filed in Texas will determine whether access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available as it is now or revert to prescribing instructions in place before 2016. The court heard oral arguments in March. The second case, out of Idaho, has to do with whether doctors who provide abortion as stabilizing care when the pregnant patients life or health is at risk are protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections for abortion access, voters in several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have voted to keep or instill abortion access as a right. Voters in numerous other states, including Arizona, Florida and Montana, are likely to have the issue directly on their ballots later this year, as well as candidates from president on down. Federal legislation DelBene said Friday that Democrats will bring legislation to the floor to restore nationwide protections for abortion, should they retake the House. That will be one of our top priorities, to make sure that we pass the Womens Health Protection Act again, DelBene said. But Im also hopeful that we will keep the Senate and be able to move forward. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter projects that Republicans are on track to pick up between one and four seats in the Senate, likely moving that chamber of Congress from blue to red. Should Democrats flip the House, that would mean a continuation of divided government, regardless of who wins the presidential contest. The Cook Political Report forecasts 203 seats are at least leaning toward Democratic control while 210 are rated as solid, likely or lean Republican. That leaves 22 seats in the toss up category, with a total of 218 needed for one party to control the chamber. Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and governors at CPR, wrote in an update released Friday that the upper chamber remains beyond precarious for Democrats. There is no room for error and if President Joe Biden loses reelection, they will have already lost the majority whether they run the table in all the competitive seats or not, Taylor wrote. Young voters DelBene said during the breakfast at a hotel in Washington, D.C., that turnout will be critical and that Democrats will be especially focused on younger voters showing up at the polls. Traditionally, younger voters havent turned out as much, she said. So that absolutely is a top priority. DelBene took several questions about whether those younger voters would actually back Democratic candidates or Biden, given the increase in protests on college campuses and concern within the progressive wing about the increasing civilian death toll from the ongoing war in Gaza. The top issues for younger voters, DelBene said, are making sure that they are going to have economic opportunity going forward and that theyre going to be in a position where they can have the same opportunities that their parents said that theyre going to have, the same rights and freedoms that their parents did. Candidates in purple districts should speak authentically with voters when theyre asked about their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, she said. My advice for candidates has always been, Its important for you to have an authentic voice and talk about what you would do, how you feel on issues. Because people can tell if someones scripted and not really talking about their feelings, DelBene said. And on such an important issue, I think, its really important that people talk authentically about their positions, what they think needs to happen. The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023. DelBene spoke to reporters Friday, May 17, 2024, about how abortion will affect U.S. House races in November. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON Suzan DelBene, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair, told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. Weve seen huge turnout as a result of that over and over in elections since November of 2022, DelBene said during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. And I have no doubt were going to continue to see that all the way through. The Washington state Democrat, who was elected to Congress in 2012 and leads House Democrats campaign arm this election cycle, said that reproductive rights will also be a crucial issue for voters in swing districts that dont have a ballot question on access. Folks support womens reproductive rights across the country, DelBene said. And thats going to be a huge issue. And for some people, it is the issue. Democrats in Congress have been unable to restore nationwide abortion protections that existed for nearly 50 years under the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade case and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. Conservative Supreme Court justices voted to overturn those two rulings in the Dobbs decision that was released in 2022, writing that the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. The court is expected to rule this summer on two additional cases related to abortion access, just months before voters head to the polls. One originally filed in Texas will determine whether access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available as it is now or revert to prescribing instructions in place before 2016. The court heard oral arguments in March. The second case, out of Idaho, has to do with whether doctors who provide abortion as stabilizing care when the pregnant patients life or health is at risk are protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections for abortion access, voters in several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have voted to keep or instill abortion access as a right. Voters in numerous other states, including Arizona, Florida and Montana, are likely to have the issue directly on their ballots later this year, as well as candidates from president on down. Federal legislation DelBene said Friday that Democrats will bring legislation to the floor to restore nationwide protections for abortion, should they retake the House. That will be one of our top priorities, to make sure that we pass the Womens Health Protection Act again, DelBene said. But Im also hopeful that we will keep the Senate and be able to move forward. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter projects that Republicans are on track to pick up between one and four seats in the Senate, likely moving that chamber of Congress from blue to red. Should Democrats flip the House, that would mean a continuation of divided government, regardless of who wins the presidential contest. The Cook Political Report forecasts 203 seats are at least leaning toward Democratic control while 210 are rated as solid, likely or lean Republican. That leaves 22 seats in the toss up category, with a total of 218 needed for one party to control the chamber. Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and governors at CPR, wrote in an update released Friday that the upper chamber remains beyond precarious for Democrats. There is no room for error and if President Joe Biden loses reelection, they will have already lost the majority whether they run the table in all the competitive seats or not, Taylor wrote. Young voters DelBene said during the breakfast at a hotel in Washington, D.C., that turnout will be critical and that Democrats will be especially focused on younger voters showing up at the polls. Traditionally, younger voters havent turned out as much, she said. So that absolutely is a top priority. DelBene took several questions about whether those younger voters would actually back Democratic candidates or Biden, given the increase in protests on college campuses and concern within the progressive wing about the increasing civilian death toll from the ongoing war in Gaza. The top issues for younger voters, DelBene said, are making sure that they are going to have economic opportunity going forward and that theyre going to be in a position where they can have the same opportunities that their parents said that theyre going to have, the same rights and freedoms that their parents did. Candidates in purple districts should speak authentically with voters when theyre asked about their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, she said. My advice for candidates has always been, Its important for you to have an authentic voice and talk about what you would do, how you feel on issues. Because people can tell if someones scripted and not really talking about their feelings, DelBene said. And on such an important issue, I think, its really important that people talk authentically about their positions, what they think needs to happen. The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference Sept. 19, 2023, at the U.S. Capitol. DelBene spoke to reporters May 17, 2024, about how abortion will affect U.S. House races in November. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Suzan DelBene told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. Weve seen huge turnout as a result of that over and over in elections since November of 2022, DelBene said during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. And I have no doubt were going to continue to see that all the way through. The Washington state Democrat, who was elected to Congress in 2012 and leads House Democrats campaign arm this election cycle, said that reproductive rights will also be a crucial issue for voters in swing districts that dont have a ballot question on access. Folks support womens reproductive rights across the country, DelBene said. And thats going to be a huge issue. And for some people, it is the issue. Democrats in Congress have been unable to restore nationwide abortion protections that existed for nearly 50 years under the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade case and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. Conservative Supreme Court justices voted to overturn those two rulings in the Dobbs decision that was released in 2022, writing that the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. The court is expected to rule this summer on two additional cases related to abortion access, just months before voters head to the polls. One originally filed in Texas will determine whether access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available as it is now or revert to prescribing instructions in place before 2016. The court heard oral arguments in March. The second case, out of Idaho, has to do with whether doctors who provide abortion as stabilizing care when the pregnant patients life or health is at risk are protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections for abortion access, voters in several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have voted to keep or instill abortion access as a right. Voters in numerous other states, including Arizona, Florida and Montana, are likely to have the issue directly on their ballots later this year, as well as candidates from president on down. Federal legislation DelBene said Friday that Democrats will bring legislation to the floor to restore nationwide protections for abortion, should they retake the House. That will be one of our top priorities, to make sure that we pass the Womens Health Protection Act again, DelBene said. But Im also hopeful that we will keep the Senate and be able to move forward. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter projects that Republicans are on track to pick up between one and four seats in the Senate, likely moving that chamber of Congress from blue to red. Should Democrats flip the House, that would mean a continuation of divided government, regardless of who wins the presidential contest. The Cook Political Report forecasts 203 seats are at least leaning toward Democratic control while 210 are rated as solid, likely or lean Republican. That leaves 22 seats in the toss up category, with a total of 218 needed for one party to control the chamber. Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and governors at CPR, wrote in an update released Friday that the upper chamber remains beyond precarious for Democrats. There is no room for error and if President Joe Biden loses reelection, they will have already lost the majority whether they run the table in all the competitive seats or not, Taylor wrote. Young voters DelBene said during the breakfast at a hotel in Washington, D.C., that turnout will be critical and that Democrats will be especially focused on younger voters showing up at the polls. Traditionally, younger voters havent turned out as much, she said. So that absolutely is a top priority. DelBene took several questions about whether those younger voters would actually back Democratic candidates or Biden, given the increase in protests on college campuses and concern within the progressive wing about the increasing civilian death toll from the ongoing war in Gaza. The top issues for younger voters, DelBene said, are making sure that they are going to have economic opportunity going forward and that theyre going to be in a position where they can have the same opportunities that their parents said that theyre going to have, the same rights and freedoms that their parents did. Candidates in purple districts should speak authentically with voters when theyre asked about their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, she said. My advice for candidates has always been, Its important for you to have an authentic voice and talk about what you would do, how you feel on issues. Because people can tell if someones scripted and not really talking about their feelings, DelBene said. And on such an important issue, I think, its really important that people talk authentically about their positions, what they think needs to happen. The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on Kansas Reflector. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023. DelBene spoke to reporters Friday, May 17, 2024, about how abortion will affect U.S. House races in November. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. Weve seen huge turnout as a result of that over and over in elections since November of 2022, DelBene said during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. And I have no doubt were going to continue to see that all the way through. The Washington state Democrat, who was elected to Congress in 2012 and leads House Democrats campaign arm this election cycle, said that reproductive rights will also be a crucial issue for voters in swing districts that dont have a ballot question on access. Folks support womens reproductive rights across the country, DelBene said. And thats going to be a huge issue. And for some people, it is the issue. Democrats in Congress have been unable to restore nationwide abortion protections that existed for nearly 50 years under the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade case and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. Conservative Supreme Court justices voted to overturn those two rulings in the Dobbs decision that was released in 2022, writing that the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. The court is expected to rule this summer on two additional cases related to abortion access, just months before voters head to the polls. One originally filed in Texas will determine whether access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available as it is now or revert to prescribing instructions in place before 2016. The court heard oral arguments in March. The second case, out of Idaho, has to do with whether doctors who provide abortion as stabilizing care when the pregnant patients life or health is at risk are protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections for abortion access, voters in several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have voted to keep or instill abortion access as a right. Voters in numerous other states, including Arizona, Florida and Montana, are likely to have the issue directly on their ballots later this year, as well as candidates from president on down. Federal legislation DelBene said Friday that Democrats will bring legislation to the floor to restore nationwide protections for abortion, should they retake the House. That will be one of our top priorities, to make sure that we pass the Womens Health Protection Act again, DelBene said. But Im also hopeful that we will keep the Senate and be able to move forward. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter projects that Republicans are on track to pick up between one and four seats in the Senate, likely moving that chamber of Congress from blue to red. Should Democrats flip the House, that would mean a continuation of divided government, regardless of who wins the presidential contest. The Cook Political Report forecasts 203 seats are at least leaning toward Democratic control while 210 are rated as solid, likely or lean Republican. That leaves 22 seats in the toss up category, with a total of 218 needed for one party to control the chamber. Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and governors at CPR, wrote in an update released Friday that the upper chamber remains beyond precarious for Democrats. There is no room for error and if President Joe Biden loses reelection, they will have already lost the majority whether they run the table in all the competitive seats or not, Taylor wrote. Young voters DelBene said during the breakfast at a hotel in Washington, D.C., that turnout will be critical and that Democrats will be especially focused on younger voters showing up at the polls. Traditionally, younger voters havent turned out as much, she said. So that absolutely is a top priority. DelBene took several questions about whether those younger voters would actually back Democratic candidates or Biden, given the increase in protests on college campuses and concern within the progressive wing about the increasing civilian death toll from the ongoing war in Gaza. The top issues for younger voters, DelBene said, are making sure that they are going to have economic opportunity going forward and that theyre going to be in a position where they can have the same opportunities that their parents said that theyre going to have, the same rights and freedoms that their parents did. Candidates in purple districts should speak authentically with voters when theyre asked about their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, she said. My advice for candidates has always been, Its important for you to have an authentic voice and talk about what you would do, how you feel on issues. Because people can tell if someones scripted and not really talking about their feelings, DelBene said. And on such an important issue, I think, its really important that people talk authentically about their positions, what they think needs to happen. The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023. DelBene spoke to reporters Friday, May 17, 2024, about how abortion will affect U.S. House races in November. (Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images) WASHINGTON Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. Weve seen huge turnout as a result of that over and over in elections since November of 2022, DelBene said during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. And I have no doubt were going to continue to see that all the way through. The Washington state Democrat, who was elected to Congress in 2012 and leads House Democrats campaign arm this election cycle, said that reproductive rights will also be a crucial issue for voters in swing districts that dont have a ballot question on access. Folks support womens reproductive rights across the country, DelBene said. And thats going to be a huge issue. And for some people, it is the issue. Democrats in Congress have been unable to restore nationwide abortion protections that existed for nearly 50 years under the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade case and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. Conservative Supreme Court justices voted to overturn those two rulings in the Dobbs decision that was released in 2022, writing that the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. The court is expected to rule this summer on two additional cases related to abortion access, just months before voters head to the polls. One originally filed in Texas will determine whether access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available as it is now or revert to prescribing instructions in place before 2016. The court heard oral arguments in March. The second case, out of Idaho, has to do with whether doctors who provide abortion as stabilizing care when the pregnant patients life or health is at risk are protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections for abortion access, voters in several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have voted to keep or instill abortion access as a right. Voters in numerous other states, including Arizona, Florida and Montana, are likely to have the issue directly on their ballots later this year, as well as candidates from president on down. Federal legislation DelBene said Friday that Democrats will bring legislation to the floor to restore nationwide protections for abortion, should they retake the House. That will be one of our top priorities, to make sure that we pass the Womens Health Protection Act again, DelBene said. But Im also hopeful that we will keep the Senate and be able to move forward. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter projects that Republicans are on track to pick up between one and four seats in the Senate, likely moving that chamber of Congress from blue to red. Should Democrats flip the House, that would mean a continuation of divided government, regardless of who wins the presidential contest. The Cook Political Report forecasts 203 seats are at least leaning toward Democratic control while 210 are rated as solid, likely or lean Republican. That leaves 22 seats in the toss up category, with a total of 218 needed for one party to control the chamber. Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and governors at CPR, wrote in an update released Friday that the upper chamber remains beyond precarious for Democrats. There is no room for error and if President Joe Biden loses reelection, they will have already lost the majority whether they run the table in all the competitive seats or not, Taylor wrote. Young voters DelBene said during the breakfast at a hotel in Washington, D.C., that turnout will be critical and that Democrats will be especially focused on younger voters showing up at the polls. Traditionally, younger voters havent turned out as much, she said. So that absolutely is a top priority. DelBene took several questions about whether those younger voters would actually back Democratic candidates or Biden, given the increase in protests on college campuses and concern within the progressive wing about the increasing civilian death toll from the ongoing war in Gaza. The top issues for younger voters, DelBene said, are making sure that they are going to have economic opportunity going forward and that theyre going to be in a position where they can have the same opportunities that their parents said that theyre going to have, the same rights and freedoms that their parents did. Candidates in purple districts should speak authentically with voters when theyre asked about their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, she said. My advice for candidates has always been, Its important for you to have an authentic voice and talk about what you would do, how you feel on issues. Because people can tell if someones scripted and not really talking about their feelings, DelBene said. And on such an important issue, I think, its really important that people talk authentically about their positions, what they think needs to happen. The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023. DelBene spoke to reporters Friday, May 17, 2024, about how abortion will affect U.S. House races in November. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. Weve seen huge turnout as a result of that over and over in elections since November of 2022, DelBene said during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. And I have no doubt were going to continue to see that all the way through. The Washington state Democrat, who was elected to Congress in 2012 and leads House Democrats campaign arm this election cycle, said that reproductive rights will also be a crucial issue for voters in swing districts that dont have a ballot question on access. Folks support womens reproductive rights across the country, DelBene said. And thats going to be a huge issue. And for some people, it is the issue. Democrats in Congress have been unable to restore nationwide abortion protections that existed for nearly 50 years under the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade case and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. Conservative Supreme Court justices voted to overturn those two rulings in the Dobbs decision that was released in 2022, writing that the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. The court is expected to rule this summer on two additional cases related to abortion access, just months before voters head to the polls. One originally filed in Texas will determine whether access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available as it is now or revert to prescribing instructions in place before 2016. The court heard oral arguments in March. The second case, out of Idaho, has to do with whether doctors who provide abortion as stabilizing care when the pregnant patients life or health is at risk are protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections for abortion access, voters in several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have voted to keep or instill abortion access as a right. Voters in numerous other states, including Arizona, Florida and Montana, are likely to have the issue directly on their ballots later this year, as well as candidates from president on down. Federal legislation DelBene said Friday that Democrats will bring legislation to the floor to restore nationwide protections for abortion, should they retake the House. That will be one of our top priorities, to make sure that we pass the Womens Health Protection Act again, DelBene said. But Im also hopeful that we will keep the Senate and be able to move forward. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter projects that Republicans are on track to pick up between one and four seats in the Senate, likely moving that chamber of Congress from blue to red. Should Democrats flip the House, that would mean a continuation of divided government, regardless of who wins the presidential contest. The Cook Political Report forecasts 203 seats are at least leaning toward Democratic control while 210 are rated as solid, likely or lean Republican. That leaves 22 seats in the toss up category, with a total of 218 needed for one party to control the chamber. Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and governors at CPR, wrote in an update released Friday that the upper chamber remains beyond precarious for Democrats. There is no room for error and if President Joe Biden loses reelection, they will have already lost the majority whether they run the table in all the competitive seats or not, Taylor wrote. Young voters DelBene said during the breakfast at a hotel in Washington, D.C., that turnout will be critical and that Democrats will be especially focused on younger voters showing up at the polls. Traditionally, younger voters havent turned out as much, she said. So that absolutely is a top priority. DelBene took several questions about whether those younger voters would actually back Democratic candidates or Biden, given the increase in protests on college campuses and concern within the progressive wing about the increasing civilian death toll from the ongoing war in Gaza. The top issues for younger voters, DelBene said, are making sure that they are going to have economic opportunity going forward and that theyre going to be in a position where they can have the same opportunities that their parents said that theyre going to have, the same rights and freedoms that their parents did. Candidates in purple districts should speak authentically with voters when theyre asked about their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, she said. My advice for candidates has always been, Its important for you to have an authentic voice and talk about what you would do, how you feel on issues. Because people can tell if someones scripted and not really talking about their feelings, DelBene said. And on such an important issue, I think, its really important that people talk authentically about their positions, what they think needs to happen. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in September 2023. DelBene spoke to reporters Friday about how abortion will affect U.S. House races in November. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.) WASHINGTON Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. Weve seen huge turnout as a result of that over and over in elections since November of 2022, DelBene said during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. And I have no doubt were going to continue to see that all the way through. The Washington state Democrat, who was elected to Congress in 2012 and leads House Democrats campaign arm this election cycle, said that reproductive rights will also be a crucial issue for voters in swing districts that dont have a ballot question on access. Folks support womens reproductive rights across the country, DelBene said. And thats going to be a huge issue. And for some people, it is the issue. Democrats in Congress have been unable to restore nationwide abortion protections that existed for nearly 50 years under the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade case and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. Conservative Supreme Court justices voted to overturn those two rulings in the Dobbs decision that was released in 2022, writing that the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. The court is expected to rule this summer on two additional cases related to abortion access, just months before voters head to the polls. One originally filed in Texas will determine whether access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available as it is now or revert to prescribing instructions in place before 2016. The court heard oral arguments in March. The second case, out of Idaho, has to do with whether doctors who provide abortion as stabilizing care when the pregnant patients life or health is at risk are protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections for abortion access, voters in several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have voted to keep or instill abortion access as a right. Voters in numerous other states, including Arizona, Florida and Montana, are likely to have the issue directly on their ballots later this year, as well as candidates from president on down. Federal legislation DelBene said Friday that Democrats will bring legislation to the floor to restore nationwide protections for abortion, should they retake the House. That will be one of our top priorities, to make sure that we pass the Womens Health Protection Act again, DelBene said. But Im also hopeful that we will keep the Senate and be able to move forward. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter projects that Republicans are on track to pick up between one and four seats in the Senate, likely moving that chamber of Congress from blue to red. Should Democrats flip the House, that would mean a continuation of divided government, regardless of who wins the presidential contest. The Cook Political Report forecasts 203 seats are at least leaning toward Democratic control while 210 are rated as solid, likely or lean Republican. That leaves 22 seats in the toss up category, with a total of 218 needed for one party to control the chamber. Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and governors at CPR, wrote in an update released Friday that the upper chamber remains beyond precarious for Democrats. There is no room for error and if President Joe Biden loses reelection, they will have already lost the majority whether they run the table in all the competitive seats or not, Taylor wrote. Young voters DelBene said during the breakfast at a hotel in Washington, D.C., that turnout will be critical and that Democrats will be especially focused on younger voters showing up at the polls. Traditionally, younger voters havent turned out as much, she said. So that absolutely is a top priority. DelBene took several questions about whether those younger voters would actually back Democratic candidates or Biden, given the increase in protests on college campuses and concern within the progressive wing about the increasing civilian death toll from the ongoing war in Gaza. The top issues for younger voters, DelBene said, are making sure that they are going to have economic opportunity going forward and that theyre going to be in a position where they can have the same opportunities that their parents said that theyre going to have, the same rights and freedoms that their parents did. Candidates in purple districts should speak authentically with voters when theyre asked about their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, she said. My advice for candidates has always been, Its important for you to have an authentic voice and talk about what you would do, how you feel on issues. Because people can tell if someones scripted and not really talking about their feelings, DelBene said. And on such an important issue, I think, its really important that people talk authentically about their positions, what they think needs to happen. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023. DelBene spoke to reporters May 17, 2024, about how abortion will affect U.S. House races in November. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. Weve seen huge turnout as a result of that over and over in elections since November of 2022, DelBene said during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. And I have no doubt were going to continue to see that all the way through. The Washington state Democrat, who was elected to Congress in 2012 and leads House Democrats campaign arm this election cycle, said that reproductive rights will also be a crucial issue for voters in swing districts that dont have a ballot question on access. Folks support womens reproductive rights across the country, DelBene said. And thats going to be a huge issue. And for some people, it is the issue. Democrats in Congress have been unable to restore nationwide abortion protections that existed for nearly 50 years under the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade case and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. Conservative Supreme Court justices voted to overturn those two rulings in the Dobbs decision that was released in 2022, writing that the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. The court is expected to rule this summer on two additional cases related to abortion access, just months before voters head to the polls. One originally filed in Texas will determine whether access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available as it is now or revert to prescribing instructions in place before 2016. The court heard oral arguments in March. The second case, out of Idaho, has to do with whether doctors who provide abortion as stabilizing care when the pregnant patients life or health is at risk are protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections for abortion access, voters in several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have voted to keep or instill abortion access as a right. Voters in numerous other states, including Arizona, Florida and Montana, are likely to have the issue directly on their ballots later this year, as well as candidates from president on down. Federal legislation DelBene said Friday that Democrats will bring legislation to the floor to restore nationwide protections for abortion, should they retake the House. That will be one of our top priorities, to make sure that we pass the Womens Health Protection Act again, DelBene said. But Im also hopeful that we will keep the Senate and be able to move forward. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter projects that Republicans are on track to pick up between one and four seats in the Senate, likely moving that chamber of Congress from blue to red. Should Democrats flip the House, that would mean a continuation of divided government, regardless of who wins the presidential contest. The Cook Political Report forecasts 203 seats are at least leaning toward Democratic control while 210 are rated as solid, likely or lean Republican. That leaves 22 seats in the toss up category, with a total of 218 needed for one party to control the chamber. Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and governors at CPR, wrote in an update released Friday that the upper chamber remains beyond precarious for Democrats. There is no room for error and if President Joe Biden loses reelection, they will have already lost the majority whether they run the table in all the competitive seats or not, Taylor wrote. Young voters DelBene said during the breakfast at a hotel in Washington, D.C., that turnout will be critical and that Democrats will be especially focused on younger voters showing up at the polls. Traditionally, younger voters havent turned out as much, she said. So that absolutely is a top priority. DelBene took several questions about whether those younger voters would actually back Democratic candidates or Biden, given the increase in protests on college campuses and concern within the progressive wing about the increasing civilian death toll from the ongoing war in Gaza. The top issues for younger voters, DelBene said, are making sure that they are going to have economic opportunity going forward and that theyre going to be in a position where they can have the same opportunities that their parents said that theyre going to have, the same rights and freedoms that their parents did. Candidates in purple districts should speak authentically with voters when theyre asked about their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, she said. My advice for candidates has always been, Its important for you to have an authentic voice and talk about what you would do, how you feel on issues. Because people can tell if someones scripted and not really talking about their feelings, DelBene said. And on such an important issue, I think, its really important that people talk authentically about their positions, what they think needs to happen. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala (WDHN) A trial date has been set for a man accused of shooting a pregnant 19-year-old from Florida to death last summer. Marquis McCloud will appear before Judge Christopher Richardson and a Houston County Jury on Monday, July 29. McCloud is charged with one count of Capital Murder-Kidnapping and one count of Capital Murder-Two or More Persons in the murder of 19-year-old Anastasia Gilley and her 4-month-old fetus. Houston County District Attorney Russ Goodman says he plans to prosecute this case personally, and if McCloud is convicted, his office will seek the death penalty. Gilleys badly decomposed body was found in a Houston County field in early May 2023 after she went missing from her Jackson County home. According to Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza, Gilley may have wilfully met McCoud in person after speaking with him through social media. The sheriff says at some point after meeting in person, McCloud began holding Gilley against her will and then shot her to death in the field off Headland Avenue. McClouds indictment from October 2023 claims McCloud shot Gilley multiple times. ANASTASIA GILLEY 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. 'Acted with impulse, lack of proper training' Ben Crump addresses body cam footage of U.S. airman killed by deputy Updates are still coming in regarding Roger Fortson, the airman who was killed in a deputy-involved shooting on Friday, May 3 in Fort Walton Beach. Following the recent release of the body camera footage from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, national civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Fortson family, said the new evidence only supports their assertion that the deputy went into the wrong apartment. OCSO claims the officer reacted in self-defense after confronting Fortson, who was armed with a gun when he answered his door. Crump and the Fortsons family are demanding answers, saying deputies are trying to "stain his reputation." Who is Roger Fortson? The family of U.S. Air Force Senior Airmen Roger Fortson has obtained the legal counsel of a prominent civil rights attorney. U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson, 23, was based at the Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field when he was fatally shot at his home at Elan Apartments. According to The Associated Press, he was assigned to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as a special missions aviator, where one of his roles as a member of the squadrons AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew was to load the gunships 30mm and 105mm cannons during missions. Frustration grows in Okaloosa County: Two questionable officer involved shootings in county "Roger enlisted in the military after graduating from high school with honors and had no criminal record," Crump said in a press release. "By all accounts, he was a stellar member of the Air Force and loved by his community." His mother, Chantimekki Fortson, called Roger Fortson the backbone of her family during a press conference, saying he had enlisted in the military after graduating high school to work toward his dream of buying her a home. She added he was "living his dream" and was well respected by his military superiors and colleagues. What happened to Roger Fortson at his Fort Walton Beach apartment? In a screen shot, an Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office deputy is shown in body cam video immediately after shooting U.S. Air Force Special Operations Senior Airman Roger Fortson at his Okaloosa County apartment outside of Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The OCSO first released its version of how the events at Fortson's apartment played out on the night he died in a press release posted to social media on Tuesday, May 7. According to officials, authorities were called to Fortson's apartment about 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 3 in reference to an apparent disturbance. Once a deputy arrived on the scene, the officials said he reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun." The office has not shared details on what kind of disturbance deputies were responding to or who called them. Fortson died at his off-base residence, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement. 'Entered the wrong apartment' Crump, Fortson family detail different encounter Crump has claimed the encounter played out differently from what deputies are saying. In a May 9 press conference, the attorney said the airman was "shot inside his own apartment by a cop who had burst in while he conversed over Facetime with his girlfriend." In a press release recounting the incident, it details Fortson heard a knock at the door and asked, "Who is it?" but failed to get a response. A few minutes later, Fortson heard an "aggressive" knock, but failed to see anyone once he looked out his peephole. Fortson, concerned for his safety, retrieved his legally owned gun, the release says. As Fortson returned to the living room, the witness said, deputies "burst through his door." When deputies saw the gun, they fired at Fortson six times. The witness, now revealed to be his girlfriend, said she saw Fortson on the ground, stating, "I can't breathe," after he was shot. The witness also said police were at the wrong apartment, and there was no disturbance, according to the release. He and the family publicly claim the deputy who shot Fortson entered the wrong apartment in answering a domestic disturbance call, and that the agency has since tried to change the story and cover up what really happened. Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden has denied any allegations that the deputy went to the wrong unit, or that he forced his way into the apartment. OCSO releases body cam footage. Crump says this backs up his evidence Amid growing pressure and attention, the Sheriff's Office released footage from the body camera the deputy was wearing at the time of his encounter with Fortson. In the video, the deputy can be seen arriving at Fortsons apartment complex, speaking to a woman who said she heard an argument taking place. The video then shows the deputy heading up to the apartment door, knocking and twice saying, Sheriffs Office. Open the door. Fortson opens the door while holding a handgun, which he legally owned, pointed toward the floor. The deputy shouted, Step back and then shot Fortson six times. NBC notes it was only afterward that he shouted, Drop the gun, drop the gun. The video ends after four-and- a-half minutes after Fortson had been shot and the deputy called for medical assistance on his radio. In a press conference on Thursday, Crump said the body cam footage backed up their claim that the deputy entered the wrong apartment while responding to a domestic disturbance call. "When he opened his door and saw the sheriffs deputy, Roger had his gun pointed to the ground with one hand and held his other hand up to signal he was not going to shoot," Crump said after viewing the video. "There is no question that the officer acted with impulse and a lack of proper training." According to NBC, the attorney also played audio from a police radio in which a dispatcher says a fourth party gave information about the location of the disturbance. Uh, dont have, uh, any further other than a male and female, the dispatcher tells officers. Its all fourth-party information from the front desk at the leasing office. It should be noted the audio was condensed to remove communications that were not relevant to the incident. Who is Ben Crump? Meka Fortson, the mother of Senior Airman Roger Fortson, cradles a photo of her son as she and her attorneys, Ben Crump and Brian Barr, call for transparency around the circumstances of her son's death in an officer-involved shooting at his apartment Friday, May 3, 2024. Ben Crump is an attorney who specializes in civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases such as wrongful death lawsuits. His practice has taken on cases such as: Trayvon Martin Breonna Taylor Michael Brown George Floyd Keenan Anderson People affected by the Flint water crisis, The estate of Henrietta Lacks, The 2019 Johnson & Johnson baby powder lawsuit alleging the company's talcum powder product led to ovarian cancer diagnoses What happened to the deputy following Roger Fortson's shooting? According to the sheriff's office, the deputy in question was placed on paid administrative leave, as is standard in such cases, pending the results of an investigation. The deputy has not been identified to the public. Crump and the Fortson family announced Wednesday that plans for the wake and funeral services would be held on Thursday and Friday. Pastor Jamal Bryant will deliver the eulogy at the funeral and Attorney Crump will deliver a call for justice. USA Today reported previously Fortsons body was reportedly transferred to Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday afternoon. Before the wake, the family will hold a news conference where they will provide updates on how they and Fortsons dog, Chloe, are doing. How can you watch Roger Fortsons funeral? Fortsons funeral will be live streamed on the New Birth Missionary Baptist Churchs YouTube page and website. Contributing reporting: Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal and Collin Bestor, Northwest Florida Daily News This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Ben Crump says body cam video shows deputies went into wrong apartment A piece of paper with the words "Stop the Giga-Fucktory" is stuck to a toad protection fence near the eastern part of the Tesla Gigafactory site and the protest camp in the forest. On 16 May, municipal representatives from Gruenheide approved a development plan that clears the way for an expansion of the Tesla factory. The car manufacturer wants to expand its site to include a freight yard and logistics areas. Soeren Stache/dpa Following a vote by local councillors in favour of the expansion of the Tesla gigafactory just outside Berlin, opponents of the plans want to extend their protest and are considering legal means. Talks are already under way with several nature conservation organizations, Steffen Schorcht, spokesman for the citizens' initiative in the small town of Grunheide, where the plant is located, said on Friday. They want to sound out a possible lawsuit with these organizations, he said, adding that by working together, the initiative is building on the expertise of the associations in species and water protection. On Thursday, the majority of Grunheide's council representatives approved the controversial expansion plan for the plant and an urban development contract with the US electric car manufacturer. The car manufacturer wants to expand its site to include a goods station and logistics areas. Activists see considerable environmental risks in the plans because the site is located in a water protection area. They also oppose the imminent deforestation. Other anti-Tesla initiatives announced on Friday are that they would continue and even intensify their protests. They now want to discuss how they will continue to act, said a spokeswoman for the "Tesla den Hahn abdrehen" (Turn off Tesla's tap) alliance initiative. But one thing is certain: there will be further protests, she said. More and more people are becoming aware of the problems in Grunheide. She suspects that the protest will therefore grow and that the outrage will increase after the decision, the spokeswoman said. The group of forest occupiers at the Tesla factory in Grunheide had already announced that they would continue the protest camp if the municipal representatives decided in favour of the expansion. "We may stay beyond the summer," said a spokeswoman for the "Stop Tesla" initiative on Friday. An extension of the protest beyond May 20 has already been applied for. The "Disrupt Tesla" campaign alliance also hinted at further actions against Tesla on Friday. They first wanted to organize themselves for concrete plans. "Disrupt Tesla" organized several protest actions in the state of Brandenburg last week. Among others, they stormed the Neuhardenberg airfield. This is where new Tesla cars are temporarily stored. According to media reports, the activists smeared some cars there with paint. The dispute over the expansion has been going on for a long time, with protests sometimes breaking out in violence. In March, previously unknown perpetrators set fire to an electricity pylon in a freely accessible field, which is part of the power supply to the Tesla plant. Due to a power outage, car production was put on hold for almost a week. Last week, activists tried to storm the Tesla site. The police were able to prevent this. According to the police, 76 criminal charges were filed during this weekend of protest and 23 demonstrators were temporarily taken into custody. The lettering "Tesla" is on the facade of a Tesla Gigafactory building. The railings of the bridge on the L38 road can be seen in the foreground. On 16 May, municipal representatives from Gruenheide approved a development plan that clears the way for an expansion of the Tesla factory. The car manufacturer wants to expand its site to include a freight yard and logistics areas. Soeren Stache/dpa The lettering "Tesla" is on the facade of a Tesla Gigafactory building. The railings of the bridge on the L38 road can be seen in the foreground. On 16 May, municipal representatives from Gruenheide approved a development plan that clears the way for an expansion of the Tesla factory. The car manufacturer wants to expand its site to include a freight yard and logistics areas. Soeren Stache/dpa Following a vote by local councillors in favour of the expansion of the Tesla gigafactory just outside Berlin, opponents of the plans want to extend their protest and are considering legal means. Talks are already under way with several nature conservation organizations, Steffen Schorcht, spokesman for the citizens' initiative in the small town of Grunheide, where the plant is located, said on Friday. They want to sound out a possible lawsuit with these organizations, he said, adding that by working together, the initiative is building on the expertise of the associations in species and water protection. On Thursday, the majority of Grunheide's council representatives approved the controversial expansion plan for the plant and an urban development contract with the US electric car manufacturer. The car manufacturer wants to expand its site to include a goods station and logistics areas. Activists see considerable environmental risks in the plans because the site is located in a water protection area. They also oppose the imminent deforestation. Other anti-Tesla initiatives announced on Friday are that they would continue and even intensify their protests. They now want to discuss how they will continue to act, said a spokeswoman for the "Tesla den Hahn abdrehen" (Turn off Tesla's tap) alliance initiative. But one thing is certain: there will be further protests, she said. More and more people are becoming aware of the problems in Grunheide. She suspects that the protest will therefore grow and that the outrage will increase after the decision, the spokeswoman said. A piece of paper with the words "Stop the Giga-Fucktory" is stuck to a toad protection fence near the eastern part of the Tesla Gigafactory site and the protest camp in the forest. On 16 May, municipal representatives from Gruenheide approved a development plan that clears the way for an expansion of the Tesla factory. The car manufacturer wants to expand its site to include a freight yard and logistics areas. Soeren Stache/dpa 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. (Photo by 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. 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 Iowa Capital Dispatch. Channel 9 spotted large, colorful lizards running around a Melbourne neighborhood of US-1. These non-native Peterss Rock Agamas originate in Africa. They were introduced to Florida in the late 1970s through the pet trade. Ken Gioeli, an extension agent with the University of Floridas Natural Resources in St. Lucie told us, Theyve been on the Treasure Coast and in South Florida for a while. Read: Longwood neighborhood fears flooding after homeowner blocks drain pipe with concrete Unfortunately, what looks like is happening is theyre breeding and moving north and west. The male lizards are the more colorful of the sexes and they can grow to one foot in length. The non-native lizards are established in Brevard, Volusia, Seminole and Orange Counties. Theyve also been spotted in Tampa. These non-native Peterss Rock Agamas originate in Africa. These non-native Peterss Rock Agamas originate in Africa. These non-native Peterss Rock Agamas originate in Africa. These non-native Peterss Rock Agamas originate in Africa. They were introduced to Florida in the late 1970s through the pet trade. These non-native Peterss Rock Agamas originate in Africa. These non-native Peterss Rock Agamas originate in Africa. These non-native Peterss Rock Agamas originate in Africa. Read: Incredible passion: NASCAR legend Juanita Lightnin Epton dies at 103 Gioeli told us the lizards spread may be slowed by climate constraints. But they are here to stay. We need to basically learn what it is that theyre doing to our environment, Gioeli said. Are they eating our natives? Are they damaging our native butterfly populations? Whats going on out there? And were working on that. People can report sightings using an app called ivegot1 and also upload photos and location here. Read: Universal buys land near convention center, proposed SunRail station Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. AI-generated images are running rampant on social media. What are X, TikTok and Meta doing to control them? Hundreds of celebrities descended on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City earlier this month for a chance to be photographed at the 2024 Met Gala, one of the years biggest fashion events. But among the more widely circulated images of the night were red carpet photos of two A-listers who werent even in attendance. The images, which depicted Katy Perry and Rihanna in on-theme floral dresses and standing in front of a crowd of photographers outside the Met Gala, were generated by artificial intelligence, or AI. Though they are of questionable quality a close examination quickly reveals that the carpet is the wrong color and the photographers in the background look slightly warped they appeared legitimate enough to confuse even Perrys own mother, as evidenced by a text exchange Perry shared on her Instagram account. Instagrams official account even commented a TRUE goddess, acknowledging the existence of the image almost 24 hours before Instagrams third-party fact checkers flagged it as altered. Fake photos of pop stars at the Met Gala may seem harmless, but the images offer just the latest high-profile example of the ways in which AI can be used to mislead people. As lawmakers grapple with how to implement safeguards around AI, images like those of Perry and Rihanna, which were widely distributed on Instagram, raise questions about what social media companies are doing to identify and respond to this kind of content on their platforms. "We welcome more research into AI and cross-platform inauthentic behavior since deceptive efforts rarely target only one platform, Meta spokesperson Ryan Daniels told Yahoo News, responding to a question about the images of Perry and Rihanna. The platform eventually did label Perrys repost of the AI image as an altered photo. The development of AI has just been so rapid, said Bernhard Gademann, CEO of tech investment firm Pioneer Ventures and co-founder of Edu Smart Technologies, which aims to help teachers incorporate technology into the classroom. Gademann said that he predicts AI will soon be so advanced that even AI-run detection tools used to help platforms identify and label will struggle with the task. What social media platforms say theyre doing Earlier this month, TikTok announced it would start automatically labeling videos and images that are made with AI using watermarking technology from the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity. It currently does not apply to audio-only content. In April, Meta announced that it would label AI-generated content on Facebook and Instagram starting in May. The announcement came in response to criticism from the Oversight Board, an outside group funded by Meta, which recently described the companys AI policies incoherent and confusing. The advisory board was called in after Meta declined to take down a seven-second AI-altered video of President Biden showing him inappropriately touching a young woman. In March, Google introduced a new tool in YouTubes Creator Studio that requires users to disclose if something is altered or made with generative AI. However, Google disclaimed it would not require creators to flag clearly unrealistic content or beauty filters or other visual enhancements. X takes 17 hours to remove explicit AI photos of Taylor Swift In January, explicit AI-generated photos of Taylor Swift circulated on X, where the search phrase Taylor Swift AI was trending. The concern was not about whether the photos were real but about the lack of laws to protect victims of AI, as well as social platforms needing to implement their own standards for flagging or taking down AI. One post sharing the Swift images, which was shared by a verified X user, was accessible for 17 hours and viewed more than 45 million times before X took it down. While X owner Elon Musk did cut down the platforms moderation team since taking over the company in 2022, it still does not allow synthetic media and nonconsensual nudity. Its probably no coincidence that a certain AI-generated content is particularly popular, Gademann said, referring to nonconsensual AI-generated explicit images like Swifts. Before the age of AI and deepfakes, there used to be this saying, Seeing is believing. But is seeing believing in the age of AI? That is the question. Swift isnt the only person, even famous person, whos been a victim of AI porn. Legal experts and victims, many of them teenage girls, have demanded that tech companies and government officials take action against the growing crisis. While several bills have been introduced to Congress, including the AI Labeling Act and the DEFIANCE Act, there are currently no federal laws banning deepfake porn in the U.S. Concerns for the future With AI being so readily accessible and the technology rapidly improving, is a label enough? While there are some technological solutions [for AI], both in creation and in distribution, there is also this whole other dynamic of other areas in which outputs are very harmful to people, Stanford researcher Renee DiResta told Yahoo News. Nobody's really sure what they're going to do about that yet. One of Gademanns concerns is that legislators are going to overreact and overcorrect its current lack of legal guidelines for AI. To Gademann, the positives of AI technology which he cites as the broad accessibility to knowledge, the ability to produce new content easily and cheaply and the potential it has in the medical field far outweigh the downsides, at least for now. This technology is generated by humans, it is maintained and administered by humans, its underlying source is data created by humans, Gademann said. I think its truly important to understand this difference, that [AI] is not a force acting on its own. It is humans who are in charge, which is why the call for accountability is so important. Ukrainian air defenses downed all 20 Shahed-type attack drones launched during a Russian attack overnight on May 17, Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said. The drones were reportedly launched from the Russian port town of Primorsko-Akhtarsk, located on the coast of the Sea of Azov, and from Russia's Kursk Oblast. Aircraft, missile and electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Air Force intercepted the drones over Kharkiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa, and Mykolaiv oblasts, Oleshchuk said. Drone attacks are a daily occurrence in Ukraine, affecting various regions across the country. In recent months, Russia has intensified attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, launching massive drone and missile strikes targeting critical facilities. Ukraine introduced restrictions on energy supply across the country due to a "significant power shortage." Read also: Russia claims fire at oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai after drone attack Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ala. Grandmother Killed in Front of Grandchildren on Mother's Day, Was Rushing Kids to Safety in Final Moments Gloria Crews, 64, was shot at her home during a Mothers Day celebration Montgomery Police Department Gloria Crews The Alabama grandmother was celebrating Mothers Day with her family when someone opened fire on the outdoor party just after 7 p.m. Sunday, May 12. Gloria Crews, 64, was fatally struck as she reportedly rushed children playing outside back into her house to safety. She collapsed on her Montgomery, Ala. lawn. Crews was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Central Alabama Crime Stoppers, who are offering a $1,000 cash award to anyone who may have seen something or know something and comes forward with information that leads to the identification and arrest of the shooter. Tony A. Garrett, Executive Director at Central Alabama CrimeStoppers, confirms to PEOPLE that three Montgomery City Council members have put another $15,000 toward the total award. Crewss daughter, Lakesha Crews, called her mother a sweet and special soul, on a GoFundMe set up for funeral expenses. (GoFundMe verified the authenticity of the fundraiser to PEOPLE.) She was a mother, grandmother, sister, caregiver, and friend to so so many, Lakesha adds. She touched a lot of people with her kind words and acts. 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. At 7:02 p.m. Sunday, police and fire medics rushed to Crewss home on the 4200 block of Cobbington Road on a report of a person shot, the Montgomery Police Department said in a press release emailed to PEOPLE. But first responders were unable to revive the grandmother. No arrests have yet been made, according to police who say the case is still under investigation. Major Saba Coleman declined to provide additional information to PEOPLE on the ongoing homicide investigation. Earlier that Sunday morning, Crews had attended church where she sang in the choir, before returning home to host a Mothers Day celebration with several generations of her family, AL.com reports. She had a servants heart for the Lord, friend and employer Carron Morrow told the outlet, adding: She didnt have a bad bone in her body. Crews who was killed in front of her grandchildren was helping raise her 6-year-old nephew and serving as the caretaker to her 84-year-old mother, per AL.com, which reported that Crews worked three jobs, including one as a caterer. Morrow said Crews had texted her an hour before the shooting to wish me a Happy Mothers Day. When Crewss brother called to tell her that she had been killed, I immediately started crying, says Morrow, who first met Crews when the deceased was 16. The devil will not win this battle, Morrow added, noting that she plans to attend an upcoming city council meeting to discuss gun violence in the area. Anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of the shooter is encouraged to call the Montgomery Police Department at (334)625-2831, Secret Witness at (334)625-4000 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at their 24-hour tip line: 334-215-STOP (7867) or 1-833-AL1-STOP (251-7867) or to download the P3-tips app. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Alaska Beacon aims to inform voters this year by asking candidates what Alaskans want to know A sign directs voters to the polling site set up on Nov. 8, 2022, in the YMCA in Midtown Anchorage. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) A sign directs voters to the polling site set up on Nov. 8, 2022, in the YMCA in Midtown Anchorage. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) When the Alaska Beacon launched two years ago, its staff focused campaign coverage on the concerns that Alaskans wanted to hear candidates talk about. That began with the candidate questionnaires we sent to more than 200 people running in the primaries for state or federal office in 2022. Most candidates responded to the questionnaires, giving a clearer picture of where they stood. The Beacon staff is again planning to provide voters with a chance to learn where candidates stand. The questions we aim to explore arent driven by what will benefit one party or another, nor will they be aimed at putting any set of candidates in a positive or negative light. What we will aim to do is give Alaskans a clearer sense when they fill out their primary ballots in August of who the candidates are and what they say theyll do should they be elected. While well also cover issues like how much candidates are raising and spending, our central goal is to convey what is at stake for Alaska in the election. We draw inspiration from an approach championed by New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen, who encourages the news media to engage with the public in covering campaigns. Rather than relentlessly focusing on who is winning the horse race, Rosen wants reporters to base their coverage on a different question a question the Alaska Beacon staff poses to readers: What do you want the candidates to be discussing as they compete for votes? You can share your answer to that question by emailing info@alaskabeacon.com. The Beacon staff plans to develop a set of questions on May 22 that it will be sending to those running for the U.S. House and the Alaska Legislature after the candidate filing deadline in early June. So the Beacon would love to hear your answers to the above question by the morning of May 22. But we also want to know your answers to this question after May 22, and to know how your questions may change over the course of the campaign season. Your questions wont just inform which questions we include in the candidate questionnaires. Theyll inform the Alaska Beacons campaign coverage through Election Day, on Nov. 5, and beyond as we cover policy and politics in the coming years. In 2022, these audience questions informed the Beacon staffs decision to ask the governor candidates about their positions on child care access and housing costs. These werent necessarily the issues candidates were highlighting in their campaign ads, but they were the ones affecting Alaskans in their daily lives. The Beacon aims to have at least one article between the primary and general elections in each competitive legislative race. Its a large undertaking, and you and other Beacon readers can make it easier by sharing their thoughts with the staff. Beacon news coverage is driven by no special interest, only the public interest. Understanding what Alaskans want to know about the policies that affect their lives is central to the staffs work. So please join an ongoing conversation with the Beacon about how its staff can best inform your votes this year. Please contact info@alaskabeacon.com with any questions. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Alaska Beacon aims to inform voters this year by asking candidates what Alaskans want to know appeared first on Alaska Beacon. A passionate debate within the Alaska Legislature about tribal sovereignty and a task force to course-correct the states seafood industry economic and ecological collapse resulted in last weekends final passage of a temporary eight-member Seafood Industry Task Force to spearhead recovery initiatives. The state Senate bill passed its final legislative step with a 39-to-1 majority in a vote on the House floor, and the upper chamber unanimously approved it the same day. However, an amendment introduced by Republican state Rep. Louise Stutes only allowed eight elected officials and excluded five other fishing, fish processing, and community representatives. The three tribal seats that Democratic state Rep. CJ McCormick had advocated for were not included. It took us until 2022 to finally recognize tribes. We have them here in this bill, and now were taking them out, said Democratic state Rep. CJ McCormick in open debate on the House floor. It felt pretty monumentous to finally have representation from tribal members. Democratic Alaska state Representative CJ McCormick The 26-year-old legislator then called the publics attention to footage of an April 25 House Fisheries Committee meeting in which he argued that tribal governments are rightful co-governing stakeholders in the Alaskan commercial fishing industry. It just gives me a little bit of pause that [after] adding them on there, now all of the sudden the commissions too big, said Rep. McCormick. Fishing, fish processing, and community representatives and three state commissioners are now excluded, including the three tribal seats that McCormick had advocated for. The bills original language called for two public members who are representatives of the United Fishermen of Alaska or the Pacific Seafood Processors Association, along with two senators, two representatives, and the fish and game commissioner. The measure would have allowed members to be represented by someone they designate, as many work in the seafood industry or are at sea while the task force meets. The changes to the resolution also allow seafood processors to have out-of-state representatives, as many of the larger seafood processing companies are Seattle-based. Republican state Reps. Kevin McCabe and Sarah Vance opposed McCormicks amendment, which designated three tribal seats to match legislator additions. In the April 25 committee meeting with a Republican majority, Vance and McCabe argued that subsistence was outside the resolutions focus on market conditions and the economy. Im not so sure that we need to put [in] all races and all colors.. and Im not so sure we need to get into the politics of that, while saying that McCormick was implying that non-Alaskan Native members couldnt represent Alaskan Natives. Twenty percent of the people in Alaska are Alaska Natives; they are not co-equal governments. Youve said that before, and that is simply not true. I think that there needs to be representation from all facets of the industry, but where do we end, asked Rep. McCabe I have a mouthful of blood right now, Im biting my tongue, said Rep. McCormick. There is a lot of factually inaccurate information that was just stated on the record. First of all, a tribe does not necessarily indicate Alaskan Native. A tribe is, in fact, a political subdivision. It is a government entity; that was the purpose of the 2018 law that recognized tribes. This statement that its a racial designation is inaccurate; they are a political subdivision, said Rep. McCormick, referencing the Tribal Recognition Act of 2018. Alaskas youngest legislator added that the Republicans were making this a subsistence issue when in actuality tribal governments do engage in the commercial fishing industry, and that is why I want them to be a part of this resolution because they are stakeholders in the seafood industry. Republican state Rep. Ben Carpenter ultimately supported McCormicks amendment, acknowledging the impacts that the commercial fishing industry has on subsistence, but still related it to a subsistence issue, saying, I dont see that it is necessarily represented in the language of the bill, while adding that theyre just trying to live and arent always directly connected to the economic benefits. The other Republicans disagreed, saying that the resolution included three representatives of fishing-dependent coastal communities and that those seats would likely be filled by federally qualifying tribal members, but the positions were not specifically tribal seats. Samuel John, age 8, is his held by his dad, Joseph John Jr. while his brother Jeremiah John steers the boat to go salmon fishing on July 1, 2015 in Newtok, Alaska. President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order in December 2023 that affirms that Tribal governments must be treated as permanent, equal, and vital parts of Americas overlapping system of government. As much as I would like to take the word of this body that there will be tribal representation, there is a lot of history that says that will not happen. Theres a systemic and historical rejection of tribal representation, said Rep. McCormick. In public testimony on fisheries bycatch regulations, or laws that restrict commercial fishermen from keeping prohibited species of incidentally caught fish, that were heard in the same meeting, Julian Ramirez, a salmon and clean water organizer at the Alaska Center, said, Actions that we support include 100% 24-hour observer coverage in the Gulf of Alaska Bering Sea trawl fisheries to allow for the thorough and accurate documentation prohibited species catch. We support calls for the governor to nominate a tribal member to a designated seat on the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, added Ramirez. Soldotna residents David Bought and Carl Holman both testified that a legal loophole allows fishing trawlers to disrupt important habitats for crabs and other species. The most important action is to get trawlers off the bottom, said Bought. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alaska lawmakers cut tribal seats on Seafood Task Force Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage, stares at a pile stack of budget amendments on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) More Alaskans will be able to access food stamps following lawmakers vote to expand eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday night. The change comes after more than a year of extreme delays in food stamp distribution across the state that left thousands of vulnerable Alaskans without aid for months at a time, driving many into debt and inundating food pantries with food insecure families. State workers caught up on the backlog in March. Alaska will join 42 other states in using an approach called broad based categorical eligibility to streamline applications for the program. The move eases the requirements to get benefits and should reduce the administrative burden that contributed to a backlog in the states Division of Public Assistance. Ron Meehan, director of government affairs for Food Banks of Alaska, said he shared the news with fellow advocates and food bank managers in a flurry of late-night text messages. We are feeling really relieved and excited about the implications of this, he said. This is something that has been a pretty significant priority for the Alaska Food Coalition and the Food Bank of Alaska, not just in the two years since this latest significant backlog, but really for at least a decade. Broad based categorical eligibility makes households with incomes less than twice of the federal poverty line eligible for the program. Previously, the threshold was 30% more than the poverty line in Alaska. It is a priority for food advocates because it allows more people to qualify and save up enough money to gradually exit the program. The bill also removes a component called the asset test, which kept people with more than $4,000 in savings from accessing food aid. That meant anyone with a car or a house would have to liquidate those assets and spend down cash before qualifying, Meehan said. There was just such an opportunity in the midst of all of that chaos to really step back and think, What are the things that we can do to make sure that this doesn't happen again?' Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage Rep. Genevieve Mina, D-Anchorage and the bills sponsor, has pushed for the legislation since last winter, when the state was still in the midst of the backlog. Her proposal, House Bill 196, was rolled into another piece of legislation, House Bill 344, on the last day of the session. The Senate passed it unanimously, while the House voted 26-14 to agree to the final version of the bill. Some lawmakers have lauded its success as one of the sessions major accomplishments. We have the ability to feed thousands and thousands of more Alaskans. It also allows more kids to have access to free lunch. And I think that is a great thing in terms of the food crisis that is in our state, she said on the House floor Wednesday night. Mina saw the inception of the current food stamp backlog as a legislative staffer after the number of jobs handling applications were reduced in 2021. Now, as a lawmaker, she is responsible for a policy change that she says will streamline the process. She said her efforts as a member of the House minority were boosted by support from veteran Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, the Senate majority leader and because the problem affected every region in the state. There was just such an opportunity in the midst of all of that chaos to really step back and think, What are the things that we can do to make sure that this doesnt happen again? she said. Since 2022, the state government has been scrambling to address the backlog and Gov. Mike Dunleavy has added more than $70 million to state budgets over the last two years to fight the crisis. The money has gone to computer upgrades, new staff and direct aid to food banks. Supporters say the new legislation marks a turning point to a proactive response to food instability in Alaska. Though the changes could dramatically increase food aid to Alaskans, they will cost the state only about $140,000 because the SNAP benefits are paid for by the federal government. Mina worked with the programs state manager, Division of Public Assistance Director Deb Etheridge, to make sure the changes would help workers get through food stamp applications more efficiently. She credited the state administration with investing in new technology and said it is also important to retain staff at the Division of Public Assistance. Those are all just pieces that are starting to come together, she said. Hopefully by next year, well see more Alaskans being able to eat and also more Alaskans able to transition off the program. The post Alaska lawmakers expand food stamp program with goal of preventing hunger, application backlogs appeared first on Alaska Beacon. We have known for some time now that the current Supreme Court is not comprised of conservatives and liberals, or even jurists and reactionaries. It has split into those who care about the future of the court and the country, and those who do not. Because the group that cares is much larger than the one that doesnt, its members could have at any time done many things to signal to the latter group and we can go ahead and name them, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alitothat accepting lavish, undisclosed gifts and vacations from billionaire donors who have interests before the court was a rolling, public-confidence-and-democracy-threatening disaster. They said nothing, even as this sordid conduct degraded the nations highest court, for many of the reasons powerful individuals often say nothing: To protect the institution at large; to preserve the long-tarnished myth of a collegial court; and because, when there is nothing to be done about it anyhow, whats the point? In a sense, then, nobody should be all that surprised by Jodi Kantors bombshell reporting on Thursday night about the upside-down flag that hung outside the Alitos home in suburban Virginia in the days after the Jan. 6 insurrection. The symbol of support for the attempted coup flew during a time when the court was considering cases seeking to set aside the election results. Alito has confirmed that this flag display happened. Multiple neighbors and Supreme Court employees have corroborated the reporting. We can certainly quibble (and Alitos defenders surely will) about whether an upside-down flag really represents Stop the Steal, as Kantors experts affirm, or some other message of peace and goodwill. We can and will debate over Alitos claim that his wife hoisted the flag because one of the neighbors hurt their feelings (so, #feminism). But the saddest and most arresting part of this endless downward spiral for the seven jurists who should know better, and the two who do not, is not that they dont care about what they are doing to the courtits how pitifully, shabbily small these ride-or-die political battles really are. Every one of the Supreme Courts nine justices is well aware of the recusal statute that binds federal judges and the ethics code that, even in 2021, they purported to consult and follow. Even then, before SCOTUS produced its own totally voluntary, never-say-never ethical guidelines in 2023, internal policy and external law required them to refrain from acting like thin-skinned partisan nuts, and to recuse themselves from relevant cases when they failed to adhere to this standard. This is a low bar to clear. And yet, in statements to the New York Times and Fox News Shannon Bream, Alito implied that he and his wife, Martha-Ann, simply had no choice but to disrespect the stars and stripes by vulgarly violating the U.S. Flag Code because it was necessary to own a liberal neighbor. The justice told Bream that this neighbor put up a Fuck Trump signwhere children might see it!and then another sign personally blaming Martha-Ann for Jan. 6. Finally, a male in the home called Martha-Ann the c-word while she was on a walk with her husband. All this led her to join countless Stop the Steal enthusiasts in hanging her American flag upside down. At the time, this act was associated with fringe-right, QAnon-style conspiracy theorists who supported Trumps failed coup and dismissed Fox News as too squishy. None of the Alitos explanations so far even attempt to explain why Martha-Ann landed on this gesture, out of all the possibilities, to further upset and provoke her progressive neighbors. Readers are also left to guess at the true origin of the conflict; are we really supposed to think that the neighbors picked this fight unprovoked, and the Alitos are completely blameless? The justices defenders are scrambling to muddy the waters with some alternate explanation, but the truth is crystal clear, and unrefuted by the Alitos themselves: That flag was hung upside down to piss off some libs. At best, Martha-Ann Alito was trolling her neighbor by professing a militant belief that Biden stole the election; at worst, she held that belief sincerely. Lets be clear that everything these neighbors stand accused of doing is obviously protected speech under the First Amendment. There is no allegation of genuine harassment or true threats; these people just wanted to express displeasure toward a very public figure and his somewhat public wife. And though Alito seems to believe that he and his wife were within their rights to fight back against an irritating neighbor, the staff who work under Alito at SCOTUS would have no such luxury. The Times piece lays out the strictures on court employees that ban political signs and bumper stickers, partisan political activity, and even nonpartisan political activity that could reflect adversely on the dignity or impartiality of the court. The court would not say whether the rules that censor its staff also apply to the justices. But Alito must know how terrible it looks for his own household to breach the decorum requirements imposed on the people who work for him. The very idea that the neighbors unkind words forced the Alitos to violate the network of rules that prevent shows of bias is just a variation on last years defense that a comped seat on a private jet is not subject to disclosure rules because it would have been vacant otherwise. So when Alito throws his wife under the busthe flag was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signshes issuing another justification: He gets to break the rules because she was in a fight with the neighbors. He gets to break the rules because the seat on the plane was otherwise unoccupied. He gets to break the rules because the rules are always trying to trip him up and catch him out. The justices perpetual victimhood mentality, which shines through in his opinions and interviews and myriad grievance-laden speeches, has now literally reached his own front yard. The Alitos are not here fighting some vitally important civic-minded battle about the nature of freedom or democracy. No. This is, as Alito concedes, just payback because of a lawn sign and a bad word. Presumably, fourth-period detention and a note home to the neighbors parents were not an option. Justice Clarence Thomas, who at a judicial conference last week complained yet again about how loathsome Washington, D.C., has become, is also the king of the petty grievance: Its a hideous place, as far as Im concerned, he said of the District. Because the rest of the country,its one of the reasons we like RVingyou get to be around regular people who dont pride themselves in doing harmful things, merely because they have the capacity to do it. The super-luxury RV, financed by a wealthy friendthat is the solution to Thomas persecution and heartache? Its the cause of our own. This is the hill Thomas seeks to die on, then? His hurt feelings? That ethics experts, and indeed the American public, might find it problematic that Thomas wife could enthusiastically participate in efforts to delegitimize Joe Bidens 2020 election win and support and attend the Stop the Steal rally at the ellipse on Jan. 6 is an outrage he must elevate over the court itself? The sheer pettiness of these gripesthe fact that these men continue to filter justice through their small, round, grudge-colored glassesis what is breathtaking here. If being an unelected, lifetime-appointed, unbound-by-rules jurist means anything at all, should it not mean that you perhaps rise above your grassy suburban neighborhoods feelings wars? Apparently not. Apparently the life-altering principle of self-soothing your small injuries matters above all things. Perhaps the saddest line in Kantors reporting is this one: The half-dozen neighbors who saw the flag, or knew of it, requested anonymity because they said they did not want to add to the contentiousness on the block and feared reprisal. Even his neighbors didnt want to complain about Alitos Stop the Steal flag, both because theres no possibility of accountability, and also because they fear reprisal. This, right here, is the reason we create accountability: because without it, we are hostages to the unaccountable. This is also the reason Chief Justice John Roberts will say and do nothing about Martha-Ann Alitos MAGA flag stunt; and the rest of the justices will say nothing about it; and also the reason that parties that litigate Jan. 6 cases before Thomas and Alito will never raise it. Mention that this is rank lawlessness and you become one of the nasty bullies. Payback only ever flows in one direction. Just last month, the court heard two such cases. One would overturn hundreds of Jan. 6 convictions while undermining the indictment against Trump for election subversion. The other would immunize Trump from criminal prosecution for his role in the insurrection. Big surprise: Alito loudly and angrily defended the former president in both. He can act like a brain-poisoned hack on the bench for the same reason that he can shrug off his own households association with the most dangerous and demented MAGA conspiracy theorists: There will never be consequences for his offenses. And we all make ourselves perpetually smaller to accommodate that concession. All rise for the honorable wife blamer: In cowardly fashion, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is blaming his wife for an upside-down American flag that flew outside the couples home in January 2021 ahead of Bidens inauguration, a prominent symbol among the anti-government far-right and which experts say is a clear violation of ethics rules against bias. In a story first reported by The New York Times on Thursday, the Alitos flew the inverted flag outside their home for several days in January 2021, with neighbors photographing it on January 17 and discussing its enduring presence on January 18. While the exact dates it was flown are unknown, the flag flew between the January 6 Capitol riotwhere pro-Trump conspiracy theorists and far-right extremists waved that same flagand the January 20 presidential inauguration of Joe Biden. Long used as a naval distress symbol, the inverted flag has occasionally been used in anti-war and anti-fascist protests. Now, it most commonly appears among the anti-government far-righta somewhat ironic choice for the home of a Supreme Court justice, whose work directly influences how the government operates. In January 2021, it was a prominent symbol during the Stop the Steal protests against the certification of the presidential election as Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol. Justice Alito said the flag was part of a passive-aggressive dispute between his wife, in dire need of a hobby, and their neighbors, who had placed an anti-Trump sign with an expletive on their lawn. But that fails to justify what judicial experts say is a clear violation of SCOTUSs ethics rules, which prohibit even a whiff of bias. It might be his spouse or someone else living in his home, but he shouldnt have it in his yard as his message to the world, said Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia, in an interview with the Times. The conservative justice previously took an undisclosed luxury fishing trip in 2008 with a Republican billionaire donor who later presented cases to the Supreme Court, apparently in violation of federal law. The corruption-inclined Clarence Thomas and his election denialist wife must be so proud of their little proteges. In the three years since the flag flew, the Alitos had plenty of time to come up with a better excuse. Claiming it was placed there by an outside agitator would be an easy fan favorite with conservatives. Or they could have claimed they just didnt realize they put it upside-down because when they were affixing it to the pole a rabid squirrel jumped out of a bush and started attacking them and they were so they just put it up and ran away and were too afraid of the squirrel to leave their house for several days. Skys the limit when youre a judge on the highest court in the land accountable to practically no one with a wife far too invested in wackadoo conspiracy theories. Alito says he had no involvement in upside-down flag flying at home Alito says he had no involvement in upside-down flag flying at home Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said he had no involvement in the upside-down American flag flying at his home in Alexandria, Va., following the 2020 election, a symbol associated with the Stop the Steal efforts premised on false claims of ballot fraud. The upside-down flag was flown at this house on Jan. 17, 2021, The New York Times reported Thursday along with photos from that time. Alito blamed the flag on his wife, Martha-Ann Alito. I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag, the justice told the paper when asked about the flag. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. The flag appeared outside the conservative justices residence just days following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol where some attackers carried similar flags. During that period, the nations highest court was looking into whether it would consider some cases related to the 2020 election. The Times said it was unclear how long the flag flew outside Alitos home. Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream said she spoke with Alito and was told that the justices wife, Martha-Ann, hung the flag upside down following an exchange with a neighbor who had a F Trump sign near a school bus pickup location. Mrs. Alito brought this up with the neighbor, Bream said in a Friday post on social platform X. Bream also said she was told things escalated and the neighbor put up a sign personally addressing Mrs. Alito and blaming her for the Jan 6th attacks. Alito says the man engaged in vulgar language, including the c-word,' Bream added. Following that exchange, Mrs. Alito was distraught and hung the flag upside down for a short time. Justice Alito says some neighbors on his street are very political and acknowledges it was a very heated time in January 2021, Bream said. Judicial experts told the Times that Alito violated ethics rules over flying the flag, which could put his neutrality into question regarding Jan. 6 and presidential election cases. Justice Clarence Thomas, another conservative on the court, has faced scrutiny over not recusing himself from cases related to the election. His wife, Virginia Ginni Thomas, was personally involved in the effort to keep former President Trump in power after the 2020 election and attended his rally before the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol building. Thomas recently condemned his critics over nastiness and lies directed toward him and his wife at a judicial conference in Alabama. Updated at 1:11 p.m. EDT For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. An alligator in Kent Lake? Police warn Kensington visitors to be on the lookout as search continues Metroparks Police posted this sign in Kensington on Thursday, May 16, 2024, warning of a possible alligator in the lake. MILFORD An alligator may still be loose in a Kensington Metropark lake, despite a massive search effort. After an initial reported sighting of an alligator in Kent Lake on Thursday, a hunt for the reptile began that involved Metroparks police, as well as the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Oakland County Animal Control, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and Detroit Zoological Society. Metroparks communications specialist Danielle Mauter said the search continued until shortly after midnight, with drones, ATVs, boats, and a helicopter all in use, and she thanked all responders for their extensive efforts. "Despite everyones best efforts and genuine collaborative spirit, we were unable to spot or locate the alligator," Mauter said in a statement just before 10:30 a.m. Friday. "There have been questions about size, which we can not confirm from the one reported sighting. At this time, we will be keeping our eyes open and seeing if the possible alligator makes another appearance, and we will leave the warning signs in place for the publics assistance with any sightings as well." She added that all areas of the park remain open. The sighting occurred in an area of the lake not open to swimming, and also an area that is "lesser used" for boating. The signs at the park warn, "Be Aware. Possible alligator sighting in Kent Lake," and advise visitors that if people see an alligator, to call the Metroparks Police at 810-227-8910. Mauter noted that "if this sighting is real, it is most likely the result of someone releasing a pet alligator into the lake," since alligators aren't native to Michigan. Puff, the magic escape artist. The 20-year-old American alligator was captured in 2019 in a neighbor's yard. "We ask visitors to use caution and not approach the animal if it is spotted, and to instead call the Metroparks Police at the number posted on signs right away," she said, adding, "We remind visitors that pets or wildlife of any kind should not be released and relocated to the Metroparks." If an alligator is indeed on the loose in Milford, it won't be the first time. In July 2019, a 4-foot alligator named Puff escaped from the Milford Township home where he had lived with his owner for eight years. Puff, who broke his tether in the front yard and went for a stroll down Commerce Road, was recaptured by neighbors and police before he made it to a drainage ditch. A little more than a year later, he found a new home at the zoo. Milford has also been home to Darwin, an emu who escaped during a COVID-19 stay-at-home order, but was safely returned. Contact reporter Susan Bromley at sbromley@hometownlife.com or 517-281-2412. This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Kensington Metropark police warn of alligator sighting in Kent Lake OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday, the conviction of a Altus man after lying during during the purchase of a firearm. According to U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester, Angel Luis Garcia-Navedo, 27, of Altus, was found guilty after a bench trial of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. DOJ authorities confirm, on August 16, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment against Garcia-Navedo, charging him with making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and with illegal receipt of a firearm by a person under indictment. On May 14, 2024, the case proceeded to a bench trial on the false statement count, after which the Court found Garcia-Navedo guilty. I-44 ramp closed, lanes narrowed after crash DOJ officials say, evidence presented at trial, in April 2023, Garcia-Navedo visited an Altus federal firearm licensee (FFL) to initiate the purchase of a rifle. To do so, Garcia-Navedo was required to complete Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Form 4473. This Form requires buyers to answer several questions, including those about the buyers competency, criminal history, drug use, immigration status, and history with domestic violence. Federal law prohibits knowingly making any false statement in connection with purchasing, or attempting to purchase, a firearm. On the ATF Form 4473, evidence at trial showed that Garcia-Navedo indicated that he was not under indictment or information for a felony or a crime for which he could be imprisoned for more than one year. According to DOJ officials, public record reflected, that at the time that he completed the ATF Form 4473, Garcia-Navedo was charged by information with two felony offenses in Jackson County District Court. At sentencing, Garcia-Navedo faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. 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. Amazon delivery driver falls down 12-foot hole after stepping out of van in California The Modesto Fire Department rescued an Amazon delivery driver who fell into a 12-foot hole as he stepped out of his van in Oakdale on Thursday afternoon, according to an incident summary report. The delivery driver was trapped for over an hour as 23 Fire Department personnel attempted to pull him out. He was eventually removed and was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The incident occurred near the intersection of J Street and Cabernet Drive. MFD spokesman Jim Black said the delivery driver did not fall all the way down the hole a metal grate supported the man and prevented him from succumbing to the full depth of the drainage pipe. It was unknown as of Friday if the grate was already down in the hole or if it fell when the delivery driver stepped on it. Regardless, the grate prevented further injuries to the man, said Black. Oak Valley Ambulance, the Oakdale Police Department and Oakdale Public Works assisted in the rescue. American Airlines Group Inc. will bring a new Caribbean flight to Charlotte Douglas International Airport this winter while bolstering service on another. MORE: It was crazy: Significant flight disruptions frustrate passengers The airline said today it will start flying once a week to St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD) from CLT on Dec. 7. That seasonal flight will operate Saturdays on a Boeing 737, which has 172 seats. In addition, American will increase local service on its existing route to Antigua this winter. Starting Dec. 5, flights will increase to daily service. That route currently flies once a week, on Saturdays. Keep reading on CBJs website here. (WATCH BELOW: What are your rights for canceled or delayed flights?) American Airlines flight diverts to Denver because of medical issue on board DENVER (KDVR) An American Airlines flight from the West Coast diverted to Denver on Thursday afternoon. American Airlines flight 1585 departed Los Angeles International Airport at 1:39 p.m. PDT en route to Chicago OHare International Airport, according to records on FlightAware. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox The flight had to divert to Denver International Airport due to the medical needs of a customer, American Airlines said in a statement. Upon landing safely at DEN, the aircraft was met by first responders who transported the passenger to hospital. FlightAware shows the plane landed in Denver at 4:57 p.m. MDT and departed for Chicago at 6:24 p.m. MDT. The flight was expected to arrive around 9:24 p.m. CDT. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank our customers for their understanding, American Airlines said in the statement. 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. As the Israeli military intensifies its fight against the militant group Hamas in and around the southern Gaza city of Rafah, thousands are being forced to evacuate and several U.S. citizens are caught up in the confusion after the Israeli military took over the Rafah Crossing on May 7. Among those uncertain how they will get out of Gaza are a group of medics, who were volunteering with the Palestinian American Medical Association, working at the European Hospital in Khan Younis. "The U.N. have been working to try to secure a safe passage," Monica Johnston, a burns nurse from Portland, told ABC News in an interview. "We just don't know when that will be. We keep getting told tentative dates and it keeps getting pushed back. We have a team in Cairo waiting to come and relieve us." Johnston and 18 other colleagues were meant to leave on Monday, but with the Rafah Crossing closed and Israel Defense Forces activity in the area increasing, the route out was deemed too dangerous. Johnston told ABC News she didnt want to leave until the replacement team had arrived. "I want to continue to provide help because I don't want these people abandoned," Johnston said, visibly upset. "I want the world to know that there are so many innocent people being affected," Johnston told ABC News. MORE: Protesters in Israel arrested after attacking Gaza aid trucks PHOTO: A view of Yafa hospital damaged by Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, Dec. 8, 2023. (Stringer/Reuters, FILE) She explained that the longer this team has to wait for their replacements, the harder it is for them to do their jobs as the hospital is running so low on supplies. "They need to come in, and they need to have their supplies as well," Johnston said, explaining that she is struggling to suitably treat patients as the hospital is running out of basics like soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels, medicines and equipment. "Were running out of medications, life sustaining medications that keep the heart running, the blood pumping. Pain medications we have to ration that and that in my position is extremely hard," she said. "Theres such a lack of infection control. Theres bugs and flies and dirty linen everywhere. Most dressings should be changed daily ... some we are spreading out to every other day. We find that the wound is very contaminated sometimes they have maggots," Johnston said. The Rafah Crossing into Egypt has been the main access point for the Gaza Strip since this conflict began when Hamas militants stormed Israel on Oct. 7, killing at least 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping over 250. On May 7, Israeli tanks entered the crossing and the IDF now control it. They are not allowing any access as they step up their efforts to confront Hamas in the area. Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant was in Rafah Thursday and announced a ramping up of troops there. "Additional troops will join the ground operation in Rafah," Gallant said. MORE: Humanitarian workers, doctors describe 'horrific' situation in Rafah as Israel intensifies strikes PHOTO: A delegation of American and European doctors performs complex surgeries on injured Palestinians at the European Hospital, Dec. 31, 2023, Gaza Strip. (Abed Rahim Khatib/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images) This increase in military activity has meant the journey in and out of for the PAMA teams is now far more complicated and potentially dangerous. "The situation since May 7 has gotten even more dire than you can imagine," Johnston said, explaining that many hospital staff have fled the area after the Israeli military instructed the evacuation of nearby Rafah, adding a further burden onto the already over-stretched staff and volunteers who have remained. "There have been lots of fights amongst people here ... over things like the use of water," Johnson explained. "I am concerned I dont know how much longer our bottled water supply is going to last." Tension is running high in the hospital among both patients and staff, Johnston said. "I was leaving the ICU last night and was quickly ushered out as there was a gun fight and a knife fight in the ER. I dont know what it was over, but you feel the tension, you feel the stress, you feel the anxiety increasing in everyone here." Johnston has not worked in conflict zones before but her colleague, Dr. Adam Hamawy, has. He was an army medic and served in Iraq where he was responsible for saving the life of Sen. Tammy Duckworth. Sen. Duckworth has been in regular contact with Hamawy, posting to X (formally known as Twitter) on May 14, "I'm in direct contact with Dr. Hamawy and am working hard to secure his group's immediate evacuation. Aid workers and innocent civilians should always be protected. The Netanyahu admin must work to open the Rafah crossing, support evacuations and allow much more aid in." MORE: Northern Gaza experiencing 'full-blown famine': UN official PHOTO: A general view shows a field hospital operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 10, 2024. (ICRC/via Reuters) Despite being no stranger to conflict, Hamawy said he is distressed by what he has seen in Gaza. "Every patient I have has a story. Every patient I have has been suffering for months. Every patient I have has lost family members. Many of my patients are children that are now orphans because they have lost both their parents," Hamawy told ABC News. "And its not just the patients. Its everyone that is here in the hospital. Its the nurses, its the doctors, its the staff," Hamawy said. "This morning I was talking to one of the nurses that I met when I first came here," Hamawy said, explaining that this man looked exhausted. "As soon as I asked him how he was and where he had been he collapsed and started weeping, telling me the ordeal he has been through," Hamawy said. That nurse had evacuated his family out of Rafah, taking his wife and two young daughters to where the Israelis had indicated was safe. "This place had nothing. It was basically desert. There was no water. There was no food, no shelter, no tents, no bathrooms. He said they lived like animals. When they had to use the facilities, they had to dig a hole. He said at night it was freezing and during the day he was extremely hot, Hamawy said. Both Hamawy and Johnston said they are filled with empathy and admiration for the patients they have treated and the Palestinian colleagues they have worked with. "I feel very grateful to be here and provide that little level of comfort and safety for them," Johnston said, adding, "The amount of trauma that everybody has suffered here and the triggers that are going to happen lifelong is heartbreaking." American doctors uncertain how they will leave Gaza: A day in their life originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Imagine if we were to lose the tremendous medical advances of the past century. If people began to routinely die from what we now consider minor infections. If the surgeries weve come to take for granted suddenly got much, much riskier. This isnt that far-fetched. The growing risk from drug-resistant bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites, Englands former chief medical officer Sally Davies told The Guardian in an interview published this week, is more acute than climate change and could make Covid-19 look minor. Among the many dangers, The Guardians Kat Lay reported, is that widespread resistance would make much of modern medicine too risky, affecting treatments including cesarean sections, cancer interventions and organ transplantation. This is scary stuffall the more so because drug resistance is often presented as a massive, multifaceted problem that is nearly impossible to tackle. Maybe youve heard of it in the context of doctors overprescribing antibiotics, or patients not taking the full course of antibiotics when they are prescribed. Maybe youve heard of drug-resistant tuberculosis developing and circulating in prisons, or maybe youve been told that the chief driver is overprescription of antibiotics in low-income countries, meaning that solving this would require an unprecedented level of global coordination and foreign aid. Drug resistance is a complicated, multifaceted problemand it will require global coordination. But theres one really large lever we could pull that would make it much more manageable. And while some articles on drug resistance dont mention it, Davies does: animal agriculture. Over two-thirds of all antimicrobials sold globally wind up in farm animals73 percent, by some estimates. The meat industry has historically fed animals antibiotics not just to treat illness but to make them grow faster so it can kill and sell them faster. While the Food and Drug Administration stopped allowing that in the United States as of 2017, industrial meat, dairy, poultry, egg, and aquaculture operations still use a lot of antibiotics because of the extreme density in which these animals are raised. Also, antibiotics arent always administered at an individual level in response to illness but can be given as a preventative measure, or to an entire group. The U.S. remains way up in the charts in farm animal antibiotic usethird worldwide, after China and Brazil. While China now seems to be reducing antimicrobial use in farming, analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council and One Health Trust found a troubling trend in the U.S.: If you look at the total amount of antibiotics by weight, while human medicine reduced its use of medically important antibiotics from 2017 to 2020, livestock farming used more. After that sharp drop around 2017, livestock productions share of antibiotic use again crept upward, from about 62 percent of antibiotics sold in 2017 to 69 percent in 2020. Overuse of drugs in livestock production can affect humans in several ways. Eighty percent of the antibiotics given to animals, Davies told The Guardian, then gets excreted in their waste, meaning antibiotics can pass into the environment, increasing selective pressures that contribute to antibiotic resistance. Drug residue can also persist in animal products that consumers then ingest. (Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a sampling and testing system to prevent the sale of meat with drug residue, with thresholds or tolerance levels set by the FDA, that does not mean there is no residue.) Drug-resistant bacteria that develop in animals deluged with antibiotics can contaminate improperly handled meat or pass via animal feces to plant crops. There are ways to fix American farmings drug addiction. We know that because the intensity of antibiotic use on farms in Europe is about half that in the United States. The U.S. could catch up by instituting regulations that encourage or mandate better hygiene and general living conditions and more nondrug preventative care. This would have multiple benefits for human health: As TNR contributor Melody Schreiber recently reported, animal farmingnot wild birds, as some narratives suggesthas been the primary driver of bird flu. Once bird flu gets into a large-scale poultry or, now, a dairy operation, it can spread quickly in cramped confines, and then spread to other farms before spilling back into wild birds and animals. Another way to cut antibiotic use worldwide would be to eat less meat. One estimate suggests reducing global meat consumption to the equivalent of one standard fast-food burger per person per dayaverage U.S. consumption is currently over six times thatwould slash the global use of antimicrobials for food animals by 66 percent. This would have the salutary effect of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waterway contamination, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and more. While the long-delayed farm bill is back in headlines this week, so far most of the focus is on tracking foreign land purchases, cannabis, and GOP efforts to avoid the words climate change. Instead of state-level regulations improving how poultry, hogs, and cattle are raised, Florida and Alabama have opted to ban lab-cultivated meatwhich isnt for sale anyway. And nothing gets culture warriors worked up faster than the slightest hint of a suggestion that people eat less meator any regulation that might make it marginally more expensive. Then again, maybe theyd feel differently after a few public awareness campaigns. One poll in 2019 found that while the vast majority of the American public has heard about antibiotic resistance, their understanding of what antibiotic resistance could mean for their own lives is patchier. And while 59 percent say pharmaceutical companies are very responsible for the problem, only 20 percent would say the same of the agricultural industry. Antibiotic resistance isnt solely an agricultural problem, of course. Davieswho lost her goddaughter to a multidrug-resistant bacterial infectionalso noted the necessity of developing new drugs, international coordination, and reducing the release of antibiotics into the environment during manufacturing. But we can hold these two truths in our minds simultaneously: Any serious effort to slow the rise of drug-resistant pathogens is going to have to address multiple issues. Any effort that ignores the industry in which two-thirds of the drugs are being used isnt serious. Good News/Bad News A landmark bill to make fossil fuel companies cover some of the costs of repairing and adapting to the damage of climate change passed its final vote in the Vermont Senate this past week. If Governor Phil Scott vetoes, the General Assembly will reconvene in June for an override, according to the Bennington Banner. (Vermonters supported the policy by a 2-to-1 margin even before last years catastrophic floods.) When the bill becomes law, it will surely be challenged in court. Whatever happens, this is a story to watch. Mere days after a report revealed that former President Donald Trump promised a roomful of oil execs that he would reverse loads of regulations in exchange for $1 billion in campaign funds, the Republican hopeful pledged to issue an executive order halting all offshore wind development on day one, if elected. Stat of the Week 2,000 years Tree rings indicate that last summer was the hottest Northern Hemisphere summer in two millennia, a new study says. What Im Reading Bishop vanished. His species can still be saved. While former President Donald Trump has joined a growing chorus of conservatives groundlessly blaming wind farms for whale deaths, the clear culprit in a recent string of endangered right whale deaths is vessel strikes. The Washington Post uses the disappearance and likely death of a 1-year-old right whale named Bishop to examine how this happens, laying out how delayed fishing reforms and proposals to expand low-speed zones along the coast could help save the species. So far this year, a dead female turned up off Virginia with a dislocated spine, a calf was discovered in Georgia with head lacerations, and a young female was foundagain in Georgiawith a fractured skull. All the injuries are consistent with vessel strikes. In addition to vessel strikes, right whales are also threatened by entanglement in fishing gear stretched deep into the sea to trap lobsters and crabs. Bishops family tree underscores the danger. Bishops mother, Insignia, endured four entanglements over the course of her life. She was last sighted in 2015 and is presumed dead. She was the mother of four known calves. Bishops great-grandmother Wart was the matriarch of a family of 31 known whales and counting. Her prodigious family tree highlights how the untimely death of just one female can reduce the species future population. Here is Wart in the Gulf of Maine in 2010, with fishing line going through her mouth and over her head. She was last sighted in 2014 and is presumed dead. Read Harry Stevens and Dino Grandonis report at The Washington Post. This article first appeared in Life in a Warming World, a weekly TNR newsletter authored by deputy editor Heather Souvaine Horn. Sign up here. FILE PHOTO: A patient prepares to take Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois By Gabriella Borter and Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans are divided on whether women should have to see a doctor in person before receiving abortion pills, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs whether to reimpose that restriction on medication abortion. But broad bipartisan majorities opposed the idea of allowing states with abortion bans in place to block access to the procedure in certain emergency cases when it is needed to protect the mother's health, at issue in another case before the court. The findings come as the court is preparing to rule on its highest-profile abortion cases since 2022, when the justices overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established the national right to abortion. Some 50% of respondents in the May 7-14 survey said they supported an in-person doctor visit requirement for abortion medication, while 33% said they opposed that rule. Seventeen percent said they were unsure. Around 67% of Republican respondents and 37% of Democrats said they were in favor of the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone. The court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, is expected to rule by late June in a case challenging the accessibility of mifepristone, a drug that is half of a two-part medication regimen to induce abortion in early pregnancies. The case before the court, which was brought by anti-abortion groups and doctors, challenges the Food and Drug Administration allowing for medication abortions up to 10 weeks of pregnancy instead of seven, and for mail delivery of the drug without a patient first seeing a clinician in-person. During March arguments, the justices appeared skeptical that the groups that brought the case had the needed legal standing to pursue it. While respondents were divided on whether to tighten abortion pill regulations, broad majorities opposed the idea behind Idaho's challenge to a federal law known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, that requires states to allow patients to access abortion in emergency cases. Some 77% of respondents, including 86% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans, said they supported requiring states with strict abortion bans to permit abortion if necessary to protect the health of a pregnant patient facing a medical emergency. The Court's decision in that case is also expected by late June. Majorities of both parties also opposed the idea of state governments tracking pregnancies to allow them to take action if the pregnancies are terminated in violation of state law. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump recently told Time magazine he would not stop states from monitoring pregnancies. Since the court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe, 16 states have banned abortion in all or most cases and medication abortion has become the most common method of ending pregnancies, now accounting for more than 60% of U.S. abortions. Overall, the share of Americans who support abortion rights has grown over the last decade. Some 57% of respondents in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, up from 46% in Reuters/Ipsos polls conducted in 2014. Some 31% of respondents in the latest poll said it should be illegal in most or all cases, down from 43% in 2014 polls. About one in 10 respondents consistently say they aren't sure. The latest poll gathered responses from 3,934 U.S. adults nationwide in an online survey conducted May 7-14. It had a margin of error of about 2 percentage points for all respondents and about 3 points for Republicans and Democrats. (Reporting by Gabriella Borter and Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington) The family of a 17-year-old senior who died May 10 after falling ill in a classroom at Lexingtons Henry Clay High School is asking Fayette Superintendent Demetrus Liggins and the school board to commit resources to improve student safety within the school. Its unclear whether Emeka Emmanuel Mwakadis death resulted from blows the family said he received breaking up a fight shown in a video provided by his familys attorney, Justin Peterson. The family said in a new statement this week they agree with Liggins the fight did not occur on the day of Emmanuels death as they originally told the Herald-Leader based on witness reports. They said it happened in the days prior to his death. The family said Wednesday through their attorney that a fight occurred at Henry Clay High school. Emmanuel intervened to break up the fight; and during his intervention Emmanuel was struck multiple times including a blow to the head, Peterson said. They said Wednesday that Emmanuel complained of head and neck pain after breaking up the fight; and that preliminary autopsy findings, among other things, included a frontal lobe brain injury.. Fayette Coroner Gary Ginn told the Herald-Leader that the cause and manner of the death were pending as of Wednesday. Fayette schools spokesperson Dia Davidson-Smith declined to comment Wednesday on the video that the family said showed Emmanuel sustaining blows. The Lexington law firm representing the family --Peterson and Whiteford -- have requested the school district preserve and produce all video from Henry Clay High School from the past 30 days. The Herald-Leader has asked for school and district documents pertaining to Emmanuel under the Kentucky Open Records Act.. Fights at Henry Clay, other Lexington high schools A heavily publicized incident at Henry Clay High School in October 2023, when school police used pepper spray to break up a fight and multiple students were charged, turned out to be one of many fighting incidents at Lexington schools since 2022 In late 2023, the Herald-Leader reviewed reports of fights at Fayette County high schools and revealed school resource officers investigated nearly 90 physical altercations since the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year. Fourteen of the fights occurred from the beginning of this school year through Oct. 20. Of Fayette Countys traditional high schools, Bryan Station had 17 reported fights during the time frame reviewed, followed by Henry Clay and Tates Creek with 14 each, Lafayette with nine, Dunbar with six and Frederick Douglass with four. In many cases, students were injured and their assailants faced consequences in Fayette Countys juvenile court system. And in 23 of the incidents, school staff or school resource officers reported they were injured. Two fights within two days of each other at Henry Clay in February resulted in injuries to staff members and multiple officers. In the first, on Feb. 21, a male teacher fell down while trying to separate two female students who were fighting, and one of the students slapped the teacher in the face. Afterward, the teacher said he had pain in his hip, a scraped elbow and slight pain to the side of his head. The principal sustained a cut on his hand, and three officers also said they had minor injuries after that incident. Two days later, a male student threatened the principal of Henry Clay after the principal tried to stop him to talk to him in the hall. The safety and well-being of our students and staff are of paramount importance to us, and any reports of these types of incidents are taken very seriously, Davidson-Smith said in a 2023 statement. Addressing and mitigating conflicts and ensuring a safe learning environment for everyone remains the top priorities for the superintendent and the entire FCPS team. On Wednesday, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md-1st, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan and Maryland lawmakers from the Eastern Shore delegation called on the Maryland Department of Environment to hold a public hearing in Ocean City to review its process for U.S. Winds planned pier in West Ocean City. What Andy Harris, others have to say on West Ocean City pier plan The department already held a public comment hearing at the Wor-Wic Community College on March 25, but Harris and others are calling for another following "numerous complaints" received by his office that the hearing was held in Wicomico County as opposed to Ocean City where residents will be most affected by the pier development. The West Ocean City pier is being developed with the purpose of expanding offshore wind at a time when the true impacts of offshore wind have never been properly studied," Harris wrote. "I urge the Maryland Department of Environment to hold a public forum in Ocean City so that my constituents and those residents most affected by the West Ocean City pier development can voice their concerns." Maryland State Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, R- Somerset/ Wicomico/Worcester and Del. Wayne Hartman, R-Wicomico/Worcester, also signed the letter and added their input. The residents and property owners of Ocean City and across the Shore have the right to know the detailed plans of the offshore wind industrialization project, including the developers plans for major construction, Carozza said. US Wind, an Italian-based developer, continues to change the plans by dramatically increasing the size of the turbines growing nearly four times the height of the tallest building in Ocean City and placing the gigantic turbines as close to 11 miles from the Shore, not 17 miles as first proposed. Hartman also noted there were profound impacts on the region's fishing industry. Since the conversation regarding offshore wind has started, the local elected officials and the majority of Ocean City property owners concerns have been ignored, Hartman said. The fact that this meeting was not made to be convenient for those impacted most, including our commercial waterman and neighboring property owners, tells me that there is no desire to hear the real concerns and negative impact that this project will bring. According to the letter to the department, the location of the proposed pier in the Ocean City Inlet is in an area that is already crowded with commercial fisherman and tourists alike. More on the proposed Farm Bill How will a new federal farm bill impact the Eastern Shore? Maryland Department of the Environment responds to concerns The proposed pier and onshore infrastructure construction by US Wind in West Ocean City was the topic a public meeting Monday, March 25 at Wor-Wic Community College, where many sounded off on their continued concerns about offshore wind. In their response to the letter, the department offered to extend the online public comment period for 30 days but did not agree to hold a public hearing in Ocean City, as was requested. The proposed US Wind project, which will destroy the view shed off the coast of Ocean City, is now leading to the industrialization of the West Ocean City Commercial Fishing Harbor. The proposed development in the harbor will reduce the commercial fishing and recreational opportunities in the only commercial harbor that has direct access to the Atlantic Ocean in the entire State of Maryland," said Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan. Meehan also echoed Harris' sentiments, voicing support for the selection of a neighboring county rather than where the project will be placed. "We have the most to lose and our voice has continued to be ignored. We must have the opportunity, as a community, to stand up for ourselves, Meehan said. What are the details of the project? The west Ocean City location slated for the project will allow for other infrastructure like industrial cranes to be used in offshore wind development off the coast and will include wave screens to better protect the development. US Wind is proposing to reduce the length of the pier from the original 625 feet to 174 feet, a reduction of 451 feet. The original length for bulkhead renovation work was 435 feet and would be reduced to 381 feet, a reduction of 54 feet. US Wind and new partnerships On Thursday, US Wind contracted with Project ABLE (Align, Build, Leverage, and Expand), a collaboration between Delaware State University and the University of Delaware Center for Autonomous and Robotic Systems, to perform work related to the decommissioning of US Winds meteorological and oceanographic buoy and its infrastructure. The metocean buoy has been collecting wind and marine life data in US Winds federal lease area off the coast of Ocean City since May 2021. The company noted Project ABLE will use an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle to ensure that all components have been properly removed and that nothing has been left behind. Weather permitting, the site clearance survey will be conducted at the end of May, following removal of the final buoy components. Were excited to begin what we expect will be a long-term working relationship with the University of Delaware, said Jeffrey Grybowski, US Wind CEO. Their underwater autonomous vehicle technology is cutting edge, and collaborations like these will extend Project ABLEs reach while enabling practical applications for industries like ours. Currently, US Wind controls the rights to an 80,000-acre lease area located off the coast of Maryland, which is able to support close to 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy generation. In October 2023, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued a draft environmental impact statement on the company's vision and operations plan, putting the company on the path to securing final federal permits by the end of 2024. More on electric cars and Delaware Electric cars once ruled the road ... in 1910? Yes, before gas-powered revolution Data collected by the metocean buoy has been used to inform US Winds energy production estimates and overall project design. The projects proposed by the company, according to its data, will sell "carbon-free power into the regional power grid," which will result in lower regional energy prices and reduce capacity charges by up to $253 million over 20 years. US Wind will also invest more than $200 million in transmission system upgrades, most of which will occur in Sussex County. This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: West Ocean City pier plan draws opposition from Andy Harris, OC mayor In what may have been one of the most significant primary races held on Tuesday, Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks emerged as Marylands Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in this years election. Alsobrooks faces a challenging general election race to become potentially only the third Black woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate in a year in which control of that chamber is up for grabs. Winning the Maryland Democratic primary Alsobrooks won Tuesdays Democratic primary against third-term Rep. David Trone, a successful business owner who spent over $60 million in his primary campaign, the most any candidate has ever donated to their Senate race. Despite initially trailing in the race and having her opponent spend ten times as much money as her on political ads, Alsobrooks cruised to an easy victory. As she celebrated her victory Tuesday night, Alsobrooks told her supporters that the fight ahead will not be easy. Overcoming big spending, misogyny and racism Despite his spending barrage and endorsements, Trone had several missteps. Earlier this year, he apologized after using a racial slur during a congressional hearing, saying he did not know the meaning of the word. Trones campaign also used language about Alsobrooks, such as saying that she would need training wheels as a first-time senator, which some saw as condescending and offensive; a group of over 700 Black women in leadership wrote a letter characterizing the attacks against Alsobrooks as having tones of misogyny and racism. Making history and helping the Democratic Party Alsobrooks election to the U.S. Senate would be historic, making her the first Black senator from Maryland and only the third Black woman elected to the Senate. A win by Alsobrooks in November could also help her party maintain power in the Senate, where Democrats currently hold a narrow 51-49 majority and will have a tough time keeping control in November due to several tough races. To do so, she would have to beat the Republican candidate, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. Although Maryland is a reliably Blue state, Hogan remains popular, meaning the race between the two candidates will likely be close. After a record-breaking primary, money and attention will likely continue to pour into the Maryland Senate election, given the high stakes of the race. November will show whether Alsobrooks and Marylands voters make history in this election. A picture and its story: The Slovak assassination attempt photo that nearly got away A picture and its story: The Slovak assassination attempt photo that nearly got away (Corrects garbled word 'that' in paragraph 1) By Boldizsar Gyori, Kuba Stezycki and Jan Lopatka HANDLOVA, Slovakia/BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovak opposition party leader Michal Simecka, who described an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico this week as an attack on democracy, said on Friday that he, his wife and child had received death threats. His experience is not uncommon, a measure of the extreme political and personal animosities in Slovakia and across Europe that formed the backdrop to the shooting of Fico, who was still in intensive care, two days after being shot at close range. Slovaks like Lubos Oswald, a 41-year-old councillor in Handlova, Slovakia, where the shooting took place, felt a tragedy may have been in the making following years of deepening splits within the population and toxic political debate. "It can't go on like this anymore: two neighbours hating each other for not having the same political opinions," he told Reuters outside the shopping mall in the town where the assailant, a former security guard, fired five shots at Fico as he greeted supporters after an off-site cabinet meeting. "This is what I feel in the local council. People try to stir up emotions and hatred," Oswald said. In the hours following the shooting, politicians across the spectrum have sought to ease anxiety, with Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak calling for the country "to embark on a path of tolerance". But in echoes of previous debates, Kalinak, a 53-year-old lawyer seen in Slovakia as Fico's right-hand man, accused opposition parties and the media of fanning acrimony by encouraging protests against government policy. "Frustration from endless losses... has led us to where we are today," Kalinak said on Thursday, adding that he believed the suspect became radicalised because voters gave power to a Fico ally, Peter Pellegrini, in April's presidential election. Tens of thousands of people have marched throughout the country of 5.4 million since Fico returned to government last October, calling his policies a power grab. "He's putting his stamp on the whole political scene. In the past, he would done it more carefully, now he has a perfect blueprint given by (Hungarian leader) Victor Orban," said Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts President Samuel Abraham. FICO PREDICTED A POLITICAL MURDER Fico embarked on a whirlwind of changes which have raised concern over the rule of law, including scrapping a prosecution branch dealing with high crime as well as plans to ease punishments for graft, revamp public media and limit the influence of non-governmental organisations. He has also ended government military support for Ukraine. Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said the suspect listed government policies on Ukraine, dismantling the special prosecutor's office that deals with high-level corruption, and its plans to reform the public broadcaster as reasons for the attack. Fico had long accused civil society organisations and independent journalists of doing the opposition's bidding. In April, he warned that language by opposition supporters was dangerous. "They are vulgar and swear at government politicians on the street ... I am only waiting until this frustration ... morphs into the murder of a leading government politician." Authorities have not named the suspect, but Reuters has matched photographs of him with a man pictured in a protest against Fico in April, holding a banner reading "PEACE + PROSPERITY (West)/WAR + POVERTY (East)" and chanting "shame" and other slogans, some of them vulgar. For many Slovaks, anxiety had increased since parliamentary election campaign last year, during which President Zuzana Caputova accused Fico, who had called her a U.S. puppet, of inciting hatred against her, saying she had received death threats. Lenka, a 31-year-old social worker from Bratislava, said "society has two poles ... There are people who love (Fico) and there are others who hate him." Standing in the same underground passage in central Bratislava to take refuge from heavy rain above, Veronika, a 28-year-old architect, said the upcoming European elections in June added to widespread unease. "Everyone is tense ... It's more and more aggressive, but I don't think it's only in Slovakia, but worldwide." (Writing by Jan Lopatka, additonal reporting by Barbara Erling in Warsaw, editing by Justyna Pawlak and Philippa Fletcher) An often-controversial animal rights group has asked Idahos attorney general to investigate a wildlife parks business claims, which the activist group said misled the public into believing the park is a rescue operation. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, filed the consumer protection complaint about Yellowstone Bear World earlier this month, urging the attorney generals office to investigate alleged insinuations from the park and its staff that Yellowstone Bear World is a sanctuary or nonprofit. The animal rights group also alleged Bear World made misleading claims about keeping bears on its property for life and falsely advertised the size of its property. Bear World is a drive-through wildlife park in eastern Idaho that is home to numerous animal species, including its namesake black and grizzly bears. The park has faced intense scrutiny over its animal care, bear breeding and cub bottle-feeding practices, particularly after the viral 2020 Tiger King documentary drew attention to roadside animal exhibitors. Complaints like PETAs do not require the attorney generals office to investigate. However, if the agency decides to pursue the claims and finds Bear World in violation of consumer protection laws, it could face fines for damages to customers, as well as an additional $5,000 fine for each violation. PETA officials told the Idaho Statesman the attorney generals office has confirmed receipt of the complaint. The attorney generals office did not respond to a request for comment on the complaint. The office has previously told the Statesman it cannot comment on potential investigations. Yellowstone Bear World president and co-owner Courtney Ferguson did not respond to an emailed request for comment. PETA claims Bear World misled customers PETAs complaint claims that Bear World has violated the Idaho Consumer Protection Act by knowingly providing incorrect information to customers. Part of the complaint states that Yellowstone Bear World and its employees have, on numerous occasions, made statements that portray the park as a sanctuary rather than the for-profit exhibit that it is. PETA said a Yellowstone Bear World profile on Meridian-based marketing platform Liiingo labels the park a wildlife sanctuary and bear sanctuary. PETA also included quotes from Ferguson, who it said has repeatedly referred to Bear Worlds cub bottle-feeding program as a fundraiser. The park charges $75 per person to pet and feed the cubs, according to the Bear World website. PETAs complaint said Ferguson last year told attendees at a promotional event in Ammon, Idaho, that all the money that we raise at the fundraiser there all goes back to the educational programs, goes back to the care of the animals there at Yellowstone Bear World. He made similar statements to a news anchor at a Sportsmens Expo in Salt Lake City in 2022, according to the complaint. An animal sanctuary is a facility that provides safe haven to animals in need, PETA wrote in its complaint. A business that breeds animals to exploit them for commercial exhibition and then sell them to other facilities is the exact opposite of a sanctuary. PETA said fundraisers are widely understood to be directed toward charities or causes. The animal rights group also said Bear World has misled customers about where its bears live out their days. PETA included numerous screenshots from social media of Bear Worlds replies to tell commenters that cubs will spend their lives at its facility. Bear World has made the same claims to media. PETA said U.S. Department of Agriculture records showed thats not true. The records, included as exhibits in the complaint, showed Bear World has transferred more than 100 bears to other facilities since 2012. Many of those bears have been sent to Woodys Menagerie in Illinois, where owner Gregg Woody has illegally purchased animals without a USDA license and been investigated for poor animal care. PETA said Woody has also sent bears and other animals to slaughterhouses. The complaint pointed to two instances when it said it was clear Bear World was knowingly lying to the public about keeping bears on-site. In one, a commenter asked whether a bear named Tucker was still at the facility. Bear World responded and said he was, despite USDA records that showed a bear named Tucker had been sold to Woody six years earlier. In the other case, a Facebook user commented on a 2020 photo of three bears playing in the snow and asked whether they were the previous years cubs. Yep! Bear World responded. These are the 2019 cubs, but in a few weeks it will be their birthday and theyll be yearlings! Then theyll move down to the yearling enclosure in the main area of our park so they have lots of room to run and play as they grow. PETA said Bear World had posted the same photograph on social media in 2018, and couldnt have a photo depicting three of the 2019 cubs anyway because all but two of them were sold to Woody. Finally, PETAs complaint said Bear World has advertised its park as a 120-acre drive-through facility when parcel records from Madison County show the publicly accessible area is less than half that size. The entire parcel, including inaccessible areas, is 112 acres, according to public property records. PETA has history of clashes with Bear World The complaint isnt PETAs first time confronting Yellowstone Bear World. In the past, protesters from the group have picketed its Baby Animal Days event, and in 2022, a PETA investigator worked at Bear World and claimed they witnessed mistreatment of cubs, including one with a fractured leg that was denied prescribed painkillers. PETA said its investigation was directly responsible for an Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation that led to three workplace safety violations for Bear World and $9,000 in fines. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game also cited Bear World in recent years over documentation of animal births and deaths. Fish and Game officials told the Idaho Falls Post-Register they had worked with Bear World to correct violations of state regulations against allowing the public to feed captive animals. Documents showed in 2022 Bear World also clashed with the state agency when it insisted it be allowed to operate under terms and conditions established in 2001 that no longer complied with Fish and Game regulations. Last year, Bear World lobbied for a bill that would remove it and other private zoos and drive-through animal parks from state oversight, relying only on USDA regulations, which are less stringent than Fish and Games. The bill was signed into law. Charlotte Cunnington, a lobbyist for Yellowstone Bear World, told the Senate Resources and Environment Committee the bill was a direct result of PETAs 2022 undercover operation. Cunnington said PETA and other animal rights activists utilize the agency complaint process to try to shut businesses like ours down, and we know that they will not stop. This bill will allow Yellowstone Bear World to run its business without constantly looking over its shoulder, Cunnington told lawmakers. Sometimes, the headlines from 2024 are reprints from 1924. Harvard Was Unresponsive to Antisemitism, the Wall Street Journal headlines its story on the findings of a report from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Of course it was. Its an Ivy League tradition. Life finds a way, we all learned from Jurassic Park. Jewish life found a way in the United States, progressing down paths that are obvious only in retrospect. When Ivy League schools intensified their discrimination against Jewish applicants in the early 20th century, many Jewish students who were more interested in becoming doctors or lawyers than in becoming Whiffenpoofs pursued their educations at institutions such as City College in New York (now CUNY), and, whether they intended to or not, raised the academic and cultural standards of those institutions far above what they had been. That was Jewish-American immigrant life in miniature: Shut out of Knickerbocker society in New York, Jewish immigrants and their descendants built thriving and interesting communities and institutions of their own. One way to think about modern Israel is that it represents the Jewish immigrant experience at a national scale: Expelled from many places and shut out of many others, the Jews went where they could go and made that place prosperous and intellectually rich. And for that temerity, their enemies never quite say out loud, they must be destroyed. T.S. Eliot, speaking at the University of Virginia, infamously observed in 1933 that reasons of race and religion combine to make any large number of freethinking Jews undesirable. (Freethinking was, in that context, a euphemism for atheistic.) Though the underlying ideology may have mutated, the line connecting New Englands Puritans to todays progressives is distinct if not exactly straight. (The key historical intersection is immigrants and their affronts to Protestant sensibilities, especially involving booze. T.S. Eliots ancestor, Harvard professor Charles Eliot Norton, opened up a bitterly contested front in Boston politics crusading against Irish saloons; another Eliot, Charles William Eliot, was president of Harvard, a temperance activist, and a theorist of racial purity. At the time of his ugly Virginia remarks, T.S. Eliot held a one-year appointment at Harvard as the Charles Eliot Norton professorship of poetry.) But the case against the Jews today is fundamentally the same as it was in Caligulas time: The Jews insist on being Jews. American Jews are far from politically monolithic. Some of them are irreligious socialists such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, and some are religious traditionalists and political conservatives, or else one but not the other. You could make a complicated chart, and it would not matter: Jewish students are not being bullied and terrorized on college campuses because they have a certain opinion about Israel and Hamas; Jewish children in New York are not being targeted because of their political beliefs; the LSimcha Congregation in Pittsburgh wasnt holding a fundraiser for the Zionist Organization of America when a terrorist massacred 11 members at worship. It would be a terrible thing to subject people to violence and terror for their political beliefs, but that is not what is happening. Jewish Israelis are massacred because they are Jews. Jewish Americans are terrorized because they are Jews. The Jews are still Jews, and that is sufficient for their enemies: Hamas in Israel, the friends of Hamas (and Hamas) at Columbia. And at Harvard. The Wall Street Journal reports on a congressional committees findings: One senior undergraduate wearing a yarmulke was spat on, according to the report. Another Jewish student was followed back to her dormitory while a tutor screamed at her. Threats on a social-media chatboard available only to those with Harvard emails included calls to gas all the Jews and let em cook, the report said. Those comments drew 25 net upvotes. Rules to prevent this sort of behavior fell under antibullying harassment policies, which are under the purview of the schools office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. The office didnt respond to complaints, the report said. There are reports of Jewish families with high-achieving children spurning offers from Harvard and other Ivy League schools to seek their educations in saner institutions. I suspect that the trend, if it is a real trend, will not prove durable: An Ivy League education opens a great many social, political, and economic doors that are not unlocked by a degree from Baruch College, worthy as that institution may be. But if it is an enduring development, and if schools such as CUNY are no longer a desirable optionand there is some reason to suspect that is the casethen other institutions will, if they are smart enough, avail themselves of the benefit of those refugees from the Ivy League. With the absurdly sanctimonious reaction of elite opinion to the war in Gaza, the Jews in Israel are learning a lesson that is being learned simultaneously, albeit in a less dramatic way, by the Jews of Harvard, Columbia, et al.: You never have as many friends as you think. It would be tempting to write that Harvard has been unresponsive to antisemitism since the Coolidge administration, but, in truth, Harvard has been unresponsiveor worseto antisemitism since the reign of Charles I. Its a tradition. Read more at The Dispatch The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free. FILE - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing on the Georgia election interference case, March, 1, 2024, in Atlanta. A Georgia appeals court has agreed to review a lower court ruling allowing Fani Willis to continue to prosecute the election interference case she brought against Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Slitz, Pool) WASHINGTON (AP) Voters head back to the polls in Georgia on Tuesday, two months after helping Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump secure their parties' nominations for president. This time, voters will choose nominees for the U.S. House and the state legislature, as well as decide whether one of Trump's prosecutors will keep her job. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is leading the prosecution of Trump in a 2020 election interference case, faces challenger Christian Wise Smith in the Democratic primary. Smith is an attorney and author who ran against Willis four years ago. The judge in the case is also up for reelection. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee faces Robert Patillo, an attorney and radio host, in the nonpartisan race. McAfee is a former prosecutor who was appointed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022. Georgia has neither a governors race nor a Senate race on the ballot in 2024, so the states 14 congressional districts are the only federal races with primaries on Tuesday. The only open seat is in the solidly Republican 3rd Congressional District, held by retiring incumbent Drew Ferguson. Of the remaining 13 incumbents, 10 are running uncontested in their primaries. The other three are Democrats Lucy McBath and David Scott and Republican Barry Loudermilk. McBath is seeking the Democratic nomination in the 6th Congressional District, a west Atlanta district that was redrawn in redistricting. She represents the 7th Congressional District. Scott has represented the 13th District for more than two decades, though his district, like McBaths, changed significantly in redistricting. His primary has attracted the largest field. Loudermilk, who represents the 11th District, has two challengers in the Republican primary. Heres a look at what to expect on Tuesday: PRIMARY DAY Georgias state primary election will be held Tuesday. Polls close at 7 p.m. ET. WHATS ON THE BALLOT The Associated Press will provide vote coverage for 84 races, including contested primaries for U.S. House, state Senate, state House and Fulton County district attorney. General elections will be held for state Supreme Court, state Court of Appeals and Fulton County Superior Court judge. The presidential primaries were held in March. WHO GETS TO VOTE Georgia has open primaries so voters can choose either party ballot. DECISION NOTES The key county to watch is Fulton, part of the core metro Atlanta area. Besides Fulton's significance in statewide races it has more than 1 million residents and is among the most Democratic counties in the state the county is split across five congressional districts. Among those are the districts Scott and McBath are running in. Since the judicial races are taking place entirely within one county, the AP will declare a winner only when enough votes have been reported in Fulton County to determine the winner. The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when its determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why. There is no automatic recount provision in Georgia, but a losing candidate may request a recount if the margin is less than or equal to 0.5% of the total vote. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome. WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE? As of Thursday, there were more than 8 million registered voters in Georgia. Voters in Georgia do not register by party. In the 2022 primaries, turnout was about 11% of registered voters in the Democratic primary and about 17% in the Republican primary. About 51% of Democratic primary voters and 41% of Republican primary voters in that election cast their ballots before election day. As of Wednesday, a total of 351,652 ballots had already been cast in the state primary, about 54% in the Republican primary and 44% in the Democratic primary. HOW LONG DOES VOTE-COUNTING USUALLY TAKE? In the March 12 presidential primary, the AP first reported results at 7:08 p.m. ET, or eight minutes after polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 1:18 a.m. ET with 99.8% of total votes counted. ARE WE THERE YET? As of Tuesday, there will be 168 days until the November general election. ___ Follow the APs coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024. FILE - The Idaho state flag hangs in the State Capitol in Boise, Idaho, Jan. 9, 2023. Idaho voters are heading to the polls to decide primaries for the U.S. House and state legislature. (AP Photo/Kyle Green, File) WASHINGTON (AP) When Idaho voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide primaries for the U.S. House and the state legislature, one contest will be noticeably absent from the ballot: the race for the White House. Thats because state lawmakers scrapped the presidential primary last year, prompting Idaho Democrats to hold presidential caucuses on May 23 instead. President Joe Biden faces only nominal opposition in the caucuses with less than three weeks remaining in the presidential primary calendar. He unofficially clinched the nomination in March and has spent the subsequent months focusing on his general election rematch with the Republican presumptive nominee, former President Donald Trump. The May 23 caucuses will function more like a party-run primary with printed ballots and set polling hours, as opposed to the old Iowa-style caucuses in which caucus-goers indicate their candidate preference by moving around the room and forming groups. Idaho lawmakers originally planned to save money by consolidating the March 12 presidential primary with Tuesdays state primary for state and local offices. But after passing legislation last year canceling the presidential primary, the lawmakers failed to take the additional step of moving the event to the May date, in effect canceling it entirely. Idaho Republicans held their caucuses on March 2, and Trump won easily. In Tuesdays state primary, the top race on the ballot is the Republican primary in the 2nd Congressional District, where Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson seeks a 14th term. He faces two Boise-area challengers who, like him, are tying themselves closely with Trump and his agenda. Scott Cleveland is a financial adviser and Ada County Republican Party official who received about 8% of the statewide vote in his independent bid against Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo in 2022. Sean Higgins is an information technology professional and a former teacher. Water management has been a key local issue in the district, and Simpsons 2021 proposal to remove four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River to save salmon populations has put him at odds with some of his fellow Republicans. Also on the ballot are 18 contested state Senate primaries and 38 contested state House primaries. All 35 state Senate and 70 state House seats are up for election this year, but many of the primaries are uncontested. Heres a look at what to expect on primary and caucus night: PRIMARY AND CAUCUS DAY Idahos state primary will be held Tuesday. Most polls close at 8 p.m. MT, which is 10 p.m. ET. Some polls close 8 p.m. PT, which is 11 p.m. ET. The Idaho Democratic presidential caucuses will be held on May 23 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Most caucuses conclude at 10 p.m. ET, while the last caucuses conclude at 11 p.m. ET. WHATS ON THE BALLOT In Tuesdays state primary, The Associated Press will provide vote coverage for the Republican primary in the 2nd Congressional District, as well as for numerous contested state Senate and state House primaries. The AP will also provide vote coverage for the May 23 Democratic presidential caucuses. The candidates on the ballot are Biden, Dean Phillips, Jason Palmer, Marianne Williamson and two others. There is no uncommitted or write-in option. WHO GETS TO VOTE Only registered Republicans may participate in the Republican primary. Registered Democrats and unaffiliated or independent voters may participate in the Democratic primary. In Idaho, political parties may choose whether to allow unaffiliated voters and members of other parties to participate in their primaries. For the Democratic presidential caucuses, only registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters may participate. Unaffiliated voters must sign a document affiliating with the party and affirming that they have not participated in any other partys nominating contest this year. Caucus-goers may register and affiliate with the state party on caucus day. DELEGATE ALLOCATION RULES Idahos 23 pledged Democratic delegates are allocated according to the national partys standard rules. Five at-large delegates are allocated in proportion to the statewide vote, as are three PLEO delegates, or party leaders and elected officials. The states two congressional districts have a combined 15 delegates at stake, which are allocated in proportion to the vote results in each district. Candidates must receive at least 15% of the statewide vote to qualify for any statewide delegates, and 15% of the vote in a congressional district to qualify for delegates in that district. DECISION NOTES Biden is the overwhelming favorite in the May 23 Democratic caucuses, as he has already clinched the nomination and faces no major challengers. The first indications that he is winning statewide on a level consistent with the overwhelming margins seen in most other contests held this year may be sufficient to determine the statewide winner. As for Tuesdays primary, the most notable race is in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers the eastern half of Idaho, bordering Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. It is the slightly less Republican of the states two districts, in that voters there gave Trump only 60% of the vote in 2020, compared with the 68% he received in the 1st Congressional District. The key voting jurisdictions in the 2nd District are Bonneville, Twin Falls and Bannock counties and the swath of Ada County that includes Boise. Simpson carried all four of these counties in the 2022 primary, although he won Twin Falls and Bannock with less than 50% of the vote in a five-way race. He won the Boise area of Ada County with 66% in the primary but went on to lose the county to the Democratic nominee in the general election. The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when its determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why. Idaho does not have automatic recounts, but the state will pay for a recount if the vote margin is less than or equal to 0.1% of the total vote. If the margin is greater, the losing candidate may still request and pay for a recount, and the cost will be refunded if the recount changes the outcome. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome. WHAT DO TURNOUT AND ADVANCE VOTE LOOK LIKE? As of May 1, there were 1,001,426 registered voters in Idaho. Of those, about 59% were Republicans and about 13% were Democrats. In the 2022 primaries, turnout was about 28% of registered voters in the Republican primary and 3% in the Democratic primary. About 29% of Democratic primary voters and 14% of Republican primary voters cast ballots before primary day that year. As of Thursday, a total of 44,279 ballots had been cast ballots before primary day, about 76% in the Republican primary and 20% in the Democratic primary. Absentee voting is also permitted in the May 23 Democratic presidential caucuses. The deadline to request an absentee caucus ballot was Thursday. Absentee ballots are due at the state party by 8 p.m. local time on caucus day. HOW LONG DOES VOTE-COUNTING USUALLY TAKE? In the 2022 state primaries, the AP first reported results at 11:09 p.m. ET, or nine minutes after the last polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 4:51 a.m. ET with about 97% of total votes counted. Although most polls in the state close at 10 p.m. ET, state law requires that no results are released before the last polls close at 11 p.m. ET. For the May 23 presidential caucuses, there is no recent comparable contest to help estimate the timing of the vote count. Results will not be released before the last polls close at 11 p.m. ET, but votes from the earlier time zone will start to be counted an hour earlier. The Idaho Democratic Party hopes to have complete results by about 1 a.m. ET. ARE WE THERE YET? As of Tuesday, there will be 168 days until the November general election. As of May 23, there will be 88 days until the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and 166 days until the November general election. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend an informal meeting in Beijing, China, on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) May 10-16, 2024 Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing during his two-day state visit to one of his strongest allies and trading partners. Flash flooding and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcanos slopes on Indonesias Sumatra Island caused dozens of deaths. Artists performed during a roadshow by Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi before the fourth round of voting in India's general elections. This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images in the Asia-Pacific region made or published by The Associated Press in the past week. The selection was curated by AP photo editor Shuji Kajiyama in Tokyo. ___ Follow AP visual journalism: AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews AP Images on X: http://twitter.com/AP_Images Plebe Ben Leisegang, of California, places an upperclassman's hat atop the Herndon Monument at the U.S. Naval Academy, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Annapolis, Md. Freshmen, known as Plebes, participate in the climb to celebrate finishing their first year at the academy. The climb was completed in two hours, nineteen minutes and eleven seconds. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner) May 10-16, 2024 Naval academy students climbed a monument to celebrate their first year in Annapolis, Maryland, wildfires filled the sky with smoke over Edmonton, Alberta, and lowrider cars were exhibited at a museum in Los Angeles. This gallery highlights some of the most compelling images in North America published in the past week by The Associated Press. The selection was curated by AP photo editor Patrick Sison in New York. ____ Follow AP visual journalism: AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews AP Images on X: http://twitter.com/AP_Images BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. A Blytheville, Arkansas man is facing animal cruelty charges after two dogs were found dead and decomposing in a truck, police say. On May 13, Blytheville Animal Services and officers with the Blytheville Police Department responded to the 1100 block of Broadway about two dogs that were found dead inside a truck. Both dogs are believed to have been left there for a week. Photo by WREG Photo by WREG Photo by WREG Reports say officers discovered two German Shepheard dogs dead inside the vehicle. The dogs were partially decomposed. Flies and maggots could also be seen outside of the truck. Fight between students breaks out at Hamilton High graduation The owner of the property and animals, Gary Huskey, reportedly told police that he put the dogs inside the truck to keep them away from a house fire at the home. He also stated that he contacted a tow company to pick up the truck due to the dead dogs inside the vehicle. Police say investigators later discovered that there had not been a call for service at the home regarding a house fire. Huskeys neighbors say they were shocked to learn those two dogs were found this week. I didnt know that he had the dogs in the truck and once the neighbors found out thats when they were all concerned and thats when they called the police, said Stanley Sims, one of the neighbors. Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South. We used to call the police and everything about the dogs running around and stuff, so they have been over there several times, said Penny Sims, another neighbor. I knew something was going on cause the dog catcher had garbage bags and everything. Stanley and Penny Sims say they cant imagine why their neighbor would intentionally do such a thing and wish the police would have acted sooner. I hated it had to end up like that and I didnt know he was capable of doing stuff like that, but now I see. But I feel sorry for him, I really do, Penny said. Huskey was taken into custody and charged with two counts of aggravated animal cruelty. He is being held on a $100,000 bond. A spokesperson with Blytheville police says animal abuse will not be tolerated and anyone with knowledge of animal abuse should give them a call. 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. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The Natural State is making a significant investment in providing clean water for its citizens. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Friday that the state had authorized $79 million for water and wastewater projects across the state. The announcement continued that The Arkansas Natural Resources approved funding will apply to 25 projects serving 587,000 Arkansans. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders putting over $42 million into water projects including Helena-West Helena Director of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Division Chris Colclasure said a portion of the money came from a new federal funding opportunity for the state. During Wednesdays commission meeting, nine projects were awarded $1.9 million in grant funding from a new funding opportunity for sewer overflow and stormwater use from the Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the Department, Colclasure said. We continue to assist communities across the state through our existing programs and new funding opportunities to meet water and wastewater needs. EPA sets first-ever national limits for forever chemicals in drinking water Sanders said it was her administrations duty to support community water supplies. Arkansans are counting on their local water utilities to deliver consistent and safe drinking water, Sanders said. In my administration, were proud to help communities provide that critical service. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders orders update to Arkansas Water Plan, first since 2014 A full list of projects and funding allocations may be seen at Governor.Arkansas.gov. 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, Ark. (AP) A federal prosecutor in Arkansas left the post while under investigation for having an inappropriate relationship with an employee in the office, Justice Department documents show. The report, first reported by the Intercept and released Tuesday, said that Duane DAK Kees began an intimate relationship with a subordinate within months of being sworn in as U.S. attorney for the western district of Arkansas in 2018. Kees stepped down as U.S. attorney in 2020. Medical marijuana sales top $1 billion in Arkansas 5 years after states first dispensary opened He was then appointed to the state panel that investigates judges for misconduct last year and resigned after the Intercept story published. Kees did not immediately respond to a message sent to his LinkedIn page Thursday morning. Kees relationship with the employee, whose name was redacted, continued through September 2018, according to the inspector generals report. He was involved in several supervisory and employment decisions about her during the relationship, the report said. US Attorney: Nine fentanyl traffickers arrested in Little Rock drug bust The employee told investigators that at one point when she declined a kiss from Kees while riding in an elevator with him, he said, You do know Im in charge of your promotions, right? according to the report. Kees said he did not recall making such a comment, the report said. Kees should have recognized that a relationship between a supervisor and a subordinate, particularly where the supervisor is the head of the office, could lead a reasonable person to question his impartiality in making employment decisions, the report said. US Attorney: 10 indicted in $2.7M Little Rock pandemic unemployment fund fraud ring Kees relationship with the employee ended before the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys had a policy governing romantic relationships between supervisors and subordinates, according to the report. But officials said U.S. attorneys at orientations were given clear instructions that it would not be tolerated. Kees stepped down as U.S. attorney to accept a job with Tyson Foods in Springdale, Arkansas, as its chief counsel for global investigations and regulatory compliance. A Tyson spokesperson said Kees was no longer with the company, but did not say when his employment ended. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin last year appointed Kees to the nine-member Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, which investigates misconduct complaints against judges. At the time, Griffin praised Kees extraordinary record of service and impressive credentials. Little Rock DEA, other agencies arrest 18 in connection with rural pharmacy pill burglaries Griffins office said he was not aware of the investigation into Kees until after the Intercept story published Tuesday. Spokesperson Jeff LeMaster said Kees has since resigned from the commission. Griffin on Thursday appointed Patrick Harris, director of advocacy for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, to replace Kees on the commission. 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 KLRT - FOX16.com. 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 dsimissing 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 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. 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. 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 KNWA FOX24. DENVER (KDVR) Investigators said an armed male suspect who was holding a developmentally disabled female against her will was shot and killed during a deputy-involved shooting on Wednesday. Arapahoe County Sheriffs deputies were involved in the shooting. They had responded to a report of a female victim being held at gunpoint by a male suspect in a home on South Himalaya Circle, the sheriffs office said in a release on Thursday. Denver drivers will no longer be pulled over for low-level offenses The home was a host home, which is where people can receive care from within the residence, but the suspect was not a resident there, according to the sheriffs office. The male suspect died on the scene after an officer involved shooting occurred, and the female victim remained in the hospital on Thursday after suffering assault and severe facial injuries. When asked, a sheriffs office spokesperson did not have information to release Thursday about the ages or relationship between the two people involved. The incident began around 3:02 p.m. in the 4500 block of South Himalaya Circle. Responding deputies unsuccessfully tried to get the suspect to exit peacefully and attempted contact by phone and a public-address system, but he had barricaded himself and the victim inside a bedroom, according to the release. Police response near homes Deputies placed on leave after Arapahoe County shooting Here is how the sheriffs office described what happened next. Deputies then made entry in an attempt to rescue the female and confronted the armed male suspect physically restraining her at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred, the release reads. Despite rescue efforts, the male suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene. No deputies were injured during the incident. The suspect was identified on Friday as 42-year-old Everett Duriel Shockley. Deputies involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave with pay while the case is under investigation. The sheriffs office did not immediately say how many deputies were involved. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox Wednesdays incident put a nearby school on secure status during the initial law enforcement response. Sky Vista Middle School dismissal was delayed for about 20 minutes, according to Cherry Creek Schools. The 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team responded to the scene and is investigating the incident, as it does for other officer-involved shootings and use-of-force cases in the district. 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. HONOLULU The U.S. Armys 3rd Multidomain Task Force, headquartered in Hawaii, is getting officers from both Australia and the U.K. this summer and will work on advancing technology thats. focus of the second pillar of the AUKUS pact, according to U.S. Army Pacific Commander Gen. Charles Flynn. Australia is sending five officers while the U.K. is sending three to embed in the MDTF. This is what Ill call the sort of initial seed corn of creating that combined capability, Flynn told Defense News in an interview at the Association of the U.S. Armys LANPAC conference here. I believe these formations and the contributions at least from those two countries are absolutely complementary and will accelerate a lot of activities and a lot of work that we need to do together in AUKUS Pillar 2, he said. The AUKUS collaboration, unveiled in 2021, is organized into two pillars of effort. The first focuses on nuclear-powered submarines; the second covers critical technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonics and autonomy. The officers from the two countries are coming from the work that they are doing in their various operational concepts, but they also are bringing skill sets like cyber, space, electronic warfare, information operations, [and] targeting, Flynn said. Working on technology related to AUKUS Pillar 2 focus areas is a logical fit for the Multidomain Task Force. The first MDTF stood up in 2018 as an experimental unit to explore Multidomain Operations as the Army drafted its doctrine. The service decided it would make the MDTF an operational unit and has since decided to grow four more in various stages of formation. There are three MDTFs planned for the Pacific. The 1st MDTF is nearly complete in building out its force structure and the 3rd MDTF, which was established in September 2022, is still growing. The 4th MDTF is not yet established. Each MDTF uses assets that include electronic warfare capabilities, unmanned aircraft systems, high-altitude balloons and space sensors as part of its Multidomain Effects Battalion. Additionally, the MDTF will have a unit capable of delivering long-range fires using the new Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, fired from High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. Australia and the U.S. are already co-developing that capability. AUKUS Pillar 2 is really about accelerating artificial intelligence and machine learning aspects, Col. Michael Rose, the commander of the 3rd MDTF told Defense News at LANPAC. Part of the PrSM development effort includes using space and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities as well as AI and machine learning to automate certain aspects of the kill chain, Rose explained. AI and machine learning will also contribute to decision making and understanding the environment in other areas like using drones and countering them, Rose added. While developing technology which accomplish efforts within AUKUS Pillar 2 is not stated objective for a multinational, combined MDTF, Rose said, its a natural fit to do some of that work. We have a continued set of work with the Australians and now, more and more, the United Kingdom partners, to build coordination mechanisms so that we can really accelerate our interoperability and ultimately achieve interchangeability, Rose said. In the event we have to pivot to crisis or conflict, weve already got the human connections, weve got the procedural connections and weve got the technological connections to be able to do that and it offers commanders quite a lot of optionality, he added. KIPS BAY, Manhattan (PIX11) Police arrested the suspect accused of punching actor Steve Buscemi in the face on the street in New York City last week, police said Friday. Clifton Williams, 50, has been charged with second-degree assault in the case, according to the NYPD. Suspect charged in shooting death of teen in SoHo: police Buscemi was punched on Third Avenue near East 27th Street in Kips Bay, Manhattan, around 11:45 a.m. on May 8, police said. The 66-year-old actor suffered bruising, swelling and bleeding to his left eye, authorities said. Buscemi was treated at a hospital after the incident and is doing OK, according to his publicist. Police were searching for the man accused of punching actor Steve Buscemi in the face in New York City on May 8, 2024. (Courtesy of NYPD) Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city, Buscemis publicist said in a statement earlier this week. He is ok and appreciates everyones well wishes. 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. This story comprises reporting from The Associated Press. 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. We asked these Story County primary candidates a few questions. Here is what they said: The races for Story County Board of Supervisors, County Auditor, and County Sheriff in the June primary election are all uncontested. The primary election will take place on June 4. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The last day to submit a request for a mailed ballot is Monday, May 20. Voters may pre-register on Story County's website by 5 p.m. May 20. The Ames Tribune reached out to each of the local candidates to discuss important issues. Here are their responses: Story County Board of Supervisors Incumbent Story County Supervisor Latifah Faisal is running for a board seat unopposed. Latifah Faisal Age: 50 Party: Democrat Grew up in: Ames Currently lives in: Ames Education: Ames High, DMACC and Iowa State Political and civic experience: I had been working for the County Attorney's Office for 17 years when I ran for county supervisor in 2020. While my work was not political, it provided me the opportunity to work with county, State, and Federal officials and agencies, victims of crime, and the formerly incarcerated. I assisted people from all demographics, which gave me a chance to hear a lot of different personal stories. Some of my volunteer work: The Center for Creative Justice Board of Directors, Iowa Games, Habitat for Humanity, Food at First, Ames Figure Skating Club, Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation fundraiser. Why are you running for office? I am running because I want what I think we all want: safe communities, well-maintained roads and bridges, excellent parks and opportunities for recreation, safe private wells and septic systems, clean water, and smart growth that thoughtfully balances economic development with the protection of our natural resources. I want to continue working to address affordable housing, food insecurity, childcare, transportation and broadband needs while keeping county levies down. I am passionate about helping people solve problems and creating new opportunities and I truly cherish this opportunity to serve. What is the biggest issue facing your community and how would you address it? Affordable housing, utility assistance and food insecurity are all at the top of the list. We know there is increased pressure on organizations that support individuals and families with housing needs. Food pantries across the county and state are experiencing record numbers of new users and increased usage. I will continue to support the countys housing action plan as well as my work with the Story County Housing Trust and Central Iowa Regional Housing Authority. I will lean into existing relationships with service agencies and local businesses and explore ways to bring new partners and voices into the conversations. Why should residents vote for you? I have demonstrated my dedication to serving all of Story County regardless of where someone resides within the county. I take every opportunity to listen and learn more. Recently, there have been many legislative changes that impact local government funding and local control. I will ensure that essential county services remain strong, that cyber security remains a priority, and that we continue to enhance the quality of life for everyone who calls Story County home now and into the future. I serve you, and this is your Story County. More: Find out who the candidates are for Story County's primary election in June County Auditor Story County Auditor Lucy Martin is running another term unopposed. Lucy Martin Age: 56 Party: Democrat Grew up in: California and Illinois Currently lives in: Ames Education: BA, Rice University, MPA, Columbia University Political and civic experience: Auditor & Commissioner of Elections since Feb. 1, 2011. In the Story County Auditors Office since Sep. 13, 2004. Why are you running? To continue serving the people of Story County. What is the biggest issue facing your community/the state and how would you address it? The erosion of local control and the consolidation of power to the State by the Iowa legislature are issues for counties, cities, and school districts. I will continue to work with my colleagues across the state for common-sense legislation (when needed). Why should residents vote for you? I am a proven and dedicated public servant who will continue to provide excellent service to residents in the next four years and beyond. More: Iowa AG Brenna Bird joins Donald Trump entourage in NYC, calls hush money trial 'a travesty' County Sheriff Story County Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald is running for another term unopposed. Paul Fitzgerald Age: 69 Party: Democrat Grew up in: Colo Currently lives in: Colo Education: Associate of Applied Science degree in Police Science from Hawkeye Technical (now Hawkeye Community College), a Bachelor's degree in Law Enforcement from Wartburg College, and a Master's degree in Criminal Justice from Saint Ambrose University. Political and civic experience: I am serving my eighth term as Story County Sheriff. I was first elected Sheriff in 1992 taking office Jan. 1, 1993. I am a past President of the National Sheriffs' Association, 2011-2012. I was the President of the Waterloo Police Protective Association through most of the 1980s. President of Earnst House, dormitory at Wartburg College, I was elected to be an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention in New York City, New York the year President Carter was elected. Why are you running? The only profession I have ever been interested in has been law enforcement. My dream was to one day lead my own law enforcement agency and even one day perhaps be the Sheriff in Story County. I still have the drive, education, and experience to continue leading this agency. Examples can be seen in my involvement with the National Sheriffs Association (NSA) and the Iowa State Sheriffs' and Deputies' Association (ISSDA). I have represented the ISSDA in the Iowa Supreme Court on domestic violence, the Attorney General (AG) on the Crime Victim Assistance Division, and the AG Antisemitism Task Force. This is a tremendous opportunity to better serve the citizens of Story County and the state of Iowa. Not only myself but members of my office serve on various committees and task forces both at the state and national level. What is the biggest issue facing your community/the state and how would you address it? Issues such as human trafficking, drugs, highway safety concerns, cold case investigations; not only these issues but working with schools, businesses and religious centers to make a safe environment for all. When I was in K-12 school, our safety training included tornado and fire drills; now, the Story County Sheriff's Office works with schools to train students, faculty, and staff on how to prepare and survive an active shooter incident. By providing leadership at both the national and state level, myself and my staff, have the opportunity to continually create a healthier, safer place to live, work and learn, for all our citizens. Why should residents vote for you? My 47 years in law enforcement and 15 years with the Waterloo Police Department. I was also an instructor at Hawkeye Community College for 11 years in the Police Science Program. The last 32 years as the Story County Sheriff have demonstrated a level of commitment and leadership that the residents of Story County appreciate. Leading a team of professionals at the STory County Sheriff's Office showcases the dedication and services provided to all our citizens. More: Reynolds signs 'transformative' behavioral health overhaul into Iowa law. What it does: Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Meet the candidates in the local Story County primary races Ky. physics teacher to take over as new astronomer for Cincinnati Observatory Wes Ryle, a veteran astronomer with 16 years of public outreach and education experience, has been named astronomer of the historic Cincinnati Observatory. Ryle joins the Cincinnati Observatory from Thomas More University in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, where since 2008, he served as director of The Thomas More University Observatory and was also a professor of physics. He will assume full-time duties June 17. Wes Ryle, a veteran astronomer with 16 years of public outreach and education experience, has been named astronomer of the historic Cincinnati Observatory. Ryle is no stranger to the observatory, and he will be a familiar face to some visitors, as he's been a regular presenter and volunteer for public outreach nights and occasional special events there since 2014. "When I first went to the observatory more than nine years ago, I immediately fell in love with the place and wanted to be a part of it," Ryle said in a release. "Very quickly, I realized that if I were ever to leave Thomas More for any job, this would be the job, this would be a great opportunity. So I am thrilled to be here." He also has extensive outreach experience through media interviews; visits to schools and local libraries; organizing and participating in STEM camps; and helping scouts meet the requirements to earn badge fulfillment activities. Ryle takes over for Dean Regas, who announced his departure from the observatory last July. More: I got a history tour of the Cincinnati Observatory before the great solar eclipse of 2024 Ryle discovered his passion for astronomy and science through a National Geographic book, "Our Universe", that he read as a child. "My parents had bought the book for my older sisters, but I would pull it off the bookshelf and read it over and over and over again," he said. "That really got me interested in the sciences in general." The Cincinnati Observatory houses one of the oldest working telescopes in the world and was the first public observatory in the western hemisphere. Photographed Sunday, May 26, 2023. The Cincinnati Observatory's historic telescopes provide a tremendous opportunity for the general public to experience astronomy and science in a very hands-on way. Ryle is a Boone County native and lives in Kenton County, Kentucky. He graduated from Conner High School, and attended Western Kentucky University where he earned bachelor's degrees in physics and mathematics. He has a master's degree in physics and a doctoral degree in astronomy from Georgia State University.The Cincinnati Observatory houses one of the oldest working telescopes in the world and was the first public observatory in the western hemisphere. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Clear skies ahead for Wes Ryle, new Cincinnati Observatory astronomer The assassination attempt against Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has been widely condemned by world leaders as an attack on democracy. In Slovakia, the violent act similarly saw a unified response from the countrys deeply divided political leaders. But how long this lasts is uncertain. Just as outgoing Slovakian president and Fico rival Zuzana Caputova called for an end to the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations, Fico allies lambasted the countrys media and opposition for whipping up tensions. As an expert on politics in central Europe, I have been interested in how liberal social movements in Slovakia have reacted to the rise of populist rhetoric and policy that Fico exemplified. This research has laid bare not only the increasing move to the right of once center and center-right politicians, but also how this has helped create a polarized political environment. Who is Robert Fico? Robert Fico has long been a controversial figure in Slovakia, a central Eastern European country of about 5.4 million people and a member of the European Union. A former member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Fico and his colleagues founded the Party SMER, or Direction, in the late 1990s as a leftist party that was critical of Slovakias right-wing government at the time. The party also maintained an anti-corruption message and used this to gain popularity in the early 2000s, becoming one of the most dominant parties in Slovak politics. Fico first became prime minister in 2006. But it is since returning to power in 2012 that he has been seen as a polarizing figure in Slovak politics. In 2018, Fico was forced to resign following the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, in their apartment just outside of Bratislava, Slovakias capital. Prior to his murder, Kuciak alleged that SMER was engaged in corruption involving the Italian Mafia and the embezzlement of EU funds. In 2020, five people, one of whom had links to political figures, were charged with the murders. Fico has denied these corruption charges. Yet the murders and accusations of corruption led to mass protests against the government and continue to resonate today. Polarized politics Despite Ficos resignation over the issue, the country continued to be politically polarized. In 2019, Caputova of the party Progressive Slovakia was elected as the first female president. But a year later, Slovakia saw the election of the most conservative parliament in modern Slovak history. This pitted Caputovas liberal agenda against the right-wing parties in government. Right-wing parties have allied with the Catholic Church and conservative organizations to attack gender equality measures and LGBTQ+ rights and place restrictions on reproductive rights. The focus on culture war issues has been accompanied by a coarsening of the political debate in Slovakia. Hateful rhetoric is commonly used in political campaigns to oppose womens rights, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. This rhetoric has contributed to further polarization. Security personnel apprehend a suspected gunman after the shooting of Robert Fico. RTVS/AFP via Getty Images And even before the attack on Fico, there was evidence that the heightened rhetoric was developing into politically motivated violence. In 2022, two members of the LGBTQ+ community were murdered at a bar in Bratislava by a known supporter of the far right. Nevertheless, Fico continued to rely on populist rhetoric opposing civil liberties in his 2023 election campaign. By then, he had returned to the spotlight by opposing public health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was followed by his widely publicized opposition to sending military aid to Ukraine after Russias 2022 invasion. At a time when some of Slovakias closest allies, such as Poland and Czechia, wholeheartedly supported Ukraines efforts against Russian aggression, Fico ran on a campaign of supporting Hungarys Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putins politics against the West. This messaging proved popular and allowed him to return to power in 2023, with his populist party winning 23% of the vote and becoming the largest party in a right-wing coalition government. An attack on democracy Since returning to power, Fico has shown no desire to dial down the culture wars that have split Slovakian society. Rather, his primary focus has been on abolishing and restructuring government agencies and entities that have been critical of his policies. In February 2024, he moved to shut down Slovakias anti-corruption body and abolish the special prosecutors office that investigates corruption a decision that not only drew rebuke from the European Union but also brought Slovaks back out into the streets in protest. He has also made moves to shut down Slovak Television and Radio, or STVR, and replace it with a state-run TV channel. Taken together, Ficos efforts to curb civil liberties and repress opposition have been seen as part of a process to transform Slovakia into an illiberal democracy, much in the mold of Orbans Hungary. There is much yet to learn about the motivations and circumstances surrounding the assassination attempt on Fico. But officials have said that it was politically motivated, linking it to his divisive policies. Any display of political violence is, as world leaders have noted, an attempt to undermine democracy. In Slovakia, where political polarization is high, these divisive politics have been shown to, unfortunately, lead to violent outcomes. 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: Alexandria Wilson-McDonald, American University Read more: Alexandria Wilson-McDonald receives funding from: Fulbright Research Grant to CR 2018-2019 Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita will not face a challenger at the state Republican convention in June. (Courtesy Indiana Attorney General's Office) Seeking a second term, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita will be unopposed at the state Republican convention next month securing him as the partys nominee in the November election. Despite speculation that others might challenge him for the office, Rokita was the only GOP candidate to file with Indianas GOP office by the deadline, said party spokesperson Griffin Reid. Candidates who wished to run for attorney general and lieutenant governor at the Republican state convention had until Thursday at 5 p.m. to file their paperwork. In addition to the attorney general nominee, delegates this summer will make official the parties selections for lieutenant governor nominees. Republican delegates will choose between Rep. Julie McGuire, R-Indianapolis who was chosen by GOP gubernatorial nominee Sen. Mike Braun as his running mate and ultra-conservative pastor Micah Beckwith, of Noblesville. Democrats wanting to pursue the lieutenant governor nomination at the partys July convention have until noon on May 31 to file their candidacy. The Republican attorney general officially filed for the convention in April. Hes held the office since January 2021. Although Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings previously sent a letter to county party officials about his potential interest in the attorney general position, he did not file by Thursdays party deadline. He did not respond to the Indiana Capital Chronicles request for comment. In his February letter, Cummings expressed concern that Rokita may not be eligible to hold office because he is likely to be suspended at some point as the result of several misconduct complaints before the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. Rokita was reprimanded late last year for his televised comments about Indianapolis doctor Caitlin Bernard, who oversaw a medication abortion for a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio in 2022. Bernard, an OB-GYN, was later disciplined before the Medical Licensing Board for discussing the procedure publicly. New complaints have since been filed against Rokita, which are still working through the disciplinary process. There are no pending charges against Rokita, according to the Indiana Supreme Court, though he could still face additional discipline which has the potential to jeopardize his law license. Speculations earlier this year also named state Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, and Hamilton County Republican Party Chair Mario Massillamany as potential Rokita challengers. Neither ultimately filed with the state GOP office, however. Hoosier state delegates for both the Republican and Democratic parties are responsible for deciding the attorney general nominee for the party, rather than primary election voters. The 2024 Indiana GOP State Convention is scheduled for June 14-15. Rokita will face the winner selected by Democratic delegates at that partys convention slated for July 13. Destiny Wells, who unsuccessfully ran for Indiana Secretary of State in 2020, and Beth White, an attorney and president and CEO of the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking, have so far announced their intentions to run for the Democratic partys attorney general nomination. It speaks volumes that the Indiana Republican Party is sticking with Todd Rokita, despite his attacks on Hoosier medical professionals and lack of respect for the rule of law, which earned him a public reprimand from the Indiana Supreme Court, said Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl in a Thursday evening statement. Hoosiers deserve an Attorney General that fights for them every day against special interests, and to protect their freedoms. Instead, Rokitas term has become about his own partisan political games that are undermining the confidence Hoosiers have in the AG office. A former congressman and Indiana Secretary of State, Rokita successfully challenged then-incumbent Attorney General Curtis Hill for the Republican nomination in 2020. In the general election, he won against Democratic nominee Jonathan Weinzapfel, a former mayor of Evansville. Rokitas win marked the sixth consecutive election in which Republicans retained control of the state attorney generals office. The post Attorney General Todd Rokita will not face challengers at Indiana GOP convention appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. Scott C. DuPont in a court file photo before he was removed from the bench. Former circuit judge Scott DuPont should not be allowed to run for a return to the bench because he fails to meet qualification requirements, according to a motion filed by attorneys for incumbent Circuit Judge Rose Marie Preddy in the latest round of the legal fight. The Florida Supreme Court in a 2018 unanimous vote removed DuPont from the bench. The state Supreme Court stated then that DuPont was unfit to serve and cited both egregious campaign and judicial canon violations. The Florida Supreme Court also suspended DuPont in 2019 from practicing law. The suspension is the key issue in the legal battle as DuPont, who now lives in Palm Coast, tries to return to the bench. DuPont is challenging Preddy, who lives in St. Johns County and was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis as a circuit judge in 2023, to the 7th Circuit, which covers Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties. DuPonts motion responding to Preddy's attorneys is due Monday. Circuit Judge Lee Marsh has set a final hearing for May 29 at the Leon County Courthouse in Tallahassee. The latest motion from Preddy's attorneys repeats some of the previously published arguments against DuPont. Circuit Judge Rose Marie Preddy Scott DuPont not eligible to run, motion states DuPont was suspended from the practice of law for 91 days effective Oct. 21, 2019. The fact that the state Supreme Court suspended DuPont for 91 days and not 90 days meant that he would have to apply for reinstatement. DuPont was reinstated June 30, 2020, according to the motion by Preddys attorneys, Barry Richard and Daniel Nordby. That means DuPont was not a member of the Florida Bar for eight months. But to serve as a circuit judge, an attorney must be a member of the Florida Bar for the preceding five years. DuPont was reinstated less than four years ago, the motion states, meaning he has not been a bar member for the previous five years. Preddy's attorneys cited a prior decision by the Florida Supreme Court that the phrase a member of the bar of Florida means a member with the privilege to practice law. The motion also cited a 1st District Court of Appeal decision affirming a lower court ruling that attorney Beverly McCallum was not eligible to run for state attorney for the 8th Circuit because she had been suspended from the practice of law for 15 days in 2019 and therefore failed to meet the requirement that a person be a member of the Florida Bar for the preceding five years. Preddys motion also asks the court for a permanent injunction ordering that supervisors of elections and the Division of Elections not certify DuPont as a candidate, not include DuPont's name on any ballots printed for the general election, and not tabulate, report or certify any votes cast for DuPont. Anthony Sabatini to file motion for Scott DuPont Attorney Anthony Sabatini, who represents DuPont, said in a phone interview that the legal issue is more complex than it seems and partly involves whether the 1st District Court of Appeal has jurisdiction on who is a member of the bar. Sabatini also said that the state Supreme Court definition is one such definition, but being a member of the Florida Bar could entail other types of memberships. He said he doesn't believe that it means anyone who is suspended is automatically not a member. Sabatini also said that beyond the legal issues, the case was an attempt to limit voters choice in an election. Sabatini said that looking at it from a commonsense perspective, DuPont was a member of the bar, he was just briefly suspended. When asked why DuPont should get a chance to return to the bench after being removed in a unanimous vote by the state Supreme Court, Sabatini said people make mistakes. I would say that all lawyers and judges do make some mistakes, Sabatini said. I think his character is that he owned up to that and he has been very transparent and forthright about the few mistakes that he made. In a phone interview, Preddys lawyer, Richard, said the issue was not about voters' choice. This has nothing to do with voters' choices, Richard said. This has everything to do with the law. Richard countered that eligibility requirements exists to protect the public. It doesnt matter whether you are talking about a surgeon or a judge or any other field, Richard said. You can always say people are being denied the right, but thats why we have requirements to protect the public. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Scott DuPont, booted from bench, not qualified to run, attorneys argue DENVER (KDVR) An Auraria Campus spokesperson said pro-Palestine protesters have cost the campus a total of $290,000, although specifics about that figure have not been released. Devra Ashby, director of marketing and communications for the Auraria Campus, spoke via Zoom about the occupation inside the CU Denver Bursars Office on May 13 and provided photos of the aftermath. Denver drivers will no longer be pulled over for low-level offenses Photos show papers on the floor, alongside some office items, and a calendar with the words Free Palestine scrawled over the whole month. Photos of the CU Denver Bursar's Office after protesters were in the space on May 13. Now lets be clear, Ashby said on Zoom. Several acts of trespassing and interference are not examples of peaceful protests. We will not tolerate chronic intimidation, campus chaos and business disruptions. Ashby said that there have been 80 arrests made since the encampment was established on April 25. She said arrest records compared to actively enrolled student records show that out of the 80 arrests to date only 16 are actively enrolled students, and three are staff/faculty members. Auraria Campus: Protests give perception campus not safe Later, the Auraria Campus provided more details on the arrests. Of the 80 arrests, 16 were actively enrolled students, 41 were non-students, and 20 were not actively enrolled students/alumni. Ashby also said via email that the protest has cost the campus an estimated $290k in damages, canceled community events, and other relevant costs to address the encampment. The campus did not provide a detailed breakdown of the cost categories. Locked gun storage for cars to be mandated under new Colorado law One of the major community effects of the escalation of the protesters tactics is that the perception of our campus is its not safe, Ashby said. So, for example, thousands of middle school students were supposed to be on campus today for a girls STEM event, but it was canceled due to safety concerns. The marketing and communications director also said the encampment drew the homeless community into the area, and that the encampment has grown to nearly the capacity of the quad from a square-footage perspective, and has begun to spill over into some adjacent grassy areas at an updated count. Ashby also said health and safety concerns continue for Auraria Campus officials. On May 14, Ashby said, Human waste on or around the quad has been observed. On May 6, the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment said they had not assessed the encampments conditions. FOX31 reached out on social media to the Denver chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, which has been organizing the protests, for comment on the Auraria Campus statements. This story will be updated if information 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 FOX31 Denver. DENVER (KDVR) A 22-year-old Aurora man was arrested this week in connection to a deadly shooting from 2022. Lu Reh is facing charges of first-degree murder after deliberation and second-degree assault with a deadly weapon in connection to a deadly shooting that happened near East 16th Avenue and Alton Street on May 30, 2022. On that Monday, Aurora Police Department officers were called about a man lying in an alley between the 1600 block of Willow and Xanthia streets. The victim was identified as 44-year-old Ricardo Ryans. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox According to police, Ryans had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene. Two hours later, Denver officers received a 911 call about a black 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan parked near East 14th Avenue and Niagara Street. Police said the car had multiple bullet holes and blood on the passenger seat. Woman tells investigators about shooting Witnesses told officers they saw a woman get out of the car and go to a nearby hotel. When police spoke to the woman, she told them she had picked up Ryan in Aurora to take him to a nearby business for an errand when the car was shot at. The woman said the two were driving away from the business when a white sedan with its hazard lights was driving slowly near East 16th Avenue and Alton Street. Family of I-25 homicide suspect calls for murder charge to be dropped She told investigators that she attempted to drive around the sedan when the man inside allegedly fired multiple rounds into the passenger seat of her car. The woman told officers that she sped away and stopped in the alley where Ryans got out of the car and collapsed on the ground. The woman then drove to the motel where she was staying. Aurora police said they located several 9mm shell casings at the scene of the shooting. Investigators have been investigating this case for almost two years and eventually identified Reh as the suspect through witness statements and forensic evidence. Aurora police said Reh was already in custody at the Denver County Jail on an unrelated homicide investigation in Denver from 2022. 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. The City Council has voted to reduce the minimum lot size needed to build one housing unit in Austin from the current 5,750 square feet to 1,800 square feet. The council also loosened restrictions on the height of new developments based on their proximity to single-family lots. After more than 14 hours of public comment and a meeting that spilled over into Friday, the Austin City Council passed Phase 2 of the HOME Initiative, which will soon reduce the amount of land needed to build one housing unit in the city. HOME Home Options for Middle-Income Empowerment is a two-part initiative led by District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool that seeks to allow more and different kinds of housing to be built by amending the city's land development code. Phase 1, which passed in December in a 9-2 vote, allowed for up to three units on many lots. Phase 2, approved Friday, will reduce the minimum lot size needed to build one housing unit in Austin from the current 5,750 square feet to 1,800 square feet. Phase 2 also passed in a 9-2 vote. Council Members Alison Alter and Mackenzie Kelly voted against both phases. Alter, who has been the most outspoken on the dais against the initiative, said Thursday that she was "deeply concerned" about the changes. "I think the timeline has been unnecessarily rushed, leading to a product that isn't fully vetted, which may have dangerous, yet predictable, outcomes," she said. The initiative, like many other proposed changes to the land development code that have come before the City Council in years prior, has become deeply controversial. Supporters say it will help affordability by allowing for more housing options to be built, while opponents say it's being rushed and could cause further displacement, specifically on the city's Eastern Crescent. Read More: Will HOME initiative help Austin's housing affordability? Opinions split ahead of vote An amendment from Council Member Jose Velasquez that was added to the ordinance directs the city manager to look at the feasibility of adding an "equity/anti-displacement overlay" in the future that would make the ordinance inapplicable in certain areas identified as vulnerable to gentrification. Such an overlay has been supported by several community groups opposed to HOME. Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison pointed out during Friday's meeting that in the past there has been an attempt to add such an overlay that was widely explored but ultimately didn't work. As part of the initiative, the City Council voted to delay implementation in areas that are currently experiencing or are prone to displacement. Velasquez also plans to bring forward an ordinance during the May 30 council meeting "that directs the city manager to streamline processes, builds on the City's existing resources, and initiates new programs to ensure HOME entitlements are both feasible and accessible to all residents," he posted to the City Council message board. There is much work to be done, but this is a hopeful day as we work to achieve equitable outcomes for our vulnerable communities, Yasmine Smith, vice president of justice and advocacy for the nonprofit Austin Area Urban League, said in a news release. In addition to HOME, the City Council loosened restrictions on the height of new developments based on their proximity to single-family lots and approved an equitable transit-oriented development overlay that prohibits or makes conditional some kinds of new developments in certain areas within a half-mile of Phase 1 of Project Connect, the city's planned light rail, and its priority extensions. Some of the areas included in that overlay are parts of South Congress Avenue and North Lamar Boulevard. Additionally, the City Council approved a new density bonus overlay along Phase 1 of the light rail. The new density bonus program will allow developers to build up to 60 feet of height, with a maximum of 120 feet in total height, in exchange for a certain number of affordable units within a quarter-mile of the planned light rail line. The maximum total height is 90 feet after the first quarter-mile until the half-mile boundary of the equitable transit-oriented development overlay. Read More: Did you get another purple notice from the city of Austin? Here's what it means. Compatibility regulations limit the height of new developments based on their proximity to single-family lots. There are currently limits in the city's code on the height of developments within 540 feet of a single-family home. The ordinance approved Friday brings that restriction down to 75 feet. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin City Council approves HOME phase 2, reducing minimum lot size AUSTIN (KXAN) Some Austin Energy crews will head to Houston Saturday morning to help with storm recovery, the utility announced Friday. This comes after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds tore through the city, killing at least four people this week. Some in Houston facing no power for weeks after storms cause widespread damage, killing at least 4 Austin Energy said 21 lineworkers and support personnel will make the trip east starting at 6 a.m. Saturday, equipped with bucket trucks and support vehicles. Crews are prepared to stay in Houston for up to two weeks, but that could change. Down power lines are shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Cypress, Texas, near Houston. Thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas on Thursday killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Down power lines are shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Cypress, Texas, near Houston. Thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas on Thursday killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Austin Energy said it received the call for help from CenterPoint Energy, which was one of the companies that assisted Austin after the 2023 ice storm. Providing mutual aid in natural disasters is a tradition among public utilities, and this will offer tremendous training opportunities for our crews, said Elton Richards, Austin Energy vice president of electric system field operations, in a press release. I am honored to work with such caring individuals who work not only on behalf of the Austin community but are also willing to help others in need. CenterPoint is still assessing damage and working on restoration and has so far requested 4,000 lineworkers and 1,000 vegetation professionals total to help with recovery. CenterPoint said strong winds caused significant damage to its electric system, including in Bellaire, Cypress, Baytown, Greenspoint, Humble and Spring Branch. Crews did make progress overnight, restoring power to more than 180,000 customers in the last 12 hours. 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. A graphic map of Austin showing areas of the city where homicides occurred in 2024. Austin police identified a 27-year-old man who was shot and killed in his apartment last week in North Austin. Police found Isaac Jimenez dead in his apartment at the Canyon Ridge Apartments on May 9, an Austin Police Department news release said. Officers responded to calls of a shooting a little before 8:10 p.m. About 20 minutes later, Jimenez was pronounced dead. Police said Jimenez was killed "during a disturbance" but did not provide any other details. While at the complex, police found another unidentified man with a gunshot wound, and he was taken to a hospital. Austin police said they are still working on the case and have asked anyone with information to come forward. You can submit an anonymous tip at austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police identify man killed in apartment last week Law enforcement officers are still looking for two suspects they say committed archeological theft at a U.S national park in Utah two days after they asked for help from the public. The incident occurred on March 23 at Canyonlands National Park in Moab, Utah, at the Cave Spring Cowboy Camp in the Needles district of the park at approximately 5:30 p.m. when security cameras captured two people enter a signed-as-closed area, removed artifacts from a cabinet, and handled historic harnesses in a manner that had potential to damage them, according to a statement from the National Park Service released on Wednesday. MORE: 4 daycare workers arrested for lacing children's food with melatonin: Police However, after several weeks of searching and two days after making their plea public, authorities have not yet been able to identify the suspects. National parks are some of the most special, treasured, and protected areas of our country, authorities said. To protect their natural and cultural resources for this and future generations, all visitors to national parks are expected to follow park laws and regulations and practice Leave No Trace principles to minimize their impact on park lands. MORE: Body of man traveling down Colorado River on wooden raft with dog found in Grand Canyon National Park PHOTO: Authorities are looking for two people who they say committed archeological theft at a U.S national park in Moab, Utah. (National Park Service) MORE: School principal arrested for allegedly choking student, whipping him with charging cable and slapping child in face: Cops If you have information that could help identify the suspects, please contact investigators. Tips can be anonymous, the National Park Service said. Call or text the National Park Service-wide Tip Line 888-653-0009 or online, go to https://www.nps.gov/SubmitATip. MORE: Air Force pilot dies after aircraft ejection seat goes off while on the ground This incident remains under investigation and no additional information is available at this time. Authorities continue hunt for 2 people who committed 'archeological theft' at US national park originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Baby rabbit saved from pool by local firefighter during downpour Baby rabbit saved from pool by local firefighter during downpour AUSTIN (KXAN) A baby rabbit was saved from drowning in a pool following the heavy downpour of rain that hit the Austin area Thursday. The rain was pouring down heavy and blowing things around and must have blown the baby rabbit into the pool, Belinda Bryant, who filmed the rescue, said. Local Austin firefighter Michael Reese quickly jumped into action to rescue the baby rabbit after he saw it from a distance. Reese saw the animal from the distance, ran toward the pool and grabbed his pool-cleaning net to save the baby rabbit. This act of kindness lets you know that our local fireman stay ready!! Bryant said in a ReportIt! to KXAN. This story came from a ReportIt story tip. Send your own story ideas to Reportit@kxan.com or through KXANs contact 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 KXAN Austin. Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, stands in the Council of Europe building ahead of the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and talks to other participants. The Committee of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 46 member states is the supreme decision-making body of the Council of Europe. It currently meets once a year at ministerial level. Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa In view of the heavy Russian attacks on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has urgently called for further international air defence support for Ukraine. "The situation is highly dramatic, not only with regard to Kharkiv, but also in many other places in Ukraine," Baerbock said on Friday before a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in the French city of Strasbourg. "We can clearly see how much Ukraine needs further support, especially in terms of air defence." The situation in Kharkiv also shows how important it is that Russian supply routes can be cut, said the German foreign minister. This is why medium and long-range weapons systems are also necessary. Baerbock said that Germany had provided another Patriot system as part of the international initiative for more air support for Ukraine that she had launched with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius. Other countries had supplied important components for radar surveillance, for example, she said, adding that countries that did not have these air defence systems had provided over 1 billion ($1.09 billion). "But it is clear that we need more large systems" such as Patriot batteries, demanded Baerbock. A number of European partners were examining whether they could deploy systems. "Others are not doing this publicly, but behind closed doors. That's why the initiative was so important," she said, adding: "What has come together is not enough. We see that every day." (L-R) Marija Pejcinovic Buric, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Dominique Hasler, Foreign Minister of Liechtenstein and still Chairperson-in-Office of the Council of Ministers, stand in the Council of Europe building ahead of the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa A lawsuit filed by attorneys general in Missouri and Louisiana alleges the federal government pressured social media companies to target conservative speech across a range of topics, from the efficacy of vaccines to the integrity of the 2020 presidential election (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images). This session, Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced a number of bills aimed at making the internet a safer place for kids, taking particular aim at social media companies. A bill that passed the House earlier this month, for example, would require young social media users to get parental consent before opening accounts and would also require social media companies to develop policies for addressing what the bill calls hateful conduct. It is far past time for us to act on behalf of children and parents and put in place a modicum of protections and guardrails to protect our children, Rep. Brian Munroe (D-Bucks), sponsor of House Bill 2017, told his colleagues. While numerous studies have raised concerns over the effects of social media use on teen mental health, and political scientists have warned of social medias potential to amplify societal divisions, free speech advocates say that bills like Munroes may interfere with social media companies and users First Amendment rights. Moreover, tech policy advocates with a focus on data privacy have warned that bills requiring age verification could result in social media companies collecting even more sensitive data from users in the process. Similar laws passed in other states, such as Ohio, have been challenged or blocked in courts. These same concerns are true of other bills addressing the perceived problems with social media. One bill would ban Tiktok in Pennsylvania over concerns of Chinese government influence. A federal law banning the social media platform prompted a lawsuit by TikTok and its parent company earlier this month.. Another bill similar to Munroes was introduced in the Senate. And yet another bill would ban anyone under 18 from accessing pornography websites, effectively requiring adult users to show identification to prove they arent minors or, more concerning, incentivize the collection of biometric data to guess a users age. Advocates warning of the consequences of bills requiring social media companies to create policies regarding what can and cant be said on their websites, or requiring age-verification for users, say there is room for legislators to address their concerns. Sophia Cope is a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonpartisan advocacy group focused on digital civil liberties. Cope believes lawmakers have a case to be concerned about the impacts of social media on young users particularly, but that she too often sees laws that would address that by limiting the free expression rights of social media companies and their users. I think there are some very well meaning bills out there, but they just tend to be overbroad, Cope said. Whenever you attempt to regulate anything that has to do with speech, youre always going to bump up against the Constitution. Cope noted that many states have attempted to regulate content on social media platforms, often driven by the partisan lean of their legislatures. Texas and Florida, for example, passed bills aimed at stopping what their Republican-majority legislatures perceived as conservative censorship. New York, on the other hand, passed a bill that, like Munroes, a Democrat, would require companies to develop hate speech policies. New Yorks law was blocked by a District Court. Floridas and Texas laws are being challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court. Cope sees all of these attempts as violating companies First Amendment rights. She suggested one way lawmakers could protect young users is by requiring digital literacy classes. This is how you tell a fraudulent website from or non-fraudulent website, this is how you adjust your privacy settings, these all of the different the dos and donts of being safe online, Cope said. Wheres that training? Similarly to Cope, Kate Ruane, director of the Center for Democracy and Technologys Free Expression Project, is concerned with lawmakers attempts to directly address how social media companies moderate content. I am particularly worried about the government telling anybody what can or cannot be available on a social media platform, Ruane said. Ruane said lawmakers could instead focus efforts on addressing the incentive structure that can lead to harmful contents proliferation. Comprehensive consumer privacy legislation can go a long way toward reducing some of the big concerns, said Ruane. A lot of what people point to is that these companies are incentivized to keep you on the platform by showing you whatever it is that keeps you personally on the platform. If they dont have that profit motive any longer, or if that profit motive is significantly changed, then theoretically that should change the incentive structure for how they design their services. As a possible example of how such laws may lead to a better or safer product, Ruane pointed to Google. They measure quality by relevance and by other factors that are supposed to lead to better search results, because their goal is better search results, Ruane said. If the goal is only engagement, you are measuring quality based on engagement. One section of Munroes bill would address data privacy concerns directly by making it illegal to collect data on users under 18 with the intention of serving targeted ads or selling it to third parties. Ruane, Cope, and a representative of the American Civil Liberties Unions Pennsylvania chapter, all believe that particular section of the bill could go farther, and be uncoupled from the aspects raising data privacy and free speech concerns. To be honest, why are we limiting it only to kids, Liz Randol, the legislative director of the Pennsylvania ACLU, said in an interview earlier this month. While federal lawmakers have failed to move national data privacy legislation forward, other states have led the way. Illinois, for example, has a law banning companies from collecting their users biometric data without consent in most cases. That law led to a successful $650 million class action lawsuit against Facebook (now Meta) when it used image-matching technology to identify people in pictures posted to their platform. In 2018, California passed one of the nations broadest digital privacy laws, which requires websites to tell users how their personal data is being shared with third parties and allow users to opt out of selling their data to third parties. The law does not just apply to minors, but all internet users. Ruane said lawmakers could also require social media companies to be more transparent about how they use their algorithms to steer users toward content and how they moderate content. Amid rising concerns of how social media algorithms are shaping political discourse and culture, some of the largest social media companies, like Meta and X, formerly Twitter, have taken steps to limit researchers access to data on what users are seeing and sharing on their sites. Studies have drawn mixed conclusions on how social media algorithms affect user behavior, particularly when it comes to political polarization, but advocates like Ruane still contend that requiring companies to be transparent about how they decide what content to show users could allow more informed use of their products. The hope of algorithmic transparency laws is that, if users are aware of how their attention is being diverted, they can make more informed decisions about where they spend their time online, and think critically about what theyre seeing and why. The ability to study exactly how these content moderation systems are working and how they are affecting users of social media services helps us turn around and make and make recommendations that can make these services better, Ruane said. But government control of these services is deeply concerning. The post Balancing First Amendment, data privacy key to making social media safer for kids, experts say appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo took the stand in federal court Friday morning to answer questions about whether he manipulated the citys voting map in order to protect his Coconut Grove home from being seized to satisfy part of a multimillion-dollar judgment against him. Details presented in Fridays evidentiary hearing added to the Venn diagram between the dispute over the citys voting map and the ongoing litigation between Carollo and two Little Havana men who accuse the District 3 commissioner of leading a harassment campaign against their businesses. Last year, a jury awarded those businessmen, Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla, a $63.5 million judgment in the first of their lawsuits. In an effort to collect on the judgment, the U.S. Marshals in February began the process of seizing Carollos home his largest asset. Thats basically all that I have, he said Friday. Notices posted on the front door to Joe Carollos residence in Coconut Grove on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. U.S. Marshals began the process to seize the property after he lost a civil trial last year. Carollos lawyers have argued that his Morris Lane home is his legal homestead under a state constitutional provision that protects such properties from being seized to pay a legal judgment. The principle is separate from the homestead exemption that lowers the property taxes people have to pay on owner-occupied homes. Carollo moved out of the home in 2016 when he ran for office in District 3 because, at the time, the home was located in District 2. On Friday, his attorneys pointed to evidence including the commissioners tax returns, drivers license and DirecTV account to show that he moved back into the Coconut Grove home in April of 2023, days before the Fuller and Pinilla trial began. Carollos home was originally slated for an auction in March. But a judge previously agreed to delay it until the courts resolve the question of whether Carollo and his wife, Marjorie, have constitutional protection. Weeks after U.S. Marshals began the process of seizing the home in early February, the Carollos filed affidavits with Miami-Dade County, claiming their home is their legal homestead under the Florida Constitution. Fuller and Pinillas attorneys argue that the homestead exemption does not apply to Carollo because of his fraudulent and egregious manipulating of the citys voting maps. The first version of a voting map that the City Commission considered during the redistricting process in 2022 kept Carollos Coconut Grove home in District 2. But a subsequent version of the map brought his home into District 3. The commission approved that map 3-2, with Carollo as the swing vote. The plaintiffs contend in a recent filing that Carollos actions in the redistricting matter were aimed solely and exclusively at putting him in a position [to] move back into a property on Morris Lane that he had abandoned years earlier with the sole purpose of protecting that property from judgment creditors. This map shows all three versions of Miami district maps used since 2022. The colored portions highlight the boundaries in a proposed settlement to the ACLU lawsuit. The black lines show the boundaries that were in place in 2022, which prompted the lawsuit, and the white lines represent the boundaries the commission passed in June 2023 that a judge approved to use for the 2023 election. Commissioner Joe Carollo's home is shown in the purple section of the proposed new map. Miguel De Grandy, who was hired by the city as a redistricting consultant in 2021, was also called to the stand on Friday. He said that, while he never discussed asset protection with Carollo during the redistricting process, he did take into consideration Carollos desire to be in District 3, though he said that Carollo never instructed him to draw the Morris Lane home into the district. De Grandy said he sought to get a consensus vote from the commission on the new district map. I said I thought it would make him happy, yes, De Grandy said Friday, referring to prior testimony he gave about adding Carollos home to District 3. Carollo testified that it wasnt a conflict for him to vote on the map in 2022 that added his home into District 3 because, at that point in time, he didnt anticipate moving back to Morris Lane in the near future. I didnt have a crystal ball before me, Carollo said, adding that other factors, including mold and cracking walls, pushed him and his wife to leave their Little Havana rental and move back to the Coconut Grove home when they did. Former District 2 City Commissioner Ken Russell, who served alongside Carollo, was also called to the stand. Asked if drawing Carollos home into District 3 served a legitimate purpose, Russell said none whatsoever. There was no legitimate purpose, he said, adding that he and his city staff frequently discussed how Carollos house was being protected in this process. A U.S. Marshal walks away from the front door to Joe Carollos residence in Coconut Grove after posting notices on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. U.S. Marshals began the process to seize the property after he lost a civil trial last year. After a federal judge ruled earlier this year that the city had racially gerrymandered its 2022 voting map, the city reached a tentative settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the voting rights activists who sued the city. The proposed new map drew Carollos home out of District 3, reuniting all of Coconut Grove in District 2. Commissioners agreed to the settlement terms in a shade meeting, according to Chairwoman Christine King. But when the settlement went before the commission for final approval at last weeks meeting, Carollo led the charge to defer the vote. Carollo asked for the deferral in part because of the absence of Commissioner Damian Pardo, despite the fact that Pardo had previously expressed support for the settlement agreement. Jeffrey Gutchess, an attorney for Fuller and Pinilla, said Friday that the deferral was a strategic move by Carollo so he could come to Fridays hearing with his home still in District 3. But Mason Pertnoy, an attorney for Carollo, called the plaintiffs overarching argument a red herring, saying they seek to render meaningless the states constitutional homestead protection shielding Carollos home from seizure. The fate of Carollos home is still up in the air. U.S. Magistrate Judge Lauren F. Louis, who oversaw Fridays evidentiary hearing, plans to later forward her recommendation to U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Smith, who oversaw the federal lawsuit that resulted in the $63.5 million judgment. Miami Herald Associate Editor Joey Flechas contributed reporting. Bat populations in Colorado may be headed for a decline that could cause ecological disruptions across the state. Two bats discovered in Boulder County in late February 2024 were confirmed to have white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease. Additional bats in Larimer County also tested positive for white-nose syndrome early this spring. The first North American bats with white fungus on their faces, ears and wings were discovered in 2006 in caves where they hibernated near Albany, New York. The fungus causes bats to lose nutrients and moisture through their skin and to wake early from hibernation in search of food and water. The disease spread west quickly, reaching Washington state in 2015 and California four years later. It was confirmed in Montana and New Mexico by 2021. Evidence of the fungus was first reported in Colorado in the summer of 2022. Im a bat biologist, and most of my research has focused on the genetics of Myotis bats. Knowing which bat populations are genetically unique and where theyre found will help researchers understand how white-nose syndrome will affect them and how it moves among geographic areas. What is white-nose syndrome? White-nose syndrome is the result of infection by a fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Most fungi thrive in warm, moist conditions, but Pseudogymnoascus destructans is a cold-loving fungus. This trait makes it well adapted to grow on bats when their body temperatures are lowered during hibernation and their immune systems are suppressed. Bats infected with Pseudogymnoascus destructans lose nutrients and fat reserves critical to surviving winter hibernation as the fungus grows into their skin. One of the earliest signs of white-nose syndrome is when bats awake early from hibernation in search of food. The fungus also affects other metabolic factors, such as electrolyte levels. After the discovery of Pseudogymnoascus destructans in North America, scientists searched for the fungus around the globe and found it in European and Asian caves, where they believe it is native. Bats in those areas dont seem to be negatively affected by the fungus, likely because they co-evolved with the fungus and developed some immunity. Pseudogymnoascus destructans was probably brought to the U.S. by travelers who explored caves in Europe and returned with contaminated equipment. Myotis species could face declines Among the species most affected by white-nose syndrome are members of the diverse group of Myotis bats that I study. The majority of North American Myotis bats are found in Western states, including Colorado. Sixteen of North Americas 45 bat species are Myotis bats. Of those 16, 11 live only in Western North America and seven live in Colorado. All of those Myotis bats could face massive population declines if exposed to white-nose syndrome. Some North American bat species have lost more than 90% of their population to white-nose syndrome since 2006, including two found in Colorado: Little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus, which are being considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for listing as endangered but are not listed yet. Tricolored bats, Perimyotis subflavus, which are proposed as endangered, a status which indicates that the species is in danger of extinction and is awaiting a final determination to be on the endangered species list. Colorado testing for white-nose syndrome Colorado Parks and Wildlife has been testing for Pseudogymnoascus destructans since 2019. In the summer of 2022, 25 bats at Bents Old Fort National Historic Site in Otero County were tested. Only one, a Yuma bat (Myotis yumanensis) was positive for the fungus, though it showed no signs of disease. A year later, in July 2023, a second Yuma bat at Bents Old Fort had signs of the fungus on its wings and was euthanized by the National Park Service. It was the first bat in Colorado confirmed with the disease. Preventing further spread Since the disease is highly infectious in Eastern bats, finding even one Colorado bat with white-nose syndrome rings alarm bells. But biologists know little about population structure, hibernation sites and hibernation behaviors of most Western Myotis species. This is a major barrier to understanding the potential impact of white-nose syndrome on bats in Colorado. Researchers think Western Myotis bats might hibernate at smaller sites, unlike many Eastern bats that hibernate in large mines and dams. This behavior might mitigate the impact of the disease in the West, since groups that hibernate together may be smaller, resulting in limited opportunities for disease spread. Researchers also lack information on the genetic structure of Western populations of Myotis bats, which is a critically important aspect of management and conservation strategies. Genetic research I published with a group of colleagues shows strong evidence that biologists are underestimating the number of Western Myotis species because of a phenomenon called cryptic, or hidden, species. This research suggests there are Myotis bats that are similar in size and shape but genetically different. Since most species are identified by morphological characteristics, the number of species recognized by science is likely too low. For instance, little brown bats are currently considered a single species, though research has found five independent lineages within this species. The cryptic species most affected by white-nose syndrome in the East is Myotis lucifugus lucifugus. Two of these cryptic species M. l. lucifugus and M. l. carissima live along the Front Range in Wyoming and Colorado, so it is possible that bat-to-bat contact between them is happening there and spreading the disease. Researchers administer the white-nose syndrome vaccine to a bat during a field trial. Public Domain Whats next for bats in Colorado? Biologist John Demboski at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and I are teaming up to analyze genetic samples from across Colorado. We will analyze tissues from sick bats in Boulder and Larimer counties along with a large genetic dataset of Myotis bats from across the state. The results of our DNA analyses will help predict how white-nose syndrome may spread through Colorado bat populations and where to target efforts to protect them. Specifically, the results will clarify where the two cryptic species occur in the state and, therefore, where disease transmission could be occurring. A few promising developments: The U.S. Geological Survey recently developed a vaccine against white-nose syndrome and is currently assessing its efficacy. Its promise is currently limited, however, because using the vaccine requires all bats to be captured and given an oral dose of the medication, a nearly impossible task for wild-ranging, nocturnal animal populations. Some preliminary studies on Eastern populations of little brown bats suggest that they may be building a resistance to the fungus. A small number survive. Even if bats do recover, rebuilding populations will take a long time. Most female bats produce just one offspring per year over their life spans, which can range from 10 to more than 30 years. And most bat populations face other threats to survival, such as habitat destruction, threats to prey populations and persecution. 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: Tanya Dewey, Colorado State University Read more: Tanya Dewey 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. In this episode of BattleLines, we speak to Europe editor James Crisp about the attempted assassination of Slovakian PM Robert Fico. Then we spoke to Gia Japaridze, a former Georgian diplomat who was beaten up in what he believes was punishment for his opposition to a controversial foreign agents law. And finally, we spoke to Robin Forestier Walker, a British filmmaker who lives in Tbilisi, about how protesters have reacted to the law. Across the world, from Europe to Asia, from the Americas to the Middle East, tensions are rising between nation states as the traditional alliances and alignments evolve in the 21st century. This year sees war in Europe and the Middle East, and elections in major economies, from the US and the UK to Taiwan. Insurgencies flare in Yemen and Burma, tensions escalate in East Africa, and all around the world the international security architecture buckles under increasing pressure. Battle Lines, a new podcast from The Telegraph, combines on-the-ground reporting with analytical expertise to help the listener to better understand the course of world politics, wars and tensions, as fault lines grind and slip in an increasingly dangerous and confusing multipolar world. Listen to Battle Lines using the audio player in this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or your favourite podcast app. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) An injury crash that was blocking lanes on the westbound level of the Bay Bridge Friday afternoon has been cleared, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash occurred west of Treasure Island in San Francisco. Bay to Breakers 2024: Street closures, special Muni and BART service in SF Earlier, right lanes were blocked as a result of the collision. However, as of 3:13 p.m., all lanes were open. It is not known how many people were injured or how serious the injuries are. 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. MediaCity in Salford, hosts 3,200 employees and is home to BBC Sport, BBC Breakfast, Radio 5 Live and the BBC Philharmonic - Brett Charlton A new rail service between Rochdale and London is being introduced to the benefit of BBC staff working at its northern outpost. Plans for a route terminating in Rochdale, nestled in the Pennine Hills 10 miles north of Manchester, will aid those travelling to the BBCs Media City office in Salford. Rochdale, a former mill town of 110,000 people, last had its own rail connection to the capital a quarter of a century ago. Passengers from the area will benefit from a new three-hour service along the West Coast Main Line to London Euston, travelling at speeds of up to 125mph. FirstGroup, which is behind the proposal, said the service will support around 1.6 million people in the region. Operations are planned from 2027 under FirstGroups Lumo brand, requiring a fleet of around half a dozen new trains. Japans Hitachi is expected to be best-placed to secure the procurement contract, having supplied Lumos existing five-train fleet from its plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. The trains will operate under overhead wires as far as Manchester and be equipped with batteries to complete the last few miles on the unelectrified line to Rochdale. At the heart of the plan is the restoration of direct London trains to Manchester Victoria station, once one of Britains major rail hubs but in recent years reduced to providing mostly local trains and semi-fast services to other northern cities. The service will also stop at Eccles, which FirstGroup said will serve nearby Salford and provide Media City employees with a convenient route to London. This will mean they do not have to travel to Piccadilly Station, Manchesters hub for trains to the capital. MediaCity hosts 3,200 employees and is home to BBC Sport, BBC Breakfast, Radio 5 Live and the BBC Philharmonic, as well as childrens and religious programming and local TV and radio. The trains, which will offer wi-fi and at-seat catering, will make two more stops before heading to Euston, and are set to make six return journeys a day, Lumo, launched in 2021, already operates a service between London and Edinburgh, which it is looking to extend to Glasgow, while sister brand Hull Trains has been operating between London and the Yorkshire city since 2000. The company has applied to run the new Rochdale service under open access rules that allow for the launch of new routes not catered to by existing franchises where demand is sufficient. Other open access operators include Arriva UKs Grand Central, which provides services to Sunderland and Bradford from Kings Cross, though several more have fallen by the wayside after proving unviable, including a service from London Marylebone to Wrexham. Labours plan to renationalise the railways by taking franchises under state ownership as they expire shouldnt impact the plan, according to FirstGroup, which cited a commitment to retain the open access model in the recent Getting Britain Moving strategy. FirstGroup already runs Manchesters existing express service to London through its Avanti West Coast business. 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. After being booed, Gov. Cox says caucus-convention system shouldnt go away Gov. Spencer Cox speaks at his monthly news conference in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 16, 2024. | Laura Seitz, Deserert News Utah Gov. Spencer Cox does not support getting rid of the states party caucus and convention system, he said at a PBS press conference on Thursday. Less than a month after the governor was shouted down and handed a stinging loss by state GOP delegates, Cox defended the unique party nomination pathway to the primary ballot and said his terse convention speech was directed toward only a small minority of Republicans. I love the caucus-convention system, he told reporters at the monthly broadcast. I believe in the caucus convention system, I always have, I think its really important and unique. What happened to Gov. Cox at convention? In 2020, then-Lt. Gov. Cox received 52% of the convention vote, making him one of two candidates to receive the endorsement of delegates going into the primary election, which he then narrowly won in a four-way race with 36% of the vote. Four years later, after a litany of conservative policy wins and some culture war controversy, Cox was met by some applause and a litany of boos from the nearly 4,000 state delegates elected to represent neighborhood party precincts who were gathered in Salt Lake City on April 27. Speaking over shouts that sometimes made it hard to hear him, Cox told delegates I love you guys before choosing to abandon his prepared remarks to respond to his unwelcome reception. He praised those who were there for constructive purposes and condemned those who, in his words, were borrowing cancel culture from the left. Im a little worried about our caucus-convention system, Cox said on the stage. There are a whole bunch of people out there who want to get rid of this. I hope youre not giving them more ammunition today. Cox proceeded to run through a number of bills passed during his tenure historical tax cuts, constitutional firearm carry, abortion restrictions, DEI bans and asked his hecklers whether what they really hate is that I dont hate enough. What were the results of the GOP state convention? Delegates didnt respond well to the comment. Cox received just 32.5% of the vote in the second and final round of voting while his challenger, state Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding, received 67.5%, ensuring his place as the official Utah GOP gubernatorial nominee ahead of the June 25 primary. Two days after the convention, the Cox campaign sent out fundraising emails using convention-goers as a foil. Last Saturday, extreme right-wing delegates gave my opponent 67.5% of the vote after weeks of misleading voters about my record, the email said. In the days following the convention, the Salt Lake County and Iron County Republican Party organizations issued statements criticizing Cox remarks as divisive. Its not surprising to see Spencer Cox backtracking from his outspoken criticism of the Republican delegates, Lyman told the Deseret News in a statement. Gov. Cox was hurt by his performance at Convention, now its hurting his campaign(.) But as with many elections in the past, the delegates reaction to Cox appears to be unrepresentative of most Republican voters. An April 22 Morning Consult poll found Cox with 69% approval rating among Utah Republicans. An April 29 poll by Noble Predictive Insights found that among Republican voters that have an opinion, 81% said they would vote for Cox in the GOP primary. At Thursdays press conference, Cox said he didnt regret his comments at the convention but said they werent meant to refer to all those who disagreed with him, just a small group, but a very loud group of people, that kind of ruined the experience for so many people. Will Utah change the caucus system? The consistent discrepancy between convention delegates and most Republican voters, Cox pointed out, is not new, with delegates booing several of his predecessors going back decades. I dont know that its something that can ever be fixed, Cox said. But he has not prescribed any changes to the system and said its benefits outweigh its shortfalls. I think having an alternative path to the ballot is wise, Cox said on Thursday, explaining that the convention nomination can sometimes be more accessible to candidates with less resources. But I do understand the deep frustration of those who who believe that the caucus-convention system is no longer representative. Cox said he didnt know if state lawmakers would try to change the system or try to eliminate the convention path entirely in upcoming legislative sessions. I havent heard any proposals yet. But well be paying attention, Cox said. Cox did encourage the Utah Republican Party to try to increase participation in caucus night in an effort to elect a more representative group of delegates every two years. We need more people to show up. Thats the important part, Cox said. And yet, I understand that that is part of the problem not everyone can show up on caucus night. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says Poland to bolster its border with Belarus amid warnings of mass migration breach and "hybrid war" threats. Ukraines parliament considers a bill to grant citizenship to foreign volunteers fighting in as part of the Ukrainian Army, addressing legal challenges currently facing Belarusians fighting for Ukraine. Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Join us Dictator Alexander Lukashenko dismisses Belarusian army chief Viktar Hulevich, leaving the position vacant as the country engages in continuous military drills. Former opposition activist Raman Pratasevich, who was arrested during forced landing of a commercial flight in Minsk in 2021, is facing a $7.6 million reparation claim. Belarusian authorities prosecuted at least 161 Belarusians in April, human rights organization Viasna reports as crackdown on Lukashenko regime's opponents continues. Poland to fortify border with Belarus amid reports of upcoming border breach attempt Poland plans to strengthen its entire eastern border with Belarus due to a growing hybrid war and illegal migration, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after he visited the countrys eastern frontier on May 11. The Polish-Belarusian border is a unique place due to the pressure of illegal immigration, Tusk told Reuters. In fact, were dealing with a progressing hybrid war. During the visit to the border, Tusk claimed that Belarus, a country with increasingly aggressive intentions towards Poland, is co-organizing this practice on the Polish border. Following Tusks visit, Polands Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk announced that a planned modernization, developed by the team of engineers at Silesian Technology University, would render the barrier impassible. Read also: Tusk: Poland to fortify border with Belarus due to hybrid war The modernization of the (border) fence will most likely cost about 1.5 billion zlotys (about $375 million), and thats how much we need to allocate to make this fence actually work, Tomczyk told TVN24 on May 12. However, the issue of fortification that Prime Minister Donald Tusk raised is an entirely different project on which we have been working for many weeks, Tomczyk said. Tusks May 11 visit to the Polish-Belarusian border came soon after Belarusian opposition group BYPOL warned that the Belarusian authorities were organizing a massive border breach attempt. According to BYPOL a group of exiled former Belarusian law enforcers that oppose the regime the Belarusian authorities are secretly transporting small groups of illegal migrants to the Polish border. The migrants are delivered from Minsk by OMON (riot police) officers in civilian cars at night, BYPOL said, citing its own sources. The migrants are sorted into groups of 25-30 people. The total number of migrants has reached 700-800 individuals, BYPOL claims. The Polish Border Guard reported on May 10 that it had thwarted an attempt by 140 migrants to cross the border. According to the guards, the migrants behaved aggressively and were throwing sticks and stones at the Polish Border Guards and military. Grupa Granica, a human rights group that has been helping migrants in eastern Poland, criticized Tusk. During the press conference, (Tusk) didnt mention people or human lives at all, the groups representative, Anna Alboth, said. The activists have condemned pushbacks the practice of forcefully returning illegal migrants to Belarus. Tensions between Poland, a NATO country, and Russian ally Belarus have surged since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Ukrainian parliament considers bill to provide citizenship to foreign volunteers fighting for the country Ukraines parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has supported in first reading a bill that would give Ukrainian citizenship to foreign volunteers fighting together with the Ukrainian army, lawmaker Oleksiy Honcharenko said on May 9. The bill reportedly received 263 votes in favor, said Honcharenko, who also heads the non-official parliament group For Democratic Belarus. This is a much-needed bill, the lawmaker said in a post on Telegram. A step towards volunteers and their families has been taken. According to RBC-Ukraine news outlet, the bill provides for granting permits to foreigners and stateless persons recruited for the defense of Ukraine as part of the territorial defense forces or voluntary formations of the territorial community and the provision of temporary residence permits to their family members. Read also: What do we know about the Siberian Battalion that reportedly crossed into Russia? Russian and Belarusian citizens who have acquired Ukrainian citizenship since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and who have promised to give up their former citizenship, will have to provide corresponding proof that they have done so within a year of the date of termination or cancellation of martial law, if the term of such an obligation has already expired. The bill makes it possible for foreigners to acquire permits with expired passports, which is especially significant for Belarusians. In November 2023, the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko banned Belarusian embassies from issuing new passports abroad. Political opponents who had to return to the country to renew their passports were subsequently arrested and prosecuted. Hundreds of Belarusians have joined the Ukrainian army since 2014, and at least 46 of them have been killed in action. In Belarus, volunteer fighters risk imprisonment, and the Lukashenko regime harasses their families. Moreover, in Ukraine they also find themselves in a legal trap as soon as they are discharged from service. Unable to obtain residence permits under current legislation, Belarusians have to seek refuge elsewhere. However, EU-member states are not inclined to provide it to combatants, according to Andrey Kushnerau of the Association of Belarusian Volunteers. Lukashenko dismisses Belarusian army chief of staff The chief of the general staff of the Belarusian army, General Viktar Hulevich, was dismissed from service on May 10, Lukashenkos press office reported. The 55-year-old Hulevich was reported to have been discharged from military service due to his age, but he will continue to be a reserve officer. As such, he has the right to continue to wear his military uniform and insignia. No successor to Hulevich has been announced yet. Like many officers in the Belarusian military, Hulevich underwent military training in Moscow. He briefly served in the Russian Armed Forces, and returned to Belarus soon after. Hulevich was appointed chief of general staff and first deputy defense minister in March 2021. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko speaks with the countrys military command while dressed in full military gear on March 26, 2024. (Courtesy) Belarusian media outlets suggest that Hulevich opposes Belarus involvement in Russias war against Ukraine, and has been speaking to his NATO counterparts. Belarus provided its territory and resources to aid Russia in its full-scale invasion and war on Ukraine. Hulevichs dismissal came just days before the removal of Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. Captured opposition activist says he owes Belarusian state $7.6 million in damages Former opposition activist and NEXTA Telegram channel editor Raman Pratasevich has said that he and the co-defendants in the "NEXTA case" have to repay the Belarusian state around $7.6 million as compensation for taking part in the mass public protests in Belarus in 2020. During a Youtube stream on May 7, Pratasevich revealed there had been a court ruling on such compensation in a civil case involving himself and the co-founders and editors-in-chief of the NEXTA Telegram channel Yan Rudzik and Stsiapan Putsila NEXTA played a significant role in the 2020 protests and was subsequently labeled as an extremist organization by Lukashenkos regime. The total compensation demanded by the court was $7.6 million, Pratasevich said. Although convicted in absentia, Rudzik and Putsila remain in exile, beyond the reach of Belarus' law enforcers. Pratasevich is thus the only defendant physically present in court. I have no idea what to do about this and how to go on living, Pratasevich said, commenting on the ruling. It's clear that I don't have even close to that kind of money. Even finding a job now is extremely difficult for me. I have three choices: to leave, to pay 50% of any income for the rest of my life, or to walk into the noose. Pratasevich was detained in May 2021 in Minsk after the Belarusian authorities grounded a commercial airline flight en route from Athens to Vilnius that had the activist and his then-girlfriend Sofia Sapega on board. Pratasevich was pressured to cooperate with the authorities. There were visible bruises on his body when he gave an interview later in 2021 to a state-owned broadcaster, as well as when he subsequently spoke at a press conference in Minsk endorsing the Lukashenko regime's narratives and supporting Lukashenko's policies. Pratasevich was sentenced to eight years in prison in May 2023, but was pardoned by Lukashenko two weeks later. Read also: New Defense Minister Belousov to put Russias economy on war footing Viasna human rights organization says at least 161 Belarusians were convicted in politically motivated criminal cases in April At least 161 Belarusians were prosecuted in politically motivated criminal cases in April, the Viasna Human Rights Center wrote in its report, following the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko continuing to crack down on civil society in Belarus. Nearly 64% of criminal cases are still initiated on charges of participating in actions that grossly violate public order, referring to mass anti-government protests that engulfed the country in 2020 after Lukashenko claimed to have won a sham presidential election. Eight sentences were handed down in absentia. Viasna also pointed to the continuing trend for former political prisoners to be subjected to repeated prosecution on new charges, as well as charges being made against entire families. The Barometer of Repression in Belarus, an analytical report by think tank the Center for New Ideas, said there was an increase in both administrative and criminal prosecutions of Belarusians in the first quarter of 2024. According to the report, at least 414 individuals underwent criminal persecution, and 987 were detained on politically motivated charges. The reports authors also warned that these figures were likely below the actual numbers due to the inaccessibility of official statistics and the atmosphere of fear that prevents families from reporting detention cases. Sign up for our newsletter WTF is wrong with Russia? Sign up 'Lukashenkos regime commits crimes against humanity' Since the beginning of the crackdown on civil society in 2020, we have seen many examples of solidarity among Belarusians inside the country and abroad thousands of letters and hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations for political prisoners and their families. Yet, in 2024, receiving this aid will be used as a pretext for prosecution by Belarus authorities. Viasna attorney Pavel Sapelka explained what is happening to solidarity efforts for political prisoners and why the Lukashenko regime seeks to criminalize them. "The only option totalitarian powers have is to intensify repressions. Lukashenko's regime has never managed to regain even a small part of the tacit approval it had before 2020," Sapelka said. "In my opinion, this is an element of ongoing crimes against humanity committed by officials in Belarus. These actions are aimed at large-scale systematic persecutions on political grounds," he added. "At the very least, these are gross violations of human rights, both individually and in the aggregate, which are rapidly and inevitably pulling Belarus away from democratic states governed by the rule of law." Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Satellite imagery from May 16 of the aftermath of suspected Ukrainian missile strikes on Russia's Belbek military airfield in occupied Crimea suggests three aircraft were recently destroyed. The Crimean Wind Telegram channel claimed the airfield was attacked late on May 15 and that a fuel depot caught fire, while Russia's Defense Ministry claimed five U.S.-supplied ATACMS missiles were intercepted overnight by "air defense systems on duty." Attacks against the Belbek airfield were also reported the preceding night, which allegedly resulted in fires near the military facility. Satellite images obtained by RFE/RL and The New York Times suggested two MiG-31s and one Su-27 were damaged if not totally destroyed. On @Maxar imagery, two MiG-31s and one Su-27 have been completely destroyed, and a MiG-29 damaged, at the Russian Air Force's Belbek Airbase in occupied Crimea. A fuel storage near the main airbase runway was also destroyed, and debris continued to burn in the aftermath. https://t.co/ZWflMYUFVw pic.twitter.com/80N56MRP2h Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) May 16, 2024 The Ukrainian military has not commented on the attacks, but in its daily update, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported two Russian planes and one helicopter had been destroyed over the preceding 24 hours but gave no further details. On May 16, the partisan group Atesh said the main missile and artillery depot of the Russian Belbek military airfield near occupied Sevastopol was damaged. The partisans claimed 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. Atesh did not mention damaged or destroyed aircraft. The Kyiv Independent could not verify all the claims. Elsewhere, Ukraine allegedly launched a massive attack overnight on Russian targets on May 17, including the Novorossiysk port and oil facilities, with the Kremlin claiming to have destroyed more than 100 air and naval drones. In a post on Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed 102 aerial and six naval drones had been intercepted and destroyed and did not report any damage or casualties. "Air defense systems destroyed and intercepted 51 UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles edit.) over the territory of the Crimean peninsula, 44 UAVs over the territory of Krasnodar Krai, six UAVs over the territory of Belgorod Oblast, and one UAV over the territory of Kursk Oblast," it wrote. "During the night, naval aviation and patrol boats of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed six unmanned boats in the Black Sea." The claims could not be independently verified. 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. If confirmed, it would be the largest drone attack by Ukraine throughout the entire full-scale war. A previous attack in March saw the Kremlin claiming to have downed 65 drones. Read also: Russia claims over 100 downed drones amid reports of massive drone attack on port, oil facilities Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Wouldnt you know, it is the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, co-founders of Benedictine College, who on Thursday issued the definitive response to Harrison Butkers commencement address there. The sisters, of course, are among those whose vital contributions to the world, to the church and to the college are not just discounted but erased poof, gone in Butkers view of women who are not wives and mothers: He doesnt see them at all. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? he asked women graduates. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. My beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. Im not being snide when I say I thought life truly started in the womb; all people at all stages of life and in all walks of life are valued in the Catholic faith, and I see nothing traditional about his implication that only marriage and parenthood confer true worth on women. Neither do the sisters, whose statement Im going to quote in its entirety: As a founding institution and sponsor of Benedictine College, the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica find it necessary to respond to the controversial remarks of Harrison Butker as commencement speaker. The Sisters of Mt. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butkers comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested. Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division. One of our concerns was the assertion that being a homemaker is the highest calling for a woman. We sisters have dedicated our lives to God and Gods people, including the many women whom we have taught and influenced during the past 160 years. These women have made a tremendous difference in the world in their roles as wives and mothers, and through their God-given talents in leadership, scholarship and their careers. Our community has taught young women and men not just how to be homemakers in a limited sense, but rather how to make a Gospel-centered, compassionate home within themselves where they can welcome others as Christ, empowering them to be the best versions of themselves. We reject a narrow definition of what it means to be Catholic. We are faithful members of the Catholic Church who embrace and promote the values of the Gospel, St. Benedict, and Vatican II and the teachings of Pope Francis. We want to be known as an inclusive, welcoming community, embracing Benedictine values that have endured for more than 1500 years and have spread through every continent and nation. We believe those values are the core of Benedictine College. Butker owes these women whove dedicated their lives to living those values an apology. Other things the Kansas City Chiefs kicker said were far afield from Catholic teaching, too: When you embrace tradition, he said in his address, success, worldly and spiritual, will follow. Thats the Prosperity Gospel embraced by some evangelicals but pretty much the exact opposite of what Jesus said about what would happen to those who follow him. He also told graduates, Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail. No, it couldnt. Hes talking about House Republicans passing a bill that threatens federal funding for colleges that dont crack down on antisemitic speech, including claims of Jews killing Jesus. Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks thats basic, but Catholics dont: The church has long since repudiated those claims, rejecting the idea of collective Jewish guilt for Christs crucifixion in 1965. In 2011, Pope Benedict made even more explicit that Jews were not responsible. On its own terms, Butkers address went badly awry. If hes the strong man he said in his speech that he is, hell call those sisters and tell them hes sorry. 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. Trains loaded with Powder River Basin coal, pictured in 2006, at Union Pacifics Bailey railyard in North Platte, Nebraska. (Dustin Bleizeffer | WyoFile) 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. 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. A truck carrying a load of Powder River Basin coal (Photo by Dustin Bleizeffer of WyoFile). 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 story is republished from the Daily Montanan, a sister publication of the Kentucky Lantern and part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network. The post Biden administration proposes ending future federal coal leasing in Powder River Basin appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Asylum seekers board a bus en route to a shelter in New York City on May 18, 2023. The Biden administration announced changes Thursday, May 16, 2024, meant to speed processing of asylum claims. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The Biden administration will start a new system Friday to hasten asylum claims for single adults, administration officials said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice will launch a new expedited docket for migrants who arrive alone at ports of entry and turn themselves in to border authorities, senior administration officials said on a call with reporters previewing the changes. Those single adult migrants will have their asylum cases processed first, rather than have their case go to the back of the line, which can take years. The new recent arrivals docket will more swiftly impose consequences, including removal, on those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, a senior administration official said. Administration officials briefed reporters on the changes on the condition they not be named. Today, we are instituting with the Department of Justice a process to accelerate asylum proceedings so that individuals who do not qualify for relief can be removed more quickly and those who do qualify can achieve protection sooner, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. Decided in months, not years The recent arrivals docket will allow asylum cases to be decided in 180 days, or six months, rather than years, a senior administration official said. As of April, there is about a 3.6 million-case backlog in U.S. immigration court that will take years to process, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which is a research center at Syracuse University that collects data on immigration. There are roughly 600 immigration judges in the country. Currently, when a migrant arrives to claim asylum, they are processed and, if they are not detained, they are allowed to live in the country while they await their court date. The average processing time for asylum cases for fiscal year 2023 was 1,016 days, or about 2.8 years, according to TRAC. The recent arrivals docket is designed to decrease the amount of time it takes for certain noncitizen single adults to have their cases efficiently adjudicated by (the Executive Office for Immigration Review), a senior administration official said. A senior administration official said single adult migrants placed in the recent arrivals docket will have their cases processed before immigration judges in five cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. There will be 10 immigration judges dedicated to the docket, a senior administration official said. Effective Friday The new arrivals docket will go into effect Friday, a senior administration official said. The DOJ and DHS announced a similar process in 2021 where a dedicated docket applied to migrant families that arrived between ports of entry at the Southwest border. The changes build upon the Biden administrations announcement last week of a proposed rule that would allow immigration officials to reject asylum seekers who have a criminal record that poses a threat to national security or public safety and quickly remove them. As the White House deals with the largest number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 20 years, the Biden administration has faced continued intense criticism about its immigration policies from GOP lawmakers and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. The post Biden administration seeks to speed some asylum cases with new immigration docket appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. Asylum seekers board a bus en route to a shelter in New York City on May 18, 2023. The Biden administration announced changes Thursday, May 16, 2024, meant to speed processing of asylum claims (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images). WASHINGTON The Biden administration will start a new system Friday to hasten asylum claims for single adults, administration officials said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice will launch a new expedited docket for migrants who arrive alone at ports of entry and turn themselves in to border authorities, senior administration officials said on a call with reporters previewing the changes. Those single adult migrants will have their asylum cases processed first, rather than have their case go to the back of the line, which can take years. The new recent arrivals docket will more swiftly impose consequences, including removal, on those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, a senior administration official said. Administration officials briefed reporters on the changes on the condition they not be named. Today, we are instituting with the Department of Justice a process to accelerate asylum proceedings so that individuals who do not qualify for relief can be removed more quickly and those who do qualify can achieve protection sooner, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. The recent arrivals docket will allow asylum cases to be decided in 180 days, or six months, rather than years, a senior administration official said. As of April, there is about a 3.6 million-case backlog in U.S. immigration court that will take years to process, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which is a research center at Syracuse University that collects data on immigration. There are roughly 600 immigration judges in the country. Average asylum processing time nearly 3 years Currently, when a migrant arrives to claim asylum, they are processed and, if they are not detained, they are allowed to live in the country while they await their court date. The average processing time for asylum cases for fiscal year 2023, was 1,016 days or about 2.8 years, according to TRAC. The recent arrivals docket is designed to decrease the amount of time it takes for certain noncitizen single adults to have their cases efficiently adjudicated by (the Executive Office for Immigration Review), a senior administration official said. A senior administration official said single adult migrants placed in the recent arrivals docket will have their cases processed before immigration judges in five cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. There will be 10 immigration judges dedicated to the docket, a senior administration official said. The new arrivals docket will go into effect Friday, a senior administration official said. The DOJ and DHS announced a similar process in 2021 where a dedicated docket applied to migrant families that arrived between ports of entry at the Southwest border. The changes build upon the Biden administrations announcement last week of a proposed rule that would allow immigration officials to reject asylum seekers who have a criminal record that poses a threat to national security or public safety and quickly remove them. As the White House deals with the largest number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 20 years, the Biden administration has faced continued intense criticism about its immigration policies from GOP lawmakers and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. The post Biden administration seeks to speed some asylum cases with new immigration docket appeared first on Missouri Independent. sylum seekers board a bus en route to a shelter in New York City on May 18, 2023. The Biden administration announced changes Thursday, May 16, 2024, meant to speed processing of asylum claims. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) The Biden administration will start a new system Friday to hasten asylum claims for single adults, administration officials said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice will launch a new expedited docket for migrants who arrive alone at ports of entry and turn themselves in to border authorities, senior administration officials said on a call with reporters previewing the changes. Those single adult migrants will have their asylum cases processed first, rather than have their case go to the back of the line, which can take years. The new recent arrivals docket will more swiftly impose consequences, including removal, on those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, a senior administration official said. Administration officials briefed reporters on the changes on the condition they not be named. Today, we are instituting with the Department of Justice a process to accelerate asylum proceedings so that individuals who do not qualify for relief can be removed more quickly and those who do qualify can achieve protection sooner, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. The recent arrivals docket will allow asylum cases to be decided in 180 days, or six months, rather than years, a senior administration official said. As of April, there is about a 3.6 million-case backlog in U.S. immigration court that will take years to process, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which is a research center at Syracuse University that collects data on immigration. There are roughly 600 immigration judges in the country. Average asylum processing time nearly 3 years Currently, when a migrant arrives to claim asylum, they are processed and, if they are not detained, they are allowed to live in the country while they await their court date. The average processing time for asylum cases for fiscal year 2023, was 1,016 days or about 2.8 years, according to TRAC. The recent arrivals docket is designed to decrease the amount of time it takes for certain noncitizen single adults to have their cases efficiently adjudicated by (the Executive Office for Immigration Review), a senior administration official said. A senior administration official said single adult migrants placed in the recent arrivals docket will have their cases processed before immigration judges in five cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. There will be 10 immigration judges dedicated to the docket, a senior administration official said. The new arrivals docket will go into effect Friday, a senior administration official said. The DOJ and DHS announced a similar process in 2021 where a dedicated docket applied to migrant families that arrived between ports of entry at the Southwest border. The changes build upon the Biden administrations announcement last week of a proposed rule that would allow immigration officials to reject asylum seekers who have a criminal record that poses a threat to national security or public safety and quickly remove them. As the White House deals with the largest number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 20 years, the Biden administration has faced continued intense criticism about its immigration policies from GOP lawmakers and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Biden administration seeks to speed some asylum cases with new immigration docket appeared first on Maine Morning Star. Asylum seekers board a bus en route to a shelter in New York City on May 18, 2023. The Biden administration announced changes Thursday, May 16, 2024, meant to speed processing of asylum claims. (Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images) WASHINGTON The Biden administration will start a new system Friday to hasten asylum claims for single adults, administration officials said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice will launch a new expedited docket for migrants who arrive alone at ports of entry and turn themselves in to border authorities, senior administration officials said on a call with reporters previewing the changes. Those single adult migrants will have their asylum cases processed first, rather than have their case go to the back of the line, which can take years. The new recent arrivals docket will more swiftly impose consequences, including removal, on those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, a senior administration official said. Administration officials briefed reporters on the changes on the condition they not be named. Today, we are instituting with the Department of Justice a process to accelerate asylum proceedings so that individuals who do not qualify for relief can be removed more quickly and those who do qualify can achieve protection sooner, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. The recent arrivals docket will allow asylum cases to be decided in 180 days, or six months, rather than years, a senior administration official said. As of April, there is about a 3.6 million-case backlog in U.S. immigration court that will take years to process, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which is a research center at Syracuse University that collects data on immigration. There are roughly 600 immigration judges in the country. Average asylum processing time nearly 3 years Currently, when a migrant arrives to claim asylum, they are processed and, if they are not detained, they are allowed to live in the country while they await their court date. The average processing time for asylum cases for fiscal year 2023, was 1,016 days or about 2.8 years, according to TRAC. The recent arrivals docket is designed to decrease the amount of time it takes for certain noncitizen single adults to have their cases efficiently adjudicated by (the Executive Office for Immigration Review), a senior administration official said. A senior administration official said single adult migrants placed in the recent arrivals docket will have their cases processed before immigration judges in five cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. There will be 10 immigration judges dedicated to the docket, a senior administration official said. The new arrivals docket will go into effect Friday, a senior administration official said. The DOJ and DHS announced a similar process in 2021 where a dedicated docket applied to migrant families that arrived between ports of entry at the Southwest border. The changes build upon the Biden administrations announcement last week of a proposed rule that would allow immigration officials to reject asylum seekers who have a criminal record that poses a threat to national security or public safety and quickly remove them. As the White House deals with the largest number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 20 years, the Biden administration has faced continued intense criticism about its immigration policies from GOP lawmakers and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. The post Biden administration seeks to speed some asylum cases with new immigration docket appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin. Asylum seekers board a bus en route to a shelter in New York City on May 18, 2023. The Biden administration announced changes Thursday, May 16, 2024, meant to speed processing of asylum claims. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The Biden administration will start a new system Friday to hasten asylum claims for single adults, administration officials said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice will launch a new expedited docket for migrants who arrive alone at ports of entry and turn themselves in to border authorities, senior administration officials said on a call with reporters previewing the changes. Those single adult migrants will have their asylum cases processed first, rather than have their case go to the back of the line, which can take years. The new recent arrivals docket will more swiftly impose consequences, including removal, on those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, a senior administration official said. Administration officials briefed reporters on the changes on the condition they not be named. Today, we are instituting with the Department of Justice a process to accelerate asylum proceedings so that individuals who do not qualify for relief can be removed more quickly and those who do qualify can achieve protection sooner, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. The recent arrivals docket will allow asylum cases to be decided in 180 days, or six months, rather than years, a senior administration official said. As of April, there is about a 3.6 million-case backlog in U.S. immigration court that will take years to process, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which is a research center at Syracuse University that collects data on immigration. There are roughly 600 immigration judges in the country. Average asylum processing time nearly 3 years Currently, when a migrant arrives to claim asylum, they are processed and, if they are not detained, they are allowed to live in the country while they await their court date. The average processing time for asylum cases for fiscal year 2023, was 1,016 days or about 2.8 years, according to TRAC. The recent arrivals docket is designed to decrease the amount of time it takes for certain noncitizen single adults to have their cases efficiently adjudicated by (the Executive Office for Immigration Review), a senior administration official said. A senior administration official said single adult migrants placed in the recent arrivals docket will have their cases processed before immigration judges in five cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. There will be 10 immigration judges dedicated to the docket, a senior administration official said. The new arrivals docket will go into effect Friday, a senior administration official said. The DOJ and DHS announced a similar process in 2021 where a dedicated docket applied to migrant families that arrived between ports of entry at the Southwest border. The changes build upon the Biden administrations announcement last week of a proposed rule that would allow immigration officials to reject asylum seekers who have a criminal record that poses a threat to national security or public safety and quickly remove them. As the White House deals with the largest number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 20 years, the Biden administration has faced continued intense criticism about its immigration policies from GOP lawmakers and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Biden administration seeks to speed some asylum cases with new immigration docket appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Asylum seekers board a bus en route to a shelter in New York City on May 18, 2023. The Biden administration announced changes Thursday, May 16, 2024, meant to speed processing of asylum claims. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The Biden administration will start a new system Friday to hasten asylum claims for single adults, administration officials said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice will launch a new expedited docket for migrants who arrive alone at ports of entry and turn themselves in to border authorities, senior administration officials said on a call with reporters previewing the changes. Those single adult migrants will have their asylum cases processed first, rather than have their case go to the back of the line, which can take years. The new recent arrivals docket will more swiftly impose consequences, including removal, on those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, a senior administration official said. Administration officials briefed reporters on the changes on the condition they not be named. Today, we are instituting with the Department of Justice a process to accelerate asylum proceedings so that individuals who do not qualify for relief can be removed more quickly and those who do qualify can achieve protection sooner, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. The recent arrivals docket will allow asylum cases to be decided in 180 days, or six months, rather than years, a senior administration official said. As of April, there is about a 3.6 million-case backlog in U.S. immigration court that will take years to process, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which is a research center at Syracuse University that collects data on immigration. There are roughly 600 immigration judges in the country. Average asylum processing time nearly 3 years Currently, when a migrant arrives to claim asylum, they are processed and, if they are not detained, they are allowed to live in the country while they await their court date. The average processing time for asylum cases for fiscal year 2023, was 1,016 days or about 2.8 years, according to TRAC. The recent arrivals docket is designed to decrease the amount of time it takes for certain noncitizen single adults to have their cases efficiently adjudicated by (the Executive Office for Immigration Review), a senior administration official said. A senior administration official said single adult migrants placed in the recent arrivals docket will have their cases processed before immigration judges in five cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. There will be 10 immigration judges dedicated to the docket, a senior administration official said. The new arrivals docket will go into effect Friday, a senior administration official said. The DOJ and DHS announced a similar process in 2021 where a dedicated docket applied to migrant families that arrived between ports of entry at the Southwest border. The changes build upon the Biden administrations announcement last week of a proposed rule that would allow immigration officials to reject asylum seekers who have a criminal record that poses a threat to national security or public safety and quickly remove them. As the White House deals with the largest number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 20 years, the Biden administration has faced continued intense criticism about its immigration policies from GOP lawmakers and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. The post Biden administration seeks to speed some asylum cases with new immigration docket appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. Asylum seekers board a bus en route to a shelter in New York City on May 18, 2023. The Biden administration announced changes Thursday, May 16, 2024, meant to speed processing of asylum claims. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The Biden administration will start a new system Friday to hasten asylum claims for single adults, administration officials said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice will launch a new expedited docket for migrants who arrive alone at ports of entry and turn themselves in to border authorities, senior administration officials said on a call with reporters previewing the changes. Those single adult migrants will have their asylum cases processed first, rather than have their case go to the back of the line, which can take years. The new recent arrivals docket will more swiftly impose consequences, including removal, on those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, a senior administration official said. Administration officials briefed reporters on the changes on the condition they not be named. Today, we are instituting with the Department of Justice a process to accelerate asylum proceedings so that individuals who do not qualify for relief can be removed more quickly and those who do qualify can achieve protection sooner, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. The recent arrivals docket will allow asylum cases to be decided in 180 days, or six months, rather than years, a senior administration official said. As of April, there is about a 3.6 million-case backlog in U.S. immigration court that will take years to process, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, which is a research center at Syracuse University that collects data on immigration. There are roughly 600 immigration judges in the country. Average asylum processing time nearly 3 years Currently, when a migrant arrives to claim asylum, they are processed and, if they are not detained, they are allowed to live in the country while they await their court date. The average processing time for asylum cases for fiscal year 2023, was 1,016 days or about 2.8 years, according to TRAC. The recent arrivals docket is designed to decrease the amount of time it takes for certain noncitizen single adults to have their cases efficiently adjudicated by (the Executive Office for Immigration Review), a senior administration official said. A senior administration official said single adult migrants placed in the recent arrivals docket will have their cases processed before immigration judges in five cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. There will be 10 immigration judges dedicated to the docket, a senior administration official said. The new arrivals docket will go into effect Friday, a senior administration official said. The DOJ and DHS announced a similar process in 2021 where a dedicated docket applied to migrant families that arrived between ports of entry at the Southwest border. The changes build upon the Biden administrations announcement last week of a proposed rule that would allow immigration officials to reject asylum seekers who have a criminal record that poses a threat to national security or public safety and quickly remove them. As the White House deals with the largest number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 20 years, the Biden administration has faced continued intense criticism about its immigration policies from GOP lawmakers and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump. The post Biden administration seeks to speed some asylum cases with new immigration docket appeared first on New Jersey Monitor. Biden announces new grants to further desegregate schools on Brown vs. Board of Education anniversary President Joe Biden on Friday announced new grants aimed at further desegregating magnet schools, as he marked the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling that desegregated America's public schools. "My Department of Education is investing $300 million, including another $20 million announced today to support diversity in our schools," Biden said in remarks at an NAACP event at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The $20 million in new grants is for school districts in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas, to create magnet programs geared toward "attracting students from different social, economic, ethnic and racial backgrounds," the White House said. PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, MAy 17, 2024, in Washington. (Leah Millis/Reuters) MORE: 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education, many schools remain segregated: Data analysis The Education Department earlier this week released a report that found there remain gaps in education among Black and Latino students and their white counterparts in high school math, science and computer science. The White House frames these steps as an effort to "continue the work" of the landmark Supreme Court ruling. "After [the] Brown vs. Board [of Education] decision, the public schools gradually -- and often much too slowly -- were integrated. Graduation rates for Black and Latino students increased significantly though," Biden said. "The Brown decision proves a simple idea: we learn better when we learn together." MORE: Resistance to Brown school desegregation decision 'purged' Black male educators: Experts Biden used his speech to take on political rival, former President Donald Trump, whom he referenced simply as "my predecessor." "My predecessor, and his extreme MAGA friends, are now going after diversity, equity and inclusion all across America. They want a country for some, not for all," the president said. Biden sought to draw a contrast between himself and Trump. "I've always believed that the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed, and I mean that, everyone to succeed," Biden said. "That's what Brown is all about. That's what we're all about. That's what America's about." The grant announcement is part of a larger multi-day push by the Biden administration to make inroads with Black voters who his campaign is counting on in November's presidential election. On Thursday, the administration announced it is taking formal next steps to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. Also, Biden met with plaintiffs from the landmark Brown case and their families on Thursday. To mark the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, President Biden met with plaintiffs and their family members. Education is linked with freedom, and our Administration is committed to ensuring every student has equal access to quality education. pic.twitter.com/l1Uy0QP4m0 The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 17, 2024 "Once upon a time, they were excluded from certain classrooms. But 70 years later, they're inside the most important room of all, the Oval Office, where they belong," Biden said. "They're a living reminder that once upon a time, wasn't that long ago." Biden added that despite this progress, there is more to do. PHOTO: President Joe Biden speaks at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, MAy 17, 2024, in Washington. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images) Biden also said that before his remarks on Friday he met with the "Little Rock Nine," the children who first integrated their district's public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. Later Friday, Biden was set to meet privately with the leaders of the historically Black "Divine Nine" fraternities and sororities, before traveling this weekend to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta. "The founders of Morehouse understood something fundamental: education is linked to freedom," Biden said. "Because to be free means to have something that no one can ever take away from you. And that's the power of an education. That's why the Brown decision to commemorate today is so important." MORE: Morehouse faculty votes to award Biden honorary degree amid commencement controversy over handling of war in Gaza Biden also used his remarks to tout the work his administration is doing in higher education to ease the economic toll on young people. "While college degrees are still a ticket to the middle class, that ticket is becoming too expensive," Biden said. "Too many, too many young people, Black students are dealing with unsustainable debts in exchange for a college degree." Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report. Biden announces new grants to further desegregate schools on Brown vs. Board of Education anniversary originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Biden campaign set to double down on Black voter outreach with visits to Georgia and Detroit this weekend Biden campaign set to double down on Black voter outreach with visits to Georgia and Detroit this weekend President Joe Biden plans to visit with Georgia voters on Saturday ahead of his commencement speech at Morehouse College on Sunday, before heading to Detroit to meet small-business owners later that afternoon, according to a new memo shared with NBC News by the Biden-Harris campaign. He will also deliver an NAACP speech that night. Neither of the additional stops on these trips have previously been made public. The purpose of the trips, according to the campaign, is to meet Black voters where they are. This campaign will not take a single voter for granted, Trey Baker, a senior campaign adviser, wrote in the memo. We are not, and will not, parachute into these communities at the last minute, expecting their vote. The Biden campaign declined to provide more specifics about the presidents meetings with voters and small-business owners in the two states. Earlier this week, Biden met family members of the plaintiffs in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled racial segregation in American public schools to be unconstitutional. And Friday Biden is scheduled to speak at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington alongside Vice President Kamala Harris before meeting with leaders of the Divine Nine, a group of historically Black sororities and fraternities. The outreach comes as Biden looks to secure a voter base that historically has supported Democrats by an overwhelming margin but that has shown some softening in support in recent polling. The latest NBC News poll shows that Biden has support from about 58% of Black voters aged 18 to 49, and 88% of older Black voters. In the 2020 election, 87% of Black voters supported Biden for president, according to NBC News exit polling data. Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has garnered about 25% support of the young Black voters ahead of this years election and 6% of older Black voters, according to the NBC News poll, in an election in which even minor changes in voting patterns in battleground states could decide the race. Dating back to 1964, no Republican presidential candidate has received more than 13% of the Black vote. The memo says that Bidens visits this weekend illustrate a commitment to Black Americans, with the campaign also visiting cultural spaces like Dreamville Fest in North Carolina, Black unemployment hitting record lows and the administration making efforts to forgive nearly $160 billion in student loans, which the campaign says, disproportionately affects Black Americans. It also comes as Biden is facing a growing number of questions over his handling of the war in Gaza, which has sparked concerns at Morehouse and among Democrats more broadly. Many critics have become increasingly frustrated by the administrations unwillingness to call for a permanent and immediate cease-fire in Gaza as officials there say the death toll has surpassed 35,000. Every day, from now until Election Day, Baker wrote, we will continue working diligently to ensure that come November, Black voters send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris back to the White House to continue delivering for Black America in unprecedented ways. For more from NBC BLK, sign up for our weekly newsletter. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com A section of the Brown v. Board mural is seen on April 2, 2024, at the Kansas Statehouse. The mural appears outside the former Kansas Supreme Court room where 11 state cases seeking to end segregation of public schools were argued and rejected before the federal case. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Friday echoed his commitment to advancing racial and educational equity while celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Biden has spent this past week commemorating the anniversary of the landmark ruling in which the nations highest court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. The 1954 consolidated case evolved from a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education and other U.S. school systems. Yet 70 years later, research has shown an increase in school segregation across the United States. Education is linked to freedom because to be free means to have something that no one can ever take away from you, and thats the power of an education thats why the Brown decision we commemorate today is so important, Biden said at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., during an NAACP event marking the anniversary. In a closed-press event on Thursday, Biden met with some of the plaintiffs and families of both Brown v. Board and the cases consolidated under it. Those combined cases 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. New initiatives Earlier Friday, the administration unveiled a series of new initiatives aimed at advancing racial and educational equity. They included $20 million in new magnet school grants for school districts in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas in an effort to further desegregate public schools, according to a White House fact sheet. The administration is also starting a new technical assistance center to help states and school districts provide more equitable and adequate approaches to school funding. The U.S. Education Departments Office for Civil Rights is releasing data on students access to and enrollment in math and science courses. The White House also said it would be taking new actions to preserve African American history, such as protecting historic sites and increasing literature access. During his Friday remarks, Biden said the administration is working to support Black children, noting how, on average, Black children start school nearly seven months behind their white peers when it comes to reading. He attributed this to the nations legacy of discrimination. Relieving student loan debt, investing in HBCUs As the student loan crisis persists, Biden also said too many young people Black students are dealing with unsustainable debt in exchange for a college degree. So far, the administration has relieved upwards of $160 billion in student debt for nearly 4.6 million borrowers. Biden said the administration has invested more than $16 billion in historically Black colleges and universities. HBCUs also dont have endowments like other colleges and universities that are able to fund research labs and so much more. Well, (Vice President) Kamala (Harris) and I made a commitment to lift HBCUs up and were keeping that commitment, he said. The president is set to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black mens college, on Sunday in Atlanta. The post Biden celebrates the power of an education on Brown v. Board 70th anniversary appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. A section of the Brown v. Board mural is seen on April 2, 2024, at the Kansas Statehouse. The mural appears outside the former Kansas Supreme Court room where 11 state cases seeking to end segregation of public schools were argued and rejected before the federal case. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Friday echoed his commitment to advancing racial and educational equity while celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Biden has spent this past week commemorating the anniversary of the landmark ruling in which the nations highest court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. The 1954 consolidated case evolved from a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education and other U.S. school systems. Yet 70 years later, research has shown an increase in school segregation across the United States. Education is linked to freedom because to be free means to have something that no one can ever take away from you, and thats the power of an education thats why the Brown decision we commemorate today is so important, Biden said at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., during an NAACP event marking the anniversary. In a closed-press event on Thursday, Biden met with some of the plaintiffs and families of both Brown v. Board and the cases consolidated under it. Those combined cases 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. New initiatives Earlier Friday, the administration unveiled a series of new initiatives aimed at advancing racial and educational equity. They included $20 million in new magnet school grants for school districts in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas in an effort to further desegregate public schools, according to a White House fact sheet. The administration is also starting a new technical assistance center to help states and school districts provide more equitable and adequate approaches to school funding. The U.S. Education Departments Office for Civil Rights is releasing data on students access to and enrollment in math and science courses. The White House also said it would be taking new actions to preserve African American history, such as protecting historic sites and increasing literature access. During his Friday remarks, Biden said the administration is working to support Black children, noting how, on average, Black children start school nearly seven months behind their white peers when it comes to reading. He attributed this to the nations legacy of discrimination. Relieving student loan debt, investing in HBCUs As the student loan crisis persists, Biden also said too many young people Black students are dealing with unsustainable debt in exchange for a college degree. So far, the administration has relieved upwards of $160 billion in student debt for nearly 4.6 million borrowers. Biden said the administration has invested more than $16 billion in historically Black colleges and universities. HBCUs also dont have endowments like other colleges and universities that are able to fund research labs and so much more. Well, (Vice President) Kamala (Harris) and I made a commitment to lift HBCUs up and were keeping that commitment, he said. The president is set to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black mens college, on Sunday in Atlanta. The post Biden celebrates the power of an education on Brown v. Board 70th anniversary appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. A section of the Brown v. Board mural is seen on April 2, 2024, at the Kansas Statehouse. The mural appears outside the former Kansas Supreme Court room where 11 state cases seeking to end segregation of public schools were argued and rejected before the federal case. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Friday echoed his commitment to advancing racial and educational equity while celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Biden has spent this past week commemorating the anniversary of the landmark ruling in which the nations highest court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. The 1954 consolidated case evolved from a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education and other U.S. school systems. Yet 70 years later, research has shown an increase in school segregation across the United States. Education is linked to freedom because to be free means to have something that no one can ever take away from you, and thats the power of an education thats why the Brown decision we commemorate today is so important, Biden said at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., during an NAACP event marking the anniversary. In a closed-press event on Thursday, Biden met with some of the plaintiffs and families of both Brown v. Board and the cases consolidated under it. Those combined cases 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. New initiatives Earlier Friday, the administration unveiled a series of new initiatives aimed at advancing racial and educational equity. They included $20 million in new magnet school grants for school districts in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas in an effort to further desegregate public schools, according to a White House fact sheet. The administration is also starting a new technical assistance center to help states and school districts provide more equitable and adequate approaches to school funding. The U.S. Education Departments Office for Civil Rights is releasing data on students access to and enrollment in math and science courses. The White House also said it would be taking new actions to preserve African American history, such as protecting historic sites and increasing literature access. During his Friday remarks, Biden said the administration is working to support Black children, noting how, on average, Black children start school nearly seven months behind their white peers when it comes to reading. He attributed this to the nations legacy of discrimination. Relieving student loan debt, investing in HBCUs As the student loan crisis persists, Biden also said too many young people Black students are dealing with unsustainable debt in exchange for a college degree. So far, the administration has relieved upwards of $160 billion in student debt for nearly 4.6 million borrowers. Biden said the administration has invested more than $16 billion in historically Black colleges and universities. HBCUs also dont have endowments like other colleges and universities that are able to fund research labs and so much more. Well, (Vice President) Kamala (Harris) and I made a commitment to lift HBCUs up and were keeping that commitment, he said. The president is set to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black mens college, on Sunday in Atlanta. The post Biden celebrates the power of an education on Brown v. Board 70th anniversary appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. A section of the Brown v. Board mural is seen on April 2, 2024, at the Kansas Statehouse. The mural appears outside the former Kansas Supreme Court room where 11 state cases seeking to end segregation of public schools were argued and rejected before the federal case. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Friday echoed his commitment to advancing racial and educational equity while celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Biden has spent this past week commemorating the anniversary of the landmark ruling in which the nations highest court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. The 1954 consolidated case evolved from a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education and other U.S. school systems. Yet 70 years later, research has shown an increase in school segregation across the United States. Education is linked to freedom because to be free means to have something that no one can ever take away from you, and thats the power of an education thats why the Brown decision we commemorate today is so important, Biden said at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., during an NAACP event marking the anniversary. In a closed-press event on Thursday, Biden met with some of the plaintiffs and families of both Brown v. Board and the cases consolidated under it. Those combined cases 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. New initiatives Earlier Friday, the administration unveiled a series of new initiatives aimed at advancing racial and educational equity. They included $20 million in new magnet school grants for school districts in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas in an effort to further desegregate public schools, according to a White House fact sheet. The administration is also starting a new technical assistance center to help states and school districts provide more equitable and adequate approaches to school funding. The U.S. Education Departments Office for Civil Rights is releasing data on students access to and enrollment in math and science courses. The White House also said it would be taking new actions to preserve African American history, such as protecting historic sites and increasing literature access. During his Friday remarks, Biden said the administration is working to support Black children, noting how, on average, Black children start school nearly seven months behind their white peers when it comes to reading. He attributed this to the nations legacy of discrimination. Relieving student loan debt, investing in HBCUs As the student loan crisis persists, Biden also said too many young people Black students are dealing with unsustainable debt in exchange for a college degree. So far, the administration has relieved upwards of $160 billion in student debt for nearly 4.6 million borrowers. Biden said the administration has invested more than $16 billion in historically Black colleges and universities. HBCUs also dont have endowments like other colleges and universities that are able to fund research labs and so much more. Well, (Vice President) Kamala (Harris) and I made a commitment to lift HBCUs up and were keeping that commitment, he said. The president is set to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black mens college, on Sunday in Atlanta. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Biden celebrates the power of an education on Brown v. Board 70th anniversary appeared first on Colorado Newsline. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on recent unidentified aerial objects, Thursday, February 16, 2023, in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Friday echoed his commitment to advancing racial and educational equity while celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Biden has spent this past week commemorating the anniversary of the landmark ruling in which the nations highest court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. The 1954 consolidated case evolved from a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education and other U.S. school systems. Yet 70 years later, research has shown an increase in school segregation across the United States. Education is linked to freedom because to be free means to have something that no one can ever take away from you, and thats the power of an education thats why the Brown decision we commemorate today is so important, Biden said at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., during an NAACP event marking the anniversary. In a closed-press event on Thursday, Biden met with some of the plaintiffs and families of both Brown v. Board and the cases consolidated under it. Those combined cases 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. New initiatives Earlier Friday, the administration unveiled a series of new initiatives aimed at advancing racial and educational equity. They included $20 million in new magnet school grants for school districts in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas in an effort to further desegregate public schools, according to a White House fact sheet. The administration is also starting a new technical assistance center to help states and school districts provide more equitable and adequate approaches to school funding. The U.S. Education Departments Office for Civil Rights is releasing data on students access to and enrollment in math and science courses. The White House also said it would be taking new actions to preserve African American history, such as protecting historic sites and increasing literature access. During his Friday remarks, Biden said the administration is working to support Black children, noting how, on average, Black children start school nearly seven months behind their white peers when it comes to reading. He attributed this to the nations legacy of discrimination. Relieving student loan debt, investing in HBCUs As the student loan crisis persists, Biden also said too many young people Black students are dealing with unsustainable debt in exchange for a college degree. So far, the administration has relieved upwards of $160 billion in student debt for nearly 4.6 million borrowers. Biden said the administration has invested more than $16 billion in historically Black colleges and universities. HBCUs also dont have endowments like other colleges and universities that are able to fund research labs and so much more. Well, (Vice President) Kamala (Harris) and I made a commitment to lift HBCUs up and were keeping that commitment, he said. The president is set to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black mens college, on Sunday in Atlanta. The post Biden celebrates the power of an education on Brown v. Board 70th anniversary appeared first on Michigan Advance. A section of the Brown v. Board mural is seen on April 2, 2024, at the Kansas Statehouse. The mural appears outside the former Kansas Supreme Court room where 11 state cases seeking to end segregation of public schools were argued and rejected before the federal case. (Sherman Smith | Kansas Reflector) WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Friday echoed his commitment to advancing racial and educational equity while celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Biden has spent this past week commemorating the anniversary of the landmark ruling in which the nations highest court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. The 1954 consolidated case evolved from a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education and other U.S. school systems. Yet 70 years later, research has shown an increase in school segregation across the United States. Education is linked to freedom because to be free means to have something that no one can ever take away from you, and thats the power of an education thats why the Brown decision we commemorate today is so important, Biden said at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., during an NAACP event marking the anniversary. In a closed-press event on Thursday, Biden met with some of the plaintiffs and families of both Brown v. Board and the cases consolidated under it. Those combined cases 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. New initiatives Earlier Friday, the administration unveiled a series of new initiatives aimed at advancing racial and educational equity. They included $20 million in new magnet school grants for school districts in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas in an effort to further desegregate public schools, according to a White House fact sheet. The administration is also starting a new technical assistance center to help states and school districts provide more equitable and adequate approaches to school funding. The U.S. Education Departments Office for Civil Rights is releasing data on students access to and enrollment in math and science courses. The White House also said it would be taking new actions to preserve African American history, such as protecting historic sites and increasing literature access. During his Friday remarks, Biden said the administration is working to support Black children, noting how, on average, Black children start school nearly seven months behind their white peers when it comes to reading. He attributed this to the nations legacy of discrimination. Relieving student loan debt, investing in HBCUs As the student loan crisis persists, Biden also said too many young people Black students are dealing with unsustainable debt in exchange for a college degree. So far, the administration has relieved upwards of $160 billion in student debt for nearly 4.6 million borrowers. Biden said the administration has invested more than $16 billion in historically Black colleges and universities. HBCUs also dont have endowments like other colleges and universities that are able to fund research labs and so much more. Well, [Vice President] Kamala [Harris] and I made a commitment to lift HBCUs up and were keeping that commitment, he said. The president is set to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black mens college, on Sunday in Atlanta. The post Biden celebrates the power of an education on Brown v. Board 70th anniversary appeared first on West Virginia Watch. A section of the Brown v. Board mural is seen on April 2, 2024, at the Kansas Statehouse. The mural appears outside the former Kansas Supreme Court room where 11 state cases seeking to end segregation of public schools were argued and rejected before the federal case. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) WASHINGTON President Joe Biden on Friday echoed his commitment to advancing racial and educational equity while celebrating the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Biden has spent this past week commemorating the anniversary of the landmark ruling in which the nations highest court ruled racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. The 1954 consolidated case evolved from a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education and other U.S. school systems. Yet 70 years later, research has shown an increase in school segregation across the United States. Education is linked to freedom because to be free means to have something that no one can ever take away from you, and thats the power of an education thats why the Brown decision we commemorate today is so important, Biden said at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., during an NAACP event marking the anniversary. In a closed-press event on Thursday, Biden met with some of the plaintiffs and families of both Brown v. Board and the cases consolidated under it. Those combined cases 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. New initiatives Earlier Friday, the administration unveiled a series of new initiatives aimed at advancing racial and educational equity. They included $20 million in new magnet school grants for school districts in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas in an effort to further desegregate public schools, according to a White House fact sheet. The administration is also starting a new technical assistance center to help states and school districts provide more equitable and adequate approaches to school funding. The U.S. Education Departments Office for Civil Rights is releasing data on students access to and enrollment in math and science courses. The White House also said it would be taking new actions to preserve African American history, such as protecting historic sites and increasing literature access. During his Friday remarks, Biden said the administration is working to support Black children, noting how, on average, Black children start school nearly seven months behind their white peers when it comes to reading. He attributed this to the nations legacy of discrimination. Relieving student loan debt, investing in HBCUs As the student loan crisis persists, Biden also said too many young people Black students are dealing with unsustainable debt in exchange for a college degree. So far, the administration has relieved upwards of $160 billion in student debt for nearly 4.6 million borrowers. Biden said the administration has invested more than $16 billion in historically Black colleges and universities. HBCUs also dont have endowments like other colleges and universities that are able to fund research labs and so much more. Well, (Vice President) Kamala (Harris) and I made a commitment to lift HBCUs up and were keeping that commitment, he said. The president is set to deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College, a historically Black mens college, on Sunday in Atlanta. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Biden celebrates the power of an education on Brown v. Board 70th anniversary appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) President Biden delivered remarks at the National Museum of African American History to mark 70 years since the Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education order to desegregate schools. Black history is American history, said Biden. This comes as the president is scheduled to deliver a speech to Morehouse College graduates. HBCUs are vital to our nations progress, he added. However, the administration anticipates there will be protests. I think as long as theyre peaceful protests that dont disrupt the amazing moment that is for each of those graduates there today. I think well all consider this a success, said Steve Benjamin of the White House Office of Public Engagement. Students and alumni have demanded the university cancel the speech over Bidens handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. He should not be speaking at the alma mater of Doctor Martin Luther King, said Edward Ahmed Mitchell of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Mitchell is a Morehouse alum and says the presidents visit takes away from the graduates. His team should have made the decision that this is not the right time to move the spotlight for Morehouse students to the president and his bad policy on Gaza, Mitchell. Mitchell expects peaceful and respectful protests to happen but believes its all up to the president. He can make the Morehouse graduation a happy moment if he announces, Im demanding and securing a ceasefire in Gaza and the ball is in the presidents court, he knows what he needs to do, Mitchell said. Morehouse President David Thomas has said its more important for Biden to speak during this time when emotions are high. Morehouses president promised students wont get in trouble for protests that dont disrupt graduation. He said the college will not create a national media moment of students being removed in zip ties. 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. Biden makes fresh appeals to Black voters, hoping they can return him to the White House President Joe Biden is working to reverse an erosion of support among Black voters this week, placing renewed focus on a group he hopes can once again help propel him to the White House like they did four years ago. A string of events designed to commemorate civil rights milestones and address the next generation of leaders at Martin Luther King Jr.s alma mater comes amid polls showing Black voters flocking from Biden, frustrated by what they regard as inaction on their top priorities and turned off by his handling of the economy and the Israel-Hamas war. In marking the anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education case that found laws promoting segregation unconstitutional, Biden hopes to reiterate his commitment to promoting and advancing historic gains by the Black community over the past 70 years. And a speech at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Sunday, already the subject of controversy amid nationwide campus protests, will aim to uplift the next generation of Black men a voting group where Bidens decline in support has been most marked. Since the Civil Rights era, Democratic presidential candidates have enjoyed wide support from Black voters. Yet leaders of several Black grassroots organizations have warned the president should not take for granted the support of Black Americans. In the months before November, Biden is hoping both to underscore his own record and to reinvigorate the memories of all voters about what life was like under a Trump presidency. He has to answer two questions: Why go out and bother to vote, which is almost the same question of whats in it for me for voters, said Biden campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond. And then he has to answer the Janet Jackson test of: What have you done for me lately? In a radio interview taped Tuesday, Biden urged Black voters to remember who Trump is. He falsely accused the Central Park Five, Biden told Darian Big Tigger Morgan on V-103.3 in Atlanta. Hes a founder of birtherism, he tried to repeal Obamacare the first time now hes promised to do even more damage. Sharpening the contrast with Trump has been of vital importance for Biden as he works to improve his standing in polls. Nowhere is that imperative more critical than with Black Americans. Many polls have found them more disconnected from the Democratic Party than they have been in decades. Biden often cites issues like infrastructure investments and canceling student debt when promoting his record to Black voters. Hes also taken steps on loosening rules on marijuana, including Thursday when the Justice Department formally began the process of rescheduling the drug. On other issues, however, his campaign promises have fallen short, including a push for sweeping legislation to protect voting rights. While Biden often cites issues like infrastructure investments, his pardons of federal marijuana offenders and canceling student debt, on other issues his campaign promises have fallen short, including a push for sweeping legislation to protect voting rights. A New York Times/Siena College survey of battleground states released this week found Trump winning more than 20% of Black voters in a two-way matchup with Biden, which would amount to a historic high if it translates to votes in November. Trump won roughly 1 in 10 Black voters nationally in 2020, according to multiple estimates, including 12% in CNNs exit poll. There are people in the Black community who are feeling like not a lot has changed, Bernice King, the daughter of the late civil rights leader, told Bloomberg this week. Black voters have historically been a rock-solid portion of Bidens voter base and the presidents history with the community runs deep. The president was inspired to run for political office by the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and served as vice president to the countrys first Black president. Those deep connections have faced tests throughout Bidens decadeslong career but proved critical in launching him to the White House in 2020. That deep relationship is sure to be crucial again this year for the presidents hopes of retaining his spot in the White House, especially in battlegrounds like Georgia and Michigan both states that Biden has on his travel schedule over the next few days. I got involved in politics because of the African American community, he told a mainly Black audience in Wisconsin earlier this month. On Thursday, Biden met in the Oval Office with plaintiffs in the key Supreme Court case that overturned racial segregation in schools. On Friday, he sought to strike a sharp contrast with Trump in remarks at the National Museum of African American History and Culture before a meeting with members of the Divine Nine, a collection of historic Black fraternities and sororities. My predecessor and his extreme MAGA friends are now going after diversity, equity and inclusion all across America. They want a country for some not for all, Biden said. My predecessor and extreme MAGA friends are responsible for taking away other fundamental freedoms: from the freedom to vote to the freedom to choose. But Ive always believed that the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed and I mean that everyone to succeed. Thats what Brown is all about, he continued. After his Morehouse commencement address in Atlanta on Sunday, hell travel to Detroit to address an NAACP Fight for Freedom dinner. Speaking after the meeting between Biden and the plaintiffs in the Brown case during which those plaintiffs and their relatives urged the president to make the anniversary of the decision a national holiday NAACP President Derrick Johnson dismissed the polling that showed an erosion of support for the president among Black voters. Polls have proven themselves to be untruthful the last four election cycles, Johnson said. What I do believe is, we are at a crisis of our democracy. We must decide whether were going to have a functioning democracy thats representing all of the citizens, or something less than that. Originally inspired to run in 2020 by the 2017 rally of White supremacists in Charlottesville, Biden has not shied away from mentioning the United States history of racism at times being even more explicit about the way the country has failed its Black citizens than former President Barack Obama. During his inaugural address in January 2021, Biden explicitly denounced White supremacy and terrorism while appealing to the country to heal its deepening racial divisions. A cry for racial justice, some 400 years in the making, moves us, Biden said during his inauguration. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. And earlier this year, Biden made a pilgrimage to South Carolina the state with a strong Black Democratic coalition that helped propel Biden to the Democratic nomination in 2020, and eventually, the presidency. Speaking at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, the site of a 2015 mass shooting by a White supremacist, Biden credited Black people in South Carolina, and especially Rep. Jim Clyburn, for placing him in the White House. Its because of this congregation and the Black community of South Carolina and its not an exaggeration and Jim Clyburn that I stand here today as your president. And Ive done my best to honor your trust, he said. White supremacy, Biden said in that speech, is a poison. Throughout our history, its ripped this nation apart. This has no place in America. Not today, tomorrow or ever, the president said. But the base of support Biden has traditionally enjoyed from Black voters hasnt been without its tests. While running for president in 2020, Biden suggested in an interview with Charlamagne tha God that Black supporters struggling to choose between him and Trump aint Black. He later acknowledged he should not have said that. As he runs for reelection, Biden has sought to underscore accomplishments that have benefited Black Americans. In the radio interview conducted this week, Biden pointed to Covid-19 vaccinations, $1,400 checks during the pandemic, increases in Black homeownership, efforts to fight racial bias in home appraisal, efforts to bolster Black small businesses, HBCU support, health care and tackling junk fees. Trump, Biden said, has a fundamentally different view of Americans than I do. And its all about hate, retribution, he said of his predecessor. Bidens advisers argue reminding voters of the Trump presidency, including transforming the Supreme Court into a conservative majority with the appointment of three justices, and warning what a second term could look like will be key to their work in the coming months. People may not believe, but a court case can be revisited, said Richmond, a former congressman and White House senior adviser. Trumps court would absolutely put Brown vs. Board of Education back in play. They may put Plessy vs. Ferguson back in play. Pressed on a lack of voter enthusiasm for the November election, Biden said that many Americans arent yet focused on voting and complained that it is hard to get legitimate information from news sources. But voters may soon become more engaged: Biden and Trump are set next month for their first debate of the 2024 campaign cycle. This story has been updated with additional reporting. CNNs Betsy Klein contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com President Biden on Friday commemorated the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling that ended segregation in public schools. Seventy years ago, when the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, a prayer was answered in the long struggle for freedom, said Biden, speaking from the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. He reflected on meeting Thursday with members of the Little Rock Nine and how what they endured in 1957 wasnt all that long ago, pointing out there is still room for progress. We have a whole group of people out there trying to rewrite history, trying to erase history, Biden said. Since 2021, at least 18 states have imposed bans or restrictions on teaching topics of race and gender, according to a report by Education Week. During the 2022-23 school year, 153 districts across 33 states banned books, according to a report by PEN America, many of which were written by authors of color and delve into topics including race and racism. The Biden-Harris administration this week announced new steps toward achieving educational equity, including investing $20 million in new awards for school districts in Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas to establish magnet programs. The administration is also launching an interagency process to preserve African American history. The Brown decision proves a simple idea: We learn better when we learn together, Biden said. After he spoke, members of the Little Rock Nine addressed the crowd with Sheryl Ralph Lee. They shared what it was like to attend school, escorted by the U.S. National Guard, as mobs of white demonstrators screamed epithets and hung effigies as they walked past. They intended to hurt us, Elizabeth Eckford said. Racism, added Minnijean Brown Trickey, is designed to make the marginalized hurt. But because they persevered, she said, things were able to change. Kids can make presidents act, Brown Trickey said. In the end, it was our persistence that made it possible for everyone to have to advocate on our behalf. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (Bloomberg) -- 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. Most Read from Bloomberg 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. (Updates with information on license, comment from Congolese civil society in ninth paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden signed on Thursday sweeping aviation legislation that will boost U.S. air traffic controller staffing, increase funding to avert runway close-call incidents and speed up refunds for canceled flights. The $105 billion, five-year measure reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration. It prohibits airlines from charging fees for families to sit together, requires airplanes to be equipped with 25-hour cockpit recording devices, raises maximum civil penalties for airline consumer violations from $25,000 per violation to $75,000 and boosts aircraft production scrutiny. "Following flight disruptions, runway close calls and consumer frustrations, this law is set to deliver the safest, most reliable aviation system in the world," said Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell. "Plane manufacturers will see more safety inspectors on factory floors and tougher safety standards from the FAA." Biden has repeatedly clashed with air carriers, calling for new stricter consumer rules and harshly criticizing them for imposing fees. His administration has also aggressively moved to block further consolidation in the passenger airline industry, including successfully blocking a tie-up between JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines and quashing an alliance between JetBlue and American Airlines. The law also adds five daily round-trip takeoff and landing slots at busy Washington National Airport, which Delta Air Lines had lobbied for. The bill also directs the FAA to deploy advanced airport surface technology to help prevent collisions. Efforts to boost aviation safety in the United States have taken on new urgency after a series of near-miss incidents, as well as January's door plug mid-air emergency on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 flight. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said the bill "allows for more runway safety technology, more air traffic controllers and stronger oversight of aircraft production." The bill also will allow Boeing to continue to produce its 767 freighter for another five years through 2033 in the United States, giving it an exemption from efficiency rules taking effect in 2028. The bill aims to address a shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers by directing the FAA to implement improved staffing standards and to hire more inspectors, engineers and technical specialists. The bill does not raise the mandatory pilot retirement age to 67 as House lawmakers had sought to do last year and retains pilot training requirements. Congress will not establish minimum seat size requirements, leaving that instead to the FAA. The bill requires the Transportation Department to create a dashboard that shows consumers the minimum seat size for each U.S. airline. Lawmakers also rejected many other consumer provisions the Biden administration had sought, including requiring compensation for lengthy airline-caused delays as is the case in Europe. The bill reauthorizes the National Transportation Safety Board and boosts staffing at the safety investigation agency. It also seeks to boost adoption of drones and flying air taxis into the national airspace and extends through Oct. 1 existing government counter-drone authority. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Susan Heavey, Brendan O'Boyle and Jamie Freed) Biden speaks at National Museum of African American History and Culture: Watch live President Biden will give remarks Friday at an NAACP event marking the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. The event is scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. EDT. Watch the video above. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. CHICAGO The Biden administration on Thursday announced a new initiative to speed up the process by which asylum seekers are processed in Chicago and four other cities. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland said the new Recent Arrivals Docket will aim to process single adults through the immigration process in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta within 180 days. Currently, the process can take years. That backlog is believed to be a significant incentive for more people to come, especially those with weak claims. The Justice Departments immigration courts are committed to the just and efficient enforcement of the immigration laws, Garland said in a joint statement. These measures will advance that mission by helping to ensure that immigration cases are adjudicated promptly and fairly. City scraps plans for temporary migrant shelter in Bridgeport after community pushback The Justice Department has assigned 10 judges to the effort. Authorities said they didnt know how many cases they would handle, making it difficult to assess the potential impact. Administration officials said the failure of a sweeping Senate bill this year explains the absence of bolder moves, a familiar line of attack against Republicans who have seized on unprecedented border arrivals to fault President Joe Bidens handling of immigration in an election year. This administrative step is no substitute for the sweeping and much-needed changes that the bipartisan Senate bill would deliver, but in the absence of Congressional action we will do what we can to most effectively enforce the law and discourage irregular migration, said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. City Council passes migrant funding measure, $1.25 billion economic development and housing bond Authorities said the five cities were chosen because because judges there had some availability to hear cases and because they were big destinations for migrants. Asylum seekers are eligible for work permits within six months of arrival, which critics say is an incentive to come even if their claims are weak. The longer theyre in the U.S. and have established families or community ties, the more opposition there is to eventually sending them back to their home country. The administration has tried for years to move more new arrivals to the front of the line for asylum decisions, hoping to deport those whose claims are denied within months instead of years. The Obama and Trump administrations also tried to accelerate some cases on a separate track going back to 2014. Immigration advocates see work permits as Bidens best option In 2021, the Biden administration introduced a dedicated docket for asylum-seeking families in 10 cities to be bumped to the head of the line in court and have their cases decided within 300 days. In 2022, the Biden administration introduced a plan to have asylum officers, not immigration judges, decide a limited number of family claims in nine cities. Dana Leigh Marks, who retired in 2021 after 35 years as an immigration judge, said asylum seekers, even those who can pay, have been unable to hire attorneys under previous rocket dockets because there wasnt enough time. Marks also said those initiatives failed to slow migration. Its a political response because the problem is so enormous and people are concerned, but its really just a superficial Band-Aid on a gaping wound, Marks said. Its never worked in the past and theres no reason to think this time would be different. A labor representative for immigration judges said he was waiting to learn the scope of the latest effort and how it will affect caseloads but said it had potential to undermine rights to a fair hearing. Hopefully the Biden administration learned from past mistakes, said Matt Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. The immigration court backlog has surged to 3.6 million cases. There are roughly 600 judges in 68 courts. The plan announced Thursday would not include money for more judges. The announcement came a week after another new policy aimed at a limited number of asylum seekers to reject their claims earlier in the process if they are deemed public safety threats. How many migrants are in Chicago? The city periodically provides an update on the number of new arrivals in the city. The latest update came Wednesday morning, when there were 7,645 residents in 16 shelters run by the city and state. The city says an estimated 41,576 migrants have come to Chicago since June 2023. The vast majority 36,733 came by bus. Another 4,843 arrived on flights to OHare and Midway. 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. Biden stays out of stop the steal flag row as Democrats call on SCOTUS judge to recuse himself The White House is staying out of the controversy surrounding Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after reports of a pro-Trump election denial display at his Virginia home in the days before President Joe Biden took office. The flagpole on the judges front lawn had flown an upside-down American flag in late 2020 and early 2021, according to a report from The New York Times on Thursday. The traditional military distress symbol was repurposed as a political symbol to indicate rejection of the legitimacy of Mr Bidens election victory over former president Donald Trump by his GOP supporters. The upside-down flag was visible up to 17 January 2021, The Times reported, 11 days after a violent pro-Trump mob attempted to block certification of the election by storming the Capitol, and three days before Mr Bidens inauguration. On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that she would not be commenting on the matter but that the US flag should not be misused. The President believes that the American flag is sacred... we should be respecting that flag, we should be making sure that it is respected in that way, she said. I do not want to get into the business of the specific actions that that Supreme Court justices, if they should recuse themselves or not on on a court that is something for the court more broadly, they have to make that decision. That is something that we're not going to step into we're not going to comment from here. In an interview with Fox News, Justice Alito blamed the display of the political symbol on his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, and said she had been incensed and offended by a vulgar anti-Trump sign displayed in a window at the home of one of their neighbours. The conservative judge said that Ms Alito had gotten into an argument over the sign with their neighbour, who subsequently put up a different sign. The judge said that sign referenced his wife in vulgar terms and blamed her for the attack on the Capitol. He also told Fox that he had no role in the flags orientation and stressed that it was flying outside their property only for a short time. Despite Mr Alitos denial, the Senate Judiciary Committees top Democrat, Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, called for him to recuse himself from a pair of cases related to the January 6 attack. Flying an upside-down American flaga symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movementclearly creates the appearance of bias. Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former Presidents immunity in US v Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering, Mr Durbin said. The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust. The flag controversy is not the first to face the high court justices on account of spousal support for Mr Trump. Ginny Thomas, who is married to senior associate justice, Clarence Thomas, has long been associated with conservative and pro-Trump causes. She became a subject of interest to the House January 6 select committee after it became known that shed been present at a protest near the Capitol on the day of the riot. Prominent Democrats have also called for Justice Thomas to stand aside from Trump-related cases on account of Ms Thomas activities. He has refused to do so. When Donald Trump took the stage at a CNN town hall in Manchester, New Hampshire, one year ago, a crowd of his supporters roared and jeered all through the event, overwhelming the moderator and effectively taking control of the event. President Joe Bidens advisers noticed. They resolved in private that if Biden ever faced Trump on a debate stage, there would be no one in the peanut gallery. That demand became part of the reelection campaigns agreed-upon proposal to Trump this week for their two general election debates, one in June the other in September. An empty TV studio could, Biden aides feel, deprive their GOP rival of a major advantage when they face off. Trump feeds off the crowd, they give him life, said one Biden adviser who was granted anonymity in order to discuss internal strategy. We wanted to take that away. There were several conditions that the Biden team felt were necessary in order to agree to a debate with the former president, among them that at least one forum take place before the start of early voting and that the hosts werent from outlets with an ideological bent toward Trump. But in interviews with more than a half dozen officials and advisers who were not authorized to discuss private conversations, the issue of the crowd was consistent. Among their concerns were that the audience noise could disadvantage Biden, who sometimes has trouble hearing amid a din. They also wanted to ensure that there was a clean tempo and cadence to the debate and that it not turn into a shouting match or spectacle. Biden aides have envisioned using the forums to pummel Trump on abortion rights, his response to the Covid pandemic and threats to democracy. For that reason, they were also pleased that the debate would, it appears, involve microphones that can be cut off if a candidate speaks when its not their turn. I think it does matter. I mean, if you watch Trump, that is a big part of how he energizes himself, said David Axelrod, the longtime Barack Obama aide. And so I think that it will have some impact on him that he cant play to the crowd and doesnt have that kind of energy that sort of modular energy that a crowd offers. I think that the Biden people, they won in negotiations on three points. Its a debate without a crowd. Its a debate without any third party candidates. And its an early debate. And those three things make it about as good a situation as hes gonna get. While Axelrod was bullish on how the negotiations went, other Democrats have remained skittish about the prospect of Biden taking the stage with Trump at all. Many incumbent presidents running for reelection struggle in their first debate as Obama did in 2012 against Mitt Romney either because they have not been sharpened by the rigors of a primary calendar or rarely face tough questions from aides, or both. Trump may suffer from the same problem, as he skipped the GOP primary and rarely faces unfriendly interviewers. But the issue is present for Biden, who has largely foregone tough sit-down interviews with media outlets during his time in office. While some Democrats close to the White House suggested that Biden skip the debates entirely, most senior advisers felt he could not, for fear it would fuel public perception that Biden wasnt up for the rigors of the job itself. But the debates come with risks beyond Biden being out of political shape. Trump is prone to bring up unsavory topics designed to make Biden uncomfortable. Hell bring up all kinds of stuff that is irrelevant and painful, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). Hes willing to take the hits, painful and unfair, bric-a-bracs that Donald Trump will throw, below-the belt-punches. Blumenthal said he believed the public would regard Trump as a bully for doing that again. But one way that the Biden camp felt it could avoid some of that circus including the surprise guests was to ensure that no crowd was allowed. Biden aides on Thursday privately acknowledged that the debates still could fall through. That they came together at all was regarded as a surprise. Both campaigns had declared that they would not participate in the Commission on Presidential Debates proposed schedule. But even as it eschewed the GOP primary debate calendar, the Trump campaign reached out to television networks more than a year ago to begin gauging interest about hosting a possible debate, according to a person familiar with the outreach and granted anonymity to describe private conversations. The Biden campaign reached out to the networks as well, while also opting against using the debate commissions late fall schedule. The exact nature of the presidents debate preparations is still taking shape, though former White House chief of staff Ron Klain will be involved, according to aides. Some advisers believe that Biden has a chance to get a head start in his practice, with Trump likely bogged down in a Manhattan court for his criminal hush money payment trial for at least another week. But the presidents plate is also quite full too. He is set to head overseas in early June for a trip commemorating the anniversary of D-Day and the G7 summit. But prepping for Trump, some Democrats argue, may not be an overly complicated venture, in part because the former president often has just one speed audience present or not. He is the Trump that we see outside the courtroom, said Philippe Reines, the Democratic operative who played Trump for Hillary Clintons 2016 debate prep. The Trump that we see on Truth Social. The Trump that weve seen during the primaries. The Trump that weve seen after January 6. The Trump that weve seen during the campaign of 2020. Myah Ward and Jennifer Haberkorn contributed to this report. Biden heading to Georgia to shore up declining support with Black voters Joe Biden is heading to Georgia and Michigan this weekend to shore up his falling support with Black voters, which is at a historic low for a Democratic incumbent president It comes as Mr Bidens 2024 rival for the White House, Donald Trump,has taken steps to improve his standing with Black voters, particularly Black men. Mr Biden is scheduled to give the Saturday commencement address at Atlantas Morehouse College, a historically Black college where the late Martin Luther King graduated. Given the way the Biden-Harris Administration has delivered for Black America, and HBCUs, there is no better speaker for this years commencement ceremony than President Biden, Tsaid Trey Baker, a senior campaign adviser to Mr Bidens re-election campaigns in a memo to reporters. The president will also speak at the NAACP Freedom Funds dinner in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday. A New York Times/Siena College poll this week showed that 14 per cent of Black voters said they would vote for Mr Trump if the election were held today while only 49 per cent said they would vote for Mr Biden. Mr Bidens tour comes after Vice President Kamala Harris visited Detroit last week to highlight the Biden administrations focus on Black-owned businesses. US Senator Raphael Warnock, the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, greets US President Joe Biden during a worship service in Atlanta, Georgia, on 15 January 15 2023 (AFP via Getty Images) But the visit was derailed by news that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would attack Rafah as part of its war against Hamas in Gaza. We are not, and will not, parachute into these communities at the last minute, expecting their vote, the memo said. Every day, from now until election day, we will continue working diligently to ensure that come November, Black voters send Joe Biden and Kamala Harris back to the White House to continue delivering for Black America in unprecedented ways. The Biden campaign is investing heavily in Black voter outreach and has launched a $30m ad campaign in battleground states that would also target Black and Latino voters. US Representative Byron Donalds, Republican of Florida, speaks outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 14, 2024 (AFP via Getty Images) Meanwhile, Mr Trump and an outside group have run ads to reach Black voters. Mr Trump also had prominent Black surrogates such as Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and Representative Byron Donalds of Florida campaign for him. More recently, Mr Donalds traveled to New York to show his support for Mr Trump amid his criminal trial related to hush money he paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Mr Scott is seen as a frontrunner to be Mr Trumps running mate. The survey also showed Mr Biden underwater against Mr Trump in both Michigan and Georgia. Mr Trump had won both states in 2016, but Mr Biden flipped them both in 2020, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since Bill Clinton did in 1992. Biden and Trump are betting on debates to help magnify the others weaknesses Its game on for a pair of presidential debates between two unpopular candidates most Americans wish werent running for the nations highest office. In a ratatat social media exchange on Wednesday, Joe Biden and Donald Trump agreed to participate in two debates on 27 June, hosted by CNN, and on 10 September, hosted by ABC. Make my day, pal, Biden said in a video, challenging his predecessor and rival to a high-stakes showdown. Trump, who had been insisting for months he would debate Biden anytime, anyplace, quickly accepted the offer: Lets get ready to Rumble!!! The arrangement jolted a general election campaign that had begun to feel stagnant. And if their plans hold, Americans will be treated to a presidential matchup far earlier than usual before either candidate will have formally accepted his partys nomination. The candidates realize the value of the debates, especially given their ages, said Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan. They need to show that they have the stamina to debate for 90 minutes or two hours to reassure the country. The decision to square off at least twice before the November election reflects a careful calculation by both candidates who believe televised confrontations will help magnify the others weaknesses. Trump has repeatedly cast the 81-year-old president as greatly diminished. At his rallies, Trump, just four years the presidents junior, often mocks Biden as confused in an exaggerated impersonation that draws laughter and applause. But Democrats argue that Biden can more easily draw a contrast with Trump and remind voters why they rejected his Republican rival in 2020. We need voters to see Trump 2024 with their own eyes, the Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg wrote on Thursday, a candidate who is far more extreme and dangerous; whose performance is far more erratic, wild, impulsive and disturbing. Biden is clearly eager for an opportunity to change the trajectory of the race, which has remained largely unchanged despite the start of Trumps criminal trial in New York, a brightening economic outlook and tens of millions of dollars in advertising touting the presidents record and blaming Trump for the wave of unpopular abortion bans. While both campaigns are bracing for an extremely close contest in November, a series of recent New York Times/Siena College surveys found Biden trailing Trump in five of six critical battleground states. Widespread discontent over his handling of the economy, immigration and Israels war in Gaza have hurt the presidents standing with key Democratic constituencies, particularly young people. Even in a polarized media environment, presidential debates remain the SuperBowl of politics, Kall said, offering candidates what is likely to be the most prominent platform of the election cycle. For both Biden and Trump, the events are high-risk, but also potentially high-reward. Everyone is expecting the election to be decided by half a dozen states. Those states will be decided by thousands or tens of thousands of votes, he said. So a debate that 70 or 80 million people watch could certainly change enough votes to matter. In 2020, Biden and Trumps first face-off drew 73 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings, while Trumps debate against the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016 captured 84 million viewers. Many more Americans will not watch the events live but will pay attention to reactions on social media. A lot of people who dont tune into the actual debate will likely know what the breakout moments of the debate are, said Yanna Krupnikov, professor of communication and media at University of Michigan. What happens afterward is going to be really, hugely important. Americans are arguably more familiar with Biden and Trump than any pair of presidential challengers in American history. Voters may still tune in to hear what the president and former president have to say about major issues, such as the Israel-Hamas war. But Emily Van Duyn, an associate professor of communication at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who specializes in political communication, expects most will be watching for how the candidates perform. For the most part, its going to be an assessment of: can these dudes hold up? Van Duyn said. Democrats say Biden must deliver an energetic performance that reassures voters unsure whether the oldest president in American history is up for a second term. The debate is the hurdle he has to cross, David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, said on CNN. He needs to dispel that notion in that debate. Voters tend to express fewer concerns about the 77-year-old former presidents age, but Democrats believe a debate could highlight Trumps tendency toward verbal slips and gaffes. He is also likely to be pressed on his criminal cases. By then, the Manhattan hush-money case should be finished. Polls suggest a sizable share of Republican and independent voters would be uncomfortable voting for a candidate convicted of a felony. The format poses different challenges for each candidate. Trump feeds off the energy of a crowd. CNN has said its debate at the networks Atlanta studios will take place without an audience, which was a prerequisite for the Biden campaign. Trump turned off voters in 2020, when he repeatedly hectored and interrupted Biden during their first debate. He needs to play to the voters that may like his policies but not his temperament, Kall said. Biden, meanwhile, has built a political brand around defying expectations, as he did earlier this year with a rousing State of the Union speech and in the 2020 debates. . People will say he cant do it, its too late at night, Kall said. Then as long as he doesnt fall down or forget something, people will say he did OK. The terms of the campaigns agreement, which bypasses the non-partisan commission that has hosted presidential debates for more than three decades, was designed to ensure a head-to-head between Biden and Trump. In a tweet, Robert Kennedy Jr, the independent candidate for president who is unlikely to qualify for the CNN debate, accused the frontrunners of colluding to exclude him. Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy, he said. While jumpstarting the debate season creates an opportunity for an early reset, it also makes the events less existential for the campaigns, said Tommy Vietor, a co-host of Pod Save America, discussing the development on his podcast with the former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. After the September debate, there are still weeks to recover from a potentially subpar performance or embarrassing gaffe. Though momentum from a strong showing could fade before election day, early voting means millions of Americans will have already cast their ballots. Psaki said the back-and-forth between Biden and Trump this week was part of a new approach. Whereas four years ago, Biden led with sophisticated appeals to democracy and civility, hes now playing humor as a way to tweak his famously thin-skinned opponent. Its figuring out how to land the best needles, Psaki said. In a sign of Bidens more pugnacious approach, the president opened public negotiations over the general election debate on Wednesday, the one day a week Trump is not confined to a New York courtroom. I hear youre free on Wednesdays, Biden said in the video, suggesting a date for their face-off. His campaign is now selling merchandise that read: Free on Wednesdays. On Thursday, Bidens re-election campaign also announced that it had accepted an offer from CBS News to participate in a vice-presidential debate and proposed two dates for that fall after the Republican national convention in July. Trump has yet to choose his running mate, but a carousel of Republican hopefuls have been openly auditioning for the role. With just weeks before the first debate, both candidates have an abbreviated timeline to prepare. Neither has participated in a debate since their final showdown in 2020. This year, Trump declined to take part in the Republican primary debates and Biden as the incumbent faced only nominal challenges. In an MSNBC interview this week, Mitt Romney, the Utah senator and 2012 Republican presidential nominee, insisted that the debates still mattered to voters and predicted a huge audience would tune in for the spectacle. As far as what they would see, Romney quipped: the image that comes to mind is those two old guys on the Muppets. Title icon The News As the two candidates battle for Black voters, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine is urging Donald Trump and Joe Biden to reconsider their decision to ditch a proposed debate at a historically black college in his state. In an interview with Semafor, Kaine said he spoke to the Biden campaign shortly after the president agreed to two debates with Trump and pleaded his case for a face-off at Virginia State University, which was scheduled to host a debate on October 1 under a proposal by the Commission on Presidential Debates. This is a really good opportunity and neither candidate should squander it, Kaine recalled telling them. I dont have the phone number of the Trump campaign, but I do have the phone number of the Biden campaign. In a statement earlier this week, VSU officials said they were disappointed by reports that its plans to host a first-in-history HBCU debate between presidential nominees were in jeopardy and were seeking more information. It would be a mistake to just put this in the studio somewhere, you know, anonymous and not take advantage of the opportunity to make history, Kaine said. The chances are looking slim after the candidates agreed to two debates that would sidestep the proposal by the CDP, the nonpartisan corporation responsible for organizing presidential debates for the last three-plus decades, to hold three pre-scheduled debates. CNN will host their first debate in Atlanta on June 27, while the location for ABCs second debate on September 10 is still up in the air. I think it would be, you know, kind of pouring cold water on peoples sense of excitement about this and you shouldnt be pouring cold water on peoples sense of excitement before the election, Kaine said. Sen. Mark Warner, the senior senator of the state, also urged the candidates to stick to the plan in a social media post. He also told reporters on Thursday he was surprised and bitterly disappointed about the decision to change course, while adding that it would be incumbent for Biden to show up to VSU and make his case for reelection. If VSU cant find its way into the debates, Democratic Rep. Jennifer McClellan also urged the Biden campaign to engage with Virginia State University students and the Tri-Cities community with an event before the election. Title icon The View From The Biden Campaign The White House did not directly comment on the VSU situation. But they have emphasized support for HBCUs throughout Bidens presidency: Kamala Harris has visited her alma mater Howard University, Biden is speaking at Morehouse College this weekend, and the Biden administration put out a fact sheet on Thursday touting investments the administration has made in HBCUs. No administration has respected, elevated and invested in HBCUs like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Biden-Harris 2024 Black Media Director Jasmine Harris. Just this week the Biden-Harris administration announced $16 billion dollars in funding for HBCUs, further demonstrating their commitment to these distinguished institutions. Title icon Kadias view Recent polling shows Biden losing support to Trump among both Black voters and young voters, two key groups that an HBCU event would have given the campaigns a unique chance to court. Its not surprising that Democrats state politics aside are uneasy with the appearance of turning it down. Trump also boasted about signing bills that funded HBCUs during his 2020 run and his campaign, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has signaled it plans to make a more aggressive effort at winning Black voters this time around. Dont be surprised if either, or both, candidates try to find a way to soften the blow for VSU. Title icon Notable While the opportunity is there for Trump with Black voters this cycle, Semafor reported last month that his campaign has struggled to quickly build up an organization for targeted messaging and outreach that can match Democrats. Semafor Logo President Joe Biden describes the Drug Enforcement Administration's proposal to reclassify marijuana under federal law as "monumental." How so? "It's an important move toward reversing longstanding inequities," Biden claims in a video posted on Thursday. "Today's announcement builds on the work we've already done to pardon a record number of federal offenses for simple possession of marijuana, and it adds to the action we've taken to lift barriers to housing, employment, small business loans, and so much more for tens of thousands of Americans." Even allowing for 60 days of public comment and review of a final rule by Congress and the Office of Management and Budget, marijuana's rescheduling could be finalized before the presidential election. And even if it does not take effect before then, Biden is hoping the move will help motivate younger voters whose turnout could be crucial to his re-election. But he also had better hope those voters are not paying much attention to the practical consequences of rescheduling marijuana, which are much more modest than his rhetoric implies. "Look, folks," Biden says in the video, "no one should be in jail merely for using or possessing marijuana. Period. Far too many lives have been upended because of [our] failed approach to marijuana, and I'm committed to righting those wrongs." Yet rescheduling marijuana will not decriminalize marijuana use, even for medical purposes. It will not legalize state-licensed marijuana businesses or resolve the growing conflict between federal prohibition and state laws that authorize those businesses. It will not stop the war on weed or do much to ameliorate the injustice it inflicts. In accordance with a recommendation that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made last August, the DEA plans to move marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, a list of completely prohibited drugs, to Schedule III, which includes prescription medications such as ketamine, Tylenol with codeine, and anabolic steroids. Schedule I supposedly is reserved for drugs with a high abuse potential and no accepted medical applications that cannot be used safely even under a doctor's supervision. When Biden directed HHS to review marijuana's legal status in October 2022, he noted that "we classify marijuana at the same level as heroin" and treat it as "more serious than fentanyl," which "makes no sense." On Thursday, he likewise noted that "marijuana has a higher-level classification than fentanyl and methamphetaminethe two drugs driving America's overdose epidemic." Biden is right that marijuana's current classification makes no sense, as critics have been pointing out for half a century and as HHS belatedly acknowledged in explaining the rationale for rescheduling. HHS found "credible scientific support" for marijuana's use in the treatment of pain, nausea and vomiting, and "anorexia related to a medical condition." It also noted that "the risks to the public health posed by marijuana are low compared to other drugs of abuse," such as heroin (Schedule I), cocaine (Schedule II), benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax (Schedule IV), and alcohol (unscheduled). Although "abuse of marijuana produces clear evidence of harmful consequences, including substance use disorder," HHS said, they are "less common and less harmful" than the negative consequences associated with other drugs. It concluded that "the vast majority of individuals who use marijuana are doing so in a manner that does not lead to dangerous outcomes to themselves or others." According to the DEA's proposed rule, Attorney General Merrick Garland, who holds the ultimate authority to reschedule drugs under the CSA, "concurs with HHS's conclusion" that marijuana has currently accepted medical uses. Garland also "concurs with" the assessment that "marijuana has a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in schedules I and II." And he agrees that "the abuse of marijuana may lead to moderate or low physical dependence, depending on frequency and degree of marijuana exposure." Those conclusions are "monumental" in the sense that HHS, the DEA, and the Justice Department are finally acknowledging what most Americans already knew. Abandoning the pretense that marijuana meets the criteria for Schedule I represents progress in that sense, although it comes after decades of legal wrangling in which HHS and the DEA took the opposite position, at a time when 38 states have legalized medical use of marijuana, two dozen have taken the further step of legalizing recreational use, and an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose pot prohibition. In practical terms, the two main benefits of moving marijuana to Schedule III are fewer regulatory barriers to medical research and a financial boon to state-licensed cannabis suppliers, who will no longer be barred from deducting standard business expenses when they file their federal tax returns. But when Biden calls it "an important move toward reversing longstanding inequities" and links it to "righting [the] wrongs" suffered by cannabis consumers, he is promising more than rescheduling can possibly deliver. Although Biden promised to "decriminalize the use of cannabis" during his 2020 campaign, rescheduling does not do that. Nor do the pardons he touts. Despite those two moves, low-level marijuana possession will remain a federal offense punishable by a minimum $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. Only Congress can change that. Biden has invested little, if any, effort in urging it to do so, and he opposes outright federal legalization based on "gateway drug" concerns that pot prohibitionists have been voicing since the 1950s. Neither rescheduling nor pardons will remove the unfair "barriers" that Biden decries. Although Biden claims he is "expunging thousands of convictions," that is not true, since pardons do not entail expungement. Nor do pardons eliminate the various legal disabilities associated with marijuana convictions, cannabis consumption, or participation in the cannabis industry, which include loss of Second Amendment rights (a policy that Biden defends) and ineligibility for admission, legal residence, and citizenship under immigration law. As his pardons reflect, Biden's concern about unjust incarceration is curiously limited. Because those pardons did not apply to people convicted of growing or selling marijuana, they did not free a single federal prisoner. Neither will rescheduling. With marijuana in Schedule III, state-licensed marijuana businesses will remain criminal enterprises under federal law, albeit subject to less draconian penalties. "If marijuana is transferred into schedule III," the DEA notes, "the manufacture, distribution, dispensing, and possession of marijuana would remain subject to the applicable criminal prohibitions of the CSA." For that reason, rescheduling is unlikely to reassure financial institutions that are leery of serving marijuana businesses because it could expose them to devastating criminal, civil, and regulatory penalties. "Because marijuana would remain a controlled substance under the CSA," the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton notes, "its rescheduling would not immediately impact the potential legal risks to financial institutions (and other parties) considering whether to provide services to marijuana businesses." If marijuana is listed along with prescription drugs, doesn't that at least mean that it can legally be used as a medicine? No, because doctors can prescribe only specific products that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Unless and until new cannabis-based medicines pass muster with the FDA, they will not be legal for doctors to prescribe or patients to use. These points are easily overlooked in the hoopla surrounding the rescheduling announcement. But the limitations of Biden's "monumental" policy shift are clear from the reactions of activists and the cannabis industry. "This recommendation validates the experiences of tens of millions of Americans, as well as tens of thousands of physicians, who have long recognized that cannabis possesses legitimate medical utility," said Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which first urged the DEA to reschedule marijuana back in 1972. "But it still falls well short of the changes necessary to bring federal marijuana policy into the 21st century. Specifically, the proposed change fails to harmonize federal marijuana policy with the cannabis laws of most U.S. states, particularly the 24 states that have legalized its use and sale to adults." The review from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was similarly mixed. "President Biden's decision to reschedule marijuana is the most significant step any American president has taken to address the harms of the war on marijuana," Cynthia W. Roseberry, director of policy and government affairs at the ACLU's Justice Division, said in an emailed statement. "While it is an incredibly encouraging step in the right direction, the rescheduling does not end criminal penalties for marijuana or help the people currently serving sentences for marijuana offenses." John Mueller, CEO of the Greenlight dispensary chain, likewise noted what rescheduling will not do. "This is a monumental moment," he said in an emailed press release, "but we still have a long way to go to rectify the injustices of the War on Drugs. The recent strides in cannabis rescheduling mark a significant departure from a failed 50-year prohibition policy. We must continue this momentum by calling on our state and federal leaders to prioritize the release of individuals incarcerated for cannabis-related offenses. This is not just about acknowledging the legitimacy of the cannabis industry, but also about rectifying the disproportionate impact of outdated policies on marginalized communities.It's time to right the wrongs of the past and embrace progress wholeheartedly." Aaron Smith, CEO of the National Cannabis Industry Association, had a similar take. "On behalf of thousands of legal businesses operating across the country, we commend President Biden for taking this important first step toward a more rational marijuana policy," he said. "Now it's time for Congress to enact legislation that would protect our industry, uphold public safety, and advance the will of the voters who overwhelmingly support making cannabis legal for adults. Rescheduling alone does not fix our nation's state and federal cannabis policy conflict. Only Congress can enact the legislation needed to fully respect the states and advance the will of the vast majority of voters who support legal cannabis." The post Biden's Spin on Marijuana's Rescheduling Exaggerates Its Practical Impact appeared first on Reason.com. Former Donald Trump attorney John Eastman, whos been called the architect of Trumps attempts to subvert the 2o20 election results, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges in Arizona on Friday. Eastmans arraignment was followed by the release of his mugshot, in which he stared blankly forward while wearing a navy suit and tie. Eastman faces charges along with 17 other defendants in the Arizona case, all of whom were indicted on charges related to an alleged GOP-run scheme to put forward a slate of electors who would say Trump won the state in the 2020 presidential election despite the victory going to Joe Biden. Eastman was the first to be booked and arraigned. The former attorney, who was disbarred in California this year, is accused of leading the fake elector plotbased on fringe legal theoriesto flip Arizona in Trumps favor, despite Biden having won the state by just over 10,000 votes. I, of course, plead not guilty, Eastman said in a brief hearing, multiple news outlets reported. Im confident that, with the laws faithfully applied, I will be exonerated at the end of this process. Judge Recommends John Eastman Be Disbarred for 2020 Election BS After his hearing, a judge allowed Eastman to be released without conditions. Its a glimpse into what Eastmans co-defendants, many of whom are Trump allies and loyalists, may face in Arizona. Among the others facing charges includes Mark Meadows, Trumps former chief of staff; Rudy Giuliani, an ex-attorney; Boris Epshteyn, a close aide; and Christina Bobb, the top lawyer on election integrity for the Republican National Committee. A source told CNN that each defendant will be fingerprinted, booked, and will have a mugshot taken, just as Eastman had done. While Arizona prosecutors will hope to send Eastman to jail over alleged crimes he committed in the state, he is accused of being the mastermind behind a multi-step plan to keep Trump in the White House that spanned beyond just Arizona. Donald Trump Gets Front Row View at Barrons High School Graduation That included Eastman allegedly insisting to Trump that Mike Pence, as vice president, had the authority to unilaterally block certification of the electiona theory that has been repeatedly shouted down as being false, but was embraced by Trump nevertheless. The fallout of the failed scheme has wrecked Eastmans career, with him no longer working for Trump and now ineligible to practice law in Californiaa decision thats now set in stone after a judge denied an appeal to have his disbarment overturned earlier this month. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, speaks after adjournment Friday morning. He said changes to initiative petition could be passed if the House acts (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). The least productive and most chaotic legislative session in living memory came to a close Friday, when the Missouri Senate, mired in factional infighting, threw in the towel eight hours early and the House scrambled to get whatever bills it could salvage across the finish line before the 6 p.m. deadline for adjournment. In the end, only 28 non-budget bills found success this year. Thats fewer than the previous low-water mark in 2020, when only 31 bills passed because the legislative session was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasnt a good session or a bad session, said Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independent Democrat. But it was definitely a bizarre session. To be sure, some significant legislation found success. A massive education bill signed by Gov. Mike Parson expands a tax-credit program for private school tuition and allows charter schools to open for the first time in Boone County. It also pumps millions into raising teacher pay, among other provisions, and is estimated to cost taxpayers $468 million when fully implemented. A public safety bill cleared the legislature Friday that would make changes to the juvenile court system and allow the Missouri Office of Prosecution Services to establish a conviction review unit to investigate claims of actual innocence of any defendant, including those who plead guilty. The bill also includes Blairs Law, which would ban celebratory gunfire within the limits of a municipality. The law is named after Blair Shanahan Lane, an 11-year-old Kansas City girl killed during Fourth of July celebrations in 2011 by a stray bullet shot into the sky. After years of unsuccessful efforts to make Planned Parenthood ineligible to receive reimbursements from the states Medicaid program, the governor signed the bill into law earlier this month. For me, the good far outweighs the bad, said Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican, and Im walking out of here with my head held high. But the legacy of the 2024 legislative session will be the long list of bills that died and the open GOP warfare that killed many of them. The first day of the session in January saw a resumption of years of GOP infighting, with the Freedom Caucus holding court for more than an hour to vent frustrations with the chambers Republican leadership. That dynamic played out again and again through the session, culminating with a 41-hour filibuster earlier this month by Freedom Caucus members that stalled but did not block a bill renewing a tax crucial to funding Missouris Medicaid program. The bad blood between the Freedom Caucus and Republicans loyal to Senate leadership boiled over in the sessions final days. Despite holding 24 of 34 seats in the Senate, Republicans could not muster 18 votes to kill a Democratic filibuster of legislation making it harder to amend the Missouri Constitution through the initiative petition process. Thanks to the impasse, the initiative petition bill a top GOP priority, seen as a method to undercut a likely November ballot measure enshrining abortion rights in the Constitution died on the sessions final day. It is a uniparty, said Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican and Freedom Caucus member. Thats what people are fed up and frustrated with, Republicans giving in and caving in. Accepting defeat in the hands of victory, that seems to be the mantra of the Republican Party and brand. Rowden said a lot of good work got done this year despite efforts by the Freedom Caucus. I make decisions not based on what people are gonna say about those decisions on Twitter, he said, but about what is in the best interest of the state and whats in the best interest of this institution. As the House stripped amendments off of Senate bills in order to send them to the governor, Republicans complained about the gridlock that upended the Senate. Every legislative session is unusual, said House Speaker Dean Plocher, but this has been a less productive year on the other side of the building. But contributing to the chaotic session was Plocher, who spent much of the year under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over a litany of allegations of misconduct. The investigation was ultimately dropped, but not before Plocher was accused of obstructing the committees work and intimidating potential witnesses. But the drama in the House paled in comparison to the Senate. State Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican, had no remorse about his role in killing a large swath of bills. Out of every 100 bills filed every year, Eigel said, probably 90 of them need not pass. So a lot of the bad things that didnt happen this session didnt happen because of the folks you see standing behind me, he told reporters at the Freedom Caucus press conference, adding: How many tax increases and fee increases didnt happen because some folks were willing to get more aggressive with the folks that are giving up on their principles? Time ran out on a lot of bills with wide support from both parties, including an expansion of child care tax credits that was a big priority of the governor. The legislature also failed to ban child marriage or end Missouris practice of taking millions of dollars in Social Security benefits owed to foster kids. A wide-ranging womens health bill which includes provisions allowing women on private insurance to pick up an annual supply of contraceptives rather than going to the pharmacy every few months was also a victim of Senate gridlock. But the biggest impact of the GOP infighting was likely how much it delayed the state budget process, ultimately resulting in a spending plan most everyone concedes will require lawmakers to return later this year to ensure state agencies dont run out of money. Lawmakers cut hundreds of millions of dollars requested by Parson for the three major public welfare agencies, the departments of Social Services, Mental Health and Health and Senior Services. And Charlie Shields, president of the State Board of Education and a former Senate president pro tem, this week said he expects the mother of all supplemental budgets, probably in a special session. Well be back when the departments run out of money, Rizzo said, because they will. Eigel seemed to predict the drama could resume if the legislature returns to allocate more money. We spent billions of dollars in earmarks and the budget that we did just pass. Billions, he said. If there was such a need for the basic services of these departments to be funded, maybe we should have cut out some of the fat. Three of the five Freedom Caucus members are leaving the Senate after this year due to term limits, and August primaries in those and a handful of other districts will ultimately decide whether the dynamic in the chamber changes. Rowden, who is also leaving office this year, said he hopes the departures provides an opportunity for this chamber to kind of recalibrate. In the end, the Senate returned for the final day of the legislative session Friday for only 10 minutes before adjourning for the year. For all intents and purposes, the Senate was done the day before, Senate Majority Leader Cindy OLaughlin conceded to reporters. But she didnt want to end on a sour note with lawmakers taking verbal shots at each other on the chambers floor. I like all of my colleagues, she said. They are all very bright, though difficult to handle sometimes. And when the Senate adjourned Friday, everyone hugged each, OLaughlin said. Bill (Eigel) and I hugged each other. Eigel, listening in from the back of the room as OLaughlin spoke to reporters, shouted out, Love you, Cindy. She didnt miss a beat. Love you, Bill. The Independents Rudi Keller contributed to this story. The post A bizarre session: Missouri lawmakers head home after year defined by gridlock, infighting appeared first on Missouri Independent. Some of the nations most prominent Black political leaders and advocates celebrated the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education Friday by calling for more to be done to end present-day segregation. Many Black leaders have expressed concerns over limitations on Black history and diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and the Supreme Courts decision to end affirmative action in schools. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) marked the milestone of the case by highlighting the dangers and vitriol Black students faced during integration. Following the ruling, children simply attempting to attend school were met by violent, racist mobs and local officials sued in federal court to keep their districts segregated, Jeffries said in a statement. Now, the most segregated school systems in America can be directly traced to policies put in place by opponents of integration in the aftermath of the ruling, he continued. Decades later, it remains deeply troubling and unacceptable that we continue to fall short of ensuring all students can flourish on a level playing field. In 1952, Thurgood Marshall led a group of lawyers Robert Carter, Jack Greenberg, Constance Baker Motley, Spottswood Robinson, Oliver Hill, Louis Redding, Charles and John Scott, Harold R. Boulware, James Nabrit, and George E.C. Hayes in arguing a set of five cases before the Supreme Court. The cases, condensed under Brown v. The Topeka Board of Education, challenged the shameful separate but equal doctrine held up by the court in Plessy v. Ferguson. Brown had its genesis in 1619, when the first Africans were brought to this country and introduced to the colonies that enslaved them, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) said. So from 1619 to 1954, thats some 335 years of slavery and convict leasing and lawful segregation. But we know that even after Brown, theres still invidious discrimination taking place in the country to this day, and were still fighting that here in Congress with legislation, he added. Green, who introduced the Conscience Agenda last year, said until there is an end to things such as school vouchers and voter suppression, neither the 14th Amendment nor the legacy of Brown has been fulfilled. We are opening the doors to resegregate in schools and if we resegregate in schools, we can resegregate society, Green argued. The Rev. Al Sharpton said Fridays anniversary was a day of reflection as much as a day of celebration. While we celebrate 70 years of the first Supreme Court decision to break down Jim Crow in education and the implications were beyond education that celebration is dampened by the fact that we now have a Supreme Court that has taken out affirmative action and attacked voting rights, Sharpton told The Hill. If this Supreme Court was sitting in 1954, they probably would have not voted for Brown v. the Board of Education, he said. Sharpton added that the legacy of Brown v. Board may be disappearing already amid culture wars. When I look at the fact that when you have states like Florida banning books and other states backing it up, I dont know that children would even know what the Brown v. Board of Education meant, Sharpton said. During the 202223 school year, 153 districts across 33 states banned books, according to the PEN America report, many of which explored topics of race and racism. One of those books, Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story, detailed the experiences Ruby Bridges had at 6 years old, as she became one of the first Black children to attend an all-white school following Browns decision. Republican-led states, including Florida and Arkansas, also banned or limited aspects of an Advanced Placement African American Studies course in 2023. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), said that segregation can also be seen clearly in the rise in school choice options, or the ability for families to select alternatives to public schools. Studies show school choice exacerbates segregation in public schools, and todays schools continue to see segregation at staggering rates. [T]he rise in school choice options has given way for public schools to grow more separate and unequal despite our country being more racially diverse, Horsford said on behalf of the caucus. The resegregation we are seeing in our schools is by no means isolated, he continued. It is in fact a part of a much larger effort to deny Black communities access to opportunities in our country. He added, Additionally, a lack of federal funding has contributed to this stark disparity, which is why the CBC and Congressional Democrats have continued to work with the Biden-Harris Administration to deliver historic investments in HBCUs and prioritize federal investment in early childhood learning, head start, and Title I funding for traditionally underserved communities. Though the Biden-Harris administration has invested $16 billion in historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) over the last three years, a December 2022 study by the Education Trust found that districts with predominantly non-white students receive more than $2,000 per student less than predominantly white districts. In a district with 5,000 students, this would equate to $13.5 million in missing resources. David Johns, chief executive officer and executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, added that while celebrating the 70th anniversary, there must be an effort to remember those who paved the way for integration. We focus on Ruby Bridges as we should but not enough people know the names of and the stories of the New Orleans Four and what it meant to be 6-years-old, taking the physical and emotional and psychological trauma that they endured to go to school, to have access to opportunities, Johns said. Ruby Bridges made history in 1960 when she became the first African American student to integrate an elementary school in the South, and for many she is the face of desegregation. The New Orleans Four, Johns explained, included Bridges, Gail Etienne, Tessie Prevost and Leona Tate. As Bridges went to William Frantz Elementary School, Etienne, Prevost and Tate headed to McDonogh 19 Elementary School. Just like Bridges, Johns said, he wants to see the three receive their flowers for what they endured to help end segregation. But, he added, students of today also deserved to be recognized for working to keep the legacy alive, even as schools limit access to books or certain topics. There are several of us who live in the legacy of Justice [Thurgood] Marshall and are committed to defending and strengthening democracy and advancing equity, including through schools, Johns said. A lot of that education is happening outside of schools; its happening on TikTok. It is young people who understand Fannie Lou Hamer teaching that until all of us are free, none of us are free. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. 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. 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. Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@dailymontanan.com. Follow Daily Montanan on Facebook and Twitter. The post BLM plan proposes ending future federal coal leasing in Powder River Basin appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales' 2024 election security guide features a whistle. (Submitted photo) Youve got mail! Hundreds of election administrators, lawmakers, law enforcement officers and others across Indiana and beyond slit open heavy white cardboard boxes this spring to uncover glossy election security guides from the states top election official, Secretary of State (SOS) Diego Morales. Blow the whistle on election interference, the thick, spiral-bound books read. Theyre accompanied by whistles strung on lanyards. The 180-page document, per SOS spokeswoman Lindsey Eaton, is a new addition to the library of election guides produced and distributed by the state for election administrators. Assembling and shipping 600 guides cost a whopping $35,070. Thats $58.45 each. Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales shakes hands with Tipton County election workers in a photo posted on May 7, 2024 Primary Election Day. (From SOS X account) Each booklet cost about $45 to print, and each lanyard with whistle and card was about $1.45, according to Eaton. Packing and shipping cost approximately $12 per guide. SOS paid for the initiative with a 2023 State Homeland Security Grant. Secretary Morales firmly believes theres no price tag when it comes to the safety of our election workers, Eaton said in written responses to a Capital Chronicle inquiry. She highlighted Morales three months of visits to all of the states 92 counties and said hed heard safety concerns from the election officials he met on the way. Poll threats and harassment Ahead of the 2022 midterm election, rural and urban election officials alike told the Capital Chronicle theyd heard negative comments but not threats and harassment. But abuse appears to be on the rise. In a national survey of more than 900 election officials released this month, 38% of the officials reported having experienced abuse, harassment or threats because of their election work. That was up from 30% in 2023, according to the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice, which conducts the surveys. Of the 16% who specifically said theyd been threatened defined as expressions communicating an intention to harm or injure that imply imminent risk to a persons well-being and safety more than half said the threats were made in person. They also came in over the phone, email, social media, snail mail and more, according to the survey. Seven in 10 respondents said they felt threats against election officials have increased since 2020, the same share as in 2023. A Marion County poll inspector works on an electronic poll-book during training on Thursday, April 19, 2024. (Leslie Bonilla Muniz/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Indiana office-holders are paying attention. State lawmakers approved legislation in March making it a Level 6 felony to threaten an election worker as well as to obstruct, interfere with, or injure an election worker. As for SOS? Leading up to the November General Election, (Morales) continues to place a major emphasis on keeping poll workers and election administrators safe, Eaton wrote. The election security guides and materials were designed to encourage threat awareness and informed election security and safety collaboration and response between election administrators and allied resources including state and federal emergency response agencies, local law enforcement, and local emergency response agencies. Thats why local law enforcement agencies, county emergency management offices, state and federal emergency management offices, were among the recipients. In addition to county clerks and election administration offices, the office also sent guides to state lawmakers, Indianas congressional delegation, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, members of the National Association of Secretary of States Election Committee and the Voting System Technical Oversight Program (VSTOP) at Ball State University. VSTOP tests all the election equipment used in Indiana. Whats inside The guide is a compilation of materials from authoritative sources, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Securitys Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, four state agencies, a county election board and the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections. Law enforcement and election officials created the latter in 2022 to address violence against election workers and voters. Just below its list of sources and acknowledgements, however, the guide warns readers the information inside may not be correct. This publication is a collection of materials from cited sources. It is presented for education and illustrative purposes and is not intended to be relied on as a legal resource, definitive guidance or administrative directive, it says. The State of Indiana does not warrant, and assumes no liability that the information contained herein is complete, up to date, correct, or applicable in any particular situation or circumstance. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US Election administrators, election workers, and persons responsible for safe, secure, and reliable elections are advised to consult with their own legal, security, and public safety advisers about specific situations and actions, it continues. The document, which has 18 sections, takes on polling place security plans, election infrastructure security, election worker attacks, suspicious election mail, doxing, swatting, artificial intelligence, photo identification and more. The focus of the program is on election worker and voter safety, election security, and state election administration as a component of National Critical Infrastructure,' Eaton said. The guide and materials are part of the Secretary of States multi-dimensional 2024 program for election safety and security which also includes production of audio-visual training materials, regional training and collaboration seminars, and production and hosting of web accessible election security information. Its not public, however. Eaton said it has not yet been published online. High printing costs mean there arent physical copies available for everyday residents at this time, she added. SOS photocopied the first four pages of the guide, embedded below, in response to the Capital Chronicles inquiry. 2024 Blow the Whistle on Election Interference introduction 5-8-24 The post Blow the whistle: Indianas top election official spends $35k on security guide mailings appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. Blufftons McCracken Middle will have new principal next school year. What we know File: Parents wait in line to pick up their children at H.E. McCracken Middle School in Bluffton on March 17, 2016. H.E. McCracken Middle School in Bluffton will have a new principal for the next school year. Ryan Milling is still serving as principal for the current school year, Candace Bruder, spokesperson for the Beaufort County School District, confirmed via text message on Friday. Students last school day is June 5. When reached by phone Friday afternoon, Milling would not comment and referred all questions to the school district. Bruder would not say whether Milling is leaving the district or being reassigned. The district will release administrative staff assignments during the summer, Bruder wrote. When asked whether any McCracken administrator or school counselor was on administrative leave, Bruder said the district was unable to comment on personnel matters. She shared an email sent by the district to parents on May 8 with a reminder students would be involved in state testing. That email said, All student services and normal operations are continuing at H.E. McCracken. Personnel from the district office are providing additional support to the school. A screenshot of a separate email from the district posted on Facebook included a survey to gather stakeholder input as we work diligently to find the best possible candidate to serve as the next principal of H.E. McCracken Middle School. Milling served as assistant principal at McCracken before becoming principal in the 2021-22 school year. He began his educational career as a school counselor and held positions in Darlington, Fort Mill and Florence School District Three before coming to Beaufort County in 2020, according to previous reporting in The Island Packet. He holds masters degrees in educational leadership and counseling and development, both from Winthrop University. The Iowa Board of Chiropractic has redacted much of the information in an order halting the practice of an Iowa chiropractor. (Main photo by Getty Images; document courtesy of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing) The state of Iowa has ordered a chiropractor to halt his practice, but its keeping secret the rationale for the action and the terms under which it has agreed to reinstate the license. On April 10, the Iowa Board of Chiropractic issued an order, pursuant to an agreement with chiropractor Todd Miedema of Sheldon. The order requires that Miedema halt his practice of chiropractic care and states that it has the same practical effect as an order suspending Miedemas license. The document also states that in order to meet the boards interest in protecting the public, and to avoid any emergency order the board might issue in the case, the parties have agreed that Miedema will stop practicing until further order by the board. In the document, the board lays out the specific conditions under which Miedemas license can be reinstated all of which have been redacted from public view. Three additional paragraphs, which would appear to spell out the basis for the boards action, are also redacted from public view. Miedema declined to comment on the case when contacted Friday by the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Access to information is curtailed Over the past three years, public access to information from Iowas licensing boards has been greatly reduced. Prior to October 2021, all state licensing boards publicly disclosed the specific allegations against practitioners at the time charges were filed. Those disclosures included not just the charges themselves which are often vague, such professional incompetence or unethical conduct but also the specific underlying conduct that gave rise to the charges, such as a botched surgery or the theft of patient medications. In October 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the basic alleged facts and circumstances surrounding disciplinary action against licensed professionals must be kept confidential at least until the licensing boards issue their final rulings in the matter a process that sometimes takes years. The courts decision was based on a statute that says investigative information gathered as part of a complaint against a licensee must be kept confidential at least until the board issues its final decision. The court concluded that the basic facts and circumstances surrounding a case are investigative in nature, and therefore confidential. In the aftermath of that decision, most of Iowas licensing boards began issuing redacted statements of charges to keep secret the basic allegations that triggered the charges. Once the matter was finalized, that same information was made public. The Miedema action is unusual in that it represents an order issued by the board not simply a set of charges and yet the alleged conduct that led to the order, as well as the boards conditions for reinstatement, are being kept secret, presumably until additional action is taken in the case. The handling of the case is somewhat similar to cases in which the board took action last fall. It was then that the state appeared to adopt a new policy of keeping secret the basic facts and circumstances in a case even after it had been finalized. For example, the Iowa Board of Nursing repeatedly refused the Capital Dispatchs 2023 requests for an unredacted copy of the written statement of charges against a nurse whose license has been revoked. The redacted portion of that document outlined the specific conduct that led to the charges against the nurse. In a separate matter handled by the Board of Chiropractic last year, the board resolved a case with a settlement calling for the practitioner to surrender his license. But the basic facts and circumstances in that case remained sealed until an Open Records Law request was filed by the Capital Dispatch. The case involved allegations of improper contact with a 10-year-old child. The chiropractor had previously been convicted on two counts of indecent contact with children and two counts of indecent exposure. Even before the 2021 court ruling, Iowas licensing board tended to publicly disclose far less information on licensees alleged wrongdoing than is common practice in other states. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Board halts chiropractors practice, keeps rationale secret appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. Michael C Hall as Dexter in the television series about a serial killer - Seacia Pavao/Showtime via AP A boarding school pupil accused of trying to murder two roommates with a claw hammer began researching serial killers after watching the television show Dexter, he has told a jury. The teenager denied deliberately attacking two fellow pupils and a housemaster at Bundells school in Tiverton, Devon, last June, claiming he was sleepwalking at the time. The two injured boys suffered fractured skulls, and one sustained injuries to his spleen, ribs and lung. The trial at Exeter Crown Court had previously heard how the 17-year-old had researched high-profile murderers, including Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. Prosecutors also revealed how he had also conducted internet searches on subjects including: youngest spree killers; murder with hammers; youngest serial killer near Exeter; school massacres; and what happens if a 15 year old murders someone. Giving evidence for the first time in the case, the youth, who cannot be identified because of his age, claimed he had been inspired to look up such subjects after watching the US crime drama Dexter, which is about a serial killer. He said: I tried to find out more about it. My autism makes me more obsessive about certain topics, any topics I find interesting. I dont really feel anything about my autism, it has always been in me and I never noticed it. He said he researched murders and gruesome stories because they were linked to serial killers and had looked up information about the length of prison sentences because: I am just curious. Asked by his barrister if he had wanted to become a serial killer, he replied: I have a good life here, why would I be interested in destroying my life? No memory The teenager said he had no memory of the incident and had come round to find the room covered in blood. I dont remember doing anything. The only rational thing I could think of was, I was sleepwalking. All I could see was blood. I could not see anything. I did not hear anything. Then I remember walking up the corridor, he told the jury. He explained that he slept with a hammer under his pillow for protection from the zombie apocalypse. I thought the apocalypse was real and I do today. The apocalypse is the end of the world, he said. The defendant, who was 16 at the time of the attacks, also said that he was very stressed about being blackmailed for money by a woman over nude photos of himself he had sent her. He said: She sent some pictures of herself to me on Snapchat. It was just her face. She said she lived in Washington. I did send her some nude pictures of myself, I think about half a dozen. The boy told the court she had started to ask for money and he had sent her around 1,000 but was beginning to run out of money. I did not tell my mum, dad or auntie about the blackmail because it was embarrassing. I felt very stressed about the blackmailing. I thought she would post the pictures to all my followers, she had requested to follow all my followers. It was on my mind every second. In other evidence he said he had produced a list of people he did not like which included Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, saying she was a back-stabber who had back-stabbed Rishi. The boy denies three charges of attempted murder and his trial continues. 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. Body of 23-Year-Old Missing Hiker Found on Mills Glacier, Colo., 4 Days After Going Missing The body of Lucas Macaj was recovered on Thursday, May 16, after he was reported missing on Sunday, May 12 Rocky Mountain National Park Lucas Macaj The body of Lucas Macaj was recovered on Mills Glacier, Colo., on Thursday, May 16, officials at Rocky Mountain National Park said. Macaj, 23, was reported missing after a hiking excursion on the Longs Peak summit on Sunday, May 12. He was last heard from around 1 p.m. local time that day. The search for Macaj began on Monday, May 13, and rangers located his parked vehicle at the Longs Peak Trailhead. "Initial investigations indicate he took a significant fall. Rocky Mountain National Park rangers completed an on-scene investigation and recovery operations took place by helicopter," Rocky Mountain National Park spokesperson Kyle Patterson said in a news release. Macaj's body was then flown to a "landing zone in Rocky Mountain National Park and transferred to the Boulder County Coroners Office," per the release. Macaj's cause of death has not been released. Related: 23-Year-Old Hiker Missing After Texting Friend That Hed Reached Top of Colorado Mountain Macaj was a Space Force Guardian stationed at Schriever Space Force Base, reports local outlets KKTV and KOAA. Rocky Mountain National Park National Park rangers completed an on-scene investigation and recovery operations for Lucas Macaj. The discovery follows four days of search efforts, which included air reconnaissance, "a heat-sensing fixed-wing flight and ground teams on the Keyhole Route" an area Macaj hiked and the Boulder Brook Trail. "Ground teams skied into the Hunters Creek drainage to the base of Keplingers Coulier," Patterson said in a statement Wednesday. 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." Additionally, the team took shelter on Wednesday night and, on Thursday, skied the Clarks Arrow Route to the top of Keplingers Coulier in search of Macaj. Related: Missing Hiker Found Dead After 1,000-Foot Fall from Mt. Whitney in California's Sequoia National Park Rocky Mountain National Park said several agencies and organizations assisted in the search and rescue mission. The Flight for Life Air Ambulance, the State of Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), and the Colorado Army National Guard assisted with air reconnaissance operations. Meanwhile, the Colorado Search and Rescue Association (CSAR), Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States, and Larimer County SAR Dog Team were assisted by the Boulder County Sheriff Dog Team, the Park County SAR Dog Team, and the El Paso County SAR Dog Team. Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park rangers completed an on-scene investigation and recovery operations for Lucas Macaj. 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. A representative for Boulder County Coroners Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for more information on Thursday. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. The search for Lucas Macaj, 23, ended Thursday when Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) announced that recovery efforts had been completed. According to a park press release, the climber from Colorado Springs had set out early on Sunday to attempt a solo ascent of Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route. The last communication Macaj sent was a text message to a friend, letting them know hed made it to the summit. But he did not return that evening. Search and Rescue (SAR) teams set out early on Monday to look for him. A spokesperson for RMNP told GearJunkie on Wednesday that it was a major search incident. Macajs body was found on Mills Glacier, near the base of Lambs Slide, a 3rd-class difficulty alpine climbing route, the press release reported. After discovering his body, park rangers completed an on-scene investigation, and his remains were extracted via helicopter. His body was flown to the Boulder County Coroner, but the cause of death has yet to be announced. This is the first death in RMNP this year. A Major Search Incident: Lucas Macaj on Longs Peak missing climber longs peak The search for Macaj took 4 days and included numerous agencies and organizations. RMNP spearheaded the search, but it had assistance from Flight for Life Air Ambulance, the State of Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), the Colorado Army National Guard, Colorado SAR Association (CSAR), SAR Dogs of the United States, Larimer County SAR Dog Team, Boulder County Sheriff Dog Team, Park County SAR Dog Team, and El Paso County SAR Dog Team. The areas that RMNP Search and Rescue Team members were searching were/are in winter conditions, RMNP told GearJunkie. Search operations initially were hampered by strong winds, white out conditions, and low visibility. Searchers encountered deep snow in some areas with drifting snow as well as barren wind scoured areas and ice. Depending on the area, searchers were also mitigating avalanche risk. Over the 4-day search, these organizations and agencies used helicopter reconnaissance, ground teams, and dog teams. They searched the Keyhole Route on foot. They also used binoculars to scan Black Lake, Sandbeach Lake, the Hunters Creek Drainage, and areas around Chasm Lake to the Loft. The Loft is at the top of Lambs Slide. SAR teams discovered Macajs body near the base of that route on Mills Glacier. Longs Peak: A Popular, Dangerous Hike longs peak keyhole route Longs Peak is a popular 14,259-foot mountain on the Front Range. The Keyhole route Macaj was ascending is an 8.4-mile climb with almost 5,000 vertical feet of elevation gain. Data collected by the 14ers Initiative estimates that around 15,000 people attempt to climb Longs Peak every year. It can be a challenging hike. RMNP rangers estimate about a 50% success rate in summiting. And according to NPS, about two people die on the mountain every year with falls accounting for 60% of the fatalities. Months on the calendar can be deceiving when it comes to conditions at higher elevations, particularly above treeline (11,500 feet), RMNP warned. Although it is May, people venturing into the park at higher elevations need to be prepared for winter conditions and should have winter mountaineering skills If things are different than expected or not going right, turn around. It is not known yet if Macaj was killed during an accidental fall. The Boulder County Coroner will release the cause of death in the coming days once its been determined. The post Body of Colorado Climber Recovered From Longs Peak After 4-Day Search appeared first on GearJunkie. Body of missing Colorado hiker Lucas Macaj found on Longs Peak during 4th day of search The body of a 23-year-old hiker who vanished in Colorado mountains over the weekend was found on Thursday, park rangers in Colorado announced on Thursday night. Lucas Macaj from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was recovered on Mills Glacier near the base of Lambs Slide on Longs Peak, a mountain in the Rockies, Rocky Mountain National Park officials wrote in a release posted on social media. Photo of missing hiker, Lucas Macaj, 23, from Colorado Springs, Colorado. He went missing after texting his friend he reached the summit of a mountain in the Rockies. Prior to disappearing, Macaj texted his friend about 1 p.m. on Sunday, rangers reported, and said he was at the summit of Longs Peak. An initial investigation revealed the hiker took a "significant fall," officials said in the release. Parents charged in baby's beating: California mom accused of punching newborn son, leaving him with 16 broken bones Hiker last heard from as storms rolled through the park On the afternoon he was last heard from, rangers reported significant storms moved through high elevations in the park. Search efforts began Monday and included air reconnaissance, ground teams and dog teams searching the Longs Peak Trail and other nearby locations, the Coloradoan, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, reported. Search and rescue team members above Black Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park search for missing hiker Lucas Macaj below the Ledges and Trough area of Longs Peak's Keyhole Route on May 14, 2024. Fatal boating update: Officials identify 78-year-old man as driver in Florida boating accident that killed teen Body taken to coroner's office in Boulder County Macaj's body was flown by helicopter to a landing zone in the park and transferred to the Boulder County Coroners Office. An autopsy will determine his official cause and manner of death. According to KOAA-TV Macaj was a Space Force Guardian stationed at Schriever Space Force Base. Contributing: Julia Gomez Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Body of hiker Lucas Macaj found on Mills Glacier, Longs Peak mountain (The Hill) Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was heckled outside the Manhattan courthouse Thursday where she was attempting to defend former President Donald 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. Centrist think tank dares Trump to testify in hush money trial 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. 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 cause of death of one of the Boeing whistleblowers, who had been set to continue testifying against the aircraft manufacturer, has been revealed. John Barnett, 62, a quality control engineer at Boeing for 32 years, was found dead at a hotel in March, reportedly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An autopsy report released by the Charleston County Coroner stated that a review of Barnetts medical records and interviews with his family had shown he had been suffering from chronic stress brought on by the lawsuit, as well as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The cause of death was listed as suicide, according to the report. Prior to his death, Barnett had alleged that Boeing intentionally used defective parts in its planes and warned that passengers on its 787 Dreamliner might face a lack of oxygen if a sudden decompression occurred. He had traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, on 26 February from Louisiana, to take part in a deposition as part of the lawsuit with Boeing. He was deposed by Boeing attorneys on 7 March and by his attorneys the next day. John Barnett, 62, a quality control engineer at Boeing for 32 years, was found dead at a hotel in March, reportedly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, days after beginning testimony against the aircraft manufacturer (@Megatron_ron/Twitter) He was due to resume testimony on 9 March. In the autopsy report, Charleston County Coroner Bobbi Jo ONeal, noted that Barnett had not responded to a courtesy call from his lawyers on that day. After he failed to arrive for the proceedings, his lawyers called for a wellness check, and he was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the parking lot of his hotel, according to authorities. Per the report, Barnett was wearing a multicolored sleeveless shirt, denim pants, and a black belt. He had a pistol in his right hand, and investigators later confirmed gunshot residue on his hand. They found a single shell casing in the truck and a suicide note on his passenger seat. The report also noted that, per surveillance footage, Barnett was seen exiting his hotel and the truck where he was later found was seen backing into a parking space. At no time did anyone engage or try to make contact with Mr Barnett, the report said. The report comes following the death of a second Boeing whistleblower earlier this month. Joshua Dean, who worked as a quality auditor at Spirit AeroSystems, died in the first week of May, according to his family. The 45-year-old who had an active lifestyle and was believed to be in good health, passed away in the hospital following the onset of a fast-moving infection. The autopsy report has been released shortly after the death of another Boeing whistleblower, Joshua Dean, was announced earlier this month (Supplied) He suffered from Influenza B and MRSA, and developed pneumonia, according to Fox59. My handsome brother Joshua passed away this morning and is with our baby brother. I dont know how much more my family can take. I dont know how much more I can take honestly, his sister, Taylor Rae Roberts, wrote in a Facebook post. Attorney Brian Knowles, who represented both men, described them as heroes who wanted to help the company do better. He told The Independent: What I dont want to see is, these two unfortunate circumstances, what happened with Josh or John, is to make them fearful to speak up. [But] there are other people out there... there are others. Mr Knowles added that there were at least ten other Boeing whistleblowers out there, both former and current employees, who are safe and sound. Days after Deans death, Santiago Paredes, a former quality manager for Spirit AeroSystems, Boeings largest supplier, and which builds much of the 737 Max aircraft, also claimed that he was pressured to play down any defects he found when inspecting fuselages on the plane. Speaking to CBS and the BBC in an interview, Mr Paredes said he worked on the end of the production line at Spirit AeroSystems for around a decade in Kansas, doing final inspections on 737 fuselages before these were shipped off to Boeing. If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you. In the closing of Abraham Lincolns first inaugural address, he told a tense nation on the brink of war, We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. Hearkening back to those words, a panel of scholars gathered Thursday in Washington, D.C., to consider whether those bonds of affection still hold and if unity is possible in todays fraught political climate, with an election looming that stands to divide us even more. Among their conclusions: Yes, an improved political climate is achievable and doesnt even require that the whole nation sign on to the project. But it will take substantive changes in the language we use to talk about each other and the way we think about unity and moderation. The four-hour event, sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute and the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University, was held at AEIs headquarters and was moderated by former D.C. Circuit Judge Thomas B. Griffith, AEI senior fellow Adam J. White and Wheatley Institute Director Paul S. Edwards. In his opening remarks, Edwards noted that the corrosive political environment is affecting every aspect of American life, including the family. He cited polling that shows 47% of young Americans have cut ties with a family member because of politics. He went on to discuss with panelists Monica Guzman and Timothy Shriver why there is a perception that we are the most divided weve ever been even though, historically speaking, were not. You mention that were not as divided as we think, and really were not, Guzman, senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels, told Edwards. Research shows us over and over again the overlap on things like immigration and guns. Its there, but you wouldnt know it by the way we talk about it. Guzman said there is too much fear and certainty, both enemies of curiosity that contribute to hostility among Americans who spend too much time in ideological silos. Whoever is underrepresented in your life is going to be overrepresented in your imagination, she said. And your imagination is not a great source of truth. Shriver, chairman of the board of the Special Olympics, said that despite our divisions, the demand for a change is enormous. This is an exhausted country. People are tuning out by the millions from news, from politics. Theyre disgusted by the vitriol. And yet, Shriver said, there is a dearth of leadership to advance healing and the bridging of divides because the media environment works to stifle the healers and elevate the dividers. That means theres opportunity for leaders to step into this space. Our colleague, Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, has been saying, You can win elections on this, Shriver said. How divided is America? Guzman, the author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times, said Americans wrongly believe we are experiencing historically high levels of division because of technology that enables what she calls sorting, other-ing and siloing. Were thinking our way into a rut that isnt even real. There is a real deterioration, however, in trust in foundational institutions, and in belonging to churches and other social groups that brought people together in the past, Shriver noted. Contempt for ideological opposites makes it difficult for either side to advance their issues. And because politicians benefit from extremism in the amplification of their voices, they have little incentive to behave differently. But for Guzman, it was political division within her own family that led her to be part of the solution. The biggest reason Im doing what I do is because of my family, she said. Guzmans family immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. and became citizens in the year 2000, when she was 17. She describes herself as a liberal; her parents are Trump-supporting Republicans. She said there was constant friction with her parents when she was in college and that their relationship was especially tested during the 2016 election. But they kept having challenging conversations until Guzman finally reached the point where she realized, If I were my parents, I would have voted for Trump, too. That understanding which came from deep listening and understanding her parents perspective did not change Guzmans political views, but ultimately led her to believe, Were getting people wrong. Way wrong. Were making monsters where they dont exist. And we need to stop. Shriver believes that is possible. This country can solve problems, he said, later adding that there is a natural human instinct to want to do better, and that research shows that it doesnt take 100% of us to change the culture; rather, it just takes 10-15% to make a change that can eventually envelope the whole country. Let virtue lead again? In another session featuring John Inazu of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, National Constitution Center CEO Jeffrey Rosen, and AEIs Philip Wallach and Adam J. White the panelists talked about the problems that ensue in a democracy when people idealize individual leaders rather than virtues championed or exhibited by the leader. Ideally, we should be devoted to principles that are larger than an individual leader, Rosen said, noting that John Adams worried that the human desire for recognition might corrupt American democracy. He quipped, If Adams imagined the age of Instagram, he might have called off the revolution. During a question-and-answer session, Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice, said that shame and honor are different sides of the same coin and asked the panelists if recapturing a sense of shame in our culture would make virtue more important in the public square again. Rosen responded, explaining that shame and honor are typically associated with societal hierarchies that are rejected in our democracy. But, he said, In eliminating an idea of shame in the name of democracy, you really do open yourself up to demagogues because Caesar, or our current crop, can just be shameless and insist that theyre above the law and do anything because the allegiance is to them, and not to their conduct and not to their upholding the principles of how public servants are supposed to behave. Reasons for hope In the final session, moderated by Griffith, the judge said he places himself firmly in the camp of Chicken Little the sky is falling when it comes to the state of polarization in America today, and he asked the panelists what keeps them up at night. Martha Minow, former dean of Harvard Law School and now 300th Anniversary University Professor at Harvard Law, said she routinely asks students if they are hopeful, and many, many are not, and that is the end of our future if our young people are not hopeful. The students lack of hope is also a reflection of society at large, she said. Yuval Levin, AEIs director of social, cultural and constitutional studies, said he, too, is concerned about the lack of hope in public life in America, but said that hope is a really distinct virtue and often misunderstood. Hope is not optimism. Hope is not the sense that things are going to be fine. Thats almost never a wise view. Dont be an optimist. ... Hope says things are up to us, and they could be good if we are good. And that sense, which has defined the American character in moments of crisis in the past not all, but the ones weve gotten out of strongest is absent now. He went on to say, Theres not nearly enough hope, certainly among the young, theres not enough hope in our politics. Everybody approaches the future with the sense that between us and the future, theres some calamity. And Ive come to think that view is an escape from responsibility. ... That is a way of not actually thinking about the future as belonging to us and being our responsibility. However, Levin, the author of the forthcoming book American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation and Could Again, said Americans are also wrong in thinking that our democracy is just one election away from collapse. People have a crazy view of the stakes of our politics. Everybody thinks the next election will determine the future of human civilization, and our political system at its best is built to help us reduce the stakes of our politics. The next election is just an election. Theres going to be another one after that. If we get it wrong, well get another chance at this, Levin said. He later went on to say, Unity does not mean thinking alike. The premise of our system is that were not going to think alike. Unity, instead, means acting together, he said, and the way forward is through coalition building and the broadening of majorities. If we understood unity that way, it is achievable, he said. At the conclusion, Griffith quoted President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who has said, On contested issues, we (should) seek to moderate and to unify. Minow said Utah has set an example in governance amid polarization, with leadership that puts the common good ahead of subgroups in a way that is absolutely breathtaking and says to me it can be done, even if it means that Ill still have my beliefs, but I cannot impose them on you. ... The Utah Compromise, if you dont know it, is worth studying, and Im trying myself to collect examples like this of people and accomplishments to hold up. Levin noted, however, that some people wrongly see moderation as a surrender of principle rather than what it is: making adjustments in your approach that allow you to persuade others successfully. Political leaders need to understand that fighting for your constituents should mean reaching an end that advances your purpose not stand across from other people and yell at them. Thats not fighting; thats failing, Levin said. To come to recognize that kind of moderate temperament as the beginning of successfully fighting for your principles is what it would take for us to have a functional, free society. It takes a lot of learning. That understanding of things is a social achievement. Its not a natural phenomenon. Americans dont just fall from the sky. They have to be made by a culture that is ready to teach us to think this way. And maybe thats what we lack most. A full video of the event can be seen here. Being prepared for the next virus: The Covid prime minister was right to warn about being better prepared for future pandemics - ANDREW PARSONS/AFP The world is on the verge of forging a generational pact to protect all countries from a repeat of the terrible losses inflicted by Covid-19. This essential effort, launched by the United Kingdom and the 190-plus member states of the World Health Organisation over two years ago, is about ensuring all people, everywhere, are better protected when the next pandemic comes. There are elements of opinion within our country, and others, who, despite the evidence, continue to claim that the proposed global pandemic agreement is an attack on national sovereignty and a tool to enforce population-wide immunisations, mask mandates, and lockdowns. In fact, the draft agreement states: Nothing in the WHO Pandemic Agreement shall be interpreted as providing the WHO Secretariat ... any authority to direct, order, alter, or otherwise prescribe ... national laws. Numerous references within the agreement reinforce this truth, that sovereignty over national health decision-making rests with national governments. The agreement states that the WHO has no power to mandate ... that parties take specific actions, such as ban or accept travellers, impose vaccination mandates ... or implement lockdowns. At no point in the negotiations has the WHO sought such powers. On Tuesday, in the House of Commons, the Conservative minister responsible for UK negotiations on the agreement, Andrew Stephenson, forcefully corrected those who claim the WHO will commandeer or seize vaccines and other equipment from governments without their agreement. He stated: Countries are discussing a voluntary mechanism to which UK businesses could sign up, if they wish, to share vaccines in return for information they may need to develop their products.. Other claims by the accords critics do not withstand scrutiny. During no part of the negotiations has the WHO sought powers to monitor peoples movements or to deploy armed troops to enforce mandatory vaccinations and lockdowns. The first call for a global pandemic agreement was made by Boris Johnson in this newspaper. Then, Mr Johnson, supported by 26 world leaders, wrote that an accord on pandemics should lead to more mutual accountability and shared responsibility, transparency, and co-operation within the international system, adding that pandemic preparedness needs global leadership for a global health system fit for this millennium. The world leaders compared the agreement they sought with the settlement forged in the aftermath of the Second World War. And yet while Boris Johnson described Covid-19 as the biggest challenge to the global community since the 1940s, too many of his supporters seem to have forgotten just how vulnerable each and every country was during Covid-19 and how we all rightly said: Never again. During the height of the pandemic, dont we recall how the United Kingdom, as a sovereign state, promoted public-private collaboration to develop the life-saving vaccines to protect against Covid-19? Did we not say that if we had vaccinated the poorest parts of the world more quickly, we might have avoided later phases of the pandemic? It is only by forgetting the damage that inadequate international collaboration inflicted that we can now contemplate turning inwards. Countries sure in their standing in the world demonstrate their sovereignty through co-operation, not isolation, and work with global partners where there is common interest and shared benefit. In the 1960s, President Kennedy delivered the first global nuclear test ban treaty. In the 1980s, Gorbachev and Reagan secured the biggest ever global reduction in nuclear arms. In 2009, the world came together to prevent a global recession from becoming a global depression. Global solutions to global problems. The world doesnt know when the next pandemic will threaten us, but by having the courage to act now we will protect future generations. We would be remiss if we forget the definitive lesson of the past few years: when a pandemic threatens, no one is safe anywhere until everyone is safe everywhere. Rt Hon Gordon Brown served as Prime Minister from 2007-2010 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. Boston police looking for missing 17-year-old who hasnt been seen for almost two weeks Boston police are asking for help locating a missing teen who hasnt been seen since May 5. 17-year-old Jaize Shabazz-Fealy was last seen around 2:00 p.m. at the Melvin H. King South End Academy. Shabazz-Fealy is described as a light-skinned black male, about 507, approximately 170lbs, with a short afro. Police say he was last seen wearing a black Spider-Man sweatshirt, black sweatpants with white lettering and a gray or black backpack. Shabazz-Fealy could possibly be with family in the Providence, Rhode Island area, police say. He also suffers from mental health issues. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is advised to call 911 or B-3 Detectives at 617-343-4712. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW As Los Angeles police internal investigators dig deeper into one of the bigger scandals in recent department history, they have uncovered links between two troubled anti-gang units in the San Fernando Valley, multiple law enforcement sources told The Times. When the controversy first spilled into public view in August with officers accused of illegally searching and stealing from people, and attempting to cover it up by turning off their body cameras then-Chief Michel Moore said the problems appeared to be confined to the Mission Division. But three sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation for discussing a pending investigation and sensitive personnel matters, said the probe had broadened to focus on a group of officers who initially worked together in another police division, Foothill, which neighbors Mission to the east. One of those officers, Alan Carrillo, pleaded not guilty this week to charges of theft and evidence tampering. He previously worked on the Foothill gang squad, whose other officers have in recent years been accused of violent tactics against protesters and at least one out-of-policy shooting of an unarmed man, according to court records and sources familiar with the LAPD's ongoing investigation. Carrillo, a six-year department veteran, is the first of several officers expected to be charged, according to one source who agreed to discuss the inner workings of the case on the condition of anonymity. The three sources familiar with the probe said LAPD investigators have spent months exploring the connection between the Mission and Foothill gang units. Carrillo is accused of stealing personal items including a knife with brass knuckles on the handle from people during patrol stops in the Mission Division in April and June 2023. His attorney, Caleb Mason, said in an interview with The Times that his client was being charged for essentially "taking contraband away from a suspect," who was a minor. "The prosecution's theory of the case is that he didn't fill out the proper paperwork," Mason said. He said Carrillo's case was one of several in which the district attorney's office's Justice Systems Integrity Division had overreached in its rush to make good on a campaign promise by Dist. Atty. George Gascon to hold police accountable. "When an officer encounters a teenager who's in possession of contraband that he's absolutely not allowed to have, whether it's a marijuana vape or brass knuckles, you can't have that. And you take it away from him, and that's how good police work has been done for 150 years," he said. "Frankly, I would hope any officer would take that action." Mason said he was handling only Carrillo's criminal case, and could not comment on the department's ongoing internal investigation. Prosecutors have identified as many as 350 criminal cases that are potentially compromised because they relied on the testimony of or evidence gathered by two Mission gang officers. One of them, the sources familiar with the case said, is now believed to be Carrillo. The incident that prompted the LAPD to scrutinize the Mission Division was a traffic stop that occurred in December 2022 in Foothill territory, according to two people not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation. Gang unit members pulled over a woman who later filed a complaint alleging officers had been rude to her, the sources said. When an internal affairs detective looked into the womans claims, he spotted inconsistencies between the officers written reports and what their body-worn cameras showed, a department source said. As the investigator continued to dig, a pattern emerged: Mission officers often weren't turning on their body cameras as department rules require. When they did, it tended to be in cases in which they discovered guns or drugs. If they came up empty-handed, the officers sometimes wouldnt turn on their cameras at all. And yet some of their actions were still captured on video, without audio, thanks to an auto-record function that preserves two-minute snippets of footage before the devices are activated. As the investigation widened, officials reportedly caught Mission officers stealing property, making illegal stops and searches, and failing to record some of these encounters. Officials believe the officers exploited the departments relaxed body camera review policy, which requires supervisors to review only a small fraction of the footage recorded every month. The department adopted tighter controls after the scandal broke. The issues uncovered in the Mission Division coincided with an exodus of officers from Foothill. It started with the transfer of a gang sergeant named Jorge Gonzalez, who began recruiting some of his former subordinates to join him in Mission, according to three department sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the case. According to one department source, Gonzalez was initially recommended by area leadership to appear before a disciplinary board for issues related to his lack of supervision of the Mission unit, but interim Police Chief Dominic Choi instead issued him an official reprimand as punishment. Gonzalez did not respond to a request for comment sent to his department email address. According to a transfer order reviewed by The Times, Carrillo and another gang officer moved from Foothill to Mission in November 2022. Court records show that in May 2023, Carrillo was involved in a traffic stop along with two other Mission gang officers, Anthony Cardoza and Marvin Perez. They allegedly pulled over a man for having tinted windows and found a loaded gun in his car. The man was charged with gun possession, but his attorney argued in pretrial hearings that the officers lacked probable cause for the search and failed to turn on their body cameras until halfway through the stop. In December, prosecutors dismissed the case. Cardoza and Perez also came to Mission from Foothill. The two officers had joined the department at the same time and worked similar assignments for several years before reuniting in the Mission gang unit in early 2023, according to a write-up published in the police union's monthly magazine. Both officers previously declined to comment. According to a source familiar with the department's case, the pair came under scrutiny after an incident in June in which someone complained that the officers threw a cup of iced coffee at a teenager. The source requested not to be named in order to discuss a pending internal investigation. When the gang unit's lieutenant went to review a recording of the stop, he noticed the officers had abruptly switched off their body cameras before the reported altercation. He reported this up the chain of command and was instructed to take the officers from the field. He later called the unit together for an impromptu meeting outside the Mission station, reportedly telling his officers he wasn't afraid of arresting any of them if he found out they were involved in misconduct. After The Times reported in August 2023 that LAPD internal affairs investigators had taken the rare step of searching the lockers of numerous Mission gang unit officers, Moore announced that the FBI had also opened a case. He also ordered two of the officers involved to a disciplinary hearing by the Board of Rights, signaling that he wanted to fire them. The unit's members were dispersed to other assignments or placed on administrative leave. Some, including the unit's supervisor, Lt. Mark Garza, remain at home, pending the outcome of the department's investigation. Garza's attorney Matthew McNicholas said his client followed procedure by alerting his supervisors as soon as he learned of potential wrongdoing by his officers. "The only people that fell down on the job were command staff that allowed these people to be moved from Foothill to Mission, without telling anyone of their potential problems," McNicholas said. Some of the involved officers were tailed by the LAPD's secretive Special Operations Division, according to department sources. During one stakeout, a surveillance team caught two employees having sex at the Mission station. An officer was also caught on a hidden surveillance camera sneaking into the gang unit's Mission Hills office, even though it was supposed to have been closed. Some of the alleged problems at Foothill were first raised years ago in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by an LAPD captain, who alleged that he was ignored when he tried to warn his superiors about what he saw as a defiant subculture inside the division's gang unit. The captain, Johnny Smith, alleged that the unit's members retaliated against him when he tried to hold them accountable for misconduct. The suit makes no mention of Carrillo. In the suit, filed in 2021 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Smith, then a senior captain at Foothill, alleged that a group of gang officers conspired to file what he said was a frivolous complaint accusing him of making a racist remark. Smith, who is Latino, had accused the officers of participating in a "blue flu" protest calling out sick en masse and using excessive force against protesters. The city has denied the claims made in Smith's lawsuit, which remains pending. Smith declined to comment. Several Foothill gang officers came under internal investigation for reportedly using excessive force on protesters after being pelted with bottles during a post-George Floyd demonstration in Sunland-Tujunga in August 2020. One officer was accused of firing bean-bag rounds into the crowds, striking at least three people who later sued the city, including an Associated Press freelance photographer. In their joint suit, the three argued that such "less-lethal" weapons are generally not meant as a crowd control measure, and yet the officers were using them to disperse protesters, sometimes firing at close range. One of their claims has been settled, with the city agreeing to pay $200,000. The two others are pending. According to a personnel complaint, body-cam footage showed a Foothill gang officer firing 40-millimeter projectiles at far-left activists at a Westlake spa protest while ignoring counterprotesters who were throwing bottles at police. Another case involved a sergeant from the Foothill gang unit who was accused in a lawsuit last year of firing at an unarmed man while jumping out of a police SUV that hadn't yet come to a full stop. The shooting was found to be out of policy by Moore, who concluded that the unarmed man who had just stepped out of a vehicle didn't pose an "imminent deadly threat." The city has denied the claims in the lawsuit. Smith said he warned Moore and other department leaders that, if left unchecked, the officers conduct would expose the department to liability. Smith said he was transferred and demoted instead of having his warnings heeded. Amid the fallout from the scandal, some LAPD oversight experts have wondered whether geography may have something to do with why the alleged corruption at Mission and Foothill went undetected for so long. Both divisions are on the northern edges of the city, far from the eyes of department leaders downtown. Alex Alonso, a professor at Cal State L.A. who studies street gangs, noted that the Mission Division covers Panorama City and other communities with larger immigrant populations, which may be less willing to come forward and report police abuses. Alonso said police units with a mandate to aggressively police violent parts of the city are especially prone to bending the rules if left unchecked. He drew a comparison between the Mission and the Rampart corruption scandal of the 1990s, in which officers planted false evidence, stole narcotics and shot people without justification. "You could say it's like the Pico-Union of the Valley," he said. The department's Gang Enforcement Details have undergone retraining in the years since the federal consent decree brought on by the Rampart scandal that also urged stricter supervision. As a result, officials said, gang officers are among the most vetted in the department, in part because they are regularly confronted with dangerous situations and engage in aggressive "proactive policing" rather than responding to 911 calls. Still, some longtime department observers questioned whether police leaders missed previous warning signs at Mission. The LAPD's data-driven culture has created "perverse incentives" resulting in past scandals, such as the one that broke out in 2020 when officers from the vaunted Metropolitan Division falsely portrayed people as gang members, according to civil rights attorney Connie Rice. "If you get attaboys at roll call for how many kids' names you put in the gang database, guess what, they're going to just put every kid in the gang database whether there's probable cause or not," Rice said. "It gets really cynical after a while because the rules are sometimes stupid, the incentive systems are stupid, their goals are stupid." Cops end up frustrated, Rice said, and say to themselves: "You know, if they're dumb enough to make me do this, then I'm just going to cheat." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. In the past 18 months, Brevard County has removed 85 derelict boats from local waterways, and its about to remove a few more. Brevard County Commissioners recently approved the use of $150,000 dollars in tourist development tax revenue to remove 20 boats out of the more than 30 boats identified as derelict vessels. The coordinator for the countys Boating and Waterways program, Matt Culver, told us that funding will be available in October. Read: 11-year-old arrested in deadly Ocoee shooting, police say He says derelict vessels can pose both an environmental and navigational hazard. With the assistance of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the county does try to recover money used to remove derelict boats from the boats owners. Culver added, Its a constant battle between trying to take the boats out and having the funding to actually take them out. Read: Very serious criminal allegations: Sheriff Mina says after deputy arrested on child porn charges Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. British Museum has now recovered more than 600 artefacts stolen from its collection Gold jewellery, semi-precious stones and glass are among the missing articles, the museum revealed - NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK The British Museum has recovered more than 600 stolen artefacts from across Europe and America, George Osborne has said. In August last year, the museum revealed around 2,000 items were missing, stolen or damaged from its collection, and a member of staff had been sacked. The British Museum announced on Friday that a further 268 missing and stolen objects had been returned, taking the total number to 626. Chair of the British Museum George Osborne said: Few expected to see this day, and even I had my doubts. When we announced the devastating news that objects had been stolen from our collection, people understandably assumed that was it we were unlikely to ever see more than a handful of them again. Thats usually the history with thefts like this. But the team at the British Museum refused to give up. Through clever detective work and a network of well-wishers weve achieved a remarkable result: more than 600 of the objects are back with us, and a further 100 have been identified in total almost half the stolen items that we could recover. Its a great result but were not resting here the hunt goes on for the remaining missing objects. I urge anyone with any information to follow the example of all whove helped us and get in touch. Gold jewellery, semi-precious stones and glass are among the missing articles, the museum revealed in September when it launched a webpage categorising the types of items believed to have been stolen. It has been estimated that among the affected artefacts, 500 have been damaged. [If] we could manage to get every object back, there still will be a net loss because weve got objects that had gold mounts that [now] dont have gold mounts, objects that were fractured by taking the gold mount off them and thats just a horrible factor. Some of them can be conserved or improved but there are limits to what we can achieve in that way, Tom Harrison, keeper of the British Museums department of Greece and Rome, said earlier this year. Hartwig Fischer, the British Museum director, resigned after he accepted responsibility for the museums failure to properly respond to warnings about the suspected thefts of thousands of objects in 2021. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A driving school owner was arrested on Friday for allegedly bribing a road test examiner to give drivers licenses to people who didnt pass or didnt take the road tests at the Brockton RMV. 70-year-old Carlos Cardoso was indicted on five counts of honest services mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud by a federal grand jury, according to Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. Charging documents allege that Cardoso paid cash bribes anywhere between $20,000-$30,000 to a Brockton RMV road test examiner to misrepresent that certain drivers license applicants passed their tests when they hadnt. Some applicants didnt even show up to their road tests and still got licenses, according to authorities. Cardosos will appear in federal court on Friday afternoon. The charge of honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. This is not the first time the Brockton RMV has been at the center of controversy. Earlier this year, another driving instructor pleaded guilty to bribery charges. In 2023, two were charged in connection to a drivers license fraud scheme. 25 Investigates: Two charged in connection with Brockton RMV Drivers License Fraud 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 Homestead police officers made a gruesome discovery last weekend when they were called to an emergency room a dead six-month-old baby with fractured ribs and internal lacerations, cops say. Detectives point to her parents, who have a history of domestic violence, as the murderers. Around 1 p.m. Sunday, two Homestead officers rushed to the pediatric emergency room at Baptist Health Homestead Hospital after infant Nalani Adalee Allen was pronounced dead despite doctors best efforts, an arrest report read. When her parents, Arnelle Floyd and Nathan Allen, brought her into the emergency room, she was suffering from cardiac arrest. An x-ray revealed the child had several fractured ribs in different stages of healing and multiple bruises throughout the victims torso, consistent with child neglect and/or child abuse. A later autopsy would confirm the blunt force injuries as well as numerous fresh contusions, internal bleeding and large lacerations to internal organs.... Floyd and Allen on Wednesday were arrested and charged with first-degree murder while committing aggravated child abuse. Days earlier, officers say Floyd and Allen voluntarily went to the Miami-Dade Police Department to answer questions. During the investigation, both parents contended Nalani never suffered any injuries from a fall or otherwise and did not know the cause of her death. The morning of her death, Floyd told detectives she left Nalani sleeping in bed with Allen to go to a beauty appointment. A few hours later, Allen called and texted her that Nalani was not okay, the report read. Allen said he woke up, fed Nalani milk and left her in bed. When he returned an hour later, he thought Nalani seemed lethargic. He called Floyd and then went to the hospital. Officers executed a search warrant on their home and found fist-sized holes in the walls as well as in the refrigerator door. In the arrest report, police said the house was in disarray. The investigation also revealed there were numerous reports of domestic violence. Neighbors described the disputes to police as violent with items and people being thrown into walls inside the home, the report read. Nalanis pediatrician told detectives that her last visit was on May 10 and she did not show any signs of bruising or broken bones despite being underweight. A hit-and-run driver who killed a 75-year-old woman in the Bronx has been charged with homicide, police said Thursday leading the man behind the wheel to be extradited after he fled the country. Marck Urena Fernandez, 25, is accused of speeding off after slamming into Martina Sanchez Alcantara on April 12. The woman was crossing Grand Concourse at E. 164th St. in Concourse when Fernandez, behind the wheel of a Volkswagen sedan, slammed into her just before 5:05 a.m., cops said. The woman was in the crosswalk and had the right of way when she was struck. Fernandez took off, leaving the elderly woman in the street, police said. He ran over her and left her to die as if she were an animal, Alcantaras devastated daughter Gaudy Fonfrias told the Daily News on Thursday. Her body was broken into a hundred pieces. We couldnt even recognize her body. Medics pronounced Alcantara dead at the scene. Detectives working on the case called Fonfrias when they located Fernandez, telling her hed fled to the Dominican Republic. The minute he killed her, he flew to the Dominican Republic hours after, said Fonfrias. The way he killed her, we couldnt even have an open casket. I still feel terrible, she added. Our whole family has been suffering with depression every since. Fernandez was extradited back to the city and slapped with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident and other charges. Following an arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court on Thursday, he was held on a $750,000 cash bail or $2.5 million bond, records show. In between my pain, I am grateful he got arrested, said Fonfrias. I want him to face justice. He must be punished for what he did. Before her death, Alcantara lived in the Fordham section of the Bronx. Our family will never be the same, Fonfrias said. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown asks that you please pay no attention to the 2022 version of himself. (Sam Brown for Senate campaign photo) Policy, politics and progressive commentary Two years ago, when Republican Sam Brown was running for a U.S. Senate seat for the first time, he was debating Adam Laxalt and the topic turned to federal spending. One of the things that Ive been proposing, Brown said in that debate, is that anywhere you have a duplication of a department or agency at the federal level that also has a state counterpart, that we dont need that duplication. Brown, who this year is running for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, identified the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Energy, and federal environmental departments and agencies as parts of the federal government we dont need. Immediately after Brown made those comments, one of the debate moderators asked if there is anything you want to do with Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid? We can start with what I just described, Brown said. What Brown had just described was cutting federal funding by eliminating entire federal departments, and leaving states to fill the void. Nevadans may want to know how he thinks that approach would apply to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. How would that work? Browns answer: Pay no attention to that 2022 version of Sam Brown. I will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, Brown said Thursday in a statement provided by his campaign. The statement did not address the question sent to him what he meant when, in that 2022 debate, he responded to a question about the fate of those programs by referencing his just described yearning to take a meat cleaver to the federal government, Browns statement Thursday also failed to even acknowledge a question asking whether Brown still wants to eliminate several entire federal departments and agencies, as he indicated in his 2022 remarks. Brown instead resorted to boilerplate Republican grumbling about exorbitant spending and bloated bureaucracy. And scurrying back from boldly naming federal departments we dont need, Brown Thursday merely called for trimming the excessive waste within federal departments. The charitable view is that when Brown was musing about axing federal government departments and suggesting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid should be addressed in some similar if vaguely articulated manner, he was just riffing idly filling the air with words during a campaign he had entered perhaps not to win, but to burnish his brand for future political opportunities (like his candidacy for another U.S. Senate seat this year). Now Brown, confronted with his own words, is pretending he never said them. Thats an established pattern with Brown this campaign season, as illustrated when he recently refused to confirm or refute his declaration in 2022 that dumping tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste in Nevada would be a great source of revenue for the state. In a similar example of evasion early this month, Brown did not answer questions posed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal about whether he believed the 2020 election won by Joe Biden was stolen. Given Browns phobia of clarity, the most concrete statement there is regarding his position on eliminating federal departments remains his 2022 declaration that we dont need the U.S. departments of Energy, Education, Transportation, and federal environmental departments and agencies. Hell have one job Browns call for gutting duplication federal departments or agencies if Nevada has one with the same name is likely a bit alarming to Nevadans who may have noticed over the years that adequately funding public programs, functions, and services has never been Nevadas forte. In his defense, Brown may not be one of those Nevadans. He has only been in the state since 2018, and spent almost all of that time laser-focused on launching a career in the U.S. Senate. It would be understandable if the barriers and hardships posed to Nevadans by threadbare public services and programs have escaped his attention. Then again, perhaps Brown just doesnt care. In a radio interview in 2022, Brown acknowledged his vision vision of federal spending cuts will take money out of programs that people like, and promised it would be painful. Lets assume only for the sake of discussion, hopefully that Browns Washington dreams come true, and not only is he elected to the Senate, but Trump is returned to the White House. In that carnival of the macabre, individual initiatives and proposals and ideas put forth by Brown will be irrelevant. Brown will be just another interchangeable Republican cog in the Trump machine, his one job being to do whatever Trump says. The real risk Brown poses if elected to the Senate isnt in the form of his juvenile calls for eliminating federal departments or any other fly-by-night ideas or positions that might flutter through his noggin and manifest as spoken word, only for him to later act like he never said it. The real risk posed by Brown in the Senate is that he will be a rock solid lock to go along with whatever Trump decides he wants to do on any given day, from eliminating abortion rights nationally, to dumping nuclear waste in Nevada, to the binders full of authoritarian and unconstitutional measures and actions Trump and his minions are threatening to use to attack people who have displeased him and everyone his adoring fans love to hate. Brown ran for a U.S. House seat in Texas and lost in the primary. Then he moved to Nevada and ran for a U.S. Senate seat and lost in the primary. Now hes running for another Senate seat, and this time is expected to finally win a primary. Its obvious he hasnt seriously thought through the ramifications of his facile talk-radio-ready pronouncements. He does however seem laser-focused on how to become a career politician, even if the prerequisite is condoning Trumps lawlessness and venality, and doing whatever Trump says. Meanwhile, there already exists a sprawling Trump administration-in-waiting plotting to concentrate power in an authoritarian White House, defund federal agencies, and brush aside the roles bestowed on those agencies by Congress and the courts. As a U.S. senator, Browns role in that endeavor would be confined to cheering it on, something he sounds ready and willing to do. The post Brown said he wants to ax multiple federal departments, promised spending cuts will be painful appeared first on Nevada Current. 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) 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 North Dakota Monitor. 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. (Win McNamee | Getty Images) 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 West Virginia Watch. 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 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. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) 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 Kansas Reflector. 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. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) 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 United States, 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 U.S. 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 Nebraska Examiner. 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. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Brown v. Board litigants, family mark anniversary as Biden decries ongoing school inequality appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. 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. (Win McNamee/Getty Images) 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 recentreport. 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 Californiafound. 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Brown v. Board litigants, family mark anniversary as Biden decries ongoing school inequality appeared first on Maine Morning Star. 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) 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 Rhode Island Current. 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 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) 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 NC Newsline. 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) 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 New Jersey Monitor. 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) 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 named for 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, which was actually the first of the five cases filed to challenge segregation; 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 SC Daily Gazette. 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) 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 Michigan Advance. 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) 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 Iowa Capital Dispatch. 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) 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 consolidated case that evolved from a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education and other school systems in the United States. 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 Utah News Dispatch. SEN LAPID PRESS RELEASE Through the office of Senator Lito Lapid, about 1,900 beneficiaries from the municipalities of Mabini and San Jose in Batangas received financial assistance from the Assistance to Individual in Crisis Situation (AICS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Lapid, together with Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville "Jinky" Bitrics-Luistro, led the distribution of AICS payout in Brgy. San Francisco, Mabini, Wednesday morning. The senator then proceeded to the town of San Jose for the AICS payout distribution to beneficiaries. During the payout, Lapid was welcomed by Vice-Mayor Rene Arcilla, Councilors Vanessa Patron, Jojo Rodriguez, Arnold Aguila, and Mark Lester Patron of the FPJ Bantay Bayanihan partylist. San Jose, a first-class municipality, has the highest egg production of at least 70,000 tons of eggs a year, earning the "Egg Basket of the Philippines." In 2019, the municipality contributed 12 percent to the country's egg basket. The per capita egg consumption in the country, as of 2020, is approximately 13.74 kilograms or 229 pieces a year. Former President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11707 declaring San Jose as the country's "egg basket." It recognizes the local and national "economic significance" of San Jose's egg industry. The AICS beneficiaries extended their heartfelt thanks to Lapid for the timely financial assistance. 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 Thursday. 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) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.) 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 consolidated case that evolved from a challenge to the Topeka, Kansas, Board of Education and other school systems in the United States. 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Brown v. Board litigants, family mark anniversary as Biden decries ongoing school inequality appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. 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. 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 Minnesota Reformer. Unrelenting heat dangerous for those still without power after Houston storms AccuWeather meteorologists say the heat and humidity are reaching dangerous levels amid widespread power outages in Houston following a round of intense and deadly thunderstorms on May 16 in a portion of Texas and Louisiana, Houston was hit especially hard by the storms, which packed hurricane-force winds as high as 100 mph when they roared through on Thursday evening, shattering high-rise windows, tossing large objects and killing at least 7 people. AccuWeather experts are forecasting $5-7 billion in total economic impact to the Houston area. Downed transmission power lines are shown near Grand Parkway and West Rd. after a storm Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Cypress. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) After more than a million customers were initially without power, poweroutage.us reports that over 147,000 customers were still without power in Texas as of Tuesday morning, primarily in southeastern Texas. CenterPoint Energy said they're on track for substantial completion of power restoration by the end of the day Wednesday, according to KHOU 11. "Residents across Harris and surrounding counties need to be prepared to be without power for days not hours," posted Jeff Linder, a meteorologist for Harris County, on X. "Mutual aid resources are en route from various areas, but restoration will take time." Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told reporter Adam Zuvanich of Houston Public Media that power could be out in some areas for a "couple weeks" as CenterPoint Energy works to repair downed transmission towers in the Cypress, Texas, area. While mainly dry weather is ahead for the Houston area, according to AccuWeather meteorologists, building heat is a big concern. "This will be the first extended stretch of widespread 90-degree or higher heat this year," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bob Larson. "For those without power and thus air conditioning or electric fans, this comes at the worst possible time." An area of high pressure, or "heat dome," is expected to strengthen across Texas and Louisiana, leading to temperatures that will run several degrees above historical averages. In Houston, temperatures will be more typical of the mid-June through early-September period-the hottest time of the year-rather than May. The temperature, along with the expected bright sunshine and high humidity, will complicate the cleanup and make the heat dangerous. "AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures will be around and even over 100 degrees for several afternoons in a row into the new week," added Larson. The veil of night will offer little relief, as temperatures will also remain above average then. "Not only will the days be hot, but the nights will also be uncomfortable," said Larson. "Low temperatures will barely be into the 70s, along with continued high humidity." Residents and workers can do several things to protect themselves from the heat, especially at a time when there will be fewer air-conditioned options. These include staying well hydrated, spending time in well-ventilated and shaded areas, and checking on those especially susceptible to heat-related illnesses, such as the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions. Looking toward the latter portion of the new week and into the extended Memorial Day holiday weekend, there looks to be little relief from the heat in the cards. AccuWeather's Long Range forecasting team continues to expect dry and hot conditions across the Lone Star State and the rest of the South. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer. Police are looking for a suspect after a burglary in Homewood early Friday morning. Officers were called to the area of Lincoln Avenue and Upland Street just after 2 a.m. for a burglary in progress call. A male suspect fled on foot out the back. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate him. A Channel 11 photographer captured images of police searching an area outside a business. Officials did not say if the burglar got away with anything. The investigation is ongoing. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Local business owner seeking reimbursement from Diocese of Pittsburgh after cross removal Familys beloved miniature horse dies after being attacked by 2 dogs 11 Investigates: Pittsburgh police took nearly 2 hours to respond to street robbery VIDEO: Penn Hills familys home riddled with bullets, police still investigating DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts JAMESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) A new school bus might not be the most exciting news for the average kid, but a fourth-grade class at Jamestown Upper Elementary School is an exception. I think for our classroom especially, we like to really value inclusion, said Chelsea Reed, a fourth-grade teacher at Jamestown Upper. Lylah Gritter is a student in her class. For years, Lylah wasnt able to be transported to any field trip or any activity we did with her class, Reed explained. Thats because Lylah uses a wheelchair. Hudsonville has always transported our special education students in smaller school buses, said Rob Matthews, director of transportation for Hudsonville Public Schools. A lot of our wheelchair-bound students have medical conditions and other things that require some additional staffing considerations and additional time to and from school. A smaller school bus is ideal for those students and meeting their needs. That means if a class went on a field trip, they would take two buses. Most of the class would ride on the bigger bus, and a few friends would ride with a wheelchair-bound individual on the smaller bus, Matthews explained. We frankly started to face a challenge finding enough bus drivers to staff two vehicles when we didnt need that many seats. The district decided to reach out to other schools to borrow their full-size lift buses, so they wouldnt need two drivers for field trips. The first time we used Allendales bus, we transported a teacher who was wheelchair-bound and never traveled with his students before. And he was just overwhelmed and it was a tremendous experience for him, Matthews said. The second time we did this was last year for Lylah with the partnership with Rockford Public Schools. The response was overwhelming. Just the ability to ride the school bus with your friends, Matthews said. We fell in love with the concept. So, the district decided to buy its own full-size lift bus. The buses cost about $37,000 more than a standard full-size bus, but an enhancement millage passed by Ottawa County voters a few years ago gave the district the ability to purchase the $157,000 vehicle. The bus took two years to arrive because of production delays, but it was worth the wait. That allowed Lylah to finally experience what a bus ride feels like with her classmates, Reed said. Her class got to take the bus to the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra. In a few weeks, the bus will transport them to Field Day. What are you excited about with it? Reed asked Lylah. That I get to ride with my friends, she beamed. Since the bus arrived on May 9, Matthews said it has been used every day, which is why the school board has already approved the purchase of a second bus. I am very grateful to the Hudsonville Public Schools Board of Education and to the Ottawa County taxpayers, Matthews said. One of the joys in this job for me is supporting our students in all of their endeavors and helping them safely get from point A to point B, so its a tremendous pleasure to be able to see all of our students gather under one vehicle, knowing its safe and secure. Its also a joy for Reed to see all her students get to share the same experiences. Its so awesome just to know what it feels like for Lylah. Im just so grateful that she has this spark that has ignited this big movement. And its so awesome to know that not only is it going to change for Lylah for the rest of her school career here, but its going to impact all of these other students that are wheelchair-bound for our district, Reed 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 WOODTV.com. Mayor Karen Bass has ordered an increase in law enforcement presence on L.A. Metro buses and subways. On Thursday, a Metro bus rider was killed in the City of Commerce. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) A Metro passenger was fatally shot on a bus Thursday afternoon in the City of Commerce hours after Mayor Karen Bass ordered a surge in law enforcement amid alarming incidents of violence on the regions bus and subway system. A Metro spokesperson confirmed the shooting took place on a Line 108 bus. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has arrested a suspect, according to Metro. Metro sources said the attack appeared to have been unprovoked. The tragic incident this afternoon aboard a Metro bus in the Commerce area exemplifies how violence is increasing in society overall and spilling into our local communities, Metro said in a statement. Metro is saddened by this incident and extends our deepest sympathies to the victims family. The Sheriff's Department said the incident happened around 4:50 p.m. on the 6200 block of Slauson Avenue, and the victim was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead. The names of the victim and the suspect have not been released. The shooting is the latest violent attack on a Metro rider. Three people were stabbed in two incidents this week. Last month, a 66-year-old woman was fatally stabbed on the subway as she came home from her night job. Read more: Mayor Bass orders police 'surge' on Metro bus and rail routes amid spike in violence The violence has led to fear among some Metro users, who say they no longer feel safe riding public transit. Earlier Thursday, Bass announced she would increase deployment levels of law enforcement, though she did not say how many officers would be added or how long they would be deployed for. The spike in violent crime on Metro that we have recently seen against operators and riders has been absolutely unacceptable, she said. Homicides, aggravated assaults and robberies increased from 2019 through 2023, according to Metros 2023 year-end summary. There was a sharp increase in a separate category of crimes that include battery, vandalism, use of narcotics and sex offenses aboard Metros trains over the same period. There were no homicides on Metro trains in 2019, but there were three in 2020, five each in 2021 and 2022, and six in 2023, according to Metros data. In December 2023, the B Line saw an 18% increase in total crime compared with the previous month, with an increase in aggravated assaults, robberies and larcenies. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced a lawsuit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Thursday over an executive order the group alleges violates free speech on campuses. The group, filing 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, argues the executive order makes it illegal to criticize the state of Israel and chant phrases such as, From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. In the executive order, Abbott said the chant has long been used by Hamas supporters to call for the violent dismantling of the State of Israel and the destruction of the Jewish people who live there. The order states that while free speech is a pillar at Texas universities, that freedom comes with responsibilities. The executive order plainly violates the First Amendment, said Gadeir Abbas, CAIRs national deputy litigation director. Whether by police force or by expulsion, Texas cannot punish students for being on the right side of history. The University of Texas in Austin was one of the quickest schools to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests on campus, arresting more than 50 people hours after a demonstration began. The lawsuit is requesting the court enjoin both Greg Abbott and the respective Boards of Regents from enforcing the order due to its alleged unconstitutionality. The Hill has reached out to Abbotts office for comment. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Will new Cal Expo water park open this summer in Sacramento? Heres what we know As the summer heat creeps into California, the much-awaited opening of the water park at Cal Expo is still nowhere in sight. Steven Dooner, CEO of Silverwood Entertainment Holdings, LLC, and California Dreamin, signed a long-term lease in August to take over the water park at Cal Expo at 1600 Exposition Blvd., formerly known as Raging Waters. This embedded content is not available in your region. Raging Waters, which ceased operations in 2022, had been a part of Cal Expo since 2007. It offered guests a wide range of water attractions, including a lazy river and water slides. The new and improved water park, renamed Calibunga, will not reopen this year, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. The Sacramento Bee reached out to Cal Expo and Silverwood Entertainment Holdings for comment but had not received a response as of Friday afternoon. Heres what we know so far: Park-goers float down the Lazy River at Raging Waters water park on Wednesday, July 28, 2015, in Sacramento, Calif. When will Sacramento water park reopen at Cal Expo? California Dreamin plans to begin demolition on parts of Calibunga in June. Its awaiting approval for demolition plans from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Due to current conditions of the facility, formerly known as Raging Waters, Dooner told the Sacramento Business Journal that the best course of action is to create an entirely new park. A woman heads to the wave pool at Raging Waters. Which attractions will Calibunga keep? The lazy river and speed slides in the northwest corner of the water park will remain in place, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. The rest will be replaced, including the wave pool, Dooner said. Silverwood also looks to make improvements that would turn the facility into a year-round destination, Dooner previously told The Sacramento Bee. What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com. A state of emergency has been declared in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia following three days of unrest that has left five people dead and dozens more injured. The catalyst for the disorder is new legislation that would expand the eligible electorate diluting the voting power of the indigenous Kanak people, the majority of whom favour independence from France. But French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin claimed the violence had been fomented by a nation 8,500 miles away from the archipelago. "Some of the Caledonian independence leaders have made a deal with Azerbaijan, that's undeniable," he told French television. A spokesperson for Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry rejected the "baseless accusations". What did the commentors say? France has been a historic ally of Azerbaijan's neighbour and rival, Armenia. Emmanuel Macron's vocal support for Armenia during the conflicts over the contested enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 and 2023 precipitated a "rapid and overt diplomatic deterioration" in relations between Paris and Baku, said France 24. Since then, Baku has openly courted pro-independence activists in France's sometimes restive overseas territories. The French government's anti-foreign interference unit, Viginum, also found evidence that an online smear campaign targeting the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics originated with "an actor close to Azerbaijan". And in the wake of this week's riots, the French government has drawn attention to the "sudden emergence of Azerbaijani flags alongside Kanak symbols", said The Guardian, and to "pro-Azerbaijani social media accounts" circulating an "edited montage" that appears to show two white police officers with rifles aimed at dead Kanaks. Azerbaijan's role in past "destabilisation" campaigns is undeniable, said Le Monde. Last year, pro-independence activists from several French overseas territories were invited to the Azerbaijani capital to form the "Baku Initiative Group Against French Colonialism". The group's president, Abbas Abbasov, has denied interference in New Caledonia, but during an earlier wave of protests in March, "T-shirts bearing his organisation's logo were worn by protesters on site". Yet although there is "little doubt" that actors linked to Azerbaijan have stoked tensions in New Caledonia in recent months, "their impact and Baku's role in the violence of the last three days remain open to question". Let's not forget that "major inequalities disadvantaging the Kanak people persist", the newspaper said in an editorial, as does economic uncertainty, a lack of opportunity for young people, and mistrust in the government's impartiality on the independence issue. What's next? Emmanuel Macron's short-term priority will be to restore order. An extra 1,000 personnel have been sent to the archipelago in addition to 1,700 already deployed, on top of existing measures including "a curfew and a ban on TikTok", said Sky News. Macron may have "wanted to teach the rioters a lesson in toughness" by allowing Tuesday's vote on the controversial electoral reforms to go ahead, said Le Monde, but the passage of the bill is a "Pyrrhic victory", as "nothing will be possible without a broad agreement encompassing economic, social and institutional issues". New Caledonia's next provincial elections, which must be held before December, will provide an opportunity to assess how the unrest has affected sentiment on the archipelago. At the last elections, in 2019, pro-independence candidates won 28 of the 54 parliamentary seats. 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 France is sending security reinforcements and essentials to its overseas territory of New Caledonia following days of unrest in the country. The French High Commission said it was now a "calmer and more peaceful situation," in the country, although overnight curfews and a ban on gatherings remained in place. Five people, including two police officers, have died so far in the unrest, while hundreds of others have been injured. The High Commission said a school and two businesses were set alight overnight on Thursday. Violence broke out on Monday after France's National Assembly approved contentious voting reforms which angered independence supporters. 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 Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) called on the United Nations to lead an "impartial and competent dialogue mission" to monitor the situation in New Caledonia. It stood "in deep solidarity with our sisters and brothers of Kanaky in this time of political crisis," PCC said. "The violence that the country is currently experiencing are once again endangering the dignity of the life of every human being in the territory." 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. The California agency that advises lawmakers on fiscal matters estimated Friday that Gov. Gavin Newsoms administration is addressing a larger budget gap than what it reported in its recently released spending plan. The Legislative Analysts Office projects the new budget proposal contends with a $55 billion shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year, which beings July 1. Newsoms plan said it was overcoming a $44.9 billion gulf. Still, the agency said the variation does not reflect substantive differences in their views of the states future. The report assumes higher spending on schools and community colleges than the administrations proposal, leading to much of the difference. Overall, the analysis said the governors new plan improves the fiscal health of the state in a number of ways. The new report is significant because it provides lawmakers with another view to consider just four weeks before they are supposed to pass a balanced budget for the new year. In a separate analysis, the agency predicts the state will bring in less revenue in the future than the administration projects. Taken together, the estimates could influence how much legislators want to cut back to address the states shortfall. Challenging decisions will be required in the coming weeks to land on a final budget agreement that reflects the principles that both we and the LAO recognize, H.D. Palmer, a Department of Finance spokesman, said in an emailed statement. The Governor is ready to work with the Legislature to achieve this. Spokespeople for Democratic leaders in both the Assembly and Senate did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Republican Sen. Roger Niello, the vice chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, said Fridays report provided clarity but did not alleviate all of his concerns with the administrations budget plan. Niello, whose district includes Fair Oaks, Roseville and Yuba City, did not like that the governor called the states upcoming shortfall roughly $27.6 billion when presenting his proposal, because that came only after the Legislature agreed to more than $17 billion in savings. I understand it better, he said, but I am still very critical of the administrations approach to how theyre telling the story. It is common for the agency and administration to have differing views of the states financial situation. But those contrasts have attracted a lot of attention in recent months. In December, the analysts office warned the state could see a $68 billion shortfall. How news outlets reported that prediction frustrated Newsom, who urged reporters not to treat it as gospel and said the administrations figure was the number to use. When the governor in January unveiled the states budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year, it predicted the state would face an almost $37.9 billion gap. Newsom, at the time, said the administration was just a little more optimistic than all the naysayers about states financial future. A follow-up estimate from the analysts office said the shortfall could be as high as $73 billion, in large part because of a severe decline in revenue. Predicting tax revenue is a difficult task in any state, but Californias receipts are especially difficult to forecast. The highest earning residents pay a major share of personal income taxes, which is the states largest source of revenue. Ups and downs in the stock market can drastically affect how much California brings in from year to year. Making projections was made even more challenging after the Internal Revenue Service last year postponed the tax deadline more than six months for most Californians due to winter storms across the state. Newsom followed by extending the states deadline to align with the federal government. For all these reasons, it is not unusual that economists would come up with different predictions. That said, recent cautiousness from the analysts office has proved to be more accurate. And the administration recently pulled back some of its optimism. The initial and revised plans the governor unveiled this year covers three fiscal years, from 2022 to 2025. The revised proposal Newsom released May 10 said the states major revenue sources personal income, corporate and sales and use tax were roughly $10.5 billion lower than what the administration had initially projected would come in during that time. The analysts office report said it is forecasting lower revenues in the future than the administrations new plan. It cautioned the Legislature that using the governors estimates could mean the state faces additional shortfalls next year. But using the administrations more optimistic predictions could prevent budget cuts that end up being larger than are needed. Newsom has vowed to cut, delay and shift spending to balance future budgets, leading to unhappy responses from interest groups. In Fridays report, the agency supported the governors approach to pull back one-time and temporary spending and also reduce the use of state reserves to fill in the gap. California will audit its telework policies as workers frown on return-to-office mandates A California legislative committee has directed the State Auditors Office to evaluate the states telework policies, an order that comes about a month after Gov. Gavin Newsoms administration announced that state workers need to return to the office for at least two days a week starting this summer. State employees have largely opposed the requirement with many expressing concerns about the change to the telework policies implemented during the pandemic, contending it would make them less productive. Common themes from the more than 500 responses to a Sacramento Bee return-to-office survey included less time spent with family, and more stress, money and time spent on commuting. In seeking an audit of the states telework policies, Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, noted that the ability to telework has proven overwhelmingly popular with state employees, potentially resulting in increased productivity, cost and time savings, and environmental benefits. Audit approved Hoovers audit request was among a dozen requests from lawmakers considered and approved earlier this week during a hearing by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Hoover also serves on the 14-member committee, which, among other functions, is focused on improving government performance, working independently and through the State Auditors Office to oversee the operations and finances of government. The assemblymans April 29 request noted that the Department of General Services manages 59 state office buildings spanning over 13 million square feet of office space, and spends over $600 million a year on rent. Telework can potentially reduce this footprint and provide substantial budget savings, Hoover wrote. State telework has also reportedly eliminated nearly 400,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, reduced traffic congestion, and saved workers hundreds of dollars per month in vehicle expenses. In an interview, Hoover said he has heard from hundreds of constituents, many of whom are state workers. He sought the audit in response to their concerns about return-to-office plans. Many of them made a good point that a lot of this work can be done using telework and they have been doing it effectively, Hoover said. The assemblymember said he shares concerns about revitalizing downtown Sacramento but added there are other ways to do that, including increasing housing by converting more empty buildings and solving homelessness in the city. But, he added, I dont want to do this on the backs of workers. Forcing workers back downtown would run counter to Newsoms stated goals to combat climate change, said Hoover, adding about 74,000 workers or 30% of the states workforce is working full-time from home. Theres this misconception out there that everybody is remote, he said. Hoover also urged Newsom to reconsider his RTO mandate, at least until the results of the audit are made available. Asked to respond, Izzy Gardon, a Newsom spokesman, said: Will the author also be examining the Legislatures own policies requiring their employees to work from the office full time, five days a week? Matt Hedges, Hoovers chief of staff, noted that the Assembly Rules Committee is finalizing a new policy to be implemented in the next couple of months to require assembly staff to move to hybrid work. New requirement Cabinet Secretary Ann Patterson issued a memo to cabinet secretaries dated April 10, saying state agencies and departments would need to implement a hybrid telework policy with mandatory in-office days starting June 17. Several agencies had already enacted return-to-office policies. Citing varied approaches that created confusion about expectations and were likely to exacerbate inconsistencies across state agencies and departments, Patterson noted in her memo that it is now necessary to direct all agencies and departments within the Administration that provide telework as an option for employees to implement a hybrid telework policy with an expectation of at least two in-person days per week, allowing room for case-by-case exceptions. The administration believes there are significant benefits to in-person work enhanced collaboration, cohesion, and communication, better opportunities for mentorship, particularly for workers newer to the workforce, and improved supervision and accountability that should be balanced with the benefits and increased flexibility that telework provide, through a hybrid approach, Patterson wrote. Audit scope highlights Many employees preferred telework because of time lost to commuting and other reasons. Adding millions of state worker commute miles each week would worsen road congestion and pollution, they contend. Those with disabilities worry about their health and safety. An audit of the Department of General Services and Department of Human Resources of the states telework policies would help illuminate their costs, benefits and the effectiveness, Hoover noted in his audit request. Among other areas for the state auditor to focus on, the assemblyman outlined the following: The origin and basis for the decision to implement and evolve the states telework policy. How widely and consistently telework policies are used by various state entities How much DGS can save on maintaining or leasing office space for teleworking state workers. And, determine whether a hybrid approach could lessen these potential savings Savings to state and workers by reviewing impact of housing, vehicle costs, commuting time, sick and vacation time Determining if DGS and California Department of Human Resources have evaluated how vehicle emissions and vehicle miles traveled have been impacted to ascertain the impact on the states climate goals Whether telework policies have impacted the states ability to hire and retain workers in a tight labor market. California bill that would have banned selling anti-aging skin products to young kids fails to advance A bill in California that sought to ban the sale of anti-aging skin products to young kids failed to advance through the California State Assembly on Thursday. The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Alex Lee, prohibited kids under 13 from buying over-the-counter anti-aging items containing vitamin A or its derivatives, including retinol or retinoids, or an alpha hydroxy acid like glycolic acid. If passed, the bill would have required skin care product companies to take various reasonable steps to prevent the sale of products to children under 13. Some of the proposed steps included placing a prominent notice next to the physical product alerting consumers that it is not available to children under 13 or requiring consumers to provide a date of birth or confirm their age before purchase. It follows a widespread social media trend in which children and tweens are purchasing and using adult skin care products, in a craze often dubbed the Sephora Kid. The trend made national headlines after some kids were reported to be fighting with adult shoppers over products in stores or leaving store displays disorganized and messy Dermatologists have expressed concerns over where these children sometimes as young as 8 years old are purchasing the products and how product use and cause damage, including rashes or allergic reactions. The legislation died after it was brought forward at a state Assembly Appropriations Committee meeting Thursday, Lees office confirmed to The Hill. Although Im disappointed in todays result, Im committed to protecting children from the unnecessary harms of anti-aging products, Lee wrote in a statement. Lee was among 20 California state legislators to send a letter to the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), the national trade association that represents 600 cosmetics and personal care companies across the globe. The state lawmakers are calling on the industry to share what concrete actions they plan to take to address the issue of children buying anti-aging products. The multibillion-dollar beauty industry has the responsibility to take meaningful action on this problem, he added. The PCPC, in an April statement, said Lees legislation falls short of addressing the real issue, calling it a hastily drafted attempt to use legislative force to stop a social media trend. Lees bill, according to the PCPC, posed a risk of overregulating essential products like sunscreens, moisturizers, and cleansers. The Hill reached out to the PCPC for further comment. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A California bill aimed at preventing the sale of anti-aging skincare to children under the age of 13 continues to move forward in the legislative process. Skincare products that contain ingredients like Vitamin A, retinoids, retinol, Alpha Hydroxy Acid, Glycolic Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), or Citric Acid would be prohibited from being sold to children under the age of 13, according to the bills text. The bill, formally known as AB 2491, would also require businesses to take reasonable steps to ensure that purchasers of anti-aging products are not those under 13. California is offering drivers money to test its alternative to the gas tax Anyone or business who does not comply could be liable for a civil penalty that wont exceed $10,000 per day. The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D- Milpitas) in February. It passed the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee on April 23 and went before the Appropriations Committee on May 6. Kids dont need anti-aging products, and AB 2491 will protect children and preteens from the potential harms of using products that may lead to short- or long-term skin challenges they wouldnt otherwise have, a news release said. Personal Care Products Council, a trade association that represents about 90% of the U.S. beauty industry, including Ulta Beauty and the parent company of Sephora, has stated that the bill would be largely impossible to enforce should it become law. Safeguarding preteens from the pressures of social media and the inappropriate use of cosmetics is extremely important to our member companies. This bill would not provide such safeguards. AB 2491 is a hastily drafted attempt to use legislative force to stop a social media trend. Every ingredient targeted by this bill is safe when used as directed at the appropriate age. In addition to reviewing product ingredients with each sale, this bill would require cashiers to know whether a product has been advertised as anti-aging and would further require them to verify a customers age at checkout, a statement from the association said in part. The bill comes after the viral moniker Sephora Kids made its rounds on social media. The name describes children and teens interested in skincare but tend to use products deemed unnecessary or harmful to young skin. Anti-aging skincare products are popular among those who fall within the description. California bill would change the way minors consume social media Skincare companies like Dove, The Ordinary, and Kiehls have released statements or social media posts regarding who should use their products and how, but supporters of the bill believe that more needs to be done. The industry itself has made statements that kids do not need to use these strong products. But the multi-billion dollar beauty industry in the U.S. is failing to take meaningful action to address the issue, and companies are profiting off of kids who are unknowingly buying and using products that arent meant for them, Lee said in a statement. During a press conference, Lee was joined by Scarlett Goddard-Strahan, a 10-year-old who shared her story about her experience using anti-aging skincare products. Goddard-Strahan said she was swayed by influencers on TikTok to buy anti-aging skincare products and dealt with burns and bumps after using the products. California bill that could mandate science of reading in schools faces opposition from states largest teacher union I stopped using these products a while ago and use Nivea and sunscreen now, but I still have bumps on my cheeks and they get itchy and red when I sweat and when I am out in the sun, Goddard-Strahan said. I feel embarrassed that I have bumps on my face and people at my school ask me why my cheeks are so red. It makes me really self-conscious. Im worried my skin is always going to look like this and feel like this. The bill would have to pass the state House and Senate and be signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom before it officially becomes law. 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. Nestled on the Northern California coast among forests of towering redwood trees is Cal Poly Humboldt, one of 23 campuses in the California State University system, the largest public university network in the U.S. The campus is home to a number of students whose struggle to afford both the increasing cost of a college education and California's high cost of housing has led to living in their vehicles. "I don't feel homeless, but I am legally homeless," said Brad Butterfield, a journalism student at Cal Poly Humboldt who told CBS News he is among dozens of students who live in an RV or other vehicle. One in 10 students within the CSU system have experienced homelessness, according to a 2020 report from UCLA. Butterfield and several other students parked on campus until school officials enforced the prohibition of overnight camping in November 2023. "This is becoming a norm for students to be able to afford college," Butterfield said. "It's much cheaper, and it's the only way I'd be able to go to school. If it wasn't for this, I wouldn't be here." In September, the CSU system voted to raise tuition, which will amount to a 34% rise over five years. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition for in-state undergraduate students will be $6,084, which does not include expenses such as housing. Some of the Cal Poly Humboldt students who previously parked overnight on campus say they're now struggling to find off-campus parking for their RVs. In Arcata, California, where the university is located, there is a 72-hour parking limit on city streets. "The only thing we are ever asking for is somewhere to park, so I have somewhere to sleep," said Maddy Montiel, a recent graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt with a degree in environmental science and management who lives in an RV she's affectionately named "Pearl." Some students at Cal Poly Humboldt live in RVs due to the cost of housing and education. / Credit: CBS News Montiel and Butterfield, who are dating, park their vehicles together for added security. "What has become the most difficult thing is just finding a place to exist," Butterfield said, noting that numerous parking tickets "come with the territory of living in a vehicle." Hours after Montiel and Butterfield relocated their RVs to curb space in front of an empty lot, a police officer again warned Montiel of the city's three-day parking limit. "It gets pretty tiring, having to move all the time," Montiel said. "Being told to leave, but not being told where to go or why you have to leave it's just, 'We don't want you here' when you are told that by the university and now by the city, too, I mean you can brush it off, but at the end of the day that sucks," Butterfield said. Cal Poly Humboldt cited the "health and safety of the campus community" for their parking enforcement in a statement, saying that "university parking lots are not intended for overnight camping and are not equipped with the sanitation and other facilities that are necessary to support RVs or other vehicles overnight." Cal Poly Humboldt biology student Carrie, who asked not to provide her last name, lives out of a 20-year-old school bus she refurbished. "You have to worry about things like how much power you have, running water, like, where you're going to shower," she said. "But really the biggest stressor has been, where am I going to be safe for the night?" Carrie called the student housing situation a "humanitarian crisis" amid the rising cost of tuition. In an effort to provide some relief, two Democratic California legislators introduced AB 1818, a bill that would establish pilot programs at community colleges and schools within the CSU system to allow students who use vehicles as housing to park overnight on campuses with a valid parking permit. "The status quo is not acceptable," said bill co-author Assemblymember Corey Jackson in a statement to CBS News. "Solving the homelessness crisis is a state priority, and our colleges and universities, as key state institutions, must actively contribute to solving it." Jackson's colleague and bill co-author Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva, told CBS News: "While this bill is not the solution to the housing crisis, it provides a crucial safety net for students facing housing insecurity, ensuring they are supported, not penalized, as they work towards stable housing." The bill moves to California's Assembly Floor for a vote next week. The students who spoke to CBS News said their choice to live in vehicles shows just how much they value getting an education. "I know some folks might say, 'Well, you know, you picked this lifestyle,'" Carrie said. "I think it shows that we're resilient and creative, and we want to be here because we've chosen to be here and this is how much we want to be here." Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene insults colleague's appearance on House floor Pope Francis on blessing same-sex couples Morehouse College prepares for possible disruptions ahead of Biden's commencement address California man sentenced to life in prison for killing man outside of Stone Mountain hair salon A California man has been found guilty in the shooting death of a man outside a Stone Mountain hair salon. On Wednesday, May 15, Tychicus Cameron Wilson, 35, pleaded guilty to murdering Anthony Jordan, Jr., 29, on June 12, 2018. Wilson pleaded guilty to charges of malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Wilson initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea once prosecutors rested their case. According to the investigation, DeKalb County police officers responded to a call about a shooting outside a hair salon in a strip mall in the 5600 block of Redan Road in Stone Mountain. When they arrived, they found Jordan suffering from two gunshot wounds. Paramedics took him to Grady Memorial Hospital where he died from his injuries. Investigators said Jordan was at the salon for a hair appointment and when he left the salon at 5:15 and was standing outside talking on his cell phone, Wilson pulled up in a green Cadillac, got out of the drivers seat and fired four shots. Two of the bullets struck Jordan and the other two shattered the front window of the salon. One customer inside the salon was injured by the broken glass and another customer was grazed by a bullet. TRENDING STORIES: During the investigation, investigators found surveillance video that showed Wilson arrive at the shopping center around 4:30 p.m., back into a parking spot and wait. The motive for the shooting was not clear. Wilson was arrested on June 25, 2018, in Los Angeles, California for a parole violation and extradited to Georgia in February 2021 after serving a sentence in California for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Immediately after the guilty plea, a judge sentenced Wilson to serve life in prison. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Transitional kindergarten students clap with teacher Matilde Lopez, right, and coach Claudia Mesa, left, on the first day of school at Weemes Elementary in Los Angeles. (Al Seib / For The Times) Enrollment at California's public schools continued to decline this year, but by only .25%, or 15,000 students, state data showed, a much slower pace than the steep declines experienced during difficult pandemic years when classes were forced online. A total of 5,837,690 students were enrolled in the 2023-24 school year, according to data released Thursday from the state Department of Education. During the 2020-21 academic year, California experienced the largest drop in 20 years, losing 160,000 students. Although the outflow of students may have been stanched, "I would characterize that as the thinnest of silver linings," said Thomas Dee, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education. "The real story is that students haven't returned, and our schools have yet to adjust to the new reality." Some of the decline was due to population loss during the pandemic, as families moved out of state, but it was also driven by families who turned to private schools or homeschooling. While many school districts hoped students would return as the pandemic faded, that does not appear to have happened. In a sobering data point, the number of homeless students enrolled in public schools continued to grow, with a nearly 13% increase this year an additional 23,609 children. "We're still dealing with the very serious consequences of the pandemic," Dee said. In some districts, including Inglewood, San Francisco and Oakland, "genuinely painful discussions have begun around closing schools." But there was also a bright spot in the data: Enrollment in transitional kindergarten California's newly expanding grade for 4-year-olds doubled over the last two years, from 75,465 in 2021-22 to 151,491 in 2023-24, the state wrote in a news release. Read more: Preschool? Transitional kindergarten? Is there a difference? Parents are stressing out The state did not provide separate figures for enrollment in TK last year, but instead combined it with kindergarten students. TK enrollment was at 98,000 in the 2019-20 school year, before the pandemic dip and before the program was expanded to younger 4-year-olds. I am very grateful to see this exciting outlook for our earliest learners, said state Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. We know how important it is for support for every child to read by third grade, and a critical part of that effort is to make sure that our youngest students are supported to have healthy development in their early years." Gov. Gavin Newsom has said that he hopes 400,000 students will be enrolled in TK by 2025, when the program is in full swing. Its encouraging that more families have heard about and feel comfortable enrolling their 4-year-olds in TK," said Bruce Fuller, a UC Berkeley professor of education and public policy. But the question, he said, is whether statewide preschool access is really expanding. Read more: California's hottest new student recruits? 4-year-olds "TK is clearly drawing 4-year-olds out of other programs," including private preschools, Fuller said. The California State preschool program, meanwhile, has lost 9,000 4-year-olds since 2021, and Head Start has lost 48,530 3- and 4-year olds since 2018, according to a UC Berkeley report due out next month. "Ideally, the government would expand access overall," Fuller said. This article is part of The Times early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to latimes.com/earlyed. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The president of Sonoma State University is abruptly retiring after being placed on administrative leave this week for "insubordination" related to an agreement he had announced with pro-Palestinian student protesters. President Mike Lee's retirement announcement came two days after his public reprimand. "I will continue to work with Acting President Nathan Evans and our Board of Trustees leadership during this transitional period. Additional information will be forthcoming," California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia said in a release Friday. Lee sent a campus-wide memo Tuesday noting that he had made several concessions to occupants of a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. Among other promises, Lee told students he would initiate an academic boycott of Israel and work with a local chapter of the activist group Students for Justice in Palestine to form an advisory council on some decisions. The following day, Garcia announced that Lee had sent the memo without the appropriate approvals" and noted he would be disciplined "because of this insubordination and the consequences it has brought upon the system." Lee's statement garnered the sharpest response against a campus chancellor or president in California to date related to the protests. Protests against the war in Gaza have consumed campuses across the country for weeks, spurring dozens of arrests and occasional violence. They have also led to the cancellation of graduation ceremonies and criticism of administrative response at numerous university campuses, including UCLA. Evans, in his own statement, urged students and faculty to turn their focus to Saturday's commencement ceremony, celebrating the university's graduates. "We will create spaces and places to process President Lees retirement and other recent developments as a community in the coming days and weeks," Evans wrote in a message to students. "For now, I encourage all of us to focus on our graduates and their supporters." Lee did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Blake Jones contributed to this report. In this provided by the California Department of Transportation, a section of Highway 1 re-opened, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Big Sur, Calif., after repairs were made following storm damage. (Kevin Drabinski/California Department of Transportation via AP) BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) A section of California's scenic Highway 1 leading to the famous Big Sur coast reopened to around-the-clock traffic Friday after stabilization of a storm-triggered rockslide that dropped a chunk of one lane into the ocean and hampered tourism. The gap has yet to be closed, but after placement of steel and concrete into the cliff, a temporary signal system was activated to allow alternating north-south traffic on the undamaged lane, according to the California Department of Transportation. The reopening came eight days ahead of schedule and just in time for summer travel. Highway 1 is the jewel of the California highway system and our crews have been working non-stop for the last month and a half so Californians can have unrestricted access to this iconic area of our state, Caltrans Director Tony Tavares said in a statement this week. Big Sur is a 90-mile (145-kilometer) stretch of the states central coast where misty, forested mountains rise up from the ocean. Much of the highway is perched high on cliffs, presenting dramatic views. Highway 1 is normally a must for California visitors traveling between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but the approach to Big Sur from the south has long been blocked by previous landslides requiring massive repairs, leaving the approach from the north as the area's lifeline. After heavy rains, a rockslide south of Monterey on March 30 caused about 6 feet (nearly 2 meters) of the southbound lane and a retaining wall that supported the highway to fall about 170 feet (52 meters) to the ocean below. Caltrans determined the other lane was usable, but traffic was limited to twice-daily convoys in and out of Big Sur. Initially, only residents and essential workers were allowed to join the convoys. A crane had to be removed each time to make room for the convoys, said Kevin Drabinski, a Caltrans spokesperson. In April, Kirk Gafill, president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, told the San Francisco Chronicle that total losses to Big Sur businesses since the slide were exceeding $1 million a day. A permanent repair to the highway is being designed and is expected to be completed in spring 2025, Caltrans said. Negotiations are set to begin with the Cambridge pro-Palestine protesters next week - Getty/Martin Pope Students at the University of Cambridge have been forced to graduate in a less traditional venue because of pro-Palestine disruption. Activists pitched tents outside Senate House, the grand venue where Cambridge graduations have been held since the 18th century, earlier this week in an attempt to force bosses to meet their demands on the Israel-Gaza war. It led to Friday and Saturdays ceremonies being moved by university chiefs to Downing College which was announced to all students due to graduate but not publicly with security patrols stepped up. By Friday morning the protesters had ended their occupation of the lawn at Senate House, claiming that bosses had now agreed to start negotiations with them next week, but the graduations were not moved back in time. In a statement, the camp organisers Cambridge for Palestine said: The university has agreed to negotiate and met a number of our preconditions. Our goal from the Senate House yard occupation has been accomplished, in a step towards distancing our university from genocide. This small victory paves the way for our demands to be met in future negotiations. Camp remains standing The Telegraph understands the university has agreed that students taking part in talks will not be disciplined and that faculty members will be used as observers and mediators rather than third parties. Cambridges main pro-Palestine camp, outside Kings College, remains standing along with others at dozens of universities across Britain, as activists try to copy the occupations that swept US universities last month. The demands of the main Cambridge camp, which still numbers at least 30 tents on Kings Parade, are similar to those on campuses nationwide. They are for bosses to disclose financial investments, divest from companies with links to the war in Gaza, reinvest in Palestinian academia and become a university of sanctuary for all forced migrants. The university did not answer questions about whether it would cave into the demands, but denied it was a negotiation. Prof Bhaskar Vira, pro-vice-chancellor for education, said: We were glad to meet our students as we have been willing to do from the first day of the protest. While we understand some will see it as a negotiation, we see it as a constructive dialogue with our students. On Friday, pictures showed lines of students in gowns processing from their individual colleges to the new venue. They were allowed to take photographs of each other in their robes outside Senate House afterwards with security officers patrolling the gates. Alternative arrangements In an earlier statement on Tuesday, the university 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. Former home secretary Suella Braverman paid a visit to the Cambridge Kings College camp on Thursday, where she was met with a wall of silence when she asked the protesters questions about Israel and the hostages seized by Hamas. Im very concerned about this anti-Semitism on campus. We have a lot of Jewish students feeling very intimidated and harassed on campus, the MP told the student newspaper Varsity. Meanwhile, at the University of Oxford, where another pro-Palestinian camp has been erected, a letter from staff and students this week claimed that when when some had raised concerns about anti-Semitism to their heads of programmes, they were simply advised to leave Oxford. Oxford said it was unequivocal in its position that there is no place for anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or unlawful discrimination of any kind. Demonstrators at the London School of Economics became the latest to occupy part of a campus this week, joining peers in Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Warwick and Bristol. 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. (Reuters) -The head of Canada's Security Intelligence Service warned Canadians against using video app TikTok, saying data gleaned from its users "is available to the government of China," CBC News reported on Friday. "My answer as director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is that there is a very clear strategy on the part of the government of China to be able to acquire personal information from anyone around the world," CSIS Director David Vigneault told CBC in an interview set to air on Saturday. "These assertions are unsupported by evidence, and the fact is that TikTok has never shared Canadian user data with the Chinese government, nor would we if asked," a TikTok spokesperson said in response to a request for comment. Canada in September ordered a national security review of a proposal by TikTok to expand the short-video app's business in the country. Vigneault said he will take part in that review and offer advice, CBC reported. "We will continue to engage with Canadian officials and would welcome the opportunity to meet with CSIS to discuss how we protect the privacy and security of Canadians," the spokesperson added. TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance sued in U.S. federal court this month seeking to block a law signed by President Joe Biden that would force the divestiture of the short video app used by 170 million Americans or ban it. The law, signed by Biden on April 24, gives ByteDance until Jan. 19 to sell TikTok or face a ban. The White House has said it wants Chinese-based ownership to end on national security grounds but not a ban on TikTok. (Reporting by Devika Nair, additional reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Franklin Paul and Richard Chang) A almost unending cycle of Canadian wildfires prompts mass evacuations of remote communities and a likelihood of smoke filled Montana skies in the summer ahead Following a week and a half of unseasonably cool, wet weather at the beginning of May most central Montanans were grateful for the few days of sunshine and warm temperatures that moved into the state. However, even as daytime highs crept up into the mid- to upper-70s a hazy pall dimmed the skies over much of northern and eastern Montana. In an unwelcomed return to unhealthy conditions that plagued states from Montana to New York throughout the summer of 2023, smoke from wildfires burning across western Canada is once again drifting south across the border. On Monday, May 13 Montanas Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) warned that air quality in Great Falls, Sidney, Glendive, and Miles City was acceptable but poor enough to place people with chronic conditions like asthma or cardiovascular disease at risk. The air in Malta was even worse prompting a warning that children, pregnant women, and older adults could be adversely affected. Favorable wind conditions have already blown the smoke out of Montana, but air quality alerts remain in effect in parts of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, and for much of Wisconsin and Iowa. It's early in the Canadian wildfire season, but according to Canadian officials there is a significant possibility that 2024 will experience a repeat of the record-breaking wildfire season that charred an area roughly the size of Nebraska just a year ago. This winter, Canadians experienced warmer-than-normal temperatures and widespread drought conditions across the country, adding to existing drought and low-water conditions, a news release from Public Safety Canada states. The latest seasonal weather outlook indicates that higher-than-normal temperatures are expected for the spring and summer, boosted by El Nino weather conditions. This sets the stage for the possibility of another active wildfire season and other incidents of extreme weather. The Canadian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change warns that a bad drought, warm temperatures, and below normal snowfall accumulation could lead to conditions that will rival last years record setting wildfire season. In 2023 wildfire evacuations reached 230,000 people and the fires burned nearly 50 million acres. Already this year 134 blazes are burning across Canada. Many are small in remote areas of the provinces, but two, one in Alberta and one in British Columbia have already raged across tens of thousands of acres and prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents. On Tuesday afternoon the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo northeast of Edmonton, Alberta advised around 6,000 residents of neighborhoods around Fort McMurray to evacuate in the face of extreme fire activity that has already burned around 51,000 acres. Roads out of Fort McMurray were crammed with evacuating cars Tuesday as the advancing fire crept toward the citys edge. Fort McMurray is a hub for Albertas tar sands oil production. The current fire conjures up memories of the 2016 catastrophe when the Horse River wildfire forced the full evacuation of nearly 70,000 people and destroyed 2,400 homes. The 2016 fires caused billions of dollars in damage and became one of the costliest natural disasters in Canadian history. Further west in British Columbia years of drought and below-normal snowpack this past winter have driven the Parker Lake wildfire to within little more than a mile from the edge of Fort Nelson. More than 4,000 people were evacuated from the oncoming blaze. Chicago was under air quality alerts several times during the summer of 2023 as wildfire smoke blew in from Canada. Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality told evacuees gathered in Fort St. John that it was by the grace of God that the blaze didnt sweep into the community on May 10 when driving winds hit 43-miles-per-hour. Extreme weather events are becoming far too familiar to Canadians as the impacts of climate change hit our communities, said Canadian Minister of Environment Steven Guilbeault. After the staggering wildfire season of 2023, we are once again facing the potential for another active wildfire season this year. It is a stark reminder that we need to work together to reduce the risks from our changing climate to keep Canadian communities safe. Some of the fires burning in the western provinces today actually began in 2023. These overwintering or zombie fires only ebbed when the winter snows arrived. Some remained smoldering in the soil and peat beneath the snowpack, and have now reemerged, hugging the edges of burn scars from last year. Overwintering fires are not a new phenomenon and are similar in some respects to coal seam fires which have been known to burn beneath the soil surface for years. However, the large number of re-emerging zombie fires is indicative of the severity of last years fire season and the ongoing impacts of climate change. This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Montana air quality warnings begin thanks to Canadian wildfires Canned food is raining down from a Portland 23-story highrise...and nobody knows who is behind it Canned food has been raining down from a highrise tower in Portland, and nobody knows who the culprit is for the particularly dangerous shower of tin cans. Cans have been smashing down onto the streets below the 23-story Ladd Tower in Portland, Oregon, for weeks now, and local residents have become increasingly concerned over the potentially deadly consequences. Workers at the neighboring Higgins Restaurant in downtown Portland say they have been recently noticing cans being thrown out of a building and crashing down beside them, sometimes barely missing them. The cans have already damaged the car of one employee at the restaurant, Lauren Ellis, who told KOIN that the roof of her vehicle was dented after she found cans, including an obliterated tin of ravioli, lying around her car after her shift. I kind of looked at my car at first to see there wasnt any initial damage and didnt think to look at the top of my car, Ms Ellis said. Im lucky it didnt hit the windshield or I wasnt in the vehicle when the can hit my car. Dylan Shmitt, a general manager at Higgins, told the outlet that there have been some close calls with some of their employees and other pedestrians wandering down the street. The cans are allegeldy being thrown from an upper-floor unit of Ladd Tower, Portland (Google Maps) Its been happening in the afternoons when people are arriving for our evening shifts, and so its a danger to actual commuters and civilians out here, Mr Shmitt said. The end of last week when our most recent encounter was one of our chefs almost got hit by it and exploded right next to him. The Portland Police Bureau are aware of the shower of cans coming from the building, after receiving their first report of the peculiar incident nearly six weeks ago, the police told The Independent, adding the situation is extremely troubling. The police say the person is most likely occupying an upper-level apartment in the 23-story Ladd Tower, but it is very hard to pin down exactly what unit that would be from, so are asking for the publics help and ask anyone who may know the identity of the person to contact them. Even if they were to go door-to-door conducting interviews throughout the building, which they say remains an option, most people do, in fact, own at least one or two canned goods, making investigating this bizarre situation increasingly difficult. Tins of food are being hurled off a highrise in Downtown Portland (KOIN 6) Short of someone confessing, PPB personnel cant search an apartment without probable cause and/or a warrant, a police spokesperson said. Most people have canned goods in their homes, so even if they are in possession of them, it doesnt make them a suspect. At first, Atlas Pacific, the security team at Ladd Tower, did not see the tin cans lying on the street as anything out of the ordinary as theres a church food bank nearby and the streets surrounding the building can occasionally be littered with food. However, when they received a report from Ms Ellis, they realized how mysterious the can throwing is, they told The Oregonian. Nobody has been hurt in the incidents. The cans have had a few near misses with passersby (KOIN 6) Holland Partner Group, which manages the Ladd Tower, also said they are willing to cooperate with police and Dan Tremaine-McCarthy, the communications manager for the group, told the outlet they have sent a letter out to the tenants notifying residents of the situation. The letter reportedly asks residents to report anything they see and, if done safely, record video or take images of the tin can hurling taking place. Meanwhile, residents are sitting tight waiting to hear if the culprit gets caught. Its still happening, Ms Ellis told the outlet. I think were all interested in trying to figure out who this is so they dont continue. A can from 18 stories, could obviously kill somebody if not hurt them pretty badly. The California Capitol Annex Swing Space was evacuated Thursday evening after a suspicious package was delivered, according to memos sent by state Senate and Assembly officials. Authorities tested the package and determined its contents were not dangerous, and the evacuation was lifted. The package contained a threat that it contained Anthrax, according to memos obtained by The Sacramento Bee sent shortly after 5 p.m. by Assembly Chief Administrative Officer Lia Lopez and Secretary of the Senate Erika Contreras. Gov. Gavin Newsoms office is located at the Swing Space, 1021 O St. in downtown Sacramento. Izzy Gardon, a Newsom spokesperson, said in a statement that a team of specialists tested the substance and that it was not anthrax or dangerous. The package was intercepted in the buildings mail room, the statement said. State senators, Assemblymembers and their staffs evacuated the building, which is just south of the main Capitol grounds, out of an abundance of caution, the memos said. Another memo around 6 p.m. gave lawmakers and their staffs the all clear to return to the building. A call to the California Highway Patrol, which has jurisdiction over the Capitol grounds and the Capitol Annex Swing Space, was not immediately returned. Along with the CHP, the Sacramento Fire Department and the California Governors Office of Emergency Services responded to the incident. Newsom was in Italy on Thursday after speaking at the Vatican Climate Summit this week. Kristina Bas Hamilton, United Domestic Workers director of state government affairs, was attending a meeting of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services when the evacuation took place. She said attendees were delivering public comment when someone whispered something in the ear of the chair, Sen. Caroline Menjivar, D-San Fernando Valley. Menjivar paused the meeting, and attendees were asked to leave the building a few minutes later. Hamilton called the situation extraordinary, saying shed never seen a committee meeting abruptly end like that. People leaving the building were not initially aware of the anthrax threat, she said: There was just a lot of like, whats going on? Hamilton said those around her remained pretty cool, calm and collected. I was like, That cant be true, Hamilton said of the anthrax threat. Is this, like, 2000? She said she hoped it was just a prank and not some kind of escalation of political violence. WAUKESHA You have insurance but it's the wrong one. You have the right therapist but she's out of network. You have the right insurance but the appointment is eight months away. It's a frustratingly common set of barriers in the United States, at a time when one in six Americans are seeking or want to seek mental health services, according to the National Council for Mental Well-Being. One in five Americans, or 53 million, report wanting to see a professional but aren't able to, for reasons outside of their control. In Wisconsin, just half of the more than 800,000 adults with a mental illness are able to receive treatment in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The Main Hall of Carroll University, located at 120 N. East Ave., Waukesha, WI., Thursday, May 16, 2024. As the director of the Carroll University Community Counseling Center, Jessica Lahner is acutely aware of the problems Wisconsinites face when they seek mental health treatment. That's part of why Carroll University's counseling center will be available free to the wider community from May 16 to Aug. 22 at 237 Wisconsin Ave. in Waukesha, no insurance required. It's the second summer this free service is being offered. Lahner developed the program in 2021 amid the rising need for mental health services during COVID-19. One of the biggest obstacles to accessing mental health care, said Lahner, comes from a persistent workforce shortage, one that predates the pandemic. A DHS map of Wisconsin showing designated health professional shortage areas, or HPSA, glows red across much of the state when it comes to mental health, indicating high needs. "We want to eliminate obstacles and really open our doors to folks who need behavioral and mental health care, regardless of their ability to pay," Lahner said. How does the free summer clinic work? Amid an ongoing workforce shortage and high demands for services, a free summer clinic certainly stands out. But there's something of a symbiosis at play at the Community Counseling Center. Of the seven clinicians taking patients this summer, three are graduate students who are working under supervision. It's akin to medical students in clinical rotation and the idea is to get first-hand experience with patients. The Waukesha Free Clinic at Carroll University, located at 237 Wisconsin Ave, Waukesha, Thursday, May 16, 2024. Keeley Hamill, a third-year graduate student, is gearing up for her second year offering free summer services to the community. Like anything new, the first year came with a few bumps along the way, like navigating the center's technology. But throughout the process, Hamill said she felt "extremely supported" as she honed her practice and came into her own. Sara Ruiz, a second-year student who also took part in the free services last summer, said she worked with a diverse set of community members, some of whom struggled with depression and anxiety, others who needed case managers and at least one person with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder, commonly referred to as OCD. "It was nice to get feedback (from supervisors) on how we're growing, and to see that we're still acting within evidence-based practices, we're still acting ethically, we're getting really good supervision and we've got a variety of clients," Ruiz said. The four faculty clinicians who work with the students can count the summer counseling as part of their faculty load, Lahner said, which means they're able to focus on working with the community and supervising graduate students instead of administrative duties. "I think Carroll's commitment to supporting this clinic is a testament to how this clinic offering is really aligned with not only the values of our training program, but also Carroll as an institution," Lahner said. How often will the clinic be open? The clinic will be open twice a week, on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. What is the wait period? Last summer, the Community Counseling Center provided 140 counseling sessions across the summer. Lahner said the center felt hesitant about marketing the services out of fear the demand would outpace what clinicians could offer. That didn't happen. Instead, they were able to regularly schedule screenings and see clients. The only limitation, Lahner said, had to do with limited services hours. But Lahner doesn't anticipate a waitlist this summer. The center has the capacity to see 19 clients a week, which is about 260 sessions over the course of 15 weeks. "We were open two days a week, like we are now and and we considered it a wild success," Lahner said. "And so we're definitely increasing our marketing this summer. We want folks to know that we're here." Who can access this free service? Anybody can access the service, regardless of where they live in the state of Wisconsin. That's because the center isn't funded by Waukesha County or the city of Waukesha. As long as you're able to drive to the Carroll University campus or are open to virtual services, Wisconsin residents can take advantage of the free service. Did the Community Counseling Center turn people away last summer? Some high-risk symptoms, like suicidality, aren't appropriate for short-term outpatient care. Last summer, Lahner said the center turned some people away when a screening presented a high risk. These are clients who need emergency crisis services. In such cases, the center is to "do a warm handoff" to providers and partners in the greater Waukesha area or beyond. "We need to make sure that that client is able to function successfully in between seeing us each week, as an outpatient provider," Lahner said. "If we feel confident that the client may be struggling with chronic severe mental illness, but they are managing well enough over the course of the week and they have support from other providers, they can be a really good fit for us." What happens after Aug. 22? Last summer, Lahner and her team were able to successfully refer clients to providers that fit their needs. In some cases, the clients had insurance but their high deductible prevented them from accessing counseling services, so the team helped by coordinating sliding scale services with providers. Other times, clients were in high-risk relationships that made it hard for them to consistently see a therapist. Lahner and her team get creative about setting up care, such as coordinating with retired licensed practitioners who are willing to work pro-bono through churches and nonprofits. What needs to change in health care? When Ruiz, the Carroll University graduate student, was growing up, she didn't see a lot of health care professionals who looked like her as a Mexican American. For her, a lack of cultural competency the ability to understand, appreciate and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one's own remains an issue that she hopes to see remedied. Additionally, mental health professionals need to find ways to connect to each other on a regularly basis to avoid burnout, said Hamill, the other Carroll graduate student. At Carroll University, graduate students have a strong connection, but once they get into private practice, "you just get into your little bubbles." One way to pop that bubble is by creating more opportunities for integrated health care where medical and behavioral health care practitioners can work within one clinic, Lahner said. It's a mindset that both Ruiz and Hamill agree would help create holistic practices that give patients more options. "I think that one of the most important things that Carroll has taught us is connect, connect, connect," Hamill said. "We're all in this together. We cannot be standalone or else we will burn out. And if we're burnt out, then there's no one left to be able to offer these services." How do I sign up for free counseling services? People interested in making an appointment can visit carrollu.edu/carroll-community-counseling-center and clicking the orange button, "Make an appointment." For more information, call 262-951-3127 or email ccc@carrollu.edu. Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert. If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A free counseling service at Carroll University aims to reduce barriers WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The man convicted of murdering Jodi Sanderholm in Cowley County is still fighting his death sentence, but a judge in Cowley County has sided against him. In 2009, Justin Thurber was sentenced to die for the kidnapping, rape, and killing of the college student near Arkansas City in 2007. Investigators say he had stalked members of her college dance team. Thurber was 23 when the crime happened. Sanderholm was 19. A lengthy appeals process began. In 2018, the Kansas Supreme Court postponed a decision on whether the state should execute Thurber. The higher court sent the case back to the district court in Cowley County to determine if Thurber was developmentally disabled. Spirit AeroSystems layoffs could damage the local economy, lose workforce to other states Thurbers attorneys claim he is developmentally disabled with an IQ between 70 and 80. Prosecutors argue that he graduated high school, attended college, and held down jobs. After hearing from both sides, District Judge Nicholas St. Peter ruled against Thurber, who is now 41. The defendant has failed to establish that theres sufficient reason to believe that he has an intellectual disability, he wrote. The judge said he found a psychologists opinion to be persuasive. Dr. Mitchell Flesher testified that whatever adaptive deficits Thurber may have are more closely related to an anti-social personality disorder or autism. The judge said the case should be returned to the Kansas Supreme Court for review of the district courts findings. 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. Some of the Catholic Church's best-known approved, and not approved, reports of apparitions of Mary Pope Francis in his popemobile leaves at the end of a Mass where he canonized shepherd children Jacinta and Francisco Marto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, Saturday, Friday, May 13, 2017, in Fatima, Portugal. On Friday, May 17, 2024, the Vatican will issue revised norms for discerning apparitions "and other supernatural phenomena," updating a set of guidelines first issued in 1978. (Paulo Novais/Pool Photo via AP, File) VATICAN CITY (AP) The Vatican has revised how it evaluates purported supernatural events, such as reported visions of the Virgin Mary, to guard against hoaxes and account for news going viral. Previous approved apparitions have turned these sites into major pilgrimage destinations, drawing millions of people to them each year: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico: An Indigenous Mexican man named Juan Diego reported several apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1531. For believers, the image of the Virgin that hangs in the basilica is a miracle itself, made when Juan Diego carried flowers in his cloak after receiving one of the visions, and upon opening it, found that the cloak displayed a detailed, colorful image of the Virgin. Lourdes, France: July 16 marks the anniversary of purported visions of Mary in 1858 by a young girl, Bernadette Soubirous, and the discovery of allegedly healing spring waters in southern France near the Pyrenees. Fatima, Portugal: The three shepherd children said the Virgin Mary appeared to them six times in 1917 and confided to them three secrets. The first two described an apocalyptic image of hell, foretold the end of World War I and the start of World War II, and the rise and fall of Soviet communism. Some disputed Marian apparitions include: -Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina: In 1981, six children and teenagers said they saw apparitions of Mary on a hill in the village of Medjugorje, and some of the original seers claim to receive continuous revelations. The Vatican has been studying the phenomenon for years, and officials said Tuesday a decision was expected soon. Our Lady of All Nations, Amsterdam: One of the most egregious cases of flip-flopping determinations by Catholic authorities over the course of 70 years about the supernatural nature of purported Marian apparitions. In 2020, the current bishop, with the backing of the Vatican, reaffirmed the 1974 negative judgment from the Vatican about the supernaturality of the alleged apparitions and revelations. -Army of Mary, Quebec, Canada: After another flip-flopping by bishops, the Vatican in 2007 excommunicated the members of the Army of Mary after its founder claimed to have had Marian visions and declared herself the reincarnation of the mother of Christ. Members of the CCRI Faculty Association are seen picketing outside the schools Warwick campus on Jan. 22, 2024. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) After two years of negotiation, faculty at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) are set to have a new contract with the Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education, which manages public higher education in Rhode Island. The Council OKd the latest collective bargaining agreement without opposition or discussion at a special meeting on Wednesday, May 15. It had been approved by 93% of voting faculty at the community college, Stephanie DeSilva Mandeville, spokesperson for National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI) announced Thursday. The newly inked contract spans three years but does not have a long shelf-life. It took two years to negotiate/mediate, its up next year, Mandeville said via email. Contract years are 2022-2025. The contract grants 2.5% annual raises for unionized full-time faculty, also known as the CCRI Faculty Association (CCRIFA). Minimum salaries are also set to go up: Associate professors will see annual salaries of $70,000, up from $65,331, and full professors will earn $87,000 a year, compared to $81,430 in the old contract. The new salaries will take effect July 1, 2024. A copy of the contract was not immediately available for public review. Our lawyers have informed me that the new contract has not been signed, said Beth Bailey, spokesperson for the council as well as its administrative arm, the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner (OPC). The draft will go to the college and the union now for their review, Bailey said. Mandeville said this brings CCRI salaries more in line with regional colleges. She added that the contract was updated with more gender-neutral language as well. Ratification follows two years of difficult negotiations and mediation, and we are thankful for our facultys perseverance, said Mazin Adam, president of CCRIFA, in a statement. Im proud to always say CCRI faculty are the biggest advocates for our students and champion their success. Throughout this process we stood together while maintaining our commitment to our students. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post CCRI faculty union votes to ratify contract with state higher education department appeared first on Rhode Island Current. A deadlier version of monkeypox which is now being called simply mpox is hitting the central African nation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The new strains death rate is higher than the mpox variant that spread in Europe and the U.S. in 2022. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling on people who are at high risk to be vaccinated. As U.S. News reported, Mpox has long been endemic to Africa, since it can be spread to humans via contact with animals such as monkeys. The article notes that the recent outbreak there suggests multiple introductions from animal hosts within the country. The article added, Luckily, there is an mpox vaccine, manufactured under the brand name Jynneos. Its a two-dose regimen, with shots given about a month apart. The 2022 outbreak primarily involved gay and bisexual men, per CDC. And with Pride events coming up, public health officials are encouraging vaccination. During the outbreak, there were 32,063 cases in the U.S. with 58 deaths. Globally, there were 95,912 cases, per CDC. Per the New York Times, The CDC is focusing on encouraging Americans at highest risk to become vaccinated before the virus resurges. The agencys outreach efforts include engaging with advocacy groups and social media influencers who have broad appeal among the LGBTQ. community. In December, the agency urged clinicians to remain alert for possible cases in travelers from Congo. There are two main types of mpox: Clade I, the type that is dominant in Congo, and Clade II, a version of which caused the 2022 global outbreak. (A clade is a genetically and clinically distinct group of viruses.) Both clades have circulated in Africa for decades, sporadically erupting into outbreaks, the Times reported. The CDC said Thursday its vital to get the outbreak in Congo under control and to keep it from spreading to other countries. Symptoms of mpox The first visible sign can be a rash, often located on the hands, feet, chest, face or mouth or near the genital area. Incubation is 3-17 days and during that time, there are no symptoms. When the rash appears, it might look like pimples or blisters, before it scabs over and heals. The rash sometimes hurts or itches. Other symptoms may include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle and back aches, headache, and respiratory symptoms like nasal congestion or cough. The CDC says anyone with symptoms should see a health care provider but wear a mask when you go. Theres no evidence that someone with no symptoms can spread the virus. How mpox spreads Both clades spread through intimate or close personal contact and pregnant women can pass the virus on to a fetus in the womb or to a newborn during and after birth, according to CDC. It can also spread by touching objects, fabrics and surfaces that have not been disinfected after use by someone with mpox, per CDC. Spread can begin up to four days before someone has symptoms and can be possible until the rash has healed completely and new skin formed. Mpox can also transmit to people through contact with animals by way of direct close contact, including with the infected animals fluids or waste, or through bites and scratches. CDC said theres no indication it spreads through water in pools, hot tubs or splash pads and its known that the recommended level of chlorine in recreational water venues kills the virus. A report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases said that about 1 in 15 of the unvaccinated adults who went to a sexual health clinic in New York City were found to have antibodies to mpox, even though they had not been vaccinated or had any symptoms of infection during the citys 2022 mpox outbreak. That suggests, researchers said, that symptomless infections also contributed to transmission. Student wearing mask. Credit: Stock photo/Getty Images. Quality Journalism for Critical Times The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance Friday to help schools prevent the spread of infections in the next school year. The recommendations include procedures that Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo have continuously trashed, such as promoting vaccines and wearing masks. When it comes to vaccines, the CDC suggests that schools promote their safety and effectiveness, offer a workplace vaccination program for staff and host vaccination clinics for students. During times when respiratory disease spread is high, the guidance states that schools may want to choose indoor mask-wearing as part of their response to an outbreak if local laws permit that. CDC has updated actions schools can take to prevent germs from spreading and keep kids healthy and learning, said CDC Director Mandy Cohen, in a press release. This update puts lessons learned into actionable steps schools can follow to keep our kids, teachers, and school staff safe. Meanwhile, both the governor and the surgeon general in Florida have bashed the CDC. In 2023, DeSantis signed a law prohibiting mask mandates in government entities, and the Florida Department of Health under Ladapos command recommended that people under 65 do not get a COVID-19 updated vaccine. Recently, Ladapo appeared on Im Right with Jesse Kelly, a conservative talk show, where he said doctors are very trustworthy people, except when theyre under a spell. In this case, were talking vaccine worship. Donald Trump was maybe right. It might have been safer to inject a little bleach than the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines that they forced on people, he said in that same interview. Since the beginning of the year, the health department has reported 23,156 COVID-19 cases among people 19 and younger. The CDC guidance issued on Friday is not specifically targeted at COVID-19. Instead, they are precautions schools can take to navigate any infectious diseases, including the measles outbreak that occurred in an elementary school in Broward County in February. While measles spread at that school Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, just west of Fort Lauderdale Ladapo told parents they could decide whether or not their children go to school. DeSantis defended Ladapo after he faced backlash for his actions during the measles outbreak, saying that the surgeon general and the health department had handled the situation appropriately during a news conference in Orlando in late March. Additionally, the CDC guidance Friday includes suggestions for cleaning frequently used surfaces, teaching students to wash their hands and cover their mouths when coughing, identifying when students and staff should stay home if they are sick and other procedures. Schools provide safe, supportive environments, routines, and important services that support student health and well-being, the guidance states. Schools should have plans in place that can help reduce illness and illness-related absenteeism by preventing the spread of common infections. This guidance is designed to maximize school attendance and its benefits for all students, while also preventing the spread of infectious diseases. The post CDC new guidance: Schools should promote vaccines to prevent spread of infections appeared first on Florida Phoenix. Cities and towns in southern Lake County are growing in population as are Valparaiso, Portage and Chesterton in Porter County, according to U.S. Census estimates released this week. From 2022 to 2023, areas like St. John and Cedar Lake saw population increases. St. John saw an increase from 22,826 residents to 23,644 residents while Cedar Lake saw an increase from 15,565 residents to 16,068 residents, according to the data. Annual estimates between the 10-year census counts are based in part on counting births, deaths, and moves in and out, using the number of tax returns and Medicare filings, unlike the once-a-decade census that counts responses from household surveys. Lake County Councilman Randy Niemeyer, R-Cedar Lake, said Cedar Lake boasts good schools, affordable housing with space to build more, lower tax rate, proximity to Chicago, and safety. But with growth, Niemeyer said, comes a balancing act of having enough services and infrastructure to support the current population while preparing for more residents. With the continued growth in Cedar Lake, the town will have to expand its infrastructure over the next decade, he said. Its handling whats there now with the next wave, whenever that comes, there will have to be significant investment, Niemeyer said. In Lowell, the population increased from 11,123 residents to 11,239 residents between 2022 and 2023, according to the federal data. Crown Point saw a population increase from 34,536 in 2022 to 34,884 in 2023, while Merrillville saw a population increase from 36,233 in 2022 to 36,347 in 2023, according to the estimates. The Crown Point Building Department issued 111 permits for new single family homes and 279 miscellaneous residential permits, including remodels, decks, pools and sheds, in 2023, according to department data. Crown Point Mayor Pete Land said people are moving to the city because it is safe and has a good school system. In addition, the city also offers quality-of-life elements, like concerts or sporting events at facilities like Bulldog Park, that people enjoy, he said. Additionally, Franciscan Health Crown Point relocated in January to a new, larger facility at I-65 and U.S. 231 in January, and the University of Chicago opened its first multispecialty center in Indiana in Crown Point last month two moves linked to healthcare providers seeing increased demand in the southern part of the county. Its a good mixture of all of those that make Crown Point a desirable place to relocate to, Land said. The city is continuing to welcome growth with a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial properties, Land said. Smart growth, I call it, Land said. We want a nice blend of development. As the city grows, Land said officials have been mindful to expand and maintain the waterway infrastructure. Its really whats underground that supports whats going on above ground, Land said. Northern Lake County saw some declines in population, continuing recent trends. Hammond, Northwest Indianas most populous city, saw a decrease from 76,576 residents in 2022 to 76,193 residents in 2023, while Gary saw a decrease from 67,977 residents to 67,652 residents, according to the data. Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott said he hasnt looked at the most recent census estimates, but he would venture to guess it is off by about 10%. Every 10 years, the census bureau sends people into communities to knock on doors and do a genuine population count, McDermott said. In the years between, the office does estimates using formulas, he said, so the count isnt as accurate as the decade counts. These once-a-decade counts are very accurate, McDermott said. The U.S. Census estimates have been wrong about Hammonds population since the 1990s, and I am sure they are wrong again. Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said in a statement that since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic leaders around the country have questioned the accuracy of the census data. Challenges in data collection and a lack of trust in government may lead to a possible undercount in communities like Gary, he said. Under Gary Police Department Chief Derrick Cannon, the city has seen improvements in public safety metrics, Melton said. New investments in transportation are also improving access to Chicago and attracting new residents and opportunities, Melton said. Additionally, as the cost of living continues to rise, Gary is poised to offer affordable living and access to outdoor amenities that other communities dont have, Melton said. The Melton Administration is working hard to make Gary an even more attractive and appealing destination for new and current residents and businesses, Melton said. My administration is laser-focused on stabilizing our neighborhoods, eliminating blight, and creating more high-quality housing and jobs. Munster saw a decrease from 23,664 residents in 2022 to 23,614 residents in 2023, while East Chicago saw a decrease from 25,971 residents to 25,830 residents in 2023, according to the data. In Porter County, Portage saw an increase of nearly 200 residents from 38,340 residents in 2022 to 38,513 residents in 2023. Portage Mayor Austin Bonta said people are moving to Portage from Illinois for its public safety, school system and location. Portage is close enough for workers to commute to Chicago and other major Northwest Indiana cities using I-94 or I-90, he said. We have that right mix of safe city, commuter distance, and I think the schools play a big role as well, Bonta said. To capture future growth, Bonta said subdivisions, like Deer Creek, have started expanding and city officials are considering a number of commercial and industrial businesses to move to the area, Bonta said. Another important element of future expansion, he said, is maintaining public safety and the sanitary system. Were not just making improvements for now, but were thinking of growth, Bonta said. Census researchers say the phenomenon of people working remotely and deciding to move from cities and suburbs to outer suburbs during the COVID-19 pandemic may still be affecting population shifts. In Valparaiso, the population increased from 34,575 residents in 2022 to 34,627 residents in 2023, according to the data. During his State of the City address in January, held at the recently opened Journeyman Distillery, Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas said the town expected to see two notable projects completed this year: the LINC apartment development and the Grand Gardner Hotel. Valparaiso continues to grow and mature in countless ways in our quest to provide a quality of life that our citizens deserve, and our peers admire. Todays venue is a symbol of the bold transformation that has occurred in our city over the last 20 years. Seven years ago, this was an abandoned blighted industrial relic, Costas said of the former woolen mill that dates from the 1860s. Chesterton saw a population increase from 14,560 residents in 2022 to 14,657 residents in 2023, according to the data. Chesterton Town Manager David Cincoski said the town has historically seen a growth in population. What has helped population growth, he said, was the recent completion of the South Shore Line double tracking project, the school system and the small-town feel, he said. Cincoski said hes talked to new residents who have told him they moved to Chesterton from Illinois. In their case, its going to be a combination of lower taxes and more affordable housing for them, Cincoski said. The Chicago Tribune contributed. akukulka@chicagotribune.com Third Way, a centrist think tank, is targeting former President Trump over his past comments about defendants not testifying because he has yet to take the stand in his New York hush money trial. In an ad dubbed Coward released Friday, Third Way dares Trump to take the stand in Manhattan, where he faces 34 felony counts for falsifying business records related to a payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter. Donald Trump would never plead the Fifth Amendment, the narrator says in the ad. The former president is then heard saying The mob takes the Fifth. If you are innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment? Now hes on trial for hiding hush money payments to a porn star, but he wont take the stand, the narrator continues. Donald, why wont you testify? After all, you believe only guilty cowards take the fifth. Fifth Amendment, Fifth Amendment, Fifth Amendment. Horrible, the former president says in the soundbite, after which the ad goads him to, Take the stand, Donald, or admit youre a coward. It is a five-figure ad buy that will be running throughout the next week, according to ThirdWays spokesperson. It will be targeting the former president in New York City and Palm Beach, Fla., where Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club is located. The 30-second ad will also air in Dallas, where Trump is set to address the National Rifle Association at its Leadership Forum on Saturday, the Third Way spokesperson added. The ads rollout was first reported by Politico. The hush money trial reached its 18th day Thursday with Trumps former fixer, Michael Cohen, taking the stand. Cohen, a key witness in the case, said he paid Daniels with his own funds and was later reimbursed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. CPD: Gun fired during altercation between men at Eataly downtown CHICAGO A gun fired during a physical altercation between two men inside Eataly Friday morning. The incident happened inside the restaurant, located at 43 East Ohio Street, around 9:20 a.m. According to police, a male was involved in a verbal and physical altercation with two other men, when he took out a gun which discharged during the struggle. No one was struck. The two men took the gun and fled the scene before police arrived. Police said the man who fired the shot suffered minor injuries during the fight and was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition. An investigation is underway. Eataly remains closed. No one is in custody. Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip at cpdtip.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 WGN-TV. 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 South Dakota 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. Unruh and Life Defense Fund co-chair Rep. John Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, issued a joint statement Thursday: 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 South Dakota 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. This article first appeared in the South Dakota Searchlight, a sister site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network. The post Challenge expected on abortion-rights measure validated for South Dakota ballot appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. Chaos erupts in hearing as Greene, Ocasio-Cortez clash over fake eyelashes jibe at Crockett A House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing devolved into chaos Thursday night as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) clashed after the firebrand Republican accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) of wearing fake eyelashes. The comment which was made during a markup to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress prompted nearly an hour of disorder in the committee, with lawmakers screaming over one another and hurling insults left and right, leaving Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) struggling to maintain order. The madness culminated Thursday night with a vote on whether or not to allow Greene to continue speaking during the hearing, which the panel ultimately granted in a 22-20 vote. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) who has butted heads with Greene in the past crossed party lines to vote against allowing the Georgia lawmaker to proceed during the hearing. Boebert was sitting two seats away from Greene during the vote. I hope you brought your popcorn, Greene exclaimed at one point during the hearing. Republicans moved to hold Garland in contempt after the attorney general refused to hand over the audio recording of President Bidens interview with special counsel Robert Hur, despite already having the transcript of the conversation. Biden claimed executive privilege over the audio recordings. The vote passed 24-20 along party lines just after 11 p.m. EDT Thursday night, hours after the House Judiciary Committee did the same. The full House will now vote on holding the attorney general in contempt. Mayhem broke out during Thursday nights Oversight hearing when Greene asked if any Democrats on the panel were employing the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing former President Trumps hush money trial in Manhattan. Trump and Republicans have targeted the judges daughter over her employment at a progressive digital agency. The Oversight Committee delayed Thursdays contempt markup from an 11 a.m. start time to 8 p.m. so a number of Republicans who sit on the panel were able to attend Trumps trial in Manhattan. Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland, Crockett, a first-term lawmaker, asked, later adding, do you know what were here for? I dont think you know what youre here for, Greene responded. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. Crockett says Greene behavior was absolutely racist The comment prompted outrage from Democrats, with Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), the top Democrat on the committee, saying thats beneath even you, Ms. Greene, and Ocasio-Cortez yelling thats disgusting. Ocasio-Cortez moved to take down Greenes words, calling them absolutely unacceptable. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person, she added. Are your feelings hurt? Greene responded. Oh girl, oh baby girl, dont even play, Ocasio-Cortez shot back, leading Greene to say oh really, baby girl? The back-and-forth prompted a short pause in the proceedings as Comer determined how to proceed. When they resumed, Greene said she would agree to strike her words, but Ocasio-Cortez demanded that she apologize to Crockett, an exchange that led to Greene lobbing an insult at the New York Democrat. I believe she needs to apologize, Ocasio-Cortez said. Im not apologizing, Greene responded, to which Ocasio-Cortez replied well then youre not striking your words. Why dont you debate me? Greene asked. I think its pretty self-evident, Ocasio-Cortez shot back. Yeah, you dont have enough intelligence, Greene responded, prompting uproar among Democrats. Ocasio-Cortez quickly moved to strike Greenes intelligence comment, which the Georgia Republican agreed to. But she again said she would not apologize, sparking more chaos. You will never get an apology out of me, Greene reiterated shortly after. I dont owe you one. More disorder ensued minutes later when Crockett asked if a hypothetical comment which appeared to be a veiled jab at Greene would break Congressional protocol. Im just curious, just to better understand your ruling, Crockett said, referring to a ruling Comer had made about Greenes comments. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blond bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? At that point, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) jumped into the chaos, asking to strike Crocketts words. Im trying to get clarification, Crockett said, prompting Luna to repeatedly yell calm down. Dont tell me to calm down, Crockett responded. Calm down, Luna shot back. Youre out of control. If I come and talk shit about her yall gonna have a problem, Crockett said. I dont know what youre acting like that. Its not cute, Luna responded. Raskin, at one point, made a crack about Democrats reviving their motion to adjourn the proceedings, saying, I think these 17 hour days might not work for us. Something about working, huh, Luna responded. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), at that point, joined the conversation. Yeah, maybe showing up for a vote, he responded, an apparent reference to Luna missing votes in the Capitol Thursday afternoon after she appeared alongside Trump at his hush money trial in Manhattan. Luna shot back, calling Goldman a trust fund kid. The raucous stretch of the hearing, which began roughly 30 minutes into the proceedings, finally came to an end after the panel voted to allow Greene to continue speaking. Updated at 11:35 pm EDT. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Teacher Elizabeth Miranda works with students last fall in one of her English language development classes at Mendez Middle School. The Southeast Austin school is managed by charter school company Third Future Schools. Questions were raised about whether that company might have used Texas public education money to subsidize its schools in Colorado. Third Future Schools, which manages the Austin district's struggling Mendez Middle School, is denying reports by Spectrum News that an investigation by the cable news company has uncovered millions in Texas public education money that the charter school company allegedly funneled to campuses it oversees in Colorado, where the charter network is based. The report has drawn outrage from Texas Democratic lawmakers who are demanding an investigation into the network's finances. Texas education officials have promised to research the allegations, though they insist they've found no evidence of mismanagement. Spectrum News in Dallas reported this week that Third Future supplemented its cash-strapped Colorado campuses' budgets with money from the charter network's general fund, which includes Texas education funding. The report reviewed financial records, audits and network board meetings. Third Future runs Mendez Middle School under a state program that allows districts to bring in charter schools to turn around chronically failing campuses, in part to avoid more aggressive state sanctions, such as a district takeover. The company was founded in 2015 by Mike Miles, who left Third Future in 2023 when the Texas Education Agency appointed him to run the Houston school district. The TEA last year launched a takeover of Houston's 189,000-student district over academic campus failures after years of legal snarls. In a statement Wednesday, Third Future denied any Texas education money was used to subsidize schools it oversees in Colorado. Each of our state networks oversees the funds for that state, and they do not cross from one state to the other, company officials said in the statement. Most paper checks and bills are addressed to the companys central office in Colorado but are deposited in separate bank accounts for each school, according to the statement. The network also charges administrative fees to each school to provide support for its central office such as payroll services, human resources and accounting, according to the network. All of our audits have been clean the highest standard that can be met in public accounting, the company said. How Third Future manages Mendez Middle School Of the 223 students enrolled at Mendez Middle School in the 2022-23 school year, 88.8% were Hispanic, almost 60% were emergent bilingual or English learners, and 91.5% were economically disadvantaged, according to TEA data. The school hasnt met state academic standards since 2014, and in 2018 the district contracted charter company T-STEM to manage the school. After faltering improvement, the district in 2022 replaced T-STEM with Third Future. In addition to Mendez Middle School, the charter company operates Texas schools in the Midland, Ector County, Jasper and Beaumont school districts. The Spectrum article mentions Mendez Middle School as well as campuses in Midland and Ector County as three of Third Future's eight Texas campuses. Though the charter network doesnt create an audit specifically for Mendez Middle School, in a 2023 audit it released its Texas schools' basic financial statements. The audit listed a $4.6 million budget for Mendez Middle School with a $78,272 deficit. The bulk of the schools budget, $2.7 million, was spent on salaries for instructional staff. The charter network also spent $438,243 on administrative salaries and benefits; $631,201 on administrative support costs; $357,316 on supplies; and $253,062 on professional services, according to the audit. The June 30, 2023, document showed a $2.7 million deficit on a $25.9 million budget for its Texas schools combined, and it breaks out budgets for the Ector College Prep in Odessa, Sam Houston Collegiate Prep Elementary in Midland and Mendez Middle School. Schools covered by Third Future's agreements under Texas Senate Bill 1882 don't receive state funding like traditional charter schools, which are public schools and get state funding. Texas school districts aren't prohibited from partnering with an out-of-state charter network, according to a statement from the TEA. The charter is responsible for staff, curriculum and school-level decision making, while the district holds the charter accountable for academic and financial performance, according to the TEA. The state conducts annual audits, according to the TEA. The Texas Public Charter Schools Association, a nonprofit charter school advocacy group, has called for transparency and clarity on Third Future's use of state education money. "Third Futures schools in Texas are 1882 partnerships, which means local ISD boards authorize them and approve all financial arrangements, including that Third Future has a designated bank account for each of its Texas school campuses specifically to prevent any comingling of funds," according to an association statement. The Austin district collects all of the state and federal funds for Mendez Middle School, keeps a small portion for the cost of some district services, and it sends the rest to Third Future's headquarters, the district told the American-Statesman in a statement. In its agreement with the district, Third Future agreed it would deposit funds it receives from Austin into an account specifically for Mendez Middle School's budget. Mike Miles' reaction to Spectrum News' report Miles has denied any wrongdoing and said in a statement to Houston school board members that he welcomes a TEA investigation. There is no wrongdoing and not even a specific allegation of wrongdoing, Miles said. The report was riddled with errors and does not accurately capture the relationship between the charter management organization and the schools and districts they support. Calls for investigation Since the report was released, lawmakers have called for an investigation into the charter company and some education advocates have slammed state charter policy. Texas AFT, a union that represents teachers statewide, insisted that while something might not be illegal, it could still be unethical. "Texas tax dollars belong in Texas public schools, serving Texas public school students, not subsidizing a charter CEOs private jet or stabilizing a Colorado charter school," President Zeph Capo said in a statement. "Until we can ensure that, we need a moratorium on all new charter schools in this state. In March, the TEA placed IDEA Public Schools, one of the largest public charter districts in the state, under a conservatorship after an ongoing state investigation into multiple allegations of financial mishandling, including signing off on millions of dollars to lease a luxury jet. Rep. Ana Hernandez, D-Houston, on Tuesday called on Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to investigate the alleged diversion of public dollars to out-of-state schools. The alleged actions of Superintendent Miles are disturbing and raise further concerns about his ability to effectively lead HISD which is currently facing a $450 million dollar [sic] deficit, Hernandez wrote. On Wednesday, Morath told Hernandez that he referred the matter to the TEAs complaints team but that the Spectrum report left out some significant context. Information in the news story discusses administrative expenditures made to Third Future Schools in support of the academic turnaround of the three campuses it was operating for those districts, but no information was provided in the story that related to the Texas school system fund balance transfers out of state, Morath wrote in the letter. The 2023-24 school year was Third Future's second year operating Mendez Middle School. The initial two-year contract with the Austin school district noted it could be renewed for three additional years after reviewing the charter's financial and student performance. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Third Future Schools denies sending Texas education funds out of state This article was originally published in EducationNC. During the 2023-24 school year, 169 of the states 210 charter schools reported having a waitlist, according to a new report from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Together, the waitlist totals more than 85,000 students. However, that number could include duplicate students on multiple waitlists, Ashley Baquero, DPIs director of the Office of Charter Schools, told the State Board of Education during its May meeting. We report on the current status in the past academic year of charter schools every year at this time, Baquero told the Board during a presentation on DPIs annual charter school report. For the 2022-23 school year, 10% of enrollment was in North Carolina charter schools, serving over 145,000 students. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter DPI collects waitlist data from charter schools across the state every year, she said. This years waitlist increased by more than 8,000 students from the year before up from 77,000 students. Nearly one in five charter schools (37) had a waitlist of 700 students or more. Nearly 40% (83 schools) had a waitlist of 200 students or more. Gov. Roy Cooper announced this week as National Charter School Week in North Carolina, saying that charter schools are public schools that increase learning opportunities for all students and provide parents and students with expanded opportunities within the public school system. From 2019 to 2022, charter school enrollment in North Carolina increased 19% the fifth highest growth rate in the nation, according to DPIs 2022 report to the General Assembly. At the same time, North Carolina Republican lawmakers have recently expanded school choice, through both private schools and charters, which are public schools with more flexibility than traditional public schools. While charter schools demonstrate some of the choice already available in the public school system, traditional public schools remain the top choice for most of the states students. During her report, Baquero noted the impact of recent legislation on charter schools in North Carolina. Since last years report, the charter sector has experience significant legislative changes, she said. First, Baquero noted legislation that created the Charter School Review Board (CSRB) granting the review board sole authority to approve or deny charter applications, renewals, and material changes. Before that law was passed, charter school applications were reviewed by the Charter School Advisory Board (CSAB), which recommended to the State Board of Education which applications should be approved or denied. The CSAB no longer exists. This action will make the application process more efficient, more cost-effective, and much more streamlined for all stakeholders involved, Rep. Tricia Cotham, R-Mecklenburg, a primary sponsor of the bill, previously said of the legislation. Related School Success Stories: Heres What Happened When Charters Teamed Up With HBCUs Other legislation passed last year impacting charter schools includes: The review Board no longer considers impact statements from school districts regarding the impact of a charter school opening in the area. Charter schools that are not low-performing can now set their enrollment each year. Previously, this cap had to be approved by the State Board of Education if it exceeded a 30% growth rate. Low-performing charter schools can now ask the state Board to grow more than 20%. The 2023 budget also laid out a process for charter schools to offer remote academies, which you can view here. There are three new charters scheduled to open in fall 2024, Baquero said down from 12 schools originally approved to open. Since then, many schools have asked for delays. There are 16 charter schools scheduled to open in 2025, she said. This years charter school application period opened on Jan. 26 and closed on April 26. DPI received 14 applications during the cycle, Baquero told the Board. Charter school attendance and performance Historically, some critics of charter schools have said that charter schools serve less diverse populations of students than traditional public schools. North Carolina charter schools are more white than traditional public schools, the report shows 47% versus 43%. You can see that over the years, weve seen the (local education agencys) ethnic and racial data fairly aligned to charter schools, Baquero told the Board last June. The biggest difference we always see is with the Hispanic population. A new study published by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA found that North Carolina public schools are becoming increasingly segregated by race and at a larger rate in charter schools. In North Carolina, charter schools had the largest share of public schools where students of color make up 99% or more of the student body, according to the report. North Carolinas public school enrollment is increasingly multiracial, and the expansion of school choice means that a growing share of students attend charters and private schools, both of which tend to be more segregated than traditional public schools, the report says. According to DPIs presentation, charters enrolled a larger share of Asian, Black, and white students in 2023 compared to all public schools, but fewer Hispanic students. DPI data also show that traditional public schools consistently enroll a larger share of students with disabilities, English learners, and economically disadvantaged students. Traditional public schools enroll twice the amount of English learners that charter schools do. There has been an increase in the number of economically disadvantaged students at charters in the state, Baquero said, but there is still a gap. In 2023, 51% of all public school students were economically disadvantaged, compared to 38% of all charter schools. Several factors play into this gap, including transportation, the National School Lunch Program, federal Medicaid direct certification, and charter reporting. In North Carolina, state statute says that charter schools are supposed to develop a plan to ensure that transportation is not a barrier to any student. However, unlike traditional public schools, charters are not required to offer formal transportation and busing services for students. Charters are also not required to provide free and reduced school lunches, though the number that do has risen in North Carolina in recent years. The state legislature should strengthen its charter school regulation by holding charter schools accountable for diverse student enrollment practices and require that charter schools offer transportation and free or reduced-price lunch to qualifying students, the UCLA report says. Baquero said more than 70 charter schools have been approved to offer weighted lotteries, which give additional weight to individual students who are identified as part of a specified set of students falling under the educationally disadvantaged definition. This could include students who are economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, migrant students, immigrant students, English learners, and homeless or unaccompanied youth. As charter schools increase services to provide access, Baquero said schools must make sure parents and students know about such services. Charters are driven by demand and choice, so school leaders and boards must understand how everything from how you market and communicate to parents to communicating admissions procedures and school services are critical for parents to understand accessibility, she said. DPI data also show that charter schools and traditional public schools perform similarly, based on school performance grades and school growth. Heres a look at comparison data of low-performing (LP) and continually low-performing (CLP) schools, at the charter and district level. You can see the percentage for both markers was similar in 2023 among charters and traditional public schools (27% LP & 25% CLP in charters, compared to 29% LP & 26% in traditional public schools). You can view DPIs full 2023 report on charter schools here. This article first appeared on EducationNC and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. Seven Chicago Tribune journalists filed an equal pay lawsuit Thursday in Chicago federal court against the newspaper and its owner, Alden Global Capital, alleging female and African American employees unfairly receive lower compensation for their work. The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status, alleges female and African American journalists receive, on average, several thousands of dollars less per year than their white male colleagues, a pay disparity that would be in violation of federal and state law. We deserve to be paid fairly, on par with our peers, said Madeline Buckley, a Tribune criminal courts reporter and one of the seven plaintiffs. Pursuing this lawsuit was a painful decision to make, but we believe its necessary to ensure current and future generations of women and journalists of color can build a career at the Chicago Tribune free of discrimination based on sex or race. A spokesperson for Alden, the New York-based investment fund that purchased the Chicago Tribune and parent company Tribune Publishing in 2021, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. The seven Tribune journalists include award-winning minority and female reporters, photographers and editors, all of whom make less than white colleagues with comparable, and in some cases, significantly less experience, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges the Chicago Tribune relied on diversity recruitment programs to bring on women and minority journalists for yearlong residencies at lower salaries, keeping them at that reduced pay scale if they were hired full time. It also alleges the Tribune intentionally hires women and minority employees from suburban newspapers to pay them at a lower rate. The seven journalists are all members of the Chicago Tribune Guild, a six-year-old union representing 80 editorial employees at the newspaper. In February, the union organized a one-day newsroom strike the first in the newspapers 177-year-history with pay inequity at the center of its concerns. In addition to equal pay acts, the lawsuit alleges Tribune and Alden are violating federal and state civil rights acts. It is seeking an adjustment in wage rates and benefits to end the pay disparity, as well as undisclosed damages. rchannick@chicagotribune.com FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) More than 30 arrests were made and over 50 illegal weapons were seized following the take-down of an organized criminal group in Fresno County, according to the state Attorney Generals office and the Fresno Police Department. The announcement on Friday heralded the success of Operation Gridlock, an investigation led by Fresno Police into what officers say is one of the citys most violent street gangs. In total, there were 32 arrests made and 59 illegal weapons seized, according to the Fresno Police Department. Of those suspects arrested, 28 of them are facing state charges and four are facing federal charges. DA: Fresno serial-bombing suspect sentenced Operation Gridlock began at the end of 2023 and was made up of both an investigation and enforcement component. Gangs targeted by the operation were involved in homicides, shootings, illegal narcotics sales, and human trafficking, officials say. Chief Paco Balderrama added that the operation resulted in 10 human trafficking victims being rescued. The investigation uncovered a human trafficking pipeline linking Stockton to Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with hubs in Fresno and Bakersfield. Operation Gridlock is one of the largest investigative operations the Fresno Police Department has initiated, said Chief Paco Balderrama. It started with several gang shootings that occurred in the fall of 2023 and culminated into an extensive cooperative investigation involving 10 local, state, and federal law enforcement partners. This operation has truly made Fresno a safer city. Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama According to officials, search warrants and arrest warrants were served on Thursday resulting in the arrest of numerous violent gang members, and the seizure of multiple illegal firearms, ammunition, and drugs. Around $42,000 in cash was also seized. Individuals who are part of these criminal organizations committing acts of violence here in Fresno County will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, said Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni. This operation demonstrates that the safety of our residents is our top priority. Over 800 personnel from 28 local, state, and federal agencies were involved in Operation Gridlock. 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. Children who spend a lot of time on social media more likely to vape Researchers have found "compelling evidence" that vape companies are using social media to market their products. What does this mean for teens? Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa Youngsters who spend a lot of time on social media are more likely to vape and smoke cigarettes, research suggests. The more time children and young people spend on social media, the more likely they are to be regular users, experts found. This was particularly apparent at higher levels of use, with those on social media more than seven hours a day almost eight times more likely to smoke than non-users, and four times more likely to vape. The study, published in the journal Thorax, included data for 10,808 people aged 10 to 25 from the UK Household Longitudinal Study 20152021. In total, just over 8.5% reported current cigarette smoking in at least one survey, while 2.5% reported current vaping. Just over 1% used both. Analysis showed that 2% of those who said they did not use social media reported current cigarette smoking, compared with 9.2% who used social media for one to three hours a day per weekday. This rose to 12.2% of people smoking who used social media for four to six hours a day and 15.7% for those who spent seven or more hours per weekday on it. Meanwhile, for vaping, 0.8% of those not using social media vaped, rising to 2.4% among those using it for one to three hours a day per weekday. This rose again to 3.8% for those using social media four to six hours a day and 4% for those using social media for more than seven hours a day. 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. Voluntary codes seem unlikely to achieve this, and the introduction and enforcement on bans on material that promote this should be considered, they said. It comes after research in the UK earlier in May showed childrens exposure to vape marketing is at an all-time high, with youngsters overwhelmingly opting for fruit and dessert-flavoured vapes. When it comes to vapes being marketed, 55% of 11 to 17-year-olds are aware of vape promotion in shops compared with 37% two years ago, while 16% see adverts on billboards, up from 12% two years ago. Furthermore, just 19% of 11 to 17-year-olds said they were not aware of vape promotion at all, down from 31% two years ago. And when it comes to individual social media sites, of the 29% aware of online promotion, some 52% see vapes promoted on TikTok, up slightly from 49% last year. Meanwhile, 32% see this on YouTube, up from 29%. "Getting rid of childrens exposure to tobacco promotion has been important to reducing rates of smoking among teenagers," Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of Ash, said of the new study. "This new study adds to the evidence that online promotions are contributing to childrens likelihood of trying vaping." (Bloomberg) -- Chiles government decided to fast track its pension reform as President Gabriel Boric pressures lawmakers to vote on the legislation thats emerged as a focal point to his leftist administration. Most Read from Bloomberg The executive branch applied utmost urgency to the proposal, meaning in theory that the Senate must now vote on it within 15 days. Still, in practice, the opposition will likely push back against that time-frame. The governments move comes days after the Senates Labor Committee, which is currently discussing the proposal, agreed to first discuss six aspects of the reform in sessions that were seen extending to July. The bill has been languishing in the Senate since the lower house approved it in January. Ive spoken with many people within the government who dont agree with this willingness to apply urgency when we have an agreement to vote after reviewing a series of topics, opposition Senator Luciano Cruz-Coke said at the Senates Labor Committee on Wednesday. Boric is ramping up calls to vote on the overhaul ahead of his closely-watched State of the Nation address on June 1. More than half way into his term, the former student protest leader is struggling to approve marquee bills to raise revenues and boost retirement payments that often fall below the poverty line. Read more: Chiles Finance Minister Signals Tougher Stance in Pension Talks The government will sharpen its negotiation strategy on pension reform and will insist on more cooperation from the opposition, Finance Minister Mario Marcel said in an interview last month. In January, the lower house backed the base text of the proposal but then rejected several key articles, most notably one on a proposed new employer pay-in. The legislation seeks to address low pensions that were one of the drivers behind a wave of social unrest starting in late 2019. The government wants to shift away from the current system of individual savings accounts managed by private funds toward a more mixed set-up with a solidarity component. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) -- Chinas government plans to hold a meeting with key officials on Friday morning to discuss the property market, including a proposal to clear excess housing inventory, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Most Read from Bloomberg Senior officials from the housing ministry, financial regulators, local governments and state banks will attend the State Council meeting by video conference, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. The breadth of invitees from across the government and the financial sector adds to signs that Chinese leaders are prioritizing efforts to end a property market slump thats weighing on the worlds second-largest economy. Shares of Chinese developers jumped on Thursday after Bloomberg reported that China is considering a proposal to have local governments buy millions of unsold homes. The State Council Chinas cabinet is seeking to collect feedback from relevant parties by the end of this month and finalize a draft plan in June, the people added. The housing ministry didnt respond to a request for comment. Spiraling declines in property prices are adding to the urgency. Official data Friday showed that home prices in April recorded the steepest month-on-month drops in a decade. New-home values slid 0.58% from March, while existing-home prices plunged 0.94%. From a year earlier, prices of new and used properties fell by a record. Senior officials from the Peoples Bank of China, the National Financial Regulatory Administration, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources will attend a briefing on Friday afternoon regarding the measures to ensure home delivery, according to a statement from the central bank. Authorities will likely announce new policy measures to tackle the countrys persistent real estate crisis at a meeting scheduled for Friday morning, Caixin reported, citing unidentified sources. Officials will discuss ways to expand the so-called white-list of supported developments to include previously disqualified housing projects, according to Caixin. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that local state-owned enterprises would be asked to help purchase inventory from distressed developers at steep discounts using loans provided by state banks. Many of the properties would then be converted into affordable housing. A Bloomberg gauge of Chinese real estate stocks rose as much as 7% in Friday morning trading, following an 11% gain on Thursday. The index has jumped more than 60% since mid-April on optimism that policymakers will take more steps to revive the market. Among other recent measures, several large cities have removed restrictions on home purchases to rekindle demand. Homebuyers remain concerned about prices, job security and the ability of cash-strapped developers to deliver apartments. If authorities proceed with the plan to reduce inventories, it would mark a new phase in the governments campaign to address the biggest drag on economic growth. Chinas home sales plummeted about 47% in the first fourth months and unsold housing inventory is hovering at an eight-year high, exacerbating a meltdown that threatens to put about 5 million people at risk of unemployment or reduced incomes. China might need to spend at least 1 trillion yuan ($139 billion) to buy up unsold homes, Bloomberg Intelligence credit analysts Andrew Chan and Daniel Fan estimated. Although several factors may affect the execution of this measure, any new policy is likely to be positive, they wrote in a note. Enlisting local governments to reduce the housing glut could further exacerbate their debt level, which has soared to 56% of gross domestic product as of last year. Banks would also be under pressure as their balance sheets have already been eroded by rising bad loans and narrowing margins. (Updates with latest home-price data released Friday in the fifth paragraph, market reaction in the ninth.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. The Chang'e 6 lunar probe and the Long March-5 Y8 carrier rocket combination sit atop the launch pad at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan province BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese commercial space company CAS Space announced its "space tourism vehicle" will first fly in 2027 and travel to the edge of space in 2028, state media reported on Friday. The announcement comes just days after Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin announced that its New Shepard Rocket, which flies cargo and humans on short trips to the edge of space, would resume flights on Sunday, ending a near two-year pause of crewed operations. CAS Space said that its vehicle will include a tourist cabin that has four panoramic windows and can carry seven passengers per flight. The company plans to arrange a launch every 100 hours from a newly-built aerospace theme park, with ten vehicles available to take tourists to the edge of space in shifts. Tickets will cost 2 million to 3 million yuan ($415,127) per person per trip, state media said. Guangzhou-based CAS Space was founded in 2018 and its second-largest shareholder is China's biggest state research institute, the Chinese Academy of Sciences. China's space exploration program has recently narrowed the gap with the United States and could become the first country to return samples from the far side of the moon after it launched the Chang'e-6 mission earlier this month. That launch attracted hordes of tourists to the launch site on China's island province of Hainan. Before blast-off tens of thousands of people gathered in different viewing spots near the launch site, causing long traffic jams. ($1 = 7.2267 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Sonali Paul) Commencement words matter Re "Pan wants to set the record straight," May 14: As a teacher of public speaking at the college level, I am sympathetic to the Dispatch article about Ohio State University alumnus and commencement speaker, Chris Pan. On the one hand, commencement speeches are strangely hard, something recently recounted with characteristic insight by the eminent historian Drew Gilpin Faust. And lets face it: getting booed by 70,000 people isnt something anyone would call life affirming. May 5, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Commencement speaker Chris Pan accepts speaks as Ohio State University President Ted Carter seems to enjoy the speech during the Ohio State Spring 2024 Commencement held Sunday, May 5, 2024 in Ohio Stadium. On the other hand, there was something petulantly, tiringly earnest in Pans reflections. Speakers are responsible for their words. If work-shopping ideas with students, parents and social media communities prior to delivery lands inbounds for the conventions of speech preparation, Pan, finally, is the author, advocate and representative (in the Emersonian sense) of what he says. Harrison Butker's ugly speach ugly. Chief's kicker only part of a bigger problem. OSU speaker: Chris Pan wants to set the record straight about his Ohio State commencement speech Ours is an era in which too many rhetors (an old word that, at its best, signifies those invested in the weight and worth of giving ideas their richest expressions towards civic, moral, and just ends) fall over themselves to give voice to self-serving, self-promoting, self-satisfying bubbles of bilious pap. The graduates who were frustrated by the speech and the speaker perhaps learned their lessons well. Words matter. We deserve, and should expect, better. Jeff Kurtz, Newark Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill Wednesday at Karrer Middle School in Dublin that will require K-12 districts to implement cell phone policies that reduce student use during the school day. We see you, Mike DeWine As a substitute teacher who works across many area districts, I can say with confidence that smart phones are definitely a huge threat to education. What I find ironic is this is the same governor who signed off on a budget item (with no spending cap) that takes funds from public schools to help the wealthy pay tuition for their kids to attend private and religious schools. You arent fooling anyone DeWine. Susan DOoge Miller, Columbus Sometimes it's OK not to be OK Its important to talk about mental health. Theres this big stigma around it, like its something to be ashamed of, but its just like any other illness. We wouldnt make fun of someone with a broken leg, so why do we make fun of someone with depression or anxiety or ADHD? Its not just about talking about it, though. We also need to learn how to take care of our own mental health. Just like we exercise to keep our bodies healthy, we need to do things to keep our minds healthy too. That means taking breaks when we need them, talking to someone we trust when were feeling down, and being kind to ourselves and others. Lets work together to break the stigma and make sure everyone knows its okay to not be okay sometimes. By promoting mental health awareness, we can help break down the barriers that prevent people from getting the support they need. Its important for schools, communities, and social media and the media to talk openly about mental health and to provide resources for those who are struggling. Together, people can create a more compassionate and supportive environment for everyone, regardless of their mental health status. Emily Frey, Hilliard This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Graduation speeches matter. Chris Pan, frustrated OSU students know that Chris Watts Had No Visitors, No Special Privileges in Prison for His 39th Birthday (Exclusive) Watts is serving a life sentence for the murders of his wife and two daughters RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Chris Watts Chris Watts spent his 39th birthday behind bars on Thursday, May 16, but it didnt come with any special treatment. A spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections tells PEOPLE that no one incarcerated by the state receives any special privileges and added that Watts had no scheduled visitors. Watts, who admitted to the 2018 murders of his wife and daughters in 2018, is serving a life sentence at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wis. Though Watts crimes occurred in Colorado, where he pleaded guilty to the three murders, he was transferred to Wisconsin in late 2018 due to security reasons, according to a report from KKTV. Chris Watts Related: Where Is Chris Watts Today? A Look at His Life in Prison After Family Murders Watts strangled his pregnant wife, Shanann, to death in their family home before killing his two daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3. He dumped their bodies at his companys job site. It later came out that Watts was having an affair with a co-worker before the murders, and had told her he and his wife were in the process of a divorce. 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. A department of corrections spokesperson previously told PEOPLE that during his time at Dodge, Watts has received two conduct reports. Joshua Polson/AP/REX/Shutterstock Chris Watts Related: Chris Watts Won't Get Special Treatment in Prison on His Birthday; Family Murderer Works as Custodian The first was in 2020, when he was cited for unauthorized forms of communication and unauthorized transfer of property. He lost phone privileges and canteen privileges for multiple weeks as a result. Another came the following year for possessing contraband and disobeying orders and lost access to electronics for 10 days. PEOPLE reported in 2023 that Watts was working as a custodian in prison. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. ABOVE: Find a video about how to keep safe in the sun as summer approaches. CHICAGO (WGN-TV) 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. (More on what this means is down below). Together, it means billions of them will be making that signature buzzing and clicking. Major changes coming to Visa: How will it affect you? 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. And Illinois isnt the only place thats about to be buzzing. 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! ASUs Ask a Biologist further explains that the abdomens of male cicadas are almost completely hollow. So when sound waves from the tymbals enter the hollow area, they bounce around, which can alter the sound to be louder. Females also emit a sound to attract males, but its a clicking sound from their wings. Happy Gilmore 2 coming to Netflix 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. As explained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are generally two kinds of cicadas that emerge each year annual ones, which come out every year, and the periodical cicadas, which emerge every 13 or 17 years to mate. In Illinois, as explained above, one area of the state is seeing 13-year cicadas come out and another will be seeing cicadas that have been underground for 17 years. All-in-all, cicadas will be active above ground for about eight weeks, says the EPA. Then, nymphs will hatch from eggs (most likely laid on twigs and brush) in about six weeks before heading underground for their waiting period. 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. Two weeks before she decided to resign from Cincinnati Public Schools, Superintendent Iranetta Wright said all was well with the district's unions. Their interactions were friendly and communications honest, she said. Or so she thought. Then, two days before she submitted her resignation letter, all six unions announced votes of no confidence in her leadership. She was shocked. Still, Wright remained steadfast in her devotion to the district. But two hours before she stepped down on Wednesday, Wright had grown a bit weary. She met with The Enquirer's editorial board and laid out the obvious: Cincinnati's unions wanted her out. And another truth: She didn't want to stay in a place that didn't want her around. Cincinnati superintendent: Complaints mount against Iranetta Wright By the time the school board announced her intent to resign, Wright the superintendent who union leaders say had always craved the spotlight was nowhere to be found. Her chair sat empty on the board of education stage, her name plate still in place. Wright, who was hired to be the face of a district supposedly ready for change, was told to stay away. "She's a star," school board president Eve Bolton said after Wednesday's meeting. "She is gifted and she is dedicated to kids and dedicated to public education. And my hope for her would be that she would be able to be in another district that would also benefit from her leadership." Wright promised better work culture, transformation when she was hired Wright was hired on the heels of two locals: Laura Mitchell, a Cincinnati native who spent 27 years serving the district, and Tianay Amat, who worked in the area for nearly two decades before taking on the interim role. Amat also applied for the full-time superintendent job and was a finalist alongside Wright. But back then, Cincinnati was looking for someone new. The board picked Wright because she was "committed to transformative, positive change," then-board president Ben Lindy said. The district had pockets of success already. Walnut Hills High School is consistently ranked in the state's top schools, and Cincinnati's Montessori program is nationally recognized. But while Cincinnati students tested slightly higher than other urban school districts in the state, the board knew they could do better for kids. And Wright was known to transform failing schools into great ones, as she'd done in Florida and Detroit. Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Iranetta Wright (right) greets the Rev. J.J. JioDucci at the 35th annual Juneteenth festival, Eden Park, Cincinnati. In her first 100 days in Cincinnati, Wright hosted listening sessions with the community, spoke individually with school board members, visited classrooms, assessed school systems, pored over equity data and developed a professional development plan for district employees. She determined early on that the district had "a fragmented culture." Staff felt like the district was divided between those in its central office and those in school buildings, she said. Wright was motivated to bridge that gap in order to improve supports for kids. Iranetta Wright, Cincinnati Public Schools new superintendent, visited students at Taft Information Technology High School on her first day on the new job, May 2, 2022. "I appreciate the work that's being done by our staff," Wright said then. "All of them. Our teachers, our custodians, our paraprofessionals, our school office assistants. Everybody, it takes everyone. It takes all of us to make sure that our children are successful." She took to launching public initiatives, including the "Superintendent's ABCs" to focus on academics, behavior and culture. She also launched the "Be Present" movement that encouraged everyone teachers, parents, kids, neighbors to do their part in making sure kids got to school on time to thrive. Wright took the "Be Present" initiative to heart, routinely visiting schools and posting dozens of selfies with students to her social media. Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Iranetta Wright delivers an update on the progress, changes and challenges facing the district heading into the 2023-2024 school year, Aug. 10, 2023, at the former Bramble Elementary School building in the Madisonville neighborhood of Cincinnati. But while some saw these efforts as genuine and positive, others scrutinized Wright's every move. And they let her know. A year into her tenure, union members sent letters to the board outlining several concerns with Wright's leadership. They said she was controlling, she bullied and embarrassed staff members, she didn't take seriously the input of veteran educators in the district and she had fostered a culture of fear. At the time, Wright said these gripes were coming from a loud few. She held fast to her commitment to excellence, took a satisfactory evaluation from the school board as a nod to her early success and proudly reported small improvements in the district's test scores after her first year. But Julie Sellers, president of the teachers union and initially a proud advocate for Wright, didn't buy it. Everyone's test scores went up after COVID-19, Sellers said. Once starry-eyed at Wright's tales of success elsewhere, Sellers said she had come to see that Wright wasn't a good fit for Cincinnati after all. Other union leaders said they'd understood that from the beginning. Unions reach a breaking point If you ask Wright, her relationship with the district's unions crumbled in a matter of days. She told The Enquirer she "didn't know that it was this bad" until the union votes were announced in early May. All six unions representing labor who work at Cincinnati Public Schools announce their unanimous vote of no confidence of Superintendent Iranetta Wright by all members, according to union leaders on Monday at the Central Office and the Mayerson Academy building in the Corryville neighborhood of Cincinnati. But some union leaders say Wright got off on the wrong foot two years ago, when she doubled back on assertions she made during her interview process. And she never recovered. "She said everything we wanted to hear," Fannie Carradine, an administrative secretary in the district's central office and president of the Cincinnati Federation of Office Professionals, said during a meeting with The Enquirer's editorial board. Carradine said Wright had told union leaders she had an open door policy with unions. But once she was hired, Wright only met with the teachers' union and administrators' union. Carradine was left to negotiate with one of Wright's chiefs, who had to get Wright's approval before making decisions. After a year of delays and frustration, Carradine said, Wright started to meet regularly with all of the district's unions. But union leaders agree that those meetings were unhelpful at best, and say Wright didn't seem to understand the concept of collaboration at all. "It was apparent to us that her definition of collaboration was, 'I'm telling you, I'm informing you of this,'" Mike Turner, president of the administrative union, said. "But that's not collaboration." The unions pointed to a recent budget snafu as a prime example of Wright's ineffective and troublesome leadership. Sellers said her union provided more than two dozen suggestions to bring down the budget deficit earlier this school year, of which Wright only kept three in her presentation to the school board. That presentation didn't go over well. For months, Wright continually brought forth budget cut recommendations, including changes to transportation, that went against the board's wishes resulting in a stalemate that hindered schools from starting the hiring process for the upcoming school year. Iranetta Wright, Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent, talks with The Enquirer editorial board Wednesday, at its offices downtown in Cincinnati. At a school board meeting in early May, Kareem Moffett, a board member, said the board had sat through four months now of having the same things brought back to us repeatedly, which is a huge waste of time and almost disrespectful. Clearly there is no collaboration, Moffett said. A week before Wright submitted her resignation, the board considered a resolution that would have stripped Wright's authority to recommend personnel cuts and instead given the school board the power to identify which employees not to renew. Later, Bolton told The Enquirer that resolution was intended to "make an impression" that the board wasn't happy with Wright's process. The budget remains unbalanced as Wright departs from the district. Meanwhile, Sellers said a call for a no confidence vote came from the ground up. Teachers were fed up with the budget extensions that started to point more and more to staff reductions. In a historic vote at the union's largest meeting on record, Sellers said, not a single member voted in favor of Wright. Though none of the unions would say how many members voted, all six said they had impressive turnouts and all overwhelmingly voted no confidence in Wright. Afterward, both Turner and Wright told The Enquirer, separately, that they did not see a way to salvage the unions' broken relationship with the district's superintendent. What's next for Cincinnati Public Schools? No clear path forward The school board will approve Wright's settlement agreement and appoint an interim leader Monday, Bolton said. But it's not clear when the search for a permanent replacement will begin. Last time, that search process took a full school year. And it was expensive: The district hired a search firm that cost $75,000, not including advertising and travel expenses. Iranetta Wright, Cincinnati Public Schools superintendent, visited students at Taft Information Technology High School on her first day on the job, May 2, 2022. She was led on the tour by Ronald Cutts,16, a junior. At right is Principal Ceair Baggett. Not everyone on the board supported Wright's resignation. Lindy, the board president when Wright was hired, vehemently opposes her departure. He thinks Wright is the most talented superintendent the district has seen and is scared for what the district's uncertain future holds now that she's leaving. "The slimmest possible majority is choosing to push out our superintendent, despite the progress were seeing, with no plan for what happens next in the middle of a budget crisis," Lindy said. His predictions for Cincinnati Public Schools after Wright leaves are grim: "What happens next is going to be bad. The churn we see, the difficulty we have in attracting future superintendent candidates, the regression that we may see in results for students, all of this is the responsibility of this board president and the three other board members who support the superintendents departure." The board will determine Wright's settlement on Monday. But Wright wasn't there to hear Lindy's support. Her chair the seat meant for the leader of Ohio's second largest school system, one that serves 35,000 children and employs 6,500 workers remained empty. Now the school board will look inward again for an interim leader to point them to what's next. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What Iranetta Wright's resignation means for Cincinnati's schools The Inland Equity Community Land Trust has earned a prestigious Sustainability Award from the Southern California Association of Governments for its Plan Adelanto program. Plan Adelanto, which provides reduced-priced homes for low-income families, was honored with the Carmen Ramirez Award for Equity. The city of Adelanto also received one of seven Sustainability Awards presented May 2, during the Southern California Association of Governments Regional Conference in Palm Desert. The Inland Equity Community Land Trust has earned a prestigious Sustainability Award from the Southern California Association of Governments for its Plan Adelanto program. Southern California Association of Governments officials said the awards recognized excellence and innovation in planning, land use and transportation to improve mobility, livability, prosperity and sustainability, all critical to accomplishing the goals of the Connect SoCal 2024 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. Plan Adelanto sits on a 20-acre lot on the southwest corner of Mojave Drive and Koala Road, west of Adelanto High School. Four homes are included in Phase 1. We are honored that a program from our community can serve as a model for others when it comes to making the dream of home ownership more achievable. Plan Adelanto also keeps investments local, paving the way for a sustainable future for all involved, said Adelanto Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Ramos. The program makes the dream of owning a home more achievable while keeping investments local, paving the way for a sustainable future for all involved, according to Southern California Association of Governments officials Buyers obtain a loan to purchase the home, near or at cost. The Inland Equity Community Land Trust will retain ownership of the land and equity that comes from any pricing subsidies; that equity will stay with the home, thereby subsidizing the price for the next buyer. Meanwhile, all purchasers are able to build equity from their own initial investments, according to the plan. We congratulate all our award winners, whose work represents the best of the best when it comes to meeting Californias sustainability goals and improving quality of life in the SCAG region, said SCAG Executive Director Kome Ajise. These projects are models of innovative solutions to challenges that all our communities face, and by lifting them up we hope to see them replicated and built upon across the region. Sustainability Award winners Other 2024 Sustainability Award winners across Southern California include: Outstanding Achievement in Sustainability: The Los Angeles Department of Transportation, for its Universal Basic Mobility Pilot Program in South Los Angeles. The UBM Pilot Program includes elements designed to connect the community with diverse and sustainable transportation options. These include transportation subsidies, e-bike libraries, electric vehicle car-sharing programs, increased mobile payment options on all modes of transportation, and workforce training aimed at empowering residents with skills for an emerging green economy. Housing Award: The city of Moreno Valley for Courtyards at Cottonwood, a groundbreaking initiative to provide affordable housing and on-site supportive services tailored to low-income families and seniors. The projects first phase is an 80-unit affordable multifamily residential community, located near two local transit bus stops. Amenities include a computer lab, on-site supportive job placement resources, a swimming pool and a clubhouse. Plan, Policy and Program Award: The Riverside Community College District, for its Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, is designed to establish the District as a leader in responding to evolving environmental and climate challenges. Using 1990 as its baseline year, the plan seeks a 75% reduction in carbon emissions caused by on-site fuel combustion by 2030 and a 50% decrease in water usage by 2032. Active, Healthy and Safe Communities Award: The city of Buena Park Silverado Phase 2, designed to reduce gaps along the existing trail. Improvements include a 14-foot-wide concrete pathway adjacent to a 6-foot-wide decomposed pathway, and the installation of drought-resistant native landscaping, waste receptacles, benches and signage to encourage pedestrian use. The Silverado Trail allows residents and visitors to connect with the environment and areas of the city motorists cannot access. It also provides a safer route to school for many school-aged children and their families. Clean Cities: Alternatives Fuels and Infrastructure Award: Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Fund Program, which collected nearly $135 million as of Dec. 31, 2023, to incentivize zero-emission truck purchases and support the development of zero-emission charging infrastructure. The money comes from a $10 fee that is levied on any 20-foot container on trucks that do not qualify as zero-emission or low-nitrous oxide vehicles. Green Region Initiative: Climate Action and Resource Conservation Award: The city of Oxnard Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, is a comprehensive strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50% below 2010 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: City of Adelanto earns Sustainability Award for home program The City of Tacoma announced the loss of Council Member Catherine Ushka, representative of District 4, on Thursday. Council Member Ushka was elected to the District 4 seat of the Tacoma City Council in 2017. She was then re-elected to another four-year term on the City Council, and appointed to serve as Deputy Mayor in 2022. According to a press release from the City of Tacoma, Ushka was deeply committed to public service, serving and deploying with the U.S. Navy Reserve, serving eight years on the Tacoma Public Schools Board of Directors, and holding various community leadership roles before beginning her first term on the City Council. We are deeply saddened by the loss of Council Member Catherine Ushka, said Mayor Victoria Woodards. She will be remembered by many for her works seen and unseen. 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. The Pierce County City Council offered condolences, stating they were deeply saddened to hear about the loss of our friend and governing partner, Catherine Ushka. She was a dedicated and passionate community leader, and her unwavering commitment to public service has left an indelible mark on our community. Her legacy of service will continue to shape and inspire us for many years to come. Council Member Ushka served Pierce County through her leadership as Chair of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Board of Health, with her efforts honored on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, when Metro Parks Tacoma unveiled Catherine Ushkas Gas Station Park. In one of her last public addresses, Ushka said, I was thrilled to advocate for this space. Now watching the kids play and hearing parents and neighbors talk about how the park makes their lives better thats award enough for me. Thats why I serve and serving this community that I love has been the greatest honor of my life. Tacoma Pierce County Health Department also shared a statement, led by Director of Public Health Chantell Harmon Reed. We are greatly saddened to learn that our Board of Health Chair, Catherine Ushka, has passed away. In only a short time under her Board leadership, her legacy is clear. She was tirelessly committed to the Departments mission of protecting and improving our community, especially in health equity and racial justice. Her legacy will continue to influence our Health Department for years to come. She had been involved with the Board of Health since 2018 and was remembered as a fierce advocate for equity and health even before she was elected to City Council. Notably, Council Member Ushka led the Board in declaring racism as a public health crisis, and even through bouts of personal illness, was unrelenting in her expectation that we make good on this commitment and serve our community compassionately and effectively. The Board of Health also remembered her as someone who cared deeply about staff, believing everyone deserved to be healthy and live resiliently. According to the board, she advocated for this belief until the very end of her life. Her legacy will carry on in our work every day. All of us at Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department will miss her very much. She is survived by her daughter Amelia, son Gus, father Mike, brother David and partner Marty. Seventy years after the Supreme Court acknowledged that separate but equal had no place in the United States, one of historys most celebrated legal opinions is being used by conservative groups to challenge race-related policies in schools across the country. In a remarkable demonstration of the Supreme Courts power to shape American life, the 1954 unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education required the integration of public schools a landmark victory for the civil rights movement. The high court handed down its decision 70 years ago Friday. Speaking in Texas last week, conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh described the decision as one of several that are now part of the fabric of America. But a conflict over the decisions meaning is playing out in a series of lawsuits challenging efforts to foster classroom diversity, in which conservative groups are arguing that Brown requires schools and government programs to be totally colorblind. Civil rights groups say that recasts a decision that was intended to rectify the nations history with racism. Brown is being weaponized against the very people it was intended to directly serve, Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, told CNN. And that is largely a result of the Supreme Court never giving the 14th Amendment the full and robust interpretation that is required to sustain a multiracial democracy. Meanwhile, experts note that many of the nations schools remain deeply segregated. Not only has Brown failed to deliver on its promise, right-wing groups have co-opted Brown and turned it into a sword to discredit efforts to integrate our schools, said Jonathan Feingold, a Boston University law professor and expert on affirmative action and antidiscrimination law. As a country, we seem to have accepted a status quo in which Black and brown students, and many Asian American students, do not receive equal educational opportunities. Conservative groups push a colorblind reading The current Supreme Court reenergized that debate last year with a blockbuster decision ending affirmative action in college admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. The meaning of Brown was hotly contested in that case, and the Supreme Courts conservative majority said in its decision that the precedent stood for all but eliminating the consideration of race. The conclusion reached by the Brown Court was thus unmistakably clear: the right to a public education must be made available to all on equal terms, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the 6-3 majority in the UNC opinion. The time for making distinctions based on race had passed. Led by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the courts liberal wing disputed that reading. In Brown v. Board of Education, the court recognized the constitutional necessity of racially integrated schools in light of the harm inflicted by segregation, Sotomayor wrote in a scathing dissent. Today, this court stands in the way and rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress. Inside a classroom at Monroe Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas in March 1953. Among the students are Linda Brown, bottom right, and her sister Terry Lynn, far left row, second from front, who, with their parents, initiated the Brown v. Board of Education. - Carl Iwasaki/Getty Images Though the fight over race-conscious admissions was settled, the courts decision in the Harvard case and the debate over color-blind versus race-conscience policies have emerged in a series of other lawsuits, such as challenges to workplace diversity programs and recent fights over redistricting. Schools and conservative groups, meanwhile, are also sparring in court over policies that promote student diversity without relying directly on race. Students for Fair Admissions, the group that successfully sued over admissions at Harvard and UNC, is now challenging the University of Texas at Austin for its policy of collecting racial data of applicants. In a filing earlier this year, the group claimed the Supreme Courts decision last year on college admissions built on Browns legacy and required courts to view the Constitution as requiring a color-blind approach. Brown v. Board was perhaps the most consequential Supreme Court opinion in the last one-hundred years, the groups president, Edward Blum, told CNN in a statement. For a significant majority of Americans of all races, this case established the doctrine of colorblind public policies to which all levels of government must adhere. The university has said it doesnt use the racial data to make decisions about applicants. The libertarian Pacific Legal Foundation has challenged an elite Virginia high schools proposal to accept a set number of students from each of the countys middle schools. Parents represented by the group sued the Fairfax County, Virginia, school board in 2021, alleging its policy violated the Constitution by seeking to balance the student bodys racial makeup at the expense of Asian Americans. A federal appeals court in Richmond disagreed. The Supreme Court in February declined to hear that case. But similar cases are already on the way. The group has another appeal challenging admissions practices at three selective public schools in Boston that currently is pending at the Supreme Court. That appeal cites Brown v. Board in a footnote, asserting that the justices have struggled with cases involving racial discrimination in education for more than a century. School segregation up in large districts, study finds Anastasia Boden, a senior attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, said that Brown was an important step in ensuring that Americans arent treated differently based on their race. Fulfilling Browns promise means ending discrimination in all of its forms, including modern forms, whereby schools pass new admissions policy for the explicit purpose of racial balancing, she said. The consequence of racial balancing in schools is excluding some students usually Asian students solely because of their race. But the goal of Brown was never equal representation, she said. It was equal treatment based on race and the elimination of racial discrimination in the law. Civil rights groups say that argument misreads the history and meaning of the seminal decision. David Hinojosa, an attorney with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, argued in favor of affirmative action in the UNC case before the Supreme Court in 2022. Hinojosa, who represented students and alumni, described Brown as an attempt to shut down this nations terrible caste system, not turn a blind eye toward it. Proponents for affirmative action in higher education rally in front of the US Supreme Court before oral arguments in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina on October 31, 2022 in Washington, DC. - Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images I didnt think the Supreme Court would go as far as it did, Hinojosa said, referring to the college admissions case. For a majority to suggest that Brown v. Board supports the exclusion of highly qualified brown and Black students is a travesty. A product of Chief Justice Earl Warrens court, both sides agree Brown v. Board was a monumentally important win for civil rights though it took years, subsequent appeals and military intervention by President Dwight Eisenhower to begin to carry it out. During confirmation hearings for both Kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, senators needled the then-nominees about whether Brown is settled law. They did so in an effort to highlight distinctions between how former President Donald Trumps nominees described Brown compared with Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion and that the court overturned in 2022. Kavanaugh, during his 2018 hearings, repeatedly described Brown as the greatest moment in Supreme Court history. Barrett noted that she had previously said in writing that Brown was correct as an original matter. And yet the Brown ruling also underscored the limits of the Supreme Courts power. Though public schools are no longer segregated by law, they have also never been fully integrated. Racial segregation has increased 64% since 1988 in the nations 100 largest school districts, according to a study this month from Stanford University and the University of Southern California. The studys authors pinned the increase on school districts that have been released from court-ordered desegregation plans and an increase in school choice programs. Advocates such as Hinojosa say the numbers reflect precisely what Brown sought to avoid. Now, Hinojosa said, the decision is being used by anti-civil rights groups to further segregate schools. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Clay County man sues Hereford House after getting sick from eating at Leawood restaurant A Clay County man who got sick after eating at the Hereford House in Leawood has sued the restaurant company, contending it was negligent and should be held liable for contaminated food served to customers. The lawsuit comes after the Johnson County District Attorney charged a former Hereford House worker, 21-year-old Jace Christian Hanson, with one felony count of unlawfully adulterating or contaminating food at the restaurant at 5001 Town Center Drive in Leawoods Town Center Plaza. According to court documents, Hanson allegedly posted videos online of himself urinating in food and rubbing food items on his genitals and buttocks. The crime allegedly occurred between March 26 and April 25. The Hereford House, however, narrowed the time frame of the contamination to 12 days, roughly between April 6 and 23, based on Hansons statements to police. Hanson allegedly estimated he had contaminated food in more than 20 incidents, according to court documents. The lawsuit, the first stemming from the alleged crime, was filed late Thursday afternoon in Johnson County District Court against Hereford House Restaurant Company of Kansas Inc. The Hereford House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday morning. Chad Christopher brought the lawsuit, contending that Hereford House was negligent and breached an implied warranty that the food was safe to eat. The lawsuit also contains a strict liability claim, which one of Christophers attorneys, Brad Honnold, described as a product liability claim. The focus is really on the product itself and on the tainted food, Honnold said. So by definition, when food is contaminated, it is a defective product. If the contaminated food causes harm to an individual who consumes it, then those individuals have a right to recover damages, Honnold said. Christopher is seeking an unspecified amount in damages. Symptoms consistent with food poisoning According to the suit, Christopher ate lunch at the Hereford House restaurant on April 3. Afterward, he began to feel ill with body aches, fever and vomiting overnight into Thursday. The symptoms were consistent with food poisoning. Because of the illness, Christopher was unable to work the following day. Christopher has suffered additional emotional and psychological distress since learning of the alleged contamination of food at the restaurant, the suit said. Christopher continues to experience anxiety and distress, including fear of future illness or medical harm, as a result of ingestion of contaminated food, the lawsuit suit. The lawsuit alleges that Hereford House was negligent in multiple ways, including failing to exercise appropriate care in hiring Hanson and performing proper background checks prior to allowing him to independently prepare food for customers. The Hereford House also failed to appropriately monitor and supervise its kitchen, employees and food during preparation, and creating a kitchen environment in which ongoing and pervasive food contamination was possible, according to the petition. The lawsuit also contends that Hereford House was obligated to provide safe and fit food; because the food was contaminated and unsafe, it was a breach of implied warranty. Christopher maintains that he is entitled to a refund because the food he purchased was not fit for its intended use. Under the strict liability claim, the lawsuit contends that the contaminated food sold by Hereford House was unsanitary, unsafe, defective and unreasonably dangerous and that Christopher suffered injury and damages, including pain, suffering, emotional distress, anxiety, loss of income, financial expense and other damages. (COLORADO SPRINGS) Friday, May 17 is not an ordinary day at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZoo) as the zoo is celebrating the birth of a pair of Amur Leopards that happened one year ago. In 2023 Anadyr and Anya two critically endangered Amur Leopards became parents to Basha and Mango. CMZoo said Amur Leopards are known as the rarest big cats on the planet and Basha and Mangos existence is hope for the future of their species. Only around 100 Amur Leopards exist in the wilds of far-east Russia and China, according to CMZoo. Courtesy: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Courtesy: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Courtesy: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Courtesy: Cheyenne Mountain Zoo CMZoo is part of the Amur Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP) and accepted the risky breeding recommendation as both Anya and Anydyrs genetics are underrepresented in both wild and human care populations. This celebration marks not only Basha and Mangos first year of life but also symbolizes hope for the future of Amur Leopards, writes CMZoo. 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. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs a bill reauthorizing zero-fare transit programs aboard an RTD commuter train on May 16, 2024. (Gov. Jared Polis) Gov. Jared Polis used a brief whistle-stop tour on Denver-area railroads Thursday to sign into law a package of legislation that he and environmental advocates hope will mark a turning point in Colorados long-running efforts to develop a statewide multimodal transportation system. Together, the new laws will raise as much as $200 million annually for new rail projects and expanded transit service, reauthorize zero-fare programs and study the creation of a statewide transit pass. The new revenue will come from fees on rental cars and oil and gas production. 2024 will go down as the year of transit, Danny Katz, director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, said in a statement celebrating the bill signings. Taken together these bills jumpstart our bus and train system, making it possible to double transit service in the next decade. Joined by bill sponsors and other state officials, Polis traveled on a Regional Transportation District commuter train to Denvers Union Station from a stop in Westminster, the current terminus of RTDs B Line. The agency has plans for the route, authorized by voters as part of the 2004 FasTracks initiative, to serve Longmont and Boulder, but years of delays have pushed back its completion as far as the 2040s as RTD saves up for its higher-than-expected $1.5 billion price tag. Polis and state lawmakers are optimistic that timeline will be substantially accelerated by the passage of millions in new funding for RTD and the momentum behind the states plans for an intercity passenger rail system along the Front Range. Senate Bill 24-184 will raise an estimated $58 million annually with a new $3 per day fee on rental cars, allocating the revenue to multimodal transportation projects, with an eye toward competing for federal rail grants and beginning to make the necessary infrastructure and safety improvements along the Front Range rail corridor. During my time in elected office, Colorado has taken leaps and bounds forward when it comes to smart, successful transportation policy. State Sen. Kevin Priola Meanwhile, Senate Bill 24-230 will levy new per-unit fees on oil and gas production, raising over $100 million in a typical year for RTD operations and local transit projects. This landmark legislation brought together the oil and gas industry and environmental advocates to protect our air quality while making historic investments in public transportation, Polis said in a press release on the signing of SB-230. I am excited to see the ways these investments will improve our air quality and modernize transportation and transit in our great state. Both SB-184 and SB-230 contain language aimed at uniting RTD and the Front Range Passenger Rail District behind a push to begin a starter service of a few trains per day between Denver and Fort Collins within the next several years, on tracks planned to eventually be shared by both services. By qualifying as intercity service, the hybrid route could secure federal funding for projects along the B Line corridor and expedite completion of the entire rail service, according to SB-184. While aboard the B Line train, Polis also signed into law Senate Bill 24-32, which reauthorizes the Zero Fare for Better Air program for a third year. The state-funded initiative reimburses RTD and other transit agencies for providing fare-free service in the summer, when ozone pollution from cars and other sources is at its peak. SB-32 will also convene a new Colorado Department of Transportation committee to explore the creation of a statewide transit pass. During my time in elected office, Colorado has taken leaps and bounds forward when it comes to smart, successful transportation policy, said state Sen. Kevin Priola, an SB-32 sponsor. Im proud to have sponsored legislation that will improve upon our past work while continuing to innovate. Im excited for SB-32 to streamline a statewide transit system that encourages usage and saves people money. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Colorado advocates hail year of transit as Gov. Polis signs funding bills into law appeared first on Colorado Newsline. (COLORADO SPRINGS) The body of missing 23-year-old hiker Lucas Macaj was recovered on Thursday, May 16 in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) after four days of intensive rescue efforts. Macaj was reported overdue from a hike on Sunday, May 12, after having reached the summit of Longs Peak before dangerous storms moved in. Rescue efforts were launched, including ski teams, dog teams, helicopters, and snowshoe teams. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Urgent search continues for missing hiker in RMNP Lucas Macaj, Courtesy: Rocky Mountain National Park Lucas Macaj, Courtesy: Rocky Mountain National Park In a somber update on Thursday, RMNP shared that Macajs body was found on Mills Glacier, near the base of Lambs Slide. The investigation by park rangers indicates that he took a significant fall, RMNP said. Macajs body was recovered by helicopter and taken to the Boulder County Coroners Office. The coroner will determine the official cause of death. 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. COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF) Im seeing some issues in the schools, Im seeing our academic sliding no the business to watch our tax dollars, said Kate Allen, Candidate for Columbia County Board of Education. With just a week to go until the primary election, five candidates running for seats are making sure voters know where they stand on issues. The Columbia County GOP hosted a forum giving voters the opportunity to ask questions about different topics. Well, one of the big issue is going to be the ballot question about Columbia County incorporating thats a big question with the voters want us to focus in our positions on gun rights thats become a pretty hot topic issue, as well as our position on abortion and pro-choice said Ben Cairns, candidate for GA House district 131. If elected, these candidates will serve the Evans and Grovetown area. They say their main focus is earning the trust of voters. Im not running in slogans Im not running as a constitutional conservative or Im a good conservative Ive put in the work already to earn everyones vote like I said, Ive written the solutions that Im going to bring to Georgia, said David Byrne candidate for GA House district 131. Ive met people from all walks of life and in our county Im just excited to serve them, and Ill be honored to serve them, and I dont expect them to trust me I will earn their trust Im a former US Marine, said Mark Peterson, candidate for Columbia County district 2 commission. They are also hoping to encourage more young people to get out and vote on May 21st When I first moved here five years ago I immediately fell in love with the county and I live the officials no listen Im here I want to be involved in the county said Rickey Merideth, candidate for Columbia County district 3 commission. 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. A Portrait of Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, an associate professor of practice at Teachers College, Columbia University. On Tuesday, May 7th, in New York City. Ahmed Gaber for HuffPost NEW YORK Amra Sabic-El-Rayess is a genocide survivor, born and raised in Bosnia, where at least 100,000 people were killed. She was a teen when she lived under complete military siege, unable to go to school under the threat of bombs. Bosnian Serb forces systematically executed as many as 8,000 Bosnian Muslim males in Srebrenica the largest massacre in Europe since the Holocaust. Women and girls were systematically gang-raped and assaulted. Every day, civilians were tortured, starved and murdered. In 1995, Sabic-El-Rayess received a scholarship to emigrate to the U.S. She graduated from Brown University and became the first Muslim president of the universitys alumni association in its 258-year history. She earned her Ph.D. in Comparative and International Education at Columbia University and shortly thereafter joined as a lecturer for the universitys Teachers College. Since then, she has traveled the world to deliver presentations and talks on hate prevention and education. In 2021, President Joe Biden penned a letter to Sabic-El Rayess, telling her he was inspired by her bravery and strength and that she embodied the very idea of America after reading her memoir. However, she believes it was not enough for the department heads at Columbia. In a lawsuit filed in federal court last month, Sabic-El-Rayess alleged that she was repeatedly denied the opportunity to become a tenured professor at the universitys Teachers College because of both her Muslim religion and her age. I survived the Bosnian genocide. I know what hate feels like. I know where hate can take a society. The one love that I had from America was that I wouldnt be seen as someone who is the other, she told HuffPost. I was reminded that I was the other. A spokesperson for Columbia denied the claims raised in her lawsuit in a statement to HuffPost this week. Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess is a valued member of our TC community. We reject the claims made in Dr. Sabic-El-Rayesss lawsuit and deny the allegations of discrimination. We will present our case in a court of law, a spokesperson for Teachers College, Columbia, told HuffPost in an email. Seats for the commencement exercises, now canceled, are set up at Columbia University's main campus in New York City on May 06, 2024. Spencer Platt via Getty Images After completing her masters and doctorate degrees at Columbia in 2012, Sabic-El-Rayess was recruited to join Teachers College, the graduate school for education at Columbia, as a lecturer. For 10 years, she taught students and designed over 20 courses that focused on the prevention of violence targeting people due to their race, ethnicity or faith. In 2020, she launched an international interfaith research lab in which she researched, studied, and trained students and faculty alike on the dangers of bigotry and hate. In an interview with HuffPost, Sabic-El-Rayess golden highlights framed her face as she folded her perfectly manicured hands. Her soft pink nails matched her lipstick as she sat up with her back straight. She spoke gracefully, rarely elevating her tone, recounting the pain shes felt at her university. She echoed criticisms that Columbia University has faced over the last month as protests wracked the campus and were met twice with police crackdowns that one of the most prestigious universities in the world and the fifth-oldest university in the country fell painfully short of its commitment to antiracism and diversity. We live in one of the most diverse cities in the United States of America. We have students from all over the world. A big proportion of our students are international students. We have faculty members of all backgrounds, said Sabic-El-Rayess. But we have never had a tenured or tenure-track Teachers College faculty member who is Muslim. Why? Sabic-El-Rayess has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles, published two nonfiction books and wrote for news outlets including USA Today and Al Jazeera. Shes traveled the world to present her research, including the U.K., South Korea and Australia. Earlier this month, she returned from a trip from Oslo, Norway, where she spoke at a conference about the transnational impact of hate. Her accomplishments did not go unnoticed. In addition to the note from Biden, her publications won several awards. She brought more than $10 million of research funding to Teachers College. The university beamed at her accomplishments, promoting and applauding her work publicly. However, Sabic-El-Rayess was not tenured at Columbia, meaning her job was still at risk. Tenured professors are secured in their full-time employment, whereas lecturers are employed by contracts that need to be reviewed and approved by the administration after a set amount of years. Tenured professors also receive a slew of benefits, including higher pay and health care. Most notably, tenured professors have the security of academic freedom and scholarly independence without fear of being fired because of the nature of their work. There are two ways for a professor to achieve tenure status: through a formal application or a target of opportunity hire, where an outstanding applicant is hired into the tenure track. Sabic-El-Rayess formally applied for tenure twice, beginning in December 2012. During that process, she received what she said was an uncomfortable email from a colleague, according to the lawsuit. The hiring committee asked her colleague about diversity, he said in an email to her, according to the lawsuit. The colleague said that if she were brought up as Muslim, he would communicate that to the search committee as one additional dimension of diversity. She responded yes. But the request spooked her. She taught courses about Islam and spoke about the dangers of her experience as a survivor of the Bosnia genocide in presentations and through her published works, but how well she taught or conducted researchhad nothing to do with whether Im a Muslim or not. And I knew it was wrong. But I was scared to say it was wrong. I was terrified. Weeks later, she learned she was rejected without a reason, according to the lawsuit. She applied again the following year, 2013, and told HuffPost she was denied again without explanation. Columbia did not respond to HuffPosts follow-up questions. Frustrated, in 2014, Sabic-El-Rayess met with the then-department chair to ask how she could improve her chances of being promoted to a tenured professor. The chair acknowledged her accomplishments, she told HuffPost. But according to the suit, the chair told her that her Muslim identity makes it difficult for her to receive full support from the university. In 2016, she became an associate professor, the highest non-tenure position she could attain. For years, as she noted in her lawsuit, she watched as the department promoted other tenured professors, none Muslim, and none she believed were as accomplished as her. The underlying message is clear, she said. As a Muslim, we dont want you here in a capacity that is equal to non-Muslims. It wasnt only the rejections. Sabic-El-Rayess said that over the years after her rejections, she faced unfair scrutiny over her courses about Muslims and Islam, with the review committee tasked with approving new courses and questioning the relevance and importance of one of her courses in 2018. In another instance cited in the lawsuit, she notified leadership after a colleague tweeted that graduation caps dangerously resembled a fez, a traditional hat often worn by Muslim men. In 2021, one Muslim student was discouraged from taking her course, according to the lawsuit, with another professor telling her that her course just says Islam is great and Muslims are not terrorists. You probably know more than the professor! Sabic-El-Rayess sent emails to the president and the interim provost at the time, which were reviewed by HuffPost. In these emails, she detailed what she said were her discriminatory experiences with staff, reiterated her accomplishments, and questioned the lack of support for a tenure-tracked position. Dr. Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, an associate professor of practice at Teachers College at Columbia University, says she wasn't promoted because she is Muslim. Ahmed Gaber for HuffPost I have been told because I am Muslim, I will never [be] supported for tenure at TC, and I have been asked, in writing, in the midst of a hiring practice if Im a practicing Muslim, she wrote in the April 2023 email to the interim provost reviewed by HuffPost. No meaningful action has ever been taken in my response to reporting anti-Muslim racism because, as I have come to realize through my experience, such prejudice is normalized and accepted at TC. Shes sent dozens of emails and met with various colleagues, peers and members of the administration, all of whom are listed in the lawsuit, all to no avail. Instead, the university reduced her salary last year, according to the lawsuit, in what she described as another form of retaliation for speaking out. Columbia did not respond to HuffPosts question about the salary reduction. No matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I gave of myself to the institution, to its people, to my colleagues, to the students, I was never from their perspective in terms of promotion and recognizing and respect, I was never equal, she said. She filed a $10 million lawsuit in the southern district of New York last month as a last resort. The university will respond to the lawsuit in June. Until then, she continues to teach on campus, motivated by the reason she began to teach in this field a desire to see change and end discrimination. The institution is happy to parade me, this individual who has had a major contribution in terms of innovation and research and all of that. Theyve used my work to uplift themselves as the institution, she said. But the message internally to me has always been clear. No matter what you accomplish, you will never open that door. You will never walk through that door. Related... On May 12, 2024, several X posts went viral with video of a student tearing up a diploma while walking in the 2024 commencement ceremony of the Columbia University School of Social Work. One post, published by X account @visegrad24, claimed the action was "in protest of Columbia University's alleged 'complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.'" The post received more than 1 million views, as of this writing. Columbia University graduate rips up her diploma on stage in protest of Columbia Universitys alleged complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. https://t.co/vbfL4HF9G6 Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) May 13, 2024 Another X account, @stillgray, posted the same clip and claimed the graduate was a "female queer-identifying Columbia University student." That post received more than 1.6 million views, as of this writing. A female queer-identifying Columbia University student ripped up they/their diploma upon receiving it. So thats four years down the drain. pic.twitter.com/V6ElgYjWVu Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 13, 2024 The student's name, as read by the announcer, was Tarsis Salome. The video in question is authentic, meaning that it was not fabricated or digitally manipulated in any way. It is viewable in the official Columbia University Commencement video archive [archived here] at timestamp 1:32:48. Despite @stillgray's claim that the student was "female queer-identifying," we were unable to find any evidence of Salome confirming gender or sexual identity. Salome also didn't state that the protest was specifically against "Columbia University's alleged 'complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza,'" but was wearing a kaffiyeh (a symbol of Palestinian resistance). Like many other students who walked in the ceremony, Salome wore zip-tie handcuffs and a graduation cap with the name of a Palestinian prisoner written on it. The name on Salome's cap appeared to be Mohammad Natsheh, which could be in reference to the former Palestinian Legislative Council Minister of Detainees' Affairs, who was reportedly arrested at his home in Hebron in September 2016, according to the Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association. Several of the students who walked at the Columbia University School of Social Work 2024 graduation ceremony showed similar support for Palestine, as seen in the following video posted on the Columbia Social Workers for Palestine Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/p/C64uMSzv9GV/?hl=en We reached out to the Instagram account of CSSW for Palestine, asking to confirm certain details, such as the name shown on Salome's graduation cap, if the displaying of names was an organized effort by CSSW for Palestine and if the group had any further comment. We will update this story if we receive a response. Multiple outlets, including the Jerusalem Post, the New York Post, and the Free Press Journal reported on the Columbia University School of Social Work students' support for Palestine at the 2024 graduation ceremony. It should also be noted that at some schools, students are handed either a commemorative certificate or empty diploma casing in lieu of their actual diplomas, which are later mailed to the graduates. It's therefore possible that Salome did not actually tear up a diploma, only a certificate or symbolic diploma casing. Sources: Archive, View Author, et al. Columbia University Grads Wear Zip Ties, Rip Diplomas on Stage during Commencement Ceremony. 13 May 2024, https://nypost.com/2024/05/13/us-news/columbia-university-grads-wear-zip-ties-rip-diplomas-on-stage-during-commencement-ceremony/. 'Columbia's Graduation Stage Turned into a Platform for Protest'. The Jerusalem Post | JPost.Com, 13 May 2024, https://www.jpost.com/international/article-801036. 'Https://Twitter.Com/Stillgray/Status/1789870658756763691'. X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1789870658756763691. Accessed 13 May 2024. 'Https://Twitter.Com/Visegrad24/Status/1789859092904755650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1789859092904755650%7Ctwgr%5Ee5706daf17b1c5ac9cc4016d235d277d861d4f8d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.Freepressjournal.in%2Feducation%2Fvideo-Columbia-University-Student-Rips-up-Diploma-While-Protesting-Israel-Palestine-Conflict-Sparks-Debate'. X (Formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1789859092904755650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1789859092904755650%7Ctwgr%5Ee5706daf17b1c5ac9cc4016d235d277d861d4f8d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.freepressjournal.in%2Feducation%2Fvideo-columbia-university-student-rips-up-diploma-while-protesting-israel-palestine-conflict-sparks-debate. Accessed 13 May 2024. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/cssw4palestine/?hl=en. Accessed 13 May 2024. samidoun. 'Former Palestinian Minister of Detainees' Affairs Sentenced to Israeli Prison; PLC Member Natsheh among 43 Arrested by Occupation Forces'. Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, 29 Sept. 2016, https://samidoun.net/2016/09/former-palestinian-minister-of-detainees-affairs-sentenced-to-israeli-prison-plc-member-natsheh-among-43-arrested-by-occupation-forces/. samidoun. 'Palestinian Parliamentarians Arrested, Imprisoned without Charge or Trial'. Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, 29 Jan. 2016, https://samidoun.net/2016/01/palestinian-parliamentarians-arrested-imprisoned-without-charge-or-trial/. 'VIDEO: Columbia University Student Rips Up Diploma While Protesting Israel-Palestine Conflict, Sparks Debate'. Free Press Journal, https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/video-columbia-university-student-rips-up-diploma-while-protesting-israel-palestine-conflict-sparks-debate. Accessed 13 May 2024. For the third time in less than a week, an armed man died during an incident early Thursday morning that led to gunfire from Columbus police officers on the Southeast Side. At a media briefing Friday afternoon, Columbus police chief Elaine Bryant played a recording of a 911 call around 4 a.m. Thursday from a female saying that her uncle, now identified as 21-year-old Rafael Warfield, was threatening to harm himself and the people around him, that he was behaving erratically, and that he had a firearm. Four Columbus police officers arrived on scene at 4:07 a.m. at the apartment in the 6800 block of Georges Creek Drive off Gender Road on the Southeast Side. Columbus police Chief Elaine Bryant shows bodycam footage Friday at a press conference of an incident Thursday on the 6800 block off Georges Creek Drive on the Southeast Side after Rafael Warfield opened fire on officers. Officers returned fire, killing Warfield. Body camera footage shown by Columbus police at the Friday press conference shows the officer wearing it with a rifle taking cover behind a vehicle as two other officers walk up to the residence in an attempt to coax Warfield out of the apartment. At some point, Warfield fires at least one shot but it is not clear from the video if Warfield is firing at the officers or himself. The video shows the officer with the rifle reacting, shooting between eight and 10 times. When asked who Warfield was shooting at, Bryant deferred the answer to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, who will be handling the investigation into the shooting, as is the case with any law enforcement officer-involved shooting in the city of Columbus. Of the four officers who responded to the scene, Bryant said that one has a total of five years with the Columbus Division of Police, while the other three have between one and two years with the department. Jennifer Watson, Columbus police public information officer, said the department plans release the body camera footage by tomorrow morning. Columbus police retracted original statement on Warfield's death Columbus Division of Police initially stated in a press release issued about 7:30 a.m. Thursday that Warfield had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. However, Brian Steel, president of Fraternal Order of Police Capitol City Lodge No. 9, which represents Columbus police and other law enforcement officers in Frankly County, said he visited the scene Thursday morning and officers told him a man who appeared intoxicated and was threatening to harm others fired at least one round at officers. At 11 a.m., the police division issued a second release retracting its original statement that Warfield had shot himself and said what happened would be determined by Ohio BCI. Explaining the snafu, Bryant told reporters Friday that the initial report was sent in haste to get the information out to the media, and that the department issued a retraction when they realized their mistake. Columbus police grapple with third fatal police shooting within a week The past week has been a turbulent one for Columbus police. On May 11, Columbus police officers responding to a domestic violence call and shots fired at 7:08 p.m. in the 4700 block of McAllister Avenue located just off Shady Lane Road, one block south of East Main Street on the East Side immediately came under fire from a man with a rifle. Bodycam footage from the incident shows the officers taking cover behind vehicles in a driveway and returning fire. After running across the street to another house, officers returned to the original location with their guns drawn. One of the residents at the home told officers that the man firing at them had been shot by police. Bodycam footage shows the man, later identified as Corey Roach, 50, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Officers rendered aid until medics arrived and transported Roach to Mount Carmel East Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead at 7:50 p.m., police said. As officers were securing the shooting scene, residents told officers about a woman who shared a residence with Roadh on the 1000 block of Lockwood Road. Officers found the woman, later identified as 45-year-old Nicole Pleasant, had been shot multiple times by the suspect before police arrived on scene. Pleasant was pronounced dead at 7:18 p.m. by medics. No Columbus police officers were injured in the shooting. Bryant told reporters that multiple weapons were discovered, but citing the pending BCI investigation, could not offer details such as what kind of weapons, how many, or where they were found. The next day, May 12, Ali Hamsa Yusuf, 22, was fatally shot by law enforcement after he shot a Columbus police officer during a confrontation with law enforcement at Georgesville and Clime North roads on Columbus' West Side. Around 4:20 p.m. that day, Yusuf, a contract security guard trainee at an Amazon warehouse facility in West Jefferson, shot twice at close range at his supervisor and missed. After the botched shooting, Yusuf fled the scene in his vehicle. Law enforcement officers from Franklin Township, Columbus police and undercover Madison County Sheriff's deputies later surrounded Yusuf's vehicle at the intersection. He got out of the vehicle and fired at the Columbus police officer behind him, striking him in his bulletproof vest. smeighan@dispatch.com @ShahidMeighan This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rafale Warfield fired a shot, then Columbus police shot at him. Tacomans are in for a maritime treat Saturday, May 18. That afternoon more than 60 students will perform on a boat at three viewing sites, with onlookers able to watch from the shore. Dancers, a choir and a live student band playing original work will star in the program, Rush of the Current. Zach Varnell, co-director of the Partner Schools (SOTA/SAMI/IDEA), told The News Tribune via email that the 110-foot research vessel, the MV Doolin Rogers, was purchased with a Cheney Foundation grant and is owned by the Youth Marine Foundation. The boat will head from point to point for three 30-minute shows. The performance times, according to a show flyer, are: 1:15 p.m.: Theas Park, 535 Dock St. 2:15 p.m.: Owen Beach, 5605 Owen Beach Road. 3:15 p.m.: Browns Point Lighthouse, 201 Tulalip St. NE The School of the Arts teamed up with the Youth Marine Foundation for the performance in the Port of Tacoma. Varnell later told The News Tribune during a phone interview that there has been an ongoing, building relationship between the port and Tacoma schools. Whats cool about this piece of performance art is that it highlights this partnership in Tacoma, which is: We have this incredible port with all these resources right at the center of our city on Thea Foss, he said. Giving students access to that by using the arts is a really cool way to showcase how that partnership is bringing kids closer and closer to all the opportunities that exist in the Port of Tacoma. Emily Wickman, School of the Arts choir director, told The News Tribune that she and two of her colleagues collaborated on the project. The trio wanted to present performance art on the water. The concert tells a story about the environmental damage that humans inflict on the surrounding seas and how when people arent around anymore, the ocean will thrive again. Thats one sort of tough take on the fate of the ocean, but essentially saying that nature is strong and resilient, and that we as humans do a lot of harm to our environment, she said, and hopefully, in a way that motivates folks to hear and listen and be inspired to do better and to do less harm. Even if the audience cant hear every lyric from their spot on the shore, Wickman said, the students have definitely enjoyed the process. Attendees will get to see aquatic-themed creativity showcased on a floating vessel right there in the space that it is advocating for. The student performers are definitely looking forward to it, she added. They havent ever done a school concert on a boat before. It feels exciting and novel, Wickman said, chuckling. And for them to have to reiterate to their parents, like, No Mom, on Saturday morning, I have to be at class on a boat to sing rock songs about the ocean I mean, that feels amazing. Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) are demanding an update on the Department of Homeland Securitys efforts to quash racism and bigotry within its ranks after HuffPost reporting revealed widespread use of anti-immigrant slurs among Border Patrol agents. A series of communications disclosed to HuffPost under the Freedom of Information Act earlier this year showed Border Patrol agents, including several in supervisory roles, routinely using the derogatory slur tonk. The term has an uncertain origin, but Border Patrol agents who use it widely believe that it comes from the sound of bashing a migrant in the head with a heavy-duty flashlight. The records also showed Border Patrol agents joking about killing migrant children by donating faulty car seats to a charity drive or spiking Rice Krispy Treats with cyanide. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill July 17, 2023 in Washington. Drew Angerer via Getty Images HuffPosts reporting raises concerning questions and highlights a continuing pattern of unacceptable and derogatory rhetoric, the members of Congress wrote in a letter sent Friday to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller. Im an immigrant myself and from an immigrant family, so obviously I was just really heartbroken and angered that this kind of language is being used, Garcia said in an interview with HuffPost. Obviously migrant children and families are not a joke. Theyre suffering. Theyre oftentimes running away from extreme and tragic conditions. So its really important that theres oversight. The letter requests a detailed accounting of Homeland Securitys disciplinary actions since November of last year. It asks how many employees of Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrols parent agency, have appeared before the Discipline Review Board since then and how many were disciplined. The letter also asks DHS to disclose how many public complaints to its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Compliance Branch resulted in investigations and disciplinary action. And the congressmens letter also asks Mayorkas and Miller to disclose whether the department had taken steps to investigate or discipline CBP employees whose derogatory rhetoric and potential misconduct were highlighted in HuffPosts reporting. Folks that are demeaning or slandering migrants, the people theyre sworn to protect and serve, should not be in that line of business, Garcia said. What I think is most important is that we have a thorough review of the disciplinary process for the CBP agents and that its extensive and we get answers for what happened. Garcia and Goldman, both of whom sit on the Homeland Security Committee, have been pressing DHS to be more transparent about how it maintains internal discipline. They joined a group of 65members of Congress last year calling for Mayorkas to explain how it planned to address the infiltration of domestic terrorists within the agency, after a report from the Project on Government Oversightrevealed that more than 300 current and former DHS employees had belonged to the Oath Keepers, an anti-government extremist group. The groups founder, Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol and sentenced last year to a prison term of 18 years. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol after last votes of the week on Thursday, December 7, 2023. Tom Williams via Getty Images A working group fielded by Mayorkas acknowledged significant gaps in its ability to detect extremist activity, including the lack of an official definition for domestic violent extremist, or specialized training to recognize behaviors that might indicate violent extremism. Garcia said he felt confident that law enforcement officers at Homeland Security were generally well-qualified people who want to serve others and keep the country safe. But we also have folks that are doing these horrific actions along the border that are saying and doing horrific things and they need to be held accountable, Garcia said. This is just another instance where Homeland Security Democrats, and especially those of us who are progressives, can push and really have an impact, Garcia said. When you have an agency like CBP thats so large, you have to keep pushing to get answers. Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, is carrying legislation that sets up the framework for a constitutional convention. (Allison Allsop/Louisiana Illuminator) Two of Gov. Jeff Landrys allies in his effort to overhaul the state constitution would personally support weakening protections around popular state sales tax breaks for residential utilities, prescription drugs and food purchased for home consumption. State Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, and former Louisiana House Speaker Jim Tucker, a Republican, on Friday said they would not personally want to lift those sales tax exemptions, but they dont think such granular tax policy belongs in the states foundational governing document. Beaullieu and Tucker support moving those types of tax items from the constitution to state statute during a constitutional convention proposed for this summer. The two men spoke during an online webinar sponsored by the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana. Beaullieu said he also thought cigarette tax restrictions should be shifted from the constitution to statute as well. Louisiana cannot tax cigarettes below their 2012 rate because of a constitutional mandate. I think all of those tax items should be in statute, he said. If there is a better way to bring in revenue for the state, we need to be able to have that on the table. Beaullieu and Tuckers remarks reflected their personal opinions and not those of Landry or the wider group backing the convention, they said. Landrys office declined to comment on their discussion. The sales tax breaks on food, residential utilities and prescription drugs could be more easily repealed if those provisions were shifted from the constitution into regular law as Beaullieu and Tucker suggested. Outside of a convention, lawmakers can only take items out of the state constitution if they receive a two-thirds vote of the Louisiana Legislature and approval from voters on a statewide ballot. They can remove items from statute with only a two-thirds vote or simple majority of lawmakers and dont need voter support to do so. Our ability of the Legislature to be flexible is very much limited because of the constraints of the constitution, Beaullieu said. Beaullieu and Tucker may not be interested in repealing the sales tax exemptions on food, residential utilities and prescription drugs, but other Republicans in the Legislature have floated the idea in previous years. House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, filed legislation in 2023 to repeal those tax breaks, though his proposal didnt get very far in the lawmaking process. Republicans oppose tax hikes in general, but some conservatives in the Legislature want to expand the state sales tax base in exchange for lowering or eliminating the income tax. It would be difficult to meaningfully replace money produced by the income tax which brings in $4.4 billion every year without significantly widening the sales tax base to large swaths of new products. The tax exemptions for food for home consumption ($555.2 million), prescription drugs ($334.4 million) and residential electric power ($260.6 million) add up to $1.2 billion annually, according to states annual tax exemption budget. Advocates for low-income people have opposed proposals to swap out the income tax for broader sales taxes. Wealthy people and businesses pay the state income tax, but poor people do not. People who are struggling would carry a larger share of the financial burden of a sales tax on essentials like food, utilities and prescription drugs, according to the advocates. Outside of lowering the income tax, Landry and the Republican legislative leadership are facing a massive budget shortfall next year when an automatic .45% reduction in the state sales tax is scheduled to take place. If lawmakers could more easily tax food, utilities and prescription drugs, they might be able to widen the sales tax base while still lowering the tax rate, and avoid massive budget cuts to higher education and health care services. If this convention is to deal with the fiscal cliff, they certainly should not deal with it by taxing basic necessities, said Jan Moller, executive director of Invest In Louisiana, a left-leaning think tank that advocates for tax policies that help low-income people. The governor has been pushing to hold a constitutional convention to overhaul the states budget and tax structure for months, but the legislation to call one, sponsored by Beaullieu, has stalled in the Louisiana Senate after passing the House. The Louisiana Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee hasnt scheduled a public hearing on the bill yet. Senators need more specifics from Landry about what he hopes to accomplish in a convention and what the process would look like, said Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, earlier this week. Landry hadnt been willing to share any details about what he hopes to see done during the event until this week. During an education rally Thursday, the governor said one of the goals of the constitutional convention might be to find more money for his educational savings accounts proposal, which could devote hundreds of millions of dollars toward covering private school tuition for Louisiana residents. If the Senate was to approve a convention, House Bill 800 calls for the convention organizational session to be held May 30, followed by pre-convention meetings in June and July. The event would then take place from Aug. 1 to 15, and the new version of the constitution that it could produce would go before the voters for approval on the November presidential election ballot. Louisianas 144 state lawmakers and 27 people appointed by Landry, including Tucker, would serve as the conventions delegates. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Constitutional convention backers weigh in on changes to tax breaks on food, utilities appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Legal experts are lamenting the lack of an enforceable judicial ethics code, with some calling for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's recusal, following a New York Times report that a symbol of the Stop the Steal movement to reject the 2020 election was flown outside Alitos home in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Ten leading legal experts told Salon Friday that the conduct the flying of an upside-down flag, a known symbol of the movement to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, at a justice's home appears to violate the Supreme Court's own ethics code, adopted last last year, by creating an appearance of bias. Those experts said its far past time for the nine justices who enjoy lifetime appointments to hold themselves to the highest ethical standards. But, they noted, the Supreme Court has shown itself reluctant to do so. "The situation is out of control," Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush who worked with Justice Alito on his 2006 Senate confirmation, told Salon. "This is after the insurrection, so it's really him weighing in, getting involved publicly in a dispute over the insurrection." The U.S. Flag Code says the flag should only be displayed upside-down as a signal of distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. Movements including the Tea Party and Stop the Steal have used upside-down flags as a symbol of protest and despair. In an emailed statement, Alito told The Times: I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. The Times said its interviews found that his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, had a dispute with a neighbor over their anti-Trump sign. Its unclear how long the upside-down flag flew, but a neighbor in a Jan. 18, 2021 email said the flag had been upside down for several days. Fox News attorney and journalist Shannon Bream said on X that she spoke with Alito, who said a neighbor put up a F Trump sign near a school bus stop. Bream said that Alitos distraught wife put up the flag upside down for a short term after a neighbor put up a sign blaming Alitos wife for the Jan. 6 attacks. Alito also claimed that a man called her the c-word. Legal experts said judges have a responsibility to hold themselves to the highest standard. I dont know why we have a Supreme Court justice flying a flag upside down, weighing in on an election, why his wife would be doing that, Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, said. His wife is well aware of the impartiality obligations of a federal judge. Painter said he was not convinced by Alito attributing the up-side down flag to his wife, particularly when it was flown on their joint property. "When the house is used this way, I'd be shocked that she would do that without talking about it with him first." Call for Recusal Painter, who has called for an inspector general for the Supreme Court, said the Times report also raises serious questions about whether he can impartially adjudicate any case related to Jan. 6. He also suggested that special counsel Jack Smith should file a motion for Alito's recusal in the pending Trump v. United States case, in which the Supreme Court will weigh in on presidential immunity from criminal prosecution. Several legal experts expressed concern about how Alito would handle that case in particular. A more blatant revelation of bias in a pending case is hard to imagine, Washington & Lee University School of Law professor Jim Moliterno told Salon. It was literally waving a banner that said, I favor election-deniers. "Who can possibly think he will decide this case in a neutral manner?" Professor Leslie Levin, a University of Connecticut School of Law professor, told Salon. "Of course, Justice Alito's political leanings were already well-known. But the flag flying incident indicates he has strong views about the facts underlying this case. His decision seems pre-ordained." Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Earlier this year, Donald Sherman, executive director of advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, argued before the Supreme Court in Trump vs. Anderson, where the justices unanimously held that states couldn't determine eligibility for federal office. Colorado had tried to remove Trump from its ballot, pointing to the Constitution's insurrection clause. "It would have been helpful if this information had been revealed to the public before our clients case was heard in Anderson before Justice Alito in February," Sherman told Salon. Painter said the Senate Judiciary Committee should invite Alito to offer further explanation. Painter said additional details could help Alito if he thought it was inappropriate, he asked her to take it down, that would be a different explanation, Painter said. Moliterno said Alitos response reveals his utter lack of understanding of basic concepts of judicial ethics. Had his wife posted a statement on her social media, for example, he might at least be able to argue that the statement was hers and did not reflect any bias by him in favor of election deniers, Moliterno said. But the flag, raised by whomever, was on their yard in front of their house. All reasonable people would regard it as a reflection of the households view, including his. Richard Zitrin, emeritus lecturer at UC Law San Francisco, said the flag being flown over the Alito home appears to be a "direct statement." "Were familiar with Justice Thomas declining to be disqualified from cases due to his wifes political actions," Zitrin told Salon. "But here, this flag was flown over not just over Mrs. Alitos house, but their house." Professor Renee Knake Jefferson, who holds the Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics at the University of Houston Law Center, said Alito's response alone reinforces public distrust in the Supreme Court. Its concerning that Justice Alito had no explanation like this, but instead placed blame on his wife and apparently still allowed the flag to remain for a period of days, she told Salon. I would expect a judge or justice who is dedicated to ensuring the court is neither political, nor perceived to be so, would state unequivocally that he denounces that the flag was flown in this way and will take steps to prevent a recurrence. Not saying so under these circumstances reinforces critiques that the court is as much a political institution as the other branches of government, which if accepted means a core institution of democracy is compromised. Unenforceable ethics code Last November, the Supreme Court adopted its first-ever ethics code, which legal experts widely panned as unenforceable. The Supreme Court's own ethics code reads in part: a justice should disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the Justices impartiality might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the Justice could fairly discharge his or her duties. Professor Renee Knake Jefferson said the displaying of the upside down flag falls under the codes provision discussing recusal. But the code does not require him to do so, she said. Ultimately, it is his decision alone to make. Unlike all other courts, there is no place for review or to appeal the decision of a Supreme Court justice who declines to disqualify themselves. Russell Wheeler, non-resident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, said there's no way to file an ethics complaint and spark a special committee investigation against Alito although he could have faced such an ethics process during his time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Wheeler, who has written about such enforcement mechanisms, said the Supreme Court borrowed some language from the binding ethics code for U.S. federal judges. But he pointed out one line they omitted, which reads: "A judge must expect to be the subject of constant public scrutiny and accept freely and willingly restrictions that might be viewed as burdensome by the ordinary citizen." Wheeler told Salon: "It's rather telling that the court was not willing to endorse what regardless is just the basic, common sense observation that once you have the additional power and prestige of being a Justice of the Supreme Court or a federal judge at all, there are certain restrictions on your behavior that you have to accept, and that you wouldn't have to accept if you are just an ordinary citizen." The Supreme Courts code also says that a justice should not publicly endorse or oppose a candidate for office, engage in other political activity and avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities. In addition, justices should not engage in behavior that is harassing, abusive, prejudiced or biased, reads the code. Alfini said the American Bar Association's model code of judicial conduct does not include a family exemption when it comes to endorsing other candidates. "If a family member endorses a publicly endorses a candidate for office, the code says it could be imputed to the judge," Alfini said. Alfini said it's past time for the Supreme Court to come up with their own enforcement mechanism. "Their own code certainly is not as expansive as the code for lower federal judges," Alfini said. "But they need to come up with a mechanism for enforcing whether it's the nine of them getting together and deciding whether Alito, for instance, should recuse himself under these circumstances, or a smaller group of them being sort of an enforcement forcing body. They don't have any means right now to enforce any ethics rules, including their own." And Sherman, of CREW, said any enforcement mechanism needs to consider situations where justices decide to stay on a case despite allegations of a conflict. "But the ball remains with the justices to make that decision," Sherman said. Push for impartiality Geyh said he expects a wide-ranging public debate about whether Alito violated the code. "Justice Alito has already attributed the flag to his wife, which complicates the analysis in ways that stalemate the issue," Geyh said. Geyh said he finds such a debate fruitless given the lack of discipline attached to the code. And he said our focus should be on installing justices who work to keep their biases at bay and remain open-minded. Geyh said the pledge by 13 Trump-nominated federal judges to not hire future Columbia University students as law clerks, citing the tenor of pro-Palestinian protests, is another recent example of a shift toward overt partisanship in the judiciary. "That's really out of character with what the federal judiciary has historically done, Geyh said. We need to push back against that. Geyh said he expects to see motions for disqualification filed against Alito but doesnt expect such motions to be successful. I think it's unlikely in the extreme that he will disqualify himself from those cases, Geyh said. Sherman, of CREW, questioned whether litigants will feel empowered to raise recusal motions. "The system really puts the burden on litigants to raise those concerns," Sherman said. "And owners are reluctant to do that when ultimately Justice Alito is going to make his own decision and could potentially hold it against them or their clients." Former federal judge Jeremy Fogel called for the Supreme Court to "create an independent, panel of experienced retired judges with deep experience in judicial ethics to advise it about recusals and difficult ethical questions." "Such a panel wouldnt provide a way to investigate situations like the current one involving the flag, but it could provide a check on the justices judgments going forward, including questions such as whether Justice Alito should recuse from pending [Jan. 6] cases," Fogel, executive director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, told Salon. Alfini called on Alito to at least provide the public with a letter explaining why he won't recuse himself. Former Justice Antonin Scalia did so in 2004, when he rejected calls for recusal after inviting his long-time acquaintance former Vice President Dick Cheney on a duck-hunting trip. But Alito himself has balked at calls for more transparency and stringent ethical requirements, telling the Wall Street Journal, for example, that Congress lacks the power to impose a code of ethics on the Supreme Court. I marvel at all the nonsense that has been written about me in the last year," Alito continued. "The traditional idea about how judges and justices should behave is they should be mute. But that's just not happening, and so at a certain point I've said to myself, nobody else is going to do this, so I have to defend myself." NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A convicted felon was arrested Wednesday night after he was caught selling drugs in East Nashville. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee Metro police said 37-year-old Lacarl Johnson, who was on probation at the time of his arrest, was caught selling drugs on South 4th Street. When he was taken into custody, detectives seized a stolen Glock, cocaine, marijuana, and ecstasy. Johnson was arrested on 11 charges and is currently jailed on a $118,500 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 WKRN News 2. Police in France shot an armed suspect dead Friday morning after he attempted to torch a synagogue, authorities said. The attack unfolded in the northwestern city of Rouen. Responding officers neutralized the man who was clearly wanting to set fire to the citys synagogue, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced in a post on X. He also congratulated officers for their responsiveness and courage. Wild Prison Van Ambush Sets Inmate Free and Kills 2 Officers Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol said in his own post that there were no victims other than the armed individual. Thoughts and full support to the Jewish Community of Rouen, he added, later writing in a separate update that the whole city is bruised and in shock. Speaking to reporters, Mayer-Rossignol said that the armed man somehow climbed up the synagogue and threw an object, a sort of Molotov cocktail, into the main praying room, according to Reuters. National police officers were called to the scene over reports that smoke was billowing from the building. Upon arrival, they confronted the suspect who moved toward officers while holding a knife and a metal bar, according to the Associated Press. One of the officers then fatally shot the man, authorities said. Natacha Ben Haim, the head of Rouens Jewish community, said the walls and furniture inside the synagogue had been blackened by the flames. Im really upset, its catastrophic, she said, the BBC reports. The attack Friday comes just days after Rouen was rocked by a deadly ambush on a prison van at a toll booth south of the city. Two prison officers were killed when several armed gunmen attacked the van and freed inmate Mohamed Amraknown as The Flybefore making their escape. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Coquille Tribe to open first tribal distillery in Oregon after historic agreement PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Oregons first tribal distillery is on the way after a historic agreement was finalized Thursday. The landmark deal was struck between the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission and the Coquille Indian Tribe. Plans are already in the works for the first-ever distillery liquor production and sales operation within sovereign lands in Coos Bay. WATCH: Portland police, cancer researchers crack down on car thieves The Mill Casino and R.V. Park said theyre planning on selling the products at the casinos bars, restaurants and shops. Theyve also announced a partnership with Heritage Distilling Company to help operate the distillery. The Mill Casino is owned and operated by the Coquille Economic Development Corporation. The casino also announced the most significant renovation in a generation, adding to its already impressive bayfront footprint. Renderings of a planned Heritage Distilling Company tasting room in Coos Bay. May 16, 2024 (courtesy The Mill Casino). Renderings of a planned Heritage Distilling Company tasting room in Coos Bay. May 16, 2024 (courtesy The Mill Casino). Renderings of a planned Heritage Distilling Company tasting room in Coos Bay. May 16, 2024 (courtesy The Mill Casino). Renderings of a planned Heritage Distilling Company tasting room in Coos Bay. May 16, 2024 (courtesy The Mill Casino). Coquille Tribal Council Chair Brenda Meade released the following statement to commemorate the unprecedented agreement: The Coquille Tribe stayed strong and resilient through the invasion of our homelands, through forcible removal, through the Western Oregon Termination Act and everything else thrown at us over the centuries. Since our Restoration in 1989, we have gone from the brink of annihilation to becoming one of the largest employers on the Oregon coast. That exercise in sovereignty has led us to this time in our history, and our most recent collaboration is another step in our mission to create and foster prosperity for our people and our communities. Paul Giamatti spotted in Portland at Powells Books According to The Mill Casinos announcement, this deal between the Tribe and the State of Oregon was years in the making. It involved changing a federal law that prohibited people from setting up distilleries for manufacturing on tribal land. The 1834 law was repealed in 2018, thanks in part to efforts from Heritage Distilling Company. 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. Details surrounding the death of John Barnett, a corporate whistleblower who was in the midst of suing aviation giant Boeing when he was found dead in a parking lot earlier this year, have finally been revealed. Barnett was a former quality control engineer at Boeing who accused the company of serious safety infractions. His body was discovered on March 9th after he failed to show up to court for his latest deposition. Barnett was found in his truck, which was in the parking lot of the Charleston, South Carolina, motel where he had been staying during court proceedings. On Friday, the coroners office in Charleston released its final assessment of his death. It was previously reported that Barnett died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, which led to the natural presumption that he had died by suicide. However, the odd circumstances of Barnetts deathamidst a litigation effort against the powerful aviation companyinstantly launched conspiracy theories that blamed Boeing for his death. The coroners new report does nothing to dispel the notion that Barnett took his own life. Its verdict is that his cause of death was determined to be: Gunshot Wound of the Head and that the manner of death is best deemed as suicide. The report provides details about how Barnetts body was found and the investigation that took place to assess how he died. One section of the report details the surveillance footage that was taken of Barnetts vehicle in the hours before his death. This video, which was retrieved from security cameras stationed both inside the hotel and the hotel parking lot, shows that nobody was seen near Barnetts car except for him, the report says: A thorough review of the footage revealed Mr. Barnett entered the hotel lobby on March 8, 2024, at 1926 hours. He exited the hotel at 2037 hours. At 2045 hours, his truck was observed backing into the parking space where it was later discovered. Video surveillance recordings continuously record his vehicle. Throughout the review of surveillance video spanning the evening of March 8th through the morning of March 9th, from the time the vehicle was backed into the parking space until the Charleston Fire Department gained entry to the vehicle, no other individuals were seen entering or exiting Mr. Barnetts vehicle. At no time did anyone engage or try to make contact with Mr. Barnett. The vehicle brake lights were captured blinking on and off at 0720 hours on March 9, 2024. The report also mentions that a notebook containing writing resembling a suicide note was discovered inside the truck with Barnett. On the topic of this note, the coroner continues: The writings found in the vehicle were examined by the Charleston Police Department and found only Mr. Barnetts fingerprints on the notebook. The writings contained information known only to his family. The coroners report blames Barnetts death on mental health and stress issues spurred by the ongoing lawsuit, as well as other issues: A review of medical records and interviews with Mr. Barnetts family, attorneys, and healthcare professionals, revealed Mr. Barnett was under chronic stress in the context of the lawsuit, suffered from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, and grieved the death of his wife. Barnetts family had claimed that his death was the result of mental health issues. The family accused Boeing of having contributed to the stress that eventually led him to take his own life. He was suffering from PTSD and anxiety attacks as a result of being subjected to the hostile work environment at Boeing which we believe led to his death, the familys statement reads. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 988 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. These services are free and confidential. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The John J. Moran Medium Security Facility at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institutions in Cranston. (Rhode Island Department of Corrections website) The union representing the state prison systems correctional officers expressed outrage Friday over Gov. Dan McKees nomination of Wayne Salisbury, Jr. to continue leading the Rhode Island Department of Corrections on a permanent basis. I believe strongly this is the wrong guy we should have done a national search for the best candidate, Richard Ferruccio, president of Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers, said in an interview Friday afternoon. On Thursday, Ferruccio sent a letter to McKee expressing officers concerns that RIDOC has ceded its stature as one of the nations best correctional departments because of acting leadership. McKee announced that he had picked Salisbury to lead the department Friday morning, drawing praise from one prison reform advocacy group Waynes experience in the Department of Corrections is extensive, and he has played an important role in day-to-day operations and long-term, strategic planning for the department, McKee said in a statement Friday. I look forward to continuing to work with Director Salisbury to maintain high professional standards at the DOC and ensure a safe environment across all correctional facilities in Rhode Island. Gov. Dan McKee announced on Friday, May 17, 2024, that interim Rhode Island Department of Corrections Director Wayne Salisbury, Jr. is his nominee for the permanent post. (Courtesy of Office of the Governor)) Salisbury, whose annual base salary is $174,593, has served as acting director of the department since January 2023 following the departure of Patricia Coyne-Fague, who stepped down to lead the city of Providences Department of Public Works. He was hired at RIDOC in 2016 as deputy warden and was named deputy director in November 2020, according to his resume. He served as acting warden from March 2017 to February 2018. Salisbury was also the warden at the privately-run Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls from 2004 to 2010. Under Salisburys leadership, Ferruccio claimed assaults on officers and fights among inmates have nearly doubled. His letter also cited concerns about an alleged increase in drug trafficking and inmates having uncontrolled access to technology supposedly used to coordinate gang fights. The Brotherhood has raised these safety concerns repeatedly with the acting leadership and have been repeatedly met with silence, Ferruccio wrote. DOC Spokesperson J.R. Ventura on Friday declined to comment on the claims made in Ferruccios letter. He only said that inmates use tablets for educational purposes at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI). They are secure, they are closed circuit, and they are monitored, he said. Salisbury thanked McKee for nominating him in a statement. Im honored to have led the Rhode Island Department of Corrections over the last sixteen months, as we have faced operational challenges in areas such as staffing, recruitment, restrictive housing, and recidivism reduction to name a few, Salisbury said. I am grateful for the governors nomination and pledge my continuous commitment to provide a safe and secure environment for all while offering rehabilitative and vocational opportunities for those returning to our communities. Different versions of events Ferruccio told Rhode Island Current Friday afternoon the letter was drafted after a trio of incidents at the various prison facilities Wednesday. Ferruccio claimed there was a six-man gang fight at the medium-security facility that led to a lockdown, a cache of about 11 weapons were discovered at the maximum security building, and a different fight happened at the intake center. Ventura confirmed that incidents did occur Wednesday, but were not as Ferruccio alleged. The fight at the medium-security prison was initially between two inmates and briefly joined by four others, but Ventura said it was quickly stopped by correctional officers. As for the cache of weapons, Ventura said it was just a crate of razors dropped by an inmate cell. Those were confiscated and that person was punished. At the intake center, he said that two people shoved each other following an argument. An officer intervened and the two were restrained. A lot of this stuff is blown out of proportion, Ventura said. This was literally nothing that can be considered out of the ordinary here. Nomination draws praise from advocacy group Stop Torture R.I. Coalition campaign manager Brandon Robinson, a former ACI inmate who had been placed in restrictive housing, said Salisburys nomination was actually good news to hear. Hes not afraid to bring much-needed change to the DOC, Robinson said in an interview. The biggest positive, he said, was the departments decision last year to limit disciplinary confinement to a maximum of 30 days. The move came as part of arbitration in the case of Richard Lee Paiva v. Rhode Island Department of Corrections, which was originally filed on Feb. 24, 2017. Prior to the policy change, prisoners could be held in restrictive housing the term RIDOC uses for solitary confinement for 31 days to a year on a single offense. Even though it was through a federal court order, it took guts to keep up those policies especially with the resistance of correctional staff, Robinson said. Hes not afraid to bring much-needed change to the DOC. Brandon Robinson, Stop Torture R.I. Coalition campaign manager, on nomination of Wayne Salisbury, Jr. as director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections Ferruccio blamed the policy change for creating the unsafe conditions alleged in his letter to McKee. The discipline process has become a total joke to the inmates, he told Rhode Island Current. Though the use of restrictive housing has been limited, Robinson said he still would like to see the policy codified by the state. Robinson added RIDOC also needs to reduce the number of inmate deaths and continue to introduce programs that can set people up for life after prison. The focus needs to be on rehabilitation, he said. Salisburys nomination now heads to the Rhode Island Senate for consideration. No hearing has been scheduled as of late Friday afternoon. The post Correctional officers union opposes McKees nomination of interim director for permanent job appeared first on Rhode Island Current. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Agency (AZPROMO) and the Russian Trade Representation in the country will hold a round table in Kazan today as part of the international forum, AZPROMO's Executive Director Yusif Abdullayev told Trend. According to him, the event will feature Russian government officials, leaders of AZPROMO and KOBIA (the Small and Medium Business Development Agency) of Azerbaijan, the head of the Azerbaijan Economic Zones Development Agency, and businessmen from both countries. He added that the round table participants will discuss prospects for medium-term cooperation and the steps that need to be taken by the state and business to overcome barriers in product supply and investment inflow, as well as the development of logistics, industry, tourism, and the enhancement of cooperation through international transport corridors. To note, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Russia from January through March this year amounted to $890.7 million. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) The case against former DEA agent Joseph Bongiovanni, who is accused of corruption, will go back on trial. Bongiovannis re-trial has been set for July 29 in front of Judge Lawrence Vilardo. Last month, a jury was only able to reach a verdict on three of the 15 charges against him. After several attempts and long hours in the juror room, a mistrial was declared on 12 counts, including the most serious charges of conspiracy, accepting bribes and drug charges. Bongiovanni was charged with accepting more than $250,000 in bribes from who the prosecution referred to as Italian organized crime members, who allegedly worked with the ex-DEA agent to derail investigations into themselves. Prosecutors also allege Bongiovanni worked closely with co-defendant Peter Gerace, the owner of Pharoahs Gentlemans Club, saying the site was used for drugs and sex trafficking. Federal government seeks juror from trial of former DEA agent Joseph Bongiovanni In light of this new trial, prosecutors say they will seriously consider making a motion to rejoin the cases against Bongiovanni and Gerace. Bongiovanni is not detained, but he has been ordered to wear an ankle monitor. His attorneys claimed in court today he is experiencing medical distress like swelling as a result. Latest Local News Marlee Tuskes is an award-winning anchor and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2019. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter. 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. Could voters choose to increase taxes and save Poudre schools? Here's why some think so Are you and your neighbors willing to pay $6 a month to keep Poudre School District from closing any of its neighborhood schools? Jeff Lindquist would like to know. The Fort Collins resident and former chief financial officer for a suburban Denver school district believes Poudre School District needs to ask voters for that money, giving them a chance to provide additional financial support, before shutting down schools. Lindquist first pitched the idea publicly during an April 17 listening session with the Board of Education on school closures, consolidations and boundary changes. PSD, he said, can put a mill-levy override on the ballot for the November election and let voters, rather than the PSD Board of Education and district leadership, decide an issue that will have such a significant impact on the community. The sacrifice to the average homeowner, he said, would cost about as much as a latte at a local coffee shop. If you want $7 million, ask us for it, and if we give it to you, great, Lindquist told the Coloradoan earlier this month. If we vote against it; thats on us, and the district can then go ahead and do what it feels it needs to do. Dave Montoya, PSDs chief financial officer, estimated the district could raise about $8 million through a mill-levy override that would add about $71 a year, or $5.91 a month, to property taxes for the owner of a home with an assessed value of $700,000. That would more than cover the amount of money PSD currently spends to keep schools with low enrollments open, the justification Superintendent Brian Kingsley and the Board of Education have used to defend the controversial process theyve undertaken to close as many as five neighborhood schools and redraw boundaries for several others. Size-factor adjustments to provide what Montoya called a bare minimum level of operations at schools with low enrollments cost PSD $5.3 million in 2022-23, $6.7 million this year and an estimated $7 million in 2024-25, Montoya said. Each of the four options for school closures, consolidations and boundary changes under consideration by the school board would save a total of $4.3 million to $4.8 million, according to the Facilities Planning Steering Committee that prepared them. I cant understand, with all this talk, why they wouldnt just ask us for that money before assuming we wouldnt pay more to keep our schools open, Lindquist said. I think I could make a pretty good argument and rally enough folks to get that passed. The mill-levy override option is feasible, Montoya said, through either a traditional mill-levy override that could include an escalator tied to inflation, as the 2019 mill-levy override to increase teacher salaries and mental health and security staff contains, or through a debt-free mill levy. He has discussed the idea with Lindquist, a former chief financial officer for Westminster Public Schools. Money collected through a debt-free mill levy can only be used to capital construction, new technology, existing technology upgrade, and facility maintenance needs, as approved in 2016 by the Colorado General Assembly. But PSD could re-allocate money in its general fund that now covers those costs to free up the money needed to provide the size-factor adjustments for schools with low enrollment. For example, he said, line-item expenses in the general fund for transportation replacement of buses and other district vehicles or computer upgrades, or both, could instead be covered by a new mill levy. Montoya cautioned that his estimate of an annual tax increase of $71 for the owner of a house valued at $700,000 is only a rough estimate, using a 2016 mill-levy override that raised $8 million annually for start-up costs at three new schools Bamford Elementary and Timnath and Wellington middle-high schools for reference. There are also changes being made to Colorados tax structure, he said, that will impact his calculations. That $5.91 a month figure is actually a bit higher than what most homeowners would likely pay, based on current home values. The median sales price of a single-family home in Fort Collins in April was $627,790, according to the Fort Collins Board of Realtors. The median sales price of townhouse-condominium was $415,000. If the Board of Education were to ask voters for a mill-levy override in the November 2024 general election, it would have to notify Larimer County of its intent to do so in writing by July 26, County Clerk Tina Harris said. A signed intergovernmental agreement would have to be completed by Aug. 27, and ballot language certified by Sept. 6. Protesters hold up signs in front of the Poudre School District administration building before a board meeting on May 14 in Fort Collins. If voted upon and approved, PSD would be able to begin collecting that money next spring Montoya said. At least one school board member expressed concerns about the impact an increase on property taxes would have in a community already struggling with a high housing costs. Mill-levy overrides; I think this is an interesting solution, Im not wild about, Board of Education member Kevin Havelda said during discussions on the proposed school closings and consolidations May 14. I think buying our way out of a problem is great for those who can afford it, but it could exacerbate another problem were seeing in our community about it being too expensive to live here. Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, x.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Could a tax increase save Poudre School District in Fort Collins? County to Highland Beach: Milani Park is coming to town whether you like it or not HIGHLAND BEACH After 37 years, Palm Beach County is at last moving forward with plans to build Milani Park in Highland Beach despite pleas from Highland Beach residents and elected officials to sell the property. The county has been trying to figure out what to do with the 5.6-acre parcel since it bought it from Cam and Lucia Milani for $4 million in 1987. To get the deal done, the county was required to build the park in Cam Milani's name. Cam Milani died in 1986. The parcel has already been named after Cam Milani but nothing has ever been built. After nearly four decades of litigation and contention between the county and Highland Beach, the county is ready to build the park. Highland Beach, though, has not given up: it recently passed a resolution urging the county to sell the property, noting that its value has mushroomed to $47 million. The settlement agreement and other documents related to the dispute can be found on the town's website. The move to call for a sale of the parcel angered county officials, resulting in a break-off of negotiations. Marci Woodward and other commissioners argued that the county has no choice but to honor a settlement agreed to by the county and Highland Beach in 2010 that called for a park with spaces for 120 cars. Lucia Milani gazes toward the Highland Beach beachfront in 2019. She has waited since 1987 for the county to build a county park on a beach parcel she and her late husband, Cam, sold to the county. You should consider selling it. Surely, there are projects out there in the county that are more deserving, said Richard Greenwald, a Highland Beach resident. But that is not going to happen. We can and will deliver a beautiful park, promised Woodward at a commission meeting on May 7, noting that the vacant land reminds her of a Florida of yesteryear. The Milani property straddles A1A, just north of Spanish River Boulevard in Highland Beach, a one-square-mile town with nearly 4,000 year-round residents. What occupies the land at the future Highland Beach park site? The outcropping rock provides a magnet for fish, a trait also enjoyed by the Japanese settlers who established the Yamato Colony, a farming community near Boca Raton, at the turn of the 20th century. This will be a park unlike any other in the county park system, Woodward said. The western part is an open field. A sign says the park is coming soon. Across the street on the east side are sprawling sea grapes tangled with other vegetation and a secluded beach with a unique natural feature with historical significance: Yamato Rock. The county may consider putting a lifeguard on the beach along with a trail on so beachgoers could get to the beach. That is something that Highland Beach does not want to see happen. Why is Highland Beach so vehemently opposed to a park? Greenwald and scores of others, wearing No Park shirts, testified before the commission that the park would worsen an already intolerable traffic situation on A1A and create a safety problem for pedestrians trying to cross the street to get to the beach. They also say that it is unsafe to swim in the ocean to the east of Milani Park, and there often is no beach at high tides. It is possible that the county might build a lifeguard station there. Highland Beach Commissioner Don Peters said when he campaigned for office last year, he met with hundreds of people. Not one person wants this park, he said. "We support our people." Milani Park has had a tortured history In 1974, Cam and Lucia Milani bought the parcel to build an apartment complex. The Town of Highland Beach opposed their plans, and after years of litigation and failed attempts to build on it, the Milanis agreed to sell the property to the county but only if a park in Cam's name was built. The land has continued to sit vacant because of continued opposition from Highland Beach and protracted litigation. Eventually, a 2010 court settlement was reached that called for construction of the park to be delayed until at least 2020. And then another five-year extension was granted in 2019. While the agreement allows for another extension, county commissioners say there will be no more extensions. I have zero interest in selling this land, said Commissioner Mack Bernard. There is no negotiation here. There is a settlement that you (Highland Beach) agreed to. We are going to comply with it. Future home of Milani Park sign announces the county will soon be building a park on the site, much to the dismay of Highland Beach officials who fear the park will aggravate an already difficult traffic-congestion problem. The closest beach access is a half mile south in Delray Beach; there is no public beach access in Highland Beach. You can get there if you are already on the beach in either Delray Beach to the north or Boca Raton to the south. Woodward said she is still willing to work with the town to develop plans but the issue of whether the park should be built is off the table. She described the Milani parcel like stepping back in time and seeing original Florida. It does not exist anywhere else. It has been sitting there for decades and has grown up with native vegetation. This could be a great nature preserve with maybe a raised boardwalk. It is possible that the surface of the parking lot could be mulch instead of asphalt," she added. HIGHLAND BEACH NEWS: Why Highland Beach is breaking away from Delray to create its own fire rescue department Attorney Tom Carney, who represents the Milanis, called the settlement "a benefit for all South County residents," adding: Building the park is the right thing to do. We desperately need a park by the beach. We are not growing more beach." Carney is also the mayor of adjacent Delray Beach. Commissioner Gregg Weiss said that even though the current commission has nothing to do with the 2010 settlement, the county must adhere to it, adding: It is a matter of trust. We must live with an agreement even though it was not made by us. In an article in The Palm Beach Post in 2019, Lucia Milani said: I want to see this park developed before I die. I think they owe it to me that I sold it to the county for that purpose and the sole purpose of making it a public park for Palm Beach County residents and they owe it to the people who paid for it. The county is expected to receive proposals from design firms for Milani Park on May 24. Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County to Highland Beach: Milani Park will finally be built Gov. Spencer J. Cox speaks to reporters during the Governor's Monthly News Conference at the PBS Utah Studios in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Pool photo by Laura Seitz/Deseret News) Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday said he wants U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to build a detention facility in Utah so the agency doesnt have to transport detained migrants to Las Vegas, which he said is creating a backlog. But the governor said efforts to work with ICE to allow state-run facilities to hold detainees for longer have been unsuccessful. We would love to have a holding facility here and we have made several offers to make that easier so there isnt this backlog when it comes to transportation, Cox said Thursday during his monthly PBS news conference. We can offer up these facilities and theyve turned down our offers unfortunately. I think they like the problem, exacerbating the problem, and thats deeply frustrating, Cox continued. ICE did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. However, staffing issues could explain why the agency wouldnt be able to operate a facility in Utah, per the governors request. ICE doesnt have the manpower to run a whole facility, said Adam Crayk, a Utah-based immigration attorney. Theres this issue between the feds and the state, where the state is willing to offer space but feds dont have manpower to actually run that space. In lieu of an ICE facility, Cox said Utah is detaining migrants who enter illegally and commit crimes. The problem has been with the Biden administration and ICE officials, the closest detention facility for us is in the Las Vegas area in Nevada, Cox said. ICE, the federal government, is supposed to transport these illegal immigrants, these lawbreakers, back to that holding facility where they can then be processed. We can hold them even longer here, but the Biden administration has put these rules in place that make it impossible for our jails to do that. Its deeply frustrating. However, instructing jails to hold detained migrants for longer periods of time could run afoul of federal law, Crayk said. If an undocumented person is arrested and incarcerated, ICE will place an immigration hold on them, but they are still in state custody. And if the arrest was for a non-felony offense, like a DUI, its unlikely a judge will order that person to remain in custody for a long period of time. Once a judge orders their release, the immigration hold is activated and ICE is notified that the jail cannot keep the person for more than 48 hours. Crayk said attempting to keep the person in custody for longer could be a violation of the Constitution. The jails dont hold them because they cant hold them. The jail has an obligation to let someone out, said Crayk. ICE agents have this difficult proposition hanging over their head as to what they are going to do with that person. Something like a DUI is not typically a deportable offense, said Crayk. Often, its classified as a public safety offense, meaning their unlawful presence in conjunction with a misdemeanor has placed the public in danger. ICE will then pick the person up and transport them to one of three immigration holding facilities in the Las Vegas area. Twice a week, the agency runs a shuttle from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas for these types of cases. There, a judge will decide whether the person should be released under a bond. For that to happen, the person needs to prove they are not a danger to the community or a flight risk. Whether the proceeding takes place in Salt Lake City or Las Vegas, nothing guarantees the person wont be released. It just means an immigration judge will make a decision as to whether or not the federal government wants to release that person back to the community, said Crayk. Cox has repeatedly criticized the federal government and Biden administration for its immigration policies. That rhetoric continued on Thursday. Ive reached out to Sec. Mayorkas directly and again, with ICE officials here, Cox said during his news conference. Weve had several meetings with the Department of Public Safety as well as the Sheriffs Association and so were getting to a better place, but again, the federal government when it comes to border security, when it comes to processing illegal immigrants, when it comes to deporting those who have broken the law, they are failing the country at every turn. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Cox says he wants an ICE facility in Utah appeared first on Utah News Dispatch. Croatian Prime minister designate Andrej Plenkovic attends a Parliament session in Zagreb, Croatia, Friday, May 17, 2024. Croatian lawmakers on Friday voted into office a new government that marks a tilt to the right in another European Union nation ahead of the 27-nation bloc's parliamentary election next month. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) Croatian lawmakers on Friday voted into office a new government that marks a tilt to the right in another European Union nation ahead of the 27-nation bloc's parliamentary election next month. Although it is still dominated by conservative Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, the new Croatian government now also includes hard-right Homeland Movement, a relatively new party that emerged as a kingmaker after an inconclusive parliamentary election in April. The new Cabinet of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who started his third consecutive term in office, was approved in a 79-61 vote in the 151-member Sabor, or the Croatian assembly. The HDZ won the most votes in the April 17 election but not enough to rule alone. A relatively slim majority for the new coalition government could usher in a period of political instability after HDZ's years-long domination. In his speech, Plenkovic said that his new government will focus on further economic growth and modernization, saying that so far the citizens have recognized our effort. Croatia's economy was among the weakest in the EU when it joined the bloc in 2013 but has since managed to join the single currency market last year. The country of 3.8 million people relies heavily on income from tourism along its stunning Adriatic Sea coastline. For the first time in years, Croatia's government does not include a party representing Croatia's ethnic Serb minority after the Homeland Movement, known as DP, objected to their participation. This has sparked concerns that Croatia's hard-won ethnic balance following the 1991-95 Serb-Croatian war could be disrupted. Plenkovic pledged that we will take care of the rights of national minorities, respect them, protect achieved rights and make sure that everyone in Croatia, each and everyone of our citizens, feel good. But Anja Simpraga, a former government minister from the Independent Democratic Serb Party, or SDSS, warned during Friday's debate that already we are witnessing radicalization." Liberal lawmaker Sandra Bencic, from left-green Mozemo, or We Can, party ironically evoked what she described as homeland spirit" fueling divisions in the society. The Homeland Movement party is made up mostly of radical nationalists and social conservatives who had left HDZ. The party is led by the hard-line mayor of the eastern town of Vukovar, which was destroyed in 1991 at the start of Croatias war for independence after it split from the former Yugoslavia. The party has demanded that the Croatian state abolish financing of a critical liberal news outlet Novosti, which is issued by the Serb minority and funded from the budget. The Croatian Journalists Association has reported that Novosti journalists have received threats and been deemed as enemies of the state. The organization said the threats are the result of DPs campaign against Novosti, and have demanded a response from the authorities. The DP also has advocated a return to the traditional, stay-at-home role for women in Croatia's society, which is predominantly Catholic and conservative, and where women already face problems accessing abortion. HDZ has largely held office since Croatia gained independence. The Balkan nation became an EU member in 2013, and joined Europes passport-free travel area and the eurozone last year. With hard=right and populist parties now part of or leading a half dozen governments in the EU, they appear positioned to make gains in the June 6-9 election for the European Parliament. The vote takes place as the continent faces a war in Ukraine, climate emergencies, migration and other problems. SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The Croatian parliament on Friday approved a government dominated by the conservative pro-European HDZ party, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, marking his third term in the job following a parliamentary election last month. The long-ruling HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union), which led the NATO member country of 3.8 million people to join the EU's Schengen free travel area and the euro zone last year, formed a coalition with the far-right Homeland Movement (DF). Homeland Movement will have three ministers in the 18-member government. "We want successful, vital, just, sustainable and sovereign Croatia," Plenkovic told lawmakers presenting the government programme. Of 141 present MPs, 79 voted for and 61 against the government, with one abstention. Anti-immigrant DF has campaigned on a platform of defending traditional family values and against allowing the minority Serb party to join any future coalition, raising fears that the new cabinet will be oriented more to the right. But under a coalition agreement between the two parties, the HDZ will keep its ministers of internal affairs and culture, which means that policies in key sectors concerning migrant policy and minority rights will not change, analysts say. "It is obvious that Prime Minister Plenkovic will find the way to continue to lead centrist policies focused on the EU," said political analyst Davor Gjenero. "I think there will be no major change of public policies. Croatia remains stable as the state advocating more Europe." DF, which won 14 seats, emerged as a king-maker after the vote in which HDZ won 61 seats in the 151-seat parliament, well ahead of the 42 won by main opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its allies but short of the 76 seats needed to secure a parliamentary majority. Minority parties which were HDZ allies previously supported the government, with the exception of the Serb minority party SDSS which DF insisted should be excluded from any future government. DF, which entered the government for the first time, will head the agriculture ministry, a new ministry of demography and part of the economy ministry which was split in two departments. The HDZ has kept ministers from the previous government, bringing in only one new face. "It very much looks like a continuity government, both in terms of its composition and policy priorities, although a slight shift to the right is possible in some areas," said Andrius Tursa, the advisor for Central and Eastern Europe at the advisory firm Teneo. "In foreign policy, an HDZ-led government would maintain a strong pro-Western, pro-Ukraine stance," Tursa said, adding that the greatest challenge for the new government will be to tackle corruption, which negatively affects the business environment. (Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucicc; Editing by Rod Nickel) Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes (R-Ga.) comments about her physical appearance demonstrate that shes absolutely racist. She is racist. I mean, I dont have any questions about that. Because, I mean, I dont know that shes ever attacked her own colleagues, Crockett said, referring to Greenes comments during a hearing that descended into chaos after the Georgia lawmaker taunted Crockett over her false eyelashes. She noted that Greene hasnt attacked other colleagues over their appearance, including Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), even though the two have feuded in the past. Her and Boebert arent getting along. Boebert has clip-ins in her hair. And Boebert wears lashes, too, sometimes it looks like. I dont know. But she doesnt attack her for any of her [physical embellishments]. She doesnt do that, right? But she decided to do it to me. So absolutely [shes a racist], Crockett said. She probably will raise money, because the racists are going to be so happy to give it to her. A meeting to mark up a resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt was overshadowed by Greenes comments and led to a string of barbs, as well as other comments about the Georgia lawmakers appearance. Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland, Crockett said at one point during the hearing, later adding, Do you know what were here for? I dont think you know what youre here for, Greene responded. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. The remarks led to a lengthy detour about whether to strike Greenes words, as other members like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called them disgusting and urged her to apologize. More disorder ensued later when Crockett asked if a hypothetical comment which appeared to be a veiled jab at Greene would break congressional protocol. Im just curious, just to better understand your ruling, Crockett said, referring to a ruling committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) had made about Greenes comments. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blond bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Greene addressed the matter in a lengthy post on the social platform X Friday morning that largely railed against Democrats in Congress and the White House and touched on former President Trumps trial. Some people are upset about the scene from Oversight Committee last night, well Im upset and disgusted pretty much everyday at the Democrat controlled DOJ, federal government, and Congress in general, Greene wrote. Pardon me if I dont talk as nicely as some people would like to hear. Ocasio-Cortez on Friday also pointed to the racial undertones of Greenes remarks. It is not lost on me that Ms. [Greene] targeted one of the only Black women on the committee for some of the most egregious and disgusting comments and with the expectation that it will be ignored, she told reporters. Michael Lillis and Cheyanne M. Daniels contributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses across the nation continue to draw attention and stir controversy going into the spring graduation season as student activists call for their educational institutions to divest from Israel amid the war in Gaza. Hundreds of law enforcement personnel descended on an encampment at University of California, Irvine, on Wednesday, ending in the arrest of more than 50 protesters, including faculty members. Police have arrested more than 2,900 people at college campuses across the US during protests against the Israel-Hamas war, with nearly 500 of those arrests occurring in California. Demonstrations at graduation ceremonies havent have resulted in mass arrests, but there have been some interruptions. UC Berkeleys undergraduate graduation ceremony Saturday was interrupted at several points by demonstrators but proceeded mostly as scheduled. At Pomona College, a group of more than 100 people led by graduates marched outside the graduation venue, attempting to block access to the event, and Los Angeles officers in riot gear moved in to disperse the crowd. UC Davis saw a muted display at its law school graduation May 10, where students expressed themselves with flags and signs, as is typical of a commencement ceremony, said James Nash, a university spokesman. There were no interruptions of the ceremony. Starting Friday, Sacramento State will hold seven separate ceremonies for its different academic colleges at Golden 1 Center, drawing tens of thousands of attendees to celebrate the several thousand 2024 graduates. But do activists plan to demonstrate at any of the ceremonies? And are Sacramento State administrators preparing for interruptions? What to expect at this this weekends grad ceremonies Sacramento State is one of the few schools that has seen the peaceful end of a campus encampment, which could reduce the possibility of an organized protest at graduation. Activists packed up their encampment earlier this month following a university decision to investigate its direct and indirect investments to ensure socially responsible investment strategies which include not having direct investments in corporations and funds that profit from genocide, ethnic cleansing, and activities that violate fundamental human rights. The schools chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine lauded the action in a statement, but said that the struggle doesnt end here. SJP organizers did not confirm or deny whether they plan to demonstrate at this weekends commencement ceremony. Sacramento State spokeswoman Lanaya Lewis said that they are not aware of any planned demonstrations, but that the university always has security at commencement. We are prepared to respond to conditions that arise, Lewis said. That is consistent with previous commencements. Lewis said that Golden 1 Center would have security staff at the graduation. She also said that the university would staff their own security but declined to confirm that Sac State police department is involved. The city police department will monitor the exterior of the event, just like any event at the Golden 1 Center, said Officer Cody Tapley, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department. Nearby residents and attendees can expect some road closures depending on vehicular and pedestrian traffic. No specific closures have been announced police will make decisions based on traffic patterns that morning. The university declined to comment on specific plans to address disruptions. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Preparing for the financial risks associated with the transition to a green economy is essential, Executive Director of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Shahin Mahmudzade said at the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum, Trend reports. We must be prepared for the financial risks associated with transitioning to a green economy. Climate change impacts, such as floods and droughts, pose significant risks to the financial sector. While these events are unlikely, their occurrence would have a substantial impact on the financial system and the economy, he emphasized. Energy, urban development, consumerism, construction, and transportation are the key sources of increased carbon dioxide emissions. These sectors' economic share is rising. 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel THONOTOSASSA, Fla. (WFLA) While many alligators are out looking for a partner this mating season, several of them are wandering into public places. News Channel 8 reporter Chloe Sparks went behind the scenes to see how professionals handle the pesky predators. When duty calls State Nuisance Alligator Trappers Robb Upthegrove and Julie Harter just need a location. They work together to keep alligator threats in the Tampa Bay area away from the public. They have been doing it for decades. It varies by season, time of year and that kind of thing but nine in a 24-hour period is my record, Harter said. Park Rangers for John B. Sergeant Park in Thonotosassa told the trappers there was a threat in the Hillsborough River at the park and it needed to be removed as soon as possible. The trappers hopped on the call for help immediately. It was dangerous, Upthegrove said about the alligator. It came right to us which means someones been feeding it and thats what makes the alligator dangerous in Florida when hes fed by humans. The trappers decided to name the alligator Sergeant. Hes 9-foot. I knew he was at least an 8-foot but until you put a tape measure on him, you really dont know how big they are, said Upthegrove. Im not a carpenter. The estimated two hours it took to get Sergeant out of the river and into the truck was considered quick compared to most catches in locations like this and as big as Sergeant. With the population growth of Florida, and especially Hillsborough County, Harter said, Theyve [the public] got to understand I dont care if hes 2-foot or 10-foot you cannot feed the gator. He loses his fear of people. The capture wasnt the easiest because it started on a pier, but Sergeant swam right up to the dock when he saw the trappers. Your adrenaline kicked in, his adrenaline kicked in because now all of a sudden hes not the king anymore, Upthegrove said. So you have to be conscious of your safety, and harm to the alligator and any residents that may be around. You have a lot of variables to work with when youre catching an alligator in public. Afterward, theres a choice, the trappers can sell the alligator for its meat and skin or take it to an alligator farm. Luckily for Sergeant, he was big enough to go to the alligator farm Gatorama for everyone to see. We were sent a video of Sergeant being dropped off in his new home. He has a friend in the pond named MLK. Its the nearly 12-foot-long alligator who got caught in traffic last month on MLK Boulevard in Seffner. The trappers were able to get him out safely and take him to the farm. 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. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The One Chip Challenge is making headlines after it was tied to a teenagers death. Harris Wolobah, 14, a sophomore at Doherty Memorial High School in Massachusetts, died of "cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration," according to a May 2024 medical examiner's report obtained by The New York Times. Capsaicin is the chemical compound found in chili peppers which causes a spicy feeling, per WebMD. Wolobah ate a single spicy Paqui tortilla chip hours before his death, his mother told the Times. Wolobahs death has raised a lot of questions about the "One Chip Challenge," as well as what it can do to your body. Heres what to know. What is the One Chip Challenge? The One Chip Challenge is a challenge created by the brand Paqui, which encourages consumers to eat one of the company's very spicy tortilla chips. The chip is dusted with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper, two extremely hot peppers. The chips were packaged in a container with a coffin-shaped box with an image of a skull with a snake coiled around it. Marketing materials for the chip told people to wait as long as they could after eating the chip before eating or drinking anything, and to post their reactions on social media, the Times reports. This isnt a new phenomena. There are YouTube videos going back to 2016 of people trying the chip and posting results of themselves looking seriously uncomfortable. What does the One Chip Challenge do to your body? Videos that people have posted online show disturbing results. In one video, a man is so uncomfortable, he douses himself with a gallon of milk to try to get relief, before announcing that he threw up everywhere. The big issue with the challenge is that the chips contain high levels of capsaicin, which is the chemical compound found in chili peppers which causes that spicy feeling. Acute exposure to capsaicin can lead to a burning feeling in the mouth and stomach, nausea and vomiting, chest pain, stomach pain, and trouble breathing, according to research published by the National Institute of Health. A Massachusetts teen died after attempting it, and other children have been hospitalized. Wolobah died within hours of eating the chip, his mother Lois Wolobah told the Times. On Sept. 1, 2023, she says Harris school called to say that he was sick; when she arrived to pick him up, Lois found him doubled over with stomach pains. Two hours later, he was taken to the hospital, where he passed away. Wolobah's exact cause of death was deemed a cardiopulmonary arrest in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration, according to People. The autopsy found that Harris also had an enlarged heart and a congenital heart defect, which his family wasnt previously aware of. While Wolobah is believed to be the first person who died soon after eating the chip, it's been linked to other illnesses in kids. School officials in California and Texas told Today in 2022 that several students were taken to the hospital after eating the chip, and about 30 students in Clovis, N.M., also had health issues after eating the chip, per KOB-TV. The chips (and challenge) have been discontinued. About a week after Wolobah's death, Amplify Snack Brands, a subsidiary of the Hershey Company who owns Paqui, said they were pulling the chip from shelves "out of an abundance of caution." In a statement, the company shared that "the Paqui One Chip Challenge is intended for adults only, with clear and prominent labeling highlighting the chip is not for children." Paqui added that, "we have seen an increase in teens and other individuals not heeding these warnings." Experts warn against the challenge, but if you do attempt it and experience extreme side effects, the National Capital Poison Center recommends calling Poison Control immediately or going directly to your nearest hospital. You Might Also Like That there are government officials who politicize the law is about as foundational to the discourse as any complaint I can think of. The criticism is sometimes quite fair. And for the latest example of a soft-on-crime politician flouting law and order, we can look to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott, of course, is no self-styled progressive. But his recent decision to pardon Daniel Perry, who was convicted last year of murdering Garrett Foster, channels the spirit of the progressive prosecutors he criticizes for allegedly refashioning the law to suit their ideological preferences. He just has different targets. The governor, who last year urged the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to recommend a pardon for Perry, doesn't see it that way. "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," he wrote in a statement yesterday, approving the pardon after the board officially obliged his request. (It's worth noting that the board, whose members are appointed by the governor, circumvented its own requirement that "evidence of actual innocence from at least two trial officials, or the findings of fact and conclusions of law from the district judge indicating actual innocence" be submitted to even consider such a pardon.) It is absolutely true that the right to self-defense is vital. And to argue that Perrywho, prior to killing Foster at a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest, wrote that he wanted to "shoot the [protesters] in the front and push the pedal to the metal"acted in self-defense is to make a total mockery of that right and those who've had to exercise it. It is also true that many district attorneys, some of them so-called "progressive" prosecutors, appear to disdain that right. There are the cases across New York City I've covered, for example, where prosecutors are unconscionably seeking lengthy prison terms for people who acted in self-defense but had the audacity to do so with an unlicensed gun. That includes the case of Charles Foehner, an elderly man who shot a mugger in Queens, after which law enforcement brought so many weapons charges against him that Foehner would go to prison for life if convicted on all. That was in June 2023. In November, LaShawn Craig of Brooklyn shot a masked man who'd entered his apartment. Though prosecutors concede the shooting was in self-defense, they also charged him with several weapons offenses, including criminal possession of a weapon, a violent felony. And then, most famously, there was Kyle Rittenhouse, whose 2021 prosecution for murder polarized much of the nation, despite that, if you knew the facts, it was an obvious example of self-defensesomething I made very clear at the time. There are some interesting parallels between Rittenhouse's case and Perry's case that are hard to ignore. Both men used their guns at protests against police brutality, many of which popped up across the U.S. in the summer of 2020. The shootings happened exactly a month apart. Then their stories diverge considerably, ending in an acquittal and a conviction, because the way they used their firearms was quite different, despite the culture war backdrop being the same. Both of these things can be true. In July 2020, Perry ran a red light and drove into a crowd of protesters. That in and of itself, of course, is not enough to deduce that he was looking for a fight. His own statements prior to doing so, however, add a great deal of helpful context and show his frame of mind at the time. "I might have to kill a few people on my way to work they are rioting outside my apartment complex," he wrote on social media on May 31, 2020. Also in May, he threatened to a friend that he "might go to Dallas to shoot looters." And then in mid-June, he sent that message about going to a protest, "shoot[ing] the ones in the front," and then careening his car through the hubbub. This was part of a pattern. Austin police detective William Bursley testified, for instance, that Perry searched on Safari for "protesters in Seattle gets shot," "riot shootouts," and "protests in Dallas live." It is not hard to connect the dots between his searches and messages. So what about that stand-your-ground defense Abbott alleges the jury nullified? Core to Perry's case and trial was whether he reasonably feared for his life that July evening. Foster indeed had a rifle on himbecause open carry is legal in Texas. The Second Amendment does not solely exist for people with conservative views. The big question then: Was Foster pointing the gun at Perry when he approached his vehicle? For the answer, we can go to Perry himself, who told law enforcement that he was not. "I believe he was going to aim at me," he said. "I didn't want to give him a chance to aim at me." But that is not a self-defense justification, as Perry cannot claim clairvoyance. That the jury reached the conclusion they did is not a mystery, nor is it an outrage. What is outrageous, however, is that a governor who claims to care about law and order has made clear that his support for crime victims is at least in part conditional on having the "right" politics. The post Daniel Perry's Pardon Makes a Mockery of Self-Defense appeared first on Reason.com. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) On Friday, a sentencing hearing will be held for David DePape, the man who broke into former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis San Francisco house seeking to hold her hostage. When DePape realized that Pelosi was not home, he bludgeoned her husband with a hammer on October 28, 2022. Federal prosecutors are asking U.S. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley to sentence DePape to a 40-year prison sentence. He has not shown any remorse for the attack, prosecutors wrote in court documents. There is nothing about the history and characteristics of the defendant that warrant leniency. The defendant has admitted indeed bragged that he knew what he was doing, court documents state. David DePape records a nude wedding outside San Francisco City Hall on Dec. 19, 2013. (AP Photo / Eric Risberg / File) DePape, 43, was convicted last year on federal charges of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. If Judge Corley decides to give DePape the maximum possible sentence, he could spend the next five decades in prison. The assault charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and the attempted kidnapping charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The attack on 82-year-old Paul Pelosi happened just days before the midterm elections. Prosecutors said DePape was motivated by right-wing conspiracy theories that he learned about on YouTube. He lived inside a garage attached to a home in Richmond. A police officers body camera video shows David DePape and Paul Pelosi struggling for control of a hammer on Oct. 28, 2022. (SFPD image) DePape admitted during trial testimony that he broke into the Pelosis home intending to end government corruption, hold Nancy Pelosi hostage, and break her kneecaps if she lied to him. DePape said he beat Mr. Pelosi with a hammer after police showed up at the home and his plan was unraveling. The attack was recorded on two San Francisco Police Department officers body-worn cameras. I reacted because my plan was basically ruined, DePape said on the stand. DePape testified about how his political leanings went from leftist to right-wing after reading comments on a YouTube video about former President Donald Trump. He planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume, video tape his interrogation of Nancy Pelosi, and upload it online, DePape told the jury. His list of political targets included Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Adam Schiff, Hunter Biden, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, trial evidence showed. Paul Pelosi delivers chilling testimony in DePape trial Mr. Pelosi also testified for the trial. He said he woke up in bed, saw a very large man standing in the bedroom doorway with a hammer and zip ties, and immediately realized he was in serious danger, Mr. Pelosi testified. Prosecutors wrote, When the police arrived, Mr. Pelosi opened the door and the police ordered DePape to drop the hammer he was holding. Instead, DePape struck Mr. Pelosi three times with full force. US Representative Nancy Pelosi (D- CA) and Paul Pelosi arrive for an official State Dinner at the White House in Washington, DC. (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) Nancy Pelosis husband suffered a fractured skull and woke up in a pool of his own blood. Officers tackled DePape to the ground. U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey previously told reporters, Violence has no place in politics. In America, one is free to believe whatever they want, and to engage in passionate political debate. Regardless of what your beliefs are, what you cannot do is physically attack a member of Congress, or their immediate family, for their performance of their job. We look forward to the sentence phase. David DePapes creepy conversation with Pelosi detailed in court documents DePapes sentencing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Friday in the Phillip Burton Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. David DePape testifies at his federal trial in San Francisco on Nov. 14, 2023. (Courtroom sketch courtesy Vicki Behringer) DePape also has a second trial coming up for criminal charges filed by the San Francisco District Attorneys Office in connection to the hammer attack. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins charged DePape with six felony counts: premeditated attempted murder, burglary, inflicting injury on an elder likely to cause great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and threatening a family member of a public official. Jury selection for his next trial is scheduled to begin on May 22. Opening statements from prosecutors and defense attorneys are slated to stretch over nine days, court officials said. The trial is expected to end in late June. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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 FRANCISCO (KRON) David DePape, the man who broke into Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosis home and attacked her husband with a hammer, was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday. The story of DePapes violent attack on Paul Pelosi in October of 2022, is fairly well known. DePape, according to prosecutors, was driven by conspiracy theories and had plans to tie the former speaker up and break her kneecaps if she lied to him. When he realized Nancy Pelosi was not at home, and that the police arriving meant his plans were unraveling, he bludgeoned Paul Pelosi with a hammer. (San Francisco Police Department via AP) The attack was captured on the police-worn body cameras of two responding San Francisco Police Department officers. But what do we know about DePape, beyond the attack? David DePapes age David DePape is 43 years old. At the time of the attack, he was 42. DePape is Canadian DePape is a Canadian who was living in the U.S. illegally. At the time of the attack, he was living in a Richmond garage attached to a home. The judge at Fridays sentencing told the court that once he completes his prison sentence, DePape will be deported back to Canada by ICE immigration officials. David DePape, center, records Gypsy Taub being led away by police after her nude wedding outside City Hall on Dec. 19, 2013, in San Francisco. DePape is accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosis California home and severely beating her husband with a hammer. DePape was known in Berkeley, Calif., as a pro-nudity activist who had picketed naked at protests against local ordinances requiring people to be clothed in public. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) How long will DePape be in prison? DePape received the maximum sentence in both counts against him, attacking Paul Pelosi and attempting to kidnap Nancy Pelosi. He received a 20-year sentence and a 30-year sentence. The sentences will be served concurrently with the 18 months hes already served counted in. Who is Gypsy Taub? Gypsy Taub is the ex-wife of David DePape. Taub is a nudist activist who was married to DePape for several years. She attended every day of DePapes trial and was present at Fridays sentencing hearing. Although she was not allowed to speak Friday, KRON4.com obtained a copy of what she wanted to say in court. The ex-wife of David DePape, Gypsy Taub, was not allowed to speak at todays sentencing hearing. She gave me a copy of what she wanted to say in court. Taub said she thinks the federal trial was a sham, DePape is not guilty, and he suffers from PTSD mental illness. @kron4news pic.twitter.com/ortFaIpSld Amy Larson (@AmyLarson25) May 17, 2024 Does DePape have children? David DePape has several children. He had two sons with Taub, 20-year-old Nebosvod Sky Gonzalez, and 18-year-old Daniel. Nebosvod Sky Gonzalez, David DePapes son, speaks with reporters outside the Phillip Burton Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse where DePapes federal trial is underway in San Francisco on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Why did DePape attack Paul Pelosi? According to prosecutors, DePape broke into the Pelosis San Francisco home intending to kidnap and hold Nancy Pelosi hostage. In earlier testimony, he discussed how his political leanings shifted from leftist to right-wing after reading a YouTube comment about former President Donald Trump. He also testified that he went to the Pelosi home that morning to talk to Speaker Pelosi about Russian involvement in the 2016 election. How was an inflatable unicorn costume involved? In prior testimony, DePape told the jury he planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and upload his interrogation of Speaker Pelosi online. What happens now? DePape has the right to appeal Fridays conviction. DePape is also facing charges in San Francisco Superior Court, where he is charged with attempted murder, elder abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon. That trial is scheduled to begin next 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 KRON4. David DePape was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the attempted kidnapping of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the brutal hammer attack on her husband in their Pacific Heights home. (Michael Short / Associated Press) A federal judge on Friday sentenced David DePape to 30 years in prison, six months after a jury found him guilty of attempting to kidnap former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and using a hammer to bludgeon her husband in a bloody October 2022 assault. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley delivered her decision during a hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, reprimanding DePape at length and saying she believed he continued to pose a danger to the public and "all Americans." "He broke into the home of that public official, he broke into that private space of home and violently attacked a public official's spouse," Scott Corley said. "What that means and why this now is so harmful to everyone in the country and the future, is that when someone is considering now whether they want to go into public service, they have to think not only am I willing to take that risk myself, but am I willing to risk my spouse, my children, my grandchildren." DePape, dressed in an orange jail sweatsuit and wearing ankle restraints, did not outwardly react as his sentence was read. The sentencing caps a federal trial that captivated the nation and raised chilling questions about the safety of public officials amid heightened political extremism and the proliferation of online venues that give traction to baseless fanatical conspiracy theories. In letters to the judge that their daughter, Christine Pelosi, read in court, both Nancy and Paul Pelosi asked the judge to impose lengthy sentences. In her letter, Nancy Pelosi said her husband continues to suffer physically and emotionally from the attack, and that the violent incident "has had a devastating effect on three generations of our family." "It is therefore necessary that the guilty party's sentence be very long as a punishment for the attack and the injuries Paul continues to suffer and as a deterrent to others considering violence against public officials," the former speaker wrote. Paul Pelosi said his life "has been irrevocably changed," and that he hasn't fully recovered. He noted that a blood stain on the front entryway and the metal plate now embedded in his head serve as enduring reminders of the assault. Federal prosecutors had requested a 40-year federal prison term with a terrorism enhancement, arguing that DePape has demonstrated no remorse and that a tough sentence would serve as a deterrent to other would-be assailants motivated by ideological extremism. "At a time when extremism has led to attacks on public and elected officials, this case presents a moment to speak to others harboring ideologically motivated violent dreams and plans," Assistant U.S. Attys. Helen Gilbert and Laura Vartain Horn wrote in a May 10 filing. DePape faced a combined 50 years in federal prison: 30 years on the assault charge and 20 years for the attempted kidnapping. Scott Corley sentenced him to the maximum term on both counts, but to be served concurrently for a total of 30 years. He will get credit for the roughly 18 months he has spent in state custody. DePape, 44, was accused of traveling from his Richmond residence to the Pelosis' Pacific Heights home in the early morning hours of Oct. 28, 2022, with plans to hold the lawmaker hostage and interrogate her regarding unfounded claims fueled by far-right conspiracy theorists of corruption, human trafficking and child abuse by Democrats and other public figures. DePape broke into the home, but instead of finding Nancy Pelosi, who was in Washington at the time, he stumbled across the bedroom where her husband was sleeping. The door opened and a very large man came in, with a hammer in one hand and some ties in the other hand, Paul Pelosi testified. And he said, Wheres Nancy? And I think thats what woke me up. He was able to get to his cellphone and dial 911. When the police arrived, the two men were struggling over DePape's hammer. The prosecutors showed jurors graphic police body-camera video of DePape bludgeoning Paul Pelosi, then 82, fracturing his skull and seriously injuring his right arm and left hand. Read more: Paul Pelosi testifies that he knew he was in 'serious danger' before hammer attack Still-pending state charges accuse DePape of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary and threats to a public official and her family. In contrast, the federal trial centered on whether DePape's actions that morning were indelibly tied to Speaker Pelosi's official duties in Congress. In making their case, federal prosecutors provided jurors a detailed review of DePapes online purchases and search history to demonstrate how he spent months preparing for the attack. Jurors heard portions of a police interview in which DePape said he considered Speaker Pelosi the Democrats "leader of the pack, and that he would "break her kneecaps if she didnt admit to corruption and other claims of human trafficking and child abuse. DePape's federal public defenders, Jodi Linker and Angela Chuang, had urged the judge to consider a more lenient 14-year sentence, arguing their client suffers from mental health issues and trauma from an abusive relationship with Gypsy Taub, his former romantic partner and the mother of his children. Linker and Chuang never disputed that their client committed the violence. They instead tried to convince the jury that DePape was motivated by elaborate conspiracy theories that were nonetheless his deeply held beliefs. Read more: Man charged in Paul Pelosi attack details descent into conspiracy theories during federal trial They referenced support letters from family and friends describing the crimes as "completely out of character." "David was never violent when he was young, and I am sorry that this has happened," DePape's stepfather, Gene DePape, wrote in a statement to The Times. "I am very sorry to Paul and Nancy." The attorneys based much of their request for leniency on the influence of Taub, a Bay Area nudism activist who recently served time in state prison for trying to abduct a 14-year-old boy in Berkeley. They maintained Taub isolated DePape from his family and "immersed him in a world of extreme beliefs where reality is not reality." "His long-term relationship with his ex-partner, Gypsy Taub, inflicted immeasurable harm to his mental state and what little support network he had in the form of his family," DePape's attorneys wrote in a May 10 sentencing memo. David DePape with Gypsy Taub at her nude wedding on the steps of San Francisco City Hall in 2013. (San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) Chuang reiterated that argument during the sentencing hearing, saying DePape was "gaslit, abused and he was very intentionally cut off from his family," while Taub watched quietly from a court bench. In a recorded audio statement she sent The Times this week, Taub dismissed the attorneys' allegations of abuse, saying: "I love David. I will always love him, regardless of what he does or says." "He's an incredibly beautiful human being. But he's very broken," Taub said. During an interview with The Times before DePape's trial in her cluttered, eclectic Berkeley home, Taub espoused a number of conspiracy theories, using phrasing nearly identical to what DePape shared in his testimony, including her belief that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were really "an inside job" and that government has been corrupted by satanic cults that prey on children. At the time, she was adamant DePape had been falsely accused in the Pelosi attack, describing him as sweet and gentle. He was such a nice person, she said, that even after she married another man, she allowed DePape to keep living in her home and supported him financially. In one video Taub shared from more than a decade ago, she and DePape are nude, discussing his recent experience with psychedelics at a Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. "What is your dream for the planet?" Taub asked. "I'd really like there to be peace," he responded. "And if the whole world could hear you right now, what would be your message to the world?" she asked. "God is love. God is loving," he said. "And this is an illusion." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates blamed two top Biden advisers for his campaigns decision to forgo the traditional debates and have two earlier battles with former President Trump instead. Anita Dunn, a Biden administration adviser, and Ron Klain, the former White House chief of staff, are responsible for the campaigns decision, said Frank Fahrenkopf, who served as chair of the Republican National Committee at the time the two major parties agreed to create a bipartisan commission on debates in the late 1980s. There was no question the letter the Biden campaign sent to the commission was a result of Dunn and Klain, Fahrenkopf said in an interview with Politico. Klain has represented Democratic presidential nominees coordinating with the commission since 2000. President Bidens campaign chair, Jen OMalley Dillon, notified the commission in a Wednesday letter that it planned to work directly with news organizations to arrange debates between Biden and Trump. As Donald Trump has said he will debate anytime, anywhere, we hope both campaigns can quickly accept broadcast media debate invitations on the parameters above, she said in the letter. Americans need a debate on the issues not a tedious debate about debates. Trump quickly responded that he would accept the terms that the Biden campaign proposed for debates to be held in June and September. CNN announced it would host the first one, and ABC soon after announced it would host the second one. The move essentially sidelined the commission, which has organized presidential debates since 1988 and had already announced dates for three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate in the fall. I know where all this is coming [from] this is Anita Dunn, Fahrenkopf told Politico. This is her plan. I know. Shes fought she was against the commission for years and years and years. He pointed to Dunn and Klains involvement in a 2015 report from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania that advocated for reforms to the debate process, saying Dunn hates us and always has. Fahrenkopf also pushed back against three criticisms that the Biden campaign cited as reasons for going around the commission for planning debates. The letter from OMalley Dillon argued the debates were scheduled too late in the year because early voting would have already started, that they have become noisy spectacles filled with disruptive partisans and donors and that the commission was unwilling or unable to enforce its rules as Trump repeatedly interrupted Biden during one debate in 2020. Fahrenkopf said the commission decided the debates needed to take place after Sept. 6 because not all states will finalize their ballots until then. One key qualification for determining candidate eligibility is being on enough ballots that a candidate could reach the required 270 electoral votes to win the race. Only a handful of states will have finalized their ballots by the time of the first debate next month. Fahrenkopf said the accusation of the debates becoming noisy spectacles is false. And they know its false, he said. I mean, they were there last time. Theres no cheering that goes on. In response to the criticism that the commission did not do enough to control Trump during the infamous 2020 debate, Fahrenkopf questioned what moderator Chris Wallace or anyone else could have done. What were we going to do? he said. Was I going to jump up on the stage? Chris did everything he could to say, Youre not obeying the rules. Youre breaking your own rules. So I dont know what we could have done. Klain told Politico that he still stood by the criticism of how the commission had run the debates, saying the fact that millions of Americans vote before the first debate is indisputable. He said the debates are giant with huge crowds of donors to the hosting college and the CPD corporate sponsors. That is also an indisputable fact. Dunn declined to comment to Politico. But Fahrenkopf also said the Biden campaigns choice was a smart strategy, arguing that Biden got the upper hand from these developments. He said he read an analysis he agreed with that it could end up being one of the great blunders of the entire election cycle for Trump. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Press Release May 17, 2024 STATEMENT OF SENATOR JINGGOY EJERCITO ESTRADA ON REPORTED NEW CHINA REGULATION ALLOWING ITS COAST GUARD TO DETAIN TRESPASSERS We're awaiting the pronouncement of the Department of Foreign Affairs if they have received any official document on this. Nonetheless, we have taken note of this matter. While we respect China's right to safeguard its territorial interests, we also emphasize the importance of adhering to international norms and agreements. The Philippines remains committed to upholding our rights and interests in the West Philippine Sea. We hope China will likewise respect the rights of other nations operating in these waters. We encourage all parties to exercise restraint and seek peaceful solutions to disputes. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev during his visit to US has met with the Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs John Bass, Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim and Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Labor and Human Rights Robert Gilchrist, the Azerbaijani embassy to US wrote on its X page, Trend reports. According to the information, discussions on a wide range of issues covering Azerbaijan-US bilateral relations, current regional and global security environment, and Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process were held. Defense contractor at MacDill Air Force Base arrested after soliciting child for sex: FDLE Defense contractor at MacDill Air Force Base arrested after soliciting child for sex: FDLE TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced the arrest of a defense contractor on Thursday. 33-year-old James Robert Bechtold, of Valrico, was arrested and charged with soliciting a minor for sex, the FDLE said. Bechtold is an information technology security specialist defense contractor at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Florida launches statewide human trafficking hotline Investigators said they began looking into the case on February 4 when the Colorado State Police notified the FDLE that a Florida individual was producing child sexual abuse material. The investigation identified Bechtold, who officials say used messaging apps to communicate with victims, as the suspect, according to the FDLE. Bechtold was arrested Thursday by the FDLEs Special Operations South Team. FDLE said the department, along with Tampa Cyber Units, are continuing to investigate the case. Bechtold was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail. The case will be prosecuted by Attorney General Ashley Moodys Office of Statewide Prosecution. 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. DEI Alliance hosts annual conference to promote inclusion in the workplace KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) The DEI Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia hosted its third annual DEI Alliance Summit conference at Meadowview Conference Center on Friday. The conference is a one-day event promoting collaboration, dialogue and action to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace in Appalachia. It brings together leaders and advocates from various workplaces. DEI stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. Calvin Butler, president and CEO of Exelon and keynote speaker at this years event, told News Channel 11 that the conference provides an opportunity for all. I think organizations across the country should provide access and opportunity to everyone irrespective of their gender, their race or their sexuality, Butler said. Important to provide an environment where everyone can thrive. New playground unveiled at Yuma Elementary This years theme was Preserving Through Challenges & Leveraging DEI Opportunites. 2024s event featured keynote speakers and panel discussions to inspire, educate and empower individuals in the workforce. The conference held four sessions: Navigating the DEI Landscape in the Midst of Negativity and Change DEI Foundations: Getting Back to the Basics DEI: Going Beyond Checking the Box to Impactful Work Building a More Equitable Workplace This years keynote speakers were Butler, Dr. Dannie Lynn Fountain of Google, Dr. Anthony C. Hood of First Horizon, Tracey L. Wright of Emory & Henry College, and April Lomax-Means of BCBS of Tennessee. 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. Human composting is officially legal in the First State, making Delaware the 10th state to allow the alternative funerary practice. Heres how Delaware legislators made it happen. What is human composting? Human composting, also known as natural organic reduction, is alternative to cremation or burial that allows humans remains to naturally be reduced to soil, which can then be given to family of the deceased or donated for land conservation efforts. Burial or cremation are the common ways human remains are disposed of. Human composting offers an alternative by allowing the human body to decompose in a gentle, respectful process that accelerates the decomposition of human remains to soil, according to a bill summary on the Delaware General Assembly website. The process uses large vessels to hold human remains together with wood chips, straw or other natural materials for about 30 days, during which the human remains and organic materials are mixed with warm air and periodically turned. This results in the body breaking down until only a soil material remains, which can then be given to the deceaseds family. According to the bill proposal, natural organic reduction is considered to be more eco-friendly than cremation, as the practice does not use formaldehyde or release carbon dioxide and mercury into the atmosphere and uses one-eighth of the energy of cremation. HB 162 passed with an amendment stating that there are restrictions on any remains from a person who had or is suspected of having a viral or other health risk that the Delaware Division of Public Health determines may not be eliminated during the human composting process. The bill also states that remains cannot be composted if a person dies due to a radiological incident or if their body contains radioactive implants. Previous reporting: Delaware legislators overwhelmingly support new human composting bill. What to know House Bill 162 background A body, shrouded in natural cloth, lies on a dark green bed called the cradle before entering into a Recompose vessel. House Bill 162, an effort to allow human composting in the First State, was introduced in 2023 by Rep. Sean Lynn, a Democrat in District 31 in Dover. HB 162 received near-unanimous approval in the state House when it passed with a vote of 37-2 on Jan. 23. From there, it awaited consideration in the Senate until it was granted a passing vote of 14 to 7 on March 21. Human composting legalized in Delaware Recompose, a Seattle-based company, demonstrates the human composting process. Over 30 days, the body and plant material form nutrient-dense soil. After nearly two months since a passing vote on the Senate floor, Gov. John Carney signed Delawares human composting bill into law on May 16, making the First State the 10th state in the nation to allow the alternative to cremation and burial. It is effective immediately. Washington was the first state to legalize human composting in 2019, followed by Colorado and Oregon in 2021, Vermont and California in 2022, New York in 2023. Nevada began the practice in January of this year, followed by Arizona legalizing it in March and Maryland legalizing it on May 9, according to Recompose, a Seattle-based human composting facility. While Delaware is the most recent state to jump on the bandwagon, many other states have introduced similar legislation. Death is a natural part of life and, as uncomfortable as the topic may be for some people to discuss, I believe strongly that Delawareans deserve an opportunity to make informed choices about their final days, including what happens to them after they pass, said Sen. Laura Sturgeon, the prime Senate sponsor of HB 162. I am proud to have helped usher this bill through the Delaware Senate so our neighbors can have the option of choosing a more environmentally friendly alternative to burial and cremation. An array of Recompose composing vessels. Bill sponsors worked with the framework provided by the other states allowing human composting to ensure Delawares allowance of natural organic reduction would be as safe and successful as possible. Part of the team guiding Delawares plans for human composting was Earth Funeral, a licensed natural organic reduction provider in Washington State. Following Carney signing the bill into Law, Earth Funeral commended Delaware legislators for taking a step toward a greener, more eco-conscious future. Delaware families have spoken: they want a gentle, environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cremation, and it is wonderful to see Delaware leaders honor this important consumer choice, said Tom Harries, CEO and co-founder of Earth Funeral. Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Gov. John Carney signs bill allowing human composting in Delaware DELPHI, Ind. Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen wanted hearings schedule for this week rescheduled to allow more time for his attorneys to prepare, but the judge denied the request Friday. "The Court scheduled this hearing at counsels' request who all indicated that they would make these dates work on their respective calendars," Special Judge Frances Gull wrote in an order. After Gull refused to postpone the hearings, Allen's attorney, Brad Rozzi, filed a second motion Friday to continue the hearing and a third motion for Gull to disqualify herself. The latter included a request for Gull to give a written findings of facts on why she denied or approved the motion to recuse herself. Delphi murder suspect Richard M. Allen on Monday, May 6, 2024, when he was booked into the jail at Allen County, Indiana. According to the defense's arguments of the law, Gull is legally restricted from ruling on any other matter in the case including the second motion to continue the hearings until she responds with a written explanation to the defense's motion for her to step off the case. Based on Rozzi's arguments, Gull must postpone the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. As of 10:30 a.m. Monday, Gull has not ruled on the second motion to continue the hearings or to disqualify herself, according to online court records. The May 21, 22 and 23 hearings are to address pretrial motions about what evidence jurors will be allowed to hear at his trial. This includes whether Allen's alleged confessions to killing Libby German and Abby Williams on Feb. 13, 2017, is admissible, as well as whether prosecutors can use Allen's statements to his state-appointed psychologist while in prison. Gull's order indicates next week's hearings will address Allen's motion to suppress his Oct. 26, 2022, statements to investigators, as well as Allen's motion for sanctions on the prosecutor. Additionally, Gull will hear arguments about Allen's motion to lift the safekeeping order that has his pretrial detention in isolation cells at maximum-security prisons. Gull also will hear arguments on prosecutor and defense motions to exclude evidence that jurors can hear, such as Allen's defense about Odinism and ritual killings. Gull agreed to postpone the hearing about suppressing Allen's alleged confessions to prison officials and other inmates because Allen's defense team is not yet prepared. Allen's first request for more time to prepare for the hearings came three days after jury selection for Allen's trial was supposed to begin. The trial was scheduled to run through the end of May, but at a May 7 hearing, Allen's attorneys said that wasn't enough time for their defense. At the defense team's request, Gull set aside Allen's speedy trial request earlier this month and scheduled his trial to begin in the middle of October. It is expected to run through the middle of November. By the time of his trial, Allen will have spent two years in pretrial detention in solitary confinement in Indiana maximum-security prisons. To support Allen's request to continue next week's hearings, his attorney, Brad Rozzi, said the defense team's deposition with Dr. Monica Wala, Allen's psychologist from Westville Correctional Facility, is only partially completed. Rozzi believes the deposition can be finished next month. "Additional time is necessary to not only conclude the deposition but to attain a certified transcript that might otherwise be used as evidence in the hearings on both party's Motions," Allen's motion states. This was the only portion of the May 21-23 hearings that Gull agreed to postpone. Additionally, Wala declined to answer some of the defense team's questions on the advice of state legal counsel, according to the motion filed Thursday night and published online Friday morning. Allen's motion asks the court to preserve those questions so that the defense team can request the court's help to get answers. Reach Ron Wilkins or at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Judge won't postpone Delphi suspect's hearings this week EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Public defender James Montoya and retired Judge Alma Trejo talked about their campaign goals theyd like to accomplish if elected to office. Montoya and Trejo will face off in the May election vying for their name to be placed on the ballot against incumbent Bill Hicks in November. Montoya told KTSM that since the last election in March, he has knocked on thousands of doors and sitting down with voters to understand what problems they would like to see changing in the DAs Office. This is a very important runoff election. You know, our District Attorneys Office for the last four years has been struggling mightily, really since our last DA Yvonne Rosales, Montoya said. Meanwhile, Trejo has focused her campaign on her voters over 50. Its imperative that we all come out and vote because public safety is on the ballot, Trejo said. As both candidates head into the May election, Montoya told KTSM that voters want to make sure they have a DA who will treat them fairly. Whos going to follow the law. Whos going to turn over the evidence and make sure that youre punished accordingly and not excessively, and not waste many years of your life dragging out a case. Because thats whats happening right now, Montoya said. Montoya has geared his campaign toward several issues including staffing shortage, the Walmart case and driving while intoxicated (DWI) issues. People want to know why is that [Walmart case] still unresolved? You know, five years later, whats the holdup? Montoya said. Were going to make sure that those people are held accountable. And were also going to pursue legislative programs that hopefully change the law and give both law enforcement and prosecutors additional tools to tackle DWI, Montoya said. Trejo told KTSM her campaign issues are similar to Montoyas addressing issues like the Walmart case and staffing shortage. Were going into the fifth year and theres a backlog, Trejo said. Trejo also said theres about 80 murders and 35 capital murders that need to be addressed. Thats not even addressing the sexual assault cases and everything else in order to function, in order to catch up with everything, Trejo said. So things are crucial and we do need a change. The winner of this election will face Republican incumbant Bill Hicks who is running unopposed. Early voting begins Monday, May 20 and ends Friday, May 24. Election Day is on Tuesday, May 28. 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. Angela Alsobrooks emerged as the victor in a bruising Democratic Senate primary in Maryland -- and now the state's Democratic Party faces the challenge of reuniting to take on a formidable Republican opponent in the general election. Alsobrooks, a county executive in a Maryland suburb outside the nation's capital, defeated Rep. David Trone and now faces the daunting task of taking on a popular Republican challenger, Larry Hogan, a two-term former GOP governor. While Maryland is a deep blue state, Alsobrooks is not on a glide path to a Senate win. Experts tell ABC News that Democrats, wounded in the Alsobrooks-Trone battle, needs to realign to take on Hogan -- with nothing short of control of the U.S. Senate at stake. MORE: 5 takeaways from Tuesday's primaries: Alsobrooks, Hogan to face off in Maryland Senate race PHOTO: Maryland Democratic candidate for Senate and Prince George's County Executive Alsobrooks high fives with Ryan Cunningham's son outside a voting location for the state primary election at Eastern Middle School on May 14, 2024 in Silver Spring, Md. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Both Alsobrooks and Trone sounded a conciliatory note in their election night speeches on Tuesday, signaling a hope to mend the party and keep the Senate seat -- vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin -- in Democratic hands. "I want you to know we are united in order to keep the Senate blue," Alsobrooks said. Trone urged his supporters to "come together to support the Democratic Party so we can hold this U.S. Senate." The Maryland Democratic Party is also showcasing what it says is a unified front, releasing statements from members of Maryland's congressional delegation and from local leaders praising Alsobrooks and Trone. One of those statements came from Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., who had endorsed Trone, but now urged Democrats to band together to not let "Mitch McConnell's handpicked candidate turn control of the U.S. Senate over to Republicans." Former Democratic state party chair Yvette Lewis told ABC News that the grassroots work to bridge the gap between the candidates' supporters began right after the primary. "People started making phone calls and mending fences [on Wednesday] -- I was a part of that -- to make sure that everybody knows that the primary is over, and that it's time for us to come together for the general election," Lewis said. "You can't just brush people aside and say, OK, this is over. Now it's time to come to the table What you have to do is validate them, validate their work and thank them for the work that they did. And then welcome them to this new coalition." PHOTO: Angela Alsobrooks speaks during a campaign event for her run for the U.S. Senate at Monument City Brewing Company in Baltimore, Maryland, on Oct. 23, 2023. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE) Susan Turnbull, another former state party chair for the Maryland Democratic Party, expressed similar optimism: "What we do in Maryland, is work as Team Maryland," she told ABC News. One official who endorsed Trone, Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy, said she's "eager to rally behind [Alsobrooks] to retain control of the Senate and ensure Maryland remains blue." Michael Hanmer, director of the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement at the University of Maryland, told ABC News that Trone and Alsobrooks must now work together to show party unity. "Another key piece of strategy is not just to get Trone to say nice things and be supportive in words [about Alsobrooks], but to go out and work with Alsobrooks rather than just be on the sidelines," Hanmer said. Alsobrooks and Trone's campaigns did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News about their next steps after the primary. MORE: Can Republican Larry Hogan replicate his winning coalition in deep-blue Maryland? Lewis said that Trone supporters can be a vital part of Alsobrooks' success as well. "We want them to canvass, we want to phone bank, we want them to help us raise the money we want them to be part of the entire process," she said. PHOTO: Maryland Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks speaks with a voter outside a voting location for the state primary election at the Marilyn Praisner Community Recreation Center on May 14, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Alsobrooks wasted no time as the newly-minted Democratic nominee in aiming criticism at Hogan, reminding supporters of the stakes for Democrats in their upcoming battle. "The fight ahead will not be easy. There are a lot of people in our state who say, 'Oh you know it's Maryland. It's a blue state. We can worry about another race someplace else ' but it will only stay a blue state if we put in the work," Alsobrooks said at her election night event. Hogan, speaking to supporters on Tuesday night, said he already anticipated the politicking ahead. "Over the next few months, you are going to hear a whole lot more of this political BS, and Marylanders are going to be inundated with scare tactics and false attacks. Don't let them get away with it," he said. PHOTO: Larry Hogan, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Maryland, talks to reporters after he cast his ballot in the state primary election at Davidsonville Elementary School on May 14, 2024 in Davidsonville, Md. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Hanmer anticipates that Democrats will need to articulate how they feel Hogan will be different as a senator -- and a potential deciding vote in the chamber -- than during his time as governor working with a Democratic-controlled legislature. He said it will be a challenge to get people to rethink their approach to Hogan, who won the governor job by about 5 points in 2014 and 12 points in 2018, and he left with sky-high approval ratings. Hanmer said Democrats face a challenge in that Alsobrooks doesn't have as much statewide recognition as Hogan. "[Alsobrooks] hasn't had a statewide position before, so I think there's still going to be a lot of people that need to get to know her." ABC News' Tal Axelrod contributed to this report. Democrats look to band together after Maryland's bruising Senate primary originally appeared on abcnews.go.com GOP U.S. Senate candidates (clockwise): Former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, former U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer and businessman Sandy Pensler | Courtesy photos A request to investigate alleged indications of fraud in the nominating petitions of Republican U.S. Senate candidates has been sent to the Michigan Board of State Canvassers. According to a release, the request was made by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), along with the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP), and a Michigan voter, Emily Judd, asking the Board of State Canvassers (BSC) to immediately investigate the nominating petitions of four GOP U.S. Senate candidates: former U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake), Justin Amash (I-Cascade Twp.) and Peter Meijer (R-Grand Rapids), as well as businessman Sandy Pensler. Meijer has since dropped out of the race, but had already submitted his petitions for review. Also running for the GOP nomination is physician Sherry ODonnell, who was not named in the letter. [O]ur initial review of these candidates petitions has uncovered patterns that indicate the presence of potential forgery and other fraudulent signature gathering tactics, suggesting a possible repeat of the conduct of petition circulators during the 2022 election, states the request, which was authored by Christopher Trebilcock, and attorney with Clark Hill PLC. Trebilcock also authored a letter last week to the BSC on behalf of the campaign of U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly), who is running for Democratic nomination, noting that a challenge filed against her campaign was made by an agent of actor Hill Harpers campaign, calling it an unserious complaint and claimed that it did not follow the Board of State Canvassers procedure for signature sampling. Harper is also seeking the Democratic nomination along with businessman Nasser Beydoun. Allegations of signature fraud resulted in five Republican gubernatorial candidates in Michigan being kicked off the August 2022 primary ballot. This year, questions about fraudulent signatures have been leveled at former Democratic U.S. Rep. Adam Hollier of Detroit, whose candidacy for the 13th Congressional District has been challenged by incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit). A report by the Wayne County Clerks Office has since determined Hollier failed to produce the required 1,000 valid signatures to make the August primary ballot and recommended Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett disqualify him. As to the request concerning Rogers, Amash, Pensler and Meijer, the letter cited at least five alleged indications of fraudulent signatures: Clear, full page circulator fraud with evidence that all lines of the petition were filled out by the same person Voters names appearing across multiple candidates petitions in different handwriting with errors in addresses and spelling Voters names appearing within a single candidates petition more than once, in different handwriting with errors in addresses and spelling Evidence of a round-robin scheme Visible circulator handwriting and signature mismatches Given the indications of potential fraud revealed by our initial review, we request that the Board immediately conduct a thorough investigation of the nominating petitions submitted by Mr. Rogers, Mr. Pensler, Mr. Amash, and Mr. Meijer for suspected fraud, stated the letter. The Board should not certify any of these candidates for the ballot until it has conclusively determined that they have submitted 15,000 valid signatures from actual Michigan voters, as required by law. In response to the request, Chris Gustafson, the communications director for the Rogers campaign sent the Michigan Advance this statement; Elissa Slotkin said she couldnt win with Joe Biden at the top of the ticket and that shed never run against Mike Rogers. So, its no surprise her campaign has resorted to the same failed unlawful efforts to subvert democracy that they tried to use against President Trump. This antidemocratic stunt perpetuated by Slotkins allies failed and wont cover for the misery the Biden-Slotkin agenda has inflicted on Michigan working families, said Gustafson. Requests for comment were also sent to Amash, Pensler and Meijer for comment, but have yet to be returned. The letter, which provides photocopied examples from the various petitions, also notes that circulators accused of engaging in fraudulent signature collection activity in other petition challenges before the Board of State Canvassers also circulated petitions for the named Republican U.S. Senate candidates. The apparent fraud uncovered demands an immediate investigation of the Republican Senate candidates nominating petitions, said Lavora Barnes, Michigan Democratic Party chair. The Bureau of Elections and Board of Canvassers should uphold their responsibility to protect the integrity of Michigans elections and conduct a full, thorough examination to ensure they stand up against fraudulent efforts to circumvent Michigan election law before taking any vote to certify the Republican Senate candidates to appear on the ballot. The letter concluded by formally asking the BSC to conduct an immediate investigation of the petition sheets submitted by Rogers, Amash, Pensler, and Meijer, and to invalidate all petition signatures appearing on petition sheets signed by circulators who are found to have engaged in fraud. If, after that investigation, the Board determines that any of the candidates have not submitted the required number of valid petition signatures, they should not be certified for the ballot, it stated. The post Democrats request investigation into GOP U.S. Senate candidate petitions appeared first on Michigan Advance. DENVER (KDVR) Theyre known around the Denver Police Department as the Blues Brothers. Siblings Tom, Jim, Mark and John Haney each spent their entire career serving in law enforcement. Now, the city of Denver, the police department and the Denver Police Museum are honoring the siblings for their combined 168 years of service. The Haney brothers in police uniform A proclamation honoring their service was presented to the Denver City Council on Thursday night. The surviving brothers were met with a round of applause when the proclamation was read during a National Police Week event Thursday. Their brother, John Haney, a former police officer in both Denver and Thornton, died in 2022. Denver drivers will not be pulled over for low-level offenses Their reasons for entering law enforcement varied, but Tom Haney, a retired division chief with the Denver Police Department, told FOX31 that an experience as a teenager helped forge his career path. I was in high school working at a grocery store and we got robbed at gunpoint. And I had a guy point a gun at me and I thought, you know, thats just not right. Thats just not any fun. And so I think from there on, it was just, hey, I want to work to keep those people off the streets and help the other people who are getting the guns pointed at them, 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 FOX31 Denver. By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court's decision safeguarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - the nation's consumer finance watchdog - earned plaudits from supporters of robust federal regulation. But their praise for the court may prove short-lived. Powered by its 6-3 conservative majority, the court has emerged in recent years as something of an ally in what has been called the "war on the administrative state," a longstanding conservative effort to weaken federal agencies that regulate key aspects of American business and life. The court on Thursday upheld the CFPB's funding mechanism - drawing money annually from the Federal Reserve rather than from budgets passed by Congress - in a challenge by the payday loan industry, handing a win to President Joe Biden's administration and a setback to the agency's conservative critics. Despite that ruling, pending decisions in cases that the justices heard during their current term, which began in October, could substantially curb federal agency powers in areas ranging from finance to fish conservation. Those rulings are expected by the end of June. "It's always perilous to predict the outcome of Supreme Court decisions, but I anticipate the agencies will still face a net-loss record this year at the court," George Mason University law professor Jennifer Mascott said after the CFPB ruling. 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. Afterward, Biden lauded the work being done by the agency, blasted its Republican critics and said the CFPB's "strong record of consumer protection will not be undone." Brianne Gorod, chief counsel at the Constitutional Accountability Center liberal legal group, welcomed the CFPB ruling but emphasized that the challenge to the agency represented just one front in a "multifaceted conservative attack on the ability of the federal government to function effectively." "The full story regarding this court and whether it is willing to enable the conservative attack on the administrative state very much remains to be written," Gorod said. Key rulings are pending in cases involving the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The justices on Nov. 29 heard arguments over the legality of proceedings conducted by in-house judges at the SEC to enforce investor-protection laws. The challenge was brought by a Texas-based hedge fund manager who the SEC fined and barred from the industry after determining he had committed securities fraud. Biden's administration appealed a lower court's decision striking down the SEC enforcement proceedings at issue for violating the right to a jury trial and infringing on presidential and congressional powers under the Constitution. 'CHEVRON DEFERENCE' The justices heard arguments on Jan. 17 in lawsuit by fishing companies over a government-run program to monitor for overfishing of herring off New England's coast. The case is particularly important because the companies have asked the court to rein in or overturn a precedent established in 1984 that calls for judges to defer to federal agency interpretation of U.S. laws deemed to be ambiguous, a doctrine called "Chevron deference." Some legal scholars have said that a ruling limiting or eliminating Chevron deference would likely harm Democratic presidential administrations more than Republican ones, as Democrats are typically more interested in regulating industry. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California Berkeley Law School, said CFPB's legal victory should not be seen as predictive of how the court will rule in other cases testing agency powers. "I think this was the most radical of the administrative law decisions (by lower courts) being reviewed by the court this term because it involved changing a way of funding agencies that has been used since the time of George Washington," Chemerinsky said of the CFPB ruling by the conservative-leaning New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Regarding the cases involving the SEC's authority and Chevron deference, Chemerinsky added: "Those issues are quite different and involve administrative law issues much more generally." In the EPA-related case, the court on Feb. 21 heard arguments in a bid by Republican-led Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia and several energy companies to block a regulation issued by the agency aimed at reducing ozone emissions that may worsen air pollution in neighboring states. The plaintiffs are seeking to avoid complying with the EPA's "Good Neighbor" plan restricting ozone pollution from upwind states, while they contest its legality in a lower court. (Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Will Dunham) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The second meeting of the Speakers of the Azerbaijani and Armenian parliaments, Sahiba Gafarova and Alen Simonyan, was held on May 16, 2024, in Geneva within the framework of the 1st meeting of the organizing committee of the VI World Conference of the Presidents of Parliaments, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Parliament. The meeting proceeded to discuss issues related to how the parliaments of the two countries can support the peace process against the backdrop of peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The meeting was held in a constructive atmosphere. The sides agreed to continue the dialog between the parliaments, the statement of the Azerbaijani Parliament reads. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) The murder of a 25-year-old Battle Creek man Sunday morning was recorded by home surveillance video, a detective for the Lansing Police Department testified in 54-A Court Tuesday. Lansing Police Detective Matt Salman testified under oath before 54-A Judge Kristin Simmons to obtain the felony charges against three men in the death of Zacarri Marquise Taylor. The felony probable cause hearing resulted in charges against Marcus Lee Hayes, 35, Leonard Felton Hayes, 42, and Terrence Jones, 37. The Hayes are both charged with open murder and dismemberment of a dead body, while Jones was charged with being an accessory to a felony after the fact and dismemberment of a dead body. All three were also charged as fourth habitual offenders. Leonard Felton Hayes, 42 (left), Marcus Lee Hayes, 35 (center), Terrence Jones, 37 (right) (Photos: Lansing PD) Location where Taylor was allegedly strangled to death. This embedded content is not available in your region. Detective Salman testified Leonard Hayes was caught on video in a physical altercation that appeared to result in the victims death. The detective says that in the video, Leonard Hayes, is observed physically fighting with the victim, after being struck by the victim, and proceeds to then strangle the victim on the floor of the living room while the other defendant, Marcus Hayes, watches. The victim is seen struggling, he then signals to forfeit the fight, and then becomes unresponsive and appears unconscious while defendant, Leonard Hayes, continues to strangle. Defendant, Leonard Hayes, then leaves the victim on the floor unresponsive and defendant, Marcus Hayes, begins to strangle the unresponsive victim on the floor and then drag him out of view of the camera. Transcript of testimony by LPD Detective Matt Salman before Judge Kristin Simmons, Tuesday May 14 The girlfriend of Leonard Hayes told Detective Salman she had watched the incident live on the surveillance video at about 4 a.m. May 12. She told the detective, he testified, she observed the videos and then she contacted defendant, Leonard Hayes, who stated the victim was breathing and transported to the hospital. The defendant, Leonard Hayes, then asked Moody to delete the videos and it was at that time that she responded to the operations center. More On This Case LPD have multiple suspects in custody related to homicide Not a good time to be a bad guy in the city of Lansing: Lansing Police Chief comments on weekend homicide Family demands justice, answers in weekend homicide The same system, Salman testified, captured the two brothers removing Taylors body from the apartment. I then observe an exterior video from that same apartment that shows both the defendants struggle to carry, what appears to be, an adult body out of the residence wrapped in a bed sheet and towards the area of the parking lot. Transcript of testimony by LPD Detective Matt Salman before Judge Kristin Simmons, Tuesday May 14 (WLNS) Investigators, Detective Salman testified, learned Marcus Hayes was at a property in the 1400 block of W. Malcolm X St. They detained him and he provided a statement to police, the transcript reveals. Location where Taylors body was found. This embedded content is not available in your region. The three men are accused of transporting Taylors body to the 1400 block of W. Malcolm X St. Police say Marcus Hayes told them it was the home of an associate of Jones. The trio took Taylors body to the basement, where a discussion on how to dispose of the victims body took place, Salman testified. Defendant, Marcus Hayes, stated he brought the victims body into the basement of [1400 block of] West Malcolm X, where, after a discussion that took place between Terrance, Leonard, and Marcus Hayes, the discussion included whether or not to burn the body. Defendant, Leonard Hayes, stated the body would be dismembered and defendant, Marcus Hayes, agreed to do so. The body was placed in the basement of the [1400 block of] Malcolm X residence and dismembered by defendant Marcus Hayes. Transcript of testimony by LPD Detective Matt Salman before Judge Kristin Simmons, Tuesday May 14 Court records show the bond for both Marcus and Leonard Hayes was denied by 54-A District Court Judge Cynthia M. Ward. Ward set a bond of $200,000 cash or surety for Jones, court records show. All of these men in this case have prior criminal histories. Jones is currently on parole for a murder conviction. Marcus Lee Hayes spent the majority of the last decade in prison following plea deals for criminal sexual conduct in 2012 and cocaine possession in 2018. Leonard Hayes has also spent time in prison. He entered a guilty plea to cocaine possession in 2002. He was also sentenced for firing a weapon toward a building in 2017. 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 WLNS 6 News. ALMA (KSNT) Multiple law enforcement agencies and bomb disposal units were called to Wabaunsee County Thursday morning to help dispose of hazardous items from a local museum. The Kansas Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) announced in a press release that it received a request on Thursday, May 16 to help investigate an exhibit in the museum containing deteriorating artifacts. Responding state and federal agencies began arriving in Alma on Friday, May 17 to handle the situation. Numerous agencies, including Topeka Police Bomb Squad, Topeka Fire HazMat, Wabaunsee County Sheriffs Office, Wabaunsee County Emergency Management and others were called to assist with the situation. Members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task force and ATF also responded to the scene. Lance Feyh with the OSFM said a plan was put in place with the responding agencies to investigate and safely remove the items, consisting of artifacts from a doctors office dating back to 1899, from the museum. These artifacts were then detonated without any problems. What are the most controversial books in Kansas? Deteriorating chemicals can be dangerous if not handled properly. The OSFM would like to commend the Wabaunsee County Historical Society and Museum and Marci Spaw, museum director, for handling this incident in a way that kept everyone safe. The museum is back open for business. Lance Feyh press release excerpt 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. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is calling for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. Durbins call comes after reports that an upside-down U.S. flag flew outside of Alitos home in Alexandria, Virginia, as rioters stormed the Capitol in effort to overturn the 2020 election. Flying an upside-down American flaga symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movementclearly creates the appearance of bias, Durbin said to The Hill. Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former Presidents immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering. The U.S. flag is usually flown upside down in times of distress, like in the case of an SOS. In recent years, it has been adopted by the far right, as well as Trump supporters, to say Stop the Steal regarding the 2020 election. While Alito blamed his wife for putting up the flag, such an act in January 2021 would still appear to violate the Supreme Courts new judicial code of ethics, adopted last November, which recommends avoiding political statements and avoiding the appearance of bias. Durbin mentioned the code in his statement. The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust, Durbin said. Supreme Court justices should be held to the highest ethical standards, not the lowest. The senator from Illinois was slow to respond to recent ethics scandals on the Supreme Court, despite having subpoena power. In November, Durbin backed off a vote to subpoena Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo, two major conservative donors connected to Justices Alito and Clarence Thomas. This time, will Durbins call be backed up with action? Did you hear the one about how Ron DeSantis solved climate change in Florida? | Opinion Ignoring reality Florida is one of the states most vulnerable to the costly and deadly impacts of climate change, rising sea levels, high temperature records and higher hurricane intensity and frequency. Yet our sage Gov. Ron DeSantis apparently thinks that by signing legislation that eliminates references to climate change in state law, future natural disasters will be cleverly prevented. This is just the latest in a series of state rule-making denying the existence of climate change. The governor may close his eyes, plug his ears and barricade himself in his mansion with the A/C cranked to max (electricity paid by taxpayers, of course) all while issuing goofy platitudes such as, Were restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots. Meanwhile, Floridians from the Panhandle to the Keys are paying the price of his insane governance. He needs to wake up before he finds himself voted out of office. Ashby Cathey, Miami Higher standards For decades, Coral Gables has served as a paramount of integrity and efficient management in municipal government. Unfortunately, recent comments among some of our elected officials have brought us to a crossroads. Allegations of corruption made during city commission meetings are not only disheartening but, if left unchecked, have the potential to undermine trust in our city officials and hard-working employees. We have a duty to act decisively and transparently to dispel these doubts. Therefore, I call on all my commission colleagues to establish and support an independent inspector general for our city. This is crucial in maintaining continuous oversight of our operations, ensuring that our actions align with the law, public interest and deter malfeasance. I also ask my colleagues to put their differences aside and support a forensic audit of our citys finances. While the cost associated with such an audit may be substantial, we must consider this an investment in the foundation of the citys administration. Our commitment must be to the citizens we serve, ensuring the administration they depend on is operating not just effectively but ethically. I urge my colleagues to unanimously approve both measures at the next city commission meeting. Rhonda A. Anderson, commissioner, Coral Gables Rent vs. buy The May 7 Miami Herald online article, We cannot afford it: Miami-Dades waste director resisted mayors $269M office deal, misrepresents the financial implications for the countys Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM). Some of the officials quoted in it suggest that leasing a different property is more cost-effective than purchasing and focuses on the square footage costs for the first year. Over a 30-year term, with leasing starting at $24 per square foot, escalating annually by 3% and rising to at least $56 per square foot, the 9250 West Flagler Street property would cost DSWM about $69.8 million, excluding operating expenses and insurance. In contrast, the acquisition costs and additional major expenses of purchasing the property would be stable at $35.67 per square foot or about $56.5 million over 30 years. This represents about $13.3 million in savings compared to leasing. Furthermore, ownership includes accrual of equity as the debt is paid off and the asset appreciates; centralization of services for residents; possible development of housing on the property and scaling services in response to future population growth. Carladenise Edwards, chief administrative officer, Miami-Dade County Less giving trees As a long-time resident of Miamis Shenandoah neighborhood, I am disappointed with the citys tree policy. After a prolonged rebuilding of swales around my house, the city eliminated large trees which provided necessary shade for residents and local intersections. The excuse is that new building laws prevent trees from being too close to intersections, allowing a safe line of vision for drivers. The city has apparently designed its tree policy for speeding cars rather than overheated pedestrians. Additionally, the few trees the city has planted in my neighborhood are small species and shrubs. They will never rival the shade- producing effect of the native grand oaks and mahoganies Shenandoahs founders planted over the years. Those trees made our neighborhood unique within Miamis urban core. I implore the city to get rid of its ridiculous rules. Lazaro Priegues, Miami Hurtful words As a part time Miami Beach resident, I understand why the nonprofit Oolite Arts removed the art from visual artist Vu Hoang Khanh Nguyen. That phrase, from the river to the sea, is a call for the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel and for all Jews. The artist likely had no clue of what river and of what sea they had written about. This is true of most protesters marching with these hateful signs. Siding with monsters like Hamas has become the trend against Jews. This is the exact opposite reaction of what should be. We in Israel are the victims of genocide over and over. Hamas has been able to re-arm, re-group and infiltrate tunnels that havent yet been destroyed and are shooting rockets onto civilian homes. I thank Oolite Arts for removing the battle cry. Terri Granot, Ramat Raziel, Israel Disorganized program Rebuild Florida is a state-run program funded by a federal grant designed to rescue uninsured residents in storm-ravaged homes. In reality, it is a sham that wastes tax dollars. The Department of Economic Opportunity and HUD have taken a slipshod approach to managing the program. I was approved five years ago, but my land lease community blocked the home replacement due to widely known issues of subpar workmanship, zero transparency and program inefficiency. While caring for two at-risk dependents and left with no options, I scoured the state for a suitable cheap lot. I settled on a distant rural mobile home park, depleted my 401(k) and incurred monthly homeowner association fees. The roof of my mold-afflicted home began to crumble as subsequent storms and delays exacerbated the situation. Rebuild Florida cited supply chain issues and the bait and switch began. My lot sits empty. Communication between case workers is non-existent. Promises and contracts are made, revised, retracted and deemed inactive to improve monthly fulfillment reports. Vulnerable seniors still wait in hotel rooms with no case progress. Florida must do better. Wendy Miller-Aguilar, Davie Miamis future I was glad to read Ana-Marie Codina Barlicks May 15 op-ed, Lets work together to forge a Miami that works for all. Cities of the future need collaborative civic leadership to help solve challenging issues of the day, such as housing affordability, transportation, emerging technologies, sustainability, education, urban livability and economic viability. Miami has all the elements to distinguish itself as a world-class community by positioning itself as a leader in the global knowledge economy. This convergence of thought leaders will carry the nonprofits Miami2035: A Miami That Works for All into the future. I extend a hearty Godspeed to the Partnership for Miami. Margarita Rohaidy Delgado, Coral Gables Our top ally Re: the May 15 letter, Public disgrace. The writer mischaracterized the reason Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott voted against the Democrat-proposed bill for aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. His ludicrous assertion is they wanted to appease the pro Putin side of the Republican party. Putting aside the fact there is no such thing as a GOP pro-Putin side, the real reason is that we have thrown billions of dollars at a thug in Ukraine and have no idea where that money went. Sending money to Taiwan is just as wasteful. On the other hand, Israel is our best and only real ally in the Middle East and needs our support. That President Biden is withholding support until Netanyahu bends to his will is worse than shameful it is borderline treasonous. Dave Schaublin, Key Largo Perfectly Stormy Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden thrill me as a presidential candidate. What do I do now? Ive got it. Young, good-looking, intelligent, calm under pressure and honest to a fault Stormy Daniels for president! Gloria Nichols, Miami In recent weeks, protesters from across the nation have camped out on college campuses, demanding for divestment from Israel, as the countrys conflict with terrorist group Hamas has raged on. The war has taken more than 35,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israeli lives. The issue of divestment, or something resembling it, has gotten legs in California recently. Sacramento State became one of the first public universities in the state to reach a deal with pro-Palestinian protesters after their 10-day camp on the college campus. Aligning with one of the protesters demands, the university created a new policy to ban direct investments in corporations and funds that profit from genocide, ethnic cleansing, and activities that violate fundamental human rights. Tuesday, the University of California at Berkeley, after reaching a deal with protesters, said they wont divest from Israel, but has promised to assess investments in weapons, mass incarceration, and surveillance industries. Palestinian protesters both local and national have touted Sacramento States new policy as a win. And while UC Berkeley may not have divested, the universitys commitment to investigating its investment is progress. But as these two situations signal what would be a movement toward greater acceptance of divestment efforts, not everyone in California leadership thinks its such a good idea. While speaking about his revised $288 billion budget proposal, which is a column for another time, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was against divestment. Though Newsom didnt get into much detail, his shot at schools such as Sacramento State does have some weight. In the case of Sacramento States new policy, if you were to call it a win for the pro-Palestinian effort, you might need to look deeper into what it actually says. Divestment fallacy The policy outlines what Sacramento State has deemed wrong profiting from genocide, ethnic cleansing, and activities that violate fundamental human rights. Thats the easy part. But here is a claim that Ive got a problem with: The University Foundation of Sacramento State, keeper of its investments, does not have any direct investment in these areas, the university says even though it has yet to review indirect investments like mutual funds. How can the university be so sure it has no problematic investments when it has yet to develop the strategy to review all investments? How many investments does the university have? These are all questions the university is raising for itself by advancing this investment policy, but is nowhere near answering. Transparency is the first step in socially responsible investment. The universitys investments are a complete mystery to the public. I reached out to Sacramento State to get a list of its investments over the last five years. So far, officials have not able to give me any information. The university has to do more than just say that all of its investments are fine. Sacramento State has to show actual evidence of that. And so far, that hasnt happened. Failing to back up a claim of being a socially responsible investor leaves the university in a sticky situation. A can of worms The protesters are not the problem here. They used their voice to advocate for change. Sacramento State President Luke Wood deserves credit for listening to all sides of this issue and finding a solution. But the truth is that this new focus on socially responsible investing may never lead to a single divestment. And investment choices are a never-ending process for a university. The university essentially traded a 10-day protest encampment for an open-ended commitment of socially responsible investing. CSU Sacramento has now obligated itself to identify what specific corporations and funds are to be avoided and why. Theres no other way to pass its own test. As one of first universities in the country to implement an policy in the wake of ongoing student protests, surely Wood and Sacramento State know that the tension wont be resolved long-term with vague promises that have no real-world meaning. The universitys first steps related to this new investment promise have happened with no transparency. It feels like Sacramento State is walking blind down a path with no direction or end in sight. DNA helps link killings of 4 young women to an American man who lived in Canada illegally After 48 years of investigation, Alberta Royal Canadian Mounted Police linked the deaths of four young women killed in the Calgary area in the 1970s to one man a serial sexual offender who they believe may have committed more violent crimes until his death. Police say Gary Allen Srery killed junior high school friends Eva Dvorak and Patricia McQueen, both 14 years old, in 1976, before killing Melissa Rehorek, 20, and Barbara MacLean, 19, in the span of a year. Srerys criminality spanned decades, over multiple jurisdictions, under numerous aliases, and the Alberta RCMP believe there may be more victims, Alberta RCMP said in a news release Friday. Crime scene DNA was seized during the initial homicide investigations, but due to a lack of DNA technology at the time, police failed to link a suspect to the killings. About 30 years later, in 2003, police were able to confirm the same suspect was linked to Rehorek and MacLeans deaths through DNA evidence. And in 2021, resubmitted crime scene evidence from the Dvorak and McQueen investigations unearthed a link with those of Rehorek and MacLean, according to RCMP. The same unknown male DNA profile was identified on both victims that matched the unknown male DNA profile from the Rehorek and MacLean murders, police said in a news release. In light of this new information, the RCMP believed that the same male offender was responsible for the deaths of all four victims. Advancements in forensic science technology and the use of forensic investigative genetic genealogy, which combines DNA analysis with traditional genealogy research, have allowed more breakthroughs with DNA evidence collection. Police used genetic genealogy to identify, Srery, an American who died of natural causes in an Idaho state prison in 2011 while serving a sentence for rape. A copy photo of Gary Allen Srery, a deceased serial killer who the Alberta RCMP linked to four historical homicides, is shown during a press conference in Edmonton, Friday, May 17, 2024. - Jason Franson/Jason Franson/The Canadian Press/AP With assistance from Interpol and Idaho State Police Forensic Services, Srerys DNA was confirmed as a match to the unknown male DNA profile present on all four Calgary victims, police said. At the time of the killings, Srery was living illegally in Canada, having fled the US in 1974 after posting bail for a rape charge in California, according to RCMP. Before coming to Calgary, Srery had an extensive criminal record in the US for sexual offenses, including forcible rape, kidnapping, burglary and sexual perversion. Srery lived in Alberta and British Columbia from the mid 1970s until he was deported in 2003, police say. He used several aliases, including Willy Blackman and Rex Long. For over forty years, investigators did not give up in their pursuit to identify those responsible for these murders, said David Hall of the Alberta RCMP. Identifying the perpetrator does not bring Eva, Patsy, Melissa or Barbara back. It is our hope however, that the families are finally able to have some answers as to what happened to their loved ones all of those years ago, he said. CNNs Tanika Gray contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Q. How does Secret Service protection work? Does it protect a president in jail? A. The United States Secret Service (USSS) is a federal law enforcement agency which was established in 1865 for the purpose of investigating the counterfeiting of U.S. currency. That was no small task. At the end of the Civil War, an estimated one-third of the currency in circulation was counterfeit. The agency was originally part of the U.S. Treasury Department and continued there until it was moved to the Department of Homeland Security as part of a reorganization legislation in 2002 after the attack on the U.S. on 9/11. Since its creation, the USSS has seen its mission expand several times as a result of executive orders, departmental guidelines, and laws passed by Congress. While most people know the Secret Service for its role in protecting the U.S. President, the agency has an interesting history. The USSS investigated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1860s, investigated land fraud in the early 20th century, and did counterespionage against the Germans during World War I. As is often the case with government, roles and missions change over time. The investigative mission of the USSS continues to this day. The current USSS still investigates counterfeiting, but also examines a broader range of potential financial crimes, including credit card fraud and cybercrimes. Because of its expertise, the USSS provides forensic support for criminal investigations in a number of areas including support for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Seems like Texas gets all the Texas-sized court cases of national importance. Why is that? The protective mission started with the part-time protection at the request of President Cleveland in 1894. Congress asked for the fulltime protection of U.S. Presidents after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 resulting in a full-time presidential detail of two men. The scope and terms of the protection offered by the USSS has since increased and is set by statute, Presidential Directive, Department Directives and Executive Orders. In 1998, the USSS was, with a presidential directive, to lead and implement security plans for significant national events, including Presidential inaugurations, world leader summits, major sporting events, party conventions and other significant national events. Protection for the widow and minor children of a former President was originally extended for four years after the President leaves or dies in office. It was extended for the life of the widow and to age 16 for minor children. Past Presidents are given Secret Service Protection for their lifetimes under the present law. Currently, there is no disqualifying provisions, so the criminal conviction of a former President does not end the protection or limit it. How to fix American politics: Kill the partisan gerrymander and filibuster | Opinion Kevin Wagner Earlier this year, Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), proposed legislation that would end Secret Service Protection for anyone convicted of a felony and incarcerated. The bill was titled: The Disgraced Former Protectees Act (H.R. 8081). In response, Congressman Wesley Hunt (R-TX), introduced a bill to guarantee protection titled: Save American Former Elected Presidents Act (SAFE). As is increasingly true about most legislation in Congress, neither bill is likely to pass. Kevin Wagner is a noted constitutional scholar and political science professor at Florida Atlantic University. The answers provided do not necessarily represent the views of the university. If you have a question about how American government and politics work, email him at kwagne15@fau.edu or reach him on Twitter @kevinwagnerphd. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Will United States Secret Service protect a president if sent to jail? NEW JERSEY (PIX11) Police in the Sparta Township are warning neighbors to watch out for bears after there were two separate bear attacks on dogs last week. Both dogs were injured in the attacks one later died. More Local News Police are reminding residents to make noise when walking in an area where bears could be around and to report aggressive bears. Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here. 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. They dont like abortion, but Kaines GOP challengers say they wont seek a federal ban U.S. Sen Tim Kaine, D-Va., kicked off his 2024 reelection bid this week with a campaign stop in Richmond. (Graham Moomaw/Virginia Mercury) Its obvious where Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine stands on abortion access. And thats not just for the fact that his party has been outspoken in support of access and other reproductive rights. Kaine has also co-sponsored the bipartisan Reproductive Freedom For All Act an attempt to codify abortion protections into federal law. What has been less obvious is whether his Republican challengers would support federal abortion bans or restrictions. Many on their campaign websites refer to themselves as pro-life but dont specify where they fall on the spectrum of restrictions that Virginia Republicans have presented in recent years. However, four of the five candidates have told the Mercury that they believe abortion regulation should be handled state-by-state. Candidates who hold that view include former 10th Congressional District GOP nominee Hung Cao, lawyer Jonathan Emord, former Gov. Ron DeSantis staffer Scott Parkinson and Army veteran Eddie Garcia. The fifth candidate, Navy veteran Chuck Smith, could not be reached for an interview by the time of this publication. At campaign events, social media, or on their websites, theyve each expressed support for abortion restrictions or celebrated the reversal of federal abortion protections. Cao, a military veteran, likened abortion advocates to the evil he described seeing during his time in the service interrogating a suspected bombmaker in Iraq. But each man has noted how they dont see their potential role in Congress as having much impact on abortion law. I understand why Democrats continue to try to stoke fear and make the 2024 election about abortion, but it is not about abortion because abortion is a state issue, Parkinson said in an email. But abortion has remained a salient national issue in elections since the United States Supreme Court overturned federal protections in the summer of 2022. While state legislatures around the country have imposed restrictions or near-total bans, others have enshrined protections into their state constitutions. Next year, Democrats in Virginias legislature hope to do the same, as it remains the least restrictive southern state. Meanwhile, some members of Congress have sought measures to implement federal controls. Kaine has spearheaded an effort to codify Roe into federal law while Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, has introduced a federal 15-week limit. During an October 2023 interview on the John Fredericks Show, Parkinson had been posed with a hypothetical situation of whether or not he would vote for Grahams 15 week bill. Parkinson said it would be unlikely to find success in the Senate. But when Fredericks pressed further, Parkinson said that he would vote for the bill because it would ultimately protect life. Meanwhile, Parkinson said in a recent email to the Mercury that he expects to see continued differences in abortion regulation state-by-state. He noted how Virginia state law allows the procedure through the second trimester, with exceptions for later abortions. If policymakers dont like that position, I recommend they run for governor, state senator, or delegate to change the law in Virginia, Parkinson said. He asserted that hes running for Congress for other issues, such as immigration and the economy. Meanwhile, Garcia asserted that he does not plan to seek federal abortion law. Im not trying to institute any bans or caps or restrictions or anything at the federal level, Garcia said in a phone call. I think that [the overturn of Roe] was correctly decided, that it should be pushed down to the states. Cao, likewise, wrote in an email: I will vote against any national abortion ban. Before the men could face the option to vote for or against a national prohibition, they first have to undergo a primary and general election. Each of them will face off in a June Republican primary to determine who is challenging Kaine in November. Smith indicated support for states implementing abortion bans at an April candidate forum, but noted that its states purview to do so. He stressed that he and his fellow opponents have to be clear against Kaine going forward on the matter of abortion, especially since Democrats have made abortion a key pillar of their campaigns. What we say here today we should be prepared to say in the general election. Were looking to beat Tim Kaine and this is what [Democrats are] gonna lead out with, Smith said. And my position is: Life begins at conception. There are no exceptions to that. The post They dont like abortion, but Kaines GOP challengers say they wont seek a federal ban appeared first on Virginia Mercury. Former President Donald Trump's visit to Minnesota is energizing Republicans as they prepare to battle for control of the state House in November. They're hoping Trump's presence on the ticket, and his reported focus on winning Minnesota, will help them pick up House seats in rural areas and possibly some blue-collar suburbs even though the former president hasn't provided a clear boost for down-ballot candidates in the past. Republicans gained seats in the Minnesota House in 2016 and 2020, but they did so by outperforming Trump by about 3 to 5 percentage points. And they lost a state Senate seat four years ago. Republicans say they don't need the presumptive GOP nominee to carry the state; they just need him to do better than he did in 2020, when he lost Minnesota by about 7 percentage points. "Trump doesn't have to win Minnesota for Republicans in the House to be in the majority," said former GOP House Speaker Kurt Daudt, who led House Republicans' campaign efforts in 2016 and 2020. "If he only loses Minnesota by three or four points, it's likely House Republicans have a majority." Republicans must gain four seats in the House to win the majority in November and end the DFL's trifecta control of state government. Minnesota DFL Chair Ken Martin said he believes Trump will be a liability for Republicans in competitive swing districts. The evidence points toward the former president being a drag on the ticket, he said, since legislative candidates generally outperformed him both times he was on the ballot. "The more that these Republicans, particularly these Republicans in swing legislative districts ... continue to hitch their horse to his wagon, the more vulnerable they are," Martin said. Donations have poured in for the DFL since the Minnesota GOP announced Trump would headline its fundraising dinner on Friday night. Martin said the DFL has raised well over $100,000 since last week. Minnesota GOP leaders wouldn't say whether their fundraising has ramped up since they announced Trump's visit. But GOP Chair David Hann said Friday's event presents a big fundraising opportunity for the state party. The state GOP has struggled to dig itself out of debt over the past year, reporting a debt balance of about $292,000 as of March 31, according to its federal campaign finance report. Hann said he believes President Joe Biden's unpopularity may drag down Democrats in November. And he said the DFL-controlled Legislature has given Minnesotans more reason to vote Republican, citing policy proposals that have prompted rideshare giants Uber and Lyft to threaten to leave the state. "I think Republicans are going to have a good year," Hann said. "I think there is a lot of dissatisfaction with what Democrats are doing in Minnesota." House Republicans are bullish about their chances to gain seats on the Iron Range, in the St. Peter-North Mankato area and in Winona. They're also targeting DFL-held seats in St. Cloud, Northfield and Coon Rapids. Trump was competitive in each of these areas in 2020. GOP House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said she thinks Trump's effect on down-ballot candidates "plays different in each part of the state." "We've been very intentional about finding great candidates that are well-known in their districts that represent Minnesota well, and that's our focus as we look toward November," Demuth said. Democrats are looking to pick up suburban House seats in Hastings and Lake Elmo, where Republican incumbents aren't running for re-election. And they're eyeing GOP-held seats in St. Cloud and northern Minnesota. Todd Rapp, a former DFL legislative staffer and campaign operative, said Trump could boost Republican candidates in close rural districts where Democrats hold seats. But it's more likely the former president will galvanize voters in suburban swing districts to turn out for Democrats, he said. "It's been three and a half years since he was president, some of the memories fade a little, they get fuzzier. You get so focused on the current administration," Rapp said. "But if he comes in and gives one of his traditional speeches, he might take those suburban swing voters and remind them of how they really don't like and don't trust Donald Trump." In an interview with a conservative news outlet this week, Trump described Minnesota as being "out of control." He suggested Minneapolis would have "burned down to the ground" in 2020 if not for him, and he called for "mass deportations" to address illegal immigration. Kevin Parsneau, a political science professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, said visits by either Trump or Biden could motivate voters. He said Trump's early stop in the state may be an indicator that he sees Minnesota as a "borderline battleground state, or at least something he makes Biden want to defend." Those kinds of trips could affect close races in the Legislature or Congress, such as Minnesota's competitive Second District, where DFL Rep. Angie Craig is fighting to keep her seat, Parsneau said. "If you think you can win it on the margins, you do it," he said. "That is bound to have some effects on some close races one way or another." Parsneau said Trump supporters seem to be more energized at this point in the race than Democrats supporting Biden, who is treading lightly on issues such as the war in Gaza. "There are marginal districts in Minnesota, and if Biden supporters in those areas just don't turn out, that could hurt them in those races," he said. Donald Trump said that his campaign has agreed to participate in a vice presidential debate but on Fox News. His statement came a day after Joe Bidens presidential campaign said that Vice President Kamala Harris had accepted CBS News invitation for a debate, either on July 23 or Aug. 13. More from Deadline In a message on Truth Social, his social media platform, Trump wrote, On behalf of the future Vice President of the United States, who I have not yet chosen, we hereby accept the Fox Vice Presidential Debate, hopefully at Virginia State University, the first Historically Black College or University to host a Debate Date to be determined. I urge Vice President Kamala Harris to agree to this. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Trump didnt say anything about the CBS News invite. On Fox News, anchor Bret Baier, calling this the wild west of debate proposals, said that the invite went out to both campaigns and confirmed that it had reached out to Virginia State University to host. The was set to be one of the venues set by the Commission on Presidential Debates for an event this cycle. But Bidens campaign, in a letter to the commission this week, said that it would not participate in the commission-organized events and instead was opting for earlier, network hosted debates. CNN is planning a presidential debate with Trump and Biden on June 27; ABC News is hosting an event on Sept. 10. Both debates are expected to be in studio. The Biden campaign also proposed a vice presidential debate in late July or August, after the Republican National Convention. The CBS News offer seemed to meet their requests. Baier, though, noted that Fox News had proposed a presidential debate of its own for October, and that Trump had accepted. But the Biden campaign quickly dismissed the possibility and accused Trump of playing games over the debate schedule. No more chaos, no more debate about debates, Biden campaign chair Jen OMalley Dillon said in a statement. Baier said that the network had proposed a vice presidential debate for July 23 or August 13 the same dates as CBS proposed. Baier also said that the network proposed a time after the Republican and Democratic conventions. Well see what else happens, he said. This is a strange dynamic in getting these things locked down. There is gamesmanship that continues around the debate, and Trumps acceptance of a Fox News offer, with the added note that it would have an historic importance at an HBCU, undoubtedly was designed to put pressure on the Biden campaign. He also may have been irked by some of the punditry this week that Bidens campaign had gained the upper hand when it floated its debate proposals earlier this week. Frank Fahrenkopf, the co-founder of the debate commission, told Politico that he agreed that Trump got played and that his decision to so quickly accept the CNN and ABC News debate may have been one of the great blunders of this election cycle. Trumps campaign had said that he would debate anytime and anyplace. Asked for comment on the latest Trump statement on the VP debate, a senior Biden campaign official pointed to OMalley Dillons statement from earlier this week. And in her letter to the commission, she was critical of the idea of having a debate in front of an audience, while Fox News does not meet their criteria for a preferred host network. She had proposed only networks that hosted a 2016 Republican primary debate and a 2020 Democratic primary debate, something that eliminated Fox News and MSNBC from the mix. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The former president had a front row seat at the event along with Melania Trump - Reuters/Marco Bello Donald Trump watched his 18-year-old son graduate from secondary school on Friday after the judge in his hush money trial gave him the day off court. Photographs show the former president applauding and grinning as Barron Trump collected his diploma from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. Mr Trump had previously complained that Justice Juan Merchan was highly biased and had intended to keep him in court on Friday. The former president had a front row seat at the event along with Melania Trump, who, wearing a hat low over her eyes, made a rare public appearance with her husband to see her son graduate from the $41,500-a-year school. Viktor Knavs, Melanias father and Barrons grandfather, stood next to her. Amalija Knavs, the former first ladys mother, died earlier this year. The family was accompanied by two secret service agents wearing dark suits and sunglasses. Going to Barrons High School Graduation, Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Friday morning. Great student, wonderful boy! Very exciting!!! Barron Trump collected his diploma from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida - Mega Footage of the ceremony shows Barron Trump making his way onto the stage wearing a mortar board, gown, and red stole. The 6ft 7in student looms over the school officials as he shakes their hands and collects his diploma. Barron is Mr Trumps youngest child and the only one he had with his third wife, Melania. At his hush money trial, the former president is accused of having a sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, in 2006, just months after Barron was born. Barron had been selected to serve as delegate to vote for his father at the Republican national convention, but declined to do so. Mr Trump said last week that his 18-year-old son gives him political advice. He does like politics. Its sort of funny. Hell tell me sometimes Dad, this is what you have to do, Mr Trump told Talk Radio. Mr Trump was not expected to spend the evening celebrating with his son, and is scheduled to attend a Republican dinner in Minnesota a state his campaign is targeting in Novembers election. 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. DOTHAN, Ala. (WDHN) Dothan Housing and the Southeast Alabama Coalition for the Homeless (SEACH) AL-508 Continuum of Care hosted an event today to provide unhoused and financially underserved people with the resources they need. The Summer Homeless Connect at the Michael C. Patton Event Center provided those in need with clothing, shoes, socks, food, free bikes, and toiletries. It also had legal assistance, domestic violence help, mental healthcare, veteran care, substance abuse resources, and more resources to help. Organizers hoped to impact directly between 50 and 70 people. Dothan Housing COO Dr. Michael Threatt believes holding these events more than once a year helps reach more people. This will allow us to see out there who is homeless but also ensure us that they receive those services, he says. SEACHs Jack Porter says homelessness has several causes, and addressing all potential root causes is important to get people back on their feet. He says, Everybody has different needs. Our job, in this organization, is to address those needs and get you out of how you became homeless and get you into a better situation. 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. DENVER (KDVR) The Douglas County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to opt out of a new state law prohibiting individuals from carrying firearms in sensitive places, such as government buildings, schools and polling locations. The law will go into effect on July 1 and has a provision allowing local governments to enact legislation permitting people to carry firearms in the areas described in the bill. Locked gun storage for cars to be mandated under new Colorado law Douglas Countys opting out of the requirements of the onerous SB24-131 allows visitors to county facilities and properties the ability to protect themselves as they choose, said Commissioner Lora Thomas, a Republican, in a county release. Under the Douglas County resolution, anyone with a valid concealed carry firearm permit will be allowed to carry a concealed weapon into Douglas County government buildings, unless prohibited by a law enforcement officer. The commissioners said in a release that the current operations of the Douglas County Justice Center and courthouse will be unaffected. Firearms are not allowed in courthouses, usually under a district judges order. However, the Commissioners have asked that a lockbox be placed at the entrance to the Justice Center for citizens to safely store firearms before entering the building, the commissioners release said. Im very critical of this new state law, said Commissioner George Teal, a Republican, in the release. We are a nation that was built on the principle of the right to keep and bear arms. Commissioner Abe Laydon, also a Republican, echoed the same sentiments, calling Douglas County a constitutional county. We support the right of people to defend themselves, he said in a release. 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. AUSTIN (KXAN) The Texas Department of Public Safety said it will close access to the state Capitol Saturday night due to a potentially large-scale protest event on Sunday, according to a memo from the agency. Sundays protest event is a multi-organization effort to commemorate the Nakba (translated from Arabic as catastrophe), which was the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, according to the United Nations. [TXDPS] anticipates a significant number of participants will attend this protest. TXDPS has determined the closure of the Capitol grounds is necessary to protect the safety and security of persons and property within the complex, the memo reads. According to social media posts from the organizers, they had planned to bring buses of attendees to the Capitol from Dallas and Houston, which wouldnt have been a first for the Capitol. However, organizers said in a Friday afternoon social media post they had to cancel the buses due to the facility restrictions. When asked for an explanation behind the decision, the Department of Public Safety noted that the reason for the closure was not known and that the order was above their heads, read the post from the Palestinian Youth Movement. Despite the hurdles that the state has thrown at us, we are determined to gather in Austin to protest, and we call on all people of conscience to join us. Our message to Abbott and DPS is clear: We wholeheartedly reject this cheap attempt to stifle our movement. Since October 2023, multiple other pro-Palestinian rallies and marches have been held at the Capitol. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Statements against Azerbaijan by France are completely unacceptable and we strongly rejected them, Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports. He made the remark regarding Minister of Interior of France Gerald Darmanin's anti-Azerbaijani remarks. "Fundamental rights and freedoms are completely secured in Azerbaijan, in contrast to France, where human rights are grossly violated, protesters are killed during riots, and there is widespread Islamophobia and attacks on Muslims, as well as anti-Semitism. Azerbaijan has always been shaped and grown as a society committed to democratic values since the restoration of its independence. Azerbaijan is a country where people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds coexist in a friendly and secure environment. French side must apologize for this remark. Should this not be the case, it will lead to further negative consequences for the relations between Azerbaijan and France," the statement reads. Dr. Jerome M. Larkin, who has been nominated as the permanent director of the Department of Health, addresses the Rhode Island Senate Health and Human Services Committee at a hearing on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (Alexander Castro/Rhode island Current) After a small clinics worth of physicians showed up to testify in support of Gov. Dan McKees choice for the next director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services affirmed its support for Dr. Jerome Jerry Larkin at a hearing Thursday. The committee voted 5-1 in favor of Larkins nomination, with Sen. Elaine Morgan, a Hopkinton Republican, serving the only nay vote. Greg Pare, spokesperson for the Rhode Island Senate, said in an email Thursday that Larkins appointment will hit the Senate floor on Tuesday, May 19. The clinicians, many of them colleagues and former proteges of Larkin, came to say nice things about the doctor who serves as medical director of inpatient infectious diseases consultation services at Rhode Island Hospital and teaches clinical medicine as a professor at Brown University. The committees mailbox had also been stuffed with written testimonies. We got many, many letters, said Sen. Joshua Miller, who chairs the committee. I dont remember seeing a letter that was not in support. But the most memorable affirmation may have been from Dr. Sabina Holland, medical director of the pediatric HIV clinic at Hasbro Childrens Hospital. The highest compliment that a pediatrician can give another pediatrician is to entrust them with the care of their children, Holland said. He could have my children. The crowd laughed. Chair Miller offered a playful retort. He cant have my children, Miller said. Jokes aside, Larkins competency with children was underlined in several testimonies including those from members of the Tiverton School Committee, which Larkin has chaired since 2017. Larkin has served on the school committee since 2012 and was most recently reelected in 2020 with 31.1% of the vote. The afternoons first two testimonies came from school committee members, including Deborah Pallasch. I have known Dr. Larkin since he became involved in the anarchy that can be Tiveron politics, Pallasch said. In the middle of COVID, as the chair of our school committee as you can imagine, quite a scary time for us, quite a scary time for our parents, quite a scary time for our children he led us as a community through that so deftly and so patiently and so respectfully. Larkin, in his own words to the Senate, emphasized the at-time martial nature of municipal school politics. As chair for the last seven years, I am the veteran of 12 hardball budget seasons some of them scorched earth, some of them merely trench warfare, Larkin said. I believe if you can understand the budget of a small-to-medium-sized school district, you have a better-than-even chance of understanding the budget of the Pentagon. The Pentagon might actually be easier, as it seems to be able to spend money unbudgeted, freely, without any apparent consequence. Priorities include stabilizing hospitals and nursing homes The consistency of Larkins school board role contrasts the revolving door at the health department, a fixture of the McKee administration. The last permanent director, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, worked under Gina Raimondos administration and led the department during the height of the COVID pandemic. Alexander-Scott was reappointed for another five years in 2020, but vacated the position in January 2022, less than a year into McKees governorship. That vacuum has been plugged by three interim directors since then: Dr. Jim McDonald, Dr. Utpala Bandy, and most recently Dr. Staci Fischer, who took over as acting director when Bandy retired on March 31. Statewide health directors are rare birds nationally, and regional directors are common in larger states. The compensation for such an encompassing job has been criticized for the turnover, although McKee recently and successfully raised the base salary to $250,000. Speaking to reporters, Larkin said that, if confirmed by the full Senate, his priorities would likely include the stabilization of hospitals and nursing homes, as well as responding to the opioid overdose crisis. But Im still on the outside looking in, Larkin said. Larkin was so far outside, in fact, that he was unsure how to assess the time demands of his possible new job. Would he continue serving on the school committee? I havent made a decision, Larkin told a reporter. Certainly, you know, the Department of Health is a full-time job but so is being a doctor. We got many, many letters. I dont remember seeing a letter that was not in support. Sen. Joshua Miller, a Cranston Democrat who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services Judging by the afternoons testimonies, Larkin is a good clinician. His 1993 medical degree is from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and his research specialty is tick-related illnesses and Lyme disease in children and pregnant women. Dr. Michael Koster pointed out Larkins talents as a med-peds physician, or someone who understands pediatric issues as much as he understands adult medical issues. You dont get a showing of physicians like this, Koster said, referring to the turnout for the hearing. You have to earn it. Its not something you can buy. While the public offered no opposition, the senate committee did have a few questions. Miller pointed out the statute that outlines the health directors qualifications a prescription which includes a minimum of five (5) years full time experience in health administration. Miller was curious how that requirement fit into Larkins experience. I think it depends, Larkin began. So, if you look at how much time do I spend seeing patients so, everything I do is subsumed under the title of the director of infectious disease consults service. So in many regards, my clinical work is an administrative responsibility. I have to know how those services work. Larkin estimated that administrative duties probably comprise half his time currently. Sen. Linda Ujifusa, a Portsmouth Democrat, asked Larkin about the states shortage of primary care doctors as well as reimbursement rates. Could any initiatives from the health department help shape a more positive environment for Rhode Islands doctors? Larkin replied that neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut are well known to have superior reimbursement rates, but that rectifying that ultimately is actually a federal issue. Dr. Jerome Larkin has served as chairman of the Tiverton School Committee for the past seven years. After a State House confirmation hearing on his nomination to be director of the Rhode Island Department of Health on Thursday, May 16, 2024, Larkin said he was still undecided if would continue to serve on the school committee or seek re-election if he was appointed. (Alexander Castro/Rhode island Current) Would you mask our kids again? Morgan asked Larkin about the states handling of the pandemic. Larkin suggested looking at a map, and that Rhode Island ultimately dodged a bullet given the severity of the pandemic in nearby Massachusetts and New York. Morgan then narrowed her focus. Closing down the state: Would you do that again? she asked. Do I think the decision was right to shut down in March of 2020 at that time? Yes, Larkin said. Could we have reopened faster? Probably. There was certainly a loss in school districts, and theres certainly an economic impact on this. So thats my sort of armchair general retrospective perspective on it. Would you mask our kids again? Morgan continued. Yes. Yes, Larkin said, and pointed to the measure as effective in reducing transmission, allowing kids to get back in school sooner. At 4 p.m., bells started ringing. Its not a fire alarm, Sen. Pam Lauria said. Its just the bells for the Senate. Miller used the literal sounding of the alarm as a backdrop for one more comment. And with that bell from the Senate, I just would like to ask you to be aware of a couple of issues that we have discussed in committee this session, Miller said, and pointed to recent discussions involving scope of practice. Should committees in the General Assembly be tasked with regulating scopes of practice, or should that be left entirely to medical boards and the health department? But rather than discuss going down a very slippery slope of having scope of practice legislated, Miller filed the question away for another day, and the motion for a vote on Larkins advancement began. Sen. Alana DiMario seconded the motion. Only Morgan voted no. Larkins own words to the committee were punctuated with the occasional cough. Excuse my voice. My allergies decided to start today, Larkin said after he sat down in front of the mic, following odes from his colleagues. Yeah, I guess that was the easy part. Its the fondest wish of every Irishman to attend their own wake, and I feel like thats what Ive been doing this afternoon. The post Dr. Jerome Larkin is one step closer to leading R.I. Department of Health appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Drinks until 1 a.m. but no DJ: Thomas Keller's Ta-boo restaurant in Palm Beach gets key OK The new Thomas Keller-backed Ta-boo is set to open in spring 2025 as one of the only restaurants still serving drinks until 1 a.m., but don't expect a dance floor or DJ at Worth Avenue's upcoming late-night establishment. On Wednesday, the Palm Beach Town Council voted to approve with conditions the agreement regulating the day-to-day operations at the eatery, 221 Worth Ave., paving the way for the newest addition to Keller's fleet of award-winning restaurants, which include Napa Valley's The French Laundry and New York's Per Se, both three-Michelin-star awardees. In addition to addressing drinks and entertainment, Ta-boo's declaration-of-use agreement also details a clear enforcement strategy should the restaurant violate the towns noise ordinance; bans any activity on the restaurants roof; and grants the town greater enforcement capabilities over the restaurants valet parking. Thomas Keller, the Michelin-starred American chef of French Laundry (Napa) and Per Se (New York) fame, got his his start in West Palm Beach. The agreement was first presented during the councils April meeting, but members delayed their decision over concerns regarding Ta-boo's potential to become a nightclub, and the agreements deviation from the declaration-of-use template created by the town. During Wednesday's meeting, attorney Maura Ziska, representing Ta-boo, said the revamped agreement incorporated nearly all the feedback given by the council and town staff. Changes included barring the restaurant from having a DJ, loudspeakers, or dance floor, a condition requested by Council Member Julie Araskog during the April meeting. Every change that was discussed has been incorporated in this, Planning Director Wayne Bergman told the council Wednesday. With the council's most recent approval, Ta-boo is one step closer to realizing its projected opening date of spring 2025. However, Ziska noted that the restaurants hours of operations remained unchanged, with the agreement still detailing hours of operations as 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Sunday, with the kitchen closing at 10:30 p.m. The restaurants closing time divided the Town Council. Council Member Ted Cooney said he didnt mind the 1 a.m. closing time, noting that the restaurant is located inside a business district and is not neighboring any residence. He also noted that the town has historically had a calm late-night restaurant where residents could grab a drink after an evening event or dinner party. The only other options for those not part of the island's private clubs is Cucina on Royal Poinciana Way, Cooney said. "Cucina is a place for young people, and I may be a young person in many of your eyes, but I feel older there," Cooney said. Council President Bobbie Lindsay, who opposed the 1 a.m. closing, said while the restaurant may be in a commercial district, employees and guests would be driving through residential streets on their way home. "I get a lot of complaints from the area near Hibiscus (Avenue) and Chilean (Avenue) about employees and people leaving restaurants late and driving through, revving their cars," Lindsay said, while questioning why the restaurant would close its kitchen more than two hours before closing. Cooney, who works part-time as a manager at another island restaurant, Buccan, noted that many restaurants have extended hours for their drink service. He proposed allowing the restaurant to keep the 1 a.m. closing time for its first season, and that it return to the council afterward for review. A majority of the council agreed with Cooney. In another modification to the agreement, the council also asked Ziska to address employee parking by adding wording stating that employees will park either off-island, in the restaurant's lot on Peruvian Avenue, or in a dedicated structure on the island such as the Esplanade's parking garage. In a surprising twist, council members also called for modifications that relaxed the disciplinary actions faced by the restaurant regarding any complaints about violating an ordinance. Under the agreement presented Wednesday, the restaurant would be forced to close and appear before the Town Council should they receive three complaints verified by the town staff. Araskog said the document should note a specific period of time between complaints. "If in one year they have three complaints, why would we shut them down and make them come to us?" Araskog said. Araskog proposed that the restaurant close and appear at the Town Council should it receive three complaints within the span of two months. She also requested a modification to allow the council to place Ta-boo on the ir agenda should any issues arise with the restaurant's parking or traffic impact, as opposed to the agreement's three-year window. The council voted 3-2, with council members Lew Crampton and Bridget Moran joining Cooney in voting for the agreement conditioned on the changes requested and Araskog and Lindsay casting the nay votes. The amended agreement will be submitted to town staff for review before it gets final approval. Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach council approves use agreement for Thomas Keller's Ta-boo Ukrainian forces attacked multiple settlements in Belgorod Oblast on May 16-17, damaging a gas station and killing two people, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed. Reports of rocket or drone attacks against Belgorod Oblast, which borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts, have become a common occurrence in recent months. A drone struck a gas station near the village of Bessonovka, causing a fuel tank to catch fire, Gladkov said. Firefighters have since extinguished the blaze. In the village of Oktyabyrsky, a drone attack killed a woman and her four-year-old child, Gladkov claimed. He also said the child's father was injured. The Kyiv Independent could not verify Gladkov's claims. The same night, Russian media and officials reported attacks against Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai and Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. Ukraine has targeted Russia's oil infrastructure and defense industry with increasing attacks throughout winter and spring. Kyiv does not always claim official responsibility for reported attacks on Russian soil. In some cases, Ukraine has disputed Russian allegations regarding attacks in Belgorod Oblast. Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the counter-disinformation department at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, denied accusations that a Ukrainian attack caused a 10-story apartment building in the city of Belgorod to collapse on May 12. 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. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called on Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from all cases related to the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, after it was reported an upside-down American flag was flown outside his home in the days surrounding the attack. According to The New York Times, an upside-down version of the flag was flown outside the Alitos home in Alexandria, Va., on Jan. 17, 2021, and potentially for several days during that time. The justice said in a statement that he has no involvement whatsoever in flying the flag and said his wife, Martha-Ann, hung the flag as part of a dispute with neighbors. However, the news comes as the court is set to rule on two key Jan. 6-related cases, including whether former President Trump has immunity from prosecution. Durbin said Alito should step back during those cases and play no role in those rulings. Flying an upside-down American flag a symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movement clearly creates the appearance of bias, Durbin said. Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former Presidents immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering, he added. The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust, Durbin continued, saying it is another reason for Congress to pass legislation to create a code of conduct for justices. Supreme Court justices should be held to the highest ethical standards, not the lowest. The upside-down flag has long been known as an SOS signal, but it has been used increasingly in the political universe in recent years, especially on the right after Trumps loss, and it gained steam among his supporters as a symbol to stop the steal. The Supreme Courts ethics code says justices should not make political statements, in order to preserve their impartiality on matters that arrive before the court. Alito is not the only justice to have faced questions about whether he should weigh in on Jan. 6-related cases. Justice Clarence Thomas faced calls for his recusal over his wife, Virginia, and her involvement in the effort to overturn the 2020 election result, but he has declined to do so. This is also the latest in a lengthy back-and-forth between Alito and Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, who has sought to institute a new ethics code for justices after revelations of multiple instances where some, headlined by Thomas and Alito, have received lavish gifts and vacations, among other things, from wealthy donors and benefactors. The court has pushed back heavily on this possibility, saying Congress has no standing to implement rules on justices. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) The owner of an East Nashville liquor store is offering a reward for information after several bottles of tequila were reportedly stolen from the business earlier this month. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, the alleged thief showed up to Last Chance Liquors on Dickerson Pike on May 6. Authorities said he stole three expensive bottles of tequila from the store before leaving on foot. East Nashville liquor store repeatedly hit by thieves The same liquor store, which has been around since the 1940s, was repeatedly hit by thieves last year. According to employees, a group of people made off with multiple tequila bottles and a couple bottles of Hennessy on two separate occasions. (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) The stores owner is offering a $500 reward through Crime Stoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the May 6 incident. In a photo provided by police, the suspect can be seen wearing a white t-shirt, black pants, and a red hat. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee Anyone who recognizes the man or who has information on the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. 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. ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) Escambia County officials announced the Escambia County Area Transit Route 58 will be suspended on Saturday. The service will be suspended because bus operators will be providing support for the Navy Days event. WEATHER ALERT: Rounds of Storms Possible through Saturday Regular service for Route 58 will resume on Monday, May 20. Here is the full Route 58 path: route-58-separatedDownload For more information on ECAT routes, you can go to the ECAT website or call 850-595-3228. 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 walls appear to be closing in around Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard. The mayor of the small south suburb has been the subject of numerous media reports detailing highly questionable spending, as well as retaliatory attacks on and harassment of perceived political enemies including local businesses, all of which have thrown Dolton into what can legitimately be described as chaos. The FBI reportedly is investigating her, both in her capacity as Dolton mayor and as supervisor of Thornton Township, which covers Dolton and 16 other south suburbs. She also is a defendant in lawsuits by former employees. Unfortunately for the beleaguered suburb, which in the normal course of affairs experiences more than its share of troubles due to its high poverty rate and declining population, Henyard isnt up for reelection until 2025. While she remains in place, there are worries about keeping up with such basic municipal services as timely garbage collection. Yes, garbage collection. The Dolton board of trustees, meeting a few days ago with Mayor Henyard absent, approved one of their own as president pro tem to act in the mayors stead if shes unavailable to ensure services such as trash pick-up arent interrupted. The village apparently was late in paying its garbage vendor, and someone needed to sign paperwork to ensure money for servicing of bonds floated to cover trash collection was included in the villages property tax levy. Henyards misadventures have put her at loggerheads with a substantial caucus of the board, which has led to these sorts of embarrassing miscues. Henyard appears to be in a league of her own when it comes to audacious corruption, but Dolton isnt alone among south suburbs in its miseries. Many municipalities in the Southland region long have been afflicted by sky-high property taxes that fall particularly hard on the many residents carving out modest-at-best livings. Corruption in the Chicago region and Illinois as a whole long has imposed a grotesque tax of sorts on residents and businesses throughout the state. But it hits harder in places like Dolton that barely can afford to provide basic services under the best of circumstances. The sooner the scourge of Tiffany Henyard can be ended, whether at the ballot box or at the hands of federal law enforcement, the better. Some of Henyards maneuvers as she faces intensifying pushback from members of the Dolton board and other local officials are the stuff of comedic overreach. As a recent Fox-32 expose of Hanyards doings reminded us, the Daily Southtown reported that Thornton Township Assessor Cassandra Elston had been locked out of her own office, apparently on the orders of Henyard, who doubles as the township supervisor in addition to serving as Doltons mayor. Elston is a separately elected official, so Henyard has no oversight of her. Henyard routinely travels with a Dolton police escort made up of several cops who work substantial overtime hours (and are paid accordingly) to chaperone her. This in a village with a modest police force that the former Dolton police chief (whom Henyard fired late last year and who now is suing the village for wrongful termination) told Fox-32 can only afford a few cops on duty per shift. There are many other allegations of questionable spending, so many in fact that the Dolton board moved to hire former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to perform a thorough audit of the villages finances under Henyard. The mayor vetoed the measure to hire Lightfoot, and an override vote is scheduled for next month. We urge the board to go ahead with the Lightfoot hiring even though it will come at a cost. Lightfoot may not have endeared herself to Chicago voters in her difficult single term as mayor, but shes tough and smart and would be adept at this task. That would be money well-spent under the current highly unfortunate circumstances. Related Articles In the meantime, Henyards story displays many of the troubling hallmarks common to political life in the south suburbs. The two offices she holds pay her a combined salary of $270,000. As Thornton Township supervisor, shes paid $224,000. She makes another $46,000 as Dolton mayor. The Thornton Township post is so lucrative that Henyard late last year convinced the townships board of trustees to pass a measure that would cut the supervisors salary to $25,000 but only if someone other than Henyard holds the job. It remains $224,000 so long as she is in the post. That presumably will get laughed out of court if it gets that far. But such is life in Henyard-world. Holding numerous political positions in this fashion is all too common in the south suburbs. Thaddeus Jones, for example, serves as mayor of Calumet City and as a state representative. State Sen. Napoleon Harris reportedly is interested in running against Henyard for Thornton Township supervisor in 2025 and undoubtedly would keep both gigs if he runs and wins. These politicians garner multiple salaries and the associated generous pensions in so doing. The regions taxpayers, meanwhile, suffer. In Dolton, for example, the average residential property tax bill tops $4,500 a year. The median home value in Dolton was around $129,000 from 2018 to 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The median household income was below $55,000. About 20% of the mainly Black population of around 20,000 lives in poverty. These are not the kind of demographics that can withstand the cost of corruption. Tiffany Henyards fate is yet to be determined. Whatever happens, Dolton, and many municipalities like it, cant take much more of her like. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Timothy McVeigh, otherwise known as the Oklahoma City bomber, was apprehended many miles away from his heinous crime by a police officer who had merely noticed a yellow Mercury was missing its registration tag. As he approached the driver, the officer noticed the bulge of a weapon under McVeighs jacket. That was years ago, but in everyday Chicago, police view traffic stops as a crucial way of getting dangerous guns off the streets. The documented examples are numerous: a Glock 22 found after a stop for nonfunctional lights; a 9 mm Taurus found after officers noticed a driver going the wrong way down a one-way street; a loaded Ruger found in a car with expired license plates; a KAL-TEC handgun found after police officers noticed a driver blowing through a stop sign. All of those examples, and we have seen reports of numerous others, represent good reasons why Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxxs widely reported plan to decline to prosecute gun and drug possession crimes discovered as a result of minor traffic stops, such as the ones listed above, is a terrible idea. In a city that is not awash with gangs totting illegal guns, maybe. But that is not the situation in which Chicago finds itself. Anyone even passingly familiar with the prevalence of drive-by shootings knows that a gun in a glove box is a gun that might well be the weapon in a pending violent crime. If officers are effectively prohibited from looking for these weapons, more people will die. Its that simple. Foxxs argument is that traffic stops disproportionately target Chicagoans of color and rarely lead to arrests. To which we would answer, the violent crime that results from all these guns under seats and in glove boxes also disproportionately targets Chicagoans of color. Most folks living in neighborhoods beset by violent crime want as many guns apprehended and off the streets as possible, whether or not arrests accompany them. Its true that traffic stops can be so stressful for all parties that they may have unintended consequences or even cause needless deaths. As we noted in the recent case of Dexter Reed, police should have been reminded by what happened in that instance of the value of cool, calm heads and an awareness of the possibility of a mentally troubled suspect being triggered by officers approaching like this was a military-style assault. You can believe that Reed should not have discharged his weapon and that the police were justified in returning fire and still hope that police leaders now look more closely at what happens in traffic stops and train officers to be more aware of the risk factors of different approaches, both for citizens and for officers. But thats a police matter, subject to the nuance of different situations and case-by-case decisions, and it should not be subject to some will-not-prosecute edict from the Cook County states attorney. In fact, police Superintendent Larry Snelling has publicly said more than once that the department is de-emphasizing pre-textual traffic stops. Foxxs move amounts to highly inappropriate meddling in policing by an official elected ostensibly to prosecute crimes, not catch the criminals. Its especially inappropriate in the case of a prosecutor whose term is almost over and who chose not to stand for reelection. When voters picked Eileen ONeill Burke for Cook County states attorney in the Democratic primary over a candidate Foxx endorsed, they were rejecting precisely these kinds of approaches. Wed assume that the new boss, whether Burke or Republican nominee Bob Fioretti, would promptly nix this policy along with several others in that office as soon as they are in place. In most offices, outgoing chief executives dont execute drastic policy shifts in their waning days, but rather focus on keeping things functioning and effective while allowing their successors to set their own course. That is what should be happening here. Given the timing, Foxxs moves look to us largely symbolic and focused on where she might land next. That said, we dont doubt the sincerity of her belief that traffic stops often create needlessly negative interactions. We acknowledge that her draft policy would still allow for some prosecutorial discretion. And we share Foxxs belief that traffic stops should not target particular persons or neighborhoods. Well further emphasize that we are talking here about guns, not a baggie of marijuana. Related Articles But when a prosecutor makes these kinds of public statements undermining police officers and refusing potential prosecutions, it inevitably sends a signal to bad actors that they can operate with more impunity. Before Foxx took office seven years ago, the question of which crimes were not worth prosecuting was not made public, thus preserving a disincentive for breaking any law. As word gets out that you wont be prosecuted for a gun offense if police stop you for a minor driving offense, wrongdoers have more incentive to bring that weapon along and maybe even use it in a fit of pique, fear or revenge. Just as we see the benefit of the controversial ShotSpotter technology as more about saving the lives of victims than making arrests, so we see the data in the matter of guns as always open to interpretation, not least because it does not reflect the possibility of future crimes. We dont know if one of those guns removed from a glove compartment after a traffic stop will be used in a drive-by shooting the following week, which might then trigger another drive-by as the next days revenge killing. How can we know if the stop never happens because officers see no point? So with all due respect to the outgoing states attorney, we think she should let the police do their job when it comes to getting more guns off this citys streets. Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com. Editorial | Tri-Cities health leaders must come together to deliver vital addiction services People with behavioral and mental health disorders need help, but help is harder to find in the Tri-Cities than it should be. That will change in 2025 when a new service center comes online. In the meantime, leaders in the recovery space should work together to overcome bureaucratic turf disputes so they can start delivering some services sooner. The Tri-City Heralds Cory McCoy reported good news that the years-in-the-making Columbia Valley Center of Recovery is on schedule to open by the end of next year. For local residents who struggle with addiction or mental illness and their families that cant come soon enough. Officials hope to have preliminary design plans in hand in the next few weeks. The new center will be in the old Kennewick General Hospital on Auburn Street. It will house crisis stabilization, secure withdrawal and 23-hour sobering services. Renovations could begin as soon as August. The old Kennewick General Hospital on Auburn Street will house the Columbia Valley Center of Recovery. Lourdes Health, which is leading the project, also hopes to provide residential treatment services at the hospital site. Short-term, immediate help is a vital component of the continuum of care, but longer-term help often is necessary for acute patients to stabilize and recover from addiction. The hitch is that LifePoint Health placed deed restrictions on the hospital property before selling it to Benton County. LifePoint wanted to prevent a competitor from offering similar services there. Its curious that Lourdes is heavily involved in the process to offer services but their ownership group, LifePoint, appears to be controlling the roadblock. Leaders from Lourdes, Benton County and the Benton Franklin Behavioral Health Advisory Committee have tried to rework the restriction, but are still negotiating with LifePoint to see if thats possible. We hope LifePoint leaders can find a middle ground that theyre comfortable with because the most important thing is getting people help. If more people with mental and behavioral health disorders will receive treatment at a residential center, then LifePoint should take reasonable steps to facilitate its opening. With a year and a half to go, there is unmet demand for services in our community. Franklin County leaders could help by approving funding for Lourdes to open a sobering center at its Pasco campus. State licensing might slow things down, but the first step is securing the money. That out-patient sobering center could continue even after the Columbia Valley Center of Recovery opens next year. There almost certainly is enough need in the two counties for two sobering centers. Sobering centers are voluntary facilities that serve as a first step for recovery. People stay for less than a day and work with staff who can connect them to longer-term care for substance use disorders. Some preliminary work is already underway at the old Kennewick General Hospital. Benton County is repairing damage caused by vandals since the 70-year-old hospital became vacant about two years ago. Substance use disorders are killing people all over Washington, and overdose rates have increased dramatically in recent years. The rate of opioid deaths in Franklin County was nine times higher in 2022 than it was 20 years earlier. In Benton County, it was three times higher. Its not just homeless residents living on the streets who struggle with drugs but our neighbors, family members and friends. Dont let a deed restriction prevent them from getting the help many so desperately need. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, made a phone call to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on May 17, Trend reports. President Ilham Aliyev congratulated Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on his birthday, wishing him good health and every success in his endeavors as head of state. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev thanked the Azerbaijani leader for the attention and congratulations. During the phone conversation, they emphasized that high-level reciprocal visits contribute to further strengthening bilateral cooperation and highlighted the importance of the recent visit of the President of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan. The heads of state expressed confidence that the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan will continue to develop successfully and exchanged views on the prospects of cooperation and future contacts. EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) Fifth grader Max Hathaway takes his job very seriously. Whether its doing car lines, helping kids open the doors and keeping them away from the street to help them stay safe, said Hathaway. GOOD NEWS!: Choctaw-Nicoma Park principal celebrated for years of work Every morning, he throws on his neon sash and gets to work as one of Heritage Elementary Schools Safety Patrollers. Max Hathaway wins Outstanding Safety Patroller Award. Students wouldnt be as safe with less people watching them every day, said Hathaway. So we try to help them every day by watching them and taking care of them whenever they need help. Fifth grade teacher and safety patrol coordinator Gena Schuck said their staff was approached by a parent of a preschooler earlier in the school year. Said there was this student who was amazing and he had helped her daughter and she was so thankful, said Schuck. Then, in December, the staff got an email letting them know AAA Oklahoma was taking nominations for its annual Outstanding Safety Patroller Award. I knew immediately, I said I know who this student is! said Schuck. GOOD NEWS!: Red Ridge Nature Preserve planning for future During an assembly Friday, Hathaway was honored with a plaque. Max Hathaway wins Outstanding Safety Patroller Award. I couldnt believe that this could ever happen because this is really cool to have, said Hathaway. Hes one of only two Oklahoma students selected for this years honor. You really hope that your kids do good and you ask them to do the right thing, said David Hathaway, Maxs dad. But when you hear it from the students and the teachers and the parents today, its very meaningful. 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. NORTHWEST ARKANSAS, Ark. (KNWA/FOX24) The school year is coming to an end in Northwest Arkansas which marks the last year dozens of content specialists across the state will have jobs. The state is changing the number of education cooperative specialists that will receive grant funding. I believe every kid deserves to have a teacher that is happy to be there and excited about what theyre teaching, said Carly McCollough, who is currently a science specialist with the Northwest Arkansas Education Services Cooperative. Its McColloughs job to help science teachers of all grade levels throughout Northwest Arkansas. I work with middle school and secondary science teachers and one of the greatest parts of my job is getting to work with the teachers who are going to have an impact on kids, she said. During the school year, she said they are in the classrooms providing professional development and curriculum help for teachers. Im working with teachers, maybe model teaching lessons or working in their PLC groups, working with individual teachers or groups well present at schools, she explained. The Northwest Arkansas Co-op has four literacy specialists, two math specialists and two science specialists. This team serves every public school in Benton and Washington counties plus Huntsville School District in Madison County. We are the largest co-op by far in student enrollment, said Bryan Law, director of the Northwest Arkansas Education Services Cooperative. 97,000 students are coming through this co-op, thats roughly one in four to one in five of all the students in the state of Arkansas. We have 6,000 teachers in this co-op. Biden marks Brown v. Board of Education anniversary amid signs of erosion in Black voter support Starting next year, the number of these specialists will be going down. Law said while the co-ops arent state agencies, they do get their operational funds and the grants for the specialists through the state. As of March, the state has taken three of our literacy specialists away, one of our math positions and one of our science and STEM positions, he said. Theyve cut us in half. He said it was tough news to share with his team. I was sad for our people, he said. It was a hard conversation to have with them the next day. We actually had no heads up or indication that that was happening, said McCollough. They got some answers about why in the pre-fiscal session Joint Budget Committee meeting on March 7 from Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva when a lawmaker asked him about the funding changes with the co-ops. Whether its co-ops, school districts or anyone in the state thinks were just going to do business as usual and fund positions because thats what weve always funded, and we dont have a return on that investment. They need to know were going to have a deeper conversation, he told the committee. That is not an entitlement appropriation. Kimberly Mundell is the spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Education. She said the cooperatives will be getting the same $6.129 million in operational funds. She said the ADE is not involved in co-op hiring decisions, so if the co-ops are not retaining employees, that isnt a decision made by the state. University of Arkansas graduates grateful for in-person commencement after COVID-19-affected high school graduation McCollough has been a science specialist for five years. She explained the evaluation process for her job. Our supervisors also evaluate us the same way that theyre evaluating teachers and schools, so we are marked highly effective or effective, she said. And if we were below that, then our jobs could be chosen not to be given the grant again. Every year weve been told that we are meeting our goals and being effective. In the committee meeting, Oliva alluded to low testing scores as a reason to re-evaluate the co-ops funding. Literacy and numeracy data hasnt been improving in the last decade and weve just been giving dollars out the window, he said. So we officially let them know we may not be giving you these dollars the way youve always received them. Mundell sent KNWA/FOX24 a press release from last summer saying ACT Aspire results for grades three through 10 in the 2022-23 school year showed little to modest increases from 2022, with many grades and subject areas reflecting decreases. McCollough doesnt feel student test scores for an entire school or school district are an accurate representation of the specialists success. For science, there were two of us for 170 schools. Were not in every single building all the time, she said. If they really wanted to pull the data, then look at the teachers that we supported or the ones that have come to our trainings to determine effectiveness. We didnt think that with the limited number we had, we were completely able to meet the needs as they were, said Law. Now with the numbers reduced, its even going to become more of a challenge. During the committee meeting, the lawmaker asked a follow-up question about how the money being re-evaluated funding would be used to continue supporting these school subjects. He said they are going to be supporting literacy, math and science initiatives, but we may be doing it in a different way. Arkansas universities put more emphasis on high school GPA than ACT scores McCollough is stepping away from the education profession, which is something she never thought she would do. I thought I would be one of those lifers that got to brag about 45 or 50 years of experience, she said. It doesnt feel good to be publicly told that youre ineffective. Thats embarrassing. It just doesnt feel good. Especially when no conversation has ever been had about that and every year youre told youre highly effective. The education cooperative provides other services to the public education community it serves, including special education services like occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy for ages three to five. It provides licensure support, higher education partnerships, and educator effectiveness training. It also provides health/nurse services, community health promotions and has partnerships with prominent organizations like the Walton Arts Center and local universities. McCollough and Law both said the specialists being cut will be a big blow for rural school districts in Northwest Arkansas. Tune in Friday to FOX24 News at 9 and KNWA News at 10 to hear what leaders at Lincoln High School have to say about the impact of these specialists and why they feel left out of this decision by the state. 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 KNWA FOX24. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) El Pasos Veterans Affairs (VA) Police Department is inviting the community to continue to celebrate National Police Week. National Police Week celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, May 11 at the El Paso VA Health Care System, located at 5001 N Piedras St. National Police Week Celebration flyer. Courtesy to the El Paso VA Police Department According to the news release by El Paso VA Public Affairs, the event will have over 30 law enforcement agencies with displays, resource fair and guest speakers. 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. A few years ago, you couldnt go to a fintech meetup without ending up in a conversation about embedded finance. In 2020, we even wrote that embedded finance might represent fintechs future. The distribution strategy lets fintech companies integrate their services into other products and services, which in turn gives users access to new features without having to sign up to a new service. It's proven an especially attractive approach for fintechs as it gives them a new layer of products to offer to bigger banks and financial services providers. Ember, a British startup working on an embedded tax offering, is proving that the strategy is still a valid one in 2024. The small company has partnered with HSBC in the U.K. so that the bank's business customers can access Embers services from their online accounts. Ember could potentially gain thousands of customers with a single partnership. Ember's service fetches companies' recent banking transactions and automatically categorizes them. After that, customers can track expenses, add receipts, create invoices and do basic accounting. Ember then provides an overview of your companys revenue and expenditures, estimates how much youre going to pay in taxes and tells you how much money is available to withdraw as dividends for the owners. Bigger companies will likely work with chartered accountants directly or even hire in-house accountants. But freelancers and small companies with less than 10 employees could at least simplify their accounting processes with Ember's self-serve product. The likes of Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent are all built for accountants and not end business owners. And we saw a huge opportunity to build a transformative experience for an end business owner to look after their entire suite of tax obligations, Ember's co-founder and COO, Daniel Hogan, told TechCrunch. However, the issue is that this market is extremely fragmented. There are hundreds of thousands of small companies in the U.K. alone, meaning that its hard to get customers. We were going up against the likes of Xero and QuickBooks on advertising spend, and that was tricky to acquire customers directly because of that exact reason it was expensive, Hogan said. Thats why Ember has started negotiating with big banks like HSBC UK to offer an embedded solution. If customers want to access more features, such as calculating VAT returns from the platform, they can pay Ember to do that. Ember also has a team of in-house accountants who can take care of complex tasks for paid customers, such as end-of-year annual accounting and corporation tax management. Embers free-to-use version that you get on HSBCs online banking portal acts as the top of the funnel for the startup to acquire paying clients. Ember isnt going to work exclusively with HSBC going forward. Contracts with big banks take a long time to negotiate, but hopefully the company will have another partner bank to announce soon. With upcoming regulatory changes in the U.K. (making tax digital), accounting software will likely receive increased interest from small businesses. By 2026, around 1.75 million business owners in the country will have to change the way they file their taxes. The vast majority of them dont use any accounting service to help them with this process. [HM Revenue and Customs] has essentially made the decision to be an API-first organization. So rather than building it themselves, they're relying on the software providers, such as ourselves, to actually build all of that experience. They're just being the API layer, Hogan said. They're relying on us to build better user experiences to help customers report both more frequently as well as more accurately. In addition to this initial partnership with HSBC, the regulatory opportunity is also part of the reason why Ember recently raised a 5 million funding round ($6.3 million at todays exchange rate) from Valar Ventures, Viola Fintech and Shapers. New emergency shelter opens for homeless families. Its first one in this part of county A new emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness has opened south of Tacoma, the first of its kind in the Spanaway/Parkland area. The six-bedroom shelter will be operated by Family Promise of Pierce County, a relatively new organization that has had small-scale success working to get unhoused families back on their feet. The organization has reportedly helped more than 50 families get into sustainable housing situations since the beginning of 2024. Family Promise of Pierce County co-founder Jessica Pair said the new shelter was made possible by over $500,000 in combined grant funding from the county and the state, as well as donations. The shelter next to Spanaway United Methodist Church is being leased from the church, which Pair said previously used the building as a preschool. Pair said the building previously had three bedrooms before being renovated to serve its new purpose. It previously had a kitchen, a dining room and a living room that have been converted into additional bedrooms. She said with help from an IKEA grant the building will have its kitchen appliances removed in place of cupboards and a microwave to warm baby bottles and quick snacks for families staying there. The shelter will work in conjunction with Family Promise of Pierce Countys office and day center, headquartered in a portable on the Spanaway Elementary School property. The portable was given to Family Promise of Pierce County by the Bethel School District, which Pair said helped the young organization make a big leap forward. That location, just blocks away, has a full kitchen, showers, computers and childrens play area. Families can use the day center to access the internet and apply for services, get a hot meal or just relax. The organization, in partnership with Bethel School District and other school districts, coordinates to make sure that students staying with their families at the shelter and day center get transportation to school, even in Tacoma. Pair said they hope to have partnerships and locations with all of the school districts in Pierce County. We will never give up quality of service for quantity, she told The News Tribune. Pair attributed the organizations success in helping dozens of families into sustainable housing to the intensive efforts of case managers on staff who work to support families. She said case managers are available seven days a week and contact families several times a week to help them. Family Promise of Pierce Countys other founder, Spanaway United Methodist Church pastor Samara Jenkins, described the organizations approach as one that break down barriers. A hand up instead of a hand out, Jenkins said of Family Promises goal during the new shelters ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 8. After receiving $1 million in grant funding from the county in April, Family Promise of Pierce County hired four additional case managers who work to offer 24/7 call support and coordination to get individuals and families into emergency shelters across the county. The organization uses an artificial intelligence-supported system designed by its CEO Steve Decker to help case managers contact clients and make the social work bureaucracy more manageable for the families that need to use it. How experts are trying to save the Florida panther The fate of the endangered Florida panther, also known as the North American cougar, could depend on a network of wildlife corridors and panther crossings currently being established by conservation groups and state officials. The North American cougar once roamed throughout the southern U.S., Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center for Biological Diversity, told ABC News. The species has even been documented as far north as Louisiana, Tiffany Burns, senior director of animal programs at ZooTampa, told ABC News. PHOTO: A Florida Panther. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images) The panthers have been confined to a small geographic area in southwest Florida after being hunted to near-extinction. The population is capped due to the limited amount of space to house them and a lack of safe passage elsewhere in the state, according to panther experts. There are only about 200 panthers left in the wild. Experts say the only way for the species to recover is to expand their range northward. "In order to get that panther population to grow and sustain, we need them to move further up the coast," Burns said. MORE: Shark conservation has been so successful that researchers are finding ways to curb human-shark interaction The goal is to create three separate panther populations with at least 240 adults in order to support the genetic flow of the species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which listed the Florida panther under the Endangered Species Act in 1967. There is currently only one group in Florida. The development of highways and roads in Florida has "bottlenecked" the panthers in an area south of the Caloosahatchee River, Bennett said. Panthers are typically found in three counties in Florida: Lee, Henry and Collier counties, according to Brent Setchell, district drainage design engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation. PHOTO: A wild female Florida Panther. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images) The Florida Department of Transportation has collaborated with researchers and wildlife conservation groups to build wildlife crossings across the state to allow animals like panthers, bears and deer a safe passage across roadways. These crossings are meant to deter animals from entering highways and more than 50 have been constructed since planning began in 1972. A new crossing at Interstate 4 near the State Road 57 interchange in Polk County is near completion and more than a dozen are in the works, Setchell said. Cars are one of the biggest hazards to panthers, Bennett said. Thirteen panthers were hit and killed by cars in 2023, Burns said. At least 13 have been killed on roadways so far this year. MORE: Global warming could increase risk of human-elephant conflict, researchers say The Florida DOT decides where to build the crossings based on a number of factors, including wildlife cameras and information from the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a statewide network of 18 million acres of connected lands and waters. Finding funding can be a challenge, and the agency often relies on grants to complete the projects, Setchell said. "One of the biggest challenges is the non-connecting conservation areas here in Florida," Burns said. "That's a huge initiative the Florida Wildlife Corridor foundation is actually trying to face." PHOTO: Each of the green dots represent crossings the Florida Department of Transportation is monitoring for wildlife. (Florida Department of Transportation) Panthers are solitary animals and extremely territorial. Males claim 200-square-mile territories and have been known to fight other males if their territories overlap. "If panthers are squeezed into an area that's too small, they'll fight each other and can even kill each other," Bennett said. MORE: International Tiger Day: As tiger populations increase, so do conflicts with humans Agencies have seen "great progress" for panther populations south of the Caloosahatchee River, Setchell said. In 2017, panther researchers were delighted to document the first panther in more than 40 years seen north of Caloosahatchee River, which flows from Lake Okeechobee to Fort Myers, essentially cutting the state in half. The female panther was leading her kittens through a wildlife crossing along Interstate 4, Setchell said. PHOTO: A panther crossing warning sign along a road in Naples, Fla. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images) Community planners in Florida, one of the fastest-growing states in the country, will need to consider wildlife before constructing new subdivisions and roadways to accompany them, experts said. A century ago, when traffic and human populations were much less dense, officials did not foresee the need for wildlife crossings. "When one of these major highways needs construction, [engineers are] actually looking how they can put in a wildlife crossing while they're doing the construction, because it's gonna be a lot cheaper," Burns said. MORE: Number of sea turtle nests on Florida coasts exploding, even tripling in some regions, conservationists say Learning how to live with panthers again as their populations grow will also be necessary, as panthers could target the prized horses that live on ranches in the north, Burns said. PHOTO: A Florida Panther attempts to cross a busy highway. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images) But the success for panther conservation still faces many hurdles. "We have a long way to go," Bennett said. How experts are trying to save the Florida panther originally appeared on abcnews.go.com People collect bottled water at Broadsands Car Park in Paignton, England, Friday May 17, 2024. Around 16,000 households and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon have been told not to use their tap water for drinking without boiling and cooling it first, following the discovery of small traces of a parasite in the local water network. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) LONDON (AP) A scenic fishing village in southwestern England was under instructions to boil its tap water for a third day on Friday after a parasite sickened more than 45 people in the latest example of Britain's troubled water system. Around 16,000 homes and businesses in the Brixham area of Devon were told to boil water after cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite that causes diarrhea, was found in the water. At least 46 cases of cryptosporidiosis have been confirmed and more than 100 other people have reported similar symptoms, the U.K. Health Security Agency said. Symptoms can last more than two weeks. Sally Dart, who runs a housewares shop near Brixham Harbor, said people in town first began feeling ill two weeks ago during a pirate festival. No one was checking the quality of the water and weve all got sick and its stupid, she said. South West Waters Chief Executive Susan Davy apologized for the outbreak and said technicians were working around the clock to identify and fix the problem that may have come from a pipe in a cattle pasture. I am truly sorry for the disruption and wider anxiety this has caused, Davy said. I know on this occasion we have fallen significantly short of what you expect of us. The crisis is unrelated to Britains larger ongoing water woes but emblematic of an aging system in distress. Water companies have been under fire for more than a year to stop frequent sewage overflows into rivers and oceans that have literally caused a stink, sickened swimmers, polluted fishing streams and led to an outcry from the public to clean up their act. An environmental group this week reported that 70,000 sewage releases spilled for a total of 400,000 hours along England's coast last year. More than a quarter were within two miles (3.2 kilometers) of a swimming spot, Friends of the Earth said in its analysis of government data. Clean water advocates have blamed the problems on Britains privatization of the water system in 1989. They say that companies have put shareholders ahead of customers and not spent enough to update outdated plumbing systems. Thames Water, the largest of the companies, is on the brink of insolvency and its leaders have said it faces the the risk of being nationalized after shareholders refused to inject more cash. Earlier this week, in another sign of problems, millions of gallons of raw sewage were pumped into England's largest lake. After a fault caused pumps to fail, backup systems then pumped human waste into Lake Windermere, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for 10 hours, the BBC reported. The cryptosporidiosis outbreak is hardly the first time South West Water has encountered problems, according to authorities. The company is facing charges in Plymouth Magistrates Court alleging 30 offenses for illegal water discharges or breaches of environmental permits between 2015 and 2021, the Environment Agency said. The recent outbreak appears to come from a damaged air valve in a pipe that runs through a field where cows graze that is close to a reservoir, said Laura Flowerdew, a spokesperson for South West. With word out about the outbreak, Dart said her business is down by about a third and other merchants complained about a loss of income as warmer weather arrives and a holiday weekend is just a week away. I would say its quiet and it shouldnt be at this time of year," Dart said. A primary school was forced to close Thursday because it didn't have clean drinking water. The water company is providing free bottled water at three locations and has increased compensation to customers from 15 pounds ($19) to 115 ($145). Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, said it's likely more people will become ill with cryptosporidiosis in coming days or weeks because of a lag in the incubation period. Even if they have stopped all new infections by now, you would expect to see further cases for at least 10 days to two weeks, he told the BBC. Anthony Mangnall, a Conservative member of Parliament from the area, said residents are likely to have to boil water for another week. He said he was concerned with the water company's response to the outbreak and vowed to hold it accountable. They have been slow to act and communication with customers has been very poor," Mangnall said. This has certainly undermined trust in our water network. On 17 May, the Council of the European Union decided to suspend the broadcasting of four more media outlets that spread and support Russian propaganda and support the war of aggression against Ukraine: Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Source: press service of the Council of the EU, European Pravda reports Details: The EU noted that these media outlets are under the constant direct or indirect control of the leadership of the Russian Federation and play an important role in launching and supporting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as in destabilising its neighbouring countries. However, as the Council of the EU clarified, referring to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the measures agreed on Friday will not prevent these media outlets and their staff from carrying out activities in the European Union other than broadcasting, such as conducting research and interviewing. The Russian Federation has been conducting a systematic international campaign of media and information manipulation, interference and gross distortion of facts to justify and support its full-scale aggression against Ukraine, as well as to strengthen its strategy of destabilising neighbouring countries, the EU and its member states. In particular, propaganda, information manipulation and interference have been repeatedly and consistently directed against the Ukrainian state and its authorities, Ukrainian citizens, as well as European political parties, especially during election periods, as well as against civil society, asylum seekers, Russian ethnic minorities, gender minorities and the functioning of democratic institutions in the EU and its member states. Background: Earlier, there were reports that the European Commission wanted to add the Voice of Europe news resource to the sanctions list. Czech intelligence services said in March that the website was used to spread anti-Ukrainian propaganda and disinformation on the instructions of Viktor Medvedchuk, against whom Czechia imposed sanctions. Rossiyskaya Gazeta is an official print publication of the Russian government. Last autumn, Bulgaria expelled an employee of the media outlet from the country and banned him from entering the EU for violations that, according to the Bulgarian government, were not related to journalistic activities. In early March 2022, the Council of the EU decided to immediately ban the Russian propaganda channels RT/Russia Today and Sputnik. Support UP or become our patron! Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, speaks at the event "Economic Transformation, Net Zero Valley and Digitalization" at DOCK3 on the border between Saxony and Brandenburg. The visit was about Lusatia's application to become the first climate-neutral model region - the "Net Zero Valley" - in Europe. Patrick Pleul/dpa The eastern German coal-mining region of Lusatia is receiving backing from the European Commission for its transformation into a model region for an economy without greenhouse gases. During a visit on Friday, EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton praised the region's application to become the first "net-zero valley" in Europe and pledged: The European Commission is ready to support this project, Breton said. A municipal alliance in Lusatia applied for status as a model region in March. The basis for this is the so-called net-zero industry law at European level, which involves the rapid introduction of industries and energy generation without additional greenhouse gases - in other words, net zero. According to Breton, the role as a "net-zero valley" means more funding for projects, more investment, simpler approval procedures, expansion of infrastructure, development of local competence centres and more high-quality jobs. What is needed is political will and determination. Breton said that this goal can soon become a reality. The German Economy Ministry is also fully behind the project, said State Secretary Michael Kellner. "The first steps are often the hardest, but also the biggest," explained Christine Herntier, mayor of the town of Spremberg and elected representative of the Lusatia Round Table. "Net-zero valleys are a very good tool to show what is needed to achieve the goal and, above all, to set the right priorities." Lusatia is driven by structural change and is therefore ideal for such a model region, said Herntier. "Joining forces gives us another strong push towards a Lusatia that has a future. It couldn't stay the way it was. It has to be something new, something that sets us apart and makes us interesting, even in international comparison." Thierry Breton (L), EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, talks to Oliver Schenk (CDU), Head of the State Chancellery in Saxony and Minister of State for Federal Affairs and Media, before the start of the "Economic Transformation, Net Zero Valley and Digitalization" event at DOCK3 on the border between Saxony and Brandenburg. The topic of the visit will be Lusatia's application to become the first climate-neutral model region - the "Net Zero Valley" - in Europe. Patrick Pleul/dpa European governments and Brussels are considering conducting drills for Ukrainian forces on the territory of not only the European Union but also Ukraine, in 2025 at the latest. Source: German newspaper Welt with reference to sources, as reported by European Pravda Details: The possibility of training Ukrainians on Ukrainian soil was addressed at a meeting of the EU Military Committee, the association's highest military body, on Wednesday 15 May. This possibility had been suggested by Dutch General Michiel van der Laan, the current head of the EU Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine (EUMAM), which trains Ukrainian soldiers in the European Union. According to Welt, the Baltic countries, Eastern Europe, and France are the most supportive of this proposal. Other countries, like Germany, have not yet decided on their stance. However, Berlin has already expressed concerns about the security threats. EU instructors in Ukraine may become the primary target for Russian strikes; also, moving the drills to Ukrainian territory may necessitate parliamentary approval and additional expenditure. It is also unclear how the European Union will react if European soldiers are killed in Ukraine, reports Welt. According to the publication, a decision on the future of EUMAM will likely be made in July, when the mission's mandate is renewed. It is now scheduled to run until November 2024, with the majority of exercises taking place in Poland and Germany. Earlier, The New York Times reported that 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. 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. Support UP or become our patron! BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The First Deputy Minister of Defense Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, Colonel General Karim Valiyev watched a demonstrative live-fire tactical exercise conducted with artillery units, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The Chief of the General Staff attended the field point and heard the reports of the commanders and staff officers about the decisions made on the map during the accomplishment of the tasks. It was reported that the units, withdrawn from permanent deployment points to assembly areas on alert, worked out the activities of taking firing positions and bringing combat equipment and artillery installations into combat mode. It was noted that during the practical shooting, the targets were destroyed with high precision. Colonel General Valiyev positively evaluated the progress of the exercise and instructed the authorized to further increase the intensity and quality of the exercise and classes conducted to maintain the combat capability of the units at a high level and to develop the practical skills of servicemen. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova gives a press conference. EU member states imposed sanctions on Voice of Europe and three other Russian media outlets on Friday to ban them from broadcasting or publishing across the European Union. Jennifer Jacquemart/European Commission/dpa EU member states imposed sanctions on the pro-Kremlin website Voice of Europe (VoE) and three Russian media outlets on Friday to ban them from publishing or broadcasting in the European Union. VoE has been targeted for alleged involvement in distributing pro-Russia propaganda, as have Russian state news agency RIA Novosti and newspapers Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. All media outlets are prohibited from distributing their content across the EU over their support for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, the punitive measures do not prevent staff from the outlets from carrying out their work like interviews and research, an EU statement said. European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova in an earlier announcement described the media outlets as "Kremlin-linked propaganda networks." The move expands Czech sanctions initially put in place on VoE after an investigation by the country's intelligence services. Czech intelligence said the online news site was part of a Russian influence operation to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty Czech newspaper Dennik N, citing intelligence sources, has also reported that far-right politician Petr Bystron, an Alternative for Germany (AfD) member of the German parliament, was suspected of having contact with VoE and may have accepted money from them. German prosecutors have now launched an investigation into Bystron, who is a candidate for his party in the upcoming European elections after his immunity was waived by Germany's parliament. Another leading AfD politician, Maximilian Krah, has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for alleged links to pro-Russian networks. Meanwhile, his former assistant has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Krah is the AfD's top candidate for the European elections. Concerns about Russian influence operations extend beyond Ukraine to the EU institutions themselves. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced in April that intelligence services in his country uncovered a Russian operation to influence the European Parliament election. The Belgian prime minister said his country's intelligence services confirmed the existence of pro-Russian influence networks in Belgium and "several European countries." De Croo said this confirmation follows media reporting of a Czech investigation into a pro-Russian influence operation in the EU to approach and pay EU lawmakers to promote a Russian agenda. The EU has targeted Russian media with punitive measures before. In March 2022, one month after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU imposed sanctions on Kremlin broadcasters Russia Today and Sputnik, banning the transmission of both throughout the bloc. The ban will remain in place "until the aggression to Ukraine is put to an end, and until the Russian Federation and its associated outlets cease to conduct disinformation and information manipulation actions against the EU and its member states," an EU statement said at the time. Another round of sanctions banned three more Russian broadcasters the following June: Rossiya RTR/RTR Planeta, Rossiya 24/Russia 24, and TV Centre International. Also on Friday, new EU regulations criminalizing the violation of sanctions entered into legal force. Breaches of travel bans and failure to freeze assets in the EU are to be criminal offences. Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova gives a press conference. EU member states imposed sanctions on Voice of Europe and three other Russian media outlets on Friday to ban them from broadcasting or publishing across the European Union. Jennifer Jacquemart/European Commission/dpa EU member states imposed sanctions on Voice of Europe and three other Russian media outlets on Friday to ban them from broadcasting or publishing across the European Union. Voice of Europe has been targeted for alleged involvement in distributing pro-Russia propaganda along with RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta. European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova in an earlier announcement described the media outlets as "Kremlin-linked propaganda networks." The move expands Czech sanctions initially put in place on Voice of Europe after an investigation by the country's intelligence services said the online news site was part of a Russian influence operation to undermine Ukrainian sovereignty. President of the European Council Charles Michel speaks at the plenary session of the European Parliament. Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa The European Union on Tuesday gave the final green light to a landmark overhaul of its migration and asylum policies that will see hardened borders and responsibility shared among member states. EU officials had been at pains to wrap up the migration reforms - the product of years of debate - ahead of European Parliament elections scheduled for June. The issue has been politically divisive, especially since an influx of arrivals in 2015 that exposed the migration system's weaknesses. WHAT WAS AGREED? The overhaul consists of ten pieces of legislation supported by the vast majority of EU member states. However, Hungary and Poland voted against the entire package while Austria and Slovakia opposed particular parts. The Czech Republic, also a critic of the pact, abstained from all ten votes. EU capitals have two years to put the rules into legal effect. The new laws require all 27 EU member states to take some responsibility for managing asylum applications including those who voted against the reforms but the package also makes the rules stricter for applicants. The pact establishes new border centres that will hold irregular migrants while their asylum requests are vetted. Deportations of those deemed inadmissible will be accelerated. MIGRATION PACT PRAISED AND PILLORIED European Council President Charles Michel called the legislation "a milestone in the EU's response to manage migration" on X, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed the "historic agreement." In contrast, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala stated that while the pact was a first step towards tackling illegal migration, it was not enough. Fiala said that's why the Czech Republic has co-founded a group of countries that want to tackle illegal migration more strongly. The pact is drawing criticism from migrant rights charities, some nationalist governments and researchers - for different reasons. Human rights advocacy group Amnesty International argued that it will "lead to greater human suffering." Migration researcher Judith Kohlenberger of the Vienna University of Economics and Business told the Austrian Press Agency that the reform was completely ignoring the fight against the causes of migration. "On the one hand, we are fending off refugees, while on the other we are constantly helping to create the reasons for flight see the consequences of the climate crisis or economic policy. Europe is contributing to flight and labour migration," said Kohlenberger. According to her, the only positive thing about the EU asylum and migration pact is that the 27 member states have finally managed to reach a compromise on migration policy. "It would have been a declaration of bankruptcy by the EU Commission if there had been no progress here" as this would play into the hands of the right-wing parties in the EU elections in June, she said. CAMPAIGN FOR MIGRATION CLAMPDOWN The European Parliament elections are expected to see a surge by far-right parties campaigning on the need to crack down on irregular migration. The far-right Swedish Democrats for example a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament chose "My Europe is building walls" as their main slogan for the upcoming EU elections. Fabrice Leggeri, former Frontex chief and a candidate for the French far-right National Rally party for the European elections, said he saw the June vote as "a referendum." Frontex is the EU agency responsible for border management. Leggeri rejected the idea that Frontex is a "super humanitarian NGO" in an interview with Portuguese news agency LUSA, instead advocating for "pragmatism" in migration management. EUROSTAT: ASYLUM APPLICATIONS IN EUROPE ON THE RISE Asylum applications in Europe are on the rise, according to Eurostat data. In 2023, 1,048,900 first-time asylum applicants were recorded - an increase of 20% compared to 2022, almost reaching the highs of 2015 and 2016. The highest per capita number of first-time asylum applicants in 2023 was recorded in Cyprus (13 applicants per 1,000 people), followed by Greece and Austria (both six applicants per 1,000 people). SOLIDARITY MECHANISM: TAKE PEOPLE IN OR PAY UP A solidarity mechanism in the pact is intended to relieve the burden on those countries where many refugees arrive for example Italy, Greece or Spain. The plan is to redistribute at least 30,000 refugees from these countries to other EU states each year. If the countries do not want to take in refugees, they must provide support to the under-pressure nations, for example in the form of payments of 20,000 ($21,753) per migrant. In Slovenia, for example, this could mean that the country would likely have to take in 126 persons or contribute 2.52 million annually. MIGRATION DEALS WITH NON-EU COUNTRIES CONTINUE In parallel with the sweeping reforms, the EU is trying to curb arrival numbers by striking migration deals with nearby countries of transit and origin. In recent months the EU has signed agreements with Tunisia, Mauritania and Egypt. Other examples of the European trend towards outsourcing migration policies are the Rwanda model of non-EU member Britain or a bilateral Italy-Albania agreement. OUTSOURCING MIGRATION NEEDS EXPLAINING Camille Le Coz, an expert from the Migration Policy Institute Europe, said that there were "many questions" about how any such outsourcing initiatives could work. Under EU law, immigrants can only be sent to a country outside the bloc where they could have applied for asylum, provided they have a sufficient link with that country. That currently rules out any programmes within the EU styled on Britain's deal aimed at sending UK arrivals to Rwanda. Le Coz said that it still needs to be "clarified" how proposals for any EU outsourcing deals would work as well as "who the European authorities are working with and which third countries are likely to accept." Henrik Emilsson, migration researcher at Malmo University, also classifies the idea of handling the asylum process outside of the EU as "political slogans" rather than something that can be done, at least on a short term. According to him, setting up asylum centres outside the EU might even need a treaty change. 15 EU COUNTRIES PUSH FOR TOUGHER RULES Despite the newly inked agreement, 15 EU countries have already demanded a further tightening of the bloc's asylum policy, in a joint letter to the commission, to make it easier to transfer undocumented migrants to non-EU countries, including when they are rescued at sea. Spearheaded by the Czech Republic, Denmark and Austria, other signatories include Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Finland. The letter cited the example of the EU arrangement made with Turkey in 2016 to take in Syrian refugees fleeing the war in their home country. The content of this article is based on reporting by AFP, ANSA, APA, ATA, BTA, CTK, dpa, EFE, Europa Press, LUSA, Ritzau, STA, TASR, TT as part of the European Newsroom (enr) project. Exterior of EMA, European Medicines Agency is seen in Amsterdam (Reuters) - The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Friday recommended scrapping approval for a drug used to prolong gestation, citing a "possible but unconfirmed" risk of cancer. The EU health regulator's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), which monitors drug-related side effects, considered new studies in its review that showed the treatment, 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC), was not effective in preventing premature birth. It also reviewed results from a study which looked at the risk of cancer in people who had been exposed to 17-OHPC in the womb. PRAC considered data on the effectiveness of the medicines in their authorised uses and decided to recommend withdrawing approval for the drug. In some EU countries, 17-OHPC medicines are authorised as injections to prevent pregnancy loss or premature birth in pregnant women, according to the regulator. They are also authorised for treating various gynaecological and fertility disorders, including those caused by the lack of a hormone called progesterone. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew its approval for Covis Pharma's preterm birth prevention drug, Makena, saying that the drug was not effective in treating the complication. (Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva) The Council of the European Union has suspended four more major Russian propaganda outlets, according to a statement posted on May 17. Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia, and Rossiyskaya Gazeta were recognized as outlets that spread Russian propaganda and support the war against Ukraine. Czechia's government announced this March that it uncovered a Moscow-financed propaganda network linked to Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, which used Voice of Europe to spread disinformation. Rossiyskaya Gazeta and RIA Novosti are both Russian state-owned outlets, and Izvestiya is state-controlled. The suspended outlets and their staff will not be yet prohibited from carrying out other activities in the EU than broadcasting, such as research or interviews, due to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the statement read. Russia conducts a well-documented and systematic international media campaign of information manipulation in order to distort facts to justify the war in Ukraine and destabilize neighboring countries and the EU member states, according to the statement. The Council also said that Russian propaganda and information manipulation have repeatedly targeted Ukraine, its citizens, and authorities, as well as the European political parties, asylum seekers, minorities' representatives, and the operation of democratic institutions in the EU. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova previously threatened that there would be countermeasures impacting Western media operating in Russia. "If these measures are taken against the Russian media, Russian journalists, then, despite the fact that Western correspondents will not want to, they will also have to feel our retaliatory measures," Zakharova said. The EU already banned several of the largest Russian state propaganda outlets, such as RT and Sputnik, in February 2022. Read also: How Czechia busted Russian propaganda network targeting European elections Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The defendant Christian B. enters the courtroom at Braunschweig Regional Court. In the rape trial in Germany of the Madeleine McCann murder suspect identified under privacy laws as Christian B, doubts have been raised about the accounts of an alleged victim. Julian Stratenschulte/dpa Pool/dpa In the rape trial in Germany of the Madeleine McCann murder suspect identified under privacy laws as Christian B, doubts have been raised about the accounts of an alleged victim. The female witness' ex-boyfriend from Ireland and a former bar owner from Portugal accuse the woman of untruths and a fabricated rape, according to documents read out in the Braunschweig Regional Court in northern Germany on Friday. In the previous days, the 40-year-old Irish woman had described an attack involving several rapes about 20 years ago in Portugal. She had stated that she recognized the now 47-year-old defendant as the perpetrator by his blue eyes. The public prosecutor's office rejected statements made by the former bar owner as clearly false and therefore useless. The accused's defence had already stated at the start of the trial that there was no doubt that a serious crime had been committed, but that their client was not the perpetrator. He would be acquitted of all charges at the end of the trial, the defence said. The 47-year-old German is not commenting on the charges himself. In the trial, the sex offender, who has several previous convictions, is accused of a total of three rapes and two cases of sexual abuse of children. The trial is arousing great interest because the accused is also suspected of murder in the case of 3-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007. However, the Maddie case is not the subject of the current trial. The presumption of innocence applies. The defendant Christian B. enters the courtroom at Braunschweig Regional Court. In the rape trial in Germany of the Madeleine McCann murder suspect identified under privacy laws as Christian B, doubts have been raised about the accounts of an alleged victim. Julian Stratenschulte/dpa Pool/dpa In the rape trial in Germany of the Madeleine McCann murder suspect identified under privacy laws as Christian B, doubts have been raised about the accounts of an alleged victim. The female witness' ex-boyfriend from Ireland and a former bar owner from Portugal accuse the woman of untruths and a fabricated rape, according to documents read out in the Braunschweig Regional Court in northern Germany on Friday. In the previous days, the 40-year-old Irish woman had described an attack involving several rapes about 20 years ago in Portugal. She had stated that she recognized the now 47-year-old defendant as the perpetrator by his blue eyes. The public prosecutor's office rejected statements made by the former bar owner as clearly false and therefore useless. The accused's defence had already stated at the start of the trial that there was no doubt that a serious crime had been committed, but that their client was not the perpetrator. He would be acquitted of all charges at the end of the trial, the defence said. The 47-year-old German is not commenting on the charges himself. In the trial, the sex offender, who has several previous convictions, is accused of a total of three rapes and two cases of sexual abuse of children. The trial is arousing great interest because the accused is also suspected of murder in the case of 3-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007. However, the Maddie case is not the subject of the current trial. The presumption of innocence applies. On the third consecutive day of the trial, the defence lawyers complained to the court about the conditions for the accused, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for another rape - also in Portugal. He has not been given any hot food in the past few days and has been denied a shower and was only given some toast and a few slices of sausage, they said. The trial is also due to continue next week with three days of hearings in a row. (Photo by Getty Images) A former police officer who was recently sentenced to up to 19 years in prison for repeatedly stalking and harassing a woman called her nine times from the Polk County Jail after his latest arrest, in violation of a no-contact order, according to court records. Walter Pacheco, 29, of Pleasant Hill, has asked a judge to reconsider that sentence, claiming its imposition last month has impressed upon him the importance of living a lawful lifestyle, according to the request. He had already repeatedly violated no-contact orders that stemmed from his criminal cases related to the woman in the past two years, including by passing her the draft of a letter to send to county prosecutors in an effort to escape punishment, court records show. The victim emailed the letter to Thomas Tolbert, an assistant Polk County attorney. In it, she describes herself as very jealous and insecure, according to a copy of the letter that was filed recently in court. Its unclear whether the victim knew the full contents of the letter because she speaks Spanish and Tolbert has requested a translator to assist her testimony at trial, court records show. He is actually a good guy, and those who really know him can vouch for him, the letter said. Hearsay got the better of me, please do not let it get to you too. Pacheco initially received suspended prison sentences for his convictions of burglary, stalking, tampering with a witness and willful injury. Despite subsequent warnings to cease his contact with the woman or face prison time including one that resulted in a jail stint last year for violating a no-contact order Pacheco was arrested in October for allegedly approaching her at a public gym and following her in his vehicle. He was charged with felony stalking. While at the Polk County Jail, Pacheco called the victim nine times in October, November and December, most often using the phone accounts of other inmates, court records show. The jails phone system is equipped to block calls from inmates to those who are the subject of a protective order, said Lt. Steven Courtney, an administrative captain at the jail. The system uses voice recognition to ensure inmates are not using someone elses account, but the technology is only so good, Courtney told the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Once the conversation is going, it doesnt pick it up as well. He said inmates sometimes initiate calls on their own account and then pass the phone to another inmate. There were nearly 900 inmates in the Polk jail on Friday. The victim declined to answer each of Pachecos calls, court records show. In addition to the stalking charge, Pacheco now faces nine more criminal charges for those calls for contempt of court, which were filed this week. His trial has been delayed to July. A court hearing to discuss Pachecos request to reconsider the prison sentence was delayed to next week. He is still held at the county jail. Pacheco also known by the surname Pacheco Belen was a briefly a police officer in Carroll and Eagle Grove, even though another woman had alleged he threatened to kill her and her daughter. Pacheco was forced to resign from the Carroll job and was fired by Eagle Grove. He is no longer a certified peace officer. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Ex-cop accused of subverting jail protocol to contact victim appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Committee on International Relations and Inter-Parliamentary Affairs of the Azerbaijani Parliament strongly condemns the prejudiced and non-objective resolution passed by the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg against Azerbaijan on May 16, Trend reports via the committee's statement. The statement made note of the fact that the resolution disregards the facts surrounding Azerbaijan's Karabakh region, the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijani people by Armenia, and Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan, which are the source of the conflict in the region. According to the statement, disregarding approximately 4,000 Azerbaijanis who went missing due to Armenia's 30-year military occupation of Azerbaijani territories while focusing on missing Armenians constitutes double standards. "At the same time, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces' local anti-terror measures on September 1920, 2023, were distorted, and unfounded accusations were made against our country, while these measures were meant to eliminate military threats and illegal military formations. The smooth incorporation of Armenian Karabakh people into Azerbaijani society was also underappreciated. While bilateral negotiations are improving relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, particularly in border delimitation and demarcation, the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg and its patrons want to interfere in the region and derail the peace process. The Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies' lack of reluctance to understand reality is shown by this discriminatory approach to our country, which the Committee on International Relations and Inter-Parliamentary Affairs firmly rejects," the statement concluded. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Former Wilcox County Sheriff Stacy Bloodsworth, who admitted he assaulted inmates and instructed jailers and other inmates to lie about it in 2012, was arrested Thursday and accused of violating his probation, according to court documents. The recent arrest comes after probation officer Amanda Reed, asked that an arrest warrant be put out on Bloodsworth because he tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana on multiple occasions, according to a court petition. The document also said he failed to participate in a substance abuse treatment program, was unsuccessfully discharged from the Christian Recovery Center and failed to notify his probation officer he had moved. These are all alleged probation violations, court documents say. The document says Bloodsworths issues with the probation office began in 2022 when he first tested positive for meth. He was being treated at Middle Flint Behavioral Healthcare Center at the time for mental health and drug addiction. But he was terminated by the hospital for his lack of attendance, according to the request filed by the probation officer. After his termination, the U.S. Probation Office attempted to reach him at his home multiple times but never found him. A new tenant at the house told probation officers that Bloodsworth no longer lived there, the request said. Judge orders Wilcox sheriff to resign, sets bond at $25,000 A family member told the probation officer that Bloodsworth was living in a couple different places with family members. The probation office told the family member that Bloodsworth must report to their office on March 25 or adverse actions would occur, the request stated. Bloodsworth showed up to the probation office and was verbally reprimanded, according to the petition for a warrant. He submitted a drug test that was positive for methamphetamine and marijuana. He started treatment at the Christian Recovery Center in Dublin around April 4, but left the program six days later. Bloodsworth was set to appear in court Thursday to determine if he violated his probation, but he waived the hearing, according to court documents. He was released from jail the same day as his arrest without having to post bond. While on release, hes been ordered to stay home during the night, take a weekly drug test and participate in substance abuse therapy and counseling. Additionally, he was given an ankle monitor with a GPS that he was ordered to pay for. Why Wilcox County sheriff was convicted before Bloodsworth was charged alongside his son, Austin Bloodsworth, jailer Casey Owens and inmate Willie James Caruthers more than a decade ago over allegations of beating inmates. All of them pleaded guilty in 2012. Bloodsworth pleaded guilty to depriving an inmate of their rights and conspiring to tamper with a witness in exchange for other charges against him being dropped, according to a plea agreement. What exactly did Sacramento State and Pro-Palestinian protesters agree to about divestment? Concerns over what many feared would be a contentious graduation this weekend at Sacramento State were eased after a peaceful end to an eight-day encampment by activists advocating for Palestinians in Israel-Hamas war. The encampment ended following talks between Sac State officials and students. But what exactly the university did and what the students agreed with is difficult to discern. It appears it will involve a review of more than $100 million of Sac State investments. We are living in a world where unfortunately its very hard to disconnect, said Arik Davidyan, a Sac State biology professor, originally from Israel who agrees the university should not support war efforts. If you look close enough, you can connect pretty much every tech company, every chip manufacturer. And what about the companies who source the materials to build these chips? In a May 9 video, Sac State President Luke Wood said, We did not sign a treaty or agreement with students to close the encampment, Sac State President Luke Wood said in a May 9 video. You sign a treaty with your enemies, not with your students. We are proud that our students expressed their concerns peacefully and in accordance with our policies. The encampment didnt disperse because the protesters saw our policies. They left because they saw our hearts. Citing graduation, with ceremonies beginning today at Golden 1 Center, the university said that Wood wasnt available to explain the review the university will undertake. Pro-Palestinian encampments have spread across college campuses this spring calling for divestment and the activists who led the encampment at Sac State said they won a remarkable victory. They cheered as the announcement came May 8 that their school would be one of the first to take a path to divest from tens of millions of dollars of investments related to Israel. But the practical consequences of any changes the university made is not clear. The school did announce an important policy change earlier this month. Sac State set new standards regarding its investments to ensure they comport with socially responsible investment strategies and do not profit from genocide, ethnic cleansing, and activities that violate fundamental human rights. Historic moment? The CSU system has an $8.3 billion portfolio, but individual campuses have discretion over auxiliary funds. Activists at Sac State targeted those funds as part of their encampment demands. On its website, the university says the policy is directed at five auxiliary organizations: The Associated Students, University Enterprises Inc., University Union, University Foundation at Sac State and Capital Public Radio. California State University, Sacramento directs its auxiliaries, including the University Foundation at Sacramento State (UFSS), to investigate socially responsible investment strategies which include not having direct investments in corporations and funds that profit from genocide, ethnic cleansing, and activities that violate fundamental human rights. The university says it does not have any direct investments that would violate that policy and that it will also conduct a review of indirect investments, which include mutual and index funds. We will pursue human rights-based approach to investments, the policy statement says. A Sacramento Bee review of investments by the auxiliary organizations, gleaned from public tax filings and annual reports, found that the university has more $150 million in indirect investments that would be subject for review. The Sacramento State branch of Students for Justice in Palestine, which, on its Instagram page, says it wants to end the Zionist regime, claims that it has achieved a deal towards full divestment. Faculty supporters of the encampment also declared victory. Anne Luna, a sociology professor is president of the Sac State chapter of the California Faculty Association and a member of Faculty for Justice in Palestine. This is one of the biggest wins nationally that we have seen in terms of justice for Palestine and encampments getting their demands met to divest, she said. She called the change a historic moment. The administration actually said, we will divest, we will create a task force to make sure that we have sustainable and ethical investments, she said. Luna said her understanding is that the task force will include a member of Faculty for Justice in Palestine, to help ensure we are not making unethical investments into war profiteers. Sac State spokeswoman Lanaya Lewis would not comment on any specifics about the review. There was no investment policy prior to President Wood and his leadership team creating the Policy on Socially Responsible Investments, she said in an email. It is meant to provide clarity and guidance to our auxiliaries on where the University stands with socially responsible investmentsThis policy is not directed towards one nation, people group or region, but the world. Publicly available nonprofit tax returns and annual reports show that almost all of the holdings are held by the University Foundation at Sac State. The University Foundation has more than $100 million in investments. The vast majority of funds are held in complex investment packages that often include companies such as Boeing and Northrop Grumman corporations which advocates say should be divested from because of links to the Israeli military. Students for Justice in Palestines Instagram page has a list of what it claims are underlying investments by the University Foundation totaling more than $80 million. The list includes tens of millions dollars in various Vanguard Group investment products. The company, one of the largest financial corporations in the world, is a frequent target for many divestment activists. Emails to Students for Justice in Palestine were not returned. But Luna said she believed that the list represented funds that, under the new guidelines, should be divested from. When asked about tech companies like Google, which have a presence in Israel, Luna said, I think its on the radar, you know, and it goes to part of the discussion. But I dont know if its one of the ones that they located within Vanguard. Controversy over divestment issue Divestment is increasingly becoming a tinder box issue. Gov. Gavin Newsom, last week in a budget address, said he was against divestment. On Wednesday Sonoma State Universitys President Mike Lee was placed on administrative leave when, after striking a deal with protesters to launch a similar review of investments to Sac States, he sent a campus-wide email announcing that his school would also avoid academic collaborations which are sponsored by, or represent, the Israeli state academic and research institutions. That remark created a firestorm among Jewish groups and in the California legislature. In response, California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia said in a statement: On Tuesday evening, Sonoma State University President Mike Lee sent a campus-wide message concerning an agreement with campus protesters. That message was sent without the appropriate approvals ... because of this insubordination and consequences it has brought upon the system, President Lee has been placed on administrative leave. Thursday, he retired. Even critics of the deal that Wood appears to have reached with the encampment leaders said he has avoided the kind of statements that landed Sonoma States president in hot water. I think President Woods heart is in the right place, and he is appreciating the complexity of everything, said Davidyan. Davidyan, with 11 other colleagues, resigned from the California Faculty Association in April after it adopted a resolution they believed was antisemitic. A resignation letter stated that in the resolution, there is no mention of the brutal attacks on Israeli civilians by Hamas on October 7 that resulted in the murder of 1,400 civilians. Davidyan said this spring he became increasingly alarmed on campus as he has observed sentiments which have teetered toward antisemitism. Davidyan stopped by the encampments to talk with students and to show the human side of Israelis. He said he had a lot of productive conversations. Still, he found many of the chants that echoed through campus troubling, including from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, because it is often associated with advocating for the eradication of Israel. He also saw one protester with a Go back to Poland sign. First of all, that doesnt make any sense, he said. My fathers side are Kurdish Jewish from the Iranian part of Kurdistan, my moms side are Egyptian and Syrian. And its just upsetting, the lack of accuracy and a discourse which is not going to bring us towards peace. Davidyan said he is concerned about what he feels could be a polarizing campaign in the fall to get the university to divest. I understand the sentiment, he said. Personally, I would like to not support war efforts, but what does assessing our investment actually mean? Satellite images exclusively obtained by CNN show three destroyed Russian jets and damaged buildings at Belbek airbase in occupied port city of Sevastopol on Wednesday. The hardware losses come after two days of attacks by the Ukrainians on Sevastopol in Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. In images taken by US satellite imaging company BlackSky and space technology firm Maxar, two jets can be seen burned out on the main flight line at Belbek, in addition to a third parked on a protective embankment. The satellite images also show a destroyed building nearby and another which has taken significant damage. Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, said on Telegram Friday that the Russians successfully repelled a massive enemy attack on Sevastopol. Razvozhaev said dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles and more than five sea drones were destroyed. The city suffered a partial power outage due to drone debris falling on a power substation, he added. The attack is the second time Belbek was targeted by the Ukrainians in the last 48 hours. When questioned about a possible Ukrainian strike on Belbek, Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian armys South, said on Thursday, We cannot announce any details at this time because there is no verified information at this time. CNN has reached out to the Ukrainian military for an update. Satellite images exclusive to CNN show destroyed jets and building at Belbek Airbase in Crimea on May 15, 2024. - Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies Satellite images exclusive to CNN show destroyed jets and building at Belbek Airbase in Crimea on May 15, 2024. - Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies An insurgent Ukrainian group in Crimea, Atesh, claimed on Telegram after the second strike that an artillery warehouse at Belbek airfield was damaged. Significant damage to the airfield infrastructure as a result of secondary detonation was also recorded, it said. But none of the satellite images seen by CNN showed any signs that a missile or artillery weapons warehouse was hit, or that secondary detonations occurred. While Moscow appears to have the upper hand in its ground campaign more recently, Kyivs forces have enjoyed sustained successes targeting Russias Black Sea Fleet, in either missile strikes or sea drone attacks. In March, Ukraine says it hit two Russian naval vessels, along with a communications center and several other facilities belonging to the Black Sea Fleet, in a huge overnight attack. Ukraine said the vessels hit were two amphibious landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov. More than 20 Russian naval vessels have now been disabled or destroyed, a third of the entire fleet. Though Ukraine has virtually no navy of its own, technological innovation, audacity and Russian incompetence have given it the upper hand in much of the Black Sea. In October last year, satellite imagery indicated that Russia relocated some of its naval ships away from Sevastopol after a series of Ukrainian attacks. Satellite images exclusive to CNN show destroyed jets and building at Belbek Airbase in Crimea on May 15, 2024. - Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies Satellite images exclusive to CNN show destroyed jets and building at Belbek Airbase in Crimea on May 15, 2024. - Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies Russia advances in Ukraine The attack at Belbek comes as Russia makes advances in northeastern Ukraine, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to postpone his participation in all international events in the coming days as his troops defend against the surprise offensive in the Kharkiv region. The offensive is the most serious cross-border ground assault since Ukraine recaptured the Kharkiv region in the late summer of 2022. It comes as Ukrainians struggle with thinly stretched forces, artillery and inadequate air defenses as it awaits much-needed ammunition and weapons pledged as part of a long-delayed $2 billion US military financing package. Russian forces have taken control of more than nine villages close to the border since the start of Moscows push. The town of Vovchansk, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, is the scene of some of the most intense battles. However, NATO believes Russian troops dont have the numbers necessary for a strategic breakthrough in Kharkiv, a senior commander of the military alliance said on Thursday. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told a press conference in Brussels that while the Russians have the ability to make local advances, they dont have the skill and the capability to do it, to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage. Zelensky met with senior military officials in Kharkiv earlier on Thursday. He described an extremely difficult outlook for Kyivs troops on the ground, where we are strengthening our units. It comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday and the two pledged to deepen their strategic partnership in a stark show of their growing alignment. Russias economy has become increasingly reliant on China since Putins invasion of Ukraine and a sweeping joint statement laid out their countries alignment on a host of issues including energy, trade, security, and geopolitics with specific references to Ukraine. CNNs Radina Gigova, Maria Kostenko, Alex Hardie and Simone McCarthy contributed reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com By Francesco Guarascio and Khanh Vu HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam forfeited at least $2.5 billion in foreign aid over the last three years and may lose another $1 billion because of administrative paralysis, the United Nations, the World Bank and Western donors told the government in a letter seen by Reuters. The previously unreported figures from the unpublished document, dated March 6, highlight frustration among foreign investors over regulatory hurdles and lengthy approval procedures that have caused prolonged deadlock as the Communist-ruled country is gripped by an escalating anti-corruption campaign and political turbulence. "Approximately $1 billion in development funding is awaiting approval, with an additional $2.5 billion returned due to funding expirations," said the letter, sent to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh - effectively signalling potential losses worth nearly 1% of the country's gross domestic product. The expired funding could delay much-needed projects, such as infrastructure upgrades, and donors stressed in the letter that much more may have been lost in additional funds that have been "deterred by the protracted approval processes". Two senior foreign officials interviewed by Reuters directly linked the administrative hurdles to the "blazing furnace" anti-graft drive, echoing similar comments from other diplomats and officials in recent months. The anti-graft drive has created a sort of paralysis, in which bureaucrats are slow to approve or advance initiatives because they fear accidentally violating complex regulations. Amid those constraints, the country is struggling to spend even its own public funds, having failed to invest about $19 billion from 2021 to 2023, one-quarter less than it had planned, according to the finance ministry. The letter was sent by the heads of the U.N. and World Bank in Vietnam and is co-signed by 18 ambassadors, including from the United States, the European Union and Japan, and the head of the Asian Development Bank in the country. Vietnam's prime minister's office and the investment ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The U.N. and the World Bank said they kept working closely with the government on projects, with the U.N. acknowledging in a statement to Reuters that there were "challenges" for the use of funding. POWER CONUNDRUM Vietnam has made significant commitments to reduce its use of coal in exchange for Western climate funding, but a year and a half after a deal with Group of Seven (G7) nations was announced, no funds have been disbursed, while Vietnam is boosting its coal imports to avert power shortages in foreign-invested factories. After multiple requests from donors, the government established a working group on the issue and instructed officials to review some regulations that hamper access to funds, one foreign official involved in the discussions told Reuters, noting that no deadline was set to complete the process. The power grid, crucial infrastructure for the country, has been deemed in need of upgrades, and large amounts of foreign funds are available for the work. However, existing rules prevent the state-owned network operator from accessing that money at least until 2027 because of financial issues, the official said as an example of the deadlock. Donors' frustration is leading to decisions that could reduce future assistance to Vietnam. The World Bank, for instance, says it will merge its Hanoi office from July with operations in Cambodia and Laos to improve "management efficiency", a move that could lead to a shift in focus. Vietnamese officials have urged foreign donors to reduce the costs of their funds, which come mostly in loans, often at market prices. But the country has also forfeited large amounts of grants, Western officials said. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; additional reporting by Khanh Vu. Editing by Gerry Doyle) Platte County commissioners are weighing a proposal that would triple the size of the Platte County Detention Center. The detention centers last major expansion, in 1998, added 150 beds. The population of Platte County has since grown by nearly 80%, officials said. The jail now houses 180 inmates, with second beds added to some cells. But there have been days when 240 people are crammed into the detention center, sleeping on mattresses on the floor, said Platte County Sheriff Mark Owen. The jail is severely overcrowded, Owen said. It has been. Weve taken every mitigation step that I can think of. A 2023 grand jury in a Missouri circuit court agreed that the jail was over capacity. Platte County Detention Center inmates were becoming more high-risk over time and the jail was understaffed with insufficient medical care provided. In November 2023, the Platte County Committee for Public Safety recommended that the jail be expanded by 312 beds. HMN Architects, an Overland Park firm that has designed several jails in Missouri, won a design contract for the Platte County Detention Center at the end of 2023. Commissioners got their first look at the proposal during Mondays meeting. To build more cells, the firm proposed expanding the jail west along Vine Street. The three-story addition would include two levels of 160 beds each. Violent and non-violent offenders would be housed separately. The county has had trouble maintaining kitchens, laundry rooms, and other facilities needed to support the detention center, county administrator Wes Minder said. More of these would be built in the basement, along with rooms for classes and programming. The committee for public safety they were focused on beds, said Adam Kuehl, an associate with HMN. Theres also a lot of other things that go into expanding the jail. The area of the jail currently used for booking would be repurposed for medical support, Kuehl said. This would include more suicide watch cells and areas for ambulances to come directly in and out of the detention center. To cut costs, Kuehl said, cells would be built off-site and then installed into the shell of the building. No frills you can hook up the plumbing and be ready to go, Kuehl said. The board of commissioners did not discuss the cost of the proposal Monday. At the jails current size, other municipalities including Kansas City can no longer send prisoners to Platte County. In past years, Owen said, this exchange helped reduce overcrowding and ensured violent offenders had somewhere else to be jailed. The sheriffs office feels that the jail has become an unsafe environment. Some areas are collapsing, Owen said, to the point that inmates can peel chunks of metal from the walls. Officers have confiscated doorstops and loose bolts filed down sharp enough to penetrate bulletproof vests. With the deterioration of this jail, were providing them weapons, Owen said. The proposal would triple the size of the current detention center. Kuehl expects the county will not outgrow the expansion for at least 24 years. HMN and the county do not plan to share detailed blueprints with the public, citing security concerns. Platte county commissioners will meet again next week for another review of the plan. If approved, it will go before county voters this summer. As residents prepare to vote, Platte County will pay a public relations firm at least $79,200 and up to $84,200 to promote the proposal. Consultants will send mailers to at least 20,000 people, along with publishing infomercials and posting on social media. Expect delays on Bridge Boulevard May 20 through May 22 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) County officials say drivers should expect delays on Bridge Boulevard as crews begin gas line work. Construction times are set to avoid rush hour. New Mexico to use over one fourth of opioid settlement fees on outside lawyers, according to LFC The New Mexico Gas Company is working to connect a new gas main, Bernalillo County says. To do so, traffic patterns and signals will be adjusted as follows: Bridge Boulevard : Eastbound and westbound Bridge Boulevard at 5 Points Road SW will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Eastbound Bridge Boulevard travelers will not be allowed to turn left onto northbound Sunset Road SW. Westbound Bridge Boulevard travelers will not be allowed to turn left onto southbound Sunset Road SW. Sunset Road SW: Northbound and southbound Sunset Road at 5 Points Road SW will be reduced to one lane in each direction. Northbound Sunset Road travelers will not be allowed to turn left onto westbound Bridge Boulevard. Southbound Sunset Road travelers will not be allowed to turn left onto eastbound Bridge Boulevard. 5 Points Road SW: Eastbound 5 Points Road SW travelers will not be allowed to travel east on Bridge Boulevard or travel north or south onto Sunset Road. Westbound travelers will be allowed to travel north onto westbound 5 Points Road SW. Work is scheduled to take place from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. or from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Work is set to begin Monday, May 20 and might extend into Tuesday and Wednesday, the county says. 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. Experts reveal legal theory that could hold major oil companies responsible for millions of deaths: 'Prosecutors should act accordingly' A new legal theory proposed by a consumer advocacy group could provide a viable avenue to prosecute oil giants for "climate homicide," as mounting evidence shows Big Oil has been well aware of the deadly consequences of burning dirty fuels for decades and chose to ignore them. What's happening? As Grist reported, oil companies could potentially be tried in the U.S. for "every kind of homicide," aside from first-degree murder, which requires premeditated, deliberate intent to kill. The public advocacy nonprofit Public Citizen first proposed the legal theory last year, writing in a paper recently published in Harvard Environmental Law Review that oil and gas giants have been "killing members of the public at an accelerating rate," per the news outlet. Oil companies like Exxon were warned of the life-threatening hazards of polluting fuels nearly 50 years ago. However, they tried to downplay their role in the climate crisis and even blocked attempts to reduce pollution, as reported by Inside Climate News. Public Citizen believes this is grounds to take Big Oil to court for at least involuntary manslaughter, if not homicide or felony murder, according to Grist. Why is this concerning? The fact that oil companies could face homicide lawsuits is a huge step forward in the fight for a cleaner, safer future. However, Grist stated that human-induced warming has already killed an estimated 4 million people in the 21st century. The outlet explained that by 2100, that number of deaths could occur each year because of the impacts of the changing climate, according to the paper by David Arkush, the director of Public Citizen's climate program, and Donald Braman, a George Washington University law professor. "The scope of the lethality is so vast that, in the annals of crime, it may eventually dwarf all other homicide cases in the United States, combined," they wrote. And while successful lawsuits against dirty fuel companies would be a monumental win, bringing charges against them won't be easy since it will require clear evidence that the companies' actions directly led to climate-related deaths, as Cindy Cho, a law professor at Indiana University and former Department of Justice prosecutor, told the Guardian. Still, Arkush and Braman believe there's a solid case to be made that oil giants knew the dangers inherent in the industry and should be held responsible for the consequences. "Under a plain reading of the law in jurisdictions across the United States, they are committing mass homicide," they wrote. "Prosecutors should act accordingly." What's being done about it? According to Grist, Public Citizen has been promoting its legal theory at several prestigious law schools such as Yale, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania. The Guardian reported that several prosecutors and public officials seem interested in learning more about the research and taking legal action against oil firms. Climate lawsuits are on the rise, with citizens from Switzerland to Alaska suing their federal and state governments for continuing to allow dangerous heat-trapping gases to be released. A group of young activists won a landmark case in Montana last year when a judge ruled that the state's failure to consider the environmental impacts of oil and gas development was unconstitutional, per NPR. In addition, the Biden administration has been making significant strides to decarbonize the U.S. energy sector, such as recently allocating $7 billion in grants to create nationwide hydrogen hubs and introducing a solar program to bring affordable power to disadvantaged communities. These efforts, along with holding polluting industries accountable for their actions, will help ensure a healthy, clean environment for generations to come. Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. The smoke rising after the explosion in Odesa. Photo: Suspilne. Odesa On 17 May, the Russian military struck Odesa with missiles, injuring five civilians. A fire broke out at one of the missile impact sites in Odesa Oblast, causing damage to civilian infrastructure. Source: Suspilne. Odesa, an Odesa-related branch of Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne; Oleh Kiper, Head of Odesa Oblast Military Administration; Defence Forces of Ukraine's South; Ukraine's Air Force; Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov on Telegram Details: At 15:14, the Air Force reported a threat of ballistic missile strikes from the southeast. Journalists of Suspilne. Odesa reported an explosion in the city. Subsequently, Ukrainian forces issued a warning about combat activities taking place. "Residents of Odesa and Odesa district, please stay in safe places until the all-clear is sounded. This is important!" Oleh Kiper added. At 15:28, Suspilne journalists released a photo showing the smoke rising after the explosion in Odesa. Updated: At 16:59, Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said that three people had been hurt as a result of the Russian attack. They have been taken to hospital and are receiving treatment. Kiper went on to say that Russia had launched a missile attack on the city. "A large fire broke out in the Odesa district when one of the missiles struck. Civilian infrastructure has been damaged. We now know about five victims. Three injured people were hospitalised, while two more were treated on the spot." Support UP or become our patron! Sailors aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) guide training ordnance into the ships forward vertical launch system (VLS) cells during a proof-of-concept evolution in San Diego, Oct. 4. MV Ocean Valor conducted its first at-sea vertical launch system reload with Spruance, demonstrating the ability of the U.S. Navy to re-arm surface vessels who employ VLS. With the threat of a conflict in the Pacific looming, a congressional subcommittee says the Navy is not moving fast enough to figure out how to better push munitions to its ships at sea and wants to know what is being done to fix the problem. This is hardly a new issue, but it has come into sharp focus in the Red Sea as Arleigh Burke class destroyers had fired more than 100 Standard family surface-to-air missiles alone as of mid-February at Houthi missiles and drones . The need to rapidly replenish warships would be far more pronounced in a large-scale fight with China that would occur over a vast, contested battlespace. We explored those challenges and the potential need for more Vertical Launch Systems to deliver those weapons in our deep dive here . The Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney's (DDG 64) use of munitions to combat Houthi missiles and drones highlights a concern about how these warships will be rearmed in a fight with China. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau) The committee is so concerned about the issue that it ordered the Comptroller General of the United States to assess the Navys efforts to develop a rearm-at-sea capability. The review should address: The Navys current efforts and future plans to develop this capability, The Navys current and planned technology development investments to achieve this capability, to include planned cost and schedule for these investments; Alternative courses of action the Navy is considering to address this capability gap, to include the use of uncrewed technologies. Plans to provide a briefing to the House Committee on Armed Services no later than Feb. 15, 2025, on its preliminary findings and submit a final report to the congressional defense committees on a date agreed to at the time of the briefing. Military Sealift Command fleet experimentation ship MV Ocean Valor maneuvers alongside Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) in order to conduct a proof-of-concept evolution in San Diego, Oct. 5, 2022. Ocean Valor conducted its first at-sea vertical launch system reload with Spruance, demonstrating the ability of the U.S. Navy to re-arm surface vessels who employ vertical launch systems. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Taylor Crenshaw) The sea service and its industry partners are currently engaged in the development, demonstration and testing of various expeditionary reloading options through 2024, a Navy spokesperson told The War Zone on Wednesday in response to the congressional demands. Connected-underway reloading capabilities are in the development and testing phase. According to figures provided by the Navy, In Fiscal Year 2023, the service allocated $3.9 million in Research, Test, Development & Evaluation (RDT&E) funds for whats known as the modular Transportable Re-Arming Mechanism (TRAM) system with another $12.4 million set aside for Fiscal Year 2024. It is unclear whether any funds have been requested for Fiscal Year 2025. TRAM, as it currently exists, is designed to be used in conjunction with existing Navy at-sea replenish ships and will be able to reload Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells on surface ships at up to Sea State 5 . The Beaufort Scale defines Sea State 5 as conditions involving moderate winds between 17 and 21 knots and moderate waves between six and eight feet. The system uses an articulated crane that can lift and rotate a missile canister vertically, then lower it into the launcher cell, according to a past report from Naval News . The crane from the dry cargo ammunition ship USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12) sends simulated ordnance to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) to be stowed in the Mark 71 Vertical Launch System (VLS) during a VLS re-arm demonstration held pier-side on Naval Station Norfolk, Aug. 3, 2023. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Isaac Maxwell The Navy has conducted multiple test events demonstrating related capabilities, the spokesperson told us. That includes an August 2023 pier-side exercise involving Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) and Military Sealift Commands (MSC) dry cargo ammunition ship USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12). There was an early demonstration that took place in San Diego in 2022. This is certainly something the Navy has explored on-and-off on multiple occasions. Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) and Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Groups Expeditionary Reload Team stow simulated ordnance in the ship's MK 71 Vertical Launch System (VLS) during a VLS re-arm demonstration held pier-side on Naval Station Norfolk, Aug. 3, 2023. U.S. Navy photo by Bill Mesta We asked for more details about the Navys at-sea reloading testing timeline, reloading options, types of connected-underway reloading capabilities that are being developed and tested as well as future funding requests. Clearly, there is concern about this issue at the highest levels of the Navy. "The near-term deterrent effect of fielding TRAM in the Fleet cannot be overstated," Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said at the 36th SNA Symposium. "[This is] a game-changing [capability] that will be operational within two to three years, and will make our surface navy more formidable, serving as a powerful maritime deterrent." "This issue about re-arming our destroyers in the Red Sea today is far more relevant, I assure you, than it was a year ago when we first started thinking about this," Del Toro added. An at-sea test of the TRAM system is expected this summer, Del Toro said at the time . As we reported in the past though , deploying at-sea rearming ships would bring its own risks and additional operational demands. Auxiliary ships equipped with TRAM and loaded with munitions would need escorts to protect them during operations in forward areas. This would likely be a major job for the Constellation class, for instance. Beyond just fixed facilities, logistics chains, in general, are typically major targets for enemy forces in a conflict. "We need to acknowledge that we should assumethey're going to challenge our sustainment," then-Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger said in 2022 about logistics in a notional future high-conflict with China. "[We need a] real relook at everything from pre-positioning ashore to pre-positioning afloat to the lift that conventionally has gone across the ocean through this solid protected pipeline delivered in some big port." Various US Navy at-sea-replenishment and sealift ships sail in formation. USN While the U.S. Navy is still waiting to conduct at-sea testing, the French Navy last week carried out its first such transfer in real-world conditions. During a replenishment at sea (RAM) conducted between the force supply vessel (BRF) Jacques Chevallier and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, a transfer and siloing of the Aster [surface-to-air] missile were undertaken for the first time at sea, the French Defense Ministry announced on May 9. French Aster Surface-to-Air missiles are transferred from the force supply vessel Jacques Chevallier to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. French Defense Ministry photo Successfully carried out, this unprecedented experiment on the reloading capacity of an Aster made it possible to test and validate new know-how for the benefit of the ability of the naval air group to last longer at sea. The latter is thus now able to replenish the aircraft carrier's stocks of self-defense weapons by avoiding a stopover, which until now was necessary for loading Aster missiles. The aircraft French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle uses a crane to resupply its stock of Aster Surface-to-Air missiles. French Defense Ministry photo Still, it's a very different thing reloading VLS cells on an aircraft carrier with a truck-mounted crane on its deck compared to on a surface combatant without the benefits of massive deck space and inherent stability. French warships have had several engagements against Houthi threats , downing ballistic missiles and drones. The crew of the Aquitaine class frigate Alsace, for instance, called upon all of the [air defense] combat equipment on board, its captain said . That included Aster SAMs, the 76mm Super Rapid deck gun already established as well-capable of downing Houthi drones and 12.7mm heavy machine guns. You can see a video of that engagement below. The vast amount of missiles and other ordnance against Houthi threats surprised Navy leadership. September of last year, we didn't know we're going to be in a fight in the Red Sea and expending the amount of munitions that we've expended over the last seven, eight months, Read Adm. Fred Pyle, Director, Surface Warfare Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations said earlier this week during a Center for Strategic & International Studie s discussion on lessons learned from Red Sea operations. So, you know, any assistance we can get there is goodness. But it also drives home the point, and it emphasizes the need, to increase munitions across the board. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w_E9YByjI8 The need to keep Navy vessels armed in a fight will be exponentially more difficult against China than the current battles against the Houthis. Chinese weapons are far more numerous, diverse, far-reaching and sophisticated than those possessed by the Houthis, which could require massive and sustained defensive actions to keep them at bay. The number of potential target sets to attack is also drastically larger than anything the U.S. has dealt with since the end of the Cold War. VLS cells could repeatedly run dry with long voyages back to port needed to reload. Those ports could also be put at risk, further complicating these operations. Just the vastness of the Pacific compounds the logistical challenges and would spread America's naval force very thin. Its one thing to have enough missiles and other munitions. Its something else to get them to ships at war. Exactly when the Navy improves its ability to do so remains to be seen. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com Fact check: Baldwin's claim about her role in the Affordable Care Act mostly true As Election Day creeps closer, the race between Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and challenger Eric Hovde, a Republican businessman, remains closely watched. Hovde who is trailing Baldwin slightly among registered voters according to an April 17, 2024 Marquette Law School poll has sought to tie his opponent to President Joe Biden, who has faced tough polling numbers in recent days. Baldwin, meanwhile, is touting past accomplishments. Lately, that has included the role she played in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which occurred when she was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. When I worked on the Affordable Care Act, I wrote the amendment that allows all young people to stay on their parents health insurance until they turn 26. Overnight, millions of young Americans got health care, she wrote in a May 5, 2024 X post, saying Hovde wants to rip it all up. Well focus on the first two parts of that statement. Did Baldwin author that amendment, a highly popular part of the overall law? And did the change take place overnight? Lets take a look. Baldwin gets credit for authoring the under-26 provision A spokesperson for Baldwins campaign said that while members names dont get attached to the thousands of provisions that make up a big bill like the Affordable Care Act, the senator (then the congresswoman) was credited with the idea on several occasions. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin speaks Monday, January 22, 2024, in Big Bend, Wis. That includes a Feb. 7, 2012 letter from former U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman of California, then chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, thanking Baldwin for being the committees leading voice on the issue of young adults having access to health insurance. I was pleased that the amendment you drafted to allow young adults to gain access to their parents or guardians health insurance was included in the final House version of the legislation, Waxman wrote. Prior to its inclusion in the House version of the legislation, Baldwin and three colleagues from Maryland and Pennsylvania were credited with pushing House leadership to make the change. When the House and Senate versions of the bill were meshed together to create what is today the Affordable Care Act, that provision remained, and Baldwins role in it is often mentioned among her achievements, particularly during her first run for the U.S. Senate against former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson. An Oct. 21, 2012 Wisconsin State Journal article on that race mentions Baldwin authored the provision that allows children up to age 26 to stay on their parents health insurance plans. A Nov. 5, 2012 story in the Guardian says she supported and even wrote part of the healthcare bill the section enabling children to remain on their parents insurance until age 26. And former President Bill Clinton, stumping for Baldwin in November 2012, said, It was her amendment that guaranteed in (former President Barack Obamas) health care reform law that young people under 26 would be able to be carried on their parents insurance plans for the first time in history. On this part of the claim, shes spot-on. Overnight exaggerates, but the change did happen fast Turning to the second part of Baldwins claim: did millions of young Americans get health care overnight? The millions part is easy. A June 8, 2012 report from the Commonwealth Fund estimated that in 2011, 6.6 million young adults ages 19-25 stayed on or joined their parents health plans who would not have been able to do so prior to the provision taking effect. But in politics, things rarely happen overnight. This phrasing was an exaggeration, said Gerald Kominski, senior fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research although not too far off. Obama signed the Affordable Care Act March 23, 2010, Kominski said, and the provision to allow young people under 26 to stay on their parents health insurance was set to take effect six months later, on Sept. 23, 2010. On that date, insurance companies that offered dependent health benefits had to expand those benefits to adult children up to age 26, he said. In the meantime, former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was pushing insurance companies to make the change faster, as soon as May of that year. More than 60 insurers agreed. Once the provision took effect, though, parents had to notify their insurers or employers that theyd be claiming their children as dependents and add those children to their policies, Kominski said making the process a bit less immediate than Baldwins post asserts. Still, he said, in political time, the change did happen fast. Our ruling Baldwin claimed, When I worked on the Affordable Care Act, I wrote the amendment that allows all young people to stay on their parents health insurance until they turn 26. Overnight, millions of young Americans got health care. Multiple sources do credit her with authoring the draft of that provision. And it did give millions of young Americans access to health insurance though not quite as speedily as she contended. Our definition of Mostly True is a statement that is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. That fits here. Sources Marquette University Law School poll, April 17, 2024 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Eric Hovde's campaign digs at Tammy Baldwin with bobbleheads tying her to Biden policies, March 6, 2024 The New York Times, Trump Leads in 5 Key States, as Young and Nonwhite Voters Express Discontent With Biden, May 13, 2024 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, About the Affordable Care Act, accessed May 13, 2024 Ballotpedia, Tammy Baldwin, accessed May 13, 2024 Letter from former U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman to then-U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin The Hill, Pelosi appeals to youth in health bill, Oct. 14, 2009 Politico, Baldwin tops Thompson in Wisconsin, Nov. 7, 2012 Wisconsin State Journal, U.S. Senate contest between Tammy, Tommy has high stakes, Oct. 21, 2012 The Guardian, Tammy Baldwin: Openly gay Senate candidate on brink of history, Nov. 5, 2012 YouTube, President Clinton on the importance of electing Tammy Baldwin (Highlights), Nov. 1, 2012 The Commonwealth Fund, An Estimated 6.6 Million Young Adults Stayed on or Joined Their Parents' Health Plans in 2011 Who Would Not Have Been Eligible Prior to Passage of the Affordable Care Act, June 8, 2012 Phone call with Gerald Kominski, senior fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research, May 13, 2024 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Young Adults and the Affordable Care Act: Protecting Young Adults and Eliminating Burdens on Families and Businesses, accessed May 14, 2024 This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Baldwin's claim about her Affordable Care Act role is mostly true BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Azerbaijani Parliament's Chairperson Sahiba Gafarova has met with Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UN Geneva) Tatiana Valovaya and briefed her on the upcoming 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), a source in the nation's parliament told Trend. The meeting pointed out that Azerbaijan closely cooperates with the UN and its institutions, highlighting the importance of parliaments in addressing contemporary global challenges. Speaking about COP29, Gafarova emphasized that hosting such an important international event by Azerbaijan is a result of the country's recognized efforts in combating climate change. She also briefed on the parliamentary conference that will be held as part of this session, jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Azerbaijani parliament. Valovaya, highly appreciating the meeting, mentioned that Azerbaijan is an important partner for the UN in terms of cooperation across various areas. The director-general expressed satisfaction that Azerbaijan will host COP29 and emphasized the importance of the successful steps taken by the country in the field of green energy. The meeting also featured an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest. To note, Gafarova is on a working visit to Geneva to participate in the 1st meeting of the Organizing Committee of the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. 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. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Claim: While greeting North Korean dignitaries during his summit meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un in 2018, then-President Trump returned the military salute of a North Korean general. Rating: Rating: True A mid-May 2024 post on the r/pics subreddit featured an image of former U.S. President Donald Trump seemingly giving a military salute to a North Korean general. The caption reads, "A reminder - President Trump meeting with North Korean military leadership." Similar posts appeared on X and other social media platforms around the same time. The image is genuine. It was captured from video footage aired on North Korean television on June 13, 2018, when Trump, as president, attended a summit meeting in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The full video shows Trump being introduced to a line of North Korean dignitaries. When he reached out to shake an unidentified general's hand, the latter quickly withdrew his hand and responded instead with a military salute. Trump respectfully saluted in return. The somewhat awkward exchange wasn't caught on film by Western media sources, but can be seen in a clip tweeted by the BBC: North Korean TV has aired its first footage of the #TrumpKimSummit. Look out for the handshake/salute confusion 55 seconds in. pic.twitter.com/JS5yEUprgz BBC Monitoring (@BBCMonitoring) June 14, 2018 The footage was part of a 42-minute propaganda video by Korean Central Television touting Kim's "supernormal political acumen" at what it termed "the meeting of the century." Trump's salute takes place just after the 23-and-a-half-minute mark (and he appears to return a salute from the same military officer again again 36 minutes into the video): Controversy ensued, of course just as it did when President Barack Obama bowed while greeting King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and, later, Emperor Akihito of Japan in 2009. In the first case, critics accused Obama of showing obeisance to a foreign ruler and Islam. In the second, they called his behavior "treasonous." Critics of Trump's behavior in Singapore noted that despite the friendly tone of the summit, North Korea is still an "adversarial" nation ruled by an authoritarian regime with a long history of egregious human rights violations. In a statement issued after the release of the North Korea video, retired U.S. Army Major General Paul D. Eaton called Trump's behavior "wholly inappropriate," saying, "It is wholly inappropriate for the commander in chief of our armed forces to salute the military of our adversary... We must talk with them, for the sake of avoiding a disastrous war. But they have not earned the salute of a president." Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., said Trump's salute was disrespectful to American troops: Saluting the military leader of an adversarial regime is disrespectful to our troops and their service. https://t.co/Vzj56o6WP2 Martin Heinrich (@SenatorHeinrich) June 14, 2018 But even as partisan critics started hauling out stronger epithets like "traitor" and "treasonous," then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders made a statement defending the salute as "a common courtesy": Sanders downplays Trump's salute of a North Korean military official as "a common courtesy" pic.twitter.com/fjNtRD6PeM Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 14, 2018 Similarly, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., told CNN, "Returning a salute is not the same as saluting someone. You always return a salute given to you." And Trump himself dismissed the significance of the salute during an impromptu interview on the Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," saying, "I met a general. He saluted me and I saluted him back." As in the case of Obama's bowing to foreign royalty, there appears to be no basis in law or protocol for claiming that Trump's actions were illegal or a breach of presidential etiquette. U.S. military protocol holds that it is "customary to salute officers of friendly foreign nations when recognized as such." While saluting officers of unfriendly foreign nations isn't explicitly forbidden, we can assume it is frowned upon although in any case these protocols don't apply to the commander-in-chief, who, despite exercising ultimate authority over the U.S. military, is by law a civilian officer with no military rank or standing. Sources: Dallesandro, Robert J. Army Officer's Guide. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2014. ISBN 9780811746670. Rogers, Katie. "White House Defends Trump's Salute to a North Korean Military Officer." The New York Times. 14 June 2018. Sang-Hun, Choe. "North Korea Film Glorifies Kim's World Debut, with Trump in Starring Role." The New York Times. 14 June 2018. Specia, Megan. "Trump Saluted a North Korean General, Setting Off a Debate." The New York Times. 14 June 2018. Sykes, Michael. "What We're Watcing: Trump Salutes North Korean General." Axios. 14 June 2018. Fox News. "Obama's Apparent Bow to Saudi King Outrages Conservatives." 10 April 2009. Fox News. "Trump Makes Impromptu Visit to 'Fox & Friends,' Claims IG Report on Clinton Probe 'Totally Exonerates' Him." 15 June 2018. The Telegraph. "Barack Obama Criticized for 'Treasonous' Bow to Japanese Emperor." 16 November 2009. DENVER (KDVR) Family and advocates of Stephan Long, whos charged in a road rage homicide on Interstate 25, delivered more than 500 letters to Denver District Attorney Beth McCanns office Thursday urging her not to prosecute him for murder. Long is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Damon Lucas during what authorities called a road rage shooting in June 2023. Brothers Damon and Blake Lucas both died in the incident, but the charge in Blakes death has since been dropped. Locked gun storage for cars to be mandated under new Colorado law Some 500 letters from council members, politicians and advocates are now calling for the remaining first-degree murder charge to be dropped. While they were not able to deliver the letters directly to the district attorney, investigators in the office said they would give them to her first thing Friday morning. Police have said the brothers and Long were stopped under West 6th Avenue on I-25 when one of the brothers allegedly approached Longs car and was shot. Then the other brother got out and jumped on Longs car, and as Long drove off, he fell. People with signs including one that says "Justice for Stephan Long" Longs family, including mother Stephanie Clifton, said she feels it was an unprovoked attack and that he was acting in self-defense. Its just been horrible. Its been a complete nightmare. My son has never been in trouble before, Clifton said, The father of two with one on the way was granted house confinement six months ago after FOX31s reporting on the case. We believe in a higher power. We believe that as long as you do the right thing, the right thing will come back around. We believe that she did drop one charge, and so we believe that there is hope that she will do the right thing and drop the other, Clifton said. The Long family and his advocates also feel race has played a role. We know from cases in Denver County, as well as more, but Denver County specifically, that have been dropped and havent even been investigated when the roles were reversed. When the races were reversed, Clifton said. Denver Justice Leagues Alexander Landu spoke on this during a press conference on Thursday. In cases of self-defense, white people are 34% more likely than their Black counterparts to claim self-defense in a court of law. And that statistic breaks down even further, where only 3% of Black people who try to claim self-defense in a court of law against a white assailant are given the privilege of self-defense. The mother of the Lucas brothers, Amber Rivera, sent FOX31 a statement on Thursday: There is a motion hearing in Longs case on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. His familys hope is to have a response from the district attorney prior fo this. FOX31 reached out to DA McCann for comment, who said she would not comment until the case is resolved. 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. A local familys beloved miniature horse died after being attacked by two dogs. Just devastated. Ive never seen anything like it before, especially in my own yard, said Loree Keister. The Beaver County family describes it as a massacre in their own backyard. I saw my horse getting ripped apart by two dogs, said Keister. Their beloved pet horse, Willie, passed away after a scary attack. The family shared a video of Willies face, arm, and back stitched up. Keister said just before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, two unfamiliar dogs somehow got inside their fenced backyard and attacked Willie. I dont know how they got in. I dont know if they found a crack, and both squeaked in. I dont know if they scaled the fence, said Keister. Keisters dog started barking and luckily alerted her of what was happening, and she ran outside to try and save Willie. I saw the dogs tear my horse apart. I just grabbed the closest thing and was beating them off of him and he was all bloody. There was blood everywhere. It was horrible, said Keister. I screamed for help for like five minutes and then I had to barricade my horse and run out into the street covered in blood to get help. A neighbor helped her, they called 911 and Willie was rushed to Rainbow Vet Hospital. They were planning to move Willie to a bigger facility in Ohio for special treatment while he was stable. The family was hoping he would pull through, but the family said Willie died from his injuries on Thursday evening. He has been part of their family for 18 years. He was born with one eye. Keister said he was the sweetest, so playful and meant everything to them. Everyone loves him. Everyone who knows him loves him. All the kids, they come to see him. Hes just a joy, she said. The family said theyd never seen the neighbors dogs before. Right now, Darlington Township police are investigating and handling this case. Editors note: Unfortunately, Willie died after our original report, shown in the video below. If you would like to donate to help the Keister family, you can do so by clicking here. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: 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 Courtesy of Mattia Family Nearly a year to the day after an Indigenous Arizona man called police for help about alleged undocumented migrants trespassing on his property within tribal land and was killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents, the family has filed a lawsuit demanding action in their loved ones untimely death. On Friday, Raymond Mattias family insisted that Customs and Border Patrol take responsibility for the death they considered was unjustified. In the lawsuit filed Thursday against the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Mattia family demanded justice for each member who was affected by their loved ones death. By intentionally shooting and killing Mr. Mattia without reason, Defendants actions were intended to cause harm, their actions were outrageous and intolerable, and they intentionally or recklessly disregarded a substantial risk of harm to Plaintiffs, Defendants despicable conduct resulted in Mr. Mattias death, read the complaint. Plaintiffs have suffered severe emotional harm as a result. The suit demanded monetary damages, relief in general and compensatory damages, as well as punitive damages against each of the seven family members listed as individuals of Mattias estate, and a trial by jury. Mr. Mattias killing should have been prosecuted criminally, but in the absence of Governmental action, the family is now filing suit to hold [CBP] accountable in court, a statement from Mattia family attorneys read ahead of the presser. The body camera footage plainly shows that Mr. Mattia posed no threat to the officers and there was no justification to shoot, much less shoot over three dozen rounds. Mr. Mattias death is a tragedy that harmed his family and community greatly, and his family plans to hold Border Patrol accountable for the outrageous killing of their beloved family member. The Mattia family suggested in November that they planned to file a lawsuit for $15 million. If [Customs and Border Patrol] is unwilling to reach a just settlement with the Mattia family, they plan to file a civil rights lawsuit in district court and pursue their claims to the fullest extent of the law, the familys legal team issued in a tort claim. On the night of May 18, 2023, the Tohono Oodham Nation Police Departmentroughly two hours outside of Tucsonrequested help from Border Patrol after receiving a call about gunshots. Mattia, who lived on the reservation, had previously complained about migrants crossing through his property. During a previous interview with The Daily Beast, Mattias niece, Lisa Mattia, said the family thought the migrants werent seeking asylum but were, instead, trying to peddle drugs into the U.S. Other members of the Mattia family also had property on the reservation and said they would find discarded clothes from the migrants, who the Mattia family said wore special shoes to keep their footsteps from being tracked in the desert. Family of Indigenous Man Killed by Cops Demands Answers However, instead of finding migrants, bodycam footage of the incident shows Border Patrol agents and a police officer searching the property until they find Mattia outside his house with a machete. Officers tell Mattia to put down the weapon, he tosses it towards them, and dozens of shots instantly fire. Officers continue shouting directions at Mattia not to move. According to Border Patrol, agents were called due to reports of gunshots and were looking for a possible suspect. The Mattia family believe nearly 40 gunshots were fired, and nine of them hit their loved one that night. Mattia, 58, was pronounced dead at a local hospital, and officers involved were placed on administrative leave. A lot of the Border Patrol out there have military backgrounds, Lisa previously told The Daily Beast. Theyre coming from a warzone. Are they trained that theyre going to another warzone, that is the reservation? The Mattia family consistently tried to get answers, but they claimed the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Arizona kept giving them the run-around. Is it because were Native American we dont deserve answers? Lisa asked at the time. We want justice for Ray. We still want questions answered. We want to know why they approached him with the vulgarity they did. It looks like they were in a war zone and looks like they werent going there to be tactical. They weren't going in there with any kind of organization; it was messy. It was chaotic, and we want to know why. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Isaiah Montelongo, 28, is escorted out of the 140th District Court on Thursday where he was setnenced by a jury to life in prison for the shooting death of Monica Rubio in March 2019. Aniyah Martinez was born in Illinois but moved to Texas with her mother who struggled to escape a drug addiction. She said she and her mother lived in Lubbock for a time to stay with family, but moved to the Rio Grande Valley region. During that turbulent part of her life, the only person from her family to keep in touch with her was her aunt, Monica Rubio. "She would find ways to contact me," she said. Martinez said she loved her aunt "more than anything" and there was no one in her life she was as close to than her. "A lot of people thought we were sisters," she said. She described Rubio as "a rainbow after a storm" because of how she calmed her down when other family members frustrated her. That made her aunt her first call when something bad happened. Rubio, who taught her to cook, was known for her caldo. "Sometimes it seemed like it was the only thing she knew how to cook," Martinez said, drawing chuckles from her family sitting in the courtroom gallery. But her aunt, who had six children, did have her faults and also struggled with drug abuse. "It didn't change who she was," Martinez said about her aunt. "She was always sweet and innocent." After Rubio's death, Martinez said she feels lost and alone. "All I had was her," she said between sobs. Martinez's testimony on Thursday afternoon, May 9, in the 140th District Court began the punishment phase of the trial of 28-year-old Isaiah Montelongo, who dated Rubio, 29, for about six weeks before her death. That morning, jurors in the 140th District Court deliberated for about 45 minutes before returning with a verdict finding Montelongo guilty of murder in Rubio's March 3, 2022, shooting death at his home in the 1900 block of 22nd Street. They would deliberate for about 50 minutes before handing Montelongo the maximum sentence of life in prison. He will have to serve 30 years of his sentence before he is eligible for release on parole. The verdict and sentence comes after a trial that began earlier this month when a jury of nine women and five men were selected to hear the case. Two of the jurors, a man and a woman, served as alternates. Investigating a murder Prosecutors presented evidence that showed Montelongo shot Rubio in his travel trailer, which was parked in his grandparent's driveway, then called police and made up a story that a Black man with an Afro hairstyle whom he'd never seen before shot his girlfriend before running away. Rubio was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she died. Dr. Tasha Zemrus, told jurors that the bullet struck Rubio at a downward trajectory, entering the right side of her upper lip, tearing through the insides of her mouth as it exited the base of her neck, hitting her carotid artery, jugular vein and cervical spine and exited the base of her neck, behind her left ear. Zemrus said Rubio was likely shot from a distance as her wound lacked gunshot residue or soot -- the hallmarks of a point-blank shooting -- but she couldn't determine Rubio's position in the trailer when she was shot. Montelongo, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since his March 3, 2022, arrest, didn't testify during the trial. However, prosecutors played video of his interviews with police officers and detectives during which he repeatedly said that a Black man shot Rubio outside his trailer, which was parked in the driveway of his grandmother's home. Sergio Jimenez, a former Lubbock police officer who was first on the scene told jurors Montelongo was focused on making officers at the scene aware that another person shot Rubio. "That's what he was fixated on," said Jimenez, who now works as an investigator for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. For six hours, Montelongo spoke with detectives Thomas Bonds and Joshua Franco and went through his version of how the shooting happened. Montelongo said he was in bed in his travel trailer listening to music when he heard Rubio yelling his name. He told investigators that Rubio left the night before and he didn't know she returned until he heard her. He said he opened the door and saw Rubio running from a Black man. He told detectives that Rubio was about to tell him something but looked back to the other man, who pulled out a pistol, shot her and ran down 22nd Street to Avenue T. He said Rubio took a few steps before falling into his arms and he carried her into his trailer and laid her on the bed. However, he said he brought her out of the trailer when blood began gushing out of her gunshot wound. Video from a responding officer's body-worn camera showed Montelongo cradling Rubio in the front lawn of the residence and yelling at her to hold on for the ambulance. During the interview Montelongo could be seen demonstrating his version of the shooting that happened outside the trailer. He admitted he and Rubio used drugs but denied arguing with Rubio or fighting with her. He told detectives he didn't know who the man was or why he shot Rubio, but floated a theory that he was likely someone Rubio cheated out of drugs. Montelongo wasn't Mirandized, meaning he wasn't advised of his rights against self-incrimination before the six-hour interview with detectives. Bonds told jurors that at the time the Miranda warnings weren't necessary at that point since Montelongo wasn't considered a suspect and wasn't in custody until after the interview. Bonds said Montelongo was free to end the interview and leave at any time. Meanwhile, investigators worked behind the scenes and developed enough evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for Montelongo when his interview with detectives concluded. Jurors were told they could consider statement in their deliberation if they believe Montelongo wasn't persuaded or compelled to speak with detectives. Police investigators testified that the evidence at the scene did not support Montelongo's story that Rubio was shot outside the trailer. Lubbock police detective Mike McGowen, who testified as a blood spatter expert, told jurors he documented the crime scene and found evidence that showed Rubio was shot in the trailer then moved to the front yard. The main piece of evidence that contradicted Montelongo's story was a bullet, embedded with Rubio's hair, lodged in a blood-soaked pillow on the bed in the trailer. Investigators also obtained videos from four security cameras at a home across the street from Montelongo's residence. One of the cameras pointed directly at the driveway where Montelongo's trailer was parked. Another pointed down 22nd Street toward Avenue T. Sgt. Justin Anderson, who obtained the videos, which were not played to jurors, said he found no footage of a Black man at Montelongo's home or running in the direction of Avenue T. During the interview detectives confronted Montelongo with the video evidence and the bullet on his pillow, saying they contradicted his story that Rubio was shot outside the trailer. Montelongo denied shooting Rubio, but couldn't explain the contradicting evidence and instead told the detectives that the evidence was wrong. "My lawyer's going to prove it," he told them. "You watch, you watch." At some point he suggested the bullet could have exited Rubio's body and ricocheted into his trailer, bouncing off a wall before landing on the pillow. A murder weapon was not recovered from the scene, but during the interview Montelongo made statements that indicated he had access to a gun days before the shooting. Pictures of Montelongo covered in Rubio's blood was shown to jurors. One of the photos showed a fine misting of blood on Montelongo's left shoulder that Bonds told jurors he believed was sprayed on the defendant at a "high velocity." Rubio's older sister, Yvette, told jurors she saw her sister for the last time three days before the shooting. She said she believed her sister, who used drugs with Montelongo, was in an abusive relationship. She said her sister was no longer the happy, loving woman who was full of life when she began dating him. "He killed her spirit," she said. "She was always sad. She was always worried." She said her sister, who began using methamphetamine about a year before her death, was using more drugs while she dated Montelongo. Yvette Rubio, who was currently serving a prison sentence for fraudulent use or possession of identifying information, said in the short time her sister dated Montelongo, Monica had to get new phones because he would break them. Three days before her sister's murder, Monica spent the night at her apartment. She said her sister stayed with Montelongo, but would usually visit her apartment to use her shower. She said she reluctantly drove her sister back to Montelongo's home. "I walked her up to the gate and I was begging her not to stay (with Montelongo)," she said. She was unable to convince her sister to return with her but Monica left her phone with her because she knew Montelongo would end up breaking it. It was the last time she saw her sister. Lubbock County District Attorney Sunshine Stanek told jurors in her closing argument that the overwhelming evidence against Montelongo showed that he killed Rubio in his trailer, hid the murder weapon as she bled out and only called 911 when he believed he got rid of any evidence that could incriminate him. "We have no idea how long she bled out before he decided to call 911," she said. However, she said investigators were able to swiftly collect evidence that disproved his story. "Physical evidence does not lie," she told jurors. "People lie. That's the world we live in. People lie and make up stories -- no matter how ridiculous they may be -- and try to sell them to people like you." She reminded them of the defendant's jail phone calls soon after his arrest, telling his family not to forget about him and that he was sorry. He also could be heard expressing frustration with a neighbor who provided police the video that ruined his story. "These are not the words of an innocent man," Stanek said. "These are the words of a man who knows exactly what he did." Montelongo's defense attorney waived a closing argument. During the punishment phase of the trial, prosecutors called on a Lubbock County Detention Center sergeant who testified to Montelongo's disciplinary records while he's been held at the jail. His most recent violation was reported Wednesday night when he was written up for "sparking", a method of using electric outlets to set fire to materials such as toilet paper, in his cell, which is in the jail's maximum security pod. Montelongo, who is a member of the West Texas Tango Blast, had also been written up for fighting other inmates and getting tattoos while incarcerated. One of the tattoos Montelongo got was an image of Rubio on his chest next to a clock. A gang expert told jurors that he believed7 the tattoo was meant to symbolize "doing time" for killing Rubio. "He is putting her up there and showing off," Prosecutor Traci Wiseley told jurors in her closing argument. "He's using her death as a trophy for when he goes to prison." Prosecutors also presented Montelongo's criminal history, which included a conviction for robbery in 2014. He was initially placed on probation but it was revoked and he was sentenced to prison. Wiseley told jurors that Montelongo deserved a lengthy prison sentence, saying the state had already given him a chance to improve his life with probation and he squandered it. She said Montelongo's actions robbed Rubio of a chance to straighten out her life and get clean. "The people who loved (Rubio) deserve justice," she said. She said a life sentence also protects the community from Montelongo who has never shown remorse for killing someone he purportedly loved. "Sometimes that is what is necessary to protect society," she told jurors. Montelongo's attorney, Mark Snodgrass asked jurors tp show mercy on Montelongo and to hand down a sentence that would give his client a chance to become a contributing member of society. "Justice has to be tempered with mercy," he said. "Mercy is what makes us human beings." He said his client "didn't stand a chance" at escaping the life of drugs and crime that ensnared his parents. Montelongo's father, Juan, told jurors that his son was essentially raised by his grandparents as he and his wife struggled with drug use. He said he'd missed out on his son's childhood because he was in and out of prison for years. However, Snodgrass told jurors that his client has been taking steps while incarcerated to turn his life around. A pastor who leads a jail ministry told jurors that Montelongo regularly attended Bible-based manhood classes. He described the defendant as respectful and eager to learn. Snodgrass told jurors that sending Montelongo to prison for life solves nothing. "An eye for an eye just leads to blindness," he said. Stanek told jurors in her closing argument that Montelongo didn't deserve any mercy because he showed none to Rubio. "This is not the day of chances," she said. "This is the day to pay for what he did." After the trial, Stanek thanked the jury for their verdict. She also thanked the investigators whose efforts brought Montelongo to justice and provided closure for Rubio's family. Snodgrass declined to comment after the trial. However, while the evidence at trial overwhelmingly showed Montelongo killed Rubio, a motive for the slaying remains unknown. "We don't know exactly what his motive for killing her was we don't know what led up to her shooting that morning," Wiseley said after the trial. "We do know he'd been aggressive with her in their relationship but that's all we could present to the jury." This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Family mourns 'rainbow after a storm' as man sentenced for killing FARMINGTON, N.M. (KRQE) Outrage is brewing on social media after a Farmington High School graduate was told to remove her cap adorned with Native American beading and a feather. Video surfaced online showing a school staffer telling the teen to take off her cap, remove the tassel, and put on a plain cap. It happened at the schools commencement ceremony on Monday. They dont have that right to tell me or my daughter how to dress, how to adorn ourselves, said Brenda White Bull, the mother of the student whose cap was taken away. All that was put into that beadwork. Everything that symbolizes, all of that was done with prayer by my family to give to her. She said a plume was also partially cut when being removed. That plume has a spirit and they wounded our young warrior, said White Bull. In a statement, the school said in part that district protocol states the gowns and caps cannot be altered and that students were told about the dress code throughout the year. It also noted students are welcome to wear traditional attire under the gown and cap. Still, the district acknowledges it couldve been handled better. But White Bull said the law supersedes the intent was really to protect and make sure something like this didnt happen school policy and that in taking the cap away, the staffers violated New Mexico law which is similar to the federal CROWN Act but also includes headdresses. Senator Harold Pope sponsored that legislation and called this incident disappointing. The intent was really to protect and make sure something like this didnt happen, said Sen. Pope. I understand theres rules, theres things that happen at schools but we also have New Mexico law and we want to protect folks from being discriminated, from being harmed on their cultural and religious beliefs. White Bull questions why other students who had decorated caps, a choice she also supports and could have their own cultural significance, didnt have their caps taken away too. I just dont understand why they chose my daughter to discriminate against. It made it rightfully so because she was Native American because she had beadwork that was cultural, said White Bull. The Farmington Municipal School sent a statement on Thursday: We would like to address some of the community concerns we have received regarding the graduation ceremony on Monday night at Farmington High School. During the event, a students beaded cap was exchanged for a plain one. The feather was returned intact to the family during the ceremony. The beaded cap was returned after graduation concluded. District protocol states that the cap and gown must be worn, and their appearance may not be altered, which can be found in the 2023-2024 Student and Parent Handbook. Students were informed throughout the school year and immediately before graduation of the protocol, including that beaded caps were not allowed. This standard process helps us set student attire during graduations. However, students are welcome to wear clothes of their choice, including traditional attire, under the graduation cap and gown, and regalia, stoles, and feathers in their tassels. While the staff involved were following district guidelines, we acknowledge this could have been handled differently and better. Moving forward, we will work to refine our processes at the school level. The district is also committed to exploring the addition of a district policy that allows for additional appropriate cultural elements in student attire, including graduation caps and gowns. We are proud of all of our graduates and deeply value their different cultural backgrounds which enhance the educational experience for all of our students. Thank you for your understanding and support as we continue to work to honor both culture and individual expression in all our schools. Roberto Taboada, Public Information Officer, Farmington Municipal Schools Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham sent the following statement on the incident: In New Mexico, we are proud of and committed to our diversity, and what happened at the Farmington High School graduation ceremony does not reflect that commitment. It is unacceptable that a student was reprimanded for representing their culture during a time of celebration. I appreciate that the Farmington schools acknowledge that they could have handled this situation better and that their policy may be too restrictive. However, it shouldnt have required the student raising this issue for a school to recognize its lack of inclusivity, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham 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. Farmworker Among 8 Killed in Fla. Crash Died Without Knowing His Fiancee Was Pregnant Alfredo Tovar Sanchez, 20, was among eight farmworkers killed in a crash that police allege was caused by Bryan Maclean Howard Alfredo Tovar Sanchez/Facebook Alfredo Tovar Sanchez One of the farmworkers who were killed in a crash on Tuesday in Florida was earning money for his upcoming wedding and didnt get a chance to learn that his fiancee was pregnant, according to his mother. Alfredo Tovar Sanchez, 20, was among eight farmworkers who were killed when the bus he was on collided with a pickup early Tuesday morning, which left nearly 40 people injured, authorities said at the time, per The Associated Press. All the victims were harvest workers from Mexico. All eight victims who were killed have been identified by authorities as of Friday, Click Orlando reported. Ernesto Ruiz, a researcher at the Farmworker Association of Florida, confirmed the names of the victims, including Sanchez, to PEOPLE: Isaias Miranda Pascal, 21; Santiago Benito De Jesus, 24; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Jose Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27; Everado Ventura Hernandez, 30; Oscar Temoxtle, 31; and Manuel Perez Rios, 46. Bryan Maclean Howard, the alleged driver of the pickup truck, was arrested in connection with the crash, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles announced on Tuesday. He is charged with eight counts of manslaughter. It's not clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney. Marion County Jail via AP Bryan Maclean Howard The workers those injured as well as the deceased were part of a cohort of immigrant workers who were in the U.S. specifically for farm work, on a visa that doesnt allow for them to bring their family members, Ruiz tells PEOPLE. As authorities from the Mexican Consulate in Orlando work to assist families of the victims in Mexico, Sanchezs mother told Telemundo News her son was getting ready for his wedding and died without knowing his fiancee is two months pregnant, as reported by NBC News. I feel I cant continue without my son, Maria Sanchez said in the interview from her home in Mexico. Ive been left with so much pain. I dont know that I can live with this pain. She said Alfredo was working in Florida to earn money for a new future, which included building a house and getting married. Maria expressed concerns that Alfredos fiancee, who is 17-years-old, will face several challenges ahead following the birth of the child, per the outlet. If they arrested the man who is responsible, then all I ask for is justice, she told Telemundo News. Related: 6 of the 8 Farmworkers Killed in Florida Bus Crash ID'd; Youngest Victim Was 18 Years Old AP Photo/Chris O'Meara Mourners honor the victims of the crash at a vigil 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. The workers caught in the crash were residing in Florida at the time of the accident but were scheduled to leave the state for another farm later in the week, Ruiz tells PEOPLE. 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. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) The FBI found a Most Wanted suspect in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday who used nicknames including bit coin, Simswapping, user data god, Tuyal and yahoo.emails. Agents arrested 18-year-old Brayden Grace after accusing him of being involved in multiple swatting calls across the United States. He faces charges including conspiracy, interstate stalking, interstate threatening communication and interstate threat involving fire or explosives. Brayden Grace is seen in images shared by the FBI. (Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation) While Grace had alleged involvement in incidents across the country, he was accused of a local threat as well. Federal court documents listed one incident on Jan. 5 in which Grace allegedly called the Hollywood Casino in west Columbus. Going by the nickname bit coin, he is accused of threatening casino staff on the phone with shooting and burning down the building unless he received $100,000 in cash and a helicopter. Two phone calls were placed, one from a person inside the casino in which the caller said he had a bomb strapped to his chest while inside the casino. The caller told a 911 operator that a second person had a sniper rifle on top of the parking garage. A second call came from a person claiming to be on the parking garage with a sniper rifle. He told a 911 operator there was also a person inside the casino with a bomb who would blow this place up. Police canvased the area and a police helicopter searched the entire perimeter. Multiple phone numbers were pinged during the investigation, but those attempts were unsuccessful. Masters champ Scottie Scheffler arrested ahead of PGA Championship Grace was part of a group active on Instagram and Telegram called Purgatory, which used the social media platforms to plan multiple swatting calls between December and January, according to court documents, which stated that afterward, they would announce the swatting calls they made on the platforms. Alongside the casino call, Grace and others in Purgatory were accused of the other following swatting calls in a federal indictment: A threat to burn down a residential trailer park in Alabama A shooting threat against a teacher and unnamed students at a high school in Delaware A shooting and bomb threat to the Albany International Airport in New York A multiple homicide event and shooting threat against individuals in a residence in Eastman, Georgia Grace will appear in federal court on Monday at 1 p.m. for a detention hearing in which a judge will decide whether to release, assign bail or detain him. If convicted, Grace faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count of conspiracy, cyberstalking and interstate threat and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on each charge to damage or destroy by means of fire and explosive. The FBI did not say if it had found other members of Purgatory as of Thursday. 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 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency logo. (Charlie Paullin/Virginia Mercury) Work is underway to clean up a chemical present in an old landfill in Northern Virginia that can lead to a central nervous system condition, a diagnosis the congresswoman who represents the area had been diagnosed with. The United States Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday celebrated $22 million in funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will go toward cleaning up the Hidden Lane Landfill in Loudoun County known as a Superfund site, a designation identifying heavily polluted areas. According to the EPA, the 25-acre site was a privately owned landfill north of Route 7 between the Broad Run Farms and Countryside communities adjacent to a floodplain of the Potomac River. The landfill opened in 1971 to accept solid and construction waste, discarded appliances and more before the county closed it down in 1984 by court order, issued the year before. About five years after the closure, the degreasing solvent trichloroethylene, or TCE, was found in the wells that supplied water to homes in the Broad Run Farms subdivision. The site was added to the Superfund programs National Priorities List in 2008. [TCE] is an acute and long term hazard, said Adam Ortiz, mid-Atlantic regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In a site like this, with the concentrations that we found, it set off alarm bells. This is real stuff, particularly for pregnant mothers. The TCE chemical can be ingested through the air or drinking water. Related health issues include heart problems, numbness and Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons shares similarities with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurological disorder that U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Loudoun, in September revealed she has been diagnosed with and is why she wont seek reelection to her position. Wexton had initially been diagnosed with Parkinsons, she said in her September statement. Following a speech in the U.S. House floor using a text-to-speech assistive technology earlier this month because of the condition the first time a member of Congress has used it to deliver a floor speech Wexton spoke using the same method at Tuesdays announcement. One study of the water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina found that Marine Corps veterans who were exposed to water contaminated with TCE were 70% more likely to develop Parkinsons disease than Marine Corps veterans who were not exposed to the chemical, said Wexton, who also submitted a letter in support of the EPAs proposed rule to regulate TCE , which is still used for cleaning. Ive seen firsthand how Parkinsons and related diseases like my PSP can be devastating for individuals, their families, and the communities around them. Hidden Lane The first step in the project is excavation of the contaminated dirt, a $5 million task that began in February and is expected to wrap up this summer. Then, design and construction of a $17 million new waterline, the main deliverable of the project, will be installed over about five years, with help from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore office to connect about 110 homes in the area to a fresh source of water. We were relieved to be able to have this round of infrastructure funding to accelerate the cleanup, Ortiz said. The water line is crucial, Ortiz added, to make sure that the community can drink from the faucet without fear. Since the detection of the TCE, and while the work is being completed, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, assisted by the EPA, has been providing homeowners in the area with treatment systems, which will be replaced by the new permanent pipeline. We are pleased that decades of work in partnership with EPA to clean up the Hidden Lane Landfill has led to remediation of contamination and construction of a public water line to improve the environment and benefit the Broad Run and Country Side communities, DEQ spokeswoman Irina Calos said in a statement. The location will then be eligible for reuse, possibly for solar energy generation or a ball field, said Charlie Root, EPA remedial project manager. A data center would likely not be eligible for the site, although their development has boomed in Loudoun County, because of the way the landfill was closed with just a soil cover, Root said. I dont think that would support a big building, like a data center, Root said. Thats kind of why theres been discussion about passive recreational uses for ball fields, or solar panels. Superfund sites Superfund sites cleanup is overseen by the EPA with help from the DEQ. Virginia has 36 sites on the EPAs website, including the former C&R Battery Company Inc. in Chesterfield that was removed in August 2022, and the Nansemond Ordnance Depot in Suffolk that has been converted into a working logistic center. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides the momentum behind getting about 85% of Superfund site cleanup projects completed, by way of$3.5 billion in funding, Ortiz said. It has just allowed us to move faster than we had before, Root added. One project in Virginia that will also be funded by the federal law is the Arrowhead Associates, Inc./Scovill Corp site in Montross, where a business currently sits. The project has the logistical issue of keeping the business running during cleanup, Root said. Because of that, using in-situ, or in-place, thermal technology to burn up about 99% of the toxic chemicals in the ground under a building is necessary because of an inability to more cheaply dig up the dirt and take it to a certified landfill processor, like the Hidden Lane project. At the Hidden Lane Landfill site, it is a deep excavation, its down to about 35 feet, Root said. But we were able to do that safely with the setback, we could slope it, so that we could get that work done safely without endangering the workers. For the thermal treatment, theres lots of electricity needs, we have to build infrastructure to bring in the electricity. Its a more intense, more involved technology, Root said. However its done, Ortiz said its important that you are able to accelerate and remove these hazards. They were determined to be Superfund sites for a reason, Ortiz said. The post Federal government cleaning up old landfill in Loudoun County appeared first on Virginia Mercury. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, in an interview with France-2 TV channel on May 16, 2024, voiced another unfounded accusation against Azerbaijan, and France, as always forgetting its colonial policy, is trying to spread slander against others, a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sevinj Huseynova Trend. The MP noted that France should look back at its murky past rather than make unfounded accusations against others. Undoubtedly, the world community has not forgotten France's colonial policy, committed genocides, and ethnic cleansing. The act of genocide committed by France in Algeria is a clear example, the MP said. She noted that blaming Azerbaijan for the fact that New Caledonia is fighting for its independence defies logic and is another manifestation of biased politics. New Caledonia has been fighting for freedom for more than 50 years. This struggle is directed against the colonial policy of France. To blame Azerbaijan in this regard is an indication of France's helplessness. France, which pays lip service to calling itself a democratic country, has been flagrantly violating the rights of other nations for many years and is now trying to cover it all up by slandering others. We have always witnessed France's biased and hypocritical policy towards Azerbaijan. France pursued such a policy towards Azerbaijan during the 30-year Armenian occupation of the country's lands, as well as during the 44-day war or afterward. After Azerbaijan's historic victory in the 44-day war, France's policy towards our country became even more aggressive. It is from this aggression that these unfounded accusations of the French Interior Minister come, the MP said. MP Mushfig Jafarov told Trend that France retains control over its former colonial territories and continues its policy in this regard. This has brought tensions in New Caledonia to a peak. There have been repeated clashes between police and protesters. During these clashes, law enforcement officers have used violence against protesters, and there have been injuries. The protests in New Caledonia, which have been going on for some time, have escalated into violent clashes in recent days. The world is silent about this policy of Paris, which applies double standards to the Kanak people and pursues a policy of assimilation, the MP said. He added that it was not by chance that the Azerbaijani head of state noted in his speech that the territories ruled by France outside Europe are disgusting remnants of the French colonial empire. We also call on France to apologize and acknowledge responsibility for its colonial past and bloody colonial crimes and acts of genocide against NAM member countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere. France has been interfering in referendums held in New Caledonia for years, rigging the vote. Just as France once intervened in the liberation movement of the Algerian people and committed genocide there, it is now trying to do the same with the Kanak people in New Caledonia. Paris, which has a history of crimes, seems intent on committing another genocide. I believe that international organizations should speak out against the oppression of the people of New Caledonia, against the policy of assimilation, to formally express their protest, Jafarov said. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel FILE - Traffic is steady as vehicles approach Hugh Carey tunnel linking Brooklyn to Manhattan, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in New York. New Yorks first-in-the-nation plan to levy a hefty toll on drivers entering much of traffic-choked Manhattan is the focus of a legal battle set to play out in federal court Friday, May 17. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) NEW YORK (AP) New Yorks first-in-the-nation plan to levy a hefty toll on drivers entering much of traffic-choked Manhattan was the focus of a legal battle that played out in federal court Friday. A Manhattan judge heard arguments in lawsuits brought by unionized public school teachers and other New Yorkers seeking to put the brakes on the plan set to launch June 30. But U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman didnt issue any decisions following the daylong hearing, where the central question was whether transportation officials have sufficiently thoroughly studied and come up sufficient plans to address the negative health and environmental effects of the toll. Most drivers in private cars, locals and tourists alike, heading into Manhattan south of Central Park should expect to pay about $15 during the daytime, with higher tolls for larger vehicles and lower rates for motorcycles and late-night entries into the city, according to the proposal finalized in March. Those who arent enrolled in a regional toll collection program will pay $22.50. Alan Klinger, a lawyer representing lower Manhattan residents, said the toll amounts to a cash grab by transit officials looking to pump billions of dollars into the regions creaky subway, trains and buses. Theres a desperate need to put funds into mass transit, and that is their overriding issue, he said. Lawyers for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the agency overseeing the congestion fee plan, didn't dispute that the toll will provide a critical cash infusion of around $1 billion annually for the system, which carries about 4 million riders daily. But they also argued that the toll will help reduce traffic and improve regional air quality by discouraging driving into Manhattan. The MTA also maintains it conducted extensive environmental reviews that found no significant effects to local communities that could not be addressed by focused mitigation efforts. Klinger and other lawyers representing Manhattan residents argued Friday that the tolling scheme was given the green light by federal transportation officials without proper scrutiny. Among other things, they noted that the Federal Highway Administrations review was complete even before New York officials approved the tolls final structure. Toll opponents want the court to order transit officials to conduct a more comprehensive environmental study before rolling out the plan. This is supposed to be an all-encompassing process, and it has been anything but, Klinger said. Lawyers for the highway administration countered that New York transit officials had thoroughly analyzed the plans consequences and presented sufficient details for how they would address any harmful effects. None of these challenges have any merit, said Zachary Bannon, a highway administration lawyer. While the toll is expected to lead to an overall decline in traffic across greater New York City, some areas will see a small degree of increased congestion, acknowledged Elizabeth Knauer, an MTA lawyer. The agency, she said, has committed to investing about $155 million over five years to offset those effects, including installing more roadside plants, parks, school air-filtration systems and more electric vehicle charging stations. Other lawsuits argued Friday contend that low-income and minority communities already dealing with poor air quality will be particularly hard hit by the health effects of increased traffic through their streets. They also argue drivers from other city boroughs and suburbs that lack adequate mass transit will take a disproportionate financial hit. Additionally, they claim, small businesses in the congestion zone will face higher operating costs and fewer customers. We have been clear that this current MTA plan moves pollution and congestion out of Manhattan and sends it into the other boroughs and neighborhoods already dealing with environmental hazards, Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers thats among the groups challenging the plan, said in a statement. It is not fair, and we are asking the courts to tell the MTA to come up with a better plan. Many of the claims in Fridays lawsuits echo arguments made last month during a two-day hearing in a New Jersey federal court, where New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich have each filed lawsuits. Judge Leo Gordon, who is weighing those legal challenges, has said he plans to issue a written decision before the toll takes effect. ___ Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents take an immigrant into custody. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) A federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that a tactic used by federal immigration agents in Southern California to arrest people in their homes without a judicial warrant is unconstitutional and must end. The judgment issued Wednesday against the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency involves so-called knock and talk practices. ICE didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Read more: San Diego is now the top border region for migrant arrivals Advocates argued that the immigration agency rarely obtains judicial warrants and instead counts on immigrants answering their doors voluntarily. Advocates alleged agents routinely misrepresent themselves as police to gain entry so they can carry out an arrest. Immigrant advocacy groups praised the ruling. It is a basic human right for immigrants to feel safe in their own homes and live without fear, Lizbeth Abeln, interim director at the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, wrote in a news release Thursday. This wont undo the years of harm done by ICE, but it is a good first step towards justice. The order applies only to ICE's Los Angeles field office, which includes the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. An expert witness said that available data showed ICE's knock and talk methods accounted for at least 8% of arrests in 2022. Four examples listed in the order occurring between 2017 and 2020 illustrate instances in which immigration agents entered constitutionally protected areas around a person's home, such as their porch, patio or backyard, to make contact for an arrest. Advocates said the practice has continued since then in Los Angeles and across the country. U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II rejected ICE's argument that its agents could enter the private areas surrounding a home to knock on the door because mail carriers and delivery people routinely do so. Immigration agents walk up to a resident's home without consent and, when the person opens the door, the agents "generally state that they are 'conducting an investigation,'" according to the order. ICE policies and training encourage agents to use knock and talks, calling the practice one of the four primary methods of apprehension. "Despite often stating a different purpose for their visit, the true 'intent' and 'actual purpose' behind a 'knock and talk' is to make an immigration arrest," the judge wrote. The agents would be permitted to enter those areas if their goal was merely to ask questions, Wright wrote. But he said the Constitution prohibits them from doing so "without a judicial warrant with the intent to arrest the occupant." "The more accurate title," Wright wrote, "would be 'knock and arrests.'" The ruling stems from a 2020 class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of two local advocacy organizations, the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, as well as one individual, Osny Sorto-Vasquez Kidd. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, the UC Irvine School of Law Immigrant Rights Clinic, and the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson represented the plaintiffs. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox three times per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. 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 and 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 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. __ Editors note: This story has been updated to link to the text of the new rule from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It was published overnight Monday. The post New federal rule will overhaul transmission planning as electric grid strains appeared first on Arkansas Advocate. 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 recently 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. The post New federal rule will overhaul transmission planning as electric grid strains appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Two people will spend time in prison for scamming elderly victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of an international fraud conspiracy, according to federal attorneys. Jmyla Elaine ShaTaria White, 29, of Florida, was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison and three years of supervised release. She has to pay $3,224,549 in restitution to the victims of the scam. McKhaela Katelynn McNamara, 28, of Flint, will spend four years and three months in prison with three years of supervised release. She will have to pay $693,073 to victims, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office. The charges stem from a series of scams where an elderly victim would get a message on their computer saying it had a virus. It prompted the victim to call a number for help. When the number was called, a person claiming to work for a tech company, who was really a scammer in India, would scare them into giving money in several different ways, attorneys said. Feds: Woman posed as IRS agent to steal $60K Victims were told a variety of false stories, such as their bank accounts had been compromised so they had to withdraw all the cash and give it to fake federal agents for safekeeping. Some victims were told they had to pay for technical support for the computer virus or that they needed to give money to clear their names from a criminal investigation. Each time, the victims were convinced to give money to the scammers, according to attorneys. They would hand over the money either by wire transfers, mailing boxes of cash, purchasing gift cards or even in-person meetings with fake federal agents. White and McNamara were two of those people who met up with victims to collect money, which they then passed on to others involved in the conspiracy. White also helped recruit others to join in the scam, attorneys say. One West Michigan victim lost $398,000 to scammers, according to a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. White and McNamara were charged last year with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and pleaded guilty in January, the release said. This is one of the most reprehensible fraud schemes I have seen. This wasnt just a theft of money. It was a theft of dignity, and a theft of security. This was a heinous crime that devastated people who worked hard their whole lives, and now their money is gone, said U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering during sentencing. Five other members of the ruse were charged last year with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to federal attorneys. The Federal Bureau of Investigations encourages senior citizens to never send any personally identifiable information or money to unverified people or businesses, resist the pressure to act quickly and update all computer anti-virus software. For more tips and information, visit the FBI Elder Fraud website. If you or someone you know has experienced financial fraud, call the Elder Fraud Hotline at 1.833.FRAUD.11 (1.833.372.8311) or the Federal Trade Commission at 877.FTC.HELP. (877.382.4357) 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 WOODTV.com. Fetterman says wild Oversight hearing was worse than Jerry Springer Show Fetterman says wild Oversight hearing was worse than Jerry Springer Show Sen. John Fetterman says the wild and chaotic scene inside a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing Thursday night, which featured lawmakers lobbing multiple appearance-related insults at one another, was worse than an episode of The Jerry Springer Show. In the past, Ive described the U.S. House as The Jerry Springer Show,' the Pennsylvania Democrat said in a Friday post on the social platform X. Today, Im apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show,' Fetterman said. His comparison to the sensational, typically brawl and expletive-filled 1990s talk show came a day after an epic clash during Thursday nights Oversight Committee hearing. During the hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) of sporting fake eyelashes. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) moved to take down Greenes words, calling them disgusting and absolutely unacceptable. Later in the hearing, Crockett appeared to throw a veiled jab Greenes way, saying, If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Ocasio-Cortez struck back at Fetterman for drawing the TV slugfest parallel, saying on social media to her Democratic colleague in Congress, I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a both sides issue. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one, Ocasio-Cortez said. Its not the first time that a political fracas has drawn comparisons to The Jerry Springer Show. Springer himself panned a 2020 presidential debate between Joe Biden and then-President Trump. During the heated showdown, Trump repeatedly attempted to interrupt the then-Democratic presidential nominee. Several years ago TV Guide honored me by naming The Jerry Springer Show the worst show in the history of television, Springer told ITK at the time. After watching Tuesday nights debate, the torch has now been passed. The Jerry Springer Show aired from 1991 to 2018. Springer died last year at 79. Updated at 11:42 a.m. EDT For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. By Nidal al-Mughrabi CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli forces battled Hamas fighters in the narrow alleyways of Jabalia in northern Gaza on Friday in some of the fiercest engagements since they returned to the area a week ago, while in the south militants attacked tanks massing around Rafah. Residents said Israeli armour had thrust as far as the market at the heart of Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, and that bulldozers were demolishing homes and shops in the path of the advance. "Tanks and planes are wiping out residential districts and markets, shops, restaurants, everything. It is all happening before the one-eyed world," Ayman Rajab, a resident of western Jabalia, said via a chat app. Israel had said its forces cleared Jabalia months earlier in the Gaza war, triggered by the deadly Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, but said last week it was returning to prevent Islamist militants re-grouping there. In southern Gaza bordering Egypt, thick smoke rose over Rafah, where an escalating Israeli assault has sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing from what was one of the few remaining places of refuge. "People are terrified and they're trying to get away," Jens Laerke, U.N. humanitarian office spokesperson, said in Geneva, adding that most were following orders to move north towards the coast but that there were no safe routes or destinations. As the fighting raged, the U.S. military said trucks started moving aid ashore from a temporary pier, the first to reach the besieged enclave by sea in weeks. The World Food Programme, which expects food, water, shelter and medical supplies to arrive through the floating dock, said the aid was transported to its warehouses in Deir Al Balah in central Gaza and told partners it was ready for distribution. The United Nations earlier reiterated that truck convoys by land - disrupted this month by the assault on Rafah - were still the most efficient way of getting aid in. "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. U.S. aid was arriving in Cyprus for delivery to Gaza via the new pier, Washington said. Hamas demanded an end to Israel's siege and accused Washington of complicity with an Israeli policy of "starvation and blockade". The White House said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan would visit Israel on Sunday and stress the need for a targeted offensive against Hamas militants rather than a full-scale assault on Rafah. A group of U.S. medical workers left the Gaza Strip after getting stuck at the hospital where they were providing care, the White House said. HUMANITARIAN FEARS The Israel Defense Forces said troops killed more than 60 militants in Jabalia in recent days and located a weapons warehouse in a "divisional-level offensive". A divisional operation would typically involve several brigades of thousands of troops each, making it one of the biggest of the war. "The 7th Brigade's fire control centre directed dozens of airstrikes, eliminated terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructure," the IDF said. At least 35,303 Palestinians have now been killed, according to figures from the enclave's health ministry, while aid agencies have warned repeatedly of widespread hunger and dire shortages of fuel and medical supplies. Israel says it must capture Rafah to destroy Hamas and ensure the country's safety. In the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 1,200 people died in Israel and 253 were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. About 128 hostages are still being held in Gaza. Israel said on Friday that its forces retrieved the bodies of three people killed at the Nova music festival in Israel on Oct. 7 and taken into Gaza. In response, Hamas said negotiations were the only way for Israel to retrieve hostages alive: "The enemy will not get its prisoners except as lifeless corpses or through an honourable exchange deal for our people and our resistance." Talks on a ceasefire have been at an impasse. 'TRAGIC WAR' Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded parts of Rafah on Friday, while the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they fired anti-tank missiles and mortars at forces massing to the east, southeast and inside the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. UNRWA, the main U.N. aid agency for Palestinians, said more than 630,000 people had fled Rafah since the offensive began on May 6. "They're moving to areas where there is no water - we've got to truck it in - and people aren't getting enough food," Sam Rose, director of planning at UNRWA, told Reuters on Friday by telephone from Rafah, where he said it was eerily quiet. At the International Court of Justice, or World Court, in The Hague, where South Africa has accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention, Israeli Justice Ministry official Gilad Noam defended the operation. The South African legal team, which set out its case for fresh emergency measures the previous day, framed the Israeli military operation as part of a genocidal plan aimed at bringing about the destruction of the Palestinian people. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Additional reporting by Clauda Tanios, James Mackenzie, Michelle Nichols, Stephanie van den Berg, Henriette Chacar, Emma Farge, Anthony Deutsch, Steve Holland, Nandita Bose and Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Alex Richardson, Philippa Fletcher and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Peter Graff, Sharon Singleton, Kevin Liffey, Deepa Babington and Cynthia Osterman) Fines for Lexington parking tickets will increase Sept. 1. Find out by how much Parking fines in Lexington will increase by $10 starting Sept. 1. Citations will go from $15 to $25. LexPark has not raised parking fines since its inception in 2008. Thats still less than the University of Kentucky. Tickets on campus are $30. The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted Thursday night to approve the 2024-25 LexPark budget, which includes the hike in fines for parking citations and a $5 increase for monthly parking passes at two of LexParks parking garages the Helix and the Transit Center. Daily parking fees at LexParks four garages will remain the same. There will be no monthly parking fee increases for Victiorian Square or the Fayette County courthouse garages. The move comes a little more than a year after LexPark expanded enforcement hours at its meters. The group had originally proposed expanding enforcement to Saturday but after downtown restaurants and business owners complained, the Saturday enforcement was dropped. Lexington is the only large city in the region with free weekend parking, according to a survey of surrounding cities. Victorian Square annex garage operated by the Lexpark or the Lexington Parking Authority. The controversy over the expansion of the enforcement hours reached Frankfort. Kentucky lawmakers passed legislation requiring LexPark to get Lexington council approval before it raised any rates or fines. Thats why the council had to approve LexParks budget Thursday. LexPark receives no money from the city. LexPark officials told the council at an April 30 council work session that the expansion in enforcement hours did not generate enough revenue to offset increasing expenses and lost revenue. Several years ago the University of Kentucky and the city agreed to a land swap. The city got more than 200 acres of UK land off Georgetown Road for a new business park and the city gave UK control of several streets around campus. Those streets had LexPark meters on them, resulting in a loss of about $300,000 per year, LexPark officials said. LexParks four garages are costly to maintain roughly $1 million a year. Those parking garages will need millions of dollars in upkeep, maintenance and other fixes over the next 10 years. The bump in fines is expected to generate $209,228. The increase in monthly rates for parking garages would generate $43,457 for a total revenue increase of $252,977, LexPark officials said in April. The proposed budget for the next fiscal year is $5 million. The monthly rate increase for the Transit Center and the Helix garage will largely affect the city, whose employees park in those garages, Kentucky Utilities and Gray Construction. Public parking fines for other cities and government units include: Louisville: $30 Cincinnati: $45 University of Kentucky: $30 Time expired at the Lexington parking meter near downtown Lexington and the University of Kentucky campus. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A two-alarm fire broke out at Smokin Oak BBQ in Vancouver Thursday evening. According to the Vancouver Fire Department, crews were dispatched around 6:10 p.m. on reports of a structure fire at 501 Columbia Street. When the first fire engine arrived four minutes later, firefighters saw smoke coming from the building. Dallesport, Washington fire spreads to 20 acres, homes threatened It grew from a one-alarm to a two-alarm fire with dozens of firefighters responding. People were evacuated from the building as crews worked quickly to knock the fire down. The fire was deemed under control 35 minutes later. One person was evaluated for a medical issue but wasnt taken to a hospital and no firefighters were injured. The cause of the fire is being investigated. 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. Two firefighters were injured while fighting an apartment fire in the Central District on Thursday. Investigators determined the likely cause of the fire to be an accidentally overloaded electrical outlet. Station 6 firefighters had noticed black smoke coming from a neighboring apartment building in the 2600 block of S. Jackson St at around 5:42 p.m., notifying the Fire Alarm Center and requesting them to dispatch a full response. Five fire engines, three ladder trucks, and additional support units responded to the fire. As firefighters tried to gain access to the apartment unit, three children and their mother escaped the apartment before sheltering inside Station 6 and being looked over by firefighters and paramedics. According to Seattle Fire, all four family members were in stable condition and declined transportation to a hospital. The American Red Cross was later requested to help the displaced family. By 5:46 p.m., crews had put water on the fire and began searching the apartment for additional occupants, later confirming the entire building was all clear. By 6:06 p.m., the fire was extinguished, however, two firefighters had sustained injuries in the blaze and were transported to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition. Seattle Fire Department added a safety tip to the press release of this incident. Avoid plugging in multiple appliances and electronic devices into a single wall outlet. Power strips add more outlets but should only be used for items that require light loads such as computers, printers and clocks, for example. They are not made to handle microwaves, refrigerators, portable heaters or hair dryers. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The EU welcomes the continuation of the border delimitation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Peter Stano, Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said, Trend reports. The EU welcomes progress made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process, based on the 1991 Almaty agreement, and more specifically the protocol signed during the 9th meeting of the border commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Wednesday 15 May, leading to an agreement on several sections of the border. The EU encourages the parties to take further decisive steps to tackle other outstanding bilateral issues and remains committed to supporting the efforts aimed at bringing sustainable and lasting peace to the South Caucasus region, the statement reads. Meanwhile, on May 15, a meeting was held between border delimitation commissions of Azerbaijan and Armenia. During the meeting, as per their adopted Protocol of the 8th meeting of April 19, 2024, the sides discussed the work accomplished and agreed upon a jointly drafted Protocol-Description of the segments of the border line directly between the residential areas of Baganys Ayrim (AR) -Baganis (RA), Ashagy Askipara (AR)-Voskepar (RA), Kheyrimli (AR) - Kirants (RA), and Gyzylhajily (AR) - Berkaber (RA), with an aim of aligning them in accordance with the legally justified inter-republican border that existed within the framework of the Soviet Union at the time of its dissolution, taking into account the clarification of coordinates based on geodetic measurements on the ground in accordance with the topographic map of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces of 1976, which underwent the duty procedure in 1979. As the result of the meeting, the respective protocol was signed. The date and location of the next meeting will be agreed in a working order. The United States military said the first aid shipment was driven across the new U.S.-built Gaza pier Friday, ramping up the delivery of humanitarian assistance for Palestinians who are facing deprivation and hunger in Gaza. U.S. Central Command said trucks hauling humanitarian aid began moving onto the land utilizing the temporary pier around 9 a.m. local time, adding that no U.S. troops entered the enclave. This is an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza via a maritime corridor that is entirely humanitarian in nature, and will involve aid commodities donated by a number of countries and humanitarian organizations, officials said in a statement. The pier, which was put together first in Ashdod before being placed onto Gazas shore, was originally announced in March by the Pentagon. Palestinians in Gaza heavily rely on humanitarian aid. Israels bombardment of the enclave, now in its seventh month, has reduced the amount of assistance flowing to Gazans. The aid coming through the southern crossing near Rafah has been minimized, with the Israeli military performing its military operation around the area of the city over the past week. President Bidens administration has pressured Israel to allow more aid to flow into the southern part of the enclave. Since the start of Israels operation near Rafah, more than 600,000 Palestinians have fled the southern city that housed more than 1 million Gazans, according to the U.N. agency that provides relief to Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA. Many have sought refuge in Deir al-Balah, which is now unbearably overcrowded with dire conditions, the agency said Friday. Israels war with Hamas began Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and taking about 250 others hostage. More than 35,000 people in Gaza have been killed during the ensuing months, most of them women and children, according to officials with the Hamas-run local health ministry. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Dr. Jill Biden, the first lady of the United States, shows up in Indian Country. (Photo/Bay Mills Youth Council from Facebook) Before becoming the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community) served as the president of the Bay Mills Indian Community. On Thursday, he was home to greet First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff to his tribal community in Brimley, Michigan, along the shores of Lake Superior in Michigans Upper Peninsula. Newland served as the emcee for a community event attended by the first lady and second gentleman of the United States at Bay Mills Community College on Thursday evening. Current Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle and Sault Ste. Tribal Chairperson Austin Lowes also participated in the events program. As first lady, Dr. Biden has made more trips to Indian Country more than seven to Indian Country. No other first lady in history has visited as many tribal leaders and tribal communities. Newland mentioned this in his opening remarks. "This is the fourth time I've had the opportunity to travel with First Lady Dr. Biden to tribal communities, Newland said. These visits, as many of you know, are not the norm in our country's history. Dr. Biden and her team seek out these opportunities because she understands the importance of showing up and walking the walk." President Joe Biden mentioned Dr. Bidens visits to Indian Country in his White House Tribal Nation Summit address to tribal leaders in November 2022. After mentioning First Lady Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haalands visit to the Cherokee Nation, the president mentioned she had visited other tribal nations. By the way, she spent a lot of time on other reservations other Nations as well. Im worried shes not going to come home one of these days, Biden joked to tribal leaders who received his remarks with laughter. On Thursday, she and Emhoff visited Bay Mills to tout Biden-Harris's Investing in America agenda, which has injected $45 billion into Indian Country in the last three years. In her speech, Biden spoke of the presidents signing a historic executive order honoring the Nation-to-Nation relationship and supporting Tribal self-determination. He's begun an unprecedented collaboration with Tribal Nations to manage the lands, waters, and natural wonders, Biden said. The second gentleman also spoke about the Biden-Harris administrations commitment to Indian Country. When President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, they acknowledged the duty to safeguard and strengthen the bonds between our nations, Emhoff said. They also vowed to build a future in which every Native person can realize their aspirations and every Native community can be a place of opportunity. That is why President Biden and Vice President Harris have invested nearly $45 billion in Indian Country. Speaking about showing up, the first lady said: You show up for each other and for your communities and the president and I want to show up for you. Joe made a commitment to Indian Country and hes delivering on his promises. It has been one of my greatest honors to travel to Indian Country as First Lady. Bidens other visit to a Michigan tribe occurred on October 23, 2022 when she visited the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe on the Isabella Indian Reservation in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. She and Emhott will follow Thursday's visit to Bay Mills with a visit to The nearby community of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe on Friday. 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 Trucks stand near Wadi Gaza, waiting to be allowed to enter the floating dock established by the United States of America on the shore of Gaza City. The trucks will transport the humanitarian aid that arrived at the dock via ships coming from Cyprus. Gevara Safadi/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa The first aid lorries to use a temporary US-built pier have come ashore in Gaza, the US military announced on Friday. No US troops went ashore during the operation, US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X. "This is an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza via a maritime corridor that is entirely humanitarian in nature, and will involve aid commodities donated by a number of countries and humanitarian organizations," the statement said. The temporary harbour 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. A lack of basic supplies has led to a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, over 7 months after the war between Israel and Hamas began. One border crossing had been closed in recent weeks leading to a drop in aid deliveries. A spokesman for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Jens Laerke, welcomed the start of aid operations at the pier. He said however that "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 eventual plan is for freighters to bring aid supplies from Cyprus to a floating platform a few kilometres off the coast of the Gaza Strip. The goods are to be loaded there onto smaller ships that can sail closer to the coast. The smaller ships will then dock with the lorry loads at the temporary pier attached. There, the aid deliveries will be received and distributed by aid organizations. Hundreds of tons of relief supplies are ready for delivery on ships in the eastern Mediterranean, said Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of CENTCOM. "As a point of emphasis, this a 100 percent humanitarian mission and any attack on those working on it, on this mission, is an attack on aid for the people of Gaza. We will continue to assess and reassess security to inform our operation every day," he warned during a briefing earlier this week. Trucks stand near Wadi Gaza, waiting to be allowed to enter the floating dock established by the United States of America on the shore of Gaza City. The trucks will transport the humanitarian aid that arrived at the dock via ships coming from Cyprus. Gevara Safadi/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Trucks srand near Wadi Gaza, waiting to be allowed to enter the floating dock established by the United States of America on the shore of Gaza City. The trucks will transport the humanitarian aid that arrived at the dock via ships coming from Cyprus. Gevara Safadi/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa A New Zealand fisherman who recently captured and decapitated a protected great white shark has been fined $600 his excuse being that he did not know what type of shark he had caught. The nations Department of Conservation announced Friday that its investigation began March 15, after a Maori elder notified authorities after she spotted the headless shark carcass near the Mahia Boat Ramp. (View a graphic image of the carcass in this link.) The fisherman was located and confessed to catching the shark and removing its head and jaw. The man told authorities he did not know it was a white shark. As well as failing to report his capture of the animal, the man received the infringement for being in possession of the head and jaw of the shark without a relevant authority under the Wildlife Act, said the DOCs Matt Tong. Man fined just $600 for killing & decapitating protected great white shark in New Zealand, where its illegal to hunt, kill or harm them. His defence? He claims he didnt know it was a great white shark. Even though he kept the head. https://t.co/ffjFH8hKwd Blue Planet Society (@Seasaver) May 17, 2024 Some on social media did not believe the mans story. The Blue Planet Society stated via X: His defense? Claims he didnt know it was a great white shark. Even though he kept the head. The sharks head and jaw were donated to the Maori community. Great white sharks are protected under New Zealands Wildlife Act 1953. Intentionally hunting and killing them is punishable by fines of up to $250,000 and two years imprisonment. Fishermen are required to report unintentional white shark captures if the sharks cannot be released alive. Accidentally catching something is not an infringement, the DOC explained. But keeping, killing, or failing to report it is. Top image courtesy of the Department of Conservation Story originally appeared on For The Win Five-year-old girl dies in horror accident after being strangled by swing set Aurora Masters died from her injuries after being strangled by a swing set in Fort Collins, Colorado (GoFundMe) A five-year-old girl has died in a horrific tragedy in her backyard when she got tangled up and was strangled by her swing set. Aurora Masters died on Saturday due to brain trauma sustained when she was strangled by the disk swing in Fort Collins, Colorado. She pulled her little plastic slide over to where her swing was, her great aunt, Brenda Kennedy, told FOX31 last week. and somehow got caught up in the swing, and the swing strangled her. Aurora Masters died from her injuries after being strangled by a swing set in Fort Collins, Colorado (GoFundMe) The little girl was taken to the Childrens Hospital Colorado, with around 20 relatives flying in to see her, the outlet reported. On May 11 it was determined that the swelling on Auroras brain was too severe and would not ease. Her family decided to transition her to end-of-life care. Over the weekend, Aurora passed away, with Ms Kennedy posting on a GoFundMe page Thursday to say that her nieces organs had been donated. Our sweet Aurora Rae has once again demonstrated her ninja quality of bravery, partnering with the Donor Alliance to complete her giving of gifts, Ms Kennedy wrote. She is demonstrating the qualities of a black belt. Our hearts are shattered and we continue the journey to honor and celebrate her worldly gifts, she added. When Ms Kennedy started the fundraiser, she shared a video of Aurora dressed as a member of the Addams Family, singing the theme tune. I have gloves on, I cant snap, she said as she started to sing, referring to the famous beats in the tune. Auroras body was escorted home on Thursday with the assistance of the Sentinels Motorcycle Club. Services of remembrance are being planned in Fort Collins and details have not been announced. As of Friday morning, nearly $30,000 has been raised in her memory. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) Florida now has a statewide human trafficking reporting number, according to Attorney General Ashley Moody. Moody, along with Floridas Statewide Council on Human Trafficking and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, created the Florida-specific tipline after concerns that Polaris, who operated the National Human Trafficking Hotline, is failing to disseminate timely information and tips to local law enforcement. Florida strip clubs: Gov. DeSantis signs bill requiring strippers to be at least 21 The State of Florida is committed to ending human trafficking. Unfortunately, the woke Stanford and Columbia-educated CEO of Polaris has pushed a radical agenda to delay the dissemination of vital information to local law enforcement in favor of what she calls a victim-centered approach, Moody said. As a former federal prosecutor, former judge, and the wife of a law enforcement officer, I know that we can be putting these heinous criminals behind bars quicker, sparing other potential victims AND connecting survivors to the resources they needif tips are sent to police in a timely manner. Pushing a narrative that we can stop a crime by working against law enforcement is ridiculous. It has been proven, time and time again, as a failed approach in cities and states across the nation. Floridians who suspect human trafficking need to call 855-FLA-SAFE. Polaris announced its new CEO, Catherine Chen, in September 2020. In 2023, AG Moody and a coalition of attorneys general across the U.S. sent a letter to Congress regarding their concerns about Polaris and the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The letter read, in part, It has recently come to our attention that the National Human Trafficking Hotline (Hotline), which Congress has funded for 15 years, is not reporting tips of adult trafficking to state law enforcement except under the limited circumstance where the victim self-reports and affirmatively consents to the Hotline making the report. Not only do we believe this action contravenes one of Congress intended functions of the Hotline, but we believe it disrupts the federal-state partnership to end human trafficking and help its victims. You can read the full letter sent to Congress by clicking here. Floridians who suspect human trafficking can call 855-FLA-SAFE (855-352-7233). 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. Florida Man, 66, Finds Out He's Not a U.S. Citizen After Being Denied Social Security: 'I'm Overwhelmed' "I feel that they're robbing me," James Klass tells PEOPLE about the government's handling of his situation Born to a Canadian mother and an American father, James Klass emigrated from Canada to the U.S. when he was a toddler He tells PEOPLE that he had no previous issues concerning his U.S. citizenship until he applied for his social security benefits "I'm overwhelmed very much so," Klass says, "My anxiety level is through the roof" A 66-year-old Florida man found out he wasnt a United States citizen after being denied access to his social security retirement benefits. James R. Klass, also known as Jimmy, was brought to the U.S. from Canada at 2 years old and has been living in the country ever since. "I feel that they're robbing me," Klass tells PEOPLE about the government's handling of his situation. "Here's [a] person that's been here 64 years, and I've paid [for it], you know what I mean?" He was made aware of his lack of citizenship after he applied for access to his Social Security retirement benefits. Klass' mother was Canadian but his father was born in the U.S. and raised in New York, CBS affiliate WKMG and ABC affiliate WFTS-TV previously reported. "One month, they told me I should expect my first check on the second Wednesday of 2020," Klass told WFTS-TV. "But instead, I get a letter stating that I haven't proven to them that Im here legally." ABC Action News/Youtube Jimmy Klass Klass, who was even accepted into the Marine Corps and the state police, tells PEOPLE that he had never had issues or questions regarding his citizenship until he applied for his Social Security Benefits. "I don't have the documents from the Marines, but I have the documents from the state police, and the only thing they ever requested was my driver's license and my social security card, proof of citizenship, and proof of who I am," he says. He also says that he had previously voted in elections. "Evidently illegally now," he quips. Additionally, he had Medicare for over a year and a half, KFTS-TV reported. A representative with the Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment. According to WKMG, Klass has now gone back to work after spending thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to gain access to his social security funds. Related: Woman Killed in Motorcycle Crash Months After Fiance Died in Separate Accident: 'Forever Loved and Missed' I even said to them, Well, if youre not gonna pay me monthly, give me everything that I paid with interest, and well call it a day,' Klass recalled to WKMG. And they go, Oh, we cant do that, either. I said, Well, what can you do? Klass has since created a GoFundMe page to replenish his savings. In the description, he shares that he hired attorneys, a genealogist, and retrieved documents for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). As of Friday, May 17, the fundraiser has raised more than $1,500 out of the $10,000 goal. 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. "As I am getting older and not collecting what I am do its becoming a financial burden and before I lose my home I am looking for charitable assistance any help would be greatly appreciated," he wrote in the fundraiser description. Related: Man Wanted to Propose in Aruba, But Couldnt Afford It. After Winning the Lottery, They Can Finally Go USCIS claimed in a 2022 letter that Klass didnt have enough evidence to prove his father's residence in the U.S. prior to his birth, per KFTS-TV. The law requires the U.S. citizen parent to live in the country for 10 years before the birth of the child in order for the child to obtain citizenship. In response, Klass reached out to Senator Marco Rubios office for assistance. The genealogist hired by Klass later found records linking his father to the U.S. in the required timeframe. The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Klass tells PEOPLE that the only new developments so far in his case have been attention from the news media and other attorneys contacting him. He says that he has been in touch with an investigative reporter based in Orlando who has congressional contacts. Klass also adds that he has not heard from the Social Security Administration in the wake of the publicity surrounding the case. "I'm overwhelmed very much so," Klass says, "My anxiety level is through the roof. I'm just looking to get some [resolution]." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. A Florida man pleaded guilty Thursday to interstate transmission of a threat after he left five threatening voicemails for a federal judge. Pensacola man Stephen Jay Thorn, 66, sent menacing voicemails to Orlando U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger because he was unhappy with a judicial opinion hed read online, Reuters reported. Thorn left a vulgar, obscenity-laden voicemail threatening to harm the judge as well as members of the judges immediate family, the Justice Department said in a statement. Thorn, a retired teacher, was upset that Berger had dismissed a lawsuit from pro-LGBTQ+ groups against the states Dont Say Gay bill, according to Reuters. Thorn said he looked up where Berger and her family lived, and said in one of the voicemails that the judge was very easy to track, according to his plea agreement. This is for that stupid redneck, c**t, judge, [VICTIM 1]. You are a cruel person. You think that its okay for LGBTQ kids to be bullied, which is what that law is allowing, thats what its saying, that theyre second-class citizens, Thorn said in one of the messages, as rendered in the plea agreement. Listen dumbass, youre easy to track you down. You have 2 kids, [VICTIM 3] and [VICTIM 4], and youre married to a man named [VICTIM 2], and your address is [redacted address] in [redacted city name]. Thorn faces up to five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Related... Press Release May 17, 2024 STATEMENT OF SEN. WIN GATCHALIAN ON THE PRESIDENT'S COMMITMENT TO FREE HIGHER EDUCATION I thank President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for his commitment to continuing the provision of free higher education in our public universities and colleges. His commitment affirms the principle we held when we pushed for the passage of the free higher education law under Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act: that education is an investment and not a burden to the Filipino people. The free higher education law gave more young Filipinos the opportunity to attend college. From Academic Year (AY) 2013-2014 to AY 2017-2018, before the free higher education law, the average enrollment in our state and local universities and colleges (SUCs and LUCs) was more than 1.6 million. By AY 2018-2019 to AY 2022-2023, when we were already implementing the free higher education law, the average enrollment in SUCs and LUCs rose by 13% to more than 1.8 million. We need to continue investing in our state universities and colleges so they can have the resources, including world-class facilities and competent personnel, to deliver quality tertiary education. I will continue working with our partners in government and the academe to ensure that the free higher education law continues to change the lives of Filipino youth and their families. Until May 31 of this year, Azerbaijan's national air carrier, AZAL, is offering special rates for flights between Baku and Beijing. These rates apply to both one-way and round-trip flights. Ticket prices from Baku to Beijing: One-way from $235 Round-trip from $391 Ticket prices from Beijing to Baku: One-way from $214 Round-trip from $398 This offer applies to airline flights scheduled until May 31, 2024, excluding peak periods. Please note that checked baggage is not included in the ticket price, but passengers are allowed to carry hand luggage weighing up to 10 kg. In Beijing, there is something for everyone to enjoy: from visiting the famous Great Wall and exploring the Forbidden City to indulging in traditional Chinese cuisine and shopping at renowned markets. Do not miss out on the opportunity to travel to Beijing at special rates! To purchase tickets, please visit the official website www.azal.az or use the renewed mobile app of the airline. How a Florida Mom Who Was Abducted by a Serial Killer Escaped With Her Life: 'I Had to Charm Him or Die' Barbara Mabee Abel survived a 1974 encounter with a man who would later be dubbed the Casanova Killer Warner Bros. Discovery Barbara Mabee Abel On Nov. 14, 1974, Barbara Mabee Abel was a 31-year-old single mother in West Palm Beach, Fla., working to support her 6-year-old son Dale and her twin sister, Beverly, who had cerebral palsy, when she was kidnapped by a killer. Dubbed the Casanova Killer for his good looks, Paul John Knowles was eventually linked to 18 murders, though he claimed he committed up to 35. In her own words, Abel who appears on a new episode of People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer on Sunday, May 19 at 9/8c on ID and streaming on Max tells how she used her charm and quick-thinking to escape an even worse fate. (An exclusive clip of the episode is shown below.) When I got to work that morning, I had an eerie feeling. I didnt know what, but something was wrong. I called Beverly, who always answered because she was always at home. But there was no answer. I left around 5 p.m. and picked up Dale at school. When we got to the house, I called out for Beverly and told Dale, Go look for her, honey, while I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Thats when I heard a voice say, Dont turn around or Ill shoot. Like an idiot, I turned around. The man who I later learned was Paul John Knowles was there with a sawed-off shotgun by his side. Then Dale ran in and said, Beverlys in the bedroom shes bleeding. Knowles took me into the bedroom, where Beverly was bound and gagged. She had blood dripping from her mouth. And she was naked. I lost it. I said, Did you rape my sister? Billy Downs/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP Paul John Knowles He laughed. He said he had tried, and now he was leaving and taking Dale with him. Dont take my son, I told him. Take me instead. So I walked out of the house with him and into the car while he held the shotgun. We took off into the sunset. I didnt know who he was, but I knew he could kill me. I decided I would do whatever I needed to do to survive. I told him how I thought he looked like Robert Redford. I was trying to build up his confidence. I prayed to the Lord to give me words that would make him fall in love with me. I knew I had to charm him or die. In the car, he was getting frustrated when there would be no news on the radio. He was trying to do the radio and drive stick shift. He kept telling me we were going to Georgia. I believe if he had taken me there, he would have killed me. COURTESY BARBARA ABEL Barbara Abel, right and twin sister, Beverly Mabee Eventually, we stopped at a motel in Fort Pierce, Fla., because he was just so tired. As we walked up to the front desk, I put my arm around him. He had the shotgun under his coat, and I knew for a fact that he would shoot the lady at the desk if there was any trouble, so I acted like we were married. At that moment he was being very charming. But he was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When we got into the room, he told me to take all my clothes off. That evening, he raped me. I had to figure out how to get out of there. At the motel, he kept the TV on the whole time. The news came on and all of a sudden, my face and his face were on all the stations NBC, CBS and ABC. The news was about me being kidnapped and how he had killed somebody. He was excited. Thats when it finally hit me: He wanted to be famous. He wanted to write a book. And me being a radio copywriter by profession, I told him I could help. My job was what saved me, because this serial killer wanted me to tell his story. COURTESY BARBARA ABEL Barbara Mabee Abel, with son, Dale The next day we went to a restaurant, and I pretended to be in love with him because I knew that if I opened my mouth, people would be killed. When we got back to the motel, he raped me again and tied me up and gagged me before he left to make a phone call. When he got back at around 1 in the morning, he realized he left the key in the room. He was locked out and couldnt get back in. Through the door, he told me he knew I couldnt talk I was gagged but that he was leaving. The last thing he said to me was, I love you. For more on the how Barbara Mabee Abel survived the Casanova Killer, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now, or subscribe here. I dont know how I did it, but the gag came out of my mouth, and I got loose. I called the motel manager and said, I was kidnapped by a serial killer. After law enforcement arrived, I got on the phone with Dale, who said, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy! I love you! When are you coming home? I told him Id be home soon and that I loved him to pieces. I eventually married Jim Abel. He's my soulmate. I survived breast cancer. Dale grew up to be a fine young man. He remembered everything, even though he was only 6 years old. Now, he's a prayer warrior for others, he's always been helping people. He has his own business and his own beautiful family. Beverly died of cancer in 2019. She was the strongest woman I'd ever met in my life. She put up with cerebral palsy and made it a joke. She was amazing. I had decided to write a book, One Survivor, before she died and she was so happy that I was writing it. I did it for the two of us. 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. After leaving Barbara Abel tied up and gagged in a motel room, Paul John Knowles started driving toward Georgia, in Abels stolen car. The vehicle was spotted by a Florida state trooper, who attempted to stop the wanted killer. But still armed with a shotgun, Knowles ambushed the trooper and took him hostage, before using his squad car to pull over a businessman. Knowles kept the trooper and the businessman captive in the back of the latters car, before taking them both to a remote area in Georgia where he shot and killed the pair. The next day he was arrested after he crashed into a police roadblock and led officers in a foot chase into the woods. Paul John Knowles' wrecked car The man later known as the Casanova Killer died weeks later, in December 1974, when he escaped from his handcuffs while leading authorities to the location where he ditched the state troopers gun. Knowles tried to grab the gun of a Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents gun and was shot by another agent. People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer airs Sunday, May 19 at 9/8c on ID and streaming on Max. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Florida has released some exciting new statistics about tourism in the Sunshine State. Gov. Ron DeSantis said last years numbers broke a new record, with more than 140 million people coming to Florida. From our beaches to the theme parks, tourism continues to boom in the state. Watch: African lizard thrives in Central Florida In 2023, Florida welcomed 140.6 million visitors, which is a 2.3% increase from 2022s numbers. Domestic visitation reached an all-time high in 2023, with 129.1 million domestic visitors. See: National Barbecue Day: 4 Rivers offering $5 sandwiches There were also 8.3 million overseas visitors and 3.2 million Canadian visitors. Many of those traveling to Florida need to hop on a plane. Watch: Vetting your veterinarian: Is your pet in good hands? In 2023, the states busiest airport was Orlando International Airport, with 57.7 million passengers. See more in the video above. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Florida Republican willing to buck leadership to bring tax relief bill to House floor with help of Democrats Florida GOP Rep. Greg Steube says hes willing to buck his own leadership and bring a tax relief bill to the House floor with the help of House Democrats if Speaker Mike Johnson wont. If it happens, it would mark a rare moment in the House and another first for the 118th Congress. With a razor-thin majority, Johnson has faced intense pushback from conservative hardliners and there have been multiple instances of major legislation such as government funding bills passing with the support of a bipartisan coalition. The support Steube has gotten from Democrats for the move is also the latest example of how bipartisanship has emerged even in the midst of a highly polarized political environment. As the tax package now appears to be stuck in the Senate, and House leadership has been unwilling to bring my bipartisan disaster tax relief legislation up as a standalone bill, I filed a discharge petition to bring this bill to the floor for a long-past due vote, Steube said in a statement to CNN. In late April, Steube initiated a rare procedural move and filed his petition to discharge his bill that would provide tax relief for people affected by federal disasters, including Hurricane Ian and residents affected by an Ohio train derailment. With the help of 190 Democrats signing on to the petition, it hit the critical 218 threshold that allows Steube to bring it directly to the floor for a vote. I am grateful for the motivation and support of 217 of my bipartisan colleagues as we join forces to deliver tax relief for Americans all across the country. In the 30 years of public discharge petitions, this petition is only the third to succeed. Thats a testament to how important this issue is for ALL of our constituents. Floridians have waited since 2022 to receive tax relief from Hurricane Ian, and many other Americans have waited just as long for relief from other disasters. I look forward to swift passage of my legislation on the House floor and urge expeditious consideration in the Senate, he said. With the petition hitting the threshold, notice will be printed in the congressional record and added to the House calendar. Steube will be required to wait an additional seven legislative days following that, and then can opt to call up a vote on his bill in a floor statement. Speaker Johnson will then have up to two legislative days to bring the bill to the floor. A spokesman from Steubes office said the congressman will call up his petition if leadership does not act before then. If the bill comes to the floor via the discharge petition, it will mark the third time since 2000 and the 12th time since 1967 that a discharge petition was successfully executed. CNN has reached out to Speaker Johnsons office for comment. House leadership only has a finite amount of time in which to bring bills up for consideration and there are always more bills than there is floor time, so its not uncommon for members to press for their priorities to get consideration only to find that there isnt always enough time in the calendar. Its extremely uncommon, however, for members to succeed in bringing a bill to the floor via a discharge petition. Steube expects that once his bill hits the floor for a vote whether via the discharge petition or through leadership action it will pass with wide bipartisan support. We were going to get to 218 signatures one way or another, and I expect close to unanimous support from the entire House when the vote occurs, he said. CNNs Haley Talbot contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Florida education officials have told a private Muslim school in Northeast Miami-Dade to turn over a roster of all its owners, operators and employees or risk losing its taxpayer-funded vouchers after a prayer leader at the mosque where the school is located made inflammatory comments about Jewish people. The Florida Department of Education on Thursday told Reviver Academy that it has a week to explain its relationship with Fadi Kablawi, an imam at the Golden Glades mosque who in a religious ceremony last month referred to Israeli soldiers as worse than the Nazis. His remarks, some of which were made in Arabic, were posted online by the Middle East Media Research Institute, whose translation included Kablawi characterizing Jews as apes and pigs and praying to annihilate them. Read more: Lawmakers call on state to reprimand Muslim prayer leader for anti-Jewish comments In Florida, we will not tolerate calls for genocide, Cathy Russell, the deputy executive director of the office that oversees the states school choice program, wrote in a letter to the school. This is especially true where they are made in the presence of students, Russell added, demanding that the school explain whether students were present when Kablawi made his comments, and whether Kablawi has contact with their kids. School officials did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Kablawi told the Miami Herald on Wednesday that he intends to get attorneys involved should the state take any action against him. The state also wants the school to provide a list of all of its employees, including teachers and school personnel, and the names of those with leadership roles at the mosque that owns and operates the academy. If the school does not provide the information, it could lose its eligibility for vouchers, Russell wrote. The state sent its letter a day after a bipartisan group of Jewish lawmakers encouraged state agencies to take action against Kablawi, including stripping him of his dental license. Republican State Rep. Randy Fine, who shared the states letter online Thursday night, had asked the state to investigate Reviver Academy, saying they received $500,000 in taxpayer-funded vouchers that currently benefit 74 students. In Florida, families are legally allowed to use taxpayer-funded vouchers to pay tuition at the school of their choice. That includes private religious schools, such as Reviver Academy. Miami Herald staff writer Alyssa Johnson contributed to this report. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) A 3-year-old who was left in a sweltering car for 31 minutes is lucky to be alive after her dad left her in the vehicle as he shopped, according to NBC affiliate WPTV. Surveillance footage from inside the grocery store shows Fernandez entering the store alone last Saturday. Texas woman killed, 3 others injured in Palm Harbor crash: FHP WPTV said a witness noticed a child alone in a car at a Sams Club, located on 45th Street in West Palm Beach, opened the door, and then called police. The 42-year-old dad, Raul Ernesto Rielo Fernandez, ran back to his car when he noticed emergency vehicles, telling officers with the West Palm Beach Police Department, that he forgot his daughter was in the car. According to an arrest report obtained by WPTV, Fernandez said he had a lot on his mind for Mothers Day shopping and just forgot his child in the vehicle. When our officers got there she was profusely sweating, she was red, she was flushed and she was crying, Mike Jachles with the West Palm Beach Police Department said. Man fatally stabs home intruder who shot wife in Avon Park, sheriff says The child was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation but her condition is unknown. What happens to me I dont care, most important thing is my daughter is OK, Fernandez said. According to WPTV, Fernandez was arrested and charged with child neglect without great bodily harm and leaving a child unattended in a car but has pleaded not guilty to those charges. He has since been released on his own recognizance, WPTV reported. Theres no excuse, this is 100% preventable, this could have been a much worse tragedy, Jachles 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. NAPLES, Fla. (WFLA) A Florida woman was arrested Wednesday after police said she broke into a Naples home, hugged the homeowner and then jumped into a swimming pool. Naples police said a 79-year-old woman called 911 to report that a woman had broken into her home while she was inside it. The suspect, later identified as Natalie Slavek, entered the house and then gave an unwanted hug to the homeowner, according to police. Man fatally stabs home intruder who shot wife in Avon Park, sheriff says Slavek then made herself at home by sitting on a chair in the living room, resting on a bed for several minutes, then proceeding to jump in their pool, all before leaving the residence, the Naples Police Department said. Officers said Slavek lives in unincorporated Collier County and is currently on state probation for a 2020 offense of resisting an officer with violence. Slavek, who operates the social media company Natalie Knows Naples, didnt know the residents of the house she unlawfully entered, and as a result, was placed under arrest for trespassing in an occupied structure, a violation of Florida State Statute 810.08(2)(b), on May 15, 2024, the police department 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. File cabinets. (Getty) One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealths leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in practice take the opposite stance, acting as if records are by default private and the public must prove they should be handled otherwise. In this feature, we aim to highlight the frequency with which officials around Virginia are resisting public access to records on issues large and small and note instances when the release of information under FOIA gave the public insight into how government bodies are operating. Federal pipeline safety agencys report found possible MVP flaws A federal pipeline safety regulatory agencys report found that Mountain Valley Pipeline tests revealed over 70 possible flaws with the pipeline, according to the Roanoke Times. The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administrations report found a need for about 15 cutouts, or the removal and replacement of part of the pipe in several locations in West Virginia during the latter months of 2023, the Times, which obtained the federal agencys report through a Freedom of Information request, reported. Other repairs included reapplying a protective coating on the pipes exterior. Last October, PHMSA ordered the pipelines developers to test the pipe, reapply the coating and make other repairs as needed, the Times wrote. The report came to light after sections of the MVP ruptured during hydrotesting on Bent Mountain in Roanoke County, when developers ran pressurized water through the pipe to determine its soundness. Developers said the hydrotest worked as designed, while homeowners in the area and environmental groups expressed concern about the pipes failure during the test, arguing that it suggests the pipe is unsafe and possibly corroded after sections of it were left open to the elements during the years of the projects many delays resulting from opponents lawsuits. The Mercurys efforts to track FOIA and other transparency cases in Virginia are indebted to the work of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, a nonprofit alliance dedicated to expanding access to government records, meetings and other state and local proceedings. Covington building official isnt state certified The city of Convington has operated without a certified building official since 2021, the Virginian Review reported, and the current building official lacks certifications required by the state. Official city documents obtained through the Virginian Reviews records request show the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development warned the locality in March that its current building official Michael Mines had not been officially certified by the state. The certifications, obtained via exams, are necessary for officials to properly enforce building codes and safety standards. State law allows officials up to one year to earn the certifications after they start working for a city, town or county. Mines began his role as the citys building official in 2022 but by the 12-month mark, in September 2023, he still hadnt gotten certified. A previous building official who worked for the city from October 2021 to January 2022 also lacked certifications. The lack of a certified building official poses severe risks to all contractors, homeowners and stakeholders that have had any construction or renovation work performed in Covington in the last three years, the Virginian Review wrote, adding that the lack of state-sanctioned oversight poses a risk that buildings may not comply with safety codes, [and] potentially lead to unsafe living and working conditions that could result in structural failures or other hazards. The city has contracted CHA Consulting to fulfill Mines duties, Covington Mayor Tom H. Sibold Jr. told the Virginian Review, but the localitys contract with the company, which the paper received in response to a FOIA request, doesnt appear to include any mention [of the contractors] ability to issue building permits, perform inspections or grant occupancy permits. Records shed light on investigation of purported Richmond mass shooting plot Richmond television news station WTVR reviewed documents related to what Richmond Police in 2022 characterized as a thwarted mass shooting plot that they accused two Guatemalan immigrants of planning, leading the men to be arrested and jailed in relation to the situation, although no evidence of a mass shooting plot ever surfaced in court proceedings. Former Richmond Police Chief Gerald Smith stated repeatedly to reporters that officers acted based on a tip that suggested Rolman Balcarcel was planning on shooting up a large gathering event on July 4, the stations review of investigative reports about the case revealed. The tip, however, contained no specification on what time or location, of the alleged plot. Officers visited Balcarcels home and didnt find any guns or ammunition in his possession, a police operations report read. In the same visit, Julio Alvarado-Dubon, Balcarcels roommate, admitted to officers that he had firearms in his closet; he was subsequently arrested for possessing a firearm without being an American citizen. Officers came to the home again the next day, where they again didnt find any guns belonging to Balcarcel, but arrested and charged him the same as Alvarado-Dubon. That charge was dropped when Balcarcels case was sent to federal court. Related investigative files show that police never corroborated the accuracy of the reported mass shooting threat, according to WTVR reporter Tyler Lane. Ultimately, Balcarcel was found guilty of illegally reentering the country and Alvarado-Dubon entered a conditional guilty plea on the gun charge and was sentenced to 16 months in prison, which his attorney has since appealed. Smith stepped down from his role as the capital citys police chief roughly three months after he announced the alleged mass shooting plot alongside Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, amid mounting public criticism of his role in the debacle. Lane reported that federal Judge Hannah Lauke made a point of saying that [Alvarado-Dubons] connection to the unfounded shooting plot was overplayed and took a life of its own. Have you experienced local or state officials denying or delaying your FOIA request? Tell us about it: info@virginiamercury.com The post FOIA Friday: Possible pipeline flaws, Richmond mass shooting plot investigation appeared first on Virginia Mercury. Former Behavioral Therapist Accused Of Faking Own Death To Avoid Sex Registry A former behavioral health counselor was apprehended in Arizona on Tuesday after authorities said he faked his own death to avoid registering as a sex offender. Benjamin Hollins, 50, was convicted of an unspecified sexual offense more than 20 years ago in California, but failed to register as sex offender in 2018 when he moved to Arizona City, where he was working in mental health, the Pinal County Sheriffs Office announced Thursday. The same year, Hollins was charged with kidnapping and the attempted sexual assault of a 16-year-old client in Arizona. Hollins took a plea deal and was sentenced to supervised probation, according to the announcement. As part of the plea deal, Hollins was required to register as a sex offender on a yearly basis. Deputies said that in October 2023, Hollins enlisted help from a woman to file a false report. The woman claimed she saw Hollins kill himself by jumping off the bridge at the Theodore Roosevelt Lake Dam. The Theodore Roosevelt Lake Dam bridge, near the Roosevelt Dam at the intersection of state routes 88 and 188, west of Phoenix. Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images No body was discovered, but according to court documents cited by news station KOLN, authorities found a green bag sitting on the bridge containing a suicide note and ID. Hollins was considered dead and his sex offender registration lapsed, according to the Pinal County sheriffs announcement. Detectives investigated the woman who reported seeing Hollins jump, which eventually led them back to the suspect, according to KOLN. Authorities said he had been living with a family with children in the home, under the name Julian Jefferson. According to the sheriffs announcement, the family did not know about Hollins actual history. Hollins is now facing several charges, including failure to appear, probation violation and failure to confirm sex offender identification, according to inmate records. Its unclear whether he has an attorney representing him. Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website. If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Related... Former childrens hospital nurse pleads guilty to child pornography charges in Ohio A former childrens hospital employee pleaded guilty to multiple child pornography charges on Tuesday, according to U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parkers office. Ryan Ramos, 38, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing and receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. >> Local high school senior dies in ATV crash days before graduation From 2018 to 2020, Ramos worked at Nationwide Childrens Hospital and treated child burn victims. Then he moved to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and worked in the ICU in burn trauma until 2023, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Our media partners WBNS-10 TV reported that Ramos is a registered nurse. Court documents indicate that a 2020 FBI investigation led agents to discover Ramos participation in a Signal app group that exchanged child pornography. Ramos shared hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse, including abuse of young boys and infants, to the chat group(,) the U.S. Attorneys Office said. Further investigation revealed that in 2018, Ramos paid a sexual offender in New York City more than $500 for child pornography, created by the offender. >> Scottie Scheffler arrested by police en route to Valhalla Golf Club; facing four charges According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Ramoss iPhone had more than 346,000 Signal, Telegram, and other online chat messages where he was distributing, seeking, receiving or discussing child pornography. Ramos is in custody pending sentencing and could face five to 20 years in prison. For a previous report on this story view the video player above. WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) A former Westerville daycare worker accused of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl was sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday. David Cantrell, 31, was initially charged with two counts of gross sexual imposition, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of endangering children. In April 2023, Cantrell was arrested by the Westerville Division of Police after they received a complaint from Nationwide Childrens Hospital about the former daycare worker, alleging he sexually assaulted a 4-year-old girl in the bathroom of Nest Schools, located at 840 Dempsey Road in Westerville. Columbus inches forward on plans for nonpolice response program, solicits proposals Westerville police charged him with the third-degree felony which is defined as when a victim cannot consent due to being intoxicated, or the victim is less than 13 years old. In 2021 and 2022, Franklin County Children Services received at least four complaints about Cantrells inappropriate behavior toward and touching of children. Some complaints alleged misconduct that occurred at his previous places of employment. Cantrell was known to have been an employee at daycare facilities around the Columbus area, according the incident report, including the following: The Nest Schools (840 Dempsey Road in Westerville) La Petite Academy (4426 Valley Quail Blvd. in Westerville) KinderCare (861 Eastwind Drive in Westerville) Gahanna Childrens College (230 Agler Road in Gahanna) Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler asked families who may be concerned about their childrens previous contact with Cantrell to contact them at 614-901-6881 or email steven.grubbs@westerville.org. Anonymous tips can be placed at 614-901-6866. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Trend News Agency has secured the third spot in the ranking of Europe's most reputable media outlets, as per data from a ranking compiled by Feedspot, one of the leading global news monitoring services. According to Feedspot's "Top 20 European News Websites To Follow in 2024" report, Trend News Agency is among the top three news sources in the European market. Alongside Trend, other influential publications such as Euronews and POLITICO Europe also clinched spots in the top three. In making the ranking, Feedspot considers factors like the timeliness of content, the credibility of the publication, the number of subscribers, and the size of the readership audience. The ranking is put together by a team of several dozen experts in the fields of media, technology, and beyond. Other notable entries in Feedspot's top 10 ranking include EU Reporter, EUobserver, The Local Spain, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, VoxEeurop | European news, cartoons and press reviews, Electropiknik CZ, and The Baltic Times. For the full list of rankings, visit the following link. John Barrow, who is running for the state Supreme Court, talks to reporters outside the federal courthouse in Atlanta Monday. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder State Supreme Court races are typically below-the-radar nonpartisan contests in Georgia, but the states lone contested Supreme Court race on this months ballot has turned into a referendum on abortion rights. John Barrow, a former Democratic congressman, has made reproductive rights the cornerstone of his campaign as he challenges Justice Andrew Pinson, who was appointed to the seat by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022 to replace former Justice David E. Nahmias. Three other state Supreme Court justices are running unopposed for another six-year term on the bench. Barrows views on abortion are made plain by his campaign signs, which include the phrase vote for choice, and ads that feature him saying he will protect womens rights. Justice Andrew Pinsons official court photo. Courtesy of the Georgia Supreme Court The states nine-justice high court has already rejected a narrow part of a challenge to the states 2019 abortion law, which bans most abortions after about six weeks. The rest of that challenge, which alleges the law violates the state Constitution, is still pending in Fulton County Superior Court. Barrows campaign has attracted endorsements from groups supporting abortion rights, like Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates. That has been met with a pro-Pinson ad from the anti-abortion group Frontline Policy Action and a $500,000 boost from the governors leadership committee. Kemp signed Georgias abortion law in 2019. Barrows campaign, though, has also drawn criticism and a complaint to the state Judicial Qualifications Commission from those who say he has crossed a line. With the election a week away, Barrow sat in a federal courtroom Monday challenging the complaint, which he argues is an attempt to chill his speech. I believe that abortion rights are protected by the Georgia Constitution, and I believe the federal Constitution allows me to say that, Barrow told reporters outside the federal courthouse in downtown Atlanta Monday afternoon. Barrow had asked the federal court to intervene and block a special committee of the commission from issuing a public statement ahead of Tuesdays election, when the race will be settled since it is a nonpartisan election. He is represented by Lester Tate, a former chair of the Judicial Qualifications Commission. That panel sent Barrow a confidential letter early this month warning him that he was out of step with the states judicial code of ethics partly due to how emphatically he was stating his views without also emphasizing the duty of a judge to uphold the Constitution and laws of Georgia. Barrow made the letter public when he sued the commission in federal court this month. But the federal judge assigned to the case, Judge Michael L. Brown, on Thursday rejected Barrows request for the court to block the commission from taking further action and dismissed the case after he said Barrow provided no evidence that the commissions action, or the threat of further action, had impeded his speech. He has not claimed he intends to exercise his First Amendment rights but is not doing so for fear of prosecution by the JQC, wrote Brown, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2017. Indeed, the evidence shows just the opposite: that Plaintiff is determined to continue saying the things he wants to say about his views on abortion rights and his commitment to defending those rights. In a statement earlier this month, Pinson accused Barrow of running a hyper-partisan campaign based on promising to defy the judicial oath. At the time, his campaign released a letter signed by a group of former justices, past state bar presidents and a couple of former JQC officials warning of the dangers of partisan judicial races and candidates who publicly commit to how they will vote when on the bench. Unfortunately, John Barrow is violating the judicial code ethics by running a partisan, single issue campaign that would do irreparable damage to the impartiality of the Georgia Supreme Court, Pinsons campaign strategist Heath Garrett said Thursday. The Georgia code of judicial ethics makes it inappropriate for a candidate for the Supreme Court to pre-judge cases on any issue, Garrett said. But Barrow insisted this week that he has not said how he would rule in any particular case, pointing to the various technical complications that can arise. Ive never declared how I would rule in a case, but I have not hesitated to say what I believe the law is in this matter because thats what people have a right to know, Barrow said to reporters. If you cant talk about what the election is all about, whats the point of having an election in the first place. Michael J. Broyde, a law professor at Emory University, said Georgias system for electing judges sets candidates up to make their appeals to voters. While they cannot say how they would vote in a specific case, judicial candidates can share their worldview, Broyde said. The voters are entitled to a substantive conversation between two candidates, Broyde said. They want a substantive conversation between two candidates on the legal doctrines that the voters care about. Thats why the state of Georgia has judicial elections. It wants Georgia Supreme Court justices to be elected by the people. Its a populist approach. Although Barrows style of campaigning may be a departure from the usual Georgia judicial election fare, Broyde said Barrow appears to be offering voters his judicial philosophy, just in a specific area. While he is not telling us how he would resolve a specific case between this person and this person, he is tipping his hat as to how his judicial philosophy will impact his ruling in the area of reproductive rights, Broyde said. DONATE: SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST Less than two months after an elementary school teacher filed a claim against him, then-Elmsford schools Superintendent Ronald Gonzalez resigned from the job in November. He had served as superintendent for only eight months. While Gonzalez's resignation was reported at the time, details regarding the circumstances surrounding his departure are only now coming to light. Last September, a woman then-employed as an Elmsford elementary school teacher filed a notice of claim against Gonzalez and the school district. A notice of claim is a precursor to a lawsuit, and it allows a governmental body to consider a financial settlement over a claim of wrongdoing before further legal action is brought. In September, a woman then employed as an Elmsford elementary school teacher filed a notice of claim against Ronald Gonzalez, pictured here, and the school district. The district refused to disclose the substance of the allegations made by the teacher, whom The Journal News/lohud is not naming, deeming them "unsubstantiated." Nevertheless, the district entered into a settlement with her in February, agreeing to pay her $35,000 in exchange for her promise not to take legal action against Gonzalez or the district. The district further denied any liability or wrongdoing. The settlement was obtained through a Freedom of Information Law request. The agreement also outlines a provision of confidentiality, preventing either party from disclosing the underlying facts of the teacher's claim. Under New York law, such non-disclosure clauses are illegal unless they are included at the preference of the complainant. In the settlement agreement with Elmsford, the teacher indicated her preference that the matter remain confidential. Gonzalez did not return a request for comment about the nature of the incident or his role, if any, in it. He joined Elmsford as interim superintendent in July 2022 before becoming superintendent in March 2023. He previously served as an assistant superintendent in the Tarrytowns school district and as principal of Mount Vernon High School from 2011 to 2021. Asher Stockler is a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York. You can send him an email at astockler@lohud.com. Reach him securely: asher.stockler@protonmail.com. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Former Elmsford NY superintendent resigned weeks after workplace claim Former employee of Kentucky agency allegedly used IDs of other to steal $444,000 A former state employee stole more than $400,000 from a Kentucky government agency by using identities of other people to write herself checks, a federal grand jury has charged. The grand jury indicted Brittany Joyce May, 35, Thursday on five charges of wire fraud and three charges of aggravated identity theft. May worked at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services from August 2018 to May 2023. Her duties included entering information into a registry from people who were entitled to payments under adoption and foster-care programs, and also initiating payments to their bank accounts or debit cards, according to the indictment. May allegedly created accounts at banks using the names and Social Security numbers of cabinet clients, but had the debit cards from the accounts sent to her home in Frankfort and initiated payments to her accounts. May changed clients bank account information in the registry to accounts she controlled, and also changed their addresses in the system so they wouldnt get a notice a payment had been made using their name, the indictment charges. May used the names and Social Security numbers of at least 40 cabinet clients in carrying out the scheme, according to the indictment. She also submitted fake invoices at times to justify payments, according to the indictment. Between November 2019 and May 2023, May initiated more than 500 financial transfers to accounts she created at four different banks, resulting in a loss of $444,000 to the cabinet, the indictment says. The wire fraud charges are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. There is a mandatory two-year sentence for an identity-theft conviction in federal court, to be served on top of any other sentence. May was charged earlier in state court in Franklin County with filing false tax returns and pleaded not guilty. Her attorney in the state case was not immediately available for comment. HURRICANE, Utah (ABC4) A former Hurricane preschool teacher has been sentenced to prison for the sexual exploitation of a minor after he sent sexually explicit photographs of a juvenile and attempted to contact other minors. Benjamin Carl Stewart, 43, was sentenced in the 5th District Court on two counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor (third-degree felony) and one count of sexual exploitation of a minor (third-degree felony). Stewart pleaded guilty on all three counts. Each count holds a prison sentence of an indeterminate term of not to exceed five years in the Utah State Prison, court documents state. These are the fastest-growing cities in Utah, data shows At the time of his arrest, Stewart was employed as a preschool life skills teacher, working with special education students, at the Hurricane Early Childhood Center, the affidavit states. According to the affidavit, Stewart used his work email with the Washington County School District to access an account where he shared the sexually explicit photographs and asked to contact other minors. Stewarts behavior was reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children via a CyberTip on Feb. 21. The tip alleged he engaged in online chatting where he told others he had sexually abused a juvenile and shared photos of the minor. [Stewart] also solicited nude images of children and solicited contact with other subjects children, the affidavit states. After Stewart was identified, deputies said he was served a search warrant where multiple chat records were observed consistent with the chats reported in the CyberTips in which [Stewarts account] exchanged photos, requested nude photos of juveniles. Stewart was detained on his way to work and brought back to his home to be interviewed, the affidavit states. There, he admitted the account was his and that he shared the explicit photographs, but denied sending or receiving nude photos of children. He also denied touching the juvenile inappropriately, deputies said. Stewart was arrested on the charges previously stated. On May 9, Stewart was sentenced to Utah State Prison. Report child pornography to law enforcement by contacting the ICAC Tip Line at (801) 281-1211 or your local law enforcement 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 ABC4 Utah. Former judge admonished for $1,000 loan to defendant behind on payments The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications decided that the former judge's actions went too far. (Getty Images) Indianas Commission on Judicial Qualifications on Friday admonished a former judge for making a loan to a defendant behind on a money judgment. The commission found that former Benton County Circuit Court Judge Rex Kepners actions four years ago went beyond a judges ethical authority to encourage a settlement and tarnished the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary. The entity, created in 1970, investigates complaints about judges and enforces judicial conduct standards. Hard times Kepner, a Republican, made the loan in a small claims case. Gick Rentals sued Clark Coltin later released from the case and Mckenzie Griffith in October 2019. Steve Gick initially wanted $4,000 from the defendants for unspecified rental damage, but upped the amount to $8,260 to cover damage and repair, according to a November 2019 order from Kepner. The then-judge ordered Griffith to pay $2,535. It wouldve taken her more than two years to pay off at the court-ordered rate of $100 per month plus 8% interest. But she fell behind. The Benton County Courthouse in Fowler, Indiana. (Wikipedia) A year later, Kepner presided over a hearing about a default judgment entered in Gicks favor. According to the admonition, he asked how much money Griffith had already paid, how much was unpaid, and how much Gick would accept that day to resolve the matter. After Gick named an amount, the admonition says Kepner stepped off the bench and entered his chambers. Through his court reporter, Kepner gave the defendant the money. The court reporter told the defendant that the money was a loan from the judge that would need to be repaid. The plaintiff, however, wasnt told Kepner was the source of the money. Griffith, whod appeared without a lawyer, paid Gick $1,000 in cash that day, according to the Oct. 6, 2020 order. The case is now concluded in its entirety and the case is now dismissed with prejudice, the order reads. Kepner, according to the admonition, had wanted to help a member of his community who had fallen upon hard times. Although the Commission appreciates that Rex Kepner did not have an improper motive for the loan and merely sought to assist a struggling community member, he acted outside of his role as a neutral arbiter of the dispute by making the loan, the commission wrote. The body cautioned judges that, while they can feel sympathy towards a litigant, judges must be mindful of the duty to remain impartial and to not allow such compassion to cause them to take actions which cause the public to question their impartiality. Kepner acknowledged violating Rule 1.2 of Indianas Code of Judicial Conduct. It requires judges to act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary and to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Four years later Kepner no longer serves as judge. He was first elected to the court in 1996, his LinkedIn signals, and earned reelection three times, state candidate lists indicate. He ran unopposed in the general elections for 2002 and 2014, according to the lists, but theres no data for 2008. Kepner retired in 2020 the year of the loan according to legal research platform Trellis. Republican John Wright, formerly Benton Countys chief deputy prosecuting attorney, was elected to fill the vacancy. Kepner pivoted in 2022, when he won election as Benton Countys prosecutor. The admonition comes two years into his new gig. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US The commission found that formal disciplinary charges were warranted but instead admonished Kepner because he cooperated with the investigation, acknowledged his violation and apologized for his actions. The commission is composed of the Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice currently Loretta Rush along with three lawyer-elected attorneys and three governor-appointed laypeople. The commission cant remove, suspend, or formally discipline judges, per its website. Instead, it investigates complaints. In serious cases, it can files charges of misconduct with the Indiana Supreme Court, which holds the formal disciplinary powers. Less serious cases can result in confidential warnings. Public admonitions appear to fall in between, according to the commissions examples of dispositions. The body has issued just 30 public admonitions since 1992, according to a list on its website. The post Former judge admonished for $1,000 loan to defendant behind on payments appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. A group of moderates are set to raise money for Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) on Saturday as his Senate race against Kari Lake heats up, Gallegos campaign confirmed to The Hill. Prominent donors to the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) will host a fundraiser for the Phoenix Democrat, proving his appeal to the center. The fundraiser was first reported by Politico. Both Gallego and Lake have attempted to capture the middle in the race, though Lake has struggled to overcome her controversial 2022 gubernatorial campaign and close alignment with former President Trump. In that 2022 race, Lake once told McCain-backing Republicans to get the hell out, and openly spurned the middle. She also embraced 2020 election fraud conspiracies and later claimed that her election loss was fraudulent. Gallego has downplayed his long connections to progressive politics, including letting his Congressional Progressive Caucus membership lapse, opting instead to appeal to more mainstream Democrats and moderates in the statewide race. Arizona is expected to be one of the closest Senate races in the country, as Democrats hope to keep a razor-thin majority in the deliberative body. The fundraiser could expand Gallegos financial advantage over Lake. His campaign ended the first quarter of the year with $9.6 million cash on hand, compared to Lakes $2.5 million. He has outraised Lake by nearly four times since the beginning of the race, bringing in $20.5 million to her $5.6 million. The money is already being spent, with Gallego announcing a $19 million ad blitz and Lake a $10 million buy on Monday. Gallego has a 4.1 percentage point lead over Lake in The Hill/Decision Desk HQ average of polls. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Former State Rep. to woman who threatened her: I dont accept the apology LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) Former State Rep. Cynthia A. Johnson (D-Detroit) says she does not accept an apology letter written by an Ohio woman who entered a guilty plea for threatening Johnson in June 2022 in a racist voicemail. Sandra Bachman, 61, of Batavia, OH was charged by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in March 2022 for sending threatening and racist voicemails to Johnson, and then-State Rep. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing). On Wednesday, Bachman agreed to plead guilty to three crimes: one count of Threat of Terrorism Attempt, a 5-year felony, one count of Ethnic Intimidation, a 2-year misdemeanor, and one count of Malicious Use of Telecommunication Services, a 6-month misdemeanor, a news release from the Office of Attorney General reported. Sandra Bachman, 61 (Courtesy Ingham County Sheriff Department. WLNS) As part of the deal, Bachman was required to write an apology letter to Johnson. Johnson agreed to the plea deal, she says but demanded the apology letter. She was not happy with what she received from the woman. The apology that she wrote said absolutely nothing, Johnson tells 6 News. It didnt talk about what she did, why she did what she did. Of course, anybody can say Im sorry. I dont accept the apology. At all and Im very, very disappointed. Johnson shared Bachmans letter with 6 News. An apology letter written by Sandra Bachman to former Detroit area State Rep. Cynthia A. Johnson. (Courtesy Cynthia A. Johnson. WLNS) To Cynthia Johnson, I am asking for forgiveness for the atrocious phone call I made to your office. Words cannot describe how horrible I feel about causing you anquish and fear. I am getting the mental health help I need and I am in recovery for alcoholism. I would never hurt anyone and I am not a threat. I am truly sorry. Bless you and your family and I pray you can forgive me. May 4, 2024 letter to former State Rep. Cynthia A. Johnson by Sandra Bachman The threat from Bachman came after months of threats against Johnson following her grilling of former New York City Mayor Rudy Guilliani during an early Dec. 2020 hearing in the state legislature about election fraud claims. One of the threats she received came from Michael Varrone of Charlotte. That threat was made on Dec. 12, 2020. On Jan. 7, 2021, Varrone called in a false bomb threat to the state Capitol building causing an evacuation. It was the day after supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. to protest the certification of the 2020 Presidential election results. Varrone entered a guilty plea in July 2022. In exchange for pleading guilty to false report or threat of a bomb/harmful device, other charges including those related to his threats against Johnson were dismissed. Johnson says the firestorm of threats and pressure has caused her to have PTSD. The audio that she did, the phone call, Johnson says of Bachman. It was bone-chilling. It was racist. It was threatening. It was terrifying. Bachman will face sentencing on June 26 by Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Joyce Draganchuk. 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 WLNS 6 News. Former U.S. Army soldier accused of killing grandparents in Chester County breaks down in tears Former U.S. Army soldier accused of killing grandparents in Chester County breaks down in tears CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) At the end of an hour-and-a-half-long initial interview with law enforcement, authorities asked Gene Alexzander Scott a very important question: Did you kill your grandparents? Scott said No, that was a pretty frank question. But I knew it was coming. For the first time in three days, Scott showed emotion briefly wiping a few tears away as he heard himself talk about his relationship with his grandfather 61-year-old Gene Rogers. Scott says Gene was like a father to him and had been present for the majority of his life. He says they got along really well, and his grandfather was always supportive of him. They never had any arguments. PREVIOUS: Gavel to Gavel: Ex-soldier accused of killing his grandparents in Chester County In the interview, Scott established his alibi saying he was at his apartment Saturday with friends between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. the day of the murders in June 2020. Authorities tested Scotts hands for gunshot residue, but Scott said he hadnt shot a gun in at least three weeks. He did note he went to a gun show that morning to sell a gun, a Sig MPX 9 mm. The results of the gunshot residue have not been revealed in court yet. Scott is also accused of killing his great-grandmother, 78-year-old Billie Rogers. PREVIOUS: Testimony begins in Chester County trial of soldier accused of killing grandparents He told officers hell always be honest with them, only if authorities are honest with him. He told officers once they find the killer, he wants the death penalty. This is a Developing Story . 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 Queen City News. A Fort Myers Police Department detective has been cleared after a State Attorney's Office probe concluded his shooting and killing of a Fort Myers man was "justified." State Attorney Amira Fox on Thursday afternoon said the detective James Moschella fired in self-defense after police responded when Christopher Jordan's sister, Cynthia Jordan, claimed her brother had a firearm and threatened to harm her and others. Fox said investigators found Christopher Jordan didn't have a gun and that Cynthia Jordan had lied. But she said Moschella reported Christopher Jordan had "pointed a black handgun" toward officers and the State Attorney's Office review of the case concluded: "Detective James Moschella fired his weapon because he reasonably believed it was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm..." Fox said before Moschella was cleared her office reviewed the 911 call from the sister, radio logs, computer-aided dispatch notes, body-worn camera footage, officer interviews, civilian witness interviews, crime scene photographs and reports. State Attorney Amira Fox on Thursday, May 16, 2024, said James Moschella fired in self-defense after Christopher Jordan's sister, Cynthia Jordan, claimed her brother had a firearm and threatened to harm her and others. Christopher Jordan, 58, died at Lee Memorial Hospital. Shortly after 8:15 p.m. Dec. 1, Fort Myers police received a 911 call from Cynthia Jordan, who reported her brother, Christopher Jordan, 58, threatened her with a firearm inside her residence. Several officers arrived before 8:30 p.m. Fox said Cynthia Jordan and three unidentified men were in front of the home, adding that Cynthia Jordan yelled, "He's inside ... he threatened me inside." Fox reported Cynthia Jordan told officers Christopher Jordan was intoxicated in a bedroom inside the home with a firearm. Two of the three men reported Christopher Jordan had a firearm, she said. She said a third male witness appeared to be intoxicated. The chief prosecutor said officers' body-worn cameras recorded witnesses' statements, which were broadcast on a second officer's radio. The reports indicated Christopher Jordan was armed with a firearm, she said. Suspected arson: Twelve Lehigh Acres fires under investigation, arson suspected; tips needed Kayla Rincon-Miller murder: Second teen arrested in Kayla Rincon-Miller not present at arraignment after waiver filed Fox said after the witnesses were removed from the area, officers on scene heard Christopher Jordan yell out the window repeatedly he wanted officers to kill him. Officers approached the home and gave verbal commands for Christopher Jordan to come out of the residence, but he ignored the commands, Fox said. When officers met with Cynthia Jordan, she said her brother, Christopher Jordan, threatened her with a firearm. The officer asked the sibling if Christopher Jordan pointed the firearm, to which she confirmed, Fox said. "She described the firearm as black and said it looked like a 45 Magnum or something like that," Fox said. "She stated that Christopher Jordan pointed the firearm at her and said, '(Explicit), I'll kill you.'" Fox said Cynthia Jordan repeated that statement multiple times and physically demonstrated how Christopher Jordan threatened her with the firearm. "These statements were all recorded on the officers' body-worn cameras," Fox said. Shortly after 8:30 p.m., Moschella and another detective arrived on scene. Fox said the officers gave verbal commands for Christopher Jordan to come exit the home, but he ignored the commands. The chief prosecutor said Christopher Jordan never exited the home, but repeatedly approached the window, at one point waving to officers from inside. Fort Myers resident Tracy Howards holds a signs while protesting in downtown Fort Myers Friday afternoon, March 15, 2024. Members of the Lee County NAACP held a rally in front of the office of the state attorney to protest the handling of the Fort Myers Police Department fatal shooting of Christopher Jordan on December 1, 2023. "Interviews of officers on scene and radio transmissions revealed that Christopher Jordan was playing sounds of automatic rifle fire and making statements to shoot him," Fox said. Shortly after 9 p.m., while Christopher Jordan remained inside the home, an officer's body-worn camera captured another officer saying there was movement in the bedroom and Christopher Jordan appeared to be changing his T-shirt, Fox said. "Around the same time, a male witness on scene informed a sergeant that Christopher Jordan was inside the bedroom by himself with a firearm," Fox said. The sergeant again instructed Christopher Jordan exit the home, Fox said. At approximately 9:06 p.m., Fox said, Moschella's body-worn camera showed his patrol firearm, with a mounted optic, aimed toward the bedroom window where Christopher Jordan was. "Detective Moschella stated, 'I've got one hand ... gun ... gun," Fox said. "Detected Moschella then fired one round from his rifle." The round struck Christopher Jordan in the chest, Fox said. Around 9:09 p.m., officers entered the home, but Christopher Jordan's door was locked, Fox said. Officers forced the locked bedroom door open and gained entry about a minute later. Officers and first responders performed lifesaving measures on Christopher Jordan, but he ultimately died at Lee Memorial Hospital at 9:49 p.m., Fox said. During the early hours of the following day, Fox said, special agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement got Cynthia Jordan's approval to enter the home. Agents didn't find a firearm inside the home. Agents speak with witnesses Fox said when agents spoke with a neighbor they learned Cynthia Jordan told that acquaintance, "My brother is trying to shoot us." Cynthia Jordan provided an audio-recorded sworn statement to FDLE approximately two hours after the shooting, Fox said. "At the time of the interview, she was not aware that her brother was deceased," Fox said. "She acknowledged calling 911 to report that her brother Christopher Jordan had a gun and threatened to kill her earlier in the evening." Fox reported Cynthia Jordan said Christopher Jordan "had an attitude all evening" and was under the influence. Members of the Lee County NAACP held a rally in front of the office of the state attorney in downtown Fort Myers Friday afternoon, March 15, 2024 to protest the handling of the Fort Myers Police Department fatal shooting of Christopher Jordan on December 1, 2023. Cynthia Jordan said a cousin who stopped at the Stella Street home that evening was also threatened. The victim's sister said she didn't know her cousin's last name, nor where she lived. Toxicology report performed on Christopher Jordan Fox said the day after the shooting a toxicology report revealed the presence of narcotics in Christopher Jordan's system. Fox pointed at the presence of amphetamines, cocaine and fentanyl, among others. Numerous calls for service at the Jordans' address In 2022, Fox said, police responded to the Jordans' 3222 Stella St. home for a similar report. Fox said that on June 15, 2022, Cynthia Jordan reported her brother threatened her with a firearm. On Feb. 27, 2023, Cynthia Jordan called 911, saying Christopher Jordan had threatened her. Then, on April 8, 2023, Cynthia Jordan reported that Christopher Jordan threatened her verbally and with his pitbull dog. Officers at the time made contact and determined there was only a verbal argument with no physical altercation taking place, Fox said. On April 30, 2023, Cynthia Jordan complained she was bitten by Christopher Jordan's dog. Cynthia Jordan also claimed Christopher Jordan threatened her with a knife, Fox said. Fort Myers resident Calvin Church holds a signs while protesting in downtown Fort Myers Friday afternoon, March 15, 2024. Members of the Lee County NAACP held a rally in front of the office of the state attorney to protest the handling of the Fort Myers Police Department fatal shooting of Christopher Jordan on December 1, 2023. The week prior to the shooting, on Nov. 22, 2023, Cynthia Jordan reported Christopher Jordan threatened to shoot her, Fox said. The top prosecutor said a records search yielded 15 Fort Myers police calls for service at the Stella Street home. Prosecutors meet with the Jordan family Fox said investigators with the State Attorney's Office met with Cynthia Jordan on May 7 at her home for the purpose of finding more information about her cousin named Christopher, who she said she didn't know his last name or home address. The top prosecutor said that when the investigator introduced himself and explained he wanted to talk to her about possibly getting more information regarding the Dec. 1, 2023, shooting, Cynthia Jordan immediately responded, "I don't remember." When asked about her cousin "Christopher," Fox said, Cynthia Jordan said she didn't have a cousin named "Christopher." Fort Myers resident Tracy Howards holds a signs while protesting in downtown Fort Myers Friday afternoon, March 15, 2024. Members of the Lee County NAACP held a rally in front of the office of the state attorney to protest the handling of the Fort Myers Police Department fatal shooting of Christopher Jordan on December 1, 2023. The investigator clarified with Cynthia Jordan she told FDLE agents she had a cousin named "Christopher," who was there that day. Fox added Cynthia Jordan denied saying another "Christopher" was present at the house on Dec. 1, 2023. Exchanged with the Lee County NAACP On Friday, an investigator with the State Attorney's Office spoke with James Muwakkil, president of the Lee County branch of the NAACP, Fox said. Fox said Muwakkil had previously made statements to news agencies, saying evidence wasn't collected and witnesses weren't interviewed. "However, James Muwakkil could not provide additional information pertinent to the investigation or that was not already known to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and to the Office of the State Attorney," Fox said. Fox said she learned from the conversation with Muwakkil that Cynthia Jordan lied to Fort Myers police and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement about Christopher Jordan having a firearm. The incident caused turmoil between the State Attorney's Office and the Lee County NAACP, which spearheaded a number of protests at the shooting site, the police department, and outside the State Attorney's Office, calling for transparency and asking that charges be pressed against Moschella. Muwakkil briefly returned a call Thursday afternoon, but said he'd later call back. Fort Myers resident Hester Young holds a signs while protesting in downtown Fort Myers Friday afternoon, March 15, 2024. Members of the Lee County NAACP held a rally in front of the office of the state attorney to protest the handling of the Fort Myers Police Department fatal shooting of Christopher Jordan on December 1, 2023. "Our legal review is limited to the issue of whether detective James Moschella committed a violation of the criminal laws of Florida by using deadly force against Christopher Jordan," Fox said. "Detective James Moschella elected not to provide a sworn statement to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement." Fox said that neither the State Attorney's Office, Fort Myers police nor the Florida Department of Law Enforcement "may compel" Moschella to provide a statement. "Detective James Moschella, like all other individuals, has a constitutional right to remain silent," Fox said. Fox said a question was sent to Moschella through his legal counsel asking the following: "On your body worn camera, you stated gun ... gun and fired one shot from your patrol rifle. What action did Christopher Jordan take to prompt you to believe [Christopher] Jordan posed a threat?" On the same day, Fox said, Moschella's attorney provided a response on the detective's behalf. "The response stated, 'Christopher Jordan threatened to shoot, made movements consistent with loading a handgun and pointed a black handgun in the direction of officers who were not behind cover. This caused me to fear for my life, the lives of other officers and bystanders,'" Fox said. Fox said her office's legal review considered whether Moschella committed criminal violations of second-degree murder or manslaughter by act or culpable negligence. "We find that he did not," Fox said. "The totality of the evidence supports the conclusion that detective James Moschella was justified in the use of deadly force. Detective James Moschella fired his weapon because he reasonably believed it was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself, fellow law enforcement officers at the scene and citizens in the immediate area." Fox said Cynthia Jordan won't face charges. "I understand that this decision may be met with strong emotions and concerns from the community," Fort Myers police Chief Jason Fields said in a statement posted to the agency's Facebook page. "Any loss of life is a tragedy. Our hearts go out to the Jordan family." The State Attorney's Office declined to answer how many fatal officer-involved shootings reviews are pending in Lee County. The county recorded three fatal officer-involved shootings last year. A public records request to the State Attorney's Office found this is at least the second 2023 shooting where the involved officers have been cleared. Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Fatal Fort Myers Police officer-involved shooting "justified," SAO says Four controversial 2021 Arkansas voting laws now going into effect following state Supreme Court decision Four controversial 2021 Arkansas voting laws now going into effect following state Supreme Court decision LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkansas voting laws that were on hold for the last two years have been given the green light to go into effect after this weeks decision by the state Supreme Court. The hold on the laws was caused by years of legal fights that have played out in a circuit court, and then eventually the state supreme court. Arkansas Supreme Court upholds 2021 voting restrictions that state judge found unconstitutional The laws were challenged legally in 2021 by the Arkansas League of Women Voters and Arkansas United, who argued that the acts violated the state constitution and would complicate the process of voters casting their ballots. The four acts now going into effect create a stricter signature-matching process for mail-in ballots, shorter deadlines to turn in absentee ballots, require voters who cast a provisional ballot to provide a photo ID within six days of the election and ban anyone except voters from coming within 100 feet of a polling place, including campaigners and volunteers. I think thats what everyone in Arkansas has to ask themselves Why? Why are these efforts to limit voting in any way? State Rep. Tippi Mccullough (D-Little Rock) said. We have the poorest turnout in any state in the country. Those against the laws have argued that this only enhances voter suppression in the state. The state and lawmakers who supported the legislation maintain its intended to protect democracy. It just makes sense that we would protect the integrity of the election process and the sanctity of each persons individual vote, State Rep. David Ray (R-Maumelle) said. Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners does away with electronic signatures for voter registration; Group says decision will enhance voter suppression In a statement released by Attorney General Tim Griffins office Thursday, he said this decision is a total victory for Arkansas voters and the security of our elections moving forward. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. A total of 10,000 foreign students are currently studying in Azerbaijan, the director of the State Agency for Science and Higher Education under the Ministry of Science and Education of Azerbaijan Ulker Sattarova said in an interview posted on the official website of the agency, Trend reports. She noted in her interview that foreign students, as a rule, enter Azerbaijan's higher education institutions out of competition. Our goal is to increase the number of foreign students by another 1,000 next year. This is not an easy task. We have such universities that have a certain number of foreign students. In the 1990s, the number of international students understandably declined. But now we are slowly returning to the previous indicators. Attracting foreign students is propaganda for our country in the future, directly affecting the rating indicators of our universities as well as contributing to the creation of an international environment within higher education institutions and the additional inflow of foreign currency to Azerbaijan. In a sense, we coordinate this issue, but the main activity should be carried out, as in the rest of the world, by universities, she added. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Republican state Sens. Craig Blair, Mike Maroney, Robert Karnes and Chandler Swope all lost their primary races on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (West Virginia Legislative Photography) West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair was among four senators who lost their seats to opponents in the Republican primary election Tuesday. Blair, R-Berkeley, lost to Tom Willis, an attorney in Martinsburg. Willis brought in 44% percent of the vote to Blairs 32%. A third candidate, former Del. Mike Folk, took 23% of votes. Folk made headlines in 2016 after calling for the public execution of former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In addition, Sen. Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, lost to opponent Chris Rose, Sen. Chandler Swope, R-Mercer, lost to opponent Craig Hart and Sen. Robert Karnes, R-Randolph, lost to opponent Robbie Morris. Blair has been in the Senate since 2012 and formerly served in the House of Delegates. He was elected senate president in 2021 and 2023. According to campaign finance reports, Blair brought in more than $410,000 in contributions for this election year and spent about $321,000 on the race. Willis brought in about $41,000 in contributions and loaned his campaign $71,000. He spent about $106,000 on the race. In a news release after his win, Willis said that Blairs defeat underscores the desire for fresh perspectives and renewed representation in the political landscape. I will do my utmost to maintain your confidence and trust in me as together we move WV forward towards liberty and prosperity and fight to win the general election, the statement said. Maroney, a physician who chaired the Senate Health Committee, spoke out and voted against a bill this year that would have weakened the states strong school vaccine mandates. House Bill 5105, which had wide support from Republicans, would have allowed the states private and parochial schools to set their own rules for vaccine requirements. The bill passed both chambers but was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Jim Justice at the behest of members of the medical community. While transgender rights have been in the crosshairs of state Republicans, Maroney last year supported a failed amendment that would have softened the states ban on minors getting gender-affirming care. The amendment would have allowed those who were receiving care when it went into effect to continue their treatment. This is equivalent to passing a law saying you cannot treat someone for schizophrenia. Its the equivalent to saying you cant give someone drugs for chemotherapy. Those are all peer-reviewed and proven. This is, too, but its just something we dont understand or dont get, Maroney said during committee debate on the bill at the time. To deny them continued treatment thats not only uneducated, thats cruel, in my opinion. A website for Rose describes him as a fourth generation coal miner, Christian and constitutional conservative as well as a MAGA Republican. Rose brought in about $53,000 in contributions and spent about $54,000 on the race, according to campaign finance reports. Maroney raised about $121,000 and spent $146,000 on the race, campaign finance reports show. Karnes was first elected to the Senate in 2014 and with the exception of 2018 through 2020 has served since then. Morris, of Randolph County, is the executive director of the Randolph County Development Authority and the West Virginia Wood Technology Center. Reached Thursday, Karnes attributed the loss to being outspent massively. According to campaign finance reports, Morris brought in about $161,000 in contributions and spent $119,000. Karnes brought in about $25,000 and spent about $14,000. Karnes said hes perfectly happy with the outcome of the primary election because Sens. Blair, Maroney and Swope, whom he was critical of, were also unseated. He said he supported their opponents in their races. I knew that if I focused heavily on those other races, that it could very well cost me my race, but it was something that I felt was very much worthwhile, worth doing, and so thats what I did, Karnes said. Swope, who is retired from the construction industry and was first elected in 2016, won about 37% of the vote, while Hart brought in 40.8%. A third candidate, former Del. Eric Porterfield, won 22% of the vote in that race. As a delegate in 2019, Porterfield became known for his anti-LGBT views after comparing LGBTQ people to the KKK and using an anti-gay slur. Reached Thursday, Swope attributed his loss to the three-way split and Porterfield drawing votes from Mercer County, which he said would have typically been his strength. The district includes parts of Wayne, Mingo, McDowell and Mercer counties. My record, I think, as a senator has been very strong, Swope said. Ive been able to accomplish some very significant things. He added that he had been helping cut red tape for a company that plans to bring a new coal operation to Mercer County that will generate jobs. Swope said that while hes disappointed by the loss, hes much more concerned about Blair losing the election. Craig has shown me leadership skills that are just remarkable, Swope said. Hes got a thousand things, 37 people to try to manage, and he knows which bills are in which committees and which paragraphs need to be fixed and what bills and I cant even remember the numbers on bills I wrote. Hes got a mental bandwidth that is remarkable. Hes got an aggressive leadership style that when he sees something, he takes action, Swope said. I just have the greatest admiration for him. Rose will not have a Democrat opponent in the general election. In November, Willis will face Democrat Anthony Murray, Morris will face Democrat Mandy Smith Weirich and Hart will face Democrat Randy Fowler. The post Four West Virginia Senate incumbents lose seats during Republican primary appeared first on West Virginia Watch. COOK COUNTY Under a new policy draft, the Cook County States Attorneys Office (CCSAO) would not prosecute gun, drug or stolen property cases if theyre the result of whats considered a non-public safety stop, aka a traffic stop for a reason that doesnt pose a safety threat. Examples of a non-public safety stop include being pulled over for an expired plate, registration or a broken light. The draft policy also states the CCSAO would not prosecute a case if the search was based on consent, but occurred without probable cause. In a statement Thursday, Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx said: If you exist as a black person in this country or a brown person in this country, you to some extent, fear that interaction with police, said Kobi Guillory, Co-Chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Because it could result in them taking your life. Activists have been fighting for an end to what they refer to as pre-textual traffic stops. Their concerns heightened recently after a tactical team with the Chicago Police Department killed Dexter Reed during a traffic stop where Reed shot an officer in the wrist. That traffic stop, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability said, was because Reed was not wearing a seatbelt. According to Foxxs draft policy, a seatbelt violation would not be covered as a non-public safety traffic stop. What she is saying in her policy is this: We dont care what traffic code you violated and we dont care what police officers find after, said Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd Ward). I want to see more traffic stops in my ward, they work. The proposal is receiving swift pushback from some in City Council and the state government. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza tweeted, This Kim Foxx policy will help keep illegal guns in the hands of criminal offenders, rather than getting them off the streets. Future victims deserve better. Looking forward to a new States Attorney wholl follow & enforce the law. Bob Fioretti, the Republican candidate running to become Cook Countys new states attorney, said he would strike the policy down as soon as he takes office, if elected. If this policy even makes it in place, I will change it on the first day, Fioretti said. We do not need two defense attorneys in the courtroom, and thats what shes making happen. Fiorettis Democratic opponent, Justice Eileen ONeill Burke, declined to comment on the policy. Were going to keep that public pressure on. Were not going to relent around this just because Kim Foxx is out of office, Guillory said. Were not asking, were not begging for an end to pre-textual traffic stops, were demanding it. CPD issued the following statement in response to a request for comment from WGN News: We do not comment on draft policies developed by external agencies. The Superintendent has made clear that our efforts to reduce violent crimes do not center around traffic stops. CPD has seen a significant reduction in traffic stops this year compared to this time last year. Additionally, our officers receive 4th Amendment Training as we emphasize constitutional policing in all of our public safety efforts. Chicago 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 WGN-TV. France accuses Azerbaijan of meddling in New Caledonia with social media campaign PARIS (Reuters) - France accused Azerbaijan on Friday of fanning the flames of riots in the French-ruled Pacific island of New Caledonia by flooding social media with what it said were misleading photos and videos targeting French police. Paris has cracked down on rioters who are angry over a contested electoral reform and is trying to restore order in the remote overseas territory after three nights of upheaval in which four people have been killed. The French government's watchdog for online disinformation campaigns, Viginum, a unit created in response to Russian activity in Africa, published a report on Friday identifying Azeri social media accounts spreading anti-French propaganda. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin first levelled the charges against Azerbaijan on Thursday, without providing any evidence. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry swiftly denied what it called insulting allegations and reiterated on Friday it was not connected to the New Caledonia protests. "Instead of accusing Azerbaijan of allegedly supporting pro-independence protests in New Caledonia, 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," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajiyev. Viginum said the campaign included a picture montage showing dead pro-independence protesters next to a white man in a khaki outfit with a rifle held in a shooting position, with the caption: "The French police are murderers". Viginum said at least 86 posts on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, were published by profiles of people who list a connection to the Azeri ruling presidential party YAP. They used the hashtags #RecognizeNewCaledonia and #FrenchColonialism. "On May 15 and 16, Viginum has detected on X and Facebook a massive and coordinated spread of content manifestly inaccurate and misleading accusing French police of killing pro-independence protesters in New Caledonia," the report said. It published screenshots of the accounts and a minute-by-minute account of the posts. Azerbaijan has reacted angrily to French military support for Armenia, another republic in the South Caucasus with which it has fought two wars in the past three decades. Azerbaijan last year recaptured the Karabakh region, where ethnic Armenians had enjoyed de facto independence since the early 1990s. France, which has a large ethnic Armenian community, has been sympathetic towards Armenia and provided military equipment. It asked Baku for clarification in November about a campaign that targeted the Olympic Games. According to officials the campaign in New Caledonia has been in the works for several months and has even seen Azerbaijan organise anti-French networks on the ground, including through the financing of events. "Azerbaijan is outsourcing its dispute (with France)," a French source with knowledge of the government's view told Reuters. (Reporting by Michel Rose and John Irish; editing by Richard Lough and Cynthia Osterman) icon Semafor Signals Supported by Microsoft logo Insights from Reuters, Politico, and The Guardian Arrow Down Title icon The News France deployed 1,000 more police officers Friday to try and restore peace in New Caledonia, where riots over a controversial electoral reform have killed at least five people, injured hundreds, and led to more than 200 arrests. The French-controlled Pacific Ocean territory has been in a state of emergency over violent protests against a law passed by Paris that would allow continental French citizens living in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in regional elections. The indigenous Kanak people that form 40% of New Caledonias population say the reform would dilute their vote. Kanak activists have pressed for independence from France for years, and the new wave of violence has raised concerns about a civil war, as the French governments representative in New Caledonia said. icon SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. French police crackdown could boost Chinas ambitions in the Pacific Source icon Source: Reuters Frances excessive police actions in New Caledonia risk its ambition to counter Chinas growing security ties in the Pacific. Paris fears that China could more easily influence an independent New Caledonia, but by sending hundreds of officers to stem protests on the island, France is instead reigniting regional sensitivities over colonialism, Reuters wrote. China is trying to court several Pacific islands into a security pact, including a group of former French colonies that backs a pro-independence political alliance in New Caledonia. Frances response to the riots could help China weaponize the colonial legacy of Western nations in the Pacific, an analyst told Reuters. New Caledonia protests widen rift between France and Azerbaijan Source icon Sources: The Guardian, Politico France has accused Azerbaijan of fanning the unrest in New Caledonia, highlighting the worsening relations between the two countries over French support of Bakus bitter rival and neighbor, Armenia. France pointed to some protesters waving Azerbaijani flags; Baku has denied the allegations. But Azerbaijans ties to the Kanak pro-independence movement are clear and obvious, the former president of the government of New Caledonia told Politico: A Baku group created last year aims to support French liberation and anti-colonialist movements, and the country is funding a Kanak pro-independence alliance. Frances TikTok ban in New Caledonia worries press freedom activists Source icon Source: Politico TikTok has been widely used by Kanak protesters to spread messages about sovereignty and coordinate demonstrations, leading Paris to block access to the app on Thursday, in the first move of its kind within the European Union, according to Politico. This move could reinforce the abuse of internet shutdowns in illiberal societies, a press freedom activist told Politico, and it heightens worries of a backsliding of media rights in Europe. EU leaders have been concerned by French President Emmanuel Macrons support for internet blockades; he floated the idea during last years nationwide protests sparked by the police killing of a Muslim teenager. Regulating the internet is a cultural and civilizational fight, Macron said in April. Semafor Logo May 17 (UPI) -- French police early Friday fatally shot an armed suspect about to set fire to a synagogue in the city of Rouen, officials said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced the police action in a statement online. "In Rouen, national police officers neutralized early this morning an armed individual clearly wanting to set fire to the city's synagogue," he said on X. "I congratulate them for their responsiveness and courage." Mayor Nicola Mayer-Rossignol of the French city located about 84 miles north of Paris said no one was harmed aside from the suspect. He said his thoughts were with the city's Jewish community. "Through this attack and this attempted burning of the synagogue of @Rouen, it is not only the Israelite community that is affected," he added on X. "The entire town of @Rouen is bruised and is shocked." Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, said the act was meant to intimidate all Jews. "Once again, there is an attempt to create a climate of terror for the Jews in our country," Arfi said. "Fighting anti-Semitism is defending the Republic." Elie Korchia, president of the Central Consistory of France, praised police for their response to the incident. "On this Shabbat eve, an armed individual who wanted to set fire to the consistorial synagogue of Rouen was neutralized by the police, who were nearby," he said on X. "Thank you to our law enforcement who avoided a new anti-semitic tragedy in our country." The incident comes amid growing tensions in France over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, resulting in an increase in anti-semitic incidents. Earlier this week, vandals defaced Paris' Wall of the Righteous Holocaust Memorial with a series of red hand prints. The monument is etched with the names of the more than 3,900 people who risked their lives to save Jews in France during the Second World War. French President Emmanuel Macron decided the defacement as undermining "the memory as well as the victims of the Shoah." According to the European Jewish Congress, there has been an increase in anti-semitism across Europe since the Israel-Hamas war exploded on Oct. 7. In France, there was a 1,000% increase in antisemitic incidents in 2023 compared to a year earlier, it said. "Since October 7, the number of antisemitic incidents across Europe has surged to levels unprecedented since WWII," it said in a statement following the early Friday attack. "We cannot turn a blind eye to this rising wave of hatred." This story is breaking. Return for updates. In another sign that the #MeToo movement is transforming the birthplace of cinema, Frances film producers and actors unions on Friday unanimously approved new measures aimed at preventing gender-based and sexual violence and harassment within the industry. Several French industry associations including the union of independent producers, the association of independent producers, the union of cinema producers and the professional union of dramatic artists approved an amendment to their collective agreement which will require mandatory harassment training for producers and enforce the protection of minors on film sets, among other measures. More from The Hollywood Reporter The new measures follow an announcement by the French film board, the CNC, that it will make similar requirements a condition for receiving government subsidies. Given the importance of CNC funding for most French movies, this ensures these #MeToo measures will become standard practice across the French industry. The CNC will launch harassment training programs this summer. But the CNC is also under fire on the issue. Its president, Dominique Boutonnat, will face trial in June on sexual assault allegations, which he denies. A petition calling for his immediate dismissal has been signed by more than 500 members of the French industry and demonstrators held a protest outside CNC headquarters in Paris on May 13 demanding Boutonnat be suspended until the conclusion of his criminal trial. The CNC has defended its decision to stand by Boutonnat but its deputy general director, Olivier Henrard, had acknowledged the trial adds an element of complexity for the film board as it rolls out its new anti-abuse measures. Initially, there was widespread resistance to #MeToo in France, but the movement has caught fire in recent months thanks to high-profile allegations against prominent French stars, including Gerard Depardieu, who will stand trial in October on charges of sexual assault brought by two women who claim he assaulted them on set of the film The Green Shutters in 2021. (Depardieu denies all charges.) French filmmaker turned activist Judith Godreche (The Man in the Iron Mask) has been a key figure. She has spoken publicly about her own experiences of being groomed by much older directors when she was a teenage star during the 1980s, and her speeches on the issue to Frances parliament led directly to the current changes. Godreches short film Moi Aussi (Me Too), inspired by stories of abuse she received from more than 6,000 victims, opened Cannes Un Certain Regard sidebar Wednesday. Speaking on Friday in Cannes in a Women In Motion talk hosted by luxury group Kering, Godreche said she supported the new initiatives, but suggested the French film industry could have got here a lot sooner. Its not as if the labor laws [against harassment] dont exist, they do, they just have never been applied [in the film industry], she said, adding that producers and filmmakers have used the argument that they are motivated by passion for their art to take advantage. Best of The Hollywood Reporter By Kirsty Needham and Michel Rose SYDNEY/PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron's ambitions to deepen French influence in the Pacific, where China is expanding its security ties, could be put at risk by the heavy-handed response to civil unrest in New Caledonia, Pacific analysts and officials said. Deadly riots erupted this week among indigenous Kanak, after Paris changed voting rules to allow more French residents to join electoral rolls in the Pacific territory. The violence and the arrival of hundreds of police from Paris are reigniting regional sensitivities over colonialism. Australian National University Pacific analyst Graeme Smith said a crackdown by French police in Noumea could bolster China's weaponisation of the colonial legacy of Western nations in the Pacific - which includes French and American nuclear testing. "It will play very well because China has been discovering some of the colonial history of the Pacific," he said. Beijing has pushed to deepen its security ties in the Pacific Islands, strategically located between the United States and Asia, with mixed success. After striking a security pact with the Solomon Islands in 2022 that alarmed Washington, Beijing failed to reach a Pacific-wide trade and security deal. China shifted attention and financial support to a sub-group, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, formed in 1986 to back decolonisation for Melanesian countries still under colonial rule, most notably the Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) of New Caledonia. Its members, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, are at the centre of a contest for influence between China and the U.S. and its allies, including Australia and France. In July, Macron made the first visit to Vanuatu by a French leader since it gained independence from France and Britain in 1980, warning in a speech against China's "new imperialism". China is Vanuatu's largest external creditor, and its then prime minister was ousted by lawmakers the next month, in part for abandoning Vanuatu's non-aligned foreign policy. Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders met in August to consider security cooperation with China, on which no decision has been made. On Thursday, Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai issued a statement as the group's chairman, criticising France for the riots and demanding it drop the electoral reform, which will dilute the Kanak vote in New Caledonia. "Vanuatu is fuelled," said one Vanuatu lawmaker, who declined to be identified, pointing to anti-colonial sentiment on social media in response to the deaths of three Kanak youths. REGIONAL SECURITY ISSUE Electoral reform is the latest flashpoint in a decades-long tussle over France's role in mineral-rich New Caledonia, which lies some 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Australia. France annexed the island in 1853 and gave the colony the status of overseas territory in 1946. It has long been rocked by pro-independence movements. FLNKS external relations adviser Jimmy Naouna told Reuters he had raised the crisis with the Pacific Islands Forum, the main 18-member regional bloc, as a regional security issue and a joint statement is being negotiated by members over the weekend. Lowy Institute Pacific fellow Oliver Nobetau said a heavy-handed response to the protests by French police would backfire in the region, where decolonisation was expected. "France is trying to re-emerge as a Pacific partner and this will evidently not help that image," said Nobetau, a former Papua New Guinea government adviser on international security deals. PNG gained independence from Australia in 1975, and is balancing a new defence pact with Washington and growing trade ties with China. Macron visited PNG last year, another first for France, and PNG would balance its response to the New Caledonia crisis with its economic relationship with France, he added. Experts in France and the Pacific said they couldn't see any signs China was pushing for New Caledonia independence, although Beijing would see opportunities if this happened. France was heavily criticised in the Pacific in the 1980s, before the 1998 Noumea Accord brought an end to violent conflict and outlined a path to gradual autonomy. "Now we could be back to square one," said a French source with knowledge of the government's views, who declined to be named. "If there are more deaths, France's image will deteriorate considerably," he said. Former Pacific leaders, the region's churches and Pacific Islands Forum chairman Mark Brown have issued statements this week criticising France for pushing through a referendum on independence in 2021 despite a Kanak boycott, which failed to pass. The French source said Macron had made a series of mistakes since the referendum, by naming hardliners such as Sonia Backes in government, or Nicolas Metzdorf as the bills sponsor in parliament. To the pro-independence Kanaks, it looked like he was giving them the middle finger. (Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney and Michel Rose in Paris; Editing by Nick Macfie) FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) Several ducks were saved on Thursday thanks to a team effort between the Fresno Fire Department and the Fresno Animal Center. Fire officials with the Station 11 USAR team say they, along with the Fresno Animal Center, were able to rescue eight ducks that were stuck in a storm drain on Thursday. The Fresno Fire Department provided pictures showing members of the USAR team rescuing the ducks from the drain by using tools to ensure they were coming out safely. The pictures also show four firefighters holding the yellow ducks after saving them from the storm drain. As of Thursday, it is unknown when or if the ducks will be up for adoption. 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. To promote the art and schools of carpet weaving in Europe, which are closely related to the rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, the lifestyle and ancient traditions of our people, on May 15, 2024, the opening ceremony of the exhibition of Azerbaijani carpets "Genetic code of memory. Azerbaijani carpets" was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Latvia and "Azerkhalcha" OJSC at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Riga within the framework of events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Latvia. At the exhibition's opening ceremony, Elnur Sultanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Latvia, underscored the historical significance of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Latvia, which is being celebrated in 2024. He expressed his delight at the opportunity to present, for the first time in Riga, the exquisite examples of the national art of carpet weaving, a heritage preserved by the Azerbaijani people for centuries. The Ambassador stated that this exhibition will strengthen the active cultural relations established between our countries. He noted that the performance of Azerbaijani tar, presented to the exhibition's guests, gave the event a special flavor. Azerbaijani carpet weaving, tar making, and performing arts have been included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. E. Sultanov emphasized the value of the three carpets, woven in a modern style by "Azerkhalcha", that were donated to the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design of Latvia. This generous act, made possible by the order of "PASHA Holding" Limited Liability Company and "PASHA Bank" Open Joint Stock Company, will ensure the permanent display of Azerbaijan's carpet weaving art in Latvia. This significant contribution will undoubtedly enhance the promotion of Azerbaijani culture in Latvia. At the event, Emin Mammadov, Chairman of the Creative Group and the Board of Management of "Azerkhalcha" OJSC, emphasized Azerbaijan's strong commitment to its national moral values and efforts to showcase its culture globally. He highlighted the significance of carpet weaving in Azerbaijani folk art, stating that it has become a symbol of the people. Mammadov also underlined the special place of Azerbaijani folk-applied art, particularly carpet weaving, in the nation's cultural history. He discussed the various carpet weaving schools showcased at the exhibition and emphasized "Azerkhalcha" OJSC's primary goal of preserving and further developing the tradition of carpet weaving. Mammadov mentioned that the company collaborates with local and foreign artists and designers to create contemporary carpets based on traditional designs, contributing to the continuous development of carpet art. He also discussed the company's efforts to preserve and develop the art of carpet weaving, pass it on to future generations, and provide employment opportunities for weaving women, particularly those living in rural areas. Agnese Latse, the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Culture of Latvia, Inese Baranovska, the head of the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, and Iveta Derkusova, the deputy director of the collections of the Latvian National Art Museum, delivered a comprehensive speech at the exhibition. The speakers emphasized that the display of the unique collection of carpets at the exhibition was a significant event in the cultural life of Latvia. They expressed their gratitude for the three carpets donated to the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design by "PASHA Holding" LLC and "PASHA Bank" OJSC. During the speeches, it was also mentioned that the similarities between the ornaments of Azerbaijan and Latvia attract attention, reflecting the mutual cultural connection that has influenced the cultures of both countries. It was noted that the 150th anniversary of the birth of the prominent Latvian artist and ethnographer Yuliy Straume was celebrated this year. The display of handcrafts featuring unique carpet patterns collected by Y. Straume during his trip to our country at the exhibition embodies the deep cultural ties between our countries. The speakers expressed confidence that the Latvian public will welcome the exhibition and play an essential role in developing cultural relations between the two countries. The event was attended by members of the Latvian government and Parliament, heads of diplomatic missions, representatives of local cultural, social, and media organizations, and members of the Azerbaijani community living in Latvia. At the exhibition, a captivating film showcasing the art of carpet weaving and renowned carpet weavers was projected on the big screen. Additionally, an Azerbaijani carpet weaver demonstrated the intricate weaving process live, providing a unique insight for the participants. Before the exhibition on May 14, Emin Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of Management of "Azerkhalcha" OJSC, and Asmar Babayeva, creative director, held a presentation on Azerbaijani carpet making at the Latvian Art Academy. They spoke about Azerbaijani carpet weaving art and groups, and the company's weaver visually showed the weaving process to the participants during the event. The exhibition will last until September 15, 2024. We fully expected the worst. Mooresville officials receive results from sinkhole water contamination testing MOORESVILLE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Mooresville officials said they were pleasantly surprised by water quality testing results after a sinkhole sent contaminants into a stream that feeds into Lake Norman. A 40-foot-wide crater opened up off Highway 150 in the Tire Masters parking lot, and it forced the long-standing business to close in February. From the beginning. Mooresville leaders address massive sinkhole repair plans Environmental experts were concerned about coal ash leaking from the sinkhole into the water supply. Town leaders conducted a series of quality tests and hired an independent lab to also test water around the sinkhole and where the affected tributaries empty into the lake. Mayor Chris Carney said they knew the drinking water supply was safe but did not know what to expect from toxin levels in the stream. They were surprisingly good. I mean, we fully expected kind of the worst, Carney said. Town leaders paid Pace Analytical to inspect the water quality. Their report shows the amounts of heavy metals and radioactive materials are both within the safe parameters outlined in state standards. More here. Queen City News reached out to the company to discuss the findings but did not hear back. Mooresville authorities said they have consistently monitored the areas drinking water and it was not impacted. We never had anything that even began to make us believe our drinking water had been in any way because we test that, I mean, multiple times a day already. We werent seeing any kind of creep of anything that made us concerned that way, Carney said. It was more of just the idea of we just cant allow a stream that enters the lake to have this kind of contamination in it. So, were happy to have gotten ahead of that. Officials said Lake Norman is safe for activities. Investigators blame the ground collapse on a poorly installed storm water pipe from decades ago. A lot of people are looking to blame somebody other than that, and that really thats just not true, Carney said. If this pipe had been installed correctly, we wouldnt be sitting where we are right now. Carney said this is a one-time examination. He said they would be open to retesting the area if it became necessary. Our understanding is this is as intensive a test as we can get, he said. Were obviously going to test a little bit of groundwater to make sure that were not missing something from that. The mayor said his employees will now inspect more pipes, especially older facilities they did not install. The good news is this is one more lesson learned. Even stormwater pipes that are on private land, if its going to bleed into like a public water system, we need to go and inspect it too. Were definitely taking notes and changing our policy because of it, he said. Carney said the town will purchase the property the sinkhole sits on and will start making repairs this summer. Duke Energy crews will begin cleaning remnants of the coal ash from the stream the week of May 20. 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. Anne Gibson, 66, was given the wrong ashes for her deceased mother by Ashleigh Milne, an independent funeral director with offices in Dumbarton and Balornock in Scotland - TOM FARMER/NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTD Funeral homes across the country are being investigated for mistreating the dead, The Telegraph can reveal, fuelling calls for the Wild West industry to be regulated. Six police forces are investigating allegations that bodies have been stored in self-storage units, left to decompose, and ashes have gone missing. Funeral directors in London, Oxfordshire, Newcastle, Hampshire, East Yorkshire and Scotland are under investigation. In a seventh case, three relatives who ran a Northumberland undertaker have been charged with defrauding customers for allegedly non-existent funeral plans. Many of the funeral directors under investigation appear to be in financial difficulty. Three have unpaid County Court Judgment debts, while the premises of another were raided after the undertakers failed to pay rent for over a year. One filmed a video of his makeshift premises in a self-storage unit in an apparent attempt to try and drum up investment. The investigations suggest that the case of a Hull funeral home, where two people were arrested after concerns were raised over the storage and care of dead bodies at a family-run business, is a widespread practice. Humberside Police recovered 35 bodies and ashes from Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in March after a call reporting concern for care of the deceased. Grant Shields, a Blyth funeral director, faces charges alongside Trevor Shields and Kevin Shields including fraud by false representation by selling pre-paid funeral plans on the basis that the money would be held in a separate account, which was false. He has pleaded not guilty - TIM MCGUINNESS The inquiry has shone a spotlight on an industry that operates without any regulation and no statutory inspection regime for funeral homes. Businesses can choose whether to join trade bodies that carry out these checks. The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF) are the two main trade bodies for funeral directors and can strike off members if they find wrongdoing. However, this does not stop them from trading. Grieving families are being left traumatised The Government is now facing calls to bring in tighter controls of the funeral industry. Emma Hardy, the MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, who has taken a lead role in trying to get justice for her constituents affected by the Legacy scandal, said on Friday: There is an urgent need for the funeral sector to be regulated. There are still rogue funeral directors operating in a Wild West industry leaving grieving families traumatised by their experiences. The Government was told four years ago by the Competition and Markets Authority that regulation was needed so they need to act urgently. The Government said it is currently reviewing the funeral sector to ensure the highest standards are always met, including looking at options for regulation. The Ministry of Justice is expected to launch a consultation in the next few months, The Telegraph understands. In 2020, the Competition and Markets Authority said it had serious concerns about the sector and called for the Government to introduce an independent inspection regime as a first step towards regulating funeral directors. The Telegraph has established that concerns have been raised about the way bodies have been treated in funeral homes in regions all over the country. The Metropolitan Police arrested Victor Perry, 52, after four bodies were recovered from a self-storage unit in North West London during the unprecedented heatwave in the summer of 2022 when temperatures soared to 40 degrees in the capital. In a video seen by The Telegraph purportedly showing the funeral director giving a tour of his storage unit, Mr Perry gestures to a blanket with a pillow on top and says look at that, you wouldnt even know there was a body there. In another shot, a body is lying on what appears to be a pallet on the floor with a small office fan by its feet. He added: So it is four bodies in total I have here. But theyve been all hygienically treated I keep the place fresh, and clean. As you can see its bloody spotless up here. All the bodies are embalmed, Ive put ice on each of them. Theyve been ice-packed. When approached by The Telegraph, Mr Perry said: The day before the bodies were being transported, thats when somebody informed the police and said that I had them on pallets. They werent on pallets, they were on stretchers. He added: In that storage unit, they were there for about a week. But all the bodies were embalmed. Some were meant to be cremated, some were meant to be buried. After The Telegraph asked the Metropolitan Police for an update on the investigation a spokesman said detectives expected to pass a file to the Crown Prosecution Service later this month in relation to an offence of fraud by false representation. The deaths are not being treated as suspicious. Victor Perry, a 52-year-old funeral director, was arrested in 2022 after four bodies were recovered from a self-storage unit in North West London Police in Oxfordshire raided two premises in Didcot and Wantage last month, reportedly removing two bodies. Matthew Norris, whose mother Angela died in November 2020, told The Telegraph that his familys experience with the funeral home had been a nightmare from start to finish. He added: When we went to visit [the funeral director] had dressed my mothers body wrong and instead of doing what a normal funeral director would do, which is to say Oh, Ill fix that he just asked us to help him lift her up to change it. We had her body brought back to our house overnight before the funeral. He had done the makeup on her but he had spilt it over her clothes When she arrived at the house her body was very degraded and the way he had put makeup on her face was horrific. So much so that another funeral director came out and fixed it for free. They were absolutely horrified at the state of the body. Shocking lack of regulation Mr Norris said the lack of regulation of the funeral industry is frankly shocking. Other customers complained about their care, with one family writing in a Google review: The stress [and] upset this man has given us. Dropped my late father in wet mud, never cleaned him. My brother and brother-in-law had to carry their own father out to the hearse with just a bed sheet over him. No body bag provided. Coffin too small, list goes on. A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said its focus was on fraud offences and one offence of prevention of a lawful and decent burial relating to one individual. He added: At this stage of the investigation we have found no evidence of any criminal offence and no arrests have been made. While the investigation is ongoing the funeral directors are unable to carry out any business. Two decomposing bodies were found by bailiffs who entered the Elkin and Bell Funerals home in Gosport, Hampshire, in December after the undertakers failed to pay rent for more than a year. Christopher Lucas-Jones, founder and managing director of Absolute Enforcement, told The Telegraph that his agents were shocked when they discovered the corpses at the back of the shop under some plastic sheeting. He said his staff noticed there was a strong smell, which alerted them that there was a problem, adding: Then when they went around to the back they moved some plastic sheeting and saw that there were two bodies that had been left there, decomposing. A Hampshire Police spokesman said officers were investigating after receiving a report in December and had arrested a man and woman in their forties on suspicion of fraud and preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body. They have been bailed with conditions until June while enquiries continue. Patricia Alison, the mother of Anne and Brian Gibson. Her daughter claims she was not given the correct ashes by A Milne Funeral Directors in Scotland In Newcastle, police officers raided the In Loving Memory funeral parlour in August 2022. A Northumbria Police spokesman said a man in his twenties, named Jordan Lillie, was arrested on suspicion of preventing a lawful and decent burial. Mr Lillie denied any wrongdoing and said he could not comment on specifics while the investigation is ongoing. Police Scotland have launched an investigation into A Milne Funeral Directors after several families reported allegations of ashes going missing and financial misconduct. Anne Gibson told the BBC she had an urn of what she believed were her mothers ashes in her house for five months before being told her ashes were still at the crematorium. A Police Scotland spokesman said that they were investigating the storage/return of cremated remains and allegations of financial misconduct. In Northumberland, three former undertakers are facing trial next year for funeral plan fraud. Trevor Shields, Grant Shields and Kevin Shields, who ran K&T Shields Funeral Directors, face charges which span a decade including fraud by false representation by selling pre-paid funeral plans on the basis that the money would be held in a separate account, which was false. Trevor Shields has withheld his pleas, but the other two men have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Additional reporting by Cameron Henderson 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. OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) The funeral for U.S. Air Force Airman Roger Fortson who was shot and killed by an Okaloosa County Sheriffs deputy was held Friday. People filled the New Birth Missionary Church just outside of Atlanta to say goodbye to Fortson. Fortson was killed on May 3 by a deputy who was responding to a disturbance call at the Chez Elan Apartments in Fort Walton Beach. WEATHER ALERT: Rounds of Storms Possible through Saturday On May 9, the attorneys for the Fortson family along with the family held a press conference where Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump said they believed deputies had come to the wrong apartment. Hours later, Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden held a press conference where he released the body camera footage that showed the encounter. Aden also challenged what Crump said, saying that deputies did go to the right apartment. 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. A former attorney for President Donald Trump who has been charged in the Georgia election interference investigation is now facing similar charges in Arizona. John Eastman pleaded not guilty on Friday to conspiracy, fraud, and forgery charges for his role in the effort to overturn Donald Trumps loss in Arizona to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Eastman was a key architect of the attempt to pressure Vice President Mike Pence into rejecting the official Democratic electors in Georgia and other swing states in favor of alternate Trump electors. He was a key participant in the subsequent attempts to overturn the election. On January 6, 2021, Eastman presented a speech at the White House Trump rally that preceded the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Eastman subsequently implored Vice President Pence to violate the Electoral Count Act to delay certification of the election. Eastman is the first person charged in Arizonas fake elector case to be arraigned. Eastman made a brief statement outside the courthouse, saying the charges against him should have never been filed. I had zero communications with the electors in Arizona (and) zero involvement in any of the election litigation in Arizona or legislative hearings. And I am confident that with the laws faithfully applied, I will be fully be exonerated at the end of this process, Eastman said. He declined to make further comment. Arraignments are scheduled for May 21 for 12 other people charged in the case, including nine of the 11 Republicans who had submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring Trump had won Arizona. RELATED STORIES: The Arizona indictment said Eastman encouraged the GOP electors to cast their votes in December 2020, unsuccessfully pressured state lawmakers to change the elections outcome in Arizona, and told then-Vice President Mike Pence that he could reject Democratic electors in the counting of electoral votes in Congress on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump himself was not charged in the Arizona case but was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator. Charges have not yet been made public against Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and Trump-aligned attorney, but he was readily identifiable based on descriptions of the defendants in the indictment. No arraignment date has been scheduled for Giuliani. Arizona authorities say they have been unable to serve Giuliani with the notice of the charges. Former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows is scheduled to be arraigned on June 7. Arizona is the fourth state where allies of the former president have been charged with using false or unproven claims about voter fraud related to the election. The 11 people who had been nominated to be Arizonas Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were duly elected and qualified electors and claiming that Trump carried the state. A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored. Biden won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes. Of the eight lawsuits that unsuccessfully challenged Bidens victory in the state, one was filed by the 11 fake Arizona electors, who had asked a federal judge to de-certify the results and block the state of Arizona from sending results to the Electoral College. In dismissing the case, the judge concluded the Republicans had failed to provide the court with factual support for their extraordinary claims. Days after that lawsuit was dismissed, the 11 participated in the certificate signing. Multiple in-person attempts were made to serve Giuliani with the notice but a doorman at his New York City apartment wouldnt accept it, said Richie Taylor, a spokesperson for Democratic Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, whose office is prosecuting the case. Taylor said efforts by the attorney generals office to reach Giuliani by phone also were unsuccessful. The Associated Press contributed to this article. RELATED NEWS: Matt Gaetz echoed Donald Trumps infamous remarks about the far-right Proud Boys on Thursday, as the Florida Republican congressman and other rightwing supporters of the former US presidentattended his criminal trial in Manhattan. Standing back, and standing by, Mr President, Gaetz wrote on social media, with a photo of his group of supporters standing behind Trump outside the court where Trump is on trial on election subversion charges arising from hush-money payments to an adult film star during the 2016 campaign. The Proud Boys, a western chauvinist group, were involved in street violence during Trumps years in power, clashing with leftwing protesters. Identifiable by their black and yellow colors, they participated in the attack on Congress of 6 January 2021, when Trump told supporters to fight like hell to block certification of his 2020 defeat by Joe Biden, in service of Trumps voter fraud lie. Proud Boys leaders convicted of crimes including seditious conspiracy are among hundreds of rioters jailed over the attack. Trump faces jail himself if convicted in New York, where he faces 34 charges, or in three other cases containing 54 more criminal counts, concerning election subversion and retention of classified information. Gaetz offered a form of a famous Trump utterance. In a debate with Biden in September 2020, the then president was asked if he would condemn white supremacist and militia groups who clashed with social justice protesters that summer, following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Trump said: Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But Ill tell you what, somebodys got to do something about antifa [anti-fascist groups] and the left. Amid uproar about an apparent endorsement of violent extremists, Trump said I dont know who the Proud Boys are and: Whoever they are, they have to stand down. Let law enforcement do their work. But Proud Boys celebrated. Membership tripled, probably, one member, Jeremy Joseph Bertino, told the House January 6 committee. Bertino pleaded guilty to plotting with other Proud Boys to violently stop the transfer of power. In the current campaign, Proud Boys have shown up at Trump rallies. At some rallies, Trump has played a chorus of January 6 prisoners singing the national anthem. Vowing to pardon January 6 rioters, he has called such prisoners hostages. Gaetz, of Florida, was part of the latest contingent of rightwing lawmakers to show up in Manhattan in Trumps support. Asked if Gaetz intentionally used verbiage adopted by the Proud Boys, a spokesman, Joel Valdez, told the Associated Press: The tweet speaks for itself. Outside court, Gaetz told reporters: We are here of our own volition, because there are things we can say that President Trump is unjustly not allowed to say. That was a reference to a gag order which Trump repeatedly violated, paying $1,000 fines until the judge threatened incarceration. On Tuesday, one court reporter said Trump appeared to be editing comments for surrogates to make in his stead. Gaetz followed Trump supporters including the House speaker, Mike Johnson, in standing outside court to deride the charges against Trump. Alluding to a famous childrens toy, Gaetz said prosecutors had made up the Mr Potato Head of crimes to bring Trump to trial. Another pop culture reference surfaced when Lauren Boebert tried to speak. The Colorado extremist was subjected to cries of Beetlejuice! a reference by hecklers to her ejection from a Denver theatre in September, over lewd and disruptive behaviour during a performance of a musical based on a Hollywood movie. Posting footage of the heckling, Boebert said: Ill never stop standing up for President Trump, even if Im the last one standing. Republicans control the US House by a narrow margin, 217 seats to 213. The House was open for business on Thursday but nonetheless six more GOP members were seen at the courthouse in Manhattan. The others were Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Mike Waltz of Florida, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia and Ralph Norman of South Carolina. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A massive alligator that caused trouble at MacDill Air Force Base in April is back in his natural habitat with a new name. The Air Force base posted a video to Facebook showing the gators release at Gatorama, an alligator farm in Palmdale, Florida. Our scaly friend was safely released at Gatorama and has already made some friends in his new home, MacDill Air Force Base said in the post. They renamed him MacDill to pay homage to his origins. As a reminder: if theres water, always assume there may be a gator there too, the post continued. Keep yourself, your children, and your pets safe by keeping your distance. Gators can run quickly and have a nasty bite! 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 people were lured to a house in Jonesboro, Ga., where they were forced to enter at gunpoint, tortured and killed, according to police. On Jan. 13, 2013, Union City police officers patrolling Interstate I-85 in Georgia discovered the dead bodies stuffed inside an abandoned 2010 Dodge Charger on an exit ramp. For more than 11 years, the case remained unsolved. Georgias Clayton County Sheriffs Office announced last week that investigators finally cracked the cold case and issued arrest warrants for four suspects, charging them with three counts each of malice murder. Sheriff Levon Allen said he dispatched his elite fugitive unit to locate the four suspects. The unit secured the arrest of all four men across three states. One of the suspects, 45-year-old Keante Harris, has received a lot of attention. It turns out that Harris is the assistant principal at McAdory Middle School in McCalla, Ala. We have been made aware that Mr. Keante Harris was arrested Wednesday (May 8) afternoon. At this time we still are gathering facts about the specifics of this situation. However, early indications are that the charges are not related to this individuals employment with Jefferson County Schools, Jefferson County Schools said in a statement, via WBMA. Under the school districts policy, Harris is on paid administrative leave. His LinkedIn profile says he was a special education teacher in Montgomery, Ala. public schools from 2006 to 2016, during the time of the murders. He also held multiple assistant principal positions during his career. Harris made his first appearance in an Alabama courtroom on May 14. He seemed emotional when he stood before Judge William Bell Jr. to sign his extradition papers to release him into the custody of Georgia authorities. His mother and other family members were also present at the hearing. Officials identified the crime victims as Cheryl Colquitt-Thompson, whose body was stuffed in the trunk, and Quinones King and Rodney Cottrell, who were both found in the back seat of the vehicle, according to USA Today. Records indicate that Colquitt-Thompson was found strangled, and the two men died from asphyxiation. Georgia authorities identified the other three suspects as Kenneth Thompson, Kevin Harris and Darrell Harris. They were taken into custody in Georgia and South Carolina, awaiting extradition to Clayton County. The Sheriffs Office did not give details about the evidence that led to the arrests or a motive for the killings. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. FILE - A family walk through the fields in the village of Gaiberg, Germany, June 14, 2008. The German parliament on Friday, May 17, 2024, approved plans to relax strict restrictions on family names clearing the way, among other things, for couples to take double-barreled surnames and pass them on to their children. (AP Photo/Daniel Roland, File) BERLIN (AP) The German parliament on Friday approved plans to relax strict restrictions on family names clearing the way, among other things, for couples to take double-barreled surnames and pass them on to their children. The reform of Germany's rigid rules is due to take effect at the beginning of May 2025 after passing parliament's upper house, which represents the country's 16 state governments. As it stands, parents are required to give their children one of their surnames. One partner in a married couple but not both can add the other partners name to his or her surname. The reform will allow both partners to take on a double surname, with or without a hyphen, and for their children to take that name too. Parents will also be allowed to give their children a double-barreled surname. The new system still wont allow names that are more than double-barreled. The legislation will also make it easier for stepchildren or children of divorced parents to change their family names, and allow the use of gender-adjusted forms of surnames for people with names from languages in which that is common a change that will, for example, benefit the Sorbs, an indigenous Slavic minority in parts of eastern Germany. It will also allow the use of traditional patronymic and matronymic names used by the Frisian minority, which entail childrens surnames being based on their fathers or mothers first name. The change is one of several social reform projects that Chancellor Olaf Scholzs socially liberal three-party governing coalition promised to enact when it took office in December 2021. Several higher-profile plans already have been implemented or approved. The government has legalized the possession of limited amounts of cannabis; eased the rules on gaining German citizenship and ended restrictions on holding dual citizenship; and ended a ban on doctors advertising abortion services. It also is making it easier for transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to change their name and gender in official records. Same-sex marriage was already legalized in 2017. (L-R) Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wuest, Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein Daniel Guenther, Minister President of Saxony Michael Kretschmer and Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt Reiner Haseloff stand together with Minister President of Thuringia Bodo Ramelow at the start of the Bundesrat meeting. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Several German federal states have launched an initiative to forge closer ties between people in Germany and Poland including visits to the neighbouring country, learning the language and building mutual understanding. Relations between the German and Polish governments have been tense for years, mainly because of the Nord Stream pipeline that brought Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, bypassing Poland. Since the conservative nationalist government in Warsaw was voted out of office at the end of 2023, the two governments have become politically closer again. Around 2 million people with Polish roots live in Germany, while Poland has a recognized German minority of around 300,000 people. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Premier Manuela Schwesig spoke in the upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, on Friday in favour of upgrading the German-Polish Youth Office, similar to the Franco-German Youth Office. This had contributed a great deal to reconciliation with France, but had three times as much money as its German-Polish counterpart, said Schwesig. "We need to do more," she said. Together with North Rhine Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein, the eastern German states submitted a motion to the Bundesrat to strengthen relations with their eastern neighbour. This is not just about youth work, but also, for example, more money for language lessons or a German-Polish unlimited travel rail ticket based on the Franco-German model. At a political level, the German-Polish friendship treaty of 1991 is to be modernized, similar to the Franco-German Elysee Treaty. New life is to be breathed into the Weimar Triangle of cooperation between Germany, France and Poland. (L-R) Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein Daniel Guenther, and Minister President of Saxony Michael Kretschmer stand together with Minister President of Thuringia Bodo Ramelow at the start of the Bundesrat meeting. Kay Nietfeld/dpa Minister President of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Manuela Schwesig and Minister President of Hesse Boris Rhein stand together at the start of the Bundesrat meeting. Kay Nietfeld/dpa BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Following the agreement between Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) and Kamkor Locomotive Enterprise, a shunting diesel locomotive scheduled for overhaul was transported to Baku, ADY told Trend. It was highlighted that the TEM2U locomotive underwent its first factory repair in 22 years and will now be utilized for appropriate cargo sorting at the Bilajari marshaling yard. "According to the contract terms, six locomotives have already been dispatched to Kazakhstan for this purpose, with preparations underway for the shipment of another five. Shunting locomotives of the first level are scheduled for overhaul every 7.5 years, while those of the second level require overhaul every 15 years. With locomotives in service for extended periods, delays in repairs result in breakdowns and persistent faults. In 2024, 11 shunting locomotives are slated for dispatch to Kazakhstan, while four double-section locomotives are earmarked for transfer to Latvia, all under the management of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC. Currently, the locomotive fleet of ADY comprises 84 shunting locomotives," the ADY said. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BRATISLAVA, Slovakia Negotiations are underway between the German and Slovak governments to extend the lease of a KNDS repair hub in Slovakia for German- and French-made combat vehicles damaged in Ukraine, according to the manufacturer. In 2022, the Franco-German joint venture KNDS, formed by defense companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Nexter, established a Slovakia base to perform rapid maintenance on vehicles donated to Ukraine. While the initial lease was expected to expire at the end of this year, as it was always intended to be a temporary infrastructure, government officials and industry executives are now working to prolong activities at the site. The parties involved in this project have all shown a willingness to continue operating this base beyond 2024 and negotiations are ongoing on this matter to see how to go about doing this, a KNDS executive told Defense News at the IDEB defense fair here. Since becoming operational in December 2022, the hub has served as a strategic location for patching up Ukraines KMW and Nexter-provided vehicles, which make their way to Slovakia by trucks. These include the self-propelled howitzers PzH 2000, CAESAR wheeled howitzers, Dingo armored transport vehicles and more. According to a company press release, six vehicles can be serviced simultaneously in the 800 square meters area. The future of the repair base, much as Slovakias military support to Ukraine, has been uncertain over the last few months. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Bratislava has been an important supplier of military equipment to the embattled country, having provided a dozen of MiG-29A fighter jets, air-to-air missiles, ammunition and more. However, since the election of pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico in October, Slovakias stance on arming Ukraine has been somewhat ambiguous, given that the politician had pledged to end military support during his campaign. We are not changing that we are prepared to help Ukraine in a humanitarian way We are prepared to help the reconstruction of the state, but you know our opinion on arming Ukraine, he told reporters after his election victory. Since then, the leader has tempered his initial anti-Ukraine rhetoric and has allowed defense industry cooperation between Slovak and Ukrainian companies to continue. A vehicle-maintenance facility also exists in Lithuania, where damaged Leopard 2 A6 and A5 tanks used in Ukraine are repaired by Lithuania Defense Services, a joint venture set up two years ago between Rheinmetall and KMW. Under the current contract, the maintenance operations there are expected to continue until the end of this year. Annalena Baerbock, German Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, walks through the Council of Europe building in the run-up to the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Committee of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 46 member states is the supreme decision-making body of the Council of Europe. It currently meets once a year at ministerial level. Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has called on the political leaders in Kosovo to fulfil the conditions for admission to the Council of Europe as quickly as possible. "Europe's youngest democracy, Kosovo, belongs in the Council of Europe," Baerbock said on Friday at a meeting of the Council of Europe's annual ministerial conference in the French city of Strasbourg. "[I appeal] in particular to those responsible in Kosovo to ensure that all the conditions are created as quickly as possible so that we can achieve the necessary majority to admit Kosovo to the Council of Europe," she said. Serbia is threatening to leave the first major European post-war organization if Kosovo becomes a member. One of the main points of contention between Serbia and Kosovo is progress on the creation of an association of Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo. The Council of Europe is committed to protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law through its court, the European Court of Human Rights. Its 46 members include all 27 EU countries, as well as Britain and Turkey. It is therefore responsible for 680 million Europeans, stretching from from Greenland to Azerbaijan. Baerbock said that the Council of Europe's appeal is also demonstrated by the fact that the organization is so attractive to young democracies. Although the Council of Europe is not the best-known institution in Europe, it protects European democracies and human rights, she added. Firefighters walk across a bridge under which the flooding river Theel flows. Harald Tittel/dpa Heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides in the western German state of Saarland on Friday. Buildings in the state capital of Saarbrucken and other municipalities had to be evacuated due to rising water levels. The state interior ministry spoke of a "widespread flooding situation," with the focus on the south-eastern part of the state. The Neunkirchen district, the Saarpfalz district and the Saarbrucken regional association were particularly affected, a ministry spokesman said on Friday evening. There was initially no news of any casualties. Apart from Saarbrucken and Neunkirchen, the situation was tense in Eppelborn, St. Wendel, Saarlouis and Merzig. In some places, residents had to be evacuated from flats in isolated streets. Some retirement homes were also affected. There were no reports of injuries so far, the ministry spokesman said. Officials are considering requesting assistance from neighbouring federal states. Saarbrucken declared a major damage situation, as did several districts. Several buildings in the city had to be evacuated. The city set up alternative accommodation in schools and a citizens' hotline. Those affected were asked to take only the essentials with them. The German Weather Service warned of heavy continuous rain through the early hours of Saturday, especially in the areas west of the Rhine. After that, the rain is expected to slowly subside. Chancellor Olaf Scholz cancelled an election campaign appearance planned for Saturday in Saarland. Instead, he will visit Saarland together with state Premier Anke Rehlinger to get an idea of the situation on the ground, a government spokesperson announced in Saarbrucken in the evening. Firefighters move their trucks through the floods in Fischbachstrasse in Saarbruecken after heavy rainfall. Harald Tittel/dpa A view of flooding of the River Theel, which inundated parts of Lebach town center. Harald Tittel/dpa If you or someone you know is struggling, call the Utah Crisis Line at 988 for immediate, free and confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Resources can also be found at namiut.org. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled that the officers involved in the shooting of a Taylorsville man in March 2023 were justified in their use of force. On the night of the shooting, police were called to Taylorsville residence for a man who was suffering from a mental episode and was suicidal. When they arrived, they found the man lying in a bedroom closet under a bedding sheet. Gill showed bodycam footage showing the moment police tried to make contact with the man. Officers can be heard calling out to the man saying, Were here to help you and You havent done anything wrong. 80-year-old Utah woman found dead in Idaho reservoir The footage showed police using a broomstick to lift the bedsheet off of the man who then grabbed a large fixed-blade Bowie knife and moved toward the officers. The officers then opened fire on the man. Police called for the man to drop the knife but he moved to get up, the knife still in hand leading to more shots being fired. The man survived the shooting and Gill said he is now getting the help he needs. This demonstrates how dynamic and fluid a situation is and how quickly things can change, said Gill, who said it also highlights a critical need to help veterans with ongoing mental health challenges such as stress and post-traumatic stress disorder. Gill said that at the time of the shooting, the man had been experiencing a mental episode. Days after the shooting, the man told investigators he had no recollection of police being in the home or trying to help him. His perception was that there was somebody attacking him. His perception was that he was fighting someone off who had attacked him, said Gill. His wounds were self-inflicted but from his perception, they were from a third party. He had no recollection of police being in the home with him. He thought police had shot him when he left the home. Gill confirmed the man was only charged with destruction of property and did not face any charges related to assaulting police officers. The use of force by police was also deemed justified and no charges will be filed against the officers who fired upon the man. 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. A federal prosecutor Thursday spent several hours chronicling the cash, gold, and other items FBI agents found during a June 16, 2022, search of Sen. Bob Menendezs Englewood Cliffs home. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Peek into Sen. Bob Menendezs closets and basement, and youll learn hes secretly a slob, with his and his wifes belongings strewn around as if a typhoon just blew through. But in 2022, that chaos hid something worse, federal prosecutors said Thursday proof of his corruption. Jammed into jackets and boots and crammed into bags and boxes were 13 gold bars and $486,461 in cash, the fruits of five years of bribes New Jerseys senior senator and his wife took from three businessmen hungry for Menendezs influence, prosecutors said. On the fourth day of the Democratic senators corruption trial in Manhattan, prosecutor Lara Pomerantz spent several hours chronicling the cash, gold, and other items FBI agents found during a June 16, 2022, search of the couples Englewood Cliffs home. Aristotelis Kougemitros, the FBI special agent who led the search, narrated photos of the senators home and its hoarded riches, and Pomerantz gave the confiscated cash and gold, sealed in evidence bags, to jurors for inspection. Investigators found so much money in envelopes banded together in stacks or loose in bags that they quit photographing it and Kougemitros called for backup, he testified. Two agents arrived with an automated cash counter. The sheer volume of bills that we encountered was too much to count by hand, he said. Thursday, Pomerantz and Kougemitros took so long to list all the loot investigators found around the Menendezes split-level home that U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein stood up to stretch his legs. Menendez lawyer Avi Weitzman had told jurors on Wednesday that the senators wife, Nadine, took the cash, gold, and other bribes without her husbands knowledge and stashed much of it in her deadbolted closet and the locked safe inside it. The senator had a habit of keeping cash at home, rooted in his experience as the son of immigrants who fled Cuba with nothing, Weitzman added. Check the moneys date, he told jurors, saying they were older bills long out of circulation that would prove Menendez collected them over decades. On Thursday, Pomerantz clearly sought to deflate that defense. She showed seized stacks of hundred-dollar bills with April 2022 dates stamped on the banks band. She told jurors most of the money was found packed into pockets of the senators coats and in bags in the commonly accessible basement. The closet in question became a point of debate, with Kougemitros insisting investigators found Menendezs navy blazer and mens ties hanging inside the closet, suggesting it was a shared space. But Adam Fee, a Menendez attorney, pushed back on cross-examination, countering that the blazer was hanging on the back of the master bedroom door, not inside the closet, which he said was Nadines alone. The mens ties? They belonged to a teenager who used to live in the home, Fee said, pointing to the skulls and cheese-eating mice dotting several ties. Nadine Menendez had two children from a previous marriage, including a son named Andre. Fee asked Kougemitros if hed ever seen the senator wear such sassy ties. In fairness, I havent really studied photos of Senator Menendez wearing ties, Kougemitros responded. In court, Menendezs ties have leaned patriotic, every day a different variation of red and blue. Cash aside, all the gold bars the FBI seized were found in the closet, Fee said. Whoever put them there didnt worry about their storage, photos showed. One was wrapped in a paper towel, shoved in a Ziploc bag, and left on the floor beneath other detritus. Beyond the cash, gold bars, jewelry, air purifier, and fitness machine the couple allegedly accepted as bribes, the FBIs photos show the couple liked luxury brands, with bags branded Prada, Giorgio Armani, Burberry, and more making appearances in the pictures. Menendez listened to the testimony without much of a reaction, occasionally resting his cheek in his palm. Criminalizing friendship? Before Pomerantz called Kougemitros as the cases first witness, the attorneys for Menendezs two co-defendants Wael Will Hana and Fred Daibes delivered their opening statements. Hana is an Egyptian-American businessman and longtime friend of Nadine Menendez who prosecutors say bribed the couple with gold and cash to help him gain a monopoly on exporting halal meat to Egypt, free up military arms and aid to Egypt, and supply sensitive U.S. government information to Egyptian officials. Daibes is an Edgewater real estate developer who prosecutors say gave Menendez gold and cash to disrupt a bank fraud investigation into him by the U.S. Attorneys Office in New Jersey and help him land a lucrative investment from a member of Qatars royal family. Attorney Lawrence Lustberg, who represents Hana, told jurors prosecutors were making innocent actions look sinister by criminalizing friendships, commercial success, and advocating for ones homeland. Hana had been close friends with Nadine Menendez for 15 years and gave her gifts out of friendship, Lustberg said. Gold is a gift people particularly from the Middle East like to give, he added. Wills gifts got nicer as his business succeeded, Lustberg said. Prosecutors say Hana also gave Nadine Menendez a low- or no-show job at his meat exporting business as a bribe. Lustberg conceded Hana paid her three $10,000 checks to help him set up operations in other countries as his business expanded. But she didnt do the work, so he fired her, he added. Ask yourself is this what a briber does? Lustberg said. Attorney Cesar de Castro, who represents Daibes, echoed Lustbergs sentiment, saying prosecutors were sensationalizing gift-giving. This is the argument Menendez and his friend and co-defendant, Salomon Melgen, made during their 2017 corruption trial, which ended in a hung jury. Investing in precious metals like gold is normal and common gold is even sold at Costco, de Castro said. Theres nothing criminal about being generous. Fee is expected to resume his cross examination of Kougemitros Friday. Prosecutors have indicated they plan to call an FBI agent to testify Monday to talk about Menendezs actions in Egypt. A cancer diagnosis While Menendez treks to Manhattan daily to fight his second corruption case in the past decade, his wife has been home battling a medical crisis that prompted Stein to postpone her trial to at least July. Thursday, as de Castro was defending Daibes, Menendezs Senate staff sent out a statement revealing that Nadine Menendez has grade 3 breast cancer and needs a mastectomy, follow-up surgery, and possibly radiation treatment. In the statement, Menendez said his wife decided to ask him to disclose her medical condition as a result of constant press inquiries and reporters following my wife. We are of course, concerned about the seriousness and advanced stage of the disease, he said in the statement. We hope and pray for the best results. 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 post Gold bars in baggies and cash crammed in boots: Prosecutors detail Menendezs hoarded riches appeared first on New Jersey Monitor. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) has hit back at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), telling The Daily Beast that the congresswoman was trying to make her look ghetto. Crockett was responding after Greene said at a Thursday night House Oversight Committee meeting that Crockett couldnt read past her fake eyelashes. It was absolutely a racist thing, she told The Daily Beast. Any woman that knows anything about makeup and getting done up knows that eyelashes are one of those things that kind of come with it MAGA has been trolling on social media for a while and its a way of them basically calling me ghetto and things like that, because of my hair and my lashes and my nails. Its almost like, well, we dont have anything intelligent to counter that with. So instead, well be racist and well attack her and go after her looks. Which, frankly, I am not lacking in my confidence about my looks. but they do it all the time. So I think this was just a fundraising ploy for her and its also just her brand. Her brand is chaos and ignoring the rules, she said. Crockett shared that she regularly gets her eyelashes done by a professional. I have someone that actually literally put them on so I dont have to do strips and whatnot I have a person that comes to me, she said. A spokesperson for Greene pushed back on the claim from Crockett that the Georgia Republicans statement was racist, saying the only person who referenced any sort of color was Crockett when she made a remark about Greenes physical appearance and that the reason the committee went off the rails the way it did was because Democrats spent the beginning of the hearing attacking former President Donald Trump. The only one who referenced color was Jasmine Crockett, so her claim is absurd, a spokesperson for Greene told The Daily Beast. This was in reference to Crocketts own name-calling when she hurled an insult at Greene by asking Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) if it was appropriate to talk about a member of the committees bleach blond, bad-built butch body in reference to Greene. However, even Republicans rounded on Greene, with rabble-rousing Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) saying she was embarrassed by what transpired. During the hearing, Boebert was the sole Republican to vote with the Democrats to silence Greene for the remainder of the hearing. (Boebert and Greene famously have bad blood as they jockey for press attention and Trumpworlds affections.) It was embarrassing what was going on, Boebert told reporters on Friday. I couldnt bring myself to stand in defense of that, I wouldnt do it for the other side. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was equally unimpressed with what went down. Its not a good look for Congress, Johnson told reporters at the U.S. Capitol Building. House Oversight Committee Hearing Goes Totally Off the Rails Thanks to MTG The Oversight hearingwhich was postponed to 8 p.m. so members could attend Donald Trumps trial in New Yorkwas supposed to be a markup of a resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for withholding the recording of President Joe Bidens interview with special counsel Robert Hur. But Garland wasnt the only official facing contempt in the committee room. The hearing devolved into a petty spectacle almost from the get-go. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) referred to Greene as baby girl as she shot back a defense. Perhaps the most shocking moment came when Crockett blasted Greene for having a bleach blond, bad built, butch body. Outrage, predictably, ensued. Even Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) seemed to choke on the alliterative jab. Once the dust settled Friday morningand members reportedly sobered up after pregaming the hearing with boozeJohnson wasnt having any of it. And as Ive said a few times this morning, decorum is an important principle to maintain, he told reporters. And were going to continue to try to advance that principle and we need people on both sides of the aisle to just, I think, just take the emotion out of it. We can have vigorous debate, thats what this institution is built upon, he continued. But you know, we have to treat one another with dignity and respect. Johnson has repeatedlyoften futilelyurged decorum. The speaker made a big stink about etiquette ahead of the March State of the Union address only for Greene to flout Johnsons wishes by donning a MAGA cap and interrupting President Joe Bidens annual speech. But Democrats in the House took issue with what they consider Johnson drawing a false equivalence between inappropriate GOP provocations and justifiable Democratic clapbacks. Heres the problem with both sidesing the chaos that was the Republican Oversight hearing, Ocasio-Cortez posted on X in response to Johnsons statement. Republicans VOTED in cmte to allow the rhetoric that was used against Ms. Crockett last night. Notice that when Dems have the majority, these things dont happen. But as Johnson pleads for civility, whats happening on the Oversight Committee is not a surprise to those on Capitol Hill. The panel is a perfect storm for chaos as the top partisans from both parties are put in a room to argue a contentious topic during an election year. Its the committee of misfit toys, is how one senior GOP aide described House Oversight. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. From the Dispatch Politics on The Dispatch Happy Friday! If the Trump and Biden campaigns are interested in scheduling more debates to give the voters a chance to hear their positions, we have people who are ready and willing to serve as moderators. Up to Speed More details emerged since Wednesday about former President Donald Trump and President Joe Bidens debates scheduled for June and September. CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate their networks June 27 debate. To qualify, candidates will need ballot access in enough states to reach the threshold of 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. They will also need to present four polls that meet the outlets standards. The two major party candidates easily qualify, and it is not impossible, but not likely, that independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will make itthough Kennedy has said he will meet the criteria. ABC announced similar qualification standards for its September 10 debate and revealed that David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate. In more debate news, Vice President Kamala Harris accepted a CBS offer to debate Trumps to-be-announced running mate on either July 23 or August 13. Trumps campaign has yet to comment on the invitation, which it also received. CBS has not revealed details such as format, moderators, and qualifications for its contest. Several more congressional Republicans joined Trump at his trial in Manhattan Thursday, including Reps. Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Ralph Norman, Andy Ogles, and Michael Waltz. This weeks Collision newsletter has a lot more about how the courthouse at 100 Centre Street in New York has become the destination for Trump allies in Congress and elsewhere. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina will hit the road on a tour in the coming months to help Biden turn out black voters, Punchbowl News reported Thursday. Stops on his trip will include the battlegrounds of Michigan, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as Ohio, which appears to be a safe state for Trump. The news about Clyburn comes after the Biden campaign announced that it will focus this month on mobilizing minority voters highlighting the issue of health care. Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, the Republican nominee for Marylands Senate seat, clarified his position on abortion in a Thursday interview with the New York Times. Though he called himself pro-choice and called for the reinstatement of Roe v. Wade, he rejected the Womens Health Protection Acta Democratic bill that would not only reestablish abortion rights but also prohibit states from implementing a number of abortion restrictions. Hogan instead sided more with Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins bill to reinstate Roe, which would prohibit any restriction that puts an undue burden on women seeking abortions. Hogans comments put him to the right of Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, the Democratic nominee for Senate, who has said she would co-sponsor the Womens Health Protection Act. A Brewing Scandal Could Aid a GOP House Pickup in Oregon Rep. Val Hoyle (right) walks into the U.S. Capitol with Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez on Thursday, April 20, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Republicans in Oregon are setting their sights on the states 4th Congressional District as a key pickup opportunity in the House while its Democratic incumbent has reported lackluster fundraising amid a lingering scandal. One-term Democratic Rep. Val Hoyle has the least cash on hand of any incumbent in the National Republican Congressional Committees target list, and she is second-to-last on that list in fundraising for the first quarter of 2024. On top of that, Hoyles campaign recently paid more than $17,000 in legal feeslikely to deal with an investigation into a scandal from her time as an Oregon state official. Republicans are attempting to capitalize on all of that to flip the seat, but they have their work cut out for them. The Cook Political Report rates the race as Likely Democrat, and President Joe Biden won the district by almost 13 points in 2020. House GOP leadership has rallied behind attorney and retired Air Force colonel Monique DeSpain, the leading Republican in the May 21 primary contest, as the candidate with the best chance to take on Hoyle. Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik have all endorsed her bid. Ive been taking on challenges my whole career. Theres an urgent need that Im qualified to meet, DeSpain told Dispatch Politics. The kicker is that this incumbent is under federal investigation. Thats not entirely accurate, but the feds do appear to be interested in Hoyles tenure as commissioner of Oregons Bureau of Labor and Industries. In that role, Hoyle personally advocated to send a state grant of more than $554,000 to a cannabis company headed by two people who donated to her campaign, which the Daily Beast and several local outlets reported on. After Hoyle entered Congress last year, an investigation from an Oregon news outlet revealed that La Mota, the company that received the grant, was mired in financial troubles, leading Hoyles successor to cancel the funding, which turned out to be illegal in the first place. Since then, Hoyle has battled with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries as it has asked her to turn over communications from her time leading the department. After nearly 11 months, Hoyle turned over part of the records through her attorney, Emily Matasar, whom she hired to review those records related to the dispute. Hoyles campaign on March 1 then made a payment of $17,688.33 to the firm that employs Matasar, according to Federal Election Commission records. That payment came after the Department of Justice in late January issued a subpoena to the Oregon Bureau of Labor in late January, indicating possible interest in the matterthough Hoyle has said she has not been contacted by DOJ. DeSpain has made Hoyles controversy a focal point of her campaign, introducing herself as a believer in openness and transparency in her campaign launch video. She has also launched a website with a petition visitors can sign to demand that the DOJ formally investigate Hoyle, accompanied by a list of events in the grant saga. Hoyles campaign did not respond to requests for comment. But DeSpain still needs to compete with Hoyle on the money front. While Hoyles fundraising is lackluster compared to other vulnerable Democrats, she has outpaced DeSpain, having raised almost $1.3 million since the cycle began, compared to Despains approximately $212,500. The DeSpain campaign noted that DeSpain outraised Hoyle in April, though Hoyle had almost $550,000 more in cash on hand at the end of the month. DeSpain is expected to sail through Tuesdays primary against Amy Ryan Courser, who previously lost as the Republican nominee for Oregons 5th Congressional District in 2020 before finishing third in the Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District in 2022. Though she has endorsements from National Right to Life and other pro-life organizations in her state, Courser raised less than $12,000 in the first quarter and had just more than $2,000 on hand at the end of April. Lawmakers From Both Parties Divided Over Bidens Israel Stance President Bidens announcement last week that he is withholding certain weapons from Israel in order to deter it from invading the Gazan city of Rafah is facing blowback in Congress, and not just from Republicans. The House of Representatives voted 224-187 on Thursday to reverse Bidens policy, with 16 Democrats joining all but three Republicans to pass the legislation. On the site this week, John McCormack reports about how Bidens Israel policy is playing on the Hill, with plenty of Democrats voicing concern about the policy even as most of the party is behind the president: 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. Nickel was not among the 16 Democrats who voted for the bill Thursday. And theres one more small divide among GOP lawmakers. While several Republicans are clamoring for Biden to be impeached for his decision to withhold weapons, Sen. Mitt Romney said theres no equivalence with what President Donald Trump was impeached for in 2019: 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. Read the full story here. Notable and Quotable I would have no problem if he got whatever the threshold is. But hes very low and seems to be heading in the other direction, in the wrong direction. Donald Trump, to political correspondent Charles Benson, on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being allowed to join the CNN presidential debate, May 16, 2024 Read more at The Dispatch The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free. Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., (L) argued during a hearing Thursday night that Attorney General Merrick Garland be held in contempt of Congress for not heeding the GOP's subpoena for recordings of President Joe Biden's October interview concerning his handling of classified documents. Rep. Jim Jordan's House Judiciary Committee had earlier Thursday voted in approval of the resolution. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI May 17 (UPI) -- Two Republican-led House committees have advanced an effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for not handing over audio recordings of Joe Biden's interview with a special counsel investigating the president's handling of classified documents. The House Oversight Committee voted 24-20 late Thursday to advance the resolution in a hearing the descended in to chaos hours after the House Judiciary Committee voted 18-15 to do the same. The passing of the resolution sends it to a full House floor vote in a largely symbolic move, as if passed would direct House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Ky., to ask the Justice Department to seek prosecution, which seems highly unlikely. Republicans are seeking the transcripts of Biden's recorded October interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated the president's retention of classified documents from his time as vice president. Hur released a report on the conclusion of his investigation in February declining to file charges against Biden that also included controversial comments that questioned the president's memory. Ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Thursday chastised Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., (R) during a hearing Thursday for trying to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI The Republicans, who are in possession of the transcripts, which were made public in March, have issued a subpoena in demand of the recordings as part of its impeachment investigations into the president. During his opening statement Thursday night, House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., accused the Biden administration of trying to hide something by not handing the recordings over. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., was at the center of chaos during a House oversight committee Thursday night after she made a comment on Rep. Jasmine Crockett's appearance and then insulted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's intelligence. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI "There is no substitute -- as the many lawyers on this committee will tell you -- for a recording of an actual conversation. Not a summary. Not a report. Not a transcript," he said. "What is the White House afraid of?" Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., lambasted the proceedings in his opening statement as political theater, titling it: "Comer's High Crimes and Misadventures: The Hilarious Quest to Impeach a President Who Has Done Nothing Wrong." Raskin first accused them of changing the time of the markup from 11 a.m. EDT to 8 p.m. so that House members could travel to New York City and be present for the election interference and hush-money trial of former President Donald Trump. He then said the Republicans have yet to identify a single high crime or misdemeanor committed by Biden despite their accumulation of some 3.8 million pages of documents and 80 hours of testimony from 20 witnesses. "There is plainly nothing relevant or material that our committee can learn from an audiotape, which we cannot learn from the 250 pages of the transcript. The format of the medium does not change the content of the communications," he said. "So, in this absurd twist, our friends now seek to blame the spectacular bellyflop of their own impeachment probe on Attorney General Garland and his sneaky efforts to obstruct the investigation by cooperating with it." The already-testy hearing turned argumentative when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., made a comment about Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett's appearance. The controversial lawmaker asked if any of the Democrats present had employed the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing Trump's trial in New York. Crockett, in turn, asked what that question had to do with Garland. "Do you know what we're here for?" Crockett asked. "I don't think you know what you're here for," Greene said. "I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you're reading." The comment attracted angry retorts from Democrats, with Raskin saying "that was beneath even you" and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., shouting "That's disgusting." "That is absolutely unacceptable," she said. "How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person." "Are your feelings hurt?" Greene retorted. She then later challenged Ocasio-Cortez to a debate. When she declined, the Georgia Republican said it was because the New York Democrat didn't have "enough intelligence." The hearing then descended into chaos and yelling, which ended with an effort to silence Greene for the rest of the meeting, which passed in a 22-20 vote. On Thursday morning, Biden asserted executive privilege to block House Republicans from accessing the recordings. The use of the privilege had been at Garland's request, who argued that 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." Comer said despite the block, Republicans would continue with their markup resolution on holding Garland in contempt of Congress for defying the GOP subpoena. "Today's Hail Mary from the White House changes nothing for our committee," he said in a statement. Since Republicans retook the House in 2022, they have been using their control of the chamber to launch impeachment hearings into Biden, first focusing on the business relations of his son, Hunter Biden, where no evidence of wrongdoing has been found. Then in 2023, Republicans opened a second impeachment inquiry into Biden's handling of classified documents after two batches were uncovered in late 2022 at an office he used and in early 2023 at his Delaware home. 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 Alaska Beacon. 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post With GOP opposed, U.S. Senate panel advances bills to combat AI in elections appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. A delegation headed by Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan Kamran Aliyev is on a working visit to the city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to participate in the 5th meeting of the Prosecutors General of the member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Prosecutor General's Office told Trend. During meetings held on May 17, the Prosecutor General announced that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity had been fully restored. He credited the rapid pace of restoration and construction in Karabakh to the attention and care of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva. In discussions with Tajikistan's Prosecutor General, Yusuf Rahmon, cooperation in mutual legal assistance and efficient interaction within bilateral and multilateral formats within international organizations were emphasized. The parties expressed confidence in the successful continuation of cooperation between their prosecutor's offices. Similarly, in talks with Iranian Prosecutor General Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, positive dynamics in relations between the two countries' prosecutor's offices were noted. Kamran Aliyev invited his Iranian counterpart for an official visit to Azerbaijan, expressing hope for further cooperation. Additionally, a meeting with ECO Secretary General Khusrav Noziri highlighted the successful gathering in Baku the previous September. Both parties emphasized the importance of ties with ECO, discussing ways to improve the organization's work and enhance relations between member states. Another meeting, with Pakistan's Deputy Prosecutor General Rashdeen Nawaz, expressed satisfaction with the comprehensive cooperation between the two nations. They emphasized the necessity of developing cooperation between their prosecutor's offices, addressing issues related to protecting citizens' rights and freedoms, legal assistance in criminal cases, and extradition. During the visit, the meeting of the prosecutors general of the Organization of Turkic States, established on November 1, 2021, in Baku, was held. At the meeting, the prospects of further cooperation within the framework of the OTG were discussed, including organizational issues related to the 3rd meeting of the Council, which will be held in Kyrgyzstan in July this year. The delegation's visit to Tajikistan concluded. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel 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) Quality Journalism for Critical Times 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 Florida Phoenix. Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) is calling it quits on his marriage of 12 years, filing for divorce from his oncologist wife earlier this month even as Capitol Hill insiders report seeing him cozy up to another Republican lawmaker. A petition for divorce was filed by McCormick on May 3, according to Gwinnett County court records. A mutual restraining order was filed in the case docket on the same day. The Daily Mail first reported the pending divorce on Thursday. Asked by the outlet about her husbands reasons for the divorce, Dr. Debra Miller replied in a text that she wasnt sure McCormick would be forthcoming. When pressed about the possibility of an affair hanging over their relationship, Miller replied, You should ask Rich and his colleague, according to the Mail. Sources on the Hill told the tabloid that McCormick had been spotted acting overly friendly toward Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) of late. One insider reported seeing the pair holding hands under the table at a congressional caucus earlier this year, adding that theyd also witnessed McCormick grab the small of [Van Duynes] back on the House floor during votes. Two other unnamed sources reported seeing the Republicans holding hands in the chamber, while a third witness told the Mail that theyd watched as Van Duyne held onto McCormicks arm as they left one of the House office buildings late at night. The Daily Beast has reached out to Rep. McCormicks attorney and spokesperson for comment. The spokesperson told the Mail that the legislator and his wife 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 comment to the outlet. Married since 2011, according to their social media accounts, McCormick and Miller share seven children. Van Duyne has been divorced from her ex-husband, with whom she shares two children, since 2012. McCormick has represented Georgias sixth congressional district since last year. A Marine Corps and Navy veteran and emergency room physician, he lost his first bid for elected office in 2020, losing the seventh congressional districts general election to his Democratic opponent. He handily won in the sixth in 2022, however, after the district was redrawn, leaving it a far more deeply red territory. The 55-year-old previously drew national headlines for a bizarre report earlier this year that hed been witnessed doing pull-ups at the top of the Capitol dome, hanging onto a rail hundreds of feet off the ground. He later told reporters that he used to get paid to jump out of perfectly good aircraftthis is nothing dangerous. In late 2023, it was also reported that hed gotten into a physical altercation with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) after both moved to force votes on competing resolutions to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). After Greene accused McCormick, without naming him, of shaking her shoulders, he told Politico that hed intended it as a friendly gesture. I said to her, at least we can have an honest discussion, to which she said she did not appreciate that, he explained. For that I immediately apologized and have not spoken to her since. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Governor Dan McKee announced on Friday, May 17, 2024, that interim Child Advocate Katelyn Medeiros is his nomination for the permanent post. (Courtesy of Office of the Governor) The states Acting Child Advocate could soon fill the post permanently, Gov. Dan McKees office announced Friday. Since July 2022, attorney Katelyn Medeiros has served as the temporary leader of the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA), the states oversight agency that ensures and protects the wellbeing and rights of children receiving services through the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). Legislative advocacy, legal action and inspection of state-contracted providers or facilities are all within the advocates purview, according to Rhode Island General Law. Its powers of oversight are separate and independent from those internal to DCYF. Katelyn is a proven and passionate leader who has championed the safety and well-being of Rhode Island children for more than a decade, including the last two years as our states acting director, McKee said in a statement. We know she will serve Rhode Islanders well in this permanent role. Medeiros nomination now goes to the Senate for advice and consent. Senate spokesperson Greg Pare said Friday afternoon that the Senate just received this nomination and nothing had been scheduled as of May 17. During the last ten years, my passion and commitment to this important work has remained steadfast, Medeiros said in a statement. I will provide continuity to the critical work of our office to ensure the best interest of all children experiencing our child welfare, childrens behavioral health, and juvenile justice systems. Since her initial role at the OCA in 2014 as a staff attorney, followed by a promotion to assistant child advocate in 2017, Medeiros has added an educational advocate to the offices ranks and also helped establish a nine-member Advisory Committee. The committee members, each appointed by various parties and organizations, include an attorney, a family court judge, three kinds of pediatric specialists and an independent clinical social worker. The child advocate chooses the remaining three members, who are all children or parents formerly involved with the states child welfare system. Medeiros took over as acting director in 2022 when her predecessor, Jennifer Griffith, left on an extended medical leave. Griffith ultimately resigned in July 2023 to take a job with the Secretary of States Office. Concerns from Griffiths tenure have stretched into the present unresolved particularly, a lack of adequate community-based, wraparound services or residential care for children, especially young girls, with severe behavioral and mental health issues or histories of trauma and abuse. Medeiros testified in a tense, long hearing of the House Committee on Oversight on the monthslong report her office made public in January documenting abuse and negligence at St. Marys Home for Children in North Providence. A scathing report questioned practices among staff and administrators at the home and the lackluster attempts by DCYF officials to remedy them. St. Marys recently announced that Tides Family Services would take over clinical duties at the residential treatment facility. St. Marys Home for Children, seen here on April 10, 2024, has been scrutinized by state officials and legislators alike after a scorching report and presentation was publicly released by the Office of the Child Advocate under the leadership of Katelyn Medeiros. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) DCYF welcomed a new leader last year when Ashley Deckert took over for acting director Kevin Aucoin. Earlier this week, Zachary Cunha, U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island, announced the results of a joint investigation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights that found the child welfare agency let children and adolescents languish for months or even a year or more at Bradley Hospital, the states childrens psychiatric hospital in East Providence. Cunha suggested potential legal action. Cunha placed the onus of wrongdoing entirely with the state, and the state alone and not Bradley Hospital, he said in a press conference Monday, May 14. With DCYF, the object of its oversight, now magnified to federal attention, the Child Advocate agreed the findings were important. The OCA anticipates DCYFs swift response to address these findings and ensure the best interests of all children experiencing the childrens behavioral health system, Kara Foley, an OCA spokesperson, said in a statement emailed Tuesday, May 14. All children involved with DCYF have the right to receive treatment in the least restrictive setting with access to comprehensive services that allow them to maintain relationships with their family, school, and within the community. These findings provide a critical opportunity to conduct an in-depth review of our full continuum of care, build capacity in-state, and explore all funding opportunities. I believe we have momentum and look forward to identifying innovative solutions necessary for systemic reform, Medeiros said in the statement accompanying news of her nomination. Paige Clausius-Parks, executive director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, praised the nomination of Medeiros in an emailed statement. Katelyns commitment and determination to protect the children of Rhode Island is evident from her solid leadership throughout her tenure as interim. This is a win for our states most vulnerable children, Clausius-Parks said, The announcement of Medeiros nomination arrived less than an hour after McKee chose Wayne Salisbury for a permanent post at the Department of Corrections, where he has served as acting director since January 2023. McKees administration has been making progress in filling key roles. Dr. Jerome Larkins nomination for health department director was advanced by a Senate committee Thursday, and will hit the Senate floor Tuesday, May 21. The Senate approved Richard Leclerc as director of the Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities on March 14. Cory King took over leadership of the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner on April 2, after having filled the role in an acting capacity since December 2022. The post Gov. Dan McKee nominates interim child advocate to fill role permanently appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Ukraine has returned four children from Russian-occupied territory in Kherson Oblast, local governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on May 17. Over 19,500 children have been confirmed 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 evacuated children are three brothers and a sister, aged from two to 12. Sign up for our newsletter Ukraine Weekly By Olga Rudenko Sign up The rescue operation was conducted by the children's parents in collaboration with Save Ukraine, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO. The children arrived on Ukraine-controlled territory and are receiving psychological and medical support, the governor said. On May 14, Ukraine returned the other six children from Russian-occupied territories in Kherson Oblast. A total of 88 children have been reportedly brought back from Russian-held territory in Kherson Oblast since the beginning of 2024. Read also: Ombudsman: Children in occupied Ukraine forced to make trench candles Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The graduate! Barron Trump accepts diploma at heavily guarded ceremony in Palm Beach President Donald Trump made it to his youngest sons graduation on Friday morning, after all. Trump, who is still in the midst of his hush money trial in New York, arrived to Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach with just minutes to spare, the Daily Beast reports. The 77-year-old presumptive Republican presidential nominee sat in the front row in the bleachers, along with his wife Melania Trump and her father Viktor Knaus. Barron Trump graduates from Oxbridge Academy. His parents, former President Trump and wife Melania attended the ceremony on Friday, May 17, 2024 in West Palm Beach. Security was high at the private ceremony, with Secret Service and police everywhere. As per The Daily Mail, students were announced in alphabetical order. When Barron William Trump was finally called, the six-foot-seven 18 year old walked up to the podium to get his diploma, towering over school officials. The teenagers father wont be sticking around Florida for a celebratory dinner; Trump was headed to a GOP fundraiser in St. Paul, Minnesota. On Monday, hes back in Manhattan, where the trial is due to restart. Its unclear where the young man is headed next to study. He has great marks, No. 45 said at an event at Mar a Lago earlier this month. Were looking at some colleges that are different [than] they were two months ago. An 'A-Team' of U.S. Army Green Berets will receive specialized drone training, including about using first-person view (FPV) types , ahead of an upcoming scheduled rotational deployment. This will help the Special Forces soldiers be better prepared to train foreign allies and partners on the use of uncrewed aerial systems, including potentially in Ukraine. It will also prepare them to be able to use those capabilities for their own local surveillance and force protection purposes while forward deployed in dangerous locales. The explicit inclusion of drone skill sets in the pre-deployment workup for the Green Berets underscores how the war in Ukraine has brought the value of drones and appreciation for the threats they pose fully mainstream. At the same time, it also highlights how the U.S. military is still lagging behind in many ways when it comes to this reality. This is particularly apparent in the slow pace at which the branches of America's armed forces have been moving to acquire FPV-type and other kinds of kamikaze drones , despite them now often being discussed as having nearly the same level of significance as artillery on Ukrainian battlefields. The Army announced earlier this month that it had hired private contractor Flymotion to provide drone and non-standard vehicle training services to a Green Beret A Team from the 2nd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) , or 10th SFG(A), out of Fort Carson, Colorado. Since Flymotion received a sole-source deal, Army officials had to provide detailed justifications for not using typical competition contracting processes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWZY_cJ3FXM "10th SFG(A) is requesting a contractor to provide non-personal services on non-standard vehicle operations, evasive maneuvers, ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissancec] in convoy operations, ISR platform build, drone employment, FPV drone operations, to include vehicles for mobility training and drones/components for drone operations," the Justification & Approval (J&A) document or the sole-source contract explains. "Through this training, they aspire to mitigate risk and enhance mission effectiveness in an OCONUS JCET [Outside the Continental United States Joint Combined Exchange Training] environment as well as semi-permissive and hostile areas to which Special Forces Companies may deploy (in particular Ukraine) utilizing internal Detachment surveillance (Unmanned Aircraft Systems-UAS) technology." "The impact if the training opportunity is not granted is that 10th SFG(A) 2nd Bn [Battalion] would lose the ability to train drone and vehicular operations prior to their validation exercise in May 2024 and SOTF 10.1 rotation, thus loosing [sic; losing] the capability to teach and apply these critical skills," the contracting document continues. "This training is part of an already approved validation pathway for 10th SFG 2nd Bn and, if denied, will greatly disrupt the ODAs ability to apply the training to further validation events." An FPV drone being flown by a U.S. special operator (not seen) during an exercise in Europe earlier this year. SOCEUR ODA refers to an Operational Detachment Alpha , more commonly known as an A-Team, the smallest standardized Army Special Forces unit. Flymotion was picked because "generally, the following issues existed for most vendors: they lacked the technical expertise to provide [the desired] instruction... ; they utilized drones manufactured in China which is against installation policies; they did not offer military solutions for training; and they did not provide training with complexities of European Theatre in mind," the J&A adds. The Joint Combined Exchange Training mentioned in the J&A is a kind of very small and short-duration training engagement that Army Green Berets and other U.S. special operations forces conduct regularly in various countries around the world . JCETs typically focus on practicing relatively basic skill sets, as well as exchanging tactics, techniques, and procedures, and are primarily conducted with members of foreign special operations and other elite units. Members of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) take part in a JCET in Albania with elements of that country's special operations forces in February 2024. SOCEUR Whether or not there is any actual plan for the 10th SFG(A) A-Team to make a JCET or JCET-like deployment to Ukraine proper during its upcoming rotation is unknown. The War Zone has reached out to the Army and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) for more information. It has been reported in the past that small teams of U.S. special operations forces have operated inside Ukraine out of the Embassy in Kyiv conducting training and advise-and-assist missions away from the front lines, as well as providing force protection for visiting dignitaries. American special operators, including members of the 10th SFG(A), are also known to be helping train Ukrainians in neighboring countries like Poland. American officials have just recently been publicly discussing the potential for larger in-country training efforts down the road. Discussions about operating highly maneuverable FPV drones and other kinds of uncrewed aerial systems would undoubtedly be an important part of any future training engagement with Ukrainian forces inside the country or anywhere else. The use of FPV-type kamikaze drones , as well as other lower-end weaponized types , has become a fixture on both sides of the battlefield in Ukraine. The conflict has brought the value of and threats posed by lower-end drones fully into the mainstream consciousness. "I think you're seeing essentially a new type of trench warfare in Ukraine from that perspective," Gabe Camarillo, the Under Secretary of the Army, said today at an online talk hosted by the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington. Camarillo was speaking more specifically about the speed at which innovation in drone technologies is being observed in Ukraine, as well as the development of countermeasures and counter-countermeasures . "The [primary] way that both [the Ukrainians and Russians] are overcoming this [countermeasures] is with mass," he added. "And, so, the ability to achieve effects by having such low-cost capabilities that... you were able to flood the zone." At the same time, drones, and especially the threat that armed types present on and off the battlefield, are not in any way limited to the ongoing war in Ukraine, nor is this really new. The barrier to entry is also low, meaning that smaller nation states and even non-state actors , from terrorists to criminal gangs , are among those increasingly availing themselves of these capabilities to varying degrees. These are all things that The War Zone has been highlighting for years . "I think what we're seeing, and not just in Ukraine, but really around the world, is that the availability and the impact of small unmanned aerial systems and the threats that they present on the battlefield is here to stay," Army Undersecretary Camarillo said today at the CNAS talk. "It is an evolution of a scale that is rapidly increasing to change the battlefield. So, in a nutshell... [this threat] is complex, ubiquitous, and is really transforming what the battlespace looks like." "It is very difficult to remain concealed in this environment. It is a very contested and congested battlespace," he continued. "We know that electromagnetic signature[s] , the availability of ISR capabilities brought about by these UAVs, really prevents any forces from being largely concealed or massed together." All of this is well known to the U.S. special operations community, too. "Ive been in the Army for 38 years, and in my entire time in the Army on battlefields in Iraq, in Afghanistan, Syria, I never had to look up," now-retired U.S. Army Gen. Richard Clarke, then head of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), said at the annual Aspen Security Forum in July 2022 , just months after Russia's full-on invasion of Ukraine. "I never had to look up because the U.S. always maintained air superiority and our forces were protected because we had air cover. But now with everything from quadcopters theyre very small up to very large unmanned aerial vehicles [UAV], we wont always have that luxury." The cost of entry into this, particularly for some of the small unmanned aerial systems, is very, very low," he continued. "I think that this is something thats gotta continue to go up in terms of our priority for the protection, not just of our forces that are forward today thats the current problem but whats gonna come home to roost. Some of these technologies could be used by our adversaries on our near abroad or even into our homeland. For Army Green Berets and other U.S. special operators, drones of all types will only continue to become increasingly ubiquitous components of operations, including foreign training engagements well beyond Ukraine. In February and March, U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR) released pictures showing other members of the 10th SFG(A) using FPV-type drones as part of the latest iteration of the Trojan Footprint exercise. Trojan Footprint is SOCEUR's premier annual special operations training event in the region and also includes the participation of various allies and partners. A member of 10th SFG(A) in Greece piloting an FPV drone during this year's Trojan Footprint exercise. SOCEUR The ever-growing pervasiveness of drones is a reality that applies to the rest of the U.S. military, too. Just when it comes to the Army, new efforts to acquire and field FPV drones, as well as types tethered to vehicles, are set to become formal programs of record in the 2025 Fiscal Year, one of the service's senior officials recently told Defense One . The FPV types could be used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, or be equipped with small munitions or payloads to conduct kinetic and non-kinetic attacks on enemy forces. They could take on other roles, as well. "Drones might provide an edge in reconnaissance, communication extension relays, electronic warfare, and lethal strikes," Army Lt. Col. Michael Brabner, who is in charge of smaller drone efforts within the Maneuver Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate (MCDID) at the service's Maneuver Center of Excellence , explained, according to Defense One. "His office has worked with the 82nd Airborne [Division] to rig Skydio RQ-28A quadcopters to drop live M-67 fragmentation grenades." Members of the US Army with a standard unarmed RQ-28A. US Army If it were to be signed into law in its present form, the latest draft of the annual defense policy bill, or National Defense Authorization Act, for the 2025 Fiscal Year from the House of Representatives would also compel the Army to establish a dedicated drone and counter-drone branch just like the ones it has for things like more traditional aviation, armor, and air defense. The entire U.S. military is looking at an increasingly uncrewed future down to the lowest levels . Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced that an Army effort to acquire Switchblade 600 loitering munitions and a maritime-focused drone boat swarm project were among the first tranche of submissions picked to receive special attention through its Replicator initiative. Replicator aims to help accelerate the development and fielding of thousands of uncrewed and also highly autonomous systems in just a matter of years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ5C1zTc2Ac\u0026t=53s There are also growing pushes across the branches of the U.S. armed forces for new and expanded counter-drone capabilities , another area where America's military is still very much playing catch-up . In a report accompanying their recent draft NDAA, members of the House Armed Services Committee advocated for more "innovative counter-unmanned aerial systems detect and defeat capabilities," including ones leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and demanded a joint briefing from the Army, Navy, and Air Force on what is being done now in this regard. Altogether, it is not at all surprising that the Green Berets from the 10th SFG(A) were keen to secure specialized drone training ahead of their upcoming rotation, especially with the prospect of a JCET or similar engagement inside Ukraine proper. Adding various drone-related skills to pre-deployment workups only looks set to become more and more normalized for both special operations and conventional forces. Contact the author: joe@twz.com RED BANK - Chris Marroquin, owner of Mi Lupita's Kitchen in Red Bank, moved to the United States as a young man to achieve his own American Dream. Although I operate my own restaurant now, my journey began back in Guatemala where I grew up and spent most of my childhood and teenage years. I lived there until I was 18, Marroquin said. My mom went to the United States when I was 6, but at one point she wanted my brothers and I to join her, so she got green cards for all of us to come to America. She was always there when I needed her and paid for most everything that I had. My brothers didnt like to study and mainly wanted to work, Marroquin said. One of my brothers, Alex, did not like the United States and went back to Guatemala instead. He was sadly murdered and is no longer with us. I got to America in 2008 when Obama became president. Marroquin enjoyed growing up in Guatemala and was not eager to leave. Christian Marroquin, owner of Mi Lupitas Kitchen in Red Bank, which offers Mexican cuisine for its customers. 'A unique light dimmed': Restaurateur Daniel Murphy dies, left remarkable Red Bank legacy I grew up being around my grandmother mainly, even though my mom helped with my financial responsibilities, Marroquin said. School was great, and I did not want to come to the United States. I had lived there all my life, and my friends were all there. After finishing high school, I got offered an internship, but that was around the time that my brother was killed, so my mother persuaded me to come to the United States. Learning the language Upon coming to the U.S., Marroquin did not speak much English and felt himself at a disadvantage in the work world. I did not know the language very well and it was a big barrier for me, Marroquin said. I was without a job for a while because most jobs required that you know English. It was a hard language to master. Honestly, I did not like it because it was so tough to learn. The thing of it is that once you are here in America, it is a necessity. Marroquin would go on to apply for a bunch of different jobs and remembers a job interview at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank. I went on an interview with my uncles wife there to translate for me, Marroquin said. She was an employee there and wanted to help me get through the interview. The person conducting the interview told her she had to wait outside. He started asking me questions in English and I didnt understand anything. I didnt know what he said the whole time and I ended up not getting the job because my English wasnt good enough. That day, I got home and started crying. Red Bank: More residents could rent out their homes under proposed short-term rental law Outdoor dining is offered in the rear of Mi Lupitas Kitchen, a Mexican restaurant on Bridge Avenue in Red Bank. Marroquin came to the realization that, if you want to be somebody in America, you will have to be able to speak the language. I started going to school in Long Branch and I took English as a second language, Marroquin said. It was a free program that they offered, and it was a little informal. I completed all three classes, but I was directed to go to Brookdale to further my education of speaking English and they had a great program there. My English got better, but I found that I really had to talk to people to get good at it. In the meantime, I got a job as a janitor at Red Bank Regional High School from 2009 to 2011, Marroquin said. It was tough because I was still young, and the students there looked at me like I didnt belong there. I needed a job and I stuck with it. I was able to pay my mother rent and I didnt have to depend on her like before. When he didn't get a raise he was hoping for, Marroquin quit and got another job at Concorde Specialty Gases which dealt with a gas called sulfur hexafluoride used as an insulator for electric vents. I got the job in May of 2011, and I still have that job, Marroquin said. That was when I started growing up as a person. I believe that many Spanish-speaking people do not achieve their potential because they do not work or function around many Americans. They spend a lot of their time with other Spanish friends. This job involved me interacting with other Americans and it gave me the help I needed to be successful in life. Red Bank: Basie Center Cinemas serving alcohol at the movies Everything I learned in school and on the job, I was putting into practice in life, Marroquin. I remember going into that gas company job interview asking for $10 an hour and that was a lot of money for me. My boss was tough and offered me $9.50, which I accepted. "Afterwards, I started to learn everything as quickly as I could in that job," he continued. "They slowly began to be impressed with my work ethic and I moved up the ladder. A restaurant of his own At Mi Lupitas Kitchen in Red Bank, the staff includes (left to right) Diego Coj, Azalea Hernandez, Angel Mendez, Esmeralda Bonilla, Christian Marroquin and Gudelia Jalindo Meanwhile, Marroquin was still finishing school at Brookdale Community College, majoring in business administration, along with taking on some other jobs, including at Old Man Raffertys, an Asbury Park restaurant. Marroquin did not end up finishing school because he had so much going on. Marroquin says he always wanted to have a place in the restaurant business. I always wanted to have my own business, but the opportunity never came about, Marroquin said. I would do anything, as long as it made me money. The chance to do it finally presented itself in 2021. I had a friend that worked for Kelly Ryan who owns the Boondocks Restaurant in The Marine Park, located in Red Bank. She opened a second location right where I am at now during the pandemic, Marroquin said. She eventually decided to close that location and thats when I decided to get in touch with her about taking over that location and making it the spot for my own restaurant. I met with her, and she agreed to talk to the landlords about renting out the space to me. After talking to the landlords, Marroquin came to an understanding that they could only rent the space out to him for two to three years. They told me that they were in a contract to sell the place, Marroquin said. They made it clear that it was not certain whether I could stay. Even with all of that on the line, I accepted their proposal because even if they sold to new owners in that time frame, the new owners wouldnt take over the space for another two to three years. I took my chances. Kelly was one of the nicest people that Ive ever met, Marroquin said. She told me not to give her any money up front. She let me pay installment payments and let me have a bunch of equipment for free. She was like a mentor to me. I didnt know much about restaurants, and she was a big help. Marroquin opened Mi Lupita's Kitchen on Dec. 4, 2021. Red Bank Charter School: Racial makeup spurs court to call for more answers The interior of Mi Lupitas Kitchen, a Red Bank business that provides Mexican cuisine for its customers. Business has been great since opening and we grow day by day, Marroquin said. We are getting more well known due to word of mouth and customers always give us a great review. Im very happy and the important thing about running a business is being around the right people and trusting the right people. Mi Lupita's Kitchen serves mainly Mexican food and offers many popular dishes. We have enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos are some of our fan favorites, Marroquin said. Also, the corn from the tortillas that we make comes right from a wholesaler, who orders right from Mexico from small farmers. The tortillas we make in the restaurant do not all contain the corn from that wholesaler, though. Marroquin hopes to stay where hes at. We have a five-year contract, Marroquin said. It seems like we are going to be here for another two to three years. In the meantime, we have a food truck that we will get into motion in the next three months. Mi Lupita's Kitchen Location: 78 Bridge Ave., Red Bank Owner: Chris Marroquin Phone: 732-867-0019 Facebook: facebook.com/MiLupitaskitchen Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Mi Lupita's Kitchen in Red Bank started by Guatemalan immigrant ISLAMABAD (AP) Several gunmen opened fire in central Afghanistan late on Friday, killing at least four people, including three foreign nationals, a Taliban spokesman said. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that three Spaniards had died in the attack and that at least one more had been injured. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described them as tourists in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing that he was overwhelmed by the news. Four suspects were arrested at the scene in Bamyan province, a major tourist area, and an investigation was underway, the official said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the late-evening attack. According to Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Talibans interior ministry, seven other people, including four foreign nationals were wounded in the attack. He did not elaborate or give the nationality of the foreign citizens. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final weeks of their withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war. Blame is likely to fall on the Islamic State groups affiliate in Afghanistan, a major Taliban rival. IS militants have carried out scores of attacks on schools, hospitals, mosques and minority Shiite areas throughout the country. Bamiyan is probably best known as the site of two massive Buddha statues that were carved into the cliff face between the 4th and 6th century and which were destroyed by the Taliban at al-Qaida's urging in early 2001. Former President Donald Trump, the presumed 2024 Republican nominee for president, said in a video on Monday, April 8, 2024, that abortion law should be set by the states. Trump is shown speaking May 28, 2022, in Casper, Wyoming. (Chet Strange/Getty Images) OMAHA More than 1 in 5 Republican presidential primary voters in Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District cast a ballot this week for someone other than former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee. That could spell trouble for Trump in flipping Nebraska Democrats blue dot to red this November, if Republicans dont eliminate the dot altogether, political observers said. Trump won the closed GOP primary in Nebraska handily, securing nearly 75% of the swing districts GOP vote. But former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley drew nearly 23%, with the rest going to other candidates. Haley quit the presidential race in early March and has not campaigned since. However, she has continued to grab a sizable piece of the GOP primary electorate since stepping aside. National pundits describe her persistent support as a protest vote and say its evidence that a small but potentially significant number of Republicans dont and might not support Trump. The Trump campaign has pushed back on this assertion by saying that Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz maintained significant support in 2016 after the GOP presidential primary outcome was obvious. Cruz, for example, remained in the race until just before the 2016 Nebraska primary. He received 16.5% of the 2nd District GOP primary vote in 2016. Trump got 62.5%. Trumps campaign had no immediate comment on the Nebraska results. The former president has pressed state lawmakers to change how Nebraska awards its five Electoral College votes. The campaign wants a chance to push the race to a 269-269 tie, which would then decided by the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. Presidential polling has increasingly indicated that scenario is possible. Biden courts Haley voters President Joe Bidens campaign spokesman, Ammar Moussa, said Trump alienated many Haley supporters and moderate GOP voters by telling them he doesnt need them, and now they are returning the favor. Biden received 93% of the 2nd District Democratic primary vote, with 7% going to Dean Phillips, who has also quit the race. Trump enters the general election as a weak candidate, unable to build the coalition needed to win 270 electoral votes, Moussa said. There is a place for Haley voters in our campaign. Nebraska awards two of its electoral votes to the statewide winner of the presidential popular vote, which was Trump in 2016 and 2020 and is expected to be Trump again in 2024. The state also awards a single electoral vote to the winner in each congressional district. That has only mattered in the 2nd District, where Trump won in 2016 and Biden won in 2020. Gov. Jim Pillen said he would call a special session this summer to make Nebraska award all five electoral votes to the statewide winner if he can get enough votes which he has not. Legislative leaders in Maine, the only other state that splits its electoral votes, have pledged to shift that Democratic-leaning state to winner-take-all if Nebraska changes its system. Haleys 2nd District total rose Friday after Douglas County finished counting early voting ballots that were returned on Election Day. It opens those ballots after an election. With those ballots included, Trump secured 73% of the GOP primary vote in Douglas County, down from 73.8% counted on Election Day. Haley secured 23.4% of the vote, up from 22.7% on Tuesday. In suburban Sarpy Countys slice of the 2nd District, Trump, at 79.68%, gained about half a percentage point, and Haley, at 19.18%, fell about the same amount from follow-up counting. Saunders County finished all of its counting on Tuesday except for 22 provisional ballots, election officials said. Trump secured 81% of the vote in Saunders. Haley got 18%. That mostly mirrored the statewide vote, where Trump was leading 80%-18%. One oddity: More than 9,000 more Republicans voted in both of Nebraskas U.S. Senate races than in the presidential race. That kind of dropoff at the top of the ballot is rare, observers said, and could indicate voter fatigue with the race. Overall turnout was lower than expected, at 28%, down from Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnens 35% prediction. Unusual division from Republicans Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the Haley protest vote is unusual for Republicans, who are typically more unified than Democrats in presidential races. Its clearly the case that there is a faction within the Republican Party that is not happy with Trump, she said. The real question is what happens in November. Some Republicans might come home and vote for Trump. Others might vote for Biden, she said. Some might vote for a third-party candidate. And some might skip the race. Theiss-Morse said its not clear how those voters will impact the 2024 race because Biden also has an enthusiasm gap with some Democratic voters. One key question for the general election is whether the lack of enthusiasm for the two main candidates can be overridden by the real hatred of the opposing partys candidate, she said. Will that hatred motivate them to the polls? she asked. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Haley primary protest vote over Trump hints at 2nd District headwinds in Nebraska appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The world's attention will be focused on Azerbaijan during COP29, member of Azerbaijani Parliament, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29 Nigar Arpadarai said, Trend reports. She made the remark during the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event in Baku. In a few months, COP29 will be held in Azerbaijan. The world's attention will be drawn to Azerbaijan, which is extremely important for us, she emphasized. She mentioned that Azerbaijan has always been a country that respects international law and justice. Azerbaijan is also an important part of the international community in the issue of combating climate change. We need a significant amount of financial resources for the transition to a green economy. And it is necessary to significantly increase the volume of international private financing, she noted. Arpadarai also added that it is important for the private sector to take the lead and set its own goals in the fight against climate change. To note, 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel What will happen before, after the Dali is refloated? Here are next 3 steps for ship that hit Key Bridge BALTIMORE The ship that caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse in March, killing six construction workers, is expected to move soon, with officials setting a target of early next week for the refloat. Moving the ship out of its current position is a critical step in Key Bridge Response Unified Commands current efforts to reopen the Patapsco Rivers main 50-foot-deep, 700-foot-wide shipping channel, which has been closed since March 26. The Fort McHenry Channel being blocked by the bridge wreckage has limited marine traffic into the Baltimore Harbor, though authorities have opened several smaller, alternate paths over the past several weeks to allow ships of increasingly larger sizes to come and go from the Port of Baltimore. The main channel is expected to be reopened by the end of the month. Earlier this week, crews took the first major step toward refloating the Dali using explosive precision charges to break up a section of the bridge that was weighing on the top of the ships bow. Some of the large bridge piece is still on the vessels deck. Plans to refloat the Dali have been in flux officials said while planning the controlled demolition that in a best-case scenario, the refloat could be done at high tide two days after the charges detonated. That point came and went Tuesday, as officials said they needed to clear additional wreckage and conduct a dive survey. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Peter Gautier told a congressional committee Wednesday that crews expect the ship will be able to be refloated and removed from that site early next week. Here are the next three big steps for the Dali. Diving and clearing wreckage Officials have already evaluated sonar and light detection and ranging imagery of the aftermath of the controlled demolition, but they will have to do more in-depth surveying to get a better look at the post-detonation wreckage. To refloat the ship carefully, crews will also have to conduct a dive survey, Unified Command said Wednesday. To dive safely, they will have to clear some of the submerged wreckage that plunged into the Patapsco River during the controlled demolition, as well as other unstable debris, such as the destroyed section of roadway thats still hanging off the edge of the Dalis bow. Some damaged containers will have to be secured or removed as well, officials said, though some bridge pieces might stay on the bow to be removed later. That process was underway Wednesday morning and expected to be completed in the days ahead, officials said. Once its safe, divers will inspect the Patapsco riverbed next to the vessel. Unified Command called the diver survey a necessary and vital step in reopening the 50-foot-deep Fort McHenry Channel in a manner which mitigates risk to the vessel once its refloated. Final surveys could also reveal if additional steps, like dredging, are necessary to refloat the ship. Refloating the ship Through the dives and other surveys, crews are still evaluating what exactly it will take to get the Dali moving. The factors at hand include the ability of the ship, which has been dormant with its crew onboard for more than 50 days, to operate during the roughly 2-nautical-mile journey. Itll also take into account the position of the ship on the riverbed and of any remaining wreckage surrounding it. Any operations to move the ship will also have to consider a Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. pipeline, which has been purged of gas, that is beneath the riverbed, along with an old water main nearby. The freighter, which weighs more than 95,000 metric tons when empty, will most likely be escorted to Seagirt Marine Terminal by tugboats. The temporary channels that have opened for limited commercial and recreational vessel transit will be closed again once refloating operations begin, the Coast Guard said Wednesday. Getting pieces off and people on Once the ship is moored at Seagirt, more wreckage will be removed from the bow, as well as some of the roughly 4,500 containers on board. Engineers will take a closer look at the vessels condition and work on more repairs. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, which is probing the events leading up to the bridge collapse, will be allowed onto the ship ahead of inspections from parties who have made claims against the companies that own and manage the freighter, according to an email obtained by The Baltimore Sun late last week. The visits by experts and attorneys for the claimants, which include the city of Baltimore, will be limited, staggered and subject to restrictions due to salvage work on the bow of the ship, a representative for Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the vessels respective owner and manager, said in the email. The ship is expected to remain at Seagirt for four to six weeks, Coast Guard Capt. David OConnell, told reporters earlier this week. OConnell, the Coast Guards captain of the port, said the vessel is then expected to travel to Norfolk, Virginia. A Unified Command spokesperson said last week that the ship will likely go to a shipyard for more permanent repairs. _______ LOWER PAXTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM) A Harrisburg woman is in prison facing charges of homicide and neglecting care for a dependent person after the death of her 77-year-old mother. Lower Paxton Township Police said Yeawah Sanu was arrested this week with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News Police said she is accused of elder neglect resulting in the death of her mother, 77-year-old Christiana Blake after an investigation began in January. Lower Paxton Police said that an investigation by them, the Dauphin County Elder Abuse Task Force, Dauphin County Coroners Office, and Dauphin County District Attorneys Office, found evidence that Blake was the victim of gross negligence while under the care of her daughter. Sanu was arraigned and denied bail. A preliminary hearing is set for May 28. 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. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) UPDATE, May 17, 4 p.m. The Tom Green County Sheriffs Office has arrested one person following a standoff in Grape Creek on May 17. According to TGSO, officers responded to a residence on Wheatland Drive at 8:15 a.m. on May 17 about a complaint of an individual violating a Magistrates Emergency Protective Order. The order was implemented for 38-year-old Norma Lee Moreno of San Angelo due to her prior arrest on April 21 for the offense of injury to the elderly. Moreno was released but arrested once more on May 6, again for violation of a protective order. On May 16 Moreno was once more the suspect in the assault of an elderly victim in Grape Creek. Deputies arrived at the residence to find Moreno again there in violation of the Emergency Protective Order. As TGSO deputies attempted to make contact with Moreno, she armed herself with two knives and threatened suicide before barricading herself inside the residence. Attempts to persuade Moreno to surrender by the Tom Green County Special Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Unit were unsuccessful. At approximately 2:15 p.m., chemical agents were deployed and, after several attempts, deputies were able to physically restrain Moreno and take her into custody at around 3:05 p.m. As of the time of publication of TGSOs information release, Moreno is being booked into the Tom Green County Jail. Though Moreno has been initially charged with violating the protective order, additional charges are pending. No injuries were sustained as a result of the incident. The incident remains an active investigation by the sheriffs office. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) ORIGINAL Several Tom Green County Sheriffs Office and Texas Department of Public Safety officers were seen gathered near a residence in Grape Creek on May 17, with some being armed. According to a Concho Valley Homepage cameraman at the scene, the officers have congregated around a house on Wheatland Drive. Several of the officers were carrying firearms, and TxDPS members were seen piloting a drone. This embedded content is not available in your region. Reports from multiple Grape Creek residents claim that the individual possibly involved is a woman who is known to possess guns. Grape Creek Elementary School, which is located down the road from Wheatland Drive at 9633 Grape Creek Road, has not gone into lockdown, according to a school representative. Concho Valley Homepage has contacted the sheriffs office for more information and is awaiting a response. Several law enforcement officers were spotted surrounding a house at Grape Creek on May 17 (5/17/24). Several law enforcement officers were spotted surrounding a house at Grape Creek on May 17 (5/17/24). This is a developing story. Stick with Concho Valley Homepage for updates as more 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 ConchoValleyHomepage.com. Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel as war in Gaza drags on FILE - The fence of an Israeli military position is seen damaged after Hezbollah targeted it by rockets, on an occupied hill of Kfar Chouba village, southeast Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group is introducing new tactics and weapons against Israel as the war in Gaza drags on and Israeli troops enter parts of the southern city of Rafah. In mid-May 2024, Hezbollah has used a drone equipped with missiles to attack an Israeli post as well as an explosive drone to hit its deepest target so far since the clashes began seven months ago. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File) BEIRUT (AP) The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah this week struck a military post in northern Israel using a drone that fired two missiles. The attack wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah has regularly fired missiles across the border with Israel over the past seven months, but the one on Thursday appears to have been the first successful missile airstrike it has launched from within Israeli airspace. The group has stepped up its attacks on Israel in recent weeks, particularly since the Israeli incursion into the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. It has struck deeper inside Israel and introduced new and more advanced weaponry. This is a method of sending messages on the ground to the Israeli enemy, meaning that this is part of what we have, and if needed we can strike more, said Lebanese political analyst Faisal Abdul-Sater who closely follows Hezbollah. While the cross-border exchanges of fire have been ongoing since early October, complex attacks by Hezbollah began a few days after Irans unprecedented drone and missile barrage attack on Israel in mid-April. In the past two weeks, Hezbollah has escalated further in response to the Israeli incursion into the city of southern Rafah in the Gaza Strip, a Lebanese official familiar with the groups operations said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to detail military information to the media. The Thursday afternoon attack by a drone carrying missiles came just days after Hezbollah launched three anti-tank guided missiles at an Israeli military post that controlled a surveillance balloon flying over the border. They released camera footage afterward to show they had hit their mark. Hours later, the Israeli military confirmed that the spy balloon had been shot down over Lebanon. The night before, Hezbollah had carried out its deepest attack in Israel to date using explosive drones to strike at a base in Ilaniya near the city of Tiberias about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Lebanon border. The Israeli military said the attack did not hurt anyone. Abdul-Sater, the analyst, said the Iran-led coalition known as the axis of resistance, which includes the Palestinian militant group Hamas, has warned that if Israeli troops launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah in an attempt to go after Hamas, other fronts will also escalate. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed Wednesday that they attacked a U.S. destroyer while Iran-backed militants in Iraq have said they fired a series of drones toward Israel in recent weeks after having gone relatively quiet since February. Hezbollah's use of more advanced weaponry, including drones capable of firing missiles, explosive drones and the small type of guided missile known as Almas, or Diamond, that was used to attack the base controlling the balloon has raised alarms within the Israeli military. Hezbollah has been escalating the situation in the north, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani. Theyve been firing more and more. In adapting its attacks, Hezbollah has also managed to reduce the numbers of fighters lost compared with the early weeks of the conflict. The group has lost more than 250 fighters so far, compared with 15 Israeli troops since fighting broke out along the Lebanon-Israel border a day after the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7. According to a count by The Associated Press, Hezbollah lost 47 fighters in October and 35 in November, compared with 20 in April and 12 so far this month. The official familiar with the groups operations said Hezbollah had reduced the numbers of fighters along the border areas to bring down the numbers of casualties. While Hezbollah continues to fire Russian-made anti-tank Kornet missiles from areas close to the border, it has also shifted to firing drones and other types of rockets with heavy warheads including Almas as well as Falaq and Burkan rockets from areas several kilometers (miles) from the border. Over the weekend, Hezbollah said it had launched a new rocket with a heavy warhead named Jihad Mughniyeh after a senior operative who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on southern Syria in 2015. Eva J. Koulouriotis, a political analyst specialized in the Middle East and jihadi groups wrote on the social media platform X that Hezbollah's recent escalation likely has several goals, including raising the ceiling of the group's demands in any future negotiations for a border deal, as well as raising military pressure on Israel's military in light of the preparations for the battle in Rafah. Israels Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed in a speech last week that we will stand, we will achieve our goals, we will hit Hamas, we will destroy Hezbollah, and we will bring security. On Monday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reiterated in a speech that there will be no end to the fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border until Israels military operations in the Gaza Strip come to an end. The main goal of Lebanons front is to contribute to the pressure on the enemy to end the war on Gaza, Nasrallah said. His comments were a blow to attempts by foreign dignitaries, including U.S. and French officials, who have visited Beirut t o try to put an end to the violence that has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. A day after Nasrallah spoke, Canadas Foreign Minister Melanie Joly visited Beirut and told Lebanons private LBC TV station that she was pushing for a cease-fire. We need the people living in the south of Lebanon to be able to go back to their homes," she said. "We need to make sure that the Israelis living in the northern part of Israel are able to get back to their homes also. Hezbollahs deputy leader Naim Kassim warned Israel in a speech over the weekend against opening an all-out war. You have tried in the past and you were defeated and if you try again you will be defeated, said Kassim, referring to the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah 34-day war that ended in a draw. ___ Associated Press writer Sam Mednick contributed to this report from Jerusalem. ___ Find more of AP's coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war Hialeah councilman Bryan Calvo has officially announced his resignation from the city council, less than three years after he was elected, to run for Miami-Dade County tax collector. This will be the first time a tax collector will be elected, following a constitutional referendum in Florida approved in 2018. Calvo will compete for the Republican nomination against at least one opponent, Dariel Fernandez. If Calvo wins the party primary in August, he will face the Democratic candidate in November. Calvo, who took over Hialeah city council seat six at the age of 23, becoming the youngest councilman in the city, said at the May 14 council meeting that his resignation will be effective on Nov. 1. The announcement led to confusion within the City of Hialeah as to what can be done to fill his vacancy - a special election or an appointment. While Calvo said he hoped his early resignation would allow for a special election, elected officials expressed uncertainty about whether that was possible. It is my sincerest hope that the Mayor and the City Council members allow the residents of Hialeah to choose who they want to represent them, as opposed to appointing a hand-picked temporary successor, said the councilman, whose term ends in November 2025, in a statement. Mayor Esteban Bovo Jr. said he did not believe an election could be held this year. If the councilman wanted to help the people, he had to resign effective immediately so that there is no doubt, said Bovo. The mayor said that because Calvo was staying in his position until November, it is unclear if a special election could be held. Although I am not a lawyer, I believe that the election cannot be called. Calvo and Bovo have frequently been at odds. Both took office in November 2021, and their rivalry culminated in a lawsuit the councilman filed after Bovo thwarted an effort to investigate the 911 emergency department. The suit was dismissed. Before the announcement, sources in the city said that several names were being considered for the appointment of an interim councilman including the Mayors deputy chief of staff, Carlos San Jose. Hialeah Mayor Esteban Steve Bovo, center left, walks behind Councilman Bryan Calvo, center right, after the council in a special session voted on a resolution to condemn Calvo after he sued the mayor , alleging systematic abuse of power. The resolution was proposed by councilor Jesus Tundidor Not something that is done overnight Other city officials in Hialeah also expressed confusion about whether a special election could be held. The assistant city attorney, Alexander Magrisso, said he did not know what the procedure is, saying that the legal department would have to meet with the City Clerk, which calls for local elections. Meanwhile, City Clerk Marbelys Fatjo said she had to speak with the city attorney. At the moment we do not know whether it is possible to hold an election or not, Fatjo said after the council meeting concluded. The City Clerk explained that for there to be an election there must be a resolution approved by the council, while the electoral authority of Miami-Dade must authorize Hialeah to hold an election. It is not something that is done overnight, Fatjo said. The Hialeah Charter says that if a seat on the city council becomes permanently vacant by reason of death, resignation, recall, court order or other lawful action, the vacancy shall be filled by appointment requiring a vote of at least four council members within 30 days of the vacancy. But, if the city council does not fill the vacancy within the prescribed 30 days, a special election shall be held at the earliest time permitted by law. The deadlines for the November election in Miami-Dade would give Hialeah until July 26 to add the special election to the ballot. The last time a Hialeah councilman resigned from office was in 2022, when Oscar De La Rosa, Bovos stepson, vacated the seat he was elected to in 2019, once his stepfather assumed the mayorship of the city. At that time, Vivian Casals-Munoz, who had previously been a councilwoman, was appointed to fill that vacancy. Dozens of protesters march in front of the St. Louis-headquarters of Express Scripts, one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefits managers, on Friday, May 17, 2024. Discouraged by a lack of action from Congress, leaders from Americas largest pharmacy associations marched with dozens of demonstrators Friday outside the St. Louis-based headquarters of Express Scripts, a major prescription drug middleman whose practices the group accuses of harming everyday Americans. Protestors waved signs, shouted slogans and gave speeches at a makeshift podium across the street from the glass-and-brick building of the nation's second largest pharmacy benefits manager, or PBM. As third-party administrators of health insurers prescription drug programs, PBMs negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, determine which drugs will be covered by insurance plans and set reimbursement rates for the pharmacies that buy and sell the drugs. As the power of PBMs rose over the years, they demanded bigger rebates from drug manufacturers and pocketed increasingly bigger shares of those savings. They also lowered pharmacy reimbursement rates and tacked on hefty fees, prompting the closure of hundreds of independent pharmacies nationwide. The three largest PBMs ExpressScripts, owned by Cigna; CVS Caremark, owned by CVS Health; and OptumRx, owned by the same company as UnitedHealthcare control a majority of the market. Congress tried but failed earlier this year to pass reforms intended to level the playing field. The Federal Trade Commission also has launched an inquiry into PBM practices, which is ongoing. "We need Congress to finish its job and pass payment reform legislation, and we need the clients of PBMs to be aware that when they hire companies like Express Scripts, they are killing small businesses and hurting the most vulnerable people," said B. Douglas Hoey, chief executive officer of the National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents independent pharmacists. Hoey said Express Scripts reimburses independent pharmacists at a loss on eight out of every 10 prescriptions they dispense. As a result, he said, more than 500 independent pharmacies have closed in the past year alone. The need for reform, protesters said, extends beyond the professional groups. Patients are being harmed by PBM practices that prevent them from using their preferred pharmacies or require them to first try less expensive drugs before approving the ones their physicians want to prescribe even if those less expensive drugs are inappropriate. "These are risky practices, and we don't like to be forced to take those risks," said Loretta Boesing, founder of the patient advocacy group, Unite for Safe Medications, and organizer of the Express Scripts protest. USA TODAY reached out to Express Scripts and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, which represents PBMs, but did not get a response from either. An average of one pharmacy closes every day in United States, said Ilisa Bernstein, senior vice president of the American Pharmacists Association, the industrys largest professional organization. "We represent pharmacists in all practice settings, and we get calls every day from people crying about the abysmal practices, the contracting, the underwater payments and all the different antics happening today," Bernstein said. "This has to stop." Bernstein and Hoey were among numerous pharmacists, physicians, patients and patient advocates at the protest. It is the latest in a series of attempts by members of these professional groups and their allies to gain attention to their collective cause. B. Douglas Hoey, chief executive officer of the National Community Pharmacists Association, speaks during a protest outside the St. Louis headquarters of Express Scripts on Friday, May 17, 2024. Express Scripts is one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefits managers, or PBMs. Those efforts include letter-writing campaigns, media outreach and high-profile events like last month's Pharmacy Fly-In when hundreds of pharmacists converged on Capitol Hill to talk to lawmakers and push for PBM reform. "We stand together, united, on these core issues," Boesing told USA TODAY ahead of the protest, which she called "historic." Boesing's interest in PBM reform is personal. Her teenaged son, Wesley, needs a steady supply of medication to prevent his body from rejecting a transplanted liver he received after a near-fatal infection when he was a toddler. But the PBM for the family's employer-sponsored health insurance plan would not pay for those drugs unless they came through its mail-order pharmacy, Boesing said. Mail-order pharmacies might lower the costs for the PBM, but they introduce risk for Wesley because they can't guarantee adequate temperature controls on the drugs, which need to stay cold, Boesing said. A previous mishap nearly cost him his life, she said. The family dropped the employer's health insurance plan and purchased another plan on the marketplace that allows them to use a pharmacy of their choice, even though it costs them more money. "I worry about the other patients that dont know how to navigate this system," she said. "There are a lot of patients that wouldn't know where to start with that." Boesing said she chose Express Scripts for the site of the protest because it's within driving distance of her home in Missouri. Based on the turnout and the success of the event, however, she said she wants to organize similar protests outside the headquarters of CVS Caremark in Rhode Island and OptumRX in California. "We need action now," she said. "So we will keep doing this until we get it." If you are a pharmacist, physician or patient/consumer who believe you have been harmed by the practices of a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), reach out to USA TODAY senior investigative reporter Emily Le Coz at elecoz@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: PBM practices spark outrage and protests outside Express Scripts Bird flu has come to roost in the concrete jungle. A highly pathogenic strain of avian flu has been circulating among New York Citys feathered friends for years, a group of scientists say. And it means that pet owners should be on alert. The New York City Virus Hunters have found the avian flu in samples of bird poop that were collected between 2022 and 2023. The group published their findings in the Journal of Virology on Wednesday. The highly pathogenic avian flu (H5N1) has been found in some bird droppings in NYC. Getty Images Volunteers collected 1,927 samples of bird droppings scattered across green spaces throughout the city as well as some from animal rehabilitation centers. In total, the group identified six birds that contained the highly pathogenic avian flu (H5N1), including three Canadian geese, a red-tailed hawk, a peregrine falcon and a chicken. Although the number may seem small, bird flu can easily spread among animals. The virus has jumped to several dairy cattle herds, as well as other animals in the US, including foxes, racoons, possums, bears and bobcats. And that means the dogs many New Yorkers take for walks on the street daily could also be at risk. Its smart to stay alert and stay away from wildlife, Christine Marizzi, a microbiologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told ScienceAlert. This also includes preventing your pets from getting in close contact with wildlife. Researchers found a total of six infected birds, including three Canadian geese, a chicken, a falcon and a hawk. American Society for Microbiology The virus hunters are part of a community-based program that engages high school students in the first-ever citizen effort to map and track avian flu and avian paramyxoviruses that are circulating throughout New York City. (Paramyxoviruses include viruses like the measles, mumps and RSV.) The group received a $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health late last year to expand their tracking efforts. Although transmission from bird to human is extremely low, scientists are concerned that in extremely populated areas, like New York City, the risk could be somewhat higher. To date, only two cases of highly pathogenic bird flu (H5N1) in humans have been detected, one in 2022 and one in April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both of these cases have been in individuals who came into close contact with infected livestock. No known cases of human-to-human transmission have occurred. Although the findings are not cause for alarm, researchers say its important to keep your pets away from birds. Getty Images Although the cause for alarm remains low, experts say that NYC poses a unique risk: Its a densely populated area and its right in the flight path of many migratory birds. This brings them into contact with a highly dense population of humans and pets, providing an extensive urban animalhuman interface in which the general public may have little awareness of circulating infectious diseases, Marizzi explained. The findings suggest that avian flu has actually been present in NYC for a while, and no human cases have ever been confirmed. The findings, which included samples collected between 2022 and 2023, suggest that the bird flu has actually been present in NYC for quite some time. AFP via Getty Images Nevertheless, the World Health Organization has stated that the current strain of bird flu is of great concern and other experts have warned that were making all the same mistakes that were made in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Remnants of the virus have been found in commercial milk, but because pasteurization kills the virus, this poses no risk to consumers, experts have said. Birds are key to finding out which influenza and other avian viruses are circulating in the New York City area, as well as important for understanding which ones can be dangerous to both other birds and humans, Marizzi explained. Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised. Between 1977 and 1978, authorities discovered lifeless bodies of 10 women in and around Los Angeles. Reports indicated that the serial killer committed all of his slayings by strangulation. Moreover, all his victims showed signs of sexual assault and torture. However, the killers crime spree ended when the police arrested a man named Kenneth Bianchi in January 1979 for the murder of two university students. Eventually, Bianchi, aka Hillside Strangler, pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to multiple life terms. Upon his arrest in 1979, authorities revealed that Bianchi, and one of his accomplices, Angelo Buono Jr., lured their victims by posing as police officers. According to St. Louis Post-Dispatch, most of their victims were prostitutes. The outlet mentioned that Bianchi pleaded not guilty to the murder charges initially and told investigators that he suffered from multiple personality disorder. However, he later confessed that he lied about his condition. Subsequently, he pleaded guilty to the killings in Washington and also admitted to five of the Hillside Strangler murders in Los Angeles. On the day of his confession, authorities also arrested his accomplice for the Hillside Strangler murders. Furthermore, the court sentenced Kenneth Bianchi to five consecutive life terms for the murder. He received an additional life term for conspiracy. Meanwhile, the court convicted Angelo Buono Jr. of nine slayings and sentenced him to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Bianchi is currently serving his sentence at the Washington State Penitentiary. On the other hand, Buono Jr. died in prison in September 2002. He was 67. Did Bianchi testify against Buono in the Hillside Strangler case? After committing multiple murders in and around Los Angeles, Kenneth Bianchi fled to Bellingham, California. According to Biography.com, police apprehended Bianchi from Bellingham and named Angelo Buono Jr. his accomplice. He then took a plea deal with the prosecutors to escape the death penalty and agreed to testify against Buono. During the trial, Bianchi told the court that Buono was involved in slayings. Kenneth Bianchi also opened up about how he and Buono killed one of his victims. UPI reported that Bianchi put a plastic bag over their victims head and inserted a gas pipe inside it. The serial killer also noted that Buono Jr. instructed him to switch on the gas and restrain the victim. Although Buonos lawyers questioned the authenticity of Bianchis testimony, the court found him guilty and convicted him of nine murders. The post Hillside Strangler: Where Is Serial Killer Kenneth Bianchi Now? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Europe will be able to import green energy from Azerbaijan in the future, acting resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Azerbaijan Alessandra Roccasalvo said, Trend reports. She made the statement during the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event in Baku. In the future, many European countries will be able to import solar and wind energy, as well as other useful resources, from Azerbaijan instead of importing oil and gas, she emphasized. Roccasalvo noted that Azerbaijan is hosting COP29 to hold international negotiations, find solutions to combat climate change, and secure the future for the next generation. We are proud to strengthen the partnership between UNDP and the government of Azerbaijan and to ensure a coherent and effective response to climate change, she said. She also mentioned that it is very important that innovation comes from the private sector, academia, and think tanks. We are pursuing a very important goal - to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees, Roccasalvo added. To note, 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Hollier off ballot? So much for Black representation for Detroit in Congress. | Opinion Adam Holliers worst political nightmare came true Thursday afternoon, when a report by the Wayne County Clerks election staff determined that he had not filed enough valid signatures to earn a spot on the August primary ballot for the 13th Congressional seat. Hollier lost to U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar in 2022 in a nine-way race. While his eight opponents split the Black vote, Thanedar won with 28% of ballots cast. (Because the district is so strongly Democratic, this race is decided in the August party primary.) This time around, the field was essentially cleared for Hollier. His campaign, which has emphasized the importance of Black representation, secured endorsements from prominent Democrats and faith leaders in Detroit. But if Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett follows her staffs recommendation as she is sure to do and kicks Hollier off the ballot, he will have not only hurt himself, but the prospect of Black political leadership for Detroit in Congress. State Sen. Adam Hollier speaks as local and state elected officials hold a press conference outside of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center Tuesday, October 12, 2021 regarding redistricting unfairness. More from Freep Opinion: Campaign forged Free Press reporter's signature 137 signatures short Candidates must gather voter signatures on nominating petitions before the April filing deadline. Thanedar sought to disqualify Hollier from the race, alleging his challenger submitted fraudulent and invalid voter signatures (Hollier has acknowledged that some signatures, collected by an outside contractor, appear to have been forged) falling short of the 1,000 required to secure a spot on the ballot. Garretts staff agreed, putting her again in the middle of a political election storm. State law gives Garrett two days after the staff report is released to make her decision. She has always carried out her duties, despite where her political allegiance may land. (She has not endorsed any candidate in the 13th Congressional District race). Now, Hollier is likely to be off the ballot by a mere 137 signatures, according to the staff report. That many signatures could be collected outside a grocery store in about an hour. From M.L. Elrick: Meet the man in the middle of the petition fiasco threatening multiple political careers 'My, my, my' After Garrett makes her decision, Hollier could appeal to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson or Wayne County Circuit Court, but any other outcome than the one recommended by the clerks staff appears to be unlikely. So is the prospect of a write-in campaign, similar to what Mike Duggan pulled off in 2013 to stay on the mayoral ballot. I had a whole panic attack, laying on the floor like, 'Oh my gosh ... I've spent my whole life getting to this moment, doing the right thing consistently ... and I took my eye off the ball for one second. I trusted one person to do a thing and to check it and they said it was done, and I didn't look at it. And it's going to cost me everything,' Hollier told the Free Press editorial board last week, describing his discovery of the apparent forgeries. In full disclosure, I like Hollier as a person. We go back to his time as the council liaison under then-Mayor Dave Bing. Hes a personable, Ivy League-educated man. Thats what has me a bit peeved: Hollier had a legitimate shot at challenging Thanedar. Hes served in the state Legislature and was named the Director of Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after his unsuccessful 2022 run. But this latest snafu now, presumably, makes Hollier a two-time loser running for Congress. A third attempt would him in the political lore of Sharon McPhail and Tom Barrow, perennial also rans. Adam represented, in some ways, the best chance that folks could see, because the Black body politic largely was seen behind him, says political expert Greg Bowens. When you have the Congressional Black Caucus coming out and saying, Hey, we support the challenger as opposed to the incumbent, that's a big deal. So when you have Black folks in politics, leaders in politics who are making an organized effort to give one Black candidate a lot of support early on, and have a mistake like this happen is embarrassing in a lot of ways. The fumble by Hollier could leave the districts hopes for Black representation on Mary Waters. Waters has served on the Detroit City Council since 2021. She served in the state House from 2001 until 2006. But Waters is a long shot, at best. Reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show shes raised less than $10,000, hardly enough money to defeat Thanedar. Let me say it to the people in the back: Barring a court judgment that overturns this ruling, our Black political hopes are now pinned on a candidate who has raised less than $10,000. By comparison, Thanedar has already raised $5.1 million. All I can hear is JoAnn Watsons voice right now, saying: My, my, my. A Hail Mary Thanedar deserved a formidable opponent in August who could challenge him on his record in Congress. Bowens is optimistic that Hollier can still campaign while the process is ongoing, which gives him the opportunity to raise serious questions about Congressman Thanedar's record ... (but forgeries) undermine the ability to be able to be seen as a serious contender. This is like the elephant in the room. Im not as hopeful as Bowens, knowing its a Hail Mary on Fourth Down and 26. But whats even more troubling in this scenario is that Hollier pinned his political hopes on someone he paid, instead of grinding and collecting a majority of signatures himself. Instead, he hired a company to do his work. He didnt even personally review all of the petitions, he acknowledged to the Free Press Editorial Board, before turning them in. Hiring out the work cost him thousands of dollars and a chance to reclaim Black representation in a city thats 77% African American. Do the work I get it. Candidates dont want to stand outside in February, March or until the filing deadline in April. I dont either, but Im not running for office. From my vantage point, not only are you fulfilling your duty as a candidate, but you miss out on potential voters by having a face-to-face interaction with them. Thats a part of your ground game, if you want to win in August, and it starts when you start gathering signatures. Now, Hollier looks like the child who cheated on his test and got caught and didnt learn from the mistakes by former Detroit Police Chief James Craig in 2022 or the snafu by then Congressman John Conyers in 2014. Both used outside contractors to get petitions signed. A part of winning is learning from past losses. Verifying signatures is never a one-person job. It's always the responsibility of the campaign team, and the buck stops with the candidate, Bowens adds. The thing that vexes me when I see candidates faced with challenges and they don't take ownership of that, but instead throw the team member or the person that's working for them under the bus, that is a bad, bad thing. Loyalty is a gold standard in politics. I will continue to beat this drum. I dont care whether its Jewel Jones in Inkster, Monique Owens in Eastpointe or Hollier: Black political leadership needs to get its stuff together. Our leadership matters. But the heft of what it means to lead needs to be taken seriously. The consequences are too dire. It starts with taking care of the small things, the details. How a candidate manages a campaign is an indicator of how he or she will manage their office and govern, Bowes says. Something like this is sort of equivalent to turning in a piece of legislation and having incorrect information on it. Holliers foibles are just the latest, but, we hope, the last with signatures. Thanedar's next challenger will have until 2026 to figure that out. Darren Nichols Darren A. Nichols is a contributing columnist at the Free Press. He can be reached at darren@dnick-media.com or his X (formerly Twitter) handle @dnick12. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hollier off ballot? It's Thanedar-Waters in Detroit's 13th District. What is home rule? Why one Peoria-area city won't yet vote on the controversial status Pekin won't yet be asking its residents if the city should remain a home rule municipality. A resolution to put a referendum on the November general election ballot failed by one vote during a recent Pekin City Council meeting. The resolution was defeated 4-3, with Pekin Mayor Mary Burress casting the deciding vote. Council members Rick Hilst, Dave Nutter and Lloyd Orrick voted in favor of the action. I just dont think we should put it on as a referendum yet until we educate people, Burress said. 'She made people feel special': Pekin woman's death left family, friends with a little less sunshine According to Pekin City Manager John Dossey, areas of impact from a loss of home rule status would include zoning regulations and procedures, annexation and development agreements, taxation, fees, fines, administrative adjudication, and real estate transactions. City staff estimated that eliminating home rule status would result in an annual revenue loss of over $8 million, which Burress said would be "devastating to the city." The city still has time to revisit the home rule question. The Council has until Aug. 19 to make a final decision on the referendum. Several Council members suggested informing the public about the pros and cons of eliminating home rule through a series of public forums. What is home rule? Pekin currently is one of 223 home rule municipalities in Illinois, according to the Illinois Municipal League. Pekin, Peoria, Bloomington and Normal are also home rule communities. A municipality with home rule status can exercise any power and perform any function not prohibited by state law. Non-home rule municipalities can only exercise powers for which express authority is granted by the Illinois General Assembly and Governor. A municipality whose population is over 25,000 residents automatically gains home rule status. Cities with fewer than 25,001 residents can achieve home rule status through local referendums. Pekin automatically became a home rule government in 1971 because its population was over 25,000 residents. According to a Northern Illinois study, just four municipalities statewide have eliminated home rule; Lombard, Rockford, Lisle and Villa Park. Dossey said Pekin residents voted down a 1987 referendum to repeal home rule. Why would Pekin want to remove home rule status? Hilst made the motion at last months meeting to place the item on the agenda. The Council had voted to raise several taxes and fees to address multi-million dollar budget deficits, and Hilst said he received feedback from Pekin residents expressing discontent and disappointment over the increase. Some of the residents, he added, had brought up the possibility of repealing the citys home rule status. Animal control: Feral cats are a problem in this central Illinois county. Here's how they're handling it My whole point is not to say we should get rid of it, and its not to say we should keep it, Hilst said. "My whole point is to throw it to the people and let the voters decide. City of Pekin Interim Finance Director Bob Grogan noted that none of the tax and fee increases passed last month had anything to do with the citys home rule authority. If we did not have home rule authority, those would have been the exact same ordinances, he said. This article originally appeared on Journal Star: What is home rule? Pekin votes down referendum to remove status, seeks input Indiana communities will receive $8.8 million in the next round of opioid settlement funding. (Getty Images) The next round of opioid settlement funding distributed by the Office of the Attorney General will total $8.8 million, a portion of the roughly $925 million secured so far across various lawsuits. Over the next two decades, tens of billions of dollars will flow into state coffers across the country. Its all from the National Opioid Settlement, a court agreement between companies deemed responsible for the deadly, life-disrupting impact of the addictive drug and the localities bearing the brunt of the devastation. Hoosiers have seen far too many of our loved ones suffer and even die from opioid addiction and overdose, Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a release. Misconduct by drug companies helped start this epidemic in the first place, and it has played a large role in perpetuating the crisis. We cant bring back lost lives, but we can hold these companies accountable and enable communities to use settlement funds on prevention, treatment and enforcement programs. Payments started going out in December of 2022, with more than $107 million in the first wave to the state and 648 local units of government. But municipalities have so far been slow to spend the funds, weighing the most effective way to deploy the monies. In the release, Rokitas office said a portion of this round of settlement funding came from a one-time payment from Publicis Health to resolve investigations into the global marketing and communication firms role in the prescription opioid crisis. Publicis helped Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers market and sell opioids. Other settlements include AmerisourceBergen (now Cencora), Cardinal Health McKesson, Teva, Janssen, CVS and Allergan though this round only included payments from AmerisourceBergen (Cencora) and Cardinal Health. The Office of the Attorney General has more guidance on spending opioid settlement funds and localities can also find their expected payments over the next two decades. To see how communities have spent funds so far, Hoosiers can download the Fall 2023 report from Next Level Recovery. The post Hoosier communities to receive $8.8M in next round of opioid settlement funds appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) A man and woman are facing charges after a 13-year-old was beaten to death last week with a piece of wood and a handgun, the Horry County Coroners Office said. Isaiah Gaymes died at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday at the Medical University of South Carolina, according to the coroners office. Ivy Contrell Jenerette (left) & Samantha Ann Gaymes J. Reuben Long Detention Center He suffered multiple blunt force injuries to the side and back of his head along with several other injuries including broken bones, burns and permanent disfigurement to the face and body, according to an arrest warrant. A piece of wood and a handgun were recovered and tested for blood, which was consistent with the injury patterns on Isaiah. Ivy Contrell Jenerette, 40, now faces a murder charge after initially being charged with abuse inflicting great bodily injury upon a child after the assault, which happened on May 8 in the Longs area, according to an Horry County police report. Isaiahs mother, Samantha Ann Gaymes, 34, is charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk of harm after allegedly allowing a pattern of physical abuse toward him, an arrest warrant shows. Jenerette and Samantha Gaymes, who authorities said lived together, remain in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center without bond. According to an obituary, a celebration of life service for Isaiah Gaymes is planned for 11 a.m. Monday at the Poplar AME Church in Longs. Community members said Friday they have raised enough money for a funeral and that any additional funds collected will go toward establishing the Remembering Isaiah Scholarship Fund. No other information was immediately available. Download the News13 app to stay updated on the go Sign up for WBTW email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. Find todays top stories on WBTW.com for the Grand Strand and Pee Dee. Count on News13 for updates. * * * 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. * * * 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) The Hospitals of Providence employees at the Memorial Campus were treated to car washes on Friday morning, May 17 as part of the National Hospital Week celebration, Barracuda PR announced in a press release. Car washes were offered at the hospital and vehicles were washed by the hospital leadership team, according to the press release. National Hospital Week takes place from May 12-18. The week celebrates hospitals and shows appreciation to those who work in them. The Hospitals of Providence is proud to be El Pasos largest private employer and this week is saying thank you to its team members with spa massages, breakfast celebrations, nacho bars and fun gift giveaways, read the press release. 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 committee hearing disrupted as Rep. Taylor Greene and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez clashed. Greene criticized Jasmine Crockett's appearance, prompting AOC to demand her words be struck. The dispute began during a vote to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt of Congress. A House Oversight Committee was disrupted on Thursday evening when Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez exchanged barbs that led to nearly an hour of disorder. The war of words broke out as the committee voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over an audio recording of President Joe Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur. Georgia Republican Rep. Greene asked if any Democrats on the panel were employing the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York. "Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland," Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett asked, adding, "Do you know what we're here for?" Greene responded: "I don't think you know what you're here for. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you're reading." U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) speaks during a press conference held to address MAGA Republicans decision to prioritize the impeachment of President Joe Biden. Jemal Countess/Getty Images New York Democrat Ocasio-Cortez then stepped in, saying Greene's comments were "absolutely unacceptable" and asking her: "How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person?" Ocasio-Cortez called for Greene's words to be struck from the record. The pair traded jibes until Ocasio-Cortez told Greene, "Oh, girl, baby girl, don't even play." Oh girl, baby, girl... don't even play!' All Hell Breaks Loose between Marjorie Taylor Greene , Jasmine Crockett and AOC pic.twitter.com/ZniK7ZbAJ2 SHONUFF (@IAMSHO_NUFF) May 17, 2024 She was then cut off by Chairman James Comer calling for order. At one point, Comer was forced to gesture to his ears and say, "I don't know if you noticed, but I have two hearing aids. I'm very deaf, I'm not understanding, everyone is shouting. I am doing the best I can." Greene then said: "Baby, girl? I don't think so." Ocasio-Cortez replied: "We are gonna move and we are gonna take your words down." Chairman Comer suspended the hearing while they decided whether to strike Greene's words. While they discussed it, Ocasio-Cortez could be heard saying "No way is that being allowed, not today." She added: "We're not going to do a smarmy apology. She has to actually apologize. And that needs to be up to Ms. Crockett as well. It needs to be sincere." Greene later said she would strike her words but refused to apologize and called Ocasio-Cortez "not intelligent." Business Insider did not immediately receive a response from Greene's office regarding her comments. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images Jasmine Crockett posted on X later that evening: "So MTG wanted to talk about my appearance in COMMITTEE?!" "This is what happens when mentally deficient people who can't read and follow rules or just don't give a damn somehow end up in CONGRESS!" she wrote. The committee eventually voted to hold Merrick Garland in criminal contempt. It means the motion will move to the full House for a vote. AOC and Greene have a long history of animosity In 2021, Greene attacked Ocasio-Cortez with a slew of offensive remarks. She called her a "little communist" and "not an American" to then labelling her a "hate-America terrorist sympathizer." Ocasio-Cortez replied on X, writing, "First of all, I'm taller than her." First of all, Im taller than her https://t.co/H6rXG66GJk Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 27, 2021 The pair clashed again last year when Greene accused Ocasio-Cortez of acting like a "teenage girl" after the latter accused the Republican of "trafficking in antisemitic conspiracy theories." "I have repeatedly asked you to debate me, but you have been a coward and can't even respond. But you go on CNN and lie about me," Greene tweeted in response. "When are you going to be an adult and actually debate me on policy instead of run your mouth like a teenage girl?" Read the original article on Business Insider That is absolutely unacceptable, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Greene in defense of her colleague. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person? Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock ; Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images; Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images Marjorie Taylor Greene; Jasmine Crockett; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sparked a chaotic back-and-forth after mocking a colleagues physical appearance during a House Oversight Committee meeting this week, in what New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called absolutely unacceptable. Chaos erupted during the Thursday, May 16, meeting intended to revolve around a resolution over Attorney General Merrick Garland when a disagreement prompted Greene to comment on Texas Rep. Jasmine Crocketts appearance over what she presumed to be fake eyelashes," per footage shared by NBC News. After Greene asked if Democrats on the committee had been employing Judge Merchan's daughter referring to New York Judge Juan Merchan in Donald Trumps criminal trial Crockett asked what Greenes comment had to do with Garland. "Do you know what we're here for? Crockett asked Greene, who then turned around with an insult: "I don't think you know what you're here for. I think your fake eyelashes are messing with your reading." Related: Texas' Jasmine Crockett on the Leaders Inspiring Her Run for Congress: 'Bold' and 'Unapologetic' Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/Shutterstock ; Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images; Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images Marjorie Taylor Greene; Jasmine Crockett; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Those in attendance then attempted to call for order of the committee, before Ocasio-Cortez filed a motion to have Greenes comment taken down from record. That is absolutely unacceptable, Ocasio-Cortez said. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person? Related: Trump's 2024 Veepstakes Have Begun: A Look at His Top Choices for Running Mate Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images Marjorie Taylor Greene shouts during the March 2024 State of the Union address Things didnt end there, as Greene then further attempted to escalate the situation by asking Ocasio-Cortez if her feelings were hurt. Later in the hearing, Crockett asked for clarification on what constitutes an insult during a hearing, by throwing in an apparent jab of her own. I'm just curious, just to better understand your ruling, she said. If somebody on this committee starts talking about somebody's bleach-blonde, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? "Uh, what now?" Chairman James Comer asked in response. 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. Crockett later clarified her statement on X (formerly Twitter), noting that Greene wanted to talk about my appearance in COMMITTEE, which she said was against the rules" to do so. She refused to apologize! The chairman ruled that it was ok AND I asked for clarification about what qualifies as engaging in personalities & basically wanted to know if I could talk shit about her appearance as well yall know what she looks like, right, Crockett wrote to her followers. PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES! This is what happens when mentally deficient people who cant read and follow rules or just dont give a damn somehow end up in CONGRESS!" she concluded. Related: Joe Biden and Donald Trump Agree to 2 Presidential Debates in June and September Greene also debriefed with her followers on X, deflecting by saying that while some viewers were upset about the scene, she herself was upset and disgusted pretty much everyday at the Department of Justice, federal government and Congress claiming that the DOJ wants to put Pres Trump in jail the rest of his life which is a death sentence! Pardon me if I dont talk as nicely as some people would like to hear, Greene wrote. Im not going to keep you all addicted to outrage and hopium that never solves a problem or stops the inevitable implosion of the United States of America. Im completely over it. Greene has previously made headlines in recent years for her disruptive behavior, displaying what was believed to be explicit photos of Hunter Biden at a hearing, calling Rep. Lauren Boebert a "little bitch," and spreading transphobic rhetoric during pride month. As previously reported, Greene has repeatedly suggested since 2022 that shes on Trumps shortlist for vice president, as Trump himself has called her "brilliant" and a "badass." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. House Oversight Committee Hearing Goes Totally Off the Rails Thanks to MTG A House Oversight Committee hearing that was supposed to cover contempt proceedings for Attorney General Merrick Garland devolved into chaos and name-calling after repeated interruptions from a certain far-right representative from Georgia. Thursday nights meeting was originally intended to advance a measure to hold Garland in contempt for refusing to hand over audio of President Joe Bidens interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur. But it quickly fell off the rails, with Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) responsible for much of the drama and delay. Republicans have been obsessed with Hurs investigation ever since the special counsel revealed that Biden suffered memory loss during the interview. Biden on Thursday blocked access to the audio by invoking executive privilege, which was met with typical criticism from the committees chair, Rep. James Comer (R-KY). Despite the seriousness of the matter at hand, the committee meeting had barely begun when the fireworks started. Greene, along with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), repeatedly interrupted Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, as he made opening remarks. Ladies and gentleman, in this special night-time episode, we resume the madcap comedy mystery series called Comers High Crimes and Misadventures: The Hilarious Quest to Impeach a President Who Has Done Nothing Wrong, Raskin joked, describing it a low-budget, but multi-million-dollar taxpayer-funded production that most Americans assumed ended months ago. Greene interrupted: You mean like the January 6 Committee? Committee Republicans delayed todays contempt markup to 8 PM so they could make the pilgrimage to their cult leaders criminal trial in New York. pic.twitter.com/Ht1fY2ydbN Oversight Committee Democrats (@OversightDems) May 17, 2024 Raskin targeted Republicans for their years-long (and so far unsuccessful) quest to impeach President Biden, while also targeting GOP members who attended Trumps hush-money trial earlier in the day for postponing the session, which was supposed to be held at 11 a.m. But Greene persisted. Her interruptions became so incessant that, at one point, Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) demanded: Order Mr. Chairman, get her under control. Things are out of control in the Oversight Committee as there have been repeated outbursts from Marjorie Taylor Greene. The hearing has been tied up after Greene insulted the appearance of another member. Greene: I would like to know if any of the Democrats on this committee are pic.twitter.com/vl2LWpkbm2 Acyn (@Acyn) May 17, 2024 The meeting truly went off the rails after Greene veered off on another tangent criticizing the daughter of the judge handling Trumps New York business fraud case, Juan Merchan. Baffled, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) asked Greene pointedly: Do you know what were here for? I dont think you know what youre here for. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading, Greene shot back. The comments were immediately met by a chorus of disapproval, with Raskin chiming in, claiming thats beneath even you. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was so furious she yelled back at Greene: That is absolutely unacceptable, how dare you attack the physical appearance of another person, she said, enraged, while moving to remove Greenes words from the record. Greene replied: Are your feelings hurt? Oh girl, baby girl, dont even play with me, AOC shot back. Oh really? Baby girl? I dont think so, Greene replied. Greene refused to apologize, telling AOC, Why dont you debate me? When AOC replied: I think its pretty self-evident, Greene shot back: Yeah, you dont have enough intelligence. Comer ultimately ruled that Greenes words remain on the record. She again refused to apologize. Crockett then took aim. Im just curious. To better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleached-blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Anna Paulina Luna then jumped in, making a motion to strike Crocketts words. Were not gonna do this, she said, as a shocked Crockett responded: Im trying to get clarification! Luna: Calm down. Calm down. Crockett: No, no, no! Because this is what yall do. So, Im trying to get clarification because yall wanna play games... Luna: I cant hear you with your yelling. Crockett: ... and you dont want to Luna: Calm down. Crockett: No! Dont tell me to calm down because yall talk noise and then you cant take it! Luna: Youre outta control. Crockett: Because if I come and talk shit about her, yall gonna have a problem! Oh wow, Jasmine Crockett goes off on Marjorie Taylor Greene and Luna pic.twitter.com/AShjGfPXoe Acyn (@Acyn) May 17, 2024 At one point, another Democrat on the committee, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, complained that members who were not part of the committee were drinking in the hearing room as the conflict raged, according to Axios. Ultimately, the Republican-led panel approved a report recommending a contempt of Congress resolution against Garland. Its now up to the House to vote, though it is unclear when that may take place. Afterwards, Crockett posted on X: So MTG wanted to talk about my appearance in COMMITTEE?! Its against the rules to do She refused to apologize! The chairman ruled that it was ok AND I asked for clarification about what qualifies as engaging in personalities & basically wanted to know if I could talk shit about her appearance as well yall know what she looks like, right? PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES! This is what happens when mentally deficient people who cant read and follow rules or just dont give a damn somehow end up in CONGRESS! Greene did not address the drama on social media after the fact, but posted on X claiming, Democrats cant stop attacking President Trump even after wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on their sham J6 Committee. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. House passes bill to stop Biden from withholding weapons to Israel WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Israel security assistance support act Thursday. The Republican bill was put up in response to the Biden administrations pause on a bomb transfer to Israel. The bill prevents President Biden from withholding weapons transfers to Israel, the majority of Democrats and a handful of Republicans voted no but with 16 Democrats voting for it, House Republicans were able to pass the bill. You are either with Israel, or you are not, said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). House Speaker Mike Johnson was a champion of the bill. The Biden administration is defying the will of Congress and withholding weapons shipments to Israel, said Johnson. The bill would prevent President Biden from withholding weapons transfers to Israel. 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. New York Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks opposed the bill and said the U.S. must protect innocent lives. The United States has a duty, an obligation, under law to make sure our weapons are not disproportionately killing civilians, said Meeks. The measure is unlikely to go anywhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Private sector should engage in green economy transformation, Governor of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) Taleh Kazimov said at the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event on May 17, Trend reports. "The private sector as well as all other sectors should engage in the green economy transformation, requiring proper regulation; in particular, it is necessary to identify potential risks and conflicts, he emphasized. According to him, now the global economy, like the economy of Azerbaijan, is faced with problems associated with climate change, the consequences of which must be eliminated. "We are honored to host such an event. COP29 is a high-level discussion platform for world powers," he added. He also mentioned that the CBA is taking measures to stimulate green financing and strengthen the bank's participation in regulating energy efficiency initiatives. To note, 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A congressional education committee chaired by Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx from North Carolina on Wednesday chided UCLA for its response to the pro-Palestinian encampment and to the attack by a mob of counterprotesters against the encampment, and is demanding the university turn over all documents, communications and security videos related to alleged antisemitic incidents on campus since Oct. 7. In a letter written Wednesday, she charged UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, UC President Michael V. Drake, and Rich Leib, chair of the UC Board of Regent, with inadequate response to antisemitism and failure to protect Jewish students. Block, Drake, and Leib have been asked to testify at a hearing on May 23 called Calling for Accountability: Stopping Antisemitic College Chaos, according to the Los Angeles Times. Foxx, who is chair of House Committee on Education and the Workforce, previously praised Columbia University President Minouche Shafik for calling in the New York Police Department to sweep the New York universitys encampment, which led to the arrest of 108 protestors. In addition to videos of the protests, Foxx has also asked for all texts and other communications from university staff, police and the regents to be delivered by Monday, May 21. The Gaza war-protest encampment was set up next to Royce Hall for two weeks until police dismantled it and arrested more than 200 people on May 1. Foxx argued that it should have been taken down long before then. UCLAs leaders have allowed their campus to become a severe and pervasive hostile environment for Jewish students, standing by as students, faculty and affiliates were assaulted and harassed, Foxx wrote. For days, the unlawful encampments checkpoints illegally denied students access to campus buildings. The letter alleges that Jewish students were attacked, harassed and intimidated for walking on their own campus. The committee also wants to see disciplinary records for faculty and students relating to alleged antisemitic incidents at the university since Oct. 7, according to the Times. The post House Republicans Demand Inquiry Into Antisemitism on UCLA Campus appeared first on TheWrap. (WHTM) Student from across Pennsylvania gathered at HACC to graduate on Thursday. Some students earned their high school diplomas through the Migrant Education program. The federally-funded program is designed for the children of migrants or young migrants who had their education interrupted. Of the 300 graduates, 100 of them are heading into the workforce, military, and other colleges, with some earning scholarships. Its not only about access, but also about success, thats why were excited today these scholars are graduating to chart their own course in regards to their future here hoping in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Education Secretary Dr. Khalid Mumin said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Severe Weather Alerts Headphones were provided to the students families to hear the ceremony in one of four different languages. 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. STONECREST, Ga. Hundreds of Air Force members in dress blues joined Roger Fortsons family, friends and others at a suburban Atlanta megachurch on Friday to pay their final respects to the Black senior airman, who was shot and killed in his Florida home earlier this month by a sheriffs deputy. People lined up well before the start of the service at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest to file past the open coffin and say their goodbyes to Fortson, who was shot six times by a deputy responding to a May 3 call about a possible domestic violence situation at Fortsons apartment complex in the Florida Panhandle. He was 23. Senior Airman Roger Fortson was shot and killed by a Florida sheriff's deputy May 3, 2024, at his off-base residence near Hurlburt Field, Florida. (Air Force) Fortsons face and upper body were visible in his Air Force uniform, with an American flag draped over the lower half of the coffin. After viewing the body, many mourners paused to hug one another. As you can see from the sea of Air Force blue, I am not alone in my admiration of Senior Airman Fortson, Col. Patrick Dierig told mourners, referring to the rows of airmen who took up nearly an entire section of the sprawling church. We would like to take credit for making him great, but the truth is that he was great before he came to us, said Dierig, who commands the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Air Force Base in Florida, where Fortson was stationed. The Rev. Jamal Bryant opened his eulogy with a story about how civil rights icon Medgar Evers joined the Army during World War II even though he and other Black American service members were fighting for freedoms abroad that they didnt enjoy at home. The 1963 killing of Evers, a Mississippi NAACP leader who was gunned down by a white supremacist, showed all of America that you can wear a uniform and the uniform wont protect you, that regrettably sometimes the skin you wear is more of a magnet to opposition than the uniform that you bear, Bryant said. Because in America, before people see you as a veteran, as an airman in the United States Air Force, theyll see you as a Black man. Bryant also called for justice in Fortsons killing. Weve got to call it what it is: It was murder, Bryant said. He died of stone cold murder. And somebody has got to be held accountable. Roger was better to America than America was to Roger. U.S. Air Force personnel mourn slain airman Roger Fortson during his funeral at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, May 17, 2024, near Atlanta. (Brynn Anderson/AP) The Fortson familys lawyer, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, delivered a rousing address, telling the gathering: We will remember him for the American patriot he was. He was the best from East Atlanta. ... He was the best from the state of Georgia. He was the best from America. He was one of the best this world had to offer, Crump said. In a recorded video played at the service, the Rev. Al Sharpton also highlighted Fortsons military service and called for his death to not go unpunished. He as a young Black man stood up, signed up to fight for this country. The question now is will the country stand up and fight for him? ... That is the question and that is what we intend to get an answer to, Sharpton said. After the service, airmen saluted and Fortsons mother embraced mourners outside the church as his casket was carried to a horse-drawn carriage and led away. On Thursday, Fortsons mother vowed to get justice for her son, who had served in overseas combat zones. At a news conference held by the family and Crump, Meka Fortson spoke glowingly about how her son had always stayed on a positive path and had never been in trouble or shown signs of violence. She also had a message for Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden: Youre going to give me justice whether you want to, Sheriff Aden, or not, she said. On the day he was killed, Fortson opened the door while holding a handgun pointed toward the floor, according to the deputys body camera footage. 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. Fortsons family and Crump argue that the shooting was completely unjustified and that the deputy had gone to the wrong apartment while responding to a call about a possible domestic disturbance in progress at the apartment complex. Fortson was home alone and talking to his girlfriend on FaceTime when he grabbed his gun because he heard someone outside his unit, Crump has said. The deputy, whose name has not been released, shot Fortson within moments of the airman responding to the deputys knocking and opening his door. Sheriffs officials say the deputy acted in self-defense. 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 case is among many around the country in which Black people have been shot in their homes by law enforcement personnel. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating and the deputy has been placed on administrative leave. Hungarian Foreign Minister says he vetoed Zelenskyy's Peace Formula in Council of Europe Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said that he has vetoed the Council of Europe's decision to recognise and support only one peace plan for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula. Source: European Pravda, citing Szijjarto's statement on his Facebook page Details: The Hungarian minister lamented the absence of Russia in the Council of Europe, noting that the Council of Europe could have been "a great platform for peace-building, but after the exclusion of Russians, this opportunity was lost." "Instead of arms transfers and fantasies of nuclear war, we need real peace talks. And real peace talks can only take place when all the warring parties are at the table," Sijjarto said. He said that today, the Council of Europe also wanted to adopt a resolution in which it wanted to recognise only President Zelenskyy's peace plan, which should be considered and supported. "This is unacceptable for us. Others have also developed peace plans that are no worse than the peace plan of the President of Ukraine. I asked that other peace plans be included in the Council of Europe resolution. This was rejected by the majority. That is why I vetoed it, and it did not become a Council decision," Szijjarto explained. Background: The Global Peace Summit will be held on 15-16 June in the Swiss city of Burgenstock. Switzerland has invited over 160 countries and international organisations, but not Russia. Russia was not invited to the peace summit because it declared its unwillingness to participate, but Switzerland would like to launch a process that would involve Russia. 50 countries and organisations have confirmed their participation. Support UP or become our patron! Hungary has vetoed a resolution in the Council of Europe to officially recognise and support President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point peace formula, the country's foreign affairs minister said on May 17. In a post on Facebook, Peter Szijjarto said that "other plans" had been proposed by others but were not being considered by the Council, and the exclusion of Russia from the body meant peace negotiations could not work. The minister did not specify which other plans he was referring to. Ukraine's 10-point peace formula, a plan first outlined by President Volodymyr Zelensky in fall 2022, is composed of several key pillars, one of which is the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied Ukrainian territory. Russia withdrew from the Council of Europe in March 2022 after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and was subsequently officially excluded a day later. "Instead of fantasizing about nuclear war, we finally need real peace negotiations," Szijarto wrote, adding: "The real peace negotiation can only take place if all the warring parties are sitting around the table." "Today, the Council wanted to adopt a resolution, in which it wanted to recognize only and exclusively President Zelensky's peace plan as a peace formula to be considered and supported." Szijarto said he had asked for these other plans to be considered but this was rejected by the majority of EC members. "Thats why I vetoed it, so there was no Council resolution," he said. The most notable alternative peace plan was proposed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry which published a 12-point statement in Feb. 2023 outlining Beijings position on the political settlement of Russias full-scale war. Many Western leaders dismissed the proposal, noting that it would likely only work in Russias favor. Read also: Media: 50 states confirm participation in Ukraines peace summit in Switzerland Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said that his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico, who was injured in an assassination attempt, is "between life and death". Source: European Pravda, citing Reuters Quote from Orban's live speech on Hungarian state radio: "We wish him a speedy recovery and return to work. Robert Fico is between life and death." Details: The Hungarian prime minister said he was "praying for the prime minister and root for Slovakia", because even if Fico recovers, he will be out of work for several months. And this will come at a critical time in the run-up to the European Parliament elections that will take place early next month. Quote from Orban: "We are facing an election that will decide not just about members of [the] European Parliament but along with the US election can determine the course of war and peace in Europe. In that situation we would have badly needed Robert Fico and a pro-peace Slovakia." Background: On 15 May, Juraj Cintula, 71, shot Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico several times. Fico was shot on 15 May after a government meeting in the Slovak city of Handlova. Media reports indicate that Cintula has already been charged. On Thursday evening, 16 May, Slovak President-elect Peter Pellegrini said that the injured Fico was conscious, and they had a chance to talk for a while. Support UP or become our patron! Hunter Bidens attorneys have asked the judge overseeing his tax case in California to delay the trial, which is set for June, until September or later. Earlier this week, Biden lost his attempt to delay his federal gun trial in Delaware, with the district judge ruling the trial will continue as scheduled in June. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this month rejected his bid to toss the gun charges. Biden is accused of engaging in a tax conspiracy in his California case, which he is now asking to be delayed to allow time between the two trials. His lawyers said in a filing that Bidens counsel will be in Delaware for the other case until at least June 14. The California case is set to begin June 20, but the pretrial dates overlap. Mr. Biden needs a limited reprieve from the converging deadlines and is asking for the first time for a brief continuance, his lawyers wrote. Bidens attorneys are asking the federal judge, Marc Scarsi, to push back the trial until Sept. 5. Scarsi said he would hear requests to modify the schedule on May 29. Last month, Scarsi ruled against Bidens attempt to toss out the tax charges in California. It was Bidens eighth attempt. He faces three felony charges and six misdemeanor charges in connection to tax evasion, as well as filing a false return and failing to pay taxes between 2016 and 2019. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The UN actively supports Azerbaijan's chairmanship at COP29, UN Resident Coordinator Vladanka Andreeva said, Trend reports. She made the statement during the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event in Baku. The UN Country Team is actively supporting Azerbaijan's chairmanship of COP29, and we want this conference to be not just a success but to contribute to achieving goals and catalyzing action. The urgency of the climate crisis cannot be overemphasized. We need to mobilize all our forces to fight climate change, she said. According to her, the private sector plays a key role in the fight against climate change. Historically, much of the responsibility for mitigating climate change has fallen on governments and international organizations, but I think it's becoming increasingly clear that business and the private sector have not only the capacity but also the financial incentives to make significant changes. The private sector has unprecedented access to resources and innovative capabilities. It has advanced technology and a talented labor force. The private sector can pioneer green innovation. The private sector can invest in and implement innovations that can significantly reduce carbon emissions, from renewable energy technologies to sustainable agricultural practices, she added. To note, Azerbaijan will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in November this year. The decision was made at the plenary meeting of COP28 held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Within two weeks, Baku, having become the center of the world, will host about 70,00080,000 foreign guests. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for Conference of Parties, which is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. A total of 198 countries are parties to the convention. Unless the parties have decided otherwise, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel IATSE to Extend Talks on Basic Agreement Into June as Union Vows to Negotiate the Deal Our Members Deserve The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees wrapped up its third week of negotiations with Hollywoods major studios and streamers on a new Basic Agreement on Thursday, but has yet to reach a deal. In a message to members on Friday, the union said it expects to add additional bargaining days to the schedule in June. The contract is due to expire on July 31, and the union has repeatedly stated it does not intend to grant an extension. More from Variety The Basic Agreement covers 45,000 to 50,000 crew members, largely based in Los Angeles, from 13 local unions. The major issues on the table include funding of the union benefit plans, wage increases, artificial intelligence protections, and safety measures. We are working toward setting additional bargaining dates to continue to negotiate the deal our members deserve, Matt Loeb, the international president of IATSE, said in the message. Outward signs thus far have indicated that the talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are going relatively smoothly. There was no hint in the message that the two sides are at loggerheads, or that the union intends to seek a strike authorization. The talks this week were shadowed by the death of Rico Priem, a grip who was killed in a crash at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday while driving home from the set of the ABC show 9-1-1. The union has suggested that long hours Priem worked two 14-hour days prior to the crash may have contributed to his death. The union has previously sought longer rest periods, and provisions requiring hotel stays for workers who are too tired to drive home. The union has scheduled bargaining to begin on Monday on the Area Standards Agreement, a contract that covers 23 locals around the country. Those talks are scheduled to run through May 31. The AMPTP is also scheduled to negotiate with the Teamsters and the other Basic Crafts unions in June. That contract is also due to expire on July 31. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They came to Rafah on a promise of safety: There will be no bombs here. You might even find a pinch of rice and some water for washing. So by ox cart and on foot, by pickup truck sagging under the load of a whole clans belongings, a great mass of Palestinians moved through streets half-cleared of pulverized concrete, rubbish, and human shit, bound for what looked like a haven. They came from Shujayya and Deir Al Balah, from Gaza City and Nuseirat. Gazans interviewed by Doctors Without Borders speak of being pushed around as many as nine times, shuttled between the Strips evacuation zones, and converging, in the end, on the town at the furthest extremity available. They came to Rafah, and after May 7, when the Israeli army announced its latest offensive into the town, they went. They were promised again that somewhere else might be safe, but this time they embarked with less hope, fewer family at their side, their bellies emptier than before, carrying before them a scavenged scrap of white cloth to pass for a flag. But even that will not grant them immunity from a blunt fact: At any moment, no matter what they are doing, they might be shot where they stand. For seven months, Rafah was the only place in Gaza resembling a functional society. It had a threadbare administration, the last remains of an infrastructure, a few hospitals still running, and a border crossing used for the passage of aid. Its refugee population of one million (in peacetime it was home to a third of that number) was held in a state of sustained bare life. Now even that shall be stripped from them. On May 10, these facts compelled South Africas lawyers to return to the International Court of Justice and try once more to get an ordera provisional measureunder the Genocide Convention to halt the onslaught. The court has refused to grant South Africas main requesta total and complete end to all Israeli military action in Gazathree times. To ask again for a reconsideration, the South African lawyers have to demonstrate that the situation has significantly worsened. Their arguments at hearings on May 16 were consequently much more urgent and desperate than when they first appeared in court, in January. If the tone then was grave and dire, yesterday it was apocalyptic. The Rafah invasion, the lawyers argued, will be the last step in the destruction of Gaza, the endgame for an entire people, the last chance for the court to act. As much as lawyers in wigs and robes can be when speaking to the highest court in the world, South Africas advocates were abrupt and aggressive, clearly aiming to evoke in the judges a pang of complicitya direct stake in lives that might yet be saved by their intervention. Your previous orders have not succeeded in protecting Palestinians, Vaughan Lowe said bluntly. Whether because [of] the lack of clarity as to precisely what the orders require or because Israel chooses to ignore them, they have not been effective. The judges should, Lowe continued, spell it out explicitly for Israel that the court is not powerless nor worthless, consecrated alone to assert not only its own authority but the authority of international law. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi reinforced this theme: The rule of law can only survive through the orders of this court, he said. If the rule of law is to have any meaning, let it be today and with this case. The ICJ has shied from granting South Africas principal plea for a complete withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces because it has been hemmed in by Israels reasonable objection that any order issued against it would contravene its right to self-defenseespecially given that Hamas (because it is not a state and not a party to the court) wouldnt be bound by the same order. It seemed, for a moment, that the South African team had found a sneaky and clever track around this barrier. The written submission for their latest plea for provisional measures included this formulation: Israel shall immediately withdraw and cease its military offensive in the Rafah Governorate. The request applied to Rafah alone; it would not extend to a similar prohibition in other parts of Gaza, allowing the judges much more room to condemn the latest offensive without breaching Israels own rights. Though smaller in scale than previous requests, its effect would be wider. By the time of the hearings on Thursday, however, that specific and finely honed wording was gone. At their conclusion, South Africas lawyers demanded the IDF immediately, totally, and unconditionally withdraw from the entirety of the Gaza Strip. Quite why the South African side abandoned a finessing scalpel for the bludgeon force of a hammer is unclear. It closes off the space available to the judges to maneuver and presents them instead with a kind of ultimatum. But as the judges stated in their first decision on provisional measures, their opinion need not be identical to those requested. The court can still issue a limited order that obliges Israel to withdraw from Rafah and reopen its border crossing, as well as the one at Kerem Shalom. It falls then to Israel to comply. The countrys failure to do so would be an enormous detriment to its argument when, inevitably, some years down the line, we return again for the full case to be heard. From late October last year, and every week since, Gazans have been given at best 24 hours to remove themselves from an area the Israeli army wishes to ruin. Yet when Israels agents appeared before the ICJ on Friday, they complained loudly and at length that a few days was not time enough to summon its lawyers to The Hague. In contrast to the January hearings, their bench was empty; against South Africas battery of six lawyers, Israel mustered only three. Just two spoke. Toward the end of their allotted time, someone in the gallery loudly shouted, Liars! Whoever they were, and as undignified as their outburst was, they were not entirely wrong. One chilling example stands out. After a two-week special forces operation against Al Shifa Hospital in April, the Israelis left behind a mass grave with 30 bodies inside, some with cannulas still in their arms. Hundreds of other bodies were found around the hospital complex, including, if Hamas civil officials are to be believed, those of several doctors. Yet Kaplan Tourgeman, a legal adviser in Israels Foreign Affairs Ministry, stated: Despite the intense military activity on the premises [of Al Shifa], no patients or medical staff were harmed during the operation by the IDF. Tourgemans blatant lie also dodged overwhelming evidence of a similar mass grave of hundreds of bodies found near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, after a similar operation included among its remains corpses dressed in medical scrubs. Which is more crass? To fib about the pits your own soldiers likely dug or to accuse the other side of acting as an accessory to a terror group? Gilam Noam, Israels deputy attorney general for international law, suggested South Africas only motivation in coming to the court was to obtain military advantage for its ally, Hamas, which it does not wish to see defeated. Noam claimed that the South African sides attempt to exploit the court was vile and cynical and that really it wishes to see Hamas remain in control. Among the many high aims brought low by its conduct since October is the Israeli desire, as Noam put it, to see a different future for Gaza. It will deliver that future at the point of a bayonet, and one cannot help but recall the prayer of a Buddhist activist in Vietnam at the beginning of Americas bloody savaging of that country: Lead us not into Salvation, but deliver us from Deliverance. It is tempting to regard the ICJ as merely a symbol. Impotent to intervene when it is needed most, it can appear to be an airtight realm in which reality and the law do not blend; anyone who stands accused by it can simply ignore its rulings. But its opinions do have an effect, if not the preferred one: A firm order from its judges would impose significant pressure on Israels closest palsthe United States and Germanyto dam up the torrent of arms and ammunition they have unleashed to fuel Gazas nightmare. Last week, the Biden administration delivered (to itself) an overdue reportin response to National Security Memorandum 20which gave license (to itself) to continue these shipments, despite Bidens limp withholding of a few boats. The report found it reasonable to assess that American arms had been used in violations of international law in Gaza, yet because the study was not asked to judge the legality of each drop of a bomb or firing of a shell, or indeed to judge whether these things had happened at all, there was no real reason for the flow of arms to stop. The administration asked a foggy, bureaucratic question and got an equally foggy, bureaucratic answer back. A clear provisional measure from the ICJ would provide a legal standard the U.S. (and other countries) would be obliged to follow. It would also give useful leverage to internal dissidents within governments to push harder for higher standards on arms transfers. It might stop the grotesque daily ritual of officials appearing before the world and reassuring themselves (and us) that Israel complies always and forever with international law and any crimes that have occurred will be fairly investigated by the IDF. As a recent NPR report revealed, Among the 1,260 complaints regarding Israeli soldiers harming Palestinians and their property submitted to Israels Military Advocate Generals office between 2017 and 2021, only 11 resulted in indictmentsfewer than 1% of all complaints. Actual prosecutions are so rare that the human rights group BTselem stopped contributing to them in 2016. Put simply, just as the state cannot be trusted to report on itself, it cannot be trusted to issue a verdict on itself either. Anything could and should be thrown into the gears of the machine. Israel acts the way it does because of Americas enduring role as chief armorer, banker, and patron. The Israeli air force does not load up its bombers without assurance that more munitions made by American hands are on their way; its politicians would not appear on a stage before a horde of settlers and promise them seaside homes on the Gazan waterfront if words like these werent routinely defended by American politicians. On whose behalf were American cops sent to smash the heads of American students? It was to the benefit of extreme-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who, despite the ICJs warning against incitement to genocide, is still calling for the total annihilation of Gaza. What does total annihilation look like? From the morass of suffering, examples and images tend to select themselves and lodge in the brain like an infection. Here is one. Sabreen Al Sakani lived in Rafah. She was 30 weeks pregnant. In April, she was killed in an Israeli airstrike, alongside her husband and daughter. Her body was taken to a hospital. Doctors performed an emergency caesarean outside, in the open air. The child was born, and her uncle called her Sabreen, after her mother. Sabreen survived for 120 hours. A just world would reconsecrate itself in Sabreens image, would title its legal codes in her name. Perhaps this is sentimental. Yet it is a better sentiment than the kind expressed by those who would call Sabreens fate a tragedy rather than a crime. Codes are complex, yes; the law is a labyrinth; but justice is a smaller thing, and simpler too: It says no one should be born an orphan, dead in five days. IDEA Public Schools welcome new families with event EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) IDEA Public Schools will host the Welcome to IDEA event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at several of its campuses. The event, which is free and open to the public, is designed for families interested in learning more about IDEA or applying for the 2024-2025 academic school year, according to a press release sent by IDEA Public Schools. Serving grades K-12, IDEA has a limited number of open seats for the upcoming school year. This event provides a unique opportunity for families to explore what IDEA has to offer, including our rigorous academic programs, extracurricular activities, and supportive school community, read the press release. The event will feature the following: Cheerleaders and music Snacks and school menu previews by the Child Nutrition Program T-shirt giveaways for families with completed registrations An opportunity to meet the principal, staff members and students representing various clubs and organizations at our schools. Participating campuses include: IDEA Horizon Vista 201 Horizon Crossing St. IDEA Mesa Hills 405 Wallenberg Dr. IDEA Mesquite Hills 11881 Dyer St. IDEA Rio Vista 210 N Rio Vista Rd. For more information for families, contact Erick Valverde at (915) 888-4600. 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. IDF recovers hostages body from Gaza one day after retrieving three others The Israeli military announced Saturday that it had recovered the body of a hostage from the Gaza Strip, one day after saying it had retrieved the remains of three others in the besieged territory. The hostage was identified as Ron Benjamin, who was killed on October 7 at the Mefalsim intersection during the Hamas attack, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a news conference. Benjamins body was abducted by Hamas and taken to Gaza, he added. The three previous hostages were identified as Shani Louk, Amit Bouskila, and Itshak Gelernter, Hagari said in a press conference in Tel Aviv on Friday. All three were taken hostage on October 7 and were killed while escaping the Nova music festival and their bodies taken into Gaza, the IDF said. They were celebrating life in the Nova music festival and they were murdered by Hamas, he said. The bodies were identified by authorities and the families have been informed, Hagari said, adding that the bodies had been transferred to medical professionals for forensic examination. Hagari did not disclose where the bodies were found during the press conference. He said the bodies were recovered during a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation. CNN analyst and Axios reporter Barak Ravid, citing an IDF spokesperson, reported the bodies were found in a tunnel in Gaza. Nissim Louk, father of Shani Louk whose body was one of those recovered also told Israeli media his daughters body was very well preserved because it had been kept in a deep and very cold tunnel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his grief in a post on X on Friday. The heart breaks for the great loss. My wife Sara and I grieve with the families. All our hearts are with them in this hour of grieving, he said. We will return all our hostages, the dead and the alive alike. I congratulate our brave forces who, with determined action, have returned our sons and daughters home, he added. Of the three hostages, only Louk had previously been confirmed dead by the Israeli government. The 23-year-old German-Israeli woman was declared dead by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in late October. A source involved with her identification told CNN Louks death was announced after forensic examiners found a bone fragment from her skull. Her lifeless body was seen on video on the back of a Hamas truck after the music festival attack. Louks family said they feel some closure now that her body has been recovered. In a statement given to CNN, the family said the IDF came to their house on Friday and informed them that they were able to rescue Louks body from a tunnel in Gaza and bring her back to Israel. Every news like this brings us back to the horrific moment we had to find out that our loving daughter was brutally murdered by Hamas on the 7th of October. However, it is also a relief to get the body back and we are now able to bury her close by. It gives us some kind of closure, the family said. We want to remember Shani as the beautiful and peace-loving person she was, who loved music, dancing and life. She brought us and many other people in the world light and the belief in good. This is how we choose to remember Shani, the statement added. Around 240 people were taken hostage and moved to Gaza during Hamas October 7 attack on Israel which also killed more than 1,200 people. In the seven months since that attack, Israel has launched a war in Gaza that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. A little more than 100 hostages were freed during a release deal in November, but the IDF believes there are still 132 hostages being held in Gaza, 128 of whom were taken on October 7. The IDF believed that of those 132 hostages, 40 are believed to be dead, including two who were taken in 2014. A deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages has remained elusive for months, despite rounds of talks between Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams. Last Friday, Hamas militants said Israels rejection of a ceasefire plan submitted by mediators at negotiations in Cairo had sent hostage release talks back to square one. The statement came a day after the latest round of Gaza truce and hostage deal talks ended in Cairo, without a deal. The militant group also accused Netanyahu of hindering the ceasefire talks, so as to use negotiations as a cover to attack the southern Gaza city of Rafah. CNNs Eliza Talmadge contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Donald Trump basically did the prosecutions work for them while ad libbing outside the courthouse of his New York hush-money trial, admitting that he did, actually, have an NDA with porn actress Stormy Daniels. Andrew McCarthy: NDAs are legal and common. Yet, Bragg alleges Trumps was illegal, Trump read off a sheet of paper Thursday, quoting Andrew McCarthy in the National Review before facetiously inserting a telling line: I have the only illegal NDA. Trump then continued to react to lines from McCarthys online blog post. It seems that Trumps crime by blue state lights was winning the election. That was my crime. I won an election that I wasnt supposed to win against Hillary Clinton. And thats not a crime, Trump said. Trump: I have the only illegal NDA pic.twitter.com/PdmBv4YsL4 Acyn (@Acyn) May 16, 2024 Trumps attorneys have attempted to argue that the funds to pay off Daniels came exclusively from his fixer, Michael Cohen, and that Trump had zero awareness of the actual payments. Cohen, for his part, has repeatedly outed Trump as a micromanager who was aware of his every move, telling the court on Monday that the pair spoke every single day, and multiple times a day. And, if they werent able to communicate one-on-one, Cohen said he would often communicate with Trump via one of his other close confidants, including his former assistant Rhona Graff, Trump Organization employee turned director of Oval Office operations Keith Schiller, Trumps children, or Hope Hicks. Other witnesses in the criminal trial have also pointed to Trump as the obvious and understood originator of the hush-money payments, even if it wasnt explicitly mentioned to them at the time. The Republican presidential nominee faces 34 felony charges in this case for allegedly falsifying business records with the intent to further an underlying crime. Trump has pleaded not guilty on all counts. The Illinois House passed legislation aimed at reining in the potential for runaway damages under the states biometric privacy law Thursday, more than a year after the Illinois Supreme Court suggested the legislature revisit the law. Illinois biometric privacy law, which the state legislature passed in 2008, requires companies to gain consent before they collect and store biometric information such as fingerprints or retina scans. Its considered the strictest such law in the country, in part because it allows individuals to sue over alleged violations. Companies that have been caught in the laws crosshairs include Facebook, which paid out a $650 million settlement over its facial tagging feature, and Google, which settled a case over its facial grouping tool on Google Photos for $100 million. In February 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court suggested the legislature revisit the language of the law in a much-anticipated split opinion issued in a case involving fingerprint scanners used by employees at fast-food company White Castle. In that case, the court ruled that damages under the law accrue each and every time a person provides their biometric information without prior informed consent. But in the majority opinion, the court acknowledged its reading of the statute opened the door to potentially excessive damages in Biometric Information Privacy Act cases and suggested the legislature revisit the language of the law. We continue to believe that policy-based concerns about potentially excessive damage awards under the Act are best addressed by the legislature, Justice Elizabeth Rochford wrote in the opinion. We respectfully suggest that the legislature review these policy concerns and make clear its intent regarding the assessment of damages under the Act. The legislation passed Thursday amends the law to state that a violation of the act occurs and damages under the law accrue only once when an entity collects or discloses a persons biometric information without consent, rather than every time. Nine Republicans joined Democrats in the House supermajority to pass the measure in an 81-30 vote. After passing through the Senate last month in a 46-13 vote, the bills next stop is Gov. J.B. Pritzkers desk for his consideration. Once it reaches his desk, Governor Pritzker will give the final legislation careful review, said Alex Gough, a spokesperson for the governor, in a statement. This is a really straightforward requirement in BIPA for a very significant and valuable privacy right, said the bills main House sponsor, state Rep. Ann Williams, a Chicago Democrat. This bill addresses the invitation by the court to address damages, and thats exactly what were doing here. State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, a Democrat from Bridgeview, also defended the bill, saying it preserves the critical privacy protections at the core of the law, including shielding the public from social media companies data harvesting of personal information. But he also said the legislation adds much needed clarity to help small businesses operate in a more predictable, regulatory setting. I know that many small-business owners will be relieved to see this measure pass, Rashid, who co-sponsored the measure, said shortly before the House vote. In March, a coalition of major business groups including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association, the Illinois Manufacturers Association and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association issued a statement saying they could not support the legislation in its form as introduced. Though the bill would place some limits on financial liability under BIPA, the group said, it is not retroactive and therefore fails to help the thousands of businesses still fighting against massive judgments even though there is no proof that harm ever occurred. On Thursday, the Technology & Manufacturing Association, a trade organization for small- and mid-size manufacturers, praised the legislation and called for Pritzker to sign it into law. Many of the small and midsize manufacturers who have been impacted by BIPA are 2nd and 3rd generation manufacturers who dont have a legal department and have been subject to annihilative lawsuits that made many get to a point where they had to consider closing their doors, but this new law fixes that from continuing to happen, lobbyist David Curtin said in a statement. One of the House Republicans who voted against the measure Thursday, state Rep. Dan Ugaste, 65th District, said during floor debate he didnt think the bill went far enough to be fair to businesses, especially if the violation was merely a mistake. He also raised concerns over whether data centers, which function as a storage apparatus for computer systems, could still be open to liabilities with the legislation. I dont want anyone taking my biometric data and sharing it with anyone, neglecting proper care for it or doing anything of that nature, said Ugaste, of Geneva. But I also dont believe a company should be penalized when no actual harms been done. I just think we need to keep talking and go a step further in order to make certain that businesses do what theyre supposed to and protect the data theyre collecting, but at the same time arent punished unnecessarily, Ugaste said. Then if were going to apply a penalty to something, we make certain its something such as a data center can even comply with if were requesting it of them. Attempts to amend the biometric privacy law last year stalled after the legislation at the time didnt address various concerns from business groups. Its quite notable that this passed, said Matthew Kugler, a law professor at Northwestern Universitys Pritzker School of Law. I think it shows how concerned people are in the wake of the White Castle decision. That said, Kugler added, the legislation if the governor signs it into law would not necessarily elicit a major departure from the status quo in terms of how settlements under the law typically shake out. It indicates that the long tail of high damages is not on the table, he said. In that sense, it should result in lower settlements. Having said that, I dont think many prior settlements were based on the idea that you could recover (damages) for each individual scan. Damages under the law are $1,000 for negligent violations and $5,000 for intentional or reckless violations. When applied to each time a company collected someones biometric information, the potential for damages could grow exponentially. The White Castle case which could have left the company on the hook for $17 billion in damages had it lost at trial was settled last month for $9.4 million in federal court in Chicago pending a final approval hearing in August. Lior Strahilevitz, professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School, said he would expect damages in cases involving smaller groups of class members such as employees in the White Castle case to go down under the amended legislation, or for those cases to not even be brought in the first place. A plaintiffs lawyer has to make a decision about whether its worth their while, Strahilevitz said. If a company has collected fingerprints from its 100 employees but not its customers, for instance, the maximum amount the plaintiffs could recover under the amended legislation would be $100,000 for negligent violations of the law. The attorneys, Strahilevitz said, would be better off dealing with an automobile injury or taking a slip-and-fall case. But the types of BIPA cases many Illinois residents are more familiar with those that resulted in checks from big tech companies for millions of Illinoisians, for instance may not see as much impact because plaintiffs attorneys will still consider those large cases worth their trouble, Strahilevitz said. I think youll still continue to see large settlements in cases involving companies like Facebook that have millions of Illinois customers, he said. The plenary session of the German Bundestag. The agenda for the 170th session of the 20th legislative period includes deliberations on the Fourth Bureaucracy Relief Act, the fight against political Islam and economic relations with China. Christoph Soeder/dpa In the current legislative period, the German lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, has waived the immunity of lawmakers in 15 cases to enable searches, disciplinary or criminal proceedings. The parliament's online documentation system shows that 10 of these cases involved far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmakers - some of them more than once. Four cases involved pro-business Free Democrat (FDP) politicians and one case involved a representative of the Greens. In the last legislative period, there were 23 cases of immunity being lifted, seven each for the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the AfD, two each for the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), FDP and the hard-left Die Linke (The Left) party and three cases for independent lawmakers. The figures do not provide any information about actual criminal behaviour, but only show that authorities took action in the course of investigations. Immunity offers members of the Bundestag far-reaching protection from prosecution. "According to its historical development, this right is primarily intended to protect the working and functional capacity of parliament," the Bundestag's data manual states. The aim is to protect lawmakers from being subjected to politically motivated lawsuits. However, they are not spared from investigations, indictments or searches. According to the Bundestag's data manual, a general authorization has been in place for simple investigations since 1973, without the need for individual authorization. This regulation is set out in the Bundestag's rules of procedure and has been repeatedly extended over the years at the beginning of each legislative period by a Bundestag resolution. However, the judicial authorities must first inform the individuals who are to be investigated, as well as the president of the Bundestag. The public prosecutor's office can initiate proceedings 48 hours after this at the earliest. Under Article 46 of the Basic Law, the judiciary may only arrest lawmakers if the Bundestag has authorized the waiver of immunity in advance, unless the person concerned is caught in the act and detained immediately or on the following day. A general view of the plenary session of the German Bundestag. The agenda for the 170th session of the 20th legislative period includes deliberations on the Fourth Bureaucracy Relief Act, the fight against political Islam and economic relations with China. Christoph Soeder/dpa A general view of the plenary session of the German Bundestag. The agenda for the 170th session of the 20th legislative period includes deliberations on the Fourth Bureaucracy Relief Act, the fight against political Islam and economic relations with China. Christoph Soeder/dpa In the current legislative period, the German lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, has waived the immunity of lawmakers in 15 cases to enable searches, disciplinary or criminal proceedings. The parliament's online documentation system shows that 10 of these cases involved far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmakers - some of them more than once. Four cases involved pro-business Free Democrat (FDP) politicians and one case involved a representative of the Greens. In the last legislative period, there were 23 cases of immunity being lifted, seven each for the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the AfD, two each for the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), FDP and the hard-left Die Linke (The Left) party and three cases for independent lawmakers. The figures do not provide any information about actual criminal behaviour, but only show that authorities took action in the course of investigations. Immunity offers members of the Bundestag far-reaching protection from prosecution. "According to its historical development, this right is primarily intended to protect the working and functional capacity of parliament," the Bundestag's data manual states. The aim is to protect lawmakers from being subjected to politically motivated lawsuits. However, they are not spared from investigations, indictments or searches. According to the Bundestag's data manual, a general authorization has been in place for simple investigations since 1973, without the need for individual authorization. The plenary session of the German Bundestag. The agenda for the 170th session of the 20th legislative period includes deliberations on the Fourth Bureaucracy Relief Act, the fight against political Islam and economic relations with China. Christoph Soeder/dpa Families represented by Indiana Disability Rights and the ACLU sued the state, saying its changes to attendant care would deny their medically complex children community-based services. (Getty Images) Indiana Disability Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana (ACLU) filed a complaint against the state Friday alleging that changes to an attendant care program threaten the safety and well-being of medically complex children. Children with medically complex conditions often need near constant care and supervision. Parents and families have for years been able to cobble together a patchwork of services and caregivers, including serving as paid caregivers themselves, to ensure their children have what they need to live safely in the community, said Melissa Keyes, the executive director at Indiana Disability Rights. Now, FSSA is throwing a wrench in those plans without ensuring there are appropriate alternatives available. Indianas Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) previously allowed parents to be paid hourly wages as Legally Responsible Individuals through an attendant care program. In January, after the agency said ballooning program costs contributed to a nearly $1 billion Medicaid forecasting error, FSSA said it would transition families to Structured Family Caregiving. That change would pay families a per diem below what what they received under the attendant care program. Under the latter, families had few guardrails on payments and FSSA said some parents charged more than 100 hours weekly. But families said they had few options with a shortage of other health care providers to fill the gaps. Families must transition by July 1. Prior to the announced change, no Structured Family Caregiving providers offered the type of pediatric services needed to cover the roughly 1,600 children who will be impacted. In a statement, Kim Dodson, the CEO of disability advocacy organization The Arc of Indiana, praised the filing. The Arc of Indiana greatly appreciates IDR and ACLU of Indiana for taking this critical action. Part of IDRs mission is to uphold and advance the rights of individuals with disabilities. This effort to protect medically complex children is critical to their ability to continue to live safely at home with their family. We support and applaud their efforts, Dodson said. Plaintiff details Fridays lawsuit was filed on behalf of two children with complex medical needs served under the Aged & Disabled Waiver attendant care program. That waiver will split into the Health & Wellness Waiver for disabled Hoosiers and PathWays to Aging for elderly Hoosiers as of July 1. One six-year-old child from Mitchell, in southern Indiana has cri-du-chat syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. Due to his syndrome, E.R. has chronic lung disease, severe respiratory issues and epilepsy. In addition, he is partially deaf, partially blind, non-verbal and non-ambulatory. His wasnt able to find a long-term provider capable and willing to provide care. One nurse lasted six months before moving out of state. E.R. is currently approved (and has been approved for some time) to receive 40 hours each week in skilled nursing services, even though he does not actually receive these services, the filing reads. The familys case manager suggested his mother register to provide services instead in 2022. His older sister, now 19, also provides attendant care hours during the nighttime hours to allow (the mother) to sleep but would like to stop so she could attend college or otherwise start her adult life. The mother currently is reimbursed for 112 hours of attendant care while the sister is paid for 56 hours each week. The other child, a 10-year-old boy, also receives full-time care from his mother. G.S. has hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a type of brain damage that affects the central nervous system. His family, which includes three minor siblings, moved from Kentucky to Indiana to be closer to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. The hospital performed open heart surgery to repair a defect and stop blood from leaking into his lungs. However, the prior damage means that G.S. has chronic lung disease in addition to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which is characterized by repeated seizures. He is also nonverbal and deaf. Families rally for a second week at the Indiana Statehouse in January to protest a protest cut to Medicaid services that pay for parents to be attendants for their severely disabled children. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) He is approved to receive 80 hours of care but his old nurse also moved out of state. His mother made the difficult decision to place him in one of the states two pediatric nursing homes for several months in 2020. Unfortunately, this placement proved to be a horrendous experience, the suit states. The family states that his quality of life suffered and the mother was concerned that staff were unprepared to care for G.S. She also worried about neglect and abuse. Attendant care allowed the family to live independently together, rather than living with an adult roommate. The mother gets paid for 86 hours each week and gets nine hours of respite care the time when she can grocery shop or run errands and still have others care for G.S. Both families say that attendant care is their only source of income, since caring for their children keeps them from seeking outside employment. Each say that Structured Family Caregiving wouldnt be enough to keep their basic needs met. Grounds for the case The 34-page complaint, filed in the federal Southern District of Indiana court in Indianapolis, cites a groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court ruling as a basis for their claim the Olmstead v. L.C. (1999) decision said people with disabilities should be in the least restrictive treatment settings possible. Without attendant care, the suit said, plaintiffs will be forced to turn to institutionalized care. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead decision are clear: children with disabilities deserve the opportunity to live and thrive in their communities, not be forced into institutions, said Gavin Rose, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU. We are committed to ensuring these children can remain safe and healthy at home with their families. The suit alleges that FSSA failed to ensure that round-the-clock and medically necessary care was available in communities, paper(ing) over the shortcoming by allowing parents to fill in as providers for unskilled tasks like dressing and bathing. Previously, FSSA said it didnt currently have the authority under its federal waiver to continue paying parents through its attendant care program. Structured Family Caregiving would divide families into three tiers of care, each with a set per diem payment. This policy not only ignores the critical needs of these medically complex children, but it also disrespects the incredible dedication of their parents who have become experts in caring for their unique situations, said Tom Crishon, Legal Director at Indiana Disability Rights. We are filing this lawsuit to ensure these children can continue to receive the care they need in their homes and communities. 01 - Complaint The post Indiana Disability Rights, ACLU file complaint over FSSAs attendant care changes appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. FILE PHOTO: A freshly prepared butter chicken dish is placed on a table inside the Moti Mahal Delux restaurant in New Delhi By Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi NEW DELHI (Reuters) - With new photographic and video evidence, an Indian court battle over the origins of the world famous butter chicken is set to get spicier. Two Indian restaurant chains have been sparring since January at the Delhi High Court, both claiming credit for inventing the dish in a lawsuit that has grabbed the attention of social media users, food critics, editorials and TV channels across the globe. The popular Moti Mahal restaurant chain said it had the sole right to be recognised as the inventor of the curry and demanded its rival, the Daryaganj chain, to stop claiming credit and pay $240,000 in damages. Moti Mahal said founder Kundan Lal Gujral created the cream-loaded dish in the 1930s at an eatery in Peshawar, now in Pakistan, before relocating to Delhi. That "story of invention of butter chicken does not ring true" and is aimed at misleading the court, Daryaganj said in a new, 642-page counter-filing reviewed by Reuters. Daryaganj says a late member of its founding family, Kundan Lal Jaggi, created the disputed dish when he helmed the kitchen at the relocated Delhi eatery, where Gujral, his friend-cum-partner from Peshawar only handled marketing. Both men are dead, Gujral in 1997 and Jaggi in 2018. Evidence in the non-public filing includes a black-and-white photograph from 1930s showing the two friends in Peshawar; a 1949 partnership agreement; Jaggi's business card after relocating to Delhi and his 2017 video talking about the dish's origin. By virtue of the friends' partnership, "both parties can claim that their respective ancestors created the dishes," Daryaganj says in the filing, calling the dispute a "business rivalry". Moti Mahal declined to comment. The judge will next hear the case on May 29. A key point of contention, which the court will have to rule on, is where, when and by whom the dish was first made - by Gujral in Peshawar, Jaggi in New Delhi, or if both should be credited. Butter chicken is ranked 43rd in a list of world's "best dishes" by TasteAtlas, and bragging rights about who invented it can matter, brand experts said. "Being an inventor has a huge advantage globally and in terms of consumer appeal. You are also entitled to charge more," said Dilip Cherian, an image guru and co-founder of Indian PR firm Perfect Relations. Moti Mahal operates a franchisee model with over 100 outlets globally. Its butter chicken dishes start at $8 in New Delhi, and are priced at $23 in New York. Late U.S. President Richard Nixon and India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru are among the famous clients to have visited its primary outlet in Delhi. Daryaganj started in 2019 and its butter chicken costs $7.50. It has 10 outlets, mostly in New Delhi, with plans to expand to other Indian cities and Bangkok. In its 2,752-page Indian lawsuit, Moti Mahal had also accused Daryaganj of copying "the look and feel" of the interiors of its outlets. Daryaganj has retorted with photographs of restaurant interiors which the judge will review, claiming it is Moti Mahal that has copied its "design of floor tiles". (Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan) Senate continues hearing on RBH 6 Important matters will be discussed as senators, including Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, head to Baguio on Friday to tackle Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6, which seeks to amend the 1987 Constitution. "With such a bold move in altering our current way of life, we must think clearly and precisely about our next steps," said Legarda. It may be recalled that Legarda, one of the authors of RBH 6, underscored the importance of accurately and carefully reviewing proposed amendments to the Constitution. RBH 6, co-authored with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Sonny Angara, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 under the Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes, proposes amendments to specific economic provisions on public utilities, basic educational institutions, and advertising industry. RBH 6 will require the vote of three-fourths (3/4) of all members of the Senate and House of Representatives, with each House voting separately. "I stand in firm belief in having a bicameral Congress as it observes the checks and balances in government, which are paramount in a just and democratic society, just as we aspire for the Philippines," she added. "In deliberating upon RBH No. 6, it is crucial now more than ever that we carefully assess and evaluate its potential impact on every Filipino. Our foremost duty, as lawmakers, is to ensure that our decisions redound to the benefit of our fellow countrymen, for whom we are dutifully committed to serve," she concluded. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. A high-level panel discussion at the 34th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Europe (ERC34) addressed the urgent need for scaled-up climate action in Europe and Central Asia's agrifood systems. The discussion, titled "Climate Action in Agrifood Systems in Europe and Central Asia: Bridging and Aligning National and Regional Priorities and Global Commitments in the Context of UNFCCC COP29" highlighted the region's vulnerability to climate change and the importance of a coordinated approach ahead of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP29). Climate change impacts agrifood systems worldwide, with the region of Europe and Central Asia being no exception. It leads to reduced agricultural productivity and disrupts food value chains, posing a significant threat to food security across the region. Adaptation and climate change mitigation are essential to ensuring that agrifood systems provide food and nutrition security for all. FAO, jointly with the member countries and the regional and national partners, responds to the worldwide challenge of tackling the impacts of the climate crisis. Aligned with country priorities, the FAO Strategy on Climate Change 20222031 supports climate action in agrifood systems. Raimund Jehle, FAO Regional Programme Leader for Europe and Central Asia, highlighted the development of a regional framework for Europe and Central Asia for applying the FAO Strategy on Climate Change and collaboration with Azerbaijan to integrate agrifood systems as part of UNFCCC COP29. UNFCCC COP29: A platform for action The UNFCCC COP29, scheduled for November 11-22, 2024, in Baku, presents an opportunity to highlight national and regional priorities in climate action and focus on the transformative potential of agriculture in the context of climate change. Ilhama Gadimova, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and a member of the Organizing Committee of the UNFCCC COP29, emphasized the country's commitment to leading discussions on the role of sustainable agrifood systems in climate action. She stressed the need for global unity and decisive action to address this pressing issue. We aspire to see the world's leaders prioritize environmental sustainability and focus collaboratively on this pressing global issue during the conference, said Ms Gadimova. Nino Tandilashvili, First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia recognised the power of a combined approach to climate change and agriculture. Ms Tandilashvili emphasized that integrating "agrifood system solutions" into national plans like Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Plans, and long-term emissions reduction strategies is crucial for effectively tackling climate change. This focus on unified action is reflected in the government's policies and interventions. A key priority at UNFCCC COP29 will be securing climate finance, particularly for adaptation and emissions reduction within agrifood systems. Deputy Minister Gadimova, Herwig Ranner, Team Leader, Directorate General for Agriculture at the EU Commission, and Luisa Rolke, Head of Division Climate Change and Water at Germany's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, all highlighted the importance of climate finance and initiatives like the Food and Agriculture for Sustainable Transformation (FAST) Partnership in supporting capacity building and ensuring high-quality investments. Julia Wolf, Natural Resources Officer at the FAOs Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment echoed this sentiment. Investing in agrifood systems is a key solution to climate change. Without increased investments, we run the risk of falling short of the targets set by the Paris Agreement and compromising our food security objectives. This is our key message we will advocate for. Luisa Volpe, Advocacy, Policy and Partnerships Practice Leader at the World Farmers Organisation (WFO emphasized that transforming agrifood systems should prioritize the well-being of farmers, as they are not only affected by climate change, but are integral to the solution. Highlighting the importance of regional collaboration for effective climate action, Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, emphasized the need for coordinated efforts to align national and regional climate action priorities. Uzbekistan demonstrates its proactive approach to facilitating regional collaboration through the Central Asian Climate Dialogue. Vladimir Grebnev, Regional Climate Change Specialist at the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program (CAREC) emphasized CAREC's support to member countries in aligning national and regional priorities, particularly in view of revising Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), which was hosted by the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai, in December 2023, achieved significant milestones. Agrifood systems took centre stage, with several important achievements, such as the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action, endorsed by 159 countries. Infant takes 1st breaths on her own after undergoing rare double lung transplant A 6-month-old girl born with a life-threatening lung disorder is now breathing on her own thanks to a rare double lung transplant. Kylie Overfield was placed on a ventilator immediately after her birth on Nov. 10, 2023, due to surfactant B deficiency, a rare genetic condition that causes abnormalities in the lining of the lung tissue, making breathing difficult, according to the National Library of Medicine. The condition, which affects roughly 1 in 1 million newborns globally, can lead to respiratory failure. In Kylie's case, the condition was so severe that doctors feared she wouldn't survive long after her birth, which came on a Friday, according to her mom, Ashley Overfield. "They didn't think Kylie was going to make it," Overfield, told "Good Morning America." "She wouldn't survive the weekend." PHOTO: Kylie Overfield is held by her mom Ashley Overfield. (Texas Childrens) Defying the odds, Kylie survived the next three months and, in January, was strong enough to be transferred from the Virginia hospital where she was born to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. "Im telling you, she was feisty," Overfield said of her daughter. "If she was fighting, I was never going to stop fighting." Overfield was told by doctors that the most effective treatment for Kylie was a double lung transplant, a rare treatment. Only 35 lung transplants have been performed on babies under the age of 1 in the United States over the past decade, according to data from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. PHOTO: Kylie Overfield is held by her mom Ashley Overfield. (Texas Childrens) At Texas Children's Hospital, doctors were prepared to take on Kylie's case, having performed more than 100 pediatric lung transplants since 2014, a total the hospital says is more than any other in the country. "Specifically in lung transplants, we are one of the busiest pediatric lung transplant centers in the country," Dr. David Moreno-McNeill, a pediatric pulmonologist at Texas Childrens Hospital, told "GMA." Baby boy thriving 1 year after worlds first partial heart transplant After arriving at Texas Children's Hospital in January, Kylie was placed on the waiting list for a bilateral lung transplant on Feb. 16. PHOTO: Kylie Overfield underwent a double lung transplant at Texas Childrens Hospital on April 17, 2024. (Texas Childrens) Just two months later, doctors found a match for Kylie. On April 17, Kylie, then just 5 months old, underwent a double transplant procedure, receiving two new lungs. The 11-hour surgery was overseen by more than one dozen doctors and nurses, PHOTO: Kylie Overfield underwent a double lung transplant at Texas Childrens Hospital on April 17, 2024. (Texas Childrens) Following the successful surgery, during which a hole in her heart was also repaired, Kylie was able to breathe on her own for the first time in her life. She is expected to be discharged from Texas Children's Hospital in the coming days. "I got my baby, so she has a life now," said Overfield, who relocated to Houston with her husband and their two older children. "She gets a chance." Overfield said she and her family are especially grateful to the mom of the donor baby, who made the selfless choice of organ donation. Nurse saves young boy's life by donating part of her liver "I'm so grateful that she chose to donate the organs because she saved my baby and I'm sure other babies," Overfield said. "My heart hurts for her and I think about her every minute of every day." PHOTO: Kylie Overfield's parents are pictured after learning Kylie survived a successful double lung transplant. (Texas Childrens) Currently, over 103,000 people in the U.S. are on the waiting list for a transplant, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Infant takes 1st breaths on her own after undergoing rare double lung transplant originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com Editors note: The following story is based on eyewitness testimony given in court, 911 calls made by Karen Gordon and Taylor Daniel as well as home surveillance and police body camera video taken on March 16, 2024 and played in Bucks County Court on May 15, 2024. Andre Gordon Jr. is charged and has not been convicted of any crimes in this case. Andre Gordon Jr. knocked on the front door of his familys home, then moved down the front walk as if he was leaving. However, he wasnt going anywhere. Seconds later his father answered the door. He told him to leave and called him a bomboclaat, Jamaican slang for toilet paper. The confrontation captured on a home surveillance system lasted only moments before the younger Gordon suddenly charged at his 47-year-old father with a semi-automatic rifle. Ill bust one in ya, he told his father. The older Gordon quickly slammed the door shut, but he did not have time to lock it before the first bullet entered the Levittown home, authorities said. Bucks County Sheriff Warrant Officers walk Andre Gordon Jr., center, a triple murder suspect, in to be arraigned at the Bucks County 07-1-10 Magisterial District Court in Falls Township on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. More on Andre Gordon Jr. Levittown triple murder suspect Andre Gordon Jr. arraigned; Bucks County DA seeks death penalty What followed was a roughly 15-minute violent rampage that left three people dead, one injured, thrust two families into an unimaginable nightmare and two communities into chaos for nine hours. A retelling of the March 16 events, including new disturbing details, unfolded over more than two hours Wednesday at the preliminary hearing for 26-year-old Gordon, who is accused of the first-degree murder of his stepmother, half-sister and the mother of his two children. Gordon was held for trial on all charges in what the Bucks County District Attorneys Office says will be a death penalty case. Bucks County Detective Tim Fuhrmann compared Gordon Jr. to a hunter on a mission when he broke into his familys Viewpoint Lane home shortly before 9 a.m., in what was the first of two deadly visits he allegedly made that day. It looked like he was methodically going through the house looking for victims, the detective said. Why hearing was delayed Levittown triple murder suspect refused to attend court hearing. It went on without him. Falls police secure area near 45 Viewpoint Lane after suspect Andre Gordon shot three family members, including his 13-year-old sister, then shot and killed his girlfriend Taylor Daniel and injured her mother Nancy at their nearby home on Edgewood Lane. Karen and Kera Gordons desperate cries for help: Emergency, gunshots, please hurry up. Gordon Jr. used the butt of the rifle to break the glass in the front door. He started shooting but the long-barrel rifle which authorities said is an illegal DIY ghost gun was only firing every other round, forcing him to rerack. In addition to Gordon Sr., his wife, Karen, 52, his 13 and 14-year-old daughters and visiting adult cousin were inside the Cape Cod-style home hiding. Gordons cousin hid in the tub of a downstairs bathroom. Gordon Sr. squeezed under the bed in the couples downstairs bedroom. Police found bullet holes, spent and unspent cartridges in the room. The couples oldest daughter was upstairs in her room hiding in a closet under a pile of clothes. Gordon allegedly had kicked in her bedroom door looking for her. Police found blood smears on the door to Keras bedroom. Karen Murphy Gordon and her daughter Kera, 13, were shot to death in their home on March 15, 2024. Her stepson Andre Gordon is facing murder charges in their death, the death of his ex-girlfriend Taylor Daniel and a slew of other offenses. Neighbors stand by Gordon family Falls community tries to recover, help murder victims' family after triple shooting Karen Gordon and their youngest child were holed up downstairs in an office. At least six bullet holes were found in the door and shell casings outside it. Police later learned the mother and daughter were pushing against the door in an attempt to keep out Gordon Jr. Police believe her stepson heard Karen Gordon on the phone with 911. She was screaming that her stepson was trying to break into the house and he was shooting. Emergency. Gunshots. Please hurry up, Karen Gordon said. Please help us. Its my stepson. Please, Please. Ive got children in here. In the background was the voice of a terrified Kera Gordon yelling, Please, please, please. Karen Gordon repeatedly gave her address as 45 Viewpoint Lane, but in the chaos the dispatcher misheard her and sent police to 25 Viewpoint Lane. A Falls police cruiser was recorded on a neighbors home surveillance system driving past the Gordon home while authorities say Gordon Jr. was still inside. On the 911 recording Karen Gordon was pleading for help when multiple shots were fired followed by screaming. My daughter is shot, Karen screamed. My daughter. My daughter. Loud banging noises were heard before the call ended with the woman's last recorded words: What are you doing? More about Taylor Daniel Taylor Daniel was preparing for a new life. Then her ex showed up unannounced and armed Taylor Daniel was watching cartoons with her children. Then Andre Gordon showed up at the kitchen door. Three miles away, in another Levittown home, it was a typical Saturday morning for the Danei family. John Daniel was asleep in his bedroom. His mom, Nancy Daniel, was in her bedroom, too. Taylor Daniel and her two children were up but still in their pajamas in the living room watching cartoons. Then her ex-boyfriend, Andre Gordon Jr., unexpectedly appeared at the kitchen door of the Edgewood Lane home. Before the 911 dispatcher answered, Taylor is heard telling her kids to go to the bedroom they shared and lock the door. She yells to her mom that Gordon just broke open the door, and to lock her bedroom door. Mom, mom he has a gun. Taylor was relaying to the 911 dispatcher what was happening as she retreated into the bedroom where her children were hiding underneath Spiderman sheets. Hes got a gun and broke down the door. Hes opening the door. His name is Andre Gordon. He just broke down the door. What followed was a crash, yelling, screaming, more loud noises, followed by silence, then the voice of Daniels 5-year-old daughter. Mommy? Later the kindergartener told police that she saw her daddy enter the bedroom with a black gun and he went pew-pew with mommy. She put her hand over her 3-year-old sisters mouth when her dad was in the room. So we dont get pewed, she said, according to police. The commotion woke John Daniel who ran into the bedroom, grabbed the girls and took them to his room. He kicked out a window screen preparing to escape with the children. Nancy Daniel ran into the living room and retrieved an ax handle she kept for protection. She then attacked Gordon from behind while he was still in the girls bedroom. She got two or three good wacks in before Gordon turned and struck her in the head with his rifle knocking her to the floor. He then struck her a half dozen more times in the head, face and arm while she was down. Then he just up and left, Daniel testified Wednesday. Nancy Daniel heard the 911 operator's voice on her daughter's phone. She told the dispatcher her daughter had been shot. Is she awake? I think she's dead. Oh my God, Nancy Daniel said. breathing heavy. With the dispatchers help, Daniel performed CPR until police arrived and took over so she could go to the hospital to be treated for her injuries. While waiting to be treated in the emergency room, Daniel saw TV news reports about the shooting. Its how she learned Taylor was dead. It was also how she found out about the first shooting, she said. The Edgewood Lane home where Taylor Daniel, 25, was shot and killed and her mother, Nancy, was bludgeoned with a firearm allegedly by Andre Gordon Jr. the father of Taylor Daniel's two children. March 16, 2024. How police connected the Viewpoint Lane and Edgewood Lane shootings Back on Viewpoint Lane, Falls police body camera video recorded a terrified teenage girl walking downstairs to a barrage of questions from officers in the early stage of piecing together what happened, and if it was related to a second shooting nearby. In other body camera footage, police are seen questioning Andre Gordon Sr. Do you know anyone on Edgewood Lane? My son," Gordon replied. "He has kids with a girl." The second shooting would set off an hours long manhunt that would require communities in Lower Bucks County to shelter in place. Police would later learn the incident began in Trenton with an armed carjacking and that Gordon would flee Bucks in another stolen car after a second carjacking in Morrisville. After several hours, and believing Gordon was holed up in a Trenton home, police would capture him and take him into custody. He remains held without bail in county jail. He refused to leave his cell for the hearing Wednesday, but it went on without him. Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: How police say Andre Gordon Jr.'s violent Levittown murders unfolded A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Blame It On The Wife Though we certainly didnt need it, yesterday was a reminder that convicting, defeating, and incarcerating Donald Trump wont by itself rid us of the lawless insurrectionists that now populate the Republican Party, Congress, and the Supreme Court. In a breathtaking report from the NYTs relentless Jodi Kantor, neighbors of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito provided evidence that the American flag was flying upside down outside his Alexandria, Virginia home in the run-up to Jan. 20, 2021 inauguration of Joe Biden an unmistakeable emblem of protest heavily adopted by the Big Lie/Stop the Steal crowd in the weeks after the 2020 election. Remarkably, Alito admitted to the NYT via email that the incident had happened but blamed his wife for it, claiming she had been personally offended by a neighbor posting what we are led to believe was a Fuck Trump sign or similarly blunt message in their own yard: I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. Given how thin-skinned, peevish, and quick to offend Alito himself is, I suppose it would be no surprise if his wife were similarly small-minded. Note how Alitos statement, while it blames his wife, also obliquely defends her objectionable and personally insulting! and does nothing to disavow what she did, the message it sent, or the way it undermined his already-compromised position on the high court. Alito spends much of his time harnessing perceived personal slights to high principle and running around tilting at windmills. I dont know anything of his spouse, and she has little public profile so we are left to wonder if they are kindred spirits in that regard. But even the kind of people who get in fights with their neighbors and hold themselves in such high regard that they conflate their own wounded egos with foundational principles dont usually find themselves defending or touting insurrections. As things now stand, the wives of two of the Supreme Court justices Virginia Thomas and Martha-Ann Alito have either publicly organized, backed, or expressed support for the effort to subvert the results of the 2020 election. My only gripe with the NYT story is that it quickly shifts from the facts of what happened to an analysis of the ethical implications for a sitting Supreme Court justice, including whether the Supreme Courts own rules apply to the justice themselves, whether they should be subject to the standards of everyone else in the federal judiciary, and the whys and wherefores of judges not doing anything to appear overtly partisan. Please. Its all so precious. The more time we spend splitting hairs over the ethical niceties of this or that particular episode, the harder it is to see the big picture. This wasnt merely a matter of the household of a sitting Supreme Court justice improperly demonstrating a partisan preference in a public way. This was a bold declaration of affinity for and alignment with the smoldering insurrection led by a president of the same party that had just been put down but which still loomed as a threat to civic order, the peaceful transfer of power (which at that point had still not yet happened), and the rule of law. All Alito can muster in response is to blame his wife. Stand Back And Standby While Justice Alito was dancing around the issue, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was saying the quiet part out loud. He posted a photo of himself standing behind Donald Trump at the courthouse in Manhattan where his hush money trial is being held and echoed Trumps own famous line to the Proud Boys from the 2020 presidential debate stage: Standing back and standing by, Mr. President. pic.twitter.com/gGPeTLtWmv Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 16, 2024 Many of the leaders of the Proud Boys, who led the attack on the Capitol, are now in jail after being convicted on seditious conspiracy charges. The message to Gaetzs 2.5 million followers on X/Twitter was clear: He stands with the Proud Boys and whether its the next election or the current trial, he and the MAGA hoards are prepared to tear it all down or at least posture about planning to do so. Tell me again how the insurrection was quashed, nothing really happened, and its now over. Abbott Pardons Gunman Who Killed BLM Protester The third example from yesterday is not directly related to Jan. 6, and yet its unmistakably connected. As he has long promised, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) pardoned the gunman who was convicted of shooting and killing an armed Black Lives Matter protester in Austin in the summer of 2020. The BLM protests and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol are inextricably intertwined in the Republican mind. Jan. 6 was their BLM protest. Why are all the Jan. 6 rioters being prosecuted while Biden lets the BLM thugs walk free, they argue disingenuously. Abbott was sending his own message about the relative value of the lives of the gunman and the protester, about which side Abbott himself is on, and what his real values are. So there you have it in a nutshell. From top to bottom, the Republican Party has become the insurrectionist party. It extends from the executive to the legislative to the judicial. Its all encompassing and unapologetic. There is value in such clarity, if we choose to see it. More Of Whats To Come In Trump II WSJ: Trump Allies Draw Up Plans for Unprecedented Immigration Crackdown Everything Is Perfectly Normal The House Oversight Committee held a markup last evening of the bogus effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt and it devolved into a screaming match of a kind seldom seen on the Hill. It turned deeply personal and vindictive: fake eyelashes + bleach blonde, bad built, butch body + you dont have enough intelligence: This video lays out what happened in tonights heated exchange in the oversight hearing pic.twitter.com/7QTmpsa1eA Acyn (@Acyn) May 17, 2024 Menendez Jurors Get To See The Gold Bars Great lede: With the corruption trial of Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey underway on Thursday, a prosecutor handed a juror in the first row of the jury box a plastic bag containing an object at the heart of the governments case: a gold bar that glinted under the courtroom lights. My WhatsApp Group Chats Dont Look Like This WaPo: Business titans privately urged NYC mayor to use police on Columbia protesters, chats show Have A Great Weekend! Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know! U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Protection's Marine Interdiction Unit seized a boat containing over 300 kilos of cocaine in Florida in 2018. The Justice Department on Thursday sentenced one of the smugglers in that operation to 15 years in prison. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI May 16 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a Dominican foreign national to 15 years in prison for participating in an international conspiracy to smuggle hundreds of kilos of cocaine into the United States. Cesar Gomez Almonte participated in a drug trafficking network based in the Dominican Republic that transported South American cocaine through the Caribbean, to the United States, according to the Department of Justice. The operation used various vessels such as yachts and sport fishing boats to transport the narcotics. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Marine Interdiction Unit in November 2018 intercepted one of these vessels, the Casablanca, as it entered U.S. waters near Key Biscayne, Fla. CBP officers boarded the vessel and found more than 327 kilos of cocaine. Gomez Almonte, who was active between October 2016 and May 2019, had several roles in the conspiracy, including locating and purchasing vessels such as the Casablanca to transport the drugs, according to the Justice Department. He also attempted to change ownership of one of the boats -- which was used in another voyage to transport about 500 kilos of cocaine -- from one straw purchaser to another to disguise the true owners of the boat. Gomez Almonte was arrested in December 2020 at Miami International Airport. A federal jury convicted him in November 2023 of conspiracy to import five kilograms or more of cocaine into the United States. The Justice Department in April sentenced another Dominican national, Lazaro Viton Rodriguez, to 13 years and one month in prison for his role in the same drug smuggling conspiracy. Rodriguez, who the Justice Department said was active from 2014 through May 2019, also was responsible for purchasing, registering and maintaining vessels used in the conspiracy. Title icon The News The man who broke into former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosis home two years ago and attacked her husband Paul Pelosi with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in federal prison. David DePape was convicted of assault and attempted kidnapping of a federal official in November; at the time of the attack, Pelosi was second in line to the US presidency in her role as House Speaker. She wasnt at her San Francisco home when DePape broke in and bludgeoned Paul Pelosi with a hammer, leaving him with a fractured skull and other injuries. During the trial, Paul Pelosi testified that DePape said his plan was to take out Nancy Pelosi, whom he referred to as the leader of the pack. DePapes lawyer said her client was motivated by right-wing conspiracy theories. DePape also faces life imprisonment on separate state charges stemming from the attack. That trial is expected to begin next week. Semafor Logo (Bloomberg) -- Over the past few years, Vietnams anti-graft drive has taken down a slew of top Communist Party leaders, including presidents, deputy prime ministers and Politburo members. But that hasnt stopped foreign investors from pouring in cash. Most Read from Bloomberg Between January and April, disbursed foreign direct investment rose 7.4% from a year earlier to $6.3 billion, after 2023 saw the figure reach a new record of $23.18 billion. The nations external account has stayed healthy, with current account the broadest measure of trade in surplus. Youve never seen more foreign investment in Vietnam and a great majority of that is going into the super productive manufacturing sector, which underpins Vietnams growth, said Peter Ryder, Hanoi-based chairman of Indochina Capital, a real estate advisory, investment and development company. Vietnams pretty solid right now. The resilience of foreign investment into Vietnam shows that the party has mostly been able to contain the fallout of a period of prolonged political infighting spurred by questions over who will succeed Communist Party General-Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the 80-year-old leader who has held the nations top job since 2011. Truong Thi Mai, once believed to be a rising star, became the latest Politburo member to fall after her removal from the party on Thursday. The International Monetary Fund projects Vietnams economy to be among Asias fastest growing this year and lead the region along with India in 2025. Samsung Electronics Co., which has invested more than $22 billion in Vietnam, reiterated in March that it plans to funnel an additional $1 billion a year into the country, without specifying a time frame. Chipmaker Nvidia Corp.s Chief Executive Office Jensen Huang said in December he viewed the country as a potential second home for his Silicon Valley company. Apple Inc.s Tim Cook pledged to buy more parts from Vietnam and boost quality investment during a visit to the country in April. The nation has seen about a fourfold increase in companies assembling products for the Cupertino, California-based gadget maker over the past decade. If anything, the blazing furnace anti-graft drive is viewed by many domestic and foreign investors as reducing corruption, said Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi. Vietnams ranking in Transparency Internationals corruption perceptions index has risen to 83 as of last year from 113th in 2016. The countrys expanding economy and middle class, and growing role in the global electronics supply chain, underscores its continuing allure to investors, Sitkoff said, adding: Vietnam is still an attractive investment destination. One reason for Vietnams success is that it has successfully balanced ties between the US and China, the worlds biggest economies. US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping both visited Vietnam last year within months of each other. The jockeying for power among individuals isnt expected to change Vietnams economic or foreign policies, which are set by the Politburo and Central Committee, according to Alexander Vuving, a Southeast Asia expert at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii. Still, he warned that the uncertainty at the top will also further paralyze the government bureaucracy and delay permits and government approvals needed for business. Delayed business expansion tied to bureaucratic foot-dragging threatens to weigh on an economy grappling with uneven growth in exports and tepid consumer activity, which has led some companies to reduce or even cease operations. A death sentence given to a real estate tycoon in a $12 billion fraud case in April, along with the resignations of senior Communist Party leaders, have rattled some foreign companies and investors who are unsure of what to make of it. One energy company executive said the investigations and abrupt departures of top leaders is making it harder for his and other foreign companies to proceed with business plans. Thats because government workers, wary of probes, wont approve legal documents or process anticipated new regulations, said the executive, who asked not to be identified so as not to offend the government. Ryder from Indochina Capital said that while some investors are pausing Vietnam bets or even backing out of projects, foreign business leaders who have operated in the Southeast Asian country for years arent panicking. He views the leadership reshuffling as political infighting, not government or party instability. If you are patient, you ultimately will succeed here, said Ryder, who has been in Vietnam for more than three decades. Stock investors arent overly fazed by the political musical chairs occurring in Hanoi, said Marco Martinelli, a partner at Turicum Investment Management in Ho Chi Minh City. Although the resignation of President Vo Van Thuong in late March partially contributed to a sharp drop in the benchmark VN Index in April, which tumbled as much as 10% during the period, overall the index has posted a 12.3% year-to-date gain and is the best performer in Southeast Asia. Vietnam has a history of ruling by consensus and consultation among the leaders of government, said Barry Weisblatt, head of research at VNDirect Securities Corp., who hasnt seen any change in policy direction or degradation of relations with key partners. The departure of one person should not be a large issue for much concern. --With assistance from Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. "I voted" stickers are scattered over a table at a polling site in Des Moines on Nov. 3, 2020. (Photo By Perry Beeman/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board decided Thursday to open an investigation into Melissa Vines campaign in Iowas 3rd Congressional District. Vine, running as a Democrat the district, was the subject of a complaint made by the Iowa Unity Coalition, a progressive PAC, earlier in May. The coalition held a vote April 30 on who to endorse in June 7 Democratic primary between Vine and Lanon Baccam, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture official and Biden campaign staffer. Registered members had to pay $20 to the group to participate in the online vote. Chair Mitch Henry said in an interview that the PAC saw a sudden increase in members the day of and the day before the vote. During the 24-hour online voting process, large quantities of votes were submitted over the course of one hour. An audit by the Iowa Unity Coalition found that 41 votes were submitted by non-members, and that 43 others were submitted by people who had signed up for the group shortly before the vote and had the same address and credit card information, as well as email addresses linked to Vines campaign. Henry said that 125 new members were registered through ActBlue primarily from April 30 through May 1 as the endorsement voting period began, with 76 registrations flagged as fraudulent. At an emergency board meeting held May 1, the organization disqualified 84 votes from the final endorsement count and the Iowa Unity Coalition officially endorsed Baccam May 7. Henry said the Iowa Unity Coalition contacted four individuals he knew of that were a part of the registration who said they did not register to become a new member, did not pay for membership and did not vote through the coalitions website in the endorsement process. For many of the other individuals involved in the registration surge, he said, it was unclear how many were real people. Ive been involved in in Democratic progressive politics for over 35 years, since the late 80s, and I dont recognize 90% of these people, Henry said. Ive done most of my politics in Des Moines, Polk County and all these people supposedly, from the Des Moines, Polk County area. But again, we dont know for sure because we dont have a real address, we dont have a real email. We dont even have their phone numbers. The investigation will examine whether Vines campaign violated state laws banning a person from making contributions or expenditures in the name of another person. Such an action could potentially violate state and federal law by using federal campaign money to make contributions on behalf of individuals to a state PAC. The actions appear to be tied to Lou McDonald, Vines former campaign manager who was fired earlier this week for his actions related to the alleged illegal contributions. In a statement to the Des Moines Register, a Vine campaign spokesperson said that a staffer took actions that do not reflect our values, and he is no longer a part of our campaign. The Vine campaign had earlier called the action a clerical error, but Henry said that McDonald made claims in a voicemail that the Iowa Unity Coalition had received illegal contributions. Henry dismissed this accusation, pointing to recent audits of the organization that have found no illegal contributions. Zach Goodrich, the executive director of the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, said that he plans to expedite the investigation as much as possible with the goal of completing it before the June primary. He also stated that the complaint is under the jurisdiction of the board, and that a violation of the state law on contributions could amount to a serious misdemeanor. Its as simple as, if youre the one whos paying for it, then youd better use your name, Goodrich said. The post Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board opens investigation into Melissa Vine campaign appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. A tax forum will be held in Azerbaijan in September, Deputy Head of the State Tax Service of Azerbaijan Samira Musayeva said during the "Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum" event in Baku today, Trend reports. We are going to hold this meeting with experts from the OECD, the World Bank, and with the help of ADB, and we will send out invitations soon. We are going to discuss all the issues that arise from different carbon pricing instruments, explore best practices, and perhaps come to some common methodology, she emphasized. To note, Azerbaijan will host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in November this year. The decision was made at the plenary meeting of COP28 held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Within two weeks, Baku, having become the center of the world, will host about 70,00080,000 foreign guests. The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for Conference of Parties, which is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.A total of 198 countries are parties to the convention. Unless the parties have decided otherwise, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel An Israeli army battle tank moves near the border, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Saeed Qaq/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Israel's armed forces said on Friday that they have stepped up their attacks against the militant Palestinian organization Hamas and other armed groups in the north of the Gaza Strip. Early on Friday, fighter jets and other aircraft bombed Hamas weapons depots in the refugee settlement in Jabalia, military officials said. Israeli troops were then able to advance into the centre of the settlement and engage Hamas militants. Around 60 fighters were killed and infrastructure used by them was destroyed, according to the army, which said one Israeli soldier was seriously wounded. Residents of the refugee camp said the Israeli attack was unusually violent and was also directed at residential buildings and a school crowded with refugees. According to the accounts, which could not be independently verified, the dead were left in the street as there was no possibility of burying them or taking the injured to hospitals. Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued their operation in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, which began on May 6. Troops destroyed a rocket launching site in the east of the city on the border with Egypt, officials said. Allies including the United States have repeatedly warned Israel against a large-scale attack on Rafah due to the presence there of hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians. However, Israel is adhering to its attack plans in Rafah and the stated goal of smashing one of Hamas' last strongholds. The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre of around 1,200 people in southern Israel by fighters from Hamas and allied groups on October 7. On Friday, Gaza's Hamas-controlled health authority said 35,303 Palestinians have died since the start of the war, and a further 79,261 were injured. The figures, which cannot be independently verified, do not distinguish between civilians and armed fighters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on Dec. 10, 2023. Credit - Ronen ZvulunPool/AP The Israeli governments approach to Hamas has been, by most accounts, a strategic failure. Israels citizens were not protected on Oct. 7, 2023, despite what seems to have been indicative prior warning of that appalling Hamas attack. And the decisive military defeat of Hamas remains elusive. The staggering death, injury, and suffering inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza in response has also helped turn much global opinion sharply against Israel, while doing little to bolster the security of ordinary Israelis. Historically, it is responses to terrorism that have changed the world more than the violence itself, often in profoundly unwelcome ways. The post-9/11 Global War on Terror provides one illustration, with an overly militarized U.S. response that saw the 2003 invasion of Iraq under the false notion that the country had Weapons of Mass Destruction. The blowback helped spawn the Islamic State. This 2024 Israel-Hamas war looks poised to offer another destabilizing example, risking the perpetuation of cycles of bloodshed in the future, as well as the possibility of a regional war with neighboring states. Counterterrorism is, by nature, extremely difficult. Successes tend to be less visible than failures. When the bomb goes off, it is a high-profile tragedy. When attacks are prevented, much less attention tends to be paid. Again, the understandable demand that governments do something now can work against the logic of patient, long-term progress that is essential to a successful counterterrorism program. Immediate tactics that too often rely on military methods can seem to address the publics need to do something. But they often have ambiguous or deleterious effects in practice. All of that is playing out in Gaza today. To be sure, Israel has had some successes since Oct. 7. Hamas has been damaged, significant numbers of its fighters have been killed, and much of its infrastructure has been destroyed. People approach with flashlights an injured person lying amidst rubble on the ground at the site of a building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on May 7, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory.. AFP/Getty Images But these tactical successes have been accompanied by strategic failure (and immense human costs)a pattern that Israel is no stranger to. That was the case in the 1967 Six-Day War that saw Israel seize the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula, a stunning military win that also had the effect of emboldening long-term Arab opposition and hostility to the Jewish state. The Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 led to the expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from that country, but also contributed to the creation of the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, still a major military opponent of Israel decades later. Read More: From Gaza, Stories of Loss and Grief What approach, then, should Israel pursue in the wake of Oct. 7? The key is combining shorter term tactical needs with a longer term strategy. That would entail demonstrating to Hamas and other militant groups and their supporters that violence will not bring victory. But this would still need to come with the opportunity for alternative, non-violent routes toward political progress, something currently lacking for Palestinians. Indeed, in recent years, the ongoing expansion of Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories has blocked political progress on peace talks all while enabling hardline Palestinian actors. That has fundamentally undermined the prospect of a two-state solution, which, despite its flaws, is the best way forward to respect the explicable demand by both national communities for self-determination. Each conflict is, of course, unique. But there are historical parallels to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that may be instructive. In the early 1990s, when the peace process was going well during the Oslo Accords, and the one in Northern Ireland was going badly amid cycles of violence in the Troubles, it was common for people to suggest that peace would arrive in the Middle East first. Now, decades after a successful peace deal in Belfast, people sometimes assume that peace was always going to arrive in Ulster but that it cannot happen between Israelis and Palestinians. In truth, such politics are neither inevitable nor impossible. In Northern Ireland, the U.K. government tactically contained violent Republicans; groups like the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were not defeated but they were very heavily infiltrated, and many of their planned operations were thwarted. It showed the IRA that victory was clearly not arriving through violence. An inclusive and lengthy peace process then developed, with representatives from all sides in the conflict involved in crafting the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. This compromise did not eliminate political violence entirely. But it established substantially peaceful politics in Northern Ireland, and transformed it in extraordinary and benign ways. Both the current Israeli government and Hamas have exaggerated what violence can achieve. That was the case on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack that killed 1,200 people, and in the seven months since that has seen Israel wage one of the most destructive wars this century, which has killed at least 35,000 Palestinians and left much of the Strip in rubble. Rather than continuing the current path, Israels best bet is to scale back its military operations in Gaza, including the now-intensifying fighting in Rafah, for a more targeted approach focused on Hamas, all while meaningfully committing to engagement with the Palestinian Authority or some other acceptable governing group for peace talks. Contact us at letters@time.com. Israeli military forces said Friday they have recovered the bodies of three citizens who were kidnapped from a music festival by Hamas militants last October. Photo courtesy of Israel Defense Forces May 17 (UPI) -- Israeli military forces said Friday they have recovered the bodies of three citizens who were kidnapped from a music festival by Hamas militants last October. The IDF confirmed the bodies of Shani Louk, Amit Buskila and Yitzhak Gelernter have now been returned to Israel. The three were found by Israeli soldiers Thursday in a tunnel near the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. Shani Louk, Amit Buskila and Yitzhak Gelernter were kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7 from the Nova Music Festival. Overnight, our troops recovered their bodies and brought them back home to Israel. We will continue operating to bring all of our hostages... pic.twitter.com/ya8IoZ8Dvb Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 17, 2024 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) on Friday congratulated the IDF for securing the bodies of the three hostages and returning them to Israel while also pledging to bring home those that remain trapped in Gaza. File Pool photo by Amir Cohen/UPI Louk's body had previously been dragged into Gaza and displayed in videos, being paraded around by militants in the back of a truck. All three were killed after escaping the initial attack by the terrorist group on Oct. 7, 2023, at the open-air music festival in southern Israel. "Our hearts go out to them, to the families, at this difficult time and we will leave no stone unturned, we will do everything in our power to find our hostages and bring them home," IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters Friday during a news conference in Tel Aviv. "We will not rest until we do." White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Wednesday with representatives from 17 countries, discussing a "collective call" for Hamas to immediately release the remaining Israeli hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. A proposed cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, brokered by other countries has not yet materialized. "We will return all our hostages, the dead and the alive alike. I congratulate our brave forces who, with determined action, have returned our sons and daughters home," Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday in a post in Hebrew on X, translated to English on Google. "I congratulate our brave forces who, with determined action, returned boys and girls to their border." Netanyahu has continued to insist the IDF will conduct a full-scale invasion of the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah, despite mounting pressure from the international community. A Palestinian mother mourns her son who was killed in Israeli bombardments. Saher Alghorra/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Israel on Friday rejected accusations of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, while arguing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that its military operations in the city of Rafah are self-defence. The case brought by South Africa was a "distortion of reality," the head of Israel's delegation, Gilad Noam, said in the courtroom in the Peace Palace in The Hague. South Africa was abusing international law in a "despicable and cynical manner," according to Noam. At the end of the hearing, one of Israel's legal representatives was interrupted as a woman shouted "Liar" before being led out by security staff. As part of its genocide complaint, South Africa is calling in an urgent appeal for the top UN court to order Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The ICJ must stop the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian population, according to the appeal, while Israel should grant unhindered access to investigators, media and humanitarian aid. South Africa's suit cites the immeasurable suffering and almost total destruction of towns and hospitals in the Gaza Strip. The reason for the urgent application is the Israeli military offensive in Rafah that began on May 6. The city in the south of the coastal strip is the "last refuge" for some 1.5 million Palestinians who are concentrated there and whose lives are in danger, South Africa's legal representatives told the court. The Israeli delegation in turn told the judges that Rafah was a "Hamas military stronghold" that was firing rockets at Israel and that Hamas is also still holding numerous hostages. Israel is also providing humanitarian aid and doing everything it can to protect the civilian population, the representatives said. The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre of around 1,200 people in southern Israel by fighters from Hamas and allied groups on October 7. Israel insists it is doing all it can to protect civilians in Gaza and denies genocide charges Front row from left, South Africa's agents Cornelius Scholtz, Vusimuzi Madonsela and Israel's agents Gilad Naom, Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman and co-agent Avigail Frisch Ben Avraham wait for the start of hearings at the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, Netherlands, Thursday, May 16, 2024. The U.N.'s top court opened two days of hearings in a case brought by South Africa to see whether Israel needs to take additional measures to alleviate the suffering in war-ravaged Gaza. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) Israel strongly denied charges of genocide on Friday, telling the United Nations top court it was doing everything it could to protect the civilian population during its military operation in Gaza. The International Court of Justice wrapped up a third round of hearings on emergency measures requested by South Africa, which says Israels military incursion in the southern city of Rafah threatens the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza and has asked the court to order a cease-fire. Tamar Kaplan-Tourgeman, one of Israels legal team, defended the countrys conduct, saying it had allowed in fuel and medication to the beleaguered enclave. Israel takes extraordinary measures in order to minimize the harm to civilians in Gaza, she told The Hague-based court. A protester shouting Liars" briefly interrupted Kaplan-Tourgemans final remarks. The hearing was paused for less than a minute while security guards escorted a woman from the public gallery. South Africa told the court on Thursday that the situation in the beleaguered enclave has reached a new and horrific stage and urged judges to order a half to Israeli military operations. The court was holding a third round of hearings on emergency measures requested by South Africa since it first filed its genocide case at the end of last year. According to the latest request, South Africa says Israels military incursion in Rafah threatens the very survival of Palestinians in Gaza. 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. Judges will now deliberate on the request and are expected to issue a decision in the next weeks. ICJ judges have broad powers to order a cease-fire and other measures, though the court doesnt 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. 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 Oct. 7 in which Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, Gazas Health Ministry says, 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. A noted Israeli historian visiting Michigan who is supportive of Palestinians said he was grilled by agents or officers after he landed this week at Detroit Metro Airport. Speaking Thursday to the Free Press, Ilan Pappe, a native of Israel who is a professor of history at the University of Exeter in England, said after an eight-hour flight, he was pulled aside by agents who then started to question him. The author of several books on Palestinians and Israeli history had flown to metro Detroit to speak at several events about his work on the mistreatment of Palestinians. He's known for being one of the first Israeli historians to argue that Palestinians were deliberately cleansed in what is called the Nakba, or catastrophe, the 76th anniversary of which was marked Wednesday. "They asked me some bizarre questions, such as, 'Do I think that the action of Israel in Gaza is genocide? What do I think about the Hamas? ... Who are my Arab and Muslim friends in Detroit area?'" Pappe said. "I was too tired to understand. And maybe I didn't have to answer this question. I wasn't sure. But I did. The worst thing for me, they took my phone and copied everything on it." Israeli historian Ilan Pappe spoke on May 15, 2024, on the anniversary of the Nakba, to protesters at the tent encampment at the Diag at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He also spoke this week in Dearborn, Detroit and Ferndale. Pappe, 69, said that during the questioning, he sometimes referred the agents to books he has written. At one point, the agents were on the phone with someone for a long time, he said. He said he was eventually released after about two hours and they returned his phone to him. "I still don't understand exactly why they did it," he said. "But it's obviously that I was treated like someone who endangers American national security. I hope to get some explanation from them later. Why was it done?" Pappe, who is director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies at his university, has said before that Israel is committing genocide, a view that the U.S. and Israel have strongly disputed. He told the Free Press that Hamas and Israel have both committed acts of violence. Pappe first described what happened to him in a Facebook post Wednesday that drew widespread attention on social media and criticism of the agents' actions from some Muslim civil rights advocates. In his post, Pappe said it was the FBI who interrogated him. But a spokesperson for the Detroit FBI office, Jade Carter, told the Free Press the FBI did not question him. "Although the (Facebook) post mentions our agency directly, I can confirm that the FBI was not involved," Carter said. Told by the Free Press that the FBI said they were not involved, Pappe said he may have confused which agency specifically questioned him. He said he didn't ask the agents which agency they belonged to. Agents with the Department of Homeland Security usually handle security at airports. The Free Press sent emails to DHS and two other agencies that are part of it, Transportation Security Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, seeking comment. A spokesperson for CBP did not comment on Pappe's specific claims, saying in a statement: "Respecting privacy rights of travelers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) does not disclose specific details about individual encounters during inspections at a port of entry." The CBP said their officers have the authority to conduct searches at borders based on federal regulations. The agency says it has the right to search passengers and ask questions about their trip, personal background and citizenship. Over the decades, Arab American advocates in Michigan have raised concerns about being profiled at airports, including being asked questions about their ethnicity and religion that they say are unwarranted and prejudiced. Israeli historian Ilan Pappe speaks to hundreds at Bint Jbeil Cultural Center in Dearborn on May 13, 2024. Born in Israel to parents who fled Nazi Germany, Pappe has been outspoken in his criticism of Israel, where he lived until he moved to England after, he said, he was forced out of the university he taught at in Israel. Advocates for Israel and some other Israeli historians such as Benny Morris have criticized his work, while he is often supported by Palestinian advocates. Some of his books include "The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories" and "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine." He spoke to hundreds Monday in Dearborn at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center, which is named after an area in southern Lebanon currently in conflict with Israel; Tuesday at Unitarian Universalist Church in Detroit; and Wednesday at First United Methodist Church in Ferndale. It was organized by the Dearborn Heights-based Al Nadwa Freethinking Society and other groups. He also spoke Wednesday in Ann Arbor at the tent encampment set up last month by University of Michigan students calling for the school to divest from Israel. "I met a diversity of people from all walks of life," Pappe said. "These were three talks that try to give an historical context to the present realities in Israel, in Palestine ... very lively debates." Michigan synagogue: Police investigate attack on members by 'Jew hater' Asked about the concerns of Israelis who fear Hamas, which the U.S. has labeled a terrorist group, Pappe admitted that Hamas has committed acts of violence, but said they're not the root of the problem. "It's very important as a historian to differentiate between symptoms of violence and the source of violence," he said. "Definitely also the Palestinian liberation movement committed and commit ... acts of violence. Definitely, the Israelis commit their acts of violence. But if you want to end the violence ... go to the source, and the source of violence is not Hamas. Hamas is a reaction to the Zionist violence before the creation of the State of Israel, and related to the violence of Israel, especially after the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip." May Seikaly, a retired Professor Emerita of Arabic at Wayne State University who introduced Pappe at the Dearborn event, said she's known him for decades. "Pappe is a friend of very long-standing," she said. "We were both students at Oxford University doing our PhDs. He is opposed to the policies of Israel concerning the Palestinians. He is very sympathetic with the cause of the Palestinians." University of Michigan: Anti-Israel protest at board chair's home 'dangerous escalation' The anniversary of the Nakba and the founding of Israel are being marked this month with several other events in local Arab American and Jewish communities. On Sunday, several Arab American groups are to hold a rally in support of Palestinians and against President Joe Biden's policies supporting Israel on the same day Biden is to speak in Detroit at the annual Detroit NAACP dinner. And on May 28, the Detroit Zoo is to hold an event by the Jewish Federation of Detroit celebrating Israel's independence day. Contact Niraj Warikoo:nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Israeli historian Ilan Pappe said he was questioned at Detroit airport FILE - Ricarda Louk sits in front of a placard of her missing daughter Shani Louk Tuesday Oct. 17, 2023, in Tel Aviv. The Israeli military said Friday, May 17, 2024, it found the bodies of three Israeli hostages in Gaza, including Louk. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File) JERUSALEM (AP) The Israeli military said Friday its troops in Gaza found the bodies of three Israeli hostages killed by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack, including German-Israeli Shani Louk. A photo of 22-year-old Louk's twisted body in the back of a pickup truck ricocheted around the world and brought to light the scale of the militants attack on communities in southern Israel. The military identified the other two bodies as those of a 28-year-old woman, Amit Buskila, and a 56-year-old man, Itzhak Gelerenter. All three were killed by Hamas while fleeing the Nova music festival, an outdoor dance party near the Gaza border, where militants killed hundreds of people, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a news conference. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths heartbreaking, saying, We will return all of our hostages, both the living and the dead. The military said the bodies were found overnight, without elaborating, and did not give immediate details on where they were located. Israel has been operating in the Gaza Strip's southern city of Rafah, where it says it has intelligence that hostages are being held. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and abducted around 250 others in the Oct. 7 attack. Around half of those hostages have since been freed, most in swaps for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel during a weeklong cease-fire in November. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. Israel's war in Gaza since the attack has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. Netanyahu has vowed to both eliminate Hamas and bring all the hostages back, but hes made little progress. He faces pressure to resign, and the U.S. has threatened to scale back its support over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israelis are divided into two main camps: those who want the government to put the war on hold and free the hostages, and others who think the hostages are an unfortunate price to pay for eradicating Hamas. On-and-off negotiations mediated by Qatar, the United States and Egypt have yielded little. The Israeli army has recovered from a Gaza tunnel the bodies of three hostages who died on Oct. 7 while fleeing the Hamas attack at Israels Nova music festival. The bodies of Shani Louk, 23, Amit Bouskila, 28, and Itshak Gelernter, 57, were recovered and identified by Israeli soldiers, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters during a press conference. All three of the hostages were attending the Nova music festival on Oct. 7 when Hamas attacked, and all three were killed while trying to escape the massacre. They were celebrating life in the Nova music festival and they were murdered by Hamas, Hagari said. He added that the bodies had been transferred to medical professionals for forensic examination. Hamas Releases Video of Injured American-Israeli Hostage Louk was previously believed to be dead by the Israeli authorities. A disturbing image of her semi-nude body gruesomely displayed on the back of a Hamas truck went viral, demonstrating the brutality of the Oct. 7 attack. Weeks later, the IDF said it had located a fragment of her skull from the festival grounds. No father would want to hear this news, Nissim Louk, Shanis father, said in a statement. We knew that she was murdered. Today the army officers came to our house and told us the news. Her happy life was cut short. She was a special person. The bodies of Louk, Bouskila, and Gelernter were found together in a Gaza tunnel, Hagari said, although he didnt specify where beneath the Strip they were found. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences on X. The heart breaks for the great loss. My wife Sara and I grieve with the families. All our hearts are with them in this hour of grieving, he wrote in Hebrew. Netanyahu, who has for months faced criticism from Israeli citizens who accused him of abandoning the hostages held by Hamas, vowed to bring the remaining captives home. We will return all our hostages, the dead and the alive alike. I congratulate our brave forces who, with determined action, have returned our sons and daughters home, he said. Some 240 people were taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, in the wake of the deadly massacre that killed 1,200 Israelis. About 100 of the hostages were returned in November during a weeklong ceasefire, but the IDF believes there are still about 130 remaining in Gaza, 40 of whom they believe to be dead. Hamas Releases First Propaganda Video Showing American Hostage Keith Siegel Alive For weeks, a ceasefire deal that included the return of the hostages seemed possible, though talks negotiated by mediators in Egypt had dragged on for months. Last week, Hamas accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel rejected that proposal and began to press its offensive into Rafah, where over one million Palestinians were believed to be sheltering. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Lebanese soldiers secure the area that was targeted by an Israeli air raid in the village of Addousiyeh near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon. At least one person was killed and several others were seriously injured on Friday in Israeli strikes that hit an area close to the Lebanese port city of Sidon, some 55 kilometres north of the border with Israel, according to Lebanese reports. Marwan Naamani/dpa The number of dead after an Israeli attack in Lebanon has risen to three and several others were seriously injured, according to Lebanese security sources. The sources that a member of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia and two Syrian workers were killed in the attack on Friday south of the Lebanese coastal town of Sidon, some 55 kilometres north of the border with Israel. Hezbollah confirmed the death of the member. The militia does not usually specify when, where and how its fighters are killed. The Israeli military also confirmed the attack. It was aimed at a Hezbollah air defence position that had endangered Israeli fighter jets, it said. According to Israeli military reports, northern Israel was earlier attacked with drones. Several drones entered Israeli airspace early on Friday morning and at least one was intercepted off the coast, broadcaster Kan reported, citing the Israeli army. The other drones caused no damage or injuries, the army said. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said that the drone attack was aimed at the headquarters of an artillery battalion near the Ga'aton kibbutz. The situation between Hezbollah and the Israeli military has been escalating. Since the beginning of the week, there has been heavy mutual shelling. Several people were killed on the Lebanese side, including a high-ranking Hezbollah commander. An Israeli soldier was also seriously injured on Wednesday. He was still in critical condition as of Friday, Kan reported. Since the beginning of the Gaza war after the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, Hezbollah has been firing rockets, artillery and anti-tank grenades into the north of Israel. Israel is using air and artillery strikes to combat Hezbollah's positions, which, according to a UN Security Council decision, should not be that close to the border. However, the Israeli military has also repeatedly attacked targets deep inside Lebanon and far from the border. There have been casualties on both sides. It is the most serious escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006. Syrian workers drive their tractors as they evacuate the area that was targeted by an Israeli air raid in the village of Addousiyeh near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon. At least one person was killed and several others were seriously injured on Friday in Israeli strikes that hit an area close to the Lebanese port city of Sidon, some 55 kilometres north of the border with Israel, according to Lebanese reports. Marwan Naamani/dpa An ambulance that belongs to Pro-Iranian Hezbollah cuts its way through people as it moves outside an area targeted by an Israeli air raid in the village of Addousiyeh near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon. At least one person was killed and several others were seriously injured on Friday in Israeli strikes that hit an area close to the Lebanese port city of Sidon, some 55 kilometres north of the border with Israel, according to Lebanese reports. Marwan Naamani/dpa TechCrunch This is a philosophical question as much as a practical one, but a new paper making the rounds Friday suggests that the answer is, at least for now, a pretty clear "no." A group of AI research scientists at Apple released their paper, "Understanding the limitations of mathematical reasoning in large language models," to general commentary Thursday. Then he picks 58 kiwis on Saturday. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Because of its geostrategic position, Azerbaijan plays a crucial role in the North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and East-West or Trans Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) international transport corridors, Rauf Aghamirzayev, expert in transport and logistics, told Trend. He noted that cargo transportation along the INSTC has seen a significant increase in recent years. "Considering this, the state is undertaking several projects, including the reconstruction of the Astara terminal. This work was necessary because of the surge in cargo traffic. To meet demand, the reconstruction aimed to organize the cargo flow in the southern direction. In 2017, Azerbaijan leased 35 hectares of land in Iran's Astara for 25 years and built a terminal there. The ongoing reconstruction of the Astara terminal in Azerbaijan will also enhance its cargo handling capacity. The Astara terminal will initially handle up to 1 million tons of cargo per year, with projections to increase this to 4 million tons once the project is complete," he said. Discussing the repair works on the Sumgayit-Yalama railroad, the expert noted that electrification is expected to be completed by 2028. Additionally, plans call for the construction of the Yalama-2 and Samur-2 stations on the Russian side of the border, which will allow for the handling of 15 million tons of cargo by 2025. Currently, Yalama station can accommodate about 10 pairs of trains (approximately 11 million tons of cargo per year) in one direction per day. These infrastructure projects will boost freight traffic along the INSTC. We expect the corridor to handle up to 30 million tons of cargo by 2030. Azerbaijan is also working on diversifying its routes. For instance, the Horadiz-Agbend railway and the construction of a new highway in the Iranian direction through the Araz River will provide an alternative route for the INSTC, extending beyond Astara to Julfa," he explained. Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) has successfully completed the reconstruction of a cargo warehouse in Azerbaijan's Astara district to enhance cargo transportation along the INSTC. In this area, the State Customs Committee's Astara Customs Department has organized customs control. Until now, multimodal transportation services along the INSTC have been provided solely at the ADY terminal in Iran's Astara. The agreement to construct this terminal was signed in 2017, with transshipment operations beginning in 2018. Construction at the terminal is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Once the Astara-Resht railway line in Iran becomes operational, transit cargo volumes through both Astara terminals should significantly increase. The Astara terminal in Iran, operational since 2018, handled over 2.5 million tons of cargo through Astara Terminal LLC between 2018 and 2023. During this period, the annual cargo volume more than tripled, rising from 211,789 tons in 2018 to 692,402 tons in 2023, a 48 percent increase from 2022. In the first four months of 2024, the terminal handled 284,688 tons of cargo, marking a 14 percent increase over the same period in 2023. From January through April 2024, ADY's transit freight traffic rose by 14 percent year-on-year to 2.517 million tons. During this period, freight traffic along the INSTC increased by 29 percent compared to the same four months last year, reaching 260,000 tons. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel As a child, Brooke Floyd wondered why her grandmother cooked all her food and washed all her dishes with bottled water. As an adult living in Jackson, Mississippi, it became clear. After a storm damaged a water treatment plant in 2022, leaving most of the majority-Black city without water flowing through their faucets for weeks, Floyd could no longer take it. It seemed like no one, not the state or federal government, was willing to take accountability for the neglect toward her city as residents had wallowed through nearly 300 boil-water notices over the previous two years. The water crisis, decades in the making as now evidenced by her late grandmothers nearly lifelong dependence on bottled water, had reached a boiling point. Led by the NAACP, a coalition of residents and activists brought a civil rights complaint to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, alleging a long history of discrimination through years of neglect and the repeated denial of requests for federal funds to solve the crisis. The complaint seemed promising. In 2020, after President Joe Bidens election and a federal judges ruling that the EPA must begin timely investigations of civil rights complaints, the prospects of using the Civil Rights Act to regulate pollution and clean up long-overburdened Black communities were high. But as Capital B has reported, it has been much of the same, and Jackson is just the latest casualty of the once-influential acts dwindling power. Last week, the EPA dismissed the complaint, the most prominent on its civil rights docket. In a statement after the dismissal, NAACP leader Derrick Johnson said, The NAACP is outraged. Since day one of this crisis, we have been on the ground, speaking with residents and community leaders. One thing remains clear, the statement continued, racial discrimination and neglect have left a majority Black, capital city in crisis. Jacksons dismissal comes several months after the agency declined to continue investigating its prior most significant civil rights complaint brought by Black residents in the nations Cancer Alley, along Louisianas Gulf Coast. The EPA found insufficient evidence that racial discrimination shaped decisions by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the Mississippi State Department of Health about water system funding for the states capital city. Although Jackson falls on the lower end of per capita funding there was no significant relationship between loan amounts per person and race over time, the EPA said. But, Floyd contends that the investigation wasnt focused on all the aspects of discrimination. Why is a capital city having to apply for federal funds meant for low-income cities in the first place? she said. A city is considered low income because theyve been disinvested and divested from by the state. Thats the true problem. Thats systemic racism. Since the 1990s, Jacksons city budget has dwindled as economic and educational investments have seeped from the city, coinciding with white flight. In 1990, Jacksons population was about 56% Black and 44% white. Today, it is 82% Black and 15% white. At the height of Jacksons water woes in September 2022, a Capital B analysis found discrepancies in how much federal funding Mississippi was receiving to maintain its water systems. Despite their similar water struggles, Arkansas which has seven times fewer Black residents than Mississippi received more federal funding for drinking water: $27.1 million compared to $19.4 million. Read More: Jackson Water Crisis Is Just One of Many Impacting Black Communities Still, Floyd, who is now the co-director of the Jackson Peoples Assembly, a social justice organization, isnt surprised by the decision given how the investment in the city over the past few years has played out. Isnt that how it goes? The oppressor telling the oppressed that they havent been discriminated against, she said. Blocking another takeover After residents went weeks without water in 2022, a federally appointed administrator took control of the citys water system, and the federal government approved $600 million for improvements to the city system. At the same time, local leaders and residents, those most directly affected by the crisis, were locked out of contributing to the decision-making process. Without support and direct objections from Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, the federally appointed engineer, Ted Henifin, began taking steps to run the citys water system through a private company. By court order, he has the sole authority to enter into contracts, make payments, and change the rates and fees charged to consumers a major concern for residents struggling in the city. Roughly 26% of residents in Jackson live in poverty, which is double the national average. The private company set up by Henfin, JXN Water, hired contractors to update the main water plants corrosion control and tested for lead and bacteria like E. coli. Henfin has said the water plant is virtually fixed and that the water is safe to drink. However, brown liquid still pours out of many faucets, two residents told Capital B. Since 2022, activists requests for data about Jacksons drinking water and work being done to fix the water plant and remove lead service lines have largely gone unanswered. Floyd and other residents have expressed that the process feels like another form of discrimination. Theyre afraid that Jacksons public water utility will become completely privatized even after all the improvements are completed. According to the National Association of Water Companies, more than 20% of Americans now rely on private companies for drinking water, a substantial increase compared to 2019. On average, private water utilities charge families 59% more on their water bills than public utilities. Read More: Flints Water Crisis 10 Years Later The fears are intensified by the Mississippi State Legislatures white, extremist majority [that] continues to launch attempts to siphon power and federal funds away from the city, said Danyelle Holmes, a Jackson resident and senior national social justice organizer with Repairers of the Breach and the Poor Peoples Campaign. Recently, Mississippi legislators introduced the Mississippi Capitol Region Utility Act, a bill that would transfer control from JXN Water to a newly formed entity, the Mississippi Capitol Region Utility Authority. The governor and lieutenant governor would appoint the majority of the board members. The bill ultimately failed. In April, Holmes and Floyds groups were granted intervention in the EPAs lawsuit that resulted in the de facto takeover of Jacksons water system. Being granted intervention means they are now an official party to the lawsuit and have a voice in the proceedings, and allows them a greater say in ensuring that the citys water will one day go back to local control. At the end of the day, we just want money to fix the water because people deserve to have clean drinking water, Floyd said. Despite the city and state being awarded upward of $800 million for improvements over the past several years, there is still a shortfall of upward of $1.2 billion. The city still has more than 150 miles of aging lead pipes. These crises are reverberating across the country, from Flint, Michigan, to Prichard, Alabama, where a coalition of 22 organizations are petitioning the EPA for financial assistance to fix the small Black citys water system. Residents in the town allege local leaders have mismanaged funds that have allowed its water delivery system to fall into disrepair. Nearly 60% of Prichards drinking water leaks from the system, creating contamination and reliability risk for residents, and for first responders who rely on water pressure for fire hydrants to work. Capital B previously reported on how years of water woes could cost residents their homes. What happens next for the Civil Rights Act As Jacksons struggles mirror Black water crises nationwide, the EPAs failure to enact the Civil Rights Act underscores a growing reality. While major civil rights complaints brought by Black residents continue to get dismissed, a coalition of Republican state attorneys generals are trying to stop the EPA from taking race into account at all. Last month, 23 attorneys general filed a petition with the EPA to force the agency to stop using Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to regulate pollution. The attacks on the EPAs use of the Civil Rights Act predate the Biden administration. As former President Donald Trump left the Oval Office, his Department of Justice attempted to change the interpretation of the Title VI to only cover intentional discrimination; meaning if a polluter, or state in the case of Jacksons crisis, accidentally let a community face disproportionate environmental impacts, it could not be deemed discrimination. Although the initial push failed under Trump, remnants of the attack have plagued the Biden administrations ability to enforce the act. Under the Biden administration, Capital Bs analysis found that although the EPA has increased staffing in the civil rights division and accepted more cases for investigation when compared with historical averages, the likelihood of a positive resolution for impacted communities had not increased. Since the first mention of environmental justice at the federal level in 1994, roughly 90% of all complaints brought to the EPA by communities overburdened with pollution have been dismissed. It has left impacted residents with fewer options for reprieve. Since coming into the 21st century, when it comes to civil rights, environmental rights, and an equal protection under the Civil Rights Act, it doesnt seem like there has been much of a commitment, Robert Bullard, who is widely regarded as the father of environmental justice, told Capital B last year. Still, Floyd said, Us impacted by these crises were just here, were still fighting, and we are going to remain hopeful. The post Jacksons Water Is Still Brown. The EPA Says Thats Not Discrimination. appeared first on Capital B News. Jacksonville man makes threats to current and former Presidents of the United States A federal indictment reveals threats were made to President Joe Biden and Former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama by a Jacksonville man. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Cody Angeli is facing federal charges for making written threats to kill against the three men. Special agents felt they needed to intervene. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The indictment said on May 4, 2024, Angeli posted to X you thought you killed me. I will kill you. He tagged President Bidens X handle and the two former presidents. Later, he posted how many shots do you think you can take? Again, he tagged all three men. It went on to say, I took 10 from a barret 50 caliber. He also posted a photo of a weapon, adding he would be in Washington D.C. to get rid of the fake presidents. Another post stated, I will not wait any longer. I will f*** you all up now. The slew of posts continued throughout his social media account, and he began tagging the FBI and CIA. READ: Paul Pelosi attack: David DePape sentenced to 30 years I dont know about him spending time in federal prison, but its clear. Based on the tone and the frequency of the communications and the threads that the secret service had to proceed in this matter to control him, Dale Carson said. Carson has decades of experience as a former FBI agent and Miami police officer. He is currently a criminal defense attorney. Special agents made contact with Angelis family members who said he was believed to be suffering from bipolar schizophrenia. They said hes threatened physical violence towards family, before. We reached out to Angelis family, but they did not want to comment at this time. When special agents made contact with Angeli, he told them that his thoughts were being stolen and that he was God. At one point, he stated he was John Fitzgerald Kennedy. READ: St. Augustine man dies after setting himself on fire outside Trump trial would not make additional threats. He added he would delete his account, which we found was still active. However, Angeli told agents he would not seek mental health help. The charges, while they are serious, his rather apparent mental condition may serve as mitigation in terms of the time that he would spend in custody, Carson said. So, if he receives the proper mental health care, then that may resolve the issue. We also reached out to Angelis attorney, but we have not heard back. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Read the latest in our coverage of the death of Anthony Johnson Jr. and other issues in Tarrant County jail. The attorney representing a terminated Tarrant County Jail supervisor has joined the voices calling for the release of full, unedited videos of the events leading to the April 21 death of Anthony Johnson Jr. Randy Moore, the attorney representing Lt. Joel Garcia, said he usually tries to avoid publicizing his clients cases. But with the release of a partial, five-minute video Thursday at a Sheriffs Office news conference, Moore said he hasnt been left with a choice. The remainder of the video, which sources have told the Star-Telegram lasts about another six minutes, would show that Garcia followed protocol and got a medical team to attend to Johnson as quickly as he could, according to Moore. Once that medical team was there, Moore said, Garcia handed over control because he is not a medic and is not qualified to give commands to medical personnel. The part that they have shown you and the misstatements that they have made make it easy for them to blame two people out of 20 without answering the real questions, Moore told the Star-Telegram. The released video including portions from a surveillance video and a cellphone shows a struggle between Johnson and multiple officers after the Sheriffs Office said Johnson resisted orders to come out of his cell for a contraband check. During the struggle, Johnson a 31-year-old Marine veteran diagnosed with schizophrenia grabs hold of a railing outside his second-floor cell. Several officers fight to get him on the ground and handcuff him. At some point, officers used pepper spray. The video ends after an officer kneels on the back of the already-handcuffed Johnson, who can be heard saying that he cant breathe. Garcia, a 24-year veteran of the Sheriffs Office, was fired this week along with Detention Officer Rafael Moreno, a nine-year veteran. Garcia is the supervisor who used a cellphone to record video of what happened. Moreno is the large, heavy jailer who is seen on the video putting his knee and weight on Johnsons back for about 90 seconds before Johnson became unresponsive. Sheriff Bill Waybourn said at the news conference Thursday that Garcia recorded the video on his phone because a GoPro camera with which incidents are supposed to be recorded was not available. Waybourn said Garcia and Moreno were fired for breaking protocols for jailers, but Moore said he hasnt cited those protocols. Garcia was at the scene for less than four minutes, was not the person originally in charge when he arrived and called for medical as soon as he realize Johnson was non-responsive, Moore told the Star-Telegram. Daryl Washington, an attorney representing Johnsons family, has previously called for the release of the full video, as has Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons. Simmons and Washington have advocated for the release of the video for the sake of transparency, saying the public deserves to know what is happening in the Tarrant County Jail. Washington has said people need information to hold the government accountable and that transparency would increase confidence in the Sheriffs Office, Texas Rangers and district attorneys handling of the investigation. Moores call for the release stems from his belief that the remainder of the video will illustrate that Garcia didnt do anything justifying his termination. He also argued that Garcia should not have been fired or named by Waybourn until the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office rules on Johnsons cause and manner of death and the Texas Rangers have concluded their criminal investigation. Japans lawmakers pass a revision to the countrys civil code that will allow divorced parents the option of joint child custody, at the parliament in Tokyo Friday, May 17, 2024. The revision, the first to custody rights in nearly 80 years, is to take effect by 2026. (Kyodo News via AP) TOKYO (AP) Japans parliament on Friday passed a revision to the countrys civil code that will allow divorced parents the option of joint child custody, a change that brings the nation in line with many other countries. The revision, the first to custody rights in nearly 80 years, is to take effect by 2026. It will allow divorced parents to choose either dual or single custody while requiring them to cooperate in ensuring their childrens rights and wellbeing. Under the current law, child custody is granted to only one divorced parent, almost always the mother. The change comes as divorces are increasing in Japan and a growing number of divorced fathers hope to stay in touch with their children. A number of high-profile allegations made by divorced foreign fathers who blamed their former partners for abducting their children and returning to Japan also encouraged the change. The revision requires the sharing of child rearing costs by the parent who is not the main custodian. Currently, most divorced mothers, who often are part-time workers with low incomes, do not receive financial support from their former husbands. In cases in which domestic violence or abuse by either parent is suspected, the other person will have sole custody, according to the revision. Supporters of joint custody say it allows both divorced parents to play a role in child rearing. Opponents, including rights groups and some victims of domestic violence, have raised concern that the new system could make it harder for parents to cut ties with abusive spouses and that they may not be allowed a real say in custody decisions. The concerns prompted some modifications to the legislation during parliamentary debate to require authorities to make sure the custody decision was not one-sided. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that the revisions address concerns raised by domestic violence victims and their families. But the improvements don't go far enough and the risk remains high for vulnerable members in the families, said Kazuko Ito, a lawyer who has campaigned against the revision. Under the revision, divorced parents who choose joint custody must reach a consensus on their children's education, long-term medical treatment and other key issues, and will need to seek a family court decision if an agreement cannot be reached. Either parent can make decisions about their children's daily activities, such as private lessons and meals, or emergency treatment. The revision is to be reviewed five years after it takes effect. Jasmine Crockett Drags Marjorie Taylor Greene During Hearing After She Comes For Her: Bleach Blonde, Bad Built Jasmine Crockett Drags Marjorie Taylor Greene During Hearing After She Comes For Her: Bleach Blonde, Bad Built | Photo: Jemal Countess via Getty Images In the U.S. House of Representatives, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crocket has earned a reputation for calling out Republicans who step out of line. So when controversial Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene came at her during a congressional hearing late Thursday night, Crockett dragged the MAGA-supporting representative and lit up social media. During a U.S. House Oversight Committee meeting, Greene responded to Crocketts question with, I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. From there, the meeting went off the rails. Squad member Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., called for Greenes comments to be stricken, calling it absolutely unacceptable. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person? After the Republican committee chair refused to chastise Greene for engaging in personalities House-speak for unacceptable language about another person Crockett hit back at Greene. Just to better understand your ruling, Crockett said, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? "Girl.. baby girl.. don't even play" The drama at the US House Oversight Committee.. after dark From @CBSMornings ====> pic.twitter.com/yDJmnNgG6O Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 17, 2024 'A 3rd degree burn with the politeness of a Texan!' By Friday morning, Crockett and Greene were trending on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the hashtag #BleachBlondeBadBuiltButchBody, with plenty of people commenting on the congressional roasting. Now that was a read! one user tweeted in part with a meme. B6. #BleachBlondeBadBuiltButchBody Now that was a read!. Rep . Jamie Raskin wanted to laugh so bad!. pic.twitter.com/hi9IIa8NXe Chioma. Imo princessa (@Chiomabonny) May 17, 2024 A legitimate question and a 3rd degree burn with the politeness of a Texan! another shared alongside an Elmo let it burn GIF. Bleach blonde bad built butch body! A legitimate question and a 3rd degree burn with the politeness of a Texan! Congrats Rep. Crockett! #bleachblondebadbuiltbutchbody pic.twitter.com/FRDU65GCzo Riselng, LLC (@riselngevents) May 17, 2024 Some people pointed out the expressions of outspoken Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin as he tried not to laugh at Crocketts comment. The moment Raskin heard bleach blonde bad built butch body. pic.twitter.com/phln3b7KpF Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) May 17, 2024 Florida Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz even got in on the fun, posting a mix of Crocketts words morphing to the tune of Megan Thee Stallions Body. J&J (Jared & Jazz) dropping diss tracks like we Kendrick Lamar MTG Truly wanted the smoke tonight. https://t.co/Vc37u7DdFs Jasmine Crockett (@JasmineForUS) May 17, 2024 Online conservatives called out over ghetto comments Conservatives viewed the exchange differently. Several Greene supporters tweeted criticism of Crockett, calling her and the exchange ghetto. Other social media users called out the racist dog whistling. One said, We dont have to engage the racists when they go with the only word they seem to know when a Black person checks one of em for disrespect. Hey yallwe don't have to engage the racists when they go with the only word they seem to know when a Black person checks one of em for disrespect. The #BleachBlondeBadBuiltButchBody led with an insult, and got flamed in return. "Ghetto" is more acceptable than "n*gger". pic.twitter.com/bROF0qk60v A Strong, Black Woman (@ScorpBliss78) May 17, 2024 While some may continue to hurl insults online, hopefully, after Crocketts reply, her Republican colleagues in Congress will think twice before insulting her to her face. Video above: Jeffrey Epstein is found dead in his jail cell on Aug. 10, 2019. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A little black book, once owned by Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire giant known for his sexual abuse crimes, is being auctioned off, according to Alexander Historical Auctions, a company out of Maryland. Bidding for the book began Wednesday and goes until June 16. On that final date, the top two bidders will be offered an opportunity to make a final offer within five days of notice. If the consignor doesnt accept the top bidders offer, the book will be offered up at public auction in July. Ghislaine Maxwells lawyer tells appeals judges that Jeffrey Epsteins Florida plea deal protects her Right now, we have a few tentative offers from bidders already known to us, and they are substantial but must be firmed up in writing, Bill Panagopulos, the President of Alexander Historical Auctions told WFLA. This little black book was found lying on a Fifth Avenue sidewalk in Midtown by a musician in the 90s. After tucking it away in storage, she rediscovered the artifact in 2020, originally assuming it was just a copy. She later sold it to a graduate student. Credit: Alexander Historical Auctions LLC In 2004, the FBI discovered Epsteins black book, and it was used in legal proceedings. There are 1,731 names mentioned in both copies combined, with 221 new names appearing in the little black book, according to Business Insider. Its going to be groundbreaking: DeSantis OKs release of more Epstein documents The book is described as a 64-page, 4.5-by-5.25-inch Gestetner-bound book with black plastic. It contains 386 printed entries, along with two entries penned in a childlike hand on the last page, Alexander Historical Auctions said. There are 94 names in the book with checkmarks and five highlighted names. The company said all five names, including Donald Trumps, are well-known financial and industrial figures. However, the significance of the check-marked and highlighted names is unknown. Addresses, telephone numbers, family members contact information, and associates to the named individuals are included in the book. Business Insider journalists confirmed the validity, as many entries were consistent with properties Epstein owned and addresses that matched those of his family members. Unsealing of documents related to decades of Jeffrey Epsteins sexual abuse of girls concludes Epstein also referenced information from the first New York home, located at 301 East 66th Street, which housed young models, girlfriends, pilots, and lawyers associated with him. An entry for masseuse/masseur mentions 24 names and numbers, including a description of an ugly back up, and eight women listed under Exercise people. Alexander Historical Auctions included a disclaimer that said theres no indication the names listed in the book were associated with Epsteins crimes, excluding those who were already tried and convicted. 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. Jerry Springer trending on X after vicious trash talking debate between MTG, AOC and Jasmine Crockett It was the immediate reaction for many after hearing of the fight between AOC, MTG and others in Congress on Thursday evening - Babe wake up a new season of Jerry Springer just dropped, The comparison to the infamous rowdy talk show came after the House Oversight Committee on Thursday descended into chaos in a similar fashion to so many of Springers episodes. Reps Majorie Taylor Greene, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett all hurled insults during the firery exchange that led to a flood of memes and comments on social media. Yeah, whats better than Jerry Springer shows put on by our own government. Loving it, one X user wrote. Others were less than impressed with the way the congresswomen conducted themselves. This is embarrassing for all sides of the political spectrum! one X user said. Petty, childish, and a total disgrace to women. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was forced to strike two comments from the record on Thursday (Independent TV) The moment left many stunned as it appears to go against traditional decorum seen in the house. That led to the flood of posts, memes and deepfakes all referencing the spat between the three. This is the best thing ever happened in the House. Who needs Hollywood concocted fake drama when we have AOC and MTG ready to rumble, user Abdi wrote. Listen to AOC conveniently turning the Bronx accent on. Oh girl, baby girl, dont even play! Sounds more like a middle school than the floor of Congress. Sad, but amusing, X poster Mia wrote. So an episode of Jerry Springer broke out in Congress, featuring intellectual luminaries like Jasmine Crockett, AOC, and MTG. Congress is filled with utter and complete imbeciles. And, in a representative democracy, thats our fault, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro said. I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a both sides issue. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one. And to the women of Pennsylvania: Id stand up for you too. Enjoy your Friday. https://t.co/cInF4YXO2y Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 17, 2024 Even a Senator got in on the discussion, as Pennsylvanias John Fetterman posted to apologise to the Jerry Springer show. In the past, Ive described the US House as The Jerry Springer Show, he posted Friday morning. Today, Im apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show. That didnt go down well with AOC, who quoted his post and replied: I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a both sides issue, she said on X. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one, she continued. And to the women of Pennsylvania: Id stand up for you too. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seen during Thursdays House Oversight Committee (Independent TV) It all began when Ms Greene fired back at Ms Crockett for questioning her comments on Judge Juan Merchan in Donald Trumps hush money trial. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading, Ms Greene told the Democrat, sparking outrage from NYC representative AOC. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person? she shouted across the chamber at the Georgia Republican, as chairman James Comer tried to interject ala Springer, in what sparked around an hour of drama C-Span producers might only have dreamed of before. It included AOC telling Ms Greene oh baby girl, dont even play as she objected to Greene attacking a reps apperance. At Thursdays hearing, Ms Greene was seemingly forced to strike her words from the record, twice, and offered to debate with AOC. The Democrat refused, with Ms Greene replying: Yeah, you dont have enough intelligence. Eventually the drama subsided and the committee got back to its regularly-scheduled programming. GAINESVILLE A Jewish activist impersonating a Muslim who said he was concerned about Islamophobia met undercover over the last four weeks with Muslim professors at the University of Florida including its new Teacher of the Year in an apparent scheme to goad them into making remarks that would expose their bias against Israel and conservatives. The man turned out to be a stridently pro-Israel, Messianic Jewish hip hop rapper from Floridas East Coast. His groups social media accounts include anti-Muslim memes and comments, according to an investigation by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Floridas College of Journalism and Communications. We are zealous for Israel, one post said. Another showed photos of Israelis killed by Hamas at a music festival on Oct. 7 under the caption, They will not be forgotten and they will be avenged. Others said Muslims were waiting for Allah to destroy Israel and equated pro-Palestinian protesters against Israels war in Gaza with supporting Hamas. In emails, texts and in personal conversations, the man with a fit build, mustache and closely cropped haircut initially identified himself in recent weeks as Ali Hafez or Omar Hafez. He said he was in his mid-30s and a registered Democrat with a background in the music industry. He said he was a revert to Islam, born in Morocco, having lived in New York and owned property in Sarasota. He also variously said he was a graduate student, affiliated with the College of Education, and the parent of a daughter named Aisha, also Muslim, attending UF. This week, he said she was so distraught she was prepared to drop out of UF, home to the largest number of Jewish students at any public university. It wasnt true. No one with those names is enrolled at UF, according to university records. A search of national court files, voter registrations, and property and other records found no one fitting the mans names and descriptions of himself. Anthony Damon Wray, 46, of Melbourne, Fla., is seen in this photograph Wednesday, May 15, 2024, outside a coffee shop in Gainesville near the University of Florida campus. Wray is part of a Messianic Jewish hip hop group called Hazakim, whose social media accounts include anti-Muslim memes and comments with his older brother, Michael Kenneth Wray, 48, of Rockledge, Fla. For nearly one month, Anthony Wray had misrepresented himself as a concerned Muslim in conversations with at least three Muslim professors at the university, including the school's new Teacher of the Year, in apparent attempts to goad them into criticizing Israel and conservative political leaders amid pro-Palestinian protests. The mysterious man is Anthony Damon Wray, 46, of Melbourne, Florida, south of the Kennedy Space Center. He is a registered Republican and part of a Messianic Jewish hip hop group called Hazakim one that is strongly pro-Israel with his older brother, Michael Kenneth Wray, 48, of nearby Rockledge. Anthony Wray has a 20-year-old son, not a daughter, and his son also is not a student at UF, according to university records. In a tense face-to-face meeting Wednesday at a coffee shop near campus with a journalist investigating the mystery and one of the Muslim professors he tried to fool, Wray whose identity at that moment was still unknown said his name was actually Ali Omar Maldonado. That wasnt true, either. He acknowledged he had repeatedly lied about himself during earlier conversations with the UF professors. He said he was trying to uncover what he described as anti-Muslim sentiment on UFs campus to protect his daughter and said Palestinians had historical rights to land that is the modern state of Israel. He said Democrats were becoming as untrustworthy as Republicans toward Muslims, and said Floridas political institutions and national news organizations were controlled by what he called Zionists. Im not Mossad, he said, referring to the Israeli spy agency. Im not recording you guys. Wray left the meeting abruptly amid persistent questions about his identity and said he felt he was being interrogated. He sped off in a silver 2021 Kia Soul which helped solve the mystery since the car was registered under his own name and address in Melbourne. A photograph of Wray at the coffee shop matches promotional images and videos of him performing as Hazakim. After he drove away, he texted, I cant believe what just happened. Wrays motives and professional affiliation, if any, remain unclear. Some conservative activist groups have used undercover provocateurs to secretly record conversations in efforts to expose them later and embarrass their targets. Such operations in Florida would be hampered by laws against surreptitiously recording someone without their permission. Conservative politicians have denounced pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses. They have accused higher education professors of trying to indoctrinate students with progressive ideologies, undermining conservative beliefs in classrooms. On Floridas campus, a small group of protesters has been active for more than three weeks. A lot of these people that are just spouting nonsense, they don't know what they're talking about, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference at UF on May 8 as pro-Palestinian protesters chanted nearby. And it's very concerning, some of these elite institutions around the country, you know, are they just graduating a bunch of imbeciles? I think, unfortunately, that's the case. UF spokesman Steve Orlando did not immediately answer questions about how the university would respond to the subterfuge discovered on its campus. Wray is well known in his hometowns Messianic Jewish community for his conservative politics and activism, said Jeffery "J.D." Gallop, the senior criminal justice reporter at the FLORIDA TODAY newspaper there. Gallop is Jewish and has lived in the area for nearly 30 years. He said he met Wray who he described as having strong pro-Zionist and anti-abortion beliefs at a rally in 2018 supporting DeSantis during his campaign for governor. He said he has occasionally interacted with Wray on social media. "If there was something, I could see him at the center," Gallop said in an interview. "It sounds like he's either doing a private investigation of the Muslim community, or there's something else going on. It would be something to watch." The central tenet of Messianic Judaism includes the belief that Jesus, who practitioners call Yeshua, is the divine savior. Its members generally adhere to conventional Christian beliefs but consider themselves Jewish. In contrast, mainstream Jews are still waiting for the arrival of the Messiah, who is called Moshiach in Hebrew. In earlier emails and texts to one of the UF professors, Iman Zawahry, Wray wrote under his pseudonym that he was very upset and concerned about statements he didnt specify by UF President Ben Sasse, and he called DeSantis (expletive) disgusting. Zawahry was named UFs Undergraduate Teacher of the Year on April 30 and is an award-winning filmmaker who teaches media production. She responded to Wray that she agreed with his baiting assessment of the governor. She is among at least 177 faculty, staff and administrators in the journalism college. Zawahry, who met with the man she believed was Hafez on May 6 off campus for a conversation, also was at the meeting at the coffee shop this week that exposed Wray as behind the scheme. A member of the group Faculty for Justice in Palestine, Zawahry had told Wray in earlier conversations about efforts to provide meals and advice to pro-Palestinian students protesting, and said she personally protested at the county courthouse after police arrested others on UFs campus. No one is backing down, Zawahry texted Wray about the campus protests, before she knew his real name and doubted his motives. Wray had been texting from a phone number traced to a T-Mobile account set up in New York and emailing from a Gmail address that included the name Hafez. She invited the man who turned out to be Wray and his daughter to join the protests on campus, and he replied that his daughter who turned out not to exist already was among the protesters. Wray did not immediately respond to texts Thursday or Friday to the T-Mobile number, which was not configured to accept voice calls, or an email to his Gmail address. Someone who did not identify themselves responded, wrong number, to texts sent to two other mobile phone numbers listed for Wray on his Florida fishing license and voter registration records. His brother, Michael, also did not respond to a phone message or text. You hear about these things happening to other people, Zawahry said. You never think its going to happen to you. DeSantis has harshly criticized pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses and praised crackdowns against them in Florida. His administration also sought unsuccessfully last year to ban a pro-Palestinian group, Students for Justice in Palestine, from UF and the University of South Florida in Tampa by asserting they were providing support to overseas terrorists. We will not let the inmates run the asylum in the Sunshine State, DeSantis said at his campus news conference. Under Sasse, the former Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska, UF opposed the administrations efforts to dismantle Students for Justice in Palestine on campus amid First Amendment concerns. Last month, UF issued new rules that promised to allow protest activities that included speech, expressing viewpoints and holding signs in hands. The new rules prohibited unspecified disruptions, sleeping, tents, sleeping bags, pillows or permanent structures. Police arrested nine protesters at UF on April 29, including one student facing a felony battery charge because police said he spit on an officers arm. Another, a former UF student, was arrested on three misdemeanor charges for what police described as sitting in a lawn chair on the universitys Plaza of the Americas, wearing a medical mask and refusing to move when ordered. Sasse said students arrested in such protests would be suspended and banned from campus for three years, and professors would be fired. This is the most Jewish university in the country, Sasse said at the news conference this month with the governor. And it is great to be a Jewish Gator. I want all of our students to feel safe, but more than the subjective feeling I want our students to be safe. Wray told Zawahry while using his pseudonym that he was concerned about the intense levels of Islamophobia, speech suppression, and Zionist propaganda on campus. He wrote in an email to her April 18 he had heard that, pro-occupation organizations freely spread their literature and lies while Muslim staff and orgs must remain silent. In his exchanges with Zawahry, Wray praised her activism, encouraged her to keep doing an amazing job for us, and said, You looked great at the ceremony where she was named Teacher of the Year. He called her critics disgusting Islamophobes. Haters are just jealous. Keep doing the damn thing, sister Iman, he wrote. This week, convinced that the self-described Muslim had been lying, Zawahry notified the journalism dean, filed a report with Gainesville police, talked with campus police and asked for help investigating the matter. A Gainesville police spokesman, Brandon Hatzel, said the agencies will coordinate their investigation with the FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Many Muslim and Arab students have come to me expressing concern for their safety and feeling unheard, Zawahry said in an interview. This atmosphere is what breeds people like Anthony Wray. In an unscheduled face-to-face visit weeks ago with another professor, Ali Altaf Mian, Wray had said he was affiliated with UFs College of Education. He launched into a conversation about conservative leaders like DeSantis and whether Muslims felt their rights were suppressed on campus. That meeting also happened on April 18, a few hours after his first email to Zawahry. I remained silent hearing his statements, said Mian, an assistant professor of religion in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in an email he sent to his supervisor the same day that described the bizarre encounter in Mians campus office. I also felt uncomfortable that someone I do not know is jumping right into very politicized territory. Mian confirmed the man who came to his office was the same person who had met with Zawahry, based on a photograph of Wray. He said the encounter lasted about 10 minutes. The event left me with the impression that something was out of joint given the fact that he went straight into political questions without first breaking the ice, Mian said. What also struck me as artificial was that the questions felt so rehearsed, almost as if someone was there to collect information from me and not to have a genuine conversation. Mian said Wray had come into his office and began pressing him on a range of political issues and suppression of free speech. Wray also said he met with a third professor he did not identify. I felt like he was trying to intimidate or frame me, Mian said. I just hope hes not doing this to students. This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at vivienneserret@ufl.edu. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Israel activist impersonates Muslim at UF professor meetings Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. Former Donald Trump lawyer John Eastman pleaded not guilty in Phoenix on Friday on charges related to allegedly participating in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. A grand jury in Arizona handed up indictments last month charging Eastman and over a dozen more Trump allies for their efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, including the fake electors from that state and several individuals connected to his campaign. While Trump is not among those charged in Arizona, the details in the indictment suggest he is Unindicted Coconspirator 1. I, of course, plead not guilty, Eastman said following the brief hearing. Im confident that, with the laws faithfully applied, I will be exonerated at the end of this process. Eastman was released from custody without conditions. Eastman is the first defendant charged in the Arizona case to appear in court and the others are scheduled to follow suit in the coming weeks. Among them are Trumps former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former attorney Rudy Giuliani, close aide Boris Epshteyn and Christina Bobb, the top lawyer on election integrity for the Republican National Committee. Each defendant is expected to be fingerprinted and have a mugshot taken as they are processed, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Eastmans indictment stems from being among those pushing fringe legal theories for overturning the 2020 election results and intimately involved in the fake electors scheme. This really tracks much of the same type of information and allegations that we see in the Georgia indictment and others, Michael Moore, a CNN legal analyst and former US attorney, said Friday on CNN Newsroom. And that is dealing with whether or not there was some forgery committed by presenting false documents and signatures, and that is the offenses that could be defined by state law, so youre seeing state officials bringing these charges. The right-wing lawyer devised a multi-step plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election and advised Trump on plots to disrupt Congress certification of the 2020 election results. The House select committee investigating the deadly January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol explained how Eastman put forward a legal theory that Pence could unilaterally block certification of the election a theory that was roundly rejected by Trumps White House attorneys and Pences team, but was nevertheless embraced by the former president. Although Eastman wants to keep practicing law so he can represent clients and pay his own legal bills as he fights criminal charges stemming from the 2020 election efforts, an attorney discipline judge in California rejected a request from Eastman to reactivate his law license earlier this month following her recent recommendation that he be disbarred. Its a serious charge, obviously, it can affect both the law licenses for those involved, if they are lawyers, as well as the liberty of them if they are convicted, Moore said. This story has been updated with additional details. CNNs Jack Hannah contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Attorney and former Trump advisor John Eastman pleaded not guilty Friday to nine felony counts in Arizona. He and 17 others are charged in a fake elector conspiracy to overturn Arizona's 2020 presidential election results and keep Trump in office. Four states have charged Republicans in the scheme. File Photo courtesy of Fulton County Sheriff's Office/UPI May 17 (UPI) -- Lawyer and former Trump adviser John Eastman on Friday pleaded not guilty to several Arizona felonies charging conspiracy and forgeries in the 2020 pro-Trump fake electors scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Eastman is the first of 18 defendants tied to Trump's alleged efforts to negate the will of voters in the presidential election to be arraigned on the state criminal charges. "I'm confident that with the laws faithfully applied, I will be fully exonerated," Eastman said after his arraignment in Phoenix. A California judge ruled in March that Eastman should be disbarred for his actions to overturn the election. Eastman is also a co-defendant with Donald Trump and others in Georgia in a criminal case charging an election conspiracy. An Arizona grand jury indicted Eastman in April along with former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and others on the felonies for attempting to overturn election results in Arizona. Also indicted in Arizona were Trump's close aide Boris Epshteyn and Christina Bobb, the top lawyer on "election integrity" for the Republican National Committee. The indictment accuses 11 Republicans of illegally masquerading as the state's presidential electors, even though Joe Biden won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes. The indictment said, "Unwilling to accept this fact, Defendants and un-indicted co-conspirators schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency to keep Un-indicted Co-conspirator 1 in office against the will of Arizona's voters. This scheme would have deprived Arizona voters of their right to vote and have their votes counted." "Un-indicted co-conspirator 1" is former President Donald Trump, the person Eastman and the other defendants are accused of unlawfully working to keep in office. The indictment said Eastman and the others charged carried out a series of allegedly illegal actions to overturn the state's election results. A group of fake electors met at the headquarters of the Arizona Republican Party and signed documents to try to certify Arizona's vote for Trump and submitted the fake elector documents to Congress, according to the indictment. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said then in a recorded statement, "We're here because justice demands an answer to the efforts that the defendants and other un-indicted co-conspirators allegedly took to undermine the will of Arizona's voters during the 2020 presidential election." She said they were indicted because she would "not allow American Democracy to be undermined." The Arizona defendants face nine felony counts each for fraud, forgery and conspiracy. Eastman helped devise the fake electors plan in battleground states to present false pro-Trump electors in an effort to block Electoral College certification in Congress. Four states have filed criminal charges in the 2020 fake elector scheme. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed criminal charges against 16 fake electors for Trump in July. She said they met covertly in Michigan Republican Party headquarters Dec. 14, 2020, during which they signed documents claiming to be qualified electors for Michigan. "That was a lie," Nessel said. "They weren't the duly elected and qualified electors, and each of the defendants knew it." In December 2023, Nevada charged six Republicans who claimed to be pro-Trump electors. Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford said in a statement when the grand jury indicted the fake electors, "We cannot allow attacks on democracy to go unchallenged. Today's indictments are the product of a long and thorough investigation, and as we pursue this prosecution, I am confident that our judicial system will see justice done." John Eastman, a onetime lawyer for former President Trump, pleaded not guilty Friday in Phoenix on charges related to an alleged conspiracy to overturn Arizonas 2020 presidential election results. Eastman was among a group of Trump allies indicted in Arizona in late April for allegedly attempting to prevent the lawful transfer or power. They were charged alongside 11 pro-Trump Arizona Republicans who signed documents claiming to be the states valid electors in 2020. Prosecutors have accused the defendants of creating a fraudulent scheme seeking to have election officials wrongfully overturn Joe Bidens narrow victory. Following the brief hearing in Phoenix, Eastman said, I, of course, plead not guilty, CNN reported. He added he expects to be exonerated at the end of this process. He was released from custody without conditions, the outlet reported. Other Trump allies like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows have also been indicted. A source told CNN that each defendant is expected to be fingerprinted and have a mug shot taken as they are processed. Eastman is accused of creating a plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election and advised Trump to disrupt Congresss certification of the results on Jan. 6, 2021. He denied any communication with the so-called fake electors, per the Arizona Republic. I had zero communications with the electors in Arizona, zero involvement in any of the election litigation in Arizona or legislative hearings, and Im confident that if the law is faithfully applied, I will be fully exonerated at the end of this process he said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday said he is disappointed in the chaos and name-calling that happened during a raucous House Oversight Committee markup on Thursday night when Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clashed over Greene's comments that Rep. Jasmine Crockett wore "fake eyelashes." "It was not a good look for Congress," the speaker told ABC News. "We all -- I think -- need to control the emotions better and get the job done." Tensions flared Thursday night during the committee's markup of a resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over the audio recording of President Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur. However, the drama had nothing to do with that, and led to a nearly hourlong disruption where lawmakers shouted over each other. MORE: Biden asserts executive privilege over audio of interview with special counsel Hur PHOTO: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks on the steps of the House, May 17, 2024, in Washington. (POOL/ABC News) "I think the decorum in the House is an important tradition to maintain," said Johnson, the top Republican in Congress who is known for his civility. "So we'll be talking about that with our members. I think Hakeem Jeffries needs to do the same on the Democrat side." It all began when the Georgia Republican made a crack about the Texas Democrat's eyelashes -- "I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you're reading" -- which was made when Crockett pushed back to a line of questioning from Greene. PHOTO: Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Rep. listens at a hearing for the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, May 16, 2024, in Washington. (POOL/ABC News) Democrats called for Greene's eyelash comment to Crockett to be stricken from the record and the congresswoman to be barred from speaking for the rest of the proceedings. Greene repeatedly shouted she was "not apologizing." "That is absolutely unacceptable, how dare you attack the physical appearance of another person," Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said. "Are your feelings hurt?" Greene responded. "Oh baby girl don't even play," Ocasio-Cortez shot back. PHOTO: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, left, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, May 16, 2024. (POOL/ABC News) The proceedings devolved then into further chaos with lawmakers shouting over each other and Democrats repeatedly trying to force Greene to apologize. At times, House Oversight Committee chair James Comer said he struggled to hear over the shouting and repeatedly worked to bring order to the proceedings. Comer even called a brief recess to figure out how to parliamentary respond to Greene's remarks. "Why don't you debate me you don't have enough intelligence," Greene said to Ocasio-Cortez during the exchange. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., made a crack about Democrats on the committee not wanting to work. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., shot back, "like showing up for a vote?" -- presumably a jab at the fact that Luna and several other members missed much of Thursday on Capitol Hill attending former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York. PHOTO: Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., left, and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., listen at a hearing for the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, May 16, 2024, in Washington. (POOL/ABC News) MORE: Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert are latest loyalists to appear at Trump's New York trial "You have a lot to say being that you're on retainer for the judge's daughter. Sorry trust fund kid," Luna replied -- a reference to the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing Trump's trial. The judge's daughter has been the target of Trump and Republican's criticism over her work for a digital consulting firm that they claim creates an "ongoing financial interest" tied to the former president's criminal trial. Luna also said Democrats should be disciplined for making unspecified cracks about "Marjorie's body." "I hope you brought your popcorn," Greene added, then moved on to talking about how her "body is pretty good" given how she is "going to turn 50 this month." After a vote to strike Greene's comments failed along party lines, Greene eventually continued her remarks and the hearing continued. On Friday, Ocasio-Cortez issued a statement on X criticizing Republicans and the failing of the vote to strike Greene's comments. "Republicans VOTED in [committee] to allow the rhetoric that was used against Ms. Crockett last night," she wrote. "Notice that when Dems have the majority, these things don't happen." Luna said Friday that "a lot of people didn't realize there's a lot of disrespect early on against Ms. Greene." "But look, I don't think it should ever elevate to the point of personal insults," Luna added. Ranking member of the House Oversight Committee Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the level of personal attacks were "not acceptable." "It was a radical breach of decorum to engage in personal insults based on physical appearance, and when [Greene's] words were not taken down immediately, it led to a lot of chaos, and it reflects very poorly on the whole institution, but certainly on the majority," Raskin said. Despite the chaos and disorder that unraveled during the markup on, the GOP-led House Oversight Committee ultimately voted 24-20 late Thursday to approve a report recommending a contempt of Congress resolution against Attorney General Merrick Garland for his failure to turn over audio recordings of the Special Counsel Robert Hur interview with President Joe Biden. The Garland contempt resolutions now head to the full House for a vote. ABC News' Sarah Beth Hensley contribute to this report. Johnson slams raucous congressional hearing sparked by Marjorie Taylor Greene's 'fake eyelashes' comment originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Johnson falls short with claim on Democrats backing of abortions up to the moment of birth Abortion rights have emerged as a key issue as Republicans and Democrats plot strategies for the 2024 election. President Joe Biden and Democrats have focused on the issue as a driver to get voters to the polls, with Vice President Kamala Harris campaigning on reproductive rights in swing states such as Wisconsin. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson appears as guest speaker at a Newsmaker Luncheon at the Newsroom Pub on East Wells Street in Milwaukee on Monday, April 24, 2023. Meanwhile, some Republicans have been trying to fire up their base, including U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who offered this claim in an April 15, 2024 interview on The Tony Kinnett Cast podcast: "Every Senate Democrat has voted to support unlimited abortions up to the moment of birth. Is he right? Senate, House measures are cited When we asked for backup, Johnsons spokesperson Kiersten Pels said the senator was making the point that the media will not cover the fact that the Democrats are the ones who hold the extreme position on abortion. In terms of evidence backing the claim, Pels cited two measures. We are using her words here, as perspective on how she is interpreting what the measures do. In 2022, every Senate Democrat with the exception of Joe Manchin voted in favor of (Womens Health Protection Act) which would enshrine abortion into law up until the moment of birth and block state laws with protections against late-term abortions. In January 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act which would protect infants who survive an attempted abortion by ensuring they receive the same care as any other newborn. Every single Republican voted in favor, while every single Democrat voted against it with the exception of Rep. Cuellar who was exiled for his position. Lets set aside for a moment whether the measures are accurately described and start with a couple obvious points. First, if Manchin did not vote for the 2022 measure, then it is plainly clear that Johnsons every Democrat phrasing is wrong. Second, as evidence of Senate votes, Johnsons team is citing votes from the U.S. House of Representatives. That measure has not even come up for a vote in the Senate, so the senators evidence is, well, lacking at best. Lets dig deeper. Do the measures do what Johnson claims they do? Women's Health Protection Act of 2022 According to www.congress.gov, the Womens Health Protection Act of 2022, introduced in the Senate on May 3, 2022, prohibits all governmental restrictions on access to abortion services. There has been one roll call vote on the bill. Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, cast a no vote along with Republican senators on the measure. The vote was 49 Yes and 51 No. Johnsons staff claims the measure would enshrine abortion into law up until the moment of birth and block state laws with protections against late-term abortions. Thats wrong. On the contrary, the measure which has not become law protects the right to an abortion up until the point of fetal viability, which is roughly reached at 24 weeks of pregnancy. After that point, the legislation protects the right to abortion only "when, in the good-faith medical judgment of the treating health care provider, continuation of the pregnancy would pose a risk to the pregnant patients life or health," according to the text of the bill. RELATED: US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, says the Democrats Womens Health Protection Act of 2022 would permit abortion up until delivery. Mostly False. RELATED: Donald Trump says "The Democrat(ic) position on abortion is now so extreme that they dont mind executing babies AFTER birth." False. Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act According to a congress.gov summary of the Born-Alive act, the measure establishes requirements for the degree of care a healthcare practitioner must provide in the case of a child born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. Specifically, the summary says, a health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as would reasonably be provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure the child is immediately admitted to a hospital. Additionally, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with the degree-of-care requirement must immediately report such failure to law enforcement. A health care practitioner who fails to provide the required degree of care, or a health care practitioner or other employee who fails to report such failure, is subject to criminal penalties a fine, up to five years in prison, or both, according to the summary. The Born-Alive measure passed the House Jan. 11, 2023 on a 220-210 vote, with 219 Republicans voting yes, along with one Democrat. The 210 nos were Democrats. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, said Johnsons claim is an absurd and abject falsehood and that the measure would make something illegal that is already illegal because doctors already have an obligation to provide appropriate medical care. Abortion up to the moment of birth simply doesnt happen. Murray said in an email to PolitiFact Wisconsin. Abortions later in pregnancy are extraordinarily rare and occur essentially only when a pregnancy is nonviable and the mother risks severe injury or death by remaining pregnant. And, as noted, it has not come up for a vote in the Senate so Johnson is presenting conjecture, not evidence. False Our ruling Johnson said "Every Senate Democrat has voted to support unlimited abortions up to the moment of birth. But Johnsons evidence is flawed at best. He cites one bill that a Democratic senator, Manchin, opposed so on the face its not every Democrat and, in any case, it doesnt do what he claims. The second measure cited has not even come to the Senate for a vote. We rate the claim False. Sources Sen. Ron Johnson, The Tony Kinnett Cast Ep. 87, at mark 16:00, April 15, 2024 Email Kiersten Pels, press secretary, Sen. Ron Johnson, April 22, 2024 S.4132 The Womens Health Protection Act of 2022, vote date May 11, 2022 Email, Naomi Savins, deputy communications director, office of Sen. Patty Murray, April 26, 2024 Email and phone call, Tommy Garcia, national press secretary, April 29, 2024 US House of Representatives, Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, Jan. 11, 2023 Politico Democrats last anti-abortion lawmaker gets leadership endorsements, August 3, 2023 CNN Virginia governor faces backlash over comments supporting late-term abortion bill, Jan. 31, 2019. Associated Press Virginia abortion feud erupts; governor blasted for comments, Jan. 30, 2019. WTOP Virginia Gov. Northam on road projects, teacher pay, shutdown impact, more. Jan. 30, 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Abortion SurveillanceFindings and Reports, Nov. 21, 2023 KFF Health News Abortion Until the Day of Birth Is Almost Never a Thing, Nov. 15, 2023 US Senate Roll Call On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Motion to Proceed to S. 4132 ), May 11, 2022 PolitiFact The Democrats Womens Health Protection Act of 2022 would permit abortion up until delivery, August 1, 2022. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sen. Ron Johnson falls short with claim on Democrats backing of abortions up to moment of birth Earlier in his short life, the young senator from Missouri, Josh Hawley, was a Teddy Roosevelt biographer writing about the former presidents belief in a muscular Manifest Destiny for an expanding American empire. Some around Hawley see in him, too, a man of destiny, though of a less muscular sort. The leaders of Californias Claremont Institute may be betting that way by naming a current Hawley staffer and two alumni of his Senate office to their prestigious Publius and Lincoln fellowships. The three even younger men, legislative aide and Benedictine College graduate Alex Gorman, former Hawley staffer Pierson Furnish, now a senior lawyer for House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Kansan Eric Teetsel, a vice president at the Heritage Foundation who was Hawleys chief of staff, are all clearly on the way up in their own right. On their way up and in future roles in an increasingly likely second Donald Trump administration, they will be building the experience and network of Hawley-affiliated influencers who can help make Hawley Trumps heir. Missouris senior senator already laid claim to that role with the famous fist-pump as the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection was about to turn violent. The Claremont Institute is looking to be the brains and network shaping Trumps agenda and easing the path for a Trumpian successor in the Claremont mold. More than anything else, the think tank based in an Upland, California, office park has a particular story it wants to tell about American history and its future. In the simplest terms, the story is that Americas design was made clear in the Declaration of Independence most powerfully with the language of all men being created equal, but our nation failed to live up to that design in the founding, which had to be completed through Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War that ended slavery. Bringing the story into the 20th and 21st centuries, the design of America was betrayed by the progressivism that seeped into government and culture during and after the two world wars. Conservatives in this tale fought valiantly but failed to stop it. A new founding would be necessary to return America to its glory through a leader who would throw off the shackles of old ways and crush the progressives and the freedom-sapping administrative state they created. That man is Trump and, to right the American ship, things may get messy, as they did for Lincoln. Beyond traditional conservative beliefs, it is this story that Claremont inculcates in young leaders who are selected for its fellowships. I know a little about the Publius fellows. Some have worked for me at USA Today, and Ive talked to a few for this column. I applied when I was a wee journalist back in 1995, but I didnt make the cut. Primarily, the fellowships teach through lectures and readings of just the right folks who narrate Claremonts story of America, but there are social events, shooting excursions and, some years, showings of the John Wayne movie The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. More often than not, the people who look at Claremont, like the people who look at Hawley, see the network through a lens of fear and paranoia. Thats not shocking. What Claremont fellows and leaders see as intellectual experimentation can seem crazy when it comes out in The American Mind, a Claremont web publication that veers from edgy to loopy on a daily basis. One Publius fellow I talked to cautions me not to overstate the influence of the crazies. The test, the young fellow argues, is to see what moves into the mainstream and can get broader purchase in the culture. But with Trump at the helm, crazy sometimes seems the whole point. Thats one reason the group email for Publius alumni broke up in acrimony and was ultimately shut down. As among all Americans, within the think tanks chummy network there was plenty of division over Trump and even more strong feelings. This fall the stakes couldnt be higher. Missouri voters will have a say in whether Trump gets to lead a third founding of America and a say in whether Josh Hawley stays in office long enough to be Trumps Ulysses S. Grant, the man who takes over and establishes all he fought for. Lets hope the crazies arent as influential as they look. David Mastio, a former editor and columnist for USA Today, is a regional editor for The Center Square and a regular Star Opinion correspondent. Follow him on X: @DavidMastio or email him at dmastio1@yahoo.com On Thursday afternoon a 29-year-old man was stabbed during an argument in the Normandy Village neighborhood. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Police responded to the area of 900 La Marche Dr. around 3:30 p.m. They found a man suffering from a stab wound. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Jacksonville Fire and Rescue took the victim to a local hospital where staff pronounced him dead. The victim and an unknown suspect were involved in an argument. Thats when police said the suspect pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim at least once before running. At this time its unknown what the relationship was between both men. This is an ongoing investigation. JSO is asking anyone with information to contact them at 904-630-0500 or email at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Judge Clears Way for Final Bids on Citgo in Setback to PDVSA (Bloomberg) -- A judge cleared the way for final offers for Citgo Petroleum Corp.s US parent, denying objections from Venezuelas state-owned oil company to the bidding process for the oil refiners court-ordered sale. Most Read from Bloomberg Judge Leonard Stark concluded at a hearing in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday that a special masters proposed instructions for taking final bids next month was not inconsistent with the approved sale process. The instructions didnt improperly favor investors holding a defaulted 2020 bond backed by a controlling stake in PDV Holding, which owns the US refiner, the judge found. Lawyers for Petroleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, argue that a separate court fight in New York hasnt determined the extent of the bondholders claims. The masters process assumes those holders will get some of the PDV Holding sale proceeds, which could discourage or interfere with the bidding process, they say. Attorneys for Special Master Robert Pincus and some of Venezuelas other creditors, who had persuaded Stark to put Citgo up for sale to compensate for the countrys asset seizures, contended at the hearing that PDVSAs objections were aimed at delaying the auction. Auction Goes Ahead In the end, Stark concluded theres no evidence that Pincus inclusion of the bondholders claims in communications about the sale process will chill any bids. Im not going to delay the auction, Stark told the dozens of lawyers gathered before him in federal court. The Citgo sale will close a chapter on the nationalization of the assets, which hit a host of big companies. Crystallex International Corp., a Canadian miner whose rights to the Las Cristinas gold field were seized by former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, is first in line for a hefty slice of the auctions proceeds. Among the other companies are Siemens AG, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil Corp. A World Bank arbitration panel in 2016 found Venezuela owed Crystallex $1.4 billion, of which it is still seeking to recover about $1 billion. A pair of Exxons oil projects were expropriated in 2007, and the company is seeking to have $984 million in claims recognized. Horacio Medina, a member of the Venezuelan political opposition and the head of the ad hoc board that represents PDVSA in US courts, didnt immediately return a message seeking comment on Starks ruling. Bond Fight The PDVSA bonds were issued in 2016 by the government of Nicolas Maduro, who faces US sanctions intended to force him to hold free and fair elections. Opposition head Juan Guaido, who in 2019 was recognized by the US as Venezuelas legitimate leader, has withheld bond payments, saying the bonds were invalid because they were sold without legislative approval. PDVSA itself remains in the hands of the Maduro government but is represented by the ad hoc board, appointed by the Guaido-led opposition, which has been fighting to protect Citgo from being seized by creditors. The board has offered to negotiate with key creditors to stave off the sale, but no agreements have been reached. Meanwhile, Maduro blames the opposition for allowing what he calls the theft of PDVSAs most important overseas asset. The second and final round of bids for PDV Holdings shares is scheduled for June 11, with the winner set to be announced the following month. Almost 20 creditors have won the legal right to some of the sales proceeds. The case is Crystallex International Corp. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, 17-mc-00151, US District Court, District of Delaware (Wilmington). --With assistance from Nicolle Yapur and Fabiola Zerpa. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. District Judge Steven Boyce denied a directed verdict on Thursday requesting the acquittal of Chad Daybell in his murder trial in Boise. After the jury heard from the final defense witness in the criminal case of the state of Idaho versus Daybell, the prosecution rested its case. Without getting into the specifics, Daybells attorney, John Prior, said. But I am going to move for a directed verdict on the murder charges specifically with Tylee and JJ there is no indication that Mr. Daybell was present, took an active part in or facilitated in any way (in) the murder of JJ and then Tylee. In regards to the conspiracy charges, theres no indication that there was any act that he took in furtherance. Theres reference to religious significance discussions, but that in itself is not an action in furtherance of those charges, Prior added. Lastly, judge, in regards to the fraud, the only testimony I recall is that the insurance was upped from $10,000 to $80,000 and that there had already been a longstanding $300,000 policy from 2002. At this point, I dont think the state has met its burden regarding the fraud or all other conspiracy charges. Daybell is being accused of involvement in multiple murders, conspiracy to commit murders, grand theft and two counts of insurance fraud. The charges relate to the deaths of his former wife, Tammy Daybell, and his current wife, Lori Vallow Daybells children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua Jackson JJ Vallow. On May 12, 2023, Lori Vallow Daybell was found guilty of her childrens and Tammy Daybells death and was given five life sentences with no possibility of parole. Before Boyce dismissed Priors motion, he drew the courts attention to an error in one count of the prosecutions amended indictment. Boyce said the indictment had a material error that stated the wrong date of JJs death. The state marked JJs death as being between Sept. 8-9, 2019. Boyce noted that JJ was clearly alive on those days, as there is photo evidence of him being alive on Sept. 22, 2019, and multiple witnesses attested to it. Theyve lost their chance. They dont get to go back, Prior said. Judge, Im asking the court to dismiss the charge. Prosecution attorneys admitted they were unaware of the error and requested they be given until Monday to address the courts concern. Prior argued that the state had plenty of time to catch the mistake and had already rested its case the defense is also scheduled to put on its defense beginning Monday in the Boise courtroom. After a brief recess, Boyce heard arguments from the defense and prosecution and concluded that the mistake in the fourth count in the indictment was a clerical error and that the prosecution never received court permission to amend it. Boyce concluded the original language of the count would remain the language of the indictment going forward. The court believes that the jurors can be fairly and properly instructed with a curative instruction or some other manner in which to correct what theyve heard so they can properly be instructed in conformity with the evidence submitted, Boyce concluded. South Carolina Circuit Judge Daniel Coble listens to arguments on how do define "heartbeat" under the state's 2023 abortion law on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins) COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A state judge has ruled that South Carolina can continue to enforce a ban on nearly all abortions around six weeks after conception as an appeal continues on what exactly defines a heartbeat under the law. Planned Parenthood had asked the law be set aside as courts parse through its wording, which includes alternate definitions of when cardiac activity starts, potentially extending the time after which abortions can no longer be performed under the 2023 law. The law says abortions cannot be performed after an ultrasound can detect cardiac activity, or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac. The definition is currently being interpreted to mean around six weeks after someone's last period. But what follows the or in the sentence could require that a heart has formed, and medical experts say that doesn't happen until around nine weeks. The state Supreme Court itself noted the different definitions when it upheld the law last year, saying resolving them would be a question for another day. Circuit Judge Daniel Coble wrote in his ruling released late Thursday that the state's long-established legal precedent says that when there are disagreements on interpreting a law, judges need to give the most weight to the intent of lawmakers. Six weeks was the standard cited by legislators, previous court rulings and even Planned Parenthood when it argued against the first version of the ban that was overturned by the state Supreme Court, Coble noted. A new justice and tweaks in the law led the high court to reverse itself and uphold the second version last August. This Court cannot locate one instance of legislative history indicating a time frame of any other period other than the six-week mark, much less nine weeks, Coble wrote, citing at least 20 times when lawmakers, including many Democrats in the Republican dominated General Assembly, called it a six-week ban during debates. Coble's ruling against a temporary suspension of the law is far from the final say. Planned Parenthood is expected to appeal and argue that the different definitions of heartbeat mean the law is too vague to be constitutional. For now, the ruling keeps in place the current situation in South Carolina banning abortions after six weeks, unless the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, the fetus likely won't survive outside the womb or the mother's health is at serious risk. Planned Parenthood said in court papers that in the first five months after the new law took effect, three-quarters of women seeking abortions were turned away because their pregnancies were too far along, and 86% of those three-quarters could have had the procedure if the law allowed abortions up to nine weeks. Life will continue to be protected in South Carolina, and the governor will continue his fight to protect it, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster's spokesman, Brandon Charochak, said after Thursday's ruling. Coble's ruling raised even more inconsistencies in the law's language that may become points of contention in later appeals. The law refers to a fetal heartbeat, but most experts consider a fertilized egg to be an embryo for about 10 weeks after conception before transitioning into a fetus. The only point of this line of argument that this Court is making is to illustrate that while Plaintiffs claim the definition of fetal heartbeat clearly indicates the nine-week time frame, this definition is in fact ambiguous. If the definition were as clear as Plaintiffs claim, then this case would be far simpler than it is, Coble wrote. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending a nationwide right to abortion, most Republican-controlled states have started enforcing new bans or restrictions, and most Democrat-dominated ones have sought to protect abortion access. Currently, 14 states are enforcing bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with limited exceptions, and South Carolina and two others have bans that kick in at or about six weeks into pregnancy. The punctuation in South Carolina's law differs from other six-week bans, and provided an opening for the lawsuit filed by Taylor Shelton along with Planned Parenthood. Shelton said she had sought medical attention for pain from her intrauterine device and was stunned to find out, just two days after missing her period, which she tracked regularly, that she was pregnant. Because doctors in South Carolina were unsure how to define a heartbeat, couldn't be completely sure she was within six weeks, and could face criminal charges if the state determined they performed illegal abortions, she ended up in North Carolina, driving for hours to several appointments to undergo the procedure. Today I stand before you angry angry at a system that seeks to control our bodies and dictate our choices, Shelton said after the case was argued May 4. But I also stand determined, fueled by the conviction that no one should endure what I went through. We deserve better. We deserve clear, unequivocal laws. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Azerbaijan's commercial banks should envisage 'green' loans in their portfolios and follow climate policy, President of COP29 and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev said at the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event on May 17, Trend reports. The banks must implement a well-thought-out climate policy and introduce a climate component and responsibility measures into their portfolios. This is aimed at the long term, the minister explained. According to him, to finance green projects, special types of loans and mechanisms are needed, and banks should work in this direction. The banks should offer 'green' loans to those projects that are aimed at protecting the environment. They should adopt international practice. Regulators represented by the government and the Central Bank are ready to facilitate this, Babayev emphasized. To note, 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A California judge came down hard on the man who broke into Paul Pelosis home and struck him with a hammer in 2022, sentencing David DePape, a conspiracist obsessed with right-wing podcasts, to three decades in a federal prison. Its a lengthy sentence for DePape, who will be in his mid-70s if hes to serve his federal sentence in its entirety. He faced a potential sentence of up to life in prison, but his lawyers argued he deserved only 25 years in the clink. DePape, 44, was convicted in November on federal charges of assault on an immediate family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping of a federal official. His brutal attack was captured by a San Francisco police officers body camera on Oct. 28, 2022, which showed him striking Paul Pelosi in the head and knocking him unconsciousa chilling incident that took place after Paul Pelosi made an eerie late-night 911 call about a stranger in his home. Jurors Reject Tearful Paul Pelosi Attackers Wild Defense DePape was emotional while testifying at his trial, admitting through tears that hed broken into Pelosis San Francisco homeby smashing out a back patio windowwith the intention of holding Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) hostage. If she didnt play by his rules or lied to him, he said he planned to break her kneecaps. The Canadian national also admitted to bludgeoning Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police showed up, claiming he carried out the dangerous act out of anger that his bizarre plan was unraveling. DePape also admitted he had a target list of people hed come to hate, which included actor Tom Hanks, Mike Pence, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Hunter Biden, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. That list did not include Paul Pelosi, DePape testified, but he was the only person home when he broke in. I wasnt trying to hurt him, DePape testified. I reacted because my plan was ruined... Getting to the rest of my targets and pardoning all of them and ending the corruption. While it was clear DePape committed the assault, prosecutors had to prove to a jury that DePapes actions were politically motivatedwith Rep. Pelosi as the targetto have him put away on federal charges. Security Footage of Paul Pelosi Attack Puts Trumps Conspiracy to Bed DePapes attorneys argued that that he didnt actually plan to harm or kidnap Rep. Pelosi, despite Paul Pelosi infamously alleging that DePape yelled inside the home, Wheres Nancy? Wheres Nancy? Had he survived a conviction in his federal case, DePape still faced state charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and elder abuse. A source close to the Pelosi family told The Daily Beast that the couple prepared victim impact statements that were read ahead of DePapes sentencing. Those emphasized how drastically the day-to-day life of Paul Pelosi, 84, has been altered because of the attack, which he is still recovering from, and detailed how it forced Rep. Pelosi away from her duties as a lawmaker. Rep. Pelosis office sent a prepared statement to The Daily Beast on Friday. The Pelosi family couldnt be prouder of their Pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case, the statement read. Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to all who have sent love and prayers over the last eighteen months, as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Mich. (WOOD) A Michigan appeals court says it has reluctantly upheld a reduced prison sentence for a man who beat and raped his infant son, leading to the childs eventual death. After being raped, the 1-month-old boy was dropped to the floor and beaten out of anger, court records show. The beating happened because the child regained consciousness. Damon Andrew Jackson was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1997 crime and the childs subsequent death. But because Jackson was just a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday when the attack happened, he was afforded a new sentencing hearing in which a term of years was on the table. Victims family agonizes over killers chance at parole Now-retired Kent County Circuit Court Judge Donald Johnston in 2018 upheld the life sentence, calling the offense horrendous and an unspeakable criminal act. That prompted an appeal. Johnstons successor, Judge Paul Denenfeld, in 2022 opted instead for a term of years. Denenfeld concluded that Jackson has indeed been rehabilitated. He sentenced Jackson to between 35 to 60 years, a move Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker opposed. This is one of the most abhorrent crimes we have ever seen in this county, molesting your own one-month-old child, sodomizing him and leading to his death, Becker said. I dont know how you get much worse than that. In its 11-page ruling, which came out last week, the Court of Appeals said Denenfelds lighter sentence will stand. Justice Christopher M. Murray was less than enthusiastic with his support of the reduced sentence. His reasoning was spelled out in a nine-page concurrence. Michigan case law governing juveniles sentenced for murder has resulted in effectively immunizing individuals under 19 who commit murder from receiving a sentence of life without parole, Murray wrote. Jackson, now 44, is at a state prison in Muskegon. With credit for time served, he is eligible for release in a little more than four years. Johnston, the judge who was originally assigned the case, called it one of the most disturbing in his 40-year career as a judge. This is just about the worst of the worst. Its so awful, he said. Jackson is one of the so-called juvenile lifers whose sentences required review after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012 declared mandatory life without parole for juveniles unconstitutional. He was among more than 300 Michigan prisoners serving no-parole sentences who were afforded an opportunity for release following the high court decision. Juvenile lifers get second, third chance at sentencing Former Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth and Becker, his successor, said Jackson should never be let out of prison. The crime happened in Grand Rapids a few days after Labor Day 1997. The baby, David, was beaten and assaulted while his mother attended school. Brain stem injuries consistent with shaken baby syndrome left him blind and deaf. An undated courtesy photo of baby David. In addition to suffering severe physical injuries, the victim was also definitively sexually abused, records show. Sperm was found in the victims mouth. Jackson was initially charged with first-degree child abuse and criminal sexual conduct. A felony murder charge was filed when David died two years later. The defense argued that Jackson was criminally insane. Jurors werent swayed. Jackson was convicted in January 2001 and sentenced to life without parole. The sentence was upheld in 2003. Then came the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In 2016, justices said it was retroactive for all juvenile mandatory life without parole sentences. That set the stage for resentencing hearings in which judges must consider five factors when determining if a no-parole sentence is justified. Factors include the defendants age and maturity, home life and circumstances of the offense. Crime by juvenile lifers after prison very rare, state says Judge Johnston presided over the hearing in 2018 and upheld the life without parole sentence. He retired at the end of the year. Lawyers for Jackson appealed, saying his legal representation in the 2018 hearing was ineffective. A second hearing was then held in November 2021 before Denenfeld, who inherited the case from Johnston. The two judges had divergent views. Denenfeld three months later ruled that a term of years was warranted. It is indisputable that the defendants shockingly dysfunctional and abusive home environment had a significant impact on him as a teenager and young adult, Denenfeld wrote in a 22-page opinion in favor of a reduced sentence. It is also clear that defendants prison records are stellar and that he has indeed been rehabilitated. On May 9, appeals court justices Michael J. Kelly, Kathleen Jansen and Christopher M. Murray sided with Denenfeld. They ruled the term of years was appropriate. We cannot conclude that the trial court abused its discretion by resentencing defendant to a term-of-years sentence, they wrote. Sign up for the News 8 weekly recap newsletter Johnston said he still believes a life sentence is appropriate, given the circumstances of the case including that Jackson was 2.5 weeks shy of his 18th birthday when the crime took place. It seems to me that people who are 17, 18 years old can and do frequently commit atrocious criminal acts and Im not sure that they should get particularly soft treatment simply because of their chronological age, he said. I think that if we dont firmly and evenhandedly enforce the law, we make it more common, more popular, easier for people to violate the law and commit these kinds of terrible acts, Johnston added. So for my thinking, its not a good idea. But then again, the powers that be have made these decisions and thats the law. I dont have to like it, but the law is the law. Target 8 investigator Susan Samples contributed to this report. 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. DENVER (KDVR) On Friday, a jury found a man guilty of murder in a 2022 Fathers Day weekend shooting that left a father of three dead on Interstate 70. Street racer accused of murder testifies that I-70 shooting was self-defense Jeremy Rocha, 22, has been in custody since June 23, 2022, according to court records, under a $2 million bond. He was charged with felony counts of: First-degree murder after deliberation First-degree murder with extreme indifference Four counts of attempted first-degree murder with extreme indifference A sentence enhancement of violent crime using a weapon The jury found Rocha guilty of second-degree murder (a lesser charge under the first-degree murder after deliberation count), first-degree murder with extreme indifference, and all four attempted murder charges. On Thursday, Rocha testified that he only shot at 37-year-old John Jaros because Jaros pointed a gun at him first. According to court records, Rocha fired his firearm nine times in two seconds on the night of June 18, 2022. Jaros was shot and killed in whats been described as a street racing incident on I-70 near East Colfax Avenue. Jaros was driving a Dodge pickup truck and was accompanied by his wife and three children. They were heading to a nearby campsite, according to investigators. According to an arrest affidavit issued in 2022, street racers on I-70 were slowing down traffic, and one of the racers may have been brake checked by Jaros. Aurora police said at least four cars were racing that night. Jaros has been remembered as a family man and assistant chief with the Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department. After Jaross death, the Glen Haven community rallied with donations and other support for the family. Rochas sister spoke to FOX31 shortly after leaving the courtroom on Thursday. Everything that occurred that day was brought upon because of Jaros. So, him chasing my brother down. Flashing a gun right in his face. The only reason he (Rocha) ever pulled out his gun is, when a gun is pointed at you and you are looking down the barrel the only thing you will do is defend yourself when you have two seconds to think about it, Jenna Rocha said. Rocha is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, May 23. 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. 'I just want to graduate': Morehouse seniors want focus on students -- not Biden -- ahead of president's commencement speech A few hundred seniors at Atlanta's Morehouse College gathered into the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel on campus on Friday to take their senior class photo -- just days before President Joe Biden is set to deliver their commencement speech, a controversial and high-stakes event that comes as the president works to make inroads with a key voting bloc in the swing state: young Black men. Last month's announcement that Biden would give the commencement address on Sunday led to threats of protests because of frustration over Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Now, many of the seniors tell ABC News that they want the event to focused on the graduates -- not on the president. Students like sociology major Marq Riggins are frustrated over the run-up to Biden's arrival, which, according to Riggins, included the seniors on campus having to move to other dorms for security reasons. MORE: Morehouse faculty votes to award Biden honorary degree amid commencement controversy over handling of war in Gaza "All of it shows that the school is more concerned about leading its sort of political agenda before it is celebrating the students that make the school worth something," said sociology major Marq Riggins. He, along with other seniors at the historically Black college for men, expressed frustration to ABC News over the commotion the president's appearance was causing and how it was drawing attention away from their own celebrations. PHOTO: A senior in his mortar is seen on the campus of Morehouse College, Atlanta, GA, May 10, 2024. (Elijah Nouvelage/The Washington Post via Getty Images) "It's pretty disrespectful to the student body to take this ceremony that's supposed to be celebrating them and reduce it to like a political campaign," Riggins said. Flyers have circulated around campus encouraging students and faculty at commencement to avoid clapping for the president during his speech, and to turn their back on Biden while he's speaking. Biden has been huddling with his senior advisors all week, preparing for his speech. PHOTO: A statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands outside the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA,July 18, 2015. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images) The White House on Friday stressed that Biden understands how consequential his visit is: "He's been diligently working on this, and taking this very seriously, and wants to obviously hit the right tone, meet the moment," said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The White House has been making a concerted effort to reach out to the students in preparation of potential protests that could reflect badly on the president, especially during an election year as he works to connect with young Black voters in the swing state. Biden beat out former President Donald Trump in Georgia in 2020 -- albeit narrowly. The win marked the first time in nearly 30 years that Georgia went to a Democratic presidential candidate. Stephen Benjamin, the White House's public engagement director, met with leaders on the campus last Friday where they expressed concerns over what is happening in the Middle East. In a briefing on Thursday, Benjamin said that the president "is very focused on centering these young men with [what] this, this transition in life, means to them, so we [will] listen closely." Earlier this week, Morehouse President David A. Thomas told CNN that "what we won't allow is disruptive behavior that prevents the ceremony or services from proceeding in a manner that those in attendance can partake and enjoy." He told CNN that he would "cease" the ceremony "on the spot" should any individual have to be taken out of the commencement in zip ties by the police. ABC News Senior White House Correspondent asked Jean-Pierre if Biden is prepared for this possibility, she said that "he will respect the peaceful protesters." "This will be a moving commencement address," Jean-Pierre added. "You will hear directly from the president on how he sees the future of this country and also the community they represent he sees this as an opportunity to lift up and to give important message to our future leaders." Caleb Tsegaye, a Morehouse senior, took Thomas' statement as a warning to students who were planning any type of protest. "Hearing that from your president, and your big day is only a couple of days away, that's more-so like, 'Oh no, what is going to happen at this commencement other than us celebrating other students?'" Tsegaye said. Many seniors in the class of 2024 didn't get a high school graduation in 2020 because of the pandemic, and many said the possibility of not getting another one seemed like a worthy reason to sit out on this movement -- regardless of how they feel about the president. "I don't agree with what he's doing, especially in Palestine, but I spent a lot of money here, and I just want to graduate," said senior Eric Uwu. MORE: Morehouse College not rescinding Biden's commencement invitation amid some Israel criticism A student who wished to remain anonymous said they want the president to share a message that matters to them. "We prefer somebody who would have something more significant to say to the students, something we can relate to other than the importance of voting rights and things we've typically heard before." PHOTO: Benjamin G, Brawley Hall at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, July 18, 2015. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images) Amid sliding poll numbers in the Black community, the Biden administration recently announced a new record in federal funding and investments in HBCUs totaling more than $16 billion from Fiscal Years 2021 through current available data for FY 2024. The Biden campaign sent out a memo highlighting the president's contribution to the Black community, saying they will not "parachute into these communities at the last minute, expecting their vote." The president will be spending the week interacting with prominent Black organizations, including a Friday meeting with the Divine Nine, a collection of Black sororities and fraternities, and a stop at the NAACP Detroit Branch's 69th Annual Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner after his speech at Morehouse on Sunday. ABC News' Selina Wang and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report. 'I just want to graduate': Morehouse seniors want focus on students -- not Biden -- ahead of president's commencement speech originally appeared on abcnews.go.com FILE - Associate Justice Samuel Alito joins other members of the Supreme Court as they pose for a new group portrait, Oct. 7, 2022, at the Supreme Court building in Washington. An upside-down American flag, a symbol associated with former President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud, was displayed outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2021, The New York Times reported May 16. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) WASHINGTON (AP) An upside-down American flag, a symbol associated with former President Donald Trumps false claims of election fraud, was displayed outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2021, The New York Times reported. A photo obtained and published by the newspaper on Thursday shows the flag flying on Jan. 17, 2021, days after the Republican's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try to prevent certification of Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory. Dozens of the pro-Trump rioters were carrying similarly inverted flags and chanting slogans like Stop the Steal. The report could raise concerns about Alitos impartiality as the court considers two major cases related to the Capitol attack, including charges faced by the rioters and whether Trump has immunity from prosecution on election interference charges. The justice said the flag was placed there by his wife amid a dispute with neighbors. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on Alito to recuse himself Friday from cases related to the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Flying an upside-down American flag a symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movement clearly creates the appearance of bias," Durbin said in a statement. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, meanwhile, called the report an attempt to intimidate justices, in a social-media post. It comes as another conservative justice, Clarence Thomas, has ignored calls to recuse himself from cases related to the 2020 election over his wife, Ginni Thomas, support for Trump and as public trust in the Supreme Court is at its lowest point in at least 50 years. Judicial experts said the flag clearly violates ethics rules set to avoid even the appearance of bias. At the time the flag was flying, the court was still considering whether to take up cases over the 2020 election. It ultimately rejected them over dissent from three conservative justices, including Alito, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, a Republican. He wrote that the courts consideration of the cases would have no impact on the 2020 election but would provide invaluable guidance for future elections. Alito acknowledged the presence of the flag at his home in Alexandria, Virginia, but said he had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs, Alito said in an emailed statement to the newspaper. Martha-Ann Alito had been in a dispute with another family in the neighborhood over an anti-Trump sign on their lawn, and neighbors also interpreted the flag as a political statement, the Times reported. It's unclear how long the flag was flying. Judicial ethics codes focus on the need for judges to be independent, avoiding political statements or opinions on matters they could be called on to decide. The Supreme Court had long gone without its own code of ethics, but it adopted one in November 2023 in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices. The code lacks a means of enforcement, however. Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia, told the newspaper that flying the flag upside down is the equivalent of putting a Stop the Steal sign in your yard, which is a problem if youre deciding election-related cases." Even if it was placed by his spouse or someone else living in the home, he shouldnt have it in his yard as his message to the world, she said. The Supreme Court has warned its employees about public displays indicating partisan leanings, the newspaper reported. The court did not respond to questions about whether those rules apply to justices. The U.S. Flag Code states that the American flag is not to be flown upside down except as a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property. It has been used as a protest symbol on both the left and the right on a range of issues over the decades. It took off as a symbol of Trump's Stop the Steal campaign as he spread false claims that the election he lost to Biden had been stolen. The West Virginia Capitol in Charleston, W.Va. (West Virginia Legislative Photography) Gov. Jim Justice on Friday announced that the long-awaited special legislative session to amend the states budget for fiscal year 2025 will begin at 5 p.m. on Sunday in Charleston, the day before monthly interim meetings are scheduled to take place. The special session call includes 15 pieces of legislation. All but three of those proposals will redirect funds to programming and budget lines that were either reduced or eliminated in the skinny budget passed by lawmakers in March. Citing the possibility of a $465 million clawback from the federal government related to the states use of COVID-19 relief funds for education initiatives, lawmakers during the regular session opted to pass a skinny budget with the intent of amending it to increase funding during a special session. In an attempt to stop the clawback, they also allocated millions of dollars to education initiatives. Last month, the U.S. Department of Education approved a waiver for the states use of those COVID-19 funds, at least in part due to the states proposed increases for educational funding in FY 2025. That means there is no longer a risk of a clawback. Outside of the budget, other items in the governors proclamation include bills to increase oversight and change Medicaid reimbursement procedures for residential substance use disorder treatment facilities in the state; amend the process for nominating presidential electors in political parties and shift the system for depositing money into the states Rainy Day Fund. The language of the bills that will be introduced in the special session are not yet available. The proposed bill for residential treatment facilities reads similar to one that was previously introduced in the 2024 regular session as Senate Bill 805. That bill easily passed the Senate on a unanimous vote, but stalled in the House of Delegates, where lawmakers failed to pass it on the final night before adjourning Sine Die. SB 805, as it stood at the time it died, would have required residential treatment facilities in the state which are separate from residential recovery houses to be accredited and licensed by national professional organizations to receive state Medicaid reimbursements for services. Most of the budget allocations included in the special session call will return or raise funding levels for certain programs including Medicaid, services for people with disabilities and a new agricultural lab at West Virginia State University, among others to those requested by Justice before the start of the regular session in January. The cuts to services for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (or IDD) have been met with sharp criticism from families who rely on state programs for in-home care and therapeutic services. Republicans, led by Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, defended the cuts, saying they were a result of the Department of Human Servicess murky spending. The newly-formed department didnt use millions of dollars earmarked for the IDD population and spent some of those funds on things like in-home COVID-19 tests. Reproductive freedom, child care access not likely in special session plans Notably missing in the special session call are any initiatives to improve or increase access to child care for West Virginians. Initiatives to do so have had bipartisan support in the Legislature. Despite several bills being introduced during the regular session for child care, none made it to the governors desk. Its disappointing that, once again, the governor and legislative leadership are ignoring the child care crisis in the state, said Del. Mike Pushkin, who chairs the state Democratic Party. Day after day we hear of child care services shutting down across the state, leaving many parents with fewer and fewer options of child care in order for them to get back to work. Its at a crisis level and the governor and Legislature are just ignoring it. Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said he was also disappointed especially with the lack of child care initiatives included in the call to see that the governors proclamation did not include a resolution to allow residents to vote on abortion access and reproductive freedom in Novembers general election. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Steve Williams earlier this month called on Justice, who is staunchly anti-abortion, to include the abortion ballot measure in the special session. A resolution that would have done the same thing was introduced by Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, during the regular session. It was never brought up for consideration. I wholeheartedly supported [Huntington] Mayor [Steve] Williams call to add a resolution to provide a constitutional amendment to put reproductive freedom on the ballot this fall, and Im not alone in this, Pushkin said. Thousands and thousands of West Virginians have signed this petition. The governor and the Legislature are ignoring them. Special sessions operate, for the most part, like regular legislative sessions, but often on an expedited schedule. Both chambers must approve proposed bills, which will then go to the governor for signature. During the special session, lawmakers can only entertain and act on policies and proposals included in the governors proclamation. The governor, at any time, can issue a new proclamation to extend the session or add other legislative proposals. Depending on how long the special session lasts, the meetings and legislating could overlap with monthly interims, which are scheduled to run from Monday to Tuesday. Interim meetings are held regularly throughout the year when the Legislature is out of session. Rarely is action taken during the meetings, but the information shared is often used to inform legislation introduced during regular or special sessions. For a schedule of interim meetings and their agendas, visit the Legislatures website. The post Justice: Special session to start on Sunday; child care initiatives not included on call appeared first on West Virginia Watch. TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. (WFLA) More than 30 K-9s from across the state were honored in a ceremony on Friday morning at Temple Terraces K-9 memorial outside City Hall. Their senses and their courage is just something that is beyond measure, Temple Terrace Police Chief Kenneth Albano said. Surprise organ donation links Florida families together for life Albano led the ceremony, which featured officers from as far north as St. Augustine Beach and as far south as Miami. What started as a regional K-9 memorial turned into a statewide site. We in law enforcement, were not superhuman, Albano said. We have fear. We move beyond that. I dont believe once in my 38 years in law enforcement, Ive seen a K-9 demonstrate fear. The Regional Law Enforcement K-9 Memorial stemmed from a partnership between Temple Terrace and the Nam Knights Westside Motorcycle Club two years ago. Its a special bond and being able to bring those officers from around the state to one place to share that, Albano explained. It helps. It helps with the healing as you move beyond the loss. Engraved bricks with the names of K-9s surround a bronze statue of former Temple Terrace K-9 Aramis. Largo police introduce first-ever therapy K-9 for employees, victims They just give genuinely of themselves for us without thought, Bradenton Master Patrol Officer Joshua Small said. So, its the least we can do is to honor them in this way. The Bradenton Police Department was one of many departments laying roses at the statue, as it honored its own K-9 Riggs, who retired in 2020 as an apprehension and narcotics dog. They are family members, Small said. Theyre squad members, theyre employees, theyre everything. This year, three K-9s will have a star on their brick too, since they died in the line of duty. 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. "We have pardoned tens of thousands of people with federal convictions for simple marijuana possession," Vice President Kamala Harris bragged on Thursday. It was not the first time she had offered that estimate, which she also cited during an appearance in South Carolina last February and at a "roundtable conversation about marijuana reform" the following month. Where did Harris get that number? From thin air, it seems. "While Harris said 'tens of thousands' have been pardoned under President Joe Biden's October 2022 and December 2023 clemency proclamations," Marijuana Moment noted in February, "the Justice Department estimates that roughly 13,000 people have been granted relief under the executive action." And only a tiny percentage of those people have bothered (or managed) to obtain evidence of their pardons: This week the Justice Department reported that "the Office of the Pardon Attorney has issued 205 certificates of pardon" to people covered by Biden's proclamations. In October 2022, President Joe Biden announced pardons for people who had possessed marijuana in violation of 21 USC 844 or Section 48904.01(d)(1) of the D.C. Code. That proclamation applied to "all current United States citizens and lawful permanent residents" who had "committed the offense of simple possession of marijuana" on or before October 6. According to a count by the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC), about 7,500 citizens and 1,200 "resident/legal alien offenders" (only some of whom would be eligible for pardons) were convicted of marijuana possession under 21 USC 844 from FY 1992 through FY 2021. Those numbers include some people who also were convicted of other offenses. That count did not include D.C. Code violations. "We estimate that over 6,500 people with prior federal convictions for simple possession of marijuana and thousands of such convictions under D.C. law could benefit from this relief," a White House official said during a press background call on the day Biden announced the pardons. In December 2023, Biden expanded the pardons to include people who had violated either of two additional laws covering attempted possession (21 USC 846 and Section 48-904.09 of the D.C. Code) or federal regulations prohibiting marijuana possession in specific locations such as "Federal properties or installations." That proclamation also extended the cutoff for violations by another year or so. At the time, Harris said the additional pardons would help "thousands of people." So how did Harris arrive at "tens of thousands"? Even if you include people who committed these offenses prior to FY 1992, there would have to be about 10,000 of them who are still alive to justify Harris' estimate. The USSC found fewer than 9,000 such cases over three decades, and Biden's expansion may have added a few thousand more. So going back a couple more decades would not do the trick, even if you assume that the annual numbers are about the same over time, which we know is not true: The USSC count included years when the number of federal sentences for simple marijuana possession rose and fell precipitously. Overall, the annual number of marijuana arrests (the vast majority under state law) was much lower in the 1960s and '70s than it was in the period covered by the USSC analysis. And if you go back that far, you are including many people busted for possession who are no longer with us.* Harris' exaggeration reflects the Biden administration's general tendency to fib about the extent of its "marijuana reform" while trying to motivate younger voters whose turnout could be crucial to the president's reelection. In his State of the Union address on March 8, for example, Biden falsely claimed that he was "expunging thousands of convictions." Biden's marijuana pardons do not entail expungement because it is not possible under current federal law. As the Justice Department notes, a pardon "does not signify innocence or expunge the conviction." So it is also not true that Biden's clemency "lifts barriers to housing, employment, and educational opportunities for thousands of people with prior convictions under federal and D.C. law for simple marijuana possession," as inaptly named "fact sheets" from the White House claimed in February 2023, September 2023, and April 2024. Likewise for Biden's recent claim that he is "lift[ing] barriers to housing, employment, small business loans, and so much more for tens of thousands of Americans," which combines two kinds of hyperbole. During his 2020 campaign, Biden promised to "decriminalize the use of cannabis." But his pardons did not accomplish that either. Without new legislation, simple possession will remain a federal offense punishable by a minimum $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. Biden and Harris have muddied that point by saying his pardons are based on the premise that "no one should be jailed for simply using" marijuana, as Biden said in March, or that "no one should go to jail for smoking weed," as Harris put it on Thursday. Those formulations also imply that low-level marijuana arrests commonly result in incarceration, which is not true. The USSC reported that "no offenders" covered by Biden's October 2022 proclamation were in federal Bureau of Prisons custody as of the previous January. And since those pardons excluded people who had been convicted of growing or distributing marijuana, they did not free a single federal prisoner. Biden also has misrepresented the significance of moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, which he describes as a "monumental" accomplishment. That change, which the Drug Enforcement Administration formally proposed this week, would facilitate medical research and allow state-licensed marijuana suppliers to deduct standard business expenses when they file their federal tax returnsa big financial benefit to the cannabis industry. But it otherwise would leave federal pot prohibition essentially unchanged, which is how Biden wants it. For a longtime drug warrior who supposedly has seen the error of his ways but nevertheless opposes marijuana legalization, appealing to voters who overwhelmingly favor it is a tough sell. As Harris' pardon prevarication illustrates, that pitch requires obscuring the truth in ways small and large. *Addendum: "I share your concerns about hyperbole around the number of pardons (and all the other marijuana reform hype)," Douglas Berman, a sentencing expert at the Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law, says in an email. He nevertheless suggests that "motivated math" could get Harris to a bit more than 20,000 simple possession convictions. That calculation would hinge on including D.C. arrests from the mid-1970s on and assuming about 15 percent resulted in convictions, which Berman says is "reasonable for a mid-sized city." But "this VP-friendly accounting," he notes, "is entirely back of the envelope," which he sees as "a big problem in this space." And Harris said she was talking about "federal convictions for simple marijuana possession," which implies convictions under 21 USC 844, 21 USC 846, and location-specific federal regulations. [This post has been updated with additional observations about the impact of Biden's pardons.] The post Kamala Harris Implausibly Claims Biden's Marijuana Pardons Number in the 'Tens of Thousands' appeared first on Reason.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Azerbaijan is preparing a draft law on carbon taxes application, the President of COP29 and the country's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Mukhtar Babayev, said at the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event on May 17, Trend reports. He made the remark while speaking about the preparation of a number of draft laws to meet new climate challenges. "In developed countries, a carbon emission tax is applied. Our country is preparing a draft law on this issue, which is in its final stage," emphasized Babayev. He mentioned that the EU will introduce this tax on products from carbon-intensive industries, and this should be taken into account by Azerbaijani exporters of certain types of products. "We are open to receiving proposals from the private sector regarding the alignment of business practices and Azerbaijani laws with the global climate agenda. We will work with deputies for the prompt review and approval of the necessary laws," noted Babayev. According to him, Azerbaijan's fulfillment of its climate commitments (reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent) and increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy balance to 33 percent will bring long-term benefits to the country. He stressed that decisions at various levels in Azerbaijan demonstrate adherence to the green agenda. "For example, the import of electric vehicles is exempt from duties and taxes. This was done as part of the development of the electromobility process in the country. Other steps will also be taken. An important task is the creation of green economy zones and green energy in Azerbaijan," said the minister. Babayev also mentioned the intensification of work on establishing the export of green energy from the Caspian Sea to the EU. "We are negotiating at all levels, and business has an important role in this process ahead of COP29," added Babayev. To note, 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Social Security and Medicare are bedrocks of our nation that my wife and I, like many Americans, utilize to live safe, healthy and productive lives. However, both programs are under attack by extreme politicians who want to end them as we know it and put people who count on these resources in danger. Thankfully, Kansas families have a friend and ally in Rep. Sharice Davids, who is fighting every day to defend these vital programs for current and future generations. The assault on Social Security and Medicare is not new. It has been a recurring theme in Republican agendas for years. In 2005, then-President George W. Bush proposed a failed plan to partially privatize Social Security, which was met with widespread opposition. Subsequent attempts, such as the Republican-controlled 2010 U.S. Houses budget, sought drastic cuts to these programs, neglecting seniors essential needs. Kansas, unfortunately, has felt the impact of such initiatives. Former Gov. Sam Brownbacks push for partially privatized Social Security in 2007 drew criticism from organizations like AARP, citing risks to the programs long-term stability. The potential loss of these benefits would result in nearly 29% of Kansans over the age of 65 having incomes below the official poverty line, a stark contrast to the current rate of 5.6%. Fast forward to this year, where the Republican Study Committee, which represents nearly 80% of U.S. House Republicans and their entire leadership team, unveiled a plan threatening Social Security and Medicare. This proposal would make Americans wait longer to earn their benefits and impose $1.5 trillion in cuts to Social Security. It would also slash popular proposals, supported by Davids, that are saving individuals like me money, including the ability for Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug costs and a $35 monthly insulin cap. This agenda, if enacted, would spell disaster for the hundreds of thousands of Kansans who rely on these programs, myself included. House Republicans seem intent on making health care costlier and delaying benefits, all while prioritizing tax breaks for the ultrawealthy and large corporations. This is unacceptable. Having worked diligently our entire lives, earning these benefits has been a culmination of years of dedication for my wife and me. While we are fortunate not to depend solely on them, they do provide some relief in our monthly budget, allowing us to allocate more funds for groceries, gas and other daily expenses. Some of our friends and neighbors, however, rely heavily on these benefits, emphasizing the critical need for their protection by members of Congress. Thats where Davids comes in. When I first applied for Social Security, my application got lost in the shuffle. It was only through prompt assistance from the congresswomans office that I could cut through the bureaucratic challenges and get the benefits I earned. Her team was professional, empathetic and efficient, reflecting Davids commitment to her constituents well-being. As Ive learned more about Davids, Ive grown increasingly appreciative of her dedication. Her unwavering stance against threats to Social Security and Medicare in Washington assures me and fellow Kansans that our voices are heard and our interests are fiercely defended. I feel fortunate to have Sharice Davids representing our community. Shes intelligent, diligent and always available to people like me who need help. I have full confidence that she will continue fighting to preserve our access to Social Security and Medicare. Were lucky to have her in Washington. Ted Kelly is retired after spending over 40 years as a consultant to the utility industry. He lives in Leawood. LAKELAND, Fla. (BLOOM) In a heartwarming tribute to their mothers, Dr. Faeza Rashid Kazmier and Dr. Peter Kazmier have each donated $50,000 to Florida Polytechnic University. Their generous contributions have resulted in the naming of two classrooms in the Barnett Applied Research Center, marking a significant impact on the Universitys educational mission. Dr. Faeza Kazmier, daughter of the renowned Florida Poly electrical and computer engineering professor Dr. Muhammad Rashid, expressed the importance of education and the boundless opportunities available in America. We cannot control our circumstances of birth, but we can improve our lives with education, she said. Through these donations, we are honored to support our community and students, and we look forward to the bright future that lies within our future generations hands. The newly named classrooms, rooms 1123 and 1142, pay homage to the Kazmier family matriarchs. Room 1123 is now the Dr. Fatema Rashid Classroom, honoring Dr. Faeza Kazmiers mother for her dedication and sacrifices. Similarly, room 1142 has been named the Eva Kazmier Memorial Classroom in memory of Dr. Peter Kazmiers mother. Dr. Faeza Kazmier emphasized the significance of choosing adjacent classrooms, symbolizing the reflective contributions of both mothers. My husband and I picked mirror image classrooms to honor our mothers who have given and sacrificed so much for us, Dr. Faeza Kazmier shared. We thought it would be fitting to have the reflecting rooms. Growing up in a home with limited luxuries, Dr. Faeza Kazmier witnessed her parents commitment to philanthropy. Her father, Dr. Muhammad Rashid, has established several scholarships and recently launched Florida Polys first endowed chair, underscoring the familys belief in the transformative power of education. My parents believe and know education changes lives, influencing generations as it has for themselves, Dr. Faeza Kazmier said. They demonstrate true altruism, and I am honored they are my parents. I hope to be as capable of this level of altruism as well and always keep in the back of my mind that I have to make sure this is a part of my life plan philanthropy is my opportunity to do so. Kathy Bowman, Florida Polys vice president for advancement and CEO of the Florida Poly Foundation, praised the Kazmiers generosity. Drs. Peter and Faeza Kazmiers generosity and support are incredible to see, Bowman said. Through this support, Florida Poly will be able to advance many educational opportunities for our talented STEM students. About Florida Polytechnic University: Florida Polytechnic University is ranked as the top public college in the Southeast Region for three consecutive years and boasts a top 20 public engineering program without a Ph.D. in the nation. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Florida Poly is dedicated exclusively to STEM education and offers ABET-accredited degrees. The University is a significant economic engine in Florida, combining applied research with industry partnerships to provide students with a rigorous and relevant education. The iconic Innovation, Science, and Technology Building, designed by world-renowned architect Dr. Santiago Calatrava, has received over 20 global awards and is recognized as one of the 16 most breathtaking buildings in the world. Connect with Florida Poly 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 WFLA. ATLANTA In a Friday afternoon news release, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp filled two vacancies in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit appointing a district attorney and a Superior Court judge. Columbus attorney Carolyn Tippi Cain Burch was appointed to the Superior Court bench to fill a vacancy filled by the retirement of Judge Ron Mullins. Chief Assistant District Attorney Don Kelly was appointed DA to fill the vacancy created by the death of DA Stacey Jackson to serve as a judge on the Superior Court of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit and Don Kelly to serve as the District Attorney of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. Kelly said he was honored to receive the appointment. Kelly is running as a Republican in November for a full term. He is being challenged by Democrat Anthony Johnson. Kelly has been running the DAs office since Jackson went on medical leave in November. I want to thank Governor Kemp for this appointment and the opportunity to serve as our communitys next District Attorney, Kelly said in a statement. It is a great honor to follow in the footsteps of my long-time friend, the late Stacey Jackson. Stacey was more than a friend. He was a part of my family. He cared deeply about people and about justice. He had a relentless commitment to get the job done right. I look forward to carrying on his legacy and his fight for justice. Kelly has served as a prosecutor consistently for the last 21 years. He was the leader of the Violent Crime Unit from 2014 until 2020, where he oversaw the prosecution of all serious violent felonies in Columbus and acted as the lead prosecutor in over 50 murder cases. Jackson appointed Kelly to serve as the Chief Assistant District Attorney in July 2022. Burch is a Columbus native who has been practicing law in Atlanta before returning home. Burch has 23 years of experience practicing law in trial and appellate courts. She has worked in private practice representing individuals, businesses, business owners, government entities, and candidates and committees including at King & Spalding LLP, Chalmers, Pak & Burch LLC, and, most recently, as a solo practitioner in Columbus. She also previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Appellate Division of the United States Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Georgia. I am honored to have been appointed by Governor Kemp and look forward to putting my two decades of experience to work for the citizens of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, said Burch. Kemp appointed Burch without taking nominations for the vacant judgeship. Usually, the governor employs the Judicial Nominating Commission in judge searches. There are seven Superior Court judges and two State Court judges in Muscogee County. Kemp has now appointed four of them. He previously appointed Judge John Martin and Judge Ben Richardson to the Superior Court bench. He also appointed Judge Pete Temesgento the State Court Bench. 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. Kentucky nurse allegedly took patients morphine by switching it with colored water A nurse stole morphine prescribed for patients at a Central Kentucky health care facility by switching it out with water dyed blue, a federal grand jury has charged. The grand jury indicted Abigail J. Hall, 51, of Lexington on Thursday on four counts of tampering with a consumer product and one charge of obtaining a controlled substance through deception. The indictment says Hall worked as a contract registered nurse at several facilities in Kentucky in 2023, including a health care facility in Lawrenceburg. Hall allegedly tampered with four vials of morphine sulfate prescribed to three different patients between August 24 and 27, 2023. Hall switched out the pain drug with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury, and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk, the indictment charges. The federal indictment does not identify the nursing home but a complaint warrant in state court said it was the Heritage Hall Rehab and Wellness Center, the Herald-Leader reported last year. The investigation started after an officer with the Lawrenceburg Police Department was dispatched to answer a report that an employee at the facility was leaving work while impaired, according to a complaint warrant. After an officer stopped Hall while she was driving, Hall admitted taking morphine from the facility and said she had used a dose during her shift, according to the state court record. She also said she had been stealing morphine for months, according to the warrant. A representative of the nursing home said Hall worked for an outside staffing agency, and was not an employee of the nursing home. A state grand jury indicted Hall in December on charges including possession of a controlled substance, theft of a drug and abuse of an adult. She pleaded not guilty to the state charges. Federal authorities decided to pursue charges related to the some of the same conduct alleged in the state case, said Jeremy Cornish, assistant chief of police in Lawrenceburg. State and federal authorities can prosecute a person at the same time under their separate statutory structures. The federal charge of tampering with morphine is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Tuesday is primary Election Day in Kentucky. (Getty Images) When Mitch McConnell voted not to convict Donald Trump on impeachment for the assault on the Capitol, the Senate Republican leader excused himself on grounds that Trump had left office. That was an untested legal theory; McConnell had already tested the politics of his members, and voted with most of them. Then President Donald Trump and Sen. Mitch McConnell shown at the White House in 2017. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) But then he laid the wood to Trump, saying the rioters did this because theyd been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on earth, who displayed a disgraceful dereliction of duty. . . . Theres no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. After making his legal argument that impeachment was about removal and Trumps term had ended, McConnell said Trump didnt get away with anything, yet. Yet. We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being held accountable by either one. McConnell clearly expected President Bidens Justice Department to hold Trump accountable, and clearly hoped that would keep Trump from seeking another term. But Attorney General Merrick Garland (kept off the Supreme Court by McConnell) dithered, and now the only trial Trump may endure is the current one in New York over hush money. He is Republicans presumptive nominee, so McConnell has endorsed him, doing what he sees as a party leaders duty. But that endorsement is about as tepid as an endorsement can get, and many of McConnells fellow Kentucky Republicans have similar antipathy to Trump. Yes, they are surely in the minority; Kentucky was one of Trumps best states in the last two elections, and McConnells antipathy is unlikely to change that. He remains the most unpopular U.S. senator in his own state, according to first-quarter polling by Morning Consult. But now that Trump has finally been forced to the bar of justice, he is showing greater weakness among Republican voters. On April 23, the day testimony in his trial began, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has suspended her campaign, got 16.5 percent of the vote in Pennsylvanias primary better than she did in any of the four primaries held on April 2, even though most of those had allowed registered independents to vote. On May 7, in Indianas open-to-all-voters primary, Haley did even better, getting 22%. And on May 14, she got 20% in Maryland, 9.4% in West Virginia and 18% in Nebraska (which, unlike the others, barred independents from voting). (Getty Images) My gut, heart and head tell me that most Republicans who have voted or will vote for Nikki Haley cannot abide Trump and are unlikely to vote for him in the fall. So Ill be watching Kentucky Republicans closely and hopefully on Tuesday night. On Tuesday, May 21, Trumps trial will be winding down and Kentucky will conclude a primary that is open only to registered Republicans, so it could be an even better barometer of long-term Republican antipathy toward Trump. Kentucky was often a bellwether state in presidential races, until its conservative Democrats tired of their partys increasing social liberalism, but it remains near the mainstream; it recently reelected a Democratic governor and rejected an anti-abortion amendment to the state Constitution. Porn star Stormy Daniels graphic testimony at trial underscored Trumps challenges with women voters, which some GOP lawmakers view as his biggest liability heading into November, Alex Bolton of The Hill noted in a report that quoted several Republican senators. A troubling sign for Trump is that Republicans who show up to vote in primaries tend to be consistent voters, and as such are a key piece of the GOP base. While they are unlikely to vote for Biden, many of them may simply stay home in November. In Kentucky, some Republicans might see staying home as abandonment of their party, but they could still go to the polls and not vote for president. They could rationalize and say that theyre not abandoning their party, but that it has abandoned them by becoming a personality cult for a lying egomaniac with no respect for the rule of law. As one such Republican told me, People shouldnt leave the church because they dont like the preacher. Trump is no preacher, of course. His latest sermon, at a rally on the Jersey shore, was vulgar, profane and occasionally unhinged. He yelled at journalists, You guys suck. F fake news. Go f yourselves. Many Kentuckians are offended by such words, but not by such feelings. Trumps anti-elite, populist message still appeals to many who want simple solutions to complex problems and think the political system is so corrupt that whatever corruption Trump adds to it doesnt matter. For him and them, nothings on the level. I hope that doesnt describe the majority of Republicans, my partisans of heritage, but I fear it does. As for the remainder, my gut, heart and head tell me that most Republicans who have voted or will vote for Nikki Haley cannot abide Trump and are unlikely to vote for him in the fall. So Ill be watching Kentucky Republicans closely and hopefully on Tuesday night. This column is republished from the Northern Kentucky Tribune, a nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism. The post Kentucky presidential primary worth watching, even if it doesnt matter appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Along the northern perimeter of Haitis Toussaint Louverture International Airport, eight-foot-high shipping containers, stacked one on top of the other, dot the landscape, guarding a barely visible security wall that armed criminal groups have tried to penetrate. Across the tarmac, a new traffic control tower is slowly rising. And in a secure location, away from the prying eyes of airport workers and visitors, the skeletal construction of a base of operations for a new international force is taking shape. Under the searing Haitian sun, men in hard hats and reflective vests are digging trenches, operating cranes and moving building materials across an expansive compound behind an orange plastic divider. In front, five heavily armed khaki-clad foreign contractors keep watch. As a nearly three-month-long insurgency by armed groups continues to paralyze much of Port-au-Prince, authorities in this volatile Caribbean nation, as well as in Washington and Miami, are feverishly working to bring back commercial traffic to Haitis main international airport and to ready its grounds for the arrival of an international security force. A Haitian airport worker prepares to hook up a newly delivered generator to a crane so it can be placed on a flatbed truck for transportation. On Wednesday, May 15, 2024 preparations were underway at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, for the imminent arrival of Kenyan police officers who are leading a Multinational Security Support mission into the country. Seven months after the United Nations Security Council approved its deployment and more than a year and a half after the Haitian government first appealed for military assistance from the international community a Kenya-led Multinational Security Support mission is being readied. The deployment was paused in March following the forced resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry amid the gang insurrection against his government. At the time, the Kenyan government said it was awaiting a new government in Haiti. Earlier this month, members of a newly installed Haitian presidential council, which is in the midst of choosing a new prime minister, wrote to Kenyan President William Ruto informing him that they had taken charge. They also reiterated the Henry governments demand for the security mission. A view of Toussaint Louverture International Airport, foreground, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Commercial flights in and out of the airport have been suspended since early March 2024 when armed groups targeted the facility and nearby domestic airport. The first contingent of whats expected to be a 2,500-member security force is supposed to arrive in Port-au-Prince sometime next week. But on Friday, lawyers for Kenyas political opposition filed a legal challenge to block the deployment, Reuters reported, and a court set a June 12 hearing date. The challenge is based on a security agreement Ruto and the Haitian government signed to get around an earlier court decision that blocked the deployment. Henry was returning from Nairobi, where he had gone to sign the agreement, when gangs launched their insurrection. How the latest challenge will affect the deployment remains unclear. Until now, the exact date of the police officers arrival had remained a closely guarded secret, as well as the exact location of the missions headquarters and the size of the initial group to be deployed. The numbers have varied from a few dozen Kenyans to hundreds. The day before the legal challenge in Nairobi,the head of the U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Gen. Laura Richardson, told an audience at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. that not only is the deployment of the Kenyans on track, but well be ready to go on 23rd of May. Weve been working very, very hard, Richardson said, adding that the U.S. military is also focused on getting the airport and main seaport operational after both were shuttered by the violence in early March. I think everybodys gotta be hopeful and positive and looking at this were going to make this happen this time to be successful. She noted that police and members of the Haitian Armed Forces have managed to push back attempts by armed groups to seize the airport, making it possible for Southcom to coordinate the arrival of dozens of U.S. military aircraft in recent weeks to support the mission. Richardson declined to go into details, saying she will leave that to Ruto and President Joe Biden to work out. The two leaders are scheduled to meet during Rutos visit to the U.S. on May 23, which will include a state dinner at the White House. Richardson did, however, make one revelation about the forthcoming Kenya-led mission. There will be limited U.S. personnel, she said, helping with logistics during the mission, while several countries from the region will be contributing police forces and training. Two United States service men take refuge from the searing sun under the wing of a U.S. Air Force C-17 on the tarmac at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The plane was carrying supplies for the camp being built for Kenyan police officers who will lead a Multinational Security Support mission to Haiti. To help Haiti prepare to receive the mission, the Pentagon has flown Air Force C-17 planes into Port-au-Prince at least 37 times since April, including a flight on Wednesday that left Charleston, South Carolina, shortly after 5 a.m. and touched down on the runway of Toussaint Louverture two-and-half hours later. On board were two large generators, two black-and-white all terrain vehicles and a pallet of oxygen generators. The equipment was among more than 900 tons of cargo that U.S. service men have delivered. While some of the cargo is desperately needed aid for humanitarian groups, most of it has been construction material and equipment to support both the mission and the Haiti National Police. The [police] and the armed forces have done a tremendous job, establishing the increased security at the airport but now thats just the start, Richardson said. Weve got to get the Kenyans in there.... They will have the capacity then to be able to get the port open ..to be able to get food in there, healthcare, fuel, all of the commodities. Kenyans arrival After months of assaults by an alliance of armed gangs trying to take down the government, the area around the international and domestic airports has been relatively calm. On Wednesday, not a single gunshot was heard during the nearly three hours the C-17 was on the ground unloading its cargo. Still, the arrival of the Kenyan police and others from across the Caribbean cant come soon enough for Haitis exhausted police ranks. The assaults have plunged Haiti into an unprecedented crisis, with criminal groups attacking police stations after freeing thousands of prisoners and attempting to take over key government institutions like the airport, seaport and National Palace. We have had no choice but to fight, Haiti police chief Frantz Elbe said, sitting in the diplomatic lounge of the airport, which hasnt been in use since international flights were suspended on March 4. But for us to succeed in quickly dismantling the gangs, he added, we will need the support of the international community. A United States serviceman, left, stands guard on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, as supplies are offloaded from a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane on the tarmac at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The plane was carrying supplies for the camp being built for Kenyan police officers who will lead a Multinational Security Support mission into Haiti. Airport security During her talk, Richardson said in addition to supporting the mission, she is focused on getting the countrys airport reopened. All three U.S. major carriers suspended commercial flights in and out of Port-au-Prince on March 4, and two have announced a restart of flights for after the 23rd of May. Partial view of the empty main terminal at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. U.S. carriers canceled flights on March 4, 2024. Both the heads of Haitis National Airport Authority and National Office of Civil Aviation say they would like to see international air traffic resume sooner rather than later, and plan to meet with airline representatives in coming days. The government, they say, has spent more than $2.2 million in securing the airports grounds, including demolishing 187 structures that surrounded the terminals and that armed groups used to launch unsuccessful attacks. For the second phase of this operation, weve already identified about 500 additional structures that will need to be destroyed, said Yves Ducarmel Francois, the director of the airport authority. Officials also plan to extend the airports buffer zone, currently being guarded by members of the Armed Forces in the makeshift guardhouses made from shipping containers. A structure built using shipping containers along the northern perimeter of Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti is used by members of Haitis Armed Forces to guard the grounds. Francois said the security system for departing passengers is also getting an upgrade, courtesy of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration. He and others here insist that despite the suspension of flights, the capitals airports are not closed. On Wednesday, while passenger lines and reservation desks were empty, the facility was packed with workers. Some were observed mopping the floors as others manned security posts. Businesses selling duty free liquor ad designer merchandise were shuttered, underscoring the financial toll of the crisis. Everything is blocked, said Francois. We are doing everything possible to see if we can have flights resume. A Haitian airport worker pauses Wednesday, May 15, 2024 as he mops the floor in an empty main terminal at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In an email to passengers, national carrier Sunrise Airways, which was the first airline to suspend services after three of its planes parked on the tarmac were struck by bullets on Feb. 29, said it will resume both domestic and U.S.-bound flights to Miami International Airport out of Port-au-Prince on Monday. Lt. Col. Laurent Joseph Dumas, the head of the National Office of Civil Aviation, said agencies have been collaborating to put in place a security plan to get the airport reopened, support the international mission and instill confidence in travelers. He said there is a new radar system in place to better guide landings. Constructon of a new control tower at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti was temporarily halted after armed groups launched an insurrection against the government on February 29, 2024.. Haitian authorities say they know they need to convince travelers and airlines it is safe to return to the capital. That means nothing is off the table, including changing the approach of arriving airplanes. Less gunfire but attacks continue After weeks of heavy gunfire, the gangs appear less aggressive at the moment, leading to speculation that they are either low on ammunition or saving their bullets for the arrival of the international force. Still, a recent attack over the weekend served as a fresh reminder of the volatility of the situation. On Saturday, armed gangs stormed a police station in Gressier, a coastal community on the western tip of Port-au-Prince. The attack came a week after gangs raided another community in central Port-au-Prince. The coordinated attacks, the U.N. said this week, have displaced another 10,000 people, adding to the more than 90,000 already living in squalid school yards and public plazas since late February and the more than 360,000 who were forced to flee over the last three years. Frantz Elbe during an interview on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince said preparations are underway for the imminent arrival of Kenyan police officers to help his officers take on ruthless armed gangs. Elbe, who has been criticized for not doing enough to secure the capital, said 48 hours after the raid on Gressier police were back in control following the deployment of specialized units. While specialized Haitian police units have shown an ability to resist gang takeovers, they have struggled to maintain control of some areas. This is where the police chief is hoping the outside force will help as they join police in operations. U.S. support Since 2021, the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has allocated $189 million for policing in Haiti. The money has helped develop leadership within the force, assisted with the creation and training of a new SWAT unit. In recent weeks, the bureau has also provided equipment to the Haiti National Police, including chartering flights to deliver two armored vehicles, meals ready to eat, bulletproof vests and drones. A structure built using shipping containers along the northern perimeter of Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti is now allow Haitian army officers to keep watch over the grounds. The U.N. this week continued to call for international donors to support the mission to Haiti, reminding them that schools and hospitals have been looted or destroyed, women and girls sexually assaulted. So far, six countries have officially notified the U.N. of their intent to support the mission: The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Belize and Chad. Jamaica, according to a State Department spokesperson, will serve as the lead for Caribbean countries. Approximately 250 Jamaican personnel have been vetted for the mission, and about 400 Kenyans who have gone through background checks by the U.S. We are still engaging on vetting with additional countries that have pledged personnel for the mission, a spokesperson from the State Department said. (Bloomberg) -- The outspoken sister of North Koreas leader blasted accusations her nation is exporting weapons to Russia as a fiction, shortly after the US imposed new sanctions on the arms trade that Washington says is powering the Kremlins assault on Ukraine. Most Read from Bloomberg The hostile forces are misleading the public opinion with a false rumor that the weapon systems produced by the DPRK are for export to Russia, state media on Friday cited Kim Yo Jong as saying. We have no intention to export our military technical capabilities to any country or open them to the public. Despite international sanctions that bar Pyongyang from exporting its weapons, a multitude of satellite photos released by research groups and the US government have shown a flow of arms from North Korea to Russia and then to munitions dumps near the border with Ukraine. Shortly before the statement from Kim Yo Jong, the US Treasury said it had imposed sanctions on five Russia-based individuals and entities that are connected to the transfer of military equipment and components between North Korea and Russia. The Treasury statement said Russia has used upwards of 40 ballistic missiles from North Korea in its attacks on Ukraine as well as munitions from the country in contravention of United Nations Security Council resolutions. The US, South Korea and others have accused North Korea of sending its newest nuclear-capable ballistic missiles to Russia. These have a reputation of being easy to hide, quick to deploy and hard to shoot down. Images from missile debris in Ukraine indicate they are Hwasong-11s, a wide class of short-range ballistic missile that can reliably hit targets, weapons experts say. In addition to the missiles, the US and its partners have accused North Korea of sending millions of rounds artillery to Russia, which have proved crucial to President Vladimir Putins forces in a conflict where massive amounts are expended daily. Ukraines ammunition stocks have dwindled as delays in the US Congress hold up shipments, forcing Kyiv to ration their use. Leader Kim Jong Un in recent weeks has overseen weapons tests and visited plants in the munitions trade, showing off North Koreas systems. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik has said the images may be also intended to promote weapons sales to Moscow, which have stepped up since Kim visited Russia last year for a summit with Putin. Russia in return is providing North Korea with food, raw materials and parts used in weapons manufacturing, South Koreas Shin said, adding the food aid has helped Kim stabilize prices for necessities. If the arms transfers grow, Russia will likely send more military technology to Kim, increasing Pyongyangs threat to the region, he said. The artillery alone is likely worth several billion dollars and the aid from Russia could represent the biggest boost to North Koreas economy since Kim took power about a dozen years ago. Worries about the arms trade have increased as the normally reclusive North Korea has been sending high-profile delegations to Russia as well as Iran, which has a history of arms transfers with Pyongyang dating back several decades. North Korea this week sent a science delegation to Russia for a trip that stoked concerns of cooperation on weapons and technology. Read more: Putin Gifts Kim Jong Un a Luxury Limousine as Ties Deepen During their summit in September, Putin pledged to help Kim with his plans to put an array of spy satellites into orbit to monitor US forces in the region. The Russian leader also pledged to visit Pyongyang, though no date was set for the trip which would be Putins first to the North Korean capital in more than two decades. --With assistance from Soo-Hyang Choi. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Azerbaijani parliament and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a parliamentary meeting's organization within the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Geneva, a source in the parliament told Trend. The document was signed by the parliament's Chairperson (Speaker) Sahiba Gafarova, and the IPU Secretary-General Martin Chungong. "Speaking at the signing ceremony, the chairperson highlighted the importance of the signed document and said that the parliamentary meeting will support the events held within the framework of COP29 on the parliamentary platform. According to her, this event will allow parliamentarians to exchange views and propose suggestions and new ideas for combating climate change. The speaker expressed confidence that, through the joint efforts of the Azerbaijani parliament and the IPU, the meeting will be held at a high level. Noting that Azerbaijan is proud to host such a prestigious event as COP29, Gafarova emphasized that this marks a recognition of Azerbaijan's efforts in combating climate change at the national, regional, and global levels. Chungong expressed satisfaction with his visit to Azerbaijan and his meeting with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, thanking the head of state for his support. He emphasized that this document was created as a result of negotiations with the Azerbaijani parliament, noting that the parliamentary meeting would also become a historic event in terms of parliamentary diplomacy and the joint fight against global challenges," the source added. To note, 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel FILE - Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 2, 2019. On Friday, May 17, 2024, Kim Yo Jong again denied that her country has exported any weapons to Russia, as she labeled outside speculation on North Korea-Russian arms dealings as the most absurd paradox. (Jorge Silva/Pool Photo via AP, File) SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again denied Friday that her country has exported any weapons to Russia, as she labeled outside speculation on North Korea-Russian arms dealings as the most absurd paradox. The U.S., South Korea and others have steadfastly accused North Korea of supplying artillery, missiles and other conventional weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for advanced military technologies and economic aid. Both North Korea and Russia have repeatedly dismissed that. Foreign experts believe North Korea's recent series of artillery and short-range missile tests were meant to examine or advertise the weapons it was planning to sell to Russia. Kim Yo Jong called outside assessments on the North Korean-Russian dealings the most absurd paradox which is not worth making any evaluation or interpretation. We have no intention to export our military technical capabilities to any country or open them to the public, she said in a statement carried by state media. She said North Koreas recent weapons tests were purely performed as parts of the countrys five-year arms buildup plan launched in 2021. She added that the recently tested weapons are designed to attack Seoul, the South Korean capital. We dont conceal the fact that such weapons will be used to prevent Seoul from inventing any idle thinking, Kim Yo Jong said. South Korea's Unification Ministry responded later Friday that it is fully ready to repel military threats by North Korea in step with its military alliance with the U.S. Deputy ministry spokesperson Kim Inae also said that illegal arms dealings between North Korea and Russia must be stopped immediately. Any weapons trade with North Korea would be a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions that Russia, a permanent U.N. Security Council member, previously endorsed. In March, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik said North Korea had shipped about 7,000 containers filled with munitions and other military equipment to Russia since last year. In return, Shin said that North Korea had received more than 9,000 Russian containers likely filled with aid. In January, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said North Korea-supplied missiles had been fired on Ukraine. At the time, Ukraine officials also said an investigation of the debris of a missile found in its northeastern Kharkiv region showed the weapon likely was from North Korea. In May, the White House also said Russia was shipping refined petroleum to North Korea at levels that exceed U.N. Security Council limits. The deepening North Korean-Russia ties come as both countries are locked in separate confrontations with the United States North Korea over its advancing nuclear program and Russia over its protracted war in Ukraine. Since 2022, North Korea has conducted a provocative run of missiles tests, prompting the U.S. to expand its military drills with South Korea and Japan. Foreign experts say North Korea likely thinks an enlarged weapons arsenal would boost its leverage in future diplomacy with the United States. ___ Follow AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific King Charles III King Charles III has announced that he will soon embark on his first overseas trip since revealing his cancer diagnosis. The 75-year-old monarch will travel to France next month for a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The Normandy landings marked a significant turning point for the Allies during World War II. Tens of thousands of troops died in the Battle of Normandy that followed. In his first major trip since his cancer diagnosis, the king will visit the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer on June 6, Buckingham Palace told the BBC. The memorial pays tribute to the 22,422 individuals who lost their lives while serving in British units on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy. Queen Camilla will reportedly expected to accompany Charles on the trip and at another D-Day ceremony one day earlier in Portsmouth, England. Related: King Charles Fortune Reigns Supreme Over Queen Elizabeth Despite Costly Health Woes While Prince William will not travel with the king and queen to visit the memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, he will reportedly join them at the ceremony in Portsmouth on June 5. The Prince of Wales will then visit Omaha Beach, one of the Normandy landing points in Saint Laurent sur Mer, alongside several heads of state on June 6, the BBC reported. The kings first overseas trip will come just a few weeks after he returned to his public royal duties at the end of April. Charles took a break from public-facing duties following his diagnosis but continued official State business while receiving regular treatments, the palace said back in February. Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis in a statement Buckingham Palace released on Feb. 5. The news came a few weeks after Charles underwent surgery for treatment of an enlarged prostate, which the palace said was unrelated to his diagnosis. However, tests conducted during his hospital stay did detect cancer, palace officials said. The type of cancer Charles is battling has not been publicly revealed. Next: King Charles Confirms Big Change to Nearly 50-Year-Old Tradition Days After Returning to Royal Duties White House national security communications adviser John Kirby weighed in on footage of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping embracing Friday in Beijing. Thats nice for them, Kirby told reporters when asked for a reaction to the hug between the two leaders. Kirby said its no surprise that Xi and Putin continue to try to develop this burgeoning relationship, but he noted the pair havent worked together long and that officials in both governments arent necessarily all that trustful of each other. What they have in common is a desire to challenge the international rules-based order, challenge the network of alliances and partnerships that the United States enjoys, Kirby said, adding and to try to look for ways to bolster each others national security interests as well. Xi welcomed Putin at a summit this week in China amid Russias ongoing war against Ukraine and as efforts to expand economic and military ties between Moscow and Beijing have exacerbated tensions with the West. Putin said his talks with Xi were substantive as he concluded the two-day trip, according to The Associated Press. China has claimed a neutral stance in Moscows war with Ukraine, but it has continued to support Russia with nonlethal assistance. Kirby said Friday the U.S. wasnt necessarily surprised by the Putin-Xi meeting, but the administration was nonetheless concerned and watching closely as the two leaders relationship develops. Im not good at talking about personal human bodily affection one way or the other, so I think Ill leave it to these two gents to talk about why they thought it was good to hug one another, Kirby said when pressed about the hug headlines. Ill just tell you that we take seriously the challenges that both countries represent, he added. And we take seriously this burgeoning relationship between the two. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. TOPEKA (KSNT) This weekend will be full of festivities as high school graduates across the Capital City walk the stage. The Shawnee County Sheriffs Office has advice to make all six ceremonies at the Stormont Vail Event Center run smoothly. This weekend, the Stormont Vail Event Center will host six graduation ceremonies for high schools in Shawnee County. Saturday, May 18, there will be three ceremonies: Topeka West High Schools graduation will start at 9 a.m., Highland Park High Schools ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. and Topeka High School will start its graduation at 2 p.m. On Sunday, May 19, Shawnee Heights High School will start its ceremony at 11 a.m., Seaman High Schools graduation ceremony will kick off at 2 p.m. and Auburn Washburns graduation will start at 5:30 p.m. According to a spokeswoman with the Stormont Vail Event Center, doors will open to the public one hour before the start of each ceremony. Advisors Excel names firms to transform West Ridge Mall A traffic plan is in place for Sundays ceremonies. A spokeswoman with The Stormont Vail Event Center told 27 News a majority of traffic is expected to enter from Topeka Boulevard, but both entrances at Topeka Boulevard and Southwest 21st Street will be open. The Shawnee County Sheriffs Office posted on social media it encourages attendees going to the Stormont Vail Event Center for graduation ceremonies Sunday to enter from Southwest 21st Street and exit southbound onto Southwest Topeka Boulevard. Photo Courtesy/ Shawnee County Sheriffs Office Visitors are encouraged to be careful of what they pack to attend the graduation ceremonies. According to the Stormont Vail Event Centers website, you can only bring certain bags and water bottles into the event center that meat the criteria. For a full list of the bag policy and prohibited items, click 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. Boys watch smoke billowing during Israeli strikes east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 13, 2024 Credit - AFP via Getty Images The question of how many people have died in Gaza since Israel began a bombing and ground campaign in response to Hamass deadly Oct. 7 attack has taken on renewed urgency as President Biden tries to forestall a full assault by Israel against Hamas leadership and remaining battalions into the densely-populated city of Rafah. A recent decision by the United Nations to change how it reported Gaza's death toll has further created confusion, prompting some to incorrectly claim that the U.N. had dramatically lowered its estimate of those killed in the conflict. While Biden has kept his commitment to sell $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, he announced on May 8 that he would pause a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs over concerns about their potential use inside Rafah. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said this week 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." The Biden Administration has shared intelligence and tactics with Israel in an effort to prevent a large-scale bombardment in the city. All of those actions reflect growing concern within the U.S. government over the number of civilians who have been killed in the conflict. Heres what we know about Gazas death toll and where those estimates come from. How many people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7? There is no independent source for the death toll in Gaza. The U.S. says it doesnt keep its own count of fatalities in Gaza. Neither does the World Health Organization or the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, both United Nations agencies that track fatalities in war zones. The United Nations has published and credited third-party estimates of the number of those killed and injured in the war. Those include estimates that more than 34,900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and more than 1,200 people in Israel. The number of dead in Gaza is based on information released by three Hamas-controlled entities: the Gaza Ministry of Health, Gazas government media office and the Gaza chapter of the Palestinian Civil Defense, which provides emergency response there. Critics question the U.N.s use of estimates based on data coming from Hamas, an organization that has controlled Gaza since 2007 and is committed to the elimination of Israel. The figures dont distinguish between civilians and fighters killed. The U.N. agencies have provided several reasons for crediting the figures coming out of Gaza. The agencies cite more than a decade of generally accurate numbers from the Gaza Ministry of Health through multiple mass-casualty conflicts there. U.N. officials say that the list of the dead compiled by the authorities in Gaza are used to issue death certificates that are in turn used for settling estates and land ownership. This creates an incentive for the ministry to accurately confirm the identities of those who have died, the U.N. says. Unfortunately, we have the sad experience of coordinating with the Ministry of Health on casualty figures every few years for large mass-casualty incidents in Gaza; and in past times, their figures have proven to be generally accurate, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said on May 13 during a press briefing with reporters. The U.N.s World Health Organization also credits the data provided by Gazas health ministry, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva on May 14. Lindmeier said that the WHO has been told by the Gaza Ministry of Health that about 24,000 dead people had been formally identified and about 10,000 remained missing and had yet to be identified. The WHO believes thousands of those missing could still be buried under the rubble in active combat zones, Lindmeier said. Both Israeli and U.S. officials have said that Hamas' tactics, including its use of civilian facilities like hospitals and schools for military purposes, have contributed to the wars civilian death toll. Why did the U.N. lower its death toll of women and children in Gaza? The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) caused confusion in early May when it changed how it reported the number of women and children killed in Gaza. For months, the agency had been regularly updating an estimated total death toll in Gaza and breaking that total down by gender and age. Those figures were based on information provided to the U.N. by three Hamas-controlled entities: the Gaza Ministry of Health, Hamass government media office, and the Gaza chapter of the Palestinian Civil Defense, which provides emergency response in Gaza. On May 6, the U.N. agency published the Gaza government media offices latest estimate that 14,500 children and 9,500 women had been killed. Two days later, OCHA reported a much lower number of Palestinian women and children killed in the conflict based on those who the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health claimed had been specifically identified by name. The new figures were 7,797 children and 4,959 women killed and subsequently identified. OCHA did not change its overall estimate that more than 34,900 Palestinians have died. That larger total includes both those whose identities have been confirmed, and an estimate that 10,000 additional dead are missing and have not been accounted for. OCHA opted to change how it broke down the deaths after it began receiving more detailed information on verified, identified victims from the Gaza Ministry of Health, an OCHA official said. The changed numbers drew attention to the continuing reliance by the U.N. and the U.S. government on Hamas-controlled entities for information about the conflict in Gaza. These numbers are having a profound influence on U.S. policy, says David Adesnik, senior fellow and director of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Adesnik is skeptical of the Gaza health ministrys methods that rely on media reports to estimate how many are dead beyond those whose remains have been identified and says that Hamas-controlled entities have shown they are willing to distort the truth. The death toll has already shaped American foreign policy, says Adesnik. There is strong evidence that the Biden Administrations faith in numbers from the Gaza health ministry is one of the main reasons it has begun to put so much pressure on Israel, Adesnik says. How does the U.S. government describe the death toll? The U.S. government has cited the same figures that Hamas-controlled entities have provided to the U.N. During his March 7 State of the Union speech, President Biden said that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed most of whom are not Hamas. Biden did not provide a source for that number, but the White House later confirmed that it was based on the Gaza Ministry of Health numbers. The U.S. government again relied on the same tally in early May in a public State Department memo about whether U.S. weapons are being used to violate international laws of war. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health is the primary source for these numbers, which international organizations generally deem credible, but do not differentiate between Hamas fighters and civilians, read the report. How many of those killed in Gaza were Hamas fighters? The U.S. hasnt been able to independently verify how many Hamas fighters have been killed in Gaza. The Israeli government has said that about half of those killed there have been fighters. Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu repeated this claim on May 12. During the Call Me Back podcast hosted by the former U.S. government advisor Dan Senor, Netanyahu said that about 30,000 people had been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, of those he said 14,000 were combatants and around 16,000 civilians have been killed. There has not yet been any independent confirmation of Israel's estimates. News outlets have previously cited Hamas officials estimating between 6,000 and 8,000 of their fighters have been killed. In war zones, the percentage of civilians killed can vary widely. Studies have shown that more civilians die during fighting in urban areas. In a U.N. Security Council report titled, "Protection of civilians in armed conflict, the U.N. examined the rate of civilian casualties in populated areas during conflicts in the year 2021. It found that 89 percent of deaths in urban areas were civilians. In non-urban areas that year, the civilian death rate fell to 10 percent. Contact us at letters@time.com. Kosovo criticizes Council of Europe for not holding a vote on its membership, blames Serbia lobbying President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Dominique Hasler, center, opens the 133rd session of the Committee of Ministers at the European Council in Strasbourg, eastern France, Friday, May 17, 2024. Kosovo on Friday criticized the Council of Europe's decision against holding a vote on its membership, saying it deprived its people and especially its ethnic minorities of democratic tools offered by the continents top human rights body. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias) PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) Kosovo on Friday criticized the Council of Europe 's decision against holding a vote on its membership, saying it deprived its people and especially its ethnic minorities of democratic tools offered by the continents top human rights body. Kosovos membership was not on the agenda of the council's foreign ministers meeting after some members had required Kosovo to create an association of Serb-majority municipalities in the country's north before a vote could take place. Kosovo fears such a setup could turn into another Republika Srpska with broad autonomy. Republika Srpska is the name for the part of Bosnia-Herzegovina run by ethnic Serbs. Kosovo's Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz said some countries chose to side with Serbia after a lobbying campaign against Kosovos membership. That deprived "the Republic of Kosovos citizens of their rights and possibilities offered by the mechanisms of such an organization, especially for ethnic minority communities and other marginalized ones, she said. A day earlier the minister made a last-minute effort to convince Western powers to hold a vote, sending a letter to Theodoros Rousopoulos, the head of the Council of Europes Parliament Assembly. It offered a draft bill Kosovo is working on outlining its proposal on Serb-majority municipalities to Kosovos Constitutional Court by the end of May. That was not taken into consideration and consequently that letter and offer loses actuality and relevance, she said. Kosovo has decried the last-minute requirement regarding the association of Serb communities before a vote, saying it fulfilled all the criteria for the councils membership. The councils political affairs committee in March and a vote at its parliamentary assembly in April approved Kosovos membership and the foreign ministers vote is the last step before Kosovo can be invited to join the Council of Europe. The Republic of Kosovos membership cannot be stopped even if it is delayed because of any of Kosovos opponents or Serbias lobbying, Gervalla-Schwarz said. The association is a main requirement for Kosovo in its European Union-facilitated normalization talks with Serbia. The association would coordinate work on education, health care, land planning and economic development in the Serb-majority cities and towns and serve as a bridge with the Kosovo government. Kosovo has been reluctant to move forward with it despite assurances from the United States and the European Union. The establishment of the association was first agreed on in Brussels in 2013 and approved by the Kosovo parliament. But Kosovos Constitutional Court later deemed it unconstitutional, saying it was not inclusive of other ethnicities and could entail executive powers. The Constitutional Court must now decide whether a new draft would be in line with Kosovos constitution. No new draft has been agreed on so far. The normalization talks between Kosovo and Serbia have failed to make progress and Brussels has warned both that refusal to compromise jeopardizes their chances of joining the bloc. Serbia doesnt recognize its former province of Kosovos formal declaration of independence in 2008. The 1998-1999 war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo killed about 13,000 people, mostly Kosovo Albanians. In 1999, a 78-day NATO bombing campaign ended the war and Serbian forces were pushed out. ___ Semini reported from Tirana, Albania. Kristi Noem digs in on cartels claim after shes banned from most tribal land in South Dakota South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has doubled down on her claims that tribe members are in cahoots with drug cartels operating on reservations in the state, leading to seven Native American reservations banning her from stepping foot on the land. Ms Noem has now claimed in a recent NewsNation interview, according to The Hill, that she has evidence of cartel activity in the state and will present this apparent evidence to the public on Friday. They are [sic] definitely have set up operations in South Dakota. Weve seen the Bandidos there, MS-13 is there, the governor claimed in the interview. Theyve recruited members from the tribes. Ms Noem has announced she will be holding a press conference at South Dakota State Capitol in Pierre on Friday morning to discuss the crisis at our southern border and the negative impact the open border and cartel presence are having on South Dakotas tribal lands. The governor has previously alleged, with little evidence so far, that tribal leaders have been personally benefitting from cartel activity in the state, leading to Ms Noem being banned from a total of seven out of the nine Native American tribes as of Tuesday. The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe was the latest to confirm that the tribe council had voted to ban the Republican governor from its reservation located in central South Dakota. This means that the Republican leader is banned from entering almost 20 per cent of her state now that over 90 per cent of the states tribal lands have barred her from visiting the reservations. "We do not have cartels on the reservations," Crow Creek Sioux Tribe chair, Peter Lengkeek, told NPR following Tuesdays vote. "We have cartel products, like guns and drugs. But they pass over state highways getting to the reservation, Mr Lengkeek continued. So, putting us all together like that and saying that all tribes are involved in this really shows to the ignorance of the governors office. Ms Noem has previously blamed the alleged cartel activity on the Biden administration for not doing their job, and called on tribal leaders to ban the cartels and accept her help to restore law and order to their communities while protecting their sovereignty. She also cemented her cartel claims further on social media this week and has criticised the tribes for banning her rather than banning the alleged cartels. Kristi Noem speaks at a Trump rally in Ohio in March (AFP via Getty) Banning me does nothing but distract from the crime, drug trafficking, and sex trafficking. Banish the cartels, she wrote on Wednesday, also again targeting the Biden administration and Congress over their apparent lack of action over this matter. She also made the sweeping claim the week before on X that Biden allows drug cartels to come across the border and operate unchecked trafficking drugs and selling women and children into sex slavery. The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe joins the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe and the Yankton Sioux Tribe in banning Ms Noem from their reservations in South Dakota. The tribe leaders have come forward and condemned Ms Noems statements, such as the Standing Rock Sioux tribe saying that her attempt to connect cartels with tribes was wild and irresponsible while the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe says that they are taking action to protect our values and prevent further marginalization of tribal nations. Her allegations come after a series of controversies surrounding her new memoir No Going Back, with reports speculating as to whether this could have damaged her placement on Donald Trumps potential vice-president list. In the book, she featured a dubious claim that she met North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, which her publishers have since backtracked on, as well as a story about shooting a misbehaving dog, that sparked severe backlash. Fridays Top Stories Fridays Five Facts [1] APD investigating police shooting near Central and Mesilla APD is investigating a police shooting that happened Thursday night near Central and Mesilla. Police say an officer approached a man on the sidewalk when drugs fell out of his pocket. The suspect then took off on foot and the officer chased after him. During the chase the officer discharged his firearm. He informed dispatch the suspect pointed a gun at him. The suspect was later taken into custody. A gun was not found on the suspect at the time. Police are searching the area for the weapon. No one was injured in the shooting. [2] Motion hearing for Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting of cinematographer A hearing is scheduled in the case against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter and is set to go on trial in Santa Fe County this summer. The actors legal team has filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, citing claims of the prosecution violating several rules. Fridays motion hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. [3] Warmer, drier weekend around New Mexico Friday will be a drier and warmer day. Temperatures will climb back to normal for mid-May, and skies will stay mostly sunny. On Saturday, skies will start sunny, but clouds will move into central and northern New Mexico during the afternoon and evening. Sunday will be a fully sunny, but the winds will start to pick up during the afternoon, to around 20 to 40 mph. [4] New Mexicos AG says crime victims need more support Thursday, Attorney General Raul Torrez said more money is needed for rapid DNA analysis equipment. Torrez also wants to change public records laws, to expose problems with the pretrial release system. He is also asking for money to fund a new crime victim advocacy office. New Mexico lawmakers are preparing to meet for a special lawmaking session in July. [5] Spot the Robot Dog visits Espanola elementary school Students at Tony E. Quintana Elementary School were introduced to Spot the Robotic Dog. Some students even got to try their hand at controlling Spot around the gym. Spot is one of five robotic dogs at Los Alamos National Labs. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Azerbaijani government is ready to work with all stakeholders to help companies finance the energy transition, Deputy Economy Minister Sahib Mammadov said at the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event on May 17, Trend reports. The main theme of COP29 is climate finance. We are working in the direction of how to facilitate business. Necessary laws have been adopted, various events are held, and progressive steps have been taken in the tax and customs spheres, Mammadov noted. According to him, international financial organizations are important partners in business interactions. Facilitating the involvement of private investment in the process of following the climate agenda is one of our main priorities. The objectives set by the National Priorities of the Government of Azerbaijan and the Economic Development Strategy are in line with the global green agenda, the deputy minister said. He mentioned that compliance with the requirements of climate change mitigation gives an additional incentive to the country's economic activity. The Deputy Minister said that to effectively utilize the potential of Azerbaijan's renewable energy sources, the legislation of the country is regularly adapted to dynamic economic trends. Attraction of new technologies and innovations to the country's economy, creation of favorable conditions for investments, and other important issues are effectively regulated. In addition, the adoption of the laws 'On Public-Private Partnership' and 'On the Use of Renewable Energy Sources in Electricity Generation' is of great importance for attracting investments in relevant areas, Mammadov said. He emphasized that taking into account the role of tax policy in stimulating the green economy, the issue of supporting investments in renewable energy sources, as well as policies aimed at reducing the carbon footprint in the production sector and exported products through tax instruments, is being addressed. The business environment is shaped by modern infrastructure, and our local companies are also developing and contributing to the growth of the green economy, the deputy minister noted. He reminded that the Garadagh solar power plant, the largest solar power plant in the region, was put into operation in the country last October with the investment of the Arab company Masdar and that the construction of wind farms is planned. Active work is underway to organize the export of green energy from Central Asian countries to Azerbaijan through the Caspian Sea bed and further to Europe. This corridor will allow us to export green energy to Europe and further strengthen our commitment to a sustainable future, the deputy minister added. He urged businesses to be active in addressing the challenges of the new climate. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A suspect is in custody after yet another deadly incident on a Metro transit bus, this time in Commerce, authorities confirmed to KTLA. Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department responded to Slauson and Boxford avenues just before 5 p.m. on reports of a person suffering from a gunshot wound, authorities said in a news release. Authorities said that both victim and the suspect were passengers on the bus and that there were at least 7 other riders, as well as the driver, at the time of the incident. The suspect approached the victim from behind, pointed a firearm at the victim, the victim sustained a gunshot wound, the suspect fled on foot and he was captured shortly thereafter on Peachtree Street and Eastern Avenue, LASD Lt. Arthur Spencer said. The victim was later taken to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced deceased. The shooting comes just hours after board members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority held a press conference Thursday morning to discuss a rash of high-profile crimes across the Metro bus and train lines and announce plans to increase law enforcement presence throughout the system. On May 13 alone, there were two separate stabbings aboard the Metro system. In the weeks leading up to those incidents, there was a stabbing on a train that left one woman dead in Studio City and another that left a bus driver and passenger in South Los Angeles injured. On May 5, a driver on a Dash bus, which is operated by the city of L.A., was brutally assaulted by a homeless woman in an attack that was captured on video. In March, a transient armed with an airsoft gun hijacked a Metro bus and crashed into the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles. L.A. deputies on the scene of a deadly shooting aboard a Metro bus in Commerce on May 16, 2024. (KTLA) A suspect was arrested after a robbery attack on a Metro bus in Encino on May 14, 2024. (TNLA) Deputies investigate a stabbing on a Metro station in Athens on May 13, 2024. (TNLA) The scene outside the Vermont/Sunset Metro station where an alleged trespasser was fatally shot by a security guard on May 7, 2024. (KTLA) Mirna Soza Arauz is seen in an image provided by a family member. Police investigate a stabbing at the Metro Station in Studio City on April 22, 2024. (KTLA) The Los Angeles Police Department arrested 45-year-old Elliot Tramel Nowden for the random stabbing and murder of a woman on a Metro B Line train approaching the Universal City stop. The incident occurred on April 22, 2024. (KTLA) Police investigate a death on a Metro bus in Koreatown on Feb. 22, 2024. (KeyNews.TV) The scene at the downtown Los Angeles Ritz-Carlton where a man hijacked a Metro bus and crashed into the hotel. March 21, 2024. (KTLA) L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, who serves as chair of the Metro board, said she directed an immediate surge of law enforcement personnel on Metro buses, trains and stations to address the concerns of drivers and passengers. MTA Board members, Bass and officials on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors were critical of the presence or lack thereof of law enforcement personnel on Metro transit buses and trains during Thursdays news conference. Metro contracts its law enforcement service to the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and the Long Beach Police Department. The value of those contracts total more than $150 million. We have a responsibility to each and every rider and bus driver: they have to feel safe on Metro, said Metro Vice Chair and L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn at the news event. Our law enforcement contracts are essential to safety, but they dont do anyone any good if officers are not riding our trains and buses. The ongoing attacks led to Metro bus drivers staging a sick out and one Metro board member saying she was afraid and would not ride the system alone. The board recently approved the acquisition of barriers to be placed between drivers and passengers on all Metro buses. In a statement to KTLA about Thursdays fatal shooting aboard a bus, Metro said: The tragic incident this afternoon aboard a Metro bus in the Commerce area exemplifies how violence is increasing in society overall and spilling into our local communities. Metro is saddened by this incident and extends our deepest sympathies to the victims family. Metro thanks the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department for their quick apprehension of a person of interest. Anyone with any information about this incident should call the LASD Transit Services Bureau at 323-563-5000. 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 Idaho attorney generals investigation has concluded that Syringa General Hospital and Clinics and St. Marys Health in Cottonwood may have violated the Idaho Competition Act and have agreed to terminate a prior management agreement. Attorney General Raul Labrador wrote in a news release Thursday that an investigation opened in 2023 in cooperation with the Federal Trade Commission has been approved by a court. My office is concerned about the trend of consolidation within health care markets in Idaho, Labrador said in the news release. We are committed to enforcing the laws that protect and promote fair competition in Idaho, and we are pleased that we reached a resolution addressing our current concerns. The investigation stemmed from a management agreement between Syringa and Kootenai Health in Coeur dAlene in 2017. Syringa Hospital is the only hospital in Grangeville, a small farming town along U.S. Route 95 between McCall and Lewiston. Under the agreement, Kootenai Health hired and paid for Syringas chief executive officer, Abner King, making King an employee of Kootenai Health. As a result of this agreement, Kootenai Health had access to Syringas significant, competitively sensitive nonpublic information. In 2020, Kootenai Health purchased St. Marys Health in Cottonwood and Clearwater Valley Health in Orofino from their out-of-state owner. St. Marys, which is about 15 miles away from Syringa, is its nearest competitor. After the acquisition, Kootenai Health owned or had a substantial relationship with the only two hospitals in Idaho County. The investigation found that as a result of this relationship between St. Marys and Syringa, the hospitals may have engaged in conduct that violates the Idaho Competition Act. During the investigation, Kootenai Health and Syringa agreed to terminate the management agreement and, at the direction of the attorney general, sign a consent decree to provide further protections against potential future violations of the Idaho Competition Act. The consent decree requires, among other things, that: Kootenai Health terminate its employment of Syringas chief executive officer. The hospitals terminate all existing agreements, contracts, arrangements, collaborations, or affiliations between them, except where the attorney general does not object. The hospitals provide notice to the attorney general of any proposed agreements, contracts, arrangements, collaborations, or affiliations between them. The consent decree also prohibits any agreements limiting competition for labor and the exchange of nonpublic labor information, such as compensation and terms of employment. In a news release, Syringa said it was happy to resolve these concerns, even though Syringa did nothing wrong. We can now apply even more focus on improving the health and well-being of our community. The consent decree will not hamper Syringas ability to hire and train staff, Syringas release said, or to transfer patients to appropriate levels of care at Kootenai Health or elsewhere. The hospital does not expect the consent degree to translate into any increased costs for Syringa patients. As of December, King became a full-employee of Syringa and remains at the helm of the hospital. Perhaps the greatest challenge was converting to a new group purchasing agreement, Syringas news release said. Syringa vetted four different group purchasing organization proposals and is moving forward with a new agreement that is not expected to increase supply costs. As always, the release said, we are willing to work together with St. Marys and Kootenai Health to improve the access and quality of the health care in this community. Any future arrangements will be reviewed by the attorney generals office. Are Idahos rural hospitals on the brink of collapse? What medical leaders are saying Idaho doctor, accomplished outdoorsman, dies in avalanche while skiing Lost River Range Diver dies hours after surfacing from popular Utah hot springs crater, officials say SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) A family-owned and operated business for over seventy years in Lackawanna County will soon change hands. The owners of Pioneer Beer Distributor in Scranton are calling it quits. 28/22 News Reporter Jason Livecchi spoke with the owner as well as customers who say they will be missed. I have known these guys my whole life, said Scranton resident Emily Schick. Pioneer Beer Distributor in the Green Ridge section of Scranton opened their doors in the nineteen fifties. The business was started by Micheal Brunetti who ran the establishment until the 90s before his sons took over. We are retiring soon weve been here for 71 years. My father started the business in 1953 when he was 24 years of age, said Pioneer Beer Distributor Owner Vince Brunetti. One owner says they were the first drive-through beer distributor in the area. He also shared it was a joy to serve customers, because everyone who came in was happy to be there and he will miss that the most. Today I feel good, its sad its bittersweet theres a lot of emotions and you, we have been in the community for all these years and its sad leaving, Brunetti said. Fine Arts Fiesta kicks off in Wilkes-Barre Customers who have been coming here for decades are happy for the owners but sad that theyre not going to be here anymore. Gonna be sad to see him leave they were always great guys every time I drove through, said Cody Kendig of Scranton. Im happy for them. Im happy but I wish it wasnt so because I grew up with them. They raised me, said Scranton resident Emily Schick. The sale of the shop will happen within a few weeks and the owners are looking forward to the next chapter in their lives. What are you gonna do when you retire? Take it easy for a little while and pursue some antiquing, Brunetti explained. Nick Patel, owner of Beer Haven Distributor, who has locations throughout northeastern Pennsylvania is purchasing Pioneer. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The water picture for Las Vegas is a little brighter in projections released this week by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It will take a year to get there, but Lake Mead is expected to be 4 feet deeper in May 2024 than projections released just a month ago. Where is that water coming from? Big swings in lake levels that came in past years the product of extremely dry years followed by a very wet winter last year appear to be stabilizing this year. The 24-month study shows Lake Mead wont return to March 2024s peak (1,076.66 feet) in the next two years. But it also wont drop below 1,050 feet. Thats a pretty big change from the outlook in April, when the 24-month study showed Lake Mead dropping as low as 1,048.24 feet and staying under 1,050 for a four-month stretch beginning in June 2025. A view of Lake Mead from Hoover Dam on Thursday, May 2. (Greg Haas / 8NewsNow) If the new projections prove correct, Las Vegas will remain in a Tier 1 water shortage for the next two years. But as the differences between the April and May projections show that could change. The studies are released monthly and show a range of possibilities for water levels at the reservoirs along the Colorado River. While the numbers cited above are for the most probable inflow, Reclamation also produces reports on the maximum and minimum inflow projections. If Lake Mead got only the minimum amount of Colorado River water, Las Vegas could be in Tier 2 water shortage restrictions as soon as June of 2025. On the other hand, maximum inflow would take the lake closer to levels at the start of the extremely dry year of 2021. A look at projections for Lake Powell shows that Reclamation has adjusted estimates downward there by 4 to 5 feet beginning in June. River Operations Manager Noe Santos described a net decrease of about 600,000 acre feet coming into Lake Powell, an amount greater than the Colorado River water used in Nevada over a three-year period. Conservation measures in the Lower Colorado River Basin Nevada, Arizona and California were cited as the reason new projections show Lake Mead at higher levels, according to Santos. Both Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S., and Lake Powell, the second-largest, have stabilized somewhat thanks to last years heavy snow in the Upper Colorado River Basin, primarily in the Colorado Rockies. Lake Mead Current conditions show Lake Mead at 1,069.41 feet as of noon today, with new projections showing the lake dropping to 1,060.19 feet by the end of November. The 16-foot projected drop from the lakes peak in March is about 2 feet less than previous projections. Lake Powell At Lake Powell, the reservoir is at 3,562.26 feet, about a month into an expected rise on the strength of seasonal runoff. Projections show Lake Powell will rise 21 feet (a total of 25 feet from its April low point) to peak at 3,583.26 in June. Lake levels are expressed as altitudes, measuring the number of feet above sea level to the lakes surface. Snowpack reached 111% of normal on April 1, and reached its peak about 10 days later. Since then, late-season storms have improved the water picture even more. Although snow water equivalent (SWE) levels are on the decline, they are better compared to seasonal averages. The Bureau of Reclamation reported Thursday that SWE is currently at 125% of median levels. 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. Lake nears record water levels after years of severe drought: 'It's been a while since we've seen this' Texas is known for its high heat and dry weather conditions, but recent storms brought unexpected benefits to the state's water sources. As explained by Newsweek, a batch of heavy rain helped the water levels in Belton Lake reach a two-year high after the region was plagued by drought less than a year ago. In July 2023, water levels in the lake were reduced by 60% following months of no rain in the area. However, devastating rains in the first half of 2024 helped the reservoir make "a full recovery" to 100% capacity for the first time since 2022, and it "could rise another 10 feet over the next week," putting it at risk of flooding. The water level was measured at 601 feet in May, seeing a 14-foot increase in just one week. The resurgence of Belton Lake was a cause for celebration for Texas residents. "It's been a while since we've seen this level at Lake Belton. 100% and the Leon River is still flowing strong!" social media user Randy Pittenger posted on X. Texas has been dealing with a wave of extreme weather. Recent rain storms have led to a significant increase in flood warnings. A tornado that hit Hawley caused major damage to homes and left four people injured. Extreme heat remains an issue for the southern half of the state, leading to concerns about the electrical grid capacity. Natural resource park ranger Arty Johnson with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Belton described the recent rain as "unusual," but Lake Belton wasn't the only one impacted. Water levels in Lake Waco rose 20 feet above average. Stillhouse Hollow Lake experienced a major recovery after rising 10 feet in less than a week and now sits just three inches below capacity. Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis are also improving at slow, steady paces. Similarly, heavy rains in Southern California have brought eye-popping resurgences of the state's reservoirs. In April, it was reported that Lake Casitas is nearing 100% capacity for the first time since 1998, and water levels in Lake Elsinore have reached record highs in the aftermath of the storms. These recent increases will go a long way toward helping improve water conservation in the respective states. The next step is to explore new methods to capture precipitation to save rainwater before the onset of droughts. This would contribute to a broader effort to adapt to the changing climate and ensure water security for the future. Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. icon Semafor Signals Supported by Microsoft logo Insights from NPR, Politico, and Reuters Arrow Down Title icon The News Trucks carrying humanitarian aid drove across a US-built temporary floating pier into Gaza for the first time Friday, bringing badly needed food and other supplies to the war-ravaged enclave. Heavy fighting and Israeli restrictions on border crossings have made it difficult to get aid to the Gaza Strip, where Israels offensive has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, and shortages of food, medicine and other vital supplies are rife. Aid agencies have warned that the threat of famine looms in Gaza, especially as Israel continues to press deeper into Rafah, its southernmost city and a crucial delivery gateway. American military officials said they hope to scale the pier operation up to 150 truckloads a day still a sharp drop from the more than 500 truckloads of aid that entered the enclave on an average day before the war. icon SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Pier is no substitute for land deliveries, aid groups say Source icon Sources: NPR, Reuters, The Times of Israel While welcoming the piers creation, the US and aid groups also warned that the project is not a substitute for land deliveries, which have fallen dramatically since the war began and even more since Israel blocked the key Rafah crossing. Land deliveries are in theory, the most efficient and cost-effective route to get food and supplies to Gaza, The New York Times wrote, but strict Israeli restrictions and aid routes embroiled in fighting have necessitated alternate paths. Thats not sustainable, a UN spokesperson said: 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. Once aid arrives, a lack of fuel is the larger issue Source icon Sources: Middle East Monitor, Politico, UN The United Nations, which is coordinating aid distribution via the pier, said a key challenge is obtaining fuel needed for vehicles to dispense the aid around the territory. Distribution is almost impossible with no regular fuel imports, unstable telecommunication and ongoing fighting, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Thursday. We desperately need fuel, a UN spokesperson told Politico. It doesnt matter how the aid comes, whether its by sea or whether by land, without fuel, aid wont get to the people. The UN has previously described the use of fuel as a weapon of war as appalling. Aid organizations amplify calls for ceasefire Source icon Sources: NPR, Reuters Unless the fighting stops, we cant safely deliver aid at the level that is needed, said the vice president of global policy and advocacy for Mercy Corps, a humanitarian organization. We have been very clear that whats really driving the humanitarian situation its the siege. Ceasefire talks between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have once again stalled after seeming to make progress earlier this month. White House national security spokesman John Kirby called the state of the talks deeply regrettable, but said the US still believes a ceasefire is possible. Semafor Logo LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A Las Vegas family is trying to get their relatives out of Gaza and has gained the communitys support through their online fundraiser. Mohammed Abuolba is originally from Gaza and has lived in the United States with his sister and his mother for more than a decade, settling in Las Vegas with two children. But their sister Nadera and her children are still in Gaza and the last eight months have been unimaginable as he watches his family struggle from afar. I cannot sleep. Its my sister and she has three boys and one daughter, Abuolba said. They lost everything. They lost their money, their house. Now they dont have anything. She is living in a tent with her husband, four children and a nephew. A GoFundMe has raised more than $40,000 to help a Las Vegas family get their sister, her husband, four children and a nephew out of Gaza. (KLAS) The family has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money to relocate their loved ones from Gaza to Egypt. So far, the fundraiser has raised $40,000. The family said it costs about $5,000 a person to get them out of danger. Any remaining funds will be used for necessities. That many people to pay attention to my family and their story and I think it is helping a lot. And for me, I am hoping, Abuolba said after his fundraiser went viral thanks to interest on Tik Tok. Mohammed Abuolba and his sister comfort their mother. They are trying to help get their sister Nedera out of Gaza. (KLAS) Now they are hoping they still have enough time to get their family out, waiting for the border with Egypt to open. They are getting updates from phone calls when they can and their TV screen. Mohammed Abuolbas mother wipes a tear as he explains the plight of family members stuck in Gaza. (KLAS) We dont know if they will survive this war or not but they need our help, he said. This family is among many across the valley hoping to get their loved ones there to safety. 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 family speaks out after suspected DUI case is rejected in court LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Months after a Las Vegas man was hit and killed in a suspected DUI crash, the case was rejected in court, his family is speaking out about the change they want to see for the future. He was just like a really funny, goofy guy, Elizah Hernandez said of her father. Elizah Hernandez shared with 8 News Now what she will miss most about her father. He always knew how to make people laugh, she said. Like truly make people laugh and smile. 41-year-old George Hernandez was hit and killed by a car on Christmas Eve while walking near Lamb and Lake Mead Boulevards. 41-year-old George Hernandez was hit and killed by a car on Christmas Eve while walking near Lamb and Lake Mead Boulevards. (Elizah J Hernandez) My dad was launched into the windshield, Elizah Hernandez said. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the driver, who was identified as 29-year-old Alexandro Hernandez-Herrera, showed signs of impairment at the scene and officers arrested him on DUI-related charges. However, nearly six months later on May 2, court records show the case was dismissed after the District Attorney denied a request for prosecution. There isnt anything I can even hope for in the judicial system anymore, she said. Because I guess thats just it. 41-year-old George Hernandez was hit and killed by a car on Christmas Eve while walking near Lamb and Lake Mead Boulevards. (Elizah J. Hernandez) Elizah Hernandez told 8 News Now she believes George and her family never got closure, so she hopes her courage to speak out will spark change. Theres no justice, Elizah Hernandez added. And its just like the devastation of the loss is huge. She said her story will show others that the worst can always happen and change a persons world forever. 23 years old and I had to arrange my dads funeral, she said. And I just think that is the worst thing ever. My dad is gone and thats it, Hernandez concluded. We are never going to get him back. Even though the DA did not prosecute in this case, there is still a possibility for different charges to be filed in the future. There were 55 deadly DUI-related crashes in LVMPDs jurisdiction last year. So far in 2024, there have been 15 recorded. 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) Thousands of dollars worth of equipment was stolen from a Las Vegas area high school during early morning hours on Wednesday. The Faith Lutheran Marching Band and Color Guard are known for local awards and national productions however, recently they are in the spotlight for a different reason, after surveillance video caught someone stealing thousands of dollars worth of equipment on Wednesday morning. Last fall the school had a flatbed trailer stolen, this time not only was a $20,000 trailer stolen but thousands of dollars worth of band equipment. It just put a real sour note on the end of the year for a lot of the students, Faith Lutheran Music Department Chair Daniel Zeigner said. It just sucked the air out of not only myself, but our assistant directors, our principal, our students, because our students put a lot of time and effort into creating the inside of that trailer. On Friday, Faith Lutheran High School posted on social media asking for the publics assistance regarding the theft of the band and color guards trailer. Zeigner also said someone took their flatbed trailer last fall coming on the heels of similar thefts at Shadow Ridge and Arbor View high schools. Ziegner added that after last years theft, they added more cameras outside which ended up getting video of the alleged thief. Zeigner said he feels like they did everything right in terms of security with locks, wheel blocks, positioning, and even keeping it on campus. We thought it was safe, Zeigner expressed. We will be getting the full clamping wheel locks for the next trailer, and we will make sure we have two on there and get it all locked up. Zeigner believes the only silver lining is that with the school year wrapped up, and no performances are coming up. He also believes it could have been much worse. Faith Lutheran told 8 News Now they filed a police report for the theft. The school has not yet recovered the stolen flatbed trailer from last October. Las Vegas Metro police are investigating the theft and ask the public to call 311 if they spot the trailer and ask them not to approach it if seen. 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) Las Vegas police on Friday arrested a teacher for felony child abuse or neglect at a west valley learning institute. According to police, on April 1, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were told that a student at a learning institute in the 9000 block of Hillpointe Road near North Rampart and West Lake Mead boulevards had been abused by a teacher. Abuse and neglect detectives took over the investigation. More than a month later, on May 17, detectives arrested Eryka Westover, 33, as the suspect in the case. Westover was booked into the Clark County Detention Center for felony child abuse or neglect. Eryka Westover, 33, was arrested on charges of felony child abuse or neglect. (LVMPD) If Westover is granted bail, part of her bail condition is to stay away from the learning institute where the alleged abuse took place. Westover is no longer listed as faculty on the institutes website. Westovers next court appearance is scheduled for Saturday, May 18 at 9 a.m. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is working on a strategy for creating smart villages given green technologies together with the government of Azerbaijan, Aliya Azimova from IFC said at the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event in Baku on May 17, Trend reports. She reminded that with the World Bank structure, the IFC supported the preparation of a Roadmap for Offshore Wind Energy (OWE) for Azerbaijan, according to which the country has the potential to install offshore wind farms with a total capacity of up to 7.2 GW by 2040 (minimum scenario - 1.5 GW). According to her, wind and solar power plants will pave the way for Azerbaijan's decarbonization. The IFC representative mentioned that the highest greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are observed in four sectors - transport, energy, agriculture, and industry, and the IFC aims to cover these sectors with its research. Azimova emphasized that an important aspect IFC focuses on is 'green' buildings, and on June 6, a seminar on this topic will be held in Baku. She also pointed out that IFC is working on projects for 'green' building certificates worldwide, which are also relevant for Azerbaijan. "Overall, we are actively working with various companies and structures in Azerbaijan to adapt to new climate conditions and challenges," said Azimova. Adaptation is related not only to greenhouse gas emissions but also to the shrinking of water basins (a problem especially relevant for agriculture and social issues), she added. To note, 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The last pandas at any US zoo are expected to leave Atlanta for China this fall One of four panda bears at Zoo Atlanta rests in their habitat on Dec. 30, 2023, in Atlanta. The zoo's giant panda bear agreement with China expires in late 2024, and plans are underway for Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun to travel to China later in the year, though further details on their travel were not immediately available. (AP Photo/Kate Brumback) ATLANTA (AP) The last U.S. zoo with pandas in its care expects to say goodbye to the four giant bears this fall. Zoo Atlanta is making preparations to return panda parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang to China along with their American-born twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun, zoo officials said Friday. There is no specific date for the transfer yet, they said, but it will likely happen between October and December. The four Atlanta pandas have been the last in the United States since the National Zoo in Washington returned three pandas to China last November. Other American zoos have sent pandas back to China as loan agreements lapsed amid heightened diplomatic tensions between the two nations. Atlanta received Lun Lun and Yang Yang from China in 1999 as part of a 25-year loan agreement that will soon expire. Ya Lun and Xi Lun, born in 2016, are the youngest of seven pandas born at Zoo Atlanta since their parents arrived. Their siblings are already in the care of China's Chengdu Research Center of Giant Panda Breeding. It is possible that America will welcome a new panda pair before the Atlanta bears depart. The San Diego Zoo said last month that staff members recently traveled to China to meet pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, which could arrive in California as soon as this summer. Zoo Atlanta officials said in a news release they should be able to share significant advance notice before their pandas leave. As to whether Atlanta might see host any future pandas, no discussions have yet taken place with partners in China, zoo officials said. The latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau again paints a grim picture for the city of Erie. The last time the city's population was this low, women weren't allowed to vote and there had yet to be a commercially licensed radio broadcast in America. Both of those events would transpire more than a century ago, in 1920, when 93,372 people called the city of Erie home. The latest population estimates from the Census Bureau put Erie's population at 92,957 people as of July 1, 2023. That's a 2% decline since the 2020 decennial census was conducted and the lowest mark in more than 100 years. However, Erie Mayor Joe Schember's administration continues to wait for additional details on a challenge it filed with the Census Bureau disputing the 2020 decennial census count. A view of State Street, looking north from 30th Street toward the Bicentennial Tower, center. In November, city officials received encouraging news: Its proposed adjustment to the population of group quarters, which include dorms, prisons, shelters, detention centers and senior living facilities, had been accepted and the baseline data for the city will be updated with an upcoming annual population estimate. More: Erie County sees continued population slide. How many residents has it lost lately? Why Erie disputes the census data Renee Lamis, chief of staff for the Schember administration, said the 2023 population estimate for Erie does not include the revised figures. They'll likely be included when the federal agency releases 2024 estimates next year. City officials asked the Census Bureau to add 4,838 people to its 2020 count of 94,852 in its June 2023 challenge. However, there was no indication from the agency if all or just a portion of those undercounted residents put forth in the city's challenge would be part of the revision. It's also unclear how the revision affects current estimated losses since 2020 of nearly 1,900 people. "This current estimate does not yet reflect our challenge," Lamis said in an email to the Erie Times-News. "In addition, we are working with our refugee resettlement agencies to get updated numbers for the last several years. Given the recent influx in refugees since 2021/2022, we want to ensure that the population estimates are accurate." The population losses have largely been attributed to residents leaving the area for other parts of Pennsylvania or other states, and deaths outpacing births. In March, the Census Bureau released countywide data that showed another year of decline for Erie County. The county, according to the estimates, lost 3,305 residents from April 2020 through July 2023, shrinking the count from 270,876 people to 267,571 last year. Other Pennsylvania cities are losing population too Erie was among seven of the 10 largest cities in Pennsylvania to see a population loss in 2023. Philadelphia, Allentown, Reading, Scranton, Lancaster and Harrisburg also saw declines. Pittsburgh and York grew slightly, while Bethlehem has grow by more than 3% since 2020, adding 2,500 new residents. Last year, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania published a report that details long-term population projections through 2050. Urban areas, especially in Southeastern Pennsylvania around Philadelphia, are expected to buoy a state that will see losses in rural areas over the next three decades as the Baby Boomer generation reaches life expectancy. Erie County is also expected to see slight growth, according to the agency, which is a branch of the General Assembly. Matthew Rink can be reached at mrink@timesnews.com or on X at @ETNRink. This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Census Bureau report shows Erie population declines again Chinese migrants wait to be processed after crossing the border with Mexico Wednesday, May 8, 2024, near Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif. San Diego became the busiest corridor for illegal crossings in April, according to U.S. figures, the fifth region to hold that title in two years in a sign of how quickly migration routes are changing. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) On many nights, hundreds of migrants squeeze through poles in a border wall or climb over on metal ladders. They gather in a buffer zone between two walls with views of the night lights of Tijuana, Mexico, waiting hours for Border Patrol agents while volunteers deliver hot coffee, instant ramen and bandages for busted knees and swollen ankles. About an hour drive east, where the moon offers the only light, up to hundreds more navigate a boulder-strewn desert looking for always-shifting areas where migrants congregate. Groups of just a few to dozens walk dirt trails and paved roads searching for agents. The scenes are a daily reminder that San Diego became the busiest corridor for illegal crossings in April, according to U.S. figures, the fifth region to hold that distinction in two years in a sign of how quickly migration routes are changing. Routes were remarkably stable a short time ago. San Diego was the busiest Border Patrol sector for decades until more enforcement pushed migrants to the desert area near Tucson, Arizona, which became the top spot by 1998. The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas saw the most activity from 2013 to June 2022 as Central Americans became a greater presence. Migrants were arrested nearly 128,900 times on the Mexican border in April, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday, down 6.3% from March and barely half of a record-high 250,000 in December. While still historically high, April bucked a typical spring increase. The drop is largely due to heightened Mexican enforcement, which includes blocking migrants from boarding freight trains, according to U.S. officials. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott touts his multibillion-dollar border crackdown, while others highlight violence in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas as a deterrent on the path to the Rio Grande Valley. Mexico pledged it 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. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested more than 10,000 on some days in December. Despite the overall decline, arrests in the San Diego sector reached 37,370 in April, up 10.6% from March to replace Tucson as the busiest of nine sectors bordering Mexico. Troy Miller, CBP's acting commissioner, said more enforcement, including with other countries, led to overall declines from March, while acknowledging continually shifting migration patterns. Many migrants say San Diego is the easiest and least dangerous place to cross. They constantly check their phones for messages, social media posts and voice calls that help them plan their route and crossing. One hears many things on the way, Oscar Palacios, 42, said one April morning after being driven by an agent to wait in a dirt patch where more than 100 migrants shivered near campfires. After Mexican immigration agents returned him three times to southern Mexico, the Ecuadorian man said, he gave someone he didn't know $500 for a document that allowed him to fly to Tijuana. He then paid a smuggler to guide him to California. San Diego's draw lies in part because Tijuana is the largest city on the Mexican side of the border, U.S. officials say. People of nearly 100 nationalities have arrived at Tijuana's airport this year, including 12,000 each from Colombia and Cuba, about 6,000 each from Haiti and Venezuela and thousands more from Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, China and Mauritania. It's the prevalence of social media, said Paul Beeson, whose 33-year Border Patrol career included stints as chief agent in the San Diego, Tucson and Yuma, Arizona, sectors. There's a lot more information out there about getting across. Air transportation has picked up and people are able to move around. Migration in San Diego presents a challenge because people come from a wider variety of countries including India, Georgia, Egypt, Jamaica and Vietnam where deportation flights can be costly and difficult to arrange, U.S. officials say. Mexicans, who are deported nearby over land, and Guatemalans and Hondurans, whose governments have long accepted frequent deportation flights, are a smaller presence there than elsewhere on the border. The Border Patrol has been busing and flying some migrants from San Diego to other border cities for processing, a role reversal from even last year, when migrants were sent to San Diego to deal with overflow. Migrants wait hours for agents to pick them up for processing instead of dayslong delays that were common when makeshift camps started popping up in the San Diego area about a year ago. Last month a federal judge said children in the camps were subject to custody standards guaranteeing their health and safety. One night last week, about 70 people gathered between two walls near an upscale outlet mall. Two Honduran women were no longer able to walk after being injured while scaling the border wall; one accepted a Border Patrol ride to the hospital. Almost every night we have injuries from people jumping, said Clint Carney, 58, who volunteers many nights answering migrants' questions and serving snacks. Near Jacumba Hot Springs, a town of less than 1,000 people, about a dozen people from Latin American countries arrived at a fork in a dirt road around 10 p.m. About 100 Chinese migrants came just before sunrise, many neatly dressed and playfully taking pictures on their phones. Some of the Latin Americans grumbled quietly when the Chinese lined up ahead of them as Border Patrol vehicles arrived. Previously agents issued colored wristbands that were used to keep track of how long people had been waiting and who was next in line, but that practice was stopped in December. Such staging areas have popped up in remote areas after migrants cross the border where mountainous terrain has prevented barrier construction. Mexican authorities' increased presence in some areas pushed traffic elsewhere in the sparsely populated desert, creating new camps. One new site is a short distance from a gun club, without tents, bathrooms or other services. San Diego shelters have been unable to house everyone who is released by the Border Patrol with notices to appear in immigration court. San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond said more than 143,000 migrants have been released on the streets since Sept. 13, citing Border Patrol data. From a bus and trolley station where agents leave migrants, it is a short ride to the airport, where they can charge phones and use restrooms before boarding flights to destinations elsewhere in the U.S. ___ Associated Press writer Maria Verza in Mexico City contributed. As promised, Gov. Laura Kelly has vetoed a major tax cut package, but she hasn't yet called Kansas lawmakers back to Topeka for the special session she promised. Kelly on Thursday vetoed Senate Bill 37, the Legislature's latest try at enacting significant tax relief for all Kansans after previous attempts failed. The package of income, property and sales tax cuts was one of the last bills passed before the Legislature adjourned for the year on April 30. Kelly has long promised to call a special session if lawmakers didn't send her a tax cut plan she would sign. More than two weeks have passed since the Legislature adjourned, and Kelly has yet to do so. She also hasn't offered a new tax cut plan. Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed three tax cut bills on Thursday. She has not yet called lawmakers back to Topeka for a special session. "I recognize that Kansans desperately need tax relief," Kelly said in a statement. "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 state's 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." Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, said Kelly "has opted for the 'my-way-or-the-highway' approach." He said in the promised special session, lawmakers "will act as quickly as possible and give her yet another attempt to sign real tax relief." House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, pointed to the $84,000-a-day cost of a special session. He accused Kelly of playing "games" and "wasting your money on a needless and spiteful special session." Hawkins said Kelly's actions cause "further delay of much-needed tax relief, despite the state's ample surplus and positive financial outlook. 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." Kelly likewise accused legislators of being the ones playing games. "I have given the Legislature several roadmaps to fiscally responsible tax cuts since January," she 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. 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." Kelly also vetoed two smaller tax cut bills on Thursday, which she said was in-part because "lack of a fiscally responsible tax cut bill jeopardizes other tax policy passed before adjournment." "The Legislature cannot overpromise tax cuts without considering the overall cost to the state for future years," she said. "We cannot start with our expenses and then look at our income. Families and businesses do not budget like that; neither should Kansas." House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, and Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, spoke to reporters on May 1 after the Legislature adjourned for the year after passing a major tax cut plan that Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed on Thursday. Laura Kelly vetoed 3 major tax cut bills this year SB 37 is the third major tax cut bill and one of at least seven total the governor has vetoed this year, which comes on the heels of vetoing a major tax cut bill last year. While Republicans and Democrats alike have said that tax relief was a major priority for them this year, they have struggled to find an agreement on a package that could become law. Kelly and her staff had promised a veto of SB 37 since before lawmakers passed it late into the night of the last day of the legislative session, which came a day after the Senate failed by one vote to override Kelly's veto of a similar tax cut package. The first veto was of a bill featuring a flat income tax that Republicans pushed in January was one of the first major actions of the 2024 legislative session. Kelly vetoed that bill, House Bill 2284, because "I refuse to sign into law a reckless flat tax that would take us back to Brownback while doing next to nothing for the middle class." The bill had a projected cost of $583 million a year by fiscal year 2027. After failing to override the veto due to dissent from a handful of House Republicans, GOP legislative leadership abandoned the flat tax idea for this year. They tried to work out a deal with Kelly on a plan that would have cost $436 million a year by fiscal year 2029, which was accepted by the Senate but rejected by the House. That resulted in a reworking of House Bill 2036, which was passed in April on the last day of the regular legislative session. Kelly then vetoed it, calling it "too expensive" because the annual cost was $469 million a year by 2029. The House saw bipartisan support for the plan, but the Senate saw bipartisan opposition, and an override attempt failed. Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd. This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas tax cut plan vetoed. Will Laura Kelly call a special session? L.A. Unified Supt. Alberto Carvalho, right, meets with school police officers at Crenshaw High School after a campus fight in 2022. A district plan this week to return officers to 20 campuses resulted in confusion and resistance. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) A plan to return police to 20 troubled Los Angeles campuses amid an alarming crime spike an action approved by schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho began to collapse after one day amid opposition and confusion. The deployment of officers would have marked the largest shift to date since a Los Angeles school board decision to ban officers from campuses and move toward eliminating the department. Once they learned of the deployment, board members raised concerns not only about the action but about a confusing slew of memos, and questioned why they were not alerted in advance. In 2020 the board had voted 4 to 3 to ban police from campus, while also approving a 35% cut to the school police budget. Anti-police activists reacted with outrage, while parents who support a police presence expressed guarded approval. But the plan already is being scaled back, school board President Jackie Goldberg said Thursday. "Basically it's not going to continue," she said, but "it is going to give us the opportunity to set a date which I'm working on now with the various school board members to actually have a public safety discussion." "We're going to talk about, 'What is your authority, Mr. Superintendent?' That's what the question will be, because I don't think board members agree with what he thought he knew. However good or bad this week was I don't know. I'm less worried about that than the fact that it's going to open up this real discussion that we need to have," Goldberg said. Deputy Supt. Pedro Salcido, who oversees business and operations and reports directly to Carvalho, answered questions from The Times on behalf of the superintendent. Salcido said he thought that the staff was operating properly under a combination of its own authority and with general agreement from the school board based on comments made in past discussions about the discretion needed to deal quickly with serious safety issues. "We're very much still following the spirit of the board's resolution, as well as the updated adjustments to deployment, that are responsive to those kind of ongoing threats," Salcido said. "Any type of deployment of an officer is temporary in nature. It's responsive to a school need." This latest action to make schools safer highlights the dispute over security in the nation's second-largest school system, as fights on campus and other issues have shot upward since students returned from pandemic-related campus closures, according to district data. Read more: Amid school crime spike, task force wants L.A. campuses to decide whether they need police On Monday morning officers were dispatched to 20 middle and high school campuses across the sprawling L.A. Unified School District, a deployment that was to last through the end of the school year on June 11, according to a district document. The deployment one officer per campus was coordinated with the district's operations division and included additional mental health workers and staff from the regional family and student engagement division. Another component included "critical training" for supervision staff such as unarmed campus aides and school climate advocates, whose role is to connect with students in positive ways to create a more nurturing and safer environment. The schools were selected based on incidents on and near them, according to district documents obtained by The Times. Schools on the list for the targeted action include: Washington Preparatory High School where a student died in an April 15 off-campus shooting after a district safety worker allegedly refused to intervene to stop a fight. Northridge Middle School where officers entered campus on May 3 to arrest two students carrying loaded semiautomatic handguns around school. San Fernando Middle School where district sources report a high frequency of fighting that contributed to recent changes in the school administration. Panorama High School which sits in a notoriously challenging area for rival gang activity. In 2017, students lured a classmate to a remote off-campus area, where he was killed. In the past, MS-13 gang members had periodically tried to infiltrate the campus. Franklin High School where parents and students have complained about safety and locked bathrooms in an effort to control vaping and drug use. Bernstein High School where in 2022 a student fatally overdosed on fentanyl bought from a fellow student. A nearby park has been a locus of drug activity. "Schools were selected based on relevant ... data from calls and incidents related to firearms and crimes against persons, weapons, and fighting/physical aggression from the last 3 months," according to a memo Carvalho emailed Wednesday night to the Board of Education. "The severity, recency, and location of the incidents was also a key factor in identifying the sites requiring targeted support." The Times obtained a list of the schools from other sources after the central administration declined to release that information Tuesday and Wednesday. Read more: L.A. student dies after safety team member allegedly does not intervene to stop fight On Thursday, the district released the memo Carvalho had sent to the board Wednesday night, which contained the same list of schools. It's an open question whether telling school board members beforehand or getting their approval was necessary. In an early April school board meeting, a staff presentation noted that, as of that date, officers had been temporarily deployed to 41 campuses during the current school year for periods typically ranging from a day to a week to address ongoing concerns or in the aftermath of a serious crime on or near campus. Before the ban, high schools typically had one officer each and middle schools shared an officer for every two campuses. The board's 2020 decision to remove police from campus responded to adult and student activists who wanted to eliminate school police. Since then, police have worked in patrols near schools, investigated crimes, made arrests and responded to calls, including emergency situations on campus. They also have teamed up with mental health workers when those workers are defusing difficult situations. A Sunday night memo emailed to Los Angeles School Police Department officers from Deputy Chief Glenn Besunder gave them detailed instructions about the deployment and advised them to exercise discretion. "We do not police students," he wrote. "We protect students. We embrace opportunities for restorative practices and diverting criminal matters from the courts to supports. We believe in utilizing de-escalation tactics whenever possible to eliminate or reduce use of force. LASPD does not participate in student discipline matters. We understand that young people make mistakes. We, like other staff and faculty, are there to guide, mentor and pick them up when they fall." The internal police memo describes the on-campus assignment: "Arrive at your campus at least 30 minutes prior to the start of school. Leave your campus no less than 30 minutes after dismissal ... Get a set of school keys for emergency response and routine access. Identify a desk or share office that you can use ... Be polite, friendly, professional, respectful and approachable ... Greet students and staff daily get to know them." But Salcido said this police memo, which named the schools that would have officers, was unintentionally misleading implying incorrectly that all the officers would be stationed on campus. He said that's only the case at two campuses Washington Prep and Northridge Middle. In his Wednesday night memo to the school board, Carvalho said that the police document had "unfortunately not been reviewed nor approved by the appropriate staff. The communication provided information inconsistent with Board Policy and the directive outlined for enhanced safety supports for targeted schools. That communication issue is being addressed with the relevant leadership staff." But Carvalho had communication problems of his own. Board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin, who chairs the school board's safety committee, said she learned of the deployment Monday morning at a community safety meeting in Watts. She listened as a school police representative reassured participants by alerting them of the new school-support strategy. The school police officer assumed that Franklin already knew about it. She told The Times that she did not. Franklin was not on the board when the 2020 policy was approved, but has generally been the strongest board advocate for eliminating the department. Goldberg said that she learned of the deployment from The Times on Wednesday. That same day she said she had at least two conversations with Carvalho over the matter. Based on the first, she concluded that there was no deployment, merely a proposal. After a later conversation, she concluded that the deployment had occurred, but that neither she nor Carvalho had known that it had been rolled out. Read more: Thousands rally over expected school cuts, a rebuke to LAUSD's pledge to protect workers Her confusion and that of other board members was understandable. Carvalho had sent a memo at 4:36 p.m. Monday to the school board explaining that the initiative was in the planning stages which conflicted with the Sunday police memo. Carvalho's Monday memo said the district "will identify a subset of schools (approximately 20 system-wide, with some variance for each Region based on size) to receive additional support. Schools will be selected based on relevant ... data from the last 3 months." In fact, the schools already had been selected and deployment had already begun that morning. Principal Cindy Duong of Cleveland Charter High, which was among the schools listed, had known about the deployment even earlier and alerted her school community in a message she sent out the previous Friday: "Our school will be receiving additional safety and well-being supports starting Monday, May 13. These supports will include mental health and supervision staff, as well as on-campus School Police staffing. We appreciate our Region North leadership for allowing us to supplement our existing school resources with these additional District personnel. These supports will remain in place until the end of the school year on June 11." Salcido acknowledged that Carvalho's Monday memo to the school board sent from the superintendent's email address was inaccurate. It used language now out of date that had been prepared for an earlier communication that was never sent, he said. The central administration would not provide the Monday memo to The Times, which obtained it from other sources. Anti-police activists immediately expressed anger over the deployment of officers. "Carvalho made a unilateral decision with no input from students, parents, families, educators, school staff, school leadership or even the school board members who have been elected to set district policy," said Joseph Williams, the director of Students Deserve, which recruits and assists student activists. "And all of this after three separate safety presentations were made to the board and the public last week none of which included this updated deployment proposal." The student activists have said the presence of police creates a negative environment, turning students into potential suspects and making campuses feel less safe. "It is clear that the superintendent is not centering the voices and experiences of students, not invested in creating safe, culturally and racially affirming school climates, and not invested in minimizing contact between students and police," Williams said. Parent leaders who are supportive of school police are waiting for more information, including Evelyn Aleman, the organizer of Our Voice, a Latino parents group. "Our Voice parents feel that there is a complete disconnect with their asks of the district regarding school safety, and district response," Aleman said. "While this is helpful, it isnt enough. During COVID, when there was a risk that children might go hungry, the district responded immediately with drive-through food stations. That kind of urgency that springs the district into immediate action is what parents want to see when it comes to school safety." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Erika Brown, a spokesperson for Robinsons Family and director of the Sade's Voice Foundation, said that Sheena, Sades mother has been thrust into a nightmare one marked by anger, disappointment and profound grief. (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner) Democratic lawmakers, family members of victims and advocates renewed the call Thursday for the creation of a task force on missing and murdered Black women and girls in Wisconsin. The proposed task force, which is inspired by a task force within the Department of Justice on missing and murdered Indigenous women, would examine the factors that contribute to violence against Black women and girls. A bill to create the task force was passed by the state Assembly in February, but it never received a vote in the Senate. Under that bill, the task force would include 17 members including state legislators, representatives from certain law enforcement organizations, from certain legal organizations and from groups that provide services to Black women and girls. Coauthor Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) called on the Senate to meet for a floor session to vote on the bill at the Thursday press conference in the Capitol. This bill has yet to be given a date in the Senate. They came back on Tuesday for vetoes. Why dont they come back now and do this bill? Stubbs said. Senate Democrats tried to bring the bill, along with four other bills, to the floor on Tuesday but were unsuccessful. Im standing here demanding that the Senate reconvenes to give Assembly Bill 615/Senate Bill 568 a day to be heard on the floor in a day, to be voted on, Stubbs said. Stubbs said that she had reached out to Senate President Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) to ask him to bring the Senate into an extraordinary session. Advocates held up photos of Black women and girls who have gone missing in recent months and years at the press conference including Lasheky Hill, a 46-year-old who went missing in Racine in March 2023; Joniah Walker, a 15-year-old who went missing in Milwaukee in June 2022, and Sade Carleena Robinson, a 19-year-old who was murdered and dismembered in Milwaukee last month. A 2022 investigation by the Guardian found that the homicide rate for Black women and girls in the U.S. increased 33% in 2020 and that the rate in Wisconsin doubled that year, making it the state with the highest homicide rate for Black women and girls. Erika Brown, a spokesperson for Robinsons Family and director of the Sades Voice Foundation, said that Sheena, Sades mother has been thrust into a nightmare one marked by anger, disappointment and profound grief. Brown said the task force would play a vital role in addressing the root causes of violence against women of color by collecting data and helping to implement measures that would help prevent crimes against Black women. The goal is to foster collaboration and leverage collective expertise to work towards a safer and more just society for everyone, Brown said. This isnt a Black, white, brown, male or female issue. It is a public safety issue. Tanesha Howard, the mother of Joniah Walker, said the task force would be vital for ensuring families have support that they need. She said the support wasnt there for her when her daughter went missing. I pleaded for assistance, but instead of support, I received dismissive remarks. I was told she didnt fit the criteria to have an Amber alert and she didnt fit the criteria to be listed as critically missing. That was the consistency I got from the Milwaukee Police Department Its heartbreaking, Howard said. It appears unlikely that Senate Republicans will heed the call to reconvene and take up the issue. Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) sent a letter to Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul minutes before the press conference, saying that he would leave it up to Kaul to decide whether to create the task force. He said that he thought that would be the best course, in part because the task force on missing and murdered Indigenous women was created by the DOJ after a bill failed to do so, and because of Evers repeated demonstration of his aversion to the Legislature overtly directing Executive Branch agencies. The Department of Justice, with the breadth of its knowledge on criminal justice matters and investigative needs in Wisconsin, is indeed best positioned to determine the prudence of any task force established under its jurisdiction, Stroebel said. Accordingly, I leave it to the Department of Justice to consider the creation of such a task force pursuant to your priorities and discretion. In a follow-up statement after the press conference, Stroebel said the best way forward would be for Kaul to create the task force since it would use his budget and be under his discretion. He added that it would be the only remaining opportunity for the task force to be created this year. Kaul has previously created a similar task force for missing and murdered indigenous women. He could do the same for missing and murdered African American women and girls right now with the stroke of a pen, Stroebel said. I encourage Rep. Stubbs and all of the stakeholders who are passionate about this proposal to contact the Attorney Generals office to do the same. Stubbs said that she met with Kaul about two weeks ago and that he remained supportive of the legislation, but she said that she knows that funding is an issue. Whoever needs to do it, lets just get it done, Stubbs said. I dont want to wait another six months. The post Lawmakers, advocates renew calls to pass missing and murdered Black women and girls task force bill appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, watches as Rep. Dave Lislegard, DFL-Aurora, fires up a crowd on Friday, July 21, 2023, at a rally for striking UPM Blandin paper mill workers in Grand Rapids. Photo by Lorie Shaull. A swing-district Iron Range Democratic lawmaker is driving an effort to create a special pool of financing for Range-only infrastructure projects. The tax omnibus bill, which House and Senate DFL leaders have been negotiating in conference committee this week, contains provisions to direct mining revenue to projects on the Iron Range. Rep. Dave Lislegard, DFL-Aurora, wants to see his district in the eastern range, which generates around 60% of the tax revenue from taconite mining, receive more investment. Instead of paying property taxes, which fund schools and local governments, mining companies pay taxes based on production; that money goes into funds governed by the Department of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation part of the executive branch and advised by a group of Iron Range lawmakers. From there, the mining production money is distributed across the Range legally defined as the taconite assistance area to replace the lost property tax value. Lislegard and other Democrats, including House Taxes Committee chair Aisha Gomez and Lislegards fellow eastern range Rep. Robert Skraba, authored legislation this year to use taconite production revenue to issue bonds for dozens of projects. In the Senate, DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild of Hermantown carried the legislation. The bill (HF5247) would effectively create a new bonding structure for the Iron Range, outside the Legislatures every-two-years bonding package, which pays for construction projects all over the state. (As of Friday afternoon, lawmakers were still negotiating on a statewide bonding package, which requires Republican votes to reach a necessary supermajority threshold and must meet a Sunday night deadline.) For Lislegard, the new Range bonding pool is about fairness. Our money needs to stay where the money is generated in the communities and the people who need it most, he said. If signed into law, the legislation would direct the IRRRB to issue $80 million in grants over the next two years through the Douglas J. Johnson economic protection trust fund, which is a taconite mining fund named after the legendary Range legislator. The proposal has faced criticism from some lawmakers concerned that the projects will not receive sufficient oversight. By naming specific projects and funding levels, the bill bypasses the IRRR and its board, said Rep. Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, during a floor debate on the bill. Igos district borders Lislegards. Lislegard said many of the project leaders have been seeking funding from the IRRR or the states standard bonding process in recent years. Lawmakers visited the Minnesota Discovery Center, Giants Ridge Recreation area and public works facilities in Chisholm and Tower all named in the tax bill on a tour of potential construction projects in September 2023. IRRR Commissioner Ida Rukavina said in a statement that each recipient must submit project plans to the agency for approval before the money is distributed. The Iron Range is known among Minnesota politicos for its clubby, tight-knit political culture. Rukavina is the daughter of the late longtime DFL lawmaker and St. Louis County Commissioner Tom Rukavina. Two well-known northeast Minnesota lobbyists Jeff Anderson, who was chief of staff to former DFL U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, and Gary Cerkvenik represent many of the government entities and nonprofits set to receive money from the bonding projects. If signed into law, the provision would be a windfall to local governments and nonprofits in one of the areas at highest risk of flipping from Democrat to Republican in upcoming elections, as the traditionally Democratic Iron Range has become increasingly red in recent years. The bill would direct money to projects like water and septic system repairs; upgrades to public parks and trails; and school improvements and expansions. Some of the projects include: $3.6 million to the Mesabi Fit Coalition for the renovation and expansion of the former Mesabi Family YMCA in Mountain Iron. $10 million for improvements to the Giants Ridge Recreation Area, including a new welcome center and the repair or replacement of the chair lifts and irrigation systems. $2.25 million to Cook County for a new county solid waste transfer station and to preserve affordable senior housing units in Grand Marais. $10.2 million to the Minnesota Discovery Center for building upgrades, including HVAC system and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. $6 million to the city of Silver Bay for water upgrades, streets and sidewalks. $600,000 to School District No. 2142 in St. Louis County for septic system upgrades at South Ridge School and cafeteria renovations at Northeast Range School in Babbitt and Tower Elementary School in Tower. $200,000 to Save Our Ship, Inc., which is working to restore and display the Leif Ericson Viking Ship. $100,000 per year from 2025 to 2027 for the Northern Lights Music Festival, a classical music festival in Gilbert. The post Lawmakers expected to fund infrastructure, economic development projects on Iron Range appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants the state to beef up security around the Capitol Complex. In the past few months, the Capitol has been both locked down and evacuated on three separate occasions due to threats that are called in. This group of lawmakers wants to see the state put new screening devices at all entrances, put up license plate readers around the grounds and put in ID verification checkpoints at secure parts of the building. On top of all of that, they also want to see an increase in security cameras on the grounds. ISP arrest suspect for April State Capitol bomb threat If we have cameras, we will be able to identify people better. We will know who people are coming in. If there is an incident, you will be able to see who was doing what, Rep. John Cabello (R-Rockford) said. But also, if you have cameras outside, and someone monitoring them, you may be able to see something doing something before they even get into the capitol. The Secretary of State oversees security at the Capitol. A spokesperson for the office said they currently have no comment on the bill, which has not been called in committee yet. 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. A lawsuit filed by a Jewish couple alleging religious discrimination in Tennessee adoption law will now move forward to trial after the Tennessee Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear the state's appeal. Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram initially sued Tennessee in 2021 over claims they were unconstitutionally discriminated against after a state-funded Christian adoption agency refused to work with them. Gov. Bill Lee and General Assembly Republicans in 2020 established a law that allowed private adoption agencies to refuse to place a child with a family because of "religious or moral convictions," even if the private agency benefits from public funding. At the time, the law was criticized by some as an attempt to block LGBTQ+ families seeking to adopt. Knoxville residents Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram are suing the Tennessee Department of Children's Services and its director after a taxpayer-funded Christian adoption agency refused to help them because they are Jewish. The Rutan-Rams in 2021 sought to adopt a child from Florida and needed to complete foster parent training required by the state. The Holston United Methodist Home for Children, which the state Department of Children's Services partnered with to provide the training, was the only option in Knox County. The couple later alleged in their lawsuit Holston declined to work them and said it only works with adoptive parents that share Holston's "belief system." The couple sued in 2022. The lawsuit was initially knocked down by a lower court panel, which argued the lawsuit was in part moot because DCS later approved the couple as foster parents. An appellate court last year overturned the initial ruling, and Thursday's Supreme Court order clears the way for the case to proceed to trial. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Lawsuit from Tennessee Jewish couple over adoption law can proceed BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Azerbaijani state is determined to assist businesses in implementing green solutions through financial and other mechanisms, Deputy Energy Minister Elnur Soltanov said, Trend reports. He made the remark during the event Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum in Baku. The deputy minister noted that to solve the world's most acute climate problems (excluding China), the required funding is currently $100 billion in total, i.e. $2.4 billion every year. According to him, the increasing involvement of businesses in the climate agenda through government support for their adaptation and green transition will yield long-term results. When private companies implement green solutions and the cost of new green solutions is equal to or lower than the cost of using traditional fuels, then there may be no need for COP conferences, Soltanov said. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Editors note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Delaware State Police Col. Melissa Zebley had been a named defendant in a previous lawsuit filed by The Neuberger Firm. A new Delaware gun law is problematic, especially when looking at the history of how governments have selectively treated marginalized people, according to the lead plaintiff challenging legislation enacted Thursday. The law will require residents to complete a firearm training course and obtain a permit before purchasing a handgun, a process that can take up to a month. "If you're on a list, you're not going to get a permit," said attorney Thomas S. Neuberger, one of five plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit less than four hours after Delaware Gov. John Carney signed the permit to purchase law on Thursday. Civil Rights Attorney Thomas Neuberger worries a newly-signed bill requiring Delawareans to get a permit before purchasing a handgun will negatively impact the Black community. The federal lawsuit, filed against the state Department of Homeland Security and others, challenges the constitutionality of the new law and is focused on "vindicating fundamental civil rights being trampled on by overbearing legislation that defies controlling legal authority." The new law takes away rights guaranteed under the Second, Fourth and 14th amendments, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Wilmington. It also goes against Delaware's constitution because it would prohibit the sale, transfer and purchase of handguns without a permit which is guaranteed under the state's fundamental principles. The lawsuit is asking for the court to stop the law's implementation and its enforcement. Editor's note: view the lawsuit at the end of the story. The new law's aim is not to do away with the Second Amendment, Carney said following Thursday's signing. "It's really to regulate within the Second Amendment," said Carney, who was anticipating the legal challenge. "There's been cases which have allowed certain things to occur, again, mostly about regulating gun ownership and possession." Delaware Gov. John Carney signs a "permit to purchase" handgun bill into law on Thursday (May 16, 2024). Examples of this would be House Bill 423, which strengthens background checks by reinstituting the Firearm Transaction Approval Program and House Bill 451, which raised the age from 18 to 21 to purchase most firearms. Both of these bills were signed into law in 2022. More: Delaware governor signs 'permit to purchase' gun bill into law, already facing legal challenge Delaware's new gun law The new law will not take effect for 18 months. Once in place, applicants will have to pay for fingerprinting and the required training. There will be no fee to obtain the permit, according to Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 2. The permits will be valid for two years and the training course for five years. The State Bureau of Identification, which is overseen by Delaware State Police, will then have 30 days to ensure the applicant has met all statutory requirements. If requirements are met, the applicant then has two years to purchase weapons with their permit. The law does not create a registry, but it does keep certain records related to the application. This would include the applicant's name, date of birth and when the permit was issued. Aside from the law being unconstitutional, opponents of the law say there is a serious safety concern imposed on people who need a handgun quickly for protection. "This new law denies the right of self-defense, the right to defend yourself and family with a gun when necessary in an emergency," Neuberger said. In his lawsuit, Neuberger said the law could lead to law-abiding people breaking the law as they seek to arm themselves in the name of protection especially in the light of civil unrest that's been seen in the past few years. "A small extreme minority of states is trying to take away the right to defend ourselves in an emergency," Neuberger said. "I expect our lawsuit will be successful." Law can be used against marginalized people Neuberger, who is joined in the lawsuit by Delaware State Sportsmen's Association and Bridgeville Rifle and Pistol Club, cites a history of discriminatory practices under similar laws by state governments that have kept Black law-abiding citizens from accessing weapons guaranteed to them under the Second Amendment. The 30-page complaint refers to how after Martin Luther King Jr.'s home was first bombed in Alabama in 1956, the civil rights activist tried to obtain a handgun to protect his family. Alabama had a handgun permit law then and that state's governor refused King a permit for a handgun. "That law is racist and unconstitutional because it denies members of the Black community the right to quickly get a gun for protection when needed in an emergency," Neuberger said. "Just like when MLK was bombed." But it's not just Black people who might be affected by this law, Neuberger told Delaware Online/The News Journal. Anyone who is an activist or disagrees with the powers that be can be retaliated against in one way or another. Civil Rights Attorney Tom Neuberger holds a copy of the book 'Klan War' to illustrate the threat that white supremacy poses to the Black community. He recently filed a lawsuit against a new state law requiring people to have a permit before purchasing a handgun. "It happens all the time," he said, pointing to retaliation he received from officials when he was suing New Castle County. Former County Executive Tom Gordon, and his one-time top aide, Sherry Freebery, released confidential medical information that he had a brain tumor to the public. This was in retaliation for civil rights lawsuits he filed on behalf of county employees. When that happened, Neuberger filed a federal lawsuit in 2005 claiming Gordon and Freebery set out to destroy him and his reputation by releasing damaging and misleading medical information, such as that he was dying of a brain tumor and it was causing him to act erratically. Neuberger also said the two had tried to defame him. After a three-year legal battle, the lawsuit was settled with Gordon and Freebery paying him $25,000 and sending him a one-page apology letter. Neuberger donated the money to charity. Because Neuberger has sued the state, including agencies that will have a say in who gets a permit, he wonders if he will be retaliated against. "I have sued the [Delaware State Police] more than a dozen times," he said. Neuberger said his defense of civil rights has caused people to threaten him someone even left a threatening message on his home's backdoor. "With dozens of lawsuits against police up and down the state, as well as politicians, governors, mayors and more, will my application be lost or delayed?" he asked. "Of course, it will." Other gun law challenges There are more than 10 states with permit-to-purchase laws at least one of those states, Maryland, has seen that law overturned following a U.S. Supreme Court decision demanding courts look to history, tradition when considering these cases. In its 2022 decision, where it struck down a requirement adopted in a half dozen Democratic-led states that curbed who may obtain a license to carry a handgun in public, the nation's top court said gun regulations must be "consistent with this nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation" to survive court challenges. That ruling opened the door to challenge other gun restrictions. More: Supreme Court's Second Amendment decision demands courts look to history, tradition Following the ruling, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Virginia overturned Maryland's 11-year-old law in November, claiming the handgun licensing statute violated the Second Amendment like Delaware's law, Maryland's required fingerprinting and firearms training. The ruling is one of the first to overturn state gun laws following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision. The appeals court agreed in January to reconsider the case. That matter, which is being reviewed by all of that court's judges, is pending. Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said the 4th Circuit rulings have not had "the final say on constitutionality within their jurisdiction." Attorney General Kathy Jennings speaks at a press conference on Monday, Oct. 11, in front of the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center. She emphasized that under Delaware's new law, everyone has a right to a gun. They just have to take a gun safety course before they can apply for a permit to get a weapon. "We will have, and already had, challenges to every gun safety law that has been passed by this General Assembly and signed by the governor," Jennings said. "I welcome those challenges. We haven't lost one of them yet." This embedded content is not available in your region. Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Lawsuit claims new Delaware gun permit law is unconstitutional A dispute raging inside the Stew Peters Network ended up in a federal court in Florida last month. The ongoing case has exposed drama between a group of far right media personalities, complete with alleged text messages and emails that show the inner workings of a company that has peddled conspiracy theories, anti-gay hate speech, racism, and antisemitism, while still maintaining connections with more mainstream Republicans. In many ways, the trouble began as so many things have in the modern far right with the coronavirus pandemic. The companys namesake, Stew Peters, is an internet personality whose eponymous show and associated social media posts have, in just the past two days alone, suggested immigrants are retarded cannibals, declared Jewish Zionist infiltration in our government is our enemy, and attacked queer perverts who he said needed to be brought to heel for creating Weimar conditions that must be met with Weimar solutions. Peters, who has amassed six figure followings on the social networks Gab and Telegram along with an audience of over eighty thousand on former President Trumps Truth Social platform, has shared his stage with neo-Nazi leader Nick Fuentes. Yet Peters evident extremism, which has included airing blatantly antisemitic cartoon caricatures in the introduction to his broadcasts, has also not stopped him from drawing established Republicans as guests on his show, including Trumps former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), who has been credited with appearances in six episodes, and multiple current GOP congressional candidates. While a blend of right wing politics and hate speech is a core part of Peters brand, COVID conspiracy theories are what provided him some of his strongest social media momentum. Specifically, Peters gained prominence with the 2022 documentary Died Suddenly, which focused on what the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation described as the evidence-free claim that COVID vaccines are causing sudden deaths in people around the world. Peters was among the producers of the approximately hour long movie. It mixed jump cuts and archival footage including images of 9/11, the moon landing, and bigfoot along with interviews and easily contradicted claims to argue the vaccines are part of a population control plot engineered by the global elite. Died Suddenly concludes with onscreen text urging viewers to let us never forget what they have done. If you are quiet, or apathetic, or complacent you have to stand before God and you have to answer for that, Peters warned the audience. According to the Associated Press, Peters conspiratorial call to action amassed over 20 million views on various online platforms. It also helped inspire a viral hashtag. Those posts fueled harassment of people who experienced medical emergencies and deaths of loved ones due to COVID, as well as unrelated incidents. And, last month, disagreements over promotion and fundraising related to the movie led Peters company to file a lawsuit against his fellow producers, some of whom have their own connections to extremism and Republican politics. Documents filed as part of that suit, which are being reported here for the first time, reveal allegations of wrongful, deceptive, fraudulent, and infringing actions that Peters has leveled against the other producers of Died Suddenly. Through an attorney, all of the defendants have disputed the allegations. They are currently seeking to have the suit dismissed. The documents also depict Peters and his associates squabbling over cash generated by the film. The court docket contains internal correspondence between Peters and the other producers, including alleged text messages that Peters former business partners claim show him trying to hide money from his ex-wife by routing payments through a friend. Im going through a nasty divorce and I dont really feel like giving her half of everything that they sent me, Peters said in the alleged text exchange. Travis DeCosta, the attorney representing Peters company in the case, declined to comment on the alleged text about the divorce. Right now Im not at liberty to talk about it, DeCosta said in a phone conversation with TPM on Thursday evening. The lawsuit was first reported on last month by Angry White Men, a site dedicated to tracking white supremacy. However, the internal correspondence from Peters company and other case documents are being reported here at TPM for the first time. Along with feuds and alleged malfeasance in Peters inner circle, the documents including some which were unsealed due to TPM reporting shed light on the financial model that fringe far right broadcasters use to build their business. The suit paints a picture of an extremist media empire driven by clicks, commercials from a company selling gold bars to people paranoid about the next crisis, and audience donations. It also reveals how heavily Peters relied on outsiders to create much of the content that aired under his brand name. My Special Boy Fame has long been a goal for Peters. A profile published by Mother Jones last year detailed how Peters spent the early 2000s and 2010s pursuing a rap career with the moniker Fokiss. Peters musical efforts did not result in industry success, an experience Peters detailed in a 2012 song. A video for that track begins with what seems to be a fictionalized version of his mother telling a baby Peters, Youre going to make it Stewart my special boy before detailing how that dream was a failure. Starting in 2014, Peters went on to work as a bounty hunter in Minnesota where he experienced some initial social media success posting videos of apprehensions and taped rants. However, this venture was not without its own issues. By 2020, Peters began posting a political radio show on the Facebook page where he shared bounty hunting exploits. The following year, according to the Daily Beast, Peters was arrested after a scene at his home. The incident reportedly led Peters to express fears about the future of his law enforcement-adjacent career, and his bounty hunting videos ultimately tapered off. As Peters increasingly focused on political content, it was the Died Suddenly documentary that helped Peters, as Mother Jones put it, hit his stride. Stew Peters rapping as Fokiss. (Photo: YouTube) Died Suddenly was produced by Peters, filmmakers Matt Skow and Nicholas Stumphauzer, who directed the movie, Edward Szall, and Lauren Witzke. It was presented by the Stew Peters Network, which is essentially a subscription-based website and series of social media pages that host Peters show and affiliated broadcasts. Szall and Witzke are partners in the production company TLM Global, which is short for Truth & Light Media. Like Peters, Szall and Witzke, who was previously an executive producer for Peters network, have their own connections to both GOP politics and the more extreme far right. Witzke, who could not be reached for comment on this story, was the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate in Delaware in 2020. After winning the Republican primary in that race, Witzke cheerfully accepted tweeted congratulations from Fuentes, the prominent neo Nazi activist and broadcaster. Before losing in the general election, Witzke conducted an interview with the website VDare, which has consistently hosted white nationalist and antisemitic content. In that conversation, Witzke indicated she was more concerned about immigration than being branded a racist. Died Suddenly wasnt the only product of the partnership between Peters, Witzke, and Szall that, according to court documents, began in October 2021. Since then, the pair also worked with Peters on the documentary These Little Ones, which focused on a narrative about elite pedophilia with echoes of the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory. They also produced two movies under the Watch The Water banner that were credited with originating a conspiracy theory that COVID was caused by snake venom in drinking water. Two other videos made through the partnership suggest world leaders and scientists are involved in a Satanic plot and that Americans are being enslaved by taxes, narratives that are more extreme versions of the concerns about globalists and elites that hint at antisemitic tropes and have increasingly become part of the Republican playbook. Along with producing these documentaries, Witzke and Szall also hosted their own biweekly broadcast, Crosstalk News on Peters network. I tried to get her to let it go, shes not However, earlier this year, the partnership between Peters, Witzke, and Szall apparently turned sour. On April 3, Fokiss Inc. a Minnesota company led by Peters that bears his old rap name, filed a federal suit against Witzke, Szall, TLM Global, LLC, a related company, and the directors of Died Suddenly, Skow, and Stumphauzer. The suit was filed in the Southern District of Florida. All of the defendants are being represented by attorneys Matthew Nelles and Joshua Martin, who did not respond to requests for comment from TPM. Skow and Stumphauzer also did not respond to requests for comment. The initial complaint, which notes that Fokiss is doing business as the Stew Peters Network, accuses the TLM team of making unauthorized donation solicitations on a website associated with Died Suddenly. Fokiss complaint also alleged all of the defendants made improper applications for trademarks associated with the Died Suddenly brand. The court filing also includes a copy of a termination letter that Peters apparently sent to Szall on January 27, 2024 in an attempt to end their business relationship. That letter describes the ownership confusion of the DIED SUDDENLY name, twitter page, and documentary along with unapproved postings, fundraisers, and even subscription sign ups that Peters called unacceptable and even criminal. Despite these concerns Peters indicated in the letter a willingness to continue to work with Szall, Witzke, and TLM. Peters specified that Crosstalk may continue to air on the SPN. He also discussed the terms for this, which he indicated were part of a separate contract. The deal outlined by Peters in the letter indicated that Crosstalk was fully produced by TLM and then delivered to his company on the afternoon it was aired. He wrote that TLM needed to pay $1,600 monthly to air on the network. The exchange indicates that, at least in this case, Peters charged other hosts to make content for his network, which offered them the benefit of exposure to his following. Peters also wrote that TLM had an ongoing obligation to complete and deliver the remaining two documentaries for which he said they were already paid in full for by the Stew Peters Network. The complaint details the amount TLM was paid to make documentaries for Peters. It also identified Goldco, a relatively mainstream company that helps clients invest in gold and other precious metals as the primary funder of the Stew Peters Network and its documentaries. According to the complaint, Goldco had two sponsorship agreements with Peters company that ran from April 2022 to the end of last month. He has continued to identify the company as a sponsor in more recent broadcasts as well. The complaint described Goldco as providing the majority of the Networks annual budgets and production requirements. Goldco and its CEO, Trevor Gerszt, did not respond to questions from TPM about its role financing Peters network, and its extremist content. According to the complaint, Peters company provided TLM a documentary budget of $379,000 through two separate payments last year that were generally tied to the Plaintiffs obligations to the GoldCo Sponsorship Agreement. The complaint included a Feb. 5 response from Ryan DiGiovanni, an attorney for TLM Global LLC, answering Peters termination letter from the prior month. DiGiovanni objected to what he described as Peters attempt to piecemeal together the provisions for which you expect continued performance while at the same time repudiating your responsibility for continued payment. He also said TLM unequivocally disagree[s] that the two documentaries have been paid in full. While TLMs attorney said they considered Peters letter a material breach of his agreement with the company, he attempted to end his response on a relatively positive note. DiGiovanni said TLM would provide Peters work completed to date on an unfinished documentary and that the company was open to further discussion regarding the possibility of future contract(s). Peters attorney, DeCosta, fired back with another letter that quoted a request that purportedly came from Witzke in October 2023 where she indicated the remaining documentary budget was $189,000. That alleged request, which was a bulleted list, also included other money Witzke, who was still working for both the Stew Peters Network and SPN at the time, wanted from Peters. According to Peters attorney, Witzke had line items asking for $25k Lauren Mid Year Bonus (You Promised) and Lauren Car $13,500 (You Promised). Peters attorney also included a November 17, 2023 email that he said was sent from Szall to bolster the argument the documentary budget had been fully provided to TLM. In that alleged email, Szall wrote to Peters that, despite some disagreement, he needed no further payment for the remaining documentaries required by their contract. However, the alleged email from Szall to Peters indicated there were still outstanding issues about money Witzke believed she was due. Regarding what you mentioned in the itemization about Laurens bonus and car allowance, TLM cannot receive money on behalf of Lauren as she was your employee, Szall wrote in the alleged email, adding, Bro, listen, she still considers the $25k bonus and the $13.5k car allowance as outstanding, and she may pursue that money on her own. Just wanted to let you know, I tried to get her to let it go, shes not. Szall further suggested that Witzke would pursue those funds. Nelles, Witzkes attorney in the suit, did not respond to specific questions about the bonus and car payment dispute. DeCosta, the attorney for Peters company, told TPM Witzkes requests for funds were a moot issue that has nothing to do with the intellectual property claim that this lawsuits about. We dispute that shes entitled to any money, DeCosta said of Witzke in a phone conversation on Thursday evening. Hes turning Died Suddenly into HIS grift In the over six weeks since Peters company filed suit against Szall, Witzke, the TLM companies, and the Died Suddenly directors, the lawyers for both sides have engaged in a back and forth argument in court. Two days after filing the suit, Peters and his attorney argued for a temporary restraining order that, among other things, restricted the defendants assets and barred them from using web and social media associated with Died Suddenly. The temporary restraining order was put in place on April 9. On April 17, lawyers for Szall, Witzke, and the other defendants filed a motion to dissolve the temporary restraining order. Along with objecting to technicalities related to an alleged lack of certified notice given by the lawyer for Peters company and problems with the time stamp on the order, the motion featured the text purportedly from Peters about his divorce. The motion said that text was an instruction from Peters to Witzke on May 4, 2023, and that the money he was hoping to conceal from his ex-wife was his Goldco sponsorship. In light of this, TLMs lawyers argued it was ironic Peters company was concerned about anyone else hiding assets. TPM reached out to Szall via text message on Thursday with several questions about the case. Via email, he pointed to the motion seeking to dissolve the restraining order and specifically the page featuring the alleged nasty divorce text. Szall suggested he and the other defendants felt that page contained the answers you are looking for. The motion seeking to dissolve the restraining order against TLM and the other defendants also included an alleged text from Peters to Witzke on February 25, 2023. In that alleged exchange Peters apparently expressed frustration that Szall and his colleagues were soliciting donations in the name of Died Suddenly, which he described as a serious problem. Hes turning Died Suddenly into HIS grift, Peters wrote in the alleged text exchange, later adding, I have NEVER asked for a donation. The lawyers for Szall, Witzke, TLM, and the directors suggested in court filings? this showed Peters was aware of the donations well before seeking the temporary restraining order. They also claimed just $4,134.60 was raised through fundraising between January and April of last year. A judge ultimately recommended to dissolve the restraining order on April 23. DeCosta, the attorney for Peters company, did not object to the recommendation. Since then, there has been a flurry of activity related to the fact the initial complaint filed on behalf of Peters company exceeded a required page limit. DeCosta is currently working on an amended complaint. On Monday, the attorneys for Szall, Witzke, TLM, and the Died Suddenly directors filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit for failure to state a claim. A response from the attorney for Peters company is due June 3. As of this writing, the case remains ongoing. Dr. Suss As the court fight rages on, Peters extremism has become an issue. In the motion seeking to withdraw the restraining order, TLMs attorneys cited the fact that Peters is a divisive individual. As evidence, the motion pointed to posts Peters made criticizing Martin Luther King Jr. and the gay community. Of course, Szall, Witzke, and TLM are no strangers to divisive rhetoric of their own. Old episodes of Crosstalk are still available on the Stew Peters Network website. The most recent episode hosted on the page is a Christmas Special from December last year that begins with graphics of Szall and Witzke as angels before moving to a Dr. Seuss parody titled How The Rabbi Robbed Christmas by, Dr. Suss. The story, complete with antisemitic caricatures, was the tale of a rabbi who doesnt like Christmas, in part because it hurt his wallet. Even the Jews down in Jewville liked Christmas a lot, but the rabbi who lived just north of Jewville did not, a narrator said. Since then, TLM has moved on to other projects including working with Trump associate Laura Loomer. Fundraising pages for that project initially indicated Fuentes, the neo Nazi streamer, was involved. However, when asked by TPM, both Szall and Loomer claimed that was an error. Szall has taken the Crosstalk brand to Cozy TV, a video platform that is heavily associated with Fuentes. The site is home to Fuentes broadcasts and the company that owns and operates Cozy is also headquartered at the same PO Box address as Fuentes America First Foundation. TPM emailed Szall to ask if he had any regrets about his own statements in light of his attorneys trying to make an issue of Peters divisive commentary. TPM also pressed him on how he could have concerns about that if he was apparently willing to work with Fuentes. Szall stood by his own remarks, though he suggested Witzke has not been involved in the Cozy broadcasts. You will never find us casting blame onto others for our own statements and behaviors, Szall wrote. I run a Bible study on Cozy, and Lauren doesnt make content anymore, as she is 7 months pregnant and her attention is focused entirely on her new and growing family. Szall also suggested Peters comments were included in the motion to show that the host had damaged his own brand separate from any harm he alleged was done by TLM. Any damages caused to Stew Peters reputation are entirely self inflicted- and no fault of Laurens or my own, Szall wrote. Correction: This article has been updated to fix a typo on the date of a request made by Witzke in October 2023 regarding her compensation. Minister President of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Manuela Schwesig and Minister President of Hesse Boris Rhein stand together at the start of the Bundesrat meeting. Kay Nietfeld/dpa On the 75th anniversary of the promulgation of Germany's de facto constitution, the Basic Law, the leader of the country's upper house has defended the federal system enshrined in it against criticism. The 16 federal states and the upper house, or Bundesrat, are a counterweight to an overly strong federal government, Bundesrat President Manuela Schwesig said in the chamber on Friday. At the same time, they work constructively on federal legislation. "And that has proved its worth," said Schwesig, who is also premier of the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. "People often complain about how complicated and perhaps too lengthy the democratic processes in Germany are. But there are historical reasons why decisions are not made by one person alone, but by many," said Schwesig. The Social Democrat (SPD) politician warned that living in peace, freedom and democracy today should not be taken for granted. "Even after 75 years, there are forces that do not stand on the ground of the liberal democratic basic order. And they are becoming more open again." Schwesig referred to hatred and hate speech on the internet and the recent attacks on politicians and volunteers. Violence should never be a means of political debate, she said. "We must protect our democracy," said Schwesig. At least one person killed in Israeli strikes deep inside Lebanon Lebanese soldiers secure the area that was targeted by an Israeli air raid in the village of Addousiyeh near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon. At least one person was killed and several others were seriously injured on Friday in Israeli strikes that hit an area close to the Lebanese port city of Sidon, some 55 kilometres north of the border with Israel, according to Lebanese reports. Marwan Naamani/dpa At least one person was killed and several others were seriously injured on Friday in Israeli strikes that hit an area close to the Lebanese port city of Sidon, some 55 kilometres north of the border with Israel, according to Lebanese reports. It was not immediately known whether the victims were members of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. According to Lebanese security sources, Israeli warplanes launched a series of raids deep inside southern Lebanon. The sources added that a municipal truck which had Syrian workers on it was also hit. According to Israeli military reports, northern Israel was earlier attacked with drones. Several aircraft entered Israeli airspace early on Friday morning and at least one was intercepted off the coast, Israeli broadcaster Kan reported, citing the Israeli army. The other drones caused no damage or injuries, the army said. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the attack. The group said that the drone attack was aimed at the headquarters of an artillery battalion near the Ga'aton kibbutz. The situation between Hezbollah and the Israeli military has been escalating. Since the beginning of the week, there has been heavy mutual shelling. Several people were killed on the Lebanese side, including a high-ranking Hezbollah commander. An Israeli soldier was also seriously injured on Wednesday. He was still in critical condition as of Friday, Kan reported. Since the beginning of the Gaza war after the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, Hezbollah has been firing rockets, artillery and anti-tank grenades into the north of Israel. Israel is using air and artillery strikes to combat Hezbollah's positions, which, according to a UN Security Council decision, should not be that close to the border. However, the Israeli military has also repeatedly attacked targets deep inside Lebanon and far from the border. There have been casualties on both sides. It is the most serious escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006. An ambulance that belongs to Pro-Iranian Hezbollah cuts its way through people as it moves outside an area targeted by an Israeli air raid in the village of Addousiyeh near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon. At least one person was killed and several others were seriously injured on Friday in Israeli strikes that hit an area close to the Lebanese port city of Sidon, some 55 kilometres north of the border with Israel, according to Lebanese reports. Marwan Naamani/dpa Lebanon County man sentenced to federal prison for role in Jan. 6 riot (WHTM) A man from the Midstate will spend nearly four years in federal prison for his role in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. Leo Brent Bozell IV, 44, of Palmyra, was sentenced to 45 months in prison followed by three months of supervised release. Bozell was convicted on four felony charges in September after a tipster identified him from the Hershey Christian Academy sweatshirt he wore during the riot. The U.S. Attorneys Office said Bozell assisted rioters as they assaulted police officers and charged into the building. Along the way, Bozell picked up a heavy metal object from the ground, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a release. Bozell rushed to the Senate Wing Door, making him one of the first rioters to reach the Capitol building. He used the heavy metal object and immediately started bashing the windowpane, striking it at least ten times and shattering the glass. They said he helped hundreds of rioters enter the building. Once inside, Bozell made his way into Nancy Pelosis office and then into the Senate gallery. He spent an hour inside the building. Bozell was a major contributor to the chaos, the destruction, and the obstruction at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, prosecutors said in a pretrial court filing. Bozells father is Brent Bozell III, who founded the Media Research Center, Parents Television Council and other conservative media organizations. Since the riot, over 1,424 people have been charged and authorities continue to investigate. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov. 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. Legislation enacting total ban on child marriage in Missouri dies in the House Sen. Holly Rehder, R-Scott City, prepares for the penultimate day of legislative session Thursday (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent). Child marriage will remain legal in Missouri for at least another year after Republican House leaders said they dont have enough time to pass it. Under current Missouri law, anyone under 16 is prohibited from getting married. But 16 and 17 year olds can get married with parental consent to anyone under 21. Under legislation that cleared the Senate with virtually no opposition earlier this year, marriage would be banned for anyone under 18. It was very surprising that the House has not allowed it to come to the body, said Republican state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder of Scott City, who sponsored the bill along with Sen. Lauren Arthur, a Democrat of Kansas City. Banning child marriage should not be controversial. When I filed this bill, I had no idea it would be controversial, Rehder added. The bill was stalled by a group of Republican critics in a House committee, who said it would constitute government overreach and infringe on parental rights. It finally passed out of committee this week after several of those critics were not present at the vote. But House leadership told reporters Friday morning it was too late to place the bill on the House calendar for debate. Session ends at 6 p.m. Theres some interest there, unfortunately the rules preclude us from doing that today, said House Majority Leader Jon Patterson, a Lees Summit Republican. Arthur said the failure is shameful. When I talk to people back home, theyre surprised to learn that minors can get married in the first place, Arthur said. And these are the kinds of headlines that my friends who are apolitical or live in different parts of the country send me and say, What is happening in Missouri? It makes us look bad, she said, but more importantly, were not doing enough to protect young girls who are forced into marriages and their lives are worse in every way as a result. Twelve other states have in recent years banned child marriage. Rehder said she was told only around 20 out of 163 House members were opposed. She also said the House could have voted to suspend its rules to allow the bill to be debated and passed before adjournment, but suggested that House Speaker Dean Plocher refused to let the bill move forward to avoid embarrassing Republicans who are opposed to banning child marriage. We have the votes, Rehder said, but it didnt come up because the speaker didnt want to put his members in a bad situation. Because you shouldnt be against banning child marriage. Rehder said shes hopeful the bill will succeed next year, in large part due to the public pressure of state and national media. You cannot sign a legal binding contract in Missouri until youre 18. But were allowing a parent to sign a child into a lifetime commitment. Its ridiculous. Rehder attributed some of the opposition to generational differences. People who have been against it the men who have been against it who talk to me about it have said, Oh, my grandmother got married at 15. Well, yes I did too, mine was 40 years ago, Rehder said. And it didnt work out because I was operating on not an adult mindset. Fraidy Reiss, an activist who founded the nonprofit against forced marriage Unchained at Last was active in testifying in support of the bill in Missouri and has worked nationally to pass similar legislation. Upon hearing the news, Reiss said: How can legislators live with themselves? She added that dozens of teens will be subjected to a human rights abuse and legally trafficked under the guise of marriage in the coming year, due to the failure to pass the legislation. How will they explain that to their constituents? The post Legislation enacting total ban on child marriage in Missouri dies in the House appeared first on Missouri Independent. Wisconsin State Capitol (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner) The Republican-led Assembly didnt attempt to overturn any of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoes during a two-day veto review session Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing the legislative session to an end without any successful overrides. The Senate voted to overturn nine of Evers vetoes on Tuesday including a bill directing how funding to combat PFAS can be spent and a bill to direct how the Department of Health Services (DHS) would spend $15 million in funding on grants for capital improvements for emergency medical services in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties. While Republicans in the Senate hold a two-thirds majority, Republicans are two seats short of the two-thirds supermajority that would allow them to override a veto without any Democratic votes. Ultimately, the Assembly didnt even meet to attempt to override any of Evers vetoes. Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) celebrated the failure of Republicans veto override attempts in a video posted to social media on Wednesday. We protected the veto all session long, Neubauer said. I am extremely proud of our team of Assembly Democrats who worked very hard over the last year-and-a-half to prevent the GOP from moving our state backwards. It was a long year-and-a-half of constant vigilance but above everything else, we knew that protecting Gov. Evers veto was essential. According to the Legislative Reference Bureau, Wisconsins Legislature has not overridden a governors veto since 1985. The post Legislative session ends without veto overrides appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. Press Release May 17, 2024 ZUBIRI: MORE INVESTMENTS WITH RBH 6 Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri explains the benefits of Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6 to the people during its first public consultation outside of Metro Manila. Introduced by Zubiri, RBH 6 seeks to amend Articles 12, 14 and 16 of the 1987 Constitution, addressing restrictions on foreign ownership in public utilities, educational institutions and the advertising industry. Zubiri said the Philippines needs to step up and make the country more conducive for investors. "The first reaction of the people is that they don't want foreigners to come in but we need more investments. (Like the) Texas Instruments, Philippines is here in Baguio City. Imagine if Texas Instruments will suddenly pull out of the country, how many thousands of jobs will be lost? We need more investments like this. We are already behind Vietnam and Indonesia because they offer very attractive incentive packages and they have no restrictions in their laws that prevents them from bringing all these investors," the Senate President told resource persons in Baguio City Friday, May 17, 2024. Texas Instruments Inc., is one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits. Baguio City Rep. Mark Go said an Asian Development Bank findings noted that in 2022, investments for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) totaled $224 billion with Singapore getting $141 billion in foreign direct investments; Indonesia, $21.97 billion; Vietnam with $17.9 billion; Malaysia, $17.1 billion; Thailand, $9.94 billion and the Philippines $9.02 billion. He said the Philippines got the tail end in terms of the total foreign direct investments in the ASEAN region because of the country's restrictive policies. (Mark Pimentel/Senate PRIB) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Alat Free Economic Zone (AFEZ) invites companies producing renewable energy-related equipment to organize enterprises in the AFEZ territory, Chairman of the Board of the zone Valeh Alasgarov said at the "Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum" event in Baku, Trend reports. "We welcome solar panel manufacturers, wind farm equipment producers, and other renewable energy component companies to the AFEZ," Alasgarov stated. He highlighted the attractiveness for prospective investors of the planned opening of a cargo airport in the first half of 2026. Initially, the cargo terminals at this airport will handle 500,000 tons of cargo annually, with plans to increase to about 1.5 million tons per year. "A key advantage of the AFEZ is its strategic location at the intersection of major transportation corridors, the Middle Corridor, and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)," he noted. The chair also announced the implementation of green certificates within the free economic zone and highlighted the existence of a preferential customs and tax regime in the area. To note, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on May 22, 2020, to establish and organize activities within the Alat Free Economic Zone in the Garadagh district of Baku. 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A growing share of Americans appears willing, in our ultra-polarized times, to put partisan or ideological loyalties ahead of democracy, a review of polls, focus groups and other analyses shows. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) A growing share of Americans appears willing, in our ultra-polarized times, to put partisan or ideological loyalties ahead of democracy, a review of polls, focus groups and other analyses shows. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Two Wisconsin legislative committees held a joint hearing Thursday on how state agencies are working to deter non-citizen voting, an illegal practice that studies across the country have shown is incredibly rare. Nevertheless, the prospect of non-U.S. citizens voting in the countrys elections has gained increased attention in recent years as Republicans have become more focused on alleged irregularities in the wake of former President Donald Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The Legislature has weighed in on the issue multiple times, passing a measure last year that would have required citizenship information to be included on drivers licenses. Republicans said including the information would make it easier for municipal election clerks to determine whether or not someone is eligible to vote, but Democrats said the measure could lead to discrimination. Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the bill but the Senate earlier this week voted to override it. The session ended without Republicans in the Assembly, who do not have the two-thirds supermajority required for an override, taking up the issue. Republicans also passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would only allow U.S. citizens to vote. Democrats said that measure is redundant because it is already federal law, though some municipalities across the country have allowed non-citizens to vote in local races. The proposed amendment will be on the ballot for voters approval in November. On Thursday, state officials outlined the many checks and balances in place to prevent non-citizens from registering to vote. WisDOTs role is to implement the law as passed by the Legislature, signed by the governor and adjudicated by the courts, Kristina Boardman, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation said. I want to make very be clear that WisDOT is required to provide free identification cards for U.S. citizens that request them for the purposes of voting, and that to be eligible for that free identification card, one must be a U.S. citizen. Also on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, who represents Wisconsins 1st Congressional District, chaired a hearing in the U.S. House Administration Committee on non-citizen voting. American elections are for American citizens and we intend to keep it that way, Steil said. The post Legislators hold hearing on non-citizen voting appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom. Let's be clear about what an "extreme" position on abortion looks like now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned. It is not what is currently under consideration in Minnesota under the proposed Equal Rights Amendment: constitutionally protecting the right of a pregnant woman and her doctor to decide what is medically appropriate care. Instead, extreme applies to rigid abortion restrictions, mainly enacted in southern states, that have left hospitals refusing to terminate a pregnancy until the woman is on the brink of death. Example: Jaci Stratton of Oklahoma, who developed a pregnancy complication that can cause hemorrhaging, infection and death, and was told by medical providers to wait in the parking lot "until she was actively crashing in front of them or on the verge of a heart attack." Thankfully, Minnesota women will not be told to wait until their life is in jeopardy before receiving care. In 2023, the state's DFL legislative majority codified abortion access with the Protect Reproductive Options (PRO) Act. But as Roe's downfall revealed, even longstanding guardrails protecting abortion access can come down with breathtaking speed. A change in legislative control in the state, for example, could lead to a weakening of the PRO Act, or even its demise. More durable protections, such as that provided by an addition to the state's Constitution, are urgently in order. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) currently under consideration at the Minnesota Legislature would provide them. In addition, the ERA would guarantee equal rights to historically vulnerable Minnesotans, preventing discrimination by the state due to race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, sex, gender identity or expression or sexual orientation. The ERA, various iterations of which have emerged for years at the Capitol, has had impressive momentum recently. A version passed the Senate last year with some Republican support, with the House taking up the bill and modifying it this session. In a news conference Thursday, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Jamie Long, both DFLers, made clear their commendable commitment to the ERA. The House had been expected to vote on its ERA bill early this week but faced delays. The House floor debate began on Friday but a vote hadn't taken place as this editorial was written. The strong support from Hortman and Long on Thursday, however, bodes well for the ERA to make it across the legislative finish line. If the measure passes, it must go before Minnesota voters for approval before it's added to the state Constitution. The House version of the ERA calls for this in 2026. The Senate version aimed for the ERA to go before voters this fall. The timing is one key difference between the two chambers' versions. The Star Tribune Editorial Board believes that women have waited long enough for the ERA's protections. The measure was among the highest-profile political issues of the 1970s. We prefer having a vote this fall. That said, the 2026 timing would give Minnesota voters time to thoroughly debate this constitutional change. Opposition to the bill has come from Republican leadership and some religious groups. A key flash point is that the House version does not include "religion" alongside race, color, sex, gender identity or orientation. The Senate version had the word "creed" in it, but the House's doesn't. "We have many concerns about the amendment language and its potential outcomes, the most alarming is the failure to protect people from discrimination based on 'religion,'" said Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, in a statement to an editorial writer. "As currently written, the ERA is not equality for all. It's special protection for some, and punishment for others. In doing the bidding of activists who want to harm religious communities that hold traditional views about sex and gender, legislators are enabling discrimination against all Minnesotans." But even a quick read of the Minnesota Constitution makes clear the strong safeguards in place for religious beliefs. The preamble mentions "religious liberty." Under Article 1, Sec. 16, states "no preference to be given to any religious establishment or mode of worship." Sec. 17 states that "religious tests" are prohibited to vote, hold office or to give evidence in any court of law. Adding the ERA to this document does not negate these protections. "The State Constitution already provides protections for religious liberty, even stronger than the federal level. If passed, the Minnesota ERA will secure protections for equal rights under the law for groups that don't yet have those protections written into the Constitution. This will ensure that every Minnesotan is included, and nobody is left out," said Jess Braverman, legal director for Gender Justice, an ERA advocacy group. Abortion opponents also object to the reproductive health care rights that the ERA would enshrine. An oft-played TV advertisement depicting a conversation between two women dubs the amendment "extreme," implying it would open the floodgates to abortions of healthy babies shortly before delivery. State statistics show that pregnancy terminations are rare after 24 weeks, with just two out of the 12,175 abortions occurring in 2022. In these situations, the procedure is one of heartbreak and medical urgency, not convenience. ERA opponents also claim that the amendment is deceptive in regard to the abortion rights it would enshrine. That's not true. Advocates have pointed to restrictions elsewhere as a reason the ERA is needed here. The language regarding pregnancy is also clear, and would protect access to fertility treatment and birth control as well. Minnesotans can and should be trusted to evaluate the amendment with care. Legislators should give them that opportunity and pass the ERA legislation this year. Editorial Board members are David Banks, Jill Burcum, Scott Gillespie, Denise Johnson and John Rash. Star Tribune Opinion staff members Maggie Kelly, Kavita Kumar and Elena Neuzil also contribute, and Star Tribune CEO and Publisher Steve Grove serves as an adviser to the board. Letters to the Editor: Mike Johnson showed up at Trump's trial. Is that part of the speaker's job? House Speaker Mike Johnson with former President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on April 12. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) To the editor: Are you kidding me? House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Sen. J.D.Vance (R-Ohio), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and others have sat in the Manhattan courtroom this week where Donald Trump is on trial to show their support for the former president. ("Michael Cohen is boring, and thats trouble for Trump," column, May 14) How ironic that they are in the building where the Central Park Five were wrongly convicted in 1990 but ultimately exonerated of crimes for which then-citizen Trump called for them to be executed. Shouldn't these lawmakers be in Washington working on issues to the benefit of the American people? Rob Parra, Rowland Heights .. To the editor: Michael Cohen, Trump's former longtime attorney, testified that he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to "stifle stories about sex that he feared could torpedo his [celebrity client's] campaign." In 2024, Cohen's former boss is using this trial to raise millions of dollars, in effect publicizing the same stories that he originally feared would sink his 2016 presidential campaign. Talk about a turn of events. Jonathan Kaunitz, Santa Monica .. To the editor: Maybe the ultimate irony of adult film star Stormy Daniels' testimony is that while our legal system could not save America from Trump, a former porn star seems to be doing it. The universe sure does work in mysterious ways. Dennis Clausen, Escondido This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. LifeSouth facing an emergency need for O-positive blood ALABAMA (WHNT) LifeSouth says the organization is facing a shortage that is causing a critical need for O-positive blood. LifeSouth reached out to News 19 Thursday to let us know their blood centers are facing a critical need for O-positive blood. Contractor injured after falling over 15 feet into hole under house The organization said they have only 90 units of O-positive throughout their entire footprint which includes Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Several hospitals rely on LifeSouth to make sure they have blood available to help patients. News 19 has compiled a list of LifeSouths donor centers across North Alabama where you can go to donate: 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. Lime executive reveals the future of alternative transportation: 'We've been so accustomed to just accepting cars and traffic as a way of life' Less than a decade ago, an alternative-transportation startup put 125 neon green bikes on a college campus in North Carolina and it hasn't looked back since. Lime is now a micro-mobility giant, offering affordable, low-carbon travel in 280 cities worldwide. Its e-bike, e-scooter, and e-moped users have logged more than 550 million rides since the company started. As more of us become accustomed to dockless bikes on sidewalks perhaps even hopping on an e-scooter to get around town Lime is keeping the wheels turning with a new campaign aimed to show just that: the broader picture of who's "Liming" these days. Hint: It's not just for commuters and bachelorette parties. In an exclusive conversation with The Cool Down, Carolyn Rosebrough, the company's chief brand and communications officer, takes us through why micro-mobility makes so much sense for daily riders, for company profits, and for the planet. Who's scootin'? "Our mission at Lime is to build a future where transportation is shared, affordable, and carbon-free," Rosebrough told us, but that doesn't mean sustainability is the only reason to jump on an electric bike or scooter. "Scooters and bikes were kind of just looked at as fun maybe even a gadget for a particular type of person. And so for us we get really excited when we tell the stories of our riders that are so much more than that." Lime's new "Why Do You Lime?" campaign goes behind the scenes for a dozen different riders. For example: the rider who uses a Lime bike to get to their book club the late-night user at the end of a long work shift the avid pickleballer getting to the courts on time Some riders prioritize the convenience, and for some, it's the satisfaction of zipping through traffic jams and avoiding paying for gas. For others, it's not missing the birth of a child?! "I remember one story," said Rosebrough, "how this gentleman almost missed the birth of his first child because of traffic. And so he got out and hopped on a Lime, and then he made it to the hospital." How safe are we talking? According to Rosebrough, "99.999% of our trips end safely and I think that stat sometimes comes as a surprise to people." Safety is a big hurdle for the micro-mobility industry at large, with injuries increasing an average of 23% annually since 2017. As one of the largest operators out there, Lime has a role to play in finding solutions by educating users on proper usage, encouraging helmets, and advocating for better micro-mobility infrastructure. "Something that we really advocate for as we work with our partners out there in the world is for more protected bike lanes. That's really important to help riders feel really confident and feel like they are riding in a place where they are safer from traffic and cars." Sustainability as a business strategy "I'm really proud to say that the last two years at Lime, we've had really, really great years, profitable years where we've seen ourselves grow to be the leader in the industry," said Rosebrough. "And I really believe that we have done that in addition to prioritizing sustainability." Whereas competitors have shuttered operations, in 2023 Lime grew by 30% and reached profitability while cutting its carbon pollution by nearly 40% since 2019. In 2023 alone, Lime riders spared over 33 million car trips, saving 1.6 million gallons of gas. That's in part because, per the company, every Lime ride uses 75% less carbon than a comparable car trip. Each vehicle is powered by renewable energy, as are Lime's warehouses and offices. Additionally, Rosebrough explained that design choices like introducing "swappable" batteries (which can switch between scooters and bikes) help operations become more efficient and more sustainable at the same time. "There's been a lot of design choices that we've made that are also more green, that ultimately also drive the business. Our operations are more efficient as a result of that." Bottom line: "The two can coexist. Making sustainable choices can still lead you to profitability as a business." How to get in the habit Many of us have core memories of learning to ride a bike as a kid the wobbly training wheels, the mushroom-sized helmet, the skinned knees. And in many ways, Lime is creating another formative experience for riders of all ages who are ditching cars for more agile ways to get around. For many Lime riders, the pandemic spurred the shift. "Covid was a real turning point for so many reasons," Rosebrough noted. "But in terms of the fact that we offer an open-air way to get around, we also saw a lot of people forming habits of riding bikes and scooters during that time period. And people who maybe wouldn't have considered it previously became more comfortable. "At the time, people weren't commuting to work as often and so therefore they were actually able to ride bikes and scooters to do other things in their lives. They would ride to brunch; they could ride to dinner; they could ride to run errands. "I really do think it's a habit-forming activity. The more you do it, the more you're used to it, and the more you find, 'Wow, it actually is quicker, it's convenient.' I think that can then drive the other behavior, which is [that] it's also greener. It's actually a better way, not just for me personally, but it's actually better for the planet as well." What's your vision for the future of micro-mobility? "For decades and decades and decades, we've been so accustomed to just accepting cars and traffic as a way of life. We expect to be sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. "I just don't think that's the only way, nor should that just be what we come to accept. "Let's have more outdoor dining and places for people to run around and breathe fresh air and ride bikes and play. And so I think the more that we can work together to get more people onto bikes, scooters, walking, public transportation and then get cities on board with more protected bike lanes, open spaces that's the future vision that we see at Lime." Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) On Memorial Day, Americans honor those who died while serving in the military. The holiday was established shortly after the Civil War and was originally called Decoration Day. It was a time for people to adorn the graves of soldiers who had died in battle, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Memorial Day became an official holiday in 1971, and was set as the last Monday in May. In West Michigan, people are commemorating with ceremonies, parades and picnics. Find a Memorial Day event near you: Grand Rapids Parade and ceremony | Saturday, May 25, 10 a.m. | Event details Allegan County Plainwell parade | Monday, May 27, 11 a.m. | Event details Saugatuck parade | Monday, May 27, 9 a.m. | Event details Wayland parade | Monday, May 27, 11 a.m. | Event details Barry County Gun Lake cruise | Monday May 27, 11 a.m. | Event details Middleville parade | Monday, May 27, 10:30 a.m. | Event details Berrien County St. Joseph parade | Friday, May 24, 12 p.m. | Event details Branch County Memorial Day kick-off weekend | Saturday, May 25, 1 p.m. | Event details Union City parade & cemetery service | Monday, May 27, 10:30 a.m. | Event details Calhoun County Spring Arbor Township parade and service | Monday, May 27, 12 p.m. | Event details Ionia County Portland cemetery ceremony | Monday, May 27, 10 a.m. | Event details Kalamazoo County Climax parade, festivities | Monday, May 27, 10 a.m. | Event details Fort Custer National Cemetery ceremony and wreath-laying | Sunday, May 26, 2 p.m. Kalamazoo parade, ceremony | Monday, May 27, 10 a.m. | Event details Kent County Cascade Township Memorial Day ceremony | Monday, May 27, 10 a.m. | Event details Rockford American Legion 102 Post ceremony | Monday, May 27, 11 a.m. | Event details Walker parade | Monday, May 27, 12 p.m. | Event details Inside woodtv.com: Storm Team 8 forecast Montcalm County Sheridan parade | Monday, May 27, 11 a.m. | Event details Muskegon County American Salute Concert in Muskegon | Monday, May 27, 10 a.m. | Event details Old Fashioned Days Memorial Day Parade in Fruitport | Monday, May 27, 11:30 a.m. | Event details Lakeside ceremony | Monday, May 27, 12 p.m. | Event details Muskegon parade, ceremony | Monday, May 27, 9 a.m. | Event details Newaygo County Fremont pancake breakfast, ceremony | Saturday, May 25, 8 a.m. | Event details Ottawa County Dont see your citys event on our list? Email us at ReportIt@woodtv.com. Be sure to include a link. 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. The list of unsolved Pa. crimes is growing. What could help police solve cases An Erie Bureau of Police veteran of more than two decades, Det. Sgt. Craig Stoker has seen firsthand how scientific breakthroughs have changed crime-solving. Stoker, who has been with the law enforcement agency since 1999, has been in the major crimes division since 2015 and was appointed cold case investigator in 2022. He helped to at last bring charges in the 34-year-old Helen Vogt homicide probe that year, where re-analysis of a bloody washcloth at a Pennsylvania State Police crime lab produced what authorities say is a match for Vogt's grandson, Jeremy Brock. "That's one of the things that cold case detectives look for is possible evidence that can be tested that's never been tested prior," Stoker said. Often, the problem for Stoker and colleagues across the commonwealth isn't a lack of evidence. The challenge in many instances rests with a lack of resources: manpower and money. "It seems that funding's always been a huge problem with cold cases," Stoker said. To conduct the testing and research critical to these investigations, creative crowdsourcing and additional police training is taking place in various parts of the state. These efforts may become increasingly necessary as the volume of unsolved crimes mount for already overextended departments, large and small. Erie Bureau of Police Det. Sgt. Craig Stoker helped organize a room full of case files at Erie City Hall. 'You get what you pay for' Pennsylvania's worst year on record for homicides occurred just three years ago, according to the nonprofit Murder Accountability Project. The commonwealth saw 1,050 murders in 2021. Statistics from the Murder Accountability Project compiled using FBI data and sourced by volunteers researching individual police departments suggest that the following year was the second-worst all-time with 896 killings. To date, fewer than half those cases appear to have been solved. This compounds an ever-growing list of unresolved acts of violence in the commonwealth. The Murder Accountability Project estimates the number of cold cases at nearly 10,000 in Pennsylvania alone since 1965. Thomas Hargrave, founder and chair of the project, sees some of the hurdles as almost uniquely American. In Denmark, a nation with a population of 5.9 million, comparable to the state of Maryland, there are around 50 homicides each year. Hargrave said Maryland has averaged more than 400 annually, meaning that the volume itself is challenging throughout most of America. Communication and coordination is another problem, according to Hargrave. State authorities in Denmark, for example, routinely follow up and assist local departments, resulting in a 98% case closure rate. Federal and state law enforcement only assist in the U.S. upon referral from the local jurisdictions. "They don't have the resources to handle the crime," Hargrave said of many municipal police departments in the United States. "It comes down to, you get what you pay for. Fixing it? I don't know. (But) the data screams that they need more of everything." Hargrave added that a lack of trust between law enforcement and minority communities, made worse by the murder of George Floyd in 2020 by a Minneapolis police officer, can be another issue. Despite technology that conceivably makes evidence-gathering much easier pervasive surveillance cameras, breakthroughs in DNA testing and personal cellphones that double as human tracking collars the homicide clearance rate in Pennsylvania has gotten worse. Philadelphia County is among the worst examples. In 1965, Pennsylvania's most populous county saw 205 killings. Of those 206 murders, the vast majority, 192, are solved. Every homicide from the following year, all 181, is closed. By comparison, there were a combined 1,080 Philadelphia County homicides in 2021 and 2022, with approximately 700 of them still unsolved. Brett Hambright, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, confirmed that his agency is limited by jurisdiction. He said the attorney general's team typically becomes involved in a case only when a county district attorney asks for help. "We cannot just take over a case that we feel has 'taken too long;' it must come via referral, and we do get those on homicide cases," Hambright said in an email reply to the USA TODAY Network. "However, there is not a Cold Case Unit in (our office) because we do not have a backlog of 'cold cases.' Rather, we work on the referrals we accept, as they come in, and there is no way of knowing what sort of cases those will be." To find justice for victims, at least one Pennsylvania county began leaning on its civic-minded residents an experiment that's already producing results. 'People want to get involved' David Pedri, who spent the first seven years of his professional career as a prosecutor, understands the difficulties of bringing a case to court. "There is technology out there now to solve a lot of them because of advances in DNA testing," he said. "However, it is extremely expensive for these sorts of tests to be completed." A few years ago, Pedri became president and CEO of the Luzerne Foundation, a philanthropic organization that connects local donors to charitable causes they care about. One such cause, spearheaded by Pedri and county District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce, is the foundation's Closing Cases Fund for homicides, missing persons and sexual assault investigations. Luzerne County residents who make tax-deductible donations to this fund finance the "case review, victimology, behavioral profiling, forensic testing, forensic consultation, interview techniques, and other investigative support measures" critical to finding answers. "It's not as easy as it sounds to do a DNA test," Pedri said. "The public looks at these things and says, 'Why not just get DNA? They do it on television all the time.'" Most police forces don't have in-house lab specialists or certified forensic genetic genealogists, according to Pedri. When a case has potential DNA, that evidence usually has to be re-analyzed and traced by third-party companies. This can cost police tens of thousands of dollars. "It's a matter of funding to tie up some of these old cases, I believe," Pedri said. "It's just not an item that gets put in peoples' budgets for that. It takes hours of dedicated work by trained lab professionals to correctly identify these things." This is what happened in 2022, when the Luzerne Foundation financed genetic genealogy testing of human remains discovered in 2012 in Newport Township. Researchers at Othram Inc. were able to link DNA from the remains to relatives of Joan Marie Dymond, a Wilkes-Barre girl who disappeared in 1969 at age 14. State police are now investigating Dymond's case as a homicide. "That family obviously knew that this young woman passed away, but they never had the closure," Pedri said. Because he and his board believe in the mission of the Closing Cases Fund, he added, they've waived all fees that would typically be collected on it. He's been encouraged by the overwhelming volume of small donations that support this work. "True crime is a big deal right now," Pedri said. "People are watching these shows, and every podcast is about true crime right now. People want to get involved with these things." State police, meanwhile, are looking in-house for new solutions to old cases. Return To View: Compelling true-crime audio longform program combined with storytelling Forensic genetic genealogy certification Myles Snyder, communications director for the Pennsylvania State Police, said his agency divides the commonwealth's counties up into the jurisdiction of several troop divisions. Each state police troop has at least one person assigned to the criminal investigative assessment, or CIA, which handles cold homicide and missing person cases. At headquarters in Harrisburg, according to Snyder, two investigators in the four-member CIA unit became certified in 2022 to conduct forensic genetic genealogy research. He said Pennsylvania State Police are the first agency in the Northeast to have this capability. This allows them to save money that would otherwise be spent on the forensic genetic genealogy services provided by third parties, often at a major expense. "You're kind of entering into an unknown contract because who knows how long it's going to take to do all the work," Snyder said. The four-person CIA team at headquarters cleared five long-term unsolved homicides in 2022 alone. Those recently certified state police troopers also identified a former Delaware County Jane Doe in May 2023, a feat that Snyder said wouldn't have been possible without the in-house forensic genetic genealogy capabilities. "We were extremely pleased that we could bring closure to the family and ensurance that missing loved ones are not forgotten," he said. State police are experimenting with other tactics as well. The agency recently unveiled PSP Tips, a social media-based initiative sharing information about approximately 100 unsolved cases throughout the state. Members of the public are additionally encouraged to provide leads with police anonymously and toll-free by calling 1-800-472-8477 or using a form found at www.p3tips.com. "We're hoping to see that grow," Snyder said of their social media following that's already surpassed 5,000. "That's where most people are. We're hitting the audience where people can share among friends." Police are also finding success in using DNA previously thought to be too old and deprecated to be useful, Snyder added, a nod to the improving science of forensic investigation. 'Today it's different' Even as the Vogt case proceeds to court, Stoker has plenty on his desk. He said he's looking at more than 40 unsolved homicide files, the oldest dating to 1980. "(I'm) sorting through them, finding cases that are possibly solvable," he said. Erie County, to Stoker's knowledge, doesn't have a foundation fund committed to unsolved homicides and missing persons. His position as cold case investigator was itself funded through $249,966 from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and he said they've applied for additional grants for lab testing services. Erie Bureau of Police Det. Sgt. Craig Stoker. Through additional community crowdsourcing and an increased police commitment to forensic genetic genealogy certification, victims' loved ones in Erie and across the state have a better chance of finding answers, if not justice. "Today it's different," Stoker said. "In the past you relied on a lot more interviews, fingerprints, door-to-door type of things. Now we do have access to cameras, cellphones ... the technology is a lot better." "With more funding, some of these cases would be able to get solved in time." Bruce Siwy is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Pennsylvania state capital bureau. He can be reached at bsiwy@gannett.com or on X at @BruceSiwy. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: New tech helps cops solve cold cases; funding, staff still issues Lithuania to supply Ukraine with 6 radars within German-led air defense initiative The Lithuanian government will provide Ukraine with six AMBER-1800 radars within the German-led air defense Initiative Immediate Action on Air Defence (IAAD), German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on May 17. Berlin launched the initiative in April amid Kyiv's increasingly dire need for air defenses, facing heavy Russian aerial attacks against population centers and the energy grid. Belgium and Canada have already publicly pledged to the initiative. The AMBER-1800 radar was developed by the Lithuanian company LitakTak. The radar was designed to automatically detect aerial targets, their azimuth, and range coordinates. The approximate date of the radars' arrival in Ukraine, as well as the amount of Lithuanian contribution, were not specified after the meeting between Pistorius and his Lithuanian counterpart Laurynas Kasciunas. Subscribe to newsletter War Notes Subscribe Pistorius said that Germany would also contribute to the Lithuanian initiative for demining in Ukraine. Initially criticized for its sluggish delivery of military aid to Ukraine following the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Germany has become the second-largest provider of military equipment after the U.S. Berlin has previously provided IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine, including three IRIS-T SLM systems, with a range of up to 40 kilometers, and one IRIS-T SLS, with a range of up to 12 kilometers. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 6 that Ukraine needed 25 Patriot air defense systems to cover the country's skies from Russian attacks. Read also: Ambassador: Germany to supply Ukraine with another IRIS-T air defense system in May Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A live cockroach was found at a pizza place in Newman and rodent droppings were seen at a Modesto doughnut shop during inspections conducted in late April and early May. The majority of the 2,400 permitted food service establishments in the county receive two unannounced routine food safety inspections per year, according to the Department of Environmental Resources. The website says inspection reports are scanned weekly. Food trucks that operate under a Stanislaus County Health Department permit are also inspected by the county, though those are scheduled and done at the departments office. Dirty conditions at a Stanislaus County restaurant? How to report health code violations Of the 58 restaurant inspection reports sent to The Modesto Bee on Thursday, four were not updated on the site as of Friday morning. If an inspection listed below needs clarification, business owners can email Modesto Bee reporter Dominique Williams at dwilliams@modbee.com. Rodent droppings found at one restaurant with multiple violations Violations were found during routine inspections of the following Stanislaus County food facilities during the week of April 29 - May 5. Only the dates of violations are listed. The details of the reports do not indicate whether a restaurant passed or failed inspection. Corrective actions may have been made by the business by the time of publication. The reports are linked. For updates on individual restaurants, search the DER website. GK Mongolian BBQ, 2300 Monte Vista Ave. in Turlock, had three remaining violations during a second reinspection on April 29. Inspectors observed a scoop and strainer in the walk-in refrigerator on top of soiled soy sauce containers lids. Grease and food debris accumulation was noted on several food contact surfaces throughout the facility. A stainless steel pan was in the mop sink. Per the person in charge, the pan is used to fill up the mop bucket and is not used for food storage. My Taco House, 3848 McHenry Ave. in Modesto, had four violations on April 30 one of them major. The walk-in refrigerator was registering at 45 degrees and the temperatures of potentially hazardous foods within the fridge ranged from 39 to 43 degrees (fridge and food must be 41 degrees or lower). There was significant grease and oil accumulation on the hood filters along the main kitchen line. Pots and pans were observed in the hand wash sink basin. The soap dispenser at the hand wash sink in the employee restroom was empty. Mountain Mikes Pizza, 2101 Standiford Ave. Suite K in Modesto, had five violations on April 30 one of them major. The salad bar cold holding unit was noted at 46 degrees (must be 41 degrees or lower). An accumulation of grime and food debris was spotted on the racks and the floor inside the walk-in refrigerator. The hand washing station faucet was loose and leaking. A dented food can was spotted in the dry storage area. Javis Mexican Restaurant, 50 S. Del Puerto Ave. in Patterson, had three violations on May 1. The drink pistol and holder at the bar were soiled with grime. Cardboard boxes of vegetables were stored directly on the floor of the walk-in refrigerator. Food utensils were stored with the handles down (must be stored with the handles up to prevent contamination). Dutch Bros, 901 N. Carpenter Road in Modesto, had three violations on May 1. There were no paper towels in several dispensers. The ice machine was not in operation and food handler cards were lacking. Marcellas Restaurant, 3507 Tully Road in Modesto, had 18 violations on May 2 one of them major. The interior walls of the ice machine had an accumulation of dirt and grime. There was an accumulation of food debris and grime on the racks in the walk-in refrigerator and the walk-in freezer. The floor in the walk-in freezer was soiled with food debris and dirt. There was an accumulation of grease on the exhaust hood. The kitchen floor was soiled with food debris and dirt. A sizable hole was spotted in the wall beneath the sink. There were broken floor tiles by the drain near the hand washing station and by the sink near the dishwasher. The freezer door gasket was worn out and the exterior wall of the walk-in refrigerator was damaged. The three-compartment sink faucet in the bar area was broken. Food was stored in uncovered containers. The hand washing station was obstructed with a food container and a hose. The dishwasher did not have sanitizer. The reach-in refrigerator handles were made from raw, uncoated wood that has a non-smooth, and not easily cleanable surface. The food safety certification was expired and the food handler cards were not available. Donut Deli, 1001 Kansas Ave. in Modesto, had three violations on May 2. Inspectors observed rodent droppings in a cabinet under the beverage dispenser. The caulking around both three-compartment sinks had mold buildup. The metal shelving in the bakery prep. area had heavy glazing accumulation. Other food facilities with three or more, or major, violations at the time of their inspections include: Live cockroach among violations that arent considered major Pizza Plus, 1420 Main Street in Newman, had one violation on May 1. Inspectors observed a live cockroach in a sticky trap in a cabinet under the beverage dispenser. According to Stanislaus County, other food facilities that had one to two violations, none of them major, are: Some Stanislaus County food facilities had no violations These food facilities had no violations, according to the county: Russian forces dropped explosives from a drone on the village of Stanislav in Kherson Oblast on the evening of 17 May. The attack injured Serhii Peretiatko, Head of the Novotroitske Village Military Administration. Source: Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of Kherson Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram Quote: "In the evening, the invaders dropped explosives from a drone on Stanislav. They hit a car driven by Serhii Peretiatko, Head of the Novotroitske Village Military Administration. He was injured in the chest, arm and leg. An ambulance is taking him to hospital." Details: Prokudin says that since the hromada headed by Serhii Peretiatko is under temporary occupation, the man has been helping his colleagues in Stanislav [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ed.]. Prokudin wished Serhii Peretiatko a speedy recovery. It is noted that Stanislav is one of the most dangerous settlements in Kherson Oblast, which is constantly under attacks by the Russian forces. Background: On 17 May, Russian troops dropped explosives on two residents of the village of Vesele in Kherson Oblast. Support UP or become our patron! BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Azerbaijani Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) is ready to provide all possible assistance to business and state entities of Azerbaijan before COP29, the center's Executive Director Fariz Jafarov said at the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event in Baku on May 17, Trend reports. He briefed on the importance of introducing cutting-edge technologies and using artificial intelligence in Azerbaijan's green economy. According to the official, the center is implementing 16 initiatives on cutting-edge technologies in the country. There is interest in the design of green buildings, the introduction of nanotechnology for the production of solar panels, and modern water purification and desalination systems. The Next Generation Technology Center has been created in Baku, he emphasized. Jafarov mentioned that the center is in constant interaction with the government of Azerbaijan on energy transition processes. To note, 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A local high school senior was killed in an ATV crash in Darke County Thursday night. Darke County Deputies and crews with North Star Fire, Ansonia Rescue, and Careflight were dispatched to the 7100 block of Goubeaux Rd on reports of a crash around 11:24 p.m. Thursday. >> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 1 dead, 1 injured after ATV crash in Darke County The preliminary investigation showed that a black ATV driven by 18-year-old Damian Bruns, of Versailles, was traveling in a field when it lost control and rolled several times. Bruns, a senior at Fort Loramie High School, was flown to Miami Valley Hospital where he died from his injuries. The news of his passing stunned the Fort Loramie community. It is a very tragic and sad loss to our entire community, Fort Loramie Local Schools Superintendent Daniel Holland told News Center 7, noting that some students have reached out to teachers and coaches to talk about the sudden loss. Holland said Bruns ran track for several years and was an All-Ohio Division VII football player this past fall. He described him as a young man that everyone wanted to be around. >> Judge rules tacos are Mexican-style sandwiches, opens doors for new restaurant in strip mall Just a great kid. You know, never met someone who was a stranger, Holland said. Just a friendly, fun, energetic you man and its just a terrible loss. Holland confirmed that Bruns was set to graduate this Sunday, May 19. His post-graduation plans were to attend the University of Cincinnati. As we reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, the high school gymnasium is already set up for the Class of 2024 graduation. The stage is set for the 65 graduates to receive their diplomas. The district has made the decision to go on with graduation on Sunday with plans to honor Bruns. >> Search resumes for missing man in Great Miami River in Dayton Bruns passenger on the ATV, 18-year-old Carly Graves, of Bradford, was transported to Wayne ER with non-life-threatening injuries. Neither she nor Bruns were wearing safety belts or helmets at the time of the crash. The crash remains under investigation. LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) Longview ISD announced that some high school students that participated in a prank vandalized the school and are suspended, barring them from participating in graduation. LIST: 2024 high school graduations across East Texas According to a release, several students were suspected of participating in a senior prank overnight between Wednesday and Thursday at the high school. Longview ISD announced that the suspected students are suspended and they will not participate in graduation on Friday night. The district announced that there were also students involved from a neighboring high school, Longview ISD has contacted officials from their districts as well. While we believe important milestones should be celebrated and we understand the long-standing tradition of senior pranks at high schools across the country there is a clear line between a prank and the destruction of public property. The disruption of student learning, monetary costs to our district, extra burden on our hard-working staff, and disregard for community property will not be tolerated, Longview ISD said. Tyler ISDs 2024 valedictorians, salutatorians reveal plans after graduation Longview ISD said that the extent of the damages is under investigation and being evaluated, they also said that the Longview Police Department is involved. Longview High Schools graduation is taking place Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Lobo Stadium. 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 KETK.com | FOX51.com. Take a look at the 'Mighty Dragon,' China's $120 million stealth fighter meant to rival the US Air Force's fifth-gen jets The Chengdu J-20 is China's most advanced stealth fighter jet. The J-20 reportedly had several encounters with the US-made Lockheed Martin F-35 jets in 2020. The Chinese air force has a fleet of more than 200 J-20 jets and the figure is only expected to grow. The Chengdu J-20 is China's most advanced stealth fighter. J-20 stealth fighter jet performs during the 2023 Changchun Air Show. Wan Quan/VCG via Getty Images The jet, nicknamed the "Mighty Dragon," was introduced to China's People's Liberation Army Air Force in March 2017. Manufactured by the Sichuan-based Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, the jet is considered one of China's most advanced military weapons. It debuted in November 2016 at the Zhuhai Air Show in Guangdong, China. The J-20 is only the world's third fifth-generation fighter jet in history, after the US-made Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35 jets. According to an analysis of the aircraft's serial numbers, as of 2023, the Chinese air force has a fleet of more than 200 J-20 jets and the figure is only expected to grow. The Chinese jet has drawn comparisons to the F-35 since the jets were locked in military encounters in 2020. The Chengdu J-20 and the Lockheed Martin F-35. Ju Zhenhua/Xinhua/Getty Images; rancho_runner/iStock /Getty Images Plus The F-35 jet was introduced to the US military in July 2015. There are three variants of the jet: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A, the short takeoff and vertical landing F-35B, and the carrier-based F-35C. The variants are differentiated by how the jet takes off and lands. Lockheed Martin touts the F-35 as the "most advanced fighter jet in the world," with very low observable stealth, advanced sensors, information fusion, and network connectivity. But there's stiff competition from the J-20. The F-35's close encounters with the J-20 in the East China Sea in 2022 impressed a top US Air Force general, the South China Morning Post reported. Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the head of US Pacific Air Forces, said in 2022 that the US had some impressions of the J-20's performance and was tepid about its capabilities. "It's not anything to lose a lot of sleep over, but they seem to be a building a lot of them, and certainly, we're watching them closely," Wilsbach said. The J-20 is a long, wide aircraft, measuring 23 meters in length and 5 meters in height. A J-20 stealth fighter jet deploys orange parachutes on on the runway during the 2023 Changchun Air Show. Jia Tianyong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images The jet is believed to have a maximum speed of 2,468 kph and a travel range of 5,926 kilometers, according to the aviation website Aero Corner. By comparison, the F-35A has a maximum speed of 1,960 kph and a range of 2,200 kilometers, according to the Royal Australian Air Force. The J-20 is an enigma and Western estimates of its capabilities range widely. There are several variants of the J-20. J-20 stealth fighter jets perform during the 2023 Changchun Air Show. Jia Tianyong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images Some notable variants are the J-20A, the first version of the jet, the thrust-vectoring J-20B, and the J-20S, the first twin-seat stealth fighter jet. China is working on upgrading the J-20 by increasing the number of missiles it can carry and installing thrust-vectoring engine nozzles, according to the Pentagon's China Military Power Report released last October. The J-20 was initially fitted with Russian-built engines. J-20 stealth fighter jets rehearse for an air show. VCG/VCG via Getty Images China later developed the Shenyang WS-10 engine to lessen its dependency on Russia for fighter aircraft engines. Last summer, video footage of J-20 test flights led to speculation that the PLAAF equipped its Might Dragon fleet with a more advanced WS-15 turbofan engine. China has struggled to build an engine capable of sustaining supersonic speeds without an afterburner similar to that of the US F-22 Raptor. "No one wants the Chinese to become capable of designing and building their own jet engines," a retired intelligence officer from a NATO country told Breaking Defense in 2023. "It would move the threat marker as to their air power capability up more than just a couple of notches. But they seem to be close to that goal whether we want them to be or not." The jet costs between $100 million and $120 million a unit, according to The EurAsian Times. A J-20 stealth fighter jet is seen on a runway while rehearsing for an air show. Wang Jingtian/VCG via Getty Images In the early 2000s, the preliminary cost of the jet was quoted to be 450 million to 500 million Chinese yuan, or about $60 million to $70 million, The Diplomat reported. According to estimates from multiple reports, the cost of the jet has increased significantly since then. The jet's research and development cost was estimated to cost over 30 billion yuan, the South China Morning Post reported. Editor's note: This article was first published in June 2022 and has been updated to reflect recent developments. Read the original article on Business Insider Louisiana doctor's plane 'out of control' while heading to Louisville, officials say The single-engine, fixed wing plane that crashed south of Nashville in Williamson County was "violently out of control" before the crash, officials said. "The wreckage is over a half-mile radius," National Transportation Safety Board investigator Aaron McCarter said during a 3 p.m. news conference Thursday. "It was widely dispersed, indicative of an in-flight break up." The plane was registered to Dr. Lucius Doucet III in January, according to records kept by the Federal Aviation Administration. Doucet was identified as a victim in the crash by his employer, Williamson Cosmetic Center, a medical spa in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The other two victims were identified as his two adult children, Giselle and Jean-Luc Doucet, Lousiana State University announced. More: Private plane from Louisiana crashes south of Nashville, killing three: What to know Officials have not yet publicly identified the victims, but they said they are all adults. Pieces of the plane are spread out around hilly and flat terrain, in water and over farm land, McCarter said. Between 15-20 people are on site collecting parts of the plane for transport to a secure facility in Springfield, Tennessee. 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. McCarter estimated Thursday that they've collected about 75% of the plane. "We have all four corners. The tail, both wings and the majority of the fuselage," McCarter said. He did not yet have an explanation for the in-air break-up, but said he'd look at the human, machine and environmental elements. "We do have reports of some minor convective activity. If weather didnt cause the accident, it was a factor in it," he said. The plane did not have a black box, but did have two data cards, McCarter said, though he's unsure if any information will be recovered from them. The first 911 call came in at 12:05 p.m., Williamson County EMA spokesperson Jill Burgin said Wednesday. The caller reported hearing a loud sound and seeing debris, she said. The plane, identified as a Beech V35, N47WT, took off from Baton Rouge, Louisiana around 8:53 a.m., according to FlightAware, a tracking website. The plane was scheduled to land in Louisville, Kentucky around 1 p.m. A flag declaring evidence is placed off Natchez Trace 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. Dr. Lucius Doucet III, and his children Doucett was a practicing plastic surgeon in Baton Rouge. He graduated from Tulane University Medical School in June 1987, a spokesman for the university said. He completed a general surgery residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center before he was accepted into a plastic and reconstructive surgery fellowship at the University of California-Davis School of Medicine, according to a biography from Williamson Cosmetic Center. "His love of family, food, and music led him back to Louisiana," according to his biography. "He enjoys spending time with his family and friends when he is not pursuing his favorite hobby, aviation." According to a post on his instagram page, Doucet had been a licensed pilot since 2016. He was a father of three. The Williamson Cosmetic Center said the sudden loss of Doucet "has left a deep void in our hearts and in our practice," according to a Facebook post made Thursday morning. "Dr. Doucet was not only an exceptional surgeon, but also a compassionate man who touched the lives of countless individuals within our community," the center said. "His dedication to his patients was unmatched, and his kindness and empathy were felt by all who has the privilege of knowing him." LSU to honor plane crash victims Giselle and Jean-Luc Doucet Giselle and Jean-Luc Doucet were both seniors at Louisiana State University and were scheduled to graduate Friday, the university said. "We are devastated to hear this news, and our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Doucet family and all those close to them," the university said. "We will honor both students at their respective commencement ceremonies, and we will do everything possible to help support those in our community who are impacted by this tragedy." This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee plane crash: Dr. Lucius Doucet, LSU students among victims Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised. Lucy Letby is a child serial killer who killed infants by physically assaulting them, injecting air into their bloodstream, poisoning them with insulin, and overfeeding them with milk. Per a report by The Guardian, Letby is currently incarcerated at the HMP Low Newton, a high-security prison in Durham, England. She has been booked at this prison house since her conviction in August 2023. A former neonatal nurse at Chester Hospital in Cheshire, England, Lucy Letby was accused of 22 counts of murder and attempted murder. Reporting about an instance of attempted murder, People Magazine noted that Letby tried to attack a baby while the nurse who was assigned to care for her was on a break. A doctor revealed during the trial that she overfed the baby with milk. Moreover, the amount of milk that was fed to the baby could not have been an accident. The parents of a victim accused Letby of attempting to kill their infant three times. They alleged that the former nurse gave the baby an excess of air and clear liquid, endangering the childs life in the process. The murder attempts reportedly led to the baby going through irreversible brain damage and quadriplegia cerebral palsy. She also attempted to murder a different set of triplets. She managed to kill two of them and tried to kill the third. During another murder, she reportedly refused help from a co-worker who offered to take a look at the struggling infant. This raised suspicions about her intentions. After killing the babies, she reportedly cried sometimes. She also bathed and dressed the babies bodies for burial, AP News reported. When was the child serial killer convicted? Lucy Letby was convicted of killing seven newborn babies and attempting to kill six others. The New Yorker reported that Letbys trial was one of the longest trials in English history, receiving much public attention. After she was accused, the British governments Health Secretary announced that they would lead an investigation into how the hospital allowed the consistent killing of babies. An investigation followed after a high number of deaths were reported in the neonatal care unit of Chester Hospital in 2016. Experts also could not identify a medical explanation for the high number of deaths. According to The New York Times, the hospital lacked proper staffing, adequate employment in the senior staff members, and poor decision-making in the neonatal care unit. When no solid reason for the deaths was found, the hospital contacted authorities in 2017. Police reportedly said that they were examining the medical records that might reveal other cases of Letby causing harm to the patients. People Magazine noted that Letby was allegedly in charge of most of the babies who were killed. One of the doctors at the hospital claimed that he saw the nurse watching over an infant with a dislodged breathing tube. She was reportedly watching as the infants oxygen levels dropped without doing anything about it. Letby was arrested three times before her final conviction in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Her trial began in October 2022, and she was finally convicted on August 18, 2023. Three days later, she received her sentence. How much prison time did Lucy Letby get? The outlet reported that Lucy Letby was sentenced to life in prison on August 21, 2023. Aside from medical records, social media history, text messages to friends, handwritten notes, staffing schedules, and diaries, police reportedly found several notes at her residence that consisted of a confession. They also discovered sheets of paper containing some of the names of her victims, per NBC News. Furthermore, authorities found out that Lucy Letby had searched extensively about the parents of the children she had killed. She often stalked them on social media. Letby pleaded not guilty, and her defense team argued that the deaths were a result of a system that was inefficient and was looking for someone to blame, BBC reported. The former nurse reportedly appealed her conviction and is waiting for approval. If her request is denied, it will be the end of her appeals process, according to The New Yorker. A report by CNN noted that consultants raised their concerns over the rising mortality rate in the hospital. However, the management allegedly ignored the concerns. Lucy Letby reportedly complained against her employers. This was because she was relocated owing to the accusations against her in the neonatal ward. She was put on clerical duties a little while after the triplets were attacked. The post Lucy Letby: Where Is the Convicted Serial Killer Now? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. LUFKIN, Texas (KETK) The City of Lufkin and Nacogdoches County have seen heavy rain the last few weeks, and it isnt done yet. Flood Watch For Portions Of East Texas until 7 AM Tomorrow Last couple of weeks, weve had a tremendous amount of rainfall, and on Sunday we experienced pretty widespread flooding in the City of Lufkin, which is very unusual, Lufkin Fire Department Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Jesse Moody said. Moody said the amount they have received is hurting their residents and theyre expecting another 4 to 6 inches of rain on top of that. This is economic impacts to the citizens and people are out of their house, if someones house is flooding, theres a substantial health issue with the mold that grows, etc., Chief Moody said. Downed trees in Lufkin. Photo courtesy of the City of Lufkin. A downed tree in Lufkin. Photo courtesy of the City of Lufkin. A downed tree in Lufkin. Photo courtesy of the City of Lufkin. Rain in Nacogdoches near Banita Creek. Rain in Nacogdoches near Banita Creek. Rain in Nacogdoches near Banita Creek. Photo courtesy of the City of Lufkin. As rain continues to fall across Deep East Texas, authorities in both Nacogdoches County and Lufkin are staying prepared in case of anything. Weve put extra people on duty, we have a water rescue team on duty, the state has stationed a water rescue team from Texas Task Force 1 here in Lufkin, Moody said. Beaumont transient sentenced to 8 years, 9 months for carjacking crime spree The City of Lufkin reported that fallen trees are blocking roads at: E. Groesbeck Street 500 block of S. Third St. near E. Jodie Avenue 600 block of Card Drive near Courtney Lane Nacogdoches County Public Information Officer Tim Monzingo advised people to stay off the roads if water starts to rise and to make sure you are prepared for the worst. Make sure that you have your devices charged, backup batteries, you got fuel for your generator, thats stuff you should just keep on hand, Monzingo said. With the ground already saturated from weeks of rain Monzingo also warned residents to watch out for falling trees. If you start seeing trees leaning or something like that, towards a home or an outbuilding, dont let anybody sleep in the room with the tree starting to tilt towards that, Monzingo said. The best advice is to stay home, and have an evacuation plan in case you need to leave. 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 KETK.com | FOX51.com. The Falklands Conflict, April - June 1982, Naval Party 8901, the Royal Marine garrison of the Falkland Islands evicted by the Argentine invaders, with the Falkland Islands flag outside Government House, Port Stanley, after the Argentine surrender Its now 42 years since Argentina embarked on its doomed attempt to take the Falkland Islands by force and to subjugate the Britons who had lived there for so long. Having been humiliated and kicked out by the British Task Force a mere 70 days later, you might have thought Argentina had learned its lesson: that the Falkland Islanders will fight to the last man and woman to defend their homeland, and Britain will always support them. But not a bit of it. Just this week, we hear how Argentinas new leader Javier Milei plans rapprochement with the West as his countrys latest tactic to grab the Islands. Well, it makes a change from the serial bullying of former Argentine administrations, not least that of Cristina Kirchner, famous for trying to ambush David Cameron at the G20. But, still, we can give Milei this piece of advice: youre wasting your time, mate. Not that itll stop Argentine veterans from blathering on about the supposed justice of their cause. So, lets remind them that this was a war of unprovoked aggression by a huge country against a tiny population of fewer than 2,000 people possessing little more than a couple of pistols between them. And it was directed by a failing Junta, best known for killing political opponents by dropping them out of aeroplanes, and whose aim was purely to distract attention from its diabolical record at home. But the veterans, far from turning their ire on the chaotic, murderous government that sent them into slaughter, remain obsessed by the warped idea that those Islands are somehow theirs. They also complain, without a hint of irony, about the reception the Islanders give them when they visit the Argentine cemetery. Perhaps they should ask themselves why they invaded and inflicted such misery, and why the Islanders, to this day, have to put up with Argentine visitors provocatively waving their flag around and writing abusive comments in the church register, and stupid gimmicks, like a film crew landing illegally to show an Argentine athlete running around before the Olympics. You might have seen the Mitchell and Webb sketch about German officers in the Second World War, with one asking plaintively Are we the baddies?. Clearly, those Argentine veterans havent. Having visited the Islands several times in the last decade, I can assure Argentina that the Islanders are in no mood to forget. Time hasnt healed wounds, and many of the traumatised children of 1982 are now in leadership positions. Those who lived in Stanley remember the terror of seeing a huge foreign army invading their community, imposing a curfew and barking orders. Those in the tiny village of Goose Green recall Argentine soldiers rounding everyone up and shoving them for a whole month into the minute community hall, with one toilet between them. Think of the Black Hole of Calcutta. One 1982 teenager described to me how soldiers marched him out of his own home. I can still feel the gun in my back, he said, shaking his head with a tear in his eye. He went onto serve as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for many years, and is still an important voice in the Islands. And todays young people? They are as determined as ever to protect their sovereignty. A referendum in 2013 came back with a stunning result: 99.8% of Islanders wanted to stay British. A repeat vote today would achieve the same result. So, Argentina needs to get into its head that the invasion and appalling treatment of the Islanders are as fresh in the memory as though they happened last week. It means no amount of desperate Argentine tactics will make the slightest difference. So, dream on, Javier Milei, the Falklands are British for good. 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. Im going to kill Danielle: Threats made before East St. Louis shooting, witnesses say A woman charged with murder had threatened to kill the victim before the fatal shooting, which was recorded on a surveillance video outside an East St. Louis nightclub, a St. Clair County prosecutor said. Lakecia S. Cole, 45, of Cahokia Heights made the threats against 39-year-old Danielle R. Williams, who was shot and later died in a St. Louis hospital, a prosecutor said during a pre-trial detention hearing. Cole has been charged with first-degree murder. St. Clair County Associate Judge Sara L. Rice on Thursday ordered Cole to remain in jail until her trial. Judges have been holding detention hearings for people charged with serious offenses since Sept. 18 when Illinois ended its cash bail system. A surveillance video from Another Level nightclub shows Cole grabbing an item from her car at about 1:40 a.m. Monday, according to St. Clair County Assistant States Attorney Derek Smith. The video also shows Williams being pistol whipped and a muzzle flash from a gun being fired at Williams, Smith said. Smith said responding police officers heard Williams say help as she was being put into a private vehicle that took her to St. Louis University Hospital. Williams, of East St. Louis, was pronounced dead at 5:19 a.m. Monday, according to the St. Louis Medical Examiners Office. Smith said Cole and Williams had been in a dispute but he did not report why the two women were fighting. The prosecutor told Rice that a witness said she heard Cole say, Im going to kill that bitch. Im going to kill Danielle. Another witness also told police she heard Cole threaten to kill Williams, Smith said. When police officers arrived, they saw Cole being restrained by a man outside the club in the 600 block of Martin Luther King Drive. Rice noted Cole did not appear to have a felony record but ruled she is considered a real and present threat to the community since there is video evidence and multiple witnesses made statements against her. Rice also acknowledged Williams was shot multiple times. St. Clair County Public Defender Cathy MacElroy asked Rice to allow Cole to leave the St. Clair County Jail while the murder charge was pending and noted the allegations were completely out of character for Cole. Cole had been working full time as a certified nursing assistant and caring for her father in Cahokia Heights, MacElroy said. Rice called the case doubly tragic before ruling that Cole should remain in jail. Williams death marked the fifth homicide in East St. Louis as reported in the Belleville News-Democrat this year. Belleville News-Democrat reporter Carolyn P. Smith contributed information for this article. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The Azerbaijani government is in the process of drafting third-generation national climate plans (Nationally Determined Contributions) aligning with the country's obligations under the UN Paris Climate Agreement, Deputy Chief of Service, 3rd Degree State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy Samira Musayeva said at the Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum, Trend reports. "These documents align with the country's commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Climate objectives will be integrated with the country's economic and investment policies, ensuring coordination," she stated. The official mentioned that various state institutions and businesses in Azerbaijan were actively involved in this endeavor. "In consideration of contemporary challenges and the country's economic development, strategic geographic location, and export markets, relevant ministries and agencies are engaged in this process," Musayeva elaborated. Regarding decarbonization measures, she indicated that fiscal initiatives could commence in 2025, with ongoing consultations with Boston Consulting Group on this matter. "All fiscal regulation instruments will be aligned with national decarbonization efforts," Musayeva affirmed. The exploration of carbon tax implementation in Azerbaijan is also underway. "While Azerbaijan currently lacks a carbon dioxide emissions trading system, it's crucial to acknowledge the EU's plan to introduce cross-border carbon emissions taxes in 2026. This may impact the competitiveness of Azerbaijani exporters in global markets," she emphasized. The EU will encourage technologies that reduce carbon emissions and the availability of "green" certificates. To note, EU member states agreed to apply carbon taxes at the border to select products imported from third countries, starting in 2026, including cement, aluminum, fertilizers, electricity, iron, and steel. However, goods valued at less than 150 euros will be exempt from these rules initially, with the list of affected products expected to expand in the future. 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 world's center, receiving about 7080,000 foreign guests. At the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, the United Nations signed the Framework Convention on Climate Change as an agreement to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. The COP takes place annually, unless the parties agree otherwise. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel It was scandalous enough when Politico reported two weeks ago that oil industry executives were writing up presidential executive orders now, in the hopes that Donald Trump will simply sign them if/when he returns to the White House. A few days later, however, The Washington Post took a dramatic next step, reporting on the former president recently huddling with Big Oil leaders at Mar-a-Lago. If the account is accurate, the Republicans presumptive presidential nominee told the oil industry executives that they should raise $1 billion to return him to the White House and if they did, hed reward them by eliminating environmental safeguards and approving new tax breaks. The deal that Trump described, the Post added, stunned several of the executives in the room. This has not escaped Democrats attention. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, for example, told The New Republics Greg Sargent that its highly likely the Democratic-led Senate Budget Committee would examine the revelations. Referencing both the Posts report and the aforementioned Politico article, the Rhode Island senator concluded, Put those things together and it starts to look mighty damn corrupt. Soon after, the Post reported that House Democrats have launched a probe of their own. The article added that Oversight Committee Democrats sent the letters to the CEOs of Cheniere Energy, Chesapeake Energy, Chevron, Continental Resources, EQT Corporation, ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum, and Venture Global, as well as the head of the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industrys top lobbying arm in Washington. Those expecting helpful responses should probably keep their expectations low: House Democrats are in the minority, which means they lack subpoena power. The oil industry executives who received the requests for information could throw the correspondence in the trash, and theres nothing the lawmakers could do about it at least for now. (If Democrats were to return to the majority, it would be a different story.) Nevertheless, the outreach from the Oversight Committees Democratic members not only reflected the partys interest in the issue, it also helped keep the story alive. Similarly, Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared this week at a conference hosted by Pope Francis at the Vatican, where the California Democrat raised the issue anew. Open corruption, Newsom said to an international gathering of religious officials, scientists, and political officials. A billion dollars to pollute our states, to pollute our country, and to pollute this planet and to roll back progress in the open. To be sure, I dont seriously expect this story to lead to Trumps fifth criminal indictment, but the ongoing Democratic focus is notable, especially in an electoral context. As we discussed the other day, theres a chunk of the electorate that still believes the presumptive GOP nominee is a populist who cares about regular, working-class people. This controversy offers timely evidence to the contrary: An oil billionaire organized a gathering at the former presidents glorified country club, where Trump made a brazenly transactional pitch to oil executives, whom he expects to help put him in the Oval Office, at which point hell fulfill their anti-environmental dreams. A man of the people he is not, unless the people in question are wealthy Big Oil elites. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Todays edition of quick hits. * Oct. 7 victims: Israeli officials on Friday announced that their forces in Gaza had recovered the bodies of three revelers killed by Hamas attackers near the Supernova, or Nova, music festival on Oct. 7. * In related news: Trucks carrying humanitarian aid began moving ashore into Gaza Friday using a temporary pier built by the United States, delivering desperately needed supplies to the besieged Palestinian enclave. The floating dock is part of a makeshift effort to stave off a possible famine in Gaza, where Israels military assault has shut off a number of crossings that are crucial for supplies of food, fuel and other aid. * The latest Jan. 6 sentence: [Brent Bozell IV, a] man whose family members were key architects of the American conservative movement, was sentenced Friday to nearly four years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. * This plea shouldn't be confused with Eastmans other plea in Georgia: John Eastman, a former attorney for former president Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges related to a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. * If theres a persuasive defense for this, Im not aware of it: More than a year after a Travis County jury convicted Daniel Perry of murdering a protester in Austin, Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned Perry, 37, on Thursday shortly after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended a full pardon. A Texas state district court judge sentenced Perry in May 2023 to 25 years in prison for shooting and killing U.S. Air Force veteran Garrett Foster during a 2020 demonstration protesting police brutality against people of color. * The latest Republican-imposed trainwreck: A House Oversight Committee meeting Thursday night devolved into chaos amid personal attacks and partisan bickering in a rare evening session that was supposed to center on a resolution recommending Attorney General Merrick Garland be held in contempt of Congress. The already tense hearing was derailed when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., responded to a question from Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, by saying, I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. * Even by contemporary standards, this is unusually bonkers: Republican senators in North Carolina passed a bill Wednesday revoking a pandemic-era law allowing for masks to be worn in public for health concerns. * Hmm: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell opened a new front in his battle to shape the Trump-era GOP this week when he torched Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and called out Republicans who have sought to boost the far-right strongman. Have a safe weekend. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Made me a leader. Why this Palisades High senior is just fine in uncharted territory Nadia Sesay is comfortable in uncharted territory. The soft-spoken, upbeat senior at Palisades High School is a first-generation American, the daughter of immigrants from Sierra Leone and spent Saturdays during her childhood listening in on her family members meetings with immigration lawyers. Now, she wants to become one. Less than three generations ago, the women in my family didnt even attend school, so being a first-generation American is a huge honor for me, Sesay said. From the time I was a little kid, Ive desired to be in that space where people can come to me and I can help them. Sesay is among 412 students comprising the first graduating class of Palisades High School. On June 11, she and her classmates will be the first people to walk across the stage with a Palisades diploma. We really are everything coming together in CMS from completely different backgrounds: there are people from Olympic, Harding, East Meck, Sesay told The Charlotte Observer. There are people from rivaling high schools now going to school together. Starting high school during a pandemic This years graduating seniors started ninth grade online during the 2020-2021 school year. They are first class to enter high school remotely after the pandemic started. It changed everything. For me, everything felt a little delayed, Sesay said. My tenth grade year felt like ninth grade, in terms of my social learning. Sesay told one teacher before she came back to in-person school the prospect of seeing her old peers again made her nervous. Shed forgotten how to talk to people. You know, learning things about friends or peers or the opposite sex there really are such fundamental milestones that you have throughout high school, and I feel like that was a little delayed for me and I can only imagine others, too, Sesay said In August 2022, Palisades High School opened its doors. It was built to relieve overcrowding at surrounding campuses like Olympic High School, where Sesay started her high school career. It represented a new beginning for those moving to Palisades. Nadia Sesay is in the Palisades High School inaugural graduating class of 2024. Sesay is a first-generation American whose family came from Sierra Leone, West Africa. Sesay is the Palisades Student Body President and will be attending Spelman College in the fall. We have diversity that I dont think we even had at Olympic, she said. Even if you look out in the parking lot, I have a friend that drives here every day in a Tesla, and then there are people that have hand-me-down, hand-me-downs With this patchwork of experiences comes the challenge of creating a shared identity. You hit roadblocks and obstacles as you work to find your identity and who you are because we all came from different places, said Palisades principal Erik Olejarczyk, who previously had been the principal at Olympic High School. They had different identities of what it meant to be an Olympic Trojan or a Harding Ram, and now they had to figure out what it means to be a Palisades Puma, and thats something that was a challenge because its outside their comfort zone. And our staff was experiencing the same thing. A unique graduating class Olejarczyk told his staff ahead of the start of this school year they were entering their second first year, as the school continued to shape itself. This year was the first time the school had students in all four grade levels. Sesay says the process of creating Palisades has been largely student-led, with the help of administrators who empower them to make their visions a reality. Sesay is also the senior class president and involved in Model U.N. and the schools Christian club. I think the main way weve done that is with events and organizations, just making sure were engaging the student body and evaluating how they feel, Sesay said. There are already 41 clubs and organizations at Palisades, according to the schools website. Most of its students came from schools with around 20 clubs. My role as principal was to remove the obstacles and empower the students to create opportunities to build culture through clubs and other events, Olejarczyk said. I think the majority of our students are really starting to understand what it means to be at Palisades and the majority of our clubs are very successful. He says the senior class is largely to thank for the surge in student engagement. For example, the class wanted a prom last year, despite not having a senior class or funding for the event at the time. Instead, they planned fundraisers themselves to collect the needed cash and ultimately were able to put on the event. I think this senior class has done a remarkable job of setting up this culture and creating a legacy that will transcend the rest of the years that Palisades High School is standing, said Olejarczyk. Sesay admits she wasnt ready to leave Olympic when she was rezoned to Palisades. However, she said the change has shaped her. And shes not alone. There wasnt anything established when we got here, so we really had to do it ourselves. I do think that it made me a leader, Sesay said. When you look at our school, a lot of the main leaders at this school werent necessarily leaders at Olympic. I think its really brought the leader out in everybody. Sesay plans to study political science in the fall at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. For law school, she already has her sights on Syracuse University, the University of Georgia or Columbia University, but she says, when it comes down to it, only God really knows. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) Police audio obtained by WFLA reveals what Stephan Sterns, the man accused of murdering 13-year-old Madeline Soto, told police the day after his stepdaughter went missing. Sterns sat down with detectives at the home he shares with Soto and her mother on the morning of February 27, the day before the Osceola County Sheriffs Office declared him the prime suspect in the girls missing persons case. The interview was held before Sterns was charged with 60 child sex crimes and first degree murder in Sotos death. Madeline Soto case: Potential evidence revealed in Florida teens death investigation The 43-minute audio file, provided by the State Attorneys Office, details detectives attempts to piece together what happened the morning before the teenager was reported missing. Sterns was the last person to see Soto alive. Sterns reported splitting his time between the Kissimmee home and his parents house in North Port. He had not resided with Soto and her mother since December, according to the interview. What happened the day Soto went missing? Sterns had difficulty recounting the route he took to drop Soto off at her middle school, frequently saying that he did not recall exactly where he was and at what time. He blamed this on not being a morning person, being half-asleep, and taking a sedative medication that he reported using for anxiety. According to Sterns account of the days events, both he and Soto forgot to bring their phones with them, which he attributed to the severe ADHD they both apparently have. They travelled from their home using John Young Parkway north to a McDonalds, but did not order any food. Sterns said they were nearing Hunters Creek Middle School when he suddenly turned around and drove back toward the McDonalds, stating that he was unfamiliar with the route to his stepdaughters middle school and the time classes began. Sterns estimated he dropped Soto off away from school property between 8:20 and 8:40 a.m. because she was apparently embarrassed to be seen getting out of a parents car. Why was your car seen going southbound on John Young Parkway at 8:10? a detective asked after Sterns walked the detectives through the route. Sterns said he forgot to mention that the pair had to turn around and go back to Kissimmee to get the gate clicker for their neighborhood. According to his account, they continued on to her school. After dropping Soto off, he said he visited a smoke shop and then got a flat tire. He described Soto as very dependent on her parents when detectives asked if shes ever run away from home. Sterns was able to recall what she was wearing and had on her person the day she went missing. The search for Madeline Soto When asked if he searched for Soto that day, Sterns said he could not recall because he was zonked out on anxiety medication. My brain was mush, and I was on so many tranquilizers to keep me stabilized, Sterns said in the interview. I was having rolling panic attacks and breaking down crying. A detective searched his phone during the interview, which included his Google Maps history and call logs. The detective reported that Sterns call history began that morning. I dont know what the heck I did, but somehow, during the massive iOS update, I managed to factory reset my phone and lose all of my contacts, all my information, he said, according to the interview. As the interview concluded, detectives told Sterns they were taking his phone and instructed him not to move his car. Madeline Sotos mom told police it was normal for teen to sleep in same bed as stepfather: report What happened next? Sterns was arrested after a search warrant turned up concerning images on his phone. He was charged with 60 child sex crimes, including sexual battery, lewd and lascivious molestation and possession of child pornography. The trial for the child sex crimes case is scheduled for August. Sterns is charged with first degree murder in connection to Sotos death, but police have not publicly disclosed a potential motive. Sterns is due back in court for a pretrial meeting on July 10. The murder trial is set to begin on July 16. 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. Madeline Sotos mom told police it was normal for teen to sleep in same bed as stepfather: report Madeline Sotos mom told police it was normal for teen to sleep in same bed as stepfather: report OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) Madeline Sotos mother told police that it was normal for her daughter to sleep in her stepfather, Stephan Sterns bed, NBC News affiliate WESH reported. . Last month, Sterns was charged with first-degree murder and sex abuse in connection with Sotos death. Officials said Sterns was supposed to drop the 13-year-old off at school the day she disappeared. He reportedly told investigators she wanted to be dropped off a little down the ways from the school. During a Feb. 27 interrogation, he said the teen was very particular about what car she (was seen) getting out of in front of the school, according to WESH. Related video: Stephan Sterns charged with first-degree murder in the death of Madeline Soto But Soto never made it to school. Her body was found on March 1, five days after she disappeared. Officials said on the day she disappeared, Sterns was spotted in the area where her body was found. That same day, he was caught on camera throwing items into the dumpster where Madelines backpack and school laptop were found, authorities said. After he threw away those items, Sterns was allegedly seen on video returning to his apartment complex with Madeline in the car. Investigators believe she was already dead at that time. Shes a very good girl. Definitely doesnt feel the same around here if shes not here, Sterns told investigators. WESH obtained court documents showing sworn statements from police in Kissimmee, detailing their discussion with Jennifer Soto, Madelines mother on March 14. [Jennifer Soto] stated while they were together they [Jennifer, Stephen and Madeline] would either all sleep in the same bed or [Madeline] would sleep with her when Stephan was not there, one statement said, according to WESH. Jennifer reportedly told police it was normal for Stephan and Madeline to share the same bed when she wasnt there. [Jennifer Soto] stated if she needed a good night [sic] sleep due to her anxiety, she would ask them [Stephen and Madeline] to sleep in a different bedroom. Stephan stated [Madeline] always needed human contact when going to sleep. Stephan referred to it as snuggling.' Sterns was arrested and charged with 60 counts related to sexual battery and possession of child pornography. Police said they found disturbing images and video on his phone that show he had been sexually abusing Soto since 2019, when she was just 8 years old. A jury trial is set for Aug. 19, 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 WFLA. Sheetz, the Altoona, Pennsylvania-based gas station and convenience chain, is facing its latest setback in its bid to expand into Michigan. The Madison Heights City Council this week denied a request to open a Sheetz location in the city. Officials decided after a contentious, standing-room-only city council meeting Monday evening. The chain operates its locations 24 hours. The Sheetz business would have been at 30901 Dequindre Road, at the intersection of Dequindre and 13 Mile roads in Madison Heights. Sheetz wants to expand into Michigan, but is facing opposition in some communities. An exterior shot of a Sheetz gas station and convenience store. The chain is set to expand to Michigan with three new locations. The company announced in February it would open new locations in Romulus and Chesterfield Township. But in Fraser, the planning commission rejected its proposal, while Sheetz pulled back its applications after facing opposition in Rochester Hills and Waterford. Sheetz had also pulled back its application in Madison Heights, before applying again and being rejected. Tuesday's meeting featured 18 public comments, 15 against, and three in favor of the Sheetz development. Speakers included members of the city's planning commission, residents and local business owners, many raising concerns about Sheetz's potential impact on the community. Kirollos Ibrahim said his family owns a BP gas station in Madison Heights and worried bringing Sheetz to town could harm their business. "With the economy, we've been struggling to stay up, and something like this, if a Sheetz gas station opens and it kills us, we're going to be run out of business," Ibrahim said. "I'm a college student, I go to OU (Oakland University) and this is our only source of income." Kevin Wright, a Madison Heights resident, said he backed opening a Sheetz in the city. "I fully support this proposal for Sheetz to build a new store at 13 and Dequindre, I think the redevelopment of that parcel will revitalize that corner and be good for our city," Wright said. "In doing a little research about Sheetz online, I learned that they're a family-owned company that gives back and invests in the communities that they are located in and I think that they would be a welcome addition to ours." Community energy could be felt throughout the meeting, with the audience breaking out in applause and cheers after several speeches against the proposal. Attendees held up red placards reading, "Stop Sheetz." "The Chaldean Chamber of Commerce has its eyes on the prize, we focus on supporting small businesses who are the backbone of every city, every state and nationally," said Sharkey Haddad of the Chaldean Chamber of Commerce. " Members of city council and the planning commission voiced concerns with the proposal, including potential negative impacts on traffic, nearby residential neighborhoods, and pollution. Representatives of Sheetz delivered a presentation outlining the layout of the proposed business, including steps taken to address city concerns on traffic, noise and light pollution. Following the public comments, the city council voted unanimously to deny Sheetz's application. Though the decision blocked Sheetz's Madison Heights plans, the company will push forward in Michigan, said Nick Ruffner, public relations manager for Sheetz. "While we are disappointed by the City Council's decision, especially given the amount of support Sheetz has in Madison Heights, we appreciated the opportunity to share our story with the community and local officials," Ruffner said. "We will continue our expansion with the goal of bringing our brand of fresh Made-to-Order food and 24/7 convenience to southeast Michigan. We hope to continue the dialogue with local officials in the future." The family-owned chain runs over 700 locations across six states. Bob Sheetz started the company in 1952, buying one of his father's dairy stores and opening two more in the 1960s before expanding regionally. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Madison Heights officials reject Sheetz gas station proposal BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The National Payment Corporation of the National Bank of Kazakhstan intends to connect more banks to the digital tenge, Chairman of the Board of the National Payment Corporation (NPC) of Kazakhstan Binur Zhalenov told Trend on the margins of the Fintex Summit in Baku. "We are implementing the digital tenge project in three stages. The first stage was introduced last year. Including working with companies such as Visa and Mastercard, we have provided the opportunity to spend digital tenge anywhere in the world. This year, we have ambitions to expand the project. Firstly, connect more banks. Let me remind you that last year we connected five banks; this year we have a goal to connect at least ten banks," he said. According to Zhalenov, a new scenario in digital tenge is also being implemented. "The first direction is to ensure transparency in government spending. We signed a roadmap together with the Ministry of Finance and the Anti-Corruption Service on the implementation of pilot projects using digital tenge. We want to ensure the targeted use of public funds. If money is allocated for the construction of a school, then it is colored in accordance with the design and estimate documentation, and digital tenge can only be spent on goods and services related to the construction of the school," Zhalenov said. He noted that the second direction is cross-border payments. "This year, we expect to go from being an observer to becoming a full participant in the mBridge project of the Bank for International Settlements and launching cross-border payments in digital currencies on November 15," he said. As the chairman of the NPC noted, it is also planned to use the digital tenge for the digital asset industry. "In particular, we expect that the regulator will support the launch of a crypto card. That is, this will make it possible to spend USDT from a crypto-wallet using digital tenge. There are also areas related to digital vouchers. In particular, free meals in schools. It will be digitized using digital tenge smart contracts," he noted. To note, the digital tenge project underwent a pre-launch phase in 2021 to assess its feasibility. Subsequent research and testing with real consumers and businesses continued throughout 2022. On November 15, 2023, the initial phase of implementing the digital tenge platform within the industrial circuit commenced. Collaborating with the Almaty city's administration and Kazpost postal service company, a pilot project introducing "digital vouchers" for complimentary meals in schools was initiated. Furthermore, in conjunction with international payment systems and four second-tier banks, the world witnessed the debut of bank cards connected to a digital account in the central bank's digital currency. This innovative development enables citizens to utilize, withdraw, and conduct transactions worldwide, all within a familiar user interface. (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is convinced he can win Julys presidential elections without resorting to fraud. Most Read from Bloomberg But, if hes wrong, he also has backup plans to cling on to power, according to people who are in contact with the administration, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive political strategy. He would prefer to win the conventional way, by getting more votes than his opponent, since international legitimacy would open the door to trade and investment. But polls show the president trailing far behind opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez ahead of the July 28 vote. So, despite Maduros confidence, his administration is studying other options if he seems destined to lose, according to the people. These include disqualifying Gonzalez or eliminating the opposition coalitions voting card. Theres also a possibility that Maduro could suspend the election or alter the results, according to the people. In reply to written questions, Venezuelas Information Ministry said the idea that Maduro had plans to cheat were unfounded speculation. Maduros campaign coordinator, Jorge Rodriguez, didnt reply to requests for comment. For now, Maduro likes his chances without resorting to those measures, the people said. Thats one of the reasons why his government has so far allowed Gonzalez to remain in the race after other contenders were prevented from running. Maduro has invited independent election monitors to be present for the vote, so that the result is indisputable. None has confirmed so far. We are going to prepare to beat them with votes on July 28, Maduro, 61, said on Thursday. Arrest Warrants The administration will decide how to proceed in the coming weeks, two of the people said. It remains unclear if the government will allow another replacement if it takes action against his main rival. Gonzalez, 74, is a stand-in for Maria Corina Machado, the oppositions most popular figure, who was barred from running, while 15 arrest warrants were issued against her aides and allies. About 45.9% of 1,200 people surveyed by More Consulting in early April said they would vote for any candidate supported by Machado, compared with 21.6% for Maduro. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. But Maduros government doesnt believe that Machados followers will automatically back Gonzalez, a little-known former diplomat, with the same fervor. The president could also benefit from an outdated voter registry. Millions of Venezuelans who left the country, and would be likely to vote for change, may be unable to cast a ballot. According to the electoral authoritys preliminary numbers, more than 21 million Venezuelans are eligible to vote. However, according to independent groups, as many as 4.5 million are abroad, and were unable to register or update their data ahead of the April 16 deadline. Despite his unpopularity, Maduro has a strong base of support among government officials, the military and people who depend on government handouts. In addition to Maduro and Gonzalez, who polls show will get most of the votes, there are eight other, little-known candidates participating. In an interview in his apartment in Caracas this week, Gonzalez said he doesnt understand why the government has allowed him to run when others were blocked. The silence surprises us, he said. So far the government has been silent on all of this. We still dont know why. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. In recent days, a parade of Republicans have shown up at the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump faces criminal charges related to the hush-money scheme he concocted to deceive American voters during the 2016 election. The goal of those MAGA allies is simple: to make it unimpeachably clear that their primary fealty is to Donald Trump over the rule of law. Unfortunately, some of media coverage has obscured these fundamentals. Some accounts describe these Republicans as currying favor with Trump or showing loyalty to him, as if they are just demonstrating personal support for him at a trying moment. Others have noted that some making this pilgrimagenone more odiously than Ohio Senator J.D. Vanceare really vying to be his running mate, which might be true but reduces all this to a form of political jockeying that seems fairly conventional. If we are going to treat this as a story about loyalty-signaling, lets frame the question this way: Loyalty to what, exactly? Not just loyalty to Trump. This episodeand others like it, such as the stampede of Republicans backing Trumps refusal to commit to accepting the 2024 election resultsis better seen as a statement of ultimate fealty to Trump over and above our institutions, as a declaration that he is paramount and they are thoroughly dispensable. This trial is a scam and a sham, and it shouldnt happen, Trump raged on Thursday at the court, with Representative Matt Gaetz and other Republicans standing behind him. Gaetz proudly posted a picture of himself standing back and standing by for Trump at the courthouse, deliberately echoing the language Trump used about his paramilitary goons in the first 2020 debate. This comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson descended on the courthouse this week and attacked presiding Judge Juan Merchans daughter, who fundraised for Democrats, blasting the proceedings as a sham. Vance and Florida Senator Rick Scott similarly attacked Merchans daughter. Many Republicans blasted the credibility of Michael Cohen, the former Trump fixer and chief prosecution witness. Still others slammed the lead prosecutor, based on an absurd, convoluted theory about his previous work at the Justice Department, as a tool of President Biden. If Republicans were merely criticizing the prosecution on the facts and the law in substantive terms, it would be one thing. But here they are attacking the judge, his family, the witnesses, and the line prosecutors as actors in a fundamentally illegitimate proceeding. Those are things the gag order on Trump prohibits him from doing, which has some commentators asking whether he is surreptitiously inducing his boosters to carry out those attacks to circumvent it. There is some evidence of this, but as Brian Beutler writes, that question misses the point: Either way, the surrogates wouldnt be doing any of it if Trump didnt want them to, and they are echoing Trumps own precise language and claims. To grasp the real force of this, its worth recalling the reason we dont want proceedings like these subjected to demonization campaigns in the first place: It threatens to sabotage public confidence in the justice systems integrity and makes it harder for good-faith actors to play their roles in it without fear or favor. And so, the whole point of these GOP depravities is to dramatize, in the form of spectacle, that their fealty is to Trump over and above those rules and norms, the ones that make the system work at the most fundamental level. Thats what Senator Tommy Tuberville really meant when he flatly declared that Republicans are working to help Trump overcome this gag order. Representative Lauren Boebert also made this plain, declaring that they may have gagged President Trump but they didnt gag the rest of us. And when Trump was asked about their antics, he blithely declared, I do have a lot of surrogates, and they are speaking very beautifully. With this, Trump flaunted the fact that the allegiance of all these GOP lackeys is to him above the functioning of the system itself. Its one thing to be allied with Trump and to be there to support him, former federal Judge Nancy Gertner told me. By contrast, she added, Trumps allies are explicitly undermining the rule of law in a very different way. Now consider the larger pattern here: Republicans are declaring this higher fealty to Trump over our institutions on one front after another. Recently, Trump refused to commit to accepting the results of the 2024 election, declaring hed only do so if everythings honest. What he really means is that the elections outcome will be legitimate only if he wins, and as The New York Times Jamelle Bouie details, top Republicans are following suit: They say theyll accept the results if the election is free and fair (Vance), or if it is constitutional (House GOP leader Elise Stefanik), or if theres no massive cheating (Senator Lindsey Graham). Its telling that many of them adopted precisely the same sleazy rhetorical subterfuge that Trump did. They are declaring, at bottom, that their primary allegiance is to Trumps higher law that election outcomes are inherently illegitimate if he loses. Meanwhile, Republicans who aspire to be Trumps running mate, such as Vance and Stefanik, have suggested that they wouldnt have certified the election results in 2020, as thenVice President Mike Pence did. Here again, you cannot compete to be Trumps running mate unless you declare in advance that your fealty will be to Trump over the institution of certifying elections in service of the peaceful transfer of power. What about Trumps vow to pardon supporters who violently attacked the Capitol? A handful of Republicans have expressed discomfort with this notion; many have conspicuously avoided doing so. More broadly, its true that some Republicans have genuinely resisted Trumps most pernicious designs. But that only serves to underscore the radicalism and venality of those who have gone along. The nonloyalists showed extraordinary heroism in bucking Trumps effort to destroy U.S. democracy in early 2021, by resisting his direct pressure to corrupt the system, testifying to the January 6 House committee investigating it, or voting to impeach Trump. Most have been hounded out of the party, sent packing into retirement, or subjected to campaigns of bullying and harassment. Note why they have been punished: They put the sanctity of our elections and the rule of law before Trump. Trump may well get off in his hush-money trial; while a conviction still seems reasonably plausible, so does a hung jury. Thats for the jury to decide. But this affair has already sent a clear signal about whats next. If Trump does win, and he executes his vows to prosecute political opponents without cause, persecute untold numbers of vermin who oppose him, stock the bureaucracy with slavish loyalists, convert our intelligence agencies into gangs of thuggish MAGA enforcers, and much more, does anyone doubt that many Republicans currently declaring quasi-absolute allegiance to him above our institutions will eagerly go along? A major new aviation bill seeks to end passengers being made to pay to sit with their kids, and to improve safety on planes after the Alaska blowout A major new aviation bill seeks to end passengers being made to pay to sit with their kids, and to improve safety on planes after the Alaska blowout Joe Biden signed into law the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. It stops airlines charging families to sit together, as well as other pro-consumer initiatives. Safety measures include upping the cockpit voice recorder time, following criticism after January's blowout. On Thursday, Joe Biden signed an extensive bipartisan bill that hopes to reform aviation. The $105 billion legislation reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board until 2028. It brings a range of improvements for travelers, mostly related to consumer protection. The maximum civil penalty for airline consumer violations has been raised from $25,000 to $75,000, plus the bill makes it easier for passengers to file complaints. It also says that within six months, a rule will be made making it easier for families to sit together on planes. That would include prohibiting airlines from charging passengers to seat a child under 14 next to an accompanying adult. The bill says the FAA Administrator will decide within 60 days whether to mandate minimum seat dimensions on planes for safety reasons. Safety is a prime focus of the bill, with an increased scrutiny of aircraft production. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell said: "Plane manufacturers will see more safety inspectors on factory floors and tougher safety standards from the FAA." Notably, the bill also has new rules about cockpit voice recorders which comes after criticism from the chair of the NTSB over January's Alaska Airlines blowout. The data from the voice recorder in that incident was lost because it wasn't retrieved within two hours, so the NTSB called for increasing the holding time to 25 hours, in line with European requirements. The bill says that all newly manufactured aircraft must have cockpit voice recorders that retain the last 25 hours of information, which will apply to all planes within six years. "The bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization is a big win for travelers, the aviation workforce, and our economy. It will expand critical protections for air travelers, strengthen safety standards, and support pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers," Biden said in a statement. He added: "Passengers shouldn't have to jump through endless hoops just to get the refunds that they are owed, and corporations shouldn't rip off hardworking Americans through hidden junk fees." The bill comes days after several US airlines sued the Department of Transportation over rules requiring upfront fee disclosures. The DOT said in late April this could save consumers over $500 million a year. Read the original article on Business Insider WASHINGTON The House Oversight Committee fell into chaos Thursday night after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) made an offhand remark about Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). Crockett and Greene got into it almost right away, with Crockett suggesting Greene didnt understand the purpose of the hearing. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading, Greene said. An uproar ensued, with Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.) calling for order, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) demanding the committee take down Greenes words, essentially reprimanding her for insulting another lawmaker. That is absolutely unacceptable, how dare you attack the physical appearance of another person, Ocasio-Cortez said. Are your feelings hurt? Greene said. Comer soon suspended the hearing for several minutes so lawmakers could confer with their parliamentary experts, and Greene agreed to strike her words, but she refused to apologize, and then she and Ocasio-Cortez resumed their back-and-forth. Come on guys, Comer pleaded. Why dont you debate me? Greene said. I think its self-evident, Ocasio-Cortez said. Yeah, you dont have enough intelligence, Greene responded. Eventually, after several more minutes of parliamentary arguing, the committee voted to allow Greene to finish her allotted speaking time. But Crockett wasnt finished. Im just curious, just to better understand your ruling, Crockett said. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde, bad built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? What now? Comer said. Jasmine Crockett on Marjorie Taylor Greenes bleach blonde, bad built, butch body during a House committee oversight hearing. This started after MTG said her fake eyelashes were messing up her readingpic.twitter.com/kuPKMFAjFu philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 17, 2024 Members started shouting, and eventually Comer called for a five minute recess. After they came back, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Col.), herself one of the most inflammatory Republicans in the House but also a foe of Greene tried to calm things down. I just want to apologize to the American people, Boebert said. When things get as heated as they have, unfortunately, its an embarrassment on our body as a whole. The hearing was supposed to showcase the ongoing Republican effort to hold U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress, but it got off to a late start because several Republicans spent the morning at Donald Trumps trial in New York, and by the time Comer called the meeting to order, lawmakers might have been crankier than usual. I think these 17-hour days might not work for us, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said at one point. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A man faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon after police arrested him in the parking lot of a high school in southwest Las Vegas. Alfred Pamintuan was identified by Clark County School District Police as the suspect arrested on Wednesday at Sierra Vista High School. Sources told 8 News Now Pamintuan brought an AR-15 onto campus on Wednesday. Sierra Vista High School administration sent a letter to families on Wednesday regarding the incident a portion of the letter is posted below. Earlier today, the school was placed on a brief soft lockdown due to police activity near our school. During the lockdown, police stopped a vehicle in our parking lot and discovered a firearm. Police arrested an adult. There was no threat to the school. Sierra Vista High School The charges Pamintuan faces following the incident at the school on Wednesday are listed below. 2 charges of assault, with the use of a deadly weapon Felony 2 charges of possession of a dangerous weapon on school/child care property/vehicle Gross Misdemeanor Drawing dangerous weapon in a threatening manner Misdemeanor 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. HAZLETON, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) A man is being charged after being accused of raping one woman and attempting to rape another, according to police. Hazleton City Police say on May 24, 2023 officers were called for a reported rape in the 700 block of Roosevelt Street. The victim claimed the suspect followed her into her home in the morning and when she returned home from work the suspect raped her, police stated. Through DNA testing, police say the suspect was identified as Jiobany Cruz, 36, of Hazleton. Man wanted for alleged DUI in Luzerne County Almost a year later on May 16, 2024, around 2:30 a.m. Pennsylvania State Police were called to investigate a reported attempted rape that happened at a Planet Fitness in Hazleton. The victim said she was followed while exiting the gym by a man who attempted to rape her in her car. Through further investigation, troopers identified the suspect as Cruz and he was arrested. Cruz has been charged with the following; Rape Rape (attempted) Unlawful restraint Aggravated indecent assault Simple assault Harassment Burglary He remains in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility after being denied bail. 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. AUSTIN (KXAN) A man charged with the attempted capital murder of a peace officer in connection with an October 2022 incident was acquitted May 1, according to Travis County court documents. Records showed Emeka Williams was acquitted of the charge by reason of insanity. Documents said Williams also pleaded not guilty to the charge. Affidavit identifies suspect from Sunday night police shooting in north Austin As part of the judgment, Williams must be committed to a mental health facility or residential care facility for treatment. The judge also ordered Williams to be evaluated within 30 days as to whether he poses a threat to himself or others, and whether he will continue treatment. Within the 30 days, Williams will have another hearing about the evaluation, and the judge will then determine what happens next. Possible outcomes include: being committed for inpatient treatment or residential care receiving outpatient or community-based treatment and supervision transferring to an appropriate court for proceedings immediately being 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 KXAN Austin. Man arrested in Mulberry Loop shooting goes to court for different case NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) The same man facing two charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling in Virginia Beach on Monday appeared in court in Norfolk for a different case. Previous Coverage: Family shares graphic video of shooting on Mulberry Loop in Virginia Beach Kaevon Hinnant appeared in court Friday after allegedly assaulting his grandmother. The judge denied his bond saying that he was a risk to his family and the public. On the same day as the Virginia Beach shooting incident, Hinnant was reportedly at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for a mental health crisis. He was given a follow up appointment for May 15, but missed it due to the arrest. He is expected to appear back in Norfolk court July 10. 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. The man charged with assaulting former Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) husband in 2022 was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison. David DePape, 44, broke into Pelosis California home and violently attacked her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer. DePape, who moved to the U.S. from Canada more than two decades ago, was found guilty by a jury in November last year. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said she took into consideration the fact that he broke into the home of an elected official when determining the sentence. He actually went to the home, that is completely, completely unprecedented, Corley said Friday, according to reporting from The Associated Press. The Department of Justice (DOJ) was seeking a 40-year sentence for the attacker, demanding maximum penalties for the counts including charges of federal assault and attempted kidnapping that he was convicted of in 2022. The Pelosi family couldnt be prouder of their Pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case, Aaron Bennett, a spokesperson for Pelosi, said in a statement Friday. Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to all who have sent love and prayers over the last eighteen months, as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery. The attack on Paul Pelosi, which occurred shortly before the midterm election in 2022, was captured on video. Paul Pelosi was in the hospital for several days, while the then-leader of the lower chamber was in D.C. at the time of the attack. He reportedly detailed the incident at length, describing his shock upon waking up and finding DePape, who asked Wheres Nancy? Testifying during the trial in his own defense, DePape admitted to breaking into the home and described to the jurors about how he went to speak to the former Speaker about alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 election. Before he was sentenced this week, Paul Pelosi detailed the struggles he and his family endured following the incident. My head injuries continue to affect my life. My hair grew back but I have bumps on my head from the hammer blows and a metal plate from skull surgery. The dizziness has not gone away, Pelosi wrote to Corley. It has taken many months to reclaim my home and well-being. Even so, we do not answer our landline phone or our front door due to ongoing threats. I ask that you consider the premeditated kidnapping of my wife, the vicious assault on my life, and the ongoing physical and mental injuries caused by the defendant and sentence him to the fullest extent the law provides, he added in a victim impact statement filed Friday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Federal jury convicts a man in hammer attack on former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, in San Francisco By Joseph Ax (Reuters) -The man who broke into former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home in 2022 and assaulted her husband with a hammer was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison, federal prosecutors said. In a politically motivated attack, David DePape forcibly entered Pelosi's home in San Francisco early in the morning on Oct. 28, 2022, just a week before that year's congressional elections. At the time, Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, was in Washington. DePape, who according to prosecutors was driven by the far-right conspiracy theories known as QAnon, acknowledged in trial testimony that his intention was to take Pelosi hostage. DePape, 44, confronted Pelosi's husband, Paul, and clubbed him over the head with a hammer before police who had been called to the scene were able to subdue the attacker. A jury found DePape guilty in November of attempting to kidnap a federal officer and assaulting an immediate family member of a federal officer. Paul Pelosi, 82, suffered skull fractures and other injuries that have continued to affect him, as he described in a letter to the judge ahead of Friday's sentencing. In addition to dizziness and a metal plate that remains in his head, Pelosi said he struggles with balance and has permanent nerve damage in his left hand. In a separate letter, Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat who was the first woman to be elected House speaker, urged the judge to impose a "very long" punishment. She noted that DePape reportedly shouted "Where's Nancy?" upon breaking into her home, echoing what some intruders yelled inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the building seeking to overturn President Joe Biden's election. Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in San Francisco federal court to sentence DePape, a Canadian national living illegally in the U.S., to 40 years in prison. In court papers, the Justice Department argued that while he was not convicted of a terrorism crime, his offenses nevertheless met the definition because he was aiming to affect the government through "intimidation or coercion." Prosecutors also said DePape had not shown remorse for his actions. DePape's court-appointed defense lawyer had asked for a sentence of 14 years, saying he had become unmoored in the years leading up to the attack due in part to an abusive relationship. DePape still faces separate state charges stemming from the Pelosi break-in and attack, including attempted murder, that carry a potential sentence of 13 years to life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty. In a statement following Friday's sentencing, a spokesperson for Pelosi said, "The Pelosi family couldn't be prouder of their Pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case," referring to Paul Pelosi's family nickname. (Reporting by Joseph AxEditing by Alistair Bell and Bill Berkrot) ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 17. Kazakhstan will host the VI Consultative meeting of presidents of Central Asian states on August 9, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said, Trend reports. He spoke at a meeting with the secretaries of the Security Councils of Central Asian countries in Astana. We have developed a strategy for the development of Central Asia - 2040 regional cooperation. Priorities of regional cooperation, first of all, are aimed at expanding five-sided interaction and strengthening the international subjectivity of Central Asia. I am confident that the adoption of this document during the Astana Summit will be of conceptual importance for the region, Kazakhstans president said. The President of Kazakhstan noted that the special nature of relations between Central Asian countries is reflected in the Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighborliness, and Cooperation for the Development of Central Asia in the XXI century. It takes strategic partnership to a new level. I believe that one of the main outcomes of the Astana Summit could be the finalization of the procedure for signing this historic treaty and its entry into force. Further institutional improvement of our five-party format remains relevant," he added. The man convicted of violently assaulting Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) with a hammer in his home in San Francisco has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. On Friday, David DePape the man who carried out the attack was sentenced to 30 years in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, according to an announcement from the United States Attorneys Office for the Northern District of California. In October 2022, DePape broke into the Pelosi home in an attempt to find the former speaker who was not present in the residence and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, bludgeoning him over the head. Mr. Pelosi was hospitalized and underwent brain surgery to repair his injuries. A subsequent investigation found that DePape who regularly espoused far-right views and QAnon conspiracy theories on his social media intended to kidnap Rep. Pelosi, hold her hostage, and break her kneecaps. DePape was convicted of assault and attempted kidnapping in October of last year. In a statement released by Nancy Pelosis spokesperson Aaron Bennet, the Pelosi family stated that they couldnt be prouder of their Pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case. Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to all who have sent love and prayers over the last eighteen months, as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery, the statement continued. DePapes legal troubles are not over, and he is still awaiting a state trial in California on charges of residential burglary, elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment of an elder, and threatening the family member of a public official over the same attack. Jury selection for the state trial, which will take place in San Francisco, will begin later this month. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) A man has been arrested in connection to a fatal crash in Bristol, Tennessee that occurred in February. Travis Jackson, of Bristol, Tennessee, faces several charges in connection to the crash, which occurred on Highway 394 on Feb. 16. The two-vehicle crash took place shortly after 7 p.m. at the intersection with Feathers Chapel Road, police previously reported. Witnesses sought in Bristol, Tenn. fatal crash investigation According to the Bristol Tennessee Police Department (BTPD), 35-year-old Ginger Irick was flown to the Johnson City Medical Center after the crash, where she was pronounced dead. The BTPD stated in February that the other driver and a passenger in the other vehicle were each taken to another hospital for treatment. According to the Bristol Tennessee Police Department (BTPD), Travis Jackson was arrested Thursday and charged with the following: Vehicular homicide Criminally negligent homicide 2 counts of reckless aggravated assault Vehicular assault DUI with BAC over .08% Violation of open container Failure to drive on the right side of the road The BTPD stated in a news release that as of Friday, Jackson was being held in the Sullivan County Jail on a $50,000 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. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The man convicted of attempting to kidnap then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison. But prosecutors later filed a motion saying the court failed to offer the defendant, David DePape, an opportunity to speak or present any information to mitigate the sentence as required by federal rule. They asked the court to reopen the sentencing portion to allow him that option. The court did not immediately respond. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley handed down the sentence for DePape, 44, whom jurors found guilty last November of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. Prosecutors had asked for a 40-year prison term. DePape was given 20 years for one count and 30 years for another count. The sentences will run concurrently. He was also given credit for the 18 months that hes been in custody. In its afternoon motion to the court, the U.S. attorneys office said DePape was not given the opportunity by the court to speak before being sentenced and that could present an issue. DePapes defense, however, said they opposed bringing their client back to court and filed a notice of appeal, according to the filing. Prosecutors and defense counsel did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment late Friday. The court has 14 days to correct a sentence resulting from error, prosecutors said. DePape stood silently as Judge Corley handed the sentence and looked down at times. His public defense attorneys had asked the judge to sentence him to 14 years, pointing out that he was going through a difficult time in his life and had no prior criminal history. Corley said she took into account when giving DePapes sentence the fact that he broke into the home of a public official, an unprecedented act in the history of the country. He actually went to the home, that is completely, completely unprecedented, she said. Before sentencing, Christine Pelosi read victim statements on behalf of her father and mother, explaining how the violent attack changed their lives. DePape admitted during trial testimony that he broke into the Pelosi home in San Francisco on Oct. 28, 2022, intending to hold the speaker hostage and break her kneecaps if she lied to him. He also admitted to bludgeoning Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police showed up, saying his plan to end what he viewed as government corruption was unraveling. The attack on Paul Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, was captured on police body camera video just days before the midterm elections and sent shockwaves through the political world. Defense attorneys argued DePape was motivated by his political beliefs, not because he wanted to interfere with Nancy Pelosis official duties as a member of Congress, making the charges against him invalid. One of his attorneys, Angela Chuang, said during closing arguments that DePape was caught up in conspiracy theories. At trial DePape, a Canadian who moved to the U.S. more than 20 years ago, testified that he believed news outlets repeatedly lied about former President Donald Trump. In rants posted on a blog and online forum that were taken down after his arrest, DePape echoed the baseless, right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory that claims a cabal of devil-worshiping pedophiles runs the U.S. government. DePape also told jurors he had planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and record his interrogation of the Democratic speaker, who was not at the home at the time of the attack, to upload it online. Prosecutors said he had rope and zip ties with him, and detectives found body cameras, a computer and a tablet. Paul Pelosi also testified at the trial, recalling how he was awakened by a large man bursting into the bedroom and asking, Wheres Nancy? He said that when he responded that his wife was in Washington, DePape said he would tie him up while they waited for her. It was a tremendous sense of shock to recognize that somebody had broken into the house, and looking at him and looking at the hammer and the ties, I recognized that I was in serious danger, so I tried to stay as calm as possible, Pelosi told jurors. DePape is also charged in state court with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Jury selection in that trial is expected to start Wednesday. Paul Pelosi suffered two head wounds in the attack, including a skull fracture that was mended with plates and screws he will have for the rest of his life. His right arm and hand were also injured. A man is convicted in Malawi over a TikTok video showing a caricature of the president dancing FILE - Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera attends the swearing-in ceremony for Kenya's new president William Ruto, at Kasarani stadium in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. A man in Malawi was convicted of insulting President Lazarus Chakwera after posting a TikTok video that shows an animated figure with Chakweras face superimposed on it doing some wacky dance moves. Sainani Nkhoma was found guilty by a court on Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File) BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) A man in Malawi was convicted of insulting President Lazarus Chakwera after posting a TikTok video that shows an animated figure with Chakwera's face superimposed on it doing some wacky dance moves. Sainani Nkhoma was found guilty by a court on Thursday, which said he had posted the video and insulting comments about Chakwera in a community WhatsApp group. Other members of the WhatsApp group in the central town of Mponela reported Nkhoma to the ruling Malawi Congress Party and the police and Nkhoma was arrested. Judge Talakwanji Mndala said Nkhomas actions were inappropriate and his sentencing was scheduled for next week. The judge warned that the punishment could be a fine of around $3,500 or six years in prison. Chakwera, 69, was elected president of the southern African nation in 2020 after its Constitutional Court ordered an unprecedented rerun of the 2019 presidential election. Incumbent Peter Mutharika had initially been declared the winner of the 2019 vote but the Constitutional Court said there was evidence of widespread irregularities. After he was elected, Chakwera said: Im so happy I could dance all night." ___ AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa Man dead after being run over by vehicle in central Fresno Man dead after being run over by vehicle in central Fresno FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A man has died after he was run over by a woman driving a red vehicle after some type of disturbance in Fresno, according to the Fresno Police Department. Police say they responded to a 911 call of a disturbance at the shopping center near Blackstone and Dakota Avenues around 10:22 a.m. Investigators say the man was in his late 50s and suffered some type of accident as a result of the altercation that occurred in the vehicle. Police say officers arrived within minutes and located a victim with moderate to major injuries sustained as a result of being run over by a vehicle. The individual was transported to a local hospital where he later died. According to police, the driver was described only as a woman in a red vehicle who fled the scene eastbound on Dakota Avenue. Investigators say it is unknown if the victim was intentionally run over. It is an ongoing investigation. If you have any information contact the Fresno Police Department at 559-621-7000. 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. Man guilty of chopping up Michigan City roommate, disposing him in garbage MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. A man was found guilty Thursday for killing his roommate, chopping him up and disposing parts of his body in the trash. The investigation began on Aug. 29, 2022 when Michigan City police received a call at their front desk. The man on the other end of the line, John Hallett, started admitting to a grisly crime, according to court documents. Hallett, 54, stated that on Nov. 25, 2017, he murdered his roommate Paul Gonzalez while living together in a house, located in the 1000 block of West 9th Street, designed for those who were homeless. Hallett told officers he struck Gonzalez, 64, with a crutch and choked him to death from behind because he claimed Gonzalez was stealing his mail. Gonzalezs body was kept in the basement for nearly two months. Hallett then explained to police he used a hacksaw to cut up his body, placed the parts into trash bags and then disposed the bags into a garbage can. Police spoke with the Housing Opportunities, the organization that helped them find housing, and an employee told a detective she thought it was odd that Hallett told her Gonzalez moved yet all his possessions were still in the home. Detectives found out that social security checks were being deposited into his account still, but the last withdrawal was on Nov. 23, 2017. In Sept. 2022, a search warrant was signed to bring a cadaver dog into the home in an effort to find signs of human decomposition. The dog began barking profusely in the cellar the area of the home where Hallett told police he dismembered Gonzalez. Not getting a birthday: Texts emerge in DCS lawsuit after Northwest Indiana mom gets 42 years for sons torture death Another search warrant was signed to collect samples of the concrete floor from the basement, according to court documents. Lab testing from a university in Indianapolis showed that there was something decomposing in the cellar at some point and time. An arrest warrant was signed for murder and abuse of a corpse in 2023 following the lab testing coming back. Authorities arrested him in Cambridge, Massachusetts in August of last year, according to multiple reports. Hallett was found guilty Thursday night following three hours of jury deliberations. 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. Man pleads guilty in six separate cases following thefts BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A man of no permanent address pleaded guilty in six separate cases Monday following a series of thefts, according to the Erie County District Attorneys Office. Javarius L. Bumpers, 32, committed six thefts in Buffalo, Cheektowaga and Amherst between December 2022 and August 2023. In December, Bumpers stole a victims vehicle outside of a gas station convenience store on East Lovejoy Street, according to officials. He was found a short time later asleep in the vehicle and was taken into custody. Bumpers was arraigned in April. Officials said in February, the defendant stole bookbags and candy from a grocery store on the 900 block of Broadway in Buffalo. He had thrown an object to break the glass and was arrested the next day. In March on two separate occasions, he stole a vehicle from an auto dealership in Cheektowaga and merchandise from a convenience store in Amherst, according to officials. Officials said Bumpers was found nearby a store in April with a bag that contained merchandise from the store. Buffalo Police officers had responded to a burglary on the 1700 block of Broadway and found a broken window and a crowbar inside. Finally, in August, Bumpers stole merchandise from a store on the 1100 block of Genesee Street in Buffalo, officials said. Bumpers pleaded guilty to the following: fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property two counts of third-degree burglary third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle two counts of petit larceny He faces a maximum of 18 years in prison as a second felony offender and remains held without bail. 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. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) A man pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and other charges filed in connection with a shooting last month in the parking lot of Panorama Park. Angel Rodriguez, 24, stood next to his lawyer, Tony Lidgett, as the charges against him were read. Court Commissioner Sally Ackerknecht ordered Rodriguez held without bail. Hes due back in court May 29. Police built a case against Rodriguez through surveillance video, numerous interviews and an abandoned vehicle, according to a probable cause declaration. Around 11 p.m. on April 19, a group of people approached a Chevy Tahoe in the parking lot, according to the declaration. The driver and rear passenger pulled guns and fired, according to the declaration. Ronald Josue Rivera Hernandez, 24, was struck multiple times. He died at the scene. Someone returned fire and the driver hit the gas, police say in the declaration. The driver attempted to run down a member of the group as the SUV sped away, according to the declaration. One witness told police the driver whom several witnesses identified as Rodriguez pushed his girlfriend out of the vehicle and racked a handgun before the shooting. Police say in the declaration those actions show Rodriguez planned on shooting the subjects prior to it occurring. The Chevy was found abandoned. A records check revealed it was registered to Rodriguez, according to the declaration. On May 14, police tried to arrest Rodriguez when he arrived at his place of business. He ran through a yard and tried to hide his cellphone but was taken into custody minutes later, according to the declaration. 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. Man sentenced to 100 years in prison for federal child porn crimes; state child rape case ongoing A Springfield man who pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges has been sentenced to prison. Marcus Davis, 34, was sentenced to 100 years in prison this week. >> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man accused of sexually abusing 2 young kids in heinous case indicted, also facing federal case From January 2022 to October 2023, Davis sexually abused children and documented the abuse on video, according to the United States Department of Justice. He then published the videos on a child pornography website. He was arrested during a Secret Service raid in October 2023, according to federal court documents. News Center 7 was on the scene during the raid. Daviss sexual abuse is among the most abhorrent acts that one can perpetrate against a child. If his behavior against the victims wasnt bad enough, he chose to record his sexual abuse against them, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said. Davis pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography and two counts of distributing child pornography in February. >> RELATED: Secret Service agents, SWAT units involved in investigation in Clark County neighborhood This sentence will forever protect the community from future harm committed by Davis, Parker said. As News Center 7 previously reported, Davis is also facing a criminal case in Clark County Common Pleas Court after being accused of raping an infant child and a two-year-old child. He was indicted on four counts of rape in March. New Center 7 was in Clark County Common Pleas Court for his arraignment in March. There, Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Alice DeWine called Davis case possibly the most heinous case that [shes] seen in a long time. His trial in Clark County is currently set to begin next week. Man shoots two people in Hollywood before turning the gun on himself, police say A man is dead and two others wounded by gunfire in what police say was a deadly domestic related incident in Hollywood. The shootings happened around 4:20 p.m. Thursday in the 5800 block of McKinley Street, Hollywood police spokesperson Deanna Bettineschi said in a statement. When police arrived at the home, they found a man dead and one person, who is 15 years old, and another who is 21, with gunshot wounds, Bettineschi said. As of Friday afternoon, Bettineschi said the victims were at Memorial Regional Hospital in critical condition. Police have not released the names of victims or of the man who shot them. If you or someone you know is thinking about self harm, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255). Its available 24/7. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) Its been 29 years since a 57-ton tank from a San Diego National Guard armory was destructively steered through the streets of San Diego. According to FOX 5/KUSIs reporting partners at The San Diego Union-Tribune, on May 17, 1995, a man from Clairemont set out on a fateful journey that would end in his death. His name was Shawn Nelson and he reportedly worked as a plumber. Reports described the mans behavior prior to the incident as increasingly strange. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, Nelson enlisted in the Army after high school, later serving as tank battalion in West Germany. That was until multifaceted disciplinary problems led to an honorable discharge in 1980. Placement hearing takes place for Bolder-Than-Most rapist That was just a precursor to a trail of life events that would lead to his chaotic quest in an armored vehicle through a figurative war zone in San Diego. Nelsons ex-wife told the The San Diego Union-Tribune that he began acting erratically around the time his mother died in 1988. His fathers death followed just four years later. During that period, she said he started to abuse amphetamines and alcohol, which led her to file for divorce in 1990. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Nelson had a severe motorcycle accident that same year, leaving him with back and neck trauma. A series of unfortunate events continued for Nelson, with reports noting home foreclosure proceedings were filed in 1995. Then rampage day occurred. Man arrested on suspicion of chasing people with a gun in Vista A gate was reportedly open at a National Guard armory on Mesa College Drive. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, it was then that Nelson entered and started up an M-60 battle tank. The discharged servicemember took the tank on a rampage through the streets of Kearny Mesa, smashing cars and tearing down telephone poles. The path of destruction was caught on video by many, with the CBS evening news of 1995 detailing the berserk event on television. Local authorities trailed Nelson, with some eventually climbing atop the tank and pulling the hatch to demand he stop, as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune. When he refused, Nelson was shot once. Despite immediate response from paramedics, the gunshot wound proved to be fatal and Nelson was pronounced dead. 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. Three members of a Georgia mans family have been accused of helping him conceal the remains of his girlfriend, who he killed after she discovered he was secretly married, Clayton County Police Lt. Ashanti Marbury said at a press conference on Monday. Michale Edwards, 23, has been charged with murder in connection to the death of Briana Winston, 23, and is accused of strangling her before stuffing her body inside a suitcase, Marbury said. Edwards and Winston had an argument in the early morning of March 17, Marbury said. Police believe Edwards choked Winston to death after she found out he had secretly married another woman, 21-year-old Brienna Phillips-Edwards, in January. Edwards and Winston shared a 4-year-old son, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Briana Winston via Clayton County Police Department Clayton County Police Department Marbury told reporters that Philips-Edwards, as well as Edwards 18-year-old brother, Keilan Wright, and his mother, 40-year-old Ebony Anderson, each played a role in helping him hide the body. It turned into a family affair. He definitely looped everyone into this crime, Marbury said. Winston was reported missing on April 1 and was last seen at an apartment she shared with Edwards in College Park, Georgia. Winstons cousin, Jasmine Walker, told Atlanta News First in April that her family reported Winston missing after not hearing from her and discovering her apartment had been cleared out. He took all her furniture. her clothes, everything, Walker told the outlet. After killing Winston, Edwards allegedly placed her corpse into a suitcase before enlisting the help of his wife, who gave him her car, Marbury said. Edwards drove to Tennessee, the officer added, where an unnamed man helped Edwards burn the body in his backyard. Some of the burnt skeletal remains were scattered alongside a highway. Others were dumped behind a local church cemetery. The man who helped Edwards burn the body was granted immunity as part of deal in exchange for information that led to the Edwards arrest, Marbury said. Edwards was arrested on April 8 on an unrelated stalking charge, but called his wife in jail to tell her to burn his shoes and a pair of gloves, Marbury said. The Edwards wife, along with his brother and mother, allegedly burned the items in order to destroy evidence. Court records reviewed by HuffPost showed that Phillips-Edwards was charged with party to commission of a crime. Both Wright and Anderson charges of conspiracy to commit a crime. Ive just been crying every night because I wasnt there to help her, Walker told Atlanta News First. I wasnt going to sleep until she was found, and Im not going to give up until justice is served. Related... On Thursday, a hearing of the Congressional Oversight Committee descended into chaos after repeated outbursts from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). Tensions throughout the proceeding reached a tipping point in a heated exchange between Greene, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) after Greene made a comment attacking Crocketts appearance. The Republican-controlled committee had gathered to advance a resolution seeking to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress after a similar resolution had passed in the House Judiciary Committee earlier that day. Greene derailed the hearing by bringing up Donald Trumps ongoing criminal hush money trial, demanding members of the committee reveal if any of them were working with the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing Trumps trial. Republicans have cited Merchans daughters job as a political fundraiser as proof that Merchan can not be an impartial judge.. Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland, Crockett responded. Do you know what were here for? You know were here about AG Garland? Greene countered that Crocketts fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. Democrats on the committee jumped to defend their colleague, demanding that Greenes attack against Crocketts appearance be stricken from the record. That is absolutely unacceptable, Ocasio-Cortez said. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person? Greene refused to apologize for the comment, sarcastically asking Ocasio-Cortez if her feelings were hurt. Oh, girl. Baby girl, dont even play, Ocasio-Cortez countered at one point in the exchange. Greene then revived her longstanding, unfulfilled demand towards Ocasio-Cortez: Debate me. Why dont you debate me? Greene said, accusing Ocasio-Cortez of not having enough intelligence to handle a one-on-one confrontation. AOC has had enough of Marjorie Taylor Greenes outbursts pic.twitter.com/OlItyszihs Acyn (@Acyn) May 17, 2024 Its not the first time Greene, the Attention Seeker in Chief of the 118th Congress, has hassled AOC in an attempt to engineer a viral moment. In 2019, when Greene was not yet a member of the House, she live-streamed herself yelling through the mail flap of Ocasio-Cortezs office door, demanding that the congresswoman come out so she could confront her. The video, which resurfaced in 2021, prompted Ocasio-Cortez to refer to Greene as deeply unwell and of harboring a years-long fixation on the New York congresswoman. Were going to go see, were going to visit, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Crazy eyes. Crazy eyes. Nutty. Cortez, Greene tells the camera in the video. When she reached the locked door, surrounded by an entourage of other right-wing activists, Greene demanded she stop being a baby and stop locking your door and come out and face the American citizens that you serve. If you want to be a big girl, you need to get rid of your diaper and come out and be able to talk to the American citizens. Instead of having to use a flap, a little flap. Sad, she added. Watch Marjorie Taylor Greene harass AOCs office in this resurfaced 2019 video pic.twitter.com/PHCXcClnpb NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) May 15, 2021 In 2020, Greene posted a photo on her Facebook page of herself posing with an assault rifle next to a photo of Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the progressive Squad, including Reps., Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Its time to go on the offense against these socialists, Greene wrote. In April of 2021, Green once again re-upped her demands that Ocasio-Cortez debate her on the House floor over the Green New Deal. The one-sided fixation included a video from Greene in which she described Ocasio-Cortez as a scared little girl that is pretty stupid and doesnt know anything about the economy or economics. She just has a government job, Greene added, as if she and Ocasio-Cortez dont have exactly the same job title. Days after posting the video, Greene chased Ocasio-Cortez when she left the House floor and screamed at her, accusing her of supporting terrorists and antifa. The stunt drew backlash from other members of Congress, even fellow Republicans like Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who felt that screaming matches in the halls were beneath the dignity of the office. Greene would continue to rail about the encounter on social media, calling Ocasio-Cortez and other Progressive women of color serving in the House the #JihadSquad. And any US Member of Congress supporting terrorists Hamas should be expelled. Any member supporting and fundraising for criminals in Antifa/BLM riots in American cities should be expelled. Thats the #JihadSquad and the VP. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@mtgreenee) May 13, 2021 Last year, the pair once again traded barbs on Twitter after Greene again reiterated her demands for a debate after Ocasio-Cortez correctly pointed out that the Georgia congresswoman has promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories in the past. I have repeatedly asked you to debate me, but you have been a coward and cant even respond, Greene wrote on X, formerly Twitter, But you go on CNN and lie about me. Ocasio-Cortez responded by taking a jab at how infrequently Greene actually showed up to debates in the Oversight Committee. In case you forgot, we sit on the same committee, which debated for the first time this week, she wrote on Feb. 3, 2023. I dont blame you if you forgot. You spent almost no time there. In the few minutes you did show up. An irate Greene responded by attacking her rivals past work as a bartender. Thursdays explosive Oversight Committee hearing was a long time coming and it was only a matter of time before Greenes affinity for aggressive theatrics against her fellow lawmakers was captured in full view of CSPANs cameras instead of by unfortunate bystanders. In 2022, Greene and fellow Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) reportedly almost came to blows during a House Freedom Caucus meeting, to the point that someone had to step in between them to de-escalate the confrontation. Last year, the pair fell into a screaming match inside a bathroom near the House floor, and months later Greene called Boebert a little bitch during a dispute over articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden. Greenes personal vendettas regularly spill over into petty name-calling and childish outbursts that derail the business of government. She gets away with it because much like a parent dreads the prospect of a public tantrum House Republican leadership coddles and excuses her behavior at every turn. On Thursday, after Greene leveled her attacks at Crockett and Ocasio-Cortez, Republicans on the committee voted to strike down two attempts to have her comments removed from the record. In response, Rep. Crockett posed a hypothetical to Committee Chair James Comer. Im just curious, just to better understand your ruling, Crockett said. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde, bad built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Jasmine Crockett on Marjorie Taylor Greenes bleach blonde, bad built, butch body during a House committee oversight hearing. This started after MTG said her fake eyelashes were messing up her readingpic.twitter.com/kuPKMFAjFu philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 17, 2024 Comer reacted in confusion, as fellow committee Republicans in turn demanded that Crocketts words be stricken from the record, once again spiraling the debate into an uncontrolled screaming match. Yall talk noise, and then you cant take it, Crockett declared. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed hundreds of bills during a ceremony at the State House on Thursday among them the state budget, the authorization for a firearm prevention and intervention center, and several bills of interest to the Eastern Shore. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore City, called a balanced budget the one constitutional duty of the state Legislature during his remarks prior to a multi-hour signing ceremony. The $63 billion budget, which was the subject of inter-chamber negotiations in the Legislatures final days, made investments in childcare, education, housing, and public safety, which was the governors primary topic in his preliminary remarks Thursday. More: Moore's Maryland budget boosts child care, education, without raising taxes. What to know. Moore highlights public safety bills in years final signing ceremony Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, seated at center, poses for a photo at a bill signing ceremony at the State House in Annapolis on May 16, 2024. He is surrounded by supporters of legislation to create a new Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention. When we entered office, said the second-year governor, a Democrat, referring to his administration, we said that public safety was going to be our number one priority. He highlighted three bipartisan public safety bills: the Victim Compensation Reform Act of 2024, the Growing Apprenticeships and the Public Safety Workforce Act, or GAPS Act, and legislation establishing the Center for Firearm Violence Prevention and Intervention. The new center, set to be housed within the Maryland Department of Health, comes nearly a year after mass shootings both in Salisbury and Baltimore. It also comes after President Joe Bidens administration established in September 2023 the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, representatives of which were on hand during the ceremony in the states capital. Outdoor displays in Ocean City: Ocean City weighs crackdown on what can be displayed on Boardwalk. All to know. Local legislation on the list for signing includes fire and liquor bills On the list of legislation to be signed were several bills of interest to the Eastern Shore, which did not receive comment prior to the autographing exercise from the governor or Speaker of the House of Delegates Adrienne Jones, D-Baltimore County, but are set to affect the communities to which they apply. Legislation to allow the Somerset County Commissioners to enact local laws to manage, direct and regulate fire, rescue and emergency medical services in the county was on the agenda with dozens of bills to be signed without public ceremony. The legislation also allowed the commissioners to create an entity or a body to administer those services. Several items related to liquor were also on the signing list, including a bill that repeals the authority of the Wicomico County Liquor Control Board later this year and allows the holders of a Class A, B, C or D license to purchase alcoholic beverages from a dispensary or a wholesaler. That legislation, sponsored by Del. Carl Anderton, R-Wicomico, is set to take effect on July 1. Both Jones and Moore noted the years fourth bill signing is set to be the final one of the year. Over 1,000 bills have been enacted thus far, according to the Maryland General Assembly website. Ocean City's Coconut Club: Ocean City's Coconut Club a new craft cocktail bar and coastal escape, all in one Some legislation, like a bill to remove the requirement that estate notices be published in a local newspaper, has not been acted on by the governor. The governor has until May 28, the day required by law, to make a decision about such legislation. The governor can either sign, veto or let legislation become law without a signature. Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at dweingarten@gannett.com or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2. This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Budget, public safety measures among hundreds of bills signed by Moore ANNAPOLIS, Md. (DC News Now) Gov. Wes Moore signed several new bills in Maryland including a few that address crime in the state. One of those bills, the Juvenile Reform Bill, aims to hold young people more accountable when sentenced or put on probation. Born out of a tragic incident: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs fire safety, prevention bill The measure expands the charges that 10 to 12 year old kids can face, which now includes handgun violations, and gives judges the ability to extend probations past the maximum sentence. State Attorney Aisha Braveboy was one of the leaders in putting this in motion, and she says this law will work for everyone. We believe it will provide a greater level of accountability, Braveboy said. Not just for the young person committing the offense for the Department of Youth Services and those of us who are responsible and have a role in the system. Bladensburg Police Departments Chief, Tyrone Collington, said the legislation gives police a better chance against youth crime. These juvenile crimes are getting out of hand frankly, he said. Theyre violent crimes so now this bill gives the law enforcement officers the ability to now charge the young ones. University of Marylands School of Education rewards alums in teaching with $1,000 But Collington wants people to know that while they dont like arresting youth, but it is something that must be done. It is not the polices goal, he said. Some of them are really young. We want them to get some help and get resources, but when you take someones life or some serious damage to someone, there has to be a level of accountability. Other bills signed were the expansion of the Maryland crime bill that will add a focus on gang crews and a victim compensation fund that will further financially help victims of crime. 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 coalition of progressive voters is celebrating the historic impact of its efforts to pressure President Biden to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, by getting 10% of Democrats to buck the president and vote uncommitted in Tuesdays primary. But analysts said that the 47,587 uncommitted votes cast Tuesday are likely not fatal to Bidens general election campaign. Neither of these candidates can take any voter for granted. And both of them have to pay attention to any defections, Todd Eberly, a political science professor at St. Marys College of Maryland, said of Biden and likely Republican nominee Donald Trump. But the question is: are the defections outside of the norm of history. And at least when it comes to Biden and the uncommitted vote, the answer is no, it does not, he said. But members of Listen to Maryland, a coalition of frustrated voters are declaring a resounding expression of protest against the Biden administration. Listen to Maryland representative Anna Evans-Goldstein, a 36-year-old Baltimore resident, said the protest vote is to push for the Biden administration to actually listen to the voters who voted him into office. She said she was pleased with Tuesdays results. Electoral politics is one of the tools at our disposal in this democracy to register dissent, she said. In primary elections, since we have an uncommitted option in Maryland, it is a way for voters to signal to the leader of the party and the party itself that they disagree with a particular stance, the policies and whats going on. She noted that there were 23,725 uncommitted Democratic votes in 2020, about 2.3% of the Democratic primary vote that year. The number nearly doubled this year, when there were fewer overall voters, accounting for just over 10% of the vote, according to unofficial results. But Eberly says that comparing Tuesdays results to the 2020 primaries is an apples to oranges comparison, because there were more than a dozen Democratic candidates on the ballot then, including relatively popular alternatives to Biden such as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Eberly says the more apt comparison is the 2012 Democratic primary, when incumbent President Barack Obama was seeking reelection. That year, 37,704 Democrats voted uncommitted, or about 11.5% of 288,766 total votes the primary. Joe Biden did better than Barack Obama did when he was seeking reelection, Eberly said. So its hard to view that as any kind of victory, moral or otherwise, for the folks who were organizing the uncommitted vote. Maryland is the latest in a string of states with an uncommitted voter campaign, and Listen to Maryland supporters say the primary results add to a coalition of voters who are frustrated with the options at hand. In March, 13% of Michigans Democratic primary voters cast uncommitted ballots, followed by 19% of Democrats in Minnesota, among other states. A Leave it Blank flier that is circulating in New York ahead of that states Democratic primary. Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images. Its not clear how the uncommitted primary voters will act in the general presidential election come November whether theyll abstain from the election altogether, ultimately vote for Biden or seek a third option. Patrick Oray, a 56-year-old Baltimore high school teacher, said this was the first year he voted uncommitted in the primary. Weve been disgusted with whats going on in Gaza and our supports, military and financial, of Israel in Gaza, Oray said. And we have to say something. That said, he will probably vote for Biden in November, even if the president does not call for a cease-fire. But Daljit Soni, 43, an attorney and the daughter of immigrants from northern India, said she is not sure how shell vote if Biden doesnt pause aid to Israel. Well have to wait and see, she said. Im not sure what I am going to do if he doesnt change course. Evans-Goldstein said the Listen to Maryland campaign is over and it not will provide directions for what its voter bloc should do in the general election. I cant speak to what anybody is going to do from now on, she said. This was exclusively a campaign focused on the primaries. Marylands Republican Party took note of the 47,000 uncommitted Democratic voters, who they see as potential targets to recruit in the general election. My initial assessment is that President Biden has lost some of his voter base he needs to be able to win them back, said Maryland GOP Chairwoman Nicole Beus Harris. It also tells me that those Democrat voters are perhaps even questioning bigger overall things, the presidential policies or even Democrat policy in general, that they might agree with Republicans on policy standpoints and our plans for America. The Biden campaign responded to the uncommitted vote, saying the president believes making your voice heard and participating in our democracy is fundamental to who we are as Americans. But those voters and the president have the same goals, the officials said. He shares the goal for an end to the violence and a just, lasting peace in the Middle East. Hes working tirelessly to that end, said Lauren Hitt, a campaign spokesperson. Eberly also noted that 20.55% of Maryland Republicans bucked Trump on Tuesday and cast their votes for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the GOP race in March. That indicates that the Republican Party has a similar enthusiasm problem that will need to be addressed, Eberly said. Given the choice, Eberly said he would rather the 10% uncommitted than the 20% who voted for Nikki Haley on the Republican side. I think that the Biden campaign is going to be more interested in trying to attract the 20% of Haley voters than they are going to worry about the 10% uncommitted, he said. Both of these candidates have flaws. I think its safe to say that voters arent excited that either of them are the nominee of their party, and I think that is something that they both have to overcome in November, Eberly said. The post Will Marylands uncommitted primary voters sway Biden administration on Gaza cease-fire? appeared first on Maryland Matters. BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, May 17. The GDP of Kyrgyzstan amounted to approximately 342 billion soms ($3.87 billion) in January-April 2024, Trend reports. According to the preliminary estimates of the State Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan, compared to January-April 2023, the figure increased by 7.4 percent. It is noted that the volume of industrial production in January-April 2024 amounted to 154.7 billion soms ($1.750 billion), increasing by 2.2 percent compared to January-April 2023. Additionally, we observed positive trends in construction, where the volume increased by 50.8 percent, wholesale and retail trade by 20.7 percent, and agriculture by 2.1 percent. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan's GDP surpassed 1.2 trillion soms ($13.4 billion) in 2023, which is a 6.2 percent increase compared to 2022. Friday marks the 20th anniversary of the first same-sex marriage licenses being issued in Massachusetts, following a landmark ruling by the States Supreme Judicial Court. Events are planned around the area. In Boston, former Governor Deval Patrick will headline a speaking program at the Arlington Street Church. The issuance of licenses on May 17, 2004, to same-sex couples followed a November 18, 2003 4-3 opinion on by the SJC in the case Goodridge v. the Dept. Public Health. The group GLAD had filed the case in 2001, setting off a years-long effort for equality when it came to marriage. Two of the plaintiffs in the Goodridge ruling, David Wilson and Rob Compton are among the scheduled speakers at Fridays event in Boston. The couple was married on May 17, 2004, at Arlington Street Church. Same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2015. The City of Cambridge, where the first same-sex licenses were issued is marking the anniversary over several days. On Friday night, a Marriage Equality event will be hosted by Mayor E. Denise Simmons and the Cambridge Museum of History and Culture at the Kendall Center Public Lobby. It will feature a photography exhibition, a keynote address from former Massachusetts State Representative Byron Rushing, and live music. On Saturday, the Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission and City of Cambridges Office of Equity and Inclusion is hosting an event at Cambridge City Hall 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring a performance, and speeches. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW France declares a state of emergency to regain control of events in New Caledonia By Kirsty Needham and Camille Raynaud SYDNEY/PARIS (Reuters) -French police reinforcements began arriving in New Caledonia on Friday in a massive push to regain control of the capital, the top French official in the Pacific island territory said, after rioting in which four people were killed and hundreds arrested. After three nights of upheaval, Thursday night was relatively quiet and calls for calm were starting to be heeded, France's High Commissioner Louis Le Franc said, although he added standoffs continued in parts of the capital city Noumea. The unrest, sparked by anger among indigenous Kanak over a contested electoral reform, could complicate President Emmanuel Macron's plan to increase French influence in the Pacific, a region where China and the U.S. are jostling for ascendancy. Under the French reinforcement the number of police and gendarmes on the French-ruled island will rise to 2,700 from 1,700 by Friday evening. "Reinforcements will arrive massively, immediately (and will be) deployed to control the areas which have escaped our control in recent days ... to reconquer all the areas of the urban area which we have lost," Le Franc told a televised press conference. He said operations to supply food and medicine to the public will begin with teams, including specialists in mine clearing, removing road barricades that were booby trapped by activists. The New Caledonia government said on Friday the island had stocks of food for two months and the problem was distribution. "Our calls for calm, peace and reconciliation are beginning to be heard ... It is important that those who are at the origin of the clashes, of the blockages, hear this," Le Franc said. Rioters angry with the electoral reform have burnt businesses, torched cars, looted shops and set up road barricades over three days, cutting off access to medicine and food, authorities said. The new bill, adopted by lawmakers in Paris on Tuesday, 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. RESUME TALKS? 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. FLNKS political bureau member Jimmy Naouna said it was encouraging that French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had picked up the dossier. A video call with Macron on Thursday was cancelled by a pro-independence coalition because they want France to first withdraw the electoral reform, and also rejected a July deadline given by Macron for a deal, he told Reuters. "If we want to resume the talks for the new political agreement the French government, Macron, has to lift, suspend or withdraw this electoral reform bill," he said. "Give us time to hold talks in a more peaceful environment without this electoral reform above our head," he added. Naouna said protests in the north of the island were peaceful, with violence concentrated in the Noumea suburbs. "This is the youth and it is really from the economic crisis, the nickel crisis and social crisis, everything together has made this situation blow up," he said. France has declared a state of emergency on the island, put at least 10 people under house arrest and banned TikTok. Three young Kanak have died in the riots, and a 22-year-old police official died of a gunshot wound. Another police official died from an accidental gunshot while preparing to deploy. France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Thursday police had arrested the person responsible for shooting two Kanaks; Le Franc said one perpetrator had surrendered and investigations were continuing into other murders. The Pacific Conference of Churches on Friday joined regional inter-governmental groups in calling for France to withdraw the constitutional bill, and said the United Nations should lead a dialogue mission to New Caledonia. In a statement, the churches said there had been a breakdown in dialogue between the French government and Kanak people. Pacific Elders Voice, a group of former Pacific leaders, said decisions were being made in Paris without meaningful consultation and France should listen to "indigenous Kanak voices and the Pacific-wide support for self-determination". (Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney, Lucy Craymer in Wellington and Camille Raynaud, Juliette Jabkhiro in Paris; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Ingrid Melander, William Maclean) icon Semafor Signals Supported by Microsoft logo Insights from Verstka, Ukrainska Pravda, and Foreign Affairs Arrow Down Title icon The News A massive wave of Ukrainian drones and missiles struck oil refineries, ports, and electricity stations in southwestern Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea early Friday. The strike, which Russian authorities said involved more than 100 Ukrainian drones, is Ukraines biggest attack in months, as Kyiv aims to destroy military infrastructure and cripple Russias oil sector. Residents in the port of Novorossiysk lost power Thursday night after drones hit at least two fuel depots and two oil terminals, the Russian outlet Astra reported, and the Crimean city of Sevastopol experienced rolling blackouts after Russian authorities said an electricity substation was hit. It was the third attack in two days against Sevastopol, where schools were closed on Friday. icon SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Ukrainian strikes have made Russian border towns unlivable Russias war has transformed its once-thriving city of Belgorod, located 25 miles from the Ukrainian border, into a ghost town, CNN reported, as Kyiv has sought to bring the war to Russian soil. The city is a key military hub for Russian forces and has faced daily rocket and drone attacks. An exodus of people from Belgorod has led to a drastic economic downturn, the Russian investigative outlet Verstka reported. Closer to the Ukrainian border, looting has broken out in areas that have been almost completely abandoned, according to Russian authorities. A local newspaper reported that 178 people have died in Ukrainian strikes on the region, and thousands of buildings have been damaged by shelling. Home-grown drones key to Ukraines campaign against Russia Source icon Source: Ukrainska Pravda Ukraine has fostered a homegrown drone sector after its Western partners unwillingness to supply weapons to strike Russia. Kyiv has ramped up production of its Lyutyy drone, given the success of the large kamikaze drone that is now used in 80% of strikes on Russia, Ukrainska Pravda reported. A former US Department of Defense analyst commended Ukraines decision to streamline its production, saying, 18 different drone types is good for innovating, but a campaign like this requires scale to maintain a good tempo of attacks. At sea, Ukrainian-designed naval drones have helped compensate for Kyivs lack of a traditional navy, the Kyiv Independent reported. Experts divided on the impact of Ukrainian attacks Source icon Sources: The Telegraph, Foreign Affairs, Carnegie Politika Russia is feeling the pinch of Ukraines targeted campaign against its oil and gas sites, three experts wrote in Foreign Affairs, arguing that Kyivs regular attacks are eating into Russian revenues. But Sergey Vakulenko, an expert on the Russian oil sector, has questioned the extent of the strikes impact. While he said the strikes help buoy Ukrainian morale and force Russian oil companies to pay for repairs, the drones do not have payloads big enough to destroy infrastructure. So far, he said, the damage has not had a significant impact on the sector at large, nor has it made a serious dent in Russias economy. Semafor Logo Mayflower Residence Hall off the market, will again house students at reduced cost Mayflower Residence Hall is seen on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, along Dubuque Street in Iowa City. Mayflower was first opened as an apartment complex before being fully acquired by the University of Iowa in 1982. Mayflower Residence Hall is off the market and will once again house University of Iowa students thanks to higher-than-expected enrollment. The school listed the property for sale last summer at a price tag of $45 million and indicated that this spring semester could be its last. Online listings confirm that the property was taken off the market earlier this year, and a recent report to the State Board of Regents indicates that the university plans to use Mayflower through at least the 2028-29 academic year. In February, the UI announced that Mayflower would stay open through at least the 2024-25 academic year as the university attempted to balance an influx of students, high demand for first-year housing and interest from returning students. A university spokesperson confirmed in February that selling the 56-year-old building was contingent on students being allowed to live there through the 2024-25 school year. The listing was removed from online realtor sites a few weeks later. Mayflower Residence Hall opened in 1968 as an apartment building and was first partially leased in 1979 before being fully acquired by the University of Iowa in 1982. More: The Kalona Sales Barn experience: Farmers, pie, cows, goats and gravy Some Mayflower rooms available at a discounted rate For the 2024-25 academic year, students can rent a double room at Mayflower a four-person suite at a discounted rate. The Regents recently approved a $560 discount on a Mayflower double room, cutting the per-semester cost by 6.5%. Mayflower offers a few unique amenities not often found in other University of Iowa residence halls. Rooms feature a small kitchen outfitted with a gas stove, sink, fridge and a small dining room table. Each room is also "suite-style," meaning students have an in-unit bathroom, shower and two sinks. Across campus, residence hall rates, including single rooms or two-person suites at Mayflower, were increased by 4.9%. From February: The University of Iowa's Mayflower dorm will stay open to accommodate large numbers UI expecting full occupancy The UI's February report to the Regents indicated that student housing could be limited coming years. For the 2023-24 academic year, occupancy was at 97.9%, with just 138 unoccupied rooms of the 6,553 available. Students are expected to use every one of the 6,465 rooms available every year for the next five through the 2028-2029 academic year. Mayflower can host more than 1,000 students in its 278 units. Parklawn residence hall is pictured Thursday, March 21, 2024 on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City, Iowa. More: Iowa City man sentenced to 27 years in prison for selling heroin that led to fatal overdose Despite demand, Parklawn Hall to close Despite high demand, the University of Iowa plans to close the Parklawn Residence Hall ahead of the 2024-2025 academic year. Parklawn is on the west side of campus near Hancher Auditorium, a roughly 20-minute walk from central campus. "When we decided to continue to operate Mayflower Hall, we knew that we had enough capacity to put students in Mayflower that we didn't need Parklawn anymore," Assistant Vice President for Student Life and Senior Director of University Housing and Dining Von Stange told the Press-Citizen in March. "We felt that Mayflower itself was advantageous versus Parklawn simply because it's on a bus route." Parklawn closed in 2017 when Catlett Residence Hall opened but reopened in 2022 because of large first-year student enrollment. The building will be available for housing if the university deems it necessary. "Parklawn is a drop in the bucket compared to Mayflower's capacity, and we knew that we could house all of our first-year students, all of our returning students in Mayflower and other residence halls without having to use Parklawn," Stange said. The building is in good shape so that we could put students in there," Stange continued. "But we just didn't feel like having it open in addition to Mayflower." Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01. Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached atJRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_. This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: University of Iowa halts selling Mayflower dorm, will house students NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) McKinley Elementary and Monroe Elementary officials announced this week during a ribbon cutting ceremony the official opening of each sites shelters, marking the completion of all construction projects under the 2019 bond. According to school officials, all schools in Norman Public Schools (NPS) now have storm shelters ready to keep students safe, just in time for severe weather season. Scissortail Parks free Summer Concert Series begins May 19 As stewards of our students and staffs safety, it is our duty to provide a secure haven that shields them from the unpredictable Oklahoma weather,. With the completion of these storm shelters, we not only fulfill our obligation but also reinforce our commitment to safeguarding our school community. Superintendent Dr. Nick Migliorino. Last year, we made a promise to the parents of Monroe and McKinley schools that they would not face another storm season without a storm shelter. I am proud to announce that we have delivered on that promise,. These newly opened storm shelters stand as a testament to our unwavering dedication to ensuring the safety of all our students and staff. Justin Milner, NPS Associate Superintendent and Chief Operating Officer School officials say, McKinley and Monroe will have two rooms at each school that can hold the entire student population and staff in case they need to seek shelter. When not being used as a storm shelter, these rooms are used for music classes. McKinley and Monroe were the first to be approved for renovations under the 2023 bond project, which was passed in February 2023. McKinley additions will include more classrooms and restrooms, a breezeway connection corridor, and renovations to restrooms and parking lots. Monroe additions will include several new classrooms, a library enclosure, and updates to its restrooms and parking lots, said school officials. WA Group, an architecture and interior design firm, who worked with NPS on the 2010, 2014, and 2019 bond projects said, CWA Group is honored to be a part of the Norman Public Schools bond projects. We love contributing to the community where our employees live and raise their families, said Alison Acker, Senior Project Architect, Vice President. Norman officials concluded saying, safety and security for students was the cornerstone of the $186 million school bond. It was passed in February 2019, with nearly $30 million dedicated to build storm shelters at 16 schools that did not have one. 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. Ukrainian drones attacked several military facilities in Russia and occupied Crimea overnight on May 17, a source from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed to the Kyiv Independent. The source said that it was a joint operation carried out by the SBU and Ukraine's military intelligence agency. "Today's operation proved that the Russians are unable to protect their main naval bases in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk," the source said. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier during the day that 102 aerial and six naval drones had been intercepted and destroyed and did not report any damage or casualties. The drones were targeted at naval bases of the Black Sea Fleet located in occupied Sevastopol and the Russian city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, the source said. The attack also impacted a power plant near Sevastopol, leading to power outages. The port in Novorossiysk is where Moscow began redeploying its Black Sea Fleet after a series of devastating Ukrainian strikes, including a missile attack on its headquarters in Sevastopol on Sept. 22, 2023. The source also confirmed the drone attack on the oil refinery in the Russian town of Tuapse, located on Russia's Black Sea coast. A military intelligence source confirmed earlier for the Kyiv Independent that the agency carried out a successful drone attack against an oil base in Russia's Rostov Oblast on May 15. The next day, drones hit production facilities of the state-owned Russian weapons manufacturing company "Basalt" in the city of Tula, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent. Read also: Opinion: Ukraines naval drones are taking over the Black Sea Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. 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 West Virginia Watch. 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) 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Medicare should include dental coverage, dentists tell U.S. Senate panel appeared first on Maine Morning Star. 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 Nebraska Examiner. DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, May 17. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will expand opportunities for cooperation with Tajikistan, Trend reports. This was said, reportedly, by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva during a briefing following a meeting with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon. Georgieva said that deep and fruitful discussions about cooperation between the IMF and Tajikistan took place during the meeting. "We just addressed the fund's new Tajikistan initiative. This initiative supports the country's changes to attract investors, enhance the economic climate, and use budget revenues for social needs and population assistance," said the head of the IMF. She noted that this program is especially necessary now, when Tajikistan is promoting the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant (HPP), one of the most important projects not only for the country, but also for the region, adding that this HPP will be a source of "green" energy for business and the country's population. The Rogun HPP is being constructed on the Vakhsh River. The power station is expected to have a capacity of around 3,700 MW, making it the largest hydropower plant in Central Asia. It is estimated that following its full commissioning, the Rogun HPP will generate an annual electricity output of approximately 14,400 GWh. Meet the candidates for Warren County Board of Supervisors in the new District 5 Two candidates are competing to represent the new Warren County Board of Supervisors District 5, which includes Carlisle, Ackworth and Liberty Center. It's the first election for this seat, as supervisor districts were redrawn and approved in early January. The change also added two more districts. Republicans Crystal McIntyre, who is currently the District 2 supervisor, and Tony Beck will square off for their party's nomination in June. To help voters, the Des Moines Register sent questions to all federal, Des Moines area legislative and local candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity. The primary election is scheduled for June 4 ahead of the Nov. 5 general election. More: Early voting has started for Iowa's June 4 primary election. Here's what you should know: Who is Tony Beck? Tony Beck Age: 50 Party: Republican Where did you grow up: Milo Current town of residence: Milo Education: High school diploma Occupation: City maintenance, city of Lacona Political experience and civic activities: Milo fire chief Who is Crystal McIntyre? Crystal McIntyre Age: 54 Party: Republican Where did you grow up: Texas Current town of residence: Milo Education: U.S. Army Occupation: Iowa Workforce Development in the Labor Market Information Division Political experience and civic activities: Warren County Board of Supervisors since 2015, Sunday school teacher to primary age children. Why are you running? Beck: To better serve the smaller communities of Warren County, improve roads, and better public safety. McIntyre: Seeing how our current board members are easily manipulated and persuaded to do things contrary to the will of the people and one of those members is seeking reelection is why I initially decided to run again. What is the most important issue facing Warren County and how would you address it in office? Beck: The budget, roads, and countywide EMS. I just don't feel the current supervisors quite have the full understandings of the last two issues. They understand the budget but I feel they don't put the money in the proper buckets to spend the money on the right things. It is just time for new blood and some new input to make the county run better. McIntyre: How our budget was handled over the last two years and being transparent. I have and will educate the public if the board does not listen to rural concerns and to what all board members contribute. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Two Republicans running for new Warren County supervisor District 5 WEBER COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) A two-and-a-half-year-old Belgian Malinois is joining the Weber County K-9 division after recently receiving his narcotics detection certification. Ronin and his handler Deputy Roche are the newest members of the Weber County Sheriffs Office K-9 division and are preparing to attend patrol school this summer, according to the announcement. Deputy Roche and K-9 Ronin are excited to begin their work serving and protecting our residents of Weber County, WCSO said. K-9s serve in several roles within a sheriffs office, mainly assisting in detecting narcotics and bombs, as well as assisting in apprehending fugitives. In some cases, K-9s have helped locate missing children or Alzheimers patients. Deputy Roche and K-9 Ronin. (Courtesy of Weber County Sheriffs Office) Their role in law enforcement places them in dangerous and sometimes deadly positions. In recent years, several K-9s have died from causes unrelated to their duties, however, other dogs such as Hondo and Maya died serving the community. In 2022, West Jordan K-9 Maya was shot and killed in the line of duty, and a few years earlier, Herriman Police K-9 Hondo was also shot and killed. Just this year, officials have rolled out a new service designed to transport injured K-9s and other working dogs, such as avalanche dogs and search dogs. Intermountain Life Flight revealed in February a K-9 transport service for dogs injured in the line of duty. Gill: Officers justified in use of force in 2023 Taylorsville shooting The program was created with the help of the West Jordan Police Department, who spoke at the news conference about Maya and her role as part of their family and community. Officer Roche and Ronin will be attending patrol school this summer. The courses are approximately eight weeks long, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety. 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. Melania Trump Keeps Barron In A 'Tight Bubble' At Mar-a-Lago Away From His Dad's Hush Money Trial Melania Trump and her son Barron Trump's close-knit relationship is well documented as the high schooler transitions into adulthood. Reports suggest that the former first lady keeps Barron in a protective "bubble" at their sprawling Mar-a-Lago estate, with a source branding him as "little Melania." Barron was set to make his political debut after he was shortlisted as an at-large candidate to represent Florida in the Republican Party National convention in July, but Melania's office claimed he had to "decline" because of "prior commitments." Melania Trump Keeps Son Barron In A Protective 'Bubble' MEGA Melania has always fiercely guarded her privacy and that of her son, Barron, whom she shares with former president Donald Trump. Not much is known about the 6-foot-7 teenager, as his mother has successfully kept him out of the spotlight for most of his life. Barron, who recently turned 18, is understood to be Melania's priority as the former first lady maintains a tight grip over his affairs and schedule. She has reportedly renegotiated her prenup with Trump more than once to ensure that Barron's future is safe. A source close to Melania told the DailyMail that she's locked herself in a "tight bubble" at their sprawling West Palm Beach resort and seemingly keeps her son in it as Trump continues to battle his New York hush money trial. Although he has rarely been seen speaking in public, Barron favors his father's political efforts. He is reportedly keen on creating his platform as a potential foray into politics looms for him. "He's so regal. He's a little Melania," the source said of Barron. Barron Trump's Political Debut Stalled MEGA How much longer Melania can keep Barron in that "tight bubble" remains to be seen. He was recently named among Florida's at-large representatives for the Republican Party National Convention, which will be held in Milwaukee in July. The teenager was shortlisted alongside his half-siblings, Donald Jr., Eric, and Tiffany Trump, to serve as delegates for the state of Florida. There, the siblings will officially inaugurate their father as the party's official flagbearer for this year's Presidential election. Barron's political debut has since been squashed after reports from Melania's office surfaced, suggesting he had to "decline" the duty because of "prior commitments." A spokeswoman for Melania said in a statement that "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." Melania Trump Remains 'Primary Decision Maker' Over Barron's Future MEGA As he graduates from Oxbridge Academy today, his mother is expected to remain the sole decision-maker over his future, including where he will attend college. According to People magazine, a source close to Melania revealed that she'll not be letting go of her firm grip on his future. She's already understood to be on the lookout for where he'll go to college. "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 source told the news outlet. "He is her world. She is proud of him, and she is the primary decision maker on Barron and his future." The insider continued, "He is still young and has a lot in front of him. 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." Melania Trump Doesn't Want Her Son To Get Mixed Into Donald Trump's Legal Battles MEGA Although the former president has claimed that he's "all for it" regarding his youngest son's plunge into politics, that seems to contradict Melania's stance on the issue. Trump is currently battling a New York hush money trial where he has been accused of falsifying company records to cover up a $130,000 payment to former adult film star Stormy Daniels over an alleged one-night stand. The billionaire politician had complained to Judge Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over the case, that he'd have to miss his youngest son's high school graduation, pleading for special consideration, which has since been granted. However, Melania's former aid, Stephanie Grisham, noted that the former first lady wouldn't like Barron's name to be brought up in court. MEGA According to the Daily Mail, Grisham claimed Melania "wasn't happy" that Trump talked about their son in the context of the case. "He talked about missing Barron's graduation to the cameras and then again on Truth Social because it caused a lot of coverage about that, and it's just not something she would have liked," she said. The mother-of-one is yet to make a court appearance to support Trump and has since distanced herself from weighing in on the case. Donald Trump To Attend Fundraiser On His Son's Graduation Day MEGA Judge Juan Merchan approved Trump's request to be allowed a day off from court so he could attend his son's graduation. However, the ex-president has other commitments to attend to on Friday. According to reports, Trump is scheduled to give a keynote address at the Minnesota Republican Party's annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner on the same day as the graduation. As a private jet owner, Trump can shuffle between both events, with Barron's graduation reportedly starting in the morning. Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama have voted against joining the United Auto Workers, a setback for the union as it tries to organize the auto industry in the South. The vote count at the German manufacturers facilities in Vance, near Tuscaloosa, was 2,045 to 2,642 against the union, according to a preliminary tally from the National Labor Relations Board. More than 5,000 workers were eligible to cast ballots in the weeklong election that ended Friday. The union has a week to challenge the results. The UAW was coming off a historic victory at Volkswagens Tennessee plant last month, where workers had voted overwhelmingly in favor of unionization. But the loss at Mercedes could slow the unions plans to organize more foreign-owned auto facilities in Southern states. UAW President Shawn Fain said in a press conference following the results that the union and its supporters had left everything on the table. While this loss stings, Ill tell you this: Were gonna keep our heads up, Fain said. We fought the good fight and were going to continue forward. Ultimately, these workers here are going to win. Mercedes thanked employees for voting in a statement following the election. Our goal throughout this process was to ensure every eligible Team Member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election, the company said. But Fain accused Mercedes of engaging in egregious illegal behavior by pressuring employees to vote against the union. Weve been here before. We know what were taking on, he said. This company, like most others, operated off the same playbook fears, threats, intimidation. The UAW has long represented auto workers at the Big Three of Ford, General Motors and Jeep parent company Stellantis, primarily in the Midwest. But over the years, foreign manufacturers like Mercedes, Volkswagen, Nissan and Hyundai have established factories in the South to take advantage of lower wages and right to work laws, reducing the UAWs density across the industry. Organizing those plants is key to the UAW restoring its once-formidable bargaining power, and to boosting wages and benefits in Southern facilities that lag behind unionized plants. The UAW won a big election at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee but lost at the Mercedes facilities in Alabama. via Associated Press The Volkswagen and Mercedes campaigns have served as early tests of the unions ambitious plans, with very different results. The Volkswagen workers had voted in favor of the UAW by a nearly 3-1 margin. But Volkswagen stayed mostly neutral during the campaign in Chattanooga, whereas Mercedes appeared to actively campaign against the UAW. Workers said management regularly corralled them into meetings to hear anti-union talking points, while the new chief executive of the companys U.S. division made a direct appeal to workers to give [him] a chance. Theres a lot of power in that, Fain said. The union also faced external political pressures. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) joined other Southern GOP leaders in denouncing the UAW and declared at the start of voting that Alabama is not Michigan. The workers in Vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly! Ivey posted on X after the results came in Friday. The union had said its organizing committee secured a supermajority of support in the plant before filing for a vote, so the results suggest it lost a large share of support in the weekslong election campaign. Asked if the UAW planned to challenge the results based on the companys conduct, Fain said he would leave that question to the unions legal team. Organizing a large manufacturing plant often involves multiple failures before succeeding. The UAW narrowly lost two earlier elections at the Volkswagen plant, in 2014 and 2019, before winning this April. The earliest the union could file for another election at Mercedes would be in a year. These courageous workers reached out to us because they wanted justice, Fain said. They led this fight. Thats what this is all about. And what happens next is up to them. Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama vote against joining UAW, a blow to union's expansion in the South Thousands of Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama voted against joining the United Auto Workers (UAW) on Friday, delivering a significant defeat for the union one month after it prevailed at a Volkswagen facility in nearby Tennessee. Workers at two Mercedes-Benz plants near Tuscaloosa, Alabama cast ballots against joining the union by a margin of 2,642 to 2,045, or 56% to 44%, the National Labor Relations Board said. The result hinders the UAW's momentum as it seeks to organize additional plants throughout the South, where it has struggled for decades to gain a foothold. Analysts expected a difficult contest at the Alabama Mercedes-Benz facilities because the company conducted an anti-union campaign, whereas officials at Volkswagen had remained neutral toward worker organization efforts. MORE: Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join UAW, union says Still, the union's landslide victory last month at a Volkswagen facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee came as a surprise to many observers. The breakthrough marked the first car plant in the South to unionize with a vote since the 1940s. In both recent campaigns, the union faced stiff opposition from local elected officials. Six Southern governors, including Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, both Republicans, issued a statement last month condemning UAW organization efforts in the region. "We want to keep good paying jobs and continue to grow the American auto manufacturing sector here," the governors wrote. "A successful unionization drive will stop this growth in its tracks, to the detriment of American workers." In recent months, UAW officials have touted an aggressive campaign to expand the union's membership. Over 10,000 non-union auto workers have signed cards in support of the UAW, and organizing campaigns have begun at more than two dozen facilities, the union said in a statement in March. The burst of activity followed a high-profile strike carried out by UAW workers against the Big Three U.S. automakers last fall: Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, formerly known as Chrysler. PHOTO: United Auto Workers members attend a solidarity rally as the UAW strikes the Big Three auto makers in Detroit, MI, Sept. 15, 2023. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) The standoff contributed to billions of dollars in losses for the companies and put thousands of workers temporarily out of work. But the gamble paid off, helping the UAW achieve historic wage gains and other long-sought reforms. MORE: 'Overlooked' workers who train AI can face harsh conditions, advocates say In recent years, the U.S. labor movement has grown in popularity and made headlines with attention-grabbing strikes, but it has overall failed to increase the share of the national workforce that belongs to a union. Sixty-seven percent of Americans approve of unions, a Gallup poll last year showed, putting the favorability of unions near its highest level since 1965. Still, union membership has declined. Only 10% of U.S. workers belonged to unions last year, which is little changed from the year prior, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed. However, that figure marks a steep drop from a peak of nearly 25% in the 1950s. The UAW's defeat in Alabama on Friday amounts to a missed opportunity for membership gains, since a vote to join the union would have added about 5,000 workers to its membership rolls. The UAW presently declares a membership of roughly 400,000 workers. Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama vote against joining UAW, a blow to union's expansion in the South originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama voted against joining the United Auto Workers (UAW) Friday, dealing a blow to the union that hopes to make progress in the South following a successful election in Tennessee last month. Workers at the Vance, Ala., plant voted 2,642 to 2,045 against joining the union, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Around 5,100 autoworkers were eligible to participate. The UAW hoped to continue its momentum in the South, following a historic win in April at the Volkswagen plant in Tennessee, where approximately 73 percent of workers voted in favor of joining the union. The UAW has a week to challenge the result of Fridays vote. Our goal throughout this process was to ensure every eligible Team Member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) said in a news release following the vote announcement. We thank all Team Members who asked questions, engaged in discussions, and ultimately, made their voices heard on this important issue. The UAW has filed unfair labor practice charges against the German manufacturer, claiming that Mercedes intimated workers in the lead-up to the contest, therefore breaching U.S. labor law. If found liable, Mercedes could be forced to bargain with the union, under the NLRB standard. They tried to paint the union in a bad light, UAW President Shawn Fain said, later adding, Were here to help people. Thats what were here for. We dont have to intimidate or threaten nobody. We believe in democracy, we believe in workers having a voice and making their own decision. Fain was undeterred by the outcome, vowing that the UAW will continue its efforts around the country and will ultimately organize auto manufacturing plants, including one in Vance where luxury SUVs are made. Sometimes Goliath wins a battle, but ultimately David will win the war, Fain said in a press conference following the announcement Friday. These workers will win their fair share, and were going to be there every step of the way. Weve been here before, we know what were taking on and this company like most others operates off [of] the same playbook, fear, threats, intimidation. Fain said that despite the loss, the union will continue fighting and plow ahead in hopes of organizing more in the South, an area of the country historically not as welcoming to unions. During the process, the UAW faced political opposition from leaders of various states in the South. Six governors warned workers in mid-April against joining the UAW, saying that it would impact their jobs and the values we live by. Fains union spearheaded a walkout last year against the former three major automakers. In the end, they were able to strike an agreement with all three automakers General Motors, Ford and Stellantis in October after a six-week strike. Well go back, well, well assess things, see where we are and keep moving, Fain said. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Ten people graduated from a nine-month internship program Project SEARCH Arkansas today at an event hosted by Mercy Hospital Fort Smith. The program is an ACCESS Initiative in partnership with Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, trains young adults with developmental disabilities for competitive employment opportunities. Interns in the program complete internship rotations with Mercy Fort Smith to gain hands-on experience and find jobs. Director of Project SEARCH Arkansas Rebekah Seljan says she hopes this program can change these interns lives. After finishing the program, the staff offers the graduates help finding jobs within the community and ongoing support throughout the employment period. Five of Fort Smiths ten graduates have already found jobs. A job is so much more than a paycheck, Seljan said. Having them put the hard work in is just a dream, its just a dream come true. 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 KNWA FOX24. A Douglas County High School student has been awarded a prestigious Gates Scholarship, according to a post from the school district. The student, Jonathan Essien, will attend the University of Georgia in the fall. The scholarship was established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and supports underrepresented students in fields like computer science, math, engineering, library science, education, public health, and science. All of Essiens college expenses will be covered, according to a news release. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Only 300 students each year receive the scholarship. Jonathan also participated in Douglas County High Schools National Decision Day. He will attend the Gates Scholarship Institute in Arizona this summer, according to the release. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Metro-North paid $1M to engineer in Valhalla crash that killed 6 in 2015. Families ask why Metro-North agreed to pay $1 million to the engineer operating the train that collided with an SUV at a Valhalla crossing in 2015, killing six in the deadliest accident in the railroads history, The USA Today Network has learned. The payout to Steven Smalls came after he sued the railroad and the estate of SUV driver Ellen Brody for emotional distress in 2017, claiming Metro-Norths negligence contributed to the Feb. 3, 2015 crash. The USA Today Network revealed the existence of the settlement in 2019, but the railroad has resisted attempts by the crash victims families to get Metro-North to reveal how much Smalls was paid. After a judge sided with the families, the total was revealed in court papers this month. Both sides are preparing for a legal showdown slated to start June 4 in Westchester County Supreme Court following nine years of litigation thats produced more than 1,000 filings. Attorneys for the families of dead and injured passengers called Metro-Norths request to keep jurors from hearing about the settlement an underhanded plan designed to buy Smalls silence. Its backroom attempt to enlist him back to Team Metro North and present him as such should be subject to inquiry regarding this simple truth: Smalls has a million reasons to testify on Metro Norths behalf, attorney Richard Steigman wrote in a May 3 filing. Railroad says Brody at fault Metro-North declined to comment, citing a gag order recently issued by the judge presiding over the case. In 2019, the railroad said Smalls acted heroically during the accident and called meritless suggestions he acted improperly. Smalls attorney, Steven Kantor, denied that the settlement with Smalls and his wife Lacey would influence Smalls' testimony. Engineer Steven Smalls, the engineer operating the train during the 2015 crash. Instead, the Smalls settlement agreement with Metro-North was simply a means to an end to some of the extensive amount of pain and suffering they had to endure as a result of this incident, Kantor wrote in April. Engineer: Did Metro-North 'buy the silence' of engineer in deadly Valhalla crash? Attorneys think so Smalls, an Air Force veteran from Orange County, had been an engineer for nine months when the crash occurred. His attorneys say he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and no longer works for the railroad. Attorneys representing the victims estates have argued that Smalls should have slowed the northbound Harlem Line train when he spotted a reflection on the tracks in front of him. They say if he hit the brakes sooner, Brody could have cleared the crossing in time. Rail: On 4th anniversary of Valhalla Metro-North crash, third rail is focus of litigation Instead, they say the train gained speed after Smalls sounded the horn for the first time 17 seconds before the crash. The train was going 59 mph when Smalls activated the emergency brakes three seconds before the crash, the NTSB found. The railroad says Brody was at fault for failing to move her Mercedes SUV off the crossing, the same conclusion reached by the National Transportation Safety Board. In addition to Brody, a 49-year-old mother of three from Edgement, five passengers in Train 659 were killed in the 6:30 p.m. crash. They were Robert Dirks, 36, of Chappaqua; Walter Liedtke, 69, and Eric Vandercar, 53, both of Bedford Hills; Aditya Tomar, 41, of Danbury, Connecticut and Joseph Nadol, 42, of Ossining. Defective third rail? At trial, attorneys are expected to argue that the Harlem Lines third-rail was defective, coming unhinged and entering the first car the quiet car of the eight-car train. It pierced the SUVs fuel tank and the first rail car, causing it to catch fire. Metro-Norths attorneys have tried to limit jurors from considering testimony about the third rail. The issue is scheduled to go before a state appeals court Wednesday, with the potential for delaying the start of the five-week trial. Court papers say Smalls also recently settled his negligence claims with the Town of Mount Pleasant. Smalls claimed the town should have shut down the Commerce Street crossing when it realized it was a danger. Details of that settlement were not available. Crossing: Shutting deadly Metro-North crossing won't be an easy fix In an interview with state and federal investigators in Tarrytown two days after the accident, Smalls revealed what he saw as the train approached the crossing. I see a reflection or something, and normally when I see a reflection, I think its an animal or something but this I had a feeling that this is obviously not an animal because its a crossing and its a reflection of something black and shiny, Smalls said. Realizing it was an SUV, Smalls said decided to "dump the train railroad speak for hitting the brakes while frantically blowing the horn. While he did so, he noticed Brodys SUV move forward and stop. And Im hoping to myself that shes going to actually zoom all the way, but she stopped, he told investigators. She proceeds she was fouling, the front of her car and then she put her whole car right on the grade crossing. The NTSB report said a witness watched as Brody exited the SUV after a crossing gate came down on the back of her car. She then got back into the car and pulled forward. Smalls stood and braced himself for impact. He then went about trying to aid a man in the first car who was bloodied and badly injured. Why the gag order? Attorneys for Brodys husband, Alan, sought the recent gag order, which was opposed by attorneys for Metro-North. Attorney Phillip Russotti said the gag order was necessary to limit negative comments about Ellen Brody from reaching the jury. After this accident there was an avalanche of news coverage about this accident, virtually all of it negative to my deceased client, attorney Philip Russotti wrote in May. It remains to be seen how many potential jurors have been affected by this news coverage. My concern is a repeat of that negative publicity if ANYONE was to speak to the press. Crash: Final seconds of deadly Metro-North Valhalla crash raise questions about engineer's actions This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Metro-North paid settlement to engineer in 2015 crash that killed 6 ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 17. The Turkmen Logistics Association, at the invitation of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), took part in the Second Regional Meeting of National Trade Facilitation Committees in Central Asia, held in Almaty as part of the Central Asian Trade Forum, Trend reports. According to the official source, the event brought together representatives of the executive bodies of Central Asian countries responsible for customs procedures, transport, phytosanitary, and veterinary control at the border, as well as representatives of the private sector. During the first session, representatives of the national committees of the countries in the region made presentations, identifying priority areas for the implementation of trade facilitation measures. At the second session, experts from international structures, including GIZ, CLDP, UNECE, and USAID, spoke about the progress of the implementation of relevant programs. The meeting participants were presented with the possibilities of innovative digital solutions such as Green trade facilitation, E-Phyto, CART.is, and the catMap mobile application aimed at simplifying trading procedures. Within the framework of the thematic working groups, action plans for the development of the Regional Platform of the National Trade Facilitation Committees were discussed. Furthermore, following the meeting, it is planned to identify priority areas of cooperation within the framework of this platform for trade facilitation in Central Asia. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan is actively seeking to contribute to the simplification of trade procedures in Central Asia in order to strengthen economic integration and improve transport and logistics links in the region. The country is carrying out reforms to modernize infrastructure, introduce digital technologies, and simplify bureaucratic procedures, which helps accelerate customs processes and reduce trade barriers. New Mexico to use over one fourth of opioid settlement fees on outside lawyers, according to LFC *Editors Note: This story has been updated to clarify which attorney general handled the initiation of settlements. SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) New Mexico has been promised more than $880 million in opioid-related settlements and nearly $250 million of that will go to outside council fees, according to the states Legislative Finance Committee (LFC). New Mexico is one of the states that has been involved in lawsuits against national opioid companies. New Mexico is expecting hundreds of millions of dollars from settlements, much of which must be used for the treatment of opioid use disorders. But a large share will also go to lawyers. The national opioid summit represents one of the biggest health settlements, ever, and is a historic opportunity to address substance use disorders, and potentially save the lives of millions of New Mexicans, LFC analyst Felix Chavez told lawmakers in a committee meeting on Thursday. But high outside counsel fees have diminished the pool of monies that we have received from the settlement. New Mexico chose to pursue some of the lawsuits by hiring private law firms, rather than by participating in a National Opioids Settlement, the LFC notes. As a result, outside council fees for settlements with Albertsons, CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Walmart and opioid distributors total $249.4 million. The fees New Mexico is facing are higher than what some other states have to pay for private opioid settlements, the LFC says and faces significantly higher fees than states participating in the national settlement. The attorney general [Hector Balderas at the time] chose to contract to a private firm for this instead of a national framework because it does allow for greater settlement value, Chaves said. However, New Mexico still ended up paying higher rates than other states that decided to pursue it in a similar [private] fashion. Story Continues Below Chart from the LFC shows New Mexico is paying more in legal fees than some other states for opioid settlements. The LFC also notes that fees to lawyers will be paid out years before the state gets its full share of settlement funds. The remaining money that doesnt go to lawyers will be split between state and local government in New Mexico. The state will get over $310 million while local governments will get $324.5 million, the LFC says. The money is intended to help address the issue of drug use and abuse within communities. In 2021, over 1,000 New Mexicans have died of drug overdoses, Chavez told lawmakers. That equates to three New Mexicans per day, with the state seeing nearly 200,000 residents living with substance use. *Note: Not all of New Mexicos opioid-related settlements were moved outside of the national settlement; settlements with distributors followed the national settlement structure, the LFC says. 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. At the Maryland Institute College of Arts graduation on Monday, interim President Cecilia McCormick asked the undergraduate class of 2024 to look into a mirror. To be an artist, you have to be true to who you are, McCormick said. The 200-year-old art and design school, which promotes itself online as an institution that continually re-invented itself to meet the challenges of changing times, has had its own self-reflecting to do in recent years. The challenges of the past few years changing times, including a pandemic-induced dip in enrollment and faculty layoffs, have hurt the college. How badly remains an open question for the school both heavily reliant on tuition dollars for revenue and vital to the broader Baltimore art scene. Theyve got to get their act together, former MICA President Fred Lazarus said of the school. Youve got to grow yourself out of this problem. MICA draws its origins back to the Athenaeum Institute, founded in 1826 in downtown Baltimore, in part to train craftsmen for the Baltimore Ohio Railroad. Today, the schools main campus is in Bolton Hill, with a significant real estate footprint in the adjacent Station North Arts District. Historically, the college has both a strong academic reputation nationally and a track record of sustaining the citys art landscape, from galleries to the streets. The campus hosts Baltimores Artscape festival, which returned last summer following a coronavirus pandemic hiatus. MICA did not provide answers to questions and declined and ignored multiple interview requests for McCormick and other administrators. Lowered enrollment MICA lost nearly a quarter of its undergraduate students during the onset of the pandemic. Between 2010 and 2019, fall enrollment never fell below 1,650 full-time undergraduates, according to federal data. In the fall of 2019, MICAs enrollment for full-time undergraduate students was 1,689. But by fall 2020, that dropped to 1,254. Full-time undergraduate enrollment rebounded to 1,485 students in fall 2021 before slipping again to 1,336 in fall 2022, the last year with available federal data. The pandemic had a terrible very specific impact on arts and design education. Many of the driving factors in enrollment at art-and-design-specific institutions have to do with access to materials, tools and being in an active creative community, said Deborah Obalil, president of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, which includes MICA and 39 others around the U.S. and Canada. Obalil said AICAD enrollment peaked right before the pandemic and has not returned. A significant amount of that decline was related to international students. MICA says international students make up 24% of its student body. Rey Reyes, a stop-motion animator, sculptor, makeup artist and 2024 graduate from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, said she lost housing when the campus closed in 2020 and was briefly homeless. I think that at that moment, the administration had a lack of support for international students, Reyes said after graduation on Monday. Perhaps they were stuck between a rock and a hard place, but I still think a lot of the decisions they took during COVID were fast and irresponsible. Sydney Lindman, another 2024 graduate, said her drawing major has been folded into the general fine arts department. She might have been the last drawing major to graduate from MICA. Im pretty disappointed about it. It was really hard for me to find a school that had drawing as a major when I was first applying. I think MICA having a drawing program was one of the reasons I picked it Lindman said. I didnt really get to experience what I wanted to experience from MICA. MICA has received more applications in recent years, but that hasnt translated to more students enrolling. According to federal data, 3,066 students applied in fall 2021, 2,629 were admitted, and 12% of those enrolled. Applicants increased to 3,139 for the fall of 2022, 2,498 were admitted, and only 9% enrolled. The schools budget relies heavily on enrollment. According to federal data for fiscal year 2022, 90% of MICAs revenue was from tuition and fees. And the cost of attendance has been rising. Undergraduate tuition climbed by over $4,500 in two years, from $49,190 in 2020-21 to $53,815 in 2022-23, not including campus room and board, according to federal data. Before retiring in 2014, Lazarus watched art schools like the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design be absorbed into George Washington University, while music and dance conservatory the Peabody Institute was absorbed into the Johns Hopkins University. However, he said, I think the trend is small arts schools closing rather than being absorbed. And I think the midsize art school [in the 1,000-to-1,5000-student range] is a really hard entity to support. MICAs finances MICA made over $63 million in revenue from tuition and another $12.4 million from housing and meal plan sales in 2022, according to an audit, conducted by accounting organization KPMG, that is required for nonprofits that receive at least $750,000 in federal grant money per fiscal year. Government grants, investments and donations totaled $82 million in revenue, but the school had over $91 million in expenses. MICAs endowment is around $109 million. As of May 2022, MICA owed an annual principal debt payment of around $1.5 million, due in 2023 and rising to $2.7 million by 2027, according to the audit. The purpose of the debt is unclear. Mostly between 2004 and 2014, the school invested in property in the Station North Arts District, building housing and studio space, as well as the Fred Lazarus IV Center that houses graduate school offices in 2014. Now, it has $160 million in property and equipment assets, according to the audit. Staffing Lazarus was replaced by President Samuel Hoi, who left in December after announcing his retirement in August. MICA said it aims to hire a new president this summer. In September 2020, the faculty assembly gave Hoi a unanimous vote of no confidence, citing a disorganized administration teetering on chaos. Hoi implemented a massive and rapid expansion of a bureaucracy in serious need of a structural overhaul. We were really afraid [Hoi] and his administration were going to do irreparable damage to the school, said James Rouvelle, a former professor and department chair who helped organize the vote of no confidence. He loved to rebrand and rename existing offices. It was Sammys tower of institutional Babel and, for most of us, unnavigable. In response to the vote, the Board of Trustees released a statement backing Hoi and pledging to begin a dialogue with faculty. Hoi could not be reached for comment. In March 2023, Hoi announced layoffs, starting with a voluntary separation program for unionized and nonunionized full-time faculty and staff. MICA needs to become leaner and more agile as an educational provider, he wrote in a letter at the time. MICA is seizing a challenging moment in its history to do the hard and necessary work of adapting and evolving its model to meet the needs of todays students and society. According to tax records, Hoi made at least $523,000 annually between 2016 and 2022, peaking at over $611,354 in 2020. In the fiscal year ending in May 2022, 17 vice presidents, vice provosts and directors made an average of over $188,000 per year, according to tax records. In total, 47 individuals received at least $100,000 in annual compensation. MICA had a comparatively large management staff at 128 positions in fall 2022. A dozen other art and design schools with similar applicants, budgets, staff and other factors per the National Center for Education Statistics, had an average of 66 management staff members. The same year, MICA had 294 instructional staff compared to an average of 205 at similar institutions. The college lost nearly 20% of full-time faculty between 2018 and 2022, dropping from 152 to 126, according to federal data. Something I want to stress is that I think the faculty is what makes the institution. I think often we praise institutions more than the faculty, and I think thats wrong, said Reyes, who was voted by her classmates to deliver a speech at graduation. I dont think that MICA exists as a monolith. You know, I think MICA can be called the administration, but what is the role of students and teachers actively engaging in the process of art-making? I think those are two completely different institutions, if you will. MICAs place in the art and design landscape Those close to the school say a lot more than degrees are at stake if MICA were to continue to shrink or shutter. For those institutions that are closed, it is felt years later Obalil said. These are major institutions that supported the arts and created the pipeline of artists working in the community, that kind of center of gravity for artists and designers to be creative and do what they do. She cited curriculum as a critical factor in remaining relevant: When we look at the institutions that have not succeeded over time, there are different factors in all causing closure or merger, but one of the threads is lack of innovation in curriculum. Obalil and Lazarus pointed to MICAs masters degree in social design, aimed at preparing students to advance equity and social justice, as a successful innovation in curriculum. Meanwhile, its Art & Design College Accelerator Program helps Baltimore public school students explore and apply to art schools. Citywide, there are barriers to art school, from the financial component to building a portfolio, said MICA graduate Leah Hucker, a teacher at the Baltimore Design School and whose students benefited from the portfolio support program. I think MICA has been around for years and is still very influential in the entire Baltimore art scene. I think having that local institution collaborating with public schools gives students access to becoming part of that scene that they might not have had. Julia Di Bussolo earned two degrees from MICA and is now executive director of nonprofit Arts Every Day, which focuses on equitable access to arts instruction around the city. She said through musical instruments, professional development for teachers and after-school programs, the nonprofit reaches 20,000 city students each year. As an undergrad at MICA, she worked in a community arts partnership program that put her in after-school spaces. She said the experience fundamentally changed my trajectory, keeping her rooted to Baltimore City. Its important that our public K-12 and our higher education are all working in partnership as an arts and cultural community for years to come, Di Bussolo said. If were not providing pathways from elementary through high school and making sure that students feel welcome, that they are a part of the museums, the BSO, the theaters, Artscape, then who is going to support that over time? Who will be up on stage? Michael Cohen was actually whining about 14-year-old prankster when he said he was speaking to Trump about Stormy Daniels payoff: lawyer Michael Cohen, former U.S. President Donald Trump's former attorney, departs Manhattan Criminal Court on May 16, 2024 in New York City Michael Cohen was actually whining about a 14-year-old prank caller when he claimed to have had a key conversation with Donald Trump about the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, the ex-presidents attorney argued during a fiery moment in court Thursday. The heated exchange about a phone call placed on the eve of the 2016 election came during a second day of a grueling cross-examination at Trumps Manhattan criminal trial in which defense lawyers continued trying to paint Cohen as a lying turncoat out for revenge against his ex-boss. We are not asking for your belief. This jury does not want to hear what you think happened! Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said loudly as Cohen, 57, testified he believed hed been telling the truth about the call. Michael Cohen was actually whining about a 14-year-old prank caller when he claimed to have had a key conversation with Donald Trump about the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Getty Images Cohen testified Monday that he phoned Trumps bodyguard Keith Schiller, who he knew would be with Trump, on Oct. 24, 2016, to discuss finalizing the Daniels deal days before wiring her lawyer $130,000. But Blanche introduced evidence that Cohen on the same day threatened to call the US Secret Service on a teenage prank caller, and griped to Schiller about it. Cohen then claimed Thursday that hed discussed both subjects during the one minute, 36-second phone call with Trump. Part of it was about the phone calls [with the prankster], but I knew that Keith was with Mr. Trump at the time, and it was more than potentially just this, he testified prompting an incredulous Blanche to raise his voice to a high-pitched yelp. You had enough time in that one minute and 36 seconds to update Mr. Schiller about all the problems you were having with this harassing phone call and also update President Trump on the status of the Stormy Daniels situation? Blanche screeched. That was a lie, you can admit it! he yelled. The heated exchange about a phone call placed on the eve of the 2016 election came during a second day of a grueling cross-examination at Trumps Manhattan criminal trial. ANGELA WEISS/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock I believe I was telling the truth, the salt-and-pepper-haired Cohen, 57, wearing a black suit and honey mustard yellow tie, calmly replied. Cohens text messages with the prankster were shown to the jury with the kid begging for mercy after Cohen said hed reported the harassment to the Secret Service. I DIDNT DO IT, says a text message from the teen on October 24, 2016. Im 14, another text read. Please dont.do this. This number has just been sent to Secret Service for your ongoing and continuous harassment to both my cell as well as the organizations main line, Cohen had written the prankster in a message. Cohens credibility is important to the case because the prosecution in part hinges on his account that Trump ordered him to pay Daniels to silence her story about having sex with the real estate mogul on the eve of the 2016 election and that the presumptive GOP presidential nominee had the intent to hide a damaging scandal from voters. We are not asking for your belief. This jury does not want to hear what you think happened! Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said loudly as Cohen, 57, testified he believed hed been telling the truth about the call. REUTERS Trumps lawyers have spent much of their more than seven hours of cross-examination over two days ripping Cohen for his long history of past lies under oath which he claimed he did on behalf of Trump and other misdeeds that had nothing to do with the ex-president. Cohen admitted during the morning session Thursday that he sent his lawyer fake legal decisions generated by artificial intelligence as part of his failed bid last year to get off early from supervised release on his guilty pleas to campaign finance and other crimes in Manhattan federal court. The disbarred attorney told jurors he found the phony cases after using a Google AI tool that created a whole bunch of phantom results because AI wants to please the user. He then handed them to his lawyer, who included the fake rulings as legal precedent for why Cohen should be released early. The three cases that you gave to your lawyer were not real cases, correct? Blanche asked Cohen. Cohen testified Monday that he phoned Trumps bodyguard Keith Schiller, who he knew would be with Trump, on Oct. 24, 2016, to discuss finalizing the Daniels deal days before wiring her lawyer $130,000. DOJ Correct, Cohen replied. Cohen also testified that he once wanted Trump to pardon him while Trump was president despite telling Congress that he never asked for such a deal in 2019. At that present moment, it was true. I wanted this nightmare to end, Cohen testified. Blanche also asked Cohen in the morning if he was miffed after being cut out of a spot in Trumps White House. Cohen admitted that he wanted to be considered for a cabinet post for ego purposes, but claimed he didnt actually want to be named Trumps chief of staff. Trump, 77, slumped in his chair with his eyes closed at the defense table in Manhattan Supreme Court for most of the morning as Blanche grilled Cohen about his history of lies. But Blanche introduced evidence that Cohen on the same day threatened to call the US Secret Service on a teenage prank caller, and griped to Schiller about it. POOL/AFP via Getty Images But he perked up a bit in the afternoon, opening his eyes and looking directly at Cohen when his lawyer amped up the theatrics, gesturing and raising his voice while addressing Trumps former fixer. Blanche notched a small win in the afternoon when he got Cohen to confirm that Trump was worried about a story about his alleged affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal getting out in part because he worried about the impact it would have on his family. Both Cohen and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker have testified that the main reason Trump wanted to bury both McDougal and Daniels story was because of fears that it could hurt his presidential campaign, a key part of the prosecutions case. Trump arrived at the defense table Thursday morning with a stack of papers in front of him, with the top sheet featuring a list of quotes casting him in a positive light. Cohen then claimed Thursday that hed discussed both subjects during the one minute, 36-second phone call with Trump. Getty Images Voters told MSNBC the cases have increased their support for Trump, read one favorable quote at the top of the page, which was visible in press pool photographs. Trump later read from the quotes to reporters and TV cameras in the courthouse hallway. It was a fascinating day and it shows what a scam this whole thing is, he said. Cohen appeared to be a bit weary by the end of the day, his voice growing more hoarse by the hour. Before leaving the room, he took a huge gulp of water from a plastic cup next to him, followed by another. He then glanced to his left at the jury, before taking a third sip, and finally, one more, downing the rest of the cup. His cross-examination will resume Monday morning. Former President Donald Trump returns from a break in his trial at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Friday, April 26, 2024. | Jeenah Moon Former President Donald Trumps criminal trial over hush money payments resumed Thursday with Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen, returning to the stand for more cross-examination regarding the alleged hush money scheme. The goal of the defenses questioning focused on undermining Cohens credibility. Trump is accused of an illegal conspiracy to suppress negative information that might have harmed his 2016 election. He allegedly paid off adult film actress Stormy Daniels to hide an affair, CNN reported. Early this week Cohen delivered a testimony that was crucial for the prosecution. According to USA Today, Cohen testified that not only was he instructed by Trump to pay Daniels $130,000 prior to the 2016 election, but also that Trump approved a scheme to mischaracterize his reimbursement to Cohen as monthly payments for 2017 legal services. Cohen gets animated under oath: Inside the courtroom, CNN reporters via live updates said Cohen became more animated on the stand as he was questioned about when he had lied under oath and if he claimed responsibility for his previous actions. Per CNN, the defense referenced the 2017 House Intelligence Committee testimony, where Cohen admitted to lying under oath, facing perjury charges in 2018. Thursday, Cohen said he is accepting responsibility for lying to Congress, but suggested his actions were in line with Trumps wishes. Later, Cohen admitted to shifting blame onto others during a pretrial services meeting related to his 2018 tax evasion charges, per CNN. He said he had lied to a federal judge due to what he had at stake regarding the tax evasion case, stating he pleaded guilty to protect his family. Cohen acknowledged he accepted responsibility for his false statements during his 2019 congressional testimony. Observers say the extensive line of questioning was important for the defense to undermine Cohens credibility. Lying and phone calls Fox News reported that Todd Blanche, Trumps lawyer, accused Cohen of lying about an alleged phone call made to Keith Schiller, Trumps former bodyguard. Cohen testified that the logistics of the hush money deal were confirmed with a key phone call made to Schiller regarding the Daniels deal. Cohen also testified that he needed to talk to Schiller regarding multiple harassing phone calls from a 14-year-old prankster he was receiving. The defense presented evidence that the phone call lasted one minute and 36 seconds, followed by text messages discussing the 14-year-old with no mention of Daniels, according to Fox News. That was a lie! Blanche said regarding the phone call, per USA Today. Cohen stayed composed as he answered the questions. Nondisclosure agreements and Trumps thoughts Cohen confirmed Daniels contract, which Trump never signed, according to Fox News, was a legal contract. This contrasted his previous belief that Daniels was extorting Trump, according to CNN. The Associated Press reported, Blanche asked Cohen about the use of nondisclosure agreements and the one struck with Daniels specifically. Blanche asked if the agreement with the woman was a completely legal-binding contract, and noted that Trump himself did not sign his name to it. In your mind, then and now, this is a perfectly legal contract, correct? Blanche asked. Yes sir, Cohen said. Trump, who faces 34 felony counts charging Trump with falsifying business records said it was an interesting day in court, per Fox News. Cross-examination of Cohen is slated to resume Monday. News reports said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office said it will rest its case once Cohen finishes on the stand. Donald Trump finally had a good day in court. The presumptive GOP nominee has often seemed embarrassed and infuriated by his first criminal trial, which has featured salacious exposes of his personal life and details of his alleged attempts to cover it up. But on Thursday, he got to savor his former fixer-turned-enemy Michael Cohen wobbling on the stand under a fearsome cross-examination. Cohen appeared to be tripped up over an account of a call hed previously said under oath was to discuss Trumps hush money payment to adult film Star Stormy Daniels. It emerged under questioning on Thursday that, at least to begin with, the topic of the call was about another matter entirely. It was the kind of inconsistency that Trumps attorneys can use to try to sow reasonable doubt about Cohens truthfulness and credibility in the mind of a single juror. Thats all it would take for Trump to walk. And now, the prosecution faces a stiff challenge in repairing the damage when they get to their redirect examination of Cohens testimony following the close of cross-examination next week. I think what happened today still is so devastating they have to do something, Ryan Goodman, a professor at NYU Law, told CNNs Erin Burnett. If the case ended today and there were final statements, I think there would not be a conviction. Trump left court after a day in which he was supported by another posse of GOP lawmakers, including Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, well satisfied. I think it was a very interesting day, it was a fascinating day. And it shows what a scam this whole thing is, the former president said. His hyperbolic spin and unique take on proceedings rang less hollow than usual given several positive moments for the defense in what has largely been a grim month for Trump in the courtroom. Another day of testimony from Cohen, the prosecutions critical witness, came as the case hurtled toward its climax with the judge telling lawyers to be ready to deliver summations as early as Tuesday. That means its feasible the jury will retire to consider its verdict in the first criminal trial of a former president sometime after Memorial Day and just five months before Trump hopes to reclaim the White House. A pivotal moment On Tuesday, when the court was last in session this week, Trumps attorney Todd Blanche had what most legal experts viewed as a rough day as he embarked on the cross-examination of Cohen. But he bounced back in a big way Thursday. Blanche first spent time seeking to destroy Cohens credibility. He highlighted the former Trump fixers proven history of lying for his former boss and on his own behalf. And using text messages and social media posts, he established that Cohen resented Trump and wanted to see him convicted in a case in which the ex-president is accused of falsifying financial records to hide the payoff in 2016 in an early example of election interference. (He has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair with Daniels.) Then, in one of the most dramatic moments in the entire trial, Blanche drilled down on a call that Cohen placed to his boss bodyguard, Keith Schiller, who was with Trump on October 24, 2016. Cohen had testified earlier this week that the purpose of the call was to discuss with Trump the Stormy Daniels matter and the resolution of it. But Blanche produced a text from Cohen to Schiller before the call in which the lawyer said he wanted to get help in dealing with a 14-year-old who was prank calling him. He didnt mention Daniels in the text ahead of the conversation, which only lasted 96 seconds. That was a lie! Blanche said, raising his voice. You did not talk to President Trump on that night, you talked to Keith Schiller. You can admit it. Blanche argued that it was impossible that Cohen would have had sufficient time to discuss the prank calls and then go on to update Trump about the complicated situation with Daniels. Cohen insisted, I believe I also spoke to President Trump and told him everything regarding the Stormy Daniels matter was being worked on and its going to be resolved. Blanche then wielded a rhetorical dagger, telling Cohen: We are not asking for your belief this jury doesnt want to hear what you think happened. Judge Juan Merchan sustained an immediate objection from the prosecution to the comment, but Trumps lawyer had emphatically made his point. The exchange was so significant because notwithstanding days of testimony and evidence put on by the prosecution to corroborate claims that Trump broke the law the case still largely depends on Cohen, himself a convicted felon who has a proven record of lying. Since the burden to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt lies with the prosecution, the exchange could raise the chances of at least one juror questioning Cohens version of events. And it also raises the possibility that some jurors might believe that they have been lied to by Cohen earlier in the trial. If such a feeling takes hold among jurors, who have put their lives on hold to hear the case, it could be disastrous to the prosecution. A blow on the chin No one can say how individual members of the jury will sift the evidence and competing testimony. But experienced trial lawyers immediately spotted a potential turning point. I think it has to have raised some doubt, criminal defense attorney Nikki Lotze said on CNNs The Situation Room of Blanches clash with Cohen. There was testimony previously that this phone call was about X and now there are texts that suggest it is about Y and not a lot of time for there to be a conversation about both X and Y. Jim Trusty, a former Trump attorney, also believed the exchange was significant and was cause for the ex-president to feel upbeat. The defense set the whole trial up to be a referendum on Cohens honesty. That is exactly where you want this fight to be, so it is a good moment, he said. When Blanche eventually wraps up his cross-examination of Cohen, the prosecution will get a chance to try to repair any damage from one of the trials most significant moments so far. Some experts pointed out that it was only one small blip compared to a mountain of evidence, much of which looks potentially problematic for Trump. Norm Eisen, a CNN legal analyst, said that Blanches apparent trip-up of Cohen was good professional lawyering by the defense, but he disputed the idea that the episode was devastating to the prosecution case. It was a blow on the chin. My experience of 30 years of doing this is it takes more than one punch to knock out a witness, Eisen told CNNs Anderson Cooper. Conservative lawyer and sworn Trump critic George Conway, who was also in court Thursday, told CNN that while there were some good moments for Blanche, much of his cross-examination was scattered and meandering and did not establish a strong narrative. But another less theatrical moment in Thursdays testimony may also offer the defense a strong opening in their final summation to the jury. Blanche asked Cohen about a time when he said he lied under oath to a judge in a different case because the stakes affected you personally. Cohen agreed he had. Then Blanche asked Cohen: Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally? Cohen answered, Yes. The unspoken implication here is that if Cohen lied in a previous trial that affected him personally, why would he not do the same in a trial involving his now sworn foe, the former president? Again, the defense doesnt have to prove Cohen is lying. It just has to make one juror think its possible and therefore make impossible the unanimous verdict needed for conviction. Many prosecutions use potentially problematic witnesses with histories of lying and demonstrated antipathy toward the accused all the time for instance, in organized crime cases where lower-ranking associates are used to incriminate kingpins despite their own legal vulnerabilities. So Cohens struggles at a key moment on Thursday dont necessarily mean this case is in deep trouble. But everyone connected with the trial knew before it began that Cohens pivotal role in this case represented a risk for the prosecution. The huge scale of that gamble was laid bare in court on Thursday. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Welcome back, Deadline: Legal Newsletter readers. The first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is nearing its end. Michael Cohens testimony dominated a week that also featured Supreme Court news, with Republican-appointed Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito making their own headlines for very different reasons. After much anticipation, Trumps former fixer took the stand Monday and helped prosecutors further corroborate their case. Cohen testified that he made a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election which he said on the stand was reimbursed using deceptive records. Everything required Mr. Trumps signoff, he said in one of the more memorable lines that the state may highlight in summation. Notably, Cohen testified to meeting with the ex-president and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg about the reimbursement. That helped more directly tie Trump to the alleged cover-up of the election-related conspiracy. The defendant is charged with falsifying business records in connection with the coverup. He has pleaded not guilty and denied having sex with Daniels. We were all ready for a tough cross-examination on Tuesday. But it started ... weirdly. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche began his questioning by asking Cohen if he had recently gone on TikTok and called Blanche a crying little s---. Judge Juan Merchan quickly sustained an objection and asked Blanche at the bench why he was making this about himself. Blanche picked up steam Thursday in what began to resemble more of the cross-examination we expected. While its unclear how much damage he inflicted on the key witness, he did better on the second day questioning Cohens credibility. With no court on Friday, the weeks testimony ended with Cohen still on the stand and Blanche set to wrap up Monday, followed by any damage control by the state on redirect. Once the prosecution rests, the question is how much of a case, if any, the defense will put on (it has no burden of proof in a criminal case). That includes whether Trump himself will testify, which would be a terrible idea for him. Its unclear what hell do. We could get into closing arguments as soon as Tuesday. Meanwhile, the two Supreme Court justices diverged this week. Thomas, of all people, led a bipartisan majority in writing a common-sense ruling upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus funding. He and the court only deserve so much credit for that one, though, because it says more about the right-wing 5th Circuit, whose contrary ruling the high court reversed. Even still, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Alito dissented. That wasnt Alitos biggest headline this week. The New York Times reported that, in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection, an upside-down American flag flew outside his Virginia home. (Some in the Stop the Steal movement flew upside-down flags as a protest, but its unclear how broadly it was used.) Alito blamed it on his wifes purported dispute with a neighbor, which, even if true, doesnt explain whether she (or whether he) felt that response was appropriate. Naturally, the story prompted calls for Alitos recusal from Jan. 6-related cases. Two big ones are pending: Trumps immunity and charges for rioters. But dont expect the aggrieved justice to step aside, no matter how much the episode causes the American people to further doubt his impartiality. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for weekly updates on the top legal stories, including news from the Supreme Court, the Donald Trump cases and more. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A duo is wanted by police in York County for using a fraudulent auction business to steal more than $100,000 worth of antiques. Christina Taylor, 59, of Palmyra, and Thomas Taylor, 66, of Waynesboro, who went by Collectors Auction Company, LLC in Palmyra were contacted by someone to collect antiques, worth between $100,00 and $200,00, and auction them off, Newberry Township Police said in the charging documents. Police said there was an agreement for the Taylors to get rare coins, antique firearms and valuables from Newberry Township and take them to an auction house in Harrisburg. The first reported auction, which was done in July, garnered $17,503, police said, and a letter from the business in September said the commission cleared for $14,877.55. A check was written by Christina who hand-delivered it and said to wait to cash it because the bidders didnt pay yet. Days after the check was chased it came back as fraudulent by the Federal Reserve and the money was taken out of the victims account, the charging documents show. When reached out to about the fake check, Thomas reportedly refused to honor the check or return the items. Police said when they talked to Thomas he stated the check was altered and he had secret service connections investigating however he could not back up the claim. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now WHTM Severe Weather Alerts According to police, Thomas was arrested in 2022 for allegedly running the same fraud at the same company. Police alleged he has a history of deceptive business dealings and found nothing at the business address. The duo face numerous felony charges of theft, deceptive or fraudulent business practices, receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the Taylors should call Newberry Township Police at (717) 938-2608. 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. The War Zone has now obtained additional high-resolution imagery better showing the extent of the destruction at Russia's Belbek Air Base from recent Ukrainian strikes. The War Zone has obtained additional high-resolution satellite images of Russia's Belbek Air Base on the occupied Crimean Peninsula that offer a better view of the destruction there from recent Ukrainian strikes . It also proves out our initial analysis based on other imagery, which readers can find here . The new images, which come from Maxar Technologies and were taken earlier today, clearly show the burned-out hulks of two MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors on a damaged apron at Belbek. The charred remains of what now clearly looks to have been an adjacent fuel farm, as well as damage to a small nearby structure, are also visible. Additional scorching can be seen on the apron and adjacent access roads. One of the two destroyed MiG-31s at Russia's Belbek Air Base on the occupied Crimean Peninsula that is visible in the new imagery from Maxar. The second jet can be seen in the wide view at the top of this story. Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies. The destroyed fuel depot at Belbek, as well as a small adjacent structure that was also damaged, can be seen here. Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies. The new imagery from Maxar of the aircraft parking areas further to the west shows a destroyed MiG-29 Fulcrum-series fighter. This could very well be one of the many unflyable MiG-29s that were left at the base for years that Russia use as decoys, or it could be one of the few MiG-29s still in service with Russian forces, although this is less likely. An Su-27 Flanker-series fighter , a number of which call the installation home, parked further west may be damaged to some degree, as well, although we cannot say that for certain based on the imagery. Something looks to have been totally destroyed in an adjacent revetment, but it is unclear what this was. The Flanker variant that looks to be at least damaged, as well as something that might be completely destroyed in the parking spot right next to it. Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies. Altogether, the high-resolution images provide a clearer picture of the damage Ukraine inflicted earlier this week on Belbek, including the destruction of two MiG-31s Foxhounds. The MiGs, together with the very long-range air-to-air missiles they carry, have been a particular threat to the Ukrainian Air Force. A full view of Belbek Air Base as of May 16, 2024. Satellite image 2024 Maxar Technologies. We already knew that the Russians had lost elements of an S-300 or S-400 air defense system in the Ukrainian strikes on Belbek, including what looked to be a 92N6 Grave Stone radar. However, none of this looks to be readily visible in the imagery we now have from Maxar. As The War Zone also previously noted, the strikes on Belbek this week look to have been the work, at least in part, of longer-range U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) ballistic missiles that were only delivered in secret to Ukrainian forces earlier this year. The Russian airbase on Crimea, which is particularly well positioned to help to provide air defense for the naval base just to the south in Sevastopol, had been out of reach of older, shorter-range ATACMSs that Ukraine had gotten previously. With the apparent success of the strikes on Belbek this week, it would not be surprising for Ukrainian forces to continue targeting the base, including with ATACMS. Contact the author: joe@twz.com Migrants earmarked for deportation to Rwanda have been granted bail after being detained, leading to fears that they could abscond. Hundreds of migrants have been detained by immigration enforcement officers under the Home Offices Operation Vector before the first flights scheduled from the end of June. It emerged on Friday that immigration tribunals have granted some of the migrants bail despite concerns that they could abscond ahead of the flights. Officials had previously suggested migrants could be held in detention centres for up to 11 weeks by showing there was a realistic prospect of removal from the UK in a reasonable timescale. However, lawyers have argued that ministers should provide a removal date at that point to justify their detention. Those granted bail have been placed under conditions that require them to report to immigration enforcement officers in person and via email or phone. Officials can also apply to the courts to impose restrictions on where they live and insist on an electronic tag. Migrants can be returned to detention, face a fine and prosecuted with a maximum sentence of a year in jail if they breach their bail conditions. Anyone refused bail cannot apply again for 28 days. Appeal prospects rise It is understood that there has been good compliance with the bail conditions in the three weeks since Operation Vector was launched involving some 1,000 immigration enforcement officers. The fact that tribunals have granted bail raises the prospect that there could be successful appeals against actual deportation. Migrants can challenge their removal from the UK if they can provide compelling evidence relating specifically to the persons particular circumstances that Rwanda is not a safe country for them individually. Legal challenges will be based on articles two and three of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which protect the right to life and guard against torture. The Home Office has refused to say how many have been bailed or detained so far, although it is understood to be a significant amount of people. There are thought to be more than 1,000 detention places available for Rwanda deportees Enforcement officers have been assaulted by protesters seeking to halt the detentions, which are carried out in raids on migrants properties or when they report to immigration centres. Demonstrators have also tried to obstruct vans taking them to detention centres by lying down in the road in front of them. The original cohort earmarked for deportation was 5,700 migrants, who arrived illegally between January 2022 and June 2023, but this has been expanded this week to include all failed asylum seekers who can now be subject to enforced removal to Rwanda. The extension is seen as a landmark move in reducing the number of failed asylum seekers whom the Home Office has previously struggled to remove because of the difficulty of returning them to countries deemed broadly unsafe. It has been described by the Home Office as a definite change in its ability to remove them by providing an alternative third country. Migrants will be offered the same support of education, training and employment as asylum seekers and will be entitled to residency nor are they precluded from claiming asylum in Rwanda. 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. Title icon The News From his home in Texas at the time, NBC News reporter Mike Hixenbaugh spent years covering a fight over school boards. Southlake, a prosperous and conservative Dallas suburb, confronted high-profile incidents of bullying and racism at its schools with a diversity plan, modeled after what had seemed to work elsewhere. The reaction: A conservative backlash that roped in the state Republican Party, Fox News, and well-funded conservative campaign groups that won control of the school board and rolled everything back. The community became a national face of the post-2020 culture war over critical race theory and Hixenbaugh wrote about all of it in They Came for the Schools, which was released this week. This is an edited transcript of our conversation about the book. Title icon Q&A Americana: One premise of this fight over schools in Southlake seems to be that the communitys harmony was under attack. Was there ever some perfect moment when there was no division in Southlake, and it got ruined by liberals? Mike Hixenbaugh: No, and one of the things I really wanted to do was to put whats been happening since 2020 into a longer historical context. Southlake is a proxy for the development of suburbs writ large, and how they were designed for white folks beginning in the 1940s and 50s, during the era of white flight and desegregation. Over the last 20 or 30 years, many of the suburbs have grown more diverse. If youre a Black kid going to school in Southlake in the 1990s, in the 2000s, it wasnt uncommon to have classmates make really stupid, racist comments. Did they see themselves as racists? Probably not. Youre the smartest Black girl I know things like that, what you might now call microaggressions. But after Trump got in office in 2017, there was this wave of one-off stories that you could find in pretty much any metro area in the country. There are suburban school districts where kids have been chanting build the wall at their Hispanic classmates, or carving the N-word on a bathroom stall along with Make America Great Again, or recording themselves saying the N-word. Americana: And how did schools respond? Hixenbaugh: In suburbs, all over the place, schools were reckoning with this kind of culture that kind of had been there, but was now far more apparent. Southlake and other districts formed committees to address this stuff. In the aftermath of George Floyds murder, and the widespread protests and the backlash that followed, suddenly conservatives were looking at schools, they were looking at the pandemic restrictions, and they asked: What are all these plans about diversity and inclusion? Americana: Were the schools in decline when that panic began? In a lot of places, the backlash was powered by falling test scores, or worries about kids falling behind. Hixenbaugh: No. In Southlake, there was a local panic and outrage over the mask policy. Schools were closed for the spring, like every school in the country in the spring during COVID. But the schools were not in decline. And if you look at the test scores, this is a community that is wealthy by design; they dont allow apartments or multifamily housing. The families of color that moved in were fairly affluent. Theres not really an achievement gap at Carroll and Southlake. But some parents got really animated about the mask mandate, and saw what was happening with the protests for racial justice. There was an infamous Black Lives Matter group that led protests in Southlake Town Square parents connected that with this diversity plan that the school was trying to implement. It ended up reaching a much bigger audience. Texas Scorecard, this news outlet for Republicans funded by some powerful Texas billionaires, got involved and helped to make Southlake the poster child for fighting BLM. Americana: What was actually in the plan that inspired all of this? Hixenbaugh: The cultural competence action plan called for mandatory diversity and inclusion training for teachers and students. It called for a review of the curriculum to make sure that students were getting a full reckoning of racism in Americas past. They wanted to increase the diversity of teacher applicants in the school district, and they wanted to hire a director of DEI with a six-figure salary. That wasnt what the BLM activists wanted, but the right basically conflated those things and said the districts trying to bow to these Black Lives Matter activists, these woke kids and young adults. [Conservative commentator] Dana Loesch, who lives in Southlake and is a major figure here, at least addressed the fact that some kids get bullied. Her take is that this is part of life. Its natural. Its how we set the pecking order, which, if you ask educators, is not a great response to bullying of any kind. But the parents organizing against this started saying: These harassment stories are fake. Its not real. Its not true. My kids have never been bullied. Ive never seen this. Americana: What exactly are people worried about happening to the schools and their children if they dont take over the school board? Hixenbaugh: Ill quote Allen West, the former Texas GOP chairman, who was very involved in this. After the CCAP was introduced, he held an event where he warned people: Texas is under assault from people who are moving here from places like New Jersey and California, and want to remake Texas and remake your community. He also said that the school board is the most important elected office in America because theyre coming for your kids. He said it was just like Hitler: He was trying to remake society by indoctrinating children. So, thats the fear. If we dont step forward and take control of the schools at the local, state and federal levels, the left is going to push LGBTQ identities on them, theyre going to convince your kids to change genders, theyre going to teach white kids that America is terrible, and that they should hate themselves. Theyre going to teach Black kids that theyre all victims, and that their skin color is the most important thing about them. Now, there are some cringy DEI programs and cringy lessons that have made it into them, but this Hitler strawman is just not substantiated by reality. Americana: What are the federal stakes here? The Biden administration has intervened in some of these districts, on some of these issues; what could a second Trump administration change? Hixenbaugh: Every public school in the country gets some percentage of their funding from the federal government. Its only, like, 2% of the budget in Southlake, but the federal government provides it and has held that funding over districts heads via the enforcement of civil rights laws that were passed in the 1960s and 70s. That means guarantees for students of all races and ethnicities, Title IX protections for sex and gender. And theres been a handful of these cases, like Southlake, where there have been reports of discrimination and bullying and reports that the district failed to adequately address, where conservatives have taken over and basically banned any kind of DEI programs or explicit protections for LGBTQ students. The federal government has opened investigations into several of these. What the Department of Education has typically done in these cases is go and negotiate with the schools and say, heres some changes to the student code of conduct or discrimination policy statement to make it acceptable. Theres a whole menu; its basically all the stuff that was in the CCAP that local voters rejected. So, whats at stake in the presidential election is whether the federal governments still going to be in that business. Donald Trump has said hed abolish the Education Department and return education policy to the states. Project 2025 has a whole long section on banning critical race theory, making sure that theres no special protections based on gender or sexual orientation in action, and ending administrative enforcement of civil rights laws by the Education Department. So this thing thats happening in Southlake right now? Dont worry about it, you dont have to do the things that the Biden administration told you to do. Thats whats on the line with education. Semafor Logo ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 17. Turkmenistan intends to strengthen and expand multifaceted cooperation with the Republic of Tatarstan within the framework of a strategic partnership with Russia, Trend reports. According to an official source, Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said this during a meeting with President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistan and the Republic of Tatarstan effectively cooperate in various areas, in particular in the oil and gas industry, shipbuilding, chemical industry, and the supply of aircraft and trucks. "Taking this opportunity, we reaffirm our intention to continue our active activities aimed at strengthening multifaceted cooperation with fraternal Tatarstan within the framework of strategic partnership with the Russian Federation," he said. Furthermore, the Chairman of Turkmenistan's People's Council added that cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, including in the fields of education, culture, and art, is an equally important aspect of Turkmen-Tatarstan relations. Meanwhile, recently, Rustam Minnikhanov, during a meeting in Ashgabat city with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, said that for many years Tatarstan's leading enterprises have been successfully operating in Turkmenistan, adding that last year the trade turnover between the parties increased by 13 percent and reached $52 million. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy V-22 Ospreys were all given the green light to fly again in early March and have been slowly taking to the skies following a tragic crash that killed eight airmen late last year in Japan. But months after the grounding was lifted, there are still restrictions in place that significantly limit the aircraft's ability to operate, Military.com has learned. The services are barred from flying the controversial tiltrotor aircraft more than 30 minutes away from a suitable airfield to divert to in case anything goes wrong. That has caused some of the services, such as the Navy, to continue relying on other aircraft to accomplish tasks that the Osprey would have taken on. Read Next: Military Must Focus on Efforts to Keep Its Child Care Employees to Shorten Waitlists, Watchdog Says Cmdr. Beth Teach, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, confirmed to Military.com on Thursday that the restriction was handed down by the V-22 Joint Program Office, part of Naval Air Systems Command, and is a requirement that all the services are following. It was not immediately clear what would constitute a suitable landing zone for the tiltrotor aircraft which, by design, is meant to land quickly like a helicopter in austere conditions. The Joint Program Office declined to comment to Military.com regarding the restriction. A spokesperson for the Marine Corps could not provide details on the restriction, but said efforts are underway to return the aircraft to full operations. "Operational security associated with our forward-deployed Marines and sailors limits our ability to provide details regarding any potential platform restrictions," Capt. Pedro Caballero, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps, told Military.com when asked whether the restrictions applied to its roughly 350 Ospreys, the vast majority of the military's fleet. "The Marine Corps, after a thorough review of all available engineering data and with revisions to the flight manual in place, is now enacting a deliberate plan to return all 17 MV-22 squadrons to full capability," Caballero said. "The Marine Corps' three-phased approach begins with a focus on regaining basic flight currency, rebuilding units' instructor cadres, and achieving proficiency in core and basic skill training for pilots and aircrew." Lt. Col. Rebecca Heyse, a spokesperson for Air Force Special Operations Command, told Military.com that the service is following the Joint Program Office's guidance for their return to flight plans but didn't provide additional details about current flight restrictions. That restriction was publicly identified in a House draft text of the national defense authorization bill released this week. The bill details limitations and woes with the Navy's variant, the CMV-22, and how it's forcing the sea service to continue to rely more heavily on its aging C-2A Greyhound fleet, lawmakers wrote. "The committee understands that current CMV-22 operations are limited to flights and missions that stay within 30 minutes of a suitable divert airfield," according to the House Armed Services Committee document. "This prohibits the use of the CMV-22 for carrier onboard support of deployed aircraft carriers once they have left their homeport." The Navy used the Greyhound, which has been in service for 60 years and is slated to be retired by 2026, to fill the gaps when the Ospreys were grounded, but even though the Osprey is flying again, it appears the service is still relying on the planes. That raised concerns for lawmakers who asked the Navy to provide House Armed Services with a report by Feb. 1, 2025, on how the service will adjust once the C-2A is no longer available. "With no other option available, the committee supports this interim solution but recognizes it is not a viable long-term solution beyond 2026," the draft bill said. News about the Navy's restrictions and that it affected all variants of the Osprey was first reported by Aviation Week. All of the services have been cautiously returning to the skies following a Nov. 29 Air Force special operations Osprey crash off the coast of Japan that killed all eight service members on board -- the deadliest CV-22 crash in the service's history -- and led to a monthslong, military-wide grounding of the aircraft. Military.com reported earlier this month that the Air Force had begun conducting flight checks for its Osprey variant, the CV-22. The Marine Corps and the Navy began flying some of their aircraft in March, the same month the Joint Program Office gave the OK to resume operations. The Osprey Joint Program Office provided few details on what mechanical failure led to the deadly crash and how it planned to fix it. "We have high confidence that we understand what component failed, and how it failed," Marine Corps Col. Brian Taylor, the manager of the V-22 program, told reporters in March. "I think what we are still working on is the 'why.'" Meanwhile, the Osprey is looking at a makeover that officials hope will keep the aircraft flying until at least 2055 -- and beyond. The Joint Program Office, which oversees the V-22's development and operations, is looking to replace aging components in the aircraft's cockpit, as well as test solutions for a mechanical issue that has led to more than a dozen mishaps in its operational lifespan. "There's a ton of life left in this platform and there's a ton of mission left in this platform," Taylor said last month at the Modern Day Marine Expo in Washington, D.C. The mechanical issue the program office hopes to address involves a notorious clutch problem, called a "hard clutch engagement," which contributed to a crash in 2022 that killed five Marines. It is also known to have been involved in at least 15 other V-22 incidents since 2010. Taylor mentioned that the program office oversaw the disassembly of clutches within the aircraft, including V-22s with 2,000 hours of flight and those with less than a hundred, which "helped us better understand this environment inside of this clutch assembly," he said. He added that a new prototype for one of the likely culprits causing this issue -- the input quill assembly -- will be tested within the next month. That prototype includes 15 design changes, he said. "When you purchase aircraft over about a 30-year span, you end up with some configuration challenges," Taylor said. "And that's what we're still kind of working through." While operations are limited, Taylor said that Ospreys are abundant in the air -- and have been for more than two months. "I haven't done this math problem, but it's pretty safe to say that 24 hours a day, there's a V-22 flying somewhere on the planet ... doing our nation's business," he said. Related: Air Force Starts to Fly Some Ospreys Again Following Crash that Killed 8 Airmen in Japan Millions of Colombians Face Two New Fees on Their Pension Fund Savings (Bloomberg) -- Millions of Colombians will need to pay two new fees on their pension savings according to latest draft of the pension bill sent to the Lower House on Friday. Most Read from Bloomberg Lawmakers modified the bill to allow fund managers to charge a fee of as much as 2% on profits, while also retaining a controversial annual fee of up to 0.7% on assets under management. Currently, so-called obligatory pension funds charge a fee upfront, but nothing after that. Read more: Petro Calls on Colombian Congress to Kill Proposed Pension Fee Congress defied calls by President Gustavo Petro to push more savings automatically into the public system. Workers earning 2.3 times the minimum wage per month or less will be obliged to contribute to the public system, according to the latest draft, whereas Petro had wanted to lift this threshold to 4 times. Petro has repeatedly criticized private pension funds, claiming that their returns are too low, and that they should repatriate money invested overseas. The so-called obligatory pension funds covered by the changes had 405 trillion pesos ($106 billion) under management at the end of 2023. Asofondos, the lobby group that represents the pension fund industry, estimates that the reform will apply to about half of those assets. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Cheri and Chris Phillips, along with their premature son, were stuck in Brazil after a snafu over the child's birth certificate Senator Tina Smith/X The Phillips family with their newborn Greyson A couple from Minnesota whose baby son was born three months early in Brazil will be able to finally leave the country following a bureaucratic mishap. Chris and Cheri Phillips gave birth to Greyson, who was born on March 12 at 2 lbs. and 2.6 oz., the Star-Tribune reported. In February, according to the newspaper, Chris traveled to Brazil to celebrate the birthday of his 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship whose mother lives in the South American country. His wife Cheri, who traveled with him, was entering her third trimester and her doctors approved the visit. Related: Destination Wedding Miracle! Couple Get to Italy 'One Way or Another' After Dog Ate Passport (Exclusive) But then, two days before the couple were to return home, Cheri felt contractions and was admitted to a Brazilian hospital, per CBS affiliate WCCO. A cesarean section had to be performed. It just became obvious that he was going to be born, Chris told the outlet. I was in the operating room with her, and it was terrifying. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Greyson entered the world in March with a hole in his heart, the Star-Tribune reported. After 51 days in the neonatal intensive care unit, the baby was cleared to leave the hospital. Amid the hold up, the family had been staying at an Airbnb in Florianopolis. But Greysons parents faced another challenge when they were denied an official birth certificate for Greuyson by Brazilian officials because the names of Chris and Cheris parents were not on their passports. Without Greysons birth certificate, he couldn't get a U.S. passport and thus return to America. Related: Uber Driver Helps Parents of 3 After Pregnant Wife Gets Stuck in Hospital on Family Vacation Basically, we are caught in bureaucratic limbo, told WCCO earlier this month, while his family was still in Brazil. What we need is for this story to be seen by somebody who can make real change happen and get us home. It takes one person to make the right call. Cheri said the experience was mentally exhausting, according to the Star-Tribune. "Now that he's, quote-unquote, 'home' in an Airbnb, it's honestly even harder on me, she said. The only reason we're here now is because of all the bureaucracy. I'm either on the verge of crying or I'm mad or I'm just sitting on the couch with Greyson, cuddling or nursing him." The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Per WCCO, the couple wrote an appeal to family and friends, writing, "[We] hired a lawyer to help secure Greyson's Brazilian documentation but, after nearly a month, it has gone nowhere and they have no way of knowing when the judge will take up their case or how long it will take once he does." Related: Teacher Takes Class on Magical Field Trip to Mexico: I Want Them to Have Culture Fortunately, help for the Phillips has arrived through the intervention of Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith. "I just got off the phone with Cheri and Chris, Minnesotans stuck in Brazil with their newborn son Greyson." Smith said in a May 16 post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I have some good news." She added, "I've been pushing to cut through red tape with the Brazilian embassy, and we can finally confirm Greyson will soon have his passport to come home!" But before the family got the happy update, the couple noted they were just looking forward to being back in the U.S. "To be home, in our house, with help, people to wash the dishes and hold him, you know, would mean the world," Cheri told WCCO. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Children's Defense Fund program director Graciela Camarena assists Lucia Salazar with filling out Medicaid and SNAP application forms for her family in Pharr, Texas, in November 2023. States with the largest drops in Medicaid coverage since its unwinding also have large rural populations. Michael Gonzalez/The Associated Press Rural children and families are having to skip vital health treatments and even ending up in the emergency room, while already struggling rural clinics are losing more patients, as states cull their Medicaid rolls. The process began in April 2023, when pandemic-era rules that prohibited kicking people off Medicaid coverage expired and states again began checking whether families met income restrictions. Nationally, nearly 70% of people who lost coverage did so for procedural reasons such as incomplete paperwork. States with the largest drops in coverage also have large rural populations. The loss of coverage compounds struggles disproportionately experienced by rural children and families, experts say, including clinician shortages, long drives to care and poorer health outcomes. Eight states Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Utah had fewer children enrolled at the end of last year than before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Medicaid is even more of a lifeline for rural communities than it is for urban ones, said Joan Alker, the centers executive director. There are quite a number of states with large rural populations where things are not going well so thats very problematic. A year into the process, frequently referred to as Medicaid unwinding, South Dakota, Montana, Utah, Texas and Idaho have seen the largest plunges in rates of children losing coverage, with an average of 25% fewer children enrolled in those states since April 2023. In rural areas, which on average have higher rates of poverty, children are less likely than their urban counterparts to have had a medical checkup or dentist visit in the past year, the center reported. These families are already so much living on the edge, and its hard for them. Dr. Noreen Womack, Idaho pediatrician In Idaho, where 35 of 44 counties are considered rural, a lot of this is attributed to the state rushing through the process to conduct [income eligibility] redeterminations in six months, said Hillarie Hagen, health policy associate at Idaho Voices for Children, a group that advocates on policies affecting children. The rush and arbitrary deadline resulted in an alarming number of children losing coverage. Hagen added that the change is putting families in a very difficult position of having to choose to delay care or risk significant financial burden on their family. Rural Idaho counties tend to be poorer than urban counties, and Hispanic and Native American state residents are more likely than white residents to be living in poverty. Dr. Noreen Womack, a pediatrician at a mobile clinic for kids in Boise and nearby rural communities in Idaho, run by St. Lukes Childrens Hospital, said not a week goes by that she doesnt see a patient who has lost Medicaid coverage and who is sometimes unaware theyre now uninsured. When kids parents tell her they have Medicaid, she said, shes learned to ask, Are you sure? She said she regularly sees children and teens who are no longer covered and who stopped taking critical treatments, such as antidepressants and ADHD medications, harming their well-being and school performance. Womack recalls one 7-year-old boy who was no longer enrolled in Medicaid and whose family couldnt afford his ADHD medication. He was on the verge of being expelled from school. He looked at Womack, scared and dispirited. Im having trouble staying on task again, and theyre going to kick me out, she recalled him saying. Its so sad, because hes only 7, she said. These families are already so much living on the edge, and its hard for them. Other young patients who have gone undiagnosed for asthma have ended up in the ER, she said. One of the things were trying to do is decrease the amount of unnecessary emergency department visits. As in many states, patient navigators have been key to helping families work through the complex process of renewing Medicaid if they qualify, Womack said. Idahos Department of Health and Welfare acknowledged the rapid pace of its redetermination process, but expects the number of enrollees to return to normal. Idaho was one of the very first states in the nation to start and finish unwinding activities while many other states are still in the process of completing all initial renewals, spokesperson AJ McWhorter wrote in an email to Stateline. He added that the agency early on identified and prioritized individuals who were likely no longer eligible for Medicaid. As other states continue to complete their unwinding activities, we expect these numbers to begin to normalize. Utah has seen the nations highest overall disenrollment rate at 56%, followed by Idaho and Montana at 55%, and Oklahoma, South Dakota and Georgia, which have each seen coverage loss rates of 50% or higher. Utahs state Medicaid office asserts that because states are at different stages in unwinding, disenrollment rates between states cant be compared apples to apples. The states unemployment and poverty rates are lower than the national average, which means Utahns have fewer uninsured people and fewer Medicaid enrollees to begin with, said Kevin Burt, who oversees Utahs Medicaid eligibility determinations at the state Department of Workforce Services. Having just finished unwinding, I dont think the data is quite settled, Burt added. Jennifer Strohecker, Utahs Medicaid director, said her office has been working with hospitals, clinics and nonprofits to help with redeterminations. It is our objective that if a person is eligible for Medicaid, we want them to have that coverage, she said, adding that the state aimed to make sure the health centers had the right resources and tools to meet the needs of the patient as they saw them, and help them with some of the [eligibility] questions. Families of color Across small towns and rural areas nationwide, Medicaid covers 47% of children and 18% of adults, compared with about 40% of children and 15% of adults in urban counties, the Georgetown center found in an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and Medicaid data. Compared with urban residents, those in rural areas are more likely to have poorer overall health. Many states with the highest rates of Medicaid disenrollments also have large American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Federal tribal affairs and Medicaid officials say the program plays a critical role in filling gaps in funding for tribal health care. Chickasaw Nation member Dr. Jesicah Gilmore, a family medicine doctor and chief medical officer of the Indian Health Care Resource Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said the loss of Medicaid coverage has left many of her patients unable to obtain or pay for specialist care, such as cardiology or nephrology. While the center is in the city, its also a pillar for rural Native patients, who drive hours to the clinic for primary care and referrals. Part of what were seeing is that then theyre having difficulty accessing referral services or some of the specialty tests, she said. Its provided quite a strain on our system. Many lost coverage because they no longer qualified or because they didnt finish paperwork, leaving them to pay out of pocket or forgo care if they cant, she said. We have staff members here who specifically help patients with paperwork and can help navigate some of the online systems many of our patients dont necessarily have continuous access to the internet, she said. It does get worse when patients are uninsured, because they have no other recourse for care, other than going to the ER. She remembers one patient recently who lost Medicaid coverage two days before an orthopedic appointment for extreme knee pain. Gilmore estimates it could be another three months before her patient can get a knee replacement approved by a specialist and for the clinic to help her find and apply for another payor, such as the tribe, and up to six months until the actual surgery. It was affecting her ability to continue working, walking, standing, she said. Whos going to pay for this appointment? This patient has been waiting to get this, hopeful. Now, shes kind of in a holding pattern. Loss of revenue for rural clinics, hospitals Gilmore worries the longer-term fallout for her clinic will be a hit to revenue due to caring for uninsured rural patients. The clinic was planning to expand services but might not be able to, she said. That concern is echoed in other rural health care settings. Straddling the Utah-Arizona border is the Creek Valley Health Clinic, serving a rural area that the Utah Department of Health says is one of the most underserved regions in the state. The area lacked a primary care clinic for over a decade, and many patients would drive an hour or more to the nearest hospital before the clinic opened in 2019. We inherited such a sick patient population with really high rates of chronic disease and unhealthy habits, said Hunter Adams, the clinics co-founder and CEO. Adams said the clinic had helped lower ER visits for primary care. Since the clinic opened, Adams said, the patient base has seen improved rates of depression screening, diabetes control and childhood obesity. But since the unwinding, the clinic saw an 8% drop in Medicaid patients. That, along with changes to pharmacy contract programs and expiring COVID-19 assistance grants, has put the nascent clinic in a bind, Adams said. Its kind of a three-legged impact to our budget, he said. Were in this kind of hard space where were not big enough to really contract and negotiate payment change, but were also big enough that we feel these budgetary changes with the Medicaid unwinding. Alan Pruhs, executive director of the Association for Utah Community Health, which represents health centers across the state, estimated that those clinics have seen on average a 12% to 15% reduction in the Medicaid patient population, with some clinics losing up to 20% of Medicaid patients. Fiscal fragility just was ratcheted up a few more notches, because were now losing more revenue, Pruhs said. Hes hearing from clinics that serve particularly vulnerable clients, such as opioid patients, dropping out of rehabilitation programs because of losing Medicaid. Pruhs said an increase in uninsured patients can further add financial pressure on already strapped rural community health clinics. From a health center perspective, your uninsured patient now comes in and its actually costing you money its not generating revenue. DONATE: SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST Two-month-old Karina, the child of uninsured parents, receives drops of childrens Tylenol after getting a vaccination at a low-cost clinic run by the Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics on July 28, 2009, in Aurora, Colorado. Funded primarily through donations and grants, Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics treats mostly children of uninsured parents, those on Medicaid and others whose parents cannot afford to pay the high deductibles charged by many health insurance policies. (John Moore/Getty Images) Two-month-old Karina, the child of uninsured parents, receives drops of childrens Tylenol after getting a vaccination at a low-cost clinic run by the Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics on July 28, 2009, in Aurora, Colorado. Funded primarily through donations and grants, Rocky Mountain Youth Clinics treats mostly children of uninsured parents, those on Medicaid and others whose parents cannot afford to pay the high deductibles charged by many health insurance policies. (John Moore/Getty Images) Rural children and families are having to skip vital health treatments and even ending up in the emergency room, while already struggling rural clinics are losing more patients, as states cull their Medicaid rolls. The process began in April 2023, when pandemic-era rules that prohibited kicking people off Medicaid coverage expired and states again began checking whether families met income restrictions. Nationally, nearly 70% of people who lost coverage did so for procedural reasons such as incomplete paperwork. States with the largest drops in coverage also have large rural populations. The loss of coverage compounds struggles disproportionately experienced by rural children and families, experts say, including clinician shortages, long drives to care and poorer health outcomes. Eight states Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Utah had fewer children enrolled at the end of last year than before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Medicaid is even more of a lifeline for rural communities than it is for urban ones, said Joan Alker, the centers executive director. There are quite a number of states with large rural populations where things are not going well so thats very problematic. A year into the process, frequently referred to as Medicaid unwinding, South Dakota, Montana, Utah, Texas and Idaho have seen the largest plunges in rates of children losing coverage, with an average of 25% fewer children enrolled in those states since April 2023. In rural areas, which on average have higher rates of poverty, children are less likely than their urban counterparts to have had a medical checkup or dentist visit in the past year, the center reported. These families are already so much living on the edge, and its hard for them. Dr. Noreen Womack, Idaho pediatrician In Idaho, where 35 of 44 counties are considered rural, a lot of this is attributed to the state rushing through the process to conduct [income eligibility] redeterminations in six months, said Hillarie Hagen, health policy associate at Idaho Voices for Children, a group that advocates on policies affecting children. The rush and arbitrary deadline resulted in an alarming number of children losing coverage. Hagen added that the change is putting families in a very difficult position of having to choose to delay care or risk significant financial burden on their family. Rural Idaho counties tend to be poorer than urban counties, and Hispanic and Native American state residents are more likely than white residents to be living in poverty. Dr. Noreen Womack, a pediatrician at a mobile clinic for kids in Boise and nearby rural communities in Idaho, run by St. Lukes Childrens Hospital, said not a week goes by that she doesnt see a patient who has lost Medicaid coverage and who is sometimes unaware theyre now uninsured. When kids parents tell her they have Medicaid, she said, shes learned to ask, Are you sure? She said she regularly sees children and teens who are no longer covered and who stopped taking critical treatments, such as antidepressants and ADHD medications, harming their well-being and school performance. Womack recalls one 7-year-old boy who was no longer enrolled in Medicaid and whose family couldnt afford his ADHD medication. He was on the verge of being expelled from school. He looked at Womack, scared and dispirited. Im having trouble staying on task again, and theyre going to kick me out, she recalled him saying. Its so sad, because hes only 7, she said. These families are already so much living on the edge, and its hard for them. Other young patients who have gone undiagnosed for asthma have ended up in the ER, she said. One of the things were trying to do is decrease the amount of unnecessary emergency department visits. As in many states, patient navigators have been key to helping families work through the complex process of renewing Medicaid if they qualify, Womack said. Idahos Department of Health and Welfare acknowledged the rapid pace of its redetermination process, but expects the number of enrollees to return to normal. Idaho was one of the very first states in the nation to start and finish unwinding activities while many other states are still in the process of completing all initial renewals, spokesperson AJ McWhorter wrote in an email to Stateline. He added that the agency early on identified and prioritized individuals who were likely no longer eligible for Medicaid. As other states continue to complete their unwinding activities, we expect these numbers to begin to normalize. Utah has seen the nations highest overall disenrollment rate at 56%, followed by Idaho and Montana at 55%, and Oklahoma, South Dakota and Georgia, which have each seen coverage loss rates of 50% or higher. Utahs state Medicaid office asserts that because states are at different stages in unwinding, disenrollment rates between states cant be compared apples to apples. The states unemployment and poverty rates are lower than the national average, which means Utahns have fewer uninsured people and fewer Medicaid enrollees to begin with, said Kevin Burt, who oversees Utahs Medicaid eligibility determinations at the state Department of Workforce Services. Having just finished unwinding, I dont think the data is quite settled, Burt added. Jennifer Strohecker, Utahs Medicaid director, said her office has been working with hospitals, clinics and nonprofits to help with redeterminations. It is our objective that if a person is eligible for Medicaid, we want them to have that coverage, she said, adding that the state aimed to make sure the health centers had the right resources and tools to meet the needs of the patient as they saw them, and help them with some of the [eligibility] questions. Families of color Across small towns and rural areas nationwide, Medicaid covers 47% of children and 18% of adults, compared with about 40% of children and 15% of adults in urban counties, the Georgetown center found in an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and Medicaid data. Compared with urban residents, those in rural areas are more likely to have poorer overall health. Many states with the highest rates of Medicaid disenrollments also have large American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Federal tribal affairs and Medicaid officials say the program plays a critical role in filling gaps in funding for tribal health care. Chickasaw Nation member Dr. Jesicah Gilmore, a family medicine doctor and chief medical officer of the Indian Health Care Resource Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said the loss of Medicaid coverage has left many of her patients unable to obtain or pay for specialist care, such as cardiology or nephrology. While the center is in the city, its also a pillar for rural Native patients, who drive hours to the clinic for primary care and referrals. Part of what were seeing is that then theyre having difficulty accessing referral services or some of the specialty tests, she said. Its provided quite a strain on our system. Many lost coverage because they no longer qualified or because they didnt finish paperwork, leaving them to pay out of pocket or forgo care if they cant, she said. We have staff members here who specifically help patients with paperwork and can help navigate some of the online systems many of our patients dont necessarily have continuous access to the internet, she said. It does get worse when patients are uninsured, because they have no other recourse for care, other than going to the ER. She remembers one patient recently who lost Medicaid coverage two days before an orthopedic appointment for extreme knee pain. Gilmore estimates it could be another three months before her patient can get a knee replacement approved by a specialist and for the clinic to help her find and apply for another payor, such as the tribe, and up to six months until the actual surgery. It was affecting her ability to continue working, walking, standing, she said. Whos going to pay for this appointment? This patient has been waiting to get this, hopeful. Now, shes kind of in a holding pattern. Loss of revenue for rural clinics, hospitals Gilmore worries the longer-term fallout for her clinic will be a hit to revenue due to caring for uninsured rural patients. The clinic was planning to expand services but might not be able to, she said. That concern is echoed in other rural health care settings. Straddling the Utah-Arizona border is the Creek Valley Health Clinic, serving a rural area that the Utah Department of Health says is one of the most underserved regions in the state. The area lacked a primary care clinic for over a decade, and many patients would drive an hour or more to the nearest hospital before the clinic opened in 2019. We inherited such a sick patient population with really high rates of chronic disease and unhealthy habits, said Hunter Adams, the clinics co-founder and CEO. Adams said the clinic had helped lower ER visits for primary care. Since the clinic opened, Adams said, the patient base has seen improved rates of depression screening, diabetes control and childhood obesity. But since the unwinding, the clinic saw an 8% drop in Medicaid patients. That, along with changes to pharmacy contract programs and expiring COVID-19 assistance grants, has put the nascent clinic in a bind, Adams said. Its kind of a three-legged impact to our budget, he said. Were in this kind of hard space where were not big enough to really contract and negotiate payment change, but were also big enough that we feel these budgetary changes with the Medicaid unwinding. Alan Pruhs, executive director of the Association for Utah Community Health, which represents health centers across the state, estimated that those clinics have seen on average a 12% to 15% reduction in the Medicaid patient population, with some clinics losing up to 20% of Medicaid patients. Fiscal fragility just was ratcheted up a few more notches, because were now losing more revenue, Pruhs said. Hes hearing from clinics that serve particularly vulnerable clients, such as opioid patients, dropping out of rehabilitation programs because of losing Medicaid. Pruhs said an increase in uninsured patients can further add financial pressure on already strapped rural community health clinics. From a health center perspective, your uninsured patient now comes in and its actually costing you money its not generating revenue. This story was originally published by Stateline. Like South Dakota Searchlight, its 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 Missed care, fewer patients: Rural families and clinics feel Medicaid cuts appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight. The body of 23-year-old Lucas Macaj was recovered in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday after he took a "significant fall," according to an initial investigation, the park said. Search and rescue teams had been looking for Macaj on Mills Glacier since Monday. His body was flown by helicopter to a landing zone in Rocky Mountain National Park before being transferred to the Boulder County Coroner's Office. Park rangers completed an on-scene investigation. PHOTO: Rocky Mountain National Park rangers began search efforts for Lucas Macaj, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colorado May 13, 2024 (Rocky Mountain National Park, Facebook) MORE: 23-year-old hiker missing in Rocky Mountain National Park The search for Macaj began when he was reported overdue following an attempt to summit Longs Peak on Sunday. He was last heard from at about 1 p.m. on Sunday when he texted a friend indicating that he was on the summit of Longs Peak. Macaj's vehicle was found parked at the Longs Peak Trailhead on Monday. The search for Macaj included several agencies as well as air, ground and dog teams. PHOTO: Rocky Mountain National Park rangers began search efforts for Lucas Macaj, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colorado May 13, 2024 (Rocky Mountain National Park, Facebook) PHOTO: Rocky Mountain National Park rangers began search efforts for Lucas Macaj, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colorado May 13, 2024 (Rocky Mountain National Park, Facebook) There were significant storms moving through the high elevations of the park on Sunday afternoon, according to the National Park Service. The Boulder County Coroner's office will release the official cause of death. Missing 23-year-old climber found dead in Rocky Mountains originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Missouris top prosecutor is baying for justice after accusing Kansas City of having doxxed Harrison Butker, the Chiefs kicker who has come under fire in recent days for a controversial commencement speech in which he urged women to get back in the kitchen. State Attorney General Andrew Bailey said his office was demanding accountability, declaring that he would enforce the Missouri Human Rights Act to ensure Missourians are not targeted for their free exercise of religion and telling his X audience to stay tuned. Baileys heated response came after the official X account of Kansas City tweeted a reminder on Wednesday night that Butker did not live in Kansas City, but in a named city around 25 minutes drive away. We apologies for our previous tweet. It was shared in error. Kansas City (@KansasCity) May 16, 2024 The tweet, which did not specify Butkers address, was quickly deleted and replaced with an apology. We [apologize] for our previous tweet, it said. It was shared in error. The mayor of Kansas City, Quinton Lucas, said in his own statement that the post was clearly inappropriate for a public account. He said the city would review account access and avoid sharing similar content in the future. Butkers speech at Benedictine College on Saturday sparked fierce criticism and debate, with the 28-year-old conservative Catholic bemoaning the state of the country and traditional masculinity, criticizing everything from diversity and equity initiatives to President Joe Biden to Pride Month, which he referred to as a deadly sin. A message appeared earlier this evening from a City public account. The message was 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. Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) May 16, 2024 I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you, Butker said in his speech. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world, he continued, to cheers. I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother, the three-time Super Bowl champion said, adding that his success was only possible because his wife had decided to embrace one of the most important titles of all: Homemaker. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. The Missouri House approved a non-citizen voting provision as part of a Senate bill which will put a question before Missouri voters seeking to ban ranked-choice voting and non-citizen voting (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images). Arguments over the validity of banning non-citizen voting in Missouri, which is already illegal, were part of what ultimately killed an initiative petition bill prioritized by Republicans this session. But in the final hours of the legislative session on Friday, the House approved a non-citizen voting provision as part of a Senate bill which will put a question before Missouri voters seeking to ban ranked-choice voting, or ranking candidates in order of preference. Missourians dont want more voter confusion and exhaustion when they go to the ballot box than they already have, said the bills sponsor, state Rep. Ben Baker, a Neosho Republican. If approved by voters later this year, Missouri will officially ban ranked-choice voting and non-citizen voting. It would also confirm that elections only be carried out by paper ballot or any mechanical method prescribed by law. The ranked-choice voting language has a carve-out for any nonpartisan municipal election that already has a ranked-choice ordinance in place. This applies to St. Louis. An initiative petition campaign in 2022 sought to amend Missouris Constitution to change the voting process for the general elections for state offices. In the primary, voters would have still only been able to cast one vote, but in the general election, they could list their preferences. The candidate to win the majority of first-choice votes would win. But if no candidate received a majority, the candidate with the fewest top-choice votes would be eliminated; the remaining votes would be distributed among the candidates left based on preferences. Whoever received a majority of those votes would win. That proposal failed to gather enough signatures to go to the voters. The bill passed on Friday down party lines 97 to 43, with state Rep. Raychel Proudie, a Democrat from Ferguson, and state. Rep. LaKeySha Bosley, a Democrat from St. Louis, voting present. This is wholly unnecessary, state Rep. Eric Woods, a Democrat from Kansas City, said Friday of the bill. That was the resounding cry from Senate Democrats earlier this week, as they filibustered for 50 hours in a successful attempt to stop a plan by Republicans to put a ballot measure before voters in the fall that would raise the threshold for amending the constitution by citizen-led initiative petitions. Democrats refused to let the initiative petition bill pass through the Senate as long as it included ballot candy. These provisions meant to entice voters into supporting the measure included a question about non-citizen voting and foreign interference. Despite the hours spent this session debating the merits of the non-citizen language in the initiative petition bill, the topic didnt immediately come up on the House floor Friday. Toward the end of debate, state Rep. Brad Banderman, a Republican from St. Clair, noted the robust conversation in both chambers over non-citizen voting the past couple of years, escalating in the final weeks of session. It seems like weve been wringing our hands for about a week or two on this particular issue, but on this day, Banderman said. The other side of the aisle doesnt seem to be standing at mics complaining The post Missouri House puts questions of ranked-choice, non-citizen voting on the 2024 ballot appeared first on Missouri Independent. Xi holds restrictive meeting with Putin at Zhongnanhai Xinhua) 08:11, May 17, 2024 Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, during which they had in-depth exchanges on strategic issues of common concern. The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century and entering a new period of turbulence and transformation, Xi noted, adding that in the face of the ever-evolving world landscape with volatility and turmoil, China has maintained its strategic resolve. He said that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people have overcome various difficulties and challenges, and are striving to promote high-quality development and Chinese modernization. China is willing to work with Russia and other countries to enhance solidarity and cooperation, steer global governance in the right direction, jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, and promote world peace and common development, Xi said. Noting that China's development is unstoppable and that no force can contain China's growth and progress, Putin said that Russia is willing to improve cooperation with China and other Global South countries to promote international fairness and justice, and to work toward a more equal and multipolar world. The two heads of state had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi elaborated on China's consistent position and efforts to promote the political settlement of the Ukraine issue, stressing that to deal with any major issue, it is necessary to address both the symptoms and the root causes, and to plan for the present as well as for the long term. He said the core of the Global Security Initiative is advocating the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and the fundamental solution to the Ukraine issue is to promote the establishment of a new balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture. Xi said China supports the convening of an international peace conference recognized by Russia and Ukraine at an appropriate time with equal participation and fair discussion of all options, so as to push for an early political settlement of the Ukraine issue, and China stands ready to continue to play a constructive role in this regard. Putin introduced the relevant views and positions of Russia, saying that Russia appreciates China's objective, just and balanced position on the Ukraine issue and welcomes China to continue to play an important and constructive role in the political settlement of the issue. Russia is committed to resolving the Ukraine issue through political negotiations and is willing to demonstrate sincerity and maintain close communication with China in this regard, he said. Xi said that over the years, they have had many meetings and every exchange has been candid, in-depth and fruitful. "I am ready to stay in close contact with President Putin and work together to steer the development of China-Russia relations in the right direction, guide the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era to achieve steady and lasting progress, bring more benefits to the two peoples, and contribute to world security and stability," Xi said. Putin thanked Xi for his warm hospitality, saying that he is willing to maintain close communication with Xi, implement the important consensus reached between them, and ensure the full development of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a restrictive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Zhongnanhai in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) Xinhua News Agency: The 33rd Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the Summit Level opened in Bahrains capital Manama on May 16. We noted that President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to King Hamad of Bahrain who is the rotating president of the session, and the King expressed his appreciation in his opening remarks. Can you share more details with us? What is Chinas expectation for China-Arab relations in the future? Wang Wenbin: On May 16, the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the Summit Level opened in Bahrains capital Manama. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the rotating president King Hamad of Bahrain on the successful convening of the session. He noted that the China-Arab relationship is now at its best in history. China stands ready to work with Arab states to carry forward the friendship between the two sides, 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. Starting from the 24th Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the Summit Level in 2013, President Xi Jinping has sent congratulatory letters to each session, which fully reflects the great importance China attaches to developing relations with Arab states. China and Arab states enjoy a traditional friendship. Our relations have stood the test of history and the evolving international landscape, setting a fine example of South-South cooperation. At the first China-Arab Summit in 2022, President Xi Jinping and leaders of Arab states agreed to work for a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era, opening a new chapter for China-Arab friendship and cooperation. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and the 10th ministerial conference of the forum will be held in China. China looks forward to working with Arab states to take this as an opportunity to further deepen our traditional friendship, enhance political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation, step up coordination on international affairs, and deepen and substantiate the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future. Shenzhen TV: We noted that in the Spring 2024 Economic Forecast released days ago, EU Commission adjusted up Chinas growth forecast for this year by 0.2 percentage points to 4.8 percent. Many international financial institutions have also raised their forecast for Chinas economic growth this year. Whats your comment? Wang Wenbin: Since the beginning of this year, Chinas economy has continued to pick up and the socioeconomic development has been off to a good start. In the first quarter this year, the economy grew by 5.3 percent and continued to enjoy greater momentum of rebound. In April, Chinas manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) stood at 50.4 percent. The trade in goods with other countries grew year-on-year by 8 percent to RMB 3.64 trillion, a record high compared with the same periods of previous years. The trend of Chinas economic rebound further fuels international optimism about China and investing in China. International financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Citibank and UBS, have recently revised upward Chinas growth forecast in 2024. Asian Development Bank predicted that from 2024 to 2025, China will account for 46 percent of the economic growth of Asian developing countries. US management consulting firm Kearney said that China has a large economic size and a stable and positive policy environment. In recent years, China has taken steps to abolish all market access restrictions on foreign investment in manufacturing, which gives a strong boost to international investors confidence. Chinas development is open to the world, and our opportunities are shared by the world. An increasingly open China with a steadily growing economy will surely remain a driver of global economic growth and a popular destination for foreign investment. You are more than welcome to continue investing, flourishing and succeeding in China. Beijing Daily: Its reported that today, Tokyo Electric Power Company will start dumping the sixth batch of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean. The discharge is expected to last until June 4 and reach nearly 7,800 tonnes. Whats Chinas comment? Wang Wenbin: We firmly oppose the discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean. This position is consistent and clear. The ocean discharge bears on the health of all humanity, the global marine environment and the global common good. Japan has yet to resolve its neighbors concerns on the safety of the discharge, the long-term reliability of the purification system and the effectiveness of monitoring arrangement. China urges Japan to cooperate fully in creating an independent, effective and long-term international monitoring scheme with substantive participation of Japans neighbors and other stakeholders, and seriously prevent irrevocable consequences stemming from the ocean discharge. When global well-being is at stake, Japan needs to take seriously the legitimate and lawful concerns at home and abroad and properly respond to them with a responsible and constructive attitude. Global Times: Its reported the Taiwan authorities have long been bribing Guatemalas President and resorting to dollar diplomacy in exchange for political support. The Taiwan authorities have recently taken similar moves on Guatemala again. But the office of Guatemalas President indicated that President Bernardo Arevalo might decline attending the so-called inauguration ceremony on May 20. Whats your comment? Wang Wenbin: To squander taxpayers money for dollar diplomacy is the DPP authorities go-to tactic to buy foreign politicians presence to keep up appearance. Such moves are designed to serve Taiwan independence separatism and personal political calculations. Ultimately its the interests of the people in Taiwan that will suffer. Facts show that the DPP authorities dollar diplomacy not only brings no good to the development of relevant countries, but breeds corruption. We believe the government and people of Guatemala are clear-eyed about this. We reiterate that upholding the one-China principle is the right thing to do and is where global opinion trends and the arc of history bends. This is not something you can put a price on. We hope and believe that Guatemala will make the right decision as early as possible that follows the prevailing trend and serves the interest of its people. China Daily: US State Department spokesperson said on May 16 that the Peoples Republic of China cannot have its cake and eat it too. ... You cant want to have ... relationships with Europe and other countries while simultaneously continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security in a long time. Whats your comment on that? Wang Wenbin: Those words reflect a Manichean mindset of the United States, which drives a constant search for an enemy rather than peace. This is a reflection of the Cold War mentality that still dominates US thinking, which bears unshirkable responsibility for the eruption and escalation of the Ukraine crisis. China is not the creator of or a party to the Ukraine Crisis. We have been on the side of peace and dialogue and committed to promoting peace talks. We actively support putting in place a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. Our fair and objective position and constructive role have been widely recognized. Let the person who tied the bell on the tiger untie it, to quote a Chinese saying. Our message to the US: stop shifting the blame on China; do not try to drive a wedge between China and Europe; and it is time to stop fueling the flame and start making real contribution to finding a political solution to the Ukraine crisis. Hubei Media Group: Chads constitutional council confirmed the final result of the presidential election that interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby was elected as President of Chad with 61 percent of the vote. Whats Chinas comment? Wang Wenbin: We noted the final result of the presidential election announced by Chads constitutional council. China extends sincere congratulations to President Mahamat Idriss Deby on winning the election. We are confident that under the leadership of President Mahamat Idriss Deby, Chad will achieve greater progress in realizing national stability and development. China deeply values its friendly ties with Chad and stands ready to work with the new government to enhance mutual support, advance mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and bring more benefits to our two peoples. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim will pay an official visit to Uzbekistan from May 17 to 19, the press service of the President of Uzbekistan says, Trend reports. According to the information, the visit will take place at the invitation of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. It is reported that high-level events and negotiations are planned in Tashkent on the first day of the visit. The agenda of the summit includes the development of political dialogue, expansion of cultural and humanitarian exchange, as well as promotion of joint programs and projects in the fields of trade, innovation, energy, petrochemicals, industry, electrical engineering, electronics, agriculture and other sectors of the economy. There will also be an exchange of views on current international issues. The Prime Minister of Malaysia will visit Samarkand and Bukhara to get acquainted with the cultural, historical and spiritual heritage of Uzbekistan and take part in a joint business forum. Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher addresses media Friday, the final day of the legislative session. (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent). The Missouri Senate put its dysfunction on display one last time Friday when it adjourned minutes after reconvening, effectively killing efforts to send voters a ballot measure changing the majority needed to pass constitutional amendments. The decision to quit almost eight hours before the constitutional deadline shows how little tolerance Republican leadership had for remaining in the same room with their factional foes in the Missouri Freedom Caucus. The motion to adjourn was made by Senate Majority Leader Cindy OLaughlin, who said that after days of ugly confrontations between senators, I thought it would be good to end in a more cordial way. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US The Missouri House continued to work on legislation. The only notice taken of the Senates absence was a burst of laughter when the clerk announced there were no messages to be read in from the Senate. Just an hour before the Senate quit for the day, House Speaker Dean Plocher held a news conference demanding the Senate do what the House has done several times pass the proposal to require a majority vote in five of the states eight congressional districts as well as a statewide majority to approve constitutional amendments. This is not our problem, Plocher said. This is not our mess. With no chance of an August ballot measure to alter the majority requirements, and an initiative petition legalizing abortion undergoing signature checks, the result could be the GOPs worst fear that all the restrictive legislation passed over the past two decades of Republican legislative control could be undone. If abortion gets on the ballot and wins, the Senate is to blame, Plocher said. The burden of abortion falls squarely on the Senate and its leadership, Plocher said. Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden rejected that statement, saying the House could vote to place the initiative petition measure on the ballot before the legislature adjourns if it so chooses. The election on abortion isnt lost yet, he said The notion that (initiative petition) reform being on the ballot is the magic bullet to make sure that the abortion (initiative) doesnt pass is ridiculous, Rowden said. Its going to take Republicans and conservatives and folks who disagreed on IP to get out to the ballot and vote against that thing in November. One reason the measure failed is unwavering opposition by Democrats to provisions added to the bill that would bar non-citizens from voting on constitutional amendments, something that hasnt been allowed in Missouri since 1924, as well as banning foreign governments or political parties from sponsoring or spending in support of initiatives. Democrats filibustered for 21 hours in February before the sponsor, state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican, agreed to remove those provisions, derided by opponents as ballot candy intended to entice voters with issues unrelated to how majorities are determined. When the bill was before a House committee, Coleman urged them to reinstate the provisions and the House did so before returning the bill. That triggered the longest filibuster in state history, with Democrats holding the floor for 50 hours this week to block the measure from a final vote. It ended only when Coleman agreed to ask the House to remove those provisions or engage in negotiations. Republicans wanted to make it harder to amend the constitution, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo of Independence said at a news conference. We recognize they have a supermajority, but we wont let them trick people. The issue isnt dead, said House Majority Leader Jon Patterson of Lees Summit and presumptive speaker when the new legislature meets in January. Patterson thinks the urgency to change the majority threshold will remain. The House has stood firm that we believe in life, that we believe in constitutional (initiative petition) reform, Patterson said. It was clear Plocher at least partially blamed the Freedom Caucus six Senators when the session began but five when it ended because of disagreements over tactics for the failure of the proposal changing majorities. Reading books on the floor does not solve Missouris problems, Plocher said. The Freedom Caucus had the record for a filibuster 41 hours for two weeks after members held the floor demanding that the proposal on constitutional majorities be brought to an immediate vote. Members spent much of that time reading books about religion and other subjects. The 41-hour filibuster ended only when Freedom Caucus members were assured every means to pass the proposal including a rarely used motion to cut off debate had a majority of 18 votes, said state Sen. Denny Hoskins, a Warrensburg Republican. We would not have sat down two weeks ago on (Medicaid provider taxes) if we were confident that we had a deal done, Hoskins said. Throughout the debate on the measure changing initiative petition majorities, Republicans have cited recently approved initiatives on legislative redistricting, expanding Medicaid eligibility and legalizing recreational marijuana as examples of an abuse of the initiative process. The proposals were funded in large part by money from outside the state. I dont believe, Plocher said, you should be able to buy your way into Missouri and pass laws. Rowden, however, said the idea that ballot candy is needed for changes to the majority threshold to pass is a slap in the face to Missouri voters. Missourians are absolutely smarter than the people in this chamber give them credit for. Sen. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, speaking for the Freedom Caucus at a news conference, defended the ballot candy provisions as giving voters a simpler question, easier to understand than changing the majority as a standalone issue. You would have to have a lot of intensive funding to be able to get a message out, because (the initiative petition process) is a very convoluted, difficult thing to explain to voters, Brattin said. And we wanted to make sure were putting stuff in front of people thats easy, that doesnt require $60 million to try to get the message out. Jason Hancock of The Independent staff contributed to this report. This article has been updated to delete an erroneous reference to ballot language. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Missouri initiative petition bill, a top GOP priority, dies on final day of session appeared first on Missouri Independent. FILE - This photo provided by Missouri Dept. of Corrections shows David Hosier. Hosier, who is scheduled to be executed next month, was hospitalized Thursday, May 16, 2024, after suffering what a corrections official called a medical emergency. .(Missouri Dept. of Corrections via AP) ST. LOUIS (AP) A Missouri inmate who is due to be executed next month has been hospitalized because of a medical emergency, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Corrections said. David Hosier, 69, is scheduled to be put to death June 11 for killing a Jefferson City couple, Angela and Rodney Gilpin, in 2009. His attorney, Jeremy Weis, said a prison doctor diagnosed Hosier with heart failure this week. Hosier's sister, Barbara Morrill, said he has atrial fibrillation, which causes an irregular heartbeat. Morrill said her brother fell ill about a week and ago and has gotten worse, with leg swelling and severe pain. She wondered why it took so long to move him out of his cell. Hes in a lot of pain, she said. He cant walk. He can barely talk. Karen Pojmann, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Corrections, said she could not release further information, citing privacy requirements. Hosiers spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeff Hood, said at a news conference on Friday that Missouri faces the prospect of executing a man who is critically ill. His family has been told that he is in acute heart failure, Hood said. The question becomes: How sick does a person have to be to not be executed in the state of Missouri? It wasnt immediately clear if the state would postpone the execution. Hosier has always maintained his innocence, but police and prosecutors say the evidence against him was overwhelming. Hosier is the son of a murder victim a police officer killed in the line of duty. Indiana State Police Sergeant Glen Hosier was fatally shot by a murder suspect in 1971, when David Hosier was 16. Other officers killed the gunman. On the night of his father's shooting, David Hosier was awakened to find a trooper at his bedside. I heard mom downstairs crying and when that happens, you know what it usually means, he recalled in an interview with The Associated Press last week, before he became ill. Hosier was sent to military school and later joined the Navy, where he spent four years in active duty. He was visiting his sister in Missouri in the late 1970s, met a woman who would become his first wife, and they settled in Jefferson City. He worked for several years as an EMT and firefighter. Hosier acknowledged that in 2009, he had an affair with Angela Gilpin. She ended it and reconciled with her husband. Not long after that, in September 2009, they were shot to death near the doorway of their apartment. Hosier said he didn't do it. "How can you find a person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and sentence that person to die when you have no witnesses to a crime, you have no fingerprints to tie this person to a crime, you have no DNA that ties this person to a crime? Hosier asked. Court records and investigators point to significant circumstantial evidence. He (Hosier) was involved romantically with the victim, said Randy Dampf, who was a Jefferson City police officer at the time of the killings and now works as an investigator for the county prosecutor. She had wanted to break off the relationship and he was angry about that." Detective Jason Miles said Hosier made numerous comments to other people threatening to harm Angela Gilpin in the days before the killings. Police found an application for a protective order in Angela Gilpins purse, and another document in which she expressed fear that Hosier might shoot her and her husband. I am totally convinced of his involvement in this case and I think all of the evidence supports that, Miles said. Hosier was an immediate suspect, but police couldn't find him. They used cellphone data to track Hosier to Oklahoma. A chase ensued when an Oklahoma officer tried to stop Hosier's car. When he got out, he told the officers, Shoot me, and get it over with, court records show. Officers found 15 guns, a bulletproof vest, 400 rounds of ammunition and other weapons in Hosiers car. Among the weapons was a submachine gun, made from a kit, that investigators determined was used in the killings. A note was found in the front seat of Hosiers vehicle. If you are going with someone do not lie to them, it read in part. Be honest with them if there is something wrong. If you do not this could happen to YOU!! Hosier said he wasn't fleeing to Oklahoma, but was simply on a long drive to clear his mind. He had lots of guns because he likes to hunt, he said. He didn't recall a note in the car. The Missouri Supreme Court upheld the conviction in 2019. Hood said the law enforcement community is known for standing with families of fallen officers. They should do the same now for Hosier, he said. The difficulties of Davids life are a product of having to experience the death of his father in the line of duty, Hood said. How can they say, Leave no family member of the fallen behind, and cheer on the execution of David Hosier? Missouri lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that offers tax breaks for a massive expansion of a south Kansas City federal plant where workers build key parts for U.S. nuclear weapons. The legislation would provide a sales tax exemption on all materials needed to expand the National Nuclear Security Administrations plant in south Kansas City. Manufacturing and technology giant Honeywell International Inc. operates the site and builds many non-nuclear parts for the nations nuclear stockpile. The Missouri House passed the bill on the last day of the legislative session on a vote of 141 to 2, sending it to Republican Gov. Mike Parsons desk. It passed the Senate last month. Lawmakers of both parties from the Kansas City-area supported the legislation, arguing that the expanded facility would create new, high-paying jobs in the region. This is a huge economic benefit for Kansas City, said Rep. Chris Brown, a Kansas City Republican who filed a version of the bill along with former Sen. Greg Razer, a Kansas City Democrat. I really cannot highlight that enough. While the bill passed with widespread support, it previously faced some pushback from legislators elsewhere in the state who compared it to Missouri giving tax breaks to help major corporations. Critics have also taken issue with helping a facility that builds parts for nuclear weapons. Protesters descended on the facility last month while the House was considering a version of the bill. Police and security officers handcuffed at least 10 people who protested nuclear weapons and the decision to expand the site. The proposed expansion would add an estimated 2.5 million square feet of office and manufacturing space. The project is expected to begin this year and continue into the early 2030s, a spokesperson for the federal agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy. The agencys website states that it is focused on developing, producing, procuring and delivering over 80% of all nonnuclear components in support of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. Brown said that the tax exemptions would go to a local developer who would complete the project and then sell the expanded buildings back to the federal government. He defended the tax breaks, arguing that its the same tax-exempt status the federal government would receive. A fiscal note attached to the legislation estimates that the federal agency plans to spend more than $3 billion on the expansion. However, nonpartisan staff were unable to determine the total loss in sales tax revenue from the exemptions but assumed the fiscal impact could be significant. GREEN BAY - The "Grand Boulevard" the city of Green Bay plans to develop on a 26.5-acre site JBS donated in 2021 will be lined with "missing middle" and multigenerational housing, according to proposals approved this week. It's an idea one developer involved said could serve as a national example of how communities can build the high-demand affordable housing units that are in very short supply in the Green Bay area. The city's Redevelopment Authority on Tuesday selected two developers, Revel49 and Gorman & Co., to collaboratively develop as many as 160 housing units on the lower half of the property located off Guns Road between the Kroc Center and Walmart. The city of Green Bay broke the 26.5-acre parcel donated by JBS into several housing development areas. The city's Redevelopment Authority in May 2024 selected co-developers to tackle areas D, E, G, and H. Areas A, B, C and F would be developed in the future. The city broke the large chunk of property into eight "blocks" of land, labeled A through H, where different types of housing could be built. The city will develop the boulevard from Guns Road west into the site, ending at a destination park and community food center. Additional public improvements would include new roads within the property, utilities and a road to connect the site with Imperial Lane and VT Pride Park to the north. Madison-based Gorman would build workforce housing north of the boulevard, on sites D and E. Milwaukee-based Revel49 would build townhouses and homes for large families and multigenerational households on sites G and H. Both companies also indicated they'd be willing to partner with local housing organizations like Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity and NeighborWorks Green Bay to build housing in the area. Ted Matkom, Gorman's Wisconsin market president, and Collin Price, Revel49's managing partner, met each other for the first time at Tuesday's meeting, but both are excited and enthusiastic about the chance to collaborate on the JBS site. "No one else has done this sort of project. This should be a national model," Matkom said. He later added: "Communities across the nation need this sort of housing." More on housing development: Green Bay affordable housing: 4 projects on track to welcome renters in 2024 What is 'missing middle' housing? Missing middle housing, also known as workforce housing, are homes and apartments that charge rents affordable to households earning 80% to 120% of the area's median income. In Brown County, that's an individual who earns $53,500 to $80,280 and a household of four that earns $76,400 to $114,600, according to Gorman's submission. The 'missing' portion refers to the difficulty to finance and construct it. Market-rate or luxury housing projects charge high rents that can more easily absorb cost increases. Income-qualified housing developments use tax credits to close funding gaps, which enables them to charge lower-income families affordable rents. An interactive map of the JBS Site Development plan offered the public the chance to change up the styles and density of housing they would like to see developed on the site. What is multigenerational housing? It's housing designed to accommodate several generations of a family. It could be adult children still living with their parents, or a grandparent living with a young family. In Green Bay, such housing units are in high demand and short supply. Multigenerational families often want duplexes or homes with three, four, five or more bedrooms, products not generally being built right now. Gorman's plans include 'affordable by design' workforce housing Gorman's project plan included 164 apartments and 20 single-family homes, but it was selected for the apartments portion of its submission. The apartments were divided into 36-unit and 24-unit buildings that included walk-up and townhouse units. None of the apartments would have income restrictions, but instead rents would be set at prices affordable to middle-income earners. The first floor units could incorporate universal design features that make housing units accessible to all residents. Matkom called the company's plans "affordable by design" meaning the company builds quality housing but finds ways to lower construction and development costs in order to charge tenants lower rents than market rates. Revel49 plans include large, flexible townhomes for multigenerational families Revel49 is an indigenous-led firm based in Milwaukee. It proposed 94 apartments, 5 single-family homes and 18 multigenerational townhomes for the complete site, but was selected to develop multigenerational townhomes and single-family homes. The multigenerational townhomes would be about 2,500 square feet and include flexible living spaces and multiple bedrooms that can be adapted to families' individual needs. "We aim to alleviate the challenges often associated with finding suitable housing for extended families. Our townhome units offer a harmonious blend of functionality and comfort, empowering multigenerational families to thrive and flourish within a supportive and welcoming environment," Revel49 wrote in its submission. City would complement housing developments with boulevard, activity zone and a food hub Green Bay has proposed a three main public amenities to complement the housing development: The grand boulevard, an activity zone and an urban farm. They aim to give the new neighborhood public facilities with a "wow factor," better connect the property into the Imperial Pride neighborhood, and connect the site with VT Pride Park. As envisioned, the grand boulevard would include features like outdoor cafe seating, spaces for public art, fire pits, porch swings, and festive lighting. It would give neighbors spaces to gather and connect. The activity zone would include things like playground equipment, zip lines, tower structures and spaces designed to offer people of all ages engaging activities. The city has also contracted with Wello to develop a "food system transformational hub," formerly referred to generically as an urban farm, on part of the JBS site. The hub would focus on food assistance, community education, research and advocacy programs, as determined by the neighborhood's needs and opportunities. JBS site background: Green Bay is considering developing four things on JBS's donated land. Planners believe it can help change a struggling neighborhood. Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich, left, accepted a donation from JBS Regional Beef on Friday of $500,000 and 26.5 acres of land. Genrich is surrounded by city officials and representatives of JBS Regional Beef, a subsidiary of JBS USA. What happens next? Will Peters, a neighborhood development specialist with the city, said the next step will be to convene a kickoff meeting amongst the project partners and see what kind of plan takes shape. He said those discussions will likely produce more specific details on number of housing units, the location of those units, project costs and a construction timeline. Peters said the city expects to solicit bids for construction of roads, utilities and recreation features in the next several weeks. Those bids will help bring the overall public improvements budget into sharper focus. Green Bay already has secured $5.5 million to help pay for public improvements on the site. JBS donated $500,000 to the city for developing the property and $5 million via the state's Neighborhood Investment Fund, which was funded with some of the state's American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay picks two high-demand housing types for land JBS donated (Reuters) -Moderna said on Friday the European Patent Office had upheld the validity of one of the company's key patents, a win in an ongoing COVID-19 vaccine dispute with Pfizer and BioNTech. The company has been locked in a legal battle with Pfizer-BioNTech over their COVID shot Comirnaty after suing them in 2022 for allegedly copying its mRNA technology. Pfizer and BioNTech have countersued, alleging that Moderna's patent is invalid, after the companies' rival vaccines generated billions in revenues during the pandemic. Pfizer said it was disappointed and would consider all legal options and may appeal the decision. "Irrespective of the outcome of this legal matter, we will continue to manufacture and supply the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine," Pfizer said in a statement to Reuters. BioNTech said the patent office's decision to maintain Moderna's European patent "does not change our unwavering and unequivocal stance that this patent is invalid." The oral decision was handed down on Thursday, the Financial Times, which was the first to report on the matter, said. The report added a written decision is expected to be published in the coming months. Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna are also involved in parallel proceedings related to their patents in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, England and the U.S. Last month, a Massachusetts federal court put a patent lawsuit on hold, while the U.S. Patent Office determines whether two of the three Moderna patents at issue are valid. U.S.-listed shares of BioNTech were down 1.2%, while Pfizer's stock dipped 1%. (Reporting by Sriparna Roy and Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Sriraj Kalluvila) The worlds largest election is currently under way in India, with more than 960 million people registered to vote over a period of six weeks. Spearheading the campaign for his Bharatiya Janata Party, incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi is spending that time crisscrossing the country, delivering a message he hopes will result in a landslide victory for the Hindu nationalist party. He is a popular figure but also a divisive one. Modis speeches are drawing heat for their anti-Muslim rhetoric. At a campaign rally on April 21, 2024, he referred to Muslims as infiltrators. He later doubled down on these remarks, suggesting that if Indias largest opposition party, the Indian National Congress, came to power, the wealth of Hindus would be snatched and given to communities that have too many children, a seemingly lightly veiled reference to Indian Muslims. Such language represents a fear that Modi and the BJP have stoked many times before: that Muslims will become a numerical threat to Indias Hindu-majority population. Modi has since claimed that he did not explicitly target Muslims in his speech, but his words widely recorded and disseminated have certainly been taken that way. To some onlookers, the rhetoric is an indication that not all is well in the BJP campaign as it seeks to secure a two-thirds supermajority in Parliament. By appealing to the partys Hindu base, the argument goes, Modi is trying to counter voter apathy in the face of high youth unemployment and rising economic inequality. As a historian of public health in India, I believe it is important to shed light on the specific origins of anti-Muslim rhetoric and how it fits long-standing fears of Muslim population growth and the erosion of the Hindu majority in India. Fears of a Muslim takeover Demographic fears in India are tied to political and administrative representation and have been since the days of British colonialism. In 1919, the British granted Indians limited franchise; Indian legislators were allowed to create policy in certain fields, such as health care and education, but not on law and order. After the 1931 census, Indian leaders mostly Hindus, but also some Muslims and British officials began to express concern about the seemingly rapid rate of population growth in India, which at the time was increasing by over 1% annually. These leaders, in common with similar efforts around the globe, began to push new birth control methods toward Indian women. But to successfully induce large numbers of women to embrace family planning practices, colonial officials and Indian administrators had to contend with the fact that Indians of all religions were suspicious of birth control propaganda. These suspicions stemmed from cultural practices shared by both Hindu and Muslim communities that informed womens status in society, including child marriage, the seclusion of women and polygamy. Policies that tried to interfere with the traditional lives of Indian women, including birth control, were widely considered harmful instances of colonial control. Role of British colonizers While the British used these cultural practices and suspicions to suggest that all Indians were responsible for rapid population growth and associated poverty and hunger, Hindu nationalist groups created a different narrative. These fringe groups, which emerged as a political force in the 1930s, popularized the idea that practices encouraging population growth were particularly prevalent among the Muslim population. At the same time, there were growing tensions between the Indian National Congress party and the Muslim League, which was founded in 1906 but began to demand a separate homeland for Indian Muslims in the late 1930s. Divisions existed in Indian society prior to British rule. By classifying Indians into categories based on caste and religion, however, British colonial rulers made these identities and divisions more rigid, pitting various communities against one another. Communal tensions allowed the British to uphold the idea that without the control and surveillance of colonial rule, Indians were incapable of self-government and liberal democracy. Though the British left the new nation-states of India and Pakistan in 1947, increasing Hindu-Muslim tensions after partition continued to inform family planning propaganda in independent India. Hindu nationalists had expected the creation of a single nation with Hindu majority rule. As such, they saw the creation of Pakistan a homeland and nation-state for South Asian Muslims as a massive failure of the Indian freedom movement and a loss for India. Additionally, post-partition leadership and administrators in India were for the most part drawn from Hindu men and some women, since the majority of educated and elite Muslim classes ended up in Pakistan. As a result, colonial-era perceptions of Muslims continued to inform the way Indian policymakers and administrators created and implemented health care and education policy. In particular, preexisting perceptions of Muslim hyperfertility in Indian policymakers minds became more deeply entrenched with partition. Population control programs As India launched its first major population control program in 1951, administrators at all levels of governance assumed that uptake of birth control would be lower in Muslim communities than Hindu communities. In actuality, the factors that influenced the rate of uptake of IUDs, oral contraceptives and tubectomies in postindependence India were governed more by geography whether women lived in rural or urban areas, and were from the countrys north or south and class status. Since 1951, population control has been one of the major goals of Indian policymaking as part of a program to reduce poverty and improve public health. But the continued assumption that Indian Muslims are unwilling to participate in population control practices has led to the public perception of Islam as superstitious or backward. Research has shown that Indian Muslim communities across the nation have felt the effects of this stereotyping, especially in northern India. Muslims reported being disproportionately targeted by population control initiatives. These concerns among the Muslim community intensified with the aggressive forced sterilization program carried out by the Indian state under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the 1970s. Using religion for politics Modis party, the BJP, was formed in 1980 but failed to win significant elections until the 1990s. Several people on top of the 16th century Babri Mosque five hours before the structure was completely demolished in December 1992. Douglas E. Curran/AFP via Getty Images The main focus of their organizing in the 1980s and 1990s was to demand the demolition of a mosque commissioned by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya, traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Hindu deity Rama. In tandem with this campaign, the BJP promoted fears of Muslim demographic dominance in India, tying demands for taking back the land on which the Babri Masjid was built with fears of a Muslim majority. But such fears are unfounded. Despite the Muslim minority growing from 11% in the mid-1980s to 14% today, their representation in Parliament has actually declined, from 9% in the mid-1980s to 5% today. Since the BJP came to power in India in 2014, party leaders have relied on the historic fears of imagined Muslim population growth to help them win successive elections at the state and national level and pass legislation such as the Citizenship Amendment Act, which discriminates against Muslims. BJP leaders have accused Muslim men of forcibly converting Hindu women to Islam through love jihad, a conspiracy theory that Muslim men deceptively seduce Hindu women to increase their demographic strength. Modis latest statement referring to those who have too many children is the latest iteration of a long history of Hindu demographic fears and has proven to be a lasting one. 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: Archana Venkatesh, Clemson University Read more: Archana Venkatesh 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. QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) A 12-year-old girl was on her way to the store in Queens Wednesday night when she got caught up in a brawl and ended up getting shot, her mother said. The incident happened outside the South Jamaica Houses at 106-22 160th St. around 7:50 p.m., according to the NYPD. The girls mother told PIX11 News she sent her 12-year-old daughter and her 18-year-old niece to make a bodega run to pick up juice, but they ended up getting caught up in a brawl between two groups of girls outside. The mother said her daughter had nothing to do with the dispute that led to the brawl. She was going to the store when they were down there fighting. I guess they jumped on her as well. I guess they dont know who was with who or what is what, the mother said. Robber pointed gun at deli workers head in Queens store: NYPD The group apparently jumped on the 18-year-old niece in the middle of the fight. Thats when two men pulled out guns and started shooting, police said. It was a bunch of girls at first, then the adult men jumped in and started shooting, the mother said. My daughter was standing in front of the building, and one of the bullets hit her in the arm and went through. The 12-year-olds mother said it couldve been worse her daughter couldve been killed. Im very upset because this is unnecessary and its like nobody cares about nothing. They dont care about anything. Its broad daylight, there are children outside, there are people walking down the block and you just open fire, the mother said. The mother said her daughter is a good student, a typical 12-year-old whos getting ready to graduate from elementary school. Right now she is very sad and she doesnt understand, the girls mother said. The mother sent a message to those responsible. Its a bunch of girls fighting, so what are you going to do, shoot a bunch of girls? the mother said. Just turn yourself in. 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. Student employees at Western Washington University have authorized a strike next week, saying that university officials arent budging on a raise and other issues. Some 1,100 members of Western Academic Workers United plan a walkout Tuesday if progress isnt made on their first contract, the union said in an emailed statement. WWU is Whatcom Countys third-largest employer, with 2,738 workers this academic year, according to the university website. Union workers are seeking a base pay of $22.12 an hour, along with partial relief from tuition and fees, strong protections against discrimination and harassment, and bereavement leave. University officials have offered no increase above the current pay rate of $17.28 an hour, which is the minimum wage in Bellingham. A strike is a last resort and we hope it doesnt come to that, Erin Grimes, a teaching assistant in the Math Department, said in an emailed statement. But time is running out for Westerns administration to show us they are taking our demands seriously. We simply cannot get by on our current low wages, and have yet to see movement on other common-sense proposals that ensure our dignity in the workplace. WWU response WWU spokesman Jonathan Higgins told The Bellingham Herald that there isnt a flat hourly rate offer that the university can cite. The implications, responsibilities and contingencies of a possible work stoppage are top of our mind. We are committed to continuing our conversations which can lead to a fair and sustainable agreement with our student employees, and to maintaining positive working relationships amongst all who serve at WWU. We are also thankful that our request for mediation from the Public Employment Relations Commission was granted, and we are hopeful that this will help us reach an agreement as soon as possible, Higgins said in an email. More than 90 percent of our undergraduate students have classes taught directly by faculty members, and thus a minimal number of courses may be impacted by an Educational Student Employee work stoppage. However, should such an event occur, we are working to ensure that all affected students can complete the quarter and receive their grades on time, he said. WWUs current economic offer would result in total increases to its minimum hourly rate in 2024 of 9.5%, an additional 8.4% on Jan. 1, 2025, and an additional 2% on Jan. 1, 2026. WWU has proposed a 12.9% increase to its graduate salaries effective Sept. 16, 2024, and additional 3%increases effective Sept. 16, 2025 and 2026, Higgins said. The increases WWU is proposing build on increases of nearly 65% to the universitys minimum hourly rates over the last decade and increases to graduate student salaries of nearly 38% over that same period, he said. 93% authorized strike In a recent vote, 93% of the unions membership authorized the bargaining committee to call a strike if significant progress the union said. Educational Student Employees at WWU are members of Western Academic Workers United, which is part of the United Auto Workers. The union won recognition in June 2023 and has been working to negotiate its first contract since September. Union members teach, conduct research and hold other roles. About 900 are undergraduates and 200 are graduates. More than 112,000 Illinois residents have lost the right to own guns. The state doesnt know if 84,000 still have them, sheriff says CHICAGO More than 112,000 Illinois residents have been deemed too dangerous to own guns, but the state doesnt know if 84,000 of those people still have them, according to a new analysis by the Cook County sheriffs department. The number lays bare a public safety risk that authorities have warned about for years, as the state remains unable to ensure that people surrender their weapons after their firearm owners identification cards have been suspended. And despite several deaths at the hands of gunmen with revoked FOID cards, the number of unchecked revokees continues to grow. Between October 2023 and March 2024, the states total number of noncompliant revoked gun licenses grew by more than 1,000, according to the study. Felony indictments are the most common reason for a residents card to be revoked, followed by mental health concerns and domestic violence-related infractions. At the rate were going statewide, were never going to catch up, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart told the Tribune. You dont have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. What were seeing is beyond frightening. Dart released his analysis to call attention to the revocation issue, which he says is severely underfunded and growing increasingly dire. As of December 2023, for example, nearly 12,000 Illinois residents had lost their FOID cards after being declared clear and present dangers to themselves or others. More than half of those people have not accounted for their guns, according to the analysis. There are a lot of different views on gun ownership. I get that, Dart said. But Ive never met anyone who said, no, no, no. Let someone who is deemed a clear and present danger keep their guns. Illinois is one of 11 states that require gun owners to get a license before purchasing a firearm. The application includes a criminal background check, though the federal databases used for the standard inquiry have significant gaps in information. The cards cost $10 and expire in 10 years, but they can be revoked for several reasons, including felony convictions or indictments, convictions involving domestic violence, becoming the subject of an order of protection or being deemed a mental health risk. People who are dishonorably discharged from the military or determined to be in the country illegally also can have their licenses rescinded. Those who receive revocation notices must surrender their FOID cards to their local police department within 48 hours and fill out a form stating their guns have been transferred either to police or to a legal gun owner. Most police agencies fail to act on the letters, largely because they dont have the money to prioritize revocations and they dont want to risk officer safety. The broken system was exposed in 2019, when a disgruntled employee opened fire at the Henry Pratt Co. warehouse in Aurora, killing five co-workers and wounding five officers before dying in a shootout with police. The gunman, a convicted felon, had his FOID card revoked in 2014 but was never forced to relinquish the Smith & Wesson handgun he used in the shooting. Seven months later, a Joliet man fatally shot his 18-month-old son with a .22-caliber Ruger one of at least three handguns in his possession despite having his FOID card rescinded more than a year earlier because he had been charged with aggravated battery for brutally beating a man in a parking lot. In the wake of the Pratt shooting, Illinois State Police made major changes to how FOID card revocation details are shared among law enforcement, taking the unprecedented step of creating a portal listing every revoked cardholder statewide. The database, which is accessible to most police departments, includes crucial details about firearms purchasing history for each revoked cardholder and the reason for the revocation. It also states whether revoked FOID holders have turned in their cards and legally transferred their guns to someone elses possession. Amid public outcry, state lawmakers also allocated $2 million for revocation enforcement efforts statewide. This fiscal year, Illinois State Police awarded $1 million in grants to 16 police departments most of them in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs to perform compliance checks on owners of suspended FOID cards. An Illinois State Police spokesperson told the Tribune that Darts office also received a grant for $703,805 in 2023, but it failed to spend the whole award. About $325,000 went unclaimed, the state agency said. It received a smaller amount this year because the Chicago Police Department received revocation enforcement money for the first time, thereby reducing the amount given to Cook County. Still, Darts office received award $333,293, but nearly $80,000 of it remains unclaimed. In 2019, a Tribune analysis found that about 7 of every 10 revoked FOID cardholders failed to account for their firearms. The statistic has remained unchanged in the past five years, despite the additional funding and renewed commitment. Dart who has had a revocation enforcement team in place since 2013 argues $2 million is not nearly enough, as evidenced by the growing backlog. He is asking lawmakers to earmark between $10 million to $20 million to address the problem. The $2 million allocated after the (Pratt) shooting doesnt go very far, Dart said. I dont think people understand the issue. I dont think they understand the magnitude of it. The Illinois State Police, however, questions why Dart would ask for more money when he has not fully used the grants awarded to him. We would be happy to work together to identify additional funding if the county was able to demonstrate that they needed additional funding, spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said. The Illinois State Rifle Association also did not return calls seeking comment. The organization has supported revocation enforcement in the past, but has staunchly opposed raising FOID fees to pay for it. Dart said his revocation team has cleared its backlog in the communities under its jurisdiction, which includes unincorporated areas and Ford Heights. However, the overall number of revoked FOID holders who have not complied with orders to relinquish their permits and transfer any weapons in their possession continues to grow in Cook County, according to the sheriffs analysis. Between April 1, 2022, and December 30, 2023, the list of noncompliant revocations in Cook grew by an average of 147 every month, the report found. As of December 2023, more than 1,300 Cook County residents lost their FOID cards after being declared clear and present dangers to themselves or others. Nearly 45% of those people have not accounted for their guns, according to the sheriffs analysis. It is absolutely depressing, Dart said. Because, once again, we have identified the issue, have unanimous agreement that guns in the wrong peoples hands are a bad thing and were not taking them away. And you know, five years after those horrible incidents were worse off than we were before. ____ TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 17. Uzbek engineers have arrived in Afghanistan to develop the Trans-Afghan railway project, Trend reports. According to Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry, a delegation from Uzbekistan headed by Transport Minister Ilkhom Mahkamov visited Afghanistan. The delegation included specialists who will develop a feasibility study and prepare for the construction of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railroad. In addition, Uzbekistan's Transport Minister, Ilkhom Mahkamov, held talks with Afghanistan's Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi. The Uzbek transport minister said that in a few weeks another delegation will arrive in Afghanistan with equipment for the construction of the Trans-Afghan railroad. Meanwhile, trade turnover volume between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan amounted to $224.8 million from January through March 2024. This figure is 24.7 percent higher year-on-year ($180.2 million in JanuaryMarch 2023). Afghanistan ranks ninth among the countries with the largest volume of foreign trade turnover in Uzbekistan. The volume of exports amounted to $219.9 million, while the imports amounted to $4.9 million from January through March 2024. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Construction across the Las Vegas valley seems to be everywhere and has a lot of drivers seeing orange. The joke is often that the orange construction cone is the official state flower of Nevada but its not. Its a Sagebrush. While the construction can be frustrating to drivers, the RTC said if youre seeing orange that means the valley is growing and with that comes growing pains. Road construction tends to ramp up in the spring because the temperatures are better for paving. The website Seeing Orange helps local drivers navigate construction projects around the valley and learn why there are construction cones in their neighborhoods. The RTC operates the website for commuters because the public funds most of the surface street construction. The RTC also operates the Traffic Management Center which manages traffic signs on highways and traffic signals on behalf of cities. John Penuelas, director of engineering services for the RTC, said the website was started in 2016 and a new feature includes a special events section for events like EDC. The big events that are going to bring in hundreds of thousands and they coordinate those events to make sure traffic control, law enforcement, ramp meters, and everybody is on the same page but a lot of those events are happening at the same and that is a big part of the site. When it comes to all those orange cones, Penuelas said even if you dont see any work being done there are good reasons for those cones. Sometimes its to protect open trenches or there is underground utility work or other markings. We do prefer night work but sometimes we cant do night work because of nearby residents. The Nevada Department of Transportation said recently finished projects include the Centennial Bowl, I-15 and 215 north interchange, Sahara Avenue Safety Plan, and Nellis Boulevard upgrades that have taken place over the last few years. Currently, the biggest project is the I-15 Tropicana project which will not be complete until mid-2025. Another major project is the I-15 north project by the speedway which will widen 10 miles of the I-15 from four to six lanes and will be completed later this year. Other big projects in the works that may impact your commute include Harmon Avenue from Maryland Parkway to Pecos Road which will be finished in December. The 515 from Sunset Road to Wyoming Avenue will be filled with construction crews all summer for the completion of that project by August 31. Drivers in Henderson youll notice roadwork improvements across the city until the end of June. There will be street paving in Spring Valley until the end of the year. With EDC in town, you can expect the heaviest traffic on I-15 northbound from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. each day this weekend. Then heavy traffic south early in the morning. The traffic congestion should clear up after Monday mornings commute. You can check special event information at this link. You can also find construction information on the Nevada Department of Transportation 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 KLAS. Joe Biden delivers a speech on voting rights on the campuses of Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2022. Joe Biden delivers a speech on voting rights on the campuses of Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2022. Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA Morehouse College faculty voted on Thursday to confer an honorary doctorate on Joe Biden during its upcoming graduation ceremony on Sunday, for which he plans to deliver the commencement address. The vote to confer the honorary doctorate was a 50-38 decision, with about a dozen faculty members abstaining ahead of the planned visit, which has prompted protests from some students, faculty and alumni over the presidents handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. Though the decision to host Biden as speaker came in September, it wasnt until last month that Morehouse announced plans for Biden to both serve as commencement speaker and to receive an honorary degree from the historically Black college in Atlanta, in the key swing state of Georgia. Related: Morehouse students criticize Biden as commencement speaker: A political pawn to get Black votes Biden, who is campaigning to win a second term in the White House, is also trying to boost fragile support among voters of color and young voters, two key parts of the coalition that helped him get elected. Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine Georgia released a statement last month shortly after the confirmation Biden would appear was made. More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, the statement said. More than 77,000 have been injured. Every hospital and university in Gaza has been destroyed. None of this would have been possible without the support and sponsorship of the Biden Administration. Any college or university that gives its commencement stage to President Biden in this moment is endorsing genocide. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) and himself a Morehouse graduate, called on the college to rescind the invitation. Mitchell said last month: Although I completely understand why Morehouse would normally want the President of the United States to speak at our commencement, our institution would never welcome any and every president to speak. George W Bush would not have been welcome at the height of the Iraq war or in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Donald Trump would not have been welcome at any time. Like others, Mitchell specifically referenced Bidens actions in Gaza as a reason to rescind the invitation. Because the White House still refuses to end our governments military, financial and diplomatic support for Benjamin Netanyahus genocide in Gaza, President Biden should not speak at Morehouses commencement, he wrote. Ahead of the commencement address, Steve Benjamin, head of the White House Office of Public Engagement, met with Morehouse faculty and students for a reported two hours. Some students expressed concern that Biden would use the opportunity to make a campaign speech, instead of focusing on their graduation. Despite the facultys decision to vote in favor of Biden receiving the honorary degree, the school and White House are preparing for students to protest at the graduation ceremony. Thomas has said that he will cancel or discontinue the commencement services on the spot if protests were to grow to a point that people were removed from the commencement in zip ties. In a statement last week, he called for protests to remain non-disruptive. As we approach our upcoming commencement exercises, I want to emphasize that Morehouse College fully supports peaceful and non-disruptive acts of solidarity that do not interrupt the flow of the honored celebration, Morehouses president, David A Thomas, wrote in statement last week. We recognize that wearable accessories of solidarity, such as a stole, cap decor, or collar pin, can be powerful symbols of support for important causes. However, it is essential that we maintain a spirit of peace, respect, and joy during this momentous occasion for the resilient Class of 2024 and their loved ones. We do not want any further attention to be diverted from their long-awaited day of celebration. The president of Morehouse College has said he will cease ceremonies during the schools Sunday graduation if there are major disruptions during President Bidens scheduled commencement address. What we wont allow is disruptive behavior that prevents the ceremony or services from proceeding in a manner that those in attendance can partake and enjoy, the schools president David Thomas told CNN, giving the example of prolonged shouting down of the president as he speaks. 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, Thomas said. Biden is making a stop at the historically Black, all-male college in Atlanta in the wake of campus protests across the country, as young progressives voice their frustration with the administrations handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Some students and faculty reportedly raised concerns about the presidents visit, citing worries about protests and that Bidens speech could overshadow the graduation event. Steve Benjamin, head of the administrations Office of Public Engagement, met with students ahead of the commencement to address those concerns. People have different thoughts about what they might want to hear, Benjamin told reporters on Thursday. We listened very closely. We received those messages, and we shared those with the president and his speech writing team. The visit also comes as Biden works to reach young voters and Black voters amid signs that some in the critical voting blocs are souring on the party. A week after Morehouse, Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks to the U.S. Military Academy for its May 25 commencement. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Theres lots of adjectives Sam Farley would use to describe his daughter fun, energetic, smart and ambitious. She studied architecture in college, he said. However, shes struggled with her mental health the past few years, and has been listless since being diagnosed with depression, he said. I felt the heaviness, Farley told the Tribune. I had to fight to keep the heaviness off of me. Morgan Farley, 25, has been missing since April 3, according to Chicago police, and her dad says hes relying on friends and prayer to hopefully bring her home, a situation thats all too familiar for families of Black and brown women and girls in the city. Morgan went missing in the 1300 block of West 110th Street in Morgan Park. Shes described as being about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. She was later seen over Mothers Day weekend in a vehicle with an unknown man at Ada Park, police said. On April 2, Farley said he went downstairs around 7 a.m. and saw Morgan, who he lives with, walk outside, figuring she was stepping out to smoke a cigarette. But when Farley got back to his house a few hours later, he noticed that the potato she cut up for breakfast was still sitting on the kitchen counter. The next morning, I took a more thorough look and I said if she doesnt show up till after I do the prayer call, then Ill go to the police station, he said. However, Farley struggled to get attention from police on the case, as first reported in Capital B News. He said it took more than a week to get ahold of the assigned detective after filling out a missing persons report on April 3. The Police Department posted a flyer on April 16. Although Farley said he knows police have a lot of people to worry about, the process seemed very slow and drawn out. A police spokesperson said in a statement that the department thoroughly (investigates) every missing persons case based on available evidence, in the hope that the individuals can return home to their loved ones. The Department is continuously working to strengthen communication with those affected by these missing persons cases, the statement said. Our goal is to ensure the families of missing individuals are treated fairly, and with dignity and respect, as these investigations proceed. Over the past two decades, Black people have accounted for about two-thirds of missing person cases in Chicago, a 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning report from the Invisible Institute and City Bureau found. It also showed that despite making up only 2% of the citys population, Black girls and women between the ages of 10 and 20 make up about 30% of all missing person cases. In Farleys case, he said hes largely leaned on family and friends in his search. Theyve combed through social media, attempting to find clues about Morgans location, and posted her flyer, he said. Shes never disappeared before, he added. Farley said Morgan had isolated herself, and only had a few friends who she didnt hang out with much anymore. He assumes shes still in Chicago, saying he drives by nearby housing complexes on the off-chance he spots her. Im a man of prayer. I thank God I have a lot of people who surround me, and its just literally forcing me to do the work, Farley said. When I say do the work, force me to stay in my Bible, keep my prayer life where it needs to be. Thats the only thing thats keeping me going. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or contact Area 2 SVU detectives at 312-747-8274. rjohnson@chicagotribune.com What are the most controversial books in Kansas? TOPEKA (KSNT) Some books werent accepted with open arms in the Sunflower State last year, garnering pushback from some Kansas residents in attempts to censor the texts. 27 News reached out to the American Library Association (ALA) to learn which books are stirring the most controversy in Kansas. The organization recently released information gathered by its Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) which details what books experienced the most challenges in 2023. Kansas censorship attempts Raymond Garcia, a spokesman for the ALA, informed 27 News the OIF data was put together using confidential reports and information from media coverage. He says the majority of censorship attempt cases in Kansas are considered confidential. Most censorship attempts go unreported, Garcia said in a written statement. A challenge may result in access to a title being retained, restricted, or revoked at the institution where it was challenged. What are the top 10 most popular baby names in Kansas? A total of 26 attempts were made to restrict access to books in Kansas with 63 book titles challenged during those attempts, according to data from the OIF. Information provided to 27 News shows which books were included in those challenges. Three books, I Am Jazz, Red, White & Royal Blue, and Melissa (previously published as George) each received two challenges apiece while the other titles named in the list received one challenge each. Some of these books, such as Gender Queer: A Memoir and All Boys Arent Blue were included in the ALAs recent Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2023 article. The full list of named book titles that received challenge attempts can be found in the document below. Controversial Kansas Books by Matthew Self on Scribd This embedded content is not available in your region. PEN America, another organization that monitors censorship attempts and book bans in the U.S., included Kansas among 39 other states that tried to ban books in schools during the 2021 to 2022 academic year. In its most recent report, the organization identified seven instances of book bans for Kansas during the 2022-2023 school year. Come Back to Me by Mila Gray Run Away With Me by Mila Gray Stay With Me by Mila Gray It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas Each of the above books were formally challenged in the Gardner-Edgerton School District USD 231 in March 2023. The books are banned from the districts libraries and classrooms, according to PEN Americas findings. Shortly after these books were banned, a student made a formal request the district ban the Holy Bible. Political action on Kansas book bans The Kansas Legislature also looked at the issue of book bans this year. Senator Cindy Holscher, a Democrat from Overland Park, introduced Senate Bill 358 on Thursday, Jan. 18. If passed, the bill would prohibit school districts and local libraries from prohibiting, banning or restricting books or other media unless certain requirements are met. Northeast Kansas bar seized for failure to pay $81,000 in taxes Under this bill, book bans would be prohibited on the basis of partisan or doctrinal disapproval and be prevented on the origin, background or view of the person who wrote the book or piece of media under consideration. Book bans would still be able to happen under this bill if the signed request for the ban acquired at least 5% support among qualified electors in the school district. However, anyone requesting the ban would need to read it to completion and provide a detailed list of reasons for the ban or restriction to take place. National book bans and challenges PEN America released its own findings for the school year running from 2022-2023 regarding reported nationwide book bans. In it, the organization found more than 3,300 instances of book bans, up 33% from the 2021-2022 school year, impacting around 1,500 books. Florida and Texas had the most reported book bans during the 2022-2023 school year with Florida coming in first at 1,406. The national OIF study by the ALA found more than 4,200 books were targeted for censorship including more than 1,200 demands to censor library books, materials and resources last year. A majority of 2023s censorship attempts targeted books dealing with topics related to the LGBTQ community or race. The Weather Room named most beautiful restaurant in Kansas Both PEN America and the ALA identified their own top ten lists of books that experienced the most pushback in the U.S. for 2023. The ALAs list consists of book challenges while PEN America recorded book bans. Their findings, along with the number of challenges and bans each organization reported, can be found in the lists below: ALA Top 10 Most Challenged Books for 2023 Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe 106 All Boys Arent Blue by George M. Johnson 82 This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson 71 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 68 Flamer by Mike Curato 67 The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 62 Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andres 56 Tricks by Ellen Hopkins -56 Lets Talk About It: The Teens Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan 55 Sold by Patricia McCormick -53 PEN America Most Banned Books for 2022-2023 School Year Tricks by Ellen Hopkins 33 The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 29 Looking for Alaska by John Green 27 A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 27 Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe 26 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 25 Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 24 Sold by Patricia McCormick 24 Crank by Ellen Hopkins 23 Identical by Ellen Hopkins 22 Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas 22 What happened to these Kansas counties and why do they no longer exist? 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. 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. New York State Police said the toddler was discovered covered in human fecal matter and urine" New York State Police A photo provided by the New York State Police of the "makeshift cage" the boy was found in A mother in New York is facing child endangerment charges after her 2-year-old son was discovered caged in their home. New York State Police said in a press release on Thursday, May 16, that Naesha Lumpkin, 24, was arrested after her son was found living in deplorable conditions and with bruises on his body. Troopers discovered the child after they executed a felony arrest warrant for Lumpkin at her home in Buffalo, New York on February 8 for a separate charge. When they arrived at the home to arrest her, they found her 2-year-old son located in a separate bedroom inside a makeshift cage made out of a playpen that was covered by a piece of a crib tied down on three sides to the top. The release noted that there wasnt enough room in the cage for the child to stand or exit the playpen. New York State Police A photo provided by the New York State Police of the 'makeshift cage' that the boy was found in. Related: Mom Is Accused of Murdering Daughter, 5, Who Was Allegedly Locked in Closet and Covered in Waste Police shared a photo of the tiny cage, which showed the pieces of gray crib tied together. Trash and "fecal matter" were strewn around the cage, per the police report, which added that fecal matter was also smeared on the wall next to it. "There was remains of food inside there. Bones from chicken wings. Bones or some sort of chicken bones. So I mean, it was something where you look at it and it was disgusting, Trooper James O'Callaghan told WKBW-TV of the scene. Police noted in the report that the toddler and cage were covered in human fecal matter, and that the child and bedding were also soaked in urine and fecal matter. 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. "There were some excuses as to why the child was in that cage like that. None of them were good reasons, O'Callaghan added. And let's be honest with you, anyone that has kids or anyone that has seen this picture knows that there is no reason for a child to be not only living like that." Investigators at the scene called Erie County Child Protective Services and an AMR ambulance to the home to provide medical aid to the child. The toddler was then transported to Oisheis Childrens Hospital to receive treatment, according to the State Police. Related: 2 Charged with Elder Abuse, Child Neglect After Family with 4 Children Found in Horrendous Living Conditions During a medical evaluation at the hospital, medical staff noted that the 2-year-old had bruising on his face and body, according to the release. The child was also found to have two fractured ribs that were healing, placing the injury between ten days to two weeks before the child arrived at the hospital, police said. Investigators interviewed Lumpkin about the childs injuries and she allegedly told them that the boy fell down the stairs sometime late December 2023, early January 2024. She also said, per police, that the child had been crying as a result of the incident, but she did not seek professional medical assistance. Lumpkin is scheduled to appear in court next month, according to WKBW-TV. 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. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A motorcycle driver was pronounced dead more than two weeks after an alleged DUI driver crashed into him in the south Las Vegas valley, police said. On Sunday, April 28 at around 10:50 a.m., officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to a crash in the area of South Eastern Avenue south of East Wigwam Avenue. Evidence at the scene and witness statements showed that a 2020 Toyota Sienna was exiting a private drive onto Eastern Avenue when it failed to yield to the right of way and crashed into a motorcycle, according to police. The motorcyclist, identified as 33-year-old Pedro Mejia-Perez, was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, police said. On May 16, the Clark County Coroners Office notified police that Mejia-Perez succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead by medical personnel. The driver of the Toyota, identified as 72-year-old David Degood, showed signs of impairment and was arrested on DUI-related charges, police said. He faces charges of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and failure to yield the right of way. Degood was released on alcohol monitoring on May 13. His bail conditions are to stay out of trouble and to abstain from drugs and alcohol. His next court appearance was scheduled for July 8. 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. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 17. Uzbekistan's Ambassador to the UK Ravshan Usmanov presented his credentials to King Charles III of the UK, Trend reports. During the conversation after the official ceremony, King Charles III expressed his deep respect and warm wishes to the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The officials noted the current dynamics of mutual cooperation between the countries. They discussed further deepening cooperation in a wide range of areas. At the end of the conversation, the King of the UK wished the ambassador of Uzbekistan success in his work on further improving bilateral relations. Earlier, Uzbekistan and the UK signed a joint declaration on comprehensive partnership and a memorandum of understanding in the fields of regional and international connectivity and infrastructure. The documents were signed at a meeting between the Uzbek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bakhtiyor Saidov, and the UKs Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, David Cameron. The sides outlined key tasks aimed at strengthening relations across all domains and paid attention to bolstering economic bonds between the countries. EMPORIA (KSNT) On Friday, a motorcyclist was injured after crashing into a vehicle being towed in Emporia. At 12:11 p.m., the Emporia Police Department (EPD) were called to South Avenue and State Street for reports of a crash. According to police, a 2002 Chevy Avalanche towing a 1977 Chevy Camaro was stopped at the intersection. The driver pulled into the intersection and didnt see the motorcyclist who hit the 1977 Chevy Camaro. This embedded content is not available in your region. What are the most controversial books in Kansas? The motorcyclist was taken to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to EPD. The driver of the Chevy Avalanche was cited for failure to yield, according to police. 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. CRYSTAL CITY, Mo A resident of Crystal City, Missouri, was killed in a Jefferson County crash when his motorcycle hit a barrier that separated the lanes of Interstate 55. Brandon J. Copeland, 25, of Crystal City, Missouri, was killed in the crash. Two more St. Louis area Catholic parishes to close Copeland was traveling northbound on I-55 in Jefferson County around 6 p.m. on May 16 when he lost control of his Yamaha MT-09. He veered off to the left side of the road and hit the center cable barrier. Copeland was then thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District personnel. 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. A man from Mount Lebanon pleaded guilty to charges related to child pornography. Andrew Kalyl Fox, also known as James Andrew Liles and Andrew James Liles, 42, pleaded guilty to two counts related to the sexual exploitation of children. The Department of Justice said Foxx attempted to and did employ, use, persuade, induce, entice and coerce a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a video of such conduct on March 3, 2023. On March 9, 2023, Foxx was found to be in possession of the video, the Department of Justice said. Foxxs sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 6. He faces a total of up to 30 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Scottie Scheffler arrested by police en route to Valhalla Golf Club; facing four charges 11 Investigates: Pittsburgh police took nearly 2 hours to respond to street robbery Familys beloved miniature horse dies after being attacked by 2 dogs VIDEO: Pittsburgh Riverhounds to build multifield sports complex in Westmoreland County DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts A stained daybreak: thats how the Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz described the morning on which the British Raj left the Indian subcontinent divided into two nations. In the summer of 1947, an estimated 14 to 18 million Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs left their homes to relocate to a new country whose official faith corresponded with their own. Many lost almost everything; around one million of them were killed. Publicly, Earl Mountbatten charged with overseeing the dissolution of the Raj would always claim that hed handled the situation correctly. But at a private lunch in 1965, he admitted to a BBC news reporter that he had got things wrong. Among the migrants were the grandparents of BBC presenter Mishal Husain, who quotes Faiz at the beginning of Broken Threads, her clear, balanced and moving account of her familys experience of empire and Partition. Shes not the first in her family to write a book about these traumatic geopolitical events. Her maternal grandfather, Syed Shahid Hamid who became a two-star general in Pakistans army and a close associate of its second president Ayub Khan wrote an eyewitness account of having been on the staff of the last British commander-in-chief of the Indian Army, Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck. But Husains book sets the surprising and complex lives of all four of her grandparents in the context of wider research. (She notes that her grandfather would have envied her easy access to information online.) Born in England in 1972, the daughter of an NHS surgeon who came here to train, Husain is a considered chronicler of her family history. Never sentimental, but alert to the emotional effects of events, she finds in the early lives of her paternal grandparents a typical stew of faiths and ethnicities. Her fathers father, Mumtaz, was a doctor from a Muslim family of Hindu origins, born in Punjab in the modern territory of Pakistan; her fathers mother, Mary, was the Catholic daughter of an Indian-born Irish doctor. Knowing the importance of faith in both their lives, I asked [Mumtaz] once how that worked, Husain writes. We understood each other perfectly, he said, looking puzzled. It would have been much more difficult if one of us had no religion. The couple met and fell in love in Lahore: Mumtaz was studying to be a doctor, Mary to be a nurse. They were married in ceremonies at both a church and a mosque, after a brief struggle to find a priest and an imam who would consecrate the bonds of an interfaith couple. The imam noted that Muslims, Christians and Jews were all people of the book, in the language of the Quran, and that the Prophet himself had a Christian wife. But in choosing to marry Mary, Mumtaz had to reject the cousin whom his parents wanted him to wed. Husain, with unusual sensitivity, wonders how this felt for the spurned woman, for whom marriage to a doctor would have guaranteed security. The moral of this story though Husain doesnt spell it out is surely that if two faiths could co-exist so fruitfully within one home, why not in the one country? Broken Threads is published by Fourth Estate - PA/HarperCollins As medic (Mumtaz) and soldier (Shahid), both of Husains grandparents ended up serving under Britons in the Indian Army. Shahid, who came to run hospitals, was distressed by the injuries he treated during the Second World War. In 2020, Husain found records of his military training at Sandhurst: there her grandfather found that, whereas in the days of the East India Company British employees had been expected to learn the languages of Indian people, by the 1930s that respect had slipped. British officers, she relays, were often unable to communicate with their troops and made mistakes that were embarrassing or even insulting. A common one was mispronouncing sowaar, the word for cavalryman, as sewer, which meant pig. Auchinlek wasnt one of these officers. He learned Urdu, and visited the homes of his soldiers to eat with them. Mountbatten, by contrast, seemed to Shahid too hasty to do a decent job of winding up the Empire in India. Confused about why a man of such limited diplomatic experience had been given a task of such import, Shahid concluded that his whole image and career has been built up because he is a member of the Royal family. Husains factual reporting on the appalling Hindu versus Muslim violence that erupted around Partition adds serious weight to her grandfathers views. Shes shocked to read that, at one point in 1946, negotiations appeared to be leading towards a united India. Mountbatten didnt manage the situation well. Looking back from our 21st-century vantage point, Husain suspects that her late grandparents would uniformly be distressed at the subsequent billions spent on nuclear weapons rather than the poor, the still-open wound of Kashmir, the Pakistan Armys involvement in politics and the fears of minority communities on both sides of the border. Broken Threads is a calm and compassionate tale; but it also offers an accessible primer on a little-understood area of recent world history, one that left millions, in Faizs words, with no anchor for the ship of heartache. Broken Threads: My Family from Empire to Independence is published by Fourth Estate at 18.99. To order your copy for 16.99, call 0808 196 6974 or visit Telegraph Books Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. When Miami city commissioner Joe Carollo went to federal court to defend himself against a years-long lawsuit filed by two Little Havana businessmen accusing him of political retaliation, he was represented by a high-profile South Florida lawyer and an entourage of attorneys. Of course, Carollo wasnt on the hook for paying for that legal team. The city of Miami, under counsel from now-removed City Attorney Victoria Mendez, made the case that Carollo was entitled to legal representation at public expense, as her office told the Herald Editorial Board in 2023. The cost of defending Carollo and the city against a series of lawsuits filed by William Fuller and Martin Pinilla has run up to $10 million, according to a May 13 lawsuit filed by the citys legal insurance company. The complaint claims QBE Specialty Insurance Company has no duty to defend the City or any of those individual defendants. The company wants back the $5 million it has already paid to the city, the Herald reported. For now, this is just a lawsuit. Carollo told the Herald he doesnt believe a judge would order the city to pay back the $5 million. If hes wrong, and QBE prevails in court, this will be yet another burden Carollo places on Miami and its taxpayers. Perhaps that would be no greater than the damage he has done to Miamis image by using his elected position to launch personal vendettas against his enemies. Carollo, of course, is not alone in eroding public trust. Hes gotten help from a former commissioner arrested on bribery charges last year and the mayors ties to a local developer and numerous outside employment gigs. A federal jury last year found Carollo liable for using Miamis code enforcement to target Little Havana establishments owned by Fuller and Pinilla in retaliation for their support of his 2017 election opponent. The jury ordered Carollo to pay them a $63.5 million judgment. The other lawsuits mentioned in QBEs complaint are still pending, the Herald reported. READ MORE: Miamis political godfather Joe Carollo, unfazed by $63M beating, cant wait for next fight Fuller and Pinilla are also named as defendants in QBEs lawsuit. They sued QBE earlier this year asking the insurance company for over $18.6 million for attorneys fees and a portion of the damages from the $63.5 million judgment, the Herald reported. Miami is facing a $25 million budget cut and a hiring freeze has been implemented across its 4,000-member workforce, the Herald reported. If the city ends up owing that $5 million, how will officials explain that to city taxpayers? Critics have for years questioned why anyone other than Carollo was on the hook for his legal defense in a case that stemmed from his personal issues with the two businessmen. QBE makes a similar argument in its lawsuit, claiming the Florida Supreme Court has declared that one should not be able to insure against ones own intentional misconduct. The fundamental premise underlying each and every one of the Underlying Lawsuits is that Carollo through his own actions and by conscripting others to do his bidding engaged in a years-long campaign of retaliation and harassment with the conscious objective of inflicting harm on the underlying plaintiffs, the insurance companys complaint states. In the end, with two new commissioners on the dais, Mendezs staunch support for defending Carollo in court contributed to her firing last month. Commissioner Damian Pardo, who introduced the motion to remove Mendez, told the Herald Editorial Board she supported Carollo at the expense of residents of the city of Miami. Carollo was the only commissioner who voted against her removal in the 4-1 vote. Time and time again, Miami has proven that politicians can manipulate the system for their own gain at the cost of the public good. This time, the cost might be a hefty price tag. Click here to send the letter. Multiple bullet holes were found in cars and a home in East Boston. The apparent shooting happened in a neighborhood near Maverick St. and Liverpool St. late Thursday night and into Friday morning Boston police surrounded the neighborhood with flashing cruisers and investigators were seen taking notes and putting down ast least 17 evidence markers. A woman who lives nearby said she heard more than 10 gunshots. She said shes heard gunshots on this street before and it makes her scared. Officers also put up yellow police tape to block off the neighborhood as they talked to witnesses. Boston 25 has reached out to police for more info. Weve found multiple cars with apparent bullet holes in them after police surrounded an East Boston neighborhood near Maverick St. and Liverpool St. overnight @boston25 pic.twitter.com/mG52sgyBUB Joanna Bouras (@JoannaBouras) May 17, 2024 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 BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) Less than 24 hours after being charged with murder, Tyquan French,19, appeared in court hoping for a bond and possibly getting out of jail. Those hopes were put on hold by prosecutors. Tyquan French Due to the charge of murder and the facts and circumstances around that, the state is going to be seeking the defendant be held with no bond pursuant to Aniahs Law, said Assistant District Attorney Parick Doggett. Christian Bradley French is charged with the murder of 24-year-old Christian Bradley, one of three people killed at the May Day mass shooting in Stockton. Investigators say French has been a suspect for several days now. Our evidence right now supports that Tyquan French intentionally killed Mr. Bradley as again part of this ongoing conflict, these ongoing altercations, says Baldwin County Sheriffs Chief Deputy Col. Anthony Lowery. Eighteen people were shot at the end of a day-long family celebration. It has left a community in fear. You got a group of people here willing to shoot up a whole crowd just to injure one person, says Lowery. I think some fear would be natural there. That fear, along with Frenchs criminal history, is part of the requirements under Aniahs law, which prosecutors hope will keep French behind bars. Its mainly due to the facts and circumstances around this incident. This is as extreme as it gets, says Doggett. Investigators say they are close to another arrest and have a couple more suspects directly related to the shooting. Meanwhile, French will be back in court next week for that Aniahs Law hearing that could determine whether he stays or gets out of jail. 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. Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday pardoned convicted killer Daniel Perry, who shot a protestor during a Black Lives Matter demonstration. Perry, who in 2020 murdered 28-year-old Black Lives Matter protester and Air Force veteran Garrett Foster, was released shortly following the order, which came after a parole board recommendation and significant far-right support for the convicted killer. Perry killed Foster who walked up to Perrys car with a permitted firearm to warn him, as he allegedly attempted to drive his car into a crowd of protestors after sending scores of racist text messages, including one noting that he might have to kill a few demonstrators, and another calling Black Lives Matter demonstrators monkeys. Yet, Abbott instructed his states parole board to justify a commutation of Perrys sentence over a year ago, as Texas law requires a recommendation from the body. Per the three-member parole board appointed by the Texas governor, the 25-year sentence and a ban on gun ownership were overturned unanimously. 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 announcing the release of Perry. I thank the Board for its thorough investigation, and I approve their pardon recommendation." Perrys self-defense argument, which failed to convince jurors after eyewitness testimony that Foster didnt draw a weapon before being killed, and evidence that Foster had the safety on and no ammunition in the gun was presented by prosecutors, was the crux of the parole board's findings. Perry isnt the first extremist to walk free after killing demonstrators. In 2021, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of homicide after killing two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, claiming self defense. Rittenhouse, 17 at the time of the killings, rode the national attention from the killings into a de-facto position as a defender of right-wing violence, calling for Perrys pardon. The Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major rang out over the streetlights of University Avenue, across the trees and rooftops of the Midway and, as some reports have it, possibly as far as Langford Park. The recorded symphony was followed closely behind by a rousing selection from the first act of the 19th-century French opera Lakme, which chronicles the forbidden love between a British colonial officer and a winsome Hindu girl in India. Then came another classical score, and another and another, with symphonies and operas continuing deep into the night and well past daybreak. From roughly 10 p.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday, St. Pauls Midway neighborhood was feted by nine hours of uninterrupted classical and operatic music, at volumes many residents found difficult to ignore. The next night, it happened again. Some neighbors, desperate for a good nights sleep, drove down University Avenue, looking for the noise scofflaw. Other residents called St. Paul police, who traced the clandestine concertos to their source mounted speakers on an anti-loitering device in the parking lot of the Midway Marketplace, by a long-vacant Herbergers clothing store and the Cub Foods supermarket between Pascal Street and Hamline Avenue. There was just one problem no off switch. Each time somebody called, the officer would respond, Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman, said Friday. And it was the same each time Weve located it, but theres no immediate way to contact (the property manager) to say hey, turn it down or turn it off.' That was of slim consolation to Charles Avenue resident Andrew Korsberg, a father of two young children. It is astonishingly disrespectful to our neighborhood and needs to stop immediately, he said Thursday. City inspectors on the case The Midway Marketplace lot draws its share of panhandlers and other destitute denizens, some of whom tend to spend the night, and the overnight music was part of an apparent effort to clear them out while deterring crime and property damage. It was perhaps ironic, then, that the deterrent may have violated a few city ordinances that limit amplified sound, especially late at night. Residents complaints also made their way to the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections, which has reviewed concerns from residential neighbors about high-volume music and announcements emanating from the strip mall parking lot since at least mid-winter. A DSI spokesman on Friday said the earliest complaint he could find on file came Feb. 14. An inspector went out that same day with a measuring device and at the time they were operating within the 70-decibel limit with their speakers, said Casey Rodriguez, a spokesman for DSI on Friday. As far as I know, this (test) was during the day. Another complaint came in early March, prompting city inspectors to reach out to Midway Marketplace property managers with Kraus-Anderson Realty, which operates three mounted speakers in the parking lot. Rodriguez said additional mounted devices in the lot are operated by the marketplaces individual businesses. All of the speakers, he said, are provided by the same contractor, LiveView Technologies of Utah. Following this weeks back-to-back overnight symphonies, the Department of Safety and Inspections contacted the citys licensing department, which again reached out to Kraus-Anderson Realty on Thursday, and company officials reassured them residents finally would get a good nights rest. They said theyre taking it down between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. for the foreseeable future, Rodriguez said. Kraus-Anderson could not be reached for comment Friday. Nevertheless, in the Midway overnight Thursday and into Friday morning, not a hint of Handel or a modicum of Mozart was heard. Related Articles TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 17. Uzbekistan and Malaysia plan to establish a joint industrial zone, Trend reports. This matter was announced during a meeting between the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and the Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim. During the meeting, the sides considered issues of further expansion of Uzbek-Malaysian relations. The parties noted the importance of further strengthening political dialogue and inter-parliamentary ties, continuing mutual support within the framework of international organizations, implementing humanitarian and educational programs, and boosting tourism and cultural exchange. Both officials emphasized that the volume of trade turnover has more than doubled in 2023. At the same time, the number of joint ventures is increasing, and the frequency of flights between Tashkent and Kuala Lumpur is also growing. In addition, the sides noted the importance of ensuring further growth of volumes, the achievement of balanced indicators of mutual trade, and the and the realization of large joint projects. The parties also emphasized that the outcomes of the Uzbek-Malaysian business forum as part of the business program of the visit will serve to expand investment partnerships and cooperation among leading companies in innovation, industry, green energy, petrochemicals, electrical and electronics, pharmaceuticals, and other sectors. At the end of the meeting, the president of Uzbekistan and the prime minister of Malaysia signed a joint statement on deepening multifaceted cooperation. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said the selection process for the Appellate Division works well and there does not appear to be a problem that needs fixing. (Courtesy of the New Jersey State Bar Association/Amanda Brown) New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner on Friday again urged against a nascent proposal to amend New Jerseys constitution to remove his authority to directly appoint appellate judges from the Superior Court bench and give that power to the governor and Senate. In remarks delivered at the State Bar Associations annual conference, Rabner warned the plan could leave appeals courts short-staffed and lacking the expertise needed to check the work of trial court judges. The Appellate Division and the selection process both work well. There does not appear to be a problem that needs fixing, let alone a problem so serious that it requires us to ask the citizens of New Jersey to amend the State Constitution, Rabner said in the address. Any such move would need to be approved by the Legislature and voters, and is also opposed by the bar association. The proposal follows years of crushing judicial vacancies that grew severe enough to pause civil and divorce trials in seven counties. Those trials have since resumed, most recently in Passaic County. Sen. Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson), the proposals chief sponsor, praised the chief justices choices on court staffing but said he worries a future chief justice would be less even-handed. He has indeed done a laudable job in selecting highly qualified and talented Appellate Division judges, the senator said. The concern remains that were the only state in the union where such breathtaking power is entrusted to one person, so what happens if its the wrong person? In New Jersey, the chief justice holds a specific seat on the Supreme Court, and the states top judge is directly appointed into the position rather than elected by their peers. New Jerseys process for appointing appellate judges is indeed unique among the states. While governors in four other states appoint at least some judges, subject to the approval of another body in New Jersey, the state Senate no others allow their high courts chief justice to unilaterally appoint the members of its appeals court. The chiefs direct appointment powers have insulated the Appellate Division from the vacancies that have plagued the trial courts, and Rabner in his address said he consults with high-ranking judges in intermediate and trial courts before elevating jurists to a 10-week trial on the appellate bench. Mukherji said temporary appointment powers similar to those the chief justice exercises on Supreme Court vacancies could prevent an empty bench. Chief justice raises good points about the logjam potential, although you could solve for that by affording him the right to temporarily fill vacancies from the Superior Court, he said. Mukherji signaled that any changes to how New Jerseys appeals judges are appointed wouldnt come quickly. I do agree with his remark that the constitution should not be amended lightly, but rather after careful discussion and deliberation, he said. Im glad that a discussion is taking place. That doesnt mean this is or should be moving tomorrow. North Dakota is the only other state where the Supreme Court selects non-interim appeals judges, though in that state, the choice falls to the entire three-member high court. Only two states California and Kansas allow governors to nominate appeals judges subject only to the advice and consent of another body, and Kansas is the only state that leaves appellate confirmations to the state Senate. Californias confirmations are handled by a state judicial appointments commission, which is staffed by the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, the most senior state appellate judge, and the state attorney general. Assisted appointment where governors select judicial nominees from a list prepared by an outside body, most often a nonpartisan commission is the most common method of appointing appellate judges. Nineteen states use it, some alongside an advice and consent component. Twelve states elect appellate judges in nonpartisan elections, while eight hold partisan races to fill their intermediate courts. Some states require judges to run new campaigns for additional terms, while others only require they participate in yes-or-no retention elections. Six states do not have an intermediate appeals court appeals in these states usually go directly to the states high court, with some exceptions and Virginias appellate judges are elected by both chambers of the states Legislature. The post N.J. chief justice again urges against giving Senate power to name appellate judges appeared first on New Jersey Monitor. Several people, including a minor from North Carolina, have been accused of a conspiracy coordinated on the dark web to call in false emergencies. ALSO READ: Grandmother rattled after swatting call There isnt much information available about the minor from North Carolina, but we do know the FBI field office in Charlotte helped in the investigation. Weve seen the mayhem caused by swatting calls in our area. Local law enforcement officers have descended on places, such as schools and even homes after someone calls in a false report of a serious crime taking place. Back in April, several hoax shooting calls were made regarding multiple high schools in our area all on the same day. And earlier this year, a Mooresville man was swarmed by police because of a swatting call. Several people, including a minor from North Carolina, have been charged for a conspiracy coordinated on the dark web to call in false emergencies. Those incidents arent tied to the newly unsealed federal indictment, but this newest case shares insight into how the feds say the hoaxes are carried out. In the indictment, investigators allege three men and three juveniles were all part of a conspiracy to place swatting calls to police. ALSO READ: FBI investigates false shooting calls at multiple local high schools The targets included a shooting threat against a teacher and students at a Delaware high school, a shooting and bomb threat at a casino in Ohio, and a bomb threat at Albany International Airport in New York. Theyre also accused of placing a hoax call for a muti-fatal shooting at a Georgia home, as well as impersonating someone while falsely claiming to have killed his son and threatening to burn down the neighborhood. The caller for the latter case also claimed he would kill any responding officers. Several people, including a minor from North Carolina, have been charged for a conspiracy coordinated on the dark web to call in false emergencies. In addition, according to the indictment, the North Carolina juvenile called the Houston County, Alabama sheriffs office falsely claiming he shot a female in the face, that he had a firearm, and that he was holding a hostage. Federal prosecutors said all of the suspects were talking online in a secret group called Purgatory on Telegram and Instagram. They posted scripts for swatting calls and urged each other to make the calls. Theyre also accused of posting identifying personal information, or doxxing, someone in the chat. If convicted, the suspects could face decades in federal prison. Channel 9 has reported law enforcement and other local elected leaders want stiffer penalties for people who do this kind of thing. (WATCH PREVIOUS: New bill would give stiffer penalties for those caught swatting) NCs public schools are now more racially segregated than they were in the 1980s The nation is marking the anniversary of when racially segregated schools were declared illegal at the same time a new report shows North Carolinas schools are resegregating. Friday marked 70 years since the U..S. Supreme Courts historic Brown vs. Board of Education decision that triggered decades of efforts to integrate schools. But N.C. State researchers say the data shows North Carolinas public schools are more racially segregated now than they were in the late 1980s. We made a lot of progress on desegregation in North Carolina, but since the peak in the late 1980s weve seen schools become more segregated, Jenn Ayscue, one of the reports authors and assistant professor of educational leadership, policy and human development at N.C. State, said in an interview.. Thats really discouraging because we have a much more diverse multiracial student body now. We have the potential for really wonderful integrated schools, but unfortunately our state is trending in the wrong direction. The Can Our Schools Capture The Educational Gains of Diversity study was done in conjunction with the UCLA Civil Rights Project to coincide with the anniversary of the Brown decision. Dorothy Counts, 15, was spat upon as she entered Harding High School in Charlotte in 1957. She was one of four black teens to desegregate Charlottes public schools. NC backsliding on school integration The late 1980s saw North Carolina school districts actively integrating schools. Districts such as Charlotte-Mecklenburg were still under federal court desegregation orders. Wake County was still making race-based assignments an active part of its policy. But 35 years later, the report found that patterns of segregation have increased even though North Carolinas school enrollment is now more diverse. More than two-thirds of the states white public school students attend a school with a majority white population even though white students only make up 45% of the overall enrollment. The number of intensely segregated schools of color, defined as at least 90% of the enrollment being students of color, rose to 13.9% in 2021. One in four Black students and nearly one in five Hispanic students are attending an intensely segregated school of color. This backsliding couldnt be coming at a worse time, the left-learning N.C. Justice Center said in a news release on the 70th anniversary of the Brown decision. In our increasingly multiracial society, we all must be able to communicate and work collaboratively with people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Integrated schools provide students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds the opportunity for meaningful interactions that foster cross-cultural understanding, reducing bias and prejudice. On Sept. 1, 1961, students and parents of Snow Hill School, a Rosenwald Fund School, led a stay at home boycott as a result of the poor conditions of their two-room frame schoolhouse three miles west of Warrenton, NC. The school had no running water or bathroom and relied on a single outdoor water pump and outhouse. Impact of unregulated school choice Ayscue says there are multiple reasons for why North Carolinas are less integrated now. She pointed to how fewer schools are under federal court desegregation orders now and to racial segregation in residential housing patterns. Another factor in North Carolina, Ayscue said, is the rise of unregulated school choice. The number of charter schools has doubled since the statewide cap was lifted in 2011. Enrollment in private schools has risen since the state began providing taxpayer funded vouchers. The issue of desegregation is complex because the educational landscape is so complex, Ayscue said. Its important to examine the ways that charter schools and private schools are more segregated themselves and are contributing to and exacerbating the problem of segregation in public schools. Private school enrollment could go even higher after the Opportunity Scholarship saw record demand this year when the state lifted income limits for getting a private school voucher. State Republican lawmakers are looking at how to increase funding to clear a waiting list of more than 55,000 applicants. William Campbell, Jr.,the first Black child admitted to an all white school in Raleigh is seen being walked home after school by his mother, September 9,1960. The N.C. Justice Center says lawmakers should be putting an end to segregationist school choice schemes. Vouchers have their roots in the shameful efforts by state leaders to avoid school integration, according to the N.C. Justice Center. Today, North Carolina lawmakers are using a voucher program that results in segregated schools. Similarly, North Carolinas charter schools are often serving as schools of white flight. Several school choice advocacy groups contacted by The News & Observer declined to comment for this story. Is there political will to integrate schools? Its important to promote integrated schools, Ayscue said, because of the benefits for students shown from decades of social science research. This includes higher achievement levels, lower dropout rates, higher economic status and better jobs, reduction in prejudicial views and lower likelihood of being incarcerated. The study points to encouraging school desegregation and integration efforts going on in places such as Durham and Wake County. Durham will reassign around 2,000 students to different elementary schools this fall as part of its Growing Together plan to make assignments more equitable. Wake Countys award-winning magnet school program has used federal grants to further desegregation efforts. The study offers several recommendations to help diversify North Carolinas public schools, including: School districts should design voluntary desegregation polices, which could include redrawing school attendance lines, developing magnet school programs and merging districts that are in the same county. State lawmakers should hold charter schools accountable for diverse student enrollment practices and require charters to offer transportation and free or reduced-price lunch to qualifying students. State lawmakers should include civil rights protections for all students in private schools that accept vouchers, as well as require the same levels of transparency and accountability for those private schools accepting public funds. Ayscue says its a question of whether theres the political will to facilitate integrated schools and sustain that over time. The data in our report could be very discouraging because it shows schools are becoming more segregated, Ayscue said. If we dont do anything now to reverse that course, well likely to continue in that fashion and will have more segregation. State senators debate on the floor of the Nebraska Legislature at the Nebraska State Capitol Building. (Rebecca S. Gratz for Nebraska Examinerz) In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Americans have a right to privacy when supporting nonprofit causes. This year, Nebraska lawmakers unanimously passed legislation to implement that ruling and guard against privacy violations by state agencies. The Personal Privacy Protection Act, included in Legislative Bill 43, prohibits state officials from going beyond existing law to demand or expose Nebraskans personal information and donation records to nonprofits. The law ensures that citizens can safely and privately give to the causes they care about without fear of their data being leaked or abused by government agencies. The rise of doxing and an increasingly heated political environment have raised awareness of the need to enhance privacy protections in current law. Nonprofits depend on the ability to protect their members when speaking out about contested issues in government and society. Every American should be free to join and support groups that advocate for their beliefs without harassment or retaliation. State Sens. Rita Sanders, a Republican, and Danielle Conrad, a Democrat, cosponsored LB 43. The bipartisan legislation passed unanimously, without a single vote against the bill at any stage of the legislative process. On March 27, Gov. Jim Pillen signed the bill into law. I see it as really the right to associate with your fellow citizens, with your neighbors in support of causes that you believe in and free from government interference, said Conrad at a hearing on the initial version of the bill. I may support organizations that Senator Conrad doesnt and the same may be true the other way around, said Sanders. But we both believe in protecting everyones right and freedom of speech, specifically by supporting nonprofit organizations privately and without harassment. This is something we can all agree on. The law was also supported by a variety of nonprofit groups, some of whom disagree passionately on most policy issues. Among the supporters were the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, Alliance Defending Freedom, Americans for Prosperity, Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Family Alliance, People United for Privacy, Platte Institute, and the University of Nebraska System. Several groups testified in support of the bill as a vital protection for the First Amendment right to collective expression and the related right to associational privacy. The Supreme Courts concern for donor privacy is longstanding. In the 2021 case, Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) v. Bonta, Californias attorney general demanded that all registered nonprofits in the state submit their confidential donor list to state officials. In striking down the demand, the Supreme Court pointed to a litany of previous cases defending the right to privacy in association. In the 1950s, Alabama state officials sought to force the NAACP to disclose its membership list. The states demand was a straightforward and brazen attempt to smother the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. Fortunately, the court struck down the states demand unanimously and ruled that Americans have a constitutional right to join and support nonprofits without being monitored by state officials. NAACP v. Alabama was followed by several other cases further establishing the right to privacy in association. Yet, despite these rulings and AFPF v. Bonta, some state officials and activists continue to seek ways to compel nonprofits with missions they oppose to expose their supporters names and home addresses. The goal is always the same: to name-and-shame donors, intimidate and harass them into silence, and ultimately, shut down groups they disagree with. Nebraskans now have an additional layer of privacy to protect them from those harms. They are not alone. Eighteen other states have adopted similar laws in recent years in response to the courts 2021 decision and growing concerns about personal privacy and political violence. The bipartisan privacy movement in Nebraska and elsewhere is a hopeful sign for our country. The Cornhusker State now becomes a landmark in that movement through the unanimous passage of LB 43. The post Nebraska lawmakers unanimously pass privacy law appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. Here's some of what we knew about Michael Cohen before Thursday's cross-examination: He used to work for Donald Trump, he's been caught lying, repeatedly, and he paid $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election, back when he was still working for the former president. Trump attorney Todd Blanche spent his first couple hours with Cohen establishing that he now hates his old boss. Blanche would read a mean and usually profane post on social media and Cohen would respond that yeah, it "sounds like" something he would have said. It was, by most observers' accounts, a dubious approach that didn't even touch the specific claims Cohen made on the stand that are relevant to the case: that he made that six-figure payment on Trump's behalf, with Trump's knowledge and with the understanding that he would be paid back in such a way that the hush money would not have to be disclosed on a campaign finance report. That was the setup, at least. Then Blanche got to Cohen's record of lying, including in court. Trump's former personal attorney admitted to a federal judge that he engaged in tax evasion, a crime he was charged with alongside a campaign finance violation for the Daniels payment. But he later denied that he ever intended to evade taxes, a line he committed to on Thursday, claiming he only pleaded guilty to avoid his wife getting dragged in to his legal problems. Then Blanche brought up another time Cohen lied: before Congress. From the defense perspective, this case of dishonesty which Cohen admitted to in 2018 further undermines his credibility before jurors. Can you trust a man who swore an oath to tell the truth, but then didn't, to tell the truth today? The problem for the defense in bringing up that episode is that Cohen was lying on Trump's behalf. According to court documents, he had sought to "minimize links" between a proposed Trump Tower project in Moscow and his boss, seeking "to give the false impression that the Moscow Project ended before 'the Iowa caucus ... the very first primary,' in hopes of limiting the ongoing Russia investigations." On the stand Thursday, Cohen said his statement to Congress, which minimized Trump's business dealings with Russia, was drafted with input from the president's own legal counsel. "I worked with a joint defense agreement and we crafted the two-page document in order to stay on message the message we all knew Mr. Trump wanted, including Mr. Trumps attorney at the time," Cohen said. Andrew Weissmann, a former prosecutor who worked on special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, argued that the exchange backfired. Cohen "had zero interest, personally," in lying about a Trump Tower, Weissmann told MSNBC, and effectively turned the tables on Blanche by revealing or, at least, claiming to reveal that his statement was drafted by a "joint defense committee that included the president of the United States' lawyer." As with the Daniels pay off, Cohen "just directly implicated Donald Trump in that scheme," Weissmann said. Again, though: Can you believe him? Charles Coleman, a former Brooklyn prosecutor, said that's not necessarily an issue. Before the cross examination, prosecutors themselves established that Cohen has made false statements; that he would do so for Trump, a man who employed him for a decade, may not be a reach for jurors. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. "I think that the prosecution has ample space to make this case not about Michael Cohen's testimony, given everything else that they've presented," Coleman said on MSNBC. For example, other witnesses, such as David Pecker and a pair of Trump Organization accountants, can help prosecutors show that there was a catch-and-kill scheme for negative stories about Trump, that Cohen was involved, and that he was indeed reimbursed for his troubles under the guise of legal retainer for which no corroborating document exists. "You don't have to take it firsthand from him if you think that he's a scumbag or unbelievable," Coleman said. Still, Thursday's cross-examination was probably the best day of the trial for Trump so far. For several hours, it was the prosecution's star witness on the defensive. At its most dramatic, Blanche was yelling at Cohen ("That's a lie!") about an October 2016 phone call. Cohen said he "believed" the call to Trump's bodyguard, Keith Schiller, was one where Trump himself explicitly signed off on the Daniels payment; Blanche asserted that it was actually about a series of harassing phone calls Cohen was complaining about earlier in the day. Norm Eisen, a legal analyst with CNN, wrote in a commentary that the defense's cross examination started out rocky, exchanges such as that were both "powerful and effective." But he doubted it was enough at this point. "The defense needed a knockout punch," Eisen wrote. They "didn't get one," he continued. "But it is a closer case." Neighbor tried to rescue victims in Louisburg, Kansas house fire that killed 2 Thursday A man and a juvenile died after a house fire in Louisburg, Kansas, Thursday morning, according to fire officials. The fire was reported at 11:01 a.m. Thursday in the 600 block of North 5th Street. The fire crews arrived six minutes later, said officials with the Louisburg Fire Department. The names and ages of the victims were not immediately released. Details of how the fire started were not immediately available. Fire officials have not said whether the juvenile who died was male or female. Additional fire crews from Overland Park and Paola were summoned to the blaze. Deputies from the Miami County Sheriffs Office were also on the scene. Two residents were pulled out of a bedroom window by a neighbor who lives across the street, said Lt. Andrew Francis with the Louisburg Fire Department. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to a hospital by an ambulance, where they were later pronounced dead. The neighbor was also taken to a hospital and was listed in good condition, Francis said. Officials have not said how the victims died. It took crews about five minutes to extinguish the fire. No other details were released. Thankfully there were people around at the time of the fire, called it in, and were able to know where people might be inside, Francis said. Unfortunate that they were deceased, but they were able to get them out. The Kansas State Fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. Louisburg is about 45 minutes south of Kansas City. NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) A senior at Woodside High School in Newport News has been named a 2024 Gates Scholar by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Aaron Lin, wholl be attending Yale University in the fall, is the valedictorian at Woodside and is the student representative to the Newport News School Board. Hell be the first in his family to go to college. Lins one of just 300 students nationwide to receive the Gates Scholarship, a highly selective, last-dollar scholarship for outstanding, minority, high school seniors from low-income households. Getting the Gates scholarship is like saying you did something, Lin said. You achieved something in your community, it represents that youre a leader in your community and they want to support that leadership in college. I think thats one of the very impactful things is they want to continue to foster your leadership skills. Lins family has run an Asian food restaurant in the city since 2010 after emigrating from China, and hes worked there after school and on the weekends since childhood. Lin says the scholarship will thankfully help him not have to get a part-time job in college to get by. When I found out, I was really shocked, Lin said. It still feels surreal to think that you get your four years of college paid for. You dont have to have the burden of financial on your parents and your family. It opens a pathway for opportunities to explore. That includes helping at program in under-resourced communities, like the nonprofit music education organiation Soundscapes in Newport News. Lin worked there last summer. I think thats really important since nonprofit work ties into the educational aspects and I want to help find solutions to help solve limited educational opportunities. Lin also credited the help he received from the teachers and staff from Newport News Public Schools over the years. I was a part of Newport News Public Schools all my life, Lin said. NNPS provides a lot of opportunities for students to grow. We have so many resources from free Advanced Placement exams, free resources, free counseling and so many after school extra-curricular activities, counselors, teachers around us to really help us grow. You can read more about the Gates Scholarship 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 WAVY.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico has undergone another surgery today, with his condition remaining critical, said Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia and Minister of Defense Robert Kalinak, Trend reports. Kaliak stated that evaluating the health condition of the prime minister would require a few additional days. To note, on May 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico survived an assassination attempt. The 71-year-old writer Juraj Cintula shot him multiple times, causing severe injuries. The assailant was detained. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Jeremy Hunt is right about one thing: if you think youre overtaxed by the Tories, its guaranteed to be even worse under Labour. In a speech on Friday, the Chancellor claimed that Keir Starmer would put up taxes as sure as night follows day to fund his big spending pledges. Arguing that the Tories were forced to dig deeper into taxpayers pockets to pay for the furlough scheme, the energy price guarantee and billions of pounds of cost of living support, Hunt claimed: Conservatives recognise that while those tax rises may have been necessary, they should not be permanent. Labour do not. There would appear to be some truth to this statement, since Starmer has repeatedly refused to commit to tax cuts or unfreezing tax thresholds. On the contrary, I recall him speaking far more enthusiastically about who and what Labour would tax more be it the top 5 per cent, private schools, non-doms, the air that we breathe, and such like. The word tax formed only a footnote to Labours new pledge card, unveiled by Starmer in Thurrock, Essex, on Thursday, which proffered the woolly promise of delivering economic stability, and only a vague commitment to keeping taxes as low as possible. But beyond all the flip-flopping and flim-flam, theres a single reason why Labour will never be able to cut taxes and is more likely to raise them. Its not the partys multibillion-pound green prosperity plan or even its costly New Deal for Working People, designed to keep its public sector union paymasters happy. No, the real reason Starmer will never be able to bring down the tax bill is the NHS revered as a religion in Labour circles. If it wasnt bad enough that Labour is set to inherit the sort of no money left scenario Liam Byrne passed onto his successor as chief secretary to the treasury David Laws in 2010, it will also be bequeathed a health service whose productivity has collapsed. A comprehensive internal study of NHS efficiency published this week revealed that, despite an increase of 20 billion in funding and about 15 per cent more doctors and nurses, it is carrying out barely more routine treatments than before Covid. Productivity, admitted NHS finance director Julian Kelly, is actually still lower than it was pre-pandemic. Consider that for a moment. Despite all the billions that have been poured in; everything we did during the pandemic to save the NHS; the recruitment of thousands more doctors and nurses hospitals are 11 per cent less productive than they were before lockdown was imposed in March 2020. Thats a damning indictment of an organisation which received 182 billion of our hard-earned cash last year. NHS bosses insist that around half of its productivity problem is beyond its control, arguing that the teetering social care system makes it much harder to free up beds, while an older, sicker population requires more care. They also blame a campaign of strikes for delaying hundreds of thousands of procedures and point to a significant maintenance backlog. Yet while a rise in delayed discharges may have been identified as a driver of lower efficiency, it surely only tells part of the story. The truth is that a lot of this has been of the NHSs own making and bosses tendency to bury their heads in the sand rather than take responsibility has only made matters worse. As the Telegraphs whistleblower expose has highlighted this week, one of the NHSs greatest failings is its lack of accountability. The story focused on the fact that doctors and nurses are being hounded out of their jobs for raising safety concerns. One consultant described it as the biggest scandal within our country after it emerged that more than 50 doctors and nurses have been targeted after raising concerns about upwards of 170 patient deaths and nearly 700 cases of poor care. We have been warned that the true number of avoidable deaths is astronomical. What was notable about the investigation is that this problem is particularly acute in the NHS. Indeed, if private clinics ignored whistleblowers concerns, they could go out of business. In the NHS, however, there never seems to be a penalty for failure. In fact, the more it fails, the more taxpayers money it appears to receive. Meanwhile, the middle managers who preside over these sorts of scandals only seem to end up getting promoted. The Birth Trauma Inquiry report, also published this week, provided another chilling example of history repeating itself in the NHS and nothing changing. Despite lessons supposedly having been learnt after maternity scandals at Shrewsbury and Telford, Morecambe Bay, East Kent, Northwick Park and Nottingham University hospital trusts, the report concluded that poor care is still all too frequently tolerated as normal. Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said the experiences outlined in the report are simply not good enough without actually saying what the NHS was going to do about it. And this is the problem. The question of who is ultimately responsible for NHS failings is a difficult one to answer. The public wants to hold ministers accountable not least because the Department of Health sets the overall strategy, and funds and oversees the health and care system in England. But what we have witnessed over recent decades is a passing down of responsibility to commissioners and arms length bodies, muddying the waters when it comes to where the buck stops. Even NHS England seems to see its role as being accountable to Parliament, rather than to patients. And the waters of responsibility are muddied further by quangos like the UK Health Security Agency and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (both formerly collectively known as Public Health England), which prepare for and try to prevent problems but, as we witnessed during Covid, lack accountability when the proverbial hits the fan. So the NHS isnt failing because of a lack of money or even a lack of staff. Its failing for the very practical reason that aspects of it are very poorly run by unaccountable managers who not only do not take responsibility for their actions, but arent held responsible for their actions, either. Thats clearly a recipe for disaster that no funding formula can fix. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, might have you believe he agrees that the NHS needs reform, not reverence. But do we really think his party will countenance the radical measures needed to save the health service now? Its spent far too long worshipping at the NHS altar and is too in hock to the public sector unions to make that likely. So the next time the NHS comes begging for money, Labour is likely to hand it over. Were damned to have a health service which not only fails patients, but which will bankrupt the nation, too. 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. Mass weddings are not uncommon in Nigeria, where brides are dressed in red robes - KOLA SULAIMON/AFP A mass wedding for 100 girls orphaned by attacks in Nigeria has prompted outcry amid criticism that some of the brides may be underage, or being forced to get married for money. The ceremony supported by a local politician has been condemned by the national womens affairs minister who has threatened an injunction to stop the nuptials. Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, the speaker of the local assembly in north-west Niger state, said the wedding was to help constituents who had all lost relatives to attacks on villages by heavily armed gangs. Mr Sarkindaji has since distanced himself from the wedding and has said the families must decide among themselves, but local clerics have said it should still go ahead next week. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the federal womens affairs minister, called the ceremony totally unacceptable and demanded an investigation into the ages of the brides and whether they had consented to marriage. She said: I have written a petition to the police ... and I have filed a case for an injunction to stop him from whatever he is planning to do. Let children be children Abiodun Essiet, the presidents senior special assistant on community engagement, also objected. She said: I am not against conducting marriage for orphans above 18 years of age if they give their consent to the marriage. But I am against under-aged marriage. Let children be children. Mass weddings are not uncommon in Nigeria, especially in the mostly Muslim north, where they are seen as a way to help impoverished families manage their expenses. But underage marriage also happens in rural areas where communities struggle with poverty, insecurity and little access to education. No details were immediately available on the ages of the orphans. All wedding expenses paid In January this year, Muktar Aliyu Betara, another Nigerian politician from Borno state, sponsored a mass wedding for 180 girls from his constituency. The 17 and 18-year-old girls had lost their parents to jihadist violence. Mr Betara paid for all the wedding expenses as the families of the brides could not afford the costs. 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. NM Senate candidates spend more than $1 million at times on each other ahead of primary Early voting boxes sit at a vote center in Dona Ana County. (Photo by Danielle Prokop / Source NM) Three tight primaries, payments to campaign consultants, and donations from leadership are driving spending in campaigns for state Senate as the June 4 primary election date approaches. While early voting has already kicked off, spending in April heated up, according to the latest campaign finance reports filed May 13. Candidates across the state spent more than $1.1 million in the last several weeks. Six of the top 10 spenders are running against one another in three primary elections, in far-flung corners of the state. The top spending race reported is the fight for District 42 in southeast New Mexico between incumbent Sen. Steve McCutcheon II (R-Carlsbad) and challenger Larry Scott, a Republican state representative from Hobbs. McCutcheon spent more than $114,000 since April 2, while Scott is the second-highest spender last month at just under $88,000. A sliver of the West-central portion of the state has two top spenders vying for Senate District 30 spanning from Bernalillo to McKinley County. District 30 will no longer be represented by Republican Sen. Joshua Sanchez, who is now running for Senate District 29, held by the outgoing GOP Sen.. Greg Baca from Belen. State Senator Clemente Sanchez, a Democrat who held the District 30 seat from 2013 until 2020, is looking to retake it. Top 10 spenders between April 2 and May 6: Steve McCutcheon (R-District 42): $114,845 spent Larry Scott (R-District 42): $87,909 Clemente Sanchez (D-District 30): $68,330 Greg Nibert (R-District 27): $56,749 Antonio Moe Maestas (D-District 26): $51,028 George Munoz (D-District 4): $37,231 Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-District 15): $35,017 Angel Charley (D-District 30): $33,462 Heather Berghmans (D-District 15): $32,332 Mimi Stewart (D-District 17): $31,664 Clemente Sanchez faces Angel Charley (Laguna/Zuni/Dine), the former Executive Director of the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, in the primary. Clemente Sanchez spent more than $68,000 and Charley spent more than $33,000, ranking third and eighth, respectively. The third-highest spending primary is District 15 in the Albuquerque Heights, between incumbent Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto and challenger Heather Berghmans, a former policy and financial advisor at the Roundhouse. For three other senators, its not neck-and-neck spending with their primary challengers, but payments to campaign consultants and advertising driving up their spending numbers. Sen. Greg Nibert (R-Roswell), spent the majority of his April expenses more than $44,000 on Campaign Marketing Strategies based in McLean, Virginia. Overall, he reported spending more than $56,000. Nibert faces Larry Marker in the Republican primary for Senate District 27, who only spent $1,821 in the last month. Sen. George Munoz (D-Gallup), the powerful finance chair for the Senate, is the third-highest fundraiser in the state, with more than $287,000 on hand to spend. Much of that comes from donations from a wide-range of industries such as oil and gas, health care and other businesses. Munoz faces Gallup transportation director Keith Hillock, who has entirely self-funded his campaign, donating $4,200 to his campaign. Munoz spent more than $37,000 in April, with $9,700 on campaign consulting and more than $6,000 on billboard signs. Munoz made a $2,000 contribution to the campaign for Las Vegas Democrat Sen. Pete Campos. Otherwise, Munoz spent on challengers in down-ballot races, such as $1,000 for McKinley County Treasurer candidate Carol Bowman-Muskett, $500 to Joanne Martinez for the Cibola County Treasurer, and $1,000 for the Eleventh District Attorney candidate Grant Birtcher. Sen. Antonio Moe Maestas, a Democrat from Albuquerque, spent nearly half of his expenditures in April $21,525 on campaign consulting from two Albuquerque firms, Strategies 360 and Roadrunner Strategies. There were also two $8,000 expenditures for a poll and a campaign strategist. The rest was split between paraphernalia and signs, canvassing and food for volunteers and campaign events. Maestas faces South Valley teacher Julie Radoslovich in the primary. Radoslovich spent just over $6,700 in April. Rounding out the last of the top-10 list of spenders is Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque), whose biggest donations include $10,000 to the New Mexico Senate Democrats committee. She also donated to several candidates seeking election for the first time to the Senate, like challengers like Charley in District 30, Tina Garcia in District 29 and Cindy Nava, who is competing in a four-person race for the open seat in District 9 in Valencia County. Candidates will have to file updated financial reports May 30, less than a week before the primary. See the chart below for more details on where things stand in statewide Senate races: The post NM Senate candidates spend more than $1 million at times on each other ahead of primary appeared first on Source New Mexico. Two wrongs dont make a right. Yes, whoever was running Kansas Citys account on social media network X and made a bad joke about Chiefs punter Harrison Butker didnt think through how the post could be misinterpreted. But that faux pas pales in comparison to the egregious offense committed by a right-wing online news site called America First News, also known as AF Post. In its haste to identify and shame Kansas Citys social media manager, the outlet erroneously identified the wrong person. Early Friday, we reached out to Kansas City officials seeking comment. Hours later, Mayor Quinton Lucas posted on X: Over the past 24 hours, some seeking to harass, bully, and intimidate have sent slurs and threats to and shared photos of women employees with no involvement with recent City posts. Honestly, please just stop, be decent. The buck stops with me. Please leave them alone. That city officials failed to timely address the situation is alarming at best and irresponsible at worst. One of their employees was wrongfully accused of putting the Chiefs conservative Catholic punter at risk with an ill-advised quip noting that he lives in a suburb, not Kansas City proper. Thats not what doxxing means. And Butkers city of residence was already publicly available online. But thats beside the point. Our concern here is that the name, likeness and address associated with a Kansas City employee the true definition of doxxing made the rounds on social media nearly a whole day before the city responded. Too bad this poor innocent person was wrongly identified. Not that we would want the actual person responsible for the post outed either. But Kansas Citys failure to defend its employee with expediency is maddeningly frustrating. Also on Friday, a member of this editorial board reached out to America First News via direct message on X seeking comment. We wanted to know if the outlet spoke with the person it doxxed to confirm it was them behind the post and if a retraction was in order it is. Our inquiries werent not answered. Attempts to reach the Kansas City employee in question for comment were not successful either. This week, Kansas Citys official X account tried to distance itself from the fallout of Butkers controversial commencement speech last weekend at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas. In his 20-minute speech, Butker railed against President Joe Biden, pro-choice Catholics, abortion rights, Pride month and women in the workforce. The blowback was immediate. In response, on Wednesday, Kansas Citys X account made the unwise joke. Less than two hours later, that post was deleted and an apology followed. But why did the city drag its feet in issuing a statement supporting its employee who was being attacked online? By Friday afternoon, more than 21 hours had passed since the wayward post from America First News. The prolonged silence was unacceptable. All Kansas City workers deserve speedy protection from online bullies. In this case, the city should spare no effort in clearing its employees name. Anything less is a dereliction of duty from top officials at Kansas City Hall. Donald Trump has tried to taunt President Joe Biden by claiming he's ready for a presidential debate "anytime, anywhere." The gambit left him little choice but to immediately accept when the Biden campaign offered debate dates in June and September, and terms like not having an audience and allowing real journalists to moderate. But within mere hours it became clear that Trump and the rest of the GOP already regretted the decision. Pretty quickly, Trump tried to change the terms of the debate, pretending that it will be held on Oct. 2 on Fox News. The Biden campaign swiftly rejected this lie, accusing Trump of "playing games," and pointing out that Trump frequently talks big but then ends up "pulling out at the last minute, or not showing up at all." It's true, of course. Trump has a habit of promising that he'll do bold things and then backing out, whether it's his empty promises to testify at his various trials or his false claims he'll release policy proposals in a week or two. (It's been over a month of silence, for instance, since he promised he would release an abortion platform in "14 days.") In 2020, still burned by his terrible first debate with Biden, Trump refused to show up at the second and held an ego-flattering rally instead. What is already clear is that it's not just Trump who is worried, but the larger Republican party and right-wing media ecosystem. They're already spinning Trump's faceplant even before it happens. Within hours of Trump agreeing to debate, Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump was raving on Fox News that it's "rigged so heavily in Joe Bidens favor, but everything always is." Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Trump acolyte Vivek Ramaswamy, and other MAGA pundits denounced the debate as a trap. Peter Doocy of Fox News tried to frame the debate request as an effort to "change the subject after some really bad polling." On Fox News, a host made a pretzel logic claim that Biden's request to debate Trump was "a ploy by Biden and company to avoid actually debating." Want more Amanda Marcotte on politics? Subscribe to her newsletter Standing Room Only. But it's Trump who is casting around for excuses to back out, such as objecting to Robert Kennedy Jr. being included or excluded, to cover all bases. What Republicans are worried about isn't mysterious. To quote David Rothkopf in the Daily Beast, Trump "is clearly addled and losing his ability to speak in public." He regularly slurs his words or praises fictional serial killers. When asked about Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., shooting a dog in the head, he shrugged it off: "We all have bad weeks." Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan right now really shows how much Republicans suspect their presidential nominee is barely holding it together. Trump continues to sleep through much of the trial, which seems like an odd choice since he gets so mocked by the press for it. His defense team may be taking my advice that a sleeping Trump is better than a tantrum-throwing Trump. As Maggie Haberman of the New York Times reports, closing his eyes and ignoring the trial is "how he tries to just basically stay calm," which often appears to lead to him falling asleep. The steady stream of Republican politicians showing up at the trial also appears to be a strategy for keeping Trump from flying off the handle in court. Many of them come prepared with statements echoing the threatening rhetoric Trump wishes he could aim at the jurors, witnesses, court staff and their families, but can't because he's under a gag order. As legal analyst George Conway suggested to MSNBC, this is likely the defense team "trying to maintain his psychological composure" by "bringing the people up there to show a fealty to him, to quench his narcissistic thirst." Being human pacifiers for the volatile defendant is swiftly becoming a major Republican priority. Even the ongoing House Republican effort to smear Biden with phony "oversight" hearings got postponed so members of Congress could go smear witnesses and court staff into microphones in New York City instead. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., couldn't be bothered to help her teenage son at his court hearing, yet rushed to Trump's side this week. Boeberts teenage son, Tyler Boebert, was in court 7 days ago, without his mother and without a lawyer, but here she is in New York, in court, for Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/ItURtPJgXX Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) May 16, 2024 They aren't doing this out of any sincere love for Trump the person, who can't even get most of his actual family to show up. But it tracks with what Conway said: Republicans are afraid of Trump blowing his top in court, as he frequently did in the E. Jean Carroll trial. Due to the higher profile nature of this trial, that could damage their party's chances of winning the White House in November. So they are offering themselves up to be teddy bears he can cling to, telling himself that the people support him, even as barely any regular people have shown up to demonstrate in his favor at the courthouse. These are the herculean efforts Republicans have to go to in order to keep Trump from lashing out in a situation where he's required to sit down and shut up. In a debate, he'll be expected to speak and respond to what is likely going to be cutting criticism from Biden, all without a crowd of his mindless supporters cheering at every turn. It's not surprising that the Biden camp thinks there's a very high chance Trump freaks out in a memorable way that could cut through all the voter inattention that's helping Trump in the polls right now. It's worth remembering how badly Trump did in the first 2020 debate. Biden, knowing Trump can't turn down praise from anyone, baited Trump about his support from white nationalists and other hate groups, which caused Trump to petulantly call on the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by." (Infamously, they did, treating his later call to be "wild" on January 6 as what is almost certainly was, an order to attack the Capitol.) Trump also defended kidnapping children from immigrant families, repeatedly insisted the thousands of people dying weekly from COVID-19 was no big deal, and started the process of the coup with both his orders to the Proud Boys and lying about election interference. It was such a devastating failure that it's not a surprise that Trump canceled the next debate. Trump is far worse now, even to the point where he forgets what he's talking about halfway through sentences and literally babbles to fill the time. Montage of 30 clips from the last two Trump rallies where he slurred and mispronounced words and names, rambled incoherently, and repeatedly got confused. pic.twitter.com/oCh7PA5U3f Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) March 10, 2024 The problem is the only people who know this are the kinds of people who already follow the news. Such people, as any political scientist will tell you, are stalwart partisans who already know who they are going to vote for. Either they're Democrats who just see this as confirming evidence Trump is unfit or Republicans who, like the politicians who are rallying at the courthouse to support Trump, have decided they don't care so long as they win power. The people who most need a reminder of how unfit Trump is for office are low-information swing voters who barely know Trump is a criminal defendant. The hope is that a debate, being one of the few high-profile events low-information voters actually might pay some attention to, can break through this wall of ignorance. Trump making a fool of himself, throwing a tantrum, or forgetting how to speak would all be fodder for ads and videos to distribute on social media. Trump's campaign and defenders know this, which is why they're worried. Trump himself probably knows it on some level, which is why he's already tossing out a bunch of irrelevant objections to the debate, looking for a pretext to cancel. Gov. Kristi Noem, flanked by advisers and law enforcement officials, speaks on May 17, 2024, at the Capitol in Pierre. Visible from left to right around Noem are Tribal Relations Secretary David Flute, Dewey County Sheriff Ashley Arpan and Tribal Law Enforcement Liaison Algin Young. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) Gov. Kristi Noem, flanked by advisers and law enforcement officials, speaks on May 17, 2024, at the Capitol in Pierre. Visible from left to right around Noem are Tribal Relations Secretary David Flute, Dewey County Sheriff Ashley Arpan and Tribal Law Enforcement Liaison Algin Young. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) PIERRE At the end of a week in which two more tribal nations voted to ban her from their lands, Gov. Kristi Noem called on tribal leaders to partner with state law enforcement to battle drug activity on reservations. The governor was flanked by her tribal relations secretary and newly hired tribal law enforcement liaison. She spoke next to a poster-sized quote on the influence of drug cartels in Indian Country from Oglala Sioux Tribal Chairman Frank Star Comes Out. The same quote, delivered in December to congressional leaders in Washington, D.C., was also displayed on a big-screen television in the Capitols Rushmore Room prior to the start of the press conference. In the comment, Star Comes Out noted that his tribe is reliant on insufficient federal funding for public safety. We believe this federal neglect has resulted in the cartel moving on to our reservation, an increase in overdoses, and a proliferation of guns on our school properties, he said, in part. The governor again called on tribes to banish the cartels instead of voting to banish her, as government bodies at eight of the nine tribes in the state have now done. She also pledged to help the tribes with public safety issues. Banishing me does absolutely nothing to solve this problem, Noem said. All it does is help those who are perpetuating horrible violence and crimes against the people that are citizens of the state of South Dakota. Former tribal police chief: We need help Tribal Relations Secretary Dave Flute, a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, read off a series of comments he said the governors office has received by the hundreds from tribal members. Governor Noem is speaking the truth of what is happening across the state, including in our tribal communities, Flute said. Shes speaking out because she cares about the safety of our people. But dont take it from her. And dont take it from me. Flute read comments from people who, in turn, accused tribal council members of being some of the biggest drug dealers on the reservation, described being targeted by cartel members in a casino, said cartel members have posed as dairy farm workers and said that tribal leaders those who have voted to ban the governor do not speak for all tribal members. Earlier this week, Noem announced her hiring of Algin Young, formerly the Oglala Sioux Tribe police chief, as her tribal law enforcement liaison. The longtime Indian Country law officer told the assembled reporters that he supports Noem because of his experience leading an overworked, understaffed department working to fend off a spike in violence. He said the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, in search of a new permanent chief since his contract expired last month, was averaging two and a half gun calls a day. I take the position of the governor, because her position is that we need help, Young said. Federal issue Noem and the others on hand, including sheriffs from two counties with reservations in their borders, tied public safety troubles to federal inaction and a lack of funding for law enforcement. The governor told reporters shed just returned from a trip Thursday to the U.S.-Mexico border, where 20 South Dakota National Guard members are currently working in the latest of several state missions there since Noem took office. Noem has been speaking about alleged connections between the border, cartels and reservations since January, when she returned from another trip to the border and delivered a speech to a joint session of the Legislature. Illegal narcotics like methamphetamine and fentanyl flow across that border and into the United States under the direction of drug cartels, she said, as do criminal actors bent on profiting through drugs and violence. President Joe Bidens policies are to blame, she said. We have seen an infiltration of dangerous individuals, people that have come into this country that are on the known terrorist watch list, she said. People that have been incarcerated in other countries that are perpetuating violence against others. Noem and others said that drugs and violence have been an issue for the whole of South Dakota, but that the influence has been particularly impactful for reservations. It doesnt just affect the United States, said Sen. Mike Walsh, R-Rapid City, a former narcotics detective who accompanied Noem to the border. It affects South Dakota directly. And it was evident as we spoke with the Border Patrol, as we spoke with the soldiers that see it every day. They see the changes that have occurred in the past few years. Law enforcement training The federal government has also failed Indian Country by failing to fully fund treaty-mandated law enforcement obligations, Noem argued. She pointed out that the Oglala Sioux Tribe has sued the federal government for that failure, and she referenced her recent decision to fund a special training academy specifically for tribal recruits. Noem said between 13 and 15 recruits have expressed interest in the summer training course, and that well have a full class. Most officers in reservation communities are expected to attend a 13-week training academy in Artesia, New Mexico. Tribal officers can and do get trained in South Dakota, but there are limited slots in basic training courses, and even those who complete state training are expected to spend two weeks in Artesia afterward. For the new course, set to begin on June 3, Bureau of Indian Affairs officials have agreed to come to South Dakota to offer a two-day version of that two-week portion of the training. U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds and Rep. Dusty Johnson, both Republicans, urged the BIA to do that. Both have pushed to place a permanent BIA training facility for the Great Plains in South Dakota. About 10 minutes before the Friday press conference in Pierre, Rounds office sent a press release on tribal law enforcement funding. In it, the senator said hed joined 11 of his colleagues in sending a letter to the Senate Appropriations Interior Subcommittee urging the members to support robust funding for Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Public Safety and Justice Law Enforcement programs in the fiscal year 2025 budget. South Dakota Republican John Thune was among the signers. Tribal law enforcement agencies have been under-resourced and under-staffed for decades and they are now being asked to face a new, dangerous threat posed by these cartels and criminal organizations, the senators wrote. Relationships damaged The press conference followed a troubled two weeks of tribal relations for Noem. Early last week, the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate for which Flute was once chairman voted to ban Noem from its lands. As with the tribes that had voted to ban her prior to the Sisseton vote, tribal leaders tagged the governors comments at a March town hall in Winner alleging that tribal officials are personally benefiting from cartels. Tribal leaders have also cited comments from a March town hall in Mitchell, where Noem said Native American children on reservations lack hope, and that their parents arent there for them. A few days after the Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe voted to ban Noem, the Business and Claims Committee of the Yankton Sioux Tribe voted to endorse a ban. This week saw votes to ban the governor by the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, the latter of which had opted not to endorse a ban earlier this year. The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe is the only one of the states nine Native nations that has yet to cast such a vote. Its leadership set an emergency meeting for Saturday to discuss the possibility of a ban. On Friday, Noem repeated a line shes used in past discussions on the issue: that she keeps calling tribes, and they keep ignoring her. They all have my personal cell phone number, she said. The governor has repeatedly said that she wants to help through mutual law enforcement aid, noting that Native nations in South Dakota struggle with jurisdictional challenges that prevent tribal police from enforcing state law and state police from enforcing tribal law. The posterboard quote from President Star Comes Out referenced the same challenge. Noem rattled off a list of mutual aid agreements outside the law enforcement realm on Friday, ranging from tax collection agreements to child support payment distribution. On Pine Ridge alone, our Game Fish and Parks conservation officers conduct joint operations with tribal COs all the time, Noem said. Law enforcement mutual aid agreements will go a long way to help restore safety and order. When asked Friday how she intends to repair relationships, the governor pointed to Flute and Young. Those advisers have faced tribal issues from positions of tribal authority, just like the leaders now voting to ban her. Theyve sat in their shoes, she said. Theyve been there and seen the challenges. And Im open to new ideas. If they want to sign an agreement that looks different than what the state has done before, Im all ears. Tribal leader responds South Dakota Searchlight reached out Friday to leaders of all the tribes that have voted to ban the governor, but did not hear back from most immediately. Lower Brule Sioux Tribal Chairman Clyde Estes said what stood out most from the press conference was its ending, when a reporter asked Noem if she had any intention of apologizing for her remarks about Native American children. That particular comment was a last straw moment for Estes. She heard the question and walked out, Estes said. As far as her offer of mutual law enforcement aid, he said we would be far from that path. I dont believe its the states role to provide law enforcement when we have contracts with the federal government, he said. Estes said Noem is right about the federal government not upholding its obligation to provide law enforcement, but he said Noem, as a former member of Congress, shares some of the blame for that. He also said its unclear what Noem means by banish the cartels. Lower Brule has banished five or six non-tribal members during his time in tribal government for committing crimes. How are we supposed to banish the cartel when we dont even know who they are, let alone is that going to stop them from coming onto our reservation? he said. Even so, he said there is an opening for Noem to improve relations, and he believes it has to start with an apology for her remarks about children. When shes ready to apologize, were ready to sit down and talk. EDITORS NOTE: This story has been updated since its original publication with the addition of comments from Lower Brule Tribal Chairman Clyde Estes. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Noem doubles down on cartel talk, asks tribes to partner with state appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The individual suspected of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is to stand trial on May 18, a spokesperson of the country's judicial body said, Trend reports. The prosecutor's office has sought the arrest of a suspect in the attempted assassination. To note, on May 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico survived an assassination attempt. The 71-year-old writer Juraj Cintula shot him multiple times, causing severe injuries. The assailant was detained. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Republican Utah attorney general candidate Derek Brown speaks to attendees at the Holladay City Hall in Holladay on Thursday, April 4, 2024. Building Americas Future announced a six-figure ad buy in support of Brown. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News With the June 25 primary looming ahead, Building Americas Future announced a six-figure ad buy in support of Republican attorney general candidate Derek Brown. Brown, the former chairman of the Utah GOP, faces off against Rachel Terry and Frank Mylar in the Republican primary. Terry is the Utah Division of Risk Management director and Mylar is a lawyer who works on constitutional litigation. The ad buy appears to be the biggest one in the race so far. Building Americas Future is a conservative nonprofit organization that has the stated mission of promoting better policies to improve life for all Americans. The ads will be up and running on Friday afternoon the news was shared exclusively with the Deseret News on Friday morning. No specific number for how much money was spent on the ads was given after the Deseret News inquired. As long as outside groups do not explicitly endorse a candidate, there is no limit to how much money they can spend on advertising. The first ad included in the buy will run both on cable television and digital platforms in Utah. Its called Trust and features Utah voters giving reasons they trust Brown. Derek fought to protect kids on social media. Hell defend the Second Amendment. Stand up to Biden when he tries to take our lands, the ad said. Derek Brown will fight to secure the border. And thats the kind of leadership we really need. Candidates had to file a report ahead of the Utah GOP Convention, held on April 27, detailing their fundraising efforts. At that time, Brown had a subtotal of $508,638.16 and an ending balance of $155,832.38. Mylar had a subtotal of $46,214.53 and ending balance of $10,881.91. Terry had a subtotal of $98,291.92 and ending balance of $39,502.70. Endorsements have also been made in the race both before the convention and since then. Trent Christensen, a former candidate in the race, endorsed Terry, as did the Fraternal Order of Police. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had endorsed Terry shortly after she entered the race. Mylar was endorsed by Tami Hirsch with Moms for America, Beaver County Sheriff Cody Black and Mike Farris, former president and CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom. Brown is endorsed by Sen. Mike Lee and former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, and also has the support of Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan. W. Andrew McCullough (Libertarian), Rudy J. Bautista (Democrat) and Michelle Quist (United Utah) are candidates in the general election. Austin Hepworth has filed as an unaffiliated candidate. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) A mother seeking justice for her murdered daughter wants to be there as the trial unfolds. So, far she said her wishes have fallen on deaf ears. Norfolk rapper Dyamond Hamilton was shot and killed in Las Vegas. Hamiltons roommate goes on trial for her murder next month. Previously: Hampton Roads rapper killed in Las Vegas shooting Dyamonds mom, Monique Hamilton, said shes been calling the district attorneys office in Las Vegas for months and hasnt heard back. Now shes about a month out from the trial and she said she doesnt feel like they care. Ive left messages, over 100, Monique Hamilton said. I used to call twice a week, then I went down to once a week, now I call once a month and I still get no reply. Monique Hamilton, the mother of a Norfolk rapper who was shot to death in Las Vegas, Nevada, seeks to stay informed about her daughters case, but her calls, she said, has fallen on deaf ears. Monique Hamiltons life was forever changed on March 2, 2023. Thats when she got a call that her daughter, Dyamond, was shot and killed in her Las Vegas apartment. Since then, shes been awaiting the day that she can go to court and get justice for her daughter, but shes unsure when that day is coming. Its hurtful and I feel like they dont care because they havent reached out at all, Monique Hamilton said. I know nothing except for what is public record. The case is scheduled to go to trial on June 24, according to the Clark County Nevada Court website. But Monique Hamilton is concerned because her phone calls to the district attorneys office have gone unanswered. I feel like no one cares, she said. I feel like Vegas doesnt care, I feel like they just said another Black girl dead, thats how I feel. Dyamond, who was better known as 90 Splitz, was an aspiring rapper from Hampton Roads who moved out to Las Vegas to pursue her music career in 2021. The night of the shooting, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said Dyamond and her roommate, Virgil Mack, were fighting in their apartment over Mack moving out. Previously: Man accused of killing Norfolk rapper in Las Vegas granted $150K bond Mack originally told police Dyamond pointed a gun at him, but police said the self defense claims didnt match up with the evidence in the case. A witness visiting Dyamond that night was in the apartment when it all unfolded, and they told Monique Hamilton that they havent heard from the DAs office either and they need to make travel arrangements as well. I dont want to go out there and spend my money and then its going to be continued, said Monique Hamilton. No one from the district attorneys office has ever called me, ever, not one time. Shes hoping someone calls her, so she can be there in person to read her victim impact statement, and fight for her daughter. Its because Im so far away, she said, and Im not there and Im not going to be able to be at every single thing that they have, so I want to fight because I think she deserves it. I think anybody in this predicament deserves it. Monique Hamilton said her second Mothers Day this past weekend without Dyamond was especially tough. She was just so ambitious and courageous, Monique Hamilton said. I mean, just driving to Vegas by herself was amazing because I know I couldnt have did it. I just miss her, all of us do. 10 On Your Side reached out to the Clark County district attorneys office as well and are still waiting on a response from the DA in charge of her case Richard Scow. There is a status hearing scheduled for next Tuesday, May 21. As of now, her trial is scheduled for June 24. 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. (FOX40.COM) A bear that caused damage and posed significant public safety concerns to residents in Sierra County was euthanized on Wednesday, according to the local sheriffs office. The sheriffs office said the bear was put down near the Downieville area. Since early May, the sheriffs office has been inundated with daily reports from distressed homeowners and business owners regarding bears breaking into residences and vehicles, creating havoc and endangering local residents, the Sierra County Sheriffs Office said on Facebook. It continued, Despite efforts to mitigate the situation, including pursuing depredation permits from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the escalating threat persisted. Mountain lions, bears, and wolves: The animals capable of causing human-wildlife conflicts The bear was later declared a threat to public safety by deputies, who in collaboration with the USDA, deployed a trap near a home in Downieville that was repeatedly targeted by the bear. According to deputies, the situation reached a critical point when the bear tried to enter a gym at a school in Downieville, which was followed by the bear attempting to break into a nearby home. 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, said the sheriffs office. The Sierra County Sheriffs Office added that it will continue to educate the community about bear safety measures and collaborate with relevant authorities to prevent incidents like this one from happening 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 FOX40. Construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington began in 1933 and was completed in 1942. It is the largest hydropower producer in the U.S. and also part of the Columbia Basin Project, irrigating more than 600,000 acres. (Bureau of Reclamation) Three Northwest tribes and federal agencies are getting closer to understanding how to revive Chinook and sockeye salmon runs on the upper Columbia River that were once among the most abundant in the world but were decimated by dams over the last century. Leaders from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Coeur dAlene Tribe and the Spokane Tribe of Indians met with leaders from three federal agencies and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council in Portland on Wednesday to discuss progress on their historic agreement from last September. The 20-year plan, separate from a related deal signed in December, marked the culmination of decades of work by the tribes, who were deprived of salmon following the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam near Spokane in 1938 and Chief Joseph Dam in Bridgeport, Washington in 1955. The fish have historically been central to their way of life. Map of areas in the Columbia River Basin affected by dams. (Northwest Power and Conservation Council) Both the tribal and federal agency leaders discussed a range of subjects, from acquiring the needed fish from hatcheries and moving them via truck to areas blocked by the dams. The Biden administration said it would allocate $200 million to the effort, but the parties agreed even more money would be needed. Officials and tribes face challenges working with Canadian dams and hatcheries as well as competing interests for the Columbias water from hydroelectric and agriculture. Caj Matheson, natural resources director for the Coeur dAlene Tribe, said getting the reintroduction work underway was exciting and long overdue. Members of the tribe have for decades been cut off from salmon that used to migrate to them on the Spokane River, a tributary of the Columbia. Salmon are gone from the river today due to Grand Coulee Dam. There were once at least 10 million salmon moving through the 13,000 miles of Columbia River Basin waters each year before the dams were built, according to the Columbia River Inter-tribal Fish Commission. Today, many of these salmon species are among the most endangered in the West. Over the years, weve sat in rooms with so many federal agencies, so many people, so many leaders across this region, he said, and so often weve seen people nodding their heads in agreement and even people saying: Yeah, its an injustice. Whats happening to you guys, whats happening with the Coeur dAlene Tribe, its an injustice. And yet the wherewithal to be able to make that change just wasnt followed through. Greg Abrahamson, chairman of the Spokane Tribe of Indians (left); Caj Matheson, natural resources director for the Coeur dAlene Tribe (center); and Jarred-Michael Erickson, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (right) at a meeting to discuss salmon reintroduction in the upper Columbia River on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Historic agreement The agreement was a long time coming. About 24 years ago, the tribes urged the federal government and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, which works on power plans and fish conservation, to discuss reintroduction. In 2014, they undertook a feasibility study to explore that possibility, and in the fall of 2023, President Joe Biden acknowledged the years of injustice the tribes had experienced and committed a federal investment of at least $200 million to rectify it. The Bureau of Reclamation, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration are involved along with the council, which is made up of two governor-appointed representatives from Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho and is tasked with managing energy production in the Northwest along with the health of fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. Progress and challenges So far, several hatcheries have provided researchers with tens of thousands of Chinook eggs to study as the fish grow into smolts and then adults and then study them over several generations. Researchers have begun tagging the fish to observe their migration patterns. Getting sockeye has been more difficult because one of the only hatcheries in the area that has them is in Canada. Scientists said procuring and tracking these fish across borders has been challenging because of bureaucratic procedures. To get the fish back into needed areas, scientists are evaluating the effects of moving them on trucks. The method called trap and haul requires capturing the salmon, putting them in a truck and then driving and releasing them back into water in the desired location. The idea would be to haul the fish directly to traditional tributaries where they would have spawned before the dams were built, such as the San Poil River on the Colville Reservation. This and other ideas to move fish via ladders are in their infancy, scientists said. Officials also need to study juvenile fish migration patterns, fish behavior, genetic resiliency and hydraulic modeling over the next two decades. Scientists are trying to understand how to move water through the Columbia both for the fish and to meet increased demand for water storage from agriculture and hydroelectric dams. Furthermore, a treaty between the U.S. and Canada that governs hydropower and flood control on the Columbia River is up for negotiation and renewal this summer. The treaty, originally implemented in 1964, did not take into account fish and river ecosystem health or tribal fishing rights and resources that are now protected. There are 15 Columbia Basin tribes working with the two federal governments to negotiate protections and benefits for tribal resources in future iterations of the treaty. A release of juvenile Chinook salmon near Keller Ferry, WA May 2, 2024. Staff from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the U.S. Geological Survey released juvenile Chinook in Lake Roosevelt to study. (Photos courtesy of James Reeves, Bureau of Reclamation) The lower Columbia River On the lower Columbia River, below Bonneville Dam in Cascade Locks, a decades-long battle over dams and fish restoration reached a turning point this year following a deal between the Biden administration and four tribes to restore 13 threatened and endangered fish runs and potentially breach four dams along the Snake River, the biggest tributary of the Columbia River. Such a move, however, would need to be approved by Congress. The agreement calls for a 10-year pause in legal fighting that dates back to the 1990s. It also includes a promise but not a guarantee of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds and other money for wild fish restoration in the Columbia River Basin over the next decade along with support for clean energy production by the tribes, according to a White House statement. The post Northwest tribes, feds dive into work on salmon revival in upper Columbia River appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. 'This Is Not Normal Stuff': Gov. Tim Walz Blasts Alito Over 'Stop The Steal' Flag Display Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Friday shared his reaction to a new report saying that a symbol associated with the anti-democratic Stop the Steal campaign flew at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitos house following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The New York Times on Thursday reported that an inverted American flag a symbol used by those who refused to accept Donald Trumps defeat in the 2020 presidential election was displayed outside Alitos home in Alexandria, Virginia, on Jan. 17, 2021, citing photos and interviews with neighbors. Its unclear how long the flag stayed up. Alito told the Times he had no involvement in the display, instead blaming his wife, Martha-Ann Alito. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs, the justice said. In an interview with CNN News Central, Walz took issue with the excuse. Let me just say that my wife has never had to explain why she flew a flag upside down at my house, Walz said. I mean, this is not normal stuff. Walz said he was stunned that a member of the high court put himself in a position to have to explain why a symbol of an effort to throw out the result of a free and fair election was displayed outside his residence. He argued that this underscores why the Democrats need to retain the White House in Novembers presidential election, when Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, is expected to face President Joe Biden once again. This is why we need to do our work, we need to focus, we need to reelect Joe Biden, and we need to get this country doing the things Americans want us to do, Walz said. This is just insanity. "This stuff's not normal...this is just insanity."@GovTimWalz responds to NYT reporting that an upside-down American flag, a common symbol for election deniers, was flown outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after the 2020 election.@JohnBermanpic.twitter.com/0nvNWe0TqV CNN News Central (@NewsCentralCNN) May 17, 2024 As the flag flew outside Alitos home, the court was debating whether to hear challenges to the 2020 presidential race. Ultimately, the justices rejected the cases despite Alitos objections. Over the coming weeks, the court is also expected to rule on Trumps claim that he should be immune from prosecution for all official acts he undertook while in the White House, including apparently his effort to overturn the 2020 election. The Code of Ethics adopted by the court last year calls for justices to refrain from making political statements. Walz said he wouldnt put it past Trump to claim victory in Minnesota this November regardless of the actual outcome, as the former president has previously falsely claimed he won the blue state in 2020. That will not stand in Minnesota, Walz told CNNs John Berman. We will stand for democracy. Well stand for elections. Trump, who is set to campaign in the state Friday after attending his son Barrons high school graduation, lost Minnesota in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Related... BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) The Western Bandit a man convicted of two murders and multiple other crimes in the Los Angeles area over a three-year crime spree was found guilty of attacking a fellow inmate at North Kern State Prison in Delano, the Kern County District Attorneys Office said. Patrick Watkins, 60, was convicted by a Kern County jury of multiple charges Thursday including assault by a prisoner serving a life sentence and assault with force likely to result in great bodily injury. Sister hurls obscenities during sentencing of brothers accused killer Prosecutors said Watkins attacked an inmate with a makeshift weapon on the morning of Aug. 25, 2022. Watkins attacked the inmate in a neighboring cell just as officers opened Watkins and the victims cells simultaneously to receive medications. Watkins then ran back into his cell and closed the door, prosecutors said. Investigating officers found the weapon in Watkins bunk next to his clothes. The victim was treated for multiple slash wounds, according to prosecutors. Watkins was named the Western Bandit for a series of crimes near Western Avenue in the Los Angeles area including murder and robbery between 2011 and 2014. Watkins was convicted for the murders of two people, and additional shootings and robberies. He was linked to 23 crimes during that timeframe. Watkins was finally arrested in 2015 and convicted in 2021. Inmate suspected in prison attack on Kristin Smarts killer previously murdered I-5 Strangler Watkins is already serving a conviction of life without parole. Watkins is scheduled to be sentenced for the North Kern State Prison attack on June 13. He faces an additional sentence of 27 years to life. 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. FILE - National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre speaks during the Leadership Forum at the NRA-ILA Meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center Friday, May 27, 2022, in Houston. The National Rifle Association is kicking off its annual meeting Friday, May 17, 2024, in downtown Dallas, gathering for the first time in decades without Wayne LaPierre at the helm, as board members prepare to elect his replacement. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke, file) DALLAS (AP) The National Rifle Association is kicking off its annual meeting Friday in downtown Dallas, gathering for the first time in decades without Wayne LaPierre at the helm as board members prepare to elect his replacement. Though beset by financial troubles and following a trial in which a jury found LaPierre misspent millions of the NRAs money, the group remains a political force. Upwards of 70,000 people are expected at the three-day event with a scheduled speech by former President Donald Trump, seminars, receptions and acres of guns and gear. A board of directors meeting on Monday is expected to include elections of LaPierres replacement and other officers. "The immediate question is: Who leads the organization and what direction do they go in the post-Wayne LaPierre NRA? asked Robert Spitzer, a professor emeritus at the State University of New York-Cortland who has written several books on gun policies. They have suffered a series of blows, mostly caused by their own corruption, Spitzer said. Trump is set to address members Saturday. At the organization's Great American Outdoor Show earlier this year, he told those gathered that if he is reelected, no one will lay a finger on your firearms. RECENT WOES A New York jury in February found LaPierre wrongly used millions of dollars of the organization's money to pay for an extravagant lifestyle that included exotic getaways and trips on private planes and superyachts. LaPierre resigned as executive vice president and chief executive officer on the eve of the trial. The jury said LaPierre must repay almost $4.4 million to the NRA, while the organization's retired finance chief, Wilson Phillips, owed $2 million. The NRA failed to properly manage its assets, omitted or misrepresented information in its tax filings and violated whistleblower protections under New York law, jurors found. After reporting a $36 million deficit in 2018 fueled largely by misspending, the NRA cut back on longstanding programs that had been core to its mission, including training and education, recreational shooting and law enforcement initiatives. The NRA filed for bankruptcy in 2021, but a judge dismissed the case, ruling it was not filed in good faith. LEADERSHIP LIMBO LaPierre had led the NRAs day-to-day operations since 1991, acting as its face and becoming one of the countrys most influential figures in shaping gun policy. A fiery proponent of gun rights, he once warned of jack-booted government thugs seizing guns and condemned gun-control advocates as opportunists who exploit tragedy for gain. Andrew Arulanandam, a top NRA lieutenant who served as LaPierres spokesperson, has taken on his leadership roles on an interim basis. Phillip Journey, a newly reelected member of NRA's board, said he is among those trying to elect new leadership with hopes that the organization will become more transparent. I want to reestablish the trust that the membership has lost in the current leadership and I think that we need to make the board understand that they can speak their mind and not be punished, said Journey, a Kansas judge, adding that the organization is at a great crossroads. REACTIONS TO MASS KILLINGS As the NRA meeting opens in Dallas, it has been a year since a neo-Nazi opened fire at a mall in the Dallas suburb of Allen, killing eight people before a police officer ended the rampage. The organization's annual meeting last year in Indianapolis fell on the second anniversary of the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in the same city that left nine people dead, only days after mass shootings at a school in Nashville, Tennessee, and a bank in Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2023 meeting, top Republican hopefuls for the 2024 presidential race vowed to defend the Second Amendment at all costs. In 2022, the NRA held its annual meeting in Texas just days after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde. Those taking the stage that year in Houston denounced the massacre while insisting further restrictions on access to firearms were not the answer. One week after a gunman killed 26 people, mostly children, in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, LaPierre gave a defiant speech saying more gun laws weren't the answer and called for armed guards at schools. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," he said. A New York man is accused of setting a state troopers childhood home on fire in revenge for receiving multiple traffic tickets, authorities said Thursday. Tyler Williams, 26, of Middletown, was pulled over by a trooper on Dec. 20, 2023 and issued multiple tickets, according to the Orange County District Attorneys Office. The following morning, the Warwick home of the troopers father was destroyed in a deliberately set blaze, officials said. No one was injured in the fire. Over the course of many months, investigators learned that Williams allegedly made online searches to learn personal information about the trooper who issued him the traffic tickets and stumbled upon the address of his childhood home while looking for the troopers current address. Williams was arrested Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to arson in the second degree. He was sent to the Orange County Jail without bail and is scheduled to reappear in court on Tuesday. We stand in lockstep with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of police officers, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said. This case represents every police officers worst nightmare and we will not rest until justice is done. Arson in the second degree carries a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 25 years in prison. New York could give former inmates up to $2,550 after they leave prison under a pending bill meant to help them pay for food and rent while they seek jobs and stability. Advocacy groups backing the bill plan to rally at the Capitol in Albany on Monday to push for its passage in the last three weeks of this year's legislative session. The proposal was first introduced in the Senate a year ago and remains in committee in both that chamber and the Assembly. Supporters argue that recently incarcerated people need more financial support to get their footing and avoid returning to crime after being locked up. According to the bill's sponsors, their meager sendoff from New York prisons until recently consisted of $40 from their own commissary accounts, a bus ticket and up to $65 worth of clothes provided by the prison. Sing Sing Prison in Ossining as seen from the Hudson River Aug. 13, 2023. Last month's state budget raised the "gate money" amount to $200 also to be taken from the person's commissary account if enough funding is deposited there. Advocates say that still is not nearly enough for the difficult transition that awaits those who served time. Under the bill, people who had spent at least six months in state prison and who hadn't gotten similar payments after prior convictions would be given up to $2,550 in state funds over six months, to be paid in $425 monthly installments. The proposal seeks $25 million in total funding and would take effect six months after signed into law. Its Assembly lead sponsor is Eddie Gibbs, a first-term member from New York City who knows firsthand the difficult adjustments that follow incarceration. He was jailed on Rikers Island for 17 months, starting when he was 17 years old, and then served three years in prison for a manslaughter conviction until his release in 1991. "With adequate support we are able to reduce recidivism and help aid re-entry efforts." Gibbs said in support of his bill in an X post in March. Clean slate: Hochul signs bill to seal criminal records over time. What happens now? The New York State Legislative Assembly in session in the Assembly Chamber at the New York State Capitol, in Albany, New York, U.S., March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Angus Mordant Around the U.S., the amounts of "gate money" other states give people when they leave prison vary widely but are generally quite low, ranging from nothing at all to $200 in California in a survey of 42 states done by The Marshall Project in 2019. In 2022, California lawmakers proposed hiking their state's amount to $1,300 but Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed their bill. New York's bill would far surpass that proposal. The $25 million cost though modest in a $237 billion state budget will likely arouse opposition. Also clouding its chances are election-year politics for Democratic lawmakers, who have been hammered by Republicans for years for 2019 bail reforms and may be leery of feeding campaign ads about catering to criminals. In addition, it's unclear if the measure could be adopted apart from the budget, which is needed to pay for it. Four advocacy groups are leading Monday's rally. They said last month the funding would "ensure our fellow New Yorkers have the resources to cover their most basic needs such as food, housing, transportation, and job preparation expenses in the months following their release." "This support will not only aid them in stabilizing and moving towards self-sufficiency but has strong potential to reduce recidivism, thereby saving taxpayers money while improving public safety," the joint statement read. One rally organizer is the Center for Employment Opportunities, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that works in 12 states and says it distributed $24 million to more than 10,000 formerly incarcerated people after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. That included $4.3 million in New York, shared by 1,756 people. Some 9,358 people were released from New York prisons last year, according to data from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. State law requires they be transported to the counties where they were convicted or where they've chosen to live. Their "gate money" rose to $200 on May 1, with the state covering any portion inmates don't have in their commissary accounts. The corrections department touted the increase with a social media post saying it moved New York from one of the lowest amounts in the U.S. to one of the highest "therefore providing individuals with additional funds to begin their successful reentry." Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY 'gate money' bill would give ex-inmates $2,550 to help after prison NYC seeks to rein in retail theft with camera program linking businesses to NYPD NYC seeks to rein in retail theft with camera program linking businesses to NYPD NEW YORK (PIX11) New York City is expanding its efforts to rein in retail theft. The city began experimenting with a camera network last year to deter retail crime, and its now ready to expand, according to Mayor Eric Adams. Gov. Hochul proposes major crackdown on organized retail theft The program allows businesses to quickly transmit critical information and video evidence from their security cameras to the NYPD. This tech will allow information to be shared between businesses and the NYPD faster than ever before, Adams said. It will allow us to gather real-time intelligence on retail crimes and apprehend the criminals responsible. New York City ranks in top 10 worst cities for retail theft: study The city partnered with real-time cloud-based crime tracking platform Fusus almost a year ago in Queens, inviting Flushing-based businesses to opt into the network and link their surveillance cameras with the NYPD. Police were able to identify two suspects connected to 15 incidents, who also had ties to a national retail theft operation, according to city officials. Congestion pricing to take center stage during federal court hearing Several other U.S. cities use Fusus as a crime deterrent. The camera program is expanding to 10 precincts beginning in Harlem. Business owners can reach out to their business improvement districts to join. Micro-retail shops thrive in NYC post-pandemic They can also choose how and when authorities can access their cameras, but the effort will also likely bring up privacy concerns. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. 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. NYPD could access shops surveillance cameras in real time under new plan to combat theft It sounds a little like Big Brother, but cops say itll be a big help. The city announced a new program Thursday to combat soaring retail crime and it relies on store owners letting the NYPD tap into their security cameras to gather real-time intelligence. The pilot program will be purely voluntary but those who opt-in to the citys integration platform will be able to directly share information through their existing survelliance system, according to Mayor Eric Adams office. Mayor Adams announced Thursday a new city program that would let the NYPD tap into retail surveillance cameras as long as the business agrees to it. Matthew McDermott The prerequisite to prosperity is public safety, Adams said at a press conference announcing the program, which will cost the city $1.5 million but be free to businesses. Anything that erodes that feeling of safety is going to get in the way and nothing erodes it more than going into your local store, and you have to call someone to unlock the toothpaste, unlock the hair shampoo when I had hair, unlock all of the items that we have. The administration says the direct access to the closed-circuit systems will help cops catch thieves more quickly and offer a new layer of protection for local businesses. New York is saying were not sitting back and throwing up our hands thats a signal of urban surrender, Hizzoner continued. We refuse to surrender to any form of criminality. Were not going to allow shoplifters and organized crime rings to prey on businesses. The move comes as retail theft continues to spike in New York City larceny rose by 51% between 2017 and 2023, according to Chain Store Age, a retail-focused news website. Meanwhile, robberies, grand larceny and petit larceny in the Big Apple jumped by 86% during the same period, the outlet said. Business owners would have to agree to let the NYPD peak through their cameras but some remained wary that cops will check up on everything they do. meepoohyaphoto stock.adobe.com A pair of NYPD officers make their rounds and stop by the Adol store on 42nd Street, which has been robbed several times by criminals. Aristide Economopoulos Adams said the NYPD made 25,480 retail theft arrests last year and about 542 repeat offenders were responsible for a third of them. Were able to identify them early and take them off the street, they do not become a menace to our retail community, Adams said. We cannot keep letting these recidivists back on the streets without consequences. That is our concern. Last June, the mayors office partnered with the NYPD and Fusus, a third-party camera integration platform, on a smaller, free pilot program in the 109th Precinct in Flushing, Queens, the Adams administration said in a statement. About three dozen businesses enrolled meaning New Yorks Finest knew where their cameras were, and could access the footage in real-time feeds, it added. During the first two months, the NYPD traced a citywide burglary spree back to two people allegedly involved in a national retail theft operation, city officials said. They arrested an alleged shoplifter who stole more than $1,000 in merchandise from an eyeglass store, according to officials. This image, released by the US Attorneys Office, shows two robbers charging into a Manhattan jewelry store. U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York When we look at the 109 Precinct, and we look around that Main Street corridor we saw, again, a sharp increase in arrests and a decrease in shoplifting complaints, Chief of Crime Control Strategies Michael Lipetri said at the press conference. Afterward, the NYPD signed a one-year agreement with Fusus, in which the city will spend $1.5 million to expand the program to nine other precincts that were selected because of quality-of-life complaints and crime data, the statement said. This is a home run, Adams said Thursday. The citys $1.5 million price tag will go toward installing about 15,000 cameras over the next year and installing devices in participating stores that will help them connect their security cameras to the NYPD, officials said. Theres no cost for businesses to join the program. Security guards and retail managers told The Post they appreciate the help. Its a good idea because crime is so high, said Rafael Ortiz, a 40-year-old store manager at Home Appliances on East Fordham Road in the Bronx. We have 10 cameras in the store, which deters thieves and robbers, but also we have the evidence if anything is taken, Ortiz told The Post. Theres a lot of stealing and robbing going on. Adams said 542 repeat offenders were responsible for about a third of the citys 25,000 retail theft arrests in 2023. nuruddean stock.adobe.com Shawn Washington, a security guard at jeweler Alex Diamond nearby, agreed with Ortiz. Its a good idea to allow law enforcement better access, Washington, 50, told The Post. CCTV solves a lot of crimes We dont get a lot of crime in this store because Im standing here all day, but the crime around here is insane. But its still only part of the puzzle, he said. Bail reform must also be addressed. This is a stunt to get a story in the newspaper saying Adams is tough on crime, he said. But think about it: If the judicial system isnt going to put people behind bars, then whats the point? Its like sweeping a dirt floor. In the announcement, city officials were careful to say that business owners can choose how and when the NYPD can access their cameras. Many agreed that the program was a good idea especialyl in the wake of armed robberies like this, when gun-wielding robbers busted into a jewelry store in Manhattan in broad daylight last June. U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York But some arent convinced, according to Francisco Mata, president of the NY Bodega and Small Business Association. Ive been trying, but some owners are worried [the police] will be checking everything they do, he told The Post. Some have been willing to. Its a good idea, but its going to take time for people to understand that the government isnt watching everything you do. Others, like Tom Grech of the Queens Chamber Of Commerce, had fewer concerns. Contrary to some peoples perspectives, there are bad actors out there looking to rip people off and hurt small businesses, Grech said. At the end of the day, Im on the side of law enforcement, he continued. The more we can share information among small businesses and the NYPD, the more we can move on from catch and release. If these people are out there and believe they can steal with impunity they will. The only way to get to prosperity is public safety, he went on. Bad actors are running around in areas and doing whatever they please. Businesses interested in participation or seeking further information can visit the NYPDs Fusus pilot program online to sign up. (KRON) Oakland resident Jessica Blazee was charged in connection to an unprovoked attack on an unsuspecting victim in a Potrero Hill corner store, according to San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. Blazee, 26, is accused of hitting a victim on the head multiple times with a pink plastic bag that contained a bottle of Jack Daniels in a corner store on the 2200 block of 23rd Street, according to court documents. Shortly after, Blazee was apprehended by the San Francisco Police Department. Multiple vehicle-crash on I-580 kills at least one early Friday It is random acts of violence like this that negatively impact a feeling of safety in communities, said 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 is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. Blazee was held without bond due to her posing a threat to public safety. According to police, this investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department Tip Line at (415) 575-4444. 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. Ethan Tan, center right, and his roommates stand for a portrait on their front porch in College Station on April 23, 2024. Tan lives in a four-bedroom, four-bath house with six other students and pays around $400 per month in rent. Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune For three years in college, Texas A&M University student Ethan Tan lived in houses near campus with six roommates, each of them paying about $400 a month in rent. Tan, a graduating senior, said that low cost saved him from having to take out more loans and pick up long work shifts, which wouldve barred him from participating in some of the leadership opportunities he took at school. But starting in June, College Station will enforce an occupancy ordinance that prohibits more than four unrelated people from renting a single-family unit together and students in housing arrangements such as Tans will be liable to fines similar to parking tickets. While a version of the rule has already existed in the city for around a century, it had remained largely unenforced. The push for some kind of enforcement started about two years ago amid simmering tensions between A&M students living in single-family units near campus and homeowners in those neighborhoods. The friction not only highlights how college students have increasingly struggled with housing costs but also the challenges cities across Texas face when trying to balance homeowners concerns with the need to provide affordable housing. Fred Dupriest, who lives three blocks from campus and is a leading advocate for the ordinance, said single-family homes should be prioritized for families. He also believes that allowing large groups of students to rent a house together makes it more difficult for families to compete for those same properties. Enforcement of the ordinance could help cool the demand on the single-family units students would have tried to rent, according to A&M real estate and finance professor Jonathan Halket. Left: The backyard door of Tans home stands ajar. The door leads to a driveway where Tan and his roommates park their vehicles at the end of a cul-de-sac. Right: Mopeds line the outside of Tans home. The proximity to campus allows Tan and his roommates to use the mopeds to get to campus Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune Hundreds of A&M students pushed back against the occupancy restriction through petitions and speaking up at City Council meetings. They said the ordinance would increase the financial burden of housing and college in general. The typical rent in the College Station area sat at more than $1,500 a month in April, according to Zillow data some 29% higher than it was the same month in 2019. About 57% percent of renters in the Bryan-College Station region are cost-burdened, according to Harvard Universitys Joint Center for Housing Studies, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. A 2021 report by A&Ms Division of Student Affairs found that more than one third of undergraduate students said they worried about the cost of food and housing during the previous school year. Ultimately, city officials sided with the neighborhood groups. College Stations code enforcement employees will hand out citations if they find evidence that the ordinance is being violated, like seeing more than four cars consistently parked outside a house or following up on complaints from residents, according to College Station City Council Member Bob Yancy, who voted to pass the ordinance changes. Ethan Moss, a junior at A&M who has shared a house with four roommates for the past two years, said students in his position now have to either risk getting fined or seek other housing options that will likely be more expensive or further away from campus. Every side in this debate has a reasonable position, Yancy said. The big picture is the growth of the city of College Station. It's the extreme growth of Texas A&M University, and in my opinion, the fact that student housing at Texas A&M University has not kept up with the growth in student population. Yancy said the city prioritized the neighborhood groups concerns this time but said more housing affordability solutions are needed. Over the past two years, College Station has rezoned over 1,000 single-family properties to allow the development of denser housing stock like duplexes, small apartment complexes and shared housing units where more than four unrelated people can live together. Both supporters and critics of the ordinance agreed that building more high-density housing namely apartment complexes was needed to alleviate the housing burden for both students and families. Jonathan Meer, an economics professor at A&M, referred to noise and street parking concerns as valid reasons for restricting occupancy but predicted that the law would accentuate the need for affordable housing. If you want to reduce rental prices, allow for a lot more high-density, student-oriented housing close to town, he said. This is about as simple of a problem as we have in the public policy sphere these days. Theres not enough housing; build more housing. Homes in a neighborhood off Park Place, near the Texas A&M University campus, in College Station. Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune For a growing number of students at public universities, the primary challenge of paying for college lies in housing and other non-tuition expenses, according to Bryan Cook with the Urban Institute. Housing affordability can pose specific challenges to students, who often arent eligible to apply for federal housing programs or can face discrimination from landowners who might see them as irresponsible renters. Students at other campuses have also rallied around inadequate or unaffordable housing conditions. In UT-Austin, students launched the University Tenants Union in March. We need to start addressing this, said Leanne Davis, a postsecondary education researcher at Education Northwest. Students who are dealing with housing insecurity and trying to complete college are not going to be as upwardly mobile. That's going to affect not just them, it's going to affect their families and their children. They'll still be dealing with us for generations to come. Disclosure: Texas A&M University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. 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. MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) A kayaker was seriously hurt after they were rescued from the Potomac River in Great Falls Park Thursday evening. Crews from the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue System, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department (FCFR) and U.S. Park Police (USPP) responded to two kayakers who were in distress. Fauquier County roads to shut down for overnight pipe work construction Rescue crews were able to find the kayakers in the O-Deck Rapids area. Officials said the pair had gone over the Maryland Falls. They both fell into the water. One kayaker was able to get out of the water and the other was found on the rocks in the middle of the O-Deck rapids, according to officials. FCFR treated one kayaker and released them. A USPP helicopter rescued the other kayaker in a rescue basket, officials said. That kayaker had traumatic injuries and was flown to a trauma center. Officials said the kayak was still stuck in a hydraulic current and crews were not able to recover 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 DC News Now | Washington, DC. SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) Salt Lake County officials revealed a breakthrough that led to the conclusion of a homicide cold case from the 1990s in a press conference Thursday. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced the filing of charges in the 1996 murder of Lisa Redmond. Donald Eugene Younge has been charged with murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated robbery. READ NEXT: Suspect killed, officers injured during arrest in Logan Younge, who was extradited to Utah in 2009, is currently serving 30 years to life in the Utah State Prison for rape. Prior to his extradition, he was being tried on federal allegations of the murder of three sex workers in St. Louis. The federal charges were dismissed due to evidentiary issues. Following his conviction for sexual assault in 2010, he was tried for the murder of Amy Quinton, who was found dead in 1999 at the University of Utah. The case was later dismissed due to evidentiary issues, however, it was dismissed without prejudice allowing for the case to remain open. On December 9, 1996, officials say Redmond left the Pizza Hut near 3100 South 5200 West to deliver pizza to a nearby hotel. She was found deceased shortly after on the roadway with her pizza delivery pickup truck missing. The truck was later found just over a mile away from the crime scene. According to officials, there were signs of a struggle within the vehicle. They say they found blood and shoeprints in the truck, and evidence that she was run over. A photo of Lisa Redmond provided by West Valley City. In March 2019, officials connected DNA and handprints from the scene to Younge. They then interviewed Younge who allegedly denied all the charges initially by saying he was not in the area during that time. However, later detectives learned that he worked on the border of Salt Lake City and West Valley City at the time of the murder. They say Younge told them he used UTA buses at the time and detectives located two bus stops near the Pizza Hut where Redmond worked. Gill said knowing Younge was in prison allowed them to take more time to be confident in the evidence they collected. Detectives have worked long and diligently so that this case could be solved, said West Valley City Chief of Police Colleen Jacobs. Justice for Lisa and her family has been a long time 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 ABC4 Utah. Ohio AG Yost is prosecuting others in utility scandal, but he wont discuss his own involvement Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. (Photo by Morgan Trau, WEWS.) Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost this year brought criminal charges against four figures who were involved in the biggest bribery scandal in state history. Many thought they were long overdue. Thats especially true of cases filed against men accused of funding the conspiracy, but who still hadnt been charged by federal prosecutors four years after the last of the alleged wrongdoing took place and almost a year after two others began lengthy prison sentences. But Yosts own name came up several times in the federal trial and his office last week again ignored detailed questions about the matter. The attorney general played an important role in the defeat of an attempted repeal of the corrupt bailout. And there were claims that he believed that the bailout was a bad law, but kept his mouth shut out of loyalty to one of the conspirators and to the laws major beneficiary. The issue is politically fraught for Yost because the state charges he filed this year have raised new questions about Lt. Gov. Jon Husteds involvement in the scandal. Yost and Husted are widely expected to face each other in the 2026 race to be Ohios Republican nominee for governor. New charges Former House Speaker Larry Householder, R-Glenford, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison last June for his role in a scheme in which Akron-based FirstEnergy paid more than $60 million to make him speaker in 2018 and to pass and protect a $1.3 billion ratepayer bailout the following year. Its one of the biggest scandals in Ohio history, and so far it has also sent former GOP Chairman Matt Borges to prison for five years, resulted in two more guilty pleas and seen two defendants die by suicide. But U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker sidestepped a pretty important question last June when he stood in front of the federal courthouse in Cincinnati and boasted to the press about the convictions and sentences his assistants had just won. He was asked, what about the people who paid the bribes? Would they be charged? If so, when? All Parker would say was that the investigation was ongoing. In December, his team indicted Sam Randazzo, Gov. Mike DeWines nominee to be Ohios top utility regulator. In a deferred prosecution agreement, FirstEnergy said it paid Randazzo a $4.3 million bribe just before he became regulator. From that post, he did a number of lucrative favors for the company related to the bailout and he improperly helped with other matters as well, according to the indictment. But still uncharged by the feds are former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and Vice President Michael Dowling, the executives alleged to have directed truckloads of company money into 501(c)(4) dark money groups that financed the scandal. In February, a team of state prosecutors led by Yost stepped into the void by securing a grand jury indictment against Jones, Dowling and Randazzo. The charges relate to the bailout scandal, and also to a decades worth of shady dealings that allegedly paid Randazzo more than $10 million and ripped off industrial energy users and residential customers alike. In April, Randazzo died by suicide. Other questions The state indictment also raised new questions about the cozy relationships between the DeWine/Husted administration, FirstEnergy and Randazzo. Weeks before they were inaugurated, DeWine and Husted had dinner in downtown Columbus with Jones and Dowling FirstEnergys top leadership and discussed whether Randazzo would be acceptable to regulate the company. Jones and Dowling then drove about a mile to Randazzos German Village residence and negotiated the $4.3 million payoff, according to text messages that are being used in multiple court proceedings. The state indictment alleges that DeWines chief of staff, Laurel Dawson, knew about the payoff before the governor appointed Randazzo to chair the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. But Dawson whose husband was a FirstEnergy lobbyist who allegedly received a $10,000 loan from Randazzo isnt talking publicly about what she knew or what she told her boss. DeWine also continues to stand behind his former governmental affairs director, Dan McCarthy, who lobbied the legislature on DeWines behalf to pass the bailout law. Just before taking that job, McCarthy, too, was a FirstEnergy lobbyist a job in which he set up a dark-money group that became a conduit for tens of millions in funding for the scandal. In last years trial, the prosecution presented evidence that FirstEnergy VP Dowling in 2019 ordered a subordinate to keep the then-DeWine aides name off of a $10 million infusion into the corrupt bailout even after being told that it would violate IRS rules to do so. DeWine and his staff havent explained what McCarthy and Dawson knew about the corrupt machinations as the bailout law was in the works or when DeWine signed it mere hours after its passage. DeWine, Husted and their administration also havent explained what they knew about the long, shady relationship between Randazzo and FirstEnergy described in the state indictment. The governors spokesman has tried to suggest that it was common knowledge, but extensive evidence shows that Randazzo and FirstEnergy went to great lengths to conceal it. DeWine also has said he didnt know about millions in dark money contributions FirstEnergy made in 2018 to support his gubernatorial bid. But a University of Cincinnati political scientist said its simply not believable that a company would make that kind of an expenditure and not make sure the beneficiary knew about it. That seems especially true for a company that subsequently admitted that it paid millions more in outright bribes. For his part, Husted wont comment on the $1 million in dark money FirstEnergy spent supporting his 2018 bid for governor, or whether he promoted Randazzo for the regulatory job when he dropped his bid and joined DeWines ticket. The two had history. As House speaker in 2007, Husted appointed Randazzo to the PUCO Nominating Council a position he held until DeWine nominated him to chair the agency. Questions for the Attorney General Husted and Yost, the attorney general, are widely regarded as the frontrunners for the 2026 GOP gubernatorial nomination in a state that hasnt elected a Democrat to that job since 2006. There hasnt been any suggestion that Yost brought charges in the bailout scandal as a way of embarrassing his likely opponent. But at the same time, Yosts office has avoided questions about his own involvement in the bailout controversy. According to text messages presented at last years federal court trial, Yost was drawn into the fight at a critical time. The bailout passed the Householder-run House at the end of May 2019, but a month later, opposition was growing in the state Senate. Borges, the former GOP chair who had run some of Yosts political campaigns, had a June 26, 2019 text conversation with Juan Cespedes, who was also being paid to push the corrupt bailout law. Borges intimated that Yost believed that the law was a bad one. The AG would be out front (in opposition) if not for (FirstEnergy) support and your involvement, Borges quoted Yost as saying. A spokesperson for Yost declined to comment at the time, citing the fact that hed been subpoenaed in the case. Regardless of the AGs view, so many people agreed that the bailout was a horrible law that an effort to undertake the cumbersome repeal process was getting underway even before it passed. Borges noted to Cespedes that Yost would have to give his approval before a repeal could get on the ballot. The AG would try to help them there, too, Borges said. If theres any way the law will allow him to reject the language, he will do it, Borges texted. Regardless of why, Yost ended up doing just that. Crucial lost time DeWine signed the bailout, House Bill 6, the day the Senate passed it July 23, 2019. Six days later, repeal advocates had gathered 1,000 signatures from registered voters and submitted a summary of the repeal to Yost for his approval. Time was of the essence because under Ohio law, repeal advocates had to gather another 265,000 voters signatures within 90 days of the laws passage to get it on the ballot. But first they had to wait for Yost to approve the ballot summary. The attorney general waited the full 10 days allotted him and then issued a rejection letter that seems at odds with any concept of summary. It was a six-page, 1,535-word document that picked apart the summary in excruciating detail. He listed a lot of different things, said Rachael Belz, CEO of Ohio Citizen Action, which was strongly opposed to the bailout. It seemed like a lot to overcome. It didnt seem very neutral. The repeal was a referendum the only one for which Yost has considered summary language since hes been attorney general. Of the 26 other summaries hes rejected, the vast majority were for proposed constitutional amendments and the rest were for initiated statutes. His rejection of the summary for the bailout repeal stands out for its length. Its more than twice as long as his other rejections are on average, according to information available on the attorney generals website. In the event, Yosts initial rejection did heavy damage to the repeal effort. Proponents on Aug. 16, 2019 submitted a new summary, which Yost certified on Aug. 29, 2019. But by that time, the repeal team had only 54 days left of the original 90 to gather and submit more than a quarter-million valid signatures. Their time to complete the gargantuan task was cut almost in half, in other words. What followed was a lying, xenophobic and sometimes-violent campaign to defeat the repeal into which FirstEnergy plowed $36 million in dark money. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the repeal couldnt get enough signatures and parts of the corrupt bailout law are still on the books. Yosts office didnt respond to questions about his role in the repeal or Borges statements that were presented at the former political bosss criminal trial. But for Belz of Citizen Action, theres plenty of blame to spread among Ohios statewide leaders. I dont think Yosts hands are clean, she said. I dont think Husteds hands are clean. I dont think DeWines hands are clean. I dont know whose hands are clean. Frankly, thatd be a shorter list. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Ohio AG Yost is prosecuting others in utility scandal, but he wont discuss his own involvement appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. Getty Images. Two Republican lawmakers are trying to strengthen an existing Ohio law by requiring instead of just allowing school districts to create a policy letting students to be excused from school to go to released time religious instruction. State Reps. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, and Gary Click, R-Vickery, recently introduced House Bill 445 and it has had one hearing so far in the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee. The correlation between religious instruction, schools, and good government are embedded in our constitution, Click said in his written testimony. You will notice that HB 445 does not establish which religion but merely acknowledges the opportunity for religious instruction. This opportunity is open to all faiths. May vs. shall Ohio law currently permits school district boards of education to make a policy to let students go to a released time course in religious instruction. HB 445 would require school districts to create a policy and changing the wording of the existing law in the Ohio Revised Code from may to shall. While many schools have taken advantage of the permissive language of the law, some school boards have been less accommodating, Click said. Regardless of their intentions, their failure to implement a sound policy in this matter results in a denial of both the students and parents constitutional right to the free exercise of religion. Cutrona agreed with his co-sponsor. Words have meanings and they really do matter, he said. So the difference between a little word like may versus shall can make all the difference in the world. Released time religious instruction must meet three criteria which would remain the same under the bill: the courses must take place off school property, be privately funded, and students must have parental permission. The United States Supreme Court upheld released time laws during the 1952 Zorach v. Clauson case which allowed a school district to have students leave school for part of the day to receive religious instruction. State Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur, R-Ashtabula, questioned why this bill is needed if the law is already in place. My experience has been that if the federal law requires it, school districts are usually very hesitant to violate federal law or federal practice, she said during a recent committee hearing. Ive just wondered why you want to see that change also in the state law if its already required in practice. Click said he knows nearly a dozen school districts that have denied religious instruction programs like LifeWise Academy, an Ohio-based religious instruction program that teaches the Bible. I believe that when we clarify this language, it will make a more broad statement that this is not only constitutional and legal, but it is something that needs to be done in the state of Ohio to accommodate parents and their children, Click said. LifeWise Academy Click mentioned LifeWise Academy in his testimony. (LifeWise founder) Joel Penton began to organize and create an efficient model that provided training for instructors, character-based bible curriculum, and a platform that is reliable and reputable for participating schools, Click said. While this opportunity is not limited to LifeWise, they have formulated the model program for release time for religious instruction. LifeWise was founded in 2018, launched in two Ohio school districts in 2019 and today enrolls nearly 30,000 students across more than 12 states. The program will be in more than 170 Ohio school districts by next school year more than a quarter of the states school districts. LifeWise, which is non-denominational, supports the bill. It gives parents the freedom to choose character-based religious instruction for their children during the school day, in accordance with Supreme Court rulings, Penton, the founder of LifeWise, said in a statement. However, there has been pushback to LifeWise. Freedom From Religion Foundation Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence wrote a letter to more than 600 Ohio school districts urging them not to allow LifeWise from taking place in their district. Per its own words, LifeWises goal is clear: they seek to indoctrinate and convert public school students to evangelical Christianity by convincing public school districts to partner with them in bringing LifeWise released time bible classes to public school communities, Lawrence said. Online petitions against LifeWise have also sprung up before the program comes to a school district. Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on X. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Ohio bill would require school districts to create released time for religious instruction appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. For several days now, the Internet has been buzzing about the possible separation of Hollywood stars Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck two years after their grand reunion. The gossip was sparked by the actress herself when she was looking for a new home in the middle of the day. ADVERTISIMENT The theory of the couple's breakup was confirmed by both anonymous sources cited by the world media and the stars themselves, although they may not have planned to do so. OBOZ.UA will tell you what is known today. Recently, J.Lo was spotted in Beverly Hills without her husband, but, as it is assumed, with a realtor. Rumors spread in the media that the actress was looking for a new home. This seemed strange to fans because only recently the stars had purchased a luxurious dream estate. Later, Lopez was seen near unoccupied houses again. "They're headed for a divorce, and this time it's not Ben's fault. Ben has already moved out, and they will most likely have to sell the dream house they spent two years looking for. They will never stop loving each other, but she can't control him and he can't change her. It's impossible for this to last," an unnamed insider told In Touch. ADVERTISIMENT However, the stars have not yet officially commented on possible problems in their marriage. Instead, they hinted at it in other ways. For example, users noticed that J.Lo left a like under the psychologist's post, which read, "You can't build a relationship with someone who is disconnected from themselves." In addition, the stars have not been seen together for a long time. The artist was seen alone even at Met Gala, although the couple used to attend social events together. ADVERTISIMENT Notably, Ben was also seen without his wife, and he was, strangely, smiling. The actors met in 2002 and immediately started a whirlwind romance, appearing in magazines and tabloids every week. They planned to have a luxurious wedding in 2004, but the day before the date was set, they announced that the celebration was postponed. Later, the actors parted ways without scandal or mutual accusations, claiming that they were just in a hurry and were not prepared for the paparazzi's scrutiny. They went on to have crucial years in their lives: new relationships, the birth of children, and the peak of their careers. However, in 2021, the media was shocked by the unexpected news of the couple's reunion. The lovers secretly got married in Las Vegas, and they did not ignore their friends, so in August they celebrated their wedding at the actor's mansion in Riceboro, Georgia, for the second time. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Okla. Mom Texted Son that Dinner Was Ready. Minutes Later, He Allegedly Killed Her, Father and Sister: Police Jacob Mayhugh, 22, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder Go Fund Me (2); Shayla Mayhugh/Facebook From left: Patty, James and Shayla Mayhugh A man was arrested and charged after authorities allege he fatally shot his parents and sister inside an Oklahoma home. On Tuesday, May 14, Jacob Mayhugh, 22, was taken into custody by members of the U.S. Marshals Service and Oklahoma City Police Department after a warrant was issued for his arrest on three counts of first-degree murder, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. According to the statement, officers responded to a home in Chickasha, Okla., where two women and a man were found dead of gunshot wounds around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11. Jacob was initially considered a person of interest before being deemed a suspect. The victims have since been identified as Jacobs parents, James and Patty Mayhugh, along with his sister, Shayla Mayhugh, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by local stations KOCO-TV, KFOR, KOKH-TV. The affidavit states that the day before the shooting Jacob left his girlfriends home, telling her he was going to eat pizza at his parents house, KOCO-TV reports. Phone records show Patty texted Jacob that dinner was ready shortly after, according to the affidavit. Additionally, officers found a rifle with a serial number that matched one Jacob bought on April 25 and spent shell casings at the scene, the affidavit alleges, per KOCO-TV. According to KFOR, the affidavit alleges Jacob confessed to the murder while being questioned by investigators on May 14. Its unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf. A local resident told KOCO-TV the victims were well known in the community. Everybody knows who they are, Jeni Richardson told the outlet. They were really engrained [sic] into the community, as far as I know, for forever. They were some of the sweetest people. 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. A GoFundMe campaign has since been created by a relative of the victims in hopes of raising funds to cover funeral expenses. "My family is going through an unimaginable tragedy," Brandon Burnett wrote "My cousin, Shayla, and her parents, my Aunt Patty and Uncle James, are gone and we are still asking ourselves, 'is this real?'" The fundraiser has garnered more than $3,700 as of Friday, May 17. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Some of the oldest stars in the universe found hiding near the Milky Way's edge and they may not be alone Three alien stars circling the Milky Way could be some of the oldest ever found in the universe , a new study reveals. The ancient celestial objects may have been among the first to form after the Big Bang and were likely stolen by our galaxy during gravitational tugs-of-war billions of years ago. In the study, published May 14 in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , researchers reanalyzed three previously observed stars each located around 30,000 light-years from Earth in the Milky Way's halo a massive cloud of stars that orbit beyond our galaxy's main galactic disk. The basic chemical composition of these stars suggests they are all between 12 and 13 billion years old, making them almost as old as the universe itself, which formed around 13.8 billion years ago. The trio's respective trajectories through the Milky Way also hint that these stars did not originate in our galaxy but were instead stolen from the periphery of some of the universe's oldest galaxies as the Milky Way brushed past them billions of years ago. The ancient balls of gas, which researchers have dubbed Small Accreted Stellar System (SASS) stars, are "part of our cosmic family tree," study senior author Anna Frebel , a stellar astrophysicist at MIT, said in a statement . Normally, stars this old can only be studied by spying on galaxies from the other side of the known universe or by reverse-engineering ancient stars from their descendants . However, the discovery of ancient stars on our cosmic doorstep gives scientists a rare opportunity to study them directly and researchers are now confident there are more stars like these toward our galaxy's edge. Related: The James Webb telescope may have found some of the very 1st stars in the universe A radio telescope in front of a stary night sky The new discovery came about from an MIT class taught by Frebel. Students were encouraged to look through historical data collected by Frebel using the Magellan-Clay Telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile to analyze the chemical composition of stars. This revealed the stellar trio, which each had an unusually low abundance of heavy metals such as iron, strontium and barium in its atmosphere. For example, one of the stars had around 10,000 times less iron than the sun. These heavy metals are forged over eons in the heart of stars, and are also found in the exteriors of younger stars, which suck up ingredients that were dispersed by exploding dead stars. The fact that this trio has few heavy metals, means they were formed before most other stars had exploded. The stars' compositions hinted that they did not originate in the Milky Way. But to confirm this, the students traced the orbital trajectories of the three stars and found that they all had a retrograde motion, meaning they are circling our galaxy's supermassive black hole in the opposite direction from a majority of the other stars. related stories Scientists find one of the oldest stars in the universe in a galaxy right next to ours Oldest radio-wave explosion ever found could be used to weigh the universe, astronomers say Universe's oldest X-ray-spitting quasar could reveal how the biggest black holes were born "The only way you can have stars going the wrong way from the rest of the gang is if you threw them in the wrong way," Frebel said, meaning that these stars were likely ripped from other galaxies by the Milky Way. Based on the stars' compositions, researchers also believe that each star was ripped from a different galaxy. In a brief follow-up exercise, Frebel identified another 65 retrograde stars with similarly simple compositions. These stars will now be studied further to determine if they are also SASS stars. The headline in this weeks Fortune reads: Billionaire investor Ray Dalio warns U.S. is on the brink and estimates a more than 1 in 3 chance of civil war. Billionaires and civil war? A billionaire-funded Supreme Court justice flew the American flag upside down outside his house after January 6 in apparent support of Donald Trumps attempt to overthrow our government. Americans for Tax Fairness reports that 50 billionaire families have, at this early stage, already injected almost a billion dollars into our political systemthe overwhelming majority of it going to Republicans and in support of Donald Trumpin an effort to maintain enough control of our political system that their taxes wont go up. And that total is just whats reported: It doesnt count the billions in unknowable dark money thats sloshing around the system thanks to Citizens United. The number one movie in America last month was Civil War. Right-wing militias are on the march. More than half of Republicans say they are expecting a civil war. How did we get here? And what does oligarchy have to do with civil war? The clear result of five corrupt Republicans on the 1978 and 2010 Supreme Courts legalizing political bribery of politicians (and Supreme Court justices) by both corporations and the morbidly rich is that America is now well past the halfway mark of a fatal-to-democracy slide into oligarchy and the strongman autocracy typically associated with itand the conflict that can follow. You can see the consequence in any contemporary survey. The majority of people want thingsfrom a strengthened social safety net to a cleaner, safer environment to quality, free educationthat Congress refuses to do anything about because it is in thrall to great wealth. For example, just last week, Donald Trump solicited a $1 billion bribe from a group of fossil fuel executives in exchange for undoing all of President Bidens climate regulations. In a testament to how todays form of transactional oligarchy has become normalized in America, the only national television news organization that reported this shocking story was MSNBC; every other news outlet thought it was entirely normal for an American politician to have their hand out in exchange for legislative or policy changes. What we are watching is the final stage of the 40-year neoliberal transition of our nation from a forward-looking and still-evolving democratic republic into a white supremacist ethnostate ruled by a small group of fascist oligarchs. Some years ago, Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore (before he was Trumps adviser) was a guest on my radio/TV program. I asked him, Which is more important, democracy or capitalism? Without hesitation, Moore answered, Capitalism. He went on to imply this was how the Founders wanted things. Oligarchies are inherently unstable forms of government because they transfer resources and power from working people to the oligarchs. Average people, seeing that theyre constantly falling behind and cant do anything about it, first become cynical and disengage, and when things get bad enough, they try to revolt. That revolution can either lead to the oligarchy failing and the nation flipping back to democracy, as happened here in the 1860s and the 1930s, or it can flip into full-blown strongman tyranny, as happened recently in Hungary, Turkey, and Russia and nearly happened here on January 6, 2021. To the end of cementing their own oligarchy here, the billionaires who own the GOP are now actively promoting the same sort of revisionist history the Confederacy did, claiming that the Founders were all rich guys who hated taxes, wanted rich men to rule America, and wrote the Constitution to make that happen. It was a story popular in the South leading up to the Civil War, now part of the lost cause mythology. While there were some in America among the Founders and Framers who had amassed great land holdings and what was perceived then as a patrician lifestyle, Pulitzer Prizewinning author Bernard Bailyn suggests in his brilliant 2003 book, To Begin the World Anew: The Genius and Ambiguities of the American Founders, that they couldnt hold a candle, in terms of wealth, to the true aristocrats of England. With page after page of photographs and old paintings of the homes of the Founders and Framers, Bailyn shows that none of those who created this nation were rich by European standards. As Kevin Phillips describes in his masterpiece book Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich: George Washington, one of the richest Americans, was no more than a wealthy squire in British terms. Phillips documents that it wasnt until the 1790sa generation after the War of Independencethat the first American accumulated a fortune that would be worth one million of todays dollars. No matter how hard Republicans try to reinvent the Founders and Framers of this nation in the image of their libertarian billionaire patrons, and no matter how imperfect and even brutal their time was, the simple reality is that in 1770s America, this nations Founders undertook American historys first truly great progressive experiment. And they all put their lives on the line to do it: When they signed their names on the Declaration of Independence, a death warrant was issued against each one of them by the largest and most powerful empire in the world. And then, four generations later, we backslid. The only other time in American history when an entire region of America was converted from a democracy into an oligarchy was the 18301860 era in the South. Its why Republicans are so fond of the Confederate flag and Civil War memorial monuments. The invention of the Cotton Gin made a few hundred families of Southern planters richer than Midas; they seized political control of the region and then destroyed democracy in those states. Even white men who dared stand up to them were imprisoned or lynched, ballot boxes were stuffed, and social mobility came to a standstill. By the 1840s, the South had become a full-blown police state, much like Trump and his acolytes would like America to become in the near future. Offended and worried by the democratic example of the Northern states, the Confederacy declared war on the United States itself with the goal of ending democracy in America altogether. Almost 700,000 people died defending our form of government. And now, for a second time in American history, were confronted with a near-complete takeover of about half of our nation by Americas oligarchs. And with it has come not just the threat of political violence but the reality, from the death of Heather Heyer to the George Floyd protests to January 6 and the assault on Paul Pelosi. All driven by oligarchs determined to pit us against each other so we wont recognize how theyre robbing us blind. Unless and until our tax laws are changed and the Supreme Courts legalization of political bribery is reversed, well continue this disintegrative slide into fascism and the danger of domestic armed conflict. This fall well have the opportunity to elect politicians who actively oppose oligarchy and fascism while embracing the true spirit of American egalitarianism. On the one-year anniversary of NCs 12-week abortion ban, women ready for November Janice Robinson, North Carolina Director at Red Wine & Blue, shares her personal story of abortion. (Photo: Clayton Henkel) It is rare that women who have had an abortion are willing to share their story, much less step into the spotlight and open up about personal, reproductive decisions. But on Thursday, Janice Robinson and Iliana Santillan stood outside the North Carolina General Assembly to recount their own medical realities and voice concerns about additional restrictions to reproductive healthcare. Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the passage of Senate Bill 20, legislation that banned abortions in North Carolina after 12 weeks. Robinson said in 1975, when she was just 15 years old, she endured a back-alley abortion when she was growing up in rural South Carolina. Roe v. Wade had been decided two years earlier, but her mother didnt know the U.S. Supreme Court had decided women had a fundamental right to access a safe, legal abortion. Robinson said after the procedure she went home and lost so much blood from the complications that she passed out. Youre probably thinking next that I was taken to the hospital. No, I was not. My mother nursed me back to health in our home. Robinson said she shares that nightmare decades after the fact because she wants people to realize the same horrors could await women and girls who do not have access to safe abortion care, if they choose or need that option. They risk being in a similar situation or worse without this care, Robinson said. Iliana Santillan speaks at a podium Santillan said her own journey with abortion started when she was 19 years old. She was in a toxic, chaotic relationship and was using birth-control when she missed her period. I was able to access the care I needed without judgment or unnecessary hurdles with the support of a trusted friend. I made the decision that was right for me, but not everyone else is as fortunate, Santillan said. Santillan said that in North Carolina, SB 20 stands as a stark and looming reminder of the relentless attacks on reproductive healthcare. Let me be clear, our bodies are not up for debate, she said. The decisions we make about our reproductive health are deeply personal and should be respected as such. Santillan and Robinson were joined at Thursdays press conference by leading abortion rights advocates and Democratic members of the North Carolina House and Senate, who voiced concerns about the possibility of further restrictions on abortion if Republicans maintain their supermajority in the legislature in 2025. Rep. Julie von Haefen (D-Wake) said when Senate Bill 20 came before her chamber for a vote, she worried that it would have a dangerous ripple effect throughout North Carolinas health care system. Patients have received substandard care for miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and other treatments because of the uncertainty created by restrictive laws like this, she said. Von Haefen said a pregnant patient in Roxboro was turned away at Person Memorial Hospitals emergency room after reporting stomach pain. The staff failed to tell her how risky it could be for her to depart without being stabilized, according to investigators, said Rep. von Haefen, reading from a news article about the incident. The woman gave birth while traveling to another hospital 45 minutes away and her baby did not survive, according to reporting by the Associated Press. Von Haefen said hospital staff and medical providers are confused about the current state of North Carolinas law. Senator Lisa Grafstein Abortion bans create a culture of fear that keeps doctors from providing the standard of care that they were trained to provide. Senator Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) said the 12-week abortion ban passed in 2023 is far from the end of the story. Contraception and IVF are also under attack. 195 Republicans in Congress voted against protecting access to contraception. In North Carolina, I introduced the bill last year as did Representative von Haefen to protect access to contraception. And we could not get a single Republican to sign on to that bill, said Grafstein. Democrats have also filed a bill to protect IVF and provide that a fertilized egg is not a human being. No Republicans have signed on. On Wednesday, Senator Rachel Hunt, who is running for lieutenant governor, filed a bill that would place the right to access abortion, contraception and fertility treatment on the ballot in November with a constitutional amendment. Senator rachel Hunt speaks while surrounded by supporters That measure has also attracted no Republican support. Senator Natalie Murdock (D-Durham) said health outcomes are only getting worse due to North Carolinas 12-week abortion ban. We know Black women in the United States are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications compared to white women, said Murdock. And Black womens concerns and pain are far more likely to be dismissed and ignored. Murdock said the combination of a Donald Trump presidency and Mark Robinson as North Carolinas next governor would ensure a complete and total abortion ban in North Carolina and nationwide. Not on our watch, she said. The abortion rights group Planned Parenthood announced earlier this spring that it will spend $10 million on North Carolinas elections this year. Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, has previously said he would like to see a heartbeat bill proposed in the legislature and would support a six-week abortion ban as the states next goal. The 2024 elections truly are shaping up as a contest between a small number of extremists who want to control our bodies, and the freedoms that weve all come to take for granted in our country but are now under attack, Sen. Grafstein said. The post On the one-year anniversary of NCs 12-week abortion ban, women ready for November appeared first on NC Newsline. DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) The ribbon was cut on a new dispensary in Central Illinois, and this one is one of a kind. Seven Point just opened down the road from the Golden Nugget Casino in Danville. Its casting a wide net of possible clientele. The store also sells vinyl records and art. They see possible advantages in how this new business can help the economy. They also say it might just be a solution to currently underfunded programs in town. Danville launches grant program to bring art downtown We appreciate the investment you guys made and thank you very much for doing business here, said Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. Any new business is a reason to celebrate in Danville, and this one has a lot of buzz. Williams wasnt going to miss the grand opening. His office has seen its share of tough economic news lately, with hundreds of layoffs at Quaker coming in June. This was a bright spot. The more businesses that we can have on a smaller level, it helps diversify your economy, he said. Then, God forbid you have something like a Quaker, it doesnt impact you as much if you have a diversity of business. $250K coming to disadvantaged small businesses in Danville Williams said the shop wont only add jobs. It will boost the economy in other ways, too. Every bit of the money that we receive from the cannabis tax goes to make supplemental payments to our police and fire pensions, which are underfunded. And so. our hope is that will help us pay down our shortfall a lot faster. Vermilion Advantage provided technical assistance to get Seven Point up and running. President Mike Marron thinks this is a high-potential investment. I think its important, especially given recent news in this community that we are bringing in any business that we can, Marron said. To bring jobs, bring revenue, bring tax revenue, bring commerce to our area especially a business like this brings in a lot of outside commerce, a lot of outside revenue, which is critically needed in our community. The grand opening had local food vendors out. The stores owner said he wants to continue working with Danville-based businesses. 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. One at-large Columbus drug trafficking suspect found, but one still missing One at-large Columbus drug trafficking suspect found, but one still missing COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) One of six people arrested and indicted on felony drug and human trafficking charges is scheduled to appear in court Friday. Roxy Porter will face a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge Friday afternoon on multiple charges in connection to a Linden-area drug ring accused of trafficking, prostitution, and money laundering, among others. Porter, 35, was one of two suspects that were not in custody after four suspects were detained on April 25. She was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of drug trafficking and drug possession, engaging in corrupt activity, having weapons under disability and money laundering. Porter and Deanna Munday, 30, were at large as of May 7, according to the office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. But as of Friday, only Munday didnt appear on the jail roster with the Franklin County Sheriffs Office. She faces similar charges, plus one extra count each of drug trafficking and drug possession. Courtesy Photo/Ohio Attorney General Dave Yosts office During the investigation, the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force seized suspected narcotics and five firearms during a search warrant in April. The four suspects originally arrested face numerous charges, including: Timotheus Graham, 38: Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (1), trafficking in persons (3), compelling prostitution (3), promoting prostitution (3), trafficking and possession of fentanyl-related compound (4), cocaine trafficking and possession (4), aggravated drug trafficking and drug possession (2), money laundering (1), and having weapons under disability (5) Jessica Lyles, 33: Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (1), compelling prostitution (1), money laundering (1), and promoting prostitution (1) Sandra Carroll, 59: Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (1) and permitting drug abuse (2) Mynika Winters, 30: Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (1) and permitting drug use (1) Graham, Carroll and Lyles were both arraigned in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Graham received a $1 million bond, Carroll a $100,000 bond and Lyles a $50,000 bond. Winters arraignment date has not yet been set. 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. Officials with Georgia State University say 1,500 prospective students with incomplete applications received a communication last week intended for accepted students. The Admissions department sent a retraction communication, GSU said in a statement Thursday. We also have encouraged the students to finish their applications so they can be considered for admission. Georgia State officials didnt say what led to the error. Channel 2 Action News reported a California high school student who received the notice thought shed been accepted to GSU. She was disappointed after receiving another message from the university correcting the mistake, Channel 2 reported. GSU said the students application is still being processed. In 2018, GSU made a similar error when 1,330 graduate school applicants received messages leading them to believe they were accepted, after initially receiving notices saying they hadnt been. At the time, the university said the employee who made the error was being retrained and that officials were reviewing the system it uses to notify applicants to avoid repeating mistakes. OPELIKA, Ala. (WRBL) An east Alabama man is facing allegations of possession of child pornography, referred to as child sexual abuse material, after the Lee County Sheriffs Office served a search warrant inside an Opelika home. On May 16th, 2024, the Lee County investigators received information about possible voyeurism and Child Pornography. Lee County Investigators obtained enough evidence to generate a search warrant for a residence in the 700 block of Rosalind Street in Opelika. The search warrant was executed at approximately 4:00 PM on May 16th, 2024, where Robert Cameron Hansbargar, 37, from Opelika, was taken into custody. Investigators say multiple electronic devices, including a cell phone, were recovered from the residence. Investigators allege they located multiple images from Hansbargars phone depicting juvenile females who appear to be under the age of 18. Hansbargar was arrested and charged with ten counts of alleged Possession of Child Pornography. He is being held in the Lee County Jail on a $100,000.00 bond. Additional charges are expected. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Lee County Sheriffs Office at 334-749-5651 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867). 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. For the first time in a long time, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has been credited with a new romance. The star takes gossip very seriously, so it's hard to see her out and about with anyone but her children, but the paparazzi managed to capture the two-time Oscar winner on a date in Germany. ADVERTISIMENT She flew to the capital of the country, Berlin, incognito, writes the local edition of Bild. It was they who noticed the actress in the company of German movie star August Diehl, a fan of Russian culture. According to journalists, the actors had dinner at an Indian restaurant and then went for a walk around the city. Jolie was wearing sunglasses, which made the image of the world-famous star a little more mysterious. It is known that the American actress and her German colleague met at least 16 years ago. It happened on the set of Inglourious Basterds. Two years later, they met again, getting roles in the movie Salt, where they played a married couple. ADVERTISIMENT "It's a great story. A bit like a movie, but with an open ending. Friendship and love for the same things. In any case, there are a lot of emotions here," the journalists mysteriously described the meeting of old friends. Fans of the actress have already attributed an affair to them because Jolie's visit to Berlin was not announced. It is assumed that the star flew to Germany to visit August not only because she wanted to spend the evening in the company of a friend. August Diehl was married for 17 years to actress Yulia Malik, whom he divorced in 2016. They have two children growing up. By the way, in the early 00s, the actor performed in Russia, where he learned a little bit of the language. ADVERTISIMENT And now he is working with the Russians. Diehl played the lead role in the movie The Master and Margarita, which was released in 2024. Recall that from 2005 to 2019, Jolie was in love with Brad Pitt, with whom she raised 6 children. After that, the media mostly discussed their problematic divorce, which is still ongoing. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! The opening of the airport in Lviv opens up new opportunities for foreign investors and foreign tourists. Source: Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of Lviv Oblast Military Administration, during the National Tourism Summit in Lviv on Friday, reported by Interfax-Ukraine Details: "Many thanks to the Ukrainian tourism sector for their faith in the state and for continuing investments. We believe that after our victory, Lviv and Ukraine will be one of the main tourist destinations (attractive geographical areas) on the map of Europe," Kozytskyi said. He stressed that it is important for the oblast military administration to open the airport. "At every international meeting, we emphasise that the opening of the airport means, on the one hand, closing the skies over Ukraine. On the other hand, it is a huge opportunity for a foreign investor and a foreign tourist to see Ukraine. It is an opportunity for people to travel and it is an opportunity to understand that the distance, for example, from Lviv to London is almost the same as the distance from Lviv to Donetsk," he said. At the same time, Kozytskyi voiced a number of challenges that the tourism industry must address. "One of the main challenges is accessibility. The tourism industry must be ready to provide services to people with certain characteristics, including people with disabilities. And they must be ready to accept them and their families," he stressed. Support UP or become our patron! Then-President Donald Trump and then-presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden exchange points during their first presidential debate at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 29, 2020. | Morry Gash What good is a live audience at a debate? On Oct. 5, 1988, Lloyd Bentsen, then a senator from Texas, launched a zinger at Dan Quayle, a senator from Indiana, during a televised debate between candidates for vice president. Quayle, a Republican, had just made the point that he had as much congressional experience as former President John F. Kennedy had before moving to the White House. Bentsen responded: Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, youre no Jack Kennedy. Many in the audience at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska, broke into prolonged and enthusiastic applause. But imagine Bentsens famous line without any crowd present. No applause; no energy from supporters. Just an irrelevant rejoinder (Quayle was comparing length of service, after all, not accomplishments) tossed into an empty hall. Would we remember it? Was it really that important for informing voters decisions about the most important political office in the nation? Utahns are understandably disappointed that the Commission on Presidential Debates scheduled event for the University of Utah on Oct. 9 is most likely not going to happen. Presidential debates may have been altered forever when the two main candidates came up with their own schedule, and likely not in a good way. With one exception, that is. It appears both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to debate with no audience present. Heres an even better idea: Turn the candidates microphones off when it is not their turn to speak. (This is actually being discussed.) And heres an even better one than that: Place the candidates in separate studios. There is precedent for that last one. The third debate between Kennedy and Richard Nixon, on Oct. 9, 1960, was conducted with Nixon in Los Angeles and Kennedy in New York. But then, the debates in 1960 were conducted with a sense of decorum, seriousness and overall adult behavior one rarely sees in America today. Neither candidate dared interrupt the other. Children were watching, after all. Within my lifetime, we have gone from that to Bidens Will you shut up, man? in 2020. Moderators routinely warn audiences at presidential debates to remain silent. For the most part, they comply. But as Chris Cillizza wrote for CNN in 2020, if people have to remain silent, why are they there? Its like going to a sporting event and being told you cant cheer or talk to anyone, he wrote. Whats the point? And so, Im wholeheartedly in favor of letting them stay home with the rest of us. But a mostly quiet audience isnt the biggest problem. Its all those rude interruptions. Bidens camp is calling for microphones that shut off. As someone who has moderated several debates, I have at times wished for such a thing. However, I doubt both sides would agree to it. More importantly, however, as we enter this new political debating realm, Americans should mourn the apparent demise of the Debate Commission. Voters suffer when parties and candidates collude to decide on moderators and participants and when no neutral third party is setting rules and enforcing them. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may be a polarizing figure, but a Fox News poll has him at 11%, and The New York Times said he is polling better than any third-party candidate in decades, getting about 10% in important swing states. Why should a candidate who might be a big spoiler be excluded from an event that would allow voters to examine him, his beliefs and his answers under pressure? And why, on the other hand, would any candidate who might be hurt by such a candidate agree to let him come? Clearly, someone other than the candidates should set the rules. In the end, Americans deserve an election process that matches the dignity and seriousness of the office. We have, without question, lost this. Four years ago, a writer for The Guardian in England said of one of that years presidential debates, The coarseness, dishonesty, and grandstanding on display was a mockery of the dignity of the electoral process and a slap in the face to the Americans whose lives will be shaped by the actions of the next president. Thats hardly the image of government we should be presenting to the American public, let alone to the world. The aim should be to return presidential debates to discussions of substance. Despite a few good steps, there is little reason to believe were getting much closer. A display of shotguns available for sale. California's new excise tax on guns and ammunition an 11% levy on each sale starts in July. (Raul Roa / Los Angeles Times) For the record: 10:20 a.m. May 21, 2024: An earlier version of this piece stated that U.S. gun sales grew tenfold over the past 20 years. They grew fourfold. California will be the first U.S. state to charge an excise tax on guns and ammunition, starting in July. The new tax an 11% levy on each sale will come on top of federal excise taxes of 10% or 11% for firearms and Californias 6% sales tax. The National Rifle Assn. has characterized the law that allows this new tax, the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Act , as an affront to the Constitution. But the reaction from the gun lobby and firearms manufacturers may hint at something else: the effect that the measure, which is aimed at reducing gun violence, may have on sales. One way to think about the laws ramifications is to compare state tax policies on firearms with those on alcohol and tobacco products. Its not for nothing that these all appear in the name of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF focuses on those products because, while legal, they can cause significant harm to society in the form of drunken driving, for example, or cancer-causing addictions. They also have a common history: All have been associated with criminal organizations seeking to profit from illicit markets. Read more: Opinion: Here's a new California tax that could prevent gun violence Alcohol and tobacco products are thus usually subject to state excise taxes. By making a given product more expensive, this type of tax leads people to buy less of it, reducing the harm to society while generating tax revenue that the state can theoretically use to offset those harms that still accrue. California, for instance, imposes a $2.87 excise tax on each pack of cigarettes. That tax is higher than the national average but much lower than New Yorks $5.35 levy . California also imposed a vaping excise tax of 12.5% in 2021. Of the four ATF product families, firearms have enjoyed the absence of any state excise taxes. Until now. Anti-gun advocates and policy analysts have long called for the firearm industry to be subject to the same types of taxes as alcohol and tobacco given the harms that firearms cause. The national rate of gun homicides in 2021 was 4.5 per 100,000 people , eight times higher than Canadas rate and 77 times that of Germany. It translates into 13,000 lives lost every year. Read more: Opinion: The border crisis factor no one talks about: American guns Additionally, nearly 25,000 Americans die from firearms suicide each year. Moreover, more people suffer nonfatal firearm injuries than die by guns, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gun deaths and injuries arent just tragic theyre expensive . One economist estimated the benefit-cost ratio of the U.S. firearms industry at roughly 0.65 in 2009. That means for every 65 cents it generates for the economy, the industry produces $1 of costs. And that calculation didnt include nonfatal injuries within the U.S., or the cost of firearm harms occurring outside the country with U.S.-sold weapons. U.S. gun sales have grown fourfold over the past 20 years to about 20 million guns annually, and theyre now deadlier and more expensive than ever. California is making sure they are taxed accordingly. And what should that tax amount to? Theres an argument to be made that firearms should be taxed at a higher level than alcohol and tobacco, which are consumable products that disappear as soon as theyve been used guns stick around. They accumulate and can continue to impose costs long after theyre first sold. When the new law takes effect in July, California will tax firearms at about the level of alcohol. But the state would have to apply an excise tax of an additional 26% to equal its effective tax on tobacco. Its unclear how the new tax will affect gun violence. In theory, it should be highly effective. In 2023, some colleagues and I modeled the U.S. market for firearms and determined that for every 1% increase in price, demand decreases by 2.6%. This means that the market should be very sensitive to tax increases. Using these figures, another colleague recently estimated that the California excise tax would reduce gun sales by 30% to 44%. If applied across the country, the tax could generate an additional $1.5 billion to $1.9 billion in government revenue. But a problem may come from surrounding states: Its already easy to illegally transport guns bought in Nevada, where laws are more lax, to California. But theres some evidence that suggests our states new policy wont be neutralized by its neighbors. When the federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004, making it much easier to buy AR- and AK-style rifles across much of the U.S., gun murders in Mexico skyrocketed. Two studies show the exception was the Mexican state of Baja California, right across the border from California, which had kept its state-level assault-weapons ban in place. Gun seizures in Mexico show that all four U.S. states bordering Mexico rank in the top five state sources of U.S.-sold guns in Mexico. But California contributes 75% less than its population and proximity would suggest it should. So, California laws seem to already be making a difference in reducing gun violence. The excise tax could accomplish still more. If it does, other states may follow Californias lead and work to reduce firearm violence by hitting gun manufacturers at the spot they value most their bank accounts. Topher L. McDougal is a professor of economic development and peacebuilding at the University of San Diego. This article was produced in partnership with the Conversation . 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. Since Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, military expert John Spencer has been carefully observing the Israel Defense Forces war against the terror organization, including on two trips he made to the Gaza Strip as an embed with the IDF over the winter. Spencer tells CNN Opinion that he sees a military with the capability to rapidly eviscerate Hamas army being held back by the international community. He feels that the US bears some of the responsibility for the devastation in Gaza because of how its slowed down and limited Israels ability to win the war. Its a restraint that he says the US hasnt imposed on its own military campaigns, and it has the effect of increasing Palestinian casualties and suffering by dragging out the fighting. John Spencer - Courtesy John Spencer Spencer makes these assessments after 25 years of service as an infantry soldier, including two combat tours in Iraq. Hes now the chair of urban warfare studies with the Modern War Institute at West Point, and his personal experience and research has been key to his perspective on Israels campaign and how it compares to American military operations. The US pressure on Israel has come to a head in Rafah, the southern Gaza city believed to be Hamas last major stronghold and a key point for weapons smuggling across the Egyptian border. But the US is withholding some types of arms that it fears could be used by Israel in Rafah as part of a bid to prevent a major IDF offensive there, even as it is reportedly readying a significant sale of other weapons. The US is warning that a large-scale ground incursion is sure to cause more death and suffering among Gaza civilians, hundreds of thousands of whom have been taking refuge in the city. Spencer argues that, by taking this approach, the US is inadvertently paving the way for a Hamas victory. War is hell, Spencer affirms. But, he notes, war is also deeply engrained in human nature. When democracies are attacked, as they inevitably will be, they must conduct wars in ways that quickly bring victory in order to achieve lasting peace. The views in this commentary are Spencers, and they have been edited and condensed for clarity. CNN: Do you think that Israel can defeat Hamas without conducting a ground invasion in Rafah? Spencer: From October 8 on, there have been senior US officials signaling that a ground invasion wouldnt achieve the goals of destroying Hamas, bringing the hostages home and securing the border. As a scholar of urban combat, I strongly disagree with that. The fact is that Rafahs where the hostages and remaining Hamas military power and leadership are believed to be, their rockets and weapons production and other capabilities, everything. The IDF would have to go in on the ground because these things are deeply buried underground in the tunnels Hamas has built. An Israeli soldier is pictured inside a tunnel that the Israeli military claimed is a "Hamas command tunnel" under a compound of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza City. - JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images/File If Hamas survives in Rafah, they win. It doesnt matter if theyve been pushed into the smallest corner of Gaza. If the Hamas leadership survives, theyve won the war, because they can say they attacked Israel and survived, and then they can rebuild, continue to fight off any other future governing force that would come in to Gaza and launch future attacks against Israel. Iran and its proxies would also have validated their strategy to attack Israel, weaken Israels position with its allies and then repeat. CNN: The US previously endorsed the mission of defeating Hamas. Are you saying that the US is now conceding that Hamas can stay in Gaza win the war, per your terms because the cost, in terms of death and destruction to Palestinian civilians, is too high? Spencer: They may not be saying that directly, but their actions dont provide for a feasible alternative other than accepting that Hamas stays in power for now. This is a really big turning point in our history, I think in the history of who we are, Western societies that follow the rule of law, if were really saying Hamas can use human shields to survive because the costs are too much to achieve victory. The most likely way to continue the violence and the lack of peace in Israel and Palestine is to leave Hamas in power. Of course, its difficult to see the path to peace from here, but I can tell you with strong certainty that the surest way to continue the violence in the Middle East is to let Hamas survive this war. CNN: But even in parts of Gaza where Israel has gone in on the ground and cleared out Hamas, for instance in northern Gaza, you have seen that Hamas has regrouped and continued fighting. So doesnt that raise some question marks about whether Israel can be successful against Hamas regardless of constraints the US places on it? Spencer: No, for me, it doesnt. If youre going to measure whether Israel has had any success in its approach, you measure it against what Hamas was on October 7, not what it is now. The IDFs approach, in my opinion, has been very effective at destroying Hamas as a military organization by every definition: the number of enemy formations broken and not able to reconstitute themselves as effective units to do their assigned mission like attack or defend, the amount of ground the enemy is controlling, the lower number of hostages theyre holding. The IDF does not need to kill every one of the 40,000-plus card-carrying Hamas members to succeed. It has to break its organized military formations, remove its capabilities and destroy its leadership. The fact that there are still fractured Hamas entities in Northern Gaza is a clear warning that the day after is going to be very difficult because theres still going to be a lot of fires left in the environment. I was part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Once we destroyed enough of Iraqs military capability, much of the military took off their uniforms and walked away before the US disbanded it. Later, they became part of the insurgency when things didnt go well, of course, but it didnt mean that we werent effective at taking the ruling power out or the military itself out. CNN: Couldnt Israels offensive still have the effect of creating more militants who are going to join Hamas and fight against Israel? Couldnt it be counterproductive? Spencer: It could. Absolutely. And this is where I agree with Gen. David Petraeus. Petraeus says you could be creating more terrorists 10 or 20 years later. In the now, of course, you have to destroy Hamas. But what you do the day after absolutely matters. The lack of success in Afghanistan wasnt because of the war to remove the Taliban, but because the strategy that came after destroying the terrorists and their government structure didnt provide a better outcome for Afghans. What Israel does the day after could ultimately mean that it loses a very long game against an ideology. Wars create people who arent happy if their side loses, and that can actually radicalize them. But in the present when you face an existential threat or a world war, it isnt a consideration. You have to destroy the other military whos currently trying to hurt you in real time. Because this really gets into, I should just let that enemy force on my border keep attacking me because its population wont agree with me destroying it. A good comparison is Nazism. The US couldnt worry about further radicalizing Germans during World War II. It had to prioritize defeating them. Afterward it could work to deradicalize them. Of course, the ideology of Nazism still lives on, because ideologies cant be eradicated. But it has been defanged. That was only possible because first there was a military victory over the Nazi regime. CNN: So you think this is a winnable war for the IDF? Spencer: One hundred percent. But its also a very winnable war for Hamas at this point because wars are not determined just by military capability. Theyre a battle of wills. And if Hamas can survive, it achieves its war strategy and has more political power than it did on October 7. Hamas will be viewed as the great actor who figured out a way to conduct a massive, brutal attack on Israel, survive and still achieve political victories, including weakening Israels alliances in the Western World, especially with the United States. Hamas would then use this added power to rebuild and attack as it tries to achieve its stated grand strategy the destruction of Israel and the death of all Jewish people. CNN: Youve said elsewhere that the IDF has been successful at moving large numbers of Palestinian civilians out of harms way. But civilians have been killed trying to get away and they say they have nowhere safe to go. So how is it correct to say that Israel can be effective at moving civilians out of Rafah? Spencer: Civilians have been put in harms way while evacuating because of Hamas. There has been combat near designated safe areas because of Hamas. The Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone was chosen because it was on the coastline away from the defenses Hamas has built in tunnels and urban areas, but Hamas still fired rockets from there and other humanitarian areas. So then people say theres nowhere safe to go. This is the complexity of the challenge. That the civilians dont have somewhere completely safe to go, this is the history of war. And the fact is, Egypt said, Im paraphrasing here, not on my watch will refugees from Gaza cross the border. Its complicated, of course, why Egypt doesnt want to let Palestinians even enter a humanitarian camp in the Sinai, and it includes its own history with Islamist terrorist groups, costs to the society and economy, and being seen as supportive of Israels objectives in the war in Gaza. The Shiva Hospital, pictured here, was raided by the Israeli army, after number of mass graves found in the hospital in Gaza City, Gaza on May 11, 2024. - Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu/Getty Images/File You can judge Israel for not allowing them to cross into southern Israel, but thats a unique challenge because they are part of the enemy polity that just razed southern Israel and displaced the Israeli population there. If the enemy is conducting operations in the safe zone, like they do in hospitals and schools, and I hope we get to talk about that, the best you can do is to create as safe an area as possible for the civilians in the given context. CNN: You said you wanted to talk about Hamas using hospitals and schools? Spencer: Yes. It is a great example of good intentions leading to bad outcomes. It is of course the right thing to do to tell warring parties that hospitals should not be used in war, that they need to be protected. But that has driven combatants who do not follow the laws of war into every protected facility. Hamas took every law of war and reverse-engineered it to build an environment in which Hamas has occupied facilities because of their legal protections. So fighting an enemy thats an avowed terror organization puts a conventional military at a big disadvantage, especially if the world is watching. Hamas is the first combatant Ive seen do this at an industrial level. The US military bombed complete hospitals to the ground because of battles against ISIS in hospitals. But what Hamas has done is engineered every protected site as a military facility because they knew not only would Israel have to restrict its use of force against those sites, but the world would condemn Israel for even thinking about going to those places. Of course, Israel doesnt want to be considered on a par with Hamas by the international community, so predictably Hamas is trying to take advantage of that. I used to say that Hamas built their tunnels underneath every school, UN facility and hospital, but what were finding out is that no, they also built their tunnels and then built the schools on top of them. It is literally a byproduct of our pursuit to protect that has put more people at risk. CNN: How do you know that about Hamas construction under hospitals and the schools? There have been a lot of questions about the information the IDF has put out there and the numbers they use. So how can you be confidant about this information? Spencer: I go into this trusting the IDFs information more than I do Hamas, but I have also been on the ground in Gaza during this war near mosques and schools with tunnels. I was with the IDF as they uncovered a tunnel running out of a mosque, for instance, and its been documented that Hamas uses mosques for storing weapons and other military purposes. So Im relying on personal research as well as a belief in a law-abiding and very moral society and military. CNN: You mentioned your participation in the Iraq war. How would you compare Israels conduct whether its been upholding international law or committing war crimes to the US fighting, say, al-Qaida in Afghanistan or ISIS in Mosul, Iraq? Spencer: If you want to talk about the tactics to prevent civilian harm in war, the US military uses speed, force and overwhelming power. Thats what we did in Panama, Afghanistan, Iraq, you name the war where we want to take out the power and destroy its military; we do it quickly so it doesnt prolong the war. The problem is that the international community pushed Israel into this framework of going slower, going methodically, evacuating every area beforehand. I can say with very strong confidence that Israel has done everything the US military has ever done in the history of urban combat and things that weve never done, implementing every civilian harm mitigation technique that has been developed in the last 30 years despite Hamas tactics. CNN: There are people who say that, even if Israel is generally upholding the same standards for protecting civilians as the US, what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan were horrors and the US didnt succeed in protecting civilians there. And so using that as the standard is giving Israel a pass for perpetrating its own horrors. Spencer: War is hell, so I agree. People say, look at whats being done. How can that be legal? And even if it is legal, it should stop. Im saying, as a scholar of war in history, that war is hell. And that if you dont move forward and finish the mission, you actually lead to much more human suffering than is the product of the war. This gets to almost a philosophy of war, that there should never be war, right? There should never be war, but thats not the history of mankind. I strongly want the laws of war upheld as a warrior. I want war contained. I do not want civilians targeted. There is no evidence that the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan ever targeted civilians, period, but have we done it in the past? Absolutely. Firebombing Tokyo, for instance. Our calculations about collateral damage are much different now, and we shouldnt go back. So I want the laws upheld, but the problem is that this is the really dangerous part of the accusations and perceptions and the byproduct of Israels war against Gaza: what it means to the future of democracies like the United States if in the next war and God forbid if its a war of survival against some great power that has risen were going to say there should be no civilian suffering. Had there been social media during World War II, we might not be living in the world we currently live in. The Japanese and Germans might have won if their democratic adversaries believed the cost of resisting them was too high to be worth it. I think this is where people arent seeing the ramifications of what theyre saying about Israel. You have the camp saying, theyre not following the law, which is just not proven. Then you have the camp saying, I dont care if theyre following the law or not, the human suffering is too much, they need to stop. I think what that means is, the cost is too much so you have to let Hamas win. And Im saying that your very good intentions are going to lead to greater suffering. You are actually advocating for more war by trying to stop this war. CNN: In a similar scenario, what do you think the United States would have done? Spencer: I believe strongly it wouldve been an overwhelming, immediate response to end the war as quickly as possible, and to achieve those goals of bringing our people home, making the rockets stop and making sure it never happened again. The history of the United States, and the history of war shows that we wouldve responded overwhelmingly. It wouldve caused an immense amount of destruction, and there wouldve been calculations on what is the value to protecting our nation. But Im arguing that the approach the US has demanded for Israels war has prolonged and caused more destruction then if they had gone in with more overwhelming force and speed. And that is a risk with the more limited operation that the US might push Israel to conduct instead of a ground invasion of Rafah. By going slowly, I can argue through history and through metrics, it gives your enemy more time to defend, more time to prevent your plans, more time to prevent you from achieving surprise. We, as in the world, are also responsible for some of the destruction thats happened in Gaza. CNN: Hows that? Spencer: Because the world said to Israel at the beginning of the ground invasion, that what youre doing, I dont care if its legal or not, cannot continue. You got to find another way. The United States with its influence said, look, I know what youre doing is achieving results, but you have to find a different way. So the IDF shifted their tactics, they reduced the number of forces, they reduced the number of strikes on military targets, and they went more methodically and slowed down. They did more tactical pauses, they avoided more areas if they had any civilian population in them, and it became a very house-to-house, block-by-block, tunnel-by-tunnel fight, which has prolonged the war. That has increased the humanitarian suffering and the strain on humanitarian supplies in Gaza. It has increased the duration of the violence and the continued existence of Hamas. So we are at fault for some of the destruction in Gaza because of that. We own some of the responsibility. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com (Bloomberg) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he has found himself more isolated within the European Union after an assassination attempt incapacitated his Slovak ally. Most Read from Bloomberg Slovak Premier Robert Ficos injuries remained life-threatening even as his condition stabilized since being shot on Wednesday. A medical team is scheduled to convene Monday to discuss his treatment, according to a hospital spokesperson in the central city of Banska Bystrica, where he is in intensive care. Doctors may also discuss Ficos transport to Bratislava, local media reported. The first assassination attempt on a European leader in more than 20 years has sent shockwaves through one of the continents most polarized countries. Ficos return to power last year as a force of opposition to EU institutions in Brussels and his Russia-friendly stance made him a rare ally for Orban, a perennial dissenter who has sought to push back against against military aid to Ukraine. Robert Fico is fighting for his life right now, Orban said in an interview with state radio Friday. If we go beyond the human element and look at it from a political viewpoint its a major loss for Hungary. Peter Pellegrini, a Fico coalition ally who is set to take office as president next month, said late on Thursday that he met the premier briefly at the hospital. He remembers everything, and he was surprised at how quickly it happened, Pellegrini said on TV. The authorities said the attack was an act of a lone wolf assailant driven by political animus. Read more: Slovak Premier in Critical Condition as Leaders Trade Blame The Slovak prime minister will be away from his office at a crucial time before elections for European Parliament next month, Orban said. He portrayed the attack against Fico as part of Europes polarization over the question of the war in Ukraine, adding that hes seeking new allies within the bloc over the issue. Orban, who is unexpectedly facing a new challenger in Hungarian politics just weeks before the election, has used the war in neighboring Ukraine as his main campaign theme. He stuck to that line in his comments on Fico, trying to pin blame on his opponents in domestic and EU politics. Its not unjustified to link the assassination attempt with the war, Orban said. (Updates with latest on Ficos medical condition in second paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. An Oregon man has been charged in the murders of three women who were found dead under "suspicious circumstances" last year, officials announced Friday. Authorities have identified one suspect in the deaths of the three women Charity Lynn Perry, 24, Bridget Leanne Webster, 31, and Joanna Speaks, 32 the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office said Friday. PHOTO: Bridget Leanne Webster, Charity Lynn Perry, and Joanna Speaks. (Multnomah County DA/Clark County Sheriff's Office) Jesse Lee Calhoun, 39, has been charged with three counts of second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse in connection with the women's deaths, the district attorney's office said, after a grand jury returned the six-count indictment on Thursday. At a press briefing Friday, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt called the case "complex," and said it required a "significant investigation" involving multiple law enforcement agencies. "There's still more work to be done, investigations are ongoing," Schmidt said. MORE: 4 Oregon murders now believed to be linked, DA says Calhoun has been in custody at Snake River Correctional Institution since July 2023 for unrelated charges and was scheduled to be released next month, online Oregon Department of Corrections records show. He is expected to be transferred to the custody of Multnomah County authorities for arraignment, prosecutors said. It is unclear if Calhoun has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. Multnomah County authorities, citing the ongoing investigation, released few details about the case, including what alleged evidence led them to the suspect and how the women died. Speaks' body was found at an abandoned property in Ridgefield, Washington, on April 8, 2023, authorities said. Police in Portland, Oregon, said in November 2023 that the homicide was believed to have happened in Portland. The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office said in July 2023 that they were investigating whether the deaths of four women including Perry and Webster who were found dead throughout Oregon were related. The announcement came weeks after Portland police spoke out against online speculation regarding a possible serial killer in the Pacific Northwest. PHOTO: This undated photo provided by the Oregon Department of Corrections show Jesse Lee Calhoun, who has been under investigation in the deaths of four women whose bodies were found scattered across northwest Oregon last year. (Oregon Department of Corrections via AP) Perry's body was found in a culvert near Ainsworth State Park in east Multnomah County on April 24, 2023, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said. The Polk County Sheriff's Office in Oregon said Webster's body was found six days later, on April 30, 2023. Perry's mother, Diana Allen, told reporters Friday that it's been "very, very frustrating" for the families of the victims not to have answers amid the ongoing investigation, but that she has had respect for the district attorney office's process. "Even though they wouldn't give me the answers, I knew they had answers," she said. MORE: Murder suspect mistakenly released from jail after 'cybersecurity incident' The deaths of two other women Kristin Smith and Ashley Real, both 22 initially believed to have been linked, remain under investigation, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office said Friday. The body of Smith, who was reported missing in December 2022, was found on Feb. 19, 2023, in a wooded area in Portland, police said. Real's body was found in a wooded area in Clackamas County in Oregon in May 2023, a month after she was reported missing to Portland police, authorities said. "We keep waiting, we keep praying and stay hopeful," Melissa Smith, Kristin Smith's mother, said during Friday's press briefing. "We stay hopeful that we soon can get justice for them as well." Oregon man charged with murder in suspicious deaths of 3 women in 'complex' case: DA originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Meghan Markle sparked a discussion on the Internet after she wore a designer dress with the ironic name "Windsor" during her recent trip to Nigeria. Netizens saw a connection between the name of the pink dress and the British royal house, which the 42-year-old Duchess of Sussex and 39-year-old Prince Harry left in 2020. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported by the NY Post. Some fans of the monarchs took Meghan's actions as a joke, while others saw it as an insult: "They tried to completely erase the Windsors from their lives, but here comes Mrs. Sussex in a dress called 'Windsor', haha!!" "This is made to be disrespectful." "Meghan Markle desperately wants to be associated with the Windsor name." "Her strategic marriage and non-strategic moves have backfired." Others saw Markle's image as a mere coincidence: ADVERTISIMENT "Honestly, I think people are reading too much into this." "Maybe she just liked the dress." The couple was invited to Nigeria by the West African country's Chief of Defense Staff, its highest-ranking military official. In addition, at the beginning of the month, Prince Harry returned home, but he was unable to meet with his father, King Charles III. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Krystal Kauffman, a gig worker, spent one workday watching footage captured by a camera that had been placed on a baby's head, labeling objects as they came into view, she said. For another job, she said she looked at images of feet, while on another, she marked aerial photographs of animals. Over nearly a decade, Kauffman has performed thousands of tiny tasks that have helped companies assemble the immense data sets used to train artificial intelligence (AI), she said. "It's supposed to look like these products are magic," Kauffman, who performs tasks on the platform Amazon Mechanical Turk and advocates for workers as a lead organizer for the group Turkopticon, told ABC News. "People don't know that behind all of this is a workforce a human workforce." AI has reshaped everything from medical diagnoses, to wedding vows, to stock market gains, but the technology wouldn't be possible without gig workers across the globe, like Kauffman. MORE: OpenAI announces new version of AI language model that fuels ChatGPT However, analysts and advocates said the workers whose efforts help train AI are often denied knowledge of the end product they help create, or the company behind it. They also risk rejection of their work after it has been completed, which can leave them without pay or recourse to collect it. "If we want to build a better society, we can't ignore the tens of millions of people who are doing this work," Sonam Jindal told ABC News. Jindal is the lead of AI, labor and the economy at the Partnership on AI, a coalition of AI organizations. "If they're overlooked and facing precarious conditions, that's a problem," she said. To mimic human discernment, AI products typically use an algorithm that responds to queries based on lessons learned from scanning a large quantity of text, images or video. An AI tool that helps doctors diagnose cancer, for instance, may train on digital copies of CT scans. The training material, however, oftentimes must first be curated by human workers, who make the content legible for an AI model, Jindal said. "AI models don't know on their own how to distinguish between cats and dogs, whether or not someone has cancer or not, whether something is a stop sign or not," Jindal explained. "People are very heavily involved in building these datasets." A worldwide gig workforce began to swell a decade ago, in part to complete such AI-related tasks, according to a report published in 2021 by Open Research Europe. Roughly 14 million workers have obtained work through online platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk and Upwork, the study found, which operate as go-betweens for freelance workers and tech firms. Many of those global workers live in the U.S. Roughly 96% of workers on Amazon Mechanical Turk, for example, log in from the U.S., according to data site MTurk Tracker. PHOTO: Krystal Kauffman, a gig worker, said she often works on projects without an understanding of the end product or the company behind it. (Kathleen Caulderwood/ABC News) Online gig workers in the U.S. retain flexible schedules, but their tasks carry many of the key characteristics of a "bad job," Matt Beane, an assistant professor in the Technology Management Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told ABC News. "A bad job basically is one that doesn't give you a lot of autonomy around what you get to do," Beane said. "In other words, you don't feel like there's a meaningful connection between what you're doing and some valuable output in the world." The lack of meaning stems in part from the mundane nature of the tasks, and the dearth of information provided to freelance workers about the product being developed or the company making it, Jindal said. "Transparency is a huge problem," Jindal said. "This partially has to do with a very utilitarian approach to building AI models. People will say, 'I just need the data.'" "It gets passed on to someone else who may not have the full context," Jindal added. In addition to a lack of clarity about the final product, the AI gig workers run the risk of what they refer to as "mass rejection," which is when a company declines a batch of work after it has been completed. In such cases, a worker both loses out on pay and lacks a means for appealing the judgment, Kauffman said, while the company keeps the data the worker produced. Sometimes, she added, companies offering work on Amazon Mechanical Turk reject the data without cause, and change their username as a means of avoiding accountability. MORE: Data centers fuel AI and crypto but could threaten climate, experts say Workers consequently not only lose out on the immediate income, but they also suffer a blow to their approval rating on the platform, which determines the quality of work made available to them, Kauffman said. "So the more rejections you have, the worse your approval rating gets," Kauffman explained. "Something like that can take away a person's entire livelihood." In response to ABC News' request for comment, Amazon said Mechanical Turk monitors for mass rejections and takes appropriate action if they encounter them, up to and including suspension. The average rejection rate on the platform is less than 1%, Amazon added. Further, the company said it has a Participation Agreement and an Acceptable Use Policy to ensure there is no abuse in the marketplace by either those requesting work, or those agreeing to do tasks. In her work for Turkopticon, Kauffman and other workers put pressure on Amazon to improve the conditions for the AI gig workforce, she said. The explosion in the popularity of AI products, she added, has generated a surge in public attention around the challenges such workers face. "It just feels like the power is building and the awareness is building," Kauffman said. "It's this incredible feeling." 'Overlooked' workers who train AI can face harsh conditions, advocates say originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The two people whom the Marine Corps prevented from breaking onto an installation in Virginia on May 3 were Jordanian nationals, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Criminal Investigations Division of Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, arrested the pair for trespassing and notified ICEs Enforcement and Removal Operations, or ERO, office in Washington, office spokesperson James Covington told Marine Corps Times in a statement Thursday. Deportation officers arrested the two people, whom Covington described as Jordanian noncitizens. Both individuals will remain in ERO custody pending removal proceedings, Covington said. The pair had driven up to a gate of the base in a box truck and, when questioned by military sentries, claimed to be Amazon subcontractors making a delivery to the town of Quantico, Virginia, which is accessed through the base, Marine spokesman Capt. Michael Curtis told Marine Corps Times on Tuesday. When military police directed the two to go to a holding area to undergo standard vetting procedures, the driver instead went past that area and attempted to drive onto the base, Curtis said. The bases law enforcement put up the vehicle denial barriers, blocking the truck from getting farther onto the base, and detained the pair. Chinese national detained after breaking onto Marine base in California Potomac Local News first reported the attempted breach. The Virginia base is home to Marine Corps Combat Development Command, which is dedicated to modernizing the force, along with some of the services training schools and other elements. Other Defense Department components and federal law enforcement agencies also have a presence on the base. PALESTINE, Texas (KETK) The City of Palestine is offering families the chance to reel in a free fishing pole for the children at their Family Fishing Day event on Saturday. Blue Bell announces new limited-time flavor to beat summer heat The family event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Blue Lake on Saturday. According to the city, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has provided cat fish for the event and Palestine Parks and Recreation is giving away 50 fishing poles for children, bait and more. Photo courtesy of the City of Palestine. Palestine said that a fishing license is not required for the event and that the free fishing poles are limited to two per 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 KETK.com | FOX51.com. The father of a 10-year-old boy who died by suicide after relentless bullying by classmates says he and his wife are themselves now being bullied by perfect strangers who say they failed as parents. Sam Teusch, whose son Sammy took his own life on May 5, told The Daily Beast that hes still trying to process what happened. Right now, Im fine, an emotional Teusch said on Friday. Ten seconds from now, I might not be. Its just, like, a constant up and down and up and down. I walk past my microwave and I think of Sammy climbing up on the counter to throw in a bowl of soup, and it just knocks me down. But while the local community has been extremely supportive and kind in the wake of the fourth graders tragic death, Teusch and his wife have been subjected to a very different sort of outreach from random people weighing in from elsewhere. Im getting messages from peoplewe have no idea who they aresaying, This is your fault, you did this, Teusch said. [Or], You didnt do enough to protect him. Its horrible. Its just like at Sammys school, where youve got 400 good kids and youve got six bad kids. In this case, youre dealing with hundreds of millions of people, and so youve got a couple of million bullies. Its just pure hate. Sammy Teusch and his dad, Sam, in New York City. Photo Illustration by Erin OFlynn/The Daily Beast/Courtesy Sam Teusch Teusch, who moved his family from Pensacola, Florida to small-town Indiana for work, said the people now sending hateful messages dont know us, they dont know we spend every waking second with our children. And although Teusch conceded that he remains extremely angry about what happened to his son, he insisted that he does not want negativity over it. Instead, he hopes to teach others that things can be accomplished by being kind. Im not going to resort to a place where people are like, Look at this guy, Teusch continued. No, thats not me. Im always positive. Theres always a good part. The first four days, Im sitting there, thinking, There is no good part. And I hated myself. And thats when we talked as a family and said, There has to be a good part. And we have to find the good part. Teusch, a construction engineer for a hotel chain based in Indianapolis, said he believes his son would expect me, out of anybody, to do something positive to make his memory go on, to give him a legacy. Sammy was bullied relentlessly by other kids at the Greenfield Intermediate School in Greenfield, Indiana, who teased him about his teeth and glasses, according to Teusch. He was said to have been beaten up regularly on the school bus, and was reportedly cornered in a school bathroom last week. His dad said Friday that Sammy was not protected from his tormentors, but rather, kicked off the bus more than once. He was attacked, he was assaulted, Teusch went on. I dont think its an Indiana problem. I think that its a nationwide problem This isnt a left or right problem, this is not Black or white, its not religion, its none of that. This is an issue that concerns every single parent. Sammy Teusch at the Statue of Liberty while visiting New York City last year. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Courtesy Sam Teusch To those who ask why the couple didnt pull Sammy out of school, he said he and his wife didnt have any option to send him to private school, were not rich. He described Sammy as an amazing little boy, which was only reinforced by what he heard from the childs classmates at his viewing on Tuesday. Other kids told Teusch that his son uplifted them all the time, he said, and that the way he would slam-dunk his trash into the garbage can like Kobe [Bryant] would brighten their day. Although he was picked on nonstop, Sammy in fact had more friends than he even realized, said Teusch. He impacted more people than you could ever realize, he said. He was just a great young man He was mischievous and fun and always his whole thing was, he just wanted to know what everything was, how everything worked, what makes that thing tick? He was so little, but you wouldve never known that he was old beyond his years. I would definitely say that hes an old soul. The community has been crucial in helping Teusch deal with his unthinkable loss, he said. He has been contacted by firefighters, police officers, and regular folks who say their lives had been touched by Sammy. I wouldnt have gotten through this without that, Teusch explained. It was actually the children who walked through my houseI opened the doors to my house for two days, and 2,000 strangers walked through my house to wish their condolences Thats when I was like, Ive got to do something positive. If I can save three kids, one kid, thats what I want to do. Sammy Teusch in New York City, March 2023. Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Courtesy Sam Teusch Teusch said the family will be holding a candlelight vigil for Sammy on Friday night, adding, Hes worth me fighting for. Before hanging up on Friday, Teusch recalled a family trip to New York City last March, which Sammy absolutely loved. Sammy and his three siblings chose the destination, and the city became a special place for Sammy, who dreamed of returning there one day, according to Teusch. I think I made him sick of pizza, Teusch said. I went and tried just about every pizza place there was. In a statement, the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation said, 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. Beyond our own investigations we are cooperating with the Greenfield Police Department in this matter. As of Friday afternoon, a GoFundMe set up May 6 by the Teusch family to help defray funeral costs had raised nearly $54,000, exceeding its original $30,000 goal by some 80 percent. If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Parents have mixed opinions on new dress code for Leavenworth public schools LEAVENWORTH, Kan. Students and parents in Leavenworth County are learning about a dress code that takes effect this fall. School board members with the Leavenworth Unified School District made a Monday night decision that isnt in style for everybody. The board approved new dress code guidelines, allowing items that were previously seen as unacceptable with many school districts. Leavenworth schools will soon allow students to attend classes in pajama pants, t-shirts without sleeves (sometimes called muscle shirts), are also approved now, along with bandanas. Missouri AG demanding accountability after Kansas Citys tweet on Harrison Butker One school district member mentioned ties to gang culture tied to bandanas. Danielle Wells, the school board vice president, said she sees pajama pants everywhere. Theres a large section of the workforce that does work from home in pajama pants and lots of places where its perfectly acceptable, Wells said. I dont like it. I personally dont do it. Leavenworth Schools Superintendent Kellen Adams sent a statement to FOX4 saying In working with our building administrators, our goal is to remove barriers to attendance, while also continuing to restrict behaviors or actions that are deemed as distractions to the learning environment. FOX4 talked with parents outside Anthony Elementary School. Some say students should wear whatever makes them comfortable. Liz McGuire disagrees, saying her kids wont dress that way. Im more of a modest dresser for myself and my children, she said. It sends a message, but to each their own. I feel a more conservative look for the school is more appropriate. Court rejects parents attempt to opt kids out of LGBTQ-inclusive reading assignments The new handbook, and these dress code changes, were approved by a tight 4-3 margin. Some parents online comments challenged the school districts decision, accusing board members of unacceptably lowering standards. The change takes effect with the new school year this August. 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. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Consumed by grief, the parents of a 12-year-old girl blamed the Clark County School District for not protecting their daughter from bullies. Their daughter, Flora Martinez, died by suicide on May 7. I feel like the school had a duty to keep her safe, while she was in their care and they just failed miserably, her mother Alice Martinez said. Floras funeral took place on Thursday afternoon, which is something no parent wants to do bury their child. Her parents described Flora as someone full of life, empathetic, and an artist who loved ice cream and seafood. However, they noticed a change in her after she began sixth grade at Keller Middle School in August of last year. Her parents said Flora was tormented by bullies, and the school failed to protect her. This wasnt just one incident that happened, and you know, she decided to take her life. This was months and months and months of bullying that built up, and finally, she just couldnt take it no more, Joshua Parker, Floras father, said. Her parents said no matter how much they intervened, it wouldnt stop. Look how hard it was on my daughter. My daughter was literally bullied to death, Martinez said. According to Floras mother problems started right away at the beginning of the school year, she was having run-ins with some classmates. According to her parents, Flora reported the issues to Keller Middle Schools assistant principal. Martinez even became involved, reporting the problems her daughter was having to the school staff. Martinez, also said she submitted paperwork for a transfer out of Keller. But according to a letter, CCSD denied that request on Oct. 6, 2023. At that point, I already had her out of school for two weeks because of all the incidents. Just that short amount of time into the school year, Martinez said. Once Flora went back to school, her parents said the bullying intensified, she claims other students began fights with her. Everybody that had a hand in that request to transfer her failed her, Martinez said. If youre a parent and youre not outraged by this, youre part of the problem too. Twelve-year-old Rico attended Keller Middle School with Flora. Flora, she was like so nice to everybody, Rico said. He also said he witnessed some of the bullying. Im so sad, because like I felt like its my fault because I should have really done something. I shouldve pushed everybody out of the way. Got to her, Rico said. The Clark County School District did not respond to an email requesting comment on these allegations. Its important to note, that student records are protected under law, so the full scope of the problems Flora had at school may not be known. As a reminder, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you or someone you love is struggling, That number is 988. 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. Be part of history in National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexicos new exhibit MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) The National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico is getting ready to open a new exhibit, and museum officials say, You have a chance to be a part of it. According to a Facebook post, the museum is opening a new exhibit to tell the history of the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo. The post said the exhibit on the largest fishing tournament in the world is set to open this summer. According to the ADSFR website, the tournament was founded in 1929 and attracts over 4,000 anglers and 75,000 spectators to Dauphin Island, Alabama. UPDATE: Second Stockton shooting suspect due in court prosecutors to pursue Aniahs Law hearing With that many people going to the festival, the museum hopes you have a story to tell about the tournament. If you have trophies, stories, photos, and tall tales youd like to share call us today, the post said. Be a part of Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo History! Those with a story, photo or something to share can call the museum at 251-348-6956. 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. This permanent Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Wayne will be among the nation's largest Passaic County officials are set to unveil a permanent memorial for the lost veterans of the Vietnam War on Saturday. A 368-foot concrete wall clad with the names of the 58,318 U.S. soldiers who were killed or went missing in the conflict, the county's new Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall off Oldham Road in Wayne should officially become one of the largest in the nation, county officials said. "Passaic County has always put an emphasis on honoring and serving our veterans," county Commissioner Cassandra "Sandi" Lazzara said this week. "They have given the full measure of their devotion to their nation, and many have made the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow Americans. Their service is a powerful example for all, and it is our hope and goal that this memorial will serve as a tribute to their character, selflessness and sacrifice." Passaic County's new Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall off Oldham Road in Wayne is set to be unveiled during a May 18 ceremony following months of construction. The wall at its highest point towers 9 feet tall. It tapers to 2 feet on either end of two 184-foot-long wings in a shape that should be recognizable to those who have visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., or one of its other replicas. Lazzara, other county officials and several of Passaic Countys Vietnam veterans plan to unveil their version to the public during a 10 a.m. ceremony on Saturday. Members of the county's memorial committee in a joint statement said they want the wall to be a lasting reminder that service is at the heart of American society. The monument will join smaller Vietnam War memorials in local towns such as Bloomingdale, Clifton, Paterson and Passaic, as well as the prominent New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Holmdel. Designed in 1988 by Vietnam native Hien Nguyen, that 200-foot monument has 366 black granite panels that list the New Jersey residents who died in the war or remain missing. Passaic County's new Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall off Oldham Road in Wayne is set to be unveiled during a May 18 ceremony following months of construction. At the latest count, 84 soldiers from Passaic County were lost during the conflict, said Tony Vancheri, the president of the Paterson Veterans Council. Those who returned "were not welcomed home," he said. "When the wall went up in Washington, D.C., that was the first big welcome," said Vancheri, who served as a U.S. Army combat medic for 13 months during the war. More: Passaic County Sheriff's Office layoffs expected in July. Here's what we know "This is going to be outstanding," he said of Saturday's ceremony. "It's such a positive thing, especially with all the turmoil going on in this country, that America still doesn't forget their sons and daughters that paid the ultimate sacrifice in any war." Passaic County's new Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall off Oldham Road in Wayne is set to be unveiled during a May 18 ceremony following months of construction. The United States began its participation in the Vietnam War 60 years ago this August. An unpopular campaign that lasted 11 years, the war involved about 2.7 million American servicemen and servicewomen. Of them, more than 210,000 were killed or wounded or went missing. Today, there are fewer than 850,000 living Vietnam War veterans, according to Disabled American Veterans. Many of the war's veterans died young of cancers and other ailments thought to be connected to Agent Orange, the chemical herbicide used in Vietnam to eradicate the jungle canopy. The bulk of the county's memorial project has taken place over the last few months on the memorial site near the Passaic County Public Safety Academy. However, the effort dates back about five years to the temporary display of the Moving Wall, a scaled-down replica of the memorial in Washington on Garret Mountain. More: Millions in Passaic sheriff surveillance equipment locked away over national defense case After the arrival of the traveling wall and the crowds it drew across five days in May 2019, county officials started discussions about the possibility of making a similar installation permanent. Lazzara announced in 2022 that the county would construct a memorial wall at the public safety complex in Wayne. Passaic County's new Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall off Oldham Road in Wayne is set to be unveiled during a May 18 ceremony following months of construction. Beyond the wall, Passaic County has recently seen several other veteran-focused developments. Last fall, the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs opened a new Passaic County Veterans Services Office in Paterson to help provide access to state and federal education, employment, counseling, housing, social and medical services. In April, the county co-hosted its first "Veteran Stand Down" event at Passaic County Technical-Vocational Schools for at-risk and homeless veterans. The event helped veterans connect with resources ranging from legal assistance to medical screenings, including free breast cancer screenings through the Mammography in Motion program. Passaic County officials said they expect Saturday's event to be heavily attended. Vancheri said he is expecting at least 4,000 veterans, government officials and dignitaries. Parking will be primarily available at the adjacent Passaic County Technical-Vocational Schools campus, not at the Public Safety Academy itself. Shuttle service from the school to the ceremony site will begin at 8 a.m., officials said. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne NJ is getting a permanent Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall On the night of May 17, powerful explosions occurred in the city of Novorossiysk in the territory of the aggressor country Russia (Krasnodar Territory). It was reported online that a port and an oil depot were allegedly targeted by UAVs. ADVERTISIMENT Residents reported that the explosions were heard around 3:30. Telegram channels published footage of air defense and a fire in the port. The "military commanders" of the aggressor country confirm the "arrivals" in Novorossiysk. Meanwhile, local residents counted at least 35 explosions. They claim that there were arrivals at the port and the oil depot. ADVERTISIMENT Russian public media reports that drones have attacked the Novorossiysk fuel oil terminal and the "Transneft" terminal. "Powerful pops and sounds similar to machine gun bursts began to be heard around 3 am in the area of the local port. Also, in several areas, the characteristic sounds of UAVs were heard," the propaganda outlets wrote. The network also reported that the port of Novorossiysk was allegedly de-energized after the arrival. Later, the governor of the Krasnodar Territory, Veniamin Kondratiev, claimed that the Ukrainian attack was "unsuccessful." According to him, Russian air defense "suppressed" more than 10 drones, and "localized fires" occurred due to falling debris. ADVERTISIMENT The deputy head of Novorossiysk, Oleksandr Yamenskov, reported a power outage in several districts at around 05:00. Also, public transportation in Novorossiysk was not working in the morning after the UAV attack and explosions, and Russians were asked not to leave their homes because of the danger. "No one leaves the house. Neither to school nor to work," said the deputy head of Novorossiysk in a chat on his Telegram channel. As of 6 a.m. in Novorossiysk, traffic on the previously blocked Magistralnaya Street was restored, public transportation returned to work, and residents were allowed to leave their homes. ADVERTISIMENT The "Crimean Wind" Telegram channel reports that a fuel oil terminal was attacked in Novorossiysk. "A fuel oil terminal in Novorossiysk has indeed been attacked, the "Crimean Wind" monitoring group reports. Satellite images show a fire, and the location of the point of impact, conducted by OSINTers, is 44.735376, 37.767643," the statement said. ADVERTISIMENT The Russian Defense Ministry later reported that overnight, Russian air defense allegedly destroyed and intercepted 51 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, 44 over Krasnodar Krai, 6 over Belgorod Oblast, and one over Kursk Oblast. Naval aviation and patrol boats of the Russian Black Sea Fleet destroyed 6 Ukrainian unmanned boats in the Black Sea. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Passenger in car that turned in front of Lakeville police squad seriously injured in crash Police say three people were injured, one with life-threatening injuries, after a driver pulled in front of a Lakeville police squad car on Thursday night. The crash happened on Cedar Avenue at 205th Street in Lakeville at about 10 p.m. Thursday, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. At that time, the State Patrol says, a police Ford Explorer was traveling north on Cedar Avenue when a southbound Toyota turned left in front of it. The Ford Explorer then struck the passenger side of the Toyota, authorities say. The Explorer was marked, but its emergency lights and siren werent activated and it wasnt responding to a call, Lakeville police said. Jose Leonardo Rodriguez, a 31-year-old St. Paul man who was a passenger in the Toyota, was reportedly not wearing a seat belt and suffered life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Toyota, Jose Reynoldo Diaz, 23, and another passenger, Osmin Edgardo Diaz Lopez, 19, both of Burnsville, were reportedly both wearing seat belts and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The State Patrol report said the driver of the Explorer was William Joseph Leman, 26, of Apple Valley. It was not clear Friday what position he holds with the Lakeville Police Department. He was wearing a seat belt and was not injured. Air bags deployed in the police vehicle but not the Toyota, according to the State Patrol, which is handling the investigation. Related Articles Recent reports that the H5N1 avian flu virus has been found in cows milk have raised questions about whether the U.S. milk supply is safe to drink. According to the federal Food and Drug Administration, the answer is yes, as long as the milk is pasteurized. Nonetheless, raw (unpasteurized) milk sales are up, despite health experts warning that raw milk could contain high levels of the virus, along with many other pathogens. As an extension food scientist in a state where raw milk sales are legal, I provide technical support to help processors produce high-quality, safe dairy foods. I also like to help people understand the confusing world of pasteurization methods on their milk labels, and why experts strongly discourage consuming raw milk and products made from it. What can make milk unsafe Dairy products, like many foods, have inherent risks that can cause a variety of illnesses and even death. Our milk comes from animals that graze outdoors and live in barns. Milk is picked up from the farm in tanker trucks and delivered to the processing plant. These environments offer numerous opportunities for contamination by pathogens that cause illness and organisms that make food spoil. For example, listeria monocytogenes comes from environmental sources like soil and water. Mild infections with listeriosis cause flu-like symptoms. More serious cases are, unfortunately, too common and can cause miscarriages in pregnant women and even death in extreme cases. Other pathogens commonly associated with dairy animals and raw milk include E. coli, which can cause severe gastrointestinal infections and may lead to kidney damage; Campylobacter, the most common cause of diarrheal illness in the U.S.; and Salmonella, which cause abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms. Keeping beverages safe with heat In the 1860s, French microbiologist Louis Pasteur discovered that heating wine and beer killed the organisms that caused spoilage, which then was a significant problem in France. This heating process, which became known as pasteurization, was adopted in the U.S. prior to World War II, at a time when milk was responsible for 25% of all U.S. outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. In 1973, the federal government required that all milk sold across state lines in the U.S. had to be pasteurized, and in 1987, it banned interstate sales of raw milk. Pasteurization heats every particle of a food to a specific temperature for a continuous length of time in order to kill the most heat-resistant pathogen associated with that product. Different organisms have different responses to heat, so controlled scientific studies are required to determine what length of time at a given temperature will kill a specific organism. Since 1924, pasteurization in the U.S. has been guided by the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, a federal guidance document that is updated every two years to reflect current science and has been adopted by all 50 states. Pasteurization equipment in the U.S. must meet stringent requirements that include sanitary design, safety controls and material standards. A farmer unloads milk cans for processing at a cooperative creamery in East Berkshire, Vt., on Jan. 1, 1941. Jack Delano, FSA/Library of Congress Pasteurization methods Dairy processors can choose among several different types of pasteurization. When executed properly, all of these methods produce the same result: pathogen-free milk. Processors may treat milk beyond minimum times or temperatures to provide an extra margin of safety, or to reduce bacteria that can cause milk to spoil, thus increasing the products shelf life. Vat pasteurizers, also known as batch pasteurizers, often are used by smaller-scale processors who handle limited volumes. The milk is pumped into a temperature-controlled tank with a stirrer, heated to a minimum of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 Celsius) and held there continuously for 30 minutes. Then it is cooled and pumped out of the vat. The most common method used for commercial milk is high-temperature short-time pasteurization, which can treat large volumes of milk. The milk is pumped through a series of thin plates at high speed to reach a minimum temperature of 161 F (71 C). Then it travels through a holding tube for 15 seconds, and the temperature is checked automatically for safety and cooled. The most complex and expensive systems are ultra-pasteurizers and ultra-high-temperature pasteurizers, which pasteurize milk in just a few seconds at temperatures above 285 F (140 C). This approach destroys many spoilage organisms, giving the milk a significantly longer shelf life than with other methods, although sometimes products made this way have more of a cooked flavor. Ultra-high-temperature products are processed in a sterile environment and packaged in sterile packaging, such as lined cartons and pouches. They can be shelf-stable for up to a year before they are opened. Ultra-high-temperature packaging makes taking milk to school for lunch safe for kids every day. Avian flu in milk The detection of avian flu virus fragments in milk is a new challenge for the dairy industry. Scientists do not have a full picture of the risks to humans but are learning. Research so far has shown that virus particles end up in the milk of infected cows, but that pasteurization will inactivate the virus. However, the FDA is advising consumers not to drink raw milk because there is limited information about whether it may transmit avian flu. The agency also is urging producers not to manufacture or sell raw milk or raw milk products, including cheese, made with milk from cows showing symptoms of illness. Its never a good time to get a foodborne illness, and this is the beginning of ice cream season. At a time when avian flu is showing up in new species and scientists are still learning about how it is transmitted, I agree with the FDA that raw milk poses risks not worth taking. 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: Kerry E. Kaylegian, Penn State Read more: Kerry Elizabeth Kaylegian receives funding from USDA. DePape was found guilty of assault and attempted kidnapping in November after breaking into the Pelosis' home with the goal of kidnapping then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock Paul Pelosi, husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on March 17, 2022 David DePape the man who brutally attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer in 2022 was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday, May 17, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Northern California. DePape, 44, was found guilty of assault and attempted kidnapping in November in connection with his unsuccessful plot to take then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hostage. Though Nancy was not present at the time, DePape got into a confrontation with her husband, resulting in a violent assault that fractured part of his skull and injured his right arm and hand. Related: Paul Pelosi Makes First Public Appearance Since Hammer Attack at Kennedy Center Honors Before the judge handed down DePape's sentence on Friday, KTVU reports, Nancy requested one that is "very long." He ultimately received 20 years in FBI custody for one count, and 30 years for the other, which will run concurrently. "The Pelosi family couldn't be prouder of their Pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case," the family said in a statement following the sentencing. Related: Paul Pelosi Attack Suspect David DePape Begins Federal Trial with Threat of Life in Prison Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Police tape is put up around the Pelosis' San Francisco home after an intruder attacked Paul Pelosi on Oct. 28, 2022 The attack occurred in the early morning hours of Oct. 28, 2022, after DePape broke into the Pelosis' San Francisco home and woke Paul, then 82, demanding to speak to his wife, who was in Washington, D.C. In a press conference after the attack, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said that officers arrived at the house shortly before 2:30 a.m. local time to conduct a wellness check. Inside, they allegedly encountered Paul and DePape both holding onto a hammer. Then, Scott said, "the suspect pulled the hammer away from Mr. Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it." "Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him into custody, requested emergency backup and rendered medical aid," Scott added. Related: Body Cam Footage of Paul Pelosi's Attack Released, Showing Moment Assailant Lunged at Him with Hammer Body camera footage offered further details of the incident, showing how police told the suspect to drop the hammer. "Nope," he replied. Within seconds, the man then wound up his arm and attacked Paul in front of the policemen, who swiftly moved in and tackled the assailant to the ground. Audio from a 911 call Paul made prior to the attack was also released. In it, a dispatcher asks Paul whether he needed help. "There is a human here just waiting for my wife to come back," Paul responded, adding, "Nancy Pelosi." "He's just waiting for her to come back, but she's not going to be here for days, so I guess I'll have to wait," Paul continued. Paul successfully underwent surgery to repair his skull on the same day the incident occurred. In addition to the federal criminal case, DePape faces a slew of charges from the San Francisco District Attorney, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Jury selection in the San Francisco case is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 22. If convicted, DePape faces life in prison. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. When Alicia Doty was in a Shakopee prison for drug-related charges stemming from her methamphetamine addiction, volunteers who had once shared her experience visited during her 1 1/2-year sentence. And while she did relapse after her 2017 release, she attributes that connection to helping her eventually achieve sobriety in May 2021. Doty is now trying to pay it forward by helping people as a peer specialist, a growing profession that provides support based on personal experience with addiction, mental health or other emotional and social challenges. The traditional route for such treatment is usually through the health care system via licensed psychologists, therapists, social workers or other mental health professionals. But labor shortages in those fields, along with continued barriers to access, mean people can struggle to find help when they need it. Doty, 33 of Mayer in Carver County, became a peer specialist in 2022 and has worked for St. Paul-based Minnesota Recovery Connection since July 2023. "I can connect with people on a level that clinicians can't," Doty said, "because I have lived experience." As of mid-March, Minnesota had approximately 3,250 peer specialists, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, with more than 93% of working in the mental health or substance abuse fields. Family peer specialists, who work with families dealing with divorce or a child with a behavioral problem, for example, are less prolific. In addition to a potentially quicker timetable, seeking a peer specialist could also be cheaper, especially with more health insurers beginning to cover them. But for all the potential benefits, there are still some drawbacks: Some say oversight is lacking, while others believe peer specialists are not a full replacement for professional mental health or medical care. A new way to care Shannah Mulvihill, executive director of Mental Health Minnesota, said the wait time for patients trying to book an appointment with mental health professionals can take "weeks or months." That's not always tenable in a time of crisis. The reason behind these delays is a matter of supply and demand. Pew Research found at least 41% of U.S. adults experienced high levels of psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimated 122 million people live in areas with a shortage of mental health care, with more than 6,000 new providers required to meet the need. According to the Commonwealth Fund, in 2021 fewer than half of people with a mental illness could access care in a timely fashion, while those with substance issues found that even harder. "We have a big workforce shortage in mental health," Mulvihill said. "I think peers can play a really big role in mental health." A statewide survey of mental health providers this winter found challenges to the system like the inability to hire and retain staff; the closure and reduction of services; and increased staff burnout. The survey from the Minnesota Association of Community Mental Health Programs and the Mental Health Providers Association of Minnesota also showed those factors were driving a 41% increase in wait times, with average wait times being about four weeks for day treatment and 14 weeks for outpatient treatment. North Memorial Health recently cut 103 jobs and eliminated mental health services at its anchor hospital in Robbinsdale. That will leave approximately 3,400 mental health patients without outpatient providers after Aug. 30. A peer specialist could help ease the clinical labor shortage since it takes significantly less time to become one. Many licensed psychologists, for example, attend four-year colleges and spend an average of seven years in graduate education and training to prepare for counseling patients, per the American Psychological Association. Peer recovery specialists, which the Minnesota Certification Board certify at two experience levels, complete 46 hours of training and pass a certain exam for the first level. The state certifies support or mental health peer specialists also at two experience levels and has been offering the service since 2009. It has a similar training-exam process, but the basic requirements are to be 21 years old, have a mental health diagnosis and to have received mental health services. Per the state website, peer specialists can "free up other mental health staff by running groups, reinforcing skills and helping the individuals develop their treatment plans." Peer specialists earn in the range of $20 to $25 an hour, with certification fees for two years costing $250 for peer recovery specialists, per the Minnesota Certification Board. People can connect with peer specialists through treatment centers, sober houses and nonprofits, but patients must first meet with an assessor who confirms their diagnosis and refers them to a peer. "In the last several years, the number of recovery peers and recovery community organizations has grown exponentially," the Minnesota Department of Human Services said. Cost benefit Medicaid reimburses peer specialist services and is the largest payer of mental health services in most states in the U.S., including Minnesota. In 2019, Minnesota reimbursed slightly more than $51,000 for peer recovery services. That grew to more than $6.2 million in 2022. As interest has grown in peer specialists, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota started covering them at the beginning of this year. The insurer previously covered them within its Medicaid plan but has now added Medicare and commercial plans, meaning in-network peer specialists should have zero cost to members. "We've expanded coverage," said Lauren Foster, principal program manager of behavioral health at Blue Cross and Blue Shield. "All fully insured plans have access." Foster added that peer specialists can help take some stress off clinical staff. In a recent survey of its members, Foster said policyholders of color advocated for having more nonclinical care options. Some Minnesota insurers, though, do not provide coverage for peer specialists or only do so for certain plans. UCare covers peer specialists under its Medicaid plans but not in its individual, family or Medicare plans. HealthPartners covers peer specialists in its Medicare and MinnesotaCare products, while Medica only covers peer specialists in its Medicaid plans but is "evaluating coverage" for its other plans. UnitedHealthcare covers peer specialists in states that certify peers. "UnitedHealthcare has, for many years, recognized the important role peer support specialists can play in helping people successfully overcome mental health and substance use challenges," said Dr. Donald Tavakoli, national medical director of behavioral health at UnitedHealthcare, in a statement. Savings could also come beyond the individual level and in terms of lives as well as money. A report from the Minnesota Department of Health estimated excessive drinking cost the state $7.85 billion in 2019 and contributes to more than 2,000 deaths every year. The department also recorded 1,343 drug overdose deaths in the state in 2022, only 13 fewer than the year prior, with opioid-involved cases accounting for 75% of all drug overdose deaths. Last year the legislature committed more than $200 million for addiction and recovery support over four years in a package that created the state's first-ever addiction and recovery director position, which reports directly to the governor. Justin McNeal spent many years fighting his drug addiction, which started with marijuana and became a meth and heroin habit. In his last years of using, he was in and out of jail. He became a peer recovery specialist in 2018 and has been sober more than seven years. "I find it extremely effective," McNeal said of peer specialists. "It's a much cheaper route." Complementary care Because this is an emerging field, there is still some wariness. Legislators are considering adding additional oversight for peer recovery specialists this session, with one representative calling the current situation "the wild, wild West." Marielle Demarais, chief of psychology at Hennepin Healthcare, said peer specialists still aren't widely available in the state, so billing for them can be an issue because many insurers don't cover peers, and Medicaid is only applicable in specific situations. Demarais leads an interdisciplinary support team that includes a peer specialist who complements the work therapists are doing without working independently with patients. Licensed mental health professionals can conduct care like making clinical assessments and using cognitive and behavioral treatment strategies that peers cannot. "They just provide really different services," Demarais said. In some cases, working with peers can be supplemental to other care, both medical and behavioral. Wendy Jones executive director of St. Paul-based Minnesota Alliance of Recovery Community Organizations, which supports peer recovery specialists said peer specialists "can be integrated into a lot of different settings." Kristin Nottingham, 62 of St. Paul, found it beneficial to work with peer recovery specialist Doty and has now been alcohol-free for two years and nine months. She's now undergoing the training to become a peer specialist herself, a common theme for many who have used the service. "I wouldn't be at this point in my recovery without my peer recovery specialist," she said. This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE Penn State Health has agreed to stop performing kidney transplants for two weeks after scrutiny from federal officials. The decision deals another blow to the health systems attempts to rebuild its abdominal transplant program after it suspended operations in 2022 and faced serious disciplinary action from a national oversight body. The health system agreed to stop performing liver transplants in late April while the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which oversees transplants in the U.S., reviews the program. We are working to notify patients currently on our kidney transplant list of this decision and will help patients who may wish to transfer to other transplant programs or co-list with another program to do so promptly, a Penn State Health spokesperson said in an email to Spotlight PA. The spokesperson did not provide information on the number of patients affected by the decision, nor specify what prompted the inactivation, but said the health system was working with regulators to review the current organizational structure of our liver and kidney programs. The suspension of both programs casts doubt on the success of the health systems efforts to rebuild them and comes less than two years after OPTN declared Milton S. Hershey Medical Center a member not in good standing the most severe disciplinary action the group had taken against a hospital in more than 15 years. OPTN restored the hospitals good standing last December, saying it had addressed the problems. When Penn State Health suspended its liver transplant program last month, staff were instructed to tell patients that the inactivation was not uncommon, according to an internal document obtained by Spotlight PA. A Penn State Health spokesperson could not be reached by phone or email ahead of publication to respond to questions about the document. Jason Smith, a heart surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco, who previously served on the OPTN oversight committee for transplant programs, told Spotlight PA that while across the country some transplant programs do occasionally inactivate, an individual program repeatedly shutting down would be a big red flag. It is my opinion that repeated suspension of transplant activity suggests a deeper problem with the institutional commitment to transplant or that there is a leadership problem that is interfering in the successful maintenance of a transplant program, Smith said in an email to Spotlight PA clarifying his view. Under its bylaws, OPTN cannot comment on any potential or ongoing review of a member organization, a spokesperson previously told Spotlight PA. This is not the first time Penn State Health has suspended liver and kidney transplants. In April 2022, the health system agreed to stop doing the procedures while a third-party conducted an extensive review, a spokesperson told PennLive at the time. National data show that the number of kidney transplants performed at Hershey Medical Center dropped significantly after the facility resumed the procedures in 2023. That year, while the hospital rebuilt its transplant waitlist, it performed just one kidney transplant. So far in 2024, five patients have received kidneys. Before the 2022 suspension, the hospital typically performed at least two dozen each year. In May 2022, an inspection by the state health department found a range of problems with the medical centers transplant programs, PennLive reported that summer. Inspectors found that staff failed to analyze post-transplant problems for trends, did not notify the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that key staff, including surgeons, had changed, and failed to properly inform some patients of potential surgery complications or that some organs were considered high-risk. Later that year, OPTN declared the hospital a member not in good standing, citing reports of surgical complications, concerns over the kidney and liver transplant programs adherence to national requirements, and a culture of retaliation for reporting potential problems. It was the first time since 2006 that OPTN had deemed a hospital not in good standing. The designation is intended to provide public notice that a hospital has committed a serious violation of the organizations policies or bylaws, or demonstrated a serious lapse in patient safety or quality of care, the organizations board said. Penn State Health leaders promised to overhaul kidney and liver transplants and recruited three new surgeons who officials described as world-class in a March 2023 news release. We voluntarily inactivated our program in April 2022 to improve it, and weve since built the abdominal transplant program the people of central Pennsylvania deserve, Deborah Addo, the health systems chief operating officer, said at the time. The health systems heart, stem cell, and bone marrow transplant programs are not affected by the recent changes. SUPPORT THIS JOURNALISM and help us reinvigorate local news in north-central Pennsylvania at spotlightpa.org/donate/statecollege. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability and public-service journalism that gets results. SLATINGTON, Pa. (WHTM) A Pennsylvania man is in prison, accused of killing and dismembering his roommate and ditching the remains. Joshua Douglas Moser, 33, of Slatington, is facing felony criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence charges in Lehigh County. Moser is accused in the death of 37-year-old David Hittinger, of Slatington. In a midday news conference Friday, Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said that Hittinger had been reported missing after not appearing at his birthday party. He had recently moved into Mosers home at 699 West Franklin Street in Slatington, Holihan said, which is where Hittinger was last seen. An investigation led by the Pennsylvania State Police led to a search warrant for Mosers home, where blood, hair, and other evidence was found in the basement, as well as what Holihan described as efforts to conceal the scene. In describing the incident, Holihan called the details fairly graphic and urged discretion. A second search warrant led to the discovery of cutting tools, bloody clothing, and more. Meanwhile, Hittingers body parts were found in three different locations around the Slate Belt. Three plastic bags were found in Fairview Cemetery, not far from the Moser residence, which included body parts, dismembered body parts of David Hettingers, Holihan said. On Thursday, more evidence was found along the D&L Trail, which parallels the Lehigh River near the Moser residence, as well as at a quarry off Welshtown Road in Washington Township. Those discoveries were additional dismembered body parts of David Hettinger, Holihan said. The parts, at least at the cemetery, werent scattered about in that sense, Holihan said. Some effort was made to hide them, but its not as if body parts were left scattered about, Holihan added. Holihan said Moser was arrested on unrelated charges in Monroe County as the investigation was just beginning. He refused to elaborate on what the charges were or who they were issued by. Moser was arraigned this morning on homicide charges and was denied bail. There does not appear to be a threat to the public at this point, Holihan said. This investigation, although it was conducted quickly, has taken a great deal of manpower, Holihan added, noting that multiple units of the State Police were deployed, along with Slatington Police, the district attorneys offices in Lehigh, Monroe, and Carbon Counties, and the Whitehall dive team. He described the effort as all hands on deck. Holihan did not know if the two were longtime friends, but said, Certainly they knew each other. They were friendly. Asked if there was any indication of a reason for the acts, Holihan said Im not sure that there is ever going to be a good answer to a question like that. Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio ruled the manner of death homicide and said an autopsy would be completed Friday. He had no further comment. A preliminary hearing is set for May 29 in Allentown. 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. The Defense Department plans to release the implementation plan for its National Defense Industrial Strategy in early fall. Americas adversaries may not wait that long. Russia certainly isnt waiting in Ukraine. Iran isnt waiting in Israel. And from the Red Sea to the Taiwan Strait, Americas other adversaries arent likely to respect such a timeline. While Israels Iron Dome defenses were successful in countering Tehrans missiles, the episode shows the dangers inherent when a supply of weapons is limited. And make no mistake, that supply is limited. Those in government now, whether civil service or political appointee, must understand that no acquisition decision should ever be made without considering the industrial base. The bottom line is the industrial base cannot be considered in isolation. It needs to be a part of the holistic way DOD does acquisition. The root of the problem is that acquisition program managers typically focus on three things: cost, schedule, and performance commonly referred to as the three-legged stool. Whats taken for granted is the defense industrial base, from which these products, services, and assets flow. It is almost always assumed the DIB will be there to support whatever acquisition decision is made. Instead, the Defense Department needs a four-legged stool where that fourth leg is the defense-industrial base. To illustrate what if a service or program decides to procure fewer missiles or aircraft or ammunition than the previous year? What is the effect on the industrial base especially on sub-tier suppliers? Do those quantities put them below the minimum sustaining rate they need to stay in business? In the past several years, as the U.S. has attempted to simultaneously support two allies, Ukraine and Israel, while also preparing to support others in the Indo-Pacific region, it became obvious the Defense Department has paid a price for not considering and investing in the defense-industrial base. The cumulative effect is an industrial base that has atrophied and is unprepared to support a true crisis. The challenge has been unprecedented. The U.S. has donated over 2 million rounds of 155mm ammunition to Ukraine and is struggling to replenish its inventory. After three years of intense, focused effort, production has only increased from 14,400 per month to 30,000 rounds, though its on its way to 100,000. All while Ukraine is shooting an average of 5,000 rounds per day and when DOD is now also supplying Israel. The shortage of solid rocket motors has become a production bottleneck for multiple missile systems, such as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System. There are only two suppliers, both are capacity constrained, and there are multiple sub-tier suppliers who cannot keep up with the sudden increase in demand. Obsolete parts have also been a major constraint when increasing production rates and another consequence of acquisition decisions that did not consider industrial base impacts. This limited production of Stinger and Patriot missiles. The Defense Department plans to release the implementation plan for the NDIS sometime this fall. While the strategy includes a section on flexible acquisition that briefly touches on some of these themes, it clearly states it does not include broad-based acquisition reform. It must. The industrial base cannot be considered in isolation. It needs to be a part of the holistic way DOD does acquisition. It must factor into every decision not as an after-thought, but as the first thought. The time for the four-legged stool is now. Christine Michienzi is a former senior defense official and the owner of MMR Defense Solutions as well as a nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Pentagon: Washington has not changed position on Ukrainian strikes in Russia with US arms Editor's note: The article was updated at 10:50 a.m. local time on May 17 with comments from President Volodymyr Zelensky to journalists in Kyiv on May 16. Washington has not changed its position on potential Ukrainian strikes with U.S.-supplied weapons on Russian territory, even after Russia had launched its offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said at a press briefing on May 16. U.S. officials have repeatedly said that they do not support or encourage Kyiv's strikes with American weapons at Russian territory, while Ukrainian officials are reportedly trying to convince Washington to lift this ban. "We believe that the equipment, the capabilities that we are giving Ukraine, that other countries are giving to Ukraine should be used to take back Ukrainian sovereign territory," Singh said, adding that U.S. has made its requests on this "pretty public." According to Singh, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin discussed with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov how Ukraine can best use the provided weapons. "And we believe that is within Ukrainian territory," the spokesperson said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 16 that he believes "there should be no bans because this is not about a Ukrainian offensive using Western weapons on Russian territory. This is about defense." "It's the same issue like with pre-emptive sanctions we talked about before the full-scale war... It's a warning," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv. The president also noted that Russia has established a "gray zone" area on its side of the border from which they evicted civilian population "for obvious reasons." The U.S. has supplied Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, which Ukraine reportedly used to strike Russian targets in occupied Crimea. Washington's restrictions, as described by Ukrainian officials, would prevent the replication of such an attack inside Russian territory. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 15 that Kyiv "has to make decisions for itself" when deciding how to use U.S.-supplied weapons but reiterated that Washington has not enabled or encouraged strikes outside of Ukraine. The U.K. recently said that it does not oppose Ukraine using British-supplied weapons to strike directly at Russia. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said earlier in May that several countries had sent weapons to Kyiv with no restrictions on strikes inside Russian territory. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says situation in Kharkiv difficult but under control, Russia suffering significant losses Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. In the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian defenders are holding the line near Vovchansk, and the enemy is unable to drive our troops from their positions in and around the city. The situation in Vovchansk is under control. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a summary on May 16, 2024, as of 23:30. It is noted that the enemy continues to try to break through the defense of Ukrainian units in the Shebekino-Vovchansk direction, but our defenders repel the occupiers' attacks. In total, 114 combat engagements have taken place since the beginning of the day, five of which are still ongoing. Situation at the front There were 10 combat engagements in the Kharkiv sector. Our troops repelled eight attacks in the vicinity of Lyptsi, Starytsia, and Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region. The enemy continues to try to break through the defense of Ukrainian units in the Shebekino-Vovchansk area. The situation in Vovchansk is under control, the General Staff noted. As of the beginning of the day, enemy losses in the Kharkiv sector amounted to 160 occupants and 21 units of weapons and military equipment. ADVERTISIMENT Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully repelled six enemy attacks in the Kupiansk sector. In some areas, our troops are taking measures to improve the tactical situation. Another combat engagement continues in the Krokhmalne-Berestove area. The situation is under control. In the Liman sector, the enemy tried to break through the defense of our troops eight times in vain. Four enemy attacks were repelled in the Siversk sector. Fighting continues in the Berestove Vyimka area. In the course of defensive actions, no positions were lost, and the situation is under control. In the Kramatorsk sector, 13 attempts to break through the defense of our troops were repelled. Our defenders repelled two enemy attacks in the areas of Bakhmut Klishchyivka and Opytne Andriivka. The situation is under control. ADVERTISIMENT In the Pokrovsk sector, 35 enemy attacks took place. In some areas, as a result of intense fire and enemy assault, the Defense Forces regrouped in the course of the fighting. Fighting continues in the area of Novooleksandrivka. In the Kurakhove sector, the enemy made 12 attempts to break through the defense of our troops. Ukrainian positions were not lost in action. In the Vremivsk sector, the enemy made nine unsuccessful attempts to improve its tactical position in the areas of Pivdenna Shakhta No. 1, Urozhaine, and Staromayorske. The situation is under control. In the Prydniprovsk sector, the Defense Forces repelled nine enemy attacks in the Oleshkivski Pisky-Krynky area. In the course of the fighting, the enemy did not succeed, and no positions were lost. ADVERTISIMENT Russian attacks The Russian occupiers launched four missile attacks, using seven missiles, and 70 air strikes, used 431 kamikaze drones, and fired almost 2,800 times at the positions of our troops. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! (FOX40.COM) One person is the hospital and another is in jail after a stabbing in a shopping center parking lot in the North Highlands area on Friday morning, according to the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office. According to the sheriffs office, an employee at one of the stores confronted a homeless person in the parking lot and was trying to have them leave. Tractor-trailer, other vehicles fatally strike pedestrian on Highway 99 in Stockton A physical altercation began between the homeless person, the store employee and two people who were uninvolved but were trying to help, according to the sheriffs office. One of the uninvolved people was stabbed by the homeless person in the back and in the face. That person was hospitalized and is expected to survive. The suspect was later arrested and booked in the Sacramento County Jail. 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. NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) PETA called out Mayor Eric Adams for his alleged vitriolic rat rhetoric, and plans to send him an empathy kit advocating for the scurry rodents. The animal rights organization is rushing a kit to the mayor after he announced his hatred for rats on Wednesday. The empathy kit will offer a guide on how to cultivate compassion and a popular Rats Have Right mug. NYCs strongest soldier is a rat-killing dog named Luna PETA claims that the answer to the citys rodent problem is birth control and trash containment. Instead of trash-talking rats, Mayor Adams should focus on clearing New Yorks streets of the massive heaps of garbage attracting them in the first place, says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. The inaugural National Rat Summit will be held in September, according to Adams. The summit will include some of the top leaders in extermination to help brainstorm solutions for New York Citys rodent issue. Charline Charles is a digital journalist from Brooklyn who has covered local news along with culture and arts in the New York City area since 2019. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here. 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 this handout photo provided by the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, Australian national Gregor Johann Haas poses for a mugshot following his arrest in Cebu province, Central Philippines on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. One of Indonesia's most-wanted drug suspects has been arrested in the Philippines after an international manhunt and efforts were underway to have the suspect, reportedly the father of an Australian rugby star, extradited to Jakarta to face charges, Indonesian and Philippine officials said Friday. (Philippine Bureau of Immigration via AP) MANILA, Philippines (AP) One of Indonesias most-wanted drug suspects has been arrested in the Philippines after an international manhunt and efforts were underway to have the suspect extradited to Jakarta to face charges, Indonesian and Philippine officials said Friday. Philippine Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was detained in Bogo city in the central province of Cebu after the Interpol issued a red notice, an international alert for a wanted person, stemming from a criminal complaint filed against him by Indonesian authorities. Tansingco described Haas as a high-profile fugitive for being an alleged member of the Sinaloa cartel, a large international organized crime syndicate based in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico that specializes in drug trafficking and money laundering activities." Media reports say Haas is the father of popular Australian rugby league player Payne Haas. Indonesian authorities have implicated Haas in an attempt to smuggle into Indonesia in December a shipment of floor ceramics filled with more than five kilograms (11 pounds) of methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant which is prohibited in Indonesia and the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration in Manila said in a statement. "The drugs were seized by Indonesian authorities who later discovered via testimonies elicited from arrested drug couriers that the packages were sent by Haas from Guadalajara, Mexico, it said. In Jakarta, Indonesia, Krishma Murti, the head of the National Polices International Relation Division, told The Associated Press that Indonesian authorities wanted Haas to be flown to Indonesia immediately and face an investigation. "We suspect he has networks all over Asia and in Australia, Murti said. There were no immediate comments from the arrested suspect and Payne Haas. Under Indonesias strict drug law, Gregor Johann Haas could face the death penalty by firing squad. Haas was flown from Cebu province to an immigration detention center in Metropolitan Manila while deportation proceedings were underway, the Philippine immigration bureau said without elaborating. An investigation into a Pierce County lawmaker found that she may have violated the Washington state House of Representatives respectful workplace policy after a complainant expressed several concerns about their work environment earlier this year, according to a report released Thursday. House Chief Clerk Bernard Dean released the findings of a House investigation into Rep. Melanie Morgan, D-Parkland, to reporters via email. The 55-page report outlines 21 allegations against Morgan, with a number of those allegations found to be substantiated or partially substantiated. The report alleged that Morgans legislative assistant for the 2024 session was yelled at and mistreated and that Morgan was confrontational with the assistant, among other things. The assistant no longer works for Morgan. The complainant reported that her direction made them feel isolated, the report notes, after Morgan allegedly told the new staffer to trust no one and to limit contact with other staffers in the statehouse building. The independent investigation was conducted by Sound Workplace Investigations and is dated May 7. Investigators found that the lawmaker may have violated the House Respectful Workplace policy in some of the 21 instances alleged in the report. According to the report, Morgan allegedly talked to the assistant about trying to get two members of House staff fired for performance concerns, which the report found could be intimidating. This conduct more likely than not results in a violation of House policy, particularly because there were repeated instances, the investigator wrote. Additionally, during the first month of the legislative session, the lawmaker allegedly referred to the assistant as Starboy, while also telling them that the only reason their colleagues accepted them was due to their proximity to whiteness. Photos provided by Dean showed a whiteboard from Morgans office where she had written the words Starboy and proximity to whiteness earlier this year. The investigator wrote in the report that the substantiated part of the allegation was based on the assistants race and was unwelcome conduct that could contribute to a finding of a violation of the House Respectful Workplace Policy. The report outlined another incident where the assistant pushed back after Morgan allegedly told them they would be responsible for getting food for her during the session. When the assistant pushed back, the lawmaker told them, Excuse me. You will do it anyway. When the assistant offered to pick up food for Morgan later in the session, the lawmaker allegedly said in a sarcastic tone, You get to pick and choose? You didnt work to get this seat. While the investigator did not find that the conversations violated the House policy, this type of interaction could be intimidating, and these incidents could result in a policy violation if combined with other substantiated allegations, they said. In one allegation, the assistant also heard the lawmaker call another legislator a little bitch who didnt talk about being Mexican until they ran for office. Another allegation by the assistant said that Morgan described another lawmaker to them as a bully who drinks on the job. This is the second time the lawmakers conduct has come under scrutiny at the state Legislature. In October 2022, Morgan was found to have engaged in abusive and bullying conduct and was found to have retaliated against a policy analyst on the Social Equity in Cannabis Task Force where Morgan served as chair, according to reporting from the Associated Press. The lawmaker later appealed that report but Chief Clerk Dean told McClatchy in an email that the appeal was not successful. The House Executive Rules Committee upheld the findings of the report back in February 2023, Dean said. Morgan did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Morgans attorney who represented her in the 2022 investigation. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) A placement hearing took place Friday for Alvin Ray Quarles, also know as the Bolder-Than-Most rapist. Held at the San Diego Central Courthouse, the release hearing was scheduled for consideration of the terms of his release as a sexually violent predator. Quarles spent 25 years in state prison after pleading guilty in 1989 to committing a string of rapes, robberies and burglaries. He was dubbed the Bolder-Than-Most rapist because of the way he attacked his victims, at knifepoint, sometimes forcing the womens husbands or boyfriends to watch. Quarles didnt appear Friday with a continuance now set for Aug 16, 2024. A judge is set to decide the placement conditions upon Quarles release at that 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 FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. The "social section" in Crawford County Library's Van Buren branch (Screenshot from court documents) The 18 plaintiffs challenging an Arkansas law that would alter libraries processes for reconsidering materials asked a federal judge Wednesday to make his temporary injunction of the law permanent, according to court documents. Sixteen of the plaintiffs sued the state and Crawford County in June over Act 372 of 2023, which would create criminal liability for librarians who distribute content that some consider harmful to minors and give local elected officials the final say over the availability of challenged materials. Two residents of Crawford County, where the local library system segregated LGBTQ+ childrens books in response to public outcry, joined the suit in February. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks temporarily blocked the two challenged portions of Act 372 in July, three days before the law went into effect. The case is scheduled for trial in October. Who is challenging Act 372 in federal court? Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) Fayetteville Public Library The Eureka Springs Carnegie Public Library Garland County Library executive director Adam Webb CALS executive director Nate Coulter Arkansas Library Association Advocates for All Arkansas Libraries The Authors Guild, the oldest and largest professional organization for writers in the United States The American Booksellers Association The Association of American Publishers The Freedom to Read Foundation The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund WordsWorth Books, an independent bookstore in Little Rock Pearls Books, an independent bookstore in Fayetteville Olivia Farrell, an adult CALS patron Leta Caplinger, an adult Crawford County Library System patron Madeline Partain, a 17-year-old Crawford County Library System patron Miel Partain, Madelines mother Hayden Kirby, an 18-year-old CALS patron, and her mother, Jennie Kirby, were initially plaintiffs in the case. They withdrew from the lawsuit earlier this year because Hayden is no longer a minor. The blocked Section 1 of Act 372 would have put librarians at risk of being charged with a Class D felony for knowingly distributing obscene material or informing others of how to obtain it. Knowingly possessing obscene material would risk conviction of a Class A misdemeanor. The other blocked provision, Section 5, would have given city and county elected officials the final say over whether a book challenged on the basis of appropriateness can remain on library shelves or should be relocated to a place minors cannot access. Brooks wrote in his 49-page ruling that the two sections were too vague and could lead to arbitrary interpretation and content-based restrictions that violate the First Amendment. A 2003 state law banned displays of reading material deemed harmful to minors, a phrase included in Act 372. Then-Gov. Mike Huckabee signed the 2003 law; his daughter, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, signed Act 372 in March 2023. The Arkansas Supreme Court struck down the previous law in 2004, partially basing the ruling on the fact that the law applied broadly and equally to all minors regardless of age and maturity, and Brooks upheld this precedent in his ruling. The plaintiffs reiterated many of Brooks statements in Wednesdays motion and in a brief supporting the motion. They said a permanent injunction via summary judgment is appropriate because there are no factual issues that prevent final resolution of this matter. Sections 1 and 5 restrain public libraries and booksellers in Arkansas from making available constitutionally protected books and other materials to their patrons and customers, which burdens the rights of those individuals to read and to receive information, the motion states. The motion included several declarations of support from librarians throughout the state who are not plaintiffs, including Patty Hector, whom the Saline County judge fired from running the local library system after she refused to relocate books about LGBTQ+ topics and sex education at the county quorum courts request last year. The cases defendants are the prosecuting attorneys in each of Arkansas 28 judicial districts, as well as Crawford County and its county judge, Chris Keith. On Wednesday, the attorneys representing the Crawford County defendants filed a motion asking Brooks to dismiss the case against them alone. They filed a similar motion in July, claiming the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue them. Brooks denied the July motion, ruling that the county and its county judge will be responsible for implementing Act 372 if it goes into effect and if appeals of challenged material reach the county government. Wednesdays motion repeated the defendants assertion that the plaintiffs could not sue them, especially since plaintiffs seek a statewide remedy and Crawford County is not tasked with statewide enforcement of Act 372, according to court documents. The Crawford County Library System created social sections of LGBTQ+ childrens books at its five branches several weeks before Act 372 was filed as a bill in the Arkansas Legislature, so the two issues are unrelated and the plaintiffs case against Crawford County is moot, the motion states. Attorney General Tim Griffins office, representing the state defendants, filed a brief Wednesday in support of the Crawford County defendants motion. The other suit against Crawford County The library systems then-director, Deidre Grzymala, reached a compromise with the county quorum court at its December 2022 meeting after several residents complained about the LGBTQ+ childrens books, according to a transcription from the January 2023 meeting of the systems governing board, included in a separate lawsuit filed last year. The three plaintiffs are suing not only Crawford County and Keith but also the library board and Eva White, the systems former director who reassumed the role on an interim basis from February 2023, upon Grzymalas resignation, to January 2024. In their May 2023 complaint, the three mothers of minor children who are library patrons called the social sections unlawful censorship based on an extreme and malevolent view of the Bible. This violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits government entities from favoring an establishment of religion, the plaintiffs claimed. In August, they asserted that Brooks temporary injunction of the two challenged sections of Act 372 supported their case. U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes denied their request for a temporary injunction in September. On Thursday, Holmes denied the two defendants request to dismiss the case. The defendants again asserted that the plaintiffs had no standing to sue, but Holmes wrote that the plaintiffs have established their standing on First Amendment grounds. Holmes also denied the defendants motion to dismiss an expert witness called by the plaintiffs, library and information science professor Dr. Daniel Joudrey. The defendants claimed Joudreys expertise on library cataloging would be unhelpful, but Holmes disagreed. The central issues and disputes in this case concern Defendants library cataloging practices, whether or to what extent those practices interfere with Plaintiffs First Amendment right to access information, and how (if at all) the Court should order Defendants to modify those library cataloging practices, Holmes wrote. Additionally, Holmes granted a motion from the plaintiffs to supplement their case with the Crawford County Librarys material selection policy. The policy in question, according to court documents, includes the Library Bill of Rights of the American Library Association, which states: A persons right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. Far-right conservatives nationwide have claimed this statement is proof that the ALA believes in forcing content about sexual activity and LGBTQ+ topics onto children. The post Plaintiffs seek permanent injunction of Arkansas blocked library obscenity law appeared first on Arkansas Advocate. MERSIN, Turkey Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar has delivered to Poland the final batch of Bayraktar TB2 combat systems ordered for $270 million, the company announced. Poland signed a deal in May 2021 for the drones and associated equipment. The contract stipulated the delivery of four systems, each of which include six aircraft and three ground control stations. Baykar first delivered six TB2s in October 2022 at a ceremony held at Polands 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Base. On May 16, it completed the shipment of a cumulative 24 TB2s during an event held in Poland. Attendees included Polands deputy defense minister, the head of Turkeys Presidency of Defence Industries agency, and the general manager of Baykar. Haluk Bayraktar, who leads the company, wrote Thursday on the social media site X that the firm delivered the last system of our Bayraktar TB2 UCAVs to Poland. Thus, for the first time in Turkeys history, we have successfully completed the export of high-tech UCAVs to [both] a NATO and EU member country. Defense News has contacted Polands Defence Ministry for comment on how the drones will be used, and whether Ukraine will receive any. Ukraine is currently fighting off a Russian invasion, which has heavily involved drone warfare. The TB2 made headlines when Ukrainian forces used them against Russia early on in the war. The medium-altitude, long-endurance drone can help with reconnaissance, target identification for artillery and precision strikes. It features an advanced avionic suite with a system that allows for autonomous taxiing, takeoff, landing and cruising. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is launching a mobile application called "Reserve+" for persons liable for military service, conscripts, and reservists. The app will allow men aged 18-60 to update their data online and receive information from the "Oberig" registry about themselves. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defense on May 17. The ministry reminded that on Saturday, May 18, a new law on mobilization comes into force, so starting tomorrow, all persons liable for military service aged 18-60 must update their credentials within 60 days until July 16 inclusive. In particular, you will need to provide your contact phone number, actual place of residence, and e-mail (if any). When updating data, a referral to the Military Medical Commission will not be issued it can be issued later if necessary, the Ministry of Defense said. The data can be updated online through the "Reserve+" application, which will be available for download in the App Store and Google Play from May 18. ADVERTISIMENT "Reserve+" provides an opportunity to quickly update data and access information in the "Oberig" register. It is a convenient way to fulfill the mandatory procedure for updating personal data. After updating the data in the application, you will be able to see information from the "Oberih" register about yourself," the Ministry of Defense said. You can also update your data offline at the TCA or Administrative Service Centers (ASCs) operating throughout the country. In the case of updating the data through the TCA, in addition to the extract from the register, you can get a corresponding mark on your military ID card. Starting June 18, the "Reserve+" app will also feature a QR code that will allow authorities to instantly obtain information about the status of a person liable for military service, conscript, or reservist by scanning it. ADVERTISIMENT An armed man shot dead after setting fire to a French synagogue was a failed asylum seeker subject to an expulsion order, according to reports. The unnamed man, who was killed by police in the northern city of Rouen on Friday, had been subject to the measure for less than a year, but it could not be carried out because he had filed an appeal to contest it, a source close to the case said. According to BFTMV, the suspect, who was armed with a knife and a crowbar, was an Algerian national under obligation to leave France, a police order known by its acronym OQTF for illegal immigrants whose asylum request has failed. In reality, those who refuse it are often not deported either because of the unstable situation in their home country or its lack of administrative channels with France. Gerald Darmanin, the French interior minister, said that the suspect had lost his appeal against an order to leave France in January and was registered on a list of wanted people with a view to placing him in a detention centre awaiting expulsion. He was not radicalised or known to police for any crimes. The synagogue suffered extensive damage from the fire, but no one was harmed, said Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, the mayor of Rouen, adding that the Normandy town was battered and shocked. An armed man somehow climbed up the synagogue and threw an object, a sort of molotov cocktail, into the main praying room, he told reporters. The arson attempt by the unnamed man came amid concerns over an upsurge of anti-Semitic violence in France. Firefighters stand by the synagogue which a man tried to set fire to - LOU BENOIST/AFP Mr Darmanin said: National police in Rouen neutralised early this morning an armed individual who clearly wanted to set fire to the citys synagogue. Police responded at 6.45am to reports of a fire near the synagogue, a police source said. The man approached the police, who fired. The individual died, the source said. Chmouel Lubecki, the synagogues rabbi, said his wife was there at the time of the attack. We had a great fright, he said. His wife heard gunshots and screams ... and then she saw smoke coming from the synagogue, so she immediately went down, she helped the firefighters get in the synagogue. We expected it [attacks], unfortunately, he said, because of the rise in anti-Semitism. We had this fear inside of us, but when it actually happens, its still shocking. Natacha Ben Haim, the president of Normandys Jewish community said the walls, and a lot of the furniture, had been blackened by the fire and smoke. Its catastrophic. Yes, Im upset, Im very upset, she told reporters. Photos from inside the synagogue show the walls blackened by the fire. The altar was also partly destroyed by the flames. Ms Ben Haim, said she was devastated by the attack. Denouncing a deeply anti-Semitic act, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, the mayor of Rouen, paid tribute to the responsiveness and professionalism of the police and firefighters, who arrived on the scene extremely quickly after spotting the intruder on video surveillance cameras. He said the man had climbed onto a dustbin before climbing to the first floor of the synagogue. Emergency services at the scene. Two investigations have been launched The French Jewish community, the third largest in the world, has for months been on edge in the face of a growing number of attacks and desecrations of memorials. Red hand graffiti was painted onto Frances Holocaust Memorial earlier this week, prompting anger, including from Emmanuel Macron who condemned odious anti-Semitism. Yonathan Arfi, the president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France, said: Attempting to burn a synagogue is an attempt to intimidate all Jews. Once again, there is an attempt to impose a climate of terror on the Jews of our country. Combating anti-Semitism means defending the Republic. Since 2015, France has been hit by a spate of Islamist attacks that also hit Jewish targets. There have been isolated attacks in recent months and Frances security alert remains at its highest level. At the beginning of May, Gabriel Attal, the French prime minister, announced that 366 anti-Semitic incidents had been recorded in France in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 300 per cent compared with the first three months of 2023. To fight this increase, not one act should go unpunished, not a single anti-Semite should have peace of mind, said Mr Attal at the time, promising to demonstrate exemplary firmness in each act. Responding to the apparent attempted arson attack at the synagogue is the latest challenge for Mr Macron and Mr Attal at the end of a hugely turbulent week in France. French police are still hunting for a gang who freed a convict and killed two prison officers in an attack that also took place in Normandy. Meanwhile, the authorities are also grappling with the worst violence in decades in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia. 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. Russian forces had captured up to 40 civilians in the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk and are using them as human shields, the police said on May 17. 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. Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the police of the Kharkiv Oblast, said on air on Suspilne that up to 40 civilians, most of them elderly, had been taken captive when trying to escape Russian shelling. "People are kept in basements, interrogated, and those conducting the interrogations call themselves FSB employees," he said. His comments echo those made by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, who on May 16 said Russian forces were taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation, even reporting cases of executions. "We know of the first cases of executions of civilians by the Russian military," Klymenko said on his Telegram channel. Klymenko said that 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. 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: 48 hours in Kharkiv, Ukraines most-bombed major city Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A spate of Oregon wolves have died in a collection of illegal poisonings in northeast Oregon. Officials are offering a $25,000 reward for information about the illegal poisoning of three gray wolves, two golden eagles and other wildlife in Wallowa County. Its the latest in a spate of poisonings that have killed 19 wolves since 2015 and even killed domestic dogs recently in Eastern Oregon. The target was likely a wolf, but the collateral damage in northeast Oregons ongoing poisoning cases now includes golden eagles, dogs, and other carnivores, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said. Related: Oregon wolf population flat for fourth straight year Wolves, eagles killed in Eastern Oregon in February poisoning In February and March, Oregon State Police located the remains of three wolves, two eagles and one cougar and coyote in the Lightning Creek drainage, a tributary to the Imnaha River about 11 miles northeast of Imnaha. Testing and examinations concluded all were poisoned, a news release said. Poisoning a wolf is a Class C Felony in Oregon, punishable by a $125,000 fine and up to five years in prison. Poaching federally protected wildlife such as golden eagles, or poaching multiple animals, also elevates the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony, according to new sentencing guidelines passed by the state Legislature in 2019. The Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest, a criminal conviction or civil penalty assessment of the incident. Hunting preference points are also being offered for information in the case. State police said they were releasing information about the incident now because it had taken "time to conduct a proper investigation, confirm information and interview potential witnesses," said Kyle Kennedy, spokesman for Oregon State Police. A map by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shows areas of known wolf activity in the state. Oregon officials warn dog owners State officials said anyone traveling with dogs in northeast Oregons national forests needs to keep their eyes out. Hikers, mushroom pickers, wildlife watchers, hunters and anglers should take steps to protect their pets when recreating in northeast Oregon, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said. Additional wolves, domestic dogs also killed in poisonings In addition to the most recent incident, the OSP Fish & Wildlife Division is also asking for the publics assistance in identifying those responsible for additional wolf, wildlife and deaths of domestic dogs in several other locations in Wallowa County. Police highlighted the following cases: In July and October 2023, police responded to the unlawful take of two wolves poisoned in the Chesnimnus Wildlife Management Unit, approximately 30 miles northeast of Enterprise. Poisoning was determined to be the cause of death. In April, police responded to the unlawful take of a wolf, which is suspected of being poisoned in the Wenaha Wildlife Management Unit, approximately 5 miles west of Troy. In April, police responded to a domestic dog which was poisoned and within the Sled Springs Wildlife Management. This location is approximately 9 miles north of Enterprise. The poisoning was confirmed through a veterinary clinic. In April, police responded to another domestic dog which is suspected of being poisoned within the Snake River Management Unit. This location is approximately 6 miles north of Imnaha. How to report information about the cases Anyone with information about the cases can call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (503) 682-6131, or Oregon State Police Dispatch at (800) 452-7888, *OSP (*677) or email TIP@osp.oregon.gov. Callers may remain anonymous. To report a wildlife crime to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, members of the public can also do so online at fws.gov/wildlife-crime-tips. How to keep dogs safe ODFW offered this advice on keeping pets safe from poison. Keep your dog on a leash and under control. Dont let them eat anything they find in the forest. Learn what to carry to induce vomiting in your dog before venturing out ask your veterinarian for advice. If you suspect that your pet may have been poisoned, visit a veterinarian immediately. Watch for dead birds or mammals (scavengers) which can indicate poison. Know what a poisoned carcass looks like. This may be tricky to spot but watch for substances on the carcass that seem unnatural (powders or strange colors). Be on the lookout for suspicious bait. An unnatural item in the woods such as a meatball or piece of steak could be an indicator that someone is trying to poison wildlife in the area. Dont approach anyone who you suspect of poisoning. Get some details such as license plate, description of vehicle and persons, date and time of the incident. Cleanup from poisoning a challenge ODFW received a mortality alert on Feb. 3 for a collared wolf in the remote Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. Staff were able to confirm the breeding female of the pack was dead and later located the dead breeding male and a juvenile. According to officials, ODFW and OSF Fish and Wildlife continued to find dead animals over the next several weeks including the golden eagles, cougar, coyote, dead Steller's jay and black-billed magpie. ODFW and OSP F&W found the source to be a cow carcass laced with poison in a creek in the Imnaha River drainage. Working with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, ODFW staff dressed in hazmat gear put the cow carcass on a tarp and into a net that was taken out of the creek by helicopter and then taken to a facility in Arlington to handle the toxic waste and dispose of it, according to officials. Northeast Oregon is known for its natural resources and outdoor opportunities, so its just terrible to have this going on, said Bernadette Graham-Hudson, ODFW wildlife division administrator. We hope whoever is poisoning wildlife is quickly caught and punished for the safety of people, wildlife, and pets in northeast Oregon. Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon and Hiking Southern Oregon. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: 3 wolves, 2 eagles, cougar, coyote, dogs poisoned in Oregon CHICAGO A search is underway on Friday afternoon for five men who police say beat and robbed a passenger on a CTA Red Line train in late April. Officers say the violent robbery occurred just before 9 a.m. on April 25 on a Red Line train in the 1100 block of South State Street. According to police, five men approached the victim while they were on the train and proceeded to beat them before taking their property by force. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines On Friday, Chicago police shared photos, captured by CTA security cameras, of the five people responsible. On Friday, Chicago police shared photos of five people who officers believe are responsible for a robbery on a CTA Red Line train in late April. Offices say the five men are each believed to be between 18 and 25 years of age. In photos provided by police, four of the men were spotted wearing hooded jackets and a fifth is seen with shoulder-length hair. Police advise the public to remain aware of their surroundings and stay free from distractions. According to officers, anyone who is confronted by an assailant should try to remain calm. Authorities warn the public never to pursue a fleeing assailant and instead work to remember any unique physical characteristics of the offenders. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland Police say those who fall victim or witness a crime should call 911 immediately and provide authorities with a detailed description of the offenders. Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to contact Mass Transit Detectives at 312-745-4447 or dial 911. Those with information that could help detectives in their investigation can also leave a tip at CPDtip.com. Tips can be filed anonymously. 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. Taylor Rogers has accused police in Santa Fe, Texas, of using excessive force and holding her face over a pile of fire ants in 2021. Attorney Randall Kallinen A Texas woman has filed a federal lawsuit accusing police officers of hogtying her and pressing her face down to a pile of fire ants as she was arrested in front of her child. Body-camera footage released last week shows the incident at the center of Taylor Rogers suit, which was first filed in July and then amended in January. On Aug. 19, 2021, Rogers, a mother from Galveston County, was driving her 9-year-old son to school when a police officer for the Santa Fe Independent School District came down running to Rogers car and told her to stop, the lawsuit stated. She began to panic and then drove the wrong way. Ms. Rogers suffers from mental illness, the suit said, adding that she also has post-traumatic stress disorder from a previous incident involving officers who were present that day. Ruben Espinoza of the Santa Fe ISD Police Department allegedly rammed Rogers vehicle while her son was still inside. Another officer, Christian Carranza, arrived at the scene and immediately slammed Rogers down to the ground and handcuffed her, according to the lawsuit. Carranza twisted Plaintiffs leg with excessive force, hog tied her and buried her face in a pile of fire ants leaving the Plaintiffs face and body in excruciating pain, the lawsuit stated. Video of the arrest shows Rogers screaming in pain and calling for help, saying that ants were on her face. During the encounter, another officer told Rogers that her son was in the car watching, the lawsuit said, and she tried to remain quiet so her child could not hear her being tortured. In this circumstance, after the combative individual was secured ... [police] should have stopped the intense interaction, the lawsuit said but instead, police proceeded to turn up the fire. Randall Kallinen, an attorney in Texas, stood beside Rogers and her family at a Saturday press conference and said she was bitten at least 300 times by ants during the arrest. Kallinen said no officer was disciplined after the encounter. We saw the video ... And it shows three or four officers just hanging around watching, the lawyer said at the press conference. Is it torture? Yeah, thats a strong word, but I call it torture. Kallinen told HuffPost that Rogers has over $20,000 in hospital bills to pay as a result of the incident. The attorney recently started a GoFundMe page for her. Espinoza told local NBC affiliate KPRC that Rogers was acting erratically as he tried to warn her about driving in the wrong area. He said he used his vehicle to stop her from driving closer to where kids are dropped off at the elementary school. The Santa Fe Police Department did not respond to requests for comment. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A 1972 Polk County John Doe murder has finally been solved 52 years later, according to the Polk County Sheriffs Office. On May 12, 1972, a fisherman in unincorporated Eloise found the body of Mack Lavell Proctor, 57, lying in a field south of the canal between Lake Lulu and Lake Ship. Missing Tampa moms body found, family says The sheriffs office said when deputies arrived, they found the body in an advanced stage of decomposition, but they were able to determine the victim was a white man in his 40s or 50s who was shot twice in the left side of his head. However, he was missing his wallet and had no identifying documents. Without any leads or witnesses, deputies were unable to identify the victim. Mack Proctor was considered a John Doe and buried at Lakeside Memorial Cemetery. Victim Mack Proctor with an unknown woman (Credit: PCSO) However, the case would pick back up in January 1974 when Charles Williams, who was a Florida state prisoner at the time, contacted the Polk County Sheriffs Office about information he had on Mack Proctors murder. According to the sheriffs office, Williams told detectives that in 1973, he was in Raiford Prison with a man named Clarence Ingram, who was imprison for killing a man in Lake County in 1973. Williams said Ingram told him he and a man named Edgar Todd got into an argument with a man they met at a Winter Haven bar. Detectives said according to Williams, Ingram and Todd were leaving the bar in the victims white Chevrolet car when Ingram gave Todd a gun. Todd then shot the man twice in the head. Williams claimed that the two suspects then dumped the victim near the canal so the turtles would eat him. They also took the victims rings and wallets from his body. The sheriffs office said Williams told them Ingram and Todd sold the victims tools to Ingrams brother and drove the Chevrolet to Keeler, Michigan, where they sold it for $500. One detail Williams also revealed was that the Chevrolet had a George license plate before it was sold. Detectives later confirmed that Ingram was stopped by police in Paw Paw, Michigan, on May 25, 1972, eight days after Mack Proctors body was found. Paw Paw is 20 miles away from Keeler, Michigan, according to the sheriffs office. While Williams information was found to be extremely accurate, deputies would not be able to identify Proctors body until decades later. At first, they believed he was a missing man named Lewis House, who disappeared under similar circumstances, but a 2017 DNA test found that there was no match between the victim and Houses relatives. However, in November 2023, detectives sent a part of Proctors femur bone to Othram, a lab that specializes in forensic genealogy for cold cases. Othram sent back a report in April saying that the victim could be Mack Proctor. Detectives contacted the victims son, Wright Proctor of Elijay, Georgia, who said he last saw his father around 1969 or 1970 in Georgia. He also said his father was a master mechanic and kept his tools in his car, according to the sheriffs office. A second DNA test found that Wright Proctor was the victims son, finally confirming his identity. We are extremely grateful for the assistance from Othram, Inc., who provided us with investigative leads that ultimately lead to our ability to positively identify Mack Proctor as the unknown 1972 homicide victim, Sheriff Grady Judd said. Through that information, and the information provided to us by Charles Williams in 1974, we were able to piece together circumstantial evidence that strongly points to his killers: Edgar Todd and Clarence Ingram. However, by the time deputies identified Mack Proctor as the victim, the people involved in his death were already dead. Edgar Todd died in 2015, Clarence Ingram died in 1995, and Clarences brother Jonny Lee Ingram, who bought the victims tools, died in 2003. They are dead, and unfortunately, we cannot hold them accountable for the cold-blooded killing and robbery of Mr. Proctor, Judd said. However, we have provided some closure to Mr. Proctors family and concluded a cold case homicide investigation. I am so thankful to our outstanding team of detectives who worked hard to solve this case, especially our lead detective Master Deputy Jason McPherson. 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. From Intelligent.com: Pro-Palestinian college protests have been making headlines recently as administrations take action to break up demonstrations and manage the unrest on their campuses. In May, Intelligent.com surveyed 763 current full-time U.S. college students to understand how they feel about the pro-Palestinian protests happening on college campuses. What we found: 55% of college students say there are pro-Palestinian protests on their campus 65% of students are very supportive (36%) or somewhat supportive (29%) of the protests happening on college campuses The plurality of students (31%) say TikTok is the primary place theyve learned about the Israel-Palestine conflict More than one-third of protest supporters are in favor of the use of violence and hate speech More than half of protest supporters say they sympathize with Hamas 1 in 10 protestors admit to having an unfavorable opinion of Jewish people 9% of college students dont believe Israel has the right to exist; 19% are unsure, and 71% say it does Read more South Florida Muma College of Business names new dean From Tampa, Florida: The University of South Florida has announced the appointment of David Blackwell as the new Lynn Pippenger dean of the Muma College of Business. Blackwell comes to USF after serving as associate dean for professional graduate programs at the University of Kentuckys Gatton College of Business and Economics. In his new position, Blackwell will provide strategic leadership for the college, which consists of approximately 8,400 students, nearly 180 faculty members and more than 110 staff members across USFs three campuses. His responsibilities will include overseeing the recruitment, development and retention of faculty and staff; continually improving the colleges research and teaching programs; closely partnering with the university community on ways to advance student success; stewarding the colleges resources and undertaking creative fundraising efforts, as well as enhancing relationships with the colleges alumni, friends, donors and executive advisory councils. In his previous leadership positions, Blackwell has prioritized student success, as evidenced by significant advancements in student enrollment, retention and graduation rates. His research covers many topics, including corporate finance, commercial bank management, executive compensation and securities underwriting. In addition, Blackwell has consulted with major companies on various financial matters, establishing his expertise and national reputation in the field. Read more Rice breaks ground on new business school building, unveils design From Houston, Texas: Rice University broke ground May 9 on a new $54.5 million building for the Jones Graduate School of Business, unveiling the innovative design of a facility that will support the schools growing student and faculty population. The new 112,000-square-foot structure features state-of-the-art classrooms, modern office spaces and vibrant amenities such as dining areas, open gathering spaces and facilities for private events. The new building will seamlessly integrate with McNair Hall the current home of Rice Business enhancing the campus environment and continuing to cultivate a collaborative culture. This remarkable new building embodies the evolution of Rice Business over the past five decades and its commitment to equipping graduates who are not only integral to organizations around the globe but are also poised to lead them, Rice President Reginald DesRoches said. Were committed to offering top-tier facilities that complement our top-ranked academic programs, attracting the best students, faculty and staff to our campus. Read more DONT MISS WILL A $25M GIFT HELP VAULT THIS TEXAS B-SCHOOL INTO THE MBA TOP TIER? The post Poll: 2 In 3 College Students Support Pro-Palestinian Protests And 1/3 Favor Use Of Hate Speech appeared first on Poets&Quants. One of the most persistent myths in K-12 education is the idea that high-poverty schools are near-universally, significantly underfunded. However, the truth is much more complicated. As it turns out, poor districts get more money in almost every stateand school spending has an incredibly weak relationship with school quality in the first place. This week, USA Today published another example of fearmongering, giving a Thursday article the inexplicable headline, "Enrichment only for the rich? How school segregation continues to divide students by income." However, the research the article presents doesn't exactly show the apocalyptic outcomes implied by the headline. In fact, the research it cites concluded that "poverty rates do not have a clear relationship" with local and state funding. Reporter Alia Wong's article is filled with heartwrenching stories of schools with "regular lockdowns and the sound of gunfire in the lobby," where "classrooms lacked basic supplies and teachers didn't notice how often [a student] skipped class. Desks tended to be broken and textbooks decades old." While these situations are tragic, the reality is a bit more complex. Not only is the funding gap between wealthier and poorer schools found by the researchers smaller than you might thinkit disappeared when dividing schools based on their poverty rates. Further, other research shows that school funding, and thus the chaotic, neglectful state of many failing schools, has basically no relationship with school quality. The study, from education think tank Bellwether, examined schools in 123 metropolitan areas and classified districts into lower, middle, and wealthy based on how much local income and property values differed from the average in their metro area. The researchers did this in order to study funding differences between schools in the same areameaning that some districts in the lowest category (what they called Opportunity Outsiders) are not actually high-poverty schools. In all, researchers found that wealthy districts received the most total funding in their metro area just 39 percent of the time. However, they did find a modest, but significant funding gap between wealthier and poorer schools. The median Opportunity Outsider school spent $14,287 per pupil, while the median wealthy school (called Economic Elite) spent $16,702. However, this gap all but vanished when the researchers reclassified schools not based on relative wealth but on their actual poverty rates. The study concluded that "poverty rates do not have a clear relationship with the amount of state and local revenue that districts receive." So do the schools poor kids actually go to receive less funding? Not according to this study. Only the schools that are among the poorest in their metro areawhich includes plenty of schools in wealthy areas, where the relatively poorest school has only average povertythat face a funding gap. And that's only accounting for local and state funding. When you include federal funding, the situation becomes even better for high-poverty schools. According to research from the Urban Institute, when considering "federal, state, and local funding, almost all states allocate more per-student funding to poor kids than to nonpoor kids." Just three states, Nevada, Wyoming, and Illinois have a "weakly" regressive funding structure. If so many states allocate more money to poor districts, why do low-income schools have worse results? As it turns out, per-pupil spending doesn't seem to impact school quality all that much. One 2012 report by Harvard and Stanford researchers, found that, on average, an extra "$1000 in per-pupil spending is associated with an annual gain in achievement of one-tenth of 1 percent of a standard deviation," an increase the researchers say is "of no statistical or substantive significance." This isn't to say that funding doesn't matter at all. Rather, low-income school districts tend to spend their funding less responsibly. "More money can help schools succeed, but not if they fritter those extra resources in unproductive ways," Jay Greene, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told Reason last year. "There are many common ways that schools blow resources. Wasteful schools tend to hire more non-instructional staff while raising the pay and benefit costs for all staff regardless of their contribution to student outcomes." Despite the headlines pointing to the contrary, high-poverty school districts aren't generally underfunded and funding gaps aren't responsible for lackluster academic performance. That's not to say we shouldn't be concerned when poorer schools receive lower funding, but rather that the issues in underperforming schools almost certainly won't be fixed by throwing more cash at the problem. The post Are Poor Schools Underfunded? It's More Complex Than You'd Think. appeared first on Reason.com. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) A popular program aimed at expanding access to Californias state parks will be entirely eliminated under the latest revision of Gov. Gavin Newsoms budget proposal for the states next fiscal year. The cut to funding for the California State Library Parks Pass, which is used by thousands of residents each year, comes as the state is contending with a $45 billion budget deficit, prompting painful cuts to a slew of programs. Another state parks program, the Park Adventure Pass, also faced the chopping block in an earlier draft of the budget due to this shortfall had its funding restored in the newest draft released last Friday. California announces first new state park in a decade and sets climate goals for natural lands In a statement on Thursday, Rachel Norton, executive director for the nonprofit California State Parks Foundation expressed concern about the Library Parks Pass remaining at risk with the new budget proposal, describing it as a hit to Newsoms California for All initiative. The initiative aims to better the well-being of children through education about physical and mental health. A central aspect of the push, called Outdoors Access for All, focuses on giving Californians the ability to spend more time outside. The California State Library Parks Pass is critical to our states goal of a healthier, more equitable California for All, Norton said. The cost of entry can deter people from experiencing the natural wonders within these parks, thereby excluding them from the numerous physical and mental health benefits, educational opportunities, and recreational activities that these spaces offer. The Library Parks Pass, as well as the Park Adventure Pass, were created to be cornerstones of the California for All initiative. The program allows library card holders to check out vehicle day-use entry to participating parks. Since it was launched back in 2021, over 33,000 Library Parks Passes have been made accessible across the state and have become one of the most borrowed items, according to the nonprofit. A survey conducted by the nonprofit about the Library Parks Pass program found that the majority of people about 63% who checked out the passes previously considered cost to be their main reason for not visiting a state park before. San Diego-area beach among best in U.S., according to Travel + Leisure The nonprofit is calling on the legislature to restore half of the State Library Parks Pass programs current funding levels, which would be about $3 million. It is incomprehensible that, after all the hard work to create and start administering this popular program, and documented success in achieving a key policy goal of the Newsom Administration, that the California State Library Parks Pass would lose funding, said Norton. With the release of the May revision, lawmakers will now begin negotiating the budget. Newsom will have until June 15 to sign off on a final balanced budget. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. This story is part of the KXAN Data Hub, where numbers help tell the whole story. Weve created several data-driven stories and databases on topics including weather and climate, politics, education, sports and growth in Texas. Each story in the KXAN Data Hub is updated as new data becomes available. AUSTIN (KXAN) Suburbs across Texas remain the fastest-growing parts of the state, according to new population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau Thursday. The estimates show Georgetown and Kyle are the two fastest-growing cities in the country with populations greater than 50,000. Georgetown grew at a rate of 10.6% between July 2022 and July 2023. Its the third year in a row that Georgetown has grown faster than any other city in the country. Kyle grew at a rate of 9.1%, while Leander ranks fourth nationwide, with a growth rate of 7.6%. Conroe and New Braunfels also appear in the top 10 list. Texas added more people than any other state in the past year, census estimates show The Census Bureau previously estimated Texas added 473,453 new residents between July 2022 and July 2023, more than any other state. Texas is now home to an estimated 30,503,301 people, making it the second-most populous state in the country, behind California. Where did population change happen quickest? While Georgetown, Kyle and Leander were the fastest-growing cities with more than 50,000 people, many smaller cities grew at an even faster pace. The small community of Weston, in northwest Collin County, more than doubled in size between July 2022 and July 2023, from 368 residents to 816. Magnolia, northwest of Houston, grew at a rate of 58.8%, while Kemah, located between Houston and Galveston, saw a population increase of 42.8%. Godley, southwest of Fort Worth, and Celina, north of Dallas, round out the top five. Locally, three cities appear in the top 30 fastest-growing in the state: Dripping Springs (23.3%), Jarrell (17.2%) and Liberty Hill (14.9%). These were the fastest-growing counties in Texas in 2023, according to census estimates On the opposite end, six local cities appear in the top 30 fastest-declining cites: Volente (-3.3%), The Hills (-3.2%), Sunset Valley (-3%), Bee Cave (-2.7%), West Lake Hills (-2.2%) and Creedmoor (-1.9%). Use our interactive map below to see population changes across the state. You can look up your city or county using the search feature in the top left of the map. Which cities have the most new residents? When looking at population totals, San Antonio added the most new residents between July 2022 and July 2023, with almost 22,000. Fort Worth is close behind, with more than 21,300 new residents. The two cities rank first and second nationwide for largest population increase. Houston is third, with a population increase of more than 11,600. Georgetown and Celina round out the top five, each adding more than 9,000 to their populations. Meanwhile, eight of the 10 cities that lost the most population are in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, while the other two are in the Houston metro area. Garland tops that list, losing more than 2,300 residents, ahead of Richardson, which saw a population decrease of more than 1,200. Largest cities in the country Three Texas cities rank in the top 10 largest in the nation. Austin, which ranked 10th last year, dropped down to 11th place, with a population of 979,882. Jacksonville, Florida, surpassed Austin, with almost 986,000 residents. Fort Worth sits right behind Austin in 12th place. RELATED COVERAGE: Austin falls out of top 10 largest cities in the U.S. Dallas has just over 1.3 million residents, while San Antonio has just under 1.5 million. Houston remains the largest city in the state, and the fourth-largest nationwide, with more than 2.3 million people. New York, Los Angeles and Chicago remain the three largest cities nationwide, but all three saw population declines in 2023. New York alone lost more than 77,000 residents, a decrease of 0.9%. 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. NATO countries are considering sending instructors to Ukraine to train members of the Defense Forces. Leaders of some states do not rule out such a development in the future, but the United States insists that it will not deploy American troops, including instructors, on Ukrainian territory. ADVERTISIMENT This was stated by The New York Times, noting that the Alliance is considering such a potential possibility "as Russia advances". "NATO allies are inching closer to sending troops to Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces. This step will be another blurring of the previous red line," the journalists believe. The article states that there is a critical shortage of personnel in the Defense Forces. The situation of Ukraine's defenders has deteriorated in recent weeks as the Russian Armed Forces have stepped up their offensive to take advantage of delays in the delivery of American weapons. "As a result, Ukrainian officials have turned to their American and NATO counterparts to help train 150,000 recruits closer to the front lines for faster deployment," the NYT reported. Officially, Washington is against this because it fears being drawn into a war. But Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on May 16 that the deployment of NATO trainers to Ukraine seems inevitable. "We will get there eventually," he said. ADVERTISIMENT However, foreign troops on Ukrainian territory will be in danger. Decisions will likely have to be made about whether to use valuable air defense assets to protect trainers instead of critical infrastructure near the battlefield. In February, French President Emmanuel Macron said that "nothing should be ruled out" when talking about the option of sending Western troops to Ukraine. Since then, he has strengthened his comments even after senior U.S. diplomats asked him to stop. The Estonian government has not ruled out the possibility of sending troops to western Ukraine to perform rear-guard functions that would help free up Ukrainian troops to be deployed to the front. The French position was also supported by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in an interview with The Guardian last week. "Our troops trained Ukrainians in Ukraine before the [full-scale] war. So a return to this tradition may be quite feasible," he said. ADVERTISIMENT U.S. instructors have been training Ukrainian troops in Poland, Germany, and the United States, but the Defense Forces are spending more time on this. U.S. officials acknowledge that current training is insufficient and too slow, especially in the face of an expected Russian offensive this summer. Moving the training to Ukraine would allow instructors to gather information on the front lines more quickly, potentially improving training. As previously reported, General Christopher Cavoli, Commander of NATO's Allied Forces Europe, believes that the Russian offensive in the north of Kharkiv region is unlikely to result in a strategic breakthrough for the aggressor. The occupiers do not have enough forces and equipment. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Making a difference may involve the temporary discomfort of standing out. But it can have great impact, Vanessa E. Volz tells graduates in her commencement address at Rhode Island Colleges Advanced Degree Ceremony on May 9, 2024, in the colleges Murray Center. (Gene St. Pierre/ Rhode Island College) Editors note: Vanessa Volz, a Hoosier by birth, delivered the commencement address at Rhode Island Colleges Advanced Degree Ceremony on May 9, 2024, in the colleges Murray Center. This is a lightly edited version of the speech. Class of 2024, I invite you to engage in outrageous acts. You didnt hear me incorrectly, and I didnt mis-speak. I just invited you to take your newly minted graduate degree and engage in outrageous acts. Not courageous acts. Not noble acts. Outrageous acts. You may be wondering what is an outrageous act? Outrageous, by its definition, is very bold, unusual, and startling. While courageous typically refers to bravery or fearlessness while facing danger or difficulty, outrageous implies innovation and a willingness to change norms and conventions, even if it may be unusual or controversial. The activist and writer Gloria Steinem, while being interviewed once, made the following suggestion: If each person in the room promises that (they) will do at least one outrageous thing in the name of simple justice, then I promise I will, too. Ive referred to this quote by Steinem many times both professionally and personally. I teach a Gender and Society course to undergraduates here at Rhode Island College. Several years ago, I adapted an assignment suggested to me by another colleague. Students are asked to undertake an anti-gender conforming outrageous act by the end of the semester, and then report out to the class what that act was. I give my students significant latitude to decide what they consider to be outrageous. And not to worry, Rhode Island College administrators the outrageous acts must be safe and legal. Unfortunately, it seems like the list of whats both safe and legal in this country is shrinking faster than the lifespan of a smartphone battery. May we cherish what is legal while we still can. My students outrageous acts have varied significantly. For example, one student asked her boss for a raise. Another student disclosed to the class that she weighed herself every day, and she threw her scale away. One student confronted her mother with a familial concern shed had for years. Yet another student showed up at a rally and protested for the Black Lives Matter movement in downtown Providence. Ive taught this outrageous acts assignment several times over the years, and Ive noticed a common theme throughout. When I introduce this concept on the first day, everyone looks at me with a mixture of horror and disbelief. But when everyone presents their act on the final day of class, they are confident, sometimes even proud, and inspired by what is possible by taking a calculated risk however small or large. One student asked her boss for a raise. Another student disclosed to the class that she weighed herself every day, and she threw her scale away. Yet another student showed up at a rally and protested for the Black Lives Matter movement in downtown Providence. There have been so many times throughout history where the outrageous acts of others have resulted in remarkable breakthroughs in our society. Imagine what our world would look like today if Galileo hadnt advocated for the heliocentric model of the solar system, if Susan B. Anthony hadnt tirelessly led the womens suffrage movement, if Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. hadnt engaged in acts of civil disobedience, or if Harvey Milk hadnt fought for equality in the LGBTQ+ community. Yet at the time, what they were advocating for was considered nothing less than outrageous by our societys standards at that time. And, of course, lets not forget the global impact of the groundbreaking outrageous contributions of another trailblazer Taylor Swift. After all, who else could turn heartbreak into chart-topping hits and cause millions of people to reconsider their stance on ex-lovers? Rhode Island College Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs Carolynn Masters, standing left, and Leslie Schuster, professor in the Department of History, standing right, recognize Vanessa E. Volz in a hooding ceremony at the Advanced Degree Ceremony on May 9, 2024, in the colleges Murray Center. Volz delivered the commencement address and received an honorary doctorate. Seated left to right are Dean of the School of Business Marianne Raimondo and Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences Quenby Hughes. (Gene St. Pierre/Rhode Island College) Class of 2024, I invite you to follow the footsteps of these other pioneers and be outrageous. Do outrageous things. Embrace your uniqueness, take risks, use your skills and recently acquired knowledge, and challenge the status quo as you embark on your next journey. I daresay that right now we need your outrageous acts more than ever. You may have been too preoccupied with your coursework, papers, and exams these last few years to pay adequate attention to the news, but in case youre not aware, theres a lot of work to do: We need outrageous acts to challenge stereotypes, promote diversity, and amplify marginalized voices. We need outrageous acts to protect freedom of speech and expression in the face of censorship. We need outrageous thinking in driving innovation and progress in fields like technology, medicine, and business, where disruptive ideas often lead to breakthroughs that save and improve peoples lives. We need bold action to address urgent issues like climate change and environmental degradation. We need to advocate for the rights of all individuals, regardless of who they love or how they identify. And in a complex landscape of modern-day political conflicts, where cultural identities clash with religious beliefs, resulting in horrifying cycles of violence, outrageous acts are not only necessary but often serve as a means of resistance against injustice. These are huge issues to tackle, of course, and Im not saying that you must do something so outrageous that it will change the world. But perhaps you can do something outrageous enough that it will change your world. Sometimes small outrageous acts incrementally pave the way for something bigger to happen later. Everyones definition of what is outrageous will differ. Its most important that you define what is outrageous for you and your own life. I recognize its not always necessarily easy to do something outrageous. Daring to challenge existing circumstances with outrageous acts may not always be met with applause. Whether its advocating for important causes, speaking out against injustice, or simply being true to what I believed to be right, Ive experienced firsthand that disrupting the norm wont always make you popular or win you friends. However, Ive also come to understand that the value of making a difference outweighs the temporary discomfort of standing out. Sometimes, its in the moments of discomfort and resistance that our impact is most deeply felt. I invite you to sit in the discomfort that will inevitably arise when you undertake something that is outside the norm or that challenges what has come before it. In this very discomfort, what was at first outrageous becomes truly transformational. Congratulations again, Class of 2024. May you be bold, may you be courageous and may you, above all, engage in outrageous acts. I hope your collective outrageous endeavors lead you to extraordinary success and to a more just world. The post Whats possible by taking a calculated risk? appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. Stacks of boxes holding cards and letters are seen at the U.S. Post Office sort center December 15, 2008 in San Francisco, California. On its busiest day of the year, the U.S. Postal Service is expecting to process and mail over one billion cards, letters and packages. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Plans to move the U.S. Postal Services Missoula Processing and Distribution Center to Spokane are on pause until at least next year, as are similar plans across parts of the country, U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy said in letters released this week following pushback from both of Montanas U.S. senators and two dozen others. Both of Montanas U.S. senators called the pause in the plans a positive development. DeJoys letter to U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, dated Tuesday, said the change to move processing to Spokane has not taken place, nor is implementation planned. As I have advised Senator (Gary) Peters, and in response to the concerns you and your colleagues have expressed concerning movement of processing operations associated with the Mail Processing Facility Reviews, I will commit to pause any implementation of these moves at least until after January 1, 2025, DeJoy wrote to Tester. Even then, we will advance these efforts only at a moderated pace of implementation. Last Thursday, Tester and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, joined a bipartisan letter signed by 24 other senators asking DeJoy to stop the planned changes to the processing and delivery network until the Postal Regulatory Commission could provide a comprehensive advisory opinion to study the effects of consolidating those types of facilities across the country. The Postal Service is in the midst of reviewing about 60 mail processing facilities out of about 430 nationwide. In late April, the Postal Service announced it had finalized the plan to move Missoulas processing and distribution center to Spokane as part of the plan two months after postal workers and Montanas senators first expressed concern that the review could lead to the relocation of the Missoula facility. Missoula postal workers have been dubious about the plan, the Missoulian reported, saying it made little sense for local Montana mail to go 200 miles west to Spokane only to be sent back to Montana and that they worried non-career employees would lose their jobs. When Tester and Daines pushed back against the review, the Postal Service responded that they were pushing false narratives and simply converting the Missoula facility into a Local Processing Center with a $10 million investment in new sorting machines and delivery vehicles, the Missoulian reported. But when the plan was finalized, Tester and Daines said they remained concerned people would lose their jobs or have to relocate. Tester on May 2 introduced the Protecting Access to Rural Carriers for Every Location (PARCEL) Act that would prohibit the Postal Services from consolidating processing operations unless they remained in state, underwent a geographic review beforehand, and the public supported the move. After the bipartisan letter was sent last week, DeJoy spoke with Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, who led the letter, and committed to pausing the plans until at least January of next year even if he disagreed with the pushback from the group of senators. DeJoy said he would consider seeking an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission and that he believed the pause would meet the requests of the senators last week. But he also warned that the Postal Service would not be able to realize the cost savings it associates with the changes, estimated between $133 million to $177 million a year. The dialogue we had yesterday was productive and it is my hope that this commitment to pause MPFR activity will work to restore confidence in the desired positive outcomes our modernization actions are meant to achieve from both a service excellence and cost saving perspective, and at a pace of network change that is acceptable, DeJoy wrote to Peters. In response to the announcement any moves are on hold, Sen. Daines said in a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter: I am glad to see @USPS respond to my concerns regarding the Missoula post office operations and will continue to fight to ensure @USPS serves MTns in a timely and efficient manner. In a statement Monday, Tester said the change by the Postal Service was another sign that he was successfully fighting for rural Montanas postal operations. Last summer, he helped secure a $230,000 annual funding increase for the post office in Big Sky. He called the Missoula move to Spokane a complete nonstarter. Im proud to have put a stop to this consolidation plan that would have left Montanans with less reliable mail service and jeopardized the delivery of everything from hard-earned paychecks to life-saving medications, Tester said. Ill continue to push for a permanent fix like my PARCEL Act to make sure USPS wont be able to ever strip rural America of reliable service without public approval and legitimate justification. Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: info@dailymontanan.com. Follow Daily Montanan on Facebook and Twitter. The post Postal Service pauses plans to move processing centers, including Missoulas appeared first on Washington State Standard. Ferocious thunderstorms brought chaos to Houston on Thursday, with at least four people killed and almost 1 million homes and businesses left without power as hurricane-speed winds ripped down trees and damaged buildings while torrential rains flooded the streets. Houston Mayor John Whitmire confirmed the fatalities at an evening briefing. He also advised workers to stay at home Friday and said school classes are also canceled. Stay at home tonight, Whitmire said. Dont go to work tomorrow, unless youre an essential worker. VIDEO: Houston Cops Rescue Man and Dogs Trapped in 10 Feet of Water Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said early information suggested that two of the deaths were caused by falling trees. A third was caused by a crane being blown over by the strong winds, Pena added. No information was given about how the fourth victim was killed. We have a storm with 100 miles per hour winds, the equivalent of Hurricane Ike, Whitmire said, adding that some twisters also hit. He said there is considerable damage downtown that has left broken glass on the ground, calling the area a mess. He also said officials were struggling Thursday night with traffic control, as most of the traffic lights across the city stopped functioning and would remain offline for hours. Whitmire praised the courageous actions of firefighters who had endangered their lives to clear live wires off of Route 290. First responders are now working around the clock to bring people to safety amid the destruction, Whitemire said. Videos and images of the damage were shared online as the storm raged. Terrifying footage purporting to show the scene at the Wells Fargo Plaza in the downtown area showed swirling debris and windows breaking in the howling gales. Other clips showed roads and sidewalks sparkling with shards of glass. Rain also reportedly poured into Minute Maid Park despite the retractable roof being closed. The Houston Independent School District announced that campuses would be closed to its hundreds of thousands of students Friday due to widespread damage across Houston. Flights were also temporarily grounded at Houstons two major airports. Bush International Airport warned that delays are expected even after the storm had started to clear, while William P. Hobby Airport gave a similar update to travelers. Please do not drive in Downtown Houston tonight, or for that matter, anywhere else in the region that sustained storm damage, the National Weather Service office in Houston said. Widespread debris, glass and electrical lines are in the streets. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Pressure builds to create task force on missing, murdered Black women and girls in Wisconsin Rep. Shelia Stubbs hugs Erika Brown at an event Thursday to advocate for passage of a bill to create a Missing and Murdered Black women and girls task force. Brown attended the event on behalf of Sade Robinson's family. Robinson, of Milwaukee, was reported missing April 2. Maxwell Anderson, of Milwaukee, has been charged with her murder. MADISON - A call for action was made Thursday by lawmakers and advocates to pass a bill that would research the "root cause" of the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Black women and girls in Wisconsin. "This isn't a Black, white, brown, male or female issue," Erika Brown said during a Capitol press conference. "This is a public safety issue." Brown spoke on behalf of Sade Robinson's family, who were attending a court appearance for Maxwell Anderson in Milwaukee. Anderson was charged in mid-April with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson. He has plead not guilty. Around the time the press conference ended in Madison, news broke in Milwaukee that Robinson's family had been notified that a human arm was discovered along the shoreline in Waukegan, Illinois. Other body parts belonging to Robinson have been discovered in Milwaukee and along Lake Michigan. She said a task force, with experts trained in finding missing people and, in Robinson's case, missing body parts, bring a different skill set to an investigation. She said too often missing person cases are ignored or treated like murder investigations. "This is not a time for personal agendas or political posturing," Brown said. "It is a time for collaboration and compassion. I urge swift action on the bill." Tanesha Howard, of Milwaukee, talks about her daughter Joniah Walker at a press conference in Madison on Thursday. Walker went missing two years ago. This is the third year the bill's lead Democratic author, Rep. Shelia Stubbs, has tried unsuccessfully to move the bill for the creation of a task force on missing and murdered Black women and girls through the Republican-controlled Legislature. The task force would consist of legislators, law enforcement officials, legal experts and survivors. Its purpose would be to collect data, conduct research and then propose bills that would create policy change. The bill passed the Assembly but was never brought up for a vote in the Senate. The bill met resistance from Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, who chairs the Senate Government Operations Committee. In March, Stroebel said he would not hold a public hearing on the bill, citing his belief that every missing or murdered person deserves equal justice, and justice should not be prioritized based on a victim's race or gender. Ten minutes before the 2:15 p.m. start of Thursday's press conference, Stroebel emailed a letter to Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul. In July 2020, the Wisconsin Department of Justice created the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force. Stroebel suggested the same should be done with the task force for missing and murdered Black women and girls. I encourage Rep. Stubbs and all of the stakeholders who are passionate about this proposal to contact the Attorney Generals office to do the same, Stroebel said in the letter. However, a task force created by the DOJ requires funding. A legislative task force does not. Stubbs told reporters she has spoken with Kaul and was told "funding" is an issue. "At this point I don't care that funding is an issue," Stubbs said. "I want something done now." Georgia Hill advocated for the creation of a task force from her home in Racine. She was put on speaker phone to talk about her daughter, Lasheky Hill. Hill was last seen in Racine on March 26, 2023, a day before her 46th birthday. Hill is now raising her daughter's son. "Put your feet in my shoes," Georgia Hill said. "Pass this bill to help us people of color out. This can't keep going on." Tanesha Howard last saw her daughter, Joniah Walker, nearly two years ago. Wednesday was Walker's 17th birthday. Walker suffers from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Howard remains frustrated that her daughter was never classified as "critically missing." "When I reported her missing to Milwaukee police, I felt dismissed," Howard said. Stubbs said she did not plan on waiting six months for the next legislative session to again try to create the task force. She encouraged any person in Wisconsin who has a missing relative to call her office at 608-237-9177. She said everyone needs to be heard and she would travel the state to listen to families with missing or murdered family members. "This is not the last time you will hear me speak out on behalf of these families," Stubbs said. Jessica Van Egeren is a general assignment reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at jvanegeren@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sade Robinson's murder reignites missing Black women task force effort Intrauterine Device (IUD) for Birth Control. Credit - Getty Images If youre an undocumented immigrant in Tennessee, you dont have a lot of options when it comes to birth control. You cant get an abortionits been banned with very limited exceptions since 2022. You cant get services from state public-health clinics, which lost federal funding with the abortion ban. The state has backfilled the funding, but a Tennessee law prohibits that money from being used for family-planning services for people without legal status. One thing you can do is reach out to a nonprofit called A Step Ahead, which will pay for you to get a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC), like an intrauterine device (IUD) or an implant that goes into your arm. But theres a problem, some reproductive justice advocates say. In many regions of the state, including Memphis and Nashville, A Step Ahead will only pay for an implant or IUD, not for birth-control pills or other short-acting methods of contraception. That means many women have a stark choice to make if they are uninsured and want contraception: They can get a LARC from A Step Aheaddevices that they will need to get a doctor to remove when they are ready to have childrenor they can go without birth control. There appear to have been instances of A Step Ahead paying for LARCs for undocumented women who didnt speak English, at times without a translator present, says Della Winters, a professor at California State University, Stanislaus, who wrote her dissertation on the use of LARCs in Tennessee. Im not sure my clients really understood or even consented, one provider, an employee of a federally-qualified health center, told Winters, about the large number of Latina clients that appeared to be getting LARCs but who did not speak English. (Winters completed her work in 2019 and 2020, before the U.S. Supreme Courts Dobbs decision. A spokeswoman for A Step Ahead East Tennessee, which serves majority Latina clients, says that the groups call center coordinator is bilingual and the group makes sure a translator is available whenever necessary.) The role of A Step Ahead in Tennessee illustrates how private programs have stepped in to provide ways for women to access birth control methods in the absence of state and federal funding. It also shows how those programs can push women into a specific method of contraception, depriving them of choice. It is absolutely coercive to only pay for one class of methods and not another, says Christine Dehlendorf, a researcher and ob-gyn at the University of California, San Francisco. Read More: Women Say They Were Pressured Into Long-Term Birth Control. There are other ways that Tennessee policies can limit womens choices. In 2017, a Tennessee judge began offering reduced sentences to women who agreed to get birth-control implants inserted in their arms. Though the judge later rescinded the order after pushback, more than 32 women received implants in the two months the order was in effect. As recently as 2020, the state was pushing LARCs on women in prison, says Winters, who interviewed the Tennessee Department of Health about a program that visited jails, showed women videos of babies experiencing withdrawal from drugs they were exposed to in utero, and asked them to sign up for LARCs. The thing that these states will tout is, Look how much money we saved by not paying for these babies on Medicaid or mothers on public assistance, Winters says. (The Tennessee Department of Health did not return multiple requests for comment.) There is a patchwork system of birth-control access across the country. Though the Affordable Care Act mandated that private insurance plans cover FDA-approved contraceptives without cost sharing, there are many women who still cant access affordable birth control. This is especially true in states like Tennessee that have not accepted the federal Medicaid expansion. Around 95,000 uninsured adults in the state have an income too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to qualify for financial assistance in the Affordable Care Act marketplace, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. States in the Southeast, including Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, make up the majority of states that havent accepted the Medicaid expansion. In some of these states, private organizations have stepped in to provide access to birth control and LARCs. In South Carolina, a privately-funded nonprofit called New Morning partners with clinics and healthcare providers to offer free or low-cost birth control methods. New Morning initially found that many clinics in the state couldnt afford to stock IUDs and implants, and helped pay for them to do so. But New Morning is very deliberate about providing access to eight separate methods of birth control, including the patch, the pill, and condoms, says Bonnie Kapp, New Mornings president and CEO. The group also trained providers on person-centered counseling, essentially making sure doctors listened to what patients wanted when it came to birth control. We really wanted to create an environment where every woman would have a choice of methods, she says. We're very committed to making sure that we don't do anything to add to the history of stigma and coercion that the state has and the South has. This tension between providing access to birth control but also not pushing women to choose one method over another is present in many groups that have stepped in to provide access, including A Step Ahead. The organization was founded in 2011 by Claudia Halton, a former Tennessee juvenile-court magistrate who was troubled by the number of women who came before her who had difficulties with housing or other issues and who didnt have childcare options for their children. The magistrate would ask women who were on the pill whether they had taken it before appearing in court, but not a single woman had, says Nikki Gibbs, the current executive director of A Step Ahead Foundation, who worked as a state investigator at the time. We saw firsthand what happened, Gibbs says, when a woman had too many babies before she was financially ready for them. A Step Ahead Foundation, the Memphis branch, primarily serves Black and Latina women. Through radio and TV ads and events in low-income communities, it seeks to teach women about the most effective contraceptive methods and how using contraception can help women get a step ahead in life. The organization will pay for the LARC and the procedure to insert it, as well as transportation to the doctors appointment. It does not offer short-acting methods of birth control, Gibbs says, because LARCs are the most effective form of contraception, and because, she says, women can easily get the pill elsewhere for free. Read More: Why Health Care For Mothers Is Underpaid. But even some of A Step Aheads affiliates believe it is coercive to choose a womans method of birth control. A Step Ahead has expanded to five other locations since 2011, and the Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Johnson City locations now provide free short-acting methods of birth control like the pill and do not promote one form of birth control over another. That would be coercive, says Taylor Phipps, the executive director of A Step Ahead East Tennessee, which is based in Knoxville. Our organizational values relative to contraceptive access do not fully align. A Step Ahead East Tennessee had no choice but to just provide LARCs when it was first launched, Phipps says. Thats because it received funding from A Step Ahead Foundation, the original organization based in Memphis, and that funding had a stipulation: New affiliates must pledge to only offer LARCs for the term of their affiliate agreement. The affiliate agreement of A Step Ahead East Tennessee ended in 2019, and the group decided to start providing access to the pill and other short-acting birth-control methods in 2022, after the Dobbs decision and the pandemic. It now partners with a telehealth clinic, which opens up options for women, who can get short-acting methods mailed to them. Given how the reproductive health landscape is changing in Tennessee, says Phipps, we felt that it was our mission to provide as much information as possible so that women can make their own decisions about their own bodies. Limiting birth control access to LARCs could cut off access for some women, like those who cant get transportation to come into a clinic but could do a telehealth appointment for the pill, Phipps says. Other women prefer the Depo-Provera shot because its not noticeable by a womans husband or partner, who might not want her to be on birth control. If we could provide short-acting methods to our clients without transportation or cost barriers, it was a no-brainer, Phipps says. Still, the Memphis and Nashville branches of A Step Ahead, which only provide LARCs, are thriving. The Nashville nonprofit said in 2023 that it was expanding to serve 11 more surrounding counties, bringing the total to 29. Charitable contributions to the Nashville A Step Ahead grew 80% between 2021 and 2022, to $1.2 million, and the Memphis group saw charitable contributions grow 8% to $2.3 million in the same time period according to a TIME analysis of the groups tax forms. The Dobbs decision and subsequent abortion ban in Tennessee has created a huge boost in need for the services of A Step Ahead East Tennessee, Phipps says. In 2022, the group provided around 250 contraceptive prescriptions a year; it now provides around 750. But in contrast to the Nashville and Memphis affiliates, she says, we are struggling. This article was produced as a part of a project for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalisms 2023 Impact Fund for Reporting on Health Equity and Health Systems. Contact us at letters@time.com. Campus police and California Highway Patrol officers block pro-Palestinian demonstrators with barricades as authorities move to arrest protesters at UC Berkeley. The California Highway Patrol cleared Anna Head Alumnae Hall, a vacant building on campus, after demonstrators occupied it to protest Israeli attacks on Gaza. (Tayfun Coskun / Getty Images) Even after UC Berkeley officials struck a deal with student leaders of the university's longstanding pro-Palestinian encampment, a group of protesters took over an abandoned building on campus Wednesday, and some were later arrested. The protesters occupied Anna Head Alumnae Hall, a condemned building on campus that they unofficially renamed for a Palestinian child killed this year during Israeli military operations in Gaza. The building takeover began Wednesday, one day after demonstrators removed their tents from one of the nation's longest and largest encampments following an agreement with university officials. About 24 hours after the group occupied the building dropping banners and Palestinian flags from windows and pitching tents outside police in riot gear from almost 20 agencies moved in late Thursday night and forced the demonstrators out. There were 12 people arrested, one of whom was an enrolled student, UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof said in a statement. He said the standoff between officers and the protesters became violent when demonstrators blocked the hall's entrance with plywood and shields while some used crowbars to hit officers and resist being arrested. No officers were injured because they were wearing helmets, he said. The Times wasn't able to independently confirm if crowbars were used to hit officers. It wasn't immediately clear if any of those arrested were injured. Local police and California Highway Patrol officers keep demonstrators away with barricades in Berkeley. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez / San Francisco Chronicle) All 12 were booked on suspicion of burglary, vandalism and conspiracy, Mogulof said. He said additional charges may be added as the University of California Police Department investigates and reviews video. Read more: UC Berkeley to consider divesting from weapons makers as pro-Palestinian protesters break camp The protest action Wednesday coincided with the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, Arabic for catastrophe, which refers to the estimated 700,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced from their homes during the 1948 war surrounding Israels creation. Many students at UC Irvine similarly commemorated the day's history with a building takeover. A large group there surrounded and barricaded a physical sciences hall Wednesday, but police moved in much sooner and arrested 47 people after forcing the group off campus and taking down their encampment. Administrators at UCI have not reached an agreement with student protesters as officials have at Berkeley. There, university officials almost immediately called the building takeover, as it was playing out, "an active crime scene." "It is not nonviolent civil disobedience," Mogulof said, adding that protesters were "vandalizing an unsafe, boarded-up, fire-damaged building." Read more: Police arrest 47 at UC Irvine after sweeping protest camp, clearing barricaded building University officials tried to draw a distinction between the protesters with whom administrators reached an agreement Tuesday and the group who took over the abandoned building Wednesday. As part of the Berkeley agreement reached Tuesday, Chancellor Carol Christ said she would initiate a discussion about the universitys investments in weapons companies and the possible divestment from them as well as issue a letter calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. The move aligned the university with at least four others in the state and several across the country that have forged settlements with activists to end campus encampments that some Jewish students say have included antisemitic signage and chants. But at least one Pro-Palestinian student group pushed back on the university's distinction between protest groups this week. In a "statement of solidarity" with the group occupying the abandoned hall, which they'd renamed "Hind's House" in honor of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed during Israeli attacks in Gaza in January, the UC Berkeley Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine shared a statement during the protest saying they "reject and condemn the attempts to ... fragment and divide our movement for Palestine." Law enforcement officials encounter protesters as officers move in to remove demonstrators inside UC Berkeley's Anna Head Alumnae Hall. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez / San Francisco Chronicle) "We reject the 'good protestor' vs 'bad protestor' and 'inside' and 'outside' dichtomy," the post said, calling on the university's administration to avoid responding to the occupation with police. Hours later, dozens of officers in helmets faced off with the protesters, according to photos and video from the scene. The arrests at Berkeley weren't the only police investigations in the Bay Area this week. In Oakland, at the University of California's president's office, officials are investigating recent vandalism and property damage for which a Pro-Palestinian group appears to have taken credit. On Sunday, Oakland police officers responded to the building just after midnight, where they found broken windows and paint on the walls, Oakland police spokesperson Paul Chambers said. He said it's being investigated as a hate-related incident. Ryan King, a spokesperson for the UC office of the president, confirmed that the building was tagged with graffiti and had other damage. He declined to comment on a motive behind the attack. An anonymous Bay Area blog post on Tuesday took credit for the vandalism, saying it was done in "in solidarity with the Palestinian Resistance." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The aggressor country Russia may be preparing a larger-scale offensive on the frontline in Ukraine. According to analysts, the offensive in the north of Kharkiv region may be just a distraction. ADVERTISIMENT This is stated in the material of Reuters. Journalists write that Ukraine warns of a build-up of Russian troops in the Sumy region. "Kyiv, the troop shortage of which is exacerbated by delays in Western weapons deliveries, warned that Russia could be preparing for a major offensive in the coming weeks. It noted the build-up of small Russian units near the Sumy region," the newspaper writes. Black Bird Group analyst Pasi Paroinen told Reuters that Russia's offensive in the Kharkiv region looks like "an attempt to draw Kyiv's limited reserves into the battle" before launching a major summer offensive. "If Ukraine redeploys its forces in Kharkiv and Sumy, it will be able to retain some territory and possibly prevent artillery shelling of civilians in Kharkiv. It may even be able to push the enemy to the border. But this could cost them the war if they do not have reserves to respond during Russia's summer offensive," he emphasized. ADVERTISIMENT The newspaper writes that Russia's offensive in the Kharkiv region is "a headache for Ukrainian military planners, whose troops are already stretched along a line of more than 1,000 kilometers." In addition, as the journalists reminded, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Thursday that the Pokrovsk direction remains the most difficult area on the frontline in Ukraine, where Russia's offensive has not weakened for several months. ADVERTISIMENT As reported, the commander of NATO forces in Europe, General Christopher Cavoli, is confident that Russia's offensive in the north of Kharkiv region is unlikely to result in a strategic breakthrough for it. To make such a breakthrough, Russia does not have enough forces and means. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! The nationwide college discord with the ongoing war in Israel came to Baltimore Friday when a group of University of Maryland, Baltimore social work students waved Palestine flags and held ceasefire now signs during Maryland Sen. Ben Cardins keynote graduation speech. Cardin gave a 15-minute speech for UMBs School of Social Work graduates at a ceremony at the Lyric Opera House. About 30 students stood up in a crowd of 300 graduates, turned their backs to Cardin and revealed signs saying Let Gaza Live. In the run-up to graduation, some students have pushed back on the Democratic senator as the chosen graduation speaker, citing his support for Israel. Students sent competing emails to UMB leadership asking they replace Cardin with a speaker who is a social worker advocate or whose policy positions more appropriately reflect social work values. Other students wanted Cardin to remain the keynote speaker. Dean Judy Postmus sent an email to students May 8 acknowledging that changes are needed in the convocation speaker selection process and said she would work closely with our students and others to ensure greater collaboration in the future. After careful discussions with Cardins office, UMB leadership, faculty and students, Postmus decided Cardin would give the keynote address as previously announced. Alex Likowski, UMBs assistant vice president of communications, said ahead of the ceremony that the university was not concerned about the potential for protests. Peaceful protest is an effective tool of social change, Likowski said, adding that social workers are change-makers. Cardin echoed that belief in his speech, telling the masters degree students: You have chosen a career to be change-makers This is how you will make a difference in the lives of others. Cardin, who is Jewish, told the graduates that his faith and values motivated him to embark on a career in public service, starting in the state House of Delegates. He praised former Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski for her social work career before she became a U.S. senator. Cardin, 80, is retiring at the end of his term. Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks won their primary elections Tuesday to vie for the open seat. The Pro-Palestianian students challenged Cardins selection because of his strong support of Israel, including his November comments opposing a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and his 2022 resolution calling for President Joe Bidens administration to dissolve a United Nations committee investigating Israels treatment of Palestinians. Cardin is the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Pro-Palestinian social work students said in a letter that Postmus choice to invite Cardin to give the keynote represents their tacit endorsement of the continued killing, displacement, and inflicted famine of millions of people. Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry, and put over a million people at risk of starvation during widespread famine, according to the United Nations. Israels strikes have been in response to an attack Oct. 7 by Hamas-led terrorists who killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 others hostage. School leaders decision to move forward with Cardin was discouraging, they wrote, and showed none of us have the ability to change the outcome of the keynote speaker compared with other universities that have courageously changed course to realign with their community. Cardin left the ceremony early because of a prior engagement. His office declined to say what it was. Every American has the right to peacefully protest. The few students who used todays graduation to exercise their constitutional right, did so in a manner that was peaceful and respected the university, graduates, families and guests, Cardin said in a statement Friday. It was a great day for the University of Maryland and their graduates, and I was an honored to be part of it. College students at Maryland universities and others across the country have protested the Israel-Gaza war with encampments, marches and walkouts at commencement. No one walked out during Cardins speech. Previous speakers at the social work schools graduation include U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Montgomery County Democrat; Lori James Towne, the alumni board chair; and Shantay Jackson, the former director of the mayors office of neighborhood safety and engagement. BALTIMORE The nationwide collegiate discord with the ongoing war in Israel came to Baltimore Friday when a group of University of Maryland, Baltimore social work students waved Palestine flags and held ceasefire now signs during Maryland Sen. Ben Cardins keynote graduation speech. Cardin, D-Md., gave a 15-minute speech for UMBs School of Social Work graduates at a ceremony at the Lyric Opera House. About 30 students stood up in a crowd of 300 graduates, turned their backs to Cardin and revealed signs saying Let Gaza Live. In the run-up to graduation, some students have pushed back on the Democratic senator as the chosen graduation speaker, citing his support for Israel. Students sent competing emails to UMB leadership asking they replace Cardin with a speaker who is a social worker advocate or whose policy positions more appropriately reflect social work values. Other students wanted Cardin to remain the keynote. Dean Judy Postmus sent an email to students May 8 acknowledging that changes are needed in the convocation speaker selection process and said she would work closely with our students and others to ensure greater collaboration in the future. After careful discussions with Cardins office, UMB leadership, faculty and students, Postmus decided Cardin would give the keynote address as previously announced. Alex Likowski, UMBs assistant vice president of communications, said ahead of the ceremony that the university was not concerned about the potential for protests. Peaceful protest is an effective tool of social change, Likowski said, adding that social workers are change-makers. Cardin echoed that belief in his speech, telling the masters degree students: You have chosen a career to be change-makers This is how you will make a difference in the lives of others. Cardin, who is Jewish, told the graduates that his faith and values motivated him to embark on a career in public service, starting in the state House of Delegates. He praised former Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski for her social work career before she became a U.S. senator. Cardin, 80, is retiring at the end of his term. Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks won their primary elections Tuesday to vie for the open seat. The Pro-Palestianian students challenged Cardins selection because of his strong support of Israel, including his November comments opposing a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and his 2022 resolution calling for President Joe Bidens administration to dissolve a United Nations committee investigating Israels treatment of Palestinians. He is the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Pro-Palestinian social work students said in a letter that Postmus choice to invite Cardin to give the keynote represents their tacit endorsement of the continued killing, displacement, and inflicted famine of millions of people. Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry, and put more than 1 million people at risk of starvation during widespread famine, according to the United Nations. Israels strikes have been in response to an attack Oct. 7 by Hamas-led terrorists that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 others hostage. School leaders decision to move forward with Cardin was discouraging, they wrote, and showed none of us have the ability to change the outcome of the keynote speaker compared to other universities that have courageously changed course to realign with their community. Cardin left the ceremony early because of a previous engagement. His office declined to say what it was. Every American has the right to peacefully protest. The few students who used todays graduation to exercise their constitutional right, did so in a manner that was peaceful and respected the university, graduates, families and guests, Cardin said in a statement Friday. It was a great day for the University of Maryland and their graduates, and I was an honored to be part of it. College students at Maryland universities and others across the country have protested the Israel-Gaza war with encampments, marches and walkouts at commencement. No one walked out during Cardins speech. Previous speakers at the social work schools graduation include U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat; Lori James Towne, the alumni board chair and Shantay Jackson, the former director of the mayors office of neighborhood safety and engagement. BOISE, Idaho (ABC4) The prosecution rested in Chad Daybells murder case, however, the transition to the defense did not go smoothly. Following the states last witness on Thursday afternoon, the judge and attorneys spoke outside the jurys presence. Chad Daybells attorney, John Prior, motioned for a judgment of acquittal claiming the prosecution had not presented enough evidence to support a possible guilty verdict. BACKGROUND INFO: A complete timeline for the Daybell, Vallow murders A judgment of acquittal would mean the charges in question would be dismissed, and if all the charges are dismissed, the defendant could be released from custody, according to Justia. At this point, I dont think the state has met its burden regarding the fraud, and again I dont think theyve met their burden regarding the conspiracy on all of the conspiracy charges, and they have not met their burden in regards to the murder as set forth previously, Prior argued. Judge Boyce later dismissed the motion on all counts but one, but not for the reason Prior argued. Boyce claimed there was an error in the indictment which stated JJs death took place between Sept. 8 and 9, which the states witnesses contradicted. The amended indictment incorrectly placed his death to be at the same time as Tylees, rather than a few weeks afterward. The state claimed it was a clerical error as it was initially correct for several years but was recently changed in an amendment filed before the trial. Prior, however, emphasized that an amendment to the indictment is not allowed once the prosecution rests. READ NEXT: Witnesses dive into unorthodox beliefs behind Daybell murder trial Any change at this point after the state has rested is going to create a substantial due process argument for Mr. Daybell, in addition, its going to affect the substantial rights for Mr. Daybell as well, Prior argued. The judge concluded that it did appear to be a clerical error as the February amendment was intended to amend other counts and the count in question was changed without the courts authorization. Looking at that history, the court does believe it was a clerical error that led to the change of those dates, Boyce said. Judge Boyce then dismissed the motion concluding that the defense would begin Monday, May 20. 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. At least 600 illegal online gambling websites have been blocked in Ukraine since the beginning of 2024, the Prosecutor General's Office reported. The negative impacts of gambling, especially on the Ukrainian soldiers, have recently become a topic of public discussion in Ukraine as a petition demanding restrictions on online gambling reached the president's table in March. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on April 20 approving restrictions on online gambling and banning it for the military while martial law remains in force. The maximum penalty for running a website for an illegal online casino is Hr 850,000 (around $21,500), with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities. In total, law enforcement officers are investigating over 450 criminal offenses related to the illegal organization of gambling as of mid-May, the Prosecutor General's Office said. "Among those (criminal offenses) recently exposed by law enforcement officers are an underground hall in an elite residential complex in Kyiv, where more than 50 slot machines were seized, and a network of underground poker clubs in Kyiv, Odesa, and Kharkiv," the statement read. Sign up for our newsletter Ukraine Weekly By Olga Rudenko Sign up The founders and officials of one of the banks were also exposed for organizing an illegal gambling business. The offenders used logos of well-known brands and mirror sites, according to the investigation. The bank raised players' funds of nearly Hr 5 billion (around $127 million), which were later legalized. The Kyiv Pechersk District court previously seized the bank accounts of Pin-Up and Vbet, one of the major gambling platforms in Ukraine, on May 13 as part of the State Bureau of Investigation's criminal proceedings. Read also: Prosecutors Office: Over 2,500 gambling websites blocked in Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Black Lives Matter protester whose testicle exploded when he was shot with a hard-foam projectile by a LAPD officer has won $1.5 million in a settlement with the city. The settlement doesnt admit liability on the part of the LAPD or the city of Los Angeles, the L.A. Times reported, but it does close a lawsuit brought by the protester, Benjamin Montemayor, alleging excessive use of force and other civil rights violations against the city and its police. This settlement shows that there are repercussions for police misconduct against the people they have sworn to protect, Montemayor said Friday in a statement provided by his attorneys. Montemayors suit alleged that while he was demonstrating in Hollywood in June 2020 in the wake of George Floyds murder, LAPD officers lunged at him and a friend while they defied a police dispersal order (Montemayor claims not to have heard the order). During the scuffle, which quickly escalated, one of the officers shot him with a 40-millimeter projectile at close range, standing several feet away. The impact caused Montemayors testicles to swell immediately, the right one engorging to the size of a grapefruit, his lawsuit claims. The wounded man had to be rushed into emergency surgery, which, according to his complaint, required piecing back together portions of his testicle which had exploded. In the aftermath, two separate internal reviews of the incidentdone by former LAPD Chief Michel Moore and a department Use of Force Review Boardfound that the officer who wounded Montemayor had acted within policy. But the LA Police Commission, which is made up of civilians, found that the use of force in this case was excessive and unjustified. On Thursday, through a statement provided by his lawyers, Montemayor described his case as a building block for others to continue challenging institutionalized violence. The use of excessive police force has been thrust back into the spotlight in the wake of the violent arrests of several pro-Palestinian protesters from college campuses, who were at times subject to tear gas, tasers, and rubber bullets fired by police officers. If financial restitution is one of the only languages a broken system speaks, then we must make it speak in volumes until the sound is inescapable, Montemayor said. Everyday citizens rights are not just theoretical concepts. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. A newly surfaced memo from a Sarasota Police investigator described numerous text messages between Christian and Bridget Ziegler where the two were "on the prowl" for a female sexual encounter at different bars, according to records obtained by the Herald-Tribune. In the memo, SPD investigator Angela Cox described seeing messages where Bridget would direct Christian in search of someone they were both interested in having sex with. In the conversations, Christian would secretly take pictures of women in bars and send them to Bridget for approval. She suggested he pretend to take pictures of his beer to not get caught by the women he was photographing. "Don't come home until your d*** is wet," Bridget directed her husband, according to the memo. More on the Zieglers: Sarasota judge to decide about releasing Christian Ziegler's records Christian Ziegler faced rape allegations In December, details emerged involving rape allegations against Christian, the former chair of the Florida Republican Party, by a woman hed known for years. The allegation stemmed from a planned three-way sexual encounter between Christian, the alleged victim and Bridget who wasn't able to attend. Sarasota police didnt move forward with filing rape charges against Christian but asked the State Attorney's Office in January to review a related investigation into potential video voyeurism charges. The SAO announced in March that it wouldnt move forward with charges. The investigation threw Bridget, a Sarasota County School Board member and founder of Moms for Liberty, under further scrutiny. Her fellow board members passed a resolution calling for her resignation in December. Bridget did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Board Chairwoman Karen Rose and fellow board members Tim Enos and Robyn Marinelli did not respond to requests for comment. Tom Edwards, the only registered Democrat on the school board and a self-described moderate, called her actions "predatory". He pointed to the board's recent 4-1 approval of a Ziegler resolution rejecting federal Title IX protections against gender identity discrimination, questioning why the board continued to follow in her leadership amid the distraction she brings to the governing body. "The confirmed predatory behavior exhibited by Mrs. Ziegler tells me she should be nowhere near policymaking for our children, and yet the political crony cabal on this board passed her discriminatory resolution," Edwards said. "When can this board get focused on educational outcomes? When can we deliver on 'Every child, every student every day?" Christian and Bridget Ziegler listen to arguments Thursday, May 16, 2024 during a hearing in front of Judge Hunter Carroll in Sarasota. The Zieglers filed suit against the City of Sarasota, Sarasota Police Department and the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office to stop the release of records obtained during closed criminal investigations into video voyeurism and sexual battery by Christian Ziegler. Ziegler was not charged in either case. Bridget Ziegler accused of hypocrisy at Sarasota County School Board meetings Details of Bridget's sexual relationships with women have caused many activists to rally hundreds of people to demonstrate at school board meetings, with many calling her hypocritical. The influx of protesters to Sarasota school board meetings has caused several meetings to last over five hours and end well into the night. She's been a vocal advocate for legislation that many have called anti-LGBTQ+, such as the Parental Rights in Education Act dubbed "Don't Say Gay" by its opponents. Bridget also championed a district rejection of new federal Title IX protections against gender identity discrimination, asserting that it put children and girls in danger. Barry Dubin, the executive director of the district's teacher's union, emailed the union's members Friday morning, jokingly calling Bridget the "gift that keeps giving." "There is no need to relive the sordid details which have been spelled out in great detail by our local and national media," Dubin wrote. "What concerns me is what concerns our school district and that is Team Zieglers continued fight to stay relevant in light of those circumstances and to use our school district as its vehicle to do so." He said the continued distraction could ruin the district's chance to keep the referendum, which comes for a vote in November. Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Bridget, Christian Ziegler's hunt for threesome partners shown in memo Landlord Ben Cheshire says the practice is not discriminatory against older customers because his customers are students and young professionals - Jay Williams For many pub-goers, there is something sacred about ordering at the bar. The unspoken etiquette of queuing unorderly while desperately trying to get the bartenders attention may be slow and tedious but it is a tradition Britons are quick to defend. However one pub landlord is attempting to break the tradition by charging punters up to 50p extra on pints ordered at the bar. Ben Cheshire, who runs The Coronation pub in Southville, Bristol, is so keen for customers to order via their smartphone that he has created a two-tier pricing system whereby some drinks are almost 20pc more expensive for customers who order in-person. It means a pint of the house lager costs customers 3.50 at the bar but is only 3 if they order through the QR code. For a pint of Guinness, its 4.80 when placing the order with a barman and 4.50 when using a smartphone. A pint of Cornish lager Korev is 3.70 with a smartphone and 4 for those who want to queue at the bar. Mr Cheshire dismissed suggestions the practice was discriminatory against older customers and those who find the technology difficult to use. The pub owner said his clientele had become much younger since the Covid pandemic and that the digital service reduced the burden on his staff. The Coronation is trying to change pub culture by discouraging bar orders - Jay Williams He said: I lost all my older crowd completely overnight when everything had to go to table service only during Covid. I havent seen them since. For years I had an older crowd in here, looked after them, had private events for them and things like that, so thats not the angle Im trying to go for here. This is more helpful for our staff, thats why Im offering it. Ive found that not having to be constantly serving people is way better for my mental health. Bar work can be really mentally tiring. This takes the stress away rather than having to constantly interact with different people for eight hours straight. Mr Cheshires decision also reflects the economic climate independent pubs are facing. Energy bills and staff costs remain high but the increased cost of drinks passed on to consumers is damaging footfall. Up to 600 pubs are expected to close this year, according to the British Beer and Pub Association, on top of the 530 that closed in 2023. Mr Cheshire said customers order more when using the online system as they explore the full drinks menu. Alongside a weekly quiz, the publican has introduced more obscure events to keep younger customers coming in, including a Saturday pottery session and a Dungeons and Dragons night every fortnight where customers come dressed in mediaeval garb to play the fantasy role-playing game in the pub. For those events, this is perfect. They can carry on making their clay pots or playing their game without being interrupted and simply order from their smartphone and have their drinks brought to them. But despite his best attempts, Mr Cheshire said 90pc of his customers still choose to order at the bar and pay higher prices even though staff often tell customers its cheaper to pay from their table. Im a big advocate for European-style service. I think we had a chance to change the culture during the pandemic. Im sure some places thought it was a good idea, keeping everyone sat down, not standing up but sat at your table where its all about the conversation, but in most places its gone back to how it was. I think its a real shame. Despite making special allowances for the older guys after Covid when prices were kept the same between bar service and the website, Mr Cheshire is insistent his pricing structure is not discriminatory. The people who are more worried about the discounts are the 19-year-old fine art students, they are the ones who really appreciate it. Or the young professionals who are pushing it a bit having a night out in the midweek, he said. The British Beer and Pub Association, which represents around 20,000 pubs, said the decision to encourage customers to order via their smartphone represented the difficult climate the hospitality industry is facing as pubs seek alternative methods to cut costs and keep Gen Z customers coming to the pub. Chief executive Emma McClarkin said: In pubs, the greater use of all different types of tech has accelerated since the pandemic and is being embraced by all consumers, especially younger consumers. This is not just confined to how to order a beer, refreshments or a meal, but in the many ways that pubs are adapting to bring communities together, including host events or a diverse range of activities. The cost efficiencies they bring are most welcome and much needed. 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. Photo illustration by Getty Images. The Montana Legislature may consider minor changes to statutes related to public charter schools during its 2025 session following a recent court order, said a legislator and chairperson of an education committee. But 18 schools are slated to open this year, according to the Office of Public Instruction. Rep. Dave Bedey, R-Hamilton, said Thursday he believes the bill that opened the door for more charters is clear as written. At the end of the day, Im just gratified that schools across the state are going to be able to put these innovative programs into place without delay, Bedey said. In the 2023 session, the legislature approved House Bill 549, which eased the way for more charter schools through the public school system. However, a lawsuit filed this spring alleged the Office of Public Instruction was throwing up roadblocks. Last month, a Lewis and Clark District Court judge disagreed with the Office of Public Instructions interpretation that certain prerequisites needed to be met to get the charter schools off the ground, such as a parental petition and approval from county commissioners. The legal dispute took place as students made plans to attend the new schools, but educators alleged the argument over how to open them meant likely delays. Last week, the court signed off on an agreement between the plaintiffs, the Montana Quality Education Coalition, and defendants, Superintendent Elsie Arntzen and the Office of Public Instruction, that resolves some of the fight. In the stipulation, the Montana Quality Education Coalition agreed Arntzen and the OPI had implemented processes that allow the schools to start operating by July 1, 2024, and that they were in compliance with the courts order for a preliminary injunction last month. Court order IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT this Courts Preliminary Injunction Order, dated April 17, 2024, remains in effect pending an order terminating this Courts preliminary injunction or until the Montana Legislature has the opportunity during the 2025 session to amend relevant statutory authority regarding the responsibilities of the Board of Public Education, the Office of Public Instruction, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction relative to the authorization of and opening of public charter schools in Montana. The remaining claims for declaratory and permanent injunctive relief are dismissed with prejudice and with each party bearing responsibility for their own attorneys fees and costs. Order from Lewis and Clark District Court The Montana Quality Education Coalition describes itself as made up of more than 100 school districts and five education organizations and one of the largest education advocacy organizations in Montana. The agreement the judge approved acknowledges the preliminary injunction from April 17 remains in effect unless the court terminates it or the legislature amends relevant statutes. It also dismisses outstanding claims. In an email this week, the Office of Public Instruction notes that as of May 13, it had opened 15 of 18 schools enrolling students this year. The OPI is working with one school to correct some of the information that was submitted and is waiting on applications from two schools, the agency said in an email. One of the approved public charter schools will not open until the fall of 2025. Rep. Bedey, chairperson of the interim budget committee on education, said Thursday he doesnt believe amendments are needed, although small changes are possible. Rather, he said a plain reading of HB 549 clearly indicates the approval process for schools, the authority of the Board of Public Education, and the duty of the Office of Public Instruction. All the same, Bedey said the legislature has an opportunity to make some minor changes to make the intentions of the bill crystal clear and remove any ambiguity given some people had a contrary reading of it. At a committee meeting in March, legislators voted 6-2 to send a letter to Arntzen telling her she was failing students and not meeting her Constitutional duties related to HB 549 and other educational programs legislators had supported. The Montana Quality Education Coalition filed the lawsuit later the same month. Its regrettable that this issue had to go to the courts for resolution because the meaning of the law was clear, Bedey said. Its regrettable that we were unable to convince the superintendent of that when her lawyer appeared before us in a committee meeting in March. The post Public charter schools in Montana set to open, related legislative tweaks possible appeared first on Daily Montanan. Authorities are asking for the publics help finding a Watertown woman who reportedly went missing on Friday night. According to Watertown Police, 34-year-old Bogalech Gedore was last seen by a family she was nannying for on May 10 and hasnt been heard from since. She came from the United Arab Emirates eight months ago and officials say she doesnt speak English well. Gedore is not believed to have friends or family in the immediate area. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call Watertown Police at 617-972-6500. 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 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Its the end of an era for Pulaski County Special School Districts only 100% virtual online school, Driven Virtual Academy. In the 2021-2022 school year, the district launched DVA, and this year was the last. Graduating Cabot High School seniors celebrate teachers, faculty who impacted them PCSSD officials said the rising cost of maintaining a school without increased enrollment led to this decision to shut it down. The first year DVA was launched, there were over 600 K-12th grade students enrolled. That number declined to about 200 the next year and, in this third and final year that number is down to about 150 students. Thursday evening at Lake Willastein in Maumelle, the school held an end-of-the-year party with lots of fun, food and farewells. Certificates of promotion were presented to kindergarteners, 5th graders, and 8th graders. Also, lifetime recognition for all students who have been with Driven Virtual Academy for the 3 years that it has been open. The 9th graders made a pledge to graduate and announced the high school they will attend for the 2024-2025 school year. Principal Leslie Ireland said its been a great three years and said, Our students and parents I think are better from the experience. I hate that theyre closing the school, said Melissa Barnhart whose son Dakota, is headed to 9th grade. DVA has been wonderful. Its one of the best schools Ive been to, said Dakota who will continue virtually with Arkansas Virtual Academy. Im sad that this is the end, but I look forward to next year because its a new dawn, new day. Searcy High School celebrating 15 students scoring above 30 on ACT But not all students are sad. Kaleb Sullivan is headed to Sylvan Hills and said he learns better in the classroom. Being virtual is not for me, he said. Im really excited to go back to traditional because I know I can get more help that way. Ireland said 65 students have been with DVA all 3 years, so she feels that will help with the transition back to traditional. We feel that since most of our students have had an experience in a traditional setting that they will transition back successfully. New education facility extends opportunities for Arkansas Virtual Academy As for the teachers, Ireland said the district has worked well during this change and everyone knows where they will be teaching next 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 KLRT - FOX16.com. Whether or not there will be a major war in Europe depends on the allies' determination to help Ukraine. The timely provision of all necessary weapons and ammunition for Ukrainian soldiers is in the pragmatic interests of our partners as Russia's aggressive plans go far beyond our country. ADVERTISIMENT This opinion was expressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba on May 16 during an online speech at the Impact'24 conference in Poznan, Poland. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Over the past few years, Ukraine has won on the battlefield whenever it had enough resources. At the same time, when we face a deficit, the situation worsens. Our victories are your victories. Our failures are your failures," the minister said. The Foreign Minister noted that it is in the partners' own interests to support Ukraine because when Ukraine succeeds on the battlefield, political opponents of the current governments have fewer arguments to criticize. Instead, they can use the difficult situation to amplify their accusations. The diplomat emphasized that Ukraine's ability to resist and fight is a shared responsibility of all partners as this war concerns not only our country but the Kremlin's aggressive plans go far beyond its borders. ADVERTISIMENT "Whether there will be peace or a great war in Europe now depends on the determination of Europe and its allies to really help Ukraine overcome Russian aggression. The only condition for this to become a reality is to provide us with all the necessary weapons and to do so without delay," the minister emphasized. Dmytro Kuleba pointed out to the allies the need to disrupt the Russian regime's aggressive plans for Ukraine and the rest of Europe as the fate of the entire European continent depends on it. The Foreign Minister reminded that the Russian dictator will not stop until he is stopped. "Before the invasion, Putin clearly outlined his crazy ambitions: returning NATO to its 1997 geopolitical borders. In the Russian dictator's mind, he is already at war with the EU and NATO. Russia is already using energy blackmail, interfering in elections, bribing politicians, blowing up military depots, poisoning people, using migrants as weapons, etc.", the minister said. ADVERTISIMENT The diplomat noted that the allies are currently facing a key task: to have strategic endurance to achieve a common victory. "History proves that those who do not give up sooner or later get back what is theirs. Sooner or later, the Putin regime will fall. The key task of the Euro-Atlantic community is to have strategic endurance and work together to strengthen common resilience and security," the Ukrainian Foreign Minister said. Dmytro Kuleba also expressed his gratitude to Poland for supporting Ukraine from the first days of the Russian invasion, in particular, the prompt supply of military equipment and the creation of a logistics hub in Rzeszow. As reported, Denmark will supply the first F-16 aircraft to Ukraine in the summer of 2024, and the process will continue in the fall. After that, the Netherlands plans to start sending fighters to our country. ADVERTISIMENT The Dutch government has also decided to urgently allocate additional funds to Ukraine as part of the partners' initiative to provide the country with air defense systems and artillery ammunition. The amount is over 200 million. Earlier, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte took the initiative to buy Patriot systems from countries that do not want to directly transfer them to Ukraine. Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Those who want to see wolverines reintroduced to California were dealt a setback this week. Proposed legislation to explore what it would take to reintroduce the rugged and elusive apex predator to the states high mountains died Thursday at the state Capitol. A similar effort in Colorado, however, is moving forward. Wolverines vanished from California more than a century ago, a casualty of trapping, hunting and poisoning. Rare sightings of one in Yosemite National Park and other areas last year spurred a flurry of excitement and played a role in the timing of the legislation. Read more: Wolverines vanished from California a century ago. Is it time to bring them back? While the passage of Assembly Bill 2722 wouldnt have triggered the immediate importation of the animals, it would have required state wildlife officials to conduct a feasibility study on a reintroduction or supplementation program with the goal of restoring a viable population. But the bill also arrived as the state faces a staggering budget deficit totaling tens of billions of dollars. It met its end in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which reviews bills that affect the budget. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimated the feasibility study would cost $235,000, the amount needed to hire a scientist to carry out the work. Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), who introduced the bill, said in a statement that a tough budget year meant some proposed laws would fizzle to allow other more vital ones to move forward. "My hope is that in a better budget year, a bill just like this will move forward," said Friedman, who is likely headed to the U.S. House of Representatives . "California must support recovery efforts to bring this iconic animal back to Californias wilderness." Brendan Cummings, conservation director for the Center for Biological Diversity, which sponsored the bill, said he wasnt surprised by the bills fate, given the budget woes, but wasnt going to give up on the underlying goal. "These animals shared this landscape are part of California," he said. As a Californian, I feel it's my obligation to do everything possible to bring back the extirpated, missing species that are no longer here in a functional way because of human activity." AB 2722 was held without discussion or debate during a biannual culling process known as the suspense file. Read more: A rare songbird's epic journey from the edge of extinction back to the L.A. River No one has attempted to bring the animal back to areas from which it vanished, but Colorado could become the first state to try. This month, lawmakers there overwhelmingly voted in favor of a wolverine reintroduction plan, which is now on the governors desk for final approval. Wolverines resemble diminutive bears but are actually the largest members of the weasel family, weighing up to 40 pounds. They possess powerful jaws capable of taking down predators far larger than themselves. Snowshoe-like feet allow them to cruise over deep powder, and theyre known to traverse large distances. Theyre renowned loners, with males occupying territories of up to 500 square miles. "Theyre like the patron animal of mountaineers, skiers and introverts," said Rebecca Watters , executive director of the Wolverine Foundation , earlier this year. Wolverines are exceedingly rare in the lower 48 states and the population in the contiguous U.S. roughly just 25 to 300 received federal protection under the federal Endangered Species Act last year. Californias conservation efforts date back to the early 1970s, when wolverines were designated as a fully protected species under the state Fish and Game Code and listed as threatened under the state Endangered Species Act. Proponents of reintroducing the species have said there is plenty of habitat to accommodate the animals, which naturally live in low density in snowy, high-elevation areas. But some researchers including Watters would prefer to see the species propagate naturally, expressing concern that wolverines will die during the reintroduction process while theres no guarantee of success. David Garcelon , president of the Institute for Wildlife Studies , believes the risk is worth it. For about 20 years, Garcelon has looked into bringing back the animals, which he calls "an icon of wilderness." "I really want to give the wolverines a chance," Garcelon previously told The Times, adding that with uncertainties posed by climate change and other factors, "Im not really in favor of waiting another 50 years to see if they can do it on their own." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Putin claims Russia has 'no plans to capture Kharkiv as of today' Russia has no plans to capture Kharkiv "as of today" and is attacking Kharkiv Oblast in order to create a so-called buffer zone in the oblast to prevent shelling in Belgorod, President Vladimir Putin claimed on May 17. The Kremlin has made similar claims in the past about its intentions, namely when it repeatedly stated in the months, weeks and even days before the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that it had no plans to invade Ukraine. "As for what is happening on the Kharkiv front, this is (Ukrainians') fault, because they have shelled and continue to shell residential neighborhoods in border areas including Belgorod," Putin said while on a visit to China in comments reported by AFP. "And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone." When asked if Russia intends to capture the city of Kharkiv, he added: "As for Kharkiv, there are no such plans as of today." Belgorod Oblast borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts. Claims of rocket or drone attacks against the region have become a common occurrence in recent months. Kyiv does not usually comment on reported attacks against the oblast but Russia reportedly often uses it as a launching ground for cross-border missile strikes against Ukraine. Also on May 17, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Russian forces have expanded offensive operations in Kharkiv Oblast, forcing Ukraine to deploy more reserve troops. In a post on Telegram, Syrski said Moscow's troops had failed to make a breakthrough but acknowledged there will be "tough battles ahead." Moscow 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. Russian troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border. "The enemy expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometers, thus trying to force us to use an additional number of brigades from the reserve," Syrski said. "The enemy launched an offensive well ahead of schedule when he noticed the rotation of our troops, however, he failed to break through our defenses. "However, we understand that there will be tough battles ahead and the enemy is preparing for it." Syrski's comments came a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists Russian troops were able to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep during their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, but the front in the region has been stabilized. Read also: Glide bombs help Russia gain land in Ukraine. What makes them so effective? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. 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 The Ukraine peace summit planned next month in Switzerland is a bid to impose conditions on Russia to end the conflict, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday at the close of his two-day trip to China. He said he had spoken with China's President Xi Jinping about the operations in Ukraine. Putin has consistently upheld his decision to attack Russia's neighbour in 2022 despite the heavy costs for both countries. Speaking in Harbin, Putin gave no further details of the conversation with Xi, whose country has not joined international condemnation of Russia's war. Ukraine and the West hope that China will send a representative to Switzerland in order to lend more weight to the meeting scheduled for June 15-16 near Luzern. Russia was not invited to the meeting. Putin criticized this, saying Russia was constantly being reproached, but did not get an invitation to the conference. His country's allies also do not see much point in the meeting unless both warring parties attend, he said. Putin emphasised once again that Russia was ready for negotiations. He recalled that a peace agreement had been reached with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul shortly after the start of the war. There was a finalized document that could continue to serve as a basis for talks, the Russian leader said. Ukraine's former chief negotiator David Arakhamia previously confirmed that Moscow had only insisted on his country's neutrality at the talks in order to end the conflict. "When we returned from Istanbul, [British Prime Minister] Boris Johnson came to Kiev and said we will not sign anything with [the Russians] - let's just fight," Arakhamia said in an earlier interview on the 1+1 TV channel. However, a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin would have been necessary for an agreement to be signed. Kiev also hesitated because there were no security guarantees in the event of a successful agreement, according to Arakhamia. For Ukraine to achieve neutral status, the country's constitution would also have to be amended and the course of NATO accession would have to be cancelled. The provisional agreement would have included Ukraine possibly ceding some territory as demanded by Russia. Putin on potential negotiations: Russia must figure out who it can trust Vladimir Putin has commented on potential talks with Ukraine, claiming that "Russia must know for sure with whom it can deal and who it can trust". Source: Putin, cited by Kremlin-aligned news agency RIA Novosti Details: Putin claimed that "Russia must understand with whom it can negotiate concerning Ukraine and who it can trust". He added that "the situation is being analysed". Putin also called "Istanbul agreements" the basis for a negotiation process. At the same time, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba denied rumours that Ukraine and Russia had almost reached an agreement to end hostilities in the spring of 2022 and that the process had failed to yield results allegedly because of Kyiv's refusal under the influence of London. The Russian leader claimed that Russia was ready to participate in peaceful negotiations, but it was not invited to a conference in Switzerland. He also said that Russia would not allow ultimatums to be presented to it. In particular, he commented on the desire to impose conditions on the aggressor regarding Ukraine with the words: "'Are you nuts or what'. Background: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that partners are not pushing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, although "its in the air". A summit organised by Ukraine on the war will take place in Switzerland in June. Russia has not been invited to the summit. Volodymyr Zelenksyy stated that, following the summit, Ukraine would like to receive a joint communique. He stated that, if a significant number of countries attend the summit and a communique is issued, this will be a diplomatic advantage for Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron! (Bloomberg) -- Russias weeklong offensive in northeastern Ukraine is setting alarm bells ringing in Kyiv as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his generals rush to shore up their defenses. Most Read from Bloomberg Zelenskiy has canceled foreign travel plans for the next few days and on Thursday met with his key commanders in Kharkiv, the border city thats become the focus of Moscows attacks. Russian forces penetrated as far as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) inside Ukraine before being halted by Kyivs first line of defense, Zelenskiy told reporters in a late night briefing. Our defense forces have stabilized the Russians in the areas where they are located, he said. President Vladimir Putin said Friday on a visit to China that Russia has no plans to seize Kharkiv and is working on establishing a buffer zone to prevent cross-border shelling by Ukraine. There will be tough battles ahead, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, whos been personally directing operations in the Kharkiv region, said Friday on Telegram. The Russian incursion expanded the area of active fighting by 70 kilometers along the front, though it had failed to break through the Ukrainian defenses, he said. While the Kremlin appears to lack the necessary forces to capture Ukraines second-largest city, the attacks are turning up the pressure on the countrys stretched defensive lines as they struggle with shortages of manpower, air defenses and artillery. The Russians dont have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough and there are no indications theyre generating such forces, General Christopher Cavoli, NATOs supreme allied commander for Europe, told reporters Thursday after a two-day meeting of the alliances defense chiefs in Brussels. They dont have the skill and the capability to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage, he said. Im in very close contact with our Ukrainian colleagues and Im confident that they will hold the line. Russia now has more than half a million troops attacking Ukraine, giving the Russians significant numerical superiority, according to Jack Watling, a senior research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute, a UK think tank. Watling said the Russian generals may be trying to force the Ukrainians to spread their forces along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line in order to create an area of weakness they can exploit. The push toward Kharkiv in Ukraines northeast could be followed by another attack close to the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, he said. That would draw Ukrainian reserves away from the eastern region of Donbas where Russia could then intensify its main offensive. Others have suggested Russia could attempt an offensive further north in the Sumy region. There is pressure along the entire front line, said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Moscow-based think tank the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies. If the attack on Kharkiv can weaken Ukrainian positions in the south and east, then a breakthrough could come there. Putins trip to China this week aims to cement his relations with Xi Jinping and secure help for Russias war effort as the Kremlin seeks a breakthrough before the arrival of long-delayed US military aid to Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Kyiv this week, said his country is rushing arms supplies into Ukraine to shore up forces battling the most serious incursion since the early days of the war more than two years ago. Russia has been taking advantage of Ukraines shortage of air defenses to pound Kharkiv since last month, preparing the way for its infantry to advance. Last week its troops surged in northeastern Ukraine, seizing control of some villages and entering the town of Vovchansk, 5 kilometers from the border. Ukraine is at its most vulnerable right now, according to Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, with Russia likely to accelerate its attacks in the east and the full weight of Western lethal aid still to reach the front. All the same, she said, the Russians may not have the agility to take advantage. There are meaningful limits to Russian military power, she said. They still waste manpower in pursuit of their goals and Ukrainian forces are effective on the defense when they are supplied with men and materiel. The US in April approved $61 billion in aid for Ukraine after six months of legislative obstruction by Republicans and is sending ammunition, armored vehicles, missiles and air defenses. But Kyiv remains frustrated by a US ban on using US weaponry to attack Russian territory and a delegation of Ukrainian lawmakers are lobbying to remove it on a trip to Washington this week. Zelenskiy appealed to allies to allow Kyiv to use the western weapons to strike inside Russia. While some Ukrainian parliamentarians say the US policy prevented it from taking pre-emptive action to stop the Russian attack in the northeast, theres been a wave of criticism by military bloggers in Ukraine of a lack of defenses in the border zone. Putin on Wednesday told a meeting of military district commanders that Russian forces have pushed back all Ukrainian counter-attacks and in recent months every day, on all fronts, they are constantly improving their position. Russias army delivered its first significant victory in months in February when it seized the strategic eastern city of Avdiivka. A senior European diplomat said allies are concerned about the Russian progress but still hopeful that with the promised aid from the US and other allies, Ukrainian forces will stabilize the front and eventually push Russian forces back. Ukraine faces a long, drawn-out war of attrition because advances in technology mean that both sides can monitor each other as far as 15 kilometers behind the line of contact, according to Mykola Bielieskov, a prominent Ukrainian military analyst. That gives defensive forces a significant advantage over attackers. Ukraine should pursue active defense to gradually exhaust Russias army, trading space for time and then restoring the front line through counterattacks with reserves brought from the depths, he said. The next year and a half will be a critically important period, he wrote in a paper Thursday. Russian troops have been making tactical advances in the northeastern Kharkiv region since May 10 and now seem to be focused on establishing a buffer zone by pushing deep into Kharkiv Oblast, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Thursday in its daily bulletin. Russian border areas including the city of Belgorod have come under repeated Ukrainian shelling. The Russian strategy is to inflict a thousand cuts to wear down the Ukrainian armed forces and create the conditions for achieving more significant gains, said Pukhov, the Moscow-based defense expert. The most realistic goal is to try and seize the entire Donbas, the eastern region whose years-long conflict stoked by Moscow provided the justification for Putins invasion of Ukraine, he added. --With assistance from Alberto Nardelli, Aliaksandr Kudrytski, Daryna Krasnolutska and Courtney McBride. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. By Bernard Orr BEIJING (Reuters) - After sealing pledges of a "new era" of strategic partnership with China's Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday is set to highlight the growing importance of trade near the Russian border in China's northeast. Putin ends his two-day, red-carpet visit to China in Harbin in Heilongjiang province, which has long-running trade and cultural ties to Russia, touring a Russian-China Expo and a forum on interregional cooperation. Facing political isolation and Western sanctions over Russia's two-year-old invasion of Ukraine, Putin is increasingly turning to China to support its war economy. Amid the pomp of a full state visit, Putin and Xi signed a joint statement on Thursday that hailed the "new era", countering the U.S. across a sweep of security and economic issues and a shared global view. "The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it," Xi told Putin. "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." The joint statement fleshes out the "no limits" partnership the two declared in February 2022, days before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into neighbouring Ukraine, launching the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two. Beijing is helping Moscow's war effort by providing drone and missile technology, satellite imagery and machine tools, U.S. officials said last month, although China says it has not provided weaponry to any party. Russia's isolation from other powers has fuelled its trade with China, which surged 26.3% last year to a record $240.1, Chinese customs data shows. Russia has overtaken Saudi Arabia as China's top source of crude oil, with shipments jumping more than 24% despite Western sanctions. An editorial in China's state-controlled Global Times newspaper on Friday cited the importance of burgeoning trade ties to the wider relationship, saying China had been Russia's largest trading partner for 13 straight years. "These achievements are not easy and have been achieved by both countries overcoming various external challenges and unfavorable factors, highlighting the solid foundation of the China-Russia relationship," the editorial said. Putin is flanked by a large trade delegation, which includes Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina. Others include the heads of Russia's largest banks - Sberbank CEO German Gref and VTB chief Andrei Kostin - billionaire Oleg Deripaska, top oil producer Rosneft chief Igor Sechin and liquefied natural gas giant Novatek's boss, Leonid Mikhelson. It was not immediately clear if Putin would make any further stops in Asia. (Reporting by Bernard Orr and Beijing newsroom; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by William Mallard) 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 Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to expand energy supplies to China on Friday as he neared the end of a two-day visit. "Russia is ready and able to continuously and reliably supply the Chinese economy, companies, cities and villages with ecologically clean and affordable energy, electricity and heat," Putin said at a Russian-Chinese trade fair in the city of Harbin. On his first trip abroad since the start of his fifth term in office earlier this month, Putin said he was sure the strategic alliance in the energy sector would be further strengthened. Russia has been under growing economic pressure to find new markets for its energy resources since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 resulted in Western sanctions on its oil and gas sector. According to the Russian leader, the current bilateral trade volume of $240 billion is by no means the limit of possibilities. Moscow is also hoping for greater co-operation in vehicle building and agriculture following the exodus of Western car manufacturers. In the energy sector, Russia specifically wants to build another gas pipeline through Mongolia to China. An agreement to this effect will be signed in a few days. Putin states Russia has no plans to capture Kharkiv "as of today" Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has stated that "as of today", Russia does not plan to seize the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti, citing Putin Quote: "As for Kharkiv, there are no such plans as of today." Details: At the same time, Putin stated that Russian troops in Kharkiv Oblast "have been moving strictly according to plan every day, achieving success." Background: On 10 May, it was reported that Russian forces had intensified their activities in Kharkiv Oblast, with fighting taking place there. During a briefing with Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, 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 seized up to 10 villages in Kharkiv Oblast. The Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group reported that the grey zone in Kharkiv Oblast is not expanding, and Ukrainian forces are not letting the Russians advance deeper into the oblast. 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. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that there are no plans to evacuate the population or certain groups of residents from the city of Kharkiv as of 15 May. On the contrary, people are currently coming to the city from those settlements in Kharkiv Oblast where active hostilities are taking place. Support UP or become our patron! Russian President Vladimir Putins post-inauguration Cabinet reshuffle and military purge has raised speculation that hes looking to consolidate power as he prepares for a much longer war in Ukraine. Putin named economist Andrei Belousov as Moscows defense chief, replacing long-serving Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu, in turn, was made secretary of Russias security council, replacing ousted security chief Nikolai Patrushev a key player in Putins security apparatus who will now serve as the Russian presidents aide. Also included in the reshuffle was Lt. Gen. Yuri Kuznetsov, a high-ranking military official responsible for personnel matters who was arrested on suspicion of criminal activity, according to Russia state media. Taken together, the shakeup promotes economic over military minds to sustain Putins war machine across several years, as well as stamping out any threat of a possible usurper, experts told The Hill. We will see more arrests, really as a signal more than anything else, saying, Look, doesnt matter what the old rules were new, the new rules are different, said Mark Galeotti, a Russia expert and head of Mayak Intelligence consultancy firm in London. Galeotti also said the changes indicate that Putin is digging in for the long term on Ukraine, already more than two years into fighting. Essentially, this is pointing to a strategy of attrition and a willingness to take risks, take losses, while waiting for Ukraine to no longer have the capacity to fight and the West no longer the will to keep supporting it, he said. Putin earlier this week was sworn in as president for a fifth term, ensuring he will be Russias leader until at least 2030. Among his first orders of business was replacing Shoigu, the defense minister since 2012, a shake-up of the Kremlins national security team for the first time since Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Replacing him is Belousov, a deputy prime minister and economic advisor to Putin who has never served in the military. The changeover has been portrayed as a move to streamline the countrys defense spending. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Moscows security budget had swelled to more than 6.5 percent of gross domestic product, and officials were looking to bring it back down under Belousov. This demands special attention, Peskov said. Its very important to put the security economy in line with the economy of the country, so that it meets the dynamics of the current moment. He added that Putin also decided a civilian should run defense matters because on the battlefield, he who is more open to innovation wins. Shoigus reassignment is notable given his close relationship with Putin, with the two in the past going on fishing and hunting trips. Likewise, outgoing security chief Patrushev has long been seen as a close confidant of the Russian president, and his move is widely viewed as a demotion. Patrushev, a former KGB colleague of Putin, was a key player in the assassination of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin last year, The Wall Street Journal reported. Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman told NPR this week that he interpreted the sidelining of Patrushev as being more about consolidating power in the Kremlin, rather than directly related to Ukraine war efforts. I see the fact that the second most powerful person in the country, Nikolai Patrushev, the head of the National Security Council, was removed and replaced with another loyalist, both weakening, lets say, opposing factions, he said. I think this is a way to insulate Putin more concretely in his second term, give him a freer hand, added Vindman, who now heads the Institute for Informed American Leadership think tank. Shoigu, along with the head of the Russian military Valery Gerasimov, have drawn the ire from Russian officials over Moscows failures on the battlefield in Ukraine, even as its slowly gained ground in recent months. Shoigu was not exactly performing to the standard that was needed. Hed been a good civilian peacetime minister but as a catastrophically bad wartime one. And so I think it was time for him to be moved on, Galeotti told The Hill. There has also been a public charge to stamp out corruption within Russias defense apparatus, with Russias security services last month arresting one of Shoigus deputy defense ministers, Timur Ivanov, on corruption charges. But that was also viewed by the West as a ploy to weaken Shoigu. Asked Monday about Russias personnel changes, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh declined to comment beyond a dig at their current war effort. Given where the war has started that Russia launched, you know, over two years ago, theyve certainly not had successes on the battlefield and had some pretty big defeats. So Ill let the Russians speak to their own personnel changes, she said. Others see the timing of the changeovers ahead of Putins arrival in Beijing this week for the first state visit of his new term as an aim to further integrate Russias economy more deeply with China for the sake of long-term military capabilities. Putin has brought this delegation of both Cabinet members and the heads of Russian banks and energy companies and shaken up his Cabinet just before his visit to the economic patron of his war in Ukraine, the Chinese Communist Party, Jonathan Ward, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, told The Hill. This suggests that Putin is trying to bring China deeper into his war effort and trying to align the Russian and Chinese economies in such a way that would enable him with Chinas help to win the war. War said Chinas economic support for Russia has already laid the foundations for their war in Europe, and that making an economist the defense minister shows Putins determination to the further transformation of Russia into a wartime economy. Cumulatively, the Cabinet shifts mark a turning point in Russias more than two-year war in Ukraine, essentially militarizing the whole structure of government and turning it into a warfighting institution. Unlike Russias war effort, its economy has defied expectations over the past two years. Even under the cloud of major economic sanctions imposed by the West, as well as being cut off from most global markets, the Kremlin in 2023 outpaced both the United States and Europe in terms of growth. That gain seems to have been largely driven by increased military spending, with significant ramp ups of Russias defense industry, according to economists. Belousos appointment appears to be an acknowledgment of that new normal, shoring up Moscow for a long-haul conflict with Ukraine as Russian forces mount a new offensive in the countrys northeast. The battle plan looks to be a slow push forward to retake smaller towns, rather than major assaults on big cities as Moscow attempted unsuccessfully at the start of the war. Russians learn lessons, Galeotti said of the shift. Sometimes their responses are not the same as ours, ones we would expect or theyre sluggish or wasteful, but the Russians do learn and I think this is what were seeing. Its actually a lot of the lessons of the past couple of years, particularly in terms of how you manage your system for a long-term war of attrition beginning to be applied. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed skepticism about the idea of introducing a ceasefire at the front during the Olympics. According to the head of state, this is not effective in a fight with the Russian enemy, and the occupiers can use the ceasefire to drive tanks closer to the positions of the Defense Forces and then launch another offensive. ADVERTISIMENT Zelenskyy made the statement on May 17 while talking to journalists. In particular, he recalled that a ceasefire on the battlefield in Ukraine had already been introduced before the full-scale invasion. "We already had a ceasefire. But it does not work well with this enemy. In addition, there is a risk: who can be sure that during the ceasefire their forces will not approach us? The ceasefire doesn't prevent their equipment from moving closer and then launching an offensive. So I don't understand the details. For now, it sounds like a lifeless story to me," the president said. The Ukrainian leader also spoke about how much longer the war could last. In particular, he noted that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is currently not interested in a dialogue on ending the war. "Putin does not benefit from a dialog with the whole world because even China will tell him: argue the seizure of territories. Because China stands for the territorial integrity of any state," he said. ADVERTISIMENT Zelenskyy added that today there should be grounds for Putin to look for a way out of the situation as the Kremlin leader is not feeling uncomfortable now. "Because where are we shooting at? What can we attack? What can we attack with? How much will they help us economically? Will we impose sanctions or not? Will there be a tribunal or not? We need to answer each of these questions. And work and move forward in each of these areas every day," the President of Ukraine said. As a reminder, during the year of the ceasefire in 2020-2021, according to the Ukrainian delegation of the Territorial Centres of Recruitment and Social Support, 45 Ukrainian servicemen were killed and 163 wounded in Donbas. A total of 1995 Russian attacks were recorded. The handshakes were warm, smiles beaming, as Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to Beijings Great Hall of the People on Tuesday. As the two strongmen greeted flag-waving schoolchildren from a red carpet, the Peoples Liberation Army band played the Soviet-era ditty Moscow Nights, whose waltzing lilt stood in stark contrast to the mayhem sown by Russias latest offensive in northeastern Ukraines Kharkiv region, which has forced almost 8,000 people from their homes. Officially, Putins trip is to mark 75 years since the Soviet Union recognized the Peoples Republic of China, with a gala to mark the occasion, though his war of choice casts a long shadow. And while it is de rigueur for Russian leaders to make Beijing their first overseas trip, the immediacy of Putins visitjust nine days after beginning his sixth presidential termtelegraphs the depths of a relationship declared no limits just days before he triggered Europes deadliest land war since World War II. The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it, Xi told Putin at the Great Hall of the People. 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. It was a display of unity that will disappoint Western leaders, who have spent the last few months desperately trying to press home to Xi that his backing of Putin harms Chinas own interests. Xi only recently returned from a three-nation tour of Europe, where European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron lectured him on the imperative to halt support for Putins war machine. (It was also a point that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made in Beijing in March.) But the result has been a doubling down. In a press conference on Thursday, Putin praised the warm and comradely talks with Xi, who in turn heralded the everlasting friendship between China and Russia that had become a model for a new type of international relations. U.S. diplomats have repeatedly told TIME that Xi may not be getting full information about the Ukraine war and Europe can help paint a true picture. Yet experts fundamentally disagree that Xi is poorly briefed. Xi and Putin have met more than 63 times overall and their respective top brass have high-level consultations every two weeks or so. On Thursday, both sides announced a ramping up of military drills. Xi probably has more information and is better informed about Ukraine and Russia than any Western country, says Alexander Korolev, an expert in China-Russia relations at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Indeed, the U.S. argument that pressure can spur Xi to adjust course wants for any real evidence. The more than 16,500 Western sanctions that have severed Russias access to the international trading system have only deepened its economic dependence on China. Bilateral trade hit $240.1 billion in 2023, up 26.3% from a year earlier, as Xi has allowed Chinese firms to keep trading with Russia while avoiding any weapons sales or direct state-directed assistance that would flout those sanctions. In recent weeks, Washington has turned the screws on China both for supplying dual use goodsnot to mention drones, helmets, vests, and radiosto Russia as well as trade and technology more generally. Ultimately, Putin and Xi bond over weathering Western pressure and share a broad outlook that sees the U.S.-dominated liberal order as decadent and in terminal decline. And repeated U.S. attacks on Chinas strategic interestsfrom trade and technology to human-rights and the status of Taiwanhas bolstered the opinion that nothing can overt the decline of relations. On Tuesday, the Biden administration unveiled stiff new tariff rates on $18 billion worth of Chinese imports to shield American workers from alleged unfair competition. Rather than force a retreat, says Marcin Kaczmarski, a lecturer in security studies at the University of Glasgow, the only question is do Bidens tariffs push Xi Jinping to be more open to offer something to Russia or just hold course? Its clear that Putin is seeking to draw China closer, as spotlighted by the phalanx of top officials, brass hats, and business executives also in Beijing, including Russias defense minister, foreign minister, finance minister, security council secretary, central bank governor, as well as the heads of its largest banks and most powerful CEOs. Putin wants access to Chinese financial markets and to use the Chinese yuan currency to boost Russian trade. In particular, substantial progress on the Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline, which is slated to carry 50 billion cubic meters of gas annually from northern Russia to China via Mongolia, will be a clear signal of Chinas long term strategic commitment to Russia, says Kaczmarski. Putin would like to achieve something but it's completely up to Beijing at this moment. Still, Europe is key to Xis strategic calculus, although, paradoxically, splits between member states may actually serve Western interests. Despite deep skepticism, China is keen to present itself as neutral regarding Ukraine: offering a specious peace plan and seeming to restrain Putin amid his repeated nuclear threats. In an interview with Chinas official Xinhua News Agency published on the eve of his arrival, Putin said that he is prepared to negotiate to resolve the Ukraine conflict. 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. The intent was to enhance Xis role as a potential peacemaker, building on last years remarkable truce that China helped negotiate between Iran and Saudi Arabia. China can broker talks between Russia and Ukraine because we emphasize the need for bilateral negotiations, says Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Beijings Renmin University. Just blaming Russia or Ukraine cannot solve this problem. Xis final stops on his Europe tour in Serbia and Hungary overtly courted the continents more pro-Kremlin members who buy this position. But were Europe united in backing the U.S., Xi might throw his full weight behind Putin. As long as China can keep Europe divided and detached from the U.S., it still makes sense to have some limitations in the assistance they provide to Russia, says Kaczmarski. A united Europe might result in more open support of Russia, including arms deliveries. Korolev agrees: When European capitals start to hammer points that repeat U.S. officials, its a signal for China that Europe has very little autonomy, he says. It might, in fact, be an extra push for Xi Jinping to consolidate his partnership with Putin. On Friday, Putin and Xi traveled to Harbin, a city in northeastern China once dubbed Little Moscow for its Russian Orthodox-style architecture and large ethnically Russian population. Russias sovereign wealth fund is due to open an office in Harbin, according to the countrys state media, while the two two leaders will attend the opening of the China-Russia Expo trade fair. The symbolism of a shared history and common future is hard to miss. As Alexander Gabuev, the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, wrote in the New York Times this week: Never since the fall of the Soviet Union has Russia been so distant from Europe, and never in its entire history has it been so entwined with China. Write to Charlie Campbell at charlie.campbell@time.com. The radical new Dutch government is the canary in the EU coal mine It will scrap many of the net zero policies. It will cut taxes for business. It will put limits on net migration, it will switch to nuclear power, and it will make sure farming receives the support it needs. Details are still emerging of the programme of the new coalition government assembled by the leader of the Freedom party Geert Wilders following his surprise victory in the elections last year. One point is already certain, however. Wilders will issue a radical challenge to the ruling orthodoxies of the European Union, and indeed of the big state, high tax policies across most of the developed world. The Netherlands may well be the canary in the EUs coal mine, signalling a far wider revolt against a failed political class even as the UK, traditionally the country it most resembles, is travelling as fast as it possibly can in the opposite direction. After months of tortured negotiations, Wilders this week unveiled a four-party coalition with a majority in the Dutch parliament. Although a prime minister has yet to be chosen, the bloc looks likely to take power within the next few days. And while Wilders views on Islam and immigration will do doubt attract most of the attention, the coalition has put together what looks like a radical economic platform. Dutch farmers protested against emissions rules imposed by the previous Dutch government - REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Electric car subsidies will be scrapped, while heat pumps will no longer be mandatory. Red diesel will be brought back for farmers, and restrictions on agriculture will be eased a significant issue for a country that is one of the largest food exporters in the world by value. On energy, the Netherlands will switch to nuclear power, starting work on four new reactors, alongside encouraging fresh development of offshore gas production. It will cut taxes for businesses, including a levy on share buybacks, while plans for a rise in the carbon tax will be cancelled. And on immigration, Wilders has promised the strictest asylum policy ever. The sun is going to shine again in the Netherlands, he told his supporters as he announced plans for his government. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the new administration can hold together long enough to push through its policies. Like Georgia Melonis government in Italy, it may prove far milder in office than its rhetoric on the campaign trail would suggest. And yet, the platform it has unveiled so far is still a radical challenge to the prevailing consensus within the EU. The Green Deal will be under relentless attack, as will be plans for an industrial strategy to match President Bidens ambitious plans in the US, along with plans for carbon taxes and a whole raft of environmental levies. It will be hard for the EUs President Ursula von der Leyen to push through many of her more ambitious plans against Dutch opposition, and we can expect plenty of fierce rows. Even without Wilders as official prime minister, the new Netherlands government is set to play spoiler to the Brussels establishment. The revolt against the net zero orthodoxy has already been gathering strength right across the Continent. Most people agree that carbon emissions have to be reduced steadily over time, but that goal does not necessarily mean that we have to destroy our industrial base at the same time, hand leadership of key sectors to China, or impose increases in taxes that destroy incentives and massively increase the size of the state. The Dutch farming revolts last year, which helped Wilders secure victory, were one sign that awareness of this is growing. There has also been similar protests in France, Germany, Poland and indeed in Wales against policies that destroy food production and bankrupt farms At the European elections scheduled for next month, Right-wing parties although why preferring nuclear power to unreliable wind is considered far-Right is a mystery are likely to score significant victories. The European Parliament may be largely toothless, but even the Brussels bureaucrats, and the power brokers in Berlin and Paris, will find it impossible to ignore the voters completely. This will be even more true if the Wilders plan proves successful. The Netherlands has one of the most fundamentally competitive economies in the world, with a high-skilled labour force, globally successful conglomerates, a thriving financial sector in Amsterdam, and with giants such as semiconductor supplier ASML a strong technology sector as well. Throw in some easing of net zero rules, deregulation, and corporate tax cuts, and it could well significantly outperform the rest of Europe. If a change of direction works in the Netherlands, people may start to question whether it can work elsewhere. That question will be especially pertinent in the UK, the country that the Netherlands has closely resembled. After an almost certain Labour victory later this year, the administration led by Sir Keir Starmer will likely double down on the centrist consensus, pushing through a high tax, big state agenda totally committed to the net zero orthodoxy. If growth in the Netherlands accelerates, while it stagnates in Britain, it will be hard for Rachel Reeves and Ed Miliband to explain that away. And on the Continent, it will power a wider revolt against the EUs high regulation, zero-growth agenda. The Netherlands has broken free of its crushing orthodoxy. It will reap the economic rewards of that very quickly and set an example that other countries may eventually follow. 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. Raskin says its worth investigating whether House members were drinking in hearing room Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, says its worth investigating whether lawmakers were drinking during Thursdays explosive hearing, after rumors circulated that noncommittee members were intoxicated. I didnt see the drinking by the gentlelady from New Mexico, Melanie Stansbury raised it, she said there are members drinking in the room, and thats something that is worth investigating if there was in fact drinking taking place, Raksin said on Fox News. According to Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) there were some members in the room who are drinking inside the hearing room. Stansbury said the lawmakers who were drinking were not on the committee, Axios reported. On Thursday night, the Oversight Committee hearing became chaotic as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) fought after Greene accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) of wearing fake eyelashes. The committee was holding a markup hearing to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress but fell into chaos with the lawmakers shouting over one another for nearly an hour. It began with a vote on whether to allow Greene to continue speaking during the hearing. Greene asked if any Democrats on the panel were employing the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing former President Trumps hush money trial. Thursdays hearing was delayed a few hours after several Republicans who sit on the panel went to New York in the morning to support Trump in his trial. Crockett questioned why Greene would bring up Merchan and the two began arguing. Crockett asked Greene if she knew what were here for? I dont think you know what youre here for, Greene responded. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading. At that point, Raskin interjected, saying, thats beneath even you, Ms. Greene. Ocasio-Cortez said it was disgusting and absolutely unacceptable to attack the physical appearance of another person. After a short break, the two lawmakers continued the argument, with Greene insulting Ocasio-Cortezs intelligence and saying she would never apologize for her comments. Later, Crockett hit back at Greene, alluding in a question on a ruling that she has a bleach blond, bad built, butch body. She said Friday that she believes Greenes original comment was absolutely racist. The entire scene drew criticism from both sides of the aisle, with Democrats and Republicans agreeing on at least one thing: It was not a good look for the Congress. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. 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. Months after Rebecca Grossman was convicted of murdering two boys in a Westlake Village crosswalk, a judge found there was a potential conflict of interest because she and the assistant district attorney who once oversaw the case shared the same criminal lawyer. The judge resolved it by having her waive the conflict. To address the situation, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino said he was asking Grossman, out of an abundance of caution, to waive the conflict for ineffective legal counsel on this single issue. Prosecutors had asked the judge to resolve the issue, which they feared could be grounds for an appeal. Grossman, dressed in a beige jail shirt and pants, softly replied, "Yes, I do" and "Yes" during the proceeding. She sobbed, blew a kiss to her husband and daughter as she entered the court and said, "I love you" as she left. The conflict debate came on the heels of a defense motion seeking a new trial for Grossman, who was convicted in February of second-degree murder in the 2020 deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander. Grossman was convicted of hitting the boys with her speeding Mercedes as they crossed a quiet Westlake Village street. Deputy Dist. Atty. Habib Balian on Friday asked Brandolino to remove Grossman's new attorney, James Spertus, or have Grossman formally waive a conflict of interest. Balian told the judge that Spertus also represents Assistant Dist. Atty. Diana Teran, who oversaw the chain of command for the Grossman prosecutors until she was charged with 11 felonies last month in connection with the illegal use of confidential sheriff's records. "There is an actual conflict in this particular case," Balian said. "Ms. Teran was intimately familiar with all the facts of the case. She was intimately involved in the strategy." Read more: Rebecca Grossman's lawyers file motion for new trial, seek to overturn murder conviction Balian said that in April, after Spertus took over as Grossman's attorney, Teran decided not to question a witness in jail who was allegedly approached by Grossman and had a discussion about the jurors and "witness tampering." When Teran left the case, Balian said, her replacement chose to investigate the information. Balian emphasized that Teran made her decision while the attorney representing her was also Grossman's lawyer. The judge interrupted and said it seemed more of an internal issue in the district attorney's office. "There is nothing that leads me to believe she was passing information to Mr. Spertus," Brandolino said. "The two cases do not intersect." The prosecutor noted that Spertus was hired not only for Grossman's sentencing which has been delayed until at least June but also to seek a new trial by potentially putting forth a case of prosecutorial misconduct. Balian argued that if Spertus wanted to raise such claims, he would have to implicate Teran, as she was a decision-maker, and that would raise a conflict, considering she is his client in another legal matter. And if Spertus doesn't pursue such claims, "Ms. Grossman can claim ineffective assistance of counsel in her appeal," the prosecutors wrote in a legal brief. Read more: D.A. removes Rebecca Grossman's prosecutors, outraging parents of murdered boys The judge, prosecutors acknowledged, has wide discretion in deciding whether a waiver is sufficient to cure the conflict. In this case, the judge agreed to seek the waiver from Grossman. Spertus told the court that no conflict exists and that the prosecution gave a "fantastical narrative" filled with speculation. "I represent two people in separate cases with no overlap," he said, complaining that the prosecution would impugn his integrity by merely suggesting a conflict. Spertus said Teran was in charge of ethics in the district attorney's office and would never release secrets to advance Grossman's case. He said that when he agreed to represent Grossman, it was before he represented Teran, who wasn't charged until late April. Records show that Spertus' law firm represented Teran in a deposition involving a county lawsuit and then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva in December 2019 in which deputy files were discussed. Spertus' colleague Samuel Josephs was Teran's lawyer during the questioning. Josephs appeared in court for Grossman in March. Spertus acknowledged in an email to The Times that he represented Teran in a civil case in 2019 and said the representation ended when the deposition concluded. "I did not represent Ms. Teran again until April 2024," he said. That is when Teran was charged with improperly downloading confidential police records in 2018 while she was the constitutional policing advisor to the L.A. County Sheriffs Department and using that data when she joined the D.A.s office in 2021. But after public objections by Nancy and Karim Iskander, the parents of the 8- and 11-year-old brothers killed by Grossman, the D.A.'s office backtracked. While it replaced prosecuting supervisor Garrett Dameron who reported to Teran with Balian, it reinstated original prosecutors Ryan Gould and Jamie Castro but moved them into assistant roles. According to an email Dameron wrote to his superiors Friday, the changes were made only after his team suggested that Spertus could end up questioning Teran's decisions in the case. One of Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascon's top advisors, Diana Teran, right, has been charged with illegal use of confidential law enforcement records. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Joseph Iniguez on Monday said Gould and Castro will remain on the case. Iniguez said a change of command was needed to distance the prosecutorial team from Teran, whose charging led to unusual circumstances. There was a perceived internal conflict with these supervisors having reported to an attorney [Teran] represented by the same attorney as Ms. Grossman, Iniguez said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. From record 18-point buck to poaching charges: Four accused in illegal Ohio deer hunt What began with a record-setting buck taken during Ohio's deer season in November has ended with criminal charges against a Southwest Ohio man for alleged poaching, along with three others accused of aiding in the crime. Christopher J. Alexander of Wilmington, Ohio, is accused of unlawfully harvesting the 18-point white-tailed deer on Nov. 9, 2023, according to a press release from Attorney General David Yost's office. Blinded by greed, the defendants set their sights on fame and fortune while disregarding basic hunting regulations, Yost said in the statement. Instead of the cover of Field & Stream, their notoriety will be a booking photo. A Clinton County grand jury handed up the indictment on May 10. Hunter Christopher "C.J." Alexander poses with the deer he is accused of poaching. According to Yost's office, Alexander claimed that the deer was shot and killed on land owned by his sister, Kristina M. Alexander, where he had written permission to hunt. However, an investigation by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which obtained a warrant for Alexander's cellphone data, found that deer was illegally hunted on private property 10 miles from his sister's land. ODNR launched the investigation in December following a tip that Alexander failed to obtain written permission, required by law, prior to hunting on private property. Alexander staged the deer taking at his sisters property, according to Yost's office, with the help of Corey P. Haunert and his brother, Zachary R. Haunert, to conceal the poaching. The written permission presented to wildlife officers was likewise falsified. Yost's office says the deer stands out as the largest typical whitetail in Ohio, with remarkable antler uniformity. Additionally, some reports rank it as the third-largest typical whitetail in North America. ODNR's investigation also found that Corey Haunert aided Christopher Alexander in poaching deer on multiple occasions, according to Yost's office, providing the crossbow and helping in deer retrieval and staging with Zachary Haunert. Kristina Alexander is accused of falsifying the date when the written permission to hunt occurred. Additionally, wildlife officers learned that Christopher Alexander deceptively profited from the poaching, selling deer antlers and receiving payments totaling $20,000 from an antler collector, a hunting magazine and a company that sells deer products, according to Yost's office. Christopher Alexander, 28, of Wilmington, faces 23 total charges: Five counts each of illegally hunting deer without written permission, a third-degree misdemeanor, and taking possession of a deer in violation of a division rule (M3). Three counts of theft by deception, fourth- and fifth-degree felonies. Two counts each of hunting without a license (M4), hunting deer without a valid deer permit (M4) and tampering with evidence (F3) One count each of jacklighting (M3) shining a light into a field or forest to at night to find animals to hunt theft (M1), falsification (M1) and sale of wildlife parts (M4) Corey Haunert, 29, of Hillsboro, faces eight charges: Four counts of aiding a wildlife offender (M3) Two counts of hunting without written permission (M3) One count each of tampering with evidence (F3) and falsification (M1) Kristina Alexander, 37, of Blanchester, faces one count of falsification (M1) and one count of aiding a wildlife offender (M3). Zachary Haunert, 31, of Lebanon, faces two misdemeanor counts of aiding a wildlife offender (M3). A spokesperson from Yost's office said all four will be arraigned on the charges at 11 a.m. June 21. This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ohio poached deer: Four charged in illegal hunt of 18-point buck Iowa law books. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the Iowa Attorney General) Newly disclosed records indicate the Palo Alto County Board of Supervisors forced out an assistant prosecutor on the grounds that the county didnt have enough legal work to keep her busy. County records indicate that last December, then-Palo Alto County Attorney Peter Hart announced that he was leaving office in February, long before his term was completed. While faced with the prospect of appointing Harts successor, the board of supervisors opted to eliminate Amy Zenor from her position as the assistant county attorney. In a letter the board sent to Zenor in December, county supervisor Ron Graettinger, then the board chairman, informed Zenor the board had concluded there is insufficient legal work to justify the employment of two full-time attorneys and so it was eliminating her position. Board members told the Iowa Capital Dispatch last week that Zenor was let go only because board members felt the new county attorney should be able to hire his or her own assistant county attorney. The county initially denied the Capital Dispatchs request for a copy of the December letter, but agreed to make it public this week. Before leaving the county, Zenor negotiated a severance package with the board that awarded her two months of additional pay once she left her position, according to the board. The supervisors then selected Anne Quail to replace Hart as county attorney, and Sam Lyon was hired to serve as assistant county attorney. Quail and Lyon are business partners in the private law firm of Quail & Lyon PLC in Spencer. Neither of the two currently represent criminal defendants in Palo Alto County, with Lyon withdrawing from such cases after Quail was appointed county prosecutor. Lyon currently works part-time for the county at an annual salary of $77,000, according to County Auditor Carmen Moser. Quail, who is fulltime, is paid $100,998 annually, Moser said. In January 2020, while serving as the county attorney for Dickinson County, Zenor allegedly came to work with a cup containing some sort of beverage that was later analyzed by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and found to contain alcohol. Dickinson County employees later told investigators that the staff in the county prosecutors office had developed a code word, Peaches, to alert each other on days when Zenors behavior appeared to be erratic or concerning. The office staff also staged interventions, but Zenor allegedly claimed she did not drink other than the occasional glass of wine with dinner. Zenors law license was suspended in November 2022 after an incident at the Dickinson County Courthouse that resulted in her being charged with, and later convicted of, public intoxication. She resigned from office shortly after the charges were filed. The Iowa Supreme Court reinstated Zenors law license in 2023 over the objections of the courts own Attorney Disciplinary Board. In July of that same year, Zenor was hired by Palo Alto County to serve as the assistant county attorney. Court records indicate Zenor has said shes afflicted with Auto-Brewery Syndrome, an exceptionally rare medical condition that causes a person to become intoxicated without consuming any alcohol. People with ABS can become intoxicated when they ingest certain carbohydrates that ferment in their system along with intestinal yeast. According to some studies, fewer than 100 cases of ABS worldwide have been identified since 1952. The post Records show county didnt have enough legal work for prosecutor appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. What you need to know about Columbia push for cameras that can catch drivers speeding, running red lights Jean Denman waited for her light to turn green. She paused for a beat when the light switched and then started to pull into the Columbia intersection. I saw this cement truck barreling toward me. Denman slammed on her brakes and fishtailed halfway into the road. The cement truck that had just run a red light barely missed her. It was 2005, and Denman was new to Columbia. Some introduction. She soon realized that it was not unusual for drivers to speed through red lights here. Shes now spent almost 20 years trying to get the city and state to adopt road safety cameras, but its been an uphill battle. South Carolina doesnt allow automated road safety cameras, often called red-light or speed cameras. And even before they were outright banned, a small South Carolina town was accused in 2010 of using similar cameras to ticket out-of-state drivers to boost its own revenue. The cameras, which can photograph a driver and their license plate and then send tickets to that persons registered address, are controversial. Arguments against them include concerns over privacy and worries that towns would take advantage of the tech to make money off of traffic tickets. But Denman and others in Columbia and elsewhere in South Carolina are trying to get organized around an issue they say is a matter of life and death in a state with among the highest pedestrian deaths in the nation. All were trying to do is change behavior, Denman told The State. Safety problems In November, a 31-year-old Columbia man died after running a red light near the intersection of Assembly and Laurel streets. Witnesses reported seeing him speed through the light before hitting another vehicle and sending it flying into a nearby building, according to Columbia police. Two passengers were also injured in that crash. Advocates for road safety cameras say the chance of getting a ticket could successfully deter drivers from making similar risky choices in the future. In 2021, more than 1,100 people in the U.S. were killed in crashes involving someone running a red light, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. And South Carolina in 2022 ranked fourth in the nation for its rate of pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Road safety cameras have effectively discouraged running red lights and reduced fatalities in some communities, according to a study by the Federal Highway Association. That 2005 study found that the cameras helped reduce right-angle crashes by 25%, but the study also found rear-end crashes increased by 15%. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety notes that rear-end crashes tend to be less severe, so the net effect is positive. The technology is supported by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Governors Highway Safety Association. Even the South Carolina Department of Public Safety noted a desire to research the technology in its 2020-2024 strategic plan. Denman is part of a nonprofit founded in Spartanburg and now gaining traction in Columbia dedicated to lobbying the state to change the law to allow the use of the road safety cameras. The nonprofit Citizens for Safe Streets was initially founded in Spartanburg in response to accidents on a local road, but it has since evolved into a grassroots organization working to build a coalition of community members and city leaders across South Carolina who support adopting road safety cameras. Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann is among the groups supporters. For me, this isnt about revenue, Rickenmann said. We can even make it (a) civil (penalty) instead of criminal, but the reality is that we need to do things to deter people. Rickenmann shared a story of nearly being struck by a driver who ran a red light near Kilbourne Road and Devine Street recently, and he said the problem is so pervasive in that area that nearby residents have asked if they can help pay for some form of intervention When an accident does happen at a red light, it takes the Columbia Police Department an hour and a half on average to clear the intersection, Rickenmann added. If the city can adopt technology to help police respond to accidents faster, and to free them up for other tasks, it should try to use it, the mayor said. Legislative concerns But nothing can change without support from the state Legislature, and the cameras advocates say they know that will be an uphill battle. It is a heavy lift to push this type of legislation through the General Assembly, said former Columbia Councilman Howard Duvall, who is part of the group asking for the cameras to be allowed. Part of the worry is that lawmakers will still have a bad taste for the cameras after the town of Ridgeland in 2010 was accused of taking advantage of speed cameras on Interstate 95 to ticket out-of-state drivers to boost its own revenue, Duvall agreed. Ridgelands leadership denied any wrongdoing, according to news reports from the time, but lawmakers cracked down on the practice. State Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, supported the 2010 bill that ultimately banned the cameras outside of emergency situations in response to the Ridgeland incident. The new rules were signed by then-Gov. Mark Sanford that same year. The existing law requires that a person be handed a ticket in person, ensuring that no municipality could use the cameras to send citations through the mail. Rutherford said he does not think any bill to re-allow the cameras would gain much support among lawmakers. He, at least, would adamantly oppose it. Allowing the government more intrusion into individual liberties is never, never going to lead us down a path that we need to be on, Rutherford said. Anytime the government wants more access to you, your personal information, your whereabouts, your location, your picture, whos in the car with you, that is always a problem. Advocates for the cameras say many of the concerns over privacy and revenue generation can be addressed by writing safeguards into the would-be legislation. For example, the bill could specify that any money generated from tickets sent using the automated cameras would have to go toward pedestrian safety, not to the local police department or city hall. But Rutherford said he doesnt think any language could assuage his concerns. Its beyond a slippery slope, he said. It ends up being a simple money-grab. Duvall and others said they anticipate this kind of resistance. That is why the group is hoping to build grassroots support before bringing the proposal back to the Legislature. Citizens for Safer Streets has hired the marketing firm Aline to help get its message out, and it hopes to lobby city councils across the state for support before bringing a new proposal to the General Assembly at the beginning of the next legislative session in January. Denman also has an idea to try a pilot program first, which she envisions starting with speed-detecting cameras in school zones during a limited period of the day. They could be used to gather data on if their presence does indeed reduce speeding and might help create buy-in before making broader changes. (BCN) Martinez Refining Company said Thursday it will soon finish a major maintenance project, called a turnaround, and that residents may see flaring until the end of May while the system restarts. The refinery said it will restart equipment in a safe and controlled manner, which could cause flaring until each unit is up and running. MRC has overhauled equipment on several process units and invested more than $70 million in equipment upgrades involving teams of refinery personnel and contract business partners, the refinery said. Contractors brought in more than 600 building trades craftworkers through local unions to assist the refinery in the turnaround. MRC said it will follow a flare minimization plan similar to the one used to shut the equipment down in April, which the refinery said it successfully did without flaring. Our goal is to minimize or prevent flaring during the restart process, MRC said. The refinery also said flares are an essential part of a refinerys integrated, engineered safety systems, designed to safely manage excess combustible gases by burning them off efficiently and effectively. The refinery said its website has more information on flaring at Martinez Refining Companys website. MRC said anyone with questions or feedback can call their weekday phone number at (925) 313-3777 or our after-hours number at (925) 313-3601. Copyright 2024 Bay City News, Inc. 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. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law that allows certain categories of prisoners to voluntarily mobilize into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They will serve in special units under the administrative supervision of a military unit commander. ADVERTISIMENT This is evidenced by the card of the draft law No. 11079-1. The law provides for the possibility for prisoners to be released on parole (by court decision) for contract military service. It also establishes liability for evasion of military service by such persons imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years. However, this option can only be used by those who have been sentenced to restriction or imprisonment for minor offenses. Those convicted of the premeditated murder of two or more people, rape, sexual violence, and crimes against national security will not be able to mobilize. Corrupt officials will also not be allowed to commute their sentences to the possibility of fighting. The law will come into force immediately after Zelenskyy signs it. Earlier it was reported that all persons liable for military service must update their data from May 18 within 60 days. Those who have the status of "limitedly fit" will also have to undergo a military medical commission. In addition, men between the ages of 18 and 60 will be required to carry a military registration document (MRD) with them at all times. ADVERTISIMENT As OBOZ.UA previously reported, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted in the second reading the draft law No. 10379, which increases the responsibility for committing military offenses. The bill provides for a significant increase in fines for those who evade mobilization. Territorial centers for recruitment and social support will be able to issue fines for violations of the legislation on military duty, defense, and mobilization (Article 210 and Article 210-1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) without drawing up a protocol, simply by issuing a resolution. It will be possible to appeal the fine in court. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Regents at UNM hear about more injuries by police during April 30 protest A person records New Mexico State Police shove protesters that set up with tents inside the University of New Mexico Student Union Building on April 30, 2024. (Photo by Shaun Griswold / Source NM) More details are emerging about injuries suffered by protesters at the hands of police during a protest at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building on April 30. On Thursday at the UNM Board of Regents meeting, UNM College Democrats President Rakin Faruk recalled a meeting with university President Garnett Stokes two days earlier where, with tears in her eyes, she told her about how we have had comrades brutalized to the point of not being able to walk. At the regents meeting, Faruk said in the SUB on April 30, police broke the ribs of one protester, and left some with concussions in which my friends are forgetting our names. Public comment is set up so that there isnt an exchange between the regents and the person speaking. And no regent responded in any way to what was said about the protests during public comment. In their public explanation for why they sent the police into the SUB, UNM administrators said the takeover of the building was not acceptable, and that protesters were not peacefully protesting, they were engaged in criminal activity. The vandalism of the building, a precious gathering place on our campus, is not acceptable, they said. Barricading its doors and blocking its stairs are not acceptable. Intimidating students who are simply trying to study and learn, is not acceptable. Aye Sundram, a licensed clinical social worker, previously said she and other mental health professionals who treated protesters observed bruising and heard one say their wrists felt numb from the zip ties. The arrests mentally shook the protesters Sundram treated. Experiences like these can trigger past traumatic memories and make it even harder to cope, she said. Ahmad Assed, a civil rights and criminal defense attorney who has volunteered to represent the protesters charged after April 30, told New Mexico In Focus that the administrations response at the SUB was over the top. There are opportunities for the university to foster some deescalation on their part, Assed said. There is a responsibility to ensure that we dont go and call in State Police and have a forceful uprooting of students that occupy a student union building. The UNM Gaza Solidarity Encampment alleges on its social media page that police violently removed protesters from the SUB on April 30, injuring multiple people including a young person who is pregnant. Video recorded by a community member and posted on the camps social media shows police inside the SUB throw a protester to the ground, their back hitting an upturned chair. The camp said the victim is a Jewish student at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Another video from April 30 shows a police officer spraying a protester in the face with mace. Source New Mexico was inside the SUB at the time and saw police shove multiple people to the ground before detaining them. The post Regents at UNM hear about more injuries by police during April 30 protest appeared first on Source New Mexico. GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) State Rep. David Hawk was cited after allegedly leaving the scene of an accident on May 11. According to a report from the Greeneville Police Department (GPD), an officer responded to a crash at the General Morgan Inn regarding a hit-and-run parking lot crash that happened during the night on May 10. Upon arrival, the vehicles owner told police he noticed his vehicle had been hit sometime during the night. Man charged with vehicular homicide, DUI in Bristol, TN crash Surveillance footage of the incident reportedly showed Hawk getting into a silver SUV. As he was backing out, the front bumper hit the back bumper of the other vehicle. Hawk then left the scene, the report stated. On May 12, Hawk went to the police department and told police he thought something was under his vehicle as he backed out. He reportedly told police he had gotten out to look and did not think he hit anything due to damage being there from a previous incident, the GPD reported. Hawk was issued a citation for leaving the scene of an accident. Police: 1 arrested after shots fired near Kingsport Burger King Hawk provided the statement below to News Channel 11: On Sunday afternoon, May 12, 2024, I received an email from a gentleman who suggested that I had clipped the rear of his sons car, as I was leaving a private parking lot space, two days earlier. Upon reading his email, I quickly sought a phone number for the gentleman. I found a number and called him to ask what was going on. He described the situation to me, and I expressed that I had no idea that any contact had occurred in the parking lot. I immediately shared my insurance information with him and assured him that I would make right, any damage that may have occurred. The gentleman mentioned that he had filed a report with the Greeneville Police Department, so I went to the GPD office at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 12, 2024, as well. I shared what I knew with them, and was issued a ticket for $150. I paid the $150 ticket on the next business day, Monday, May 13, 2024. I understand this to be typical of any private parking lot fender bender of this nature. What is not typical is that a minor fender bender, in a private parking lot, becomes news. But, I can imagine that this story becomes news because I am a state representative. I can also imagine that this story becomes news because I have been very bold in recent media statements, and have shared that an individual in Northeast Tennessee has promised to smear my name. Please know that this was a misunderstanding that I sought to make right as soon as possible. Rep. David Hawk 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. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday rebuked Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) after he commented on her recent run-in with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). On Thursday, a House oversight committee hearing descended into chaos when the Republican made a snide remark about Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading, Greene said. Her gibe led to uproar in the chamber, prompting committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) to call for order. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez demanded that the committee take down Greenes statement. That is absolutely unacceptable, Ocasio-Cortez said. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person. Are your feelings hurt? Greene replied. The following day, Fetterman took to X, formerly Twitter, to compare the incident to a pugilistic TV program. In the past, Ive described the U.S. House as The Jerry Springer Show, he wrote alongside a headline about Greene and Ocasio-Cortez. Today, Im apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show. In the past, Ive described the U.S. House as The Jerry Springer Show. Today, Im apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show. pic.twitter.com/y6wxLX5FIV Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) May 17, 2024 Considering that Greene started things with her reference to Crocketts eyelashes, many people thought Fetterman was unfairly placing blame on Ocasio-Cortez as well. The New York representative soon tore into Fetterman with a fiery response. I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a both sides issue, she wrote in reference to Crockett, who is Black. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one. I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a both sides issue. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one. And to the women of Pennsylvania: Id stand up for you too. Enjoy your Friday. https://t.co/cInF4YXO2y Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 17, 2024 The senator hadnt responded to Ocasio-Cortez as of Friday afternoon, but other social media users weighed in on their remarks. And things got heated. To be clear, MTG insulted a colleagues appearance, which aside from being wildly inappropriate, is also against Congressional rules. AOC actually tried to stand up for decorum and rules by asking for those comments to be struck. https://t.co/X87bR1owaq Armand Domalewski (@ArmandDoma) May 17, 2024 MTG was wrong. She has turned that committee into a Jerry Springer show. It's about time someone called her out. Yasmine Mary, ARNP-FNP-C (@yazzy1967) May 17, 2024 A black woman was insulted by a racist and AOC defended her and you are pretending like it was just drama? Pathetic fence-sitter Mike from PA (@Mike_from_PA) May 17, 2024 I wish Fetterman would resign so Penn can hold an election now to elect a real Democrat- not a mean spirited bully who mocks young climate protesters, etc. He's becoming worse than Joe Manchin (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) May 17, 2024 AOC dragging John Fetterman is what I live for. Angela Belcamino (@AngelaBelcamino) May 17, 2024 Related... Gay California U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia has condemned a decree by the Peruvian government that classifies transgender , nonbinary , and intersex individuals as mentally ill. The May 10 decree, signed by President Dina Boluarte, Health Minister Cesar Vasquez, and Economic and Finance Minister Jose Arista, has drawn widespread criticism from human rights organizations and LGBTQ + advocacy groups globally. As a gay Peruvian American and the first Peruvian American to serve in Congress, its clear to me the decision by the Boluarte administration and the right-wing Congress to attack and label trans and intersex Peruvians as mentally ill is discriminatory, dangerous and shameful, the Democrat said in a statement on Wednesday. As the first Peruvian-American in Congress, I\u2019m angered about the Peruvian Government\u2019s decision to classify transgender and non-binary people as \u201cmentally ill.\u201d This is shameful and a direct attack on LGBTQ+ Peruvians. Read my full statement here: https://t.co/ghQv7EpejC 1/2 (@) Instead of working on real problems democratic backsliding, illegal mining and logging, and worker exploitation this extreme measure moves Peru backward. Ill be working directly with the State Department to push back on this direct attack on LGBTQ+ Peruvians, he added. Related: Superman, Batman, and Robert Garcia: A gay Democrats stand against his political villains The decree references ego-dystonic sexual orientation and terms such as transsexualism and gender identity disorder in childhood. Human Rights Watch noted these classifications are obsolete, having been replaced in 2019 by the World Health Organizations updated International Classification of Diseases. Critics argue the decree perpetuates harmful stereotypes and could legitimize conversion practices, worsening mental health issues for LGBTQ+ communities in Peru . The Peruvian government should discard this biased and unscientific decree and aim to implement the WHOs updated classification of diseases with respect to sexual orientation and gender identity, wrote Cristian Gonzalez Cabrera, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch. It should also consult with Perus LGBT organizations about how best to ensure their communities rights to physical and mental health through rights-respecting and proportionate public policies. Despite the Peruvian Health Ministrys assertion that it does not view LGBTQ+ identities as illnesses, the decree remains in place, prompting intense backlash from Peruvian human rights organizations and activists. The congressman said that his office would work with the U.S. State Department to coordinate a response and apply diplomatic pressure on the Peruvian government to reverse the policy. The crew and pilots aboard the massive container ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge werent under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Nor was the ship running on contaminated fuel, which some experts postulated as a cause for the 984-foot Dali losing power twice as it approached the span in the early morning of March 26. But the revelation from federal investigators that the Dali experienced two complete power outages about 10 hours before its ill-fated departure raised new questions about how the vessels crew responded to the electrical failures, who was informed of the blackouts and whether the vessel should have set sail. While it eliminated some possible factors behind the bridge collapse, the preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board left other questions unanswered about the tragedy that killed six construction workers, took out a piece of Baltimores skyline and disrupted its bustling port. Experts are divided in their interpretations of the report, but say the answers investigators dredge up could have profound implications both for understanding the tragedy and for an ongoing legal battle involving the Singaporean companies that own and operate the vessel. It raises red flags that they had prior power outages, said Baltimore attorney and maritime law professor Charles L. Simmons Jr. The question is who was told about these issues? added Alexander M. Giles, another Baltimore maritime attorney, in a separate interview. And what was done to resolve these issues before the vessel left? In testimony Wednesday before a congressional committee, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, distinguished between the two March 25 power failures and the two on March 26 as the ship approached the Key Bridge, calling them mechanically distinct. The first two took place during routine maintenance while the vessel was still docked at the Port of Baltimores Seagirt Marine Terminal, the preliminary report found. After those two, the crew switched to a different transformer, one that had not been used in several months. Homendy pointed to that change as a line of continued inquiry for investigators. Switching breakers is not unusual, she said, but may have affected operations the very next day on the accident voyage. The cause of the two March 26 blackouts is less clear. The preliminary report describes that electrical breakers unexpectedly opened when the Dali was about three ship lengths from the Key Bridge. Power was temporarily restored, but then breakers opened again, causing a total loss of power roughly 1,000 feet from the bridge. The crew would regain electrical power, but not propulsion, before striking a bridge pier, sending the 1.6-mile span tumbling into the Patapsco River and killing the workers filling potholes on the bridge. Thomas Roth-Roffy, a Coast Guard-licensed chief marine engineer who investigated maritime disasters for the NTSB for almost 20 years, initially thought there were no conclusions to be drawn from the distinguishable power outages. But after reviewing the report more carefully, he believes there may be an underlying cause. It almost seems like its not a problem with the individual breakers, but with the control arrangement for the power management system, Roth-Roffy told The Baltimore Sun. Examining the ships electrical system will be key moving forward, Homendy told lawmakers, noting that her investigators have been working closely with Hyundai, which manufactured the equipment and the ship, to replicate some of the problems seen March 26. Investigators said in the report they plan to continue to evaluate the design and operation of the Dalis power distribution system, including its breakers. The NTSB intends to determine what happened with the electrical system on the accident voyage, Homendy told the congressional committee. What happened in those two blackouts? The preliminary report said in a footnote that the NTSB is not aware of any other power outages aboard the Dali in Baltimore or at its prior two stops in Newark, New Jersey, and Norfolk, Virginia. Federal investigators secured the Dalis voyage data recorder, which functions like a simplified version of an airplanes black box, and its hard drive, and said it contains 34 days of data. If this had been some sort of common occurrence, then it shouldve been a red flag, said former merchant mariner Sal Mercogliano. My question is: This happened the day before, what happened the day before that? Is this a common instance with this ship and this crew? In its report, the NTSB attributed the first of two in-port power outages to human error, saying a Dali crew member accidentally shut an exhaust line from one of the ships generators, causing it to stall. The second blackout resulted from a lack of fuel pressure to a different generator. Roth-Roffy said he was surprised that the NTSB report didnt identify which of several potential factors caused the low fuel pressure. Michael Buckley III, chief cargo ship engineer for the shipping company Maersk Line Ltd., said he could justify leaving port after a power outage caused by human error, assuming the member of the crew who erred owned up to the mistake and his explanation checked out. Maersk Line is a U.S. subsidiary of the Danish shipping conglomerate Maersk that chartered the Dali for its cargo operations. The second one, on low fuel pressure, Im going to dig really deep to make sure before we leave port that whatever caused that low fuel pressure is fixed, Buckley said. According to the NTSB preliminary report, a senior pilot and an apprentice pilot boarded the Dali about 12:05 a.m. March 26. The captain reported the ship was in good working order, the report said, and two tugboats pulled the vessel from the dock about 30 minutes later. Theres no indication in the report that the pilot was informed of the power outages, or that the crew shared the prior days events with the Coast Guard. If they had two blackouts at the dock, the pilot shouldve been informed of that before the ship sailed because the pilots not going to risk his license and hes going to call the Coast Guard, Buckley said. Federal law requires a vessel to report to the Coast Guard when it loses power, propulsion or steering in U.S. waters, but its unclear if that regulation applies when a ship is docked. The Coast Guard did not respond to questions about whether the Dalis crew notified it of power outages in port, whether it conducted an inspection or made a report, or whether a ship is required to notify it of a power loss in port. Ships experienced complete or partial losses of propulsion, steering or power 42 times in Maryland waters between 2021 and the middle of April, The Sun previously reported. Many of those ships appeared to report such incidents to the Coast Guard as occurring at or near berths in the Port of Baltimore. The Dali did notify the Coast Guard, through a pilots dispatcher, about the March 26 power outage as it approached the bridge, the NTSB report said. Mercogliano and Buckley described the period of time when a ship is not underway as something of a gray area. In separate interviews, they said its commonplace for a ships engineer and crew to resolve their mechanical or electrical problems, but emphasized that its critical to be sure its fixed before departing. Everybodys under pressure to move that ship time is money, Buckley said. To basically Im not going to say lie, but if youre pretty sure you got the problem fixed, but youre not 100% sure, thats a fine line. Im not going to do that. Thats where legal ramifications come about. Lawrence Brennan, a professor of maritime law at Fordham Universitys School of Law, said the multiple instances of problems with the electrical system could serve as evidence the vessel was not seaworthy. Once you get away from the pier, it gets harder to fix problems, Brennan said. But before you leave, you have a duty to ensure that the ship is seaworthy or that youve exercised due diligence to ensure the seaworthiness of the ship. Days after the bridge collapse, Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the companies that own and manage the Dali, asked a federal judge to absolve them of liability from the crash or to limit damages to the salvage value of the ship plus the revenue it stood to make from its cargo. They estimated the sum to be $43.7 million. The Singaporean companies moved under the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, which was designed to protect the maritime industry. To be successful, they have to prove they didnt have privity or knowledge that there was something wrong with the ship before it left the berth, said Simmons, who teaches maritime law at the University of Baltimore and University of Maryland law schools and practices at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston. The NTSBs findings that there were prior power outages, those facts are going to be relevant to whether the owner and operator had privity and knowledge about the power issues before it left the terminal, and whether the ship should have left the terminal in the first place or shouldve stayed and more thoroughly addressed the power issues they were having, he said. A spokesman for Synergy said the company extends its deepest sympathy to all those impacted by this incident, but declined further comment, citing ongoing investigations into the bridge collapse. Attorneys for Grace Ocean did not immediately respond to a request for comment. BALTIMORE The crew and pilots aboard the massive container ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge werent under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Nor was the ship running on contaminated fuel, which some experts postulated as a cause for the 984-foot Dali losing power twice as it approached the span in the early morning of March 26. But the revelation from federal investigators that the Dali experienced two complete power outages about 10 hours before its ill-fated departure raised new questions about how the vessels crew responded to the electrical failures, who was informed of the blackouts and whether the vessel should have set sail. While it eliminated some possible factors behind the bridge collapse, the preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board left other questions unanswered about the tragedy that killed six construction workers, took out a piece of Baltimores skyline and disrupted its bustling port. Experts are divided in their interpretations of the report, but say the answers investigators dredge up could have profound implications both for understanding the tragedy and for an ongoing legal battle involving the Singaporean companies that own and operate the vessel. It raises red flags that they had prior power outages, said Baltimore attorney and maritime law professor Charles L. Simmons Jr. The question is who was told about these issues? added Alexander M. Giles, another Baltimore maritime attorney, in a separate interview. And what was done to resolve these issues before the vessel left? In testimony Wednesday before a congressional committee, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, distinguished between the two March 25 power failures and the two on March 26 as the ship approached the Key Bridge, calling them mechanically distinct. The first two took place during routine maintenance while the vessel was still docked at the Port of Baltimores Seagirt Marine Terminal, the preliminary report found. After those two, the crew switched to a different transformer, one that had not been used in several months. Homendy pointed to that change as a line of continued inquiry for investigators. Switching breakers is not unusual, she said, but may have affected operations the very next day on the accident voyage. The cause of the two March 26 blackouts is less clear. The preliminary report describes that electrical breakers unexpectedly opened when the Dali was about three ship lengths from the Key Bridge. Power was temporarily restored, but then breakers opened again, causing a total loss of power roughly 1,000 feet from the bridge. The crew would regain electrical power, but not propulsion, before striking a bridge pier, sending the 1.6-mile span tumbling into the Patapsco River and killing the workers filling potholes on the bridge. Thomas Roth-Roffy, a Coast Guard-licensed chief marine engineer who investigated maritime disasters for the NTSB for almost 20 years, initially thought there were no conclusions to be drawn from the distinguishable power outages. But after reviewing the report more carefully, he believes there may be an underlying cause. It almost seems like its not a problem with the individual breakers, but with the control arrangement for the power management system, Roth-Roffy told The Baltimore Sun. Examining the ships electrical system will be key moving forward, Homendy told lawmakers, noting that her investigators have been working closely with Hyundai, which manufactured the equipment and the ship, to replicate some of the problems seen March 26. Investigators said in the report they plan to continue to evaluate the design and operation of the Dalis power distribution system, including its breakers. The NTSB intends to determine what happened with the electrical system on the accident voyage, Homendy told the congressional committee. What happened in those two blackouts? The preliminary report said in a footnote that the NTSB is not aware of any other power outages aboard the Dali in Baltimore or at its prior two stops in Newark, New Jersey, and Norfolk, Virginia. Federal investigators secured the Dalis voyage data recorder, which functions like a simplified version of an airplanes black box, and its hard drive, and said it contains 34 days of data. If this had been some sort of common occurrence, then it shouldve been a red flag, said former merchant mariner Sal Mercogliano. My question is: This happened the day before, what happened the day before that? Is this a common instance with this ship and this crew? In its report, the NTSB attributed the first of two in-port power outages to human error, saying a Dali crew member accidentally shut an exhaust line from one of the ships generators, causing it to stall. The second blackout resulted from a lack of fuel pressure to a different generator. Roth-Roffy said he was surprised that the NTSB report didnt identify which of several potential factors caused the low fuel pressure. Michael Buckley III, chief cargo ship engineer for the shipping company Maersk Line Ltd., said he could justify leaving port after a power outage caused by human error, assuming the member of the crew who erred owned up to the mistake and his explanation checked out. Maersk Line is a U.S. subsidiary of the Danish shipping conglomerate Maersk that chartered the Dali for its cargo operations. The second one, on low fuel pressure, Im going to dig really deep to make sure before we leave port that whatever caused that low fuel pressure is fixed, Buckley said. According to the NTSB preliminary report, a senior pilot and an apprentice pilot boarded the Dali about 12:05 a.m. March 26. The captain reported the ship was in good working order, the report said, and two tugboats pulled the vessel from the dock about 30 minutes later. Theres no indication in the report that the pilot was informed of the power outages, or that the crew shared the prior days events with the Coast Guard. If they had two blackouts at the dock, the pilot shouldve been informed of that before the ship sailed because the pilots not going to risk his license and hes going to call the Coast Guard, Buckley said. Federal law requires a vessel to report to the Coast Guard when it loses power, propulsion or steering in U.S. waters, but its unclear if that regulation applies when a ship is docked. A Coast Guard spokesman said the agency was not made aware of the Dalis power outages in port, but declined to comment on any legal obligations or make any conclusions related to the cause of the marine casualty. This information will be made publicly available at the conclusion of the investigation, said the spokesman, Lt. Luke Pinneo, referring to a Coast Guard probe that is running in tandem with the NTSB investigation. Ships experienced complete or partial losses of propulsion, steering or power 42 times in Maryland waters between 2021 and the middle of April, The Sun previously reported. Many of those ships appeared to report such incidents to the Coast Guard as occurring at or near berths in the Port of Baltimore. The Dali did notify the Coast Guard, through a pilots dispatcher, about the March 26 power outage as it approached the bridge, the NTSB report said. Mercogliano and Buckley described the period of time when a ship is not underway as something of a gray area. In separate interviews, they said its commonplace for a ships engineer and crew to resolve their mechanical or electrical problems, but emphasized that its critical to be sure its fixed before departing. Everybodys under pressure to move that ship time is money, Buckley said. To basically Im not going to say lie, but if youre pretty sure you got the problem fixed, but youre not 100% sure, thats a fine line. Im not going to do that. Thats where legal ramifications come about. Lawrence Brennan, a professor of maritime law at Fordham Universitys School of Law, said the multiple instances of problems with the electrical system could serve as evidence the vessel was not seaworthy. Once you get away from the pier, it gets harder to fix problems, Brennan said. But before you leave, you have a duty to ensure that the ship is seaworthy or that youve exercised due diligence to ensure the seaworthiness of the ship. Days after the bridge collapse, Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., the companies that own and manage the Dali, asked a federal judge to absolve them of liability from the crash or to limit damages to the salvage value of the ship plus the revenue it stood to make from its cargo. They estimated the sum to be $43.7 million. The Singaporean companies moved under the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851, which was designed to protect the maritime industry. To be successful, they have to prove they didnt have privity or knowledge that there was something wrong with the ship before it left the berth, said Simmons, who teaches maritime law at the University of Baltimore and University of Maryland law schools and practices at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston. The NTSBs findings that there were prior power outages, those facts are going to be relevant to whether the owner and operator had privity and knowledge about the power issues before it left the terminal, and whether the ship should have left the terminal in the first place or shouldve stayed and more thoroughly addressed the power issues they were having, he said. A spokesman for Synergy and Grace Ocean said the companies extend their deepest sympathy to all those impacted by this incident, but declined further comment, citing ongoing investigations into the bridge collapse. ___ State officials are working to remove some registered sex offenders who either live or work at hotels being used as emergency shelters for homeless families, many of them migrants with young children. According to a Boston Globe report, an investigation by the newspaper suggests that the state failed to properly vet the sites before placing newly-arrived families as Massachusetts continues to grapple with a migrant crisis. At least five of the hotels and one dormitory being used by the state as homeless shelters also housed or employed sex offenders who have been convicted of crimes against children, including child rape, indecent assault and battery on children, and child pornography, the Globe reported. For the past month, the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities the agency that oversees the program for sheltering homeless families has rebuffed the Globes requests for information about sex offenders in shelters, the Globe reported. The Globe requested the information as part of an in-depth review because the agencys contracts require hotel providers to screen for sex offenders but not to bar them. After the Globe independently identified sex offenders and asked for comment, a spokesman said late Thursday that the agency is in the process of removing the individuals. None are migrants, the Globe reported. Amend the Right to Shelter Law: Massachusetts senator blasts Healey for response to migrant crisis In a statement to Boston 25 on Friday, a state spokesperson wrote, The safety and wellbeing of the 7,500 families in Emergency Assistance shelter is a priority for our administration. We will continue to take all possible steps to ensure the safety of EA residents and carefully review any situation that comes before us to act quickly to protect families. Four of the five sex offenders identified at hotel sites are not part of the states emergency shelter system and were either hotel employees or private residents of the hotel, officials said. They have either been removed or are in the process of being removed from the hotels. A fifth sex offender, who is an emergency shelter resident and single parent, is being relocated from the hotel to alternative shelter, officials said. In a statement Friday, MassGOP Chairwoman Amy Carnevale said she was disgusted to learn of reports of convicted sex offenders living or working at hotels being used to house migrant children. She called it an atrocious oversight that highlights Massachusetts failure in handling the migrant crisis. As a parent, I am utterly disgusted by the States incompetence in housing child migrants alongside convicted child predators, Carnevale said. This glaring oversight underscores that Massachusetts is unable to handle the migrant crisis. The consequences are dire: residents lose access to community resources, the Democratic supermajority is spending billions of taxpayer dollars on perpetuating this crisis, and migrants themselves are put at serious risk. All prospective emergency shelter residents are screened through the Sex Offender Registry Board before being determined eligible to live in an emergency shelter, officials said. A Sex Offender Registry Board review is conducted every six months for all registered offenders near emergency shelters. According to the state, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and contracted service providers maintain an incident reporting structure and collaborate with local law enforcement to address serious issues, including violations of shelter rules that have been in place since 2015. If the state or a contracted service provider are made aware of a sex offender that is nearby, either living or working in the same location, emergency services protocol directs providers to notify families and to work with them to determine next steps, based on the the states sex offender reporting policy. In March, a migrant living in an emergency shelter at a Rockland hotel was arrested on a child rape charge, accused of raping a 15-year-old girl who also lived at the shelter. The Globe report on Friday about sex offenders either living or working in some of the states emergency shelters came days after state officials announced the former Bay State Correctional Center in Norfolk will be used as an emergency shelter beginning next month. Dozens of migrants and their families will also be housed at the National Guard armory in Lexington, state officials said last month. The decision to use the facilities in Norfolk and Lexington came as the state continues to grapple with a migrant crisis. The states Emergency Assistance family shelter system has been operating at capacity for months amid a large influx of migrants to the Bay State. In March, state officials set new requirements for families being housed at state overflow sites. Last August, Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts due to the influx of migrant families arriving in the Bay State. The governor has called on the federal government to act to address the issue in Massachusetts. In July, state officials announced the opening of a migrant shelter and resource center on the campus of Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, one of several shelters that have opened up in public and privately-owned locations across the state. 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 Las Cruces from the foothills of the Organ Mountains in Dona Ana County Monday, April 22, 2024. (Photo by Leah Romero for Source NM) A new reproductive health clinic on Wednesday got the go-ahead from the University of New Mexicos Board of Regents to move forward with its building plans. The group planning the clinic can now purchase land for it. The state approved $10 million last year for a reproductive health center in Dona Ana County. Since then, UNM and Planned Parenthood along with local advocacy organizations Bold Futures New Mexico and Strong Families New Mexico have worked together and engaged other community groups to form a plan for the center. Heather Smith with Bold Futures said this will help fill a large gap in services in Southern New Mexico. Our communities have been lacking reproductive services for decades, she told the UNM Board of Regents. Often, we have to travel an hour to El Paso, or several hours to Albuquerque or Santa Fe, to get to receive the services that we need. The center is set to include basic gynecological care, contraception, gender affirming care, miscarriage management, abortion and preventative care. The land acquisition, slated for the Lohman Medical Park campus in Las Cruces, passed on a 6 to 1 vote. UNM Medical Group will run the 8,000-square-foot clinic. The contract price for the land is $1,030,630, which will come out of the state appropriation for the project. Charlene Bencomo is the executive director of Bold Futures. She said that coordinating between so many organizations and people has been complicated, but she feels the end result will address patient frustrations with their current health care options, beyond bringing it closer. Medical providers, birth workers want to take care of patients, and we want to let them. We dont want to have to be restricted by the ways that insurance works or the ways that they dont have enough time to see the patients, she said. Bencomo said now, they can finish negotiating the land deal and start designing and staffing the clinic. They also plan to work with UNM to start a training program and the New Mexico Doula Association on incorporating doula care into the center. This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners. The post Reproductive health care clinic is a step closer to opening in Las Cruces appeared first on Source New Mexico. The Republican race for lieutenant governor is closed. Here's who is officially running A highly unusual contest will play out at Indiana's Republican state convention next month: A head-to-head for the No. 2 position in the governor's office. The winner will join U.S. Sen. Mike Braun on the ballot in November, to face Democrat Jennifer McCormick and Libertarian Donald Rainwater, along with their running mates. The last time Republican convention-goers had more than one lieutenant governor candidate to choose from at the state convention was in 1996, where six people put their names in the ring and in that instance, gubernatorial nominee Stephen Goldsmith opted not to recommend a favorite. This time, though, Braun, the party's gubernatorial nominee, did name a preferred running mate: Indianapolis state Rep. Julie McGuire. He did so in short order after winning the primary on May 7, knowing that they would need as much time as possible to court convention delegates. Related: Does Mike Braun have enough clout to get his LG pick through? That's because Noblesville pastor Micah Beckwith had declared about a year ago his own campaign for lieutenant governor, irrespective of the eventual primary winner for governor. The race is officially closed, as the filing deadline passed Thursday afternoon. One of these two candidates needs only a simple majority of the roughly 1,800 convention delegates to clinch the nomination and appear on the November ballot as Braun's running mate. More: Attorney General Todd Rokita is unopposed in reelection bid at the state GOP convention The convention is June 14 and 15. Democrats will select their pick for lieutenant governor at their own party convention in July. In March, Libertarians nominated Tonya Hudson, formerly the party's vice chair, to be Rainwater's running mate. Who is Micah Beckwith? Micah Beckwith, right, talks with Dr. Dan Stock before Stock speaks at the Hoosier Leadership Series session on health care Thursday, June 29, 2023 at Life Church in Noblesville. Beckwith is executive director for the Hoosier Leadership Series. The conservative pastor is also running an unusual campaign for the bid as Indiana lieutenant governor. The 41-year-old pastor of Noblesville's Life Church has become a household name in ultra-socially conservative circles. Most recently, he served on the Hamilton East Public Library board when it passed and then rescinded a controversial book-relocation policy. But for years, he's been outspoken on social media criticizing COVID-19 lockdowns and mandatory vaccinations, decrying "sexualization" of children and advocating for stricter abortion laws in Indiana. He entered the political scene in 2020, raising eyebrows when he placed third out of 15 candidates for the 5th Congressional District Republican primary race as a newcomer. And he thinks Indiana's rarely broken tradition of allowing a gubernatorial nominee to waltz into the convention with a preferred candidate for lieutenant governor to get elected with no contest is silly and an insult to delegates. By the time the convention starts on June 14, he will have been campaigning and seeking support from delegates for a year. He estimates he has several hundred backing him. Who is Julie McGuire? Rep. Julie McGuire, R-Indianapolis, poses Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at IndyStar. McGuire is U.S. Sen. Mike Braun's, who on Tuesday won Indiana's Republican gubernatorial primary, recommendation for the state's next lieutenant governor. The Republican from Indianapolis emerged from obscurity when Statehouse leaders heavily propped up her challenge to state Rep. John Jacob in 2022, whose seat represented a southeast portion of Marion County. Jacob often drew the ire of leadership over his no-exception abortion stance and anti-Catholic and anti-Muslin posts on social media. The House Republican Campaign Committee threw more than half a million dollars behind McGuire, 51, who bested Jacob by more than 20 percentage points in the 2022 primary. Prior to that, she had been a legislative policy analyst for the Indiana Senate Republicans. She's made a name for herself for a freshman lawmaker in the Statehouse. One of her bills last session, adding new guidelines for when the Department of Child Services can terminate parental rights for the sake of a child's safety, became law with unanimous support. Another of her bills gained notoriety in Indianapolis circles: a bill that sought to undo the special taxing district in downtown Indianapolis that lawmakers slipped into the state budget the prior year. By session's end, the General Assembly worked out a compromise, allowing Indianapolis to have the tax district but with certain groups exempted and only after the city goes through the ordinance process again. McGuire was removed as a bill author by that time and voted against the final bill, saying she doesn't support adding property taxes for businesses. McGuire is also the secretary of the Perry Township GOP Club and a mother of four. Since Braun's endorsement, officials up and down the party brass have been expressing their support for McGuire, from top legislative leaders to Hamilton County elected officials to the statewide office holders like Secretary of State Diego Morales and Treasurer Daniel Elliot. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@indystar.com or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Who's running to be U.S. Sen. Mike Braun's lieutenant governor Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has decided not to participate in the Global Peace Summit on Ukraine, which will be held in Switzerland in June. This is due to the fact that the countries of the so-called Global South have reservations about the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia over its war in Ukraine. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported by CNN Brasil, citing sources in Brazilian diplomatic circles. It is noted that the Swiss government specifically invited Lula da Silva during a personal meeting between Swiss Chancellor Ignazio Cassis and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira on April 30. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy also invited the Brazilian leader to attend the summit. However, according to Lula and representatives of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, participation in the summit is inappropriate as the event "does not engage both sides in resolving the conflict." Brazilian diplomatic sources report that Lula da Silva and Mauro Vieira met this week and decided that the president would not lead the country's delegation to the summit. Who will fulfill this role has not yet been determined. Earlier, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine does not invite Russia to the Global Peace Summit as it does not plan to sit down with it at the negotiating table. According to him, there is no point in talking to an aggressor that does not share the views of Ukrainians on peace. ADVERTISIMENT At the same time, Kuleba did not rule out the possibility of negotiations with Russia after the first peace summit. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was trying to disrupt the Peace Summit. According to him, the aggressor has a specific plan aimed at reducing the number of participating countries and postponing the event. Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! The Republican show of force at Donald Trumps hush-money trial over the week has culminated in a formal effort to get the U.S. legislature to intervene in the process of the judiciary system. Representative Andy Ogles introduced legislation Thursday to undermine the partial gag order imposed on the GOP presidential nominee. Trump is prohibited from publicly disparaging court staff, prosecutors, jurors, witnesses, or their family members during the course of the trial. Ogless bill, called the Let Trump Speak Act, would severely restrict the limitations a gag order can place on a defendant, effectively undoing Trumps order and preventing judges in future criminal or civil proceedings from reining him in with a gag. The act would also allow Trump to sue judges who gag him, Ogles claimed on Real Americas Voice. We have watched for years as a politically weaponized Department of Justice and Democrat activist judges have gone after President Donald J. Trump, the Tennessee Republican told Fox News Digital. There is no right more sacred to Americans than the right to speak freely, as guaranteed in the First Amendment. Trump has claimed the restriction is tantamount to election interference, effectively claiming that being unable to openly attack participants in the trial is illegal as it has hampered his reelection campaign. A slew of Trumps allies showed up to his hush-money trial this week in a collective show of support behind the criminally charged former president. Some of the politicos who trekked up to New York include House Speaker Mike Johnson, Representatives Matt Gaetz and Eli Crane, and Senators Tim Scott, J.D. Vance, and Tommy Tuberville. Members of the House Oversight Committee, including Representatives Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, and Anna Paulina Luna, also made the journey Thursday, going so far as to reschedule a contempt markup for Attorney General Merrick Garland so that they could be in the background of Trumps trial. 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. Photo by Danielle Prokop | Source NM Republicans in the Arizona Senate are looking to put a sweeping election reform resolution to voters this fall, and theyre not shy about the fact that it is designed to make it harder for Arizonans to vote. Weve elevated convenience and comfort at the expense of faith and trust in the vote, Sen. Wendy Rogers, the measures author, told the Senate Elections Committee on Thursday. Rogers, a Flagstaff Republican and frequent purveyor of election conspiracy theories, chairs the committee. By aiming to put House Concurrent Resolution 2056 to voters this fall, Republicans are trying to bypass a veto from Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has not been shy about nixing election bills not backed by her party. Bills that pass through the House and Senate must be signed by the governor to become law, but ballot referrals only require approval by the legislature, skipping the governor completely. The wide-ranging 19-page measure, which Rogers called long and legendary, would ask voters to end the practice of voters dropping off early ballots at polling places on Election Day. Instead, they could only drop them off at early voting sites until 7 p.m. on the Friday prior to Election Day, beginning in 2026. It would also require anyone dropping off early ballots to present identification to election officials at the polling place, and would require that all early ballots dropped off at early voting locations be tabulated onsite at that voting location a provision sparking the most concern from county recorders, who said that the legislation will cause a plethora of problems in future elections. While Maricopa County already tabulates most of its ballots at its voting centers on Election Day, eight of Arizonas 15 counties dont have the capability to do so. And even Maricopa doesnt do that with its early ballots. Rogers explained that the provision is meant to speed up the tabulation of the states election results, something that Republicans have been pushing for since Arizona began turning purple, with races too close to call on election night. Pima County Recorder and Vice President of the Arizona Association of County Recorders Gabriella Cazares-Kelly, a Democrat, told legislators on the Senate Elections Committee that shed spent Wednesday on the phone with the other recorders discussing their numerous concerns about the proposal, which was only made public a few days ago. The most significant of her concerns include that it would only provide $11 million to be spread amongst the 15 counties to pay for the changes it mandates, which she and Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes both agreed was far less than what would be required for counties to comply with the resolution if voters approve it. Eleven million dollars is wholly insufficient, Fontes told senators, adding that the amount necessary would have been more accurate if those writing the resolution had contacted his office for consultation. The funding included in the resolution, which would come from the Clean Elections Fund, doesnt account for the additional staff, subscriptions for software, maintenance, storage and security for all the additional tabulators that the counties would have to purchase, he said. Fontes added that ballot tabulators cost around $7,000-10,000 apiece, and each voting location would need two of them, in case one breaks down. Beyond that, Fontes said hes not entirely sure what all the additional costs would amount to since he hadnt had time to consult with the counties about it. I really think a fuller and more complete analysis has to be made, he said. I dont think the voters deserve to see something like this when there is not sufficient funding in the bill. Jen Marson, executive director of the Arizona Association of Counties, agreed with Fontes and Cazares-Kelly, adding that some of the counties would also have to search for new polling locations at a time when counties already struggle to find enough locations because the ones they previously used would not be large enough to accommodate the tabulators. Typically at this point in the legislative session, lawmakers cannot propose new legislation, but Rogers penned the resolution in the form of a strike-everything amendment to a bill that previously made its way through the House. Strike-everything amendments completely replace the language of the previous legislation with a new proposal that is often unrelated to the original bill. The proposed resolution has caused confusion among the recorders, Cazares-Kelly said, because its unclear who would be responsible for tabulating early ballots after they are turned in voting locations. At present, county recorders are in charge of early voting which does not include tabulation and county election directors oversee Election Day voting and tabulation. GOP Sens. Sonny Borrelli, of Lake Havasu City, and Rogers both brushed off Cazares-Kellys concerns. However, Prescott Republican Ken Bennett, who was secretary of state from 2009 through 2014, said he had similar worries about the blurring of the existing clear delineations between the duties of the elections directors and county recorders, with the resolution possibly requiring both to be present at early voting locations for all 27 days of early voting. Rogers told Bennett that he was misinterpreting her legislation, but Bennett countered that, if he was, other election administration experts had separately made the same misinterpretation. Cazares-Kelly also expressed concerns about the earlier deadline for voters to drop off early ballots, even though the resolution would allow voters to drop their ballots at county recorders offices between the Friday before Election Day cut off, through Election Day. She said that the recorders office is an hours-long round trip for some residents of rural areas, and that because mail in Pima County often takes seven days, even to get to other parts of the same county, this will severely limit early voting time for some of its residents. She and Marson agreed that the resolution also seemed to limit the ability of voters to drop off a family members early ballot, since most voters would have to show identification when dropping off their ballot at a polling location. This could lead to confusion about whether a voter can drop their own ballot for later tabulation without showing ID they cannot when dropping off a ballot for a family member, who would not have to show ID. Rogers proposal also removes references in state law to voting centers, locations where any registered voter within a county can cast a ballot, replacing it with polling places. While critics said that this seemed intended to quietly get rid of voting centers, which Republicans in the legislature have been attempting to do for at least two years, Rogers said the change was meant to be inclusive of voting centers and precinct voting systems, where only people registered within that precinct can vote. In addition, the resolution would ban government entities from receiving donations, whether monetary or in-kind, from any foreign government or nongovernmental organization for the purpose of election administration, something that Cazares-Kelly said no county recorders are doing. Rogers and Borelli acknowledged some of the concerns from the five members of the public who spoke against the resolution, but mostly dismissed them. The only member of the public who spoke in favor of the ballot referral was conservative political operative Merissa Hamilton. Rogers, an avowed election denier, said shed written the resolution in response to voters who had come to her worried for the sanctity of the vote. Before voting against the resolution, Democratic Sen. Anna Hernandez, of Phoenix said that she had not heard from any voters in her district who were asking for this type of legislation and that it was not ready to send to the voters. We have to make sure were sending them something thats ready, and not based on conspiracy theories, Hernandez said. I dont think a substantive number of people are really asking for this bill, said Yuma Democratic Sen. Brian Fernandez. I think this is just a few people that are on the extreme that want to figure out a way to make it more difficult for people to do what they should be able to do in an easy manner, which is vote. On Thursday, the Senate Elections Committee voted 4-3, along party lines, to bring HCR 2056 to the full Senate for consideration. Although Bennett voted for the measure so it could pass committee, he indicated he would not support it on the floor in its current form. Republicans hold the majority by a single vote, so Bennetts opposition would doom the proposal and block it from going to voters. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Republicans take aim at the convenience of voting with sweeping election reform ballot measure appeared first on Arizona Mirror. All Republicans MUST attend Trump's criminal trial and yell at media. These are the rules. TO: All congressional Republicans SUBJECT: Rules for mandatory visits to Donald Trumps UNJUST criminal trial Just a quick reminder that every Republican lawmaker in the House and Senate is required to make at least one day trip to the Manhattan criminal courthouse while our hero and presumptive presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump, is being persecuted for doing nothing wrong whatsoever. Because President Trump is under a (VERY UNFAIR) gag order and we have no understanding whatsoever of how the criminal justice system works, it is incumbent on us to be the former presidents loud and aggrieved voice. That requires several GOP representatives and senators to accompany President Trump into the courtroom each day for a few minutes before standing outside the courthouse and yelling into TV cameras about how mean everyone is being. While the gag order technically forbids President Trump from directing others to speak on his behalf, we will echo his and his campaigns exact talking points while smugly admitting that were basically helping him evade the gag order. 'Standing back and standing by, Mr. President' Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and fellow House Republicans address reporters near former President Donald Trump's hush money trial on May 16, 2024, in New York City. Rep. Matt Gaetz did a great job of that outside the courthouse Thursday, saying: Were here of our own volition because there are things that we can say that President Trump is unjustly not allowed to say. This is a corrupt judge, these are corrupted witnesses, this is a corrupt prosecution that belies any sense of the facts or the law. The Florida congressman also posted "Standing back and standing by, Mr. President" on social media, echoing President Trump's fantastic and not-at-all-dangerous 2020 callout to the Proud Boys, a group the left calls a "far-right extremist group" and we call "a nice group of boys who are proud." About Stormy Daniels: Stormy spills details about alleged Trump affair. How will they spin this one? Great job, Matt! This is the exact reason we were elected and it is for sure the best use of our time and exactly what our constituents want us to be doing. If we cant help a former president manipulate and delegitimize Americas judicial system when he stands accused of paying hush money to a former adult film star prior to a presidential election, then what good are we as lawmakers? This is truly Gods work. Just ask Mike Johnson, our super-evangelical House speaker who, appearing at Trumps porn-star-centric trial earlier this week, was, as The Associated Press so aptly put it, amplifying Trumps defense and turning the Republican Party against the federal and state legal systems that are foundational to the U.S. government and a cornerstone of democracy. Or, as we like to call it: Doing our jobs! 'Bend the knee to the insurrectionist in chief' A few of you have complained that taking time away from Washington, D.C., is causing problems. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee this week had to reschedule a hearing to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress because too many Republican committee members were leaving so they could stand outside the former presidents trial and yell. Trump is a lazy liar: Trump's followers believe his every lie. But if he was a real alpha-male, he'd lie BIGGER. And the back-and-forth parade of loyal Republican lawmakers did prompt House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to say: It is extraordinary that so many extreme MAGA Republicans felt the need to bend the knee to the insurrectionist in chief as opposed to staying in Washington and doing the business of the American people. To which we say, Blah, blah, blah. Typical liberal, not willing to recognize the importance of attacking a judge and a judges daughter while also questioning the integrity of jurors at a criminal trial that makes us mad. Loser. Anyhoo, a couple of quick things to keep in mind once youve signed up for your day to travel to Manhattan: Make sure to bring up how cold the courtroom is. President Trump having to sit in a cold room is clearly unconstitutional and is akin to the worst forms of torture imaginable. Blame Joe Biden for thermostat crimes. Repeatedly say the trial is a sham, a hoax, a witch hunt, election interference and a kangaroo court. Be sure to never explain or give any specific reason why it is one of those things. Disregard the guy standing behind you while the TV cameras are on carrying a sign that says BOOTLICKERS. We dont want to encourage him. Arrive at the courthouse with printed out stories that show support for President Trump. Those are his emotional-support printouts and he holds on to them throughout the hearing and then talks about them in front of the TV cameras at the end of the day. If he doesnt have those, he will be cold and sad. WE MUST NOT FAIL HIM. Remember, you do not work for the American people. You work for Donald J. Trump. Please put your integrity and whatever remains of your soul in a locker before boarding the bus to Manhattan. A sign-up sheet will follow. MAGA! Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on X, formerly Twitter, @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump uses Republican lawmakers to evade gag order in criminal trial FILE PHOTO: Rescuers work to rescue construction workers trapped under a building that collapsed in George JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Officials in the South African city of George halted the search for survivors and more bodies on Friday at the site of a collapsed building where 33 people died. Rescue personnel and volunteers have been combing through the rubble for 11 days, after the five-storey residential building under construction in the city east of Cape Town crumbled, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. The Western Cape government said it now believed 62 people were at the site at the time of the disaster. Twenty-nine people survived after being rescued. At one stage municipal officials believed 81 people were on site when the building came down. "The site is empty. We have done our job," Anton Bredell, a Western Cape provincial official, told reporters. It is believed that migrants from neighbouring Malawi and Zimbabwe were working at the construction site as well as South Africans. A spokesperson for Malawi's foreign affairs ministry said nine Malawians were confirmed to have died in the incident and 11 had been rescued, two of whom were still in hospital. The cause of the building collapse has not yet been established. Investigations are under way. President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the site on Thursday and met families of the victims. (Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Johannesburg; Additional reporting by Frank Phiri in Blantyre; Editing by Alexander Winning, Kirsten Donovan) AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) Aurora residents made it clear to the state on Thursday night that they do not want a proposed oil and gas project to move forward in the area. The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission hosted a public hearing Thursday night regarding the Lowry Ranch Comprehensive Area Plan, which would bring 166 oil wells to a 32,000 square-acre portion of Arapahoe County. Polis signs compromise with oil and gas industry A packed crowd of residents let the commission know this project is unwanted for a number of reasons. Rachel Markowitz moved to the area around Aurora Reservoir several years back. We love going out there, she said. We love walking the dog, going to the beach activities she worries would be taken away from her family by the Lowry Ranch plan. Civitas: Oil and gas project would bring $235M in tax revenue Markowitz was one of many residents who took to the podium Thursday night in front of the commission at the first public hearing hosted for this project, designed for people to speak with the commission about their concerns about potential oil and gas developments that could impact their community, said Megan Castle, community relations supervisor for the commission. FOX31 contacted Civitas, the company in charge of the proposal, for comment but did not receive a response. According to the projects website, oil and gas production on the site would generate $235 million in tax revenue for Arapahoe County. Anti-fracking sign outside of a public hearing Its money that residents like Markowitz said would not be worth the potential negative impacts on the environment. Air, water, soil, wildlife, wildfires, you name it, Markowitz said. The list keeps going on and on and on. Her biggest concern is the potential impact on air quality. My children suffer from severe asthma and respiratory issues, Markowitz said. Its going to be less than a mile from my front door Civitas said on the project website that the nearest well to a neighborhood or the Aurora Reservoir would be about 3,000 feet, which it says exceeds Colorados state standards. Residents believe that is not enough distance. Its going to be less than a mile from my front door, Markowitz said. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox She hopes her message will be taken into consideration. I want the ECMC to deny the Lowry Ranch CAP. Period, Markowitz said. The next chance for public comment regarding the Lowry Ranch Comprehensive Area Plan comes at the end of June via virtual hearing. People can also provide feedback at any time by contacting the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission. 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. Richland 1 offered $2K to returning teachers. It didnt tell them until it was too late In hopes of stemming the growing tide of teacher departures, Richland 1 board members in March approved a $2,000 retention bonus for teachers who return to their classrooms in the fall. But there was just one problem. District officials didnt tell teachers about the incentive. As a result, the deadline for teachers to sign contracts for the upcoming school year passed last week without them being made aware of the retention bonus, defeating its purpose. We let the entire contract period go and we never emailed our teachers to say, Hey, by the way, the board reallocated $7 million and youre going to get $1,000 in June and $1,000 in September, board member Robert Lominack seethed at Tuesdays meeting. I dont think you have to be a (human resources) expert to know that that seems to be one of the most basic communications we could have sent to our teachers. Its not clear what impact, if any, the districts failure to publicize the incentive will have on retention. Richland 1 would not disclose any information to the newspaper about the number of teachers who signed or declined to sign contracts by the deadline. Lominack, a frequent critic of the district administration, said he fielded teacher inquiries about the incentive last week as the deadline approached. In one case, he said, a teacher had to spend part of her Friday tracking down information about the incentive as she weighed whether to sign on for another year. That does not seem to be the way we should demonstrate how much we appreciate our teachers and staff, Lominack said. Contract decisions come with high stakes for South Carolina educators, who by May 10 each year are required to commit to teaching the following year oftentimes without knowing their salary or classroom assignment and face license suspension if they later break their contract for any reason. Last year, when Richland 1 offered teachers a similar retention incentive, Superintendent Craig Witherspoon notified employees on April 20, several weeks before the contract deadline. When asked why teachers werent notified of the incentive prior to the contract deadline this year, Witherspoon chalked it up to the recent change in HR directors. We had some transition in the shop with Dr. Koumas coming in, he said at Tuesdays board meeting, referring to the districts new human resources director John Koumas, who replaced former HR chief Jeff Long in mid-March. District spokeswoman Karen York said Thursday that information about the retention incentives would be provided to all employees by the end of this week. She characterized the timing as being around the same time the information was sent to employees last year, without acknowledging that last years notification occurred three weeks prior to the contract deadline and this years will occur a week after it. York also asserted that the first installment of the retention bonus was not tied to signing a contract for next school year, but would instead be paid to any teacher employed by the district at the end of this school year. That is inconsistent with the way the district handled retention bonuses last year, when only teachers who signed their contracts and pledged to return to the district received the incentive. It also contradicts statements by Richland 1 chief financial officer Sherri Mathews-Hazel, who at Tuesdays meeting said that employees would need to be on the districts payroll in June to receive the first bonus installment. An employee would typically only be on the payroll in June if they signed a contract to work next year. The districts reinterpretation of the retention bonuses did not sit well with Lominack, who said it seemed like an attempt to skirt responsibility for the administration's mistake. He said while he supported bonuses for existing teachers, this particular allocation was not intended for that purpose. To call something a retention incentive obviously means youre trying to get people to sign the contracts to retain them for the following year, he said. To now just switch that up is nuts. But what theyre trying to do is theyre trying to escape the criticism that by not telling teachers before contracts were due they completely nullified the whole point of this. Richland 1s failure to inform employees about retention incentives is the latest example of the districts inadequate response to its crushing teacher shortage, critics charge. Since 2021, teacher vacancies in Richland 1 have more than quadrupled and the districts teacher turnover rate has skyrocketed to 22.5%, higher than similarly sized districts in South Carolina, according to the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement. As a result, more students are winding up in classrooms without certified teachers and being asked to complete self-paced online courses with minimal guidance and support, parents told The State. Lominack and Barbara Weston, both former Richland 1 teachers who now serve on the school board, have repeatedly asked the administration to act with greater urgency to address the districts problems recruiting and retaining teachers. Our (administrations) attitude is this is a nationwide problem, we dont have anything to do with it, we cant control it and it just is what it is, Lominack said. Were just not changing our ways to try to make things better in tough circumstances. A good place to start, he said, would be to solicit input from teachers and act on their feedback. By not focusing on why teachers are leaving the district, Richland 1 has missed opportunities to curtail the exodus of educators, Lominack said. We have ignored issues at some of our schools that have created some really high turnover, and this has been going on for a number of years, he said. School leaders and the culture they foster play a major role in retention, Weston explained. And retention, in turn, impacts recruitment. If I am happy where I am, I encourage other people to join me, said Weston, who once worked as a minority teacher recruitment specialist. If I am not, when youre looking for some place to go, I encourage you to go any place else. Despite warnings from board members and parents, Richland 1 officials have been loath to acknowledge the severity of the districts recruitment and retention problems. Felicia Richardson, Richland 1s coordinator of recruitment and retention, said in an interview last month that the districts situation was not unique. There are schools across our state and across our nation that are suffering from the same type of shortage that we have, she said. So we kind of have to put it in perspective. An analysis of district-level teacher vacancy data shows, however, that Richland 1s shortage is particularly dire. The district started the school year with more vacancies than any district in South Carolina and more than twice as many vacancies per capita as any large district in the state. While Richardson acknowledged there was room for improvement, Richland 1 appears likely to end the school year without a comprehensive plan to enhance teacher recruitment and retention. Koumas, the districts new HR director, said in an interview last month that he was focused on finding ways to keep teachers from leaving the district, but had yet to settle on any specific retention initiatives. Motorcyclist critically injured after being thrown from bike on KC interstate ramp A person was critically injured after being thrown from a motorcycle during a crash Thursday night in the Three Trails Crossing in south Kansas City, a police spokesman said. The crash occurred about 9 p.m. Thursday on the ramp from eastbound Interstate 435 to northbound U.S. 71 highway, said Sgt. Phil DiMartino with the Kansas City Police Department. A preliminary investigation revealed that the motorcyclist, riding a black Harley Davidson Soft Tail motorcycle, took the ramp at a high speed and failed to negotiate the curve, DiMartino said. The person ran off the ramp onto the right shoulder, lost control and was thrown from the motorcycle during the crash. The motorcyclist was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, DiMartino said. The investigation into the crash is ongoing. (KRON) The Antioch Police Department is searching for a missing 19-year-old man. Abraham Maune has not been seen since he walked out of a school program at Deer Valley High School at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. People close to him said walking out was very unlike him, according to police. He is described as a white man who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 130 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing glasses, a dark shirt, shorts and black sneakers. He was carrying a gray backpack. Deer Valley High School is located at 4700 Lone Tree Way in Antioch. Maune is known to frequent parks. Anyone who sees him is asked to call (925) 778-2441. 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 road rage incident ended in the deadly shooting of a driver armed with a hammer on a Washington highway, authorities said. The incident happened after 4 p.m. on the shoulder of Interstate 5 in Everett, near milepost 197 on May 16, the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team said in a news release. A man had rammed into a Washington State Department of Transportation contractors vehicle and a lift that was on the shoulder of I-5, operating over the slough, with two contractors on it, according to officials. He had a hammer and got into an altercation with the contractors and the Washington State Patrol trooper who responded to the road rage report, authorities said. During the altercation, the WSP trooper shot the suspect, the team said. The man was given aid after the shooting, but died at the scene, the team said. His identity and cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner. One of the transportation agencys contractors had non-life-threatening injuries. UPDATE #3: NB I-5 FULLY BLOCKED @ US 2 IN #EVERETT NB I-5 remains closed at US 2 in Everett. The left lane of SB I-5 north of Marine View Dr is also closed. There's no ETA. AVOID the area & use ALTERNATE routes. Heads up: We're seeing the heaviest back-up in Lake Stevens/SR 9. https://t.co/EjMW4k1Jw6 pic.twitter.com/vBv5FwGw8S WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) May 17, 2024 After the shooting, the northbound lanes of I-5 were blocked, keeping drivers stuck in traffic for hours. The lanes finally reopened just before midnight, the transportations traffic account posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. That was horrible. I spent over 6 hours in traffic dead lock. Alternate routes going north are completely jammed, user @2Blu_Angles wrote. I had to give up going north after waiting 7 hours in traffic. Im sure a lot of people waited longer. Is there any way to stop this complete closure of a major freeway in the future??? @Crytalers posted. Man stabbed repeatedly in road rage attack goes to Florida school for help, police say Out-of-control truck on I-95 had 3 men brawling in front seat, cops say. It crashed Overprotective dad held gun on Uber driver bringing daughter home, Florida cops say ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) Its been 60 years since the City of Roanoke and Wonju, South Korea were established as sister cities. Now, Roanoke and Wonju are celebrating the milestone. On May 16, a 25-member delegate including Wonju Mayor Won Gang Soo and a K-pop group arrived in the Star City to commemorate their relationship. During their stay, the delegation will engage in several activities highlighting the rich culture between the two cities. (Photo Credit: Dustin Hennessey) This includes a tour of Roanoke, visiting the Roanoke Star and Wonju Street, and joining in on the Local Colors Festival. Understanding the partnership of a sister city We are honored to have the delegation from Wonju with us in Roanoke as we celebrate 60 years of friendship and cultural exchange. The Sister Cities program is a testament to the enduring bonds that can be formed between communities across the globe, said Mayor Sherman Lea. (Photo Credit: Dustin Hennessey) According to the Sister Cities International website, a sister city is a partnership between two countries. This includes sister city, county, or state relationships. Since, 1964, the Star City and Wonju have supported one another with tech programs, scholarships, and more. 60 years later, their partnership remains strong. It is important to commemorate this long-term collaboration of cultural, educational, and artistic exchanges. We look forward to celebrating our past work together while renewing our commitment to continue working together to promote peace, understanding, respect, and cooperation on a global scale. The weekends events will highlight all of this and more, said Dr. Ramona Kirsch, the chair of the Wonju Sister City Committee. (Photo Credit: Dustin Hennessey) 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 WFXRtv. Russia claims fire at oil refinery in Krasnodar Krai after drone attack A fire broke out at an oil refinery in the town of Tuapse in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on May 17 after a drone attack, the regional operational headquarters claimed. Russian air defenses allegedly shot down 102 Ukrainian drones at night, including 44 over Krasnodar Krai, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed. The oil refinery in Tuapse caught fire after the drone's fragments fell, according to Krasnodar Krai operational headquarters. Russian Telegram channels shared a video showing smoke rising over the town. A fire was reportedly extinguished. No casualties were reported. Ukrainian officials did not comment on the claims. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the reports. Drones and missiles also struck an oil refinery and seaport in the Russian city of Novorossiysk in the early hours of May 17, causing explosions and power outages, the Russian Telegram news channel Astra claimed. Strikes against Russian energy targets have prompted criticism from U.S. officials, who have made it clear that Washington does not support Ukraine's attacks on oil refineries, citing fears that it could threaten the global energy market. In response, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv has the right to use its own weapons to strike deep inside Russia. Read also: Source: Ukrainian drones attack Russian defense manufacturers facilities in Tula Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine allegedly launched a massive attack overnight on Russian targets, including the Novorossiysk port and oil facilities, with the Kremlin claiming to have destroyed more than 100 air and naval drones on May 17. In a post on Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed 102 aerial and six naval drones had been intercepted and destroyed and did not report any damage or casualties. "Air defense systems destroyed and intercepted 51 UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles edit.) over the territory of the Crimean peninsula, 44 UAVs over the territory of Krasnodar Krai, six UAVs over the territory of Belgorod Oblast, and one UAV over the territory of Kursk Oblast," it wrote. "During the night, naval aviation and patrol boats of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed six unmanned boats in the Black Sea." The claims could not be independently verified. 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. If confirmed, it would be the largest drone attack by Ukraine throughout the entire full-scale war. A previous attack in March saw the Kremlin claiming to have downed 65 drones. The Kyiv Independent contacted Ukraine's military intelligence for confirmation of the attack and was told information is still being clarified. Russian media and local Telegram channels reported multiple explosions in Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai on Russia's Black Sea coast. The port in Novorossiysk is where Moscow began redeploying its Black Sea Fleet after a series of devastating Ukrainian strikes, including a missile attack on its headquarters in Sevastopol on Sept. 22, 2023. According to locals, the attack also hit the city's oil infrastructure. Both the Novorossiysk Fuel oil terminal and the Transneft terminal were attacked. Unverified videos posted to social media also reportedly showed Ukrainian drone strikes on the Tuapse oil refinery, also located on Russia's Black Sea coast. Russia's Black Sea Fleet base in Novorossiysk, along with the oil terminal and Tuapse refinery, was attacked by drones. Well, well, better luck hiding them next time. pic.twitter.com/JP68bvliYA Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) May 17, 2024 The oil refinery caught fire after the drone's fragments fell, according to Krasnodar Krai operational headquarters. A fire was reportedly extinguished and no casualties were reported. Ukrainian forces have continued launching drone strikes targeting Russia's oil industry this spring. Kyiv says these attacks are carried out to undermine Russia's military operations and retaliate against Moscow's strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) earlier confirmed that it carried out a successful drone attack against an oil base in Russia's Rostov Oblast on May 15. Strikes against Russian energy targets have prompted criticism from U.S. officials, who have made it clear that Washington does not support Ukraine's attacks on oil refineries, citing fears that it could threaten the global energy market. In response, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv has the right to use its own weapons to strike deep inside Russia. Read also: Glide bombs help Russia gain land in Ukraine. What makes them so effective? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. icon Semafor Signals Supported by Microsoft logo Insights from The New York Times, the Institute for the Study of War, and The Washington Post Arrow Down Title icon The News Russias offensive into Ukraines northeastern region of Kharkiv is driven less by a desire to seize territory than by a strategy to spread Kyivs forces thin, analysts said. The Russian advance that began last week marks a new strategy, experts wrote in The New York Times, forcing Ukrainian troops to withdraw from several villages in recent days as they are outnumbered by Russian forces. icon SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Moscow wants to force Ukrainian troops into one area Source icon Source: The New York Times Russias strategy is to inundate one area with fighting and pull Ukraines troops into the same region, thereby leaving other parts of the front exposed, two military analysts wrote in The New York Times. It isnt Moscows goal to take Kharkiv rather, it wants to menace it by advancing toward the city and threatening it with artillery, Michael Kofman and Rob Lee noted. Russia doesnt have the personnel to attack Kharkiv outright, but it aims to create a dilemma for Kyiv by drawing Ukraines better troops towards its second most populous city. Ultimately, Moscow is looking to control the region of Donetsk. By forcing Ukrainian redeployments to Kharkiv, Donetsk is left even more vulnerable they argued. Shelling has prevented Ukraine from bolstering its defenses Source icon Source: Institute for the Study of War Ukrainian defense officials believe that Russia is trying to take the eastern towns of Lukyantsi and Vovchansk, areas that would give them good footing for a future advance on the city of Kharkiv, The Institute for the Study of War noted. Ukrainian troops have been able to fend off Russian forces from these areas through counterattacks and drone strikes, but Moscows near-constant shelling of the Kharkiv region has made it difficult for Ukraine to bolster its defenses near the Ukraine-Russia border, the ISW wrote. Russian troops have made tactical advances in the north of the region for the past week, it added, and currently appear to be prioritizing the creation of a buffer zone over a deep penetration into Kharkiv. Russian push caught Kyiv by surprise Source icon Source: The Washington Post Ukraine relies on Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, to monitor for Russias movements. But on May 10, when Moscow began its new push towards Kharkiv, electronic jamming brought down the internet and Ukraines video feeds, The Washington Post reported. The attack left troops completely blind, a Ukrainian drone unit commander told the newspaper. This was the biggest problem, we didnt see how they were moving, we only worked through radio or through phones where they still worked, he said. As a result, Russia was able to capture a stretch of territory near the two nations border. Semafor Logo The aftermath of Russian strikes on Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi. Photo: Ukraines National Police Russian troops launched airstrikes on the village of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi (Kharkiv Oblast) on the afternoon of 17 May. A woman, 74, was injured in the attack. Source: Ukraine's Interior Ministry; Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office (KOPO) The wreckage of the Russian aerial bombs used to attack the settlement. PHOTO: KOPO Quote from KOPO: "The investigation has found that the invaders launched airstrikes on the village of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi at around 12:35 on 17 May. A medical facility, residential buildings, and outbuildings were damaged. A woman, 74, was injured." The aftermath of Russian strikes on Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi. Photo: KOPO Early reports indicate that Russia attacked the settlement with three aerial bombs. Law enforcement officers have launched a pre-trial investigation into the violation of the laws and customs of war. The aftermath of Russian strikes on Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi. Photo:Ukraines National Police It is noted that prosecutors and police investigators are taking all possible and appropriate measures to document war crimes committed by Russian forces. Support UP or become our patron! The Russian Foreign Ministry has declared Adrian Coghill, the military attache of the British Embassy in Moscow, persona non grata and ordered him to leave the country within a week. This decision is a retaliatory measure following the UK's expulsion of the Russian military attache on May 8, whom they said was an undeclared intelligence officer. This measure does not exhaust our reaction to the unfriendly anti-Russian actions of the British side, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on May 8. The initiators of the escalation will be informed about further retaliatory steps. This expulsion is part of broader tensions, including recent UK actions against individuals accused of conducting hostile activities in the interests of the Russian government, and espionage charges against several Bulgarian citizens for alleged spying for Russia. "Our response will be resolute and firm," British Home Secretary James Cleverly said. "Our message to Russia is clear: stop this illegal war, withdraw your troops from Ukraine, cease this malign activity." Read also: UK to expel Russian defense attache for being undeclared military intelligence officer Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated. Drones and missiles struck an oil refinery and seaport in the Russian city of Novorossiysk in the early hours of May 17, causing explosions and power outages, the Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported. Local residents reported hearing at least eight explosions in Novorossiysk overnight, and video footage records the sounds of both drones and air defense activity. A missile struck the Novorossiysk port and caused a fire to break out, residents said. According to locals, the attack also hit the city's oil infrastructure. Both the Novorossiysk Fuel oil terminal and the Transneft terminal were attacked. Novorossiysk reportedly lost power during the attacks. The U.K. Defense Ministry reported on March 31 that Russia was strengthening the Novorossiysk port's defenses in order to protect the Black Sea Fleet from possible Ukrainian attacks. Russia withdrew most of its Black Sea Fleet vessels from occupied Crimea in 2023 and redeployed them to Novorossiysk. The move followed a series of devastating Ukrainian strikes, including a missile attack on the fleet's headquarters in Sevastopol on Sept. 22. The Novorossiysk port is located on Russia's Black Sea coast, in the southern region of Krasnodar Krai. Ukrainian forces have continued launching drone strikes targeting Russia's oil industry this spring. Kyiv says these attacks are carried out to undermine Russia's military operations and retaliate against Moscow's strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) confirmed that it carried out a successful drone attack against an oil base in Russia's Rostov Oblast on May 15. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Zelensky says situation in Kharkiv difficult but under control, Russia suffering significant losses Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Nazrin Abdul "Aztelecom" plans to provide citizens of Azerbaijan with a speed of at least 35 megabits/second by the end of the year, Azernews reports. Trend reports that Tural Pirverdiyev, general director of "Aztelecom" LLC, said this at the "GSMA M360 Eurasia 2024" conference. The "Online Azerbaijan" project is aimed at replacing the existing ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) technology with GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Networks) technology, which will provide high-speed Internet up to 1 gigabyte per second. The goals of the initiative are to create a promising and environmentally friendly infrastructure, it also includes increasing the quality of the provided services," he said. T.Pirverdiyev noted that "Aztelecom" is the leading provider in the field of telecommunications in Azerbaijan. "Throughout our operations, we have expanded the list of services we offer to meet the changing needs of our customers, including high-speed Internet, telephone communication, television, and many other services," he added. It should be noted that the international conference "M360 Eurasia 2024" is being held in Baku on May 15-16. Leading experts from the region, heads of regulatory agencies, mobile communication operators, and IT corporations, as well as high-ranking politicians and other participants gathered at the event. "M360 Eurasia" is being held in Baku for the second time. The Borkum, a cargo ship accused by Spains leftist parties Sumar and Podemos of carrying weapons to Israel, has refused to stop at the southeastern Spanish port of Cartagena. The decision was communicated at midnight by the shipowner to the Maritime Captaincy and confirmed by sources from Spains Ministry of Transportation, who insist that the final destination of the cargo is the Czech Republic and not Israel. These sources did not rule out that the claim against the Borkum originated in a confusion, as another cargo ship with a confirmed destination of Haifa, in Israel, had been previously denied access to Spanish ports. The shipowner a German company, although the vessel is flying the flag of Barbuda and Antigua has communicated that the ship will not make the stopover, even though all the ships documentation is in order and it would have no problem accessing the port of Cartagena, said sources at the ministry led by Oscar Puente. On Thursday the ship remained anchored in the waters of Cape Tinoso, just off the port of Cartagena, where it was scheduled to dock on Friday morning. A protest had been called at the port on Friday. The ship finally canceled its stopover in Spain and headed for Slovenia instead. Sumars spokesperson in Spains lower house, Inigo Errejon, and Podemos candidate to European elections, former minister Irene Montero, congratulated one another on social media, claiming that the decision proves them right. Victory! We were right. We expect an apology tomorrow. Social pressure is useful, standing up is useful. No complicity with the genocide, posted Errejon. Everything was so clear yet we were inventing everything so much that the Borkum avoids entering the port of Cartagena. Enough of the hypocrisy. Stop criminalizing and ridiculing the Palestine solidarity movement. We are acting to stop the genocide, Montero added. The local newspaper La Verdad reported that on Tuesday, an association called Palestina Libre (Free Palestine) and several political groups had claimed the Borkum was carrying weapons to Israel. Transportation Minister Puente denied it on Wednesday, as did Defense Minister Margarita Robles on Thursday. The decision by the Borkum shipowner came hours after the Spanish government had denied a stopover to another cargo ship, the Marianne Danica, that was loaded with explosives and had departed from Madras Chennai in India en route to Haifa in Israel. It is the first time that the Spanish government has denied authorization to a ship with weapons for Israel, as stressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares. The Marianne Danica had requested two permits to transit through Spanish waters and make a stopover in the port of Cartagena on May 21. The ship, which is transporting explosive materials, carries a load of 26.8 tons. The sender is the Indian company Siddharta Logistics Co and its recipient is the company Israel Cargo Logistics (ICL). Sources consulted by this newspaper did not rule out that the public complaints against the Borkum were due to its getting confused with the Marianne Danica. Experts in maritime traffic have underscored that Houthi attacks against cargo ships in the Red Sea have caused many vessels from Asia to take a detour through the Cape of Good Hope and the Strait of Gibraltar, where all ships headed for Israel now go through. Drone attacks targeting the port city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea overnight on May 17 damaged a substation, causing blackouts that prompted occupation authorities to close schools. Dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and naval drones targeted Sevastopol and nearby Balaklava in the early hours of May 17, Mikhail Razvozhayev the Russian-installed head of Sevastopol, claimed via Telegram. Debris from a falling drone hit the Sevastopol substation, Razvozhayev said. Equipment at the substation had to be shut down, triggering power outages. Razvozhayev later announced that restoring the substation would take at least a day to complete and that the city would have to introduce spot blackouts while repairs are underway. "In connection with the current situation, I have decided to cancel classes in all schools, secondary vocational education institutions, and kindergartens," he said. Read also: Russian media: Novorossiysk port, oil depot hit in overnight attack Russian forces destroyed "dozens" of UAVs and over five naval drones in the region using small arms, Razvozhayev claimed. He said that Russian air defense intercepted 51 drones over occupied Crimea during the night. No casualties were reported. This marks the third reported attack in two days against occupied Sevastopol. Occupation officials and local Telegram channels reported attacks on Russia's Belbek military airfield outside Sevastopol overnight on May 15 and later that evening. The partisan group Atesh said that the attacks damaged the airfield's main missile and artillery depot. In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on occupied Crimea, targeting Russian military assets in and around the Black Sea. Read also: Opinion: Ukraines naval drones are taking over the Black Sea Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian troops can conduct reconnaissance with the help of drones deep in the Ukrainian rear due to the lack of sufficient air defence in Ukraine. Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW) Details: The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) reported on 14 May that Ukraine has been forced to conserve its surface-to-air missiles because of a reduced supply of anti-aircraft missile systems. This has allowed Russian reconnaissance drones to fly more freely into Ukraine's rear areas, including over Kharkiv, and optimised the firepower of the Russian troops' reconnaissance. RUSI stated that the reduction in the supply of anti-aircraft systems had forced Ukraine to make difficult decisions regarding the deployment of air defence over critical infrastructure in the rear or in frontline areas. RUSI noted that well-equipped Ukrainian forces had previously been able to limit Russian intelligence capabilities for most of the full-scale invasion. Russian forces conducted a large-scale air campaign against the city of Kharkiv as part of their offensive operations in the north of Kharkiv Oblast and used glide-bomb attacks to support Russian ground manoeuvres in Kharkiv Oblast. Russian forces, among other things, used glide-bomb strikes for tactical purposes during the capture of Avdiivka. Ukrainian troops need Western-made air defence interceptors to destroy Russian reconnaissance drones in the rear and on the front line and to defeat the optimised Russian air defence system that supports the Russians tactical advances along the front. To quote the ISWs Key Takeaways on 16 May: Ukrainian officials reported that Ukrainian forces are stabilising the situation along the northern border in Kharkiv Oblast and that the tempo of Russian offensive operations in the area continues to decrease. Ukrainian Internal Affairs Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that Russian forces have executed civilians and taken civilians captive in Vovchansk. Russian leader Vladimir Putin likely views Russia's relationship with the People's Republic of China (PRC) as decisive to his effort to further mobilise the Russian economy and defence industry to support a protracted war in Ukraine. Putin also used his meeting with Xi to promote known Kremlin narratives feigning interest in peace negotiations and a diplomatic resolution to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces are reportedly able to conduct fixed-wing drone reconnaissance deep in the Ukrainian rear due to Ukraine's lack of air defence interceptors. Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted successful drone strikes against a Russian defence industrial plant in Tula City on the night of 15-16 May. Russian missile strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure since March 2024 have likely caused long-term damage to Ukrainian energy infrastructure and repeated energy blackouts. A Russian insider source, who has previously accurately reported on Russian military command changes, claimed that senior Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials are vying for the position of Chief of the General Staff. Kremlin and Georgian officials promoted established Kremlin information operations alleging that the West is orchestrating protests against Georgia's "foreign agent" law in order to overthrow the Georgian government. Turkiye and Russia are reportedly exploiting European Union (EU) sanctions regulations to export Russian oil to the EU, allowing Russia to continue to receive significant oil revenues to fund its war effort in Ukraine. Russia reportedly launched a satellite as part of its programme to develop a nuclear anti-satellite weapon in the weeks before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, likely as part of Russian preparations for a future confrontation with NATO. Russian forces recently advanced near Lyptsi, Vovchansk, Kupiansk and Donetsk City. Several Russian opposition media outlets reported on 16 May that Russian State Duma Defence Committee Chairman Andrei Kartapolov rejected a bill that would grant deferment from mobilisation to certain Russian civilians, likely to support ongoing and future crypto-mobilisation efforts. Support UP or become our patron! Airspace over a swath of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California is being closed for the next 10 days because of the re-entry of a Russian space launch booster, two U.S. defense officials told The War Zone. It is not for a launch or a military exercise, the officials said, dispelling concerns circulating on social media that the Russians were about to conduct a military exercise close to the U.S. mainland. Those concerns spread after the Defense Internet NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) Service (DINS) posted a NOTAM on May 13 advising pilots to avoid the listed area between May 16 and May 26 for Russian Federation impact area by at least 50 nautical miles. "This notice is for all aircraft transiting from Hawaii to North America and North America to Hawaii. The following restrictions are due to Russian Federation rocket firing impact area," the NOTAM read, perhaps sparking confusion. "The temporary routes described...are for all aircraft equipped with RNP-10 navigations systems or better," the NOTAM stated. Text of the Notice to Airmen closing off airspace due to a Russian rocket. Defense Internet NOTAM Service The U.S. defense officials did not know which Russian rocket booster was involved. However, the Russian Defense Ministry on Friday said a Soyuz 2.1b launch vehicle with spacecraft on board was launched in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome (the Arkhangelsk Region) on May 17, 2024," according to Russian media outlets . Still, we dont know if this latest launch is what sparked the NOTAM and are working to find out more details. It is not surprising that this notice brought high-interest, given that there was no official word put out about why it was issued and it comes at a time of extreme tensions with Russia. In recent years, Russians have conducted several military operations in the Pacific near Alaska and Hawaii , including the surfacing of the guided-missile submarine Omsk in t he Bering Sea off Alaska in August 2021. In addition, the warning takes place in a section of the Pacific Ocean known collectively as the SOCAL range complex that regularly hosts military exercises , among other sensitive military tests and large-scale training events . The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other Navy ships are operating in the same general area off the coast of Baja doing workups for deployment . Abraham Lincoln, flagship of Carrier Strike Group Three, is underway conducting integrated exercises to bolster strike group readiness and capability in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations, the Navy said on a Pentagon image sharing website. The USS Abraham Lincoln is on a readiness exercise. U.S. Navy So as it sits right now, a wayward booster hurtling back to earth is what mariners and aviators in this large area off Southern California need to be concerned with, not a Russia missile firing exercise. Update 2:54 PM - The NOTAM in question was removed from the DINS site after this story posted, something which was pointed out to us by Henry Wade, founder of the SanDiegoVille.com website. We don't know the circumstances surrounding its removal, but it isn't uncommon for these types of notices to be removed if there is no longer a threat to the area defined in them. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com Russian troops' actions do not indicate intentions to capture Kharkiv, Estonian intelligence says The offensive activity of the Russian Armed Forces in Kharkiv Oblast suggests that they seek to create a buffer zone, not capture the city of Kharkiv. Source: Ants Kiviselg, Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Intelligence Centre, as reported by European Pravda, citing Estonian public broadcaster ERR Details: Kiviselg noted that fighting continues throughout the war zone, with Russian forces carrying out an average of 140 attacks per 24 hours. The main fighting is taking place in the north and east of Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts. "The Russian Armed Forces are advancing on the recently opened Kharkiv front, but their pace is slowing down. This and the nature of their behaviour rather indicate a desire to create a buffer zone," said Kiviselg. Russian troops have attacked and destroyed important bridges in the area of Vovchansk, which creates a natural barrier between Ukrainian and Russian forces. "This is more an indication of the intention of Russian forces to build a defensive line than to create a bridgehead for an advance on Kharkiv," he added. Kiviselg said that Russian forces had advanced to a depth of 8 km, an area covered by Russian artillery. That is why Ukraine could not build a defence system closer than 10-20 kilometres from the border and erect strong fortifications closer than 3-5 kilometres from it. "The North grouping of [Russian] forces is operating on the Kharkiv front, aiming to impede the advance of Ukrainian reserve forces and support the [Russian] offensive on the Donetsk front," Kiviselg said. "About 2,000 troops are engaged in direct combat on the Kharkiv front, with another 1,500-2,000 in reserve. There are about 35,000 military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces in the area, and the grouping is likely to increase shortly. However, it is unlikely that Russia will be able to amass 300,000 troops in this area, which, based on various estimates, is the minimum number of troops required to ensure the capture of Kharkiv," Kiviselg said. The intelligence centre commander added that in other parts of the war zone, Russian troops are maintaining the same intensity of fighting, expanding the area of captured territories through local tactical successes. The main fighting is taking place on the Pokrovsk front around the settlement of Ocheretyne and on the way to the town of Chasiv Yar. Fighting continues on the south front near the village of Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia Oblast), but Ukrainian defences are holding. Ukrainian forces are also continuing to hold a foothold on the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro River. Background: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, commenting on the Russian military offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, stated that Ukraine needs to be provided with long- and medium-range weapons. 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. Support UP or become our patron! Russians fire three ballistic and three cruise missiles on Odesa Oblast in one day The aftermath of a strike on Odesa district on 17 May. Photo: State Emergency Service of Odesa Oblast Russian troops attacked Odesa Oblast with three ballistic missiles (probably Iskander-Ms) and three Kh-59/Kh-69 guided cruise missiles on 17 May. Source: Ukraines Air Force on Telegram Details: The Air Force also reported that the Russians are making extensive use of reconnaissance drones across the southern front. Quote: "In total, air defence on the southern front destroyed: Three Kh-59 guided missiles in Odesa Oblast; Two ZALA reconnaissance UAVs, a Lancet attack UAV and a UAV of an unspecified type in Kherson Oblast; One UAV, type not specified, in Kirovohrad Oblast." Air Command Pivden (South): aerial targets destroyed as of 21:00 on 17 May 2024. Photo: Air Command Pivden Background: On 17 May, a fire broke out in the Odesa district at the site of a Russian missile hit, causing damage to civilian infrastructure. It was later reported that one civilian was killed and eight others injured in the attack. Support UP or become our patron! The Russian Defence Ministry has claimed that 108 Ukrainian UAVs and uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) attacked the territory of Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea on the night of 16-17 May and that all of them have been supposedly downed or destroyed. Source: Russian Defence Ministry on Telegram Details: The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that all Ukrainian UAVs and USVs had been either successfully intercepted or destroyed. Quote: "A total of 51 UAVs were destroyed or intercepted over the territory of the Crimean Peninsula, as well as 44 UAVs in Krasnodar Krai, six UAVs in Belgorod Oblast and one UAV in Kursk Oblast. Naval aircraft and patrol boats from the Black Sea Fleet destroyed six USVs in the Black Sea during the night." Details: The information published by the Russian Defence Ministry contradicts what Russian Telegram channels and local authorities have reported. In particular, it was reported that powerful explosions had been heard in the city of Novorossiysk in Russias Krasnodar Krai on the night of 16-17 May. The port and an oil depot were targeted. Videos posted on Russian Telegram channels showed fires. Local residents reported an attack on the Novorossiysk fuel oil terminal and the Transneft terminal, adding that the city had been left without electricity. Milbloggers confirmed the hits. 17 . . pic.twitter.com/NxIYQiOV3R (@ukrpravda_news) May 17, 2024 Local residents reported that the port had been left without power overnight and traffic on Magistralnaya Street was completely blocked. Fire in the city of Novorossiysk. Photo: Astra Telegram channel The Novorossiysk administration prohibited residents from leaving their homes after the night attack on the city. Parents of local schoolchildren are receiving messages that their children do not need to attend school today. In the meantime, the authorities, as per usual, claimed an "unsuccessful attack attempt" and the downing of 10 UAVs. It was reported that two UAVs had attacked an oil refinery in the town of Tuapse in Russias Krasnodar Krai on the night of 16-17 Friday. Fire in the town of Tuapse. Photo: Astra Telegram channel A fire broke out at the refinery. pic.twitter.com/01909zau5H (@ukrpravda_news) May 17, 2024 Belgorod Oblast Governor Gennady Gladkov stated that UAVs had attacked several settlements in the oblast. He claimed one UAV hit a petrol station near the village of Bessonovka. One of the fuel tanks caught fire due to the explosion. Fire in Belgorod Oblast. Photo: Zhest Belgorod Telegram channel The Kremlin-appointed occupation authorities in Sevastopol reported that an attack by UAVs and uncrewed surface vessels (USV) had been repelled. Partial power outages have occurred in Sevastopol and Balaklava. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the so-called governor of Sevastopol, claimed that several drones had been destroyed "without any damage to civilian infrastructure". He explained the partial power outage by saying that some equipment at the Sevastopol substation had been shut down as wreckage from downed drones had fallen on the substation. Meanwhile, Razvozhayev decided to cancel classes in schools and kindergartens in Sevastopol and stated that it would take about a day to restore the operation of the Sevastopol substation. Support UP or become our patron! Russians are most active on Pokrovsk and Kurakhove fronts Ukraine's General Staff The Russians are most active on the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove fronts in Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces have not conducted any attacks on the Lyman, Toretsk, Huliai Pole and Orikhove fronts since the beginning of the day. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 13:30 on 17 May Details: On the Pokrovsk front, Ukrainian forces repelled 14 attacks. The situation is the most intense near the settlement of Novooleksandrivka. On the Kurakhove front, the Russians tried to break through the Ukrainian defences 14 times, specifically near the settlements of Paraskoviivka, Heorhiivka, Krasnohorivka and Vodiane. Near Vodiane, Russian troops were supported by aircraft. The situation is under control. The Russians keep terrorising civilians in Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts by launching artillery attacks in the vicinity of the settlements of Uhroidy, Mistky, Iskryskivshchyna and Popivka. On the Kharkiv front, a Russian attack was repelled near the village of Starytsia. The Russians deployed aircraft to strike near the settlements of Harbuzivka and Bilyi Kolodiaz. Ukrainian troops are equipping their positions and strengthening the defence in border areas of Kharkiv Oblast. On the Kupiansk front, the Russians attempted to improve their positions near the settlements of Vilshana, Ivanivka, Berestove and Miasozharivka five times. They received a harsh response from Ukrainian forces and retreated. On the Siversk front, five Russian attacks were repelled. On the Kramatorsk front, the Russians launched an airstrike near the settlement of Chasiv Yar. On the Vremivka front, the Russians tried to improve their tactical positions near the settlement of Staromaiorske, but to no avail. The information is being specified. On the Prydniprovia front, Ukrainian forces repelled five Russian attacks near the settlement of Krynky. The Russians struck Krynky, as well as the area of the settlement of Tiahynka, with multiple-launch rocket systems. The Ukrainian forces have not lost any positions. Quote: "Ukrainian defenders are repelling the attacks of the Russian occupiers, keeping them under fire control and doing everything possible to disrupt the criminal plans of the enemy." Background: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported earlier that Russian troops had expanded the area of combat actions by almost 70 kilometres, thus attempting to force Ukrainian troops to deploy additional brigades from the reserve. Support UP or become our patron! Ukraine launched a massive drone attack against military and energy facilities in Russia and the occupied peninsula Crimea overnight, with Moscow saying Friday that over 100 unmanned weapons had been involved in the operation. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces had intercepted and destroyed 102 UAVs over four different regions while another six drone boats were taken out in the Black Sea. While the ministry did not reveal the extent of the damage from the attack, multiple explosions were reported in the Russian city of Novorossiysk and the Kremlin-backed governor of Sevastopol said a substation was damaged and the power supply was disrupted. Russia Suffers One of Its Most Deadly Attacks of the War A source from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent that the assault was a joint operation conducted by the SBU and Ukraines military intelligence. Todays operation proved that the Russians are unable to protect their main naval bases in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk, the source said. Residents in Novorossiysk in Russias Krasnodar Krai region said local oil infrastructure was attacked and shared videos online in which blasts can be heard and air defenses are seen operating. Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said 10 drones were shot down, creating local fires but not causing any casualties, according to preliminary information. I ask Novorossiysk residents to remain calm and not post photos and videos of the operation of our air defense systems on social networks, he wrote on Telegram. Mikhail Razvozhaev, the governor of Sevastopol, separately claimed that debris from downed UAVs fell on the substation, leading to a partial blackout. Early Friday, he said that the power outages would last about a day while workers restore the power grid. He later announced the cancellation of classes in all schools, secondary vocational education institutions and kindergartens, and said the city would take measures to save energy during the repairs. That included the cancelation of trolleybus services and keeping lights in the city and shopping centers off. Ukraine has been attacking infrastructure and military targets on Russian soil for the past few months. Kyiv is currently also dealing with a major new Russian offensive launched earlier this month in Ukraines northeastern territory, sparking fears that KharkivUkraines second-largest citycould soon fall. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters during a visit to China that his assaults on the Kharkiv region were launched in response to Ukrainian shelling on Russias Belgorod region. I have said publicly that if it continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone, he said, according to the Associated Press. Thats what we are doing. Putin also said that, for the moment, there are no plans to capture the city of Kharkiv. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, expects heavy fighting in Kharkiv Oblast since he knows that the Russians are preparing to attempt further offensives. Source: Syrskyi on social media Quote: "We realise that there will be heavy fighting, and the enemy is preparing for it." Details: Syrskyi states that for the last few days, due to the aggravation of the situation in the combat zone he has been working in the units involved in combat action in Kharkiv Oblast. Syrskyi says Ukrainian forces must do everything to prevent further advancing of the Russian troops. They must hold their positions by launching airstrikes, missile attacks, artillery and tank attacks on the Russians. Ukrainian forces must inflict as many losses as possible upon the Russians and create the conditions for defeating them from the flanks and the rear from different fronts with the help of mobile assault groups and units. Syrskyi also assumes that the Ukrainian army must use its superiority in the attack UAVs combined with the use of radio-electronic warfare systems and precise artillery fire. Background: On 10 May, Russian occupation forces intensified their activities in the north of Kharkiv Oblast. The Russians occupied a number of settlements in the grey zone. On 16 May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Defence Forces had managed to stabilise the situation with the Russian offensive in the north of Kharkiv Oblast. They had advanced 10 kilometres deep into Ukraine. He also stressed that the Russians had only reached the first of three lines of fortifications in Kharkiv Oblast. Support UP or become our patron! The Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office has launched criminal proceedings in connection with the execution of a disabled person in Vovchansk by Russian forces. Source: Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office on Telegram Details: Prosecutors said they obtained a video on journalist Andrii Tsapliienko's Telegram channel recorded by Ukraine's reconnaissance forces showing a dead person in a wheelchair outside a local hospital, which had been seized by Russian forces. Quote: "Law enforcement investigators are considering the possibility that the person attempted to flee the medical facility, but the Russian Armed Forces shot him and left his body in a wheelchair in the middle of a shattered roadway." Support UP or become our patron! Many unknowns hang over Juraj Cintula, the 71-year-old man who on Wednesday fired five bullets at Robert Fico, the prime minister of Slovakia, who remains hospitalized in a serious condition. A poet and member of a literary club, in the last decade Cintula was linked to an ultra-nationalist and pro-Russian paramilitary group; he also founded a platform against violence, wrote about his contempt for the Roma minority and, more recently, expressed his rejection of a government whose leader has often been described as a pro-Russian, populist who, critics worried, would change Slovakias pro-Western course. The attack comes shortly before European elections where the far right is widely expected to make gains. Slovak authorities have not yet made public the name of the attacker, who was arrested immediately after the assassination attempt, but local media have identified him as Juraj Cintula and began to disseminate some details about his past. A native of Levice, a town 46 miles (75 kilometers) south of Handlova, the town where Wednesdays attack took place, he was employed as a guard at a security company. Little else has emerged about his work life. Since 2015 he has been a member of the Association of Slovak Writers. In Levice, where he lived in a modest apartment in a seven-story building, he was one of the founders of the Duha (Rainbow) Literary Club. One of the 23 members of the club, Andrej Hlinka, was a candidate for the Slovak Peoples Party, a far-right party, in the 2022 regional elections. Cintula published three books of poetry in recent years, one of them riddled with remarks against the Roma community in Slovakia. Besides his literary inclinations, in 2016 the perpetrator of the attack founded a political platform called Movement Against Violence. The world is full of violence and weapons, as if people had gone crazy, he declared in a video posted on social media. Cintula urged citizens to take to the streets again, fill the squares, show strength but not violence and asserted that Slovak democracy was threatened by the oligarchs and rich people who buy political representatives. While leading the Movement Against Violence, Cintula maintained ties with Slovenski Branci, an ultranationalist and pro-Russian paramilitary group that dissolved in 2020. In a video published in 2016 on Facebook, Cintula is seen at an event organized by the extremist group that advocated for the creation of armed militias to protect Europeans from the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants. Slovenski Branci acted for years as a Kremlin propaganda tool, criticizing NATO and the EU for allegedly threatening Russian interests. Anti-government protests After being arrested, Cintula who faces a sentence of between 25 years and life in prison justified shooting Fico by citing his disagreement with the governments policies and denounced the prime ministers attacks on public radio and television. The Slovak Interior Minister, Matus Sutaj Estok, on Thursday defined the attacker as a lone wolf and said that he had recently participated in several anti-government protests. The perpetrator of the attack was very involved in political events and the reasons for the attack were, supposedly, his disagreement with the cessation of military aid to Ukraine, the abolition of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office and the closure of the public radio and television station that Fico was planning. The Slovak prime minister has paused the military aid that Slovakia was giving to Ukraine and has defended a ceasefire with Russia, even at the cost of Kyiv accepting territorial losses. Sutaj Estok also stressed that the attacker made his decision last April, after the second round of the presidential elections in which Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Fico, was the winner. In a statement to the Slovak digital media Aktuality.sk, Cintulas son said that his father had a gun license and that he had never heard him make any comments in which he expressed his intention to attack or kill anyone. I dont have the slightest idea what he intended to do, or what he was planning or what happened, he added, before adding that his father does not have any type of psychiatric problem. Mile Ludovit, a retiree who has been a resident of Cintula for many years, told Reuters: He was an educated man who did not seem particularly interested in political issues, but he felt that some of the governments measures were not appropriate. A 36-year-old man previously convicted as a sex offender is now accused of following around a 12-year-old girl on a bus last week in Sacramento County and asking her if she wanted to have sex with him, sheriffs officials said. Kahlilullah Abdul Razaq was arrested on suspicion of contacting a minor with the intent of committing a sex act, the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office announced Friday in a news release. Razaq was arraigned Friday afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court. The incident involving the girl reportedly began about 2:30 p.m. May 9 as she was waiting at a bus stop. Sheriffs officials said a man later identified as Razaq approached her before asking her age and where she was going. The girl was scared and said she was 14, when the man asked her if she wanted to have sex with him, sheriffs officials wrote in the news release. Right then, the bus arrived, and both the girl and the man got on the bus. The girl captured a photo of the man and sent the photo to her parents, saying she was being followed. Sheriffs officials said the man got off the bus at one stop and stared at the girl through the window, before he got back on the bus. The girl reached her final destination in east Sacramento County, and the man followed her off the bus, sheriffs officials said. The girl immediately called 911, and the man walked away. Deputies were sent to the area and searched for the man, but they did not find him. The deputies then took the girl home. A deputy ran the photo the girl had taken of the unknown suspect through facial recognition software and found a match. Sheriffs officials said the suspect was then identified as Razaq. Razaq was convicted in 2013 of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child younger than 14 years old in Sacramento County, according to the sheriffs news release. He was sentenced to six years in prison and required to register as a sex offender. While on parole in 2016, Razaq was arrested and later convicted of indecent exposure with an enhancement for a previous sex crime conviction, according to the Sheriffs Office. He was released on parole early this year. On March 22, Razaq was arrested in a prostitution sting after he offered money to an undercover female sheriffs deputy in exchange for sex, sheriffs officials said. He was released from custody five days later, pending prosecution. Deputies arrested Razaq the day after the reported encounter with the 12-year-old girl. Sheriffs officials said he was arrested on suspicion of violating parole and has been in custody since then at the Sacramento County Main Jail. He was being held without bail. Detectives from the Sheriffs Office child abuse bureau, investigating the encounter with the girl, arrested Razaq again while in custody on the latest criminal charge. Sacramento hiring for city jobs, offering between $43,000 and $142,000 a year. Whats open? Are you looking for job openings in Sacramento? The city of Sacramento is looking to hire workers in May for positions across a variety of departments, including public works, finance, community development and more. Employee benefits include employee orientations, insurance enrollment and changes, flexible spending accounts, deferred compensation and retirement transition, according to the city website. Sift through some open job positions on the citys website, as of Thursday, May 16: Building Inspector I | Permanent, full-time Department: Community Development Division: Building Salary: $67,824 to $95,435 annually The building inspector will conduct inspections and review plans for new building projects. Tasks include enforcing regulations and overseeing repairs. With a supervisors approval, this position is eligible for remote work, according to the city website. However, the applicant must live within the Sacramento region to report to Sacramento-based worksites on short notice. The application closes on May 20. Animal Care Technician | Permanent, full-time Department: Community Development Division: Animal Services Salary: $43,280 to $60,899 annually The animal care technician is responsible for processing animal intakes and outtakes, providing care, evaluating behavior, training volunteers and offering adoption counseling. The application is open until the position is filled. Applications Developer | Permanent, full-time Department: Information Technology Division: Enterprise Applications Salary: $90,523 to $118,774 annually The applications developer is responsible for managing the Human Resources Workers Compensation System. Responsibilities include system and custom application development. This position is eligible for remote work with a supervisors approval. However, applicants must live within the Sacramento area to quickly report to worksites. The application closes on May 25. Construction Inspector I | Permanent, full-time Department: Public Works Division: Engineering Salary: $59,751 to $84,075 annually The construction inspector will examine projects and the materials used to ensure they meet standards and regulations. The application closes on May 25. Customer Service Representative | Permanent, full-time Department: Finance Division: Revenue Salary: $44,575 to $62,722 annually The customer service representative handles customer interactions for the department, including processing paperwork and assisting with requests over the phone and in-person. With a supervisors approval, this position is eligible for remote work. However, the applicant must live within the Sacramento region to quickly report to Sacramento-based worksites. The application closes on May 26. Equipment Mechanic I | Permanent, full-time Department: Public Works Division: Fleet Salary: $58,452 to $82,248 annually The equipment mechanic needs a skilled expertise to carry out mechanical repair and maintenance tasks for gasoline and diesel-driven equipment. The application is open until the position is filled. Instrument Technician II | Permanent, full-time Department: Utilities Division: Wastewater/Drainage Salary: $70,592 to $99,331 annually The instrument technician performs work on various instruments used in water and wastewater systems, such as level transmitters and pressure switches, researches new instruments and installs them into the system. The application closes on June 12. Integrated Waste Equipment Operator | Permanent, full-time Department: Public Works Division: Solid Waste Salary: $51,833 to $72,934 annually The integrated waste equipment operator is responsible for using specialized trucks, picking up heavy items and disposing of garbage, recyclables and yard waste. The application is open until the position is filled. Labor Relations Officer | Permanent, full-time Department: Human Resources Division: Labor Relations Salary: $90,069 to $141,859 annually The labor relations officer handles employee relations, such as advising managers on disciplinary actions, by ensuring they follow employment policies and labor agreements. This position is eligible for remote work with a supervisors approval. However, the applicant must live within the Sacramento region to report to Sacramento-based worksites on short notice. The application is open until the position is filled. Parking Enforcement Officer | Permanent, full-time Department: Public Works Division: Parking Salary: $44,638 to $62,810 annually The parking enforcement officer position involves a combination of office, investigative and field work to enforce parking-related codes, laws and regulations. The application is open until the position is filled. What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com. (FOX40.COM) Nearly two years ago, California unveiled a plan to implement the most ambitious climate action of any authority in the world, which included getting the state to be carbon neutral by 2045, and doing its part to help achieve that goal is the city of Sacramento. On May 7, the Sacramento City Council approved a strategy to guide the changes in existing buildings when they swap gas appliances for electric ones within the next 20 years. The strategy, referred to as the Existing Building Electrification Strategy, does not set requirements but is focused on the creation of future ordinances that will keep the gas-to-electricity change in mind. The strategy also doesnt recommend requirements for stoves in homes or restaurants. Former downtown hotel converted into permanent housing for Sacramentos unhoused Sacramento Senior Planner Vic Randall said in a statement, Existing building electrification is a key element of the citys pathway to achieving its goal of carbon neutrality by 2045 and is also expected to provide long-term public health and economic benefits in Sacramento. In June 2020, Sacramento and West Sacramento received recommendations from a climate change commission to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, which included requiring new construction to be all-electric, transitioning 25% of existing residential and small commercial buildings to all-electric by 2030, and 100% of existing buildings by 2045. In 2021, Sacramento approved the framework for the existing building electrification that defined a timeline and objectives for transitioning the citys buildings to fully electric. The framework prioritizes engaging with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders to plan an equitable transition, with a focus on historically marginalized communities of color, low-income communities, and small businesses, the city said. The electrification project also included the introduction of XeroHome, a free home energy modeling platform that Sacramento residents can use to get customized information about cost-effective electricity-based projects for their homes. Sacramentos tallest building would not make list of top 100 tallest buildings in California Laura Tuller, an associate planner for Sacramento, said, We heard from community members that these different building types have unique needs and should be treated differentlyWe believe the strategy takes an approach that balances equity, the cost-effectiveness of electrification, and the need to take decisive climate action. The city of Sacramento added that its building transition strategy will primarily focus on policies for single-unit and small multi-unit residential buildings along with commercial non-residential and large multi-unit residential buildings. City staff said they will prepare legislation for approval with the 2025 California Building Standards Code and added that it is expected to be effective by the beginning of 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 FOX40. Sheena Scarbrough, left, mother of Sade Robinson, and Carlos Robinson, father of Sade Robinson, hold doves to be released in memory Sade Robinson at her public memorial service on May 10 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee. A human arm was discovered along the shoreline in Waukegan, Illinois, as the family of slain Milwaukee teen, Sade Robinson, has been notified of the discovery. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office said Thursday it will not be able to officially confirm whose body the arm belongs to until DNA results are returned, but the sheriff's office did say that after Waukegan authorities reached out to them, Robinson's family was notified. Robinson, 19, was killed and dismembered in early April following a first date with 33-year-old Maxwell Anderson, according to prosecutors. Anderson pleaded not guilty to the charges and the next hearing is scheduled for July 12. A leg belonging to Robinson was discovered at Warnimont Park in Cudahy on April 2. More body parts believed to belong to Robinson were discovered across Milwaukee County in the days since. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office deferred comments to Waukegan authorities on exactly where and when the arm was discovered. The lead agency in the investigation is the Waukegan Police Department. A message left with their public information officer was not immediately returned Thursday. Waukegan is a little more than an hour south of Milwaukee and its eastern border touches Lake Michigan. Robinson's family has not been able to have a proper funeral as all of her body has not been discovered. A memorial service was held last week so that those who knew her best and the public could remember her. Attendees spoke of an intelligent, independent young woman who was "special" and "remarkable." A poster of Sade Robinson and a dove in her honor are seen at the public memorial service on May 10 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee. A news conference at the state Capitol on the need to create a task force for missing and murdered Black women and girls was held Thursday. Erika Brown, who has been friends with Sheena Scarbrough (Robinson's mother) since college, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel following the event, "I am devastated just trying to wrap my mind around the idea of having to comfort my friend later, knowing this conversation is coming. (Sheena) does want the rest of her baby. We can't talk about cremation, burial, or any of those things." More: Here's a timeline of known events the night that Sade Robinson was killed and dismembered This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Sade Robinson's family called following arm discovery in Waukegan Prosecutor: Warning a reminder for real estate agents to be vigilant **Editors note: The Summit County Prosecutors Office has determined a man who recently approached a real estate agent was not the person originally named in a warning by area realtors. SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) The Summit County Prosecutors Office says an investigation determined a man who allegedly was acting suspiciously around real estate agents was not the person originally named in a warning by local realtors. Law enforcement investigated a recent report of a man approaching real estate agents at open houses. The prosecutors office said Robert Willett, 67, the man named by the Akron Cleveland Association of Realtors, who is a convicted sex offender, is not involved. The Summit County Prosecutors Office released the following statement: My office investigated a recent report of a man approaching real estate agents. While the investigation showed it was not the individual originally named, this interaction is a reminder that real estate agents must be vigilant in their safety. 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. Jonathan Board, the newly appointed executive director for the West Virginia First Foundation, speaks to reporters during a news briefing on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in the state attorney general's office in Charleston, W.Va. (Screenshot from attorney general's livestream) With a $230,000 annual salary secured, Jonathan Board on Thursday attended the West Virginia First Foundations monthly meeting for the first time as the organizations executive director. Board previously held a seat on the organizations board but in March suspended a run for state Senate to accept the position as the foundations executive director. Matt Harvey, who chairs the foundations board, said Board accepted his $230,000 salary offer with little negotiation. According to Harvey, the state Attorney Generals Office previously posted a listing for the position with a $230,000 to $300,000 salary range. [We were] looking at some comparisons for other executive directors in this field with a foundation this large which were rather high, quite frankly and we negotiated [Boards] salary to start on the lower end of the scale, at [$230,000], and he accepted, Harvey said. Upon request, Harvey, as well as counsel for the First Foundation, said Boards employment contract will likely not be released to the public due to personnel provisions within it. As of April 30, according to board treasurer Jeff Sandy, the First Foundation holds more than $222.3 million in the bank from opioid settlements. Since November, the organization has collected about $4.8 in interest on those funds alone. Expenses for the board over that time which have largely been for investment, banking and legal services have totaled about $198,000, Sandy said. The foundation has yet to release any funds for projects or programming to confront the states ongoing drug and overdose epidemic. With Board now working full time as the executive director, organization leaders said Thursday they believed processes would start moving quickly to get the foundation in a better position to distribute funds. Through a slideshow, Board presented board members with his 30- 60- and 90-day goals for the organization. Eventually, according to the presentation, he envisions potentially hiring more full-time executive staff to run the organization, but plans and a personnel budget to do so have not been finalized. While it was Boards first meeting as executive director, it was also his successors first meeting as a board member. Jon Dower, an addiction specialist and counselor who serves as executive director for nonprofit West Virginia Sober Living, was elected to the board last week by regional representatives from North Central West Virginia to fill the seat vacated by Board. Dower, who is in long-term recovery from opioid use disorder, said he felt like he was meant to be on the First Foundations board. This kind of board is special to my heart, with a little over a dozen years in recovery, Dower said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Salary set at $230,000 for West Virginia First Foundation executive director appeared first on West Virginia Watch. WASHINGTON COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) A Saltville man has been arrested after authorities claim he drove around Washington County, Virginia for hours with a deceased woman in the back seat of his vehicle. According to the Washington County, Virginia Sheriffs Office (WCSO), deputies were called around 2 p.m. Thursday about a man driving around with a body in his vehicle. A news release from the WCSO states Sanders Chad Barrett, 57, was found in the parking lot of a Bristol, Virginia store with the womans body in the back seat. PREVIOUS: Man found with dead woman in back seat in Washington County, Va. The woman was pronounced dead, and a search warrant was executed by the WCSOs Criminal Investigations Division and the Virginia State Police. Investigators determined the woman had been dead for an extended period of time, the release states. According to the sheriffs office, investigators also learned that Barrett had driven to several locations in the county with the dead woman in the vehicle for over eight hours. As of Friday, the WCSO stated the cause and manner of the womans death are not known while investigators await a determination from the medical examiner. Her identity is being withheld until her next of kin can be notified. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Crime Watch Barrett was taken into custody on an outstanding felony warrant from Smyth County. He also faces additional charges in Washington County, which include: Felony possession of crystal methamphetamine Felony transport, secrete, conceal or alter a dead body with malicious intent and to prevent detection of an unlawful act or to prevent the detection of the death or the manner or cause of death Barrett was being held without bond at the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail. The investigation remains ongoing. 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. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) San Diego County unveiled its latest budget Thursday afternoon, which includes various investments in infrastructure, behavioral health and affordable housing. According to a breakdown of the proposed budget by County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond, a new public health lab, which is expected to open next year, will receive among the largest portions of funding an estimated $92 million. Iconic Mexican ship arrives in San Diego County Sheriffs patrol stations are also set to receive a significant share of funding. The budget shows approximately $86.9 million will go toward six patrol stations that serve unincorporated communities and contracted agreements with the cities of San Marcos and Vista. Additionally, $16 million in funding will be allocated for fire, emergency and ambulance services, the county says. The budget for road maintenance will increase by $4.5 million, the county says, leading to a total of $65.5 million for improving 2,000 miles of county roadways. County parks and libraries will also get some funding to help with operations and improvements. The proposed budget allocation for parks is $33.5 million, and over half a million for libraries. Glorias revised budget adjusts funds for police, emergency services Tackling homelessness is another focus for the county, with $15 million aimed at helping people transition into stable housing in unincorporated areas. The county is also allocating an unspecified amount of money for five affordable housing developments with a total of 376 units. Eight more developments are planned, according to the county. Another good portion of the countys budget will be aimed at funding a nearly 14,000-square-foot psychiatric health facility in Oceanside. The county says the 16-bed facility is estimated to get over $9 million in funding. Meanwhile, 15 schools throughout the countys fifth district will get a share of $5 million to help with mental health support for middle school students, and another $3.5 million will support adults receiving substance use treatment. Other investments in public health include the addition of mobile units meant to increase access to health and wellness services in different communities, as well as an additional $1.5 million for water quality testing. The county says over the coming weeks, it will ask for community input and make adjustments to the budget proposal before its formal adoption. 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. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) San Diego Unified has rescinded the majority of preliminary layoff notices handed out to over 200 educators in March, according to a statement from the district on Thursday. The move came amid what the districts Board of Education described as an ongoing analysis of revenue trends and expenses for the school year, and by identifying educator position vacancies at schools due to retirements and resignation. In a budget presentation from district leaders in March, district leaders said nearly 500 jobs across classified and certified positions would be cut in an effort by the district to close a nearly $94 million budget deficit heading into the next school year. However, the district said at the time that only about 250 staff, including roughly 120 special subject and elementary school educators, would have actually been laid off. Roughly 234 preliminary pink slips were issued to educators shortly afterwards 225 of which were reversed. San Diego Unified students can now get guaranteed spots at CSU San Marcos The other positions were eliminated through attrition and voluntary separation, such as early retirement and the early ending of temporary jobs. According to the board, district leaders are currently working with principals to help finalize staffing plans for the upcoming school year. Despite a significant deficit, I am proud that through data-driven planning that prioritized childrens needs, we have developed a fiscally sound budget with limited impacts on our tremendous educators, Board of Education President Shana Hazan said in Thursdays statement. We are really, really excited to be where we are today, Hazan said Friday, speaking to FOX 5/KUSI. Hazan said the state requires them to send out preliminary notices of possible layoffs by March 15. However, Hazan said that deadline is often too early to know if layoffs are actually needed. If we had until say May 15 to be able to make final staffing decisions, we wouldnt have to give out those preliminary layoff positions, which we know created a lot of stress and uncertainty for our kids and we wish we didnt have to do that, Hazan said. The previously planned cuts included a variety of positions including elementary school teachers, food workers, bus drivers and administrative staff. The remaining nine jobs the district will lay off are very specific jobs that are no longer needed, Hazan said. These are positions such as a foundational math instructors. The district said they are not laying off any permanent elementary school teaching positions, though they plan to eliminate two temporary teaching positions at Linda Vista Elementary School. SDUSD officials learned of the deficit for the upcoming school year back in June. At that time, the gap was estimated to be upwards of $130 million, largely caused by the lapsing of COVID-era funding and a tightening of revenue from Sacramento due to the statewide budget issues. While the impact of layoffs this year appears to be remaining minimal in spite of the deficit, the storm of layoffs is not quite over yet: Headed into the 2025-26 school year, the school district is facing another shortfall of around $163 million. In the March budget meeting, district officials said they would continued to scrutinize expenses headed into budget planning for the next school year, as well as expand zero-based budgeting, expand strategy plans and analyze the existing attrition model. Alani Letang contributed to this report. 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. Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer announced charges against Mirian Jimenez-Olivera, 34, for allegedly repeatedly beating her 5-week-old baby when he refused to stop crying. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) A Santa Ana mother has been charged with brutally beating her 5-week-old son who was left with 16 broken bones, including a fractured knee and skull. Mirian Jimenez-Olivera, 34, was charged Thursday by the Orange County district attorney's office with repeatedly beating the child when he refused to stop crying. She is accused of punching the infant in the ribs, shoulder and arms when he cried on multiple occasions and roughly pulling his leg while changing his diapers, according to the district attorney's office. The abuse by Jimenez-Olivera allegedly began when the child was 2 weeks old, prosecutors say. The baby's father, Edgar Busto-Rodriguez, 35, has also been charged with being an accessory after the fact for trying to cover up his wife's alleged abuse when he lied to police about how his son was injured. Authorities were made aware of the abuse when the boy was taken to the Children's Hospital of Orange County on Monday. The parents took him to seek care when the infant wasn't moving his left arm, according to the district attorney. Read more: Toddler was shot as she rode in car's back seat. Santa Ana man now under arrest During the hospital visit, doctors found the baby had 16 broken bones, including a fractured skull, knee, elbow, finger and ribs. A mothers arms should be the safest place for a newborn, fiercely protecting him from the world, but for [this baby] his mothers arms were the weapons of violence which helped systematically break his little bones into tiny pieces because he wouldnt stop doing what every newborn does cry, said Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer. No child should be brought into this world and be subjected to unimaginable pain and then be left to suffer in silence, not knowing when the next time his mother would lash out in anger and break another rib or snap another bone." Read more: She got 25 years to life for tossing son four floors. Court says probation should be considered Spitzer commended the hospital staff "who rescued this defenseless baby from the living hell he was born into. Jimenez-Olivera was charged with 11 felony counts of child abuse. She faces a maximum sentence of 42 years in state prison if convicted on all counts. Busto-Rodriguez was charged with one felony count of accessory after the fact. He faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison. The parents have pleaded not guilty and are being held in custody in lieu of $1-million bond each. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Two tourists arrive at 9 Meson Street in Cadiz, in southern Spain, wheeling two huge black suitcases. They dont notice that the doorway is lined with posters: We are being sold. Find out more here; and Yes to tourism, no to touristification; and Stop tourist housing. Eva Orihuela comes across the two tourists as she arrives from work to visit her mother, Maria Munoz, 88, who is waiting for her inside a dark ground floor apartment that has served as her home for the past 57 years. The posters have been put up because this pensioner is facing eviction as she cannot afford to buy the apartment in a building that has been almost completely converted into tourist housing. Munozs case has enraged locals in the historic El Populo neighborhood of Cadiz, an urban area with a medieval past boasting sites from Roman times. They are exterminating us. We are fighting to preserve the traditional neighborly morning greeting, says Antonio Gallardo, spokesman for the Platform of Neighbors and Friends of El Populo as well as being a former resident of the building which Munoz will have to leave by June 26, according to a court order. The fast-approaching day of reckoning robs the elderly woman of sleep at night. Im not well, she manages, sitting at the table in her living room, under the watchful eye of her daughter. Munoz has been living in the same building since 1967, when she took up residence in what was then a property for renting rooms known in Cadiz as partiditos with her husband Antonio: I have had my three children here, she explains. The building was rehabilitated in the nineties with European funds, within the Urban Plan, and Munoz kept her old rent, until her husband died eight years ago. The family was then obliged to subrogate the contract in the widows name within a legal deadline. However, they maintain they were unaware of the change and failed to comply. Three months later, a notice arrived, Munozs daughter adds. Two tourists arrive with their suitcases at Marias doorway, 9 Meson street, on April 10. PACO PUENTES The property administrators then offered to draw up a new standard contract at a low price Munoz pays 97 ($105) a month in rent for three years, which was extended, according to lawyer Emilio Beltrami, one of the 10 current owners of the property that once belonged to the Francoist mayor, also Emilio Beltrami. During that period, the owners began to sell the 12 apartments that make up the property and gave the elderly woman an ultimatum: leave or buy the apartment for 147,000 ($159,410), an amount Munoz could not afford on a pension of 1,180 ($1,279) a month. The family was also unable to meet the cost, according to Munozs daughter. We have been looking for a house for my mother for three years, three years of lawsuits and injunctions, adds Munozs daughter, who claims not to have found anything to rent below 800 a month. The courts ruled in favor of the Beltrami family in a December 2022 court order that Munoz failed to appeal, according to Beltrami. We want to sell it. Why should we continue to receive eight euros a month each? he says. We have always tried to act in good faith. After doing her a favor, now they say we want to throw her out. In this period of judicial comings and goings, Munozs eviction has been delayed due to her fragile health. Meanwhile, the property has been filling up with Airbnbs and the like which Beltrami is careful to distance himself from: We have never rented to tourists, he says. The ones that were sold to outsiders are the ones that are doing that. The neighborhood of El Populo in Cadiz, up in arms against mass tourism, evictions and vacation rentals. PACO PUENTES In total, up to eight of the apartments in the building appeared on the Andalusian Tourism Ministrys registry for vacation rental property. Five of them have been removed and three more are in the process of removal, after the change in the general plan approved by the previous government, which banned tourist accommodation in properties that are not considered to be in the upper echelons of heritage protection, as the current conservative-run local government states. But Munozs case has triggered rage in a neighborhood that sees local life being gradually diminished. Neighborhood spokesman and owner of the legendary bar El Malagueno, Gallardo says that there are already 14 properties dedicated entirely to tourist rentals within a reduced area. We want them to be inspected one by one, he says. They will discover a lack of permits and that these are places that could be rented to the people of Cadiz. Born in El Populo, Gallardo complains about the transformation of a neighborhood that, decades ago, was riddled with prostitution and drugs. We were able to rehabilitate the buildings with the aid of European funds, allowing the locals to retake the streets, says the neighborhood spokesman, who also helped open the district to the Cadiz LGBTQ+ community. We managed to convert the neighborhood and now the rewards are being reaped by the tourists. We must get back to social housing. Posters protesting mass tourism, evictions and tourist apartments in the neighborhood of El Populo de Cadiz. PACO PUENTES Last Friday, EL PAIS witnessed how Munozs building continued to host tourists. Meanwhile, Cadizs mayor, Bruno Garcia, said he wanted more restrictions on tourist rentals in a city that has already lost a third of its population over the last 30 years due to gentrification, unemployment and lack of land. Munoz watches the debate from a distance, concerned mostly about her own eviction. A glimmer of hope has appeared in the shape of a developer from Cadiz, Agustin Rubiales, who has promised to rent her an apartment in a housing development he is to rehabilitate in the city center, although not in El Populo. The problem is that construction work has not yet begun, and the old womans family is asking her current landlords to let the woman stay until the work is finished. I know that the rest of the owners are reluctant, says Beltrami, though he maintains he himself is not averse to the idea. Munoz has already come to terms with the fact that she will not end her days in Meson Street, nor in El Populo where she is receiving so much support. Tourists come and go, admiring facades and visiting the Roman Theater that adjoins the old womans house, oblivious to the complaints. Only a family from Extremadura traveling in a camper van stop at the signs. Its sad, it makes you think about the best way to travel, says the woman. Inside, Munoz can only accept her fate: My idea was to stay here until I go to the next world, but if I have to move, I will, she says. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) The San Angelo Police Department is searching for an individual wanted for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars in property, and its asking for the publics help in finding her. According to an announcement made by the SAPD, 41-year-old Candice Campbell currently has a warrant out for her arrest. She faces one charge of theft of property valued between $2,500 and $30,000. The SAPD describes Campbell as being 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds. She has brown hair and hazel eyes. The Texas Penal Code identifies theft of property valued between $2,500 and $30,000 as a state jail felony. Unless other criteria are met, the punishment for a state jail felony is confinement for any term of not more than two years or less than 180 days and a fine not to exceed $10,000. The SAPD asks that you call (325) 657-4315 if you recognize Campbell or have any information that could lead to her arrest. 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. Christian and Bridget Ziegler sit with their attorney, Matthew Sarelson, left, during a hearing Thursday, May 16, 2024 before Judge Hunter Carroll in Sarasota. The Zieglers filed suit against the City of Sarasota, Sarasota Police Department and the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office to stop the release of records obtained during closed criminal investigations into video voyeurism and sexual battery by Christian Ziegler. Ziegler was not charged in either case. Christian and Bridget Ziegler sit with their attorney, Matthew Sarelson, left, during a hearing Thursday, May 16, 2024 before Judge Hunter Carroll in Sarasota. The Zieglers filed suit against the City of Sarasota, Sarasota Police Department and the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office to stop the release of records obtained during closed criminal investigations into video voyeurism and sexual battery by Christian Ziegler. Ziegler was not charged in either case. A Sarasota judge heard arguments Thursday regarding an injunction filed by former Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler to stop the release of records obtained during a criminal investigation into sexual battery and video voyeurism. Christian Ziegler and his wife and Sarasota County school board member Bridget Zielger appeared in court for the hearing, with Christian Ziegler taking the stand. The Zieglers filed an injunction to protect records seized during an October investigation after Christian Ziegler was accused of rape by a woman hed known for years. The allegation stemmed from a planned three-way sexual encounter between Christian Ziegler, the alleged victim and Bridget Ziegler who wasn't able to attend. Sarasota police didnt move forward with filing rape charges against Christian Ziegler, but asked the State Attorney's Office in January to review a related investigation into potential video voyeurism by Christian Ziegler. The SAO announced March 6 that it wouldnt move forward with the charges. Previous coverage: Sarasota judge denies motion to release ex-Florida GOP chair's seized criminal records Keep reading: Zieglers sue to stop release of records from rape, voyeurism investigation The lawsuit seeks to have all communications in the possession of authorities destroyed. Matthew Sarelson, attorney for the Zieglers, argued the release of the information would cause great humiliation and harm to his clients reputations and violate their privacy. Sarasota Circuit Judge Hunter Carroll previously denied a motion to dismiss the injunction filed by Michael Barfield, The Florida Center for Government Accountability and a news media group including Gannett Co. Inc, the parent company of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune; The McClatchy Co. LLC; Nexstar Media Group Inc.; and Scripps Media Inc. Tegna Inc. and Times Publishing Co. would later join Barfield on the motion. Attorneys argued the injunction went overboard and are asking Carroll to allow the release of records contained in the investigative file, including Christian Zieglers text messages, and his Google Drive and Instagram accounts. Morgan Bentley, who represented The Florida Center for Government Accountability, said the case is unique in having such a powerful, high-profile couple centered around the issues stemming from the case. He added their request is much more limited than what people think. Sarelson said during openings that while Christian Ziegler may have been a public figure since he was Chairman of the Florida GOP, he didnt work for the government, so he was a private citizen when the allegation was made. Carroll did not make a decision Thursday, but he promised to get a decision out as soon as possible. His decision is expected to come out in the following weeks. Question of whether there was violation of Fourth Amendment As the hearing shifted from opening to closing arguments, it appeared there was a question as to whether or not there were Fourth Amendment violations that occurred, both with obtaining a search warrant and the retention of evidence after the SAO declined to charge Christian Ziegler. The question for the court is, if a document is seized pursuant to a search warrant, does that alone make it a public record, Sarelson said during closing arguments. His stance is that it doesnt. Sarelson asked Carroll to rule that anything obtained by a search warrant cannot be converted into a public record. Questions also arose surrounding Fourth Amendment violations regarding how the initial search warrant was obtained from Circuit Court Judge Thomas Krug. Specifically, Carroll wanted to clarify if SPD detectives had told Krug in their probable cause affidavit for the warrant that Christian Ziegler's attorney had informed police there was potentially exculpatory evidence in the form of a video. Questions for Sarasota Police Detective Angela Cox, the lead detective in the criminal investigation, focused on the timeline of when a search warrant was obtained for Christian Zieglers phone. If the police knew about the video before asking for the search warrant and didnt disclose it to the judge, there could be an issue that there wasn't probable cause for the search warrant. Cox said that she hadnt known that Derek Byrd, who represented Christian Ziegler, had reached out to SPD Sgt. Charles Riffe to tell him Christian Ziegler had a video that showed the sexual encounter had been consensual and they could view it at Byrds office. Cox believed they were going to meet Christian Ziegler and his attorney in the early hours of Nov. 2 for a statement, which was why they obtained the search warrant to collect Zieglers phone sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight on Nov. 1. Riffe testified that he had every intention of taking the phone following that meeting, regardless of whether Byrd offered a copy of just the video because he didn't know what the video would show. Chief Assistant State Attorney Craig Schaeffer, representing the State Attorneys Office, said even if police had gone back to Krug, they'd still would have sought the search warrant and he added that the omission most likely wouldn't have changed the outcome. In case you missed it: State Attorney's Office declines to charge Christian Ziegler with video voyeurism More: Bridget Ziegler to ask School Board to reject new Title IX protections for gender identity What are the contours of a public record and how do federal privacy rights? The million-dollar question in the case looks at what the contours are of the public records act and whether or not federal constitutional privacy and property rights trump it. Barfield pointed out Florida's Chapter 119 statute states that all records are open to the public. He added that Florida law also doesn't authorize the right to privacy to be elevated above the public's right to know. Bentley argued that within the contours of public records, information found within the investigative file that was deemed relevant in the investigation or possible charges should be considered public records. He added if police copied something but decided it was irrelevant, it's not considered a public record. Sarelson's argument is that federal privacy rights trump the public records laws and that there should be a complete return of his client's cell phone and data obtained pursuant to the search warrant. Sarelson conceded that Florida's privacy amendment has "a carve out" for public records, but the U.S. Constitution doesn't. He added there is a much more developed sense of privacy in the U.S. Constitution. Chief Assistant State Attorney raises concerns about scope of search warrants Schaeffer pointed out the irony in his opening, stating that had Christian Ziegler been arrested, he could have applied for expungement. However, because no arrest was made, it isnt an option. In the same vein, had the case gone to court, then a motion to suppress certain evidence could have been filed and argued before a judge. The current law leaves a hole in the wall for cases where individuals might be investigated, but not charged, and whether records obtained during the investigation then become public records. Schaeffer voiced concern that the hearing could inherently impact the scope of search warrants, he said during opening, which could have a massive chilling effect on law enforcement because it would mean warrants would have to be very narrowly tailored. The issue arises in that when law enforcement obtains an individuals phone, digital forensic specialists often perform a complete download of the phone, which potentially allows them to recover deleted data. A deposition transcription from SPD Forensic Digital Technician Brian Yang indicates that while targeted extractions are possible, it doesn't target potential deleted data, recovered data, databases or third-party applications. Christian Ziegler takes the stand Christian Ziegler took the stand following his former attorney, Derek Byrd, his eyes often darting towards his wife as he answered questions. Bridget Ziegler would shake her head at times as attorneys questioned her husband. Questions posed by attorneys to Christian Ziegler focused on the criminal investigation, specifically his concern about the information becoming public knowledge and his Google searches after he initially spoke with police. Ziegler testified he and Byrd didnt take any action in court to limit the scope of the search of his phone, stating he didnt know it was an option. Gabriela Szymanowska covers the legal system for the Herald-Tribune in partnership with Report for America. You can support her work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America. Contact Gabriela Szymanowska at gszymanowska@gannett.com, or on Twitter. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Judge to decide if Ziegler's seized criminal records are public Taylor Shelton speaks to reporters Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Richland County Courthouse following a hearing on whether South Carolina's abortion ban should apply at nine weeks instead of six. The lawsuit recounts her experience of being unable to get an appointment within the six-week cutoff. (Seanna Adcox/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA A judge ruled South Carolinas abortion ban should remain in effect at six weeks of pregnancy, not nine, as abortion providers argued. Circuit Court Judge Daniel Coble threw out a request from Planned Parenthood, which asked the court to bar the state from enforcing the law until questions are answered over its timing. The case centered not around whether the law is constitutional the Supreme Court already ruled it is but when, exactly, it begins. Lawmakers could not have been more clear that they intended the ban to begin at six weeks, Coble wrote in a ruling released late Thursday. Often referred to as a heartbeat law, the rule says doctors can not perform abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detectable. But during arguments earlier this month, Planned Parenthood attorney Kyla Eastling pointed to a clause in South Carolinas law that defines a heartbeat as cardiac activity, or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac. The electrical impulse doctors can detect via ultrasound at six weeks is not steady; it is not repetitive; and it is not rhythmic, Eastling said at the time. Thats not the case until an actual heart forms around nine weeks of pregnancy, she argued. The states experts countered that those electrical impulses function in essentially the same way as a heart, pumping blood through the embryo, even if the four chambers of a heart have not yet taken shape. Coble declined to suspend the law, calling that a drastic measure, particularly in a case the Supreme Court already upheld. The Supreme Court left the door open to the question of timing after its 4-1 ruling last August determining that the current ban is constitutional. We leave for another day the meaning of fetal heartbeat and whether the statutory definition cardiac activity, or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart, within the gestational sac refers to one period of time during a pregnancy or two separate periods of time, Justice John Kittredge wrote in the majority opinion. That day is now upon us, and a decision must be made, Coble wrote in his ruling, first reported by The State. Planned Parenthood will fight the ruling and continue to challenge the rules timeframe, the organization said in a statement Friday. It is likely the Supreme Court will end up settling the case, after refusing to take it up directly last November. Cobles job, he wrote, was not to decide between the two timeframes but instead to determine whether the law was clear. Looking just at whats written, the definition is not clear, Coble wrote. Instead, he relied on more than a dozen instances in which lawmakers, both for and against the law, referred to it as a six-week ban. Based on that, he believes that there is no doubt in the timeframe. A spokesman for Gov. Henry McMaster called the ruling another legal victory for the states abortion ban. Life will continue to be protected in South Carolina, and the governor will continue his fight to protect it, spokesman Brandon Charochak said in a statement. The case focused on Taylor Shelton, a Lowcountry resident, who found out she was pregnant last September despite having an intrauterine device, a form of birth control. Shelton quickly realized she was pregnant but couldnt get an appointment for an abortion in South Carolina before the six-week cutoff. So, she drove to North Carolina, where abortions are allowed until 12 weeks of pregnancy. She had to take three trips and spend more than 20 hours in the car, she told reporters after a hearing earlier this month. Planned Parenthood was disappointed in the ruling and vowed that the fight is not over, said Jenny Black, president of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, in a statement. Given the impact of this case on thousands of patients across South Carolina who have been unfairly denied abortion care, we will continue to demand that the courts apply the law as written, Black said in the statement. The post SC abortion law can stand at 6 weeks of pregnancy, judge rules appeared first on SC Daily Gazette. A South Carolina state representative has been suspended from practicing law following a lawsuit alleging he committed legal malpractice. The South Carolina Supreme Court issued an order Friday suspending state Rep. Marvin Pendarvis law license until further order of the court. Pendarvis, 35, D-Charleston, was suspended after he was accused in a lawsuit of legal malpractice and of committing unfair and deceptive practices under the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit filed last month by attorneys Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter on behalf of Adrian Lewis, Pendarvis former client claims that Pendarvis forged a clients signature in order to secure a settlement for a amount far smaller than was promised. When the alleged duplicity was discovered, Pendarvis used funds from his law firms trust account to try to pay off his client, according to the lawsuit. The Supreme Courts order did not specify why the license was suspended, including whether it was connected to the lawsuit. The State has reached out to Pendarvis, who took office in 2017 after winning a special election in District 113 in Charleston. He took office just three years after graduating from University of South Carolina Law School in 2014, the same year he was admitted to the South Carolina Bar. He received his undergraduate degree from USC in 2011. His legal practice, Pendarvis Law LLC, in North Charleston specializes in personal injury and criminal defense. The order was signed by Chief Justice Donald Beatty for the court. Attorney Eric Bland, who filed the malpractice lawsuit against Pendarvis with his colleague Ronnie Richter, said of the Supreme Courts Friday action, Its about time. Quite frankly, Im shocked it took this long to get him temporarily suspended. The lawsuit, with numerous specific allegations, was filed April 11. Among its numerous allegations was that Pendarvis diverted client funds and forged a clients signature. Bland said, The first thing we do when we file a legal malpractice complaint is that we notify the Bar of this type of conduct. Bland and Richter played a key role, along with several other lawyers, in exposing the thefts of client funds by now-disbarred lawyer, convicted killer and fraudster Alex Murdaugh of Hampton County. Blands lawsuit against Murdaugh and other parties alleged they stole millions. The lawsuit contained the first sweeping revelations of financial thefts committed by Murdaugh over a multi-year span. This is the kind of action (by Pendarvis) that pollutes our Bar and sets us back years, Bland said. Whatever goodwill we get from lawyers coming forward and taking down Murdaugh, .... something like this sets us back years. A South Carolina state representative has been suspended from practicing law following a lawsuit alleging he committed legal malpractice. The South Carolina Supreme Court issued an order Friday suspending state Rep. Marvin Pendarvis law license until further order of the court. Pendarvis, D-Charleston, was suspended after he was accused in a lawsuit of legal malpractice and of committing unfair and deceptive practices under the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit filed last month by attorneys Eric Bland and Ronnie Richter on behalf of Adrian Lewis, Pendarvis former client claims that Pendarvis forged a clients signature in order to secure a settlement for a amount far smaller than was promised. When the alleged duplicity was discovered, Pendarvis used funds from his law firms trust account to try to pay off his client, according to the lawsuit. The Supreme Courts order did not specify why the license was suspended, including whether it was connected to the lawsuit. The State has reached out to Pendarvis. The order was signed by Chief Justice Donald Beatty for the court. A former Heathwood Hall Episcopal School student who faced up to 60 years in prison after being accused of sexually assaulting and kidnapping a 15-year-old girl at a party in 2020 was sentenced to probation under a plea deal, according to authorities and court records. Garrett Kennard, who denied the allegations, pleaded guilty last month to second degree assault and battery and was sentenced under the states Youthful Offender Act. His attorney, Jonathan Milling, said he fought to have the charges dropped altogether. But the 5th Circuit Solicitors Office was unwilling to dismiss the case, Milling said. My client has not admitted to doing anything, but subjected himself to the jurisdiction of the court voluntarily ... he made a decision to proceed with (the plea) rather than running the risk of what could happen at trial because you never know whats going to happen. Kennard entered an Alford plea, in which a defendant maintains his innocence but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a jury to find him guilty. A conviction under an Alford plea carries the same weight as a guilty plea or conviction by a jury. Judge Robert Hood accepted the plea. Kennard had been accused of locking himself in a bathroom with the girl during a party in Columbia in 2020. While in the bathroom, Kennard allegedly forced himself on the victim, who was inebriated, by kissing her and inappropriately touching her, according to an arrest warrant. In addition, he forced her to perform a sex act and was putting on a condom when a witness intervened by knocking on the bathroom door, according to the warrant. Defendant quickly pulled up his pants and placed the condom in the trash and unlocked the door, stating the victim was getting sick so he was helping her, the warrant said. The girl was treated by a sexual assault nurse examiner at an area hospital, according to a news release issued in 2020 by the Columbia Police Department. Fifth Circuit Solicitor Byron Gibson said his office agreed to the plea deal because after examining the evidence, prosecutors believed they did not have enough to convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt and secure a conviction on the initial charges. Gibson emphasized that his offices decision was supported by the victims family. The family was present at the hearing, represented by counsel, and thought the lesser charge was appropriate, Gibson said. The victim was represented by attorney Jim Griffin, who said there were several reasons why she found the plea deal acceptable. The most notable was a desire to move on with her life. This happened years ago and the victim has graduated high school, Griffin said. Shes in college and moving on with her life, and whenever a victim of sexual assault or misconduct has to testify at trial, its a very traumatic experience. And because she is doing so well, I was in favor of the plea for her because I did not want this trial experience to knock her off the successful path that shes on, despite what happened to her. Kennard, who was arrested in February 2020, was released shortly thereafter on a $20,000 bond. Under South Carolina law, second degree assault and battery carries a fine of up to $2,500 and up to 3 years in prison. But instead of jail time, Kennard was sentenced to probation under the states Youthful Offender Act. He must also abide by a restraining order, preventing him from contacting the victim. Kennard, 23, will be on probation until age 26 and must follow certain probationary parameters, at the risk of being sent to jail. John Monk contributed reporting. South Carolina lawyer and Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, D-North Charleston, stands accused of legal malpractice for allegedly misleading a client and forging legal documents. (Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA The South Carolina Supreme Court temporarily suspended the law license of a state legislator accused of legal malpractice. The states high court, which handles all disciplinary proceedings for lawyers practicing in the Palmetto State, issued an interim suspension against Rep. Marvin Pendarvis Friday. The suspension remains in place until further notice. Pendarvis declined to comment. A client sued the North Charleston Democrat last month, alleging Pendarvis settled a lawsuit without the clients permission, forged that clients signature and attempted to pay the client off when the man learned what had happened. Pendarvis had been handling a lawsuit on behalf of Adrian Lewis, the client who is now suing him. Lewis claimed the Dorchester County Sheriffs Department was neglectful and unlawfully arrested him after the mother of his then-6-year-old daughter accused him of taking the child without permission. The charges against Lewis were ultimately dismissed. The sheriffs office has denied any wrongdoing. But the lawsuit, filed by Lewis in late 2021, dragged out for over two years. Then, in late 2023 and early 2024, Lewis received a pair of checks totaling $6,666.67 with no explanation. What Lewis claims he found out later is that Pendarvis had settled the case without telling him. In the aftermath, Pendarvis allegedly showed up at Lewis house on April 2 with a bag he said contained $50,000 in cash. On a second occasion, he offered to pay Lewis mortgage if Lewis agreed not to sue. Then, Pendarvis gave Lewis another check for $15,000, according to the lawsuit. The State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the matter at the request of 1st Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe, who oversees the court district where the lawsuit was filed against Pendarvis. In the meantime, the court transferred Pendarvis client files and accounts to another lawyer, Peyre Lumpkin. The post SC Supreme Court suspends legislators law license amid malpractice lawsuit appeared first on SC Daily Gazette. PORTLAND, Ore. (PORTLAND TRIBUNE) V-I-C-T-O-R-Y: A 14-year-old Scappoose-area girl is looking to bring home the Scripps National Spelling Bee title after being named the regional champ a little closer to home. By correctly spelling the word auctorial, Rubina Wiedemer won the Portland Regional Scripps National Spelling Bee and will be heading to Washington D.C. for the national competition. Someone is throwing cans at people, cars from a downtown high-rise in Portland I was surprised and overwhelmed I was involved in a six-round spell off with another home-schooled speller. There were extremely difficult words, Rubina Wiedemer said of her win. Wiedemer, who lives just outside Scappoose and is part of Fossil Charter Schools distance learning program, was among 36 spellers from 36 local schools, representing six different counties. Photos: Dallesport mill fire still burning Friday, state crews take over Among her accolades is the fact that is she the only Oregon student to qualify for the national competition later this month. Read more at PortlandTribune.com. The Portland Tribune and its parent company Pamplin Media Group are KOIN 6 News media partners 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. Reinforcements are holding back Russias advance on the new front in Kharkiv province. The invaders lightning offensive north of Ukraines second-largest city which began on May 10 has been stopped after rapidly moving forward in the first few days. Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the area confirm that battalions that were in reserve have been transferred to Kharkiv. EL PAIS has been able to confirm as well that units of at least two brigades that were fighting on the Donetsk front have also been transferred to the new front. The fact that Russia has halted its advance may confirm the theory of Ukrainian Ministry of Defense intelligence services: that the enemys goal in opening a new front of fighting north of Kharkiv is to force Ukraine to reduce its troops in Donetsk. Moscows main objective, according to the main Western military analysis centers, is to conquer the municipality of Chasiv Yar and advance towards Pokrovsk, two cities in Donetsk. In these two areas, the intensity of the Russian advance has also decreased. According to an officer of the Ukrainian 23rd Mechanized Brigade, who was fighting in Donetsk until last week, this could be to encourage Ukraine to move more troops towards Kharkiv. This soldier, who preferred not to give their name for security reasons, said that the fighting in places like Chasiv Yar is still much more bloody than in this area of the north-eastern province. This newspaper was able to verify that Russian forces have retreated to the northern periphery of Vovchansk, the main border municipality north of Kharkiv, largely thanks to Ukrainian artillery power. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are suffering from a serious shortage of ammunition, and are awaiting the arrival of larger quantities of U.S. missiles, but this problem is not detected in Vovchansk. On the Russian side, the fire of howitzers is destroying the city. The scale of the damage is reminiscent of the Battle of Bakhmut in 2023, which ended with Russias conquest and the city razed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the city of Kharkiv on Thursday to analyze the progress of the fighting with his military commanders. The president said that the situation is extremely difficult, but under control. Although the Russian advance in Vovchansk and in neighboring Liptsi has been contained, Ukrainian authorities are preparing for a new offensive by Kremlin troops in another area of Kharkiv province, specifically on the border town of Kozacha Lopan. Residents in the town began evacuating on Wednesday. A resident flees Vovchansk after a Russian bombing, on May 14. Stringer (REUTERS) On Wednesday, Zelenskiy canceled all international trips, including an official visit to Spain, citing the need to remain in his country at this critical time. The president also met with the chief commander of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, who on May 11 relieved the general tasked with defending Kharkiv province after the rapid Russian advance. Since the start of May, there had been warnings that the Kremlin was planning an imminent advance from the Russian province of Belgorod. But despite this, Kharkiv reportedly lacked defensive fortifications in the province an issue that has sparked controversy due to the criticism of troops on the ground. EL PAIS was able to observe that practically no trenches were built in the 12 miles between Vovchansk and the city of Kharkiv. This is in stark contrast to other regions, such as the neighboring province of Sumi, where Russia is also threatening to open a new front, or in Zaporizhzhia, where there are new fortified and anti-tank defensive lines. The city of Kharkiv is also the main focus of attacks by the Russian air forces, which occur daily. Zelenskiy on Tuesday asked U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide Ukraine with at least two new Patriot air defense batteries to protect Kharkiv. The Ukrainian General Staff said that it is precisely the lack of anti-aircraft systems that is allowing Russias intense bombing on this front. This newspaper also found that the Russian army is consciously using cluster munitions, which are especially lethal in urban areas with a civilian population. The sound of explosions from this ammunition are often heard on the Vovchansk front. Near this municipality, a care center for evacuees from the town fewer than 300 inhabitants remain was attacked on Wednesday by a cluster bomb, wounding five people, including the mayor, Tamaz Gambarashvili. EL PAIS was at the scene a few hours before the attack. The site had to be quickly abandoned on Wednesday after Ukrainian intelligence services intercepted a military message from Russia transmitting the coordinates of the site to be attacked. In the two days of work in the area, EL PAIS has collected the testimony of at least three convoys of evacuees attacked by Russian drones. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition LAS VEGAS (KLAS) While educators debate the best practices for teaching children to read, experts say an investment in the science of reading could help Nevadas Read by Grade 3 bill achieve its titular goal. They arent building that stamina to read longer text, and then theyre not going to be prepared to navigate anything, said Debbora Nightingale, a tutor. Debbora Nightingale, a tutor, discusses her experience with third-grade students and their ability to read and write at that grade. (KLAS) Nevadas Read by Grade 3 law was passed in July 2015. The bill aimed to establish a statewide comprehensive system of early reading instruction and intervention aimed at accelerating the reading growth of students reading below grade level in kindergarten through third grade. In 2019, Nevadas legislature increased local funding for the program and expanded its scope to all elementary school grade levels, although in the process, it removed the mandatory retention requirement, which would require students to be held back should they not achieve a third-grade reading level at the end of that school year. That requirement was reintroduced and passed during the 2023 session of Nevadas legislature but will not take effect until the 2028-2029 school year. Despite the focus, Nightingale said nearly half of the third-grade students she tutors are not at the appropriate reading level. Were not instilling those basic skills in elementary school, she said. Factors that play into those failures include an understanding of the inner workings of the human brain and how people learn. Amanda Carter, associate professor of literacy and reading at Nevada State College, said years of studies have given educators insight into those factors. To be able to read, we literally have to program our brains to be able to decode words, Carter said, adding that she believes its time for the study of the way the brain processes words to cross over into the educational system. Amanda Carter, associate professor of literacy and reading at Nevada State College, discusses the science of reading and the part it will play in the future of Nevadas education system. (KLAS) Theres not space for negotiation anymore, she said, citing a 2020 article by Louisa Moats, entitled Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science. The article studies how children learn to read and why some dont. It details the science of reading and the intricate processes that occur in the brain that allow children to process words. Moats article concludes that the foundations of learning to read are phonological awareness, phonics, oral reading fluency, and spelling. In February, Governor Joe Lombardo released federal funding to expand learning opportunities for Nevada educators to focus on the science of reading. Carter said the new funding will help to equip those educators to become better reading teachers, but that work still needs to be done. We need more educational spaces that are following the science of reading, Carter said. For their part, Clark County School Department officials said Nevada law dictates that principals must submit their Read by Grade 3 literacy specialist staffing information. The English Language Arts curriculum introduced was detailed in a video released by the school district in September. 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. A sculpture dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance was unveiled on European Square in Kyiv on 16 May. Source: press service of Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Information Policy (MCIP) on 17 May, as reported by European Pravda Details: The sculpture, located next to the building of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, was unveiled by the NATO Representation to Ukraine in cooperation with the Joint Victory non-governmental organisation. Photo: MCIP As part of the celebrations, an informal meeting was held with the representative of NATO Secretary General Marie-Doha Besancenot and a concert was held at the Philharmonic. Photo: MCIP "The sculpture on European Square, which we are unveiling today, symbolises close cooperation between Ukraine and NATO. It is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Alliance," said Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy. For reference: The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was officially founded on 4 April 1949 by signing a relevant agreement in Washington. At present, NATO has 32 members, with Sweden and Finland being the latest to join after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Background: NATO defence ministers will meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels on 13-14 June, with a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council taking place on the first day. Support UP or become our patron! Search is underway for two New York teens missing for a week Evelyn Jimenez, 17, and Violet Munroe, 15, were last seen a week ago in upstate New York (New York State Police) Police are desperately searching for two New York teens who have been missing for a week as their families say they are lost without them. Evelyn Jimenez, 17, and Violet Munroe, 15, disappeared on 12 May in Westchester County. They were last spotted in Peekskill, New York State Police said in an update on Wednesday. She has never been gone like this ever, shes never left home. She is a beautiful young girl with so many people that love her, Violets father, Brian Munroe, told News 12. Violet Munroes parents pleaded for her to come home (New York State Police) Her mother, Nicole Munroe, pleaded for both girls, who often spend time in the White Plains area, to come home. "You know we are always here for you no matter what and we are lost without you," she said. A photo released this week shows the two teens leaving a train in southeast Putnam County. Munroes family said she went missing from their home on Saturday night. Evelyn Jimenez, 17, was last seen in Peekskill, NY (New York State Police) State police are working with Yorktown Police Department to search for the girls, with the latter saying they are working around the clock on the search, "We are just running down all the leads we can, knocking on doors, hoping to find these girls and get them home," Lt. James Graham, with the Yorktown Police Department, told News 12. Anyone with information on the girls whereabouts is asked to contact New York State Police at 914-769-2600 or the Yorktown Police Department at 914-962-4141. Second teen charged with murder after Gastonia NC man killed in York SC shooting Police in York arrested a second 15-year-old boy Thursday in connection to a May 4 shooting that left a North Carolina man dead, according to 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett. The teen arrested Thursday is charged with murder and 10 counts of attempted murder, Brackett said. York police charged arrested another 15-year-old male May 10 on the same charges of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. Officials have declined to say if there was a crowd that was fired upon that led to the 10 attempted murder charges, or anything else about the incident and the related charges. Neither suspect has been identified because of their age. JaiShaun Young, 21, of Gastonia, N.C., died after being shot on Galilean Road south of downtown York. The homicide is the first in the South Carolina city of around 9,000 people since 2022. Gastonia, west of Charlotte, is about 20 miles north of York. Investigation ongoing after 2 arrests Brackett said prosecutors continue to work with the York Police Department on the investigation, but declined further comment. York police Lt. Kevin Hoffman confirmed the second arrest but also declined to discuss details. The investigation remains active and ongoing, Hoffman told The Herald Friday. Police said after the shooting they responded to a shots fired call around 9:30 p.m. May 4, but have not released why the victim was in York that night. Both suspects are in S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice custody, police and prosecutors said. It remains unclear if the suspect arrested Thursday has been appointed a lawyer. The teenager charged May 10 is represented by the York County Public Defenders Office. No hearings are yet scheduled in York County Family Court. UPDATE: 3:20 p.m. Dunia Sandrez, 11, has been found safe, according to a spokesperson from the Dayton Police Department. INITIAL REPORT: The Dayton Police Department is asking for help locating a missing child. Dunia Sandrez, 11, was last seen on Thursday around 10 p.m. in the 1700 block of Oakridge Drive Sandrez was last seen wearing pajamas, but the colors are unknown. >> Scottie Scheffler arrested by police en route to Valhalla Golf Club; facing four charges Police say Sandrez could be with a friend in Miami Township. Additional details were not immediately available. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Sandrez, contact the Dayton Police Department (937) 333-COPS (2677) or Crime Stoppers at (937) 222-STOP or on the web at miamivalleycrimestoppers.com. ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) United States Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) was in Abingdon Friday to tour the Appalachian Highlands Dental Center. This is a really important asset for 14 communities in Southwest Virginia, and the reason Im here is Senator Warner and I went to bat with the Appropriations Committee in the Senate to get a half million dollars in funding to help this center expand, Kaine said. And we were able to get the word and get the budget done at the end of March. 1 injured, 1 arrested after Wise Co. shooting Kaine said he wanted to take time to visit the dental center to celebrate the securing of the funding for expansion. Kaine said that while Virginia as a whole is ahead of the country in terms of dentists by population, Southwest Virginia as a region is behind in those statistics. So this is important to serve more people, he said. And about nearly 80% of the patients here are Medicaid, but you also have to train more dentists. And thats one of the innovative things thats being done between this clinic and the hospital is a residency program that brings residents in for one year after they get their dental degree to do a residency. Kaine hopes the center will continue to keep dentists in the region to help address the need for care. While in Abingdon, Kaine also attended a ceremony honoring former governor Linwood Holton. 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. Sen. Richard Durbin calls for Supreme Court's Alito to step aside from Trump cases Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito faces a call from Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Richard Durbin to step down from cases related to the 2020 presidential election due to an upside-down American flag shown flying on his property days after the Jan. 6 riot. The upside-down flag is a symbol often seen on the pro-Trump right. File Photo by Eric Lee/UPI May 17 (UPI) -- Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Richard Durbin, D-Ill., on Friday called for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from all cases related to the 2020 election because of an American flag displayed upside down in front of the justice's home. One of the cases pertains to former President Donald Trump's claim of presidential immunity from prosecution over his efforts to reverse President Joe Biden's 2020 victory. Media reports showed an upside-down American flag outside of Alito's home in Alexandria, Va., days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The upside-down flag has long been used as an SOS signal but has been appropriated in recent years by people on the right who believe Biden stole the election from Trump. "Flying an upside-down American flag -- a symbol of the so-called 'Stop the Steal' movement -- clearly creates the appearance of bias," Durbin said Friday. "Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 insurrection, including the question of the former President's immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering," Alito has said he wasn't responsible for the flag's placement. "I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag," he said. "It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor's use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs." The Supreme Court is set to rule on Trump's immunity claim and on another case over an obstruction charge facing hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants. The court's ethics code states justices should refrain from making political statements in order to maintain their impartiality on matters that come before the court. Justice Clarence Thomas also has been asked to recuse himself due to his wife's involvement in the effort to overturn the 2020 election, but he has refused to do so. Three half-naked men are tied to the thick palm trees in the main square of Ivirgarzama, a town of 30,000 inhabitants located in Chapare, one of the coca plantation areas of Bolivia. A crowd of men and women are beating and insulting them. They have been blamed for the kidnappings of children that have affected this region for a long time. Dozens of people watch from the balconies of the houses that surround the square. The police do show up at the scene, having been reduced inside their own precinct hours earlier by the mob that took the suspects out of jail and beat them all the way to the square, forcing them to walk some of the distance on their knees. After hours of torture, one of the men is doused with gasoline and burned alive. The other two are taken to the outskirts of the town and beaten to death. The crowd disperses. A new lynching has taken place in Bolivia. The victims had police records. On May 8, they tried to steal the truck that a couple was offering for sale on one of the towns streets. They tied up the owners, apparently posing as police officers, and left them lying on the ground. Since they were unable to escape with the truck, they tried to seize another vehicle. They were discovered by neighbors, who managed to detain them and take them to the Ivirgarzama police quarters, where they were locked up. A police officer, surrounded by civilians, began to search the trunk of the car in which the alleged thieves had arrived in town. He found a white lab coat: apparently one of them was studying medicine. The officer also found school notebooks. At that moment, the people around him decided that the detainees were the perpetrators of the child abductions that have disrupted Chapare in recent months. Thanks to the coca leaf, Chapare, where former president Evo Morales became a union leader, is one of the richest rural areas in the country, but also the one with the fewest police officers, only about 25, even though it has a population of 393,000 people. The reasons for this absence are, in part, political. The governments of the Movement towards Socialism (MAS) have withdrawn the police from this region that produces the raw materials for drug trafficking, to allow its community to self-regulate. Although this does not include other crimes besides drug trafficking, this occurs anyway outside the law. In a video seen on social media where individuals inspect the suspicious car, a woman exclaims: We have to kill them, they cant come here. This is how the lynching began. Other videos, recorded by the participants themselves, show dozens of men inside the police module, kicking and punching the detainees out, before the passive gaze of the few police officers who work there. The incident was condemned by the government, which sent prosecutors to investigate it. After their visit, the prosecutors said a pact of silence prevented them from finding anyone to accuse, even though numerous videos and photographs could allow them to identify many of those who claimed the right to execute the alleged criminals. Almost 200 cases in seven years Lynching is a frequent practice in Bolivia, both due to the weakness of security institutions and the collectivist culture of the population. A study counted 193 cases and 373 victims between 2005 and 2011. The custom is maintained even on the outskirts of large cities such as La Paz and Potosi, where immigrants from the countryside have settled. In these neighborhoods, rag dolls hanging from light poles warn outsiders that the death penalty applies. Most of the victims of vigilante attacks are outsiders. These days the film Tribus, by director Gory Patino, is about to be released. The film brings to the screen journalist Roberto Navias chronicle of a lynching that occurred on July 2, 2013, also in Ivirgarzama. A robbery suspect was burned alive and other members of his family were beaten and narrowly survived. So far, there have been no sanctions against the perpetrators. Navia remembers other cases in which there were detainees and this caused political problems, because the communities involved protested and demanded the freedom of their countrymen. On May 13, just five days after the Ivirgarzama tragedy, another lynching took place not far from there, in Tolata, also in the Cochabamba region, in the center of the country. A crowd caught two thieves, killed one and left another seriously injured. Authorities also promised that they would investigate. NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) U.S. Sen. Mark Warner is joining city leaders, parents and childcare providers in a discussion on the child care crisis on Friday. The discussion is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Brooks Crossing in Newport News. Warner is expected to stress the need for Congress to assist in efforts to resolve the crisis, a release states. He also is expected to discuss the new early childhood development center thats being built in Newport News. The center is scheduled to open by the fall 2024. Its located along 14th Street and Jefferson Avenue. The Peake Childhood Center will run the facility. Transformational Early Childhood Center coming to Newport News The center costs about $11 million. Its a collaboration between Peake Childhood Center and Virginia Peninsula Community College and the city of Newport News. Day Without Child Care highlights need for affordable daycare, increased teacher wages The discussion comes days after the national movement, Day Without Child Care. The national movement aims to grab the attention of lawmakers as they seek affordable childcare and better pay for educators. In a recent Megaphone poll WAVY post, most participants said that they have struggled to find daycare. Most Virginia families with young children cant cover child care costs, report finds In 2023, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) released a child care report: More than 850,000 Virginians live at or below the poverty line. Virginia full-time Childcare costs between $100 and $440 dollars per week. Thats not including extra fees. Most Virginia childcare costs surpass 10% of the median income. That is higher then what the federal government says is affordable, Which is 7% or less of household income Check with WAVY.com 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 WAVY.com. The race to replace outgoing Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, is in full swing. Two first-time political candidates from Scott County, Julia Jaddock and Matt Nunn, are vying for the role. The 17th Senate District runs a long vertical length, from its southern end at Keeneland and much of Eastern Fayette County all the way up to rural and suburban parts of Kenton County. It also includes the entirety of Grant and Scott counties. . Scott is among the fastest-growing counties in the state, and about half of the districts population lives there. Jaddock is a childrens director at Central Church in Georgetown with a background in consulting and business ownership. Nunn is a vice president of enterprise risk management at Toyota Tsusho America, a branch of Toyota Group. Toyota is the largest employer in Scott County by far, and one of the largest employers in the state. Nunn has focused his campaign on bread-and-butter conservative issues like a business-friendly climate and fiscal conservatism as well as a focus on education. Jaddock has mentioned Certificate of Need reform a hospital regulatory issue top of mind for many Northern Kentucky Republicans as a priority alongside fighting against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Thayer is backing Nunn, donating $500 to his campaign recently. Nunn has also received the support of Kentucky Right to Life, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce as well as local judge-executives in all three counties in the district with a judge-executive system of government. Meanwhile, Jaddock has received the backing of some Liberty Republican groups. Candidates aligning under the loosely-organized banner of Liberty Republicanism are generally further right than the mainstream of the party on issues like gun control and the role of government. One Democrat, Kiana Fields of Georgetown, has filed to run for the seat. Heres how Jaddock and Nunn answered questions about themselves, their priorities and their politics: Julia Jaddock What about your personal and professional background makes you most qualified to serve? It has been said of me that I know how to see the big picture, establish achievable goals, make-effective decisions, and most importantly inspire and bring hope to others. I have been called a leader of leaders. In my 25 years of small business ownership, negotiating contracts all over the country, as a mother of four grown children, teacher, and now serving our great Commonwealth at Central Church as a Childrens Director I have led with integrity, responsibility, and respect for all whom I have had the privilege to work with or serve. With Gods help, I will do the same as your legislator. We need leaders that inspire and can guide our course for faith and family values. This is how I have and will continue to lead others. What would be your top 3 issues in Frankfort in the next term? In the State Senate, every piece of legislation that I sponsor, co-sponsor and vote for will be measured against our Constitution and our inalienable rights endowed to us by our Creator. This is the big picture of what absolutely must be accomplished. Practically speaking, I will fiercely fight to make Kentucky open for business in the medical field. Reducing or eliminating Certificate of Need is an example. I will fight for pro-family laws. Example: Eliminating any government dollars from going to support out-of-place DEI programs in our colleges. I will fight for life at all stages, and I will fight for the need to defend ourselves in our homes and in our communities. Republicans have a choice to make in this election. Why should they pick you? Because I represent the Republican platform. I am a lifelong Republican, unlike my opponent who has registered with three political parties in the past seven years. I have respected and fostered conservative values all of my life. I am driven by this ... to bring hope to the heart of Kentucky! I believe that Kentucky can lead the nation in how to bring about conservative change across our great country! I have spoken with so many that are feeling disheartened or disillusioned with an establishment class that are removed from having the heartbeat of the needs of everyday Kentuckians. John Adams said, Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Leaders must be selfless to effectively represent the people of the communities in which they live. Ive lived out selfless and integral practices and I care about Kentucky and the people that make it so strong. Republicans currently control the state legislature. How do you intend to make your mark on the partys direction & advocate for your district? This run would not be about me making a mark. This run is about giving the people their voice, ensuring that the people of Kentucky are heard. I would make town halls a regular occurrence throughout the district so that we can hear each others needs, directly from each other, and not from a news venue that has an agenda. The town halls would also foster an environment of sharpening each other as we debate with respect. If we get practiced as a community in debating the issues then we will not fear talking with our neighbors about our differences. Conflict with respect will grow us and only serve to make us better. Lets not fear the conversation and remain hopeful for an enriching outcome. Matt Nunn What about your personal and professional background makes you most qualified to serve? As a retired Army officer, small business owner and corporate executive, I have decades of experience solving complex problems while avoiding creating unnecessary problems. That experience in itself will lend me to be an effective legislator. Most importantly, Im running to serve, not to be served. I realize there is risk through my candidacy. Politics historically involves the sense of dirtiness that could negatively affect my professional career, the success of my business, and most importantly my familys comfort, friendships, and reputation. Even in facing those risks though, I feel a responsibility to my district. Ive lived the American Dream and I want future generations to have that same opportunity. That is the reason I raised my right hand at 18 and swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and that is what still calls me today, to serve in a legislative capacity. What would be your top 3 issues in Frankfort in the next term? 1. Education is the cornerstone of a prosperous society, and I am dedicated to ensuring that every child in Kentucky has access to a high-quality education. I will support initiatives that empower educators, enhance school safety, and provide students with the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy. 2. As a small business owner and corporate executive, I understand the vital role that businesses play in driving economic growth and creating opportunities for communities. I will advocate for pro-business policies - that reduce burdensome regulations, lower taxes, and promote entrepreneurship. All which will unleash the full potential of Kentuckys economy. 3. I am committed to ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. I will prioritize responsible budgeting, eliminate wasteful spending, and work to address long-term fiscal challenges facing the state, without burdening future generations with debt. Republicans have a choice to make in this election. Why should they pick you? As a Republican voter, I always ask myself two questions when evaluating a candidate: Can I trust that person to represent my values as well as the needs of my family and community? Will they be effective in representation? I believe the endorsements Ive received from the NRA, Kentucky Right to Life, and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce demonstrate my commitment to conservative values. For Legislators to be effective, they must possess the ability to listen well, develop creative solutions to problems, and build consensus around their ideas. Ive demonstrated my ability to do those things in my professional career, with my business, and through my work in the community. That is why Ive received the endorsement of the County Judge Executives in Kenton, Grant, and Scott Counties as well as many other leaders throughout the 17th District. Republicans currently control the state legislature. How do you intend to make your mark on the partys direction & advocate for your district? I will work hard to find solutions to the problems facing our public schools. Regardless of what happens with the school choice amendment this fall, most of the children in our Commonwealth will remain in traditional public schools. We absolutely need public schools to succeed and be successful. Our public schools must be places that attract quality teachers and support-staff. They must be a place where parents still desire their children to be educated. And they must be a place where children are learning the highest level of skills needed to compete in the workforce. Ive spent my career developing effective solutions to complex problems and building consensus around those ideas. I intend to work with my colleagues to ensure Kentuckys public schools are providing students with the skills they need to succeed, regardless of the career path they choose after high school. New Hampshire does not submit commitment records to identify individuals who are legally prohibited from buying a gun. (Getty Images) Senate Republicans united late Thursday night in almost certainly defeating legislation that would have added New Hampshire to the list of 47 states that provide records of psychiatric hospitalization commitments for gun background checks. Republicans voted, 13-10, to table House Bill 1711, meaning it will fail unless a majority of senators votes to take it off the table by May 23 or two-thirds of senators do so after May 23. The vote was in contrast to Marchs House vote, where 25 Republicans joined Democrats in passing the legislation, 204-149. Gov. Chris Sununu made clear Wednesday that had the bill reached his desk, he would have signed it. This is clearly a loophole that has to be closed, and Im supportive of the bill, Sununu told reporters. He said gun rights groups, which lobbied lawmakers to reject the bill, were trying to scare people into voting against it. A House Republican and Democrat whove never agreed on prior gun legislation filed the bill in response to the November fatal shooting of a state hospital security guard by a former patient whod been committed to a psychiatric facility. The bill would have required the state to take a persons guns in limited circumstances: when they were found not guilty by reason of insanity; incompetent to stand trial; or dangerous enough to themselves or others to require involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility. Senators did not debate the bill Thursday night. But earlier this month, Sen. Bill Gannon, a Sandown Republican, mischaracterized aspects of the legislation in urging colleagues to defeat it. Gannon said the bill would have provided people no due process before their guns were taken. However, the bill would have required the person go through a court hearing with legal representation. And before ordering a law enforcement officer to confiscate a persons guns, a judge could have asked the person if they preferred their guns be stored with an individual they knew or a gun store. The bill would have also created a legal process for a person to regain their Second Amendment rights once they were well. In an interview Friday, Rep. Terry Roy, a Deerfield Republican and the bills prime sponsor, called the Republicans decision to table rather than vote down the bill cowardly. Tabling is a useful tool, Roy said, when lawmakers need more time to shore up support or opposition to a bill. Here, Republicans had a solid majority. We are leaders and we are elected to lead, he said. They took the cowardly way instead of saying, We do support this or We dont support this. Under federal law, it is illegal for an individual who has been committed to a psychiatric facility to purchase or possess firearms. But New Hampshire does not submit commitment records to identify individuals who are legally prohibited from buying a gun. Roy, whos never supported a bill restricting Second Amendment rights, said the gun rights groups mischaracterized his bill as an anti-gun measure. I think its important to say one more time that this bill wouldnt have taken any gun rights away, Roy said. People who have been committed to a psychiatric facility are already committing a felony when they are buying a gun and the state is aiding and abetting a felony by not reporting (their commitment). The Attorney Generals Office is investigating the November shooting death of New Hampshire Hospital security guard Bradley Haas but has not yet said where the shooter, John Madore, obtained his guns. Madore was killed by a state trooper. The post Senate GOP halts effort to add mental health records to gun background checks appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, speaks on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on rural health care. (Screenshot) U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, speaks on Thursday, May 16, 2024, at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on rural health care. (Screenshot) Rural hospitals and clinics across the U.S., including in Oregon, face economic headwinds as they struggle to meet the medical needs of people who live in remote regions with limited choices for care. Last August, Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Baker City cited financial problems in shutting down its birth center in eastern Oregon. It was the only maternity ward in a county with nearly 17,000 people and had served the area for 100 years. The move has forced expectant mothers to travel an extra 45 miles to Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande, a treacherous if not impossible drive during wintertime. Rural hospitals are often the only outposts of medical care in many communities, offering an array of essential services like delivering babies, emergency medical care and surgeries. Yet more than half of rural hospitals in the U.S. operate in the red. At the same time, larger health care corporations are gobbling up small hospitals that have operated for decades. That can put much of the decision-making power about what services to offer or halt in the hands of executives who live far away and who are focused on the bottom line rather than the needs of those communities. On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee, led by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, heard from hospital leaders and health care experts, with an eye toward finding policy solutions and ideas to help rural hospitals continue to maintain the financial footing needed to stay open. In his remarks, Wyden said hes concerned about the outlook for rural hospitals. Between 2011 and 2021, one out of every four rural hospitals nationwide stopped providing obstetrics services, Wyden said. What happened at Saint Alphonsus in Baker City is a textbook example of whats happening in rural communities across the country, Wyden said. These Americans deserve better. Wyden said the nation needs a fresh approach that will provide extra financial support to small hospitals but only on the condition that large hospital chains dont take the money and run. Wyden and other speakers said the issue is complex and will need a multi-pronged approach. One the list: better and adequate Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements for rural hospitals, support for telehealth services and incentives that encourage new physicians and other medical professionals to work in rural communities that often struggle to attract staff. Eastern Oregon perspective Jeremy Davis, president and CEO of Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande, spoke to senators about the challenges of running a 25-bed independent hospital in rural Oregon, The hospital and its 19 outpatient clinics is 260 miles east of Portland. Davis said hospitals face a variety of challenges including rising expenses, workforce shortages and stalled revenue. Technology, crucial for medical care, also adds to the costs. The hospitals also have faced increased insurance costs since 2019 to protect them in the event of a cyber attack, he said. Rural hospital administrators like me have an interconnected list of worries that keep us up at night, including workforce safety and shortages, financial stability and, more recently, worries about cybersecurity, Davis said. And the next emergency whether natural, public health or man-made is always just around the corner. When the Baker City hospitals birth center closed, the La Grand Hospital saw a 65% increase in patients from the neighboring region, he said, adding they hired more staff. While we were prepared and committed to meeting this need, decisions like this are a constant juggling of limited financial resources and a balancing of our larger workforce and service needs for our community, he said. Davis said he recently heard one account of a pregnant woman in route to the hospital from Baker County who gave birth during a stop along a canyon before she made it to the La Grande hospital. Luckily, it was this time of year instead of December or November, he said. Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Baker City. The hospital closed its birth center in 2023. (Provided by Trinity Health) Other rural hospitals are shuttering entirely. Since 2010, more than 170 rural hospitals have closed in the nation, said Michael Topchik, executive director of the Chartis Center for Rural Health, a Chicago-based firm that focuses on affordable and accessible health care solutions. Topchik told senators that more than 400 hospitals nationwide are vulnerable to closure as they are squeezed with rising costs and low reimbursements. This is a national threat that will send shockwaves through communities if unchecked, he said. When rural hospitals close, accessing care becomes harder and jobs in those communities jobs at the hospital and related roles disappear. The dismal outlook has led formerly independent rural hospitals to affiliate with larger corporations in a bid to drive down costs, but thats not a panacea, he said. The La Grande hospital continues to be an independent hospital in Oregon, while the Baker City hospital that trimmed its birth center is affiliated with Saint Alphonsus Health System, which is part of nonprofit Trinity Health. Trinity Health, a national Catholic health system, is headquartered in Michigan. In general, Wyden said one concern is that executives outside the hospitals community make the decisions that impact people. So many of the shots are being called from thousands of miles away, Wyden said. Other states Officials in other states pointed to similar challenges preserving services and the need for more workers. In Wisconsin, about 13 birth centers have closed in the last 11 years, said Lori Rodefeld, director of graduate medical education with the Wisconsin Collaborative for Rural Graduate Medical Education. The program is part of the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative. One challenge for rural health care providers is finding people to fill in for them, she said. It is hard to be a physician of one providing service to a community, she said. I know how difficult it can be. If you want to take a vacation, whos going to cover who is going to deliver your babies for you? But Rodefeld said progress can happen with programs that train and encourage new physicians to work in rural areas. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, said the University of Wyomings medical school participates in a partnership that has campuses in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. What we find out is that giving students rural experience and residents rural experience helps them recognize early in their career the benefits of working in rural clinics and hospitals, he said. At the same time, challenges like Oregons also are in Wyoming. In Wyoming, five of that states 23 counties have lost maternity services entirely, seven have limited access to care and only 11 counties have adequate access to services, said Barrasso, who had a 24-year career as an orthopedic surgeon. Every county in Wyoming is geographically larger than the state of Delaware, he said. If the entire state of Delaware lost all its maternity services, he said, It would be on the front page of every paper. The post Senate panel, led by Wyden, focuses on rural hospital finances and closures appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. The bill has not left the Senate yet; it was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, and will come back to the Senate floor for a final vote before heading back to the House. (Kate Brindley | New Hampshire Bulletin) The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would require that New Hampshire voters produce evidence they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote, and tighten voter identification requirements on Election Day. In a party-line, 13-10 vote, the chamber passed House Bill 1569, which Republicans said would better ensure that voters are eligible to vote before casting ballots, and which Democrats warned would lead to disenfranchisement of people who cant quickly access those documents. The bill has not left the Senate yet; it was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, and will come back to the Senate floor for a final vote before heading back to the House. Gov. Chris Sununu indicated he doesnt support the bill, but has stopped short of committing to vetoing it. Im really not looking to make any significant changes, Sununu said Wednesday in response to a question about the bill. So any bill that got to my desk would have to be fulfilling a clear need of the system. Overall our election system in New Hampshire works really, really well. The bill requires voters to produce a birth certificate, passport, or naturalization papers to demonstrate that they are a U.S. citizen before being allowed to register to vote. And it eliminates voters current ability to cast a ballot without having identifying documents on Election Day if they fill out a legally binding affidavit swearing to their identity. While Senate Republicans voted their approval Thursday, they also passed an amendment that would pare back the House version of the bill. And they indicated they may seek further changes. The House version had required that voters present citizenship documents every time they moved to a new polling area within the state and re-registered. The Senate-amended bill requires that voters produce the documents only the first time they register to vote in the state. The Senate version also allows residents who dont have immediate access to their citizenship documents to sign a citizenship affidavit when registering to vote that attests that they are a U.S. citizen and that provides sufficient information so that citizenship can be confirmed. The Senates amendment also allows town election officials to contact the Secretary of States Office to verify that information using state databases, if possible. The amendment also directs the Secretary of States Office to coordinate with other state agencies such as the Attorney Generals Office, the Division of Motor Vehicles, and any other agencies to provide real-time verification of voter data on Election Day. Republican lawmakers argued the measure could help state officials look up a voters drivers license if they did not have it with them on Election Day, but Democrats said there are no assurances that it would work. In both versions of the bill, a local election official must issue a final decision over whether a voter has met the requirements to register to vote, and the voter can contest that decision in superior court. But while the House version gives voters only until the close of polls on Election Day to obtain a superior court reversal, the Senate version gives them several more days up until the deadline for candidates to request recounts to get the superior court to restore their eligibility. Democrats said those changes were not enough. Our voters this fall deserve to walk into the voting booth without confusion, said Sen. Donna Soucy, a Manchester Democrat and the Senate Democratic leader, in a statement. These bills create a major change and will lead to disenfranchisement of same-day registrants. Sen. James Gray, a Rochester Republican and chairman of both the House Election Law Committee and House Finance Committee, indicated that the Finance Committee would seek to make further compromises to address concerns about disenfranchisement. Well pass the bill as it is, and then well take it to Finance, and then later in this session, we will take up an easier-to-vote section that would help, he said. The post Senate passes voter ID law, but Republicans say they may pare it back appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin. FILE - Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko addresses journalists following his release from police custody in Dakar, Senegal, on March 8, 2021. Senegal's new prime minister Ousmane Sonko, who was freed from jail weeks before the presidential election earlier this year and propelled his party to victory, criticized the presence of French military bases in the West African country at an event late on Thursday May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui, File) DAKAR, Senegal (AP) Senegal's new prime minister, who was freed from jail weeks before the presidential election earlier this year and propelled his party to victory, has criticized the French military presence in the West African country. Ousmane Sonko also criticized efforts by France and the West to promote values that he said didn't fit with those held by Senegal and other African countries, including LGBTQ rights and monogamy. Polygamy is widely practiced in Senegal. Sonko was speaking late Thursday at an event held jointly with the French far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon in the capital, Dakar. Sonko is known for his criticism of interference by France, which is Senegal's former colonial ruler. His fiery views in a region where other neighbors have already taken steps to cut ties with France helped his chosen candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye win the presidential election in March. I want to reiterate Senegals desire for self-determination, which is incompatible with the long-term presence of foreign military bases in Senegal, Sonko said. He said the desire to question the presence of French and other foreign forces didn't undermine existing defense treaties that Senegal has signed with those countries. France has about 350 troops in Senegal. While Sonko warned that promoting LGBTQ rights could cause conflict between Senegal and France, Melenchon responded that he had introduced legislation permitting same-sex marriage in France. I thought that this freedom to love anyone had to be open to all that wanted to enjoy it, the French politician said. Senegal is considered a pillar of stability in a region that has experienced a wave of coups in recent years, and Sonkos remarks are likely to draw attention from Western allies. Following coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, all three nations have expelled French troops and turned to Russia instead for help fighting yearslong insurgencies there. The three nations also formed their own alliance of Sahel states, causing a split within the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS. Sonko, whose party has said ECOWAS needs to be reformed, reiterated criticism of the regional bloc for allowing the divisions to grow. We will not abandon our brothers in the Sahel and will do everything necessary to strengthen our ties, he said. I served as a college president for nearly two decades I know choosing the right commencement speaker can be fraught with risks The 2024 commencement season has been one of the most contentious in recent memory. Amid pro-Palestinian protests at campuses nationwide over the war in the Gaza Strip, some universities such as Columbia University and the University of Southern California have canceled their commencement ceremonies. Others, such as Duke University, have drawn sharp rebukes and condemnations from students due to their universitys choice of a commencement speaker. Still others, such as Xavier University of Louisiana, have rescinded invitations to commencement speakers deemed too controversial. To gain insight into the challenges that colleges face in choosing a commencement speaker, The Conversation reached out to Walter M. Kimbrough, a longtime college president who currently holds an executive appointment at University of Southern California. His thoughts are reflected in the following Q&A. How are commencement speakers typically selected? There are a range of ways schools select commencement speakers. For some campuses there is a university-wide committee which will make a selection for the president to approve. Some campuses survey students to get recommendations for the speaker. On many campuses the president and maybe a group of advisers will select the speaker. In all cases, the president will have some say in the selection. Who gets to have the most say, and why? Ultimately the president will have the final say in the selection, especially if a speaker has the potential to be controversial. If there is an issue with what a speaker says or does, the president will ultimately have to answer for the selection. What are the most important characteristics or qualities to consider? There are a range of philosophies that inform commencement speaker selection. Some institutions use it as an opportunity to highlight successful alumni, generally with the hopes of that alumnus becoming a major donor to the institution. Politicians, both local and national, are often selected as speakers. Many see this as a goodwill gesture for a politician that represents the institution and who might have influence in helping the institution acquire resources. Institutions with significant budgets for commencement, or great contacts, will select a celebrity for commencement. The theory there is that commencement is the largest branding event for a college or university each year. A celebrity boosts visibility with the potential for national media coverage, both print and digital. It is always a coup for an institutions speaker to be part of the annual NBC Nightly News graduation recap. The author, then-Dillard University President Walter Kimbrough, stands alongside the schools 2015 commencement speaker, actor Denzel Washington. Josh Brasted via Getty Images What makes a commencement speech successful? I believe commencement should be fun. A speaker that can connect with the audience, or one that brings excitement, leads to a successful speech. This is done most easily with a very popular commencement speaker. For example, while president of Dillard University a small, historically Black, private liberal arts college located in New Orleans we were able to host celebrities such as Michelle Obama, Denzel Washington, Janelle Monae, Chance the Rapper, Regina Hall and Michael Ealy. From the time of the announcement until the speakers actual appearance, not only the graduates but their families and the broader community become more excited about the event. The actual speech should be short, no more than 15 minutes, because their presence alone makes graduates feel extra special on this day. Why do so many commencement speaker selections backfire? Most commencement speeches go off without any issues, generally because the speaker is someone unknown to the audience and there is little interest in their message. Campuses generally select someone who will be safe and noncontroversial. When there is a backfire, it is generally because the speaker says something that appears to be out of character or not consistent with previous comments. In recent years, with a contentious political climate, politicians and other government officials pose a greater risk for commencement. This might look like the recent actions of Virginia Commonwealth University graduates who walked out on state Governor Glenn Youngkin as he gave the commencement speech, or a more contentious protest like the one at Bethune-Cookman University when former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was the speaker. Not only did some students walk out, others turned their backs on her, and many in the audience booed her throughout the presentation. When the then-president intervened and threatened to mail students their diplomas, he too was booed. And sometimes what normally is a good idea happens at the wrong time. Morehouse College requested President Joe Biden as their 2024 commencement speaker early last fall. Then Oct. 7 changed everything, leading to months of protests on college campuses as Israel has maintained its attack on Hamas, with tens of thousands of Palestinians being wounded or killed. While Biden would not have been the most exciting speaker for the students, as there are some concerns about promises made to Black communities being left unfulfilled, the event would have probably been controversy-free. Thats how it was when Biden spoke at Howard University in 2023 or in 2021 at South Carolina State University. Push the envelope or play it safe? Today, more presidents are risk-averse due to the political climate and the myriad stressors they currently face. Creating a potential conflict with a risky graduation speaker, for most, is not worth it. So they play it safe, and boring. As a college president, I always tried to find people we have never heard before on that kind of platform. That is a risk, but every time, the audience was pleasantly surprised. When we hosted actor Michael Ealy, he gave one of the most thought-provoking commencements addresses we had ever had, causing many faculty members to remark that he may have been the best during my tenure including Denzel Washingtons speech, which went viral. For me, it isnt so much about playing it safe. Commencement is a celebration and should be fun. A fun and exciting commencement speaker is an important part of that equation. Is an unpopular pick necessarily the wrong pick? There is always a chance an unpopular pick for commencement speaker delivers a pleasant surprise. So that isnt necessarily the wrong pick. But someone involved in current or past controversies will always be the wrong pick and will increase chances of criticism of the institution and dampening the mood for the occasion. Knowing a speaker may lead students to walk out or cause protests means you might have the wrong pick for that time. 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: Walter M. Kimbrough, University of Southern California Read more: Walter M. Kimbrough 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. Protesters holding Milwaukee United School Integration Committee (MUSIC) signs try to prevent a bus from leaving an inner city school. The bus held pupils being transported to outlying city schools. The image appeared in the Jan. 19, 1976, edition of The Milwaukee Journal as part of a picture package looking at local Civil Rights demonstrations, boycotts, busing and sit-ins in 1964 and 1965. Seventy years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled racial segregation of students to be unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education, Milwaukee metro-area schools are among the most segregated in the country. More concerning to some: They are also unequal by many other measures, from funding to test scores. In the years that followed the 1954 Brown v. Board decision, Milwaukee and state officials attempted a series of programs to desegregate schools in pursuit of equality, sending school buses crisscrossing communities otherwise constrained by housing discrimination. Some of those bus routes are still running today. While some students count themselves lucky to have ridden those buses, many are still seeking a better solution to the basic problem that led to Brown v. Board: students of color being excluded from educational opportunities afforded to white students. In advance of the May 17 anniversary of the court decision, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with three education leaders who experienced the impacts of the court ruling over the last 70 years and whose own legacies will help shape the next 70. 'Having to get on a yellow bus to go to the south side to get a decent education didnt fly with me' Marva Herndon was a student at Milwaukee's Siefert School when the Brown v. Board decision came down. She doesn't remember it much; her neighborhood school was already integrated, she said. Marva Herndon is pictured in a childhood photo. Other Milwaukee schools were not as diverse. They drew students from their surrounding neighborhoods, which themselves had been deeply segregated by a long history of racist housing policies. In 1962, civil rights attorney Lloyd Barbee moved to Milwaukee to confront the issue. Many Black students were overcrowded in substandard school buildings, he argued. The district's solution in some cases was to bus classrooms of Black students to majority-white schools while keeping them separated at school. Ultimately, Barbee sued in federal court, and in 1976, Judge John Reynolds ordered MPS to actively desegregate its schools. By that time, Herndon had her own children in Milwaukee. She was skeptical of the plan MPS put forth. Some activists pushed for a two-way busing program through which some students from the north and south sides would swap schools, evenly distributing the burden of busing across populations. Instead, the district opted for a voluntary busing system, still in place today, involving citywide specialty schools meant to attract students from a cross-section of neighborhoods. Community organizer Larry Harwell argued the plan effectively burdened Black students with busing across the city, as many of their neighborhood schools were shuttered or replaced with specialty schools. Far fewer white students were busing out of their neighborhoods. He also warned that as Black students were bused into majority-white schools, their needs would take a back seat to those of white students, they would experience discrimination and the district would lose Black teachers. As the busing programs rolled out, Herndon kept her children at their neighborhood school. "Having to get on a yellow bus to go to the south side to get a decent education didnt fly with me," Herndon said. "My thing, much as it is today, was there should be equity throughout the district." When it was time for her children to go to high school, she supported their choices to pursue specialty high schools. That brought its own frustration. One of Herndon's daughters wanted to go to Washington High School to pursue her interest in accounting but, Herndon said, she "couldn't get in because her race did not enhance the racial balance of Washington." In 11th grade, Herndon said, her daughter was allowed to go to Washington part time without being counted as a student at the school. She was finally fully allowed at the school her senior year. Herndon's other daughters were able to attend Riverside High School and Milwaukee High School of the Arts to pursue their own interests. One was interested in engineering and now works at NASA. The other pursued music and now works in early education. Marva Herndon is president of the Milwaukee Public School Board of Directors. She has advocated for more funding for the district. Herndon is proud of the district's specialty schools, and she also wants to ensure students never have to leave their neighborhood to get a high-quality education. She feels the emphasis on busing broke up the fabric of communities. "That sense of community is gone by losing the neighborhood schools," Herndon said. "We grew up walking to and from school. You knew the kids down the block, your parents knew each other, you went to church together. All of this kind of thing is gone. I think its really damaged society because of that." Now the president of the Milwaukee School Board, at a time when test score gaps between Black and white students have been growing and are among the worst in the nation, Herndon said she thinks the answer is in the funding formula for schools. At the top of her list: full funding for special education services. Wisconsin reimburses schools for only about a third of the cost, leaving districts to pull from their general aid to cover the rest. The shortfalls are tend to be highest for districts with higher rates of poverty as those districts have higher numbers of students who need the services. Herndon also advocated for two referendums to raise funding for MPS to support and maintain arts and music programs, a feat that was celebrated recently with a citywide music festival. "I felt like a proud grandma," Herndon said. 'The school seemed like two different schools' Mary Pattillo, center, is pictured in her 1986 yearbook from Whitefish Bay High School. In fall 1984, sophomore Mary Pattillo, who lived near Milwaukee's Rufus King High School, boarded a bus to start at a new school in Whitefish Bay. She had just joined the Chapter 220 program. The program, launched by state lawmakers in 1976, was an attempt to chase the segregation problem as white families left the city for the suburbs. It funded the transfer of students between city and suburban schools. Pattillo had gone to the private University School of Milwaukee for her freshman year, which she described as "too much of a culture shock." She wanted to transfer to King, five blocks from her home, which MPS had turned into a magnet program. But Pattillo wasn't able to get in. She had a cousin in the 220 program at Whitefish Bay and decided to try that. Pattillo described the 220 experience as "desegregation without integration." Students in the program tended to stick together, and they generally had to leave on buses at the end of the school day while Whitefish Bay resident students participated in extracurriculars. "The school seemed like two different schools," Pattillo said. Mary Pattillo is pictured with the Pep Club of Whitefish Bay High School in her 1986 yearbook. Students were also tracked based on academic performance, or perceived academic performance. When Pattillo was put on an honors track, she was often the only Black student in her classes. Still, Pattillo credits her 220 experience with where she is today: chair of Northwestern University's Black Studies Department, where she has researched education and inequality, among other subjects. For one, she said Whitefish Bay was a well-funded school: "The main mechanism of that positive impact is resources. Desegregated school districts end up spending more money per pupil, and Black kids benefit from that," she said, referencing research by Rucker Johnson. The program also exposed her to the inequity that she bridged each day on her bus route. "I was really impacted by the commute every day from my working class Black neighborhood to Whitefish Bay, and the differences in resources, and the stark division. There were no Black kids who lived in Whitefish Bay in my class, that's how white it was," she said. "That experience of traversing the city to the suburbs and experiencing that level of segregation is what made me interested in metropolitan areas, in inequality, and what I've now studied my whole life." The same year Pattillo started the program, MPS took the suburbs to court, asking a judge to force the suburbs into an integration plan. Under a settlement agreement, the parties agreed to expand the 220 program to 23 suburbs. That program is now being phased out. It stopped accepting new students in 2015, and the last of the remaining students are on track to graduate in 2029. Asked what she thought about the program's end, Pattillo said it should be paired with improvements to city schools. "I would look to see if ending this program does coincide with new investments in the options that parents who live in Milwaukee will now have to choose between," Pattillo said. "What I definitely think is not a good thing is to close 220 and not do the kind of investment in Milwaukee schools so that parents have good options in Milwaukee." Pattillo added, looking at projections of white people becoming a minority population, that desegregation may be a less and less effective vehicle for ensuring equal educational opportunities. Rather, she emphasized securing more funding for under-resourced schools. "Desegregation can't be the basket where we put all of our eggs because it prioritizes sitting next to white students, and white students are becoming fewer and farther between in these school districts," she said. "We can't think that just putting kids next to white kids is going to be our solution." 'Theres the world that I wish existed, and then theres the world that exists' In 1964, Howard Fuller faced off with a bulldozer while trying to block construction of a segregated school in Cleveland. Another protester was killed by the bulldozer that day. At the time, Fuller said he considered himself an integrationist. In subsequent years, while he applauded the Brown v. Board decision for outlawing segregation, Fuller came to oppose many of the measures taken to enforce integration, including at his own alma mater, Milwaukee's North Division High School. "You cant say Brown was of no value because it was significant in the fight against legal apartheid," Fuller said. "But it was not an educational strategy that has proven to be universally beneficial for Black people." Former Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Howard Fuller starred on the basketball court for North Division in the late 1950s. Fuller said he was heavily influenced by Malcom X's "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech, which he heard the same month that he faced the bulldozer. Advocating for Black nationalism, the speech urged listeners not to try to "change the white man's mind" but to build power in Black communities to control their own institutions. Fuller also heeded comments made by Martin Luther King, Jr., cautioning against being "integrated out of power," rather than "into power." Fuller said he watched Black communities lose power under school desegregation orders. "Black educational institutions were closed, Black teachers lost their jobs, and Black educators' opinions were devalued, in the way that 'desegregation' was implemented," Fuller said. "So the fear that Martin Luther King and other Black educators had back then was exactly what happened: Integration was done in a way that cost Black people dearly." MPS's own planning documents show how it prioritized the protection of white students, Fuller said, providing a 1976 draft plan that noted MPS "must not promote or encourage so-called 'flight'" from the district. "The psychological guarantee of not having to attend a school that is predominantly minority will tend to stabilize the population in the city," the plan stated. In 1979, following the desegregation order from Reynolds, there was a proposal to make a magnet school at North Division, which would mean many of the neighborhood students would be bused somewhere else. Long before he became superintendent for MPS, Fuller successfully advocated for the school to be allowed to remain predominantly Black. Fuller has spent much of his career advancing plans for predominantly Black schools in and outside of MPS, with more success outside. Fuller supported a failed plan to create a separate, predominantly Black school system in Milwaukee. When he served as superintendent of MPS from 1991 to 1995, his major plan to expand school facilities, thus averting overcrowding and busing, was voted down. Fuller increasingly championed voucher and charter school movements, growing pessimistic about MPS. He supported the 1990 creation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, which provided tax-funded vouchers for low-income families to enroll in private schools. "There's the world that I wish existed, and then there's the world that exists," Fuller said. "And in the world that exists, I don't see how poor people are going to be advantaged unless they have a way to impact the flow and distribution of money." In 2004, Fuller co-founded a charter school in his name, where 97% of students are Black. Howard Fuller at Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy. Asked whether he thinks voucher and charter schools have improved outcomes for Milwaukee students, he said: "For some kids. That's why I say this has been a rescue mission, not a systemic change, because unfortunately there are private schools that are not any good, there are charter schools that are not any good, there are MPS schools that aren't any good. On one hand, the change that I hoped for has occurred. On the other hand, the change that I hoped for has not occurred." Fuller said he has seen his own school help students go on to college who he believes otherwise would not have done so. But as he prepared recently for the senior banquet, he remained skeptical about the bigger picture. "I go to this banquet, and Im worried about the same thing that I worry about every year that Ive been to the banquet," he said. "I worry about whats going to happen to each one of these kids. No matter how hard we try, not all of these kids are going to be adequately prepared for the world that theyre going to confront. It's still a society where your race is going to impact what's happening." Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @RoryLinnane. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Seventy years later, what is Brown v. Board's legacy in Milwaukee? POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) A sex offender who sold chicken wings out of a food truck parked at a middle school in Polk County has been arrested, according to an affidavit. David Lee Mosley III, 48, had been operating his Whadda Wings food truck at McLaughlin Middle School in Lake Wales. The affidavit said school officials were unaware Mosley was a registered sex offender. Florida toddler left in sweltering car while dad shopped for Mothers Day gift: police On April 26, Dr. Linda Ray, the acting school principal, told a deputy a parent reached out weeks ago and was concerned Mosley might be a sex offender. The Polk County School Board contacted Dr. Ray to get more information. Dr. Ray said she took over as principal when the previous one was retired and was not contacted by anyone from the food truck or asked permission to be at the school. Officials confirmed that the food truck was registered to Mosley and another woman. Mosely had his food truck parked on school grounds, in the northeast section of the parking lot, on multiple occasions last month. Documents provide insight into the death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett A school custodian told deputies she had seen the Whadda Wings truck at Mclaughlin Middle multiple times since 2023. She said she spoke to Mosley at least 10 times. The affidavit said Mosley violated Florida law by being present on school grounds without written notice to the school board, superintendent or principal. He failed to notify them of his arrival and departure from the school and failed to be under the direct supervision of a school official or designated chaperone while near children. Mosley was arrested on charges of sexual offender at a childcare facility, according to records. 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. Missouri lawmakers this year failed to pass legislation that would have raised the states minimum marriage age from 16 to 18 after top Republican lawmakers said there isnt enough time to take up the bill. The bill, filed by Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder, a Scott City Republican, and Sen. Lauren Arthur, a Kansas City Democrat, would have banned anyone under 18 from obtaining a marriage license. Current law allows 16 and 17-year-olds to get married with parental consent. After passing the GOP-controlled state Senate last month on a nearly unanimous vote, the legislation stalled for weeks in a House committee. Half of the committee members opposed raising the marriage age, Rep. Jim Murphy, the committee chair, previously told The Star. The committee eventually passed the legislation this week after some members who opposed it did not show up for the vote. But House leaders said during a news conference that there wasnt enough time to get the legislation across the finish line on the final day of the session on Thursday. Unfortunately, it got on the calendar last night. House rules say it has to stay on the calendar 24 hours before we vote on it, said Murphy, a St. Louis-area Republican who supports the bill. Were gonna sine die and well come back next year. Rehder in an interview on Thursday pushed back on the argument that the House did not have enough time to bring the bill up for a vote. She called it a cop out. Its incredibly disappointing, she said. They have had this bill in the House and have not made an attempt to push it and even have told some people that it was a bad vote for some of the members. Supporters of the bill have argued the opposition to banning all child marriages illustrates some lawmakers extreme and archaic views on marriage. Missouri previously had some of the loosest laws surrounding child marriage and the states current law has been criticized as a loophole that leaves thousands of teenagers open to abuse and exploitation. The legislation has been personal for Rehder, who was married at age 15 to her 21-year-old boyfriend in 1984. A year earlier, her sister, at age 16, married her 39-year-old drug dealer, she has said. Why would we allow parents to sign their child up for a lifetime commitment? she said. Its mind boggling. But I do think that its generational when it comes to the number of folks who are against banning child marriage. At least two Republican lawmakers previously told The Star that they opposed raising the states minimum marriage age. Rehder said that number could be around 20. One of those lawmakers is Rep. Dean Van Schoiack, a Savannah Republican. He previously told The Star that he knows people who got married as minors, including a woman at roughly age 17. Why is the government getting involved in peoples lives like this? Van Schoiak said. What purpose do we have in deciding that a couple who are 16 or 17 years old, their parents say, you know, you guys love each other, go ahead and get married, you have my permission. Why would we stop that? In 2018, Missouri set the states minimum marriage age at 16 with the approval of one parent or guardian. The law came after The Star revealed that Missouri had among the nations most lenient marriage laws for 15-year-olds. It previously allowed children even younger to marry with a judges approval. Missouri does, however, ban marriage between a minor and anyone 21 or older. The states statutory rape law also prohibits those 21 or older from sexual intercourse with anyone under 17. Arthur, the Kansas City Democrat, told reporters on Thursday that the bills failure makes Missouri look bad. We are not doing enough to protect young girls who are forced into marriages and whose lives are worse in every way as a result, she said. Its shameful. Although the bill died this year, Rehder that she wants survivors of child marriage in Missouri to know that theres still going to be a push to raise the age limit. This isnt the end of it this is a push nationally, she said. And Missouri will become one of the states that bans child marriage. She couldn't call, so human-trafficking victim texted 911 and saved herself, officials say The Ventura County Sheriff's Office communication center fielded texts from a 17-year-old sending pleas for help. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) A 17-year-old girl was able to save herself from being trafficked by texting 911. The teenager, who authorities said was a victim of human trafficking, began texting the emergency number with "pleas for help" around 3 a.m. on May 9, according to the Ventura County Sheriffs Office. The texts were routed to the Sheriff Offices communication center, where staff began translating the messages from Spanish. In a news release, the department said the teenager began texting landmarks and other identifiable information she was seeing, which helped the agency quickly dispatch deputies to the correct area. The teenager was located in Casitas Springs. Read more: Moorpark professor to stand trial in bludgeoning death of pro-Israeli counterprotester Paul Kessler Investigators said they believed the victim was trafficked to Ventura County roughly two months ago from Mexico. She has been placed with the countys Children & Family Services until authorities can locate her family, according to the release. The department arrested Gerardo Cruz, 31, a native of Veracruz, Mexico. His bail is set at half a million dollars. Ventura County began allowing people to reach 911 dispatchers via text in 2021. The change was meant to make emergency dispatch services more accessible to people with speech impairments or people in emergency situations who cant make phone calls, such as victims of domestic abuse, the Ventura County Star reported at the time. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of assault. Reader discretion is advised. Sherri Papini is a 34-year-old mother of two who was reported missing by her husband, Keith Papini, in November 2016. She reportedly went out for a jog near her home in Shasta County in Northern California before disappearing. However, three weeks later, on Thanksgiving day, Papini reappeared alongside a highway, injured and bruised. She told police that she had been abducted by two Hispanic women in an SUV and was beaten and branded over the weeks while she was held captive in a closet, according to CNN. Authorities launched an extensive search for the Hispanic women who kidnapped Sherri Papini, and Papini received around $30,000 as victim compensation funds from the state. However, the information that Papini shared with the investigators was rather vague. She was reportedly reluctant to talk to authorities, and it took detectives a long time to come up with sketches of the Hispanic women who allegedly abducted her. However, no leads were made in the case. The DNA that was collected from Sherri Papinis clothes was identified to be that of a male but did not match anyone in the database. According to the complaint, Papini had a swollen nose and was bruised on her face. She also had rashes, ligature marks, bruises, and burns all over her body. Her right shoulder was violently branded, KCRA reported. Papini had also lost a significant amount of weight when she was found. How did authorities find out that Papini was lying? In 2020, using genetic genealogy, the police matched the DNA found on Sherri Papinis clothes to her ex-boyfriend. When they first interrogated him, Papinis ex-boyfriend told the police that he only met her many years ago. However, he soon revealed that Papini was with him during the 22 days when she was reported missing. She reportedly asked him to rent a car and pick her up on November 2, 2016, the day she disappeared. They both stayed at his two-bedroom apartment for some time. He claimed that all the injuries and bruises that were found on her were self-inflicted. She purposefully lost weight, cut her own hair, and harmed herself. She also asked her ex-boyfriend to brand her right shoulder. He reportedly bought a wood-burning tool and did as she asked him to, according to People Magazine. After that, Sherri Papini allegedly told his ex-boyfriend that she missed her children and wanted to return. He then dropped her on the highway with her waist chained and left. According to the United States Attorneys Office, authorities found DNA evidence, cell phone records, and car rental details, which all proved that she had been staying with her former boyfriend by will and without any coercion. In a meeting that authorities then held with Sherri Papini, they reportedly warned her that it was a crime to lie to federal investigators. However, she stuck to her kidnapping story despite another warning and a clear indication that the police had enough evidence to prove that the story was false. She also claimed benefits from the California Victim Compensation Board and Social Security Administration in the name of post-traumatic stress. How much prison time did Sherri Papini get? ABC News reported that Sherri Papini was arrested and charged with mail fraud and making false statements. In September 2022, she reportedly pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release. However, she was released in to community confinement early, in September 2023, CBS News reported. Sherri Papini was also asked to pay $310,000 in restitution. As per People Magazine, she reportedly received $30,000 from the California Victims Compensation Board. The United States Social Security Administration spent over $127,000. As part of the investigation, the Shasta County Sheriffs Office spent $148,866, while the FBIs expenses amounted to $2,558. She will have to pay the government authorities back. In March 2024, KCRA reported that Sherri Papini had not yet paid the money. Considering the litigation charge, the sum she owed then amounted to $340,221. According to the Independent, Keith Papini filed for divorce and received temporary custody of the children. The couple had reportedly been married for 13 years before that. Of Sherri Papinis actions, the fact that she repeatedly lied to law enforcement was what got her convicted rather than the hoax itself. She also brought up racial divisions by making up that Hispanic women kidnapped her. During the trial, Sherri Papinis defense argued that the public nature of the case had already taken a great toll on the accused and that a lower sentence should be given to her. The kidnapping hoax garnered a lot of media attention, initially as a case with no leads and later as a faked kidnapping. Sherri Papini: Lies, Lies and More Lies is a documentary that follows Papinis kidnapping hoax and how she lied to authorities for years together. The movie first aired in 2022 and is currently streaming on Peacock. The post Who Is Sherri Papini & What Did She Do? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Ship that struck Baltimore bridge had 4 blackouts before disaster. Heres what we know Ship that struck Baltimore bridge had 4 blackouts before disaster. Heres what we know The Dali container ship experienced a near-perfect storm of calamities before it struck Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, killing six people. But Tuesdays preliminary report by federal safety investigators leaves many questions unanswered. For example, the National Transportation Safety Board described four power failures that beset the 984-foot (300-meter) ship. Reasons for three of them are yet to be explained, including two that occurred right before the crash. Heres what we know and dont know about the problems on the ship before the disaster: HOW MANY TIMES DID THE SHIP LOSE POWER? The Dali suffered four blackouts in roughly 10 hours: two the day before the crash and two in the minutes before. The first came after a crew member mistakenly closed an exhaust damper during maintenance, causing one of the ships diesel engines to stall, according to the safety report. A backup generator came on, but insufficient fuel pressure soon caused that generator to kick off, resulting in a second blackout. Its unclear why the fuel pressure dropped. In response, crew members changed the ships electrical configuration, which is considered routine. They switched from one transformer and breaker system that had been in use for several months to another configuration. The third outage struck hours later, after the ship had left the Port of Baltimore and was navigating the Patapsco River. Electrical breakers unexpectedly tripped, causing a power loss. The Dalis diesel engine automatically shut down because its cooling pumps lost power. The pilots dispatcher called police and notified the Coast Guard of the power loss. Crew members momentarily restored electricity by manually closing the breakers. Then more breakers tripped, causing another outage as the ship approached the bridge. The crew restored power, but it was too late. One of the pilots ordered the rudder turned, but since the main engine remained down, there was no propulsion to assist with steering, the report said. The ship struck one of the bridges main supports, causing the span to collapse. WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE BLACKOUTS? The reason behind one power outage is known the crew members failure to close the exhaust damper. The reason for the second blackout remains unclear, and the two instances of the tripped breakers appear to be complete mysteries. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, told a congressional committee Wednesday that the first two blackouts were mechanically distinct from the second two outages. She said switching out the breakers following the first two outages may have affected operations the very next day on the accident voyage. Stefano Brizzolara, a professor of ocean engineering at Virginia Tech, pointed out that the crew switched to a configuration that hadnt been used for several months, describing it as like putting on a pair of shoes that you havent worn in a long time that have become hard and stiff. Every time you switch to electrical components that are not normally used, the risk of failure increases a little bit, he said. But changing up a ships power configuration is fairly routine, even if its been several months, said Neil J. Gallagher, a professor at the Webb Institute, a school that teaches naval architecture and marine engineering. It shouldnt change anything, Gallagher said. Transformers are a pretty benign item. Its just coils of wire. It doesnt have moving parts. It doesnt have a whole lot that breaks on it. So, its not normally the source of issues like this. WHAT ELSE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE? Gallagher added that the mistake with the damper would have caused some concern but not enough to raise major worries before leaving port. They went for 10 hours and had no problems, he said. And in all fairness, the breakers that shut down when they were underway were not the same as what happened when the engine lost power because they closed the damper. Gallagher said cargo ships do not routinely lose power. This is kind of a perfect storm of events that happened at just the absolute worst possible time, he said. Brizzolara said the crew seemed to have reacted to power failures in a prompt manner. I dont know if they could do more, he said. These things can happen, unfortunately. Machines are prone to fault. And yes, there are redundancies onboard of ships. But even redundant systems can fail. And this is an example. Bradley Martin, a former U.S. Navy captain and a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, said the limited space in many ports increases the risks of these type of disasters. Anybody whos ever been around ships knows that machinery fails at inopportune times, Martin said. And being so close to infrastructure like this means theres no good way of reacting quickly enough. Thomas McKenney, a University of Michigan professor of naval architecture and marine engineering, said the tragedy in Baltimore raises questions about whether most cargo ships have enough safeguards. I think the relevant question here is how reliable and redundant should systems be onboard ships, especially understanding that ships have gotten larger and larger over time, McKenney said, adding, Shipping remains by far the most efficient way to transport goods. So its really having the right balance between cost efficiency without compromising safety. ___ Associated Press reporter Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this article. 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. Eataly in River North to remain closed through Sunday after shooting on Friday A man fired a gun inside a River North Italian marketplace Friday morning following a verbal and physical altercation, according to Chicago police. A man got into a fight with two other men about 9:20 a.m. inside Eataly, 43 E. Ohio St., authorities said. The suspect then pulled out a firearm, which fired during a struggle, police said. No one was hit. The two other men took the firearm and fled the scene before officers arrived, police said. The gunman suffered minor injuries and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in good condition, police said. No other injuries were reported. Police said the incident remained under investigation, and charges were pending for the gunman. A spokesperson for Eataly said in a statement that the store would remain closed through Sunday. An unfortunate altercation occurred (Friday) between several individuals at our Chicago location, the statement read. In response, we immediately notified law enforcement, and they successfully secured the situation. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued community. rjohnson@chicagotribune.com MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) A jury convicted a Silver Spring man for shooting and killing a Shell gas station employee back in November 2022 on Thursday. Montgomery County Department of Police (MCDP) officers responded to the gas station in the 11000 block of New Hampshire Ave. in Silver Spring at 3 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2022. Inside, they found 61-year-old Ayalew Wondimu, an employee, shot a number of times. An affidavit said he was working behind the register when he was shot. Employee at Shell gas station shot, killed He was pronounced dead at the scene. Surveillance video from the store showed Torrey Damien Moore, 33, getting an iced tea and approaching Wondimu just before 3 p.m. The two got into an argument when Moore picked up energy drink shot bottles and started throwing them at Wondimu. Wondimu picked up a metal pole and tried to hit Moore, telling him to leave. Moore pulled out a gun and shot him. Wondimu fell down behind the register and Moore leaned over the counter and shot him several more times. Moore took the iced tea and left the store. A day after the shooting, detectives showed up at Moores apartment in the 1100 block of Oak Leaf Dr. to serve him with an arrest warrant. They found a dead pregnant woman whod been shot seven times. Her body was in an advanced stage of decomposition. Body of pregnant woman found in apartment of suspect in fatal Shell shooting She was identified as 26-year-old Denise Middleton. Her autopsy revealed that her baby, a boy, was viable at the time of her death. Murdered pregnant womans family breaks their silence, seeks justice Moore was arrested and confessed to the Shell Gas station shooting during an interview at police headquarters. During that interview, he also told investigators that Middleton was his girlfriend. According to an affidavit, Moore said he left his apartment and, after a short time, came back to find Middleton dead. He also found a gun in the apartment and later used the same gun to shoot the Shell employee. Moore denied killing Middleton. When asked to go over the circumstances surrounding his girlfriends death, Moore said he and Middleton went to get food and began arguing while they were on the way back to the apartment. He said he pushed her down outside of his home and she began acting like I was trying to kill her. He said he told Middleton to get off the ground and stop putting on a show. Once inside, Moore said, a slap was probably thrown and I probably choked her a little bit. He left to buy marijuana and, when he came back, found her dead. He told investigators that the baby was his son who was due in October 2022. Moore is scheduled to stand trial for Middletons murder on Nov. 18. He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and related charges. He faces the potential of life in prison for killing Wondimu. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 12. 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. Authorities seized 21 kilograms of fentanyl that sent 7 members of the Sinaloa. drug cartel to prison, the U.S. Justice Department. Courtesy of U.S. Justice Department May 16 (UPI) -- Seven key members of the Sinaloa drug cartel have been sentenced to prison for taking part in a fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking conspiracy, the Justice Department announced Thursday. All of the defendants, including associates of the seven members, had pleaded guilty for their role in the scheme. The seven primary defendants are from across the United States and Mexico. Three are from Arizona, one is from Rhode Island, one from California and two are from Mexico, the DOJ said. "The cartel has developed global supply chain networks and operate clandestine labs in Mexico where they manufacture these drugs and then utilize their vast distribution networks to transport the drugs into the United States," the DOJ said in a press release. "Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat the United States has ever faced, killing 38,000 Americans in the first six months of 2023 alone. Just one fentanyl pill can kill. Two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially fatal dose and laboratory testing indicates seven out of 10 pills seized by the DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl," it said. One the members who was sentenced to prison, Hector Alejandro Apodaca-Alvarez, 53, of Somerton, Ariz., had previously been convicted of narcotics trafficking-related offenses and the Justice Deptment said he used the U.S. mail and his personal trucking business to send tens of thousands of fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, and cocaine to an agent in South Florida working undercover. The Justice Department said Apodaca-Alvarez worked directly with Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia to traffic the narcotics. Apodaca-Alvarez also worked with Mark Anthony Roque Bustamante, known as the "Skittles Man" because he was known for distributing colored fentanyl pills. Justice said Roque Bustamante was Apodaca-Alvarez's primary fentanyl supplier. The two were said to have asked the undercover agent if he would supply them with high powered weapons, including .50 caliber rifles, that they intended to smuggle into Mexico, according to recorded conversations, the Justice Department said. Apodaca-Alvarez was arrested in South Florida during a delivery that included 16 kilograms of fentanyl and 2 kilograms of cocaine to the undercover agent as part of a sting operation. Authorities seized 21 kilograms of pure fentanyl, 70 thousand rainbow-colored fentanyl pills, 3,000 M30 blue fentanyl pills, blue in color; 243 pounds of crystal methamphetamine; two kilograms of cocaine, and 24 firearms (including 18 rifles and six pistols) related to this conspiracy, the Justice Department said. Gennady Daskal is no stranger to blood and guts. Until last month, the 27-year-old was working in an abattoir in central Ukraine, killing pigs and cows for a living. Now, after being conscripted, he is preparing to enter a very different kind of slaughterhouse. As part of a rookie infantry assault unit, he is being trained up for the Donbas frontline the gruelling combat zone that many nickname the meatgrinder. I got my draft papers, so here I am, he told The Telegraph, as he practised shooting rifles and grenade launchers at a range in a Donbas clay-pit. Of course Im worried, because I know many guys whove died already maybe 10 or 20. But what can you do? Like other conscripts in the 22nd Mechanised Brigade, Mr Daskal tries to channel his inner warrior. His callsign is Pitbull, and he flashes a cheery, gold-toothed grin. But asked about his wife and children back home, and suddenly he chokes with emotion. Of course shes worried, he says, tears forming. And the kids want me to come back as soon as possible. Conscripts in the 22nd Mechanised Brigade rookie infantry assault unit being trained for the Donbas frontline - SIMON TOWNSLEY Right now, the odds of Mr Daskals children getting their wish are not great. For one, life expectancy is short in front line infantry units, where casualty rates can be as high as 70 per cent dead or wounded. For another, an end to the war now seems further away than ever, with Russia intensifying its Donbas campaign and opening up a new front line last week on the north-east border around Kharkiv. That Ukraine is facing its toughest period since the war started was acknowledged last week by Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, who admitted during a visit to Kyiv that things were very difficult. He was there to demonstrate Americas continued support after Washington finally signed off a $60 billion aid package, following nine months of political deadlock. Manpower shortage But lack of weapons is just one of Kyivs problems right now. Equally worrying is the growing shortage of soldiers to use them. As Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraines intelligence chief, admitted last week: All our forces are either in Kharkiv or in Chasiv Yar. We dont have any reserves. Hence Ukraine now resorting to tough new mobilisation measures, as death, injuries and combat fatigue sap its front lines. New laws that come into effect on Saturday increase penalties for draft dodgers, while the draft age has been controversially lowered from 27 to 25. The Donbas frontline around Chasiv Var is known as the 'Meatgrinder' - SIMON TOWNSLEY But conscription isnt just affecting the young, free and single, as a glance at the 22nds new recruits makes clear. Some are men in their 50s who should be contemplating retirement and struggle to do more than a few press-ups when asked. Others like Mr Daskal are family men, who have had to tell their young children that Daddy is not going to be around for a while. I have a six-year-old boy hes too young to understand everything, but he knows theres a war and has been told that his fathers going to be a hero, says Oleh Gorpenyuk, 38, a factory engineer. We didnt talk much about the war before I left I just played lots of games with him and tried to spend as much time together as possible. The 22nds rookies are likely to get their first taste of combat around Chasiv Yar, which Moscows forces have had their eye on ever since capturing Bakhmut, 10 miles east, this time last year. A run-down clay-mining town of 10,000, its sole claim to fame used to be that it was the birthplace of the late Joseph Kobzon, a Communist-era crooner dubbed the Soviet Frank Sinatra (not least because of his alleged links to organised crime). Junior Sgt Nikita, brandishing the sporting shotgun that he uses to shoot down Russian drones - SIMON TOWNSLEY Like Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar has now acquired a notoriety as a Donbas Passchendaele, combining the trench horrors of the First World War with 21st-century drone warfare. Both sides in the conflict now rely massively on first-person-view (FPV) drones: explosive-carrying mini-drones that can stalk individual soldiers across the battlefield like giant, deadly mosquitoes. Last week, Ukrainian troops stationed in Chasiv Yar said that despite the US military aid tap being turned back on, they were still being outgunned both in terms of drones and artillery. Wavering morale The Russians are pushing very hard and recently weve had to fall back from our positions, said Junior Sgt Nikita, brandishing a sporting shotgun that he uses to shoot down Russian FPVs. Morale is up and down, we have little victories and little defeats, but we have nothing like enough new people joining the ranks. In such an environment, he said, fortune favoured only the suicidally brave or the simply suicidal. Because the Russians have more troops and tanks than us, they can afford to do kamikaze attacks, and we just dont have enough artillery to stop them. Because of the FPV threat, most frontline soldiers now spend nearly all their time in dug-outs cramped, earth-walled shelters that are freezing in winter and sweltering in summer. They feel like being in a ready-dug grave, and sometimes prove to be just that, thanks to Russias new 250-kilogram glide bombs, which are powerful enough to penetrate deep underground. Some recruits are men in their 50s who should be contemplating retirement and struggle to do more than a few press-ups - SIMON TOWNSLEY In such an environment, it is no surprise that todays Ukrainian army now also has psychologists as well as old-school chaplains. A lot of people have just seen too many dead or injured, says Julia (not her real name), 28, the 22nds resident shrink, who operates from a practice in an abandoned home. Its especially traumatic for people whove recently mobilised and havent yet experienced combat, then suddenly they see something horrible. We remind them to think of themselves, not of comrades whove been killed, as if they live only in that world of the dead, their minds can get stuck there forever. Tough as it is on the newcomers, longer-serving troops are desperate for others to take over. While their minds and bodies may still be just about intact, marriages are often fraying. Bodies and minds Some are just saying: Ive done enough, Ive fought here for two years, said Vladislav Pinchuk, a 31-year-old commander fighting in Chasiv Yar. They also come under pressure from their wives, who have friends whose husbands have worked out how to be transferred off frontline duty, and ask their own partners why they cant do the same. The husbands say: Look, we are killing Russians and this is an important job Vladislav Pinchuk, a 31-year-old commander who has been fighting for more than two years - SIMON TOWNSLEY But I know one guy whose wife divorced him she said: OK, if you want to be in the war, stay there. Among the grizzled veterans at the 22nds training ground last week was Tom Brewer, 65, a former US soldier who lost an eye from a grenade injury in Afghanistan. Now a Republican State Senator in Nebraska, he is proof that at least some politicians in his party still care about Ukraine. Since the conflict started, he has made four fact-finding trips here to keep fellow US politicians properly informed on the war. He says Ukraine is paying the price for nine months of US political squabbling, and supports Kyiv being given whatever US weapons it requires. He also makes it clear, though, that his trips to Ukraine are no longer just a question of altruism. The lessons that Kyivs troops are so painfully learning around Chasiv Yar are ones that Western nations will also have to learn if Russia is not stopped soon, he says. This is now a drone war that neither the US nor Nato is equipped to fight, and we are going to fill a lot of body bags if we dont figure that out, he said. Gennady Daskal, 27, worked in an abattoir in central Ukraine, killing pigs and cows for a living, until a month ago - SIMON TOWNSLEY And like Ukraine, we are going to have to think about conscript armies ourselves, otherwise we simply wont have the manpower to fight. Its a rough experience, but people also bear in mind what will happen to their families if they live under the Russian thumb. That is a prospect already facing 22nd Brigade conscript Ignat Zarechnyi, 41, a former delivery driver from Kharkiv, who now has Russian troops barely 25 miles from his home city. My wife cried when she heard I was being mobilised, but she realises there is no other option, he said. My eight-year-old boy also knows there is a war on. But he doesnt know Im going to fight Ive told him Im just going to a nearby town to work for a while. 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. Slovak PM Fico undergoes 2nd surgery, still in serious condition following assassination attempt Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico underwent a second surgery and is in stable but serious condition following an assassination attempt, Slovak media reported on May 17. Fico was shot on May 15 in the town of Handlova. A 71-year-old man, identified as Juraj C. was arrested at the scene. Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok described it as a "politically motivated" assassination attempt. Authorities said on May 17 that Fico has had two surgeries and his condition has stabilized. At the same time, the Dennik N media outlet reported that none of the doctors personally attending to Fico have spoken publicly. Read also: Slovak PM shooting everything we know so far about the assassination attempt on Robert Fico Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Photo: Facebook. The politician is in hospital after an assassination attempt. Fico suffered a gunshot wound Slovakia's president-elect Peter Pellegrini has said that he had a chance to talk to Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was fired upon on 15 May, adding that Fico remembers the moment of the assassination attempt. Source: European Pravda, citing Slovak news website Dennik N Quote from Slovak president: "The prime minister remembers what happened. He was surprised how it could happen and how quickly it was dealt with." Details: In addition, Pellegrini said that Fico was conscious as they moved him to the city of Banska Bystrica, and he perceived absolutely everything that was happening around him the first aid being rendered, the transportation to the hospital by helicopter, and the work of medical teams in the emergency room. "It was only when he reached the operating theatre that he was put to sleep. Until then, he was conscious," the president said. Background: Recently, Pellegrini has noted that he was only able to speak to Fico briefly because the prime minister was tired and under the influence of medication. On 15 May, Juraj Cintula, 71, shot Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico several times. Fico was shot on 15 May after a government meeting in the Slovak city of Handlova. Media reports indicate that Cintula has already been charged. Support UP or become our patron! They film you rolling through stop signs and fine you $100. One SoCal agency's $1-million idea Stop signs and warnings to not violate them or face a $100 fine in Temescal Gateway Park in the Santa Monica Mountains in Pacific Palisades. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) The citation that Andrew Rice received in the mail looked like a traffic ticket, including a photo of his license plate. But the mail didn't come from any police or city agency he recognized. Back in July, one of his adult kids visited Temescal Canyon park near Pacific Palisades. A camera recorded Rice's Prius rolling through a stop sign at the park's parking lot, resulting in a $100 fine for Rice, the registered owner of the car. Yet it was not a violation of the vehicle code. It won't affect Rice's driving record, and it was not a traffic citation. Instead, it was a fine for violating park rules, issued by the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority a local public agency dedicated to protecting local parkland. Rice is not alone. The agency collects more than $1 million a year from such tickets. "This agency that is ostensibly all about land preservation and public access, things I totally support, is sending fake $100 tickets to the people they claim to serve," Rice said. Read more: The National Park Service will only take plastic at its parks. Three visitors are suing to use cash But the citations are real and can have real consequences. If they're not paid on time, the debts are sent to a collection agency, and unpaid fines can affect credit scores. Rice missed the initial notice in the mail, he said, possibly tossing out the letter thinking it was junk mail. He discovered the fine in March, seven months later, after it was sent to a collection agency. Like Rice, thousands of other drivers are receiving similar citations from the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority after visiting their parks. The controversial practice was first reported by KTLA-TV. Tasked with preserving and managing open space and parkland, the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority is a local government organization that manages more than 75,000 acres of land and more than 100 parks. It was created in 1985 in a partnership between state and local park and recreation agencies. With seven cameras installed in four parks, the organization issues about 17,000 citations a year, bring in about $1.1 million every year, said Dash Stolarz, spokesperson for the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority. That means that the agency tasked with preserving free open space, parkland and coastal access issues about 47 stop sign citations a day. "It's set up like a turnstile to generate money," Rice said. "It's a money machine for the park." The cameras were installed at Temescal Gateway Park, Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, Top of Topanga and Franklin Canyon Park in 2007. Read more: Residents in wealthy Montecito are using boulders to block hikers' parking, bringing warnings Stolarz, spokesperson for the agency, said the cameras and citations were not installed to make revenue but as a safety measure and to enforce the park rules. "How are you supposed to keep people safe if you can't enforce the rules of the park," she said. "If you don't get the cars to stop, everyone thinks they don't have to stop." The $1.1 million generated from the fees is only a fraction of the agency's multimillion-dollar budget. This year, the 2023-24 budget showed the agency expected to see more than $77 million in grants. The money from the fees goes back into maintaining the parks, she said. However, the citations generated more revenue than parking fees ($920,000), more than double the revenue from leases and licensing ($460,000), and nearly as much as the funds generated from filming fees ($1.25 million), according to the agency budget. With the thousands of citations issued each year, however, Rice said he feels the $100 fine is similar to a "regressive tax on their user base." "For a lot of people who go there to go hiking or have a picnic, $100 is a lot of money," he said. Rice is also concerned that, like him, many people toss out the initial citation thinking it is junk mail. He's also concerned that, unlike traffic cameras used by cities and law enforcement agencies, the tickets are issued to the owner of the vehicle, not the driver. Because the citations are rule violations, instead of traffic tickets, the park agency is not required to meet vehicle code requirements for operating traffic cameras and identifying drivers when it issues the citations. Read more: UC Berkeley closed People's Park. The cost is in the millions and rising Red light cameras, for example, require law enforcement agencies to confirm the identity of the driver when tickets are issued. The citations also state that, despite the similarity, it's "not issued for any violation of any provision of the California Vehicle Code." "Neither the issuance of this Citation nor its non-payment will be reflected in your official driving record," it reads. Not paying, however, can result in "an adverse report on your credit rating." The Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority has been sued by ticketed motorists over the citations and was named in a class-action lawsuit challenging the validity of the tickets. In July 2015, however, the California 2nd District Court of Appeals ruled that the agency could issue the tickets under the Public Resources Code and it can enforce its own rules to manage park lands. "This [ruling] affirms that the MRCA has the authority to enforce its ordinance, including the photo enforcement program," Stolarz said in an email. In an interview, Stolarz said tickets are issued by park rangers for violations such as parking, speeding and stop sign violations. She added that the cameras were placed in locations identified in traffic studies as "hot spots," or with repeat violations. The intersections with cameras, she said, also include multiple signs that alert drivers about the stop signs and the camera enforcement. "It's very well marked," she said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Priyanka, Rahul, Sonia, Bhupesh and Akhilesh join their hands together during an election campaign rally in Raebareli Priyanka, Rahul, Sonia, Bhupesh and Akhilesh join their hands together during an election campaign rally in Raebareli (Reuters) - Sonia Gandhi, the leader of India's Congress party, made an emotional appeal to voters in the family borough, asking them to vote for her son in a region that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party have dominated in the last ten years. Standing on stage on Friday with her children Rahul and Priyanka, Gandhi, the party's former chief and former lawmaker from Raebareli in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, said her family had a special connection with the constituency. Raebareli, which goes to the polls in the fifth phase of India's seven phase-long general election, has returned a Congress candidate in 17 of the 20 elections held there since 1952, mostly members of the Gandhi family. Sonia Gandhi decided not to contest the seat in the current election and her son, Rahul was announced as the candidate from the region. "I am handing over my son to you. Just as you made me yours, please treat him as one of your own. He will not disappoint you," Gandhi said, to loud cheers from the crowd. Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, will also contest from Wayanad in Kerala state in the south, which has already voted. India allows candidates to contest multiple constituencies but they can represent only one. Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state and elects 80 lawmakers to the lower house of parliament, the most of any state and is considered crucial to winning a national election. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and allies won 64 seats, including Amethi, adjacent to Raebareli. Modi is expected to win a third term in the election that got underway on April 19 and concludes on June 1, with votes set to be counted on June 4. (Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Sharon Singleton) Sonoma State University president Mike Lee announced Thursday that he will retire after he was placed on administrative leave for insubordination. Lee had previously committed to supporting SSU student protesters calling on the university to boycott and divest from Israel. In a Tuesday email to students at the university, Lee responded to student protesters demands about the universitys financial ties to Israel amid the war in Gaza, where more than 35,000 Palestinians have died in the months since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing more 1,200 people. In the email, Lee said he met with students and faculty participating in the campus occupation between May 10 and May 14, where they all reached several agreements on the protesters various demands. Students began protesting at the California State University campus in Rohnert Park on April 26, one of many college campuses in California to do so. They set up tents on Person Lawn, occupying campus space to demand that SSU administration disclose financial ties to Israel, boycott Israeli universities, introduce historic curriculum about Palestine and recognize Palestinian identity, and support a permanent cease fire in Gaza. Lees agreement with students included the creation of the Advisory Council of Students for Justice in Palestine. Lee also committed to launching research on and a review of all SSU Foundation investments, to be released fall 2024. SSU administration and the SJP Advisory Council will meet with proper officials to determine a course of action leading to divestment strategies that include seeking ethical alternatives, Lee wrote. He also committed to an academic boycott of Israeli universities. But the chancellor of the CSU system issued a swift response, putting Lee on leave almost immediately. Lees message was sent without the appropriate approvals, said CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia in a statement Wednesday. Because of this insubordination and consequences it has brought upon the system, President Lee has been placed on administrative leave. Lee sent a follow-up statement Wednesday, expressing his regret about his initial letter, and confirming that he did not consult the Chancellor or the CSU system before sending it. In my attempt to find agreement with one group of students, I marginalized other members of our student population and community, he said. 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, a former Sacramento State professor and administrator who took the role of interim president at SSU in November 2022, said he will use his time on leave to reflect on the harm this has caused and will be working with the Chancellors Office to determine next steps. The next step for Lee is his retirement, according to a Thursday statement from Garcia. I thank President Lee for his years of service to the California State University starting at California State University, Sacramento and to higher education overall, she wrote. I wish him and his family well. California lawmakers respond Local lawmakers and members of the Jewish Legislative Caucus were pleased with Garcias decision to place Lee on leave. His endorsement of an academic boycott was totally unacceptable and evidence that former President Lee is unfit to lead one of our great state institutions, said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, and Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, co-chairs of the Jewish Caucus. 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. Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, also supported Garcias quick response to Lee. We need stability and thoughtful leadership at Sonoma State. California Republicans have been outspoken in their disapproval of campus protests. Anyone harassing and assaulting students, taking over buildings, or blocking access to education on our state campuses should be arrested and removed. Period. Full stop. Where is the Governor? Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher, R-Yuba City wrote in a post on X. Congressman Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, has said that all encampments should be shut down and introduced a resolution that would call on universities to work with local law enforcement to do so. He also called protesters pro-Hamas. Perhaps the only thing more disgraceful than illegal pro-Hamas encampments is the way some universities have catered to them, Kiley said on May 7. This Resolution calls on universities to uphold the law and enforce their rules, while protecting freedom of speech to the fullest extent. CSU-wide ramifications Sonoma State has served as something of a cautionary tale for universities in the 23-campus CSU system. CSU investments are centrally managed, and as of March 31 it had an $8.3 billion portfolio. But each individual campus has its own auxiliary funds with separate investment portfolios. So while the CSU at large has said it will not divest from Israel, campuses have some autonomy over their own auxiliary funds. With the swift response to Lees attempt to divest, though, individual campuses may be less inclined to proceed in that direction. Even at Sacramento State, where President Luke Wood made a similar decision on divestment May 8 which ended on-campus protests he was quick to follow up the next day with a message to students confirming that, while making changes that aligned with the protesters about socially responsible investments, the university did not sign a treaty or agreement with students to close the encampment. You sign a treaty with your enemies, not with your students, he said. We are proud that our students expressed their concerns peacefully and in accordance with our policies. The encampment didnt disperse because the protesters saw our policies; they left because they saw our hearts. Wood also opened the campuss Jewish Life and Resource Center the same day he announced his decision on divestment. Our goal is that we will be a choice institution for students across the world, he said. And particularly across the country who identify as Jewish and want to learn more about Jewish life and culture. (KRON) The president of Sonoma State University abruptly announced his retirement on Thursday, one day after he was placed on administrative leave following a controversial agreement with campus protesters. President Mike Lee sent out a campus-wide message on Tuesday, agreeing to meet a set of demands put forth by students protesting the war in Gaza on campus. However, the following day, California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia issued a statement saying Lee had struck the agreement without the appropriate approvals. The chancellor also announced that Lee had been placed on administrative leave. David DePape facing 50 years at sentencing Friday Lees agreement with the protesters was met with backlash with State Sen. Scott Weiner accusing the university president of blacklisting Israel. Chancellor Garcia called Lees actions insubordination. Lee went on to issue a second statement, saying in part, In my attempt to find agreement with one group of students, I marginalized other members of our student population and community. On Thursday, Chancellor Garcia put out another statement saying that Lee had informed her of his decision to retire from his role at Sonoma State University. I thank President Lee for his years of service to California State University starting at California State University, Sacramento and to higher education overall. I wish him and his family well, Garcia said. Dr. Nathan Evans, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, has assumed the role of acting president of Sonoma State in Lees absence. 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. South Africa's election might be a defining moment with new complications. Here's what to know Supporters of Inkatha Freedom Party attend an election rally in Richards Bay, near Durban, South Africa, Sunday, May 26, 2024, in anticipation of the 2024 general elections scheduled for May 29. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) South Africa's election will determine how weary the country has become of the ruling African National Congress party, which has been in power since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC are struggling to keep their parliamentary majority and several opinion polls have put the party's support at less than 50% ahead of Wednesday's election. That doesn't mean that the beleaguered ANC will be out of power in Africa's most advanced economy. Even as the famous organization once led by Nelson Mandela has seen a decline in its popularity, no one has risen to a position to replace it. Instead, South Africans who have turned away from the ANC have gone looking for answers among an array of opposition parties. The ANC is still expected to gain the largest share of votes. But without an outright majority, it would need to form a coalition to stay in government and keep Ramaphosa for a second and final term as president. For a key country on the African continent, that might bring new complications. Some recent coalitions at local level have been spectacular failures. While most South Africans may be ready to register their disgruntlement with the ANC in a defining moment, a coalition government may not easily solve the country's big problems, which include some of the worlds highest levels of unemployment and inequality. HOW DOES THE ELECTION WORK? South Africans don't vote directly for their president, but rather decide the makeup of Parliament, which is called the National Assembly. They do that by choosing parties and those parties get seats in Parliament according to their share of the national vote. The 400-member National Assembly then elects the president, meaning whichever party has a majority chooses the head of state. That has always been the ANC since the first all-race elections in 1994, but this time it may need to strike agreements with other parties to get the required 201 votes from lawmakers to reelect the 71-year-old Ramaphosa and form a government. The main election day is Wednesday and people will vote in all nine provinces. It will decide the makeup of both the national and provincial legislatures. Some who have been granted special permission will vote earlier on Monday and Tuesday. Results are expected within days. Nearly 28 million of the population of 62 million are registered to vote in what is only the country's seventh fully democratic national election since apartheid was dismantled. WHO IS RUNNING? There are more than 50 political parties registered for the national election, the most ever, and even more for the provincial legislatures. Independent candidates will be allowed to stand for the first time. The ANC's fate is the headline story: Ramaphosa is the party's leader and the face of its campaign. The main opposition is the centrist Democratic Alliance, or DA. It has entered into an agreement with some smaller parties in the hope that their combined vote might force the ANC out of government completely, but that's not seen as likely to happen. The far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, or EFF, is the third biggest party and led by Julius Malema, a fiery former ANC youth leader. The DA won around 20% in the last national election and the EFF 10% to the ANC's 57.5%. Neither opposition party appears to have significantly increased in popularity. That's largely because of the dozens of other parties, many of them new, that have captured small shares. While 80% of South Africas population is Black, it is a multiracial society, with many ethnicities and 12 official languages. An equally diverse political picture is beginning to appear. Of the new parties, the MK Party or uMkhonto weSizwe (which means Spear of the Nation) has gained the most attention because it is led by former South African President Jacob Zuma, who has turned his back on the ANC he once led in a bitter battle with Ramaphosa, the man who replaced him. Zuma has been disqualified from standing as a candidate for Parliament but can still campaign for his party. WHAT ARE THE BIG ISSUES? Unemployment and poverty stand out as the most pressing issues for the majority of people. While South Africa is regarded as Africa's most advanced country, its contradictions are stark. It also has an unemployment rate of 32% ranked the highest in the world and more than half of South Africans are living in poverty, according to the World Bank. That has driven most of the discontent as millions of the poor Black majority feel the ANC has not improved their lives sufficiently three decades after apartheid, which brutally oppressed Black people in favor of the white minority. Other prominent election issues that are seen as pushing voters away from the ANC are the high rate of violent crime, multiple government corruption scandals over the years, the failure of some basic government services and a crisis within the state-owned electricity supplier that has led to nationwide blackouts at regular intervals to conserve power. The blackouts have eased ahead of the election but they angered people and further damaged a struggling economy. ___ AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa This article was originally published in SC Daily Gazette. COLUMBIA The state will award taxpayer-funded scholarships to 2,880 K-12 students for 2024-25, meaning just under half of the available slots could go unused for the programs inaugural year, according to data the state Department of Education provided Wednesday to the SC Daily Gazette. The total of awarded scholarships means 64% of the 7,907 students whose parents applied by the March deadline were denied. Most of those applications were rejected because they either came in after the deadline or they werent completely filled out, according to the agency. In the inaugural year, students had to qualify for Medicaid to be eligible. One of every 10 applications was rejected because the parents income was too high. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The law creating the private school choice program provided $6,000 scholarships for a maximum of 5,000 students for the coming year to be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to all eligible parents. In March, GOP legislators in the House touted the high number of applicants as a reason to greatly expand the program before it even starts. But the final numbers suggest that was unnecessary. (The Senate never took up the bill.) Whats in the budget? Both the House and Senate set aside $30 million in their spending plans for the fiscal year starting July 1, assuming that all 5,000 slots would be taken. An agreement between the chambers budget plans wont be worked out until next month. Regardless, that money is locked in, since its the same amount in both versions. The 2,880 approved students will require less than 60% of that allocation. By law, all awards had to be decided by mid-April, 30 days after the application deadline. But denied parents can still correct errors or typos in their applications, which could result in a slight increase in approvals, according to the agency. However, the data it provided shows zero applications still in process. Legislators may approve a clause in the budget overriding that deadline and allowing the state department to continue accepting applications and awarding eligible parents throughout the year. Parents already notified can start accessing their $6,000 scholarships in July through an online portal that allows them to direct the money toward any of the hundreds of approved providers, mostly private schools and tutors. That is, unless the South Carolina Supreme Court decides before then that the law violates the state constitutions ban on public money directly benefiting private schools, as opponents argued to the justices in March. That lawsuit did not block the laws implementation pending a ruling. Advocates and critics respond Supporters pointed to the 7,907 applications as proof that families are interested in the program. They suggested fewer students will be denied in the coming years as the agency works out the kinks, eligibility expands, and parents become more familiar with the application process. The Palmetto Promise Institute, which has been lobbying for the school choice program for years, said its not discouraged by the rejected applications. They prove what we have been saying for months: South Carolinians crave flexibility and customization in their childrens education, the conservative think tank said in a statement to the Gazette. For critics, however, the fact that the department approved less than 40% of the applicants suggests demand was exaggerated, particularly among poor families eligible for this first round. To me, this is indicative that South Carolinians are already happy with either their public schools or the choices we have available, such as public charter schools, said Patrick Kelly, a lobbyist with the Palmetto State Teachers Association and a high school teacher. House Education Chairwoman Shannon Erickson said the large number of denials could be explained by parents not understanding the process or not knowing about it in time to complete it. The two-month window for applications started in mid-January. The process could have been too confusing, she said. I understand a learning curve, said the Beaufort Republican. Perhaps we need to put a little more IT assistance into the process. Erickson proposed the budget clause allowing the empty slots to continue to be filled. That would stop the department from not letting students in because of an arbitrary date, she said. Kelly countered the date isnt arbitrary: The March 15 deadline was put in the law to ensure public schools had enough time to create class schedules, he said. If students decide to use the money to transfer to private schools during the school year, schools could end up scrambling, he said. I understand and appreciate the heartbeat behind the rolling window, but it could cause logistical issues, said Kelly, a teacher at Blythewood High School. The Palmetto Promise Institute, on the other hand, lauded Ericksons proposed budget clause as a way of filling the remaining slots and ensuring the full $30 million set aside for the program goes to students. Even if it doesnt, the state should celebrate the fact that many students got financial help, said the think tank formerly led by state Superintendent Ellen Weaver. We should not lose sight of the victory: Two thousand, eight hundred, and eighty South Carolina students are now able to choose the education that best fits them, an opportunity they likely could never have afforded otherwise, the institutes statement read. That alone is worth celebrating. Eligibility and denials For the coming school year, eligibility was limited to families making 200% of the federal poverty level, or $62,400 for a family of four. Students also either had to be currently attending a public school or just starting kindergarten. The latter accounts for one of every five students approved for the program. Under the law, the income and participation caps increase over the following two years. By the 2026-2027 school year, up to 15,000 students from families making up to 400% of the poverty level will be eligible. The so-called universal school choice proposal passed by the House wouldve allowed students already in private and home schools to get scholarships and removed income eligibility rules by 2026. It called for the yearly cap on the number of participating students to be set by legislators through the budget process. But less than 11% of the denials were due to parents incomes being above the limit. In about 8% of cases, the students were either not yet old enough for kindergarten or too old for high school. Two students were denied because they dont live in South Carolina. Because the pool of eligible students was smaller this year, it made sense that fewer families would receive money, Erickson said. It was the least possible people who could receive the money, she said. An expansion, she said, would help families who earn just above the income limits but are still struggling. She pointed to the 539 students whose application were denied because their parents earned too much. But Kelly pointed out that advocates for the program have touted it for decades as a way to help poor families stuck in failing schools afford another option for their children. The fact that fewer of those families took advantage of the program than expected suggests that, even if numbers increase in coming years, it will be difficult to know how many disadvantaged students are using the money, he said. I think it paints a really compelling argument that there is no need for something like (universal school choice) in the near future, Kelly said. Editors note: The percentage of applications rejected due to deadlines has been corrected to 79%. 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. Southern California high school student arrested after lying about gunman on campus, authorities say A high school student who authorities say falsely reported a gunman on campus on Thursday has been arrested, according to the Ventura County Sheriffs Office. The student, only identified as a 17-year-old boy at Moorpark High School, used the departments WeTip service to anonymously report that there was a person on campus with a firearm. After consulting with the School Resource Office on Thursday, Moorpark High School Administrators issued a Shelter in Place order so authorities could investigate the campus. The investigation involved authorities from the Moorpark Investigations Bureau, Moorpark Patrol and Thousand Oaks Police School Resource Officer Unit. State Dept. issues worldwide travel warning for increased potential of attacks against LGBT+ community Authorities received two more WeTip reports during the investigations, with both providing more specific information pertaining to the location of the gun. Investigators searched classrooms that were noted in the report, but ultimately nothing of concern was found and the shelter order was lifted. Further investigations linked the fake tips to a student at the school. He was later arrested on suspicion of falsely reporting an emergency and booked into the Ventura County Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard. 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. Spain has denied the request of the Marianne Danica to call at the port of Cartagena - Anadolu/Anadolu Spain has blocked a ship carrying weapons to Israel from docking at one of its ports, in protest over the war in Gaza. Marianne Danica, the cargo ship which is reported to be carrying 26.8 tons of explosive material supplied by an Indian company and bound for Haifa, had requested permission to call at the port of Cartagena on May 21. Spain denied the request, in line with a policy of stopping vessels laden with arms and bound for Israel from docking there. The Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace, said Jose Manuel Albares, the Spanish foreign minister . Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Mr Albares added: 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 wishes to call at a Spanish port. Spain's minister of transport and sustainable mobility has previously authorised a ship carrying weapons to Czech Republic - Susana Vera/REUTERS Spains government has been outspoken about the need to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, with Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, criticising what he calls Israels indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force in its war against Hamas. Mr Sanchez has said that the EU should revise its association agreement with Israel, in light of possible human rights abuses in Gaza, as his government prepares to announce its decision to recognise the state of Palestine a move which is expected to happen next week. Members of Sumar, the Left-wing alliance and junior member in Mr Sanchezs Socialist-led coalition, had been pressing the government to bar entry of another ship into the port of Cartagena claiming that it was also carrying weapons bound for Israel. However, Oscar Puente, minister of transport and sustainable mobility of Spain, said that the Borkum was transporting military material to the Czech Republic, not Israel. On Friday, the company that owns the Borkum which, like the Marianne Danica, was heading to Spain from the Indian port of Chennai announced that the ship would not be docking in Cartagena. Inigo Errejon, Sumars parliamentary spokesman, said the Borkums decision was a victory for the movement against the genocide taking place in Gaza. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2024 - 19:52 | All, Japan A "flying car" took to the air in Tokyo for the first time on Friday during an international event showcasing cutting-edge technology. About 500 spectators applauded as the vehicle hovered around 10 meters off the ground in a parking lot outside the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in the capital's Koto Ward for SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024. Flying vehicles are expected to become part of the next generation of human transportation and will be effective in dealing with traffic congestion and delivering supplies to disaster areas, the Tokyo metropolitan government and other organizers said. The Hexa, manufactured by U.S. firm Lift Aircraft Inc., has 18 propellers attached to the top of its single-seat passenger cabin. It is 4.5 meters wide, 2.6 meters high and weighs around 196 kilograms. The Hexa will conduct demonstrations again, twice daily, for around 15 minutes per session on Saturday, Wednesday and Thursday, organizers said. Admission to view the demonstrations is free. "I want more people to experience this cutting-edge technology," Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said at a ceremony for the maiden flight. "I look forward to flying cars becoming a normal means of transportation." Related coverage: Stadium eyed in $6 billion Tsukiji fish market site redevelopment Nearly 70% of Japan prefectures weigh use of Level 4 autonomous buses Japan to spend 164.7 billion yen on 2025 Expo amid public skepticism Speaker Mike Johnson in Cincinnati next week for fundraiser with Boehner, Castellini After surviving an ouster attempt, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson will come to Cincinnati to raise money to increase the slim majority Republicans hold in the House. Johnson will hold a fundraiser May 30 at an undisclosed location with former Speaker of the House and West Chester resident John Boehner, as well as Reds owner Bob Castellini, Punchbowl News has reported. The fundraiser will cost $1,500 to $25,000 to attend and benefit Johnson's Grow the Majority political action committee. The location hasn't been released to the public. While here, Johnson will also try to win back the congressional seat representing Cincinnati and Warren County. The Hamilton County Republican Party this week announced Johnson will headline a May 30 fundraiser in Cincinnati for Republican Orlando Sonza, who is running against incumbent Democrat Rep. Greg Landsman in Ohio's 1st Congressional District. There will be fundraisers in Warren County and Hamilton County, but Sonza's campaign wouldn't release the locations of the fundraisers. A "grassroots event" will cost $100 a person, according to the announcement from the GOP. A private reception will cost $1,000-$2,500. "I think it's getting on people's radar," said Hamilton County GOP Chair Russ Mock. about the 1st Congressional District race. "Orlando is out there working really hard." Greater Cincinnati is not entirely friendly Republican turf for Johnson. Republicans hold a narrow four-person majority in the U.S. House. Johnson just survived an attempt led by Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Northern Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie to remove him from the speakership. A second Cincinnati-area congressman, Rep. Warren Davidson, who represents western Hamilton County and Butler County, voted with Massie, Greene and eight other Republicans for a measure that could have led to Johnson's removal. Rep. Greg Landsman, a Democrat from Mount Washington, faces Republican challenger Orlando Sonza from Springfield Township. Landsman in 2022 flipped the 1st Congressional District seat for the Democrats, beating veteran Republican Rep. Steve Chabot. Chabot had held the seat for 26 of the previous 28 years. Redistricting reforms passed by voters in 2018 required the General Assembly to redraw the district boundaries to include all of the Democrat-laden Cincinnati and eastern Hamilton County. Biden won the district by 8.5 percentage points in 2020, according to the Daily Kos. Sonza, 33, of Springfield Township, is an assistant prosecutor in Hamilton County. Landsman, 47, of Mount Washington, is in his first term as congressman. He previously served as a Cincinnati City Councilman. Ohio 1st congressional district This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why is Speaker Mike Johnson coming to Cincinnati? BALTIMORE Asma Naeem, director of the Baltimore Museum of Art, has an unexpected take on the climate protests that have shaken the art museum world in recent years. The protests, meant to convey the severity of climate change, have seen precious works of art from Sweden to Washington, D.C., doused in paint and cans of soup by impassioned climate activists. Theyve caused thousands of dollars in damage and prompted some museums to step up security for delicate artwork. But Baltimores Naeem sees a silver lining amid the turmoil, despite the damage to priceless artwork. The protesters are choosing to come to museums to express their viewpoints, because they see museums as critical sites of civic engagement, of public discourse, of sharing ideas, Naeem said in an interview with The Baltimore Sun. The museum already has reviewed its policies for protecting its prized collection of over 97,000 works of art especially the works similar to the targets of climate protests in other museums, she said. Now, in Naeems second year as director and on the cusp of the museums 110th anniversary, the BMA aims to take it a step further. On Thursday, the museum will unveil a set of environmental initiatives, under the banner Turn Again to the Earth, inspired by the words of writer and conservationist Rachel Carson. As part of the effort, the BMA has commissioned a sustainability plan, studying its current environmental practices and recommending improvements. The museum also will announce 10 climate-focused art exhibitions, and begin a citywide eco-challenge, encouraging other Baltimore cultural institutions to engage in their own sustainability planning. The action is long overdue, said Naeem, who readily admits the museum hasnt done enough on sustainability. Theres plenty of low-hanging fruit for the museum to achieve meaningful greenhouse gas reductions, she said. The climate plan, expected by years end, could evaluate how the museum could relax its stringent indoor climate controls to reduce energy use, ways to implement composting for food scraps and strategies to reduce waste associated with packaging artwork and setting up exhibitions, Naeem said. Every time we have a new exhibition, we tear down the previous exhibitions design, and the walls that are associated with that design, Naeem said. Those differing constructs mean that we are having, gosh, drywall, just dumped out to the back of our museum. The sustainability plan also could call for changes to the museums appearance, including updates to the plant life outside its buildings, and how it manages rainwater. The most I think joyful thing for me that could come out of this is us putting solar panels on our roof, Naeem said. What a way to bring the BMA into the 21st century albeit 25 years late. The sustainability plan will be crafted by Lorax, a consulting firm based in Baltimores Mount Vernon, which has developed similar plans for Baltimore institutions such as the Baltimore Ravens and the Maryland Zoo, said Katie Fink, the companys principal. Lorax will evaluate ways for the museum to curb its water and electricity use, and to decarbonize that usage, said Rebecca Gullott, a senior project manager at Lorax. It will seek ways for the museum to reduce trash, and reuse and recycle more. The plan also will evaluate the museums procurement process for eco-friendliness, and suggest ways for the museum to fund its sustainability effort, including through grant programs. The museum is actually made up of 10 different buildings, with varying ages, HVAC equipment and other infrastructure, said Pete Zadoretzky, who serves as Loraxs senior director of ESG, or environmental, social and governance. The museums main building opened in April 1929. Suggesting energy use improvements is complicated by the stringent requirements for protecting paintings, sculptures and other works of art. It forces us to put our thinking caps on, and think outside the box, Zadoretzky said The museum also plans to integrate the climate conversation into its programming, not only by bringing in new exhibitions, but also by reinterpreting artwork already in its permanent collection. For instance, the museum may add new labels to artwork, highlighting the role of the environment and the natural world in a pieces creation. Take, for instance, one of the Claude Monet paintings at the museum, Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect with Smoke. A label for that painting could focus on the rapid industrialization of Monets France, which filled the air with the very smoke Monet depicted, Naeem said. Monet paintings could be temporarily relocated in the museum, to form part of a new exhibition interpreting the museums European modernist collection through a climate lens, scheduled to begin early next year. The exhibitions will begin later this year, with More Than Conquerors a photographic installation by LaToya Ruby Frazier, focusing on community health workers in Baltimore during the coronavirus pandemic, and the role of environmental racism in the citys Black communities. Another exhibition, from British guest curator Ekow Eshun, is called Black Earth Rising, and brings together works by African diasporic, Latin American, and Native American artists focusing on the ties between colonialism and environmental injustice. To fuel its climate initiative, the BMA will convene an advisory panel of artists, activists and city leaders. Naeem likened the panel to assembling a team of rivals, a quote from American historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. That advisory panel should be including folks who may not necessarily find us to be on the right side of the [climate] issue, Naeem said. Other Baltimore institutions such as the National Aquarium and the Maryland Zoo already have joined the museums eco-challenge, which invites civic and cultural leaders throughout the Baltimore region to commit to making one sustainably driven operational change and developing one program to raise environmental awareness in 2025, according to a news release. The zoo released its sustainability plan, also developed by Lorax, last year, and has taken several eco-friendly steps recently, said its president and CEO, Kirby Fowler, including transitioning its shuttles to electric power, and composting animal manure that had been incinerated. The Zoo hopes to help the BMA with its plan, by sharing lessons learned, Fowler said. It doesnt have to be moving heaven and earth, Fowler said. You can take care of incremental steps to make improvements and we just want to get people to start doing that. _____ ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) Several St. Petersburg residents are voicing concerns about a deal to build a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays and redevelop the 87-acre site that surrounds Tropicana Field. The deal would provide 5,400 residential units, build a 30,000 to 35,000-capacity stadium, and develop retail space, hotel rooms, and office buildings. The deal also says it would provide 1,250 affordable housing units, but critics of the plan say the affordable housing units are not guaranteed. The deal thats written is a disaster for the city, said Hal Freedman, a St. Petersburg resident. Both from a financial standpoint and an accountability standpoint. The councils fiduciary duty is to stop the process now, Freedman said. What could happen is theyll pay the penalty and build market-rate housing, and well get no affordable housing. Our neighborhood is right next door, said Brian Peret, president of Campbell Park Neighborhood Association. How much of that money is going to support our programs, our parks, our students? However, Mayor Ken Welch supports the project. He helped work on the plan and believes it honors the history of the people who lived in the Historic Gas Plant District. Welch is optimistic the development will provide jobs and business opportunities for the community. Council members will have a chance to vote on the entire plan at a future meeting this summer. If the deal is approved by the city and Pinellas County leaders, construction could begin early next year. The lease between the Rays and the City of St. Petersburg expires in 2027. At that time, if no new stadium is built, the team could move to another city. 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 U.S. soldier being held in Russia pleaded guilty to theft charges Thursday, two weeks after he was detained in the country on suspicion of stealing money from a Russian woman he was in a relationship with, according to several state media outlets. Russian authorities arrested Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, in Vladivostok, a port city in the country, earlier this month and charged him with theft. Black traveled from South Korea to China and finally Russia, where he remains in custody. Black was assigned to the Eighth Army at Camp Humphreys, South Korea. He went on leave, supposed to be headed to an Army base in Texas, when he flew to Russia to meet Aleksandra Vashchuk, his girlfriend. Read Next: Demand for Older Norfolk-Based Cargo Planes Surges After Navy Stand-Down of Osprey Fleet "He is cooperating; he admitted [guilt]," the RIA news agency, a Russian-backed media site, reported Thursday, citing an official from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Primorsky Territory, near where Black is being held. Black, an infantryman, is married to an American woman and the two are in the process of divorcing, Military.com previously reported. Prior to his detainment, he had been seeing Vashchuk for at least a year, according to the pair's social media posts. Russian state media previously reported that Black appealed his two-month pretrial detention. Now, it appears that he has pleaded guilty to the theft charge, though Military.com cannot independently confirm RIA's account. "Please do not torture him [or] hurt him," Black's mother, Melody Jones, said when asked earlier about her message to Russian authorities, according to CBS News Thursday. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said last week there was not much he could say about the case, citing "privacy rules," though he confirmed that the office was aware of a U.S. citizen being detained in Russia. "Whenever a U.S. citizen is detained abroad, consular officers seek to aid him with all appropriate assistance, and we are doing so in this case," Miller said. Military.com asked the State Department last week whether Black's detention would further complicate the release of two other Americans in Russian custody: Paul Whelan, a former Marine, and Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. "The United States has a continuous effort to secure the release of Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich," a spokesperson said. "We will pursue every avenue until we are able to bring them home." Related: Still Held by Russia, US Soldier Gordon Black Files Appeal over Confinement Ahead of Trial A row of library books. (Getty) Libraries that do not restrict access to materials deemed sexually inappropriate by the Alabama Public Library Service Board could lose state funding under rules adopted by the APLS Board on Thursday. The changes, recommended by Gov. Kay Ivey but pushed considerably further by a board member who also chairs the Alabama Republican Party, come amid divisive battles over content and leadership in libraries around the state, often over books with LGBTQ+ themes or characters. I think the important thing here, and one of my priorities from the beginning, is that we protect children in the state of Alabama, said John Wahl, the chair of the Alabama Republican Party and a member of the board who led the push for the changes. No one should want a child to stumble across sexually explicit material in the childrens section of the libraries. Opponents say the new rules amount to censorship and that the language is too vague to determine what materials fall under the ban. The policies approved today by the state Public Library Service are a sequel that no one asked for, said Read Freely Alabama, a group originally organized to oppose restrictive circulation policies in Prattville. They are virtually identical to the harmful censorship policies that Prattvilles extremist-stacked library board imposed earlier this year on families who rely on the communitys public libraries. Under the new rules, libraries must develop a materials selection policy, addressing how minors are safeguarded from sexually explicit material deemed inappropriate for children or youth. They must have a policy outlining where books will be located or relocated if they are sexually explicit or other material deemed inappropriate for children or youth. Libraries must also develop policies for obtaining advance approval for placing such materials in displays targeted to children. The rules leave it unclear who would approve the display materials. They must also have stated guidelines that ensure sections for children do not have materials that are obscene, sexually explicit or believed to be inappropriate. Local policies must also bar the purchase of such materials for the collection and state that minors younger than 18 years old must have parental approval before borrowing materials designated for the adult section. APLS is responsible for distributing funding allocated to libraries by the state. Ivey sent a letter to APLS Director Nancy Pack last fall requesting that the organization condition library funding on them adopting sensible policies to allow parents to better supervise their children while visiting a library. She also wanted libraries to affirm that they will respond to parents concerns regarding materials they believe are sexually explicit or inappropriate on library shelves. Ivey also wanted money allocated to the American Library Association to be subject to approval by a relevant governing authority. The changes adopted Thursday by the APLS Board went even further and included several proposals that Wahl believed were necessary to mitigate confusion by the public, including the selection criteria for minors that should exclude sexually explicit materials. Right-wing groups have been targeting content in libraries, particularly books reflecting the experiences of LGBTQ+ people. The battle over content at the Autauga-Prattville Library began last year when a parent complained that a book contained inclusive pronouns. Critics say the restrictions reflect an attitude that the existence of LGBTQ+ people is in itself obscene. Lacie Sutherland, a former employee of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library who attended Thursdays meeting, said the guidelines allow the APLS to basically act like Big Brother. Just because you think talking about LGBTQ+ plus books is inappropriate doesnt mean they are, she said in an interview following the meeting. You just have a very disgusting viewpoint about the existence of human beings. Iveys recommended changes to the administrative code sparked a public input process. APLS solicited feedback from the public for several months since that October letter from Ivey was received. Outside groups suggested their own changes. The Alabama Library Association proposed a code that would direct libraries to adopt policies to deal with patrons and children who were unsupervised by adults, the location of materials as well as establish a display policy. The Eagle Forum, a right-wing organization, wanted further restrictions beyond what Ivey had suggested. APLS hosted a public hearing April 30 where more than 100 people spoke, most in opposition to the rules. Another 6,000 letters were submitted. APLS said about 1,600 of them favored the changes recommended by the Alabama Library Association while another 2,179 aligned with the changes submitted by Eagle Forum. The rest were a smattering of recommendations. Everyone is clearly very sincere in their views, said Ronald Snider, the chair of the APLS Board. We dont question the sincerity of what their positions are. I have said this before, all this dissension has hurt the libraries of this state generally, as evidenced by the cut in our funding. The APLS has a total budget of about $15 million in the Education Trust Fund budget, which passed the Legislature earlier this month. Most of that funding goes to outside programs. About $4.12 million goes to its operations. For this year, that figure is roughly $3.77 million, almost 9% less. The Alabama Legislature cut $351,000 (9%) from the APLS 2025 operating budget, bringing it to roughly $3.77 million. The House of Representatives originally cut the agencys budget by $701,000, but the Senate reduced the reduction by half. House Ways and Means Education Committee Chair Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, who oversaw the budget, said in April the cuts were not punitive and that the money would be allocated to Dolly Partons Imagination Library and Better Basics, a Birmingham-based nonprofit that assists children with reading and math skills. The allocation for the Imagination Library, under the Department of Early Childhood Education, increased by $250,000 in the final version of the ETF. Better Basics received $500,000. The day began with a subcommittee meeting led by Wahl who introduced the proposed changes. It is time that we make sure Alabama libraries are safe for children in their childrens sections, Wahl said. I think we accomplished that today. Snider, who voted against the proposed amendments, abstained on a motion to change the administrative code. He noted that the Autauga-Prattville Library faced a lawsuit over restrictive policies it adopted earlier this year. We all are aware that the Prattville Library is now in litigation in federal court over the proposals they adopted that are substantially similar to what you have suggested, Snider said to another board member, Amy Minton. I would hate for the agency itself to be involved in litigation with respect to that. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post State board adopts new policies tying Alabama library funding to book restrictions appeared first on Alabama Reflector. The federal government is warning U.S. citizens traveling internationally during LGBTQ Pride month in June to be vigilant, citing concerns that events could be targeted by extremist groups. The State Department in a travel advisory issued Friday said U.S. citizens attending Pride month celebrations abroad should exercise increased caution over concerns of possible terror attacks, demonstrations and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests. The Department of State is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events, the department said in its warning, which urges U.S. travelers to stay alert in locations frequented by tourists, including venues frequented by LGBTQI+ persons. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on whether the advisory was preceded by a specific event or threat made against the LGBTQ community. The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas, the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. We take seriously our commitment to provide U.S. citizens with clear, timely, and reliable information about every country in the world so they can make informed travel decisions. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security this month similarly warned that foreign terrorist organizations, or FTOs, could target Pride month celebrations at home. FTO efforts to commit or inspire violence against holiday celebrations, including Pride celebrations or LGBTQIA+-related venues, are compounded by the current heightened threat environment in the United States and other western countries, the agencies said in a joint public service announcement. FTOs and their supporters have previously promoted anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and targeted LGBTQIA+ related events or venues for attacks. Officials cited ISIS messaging from February 2023 that focused on anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and rallied against the growth and promotion of the LGBTQIA+ community. This year will also mark the eighth anniversary of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., the agencies said, noting that after the Pulse shooting, pro-ISIS messaging praised this attack as one of the high-profile attacks in Western countries, and FTO supporters celebrated it. Officials also referenced the arrest of three alleged ISIS sympathizers last June for attempting to attack a Pride parade in Vienna, Austria. Pride celebrations in recent years have faced increased threats of violence from far-right extremist groups. A Kansas man last year was arrested and charged for threatening to bomb a Nashville Pride event, and in 2022, 31 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front were arrested near a Pride celebration in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, on a charge of conspiracy to riot. At least 145 incidents of LGBTQ-motivated hate and extremism were recorded last June by GLAAD and the Anti-Defamation League, including the murder of a woman at a Texas gas station by a man who reportedly directed a homophobic slur at her. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. State makes changes to nursing scholarship fund to reach more NE students before deadline Nursing students at Creighton University (Courtesy of Creighton University) LINCOLN Guidelines for a scholarship fund for budding Nebraska nurses, which had not been tapped as anticipated, have been changed to reach more students before an impending deadline. In 2022, the Nebraska Legislature directed $5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds toward scholarships for students on short-term or accelerated nursing tracks. The idea, architects said, was to get needed public health workers into the field faster. (Getty Images) But so far, about $3 million of that has been provided to nearly 800 Nebraska students, according to the states Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the Nursing Incentives Scholarship Program. And there is a deadline tied to the pandemic-related funding. Dollars not obligated (awarded) by the end of this year are to be returned to the federal government. Meanwhile, the nursing shortage remains alarming, according to a study by state health care entities with Nebraska on pace to be short about 5,435 nurses by 2025. Bigger amounts This week, the DHHS issued a media release announcing changes in the scholarship program. Those include raising the ceiling on how much an applicant can receive and expanding eligibility to students in longer-paced, traditional bachelor of science in nursing programs. Charity Menefee, director of the Division of Public Health for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. (Courtesy of DHHS) Before, entry was limited to programs with shorter training periods, such as licensed practical nurses, associate degree nurses or accelerated one-year bachelor of science in nursing programs. For students enrolled in semester-based programs, the scholarship awards had been up to $2,500. Now that has been doubled, to up to $5,000 a semester, said DHHS spokeswoman Alycia Davis. She said students enrolled in quarterly programs are now eligible for $3,500 a quarter. Qualified applicants are to receive scholarships on a first-come, first-served basis, DHHS said, until the fund is depleted. Eligibility is not affected by income. Nebraska needs more nurses and this opportunity allows us to double the size of scholarships and widen eligibility to help address our nursing shortage, said Charity Menefee, DHHS director of public health. They listened Deb Carlson, president and CEO of Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha, called the changes fantastic. They listened, she said. We still have a nursing shortage in Nebraska obviously and all across the country. This really helps our students stay in the programs and leave with less debt. Carlson was among health care officials who had questioned the scholarship eligibility restrictions, saying last year that the state was well-intentioned but had missed the mark in not opening the scholarship to students in more traditional four-year nursing programs. A concern voiced by her and others at the time was that people might view the low applicant response as a sign that budding nurses dont need the financial boost, which Carlson said was not the case. Deb Carlson, president and CEO of Nebraska Methodist College (Courtesy of Nebraska Methodist College) Kim Houtwed of the Nebraska Nurses Association, which helped draft the scholarship legislation in the first place, said the association backed the changes. We are definitely supportive of any legislation or any regulation interpretation that puts more of those ARPA funds out to nursing students so they can get their education. Must practice two years in NE Other eligibility criteria include that the student must have finished all prerequisites and be enrolled in a Nebraska nursing program. Upon completion of their program, scholarship recipients must practice nursing in Nebraska for a minimum of two years. These scholarships will help reduce barriers to entry in the nursing field and grow Nebraskas public health workforce, Menefee said. Each scholarship recipient will play a vital role in bolstering Nebraskas public health infrastructure and reinforcing the importance of nurses and their many roles within the public health system. The original scholarship bill was introduced by State Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams in 2022 and lawmakers allowed for the changes through legislation passed this year. Davis said the fall 2024 application already has opened and the deadline to apply is July 31. The post State makes changes to nursing scholarship fund to reach more NE students before deadline appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. A child in Nashville gets a COVID-19 shot. (Photo: John Partipilo) 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. Were against the government telling us what to do with our own bodies. Louisiiana state Rep. Kathy Edmonston 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. 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. Conservatives have really moved towards that medical freedom position of where people need to be really educated about whatever vaccine that they are taking. Tennessee state Sen. Bo Watson 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. The post As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts worries grow appeared first on Tennessee Lookout. 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 Quality Journalism for Critical Times 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. 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. This story was published earlier by Stateline, a partner of the nonprofit States Newsroom network, which includes the Florida Phoenix. The post As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts worries grow appeared first on Florida Phoenix. KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2024 - 21:06 | World, All, Japan Japan has agreed to provide the Philippines with a 64.3 billion yen low-interest loan for the acquisition of five additional Japanese patrol vessels, the two sides announced on Friday, in a bid to help it cope with China's aggressive activities in the South China Sea. At a ceremony in Manila, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and Japanese Ambassador Kazuya Endo signed an agreement on the loan, which was promised by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his Manila visit in November last year. The Japan has already provided 12 patrol ships, called "multi-role response vessels" to the Philippine Coast Guard since 2016, including two 97-meter units that are currently the largest in its fleet. The delivery of the five more 97-meter vessels, which are expected from 2027 to 2028, is anticipated to bolster "the Philippine Coast Guard's maritime surveillance, response and enforcement capabilities, ensuring safer and more secure seas for our people and those who traverse our waters," according to Manalo. Endo pledged the Japanese government will consistently support the coast guard's capacity building, saying, "As the situation surrounding the Philippines has continuously been serious, (the Philippine Coast Guard) is standing in a frontline for protecting our common interests and rules-based maritime order." The Japanese envoy underscored the importance of safe sea lanes, including the South China Sea, saying his country "relies heavily on trade with other countries." Since last year, Philippine Coast Guard ships and fishing boats have faced assertive behaviors from Chinese vessels, including the use of water cannon and military-grade laser, in the South China Sea more frequently than previous years, with Beijing asserting its sweeping claims in the waters. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in 2016 that China's claim over almost the entire South China Sea have no legal basis. Related coverage: Philippine civilian convoy sails to China-controlled shoal Japan, Germany may hold 1st joint land force exercise next year Japan, U.S., Australia sign defense technology cooperation pact Zhang Zhan, 40, seen here in a screen capture of a video uploaded to YouTube on May 14, 2020, the same day she was arrested on charges relating to her coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic from Wuhan. Screen capture courtesy YouTube/video May 16 (UPI) -- The status and location of a Chinese blogger who was imprisoned for her coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak remained unknown Thursday, five days after she was to be released from a Shanghai prison, raising worries about her safety. Zhang Zhan, 40, had spent four years in a Chinese prison following her conviction in December 2020 for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" with her early coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak from Wuhan, ground zero of the pandemic. She was to be released from Shanghai Women's Prison on Monday, but no one has heard from her since, leading some to describe her as having been "disappeared." "Day 5: it's poignant that #ZhangZhan, who inspires us to fight for transparency and the right to information, has been 'disappeared' and her family silenced once again," Jane Wang, a Chinese activist based in Britain who has been advocating for Zhang's release, said Thursday on X. Wang initially publicized that there had been no confirmation that Zhang had left the prison as expected on Monday. She said they should have either heard from her or her family by Monday night concerning her release. "Instead, we are left wondering where she is, how she is doing physically and mentally, what's happened to her family and what the future holds for her," Wang said. The U.S. State Department on Thursday said the Biden administration is "deeply concerned" over reports of Zhang's disappearance and urged the People's Republic of China to respect her human rights. "The United States has repeatedly expressed our serious concerns about the arbitrary nature of her detention and authorities' mistreatment of her," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. Zhang was arrested May 14, 2020, the same day she posted her final video of hundreds she had shared on social media, including YouTube, detailing the situation in Wuhan amid the pandemic and China's repressive response to it. As she was serving her sentence, there were doubts raised that she would be released when the time came, with Reporters Without Borders stating last month that journalists detained for their work in China are often surveilled after release and banned from traveling abroad. The non-government international journalism advocate said that she had undergone hunger strikes during her imprisonment in defense of her innocence, which resulted in her nearly dying. Authorities ended up force feeding her nasally with a tube, it said. China has jailed more than prisoners and press freedom advocates than any other country with at least 119 detainees, RSF said, and is ranked 179th out of 180 countries in its 2023 world press freedom index. Former President Donald Trump dances during his speech Friday at the Faith and Freedom "Road to Majority" conference at Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Convention Center. (Photo: John Partipilo) Former President Donald Trump dances during his speech June 17, 2022 at the Faith and Freedom "Road to Majority" conference at Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Convention Center. (Photo: John Partipilo) EDITORS NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect claims by Gov. Bill Lees office that he never supported Ron DeSantis in the Republican primary for the presidential race even though media outlets reported he attended a DeSantis event for donors and backers in February 2023. Big-name Trump supporters are falling like dead cicadas, but count Gov. Bill Lee among those riding the Trump train even as the former president deals with a hush-money trial and a host of criminal allegations. That would put Lee in the same camp as Republican Congressman Andy Ogles, of Tennessees remade 5th Congressional District, looking surly while attending the New York City trial this week in support of Donald Trump. Asked Thursday if he believes the former president should be the Republican nominee for the presidency, even as he faces prosecutions on a litany of criminal charges, Lee said, I fully believe that this country would be better off under President Trumps leadership, and I am hopeful that hes the next president. Maybe his moral compass stops where politics begin. train: Gov. Bill Lee, happy to support the former president. (Photo: John Partipilo) Lee supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis early on before his candidacy crashed. He didnt exactly answer the question, either, Thursday after speaking shortly at a LEAD charter school signing event at Belmont University. Apparently, he had no choice but to dump DeSantis, then gave short shrift to former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, leaving Trump as the clear favorite. The Governors Office denied Friday that Lee supported DeSantis at any point in the Republican primary and noted the governor said he could not endorse any candidate because of his role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Yet Lee reportedly attended a three-day event at Four Seasons Hotel for top donors and supporters of DeSantis in Palm Beach, Florida in early 2023. After Super Tuesday, Lee gave all of his backing to Trump, who could win the presidency because, oddly, his support seems to grow stronger as he faces more legal charges. On a trip to Cherokee, North Carolina last year, we stopped for pictures at a local stores Bigfoot billboard. (I have a crazy neighbor whos big on Sasquatch, so every time we see Bigfoot I send him photos). Inside and outside, the store also was littered with Trump paraphernalia. Asked about the merch, the stores operator said, Thats what people want. It makes sense. Sell what theyre buying. On a bigger scale, it comes down to this: People like the former reality show guy so much theyre willing to overlook allegations of porn star payoffs, New York business law violations, classified document breaches, strong arming to overturn the 2020 election and, oh yes, direction of that little conflagration at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. (Most of us saw it on TV, but did it really happen?) For the sake of argument, however, lets say he didnt cheat on his wife and have sex with Stormy Daniels or try to shut her up with $130,000 as the 2016 election neared; that he didnt refuse to return classified information to the feds instead of keeping them at Mar-A-Lago; and that he was simply trying to fire up a crowd of supporters before they stormed the Capitol in search of VP Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and any lawmaker they could lynch. After all, vote manipulation is nothing but a conspiracy by Democrats to keep him from reclaiming the White House. What theyre doing to that man is wrong, people say. Gov. Lee and Tennessees political leaders, many of whom claim to be the law-and-order type, are quick to dismiss the criminal charges paying off a porn star and violations of New York business law, to say nothing of trying to overturn an election against the former president. All that forgiven, it remains exceedingly difficult to get around the Trump phone call to Georgias Republican secretary of state urging him to find 11,780 votes, which would allow him to reverse the states election, win 16 electoral votes and capture the 2020 presidential election. The phone call is easily accessible online, and no one has ever disputed it was Donald Trump on the phone to Brad Raffensperger, who made the right call and refused the request. But instead of disputing the allegations at the heart of the matter, Trumps people dug up dirt on Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis, who is accused of having a relationship with a special prosecutor hired to handle the Trump case. Georgia judges have found the case can move forward, even as Trumps legal team is pressing an appeal, an effort to litigate until eternity. Gaming the system is within everyones right. But outside the legal halls, apparently its OK for the former president to try to cover up affairs after all, boys will be boys while a woman who has an illicit affair is persecuted til the bitter end. Thus, its a tad disappointing that Gov. Lee and Tennessees political leaders, many of whom claim to be the law-and-order type, are quick to dismiss the criminal charges against the former president in their zeal to rid the country of Democratic President Joe Biden. Then again, Bill Clinton had his own low points in the Oval Office. While they accuse Biden-flation of destroying the economy, it must be noted the president sent Tennessee billions of dollars the state used to prop up its budget during the COVID-19 pandemic and now hand out millions of dollars for broadband expansion (Gov. Lee is bragging about this). Those were accompanied by a nice sales tax break for companies buying cable and other materials to make sure Tennessee is the latest gig-state, though not quite on the heels of Chattanooga, the gig-city. Meanwhile, Internet reception in the House chamber is about like the food in the Cordell Hull cafeteria: they call it the grab and go, but its more like the hit or miss. Thank you, Mr. Gerry Mander Since winning the 5th District Congressional seat courtesy of a Republican-controlled gerrymandering committee (sorry, I meant to say redistricting), U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles has brought all sorts of meaningful federal legislation. Just ask him. His latest act of idiocy is introducing the Let Trump Speak Act, which would stop judges from issuing gag orders against defendants to keep them from upsetting criminal and civil proceedings. We have watched for years as a politically weaponized Department of Justice and Democrat activist judges have gone after President Donald J. Trump, Ogles told Fox News Digital. There is no right more sacred to Americans than the right to speak freely, as guaranteed in the First Amendment. Tennessee Congressional District 5 U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. (Photo: John Partipilo) Yes, the First Amendment is important, and jurists also have the right to do their duty within the legal system without facing threats and outlandish statements from a former president. It could be possible Ogles has never heard of the separation of powers, or maybe he wants to throw out the entire judicial system, though Im pretty sure the judges gag order is designed to keep Mr. Trump from poisoning the hush-money trial. Simultaneously, Ogles is sponsoring the so-called Study Abroad Act that would revoke the visas of students participating in pro-Hamas protests on American college campuses and force them to study elsewhere, possibly in Iran, Qatar or Gaza. Without getting into the entire mess of the Israel-Hamas war, it is becoming clear that Ogles would like to outlaw any speech he doesnt like thats critical of U.S. policy while allowing Trump to spew any sort of vitriol he can muster. Wait a second, doesnt Ogle spend a lot of energy criticizing the Biden Administration? Maybe he should go to Russia where, no doubt, Putin will welcome him to finish building Trumps tower. It dont matter to me Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds continues to run afoul of Democrats, namely Rep. Caleb Hemmer of Nashville who filed an ethics complaint against her for attending ExcelinEd events on a lobbyists dime, in violation of state rules. She worked for the pro-choice education group before Gov. Lee brought her in last year to push his private-school voucher bill, which failed to pass the Legislature. Reported initially by The Tennessean, Hemmers ethics complaint points out Reynolds attended out-of-state conferences in October and November 2023 paid for by ExcelinEd, an employer of a Tennessee lobbyists, even though no lobbyist or lobbyists employer is allowed to provide gifts, directly or indirectly to a candidate, legislative branch official, executive branch official or family members. Commissioner Reynolds is doing an excellent job. Shes proven to be qualified for this job, and Im very proud of the work were doing together and look forward to continuing that work. Gov. Bill Lee, addressing ethics complaints about Education Commissioner Lizette Reynolds The first question is: If Tennessee has $144 million for a voucher program that couldnt make it into law this year, doesnt it have enough petty cash to pay for Reynolds trips to Atlanta and Indianapolis? The second question is a combo: Where did they find this woman who is less qualified to be education commissioner than a handful of dead cicadas? And, why is Gov. Lee defending this liability no matter what? She never met the official qualifications to become commissioner and half a year into her tenure still had voter registration in Texas. Asked Thursday about her less-than-stellar performance and the ethics complaint, Gov. Lee said, Commissioner Reynolds is doing an excellent job. Shes proven to be qualified for this job, and Im very proud of the work were doing together and look forward to continuing that work. Which begs the question: What planet has he been on the last five months? Since when is it OK to commit perjury on a tuition waiver form (it was excused as an administrative error), take travel money from a lobbyist and this is based on powers of observation run from reporters who want to ask about such indiscretions? All the time, if you work for Tennessees governor. She took all my money, wrecks my new car. Now shes with one of my good time buddies, theyre drinking in some cross-town bar. * *Whipping Post, The Allman Brothers The post Stockard on the Stump: Lee stays on Trump bandwagon despite legal battles appeared first on Tennessee Lookout. A symbol affiliated with former President Donald Trumps Stop the Steal fallacy was on display at Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitos house in 2021, a New York Times investigation found Thursday. The symbol in question was an upside-down American flag, which supporters of Trumps stolen election conspiracy theory began displaying after he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020. Neighbors who saw and photographed the flag confirmed to the Times that it flew on Jan. 17, 2021. The conservative justice admitted it but said it was his wifes doing. I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag, he said in a statement to the paper. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. The Times found in interviews with neighbors that Alitos wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was having an ongoing argument with neighbors whod put up an anti-Trump sign with an expletive on their front lawn. You can see a photo of the flag in question in the Times story. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says his wife put up the upside-down flag, a symbol adopted by those who believe the 2020 election was "stolen" from Donald Trump. OLIVIER DOULIERY via Getty Images Jan. 17 was a little over a week after Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to stop the ceremonial counting of electoral votes that gave Biden the presidency. More than a thousand people involved in the riot have been charged with crimes associated with that day. While the flag was up, the Supreme Court was deciding whether to hear several cases about the integrity of the 2020 election. Alito was in favor of hearing the arguments but was ultimately on the losing side. Currently, the court is set to rule on two cases related to the Capitol riot, including one that could give Trump presidential immunity from some of the dozens of charges hes facing. The Supreme Courts code of ethics calls for the justices to avoid making political statements or sharing opinions on matters that might come before the court. Take Back the Court, a group opposed to the conservative swing the court has taken in recent years, said this incident is proof Alito doesnt belong on the court. Sam Alito has disqualified himself from legitimate service on the Supreme Court. Its hard to imagine a more blatant f-you to the American public than proudly displaying a vestige of a failed coup attempt on the country youre supposed to serve, right on your front lawn, the groups president, Sarah Lipton-Lubet, said in a statement. Alitos wife isnt the only Supreme Court spouse to get caught up in an election conspiracy scandal. Justice Clarence Thomass wife, Ginni Thomas, promoted and attended Trumps Stop the Steal rally near the White House that preceded the Capitol insurrection. Her husband has refused to recuse himself from cases related to the attack on the Capitol. If the wife of one sitting Supreme Court justice helping incite an insurrection wasnt enough for Congress to issue subpoenas to these extremists, perhaps another sitting justice proudly displaying memorabilia from that insurrection will be, Lipton-Lubet said. Related... Health officials are reminding people about the dangers of working outside. A new study shows evidence that excessive heat increases the frequency of injuries to workers. The study comes as Florida lawmakers pushed back an effort to require more heat protections for workers. Read: U.S. Department of Labor confirms open investigation of deadly crash that killed 8 farm workers The study found that work-related accidents increased by around 5% when temperatures topped 90 degrees. What we did was to expand the scope of these potential injuries by allowing for injuries that could ultimately occur as the result of heat, such as falling off a ladder on a hot day, something that actually would not have happened on a normal temperature day, said Sebastian Negrusa, vice president of research at the Workers Compensation Research Institute. Read: Central Florida Red Lobster locations to be auctioned off as employees hunt for new jobs Supporters of the recent bill say employers already face requirements to protect workers from heat-related injuries. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Justice Samuel Alito sought to head off mounting criticism Friday over a report that an inverted American flag was flown at his house in January 2021, telling Fox News that his wife hoisted the symbol of discontent in response to profane signs in the neighborhood. Alito said that a neighbor had posted a sign saying F**k Trump near a school bus stop and then a sign attacking his wife, Martha-Ann Alito. On a walk, the justice told Fox, the Alitos got into an argument with the neighbor, who used the term c**t at one point. His wife then flew the inverted flag. A growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers and ethics experts lobbed criticism at the Supreme Court in response to the report and demanded that Alito recuse himself from cases involving the 2020 presidential election and January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. The upside-down flag was a symbol for former President Donald Trumps supporters who falsely claimed widespread fraud in the presidential election. This stuffs not normal, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, told CNN on Friday. Im just stunned that we would ever have had to have a Supreme Court justice explain why his wife was flying a flag upside down in response to an insurrection. The New York Times published on Thursday a photograph of the flag that it said was seen at the justices home in Alexandria, Virginia, on January 17, 2021, days before President Joe Bidens inauguration. Alito told the Times he had no involvement in the flags hanging and said it was placed there briefly. There was little sign of political tension Friday in the quiet suburban neighborhood outside Washington, DC, where Alito lives. On his leafy street near the Potomac River, the flagpole was barren. Neighbors who spoke to CNN said the Alitos were great neighbors and described Martha-Ann Alito as nice and kind. Neighbors CNN spoke with said they recalled the flag being inverted but said they didnt know what it meant and there was no public reaction at the time. Its her right, one neighbor said, adding that if she wanted to hang up the Gadsden flag or any other symbol, she had the right to do so. A spokeswoman for the Supreme Court has not respond to CNNs requests for comment. Democrats and court critics call for recusal Alitos explanation hasnt satisfied critics, who noted the Supreme Court is hearing cases this year involving the aftermath of the 2020 election. Several Democratic members of Congress have called for Alito to recuse himself from cases involving the 2020 election, including the case against Trump for his alleged efforts to overturn the election which is currently on hold as the Supreme Court weighs what role presidential immunity may play in the case. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, described Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas as MAGA kindred spirits. By their obvious bias, both Thomas and Alito must recuse themselves from participating in the Supreme Courts consideration of the case involving Trumps immunity claim, and other matters arising from the January 6 insurrection, Johnson said in a statement. Their refusal to recuse will further erode public trust and confidence in the Supreme Court, and in the rule of law the court has a duty to uphold. Sen. Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the incident was the latest proof that Congress should pass ethics reform for the high court. Flying an upside-down American flag a symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movement clearly creates the appearance of bias, Durbin said in a statement. Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former presidents immunity. Republicans were, at least initially, more muted in their response or didnt address the criticism. Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, blamed the media for attempting to incite another mob to try to intimidate justices, harass them at home, or worse. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, didnt respond to a request for comment. Renewed calls for ethics reform The Supreme Court is weighing major cases this term tied to the 2020 election and the attack on the Capitol. In one, the justices are weighing Trumps claim of absolute immunity from special counsel Jack Smiths election subversion charges. In another, a January 6 rioter is challenging an obstruction charge filed against him by prosecutors, arguing that Congress intended that law to apply to people destroying evidence, not storming a government building. The revelations about the flag reenergized calls on the left for Congress to enact ethics rules for the Supreme Court, an effort has been stalled for months. By adopting the code of conduct last year, Chief Justice John Roberts appeared to head off Democratic efforts in Congress to impose an ethics code on the high court. But the codes provisions are self-enforced, and many of the courts critics argue the document doesnt adequately address scandals that have plagued the high court for years. If a judge on any other federal court had done this, the allegation would be investigated because it calls into question a persons ability to fairly decide a case, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told CNN in a statement. Through a long string of problematic behavior that has leaked out in the press, the far-right justices have demonstrated that they too should be subject to an enforceable ethics code, Whitehouse said. They are not capable of policing themselves. News of the flag landed at a critical moment in the Supreme Courts term, as the justices race to finish opinions before their self-imposed end-of-June deadline. Public support for the court has remained near historic lows since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. And there have been signs that the combination of controversial cases and ethics scandals have frayed relationships internally. Displaying a political symbol like this, with a clear message about the 2020 election given the timing, in the front yard of ones home falls under this code provision, and Justice Alito should disqualify himself from cases related to the 2020 election challenges, said Renee Knake Jefferson, a law professor at the University of Houston Law Center. But the code does not require him to do so, Jefferson added. Ultimately, it is his decision alone to make. This story has been updated with additional developments. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A Sumner mother said a man chased her teen daughter for several blocks to school, and the district did not notify other parents about the alleged incident. KIRO 7 News spoke Barbarann Kym, who said her 18-year-old daughter Kirsten was followed and later chased by a random man last Thursday. I was livid. I was so angry, she said. Kym said her daughter, who often walks to Sumner High School, walked past the Arco gas station on West Main Street when a man began following her. She started to walk faster. He crossed the street so he could be closer to her. And he started following her, she said. Before she knew it, he was full on chasing her. He broke into a sprint and started chasing her. He chased her all the way to the school. According to Google Maps, the gas station is about a half a mile away from Sumner High School. KIRO 7 News confirmed with the parents that it was the man below who followed their daughter. Were not showing his face because he hasnt been charged with anything. We saw the man walking near the school Thursday afternoon. Kirsten rushed inside the school building, the parents said, however, the man kept running past the school. SUMNER POLICE: KIRO 7 News spoke with a spokesperson for the Sumner Police Department to get more details. Carmen Palmer, communication director for the City of Sumner and the police department, said they looked into the alleged incident after a school resource officer followed up. No police report was filed. Palmer said they have received multiple complaints about the man in the past. We do know this gentleman. He does have mental health issues. She added, This gentleman has had some erratic behaviors and some mental health issues. After detectives reviewed surveillance footage of the alleged incident, Palmer said officers do not believe the man was trying to follow the student, while they understand the familys concerns. We watched the surveillance. He actually ran past her. When someones chasing someone, they typically dont run past them voluntarily. She added, It doesnt appear she was in any danger. Every indication seems to show his intent was not to follow her and go the same route in same direction. As soon as she ducked in the high school, he kept going. He actually went past her, she said. KIRO 7 News asked the parents about the response from police. The incident is being minimized. I feel like its not being taken seriously, Kym said. The mother said no person would coincidently mimic her daughters movement and speed in the same director for almost half a mile. The parents said their daughter is okay because she ran faster than the man. The police said he didnt hurt her. Okay well only because she was faster than he was. He didnt catch up with her. She was running as fast as she could, and had she not, who knows what else could have happened, said Kym. The parents said they understand police can only do so much in this situation. SCHOOL DISTRICT: Terry Bratsch, Kirstens stepfather, told KIRO 7 News he picked up his stepdaughter after the alleged incident happened. He said he was expecting that the district would notify other parents about the situation. The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District sends out a daily email so Im like okay cool. Theyll get this news out to the parents. We never got it, he said. I think every parent needs to know this is happening, he added. Its coming down to this now. Parents have to be their first line of defense for their children in this town. What happens to the next kid who doesnt have their head on a swivel and realize theyre being followed until its too late? Kym asked. Kym said other parents did not know about the incident until after she had made a post on social media. If it wasnt for me making a public post about it as a PSA because I thought the community deserved to know, other parents deserved to know. If it wasnt for that, who would know about this? Parents wouldnt know about this because the school isnt notifying parents. The school isnt making awareness about this, she said. We also spoke with another parent at the high school who said her family is terrified following the alleged incident. She said her daughter now takes a new route when she walks to school to keep her safe. KIRO 7 News reached out to the district to get its response, including its policies on when notifications are sent out to parents. We also requested the schools surveillance video of the incident after police said they had reviewed footage. A spokesperson shared the following statement: Regarding your request for surveillance video of the alleged chase, our security cameras only capture footage of the school campus. The man never came onto the campus. After the student reported the incident to the school, administrators immediately called the police. After investigating, the Sumner Police Department shared that the individuals intent was to not cause fear or stalk her. We understand that incidents among strangers on the street can cause fear. The student did the right thing in getting to a safe place and reporting the incident to school administrators. Safety and security is our top priority. At no time were students and staff on our campus in any danger. Sumner-Bonney Lake School District notifies families when emergency situations arise on campus, such as lockdowns, threats and bus accidents. On any given day, there are individuals wandering Main Street in Sumner, where the high school is located. Our campus safety and front office staff ensures that anyone without a purpose to visit the school does not enter the building during the school day. Sumner High School has three Campus Safety Officers and one School Resource Officer. Brave men and women of the Wisconsin Air National Guard proudly serve their country every day at the 128th Air Refueling Wing, based in Milwaukee at General Mitchell Air National Guard Base. As the wings former commander, I witnessed firsthand the exceptional air power the 128th harnessed to fuel Wisconsin and the nation on a daily basis. The wing is now in the running, along with over a dozen other military installations across the country, to house the KC-46A Pegasus, a state-of-the-art air refueling tanker that would sustain the 128th's mission in Southeastern Wisconsin for years to come. Simply put: the 128th and Milwaukee are a perfect fit for the placement of this strategic military aircraft. Housing the KC-46 at the 128th will build on the already robust economic impact of the Air Refueling Wing on Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin. The wing produces over 1,600 local jobs, generates an annual impact of more than $84 million, and contributes over $1 million annually in college tuition to local universities. Whats more, the wing sustains and creates jobs and provides opportunities for local businesses through subcontractor projects. It also brings technical skills to the surrounding community workforce through workforce training for our airmen and women in over 50 career opportunities. Currently, the 128th has approximately 900 personnel assigned to it, and these Airmen enable the combat employment of the units 10 KC-135 Stratotankers, which have been in operation here in Milwaukee since the 1970s. While these reliable aircraft have supported the Wing for decades, the KC-46 provides increased opportunities to the 128th, like aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and partner-nation receivers. Milwaukee-area communities rally to support Pegasus tankers The new tankers can hold more than 212,000 pounds of fuel, 65,000 pounds of cargo, and up to 58 passengers, which increases mission capability when supporting emergencies and domestic operations, like natural disaster response, emergency medical services, and fire rescue response. It is also equipped with several self-protection, defensive, and communication features making it a durable and survivable aircraft in contested environments. In recent days, communities across Southeastern Wisconsin have rallied behind the 128th in their effort to obtain these brand-new tankers. Common Council members in Cudahy, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee and St. Francis have all overwhelmingly supported this effort, each voting unanimously to pass a resolution that signifies their unity with the Wing. Leaders in the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County are also lending their support. With the basing decision coming later this summer, I hope to see more communities across the region join our side in this important effort. While support for the 128th's mission grows, its also important to note that General Mitchell Air National Guard Base is in a premier position to house the KC-46. The infrastructure at the base has recently been updated, and ground was broken in April on a new pipeline tap and fuel storage facility which make the wing stand out amongst the pack and greatly enhance mission capability and resiliency for the KC-46. The 128th is made up of our nations finest airmen; they live in our neighborhoods and our communities, and they put their lives on the line for our safety. The publics backing for the wings attempt at securing the KC-46 is crucial, as a successful and thriving 128th translates into a successful economic win for the region. Having the 128th secure the KC-46 would be a huge win for the entire area, and we hope we can count on your support. Col. Ted Metzgar (retired) is the former Commander of the 128th Air Refueling Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard. He wrote this on behalf of the 128th ARW Community Council, a private organization that advocates for the unit. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Air National Guard unit could receive new refueling tanker PALM HARBOR, Fla. (WFLA) Despite their 11-year age gap, Carolyn Hostetler was always close with her little sister, Megan Twist, which made the phone call she received on Nov. 26, 2016, even tougher. We knew she was going to lose out on all the opportunities that weve had, said Hostetler. She would never get to walk down an aisle. We had to go to her funeral instead. K-9s across Florida honored at Temple Terrace regional memorial Megan was hit by a drunk driver and died in the hospital. While her family was there, they were approached by LifeLink of Florida. It turned out that Megan had signed up to be an organ donor just months earlier. It wasnt surprising because thats who my sister was, Hostetler recalled. We had no idea that she did that, but she was such a giving person that we knew we wanted to honor her decision to be an organ donor. Megan donated seven organs, saving five lives. Waited for three years and I pretty much didnt think it was going to happen for me, said Richard Bremer. Then, one day, I got that call. Florida toddler left in sweltering car while dad shopped for Mothers Day gift: police Bremer was one of those five lives. The Jacksonville resident had sarcoidosis and needed new lungs. Youre thankful, Bremer explained. But then, its kind of mixed emotions for you because you know your best day is somebodys worst day. After he saw Megans death on the news, Bremer said he had to reach out, beginning a years-long bond with Carolyn and her family. It was amazing to meet her family because theyre so much like my family, Bremer said. It was just amazing how close that things could be. But its not just Richard who has a bit of Megan in him, but her dog, Mayer, too. Polk County John Doe murder solved 52 years later thanks to DNA When she died, it was really tough to see a dog grieve, Hostetler remembered. Every time the door would open, she would just be looking for her mom. Its the little pieces of Megan everywhere that Carolyn said are reminders of her generosity and spirit. Sometimes Mayer will drive me crazy, Hostetler said. Ill look up and be like, Megan, shes driving me nuts!' After her experience with LifeLink of Florida, Carolyn had the chance to move to Tampa with her family and join the organizations Hospital Development Team, where shes been for seven years. With more than 5,000 people in Florida and more than 100,000 people across the country waiting for transplants, she encourages everyone to sign up to be a donor. If youd like to register your decision to donate, you can do so at www.DonateLifeFlorida.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 WFLA. KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2024 - 12:32 | All, Japan, World, 3/11 Fukushima Japan has lodged protests with China and Russia after they referred to treated water released from the crippled Fukushima power plant as "nuclear-contaminated" in a statement issued after their summit in Beijing the previous day. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference that it was "extremely regrettable" that Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had made an assertion "contrary to the facts." China has criticized Japan for releasing "nuclear-contaminated" water into the ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, which suffered meltdowns after a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. Hayashi said the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida lodged the protests immediately after the release of the joint statement that expressed "serious concern" about the "nuclear-contaminated" water. In July 2023, the International Atomic Energy Agency submitted a report to Japan confirming that the water discharge aligns with global safety standards and the release would have a "negligible radiological impact on people and the environment." Hayashi said the water discharge poses "no problems from a scientific perspective," adding, "We have garnered the understanding and support of the international community" and "will provide explanations to China and Russia in a polite and transparent manner." China and Russia have banned Japanese seafood imports since the water release began in August 2023. Related coverage: Xi, Putin agree on political settlement of Ukraine crisis IAEA starts 2nd review of Fukushima water treatment process Japan, China hold "expert dialogue" over treated water release Suspect accused of firing shots at stepbrother in Abilene ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) A suspect accused of firing shots at his stepbrother at an Abilene home has been arrested. Jesse Treadaway was taken into custody Thursday for Aggravated Assault in connection to the incident, which took place in August 2022. Court documents state the stepbrother reported Treadaway showed up to his home on S 27th Street, pointed a shotgun at him, and fired through a window, causing the glass to shatter. Treadaway also told the stepbrother, Im going to take care of you, according to the documents. Investigators also found glass had been shattered with a brick, and the stepbrothers tires had been slashed. The documents state surveillance video showed a suspect arrive at the home before throwing objects and slashing the tires. Treadaway now remains held in the Taylor County Jail on a $75,000 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 KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. Man accused of fatally shooting boy, 16, in the head in SoHo Man accused of fatally shooting boy, 16, in the head in SoHo SOHO, Manhattan (PIX11) A man is accused of shooting a 16-year-old boy in the head during a brawl in a SoHo courtyard last week, according to police. Henry Thomas, 19, was arrested Friday and charged with murder in the shooting death of Mahki Brown in Urban Plaza, a courtyard located across from 233 Spring St. between Varick Street and Sixth Avenue in SoHo, at around 2:30 p.m. on May 7, according to the NYPD. Arrest made in attack on actor Steve Buscemi in NYC: sources Thomas allegedly shot Brown in the head and leg when the teen stepped in to try to be a peacemaker during an argument between two groups that stemmed from an ongoing dispute between two teenage girls, according to police. The students attend Broome Street Academy Charter High School, police said. There were about 30 people in the courtyard during the fight, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. The teen was not the intended target. He was the kind of guy that would have stepped in to help anybody, Kenny said. Thomas and a second suspect arrived at the scene on a CitiBike and fled the area on the same bike, police said. Investigators believe the suspects are members of a gang. The second suspect remained at large, as of Friday, police said. Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). 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. BETHESDA, Md. (DC News Now) The Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD) said that two robberies took place at the same liquor store in Bethesda in two days. MCPD said that officers were called to Geste Beer and Wine on Edgemoor Lane around 7:20 p.m. on Monday for an armed robbery. A male had gone into the store, pulled out a gun and stolen money from the cash register before leaving. Officers were called to the store again just after 6:25 p.m. on Tuesday. MCPD said that the same person had entered the store with a gun again. He stole money from the cash register and escaped from the back of the store. Silver Spring man convicted of killing Shell gas station employee to stand trial for murdering pregnant girlfriend (Image courtesy of the Montgomery County Department of Police) (Image courtesy of the Montgomery County Department of Police) Police said that the suspect appeared to be in his late teens. MCPD released surveillance photos of him. Anyone with any information is asked to submit a tip online or call 1-866-411-8477. 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 DC News Now | Washington, DC. One of the three suspects accused in the February Rock Island Auction Barn fire appeared Thursday in Rock Island County Court. William Kosgard IV appeared for a pretrial conference. The prosecution told the court it was working on a restitution package. William Kosgard IV (Rock Island Police Department) The judge scheduled final pretrial conferences for June 13. Matthew Wooddell and Kadon Svec are the other suspects in the arson case. Prosecutors say they set the barn on fire, and the blaze destroyed the building and killed a cow. Svec and Woodell are set for pretrial conferences on May 30 in Rock Island County Court, court records show. 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. Security video captured two men ransacking a Target in Orange County and escaping with nearly $1,200 worth of merchandise. The theft happened at a Target store located on the 13200 block of Jamboree Road in Irvine, according to police. Surveillance video captured the men entering the store and heading directly to the baby care section. They began quickly grabbing the merchandise off display shelves. One man stuffed items into a plastic bag while the other grabbed a box and whatever else he could hold. They were seen sprinting towards the stores exit, running through a line of other customers who looked on in surprise. Irvine police said the men escaped with around $1,200 worth of breast pumps. They left the area before officers could arrive. From left: Photos of one male suspect and two photos of a second suspect are seen in security video images from the Irvine Police Deaprtment. The two men ransacked shelves at Target, stealing nearly $1,200 worth of breast pumps in Irvine. (Irvine Police Deaprtment) The suspects are seen running through a line of customers with stolen merchandise. (Irvine Police Deaprtment) The suspects are seen running through a line of customers with stolen merchandise. (Irvine Police Deaprtment) The suspects are seen running through a line of customers with stolen merchandise. (Irvine Police Deaprtment) A suspect wanted for stealing nearly $1,200 worth of breast pumps at an Irvine Target. (Irvine Police Deaprtment) The suspects vehicle pulling into the Target parking lot. (Irvine Police Deaprtment) Detectives said the duo are linked to similar thefts throughout Southern California. Police have released images of the suspects, hoping the public may recognize them. Anyone who may recognize the pair or has additional information is asked to email mricci@cityofirvine.org. Footage of the theft can be viewed in the video player 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 KTLA. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) went after his GOP colleagues who traveled to New York City to appear at former President Trumps criminal trial this week. The California Democrat specifically took it to his colleagues who skipped a hearing Thursday over whether to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt and instead attended Trumps trial. Well, its nice to see that some of my colleagues on the other side can make it today. I dont know if that means there werent enough seats in the courtroom in New York, Swalwell said at the hearing. But, I know the Oversight Committee canceled the meeting that was supposed to happen right now on this same matter so that they could be at the presidents trial. Some members will miss this vote because they want to be at the presidents trial, and I dont think 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, he continued. That is the definition of Do-nothing Congress. A steady stream of GOP politicians have traveled from Washington to New York City to visit Trump at trial. The former president stands accused of falsifying business records, related to an alleged hush money scheme to cover up past affairs just before the 2016 election. At least nine Republicans made the trip on Thursday. Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Fla.) and Eli Crane (Ariz.) were spotted 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 spotted at the Manhattan courthouse. Gaetz and Biggs are members of the Judiciary Committee, and missed Thursdays hearing. Judiciary did hold Garland in contempt, with an 18-15 party-line vote, claiming the attorney general defied a subpoena to produce a recording of President Bidens interview with special counsel Robert Hur. A last-minute move from Biden to claim executive privilege over audio recordings from his interview did not dissuade the GOP from proceeding, even as Garland said those asserting the privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress. The Oversight Committee is also expected to hold Garland in contempt in a late night hearing Thursday. The hearing was scheduled late in order to allow lawmakers time to return from New York, a source confirmed with The Hill. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Russian forces have expanded offensive operations in Kharkiv Oblast, forcing Ukraine to deploy more reserve troops, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 17. In a post on Telegram, Syrski said Moscow's troops had failed to make a breakthrough but acknowledged there will be "tough battles ahead." Moscow 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. Russian troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border. "The enemy expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometers, thus trying to force us to use an additional number of brigades from the reserve," Syrski said. "The enemy launched an offensive well ahead of schedule when he noticed the rotation of our troops, however, he failed to break through our defenses. "However, we understand that there will be tough battles ahead and the enemy is preparing for it." Syrski's comments came a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists Russian troops were able to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep during their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, but the front in the region has been stabilized. Moscow's forces were halted by Ukraine's first line of defense, Zelensky said. They did not reach concrete fortifications, he added. "The first and second lines are being built by the military, and the third line is built by local authorities. It is the most powerful... simply because it is further from (Russian) weapons, from shelling," Zelensky said. "The deepest point of their advance is 10 kilometers. In some areas, there was no advance." Read also: Russia claims over 100 downed drones amid reports of massive attack on port, oil facilities Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. I cant breathe! Anthony Johnson Jr. shouted. Now, all of us are holding our breath. Johnsons death in the Tarrant County jail comes at a time of national concern about police violence, and in a county already hurting because a clumsy new county judge is politically divisive at every turn. With a family heartbroken and his deputies under suspicion, Sheriff Bill Waybourn did the right thing. He showed us the video of Johnson being pinned April 21 as he fought jailers, including one who Waybourn said kept his knee on Johnsons back longer than training allows. But the video didnt tell everything. It conveniently ended before we saw how hard jailers tried or how long it took to get help for Johnson, 31, of Fort Worth. In one telling moment, Waybourn said that the emergency response was delayed because jailers took Johnson to help instead of bringing medical staff to his side. For that matter, everything about this jail cell incident was delayed. The supervisor didnt have a video camera and wound up using an iPhone. The jail deputy kept Johnson pinned in a dangerous position even after he was restrained, when jailers should have helped him up to breathe. No cause of death has been determined, and the deputys lawyer said he didnt violate any policy or cause Johnsons death. Then, deputies didnt get Johnson the care he needed. The kneeling deputy, identified as Detention Officer Rafael Moreno, and the supervisor on site, Lt. Joel Garcia, have been fired. Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, right, and Public Safety Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod stand by while the media is shown the video of events leading up to Anthony Johnson Jr.s death while in custody. Two employees were fired earlier in the day for a technique used thats not allowed and violates training protocols. The case has not been presented to District Attorney Phil Sorrells office. We ask for your patience, Texas Department of Public Safety regional director Jeremy Sherrod said. The Texas Rangers, part of DPS, are investigating the case. Another delay. Sherrod did not say for how long. Waybourn, under political pressure in an election year, seemed defensive at times as he delivered an ugly video for both law enforcement and the Tarrant County Sheriffs Office. He described Johnsons condition as excited delirium before saying doctors now know the Marine veteran suffered from schizophrenia. And he took the lectern first to give his own version, telling reporters what he wanted them to see in the video. Anthony Johnson Jr. with his sisters Janell and Chanell. But Waybourn also expressed the deep shame and shock that he said the sheriffs office feels over Johnsons death. For days, rumors sped through Fort Worth about a video showing a deputy pinned Johnson down as he shouted, I cant breathe! Yes, like in the 2020 death in Minneapolis of Texan George Floyd. But Floyd died on the street after a police officer pinned him by the neck for nine minutes. Johnson died in a shorter jailhouse fight with deputies. Johnsons death comes after the courthouse was already filled with tension. On April 16, Arlington Democratic County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, who is Black, was arguing with Republican County Judge Tim OHare of Southlake when OHare pointed a finger and ordered her: Im the one talking now, so youll sit there and be quiet and listen. OHares primary job is to preside as moderator at meetings of the five-member Commissioners Court. The rash outburst did not calm the conflict or promote unity in a county government where urban Fort Worth and Arlington are politically dominated by three Republican commissioners who all live in the countys far north suburbs. Then, on April 25, District Attorney Phil Sorrells of North Richland Hills announced that his office will ask the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to reinstate a 5-year prison sentence given Rendon voter Crystal Mason, who is Black. Masons 2018 illegal voting conviction and sentence over a 2016 vote were thrown out by the Second Court of Appeals. Judges said neither the ballot affidavit nor the election judge explained that it was illegal for Mason to vote because she was under federally supervised release in a tax fraud case. Under Texas law and a 2022 court decision, voting isnt illegal unless the voter knows its illegal. A court of very conservative Republican judges upheld that law. They freed Mason outright, saying she was never told she couldnt vote. Yet Sorrells still wants Mason sent to prison for five years. You can understand why it isnt easy right now to trust Tarrant County. Do you have an opinion on this topic? Tell us! We love to hear from Texans with opinions on the news and to publish those views in the Opinion section. Letters should be no more than 150 words. Writers should submit letters only once every 30 days. Include your name, address (including city of residence), phone number and email address, so we can contact you if we have questions. You can submit a letter to the editor two ways: Email letters@star-telegram.com (preferred). Fill out this online form. Please note: Letters will be edited for style and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed. The best letters are focused on one topic. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his ministry in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, May 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) Russia and China are helping each other expand their territorial reach, and democracies must push back against authoritarian states that threaten their rights and sovereignty, Taiwans outgoing foreign minister, Joseph Wu, said in an interview with The Associated Press. His comments came as Russian President Vladimir Putin was on a visit to China amid Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reaffirmed their no-limits partnership as both countries face rising tensions with the West. Wu called on democracies to align in countering Russia and Chinas military assertiveness in Europe, the South China Sea and beyond. China threatens to invade Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that it claims as its own territory. Putins visit to Beijing is an example of the two big authoritarian countries supporting each other, working together with each other, supporting each others expansionism, he said. In particular, Wu called on Western powers to continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia to send a message that democracies will defend one another. If Ukraine is defeated at the end, I think China is going to get inspired, and they might take even more ambitious steps in expanding their power in the Indo-Pacific, and it will be disastrous for the international community, Wu said. Wu warned about the risk of a potential conflict in the South China Sea, a resource-rich area and key transit route for global trade, where China has overlapping territorial claims with several of its neighbors. The Philippines in particular has had numerous territorial skirmishes with China in recent months, some of which have led to minor collisions, injuring Filipino navy personnel and damaging supply boats. Wu said tensions in the South China Sea are more dangerous than those in the Taiwan Strait, and they indicate Chinas ambition to project power in the region. (China) wants the international community to focus on the Taiwan Strait and forget about Chinas actions in different parts of the world, Wu said. And I think we shouldnt lose the vision that the expansionism of authoritarianism is everywhere in the Indo-Pacific. Wu said joint military drills between China and Russia in the region raise tensions in Japan and other neighboring countries. He also criticized Beijings strategy of pursuing security agreements with nations such as the Solomon Islands, a former Taiwan diplomatic ally, and increased military presence across Asia and Africa. Wu said Taipei is committed to continuing a policy of maintaining peace and the status quo in relations with Beijing, as the island prepares to inaugurate its new president, Lai Ching-te, on Monday. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary, and maintains military and economic pressure on the island by sending warships and military vessels near it almost daily. China and Taiwan have had separate governments since the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, retreated to the island after losing a civil war to the Communist Party in 1949. We dont provoke the other side of the Taiwan Strait, and we dont bow to the pressure, Wu said. But at the same time, the policy approach from Taiwan is that we keep our door open for any kind of contact, dialogues or negotiations in between the two sides in a peaceful manner. And that door will remain open. He added Beijing is trying to change the status quo with Taiwan through a series of actions, including by ramping up military pressure, conducting information warfare and introducing new flight routes along the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an informal demarcation zone. Wu said security pacts like those between the U.S., Australia and Japan, and the new AUKUS partnership between Australia, Britain and the U.S. serve to deter China from becoming even more aggressive in the region. On Taiwans relationship with the U.S., Wu said he was confident Taipei will continue to have very close ties with Washington no matter who wins the November presidential election. Wu, who once described his work as probably the most difficult foreign minister job in the world, will leave his post after six years and return to a previous job as secretary-general of the National Security Council. He will be replaced by presidential aide Lin Chia-lung. The outgoing diplomat said the Taiwan foreign minister job still comes with plenty of challenges. China bars its diplomatic partners from having formal exchanges with Taipei, and during Tsais years in office, Beijing poached several of Taiwans diplomatic allies, bringing the remaining number down to 12. Despite the losses, Wu has worked to improve unofficial ties with European and Asian nations and the U.S., which remains Taiwans strongest unofficial ally and is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself. Delegations from several European countries have visited Taiwan in recent years, and Lithuania opened a trade representative office a de facto embassy in Taipei. Wu said European nations have become more sympathetic to Taiwans cause and cautious of China due to a series of factors including Chinas actions in the South China Sea, its human rights crackdowns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and Beijings handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Nobody should be ... thinking that they are immune from authoritarian influence, Wu said. Nazrin Abdul Chairman of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), Taleh Kazimov, underscored that transitioning to "green growth" is the primary objective of the financial sector's development strategy at the Raising Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event, Azernews reports. "The private sector as well as all other sectors should engage in the green economy transformation, requiring proper regulation, in particular, it is necessary to identify potential risks and conflicts, he emphasised. According to him, now the global economy, like the economy of Azerbaijan, is faced with problems associated with climate change, the consequences of which must be eliminated. "The fight against climate change stands as one of Azerbaijan's strategic goals. Like other nations, Azerbaijan grapples with climate-related challenges. This year holds particular significance for us, as hosting the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) underscores our commitment," T. Kazimov emphasised. He also mentioned that the CBA is taking measures to stimulate green financing and strengthen the bank's participation in regulating energy efficiency initiatives. Additionally, he mentioned the preparation of a strategic roadmap for sustainable finance by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), along with the formulation of the country's sustainable financial taxonomy. Kazimov added that the World Bank (WB) is providing support for the development of the taxonomy. Along with the public sector, the private sector should play a leading role in the trend of adapting to new challenges and the sustainable transformation of national economies and financial systems, said Taleh Kazimov. He emphasised that, on one hand, the private sector must swiftly adapt its business models to climate change, while on the other hand, it can influence consumer behaviour by offering sustainable products and services. "In order to attain the objectives set for the transformation of the national economy, the effectiveness of regulatory bodies is crucial. This effectiveness relies on the promotion and regulatory functions mirroring leading international practices across various sectors of the economy, including the financial sector". He also mentioned that in Azerbaijan, there are plans for a gradual implementation of a sustainable financial transition, achieved through deepening financial markets and enhancing the capabilities of existing financial institutions. T. Kazimov highlighted that the Central Bank has revised the corporate governance standards for banks, insurance, and investment companies: "Under these standards, financial institutions are required to consider environmental, social, and governance factors to ensure long-term sustainability." KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2024 - 19:59 | All, Japan, World The U.S. ambassador to Japan made a rare visit to two remote islands in the country's south near Taiwan in an apparent warning against China's increasing assertiveness in the surrounding waters. "When you don't have deterrence, it's permission to economic coercion and aggression," Rahm Emanuel told reporters on Yonaguni Island, Japan's westernmost island about 100 kilometers east of Taiwan. Emanuel, who later landed on Ishigaki Island about 130 km east of Yonaguni, met with local mayors and observed Ground Self-Defense Force garrisons and Japan Coast Guard vessels, according to Japanese government sources. He also exchanged views with senior GSDF and JCG officers, the sources added. Yonaguni and Ishigaki are part of the southwestern Nansei island chain, which is strategically important due to its proximity to Taiwan, a potential geopolitical flashpoint. With China viewing Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary, Japan has been strengthening both its defense capabilities in the area and its security cooperation with the United States in the Indo-Pacific region. The U.S. commitment to defending Japan ranges "from Yonaguni all the way to Wakkanai in Hokkaido," the northernmost of Japan's main islands, the envoy said. "While I am the first U.S. ambassador to ever visit Yonaguni, I will not be the last," he added. Emanuel also told the reporters that it is "very wrong for China" to fish in nearby waters. Later that day, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said, "While China bans Japanese fish, it doesn't ban Chinese fishing in Japanese waters." The remarks came in the wake of China's import ban on all seafood products from Japan. The ban was implemented in response to Japan releasing treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea since August. In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference that Emanuel visited the GSDF garrisons "at the ambassador's request." The top government spokesman described the ambassador's trip as "meaningful" in gaining a "better understanding about (Japan's) various efforts to reinforce the defense posture over the Nansei Islands, including deployment of the SDF units." Emanuel flew to the Okinawa islands by a U.S. Marine Corps transport plane through local commercial airports, the sources said. It was the first time U.S. military aircraft used the Yonaguni Airport, according to the Okinawa prefectural government's existing records since 1997. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said in a written interview that Emanuel's trip to the isles "falls within the scope of an ambassador's usual duties," while it is "extremely regretful" that the U.S. forces airplane used a commercial airport. Related coverage: U.S.-Japan alliance upgrade needed amid "more assertive China": envoy U.S. public health agency CDC sets up office in Tokyo Japan signs contract with U.S. on Tomahawk missile purchase Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of abuse and murder. Reader discretion is advised. Brianna Williams was convicted of second-degree murder on the death of her 5-year-old daughter, Taylor Williams. After being charged with torturing, maliciously punishing, or caging her daughter, she pleaded guilty. She was also arrested on grounds of child neglect and giving false information to authorities investigating the case. Williams reported her daughter missing on November 6, 2019, as per People Magazine. She claimed she woke up that morning and found Taylor missing from her room. Brianna Williams also claimed that the apartments back door was open then. The police claimed that Williams stopped cooperating with the investigation shortly after she reported Taylor Williams missing. Nearly a week later, on November 12, 2019, human remains were found in the woods of Alabama and were later identified to be Taylor Williams. In the area where Taylor Williams remains were found, investigators also found a knife, wire, cardboard, blue gloves, a rope, some papers, and a Punch drink can, News 4 Jax reported. An autopsy failed to determine the exact cause of death despite suspicions of homicidal violence. It revealed linear enamel hypoplasia on the teeth and skull, which hinted at possible neglect and deadly illness. The medical examination proved that the body was heavily decomposed and scavenged by animals. There was a possibility of the death occurring 31 to 184 days before being found. Taylor Williams mother was sentenced to life in prison at the age of 30 and is currently serving time at the Lowell Correctional Institution in Florida, according to state records. The court took into account the 1043 days Taylor Williams mother had already served in custody before sentencing her. How did Brianna Williams get caught? Brianna Williams attempted suicide by injecting herself with drugs right before she was charged in the case. She was then admitted to the hospital before she was arrested. Williams reportedly told authorities that she went to Alabama in October of that year to pick Taylor Williams up from her grandparents house. However, the grandparents claimed they only saw the child over a year ago and never after that. She also lied to investigators about Taylor Williams daycare. The staff at the daycare also said that Williams had not come around for a year, as CNN reported. First Coast News reported that inside Brianna Williams Southside apartment, the police found a closet that was stinking and had traces of fecal remains and human decomposition, along with soup cans and soiled clothes. They found that Williams car was also in a similar condition. Authorities deduced that Taylor Williams was left alone in the closet when Brianna was not around. Blood stains were found at six different locations in the apartment. Moreover, the autopsy revealed signs of childhood nutrition, stress, trauma, and disease. When they searched Brianna Williams computer, authorities found searches relating to malnutrition and child neglect, as per another report by News 4 Jax. This created significant suspicions and was one of the central factors that led to Williams being charged. They also charged Williams with tampering evidence. Mother Realizes Police Discovered Her Horrifying Secret is a true-crime documentary on YouTube that was posted by the Explore With Us channel and follows the horrific neglect and abuse that Brianna Williams inflicted on her daughter Taylor Williams. The post What Was Taylor Williams Mother Brianna Williams Convicted Of? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. A man who spent nearly a year in the custody of the state Department of Corrections is free after his burglary conviction in Pierce County was reversed by an appeals court. Prosecutors conceded they didnt have sufficient evidence. In an unpublished opinion authored by Judge Rebecca Glasgow, a three-judge panel of Division II of the Washington State Court of Appeals ordered May 7 that Marshall L. Mittelstaedts second-degree burglary case be dismissed with prejudice, meaning charges cant be refiled. Mittelstaedt, 53, was released from custody this week, according to Matt Catallo, the defendants state-appointed attorney from the Washington Appellate Project. Mittelstaedt served some time at the Monroe Correctional Complex in Snohomish County before he was transferred to a halfway house on community custody in the Tacoma area. Elated, and he was very eager to leave when he realized that he was essentially held on an invalid conviction, Catallo said. Mittelstaedt was found guilty last year in a jury trial for taking part in a burglary in the early hours of April 11, 2022 at a private property in the Waller area of Pierce County. According to court records, Sheriffs Department deputies arrested him after finding him and a friend in his truck parked in the uninhabited residences driveway, with cow panels worth about $200 stacked on the ground nearby. He told deputies it was a misunderstanding and that hed driven to the property to work, not steal. According to a brief filed in his appeals case, Mittelstaedt testified at trial that an associate called him that morning about a job hauling farm equipment. He had suspicions about the job but still went to the property, where the man whod called him opened a gate and let his truck through. A lock on the gate had been cut, law enforcement found, but nothing had been taken and no one entered the house on the property. Mittelstaedts defense attorney from the Department of Assigned Counsel proposed that jurors hear an instruction for a lesser offense of trespassing, but the court declined to give it. Following his conviction, Mittelstaedt was sentenced to two years in prison. On appeal, Catallo argued there was insufficient evidence to convict Mittelstaedt because the property had not been entirely enclosed. It was only partially fenced, according to the brief, with at least one gap a person could easily walk through at the front of the property and blackberry bushes on its side. By law, the attorney argued, the property did not count as a building, so there was no evidence Mittelstaedt had committed a burglary. Pierce County responded to the appeal brief about three months later, agreeing with Catallos argument and conceding that the court should reverse and dismiss the burglary charge. Asked why the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorneys Office brought the case against Mittelstaedt if it didnt have sufficient evidence to convict him, spokesperson Adam Faber said the case was charged based on police reports, which did not mention a small gap in the fence. Evidence on the fence gap came in differently at trial, Faber said, when two police officers and the property owner testified about it. But he said it was raised as an issue for the first time on appeal. Faber said evidence in the case included camera footage of co-defendants cutting the lock to the gate. The defendant didnt even use the fence gap at issue but rather entered through the gate with the cut lock, Faber wrote in an email. It is unfortunate that he cannot be held accountable for his conduct due to this legal technicality regarding the fence gap. Catallo told The News Tribune he wasnt surprised by the Prosecuting Attorneys Offices take on the case, but he didnt think Mittelstaedt was getting off on a legal technicality. If the evidence doesnt support the element for the offense, that offense isnt committed, he said. The attorney argued in his appeal brief that the trial court, which was presided over by Superior Court Judge Andre Penalver , made an error by not giving the jury a lesser included offense instruction for second-degree trespass. Catallo said he didnt think it was valid to say there was no way to hold someone accountable for this conduct. Prosecutors have to act on the information they have at hand, Catallo said, and they dont have the ability to look at what will later become part of the court record. His question, he said, was whether prosecutors realized the property wasnt entirely enclosed when they viewed deputies body-camera footage. I, frankly, just think no one realized that this was a big issue, Catallo said. Mittelstaedt was convicted of an offense that he didnt commit, legally speaking, Catallo said, so in a sense the man was wrongfully convicted. But the attorney said he didnt think there was anything malicious. It just seems like a mistake, Catallo said. Thats why the process is important. Im not saying its a mistake that can be made lightly, of course, but the process is important so we can uncover errors like this and rectify them. Robert F. Kennedy Jrs ballot drive in Texas may have unintended consequences for a Lone Star politician seeking reelection: Senator Ted Cruz. While Kennedy is still working to get his name on the ballot for the presidential race, pollsters predict that his mere presence will summon more voters to the booth come Novembervoters who wont necessarily join Cruzs camp when they see his name elsewhere on the ballot. Instead, experts predict that voters who turn out for Kennedy will more likely support Democratic Representative Colin Allred, Cruzs opponent in the November race. This is definitely not good for Cruz, Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University, told The Hill. Kennedys presence on the ballot could actually help Democrats. Kennedys campaign announced earlier this week that more than twice as many people as requiredsome 245,000 Texanshad provided signatures to get him onto the ballot. If you can get on in Texas, you can get on everywhere, Kennedy said at a campaign rally. The demographic likely to turn out for the 70-year-old independent candidate includes both Democratic and Republican voters, meaning Kennedy is expected to pull support from President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. But Kennedys camp also, surprisingly, includes a swath of young voters who historically dont participate in electionsbut their presence this year could reshape Texas politics. RFK Jr. is likely to mobilize a group of voters to turn out and vote in the presidential race who, absent his presidency, would not have participated, Jones told The Hill. Once those voters are through casting a vote in the first race as president, theyre going to start to go down the ballot. (KTLA) The sheriffs office in Ventura County, California 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. For information about potential signs of human trafficking, visit the U.S. Department of State website. To report a tip, ask for assistance or get information, the National Human Trafficking Hotline can be reached at (888) 373-7888 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 17-year-old girl has been rescued and a man arrested after the girl was allegedly trafficked into the United States from Mexico, authorities in Southern California said Thursday. The girl was able to text authorities asking for help and describe enough landmarks for police to find her. The Ventura County Sheriff's Communication Center in California received a text message at around 3 a.m. on Thursday, April 9 that included pleas for help, the sheriff's department said in a news release. A dispatcher at the center began communicating with the texter, who was sending messages in Spanish. The texter had no idea where she was but described multiple landmarks and "other identifiable information," and the dispatcher passed this information along to deputies at the Ojai Sheriff's Sub-Station. Those deputies launched a search in the Casita Springs area, and after just 20 minutes, the texter was found. The texter was identified as a 17-year-old girl, but her name and hometown have not been released publicly. Officials said the investigation found that the girl was trafficked into California about two months ago. She was evaluated and transferred to Ventura County Child Family Services until she can be reunited with her family. Authorities did not say if the girl had family in the U.S. or when the reunion was expected to happen. The girl identified Gerardo Cruz of Veracruz, Mexico as a suspect in the case. Cruz, 31, was "quickly located and arrested by deputies," officials said. Cruz has been charged with human trafficking, forcible rape, lewd acts upon a child, luring, and sexual penetration with force. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to online records reviewed by CBS News. Cruz remains in the Todd Road Jail on a $500,000 bail, according to online records. His next court date is set for May 22. Woman attacked by bull on Mexico beach after ignoring warnings Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene insults colleague's appearance on House floor Pope Francis on blessing same-sex couples 'Temper justice with mercy' Gov. Shapiro ask Turks and Caicos to send US residents home Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has joined two other governors in an attempt to bring home U.S. citizens charged with carrying ammunition into Turks and Caicos Islands while there on vacations. The governors have written a letter to the head of the popular Caribbean tourist destination and asked for "justice tempered with mercy" for the three men. The men detained in the British overseas territory, one from Somerset County who was charged in February and tourists from Oklahoma and Virginia who were charged April, face a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years in prison for what all three have said "was an honest mistake." Bryan Hagerich, of Somerset County, is awaiting sentencing in Turks and Caicos Islands. Other court news: Confluence man who held up an older woman in her home placed in probation program Now, according to published reports, a few days ago another American was detained in Turks and Caicos Islands on the same charge. The charges are the results of an amended 2022 law that states any ammunition and/or guns are illegal to bring into Turks and Caicos Islands. Those found guilty could be sentenced to a dozen years in prison, the islands' mandatory minimum sentence for the crime. However, the judge has the discretion to reduce the time in prison depending on circumstances and has done so since the amended law was passed. The Pennsylvanian, Bryan Hagerich, the first American charged in 2024 based on this law, will also be the first American tourist sentenced this year. His sentencing is scheduled for May 29. Ryan Watson, of Oklahoma, and Tyler Wenrich, of Virginia, are still waiting for trials and sentencing dates. 'Boneheaded mistake': American found with ammo in luggage on Turks and Caicos faces 12 years Shapiro, along with governors Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, wrote a letter to Turks and Caicos Islands Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam regarding the arrests of their citizens. In the May 15 letter, the three governors asked Daniel-Selvaratnam to reconsider the charges and expedite their constituents' release so they can return home to their families and friends in the United States. Hagerich said he had used his suitcase while on a hunting trip and when packing for vacation overlooked ammunition still in his bag. When the vacation spot's exit terminal did a random check of the suitcases, Hagerich's was chosen and searched and he was arrested on the spot. His wife and children then returned to Somerset County. How it works: Why WQZS FM 93.3 went off the air State Reps. Carl Walker Metzgar and Guy Reschenthaler have been pushing to bring Hagerich home, according to state Sen. Pat Stefano. Stefano, of Bedford, R-32nd Dist., said he is concerned and keeping track of the situation, but because it is a federal case he is limited in what he can do. Who is Bryan Hagerich? Hagerich is a father and husband and longtime resident of Somerset County. He graduated from Somerset Area High School in 2003. "He was my brother's friend in high school," said Christine Neilan of Somerset. "I was just praying for him in church. Everybody wants to bring him home. "He is really a nice guy in a bad position right now," she said. He is the senior vice president of operations at Affinity Health Services Inc., owner of Patriot Manor in Somerset Borough among others. Before joining Affinity Health Services, Hagerich served as the executive director within multiple senior living communities. A graduate of the Leading Age Pennsylvania Fellows in Leadership Program, a distinguished honor within the nonprofit senior living industry, according to Affinity website, Hagerich has been licensed as a nursing home administrator in the state since 2011. Caribbean dreaming: Best places to eat, drink, stay, and play The three governors' letter "Like thousands of Americans each year, these individuals traveled to your beautiful territory recently for leisure. They have all maintained they did not intend to bring ammunition into Turks and Caicos and any ammunition unknowingly left in their luggage was the result of a lawful conduct in the United States," the letter signed by the governors reads. The governors pointed out there were no firearms involved. "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." By a swift reconsideration of the charges and release of the men to allow them to return to their homes and waiting families, the governors wrote, "This action will create the necessary recognition of your laws that would impact the future actions of travelers and continue our mutual interest in justice and goodwill between our jurisdiction." This article originally appeared on The Daily American: US governors: Release of US citizens held in Turks and Caicos ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) The Beaver Lake division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced some swim beaches at Beaver Lake are closing due to E. coli concerns, according to a news release. USACE says these swim beaches will be closed until further notice: Hickory Creek Horseshoe Bend Campground Indian Creek Lost Bridge South Prairie Creek Rocky Branch Day Use Rocky Branch Campground Dam Site Island War Eagle Horseshoe Bend Day Use Area Fayetteville housing plan could replace apartment complex The closures are due to higher than acceptable E. coli levels found during routine testing done by project office personnel. Two swim beaches, Lost Bridge North and Dam Site Day Use Area, will remain open, USACE said. Signs have been posted by USACE indicating high bacteria levels at the swim beaches. USACE said rangers will retest on May 20 and 21. Beaches will be reopened when test results show bacteria levels are within an acceptable range, according to the release. 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 KNWA FOX24. Nashville Mayor Freddie OConnell never mentioned the Tennessee Titans during his State of Metro speech on Tuesday. That might have opened a wound in the monthslong fight in Metro Council that on April 26, 2023, approved a $2.1 billion new stadium for the team. As a district council member then, OConnell voted against it. As did former At-Large Councilor Bob Mendes, who is now chief development officer for the Mayors office. As did Vice Mayor Angie Henderson, a former district council member who now presides over the council. That vote was linked to the redevelopment of the East Bank and was criticized by opponents for lack of transparency and favoring billionaires and tourists over residents. But OConnells predecessor, Ninth Mayor John Cooper, said then: This vote unlocks the East Bank Vision for Nashville's next generation. It enables a true smart growth plan for the decades ahead. Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn earns bipartisan win, but she's still a political bruiser East Bank plan allows Nashville to create a national model for neighborhoods At his State of Metro speech, OConnell spoke about the East Bank plan and how his administration worked for seven months to get it to where it is now. Nashville Mayor Freddie OConnell speaks to the crowd during the 61st Annual State of Metro Address at the Fairgrounds in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Last year, we talked about a Nashville for Nashvillians, and Bob (Mendes) worked on this principle intently, OConnell said. Thinking about the things that made the neighborhood and community experiences he's known throughout his life great, he tweaked the dials to make sure that East Bank included churches and childcare, local businesses and jobs, sidewalks and transit. These things connect people no matter what they earn. Bob and a great team worked hard to set us up to buildfrom scratcha real neighborhood where real Nashvillians live. The opposition that helped put him into office and the vision to create a Nashville for Nashvillians allows the 10th mayor to execute a plan that may become an inclusive model from the rest of the city and entire nation. Polling from Vanderbilt and Imagine Nashville show that Nashvillians are not anti-growth, they are just against being displaced or disaffected by the costs of growth. The 2024 Vandy poll showed for the first time in two years, a majority of Nashvillians now believe that the city is headed in the right direction again. Timing and circumstances created the opportunity for inclusive project This past April, the Metro Council gave final approval for Boston-based The Fallon Company to develop the first 30 acres of the East Bank. Stand Up Nashville demonstrators outside the Metro Council chambers on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. The group could not get into the council meeting because it was filled with Tennessee Titans stadium proponents. Stand Up Nashville protestors wanted to call attention to gun violence, healthcare issues and workers rights and ask the Metro Council to have a public hearing about the issues. The deal includes building 45% affordable housing, living wages for workers and possibly a new Tennessee Performing Arts Center. The community and labor organizing group Stand Up Nashville posted on its Instagram page on Tuesday: We fought hard to make sure the East Bank development included affordable housing for all Nashvillians. In fact, we sent nearly 800 letters to council members! Today, we celebrate that hard work finally paying offthe amendment for affordable units has officially passed. A rendering shows an arterial boulevard with dedicated transit lanes serving a redeveloped East Bank neighborhood across the Cumberland River from Nashville's downtown. This might have turned out differently if there had been another mayor with an alternative vision who might have either sought to poison the plan or ignore residents who say they are tired of feeling like its us-versus-them, especially at it concerns the downtown-neighborhoods tension. Politics creates both roadblocks and opportunities in Tennessee The path to passage has been challenging and the measure to create an East Bank Authority by the Tennessee General Assembly encountered roadblocks The original Senate sponsor, state Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, whose District 19 includes the East Bank, withdrew her support. Sen. Charlane Oliver, D-Nashville, speaks during a Senate floor session at the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, March 21, 2024. To my surprise, it soon became clear that the policies and language of the bill were set and the set strategy for passage had been decided without my involvement or perspective, Oliver wrote in a statement. Senate Bill 2968 was eventually sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Oak Hill. Rep. Bill Freeman, D-Nashville, sponsored companion House Bill 2984. The legislation passed 59-18 in the House and 24-3 in the Senate with Oliver and another colleague voting present but not voting. Politics creates opportunity, such as, an environment where most Republicans in the GOP-dominated legislature would support a measure that benefits the Democratic stronghold of Nashville. Politics also enables and empowers former opponents and critics to put their influence and stamp of approval on a legacy project that they can now claim as a win for themselves and all of Nashville. David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or find him on X at @davidplazas. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans stadium foes now lead the charge. That's good news Terrence Martin, the first Black AFT Michigan president in history, is elected to a full term Terrence Martin as Detroit Federation of Teachers president in 2021 | Ken Coleman During the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Michigan convention in Detroit held this month, Terrence Martin was elected to a full, two-year term as president. Martin is the first African American to serve in the post and said he is honored. The May 4 vote came after he replaced the retiring AFT Michigan president David Hecker last June. Hecker, who stepped down in the middle of his final term, had led the organization since 2001. Lakia Wilson-Lumpkins is the Detroit Federation of Teachers president and an AFT Michigan executive board member. This is the first Black male president AFT Michigan has ever had, said Wilson-Lumpkins. His leadership is important as many states across the nation disregard diversity, equity and inclusion. His leadership is critical during a time when unions across the country are experiencing sharp membership increases, AFT Michigan is no exception. AFT Michigan has 35,000 members who are educators and health care providers working in K-12 and intermediate school districts, community colleges, universities and hospitals across the state. Martins career in education began when he served as a second-grade teacher at John Lynch Elementary. There, he became a Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) building representative at the school and later served as the unions president from 2018 to 2023. In 2022, he was elected to serve as AFT Michigan secretary-treasurer. Martin is a graduate of Saint Francis University in Pennsylvania, where he earned his bachelors degree in elementary education. He earned a masters degree in teaching from Marygrove College in Detroit. Nearly one year into his tenure, AFT Michigan has played a role in union authorization votes at Western Michigan University, University of Michigan-Flint, and University of Michigan Health Systems. Were thrilled to welcome the tenure-track faculty at U-M-Flint to the union, said Martin, who pointed out that only about 10% of Michigan workers belong to unions. U-M-Flint plays an important role in our states education system, and the faculty are a crucial voice in ensuring that it remains strong for generations to come. After Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation last year to recruit and retain skilled educators and counselors, Martin praised the development. We know that when educators are empowered and their voices are heard and respected, our schools are better for it, and were glad Gov. Whitmer is paving the way to restore educators rights and set students up for success, Martin said. Martin, who joined the DFT administrative team in 2003, said that his career path is the result of having professional mentors that include former DFT Presidents Janna Garrison, Keith Johnson and Virginia Cantrell, as well as office team members Judy Smith, Karin Whittler, Tim Michalak and Lois Lofton-Doniver. Martin also pointed to the importance that his grandparents, Lenola and William Martin, played in his life. Lots of people have helped me along the way, Martin said. The post Terrence Martin, the first Black AFT Michigan president in history, is elected to a full term appeared first on Michigan Advance. KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2024 - 08:06 | All, World The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Russia-based individuals and entities, accusing them of facilitating the transfer of North Korean ballistic missiles and other weapons for Moscow's use against Ukraine. The additional sanctions were announced by the Treasury Department at a time when the United States and its allies are increasingly concerned about Russia's deepening ties with North Korea, as well as China. Russia and North Korea have boosted their military cooperation over the past year, the department said, with Pyongyang providing ballistic missiles and munitions for Russian forces to attack Ukraine. It also said North Korea is seeking military assistance from Russia in return. "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 Russia's war," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement. The department identified the individuals as Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan and Aleksey Budnev, and the three entities as Trans Kapital Limited Liability Company, Rafort Limited Liability Company and Tekhnologiya, OOO. Separately, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that the United States will continue to take all necessary steps to counter the "destabilizing" Russia-North Korea partnership while calling on other countries to join Washington's efforts. The U.S. remarks came just after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed with Chinese President Xi Jinping to reinforce their countries' "comprehensive strategic partnership" in their meeting in Beijing marking the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. A lengthy joint statement released by Russia and China following the meeting was laden with criticism of the United States. In connection with North Korea, they voiced opposition to what they called Washington's pressure on Pyongyang, urging it to abandon sanctions and take other "effective" steps to ease tensions. Asked about the statement during a press briefing, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said, "We don't see anything new here." She reiterated that the United States finds it unacceptable that Chinese companies are backing Putin's war against Ukraine, adding, "If China purports to support peace in Europe, it cannot continue to fuel the biggest threat to European security." Related coverage: Xi, Putin agree on political settlement of Ukraine crisis U.S. adds 37 China entities to trade blacklist over security concerns China's Xi affirms partnership with EU in trilateral talks The 321-foot barge that collided with a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, halting traffic on the causeway and in the intercoastal waterway, is also believed to have spilled up to 2,000 gallons of oil, officials said on Thursday. The true total of the spillage, however, has not yet been determined. The barge, named MMLP-321, collided with the bridge Wednesday morning after officials said it broke loose and drifted into the structure. Nobody was injured, but the damage was costly. Video shows part of the train trestle on the bridge collapsed while the vessel also unleashed an oil spill. Officials did not know at first how much oil had been spilled but said the barge holds 30,000 gallons of oil. On Thursday, Capt. Keith Donohue of the U.S. Coast Guard said officials are "pretty confident there was much less oil introduced to the water than we initially estimated." Photos released by the Coast Guard show thick oil sitting on top of the waterway. A photo of the area where the barge Lance Corporal allided with the Sea Wolf Parkway Bridge in Galveston, Texas, May 15, 2024. The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating with local, state, and federal agencies in response to the Sea Wolf Parkway Bridge allision. / Credit: U.S. Coast Guard "We're estimating between 1,000, 2,000 gallons, but we will not have details on that until we get a final survey from the vessel," he said. "We have over 200 people actively working on this response right now." As of Thursday afternoon, he said that over 600 gallons of oily water mixture had been recovered, as well as more than 5,600 gallons of oil product that was at the top of the barge, but that he said did not go into the water. The product that spilled into the water is specifically vacuum gas oil, which is a "darkly colored, thick waxy liquid with a heavy fuel oil odor," according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. "If released, prevent entry into ditches, sewers, and waterways. Small amounts of this product, if aspirated into the lungs, may cause mild to severe pulmonary injury," a fact sheet from the department states. "This product may be irritating to the eyes, skin, and respiratory system." If heated vapors of vacuum gas oil are ingested or inhaled, it could also cause headaches, sleepiness, dizziness, slurred speech and blurred vision, the department says, and "may cause skin cancer." It's also considered "environmentally toxic and damaging on contact with plants, birds, and water mammals." An incident map from the Pelican Island Bridge Allision Response website shows the area impacted by a runaway barge that collided with a bridge in Galveston. / Credit: Pelican Island Bridge Allision Response Texas Parks and Wildlife, which is also responding to the incident, said Thursday that game wardens with the state are assisting in securing the scene. The Kills and Spills team will continue to monitor and assess, they said, adding that Galveston Island State Park, which is on the opposite end of Pelican Island, "has not been affected." The Pelican Island Bridge Allision Response website, which was set up by federal and state agencies to help share information regarding the incident, has a page dedicated for reporting injured or oiled wildlife. The public has been asked not to handle any animals they come across, and instead report them to 832-514-966 for trained professionals to respond. Woman attacked by bull on Mexico beach after ignoring warnings Pope Francis on blessing same-sex couples Morehouse College prepares for possible disruptions ahead of Biden's commencement address (The Hill) Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro (Texas) on Thursday accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) of having an alliance with white nationalists after he pardoned an Army sergeant who was previously convicted for shooting and killing a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester in 2020. Before Daniel Perry murdered a veteran in 2020, he told a friend he might go to Dallas to shoot looters. A year before, he wrote, to [sic] bad we cant get paid for hunting Muslims,' Castro wrote in a statement Thursday. Governor Abbotts alliance with white nationalists is putting dangerous people on our streets. The remarks came shortly after Abbott announced Thursday he issued a pardon for Daniel Perry, who was found guilty in April of last year in the death of Garrett Foster during a July 2020 protest in Austin, Texas. North Carolina could ban face masks for medical reasons in public Perry, who is white and worked as an Uber driver at the time of the incident, had dropped a passenger off in downtown Austin and tried to move his car through a crowd of demonstrators when he said Foster, who was legally armed with an AK-47, aimed his rifle at him. Perry, who was also legally carrying a gun, fired at Foster, claiming he feared for his life. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, angering conservatives who argued he acted out of self-defense. Abbott subsequently asked the states parole board to review Perrys case. The board, appointed by Abbott, handed down a unanimous recommendation to pardon Perry, prompting the governors Thursday proclamation. Perry will be granted a full pardon and restoration of full civil rights of citizenship as part of Abbotts proclamation. Prosecutors argued Foster did not raise a gun, pointing to eyewitness accounts that dispute Perrys claims. Documents released last year showed Perry also shared racist content in private messages, including one where he likened BLM protesters to monkeys. Gorsuch, Alito break from conservatives on CFPB ruling I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo, he wrote. I was on the side of the protesters, he said, until they started with the looting and the violence. Other messages included white supremacist memes and Perry discussing the prospect of traveling to Dallas to shoot looters. Castro has served Texass 20th Congressional District since 2013, representing about half of San Antonio, located about 80 miles outside of Austin. The Hill reached out to Abbotts office for comment. 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. AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) On Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he granted a full pardon to the man convicted of shooting and killing Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster in July 2020. Daniel Perry, a former Army sergeant found guilty of murder by a jury in April 2023 and later sentenced to 25 years in prison, is now free. Abbott quickly signed a proclamation after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously to grant a full pardon and restore gun ownership rights to Perry. 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. 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. Which airlines have the oldest planes? 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. Perrys attorney Doug OConnell thanked Abbott for granting the pardon. In a statement Thursday, OConnell said in a statement that Perry 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. In a statement, the board explained that its investigative efforts included a meticulous review of documents, including police reports, court records, witness statements and interviews with people linked to the case. The board said that after a thorough review of all these documents, it voted to unanimously recommend a full pardon and restoration of Perrys 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. In a post to X, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claimed that Soros-backed prosecutors like Garza do not get to pick and choose the rights we have as Americans. Paxton said that justice prevailed after BLM riots terrorized the nation in 2020. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice confirmed Thursday afternoon that Perry is no longer in state custody. 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 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. 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. Daniel Perry was convicted of murdering protester Garrett Foster in 2020, and has already been released from prison in Texas getty; AP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Pardons Man Convicted in 2020 Fatal Shooting of Black Lives Matter Protester Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has officially pardoned U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Perry, who was convicted of murdering Black Lives Matter protester Garrett Foster in 2020. According to reports from the Austin American-Statesman, Perry who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for Foster's murder in April 2023 was released from prison in Rosharon, Texas, less than one hour after Abbott signed a pardon proclamation. On Thursday, May 16, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles wrote in a statement that it recommended Perry to be pardoned on the murder conviction. "The members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles delved into the intricacies of Perrys case. The investigative efforts encompassed a meticulous review of permanent documents, from police reports to court records, witness statements, and interviews with individuals linked to the case," the statement reads in part. "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." Related: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Seeks to 'Swiftly' Pardon Man Found Guilty of Murdering BLM Protester Abbott began seeking a pardon for Perry in April 2023, citing Texas' "Stand Your Ground" self-defense laws that "cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney." During Perry's 2023 trial, his attorneys argued that he had acted in self-defense against Foster, who was carrying an AK-47-style rifle, while prosecutors claimed that Perry provoked a group of protesters when he ran a red light and drove towards them, CBS Austin, reported at the time. Witnesses testified during the trial that Foster never raised his weapon, and that the former military sergeant fired five shots at him, hitting him multiple times. According to the New York Times, the prosecution also presented evidence that Perry had made extensive racist comments online prior to the murder of Foster, and that psychological experts who weighed in during the trial said that Perry was "basically a loaded gun." Among the comments was a post from Perry stating "I am a racist" and "Black Lives Matter is racist to white people," per previous reports from the American-Statesman. Related: Texas Army Sergeant Found Guilty of Murdering Black Lives Matter Protester in 2020 Perry was found guilty of murder but acquitted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the Travis County District Attorney's Office said at the time. The case's verdict led Abbott to push for a pardon, writing in a statement on X in April 2023 that he was "working as swiftly as Texas law allows" to pardon Perry. On Thursday, Abbott also spoke out against Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, according to the American-Statesman, writing in a proclamation that the attorney "demonstrated unethical and biased misuse of his office in prosecuting Daniel Scott Perry." Garza spoke out against the parole board decision and against Abbott, writing in a statement to the outlet the decision reflects how they both have "put their politics over justice and made a mockery of our legal system." "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," Garza wrote. "We will not stop fighting for justice." getty; AP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Daniel Perry Doug O'Connell, an attorney for Perry, also told the outlet in a statement that the "action by Governor Abbott and the Pardon Board corrects the courtroom travesty which occurred over a year ago and represents justice in this case." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. "I spoke to Daniel Perry this afternoon. He is thrilled and elated to be free. Daniel is also optimistic for his future," O'Connell added. Foster's partner, Whitney Mitchell, released a statement via her attorney Angelica Cogliano to the American-Statesman following Perry's release from prison Thursday. "I loved Garrett Foster. I thought we were going to grow old together," Mitchell said. "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." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) A Texas man was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years in prison after he was caught traveling to Virginia to have sex with a 15-year-old girl. The U.S. Attorneys Office (USAO) said 25-year-old Elisha Jason Albert was sentenced on Thursday, months after pleading guilty to production of child pornography and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, among other related charges. According to court documents, Albert started talking with the 15-year-old girl through Snapchat on Aug. 25, 2023. He solicited pornographic content from her and paid her for photos. He also sent her spending money for incidental expenses. On Sept. 8, 2023, Albert falsely told the girl he was 22, and she told him he was 15. Despite knowing she was a minor, Albert continued to ask for pornographic photos of her and suggested meeting her in Virginia for sex. Man killed in Baileys Crossroads shooting The girls guardian submitted a tip to the FBI on Sept. 22, 2023, leading the FBI to take custody of her phone and continue to talk with Albert over Snapchat and by text. They arranged to meet at a grocery store in Haymarket on Sept. 25, 2023. Albert drove five and a half hours from Long Island, N.Y. to Prince William County. He was arrested upon his arrival in the grocery store parking lot. At the time, his phone had a folder titled good videos with 64 videos of children as young as 4 to 6 years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Alberts messages also showed he was talking with children between 15 and 16 years old. The texts included child sexual abuse material and incidents of coercion and enticement, according to the USAO. One instance showed Albert talking with a victim in Texas in August 2021. She was only 15 years old. He had driven to her house and had sex with her multiple times. Albert recorded one of his sexual encounters with her, which still was on his phone at the time of his arrest. Albert pleaded guilty to the charges against him on Feb. 1. 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. There's a new Indy council member. Here's who Democratic insiders chose to fill open seat. Rena Allen is sworn in as Indianapolis City-County Council District 15 seat. A Democratic caucus of party insiders chose neighborhood activist and hospital analyst Rena Allen Thursday to replace La Keisha Jackson on the Indianapolis City-County Council. Allen bested Derris "Dee" Ross by a vote of 9-2, said Sam Barloga, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party. Jackson gave up her far east side District 15 seat in April when a caucus appointed her to fill out the last few months of Sen. Jean Breauxs term after Breaux died in March. More: Indy city-county councilor selected to fill Jean Breaux's state Senate seat Allen has been active in anti-violence programs for the last 10 years, including in a city program of the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety to add peacemakers and improve prevention for those at risk of gun violence. She was also involved in diversion programs to keep low-level drug offenders from going to prison. Allen said will continue her anti-gun violence efforts as a councilor, will be an advocate for the IndyGo bus rapid transit Purple Line from Lawrence to downtown and will fight to address food deserts in areas of the district without quick access to grocery stores. I want to let the people of the district know I am present here, Allen said. The seat doesnt serve me, I serve the seat. Allen who ran in the in the city-county council primary against Jackson in 2019, is a compliance program analyst at Eskenazi Health and holds a masters degree in public affairs from Indiana Wesleyan University. She was raised in Indianapolis and has three sons who attend Lawrence North High School. Allen will hold the seat until the next municipal election in 2027. Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at 317-444-6418. Email at john.tuohy@indystar.com and follow on X/Twitter and Facebook. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Democrats choose anti-violence activist to fill open Indy council seat LANSING Funding for three local parks projects is included in the recommended budget for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund for fiscal year 2025. Senate Bill 817, passed by the Michigan Senate on May 2 and the Michigan House of Representatives May 8, includes more than $27 million in funding for 53 park projects across the state through the DNR Trust Fund. Recommended projects included are phase two of the Rosy Mound Acquisition by Ottawa County, a trailhead and connector for the Middle Macatawa Greenway and development of the Blue Star Trail. Funding awards are pending the bill being signed into law. Ottawa Countys efforts to expand the Rosy Mound Natural Area would receive $1,642,000 through the grant. The acquisition will add 127 acres to the 164-acre park in Grand Haven Township, bringing the total to 291 acres. The land the county is seeking to purchase is a former sand mine. Plans for the site include walking trails throughout the property and a second park entrance, parking area and trailhead. Development of the Middle Macatawa Greenway would receive a boost of $300,000 under the bill. It would fund efforts to build a new trailhead at the roundabout near Hawthorn Pond Park, a hiking trail and a mountain biking trail to the Upper Macatawa Natural Area. Trailhead improvements will include an accessible restroom, parking lot, bike repair station and rest area. A grant of $300,000 for development of the Blue Star Trail was included in a recent funding bill. In Allegan County, $300,000 has been allocated to development of the Blue Star Trail from Maple Street to Beeline Trail. It will fund efforts to add a 0.6 segment to the trail, which connects Saugatuck, Douglas and Saugatuck Township with the surrounding area. This segment will connect the Blue Start Trail to Beeline Trail in Laketown Township. Saugatuck Township officials were informed in December the funding would be recommended in this years budget. Weve worked hard to refine and enhance the grant application, looking for ways to deliver an even better project for the community, said Township Manager Daniel DeFranco. Increasing our score was a priority, but we also believed it was critical to convey the importance of this project to the Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund Board in-person. Subscribe: Receive unlimited digital access to your local news coverage When totally finished, the trail will connect South Haven to Holland via non-motorized pathway, after meeting with the existing Beeline Trail in Laketown Township and the Kal-Haven Trail in South Haven. Projects are listed in order of priority in SB 817. The Rosy Mound acquisition is listed eighth of 18 acquisition projects, while the Middle Macatawa and Blue Star Trail grants are listed 30th and 33rd of 35 development projects. The DNR Trust Fund is granted money from the development of minerals on state land, not tax dollars, and is designated on an annual basis in partnership with local governments. Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Three local parks projects included in proposed state budget Thurston County did not comply with state law when it used millions of dollars to remodel and equip its administrative headquarters, a state audit found. The audit findings relate to improvement made at The Atrium, a 90,000 square-foot leased office building at 3000 Pacific Ave. SE in Olympia. The county moved its administrative offices and department from its aging courthouse campus on Lakeridge Drive to The Atrium in 2022 to expand and reorganize its facilities. That year was the subject of a recent accountability audit by the Washington State Auditors Office. Officials from the state auditors office presented their findings during a conference with the Board of County Commissioners on Monday. Adverse findings are significant, County Auditor Mary Hall said, because they can affect the countys bond rating, making it costlier for the county to borrow money. During the meeting, Commissioner and Board Chair Tye Menser said there was a lack of clarity or disagreement between the state and the county about what the rules required the county to do. He said he doesnt believe the report gave the public a comprehensive picture of the situation. Weve gone back and forth on the substance of the legal provisions in the meetings and I frankly dont necessarily agree with the findings. Menser said. I think that our lawyers have made a stronger case than what your lawyers have put forward as the contrary authority. What does the report say? A preliminary draft of the report obtained by The Olympian states the county failed to follow state procurement laws when it spent $7.5 million in Real Estate Excise Tax 1 (REET 1) funds for tenant improvements and $242,224 for furniture and equipment at The Atrium. Additionally, the report indicates the county improperly used nearly $1.9 million in REET 1 funds to buy furniture and equipment. State law says such funds may be used only for capital projects, the report says. Capital projects are typically defined as a long-term, high-value project that improves, adds to, or builds upon a property, plant, or equipment. In this case, the report says the furniture and equipment purchases did not meet the state laws definition of an allowable capital project. Essentially, were saying that the county should have gone out to competitively bid this project or required that the building owner competitively bid this project, Audit Lead Melissa Dixon said. And that the county should not have used those funds (REET 1) for the purchase of furniture and equipment. Forgoing bidding means the county could not be sure it paid the most reasonable prices for goods and services, according to the report. It also means its uncertain if all interested contractors or vendors had a fair opportunity to bid. State bid laws are designed to protect public resources, promote openness in government, and prevent fraud, collusion and favoritism in the awarding of public contracts, the report says. The report says the public did not receive the full intended benefit of tax revenues when the county used restricted funds for unallowable purposes. The report also notes the countys REET 1 fund had a negative cash balance of about $327,000 at the end of 2023. How did the county respond to the audit? In its official response, the county said it acted in good faith, and believed it was following state law. This belief was based on an in-depth review of state law and consultations with the countys legal counsel, the report says. The County had absolutely every intention of following state law and sought legal guidance and extensive consultation to gather information for decision making, the countys response says. The analysis is complex with nuances in language that are subject to interpretation. The issue with the tenant improvements has to do with how the county structured its lease agreement for The Atrium. The county says it opted for a direct reimbursement model, whereby the landlord was reimbursed for the cost of tenant improvements at the outset. The county says it did this to save taxpayer dollars. Alternatively, the county says it could have followed an amortization model, in which rental payments are increased to reimburse the landlord over time. This would not have required competitive bidding, the county says. As this was an issue about how The Atrium lease was structured, the County does not believe the public was negatively impacted by a lack of competition for the tenant improvements, the county says. Competitive bidding was used to procure most of the nearly $1.9 million in furniture and equipment. However, the county admits it made an amendment to buy additional glass panels that were not included in its original contract and not bid on. As for the use of restricted funds, the county says it believed buying furniture and equipment was an allowable use of REET 1 funds. The County believes personal property, such as furniture or equipment for the building, is associated with the capital project as defined in RCW 82.46.010(6)(b), the county says. In making this determination the county relied upon the explicit intent language of the statute. The county also attributed the negative cash balance in the REET 1 fund to a slowdown in the housing market which caused a steep decline in expected REET revenue. The county commission developed a plan to transfer funds from building reserve funds and unrestricted interest earnings to REET 1 following a budget amendment on Dec. 15, 2023, according to the county. However, the county says it accidentally missed a transfer and processed it in early January with a December effective date. This resulted in a positive fund balance but a negative cash balance at the end of 2023. No other fund was impacted or lost interest earnings during the temporary period of the negative cash balance, the county says. REET interest earning (or charges) are redirected or swept to the general fund. Only the general fund was impacted by negative interest charges. How can the situation be fixed? The report recommends the county repay nearly $1.9 million to the REET 1 fund for the unallowable furniture and equipment expenses. The county also has been advised to put more controls and procedures in place to ensure it follows state law when using public funds to procure public works and goods. A process also should be implemented to guarantee county funds, such as REET 1 in this case, do not have negative cash balances going forward, according to the report. Commissioner Gary Edwards has consistently been opposed to spending on The Atrium. On Monday, he wondered if the county perhaps overpaid for tenant improvements, furniture and equipment at the building. Im not in a position of pointing fingers, I just think the public got a bad deal and I dont know how we rectify it exactly, Edwards said. Dixon said the county did keep track of what it was paying for as it reimbursed the building owner. There was a process in place where all the itemized receipts were reviewed and approved at the county level for reasonableness and to make sure that there wasnt anything unallowable being charged in there, Dixon said. Auditor Mary Hall said her office was not involved in how this deal was structured until after the fact. I think we would have provided additional guidance had we been involved in the process because we view things through a different lens, Hall said. Its not dissimilar to how the state auditor looks at things. In their official response, the county says its committed to improving its monitoring process by involving the county auditor and the Financial Management Committee in its decision-making process. Lisa Carrell, a program manager for the state auditor, told the commission on Monday the final report will be published online in about a week. Tiktok CEO Shou Zi Chew speaks with the press after meeting with Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 14. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI May 14 (UPI) -- TikTok's lawsuit against the U.S. government will task the federal court system with considering national security interests and First Amendment rights. Legal experts tell UPI the argument by the social media company is the best it could make, but it is likely a losing argument. TikTok parent company ByteDance filed a lawsuit earlier this month, challenging what it calls an "unprecedented step" taken by Congress to either force the sale of the app or ban it in the United States. The lawsuit alleged that the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act is unconstitutional. It skirts the free speech rights of 170 million U.S. users without Congress showing a legislative finding that TikTok poses an actual threat to national security. "Members of Congress and a congressional committee report merely indicate concern about the hypothetical possibility that TikTok could be misused in the future, without citing specific evidence," the lawsuit reads. "Even though the platform has operated prominently in the United States since it was first launched in 2017." ByteDance, a Chinese-based company, claims that the United States is establishing a dangerous precedent by singling out TikTok, changing course from its history of supporting a "free and open internet." "If Congress can do this, it can circumvent the First Amendment by invoking national security and ordering the publisher of any individual newspaper or website to sell to avoid being shut down," the lawsuit says. Alan Rozenshtein, associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota, told UPI that the argument by ByteDance is strong but he is not convinced it will win the day. "It's the best argument they could make," he said. "There are 170 million people in the United States that use TikTok. All of that activity is presumptively protected speech. More likely than not, ultimately the Supreme Court will allow this to stand. I'm not saying it's a slam dunk." Rozenshtein said that of the many First Amendment cases in history, one that may be the most relevant to this one is the United States vs. Humanitarian Law Project case in 2010. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold a law that prohibited organizations from providing material support or aid to foreign terrorists. Rozenshtein added that TikTok has many cases it may draw from as well. However, he does not believe precedent weighs so heavily in this case. Andrew Verstein, professor of law at UCLA, agreed that the court system will side with the interests of the government in the end. "My gut says these arguments are all losers and that this divestiture can occur as Congress wants," Verstein told UPI. Verstein explains that the First Amendment conflict can be avoided if ByteDance sells TikTok. He expects that second option will be key in unraveling the free speech argument. "Here, with Congress having spoken, the question would only be would the Constitution prevent Congress from what it has purported to do?" Verstein said. "I'm pretty confident the Constitution doesn't prevent that." ByteDance argues that it is not being given real options. "They claim that the Act is not a ban because it offers ByteDance a choice: divest TikTok's U.S. business or be shut down. But in reality, there is no choice. The 'qualified divestiture' demanded by the Act to allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally." ByteDance adds that it is not possible to complete a sale in the 270-day timeline required by the act. It also argues that it has taken "extraordinary" measures to respond to Congress' concerns, including investing $2 billion to build a network to store U.S. user data in the United States. These measures came as part of an agreement between TikTok and the U.S. government. "Congress tossed this tailored agreement aside in favor of the politically expedient and punitive approach of targeting for disfavor one publisher and speaker, one speech forum and one speech forum's ultimate owner," the lawsuit says. The national security interests of the U.S. government will be the primary defense of the act. But the government may also argue that forced divestiture is not unprecedented at all. The United States has a long history of forcing the sale of assets or limiting ownership by foreign investors in various forms of media. "Given that we have divestiture and limitation on ownership in other media environments, television, newspapers -- the fact that it would be really easy to maintain the First Amendment rights of all of these 170 million people if the company would just sell its assets," Verstein said. "And the fact that it won't do it because its government tells it not to, that doesn't strike me as the kind of argument that is going to hold sway." A group of eight content creators filed a separate lawsuit on Tuesday, also on free speech grounds. Their lawsuit argues that the act to ban TikTok is "unconstitutionally over-broad" because it bans an entire mode of communication. It also says this ban is not based on any evidence that TikTok is used to transmit foreign propaganda or is a threat to data security. "The government cannot ban a medium for communication because it believes that medium is used to transmit foreign 'propaganda' or other protected content. Nor does the government have any actual, non-speculative evidence that banning TikTok in its current form enhances Americans' data security, or that its ban is narrowly tailored to accomplish that objective," the lawsuit says. Norman Bishara, professor of business law and ethics in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at Michigan, wrote in an email to UPI that he believes the ByteDance lawsuit will be the most comprehensive challenge to the legislation. "Other similar litigation seems superfluous unless more issues come to light," Bishara wrote. "Still, with complex and high-stakes litigation like this there are always twists and turns with delays that could impact the timeline of a ban." Bishara adds that while the lawsuits may fail to stop the ban or divestiture, they could still create some change to the act. They may also motivate other TikTok users to advocate for modifications to the act. "The stakes for the outcome of these cases can reverberate beyond the fate of TikTok in the U.S. and can be seen as part of the story of what level of government intervention in trade, tech issues, and communications issues, which Americans are going to support or challenge," he said. KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2024 - 18:22 | All, Japan An elementary school teacher was arrested Friday on suspicion of exposing his genitals and thrusting them toward a woman while leading a field trip at Tokyo Disneyland, police said. Mamoru Sueki, 53, was restrained by the woman in her 20s as he tried to get away, and staff at the park informed police of the case, which occurred at around 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Sueki is a teacher for students with special educational needs at Tamamoro elementary school in Kofu in central Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture, a local board of education said. The board apologized for the arrest at a press conference Friday. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott is well on his way to winning Donald Trumps veepstakes, but the power behind that drive has come from an unexpected ally: Kellyanne Conway. Scott has reportedly been tending to a budding friendship between himself and the former top Trump White House aide, several sources connected to Conway told The Daily Beast. The pair have been seen grabbing dinner together around Washington, D.C., and Conway is also scheduled to speak at a fundraiser in June led by the Southern lawmaker. Getting closer to Conway has also meant getting closer to Trump, who reportedly still values the former counselors opinion very highly. Tim and Kellyanne have gotten close because, as she puts it, she is de facto head of Trump worldlike Trumps security blanket, a source close to Scott told the Beast. People underestimate how much the president relies on her counsel and they doubt her influence at their own peril. Trump, meanwhile, made a mysterious allusion to his V.P. choice on Friday, posting that the first presidential debate of the election season would take place at an HBCU on behalf of the future Vice President of the United States. (In reality, the Commission on Presidential Debates had picked that location in November, despite Trumps attempts to take credit for it.) But although hes one of the top contenders, Scott isnt the only candidate Conway is considering for Trumps number two spot. Also at the top of the list is Florida Senator Marco Rubio, according to sources that spoke with the Beast. The political consultant is even weighing other options on a separate level of viability. Those candidates include North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty. While Conways lobbying for Scott is seen as authentic, and her influence with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee very legitimate, sources close to her told the Beast that shes not impervious to making a bad bet. Heres the thing about Kellyanne: People dismiss her for a variety of reasonsshes not particularly smart and doesnt really come up with a lot of good ideas; shes always chasing money, and thats what guides her decision-making, one source said. But she does have Trump figured out like no one else. If anyone can convince him to make a mistakeand later assign blame to someone elseits Kellyanne. Still, Conways team says the buck stops with Trump. President Trump seeks the counsel of many men and women on the V.P. pick, but he and he alone will decide, Conway said in a statement. Over the past few months, while America dragged its heels over passing its latest $60 billion aid package to Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelensky warned repeatedly that every day of delay would have real-life consequences on the battlefield. Now, with tragic timing, the Ukrainian presidents prediction is coming true. A week ago today, Russia launched a renewed offensive on Kharkiv in the north-east of the country. Ukraine had been predicting for months that this incursion would come; Western intelligence and even Russian state media had arrived at the same conclusion. Over the past week, Russian troops have seized several border towns along the offensive strip, forcing Ukrainian troops to withdraw and regroup around the town of Vovchansk; approximately 8,000 civilians have been forced to flee the area. The fact that Putins troops have been able to advance more than four miles in a matter of days shows how, despite the many warnings it was coming, Ukraine was woefully ill-equipped to fend off the attack. This isnt the first time Kyiv and Moscow have fought over the area: in the early days of the war, Russian troops managed to occupy parts of the Kharkiv region for six months, until Ukraine liberated it. In response to this new crisis, Zelensky cancelled all foreign trips abroad for the near future. Reports suggest that the Russian advance has now slowed but is far from reversed. On Thursday, Zelensky insisted that the situation was generally under control but remained extremely difficult. The president has asked for Patriot systems to defend the skies over Kharkiv from the drones, glide bombs and artillery fire Russia is launching. After four days of Russias fresh incursion into the Kharkiv region, US secretary of state Anthony Blinken arrived in Kyiv for what was meant to be a morale-boosting surprise visit. A mood of panic appeared to overtake the trip, however, with Blinken on Wednesday pledging another $2 billion towards Ukraines military efforts. Weapons, including artillery air defence systems and long range ATACMS missiles were, he said, already arriving on the Ukrainian front line. But it is no secret that it will still take time, possibly months, for Ukraine to feel the benefit of the weapons now coming from across the Atlantic. Simply put, over the past year, the West has failed to adequately supply Ukraine with the equipment it needs to fend off Russia. Kyiv has been forced to ration ammunition and missiles while it waits, while a ban on using American-made weapons to target Russian supply lines on Russian territory means that Ukraine can do little to stymie Putins troops. Some in the Ukrainian army fear this could be another Bakhmut. Russia has sniffed out these weaknesses and is now taking full advantage before the rest of Americas aid arrives. Their assault on Kharkiv has two aims: first to split the thinned Ukrainian defences and weaken them; second is to provide a buffer for the Russian city of Belgorod over the border, which Ukraine has successfully been targeting for more than a year. The loss of Kharkiv would be a serious set back for Ukraine, one it may struggle to ever fully recover from. The West will be hoping this new US aid isnt too little too late. But it is getting harder to deny that the strategy of giving Ukraine enough to fight but not to win was a terrible miscalculation. 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. DOVER Timothy Verrill was effectively sentenced to life in prison Friday for two counts of second-degree murder in the killing of Jenna Pellegrini and Christine Sullivan. Judge Mark Howard sentenced Verrill to 45 years to life for the murder of Sullivan. He received the same sentence for the murder of Pellegrini, to be served consecutive to the first sentence. He also received 3.5 to 7 years for each of five counts of falsifying evidence, to be served concurrently with the murder sentences. "It's likely you will spend the rest of your life in prison," Howard told Verrill in Strafford County Superior Court. "This sends a message that this brutality will not be tolerated." Timothy Verrill follows his defense attorney, Matthew McNicoll, arriving in Strafford County Superior Court Friday, May 17, 2024. Verrill glances in the direction of his family members. In April, a jury found Verrill guilty of second-degree murder for killing Pellegrini, 32, and Sullivan, 48, at a Farmington home in 2017. Howard told Verrill the "extent of brutality" is something he had never seen before. In Jenna's death, there were multiple stab wounds, so severe there was a separation of the jugular, he said. There were 43 stabs, 14 of which punctured her lungs, and broke ribs. There were no defense wounds. She was likely asleep when you started, but I have no doubt she woke, and you just continued your brutality. Two women lost to murder: Families of Jenna Pellegrini and Christine Sullivan say there was more to their lives than seen in trial Howard said Verrills motive was paranoia, a belief that Pellegrini was a drug informant. He said he killed her to protect himself, the home's owner, Dean Smoronk, and others involved in a drug operation. Howard said Verrill killed Sullivan, his friend, because he saw no other choice once he had killed Pellegrini. Christine suffered a blow to the back of head so severe it injured her occipital bone, Howard said. Her stabs were severe, and she was trying to get away. She collapsed on the deck, and you finished her there. Verrill has the right to appeal the sentenced, which was slightly more than prosecutors requested, to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Timothy Verrill is taken away after effectively being sentenced to life in prison for murdering two women Friday, May 17, 2024, in Strafford County Superior Court in Dover. Verrill has been in jail since 2017, when he was arrested and charged with killing the two women, who were both bludgeoned and stabbed to death on Jan. 27, 2017, at a 969 Meaderboro Road home in Farmington owned by Dean Smoronk, who was Sullivans boyfriend. Senior Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley talked about the brutality of the crimes in asking 40 years to life for the death of Sullivan and 43 years to life for the death of Pellegrini. Families of Pellegrini and Sullivan express their pain in court Lauren Landau, cousin of murder victim Christine Sullivan, makes an impact statement during the sentencing of Timothy Verrill in Strafford County Superior Court Friday, May 17, 2024. Sullivans brother Jeff and his mother Susan could not be present. Lauren Landau, Christines cousin, read victim impact statements for them and delivered one of her own. For Jeff and Susan, she said, For the past seven years we have lived with anxiety and anger. Christine was a loving daughter, sister, and an aunt. She was ready to change her life, but she never got the chance. This is real heartbreak among our friends and family. "Jeff said, 'The hardest thing I ever had to do was to tell my mother. There is no doubt in my mind that many more were involved in this. Regardless of his role, I forgive Tim and hope he has a chance to turn his life around.' Landau said it was impossible to describe the level of devastation her family feels. Christine will never realize her potential because on Jan. 27 you took it from her, said Landau. She laughed hard and had a wicked sense of humor. Christine is the first person you want next to you in times of struggle. We will never hear her again. A jury decided you were responsible for her murder. You let them die and now your family has lost you as well. The creamation urn of Jenna Pellegrini rests on the table of the prosecution during the sentencing of Timothy Verrill in Strafford County Superior Court while her family speaks during witness impact statements Friday, May 17, 2024. Pellegrinis father, Michael, said, I knew this day would come yet I find it difficult to put into words. She deserved better. Her short 32 years, and now never being able to see her or speak to her. I spent every day in court, read every article. I hope this bring some justice. Michael Pellegrini said Jenna was his parents only granddaughter. He talked about the love in their family and the loss they all feel, including her two children, one who was so young at the time of the murder, she will not remember her mother. I have a lifetime of videos to share with the children, said Pellegrini. Pellegrini asked for the harshest possible sentence. I do not want my grandchildren having to worry about someday this monster getting out, he said. Nicole Ostrander, Jennas sister, talked about still feeling urges to call her sister and talk to her and then remembering she cannot. She talked about seeing her after her death with so many wounds. I held her hand and said goodbye. She was a good person. No sentence would be harsh enough for what he has taken away from us. Josh St. Hilaire, Jennas brother, stood and slowly counted, from 1 to 43. Thats the number of stabs delivered by a ruthless monster to end the life of my beautiful sister, he said. If I could bring her back one more time, I would tell her I love her, miss her and how much I wish I could have saved her. My family will never get that opportunity. No punishment could ever make our pain go away. Amy Bryan, Jennas mother, spoke to her late daughter and to Verrill. You were supposed to be there for every moment, together for everything, she said. My heart hurts every day, sometimes days overwhelm me. I carry you with me every day, I talk to you. I miss your smile. You will never be there for your kids, to wipe their tears, to teach them to play ball. To Verrill, Bryan said, An eye for an eye. That is what you deserve. Such a brutal murder. I had to see my baby one more time, the brutality you inflicted on my daughter is unimaginable. Was she awake, was she aware, pleading for you to stop? Did she call out her childrens names? I hope what you have done to them will haunt you forever. This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Timothy Verrill sentenced to 'life in prison' for murder of two women Tiny EVs like the Nissan Sakura and BYD's Seagull are challenging Tesla in Japan and China. But these minuscule motors are unlikely to come to the US anytime soon. That's a shame, as data suggests drivers would quite like their EVs to be smaller and cheaper. Tiny EVs are having a moment. In markets like China, Japan, and Europe, ridiculously small EVs are selling in large numbers, with vehicles like BYD's Seagull and the Nissan Sakura challenging the likes of Tesla. That's in contrast to the US EV market, where SUVs like the Tesla Model Y and pickups like the Ford F150 Lightning rule the roads. This may be changing, with consumer data showing that US drivers are increasingly asking for smaller vehicles and automakers like Ford and Tesla vowing to build cheaper models. Tens of thousands of cars manufactured in China are sold in the US every year, but it's unlikely anyone in the US will be able to get behind the wheel of a Seagull or Sakura anytime soon. The government's tariff hikes on Chinese EVs and regulations restricting the ability to import smaller vehicles make it harder still. Here are some of the tiny EVs making a splash in Asia and Europe. BYD Seagull The BYD Seagull. Aly Song/Reuters BYD has rapidly eclipsed its rivals in China and become Elon Musk's primary challenger in the country thanks to its massive range of EVs, including several smaller, cheaper options. Chief among those is the Seagull, a tiny EV that can go 305 km on a single charge and costs $11,000. The Seagull, which launched last year, has proven predictably popular in BYD's home country but it's unlikely to come to the US anytime soon after the US government hiked tariffs on Chinese EVs. Hongguang Mini The Wuling Hong Guang Mini at the Shanghai auto show in 2021. HECTOR RETAMAL/Getty Images The Hongguang Mini EV, which was developed by Chinese automakers SAIC Motor and Wuling Motor in partnership with General Motors, caused a sensation when it launched in 2020. The diminutive people carrier was the bestselling EV in China in 2022, and continues to outsell the Tesla Model 3 more than four years after being unveiled. It's not hard to see why. The Hongguang Mini has a range of around 170 km on a single charge and reportedly costs between 28,800-38,800 yuan, or $3,955- $5,375. Plus it's adorable. Nissan Sakuru "Sakura" means "cherry blossoms" in Japanese. SOPA Images/Getty Images Japan has long had a soft spot for tiny EVs, known as Kei cars and the Nissan Sakura is one of the most popular. The 11-foot-long electric car, which costs around $13,000, was Japan's best-selling EV in 2023. Drivers previously told Business Insider the Sakura, which is only available in Japan, is perfect for navigating Tokyo's narrow streets and taking day trips to the countryside. "It takes off like a rocket from a standing start and can climb hill and mountain roads like a full-sized car with all that torque," said one. Citroen Ami The Citroen Ami is technically an "electric quadricycle." BI Technically speaking, the Citroen Ami isn't an electric car at all, but an "electric quadricycle." The cute four-wheeler, which costs $12,285 in the UK, was first launched in France in 2020 and is widely available in Europe. With a top speed of 28 miles per hour and a range of just 46 miles, the Ami (which means "friend" in French) is very much an urban vehicle but it certainly turned heads when BI gave it a test drive in London. Microlino The Microlino "bubble car." Anadolu/Getty Images The best thing about this "bubble car" is how you get into it the Microlino has a fridge-style door that allows you to enter and exit from the front. The Microlino is designed by Swiss scooter company Micro. It offers a maximum range of 228 km and starts at $19,900. The tiny microcar has been on sale in Europe since 2021, with a UK launch mooted for later this year. You can't buy one in the US, but Micro has just unveiled a more stripped-back version dubbed the Microlino Lite, which CMO Merlin Ouboter told The Verge the company hopes to have on sale in the US by the end of 2024. Vinfast VF3 The VinFast VF3 mini-SUV. Vinfast Vietnamese EV firm VinFast is one of the more unusual companies battling for global electric vehicle dominance. The automaker, which briefly became the world's third-most valuable car company last year, was founded by Vietnamese billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong, who made his fortune selling instant noodles in Ukraine. VinFast is now challenging the likes of BYD and Wuling with its own tiny EV, the 10-foot-long VF3. The VF3 costs less than $10,000 and has a range of over 125 miles. The mini-SUV will be sold in Vietnam and the Philippines this year and available in the US and Europe by 2025. Honda N-VAN e The Honda N-VAN e can seat between one and four people. Honda The success of the Sakura has seen other Japanese automakers try their hand at making electric kei cars. Honda became the latest to get into the tiny EV game when it unveiled the N-VAN e , a miniature electric truck that starts at 2.44 million yen, or $15,500. The diminutive truck will launch in Japan in October. It is primarily targeted at delivery and construction companies rather than ordinary consumers. It's packed full of high-tech features, including a cooling and heating system that ensures the battery doesn't get too hot or cold (a notorious issue for EVs). Honda says the N-VAN e will even function as a mobile power storage device, with drivers able to use the truck's external power outlet to charge household appliances such as hot plates and electric kettles. Read the original article on Business Insider Employees at a small recreation and park district, one of the oldest in Sacramento County, are using body cameras to ensure their own safety after unruly encounters with the public while doing their jobs. The Arden Manor Recreation and Park District manages facilities and offers services at three parks in Arden Arcade, including Deterding Park, Crabtree Park and Jonas Larkspur Park. Kelly Lewellen, the Arden Manor district manager, purchased three body cameras for herself and two employees. She declined to provide specific details about what prompted her to buy the cameras, but said she wanted the cameras available to use for any necessary reason. The district manager emphasized there were no significant criminal issues affecting district employees, its facilities or residents who participate in the variety of services they offer. She said 99% of their interactions with the public are cordial and result in no negative issues. There are just some bad actors out there who want to raise a raucous, Lewellen said Thursday evening during a break at the districts Board of Directors regular monthly meeting at the Deterding Park community center. The Arden Manor district was formed in June 1953 to provide park and recreation services to residents of several newly formed subdivisions in the eastern suburbs. The district is bounded by Arden Way to the north, Watt Avenue to the east, Fair Oaks Boulevard to the south and Fulton Avenue to the west, encompassing an area of about 1 square miles and serving roughly 8,200 residents. It was just the second special district formed in Sacramento County. There are nine special parks districts in Sacramento County; the most in any California county. Arden Manor parks had 47 employees in its staff in 2022, according records kept by the State Controllers Office. The district, which also rents its facilities for events, had an operating budget of $1.6 million for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Among districts with a similar amount of employees in Sacramento County, only Arden Manor has rank-and-file employees who use body cameras, a review by The Sacramento Bee found. Even the Orangevale Recreation and Parks District with 90 workers doesnt have employees using body cameras. The Sacramento County Regional Parks Department only allows its park rangers, who are law enforcement officials, to wear body cameras while on duty. Crime in the district is low. There were no homicides or reported sexual assaults in the area in the past year, according to the Sheriffs Office. According to the Sheriffs Office crime statistics, the area had eight aggravated assault incidents and a handful of other assaults, as well as fewer than a dozen residential burglaries. The Bee on Thursday spoke to a few residents who live near Deterding Park. They didnt know the Arden Manor district had employees using body cameras, but they didnt see anything wrong with it. John Ingram-Stones family has lived along Somerset Road for more than four years, and they took their foster children to the swimming pool at Deterding Park a lot last summer. He said its a working-class neighborhood, and hes never had any concerns for his safety there. So, he found it odd that parks district employees were wearing body cameras. I cant imagine what they were up to that they felt the need to wear body cameras, Ingram-Stone said. More accountability is not a bad thing. Small cameras purchased online The district manager said she purchased the body cameras with her own money, a few hundred dollars she spent on Amazon. They are not the type of body-worn cameras law enforcement officials wear on their uniforms. Lewellen said these are small cameras that can be worn on their clothing; she can clip it onto her belt. Since she bought the cameras on her own, there is no district policy that the employees must wear them or use them while on the job, she said. Theyve had the cameras for about two months. She said her body camera has been on her desk, but she hasnt used it yet. Just having them seems to be enough, Lewellen said about the cameras. It was something that just needed to be done. She bought the cameras for two maintenance employees who regularly work out in the parks in the early hours when the parks are less populated. After discussing it with attorneys, Lewellen was informed the cameras she purchased on her own do not fall under record retention requirements for a public entity. The district manager said she and her employees can use the cameras at their own discretion and retain video footage when they feel its necessary. Jeremy Cullifer, chair of the Arden Manor Board of Directors, said they are always working to make sure that district employees and residents visiting the parks are as safe as possible. Our parks are safe, Cullifer told The Bee. If my employees feel safer (using the body cameras), then I support their choices. Neighbors feel safe Jaye Haleryn and her wife have been living along Berkshire Way for more than three years. The couple adopted a 4-year-old pit bull several months ago from Sacramentos Front Street Animal Shelter, and they walk their dog daily to Deterding Park without any troubling encounters with anyone. Everybody here is super cool, Haleryn said. We feel super safe. She said they didnt feel the same about where they used to live before. Haleryn worried neighbors there would not be friendly or at least supportive of LGBTQ couples. They found a diverse neighborhood when they moved into their Berkshire Way home, including Black families, Latino families and other gay couples who seem to get along. She said she doesnt have any concerns with park workers wearing body cameras, considering her own fears of confrontations in public as a result of being part of an openly gay couple. If you gotta protect yourself, you have to protect yourself, Haleryn said about the body cameras. Leslie Yocum has lived near Deterding Park for 67 years; first with her parents in a home on Somerset before moving down the block into the home that once belonged to her grandmother where she lives now. She used to spend a lot of time at the nearby Arden Manor district facility, more recently participating in an aquatics program before she started using a walker to get around. I think its wonderful here, Yocum said. Theres big swim meets there each year. Theres always tons of kids. She said the district staff are friendly and responsive, so she didnt know why they needed body cameras but she didnt have a problem with them being used. Yocum said she can imagine how there could be someone who continues to harass staff, which leads to such a drastic measure to protect themselves. RUSK, Texas (KETK) Tyler Junior College recognized Rusk High School students who are a part of their ninth class of the Rusk TJC Citizens Promise Scholarship recently. Tyler ISDs 2024 valedictorians, salutatorians reveal plans after graduation The scholarship was started by the James I. Perkins Family Foundation, Citizens 1st Bank, Rusk ISD, TJC and the TJC Foundation in February of 2014. It covers two years at TJC for Rusk students in the top half of their class with at least a 2.5 GPA. Of the nine students graduating, six are graduating with honors, Megan Cumbee Burns, senior manager of TJC scholarships and the Rusk TJC Citizens Promise said. As a group, all students being recognized in this cohort have accomplished a 3.29 cumulative GPA, continuing to outperform their counterparts within the TJC student population in hours and cumulative GPA. This great accomplishment is due to the students hard work and dedication. The following students are the 2024 Rusk Citizens Promise Scholarship recipients: Preston Arnold, pursuing a degree in computer science Dallas Bouman, pursuing a degree in business Albert Gonzales, pursuing a degree in general studies Shelby Hassell, pursuing a degree in pre-nursing Kenyada Kincade, pursuing a degree in vocational nursing Cameron May, pursuing a degree in general studies Damian Mendez, pursuing a degree in network technology Lacy Smith, pursuing a degree in occupational therapy assistant Micah Solly, pursing a degree in pre-occupational therapy assistant Carolina Villa, pursuing a degree in pre-nursing Emma Bayless, graduating with a degree in psychology Elisha Blankinship, graduating with a degree in gaming and simulation development programming Allen Dotson, graduating with a degree in general studies Collin Zane Lofton, graduating with a degree in criminal justice-law enforcement Christien Perez, graduating with a degree in business management Esther Reifel, graduating with a degree in art Lexie Stanley, graduating with a degree in general studies Carson Wallace, graduating with a degree in visual communications Kara Wofford, graduating with a degree in business Youve shown us that we can do what we put our minds to. Your generosity will not be forgotten. Your kindness has created our futures. As we continue forward, know that you have played a hugely important role in our lives. You are changing futures and changing lives for the better in so many students. Youve made so much possible for so many people. Thank you so much for all youve done, said student Esther Reifel. To learn more about the Rusk Citizens Promise Scholarship, visit Tyler Junior College 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 KETK.com | FOX51.com. Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend amid rising international tensions around the Israel-Hamas war, the administration confirmed Friday. Sullivan will meet in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday to talk about the war in Gaza and efforts to achieve peace in the region, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters. Sullivan will travel Sunday to meet with senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss the war and ongoing negotiations to release hostages, as well as efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in the region. The announcement of Sullivans trip comes as Biden faces widespread frustration with the administrations handling of the war in Gaza from within his party and from across the aisle. The House on Thursday approved a bill to reverse Bidens pause on some weapons shipments to Israel in a slight against the presidents approach. Sullivan postponed a planned trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this year due to a cracked rib. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the crown prince in March, when he reaffirmed the United States commitment to achieve an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza and to the establishment of a future Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. When Jacob Helberg decided in 2020 to start making major political contributions for the first time, it was a no-brainer for him to choose Democrats. A tech expert who was beginning to make a name for himself in Silicon Valley, Helberg donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to President Joe Bidens 2020 general election campaign and that of scores of other Democratic candidates. Four years later, hes still shaping up to be a big donor in this years presidential race, but this time to former President Donald Trumps campaign. Its a change that Helberg said has less to do with a shift in his own thinking than a shift in the Democratic Party that he does not support. It became very clear that an organizing principle on the left increasingly became based on a divvying up of the world between oppressors and oppressed, said Helberg, who serves as a senior policy adviser to Alex Karp, CEO of the technology firm Palantir. Its just an organizing principle that I fundamentally disagree with. Helberg has donated $1 million to Trumps campaign so far this year, The Washington Post reported this week. He told Jewish Insider in an interview that much of the way he views politics comes down to his relationship with Judaism and the way he was raised: Helberg grew up in Paris, where his maternal grandparents moved after leaving Tunisia; his American fathers parents survived the Holocaust. I was struck by how America never had an awkward relationship toward religion or Jews, and I always found that to be such a breath of fresh air. I think everyone at the end of the day yearns to belong, Helberg said. But now, after Oct. 7, for the first time in my lifetime, I feel like a lot of the thin crust of civilization that separates todays world from the dark world of yesterday is going to unravel in some really scary ways, he said. Youre seeing that with these incredibly dark, antisemitic protests on university campuses, in the streets of Dearborn, Mich., and these slogans that are somehow gaining popular attraction. In Helbergs view, it is the younger generation of Democrats that is rising up the ranks in the party that became incredibly militant, and he began to feel out of place. He has cited many of the culture war issues that have become hot-button topics for conservatives lately affirmative action, wokism, anti-Western ideology. I realized that I had a choice. I could either try to remain in the Democratic Party, to try to be a voice to bring it back to the center, or I could simply join a party that more closely aligned with my views, said Helberg. Growing up as a Jew in Europe, he watched Jewish family members develop thick skins and simply deal with antisemitism. Im a big believer in the basic idea that life is always tough, and people shouldnt throw themselves pity parties. I think they should do something about it, he said, which is ultimately why my basic approach has been, Im not going to stay in the Democratic Party and whine all day that Im completely out of step with everyone in my party. Part of his rationale in switching his support to Trump has to do with Israel and antisemitism. Helberg tweeted last week that American Jews who still support Biden should have their heads examined. But he acknowledges that part of it is economic, too he doesnt support Bidens approach to taxation, particularly a proposal to raise the capital gains tax rate to 44%. As a China hawk, Helberg has also found his views on that issue more in line with the Republican Party. But he still works with Democrats Helberg was one of the major behind-the-scenes architects of the bill forcing the Chinese parent company of TikTok to sell the popular app or face it being banned in the U.S. He thinks American Jews need to be much more concerned about China, and about TikTok. The CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is, in my view, philosophically antisemitic and politically anti-Israel. They are anti-religion, they philosophically despise the fact that Jews have been around longer than, arguably, Chinese civilization, definitely longer than the Chinese Communist Party. And politically, they view Israel as an American option in the Middle East, said Helberg, who added that TikTok, with its close ties to Chinas government, directly promotes virulently antisemitic content. Helberg said he never felt what he described as Trump Derangement Syndrome, which he said he saw in many other Silicon Valley liberals. He didnt name any issues where he diverges from Trump, but rather said his biggest concern about deciding to support the former president was a fear of disapproval from his social circles. (Helberg, who worked on election integrity and misinformation at Google from 2016 to 2020, declined to say whether Trumps stance on the 2020 election was a concern for him.) My basic viewpoint is that many folks in academia and the media and in polite society dont like Trumps table manners and his style. But when you actually focus the discussion on his policies, youll be hard-pressed to find a lot of people giving you pushback, said Helberg. My biggest doubt was I was concerned about the backlash, I would say, and being the target of a lot of very militant folks on the left. Helbergs husband, Keith Rabois, a prominent venture capitalist, is a longtime conservative, although Rabois didnt publicly support Biden or Trump in 2020. Some big Silicon Valley names have shifted to the right in recent years, most prominently Tesla founder Elon Musk. View comments The top two legislative candidates across four crowded primary races in Omaha's District 11, top left; District 13, top right; District 5, bottom left; and District 7, bottom right. Nearly 500 provisional ballots remain to be counted in Douglas County. (Photos courtesy of the candidates; Capitol photo by Rebecca Gratz for the Nebraska Examiner) OMAHA With most early ballots from the Tuesday primary election counted in Nebraskas largest county, the top two finishers in a tight legislative district race expanded their leads. The Douglas County Election Commission counted more than 8,000 votes Friday morning, widening the leads for first and second finishers in north-central and southeastern legislative districts. The top two finishers in North Omaha and South Omaha districts also swapped places. The commission said 465 provisional votes remain to be counted next week in Douglas County. Jackie Ourada, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Secretary of States Office, said about 1,500 provisional ballots are left to be reviewed and counted by next Thursday, May 23, which is not confined to Douglas County and the next largest, Lancaster County. Those two counties alone counted 11,521 early voting ballots leftover from the day of the election this week, Ourada said. North-central and North Omaha districts At midday Friday, Ashlei Spivey expanded her five-vote lead in the north-central District 13 to 36 votes over Tracy Hightower-Henne. With 29 more votes to count next week, Nick Batter and Spivey led with 37.73% and 23.91% of votes tallied, respectively. Hightower-Henne had 23.29% of votes tallied, and Matthew Clough had 14.52%. State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha currently represents the district. Next door, in North Omahas District 11, State Sen. Terrell McKinney moved into first place coming out of the primary, but he was only three votes ahead of former State Sen. Ernie Chambers, who served in the Legislature for 46 years across two separate stints due to modern term limits. McKinney held 44.32% of votes tallied, compared to Chambers 44.22% at midday Friday. At the end of Tuesday, Chambers had led McKinney by 21 votes. In third was Calandra Cooper, who finished with 10.82% of the vote Friday, or with 327 votes. Thirty-six votes remain to be counted in the district. Southeastern and South Omaha districts The gap in the southeastern District 7 also widened for second-place finisher Tim Pendrell. He had a 26-vote lead over third-place finisher Ben Salazar on Tuesday night, which rose to 50 votes after Fridays counting. Pendrell had 24.42% of the votes; Salazar had 22.18%. Dunixi Guereca finished first with 33.83% of tallied votes, while Christopher Geary finished fourth, at 19% of votes, with 17 votes to be counted next week. State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha currently represents the district. In South Omaha District 5, Margo Juarez, a member of the Omaha Schools Board, moved into first and was 61 votes ahead of Gilbert Ayala on Friday. Flint Harkness finished third with 26.09% of votes. Juarez and Ayala will face off to succeed State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha. The post Top-two candidate election margins expand in Omaha legislative races appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. TOPEKA (KSNT) The Topeka Public School district is celebrating 70 years since the Supreme Courts landmark decision in the Brown v. Board of Education case that started in Topeka. Tomorrow is the 70th of the ruling ordering the de-segregation of schools across the country. For the very first time, Topeka Public Schools are honoring the five plaintiffs of the Brown v. Board case and their families Thursday. The event featured presentations on the lasting impact of the case, including a speech by superintendent Tiffany Anderson who is the districts first female African-American superintendent. Topeka city council unanimously approves new city manager contract Its important to note that while were celebrating the 70th anniversary, this is not a moment in time, this work is over time, Anderson said. This is continued work thats been done before the 70th and will continue after the 70th. The district said the night is a tribute to its history and highlights their continued commitment to fostering an inclusive school environment for all students. 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. KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2024 - 15:21 | All, Japan, 3/11 Fukushima The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Friday started a sixth release of treated radioactive water into the sea amid opposition from China and Russia. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said it plans to discharge 7,800 tons of water through June 4, after confirming that the radioactivity levels meet both its own and the government's standards. Since the operation began on Aug. 24 last year, about 39,000 tons of treated water have been released over five previous rounds. The utility plans to discharge a total of about 54,600 tons on seven occasions this fiscal year, which started in April. During the release of the previous five batches, TEPCO said it detected up to 29 becquerels of radioactive tritium per liter of seawater in samples taken from areas near the power complex, well below the World Health Organization's limit of 10,000 becquerels for drinking water. China and Russia, which oppose the water release due to safety concerns, have banned Japanese seafood imports in response to the discharges. The utility sees the discharge as a key step in the ongoing decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which suffered fuel meltdowns in three reactors following a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The wastewater, generated in the process of cooling melted reactor fuel, has gone through a liquid processing system that removes most radionuclides except tritium, considered less harmful than other radioactive materials. ==Kyodo Topeka, Kansas Home-delivered birthday gifts and cake aren't generally part of a school curriculum, but Topeka Public Schools Superintendent Tiffany Anderson rarely sticks to a lesson plan when there's a child in need. "If we don't do it, who will?" Anderson asks. The district at the center of the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling, which outlawed racial segregation in schools, is now helmed by its first Black female superintendent. Friday marks the 70-year anniversary of that historic Supreme Court decision. "I think, 70 years later, I live with the privilege to help their hopes and dreams come to life," Anderson said of those who fought to overturn the "separate but equal" policy in schools. "I'm standing on their shoulders. If it were not for the plaintiffs of the Brown case." The district's high school graduation rates have skyrocketed from about 70% to 91% during Anderson's eight-year tenure. She also established morale boosting programs like graduation ceremonies for students in a nearby state correctional facility. She's also revolutionized post high school opportunities for her students. Through a partnership with a local health center, students can take classes and get certified in things like phlebotomy, and they are even guaranteed jobs after they graduate. In a district where 46% of students qualify for subsidized lunch, Anderson put washers and dryers in schools and opened food and clothing pantries. "It's not really hard to get people on board when they know that you care, and they know they can be part of something pretty incredible and transformational," Anderson told CBS News. Anderson speculates that fear could be the reason these changes aren't taking place on a larger scale in the U.S. "Fear can make you choose not to accept other people, fear can shut down systems in a way like nothing else can," Anderson said. Now, the historic district is transforming once again, this time opening its doors to refugees and migrants. "Just because somebody doesn't speak English doesn't mean they're less valuable to a community," said Pilar Mejia, director of cultural innovation for Topeka Public Schools. Students from more than 40 countries have enrolled in the district. "It would be tragic," Mejia said of where some of these families would be without their help. "They might end up in either not being able to come, or stay in situations in their countries that are dire." Anderson says there is a throughline running from 1954 to today of families coming to the U.S. in search of what parents 70 years ago fought for. "The connection is, they all are looking for a better and brighter future," Anderson said. "They're all hoping for something better for their lives. We're dealing with families who want more for their children." 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 Efforts by animal activists to get allegations concerning a longtime coyote trapper in Torrance before L.A. County prosecutors have paid off though it remains to be seen whether legal action will be taken . Torrances top attorney said last week that the findings of an investigation into the trapper for a possible violation of a state law which bans traps within 150 yards of a residence without written consent presents a potential conflict of interest for the city, which has an ongoing contract with the trapper. So the city sent the case to the county. PETA had set the events in motion. In a Feb. 14 letter, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called on state wildlife officials to look into allegations that coyote trapper Jimmie Rizzo reported placing traps in areas in which any possible trap placement would have been within 150 yards of dozens of residences. The letter, signed by PETA lawyer Mary Maerz, states there is no indication that Rizzo or others received written consent of the landowners. The law in question is set up to protect people and their companion animals because snares are indiscriminate killers, PETA spokesperson Lisa Lange said. An exhibit included in PETAs letter reports that on Oct. 5, 2023, Rizzo captured a healthy adult male coyote weighing about 28 pounds on a city-owned lot on Vine Avenue. A separate exhibit includes a map showing numerous residences within 150 yards of the center of the lot. The letter includes examples of alleged violations dating to 2022. Read more: A rare songbird's epic journey from the edge of extinction back to the L.A. River The response was swift. A California Department of Fish and Wildlife law enforcement official responded the same day, notifying Maerz that staff had been assigned to investigate, according to an email obtained by The Times. Capt. Patrick Foy, of the departments law enforcement division, said the agency conducted an investigation and filed the findings as a formal complaint with the Torrance City Attorneys Office on April 3. No citation was issued. In an email, Foy said the complaint outlines the facts gathered during an investigation and therefore allows the prosecuting attorney the discretion to determine whether a violation of the law has occurred. He said the agencys investigative reports are not public documents and declined to provide it. Torrance City Atty. Patrick Sullivan said the case was turned over to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office, and a spokesperson for the D.A. confirmed the case is under review. Maerz requested that the case be handed over to county prosecutors, arguing that Torrance officials renewed Rizzo's contract despite his alleged flouting of regulations. Violation of the trapping law highlighted in PETAs letter is a misdemeanor. Reached by phone last week, Rizzo denied being under investigation. "They've misrepresented it," he said of the animal rights activists. "I think they probably would like it to be [an investigation], but no." Jimmie Rizzo sets a coyote snare in the hills above Cal Poly Pomona in 2009. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Mississippi Delta-born Rizzo is a trapper with Coyote, Wildlife and Pest Solutions, which was hired by Torrance in the fall of 2021, city documents show. As of April 2022, the city reported paying the Anaheim company $4,600 a month. Fourteen coyotes were captured and killed by the end of March that year. Trapping and killing coyotes in urban settings is contentious but not uncommon. Rizzos company was also hired by the city of Rancho Palos Verdes, for example. Last September, Torrance extended the companys contract through Oct. 7, 2024, at a cost of roughly $79,000, according to a city document attached to PETAs letter. When a coyote walks into a snare trap, a loop pulls tight "like a choke chain," and holds it in place, The Times reported in a 2009 profile on Rizzo. The Times described his services as spanning from Pacific Palisades to Twentynine Palms "at once widely sought and controversial, reflecting suburbias conflicted relationship with its wildlife." Read more: Joshua Tree's celebrity rattlesnake wrangler wants to change how you see reptiles Coyotes are derided by some for snacking on pets, or seen as a threat to small children. Opponents of trapping argue that it doesnt work. Take one coyote out and another moves in, so the logic goes. Rebecca Dmytryk, chief executive of Humane Wildlife Control, who has also accused Rizzo of wrongdoing, said shes been pushing back on the practice in Torrance since about 2016. "We've all been kind of trying to get the city to understand that it's a waste of taxpayer dollars to do this because you will never get rid of the coyotes on the landscape by doing this," she said. "You'll exacerbate the problem." Coyotes are part of the natural environment, Dmytryk said, but their density can be reduced if people stop providing "subsidies," in the form of pet food, garbage and other coyote delicacies. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Steven Burritt, regional executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, speaks during a press conference on Friday, May 17, 2024 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center days before a new, tougher DUI law takes effect. (Abraham Kenmore/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA Emma Longstreet of Lexington was killed nearly 12 1/2 years ago in a car accident involving a drunk driver while riding with her family on the way to Sunday church. She would have been 19-years-old this month. A state law that may have prevented the then 6-year-olds death is now being expanded. Signed last July and taking effect this Sunday, the newly expanded law will require ignition interlock devices, which prevent someone who has been drinking alcohol from starting the car, for anyone convicted of a DUI no matter how high above the legal limit their blood alcohol level is. It also will apply to certain other alcohol related offenses or suspected drunk drivers who refuse to take a blood alcohol content test. Under a 2014 law, only repeat offenders or first-time offenders who had a blood alcohol level of more than 0.15 were required to have a device installed. This latest version will likely double the number of South Carolinians required to have the devices in their vehicles. Emma was our future, Karen Longstreet told reporters on Friday. I just miss all the things we missed, you know, we never got to see her finish first grade, we never got to see her ride her bike without training wheels. Karen and David Longstreet of Lexington speak with reporters on Friday, May 17, 2024, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center days before a new law expanding DUI penalties takes effect. The Longstreets daughter Emma was killed by a drunk driver in 2012 (Abraham Kenmore/SC Daily Gazette) The driver who killed Emma admitted in court that an interlock device would have stopped him driving, said David Longstreet, Emmas father. But the push to go from the 2014 version of the law to the current version was a long haul, he said. It took too long, it really should have been done sooner, he said. We were very happy it got to all (blood alcohol content) levels. David Longstreet also said he hopes the devices will eventually be required for people awaiting trial for a DUI as well. Currently, there about 1,200 people in the state who are required to use the devices. T. Mark Childress, director of the ignition interlock device program for the state probation department, told reporters Friday that the expanded law will probably add 1,200-1,500 drivers to that number. Users must blow into the devices, which detect if someone has a blood alcohol level over 0.02. Drivers have to test under that number to start the car and periodically while driving. Those who blow over the limit on one of these tests are hit with points on their drivers license, which can add up to penalties including suspended driving privileges. The program that we have is not meant to be punitive; its meant to change behavior and to keep the public safe, said Jodi Gallman, acting director of the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services said Friday. Even with the current, less restrictive law, the probation department said interlock devices prevented 2,800 people in the state from starting their car after drinking in 2022 alone. Under the new law, a first offense DUI requires an interlock device for six months. The length of time increases on additional convictions. The devices cost about $130 a month, Childress said, but drivers who cannot afford it can apply to a fund to cover the expense. Drunk driving continues to be a major issue in South Carolina, according to Steven Burritt, regional executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, one of the organizations hosting Fridays press conference. He pointed to numbers for 2022, released earlier this year, that showed a 17% increase in drunken driving fatalities over the previous year in South Carolina. At 406 fatalities, South Carolina had slightly more deaths from drunk driving than New York, a state with almost four times as many people. We were the 35th state to pass an all-offender ignition lock law, so there was plenty of research to tell us just how effective this would be, Burritt said. On average drunk driving deaths dropped 16% when states passed similar laws. We certainly need that, Burritt said. The post Tougher DUI law meant to curb drunk driving in SC takes effect Sunday appeared first on SC Daily Gazette. Local man killed in I-90 crash near Avon AVON, Ohio (WJW) A single-car crash on I-90 Westbound in Avon blocked multiple lanes of traffic for several hours Friday. The Avon Police Department reported the crash shortly before 7 a.m. on Friday. The accident happened near Nagel Road, and shut down two of three lanes on the interstate. Officials tell FOX 8s Patty Harken the crash was fatal. FOX 8 crews on the scene report a car crashed into a light pole. Fatal accident has 2 lanes blocked 90W before Nagel. Slow from about Bradley overpass. https://t.co/HbDNPFbl91 Patty Harken (@HarkenPatty) May 17, 2024 Father, daughter killed in Ohio house explosion The driver was identified as Krzsztof Grabowski, 38, of Gates Mills. The crash remains under investigation. The road reopened just after 10:30 a.m. 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. A Kennewick man died Tuesday after he accidentally shot himself while shooting ground squirrels in Oregon, according to the Wallowa County Sheriffs Office. Emanuel Bill Ziegler, 77, was with friends riding ATVs and shooting on private property on Elk Mountain Road near Enterprise, Oregon, on Tuesday afternoon. He died before he could be taken to a hospital, said officials. Enterprise, Ore., is about 140 miles from Kennewick, Wash. There was no evidence to lead investigators to believe the death was anything other than an unfortunate tragic accident, the sheriffs office posted on social media. An investigation was done by the Wallowa County Sheriffs Office, Oregon State Police, Wallowa County District Attorneys Office and the Wallowa County Medical Examiner. Rep. Roger Wilder walks back to his desk on the House floor. (Allison Allsop) The Louisiana Senate easily passed a controversial bill restricting what bathrooms, changing rooms and sleeping quarters transgender people use in public facilities, sending it to the governors desk for action. House Bill 608 by Rep. Roger Wilder, R-Denham Springs, passed the Senate on a 29-10 vote after less than 15 minutes of discussion. Senate President Pro Tempore Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, voted with Republicans on the bill. Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews, D-Monroe, voted against the bill but later added her name as a co-author. Wilders bill, which hes dubbed the Womens Safety and Protection Act, would segregate all bathrooms, changing and locker rooms as well as sleeping quarters by sex in public schools, domestic violence shelters and correctional facilities, prohibiting transgender people from using facilities that align with their gender identity. When he presented his bill to the House last month, Wilder was unable to point to a specific incident in Louisiana in which a woman or girl was harmed by a transgender woman at a public restroom or changing facility. Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, was not immediately able to confirm Landrys plans for the bill. The arch-conservative governor has openly supported other anti-LGBTQ+ measures, including two that restrict the discussion of gender and sexuality in K-12 schools. The bill also defines the terms man, woman, girl, boy, male and female. These definitions specifically exclude gender identity, which the bill does not define. Wilders proposal was carried on the Senate floor by Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, who authored a law that prevents transgender people from competing in womens sports. The bill was opposed by several LGBTQ+ rights advocates who argued the bill needlessly harms transgender people. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law estimates there are approximately 20,000 transgender people living in Louisiana. This bill represents a deeply troubling attempt to deny the humanity and dignity of an already vulnerable population by seeking to eliminate legal recognition of gender identities beyond the binary, SarahJane Guidry, executive director of Forum for Equality, an LGBTQ+ rights organization, said at a committee hearing on the bill last week. Transgender people tend to experience higher rates of domestic violence and have higher suicide rates than people who identify as the gender they were assigned at birth. While many domestic violence shelters already turn away transgender people, Wilders bill would require they do so unless they have the space to offer separate sleeping quarters and bathrooms for transgender people. While Wilder pitched his bill as a way to keep women and girls from feeling uncomfortable or unsafe when men enter private areas, the legislation would require a transgender man, even one who has transitioned via hormones and gender affirming surgery, to use facilities designated for women. A transgender man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Transitioning refers to actions taken by a transgender person to align their bodies with their identified gender. The bill would allow anybody who experiences, or is expected to experience, direct or indirect harm as a violation of the bill to sue, including someone who is retaliated against for pointing out a violation. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Transgender bathroom restrictions heads to Louisiana governors desk appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. 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 The anti-corruption organization Transparency International has called for a systematic investigation into possible influence peddling by autocratic regimes in Germany. The call was made in light of the investigations into far-right politician Petr Bystron of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and reports of possible Russian and Chinese connections of his party colleague Maximilian Krah. "If the evidence is further substantiated, there are several cases of strategic corruption in which leading AfD politicians have lobbied in favour of autocratic regimes in Russia and China in exchange for bribes," Alexandra Herzog, chairwoman of Transparency Germany, said in a statement on Friday. Germany has not sufficiently protected itself against illegitimate influence exerted by autocratic regimes through strategically deployed corruption, she said. "We are calling for a commission of inquiry of the German Bundestag to systematically analyse this and develop countermeasures," Herzog said. Commissions of inquiry are made up of lawmakers and experts. A quarter of the members of the lower house, or Bundestag, must vote in favour of their appointment. Such a committee can prepare comprehensive recommendations for legislation or for dealing with important social issues. Trapped US doctors are out of Gaza, White House says WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of U.S. medical workers left the Gaza Strip after getting stuck at the hospital where they were providing care, the White House said on Friday. Reports emerged earlier this week of American doctors being unable to leave Gaza after Israel closed the Rafah border crossing, including 10 from the U.S.-based Palestinian American Medical Association, who had intended to leave after a two-week mission at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, a city near Rafah in southern Gaza. On Friday, 17 American doctors and healthcare workers, out of a total of 20, got out of Gaza, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. "I can assure you that any of them that wanted to leave are out," Kirby said. A State Department spokesperson told Reuters that some of the doctors that had been stuck made their way to safety with assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Three of the U.S. doctors chose not to depart Gaza, a source familiar with the situation said, adding that the doctors who stayed behind understood that the U.S. Embassy may not be able to facilitate their departure as it did on Friday. The Palestinian American Medical Association, a U.S.-based non-profit, reported that its team of 19 healthcare professionals, including 10 Americans, had been denied exit from Gaza after their two-week mission. The organization said on social media on Wednesday that it had a more doctors waiting to enter Gaza to replace the workers trying to leave. 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. Gaza's healthcare system has essentially collapsed since Israel began its military offensive there after the Oct. 7 cross-border attacks by Palestinian Hamas militants on Israelis. Aid deliveries began arriving at a U.S.-built pier off the Gaza Strip on Friday. (Reporting by Nandita Bose and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington and Brendan O'Boyle in Mexico City; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Bill Berkrot) The defendant hides his face in the courtroom. The trial before the Higher Regional Court is about war crimes committed by a Syrian government militia between 2012 and 2015. The accused is a 47-year-old Syrian who entered Germany in February 2016 and was arrested in Bremen on August 2023. Markus Scholz/dpa-Pool/dpa The trial of a 47-year-old Syrian man begins on Friday in the northern German port city of Hamburg in relation to potential war crimes committed by a Syrian government militia between 2012 and 2015. The accused is a 47-year-old Syrian man who entered Germany in February 2016 and was detained in the north-western city of Bremen in August last year, according to a spokesman for the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court. As one of the leaders of the Shabiha militia, the accused is alleged to have participated in the abuse and enslavement of civilians as well as looting. The militia allegedly detained people arbitrarily at checkpoints in Damascus in order to extort ransoms, make them perform forced labour or torture them. The militia, in cooperation with a branch of the military secret service, is believed to have used violence to suppress opposition efforts. The German federal prosecution service has accused the man of 21 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The defendant hides his face in the courtroom. The trial before the Higher Regional Court is about war crimes committed by a Syrian government militia between 2012 and 2015. The accused is a 47-year-old Syrian who entered Germany in February 2016 and was arrested in Bremen on August 2023. Markus Scholz/dpa-Pool/dpa The trial of a 47-year-old Syrian man began on Friday in the northern German port city of Hamburg in relation to potential war crimes committed by a Syrian government militia between 2012 and 2015. The accused is a 47-year-old Syrian man who entered Germany in February 2016 and was detained in the north-western city of Bremen on August 2 last year, according to a spokesman for the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court. At the start of proceedings, the man's defence lawyers complained to presiding judge Norbert Sakuth that their client had not been able to dress properly. The accused, dressed in baggy grey clothes and slippers, was then allowed to return to the remand prison and change his clothes. The trial began two hours late. As one of the leaders of the Shabiha militia in the al-Tadamon district of the Syrian capital, the accused is alleged to have participated in the abuse and enslavement of civilians as well as looting. The militia allegedly detained people arbitrarily at checkpoints in Damascus to extort ransoms, make them perform forced labour or torture them. The militia, in cooperation with a branch of the military secret service, is believed to have used violence to suppress opposition efforts. According to the federal prosecutor's office, in September 2013, a civilian was tied up and blindfolded and taken to a prison. In a cell, the accused is said to have beat him in the face and ordered his subordinates to beat the man with plastic pipes for hours. When he fell to the floor, one of the militiamen kicked his head so hard that he hit the wall and suffered a bleeding laceration, the prosecution says. The reason for the abuse was that the man had demanded money from the accused's family for workmen's services. In other cases, the militia took civilians prisoner and forced them to carry sandbags to the front line. In the process, the prisoners came under fire. In addition, they were not provided with food and water, the prosecution says. The accused knocked one man to the ground during the arrest, it alleges, adding that he then kicked the civilian, grabbed him by the hair and pushed his head onto the pavement. The Shabiha militia, in co-operation with a branch of the military intelligence service, was believed to have suppressed opposition efforts by force. According to the federal prosecutor's office, members of this intelligence unit killed at least 47 civilians in mass executions on April 16 and October 16, 2013. There are video recordings of the massacres in which the person allegedly responsible can be seen, the court spokesman said. Another video shows this secret service employee together with the accused on a wheel loader. The recordings helped the investigators to identify the 47-year-old. However, they did not prove that the accused had taken part in the massacres. The federal prosecution has charged the accused with 21 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes. During the arraignment, the two prosecutors emphasized that all fighting parties in the Syrian civil war had committed the most serious violations of international humanitarian law since the end of 2011. After the indictment was read out, the 47-year-old stated that he would possibly comment on the allegations at a later date. His two defence lawyers demanded that important witnesses for the prosecution be named and given their place of residence. Otherwise, they requested that the trial be suspended. The State Security Senate rejected this. The Syrian military intelligence service had established a "regime of terror," and the witnesses and their relatives in Syria and other countries would be in acute danger if their names were mentioned, explained Judge Sakuth. The trial in Hamburg is not the first trial in Germany for human rights crimes committed by Syrian government forces. At the beginning of 2021, the Koblenz Higher Regional Court sentenced a former chief interrogator in a Damascus prison to life imprisonment. The court was convinced that he was responsible for the torture of at least 4,000 people and the deaths of 27 people. A co-accused intelligence officer was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in February 2021 for aiding and abetting a crime against humanity. The defendant hides his face in the courtroom. The trial before the Higher Regional Court is about war crimes committed by a Syrian government militia between 2012 and 2015. The accused is a 47-year-old Syrian who entered Germany in February 2016 and was arrested in Bremen on August 2023. Markus Scholz/dpa-Pool/dpa KYODO NEWS - May 17, 2024 - 17:51 | World, All, Japan North Korea fired what are believed to be short-range ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Friday, the South Korean military said. Multiple projectiles were launched around 3:10 p.m. from the area surrounding the eastern port city of Wonsan and were estimated to have flown about 300 kilometers before falling into the sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said. In Tokyo, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference that the suspected missiles had not entered Japan's exclusive economic zone, and no damage has been reported from the missile launches. The South Korean military said an analysis is under way, with information being shared with the United States and Japan. Pyongyang has been conducting a series of cruise missile tests since late January, having launched what appeared to be a ballistic missile on April 22. The country's state-run media soon afterward reported that its leader, Kim Jong Un, had overseen an exercise that simulated a nuclear counterattack and involved super-large multiple rocket units. Related coverage: North Korean IT workers infiltrated U.S. firms, earning about $7 million U.S. sanctions Russian firms over North Korea-linked arms transfers North Korea tested rocket engine in late April, U.S. think tank says A Washington State Patrol trooper shot and killed a man armed with a hammer on northbound Interstate 5 in Everett on Thursday afternoon. Troopers were called to a road rage incident on I-5 just north of Highway 2 just after 4 p.m. A man was ramming his car into a Washington State Department of Transportation contractors vehicle and a lift on the shoulder of I-5 that was operating over the slough, according to the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team. The lift had two employees on board. The suspect, who was armed with a hammer, got out of his car and started fighting with the workers and the trooper. During the fight, the trooper shot the suspect, who died at the scene. We spoke with a man who was driving past the scene at the time. He said he saw the trooper trying to use a stun gun on the suspect. The guy turned away from the police officer and just high-tailed it as fast as he could. He was running full speed, head down, just charging north up the 5. And the trooper began giving chase like he was chasing him down to tackle him, said witness David Scherer. One of the WSDOT contractors was hurt, but their injuries were not life-threatening. The Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team is investigating. All lanes of northbound I-5 were closed for hours during the investigation, causing gridlock for drivers during the peak hours of the commute. WSDOT said all lanes were back open at around midnight. CLEARED: NB I-5 at US 2 in Everett has reopened. Thank you for your patience. Continue to expect some delays as traffic clears. https://t.co/kSatPh5mB3 WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) May 17, 2024 Troup County Board of Ed. names sole finalist for new superintendent The Troup County Board of Education named its favored candidate to become the districts new superintendent. On Thursday, the Board named Dr. Rachel B. Hazel as the sole finalist to be the new Superintendent of the Troup County School System, tentatively bringing a months-long search to a close. The search for a new superintendent started in February, when the Board hired McPherson & Jacobson, LLC to recruit potential candidates. Of 33 qualified applicants from across the U.S., McPherson & Jacobson presented four applicants to the school officials for a series of interviews. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] After that process, the BOE chose Hazel as the only finalist to replace retiring superintendent Dr. Brian Shumate, who is retiring in June. Shumate took on the role of Troup Superintendent in 2019. TRENDING STORIES: Hazel currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Volusia County Schools in Florida. The Board of Education said as their sole finalist, she would offer a wealth of experience and leadership to the position. Now selected, final board approval is pending, with a 14-day required waiting period, according to officials. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Trump accepts a VP debate but wants it on Fox News. Harris has already said yes to CBS Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, seated right with Melania Trump and her father, Viktor Knavs, attends a graduation ceremony for his son Barron at Oxbridge Academy Friday, May 17, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) NEW YORK (AP) Donald Trump said Friday his campaign has accepted an invitation from Fox News for his yet-to-be-chosen running mate to debate Vice President Kamala Harris, and he urged her to accept as well. In fact, Harris has already said shell debate but on a rival network. President Joe Bidens campaign signaled it would reject Trumps offer, an official pointing to the acceptable debate parameters it detailed earlier this week. Under those conditions, a Fox News-hosted debate would not qualify. Republican Trump's post on his social media network came after Democrat Harris accepted a different invitation from CBS News. The public brokering of debates is continuing after the two presumptive presidential nominees this week agreed to meet twice this summer, bypassing the commission that has hosted debates since 1988. The first will be hosted by CNN on June 27, the second by ABC on Sept. 10. Fox News said in a statement it offered to host a VP debate on July 23, August 13 or a day after both party conventions. Harris' team previously told CBS she would debate in-studio on the July or August dates Fox mentioned. Trump in his post said he hoped Harris and his eventual running mate would meet at Virginia State University, which is where Fox proposed holding its event. The university was originally scheduled to host a debate put on by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, and it would have been the first time a historically Black college or university hosted one. Virginia's two senators, Democrats Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, urged the candidates to still hold a debate at the school. The state's Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin slammed Biden but not Trump, whom he has endorsed for refusing to participate in the debate commission's presidential face-off, saying it was a huge snub to the school and citizens of Virginia. Trump has not yet chosen his running mate. He said in a recent interview that he may announce his pick at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which starts July 15. Trump for months has pressed Biden to debate, even placing an empty second lectern onstage at some of his rallies as a symbolic offer to the president. In a separate post Friday, he said he had accepted an invitation for still an additional debate, hosted by NBC and Telemundo, after previously committing to yet another invitation from Fox News for an October debate. Bidens campaign on Friday referred back to a previous statement in which chair Jen OMalley Dillon accused Trump of having a long history of playing games with debates: complaining about the rules, breaking those rules, pulling out at the last minute, or not showing up at all. ___ Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report. New details have emerged of plans by Trump allies to dismantle democracy under a second Trump administration by packing the Department of Justice with Trump loyalists and shrinking the independent scope of the FBI. The plans, as detailed by Reuters, seek to craft a DOJ to advance conservative agendas, heavily curtail civil liberties, and impede investigations into corruption by Trump and his allies. The plans laid out by Trump allies to convert the FBI into a politically charged conservative attack dog come from the authoritarian aspirations of Project 2025, a sprawling network led by conservative think tanks that comb through existing law to find loopholes and precedent for Trumpor any conservative presidentto enact extreme right-wing policies and consolidate power at a moments notice. Trump allies plan to nuke consent decrees, a sort of contractual oversight agreement between the Department of Justice and local police departments, to curb civil rights abuses. They also want to downgrade the FBIs access to the attorney general, instead making the FBI head report to two politically installed assistant attorneys general. Steve Bradbury, who served as transportation secretary under Trump and who spoke with Reuters about these plans, claimed in backward fashion that the DOJ acting independently from the presidents wishes poses a recipe for abuse of power. Whenever you have power centers ... that have enormous resources, coercive power and investigative tools at their disposal, and they are presumed to be independent of any control down the chain of command from the president, that is a recipe for abuse of power, Bradbury told Reuters. Conservatives have long called to dismantle the FBI following investigations into Russian collusion with Trumps 2016 campaign and indictments by the DOJ of participants in the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump allies want to reduce the scope of the FBIs investigative authority, leaving the department to focus solely on large-scale crimes and threats to national security, from which insurrection and sedition by conservatives are, naturally, excluded. A January report by the National Institute of Justice found far-right extremism has continued to outpace all other forms of domestic terrorism since 1990. Plans to dramatically alter the DOJ to act as an extension of conservative ambitions rather than an independent agency follow a similar pattern to Trumps overhaul of the Supreme Court and packing conservative judges throughout the federal circuit as presidentchanges that led to the overturning of Roe after Trump left office and a continuation of attacks on LGBTQ+ freedoms and civil rights today. If reelected, Trumps allies would replicate that process at the Department of Justice. Former President Donald Trump attended his son Barron's high school graduation at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach on Friday, after the judge overseeing his hush money trial in New York granted him a day off court to allow him to go. It was a break from sitting in the courtroom for the former president, who, as a defendant, has been required to attend his trial most days of the week over the past five weeks, except on Wednesdays when the court is not in session. The trial is usually in session on Fridays but Judge Juan Merchan canceled court this Friday to let Trump attend the graduation ceremony. Before arriving at the ceremony, Trump posted on his social media platform: "Going to Barron's High School Graduation. Great student, wonderful boy! Very exciting! DJT" PHOTO: Former President Donald Trump waves as he attends the graduation ceremony of his son, Barron Trump, at Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Fla., May 17, 2024. (Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images) MORE: Barron Trump declines Florida GOP delegate position due to 'prior commitments' Trump, who arrived at the school in a motorcade Friday morning sporting a black suit and a blue tie, sat in the front center row of the bleachers throughout the graduation ceremony, with former first lady Melania Trump, Barron's mother, sitting next to him and her father Viktor Knavs sitting next to her. PHOTO: Barron Trump, son of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and Melania Trump, receives his diploma during his graduation ceremony at Oxbridge Academy, May 17, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Lynne Sladky/AP) The former president and the former first lady occasionally clapped and waved at the direction of where the graduates were, including when Barron walked up the stage. Trump stayed throughout the graduation ceremony, which was a private event and lasted for about an hour. Oxbridge Academy is a private preparatory school for grades 6-12. PHOTO: Former President Donald Trump and Melania Trump attend the graduation ceremony of their son Barron Trump, in West Palm Beach, Fla., May 17, 2024. (Marco Bello/Reuters) Barron Trump, who recently turned 18, made headlines last week when he was selected as one of Florida's at-large delegates for the Republican National Convention, along with other members of the Trump family who have played more active role in Trump's campaign, including Trump's older sons, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Trump's youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump. PHOTO: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, standing right with Melania Trump and her father, Viktor Knavs, attends a graduation ceremony for his son Barron at Oxbridge Academy, May 17, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Lynne Sladky/AP) MORE: Trump allies, potential VP contenders flock to Manhattan courthouse Following the news of Barron Trump being selected as a delegate, Trump repeatedly said during media interviews that his son likes politics and he's "all for" his son delving into the political world -- while stressing he's still "very young." Trump even said Barron Trump tries to give him political advice, saying it's "very cute." But just days after the delegate selection news came out, Melania Trump's office announced that Barron Trump would be declining an opportunity to serve as Florida's GOP at-large delegate to the Republican National Convention due to "prior commitments." PHOTO: Barron Trump attends his graduation ceremony at Oxbridge Academy, in Palm Beach, Fla., on May 17, 2024. (Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA via Shutterstock) MORE: Michael Cohen to return to witness stand for 3rd day of testimony in Trump's hush money trial "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," her office said in a statement to ABC News. Trump has used Barron Trump's graduation as his campaign message and a fundraising opportunity, repeatedly blasting the judge in the hush money trial for forcing him to skip his family's important moment -- although the judge had not ordered that -- before the judge allowed him to take time off the trial. Trump uses similar rhetoric to claim the court schedule is keeping him off the campaign trail during a critical period of the election cycle, though earlier this week, he used Wednesday, his usual day off from the trial, to fundraise with wealthy donors in Ohio and Kentucky. On Tuesday, after court, Trump attended another high-dollar fundraiser in Manhattan. MORE: Melania Trump announces push to woo gay conservatives during Mar-a-Lago fundraiser, organizer says And on Friday, Trump is not sticking around in Florida to spend the rest of the day with his family. He's flying out to Minnesota to headline the Minnesota Republican Party's Lincoln Reason Gala fundraiser -- in a state he and his campaign have recently been targeting in an effort to expand the battleground map. "We're also looking really great in the state of Minnesota, which hasn't been one since 1952, and we're leading in the polls and the state of Virginia," Trump said at a rally in New Jersey last weekend. On Saturday, he's scheduled to deliver remarks at a National Rifle Association event in Dallas. Trump attends son Barron's high school graduation on day off from court originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Donald Trumps associates are making plans to deport asylum seekers as they try to figure out how to clear barriers to take severe actions to limit immigration during a potential second term. Backers of the former president, including former administration officials, are prepping executive orders and policy memos to reduce the number of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border on day one of a second term for Mr Trump, several people involved told The Wall Street Journal. Mr Trump himself has said hes preparing to implement the largest mass deportation in the history of the US. The measures include speeding up asylum hearings to fast-track deportations, removing protections put in place by the Biden administration covering hundreds of thousands of migrants, and pushing other countries to take back their citizens. Drawing inspiration from a deal the UK struck with Rwanda to send their migrants there to seek asylum, Trump allies want to revive a 2020 deal with Guatemala which saw about 1,000 migrants from El Salvador and Honduras sent there to seek asylum. The UK-Rwanda deal has yet to go into effect because of legal challenges and a former Trump administration official acknowledged the significant logistical barriers when speaking to The Journal. Donald Trump participates in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, 23 June 2020 (AFP via Getty Images) Restricting Immigration has been one of Mr Trumps main talking points since the launch of his 2016 campaign. This year, he urged Republicans to stop a bipartisan immigration deal, unwilling to hand President Joe Biden a possible win on the issue. The American people want solutions on the border, Donald Trump only wants chaos, Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa told The Independent in a statement. He proudly killed the strongest bipartisan border bill in a generation siding with fentanyl traffickers over the border patrol and the American people. The American people will once again reject Trumps attacks on immigrants and his second term agenda of family separation 2.0 pledging to go further by using the military and law enforcement to enact his cruel, anti-American, and ineffective immigration policies, he added. Meanwhile, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told The Independent that Bidens reversal of President Trumps immigration policies has created an unprecedented and illegal immigration, humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border. Americans can expect that immediately upon President Trumps return to the Oval Office, he will restore all of his prior policies, implement brand new crackdowns that will send shockwaves to all the worlds criminal smugglers, and marshal every federal and state power necessary to institute the largest deportation operation in American history, she added. As President Trump has said, the millions of illegals Biden has resettled across America should not get comfortable because very soon they will be going home. A second Trump administration would have to get around the fact that the migrants who have entered the US during the Biden administration cannot be deported under the law. And for those that can be deported, many of their home countries wont accept them. But the Trump loyalists are preparing executive actions that would address those issues without needing Congress to act. The immigration policies of a possible Trump White House are being discussed within the campaign, including with Mr Trump, as well as within a number of conservative groups, such as the America First Policy Institute and the Heritage Foundation. Heritage leads Project 2025, a planning effort by dozens of conservative groups to plan for what a right-wing administration would look like. Migrants view a live televised speech by President Donald Trump on border security at a shelter for migrants on January 8, 2019 in Tijuana, Mexico (Getty Images) But Trump advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita told The Journal that despite our being crystal clear, some allies havent gotten the hint, and the media, in their anti-Trump zeal, has been all-too-willing to continue using anonymous sourcing and speculation about a second Trump administration in an effort to prevent a second Trump administration. Unless a message is coming directly from President Trump or an authorized member of his campaign team, no aspect of future presidential staffing or policy announcements should be deemed official, they added. Some outside group officials have said that they hope to avoid what happened after Mr Trump won in 2016 when he fired the head of his transition team, former New Jersey Governor and now-Trump critic Chris Christie, and got rid of his teams plans. Mr Trump has said that he plans on acting like a dictator on day one of his second term to close the border and boost oil drilling. A number of people close to Mr Trump told The Journal that the plans are partly based on Mr Bidens first day in office in January 2021 when he used executive actions to roll back large parts of Trump administration policy. Mr Trump has recently said that hes set to go after as many as 20 million people in his deportation scheme, with his allies now looking at possibly using military bases to expand the number of migrants who can be detained. Advisers are also making plans to order governors in red states to deploy the National Guard as immigration officers. Billions of dollars would probably be needed, either approved by Congress or redirected from the Department of Defense. Trump Complains 'I Have The Only' Illegal NDA While His Lawyers Claim He Knew Nothing Of It Former U.S. President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom after a break in his hush money trial in New York City on Thursday, May 16, 2024. MIKE SEGAR/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump in a courthouse corridor rant appears to have acknowledged participation in the $130,000 nondisclosure agreement with porn star Stormy Daniels, contradicting his lawyers story to a jury that the coup-attempting former president wasnt even aware of the deal. NDAs are legal and common, yet Bragg alleges Trumps was illegal. I have the only illegal NDA, Trump quipped Thursday afternoon in his post-trial day remarks to reporters in New York. Trump was reading from a supporters article that argued Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was unjustly prosecuting Trump. His complaint that only his NDA was considered illegal, however, seemed to affirm that he was a willing party to it. The charges against Trump, falsifying business records, are based on reimbursement payments to his lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the Stormy Daniels payment which Trump has claimed not to know about until well after the fact. The legality of the NDA itself has never been in question and the payment to Daniels was not a charged offense, notwithstanding Trumps suggestion. Its unclear what effect the admission will have in his ongoing hush money trial, in which he has pleaded not guilty. Trump has continued to deny Daniels claim that she had a sexual encounter with him in 2006, leaving his lawyers in the unusual position of having to explain payments to silence the story of an affair that Trump claims never happened. Lawyers representing Trump in the case did not respond to queries. But throughout the trial, they have argued that the effort to buy Daniels silence about the sexual encounter she said she had with Trump in 2006 was the work of Trumps employees, not Trump himself. Michael Cohen paying Stormy Daniels or Stephanie Clifford $130,000 in exchange for her agreeing to not publicly spread false false claims about President Trump is not illegal, Trump attorney Todd Blanche told jurors in his April 22 opening statement, using Daniels legal name as well as her professional name, which she is more commonly known by. During cross-examination of prosecution witnesses, he and Trumps other lawyers have worked to refute testimony that Trump knew about the scheme as it was happening. On Thursday, for example, Blanche tried to suggest that an Oct. 24, 2016, phone call between Cohen and Trump was not about the Daniels payment at all, but only about Cohen informing Trump and his bodyguard that he had been receiving harassing phone calls from a teenager. Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said Trumps new remark could matter a great deal. This latest comment, Trump acknowledging that I had an NDA, illegal or otherwise, with Stormy Daniels, at least inferentially, seems to be inconsistent with the suggestion that Trump knew nothing about what Michael Cohen was doing to suppress the Stormy Daniels information, Kirschner said. All inconsistencies will not be lost on the jury once introduced by prosecutors. But former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb who, like many of Trumps former staff members, has become a critic of the ex-president said Trumps defense team could contend that he was merely offering commentary on the case. Can easily be argued by Trumps lawyers as fair comment on the evidence presented, Cobb said. Prosecutors have been monitoring Trumps public statements closely for months, as demonstrated by their complaints to trial Judge Juan Merchan that Trump has repeatedly violated a gag order prohibiting Trump from verbally attacking witnesses and court personnel. If they want jurors to consider Trumps statement, they would have to find a way to get it entered into evidence, as jurors are not supposed to use information from outside sources such as news accounts in their deliberations. Prosecutors also did not respond to HuffPost queries. They have told Merchan that Cohen who worked under Trump for years before he pleaded guilty to and was sent to prison on a number of federal charges, including for the Daniels hush money scheme is their final witness. His testimony should wrap up Monday, meaning that the case could go to the jury next week unless Trumps lawyers change their minds and decide to call multiple witnesses. If Trump is convicted on the falsification of business records charges, he could receive up to four years in prison. Trump could also receive time behind bars if convicted of the separate federal charges or Georgia state charges he faces. A Washington, D.C., federal prosecution based on his actions leading to his Jan. 6, 2021, coup attempt is currently on hold pending a Supreme Court review of Trumps claim that he has immunity from those charges because he was president at the time. A second federal case, based on his refusal to turn over secret documents he took with him to his southern Florida country club upon leaving office, is unlikely to take place before the November election that could return him to the presidency. The Georgia prosecution, based on his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in that state, could potentially lead to a trial later this year. Despite all of these prosecutions, though, Republican primary voters overwhelmingly made Trump their choice for presidential nominee again. NEW YORK Michael Cohen completed a third day on the witness stand Thursday and is set to face more grilling next week as Donald Trumps historic hush-money trial nears its conclusion. After jurors were sent home for the day around 4 p.m., Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told the court that he expects to spend roughly another hour and a half cross-examining Trumps former fixer when the trial resumes Monday. He said the defense still hadnt decided whether to put on a case or whether to put the former president on the witness stand. State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan told Trumps lawyers and prosecutors at the Manhattan district attorneys office to be prepared to deliver their closing arguments on Tuesday. Blanche accuses Cohen of lying After a meandering line of questioning all morning, Blanches cross picked up the pace just before the lunch hour when he grilled Cohen about previous testimony in which he said hed reached out to Trumps bodyguard, Keith Schiller, to speak with Trump to tell him about payment to Stormy Daniels. 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 to accuse 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. Blanche, whos sought to portray Cohen as vengeful, repeatedly pressed him about his desire to come with Trump to the White House and whether he really wanted the job he got as the presidents personal attorney. Cohen 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 presumptive GOP nominee in this years presidential election, has pleaded not guilty to 34 felonies that allege he covered up hush-money reimbursements to Cohen masking it as payment for legal fees to disguise an underlying scheme to hide information from the voting public. GOP friends stand by Trump Trump arrived to court around 9:20 a.m. Thursday with another entourage of Republican supporters. The 77-year-old 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, he said before entering the courtroom for the day possibly treading into dangerous territory in violation of a gag order by referring 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 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 2016 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. Dueling depictions of fixer Earlier this week, Cohen said he felt abandoned once Trump won the White House. He expected to get a top role in his administration. The former Trump lawyer said he worked all of 10 hours as then-President Trumps personal attorney in 2017 and that monthly checks he received for $35,000 were 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. 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, suggesting 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 clean up 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. _____ When his hush money trial first got underway in April, former President Donald Trump privately complained that not enough of his allies were inside or outside the courtroom to defend him, according to multiple GOP sources familiar with his thinking. But several weeks later, Trumps supporters are flocking to the Manhattan courtroom in droves. While in most cases Trump has not asked anyone to attend his trial, sources say word of Trumps frustration quickly spread to Capitol Hill, prompting his staunchest defenders to spring into action to show their support for Trump while hes in the hot seat. Some of them began reaching out to Trumps camp, offering to come and defend the former president in New York and asking how they could secure a spot in court. GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida became the first lawmaker to make the trek up north last week, followed several days later by House Speaker Mike Johnson whos been under fire from his right flank and a quartet of Republicans sporting nearly identical navy suits with red ties, which, whether accidental or not, took the coordination to the next level. Their appearances inspired what sources say has been a mostly organic movement among Republicans. Now, the floodgates have opened, with Trumps team fielding a deluge of interest from lawmakers and orchestrating campaign stops with Trump supporters within the city before and after trial appearances as the proceedings drag on. Theres been a waterfall [of people] who want to come and show support for him, and we expect more, one Trump adviser told CNN. Its just the latest sign that the pilgrimage to Trumps criminal trial in New York has become a new litmus test for Trump loyalty inside the GOP ahead of November. For participants, the benefits are twofold: Not only are they able to score valuable brownie points with their partys presumptive presidential nominee, but its also an opportunity to step into the spotlight, with several members including Johnson and GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado even fundraising off their appearances. What the Republicans are doing is showing support for a man that is being persecuted unfairly, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, one of the GOP members who attended the trial this week, told CNN. This can happen to any American. And it shouldnt. And President Trump is a fighter and hes standing firm and we want to back him. Attending court alongside Trump has also become somewhat of an audition for a role in a potential future Trump administration. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, both currently on the shortlist for vice president, have been among those in attendance this week. Showing up to support somebody in a criminal trial is not naturally a part of the rhythm of a congressional office, said one GOP lawmaker. But when people saw Rick Scott do it, and then J.D. and Vivek [Ramaswamy], they were trying to do it too. It happened organically. Former President Donald Trump arrives with attorney Todd Blanche and Sen. Rick Scott for his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 9, in New York City. - Jeenah Moon/Pool/Getty Images Weve got your back The latest group to make the voyage to New York: members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, who represent some of Trumps closest allies on Capitol Hill. The GOP lawmakers informed the Trump team that they would be bringing a large group on Thursday, even though the House was in session, and requested a meeting with the former president before court processions started that day, according to a source familiar with the plans. The meeting lasted around 30 minutes in Trump Tower, and Trumps son Eric was also present, sources said. The members gave the former president a pep talk ahead of the trial and discussed the future of government funding and specifically, his preference for the length of a short-term government funding patch that is expected after September 30 if Trump were to win back the White House in November, the source added. Then, the GOP members joined Trump in his motorcade including the Republican candidate challenging GOP Rep. Bob Good, who has tried to cozy up to Trump after initially endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to give the former president a splashy appearance as he arrived for court that day, flanked by a cavalry of his supporters. The lawmakers also made sure to stop by the cameras outside the courthouse to attack the prosecutors and witnesses and undermine the case, filling a void that Trump, who is under a gag order, cant. Mr. President, weve got your back, GOP Rep. Andy Ogles said outside the courthouse. Even though the 11 Republican House members rode in Trumps motorcade, the Trump campaign did not foot the bill for their travel to New York, according to a Trump campaign official. In some cases, the individual campaign committees of members of Congress paid, according to someone involved with the travel earlier this week. It is unclear what role the US Capitol Police had in securing members to and from New York, as a USCP spokesperson would not comment when asked if they provided additional security services. He did not ask anybody, Norman said of Trump. Everybody volunteered to go. We paid our own way. He didnt pay anything. He didnt tell us what to say. A lot of us just feel like enough is enough. U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) 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. - Andrew Kelly/Reuters Legislating takes a back seat to Trump loyalty test But to attend the trial, the lawmakers left their day jobs behind. There were so many GOP lawmakers in New York to support Trump that, for at least a few hours on Thursday, there were more House Democrats present on Capitol Hill than Republicans. It wasnt an insignificant day in the House either. The House Judiciary and Oversight committees were set to consider reports to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over the audio tapes of President Joe BIdens interviews with special counsel Robert Hur a top priority on the right. GOP Reps. Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs both missed the Judiciary committee markup, while the House Oversight panel had to push their start time back to 8pm, just to give some of their members enough time to get back from New York. On top of that, the House was scheduled to vote on a GOP-led bill to compel the delivery of defensive weapons to Israel as Republicans ramp up pressure on Biden over his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Gaetz along with Boebert and GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who were all in New York on Thursday, missed the vote. As soon as the Oversight markup, dubbed by some Democrats as Oversight after dark got underway on Thursday night, it started to go off the rails. GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sparked outrage when she went after Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crocketts appearance and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs intelligence, with the committee meeting devolving into a heated sparring match. Some Republican lawmakers speculated that perhaps the reason for Greenes mood was that she has been frustrated with her colleagues, including the speaker, who have been quick to publicly support the president during his trial, but havent always joined her in supporting some of the Trump-favored policies that she has pushed. Greene is not impressed with the johnny and suzy come latelys to Trumps defense, according to a source who has heard her express her opinion. Greene the first GOP lawmaker to appear with Trump in New York when he was indicted in March 2023 appeared particularly annoyed with Boebert, who had attended Trumps trial that morning and then voted with Democrats during the markup to try and prevent Greene from speaking further. Lauren Boebert has been in the shadows of Marjorie Taylor Greene for almost four years and is grasping at any bitter relevance that she can latch onto, the source added. Boebert, who apologized to the American people after Greenes outburst, defended both her vote to try and silence Greene and her decision to travel to Trumps trial in New York, which ultimately did not impact the committees ability to advance the contempt resolution. It was embarrassing what was going on, Boebert said of the markup. I felt shame that that was happening while we are taking care of serious business, and its the first time in how long that weve been taking care of serious business, and were doing what the American people have been demanding and having accountability for this weaponized federal government. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the opening ceremony of the 8th China-Russia Expo in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 17, 2024. Han and Putin attended the opening ceremony of the expo here on Friday. Han also read out Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to the expo and made a speech at the opening ceremony. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) HARBIN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony of the 8th China-Russia Expo in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on Friday. Han also read out Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to the expo and made a speech at the opening ceremony. Han said that President Xi and President Putin met in Beijing on Thursday and jointly drew a new vision and blueprint for the development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era. This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic relations, Han said, noting that China and Russia have deepened political mutual trust and achieved fruitful economic and trade cooperation. In 2023, the trade volume between China and Russia reached a record 240.1 billion U.S. dollars, and China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. The scale of two-way investment continues to grow, and cooperation on major projects in energy, chemical industry, aerospace and connectivity has made steady progress, said Han. He noted that mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia has not only benefited the two countries and peoples, but also injected new impetus into the development of bilateral relations. China is willing to work with Russia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, enhance mutual trust, deepen cooperation and seize opportunities, to add impetus to the high-quality development of bilateral relations, Han said. In his speech, Putin said he had a fruitful meeting with President Xi in Beijing and reached important consensus for the development of bilateral relations and the expansion of practical cooperation. Noting that Russia cherishes the tradition of friendly cooperation with China, Putin expressed the hope that the two sides will tap the potential and actively leverage the role of the expo to push for new progress in bilateral cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, investment, energy, industry, high and new technology, cross-border transportation, tourism, agriculture and local affairs, to bring more benefits to the two peoples. After the opening ceremony, Han met with Putin. Han said China-Russia cooperation has enjoyed a sound momentum in recent years. The Belt and Road Initiative has been further aligned with the Eurasian Economic Union, and a number of major projects have been smoothly advanced, Han said, adding that the China-Russia Expo was a beautiful "business card" of bilateral economic and trade cooperation. It is believed that with the joint efforts of the two sides, bilateral cooperation will surely achieve more results, benefit the two peoples and contribute to world development and progress, Han said. For his part, Putin called on the two sides to closely coordinate and cooperate, strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, further promote local cooperation between Russia's far east and China's northeast region, and push for better development of bilateral relations. Han and Putin then toured the exhibition hall together, listened to the introduction of cooperation between the two countries, and interacted with the heads of participating institutions. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng speaks at the opening ceremony of the 8th China-Russia Expo in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 17, 2024. Han and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the opening ceremony of the expo here on Friday. Han also read out Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to the expo and made a speech at the opening ceremony. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu) Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Russian President Vladimir Putin tour the exhibition hall of the 8th China-Russia Expo after the opening ceremony of the expo in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 17, 2024. Han and Putin attended the opening ceremony of the expo here on Friday. Han also read out Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter to the expo and made a speech at the opening ceremony. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) Lara Trump, Boris Epshteyn, Eric Trump, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and Jason Miller listen to former President Donald Trump inside the courthouse Tuesday. (Mark Peterson/Pool via Getty Images) It began with a trickle, then became a steady stream. And this week a flood of congressional Republicans and other GOP lawmakers traveled to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse to support former President Donald Trump at his historic hush money trial. Their public backing of the first American president ever to be tried for a crime serves multiple purposes. For some supporters, its to show voters in their home congressional districts that unlike, say, Michael Cohen, they are loyal to Trump. For others, its to show Trump they are worthy of his consideration for a potential future Cabinet position, or even to be his next VP. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum all tabbed as potential Trump running mates have made the trek to lower Manhattan. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement And their appearance in front of the microphones outside the courthouse is also effectively a way to circumvent the gag order preventing Trump from attacking witnesses, the jury or Judge Juan Merchans family. Trump was found in contempt of court 10 times by Merchan and fined $10,000 for violating the gag order. And Merchan warned him that any further violations could result in jail time. Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville speaks outside Trumps hush money trial on Monday as Ohio Sen. JD Vance and New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis look on. (Stefan Jeremiah/AP) Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who appeared alongside Vance and other GOP lawmakers at court on Monday, said they spoke at Trumps trial to overcome this gag order. Thats one of the reasons we went is to be able to speak our piece for President Trump, Tuberville said in an interview with Newsmax after returning from the courthouse. And Trump, who has complained that security surrounding the courthouse has prevented his fans from turning out for his trial, said he was appreciative of his surrogates. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement I do have a lot of surrogates and they are speaking very beautifully and they come from all over Washington and theyre highly respected and they think this is the greatest scam theyve ever seen, Trump said before court on Tuesday. Theyre very embarrassed by whats going on. Here is a list of notable people who have shown up at court in support of Trump so far. Eric and Lara Trump Lara Trump and Eric Trump return to the courtroom after a break in Donald Trumps hush money trial on Tuesday. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) The presidents middle son and his wife, Lara, have appeared numerous times in his fathers trial entourage. They are the only Trump family members to show up to court so far. House Speaker Mike Johnson Johnson, who appeared in court on Tuesday, is the highest-ranking congressional Republican to support Trump at the trial. At a press conference outside the courthouse, the House speaker who is second in line for the presidency echoed Trumps own attacks against the case, claimed it was election interference and called the justice system corrupt. Sitting U.S. senators Vance takes pictures as Trump speaks to reporters inside the courthouse on Monday. (Mark Peterson/New York Magazine/Pool via AP) Rick Scott (Fla.) Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) JD Vance (Ohio) ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse on Monday, Tuberville and Vance took turns attacking the jury and Merchans daughter. Tuberville referred to the jury, which is composed of legal U.S. citizens, as supposedly American citizens. Vance claimed Merchans daughter is raising money for Trumps political opponents. (Loren Merchan did work for a digital consulting firm that has done work for Democratic campaigns, but its unclear whether she is still employed there.) North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum Burgum, who dropped his short-lived bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is among those thought to be on Trumps shortlist for VP. GOP members of Congress Andy Biggs (Ariz.) Lauren Boebert (Colo.) Michael Cloud (Texas) Eli Crane (Ariz.) Byron Donalds (Fla.) Matt Gaetz (Fla.) Bob Good (Va.) Diana Harshbarger (Tenn.) Cory Mills (Fla.) Andy Ogles (Tenn.) Ralph Norman (S.C.) Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.) Mike Waltz (Fla.) Standing back and standing by, Mr. President. pic.twitter.com/gGPeTLtWmv Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) May 16, 2024 Gaetz posted a photo to X of himself and Ogles watching Trump speak to reporters outside the courtroom, alongside the message: Standing back and standing by, Mr. President. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement The phrase echoes what Trump infamously said during a 2020 presidential debate while refusing to condemn the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group. Speaking to reporters during a morning break, 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. Other notable supporters Jeanine Pirro stands outside the courtroom during a break in Trumps hush money trial on May 10. (Victor J. Blue/The Washington Post/Pool via AP) Andrew Giuliani Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general Vivek Ramaswamy, former 2024 Republican presidential candidate Jeanine Pirro, Fox News host Andrew Giuliani, the son of Trumps former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, has shown up numerous times and has been posting live updates from inside the courtroom to X during the trial. Donald Trump speaks as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson listens during a news conference on 12 April at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Donald Trump speaks as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson listens during a news conference on 12 April at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Photograph: Wilfredo Lee/AP Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are pushing for federal legislation to ban non-citizen voting, which could end up disenfranchising eligible citizens. The effort also underscores how Trump and allies are already seeding doubts about this falls election. It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. But new legislation backed by Johnson would amend federal law to require all voters to show documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Currently, Americans who register to vote with a federal voter registration form are required to affirm they are a citizen and risk prosecution if they lie. We all know intuitively that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections. But its not been something that is easily provable, Johnson said on the steps of the US capitol on 8 May. He was joined by Cleta Mitchell, an ally of Trump who sought to overturn the 2020 election, and Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser who has been behind some of Trumps most anti-immigrant policies. The idea that non-citizens are voting in US elections in large numbers is a lie. Several studies have shown that the number of non-citizens who successfully vote is extremely small. For example, a 2017 analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice of 42 jurisdictions in the US found that non-citizens were 0.0001% of the votes cast. As of March 2024, 11 states were also considering legislation that would impose a proof of citizenship requirement, according to an analysis from the Voting Rights Lab, a non-profit that tracks voting bills. Nine states have also enacted legislation aiming to remove non-citizens from the voting rolls. Its pure politics, said Jonathan Diaz, a voting rights lawyer at Campaign Legal Center. Theres no actual substance to it. The focus on non-citizen voting is not a new one for Republicans or Trump, who have sought for more than a decade to require proof of citizenship and have suffered several setbacks at the supreme court. After losing the popular vote in 2016, Trump falsely claimed that non-citizen voting was in part to blame. *** Two states, Kansas and Arizona, offer a warning of what happens when officials require voters to prove their citizenship when they register to vote. In both cases, the laws appear to have made it harder for eligible citizens to register to vote. A federal bill could have the same effect. In 2011, Kansas lawmakers approved the Secure and Fair Elections (Safe) Act, which required all new voters to provide proof of citizenship, like a passport or birth certificate, when they register to vote. If they didnt provide adequate proof, their registration was held in suspense until they did and rejected if they didnt within 90 days. The law went into effect on 1 January 2013. By March 2016, more than 30,000 people, more than 12% of new voters, had their voter registration either held in suspense or cancelled. Younger voters, aged 18-29, and unaffiliated voters were also more likely to be affected. Kris Kobach, a close ally of Trump who was then Kansass top election official, was a staunch defender of the law and personally defended it in court. The measure was justified, he said, because Kansas needed to prevent voter fraud. But when a federal judge reviewed the evidence of fraud Kobach relied on, she didnt find much. Only 39 non-citizens successfully registered to vote in the state between 1999 and 2013, when the law went into effect. The Court is unable to find empirical evidence that a substantial number of noncitizens successfully registered to vote under the attestation regime, US District Judge Julie Robinson, a George W Bush appointee, wrote in a 2018 ruling striking down the law. While there is evidence of a small number of noncitizen registrations in Kansas, it is largely explained by administrative error, confusion, or mistake. She also rejected an argument from Kobach that the limited numbers were just the tip of the iceberg. There is no iceberg; only an icicle, largely created by confusion and administrative error, she wrote in the ruling. Years before Kansas enacted its proof of citizenship law, Arizona voters approved a constitutional amendment to require proof of citizenship in elections, which has led to ongoing court battles for two decades. Arizona voters approved a law in 2004 to require people to provide proof of citizenship in order to vote in the south-western state. But the US supreme court ruled in 2013 that the state couldnt require such proof for federal elections, only for state or local elections. This led to a bifurcated system with a group of federal-only voters who have not provided the state with citizenship proof, though still attest that they are eligible to vote by checking a box on the registration form. The federal-only list grew significantly after a 2018 lawsuit settlement that required the state to put people on the federal-only list even if they used a state form instead of the federal form. Currently, there are about 30,000 federal-only voters in Arizona (more than 4 million people are registered to vote in the state). The system has been the subject of viral misinformation this year, with Elon Musk erroneously tweeting about how the state doesnt require proof of citizenship to vote. An analysis from Votebeat in 2023 found that these federal-only voters were concentrated on or near college campuses, meaning the rules could be disenfranchising legal voters. Proof of citizenship requirements have also negatively impacted tribal voters, who are more likely to not have the required documents. Facing a challenge from the US justice department, a federal judge earlier this year struck down part of a new state law that would have required voters to list their birthplace when registering, but decided that additional restrictions for the federal-only list could go into effect. Elections officials will now have to verify the status of these voters and use other government databases as references. The court finds that though it may occur, non-citizens voting in Arizona is quite rare, and non-citizen voter fraud in Arizona is rarer still, the ruling from US District Judge Susan Bolton said. But while the voting laws are not likely to meaningfully reduce possible non-citizen voting in Arizona, they could help to prevent non-citizens from registering or voting. *** The new legislation Republicans are backing would require anyone who registers to vote to show proof of citizenship in order to cast a ballot in federal elections. That would mean a document like a passport, birth certificate, naturalization certificate or other form of identification that confirms their citizenship. An estimated 7% of US citizens dont have easy access to proof of citizenship. A 2006 study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that low-income Americans, African Americans, elderly people and rural voters were more likely not to have the required documents. Republicans for years have ignored evidence there isnt widespread non-citizen voting and tried to implement proof of citizenship registration requirements. The renewed focus this year seizes on two potent concerns among the right undocumented immigration and voter fraud to make it harder to vote. Immigration is a divisive issue, Diaz said. The former president and many of his allies have made campaigning on elections and on their false claims of problems with our elections a centerpiece of his re-election campaign. I think that theyre just trying to demonize a group of people that they view as easy targets. A key part of the argument for more-stringent requirements seems to be that requiring people to swear they are citizens under penalty of perjury is not sufficient to prevent them from voting. But Sean Morales-Doyle, who leads the voting rights program at the Brennan Center, said that suggestion was ridiculous. If people really are confronted with the real hypothetical, what this really looks like, it becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that it makes no sense for someone to commit this crime knowingly, Morales-Doyle said. Youre going to get caught. There isnt this good chance that youre going to get away with it because the crime actually involves the creation of a government record that is evidence of your crime. There was also the risk of deportation if a non-citizen is caught illegally voting, he said. To commit this crime, you are putting your individual freedom and your ability to remain in the country at risk for the ability to cast one ballot in one election, he added. It's almost quaint now to look back at the shock we all felt at presidential candidate Donald Trump attacking the judge presiding in the Trump University fraud lawsuit as biased because he was Latino and Trump was talking about building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Most Americans assumed that it would be impossible for such a disrespectful and, frankly, racist person to be elected in the 21st century but as it turned out that was just a preview of many such attacks to come. (Trump eventually settled that lawsuit for $25 million.) Because Trump is such an inveterate lawbreaker, he has been the subject of many legal cases over the years and biographers and armchair psychologists have speculated that his strategy has always been to denigrate the judges and the prosecutors in those cases publicly. It is due to his father's advice to always fight with everything they have. But it's just as likely that he's following the advice of his mentor, the odious attorney Roy Cohn, who has been called "one of the most reviled men in American history." If anything, it was Cohn who pulled Trump out from under his father's shadow. Trump's current troubles, and many in his past, stem from his weird relationship with Cohn, who taught him that there are no rules and no limits to what he can get away with if he has the chutzpah to challenge the very concept of reality itself, daring people to disbelieve his lies or risk destruction. It's the ethos of the bully and the gangster and despite all the drama in his life, Trump's gotten away with all of it, eventually becoming the most powerful man in the world with a full-fledged cult following of tens of millions of people. Cohn's students learned his lessons well. The case unfolding in New York these past few weeks centers on another of Trump's lawyers, Michael Cohen, who Trump saw as a low rent Roy Cohn who would carry out the dirty business Trump feels entitled to engage in without accountability. Cohen eagerly took on the job of Trump's legal henchman, never questioning the ethics or morals of what he was asked to do and when asked how he could have done that he testified this week that he was "knee deep in the cult of Donald Trump." The trial has shown how much Cohen yearned for Trump's approval and how little Trump respected him in return. Cohen is a broken man today, loathed by the press with which he had a hostile relationship as Trump's hatchet man and humiliated before the entire country as a liar and a loser on the witness stand, even as he provides the testimony that corroborates evidence that his former boss broke the law. Michael Cohen paid a high price for his loyalty to Donald Trump. We've also been reminded in this trial of another of Trump's lawyers, the former U.S. attorney and mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani. Once a front runner himself for the Republican presidential nomination, and esteemed by many as a hero for his leadership of the city after 9/11, Giuliani is now one of Trump's co-defendants in the Georgia election interference trial, has been held liable for $148 million for his defamation of two election workers, is facing disbarment and was recently fired from his radio show. This week he left the judge overseeing his bankruptcy aghast as he's completely non-compliant and has not followed any of the court's instructions. Rudy Giuliani has been completely destroyed by his loyalty to Donald Trump, which he maintains until this day despite the fact that Trump has not helped him financially and would have no power to pardon him if he were to become president again. All of this is a result of the dirty work he did on behalf of Trump's Big Lie. Two other lawyers, Jeffrey Clark (who appeared at the courthouse in support of Trump on Thursday) and John Eastman have had their reputations shredded and their lives upended for willingly plotting with Donald Trump to overturn the election in 2020. Both men are co-defendants with Trump in the Georgia case. Eastman has since been disbarred and was fired from jobs at Chapman University and the University of Colorado over his involvement in the Jan. 6 plot. Loyal legal soldiers and Trump co-defendants Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell have also been destroyed by their involvement with Trump's schemes. Like the others, they were thrilled to be part of Trump's nefarious plans but are paying the price for it today. Giuliani, Eastman, Clark, Powell and Chesebro are all unindicted co-conspirators in the federal case against Donald Trump brought by special counsel Jack Smith. What an ignominious end to their legal careers. And it's all in service of Donald Trump. Trump has more lawyers, of course, although it's not as easy to find them as it once was. Many can obviously see the writing on the wall. (The running joke is that MAGA actually stands for Make Attorneys Get Attorneys.) Luckily for the newer hires, the campaign is paying the bills these days so they don't have the same worries as Trump's previous attorneys about getting paid yet. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Trump seems to be very attached to his attorney, Alina Habba, who defended him in the New York civil fraud trial and the E. Jean Carroll defamation cases, all of which Trump lost. They frequently travel together and she has attended the Manhattan hush money trial as moral support. Another of his favorites is Christina Bobb, recently indicted in the Arizona fake electors case and hired by the Republican National Committee to head their election integrity unit. His top lawyer in both the Mar-a-Lago and hush-money case, Todd Blanche, is a former prosecutor with a good reputation who has thrown his lot in with Trump entirely, moving his practice and his family down to Florida and is reportedly very "broey" with Trump. So far he hasn't broken any laws in his defense of Trump so his reputation and standing as a lawyer remain intact. Just as all those Republican officeholders who are making the ritual pilgrimage to that Manhattan Courthouse to demonstrate their fealty to Donald Trump as Michael Cohen once did, so too should his current lawyers. His first lawyer Roy Cohn taught Trump everything he knows about being a ruthless, belligerent, con man who could get away with murder with a take-no-prisoners, win at all costs attitude. And Trump loved him for it. But when Cohn got AIDS (and lied about it claiming it was liver cancer) the legal walls started closing in on him and he was finally disbarred, Trump abandoned his mentor without a second thought. Cohn's secretary Susan Bell told Michael Kruse of Politico that he "dropped him like a hot potato, he really did. If Trump would do that to his mentor and muse, he would do it to anyone. Just look at the broken human wreck named Rudy Giuliani. Loyalty only goes one way with Donald Trump. Trump and Melania attend Barrons graduation after she failed to show at hush money trial Donald and Melania Trump attended their son Barron Trumps high school graduation ceremony together in Florida on Friday as the former presidents criminal hush money trial entered its final throes. The former president and first lady stood in the stands at Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida alongside Ms Trumps father, Viktor Knavs, and other parents to witness the ceremony at the private school. Shortly before the ceremony began, Mr Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce his attendance. Great student, wonderful boy! Very exciting!!! Mr Trump wrote. The former presidents presence was not guaranteed after the hush money trial judge did not immediately grant Mr Trump permission to attend the ceremony, spurring rants from the former president on Truth Social last month. Mr Trump is required to attend proceedings in his trial under New York criminal law. The ceremony was the first time that Mr Trump has been seen in public with his wife since the trial heard excruciating details from adult film star Stormy Daniels about her alleged affair with the former president, which allegedly took place after Mr and Ms Trump were married. He has denied that the affair ever took place. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Melania Trump, attend the graduation ceremony of their son Barron Trump, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. May 17, 2024 (Reuters) The former first lady has not attended her husbands criminal trial in New York, though her name was brought up this week by Mr Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen when he took the stand. Cohen alleged that it was Ms Trump who suggested Mr Trump excuse his sexist language in a leaked Access Hollywood tape as locker room talk. The Manhattan trial is set to resume on Monday. Soon after the graduation on Friday, Mr Trump took further advantage of his day off by heading to Minnesota for the GOPs annual Lincoln Reagan dinner. Barron was one of 116 seniors graduating from the private school on Friday. Oxbridge Academy said the graduation ceremony was private, by invitation only due to the heightened interest in this years event according to USA Today. We respectfully ask all media to refrain from coming to the school to allow for the safety of our graduates, family members, and other guests in attendance, the school said in a statement obtained by The Palm Beach Post. Barron Trump, the son of former U.S. President Donald Trump, attends his graduation ceremony, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. May 17, 2024. (Reuters) The youngest Trump son is set to attend college in the fall but it is unclear where he will be going. Mr Trump told guests at Mar-a-Lago recently that his son is considering several colleges. The former president has not revealed what his son will be majoring in or if he has any career aspirations thus far. Politics may be an option for Barron as he was recently chosen, by Floridas Republican Party, to be one of the states 41 at-large delegates tasked with nominating his father as the Republican presidential candidate at the annual GOP convention. While Barron was honored to be chosen, the former first lady said in a statement that her son, regretfully, cannot attend the convention in July due to prior commitments. FILE PHOTO: Michael Cohen heads to court for second day of cross-examination, in New York (In paragraph 23 of May 17 story, corrects Allen Weisselberg's age to 76, not 75) By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) -Donald Trump's lawyers at his New York criminal trial have portrayed his estranged former fixer Michael Cohen as a liar and Trump-hater who acted alone to pay off a porn star, but legal experts say prosecutors have largely backed up his testimony with the accounts of others, phone logs and other hard evidence. Trump's onetime lawyer, Cohen testified for the prosecution this week that Trump directed him to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to stay quiet before the 2016 election about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter. He testified that Trump then approved a plan to fudge records to cover up the deal. During cross-examination, defense lawyer Todd Blanche sought to undermine Cohen's credibility, portraying him as a turncoat falsely implicating his former boss out of spite. The defense laid the groundwork to argue that Trump was not involved in the details of the reimbursements to Cohen at the heart of the case. Although prosecutors failed to fully corroborate Cohen's versions of his one-on-one conversations with Trump, they largely established Trump was aware of the scheme, portraying him as a micromanager of his family business and finances, said Professor Rebecca Roiphe at New York Law School. A longtime New York businessman whose first entry into politics was a run for the White House, Trump wrote books, the jury was told, with such statements as: Ask to see all of the invoices and If you dont know every aspect of what youre doing, down to the paper clips, youre setting yourself up for some unwelcome surprises. A former prosecutor with the Manhattan District Attorneys office, Roiphe said: Part of what the prosecution did well is to corroborate other pieces of Michael Cohens testimony so completely, adding: Theres a lot of circumstantial evidence connecting Trump to the payments. Trump, who at 77 is 20 years Cohen's senior, has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records by portraying reimbursements to Cohen for the Daniels hush money as a retainer for the lawyer's legal services. 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. The first U.S. president past or present to face a criminal trial, Trump denies he had sex with Daniels and calls Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case a partisan attempt to interfere with his Republican campaign to take back the White House from President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 election. For Trump to be found guilty, the 12-member jury must unanimously agree that prosecutors have proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt. After completing cross-examination of Cohen on Monday, defense lawyers will have the chance to call their own witnesses. They are likely to argue that Trump - at the time transitioning into the most powerful job in the world - delegated the minutiae of business matters to deputies like Cohen and Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organizations longtime chief financial officer. Defense lawyers have also said there was nothing wrong with labeling payments to a lawyer as legal fees. EXPERTS CITE CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE But experts said prosecutors presented plenty of circumstantial evidence that suggested it was implausible that Trump did not realize he was covering up a crime: * David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid, testified that he promised to be the campaigns eyes and ears for women coming forward with unflattering stories during an August 2015 meeting with Trump and Cohen. * Prosecutors played a surreptitious recording Cohen says he made of Trump in September 2016 appearing to discuss a $150,000 hush money payment to Karen McDougal, a Playboy model who says she had a year-long affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007. Trump denies an affair. * Jurors have seen call logs suggesting Cohen and Trump were in frequent contact during the frenzied negotiations with Daniels lawyer in October 2016. They saw Weisselberg's handwritten notes outlining how Cohen would be reimbursed. Hope Hicks, Trump's former communications aide on the campaign and in the White House, testified that Trump was a micromanager. We just have reams of evidence and documents that have been put in before Cohen even took the stand, said George Grasso, a retired New York state judge who has been attending the trial and is not involved in the case. Obviously he testifies to a lot of that, but its already been corroborated. THE ELEPHANT NOT IN THE ROOM Despite the plethora of circumstantial evidence, Cohen's accounts of two pivotal conversations with Trump went uncorroborated. Cohen testified that he and Trump discussed a plan for him to be reimbursed for the Daniels payment through a series of bogus invoices and checks designed to appear as legal retainer payments at a meeting in Trump Tower shortly before his January 2017 inauguration. Cohen said they had a similar conversation in the Oval Office the next month. The lack of backup could give the jury pause, especially given the absence from the trial of Weisselberg, who could be in a position to confirm or refute some of Cohen's statements. According to Cohen, Weisselberg was also present at the January 2017 Trump Tower meeting. Both prosecutors and defense lawyers have said they do not plan to call Weisselberg, 76, who is serving a five-month sentence for perjury while testifying in a separate civil fraud trial over Trumps business practices. Outside jurors presence on May 10, prosecutors said Weisselberg would likely invoke his right under the U.S. Constitutions Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination if called. Weisselbergs lawyer declined to comment. The elephant in the room - or rather the elephant not in the room - is Weisselberg, said Justin Danilewitz, a former federal prosecutor and current partner at law firm Saul Ewing. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller) With it almost certain that Fox News will not be hosting a presidential debate this year, the conservative cable giant surprisingly proposed a vice presidential debate on Friday that Donald Trumps campaign has already accepted. Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier made the announcement during an appearance on Martha MacCallums afternoon news program, calling it the Wild West of debate proposals. Foxs request to host a VP showdown comes two days after President Joe Biden and Trump agreed to debate in June and September, with CNN and ABC News moderating those events. Baier also noted on Friday that Fox News has so far been unsuccessful in getting both campaigns to agree to a standoff on the right-wing channel. We put out a debate proposal for a presidential debate. It was accepted by former President Trump [but] not accepted yet by the Biden camp in early October. And now there's a pitch, specifically for the vice presidential debate, that went out about a half-hour ago to both campaigns. According to Baier, the network is considering Virginia State University as a possible location for the debate, which would be held on July 23 or Aug. 13. VSU was originally selected by the Commission of Presidential Debates, which both the Trump and Biden campaigns circumvented this year, to be the first historically Black college or university to host a presidential debate. Baier also revealed that even though the network had just sent out the requests, the Trump campaign and ex-president had already responded with an acceptance. On behalf of the future vice president of the United States who I have not yet chosen we hereby accept to the Fox vice presidential debate, the Trump statement read. Hopefully at Virginia State University, the first historically black college or university to host a debate. Date to be determined. I urge Vice President Kamala Harris to agree to this, and Make America Great Again. Harris, on the other hand, has already committed to CBS News's vice-presidential debate proposal, which also offered July 23 and Aug. 13 as possible dates. The Trump campaign, however, still has not responded to the CBS invitation. Following weeks of Trump taunting the president into agreeing to a debate anytime, any place, even though the ex-president skipped out on every single GOP primary debate this election season, Biden put forward a challenge on Wednesday that quickly resulted in the CNN and ABC News debates being scheduled. While Biden made it clear he was only proposing they meet twice before the election, Trump also announced on Wednesday that he had accepted Fox News invitation to appear for an Oct. 2 forum. The Biden campaign, noting that the presidents requirements for a debate essentially disqualified Fox News, accused Trump of playing games with the faceoffs. No more games. No more chaos, no more debate about debates. Well see Donald Trump on June 27th in Atlantaif he shows up, Biden campaign co-chair Jen OMalley Dillon said in a statement. Pointing out the strange dynamic at play in locking down the debates, especially since Trump has yet to pick a running mate, Baier said Fox is keeping its options open in case both campaigns can come to an agreement. The Biden campaign and President Biden had agreed to [two presidential debates] at the beginning and we'll see if he expands that, but there's a vice presidential debate that will happen, he said. Obviously, the Trump campaign has accepted our offer. Hopefully, it will be Virginia State University and an HBCU. Meanwhile, as CNN prepares to host the first debate next month, Trumps allies at Fox News are already declaring that the networks moderators will be a problem for the presumptive GOP nominee. Suggesting that Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will be in the tank for Biden, Foxs primetime stars have claimed that the CNN anchors are disqualified to moderate a debate. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. When Donald Trump last addressed members of the National Rifle Association in February, he pitched himself as a paragon of inaction on gun violence, vowing to again march in lockstep with the gun rights group if he is re-elected in November. During my four years, nothing happened. And there was great pressure on me having to do with guns. We did nothing. We didnt yield, Trump said at the NRAs Great American Outdoor Show then. When Im re-elected, every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated. With the former president set to speak at the NRAs annual convention on Saturday, gun safety groups are bringing renewed attention to the potential consequences of a Trump victory in November. They fear that, if elected, Trump will follow through on his threat to roll back the firearm regulations enacted by Biden and expand gun rights at the expense of Americans safety. Emma Brown, executive director of the gun safety group Giffords, said: The gun lobby, candidly, loves Donald Trump because they know that they can control him [The NRA] really reflects a gun industry that has profited from mass violence in this country, and that is the industry that Trump is aligned with. Trumps first term provided a preview of his approach to gun violence. The NRA spent $31m helping Trump win the 2016 election, making it the largest outside contributor to his campaign, and the groups leaders had a direct line to the White House once he assumed office. After a pair of mass shootings in Texas and Ohio in 2019, Trump promised his administration would pursue very meaningful background checks, but he quickly walked back that pledge after a phone call with the then NRA chief executive, Wayne LaPierre. When it comes to keeping Americans safe from gun violence, the choice is incredibly clear, said Nick Suplina, senior vice-president of law and policy of the gun safety group Everytown, which was created after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook in 2012. And I think voters across the country and in blue and purple and red places when they find out that Donald Trump is committed to doing nothing, theyre going to make a choice to vote for President Biden. Biden has deployed this message on the campaign trail as well, touting the signing of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act as evidence of his commitment to gun safety. The passage of that law, which expanded background checks for the youngest firearm buyers and invested in community violence intervention programs, marked the first time in nearly 30 years that the US enacted a new major gun law at the federal level. Biden has notched some other important wins in his campaign too. In 2022, Bidens nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Steve Dettelbach, was confirmed by the Senate, making him the agencys first permanent leader since 2015. The Biden justice department has implemented rules aimed at cracking down on ghost guns and closing the so-called gun-show loophole in the background checks system. In September, the White House announced the creation of a first-of-its-kind federal Office of Gun Violence Prevention. President Biden is the strongest gun safety president in American history, said Brown. And I think all of that would be at stake if Donald Trump was allowed back. Brown predicted Trump would attempt to repeal the BSCA, although he would need the help of Congress to do so, and the former president has vowed to reverse Bidens executive orders on gun safety within a week of taking office. Trump has openly expressed his wish to establish a concealed-carry reciprocity law, which would require states to recognize concealed carry firearm permits issued by other states. On the issue of school shootings, Trump has emphasized his belief in arming teachers and has promised to fund programs that train educators in handling firearms. Suplina and Brown both predicted that the Office of Gun Violence Prevention would immediately be shuttered. Trumps vision of gun rights puts him at odds with much of the country, and it could become a vulnerability for him in the general election. According to a Gallup poll conducted in October, only 12% of Americans believe gun laws should be made less strict, while 56% say they should be more strict and 31% say they should be kept as they are. Donald Trump is very much out of step with the American public, and perhaps thats why, when hes generally campaigning, he doesnt talk about guns or his big promises to undo the gains of the Biden administration, Suplina said. Hell say that in front of the NRA, and hell surely say as much this weekend. But the fact is, he knows that the politics are not on his side, especially among critical moderate voters that he will need if he is going to win. Michael Cohen departs from his home to continue testifying at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 14, 2024 in New York City Credit - David Dee DelgadoGetty Images New York prosecutors trying to convict Donald Trump for falsifying business records face a formidable challenge: They have to convince a jury to trust the word of a convicted perjurer. The credibility of Michal Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, dominated the fifth week of the former President's trial. Cohens testimony lies at the heart of the charges that Trump allegedly directed a scheme to hide hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election and lied on business forms to conceal campaign finance violations. He's really the only person for the prosecution who can connect those dots and weave all that evidence together, says Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor. But Cohens not exactly the ideal star witness. In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight crimes involving the hush-money scheme including lying to Congress and federal investigators. He spent more than a year in prison before finishing the rest of his three-year sentence in home confinement. It goes without saying hes got some credibility issues, says Anna Cominsky, a New York Law School professor. Trumps defense lawyers spent much of the week working to discredit Cohen. In his cross examination, lawyer Todd Blanche depicted Cohen as untrustworthy and driven by vendettas, emphasizing his history of lying and his frequent anti-Trump tirades on social media. He reminded Cohen that he recently called Trump a dictator douchebag who belongs in a cage. Sounds like something I would say, Cohen replied. Blanche also suggested Cohen had a financial interest in Trumps demise, pointing to the $3.4 million he made off of two books and to t-shirts and coffee mugs he was selling that said, Send Trump to the big house not the White House. Its the core strategy of Trumps defense: to portray Cohen as a disgruntled former employee whose word cannot be trusted. Youve got to drive in that this guy's not a credible person, says a source close to Trump. He lies about everything. He didn't just lie once in his life. He didn't just lie once to Congress. He lied in court, he lied to investigators, he lied to his wife. Read more: Trump and Cohen Share a Tortured History Trumps attorneys underscored a secret recording Cohen took of Trump shortly before the 2016 election, which he later leaked to the National Enquirer. He surreptitiously recorded Donald Trump in a phone call as blackmail, the source says. Thats his client at the time. Completely unethical. The burden on prosecutors is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump ordered Cohen to pay Daniels $130,000 to prevent her from going public about a sexual encounter she allegedly had with Trump in 2006. (Trump denies the affair.) According to Cohen, Trump agreed to repay him a total of $420,000 in monthly installments of $35,000 and record the payments as legal retainers. Invoices and checks show Trump paid Cohen that amount in January and February of 2017, each labeled as legal fees. But only Cohen can explain the reason for those payments. In court, Cohen recalled discussions with Trump about ensuring Daniels silence after the infamous Access Hollywood tape emerged of Trump bragging about grabbing women by the genitals. Just do it, Cohen says Trump told him. He also claimed that Trump was worried more about his electoral prospects than his home life. In Cohens testimony, Trump said: Women will hate me. Guys may think its cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign. To some former prosecutors, Cohen delivered the goods necessary to convict Trump, who faces 34 felony charges. He provided the testimony the prosecution needed on direct examination, says Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. Attorney. Mariotti agrees: Those conversations are key to establishing vital parts of the prosecution's case. Ultimately, though, a 12-member jury will determine Trumps fate. If only one of them concludes that the prosecution failed to prove its case, Trump could walk away. Blanches cross examination of Cohen is set to resume on Monday, and its not yet clear whether Trump will testify in his own defense. A source familiar with the matter says a decision has not yet been made. The case will bend on whether jurors believe Cohen despite his unsavory past. Thats not a novel complication; prosecutors are often forced to rely on witnesses with credibility issues. But its a much graver challenge in the first ever criminal trial against a former and potentially future President. Says Cominsky: We never know what a jury will do. Contact us at letters@time.com. Trump's trial is now the MAGA-verse hub, where Republican leaders defend their king The greatest show of the 21st century is happening far from the tourists, the theater district and the neon lights of New York's Times Square. Its happening in the city's Civic Center neighborhood in a stately Manhattan courthouse, surrounded by other stately federal buildings and a few small parks where protesters set up their banners and signs. Its the fifth week of the buzzworthy Donald J. Trump trial, and things keep getting interesting outside the proceedings. The further we get into the trial, the more MAGA-verse politicians visit to show their support. Earlier this week, for example, House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the former president. The circus continued Thursday when members of the House Freedom Caucus stood in Collect Pond Park and talked about, as Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., put it, the Mr. Potato Head doll of crimes. They had to stick together a bunch of things that did not belong together, he told reporters. While Gaetz may think the trial is a sham, regular Americans are less convinced: 52% say Trump did "falsify business records to conceal a hush money payment to a porn star," according to a Yahoo News/YouGov survey. I realized during my visit that Trump is the kind of man who can spin anything even a court trial to work for him, so long as Republicans fall in line behind him, regardless of the accusations and evidence. That should concern all of us. Outside of Trump's hush money trial is the sideshow of the century Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and other Republican members of Congress speak to reporters by Collect Pond Park, a short distance away from former President Donald Trump's trial in New York City on May 16, 2024. The actual remarks of the caucus members were overshadowed by what was transpiring around them. Matt Gaetz is a pedophile, someone yelled just outside the park, referencing the previous federal probe into the Florida congressman. Get the h--- out of New York, someone else yelled, holding up a sign that said, GTFO NYC MAGA. He was quickly escorted out of the park but held up the sign on the other side of the fence. A different man in front of me held out a "Beetlejuice" playbill and repeatedly asked Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who last year was asked to leave a performance of the musical with her date in Denver, for her autograph when she began speaking. He was promptly escorted out of the park. Will Trump testify? History shows us he is his own worst enemy under oath. I got news for the radical left and the weaponized DOJ: President Trump is not going anywhere, Boebert said, ignoring the distraction. Hes coming back for another four years, and we are not going anywhere, either. The lawmakers took their turn speaking, drowned out by the jeers of protesters but were audible through the television microphones. They claim to speak for Trump, who has a gag order in place. They are also elected House members and are therefore always looking to keep their jobs in Congress. Defending the former president in front of "media elites" probably looks good for them to their voters. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Trump supporters have been steadfast in their support There were a handful of Trump supporters at Collect Pond Park, too. Some of them have been out multiple times each week of the trial. I came to Civic Center once between the first week and this visit, and found the same group of men. Dion Cini, 55, of New York, has been one of those men. Hes wearing a Make America Great Again hat with the numbers 45 and 47 on the side to represent Trumps past and potentially future presidential terms. Cini said this trial is part of the seventh insurrection against Trump because of his two impeachments and four indictments. He said its the taking down of a president and a government. Hes also very pleased with how its going, because Trump has jumped ahead of President Joe Biden in the polling. About Stormy Daniels: Judge Daniels if you want but her testimony in Trump's trial is important I asked Cini why there werent as many people protesting alongside him as there had been before. Most Trump supporters are working right now, because we have jobs, but we come out here just to support Donald Trump, Cini answered. Very few people, because they wont let us get really close to the courthouse. Its like were in a little prison here. Joseph Reilly, 53, of New York, told me he felt Trump was doing better in the polls. He wore a shirt with Trump's mugshot and the caption "Never Surrender" and a black-and-yellow MAGA hat. He compared the Trump trial to those of Al Capone and mobsters who were indicted on issues he said were only semi-related to their overall businesses. I just wish my country could go back to where there was a Constitution, Reilly said. Reilly, a business owner, said there are more Trump supporters in New York who are scared of being attacked by people on the left. They must all be hiding. They're missing the show. Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Sara Pequeno on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno and Facebook facebook.com/PequenoWrites You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump hush money trial has Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, MAGA elite MOSCOW, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Russian military intercepted over 100 Ukrainian drones Friday overnight, said the Russian Defense Ministry in a statement. The ministry said the air defense system and the Black Sea fleet intercepted 51 drones over Crimea, 44 over the Krasnodar Territory, six over the Belgorod Region and one over the Kursk Region during the night. Meanwhile, Russian warplanes destroyed six drone boats in the waters of the Black Sea, it added. TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A Tulare County inmate has been named as one of the suspects in the death of another incarcerated person at the Kern Valley State Prison, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced. Frank Vasquez, 44, of Tulare County, and Andrew L. Espinoza, 29, of Los Angeles County According to the CDCR, on Monday at around 2:20 p.m., two incarcerated men Andrew L. Espinoza, 29, of Los Angeles County, and Frank Vasquez, 44, of Tulare County, allegedly attacked another incarcerated man, Raul E. Mendoza. Two inmate-manufactured weapons were recovered at the scene. Officials with the CDCR say Mendoza sustained multiple puncture wounds. Life-saving measures were performed, and he was taken to an outside medical facility for a higher level of care where he remained until he succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced deceased on Thursday at 1:06 p.m. No staff or additional incarcerated people were injured. Both suspects, according to the CDCR, have been moved to restricted housing pending an investigation into this case. Officials say they have also limited population movement in the yard to facilitate the investigation being by the Kern Valley State Prison Investigative Services unit, the Kern County District Attorneys Office, and the Kern County Coroner. The CDCR officials say Vasquez was received from Tulare County on Dec. 1, 2015, and he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and second-degree robbery. He also received enhancements for intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury or death. This is an ongoing 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 YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. The German and Turkish flags can be seen on flagpoles in front of a mosque. Christian Charisius/dpa The Turkish-Islamic Union of the Institute for Religion (DITIB) announced in Cologne on Friday that from 2025 onwards, 75 graduates of Islamic theology from Turkey will be trained in Germany every year. The young men are to receive intensive German and integration courses in Germany. After a total of two years of training, they will be required to work as imams in German DITIB mosques for at least 10 years. "We offer them the prospect of staying in Germany so that cooperation in the local communities can flourish," said DITIB Secretary General Eyup Kalyon. The new imam training programme is intended to gradually replace the more than 1,000 preachers currently working in Germany for the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). The German government and Turkey agreed on a roadmap for this in December because the imams, who are usually sent by Diyanet for four years, follow instructions from Ankara as Turkish civil servants, hardly speak any German and usually only have a sketchy knowledge of the realities of life in German society. The German government had announced that it would financially support the training of further imams in Germany. DITIB also wants to continue its imam training programme, which has been running since 2020 and is aimed at Muslim theologians from Germany. So far, a total of 58 men and women have been trained as "Islamic religious representatives" in two courses, said Kalyon. After two L.A. Zoo elephants die in the span of one year, the City Council wants answers Jewel at the Los Angeles Zoo in 2020. She was euthanized in January 2023 at the age of 61. (Jamie Pham / Associated Press) After outcry over the recent deaths of two L.A. Zoo elephants, the Los Angeles City Council wants to know why they were euthanized. The council unanimously voted Wednesday to ask the zoo for a study that would examine the factors that led to the deaths of the two Asian elephants Jewel and Shaunzi and detail whether improvements need to be made in how the zoo cares for its remaining elephants. The motion was introduced by Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield and Eunisses Hernandez after the zoos decision to euthanize 53-year-old Shaunzi in January. Jewel was euthanized in January 2023 at the age of 61. Its not a whodunit. Its not like theyre doing an autopsy to find the killer. We know they were euthanized because they were having serious medical issues, Blumenfield said. Part of the report is to find out: What were those issues? Is this something that was directly related to captivity? Read more: How humanity's ear-splitting racket deafens whales and other marine animals Max Pulsinelli, a spokesperson for the L.A. Zoo, said in an email the zoo was glad to provide this information to the Council as requested. Zoo officials have said that elephants at the zoo receive the highest level of care and that the decision to euthanize each elephant was made only after they had exhausted every other option. The decision to euthanize Jewel was made because her quality of life was continuing to decline, while Shaunzi was euthanized after considering factors including her age [and] past medical history [and] her inability to right herself with supportive efforts to raise her, the zoo has said. The deaths have sparked outrage among animal rights groups, who say captivity dramatically increases the chances of elephants having a host of medical issues that can lead to a premature death. An elephant is the largest land mammal on Earth, said Courtney Scott, an elephant consultant for In Defense of Animals. They cant even begin to thrive or even be remotely healthy in a few acres. Scott said that in recent years dozens of zoos have closed their elephant exhibits , including the Santa Barbara Zoo . The deaths left the L.A. Zoo with just two remaining Asian elephants: Tina, whos been at the facility since 2010, and Billy, who has been there since 1989. Read more: A rare songbird's epic journey from the edge of extinction back to the L.A. River Courtney Fern, director of governmental relations with Nonhuman Rights Project, an animal advocacy group, said she wanted to see the zoo move Billy and Tina to an animal sanctuary, which she called the only form of captivity that can come close to meeting their needs. In 2022, a council panel that focuses on animal welfare recommended Billy be moved to a sanctuary, given "abnormal" behavior. Activists have pointed to repetitive head bobbing and swaying. Asian elephants have a lifespan of 60 to 70 years in the wild, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. They are considered endangered , with fewer than 50,000 remaining. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. TX House District 77 candidate Vincent "Vince" Perez - D Age: 42 Please describe your personal and professional background. I was born and raised in El Pasos Mission Valley. I am a proud graduate of El Paso public schools. I received my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Government from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. After receiving my graduate degree, I entered public service as a congressional staffer for El Pasos congressional office where I served as Communications Director. At 29, I decided to challenge a longtime incumbent on the Commissioners Court who had the highest number of absences and missed votes. During the campaign, he was arrested on federal drug trafficking charges. I served as County Commissioner from 2013 - 2020. In 2016, I was selected as the National County Leader of the Year by American City & County Magazine for my leadership in local government reforms. How do you earn a living? Do you plan to continue if elected? Since 2021, Ive worked as a public and governmental affairs consultant. If elected, I would continue to work in this field when the legislature is not in session. Please describe your education. Where did you get your high school diploma? What higher education degrees and certificates have you earned from where? I am proud to have the highest level of education in the race for HD77. I received my graduate and undergraduate degrees in government from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. As an undergraduate, I had the privilege of studying under Secretary Madeline Albright (Former Secretary of State under President Clinton), Anthony Lake (Former National Security Advisor to President Clinton), and Ambassador Donald McHenry (U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under President Carter). I am a proud graduate of El Paso public schools, having graduated from Bel Air High School, Ranchland Middle School, and Sageland Microsociety Elementary. What experiences in leadership do you have that qualify you for this position? I am the only candidate with more than 15 years of experience in federal and state government, as well as small business. In addition to serving as County Commissioner, I also served as Chairman of the Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board twice which oversees all federal and state funding for transportation in our region (from 2014-2015 and 2019-present), Chairman of the Central Appraisal District (January 2020-December 2020; Vice Chair, Secretary & Member 2014-January 2020), a member of the Texas Transportation Commissions Border Trade Advisory Committee, and a founding member of the El Paso County Justice Leadership Coordinating Council. Have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime? Have you ever had a civil judgment against you? Have you ever been in arrears on local, state or federal taxes? If so, please provide an explanation. No If elected, would you have any potential conflicts of interest that you are aware of that would impair your ability to serve? Please explain what they are and how you would avoid the conflict. No What does transparent government mean to you? Will you be personally accessible to answer questions while in office? I believe a citizens access to information and governmental transparency is not only essential to good governance, it can lead to transformative reforms that can make our institutions more accountable and efficient. When citizens are empowered with meaningful information that is easily accessible and, equally as important, easy to understand and interpret, institutions are more effective. An excellent example of this is the judicial metrics initiative that I first proposed in 2015. Today, citizens have access to data that measures the performance of all our criminal courts, and judges are now held more accountable for things like case backlogs and excessive jury duty cancellations. It took nearly two years for various departments to aggregate, interpret, and present the data to the public and the commissioners court in a way that was useful to the average person. As a result, courts are performing much more efficiently, and the public has access to more information about the judiciary and their elected judges than ever before. This is a reform I intend to push for state-wide. As an elected official, I made myself as available as possible to the public and to the media. Thousands of residents and all local reporters have access to my personal cell number, and I make myself available at all hours and on weekends. Issue related questions Why are you running for this office? Im running to give the people of House District 77 a strong, ethical, and effective voice in their state government. From 2003 2012 there were 32 public officials in El Paso who were arrested for bribery, fraud, embezzlement, and other crimes that broke the publics trust. I felt strongly it was time for a new generation of leadership to step up for El Paso. There are so many funding inequities at the state, and the Texas border region has historically received less investment than other parts of the state. I feel it is imperative to elect leaders who will stand up and fight to bring these inequities to light and fight to address them. As County Commissioner, I demonstrated that I can tackle highly complex problems, and devise solutions to address them. I brought positive national attention to El Paso when I was named County Leader of the Year by City and County Magazine and from state agencies who were involved in helping to reform El Pasos local criminal justice system. This is a major departure from the negative headlines and the public shame that was brought by many elected leaders from 2003 2012 and I intend to provide the same type of tenacious leadership in our state capitol. Why are you the best candidate for this office? When voters look at the totality of each candidates personal background, educational attainment, and governmental and professional experience Im confident I am the best and most qualified choice to serve our community. I believe effectively telling El Pasos story in Austin is best done by those with deep roots in our community, those who have the experience of sitting in our public school classrooms, and those with a track-record of serving our community ethically and effectively. As Commissioner, I was always mindful that I was a direct reflection of my community and the people who entrusted me to represent them. I was never the subject of an ethics complaint or investigation, nor have I ever been sanctioned, something my opponent cant say. I served my constituents honorably, honestly, and with integrity. What do you feel are the largest challenges facing District 77? What would you do to address those challenges? I am the only candidate in this race who has proposed solutions to the most pressing issues: Property Tax Reform for Border Communities in Texas: My opponent had this job for 14 years and never authored a single property tax relief bill and needs to be held accountable for that failure. As State Rep, I intend to author legislation that would stop penalizing property taxpayers along the border with higher property tax rates than non-border communities. Its simply unfair that places like El Paso have to impose a higher tax rate on residents for the exact same state-required services that are offered throughout Texas, but at a lower cost to property taxpayers in wealthier areas. I would write a bill that requires local governments throughout Texas, such as counties, to calculate and report how much of your property tax bill is being spent on state-required services like healthcare, public defense, and state courts. Once the state has a report showing that residents in El Paso are forced to pay say 10 - 20% more in taxes to deliver the same state-required service, I would then author legislation that would provide relief for residents in higher taxed areas. Education First, Texas significantly underfunds public education when compared to other states that do much better than Texas in educating kids. The state must increase the amount of per-pupil spending to better fund our school and to provide teachers with nationally-competitive pay. Only 18% of El Paso eighth graders go on to complete a college degree within 10 years. Its the second worst outcome in Texas and must change if El Paso is ever going to reach its full potential. To improve college readiness in El Paso, I believe we need to eliminate the vast majority of standardized testing that does nothing to prepare kids for college. We should replace it with measurements that make more sense for college preparedness. Studies show that students who successfully complete Algebra I in the 8th grade are more successful in high school and better prepared for college. All El Paso eighth graders should be required to take Algebra I and our schools should be prepared and equipped to help students reach this level by the eighth grade. I also believe that enrolling more high school students in dual credit courses can also improve both college readiness and graduation rates. If students complete at least 9 to 12 hours of college credit while in high school, they are 80% more likely to graduate from college. The state should help increase dual credit courses in high schools by paying for the graduate education of teachers seeking dual credit certification, and schools should be measured in how successful they are getting students to take dual credit courses, and getting teachers certified to teach these courses. How do you plan to get things done in the Texas House amid a Republican majority? From my 14 years in federal and local government, I have found that the representatives who are most effective are those who most prepared with facts, data, and evidence to support their legislative proposals and who can earn the respect of others, regardless of fierce political and policy differences. I think over time, those representatives develop a reputation that earns the respect of colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I have a record for advancing reforms at the county amid significant opposition, because I did my homework. If youre going to be a legislator who is taken seriously, you need to be able to speak with authority on the issues you care about. In comparison, my opponent was notorious for engaging in petty fights with her colleagues in Austin and for a number of embarrassing scandals that have undermined her reputation and her ability to represent El Paso. El Paso needs a fresh voice in Austin. What can Democratic lawmakers do to address the chaos currently unfolding at the border? Texans are spending an exorbitant amount on an issue that ultimately is the federal governments responsibility and none of the Republicans seem to care or ask the question, What are Texas taxpayers getting for the $10 billion spent on this issue? There needs to be accountability for the funding being spent. Is it making neighborhoods safer? There hasnt been any drops in crime in Texas. Is it reducing the flow of migrants at the border? Its not doing that either. With the passage of SB4, what the legislature and the governor have done is open the floodgates to our misdemeanor and felony courts. As a former county commissioner, I intend to make the case that flooding our courts with non-violent immigration cases is going to make Texas less-safe and its going to delay real criminal cases that pose a greater risk to the community. What legislation would you like to see passed specifically to benefit the residents of District 77? I am the only candidate in this race who has offered specific legislative proposals on property taxes, education reform, and health care. Its one thing to say you want to lower property taxes, its another to say what you plan to do about it. As I previously mentioned, I intend to author legislation that will require an examination of the cost to local property taxpayers of providing state-required services where local property taxpayers are paying pay higher rates than other parts of Texas. Its fundamentally unfair and needs to be addressed. Local property tax dollars are used to fund healthcare for those who cant afford it, as well as public defense for those who cant afford a defense attorney. But because border communities from El Paso to Brownsville have lower property tax bases than non-border areas in Texas, border residents are paying a higher property tax rate to fund services these state-required services. But as we saw with education funding in Texas, the courts determined that property tax system didnt equally fund education. Why would it be any different with any other state-required service like health care and public defense? I intend to author legislation first require an examination into how much more border property tax payers are paying than other parts of Texas, then examine possible solutions to help reduce the property tax burden. I also plan to author legislation to have the state pay for the graduate degrees for teachers who are earning their certification to teach dual-credit courses, and also author legislation to provide compensation to teachers-in-training who are going through their state-required residency, but do not get compensated. I also plan to author legislation to help reduce the barriers for highly-qualified foreign doctors to practice in Texas, particularly along the border. How will you push back against the states broad restrictions regarding womens reproductive health? Women who are denied an abortion are 75% more likely to end up in poverty, more likely to suffer from serious mental health issues such as depression, thoughts of suicide, and women who are in abusive relationships are more likely to stay in that relationship when they are denied an abortion. The expansion of Medicaid is more critical now than ever and would provide much-needed health insurance to over 1 million Texans. The legislature also needs to invest in mental health services, the border region is particularly underserved with a critical shortage of mental health professionals. What compromises can be made on school funding without reverting to a school voucher plan? The state must prioritize increases in teacher pay and the basic allotment (per-pupil funding) for our public schools. Its fundamentally unfair that teachers and our public schools had to suffer because vouchers were soundly defeated. Vouchers must continue to be strongly opposed as they will ultimately erode public school funding and also cause further segregation in our schools, where 54% of students are Latino. The candidates' responses are being published largely as they were submitted. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: TX House District 77 candidate: Vincent 'Vince' Perez Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said that the U.S. strategy towards the Russian war in Ukraine has been unsuccessful, recalling the initial mainstream belief that Ukraine would be defeated in five days to two weeks. "We would add strategic value to the Ukrainians as they find the way to victory," he said. "But so far, we have managed to get most things wrong." File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- As Russian forces advance their new offensive in the Kharkiv region, the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe gathered Thursday to discuss Ukraine's defensive needs to inform the development of future military aid packages. "Ukrainian victory will happen not because Putin comes to his senses, but when Ukraine has achieved clear military superiority," said Commission Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C. Congress members discussed the current battlefield situation and how the recent bipartisan passage of supplemental aid for Ukraine could affect it. According to Nataliya Bugayova, a non-resident fellow at the Institute for the Study of War, Western aid delays have led to the frontline's destabilization, and the battlefield situation will likely get worse before it gets better. "Ukraine, however, will be able to stabilize the front line as the aid arrives," she said. Bugayova warned that slow U.S. decision-making contributes to the lost opportunities for Ukraine and gives advantage to Russia in the war, which has been acting strategically to deter the process for the last two years. "The outcome of the war depends as much on our decision-making speed as it does on the military capability," she said. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., agreed that the U.S. strategy towards the Russian war in Ukraine has been unsuccessful, recalling the initial mainstream belief that Ukraine would be defeated in five days to two weeks. "We would add strategic value to the Ukrainians as they find the way to victory," he said. "But so far, we have managed to get most things wrong." Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, highlighted that the U.S. should show more commitment to maintaining peace and prosperity in Europe. He stressed that not enough actions of the U.S. and its allies in Europe could affect other countries. "If we don't stop Putin now and it spreads beyond Ukraine and it goes into Romania, Estonia, we will have a lot more bloodshed," Veasey said. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO, Michael Ryan, expressed concerns about the safety of the whole NATO territory. Moreover, he said, it undermines the credibility of NATO and the U.S. abroad, most notably in China and Taiwan. Ukraine cannot win on defense, Ryan stressed, and it should be provided with air and electromagnetic spectrum superiority, as well as unmanned combat aerial vehicles and long-range fires. "To provide the weapons, we should fully exploit the Defense Production Act," he said. "Russia's economy is on the war footing; ours is not." Bugayova further highlighted the need for Ukraine to be able to target Russia's military and defense capabilities without any constraints, and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., agreed with her. "They are offensive, they are the aggressor," Costa said. "And I don't see how you can conduct any legitimate counter-strategy without doing that." As the U.S. and its allies continue the discussion of future aid to Ukraine, the Commission agreed that time is a key factor in whether Ukraine will be defeated or, along with its partners, will win the war against Russia. "Whether Ukraine is on the path to victory depends in large part on whether the U.S. learns critical lessons from the last two years of this war," Bugayova said. U.S. Department of Labor confirms open investigation of deadly crash that killed 8 farm workers The U.S. Department of Labor said it is investigating a deadly DUI crash that killed eight farm workers in Marion County. Investigators said 41-year-old Bryan Howard was under the influence when he side-swiped a bus that was bringing 53 migrant workers to a watermelon farm in Marion County. Eight farmers were killed, and dozens of others were hospitalized. The Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the crash, but Channel 9 confirmed Thursday that a federal investigation is underway. Read: Mom of farmworker killed in Marion County bus crash pleads for safe return of sons body 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. A U.S. Department of Labor spokesperson told Channel 9 the Department was aware of this tragic accident and has an open investigation. The announcement comes after the Mexican consulate raised questions about the company that employed the workers. Documents filed with the Department of Labor show the Olvera Trucking Corporation employed 43 farmworkers on H-2A visas. Read: Investigators work to identify 2 of the 8 victims killed in Marion DUI bus crash According to the documents, the workers were paid just under 15 dollars an hour to harvest watermelons and were scheduled to work between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., six days a week, at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon. In the aftermath of the tragic crash, the Mexican Consulate had been working to provide support to workers on the bus. Many were staying at a Days Inn in Gainesville. According to the consulate, discussions with some of the workers there raised concerns about fair wages. The consulate also has new questions about who held the workers passports. Read: Man driving pickup in Marion bus crash charged with 8 counts of DUI manslaughter Somebody said, oh, my passport is not with me. The employer has my passport. That is not correct. All the time, you have to have your own passport ready, said Juan Sabines Guerrero, the consul general for Mexico in Orlando. Guerrero said he was desperate to contact the Olvera Trucking Corporation for more information. I dont have any kind of contact with them. Im looking to try to have an appointment. I want to know what happened with my nationals, said Guerrero Since Tuesdays crash, Channel 9 has repeatedly contacted the Olvera Trucking Corporation for comment. Despite those repeated attempts, reporters have not heard back. Deadly Marion County bus crash: How to help the victims Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. 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 West Virginia Watch. 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. 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 Kansas Reflector. ISTANBUL, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A growing presence of Turkiye's restaurants in the prestigious Michelin Guide is fueling a surge in culinary tourism across the country, tourism insiders have said. Turkiye now boasts 110 Michelin-starred dining establishments, with two of them given two stars and 11 others receiving a single star. Hamit Kuk, the chief advisor to the president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, said the food and beverage sector holds immense potential on its own and could be a powerful engine for growth when combined with broader tourism experiences. "It's not just about eating and drinking; gastronomy tourism encompasses a broader range of experiences. Therefore, it has a distinct significance compared to other forms of tourism," Kuk said. Kuk emphasized that discerning travelers seeking culinary adventures often explore other nearby attractions, extending their stays and spending more. This bodes well for Turkiye's tourism targets of attracting 60 million visitors and generating 60 billion U.S. dollars in revenue by the end of 2024. "In the context of promoting Turkish tourism brand, the growing presence of Turkish restaurants in the Michelin Guide will substantially contribute to the long-term development of Turkish tourism," Kuk said. Nalan Yesilyurt, owner of a local tourism company, has witnessed this firsthand. Specializing in crafting "unparalleled dining experiences" for discerning travelers, her business has flourished since the first Turkish restaurant received a Michelin star in 2022. "Michelin-starred restaurants and those listed in its guide have elevated the visibility and prestige of other Turkish restaurants on a global scale," she told Xinhua in a trendy restaurant in the historic Beyoglu district of Istanbul. "This Thai restaurant, for example, hasn't received a star yet, but its inclusion in the list has made it a magnet for high-end travelers," she said, adding many listed restaurants raised their prices and updated their services afterward. Yesilyurt expected an expansion of Michelin-starred dining establishments, beyond the popular tourist destinations of Istanbul, Izmir, and Bodrum, to a larger swathe of the country. 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. 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. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US 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 Indiana Capital Chronicle. 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) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.) 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. 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 Michigan Advance. 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post U.S. House panel debates voting by noncitizens, which is already illegal appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. 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. All three of Nebraskas representatives Republicans Adrian Smith, Don Bacon and Mike Flood voted for the bill. 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 Nebraska Examiner. 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)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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post U.S. House rebukes Biden administration over pause in heavy bomb shipments to Israel appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. The U.S. House passed a $1.2 trillion government spending bill, giving the Senate hours to clear it before a midnight deadline. 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 Oregon Capital Chronicle. 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) 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 Michigan Advance. 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. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. CANBERRA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- People settled on Cyprus thousands of years earlier than previously thought, Australian research has found. In a study published on Friday, a team from Flinders University in South Australia discovered that the first human occupation of Cyprus occurred during the Pleistocene Epoch up to 14,257 years ago -- thousands of years earlier than previously accepted. The Pleistocene was an epoch that lasted for over 2 million years to approximately 11,700 years ago. Corey Bradshaw, lead author of the study from the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University, said in a media release that the findings refute previous studies that suggested Mediterranean islands were unreachable and inhospitable for Pleistocene hunter-gatherer societies. "This settlement pattern implies organized planning and the use of advanced watercraft," he said. According to the new research, Cyprus was settled rapidly after the first arrival of human hunter-gatherers -- a process which involved two to three large organized migration events to the Mediterranean island. The study estimated that within 300 years, or 11 generations, of the first human arrival, the population of Cyprus grew to 4,000-5,000. The research was based on archaeological dating from the 10 oldest sites across Cyprus, demographic modeling and climate estimates. Climate modeling indicated that the earlier arrival of people coincided with increases in temperature, precipitation and environmental productivity sufficient to sustain large hunter-gatherer populations on the island. The U.K. announced new sanctions on May 17 targeting Russia's "arms for oil" trade with North Korea. The new sanctions came after the Financial Times wrote in March that Moscow was defying U.N. sanctions by supplying North Korea with oil, likely in exchange for weapons. Pyongyang is subject to a strict cap on oil transfers imposed by the U.N. Security Council in 2017 after a series of nuclear weapons tests. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in May that Moscow supplied over 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea in March alone. The new sanctions will target three companies and one individual from North Korea and Russia and follow similar measures implemented by the U.S. the day before. "We cannotand we will notstay silent as (North Korea) and Russia engage in arms transfers," said Foreign Secretary David Cameron. "The U.K. will continue to hold (North Korea) and Russia to account. We will work with our partners to protect the global non-proliferation regime and international peace and security." Pyongyang 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. There have also been concerns about what Russia may be providing North Korea in return for the shipments of military hardware and ammunition. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that Russia has been assisting North Korea in upgrading its military capabilities, potentially including ballistic missiles and nuclear technology. Read also: US, South Korea launch task force to combat illegal shipment of oil to North Korea Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukraine braces for heavy battles as Putin says Russia carving out 'buffer zone' By Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine's top commander warned on Friday of "heavy battles" looming on the war's new front in the northeastern Kharkiv region as Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was carving out a "buffer zone" in the area. Russian forces attacked the Kharkiv region's north last Friday, making inroads of up to 10 kilometres (6 miles) and unbalancing Kyiv's outnumbered troops who are trying to hold the line over a sprawling front nearly 27 months since the invasion. Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi said the attack had expanded the combat zone by around 70km and that Russia had launched its incursion ahead of schedule after "it noticed the deployment of our forces". "We understand there will be heavy battles and that the enemy is preparing for that," the head of the Ukrainian armed forces wrote in a statement on the Telegram app. Russian forces have the initiative on the battlefield and are slowly advancing in the east, exploiting Ukrainian shortages of manpower and months of delays in arms supplies from the West. Speaking during a state visit to China, Putin said Russia was creating a "buffer zone" in Ukraine's northeast to protect its own border regions, but said capturing the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest, was not part of the current plan. Faced with Russian airstrikes throughout the war, Kyiv has scrambled to develop drones and missiles and staged strikes on facilities in Russia it says are being used to support the war and bomb Ukrainian towns, cities and power facilities. Kharkiv's mayor said a Russian missile strike on Friday had killed two people and injured 25 more in the city. Putin told a news conference in China that the assault on Kharkiv region was a response to Kyiv's shelling of Russian border regions such as Belgorod where he said civilians were dying. "They are shooting directly at the city centre, at residential areas. And I said publicly that if this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a buffer zone. That is what we are doing," he said. Russian forces were able to advance 10 kilometres in one place in Kharkiv region, although Ukrainian forces have "stabilised" the front, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Ukrainian media outlets in comments published on Friday. Moscow's troops have captured 12 villages during the current incursion, Russia's defence ministry said. EASTERN FRONT Russia is staging its heaviest assaults in the eastern Donetsk region, according to data compiled by the Ukrainian General Staff, which said the Pokrovsk front had faced the most regular assaults in recent days. Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces were also preparing defensive lines for a possible Russian assault on the Sumy region, which would mark another front more than 100 km to the north of Kharkiv. Kyiv says Russia has small units of forces near the Sumy region. "We note that the actions (of Russian forces) are systematic," said Volodymyr Artiukh, head of the Sumy region's military administration. "Shelling continues, in fact, along the entire border, with an intensity of 200-400 explosions per day... The intensity of enemy sabotage groups has increased," he said. An expanding front is particularly challenging for Ukraine at a time when its military is in need of replenishment. Zelenskiy signed a law on Friday allowing some categories of convicts to serve in the army, parliament's website showed. The move provides only a potential maximum 20,000 people who could join the army, Kyiv officials say. Zelenskiy also signed into law tougher fines for draft dodging. Russian officials said on Friday that Ukraine had mounted an unusually large wave of overnight drone attacks, killing two people in Belgorod region and setting fire to an oil refinery at Tuapse on the Black Sea. The attacks, a Ukrainian intelligence source said, targeted an electricity substation in occupied Crimea, an oil depot and railway station in Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk as well as the Tuapse refinery. Russia conducted its own long-range attack on Ukraine overnight, but Kyiv's military said it shot down all 20 incoming drones over the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa and Mykolaiv. Separately, U.S. commercial satellite company Maxar said imagery showed that a long-range Ukrainian strike on the Moscow-controlled Belbek airbase in Crimea destroyed three Russian warplanes and a fuel facility near its main runway this week. (Reporting by Yuliia Dysa, Anastasiia Malenko; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Gareth Jones) Ukraine appears to have conducted its largest-ever drone strike against Russia, causing a massive fire to break out at an oil refinery hundreds of miles behind the front line. The Russian defence ministry claimed early on Friday that its forces had downed 102 aerial drones and destroyed six more unmanned naval vessels in the massive Ukrainian bombardment against Black Sea targets. There were no casualties or any damage reported, according to Moscows statement. However, unverified footage shared by Russian social media accounts appeared to show a Ukrainian drone smashing into Russias Tuapse oil refinery in the southern region of Krasnodar Krai. A fire can already be seen raging at the facility, which is Russian oil giant Rosnefts fourth-largest refinery, when the unmanned aerial vehicle crashes into the site. Flames erupt at the Tuapse oil refinery after the Ukrainian strike - via REUTERS Local authorities confirmed the strike on the plant, saying as a result of the fall of one of the two drones, an explosion occurred on the territory of the refinery. Fires also broke out in the port city of Novorossiysk, to the north west of Tuapse, as fuel depots came under attack from the Ukrainian barrage. Russian sources shared footage of what appeared to be burning fuel depots at the ports main railway terminal. Fires also broke out in the port city of Novorossiysk Other unverified videos appeared to show the strikes on the port city which has become the home to the Russian navys Black Sea Fleet because of Ukrainian attacks on Crimea continuing as day broke over the coastal city. In April, Russian officials claimed to have shot down 50 drones after Ukraine launched a major attack. The attack on Friday morning was the first time Ukraine had targeted the oil facilities in Novorossiysk, Prof Damien Ernst, an energy expert at the Belgian University of Liege, said. The port is a major exporter of oil, with an estimated 1.5 million barrels passing through each day, meaning the strikes could have a significant impact on Russias oil industry. Despite US objections, Ukraine has steadily ramped up its long-range attacks on the Russian oil industry in recent months, in a bid to drive fuel prices up and limit supplies to the front line of their war. The Ukrainian attacks early on Friday extended to a Gazprom oil depot in the nearby village of Kirilovka and the Transneft-owned oil depot in Grushovaya Balka, Astra, a Russian Telegram news channel, reported. The outlet wrote that residents were ordered to stay indoors, with public transport services suspended and city traffic blocked. Schools across Sevastopol, the city in occupied Crimea, were shut after an electricity substation was hit in the attack. Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian governor of the city, said there would be rolling blackouts because of power shortages while repairs were carried out on the substation. Internet connectivity in Sevastopol fell to about 16 per cent, according to monitoring group NetBlocks. It was the third Ukrainian attack against the port city in two days. On Thursday, Russian authorities reported Ukrainian missile attacks on the Belbek military airbase outside of Sevastopol. Satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies appeared to show that two Mig-31 and one SU-27 fighter jets were destroyed in the strikes, which was believed to have been carried out with US-supplied Atacms missiles. Fighter jets were destroyed in at attack on the Belbek military airbase outside of Sevastopol - Maxar Technologies The strikes on the military base were believed to be carried out with US-supplied Atacms missiles - Maxar Technologies The aircraft are known to carry the hypersonic Khinzhal missiles that are used in long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. Atesh, a group of pro-Kyiv partisans in the area, said the main missile and artillery depots at the airbase were damaged. The long-range barrages came as Ukrainian forces are struggling to contain a new Russian offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region. Volodmyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said his forces have stabilised the new front lines as of Friday, a week after he first confirmed the Russian cross-border offensive. He told journalists that Russian forces had advanced some six miles into the region since launching the attack. But Gen Oleksandr Syrsky, the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, warned: We understand that there will be tough battles ahead and the enemy is preparing for it. He also said the fighting could soon stretch to the northern Sumy region, which borders Belarus, as Moscow seeks to stretch Ukraines reserves. In a boost for Kyivs battle-stricken forces, Mr Zelensky said on Friday that his men have enough artillery shells for the first time in the war. The supplies are likely a result of American aid filtering into the country after Washington signed off on a $60 billion aid package last month. 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. Ukraine needs long-range weapons German Foreign Minister on Russia's advance in Kharkiv Oblast German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, commenting on the Russian military offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, has stated that Ukraine needs to be provided with long- and medium-range weapons. Source: Tagesschau, citing Annalena Baerbock on the sidelines of a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Council of Europe member states in Strasbourg, as reported by European Pravda Details: Baerbock described the current situation in Kharkiv Oblast as "extremely dramatic." She added that Russia is attacking the city from its own territory, so it is important to "properly cut off the supply routes for the Russians." Therefore, Ukraine also needs "weapons capable of medium and long ranges," emphasised the German minister. "We are also working in this direction with other partners," she added. Background: 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. 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. Support UP or become our patron! Ukraine can only use US-provided weapons within its territory Pentagon The Pentagon stated that they have not changed their position regarding Ukraine's use of the weapons provided by the US as part of its military assistance. Source: Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, at a briefing, as reported by European Pravda Singh was asked whether the US had changed its approach, which limits Ukraine to using US-provided weapons only within its territory, following the beginning of the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast. Singh said the US position remained unchanged. Quote: "Yes, we haven't changed our position. We believe that the equipment, the capabilities that we are giving Ukraine, that other countries are giving to Ukraine should be used to take back Ukrainian sovereign territory." More details: She added that the US requests on this matter were "pretty public". Singh noted that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been discussing with Ukraines Defence Minister Rustem Umierov how to use the provided assets in the best way. "And we believe that is within Ukrainian territory," she added. Background: During his visit to Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, commenting on the issue of Ukraine's use of US-provided weapons, stated that Washington, as before, does not authorise the use of the weapons for strikes against Russia. However, unlike previous statements from the White House, he did not oppose such strikes in principle. In early May, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons provided by London to strike targets on Russian territory and that Kyiv should decide whether to do so. Recently, Latvia's newly appointed Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said that Ukraine had received Western weapons from some partners with permission to strike Russian territory. She did not specify which countries she was referring to. Support UP or become our patron! Ukraine puts four Russian warplanes out of action in long-range missile strikes Belbek airbase, located on the occupied Crimean peninsula, was hammered by Ukrainian forces for two consecutive days - MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES Ukraine destroyed three Russian warplanes and apparently put a fourth out of action with a long-range Atacms missile strike earlier this week, satellite imagery has shown. Russias Belbek airbase, located on the occupied Crimean peninsula, was hammered by Ukrainian forces for two consecutive days. Initial photographs from the aftermath of the strikes appeared to show the destruction of one ground-based air-defence system. But freshly published satellite images by US-based Maxar Technologies revealed that two MiG-31 and one Su-27 fighter jets were completely destroyed. The images show the charred wreckage of the two MiG-31 Foxhound interceptors on the apron of the airbase. To the West, a damaged Su-27 Flanker can be seen in a parking bay, with what looks like the remains of a totally destroyed aircraft in the adjacent space. A fourth MiG-29 also stationed at the airbase, in the suburbs of Sevastopol, appeared to be seriously damaged, perhaps beyond use, in the strikes. It is not known whether the Soviet-era MiG-29 was operational. Russia is known to have kept some of the fighter jets it captured from Ukraine when it illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 at the airbase as unflyable decoys. A fuel storage near the airfields runway was also destroyed in the Ukrainian strikes. Atesh, a pro-Ukrainian partisan network, claimed on the Telegram messaging app that the second strike had damaged an artillery and missile warehouse at the airfield. Significant damage to the airfield infrastructure as a result of secondary detonation was also recorded, the group wrote. However, none of the satellite images released appeared to confirm that ammunition dumps had been destroyed or that secondary detonations occurred from explosives going off. Satellite images above the airbase by Planet Labs on May 1 confirmed that there were a number of Su-27 and MiG-31 aircraft parked on the ramp at Belbek. The warplanes are known to take part in Russias long-range missile barrages against Ukrainian cities. A special variant of the MiG-31 the MiG-31K is known to carry the hypersonic Kinzhal ballistic missile that Moscow uses to attack Ukraine, but it was not immediately clear whether the aircraft that were destroyed were of this type. Analysts argue that continued strikes against Belbek will make it untenable for Russia to use as a staging post for future attacks on Ukraine. The latest attacks were one of the largest losses of aircraft for the Russian military since it invaded Ukraine. It was only likely surpassed when a Ukrainian Patriot missile launcher shot down as many as five Russian jets and helicopters in May 2023. It also represented the first Russian losses of MiG-31 or Mig-29 aircraft in combat since the beginning of the invasion 27 months ago. According to the Russian military, the Ukrainians fired 10 US-supplied Atacms at Belbek on Tuesday. Moscow said it had intercepted all of the ballistic missiles. The strikes have triggered criticism over Russias lax security arrangements at the airfield, which is normally protected by an S-400 surface-to-air missile system. One pro-Russian blogger questioned: Why, 27 months after the start of the air defence system [in occupied Ukraine], are our air defence systems still standing in open spaces? Since last fall, we have been warning that the armed forces of Ukraine will concentrate all their forces on attacks on Crimea. 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. BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Some Philippine politicians, presumably infected by their ill-intentioned U.S. counterparts, are suffering from a chronic China anxiety, which impairs their judgment on China-related matters. This growing unease, amplified by local media and online influencers, leads to discrimination against Chinese citizens and even Filipinos of Chinese descent. Such a trend, warned experts, could hobble people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and China. In April, intelligence agents were sent to probe the so-called "national-security threats" in Cagayan, a province at the northern tip of Luzon island, after a few Philippine politicians and lawmakers claimed that Chinese students living there could pose security threats to national security. Teresita Ang See, the founding chairperson of the Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order, described the swelling Sinophobia and racism stoked by reports on the influx of Chinese students in Cagayan as "dangerous and unfortunate." "Politicians, opinion makers, our military and police scramble to ride on the issue without checking the facts," she said at a recent media forum. Her remarks were echoed by Senator Francis Escudero, who said the Philippines' maritime disputes with China should not justify the racial slurs against Chinese students. "The territorial dispute between the Philippines and China should not deter nor affect economic, cultural, educational, and other forms of exchanges," he said. More recently, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said it decided to implement a stricter visa policy for Chinese nationals, as part of the efforts to fight against the "illicit entry and overstay" of foreigners in the archipelago. The decision will undoubtedly further dampen the tourism industry. A tourist agent working in the Philippines, who wished to remain anonymous, told Xinhua that individual tourist visas granted to Chinese citizens are no more than 1,000 per day at present with 30 percent of the visa applicants being rejected. Even more worrisome is that the unhealthy and irrational suspicion jeopardizes normal economic activities between China and the Philippines. Numerous Chinese companies in the Philippines have reported instances of harassment and misunderstanding. Raul Lambino, chairman of the Association for Philippines-China Understanding, warned of growing Sinophobia across the country, saying that it is baseless and totally unfair to label good-hearted Filipinos as "pro-China," "pro-Chinese" or even "spies of China." Anna Malindog-Uy, vice president of the Manila-based think tank Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, highlighted that certain media outlets and political personalities exploited and hyped up issues involving China, seeking to discredit Philippines-China relations to push their agenda and political interests to the fore. "Antagonism and unnecessary conflict with China would not in any way benefit," she said. Ukraine launched a large-scale, long-range drone attack against oil infrastructure within Russias borders. Sevastopol , home of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters, in the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula, was also targeted. The attacks come a day after it was confirmed that Ukraine had destroyed several Russian combat aircraft in a missile strike on Crimeas Belbek Air Base, as you can read about here . While the exact numbers cannot be independently verified, this appears to be the largest-ever coordinated drone assault on Russia by Ukraine. https://www.twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1791369374957269393 The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed its air defenses downed 51 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, another 44 over the Krasnodar region, and six over the Belgorod region. There were no casualties reported, according to a statement from Moscow. Based on social media imagery and accounts, it appears that the Tuapse oil refinery in the southern region of Krasnodar was badly hit. Videos show Ukrainian drones smashing into the refinery, after which a major fire breaks out. Tuapse is Russian oil giant Rosnefts fourth-largest refinery. Assessing the available videos, among the long-range attack drones used in this raid was the Lyutyy , a Ukrainian design with a twin-boom tail arrangement that bears a superficial resemblance to the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 . https://www.twitter.com/clashreport/status/1791341300614107497 https://www.twitter.com/ralee85/status/1791328180080394685 https://www.twitter.com/ukraine_map/status/1791349209083384236 Local authorities confirmed the strike on the Tuapse plant, saying as a result of the fall of one of the two drones, an explosion occurred on the territory of the refinery. Fires also broke out in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, to the northwest of Tuapse, where fuel depots came under attack. Videos shared on social media showed what appeared to be burning fuel depots at the ports main railway terminal and there were reports of Ukrainian drones hitting the Importpischeprom oil products terminal and Sheskharis oil harbor. https://www.twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1791403439454368046 https://www.twitter.com/officejjsmart/status/1791273224245760008 https://www.twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1791465354092335434 https://www.twitter.com/ukraine_map/status/1791368347231101233 The port was shut soon after the attack, but later resumed oil loadings from Sheskharis oil harbor and fuel oil terminal, according to industry sources, Reuters reported . Oil products loadings from Importpischeprom oil products terminal in Novorossiisk are still suspended, the sources added. Additional videos that appeared throughout today suggest that the attacks continued as day broke over the coastal city. Astra, a Russian Telegram news channel, reported further Ukrainian attacks this morning in areas close to Novorossiysk. Targets reportedly included a Gazprom oil depot in the village of Kirilovka and the Transneft-owned oil depot in Grushovaya Balka. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea led to power outages in Sevastopol, local authorities admitted. https://www.twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1791326550714892671 Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, said the drone attack damaged the citys power plant and that it may take a day to fully restore energy supplies to all parts of the city. Communal services are doing their best to restore the power system as quickly as possible, he said in a statement. Razvozhayev also announced that schools in the city would be closed temporarily. The defense ministry also said that Russian aircraft and patrol boats destroyed six maritime drones in the Black Sea, according to a report from AP. This indicates that the attack was a multi-pronged effort, involving not only one-way aerial attack drones but also uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and potentially also uncrewed underwater vessels (UUVs) of the kind that have been repeatedly employed against the Black Sea Fleet. https://www.twitter.com/Capt_Navy/status/1791477281434575187 At least one video shows the purported destruction of a Ukrainian USV by a Russian military Mi-35 Hind helicopter, using its 23mm twin-barrel nose cannon to engage the target during daytime. Russian rotorcraft have been used for hunting these drones in the past . https://www.twitter.com/MrFrantarelli/status/1791159819010769357 At this point, there is no evidence of Russian Navy vessels or other infrastructure being hit. While Ukrainian drone attacks are nothing new, the scale of the latest barrage suggests that Kyiv is looking to escalate its campaign against Russian oil infrastructure in particular, hitting Moscow where it hurts economically. This also comes as Kyiv struggles to hold off Russias recently launched offensive in the northeast Kharkiv region . By launching drone strikes, Ukraine once again appears to be looking for alternative means to strike back at Russia, as its troops remain outnumbered and outgunned on the battlefield. Before diving into more developments from the conflict in Ukraine, The War Zone readers can review our previous coverage here . The Latest On the battlefield, meanwhile, the Kharkiv region is commanding attention, as the focus of Russias new offensive. Ukrainian officials have struck a more upbeat note about the situation in the region, which borders Russia. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said today the situation in the Kharkiv region has stabilized despite reports that Russian forces have advanced as far as 6.2 miles into Ukrainian territory in one area. Today, our defense forces have stabilized the Russians where they are now. The deepest point of their advance is 10 kilometers, Zelensky told journalists. https://www.twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1791374068815384821 According to analysis from U.S. think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), between 9 and 15 May, Russia seized 107 square miles of Ukrainian territory in the Kharkiv region. If correct, this would be the largest territorial gain in a single Russian operation since mid-December 2022. https://www.twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1791273519680008607 Meanwhile, Ukraines army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said today that Russian forces have expanded the area of active combat by almost 45 miles by launching their offensive in the Kharkiv region. Syrskyi claims Russia launched the offensive to force Ukraine to commit additional reserve brigades into the fighting. He added his troops are also preparing to defend against a new offensive in the northern region of Sumy. Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraines Main Directorate of Intelligence, told The New York Times: The situation is on the edge and that he also expected Russia to launch a new attack in the Sumy region. Ive used everything we have, Budanov added. Unfortunately, we dont have anyone else in the reserves. https://www.twitter.com/clashreport/status/1790274361959584166 There are questions, though, about the degree to which Moscow will be able to build on the gains achieved in the Kharkiv region. https://www.twitter.com/secretsqrl123/status/1791085608191824002 Christopher Cavoli, Commander, U.S. European Command, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) said yesterday: Ive been in very close contact with our Ukrainian colleagues and Im confident that they will hold the line. More to the point [the Russians] dont have the skill and the ability to do it, Cavoli added. As well as insufficient Russian forces on the ground for a major breakthrough, Cavoli notes that the Ukrainian military was right now being shipped vast amounts of ammunition, vast amounts of short-range air defense systems, and significant amounts of armored vehicles. https://www.twitter.com/georgvh/status/1791459348650017198 Its clear that more is needed, however, if Ukraine is to prevent more territorial losses. Pointing to the Russian advances made in the region, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock today called for Ukraine to be given weapons that can be used over medium and long distances. She noted that these were necessary to blunt the Russian advance in the northeast as well as to cut off Russian supply routes. We are also working with other partners on this. Overall, it is an extremely difficult situation, she added. https://www.twitter.com/GlasnostGone/status/1791461156894179625 Previously, Germany has resisted calls for it to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missiles, which provide similar capabilities to the Storm Shadow and SCALP EG weapons that have been provided by other European allies. As to the specific threats facing Ukrainian forces on the battlefield in the Kharkiv region, George Barros, an analyst with the ISW, referenced Russias ability to strike defensive lines close to the border with relative impunity. Its suicidal for Ukraine to have its main line of defense on the border, where the Russians can hit you with artillery and glide bombs and the Ukrainians dont have weapons available like HIMARS rocket artillery to hit back because of U.S. restrictions, Barros said. https://www.twitter.com/francisjfarrell/status/1791384159455207473 Barros added that this was the reason why, despite full knowledge that a new offensive in the region was looking, Russia was able to mass its forces across the border in relatively safety, before pushing through into a lightly populated gray zone of Ukraine. Another key concern of Ukrainian defenders in the region is Russias Lancet loitering munition , according to a recent Reuters report , which cites the commander of an artillery battery of the Ukrainian 42nd Brigade. https://www.twitter.com/WarVehicle/status/1790073415736373601 https://www.twitter.com/clashreport/status/1790263447462060067 One comes, then a second one comes, 10 minutes later a third one comes, said the commander, who uses the callsign Artist. According to the crew operating a 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer with the 42nd Brigade, the number of Lancets being used is greater than they have seen in the past, even in some of the heaviest fighting to date. https://www.twitter.com/senguptacanada/status/1791140813587792328 In related news, reports are emerging now that Ukrainian troops may have been let down by the Starlink terminals, which are said to have been interfered with by Russian forces on the day they launched their offensive in the Kharkiv region. An article in The Washington Post claims that the terminals were completely out of order for the first time on the morning of May 10 and that vital communication with drones simply disappeared, with all video channels being lost. https://www.twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1791504194953769360 For civilians in the region, the picture is also bleak, with thousands having had to evacuate their homes. Others have been killed by Russian fire or have been held as human shields, according to Ukrainian officials. According to operational information, the Russian military, trying to gain a foothold in the city, did not allow local residents to evacuate, said Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko. They began abducting people and driving them to basements. Around 35 to 40 people are said to have been captured in this way in the border town of Vovchansk, which has been a focus of the Russian advance. Sergiy Bolvinov, head of the Kharkiv regions police investigation department added: The Russians keep them in one place and actually use them as a human shield, as their command headquarters is nearby. https://www.twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1791379951360327695 Ukraine has been under Russian drone attack, too, with Kharkiv being among the regions targeted. According to the Ukrainian military, its air defenses shot down all 20 drones Russia dispatched in an overnight attack. The drones were shot down over the regions of Kharkiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa, and Mykolaiv, Reuters reported . Kharkiv city mayor Ihor Terekhov reported four explosions during the attack, writing on the Telegram messaging app that one of the strikes caused a fire. The attack damaged five buildings, one of them belonging to the district administration, Kharkivs regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said on Telegram. Nevertheless, at this point, Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that Russia doesnt currently plan to capture the city of Kharkiv, the second largest in Ukraine. Speaking at a conference in China, Putin reiterated that Russian forces operating in the Kharkiv region were intent on creating a buffer zone to protect Russias own territory against attack. https://www.twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1791418518107242993 Outside of the Kharkiv region, Russian forces are also making progress in the southeast of the country, the Kremlin claims. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the entire town of Robotyne, as well as its outlying areas, are now under Russian control. Located in the Zaporizhzhia region in the southeast, Robotyne has seen heavy fighting for some months now. Back in February, Russia began a new offensive operation and entered central Robotyne. https://www.twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1790831594258784567 For months now, we have brought news of Ukraines increasingly acute shortage of vital artillery ammunition . Now, according to President Zelensky, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have enough artillery shells, for the first time during the war. None of the brigades complains that there are no shells, Zelensky told reporters yesterday. And this has been happening for the past two months. The new situation has been brought about by various ongoing initiatives designed to put more ammunition into Ukrainian hands. This includes a Czech-led effort to buy shells for Ukraine and which identified 500,000 155mm shells and 300,000 122mm shells outside that would be suitable for Ukraine, provided the necessary funds were made available. https://www.twitter.com/clashreport/status/1791382386510274772 The U.S. State Department confirmed yesterday that its policy on Ukraine using long-range weapons it supplies on Russian territory has not changed. In recent days, the words of some officials have suggested that the existing policy might have been relaxed, which would allow Ukraine to use weapons such as the U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile System ( ATACMS ), a short-range ballistic missile, to hit targets within Russia. At a briefing , Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said: We havent changed our position. We believe that the equipment, the capabilities that we are giving Ukraine, that other countries are giving to Ukraine should be used to take back Ukrainian sovereign territory. She then added And we believe that is within Ukrainian territory. Earlier this month, U.K. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said it was up to Ukraine to decide how to use British weapons and insisted it has the right to strike targets on Russian territory. https://www.twitter.com/georgewbarros/status/1791222878324601063 The Danish Ministry of Defense has announced a new massive military aid package for Ukraine, worth $816 million. While most of the money will go toward procuring and maintaining air defense and artillery systems, some of the funds will also go toward F-16s destined for Ukraine . Ukraines F-16s are expected to begin arriving in the summer. Dozens of the fighters have been pledged to Ukraine by a coalition that includes Denmark as well as Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway. https://www.twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1791171049771450588 Ukraine was recently responsible for the first-ever train derailment by drone attack, according to a report in Forbes. The drone strike, earlier this week, derailed a Russian freight train, leaving a tank car in flames, somewhere in the Volgograd region. While Russias railway network, which plays a vital logistics role in the war effort, has been repeatedly targeted by Ukraine, this appears to have been the first time that a drone was successfully used. https://www.twitter.com/David_Hambling/status/1790685699651371219 One of the more rarely seen ground-based air defense systems in the Ukraine war is the Cold War-era S-300V , seen here in Russian hands. Two primary types of missiles are provided as armament: the 9M83 (SA-12A Gladiator) with a maximum engagement range of around 47 miles and the 9M82 (SA-12B Giant) that can engage targets out to 62 miles. In this video, the launcher fires a 9M82 missile, which also has an anti-ballistic missile capability. https://www.twitter.com/clashreport/status/1790846078805233942 Another infrequently seen missile is the British-supplied Brimstone, used in a surface-to-surface capacity by Ukraine. Fitted to a mobile launcher, the Ukrainian system appears to use the same three-round pylon that arms the U.K. Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter. As we have described in the past , Brimstone has a range of between 5 and 12 miles, with the lower end of that spectrum being most likely for ground-launched applications. Its guidance system is designed to be all-weather, day-and-night capable through the use of an active millimetric-wave radar seeker. Brimstone is capable of salvo attacks and autonomously finding targets once it reaches a designated target area. This makes it ideal for taking out armor, artillery, and boat formations. https://www.twitter.com/clashreport/status/1790448393111683302 An interesting photo appears to indicate that Ukraine has got its hands on a new batch of 9M79 short-range ballistic missiles to arm its Tochka (SS-21 Scarab) system. While there has been speculation that a non-Ukrainian source may have provided additional 9M79 rounds, as the following tweet suggests, these missiles are perhaps more likely to have come from outdated Soviet-era stocks that are now being tapped into and refurbished. https://www.twitter.com/John_A_Ridge/status/1790142081827996096 A number of Russian aircraft were shot down last May over their own territory by a foreign-supplied Patriot air defense system . It has now been suggested that the ambush resulted in tensions between Kyiv and Berlin, since the Patriot system involved was provided by Germany. https://www.twitter.com/John_A_Ridge/status/1790376470935749117 More new equipment headed to Ukraine will include six examples of the AMBER-1800 air surveillance radar. These will be provided to Kyiv by Lithuania, as part of a German air defense initiative that is calling on governments to find and finance more air defense systems for Ukraine to protect its critical infrastructure. Produced in Lithuania, the AMBER-1800 is a mobile VHF-band radar that detects air targets, determines their coordinates, and provides radar information to other air defense units. https://www.twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1791379380138078293 A new photo has appeared providing another more detailed look at the wreckage of a Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessel (USV) armed with an R-73 (AA-11 Archer) heat-seeking air-to-air missile. As we discussed in our previous article , the adaptation seems to have been made to provide the drone boats with protection against the Russian helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft that are increasingly being used to counter them. https://www.twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1791377537932599570 There has been no shortage of videos from the battlefield showing the devastating effects of ammunition cooking off in a variety of vehicles after they come under attack. Less commonly seen in this type of footage is the relatively modern 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled artillery piece. The main gun fires a high-explosive/fragmentation round to a distance of 15 miles, or a base-bleed type to 18 miles, as well as sub-munitions, electronic warfare jamming and smoke rounds, and the Krasnopol laser-guided projectile . In total, 50 rounds of ammunition are carried and the ferocity of the explosion suggests that most of these might have been loaded when this example came under attack. https://www.twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1791159175890063440 A regular feature of our Situation Report is a selection of videos that bring home the developments as regards first-person-view (FPV) drones on the Ukrainian battlefield. In one interesting interview, a Russian FPV drone pilot told Russian TV that only between 10 and 15 percent of the drones that his unit receives are being delivered directly by the Russian Ministry of Defense. For the others, he and his fellow soldiers have to rely on FPV drones provided by various volunteer organizations and tech startups. As a result, the number of drones being received is limited, although Russia nonetheless has many more of these drones available than Ukraine, which has launched various efforts to try and address the imbalance. https://www.twitter.com/sambendett/status/1791102039453254097 The following drone video shows how a Ukrainian FPV drone strike played out when directed against seven Russian soldiers on a boat. The location is unspecified but is likely somewhere on the inland waterways connected with the Dniepr River. Here, small vessels continue to be prime targets for Russian and Ukrainian one-way attack drones. https://www.twitter.com/clashreport/status/1790850557189451865 This video reveals again some of the measures that Russia has adopted to protect its tanks, specifically one of the more modern T-90M. The tank is fitted with a roof screen and an electronic warfare jammer, but these are not enough to protect it from a drone-dropped grenade, purportedly delivered by Ukraines Shadow unit. As we have reported in the past , the T-90M also known as the Proryv-3 (Breakthrough-3) is the most technologically advanced and capable main battle tank to have been used by Russia in Ukraine. https://www.twitter.com/RALee85/status/1790536063120736334 Another Russian tank falls victim to a precisely delivered Ukrainian FPV drone in this next video. The tank, a T-80BVM, is rapidly destroyed. https://www.twitter.com/clashreport/status/1789991769989423554 With Russia incorporating an ever-greater number of foreign fighters into its ranks in Ukraine, from a growing number of countries, the issue of communication between soldiers and units is also becoming more complex. An unconfirmed account paints a picture of the difficulty faced by Russian soldiers and Nepalese volunteers/mercenaries on the frontline in Ukraine. The solution allegedly involved telling the Nepalese that the Ukrainians are in the north, fire there. Russia is in the south, dont shoot there. https://www.twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1790377834118049858 Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com Key updates on May 17: Ukrainian drones hit military facilities in Russia, Crimea amid Russian claims of over 100 drones downed Zelensky says Russia's Kharkiv Oblast offensive advances as far as 10 km, halted by 1st defense line Zelensky signs law amendments increasing fines for draft evaders, allowing some convicts to serve in military Police says Russia using civilians in Vovchansk as human shields Ukrainian drones attacked several military facilities in Russia and occupied Crimea overnight on May 17, a source from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed to the Kyiv Independent. The source said that it was a joint operation carried out by the SBU and Ukraine's military intelligence agency. "Today's operation proved that the Russians are unable to protect their main naval bases in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk," the source said. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier during the day that 102 aerial and six naval drones had been intercepted and destroyed and did not report any damage or casualties. The drones were targeted at naval bases of the Black Sea Fleet located in occupied Sevastopol and the Russian city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, the source said. The attack also impacted a power plant near Sevastopol, leading to power outages. The port in Novorossiysk is where Moscow began redeploying its Black Sea Fleet after a series of devastating Ukrainian strikes, including a missile attack on its headquarters in Sevastopol on Sept. 22, 2023. The source also confirmed the drone attack on the oil refinery in the Russian town of Tuapse, located on Russia's Black Sea coast. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed 102 aerial and six naval drones had been intercepted and destroyed and did not report any damage or casualties. If confirmed, it would be the largest drone attack by Ukraine throughout the entire full-scale war. A previous attack in March saw the Kremlin claiming to have downed 65 drones. A military intelligence source confirmed earlier for the Kyiv Independent that the agency carried out a successful drone attack against an oil base in Russia's Rostov Oblast on May 15. The next day, drones hit production facilities of the state-owned Russian weapons manufacturing company "Basalt" in the city of Tula, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent. Read also: Glide bombs help Russia gain land in Ukraine. What makes them so effective? Zelensky says Russia's Kharkiv Oblast offensive advances as far as 10 km, halted by 1st defense line Russian troops were able to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep during their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, but the front in the region has been stabilized, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on May 16. Moscow 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. Russian troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border. Moscow's forces were halted by Ukraine's first line of defense, Zelensky said. They did not reach concrete fortifications, he added. "The first and second lines are being built by the military, and the third line is built by local authorities. It is the most powerful... simply because it is further from (Russian) weapons, from shelling," Zelensky said. "The deepest point of their advance is 10 kilometers. In some areas, there was no advance." Russia sees the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast as the target, according to the president. Ukrainian soldiers are mopping up the streets on the northern outskirts of the town, preventing Russian troops from gaining a foothold, the General Staff reported on May 17. "In addition to wanting a zone of 10 kilometers, they (Russia) want to keep building on their success if they achieve it. But the main thing today is that our defense forces have stabilized the situation," Zelensky said. Ukraine has reinforced several sectors with battalions that could be taken "somewhere from the reserve" and from other sectors, the president told journalists. Russian troops managed to cross the border partially because of Ukraine's lack of air defense systems, Zelensky said. The president said earlier that Ukraine could prevent Russia from occupying the city of Kharkiv with two additional Patriot anti-air systems. Read also: Russias new Kharkiv offensive pushes Vovchansk to the brink of annihilation Zelensky signs law amendments increasing fines for draft evaders, allowing some convicts to serve in military President Volodymyr Zelensky signed on May 17 law amendments that raise fines for evading draft and other violations of mobilization rules. This comes as one of the latest changes in Ukraine's legislation aimed at strengthening mobilization efforts. According to the new legislation, fines for violating the rules of the military register can range from Hr 3,400 ($86) to 5,100 ($130), and for repeated violations, from Hr 17,000 ($430) to 25,500 ($646). Citizens evading military service during the war will also have to pay fines between Hr 17,000 and 25,500, whereas officials and legal entities will pay from Hr 34,000 ($860) to 59,500 ($1,500). Fines for the same violation during peacetime will range from Hr 5,100 to 8,500 ($215) for regular citizens and from Hr 17,000 to 34,000 for legal entities and officials. The bill was approved by the parliament in the second reading on May 9. 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. Zelensky also signed a law that Ukraine's parliament passed last week, paving the way for the voluntary mobilization of prisoners. The list of convicted citizens who were allowed to be drafted does not include those convicted of premeditated murder, sexual violence, drug trafficking and production, or crimes against national security. Based on suggestions of the anti-corruption parliamentary committee, the measure will also exclude lawmakers and top officials imprisoned for corruption, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said. However, the final version of the bill allowed military service for those convicted of involuntary manslaughter, except for cases when the perpetrator was in a state of intoxication. Read also: Economy minister cancels conscription exemption for Glovo, Favbet Tech employees Police says Russia using civilians in Vovchansk as human shields Russian forces had captured up to 40 civilians in the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk and are using them as human shields, the police said on May 17. 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. Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the police of the Kharkiv Oblast, said on air on Suspilne that up to 40 civilians, most of them elderly, had been taken captive when trying to escape Russian shelling. "People are kept in basements, interrogated, and those conducting the interrogations call themselves FSB employees," he said. His comments echo those made by Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, who on May 16 said Russian forces were taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation, even reporting cases of executions. "We know of the first cases of executions of civilians by the Russian military," Klymenko said on his Telegram channel. Klymenko said that 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. 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: 48 hours in Kharkiv, Ukraines most-bombed major city Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has inspected the combat units of the Defence Forces deployed on the Sumy front. Source: Syrskyi on Facebook Quote: "Ive visited and inspected all the units preparing for defence on the Sumy front. I regularly brief the President of Ukraine on the situation and progress of the assigned tasks." Details: Syrskyi said that the leadership of the oblast military administrations is providing maximum assistance to the commanders and unit leaders in resolving the most burning issues. Background: The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reports that apart from the offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, the Russians are planning a similar operation in Sumy Oblast. Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, states that as of now, the Russians maintain small groupings of forces at the border (near the town of Sudzha, Russia), but the situation has not yet allowed them to engage in intense actions and implement their plans. Support UP or become our patron! Mobile fire air defence group. Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook The Russians attacked Ukraine with 20 Shahed kamikaze drones on the night of 16-17 May, and all of the drones were destroyed. Source: Ukraines Air Force on Telegram Quote from the Air Force: "As a result of anti-aircraft operations, all 20 enemy Shahed drones were shot down over Kharkiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts." Details: The Russians reportedly launched the drones from the Russian cities of Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Kursk. The air attack was repelled by fighter aircraft and anti-aircraft missile troops of the Air Force, mobile fire groups of Ukraine's Defence Forces, and electronic warfare units. Update: In the morning, the Air Force reported that a Russian UAV was flying towards Odesa Oblast and that air defences were responding. Background: On the evening of 16 May, Russian attack UAVs were detected in Ukrainian airspace. Explosions were heard in Kharkiv and Poltava. Support UP or become our patron! Azerbaijan is preparing a draft law on carbon tax application, the President of COP29 and the country's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Mukhtar Babayev, said at the Raising Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum event on May 17, Azernews reports. He made the remark while speaking about the preparation of a number of draft laws to meet new climate challenges. "In developed countries, a carbon emission tax is applied. Our country is preparing a draft law on this issue, which is in its final stage," emphasized Babayev. He mentioned that the EU will introduce this tax on products from carbon-intensive industries, and this should be taken into account by Azerbaijani exporters of certain types of products. "We are open to receiving proposals from the private sector regarding the alignment of business practices and Azerbaijani laws with the global climate agenda. We will work with deputies for the prompt review and approval of the necessary laws," noted Babayev. According to him, Azerbaijan's fulfillment of its climate commitments (reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent) and increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy balance to 33 percent will bring long-term benefits to the country. He stressed that decisions at various levels in Azerbaijan demonstrate adherence to the green agenda. "For example, the import of electric vehicles is exempt from duties and taxes. This was done as part of the development of the electromobility process in the country. Other steps will also be taken. An important task is the creation of green economy zones and green energy in Azerbaijan," said the minister. Babayev also mentioned the intensification of work on establishing the export of green energy from the Caspian Sea to the EU. "We are negotiating at all levels, and business has an important role in this process ahead of COP29," added Babayev. Azerbaijan's commercial banks should envisage 'green' loans in their portfolios and follow climate policy, President of COP29 and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev noted. The banks must implement a well-thought-out climate policy and introduce a climate component and responsibility measures into their portfolios. This is aimed at the long term, the minister explained. According to him, to finance green projects, special types of loans and mechanisms are needed, and banks should work in this direction. The banks should offer 'green' loans to those projects that are aimed at protecting the environment. They should adopt international practice. Regulators represented by the government and the Central Bank are ready to facilitate this, Babayev emphasized. To note, 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. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is 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. BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China recorded more than 55.95 million air passenger trips in April, a surge of 10.6 percent year on year, data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) showed Friday. The civil aviation sector's total transport turnover topped 11.38 billion tonne-kilometers last month, up 21.6 percent from a year earlier and 8.3 percent from the pre-pandemic April of 2019, Li Yong, an official with the CAAC, told a press conference. Some 684,000 tonnes of cargo and mail were transported by air, up 25.3 percent year on year and up 13.9 percent from April 2019. In March, passenger trips totaled 54.73 million, up 25.7 percent year on year, and cargo transport hit some 708,000 tonnes, up 28.2 percent year on year. Ukrainian special services behind attacks on Russian targets in Novorossiysk, Sevastopol and Tuapse, sources say Ukrainian drones struck a number of military targets in Novorossiysk and temporarily occupied Sevastopol as a result of joint operations planned by Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) on the night of 16-17 May. Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in DIU and SSU Details: The goal of the comprehensive operation using surface and aerial drones was to target ships and other vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet at their bases, specifically in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk. Simultaneously, other Russian targets were struck as a result of the work of electronic warfare systems and other countermeasures. Russian media report that more than a hundred drones attacked Russian military infrastructure on 17 May. All drones used during the operation were of Ukrainian origin. Residents report that explosions occurred during the drone attacks in the port area, oil depot, and fuel oil terminal in Novorossiysk. As a result of the strikes, the affected facilities were left without electricity, and movement on surrounding streets was disrupted. Quote from the source: "The enemy was impressed by the scale of the current operation. Security and defence forces will continue to surprise aggressors." Details: In addition, another source said SSU drones had hit the Tuapse oil refinery for the second time this year; it was being restored after the first attack. After new explosions, repairs will have to start again, Ukrainian sources say. Support UP or become our patron! There were 141 combat clashes with the Russians on the battlefield in Ukraine, including 11 in Kharkiv Oblast, over the past 24 hours. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are clearing the streets in the north of Vovchansk, preventing the Russians from gaining a foothold there. Source: Dmytro Lykhovii, spokesman for the Tavriia Operational Strategic Group, on air during the national 24/7 newscast Quote: "There were 141 combat clashes over the past day, which is fifty more than a week ago." On the Kharkiv front, the Russians continued offensive operations and launched 11 attacks. Fighting took place in the areas of Lyptsi, Starytsia, and Vovchansk. The Russians are continuing to suffer fire damage from Ukrainian artillery and drones. Defence forces are clearing the streets in the north of Vovchansk, preventing the Russians from gaining a foothold there. Over the past day, the enemy lost more than 320 soldiers killed and wounded on this front, as well as 43 pieces of weapons and military equipment." Deepstatemap screenshot on 17May Details: The Russians launched four missile strikes and 112 airstrikes and conducted 98 attacks using multiple launcher rocket systems over the past day. On the Kupiansk front, the Russians launched 10 attacks on Ukrainian military positions. On the Lyman front, the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled 10 Russian attacks, including those in Serebrianka Forest in Luhansk Oblast. On the Siversk front, the Ukrainians repelled five Russian attacks; there were 22 attacks on the Kramatorsk front, 41 attacks on the Pokrovsk front, 16 attacks on the Kurakhove front, and 12 attacks on the Vremivka front. On the Prydniprovske front, the Russians are continuing to try to force Ukrainian forces from the left bank of the Dnipro River. Here, 13 Russian attacks were observed. Over the past day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck two Russian command posts, two artillery systems, one UAV command post and 12 clusters of Russian personnel and military equipment. Support UP or become our patron! Ukrenergo: Restrictions on energy supply for industrial users remain in effect due to power shortage Ukraine will uphold restrictions on energy supply for industrial users due to the damage caused by recent Russian attacks against the Ukrainian energy system, the state-owned energy operator Ukrenergo announced on May 17. 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. Limitations for industrial users will be applied from 7 p.m. to midnight local time on May 18, while restrictions for domestic users are not forecasted for the same day, according to Ukrenergo. Subscribe to the Newsletter Ukraine Business Roundup Subscribe Ukrenergo also warned that power shutdowns can still occur in the region if the limit of power usage is exceeded. The schedules of the potential shutdowns can be found on the personal online accounts of energy supply users, as well as on the website or social media of the regional energy operator. Ukrenergo previously implemented rolling blackouts in all of the Ukrainian regions for both industrial and domestic users on May 15. "The capacity of Ukrainian power plants is not enough due to the consequences of five missile and drone attacks carried out by Russia on Ukraine's energy system since March 22," the statement read. Read also: PM Shmyhal: Ukraine allocates $38 million to restore 2 power plants destroyed by Russia Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A Jewish student at Reed College was the victim of a targeted act of faith-based discrimination and harassment, according to the schools administration. On May 5, the college says a Jewish students mezuzah a small scroll inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah, which many Jews place on their homes door as a sign of faith was destroyed after being removed from their door frame. The following night, rocks were reportedly thrown through the students open dorm window, hitting them in the process. Salem Keizer Public Schools to lay off hundreds of staff members on Friday In response, Phyllis Esposito, Reeds Vice President and Dean for Institutional Diversity and Karnell McConnell-Black, the Vice President for Student Life issued a statement to the colleges students, faculty and staff, calling this unacceptable and unlawful behavior. Every Reed student, regardless of their faith, has the right to express their faith tradition through the symbols they display, clothes they wear, and practices they keep, the statement reads. We call on the entire Reed community to confront antisemitism and other forms of hate in all its manifestations. We must work together to foster a campus environment that is free from discrimination, where every individual is valued and respected. The school told KOIN 6 News the incident has been reported to Portland police and the FBI for further 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 KOIN.com. Editors note: This story repeats details of sexual assault allegations, which will be disturbing to some readers. The University of North Carolina School of the Arts has settled a lawsuit with dozens of alumni accusing former officials there of allowing faculty to sexually abuse, harass and exploit students at the prestigious arts school. The University of North Carolina System and the School of the Arts agreed to pay about 65 alumni a total of $12.5 million over four years. The UNC System will cover $10 million of the settlement, with the school paying the rest. The money will be divided among the alumni, based on factors such as the nature and duration of the abuse, said an attorney representing the alumni. This has without a doubt been a dark time for UNCSA, Chancellor Brian Cole said in a statement We honor the courage it took for these alumni to share their experiences, Cole said, and commit to doing all that we can to continually bolster an environment of safety and trust at UNCSA. The lawsuit says teachers sexually abused and exploited students as administrators turned a willful blind eye to egregious and outrageous conduct during most of the schools history from the 1960s to the 2010s. During that time, some teachers invited students to their homes and served them them alcohol. Some developed what they portrayed as sexual relationships, but that actually was sexual abuse that left students confused and traumatized for years, according to the lawsuit. Students as young as 12 who boarded at the elite Winston-Salem campus navigated grooming and sexual attention from teachers and mentors. Abusers often held power over the students, with the ability to decide who could remain in their programs and enable them become musicians, dancers and filmmakers through connections and attention. Despite the clear obligation to the boys and girls who chose to attend the school, the Defendant Administrators instead permitted, participated in, encouraged, allowed, perpetuated and/or condoned a culture of sexual abuse and exploitation, the lawsuit states. The inaction potentially harmed hundreds of students who attended UNCSA and students at other schools who were harmed by teachers who quietly left campus, the lawsuit states. Though this resolution cannot heal the wounds of the past, it is my deep hope that through it, the survivors who came forward feel our commitment to listening, acknowledging and doing right by them, Cole said. The UNC School of the Arts does enormous good for the state, UNC System president Peter Hans said in a statement. The commitment to acknowledge and make amends for past failings is exactly what we should want from our public institutions, Hans said. From seven accusers to 65 The lawsuit was initially filed in September 2021 by seven alumni who were enrolled in dance at the school in the 1980s at the UNC System arts campus. The plaintiffs were represented by Gloria Allred, a California-based attorney nationally known for representing abuse survivors, and North Carolinas Lanier Law Group. Over time, more plaintiffs came forward with accounts of abuse by staff who were added as defendants. The defendants include about 20 mostly former employees, some of whom have died. UNCSA opened in 1965 as the nations first public arts conservatory, housing both high school and university students on a 75-acre campus in Winston Salem. It remains one of the countrys top arts campuses. Some teachers regularly touched students breasts, buttocks and groins to push them into straighter posture or higher leaps, the lawsuit says. Through plaintiffs stories, the lawsuit outlines multiple instances of different teachers touching students sexually, attempting to, or having sex with them. That includes Richard Kuch and Richard Gain, dance faculty who invited underage students off-campus and sexually assaulted them, in one case leaving a student with bruises and bite marks on his chest. This resolution marks the end of a decades-long journey for these former UNCSA students, said Lisa Lanier, an attorney for the alumni. The University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, N.C., pictured here on July 19, 2021, is a creative and performing arts conservatory for high school and college students. Previous allegations The school faced similar allegations in the 1990s. One of the plaintiffs in the current lawsuit, Christopher Soderlund, filed a lawsuit on his own in 1995, which brought widespread criticism upon UNCSA. Soderlund said Kuch and Gain sexually abused him after he enrolled in 1983 at the age of 15. The teachers groomed him until, in 1984, Gain took Soderlund to the Yadkin County farmhouse he shared with Kuch, plied him with alcohol and had sex with him, Soderlunds lawsuit said. It was the first of several sexual assaults, according to the lawsuit, which Soderlund endured out of fear that he would lose his position at the school and other potential support from the men. Their relationship was common knowledge on the college, but no one intervened, according to the lawsuit. Soderlund complained to ballet teacher Duncan Noble, who said that he too would have liked to have sex with Soderlund, he claimed in his lawsuit. Kuch and Gain resigned before they faced a disciplinary hearing or the result of a special commission created by the UNC Board of Governors the same year the lawsuit was filed to study UNCSAs culture. Kuch and Gain denied the allegations in a legal filing. Richard Kuch, left, and Richard Gain, right, taken from a photo of the dance faculty from the 1989 North Carolina School of the Arts yearbook. Legal challenges A judge dismissed Soderlands 1995 lawsuit because he was older than 21, the states statue of limitations for child sex abuse lawsuits at that time. A change in legislation, however, allowed for former UNCSA students to sue, but the law may not hold up to legal scrutiny. In October 2019, state legislators passed the SAFE Child Act, which temporarily paused the statute of limitations in child sex abuse lawsuits from January 2020 to December 2021. UNCSA commission The 1995 commission asked students and alumni to report abuse, but never publicly named the accused faculty. After the investigation, the commission denied a pervasive pattern of improper sexual conduct between faculty and students. However, there is evidence that a few employees at various times, especially during the decade of 1980, did engage in conduct which is not tolerable and which must not be allowed to occur in the future, the commissions final report said. Following the commissions recommendations, the school forbid all relationships between teachers and students, and pledged to protect students from retaliation after they reported abuse. The commissions findings incorrectly said that most of the alleged perpetrators had left the school. Interviews with former members of the school community along with unpublished documents revealed that 24 members of the staff were accused of harassing or having relationships with students, a News & Observer and Charlotte Observer investigation found. Of the 13 who were still working with the school in 1995, at least 12 stayed several years after the investigation, the reporting showed. Five were still listed on the schools roster in October 2021. Five accused faculty told the newspapers they were never told of accusations against them or given a chance to respond. Documents also indicate the commission was originally tasked with referring some accusations to university officials or legal authorities, but public records show no evidence they did so. Stephen Shipps and his attorney, John Shea, leave the federal courthouse in Detroit after Shipps was sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking an underage student for sex. Former teacher convicted In the lawsuit, former UNCSA students also accused Stephen Shipps of sexual exploitation. Shipps taught at the UNCSA, but took a position at the University of Michigan in 1989. His behavior while employed there resulted in federal criminal charges. A former student told investigators that Shipps, while employed at Michigan, had twice taken her to New York and sexually abused her in 2002, when she was 16 years old. In April 2022, a federal judge sentenced Shipps to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one of the counts of trafficking a minor for sex. Three women who studied under Shipps in North Carolina say he molested them on campus and at his home when they were teens, The Observer and The N&O reported. Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer. Her work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The N&O maintains full editorial control of its journalism. Good morning! Heres what you need to know in North Carolina politics today. The spirit of the Rev. Billy Graham lives with a statue of the Baptist minister from North Carolina that was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC. Grahams statue replaced one of a white supremacist and former governor in North Carolina. Heres what you need to know about the unveiling ceremony that was attended by several North Carolina leaders and dignitaries. Stephanie Loder, correspondent. Keep reading for more from our politics team. New NC face in the US Capitol A statue of North Carolinas Rev. Billy Graham was unveiled Thursday in the U.S. Capitol, becoming the newest addition to The Statuary Hall Collection. Among those attending the unveiling were North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Senate leader Phil Berger, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, N.C. Chief Justice Paul Newbury, and former Vice President Mike Pence. Grahams statue replaces one of Charles Aycock, who served as North Carolinas 50th governor in 1901. Aycock, a white supremacist, gained power by stifling the Black vote. U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from Lincoln County, called for the Aycock statue to be removed. Graham was born and raised in Charlotte. The Baptist minister traveled the world preaching the Gospel before his death in 2018 at age 99. Get the full story from Danielle Battaglia here. Lone UNC trustee speaks against elimination of DEI funds Following a vote to divert millions of dollars of DEI funds to campus police, one member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees has spoken out in opposition to the plan. At Thursdays BOT meeting, Trustee Ralph Meekins said the decision sends the wrong message to our students, prospective students and alumni regarding how UNC values and treats diverse populations on our campus. He said that the board also should have waited for guidance from the UNC System Board of Governors, which is expected to vote to restrict DEI programs statewide next week. Earlier this week, the BOT cut $2.3 million in funding for DEI programs. No trustee voted against the plan. Meekins is the only trustee to publicly oppose the decision. Meekins explained that he abstained from Mondays vote because he missed the majority of the meeting and felt uncomfortable making a decision without having heard most of the discussion. Speaking to reporters after Thursdays meeting, Meekins suggested the boards decision was overly broad. My point is, you dont just knock it all out, he said. You go take a look at it and figure out whats working and not working and you take out areas where there may be abuse. Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts, asked his thoughts on the boards decision, told reporters he is still waiting to see the final DEI policy from the Board of Governors. What does DEI mean? Shaun Harper, a professor at the University of Southern California, studies DEI programs. He, along with 11 other scholars, published a report titled Truths about DEI on College Campuses. Harper rebuts that DEI could represent divisiveness, exclusion and indoctrination as previously claimed by UNC Trustee Marty Kotis. Instead, Harper said, DEI programs benefit students and are a small part of university budgets. Kyle Ingram Lt. Gov. candidate on abortion State Sen. Rachel Hunt, the Democratic candidate for North Carolina lieutenant governor, outlined her plans for the state as compared to those of her competitor, GOP nominee Hal Weatherman. Hunt filed Senate Bill 909, titled Protect Womens Healthcare. The bill would amend the North Carolina Constitution to say that the state shall not restrict a womans right to decide to have an abortion. Hunts remarks and bill came a day after Weatherman defeated Jim ONeill in the Republican primary runoff. Weatherman, no his website, says he is anti-abortion. Hes endorsed by the current Republican nominee for governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Both men want to see the passage of a heartbeat bill to ban abortion at five or six weeks into pregnancy. Its unlikely Hunts bill will move ahead; Republicans have a supermajority in both chambers of the General Assembly. Get the full story from Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan here. Gun safety bill Rep. Marcia Morey announced earlier this month that she planned to file discharge petitions to have gun safety bills she and other Democrats file every year taken up by the House. Morey filed those petitions during Wednesdays session for two bills she filed more than a year ago that havent received any committee hearings in as much time. The first is a red flag law that would allow people to petition judges to temporarily confiscate the firearms of someone they believe could be a threat to themselves or others. The second would make it illegal to leave a firearm in an unattended vehicle, unless the vehicle is locked and the gun is safely stored. Discharge petitions require signatures from a majority of lawmakers in this case, 61 members of the House to move bills directly to the floor for a vote. As of Thursday morning, the petitions Morey had filed had received a total of 16 signatures, all from Democrats, including herself. Rep. Destin Hall, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, told reporters after Wednesdays session that hes doubtful Democrats will be able to force votes on bills that Republicans have no real desire to take up. On the proposed red flag law, Hall said many Republicans are concerned about the potential abuse of a system that allows someones constitutional right to be taken away, just upon the petition of one individual. Avi Bajpai DMV LICENSE RENEWAL CHANGE REPEALED Changes to state law that were supposed to eliminate overcrowded North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicle offices have been rescinded by the General Assembly amid federal law conflicts. A provision in the budget bill would have doubled the renewal period for state drivers licenses, making it 16 years for anyone aged 18 to 65. Drivers also would renew their licenses online instead of in person at DMV. Both provisions, which had been set to take effect July 1, were repealed due to a miscommunication between DMV and lawmakers. DMV Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said the change would be in violation of the REAL ID act. Get the full story from Richard Stradling here. Thats all for today. Check your inbox Sunday 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. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A House of Representatives Administrative Rules Committee passed a rule proposed by the Oklahoma State Department of Education that would tie student assessment scores to accreditation which puts at least 85 schools/districts on the chopping block. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), the Raising Academic Standards rule states any school or district that has more than 50% of students scoring below basic will take a hit to its accreditation. Second Survivors Act bill passes Senate after Governors veto OSDE claims 35% of Oklahoma students scored below basic in reading on state testing last year. 39% of Oklahoma students also scored below basic in math on state testing last year. When it comes to any kind of testing, we have an accountability system set up with the Department of Education. What that plan does is it shows how are we going to help schools when their students are not successful on the state mandated test. What this rule does is automatically impact a districts accreditation. Its a punishment. We need to be focused on when it comes to testing, what can we do to make sure that our schools are getting the resources and support they need to help their students be successful, said Oklahoma Education Association President, Katherine Bishop. A group of 10 House members voted on the proposed rule Tuesday and it passed 7-3 with only Democrats voting against it. I dont understand why we continue to let [State Superintendent Ryan Walters] write rules and then bring them to the legislature. It needs to be the other way around. We write the rules and we tell them what to do, said Representative Mark McBride (R-Moore). I think its sad that we take this approach instead of talk about improving. What can we do to make [schools] better? Instead of talking about that, were going to jerk accreditation. To me, thats not a good thing. Weve got a Department of Education that is supposed to work at improving the outcomes of students, not threatening schools and school districts. Duke Public Schools is among the list of at least 85 schools/districts that could lose its current academic standing. Duke Public Schools currently serves 165 students in Southwest Oklahoma. It currently operates with zero deficiencies. According to the 2022-2023 Oklahoma School Report Card, Duke High School received a D and had an overall performance of 45%. The Duke Elementary School was given a C grade and finished with an overall performance of 48%. We may have class sizes of eight or 10 students. Not every year, but within that small class you might have special needs students or students on IEPs. We feel there needs to be some amendments included and some leeway when it comes to special case students there, said Duke Public Schools Superintendent Todd Ware. Its unfair and unjust to judge students in that fashion completely and for sure to judge the entire district in that fashion as well. Its creating more issues than its actually solving: OKC Police Chief weighs in on new immigration law Bishop said having a smaller percentage of students in the class will instantly hurt rural districts when maybe one or two students dont make the testing mark. Our schools work for their accreditation. They take pride in their accreditation. Thats what brings people to those communities. It is important that when were talking about this, that were focused not on a one day test, how a student is going to do to say whether a school is accredited or not, said Bishop. Ware recalled a Duke Public Schools third grade class where it only consisted of four students. He said if one failed, with this new rule, it would immediately drop their deficiency. House Administrative Rules Committee Chairman Representative Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus, previously told KFOR the idea that a school would shut down due to a ping on its accreditation was only a scare tactic. A deficiency does not put you in a bind. What it does is it opens up the awareness that theres a problem of some sort, said Rep. Kendrix.That opens the possibility for resources to come from the state department. It can certainly give skewed results, added Ware. Maybe have a measure there where were looking at growth. It may be a growth measurement that were looking at, not necessarily a basic level or some predetermined number they come up with. Look how students grow from one year to the next. Because Duke Public Schools currently operates in good academic standing, it would take a few levels for the district to lose accreditation in its entirety. Ware is fearful of what might happen if the Duke district reaches that point though. That would be detrimental for our community. It would be a disservice for something like that to push small communities like Duke and so many others in Oklahoma into some potential threat or idea of having to close. Duke Public Schools Superintendent Todd Ware If Duke Public Schools were to shutter, the closest neighboring district would be Eldorado or Altus. In either direction from Duke High School, it would be an 18 minute drive. We serve all children that come in our door. We dont pick and choose, stated Ware. The House still has to vote on the rule proposed by OSDE which Rep. McBride expects to happen next week. Rep. McBride said while he sees a need to have a goalpost for students to aim for at the end of the school year, he doesnt agree with the way OSDE is trying to push schools to get test scores higher. Rep. McBride said he has received numerous emails from constituents asking him to reject the rule. This would be a no vote for my constituents in Moore, Oklahoma, and across the state. Representative Mark McBride, R-Moore News 4 asked Rep. McBride if all of OSDEs proposed rules would be packaged into one vote or if lawmakers would have the ability to vote on each individual rule. He said he was hoping for two separate packages, but doesnt think that will happen. Well see next week, he said. Bishop is hopeful amendments will be made to this specific OSDE rule. The Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition is asking lawmakers to reject the rule entirely. Regarding the rules specific to school accreditation, even if the OSDE has some (debatable) authority to manage accreditation parameters, that does not negate the fact that the new proposed rule on accreditation status is bad policy for the children of this state and the communities they call home. The rules in question allow the State Department of Education the capacity to take over or dissolve districts based on a single test taken on one day, said the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition Founder, Erika Wright. News 4 reached out to OSDE Director of Communications, Dan Isett with a list of questions, including what resources would be available to schools/districts that receive an accreditation deficiency due to this rule. He did not respond as of Thursday evening. 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. Union backlash over Labours plans to shut down the North Sea The Total Culzean platform on the North Sea, about 45 miles east of the Aberdeen, 2019 - Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images Labours plans to ban new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea have been branded dangerously premature and reckless by its biggest union donor, Unite. Union chiefs are pursuing a campaign against Sir Keir Starmer in six key Scottish constituencies, all of which are heavily reliant on the fossil fuel industry. The rebellion could threaten Labours hopes of seizing the seats at the next election, as Unite seeks to mobilise local offshore workers and their communities. Unite is demanding the Opposition ditch plans to abolish all new oil and gas exploration and boost the existing 75pc windfall tax on oil and gas producers by a further 3pc. Without abandoning these policies, it has warned companies will exit the North Sea and destroy 30,000 jobs in the process. It comes after US oil giant Chevron confirmed on Thursday it is quitting the North Sea after 55 years, as it claimed it was no longer viable to operate there. Unites attack on Labour could serve as a significant blow to Sir Keir if it dents his partys hopes of winning at least an extra 20 seats across Scotland. It has targeted six key election constitutes as part of its campaign, including Aberdeenshire North and Moray, Aberdeen North, Alloa and Grangemouth, Bathgate and Linlithgow, Falkirk and Orkney and Shetland. Sharon Graham, the unions general secretary, said: We dont want the oil and gas workers in Scotland to become the coal miners of our generation. Were clearly saying to Labour, dont let go of one rope before you get hold of another. Theres a situation now where 30,000 oil and gas jobs will be going over a cliff edge by 2030. There must be a plan now to save these jobs. Communities will be devastated. Its not just the oil and gas areas, its the surrounding areas too. Sir Keir previously said his party would continue licences still in operation but would not grant new ones. However, Unite said this policy was dangerously premature and reckless. The so-called No Ban Without a Plan campaign comes as Labour drafts its election manifesto. One of Unites key aims is to ensure the pledges made by the Opposition, such as to halt new drilling and raise the windfall tax, are not written into any formal election pledges. It sets the stage for a major battle across Labours National Executive Committee (NEC), which must approve the manifesto. Unite has two delegates on the NEC, as does the GMB, the other main union for oil and gas workers. Both are threatening to undermine any manifesto embodying the pledges. Speaking to the Press Association, shadow Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said Labour had a non-negotiable commitment to a proud future for the North Sea. Ms Graham said: Why would we pull the plug on new licences and new jobs when there is clearly no viable plan for the replacement of North Sea jobs right now. In the 1980s, the decimation of Britains coal mines shattered lives and destroyed communities, forever. If Labour fails to learn these lessons in the North Sea it will be a historic betrayal. Unite will not stand by and watch workers thrown on the scrap heap. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A Russian tourist is seen at a morning market in Heihe City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Oct. 14, 2023. (Xinhua) Russian-Chinese trade had grown substantially over the past year, in which the trade turnover between the two countries hit a record high of 240.1 billion U.S. dollars. MOSCOW, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Russian entrepreneurs are committed to advancing mutually beneficial cooperation for the benefit of both peoples, Vitaly Mankevich, president of the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RAUIE) told Xinhua in a recent interview. "Despite all the difficulties, Russian and Chinese entrepreneurs are focused on promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, and relations between our countries have withstood external challenges," he said. Mankevich noted that Russian-Chinese trade had grown substantially over the past year, in which the trade turnover between the two countries increased by 26.3 percent and hit a record high of 240.1 billion U.S. dollars. Mankevich said that Russian authorities have been actively working to enhance trade and economic relations between the two countries, and have taken some important steps towards this goal, including measures that have helped entrepreneurs develop stronger and closer business ties. He said that measures had also been taken to simplify the process of Chinese entrepreneurs entering the Russian market, and to facilitate the entry of Russian businesses into the Chinese market. Russian and Chinese industry associations as well as officials from both countries have helped organize, launch and develop the production activities of Chinese enterprises in Russia, added Mankevich. People visit the China-Russia Featured Agricultural Products Fair 2023 in Vladivostok, Russia, Oct. 27, 2023. (Photo by Guo Feizhou/Xinhua) According to the Mankevich, Russian and Chinese entrepreneurs are given market entry support as well as assistance with regard to the establishment and development of businesses. Mankevich believes that the prospects for growth in Russian-Chinese trade are very promising, particularly in terms of structural changes in Russia's exports. He added that China's decisions regarding the development of cross-border cooperation, foreign trade, investment activity, the implementation of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the country's scientific and technological progress are of great interest to Russia. So are China's decisions regarding activities within free trade zones, greater openness to foreign entrepreneurs and investors, and financial structure optimization, he said. Mankevich noted that Russia is particularly focused on improving cooperation with China, and are already implementing large projects in the automotive, infrastructure, agriculture and manufacturing industries. "All this gives reason to believe that Russian-Chinese relations in the economics, trade, production and investment spheres will continue to rapidly develop for the benefit of our countries and peoples," he said. The crowd at the Board of Regents meeting during public comment. May 16, 2024. (Photo by Leila Chapa for The Daily Lobo / Source NM) Students at the University of New Mexico told the people who govern their campus about injuries inflicted on protesters by police, including one that required a hospital visit, and reiterated their demand for administrators to dump the institutions investments connected to the state of Israel. At public comment during the UNM Board of Regents meeting Thursday, Rakin Faruk, described the harms she saw done by the UNM Police Department and New Mexico State Police at the Duck Pond the day before. Faruk, president of UNM College Democrats, said police on Wednesday detained one of her fellow protesters using a zip tie so tight, that when the police tried to take the zip ties off of her, they slit her wrists yesterday, and she was taken to the hospital. Public comment is set up so that there isnt an exchange between the regents and the person speaking. And no regent responded in any way to what was said about the protests during public comment. In response to Source New Mexicos questions, university spokesperson Cinnamon Blair characterized the injury differently. Blair, who was present south of the protest on Wednesday behind police, said it was a minor injury to their hand and said that person was treated by rescue and transported to UNM-H at their request. Blair said information from medical evaluations of people who were arrested would not necessarily be shared with us. She said whenever UNM PD uses force, their standard operating procedures require that force to be documented and reviewed, but State Police have their own documentation and review process. No complaints regarding injury have been filed with UNMPD or via UNM Ethics Point hotline, Blair said. Ethics Point is an internal complaint system that the university community can use to share instances where someone might violate campus policies. Blair said anyone with issues about how UNM handled the protest at the encampment can use that system to seek accountability. Ethics Point was also one of the many tools used to compile alleged campus misconduct violations during the 23 days the camp was at the Duck Pond, Blair said. Ultimately, those violations were all listed as part of UNMs justification to issue the trespassing order that led to several violent arrests. Faruk said police forcibly removed another protesters hijab. We had journalists and photographers arrested with no charge beyond taking pictures of the camp, which is an astounding connection back to the journalists and photographers who are being arrested and murdered in Palestine every day, Faruk said. Those media workers, an independent investigative journalist Bryant Furlow and his wife, photographer Tara Armijo-Prewitt, spent about 12 hours inside the Metropolitan Detention Center outside Albuquerque on Wednesday. In a written statement, Furlow said when he arrived at the Duck Pond, he asked police where news media were allowed to stand to document, but didnt get an answer. The statement was published on the New Mexico In Depth website, where Furlow is a contributor. The news outlet, and Furlows bylines, have been republished by Source New Mexico. I asked officers several times if there was a public information officer on scene with whom I could speak and was told there was not, Furlow said. I also inquired about who was in charge but got no response. At all times, Furlow said he and Armijo-Prewitt followed police instructions and stayed behind the yellow police tape. We were arrested while photographing the operation and shortly after asking an NMSP officer for his badge number and name, Furlow said. As I was being arrested, I said I was a member of the press repeatedly and loudly. How can you invest in the systems that are causing the very thing that you refuse to even name? Farah Al Qawasmi, a Palestinian medical student at UNM Faruk pointed out UNM President Garnett Stokes did not mention any injuries in her campus-wide email later that afternoon. She said that there was not enough evidence for her to have said in her email that our students were hurt, Faruk said. Less than 24 hours later, she called the same riot cops to the camp. Their blood is on your hands, Faruk said. Farah Al Qawasmi, a Palestinian medical student at UNM who lives in Albuquerque, said Stokes also left out of her emails to the student body the very thing that we are protesting. Even if I try to understand that UNM should not serve as a political tool to express institutional opinions on intricate social and geopolitical matters, how can you invest in the systems that are causing the very thing that you refuse to even name? Al Qawasmi said. I will name it for you: You are investing in a racist apartheid regime that is committing a genocide in Gaza. Stokes at the meeting on Thursday characterized whats happening in Gaza as immeasurable human suffering. Everyone in leadership at this institution recognizes the tragedy that has unfolded, Stokes said. Stokes signed the notice to vacate handed to protesters on Wednesday. At the regents meeting she said UNM has a long tradition of supporting students rights to free speech and peaceful assembly. Weve also as an institution worked hard to balance its deference for free speech with its responsibilities to protect our students, our faculty, our staff, and our infrastructure from harm, Stokes said. Faculty Senate President Cris Elder told the regents that university administrations have historically responded to conflicts on campus with militarized force. I believe inviting police, particularly state troopers, in riot gear, with guns and mace and in 2017, prior to this administration, on horseback, with tear gas and armored vehicles puts us all in danger, but particularly those from marginalized communities that make up the greatest demographic on our campus, Coleman said. Al Qawasmi told the regents the administration chose to take down the solidarity camp on the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, the Arabic term for the expulsion of more than 750,000 Palestinians from what became Israel in 1948. This is a reminder that the settler colonial mentality remains deeply rooted today, Al Qawasmi said. It is absolutely a moral injury being a member of a university that would rather brutalize and oppress their students than support their Palestinian students. You must divest from death. Editor Shaun Griswold contributed reporting to this story. The post UNM students outline more violence by police in Gaza Solidarity Encampment raid appeared first on Source New Mexico. MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) Its been four years since a Murfreesboro man was found dead in the driveway of his home, and still, no one knows whos responsible. The now years old cold case unfolded on May 17, 2020. Around 5:03 a.m. officers with the Murfreesboro Police Department were called to a duplex at 732 East Northfield Boulevard, where they found 45-year-old Thomas Tommy Holland laying in the driveway. Investigators said Holland had been shot three times. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Nothing was seen: Murfreesboro Police still searching for who killed Thomas Holland, one year later Based on evidence at the home, detectives believe Holland may have gotten into a fight with someone before he was shot. Toxicology reports also revealed that Holland was intoxicated at the time of his death, according to police. Detectives developed one person of interest the day after the shooting. However, in an interview in 2021, Murfreesboro Detective Cody Thomas said they followed that out to the end and were able to exclude that person as being a suspect. (Courtesy: Murfreesboro Police Department) The trail has since gone cold, with few leads on any potential suspects. Neighbors did report hearing gunshots, but investigators said no one was seen running away from the house. According to his obituary, Holland was a native of Murfreesboro and would volunteer at Greenhouse Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides a variety of services for those in need. Do you know something? Seven murders in Murfreesboro that remain unsolved Police are still trying to seek justice for his surviving family members, who were devastated by his sudden death. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Murfreesboro Police Criminal Investigations Division at 615-893-2717 or email crimetips@murfreesborotn.gov. 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. COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) Columbus Consolidated Government will be holding some of its upcoming budget and council meetings at a different spot than usual. The meetings will be held at the Muscogee County School Board Chambers (2960 Macon Road) for a session in May and two in July. The city says the change of venue is to help facilitate essential equipment upgrades. This should lead to clearer audio, improved visuals, and better accessibility for in-person and remote attendees. Heres a full outline of the schedule changes: 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. By Lisandra Paraguassu PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Haitians and Venezuelans who found refuge in southern Brazil after escaping hunger, violence and natural disasters are being forced once more to rebuild lives now wrecked by record flooding in Rio Grande do Sul state. Reginald Descilong left Haiti after he lost family and friends in the devastating 2010 earthquake. He got to Brazil three years later, crossing Central America on foot and by bus. Today, the 39-year-old and his wife and three daughters are in a public shelter in the inundated state capital Porto Alegre. "It seems that disaster is always chasing us. I got here but the problems don't stop. We lost everything in our home underwater, and we can't even get back there by boat," he said. "I don't know where I'm going now. We have to start all over again," he told Reuters. The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has data on 43,000 refugees living in the state, including 29,000 Venezuelans and 12,000 Haitians. Rio Grande do Sul was among the top three states to receive refugees in a federal humanitarian program that relocated migrants fleeing Venezuela on Brazil's northern border. Many, like Descilong, got steady jobs with full benefits. Over 14,000 refugees found formal employment in Rio Grande do Sul from 2011 to 2019, more than any other state, according to data from Brazil's Justice Ministry. The most common home for the state's refugees has been in the Sarandi neighborhood on the north side of Porto Alegre, which was the most ravaged by flooding after a dike collapsed. More than 26,000 Sarandi residents with homes underwater are now in various shelters in the city. Many left everything behind as they escaped the rising floodwaters, including documents now lost forever, raising additional concerns for the immigrants. Venezuelan Carina Gonzalez, 27, had to leave a backpack with her documents and those of her 11-year-old daughter when she fled her house in chest-deep water. "My husband told me to let go of the backpack or my dog. I wasn't going to leave my dog, so I let go of the backpack with my documents," Gonzalez recalled. "We are foreigners and we can't do anything without a document," she added. "Many people have lost the documents they had, their migration papers, their provisional ID that will have to be reissued so they do not remain undocumented in Brazil," said UNHCR official Silvia Sander. Carina and her husband Xavier said their jobs are safe, for now, but they are worried about getting to work in a city where downtown streets are still under water. They crossed into Brazil in 2018, fleeing political tensions and economic crisis in neighboring Venezuela. The floods have thrust them into upheaval again. "We don't even know where we are going. We have no destination right now," said Xavier. (This story has been corrected to fix the number of refugees to 43,000, in paragraph 5) (Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Brad Haynes and Josie Kao) Samuel Alito said he had 'no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag' - AP An upside-down American flag, which has been associated by some with Donald Trumps false claims of election fraud, was displayed outside the Virginia home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2021, weeks after the January 6 protests, the New York Times reported on Thursday. It was not clear if the upside-down flag was meant to signal support of Mr Trump, the Times reported. Some Trump supporters displayed inverted American flags in support of the former president after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. Dozens of the rioters carried the upside-down flags through city streets, while chanting slogans like Stop the Steal. According to US code for the flag, the flag should never be displayed upside down except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. Mr Alito told the paper that his wife hung the flag in response to signs in neighbours yards. I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag, Mr Alito told the Times in an emailed statement. It was briefly placed by Mrs Alito in response to a neighbours use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mr Alito. The paper reported that the upside-down flag was photographed at Mr Alitos home in Alexandria, Virginia on January 17, 2021, by neighbours who were alarmed by the symbolism. The Times said it recently obtained those images and included one in its report. 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. FILE - Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr., left, and his wife Martha-Ann Alito, pay their respects at the casket of Reverend Billy Graham at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, Feb. 28, 2018. An upside-down American flag was displayed outside of Alito's home Jan. 17, 2021, days after former President Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, The New York Times reports. It's a symbol associated with Trump's false claims of election fraud. "It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor's use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs," Alito said in an emailed statement to the newspaper. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) WASHINGTON (AP) An upside-down U.S. flag has long been a sign of dire distress and versatile symbol of protest. But in January 2021, when it flew over the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, it was largely seen in connection with a specific cause: the false claim by then-President Donald Trumps supporters that the 2020 election had been marred by fraud. The revelation this week about the flag flying at Alitos home was the latest blow to a Supreme Court that was already under fire as it considers unprecedented cases against Trump and some of those charged with rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Alito has said the flag was briefly flown by his wife amid a dispute with neighbors and he had no part in it. But the incident reported by The New York Times adds to concerns about an institution thats increasingly seen as partisan and lacking strict ethical guidelines. The high court is now facing questions about whether the spouses of two of its members question the legitimacy of the 2020 election, and if those justices should be hearing cases related to the Jan. 6 riot and Trumps role in it. Justice Clarence Thomas, appointed by President George H.W. Bush, faced calls for recusal after reports that his wife Virginia Thomas was involved in efforts to overturn President Joe Bidens 2020 election win. Were talking about a fundamental bedrock American value about peaceful transfer of power, about elections, said Tony Carrk, executive director of Accountable.US, a progressive watchdog organization. Its just the integrity of the democratic process. Several Democrats in Congress, including Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, called for Alito to recuse himself from Trump-related cases. Justices can and do voluntarily recuse themselves, but those are their own individual calls and they aren't subject to review. There was no indication Alito would do so. He did not respond to a request for comment sent through the courts public information office. While the Supreme Court long went without its own specific code of ethics, an institutional reputation of staying above the political fray has long helped bolster its relatively high levels of public trust. But in the wake of the 2022 decision overturning a nationwide right to abortion an opinion that was leaked before its release public trust sank to its lowest level in 50 years. Theres also been sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices. The high court adopted a code of ethics last year, but it lacks a means of enforcement. Alito, a former prosecutor who was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed in 2006, has been one of the most courts most conservative justices and authored the decision overturning Roe v. Wade. During oral arguments in the election interference case against Trump, he appeared skeptical of Justice Department arguments that past presidents aren't completely immune from prosecution, and seemed one of the justices most likely to find that prosecutors went too far in bringing obstruction charges against hundreds of participants in the Jan. 6 riot. Ethical guidelines generally make it clear that judges should recuse themselves in cases where their spouses have financial interest, but the situation is less clear when spouses have a publicly known political point of view, said Arthur Hellman, a professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He pointed to a federal judge in California who refused to recuse himself from a same-sex marriage case in 2011 even though his wife was a head of the American Civil Liberties Union there. Spouses' finances are generally intertwined, but the idea that wives and husbands always share political views is outdated, he found. Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether Alito was aware of the inverted flag at the time or its links to Trump supporters, said Stephen Gillers, a judicial ethics expert at New York University School of Law. I dont believe Alito knew the flag was flying upside down or if he did know, I find it hard to believe that he knew the relationship to 'Stop the Steal,' he said in an email. Flags were used as communication devices at sea centuries ago, and sailors would hang them upside down as a signal of extreme distress, said Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography. More recently, anti-Vietnam War protesters used the symbol as a statement against their governments actions, he said. Some would put flag postage stamps upside-down on their letters to express their opinions about the war. The inverted flag has also been flown by anti-government extremists and white nationalists who used it as a signal of a broken nation, said Jeff Tischauser, senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Centers Intelligence Project. Its one thing to go to a rally and see a Patriot group carrying it. Its another thing for me to go driving past a Supreme Court justices house and see it, he said. Martha-Ann Alito hung the upside-down flag during a dust-up with a neighbor in Alexandria, Virginia, who had a lawn sign referring to Trump with an expletive near a bus stop during a the heated time of January 2021, Fox News anchor Shannon Bream said in an online post, citing a conversation with Justice Alito. Upset after the neighbor blamed her for Jan. 6 and used vulgar language, she hung the flag for a short time," Bream wrote, saying Alito described some neighbors as very political." Politics often overlaps into everyday life, and no human can be completely free of personal opinions, said Charles Geyh, a law professor at Indiana University. But the duty of a judge is to do what you can to keep them at bay. That means you dont trumpet your biases by running them up a flagpole, he said. Appearing to enter the political fray can contribute to a growing distrust of the U.S. Supreme Court, which Geyh warned could have dire consequences. Demands for recusals by justices and judges have been part of political disputes over the high court and elsewhere in the legal system. Thomas has rejected Democratic calls for him to recuse himself from Trump-related cases. Meanwhile, some Republicans have called for New York Judge Juan Merchan to recuse himself from Trump's hush-money trial because hes given small donations to Democrats and his daughter is a party consultant. He declined, in a decision backed by a state ethics panel. But while a system exists for penalizing lower-court judges who are accused of conflicts or other wrongdoing, there is no mechanism to sanction Supreme Court justices. To me the fact that such a protocol does not currently exist at the court is a real deficit, said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, an advocacy group pushing for judicial ethics. Only Congress can impeach a Supreme Court justice, said Michael Frisch, ethics counsel at Georgetown Law. One justice, Abe Fortas, resigned from the Supreme Court in 1969 amid a controversy over receiving $20,000 from a Wall Street financier. An impeachment, though, has only happened once, to Justice Samuel Chase in the early 1800s. He was later acquitted by the Senate. __ Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver, Ali Swenson in New York and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report. The crisis of confidence and partisan influence over the Supreme Court isnt going away any time soon. According to a Thursday report from The New York Times, in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, neighbors of the Supreme Court judge noticed that the American flag outside of his home was being flown upside down at the time a popular symbol of solidarity among supporters of former President Donald Trump who believed the 2020 election had been stolen. One photo obtained by the Times showed that the upside down flag was visible at Alitos Virginia home on Jan. 17, 2021, less than two weeks after the attempted insurrection at the Capitol and as the Supreme Court was still considering a challenge from Trumps allies against the results of Pennsylvanias 2020 vote. Neighbors interviewed by the publication confirmed that the display stood for several days before being taken down. Ahead of the courts decision on the case, Alito unilaterally ordered Pennsylvania election officials to separate out mail-in ballots that had been delivered to the state after election day something the state was already doing. While the case was ultimately thrown out, Alito joined Justice Thomas in dissenting from the majority opinion and expressed his belief that the case should be heard. Alito was also a dissenter from the Supreme Courts decision to reject a separate Texas lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the presidential election in four states Biden won: Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Democrats in Congress were outraged. This is just stunning, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) wrote of the Times report. The Supreme Court has rapidly lost its legitimacy and the trust of the American people because of the numerous conflicts of interest that Justices have and the lack of any semblance of impartiality from these right wing justices. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Alito should recuse himself from all cases concerning the 2020 election. Flying an upside-down American flag a symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movement clearly creates the appearance of bias, Durbin said in a statement. Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection. The U.S. flag code stipulates that the star-spangled banner should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. When asked about the flag by the Times, Alito threw his wife under the bus, stating that he had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs, he added. One neighbor did confirm that there had been an ongoing dispute between Mrs. Alito, and a neighbor whod placed an anti-Trump sign on their front lawn. Alito told Shannon Bream of Fox News on Friday that a neighbor had a sign that said F Trump within 50 feet of where children wait for the school bus. Bream describes an ensuing war of words between the Alitos and the man who put up the sign, and that Mrs. Alito was distraught. Even if this is true, it doesnt explain why she would have decided to fly an upside-down American flag, or why Alito would have allowed the upside-down flag to fly despite Supreme Court ethics restrictions regarding public political displays by the justices. Its also an unsatisfactory attempt at dismissing concerns over Alitos ability to remain impartial over cases related to the 2020 election. Last month, the Supreme Court heard arguments in two major cases related to Jan. 6 one that would affect the Justice Departments ability to charge participants in the riot and another that could grant Trump widespread immunity from criminal prosecution. The immunity case before the Supreme Court stems from Trumps ongoing efforts to delay or dismiss the Justice Departments indictment against him over his role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 riot. The courts decision will have profound implications for the criminal indictments currently on the former presidents rap sheet. In both cases, Alitos questioning of Justice Department attorneys made it clear he was more inclined to side with the rioters and the former president than with the state. On the matter of presidential immunity, Alito at one point asked DOJ lawyer Michael Dreeben if, given that presidents have to make a lot of tough decisions about enforcing the law [] if he makes a mistake hes subject to the criminal laws like anybody else? Dreeben countered that making a mistake is not what lands you in a criminal prosecution. In another striking moment, Alito suggested that closely contested elections would lead to a cycle where former presidents fear they will be prosecuted by a bitter political [rival] that destabilizes the functioning of our country as a democracy. The court is expected to issue its final rulings on both cases later this summer. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Justice Samuel Alito claims his wife hung the flag upside down in response to a lawn-sign dispute with neighbors. Justice Samuel Alito claims his wife hung the flag upside down in response to a lawn-sign dispute with neighbors. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP An upside-down American flag was reportedly spotted flying outside the home of the conservative US supreme court justice Samuel Alito during the closing days of Donald Trumps presidential term in 2021. The inverted flag is a symbol that has become associated with Trumps false claims that Joe Biden stole the election. Used by some Trump supporters during the January 6 Capitol riot, the upside-down flag was seen outside Alitos home on 17 January 2021 10 days after the riot in DC and three days before Bidens inauguration, according to a report in the New York Times on Friday. The image of the flag outside Alitos home is likely to renew fears of partisanship among political appointees on the conservative-leaning court. The court has found itself at the center of US culture wars in recent years for the rulings it has made, including a rollback of reproductive rights and a relaxation of restrictions relating to gun ownership. Related: Clarence Thomas: Washington is a hideous place of nastiness and lies According to the Times, word of the upside-down flag made its way back to the court as the justices were considering an election case related to ballot-counting in Pennsylvania. Alito, an appointee of George W Bush, was on the losing side of the decision. I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag, Alito said in a statement to the paper. It was briefly placed by Mrs Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. Alito later revealed to the Fox News anchor Shannon Bream that a neighbor called his wife an expletive, which is why she flew a US flag upside down. Alitos wife, Martha-Ann, had been in a dispute with a neighbor about an anti-Trump sign on their lawn. Neighbors said they interpreted the Alito familys flag as a political statement, and one said it had hung outside the home for several days. On MSNBC, Joe Scarborough offered an impassioned take on the flags appearance at Alitos home, telling viewers of his show on Friday morning: For a guy who is a supreme court justice that let that happen at his own home in one of the most fraught times in American history since the civil war is just its just sad. And it shows how little respect he has for the institution. It shows how little respect he has for the law. It really Its disgusting. Its just disgusting. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who appeared on Morning Joe on Friday alongside Scarborough, echoed those thoughts. I am beyond disturbed. I was a law clerk to Justice [Harry] Blackmun on the US supreme court when this kind of behavior would have been unimaginable. You wouldnt have read about it in a book of fiction, he said. Justice Alito should not sit on any of these cases involving Donald Trump. He ought to recuse himself. Here is the challenge to Chief Justice [John] Roberts: the US supreme courts credibility is plummeting lower than perhaps the US Congress, and thats saying something. It is due to the supreme courts own self-inflicted wounds. An upside-down American flag a symbol embraced by Donald Trumps supporters who falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen flew at Justice Samuel Alitos home while the Supreme Court was considering an election case in early 2021. https://t.co/erCgpAZIDj pic.twitter.com/uwQOBNFOJY The New York Times (@nytimes) May 16, 2024 Experts on judicial conduct told the Times that symbols of partiality, including flying an upside-down flag, could be a violation of ethics rules designed to avoid even the appearance of bias. It might be his spouse or someone else living in his home, but he shouldnt have it in his yard as his message to the world, Amanda Frost, a law professor at the University of Virginia, told the Times. Frost added that the inverted flag was the equivalent of putting a Stop the Steal sign in your yard, which is a problem if youre deciding election-related cases. The US supreme court recently adopted a stronger but non-binding code of ethics for the nine justices on the bench after the conservative justice Clarence Thomas came under scrutiny for accepting but not disclosing trips funded by a Republican billionaire. It was later reported that Alito had similarly failed to report a trip to Alaska. Court employees are under strict rules that warn against public displays of political affiliation, including bumper stickers on vehicles. According to Reuters, the flag should be displayed upside down only as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. The revelation that Martha-Ann Alito hung an upside-down flag in her yard may not provide a determination that Alito was in any way aligned with Trump-inspired insurrectionists but might only show that, during the 2020 election, neighborhood passions ran hot. Neighbors told the Times that the street was divided between Republicans and Democrats and had been tensed with conflict. The anti-Trump sign that Martha-Ann Alito objected to, they said, contained an expletive and had led to mounting tensions. One said neighbors had joined demonstrators outside the Alitos home with the intent to bring the protest to their personal lives because the decisions affect our personal lives. Those protests have continued. Last Saturday, some used a megaphone to broadcast expletives at Alito. Two years ago, a bipartisan bill was passed to provide round-the-clock police protection for the justices and their families. That came after the US attorney general, Merrick Garland, ordered the US Marshals Service to provide 24/7 protection to the justices following the still-unexplained leak of a draft decision that overturned federal abortion rights guarantees. But with political tensions again increasing as the November elections approach, including a supreme court decision on the extent of presidential immunity that will affect at least one of Donald Trumps pending prosecutions, Alitos neighborhood flag-flying comes down to a question of appearances and the potential impact on public confidence in the court, the former federal judge Jeremy Fogel told the Times. I think it would be better for the court if he werent involved in cases arising from the 2020 election, Fogel added. But Im pretty certain that he will see that differently. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (R) meets with Shen Yueyue, visiting vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also chairperson of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), in Baku, Azerbaijan, May 14, 2024. At the invitation of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, Shen led a Chinese delegation to visit Azerbaijan from Tuesday to Thursday. (Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan/Handout via Xinhua) BAKU, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Shen Yueyue, vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during a friendly visit to the country from Tuesday to Thursday. During her talks with Aliyev, Shen, who is also chairperson of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), noted that under the strategic leadership of the presidents of the two countries, the friendly and cooperative partnership between China and Azerbaijan continues to thrive with fruitful outcomes. China is ready to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, enhance the alignment of high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative with Azerbaijan's Revival of the Silk Road national development strategy, expand cooperation in various fields, increase people-to-people exchanges, and elevate bilateral relations to new heights, said Shen, who was leading a Chinese delegation to visit Azerbaijan at the invitation of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan. For his part, Aliyev said that the Azerbaijan-China relationship is progressively advancing. Azerbaijan abides by the one-China principle, supports China in safeguarding its territorial integrity, and is ready to strengthen cooperation with China on the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, green development, and SCO civil exchanges. During the visit, Shen also held talks with Ali Huseynli, first deputy chairman of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan. Shen Yueyue, vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also chairperson of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), holds talks with Ali Huseynli (5th L), first deputy chairman of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, in Baku, Azerbaijan, May 14, 2024. At the invitation of the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, Shen led a Chinese delegation to visit Azerbaijan from Tuesday to Thursday. (Xinhua) US aid is now entering Gaza through a temporary pier as the Biden administration warns of "famine" Humanitarian aid began moving into Gaza on Friday using a temporary U.S.-built pier. Trucks delivered vital supplies to the besieged Palestinian enclave via the floating dock to avoid a possible famine as a result of significantly reduced aid coming from Israel-controlled points of entry Aid trucks arrived in Gaza at about 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET), U.S Central Command said on X, a day after the military completed construction on the pier. In the next few days about 500 metric tons of aid will enter Gaza, the BBC reported. Hundreds of tons of aid arrived in Cyprus where it was screened and loaded onto commercial ships that will deliver it to the pier. U.S. vessels will also carry aid to the several hundred-meter-long pier, which is fixed to the beach in Gaza. A State Department spokesperson said the U.S. was "deeply concerned about the reports indicating worsening conditions and imminent famine in Gaza." Until two weeks ago, the main entry point for aid into Gaza was the Rafah crossing with Egypt, but Israeli forces have seized the Palestinian side as part of their ground assault into eastern Rafah. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have had to evacuate the city, which had previously been declared a safe zone, NBC News reported. Although the Biden administration has extended its support to Israel, its frustrations over the humanitarian conditions in Gaza have grown. In particular, U.S. officials have said they oppose any full-scale invasion of Rafah and recently suspended a shipment of bombs that could be used in such an attack. Israel has defended its operations in Rafah, saying they are currently limited." According to local health officials, over 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli assault launched following Hamas Oct. 7 attacks that had killed 1,200 people and resulted in some 250 people taken hostage. US Airman Roger Fortson, killed by deputy in his own home, honored at funeral Dozens of Air Force members came together at a suburban Atlanta church Friday with the family and friends of Senior Airman Roger Fortson to honor the serviceman, who was shot and killed in his Florida home by a sheriffs deputy on May 3. Fortson, 23, was in his home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, when he was shot by an Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office deputy, according to law enforcement authorities. At Friday's service, Fortson was laid out wearing his Air Force uniform and his coffin was draped with the American flag. PHOTO: U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Roger Fortson was shot in his home by a Florida sheriff's deputy. (Air force ) As you can see from the sea of Air Force blue, I am not alone in my admiration of Senior Airman Fortson, Col. Patrick Dierig told mourners at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, referring to the many service members in attendance who paid their respects to Fortson. "We would love to take credit for making him great, but the truth is he was great before he came to us," said Dierig, the commander of First Special Operations Wing Hurlburt Field, where Fortson was stationed. "The Air Force, we merely polished a diamond that you forged. Senior Airman Fortson was a combat veteran. He answered the nation's call to take the fight to our enemies over the skies of Iraq, Syria. He took part in Special Operations missions, taking care of U.S. national security impact, and for the efforts he was awarded the Air Medal with a combat device in 2023." The Rev. Jamal Bryants eulogy included a story about civil rights icon Medgar Evers and Evers Army service during World War II. Bryant also referred to Fortsons killing as murder. Weve got to call it what it is: It was murder, Bryant said. He died of stone-cold murder. And somebody has got to be held accountable. Roger was better to America than America was to Roger. MORE: '6 shots in the back': Murder trial opens in police shooting death of Casey Goodson Jr. The Rev. Al Sharpton, in a recorded video played at the service, highlighted Fortsons military service and called for his death to not go unpunished. "He, as a young black man, stood up, signed up to fight for this country. The question now is: Will the country stand up and fight for him?" Sharpton said. "The family, the mother, brokenhearted. Do we have, though, a broken system? That is the question. And that is what we intend to get an answer to." After the service, airmen saluted as Fortsons casket was carried to a horse-drawn carriage and led away from the church. The deputy in the fatal incident was responding to a call of a disturbance around 4:30 p.m., according to a released statement from the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Office. Sheriff Eric Aden of the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office played the body camera footage of the deputy who shot Fortson in a press conference last week following a news conference with Fortson's family. In the video the deputy can be heard announcing twice that he is with the sheriff's office. Fortson can then be seen opening the door for the deputy with what appears to be a gun in his hand. The officer shot Fortson within seconds of the door opening. Fortson later succumbed to his injuries, according to the sheriff's office. "Hearing sounds of a disturbance, he reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun, according to a sheriffs office statement. "[This was] after the deputy had identified himself as law enforcement." The deputy involved has been put on administrative leave and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the state attorneys office will conduct their own investigations, according to the sheriffs office. US Airman Roger Fortson, killed by deputy in his own home, honored at funeral originally appeared on abcnews.go.com FILE PHOTO: U.S. Justice Department logo is seen at Justice Department headquarters in Washington (Reuters) - U.S. authorities charged two Chinese nationals in a cryptocurrency scam that laundered at least $73 million from defrauded victims, the Justice Department said on Friday. U.S. officials arrested Yicheng Zhang in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to an indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in California's central district later that day. Daren Li, a dual citizen of China and St. Kitts and Nevis, was arrested at the Atlanta airport in April. The U.S. accused the two of being involved in a type of cryptocurrency investment scam known as pig butchering, which has become a global billion-dollar industry. The defendants are alleged to have instructed co-conspirators to open U.S. bank accounts in the name of shell companies. Victims were induced online into depositing money into these accounts - funds that were then laundered through U.S. financial institutions to bank accounts in the Bahamas. "While fraud in the crypto markets takes on many forms and hides in many far-off places, its perpetrators aren't beyond the law's reach," U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. Li and Zhang are both charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and six counts of international money laundering. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison on each count, the Justice Department said. (Reporting by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Nick Macfie) US military starts delivering aid to Gaza through floating pier. Heres what we know Trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza have begun moving ashore after arriving through the floating pier built by the US military, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM). The pier was anchored to a beach in Gaza on Thursday and will be used to funnel aid from various countries into the besieged strip, with most border crossings to the enclave closed and a catastrophic humanitarian disaster unfolding inside. No US troops went ashore in Gaza, according to CENTCOM. The goal is to get about 500 tons of humanitarian assistance into Gaza through the pier daily, according to Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM. That means about 90 trucks worth of aid a day, and the goal is to build up to 150 trucks a day. Over 300 pallets of humanitarian aid were delivered to Gaza through a new floating pier installed by the US military, according to a statement from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Saturday. On Friday, the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, said Gaza was facing a dire food situation with barely more than 300 aid trucks entering the strip since Israel began its offensive in Rafah. The maritime corridor is coming at a critical moment with the Rafah border crossing to Gaza having been closed for more than a week, preventing aid from getting through. That crossing was the only one between Gaza and Egypt with all other border points in the strip controlled by Israel. Heres what we know about the new aid route: How was the pier built and how will it work? The US began building the floating pier in late April at a cost of $320 million and with the help of some 1,000 US soldiers and sailors. The US said that it is only a temporary measure that is entirely humanitarian in nature. Pieces for the pier were loaded aboard ships on the East Coast of the US and then transported 6,000 miles across the ocean, according to CENTCOMs Cooper. The pieces were assembled off the coast of Gaza, with final assembly taking place in the Israeli port of Ashdod. The aid delivered via the pier will go through several steps before reaching Gaza. It will arrive in Cyprus by either air or sea where it will be screened by the US and Israel and palletized before being brought by ship to a floating platform near the Gaza coast. Then it is finally transported to the floating pier and loaded onto trucks to distribute on land. The US has said the pier is not meant to replace aid that enters through land crossings, which aid workers have said are the fastest and easiest way to get relief into the territory. This maritime route is additive and is not meant to replace land routes into Gaza, Cooper said. The UNs World Food Programme will be responsible for receiving and distributing the aid in Gaza. Why is aid being shipped this way? Most land crossings into Gaza remain either shut or congested due to lengthy inspections by Israel. That has led the US and other countries to start air-dropping aid into Gaza, which human rights organizations have criticized as insufficient. The UN has warned of famine setting in in parts of Gaza, calling on Israel to open more land crossings for aid. USAID Administrator Samantha Power, the top US humanitarian official, has also assessed it is credible that famine is already occurring in parts of Gaza. In March, the first batch of humanitarian aid by sea was delivered in an operation separate from the US pier project. Today, only the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing and the Western Erez Crossing in northern Gaza are open, although the amount of aid trickling through them is nowhere close to what Gaza needs. The UNs World Food Programme however says that since May 6, when Israel launched its Rafah operation, the organization has been unable to access and receive aid from the Kerem Shalom crossing. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said the crossing was closed between May 6-10. The Rafah crossing with Egypt, the entry point for nearly a quarter of all aid into Gaza, was also closed last week after Israel seized it as part of a ground offensive into the city, and is yet to reopen. Members of the US Army, US Navy and the Israeli military put in place the Trident Pier, a temporary pier to deliver humanitarian aid, on the Gaza coast, on Thursday. - U.S. Central Command/Reuters How much aid is getting into Gaza now? The US State Department has said that not nearly enough trucks are getting into Gaza. The UN estimates that 500 trucks are needed per day to alleviate the suffering of Gazans, but on May 11, UN figures showed that only six trucks entered. No data is available after that date. The UN agency stressed that more aid should be allowed to pass through checkpoints and enter Gaza by land. Any and all aid into Gaza is welcome by any route. However, getting aid to people in need, into and across Gaza, cannot and should not depend on a floating dock, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said Friday. Israel however said on Friday that aid is flowing into Gaza by land, sea, and air and through multiple aid routes. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli body that coordinates the flow of aid into the strip, said that 365 trucks were transferred to Gaza Thursday. The UNs OCHA on Thursday said that crossings into Gaza have either been closed, are unsafe to access or not logistically viable. Aid distribution is almost impossible with no regular fuel imports, unstable telecommunication and ongoing fighting, OCHA said on X. The impact is devastating for over 2 million people. CNNs Kareem Khadder and Sarah El Sirgany in Jerusalem contributed reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The US secretly sent communist-friendly Coca-Cola to a Soviet general in a bid to maintain good ties across the Iron Curtain Worsening relations between the Allies after World War II meant no commerce between East and West. That was an issue for Soviet Gen. Georgy Zhukov, who came to like Coca-Cola during the war. The US tried to get Coke to Zhukov to keep at least one friend across the Iron Curtain. See more stories on Insider's business page. As World War II ended and the Iron Curtain fell over Eastern Europe, relations deteriorated between the Soviet Union and its Western allies. The Soviet repudiation of the West and of capitalism went as far as banning business with Western companies, as there was no reason to trade with "imperialist" powers. That created a problem for one of the most revered Soviet military leaders, marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov, who oversaw many of the USSR's greatest victories against the Nazis. The problem? Zhukov had developed an intense liking for Coca-Cola, a drink now illegal in the Soviet Union. Not only that, but Zhukov also feared that being seen consuming such a recognizable Western product would lead to punishment. In an effort to maintain good ties, the Truman administration undertook a covert effort to get Zhukov the soda he wanted. A cultural icon Soldiers the front lines of the Cassino Front drink the first Coca-Cola to reach US troops in Italy on March 16, 1944. PH/Sherman Montrose ACME Coca-Cola's steadfast support for the Allied war effort helped make it both distinctly American and recognizable worldwide. As the US entered the war, Coca-Cola President Robert Woodruff ordered his company "to see that every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for 5 cents, wherever he is and whatever it costs the Company." The soft drink was seen as an important morale booster and thus a wartime necessity. Coca-Cola bottling plants sprang up close to front lines all over the world to get the drinks to Allied troops as fast as possible. More than 100 employees known as "Coca-Cola colonels" were even given the Army rank of technical observer and deployed to the front to ensure soldiers got their Cokes quickly and efficiently. In 1943, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, a fan of the drink himself, ordered 3 million bottles to the front in North Africa. He also requested enough supplies and materials to refill 6 million more bottles every month. When Richard Bong, a US Army pilot in the Pacific theater, set the American record for air-to-air-combat victories in January 1944, Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold, the head of the Army Air Forces, sent him two cases of Coke as a reward. By the end of the war, Allied military personnel had consumed 5 billion bottles of Coke from 64 bottling plants around the world. 'White Coke' Zhukov, Eisenhower, and Montgomery at a banquet at Allied headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1945. Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Zhukov acquired his taste for Coke after drinking it during a meeting with Eisenhower after the war. Zhukov could enjoy Coke in meetings with Western officials but not at home, as the Soviet Union had banned Coca-Cola outright. No alternative sated Zhukov's thirst for Coke, but in 1946, he had an idea: If the drink were delivered without its distinctive caramel color, it could possibly be passed off as vodka. Zhukov asked his American counterparts to see if such a feat was possible. Gen. Mark W. Clark, commander of US forces in the American sector of Allied-occupied Austria, eventually passed the request to President Harry Truman, who contacted James Farley, chairman of the Coca-Cola Export Corporation. Coca-Cola was actually in the process of expanding its business operations in Austria, and one of its employees was assigned to the effort. A company chemist soon made a clear version of the drink by removing caramel from the ingredients. Zhukov, then Soviet defense minister, demonstrates a bayonet thrust at the military academy at Dehradun, India in January 1957. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images At Zhukov's request, the new beverage wasn't put in the usual Coke bottles but instead in unmarked, straight-edged bottles. To create a communist-friendly appearance, Coca-Cola even used custom-made white caps emblazoned with a red star on the bottles. Fifty crates of "white Coke" were delivered to the Soviets in Vienna. While all other goods entering the Soviet occupation zone were stopped and inspected, Coca-Cola was able to deliver the crates without interference. In the end, the rare olive branch between East and West amounted to little more than a personal favor between wartime colleagues. It's not known what became of the drinks or their bottles, and the exchange had no effect on the deteriorating relationship between the two blocs. It didn't even earn Coca-Cola better treatment, either. Its rival Pepsi eventually gained a virtual monopoly in the Soviet Union, which the Soviets maintained once trading several warships for $3 billion worth of Pepsi until 1985. Editor's note: This story was first published in July 2021 and has been updated. Read the original article on Business Insider PANAMA CITY, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Panama's president-elect Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday presented most of his cabinet picks, saying they offered a "combination of experience, youth and competence that the country needs to meet the great challenges that lie ahead." Mulino said at a press conference that he selected Frank Abrego, former director of the national border service called Senafront, to head the Public Security Ministry, and Julio Molto, who was director of the National Police, to serve as Minister of Commerce and Industries. Mulino also announced the heads of several other ministries but added he has yet to designate the ministers of the Interior, Justice and Education. "I chose each of these people for their capability and commitment to Panama. There is no other rule above that and that is how I intend to lead the government, in the broadest and most transparent way possible," said Mulino. Mulino will take office on July 1 after winning the May 5 elections as the candidate of an alliance made up of the Realizing Goals party and Alianza movement. Some US senators support Ukraine's use of US-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory US senators are divided in their opinion on whether Ukraine should use US-provided weapons to strike Russian territory, especially amid a new Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast. Source: European Pravda, citing Voice of America (VoA) Details: Western partners have been providing weapons to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion to combat Russian aggression and to be used exclusively on sovereign Ukrainian territory. The journalists asked the senators whether this stance should change, especially given the new offensive by the Russian occupation forces in Kharkiv Oblast. In particular, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal has not ruled out that strikes against some Russian targets may be justified. "I support Ukraine's use of US-provided weapons in accordance with our mutual interests. Targeting certain Russian targets may be justified while others may not; therefore, I would approach them selectively. But in general, this must be the most aggressive use of the weapons we provide," he said. Republican Senator John Cornyn says the ban on the use of US weapons to target Russia is a mistake. "In my opinion, the Biden administration, unfortunately, is trying to micromanage how Ukraine defends itself. Similarly, they are now trying to micromanage how Israel defends itself against Hamas," the senator said, adding that the Biden administration's failure to provide long-range weapons "gave the Russians the advantage and the ability to attack Ukraine without the Ukrainians being able to stop them." At the same time, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth believes that it is not the time to lift the ban on the use of US-supplied weapons outside Ukraine. "I think we need to keep this ban in place for now, but we will definitely talk to the administration about the future steps," she said. Duckworth added that the initiative to lift the ban on the use of US weapons to strike Russian territories should come from the White House. Instead, more support should be sent to Ukraine as soon as possible, the senator stressed. Background: During his visit to Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, commenting on the issue of Ukraine's use of US-provided weapons, stated that Washington, as before, does not authorise the use of the weapons for strikes against Russia. However, unlike previous statements from the White House, he did not oppose such strikes in principle. Meanwhile, the Pentagon stated that the US position on the use of US weapons within Ukraine has not changed. Support UP or become our patron! The prospects for troubled banking-as-a-service startup Synapse have gone from bad to worse this week after a United States Trustee filed an emergency motion on Wednesday. The trustee is asking to convert the companys debt reorganization Chapter 11 bankruptcy into a liquidation Chapter 7, according to court documents. The trustee wrote that the need for Chapter 7 resulted from Synapse grossly mismanaging its estate so that losses were continuing with little reasonable likelihood of reorganization that would allow the company to emerge on the other side and carry on. This new development is significant because Synapse founder Sankaet Pathak earlier this month alleged that its former partners owe it millions, by its own accounting, and were not paying up. Those partners have been insisting that Synapses allegations have no merit. San Francisco-based Synapse, which operated a platform enabling banks and fintech companies to develop financial services, was founded in 2014 by Bryan Keltner and Pathak. It was providing those types of services as an intermediary between banking partner Evolve Bank & Trust and business banking startup Mercury, among others. Synapse filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 22 and, at the same time, announced its assets would be acquired by TabaPay. But on May 9, TechCrunch reported that TabaPays $9.7 million planned purchase of Synapses assets fell apart. At the time, Synapse said the problem was banking partner Evolve Bank & Trust. Evolve alleged that it was not involved in the sale, and was not to blame. Mercury also claimed Synapses allegations of being owed money had no merit. But the infighting between the companies continued. On May 13, Evolve Bank & Trust filed a motion for an order restoring access to Synapses dashboard system after alleging that it had been denied access to the startups computer systems and had been forced to freeze end user accounts. The U.S. Trustee alleged, according to court documents, that Synapse inexplicably cut off access to its computer systems on a weekend. While disputes exist among the parties there appears to be no reasonable explanation for the Debtor [Synapse] cutting off access to its computer systems and indeed the Debtor has since represented that full access has been restored. There appears to be no dispute that these actions have played a material role in end users losing access to their funds. At a minimum, an independent fiduciary is needed to see if a resolution can be reached that minimizes further harm to depositors. For all these reasons, the Debtor has grossly mismanaged the estate and ample cause exists to convert this case to chapter 7. Synapse admitted that it had no more cash or approval to use any cash after Friday, May 17. A hearing is scheduled for the U.S. Trustee's emergency motion for May 17. Hope remains that the proceedings could continue with no further shenanigans. In a creditor committee meeting that took place on May 15, shared on LinkedIn by Fintech Business Weeklys Jason Mikula, it was suggested that fintech clients of Synapse might provide some kind of funding to the company to enable it to keep operating in Chapter 11, presumably in an attempt to resolve the disruption to end users. TechCrunch has reached out to Synapse for comment. An Evolve spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that on May 11, "Evolve Bank & Trust faced an unexpected challenge when Synapse abruptly and without prior notice disabled our access to an account and transaction information dashboard controlled by Synapse and needed by Evolve. This sudden disruption significantly impacted our ability to maintain the visibility and transparency that Evolve needs to have into accounts and transactions. In response to this situation, Evolve took swift and decisive action to safeguard the security of end user funds and ensure compliance with applicable laws. As a precautionary measure, we made the difficult decision to freeze payment and card activity until we could successfully re-establish access to the dashboard as well as receive necessary account and transaction data and reports. While we understand the inconvenience this may have caused, this step was taken with the utmost consideration for the security and integrity of end user accounts. Evolve continues to work diligently to obtain necessary information from Synapse." The spokesperson added that Evolve has not unfrozen this activity because "Synapse has failed to provide daily transaction and account information that is necessary to process transactions...The account freeze was a precautionary measure to minimize the risks to end users and to Evolve. At this time, Evolve is not aware of any end user funds being lost as a result of Synapse denying Evolve dashboard access." The previous $9.7 million purchase price that TabaPay was going to pay for Synapse's assets are significantly lower than the over $50 million in venture capital that Synapse had raised from investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Trinity Ventures and Core Innovation Capital over time. Utah governor says he wants an ICE facility in the state 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) Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday said he wants U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to build a detention facility in Utah so the agency doesnt have to transport detained migrants to Las Vegas, which he said is creating a backlog. But the governor said efforts to work with ICE to allow state-run facilities to hold detainees for longer have been unsuccessful. We would love to have a holding facility here and we have made several offers to make that easier so there isnt this backlog when it comes to transportation, Cox said Thursday during his monthly PBS news conference. We can offer up these facilities and theyve turned down our offers unfortunately. I think they like the problem, exacerbating the problem, and thats deeply frustrating, Cox continued. ICE did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. However, staffing issues could explain why the agency wouldnt be able to operate a facility in Utah, per the governors request. ICE doesnt have the manpower to run a whole facility, said Adam Crayk, a Utah-based immigration attorney. Theres this issue between the feds and the state, where the state is willing to offer space but feds dont have manpower to actually run that space. In lieu of an ICE facility, Cox said Utah is detaining migrants who enter illegally and commit crimes. The problem has been with the Biden administration and ICE officials, the closest detention facility for us is in the Las Vegas area in Nevada, Cox said. ICE, the federal government, is supposed to transport these illegal immigrants, these lawbreakers, back to that holding facility where they can then be processed. We can hold them even longer here, but the Biden administration has put these rules in place that make it impossible for our jails to do that. Its deeply frustrating. However, instructing jails to hold detained migrants for longer periods of time could run afoul of federal law, Crayk said. If an undocumented person is arrested and incarcerated, ICE will place an immigration hold on them, but they are still in state custody. And if the arrest was for a non-felony offense, like a DUI, its unlikely a judge will order that person to remain in custody for a long period of time. Once a judge orders their release, the immigration hold is activated and ICE is notified that the jail cannot keep the person for more than 48 hours. Crayk said attempting to keep the person in custody for longer could be a violation of the Constitution. The jails dont hold them because they cant hold them. The jail has an obligation to let someone out, said Crayk. ICE agents have this difficult proposition hanging over their head as to what they are going to do with that person. Something like a DUI is not typically a deportable offense, said Crayk. Often, its classified as a public safety offense, meaning their unlawful presence in conjunction with a misdemeanor has placed the public in danger. ICE will then pick the person up and transport them to one of three immigration holding facilities in the Las Vegas area. Twice a week, the agency runs a shuttle from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas for these types of cases. There, a judge will decide whether the person should be released under a bond. For that to happen, the person needs to prove they are not a danger to the community or a flight risk. Whether the proceeding takes place in Salt Lake City or Las Vegas, nothing guarantees the person wont be released. It just means an immigration judge will make a decision as to whether or not the federal government wants to release that person back to the community, said Crayk. Cox has repeatedly criticized the federal government and Biden administration for its immigration policies. That rhetoric continued on Thursday. Ive reached out to Sec. Mayorkas directly and again, with ICE officials here, Cox said during his news conference. Weve had several meetings with the Department of Public Safety as well as the Sheriffs Association and so were getting to a better place, but again, the federal government when it comes to border security, when it comes to processing illegal immigrants, when it comes to deporting those who have broken the law, they are failing the country at every turn. figure, .tipContainer, .socContainer, .subscribeShortcodeContainer, .donateContainer {display:none !important;} .youtubeContainer { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; margin-bottom:12px; } .youtubeContainer iframe, .video-container object, .video-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100% !important; height: 100%; margin: 12px 0px !important; } .newsroomSidebar {width:35%;max-width:35%;padding:10px;border-top:solid 2px black;background-color:#d3d3d3;float:right;margin-left:50px;} .snrsInfoboxSubContainer {padding:10px;border-top:solid 2px black;background-color:#d3d3d3;} .halfwidth {float:right;width:50%;max-width:50%;} .indent2Container {margin-left: 1em;margin-bottom:1em; border-left: solid 1px black;padding-left: 2em;} @media only screen and (max-width: 600px) {.newsroomSidebar {max-width:95%;width:95%;margin-left:4%} .halfwidth {float:none;width:100%;max-width:100%;} } Utah News Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Utah News Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor McKenzie Romero for questions: info@utahnewsdispatch.com. Follow Utah News Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter. The post Utah governor says he wants an ICE facility in the state appeared first on Source New Mexico. Utah is the most religious state, according to new study SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The Beehive State has the largest share of religious adherents out of every other state in the nation, according to new research from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. The research found that 76.1% of Utahns adhere to a religious affiliation, which has been steadily increasing over the last decade. The next highest state was Alabama at 63.6%. The report used data from the U.S. Religion Census and described an adherent as including all people attending a religious congregation during the time of the study. LDS Church announces locations for new temples in Lehi, West Jordan Its no surprise the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the highest amount of adherents, according to the Institutes findings. The predominant faith reportedly grew by 11.3% from 1,910,504 adherents in 2010 to 2,126,216 in 2020. Meanwhile, Traditional Temples Hindus, Muslims and the National Baptist Convention had the highest growth rates in Utah. Within the state, Garfield, Rich and Box Elder counties lead in adherents as a percentage of the population, the report reads. The two largest counties in Utah by population Salt Lake County and Utah County have 67.4% and 89% adherents as a share of the population, respectively. The report did note that the timing of the count could have coincided with high travel seasons and tourist areas may include a large number of people who attended a worship service but live outside of the county. Rich County, for example, had over 100% adherents as a share of their population, the report said. This is likely due to Rich Countys small population relative to the large amounts of travelers attending worship services. Utah also has the eighth most congregations per 100,000 population of any state, which has steadily grown by 8.3% from 2010 to 2020. The full report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute can be found 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 ABC4 Utah. One of Californias largest utilities wants to run an experiment. Its lab subjects: the 9,600 residents of Orange Cove. Here is hoping those people do not suffer ill health, or worse, from what SoCalGas wants to do. SoCalGas, the big utility based in Southern California, supplies natural gas to Orange Cove. The company has proposed to state regulators a pilot project to test the feasibility of blending hydrogen into the natural gas that goes into Orange Cove homes and businesses. The goal is to see how well the mixture performs and if any problems develop. The ultimate goal driving SoCalGas is to meet state targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which come from burning fossil fuels like natural gas. Orange Cove, 35 miles east of Fresno, is aptly named, as it sits in beautiful citrus groves that attract visitors when the trees are blooming each spring. It is also at the far northern end of SoCalGas service area. Opinion A few years ago, Orange Cove was ranked by 24/7 Wall St. as the poorest community in California, with its poverty rate at 47.8% and its median annual household income at $25,660. That compares to the statewide household median income of $91,905. The California Public Utilities Commission has encouraged energy companies to investigate the feasibility of using hydrogen to offset natural gas as a fuel. Up to 5% of of a fuel stream could safely be hydrogen, UC Riverside researchers have found. SoCalGas is responding to that directive. The company portrays its pilot project in positive terms. The project would blend clean, renewable hydrogen with natural gas into the existing gas distribution system, SoCalGas says on its fact sheet about the proposal. This project would offer a real-world environment to better understand how clean hydrogen and natural gas can be safely delivered to customers in the future, the company adds. This is part of a broader effort by California and utilities to develop a standard for safe hydrogen blending, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. Neil Navin is the clean fuels officer for SoCalGas. We would not be doing this if we did not believe we could do it safely, he told me in a phone interview. Daniel Parra, Orange Coves city manager, told Bee staff writer Ramon Castanos that SoCalGas project was an excellent opportunity for residents. The notoriety would be good for the city, get some positive messaging out there, Parra said. It was Orange Cove who sought out becoming the pilot community, Navin said. Hydrogen blending Navin sees no downsides to the Orange Cove project, which will cost $26.8 million to construct and operate for 18 months. He says Hawaii Gas has blended hydrogen with natural gas for decades with no problems. Anyone who has ever ordered a cheese burger on Oahu had that meal cooked with blended gas, he points out. And parts of Canada, Europe and Australia use it, too. Typical gas stoves and other appliances will work fine with the blended gas, Navin said. And the cost of the pilot will be borne by SoCalGas 21 million customers, not just Orange Cove residents., Navin added. Opponents of hydrogen blending, however, have a number of criticisms: Hydrogen molecules are smaller than other constituents in natural gas, so hydrogen is more likely to leak. It also makes pipes and appliance connections brittle, which can also lead to leaking and even explosions. Navin said residential pipelines are low pressure, and that the threat of becoming brittle wont happen. When burned at a gas stove, hydrogen creates to more pollutants inside a home. That can worsen health problems residents might have already, like asthma. Hydrogen ignites more easily and is more explosive than methane, thus increasing the danger of explosions in buildings, Physicians for Social Responsibility said in a 2022 report. It places lives at risk. There are questions about whether hydrogen as a heating and cooking fuel is even needed in a residential setting. Physicians for Social Responsibility said other good means for lowering carbon use exist, such as heat pumps and electric appliances. Another group, Earthjustice, argues that California regulators are wasting time and money pursuing hydrogen when electricity is safer, cleaner and more practical. Leak monitoring SoCalGas project manager Blaine Waymire said Orange Cove will be monitored for any leaks. Should an alarm go off or a leak occur, we will be able to automatically shut that system down and call out a technician to ensure that the area was treated safely, he told Castanos. Navin said even a small percentage of hydrogen blended into gas can yield carbon benefits equal to taking 1 million vehicles off the road. But Rebecca Barker of Earthjustice, the environmental advocacy group, pointed out to me in an email that, at best, blending hydrogen will only reduce greenhouse gases by 7%. She said the states other big utilities Pacific Gas and Electric, San Diego Gas and Electric and Southwest Gas are also drawing up hydrogen blending pilots. Those projects will cost customers in California over $200 million, and they are only the tip of the iceberg of research that would be necessary to determine the feasibility of blending hydrogen in the gas system, she said. The real solution, she added, is electrifying homes, not continuing gas use. If the PUC approves the Orange Cove pilot, the commission should require that regular health assessments be made of residents to ensure no one is getting sick or harmed by the blended fuel. SoCalGas should also be mandated to make regular checks of homes for leaks. Given the poverty level in Orange Cove, it would not be surprising to learn that most residents cannot afford home upkeep, and piping in their homes might be old and broken down. SoCalGas has much to prove, not the least of which is good faith. After all, this is the company that used ratepayer funds to lobby against California policies aimed at addressing the climate crisis. Van driver hit by 47k after clean air fines sent to his old address Mr D'Agostino only found out about them when he updated the V5 logbook for his van in March - TELEGRAPH & ARGUS/SWNS A van driver has been hit with 47,000 worth of clean air zone fines after penalty charge notices (PCN) were delivered to his old address. Dale DAgostino was issued 317 PCNs for driving his 12-year-old Volkswagen Caravelle van inside the city of Bradfords clean air zone (Caz). But the letters were sent to an old address, meaning Mr DAgostino, 42, only found out about them when he updated the V5 logbook for his van in March. The Bingley-based businessman said he did not know how he would pay the five-figure sum, saying: Am I paying for the Bradford City of Culture on my own? Im not really sure how Im going to raise that sort of money. What am I going to do? Why havent these tickets been enforced so I could deal with it sooner? They know I have assets but I dont have this money so Ill have to sell everything to pay it. Bradfords Caz is similar to the London Ulez and requires that older, more polluting, vehicles must pay a daily tax to drive within its boundaries. The zone was introduced in September 2022, but Mr DAgostino claimed he was told by the council that his van was exempt. He said he has appealed against the fines to the city council, which rejected his pleas, and has now taken 14 of the PCNs to a tribunal. He said: Ive spoken with the council and they want all of them paid. Ive appealed them and Ive put all the information forward but they got rejected. Ive been to my first tribunal for the first 14 PCNs, but I havent had a decision back. White list He said: I was told I would be added to a white list. Roll on two years, I wanted to remove my private plate and could not find my V5 logbook so applied for a replacement. In doing so came a load of Caz fines. As these tickets started stacking up, I wondered why I didnt have an exemption. A spokesman for Bradford Council said it always trys to help, adding that it was the drivers responsibility to pay any taxes or fines due. The spokesman said: Businesses and residents within the Bradford District have been eligible to apply for a vehicle exemption from Caz charges since prior to the launch of the Caz. The Caz was started in September 2022 and all Bradford businesses and residents have been given the opportunity to apply for exemptions for their vehicles which means they can pass through the Caz free of charge at all times. It is the vehicle users responsibility to check their vehicle and pay any charge due via the national governments central service payment portal. Private number plates have caused problems in the past with other vehicle charging zones. A London plumber who fitted personalised number plates to his fleet of vans ran up hundreds of pounds in Ulez fees despite his vehicles being compliant. Sam Reading bought four registration plates that created the words GAS JOB for his company vehicles to help promote a distinct brand for his business. But he discovered that despite his vans only being a few years old and Ulez compliant, he was being charged 15 whenever the vehicles were driven in London. Transport for London cancelled the fines, saying its computer systems were only updated every four weeks with the latest addresses and contact details for registered keepers. 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. TOKYO, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan on Friday started the sixth round of release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. Despite opposition among local fishermen, residents as well as backlash from the international community, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant's operator, started releasing the radioactive wastewater in the morning, the second round in fiscal 2024. The same as the previous rounds, about 7,800 tons of wastewater are being discharged from about a kilometer off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture via an underwater tunnel until June 4. According to the TEPCO, the concentrations of all radioactive substances other than tritium in the water stored in the tank scheduled for release were below the national release standards, while the concentration of tritium that cannot be removed will be diluted with seawater. The Chinese Embassy in Japan expressed firm opposition to this unilateral move of ocean discharge. While safety and reliability have yet to be ensured, Japan's dumping of nuclear-contaminated water has repeatedly raised risks to neighboring countries and marine ecology, a spokesperson for the embassy said. The spokesperson called on the Japanese side to attach great importance to the concerns at home and abroad and to fully cooperate in setting up an independent international monitoring arrangement that remains effective in the long haul and has the substantive participation of stakeholders. Hit by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. The plant has been generating a massive amount of water tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down the nuclear fuel in the reactor buildings. The contaminated water is now being stored in tanks at the nuclear plant. Despite furious opposition both at home and abroad, the ocean discharge of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water began in August 2023. In fiscal 2024, the TEPCO plans to discharge a total of 54,600 tons of contaminated water in seven rounds, which contains approximately 14 trillion becquerels of tritium. Pope Francis has said that Virgin Mary apparitions are 'not always real' - Vatican Pool/Getty Images Europe The Vatican has tightened its rules on verifying supernatural phenomena in an effort to stop the Catholic faithful from falling for religious hoaxes. Alleged sightings of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and crucifixes dripping blood are among reported spiritual occurrences that the Church said only the Pope can validate. A document released by the Vaticans doctrinal office and countersigned by Pope Francis aims to stop hoaxers from exploiting the gullible and profiting from their claims. The age of social media has led to an escalation of alleged sightings, with Pope Francis casting scepticism on their validity. In an interview with Italian broadcaster, RAI TV, last year he said that Virgin Mary apparitions were not always real. The Vatican document, which updates previous 1978 rules, said any claims of supernatural sightings or other phenomena should be assessed cautiously because of their potential to con people for money or power. The use of purported supernatural experiences or recognised mystical elements as a means of or a pretext for exerting control over people or carrying out abuses is to be considered of particular moral gravity, it said. The Catholic Church has had a long history of people claiming to have seen the Virgin Mary, of statues weeping tears of blood and stigmata that mimic the bodily wounds of Christ. Sites such as Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal, where apparitions of Mary have been officially recognised by the church are now visited by millions of pilgrims. But in a recent case in Italy, a bishop in Trevignano, on the shores of Lake Bracciano north of Rome, was forced to declare alleged apparitions of Mary bogus and ordered the woman at the centre of the claims to end her monthly gatherings, which were drawing the faithful from all over Italy. Prominent church figures who claimed to have experienced stigmata, such as the late Italian priest Padre Pio, and Pope Francis namesake, St Francis of Assisi, have inspired millions of Catholics, although the authenticity of their claims are still fiercely debated. 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. Jessica Blake with her dog Toby who both fell ill after visiting Brixham in early May For Jessica Blake, 37, of Portsmouth, her recent family holiday to the sleepy fishing port of Brixham should have ticked all the boxes. The May sun emerged from behind the clouds, the boats were bobbing in the harbour, and days were spent with her family strolling the shingley beach and walking the lush green cliff tops before tucking into fish and chips. But the rest and relaxation she experienced over her four-day stay did not last. As soon as she returned home to Portsmouth, Blake fell ill with severe nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhoea. Speaking to The Telegraph from her bed, she says she is certain she has cryptosporidium a waterborne parasite that is currently in the South West Water supply and affecting much of Devon. I have had severe diarrhoea and felt fluey and achy with no energy since Tuesday, she says. I cant eat anything and have been to the toilet 15 times in the space of 24 hours. The doctor says if I stop urinating, I need to go to A&E. And whats worse is that my dog an eight-year-old shih tzu called Toby is also ill with diarrhoea. Hes been really ill. As upsetting as this is for Blake, she is far from alone. According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) some 22 people have now been officially diagnosed with having contracted cryptosporidium. Hundreds more have fallen ill and are awaiting official test results, while more than 40,000 homes have been left unable to use tap water and advised to either boil their supply or drink bottled water. The disease, which affects both humans and animals, is known to be caused by groundwater contaminated by sewage or manure seeping into the water supply, infecting people, and then spreading by touch. But locals and holidaymakers like Blake have questioned how the contamination happened and whether South West Water could have warned people sooner to prevent them becoming ill. Brixham in south Devon, where locals are dealing with unfit drinking water - JAY WILLIAMS Ive never had a stomach bug like it, says Blake. I havent been able to work for a week, and I wont get compensation as I dont live in Brixham. Im also very aware that I was on holiday from May 6 to May 10, and South West Water only announced the contamination and warned people to boil water on May 15 a week or so later. I want to know how they let this happen? Did they hide it? Were they incompetent? They need to be investigated. It is a question echoed by Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall, MP for Totnes and South Devon: It is extremely frustrating that South West Water werent quicker to respond to reports of illness, and they initially denied that it was anything to do with their network. South West Water [needs to] clean up their act, provide support for residents and sort this out once and for all. And its not just local people who are questioning the time it took to identify the outbreak. We are actively investigating the cause, the extent of the contamination, and the actions taken by the water company, says a spokesman for the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the body responsible for the nations safe water. Our investigation will assess the timeliness of the company response and whether there were any shortcomings in the actions taken to protect consumers. It is this timeline from South West Water that, as the story unfolds, looks set to come under intense scrutiny. The company already under fire for its poor pollution record (two years ago, it received a one-star rating from the Environment Agency, and was heavily criticised by water regulator Ofwat in February this year) has said it was first notified by UKHSA of cryptosporidium in its water late on May 13. At this time, it says, its own monitoring suggested there was no presence of cryptosporidium in the water supply which again may be an issue for investigation. It then carried out further monitoring in the Brixham area identifying small traces of the organism in the supply early Wednesday morning (15 May). We then acted immediately on that data, issuing the boil water notice affecting about 44,000 people, the company says. It is now spending all its resources on locating the source and managing the situation. But it is the locals who have been left to deal with the fallout. In scenes reminiscent of Covid, the crisis seems to have brought out both the best and worst in people. Some have been panic-buying water, with shops across the region being cleaned out of supplies. But others have set up distribution points and been banding together to deliver water to those in need, and check in on vulnerable neighbours and children, who are more likely to be affected by the disease. A local fruit and veg store spent 400 on water, offering free bottles free to the vulnerable, while the main school, Eden Park Primary and Nursery, closed for just one day before managing to open when water supplies came in. I, like others, have been driving around non-stop getting water to people, says Andrew Strang, Torbay Conservative councillor. I know some want to criticise the water company, but I think that now is not the time. Others however are not so easily appeased. Jacky Hopper, 59, also fell ill alongside her three grandchildren Luca, nine, Mia, seven, and Ella, three, before the warning from South West Water. My grandchildren came to stay with me on May 5, she says. Two days later, Mia was sick all night and I had to change her bedding three times. A day later it was Ella, and then Luca got it. They were all just being sick constantly and had diarrhoea. They were really very ill. Jacky Hopper of Brixham was very ill after drinking the water, as were her three grandchildren - Jay Williams After looking after her grandchildren, Jacky then fell ill herself on May 12 three days before the warning was issued. I really didnt know what it was until I saw the warning from South West Water, she says. From what I have heard, people were contacting the company to say they were sick, and the company was insisting the water was fine and just letting people keep drinking it. How could they do that? At the Compass House Medical Centre in the heart of Brixham, GPs said they were too busy dealing with patients to talk to The Telegraph, while the local Silverton Vets also reported chaos. Since last week, weve seen a huge rise in the numbers of people ringing to say their pets are ill with vomiting and diarrhoea, a spokesman told us. Weve had about 20 calls about poorly dogs and five calls about cats. We havent officially tested these animals for cryptosporidium, but we are sure it is that. Pet owners need to give their animals bottled water, and even wash their paws in this, in case they lick them. Meanwhile, local hospitality owners are saying the crisis has affected trade and criticise the 100 compensation offered to residents by South West Water a figure that began as 15, and was then upped after the backlash. Stephen King, 47, the owner of the Harbour View guest house and Brixham Holiday Homes, says: Ive had three cancellations at my guest house, at a personal loss of 1,200. And the holiday home business has seen five cancellations, so thats 5,000 lost to the individual property owners, and Ive lost my commission. Will we get compensation for that from the water company? I doubt it. Stephen King, of the Harbour View guest house in Brixham, is worried about bookings - Jay Williams Meanwhile, there has been some development on finding the source. On Friday/yesterday, Laura Flowerdew, South West Waters chief customer officer, confirmed the contamination is thought to be a broken air valve contaminated by animal faeces near the Hillhead Reservoir. We understand this is a damaged air valve on one of the pipes heading towards the reservoir in a farmers field, she said. There are cattle in the field and its a possibility thats the source of the contamination. Even if this is the case, however, experts warn it will still be a few weeks before things return to normal. Prof Paul Hunter, a leading expert in cryptosporidium based at the University of East Anglia, says: It makes sense that it came from a faulty valve, but even when the valve is fixed though, the whole system has to be flushed through. Sometimes, when pipes run off the main network and go to separate houses, it is difficult to flush these. So it is all a guessing game as to when it will be safe again. As this rumbles on, however, some locals are urging visitors to see beyond the water crisis and support the town. Weve had a few cancellations, but its been OK, says Geoff Paris, of the Berry Head Hotel. We cant serve coke or lemonade as they are water-based, and we need to clean the beer pipes weekly with water, so sooner or later we might not be able to serve pints too. We can still serve real ale from casks, or people can drink gin though. Geoff Paris of the Berry Head Hotel urges visitors to continue to support the town - Jay Williams Paris adds: The sun is shining, and we have a lovely town with great independent shops and the best sea views in the country. We would just urge people not to shun Brixham, but instead please come. 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. (KRON) The Piedmont Police Department is investigating an incident of arson after a vehicle was torched early Friday morning. Piedmont PD and firefighters responded to a report of a vehicle fire at 1:15 a.m. in the 200 block of Crocker Avenue. Sonoma State University president abruptly announces retirement The fire department quickly extinguished the blaze and prevented other damage. A review of video footage of the incident confirmed it was a case of arson, police said. Photo: Piedmont PD Photo: Piedmont PD Photo: Piedmont PD Photos sent out by police showed the vehicle completely gutted by the fire. Police describe the investigation as 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. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) The Michigan Attorney Generals office announced this week that there was a prolific auto theft ring bust where six men were arrested on the east side of the state, and some of the vehicles were stolen from West Michigan. Police say the alleged criminal group stole more than 400 vehicles worth upwards of $8 million across several Michigan counties. A spokesperson with the AGs office told News 8 that some of those stolen vehicles came from the Grandville area. Kent County has seen an uptick in car theft over the past four years, according to Prosecutor Chris Becker. Anybody who looks around is seeing a lot more vehicle thefts, he said. In general it seems to be juveniles, kids underage that are engaged in this behavior via were seeing this stuff online like the KIA boys, whatever it may be. It started in COVID where they were stealing from dealerships and now its kind of evolved that theyre breaking into cars in neighborhoods. Theft of more than 400 vehicles in Michigan leads to the arrest of 6 men The six men arrested in the latest bust were charged with conducting a criminal enterprise and the use of a computer to commit a crime, both are 20-year felonies. Where we really move into getting the serious charges are the CCE. The continuing criminal enterprise but then you need a group, Becker said. You need an organization. You need a bunch of individuals coming together to engage in car thefts. Grand Rapids Police Departments latest crime mapping data shows they have responded to 323 vehicle theft calls since the start of the year. Simply stealing a car, people are usually surprised, even in the adult court youre probably looking at probation unless youve engaged in a bunch of them, Becker said. Graduates of the inaugural Grand Rapids Alternative Correctional Experience (GRACE) program have shown progress in redirecting local youth towards a productive life and away from crime. The initiative was launched earlier this year by Pilgrim Rest Pastor Darryl Gaddy amid the uptick in juvenile crime. Were doing everything we can to stop that, weve got a new program working with Pastor Getty the Grace Program, which is trying to divert them and some of those kids who are in the program were involved in receiving and concealing motor vehicles, unlawful driving away, Becker said. So were doing everything we can to try to combat that and get them to understand that they cant be doing this. Additionally, the Combined Auto Theft Team or CATT monitors and investigates car theft crimes in Kent County with the help of Kentwood, Grand Rapids, Wyoming police departments and the Kent County Sheriffs Office. Theyre doing a lot, but they are getting frustrated, he said. Because so many of these car thefts are involving juveniles, theyre saying (and asking) why theyre not getting lodged. Theyre getting it out and doing it again. Michigan State Police is working with its fugitive team to locate and arrest two additional suspects connected to this weeks arrest. All of these suspects are adults. 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 Santa Paula man was sentenced to prison after nearly killing his neighbor during an argument. Richard Steven Valencia, 45, was sentenced Thursday to 25 years to life in prison for the attempted murder, according to the Ventura County District Attorneys Office. On Oct. 9, 2020, Valencia was involved in a verbal argument with his neighbor outside of their Santa Paula apartment complex. Details on what prompted the argument remain unclear. Later that day, Valencia spotted the neighbor walking in the area and confronted him once again. During the confrontation, Valencia pulled out a gun from his pocket and pointed it at the neighbors face, authorities said. As the argument continued, Valencia fired two shots, striking the neighbor in the face and neck. He then fled the scene before police could arrive. Richard Steven Valencia, 45, is seen in a booking photo from the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment where he survived the shooting, but was left paralyzed from the neck down. Two days later on Oct. 11, 2020, Valencia was arrested by Santa Paula police. The shooting was also captured on surveillance video, investigators said. On March 26, Valencia pled guilty to four felony counts including attempted murder, assault with a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. He also admitted to several special allegations including personal and intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and two strike priors. Valencia is also a known gang member, the DAs office said. The crime was senseless and had a tragic outcome, said Sean Alexander, the Deputy District Attorney who prosecuted the case. Fortunately, he will no longer be able to victimize members of our community. 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. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A local veterinarian and his husband, who each pled guilty to animal cruelty charges in 2021, went back to jail this week after they allegedly violated a term of their probation agreement which barred them from owning exotic animals. Dr. Aaron Stachmus and his husband Bryson Anglin faced 18 animal cruelty charges in July 2021 after Cleveland County authorities found hundreds of malnourished exotic animals on their farm. We took 356 animals off this property, Oklahoma veterinarian and his husband facing 18 animal cruelty charges According to the arrest affidavit in the 2021 case, police found numerous animals including lemurs, foxes, otters, coatimundi, horses and many more species at the couples Norman farm. It said many of the animals did not have access, or only had limited access, to food and water. It also said many were found injured, some severely. In May 2023, as the case was set to go to trial, both men pleaded guilty to the 18 charges in exchange for a deferred sentence agreement. The agreement allowed the men to go on probation for five years. They would not be sentenced until they completed the probation in May 2028. The rules and conditions of their probation stipulated they shall not possess exotic animals. On May 7, the Cleveland County District Attorneys Office submitted an application to accelerate Stachmus deferred sentence, claiming he violated the terms of probation by possessing exotic animals. City of Norman files charges against Oklahoma veterinarian, his partner after hundreds of animals seized A judge signed off an arrest warrant, and Stachmus was arrested. He was released from jail after posting a $50,000 bond on May 9. On May 10, the Cleveland County District Attorneys office submitted the same application to accelerate in Anglins case, claiming he also violated the terms of probation by possessing exotic animals. Bryson-Anglin-Application-to-Accelerate_RedactedDownload A judge also issued an arrest warrant for Anglin. Authorities arrested Anglin this week and a judge set a $50,000 bond. Court records do not indicate if Anglin has bonded out as of Thursday. News 4 reached out to the Cleveland County District Attorneys office for more information on Stachmus and Anglins alleged parole violations. They told News 4 they could not speak on the case, but that the Cleveland County Sheriffs Officewho arrested the menwould likely be able to say more. A spokesperson for the Cleveland County Sheriffs Office says they plan to release full details on the arrests Friday morning. According to the Oklahoma Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners online database, Stachmus still has an active veterinary license. News 4 found he still runs Brookwood Animal Clinic in south Oklahoma City. City of Norman files charges against Oklahoma veterinarian, his partner after hundreds of animals seized News 4 stopped by the clinic on Friday to talk to Stachmus. Inside the lobby, News 4 saw numerous cages and tanks full of fish, reptiles and birds. When News 4 asked to speak to Stachmus, a receptionist confirmed Stachmus was there, but said he was too busy to talk. 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. Security video captured a robber violently beating a man to steal his Rolex watch in downtown Los Angeles. The incident happened on April 28 as the suspect followed the victim into a building on the 800 block of West 1st Street. The suspect was identified as Pablo Garcia, 25, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Video shows the victim entering the lobby of a building and approaching an elevator door. Garcia, who is wearing a black and white hoodie, is seen following closely behind. As the victim faces the elevator doors, Garcia grabs the mans Rolex watch on his wrist. As the victim turns around, Garcia punches him in the face, knocking him to the ground. The victims sunglasses and possibly his wallet are seen flying across the lobby floor. Garcia struggles to remove the watch from the mans wrist. As the victim tries to sit up, the suspect repeatedly punches him in the head and face, eventually knocking him unconscious, police said. A suspect was arrested after beating a man unconscious to steal his Rolex watch in downtown Los Angeles on April 28, 2024. (Los Angeles Police Department) A suspect was arrested after beating a man unconscious to steal his Rolex watch in downtown Los Angeles on April 28, 2024. (Los Angeles Police Department) A suspect was arrested after beating a man unconscious to steal his Rolex watch in downtown Los Angeles on April 28, 2024. (Los Angeles Police Department) A suspect was arrested after beating a man unconscious to steal his Rolex watch in downtown Los Angeles on April 28, 2024. (Los Angeles Police Department) Pablo Garcia, 25, is seen in a booking photo from the Los Angeles Police Department. A photo showing a similar model to the victims stolen Rolex watch which police are searching for. (Los Angeles Police Department) The suspect eventually removes the watch and quickly runs out of the buildings front doors. On May 14, Garcia was located and arrested by authorities in Downey. He was arrested on robbery charges and is currently being held on $450,000 bail. The victim was eventually treated for his injuries and is recovering, LAPD said. Investigators strongly believe there are additional, unreported victims of Garcia, police said. Garcias booking photo was released in hopes additional victims may recognize him and come forward. Police are also seeking the publics help to locate the victims stolen Rolex watch. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact LAPD Robbery Detective Geraldo Arrieta at 213-996-1868. The public can also call the LAPD at 1-877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org. Footage of the robbery can be seen in the video player 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 KTLA. OPINION: The Shenandoah County, Va., school board decided that the best way to address racism is to honor it. Editors note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the authors own. Read more opinions on theGrio. Years ago, I took my wife on her first road trip into the Deep South as we made the 11-hour trek from Washington, D.C., to Huntsville, Ala., to visit my parents. My wife, who is from Ghana and moved to New Jersey at age 11 before attending Howard University, had never been to the South before. Sure, shed been to Miami, but I think we can all agree that Miami and anywhere in Alabama arent quite the same thing. Like many people from, well, anywhere else, she was very concerned about the trip. Between all of the documentaries about the Civil Rights Movement, history, racist white people and the general idea that the South is where racism thrives, she was pretty much concerned that she was going to be called the n-word, potentially kidnapped and turned into an ancestor simply by crossing the imaginary border into the South. I assured her that wasnt the case, but it didnt take long for us to have our first (humourous) brush with racism. No more than two-plus hours outside of D.C., we hit a rest stop so my kids could use the restroom. We were right past the borders of Northern Virginia, which isnt an independent state but everybody who lives in the D.C. area knows the difference between Virginia and Northern Virginia, which is like the difference between Atlanta and Georgia. A whole group of bikers with confederate flags on their shirts was parked using the facilities. I spoke with one of the biker dudes about the weather, and we went our separate ways but she felt vindicated. The racism was awaiting us as soon as we hit Virginia. I laughed that off, but I also couldnt really disagree. Education That memory is the first thing I thought of when I read the recent news story about the all-white Shenandoah County, Va., school board that voted to restore the names of two schools originally named after racists and losers Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Turner Ashby. The two schools in question, currently Mountain View High School and Honey Run Elementary School, were renamed in the wake of the George Floyd murder in 2020 when folks made the historically correct decision to remove confederate symbols and change the names of schools named after THE LOSERS OF THE CIVIL WAR. I cannot stress enough how idiotic I think it is to honor the losers of the war that tore the country apart, but white folks gon white folks, ya know? Ill bet even Stonewall Jackson and nem are like, Really??? Wow what a group of idiots. We lost. Had we won, we definitely wouldnt have any schools named after the Union generals! Robert E. Lee even opposed monuments after it was all said and done. Why? Because erecting monuments and such would be too divisive. What are we even doing here? Despite what seems like many in the community who didnt want to change the names back to Stonewall Jackson High School and Ashby Lee Elementary, the conservative school board was like, Yeah, we definitely need to put these racists back on the marquee! HERITAGE, NOT HATE! Forget what message that sends to the students of color in those schools; its more important to honor THE LOSERS of the Civil War because apparently, the defenders of slavery and racism were men of high moral standing and character, more so than the school board that changed the names in the wake of George Floyds murder back in 2020. My gawd. Its bad enough that the racists have gained steam over the years with critical race theory bans and turning back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, but now districts are actively putting racists back on schools? Intentionally? White people never cease to amaze me with the audacity and gall. Especially since we all know what happens from here; the fact that this happened here means that other school districts might follow suit, not for a good reason, but to make a point. To say, I hate it here really doesnt cover how I feel. The aliens (and Robert E. Lee) must be so confused. Panama Jackson theGrio.com Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest), but he didnt answer the phone because the caller ID said: Unknown (Blackest). Make sure you check out the Dear Culture podcast every Thursday on theGrios Black Podcast Network, where Ill be hosting some of the Blackest conversations known to humankind. You might not leave the convo with an afro, but youll definitely be looking for your Afro Sheen! Listen to Dear Culture on TheGrios app; download it here. More must-reads: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with January Yusuf Makamba, Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, May 17, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with January Yusuf Makamba, Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, in Beijing on Friday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, welcomed Makamba's visit to China on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. He said that China-Tanzania relations had always been at the forefront of China-Africa relations over the past 60 years, which set a good example for developing countries to seek strength through solidarity and mutual assistance. China is willing to deepen political mutual trust, strengthen strategic alignment, expand practical cooperation and inject new connotation of the era into the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, Wang said. He said that China appreciated Tanzania's long-term valuable support on issues concerning China's core interests, and was willing to continue to firmly support Tanzania in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests, and independently exploring a development path suited to its national conditions. The two sides should expand cooperation in key areas such as trade and infrastructure, and tap potential for cooperation in processing and manufacturing, digital economy, blue economy and new energy, Wang added. Wang said that the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is the most important platform and mechanism for strengthening solidarity and cooperation between China and Africa. A new FOCAC summit will be held in Beijing this autumn. China sincerely invites Tanzania to join in this event together with other African countries and make greater contribution to the building of an even stronger China-Africa community with a shared future. Noting that Tanzania and China enjoy profound traditional friendship, Makamba said that the two countries had always trusted and supported each other since the establishment of diplomatic ties 60 years ago. Upholding the one-China policy is the cornerstone of Tanzania's relations with China, and Tanzania will continue to unswervingly support China on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns. Tanzania looks forward to enhancing exchanges of experience on governance, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and working closely with China on international and regional issues. Tanzania will actively participate in this year's FOCAC summit and believes that the summit will achieve greater success, he said. The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on international and regional issues of common concern. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with January Yusuf Makamba, Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, in Beijing, capital of China, May 17, 2024. (Xinhua/Liu Bin) Voters in one Boise legislative district will have a tough choice to make in a Democratic primary race that drew four distinct candidates, two of whom are nearly neck-and-neck in campaign contributions. The race to represent West Boises District 16 in the Idaho House attracted a range of challengers after former Rep. Colin Nash left the position B seat to focus on his new City Council role. Rep. Todd Achilles, who was appointed by Gov. Brad Little to replace Nash in February, is also running for the seat. The four Democratic candidates appeared to be in lockstep about the Idaho Legislatures recent actions: In Idaho Statesman interviews, they all emphasized the importance of overturning the states abortion ban, denounced efforts to ban harmful books from libraries, and sought to better fund public schools. But they told the Statesman it was their backgrounds and expertise, rather than policy goals, that distinguished them as candidates and gave them an edge. 2024 Democratic primary election candidates for House seat 16B, clockwise from top left: incumbent Todd Achilles, Dr. Jon Chu, Wayne Richey and Nikson Mathews. In Idaho, anyone can vote in the Democratic primary meaning any voter who resides in District 16 can choose to vote in this May 21 primary race. District 16 includes Boise areas east of Pierce Park Lane, south of Hill Road, west of 28th Street and north of Interstate 184. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Jackie Davidson, who is running unopposed for the seat in the Republican primary, in the November general election. Rep. Todd Achilles touts experience Achilles, 57, said his time working as a legislator gave him experience building coalitions with Republicans to pass legislation. He touted the Legislatures passing of a bill that provided including the provision of $2 billion in funding for Idaho school facilities and rejection of bills he viewed as harmful, such as one that would have narrowed the scope of Idahos Terrorist Control Act to apply only to people linked with foreign, rather than domestic, terror organizations. Lobbying is one thing, but legislating is hard work, Achilles said. It takes a lot of conversations, kind of establishing that trust between yourself and other legislators. Its not just understanding the policy but being able to work across the aisle to get good things done for the state. As an Army veteran and a member of the American Federation of Teachers union, he brings to the table 30 years of experience in the military, business and nonprofit worlds which gives him breadth to cover the wide array of issues that come before the Legislature, he said. He teaches public policy at University of California Berkeley and previously worked for T-Mobile, Hewlett-Packard and startups. Nikson Mathews affected by bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights If money is any indication, Achilles top challenger in the race will be Nikson Mathews, 40, an advertising creative director and adjunct professor at Boise State University. Mathews raised over $43,000 as of May 16, compared with Achilles approximately $42,000, according to Idahos campaign finance tracking website. Mathews has received several small donations, which they said shows the grassroots nature of their campaign. But most of Achilles funding came from donors in Idaho, while about half of Mathews came from out of state. Mathews said many of those donations came from family and friends, while others stemmed from securing the LGBTQ+ Victory Funds endorsement. The Victory Fund, which supports LGBTQ+ candidates, noted in its endorsement that Mathews would be the first openly transgender person elected in Idaho. Mathews is new to politics, though they have worked as a lobbyist for Add the Words, Idaho, a nonprofit advocating to protect LGBTQ+ Idaho residents from discrimination. In that role, Mathews was behind the scenes building relationships with legislators and researching bills, they said. Mathews focus is on being able to bring people together, especially those affected by the bills the Legislature is considering. Mathews has found success getting women, LGBTQ+ people, young people, teachers and health care providers involved. Its the people who are being impacted, very personally, by these bills who have been most active in Mathews campaign, Mathews said. I think they see in me someone who is being impacted by these bills. I understand it, not just at an academic level, but I understand these things on a personal level. I think I bring something new and different, and thats important, Mathews added. Jon Chu says he would bring needed medical expertise Dr. Jon Chu, a retired family physician, is also new to politics and readily admits he has more to learn. He frames his willingness to ask questions (to seek curbside consults, as doctors call them) as a strength he would bring to the Legislature. As a family physician, one of the things that was really important is knowing what one doesnt know, and knowing how to find out, where to find out, who to talk to, he said. Like Mathews, Chu, 63, told the Statesman that he had little interest in running for office but felt a need to fill what he saw as a gap in representation at the Capitol. The last doctor in the Legislature, former Rep. Fred Wood, retired in 2022 after 16 years in the House. What we havent had in the Legislature for awhile is a medical background, he said. In his submission to the Statesmans Voter Guide, he wrote, In too many circumstances, our Legislature has chosen to insert itself between a patient and their provider, a place that the Legislature does not belong. Chu lags behind Mathews and Achilles in fundraising. As of May 16, he had raised about $9,300 but still felt good about his chances in the race. Money isnt everything, he said, adding that he believes his campaign has been frugal. Wayne Richey focused on affordable housing Wayne Richey, an autobody technician whos focused on slowing the areas rapidly rising cost of living, acknowledged the other candidates are campaigning harder than he is, though he said he believed anyone could win. As of May 16, he had not raised any money for his campaign. Richey, 64, who ran for Boise mayor in 2019 with the goal of stemming the tide of Californians moving into the area, seemed less focused on winning than on shifting the conversation to the lack of affordable housing, a topic he considers the elephant in the room. He said nobody running for office cares about the areas rapidly increasing cost of living though Achilles, Mathews and Chu all also described the issue as a priority in their interviews with the Statesmans editorial board. Richeys focus on the issue is driven by his personal experience. He has four kids who moved back home because they couldnt find affordable housing. In his year driving for Lyft in 2018, he continually heard that his passengers were barely making ends meet. From his perspective, its an existential issue that will determine the future of Boise. What other place in the world is unacceptable to run off your kids to move rich people in, just because they have more money? he said. Were selling off our hometown to get rich at the expense of our children. For Mathews and Chu, too, the future is top of mind. Neither of them aim to stay in politics long-term, they said. If Chu is elected, his long-term goal is to take what I have learned and try to recruit other physicians, like-minded physicians, and mentor them and try and get them to run and take over as I step down. The Idaho Legislature, he said, needs a permanent medical presence that can contribute a scientific, medically oriented thought process. Mathews aims to pave the way for a new generation of candidates, they said. What became clear to me as Ive been doing this work is that we have a younger generation who feels like they arent being seen, Mathews said, and theyre looking forward to a world that is scary. Whos running for Boises Legislative District 16? Hear from the candidates The Mercedes Benz logo is on the hood of a Mercedes on display at the 2018 New York International Auto Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on March 28, 2018. The company's Alabama plant is voting to unionize on Friday. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI May 17 (UPI) -- Workers at Mercedes-Benz's automotive plants near Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Friday voted against joining the United Auto Workers union. The unionization bid failed in a 2,642 to 2,045 no vote, quashing UAW's southward push. Voting ended Friday morning with the UAW touting that a "super majority" of the workers had already signed union cards, hinting that they were open to the idea of forming a union despite management's aggressive attempts to get them to vote "no." Victory, however, was never guaranteed. Pro-union workers at the Alabama plants have for decades tried and failed to build enough support to hold a union election. More than 5,000 workers were eligible to vote. There were 51 challenge votes that were not counted as they would not have changed the outcome of the election. There also were five void ballots. It is a rare feat to unionize any employees in the South, which has been traditionally anti-union but a trend that seemed to be reversing a bit with the Volkswagen plant workers in Tennessee opting to join the UAW last month. Alabama's Republican leadership had framed the union vote as a threat to the state's economic success. "The workers ... have spoken clearly!" Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement. "Alabama is not Michigan, and we are not the Sweet Home to the UAW. We urge the UAW to respect the results of this secret ballot election." The UAW's success in winning major concessions from Ford, General Motors and Stellantis last year has rejuvenated the country's union movement and caught the attention of autoworkers in the South who have fallen behind in wages and benefits. Mercedes-Benz workers had said they want to take on scheduling consistency, respect for management and accountability if they became a union. "I am for a union because I want a voice, better pay and an opportunity to get home and play with my roses in my yard," Mercedes-Benz employee Kay Finklea told the Tuscaloosa News. "That's an enjoyment of mind and I miss doing that. So, it be able to get off, and just relax and smell the roses." The UAW is not likely going down without a fight. A week before votes were tallied, the union had filed unfair labor practice charges against Mercedes for allegedly intimidating workers prior to the election. Under a new National Labor Relations Board standard, Mercedes could be forced to bargain with the UAW if the company is found to have interfered in the election. Each side has five business days to file objections alleging there was interference in the election. If no objections are filed, the election results will be certified and the UAW will have to wait a year to file for another union election. Across the nation, college administrators are cracking down on pro-Palestenian speech. In Texas, police violently broke up peaceful protests, and one college even reportedly told students that they couldn't use the phrases "Israel," "Zionism," or chant in Arabic. At Brandeis University, police shut down a pro-Palestine protest because its president said it had "devolved into the invocation of hate speech." While progressives have tended to support campus censorship efforts in recent years, an article in Vox by writer Eric Levitz argues that the left should embrace free speechand that its push to censor speech in the name of inclusion and social justice was misguided. "Should students concerned with social justice rethink their previous skepticism of free speech norms, for the sake of better protecting radical dissent? I think the answer is yes." wrote Levitz. "There is reason to believe that progressives would be better equipped to resist the present crackdown on pro-Palestinian advocacy had social justice activists not previously popularized an expansive conception of harmful speech." Levitz's article also argues that rejecting censorship could lead the left to find more allies when their ideas are on the chopping block. "In a world where right-of-center intellectuals had more cause for believing that their defense of leftists' free expression would be reciprocated," Levitz wrote, "it seems plausible that opposition to the Antisemitism Awareness Act might be a bit more widespread and its prospects for clearing the Senate somewhat dimmer." While Levitz's piece is refreshing, its support for free speech isn't about adopting a new appreciation for the principles of free expression, regardless of political viewpoint. It's about adopting the best policies to protect left-wing ideas. Save several paragraphs reminding progressives that debate is necessary for finding the truth and that "the more insulated any ideological orthodoxy is from critique, the more vulnerable it will be to persistent errors," Levitz's argument is pragmatic in nature. He spends most of the piececorrectlyarguing that if progressives had been willing to take a stand against censorship of right-wing beliefs, the current norms allowing for the censorship of pro-Palestine activists would not have been set in place. However, if your reason to defend speech is purely practical and self-interested, it becomes much easier to indulge in exceptions to your free speech principles. Surely, allowing the censorship of the most offensive, unproductive viewpoints couldn't be used to justify the suppression of your own, much better, ideas, right? Levitz even hints at such exceptions. "If adopting a permissive attitude toward campus speech entailed significant costs to progressive causes, then doing so might be unwise," he wrote, later adding, "Defending free speech and standing up for the disempowered may sometimes be competing objectives." When your defense of free speech comes from a core, universal principle, calls for censorship are unthinkable. This is why, for example, it's so frustrating to see Levitz group the First Amendment nonprofit the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) with a long list of "conservatives" who have spoken out against censorship of pro-Palestinian activism. FIREand everyone else smeared as "conservative" for standing up against censorshipdoesn't begrudgingly defend left-wing speech so that right-wing speech will stay protectedthey're a nonpartisan organization that defends First Amendment rights because they believe fiercely in the importance of free speech. Perhaps the biggest flaw is that Levitz's piece still doesn't make the core realization that there can be true, principled, defenders of free speechthose who truly think a nation with more ideas and more voices, even offensive ones, is better than one with fewer. Instead, he sees speech protections as a kind of truce, a decision from both the left and right to leave each other alone so they can both best further their political goals. We would have a better, more functional world if more peopleleft or rightwere willing to passionately defend the free speech rights of those with whom they disagree. However, getting to that world requires that people let go of the idea that censorship is ever a good idea, not merely that it's impractical. The post Vox Wants Progressives To Support Free Speech for the Wrong Reasons appeared first on Reason.com. VSP: One dead after Lee County crash Editors Note: This story has been updated to reflect new information from Virginia State Police. LEE COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) One person is dead after a single-vehicle crash in Lee County, Virginia on Friday. According to Virginia State Police (VSP), troopers responded to a crash on Veterans Memorial Highways and Town Branch Road around noon. VSP reports a 2018 Chevrolet SUV was heading westbound on Route 58A near Town Branch when it went off the road to the left and hit a tree. Saltville man drove with dead woman in vehicle for 8+ hours, sheriff reports A female driver died at the scene, VSP stated. She was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt. No further details were 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 WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. BLACKSBURG, Va. (WFXR) Virginia Tech (VT) has announced that the first Black student to be admitted into the university, Irving L. Peddrew III passed away on May 11. He was 88. Peddrew was the first Black student to be admitted to a historically white, four-year public institution in any 11 former states of the Confederacy. He integrated Virginia Techs classrooms in 1953 and is known on the campus for blazing the trail for other Black students. More than six months before the Supreme Court decision on the historic Brown v. Board of Education case, Peddrew arrived in the Town of Blacksburg. During his first year at the university, he was the only Black person among 3,322 students. While enrolled at the university, Peddrew was forced to live and eat off-campus. He chose to withdraw from the university before the start of his senior year. Despite this decision, his academic performance and character left a mark on the Hokie community. Virginia Tech celebrates nearly 8,000 Hokies in 2024 graduation ceremony Mr. Peddrew endured unfair and oppressive treatment with dignity and strength, hoping to make a difference for those who would follow him and he did, said Sands. It was an honor to know him and present him with the Virginia Tech degree he earned. He will be remembered as a leader among those who laid the foundation for our growth as a diverse and inclusive institution. Peddrew, center, received an honorary degree from Virginia Tech at the 2016 University Commencement ceremony. (Photo by Logan Wallace for Virginia Tech.) In honor of his legacy, Virginia Tech named Peddrew-Yates Residence Hall after Peddrew and Charlie L. Yates, who was the universitys first Black graduate in 1958. In 2016, Peddrew became the ninth person to receive an honorary degree from Virginia Tech. President Tim Sands also conferred a bachelors degree in engineering to Peddrew during the commencement ceremony. It takes a special person to be a pioneer, said Baine, a member of the Class of 1995. Im grateful to Irving Peddrew who opened the door for thousands of Black students who followed at Virginia Tech. As a student, he chose to leave after three years, but he came back to Virginia Tech, time-after-time, later in life, to help connect our community. He was a dear member of the Hokie family, and we extend our condolences to his family. We will all miss him. While growing up in the City of Hampton, Peddrew attended George P. Phenix High School. There Preddew played the saxophone and clarinet. Education was a priority in his family and his parents attended Hampton University. During Peddrews search for the next steps in his education, he considered attending the University of Southern California. However, a teacher encouraged him to apply to several schools in Virginia, that never admitted Black students. After immersing himself in several applications, Virginia Tech was the only school that accepted him. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. VT police break record in annual hot dog fundraiser for Special Olympics I thought I would be a part of the student body all around, Peddrew said in 2020. I didnt know about all the restrictions. But since I was there, I said, Well, lets make the best of it. Peddrew as a cadet. (Photo courtesy: Virginia Tech) During several interviews, Peddrew described his time at VT as good and bad. He recalled school administrators telling him, Because of my performance and the way I carried myself during my first year, my freshman year, they were convinced that it didnt necessarily have to be a problem accepting more Black students. While under social pressure, things took a turn for Peddrew and he withdrew from the school. He recalled that rumors, that were not proven, began circulating that if he attended the Ring Dance, an event that celebrates rising seniors, nearby womens schools would not allow their students to attend. Shortly after, he continued his education at the University of Southern California (USC). Eventually, Peddrew moved back to Hampton and worked at the Newport News Shipyard and Hampton University. He retired in 1994. Years later, a moment came full circle. Peddrew learned VTs class of 2023 chose him to be the class ring namesake. I wasnt fully a student, Peddrew said when the honor was announced. I wasnt fully accepted, and now I am. I am. I really feel part of the university, and I can say, That I May Serve. A memorial wreath for Irving L. Peddrew III was placed within War Memorial Chapel on May 15. Photo by Clark Dehart for Virginia Tech 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 WFXRtv. GILLESPIE COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) Landowners are concerned about the future of the Pedernales River after recent filings for wastewater permits at two developments. The permits ask for permission from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to discharge treated wastewater on land near the river. Were trying to heighten awareness of whats going on in the county, said Katherine Peake with the Pedernales River Alliance. Their organization contacted KXAN about their concerns. The two new developments, Arch Ray Resort and The Village at Grape Creek, are unrelated but represent the rapid growth happening in the Hill Country. Arch Ray owner Shane Baxter and The Village developer Chris De La Mora both said that treated wastewater will be used for landscaping and irrigation. When these two TCEQ wastewater discharge permits came in, we really became concerned because the water quality of the river could be impacted, Peake said. The Pedernales River Alliance (Left to Right: Kris Weidenfeller, Katherine Peake, Deborah Youngblood) are pushing back against development along the river. (Credit: Eric Henrikson/KXAN) Its a river that used to be a pristine river, but because of things like fertilizer, runoff and cattle, and I mean, necessary things, I suppose the river has suffered, said Deborah Youngblood with the Pedernales River Alliance. Youngblood said shes spent a lot of her life along the river. Its easy to just whiz right through here and never see the river because its down here. Its beautiful. She worries the developers are not doing enough to protect it. A resort on the Pedernales River Baxters family lives in the area. Were six generations here in Central Texas. So we understand the importance of water, Baxter said. Beyond irrigation, the Arch Ray Resort plans to use treated wastewater for a water feature on the property, which features a brewery, winery and will eventually include a small community and hotel. Illegal dam on James River torn down, while another dam pops up in Mason County As long as theyre not dumping in the river, using it for a land application is a wonderful alternative, Youngblood said. According to Baxter, they filed the permit as a precaution. No discharge is planned for the nearby Pedernales River. However, a flood could cause some of the wastewater to flow into the river. Arch Ray Resort, just outside of Fredericksburg, hopes to be a home for the two million visitors to the area. (Credit; Eric Henrikson/KXAN News) Baxter showed KXAN the wastewater treatment system Arch Ray plans to use. Built in Central Texas, Baxter describes it as Ferrari of wastewater treatment systems, providing the drinkable water. The all in one machine was delivered to the property early this year but sits disconnected until permits are approved. Arch Ray invited members of the community out to see the system for themselves. Engineers were on hand to answer questions. We have everything in place to do things the right way. And I hopefully everyone else is gonna be doing the right things as well, Baxter said. Tiny home community near the river Further east of Arch Ray, the Village at Grape Creek is a tiny home masterplan community with 242 lots. Were developing it so that more families like mine can enjoy the Hill Country, De La Mora said. Based in Houston, De La Mora is the CEO of WellStar Properties. He said his family visits the Hill Country every couple of weeks, igniting his love for the area. Texas best kept secret endangered by environmentally sensitive development, land owner says While permits have been filed and a hearing set by TCEQ for June 13, construction has already begun. It looks like theyre putting in the roads and the infrastructure, like the water supply lines and the drain lines, said Kris Weidenfeller, who owns property next to The Village. De La Mora said theyve begun laying the groundwork, hopeful they get the approval by TCEQ. Weve started the construction so that we can get moving with this project and and bring this project to fruition for everyone to enjoy, De La Mora said. The Village at Grape Creek is currently under construction near Stonewall, east of Fredericksburg. The tiny home community is being built for more families to enjoy the Hill Country. (Credit: Eric Henrikson/KXAN) The Village plans to discharge wastewater into a ditch, which eventually connects to the Pedernales. While this wastewater will also be cleaned and deemed drinkable or potable, this plan still draws concerns from the Pedernales River Alliance. When it rains, its going to flush that water straight down to the river, Youngblood said. De La Mora hopes theyre taking the proper steps. Were trying to do everything right. And we certainly understand the responsibility to be good stewards of the land. I want to protect and keep the Hill Country as pristine as it is, just as much as as they do, De La Mora said. Other concerns about development near Fredericksburg Beyond the issues with the wastewater discharge plans, the Pedernales River Alliance worried about the lack of impervious cover. This includes things like sidewalks and new buildings. Impervious cover not only leads to runoff, but also makes it challenging for local aquifers to recharge. Theyre pouring concrete like crazy. So now youre also going to have storm water runoff added to all of this stew, Youngblood said about The Village. Texas development looks underground to stay cool during summer De La Mora said they hope to maintain the look of the land. No one wants a concrete jungle out there. So weve tried to maintain as much of its natural beauty as we can. Community members in Gillespie County are worried about the future of the Pedernales River after permits were filed for two new wastewater discharge plans. (Credit: Eric Henrikson/KXAN) Youngblood also said shes worried about the community being built at Arch Ray. That community will be managed by the resort for five years, after which an HOA will take over. Youngblood said she worries the HOA will not hold the community to the same standards. Baxter said he himself will likely be on the HOA, as he will own a home in the community, and that state regulations will keep them in check. We are really are trying to be well thought out to the point that our buildings actually plumbed and ready to go for rain collection system as well, Baxter said. We love this river. We dont want to see it turned into a sewer. It just breaks our hearts, Youngblood said. Ive got great grandkids, and I want to be able to come play in the river. So yeah, its home. 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. May 17 (UPI) -- Traffic on a California highway was brought to a standstill when a bear wandered out onto the roadway and paused to enjoy the view. Witness Dan Kanes captured video when the bear wandered onto the 14 Freeway near Newhall Avenue in Santa Clarita about 7 p.m. Tuesday. The video shows the bear wander out into the roadway, stopping traffic. The animal looks around for a few moments, before turning around and returning to the hills. "Motorists displayed compassion and patience for the bear," Kanes told KTLA-TV. He said the bruin appeared to be "a little confused." The 156-metre stretch across the Drawa River in western Poland would normally be a perilous scenario for approaching armies. But on Friday, British engineers showed how to quickly overcome a daunting obstacle and get battle tanks across troubled waters in just 18 minutes. Demonstrating skill and efficiency, they set up specially designed floating vehicles to open a crossing for military vehicles, leaving their American allies trailing behind, during a Nato exercise. As US soldiers took an hour to assemble a regular ribbon bridge, British engineers raced ahead using the Armys M3 amphibious rig, a 24.5-ton truck that folds out into a floating platform. The vehicles, which have their own nicknames ranging from M-3PO, inspired by the Star Wars character C-3PO, to M3 Hammer, after the rapper, first entered service in the 1990s and have not been used in combat since the beginning of the Iraq war. However, they have now become more strategically important than ever amid the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the threat of Russia to Eastern Europe. While Fridays exercise in Poland was part of a major Nato war game, in neighbouring Ukraine, a similar crossing could prove fatal for both sides where lengthy attempts to cross the waters of the Donbas have left troops sitting ducks. Near the small town of Drawsko Pomorskie, the first M3 appeared through the Polish woodland just before 6.40am as it approached the Jezioro Zly Leg crossing. British troops use an M3 amphibious rig to transport vehicles across a river in Poland during a Nato exercise - Jeff Gilbert Appearing at first simply to be a large military vehicle, two pontoons folded out on either side within seconds doubling the width of the rig, to the delight of those watching. Its like the flowers of a petal, noted one soldier as it successfully unfolded before 11 others made their way through the path carved through the birch and pine trees and splashed into the water one by one. Once the rig is swimming, the team of three on board immediately got to work putting its platforms into place with the assistance of a crane before they are linked together in threes to form ferries. Within 18 minutes of the first M3 hitting the water, the first Land Rovers and Army trucks began to move across the river to secure the crossing, which would welcome 65-ton Challenger 2 tanks later in the day. The US soldiers a few hundred metres upstream were still languishing behind linking the pontoons of their bridge, of which the sections were last used in combat in Vietnam, eventually opening after more than an hour. Barring one armoured vehicle which struggled to board, the British ferries then rotated seamlessly taking one to two vehicles at a time and moving off, before another collected the latest batch of armoured machines. Each crossing once the vehicles were loaded took just 45 seconds. Working at full speed, the set-up is capable of moving 200 vehicles per hour or sub unit of tanks in 20 minutes, and once their task is completed the M3s are capable of reaching 50mph back on land. British engineers transport across armoured vehicles using specially designed 'ferries' - Jeff Gilbert In front of Army chiefs, hundreds of vehicles crossed the rigs and two other crossings yesterday as the culmination of Exercise Immediate Response, part of the wider Steadfast Defender operation, a Nato war game and the largest deployment to Europe in 40 years. The two-week exercise involving British, Polish and US armies included nearly 2,400 UK troops and 1,105 vehicles including 22 Challenger tanks, 88 Warrior infantry fighting vehicles and 104 Bulldog armoured personnel carriers. I had a bet with the Americans Maj Ryan Ingram, the commanding officer of 23 Amphibious Engineer Squadron manning the M3s, said hed had a wager with the Americans over who could establish a crossing quickest throughout the week. The maths never lies. Its been a wager between me and my US peer with regards to which one is faster. So far, Im winning and I havent lost a round this week, he said before explaining the logistical advantages of the British approach. We can multiple stack on the ferries that allows us to put more over at a time because they are restricted by speed and they are also restricted by the fact vehicles cant hard-brake or anything on the pontoons. I have full faith that the science and maths is there. As long as the crews do as they are instructed, its really quite safe. In a real-life war situation such as in Ukraine, crossings could come under attack with vehicles stuck on bridges becoming easy targets. However, using ferries allows for a quick escape. We could just disappear Wed break and hide, he said. If any fire came into play, wed just break away and disappear into the river and to a safe location. There are more than 1,900 such river crossings in Northern Europe alone making the manoeuvre hugely important if Russia were to attack Nato allies. Its more important than ever that weve got this kind of capability: speed and manoeuvrability on the battlefield. We want to be in, out and gone before we have even been seen. Referring to Russians coming under attack while trying to gain territory while crossing in Ukraine, he added: If you are trying to cross a particularly difficult obstacle you want to be in and out the way before you are even seen. The Russians got it wrong. You can always learn from other peoples mistakes. This was the first Nato operation for Maj Ingram and his squadron since the Army lifted its ban on facial hair. Sporting a beard himself, he claimed it had made the regiment even more efficient. Youve got to adapt, youve got to go with change. There is no harm in change, he said. Weve not had any problems and on an exercise it saves us no end of water with shaving. Its one of those things we dont have to worry about in the field. 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. On Thursday night, a House Oversight Committee hearing on whether to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt quickly went off the rails, thanks to Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene insulting Representative Jasmine Crocketts appearance. The hearing was taking place because Garland refused to turn over recordings between President Biden and special counsel Robert Hur. Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat and the committees ranking member, was making opening remarks, before being repeatedly interrupted by Greene. In one such interruption, Greene asked if any Democrats on the committee were employing the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Donald Trumps hush-money trial. Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland, Crockett said, and Raskin remarked, Is she a porn star? to Greenes question, referencing adult film actress Stormy Daniels at the center of Trumps case. You know what were here for, Greene said, and, speaking over Crockett, added, I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading, to loud groans and protests in the room. Thats beneath even you, Ms. Greene, Raskin said, as Committee Chair James Comer tried and failed to call for order. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quickly moved to have Greenes words stricken from the congressional record. That is absolutely unacceptable, Ocasio-Cortez said loudly. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person! Are your feelings hurt? Greene retorted, to which Ocasio-Cortez replied, Baby girl, dont even play. Greene refused to apologize for her insult to Crockett, and in response, Greenes words were not taken down. Greene continued to argue with Ocasio-Cortez, asking to debate her, before insulting the New York congresswomans intelligence. But then, Crockett asked for a point of order. Im just curious, just to better understand your ruling: If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleach blonde, bad built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Crockett asked aloud, drawing audible laughs, a smirk from Raskin, and visible confusion from Comer, who did not understand what was going on. Watch the whole sequence below: This video lays out what happened in tonights heated exchange in the oversight hearing pic.twitter.com/7QTmpsa1eA Acyn (@Acyn) May 17, 2024 In a tweet later in the evening, Crockett called out Greene for refusing to apologize and Comer for allowing her remarks. This is what happens when mentally deficient people who cant read and follow rules or just dont give a damn somehow end up in CONGRESS! Crockett posted. Procedural matters over interruptions would slow things down considerably, and at one point, Republican Representative Lauren Boebert, who has feuded with Greene, voted with Democrats against a motion to allow Greene to speak. The chaotic atmosphere even seemed to spill over just outside the hearing. We have some members in the room who are drinking inside the hearing room who are not on this committee, complained Representative Melanie Stansbury. The hearing would eventually conclude, with the committee voting to hold Garland in contempt. For Greene, Thursday nights events may have hurt standing with her fellow Republicans even further, as she has already drawn her colleagues ire for her failed attempt to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. For Republicans themselves, its the latest example of a party and caucus in poor health, ruled by chaos. Flamingos, herons, pelicans... Turkiye's migratory birds returned to the capital city Ankara's lakes and ponds this year. Watch Pink Penis Balloons Fly At Trump Trial And Learn The Surprising Reason Why This was one political gathering for Donald Trump whose numbers had to be inflated. Pink balloons shaped like penises flew into the Manhattan sky outside of the former presidents hush money trial Thursday to protest those prosecuting him and other perceived enemies, the artist who launched them said. A floating presence for Trump, such as the Trump baby blimp, often is meant to mock the heavily indicted GOP presidential candidate. But not this time. The mylar army released from a U-Haul sported the faces of Alvin Bragg, the district attorney in Trumps current trial; trial Judge Juan Merchan; Jack Smith, the special counsel prosecuting Trump in federal cases related to election-scheming and the mishandling of classified documents; and Judge Arthur Engoron, who presided over Trumps business fraud civil trial and ordered him to pay hundreds of millions in fines. Im an artist, so what do I do? Return the favor by humiliating these dicks, Scott LoBaido said in video shared by Fox 5 New York reporter Michelle Arezou Ross. She also posted a clip of the balloons taking flight. 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 LoBaido told the New York Post the 100-balloon demonstration cost him about $1,500 and took him two days to put it together. He accused those behind the soaring visages of attempting to destroy Trump and the Constitution, the tabloid reported. Related... The week in politics: Franklin doctor to run for House after suing over TN abortion law A Williamson County OB/GYN who has sued Tennessee over its abortion ban is now running for a General Assembly House seat. Dr. Laura Andreson, running as a Democrat, will compete for House District 63 against incumbent Rep. Jake McCalmon. McCalmon was first elected in 2022 after embattled former House Speaker Glen Casada chose not to seek reelection. Andreson's campaign platform heavily focuses on reproductive rights and health care, the issue that drove her to become more politically involved in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision ushered in Tennessee's abortion ban. Andreson joined a group of physicians lobbying lawmakers for increased exceptions to Tennessee's near-total ban, concerned for the health implications for their patients and the criminal implications for their profession. The physician said she has some "very serious regrets" about how little she was politically involved previously. After two years of paying more attention to the General Assembly, she has a different perspective on local elections. "I felt if I dont get involved, if I dont say anything, then who is going to," Andreson said. "I want to be somebody that steps up; I want to make a difference." Dr. Laura Andreson stands outside the Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. Andreson is now in an unusual position of running for public office while actively suing the state: She, along with fellow House candidate Allie Phillips, is a plaintiff in an ongoing Davidson County lawsuit challenging Tennessee's abortion ban, arguing the law blocks providers from providing essential health care in medical emergencies. In addition to reproductive rights, Andreson said she wants to focus on gun safety reform and public education support, issues she thinks many Tennesseans agree on that are not reflected in the current General Assembly. "It seems our supermajoirty wants to just vote with the activist or special interest groups, and they dont want to really listen to what the people are saying," Andreson said. Gun safety reform group raises $1.3 million A prominent gun safety group founded in the wake of The Covenant School shooting and backed by the family of one of the victims has raised $1.3 million in the last year, a fundraising haul indicating long-term aims for the group as it has added staff members to its volunteer ranks. Voices for a Safer Tennessee said in a statement the donations came from 2,400 individual donors in 52 counties across Tennessee. The group has drawn support from prominent political players such as former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist. Nearly 30,000 people have joined our coalition because they share our belief that the growing number of firearm tragedies in Tennessee is a trend that must be stopped, Nicole Floyd Smith, vice chair for the group, said in a news release. Tennesseans from the states largest cities and rural communities, many of whom own firearms, want to enact policy change that will protect our communities while also respecting the Second Amendment rights important to so many Americans. Among the gun safety reform groups that have become a constant presence at the General Assembly in the last year, Voices has been somewhat more measured in its approach, celebrating "incremental" wins such as blocking legislation that would have allowed permitless carry of long guns. Were seeing a subtle but significant shift in the debate over firearm safety in the legislature, Erin Rogus, policy director for Safer Tennessee, said in a statement following the end of the 2024 session. Were encouraged by the willingness of Governor Lee, along with the House and Senate leadership, to sit down with us and consider data-driven policies that will lift Tennessee out of the bottom tier of deadliest states in the U.S. for death by firearm, especially among children. There is an openness to addressing the problem that perhaps wasnt there before the Covenant School tragedy in March 2023. Lee says ed chief should stay despite ethics complaint Gov. Bill Lee says Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds should continue to lead the states education agency, despite an ethics complaint filed this week alleging that she violated state law and an executive order he signed prohibiting executive employees from accepting travel reimbursements from lobbying groups. Commissioner Reynolds is doing an excellent job, Lee told reporters Thursday morning. Shes proven to be qualified for this job, and Im very proud of the work that were doing together, and I look forward to continuing that work. An ethics complaint filed Tuesday by Rep. Caleb Hemmer, D-Nashville, alleges Reynolds' acceptance of travel reimbursements paid for by a group that also lobbies the legislature violated state laws governing gifts to executive branch employees by lobbying organizations and executive branch standards. Reynolds attended two out-of-state events last year with expenses paid by her former employer, ExcelinEd, a national advocacy group that works to expand education choice policies. ExcelinEd also employs a lobbyist in Tennessee who lobbied for Lees universal school choice proposal this year. Will Lee sign red flag preemption bill? Lee on Thursday received Senate Bill 2763, a preemption bill that blocks any local Tennessee municipality from passing their own version of an extreme risk protection order or "red flag" law, which could remove guns from individuals deemed a threat. Republican lawmakers passed the bill in the final days of the legislative session, just a year after Lee tried and failed to push legislators to pass his version of a red flag law in the wake of the Covenant School shooting. Whether or not Lee will sign the bill remains to be seen. It will almost certainly become law: Lee has never exercised his veto power, which is essentially toothless as the General Assembly holds a simply majority override power. But he could decline to sign his name to it, allowing it to go into effect within 10 days without his signature. Ogles, Harshbarger attend Trump trial Tennessee's U.S. Reps. Andy Ogles and Diana Harshbarger traveled to New York City to attend the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump on Thursday, criticizing the effort as political persecution. We are witnessing unprecedented actions of election interference emanating directly from the White House that are more akin to dictatorships, Ogles shared in a social media post. Harshbarger and Ogles both spoke briefly at a news conference outside the courthouse alongside Trump loyalist colleagues U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna, Lauren Boebert and others during which Ogles called the proceeding a joke of a trial. If I started a story with a convicted felon and a hooker walk into a bar you would immediately know it's a joke, Ogles said, attacking the testimony of Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels claiming they both have a vengeance against the president. Harshbarger called the trial the persecution of a patriot. This is not a prosecution, this is a persecution, Ogles said. We have a two-tiered justice system in this country. And if a former president can be targeted by a woke and corrupt judge, then you can be targeted as well. Lee signs new law allowing death penalty for child rape Lee signed into law this week a measure allowing the death penalty for defendents convicted of raping a child. Lawmakers backing the bill during the legislative session admitted the bill is an effort to overturn a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling and could be constitutionally challenged. But Lee said this week that a U.S. Supreme Court challenge was not his goal in signing the legislation. I think oftentimes, when legislation is signed, there's broad disagreement about whether or not it's constitutional and sometimes that has to be tested. I don't think the purpose of this was to test that certainly that wasn't my purpose, Lee said. In the 2008 case Kennedy v. Louisiana, the high court struck down as unconstitutional a Louisiana law that permitted capital punishment in child rape cases that do not involve the victims death. Justices found that the death penalty amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Only seven other states have passed similar laws allowing the death penalty for non-fatal rape of a child under 12. Tennessee is one of 27 states that allows capital punishment and had not previously permitted capital punishment for non-homicide crimes. Those particular crimes against children are some of the most heinous that there are, Lee said. I think that's why the General Assembly considered and subsequently and ultimately passed that piece of legislation. And I decided to agree with them and sign it. Catch up on the week: This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Franklin, TN Dr. Laura Andreson vies for House seat At a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Saturday, former President Donald Trump gave a 90-minute stemwinder in which he praised Hannibal Lectera fictional cannibalistic serial killer, mind youas a wonderful man and, in nearly the same breath, disparaged immigrants as people who are being released into our country that we dont want. He also bemoaned the sham hush-money trial that consumes his weekdays, mocking Fat Alvin Bragg (the Manhattan district attorney who indicted Trump in the case) and corrupt Juan Merchan (the New York Supreme Court judge presiding over the trial). It was a typical Trump rally, in other words: never-ending, extemporaneous, aggrieved, and strewn with imaginative lies and crude insults. But on Monday morning, Trump lumbered back into that dingy Manhattan criminal courtroom and sat down at the same wooden table where he has sat, hunched over and flanked by his lawyers, for nearly a month now. This is the man the public doesnt get to see, but which I have been privy to as a journalist in the room, covering the trial. It is quite rare, even profound, to witness: a silent, lethargic Trump. Thanks to regulations dating back to the 1935 kidnapping trial of Charles Lindberghs baby son, New York state courtrooms have some of the most restrictive media coverage rules in the country. In fact, earlier this week, as I waited with fellow members of the press to enter the courthouse at 100 Centre Street, I overheard a reporter pleading with a court media liaison to at least allow cameras to film the verdict, for historys sake. But the liaison could make no such promise. And so, aside from a handful of curious tourists and New Yorkers willing to line up at an ungodly hour or shell out hundreds of dollars to hire a line sitter, the publics perception of this trial will be filtered through the eyes of the press. Unfortunately, these secondhand accounts provide an incomplete rendering. Much of the trial coverage so farand, by extension, the publics view of ithas focused on Trumps tantrums inside the courtroom and his bluster outside of it, violating the judges gag order and grandstanding for the cameras. But, as I sit in 100 Centre St, day after day, hour after hour, often just a few rows behind the defendant, Im struck not by Trumps words but by their absence. With the exception of two outbursts, including one in jury selection and another during Stormy Danielss testimony, Trump has mostly faded into background. Much like the defense table at which he sits, the defendant has become part of the furniture. Hes usually so quiet that I have to remind myself periodically to look over at the former president for any sign of reaction or movement. Disappointed, I often find him in a familiar pose: eyes closed, head tilted slightly upward, his hands in his lap. As part of a press corps that, for better or worse, publishes a lot of what Trump says, I am not used to seeing this famously loud man stay so quiet for so long. I first took note of this odd sensation during jury selection, when potential and permanent jurors alike had an opportunityor rather, a legal requirementto tell Trump directly to his face how they felt about him. Many of these sentiments were less than flattering, though Trump could not respond as he most surely wanted toand would have done in other settings. Though we are still likely a couple weeks away from a verdict, Trumps silence is already a testament to the rule of law. Not even the lawless demagogue can have his way in Merchans courtroom. Instead, Trump is robbed of his most powerful weaponhis voiceas he submits to the authority of the justice system. To be sure, Trump has not stayed completely silent. During jury selection, Merchan chastised Trump for muttering audibly in the direction of a juror who was answering questions just feet away. Lead defense counsel Todd Blanche then whispered something in his clients ear. Trump must have received the message because for the remainder of jury selection, he was docile. So docile, in fact, that the media began to speculate as to whether he was sleeping during the long stretches he spent with his eyes closedspeculation that has plagued him ever since. The next outburst did not come until weeks later, during Danielss testimony, but even that episode was overstated. At one point, reports indicated that Trump appeared to say, Thats bullshit. I was seated just a few rows back, but I didnt hear it. Again, this outburst was an outlier. Trump was silent when Daniels offered uncomfortable details of her sexual encounter with him (all of which Trump denies), details which verged on sexual assault or coercion. He remained silent as Michael Cohen, his former fixer, further betrayed him from the stand. He remained silent as former and current members of his inner circle told story after story of his infidelities and avarice. Even the reporters stationed in the hallway outside the courtroom often see the same uncanny version of Trump, who ignores their questions as he comes and goes, only mustering a half-hearted wave or raised fist. The closest Ive seen a firsthand observer get to conveying the sensation Im trying to describe here is from the talented courtroom sketch artists who observe Trump closely every day. In a recent interview, Christine Cornell described the challenge of drawing Trump at the defense table. Hes being isolated, she explained. You know, he likes peoples adulation. He feeds off it. But instead, especially during the trials many sidebars, as lawyers from both sides gather round the bench in hushed discussion with Merchan, Trump sits alone at the defense table, having waived his right to be present at the conferences earlier in the trial. Sitting there with his eyes closed, empty chairs beside him, his silence somehow grows more pronounced. Trump lives for the spotlight, but only so long as hes directing the scene. On trial, he is both the center of attention and a bit player: a criminal defendant whom everyone in the courtroom is watching, but also a mute observer of his own unfolding fate. Of course, Trump could break his courtroom silence should he so choose, by taking the witness stand. But this is no rally; those 12 jurors are not his MAGA faithful. And so, he will continue to just sit there, his eyelids drooping, and do the impossible: shut up. The Michigan doctor trapped in Gaza earlier this week when the border to Egypt was blocked amid escalating fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces has been evacuated safely to Jerusalem and is expected to return to the United States on Saturday. "We felt in big danger," Dr. Ammar Ghanem, a critical care and pulmonary specialist from West Bloomfield, said in messages to the Free Press detailing the journey he and more than a dozen other U.S. humanitarian medical workers faced Friday morning as they tried to flee Gaza. Their evacuation was confirmed by the U.S. State Department. Some of the U.S. citizen doctors who had been stuck in Gaza have now safely departed and made their way to safety with assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem," a State Department spokesperson told the Free Press in an email message Friday. "We have been in close contact with the groups that these U.S. doctors are part of, and we have been in contact with the families of these U.S. citizens. Dr. Ammar Ghanem, a critical care and pulmonary specialist from West Bloomfield, Michigan, was among the American doctors who were able to evacuate Gaza on Friday, May 17, 2024, after being stuck in the Palestinian territory for several days amid increased fighting between Hamas and Israel. They crossed the border at Kerem Shalom and then traveled to Jerusalem, where they are waiting to make arrangements to fly home to the U.S. The harrowing 4-hour trip from the European Hospital in Al-Fukhari, near Khan Yunis, was made in a convoy of three vehicles a bus and two smaller cars using a roundabout route to cross the border at Kerem Shalom, Ghanem said. "There was fighting around us," he said. "When we first reached the border at ... the Kerem Shalom crossing, the tank was moving and it directly blocked off (the route). That was a scary moment in the convoy. "And then every time we moved, we had to get permission, and we had to wait many times at different stations to get permission to move so we didn't get hit by the Israeli army if we didn't follow the recommendations that they sent to us." Ghanem said a team of U.S. Embassy workers escorted him and the other medical volunteers from the border at Kerem Shalom to Jerusalem, where they'll rest until they can make travel arrangements to return to the U.S. "I'm feeling relieved, big time," Ghanem said, adding that he hopes to be reunited Saturday afternoon with his wife, three children, friends and supporters. Dr. Ammar Ghanem, a medical relief volunteer from West Bloomfield, Michigan, was safely evacuated Friday, May 17, 2024, out of Gaza to Jerusalem. He had been trapped with other humanitarian medical workers in the southern region of Gaza after the border to Egypt in Rafah was closed amid heavy fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces. Ghanem is vice president of the Syrian American Medical Society, a nonprofit medical relief organization, and has traveled around the world on multiple missions throughout his career. "It was an amazing experience and we learned a lot from it," he said of his work in Gaza. Despite the risks, he added: "We should continue to push to help people in need anywhere at any time." 3 Americans stay behind: 'We're not leaving until they leave' Though Ghanem and more than a dozen other U.S. medical workers serving on humanitarian aid missions at the European Hospital in Gaza left the territory Friday, some members of his medical team stayed behind either because they are citizens of other countries or because they wanted to support those who cannot be evacuated to safety. "I got additional information that Americans from another team and three British nationals also were evacuated," said Dr. Mufaddal Hamadeh, president of the Syrian American Medical Society. Others a volunteer from Australia and several from Jordan and three American citizen doctors remained. "Three Americans said no, 'We're not leaving until they leave,' " he said. Hamadeh said the U.S. State Department formed a special task force to work the evacuation of the American medical workers. "We know they made it the No. 1 priority for them," Hamadeh said. Still, he told the Free Press he has mixed feelings about the dire situation for patients at the European Hospital and others in Gaza who feel more vulnerable now that international humanitarian aid workers are leaving. "I am glad Ammar is going home safely. ... I'm very happy for him, but I'm extremely sad about the situation there, and particularly at the hospitals," Hamadeh said. "Many people were hoping that the presence of Americans and the foreigners in the hospital will prevent the Israelis from bombing the hospital," Hamadeh said. "Now they are afraid. I'm also worried about the patients there. ... What's going to happen to this hospital, where there are so little resources left? With these skilled doctors and volunteers leaving, what is going to happen to the patients? In Gaza, where only one-quarter of hospitals remain operational amid ongoing fighting, the European Hospital has become a shelter for families who have nowhere else to go, said Dr. Ammar Ghanem, 54, of West Bloomfield, who traveled to the region May 1 to provide medical relief. By some estimates as many as 30,000 people are living in and around the hospital. "I wish we could have a way to guarantee the safety of the people in the hospitals and the patients there." Worried wife says, 'This was the worst time in my life' Before they got the news that Ghanem had made it across the border and was headed to Jerusalem, his wife, Amnah Allboani Ghanem, and their children, Yaser, Zied, and Haneen, were filled with worry. "I didn't sleep last night," Allboani Ghanem said Friday morning, as visions of what could happen to her husband as he made the trip to Jerusalem played in her mind. More: West Bloomfield doctor part of relief group stranded in Gaza (From right, clockwise) Amnah Allboani Ghanem stands in her home in West Bloomfield with her daughter, Haneen, and sons Zied and Yaser, on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Allboani Ghanem's husband, Dr. Ammar Ghanem of West Bloomfield, was stuck in Gaza after finishing a volunteer medical mission. "Both sides might have gotten him," she said, "And for no reason. It's a war zone, you know? So I was freaking out until they arrived. "I told my son, the oldest, and he was crying, and he said, 'Are you sure momma? Are you sure?' " when he learned his father was finally on his way home. "This was the worst time in my life. It really was a difficult time for all of my family." Now, the Ghanem family is making plans to celebrate his return. A group of friends are to greet Ghanem at the airport Saturday afternoon, and then go with him to his West Bloomfield home, where he'll be reunited with his wife and kids at a big reception. "A lot of the community members, they supported us very, very, very strongly," his wife said, "and I would love to have all of them in my house" to thank them for that kindness. After he returns, Ghanem said, he hopes to organize more humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians who are still suffering in Gaza. "I promised not to leave them alone," he said, "and I want to keep my promise. I want to continue working for this, so I probably will start to advocate with my organization ... to go to Washington, D.C., and meet with officials and talk about the situation." Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Free Press. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan doctor, 19 others, evacuated from Gaza to Jerusalem GHENT, WV (WVNS) One of many topics that can be associated with the Mountain State is ghosts, cryptids, and a variety of the paranormal. The many feet of the most famous cryptid According to a study held by JeffBet, paranormal investigations are most common in West Virginia, and many keywords related to the paranormal, such as ghost orb, were studied to discover what states were most interested in paranormal investigations. West Virginia took the top spot with an average of 403 searches per 100,000 people each month, which is 67 percent higher than the national average of 241 searches per 100,000 residents. According to the keywords that were analyzed for the study, common paranormal search terms that West Virginians searched for included spirit box, ghost hunting, and cold spots. While West Virginia came out on top for a high interest in ghost hunting, the state with the second highest interest in tracking the paranormal went to Alaska. Alaskas searches were 35 percent higher than the US average with 326 monthly searches per 100,000 people. The wild and not-so-wonderful cryptids of West Virginia Third place goes to Colorado with 305 monthly searches per 100,000 residents, 27 percent higher than the US average. Oregon took fourth place with 295 monthly searches per 100,000 residents, and fifth place went to Nevada with 288 monthly searches per 100,000 residents. Photo Courtesy: JeffBet While West Virginia took the top spot for an interest in ghost hunting, Mississippi took the top spot for the exact opposite. Mississippi is the state with the least interest in ghost hunting with a total of 161 monthly searches per 100,000 people, which is 47 percent below the national average. What is cryptozoology? Second place for the states with the fewest searches goes to New Jersey at 42 percent below the national average, with 178 searches per 100,000 people. Louisiana came in third place with 194 searched for each 100,000 people, coming in at 36 percent below the national average. Photo Courtesy: JeffBet The question of whether the paranormal exists or is fiction is a long-debated topic and one where the answer will greatly depend on who you are asking. Judging by these findings, if you are speaking to someone in West Virginia, its significantly more likely that theyll be arguing the former. The difference from state to state in how many residents are actively hunting for proof of paranormal activity could reflect where views the thought of afterlife as comforting, and where see it as unrealistic or perhaps, just where would rather leave the undead be. Jeffbet Spokesperson According to the analyzed search terms, some of the most popular searched for paranormal related keywords in America were Ouija Board and Spirit box. The search terms, 133,914 and 161,705 respectively, show that communicating likely plays a large part for those who are interested in paranormal investigations. Some of the paranormal investigation related search terms that were involved in the study included poltergeist hunting, best thermal camera for ghost hunting, how to hunt ghosts, where to buy spirit box, and demon hunting equipment. 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. The West has yet to grasp we have moved fast into a world crisis that leads to war Isolationism is a good instinct but a bad policy. The difference between home and everywhere else is vital to the human psyche and to national existence. Logically, it leads to respect for others: they have their homes, too, so neither should interfere with the other. Sometimes, though, others do interfere. When that happens, isolationist voices, like those Republican congressmen who held up aid to Ukraine for six months, say: Whats it got to do with us? Paradoxically, they make foreign interference more likely. Enemies are interfering now. Western public opinion and many Western governments still wont face what it means. Rishi Sunaks remarks this week about the coming insecurities were an attempt, somewhat policy-light, to do so. I spent Thursday on Romney Marsh, that strange expanse of the south coast which was reclaimed from the sea in the Middle Ages. The 700-year-old Corporation of Romney Marsh has a motto: Serve God, honour the King, but first maintain the sea wall. On the marsh, the sea wall is an ever-present physical fact. Without it, the place would go under water. For a country like ours, it offers a vital metaphor. Our nation will not survive naturally and unaided, but by our own constant efforts to maintain it. Because we have been a global power for 300 years, Britain is well placed to take a large view of these efforts. We know that it is not only a matter of defending our own coast, but of sea-lanes, trade routes, air space, and now of cyber-space; also of diplomatic links, military alliances, common political and legal cultures, shared language and more. For over a century, we have understood the concept of a World Crisis (the title of Churchills history of the Great War), and therefore of the need, in extremis, to fight world wars. Though the cost was terrible in both of them, we won. A similar understanding of global threats led the West to fight the Cold War. Nowadays, as China, Russia and Iran become more menacing, some people say: Oh, we mustnt have another Cold War. They are forgetting that it was so-called not because it was unfriendly (though it was), but because it avoided a hot war of fighting and killing. The Western victory in 1989 therefore seemed less dramatically glorious than in 1918 or 1945, but really it was much better. Yet in that great year of 1989, a young KGB officer in East Germany, Vladimir Putin, watched with dismay and, it seems, vowed revenge. In China, the ruling Communist Party (CCP), frightened by the worlds new liberty virus, decided to massacre thousands of students in Tiananmen Square. The CCP was determined not to go the way of the Soviet Union. Xi Jinpings China has been more successful than Putins Russia in imposing its own dictatorial power across the world. His Belt and Road Initiative is a huge strategic network to alter the control of sea and land routes and therefore the flow of natural resources in Chinas favour. He has been more comprehensive than Putin in corrupting Western elites, businesses, and universities. But the commonalities between the two are strong. Like Hitler, Putin and Xi have ransacked history to develop their own self-justifying theory of conquest. Before invading Ukraine in 2022, Putin wrote a long essay (recently regurgitated on television to a credulous Tucker Carlson) asserting that Ukraine had never really existed at all. Xis Thought claims that Taiwan has always been part of One China. Last year, he pointedly visited Chinas National Archives to consult The Great Qing Dynastys Complete Map of All Under Heaven, which is taken to indicate that Taiwan and various Japanese islands were parts of the Chinese empire. In both countries, patriotism is being, almost literally, weaponised to justify nationalist/imperialist expansion. (By the way, those Hamas supporters shouting From the river to the sea on London streets are attempting a similar historical trick erasing the rights of another nation, Israel, to claim land as their own.) The West let this happen. Putin several times tested our resolve to prevent the borders of Europe being changed by force most notably in Crimea in 2014. He found it wanting and took his chance. He has still not been defeated and has freely rearmed. Faced by the same sort of freedom-seeking threats as terrified the CCP in Tiananmen Square, Xi Jinping tore up the One Country, Two Systems Hong Kong treaty between China and Britain and brought the territory directly under Beijings tutelage. We rightly took refugees but wrongly accepted the fait accompli. Even today, some senior British judges sit on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal though the rule of law has been razed all round them. This week, the security minister, Tom Tugendhat, was bold enough to criticise them for this. In the case of Iran, particularly during Barack Obamas US presidency, we were faced with nuclear proliferation. Instead of preventing it, we sought to manage it by a comprehensive agreement. Perhaps, in all these cases, we longed to be considered warm rather than cold. If so, it has not worked. We fell into the 1970s detente trap which dangerously weakened US power against the Soviet Union. We tend to restrain friend, not foe. President Joe Biden has the strange habit of supporting an ally Ukraine, Israel and then publicly telling it what it must not do, such as attacking Rafah or firing US-made missiles into Russia. Red lines are normally drawn to deter enemies: Biden employs them to deter friends. No wonder that, in Taiwan, mainland Chinese propaganda has a special phrase for the thought that America wont, whatever it says, defend the place. Of all the current threats to world peace, the case of Taiwan seems the most remote from British concerns. Some in the United States compound the danger by arguing that the West should divide its responsibilities, with America concentrating on China, leaving Ukraine and even the Middle East to Europe. Surely the key to these problems is to connect them. This week, I heard the US sinologist Matt Pottinger speak at Policy Exchange in London. A former US Marine, he became deputy national security adviser to Donald Trump and somehow stayed the course. In his new book The Boiling Moat (it is ancient Chinese advice to fortify ones border cities with metal ramparts and boiling moats), Pottinger points out that Xi explicitly links Russias aggression with Chinas opportunity, assisted by a weak America and a chaotic Europe. Xi, he argues, sees himself as the architect of a new order. As the Chinese leader departed Moscow after visiting Putin last year, he was captured on video telling his Russian counterpart: Right now there are changes, the like of which we havent seen for 100 years, and we are the ones driving those changes together. Xi sees world conquest as destiny. The only remedies against this are the severe deterrents of overwhelming force and unbearable economic cost. The hard economic facts hard, it must be emphasised, for both sides are that 50 per cent of global maritime trade crosses the 100-mile strait between mainland China and Taiwan, so the world economy crashes if China attacks. The key US/Japanese military aim is to make it so difficult for Chinese forces to reach Taiwans beaches at all that they wont dare try. But the biggest point for the West to grasp is that we have moved fast into a world situation that leads to war. Until we understand that, we cannot prevent it. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Where will Daisos first location be in the Central Valley? VISALIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) Daiso, a store that includes Japanese-inspired home decor, stationary, food, and more, will be opening in Visalia. According to Daiso officials, the store will be opening at the end of summer 2024. The new store will be located at Packwood Creek Shopping Center in Visalia. Currently, the closest store to the Central Valley is in San Jose. On Daisos website, the business describes itself as a 50-year-old family-owned company, with over 100,000 producers. They operate over 6,000 stores across the globe with over 100 being in the U.S. Daiso describes its mission as holding to the idea of the everyday low price providing infinite power to improve peoples lives. A specific date for when the store in Visalia will be open has not 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 YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. Where does Barron Trump go to high school? Info about the academy, former president's son Barron Trump, former President Donald Trump's youngest son and his only son with wife Melania Trump, is graduating high school Friday, May 17, at a private Florida high school. He's one of 116 seniors getting their diploma at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach. Donald Trump attended his son's graduation after the judge in his New York business fraud trial canceled court for the day. The 18-year-old has attended Oxbridge since moving to Palm Beach after his father left the White House. Interest in Barron Trump, the high school and his future plans are sending people to search engine sites for answers. Here's what we know. 5 things to know about Oxbridge Academy, Barron Trump's high school Oxbridge Academy is a college-preparatory school for grades 6-12. The school describes itself as using an interdisciplinary academic approach to foster "the development of extraordinary leaders, thinkers, problem solvers, and world changers, enabling them to learn essential skills in the classroom, laboratory, art studio, or athletic field." Annual tuition in the upper school is $41,500, which includes breakfast, lunch, snacks and textbooks, along with college counseling services. Annual graduating classes receive 100% acceptance to four-year colleges and universities, with 50% attending a top 100 U.S. university or a top 50 liberal arts college. The school asked the public, media and the curious to stay away from today's graduation, which is "private and by invitation only." Where is Oxbridge Academy, Florida? This embedded content is not available in your region. Oxbridge Academy is located on 54 acres in West Palm Beach, at 3151 North Military Trail. It's about five miles northwest of Mar-a-Lago Club, where Barron Trump lives with his parents. 6 things to know about Barron Trump Barron Trump turned 18 years old on March 20, 2024. He's been kept out of the spotlight and media headlines. Barron Trump is taller than his siblings (Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump) and his parents. He likes soccer. He's a "computer whiz of sorts." Barron Trump occasionally offers Donald Trump political advice. How tall is Barron Trump? Viktor Knavs (from left), Melania Trump, Barron Trump, former President Donald Trump and Bethesda-by-the-Sea Rector the Rev. Tim Schenck await the arrival of the casket of Amalija Knavs at the church in January 2024. Barron Trump is 6 feet 7 inches tall. Donald Trump is 6 feet 4 inches tall, and Melania Trump is 5 feet 11 inches tall. Wow! How tall is Barron Trump? Compare his height with other celebrities Where will Barron Trump go to college? That's not known at this time. Donald Trump has said he believed Barron would follow in his footsteps by attending the University of Pennsylvania. Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Tiffany attended the University of Pennsylvania. There has been speculation Barron Trump would choose New York University in Manhattan, where he lived until his father was sworn in as president in 2017. Trump recently told Newsweek it looks as if Barron is mulling other options now. Right now, hes doing a great job, Trump told the weekly news magazine. 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. Is Barron Trump a Florida delegate at Republican National Convention? It was reported earlier this month Barron Trump would be a Florida delegate at July's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Invitation declined: :Barron Trump 'declined' delegate invite to GOP convention, Melania Trump said in statement On May 10, former first lady Melania Trump said that while her son was "honored" by the selection he "declined" the role due to "prior commitments." Contributors: Antonio Fins, Palm Beach Post; Natasha Lovato, USA TODAY Network This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Barron Trump graduates from Oxbridge in West Palm Beach. Up next: College? Noel Biderman was the founder and former CEO of Avid Life Media, the parent company of the adultery website Ashley Madison. In 2015, NBC News reported that Biderman stepped down from the position of CEO of Ashley Madison. This resignation came after the website was hacked and private data of millions of users was leaked to the public. It was one of the most high-profile hacks in recent times and had heavy consequences for everyone associated. After the hack, Noel Biderman faced numerous accusations. People who were former users of Ashley Madison claimed that he had not deleted their personal information and accounts despite their paying to have them removed. Bidermans personal e-mails became public and exposed many of his affairs while he was already married. He resigned over a week after the hack, as per Cosmopolitan. As of July 2023, Noel Bidermans LinkedIn profile suggested that he was the CEO of Avenue Insights, a Toronto-based software company. He was also employed as a Strategic Advisor at WonderFi. WonderFi is a Modern Wealth Generation Company, as per a report by Marie Claire. According to an article on Distractify, Bidermans lawyer said that he is currently spending time with his wife Amanda, whom he is still married to after the scandal and his two children. Ashley Madison was launched in 2001 with the caption, Life is short. Have an affair. The company claimed to be creating 1 million affairs every month at that time. The data breach ended in exposing customers personal information, including credit card details, sexual fantasies, preferences, and postal addresses. The website claimed to be offering equal opportunities for men and women to have extra-marital affairs. However, unlike what they had publicized, they allegedly had far more male users than female users. When did Noel Biderman become the CEO of Ashley Madison? The Canadian entrepreneur and business marketing specialist was appointed CEO of Avid Life Media, the parent company of Ashley Madison, in 2007. During his initial years as chief executive of the website, Noel Biderman actively advocated against its criticism. According to Cosmopolitan, he claimed that it does not promote infidelity. Noel Biderman reportedly advertised himself as an infidelity expert in the years preceding the data breach. He wrote a book titled Cheaters Prosper: How Infidelity Will Save the Modern Marriage, which was all about cheating. Both Biderman and his wife Amanda reportedly claimed to want to explore the idea of infidelity and how it can impact lives. According to Distractify, Biderman received a threat to take down the website if he didnt want a data breach. However, he allegedly ignored the threat. The New York Times reported that the hackers who exposed Ashley Madison accused them of charging customers $19 for having their data deleted. However, they then continued to keep the information on the website. They also claimed that the website had been lying about how many women use their services, among other business frauds. The group of hackers reportedly identified themselves as the Impact Team. In 2015, NBC News reported that the company was facing at least 5 lawsuits. The lawsuits demanded class-action status and more than half a billion dollars. The Ashley Madison Affair is a three-part Hulu docu-series that delves into the 2015 data breach that exposed the company and its CEO, Noel Biderman. The post Where Is the Former Ashley Madison CEO Noel Biderman Now After the Hack? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Disclaimer: The article contains mention of assault and murder. Reader discretion is advised. True crime enthusiasts widely believe that Larry Hall is one of Americas most prolific serial killers. Although the court sentenced him for kidnapping a 15-year-old in 1993, authorities believe that, throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he killed between 40 to 50 women. Investigators came across Larry Hall following the 1993 disappearance of Jessica Roach, a teenager from Georgetown, Illinois. Reports suggest her last confirmed sighting was outside her home, where she rode her bicycle. Eight weeks later, officials discovered her lifeless body in a cornfield in Indiana. Roachs case was not one of a kind because something similar had happened six months prior. 19-year-old Tricia Lynn Reitler was last seen on March 29, 1993. According to ATI, she never returned after leaving her dorm to buy some items from a store. To this day, Reitlers parents arent aware of what happened to their daughter. They believe that somebody killed her on the day of her disappearance. However, officials say that she got abducted. An investigation took place, and with the help of witnesses, the police traced Larry Halls car down and eventually arrested him. CNN reported that Hall confessed soon after, and the court found him guilty of kidnapping Jessica Roach in 1995. He received a life sentence without parole, and per the Federal Bureau of Prisons, he is currently at the FCI Butner Medium II. The 2022 miniseries Black Bird showcased Jimmy Keenes in-prison relationship with Larry Hall. Taron Egerton portrayed the former, while Paul Walter Hauser played the latter. Larry Hall victims: What did the suspected American serial killer do? When officials brought Larry Hall for questioning, the chief investigator for the Vermilion County Sheriffs Office, Gary Miller, showed him a picture of Jessica Roach. Reports suggest that Hall flinched when Hall saw the teenagers photo and acted like he didnt want to see it. Furthermore, the accused stated he was unaware of the girls identity. According to CNN, Gary Miller recalled when he was interrogating Hall. He stated, He immediately flinched. He turned to his right and put his hand up over his face like he didnt want to see the picture. And he told me he didnt think hed ever seen that girl. Hall eventually confessed and gave gruesome details of his actions. He revealed that he abducted Jessica and forcefully put her in his van. He then removed her pants, raped her, took her to the woods, and killed her. Additionally, he said that he choked her from behind so that he couldnt see the teenagers face while she was struggling to breathe. He said, I tied her up, but I cant remember with what. I took her pants off. I laid her up against a tree and put a belt around her neck and she stopped breathing. Larry Hall also admitted to abusing many other girls and also identified Reitler from one of her pictures. Unfortunately, he soon recanted all his statements and said he only narrated his dreams. This confession/recantation cycle carried on for a long time, and the true extent of his criminal activity was never revealed. The post Where Is Larry Hall Now? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Guests pose for a group photo at a symposium on external legal affairs in Macao, south China, May 17, 2024. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) jointly held a symposium on external legal affairs on Friday, seeking new opportunities for legal development and exchanges. The symposium themed "New Achievements, New Opportunities, New Actions: Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Macao's Return to the Motherland" was attended by some 370 officials, scholars, students, and association representatives. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka) MACAO, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) jointly held a symposium on external legal affairs on Friday, seeking new opportunities for legal development and exchanges. The symposium themed "New Achievements, New Opportunities, New Actions: Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Macao's Return to the Motherland" was attended by some 370 officials, scholars, students, and association representatives. Good work in the SAR's external legal affairs is important to building the country's foreign-related rule of law and essential to Macao's law-based governance, said Miao Deyu, assistant minister of foreign affairs of China. He added that it is significant for ensuring the steady and long-term development of "one country, two systems" and the SAR's long-term stability. United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares said via video that the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and its subsequent implementation have vividly demonstrated how countries can hold peaceful negotiations with such tools as international law, and offered innovative and pragmatic options for resolving various complex and historic issues. At the symposium, Cheong Weng Chon, secretary for administration and justice of the Macao SAR government, stressed that the SAR will firmly guard the bottom line of national security and promote the sustainable development of Macao's economy and society. In addition, the SAR will use its advantages to better serve the country's overall development, and carry out exchanges and cooperation with foreign countries in a multichannel manner, said the official. Last night, I flew home to Atlanta for my sisters graduation from Spelman. President Biden will of course be here on Sunday to address the Morehouse College class of 2024. And while I wont be there to hear him speak, I have a few ideas about what he should consider saying. The president should first recognize that he will be speaking to a skeptical audience. I drove to Morehouse this afternoon in hopes of finding some graduates willing to share their thoughts about the presidents speech with me. Between graduation photoshoots and interviews with local news crews, a few kind Morehouse men stopped to chat. Decked out in their maroon and white, they seemed unimpressed that the president was coming to speak to them. There was a sense that his visit was merely political pandering. While its impossible to remove politics from the equation, it will be imperative for the president to make clear why he accepted the schools invitation. I think his reasons were twofold: first, he knows about the power and legacy of Morehouse College; and second, he knows that delivering this address presents a tremendous opportunity for him to speak directly to young Black men. Many young Black voters especially young Black men are feeling unloved, unheard, and unsupported by the Democratic party. They hear that Bidenomics is working, but they still see high prices at the grocery store. They hear that police reform and voting rights are top priorities, but they still see Black men getting shot by the police and voter suppression running rampant. They hear that reparations are unlikely, but they see $95 billion more for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Now that were sixty years removed from the signing of the Civil Rights Act, young Black voters today are less likely to give the Democratic Party the benefit of the doubt. They expect more. President Biden must confront this reality head-on. He must make the graduates feel like he sees them before he tries to sell them. He has been in Washington for a long time, and he knows that even as Black voters have turned out reliably for Democratic candidates, those candidates have often failed to return the favor. After Black voters saved his campaign four years ago, I believe President Biden has worked hard to be the exception to that rule. At the same time, he would probably be the first to admit that he must do more. He should address these tensions right off the bat and find ways to validate the frustrations that so many in our community are feeling. Going a step further, President Biden must speak to the threats facing young Black men and talk about what he is doing to make the country a safer place for the graduates. When I spoke with CEO of the National Association of Social Workers, Dr. Anthony Estreet, he said the president must clearly state how he plans to be a champion for Black people. One example is on the issue of mental health. Right now, suicide is one of the leading causes of death for Black men ages 15-24. Over the past 20 years, the suicide rate for Black youth ages 10-19 has increased by a staggering 60%. The Biden-Harris administration has been investing heavily on the prevention front. Just last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced nearly $50 million to support suicide prevention and expand access to youth mental health services in communities of color. Highlighting this work along with his administrations efforts to cancel student debt, get guns off the streets, and rectify injustices in our justice system would go a long way. Finally, the president must assign the graduates leading roles in charting our nations future. From Julian Bond to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Morehouse men have been on the frontlines of moving our nation forward for the past 150 years. The president should remind the graduates as President Obama did when he addressed the Morehouse class of 2013 that they are heirs to a great legacy. A legacy of excellence. A legacy of innovation. And a legacy of positive social change. To continue that legacy will require the graduates to use their voice and more importantly, their vote to determine for themselves the direction our country will go down. While they might disagree with the president, and with each other, on some major policy issues along the way, dissent is the hallmark of a strong democracy. But whether our democracy endures could very well come down to the men of Morehouse. They say you can always tell a Morehouse man, but you cant tell him much. This Sunday, President Biden has an opportunity to say a thing or two to the class of 2024. But more importantly, he has an opportunity to follow his speech with bold actions. President Biden is counting on young Black men to turn out for him one more time. He has six more months to make his case. Gevin Reynolds is a former speechwriter to Vice President Kamala Harris and a regular panelist on Roland Martin Unfiltered. Follow him on X at @GevinReynolds. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will travel on Saturday to Saudi Arabia for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and will visit Israel on Sunday to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Sullivan will stress in his talks with the Israelis the need to go after Hamas militants in Gaza in a targeted way, not with a full-scale assault on the southern city of Gaza. Kirby said Sullivan in his talks with the Saudis will discuss "bilateral and regional matters including the war in Gaza of course and ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the region." A U.S. official said Biden's Middle East envoy, Brett McGurk, was in the region this week for consultations, including a visit to Doha to discuss efforts to gain the release of hostages held by Hamas. McGurk will join Sullivan for the visits to Saudi and Israel, the official said. Sources say the Biden administration and Saudi Arabia are finalizing an agreement for U.S. security guarantees and civilian nuclear assistance, even as an Israel-Saudi normalization deal envisioned as part of a Middle East "grand bargain" remains elusive. Kirby said Sullivan's talks with Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials will include Rafah. Israel has threatened a broad offensive in Rafah but the operation is opposed by the United States out of concerns for the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled there to get out of the way of fighting elsewhere in Gaza. Kirby said Sullivan will argue for a more targeted approach against Hamas militants in Rafah. He also said Sullivan will discuss recent stalled efforts to reach a deal with Hamas on the release of sick, elderly and wounded hostages held since the militants seized hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7. (Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland; Editing by Sandra Maler) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmers (D) Fight Like Hell PAC rolled out its first round of Senate endorsements Friday, backing incumbents facing tough reelection bids in November. Whitmer formally backed Democratic Sens. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Jon Tester (Mont.), Bob Casey (Pa.), and Jacky Rosen (Nev.). The Hill was the first outlet to report on the endorsements. We need leaders in the U.S. Senate who are focused on lowering costs for working families, bringing good jobs to our communities, and stopping attacks on our reproductive rights, Whitmer said in a statement. The leaders Im endorsing today have done exactly that. Theyre champions for their constituents, working nonstop to tackle kitchen table issues and defend our everyday freedoms. Im going to do everything I can to help send them back to the United States Senate. Whitmers latest round of endorsements comes after she backed a number of House Democrats late last year. The governors PAC, which supports federal candidates, launched last June. Democrats face a potentially uphill climb in the battle to retain control of the Senate. According to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, Tester, Rosen, and Brown face toss-up races, while Casey and Baldwins contests are labeled lean Democratic. Senate Democrats currently hold a 51-49 seat majority over Republicans. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Title icon The Scene Over a few busy hours on Wednesday morning, the Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to two presidential debates, made a bipartisan debate commission irrelevant, and locked in rules that will likely keep third party candidates offstage. The breakthrough came after years of hard bargaining, started by Republicans. Two years earlier, the Republican National Committee voted to boycott anything organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Both parties ignored the CPD when it announced its usual suite of three presidential debates, and one vice presidential debate, to be held in the final seven weeks of the election. Instead, the president and his predecessor will meet at a CNN-hosted debate in Atlanta on June 27, then at an ABC News-hosted debate on Sept. 10 earlier than any televised general election debates in history, if both candidates stay committed. Title icon Davids view By now, people should really stop being surprised when a norm gets shattered. The strangest reaction to the bipartisan hit job on the CPD was the idea that Joe Biden, who had run on restoring an old, calm order, had just demolished an American tradition. That tradition started in 1987; its younger than The Legend of Zelda video game franchise, and enjoyed by fewer people. And it was always controversial. From 1976 through 1984, presidential debates were sponsored by the League of Women Voters, which still plays that role in thousands of down-ballot races. In 1987, the chairs of the Democratic and Republican National Committees colluded to create an alternative, with a permanent budget and the clout to fight back as campaigns argued over moderators and rules. Why did the CPD replace the LWV? Because the major parties wanted it that way, and the CPDs offer was more predictable. When it ran the debates, the League invited candidates to suggest moderators; by 1984, that became a minor debacle, as the campaigns of Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale struck dozens of journalists from the pool. (Barbara Walters opened their first debate by chastising the campaigns on behalf of my fellow journalists.) Another factor: The LWV didnt set rules that kept third party candidates offstage, and the CPD did. In 1980, the LWV angered Democrats by holding a debate between Reagan and independent John Anderson when Jimmy Carter refused to participate; it threatened to leave an empty chair onstage for Carter, but backed down. The CPD created a new standard, requiring all candidates to appear on enough ballots to theoretically win the presidency, and to poll at 15% or higher. Ross Perot pulled that off in 1992, and no third-party candidate ever did again. When did the major party candidates turn on the CPD? After 2020, when Trump became the first candidate to pull out of a CPD-planned debate after it had been announced. The CPDs prestige had protected it before that. In 2000, George W. Bush pitched an alternative to the pre-announced CPD schedule: One hosted by the commission, one on CNNs Larry King Live, and one on NBCs Meet the Press. That backfired when Al Gore suggested that Bush, then leading him in polls, was trying to shrink the potential audience. Whats wrong with the commission debates? he asked in a CBS News interview. Is it that so many people are watching? Carping about the debate format got more acceptable after 2012, when CNNs Candy Crowley corrected Mitt Romney when he said that Barack Obama never called the Benghazi attack an act of terror. (Can you say that a little louder, Candy? Obama quipped.) This negated one of the advantages of ditching the LWV for the CPD the LWV was much more willing to let reporters ask follow-up questions and spar with the candidates. That was the prelude to Trumps 2020 decision to bail on the second scheduled debate, because he didnt like one of moderator Steve Scullys tweets, and a panicking Scully falsely claimed that hed been hacked. One more prosaic reason for the collapse: Early voting. That was one of the main reasons for reform noted in a 2015 Annenberg report, with contributions from Bidenworlds Anita Dunn and Ron Klain, on how to change the format. And it was central to the RNCs decision to bolt. Before the 2020 debate, the party adopted Trumps line that Biden might be so old and addled that it was unfair for ballots to be cast before voters got a chance to see him leave his basement. Can third party candidates still make the stage? Yes. CNN carried over the CPDs polling and threshold rules 15% in polls, qualified for at least 270 electoral votes. When the debates began in September, every states ballot was set already. This time, the ballot qualification cutoff in dozens of states, including Florida (July 15), Pennsylvania (Aug. 1), and Wisconsin (Aug. 6), is well after CNNs June 20 deadline. One impact: Robert F. Kennedy wont know how many ballots hell appear on yet. Hes qualified for states worth 85 electoral votes, and his campaign claims to have met signature requirements in states worth another 129 electoral votes. Even Kennedy isnt entirely sure what to do with that information. On Wednesday morning, he posted on X that Presidents Trump and Biden are colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70% say they do not want. Hours later, he posted that he was happy to report that hed meet the criteria to participate. Title icon The View From Members of Congress House members who talked with Semafors Kadia Goba were pretty exhausted by this, too. There was not a lot of nostalgia for the CPD in peoples reactions to their nominees decision to negotiate their own pair of debates. Im tired of the debate about the debate, said Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat who is ten years younger than the CPD. I think Trump agreed to him because he knows hes dealing with Joe Biden and hes gonna win the debate, said Texas Rep. Troy Nehls. And the general election is now June 27. Trump is gonna thump the chump. Democrats praised Biden for out-foxing Trump and getting a debate on his own terms with no CPD meddling. I think the President did a masterful job of setting the standards and the parameters, said Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar. Asked if Biden was vulnerable because of his verbal slips, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries scoffed: Donald Trump doesnt even know the difference between Nancy Pelosi and Nikki Haley. New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew had one regret: Trump wanted conservative moderators, and instead he got Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. I would have liked it to have been co-hosted by Fox and co-hosted by, say, Newsmax, said Van Drew, who switched to the GOP five years ago when Trump asked him to. Youre gonna hear tough questions for [Trump] and, to be honest with you, softballs for President Biden. I dont know if thats good. So, I hate that hes gonna have to be, maybe, debating both the moderators and Joe Biden. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi made clear she was against Biden accepting the debate challenge but not the specific terms, just any debate with Trump at all. I myself would never recommend going on stage with Donald Trump, but the president has decided thats what he wants to do, Pelosi said. I think the format he is suggesting is a good one. Title icon Notable NOTABLE In Politico, CPD co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf says that the campaigns are making a mistake by ditching, that the Biden team has always wanted to ice out the CPD, and that Trump made an impulsive blunder by agreeing to Bidens terms so quickly. In the Columbia Journalism Review , Cameron Joseph runs through the problems that the candidates might have created by ditching the commission, which was great for the two major-party nominees and the networks that get exclusives on the debates, but nobody else. And in Semafor, Kadia Goba talks to Virginia Democrats who are frustrated that the HBCU chosen to host a debate might not get one. Back-up plans: Bringing the VP debate or ABC News debate to Virginia State University, or holding some candidate event. Semafor Logo "It is absolutely, absurdly, extraordinarily serious what is happening in Rio Grande do Sul right now -- and unfortunately, it will get worse," Brazilian state governor Eduardo Leite said during a press conference at the onset of what has become the most severe climate catastrophe to impact the region. Persistent rains and destructive flooding in the southern Brazilian state have left 150 people dead, 2.1 million affected, 620,000 residents displaced and 807 people injured, according to civil defense officials. PHOTO: View of a flooded street in the Cidade Baixa neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, May 14, 2024. (Anselmo Cunha/AFP via Getty Images) Harrowing images from the region show a once-vibrant city and abundant farmlands completely underwater. The Guaiba River in Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul, could reach unprecedented levels of over 18 feet in the coming days, according to local officials. MORE: Flood-stricken Brazil continues to battle rising river levels, 149 confirmed dead Officials estimate recovering the southern state could mean building entirely new cities, begging the question, when an extreme weather event leaves your home uninhabitable, where do you go? PHOTO: Men carry and move packages along a flooded street in the historical city center of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, May 14, 2024. (Anselmo Cunha/AFP via Getty Images) "We have a series of challenges and we cannot rule out having to remove entire cities from where they are, that is, rebuild cities in other locations," Rio Grande do Sul vice-governor Gabriel Souza said told local media on Thursday. On Thursday, Jairo Jorge, the mayor of Canoas, a city in Rio Grande, told local media that currently 19,000 residents are in 79 shelters and 80,000 people have evacuated to the homes of relatives and friends in higher land. "Most climate-driven migration and displacement will be internal," Alex Randall, head of programs at Climate Outreach and specialist in climate-driven migration, told ABC News, adding, "As climate-driven disasters become more regular and more extreme, inevitably more people will be displaced by those events." What is climate migration? Climate migration, or climate-related mobility, refers to the sudden or gradual displacement of individuals due to changes in the environment affecting their living conditions, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration. According to the Migration Data Portal, at least 7.7 million people in 82 countries and territories are living in internal displacement as a result of climate disasters. In the years ahead, up to 216 million people could become internal climate migrants by 2050, according to estimates from the World Bank organization, which works to fight poverty with 189 member countries. "This is one of many warning signs," Lawrence Huang, policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, told ABC News of the ongoing flooding in Brazil. "There's such a wide range of things we call climate migration, some of it is voluntary, some of it is forced. And in some cases, that's when entire communities become unlivable or uninhabitable and are forced to relocate." PHOTO: Destroyed houses, damaged cars, branches, and debris are seen in Cruzeiro do Sul following the devastating floods that hit the region in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, May 14, 2024. (Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images) Instances of mass climate migration were seen in the aftermath of the 2022 monsoon floods in Pakistan, where over 1.5 million people remained displaced in the country through the end of 2023, according to the U.N. MORE: Earth Day 2024 report card: Experts address America's climate change action Socioeconomic stress in Pakistan combined with the environmental disaster led to an increase in residents seeking asylum in Europe, though most climate migration remains internal, Huang said. From severe drought in East Africa to raging wildfires in Canada, the force of climate migration comes in many forms -- but it's often the most vulnerable communities who suffer the most, according to Huang. PHOTO: Residents wade across a flooded street after heavy monsoon rains in Karachi, Pakistan, July 26, 2022. (Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images) "We know that when disasters happen, the wealthy are able to evacuate, and they're able to rebuild elsewhere, so it's often the low and moderate-income people who don't have the capacity," Huang said. "And we saw this in the U.S. with Hurricane Katrina." In August 2005, the category 3 hurricane made landfall in southeast Louisiana, killing 1,833 people, displacing 1 million residents and leading to 3 million individuals registering for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance. PHOTO: People rest on a school rooftop after being trapped there in high water after Hurricane Katrina, Aug. 30, 2005, in New Orleans. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) "In the U.S., race and poverty are deeply connected," Randall said. "So it is far more likely that racialized communities will experience more extreme displacement situations in the face of climate-driven disasters." Marking one of the most staggering natural disasters in American history, the warnings of Hurricane Katrina are just as pivotal in the present day as ever. MORE: Rare 'high risk' warning for flash flooding issued in Texas, Louisiana In terms of public opinion toward climate migration, Huang believes, "We need to do a lot more work to communicate with people and explain to them that this is the way migration works." "We are going to see increased instability and increased mobility, internally within the U.S. and across the rest of the world, as the impacts of climate change worsen," Huang said. Why climate migration in Brazil has become a global crisis originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Editors note: The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer. CNN is showcasing the work of The Conversation, a collaboration between journalists and academics to provide news analysis and commentary. The content is produced solely by The Conversation. Most Americans dont know two key facts about pregnancy, including how they are dated and how long a trimester is and this could matter, as a growing number of states place restrictions on abortion. Florida enacted a new law on May 1, 2024, that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with a few exceptions including documented rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. Florida joins the majority of Southern states that now have complete bans or highly restrictive abortion laws, enacted since the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to get an abortion in June 2022. Many of the restrictive laws ban abortion after a set number of weeks. Florida Republicans supporting the bill have labeled it a reasonable compromise between a full abortion ban and few abortion restrictions. READ MORE: Mexico is a destination for Americans seeking reproductive health services Some OB-GYNs have explained that many women do not even know they are pregnant at six weeks. Research shows that women on average find out they are pregnant at five and a half weeks. About 23% do not know until seven weeks of pregnancy or later. So, do Americans, including those enacting six-week bans, actually understand how the timing or dating of pregnancy works? We are scholars of political science, gender and public opinion and are writing a book about public opinion on abortion after the Supreme Courts reversal of the federal right to get an abortion in June 2022. How does pregnancy work? To gain insights into this issue, we developed a few pregnancy questions and included them in a research survey in late September 2023. The survey had 1,356 respondents, who were broadly representative of the U.S. population. The respondents median age was 46. Approximately 49% of these people were men, while 70% were white and 29% were college graduates. Meanwhile, 43% of them were Democrats, and 38% were Republicans. READ MORE: Fetal personhood rulings could nullify a pregnant patients wishes for end-of-life care The first question asked respondents how pregnancies are dated. The correct answer is that pregnancies are dated using the first day of the womans last menstrual period, which is often two to three weeks before conception. The second question asked about trimesters. Many Americans are familiar with the term trimester, and polling consistently shows that Americans find abortion most acceptable during the first trimester. We asked Americans if they knew approximately how many weeks a trimester was. The correct answer is 13. Americans pregnancy knowledge We found that only one-third of respondents knew how pregnancy is dated. A majority approximately 60% falsely thought that pregnancy is dated from conception or in the weeks since the woman last had sex. Less than one-fourth of the respondents answered both pregnancy knowledge questions correctly. In our survey, we also asked respondents whether they support a six-week abortion ban. Similar to other national surveys, we find that most Americans oppose strict abortion restrictions only 35% support six-week bans. Importantly, we find that those who support six-week abortion bans are significantly less likely than others to correctly understand the timing of pregnancy. The statistically significant relationship between having low levels of pregnancy timing knowledge and support for a six-week abortion ban holds in analyses controlling for potentially confounding variables. Some anti-abortion lawmakers have demonstrated their ignorance about pregnancy before. There is, for example, a long history of some anti-abortion politicians saying, incorrectly, that it is extremely rare for a person who is raped to get pregnant. Our survey shows that a large swath of those opposing abortion lack knowledge about the basics of pregnancy. A gender disparity Perhaps not surprisingly, women in this survey knew more about pregnancy than men. The question about how pregnancies are dated, for example, was answered correctly by 43% of women compared with only 23% of men. As mentioned above, a majority of Americans incorrectly believe pregnancy is dated from conception, but significantly more men than women think this is true. This finding is particularly important when considering the gender breakdown of the Florida state lawmakers who approved the six-week ban. Although we do not have data on the pregnancy knowledge of those legislators, we do know that those who voted for the ban were overwhelmingly men. Floridas six-week ban will make it much harder for anyone to get abortions there and it will also affect people in neighboring states who want or need an abortion. In 2023, Florida was home to the closest abortion clinic for 6.4 million women living in the South. In 2023, around 7,700 women from other Southern states, where abortion is now largely banned, traveled to Florida to get abortions. Overall, our findings raise serious questions about whether Americans without medical training much like those in our state legislatures have the necessary knowledge needed to regulate abortion access. Correction: This story has been updated to remove an incorrect reference to the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America groups position on an abortion ban after six weeks. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of assault. Reader discretion is advised. Sherri Papini was a 34-year-old mother of two who disappeared for 22 days from November 2, 2016, before she reappeared on Thanksgiving day along a Sacramento-area highway. She then told authorities that two Hispanic women abducted her and held her captive. She said that they beat and branded her during her time being held captive. However, she later admitted that she was not abducted and willingly fled to Costa Mesa, California, to be with her then-boyfriend, James Reyes, according to People Magazine. According to KCRA, Sherri Papini had a swollen nose, was branded on her right shoulder, and bruised on her face when reappeared. She had ligature marks, rashes, bruises, and burns all over her body. She also told authorities that someone from law enforcement was involved in her abduction. In 2022, Sherri Papini pleaded guilty to mail fraud and making false statements to the FBI. NBC News reported that the charges werent because of the kidnapping hoax but rather because of the prolonged manipulation and lies she told authorities over the years. The court sentenced her to 18 months in prison and asked her to pay nearly $310,000 in restitution, according to CNN. The California Victims Compensation Board reportedly spent over $30,000 on scheduled therapy visits and an ambulance trip, while the United States Social Security Administrations expenditure amounted to above $127,000. The expectation was for her to repay the whole amount. Additionally, the Shasta County Sheriffs Office was to be compensated with $148,866, which went into investigating the abduction. Sherri Papini was asked to pay the FBI $2,558, per People Magazines report. How did Sherri Papini get caught? ABC News reported that Sherri Papini seemed interested in speaking with authorities once she returned. The police reportedly had very little evidence or information to dig into and could only come up with very generic sketches of the Latina women that Papini described. Her story about why the Hispanic kidnappers branded her reportedly changed every time. Each account was inconsistent with the other. The police then collected Sherri Papinis clothes to conduct a forensic examination. They found the DNA of a male on the clothes but could not determine the persons identity. They then interacted with Papinis ex-husband and her friends. Her ex-husband told detectives that she tended to run away. Her then-husband, Keith Papini, was also questioned, and he reported some instances of infidelity. However, no solid progress was made until 2020, when the DNA found was matched to James Reyes using genetic genealogy. James Reyes was a former boyfriend of Sherri Papini and initially claimed that he didnt come into contact with Papini. He later revealed that she asked for his help to get away. Papini reportedly asked Reyes to rent a car and pick her up. They then drove to Costa Mesa, where they stayed in his apartment for weeks. He claimed that the wounds and injuries on her body were mostly self-inflicted. She reportedly asked him also to brand her. Authorities then questioned Sherri Papini, who maintained her innocence. They then arrested and charged her with making false statements and mail fraud. Where is Papini now? In August 2023, People Magazine reported that Sherri Papini was to be released into community confinement. She would be staying in a halfway house. By this time, she had served less than a year of her 18-month sentence in prison. She was reportedly shifted to a residential reentry facility in Sacramento County from the Federal Correctional Institution, Victorville Medium I, in Victorville, California. As per another report, in October 2023, Papini was released early from the halfway house. However, Papini will remain under supervised release for the three years following her release. She was 41 years old at the time of her release. Regarding her divorce from Keith Papini, KRCRTV reported that Sherri Papini had been uncooperative with court orders relating to the separation, as stated by Keiths attorney. She also failed to attend a court hearing scheduled in October and had her attorney speak over a call instead. As per a report by the Independent, during a hearing in November, Sherri and Keith Papini had a fallout over their financial situation. Keith accused Sherri Papini of having gone on a reckless spending spree in August 2022. She allegedly spent $3,238 on the spree using a credit card that Keith gave her to improve her credit score. Sherri Papini reportedly told the court that she wanted half of the money that was earned by the couple. She claimed that her husbands control over the money that they collectively earned left her with nothing and ruined her financial situation. Keith Papini claimed that her legal team is reluctant to talk to him. Sherri Papini: Lies, Lies and More Lies is a TV documentary that explores how Sherri Papini faked her own kidnapping and manipulated authorities. The post Why Did Sherri Papini Fake Her Own Kidnapping? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Why failure to check your bags before traveling to Turks & Caicos can get you jail time Traveling to the sun-swept Turks and Caicos on vacation? You might want to double-check your luggage for ammo. Five Americans visiting the British dependency this year are facing a mandatory 12 years in prison, charged with possession of ammunition after arriving in the popular tourist destination 600 miles southeast of Miami. The latest arrest happened this week. The Royal Turks and Caicos Police said Orlando resident Sharitta Shinse Grier, 45, has been charged with one count of possession of ammunition after police discovered ammunition in her luggage on Monday during a routine search at the Howard Hamilton International Airport in Providenciales. Grier had a court appearance on Thursday and was remanded to another hearing on July 5th. If convicted Grier, like the four other Americans, faces a mandatory prison sentence in the territory, which two years ago implemented tough gun-laws to curb a violent crime wave and opted to hold tourists to the same standard as locals. The families of those arrested have pleaded for their release, and three U.S. governors this week asked for mercy on behalf of three of the men who said they did not intentionally take ammunition with them on vacation. Governors Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Josh Shapiro od Pennsylvania and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia sent a joint letter to the British-appointed governor of Turks & Caicos, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam. The letter seeks the release of Ryan Watson of Oklahoma, Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania and Tyler Scott Wenrich of Virginia, and their expedited return to their families in the U.S. All three men have been charged with possession of ammunition. Daniel-Selvaratnam has said that she cannot get involved. In their correspondence, the U.S. governors note that none of the men were found with firearms and all three said the ammunition was left in their luggage by accident. In the case of Watson, both he and his wife Valerie were arrested after security found four rounds of ammunition in a bag from a deer hunting trip. Valerie Watson was eventually released and returned home. Watson was given bail but is not allowed to leave the territory and has a hearing in June. In addition to the three men, 72-year-old Michael Lee Evans of Texas also faces prison over ammunition possession. We humbly ask that your governmentin its wisdomtemper justice with mercy and recognize that these men made mistakes but had no apparent malicious intent, the governors letter said. In September, the U.S. State Department issued a security alert warning U.S. citizens traveling to the Turks and Caicos. The warning said that firearms, ammunition and other weapons are not permitted. Visitors were also warned that Turks and Caicos authorities strictly enforce all firearms-related laws, and the penalty for traveling to Turks and Caicos Islands with a firearm or ammunition or other weapon is a minimum sentence of 12 years. Following the arrest of Hagerich and Watson, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the department is aware of the arrests and is providing consular services. Miller also noted that travelers shouldnt be able to depart from a U.S airport with ammunition in the first place, but we constantly update our travel alerts to make sure or to warn people that they are of course subject to local laws when they travel overseas. A spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration said Friday the agency is still gathering information. The agency said travelers should be aware of the laws of the countries they are visiting and should make sure their luggage carries no ammunition. TSA takes its security mission very seriously and visitors should be aware ammunition is prohibited in carry-on bags and passengers are responsible for the contents of their luggage, the spokesperson said. We also strongly recommend that individuals do not bring their firing-range bags to the airport when they travel. The Turks and Caicos government has strongly advised visitors to the island-chain to check their luggage before they travel to the territory, which is wrestling with a violent wave of firearms-related deaths. The Turks and Caicos Islands reserves the right to enforce its laws and all persons (including visitors) must follow lawful process, a statement issued from the government said. BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council announced the appointment of several new officials on Friday. Zheng Bei was appointed deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission. Qiu Yong was appointed vice minister of science and technology. He no longer serves as deputy head of the China Academy of Engineering Physics. Yang Jianwen was appointed deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China. Song Xinchun was appointed deputy director of the National Fire and Rescue Administration. Wang Kun was appointed head of the China Earthquake Administration, replacing Min Yiren. Earlier this week, the Slovakian Prime Minister, Robert Fico, was shot at close range five times while greeting the crowd after an off-site government meeting in the town of Handlova. This is one of the most difficult situations a protection officer can find himself in and I should know. I started life in close protection in 1996 when I transferred from the Parachute Regiment to the Royal Military Police solely to do their special protection course. Over the course of my career I have looked after British ambassadors, members of parliament, defence and command staff and members of the Royal Family. I wrote the book on it. Its the job of any close protection officer to identify a threat to their principal the person theyre protecting but situations like this one, where the principal has to mingle with and be in close proximity to unknowns, is the hardest. This crowd will have been unknown: not vetted, for the most part. In such a situation we dont know who they are, and all we can do to engage with them is keep a close eye on their non-verbal communication: how they appear. Are they smiling, do they look happy or nervous? Are they sweating? Its all about the hands and eyes, every time or, as we say in the business, the absence of the normal and the presence of the abnormal. Behavioural assessment is quite a skill. But those of us who do it know the nuances: the strange human interactions and how to identify someone or a station thats just not quite right. You could call it a sixth sense. Should a close protection officer identify someone of interest, they will immediately communicate that information to someone already in the crowd another protection officer to go and intervene. Because an event like this one, planned in advance, will have covert operators mingling with the crowd. Its their duty to identify suspicious behaviour bags left alone, people preparing for or conducting any act that is out of the ordinary. Fico being taken to a hospital in Slovakia after the shooting - Getty The other level of protection will have been carried out by an advance party clearing the route. That route will have been searched and sealed: drains, culverts, bridges along the way; bins taken away. And you might also have a tier in the air as well, monitoring the crowd with high-powered cameras; snipers and counter-snipers, counter-attack teams waiting in nearby roads to respond - all those multi layers. Not for this event in Slovakia, perhaps, but certainly for a big event in Britain, such as a jubilee. If something does happen, as it did in Slovakia, the job of the close protection officer is not to fight the threat, but to get the boss out of the way. In a way, all protection officers must be cowards were not there to advance contact but to grab the principal and get him out of there aggressively. Thats why its important for security drivers to stay in vehicles with the engine running and nearby because those vehicles are also armoured, and so theyre a safe haven. In the UK, an armoured vehicle can usually withstand a 7.62 that is, a large-ish calibre round from an AK47, for example. The driver and the team that deals directly with the principal can then get out of there, while a personal escort team, who will have travelled in a second car, can act as backup and stay to deal with the threat. I dont like to be too critical, but in this situation you had the protection officers dealing with Fico getting him into the car and others pausing, seeming not to know exactly where to go, like rabbits caught in the headlights. But it must be instilled into you what your role or function is in the event of several different situations and if you hear gunfire, youve got to know what youre doing, because time is of the essence. 'The job of the close protection officer is not to fight the threat, but to get the boss out of the way': security personnel carry Fico towards a car - Getty The way the Slovakians work looks to be quite similar to how we do things here in the UK. Im slightly biased, being a Brit, but were much more discreet about how we do protection than, say, the Americans. Because they have huge budgets, they will flood an area: absolutely swamp it with manpower. US protection officers have even started to take a special aggressive stance: they hold the lapels of their jacket, which means anyone can easily identify who is a US secret service agent, and it also provides them with an arguably quicker ability to access their firearm. The British will not do that because we view it as detrimental to the image of the person being protected. There is an unwritten rule, if youre protecting a royal or a minister, that if there is a TV camera, photographer, anything, you have to try your utmost not to be in that image. The Americans dont care about things like that theyre there to do a job, come hell or high water. Its illegal to carry a firearm if youre protecting a private individual in the UK, but state protection officers will have two: a Glock pistol and a rifle, which will usually be held in the vehicle. With firearms being illegal for a private citizen in the UK, it does have a knock-on effect for the reduction of threat in comparison to America. In Slovakia, you can only get a firearms licence if you own a valid hunting permit or are a state representative in sport shooting, with no criminal history and of sound health and mind, and you have to take an oral exam covering aspects of gun law and safe handling. But you cant always identify the threat. This man was 71 years old: hes not the typical demographic. People are very easy to pigeonhole and stereotype. When you have someone out of that typical box suddenly appearing with a gun, its always going to be a surprise. The big lesson from this whole episode? That anyone, regardless of sex or age could be a threat. We live in an increasingly dangerous world. And it is absolutely impossible to provide 100 per cent protection. Richard J Aitch is a protective security specialist and author of The Close Protection Book 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. Donald Trump received the day off from his hush-money trial to attend his son Barrons high school graduation, and actually managed to show up for his youngest child Friday morning. But dont worryhe has plans to dip almost immediately after. Trump, his wife, Melania, and Melanias father, Viktor Knavs, were among the guests in the audience at Oxbridge Academys graduation ceremony in Palm Beach, Florida, Friday morning. The former president posted a very short message on Truth Social announcing his attendance Friday morning: Going to Barrons High School Graduation. Great student, wonderful boy! Very exciting!!! DJT. Trump had complained that the judge in his hush-money trial, Juan Merchan, was preventing him from attending the ceremony, when in reality New York state law requires criminal defendants to attend all of their trial proceedings. Reportedly, Melania was not happy with the former president mentioning their sons graduation in court and bringing unwanted attention upon their son. The former presidents lawyers asked Merchan for the day off, which was later granted. Oxbridge Academy said that its graduation ceremony this year was private and invitation-only, and asked the press not to attend. After Barrons graduation ceremony, Trump will be flying to St. Paul, Minnesota, to speak at the Republican Party of Minnesotas annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner in the evening, which means that any graduation day plans Barron has will likely not include his father. We are thrilled to welcome President Trump back to Minnesota to headline our Lincoln Reagan dinner, an annual tradition that reminds us of the roots of our Party and the leaders who have been most impactful in promoting our American values. I can think of no one more fitting to join us this year than President Trump, Minnesota GOP chair David Hann said in a statement. As far as posthigh school plans, Barron was chosen as an at-large delegate for the Republican National Convention, only to pull out due to prior commitments, according to a statement from his mother. He plans to attend college but is reportedly still deciding where to go. (COLORADO) Each May, Colorado observes Wildfire Awareness Month to encourage community members to better prepare their homes, properties, and communities for wildfires. Ongoing drought in parts of Colorado, powerful winds, and large swaths of forests affected by pests and diseases increase the potential for large wildfires. With half of Coloradans living in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and being susceptible to wildfire, people need to take action to reduce their wildfire risks. Here is what Live Wildfire Ready recommends to reduce wildfire risk: Regularly clear leaves, pine needles and other debris from the deck, roof, and gutters Remove pine needles and leaves five feet from your home Store firewood at least 30 feet from your home, never on or under your deck Move items under your deck or porch to a storage area Prune branches hanging over your roof within 10 feet of your chimney Remove flammable material within six vertical inches of your homes siding Mow grasses to four inches or less within 30 feet of your home Clear brush, shrubs, and other plants within 10 feet of propane tanks Screen attic, roof, eaves, and foundation vents We must work together with our communities and partner agencies to reduce the threat of wildfire in our communities, said USDA Forest Service Regional Forester Frank Beum. The work we all do ahead of a wildfire incident will assist our resources in being successful when an incident occurs. In addition to preparing ones home, community members are encouraged to make an evacuation plan, prepare a go-bag, and practice evacuating the home with family and pets. Living with wildfires and how to prepare Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) presented the 2024 Wildfire Preparedness Plan to Governor Jared Polis in April 2024. The plan includes the wildfire outlook and the States plan to respond to wildfires. Even in an average year, Colorado can experience over 5,500 wildland fires burning over 220,000 acres, said DFPC Director Mike Morgan. DFPC continues to expand our response capabilities to meet all fire-related needs year-round by focusing on early detection and rapid initial attack to limit duration, impacts, and costs where fire is unwanted. For more information, visit LiveWildfireReady.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 FOX21 News Colorado. FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) Fire crews are battling a 186-acre wildland fire Friday morning in Fresno County near Coalinga, according to CAL FIRE Fresno-Kings Unit The Petrol fire was first reported at 12:18 a.m. near Highway 33, north of Coalinga is now 60% contained, according to Cal Fire There are no reports of injuries and no reports of structures damaged at his time, according to Cal Fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation. This is a developing story. Stay tuned on-air and online 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 YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. David DePape, the man convicted of breaking into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home and brutally attacking her husband with a hammer, was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison, the Associated Press reported. DePape, 44, was found guilty last November. He was given credit for the 18 months he's been behind bars since the October 2022 assault. In sentencing DePape, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said she took into consideration the fact that he had no prior record, but noted that his extreme politics he espoused far-right politics on his personal blog led him to commit a violent crime. He actually went to the home, that is completely, completely unprecedented," Corley said. Paul Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, suffered two head wounds in the attack, including a skull fracture that had to be mended with permanent plates and screws. His right arm was also injured. Despite the brutality of the crime, the attack was mocked by the likes of Donald Trump Jr., who promoted a conspiracy theory that DePape was an estranged lover, not in fact a supporter of his father, the former president. During this trial testimony, DePape admitted that he broke into the Pelosis home in San Francisco on October 28, 2022, with the intent of holding the speaker hostage and to break her kneecaps if she lied to him. He also confessed to bludgeoning Paul Pelosi with a hammer, adding that his plan was to end what he perceived as government corruption. The attack on Paul Pelosi, which occurred a few days before the midterm elections, was captured on a police body camera video DePape also admitted to jurors that he had planned on wearing an inflatable unicorn costume when recording his interrogation of Nancy Pelosi, who turned out not to be home at the time of his intrusion. DePape had rope, zip ties, and body cameras on his person. Paul Pelosi testified at the trial too. He recounted being awakened by a large man who burst into his bedroom asking, Wheres Nancy? When he told the man that his wife was in Washington, DePape responded by tying him up, intending to wait for his wife's return. It was a tremendous sense of shock to recognize that somebody had broken into the house, and looking at him and looking at the hammer and the ties, I recognized that I was in serious danger, so I tried to stay as calm as possible, Pelosi told jurors. In state court, DePape was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, and residential burglary among other felonies. The jury selection in that trial is expected to start Wednesday. Aaron Bennet, a spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi, welcomed news of the sentence. The Pelosi family couldnt be prouder of their Pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case, he said. Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to all who have sent love and prayers over the last eighteen months, as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery." Woman Allegedly Blamed Girl, 15, for Being Sexually Abused, Then Tortured Her and Lit Her on Fire: Police Latonya Harris and her boyfriend are facing several charges including attempted murder Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office Terrence Washington (left) and Latonya Harris Content warning: This article contains disturbing allegations of child sex abuse. A Louisiana woman was arrested alongside her boyfriend for allegedly brutally torturing a teenage girl in her care after learning the boyfriend was sexually abusing the child. Latonya Harris, 40, and her boyfriend, 41-year-old Terrence Washington, are in custody in connection with the alleged April incident and its aftermath, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriffs Office announced this week, per FOX 26, WVUE and WDSU. Authorities in Baytown, Texas, notified Terrebonne officials on April 21 regarding a crash in their jurisdiction involving the couple, the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff said in a statement, per FOX 21 and WDSU. Baytown police found the couple, the 15-year-old alleged victim and another minor in the car, the sheriff said, adding that the teenager was found with brutal injuries including burns to her upper body and gunshot wounds to her chest and face, per the outlets. A Baytown investigator said the case was the worst she has seen in her entire career, per WVUE. Washington was taken into custody while Harris and the child were taken to a local hospital for treatment, per the sheriff. Washington allegedly told Baytown police that he shot the teenager in their Thibodaux, La., home and had been sexually abusing her for months, the sheriff said, per FOX 26, WVUE and WDSU. The younger child, who WVUE reports is 10 years old, reportedly told authorities that one night in February, she woke up to find the teenager on fire and the woman allegedly standing over the alleged victim's bed with rubbing alcohol and a lighter, per the outlets. The sheriff alleged that Washington told authorities that Harris allegedly carried out the assaults after learning that her boyfriend had been sexually abusing the teenager, for which she blamed the minor, according to the outlets. 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. Harris was arrested on May 9 after being released from the hospital and faces several charges including attempted first-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, and domestic abuse battery child endangerment, the sheriff said, per FOX 26 and WVUE. Charges against Washington include attempted first-degree murder, second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, obstruction of justice, molestation of a juvenile, three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and five counts of second-degree rape, per authorities, WDSU reported. Washington is currently detained in Texas in connection with his alleged crimes in Texas, per WVUE and FOX 26, but he will be taken into custody in Terrebonne Parish authorities once he is released. It wasn't immediately clear if Washington or Harris have entered pleas or retained attorneys. 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. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Woman caught with almost 100 lbs of fentanyl pills in Indio: DOJ An American woman living in Mexico faces a potential sentence of life in federal prison after officials say she was pulled over in Indio with almost 100 pounds of fentanyl pills in her car. Adriana Galindo, who now lives in San Luis Rio Colorado, was driving a 2015 black Chevrolet Malibu on the 10 Freeway on Tuesday when she was pulled over by Border Patrol agents conducting vehicle stops, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release. Galindo, 34, was with her young son at the time and told agents that they were driving to Los Angeles to purchase clothing for a retail store in Mexico and were planning to return home later that day, the release said. Galindo told agents they could search her vehicle, and a K-9 unit smelled narcotics, the DOJ said. Agents found only one blue pill of suspected fentanyl, but once the car was brought back to the station, officials say they found 93.3 pounds of fentanyl pills in a non-factory compartment located under the cars front seats. The Border Patrol said the narcotics had a street value of more than $1.9 million. She faces a charge of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and she was expected to make her initial court appearance in Riverside on Thursday afternoon. The boys aunt, a California resident, took custody of him. If convicted, Galindo faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 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 KTLA. More than 20 years after she was sexually assaulted multiple times by her brother, a woman in Ventura County is getting justice, authorities announced Thursday. Stephen Delacruz, 37, a resident of San Diego, pleaded guilty to eight felonies, including three counts of forcible rape, three counts of forcible oral copulation and two counts of digital penetration and admitted the special allegation that his victim was under the age of 18, a news release from the Ventura County District Attorneys Office stated. The violent assaults occurred in 2001 and 2002, when Delacruz was 14 and 15 years old and his sister, Samantha, was 8 years old. Delacruz isolated the victim in their Oxnard house and threatened to kill her if she ever disclosed the crimes, often displaying a knife prior to the sexual assaults, prosecutors said. In 2019, Samantha reported the rapes to authorities at the Oxnard Police Department. Prosecutors in the district attorneys office worked to get the case moved from the juvenile court system to the adult court system, arguing the crimes involved considerable sophistication and planning and were especially violent and severe. The juvenile court agreed, but in 2022 the California legislature changed the criteria for moving juvenile cases to the adult courts, adding the requirement that courts determine by clear and convincing evidence that the minor is amenable to rehabilitation through the juvenile court system. The victims case was subsequently returned to the juvenile court system, causing Samantha to again endure the lengthy legal process. SoCal man pleads guilty violent sex assaults on his sister In 2023, a Ventura County Superior Court Judge found Delacruz fit for transfer to the adult court system, saying the allegations were horrendous. After Delacruz appealed, causing yet another delay, the California Court of Appeals in Nov. 2023 ordered the case transferred to the adult courts. Family devastated after boy, 14, shot, killed at Southern California park Samantha was incredibly brave, courageous and just never gave up, said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, who prosecuted the case. Despite multiple setbacks and delays, she kept fighting for justice and to have her voice heard in court. Because of her determination to see her brother held accountable for these egregious crimes, the legal process did ultimately work. In his May 14, 2024, plea agreement, Delacruz waived his right to any further appeals in the case. The 37-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced in June, where DA Nasarenko, according to the release, intends to ask the judge for a 30-year state prison commitment. 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. A union volunteer removes pro-union t-shirts from the back of his car at UAW headquarters on Friday, May 17, 2024 in Coaling, Alabama. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector) Workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama, voted Friday to reject a union after a months-long campaign to organize the plant. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversaw the election, said 2,045 workers (44%) voted for the union, while 2,642 workers (56%) voted against it. The results, the first setback for organized labor after a string of recent victories dating back to last fall, came after an intense battle between the United Auto Workers, who have tried to unionize the plant for decades; Mercedes-Benz, which opposed it, and Alabama state officials and business groups, who waged an aggressive anti-union campaign. The no comes after state leaders advocated against the union amid a series of labor victories nationwide. Shawn Fain, president of the UAW, said at the Coaling UAW office on Friday that the result was not what they were hoping for, but the workers made gains in their campaign. Justice isnt just about one vote or one campaign, said Fain. Its about getting a voice and getting your fair share. Mercedes-Benz United States International (MBUSI), the entity overseeing the plant, said in a statement Friday that they wanted to ensure every eligible Team Member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election. The company thanked all Team Members who asked questions, engaged in discussions, and ultimately, made their voices heard on this important issue. Workers who supported the union said they had concerns about work-life balance, pay, benefits and policies, such as a doctors note not excusing time off when a worker is out of days. Rick Webster, a two body panel adjuster, told reporters ahead of the vote counts becoming public on Friday that he hoped a union would allow employees to negotiate on an equal playing field. Well be able to sit down at the table with the company, and we will be able to negotiate what we need as workers and not have it dictated to us by the company, he said. He also said that if the union vote fell short, supporters would try again. As the votes rolled in, pained sounds came from people in the room as the vote count swung to nos as the votes came in chunks throughout the day. The early vote counts did not look favorable for unionization. Near the end of count, the running vote totals on the white board were changed to ONWARD! The vote at Mercedes, whose arrival in Alabama in 1993 is credited with creating the states automotive industry, was the first defeat for organized labor after a string of victories. Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee voted to unionize in April. UAW won a major strike against the Big Three automakers last year, and secured a contract with 25% wage increases at Daimler Truck earlier this month. Volkswagen employees had first rejected the union in close votes in 2014 (712 yess to 626 nos) and 2019 (833 nos among around 1,600 who voted), according to the Washington Post and New York Times, respectively. Drew Hall, team lead in the paint shop at Volkswagen in Chattanooga drove down with his wife, Kristina Hall in support of the drive on Friday. Hall, who was also involved in the 2019 Volkswagen union drive, said that it was exhilarating after the more recent vote. The amount of time that youve actually put into it that once its over and done with all you want to do is cry, he said ahead of the vote counts becoming public. The UAW has tried to organize the plant for years, but none have made it as far as the current effort. While the wages had stagnated, autoworkers still make more on average than others in the state. Workers who did not state support of the union told the Reflector at a recent shift change that they were not sure where they would find better work. The union drive has faced push back from state leaders, with both Gov. Kay Ivey and the Business Council of Alabama opposing the union. Ivey recently signed legislation sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, which would require companies to forfeit state economic incentives if they voluntarily recognize unions. In a statement released Friday afternoon, Ivey called the automotive industry a crown jewel industry in the state and wrote that she was grateful for the companies. The workers in Vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly! she wrote. Alabama is not Michigan, and we are not the Sweet Home to the UAW. We urge the UAW to respect the results of this secret ballot election. A message was left with BCA Friday morning. In February, the UAW said that a majority of the workers had signaled support for the union. The union called for a vote in April and had previously said that they would call for a vote when 70% of workers had signaled support for the union, though they did not disclose their level of support at the time. A November report from the progressive non-profit organization Alabama Arise found that wage growth had stalled for the workers. The report found that real wages had declined 11% from 2002-2019 and that Alabama workers made less than autoworkers in other states. Hispanic, Black and women workers also made less on average. This is a breaking news story and will be updated. This story is republished from the Alabama Reflector, a sister publication to the Kentucky Lantern and part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network. The post Workers at Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama reject union after months-long campaign appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Tourists visit the archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in northwest Pakistan's Mardan on May 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal) by Raheela Nazir ISLAMABAD, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Walking up the stone stairs ascending to the archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi, Muhammad Haasan immersed himself in Buddhist history and culture as the exceptionally well-preserved majestic beauty of ruins bewildered the teenager. UNESCO World Heritage Site Takht-i-Bahi, one of the most prestigious Buddhist religious establishments in the ancient Gandhara region, is located in the country's northwest Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Pakistan is rich in cultural heritage with a large number of historical cultural sites sprawling across the South Asian country. China and Pakistan took an extra mile to preserve the sites, including Takht-i-Bahi, under the Guardians of Gandhara program run by Chinese and Pakistani scholars and volunteers. "Every two weeks I come here with at least 50 students to learn about the Buddhist monastery, stupas, kings and their residential facilities. Our teachers have also organized tours to other museums in various cities and teach us about civilizations and historic sites," said the 13-year-old student of the heritage conservation classes launched under the Guardians of Gandhara program. "With the help of China, we will protect and conserve the heritage sites for future generations as the heritage sites are the connection to our history, community and identity," the student said. "The stories of ancient kings are very interesting. This archeological site provides us with important information as to how people about 2,000 years ago used to live, meditate and educate themselves. It's quite fascinating," said another student Tahira. Talking to Xinhua, Maaz Ali, a teacher and conservation assistant at the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, KP, said that the main purpose of various educational projects was to make locals living near archeological sites aware about the heritage sites of Pakistan and rebuild their connection with cultural heritage. "Especially, young generation is in charge of Guardians of Gandhara as they will take a lead in preserving these important archeological sites of Pakistan in the future," he said. According to him, Pakistani and Chinese teams have been working together on the restoration of various archeological sites in Pakistan, adding that more sites are being identified for the conservation work. With restoration work done on several sites, Ali said that the number of tourists, especially Chinese and Japanese, have increased over the past years. "Thousands of tourists have been visiting the historical sites recently, injecting new impetus into the tourism sector of Pakistan and national development." As International Museum Day is observed on May 18, Pakistan sought cooperation with China to further strengthen the protection of cultural heritage. The State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China and the National Heritage and Culture Division of Pakistan have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly implement archaeology, cultural heritage protection and restoration, exhibition exchanges, and prevent illegal trafficking of relics. Director of Archaeology and Museums of KP Abdul Samad told Xinhua that China always walks the talk and its commitment towards preserving cultural heritage in Asia is practical, highlighting that China is collaborating with Pakistani archaeologists to preserve and restore the archeological sites using modern technologies. He said that Pakistan needs to further strengthen cooperation with China to protect heritage sites, maintain academic collaborations between universities and cultural heritage institutions in the two countries, and initiate joint scientific and technological preservation initiatives. Samad believed that China's cultural heritage cooperation and exchanges programs with various countries including Pakistan are exemplary, adding that China's effective measures for harmonious coexistence of different civilizations set examples for the world. Chen Zhigang, associate professor at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and director of the Guardians of Gandhara program, said that China has established multi-level exchange relations with Pakistani governments, the archaeological bureau, museums and heritage sites. Commenting on the future cooperation plans for the protection of cultural sites and relics of Pakistan, he told Xinhua that both countries need to further focus on tourism infrastructure improvement, basic maintenance, and archaeological excavation of sites. Besides that, digitization of cultural heritage, joint scientific research projects as well as heritage education and cultural exchanges would be further encouraged in the future, he said. Tourists visit the archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in northwest Pakistan's Mardan on May 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal) Students visit the archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in northwest Pakistan's Mardan on May 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal) An aerial drone photo shows the archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in northwest Pakistan's Mardan on May 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal) This photo shows the archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in northwest Pakistan's Mardan on May 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal) An aerial drone photo shows the archaeological site of an ancient Buddhist monastery Takht-i-Bahi in northwest Pakistan's Mardan on May 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal) Supporters listen as UAW President Shawn Fain speaks at a press conference at the UAW Local 112 office on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Coaling, Alabama. Local Mercedes-Benz workers in Vance voted against unionizing. (Laura Chramer for Alabama Reflector) Workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance Friday voted to reject a union after a months-long campaign to organize the plant. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which oversaw the election, said 2,045 workers (44%) voted for the union, while 2,642 workers (56%) voted against it. The results, the first setback for organized labor after a string of recent victories dating back to last fall, came after an intense battle between the United Auto Workers, who have tried to unionize the plant for decades; Mercedes-Benz, which opposed it, and Alabama state officials and business groups, who waged an aggressive anti-union campaign. The no comes after state leaders advocated against the union amid a series of labor victories nationwide. Shawn Fain, president of the UAW, said at the Coaling UAW office on Friday that the result was not what they were hoping for, but the workers made gains in their campaign. Justice isnt just about one vote or one campaign, said Fain. Its about getting a voice and getting your fair share. A man in a red shirt at a lectern Mercedes-Benz United States International (MBUSI), the entity overseeing the plant, said in a statement Friday that they wanted to ensure every eligible Team Member had the opportunity to participate in a fair election. We thank all team members who asked questions, engaged in discussions, and ultimately, made their voices heard on this important issue, the statement said. Workers who supported the union said they had concerns about work-life balance, pay, benefits and policies, such as a doctors note not excusing time off when a worker is out of days. Rick Webster, a two body panel adjuster, told reporters ahead of the vote counts becoming public on Friday that he hoped a union would allow employees to negotiate on an equal playing field. Well be able to sit down at the table with the company, and we will be able to negotiate what we need as workers and not have it dictated to us by the company, he said. He also said that if the union vote fell short, supporters would try again. Fain accused Mercedes of engaging in intimidation tactics. The NLRB wrote in an email earlier this week that Region 10 was investigating Mercedes-Benz for claims filed by the UAW. Kirk Garner, who works in companys audit department and supported the union, accused Mercedes of engaging in anti-union behavior. Other workers previously accused managers of advocating against the union and spreading anti-union propoganda. Its written in their corporate policy to be neutral, and they werent neutral, he said. Fain said he would leave it to their legal team on whether they would challenge the results of the election based on Mercedes conduct. Our fight isnt just here, he said. Our fight is in the legislatures, in the halls of legislatures. Garner said organizers would try again for next year. Were not giving up, he said. Weve been doing this for 25 years. Defeat after victories Two women embracing As the votes rolled in, pained sounds came from people in the room as the vote count swung to nos as the votes came in chunks throughout the day. The early vote counts did not look favorable for unionization. Near the end of count, the running vote totals on the white board were changed to ONWARD! The vote at Mercedes, whose arrival in Alabama in 1993 is credited with creating the states automotive industry, was the first defeat for organized labor after a string of victories. Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee voted to unionize in April. UAW won a major strike against the Big Three automakers last year, and secured a contract with 25% wage increases at Daimler Truck earlier this month. Volkswagen employees had first rejected the union in close votes in 2014 (712 no; 626 yes) and 2019 (833 nos among around 1,600 who voted), according to the Washington Post and New York Times, respectively. Drew Hall, a team lead in the paint shop at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, drove down with his wife, Kristina Hall, in support of the drive on Friday. Hall, who was also involved in the 2019 Volkswagen union drive, said that the victory at the Chattanooga plant was exhilarating. The amount of time that youve actually put into it that once its over and done with all you want to do is cry, he said ahead of the vote counts becoming public. A man gesturing in a corner In February, the UAW said that a majority of the workers had signaled support for the union. The union called for a vote in April and had previously said that they would call for a vote when 70% of workers had signaled support for the union, though they did not disclose their level of support at the time. A November report from the progressive non-profit organization Alabama Arise found that wage growth had stalled for the workers. The report found that real wages had declined 11% from 2002-2019 and that Alabama workers made less than autoworkers in other states. Hispanic, Black and women workers also made less on average. The UAW has tried to organize the plant for years, but none have made it as far as the current effort. While the wages had stagnated, autoworkers still make more on average than others in the state. Workers who did not state support of the union told the Reflector at a recent shift change that they were not sure where they would find better work. The union drive has faced push back from state leaders, with both Gov. Kay Ivey and the Business Council of Alabama opposing the union. Ivey, who claimed the union drive was a threat to Alabamas economic model, recently signed legislation sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, which would require companies to forfeit state economic incentives if they voluntarily recognize unions. In a statement released Friday afternoon, Ivey called the automotive industry a crown jewel industry in the state and wrote that she was grateful for the companies. The workers in Vance have spoken, and they have spoken clearly, she wrote. Alabama is not Michigan, and we are not the Sweet Home to the UAW. We urge the UAW to respect the results of this secret ballot election. A message was left with BCA Friday morning. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in a statement Friday that workers at Mercedes had laid a foundation and referenced Volkswagen workers not unionizing successfully on the first attempt. The entire labor movement sends a clear message to Mercedes workers today: We have your back, she wrote. We are investing resources to support new organizing and infrastructure to build power with workers and communities to deliver for families across the South. About 7.5% of Alabamas workforce is unionized, the highest rate in the South, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. But that number is below the 10.1% average nationwide. Until the Chattanooga election last month the UAW had struggled to organize the regions auto plants. Fain said he hopes the American dream can be achieved in the South. When I hear the governor talk about hurting the economy, I mean, what drives the economy is when workers do well, when workers do better, they stimulate the economy, they drive the economy, they spend money, he said. Fain said he didnt consider the vote a setback in the momentum. I think workers are going to continue to vote for unions, and were gonna keep building, he said. A whiteboard saying "Onward" SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE Updated at 8:31 with comment from Shuler. The post Workers at Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance reject union after months-long campaign appeared first on Alabama Reflector. Starlink terminals operated by Ukraine's 125th Territorial Defense Brigade in Kharkiv Oblast were completely disabled in the first such incident since 2022, the Washington Post reported on May 17, citing unnamed Ukrainian soldiers on the ground. Some of the soldiers the Washington Post spoke to said that the disruption contributed to Russia's breakthrough in the area. Moscow 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. "This was the biggest problem, we didnt see how they were moving, we only worked through radio or through phones where they still worked," a Ukrainian soldier fighting in Kharkiv Oblast told the Washington Post. The drone feeds that soldiers relied on to keep track of Russian movements "completely disappeared," he said. Elon Musk's SpaceX company began providing the Starlink terminals to Ukraine shortly after the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022. Starlink has since become indispensable to Ukraine's ability to communicate on the battlefield. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 17 that the scope of Russian advances in Kharkiv Oblast has widened. At the same time, Syrskyi said Moscow's troops had failed to make a breakthrough but acknowledged there would be "tough battles ahead." Syrski's comments came a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists that Russian troops were able to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep during their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, but the front in the region has been stabilized. Read also: Putin claims Russia has no plans to capture Kharkiv as of today Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen testifies during a U.S. House Committee on Financial Services hearing on the Annual Report of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, on Capitol Hill in Washington By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will push fellow G7 finance officials next week to agree to a plan to bring forward the interest earnings on frozen Russian assets to provide more money to Ukraine quickly, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Friday. The official told reporters ahead of Yellen's May 21-25 trip to Frankfurt, Germany, and the Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Stresa, Italy, that the G7 is "making progress" toward consensus on a plan to harness some $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets frozen since Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The G7 finance ministers have been tasked with recommending a plan for G7 leaders to adopt at a summit in June in southern Italy. The G7 industrial democracies are the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada. Yellen had previously pushed for full confiscation of the largely euro-denominated assets, but officials in Europe, concerned about risks to the euro and problematic legal precedents, have balked, opting instead for a more conservative plan to put the earnings -- estimated at around $3.5 billion per year -- into a fund for Ukraine. Since then, the U.S. has proposed a plan to pull forward the interest on the assets to back a bond or a loan that would provide Ukraine perhaps $50 billion in the near term as it battles increasing Russian military pressure in its east and north. The plan comes with some controversy, because it would require Western powers to hold the assets for around 20 years, said Josh Lipsky, senior director of the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center. "It's a big mountain to climb, and the U.S. is going to push this strongly at the G7," Lipsky said. "If it doesn't happen now, I'm not sure that it will in the near future." The reaction from G7 finance ministries so far has been cautious. Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Friday that any proposals to use the frozen Russian assets must comply with international law. The French Economics and Finance Ministry said in a statement: "France supports and shares the fact that more resources are needed for Ukraine. We have taken note of the U.S. proposal and we will work together technically at the G7 level and at the European level to determine the best option." The U.S. Treasury official said there was a unified goal among the G7 countries to provide more money to Ukraine, and to demonstrate to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he cannot simply "wait out our coalition." "What we are involved in is trying to engage in hard, detailed economic diplomacy to make sure we can all get on the same page. And I think we're making progress there," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another G7 official said the U.S. proposal to use revenues from the Russian assets as collateral for a bond is still on the table, adding that G7 ministers will discuss its feasibility, but any final decision will be up to G7 leaders CHINA TARIFFS, OVERCAPACITY Yellen also intends to discuss joint efforts with G7 counterparts to combat China's excess industrial capacity in strategic industries, including electric vehicles, solar products and semiconductors. This will include the Biden administration's new punitive tariffs on Chinese imports announced on Tuesday. The Treasury official said that Yellen was not seeking the same tariff approach from G7 counterparts, but it was important for the group to "speak with one voice" on the issue and make clear that it is unacceptable for China's industrial policies to create such huge spillovers to the rest of the world. In Frankfurt, Yellen will receive an honorary doctorate from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and will deliver remarks on the importance of the transatlantic alliance. She also will meet with leaders of European banks to discuss macroeconomic issues and efforts to combat illicit financing, including for Russia, the U.S. Treasury official said. (Reporting by David Lawder in Washington; additional reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome and Satoshi Sugiyama and Makiko Yamazaki in Tokyo; editing by Jonathan Oatis) Person dunking a tea bag into a mug of hot water. Yogi has issued a massive recall of one of its varieties of teas, and customers should take heed to protect themselves from potential dangers. Parent company East West Tea Company, LLC's recall is regarding 54,846 boxes of Yogi tea bags distributed nationwide due to pesticide residues detected above action levels, according to a U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) report with an initiation date of March 2024. The potentially affected items are 16-count boxes of Organic Yogi Echinacea Immune Support tea bags displaying UPC code 76950 45010 3. Details about specific lot codes can be found via the FDA's notice. Various Tea products for Health Post Taste Test Column. Yogi Echinacea Immune Support. 05OCT11 (Photo by Stanley Shin/South China Morning Post via Getty Images) South China Morning Post/Getty Images Related: More Than 16,000 Pounds of Ground Beef Is Being Recalled NationwideHere's What You Need to Know Neither East West Tea Company nor the government entity have issued an official press release for this recall, so there is no guarantee retailers will accept the item for refund or replacement. However, consumers who have any of the listed products on hand are warned to discard them immediately. At the time of publishing, there have been no reports of illness as a result of consumption of the tea, and the recall is listed as "Class III," meaning that ingestion is unlikely to cause adverse health consequences. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry! Customers looking to contact the company with further questions, concerns or information about the recall can call East West Tea Company at 1-800-964-4832, or submit a customer service inquiry via Yogi's online contact form. In other recent related news, over 20,000 cases of Martinelli's Gold Medal Apple Juice has been recalled, as well as four different varieties of cream cheese sold at Aldi nationwide. Next: More Than 440,000 Starbucks Mugs are Being Recalled NationwideHere's What You Need to Know New York man charged after crashing car into house while overdosing (WJET/WFXP) A New York man was taken into custody on multiple charges after allegedly suffering a drug overdose that led him to crash into a house. Police were called to a residence in Jamestown for a car into a house around 11:24 a.m. on Wednesday where they reportedly found 39-year-old Justin K. Kopta, of Jamestown, overdosing next to his car. Robber pointed gun at deli workers head in Queens store: NYPD Witnesses on the scene said Kopta was backing into his driveway when he crashed into the house. After investigating, officers searched Kopta as well as his car, allegedly finding fentanyl and methamphetamine, and determined he was driving while under the influence of a narcotic with a suspended license. Kopta was transported to a local hospital for treatment and then transported to the City of Jamestown Jail where he was charged with driving while intoxicated drugs, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, unsafe backing and aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd. He has since been released with appearance tickets to appear in court at an undisclosed date and 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 PIX11. Some NATO member states are discussing the possibility of sending military instructors or contractors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian troops and assist with equipment repairs, the New York Times reported on May 16. Ukraine has asked the U.S. and other NATO countries to help train 150,000 troops closer to the front lines. However, the U.S. appears hesitant, due to the risk of attacks on instructors - potentially triggering NATO's collective defense clause. A few officials suggested continuing the training of a large number of Ukrainian recruits in Germany and Poland, as has been done previously. However, this approach involves considerable logistical challenges in transporting such a significant number of troops. Several NATO countries, including Britain, Germany, and France, are considering deploying defense contractors to Ukraine, while the White House is reviewing its ban on US defense contractors operating there. The debate surrounding NATO troops in Ukraine was sparked by comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron in February, in which he considered the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine if requested. Read also: Macron says he would consider sending troops to Ukraine in case of Russian breakthrough, Ukrainian request Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. New York Times: Upside-down US flag flew at home of Justice Samuel Alito after 2020 election An upside-down American flag a symbol used by some supporters of former President Donald Trump who challenged the legitimacy of Joe Bidens 2020 victory hung outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after the election, The New York Times reported Thursday. The revelation is almost certain to prompt calls for Alito, a member of the courts conservative wing, to recuse himself from several high-profile cases pending before the court this year involving the election and subsequent attack on the US Capitol, including the blockbuster question of whether Trump may claim immunity from federal election subversion charges. The Times published a photo of the inverted flag, which it said was seen at the justices home in Alexandria, Virginia, on January 17, 2021. A spokeswoman for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN, which has not independently verified the flags use. I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag, Alito said in an emailed statement to the Times. It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs. A photo obtained by The New York Times shows an inverted flag at the Alito residence on January 17, 2021, three days before Joe Biden's inauguration. - from The New York Times The upside-down flag became a symbol of the Stop the Steal movement in the weeks and months following the election, in which Trumps supporters falsely claimed that Bidens win was illegitimate due to widespread fraud. The inverted flag was widely seen during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. The Times said it was not clear how long the flag flew outside of Alitos home. The story will heap further scrutiny on the high court at a time when it is already facing considerable blowback. Justice Clarence Thomas has been the subject of significant criticism and calls for recusal in election-related cases after his wife, conservative activist Virginia Ginni Thomas, acknowledged she attended Trumps rally before the Capitol attack and supported White House efforts to discredit the election results. Thomas recently accused his critics of nastiness and lies in remarks to a judicial conference in Alabama. Last fall, in response to a series of revelations about travel accepted by Thomas and Alito, the Supreme Court adopted a code of conduct for the first time. That code guides the justices to refrain from political activity. Two scenarios are plausible and neither one of them is attractive: Either the gesture was trivial pettiness and ought to be beneath the dignity of the court or it is was intended as meaningful symbolism in which case it is a real problem, said James Sample, a Hofstra Law School professor who has studied judicial ethics. Combined with the earlier Thomas revelations, Sample said, The scenarios amplify the need for Congress to impose meaningful ethics enforcement on a court that steadfastly refuses to police itself. This story has been updated with additional details. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Zelensky: No reports of artillery shortages for first time in full-scale war For the first time since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion, no Ukrainian brigades have reported a lack of artillery shells, President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on May 16. "And this has been happening for the past two months," he said, but added: "Everyone still has a lot of work to do." Over the winter months, Ukraine's Armed Forces suffered a critical shortage of artillery shells, in large part due to delays in U.S. military aid. In January, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Ukraine was unable to fire more than 2,000 shells per day, around a third of Russia's average daily shell usage. A Czech-led initiative to buy artillery shells for Ukraine identified 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells outside Europe that could be bought and sent to Ukraine after the necessary funds were allocated to the initiative. Speaking on May 16, Zelensky said even before the initiative began, progress had been made on procuring artillery shells. "For the first time during the war, none of the brigades complained that there were no artillery shells," he added. Read also: Glide bombs help Russia gain land in Ukraine. What makes them so effective? Multiple countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Poland, Denmark, and Slovenia, have since contributed funds to the Czech initiative, which may result in the delivery of 1.5 million rounds to Kyiv. At the same time, Russia has already increased its military production capacity and is likely already able to produce 1 million shells a year, said Martin Herem, the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, in January. Herem added that intelligence suggests Russia has the capacity to produce "many times more." Russia is also receiving new supplies of ammunition from abroad, with North Korea becoming Russia's largest arms supplier, according to Ukraine. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov recently dismissed Brigadier General Serhii Baranov from his position as head of the Missile, Artillery, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Forces. The Missile, Artillery, and UAV Forces is a part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that specializes in strategic planning and participation in combat operations with the use of missiles, howitzers, cannons, mortars, jet-propelled and anti-tank artillery, as well as drones. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Zelensky: Russia's Kharkiv Oblast offensive advances as far as 10 km, halted by 1st defense line Russian troops were able to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep during their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, but the front in the region has been stabilized, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on May 16. Moscow 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. Russian troops have focused their efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements a few kilometers south of the border. Moscow's forces were halted by Ukraine's first line of defense, Zelensky said. They did not reach concrete fortifications, he added. "The first and second lines are being built by the military, and the third line is built by local authorities. It is the most powerful... simply because it is further from (Russian) weapons, from shelling," Zelensky said. "The deepest point of their advance is 10 kilometers. In some areas, there was no advance." Subscribe to newsletter War Notes Subscribe Russia sees the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast as the target, according to the president. Ukrainian soldiers are mopping up the streets on the northern outskirts of the town, preventing Russian troops from gaining a foothold, the General Staff reported on May 17. "In addition to wanting a zone of 10 kilometers, they (Russia) want to keep building on their success if they achieve it. But the main thing today is that our defense forces have stabilized the situation," Zelensky said. Ukraine has reinforced several sectors with battalions that could be taken "somewhere from the reserve" and from other sectors, the president told journalists. Russian troops managed to cross the border partially because of Ukraine's lack of air defense systems, Zelensky said. The president said earlier that Ukraine could prevent Russia from occupying the city of Kharkiv with two additional Patriot anti-air systems. Read also: Russias new Kharkiv offensive pushes Vovchansk to the brink of annihilation Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Nazrin Abdul The conference Raising Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum has commenced in Baku on May 17, Azernews reports. Alessandra Roccasalvoya, Acting Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Azerbaijan, emphasised, "Participants of COP29 in Baku will engage in discussions and take actions to ensure a sustainable future for the next generations." "We are proud to bolster the partnership between UNDP and the Government of Azerbaijan," she stressed. She further highlighted that organising such business forums is an integral aspect of the "green transition" and sustainable development: "The Sustainable Business Forum convenes diverse stakeholders to foster dialogue and cooperation, enhancing business involvement in climate change mitigation and adaptation." Speaking on the urgency of combating climate change, A. Roccasalvoya underscored that global warming adversely affects all nations: "Climate change extends beyond air pollution, encompassing water issues as well. Addressing these challenges necessitates international cooperation. Therefore, Azerbaijan hosts COP29 to convene parties for discussions, problem-solving, and securing the future for generations to come." During the address by Deputy Minister of Economy, Sahib Mammadov, Azerbaijan expressed its readiness to collaborate with all stakeholders to establish financing mechanisms in the energy transition, a central theme of COP29. He noted that despite Azerbaijan's status as an oil and gas producer, the nation's agenda prioritises green energy. The Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions have been designated as "green" energy zones. By 2030, the aim is to increase the share of alternative and renewable energy sources in total energy production to 30%. S. Mammadov highlighted several initiatives proposed to ensure COP29's success, achieve common goals related to environmental sustainability and climate action, and outline ongoing efforts to implement these initiatives: "One key initiative is the establishment of a specialised Climate Finance Fund aimed at financing climate projects in developing countries. This Fund, funded by member parties' fossil fuel exports, provides a stable source of finance for climate initiatives. It stimulates investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other climate-related projects, thereby aiding countries in reducing carbon emissions, enhancing energy security, and fostering sustainable development." At the forum, Azerbaijani MP and UN High-Level Champion on Climate Change for COP29, Nigar Arpadarai, addressed the main priorities of the event: "Azerbaijan, as a nation committed to upholding international law, is deeply concerned about the global climate crisis," she stated. She emphasised the crucial role of the private sector in addressing climate change, noting its significant influence on supply chain transformation. Regarding the transition to a green economy, she emphasised the need for substantial funding: "Governments cannot achieve this alone. Hence, unwavering support from the private sector is essential." Pottery figurines are displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 6, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) Pottery figurines are displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 13, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) A copper mold used to make copper coins is displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 15, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) Gold ware is displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 15, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) A gold figurine is displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 6, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) Bronze ware is displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 13, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) Pottery figurines are displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 13, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) A suit of stone armor is displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 6, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) An ancient ship is displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 6, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) A pottery horse is displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 15, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) Pottery figurines are displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, May 13, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) A terracotta warrior is displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 15, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) A tiger-shaped figurine is displayed at Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 15, 2024. More than 1,500 cultural relics of Qin Dynasty (221 B.C. - 206 B.C.) and Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) are going to be displayed during an exhibition in celebration of the International Museum Day. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 17 signed into law a bill permitting citizens convicted under certain charges to serve in the military. Ukraine's parliament passed a bill last week, paving the way for the voluntary mobilization of prisoners. The list of convicted citizens who were allowed to be drafted does not include those convicted of premeditated murder, sexual violence, drug trafficking and production, or crimes against national security. Based on suggestions of the anti-corruption parliamentary committee, the measure will also exclude lawmakers and top officials imprisoned for corruption, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said. However, the final version of the bill allowed military service for those convicted of involuntary manslaughter, except for cases when the perpetrator was in a state of intoxication. The proposal was first submitted to the parliament in March as part of Ukraine's efforts to replenish the ranks of the Armed Forces amid the ongoing war with Russia. Ukraine could fill its ranks with as many as 20,000 convicts in a move that would also help ease overcrowding in Ukrainian prisons, Justice Minister Denys Maliuska said. Ukraine recently updated the legal framework in order to ramp up mobilization in 2024. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the new law on mobilization on April 16, introducing penalties for those dodging the draft. Another law lowered the minimum age of compulsory military service from 27 to 25, making men eligible for the draft as soon as they turned 25. Read also: Economy minister cancels conscription exemption for Glovo, Favbet Tech employees Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Slovenia will participate in the upcoming global peace summit for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 17 after speaking with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob. Zelensky also said the two leaders discussed defense cooperation and a potential future bilateral security agreement, which he said they would "sign at the earliest opportunity." The summit will be held in Switzerland on June 15-16 and will focus on peace in Ukraine under the terms of President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point peace formula, a plan that calls for a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied Ukrainian lands. Slovenia previously joined the Group of Seven's (G7) declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine in August 2023. The U.K., Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, and Latvia have already signed bilateral agreements with Kyiv. Some 160 national delegations were invited to the peace summit, and at least 50 countries have confirmed their participation. Participants of the global peace summit will formulate a common negotiating position on the outcome of the war and submit it to Russia, presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov said on May 3, according to Deutsche Welle. Read also: Zelensky: Russia planning to disrupt global peace summit in Switzerland Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sent a clear message that if Ukraine had had enough Western-supplied air defence systems, Russian forces would not have been able to storm Kharkiv Oblast. Source: Zelenskyy at a meeting with journalists, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda Quote: "The Russians crossing the border is related to the fact that [Ukraine] lacks air defence systems. They are using aerial bombs and artillery from a distance where they have an advantage..." Details: Zelenskyy explained that it was "not easy" for Ukrainian soldiers because of an 8-month pause in partners' decision-making on the provision of new weapons to Ukraine. Background: Back in April, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that due to the depletion of Ukraines air defences at the front, Russian aircraft were able to support the Russians' consistent and rapid advance on the ground. Support UP or become our patron! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Ukraine should not be prohibited from using Western weapons to strike Russian territory because it is part of defence, not offence. Source: Zelenskyy at a meeting with journalists, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda Quote: "I do not think that there should be any prohibitions because this is not about the Ukrainian offensive using Western weapons on the territory of Russia. This is defence. It's just like the preventive sanctions we discussed before the full-scale invasion. This is the same thing. This is a warning [to Russia]." Details: Moreover, Zelenskyy explained that these strikes will be carried out in the grey zone, where the Russian authorities have evacuated their civilians from. "They have almost no civilians on their side of the border. For obvious reasons," the president said. In addition, Zelenskyy mentioned the purpose of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit. The president noted that Blinken brought a US$2 billion aid package and proposals from the United States on security guarantees. "We already have a draft of the security guarantees agreement," he stressed. Third, they discussed Ukraine's vision for the NATO summit. Zelenskyy said the Americans "heard our perspective, accepted this information and will be back with feedback." The president added that the main issue now is air defence systems. "Where are we at in the dialogue with a particular country that has the relevant systems? Where do we see them deployed, where can our partners do to send them to us, when can it be done and what steps need to be taken?," are the questions that concern Zelenskyy. Background: The Pentagon has recently stated that Ukraine can only use US weapons within its territory. Support UP or become our patron! President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Ukraine has every chance to start membership negotiations with the EU in early summer because it has done a lot of work and is making progress in bringing its positions closer to "complicated partners". Source: European Pravda with reference to the Office of the President Quote from Zelenskyy: "Instrumentally and operationally, we have done everything to ensure that the EU opens negotiations with Ukraine in June. I think everything will work out. Even with complicated partners, things have become a little easier today. We have been actively working with them." Details: The president stressed that from the point of view of procedures, Ukraine has done everything necessary to start the negotiation process, and "only politics remains." Background: EU ambassador to Kyiv Katarina Mathernova believes that Ukraine is ready to start negotiations about joining the European Union. The head of the EU mission hopes for their actual start at the end of June. During her last visit to Kyiv, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola also said that she predicted the start of negotiations by the end of the first half of 2024. This timing is due to the fact that, from 1 July, the EU Council presidency will be transferred from Belgium to Hungary. Read also: Kyiv will take the Albanian path to EU membership: details of Ukraine's negotiating framework emerge Support UP or become our patron! Zelenskyy: Partners are not pushing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, but it is in the air President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that partners are not pushing Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, although "its in the air." Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a meeting with journalists Quote: "Partners are not pushing us, although it seems to me that it is in the air. And here, we just need to be very persistent and strong. And today, we have chosen the right platform for our initiative, the Peace Summit." Details: Zelenskyy says that Ukraine would like to receive an official communique following the summit: "We want to get energy security [guarantees], including nuclear security. Because I believe that everyone is interested in this, and this can allow us to predict how we pass the next winter" Quote: "We want to get freedom for shipping. Any cargo [should be transported] by Ukrainian sea without risk. This includes the safety of people in Odesa and the [rest of Ukraine's] south. Because they are hitting ports this is [causing damage to] infrastructure, maritime navigation, and the economy. And [we should] also take a serious step to push for the exchange of prisoners. From a humanitarian point of view, the exchange of prisoners is a dual issue, just like it is for energy security. Energy [security] is about nuclear security, something that everyone supports. It seems to me that where nuclear security is concerned, we can also talk about the overall security of the energy system. Regarding exchanges - where there is a prisoner exchange, there is also the question of bringing back children. That's basically what we want to get." Details: Zelenskyy believes that if several countries attend the summit and there is an official communique issued after it, this will represent a diplomatic advantage for Ukraine. Quote: "After that, we can arrange sites in certain countries where each of these points will be technically worked out. And then [we can] give this plan to representatives of Russia like we did with the Grain Initiative, when we agreed on a plan with the UN and Turkiye, and then they separately agreed on this plan with the Russian Federation [...] It is important that there are not two countries but many countries. Otherwise, the Russians will leave, as was the case with the grain corridor, and we had to build another corridor. It was very difficult. And so here is the plan for these three points. If we succeed, it will pave the way for the next meeting, where all the other important things must be worked out." Details: The president believes that a detailed plan agreed upon by the whole world must be created before communicating with the Russian Federation. Zelenskyy added that Russian leader Vladimir Putin did not benefit from a dialogue with the whole world: "Because even China will tell him: explain the seizure of territories! Because China stands for the territorial integrity of any state." Support UP or become our patron! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with Robert Golob, Slovenian Prime Minister, and negotiated the signing of a security agreement between the two countries on 17 May. Source: European Pravda with reference to Zelenskyy on X (Twitter) I spoke with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and thanked him for actively supporting the Peace Formula, particularly for confirming his attendance at the Peace Summit in Switzerland. We also discussed our ongoing defense cooperation. Our teams are finalizing their work on Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) May 17, 2024 Details: Zelenskyy thanked his Slovenian colleague for supporting the Ukrainian Peace Formula and confirming his participation in the Peace Summit in Switzerland. Quote: "We also discussed our ongoing defence cooperation. Our teams are finalising their work on a bilateral security agreement based on the G7 Vilnius Declaration. We agreed to sign it at the earliest opportunity," he added. The Ukrainian President also expressed confidence in Slovenia's support for the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. Previously: Zelenskyy discussed the bilateral security document with Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar at the beginning of the year. After that, news emerged that Slovenia would support Czechia's initiative to purchase artillery ammunition for Ukraine from countries outside the European Union. Support UP or become our patron! BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China's central bank announced on Friday that it would establish a 300-billion-yuan (about 42.25 billion U.S. dollars) relending facility to support the government-subsidized housing project. Local state-owned enterprises are encouraged to use the funds to buy reasonably-priced commercial homes that have completed construction, Tao Ling, an official with the People's Bank of China, told a press conference, adding that these homes will then be used to provide affordable housing. The Defence Forces of Ukraine have managed to stabilise the situation on the battlefield as Russian troops are trying to advance in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast. The occupiers have managed to advance 10 kilometres deep into Ukraine at best. Source: Zelenskyy at a meeting with journalists; Ukrainska Pravda Quote: "The main thing for today is that our defence forces have stabilised the situation. Today, our defence forces have stabilised the Russians where they are now. The deepest point of their advance is 10 kilometres [deep into Ukraine's territory]. There is no progress [on their side] at all, and there has never been any progress on the fronts held by certain enemy brigades." Details: Zelenskyy had a "substantive meeting" with Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Yurii Sodol, Commander of the Joint Forces; Mykhailo Drapatyi, Deputy Chief of the General Staff for military training; Serhii Deineko, Head of the State Border Guard Service, and representatives of the National Police. The president said that "highly combat-capable brigades" are currently operating in Kharkiv Oblast, and separate battalions have been reinforced on several fronts. These are soldiers who could be redeployed from the army reserve and other fronts. Zelenskyy stressed that the Russians had not reached the "concrete line of defence" and that the fact that anyone might say so is "nonsense." Zelenskyy says the Russians have only reached the first line. Quote: "The first line is not the border. It is impossible to build [fortifications] there because our people were getting killed by the weapons used by the Russians. They [the Russians UP] are somewhere around there now. This is the first line, the line that was built in the war, under constant fire, by our military. The first and second lines are built by the military, and the third is built by local authorities. It is the most powerful not because they are better than the military, but simply because it is further away from weapons, from shells, from bombardment." Details: The president added that Russia's main target is the city of Vovchansk. They also want to capture a 10-kilometre zone in that area. Background: Over the past day, there were ten combat clashes on the Kharkiv front. Ukrainian soldiers repelled eight attacks in Lyptsi, Starytsia and Vovchansk (Kharkiv Oblast). Russia is continuing to try to break through the defences of Ukrainian units in the Shebekino-Vovchansk area. Defenders are conducting clearing operations on the streets north of Vovchansk, preventing Russia from gaining a foothold. On the evening of 16 May, Russian troops attacked Kharkiv with Shahed drones, and a fire broke out. At midnight, a missile attack was launched on the city. Support UP or become our patron! Zoo Atlantas giant pandas will be sent to China later this year Atlanta panda fans, prepare to bid goodbye to the citys four iconic black and white bears. The four giant pandas housed at Zoo Atlanta, Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun and Xi Lun will be sent to China later this year, as the zoos agreement with China is set to expire in late 2024, the zoo announced in a news release Friday. Zoo Atlanta has applied for the pandas international travel permit, and the bears are expected to travel to China sometime in the fourth quarter of 2024, the zoo said, noting the exact timing of their return has yet to be determined and will be identified collaboratively with official partners in China. While Zoo Atlanta remains committed to the stewardship and long-term conservation of the species, no discussions have yet taken place with partners in China as to the future of the Zoos giant panda program following the expiration of Zoo Atlantas current agreement, the release added. Zoo Atlanta pointed out its panda program has been notably successful in terms of future contributions to the population of the species, with seven giant pandas born at the zoo since 2006, including two pairs of twins. Lun Lun and Yang Yang are the parents of Ya Lun and Xi Lun. The pairs other offspring have already been returned to the Chengdu Research Center of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Giant panda cub Mei Lan, who was born on September 6, 2006, is shown at her formal debut at Zoo Atlanta. The bear was one of the offspring previously born to parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang. - Tami Chappell/Reuters Over the last few years, pandas from the San Diego Zoo, Memphis Zoo and Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC were also returned to China. But more pandas are set to arrive in different parts of the United States. In April, it was announced China would send giant pandas to live at San Franciscos zoo for the first time. And the San Diego Zoo announced in February it would receive two giant pandas from China, marking the first time the country has granted new panda loans in the US in two decades. Pandas have served as something of an unofficial barometer of China-US relations since 1972, when Beijing gifted a pair of the bears to the Smithsonian National Zoo, following US President Richard Nixons historic ice-breaking trip to China. Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in 2023 the bamboo-eating bears serve as envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. Just over 1,800 giant pandas remain in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund, which lists the species as vulnerable and describes them as the worlds rarest bear. Habitat destruction and fragmentation has contributed to the species decline. CNNs Zoe Sottile contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com While there are a lot of great foldable flip phones that you can grab, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is one of the best folding phones on the market right now. It has excellent performance, some of the best cameras on any Samsung device, and the overall build quality makes it feel luxurious. Of course, all this quality comes at quite a premium, and with a device that can cost over $1,000, depending on which model you want to grab, youll want to snag a deal on it. Thats why weve gone out and found some of our favorite Samsung Galaxy deals out there, either as a direct discount or through trade-in deals for both locked and unlocked models of the phone. Be sure to compare these with the similar Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 deals and non-folding Samsung Galaxy S24 deals. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 deals at Samsung David Ramos / Getty Images Go directly to the source by buying the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 from Samsung, and you can get up to $600 instant trade-in credit. It depends on what phone youre trading in but its useful if you prefer to go direct. Buy Now Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 deals at Amazon Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends Amazon has the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 for a great instant discount with the phone available for a one-off fee of $900 so you save $100 off the regular price of $1,000. If you dont want to worry about monthly fees, this is a good way of getting it at a better price than usual. 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It also still has a great set of cameras with a 50MP main camera, 12MP wide-angle camera, and 10MP telephoto lens too. Performance is strong too. Essentially, if youre looking for one of the best Android phones but want something a little different from the format were all used to by now, youll love the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. It stands out among the rest. Energy company builds high-temperature concentrated solar systems for round-the-clock power: 'Trying to solve the problem of intermittency' An energy company that offers round-the-clock power is bringing day to night with technology that originated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In late April, MIT News detailed how 247Solar's high-temperature concentrated solar power systems could support a transition to a clean-energy grid by ensuring that power is readily available when people need it. The technology, inspired by a high-temperature ceramic heat exchanger designed by company co-founder and MIT Professor Emeritus David Gordon Wilson, was in the works as early as 2010 after Wilson and his team received a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. However, the project didn't begin to truly take flight until five years later, when co-founder Bruce Anderson raised more funds and incorporated a new type of metal alloy into the design. The system uses mirrors called heliostats to bounce the sun to a proprietary receiver. That receiver then heats the air to roughly 1,000 degrees Celsius (around 1,800 Fahrenheit), producing 400 kilowatts of electricity and 600 kilowatts of heat. Some air is also fed through turbines into thermal-energy storage systems. According to the company's website, its Solar Plants and HeatStoreE all-night battery can save energy at a low cost for up to 20 hours. This is important because it enables the grid to provide non-polluting solar energy when the sun isn't shining. "One of my motivations for working on this system was trying to solve the problem of intermittency," Anderson told MIT News. "... There's always bad weather, and current batteries aren't economical over long periods. You have to have a solution that operates 24 hours a day." When the storage capacity is spent, the system can operate on alternative fuels like green hydrogen. This ensures that our electrical grid is resilient but not releasing carbon pollution that causes unhealthy air quality and contributes to the dangerous rise of global temperatures. Storing clean energy isn't just good for the planet. It's good for our wallets, as solar panels can save consumers more than $1,000 on their electric bills every year. According to 247Solar, its plants reduce yearly fuel costs by at least 80% compared to diesel generators. MIT reported that the company is "increasingly proposing combining its systems with traditional solar PV," which means even more savings could be around the corner. Anderson told the outlet that the "very flexible system" can also be used for industrial processes. The company has a project underway with a utility company in India, but it has also had extensive talks with communities in the United States and Egypt. Anderson projects that the next partnership will involve an off-grid community in the U.S. that depends upon diesel generators. While the concentrated solar technology isn't a good fit in areas with hazy skies, like Florida, he believes the technology will be able to assist emerging economies in the transition away from polluting fuels, including in parts of Africa. "Our owning and operating costs are less than half that of diesel gen-sets," he said. "Customers today really want to stop producing emissions if they can, so you've got villages, mines, industries, and entire countries where the people inside are saying, 'We can't burn diesel anymore." Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet. The JPMorgan Chase office building at Polaris has solar panels covering the massive parking lot. Will Hinman is the executive director of the Utility Scale Solar Energy Coalition of Ohio and a founding partner at Bowers Hinman Capitol Affairs. From data centers to electric vehicles to central Ohios new Intel plant, the growth sectors in todays world and particularly around Columbus are driven by electricity. The Columbus Dispatch reported that AEP expects power demands in our region to double by 2028. This demand, however, raises questions about whether supply can keep up. In fact, PJM Interconnect, our regions electricity grid operator, is warning of potential electricity shortfalls. This could impact families, businesses and the economy across central Ohio. Fortunately, utility scale solar is playing and can increasingly play a vital role in meeting the demand. To effectively ensure electric reliability, lower costs, and help regain our countrys status as an energy exporter, Ohio should embrace a robust and diverse portfolio of domestic energy resources that includes utility scale solar. Despite utility scale solar being the cheapest form of vital energy generation today, a vocal minority has mustered opposition to solar projects citing reliability, aesthetics, and land use concerns. Solar panels provide crucial energy supply to meet the grids peak demand during the day, when homeowners run air conditioners and appliances, and as manufacturing facilities operate at high capacity. Utility scale solar energy generation is increasing not decreasing the resiliency and dependability of our grid by addressing shortages. To blend the contrast between agricultural landscapes and solar development, the solar industry has worked with regulators to implement rigorous standards. New utility scale solar sites must incorporate vegetative screening, agricultural style fencing, strict drainage and water management specifications, stringent setbacks from roadways and adjacent parcels, and other neighbor-friendly practices. Intel will add jobs to Ohio. Will costly project also dry wells and bring toxins, sickness? Solar developers provide farmers with the ability to supplement their income by voluntarily entering into lease agreements. Farm income is expected to decline in the near future, so this additional income can help make ends meet and keep family farms in local hands. At the onset of a solar development, a decommissioning bond is required upfront, so developers are on the hook for retiring equipment and returning land to agricultural use at a projects end. Unlike other forms of development, no concrete is poured to install solar panels, and developers must minimize the environmental impact of construction. Furthermore, many projects include pollinator habitats and row crops between panels to maintain an agricultural presence. The agricultural industry much of which produces corn in Ohio for energy, not food has achieved remarkable improvements in productivity. Increased yields will more than offset the mere 1% of all tillable acreage in Ohio that solar projects may eventually occupy according to permitting trends. The solar industry is also contributing billions of dollars to communities throughout Ohio. Through voluntary payments and payments in lieu of taxes, developers fund education, first responders, libraries, social services, and recreation in the counties in which they operate. Projects also create thousands of construction jobs and generate payroll tax. Ohio would be remiss to turn down desperately needed domestic energy in todays economy and geopolitical landscape. Utility scale solar energy empowers landowners, enriches communities, preserves farmland, strengthens national security by increasing energy independence, fosters economic development, and reinforces our grid as electricity demand increases. Will Hinman is the executive director of the Utility Scale Solar Energy Coalition of Ohio and a founding partner at Bowers Hinman Capitol Affairs. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Electricity shortfalls expected to hit Columbus area. Solar needed. Title icon The Scoop Preparing for a time when artificial intelligence is so powerful that it can pose a serious, immediate threat to people, Google DeepMind on Friday released a framework for peering inside AI models to determine if theyre approaching dangerous capabilities. The paper released Friday describes a process in which DeepMinds models will be reevaluated every time the compute power used to train the model increases six-fold, or is fine-tuned for three months. Early warning evaluations will help make up for the the time between evaluations. DeepMind will work with other companies, academia and lawmakers to improve the framework, according to a statement shared exclusively with Semafor. It plans to start implementing its auditing tools by 2025. Today, evaluating powerful, frontier AI models is more of an ad hoc process that is constantly evolving as researchers develop new techniques. Red teams spend weeks or months testing them by trying out different prompts that might bypass safeguards. Then companies implement various techniques, from reinforcement learning to special prompts to corral the models into compliance. That approach works for models today because they arent powerful enough to pose much of a threat, but researchers believe a more robust process is needed as models gain capabilities. As that changes, critics worry that by the time people realize the technology has gone too far, itll be too late. The Frontier Safety Framework released by DeepMind looks to address that issue. Its one of several methods announced by major tech companies, including Meta, OpenAI, and Microsoft, to mitigate concerns about AI. Even though these risks are beyond the reach of present-day models, we hope that implementing and improving the framework will help us prepare to address them, the company said. Title icon Know More DeepMind has been working on early warning systems for AI models for over a year. And its published papers on new methods to evaluate models that go far beyond the ones used by most companies today. The Frontier Model Framework incorporates those advances in a succinct set of protocols, including ongoing evaluation of models and mitigation methods that researchers should take if they do discover what they call critical capability levels. That could be a model that is able to complete long-term, complex tasks, which DeepMind calls exceptional agency, or the capability to write sophisticated malware. DeepMind has set specific critical capability levels for four domains: autonomy, biosecurity, cybersecurity, and machine learning research and development. Striking the optimal balance between mitigating risks and fostering access and innovation is paramount to the responsible development of AI, the company said. DeepMind will discuss the framework at an AI safety summit in Seoul next week where other industry leaders will be in attendance. Title icon Reeds view Its encouraging that AI researchers at Google DeepMind are making progress on more scientific methods to determine whats happening inside AI models, though they still have a way to go. Its also helpful for AI safety to see that, as researchers make breakthroughs on capabilities, they are also improving their ability to understand and ultimately control this software. However, the paper released today is light on technical details about how these evaluations will be conducted. Ive read several research papers DeepMind has put out on this subject and it appears that AI models will be used to evaluate emerging models. I hope to learn more about how, exactly, this will be done and will write more about that in the future. For now, I think its fair to say we dont really know if the technology is currently there to make this framework a success. Theres an interesting regulatory component to this, as well. A new comprehensive AI bill in California, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, would require AI companies to evaluate the dangers of models before they are trained. This framework is the first Ive seen that might make compliance with that law possible. But again, its not clear whether its technically possible today. Another point: Building these techniques could be useful in another way: By helping companies forecast how AI model capabilities will change in the coming months and years. That knowledge could help product teams design new offerings more quickly, giving an advantage to Google and other companies with the ability to do these evaluations. Title icon Room for Disagreement Critics of AI, such as Eliezer Yudkowsky, have expressed skepticism that humans will be able to determine whether an AI model has gained superintelligence fast enough to make a difference. Their argument is that the very nature of the technology means that it will be able to outsmart anything humans can come up with. Semafor Logo GREENCASTLE, Pa. (WHTM) Walmart associates, elected officials and community members gathered Friday to celebrate the grand opening of a 1.5 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Franklin County. The new center is located at 1915 Ebberts Spring Court in Greencastle, about midway between Hagerstown and Chambersburg. This is an exciting day for Greencastle, and we are thrilled to be the new home of Walmarts newest state-of-the-art fulfillment center, said Antrim Township Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman, Patrick Heraty. This facility will be a great benefit to the residents in our county and the greater south-central Pennsylvania region. This is Walmarts fourth next-generation facility to open. A fifth is planned to open in 2026. The facility aims to expand access to Walmarts next- or two day- shipping. Walmart notes that these fulfillment centers will allow them to reach 95% of the United States population with the expedited shipping service. Walmart is paving the way for good jobs and great careers in the south-central Pennsylvania region with the Greencastle fulfillment center. These tech-powered jobs will drive the future of Walmarts continued promise of speedy shipping and delivery for customers on the east coast, said Karisa Sprague, senior vice president, Fulfillment Network Operations for Walmart U.S. Our next generation fulfillment centers are the perfect example of how we are a people-led, tech-powered retailer. The Greencastle fulfillment center is expected to be home to over 1,000 Walmart associates. They are currently hiring for multiple positions, including tech-focused jobs. Were proud to create even more opportunities for associates to build a career at Walmart. Associates at the Greencastle facility will work with cutting edge technology and play a pivotal role in increasing shipping speeds for our customers, said Rich Hanna, director of operations, Fulfillment Center #7381, Walmart U.S. Im excited that we are at the forefront of whats next for Walmart as we continue to modernize the business for our customers. Walmart currently employs over 55,000 associates in the Keystone state and are the #3 employer in both Franklin County and Pennsylvania as a whole. Walmart celebrated the grand opening by giving the Greencastle-Antrim School District a $10,000 donation. Walmart donated over $38 million in cash and in-kind donations to nonprofit organizations in Pennsylvania in fiscal year 2023. Walmart has 159 retail units in Pennsylvania and 4,609 stores total in the United States. 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. Samsung is one of the best TV brands on the market right now, and if youre looking to pick up a new TV, then going for one is a smart choice, especially if youre already in the Samsung ecosystem. One great option weve found is this massive 75-inch Samsung TU690T thats not only packed with features but also has a nice little discount that will save you a bit of extra cash. While it usually goes for $580, you can grab it now from Best Buy for just $550, which will save you a tidy $30. Buy Now Why you should buy the 75-inch Samsung TU690T Theres a lot to love about the 75-inch Samsung TU690T, least of all being its massive size and the fact that it not only runs at 4K but even has an internal upscaler that will upscale your older content to 4K. Thats perfect for those who love to watch older shows and dont want to lose out on quality with a newer, bigger TV. In a similar vein, the support for HDR 10+ means better contrast and image fidelity for your content, and while that wont apply to older upscaled content, it will apply to newer streamed shows and films. The Samsung TU690T also comes with all the modern convenience features youd expect, all wrapped up in the Tizen smart TV OS, which means access to all the shows and subscriptions you could want, plus a bit more. It has integrations for Amazons Alexa, Google Assistant, and can work with Apple AirPlay 2, so you can connect to the TV with pretty much any ecosystem youre currently using. There are also a couple of other nice features, such as the inclusion of HDMI ARC, a USB-C port, and even Motion Rate 120, which will somewhat recreate the feel of a higher refresh rate. All in all, the Samsung TU690T is a solid 75-inch screen thats worth picking up, especially at the $550 price Best Buy is letting it go for. That said, you can always check out some other great Samsung TV deals for alternatives, or if youre set on a larger screen, then these 75-inch TV deals should be right up your alley. Buy Now Iran has just resurrected a controversial Internet bill aimed at tightening authorities' control over the Internet. Previously halted in 2022, the proposed Cyberspace Protection Bill seeks to significantly change what content Iranians can access online. Although the details of the provisions aren't clear at the time of writing, it's believed that the bill could ultimately make it even "harder" for Iranians to use the best VPN services to bypass further restrictions. As Iran International reported, the bill's revival comes as a last-minute bid to intensify internet restrictions before the new Parliament is set to officially begin its mandate on May 27, 2024. How the Protection Bill will affect Iranians To understand what's at stake for citizens, I talked to Azam Jangravi, an Iranian Information Security Analyst at Canada-based Citizen Lab. If it becomes law, she told me, the proposed Cyberspace Protection Bill will considerably extend the government's ability to restrict the national digital space. It could disrupt access to international services, ultimately affecting citizens' ability to connect to the global internet. Worse still, she went on to explain, it also threatens net neutrality by allowing authorities to control online content. "[The bill] could place control over Irans Internet infrastructure in the hands of the armed forces and security agencies. For Iranians, this means less online freedom and potential surveillance," Jangravi told me. In 2022, we reported on how today's resurrected bill also included provisions to criminalize the use of VPN and proxy services. Jangravi explained that the situation remains uncertain at the moment, further "affecting citizens ability to maintain privacy online," she added. What's certain, though, is that VPN usage in Iran has long been a target of authorities. That's because a VPN, short for virtual private network, is security software that spoofs your IP address and encrypts internet connections. VPNs can then enable you to keep accessing global services by helping you bypass strict online restrictions at ease while boosting your privacy on the way. In 2023, Iran got the silver medal for enforcing the most VPN censorship worldwidesecond only to China. In February this year, the government officially outlawed the use of "unauthorized" VPN services. "Despite the ban on unauthorized VPNs, some citizens may still use them to bypass restrictions," said Jangravi. "However, the bills provisions could make it harder to do so." According to Jangravi, the proposed legislation perfectly aligns with the governments ongoing efforts to tighten control over the Internet. "Authorities have previously disrupted connectivity during protests, showing their willingness to limit access," she said. Iran was, in fact, one of the biggest perpetrators of internet shutdowns in 2023. Digital rights advocacy group Access Now also recorded a surge of these incidents in the regions, reaching 34 compared to 19 in 2022. If that wouldn't be enough, "Throughout 2023, Iranian authorities maintained longstanding blocks of specific apps and services, such as Signal, which has been restricted since January 2021, and WhatsApp, Instagram, Skype, LinkedIn, and Viber, all of which have been restricted since 2022," the latest Access Now's report reads. According to an investigation conducted by the Tehran Electronic Commerce Association (TECA) in January, blocked websites, daily disruptions, slower speeds, and filtering saturation of IP addresses are the "self-inflicted" measures that make internet in Iran among the worst worldwide for connectivity. While all this inflicts a hard blow also to the country's economythe Internet Society recently estimates a loss of more than $1 million in GDP daily from blocking internet and VPN servicescitizens' rights are undoubtedly the most worrying toll. The Cyberspace Protection Bill could make this already delicate situation even worse. Asked about the likelihood of the Bill becoming law, Jangravi believes its fate depends on various factors. "Its hard to predict, but advocacy efforts and international attention matter," she added. She then recommends all Iranians take steps to safeguard their privacy as much as possible. Using reputable VPN services is vital to face new restrictions. I recommend then checking our detailed guide on the best VPN for Iran and the best free VPN services. She also suggests encrypting communications to prevent surveillance. Signal is one of the most secure messaging apps using strong end-to-end encryption. Lastly, "stay informed about digital rights and advocate for an open Internet." BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Friday slammed a U.S. military vessel's recent "provocative moves," stating that the U.S. side's invocation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) reveals its hegemonic nature. Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a press conference in response to a media query about U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey's sailing through the Taiwan Strait and trespassing into China's territorial sea. "The U.S. military vessel sailed through the Taiwan Strait, trespassed into the territorial sea and internal waters of China's Xisha Qundao, and publicly hyped the move. The Chinese side strongly deplores and firmly opposes this and has lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side," Zhang said. "Xisha Qundao is China's inherent territory. The Chinese government released the baselines of the territorial sea of Xisha Qundao as early as 1996. What we did was in line with international law and practices," he said. "The U.S. side is not a State Party to UNCLOS, but it has repeatedly invoked the Convention to make an issue of it, and even sent military vessels to intrude into the territorial sea and internal waters of Xisha Qundao," Zhang noted. "Such provocative moves violate China's sovereignty, threaten our national security and undermine regional peace and stability. They are typical behaviors of hegemony," he said. "The People's Liberation Army will remain on high alert, take resolute countermeasures against any infringement and provocations, and firmly safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added. 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 colours. The final image shows the ZS7 galaxy system, revealing the ionised hydrogen emission in orange and the doubly ionised oxygen. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have found the most distant merger between supermassive black holes ever detected. The colliding black holes are at the heart of merging galaxies that are so distant that the collision is seen as it was happening just 740 million years after the Big Bang when the 13.8 billion-year-old universe was a fraction of its current age. Astronomers have long suspected that supermassive black holes with masses millions or even billions of times that of the sun, which are found at the heart of most large galaxies, have been responsible for driving cosmic evolution. This new JWST finding indicates that supermassive black holes have been in the driving seat almost since the beginning of time. The JWST has been regularly uncovering supermassive black holes in the infant universe, which has been a problem because the merger process that facilitates their growth should take periods in excess of a billion years. These results could also help solve the troubling mystery of how supermassive black holes grew to tremendous masses so early in the history of the universe. Related: Fall into a black hole in mind-bending NASA animation (video) 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 colours. The final image shows the ZS7 galaxy system, revealing the ionised hydrogen emission in orange and the doubly ionised oxygen "Our findings suggest that merging is an important route through which black holes can rapidly grow, even at cosmic dawn," research leader and University of Cambridge scientist Hannah Ubler said in a statement. "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." When quasars collide Supermassive black holes gobbling up matter sit at the heart of what astronomers call active galactic nuclei (AGN). From their central locations, these bright black holes power bright emissions known as quasars that can often outshine the combined light of every star in the rest of the galaxy around them. These electromagnetic emissions feature characteristic features that allow astronomers to determine they originate from feeding supermassive black holes. These features can only be determined by telescopes in orbit around the Earth, and to see them for the most distant quasars takes the extremely powerful and sensitive infrared eye of the JWST. To investigate merging quasars in the early universe, Ubler and colleagues zoomed in on a galactic system around 12 billion light-years away called ZS7 with the JWST's Near-InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec). "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 [feeding] episodes," Ubler explained. "Thanks to the unprecedented sharpness of its imaging capabilities, The JWST also allowed our team to spatially separate the two black holes." The JWST zooms in on a collision between quasars in the distant galactic region ZS7 The team determined that one of the supermassive black holes involved in this merger had a mass equivalent to around 50 million suns. While they suspect that the second supermassive black hole has a similar mass, the scientists couldn't conclusively confirm this because of dense gas surrounding it. "The stellar mass of the system we studied is similar to that of our neighbor, the Large Magellanic Cloud," team member Pablo G. Perez-Gonzalez, a scientist from the Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB), said. "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." thousands of stars and a few dozen colorful blobs of gas in space When the two supermassive black holes eventually merged, they would have set the very fabric of space ringing with tiny ripples called gravitational waves. These will radiate outward from the collision at the speed of light and could possibly be detected by the next generation of gravitational wave detectors. This could include the first space-based system, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), an arrangement of three spacecraft being developed by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) and set to launch in 2035. "The JWST's results are telling us that lighter systems detectable by LISA should be far more frequent than previously assumed," the ESA's Lead Project Scientist for LISA, Nora Luetzgendorf, said. "It will most likely make us adjust our models for LISA rates in this mass range. This is just the tip of the iceberg." RELATED STORIES: How do some black holes get so big? The James Webb Space Telescope may have an answer Brightest quasar ever seen is powered by black hole that eats a 'sun a day' Black hole-like 'gravastars' could be stacked like Russian tea dolls Even before the launch of LISA, the JWST will continue to investigate early supermassive black holes. Starting this summer, a program in the $10 billion telescope's Cycle 3 operations will examine the relationship between massive black holes and their host galaxies in the first billion years after the Big Bang. This will include searching for and characterizing mergers. This could tell scientists at what rate supermassive black holes collide and if this is sufficient to explain their rapid growth in the early cosmos. The team's research was published on Thursday (May 16) in the journal The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The launch of Boeing's already delayed Starliner spacecraft is slipping at least four more days, from next Tuesday to May 25 because of ongoing work to resolve concerns about a small helium leak in the capsule's propulsion system, officials said Friday. Mission commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and co-pilot Sunita Williams are now aiming for launch from Pad 41 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 3:09 p.m. EDT a week from Saturday, setting up a docking at the International Space Station the next day, May 26, at 4:12 p.m. The astronauts had hoped to take off on the Starliner's first piloted test flight on May 6, but the countdown was called off because of trouble with an oxygen pressure relief valve in their Atlas 5 rocket's Centaur upper stage. Boeing's Starliner crew capsule atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket's Centaur second stage at launch complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station earlier this month. / Credit: United Launch Alliance The Atlas 5, built by United Launch Alliance, was hauled from the pad back to the company's nearby Vertical Integration Facility where the suspect valve was replaced and cleared for launch. The unrelated helium leak in the Starliner's propellant pressurization system was noted during the original countdown to launch, but it remained within safe limits for flight. After the Atlas 5 and Starliner were rolled back to the VIF for the oxygen valve replacement, managers decided to take a closer look at the helium issue. The leak was detected in plumbing making up helium manifold No. 2 inside one of four "doghouse" assemblies spaced around the exterior of the Starliner's drum-shaped service module. Each doghouse features four Orbital Maneuvering and Attitude Control OMAC thrusters, and four small reaction control system maneuvering jets. Pressurized helium gas is used to push propellants to the rocket motors in each doghouse, as well as to four powerful launch abort engines that would only be fired in the event of a catastrophic problem with the Atlas 5 on the way to orbit. Engineers tightened bolts in a flange where the leak was detected, pressurized the lines and then ran tests to determine if the leak was still present. In the meantime, launch was re-targeted for May 21. But as it turned out, tests revealed the leak was still present. Mission managers considered a range of options for resolving the issue, but they decided Friday to press ahead toward a launch opportunity on May 25, pending additional data reviews and analysis to show the leak, which is currently stable and within acceptable limits, will not worsen in flight. "Pressure testing...showed the leak in the flange is stable and would not pose a risk at that level during the flight," NASA said in a blog post. "The testing also indicated the rest of the thruster system is sealed effectively across the entire service module. "Boeing teams are working to develop operational procedures to ensure the system retains sufficient performance capability and appropriate redundancy during the flight. As that work proceeds, (mission managers) will take the next few days to review the data and procedures to make a final determination before proceeding to flight countdown." The Atlas 5 and Starliner spacecraft are currently housed in United Launch Alliance's Vertical Integration Facility, the building seen here behind the rocket when the booster was being positioned on the launch pad for takeoff earlier this month. / Credit: United Launch Alliance Wilmore and Williams, both veteran Navy test pilots and astronauts with four flights to the station between them, flew back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston after the May 6 scrub to participate in additional flight simulations. They're expected to return to Florida next week. The Starliner is one of two commercially developed crew ferry ships ordered by NASA in the wake of the shuttle program's retirement in 2011. SpaceX won a contract valued at $2.6 billion for development of the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft and Boeing was awarded $4.2 billion for development of the Starliner. NASA wanted spacecraft from different builders to ensure the agency would still have a way to get astronauts to the space station even if a problem grounded one company's ferry ship. SpaceX launched its first two-man crew in 2020. Since then, the company has launched eight NASA-sponsored crew rotation flights to the station, three commercial research missions to the lab and a privately-funded, two-man, two-woman trip to low-Earth orbit. In all, 50 people have flown to space aboard Crew Dragons. Wilmore and Williams will be the first astronauts to fly aboard a Starliner after a series of technical glitches that included major software problems during an initial unpiloted test flight in December 2019, and corroded propulsion system valves that delayed a second uncrewed test mission in May 2022. Engineers ran into questions about parachute harness connectors and protective tape wrapped around wiring that posed a fire risk in a short circuit. Work to correct those issues and others delayed the first piloted launch to this month. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene insults colleague's appearance on House floor Pope Francis on blessing same-sex couples Morehouse College prepares for possible disruptions ahead of Biden's commencement address A smiling woman sitting at a desk signs a document while a standing, smiling woman looks on. There are now 40 nations in the United States' moon-exploration coalition. Lithuania joined the club on Wednesday (May 15), signing NASA's Artemis Accords during a ceremony in Vilnius. "Welcome to the Artemis Accords family, Lithuania," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. "Our nations are strong partners and now we expand this partnership to the cosmos," Nelson added. "In just four years, a remarkable 40 countries have signed the Artemis Accords. Together, as a global coalition, we will explore the stars openly, responsibly and in peace." Related: Cooperation on the moon: Are the Artemis Accords enough? As Nelson noted, the Artemis Accords lay out a framework for sustainable and responsible exploration of space destinations like the the moon. NASA is eyeing Earth's nearest neighbor intently. The agency plans to establish a permanent human presence on and around the moon by the end of the decade via its Artemis program, which has launched one mission to date Artemis 1, which sent an uncrewed Orion capsule to lunar orbit and back in late 2022. Sustained crewed exploration will be a difficult and expensive undertaking, one that requires cooperation with industry, academia and international governments, NASA officials have stressed. And the agency is lining up many such partners, as the ever-growing tally of Artemis Accord signatories shows. Those signatories include some major players in space exploration, such as France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and (of course) the United States. RELATED STORIES: Sweden becomes 38th country to sign NASA's Artemis Accords for moon exploration Switzerland signs Artemis Accords to join NASA in moon exploration Artemis Accords: What are they & which countries are involved? China has serious moon ambitions as well; it plans to set up a crewed outpost called the International Lunar Research Station in the 2030s. Like the U.S., China is enlisting international partners to aid in this effort. Russia is the chief partner; others include Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ethiopia, Kenya and Serbia. A huge black and silver rocket stands amid dunes next to the ocean. SpaceX continues gearing up for the fourth test flight of its Starship megarocket, which could be just around the corner. Technicians recently stacked the Starship rocket that will conduct the flight, placing its "Ship" upper stage atop its "Super Heavy" first-stage booster on the orbital launch mount at SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas. The company posted a video and photos of this operation, which was performed using the "chopstick" arms of Starbase's giant launch tower, on X yesterday (May 15). "Full stack of Flight 4 Starship," SpaceX wrote in the post. Related: Relive SpaceX Starship's 3rd flight test in breathtaking photos a huge black and silver rocket stands amid dunes next to the ocean Starship stacking is a dramatic and impressive sight. There's a striking juxtaposition of mechanical and natural beauty, for example, as a gleaming silver rocket rises amid shrub-studded seaside dunes. And that 400-foot-tall (122 meters) rocket is bigger and more powerful than any other launch vehicle humanity has ever built. The stacking follows earlier testing performed separately with Flight 4's Super Heavy and Ship. SpaceX has already ignited the Raptor engines of both vehicles on the launch mount, in common and brief prelaunch trials known as static fires. closeup of a large silver spacecraft being stacked atop a silver booster Starship's three test flights occurred in April 2023, November 2023 and March 14 of this year. The giant rocket's performance has improved on each successive liftoff. The debut, for instance, ended after just four minutes when Starship's two stages failed to separate. Starship doubled that flight time on the second launch and also achieved stage separation. Flight number three lasted nearly 50 minutes, ending when Ship broke apart upon reentry to Earth's atmosphere. closeup showing the point where the two stages of a rocket meet during stacking RELATED STORIES: SpaceX launches giant Starship rocket into space on epic 3rd test flight (video) Starship and Super Heavy: SpaceX's Mars transportation system FAA to oversee investigation of SpaceX Starship's 3rd test flight Flight number four could lift off in just three to five weeks, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said recently. There are still some logistical hurdles to clear, however: SpaceX applied for a Starship launch license modification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which is overseeing an investigation into what happened on the March 14 mission. That modification has apparently not been approved yet. In our Reality Check stories, Wichita Eagle journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Story idea? tips@wichitaeagle.com. A deluge of unanswered questions continue to swirl around Wichita City Hall, where a ransomware attack has disrupted some city services for two weeks. But city officials arent answering them now, instead directing anyone with questions to a city webpage that focuses on how public-facing city services have been affected. They wont say who the city hired to help get the citys systems back online or how much it is expected to cost taxpayers. They wont say whether the city will notify residents whose information was compromised or whether the city plans to pay for identity theft protection for those residents. They wont say how much revenue the city is losing each day. They also wont say publicly whether the city paid a ransom, a move that could be illegal under sanctions announced by the U.S. Treasury earlier this year that forbids U.S. entities from paying ransoms to the group thats claiming credit for the Wichita cyber attack. Federal law enforcement, which the city is working with on the cyber attack, also discourages victims from paying ransoms. I realize thats frustrating, City Manager Robert Layton said. But I cannot talk about the issues that you want to talk about today while were still working through the incident. Layton said the city is exercising an abundance of caution until he is confident the system has been restored and that hackers dont have access to the citys computer systems. I am committed and the mayor, council members are committed to talking about most of the issues, if not all of the issues, when we have finished our recovery, Layton said. But theres too much still going on, and with the systems not all being up and running at this point, we just need to focus on getting all that taken care of and not risk any setback. The Russian hacker group LockBit claimed credit for the ransomware attack and indicated the city had until Wednesday to pay a ransom or else it would publish more than 500 gigabytes of data on the dark web. The day before the deadline, LockBit updated the dark web posting saying the data had been sold. The citys data was not released on Wednesday. The citys wichita.gov/alert webpage says personal information was stolen from the Wichita Police Departments records management system, including names, Social Security numbers, drivers license or state identification card numbers, and payment card information. It gives no hint of how many peoples sensitive information may have been stolen or accessed, and theres no way to find out at this time. The city is also choosing to withhold information through the Kansas Open Records Act. On Thursday, the city denied an Eagle records request filed May 7 seeking a copy of the citys agreement with any firm hired to help resolve the cyber attack. The denial statement said the city is choosing not to release that information because disclosure at this time would pose a security risk to the city and could add to further disruption of city public services. The city pointed to a state statute that allows public agencies to discretionarily withhold public records that would pose substantial likelihood of revealing security measures that protect systems used in the production, transmission or distribution of communication services. Layton said the costs of the attack and what the city is paying the cyber security firm will be released eventually. He would not say how much longer the unnamed cyber security firm could take to complete its work. We will be open about the efforts that we went through and the depth or breadth of incident when were finished, Layton said. Wichita cyber attack: Social Security numbers, drivers licenses, payment info compromised Ransomware group called most prolific and destructive claims credit for Wichita attack COSHOCTON A growing career field has proven to be one of the most successful new programs in some time at the Coshocton County Career Center. The electrical systems technology program started this year, and replaced the electronics program. Students in the program said they recognized electrical systems technology as a growing field with a strong career path. A student works on wiring during the electrical systems technology program at the Coshocton County Career Center. Completion of the program gives first year credit for the Newark Electrical Apprenticeship Program. Principal Andy Slaughter said it's the fastest growing new program the career has had in several years. There are 15 juniors in the program this year with 26 slated to join next school year. "The last couple of programs we started didn't get to double digits until year five," Slaughter said. Superintendent Matt Colvin said the program was started based on input from local businesses expressing the need for electricians and the shortage of workers in the field. A shortage that will only be made worse because of Intel and other mega projects in Central Ohio gobbling up those available. "We've also got to look at available students and what they're interested in. If that matches and meets the local workforce demand, why not look at getting it started," Colvin said. A student works on wiring in the electrical systems technology program at the Coshocton County Career Center. The program started this year with 15 students and 26 students are slated to take the program next year. 'It's such a good career path' Students learn many phases of the industry from residential, commercial and industrial work to green construction practices and programmable logic controllers. The program involves hands-on training related to electrical theory, safe electrical work practices, conduit fabrication, construction drawings and code and standards and practices. Completion of the program gives first year credit for the Newark Electrical Apprenticeship Program. Students said they've enjoyed the hands-on work the most. This has included doing electrical work at the school, like installing new LED lights in hallways and wiring a room to provide an expansion of the girls' locker room. Damien Williams, whose home school is Ridgewood, said his grandfather is the maintenance manager at MFM Building Products. He recommended Williams join the electrical systems program after seeing it was forming. Williams looked into it and believed it was a tremendous opportunity for his future. "You've got a job forever, basically, once you do it," Williams said. "It's rough, but the payout is definitely worth it. It's such a good career path with so many opportunities." Students in the electrical systems technology program at the Coshocton County Career Center installed new LED lighting in hallways. Robert Lohrman, whose home school is Coshocton, said he was impressed by the varied opportunities electrical systems technology offered from residential, to commercial, to industrial work. "This program you have countless paths you can go down different from each other. All offer meeting new people and getting different types of experiences and the pay is good for all of them," Lohrman said. "When you take this course, you get skills that can help you around the house even if you don't follow the electrical field." Both said they want to join the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union and go from there. Lohrman might like to work maintenance in a factory, while Williams said he'd like to start his own contracting business someday. Students of the electrical systems technology program of the Coshocton County Career Center recently took a tour of McWane Ductile. They listen to general manager Tom Crawford prior to the tour. McWane Ductile visit Students from the program recently took a tour of McWane Ductile. It featured Slaughter giving general manager Tom Crawford and human resources manager Jolinda Kistler the Lobo Legend Award for their contributions to the career center over the years. This included funding most of the materials needed to launch the electrical systems program. Crawford said he wanted the company to connect to the workforce of the next generation and the skills the students were learning in the electrical systems technology program were what they were looking for. McWane has conducted interviews with students for two open summer jobs. Class instructor Todd Cognion said Philip A. Wagner, Wiley Companies and MFM Building Products are also looking to make summer hires from the program. Crawford said they've assisted the program in helping to give students greater access to materials and learning opportunities that prepares them for the future. "You really are the future of Coshocton, our county, and, hopefully some of you, our facility," Crawford told students. Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst. This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Electrical systems technology fastest-growing program at career center From Tolmie Peak, Eunice Lake is shown in the foreground, with mighty Tahoma rising in the background. (Terry Wood / Special to The Seattle Times) Staff members check the work of a welding robot at a plant of Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co., Ltd. in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, May 16, 2024. In recent years, the company has been actively promoting digital transformation and intelligent manufacturing. The company is contributing to the high-quality development of the shipping industry, with a focus on the construction of new types of public service vessels, high-end offshore engineering ships, small and medium-sized green intelligent oil and chemical carriers, and feeder container ships. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan) A staff member measures the precision of parts at a plant of Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co., Ltd. in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, May 16, 2024. In recent years, the company has been actively promoting digital transformation and intelligent manufacturing. The company is contributing to the high-quality development of the shipping industry, with a focus on the construction of new types of public service vessels, high-end offshore engineering ships, small and medium-sized green intelligent oil and chemical carriers, and feeder container ships. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan) A new ship is under construction at a plant of Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co., Ltd. in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, May 16, 2024. In recent years, the company has been actively promoting digital transformation and intelligent manufacturing. The company is contributing to the high-quality development of the shipping industry, with a focus on the construction of new types of public service vessels, high-end offshore engineering ships, small and medium-sized green intelligent oil and chemical carriers, and feeder container ships. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan) Staff members work at a plant of Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co., Ltd. in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, May 16, 2024. In recent years, the company has been actively promoting digital transformation and intelligent manufacturing. The company is contributing to the high-quality development of the shipping industry, with a focus on the construction of new types of public service vessels, high-end offshore engineering ships, small and medium-sized green intelligent oil and chemical carriers, and feeder container ships. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan) This photo taken on May 16, 2024 shows an interior view of a plant of Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co., Ltd. in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. In recent years, the company has been actively promoting digital transformation and intelligent manufacturing. The company is contributing to the high-quality development of the shipping industry, with a focus on the construction of new types of public service vessels, high-end offshore engineering ships, small and medium-sized green intelligent oil and chemical carriers, and feeder container ships. (Xinhua/Du Zixuan) MADRID, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy has a "promising future ahead" and "great potential to expand" in Spain, an industry executive told Xinhua in an interview on Friday. In April, renewables in Spain reached a share of 64.6 percent of total monthly generation. For the first time, three renewable technologies led the mix: wind (22.2 percent), hydro (19.7 percent) and solar photovoltaic (18.8 percent), official figures showed. Solar photovoltaics increased production by 4.4 percent compared to the same month in 2023. "The demand for solar energy remains high, and there is great potential to expand our business. With government policies increasingly favorable towards renewable energies, we are confident the industry has a promising future ahead," Daniel Fernandez, co-CEO of Spanish company SotySolar, told Xinhua. The firm, which works with European and Chinese manufacturers, began installing PV technology in Spain and Portugal in 2016. "China provides us with products fueled by innovation, while SotySolar guarantees the expansion of photovoltaics and its brands," Fernandez said. Last year, Spain raised its target for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to 32 percent, up from a previous goal of 23 percent. It also elevated its renewables target to 48 percent of final energy production by 2030, reaching 81 percent in electricity while improving energy efficiency to 44 percent. However, Fernandez explained, "although more roofs are seen full of solar panels, obstacles persist such as high initial investment, lack of public awareness and regulatory complexity." At an industrial level, meanwhile, companies have already understood the advantages of solar power, and more power purchase agreements are being negotiated. Fernandez said these contracts enable companies "to stop suffering from fluctuations in electricity costs, while reducing their energy costs." In 2023, the installation of solar photovoltaic power increased by 28 percent in Spain, bringing an additional 5,594 MW to the generation pool, the highest figure since records began, according to Spanish electricity grid operator Red Electrica. UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, on Thursday emphasized China's support for Iraq's governance improvements and regional cooperation efforts to maintain peace and stability. During a UN Security Council briefing on the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Geng commended the Iraqi government's efforts to "enhance governance, promote economic reform, improve public services, create jobs, and fight corruption," which he noted have "produced remarkable results." He stressed the importance of unity and reconciliation within Iraq. "Stronger unity among all Iraqi actors and the achievement of reconciliation for national development is in the fundamental interests of the people of Iraq," he said. He also voiced support for ongoing engagement between Iraq's central government and the Kurdistan region to resolve longstanding issues and find sustainable solutions. Addressing security concerns, Geng acknowledged Iraq's critical role in the global fight against terrorism and the persistent security threats it faces. He underscored the necessity for continued international support to strengthen Iraq's counter-terrorism efforts and welcomed Iraq's initiatives towards the repatriation and resettlement of citizens from the Al-Hol camp in Syria. Highlighting China's diplomatic stance, Geng reiterated that "China supports Iraq and regional countries in developing good neighborly and friendly relations and jointly safeguarding regional peace and stability." He urged all parties involved to "respect the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Iraq, resolve concerns through cooperation with the Iraqi government, and refrain from taking any unilateral actions that may aggravate tensions." Geng also discussed the future of UNAMI, acknowledging its significant role since 2003 in supporting Iraq's reconstruction and development. With Iraq's situation steadily improving, he advocated for a reassessment of UNAMI's mission. "It is high time to streamline the mission's mandate and implement a gradual drawdown," he suggested, referring to a report by an independent strategic review team which recommended that the mission's responsibilities be gradually transferred and eventually concluded. He highlighted a request from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani to close UNAMI's mandate by December 2025, which calls for a strategic drawdown plan. Geng emphasized that "respecting the sovereignty of the host countries and taking on board their views are a prerequisite for the creation and mandate performance of UN political missions." Geng also stressed the importance of addressing the issue of missing Kuwaiti personnel and property, encouraging ongoing support from the international community and the UN to help Iraq and Kuwait strengthen their cooperation and resolve related issues effectively. KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Ongoing efforts by the West, particularly the United States, to use members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in efforts to undermine China in the region have failed to gain any support, analysts told a forum here on Friday. Regional countries embrace the peaceful rise of China that will lift their own economic and development goals, Roy Anthony Rogers, a professor at the Universiti Malaya Asia-Europe Institute Associate, said during the "China Rising: Contrasting Perspectives from Europe and Asia" forum. "Among ASEAN, Malaysia in particular has demonstrated that it is strongly neutral while at the same time recognizing that China is its most important trade and economic partner," he said. Noting that the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year, he said that the longstanding trade and diplomatic ties as well as geographical proximity and people-to-people exchanges will see the two nations' ties stand firm. "This year marks the 50th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic ties (between China and Malaysia) or as the Chinese would say the golden anniversary. As the saying goes 'true gold does not fear fire,' so too will this friendship survive efforts at driving a wedge as Malaysia has been committed to free and open trade while also having a longstanding tradition of neutrality and non-alignment," he added. Bunn Nagara, director and a senior fellow of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific (BRICAP), said ASEAN members have repeatedly demonstrated that they will not allow themselves to be caught up in geopolitical rivalry and bloc confrontation. "ASEAN will not be pulled into taking sides. Already we have seen China invest in manufacturing and developing infrastructure in the region, not only through its Belt and Road Initiative which aims at building transport and logistics infrastructure ... As China continues to move forward in the high-tech manufacturing sector, countries including Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia supply parts, components and commodities to China. It has become smooth and well-integrated and (the countries) certainly (are) resistant to efforts aimed at disrupting this relationship," he said. For his part, Martin Jacques, a British scholar, said caution is needed as the U.S.-led West is seeking to disrupt the progress that China has made in terms of delivering affordable mass-produced high-quality products. "Unfortunately, the United States is playing a losing game and a non-constructive role while China's electric vehicle and green energy sectors are continuing to thrive, threatening efforts at fighting climate change and implementing sustainable policies with its sanctions and trade barriers," he said. "This is to its own detriment as the world is becoming more dependent on China's green technology while the United States through its protectionist policies is actually harming and stagnating its own development. They (United States) are opting out of innovation and healthy competition due to narrow political interests," he said. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. The fresh newsletter for the International Community in Hungary - described by readers as a "Great read each week" - is now available for your interest and use via the link below. At approximately 5:52 p.m on Friday, a state of full emergency was declared at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport due to a reported fire in the air conditioning unit of Air India flight 807, which was en route from Delhi to Bangalore. The flight, which carried 175 passengers, landed safely around 6:38 p.m. According to reports, the suspected fire in the air conditioning unit triggered the declaration of an emergency. An airline official told PTI that they are making alternative arrangements for passengers to continue their journey to Bengaluru. Officials from Delhi Fire Services stated that they dispatched three fire tenders in response to the situation. "We received a call from IGI Airport at 6.15 p.m. about a fire. A DFS official stated, "We pressed three fire tenders into service." This incident occurred just days after the Delhi airport and several hospitals in the national capital received bomb threats via email. The chief of Delhi Fire Services stated that they received a call about a bomb threat at the IGI Airport around 6.15 p.m. "We received a call around 6.15 p.m. regarding a bomb threat at IGI Airport. Fire trucks have been dispatched to the scene," Garg stated. ANKARA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Bolstered by over 1.5 million cruise ship passengers in 2023, Turkiye is making waves in the cruise tourism industry, according to industry leaders. Passenger arrivals surged nearly 50 percent year-on-year, exceeding expectations set by officials, data from the Transport and Infrastructure Ministry revealed. "Diversification is one of our biggest priorities," said Davut Gunaydin, vice president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, in an interview with Xinhua. "Cruise tourism is an important part of our efforts," the industry insider added. Turkiye boasts several well-quipped ports for cruises, including Galataport in Istanbul and Kusadasi on the Aegean coast. Galataport, inaugurated in 2021, has boosted cruise activity across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, Gunaydin said. Noting that Turkiye trails Mediterranean neighbors like Italy in cruise market share, Gunaydin believed strategic investments could secure a larger slice of the pie. The country's unique position at the crossroads of four seas - the Mediterranean, Aegean Sea, Marmara Sea, and Black Sea - offers unparalleled potential for cruise itineraries. Gunaydin is confident of Turkiye reaching its target of 2 million cruise passengers set for 2024 while saying that investments in modern terminals, aiming to increase per-passenger spending, would further bolster the national economy. "Figures so far indicate that this year's target will be reached. It's a relief because the industry was badly hit by the suspension of cruise activity due to the pandemic," he added. The current conflict in the Gaza Strip poses a risk to regional tourism, but Gunaydin downplayed its immediate impact on Turkiye. Some cruise lines have adjusted itineraries due to the violence, but the industry remains optimistic. Tourism is a vital lifeline for Turkiye's economy, employing over 2 million people and contributing significantly to the GDP. Cruise travelers, known for their high spending habits, are a coveted demographic for tourism destinations. "Cruise passengers likely spend ten times more than the average tourist," said Esra Demir, an associate at an Ankara-based travel agency, adding that the higher spending translates to a significant boost for hotels, restaurants, and retail businesses. Kusadasi, a popular resort on the western Aegean coast, currently handles roughly half of Turkiye's cruise ship traffic. "Kusadasi stands out as a cruise travel hub in the Aegean between Greece and Turkiye, and its potential could be further explored to accommodate more cruise ships and passengers throughout the year," Demir added. New Delhi: Nation's heartthrob Kartik Aaryan's highly anticipated film 'Chandu Champion,' jointly produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Kabir Khan is creating much hype on social media - all thanks to its mind-blowing posters. continues to captivate audiences with its stunning poster reveals. The makers today have dropped the third poster, set against a gripping war backdrop. 'Chandu Champion' third poster shows pivotal war scenes shot in the breathtaking Aru Valley in Jammu and Kashmir, tucked away at an elevation of 9000 feet above sea level, promises an unparalleled cinematic experience. The film is helmed by ace director Kabir Khan. This movie is said to have an astonishing eight-minute single shot and the biggest-ever war sequence. 'Chandu Champion' is slated for a June 14, 2024 release, promising to leave an indelible mark on the hearts of viewers. The film marks first collaboration between Kabir Khan and Kartik Aaryan on celluloid. The much-awaited trailer of the movie is expected to unveil on May 18, 2024. Film: Kartam Bhugtam Duration: 2 hours 11 minutes Director: Soham P. Shah Cast: Shreyas Talpade, Vijay Raaz, Madhoo and Aksha Pardasany IANS Rating: **** Mumbai: 'Kartam Bhugtam' is a compelling journey into the realms of belief, fate and human emotions, masterfully crafted by Soham P. Shah. Known for his earlier works like 'Kaal' and 'Luck', Shah demonstrates his storytelling prowess once again, taking the audience on a gripping ride filled with twists and turns. The film follows the story of Dev Joshi (Shreyas Talpade), an NRI who returns to Bhopal from New Zealand after ten years to attend to his late father's affairs. His encounter with Anna (Vijay Raaz), a local astrologer, sets off a series of events that challenge Dev's beliefs and perceptions. As Dev gets entangled in a web of fate and illusions, he finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew. Talpade delivers a nuanced performance as Dev, portraying his vulnerability and inner turmoil with depth. Vijay Raaz is mesmerising as Anna, his baritone voice adding an eerie charm to his character. Madhoo and Aksha Pardasany shine in their respective roles, adding layers to the narrative. The screenplay is the backbone of 'Kartam Bhugtam', keeping the audience hooked with its unpredictable twists and emotional depth. The background score and songs enhance the mood of the film, adding to its overall impact. Soham Shah's direction is top-notch, creating a world that is both captivating and thought-provoking. He skilfully navigates through the complexities of belief and fate, leaving the audience questioning their own perceptions. 'Kartam Bhugtam' is a must-watch for those who enjoy psychological thrillers that delve into the human psyche. With its strong performances, engaging storyline and impactful direction, it is a film that will stay with you long after the credits roll. New Delhi: Wipros Chief Operating Officer Amit Choudhary has stepped down just a week after Anis Chenchas, the Chief Executive of APMEA Strategic Market Unit, resigned. This marks the second senior executive departure since Srinivas Pallia became the new CEO last month. Sanjeev Jain will report to CEO Srinivas Pallia and remain a member of Wipros Executive Committee. Chenchah and Choudhary both joined Wipro during Thierry Delaporte's tenure as CEO. All three Delaporte, Choudhary, and Chenchah joined Wipro from the French IT consulting giant Capgemini. (Also Read: Lok Sabha Election 2024 Bank Holiday: Banks In THESE Cities To Be Closed On May 20, Check List) Jain joined Wipro in 2023 as the Global Head of Business Operations. With over 30 years of experience he has successfully led large, diverse teams and scaled up global operations. "Under Jains leadership, weve built out our approach to AI training and upskilling and trained over 225,000 of our people in AI principles, said Pallia. (Also Read: Why Is Stock Market Conducting Special Live Trading Session On Saturday, 18 May 2024? Check Timings And Other Details) Over the past year, he has been leading Wipro's talent supply chain, including the company's gig work platform, 'TopGear', as well as talent skilling, global mobility, talent acquisition, and business resilience functions. "I would like to thank Choudhary for his leadership over the last two years and for building a strong operations foundation and structure that will be invaluable as we move forward," said Jain. Prior to joining Wipro, he held leadership roles at Kyndryl Holdings (IBM spin-off), IBM, Cognizant and GE. (With IANS Inputs) New Delhi: An angry mod sets a school on fire near Ramjichak under Digha police of Bihar's Patna on Friday morning after the dead body of a student was found inside a tank under school premises, police informed. The tragic incident took place in the Ramjichak area under the Digha police of Bihar's capital Patna. The local people blocked the road and set the school on fire in the morning, ANI reported. Fire tenders that rushed to the site managed to douse the blaze. The deceased child, around three years old, has gone to the school where he received tuition after completing his school hours. He fell inside the tank when he was returning back to home in the evening. Police informed that the minor body was retrieved from inside a tank on the school campus at 3 am today. After the incident, local citizens blocked the road and set fire to the school. later, the fire tenders reached to the site and managed to douse the blaze. Senior police officials also arrived at the site for the investigation. Patna Superintendent of Police Chandra Prakash detailing the incident said, "We were informed late at night by the parents after which our team reached the spot and started collecting evidence. In the CCTV we saw that the child was entering the school but at no point, he can be seen leaving the school premises.." "We will investigate it as a murder case as they were hiding the body and it shows criminal intent. We have detained three persons and inquiry is on," Prakash further added. Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked the Jammu and Kashmir BJP unit on Thursday to prepare to contest all seats in the upcoming assembly elections, which will be held in September. Shah said this while meeting with a BJP delegation at Srinagar's Lalit Palace. The Home Minister, who arrived in Srinagar last evening amid tight security, met with delegations of Gujjars, Bakerwals, Paharis, and Sikhs. Finally, he met with a BJP delegation that included Sunil Sharma, the BJP's general secretary and in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs, as well as other leaders Darakshan Andrabi, Hina Bhat, Sofi Yousuf, Altaf Thakur, and BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh. According to sources, Shah stated in his opening speech that he has worked tirelessly to strengthen the BJP at the grassroots level across the country. "At the outset, Shah expressed regret over the BJP not contesting three crucial Lok Sabha seats but said some battles are fought not to defeat the enemy but to strengthen our workers." He urged workers to vote against the dynastic rule of the National Conference, PDP, and Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on May 13 and May 25 in the Baramulla constituency and Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat, respectively. The source added that during the meeting, Shah announced that the BJP will run for all seats in Jammu and Kashmir in the upcoming assembly elections. Shah asked the Jammu and Kashmir BJP unit to prepare for the upcoming assembly elections, stating that the party "will contest all assembly seats." Shah's Kashmir visit comes just a day after the Jamaat-e-Islami expressed its willingness to return to electoral politics after 1987, provided the Centre lifts the ban imposed on it in 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). There were reports that a Jamaat-e-Islami delegation was scheduled to meet with the Home Minister, but nothing happened until late last evening. According to reports, Shah also held a high-level security meeting to discuss the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, the situation after Article 370 was removed, and the ongoing LeT elections. Yesterday, NC Vice President Omar Abdullah and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti questioned Shah's visit to Kashmir. Former chief ministers have alleged that he has come here to help their opponents and BJP-backed political parties. However, due to the model code of conduct, he cannot make any political or administrative announcements and the BJP does not have any candidates in the field. Shah stayed in Srinagar last night and will return to Delhi this afternoon. CUET 2024 Exam: The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for undergraduate courses is underway. The commencement of CUET 2024 began on Wednesday at centers across the country. This year, 63 test papers are being conducted. The exam takes place in four shifts. The CUET is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The tests, which started on May 15, will continue until May 24. Offline exams will be held until May 18, after which they will be online. In the first two days itself, disturbing news came from various places. Alleged Paper Leak Sparks Student Protest The first exam of CUET 2024 was conducted on Wednesday (May 15). During this time, a major uproar occurred at the Maharana Pratap Group of Colleges in Kanpur. Students who arrived to take the exam in the evening shift reported that several students were already sitting in the rooms. They started a ruckus alleging that despite the exam being over, some students were being made to solve the paper while sitting in the rooms. When the situation at the center level could not be controlled, the college administration called the police. The police tried to reason with the protesting students, but their anger flared up. In the meantime, stone-pelting started. When the police took strict action, the students started chanting slogans. This college falls within the limits of Chaubepur police station. After the uproar, a large number of police forces were deployed there. Confusion Over Centers and Admit Cards in Delhi On the first day of CUET 2024, exams were conducted at all centers except 258 in Delhi. The NTA has set up a total of 2,157 centers across the country for CUET. On Wednesday, there was a test of Chemistry, Biology, English, and General Studies. A student takes multiple tests. Amid confusion, the CUET-UG 2024 tests were conducted in Delhi on Thursday. Many students complained that their centers were changed at the last minute. Since admit cards were issued late on Wednesday evening, they also had trouble taking printouts. A day earlier, the NTA had said on its website that the tests of May 15 are being postponed due to unavoidable reasons. The agency said in the notice that everyone will have to download new admit cards. This troubled about one and a half lakh students. Those who came from outside Delhi had to change the entire plan at the last minute. The NTA has said that the exam of May 15 in Delhi will be conducted on May 29. Why Were the Exams Postponed? The CUET 2024 exam in Delhi was postponed just a few hours before it was due to start. The NTA claims that due to the Lok Sabha elections, there is a shortage of manpower, so this had to be done. An official of the NTA told the Indian Express, CUET UG is conducted on a very large scale, we had selected many exam centers and invigilators are deployed for this process (exam). We were having trouble deploying enough invigilators for the exam of May 15 at the exam centers in Delhi due to the Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, the NTA has decided to conduct the exam of May 15 after the election, on May 29. This did not affect the exam schedule in other cities. There are just 5 bomb disposal squads in national capital Delhi to deal with bomb threats at 4634 schools. The Delhi Police shared this data in a status report to the Delhi High Court. The Delhi Police and the government were asked by the High Court to submit an action plan to address bomb threats on educational institutions. Request in the Petition Submitted to the Court Lawyer Arpit Bhargava filed this petition in the Delhi High Court. At Delhi Public School on Mathura Road, his son attends classes. He had filed a petition in the High Court last year in response to bomb threats made against the school. He had asked for an action plan to counter such threats and its prompt implementation in the High Court. Delhi Polices Status Report The Delhi Police stated in their court response that there are five bomb disposal squads in Delhi, covering 4634 schools spread across the city's different neighbourhoods. The police claim that there are 1762 schools in the central range, 1032 schools in the eastern range, 76 schools in the New Delhi range, and 1762 schools in the southern range. One disposal squad is also assigned to the metro and railway. Information regarding the nodal officers who have been appointed with the BDS was also included in the report. For instance, Daryaganj serves as the central range's base police station. For instance, the DCP of the central district serves as the nodal officer for the base police station of the central range, which is located in Daryaganj. Kalyanpuri Police Station is the Eastern Range's base station. The Eastern District Chief Police serves as its nodal officer. 18 Teams to Detect Bombs Additionally, the Delhi Police have informed us that there are eighteen teams in the capital that are dedicated to finding bombs. These 18 teams are stationed in 15 different districts of Delhi, excluding the metro, railway, and Indira Gandhi International Airport. The Delhi Police reported to the court that 120 simulated drills had taken place in schools between January 1, 2023, and May 6, 2024. New Delhi: Students created a ruckus at the Mandhana area under the Chaybepur police station of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday at the time of the CUET exam on Wednesday. The ruckus was created after an English medium students received a wrong question paper. Someone from the crowd also pelted stones at the college premises. Due to the worsening situation, heavy police forces were deployed as the crowd went out of control. The video of the ruckus went viral on social media. Reportedly, the CUET exam was conducted offline for many students. At the time of the examination, chaos happened when English median students received a Hindi medium question paper. As per the the college management, this is the human error that led to the confusion, the will be conducted again with a fresh date, TOI reported. Earlier, NTA postponed the CUET UG 2024 exams scheduled for May 15 across the centres in Delhi. NTA released the official notification, the agency stated, "It is being informed to all the concerned candidates and stakeholders that due to unavoidable reasons, the test papers (Chemistry -306, Biology - 304, English - 101, and General Test - 501) which were earlier scheduled on 15 May 2024 stand postponed for the candidates appearing in Centres across Delhi only." Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is on a two-day visit to Srinagar from Thursday during which he is likely to chair a security review meeting Senior BJP leader and Kashmir in-charge Sunil Sharma on Thursday said that the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Srinagar is apolitical as he will chair a meeting to review the arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra. Talking to reporters here, Sharma said that Shah will also meet several delegations during his visit to Srinagar. People from different communities like Gujjar, Bakerwal, Dal dwellers and others can meet him as there will be no restrictions for anyone to meet him, he said, adding that Shah's visit is purely apolitical. Meanwhile, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti questioned Amit Shahs visit to Kashmir, saying they cannot understand why the Home Minister was here during the model code of conduct. Since the BJP has no candidates running in this election, he isnt here to campaign. Is he here to support their proxy parties? questioned former CMs of Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his election campaign rally in Bandipora, said, First of all, I am not able to understand what the purpose of his (HM's) visit is because the election code is in place. Being the Home Minister, he cannot make any decision with political value. There is no BJP candidate for whom he can campaign. So, has he come here to support some candidates or parties? Has he come here to appeal for votes for their proxy parties? Omar added, The Home Minister is taking a security review meeting, but at the same time, they say the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is fine and under control; thats why people have done bumper voting. If thats the case, then why take a security review meeting? Omar questioned. If he is taking a security meeting, it means the situation is not good, and they should stop this normalcy drama. Omar also spoke about Jamaat-e-Islami's decision to enter the mainstream. Abdullah stated, "I have demanded that the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami should be revoked. Jamaat-e-Islami should participate in the upcoming elections here; earlier, they used to help different people during polls, seeking votes for others. Now, if they seek votes for themselves, it's good." Not only Omar, but Mehbooba also echoed similar sentiments. There is a lot of confusion among the people because Amarnath Yatra is still far away. So, he is not here for that, and if he is here to help his proxies, then the 1987 election rigging will be repeated, taking away the trust of the youth of Kashmir in the ballot. Kashmiris are very emotional about these elections and have participated wholeheartedly in the electoral process, she said. Mehbooba also reacted to Shahs statement on PoK. They (BJP) are saying Muslims will take away your palace, they will take away your buffalo, and now they say they will bring Muslims from another Kashmir also. Where will they keep them? They are taunting on every issue, saying you should go to Pakistan. First, learn to respect those who are here, learn to accept them, do not call them infiltrators. When you take care of them, then we will talk further, she said. She took a jab at PM Modis statement when the PM told a reporter, I will never divide this country on a religious basis; if I do, that will be the end of my public life. Mehbooba reacted, saying, He (PM) calls Muslims infiltrators. He says in his speech that Muslims will take away Mangalsutra, Muslims will take away your reservation. Mosques of Muslims are being demolished, houses of Muslims are being demolished, and the PM watches silently. Now, what he has said, if he does, it will be good news for this country. The political landscape in Jammu and Kashmir is heating up. Various parties are not only fighting the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, but many are also gearing up for the upcoming assembly polls in the region. It seems as if the parliamentary elections are being used to lay the groundwork for the assembly elections. Kanhaiya Kumar, the Congress candidate from Northeast Delhi, was allegedly assaulted and attacked with ink on Friday by some constituents. The incident occurred outside the AAP office in the New Usmanpur area, as Kahnhaiya was leaving a party meeting with local councillor Chhaya Sharma. According to Sharma's complaint, "some people came and put a garland around Sh. Kanhaiya Kumar. After garlanding him, some people threw ink at Sh. Kanhaiya Kumar and attempted to assault him. When Smt. Chhaya Sharma attempted to intervene, they misbehaved and threatened her." Kanhaiya claimed in a statement that the attack was ordered by Manoj Tiwari, a rival candidate for the constituency. He claimed that Tiwari, the sitting MP, is frustrated with his growing popularity and sent "goons" to attack him. He stated that the public will respond to the violence by voting on May 25. Polling in the national capital will take place on May 25 in the sixth phase of voting. HOUSTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Strong storms on Thursday night battered the Houston area, the largest city in the U.S. state of Texas, claiming at least four lives while causing widespread power outage, property damage, and chaos across the city, Houston Mayor John Whitmire confirmed. "We have a storm with 100 mph winds, the equivalent of Hurricane Ike, considerable damage downtown," the mayor said at a news briefing on Thursday night, referring to the category 2 hurricane that made landfall near Houston in 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture. Among the four deaths, at least two were related to fallen trees, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena told reporters. Another death was caused by a "crane that was blown over by the wind." The storms caused massive damage across the areas. Trees were uprooted, powerlines knocked down, and streets flooded in many neighborhoods across Houston and its suburbs. Several office buildings in downtown Houston lost windows. Several hundreds of schools in the Houston area have canceled all classes for Friday. The Houston Independent School District (HISD), the largest one in Texas, announced all schools would be closed Friday. "Due to the widespread damage across Houston, HISD has coordinated with the city of Houston and is closing all campuses Friday, May 17," the district said in a statement. "Schools will reopen Monday, May 20." "There are trees across roadways across Houston," Whitmire said, "Glass all over the streets downtown, traffic lights are out." The mayor urged residents to "stay at home," adding that the city was working through a "backlog" of 911 emergency calls, many of them reportedly about a gas leak or downed wires. A portion of a building collapsed amid the severe weather in Houston, according to local media reports. "Take shelter now if you're in the path of this storm. Head to the lowest floor!" Houston's National Weather Service office warned on social media earlier on Thursday. Multiple counties overlapping the Houston area issued flash floods and severe thunderstorm warnings in the evening. As of 11:40 pm local time (1640 GMT), nearly 924,000 customers were without power in Texas, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us. Of that, more than 800,000 customers lost power in and around Harris County, which contains much of Houston. "There are currently widespread outages" in the Houston area, said Logan Anderson, the spokesperson of the power company CenterPoint Energy, "We won't know the extent of the damage to our system until the storm is through." "I ask everyone to be patient, look out for your neighbors," the Houston mayor said. "It will take 24 hours for a lot of this power to be restored, some will require 48 hours." Earlier this month, multiple rounds of thunderstorms caused deadly flooding across eastern Texas, including the Houston area, forcing evacuations and school closures. People's Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti has appealed to the Union Government and the Home Minister Amit Shahto refrain from interfering in the ongoing electoral process in Jammu and Kashmir, emphasizing the importance of allowing the elections to proceed freely and fairly, as they do in other parts of the country. She called on the Union Government and the Home Minister to ensure that the elections in Jammu and Kashmir are conducted with the same fairness and integrity as in other regions of India. She stressed the need to avoid pre-poll rigging and to cease intimidating the electorate and officers involved in the election process. "Today, the situation is that the proxy parties of the BJP are coercing and threatening people, spending huge sums of money, and misinforming the Union Home Minister," Mehbooba said. "According to reports, during his J&K visit, the Home Minister called a meeting of Pahari officers, directing them that if they do not support the Peoples Conference in Baramulla and the Apni Party in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, the outcome will be troublesome." "I want to request those officers who come from the Pahari belt that you are courageous people. Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing trying circumstances. For God's sake, do not add to the torments of the already troubled people of Jammu and Kashmir. Please remain steadfast and neutral; we are here for you and will not allow anyone to hound or intimidate you," Mehbooba said. "I also appeal to the Union Government, including the Home Minister, to please not meddle in the elections of Jammu and Kashmir. The way elections are held in the rest of the country, please allow them to happen that way here as well. Do not engage in pre-poll rigging; stop frightening the officers," Mehbooba urged. Reflecting on past electoral issues, Mehbooba recalled the 1987 elections, where rigging undermined public trust in the democratic process. She warned that any repeat of such manipulation could have disastrous consequences, like the violence and turmoil that followed the 1987 elections. She criticized the BJP's proxy parties for using coercion, threats, and financial incentives to influence the election outcomes, particularly highlighting reports of the Union Home Minister's meetings with Pahari officers to sway support in favor of certain parties. Mehbooba stated that the active participation of people in the elections is a strong message to New Delhi, opposing the August 2019 decision that revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status. On Jamaat-e-Islami participating in the elections, Mehbooba said, "In 1987, rigging changed the equations, and people's trust in the electoral process was shaken. But today, the people are coming out in droves as they know that in a democratic process, the greatest platform to express dissent is the ballot, not the bullet. However, if the government repeats 1987 here again, when a political group misguided the Union Government and polls were rigged, the situation is going to prove calamitous," Mehbooba warned. Mehbooba Mufti was in Kupwara today, where she addressed multiple roadshows and public gatherings. She said that the BJP-led administration is fearful of this support, and that the PDP continues to hold a significant place in the hearts of the people. New Delhi: BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit hits out at Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Friday and said that people will only remember the 'liquor scam' whenever they see Kejriwal and the party during the campaigning in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections. "I think wherever he'll go for the poll campaign, the people will remember the liquor scam, even in Punjab. People will also see big bottles in front of them when they see Kejriwal," Shah said. Shah also counters Kejriwal for saying he "won't have to go to jail if you vote for me" during his roadshow in Punjab's Amritsar. Shah said that there is no bigger contempt of the Supreme Court than this. "There can be no bigger contempt than this. Will the Supreme Court make decisions on crime based on (electoral) victory or defeat? I am not saying it; Kejriwal ji is saying it," he said. During an interview with ANI, Amit Shah responded to BJP's plan B in an ongoing Lok Sabha Elections. he said that PM Modi will come to power again with a full majority and there is no need for plan B. "Plan B needs to be made only when there is less than a 60% chance for Plan A (to succeed). I am certain that PM Modi will come to power with a thumping majority..." Shah said. Meanwhile, BJP leader also countered Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader KT Rama Rao's remarks on the North-South divide on Friday. Shah said that the South as a separate country was highly objectable Reacting to the North-South divide Shah said, "This country can never be divided again. A senior Congress leader had said that divide North India and South India, and Congress did not distance itself from this statement. The people of the country should think about the agenda of Congress." While expressing his confidence, Shah asserted that BJP will perform better in south India in the ongoing Lok Sabha Polls. He said, "The BJP is going to become the largest party in five southern states - Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka." The Supreme Court has affirmed the Gujarat High Court's process for promoting Senior Civil Judges to the cadre of District Judges under the 65% quota based on merit-cum-seniority. In an impactful verdict today, the supreme court acknowledged the approach which is currently assessing the "merit-cum-seniority" principle, as established by the Gujarat High Court. The matter was heard by a bench consisting of the Chief Justice of India, Justice Manoj Mishra, and Justice Pardiwala, which was filed by two judges who were unsuccessful in their bid for promotion to the position of District Judge via the 65% promotion quota. Justice Pardiwala's judgment highlighted that the High Court has the authority to establish the procedure in accordance with the All India Judges Association- II judgment and the procedure implemented by the High Court as per Rule 5 of The Gujarat State Judicial Service Rules, 2011. The petitioners were represented by Senior Advocates Mr R Basant and Mr P S Patwalia, who contended that the high court is applying the principle of seniority twice and once the merit list is created based on the suitability test, it should be made the select list. The crux of the issue was whether the High Court applied the test of seniority at two separate stages of the selection process, one at the stage of preparing the zone of consideration and the other at the stage of preparing the final list. The Gujarat High Court, represented by Senior Advocate V Giri and assisted by Vishakha, AoR, argued that the principle of 'merit-cum-seniority' only begins once the High Court issues the promotion notification, which includes the names of the candidates in the zone of consideration. Therefore, once a candidate passes the suitability test and achieves the minimum marks, thereby qualifying the merit aspect, the select list is then prepared based on seniority. The successful judges were represented by Senior Advocate Mr. Dushyant Dave and Ms. Mayuri Raghuvanshi, AoR, who argued that the distinction between the 10% quota where limited departmental examinations are held and the 65% quota would diminish if the principle of seniority is not applied while preparing the select list. Previously, on 12.05.2023, the Supreme Court bench consisting of Justice M R Shah and C T Ravikumar had strongly criticized the State of Gujarat for issuing a notification for appointment based on the Select list of 68 Judges who were selected by the procedure followed by the Gujarat High Court. The court had stayed the select list. However, it limited the stay to those promotees whose names do not appear within the first 68 candidates in the merit list. The court had suggested the matter to be heard by the bench led by the Chief Justice of India. The court has also proposed recommendations that can be implemented by High Courts across the country while considering for promotion in the 65% category. Cannes: Oscar-winning producer Guneet Monga Kapoor and Women In Film Los Angeles (WIF) launched a new initiative to support Women Filmmakers in India at Cannes. At an exclusive Cannes Film Festival event hosted by the Paris Film Region and WIF (Women In Film, Los Angeles), the official launch of a new Women In Film chapter was announced; WIF: India. The initiative, part of the global WIFTI (Women In Film & Television International) network, is committed to advancing gender equity in Indian screen industries, read a statement. It will be led by Guneet. Speaking about it, Guneet said, "From being in rooms where male colleagues have had to communicate on my behalf so I'd be taken seriously, to leading International co-productions and studio-scale projects, I've seen and been actively involved in the progress over 2 decades. Yet comprehensive studies like the 'O Womaniya! The 2023 report' still suggests a lack of gender diversities across key filmmaking departments. The study of 156 films reported only 12 per cent of head-of-department positions were occupied by women." She added, "Throughout its 50 years, WIF has worked to transform the culture in Hollywood by helping build the pipeline of emerging women creatives. My hope for WIF: India is to help lower the systemic barriers in accessing these jobs for women, as well as excite a new era of transformation - by offering mentorship, networking, and opening up fellowships, workshops, and an industry helpline to help sustain the careers of those currently in the industry. Women are truly the future and alongside WIF and WIF: India, we hope to tap into that limitless potential, building parity and opportunities for women seeking careers in the screen industries." Founded in 1973 as Women In Film, Los Angeles, WIF has been fighting for gender equity for more than 50 years. WIF works to dismantle gender bias in the screen industries by building the pipeline, sustaining careers, and advocating for change. Membership is open to all screen industry professionals. WIF is led by Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Schaffer and Chair of the Board of Directors Amy Baer. Kirsten Schaffer, CEO of WIF, said, "With an ever-expanding global market and deeper connections between the film industries in India and the U.S., this is a natural next step in the evolution of our gender parity work. We realize the immense value in creating community and resources for women filmmakers in India and we're looking forward to collaborating with Guneet in this initiative." New Delhi: The European Commission on Friday directed Microsoft to provide more information about the generative AI (GenAI) features in its search engine Bing else face fine, as the tech giant failed to respond to a March 14 request for inputs regarding specific risks stemming from Bing's GenAI features. The Commission stepped up its enforcement actions against Microsoft and the company now has time till May 27 to provide the requested information to the Commission on Bing's generative AI features, notably "Copilot in Bing" and "Image Creator by Designer". If Bing fails to reply within the deadline, the Commission may impose fines of up to 1 per cent of the provider's total annual income or global turnover and periodic penalties of up to 5 per cent of the provider's average daily income or worldwide annual turnover. (Also Read: Google App Gets A New Share Button For Search Results; Here's How To Find) The regulator can also impose fines of up to 1 per cent of the provider's total annual income or worldwide turnover for incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information in response to a request for information. "Following its designation as Very Large Online Search Engine, Bing is required to comply with the full set of provisions introduced by the Digital Services Act (DSA)," said the Commission. Microsoft was yet to react to the legally binding request for information,. New Delhi: Good news Google app users! The Google App on Android is getting a brand-new 'Share' button that allows users to quickly share the links that appear in search results without having to open them. Hence, Google app users have no longer to open the link and copy the URL to share it with others. Earlier, when you searched in the Google App and wanted to share a link to a website, you had to first open that link, then copy the URL, and then send it to someone. Artem Russakovskii, the founder of Android Police, has shared information about the brand-new Share button. He posted about it on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The Google app now has a way to share search results urls. Finally! Previously, you would have to open the page to share it first or use a browser to search. There was no way to long press the search result and get its url. The new Share button is present on the desktop UI too. pic.twitter.com/4fRMLfvbwV Artem Russakovskii (@ArtemR) May 7, 2024 How To Find Share Button? You will find this Share button in the three-dot menu in front of the search results. By pressing this button, you can directly copy the link, send it to someone, or share it on an app. Earlier, the user had to open the entire link and then get the option to copy. (Also Read: Vivo Y200 Pro 5G Launch Date Confirmed In India, Set To Debut With Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC Chipset; Check Expected Specs) When Functionality Of New Share Button Works: The new Share button will not work for all links. For example, if a link takes you to an app on the Google Play Store, you won't be able to share it. You can copy a link by right-clicking on it in a web browser, but this feature is not available in the Google app. So, users can press the three-dot button there gives you information about that website, from where you can share the link, save it, or give feedback to Google. (Also Read: Motorola X50 Ultra Launched With Android 14-based Hello UI And Supports 4K60 fps Video; Check Price And Specs) To recall, the tech giant Google has introduced the Notes feature in its app. With this new feature, you can write and read notes on search results. Moreover, Google has also introduced the SGE (Search with Generative AI) feature, which displays search results with the help of artificial intelligence. (Note: The story is articulated by Raman Kumar) New Delhi: Chinese smartphone brand Vivo has announced the official launch date of the Vivo Y200 Pro 5G smartphone in the Indian market. The upcoming smartphone is expected to be the Pro variant of the Vivo Y200 which was launched in India last October. The handset is scheduled to launch in India on May 21. It is expected to be a mid-range smartphone priced under Rs 25,000 in India. It will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 SoC Chipset. According to a teaser image, the upcoming smartphone's design has also been shared by the brand. The handset has a curved display with a punch-hole selfie camera. Apart from this, there are two rear cameras at the back, and the phone is seen in a light green colour with a patterned finish. (Also Read: Motorola X50 Ultra Launched With Android 14-based Hello UI And Supports 4K60 fps Video; Check Price And Specs) With two stunning colours and two crazy styles, the all new #vivoY200Pro #5G is in now! Launching on 21st May. Stay Tuned! pic.twitter.com/FkwdgVrFwi vivo India (@Vivo_India) May 16, 2024 Y200 Pro 5G Expected Specifications: The phone is rumoured to arrive as the segment's slimmest 3D curved display phone. It is expected to feature a 120Hz 3D curved AMOLED display. However, the screen size details havent been revealed yet. \ The Vivo Y200 Pro 5G will reportedly feature an anti-shake camera with OIS. (Also Read: Google Cloud Launches AI-Driven Security Operations Region To India) Moreover, the phone is expected to come with upgrades in night photography and portraits. The phone might run on Android 14-based OS and is said to feature 8GB of RAM. Notably, on the same day, Infinix is also launching the GT 20 Pro, which is expected to be priced similarly. SANAA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said on Friday that it had shot down a "U.S. MQ-9 spy drone" over the Yemeni central province of Marib. "The plane was targeted by a locally made surface-to-air missile, and the video showing scenes will be broadcast later," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV. He did not say exactly when the drone was shot down. "This is the fourth plane of the same type that we had shot down since we began our military operations in the Red Sea in support of Gaza," Sarea noted. The U.S. military has yet to respond to the incident. The Houthi rebels, who control several cities in northern Yemen, began last November to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The U.S.-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen to deter the group. However, the Houthis, in retaliation, have subsequently expanded their attacks to include U.S. and British ships. Ulviyya Shahin The Azerbaijani state is determined to assist businesses in implementing green solutions through financial and other mechanisms, Deputy Energy Minister Elnur Soltanov said, Azernews reports. He made the remark during the event Enhancing Ambition, Enabling Action: COP29 Sustainable Business Forum in Baku. The deputy minister noted that to solve the world's most acute climate problems (excluding China), the required funding is currently $100 billion in total, i.e. $2.4 billion every year. According to him, the increasing involvement of businesses in the climate agenda through government support for their adaptation and green transition will yield long-term results. When private companies implement green solutions and the cost of new green solutions is equal to or lower than the cost of using traditional fuels, then there may be no need for COP conferences, Soltanov said. BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Friday extended his sympathy to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico over his injury in an attack. In his message, Li said he was shocked to learn that Fico was shot and wounded. Li expressed his sincere sympathy to Fico and wished him a speedy recovery. Fico sustained four gunshot wounds in an attack on Wednesday when he greeted supporters after chairing a government meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlova. He remains in intensive care. China's central bank announced on Friday that it would establish a 300-billion-yuan (about 42.25 billion USD) relending facility to support the government-subsidized housing project. #XinhuaNews WASHINGTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- China urges the U.S. side "to stop arming Taiwan and its provocative moves of using Taiwan to contain China," the Chinese Embassy in the United States has said at a press briefing. "The U.S. side needs to take concrete actions to preserve the overall as well as mil-to-mil ties between China and the U.S., and safeguard regional peace and stability," Minister Counselor Liu Pengyu said Tuesday as he elaborated on China's position on the Taiwan question. On the upcoming "inauguration" on May 20 in the Taiwan region, Liu, also the embassy's spokesperson, said the elections in Taiwan are local elections. The result cannot change the basic fact that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is a part of China; nor can it alter the historical trend of Taiwan's reunification with the motherland, Liu said. The Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, which is an undeniable, universal consensus of the international community and a basic norm in international relations, said Liu. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities are constantly promoting "de-sinicization" and undertaking separatist activities step by step and attempting to expand Taiwan's so-called "international space," Liu noted. Promoting peace across the Taiwan Strait means opposing separatist moves, and the stronger the commitment to the one-China principle, the more peaceful the Strait will be, he said. Noting that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests and the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations, Liu said China urges the U.S. side to act on U.S. President Joe Biden's commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" and not taking Taiwan as a tool to contain China. The U.S. side should stop official interactions with the Taiwan authorities and not make them feel supported in seeking "Taiwan independence," he added. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair, which should be left to the Chinese people, Liu stressed. "We will strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and the utmost effort. In the meantime, we will not allow anyone to separate Taiwan from China by any means. No one should underestimate China's determination, resolve and capability to safeguard her sovereignty and territorial integrity," Liu said. Noting the recent negative moves and statements by the U.S. side on the Taiwan question, Liu said that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations. The U.S. side invited the Taiwan region to participate in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer, and certain U.S. officials have made misleading remarks on United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758. "We stress that UNGA Resolution 2758 and WHA Resolution 25.1 fully reflect and recognize the one-China principle. They should not be challenged or tempered with. Taiwan's participation in international organizations must be and can only be approached under the one-China principle," Liu said. On U.S. congressional visits to Taiwan and the second phase of negotiations under the so-called "U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade," Liu said that China firmly opposes official interactions between the United States and the island or U.S. interference in Taiwan affairs that are China's internal affairs. Liu also pointed out that U.S. arms sales to the Taiwan region is a "dangerous bet," which violates the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques. ISLAMABAD, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Friday reiterated the one-China principle, saying that United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2758 is a reaffirmation of the principle by the United Nations (UN). The resolution restored the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China at the UN, spokesperson for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said here during a weekly briefing while responding to Xinhua on Taiwan question. The resolution unequivocally recognized the representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate representatives of China to the UN, Baloch said. "We believe that the resolution remains as valid today as it was in 1971 when Pakistan sponsored this resolution," she said, adding that Pakistan has always stood for full respect for resolutions of the UN. Pakistan's policy on Taiwan is consistent, clear and principled, the spokesperson said. Taiwan is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China, she added. The South Asian country reiterates its call for non-interference in the domestic affairs of all countries as per the UN Charter, according to the spokesperson. KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 (Xinhua) --Two policemen were killed and another injured following an attack by an armed individual on a police station in Malaysia's Johor state, early on Friday. The incident occurred at about 2.45 a.m. when the suspect stormed into the police station and carried out the attack before being shot dead on the scene, according to security officials. In a press briefing following the incident, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said the attacker was believed to be a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremist group. He said the police raided the house of the suspect in Ulu Tiram district in Johor state and detained five of his family members, aged between 19 and 62. "I have also instructed the Special Branch division to track down and identify Jemaah Islamiyah members in this state, estimated to be more than 20 people," he said. Razarudin also said he has ordered security to be tightened around police stations as a precautionary measure. JI, a Southeast Asian Islamist militant group based in Indonesia, was behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people. China will cut the loan rates of individual housing provident fund by 0.25 percentage points, the central bank announced Friday. #XinhuaNews BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese economy has built recovery momentum in April, with key economic indicators demonstrating strong resilience and potentials to temper the impacts of external shocks, according to official data released on Friday. ACCELERATED INDUSTRIAL GROWTH China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, went up 6.7 percent year on year in April, accelerating 2.2 percentage points from March, data from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed. On a monthly basis, industrial output edged up 0.97 percent in April from the previous month, the highest month-on-month growth rate recorded over the recent years, according to NBS spokesperson Liu Aihua, at a press conference. From January to April, industrial output rose 6.3 percent year on year, 0.2 percentage points higher than that from January to March. Boosted by policies aimed to keep the foreign trade stable, the export delivery value of the industrial sector climbed 7.3 percent year on year in April, 5.9 percentage points faster than that of March. The uptick in export delivery value prompted the recovery of sub-sectors that have a large share in exports, such as the electronics and textile sectors, Liu said, attributing it as an important reason for the quickened industrial expansion. The industrial output is used to measure the activity of enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.82 million U.S. dollars). OTHER POSITIVE SIGNS Friday's data also showed that the surveyed urban unemployment rate in China stood at 5 percent in April, down 0.2 percentage points from a month ago. The rate was also lower than the 5.2 percent reading a year ago. Fixed-asset investment rose 4.2 percent year on year to 14.34 trillion yuan during the January-April period. China's retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, climbed 4.1 percent year on year in the first four months of this year. In April alone, retail sales of consumer goods increased 2.3 percent from a year ago, slower than the 3.1 percent growth in March, data showed. Although some indicators have reported an eased year-on-year growth in April due to factors such as a higher base from the same period last year, China's economy maintained generally stable expansion, sustaining a sound recovery momentum, commented Liu. RESILIENCE TO WITHSTAND EXTERNAL SHOCKS The United States on Tuesday decided to raise additional tariffs on its imports of some Chinese products including electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, critical minerals, semiconductors, steel and aluminum, and cranes, on top of existing tariffs under Section 301. In response to a media query on the additional U.S. tariffs posing possible impacts on the Chinese economy, Liu said that the Chinese economy has showed stronger resilience and potentials, which will help offset the implications from external shocks. Domestic demand has continued to recover, propelled by the country's super-large market, according to Liu, citing the 12.2 percent year-on-year increase of China's imports of goods in April. "The figure is apparently faster than the export growth, mirroring a rising trend of domestic demand." In terms of international circulation, Liu underlined the solid expansion of China's total goods imports and exports, which gained 5.7 percent year on year in yuan terms in the first four months of this year. The country is also a major trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions, adding to the proof that China's foreign trade has strong resilience and competitive edges, Liu added. An aerial drone photo taken on May 16, 2024 shows tourists visiting Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) An aerial drone photo taken on May 16, 2024 shows tourists visiting Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) Tourists visit Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 16, 2024. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) An aerial drone photo taken on May 16, 2024 shows tourists visiting Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) An aerial drone photo taken on May 16, 2024 shows tourists visiting Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) Tourists visit an ancient village in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 16, 2024. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) Tourists visit Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 16, 2024. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) A tourist poses for a photo at Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 16, 2024. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) An aerial drone photo taken on May 16, 2024 shows tourists visiting Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) An aerial drone photo taken on May 16, 2024 shows tourists visiting Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) Tourists visit Xiaoqikong scenic area in Libo County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 16, 2024. Situated on the steep mountainside of Guizhou, Libo County has spectacular views in abundance and has seen a boom in tourism in recent years. (Xinhua/Tao Liang) China is a crucial market for multinational companies given its remarkable achievements in the last decades, Alexander Geiser, CEO of FGS Global, told Xinhua on the sidelines of the St. Gallen Symposium in Switzerland. "What China has done and accomplished over the last 30 years is unrivaled. We've never seen a nation that has been so successful in creating wealth in such a short period of time," Geiser said. Produced by Xinhua Global Service People visit the Nishan Sacredland scenic spot in Qufu City of east China's Shandong Province, Dec. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo) by Xinhua writer Zhang Yunlong BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- As the summer heat begins to set in, temperatures have soared above 30 degrees Celsius in Qufu, the hometown of Confucius in Shandong Province. For Kong Lingmei, a guide at the Nishan Sacredland tourist resort, the arrival of summer signals the beginning of the peak season for educational travel. Kong guides study groups through the intricacies of the five halls of Nishan Sacredland, named after the Confucian virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness. She helps visitors appreciate the wisdom of Confucianism through the architectural and artistic expression visible in the halls, immersing them in the spiritual world of ancient sages. Educational travel, or study travel, fuses education and tourism to offer students the chance to step out of the traditional classroom and take part in hands-on educational experiences and research-based learning. This mode of travel is gaining popularity among primary and secondary school students and their parents across China. Experts suggest that the trend not only promotes holistic education but also injects new vitality into tourism consumption, fostering the mutual growth of the two sectors. RAPID GROWTH With the post-epidemic revival of domestic cultural tourism consumption, study travel has seen rapid growth. Data from the Qufu cultural heritage bureau, for example, shows that from Jan. 1 to May 12, 2024, the three Confucian sites -- the Temple of Confucius, the Kong Family Mansion and the Cemetery of Confucius -- welcomed 3.679 million visitors, a 13.9 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. And Nishan Sacredland reported receiving 375,800 study travelers in 2023, surpassing the 217,300 seen in 2019, according to the resort's operator. Hu Yongjun, a National Tourism Standardization Technical Committee expert, said that through study travel, students can explore famous landscapes, understand historical changes and appreciate cultural treasures. This not only satisfies their thirst for knowledge but also immerses them in the excellence of traditional culture. MARKET POTENTIAL About 2,400 kilometers west of Qufu, the Mogao Grottoes lie serenely in the Gobi Desert oasis of Dunhuang. They were a beacon on the ancient Silk Road and now illuminate a millennium of cultural exchange. The site's murals and sculptures are renowned for their artistic beauty. Tourists visit the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, May 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Ma Xiping) The Dunhuang Academy has utilized the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to create the Mogao School study travel brand. It has developed more than 10 study experience courses based on the characteristics of Dunhuang's cave art, as well as its mural restoration and sand control techniques. In 2023, the academy's study travel products attracted 30,800 participants. Chai Qilin, deputy head of the cultural promotion department at the Dunhuang Academy and head of the Mogao School, said that the study travel programs aim to educate young people about Dunhuang culture and the fine traditional Chinese culture, and to ensure that these cultures are passed on. The goal is to "convey the fragrance of Dunhuang art through the ages and perpetuate the brilliant glow of history." On China's southeastern coast, the Museum of Foochow Arsenal 1866 in the Mawei district of Fuzhou, Fujian Province, is also a popular study travel destination. It was there that in the 1860s, the Qing government established the Foochow Arsenal, or "Chuan Zheng" in Chinese, creating a naval system comprising shipyards, schools and the Fujian Fleet. The site became the birthplace of China's modern shipbuilding industry and the cradle of the modern Chinese navy. "This represents the significant efforts of the Chinese people in modern times to explore a path to national rejuvenation," said Chen Yue, head of the Mawei shipyard culture research association. Chen noted that the museum's study travel programs emphasize the spirit of "patriotism, science, innovation and striving for strength" in their cultural essence, and focus on fostering cultural confidence and the spirit of self-reliance in particular. In addition to courses on the history of the Foochow Arsenal, the museum is developing secondary courses related to shipbuilding and the history of China's aviation industry, designing programs on ancient and modern ship culture and aviation. "In essence, study travel creates a bridge between eager students and rich cultural resources, promising broad market potential," Hu said. According to figures from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, China saw a total of 4.89 billion domestic travel trips in 2023, a 93.3 percent surge from the previous year. Laman Ismayilova KamART Art Gallery will host art exhibition "Azerbaijani National Cuisine" by young artists on May 20-21, Azernews reports. The exposition to be presented at Shah Palace Hotel reflects the diversity of Azerbaijani cuisine: these are meat dishes and pastries, dolma, kebabs, dairy dishes and flour products, snacks, pickles and sweets, syrups and preserves - interesting and colorful compositions reflecting the cuisine of different regions. Along with food, the paintings show the interior of the house, household items, dishes, carpets, and tablecloths located there. Also in the paintings you can see tandir, oven, saj and barbecue used in preparing Azerbaijani cuisine. Along with this, the works also depict historical monuments belonging to different regions. The author of the idea and curator of the project is the director of the gallery, Kamala Jafarzade. The President of the National Culinary Association, Honored Cultural Worker Tahir Amiraslanov, Honored Artist of Azerbaijan Rashad Jabarov and laureate of international projects Samir Gafarov took part in the project and advised the authors. The exhibition consists of 55 art works on canvas from 26 artists. The exhibition will also feature a catalog of works from the exhibition. The main purpose of the exhibition is to draw attention to the cultural heritage and culinary traditions of Azerbaijan and support talented young artists. On March 16-17, the exhibition was presented in Tokyo with the support of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Japan and aroused great interest. Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, Milli.Az. BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Unilateral sanctions against China do not conform with a broad number of international legal norms and cannot be justified as countermeasures under the law of international responsibility, a United Nations (UN) expert said Friday. Alena Douhan, UN special rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights, said the unilateral sanctions against China can be qualified as unilateral coercive measures. Unilateral coercive measures, as stated by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, are imposed as a tool to "compel a change in the policy" of the targeted states and can "impact the full enjoyment of human rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." Despite China's capability of mitigating their negative impacts, the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries have caused inevitable harm to human rights in China and may lead to negative humanitarian consequences in a broader part of the world, Douhan said at a press conference in Beijing following her 12-day visit to the country. During her trip, she visited Beijing, Shenzhen, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where she talked with government officials and representatives from non-government organizations, businesses, academic institutions and other sectors. The unilateral sanctions have been threatening the rights of vulnerable groups in China, including informally employed individuals, older workers with less productive capacity, and women employed in certain sectors of the economy, said Douhan. These groups of people more commonly work in labor-intensive industries, which face greater challenges than high-tech industries under the sanctions, and have more difficulties finding a new job once unemployed, according to the UN expert. On the other hand, unilateral sanctions and their means of enforcement affect third-country workers of Chinese companies; the potential damage to the capabilities of Chinese entities and businesses involved in international development and humanitarian projects may also have negative spill-over effects on disadvantaged populations in countries benefiting from such projects, she said. Douhan, who will present a report based on her visit to the UN Human Rights Council in September, called on sanctioning parties to "lift and suspend all unilateral sanctions applied to China, Chinese nationals and companies without authorization of the UN Security Council." MOSCOW/KIEV, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Russia will retaliate against Ukrainian attacks on its regions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Russia will respond to such encroachments on its territory, the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted by the ministry as saying. She added that Western involvement is clearly evident behind Kiev's "attacks." Zakharova noted that the West is not only supplying Kiev with longer-range missiles and heavy weaponry, but also clearly authorizing their use against Russia, thereby contributing to further escalation. On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency as saying that his country is no longer experiencing an artillery shell shortage. "For the first time during the war, none of the brigades complained that there were no artillery shells," said Zelensky. JAKARTA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The Semeru volcano in Indonesia's East Java province erupted five times on Friday, spewing volcanic ash up to 900 meters over its peak, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation. "The first eruption was at 6:29 a.m. local time, with a column of white to grey ash as high as 500 meters heading to the southwest," said Semeru Volcano Monitoring Post officer Liswanto. The second eruption occurred at 6:50 a.m. local time, launching ash as high as 600 meters above its peak, while the third eruption occurred at 7:28 a.m. local time, releasing an ash column as high as 700 meters. Volcanic ash was thrown up to 500 meters in the fourth eruption and 900 meters in the fifth, which happened at 7:57 a.m. and 8:05 a.m. local time, respectively. In order to prevent the harm from hot clouds, lava flows and lahars, authorities urged people to stay out of the danger zone within a 5 km radius and 13 km southeast of the crater. Additionally, people are advised to avoid rivers that originate from the Semeru crater against possible cold lava flows. ASTANA, May 17(Xinhua)--Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong visited Kazakhstan from Wednesday to Friday and met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin respectively, exchanging in-depth and comprehensive views on bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields. Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, conveyed cordial greetings from President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. He noted that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has entered a "golden period" of rapid development and cooperation in various fields has reached an unprecedented high level. Liu stressed that China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to continue to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, comprehensively advance the alignment of national development strategies and continuously deepen practical cooperation. Meanwhile, China is committed to enhancing coordination and cooperation with Kazakhstan within the multilateral framework including China-Central Asia mechanism, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the United Nations and jointly building an even closer China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future,he added. Tokayev and Bektenov asked Liu to convey their warm greetings to President Xi and Premier Li. They spoke highly of the fruitful development of bilateral ties. The Kazakh leaders emphasized that their country firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to work with China to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, comprehensively deepen practical cooperation, continuously expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges, resolutely fight against the "three forces" and promote new development of Kazakhstan-China relations. During the visit, Liu also met with the mayor of Almaty and the governors of four Kazakh oblasts adjacent to Xinjiang, reaching consensus on promoting local cooperation between the two countries. YAOUNDE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- At least four separatist fighters and two army officers have been killed in clashes in Cameroon's war-torn English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest, local and security sources confirmed on Friday. Separatist fighters ambushed and attacked security forces in the Akwaya subdivision of the Southwest Region overnight into Friday, resulting in the deaths of the brigade commander and a warrant officer, according to an army official in the region. "The terrorists took them by surprise. We have reinforced security in the area, which shares a border with Nigeria. The attackers will be pursued and captured by our brave forces," the official, who opted for anonymity, told Xinhua. In the Bui division of the Northwest Region, four separatist fighters were killed on Thursday in a military offensive in the Mbveh and Ndzenji villages, local officials and security sources said. "The villages were known to be some of the strongholds of the separatist terrorists. They regularly kidnapped, tortured, and killed civilians. Their killing is a relief for many," said a security source. Renewed fighting has erupted in the restive regions as Cameroon prepares to celebrate National Day on May 20. Separatists are seeking to impose a lockdown to disrupt the day in Anglophone regions where they have clashed with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation. THE HAGUE, May 17 (Xinhua) -- During the second and last day of public hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday in The Hague, Israel denied committing genocide in the Gaza Strip as alleged by South Africa and refused to halt its military operations. On May 10, South Africa filed a request to the Court to introduce additional provisional measures and to modify existing rulings applied in the case concerning the application of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip. During the first day of the hearings on Thursday, South Africa argued that it was a matter of "extreme urgency" that Israel must immediately cease all military operations in Gaza. South Africa's Ambassador to the Netherlands Vusimuzi Madonsela told the judges that his country had 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." With South Africa's initial application to the ICJ on Dec. 29, 2023, the judges have issued an order to Israel on Jan. 26 this year to take all measures within its power to prevent genocide, to ensure that its military does not commit genocide, to halt incitement against Palestinians as a group, to preserve evidence and to take immediate measures to ensure humanitarian aid. After that, South Africa 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." At the end of March, the judges of the ICJ ordered Israel to, among other things, ensure, without delay, the unhindered provision at scale, by all concerned, of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance. "South Africa had hoped, when we last appeared before this court, to halt this genocidal process to preserve Palestine and its people," Madonsela told the court on Thursday. "Instead, Israel's genocide has continued and has just reached a new and horrific stage." 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. Professor Vaughan Lowe added on behalf of South Africa that if the court did not act now, "the possibility of rebuilding a viable Palestine society in Gaza will be destroyed." Lowe continued by saying that Israel might invoke its right to self-defense, "but that does not give a state a license to use unlimited violence against an entire population, it does not give a state the right to commit genocide." On Friday, Israeli Justice Ministry official Gilad Noam told the judges that Israel has been involved in a "tragic war" to defend itself, and denied South Africa's "allegations regarding genocide." He also accused South Africa of being an ally to Hamas, denying all claims and requests. "South Africa presents the court yet again with a picture that is completely divorced from the facts and circumstances," he said. Israeli lawyer Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman emphasized Israel's "inherent right to defend itself," and urged the court to reject South Africa's request. The concluding words of the delegation of Israel were shortly interrupted when a woman shouted "liars, liars" through the courtroom in the Peace Palace. ICJ President Nawaf Salam concluded the hearings by saying the court would render its order at a public sitting "as soon as possible." As the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, the ICJ was established by the UN Charter in 1945. It has the power "to indicate, if it considers that circumstances so require, any provisional measures," while resolving legal disputes between countries. Its judgment is final and without appeal. SAN FRANCISCO, May 17 (Xinhua) -- An encampment at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, U.S. state of Washington, will be shut down after an agreement was reached between protesters and the university administration, according to a news release by the protesters on Friday. The protesters agreed to clear the encampment by 3 p.m. Monday and not reestablish it, said the news release by the organizers of the encampment, the "Popular University for Gaza Liberated Zone." Under the agreement, administrators agreed to fund at least 20 scholarships for Palestinian students displaced from Gaza, and the university will help faculty pursue academic connections with Palestinian universities, it added. The organizers also said the university will increase transparency about the school's investments to companies such as Boeing, major weapons manufacturers, or companies in Israel. Zho Ragen, a spokesperson for the encampment, said their representatives met with university officials, including President Ana Mari Cauce, Friday morning for the agreement. Ragen said protesters were planning to use other tactics in the future to pressure UW officials to meet their demands, such as having the university cut financial and academic ties with Israel. "We have a lot of history to draw from, and we have a long future to look forward to in terms of struggling for liberation," Ragen was quoted as saying in a report by the Seattle Times. NAIROBI, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Experts convened in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Friday to discuss ways to address skills gaps in East Africa by strengthening ties between academia and industry. The East Africa Private Sector Academia Forum, themed "Harnessing Technology and Innovation Transfer from Academia to Industry," drew over 100 participants from academia, the private sector and government officials from across the region. The event aimed to promote collaboration between academia and industry to drive digital innovation and skill development. Gaspard Banyankimbona, executive secretary of the Inter-University Council of East Africa, an institution of the East African Community, said that tertiary institutions are keen to produce graduates with the relevant skills required by the private sector, which remains the largest employer in the region. "Tertiary institutions in the region should realign their curriculum to train students based on the evolving needs of the private sector," Banyankimbona said. He also called for upskilling professionals through collaboration between the private sector and academia to strengthen employment and innovation-related digital skills among East African youth. John Bosco Kalisa, chief executive officer of the East African Business Council, the umbrella body of the private sector in East Africa, said that the business community is ready to invest in research and development in collaboration with educational institutions to improve the region's labor productivity. Educational institutes should concentrate on training students in areas with high demand in order to tackle the skills mismatch problem as well as the region's high unemployment rate, he added. BRATISLAVA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is awake and stable in intensive care after undergoing another operation on Friday, but his condition remains "very serious," the hospital told the media. Miriam Lapunikova, director of the F. D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica where Fico is staying, said that two medical teams did a five-hour surgery on Wednesday evening and removed dead tissues from gunshot wounds that had remained inside Fico's body. The prime minister would have to undergo another operation following a CT scan, she added. Also on Friday, Slovakia's Specialized Criminal Court received a proposal to take into custody the shooter who heavily injured Fico. The defendant, identified as Juraj C., is charged with an aggravated murder attempt. "The prosecutor deems the defendant a potential flight risk and believes that there's also the risk he might continue his criminal activity, hence he pursues both the flight-prevention and preventive custody," said court spokesperson Katarina Kudjakova. The motion is to be decided on Saturday, said the spokesperson. President Zuzana Caputova and President-elect Peter Pellegrini will meet the leaders of the parliamentary political parties on Tuesday to discuss the situation following the assassination attempt on Fico. ABUJA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Four more people have died in the hospital following a suspected arson attack on a local mosque in Nigeria's northern state of Kano, the police said Friday, confirming a rise in the death toll from 11 to 15. The victims, which included at least four children, sustained varying degrees of burns and were rushed to a hospital for treatment after the incident on Wednesday morning in Gadan village of the Gezawa local government area, Usaini Gumel, the police chief in Kano, earlier told Xinhua. The death toll rose on Friday when more injured victims died in a local hospital, Gumel told Xinhua by telephone. Nine more victims are still being treated at the hospital. A 38-year-old man identified as Shafi'u Abubakar has been arrested as the suspected arsonist, the police said, noting that the suspect allegedly used petrol to ignite the fire, which set the worshippers ablaze during dawn prayers at the mosque. The police have started an investigation into the incident, but a preliminary probe revealed the motive behind the attack was "a family conflict over inheritance sharing." A state reception on behalf of Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was hosted in honor of Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, at the Gulustan Palace in Baku, Azernews reports. The reception included a concert featuring pieces of Azerbaijani and Belarus music. This photo taken on April 6, 2024 shows Kings' Palace museum in Nyanza, Southern Province, Rwanda. The Kings' Palace museum offers a detailed overview of the Rwandan monarchial system and its abolition in early 1960s due to colonialism. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) This photo taken on April 6, 2024 shows Kings' Palace museum in Nyanza, Southern Province, Rwanda. The Kings' Palace museum offers a detailed overview of the Rwandan monarchial system and its abolition in early 1960s due to colonialism. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A breeder sings songs for a Rwandan traditional cow, or Inyambo, at Kings' Palace museum in Nyanza, Southern Province, Rwanda, April 6, 2024. The Kings' Palace museum offers a detailed overview of the Rwandan monarchial system and its abolition in early 1960s due to colonialism. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Tourists pass by a traditional palace (L) which is undergoing repairs, at Kings' Palace museum in Nyanza, Southern Province, Rwanda, April 6, 2024. The Kings' Palace museum offers a detailed overview of the Rwandan monarchial system and its abolition in early 1960s due to colonialism. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Travelers visit Kings' Palace museum in Nyanza, Southern Province, Rwanda, April 6, 2024. The Kings' Palace museum offers a detailed overview of the Rwandan monarchial system and its abolition in early 1960s due to colonialism. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Travelers visit Kings' Palace museum in Nyanza, Southern Province, Rwanda, April 6, 2024. The Kings' Palace museum offers a detailed overview of the Rwandan monarchial system and its abolition in early 1960s due to colonialism. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) Travelers try to feed a Rwandan traditional cow, or Inyambo, at Kings' Palace museum in Nyanza, Southern Province, Rwanda, April 6, 2024. The Kings' Palace museum offers a detailed overview of the Rwandan monarchial system and its abolition in early 1960s due to colonialism. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) A breeder sings songs for a Rwandan traditional cow, or Inyambo, at Kings' Palace museum in Nyanza, Southern Province, Rwanda, April 6, 2024. The Kings' Palace museum offers a detailed overview of the Rwandan monarchial system and its abolition in early 1960s due to colonialism. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui) TOKYO, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan on Friday started the sixth round of release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. Despite furious opposition at home and abroad, Tokyo Electric Power Company, the plant's operator, started releasing the radioactive wastewater in the morning, the second round in fiscal 2024. Like the previous rounds, about 7,800 tons of the wastewater will be discharged until June 4. by Nurul Fitri Ramadhani JAKARTA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia and China continue to strengthen investment cooperation to support the development of Indonesia's industrialization. On Thursday, Indonesia's Ministry of Industry and China's Ministry of Commerce held a bilateral meeting in Jakarta, discussing the Chinese investment coming to Indonesia and its realization for the targeted industrial sector. Director General of Resilience, Regions and International Industry Access at the Indonesian Ministry of Industry, Eko Cahyanto, said after the meeting that China remains committed to encouraging investment in Indonesia in an effort to boost the supply chains of both countries, so that both could be more competitive in the global market. He hopes that investment from China could help push Indonesia's industrialization from the downstream to upstream sectors and thus increase the foreign exchange of the Southeast Asian country. "We continue to foster good relations with the Chinese government and push stronger business cooperation between Indonesian and Chinese business players not only in terms of business development, but also in facilitating the supply chain," Cahyanto said. Cooperation between Indonesia and China has been stronger than ever in the last two decades. In 2023, China became Indonesia's second-largest investor after Singapore. The manufacturing sector has become the largest destination for Chinese investment in Indonesia. "We encourage new investments from China to come and get local partners in Indonesia in order to strengthen our investment realization and operationalization," Cahyanto said. The Indonesian government has repeatedly said that the country is currently working for its domination in the nickel market. This success cannot be separated from the support from Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI), which finances supporting infrastructures needed by the nickel processing industry, particularly through construction projects. The Morowali Industrial Park in Central Sulawesi province is such a big project with heavy Chinese investment and related to the nickle industry. Chinese investors in electric motorbikes are also currently coming to Indonesia, spurring the country's electric vehicle (EV) market. Chinese electric motorbike producer Yadea has just started to build its factory in Indonesia. Deputy for Investment Cooperation at Indonesia's Ministry of Investment Riyatno said Chinese investment has helped Indonesia in increasing the capacity of its domestic industry and infrastructure, especially in downstream sectors that create added value. KABUL, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Five persons were killed and five others sustained injury as a result of a clash between the border forces of Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past four days, Afghan local media outlet TOLOnews reported Friday. The clash between Afghan and Pakistan border forces has been continuing close to the border area in Zazai Aryub and Dand wa Patan districts of the eastern Paktia province, the private media outlet added. Afghan officials have yet to make any comment. PHNOM PENH, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The campaign for the fourth provincial, municipal, town, and district council elections in Cambodia kicked off on Friday, with the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) holding a large rally. Prach Chan, president of the National Election Committee (NEC), said the campaign will last eight days, ending two days before the May 26 elections. Five political parties are standing in the elections: the ruling CPP, the Khmer Will Party, the Nation Power Party, the Funcinpec Party, and the Khmer National United Party, he added. The CPP said roughly 10,000 of its supporters rallied and paraded through streets in Phnom Penh on Friday to campaign for the elections. In a message to mark the start of the campaign, CPP's President Samdech Techo Hun Sen expressed his profound gratitude to the people for trusting and supporting the CPP and him in all circumstances. He said the CPP will "strictly abide by the laws, regulations, procedures, and ethics of the elections and respect the election results." Hun Sen added that the party will cooperate with all parties concerned to maintain a good political atmosphere in order to ensure a free and fair election. Held once every five years, the non-universal poll is cast by only 11,622 sitting commune councilors, typically along party lines, for 4,200 provincial, municipal, town, and district councilors. In the last election in 2019, the CPP won nearly all of the provincial, municipal, town, and district council seats. YANGON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of 33 people were killed and 126 injured in 59 traffic accidents on Myanmar's Yangon-Mandalay highway in the first four months of 2024, according to the Nay Pyi Taw Expressway Traffic Police Force on Friday. From Jan. 1 to April 30, 2024, the dead included 20 males and 13 females, while the injured included 76 males and 50 females. The main causes of car accidents in Myanmar are vehicle defects, human errors, and road and weather conditions. Most of the traffic accidents in the country resulted from speeding, an official from the Expressway Traffic Police Force told Xinhua. To reduce traffic accidents on the highway, radar devices are used to measure the speed of vehicles along the expressway, and action is taken against speeding vehicles, he said. Inaugurated in December 2010, the 587-km Yangon-Mandalay expressway connects the country's commercial city of Yangon and the second largest city of Mandalay. In 2023, 86 people were killed and 326 others injured in 163 traffic accidents on Myanmar's Yangon-Mandalay highway. BAMYAN, Afghanistan, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Four people, including three foreign nationals and an Afghan, were killed in a shooting attack in central Afghanistan's Bamyan province on Friday, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Affairs Mufti Abdul Mateen Qani said. Four foreigners and three Afghans were injured during the shooting, he said. Four suspects have been arrested, the official added. MOSCOW, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Russia does not rule out the possibility of downgrading its diplomatic relations with the United States in certain scenarios, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday. In an interview with TASS news agency, Ryabkov said that Russia has never taken the initiative to make such moves in its relations with the United States or other NATO countries. "However, they are quite possible, in my view, if the Western group chooses the path of escalation," he said. He added that this does not necessarily pertain to further support for Kiev, but could also apply to Russian assets or other economic actions. What exactly would trigger such a situation is not a question for today, he said. "At least, I am not prepared to discuss this topic." "If there is a further aggravation, this will be the subject of separate analysis and decision-making at the level of political leadership," Ryabkov said. STOCKHOLM/BERLIN, May 17 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have cautioned against tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) following Washington's announcement of hefty levies. Scholz and Kristersson expressed reservations about possible European tariffs on Chinese EVs when asked on Tuesday at a press conference in Stockholm whether they support the EU to follow suit. On Tuesday, the United States announced new tariffs on a variety of imports from China, including EVs, in addition to existing tariffs under Section 301. The additional levy will raise tariffs on Chinese EV imports to 100 percent this year. Last October, the European Commission launched an anti-subsidy investigation into the imports of EVs from China. "50 percent of electric car imports from China come from Western brands that produce cars there and, in that regard, that's maybe a difference compared to North America. There is an exchange from both sides. European and even some North American manufacturers are successful on the Chinese market, and we have to take that into account," said Scholz, stressing the importance of trade between the West and China. "When it comes to import duties, I think that we (Sweden and Germany) essentially have a consensus that it is a bad idea to start dismantling global trade," said Kristersson. "A broader trade war where we stop each other's products is, in principle, not the future for large industrialized countries like Germany and Sweden." According to statistics from the European Federation for Transport and Environment, around 20 percent of all-electric cars sold across the EU last year, or 300,000 units, were made in China. More than half of them come from Western carmakers, such as Tesla, Dacia and BMW, which produce them in China for export. Major German carmakers also signaled opposition to the possible tariff increases. "The politicians are now calling for trade restrictions on Chinese car manufacturers. This is an absurdity," BMW CEO Oliver Zipse told German media Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Tuesday. Proposing restrictions on EVs shows a sign of short-sightedness, as it risks incurring countermeasures from the trading partner, leading to a more difficult availability of essential raw materials for European EVs, said Zipse. He warned that European carmakers should refrain from repeating past mistakes in the auto industry. "The European market previously feared the Japanese flooding with cheap cars, then the Korean. And now it is the Chinese," he said, stressing that the European market is not "flooded" with cheap Chinese electric cars, which only have a share of 0.8 percent in Germany. Zipse warned against superficial statistics. For example, around 20 percent of EVs in Europe were imported from China last year, while "more than half did not come from Chinese companies at all." Regarding the EU's anti-subsidy investigation on Chinese EVs, Hildegard Mueller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, told Xinhua that new tariffs and barriers were not the right way forward. "We believe that building up new tariffs and sliding into mutual protectionism is the wrong way to go. Rather, we need to talk to each other so that it is equally possible for companies in both countries to approach mutually, produce there and sell there," said Mueller. Elisabeth Van Nieuwamerongen poses with her certificate after winning Malta preliminary round of the 23rd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition at the University of Malta in Msida, Malta, May 17, 2024. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) VALLETTA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Elisabeth Van Nieuwamerongen, a sophomore, triumphed in the Confucius Institute competition at the University of Malta, earning a spot in the global competition in China, with her Chinese speech on cultural integration. In a display of linguistic prowess and cultural appreciation, students from the Confucius Institute participated in the 23rd "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition on Friday, featuring speeches and a talent show. Expressing her excitement to Xinhua, Van Nieuwamerongen said: "I am looking forward to meeting people from other countries in China. It will be a great opportunity to communicate and become friends." She also voiced her hope to further improve her Chinese language skills, and pursue a career with a Chinese company in the future. As the winner, Van Nieuwamerongen will travel to China to compete on a global stage, representing the University of Malta. The runner-up, Hristiyana Buchakova, will also travel to China to watch the international competition. The competition at the University of Malta provided a platform for participants to share their personal journeys of learning Chinese, delve into cultural integration, and celebrate Chinese cuisine. Dennis Mizzi, the foreign director of the Confucius Institute, expressed pride in his students' interest in China and Chinese culture. "I hope they have the opportunity to go to China and continue studying Chinese," he said. Maltese sinologist Salvatore Giuffre applauded the competitors' performances, and expressed hope that the students will experience Chinese culture firsthand, and that some may become sinologists. Nie Aixia, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute, highlighted that the "Chinese Bridge" competition not only showcases students' achievements in learning Chinese, but also enhances cultural understanding and exchanges between China and Malta. Peng Yijun, counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Malta, said that he hoped the "Chinese Bridge" could serve as a bridge for exchanges, understanding and friendship. He encouraged students learning Chinese to act as young ambassadors, promoting mutual learning between civilizations and fostering lasting friendship. There are large-scale programs in agriculture, ranging from the supply of pedigree cattle, cows here, first of all, in order to fully meet your needs for milk and meat. We will supply you with cattle, President of Belarus Alexandr Lukashenko said during a press conference with President Ilham Aliyev. In addition, we are ready to build an agro-township with the entire infrastructure and create jobs on the lands that you have liberated, especially on agricultural lands. In other words, we can build a complex and also help you create farms, added President Lukashenko. HOUSTON, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Up to 2,000 gallons of oil may have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico after a bunker barge struck a bridge in the island city of Galveston, eastern Texas, the U.S. Coast Guard estimated on Thursday. The source of the leakage from the barge has been contained after the accident, said the U.S. Coast Guard. AP reported that the Coast Guard had deployed a boom, or barrier, to contain the spill. The Coast Guard said it deployed planes and drones to evaluate the extent of the oil spill on Thursday, while closing about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a busy shipping channel for the region. Galveston is about 50 miles (80.5 km) away from downtown Houston, the largest city of Texas. "We're pretty confident there was much less oil introduced to the water than we initially estimated," Coast Guard Captain Keith Donohue told a news conference on Thursday. "We've recovered over 605 gallons of oily water mixture from the environment, as well as an additional 5,640 gallons of oil product from the top of the barge that did not go into the water," Donohue said. The 321-foot barge, which has the capacity to hold 30,000 barrels of oil, was carrying 23,000 barrels, that amounts to nearly 966,000 gallons, when it slammed into a pillar of the Pelican Island Causeway bridge on Wednesday, Rick Freed, vice president of barge operator Martin Marine, told the news conference. A tugboat lost control of two barges "due to a break in the coupling" connecting them. One of the barges slammed into the bridge, the Coast Guard said. Freed said an investigation is still underway. The crash led to the partial collapse of the bridge, forcing the only land connection from Galveston to Pelican Island to shut down. No injuries were reported. "The harmful consequences of oil are once again impacting our coastal communities, wildlife, and waters," Joseph Gordon with an ocean conservation group named Oceana said in a statement. The spill will probably have minimal long-term consequences, considering the volume of oil on board the barge, Danny Reible, a Texas Tech University professor, told ABC News on Thursday. The accident came weeks after a cargo ship slammed into a support column of the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, claiming six lives. Kathmandu: Nepal Police apprehended approximately 12 students who staged a protest outside the country's parliament, calling for the resignation of Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane. On Friday afternoon, members of the Nepal Student Union (NSU) rallied, demanding the establishment of a parliamentary committee to investigate a cooperative fraud scandal allegedly involving Lamichhane. The student wing of the opposition Nepali Congress, NSU, vociferously chanted slogans such as "Prosecute the cooperative fraud," "Justice for cooperative victims," and "Where is GB Rai?" as law enforcement officers detained them. "We have arrested a total of 11 protestors demonstrating in front of parliament, a restricted zone," stated Nawaraj Adhikari, Spokesperson at District Police Range, speaking to ANI over the phone. Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress persisted with their protest within parliament, pushing for the formation of a parliamentary investigation committee to delve into the cooperative fraud allegations against Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane. Tensions escalated on Thursday as a clash erupted between opposition and ruling alliance lawmakers in the lower house of Nepal parliament, spurred by the same issue. Home Minister Lamichhane stands accused of involvement in a cooperative fraud scheme that swindled millions of rupees from savers in collusion with others. While Lamichhane vehemently denies the allegations, evidence implicating him in the fraud has emerged during ongoing investigations. Prior to his political career in the last election, Lamichhane had collaborated with GB Rai, one of the prime suspects in the multi-million rupee fraud, who is currently evading authorities with the police intensifying their search for him. An investigative report by Pokhara Metropolis concerning the alleged cooperative fraud was recently concluded and submitted to the Police. Hundreds of complaints naming Lamichhane as a key figure in the scam have been filed. Accusations have surfaced against Lamichhane for abusing his authority to transfer senior police personnel involved in the investigation. Additionally, he faces allegations of coercion and undue influence on the Office of the Attorney General to absolve him of any wrongdoing regarding the cooperative fraud. "I am Handing Over My Son to You..", Sonia Gandhi's Emotional Appeal in Raebareli Challenges Posed by Open Border with Myanmar: A Closer Look at Manipur IMD Warns of Impending Heatwave Across Northern India MONTREAL, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Auxico Resources Canada Inc. (CSE: AUAG) (OTC: AUXIF) ("Auxico" or the "Company") announces that, subject to the expiration of its sales agency agreement with Central America Nickel Inc. ("CAN") with regard to the exclusive trading rights for rare earth concentrates exported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC"), the Company has elected to convert USD $1,000,000 of capital into common shares of CAN. As per the sales agency agreement entered into and as announced on March 30, 2022, Auxico is entitled to convert its initial one-time payment of USD $1,000,000 into common shares of CAN at a price of CAD $2.00 per share. At the current exchange rate, a total of 675,676 common shares were issued by CAN in the name of Auxico. Auxico Resources Canada Inc. Logo (CNW Group/Auxico Resources Canada Inc.) During the term of the sales agency agreement with CAN and as a result of rare earth concentrates sold and exported from the DRC, Auxico had earned and received a total of USD $599,832. Auxico continues to develop diversified sources of critical minerals and rare earth elements originating from Colombia, Bolivia and other prospective projects currently under evaluation. Resignation of Chief Financial Officer Auxico also announces the resignation of Jacques Arsenault as Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") of the Company, effective immediately. Mr. Arsenault, who has been CFO of Auxico since 2016, recently decided to retire from his active accounting practice. The Board of Directors and management of Auxico thank Mr. Arsenault for his years of service to the Company and wish him well in his retirement. About Auxico Resources Canada Inc. Auxico Resources Canada Inc. ("Auxico") is a Canadian company that was founded in 2014 and based in Montreal, trading on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE) under symbol AUAG and on the OTC Market under symbol AUXIF. Auxico is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Colombia and Bolivia. Additional information on Auxico can be found on the Company's website (www.auxicoresources.com) or on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under "Auxico Resources Canada Inc." ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS signed. signed. Pierre Gauthier Mark Billings CEO & President, Auxico Resources Canada Inc Chairman, Auxico Resources Canada Inc. pg@auxicoresources.com mb@auxicoresources.com Cell: +1 514 299 0881 Cell: +1 514 296 1641 The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of the contents of this release. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-statements." Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include information relating to the planned studies, drill program and the development of the Minastyc, El Bento/Monte Verde or other Projects, its sampling programs, indications and other mining projects and prospects thereof, related to the Company's operations in Colombia and/or Bolivia. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various risk factors. These factors include, among others, uncertainties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors, and their potential effects, which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca). Except as required by securities law, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise. SOURCE Auxico Resources Canada Inc. Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2024/16/c2998.html Wegovy and Ozempic Booming demand for Ozempic is driving a surge in Denmarks economy as millions of people use the drug for weight loss, leading the government to almost double its growth forecast for this year. Danish GDP will grow by 2.7pc this year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said far faster than the 1.4pc it had expected in December. This revision has been driven in part by the runaway success of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisks hit drug Ozempic, while the reopening of the Tyra gas field will also boost GDP by reducing energy imports and boosting exports. The ministry said: The pharmaceutical industry has been absolutely crucial for growth in real terms GDP in the past two years, as in other parts of the Danish economy there has been stagnation or actual decline. The progress in exports has been the major growth engine in the Danish economy in recent years. Exports grew in real terms by a remarkable 13.4pc in 2023, not least as a result of the great progress in the pharmaceutical industry driven by Novo Nordisk. Combined with a revival in gas extraction and exports, this is enough to almost double the rate of growth forecast this year. The pharmaceutical industry is expected to continue growing in the year ahead, officials added. Ozempic a diabetes drug widely used off-label for weight loss has become a cultural phenomenon across much of the rich world, attracting high demand from celebrities and world leaders. Novo Nordisk also makes Wegovy, a similar drug designed to combat weight. Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, tried the treatment albeit for only a short time while Elon Musk, Sharon Osbourne and members of the Kardashian clan have all used the drug. Supplies are tight, leading to an investment binge from Novo Nordisk. Last year the company said it would spend 42bn Danish kroner (4.8bn) on expanding its plant in Kalundborg, around 60 miles west of Copenhagen. There are hopes that wider production and use could help stem the rise of obesity and related illnesses, including diabetes, which are a threat to the health of millions as well as the wider world economy. The development for Denmark is reminiscent of Nokias influence over Finlands economy. The mobile phone company was responsible for one-quarter of its nations GDP growth between 1998 and 2007, according to estimates from the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy. However the pioneering company, known for its early dominance of the market with models including its robust 3210 and its popular game, Snake, subsequently fell behind the wider market as it failed to keep up with the development of smartphones, led by Apples iPhone. 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. Italian vegetables for sale () Welcome to Italy, where the supermarkets or supermercatos are as full of life and color as the bustling piazzas and serene landscapes. For those who have just moved to Europe, navigating an Italian supermarket can be a delightful part of your cultural immersion. Lets take a stroll down the aisles and discover what makes shopping in Italy a unique experience. Fresh Finds The produce section is a testament to Italys rich agricultural heritage, boasting a rainbow of fresh fruits and vegetables. Here, the concept of kilometer zero reigns supreme, with an emphasis on locally sourced, seasonal produce. Do not miss the regional specialties like, Roman artichokes, Sicilian oranges or San Marzano tomatoes. Also, remember that many supermarkets require you to weigh and label your produce before checkout. You will grab a bag and a plastic glove, bag your fruits and veggies, then head to the weigh station where the associate will weigh items and tag them for you. At more traditional markets, you will weigh yourself and apply the barcode sticker. Salami sausage on display for sale hanging at a salumeria meat and cheese shop () Deli Delights No visit to an Italian supermarket is complete without a stop at the deli counter. It is a paradise of cured meats like prosciutto di Parma, salami, and an array of cheeses from creamy burrata to sharp pecorino. It is a cheese lovers paradise here in Italy. While it is fun to shop at larger chains, dont forget to stop by your local Negozio di formaggi (cheese shop) or Salumeria (meat shop). These are the best shops as youll have the opportunity to try locally made cheese and meats. Use Google Translate to break bread with your shop owner, I promise they will be helpful and happy to assist you. Another moment to prepare for is the possibility of finding horse meat at the grocery store. While this may be a cultural shock to some, it is deeply rooted in parts of Italys culture. Horse meat, or cavallo is especially popular in Lombardy, Apulia, the Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige/Sud Tirol, Parma, and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. Horse meat is used in a variety of recipes: as a stew called pastissada (typical of Verona), served as steaks, as carpaccio or made into bresaola. Pantry Staples The pantry aisles are a treasure trove of Italian culinary essentials. Stock up on various pasta shapes, artisanal sauces, extra virgin olive oil, sardines, spices and aged balsamic vinegar. These staples are the backbone of Italian cuisine and will elevate your home cooking. I was shocked to find several aisles devoted to these staples, especially pasta and pasta sauces. I counted three whole aisles for pasta and two for sauces at my local IPER. Another item that may interest you is Pocket Coffee! Pocket Coffee is a unique item known for combining the rich taste of chocolate with the bold flavor of espresso. Pocket Coffee consists of an individually wrapped piece of dark chocolate filled with liquid espresso, making it a popular treat for those needing a quick boost. Italy has an abundance of sweet treats that are packaged as well. You will find items like Cornetto which is a Croissant filled with different fillings like chocolate, pistachio and creme. Famous Italian pastries in a traditional bakery () Beverages and Wines Italian supermarkets offer an impressive selection of wines and beverages. There are aisles full of wine sorted by various regions. From robust reds to sparkling Proseccos, the wine aisles are a journey through Italys vineyards. Pay special attention, because at some supermarkets you can pour your own wine. This is called Vino Sfuso, or Loose Wine. Simply put it is bulk wine! Supermarkets often highlight a local producer, and you can simply bring your own bottles to fill, or they will supply the bottles for you at a low rate. There are even whole shops dedicated to Vino Sfuso! Checkout and Etiquette It almost seems like it is every man for himself at checkout. You will often need to bag your own groceries. Sometimes everything is happening at an alarmingly fast rate. Take a few deep breaths and just do what you can. It is also common to bring your own reusable bags as a nod to sustainability. Patience is key in Italian supermarkets, where the pace is leisurely (except at checkout) and social interactions are savored. Embrace the Italian supermarket as more than just a place to shop; view it as a vibrant part of your European adventure. Buon shopping! MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EPA-EFE / Shutterstock.com Colleges and universities have historically relied on donations to supplement other forms of income. Large donations help offset rising costs, tuition and lower enrollment in addition to expanding on research and other endeavors, as explained by BestColleges. Theres a spotlight on the wealthy individuals who continue to support their favored colleges and universities. Explore More: Heres How Much You Need To Earn To Be Rich in Every State Find Out: 5 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money Read on if youre interested in who the wealthy people and groups are that have made huge donations, from greatest to least. Michael Bloomberg Donation: $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins University The alum donated to increase undergraduate financial aid to counteract intergenerational poverty and promote opportunity based on merit over money. John and Ann Doerr Donation: $1.1 billion to Stanford University This donation is responsible for the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, built to address the climate and environment, sustainability and health. Ruth L. Gottesman Donation: $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine What is likely the largest donation to a medical school went toward free tuition beginning in August 2024, plus reimbursement for the Spring 2024 semester for corresponding fourth-year students. Stewart and Lynda Resnick Donation: $750 million to the California Institute of Technology This donation boosted physical/life sciences and engineering sustainability research. They shared a concern for energy, water and the climate. Florence and Herbert Irving Donation: $700 million to Columbia University The philanthropic couple were dedicated to promoting cancer research and clinical care; an equivalent donation went to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Gordon and Betty Moore Donation: $600 million to the California Institute of Technology The Intel co-founder and his wife, along with their foundation, greatly benefited Caltechs education and science programs. Phil and Penny Knight Donations: $500 million to the University of Oregon (twice), $500 million to Oregon Health and Science University Phil is the co-founder of Nike. He and his wife have invested in cancer research, detection and treatment. The two also provide more opportunities for students and faculty. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan Donation: $500 million to Harvard University The donation from the Facebook founder and his wife went toward an institute for artificial intelligence and neuroscience. Story continues Helen Diller Donation: $500 million to the University of California-San Francisco The donation went toward building an on-campus hospital. John W. Kluge Donation: $400 million to Columbia University The entrepreneur and television mogul donated for undergraduate and graduate financial aid. John A. Paulson Donation: $400 million to Harvard University The hedge-fund manager donated to benefit the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Chuck Feeney Donation: $350 million to Cornell University The long-time unknown donor gave the money to help construct a technology-based satellite campus. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 12 Wealthy People Whove Made Huge Donations to Colleges The Zacks Tobacco industry players have been witnessing soft cigarette sales volumes due to inflation, changing consumer habits, and stringent regulations. Increased costs of essential materials further raise concerns for profit margins. While investments in smoke-free products come at the cost of margins, they have been driving revenues of tobacco companies, given consumers growing health consciousness. Pricing power has also been working well. These upsides keep Philip Morris International Inc. PM, Altria Group, Inc. MO and British American Tobacco p.l.c. BTI well positioned despite the industry challenges. About the Industry The Zacks Tobacco industry includes companies that manufacture and sell cigarettes as well as tobacco and nicotine-based products, such as cigars, snuffs and oral tobacco. Some companies also offer RRPs, such as e-cigarettes, vaping and heat-not-burn variants. A few of the firms are engaged in making devices and attachments needed in vaping and heat-not-burn products. Most products manufactured by the tobacco industry participants fall under the strict vigilance of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are required to follow the permissible levels of nicotine in manufacturing. Players in this space sell products mostly through large retailers, distributors, convenience stores, drugstores, wholesalers and grocery chains. Additionally, some international tobacco firms operate in the country through subsidiaries. 4 Trends Shaping the Future of the Tobacco Industry Cigarette Volumes Under Pressure: The tobacco industry is grappling with challenges related to the inflationary environment, which has significantly influenced consumer spending habits. Economic factors such as inflation, increased interest rates, and Adult Tobacco Consumers dynamics, including changing purchasing patterns, the adoption of smoke-free products, and shifts in disposable income, have affected cigarette sales volumes. Additionally, stringent government regulations on sales, marketing, and manufacturing, prompted by the health hazards of nicotine consumption, have further impacted volumes. Some guidelines issued by the FDA include the mandatory use of precautionary labels on cigarette packets and self-critical advertisements. As cigarette sales constitute a significant portion of revenues for tobacco industry companies, the decrease in sales volumes within this category raises concerns. Escalated Costs: Numerous industry participants have been affected by cost inflation. Global inflationary challenges linked to essential materials such as tobacco leaf, energy and labor costs have been concerns. Elevated expenses related to the research, development and marketplace activities of smoke-free products further present risks to profit margins. Growing Popularity of Smoke-Free Alternatives: Increasing awareness of health risks and stringent government regulations intended to curtail cigarette smoking have encouraged many consumers to switch to reduced-risk products (RRPs) or smoke-free alternatives. Promoted as having a less adverse impact on health due to their scientific composition and method of consumption, these products are gaining popularity. More consumers are turning to these alternatives as a way to quit smoking traditional cigarettes. Major players in the tobacco industry have been allocating resources to expand their presence in this category, including investing in innovations to make these products more user-friendly and energy-efficient. Companies have been experiencing significant revenue growth in the RRP or smoke-free product space. Philip Morris and British American Tobacco have been proactively working toward transitioning into predominantly smoke-free companies in the coming years. The continued popularity and resilience of these products are expected to drive positive outcomes for industry players amid ongoing business transformations. Pricing Power: Players in the tobacco industry have been leveraging the strong pricing influence of tobacco products, which also helps them make up for high taxes and soft cigarette sales volumes. Since smokers tend to be less responsive to price hikes due to their addiction, this approach is anticipated to continue benefiting companies within the tobacco sector. The prudent pricing of cigarettes has been supporting the revenues of players in the tobacco industry in the face of declining volumes. Story continues Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Dull Prospects The Zacks Tobacco industry is housed within the broader Zacks Consumer Staples sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #174, which places it in the bottom 30% of more than 250 Zacks industries. The groups Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates drab near-term prospects. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. The industrys position in the bottom 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of a positive earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually losing confidence in this groups earnings growth potential. Since the beginning of February 2024, the industrys earnings estimate for 2024 has declined 2.2%. Lets take a look at the industrys performance and current valuation. Industry vs. Broader Market The Zacks Tobacco industry has underperformed the Zacks S&P 500 Composite, while outperforming the broader Zacks Consumer Staple sector over the past year. The industry has gained 4.1% over this period against the broader sectors drop of 5.3%. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 has risen 27.7% in the said time frame. One-Year Price Performance Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of forward 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E), which is commonly used for valuing consumer staple stocks, the industry is currently trading at 10.24X compared with the S&P 500s 21.21X and the sectors 17.34X. Over the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 12.68X, as low as 9.1X and at the median of 10.67X, as the chart below shows. Price-to-Earnings Ratio (Past 5 Years) 3 Tobacco Stocks to Keep a Close Eye On Philip Morris International: The Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) companys emphasis on smoke-free products, aligned with evolving consumer preferences, has strengthened its market position. Philip Morris is progressing toward its objective of becoming a predominantly smoke-free company by 2030. The exceptional performance of its premium smoke-free brands, IQOS and ZYN, is driving the success of its smoke-free product portfolio. Additionally, this tobacco giant has been positively impacted by its strong pricing strategies. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PMs 2024 earnings per share (EPS) has declined to $6.31 from $6.37 in the past 30 days. However, the consensus mark suggests growth of almost 5% from the year-ago period figure. Shares of Philip Morris have risen 9% in the past six months. Price and Consensus: PM Altria Group: The Zacks Rank #3 company has demonstrated resilience in a challenging environment by leveraging its pricing power and prioritizing smoke-free alternatives. Altrias investment in on! has been particularly effective in the oral tobacco realm. Additionally, the acquisition of NJOY Holdings represents a major advancement in the e-vapor category. Some of MOs 2028 Enterprise Goals include doubling its U.S. smoke-free net revenues to $5 billion from its 2022 level and driving mid-single-digit adjusted EPS growth through 2028 on a compounded annual basis. Altria shares have rallied 12.5% in the past six months. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MOs 2024 EPS has risen by 2 cents to $5.11 over the past 30 days. Price and Consensus: MO British American Tobacco: BTI's strategic focus on growth, innovation, and market leadership in the evolving tobacco and nicotine product landscape has been working well. The company has been benefiting from its efforts to strengthen the Heated Products portfolio with innovative launches like glo Hyper pro and expanding tobacco-free consumables. Additionally, the Zacks Rank #3 company has been enhancing its innovation pipeline by strengthening R&D capabilities, adding device engineering, and forming a collaborative global network. That said, British American Tobaccos efforts to return the U.S. combustibles business to consistent value growth bode well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for British American Tobaccos 2024 bottom line has declined 0.4% to $4.68 over the past 30 days. Shares of BTI have lost 0.5% in the past six months. Price and Consensus: BTI Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Philip Morris International Inc. (PM) : Free Stock Analysis Report Altria Group, Inc. (MO) : Free Stock Analysis Report British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BTI) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research RossHelen / Getty Images/iStockphoto A lot goes into how much you pay in utility bills each month part of which you can control and part of which you cant. The things you can control are the number and type of utility bills you pay, and how much you use certain services. What you cant control are the weather and the rates your utility provider charges. These and other factors help determine which states have the highest utility costs. Read More: Nearly Half of Americans Struggle To Pay Their Utility Bills 5 Ways To Save Find Out: How To Get $340 Per Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy In terms of the types of utilities, the basics are electricity, water and natural gas, though if you have an all-electric home you dont have to worry about a gas bill. Most homes have internet service, some still have landline phone service, and you might also include your cell phone and streaming services in your monthly utilities. You can save a lot of money by moderating your water, gas and electricity use, which will lower your bills considerably. If you live in a cold climate, this might mean you keep the thermostat low and bundle up during the winter. If you live where the temperatures approach 100 degrees in the summer, you might decide not to crank the A/C up too high and use other means, like fans and cold showers, to stay cool. Installing solar panels and other power-saving devices can also reduce monthly costs. States With the Highest Overall Utility Bills The one thing you have zero control over is how much your local utility charges for using its services. Those are typically regulated by state or local utility commissions. A blog from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling recommends that you budget up to 10% of your monthly income toward utilities. Thats a bigger challenge in some places than others. Earlier this year Forbes analyzed data from organizations such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Energy Information Administration and Energy.gov to determine which states have the highest combined monthly utility bills in 2024, including energy, water, gas, internet, phone and streaming. Here are the five states that topped the list: State Total Monthly Cost Alaska $569.64 Hawaii $563.53 Connecticut $532.71 West Virginia $486.11 Georgia $474.86 Four of those five states Alaska, Hawaii, Connecticut and West Virginia also are among the most expensive states for average electricity bills, according to separate research from CNET. States With the Highest Power Bills Because electricity takes up such a big chunk of overall utility bills, where you live can make a big difference. Different states charge different rates for using what essentially amounts to the same service having electrical power distributed to your home from the grid. Story continues According to CNET, these states have the highest electricity rates as of February 2024: Hawaii: 43.93 cents per kilowatt hour California: 31.23 cents Rhode Island: 30.97 cents Connecticut: 29.52 cents Massachusetts: 29.25 cents Maine: 24.95 cents New York: 24.23 cents New Hampshire: 23.76 cents Alaska: 22.88 cents Vermont: 21.22 cents Its probably no coincidence that all but two of those states Hawaii and California are located in cold weather climates. In terms of which states have the highest average electric bills every month, however, the list includes a few states with more moderate climates. Here are the top 10 states with the highest average monthly electricity bills as of February 2024, according to CNET: Connecticut: $201.56 Hawaii: $192.71 Massachusetts: $174.98 Rhode Island: $172.61 Maryland: $172.42 Tennessee: $165.85 West Virginia: $162.59 Alabama: $162.46 Alaska: $160.88 Maine: $160.09 If you want to move where electricity is cheaper, the five states with the lowest average monthly bills are Utah ($75.51 a month), New Mexico ($86.22), Colorado ($94.72), Illinois ($98.12) and Nebraska ($100.28). More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 States That Will Have the Highest Utility Bill Costs in 2024 Sino-German cooperation boosts smart, green auto industry Xinhua) 08:19, May 17, 2024 This photo taken on April 26, 2024 shows a BMW electric vehicle displayed at the signing ceremony for deepening strategic cooperation between BMW and Shenyang, in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong) BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhua) -- The China-Germany industrial park in Beijing is attracting global attention as a hub for the development of smarter and more environmentally friendly new energy vehicles (NEVs). During a two-day forum on Sino-German industrial cooperation and development held in Beijing, participants said intelligence and eco-friendliness are providing new momentum for the next phase of global NEV industry development. Beijing hosts R&D centers of German auto behemoths such as Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen. Its Shunyi District is a key hub for automotive industry development. According to Du Yue, deputy head of Shunyi, the district is making strides toward becoming a leading area for the smart NEV industry. It is home to four vehicle manufacturing facilities, including Beijing Benz's NEV plant, and seven research and development centers, such as BMW's R&D center. Song Wei, president of Beijing Automotive Group Co., Ltd. (BAIC), noted that German automotive companies are now deeply integrated into the development of China's automotive industry, achieving true interdependence. This Beijing-based carmaker has established close cooperations with major German companies and has also formed supply partnerships with many small and medium-sized enterprises. "Our development is embedded in the process of Sino-German cooperation for mutual benefit," Song said. An increasing number of global players are entering China's superlarge NEV industry, promoting the sound development of the industry, and providing consumers with better products and more choices, according to He Yi, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Among the trendsetters is BMW, which announced in late April an additional investment of 20 billion yuan (about 2.82 billion U.S. dollars) in its production base in Shenyang, the capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province. "The planned upgrades and expansions will also make Shenyang ready for the production of our NEUE KLASSE, which is a completely new generation of BMW models that combine all our innovations in the areas of electrification, digitalization and circular economy," said Oliver Zipse, chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, in a speech. Michael Braungart, Scientific CEO of EPEA, believes that the global automotive industry has yet to achieve a circular economy for vehicles. China is making efforts to strengthen the reuse of production materials, bringing greater opportunities for international cooperation. This undated file photo shows a displaying area of the Modular Electric Drive Matrix at Volkswagen Anhui. (Xinhua) Highlighting China's progress in the deep integration of smart and green manufacturing, Braungart noted that the country is actively promoting the green transformation and upgrading of the smart NEV industry. The 2024 Beijing auto show, held at the Shunyi Hall of the China International Exhibition Center this month, attracted numerous global automotive manufacturers. Many companies showcased their smart driving products and solutions during the auto expo, indicating the next phase of the automotive industry would be an era of intelligence. "With the continuous advancement of policies, autonomous driving services have made significant progress in China," said Peng Jun, co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai, an autonomous driving service provider. Peng said that the company has accumulated a total of 3 million kilometers in global unmanned driving testing. In terms of actual operation, unmanned taxi vehicles complete up to 25 to 26 orders per day. According to him, there is extensive collaboration between China and Europe in the field of intelligent connected vehicles. Zipse, meanwhile, noted that China's vigorous development of new quality productive forces is highly compatible with BMW's core strategy, providing ample space for further deepening Sino-German cooperation. He said that sustainable development is a path best pursued together, with China and Germany sharing the belief that green development presents new opportunities for expanding cooperation. "As we know, what moves China today moves the world tomorrow." (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) By Azernews 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. Accountants and finance professionals are more confident in the global economy than they have been since Q2 2023. The latest ACCA and IMA Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS) saw a moderate increase in confidence to put the index just above its historical average. Add in small increases to the New Orders and Employment indices both of which are slightly above their averages and a positive picture emerges of a gradually improving economic outlook. That said, there was a small decline in the Capital Expenditure Index, which remains below average. In Africa, the Confidence Index improved slightly in Q1, after a very sharp fall previously and is moderately below its historical average. Meanwhile, new orders rose moderately and are materially above their average. On a less positive note, there were large declines in both the Capital Expenditure and Employment indices, which are at quite low levels by historical standards. Overall, the Confidence and New Orders indices are indicative of a broadly reasonable backdrop for the region, although the Capital Expenditure and Employment indices point to significant caution among firms. Commenting on this, ACCA Africa director, Jamil Ampomah, said: "Any improvements in the global economy would clearly be beneficial to our region. The beginning of monetary easing by the major central banks, particularly the US Federal Reserve, would be helpful too, by easing global financial conditions and reducing currency depreciation pressures. However, geopolitical developments remain a major downside risk." Globally, there were gains in confidence in most regions. The rise in Asia Pacific was the third largest on record and may reflect growing confidence in the resilience of the U.S. economy, signs of improvement in the Chinese data and wider global economy, and perhaps rising optimism that Japan may finally be exiting from its decades long battle against deflation. The moderate rise in confidence in Western Europe also suggests that growth may be gradually improving from the weakness of recent quarters. On a less positive note, global concerns about increased operating costs rose, although they remain below their Q3 2022 peak. Interestingly, concerns about costs eased again in the advanced economies of North America and Western Europe while remaining elevated by historical standards. By contrast, cost concerns rose noticeably in Africa, Asia Pacific, and South Asia. Additionally, Q1 2024 responses from the Global Risks Survey section of the GECS report demonstrate how the ripple effects of economic uncertainty have been exacerbated by rising geopolitical and talent scarcity challenges. Respondents across all sectors and regions said that they are feeling the impact of talent retention risks, with numerous respondents describing the skills shortage as an epidemic. Cybersecurity is also viewed as a significant threat, especially with advancements in generative AI making ransomware and other cybercrimes increasingly easier and quicker to carry out. Story continues ACCA chief economist, Jonathan Ashworth, said: "The survey points to some improvement in global growth. Nevertheless, while encouraging, it is no time to celebrate just yet, with the global economy facing many risks and challenges and still set for below average growth in 2024. Moreover, the elevated level of concerns about costs suggests that the major central banks should proceed very cautiously with any monetary easing." IMA senior director of research and thought leadership, Susie Duong, concluded: "The continued improvement in confidence in North America, and the rise in the other indicators, likely reflects growing optimism that the U.S. economy is on course for a soft landing or perhaps no landing at all in 2024. That would clearly be welcome news for businesses, although it means we are likely to see less monetary easing by the Federal Reserve this year than investors expected a few months ago." "Accountants and finance professionals in Africa more confident in the global economy" was originally created and published by The Accountant, 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. ACT Inc., the Iowa City-based company widely known for its standardized college admissions test, is transitioning much of its operation to a for-profit "public benefit corporation" after more than 65 years as a non-profit. ACT is partnering with Nexus Capital Management, a California-based private equity firm, and "unifying" with Encoura, an educational "data science and research organization" owned by ACT, according to the company's website. The local company said the Nexus contributions will help students, educators, researchers and others. A "public benefit corporation" is focused on a "double bottom line of financial and social impact," according to ACT. "The need to prepare learners for success after high school for both college and work has never been higher, nor has the need to ensure that every learner has access to equitable college and career planning resources, guidance, and insights, ACT CEO Janet Godwin said in a statement. Partnering in this way will complement and amplify ACTs proven platform of education and work readiness solutions to support the needs of students, educators, and employers alike." ACT was created in 1959 in Iowa City by a University of Iowa duo. Education professor F. Lindquist and U of I registrar and director of admissions Ted McCarrel wanted to shake up the college admission testing industry by shifting focus toward academic achievements and away from strictly test-taking. More: Behind the story of The Wilder's Iowa Gold burger, one of the best in the state A sign for ACT is pictured Thursday, April 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. Partnership intends to enhance student preparation for college, careers The private equity investment with Nexus will provide ACT "with the scale and capital necessary to deliver on its promise of education and workplace success," ACT Board of Directors chairman Daniel Domenech said in the statement. A primary goal is to enhance "holistic readiness credentials and more precisely connect students and job seekers to institutions of higher education and employers." Specific details were not provided. ACT's for-profit model and new data analysis intend to "simplify and streamline" the college application process, which they feel will "better match employers with available talent, create new opportunities for upskilling mid- and late-career professionals." Some of the private equity money will be funneled to a yet-to-be-named non-profit organization headquartered in Iowa City that "will conduct programs, services, and research focused on education and workplace success." Student resources will not be impacted by the private equity transition. ACT has said testing prices will remain unchanged, and all services provided by its organization and Encoura will remain operational. Story continues "As a result of this investment, we will help more students be ready for their postsecondary paths and help more adults advance in their careers," Godwin said. More: Mayflower Residence Hall off the market, will again house students at reduced cost A car drives past ACTs facility Thursday, April 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. Private equity investment comes after year of downsizing ACT's Iowa City operation has shrunk considerably in the past year. It comes even as colleges and universities across the country have remained standardized test-optional in their admissions process, according to the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. Many students still opt to take the exams. The organization laid off 106 employees last summer, including 40 of the 310 people employed at the Iowa City location. Those cuts came after three straight years of operating losses in the millions. ACT was $12 million in the red in fiscal 2022 after posting more than $6 million in losses the previous year, CNN reported. The company lost $60.5 million in fiscal 2020, the Press-Citizen reported. ACT also announced it was shifting operations off-site and selling its sizeable east Iowa City campus, a cost-saving adaptation to employee behavior. Many of ACT's Iowa City campus employees are now working from home since the pandemic, following a national trend. Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01. This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City's ACT reveals for-profit model with private equity partner Amazon on Wednesday slashed layers of middle management in some of its customer service divisions as part of an organizational restructuring, Fortune has learned. The cuts affected more than 100 customer service managers working in Level 5 and Level 6 middle management positions both in call centers and virtually. Impacted employees worked mainly in either the U.S. or India. Some of the managers first realized something was up when their computer systems suddenly shut down during their workday, according to one source. "We have had more and more work added, 12-16 hour days, maximum stress to be cut free without a thought or a warning," one of those impacted by the cuts told Fortune. An Amazon spokesperson said that the restructuring was intended in part to shrink the distance between customers and customer service leaders. The layoffs impacted less than 1 percent of the global Amazon customer service workforce, the company said, but it was unclear what percentage of the customer service division's management team was impacted. As part of a shift in how our Worldwide Customer Service organization is structured, weve identified a relatively small number of roles that are no longer required," Amazon spokesperson Montana MacLachlan said in a statement. "We did not make these decisions lightly, and we are committed to supporting employees whose roles are affected during their transition." The affected US employees will receive pay and benefits for 60 days plus severance, the company said. The layoffs come two weeks after Amazon posted strong first-quarter financial results with more than $143 billion in revenue and $10 billion in profit. Amazon under CEO Andy Jassy has finally hit an inflection point where it can both invest heavily in long-term bets like generative AI while at the same time pumping out needle-moving profits. The company has reached this point, in part, due to Jassy's willingness to oversee the largest corporate layoffs in Amazon's history in recent years and demand that his leaders continually squeeze out excess costs wherever possible. Amazon divisions such as AWS, Prime Video, and Twitch have all cut hundreds of employees this year. Amazon has also worked this year to shift major logistics costs from its own books to those of third-party merchants in the form of new, controversial seller fees. "[W]e dont believe that were at the end of what we can do in terms of improving our cost structure on the store side," Jassy told Wall Street analysts during its earnings call last month. Story continues News of the customer service layoffs first surfaced in a LinkedIn post written by a former Amazon general manager named Tony Carr. Are you an Amazon manager impacted by these layoffs or an Amazon employee with thoughts on this topic or a tip to share? Contact Jason Del Rey at jason.delrey@fortune.com, jasondelrey@protonmail.com, or through secure messaging app Signal at 917-655-4267. You can also message him on LinkedIn or at @delrey on X. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Social Security isnt shattered, but its shaky. The new report on Social Security, which predicts that the combined retirement and disability trust fund reserves will go broke in 2035, has put more Americans on edge, especially those nearing retirement who are worrying about how much in benefits they can expect. The 2024 Social Security and Medicare trustees report projects insolvency one year later than last years estimate. That scarcely brighter outlook stems from the strong economy and wage growth, which has ramped up payroll tax payments that fund the program. For now, low unemployment has meant that more workers are adding to the program, even while a rising number of baby boomers begin to tap their benefits, the trustees said. The potential depletion of the fund does not, however, translate to an empty till. There will still be money to pay benefits at that stage though only 83% of whats been promised to current and future beneficiaries. In other words, without a fix, beneficiaries could see a 17% cut in benefits. Congress is painting itself into a corner on fixing Social Securitys pending insolvency, Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst, told Yahoo Finance. Failure to act on the program in time would lead to automatic benefit cuts. How widely would that cut be felt? The program paid nearly $1.4 trillion in benefits last year to about 67 million Americans. For about half of seniors, Social Security provides at least half of their income, and for about 1 in 4 seniors, it accounts for at least 90% of income. There are several solutions to fix the shortfall, including ratcheting up payroll taxes that fund the program, currently 12.4% split evenly by employees and employers. Other proposals include raising the retirement age for younger workers or lifting the cap on how much of a persons income is subject to the Social Security tax. For 2024, the Social Security tax limit is $168,600. Read more: How to find your 2024 Social Security COLA increase Social Security beneficiaries could see a 17% cut in benefits in 2035 if no changes are made to the system. (Getty Creative) (Douglas Sacha via Getty Images) Will Social Security be there for you? One of peoples greatest retirement fears is a reduction in or elimination of Social Security in the future, according to research from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. Seven in 10 people are concerned that Social Security will not be there for them when theyre ready to retire. And nearly 1 in 3 people rely on or expect to rely primarily on Social Security. I talked to several experts about the advice theyre giving their clients on planning for Social Security as part of their retirement income. Heres what they said: Story continues 1. Assume a reduced benefit Many planners said they already account for Social Securitys potential shortfall with their clients. I tell clients that this is just the latest projection that there will be reductions in current and future benefits for retirees, said Rob Williams, managing director of financial planning at Charles Schwab. The date moves, and the amounts move slightly, but the story hasn't changed the projections aren't that that suddenly benefits would stop, or Social Security would go away. Many workers, too, have thrown up their hands. In my conversation with clients, they're already assuming that they're not going to get anything from Social Security, Alvin Carlos, a certified financial planner and financial adviser at District Capital Management in Washington, D.C., said in an interview. I try to set their expectations that theyre still likely to get three-fourths of their benefit. But I encourage them to save more in their 401(k), IRA, or brokerage account. And we recommend that most clients wait until 70 years old to start collecting Social Security. It's basically an insurance against living until 95 or a hundred. My younger clients, probably 50 and younger, discuss it jokingly, but I'm actually serious when we do our planning because I'll tell them I'm not planning on getting Social Security, added Alanna Morey, a certified financial planner with Private Wealth Advisor at Ameriprise Financial, in Naples, Fla. So for those clients still in that accumulation phase, it's really about planning to assume that it's not really going to be a big part of your retirement picture. To me, it's better to do it that way and be over-prepared than under-prepared. Read more: What is the retirement age for Social Security, 401(k), and IRA withdrawals? One of peoples greatest retirement fears is a reduction in or elimination of Social Security in the future. (Getty Creative) (PeopleImages via Getty Images) 2. Save, invest, and dont claim early To reduce the stress you might have about whether Social Security will be there for you, take ownership by saving and investing, and start as young as you can, Williams added. The responsibility is on each of us to make a plan, then save and ideally invest to build a nest egg. Control what you can control saving and investing are those things. All the planners I spoke with agreed that fears of losing Social Security could be a driver for people to file for benefits as soon as theyre eligible at age 62. The problem: Claiming benefits early will drastically reduce your monthly check. Its not advisable. News like Social Security running out and the emotions that we all face, it's natural to then emotionally make a decision, Williams said. There is this feeling I hear from clients: I want to get the money while I can before it runs out, or I need to because they're really going to mess this up. A better course, he tells clients, is to think long term. Stop, pause, step back for a moment, absorb those emotions, and then come up with a more reasonable plan that isn't driven by emotions, he said. He suggests that people aim for their full retirement age. Thats 67 if you were born in 1960 or later. If you could wait until age 70, great. That takes discipline, but the longer you wait, the higher benefit payment will last for the rest of your life, he said. Not everyone has an option to delay Social Security. For example, workers with highly physical jobs may not be able to postpone retirement and their benefits due to physical issues, so they take Social Security as soon as they can. (Dan Dunkley via Getty Images) 3. Delay Social Security only if you can Waiting until age 70 is great advice for Americans who are in good health and have other sources of income. But some people may have no choice out of necessity. This week, I received an email from a reader who drove this point home for me. He had read my column about how most Americans expect to retire from full-time work at 62 and why I thought it was a terrible idea. He wrote: A lot of us do not want to retire early but have no choice. My story is typical of those of us working in the trades or other highly physical jobs in that we can no longer do the work we are doing due to physical decline. So we take our Social Security as soon as we are able. And many, again, like me, would like to go back to work but are told we are not qualified for anything but the jobs we just quit and are too old for starting positions in nonphysical types of work. He urged me to take into account the numbers of people who do not have the luxury of working in an office their entire lives and have no choice but to retire early. Hes spot on. Congress has less than a decade to fix the shortfall millions of Americans like this man face. Lets hope they finally get serious. Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist, and the author of 14 books, including "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work" and "Never Too Old To Get Rich." Follow her on X @kerryhannon. Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. A record number of Arkansans are working, todays unemployment report reveals. The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services and the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that Arkansas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped from 3.5% in March to 3.4% in April. In contrast, the national unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percentage point, reaching 3.9% from March to April. The state has gained 24,100 jobs compared to the same month last year and added over 13,000 jobs between March and April alone. Under President Bidens failed leadership, our national economy is dragging, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a press release. Blue states are shrinking, but Arkansas is roaring ahead. Of the bottom 25 states in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics April 2024 unemployment rate report, 15 are blue. Arkansas unemployment rates keeps dropping in April jobs report, jobs at record high The Governor attributed the job growth in Arkansas to the states strong workforce, low taxes, and pro-business environment, expressing a commitment to further policies that support all Arkansans, including a gradual elimination of the state income tax to increase take-home pay. Companies are investing and creating jobs across Arkansas. Since mid-March, Zekelman Industries invested $120 million in Blytheville, creating 90 jobs; Americold expanded in Russellville with $90 million, adding 30 jobs; Bekaert invested $14.5 million in Van Buren, creating 38 jobs; and Tractor Supply opened a $175 million facility in Maumelle, creating 500 jobs, according to a press release from the Governors office. In spite of poor economic policy from the Biden Administration, controlled spending and strong fiscal management by Governor Sanders and the General Assembly are yielding positive results in Arkansas, Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson said in a press release. Hudson said the state can anticipate a significant revenue surplus and ongoing progress in reducing taxes for Arkansans. Governor Sanders is fulfilling her promise to cut taxes while continuing to invest in the state and grow Arkansas record reserve funds. Since January 2023, she and the General Assembly have implemented two income tax cuts, lowering the top individual rate from 4.9% to 4.4% and the corporate rate from 5.3% to 4.8%. Arkansas budget surplus projections for this year soared from $240.5 million to $708.1 million. Credit rating agency S&P upgraded the states outlook from stable to positive. Arkansas is now one of only six states to receive a positive outlook rating from S&P. Story continues 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 KNWA FOX24. Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock has been unstoppable over the past few years, thanks to the company's key role in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). The tech giant makes graphics processing units (GPUs) that power crucial AI tasks, such as the training and inferencing of large language models. Then these models go on to do their job of completing complex tasks. Nvidia holds 80% of the AI chip market because its GPUs are the fastest around, and that's translated into explosive earnings performance. The company's quarterly earnings have surpassed analysts' estimates in at least the past four quarters. And revenue and net income have climbed in the triple and even quadruple digits in recent quarters -- well into the billions of dollars. So it's no surprise the stock has soared more than 200% over the past year. Considering all of this, should you rush out to buy Nvidia stock before its May 22 earnings report? Image source: Getty Images. Nvidia's transition from gaming to AI First, here's a look at Nvidia's earnings path so far. A few years back, the company generated most of its revenue from the video game industry, with the GPU bringing games to life on the screen. But the GPU's ability to process multiple tasks at a time made it clear that this chip could score a big win in other industries, too. Nvidia created CUDA, a parallel computing platform that brings the GPU to general computing -- and that opened the door to AI. Since then, Nvidia has progressively grown revenue from its data center business -- which includes its AI offerings -- and this now represents the company's biggest source of growth and revenue. In the most recent quarter, data center revenue soared more than 400% year over year to a record $18.4 billion. That's on total revenue of about $22 billion (also a record) and significantly more than gaming revenue of $2.9 billion. In addition to GPUs, Nvidia offers a wide range of products and services, including a growing cloud software platform that streamlines the development of a company's AI applications. Potential customers can gain access to all of this through the world's major cloud providers -- so it's easy for a business to learn about what Nvidia has to offer and get started. Nvidia versus the competition It's true that Nvidia faces increasing competition from rivals, such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, which both have announced new high-performing chips in recent times. Intel even said its latest innovation -- the Gaudi 3 AI accelerator -- beat the performance and price of Nvidia's H100. Partners also are challenging Nvidia. For example, Amazon's Amazon Web Services (AWS), sells Nvidia products and its own in-house developed training and inference chips. These players probably will gain some market share, but Nvidia still has what it takes to dominate the market and keep those looking for a premium chip coming back. This is due to the company's first-to-market advantage, along with its reputation for top performance and ongoing innovation. Later this year, the company plans to release its Blackwell architecture, including six new technologies -- and this includes the most powerful chip yet. Even though competition may be getting tougher, it's not likely to unseat Nvidia. Now let's take a look at what to expect from the company's earnings report next week. Earlier, Nvidia forecast first-quarter 2025 revenue of about $24 billion, which represents an increase of more than 200% year over year. The GAAP gross margin forecast of 76.3% also shows a great leap from the prior period, when GAAP gross margin was 64.6%. One factor that may represent a headwind is the U.S. government's restriction on sales of AI chips to China. Nvidia has designed a new chip to fit government specifications, but it's not yet clear if such a product will take off. Is Nvidia a buy? Let's get back to our question: Should you buy Nvidia before the May 22 earnings report? Not necessarily. As a long-term investor, you won't gain or lose much if Nvidia shares make even a double-digit move following the report. This sort of move won't stand out in the performance of Nvidia stock over five or 10 years -- your minimum holding period. This is great because it takes the pressure off ahead of events such as earnings reports and means you don't have to rush into an investing decision. That said, I'm optimistic about Nvidia's future, thanks to its solid market position, its focus on innovation, and the fact that the general AI story is in its early days. It's a great idea to buy Nvidia -- before or after May 22. Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now? Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Nvidia wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $579,803!* Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of May 13, 2024 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Adria Cimino has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends Intel and recommends the following options: long January 2025 $45 calls on Intel and short May 2024 $47 calls on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Should You Buy Nvidia Stock Before May 22? was originally published by The Motley Fool Cape Cod Hospital has agreed to pay more than $24.3 million to resolve allegations that it did not follow Medicare cardiac procedure rules, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Investigators found that the hospital's physicians did not perform patient evaluations for transcatheter aortic valve replacements, a procedure known as TAVR that involves replacing a patient's damaged heart valve with an artificial one, in compliance with the rules for Medicare reimbursement. From November 2015 to December 2022, Cape Cod Hospital knowingly submitted "hundreds of claims to Medicare for TAVR procedures that did not comply with the applicable NCD (National Coverage Determination) requirements," according to the settlement, meaning the hospital submitted millions of dollars of false claims to Medicare in violation of the False Claims Act. What did Cape Cod Hospital do wrong, according to U.S. Attorney? In some cases, not enough physicians evaluated a patient's suitability for the procedure while other times physicians did not document and share their findings with the medical team responsible for the TAVR procedure. Medicare permitted coverage for this newly developed cardiac procedure only under certain conditions, to ensure patient safety. 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, said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts in a statement. This investigation and settlement ensure that patient safety is prioritized over a hospitals bottom line. In a statement, Cape Cod Hospital noted that the settlement did not allege that patients who received TAVR procedures were harmed or that Cape Cod Hospital billed Medicare for procedures that were not performed. Many of the physicians who provided the services at issue are no longer employed by or contracted to provide services at the hospital, according to the hospital. Cape Cod Hospital has since "augmented its documentation practices and believes its Heart Team clinicians, which now include talented cardiac surgeons from Beth Israel Lahey Health, provide outstanding medical care in compliance with all applicable Medicare requirements." In a statement, Bruce Johnston, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, praised the leadership of CEO Michael Lauf and his management team and highlighted the upcoming Edwin Barbey Patient Care Pavilion, which he said will house a new cancer center, consolidate the hospital's cardiology programs, and add 32 new medical and surgical beds to address demand. Story continues "Though it is unfortunate to be in this situation, the Board of Trustees remains confident in and supportive of the organizations leadership. During Michael Laufs tenure, Cape Cod Hospital has been recognized numerous times for its excellent care and has significantly enhanced its operational and financial position," said Johnston. "We look forward to a bright and strong future under the continued leadership of Mike Lauf and his management team. Richard Zelman is a former Cape Cod Hospital cardiologist who will received approximately $4.36 million as the whistleblower in the Medicare case, according to his attorney. 'Largest-ever False Claims Act' settlement, attorney says Richard Zelman is a former Cape Cod Hospital cardiologist who founded and ran the hospital's TAVR program. He filed a lawsuit against the hospital in 2022 alleging he was fired after blowing the whistle on what he called the hospital's unethical practices prioritizing profit over patient care. Zelman will receive approximately $4.36 million of the settlement as the whistleblower. On his website, Zelman's attorney, Gregg Shapiro, called the settlement amount the "largest-ever False Claims Act recovery from a Massachusetts hospital." "Dr. Zelman is gratified that the government conducted a thorough investigation and that the case has been successfully resolved," said Shapiro. What will Cape Cod Hospital have to do? Cape Cod Hospital has also entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, which provides for an annual review of its paid Medicare claims by an independent review organization, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Cape Cod Healthcare, based in Hyannis, operates two acute care hospitals, Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital, along with a homecare and hospice agency, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, an assisted living facility and a number of health programs. The hospital no longer has a contract with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, which had partnered with Cape Cod Hospitals open-heart program since its inception in 2002. The hospital has been affiliated with Beth Israel Lahey Health since 2022. Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on X @zanerazz. The Cape Cod Times is providing this coverage for free as a public service. Please take a moment to support local journalism by subscribing. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: False cardiac procedure Medicare claims by Cape Cod Hospital cost $24M The latest example of such a sweet gift is Audrey Azoulay's decision to transfer an employee named Lily Neyestani from France to the UNESCO office in Ramallah, Palestine. It would seem, who will be inspired by this? But there are nuances. Azoulay considers UNESCO almost private property, with all the ensuing consequences. Employees close to it, performing certain services, receive something as a reward for loyalty, the publication notes. Journalists managed to dub these rewards sweets from Audrey Azoulays confectionery shop. Many international structures are experiencing serious internal problems, this is a fact. But there are some once most authoritative world organisations that have turned into something more reminiscent of a cheap village shop. Yes, we are talking about UNESCO. The American publication Inner City Press published sensational facts about how the Director General of UNESCO, the French woman Audrey Azoulay, turned UNESCO into a hotbed of corruption, intrigue, and dubious gifts for equally dubious services. The fact is that Neyestani is the mistress of Nicolas Kassianides, Azoulays right hand. Kassianides headed her apparatus, and after Neyestani received a good position in Paris, Kassianides completely left his family and began to live openly with Lily Neyestani in a luxury apartment in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Everything changed when Kassianides was appointed Consul General of France in Jerusalem in 2023. Azoulay did not forget her protege - and UNESCO employee Lily Neyestani found herself transferred to the UNESCO office in Ramallah, just 20 minutes from Kassianides office. Very nice of her, she didnt forget all the dirty work that Kassianides once did for Azoulay! - journalists note ironically. They tried to resist this manoeuvre by Azula within the organisation. UNESCO Deputy Director General for External Relations Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah from Ghana refused to approve the transfer of Lily Neyestani, and it cost him his head. This week he was notified that he would be fired no later than the end of June. In the end, Ohemeng-Boama approved the transfer of the desired mistress - but he was still fired in May 2024, the publication emphasises. Corruption at UNESCO is rampant at all levels. Inner City Press notes that, in another scandal, Audrey Azoulay was involved with UNESCO Legal Director Santiago Villalpando. He pushed through Azoulay to appoint his own wife, Marina Zilberman, to UNESCO. In return, Villalpando provided Azula with support in making internal decisions within the organisation. It was a very good deal, considering that most of these decisions relate to the allocation of money for certain projects, and his wife ended up working for the organisation in the financial department! "Under Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO's core mission has shifted towards Prada and the Cannes Film Festival. Fortunately, its mandate is coming to an end next year, and this is the only truly comforting and inspiring news for both UNESCO staff and the countries that care about the future of this once powerful organisation. This is where UNESCO is today, a UN agency ravaged by financial embezzlement, abuse, and corruption thanks to Audrey Azoulay!" - the publication concludes. New York Technology bleeds into every sector, everywhere, meaning anyone, anywhere, can build a world-bettering business and profit en route. That wasnt always true. For ages, geography was destiny. Success meant going to where industry and capital were. Think of the Industrial Revolution spurring urban influxes, Britain was the place to be. Or America, long dubbed the Land of Opportunity. But now opportunity is everywhere and anywhere: London. Lichfield. Birmingham or Bath. For anyone. Yes, you too. When I began managing money professionally over 50 years ago, location was key. It was New York or... well, nowhere really. In the 1970s and 1980s, business builders flocked to Californias Silicon Valley where myriad technology companies blossomed in a modern gold rush. Bankers, eager to cash in, followed. Sand Hill Road became the worlds venture capital (VC) epicentre. Specialty investment banks made fortunes underwriting tech company stock market listings for startup Davids that became Goliaths. The nouveau riche needed lawyers, accountants and wealth management hence, other firms (like mine) followed. In 1979, I launched my firm in Woodside, California, on Silicon Valleys outskirts, in my basement with nothing. No fancy office. No hifalutin degree. But it was the Land of Opportunity. All that money sloshing around meant loads of people needing help building the financial future they dreamt of while I built my firm. There were oceans of opportunity vastly more than were in Alabama, Albania or St. Albans. But since then everything has changed. Financial services fully globalised. My firm has offices spanning four continents, including in Londons Canary Wharf, and clients worldwide. Our home base is now Dallas, Texas one of many burgeoning US tech and finance hubs. VC funding has soared in America but elsewhere, too. It is estimated that over 90pc of 2011s global VC financing was in America, half from California. By 2023? More VC funding flowed outside America than inside. The UK ranks third globally in total VC investment, behind only America and China. Now, with giants like Amazon funding startups, you may not even need traditional VC investment. The same goes for private equity (PE) money. Most leading PE firms are fully global (unlike 10 years ago) providing capital banks never did. Google private equity London and see what happens. There is a steady staircase of financing opportunities from teensy to gargantuan. Hence, you have seen the UKs privately-backed unicorn herd (companies with a valuation of 1bn-plus) grow to 160 easily Europes largest. Britains first unicorn, ARM, re-floated in New York last year after being taken private in 2016. Story continues Ignore headlines touting a VC and PE winter. Yes, UK VC fundraising slid more than 30pc in 2023. But that was off 2021 and 2022s insane highs. Instead, consider this despite 2023s dip and mild UK recession, its 21.3bn in VC funding was the UKs third-highest ever 24pc above 2019 levels and more than six times 2013s 2.9bn. Short-term wiggles are a part of any market especially with start-ups. (Note: This is likely also behind the London Stock Exchanges alleged listing woes.) Data illustrates that point. The UK saw 868,040 new business incorporations in 2023, up nearly 84,000 from a weak 2022. Q1 2024 incorporations rose a similarly strong 10.2pc year-over-year. Moreover, while the Heritage Foundations Index of Economic Freedom is a flawed gauge, the UK gets near-identical marks to America. Barriers beyond geography are falling, too. In the US, record numbers of women and minorities launched PE firms in 2023. This year, that should top 1,000 10 times 10 years ago. In the UK, female-founded new businesses totalled 164,000 in 2023 up 26pc from 2019. Doors are opening fast. Have an idea? The internet lets you find funding from your couch. World Bank data show 97pc of the UKs population is online, edging Americas 92pc and OECD nations combined 87pc. That is means and market. Britains online business registration process via Companies House is amongst the easiest and cheapest globally even after Mays fee increase to 50. Yes, that frictionlessness attracts some fraudsters but the benefits vastly outweigh the risks. Business operations, tech support, legal advice, tax help and more can be handled remotely, too and cheaper than ever. Harness it. Then build. Let your actions better your customers and employees lives. Anyone can do it, anywhere. Yes, most UK startup investment is in London. But VC investment is growing rapidly in Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow and elsewhere. Opportunity is nationwide. Use it. Few will have the guts to do so better for you. Profits are the payoff. Capitalisms beauty is the decentralised harnessing of creativity. Its mantra: you never know what succeeds until you try. Yes, you may fail. But failure isnt fatal. I failed for 10 years before succeeding. It is how you learn the churn is healthy and persistence pays off. The barriers to entry are broken. What is stopping you? Ken Fisher founded Fisher Investments and built a fortune estimated at $6.3bn. He writes a monthly column for Telegraph Money. 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. General Motors and LG are establishing a $150 million fund to compensate Chevrolet Bolt owners after a faulty battery caused some of the electric vehicles to burst into flames. The $150 million is part of a legal settlement between GM and Bolt owners who filed a class-action suit against the Michigan automaker in 2020 for allegedly selling them a vehicle with a defective battery. Bolt owners who installed special software that GM offered to fix the battery issue can receive $1,400 from the fund, according to court documents filed late Thursday in Michigan. Bolt owners who sold their car before that date, or drivers who leased the Bolt before then, are eligible for a $700 payment, according to the documents. "GM, LG Energy Solution and LG Electronics have agreed to a settlement with plaintiffs to resolve class-action litigation related to the Bolt EV battery recall," GM said in a statement on Friday. "As a result, Bolt owners who received a battery replacement or who have installed the latest advanced diagnostic software may qualify for compensation." GM partnered with subsidiaries of South Korea-based electronics company LG to create the batteries used in the Bolt, which debuted in 2015. In the following years, drivers noticed their cars would spontaneously catch fire, leading to owners to file complaints about the problel with GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. GM traced the fires to a manufacturing defect in the battery modules, which the automaker said caused a short in the battery cell. Some of the incidents took place in Bolts with battery cells made in South Korea, while other fires came from cells made at a LG plant in Michigan. In 2021, GM recalled all Bolts worldwide. GM sold just under 25,000 Bolts in the U.S. before telling dealers to stop selling them. The company ceased production of the vehicle in December of 2023, a major financial and reputational blow for GM as automakers raced to enter the electric vehicle market. The automaker has spent $1.8 billion recalling the Bolt because of its battery issues. The Bolt was one of GM's first all-electric vehicles, second only to the Spark EV, which debuted in June 2013. Since then, GM has rolled out an electric Hummer, Chevrolet Silverado and Cadillac Lyriq. GM has said it plans to stop manufacturing gas-powered cars by 2035 and will spend $35 billion to roll out more than 30 new EVs globally by 2025, including about 20 in North America. By the end of the decade, GM expects to generate $90 billion in additional annual revenue from EVs. Behind the wheel of a $3 million car The plan for a new California city Building a medieval castle from scratch By Liangping Gao and Clare Jim BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) -China announced "historic" steps on Friday to stabilise its crisis-hit property sector, with the central bank facilitating 1 trillion yuan ($138 billion) in extra funding and easing mortgage rules, and local governments set to buy "some" apartments. Investors hoped the measures marked the beginning of more decisive government intervention to compensate for waning demand for new and old apartments, to slow down falling prices and to reduce a growing stock of unsold homes. Analysts have long called for the government to step in with its own purchases to prop up a sector which at its peak accounted for a fifth of GDP and remains a major drag on the world's second-biggest economy. Since the property market began its steep downturn in 2021, a string of developers have defaulted, leaving scores of idle construction sites behind, and sapping confidence in what had for decades been the preferred savings instrument for the Chinese population. China Real Estate Newspaper, a publication managed by the housing ministry, said the "heavyweight policies" marked "a significant historic moment" for the sector. China's CSI 300 Real Estate index of shares jumped 9.1% on the announcements. "It's a bold step," said Raymond Yeung, chief Greater China economist at ANZ of the measures. "The biggest problem is whether the government purchase programme will induce private sector demand. Clearing inventory will increase cashflow to developers and help their financial stability, but it does not address private sector confidence." After waves of support measures over the past two years failed to put a floor under the property sector, China's housing ministry said local governments can instruct state-owned firms to buy "some" homes at "reasonable" prices. Municipal financing vehicles, blamed for what Beijing calls "hidden debt," won't be allowed to buy. The homes would be used to provide affordable housing, Vice Premier He Lifeng said, without giving a timeline or a target for the purchases. He also said local governments, already some $9 trillion in debt, can repurchase land sold to developers, and promised that authorities will "fight hard" to complete stalled projects. LARGE INVENTORY China's central bank said it would set up a relending facility for affordable housing that it says would result in 500 billion yuan worth of bank financing. It would also further lower mortgage interest rates and downpayment requirements. Story continues Additionally, it would make another 500 billion yuan available in its pledged supplementary lending facility to support policies including the redevelopment of some urban areas with older dwellings. Officials did not provide an estimate of the total cost of state-directed housing purchases. Goldman Sachs estimates saleable housing inventory at 13.5 trillion yuan at the end of 2023. There were 391 million square metres (4.2 billion square feet) of new housing for sale in January-April, up 24% year-on-year, the latest official data show. Analysts at Tianfeng Securities estimate it will cost around $1 trillion to buy the entire stock. "The policies on clearing inventory are considered quite powerful compared to all previous ones," said a senior executive at a defaulted Shanghai-based developer, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic. "Psychologically, it'd let investors think the government is 'paying the bill', and it is shifting the risks from property to banks and local governments." Since the property market soured in 2021, China has lowered interest rates and down payments, while most cities have eased or removed prior purchase restrictions. A whitelist developer funding programme for project completion is also struggling to get traction. And a campaign flagged by Chinese authorities at a key political meeting last month to encourage people to replace their old apartments with new ones is off to a poor start. Longer-term questions about housing demand persist in a country facing a severe demographic downturn and where 96% of households already own at least one home. POOR DATA The stock market's upbeat market reaction to the new measures contrasted with the harsh reality on the ground, highlighted by poor housing data earlier on Friday and a Hong Kong court hearing of a petition seeking the liquidation of embattled developer Country Garden. The hearing was adjourned for June 11. Another major developer, China Evergrande Group, was ordered to be liquidated in January. New home prices fell for a 10th consecutive month in April, by 0.6% month-on-month, the fastest decline since November 2014. Separate data showed property investment in the first four months of 2024 falling 9.8% from a year earlier. Property sales by floor area in January-April logged a 20.2% slide year-on-year, while new construction starts fell 24.6%. Funds raised by developers were also down 24.9% year-on-year. "Record high housing inventory and liquidity pressure on developers threaten financial stability ... and the still frail economic recovery," said Rocky Fan, economist at Guolian Securities. "The policies seem to be designed to prevent further fallout of the property crisis, but it will take time to reverse the downward trend." ($1 = 7.2235 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Liangping Gao, Ella Cao and Ryan Woo in Beijing and Clare Jim in Hong Kong; Writing by Marius ZahariaEditing by Shri Navaratnam and Susan Fenton) BYD Seal. The US government has said it will increase the border tax on Chinese-made electric vehicles from 25% to 100% in a move that President Biden hopes will halt the threat that more affordable EVs pose to its domestic carmakers. Chinese EVs imported to the US prior to the updated tariffs already face a 25% tax, alongside an additional 2.5% that affect any foreign vehicle import, taking the total to 27.5%, which means sticker prices of China-made vehicles in the US are competitive but not as cheap as many have feared. Take the upcoming Volvo EX30, as an example, which was due to go on sale in the US for $35,000 (around 28,000 / AU$52,500) later this year, undercutting the Tesla Model Y by around $8,000 (about 6,000 / AU$12,000). But its price tag will rise to $54,000 (around 43,000 / AU$81,000) under the new guidelines, according to Electrek, thanks to its production and assembly in China by Chinese parent company Geely. President Bidens move appears to be in direct response to mounting pressure from domestic automakers, which have voiced their concern about the threat of cheap Chinese electric vehicles "flooding" the market. Earlier this year, the president even opened a Commerce Department investigation to look at the technology embedded in Chinese imports and whether data handled by the firms could pose a risk to national security. Volvo EX30 In addition to electric vehicles, the US government has also sought to increase tariffs on a number of other products hailing from China, including semiconductors, which will face an increase from 25% to 50% by 2025, as well as lithium batteries and critical minerals, which will rise from 7.5% to 25% in 2024. Both of these things are essential to the manufacturing of modern electric vehicles, even those designed and built in the USA. With this in mind, North American buyers could find that the price of even those electric vehicles manufactured on home soil, as well as many other pieces of consumer tech, could also become more expensive in the near future thanks to the new tariffs. According to the BBC, China's commerce ministry said the new moves would "severely affect the atmosphere for bilateral cooperation, with a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry saying it "will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests". Analysis: will other markets follow suit? Zeekr X When reporting on the recent tariff increases, Electrek made the astute observation that only two EVs currently on sale in the US are made in China: the Geely-owned Polestar 2 EV and the Volvo S90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid, with the aforementioned Volvo EX30 slated to go on sale later this year. Story continues Its not exactly the image of a "flooded market" that those in the White house continue to paint, while many industry experts believe that further tax breaks and incentives for domestic electric vehicle manufacturers would be a much better way to increase competition and ensure a fair playing field. Erica York, senior economist at the Tax Foundation, told the BBC that both Biden and his closest rival, Donald Trump, were "heading down the same path" of higher barriers to trade and looking inward "rather than looking at what we can do on the policy front that would actually make our sectors more competitive. Given that one of Chinas biggest EV-makers, BYD, has said on numerous occasions that it doesnt plan to enter the US market, it will be more telling to see what happens in some of the larger markets, such as Europe, where the likes of BYD, Zeekr, Always and Nio are already establishing a name for themselves. Late last year, an EU Commission was set up to investigate alleged subsidies for Chinese automakers and the results of its findings could lead to the European Union imposing similar punitive tariffs in order to protect its own automotive industry. If this is the case, it means that not only will the consumer be forced into paying higher prices for new electric vehicles, but the knock-on effect will also likely be a general slowing in the uptake of EVs and another bump in the road towards a reduction in global carbon emissions. You might also like According to Apparel Impact Institute (Aii)'s Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zero (2024) report, the apparel and footwear industry has experienced modest progress, including: Apparel sector emissions are estimated to be 0.879 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in 2022. This represents roughly 1.85% of annual global GHG emissions. Industry emissions have decreased by 1.17% from the 2023 Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zero figures. Over 500 apparel, footwear, and textiles companies have approved science-based targets or commitments, a promising uptick compared to only a handful of companies a few years ago. Material processing (Tier 2) accounted for the highest emissions across the value chain at 55%, followed by raw materials (Tier 4) at 21%, raw materials processing (15%), and finished goods assembly (9%). The report found that apparel companies across the globe and the entire value chain now have a clear understanding of emission hotspots and are investing in both technical and financial resources to reduce them. Despite these efforts, the report's authors stressed the need for taking action. Assuming business-as-usual growth for the apparel sector, emissions are projected to reach 1.243 Gt by 2030. The report further warned that achieving such a significant reduction won't happen overnight and cannot be attributed to the actions of a single organisation. It said collaboration is key to making substantial progress in industry-wide emissions reductions. Lewis Perkins, president & CEO of Apparel Impact Institute, highlighted the apparel and footwear industrys significant role in the global climate crisis, responsible for approximately 1.85% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. Perkins said: "Turning the tides in favour of environmental advancement will require continuous improvement, comprehensive reporting, transparency, and deep commitment from all stakeholders. Aiis annual Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zero refresh provides us with a glimmer of hope as several of the report highlights show that progress is being made; however, we cannot sit comfortably." He advised building on this momentum and accelerating efforts, as greater action is required to further reduce the industry's contribution to climate change. Aii explained that the Roadmap to Net Zero report and its updates serve as a reliable and transparent source of truth for the industry, enabling effective action. This years report acknowledges the "ongoing decarbonisation challenges" faced by stakeholders across the apparel industry, including brands, manufacturers, financial institutions, and NGOs. It calls for collective action to implement effective solutions and accelerate progress toward achieving net-zero emissions. Story continues Is the attention on 'climate change' waning? Company filings data shared by GlobalData revealed that conversations around the keyword 'climate change' peaked in 2022 with 164 mentions but dropped to just 23 in 2024. Despite this decline, 'climate change' remained the most-mentioned theme from 2021 to 2024, followed by 'emissions' and 'climate', which earned 19 mentions each. Credit: GlobalData Although the data suggests a waning buzz around climate change, retailers in the apparel industry are still actively taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints. For instance, last year in August, Danish apparel brand Bestseller collaborated with Maersk Eco Delivery, participating in the maiden voyage of the first methanol-powered container vessel. Bestseller explained that the bio-methanol used was sourced from bio-mass waste, resulting in a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional fossil fuels. Moreover, the European Outdoor Group (EOG), along with the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) and 10 EOG members, completed an audit of its long-term Carbon Reduction Project. This initiative aims to strategise on reducing current emissions levels, demonstrating a continued commitment to addressing climate change within the industry. "In Data: Are carbon emissions actually going down in the apparel sector?" was originally created and published by Just Style, 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. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, made a phone call to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on May 17, Azernews reports. President Ilham Aliyev congratulated Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on his birthday, wishing him good health and every success in his endeavors as head of state. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev thanked the Azerbaijani leader for the attention and congratulations. During the phone conversation, they emphasized that high-level reciprocal visits contribute to further strengthening bilateral cooperation and highlighted the importance of the recent visit of the President of Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan. The heads of state expressed confidence that the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan will continue to develop successfully and exchanged views on the prospects of cooperation and future contacts. A group of developers who say the state reneged on a deal to sell them a prime piece of real estate between State Street and the Boise River have turned to the Idaho Supreme Court, asking it to act urgently to restore the deal. Both sides have presented arguments to the high court over the sale of the 44-acre Idaho Transportation Department campus, with the state saying the sale agreement was never signed and the developers are out of luck. The state argues that it is not required to go through with the sale and no longer wants to classify the ITD campus as surplus property. The developers allege that by using appropriations bills to block the sale, the Legislature violated the Idaho Constitution and century-old case law that prohibits the use of appropriations bills to alter other state laws. The developers asked the Idaho Supreme Court to issue an extraordinary order, bypassing the usual trial courts, and to expedite the case. The developers contend speed is needed because the dispute could affect the budgets of the two state agencies involved with the sale in the fiscal year starting July 1, and because the Legislature made the cancellation of the sale effective immediately. The Legislature battled for months over the sale of the ITD campus on State Street, shown here. Did Legislature overstep on ITD sale? The developers, Boise-based Hawkins Cos. and The Pacific Cos. and Utah-based FJ Management, had believed the $51.8 million sale of the state-owned property was virtually a done deal until the Legislature stepped in. The developers planned to build over 2,000 homes and about 150,000 square feet of commercial space after a 2022 flood damaged the campus at 3311 W. State St. After several attempts, lawmakers opposed to the sale were finally successful in April when they squeezed through two budget bills that revoked the Department of Administrations authority to sell the ITD campus. While some operations remained on the campus, ITD was set to move to the former Hewlett-Packard Campus on Chinden Boulevard, which the state now owns, and had already spent millions of dollars on the relocation, according to the developers. Lawmakers led by House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, argued against the sale. They said it would deprive the state of needed property and that the state didnt get enough money for it. The developers said the agreed-upon price of $51.8 million was $13 million over the states own appraisal. This map shows a potential site plan from the developers for the ITD campus with commercial development at the top, affordable housing at bottom right, apartments in the center, and homes for sale at left. Moyle also said the proposed development would bring more money into Boises urban renewal agency, the Capital City Development Corp., because the site falls within the agencys newest district along State Street. Story continues CCDC collects the increases in property tax revenue within its districts to fund more projects. It would keep collecting that revenue through 2042 when the district expires. No other taxing jurisdictions would share in the increased revenue until then. Gov. Brad Little neither signed nor vetoed the two budget bills. The legislation unfairly cancels an agreed-upon sales process, causing future reputational risk for the state of Idaho, Little wrote in a letter to the Idaho House. But by choosing to do neither, Little allowed the bills to become law. Developers argue against shadow amendments The bills revoked the Department of Administrations ability to sell the property and directed $32.5 million to ITD to repair the campus and move back in. The developers petition, filed by Boise development lawyer Hethe Clark, argues that the two provisions should be voided as they are not strictly budget-related and go against established processes outlining the process for selling surplus state property. Of course, the Idaho Legislature is in the position of authorizing all appropriations and controls agency spending, according to the petition. This does not, however, mean that the Idaho Legislature may use an appropriations bill to perform a shadow amendment of general law; instead all appropriations bills must be consistent with and cannot amend general law. This has been the law in Idaho for more than a century. They developers say the underlying law that specifies how to sell state-owned property should be honored. The Department of Administration is stuck between two competing legal mandates that cannot co-exist, the developers say. ITDs campus along State Street is in the center of a battle between a group of developers and the state of Idaho after lawmakers scrapped plans to sell the property. ITD campus no longer surplus property In a brief filed Wednesday, the state replied that while state law outlines how to handle such property, it doesnt require the state to sell it. (The statute) directed the Department of Administration to commence sale procedures, and the department complied, but nothing in the text requires the department to complete a sale it does not want to complete, according to the states brief from Attorney General Raul Labradors solicitor general, Alan Hurst. The developers and the Department of Administration negotiated the sale and exchanged several versions of the purchase-and-sale agreement, but it is undisputed that they never reached an agreement, according to the brief. Part of the developers argument was that there is no way to un-surplus property once the process to sell it has begun. The state takes aim at this, saying that the law guides the process for the Department of Administration to start a sale but doesnt force it to complete the sale. The Legislature passed a surplus statute, not a fire-sale statute, according to the brief. It did not mean to deny the state the flexibility assumed by every ordinary real estate seller. Whats next Hurst urged the high court to reject the developers request for a writ, or order, prohibiting the appropriations bills provisions from taking effect. Rejection likely would leave the developers to sue the traditional way in district court, leading to a trial through a much lengthier process than the expedited writ would provide. ITD and the Department of Administration asked Wednesday for a one-week time extension to submit their formal answers, which the high court on Thursday had yet to grant. Moyle and the House of Representatives petitioned to be added to the lawsuit as interested parties to defend the constitutionality of the budget bills. The court on May 1 told the developers that they would have one week to respond to the states brief. The court said it would set a date for oral arguments at its discretion. Idaho lawmakers nixed the sale of ITDs campus in Boise. The developers have responded ACHD makes a surprise purchase: a new home. Where the agency will move, and at what cost Boise development would add 3,500 homes. Why staff analysts say its a bad deal Multistory apartment building could come to this busy Boise Bench area. Are you ready? The future of Europe's economy hinges on the ability to effectively support and finance small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which form a remarkable 99% of the economic landscape, employ roughly 100 million people, and account for more than half of the continents GDP. On top of their sheer numbers, SMEs are central to the EUs twin transition to a sustainable and digital economy, and are already working to provide innovative continent-wide solutions to challenges like climate change, resource efficiency and social cohesion and help spread this innovation throughout Europes various regions. SME barriers to accessing finance Despite playing such an undeniably essential economic role in both quantitative and qualitative terms, these SMEs continue to face significant barriers in accessing the financing they need to properly grow and innovate. Fixing this doesnt demand the invention of new financial solutions and policies as it does the strengthening and improvement of current strategies. In other words, ensuring the prosperity and resilience of SMEs and, by extension, the entire European economy, does not require us to reinvent the wheel. The solutions SMEs need are remarkably straightforward and already exist. They just need to be adjusted to work better. What weve learned about SMEs banking needs just by asking This spring CapitalBox conducted a survey among Finnish SME decision makers to determine how they feel about the current digital banking landscape and how it could be improved to better suit their needs. We surveyed decision makers across industries, including construction, hospitality and food services, agriculture and forestry, real estate, and health and social services. The results were startling in their directness, and in how they laid bare the gap between current reality and the ideal scenarios for growth. It was immediately clear that their digital banking services are not doing everything right. 63.3% of our respondents said they either saw fairly little or very little value for the service fees they pay their bank. Thats more than double the number of entrepreneurs who said they saw fairly good or very good value in return for their fees. And again and again, the most pressing pain points they mentioned were not desires for super innovative technological solutions but more personalised customer service and treatment. Loans and cards: current pain points for SMEs When asked about the current pain points as it relates to loans and cards, 52.8% of respondents responded simply getting a business loan was the most inconvenient aspect flexibility in payment holidays and refinancing were a distant second and third at 29.6% and 26.8% respectively. Not only was it a pain point, but the speed at which they expected it to be dispersed was equally lacking: 33.3% of respondents said they expected to receive a loan they applied for within two to four weeks at the earliest. Compare that to 20.5% that responded within a single week, and the just 3% that felt they could count on it within a day. Story continues Meaningful, human-centric improvements beat flashy new products What all this points to is not a fundamental rethinking of digital banking but a need for real improvement on existing strategies. First and foremost, SMEs need loans quickly in order to survive and grow. Considering the pace of todays digital economy, even a one-week delay between application and disbursement is too long. Perhaps so many SME decision makers feel theyre not getting their moneys worth when it comes to their service fees because they cant get loans in a timely manner, and in trying to they come up against impersonal or inadequate customer service. When I say banking should be improved along human-centric lines, Im imagining two distinct improvements. The first is personalised and rapid-response customer service that doesnt require antiquated methods of battling a chatbot or calling a hotline and pressing digits in hopes of finally speaking to a representative. Making SMEs business lives easier The second is digital banks understanding that SMEs are run by humans who are deeply invested in their work, and treating them with the respect that deserves. This means making their business lives easier: dispensing loans quickly, levying fair service fees, putting flexibility at the core of service strategies, and not treating SME owners as throwaway customers. Indeed, it means treating SMEs like the complex businesses they are, and offering convenience features like reporting, expense management, and savings products. Many digital banks and alternative lenders in the fintech space have begun to specialise in a specific service area, such as payments or a type of lending-like factoring. This kind of specialisation has its place, but it also creates an environment where SMEs need to engage multiple lenders and banks in order to meet their needs. Human-centric solutions are comprehensive solutions. Meeting SMEs needs is not about striking upon some fundamental financial innovation. Its about keeping things comprehensive and people-centric. In a way, thats keeping it simple, and its certainly keeping it smart. Nemira Palaimiene is the Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at CapitalBox, a leading European fintech lender for small- and medium-sized enterprises "Digital banking solutions for SMEs should keep it simple and smart" 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. GHENT, WV (WVNS) Yearly salary is often a determining factor when deciding to stay or move out of a certain location. West Virginia is a state with a declining population and the question remains why? When compared to surrounding states, alarming statistics stick out when it comes to average yearly salary. Data from ZipRecruiter showed the average salary in West Virginia is a little over $55,000 per year. Our neighboring state, Virginia, sees an average yearly salary of a little of $60,000 per year, while our northern friend, Pennsylvania, has an average yearly salary of over $64,000. Could Gen-Z reverse West Virginias declining population trend? 59News traveled around Southern West Virginia to seek out opinions on if this salary difference is one of the reasons why people are leaving the state. Mercer County Commissioner Greg Puckett questioned if people are leaving due to yearly salary alone or lack of opportunity. Are you really leaving because of the salaries or are you leaving because there is more opportunity. I would rather see if we can increase the amount of opportunity in communities as opposed to just salaries. We can increase salaries here all we want but if the opportunities arent here how long is somebody willing to stay, said Puckett to 59News. According to the United States Census Bureau, West Virginias population decreased 3.2 percent from 2010 to 2020. After speaking with Puckett, 59News looked at a different angle in Fayette County. 59News spoke with General Manager of Cathedral Cafe Cassidy Baiyes. She has actually been debating on staying in West Virginia herself. But yeah, I definitely think that the fact that we have a lower salary than the surrounding states is a huge reason people are leaving. Personally, I was actually looking for a job elsewhere as well. My boyfriend just left to Nebraska to get a job. said Baiyes to 59News. While the yearly salary in West Virginia is lower than most of the surrounding states, one problem that relates to this is housing. Baiyes said it is hard to afford housing in our area without a high paying job. If youre not someone here with like a with a full-time job as a doctor or a vet or a lawyer and you arent making that income to be able to afford housing hereI think thats a huge problem too. Restricting where they can and cant go when theres only so many spots for them to live anyways is a big issue, said Baiyes. What caused low voter turnout in the 2024 West Virginia primary election? Whether it is low salaries, lack of opportunities, or something else, one thing is for sure, West Virginians are continuing to look for greener pastures. Story continues 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. It says a lot about how much the beverage alcohol industry has changed in recent years that the news that Gallo is moving into beer via an investment with Montucky Cold Snacks barely twitched an eyebrow among most experienced industry watchers. After all, this is the reinvented wine business that already has a considerable presence in spirits and RTDs and changed its name from the altogether anachronistic E&J Gallo Winery in February, when CMO Stephanie Gallo asserted that the simplified name removes all limitations. The beer market in the US is hardly going gangbusters at the moment but there are still growth opportunities to explore and Montucky ticks a lot of the right boxes: sessionable lager, 4.1% abv, low in carbs and calories; strong ESG proposition; growth from 130,000 cases to nearly 1m cases over the last five years. Cross-category diversification is an industry trend with a long history and one that has re-emerged in recent years as companies target a drinking population that increasingly flits between categories, brands and modes of consumption. When Gallo CEO Ernest J Gallo proclaimed that todays consumer is shopping brands, flavours and occasions across beer, wine, spirits and RTDs, he never spoke a truer word. Pre-Montucky, Gallos moves in this area have centred on spirits and RTDs, encompassing brands such as New Amsterdam and High Noon, as well as ventures including VMC canned cocktails, Soonhari Soju, plus RTD brands Fishers Island Lemonade, Salt Point and Waterbird (the acquisition of the latter was also disclosed for the first time this week). The spread of activities speaks of a determined play to become a serious operator across multiple alcohol segments but other wine-centred businesses have been more selective in their forays into spirits. Last week, Jackson Family Wines (JFW) unveiled its first spirits launch with Stonestreet Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and in April, Familia Torres a wine business with an existing presence in brandy, pisco, liqueurs and vermouth announced its first whisky, blended Scotch Liathmor. The creation of Stonestreet is very much in keeping with JFWs willingness to explore new origins in wine the company has about 40 wineries across the US, Canada, France, Italy, Australia, Chile and South Africa, and recently made a move into English wine. Stonestreets roots in family history it was founder Jess Jacksons middle name, and references the Jacksons horse racing involvement via Kentucky-based Stonestreet Farms add to a sense of authenticity and provenance, and the product sits at an appealing US$60 price point. Story continues Im rather less certain of the rationale behind Liathmor, a tie-up between Torres and La Martiniquaise-Bardinet, the French owner of blends Cutty Sark and Label 5, and Speyside single malt Glen Moray. The details that have emerged to date low malt content (20%), supplemented by young (less than five years old) grain whisky dont exactly scream luxury. Indeed, were told that Liathmors competitive benchmark is Johnnie Walker Red Label and Ballantines Finest two of the worlds best-selling competitively-priced blends, backed by the respective muscle of Diageo and Pernod Ricard. Is the Torres spirits operation geared up for that kind of battle? Such quibbles aside, its entirely understandable that wine businesses should be mulling moves into higher-margin spirits segments at the moment, given that their core category is battling a toxic combination of cyclical (economy-related) and structural (demand-related) declines. For the same reasons, its equally understandable that, right now, few spirits-centred businesses appear to be contemplating any moves in the opposite direction, and investing in the wine industry. Indeed, only this week we hear fresh speculation that Pernod Ricard might be looking to offload its Antipodean wine interests including Jacobs Creek and Brancott Estate amid rumoured discussions with Accolade Wines. That follows confirmation in February this year that Accolade and rival Aussie producer Australian Vintage were in very early talks over a possible merger, raising the prospect of a corporate love triangle involving the three businesses. The abrupt departure of Australian Vintage CEO Craig Garvin a few weeks ago only adds spice to the story. Will Pernod sell? Ive argued previously that I think its likely at some point, but the timing when Australian wine is in an utter mess, despite the reopening of the Chinese market doesnt look great in terms of achieving a good selling price. Depends, perhaps, on just how desperate Alex Ricard and co are to get out of this particular part of the wine business. I say this particular part because, if theres one thing that cross-category diversification should teach us, its this: in a much more fragmented beverage alcohol landscape, serving a much less category- and brand-loyal audience, there are multiple growth opportunities, and not always in the most obvious locations. Hence Gallo moving into beer; hence in my view Pernod staying loyal to the healthy parts of its wine activities, such as Champagne and Provence rose, even if it does cast off its Antipodean (and possibly Spanish) operations. Hence, also, Jackson Family Wines selling Bourbon, and even although I remain sceptical for the moment Familia Torres selling Scotch. The most proactive and forward-thinking companies in todays beverage alcohol marketplace arent scared to explore beyond their core capabilities to discover new growth opportunities the key is knowing exactly where to look, and which of those opportunities to take. "The drinks industrys big names spread wings to capture less loyal drinkers" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Drop In U.S. Jobless Claims Signals Labor Market Resilience Despite Florida Spike Initial claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell last week, indicating ongoing strength in the U.S. labor market despite recent fluctuations. According to data issued by the Department of Labor on Thursday, new jobless claims decreased to 222,000 for the week ending May 11, down from 232,000 the previous week, reflecting a broader trend of stability in employment. However, Floridas rise in unemployment claims at 1,158 runs counter to the national trend, reporting the highest number of new applications among all states. Nationally, the labor market remains robust, with jobless claims reflecting relatively low levels of layoffs. New filings decreased in 32 states, indicating a stable job market across most regions. However, the number of people continuing to receive benefits a proxy for ongoing unemployment rose by 13,000 to 1.79 million, suggesting that while layoffs are low, rehiring may be slowing down. Don't Miss: Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Here's how you can collect passive rental income without being a landlord. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are bullish on one city that could dethrone New York and become the new financial capital of the US. Investing in its booming real estate market has never been more accessible. The report also highlighted changes in specific states. For instance, New York saw a decrease of 9,442 applications after a previous surge, attributed to seasonal layoffs in various sectors. In contrast, Pennsylvania and Minnesota followed Florida in new claims, with 893 and 690 filings, respectively. The labor markets resilience is further supported by other economic indicators. For example, the U.S. economy continues to show signs of cooling, with a slowdown in homebuilding and factory output. Floridas Labor Market Dynamics Despite the spike in jobless claims, Floridas unemployment rate remains lower than the national average. As of March, the states unemployment rate was 3.2%, compared to the national rate of 3.8%. Florida also continues to see job growth, with a 2.2% increase in employment over the past year. Moreover, Florida has one of the highest quit rates in the country, with many workers leaving their jobs in search of better opportunities. In February, the states quit rate was 3.1%, higher than the national average of 2.2%. Trending: Become a real estate investor today How to start small by mirroring BlackRock's big move. Authorities highlight that even with a rise in jobless claims, the states labor market shows signs of robust activity, with more than 440,000 job openings posted in February alone, according to Floridas Department of Commerce. What to Expect: The recent data suggests that while there are regional disparities, the overall U.S. labor market remains resilient. As the economy adjusts to the Feds monetary policies, the labor market is expected to continue rebalancing, with the Department of Labor projecting a marginal increase in the unemployment rate to 4.1% by the end of the year. Sectors currently experiencing slowdowns include housing and manufacturing. Single-family homebuilding and permits for future construction have both declined, reflecting the broader economic cooling. Despite some challenges, the underlying strength of the U.S. labor market is likely to persist. With unemployment rates remaining low and job openings abundant in many regions, the overall employment landscape is poised to remain resilient. Read Next: Story continues Passive income investments are one of the most trusted methods for riding out a recession, so it's no surprise that people are turning to this Jeff Bezos-backed startup to generate monthly rental income without having to purchase their own property. Want to Create a Passive Income Stream? These High-Yield Real Estate Notes Might Be Your Holy Grail "ACTIVE INVESTORS' SECRET WEAPON" Supercharge Your Stock Market Game with the #1 "news & everything else" trading tool: Benzinga Pro - Click here to start Your 14-Day Trial Now! Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Drop In U.S. Jobless Claims Signals Labor Market Resilience Despite Florida Spike originally appeared on Benzinga.com 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. With springtime comes a bit of spring cleaning and rumour has it Supremes card has been marked by owner VF Corp as it looks to slim down its portfolio. The Vans and North Face owner declined to comment when approached by Just Style but industry onlookers believe it would be no surprise if VF Corp was to make an impromptu announcement that it is offloading the skate culture brand. VF Corp acquired the streetwear brand Supreme in 2020 as part of a $2.1bn deal. Announcing the news, VF said the Supreme brand offers a $1bn global opportunity over time through international and direct-to-consumer (DTC) expansion, core pillars of VFs 2024 strategy. The acquisition of the Supreme brand is further validation of our vision and strategy to further evolve our portfolio of brands to align with the total addressable market opportunities we see driving the apparel and footwear sector. The Supreme brand will further accelerate VFs hyper-digital business model transformation and will be a meaningful driver of VFs commitment to top-quartile total shareholder return and long-term value creation. But now in 2024, things appear to have taken a different turn. Alice Price, apparel analyst at GlobalData, told Just Style that while it was once a frontrunner in the streetwear scene, Supreme reported a 6.8% decline in revenue for the year ending March 2023. The streetwear player has lost its cult status in recent years, with its drops becoming predictable in style and design, no longer generating the same buzz and anticipation they once did. The player has also suffered from the rise of newer, more exciting streetwear brands such as Fear of God, Represent, and Denim Tears. For instance, brands such as Fear of God and Represent have been quick to align with consumers shift to a more minimalist aesthetic. Neil Saunders, analyst at GlobalData, agreed, adding the brand simply isnt exciting anymore. The brand has lost some of its lustre and it has had issues under VFC ownership. There is also the question of whether Supreme, which is still run by its founder, fits into VFCs rather corporate structure. VF Corp launches portfolio review After announcing a 16% decline in total revenues and swinging to loss in Q3, VF Corp announced it was embarking on a strategic review of its portfolio of brands. At the time, Price warned things had gone from bad to worse at VF Corp, adding that the heart of the problem is the waning appeal of its core brands. VF Corps troubles predominantly lie with the waning appeal of its core brands, especially Vans, as discerning consumers choose to invest in more desirable products that are reflective of the latest fashion trends. Story continues Price added a brand cull would enable VF Corp to focus its attention on core brands and help steer them back to relevance. Is offloading Supreme the way to go? Saunders said of course if VF can get a good price for Supreme, its a great move. It is no secret that VF Corp is reviewing its brand portfolio with a view to slimming down and selling off some parts of the business. It sees this as a way of generating returns and as a mechanism to help it focus more what it sees as the growth opportunities in its portfolio. There is a sense that VFC is a bit overgrown and needs to be pruned. With regard to Supreme specifically, there is a question mark hanging over how much Supreme is worth. VFC has already written down some of the goodwill for the brand and I doubt it will want to sell it if it means incurring further losses and write downs. Given Supreme is supposed to be growing again, VFC will need to explain to investors what other levers it is going to pull to drive growth from its remaining brands if it disposes of Supreme. While Price said divesting the brand could help VF Corp focus its attention on its brands and help steer them back to relevance, as it remains on precarious financial footing. Likely bidders for Supreme The big question is which companies are after a streetwear brand to add to their portfolio. Where would a brand like Supreme thrive? And how much is it worth? Saunders reckons likely candidates could be portfolio companies like Authentic Brands which is on an aggressive acquisition spree. Earlier this year Authentic Brands acquired the intellectual property of US footwear company, Wolverine Worldwides brand, Sperry and signed a licensing agreement with retailer Aldo Group to serve as a North American operating partner. But a private equity firm could also be on the lookout for a brand such as Supreme, Saunders said. However, both groups would need to be convinced that they could grow the business and extract more value from it, which might be hard to accomplish in the current market. Some luxury groups may take a look if they want to add streetwear into their portfolios, but I dont think many are in a position to make purchases at the moment. Any buyer eyeing Supreme will need to ensure it has put in place the strategic partnerships in order to grow the brand. At the end of last year, brand management company Iconix International, announced the acquisition of a majority stake in the popular British streetwear brand, Hoodrich to accelerate its global growth. The strategic move was in collaboration with Hoodrich founder Jay Williams, who will retain an ownership interest in the brand. The partnership between Iconix and Jay Williams is grounded in a shared vision for the brands accelerated global growth. Both entities are keen to propel the brand to new heights. As part of this acquisition, Iconix is set to collaborate closely with Batra Group, which will oversee business operations, and JD Sports, a key global retail partner. Iconixs expertise in category extension and global expansion, coupled with decades of experience in international brand management, positions the company as an ideal partner for Hoodrichs next phase of growth. "Explainer: End of the road for Supreme under VF Corp?" was originally created and published by Just Style, 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. In the latest turn of events, Browning West, a long-term shareholder of Gildan, released a presentation reiterating calls for support for its eight board nominees, including the reinstatement of former CEO Glenn Chamandy. The shareholder is advocating for the election of eight "highly qualified and independent" director candidatesMichael Kneeland, Glenn J. Chamandy, Michener Chandlee, Ghislain Houle, Melanie Kau, Peter Lee, Karen Stuckey, and J.P. Townerto Gildans Board of Directors at the upcoming annual and special meeting on 28 May 2024. Browning West explained that these director candidates possess strong track records of value creation, expertise in successful succession planning, relevant industry and governance experience, as well as proven management and board service in both Canada and the US. Earlier in April, Browning West proposed a five-pillar plan to enhance shareholder value, focusing on reducing operating costs, increasing market share, and enhancing capital allocation and structure. Shortly after, Gildan CEO Tyra presented the company's strategic priorities at an investor meeting, emphasising leveraging Gildans strengths and accelerating value creation for all stakeholders, just 90 days into his new role. However, this announcement received backlash from investors. Browning West criticised Tyra's plan as a second-rate version of the strategy developed by former founder and CEO Chamandy, citing "underwhelming margin guidance, speculative spending, weak capital allocation and no long-term earnings per share or stock price targets." According to GlobalData's retail analyst Neil Saunders, a lot of this communication between Gildan and its stakeholders should have been handled behind the scenes rather than exploding into the open. He believes this situation underlines the importance of engaging with stakeholders and major investors to understand their positions and explain decisions in advance of them happening. The Gildan-Browning West saga and how it began Gildan's bottom line took a hit according to its full year results announcement, which eventually led to it taking steps to close its Honduras factory and a US plant, resulting in 258 job losses. Then in December 2023, Gildan announced replacing its outgoing CEO Glenn Chamandy with Vince Tyra, a move deemed "hasty, inexplicable and value destructive" by its major shareholders, who had not been informed of the move ahead of time. Despite protests, Gildan fast-tracked the appointment of Tyra as the new CEO starting 15 January instead of the initial start date of 12 February. The company offered no explanation for Chamandys exit at that time but thanked him for leading the business to over $3bn in revenue. Story continues Long-term shareholders Turtle Creek Asset Management and Browning West issued separate letters urging Gildan to reconsider, emphasising that the company's success was largely due to Chamandy's vision and leadership. Turtle Creek criticised Gildan's succession planning, arguing that it is an important duty of the board and should be conducted thoughtfully and with the involvement of existing leadership and shareholders. In a separate letter, Browning West highlighted Gildan board's disregard for the feedback of nine shareholders representing over 35% of outstanding shares who opposed the CEO succession decision. Demands for reinstatement, special meeting to resolve issues urgently Gildan's stakeholders are concerned with the board's destructive actions, particularly the abrupt termination of Chamandy. Browning West claimed that Gildan's shares underperformed the relevant index by 19%, translating to over $1bn in value destruction following Tyra's appointment as CEO. Backed by Turtle Creek and other investors, Browning West called for the replacement of a majority of Gildan's board of directors and requested a special meeting with stakeholders as soon as possible. Browning West told Just Style: "The Board cannot run from the fact that holders of 35% of the companys outstanding shares publicly support meaningful boardroom change and the reinstatement of Glenn Chamandy. We intend to keep the focus on the Board, which bears responsibility for the disruptions, reputational harm and value destruction that has ensued following its irresponsible termination of Mr. Chamandy." In response, Gildan's board argued that retaining Chamandy would have "destroyed shareholder value," claiming he had "no credible long-term strategy and no vision for the future." They also accused Chamandy of failing to disclose investments in funds managed by a Gildan shareholder supporting his reinstatement. In a separate statement published on 17 January, former CEO Chamandy was keen to defend himself and said: "It is with regret that I observe the boards current focus on a strategy seemingly aimed at undermining my reputation and my record through insinuation and distortion of the truth." Latest update In the latter half of March, Gildan's board confirmed receiving a confidential non-binding expression of interest to acquire Gildan and formed a Special Committee of independent directors to review the proposal and any alternative transactions. Turtle Creek claimed the recent initiation of a sales process was the board's "latest attempt to avoid the judgement of its shareholders" at the annual meeting coming up on 28 May. They called for an expeditious special meeting to allow all shareholder voices to be heard and pave the way for a reconstituted board to make important decisions for course correction. Browning West also filed a lawsuit against Gildan to preserve its shareholder rights ahead of the annual meeting, criticising the decision to delay the special meeting and combine it with the annual one as a "slap in the face" to investors. More recently, Tyra remained upbeat about Gildan's Q1 financial performance despite sales falling 1% to $696m. Key industry takeaways from the Gildan-shareholder feud Saunders said: "Within the investment community the feud does not look good for Gildan. It presents the company as being in a state of turmoil and not being in control of its future direction. Although, among consumers, I dont think there is all that much impact corporate scuffles do not affect purchasing decisions around a brand. While the business can continue to operate, the unhelpful background noise is a major distraction from the day-to-day running of the business, and it leaves Gildans strategy in limbo." He recommends Gildan fully engages with stakeholders and negotiates to resolve the situation. There have been similar feuds in the fashion apparel industry where stakeholder conflicts and leadership changes have led to significant tension and impacts on company performance. In 2017, apparel retailer J.Crew experienced a leadership crisis when its longtime CEO, Mickey Drexler, stepped down amidst declining sales and strategic disagreements. The transition to a new CEO, Jim Brett, was initially welcomed, but disagreements over strategic direction soon emerged. Brett's sudden departure in 2018, after just over a year in the role, was attributed to clashes with the board over the company's direction. This turmoil exacerbated J.Crews financial struggles and led to significant organisational instability. In a statement shared by Quartz magazine, Brett said that despite J. Crews recent signs of life, "the board and I were unable to bridge our beliefs on how to continue to evolve all aspects of the company." Later, J.Crew Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of an agreement to hand over control to its top lenders. "Explainer: Stakeholder transparency couldve prevented Gildan feud" was originally created and published by Just Style, 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. JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Dutch technology investor Prosus and its South African parent group Naspers on Friday named the head of their iFood business, Fabricio Bloisi, as their new CEO, replacing long-time boss Bob van Dijk who stepped down last September. Here's what we know about Bloisi: WHO IS HE? Bloisi, 47, is a Brazilian entrepreneur who holds a degree in Computer Science from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and an MBA from Getulio Vargas Foundation. His thesis focused on high-growth startups, innovation, and strategy. CAREER Bloisi founded Movile in 1998, aged 21, and was CEO of the mobile technology firm till 2020. In March 2020, he was appointed as president of Movile, a position he currently holds, according to his LinkedIn profile. In 2013, he bought iFood when it was a 20-person startup. He has since grown it rapidly and profitably to become Latin America's leading food delivery company. Prosus has invested in Movile, which owns iFood, for about 15 years. Prosus first invested in iFood through Movile in 2013, entering the food delivery sector with a $2 million investment in the company. In 2022, it bought the final 33% stake in iFood, which has over 5,000 employees, 350,000 partner restaurants and serves over 96 million orders per month, to make it a wholly-owned subsidiary. Prosus says Bloisi has a track record as an entrepreneur and innovator with deep roots in operating, building and scaling world-class technology companies within growth markets. WHAT'S THE PLAN? Prosus said the group's strategic goals remain unchanged, adding it is on track to deliver on e-commerce profitability in the second half of its 2024 financial year and continue its open-ended share repurchase programme. Bloisi told investors on a call that his experience in food delivery would benefit the company's growth strategy in the sector. (Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Mark Potter) Fitch Ratings has highlighted increased market value risk in UK auto loan agreements due to over-inflated contractual residual values (RVs). According to a new report, these RVs were inflated during high used car prices, leaving them exposed as prices correct rapidly. The agency's analysis of 15 UK auto asset-backed securities (ABS) transactions reveals a significant rise in RVs as a percentage of purchase prices since 2020. Higher sale prices during this period led to a substantial increase in the cash balance of contractual RVs. However, used car prices in the UK are now adjusting more swiftly than anticipated. A three-year-old used car currently holds about 51.7% of its list price on average, a decline of almost 15 percentage points from a year ago. This sharp drop heightens the risk of borrowers entering negative equity if their loan agreements included over-inflated RVs. This situation could result in more RV and voluntary termination (VT) handbacks and lower sale proceeds from returned vehicles. The report notes that used electric vehicle (EV) prices have decreased more rapidly than the broader market. This is due to fleet demand for new EVs outstripping private demand for used EVs, making loans financing EVs more susceptible to RV and VT losses. Contractual RVs often do not fully account for these additional risks. Despite these challenges, Fitch has not significantly altered its recovery rate assumptions for rated UK ABS transactions. The agency expects the trend of declining recoveries to be temporary and believes that lower original loan-to-values (OLTVs) from the peak period of car prices should provide some buffer against reduced sales proceeds. Fitch continues to review recovery assumptions for new ratings and monitors existing deals. The agency assesses the concentration of loans with RVs considered inflated relative to medium-term used car price expectations. "Fitch warns of increased risk from over-inflated RVs in UK auto loans" 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. (WHTM) Frontier Airlines has announced exciting changes inspired by feedback from customers that includes clear, upfront pricing as the government works to create greater transparency in airfare pricing. In a letter to customers on Friday, Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle, the company announced The New Frontier. At Frontier, we always strive to deliver great prices on your airfare, and thats not changing, said Biffle. But we believe we can deliver even more. Thats why were introducing The New Frontier, featuring new pricing options and enhanced customer benefits designed to improve your travel experience. The company says customers can expect the following changes: Clear, Upfront Pricing and Options: New Economy, Premium, and Business options include benefits like no change fees, bags, seat assignments, and more. No Change Fees: Zero change or cancellation fees for Economy, Premium, and Business customers, offering greater flexibility. More Premium Options: Our recently launched UpFront Plus seating provides you with plenty of extra room and a blocked middle seat in the first rows of the plane. Expanded Customer Benefits and Support: Flight credit expiration extended to 12 months, enhanced live phone support, and more. Weve also been working hard to deliver a more reliable experience, so you can count on us to get you to your destination on time. Our For Less Price Guarantee: Customers who find a lower price elsewhere can receive 2,500 FRONTIER Miles. Learn more here . Your feedback and loyalty have been instrumental in shaping these improvements, said Biffle. Were confident that The New Frontier will enhance your travel experience and provide even greater value. The announcement comes after multiple airlines sued the Biden administration from requiring greater transparency over fees charged to passengers. The U.S. Transportation Department said Monday it will vigorously defend the rule against what it called hidden junk fees. American, Delta, United and three other carriers, along with their industry trade group, sued the Transportation Department in a federal appeals court on Friday, asking the court to overturn the rule. The trade group, Airlines for America, said the Transportation Department is going beyond its authority by attempting to regulate private business operations in a thriving marketplace. The airlines said the administration hasnt shown that consumers cant get information about fees already. Airlines go to great lengths to make their customers knowledgeable about these fees, Airlines for America said Monday. The ancillary fee rule by the Department of Transportation will greatly confuse consumers who will be inundated with information that will only serve to complicate the buying process. Story continues The Transportation Department announced the new rule on April 24. It would require airlines and travel agents to disclose upfront any charges for baggage and canceling or changing a reservation. Airlines must show the fees on the first website page where they quote a price for a flight. The agency estimated that the rule will save consumers more than $500 million a year. We will vigorously defend our rule protecting people from hidden junk fees and ensuring travelers can see the full price of a flight before they purchase a ticket. Many air travelers will be disappointed to learn that the airline lobby is suing to stop these common-sense protections, the department said Monday. Among the nations six biggest airlines, only Southwest did not join the legal challenge, which was filed in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. Southwest said the rule will have little to no effect on it because the Dallas-based carrier lets passengers check two bags for free and has never charged extra fees for changing or canceling reservations. Overall, we support every airlines right to price its products but believe fees should be clearly and consistently disclosed, so consumers can make informed purchasing decisions, Southwest said. The Associated Press contributed to this report 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. Ali Asadov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan, met with a delegation led by Temesgen Tiruneh, Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Azernews reports. During the meeting, Ali Asadov emphasised that Azerbaijan attaches vital importance to the development of relations with African states, including Ethiopia. The sides hailed the cooperation between the two countries within international organisations. Highlighting the importance of seizing available opportunities to strengthen bilateral ties, the two underscored the dynamic collaboration in public services and social innovations in recent years. They stressed the significance of a Memorandum of Understanding signed during the visit of the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister. This MoU envisions the establishment of centres in Ethiopia based on the "ASAN Xidmet" concept. The meeting also saw discussions on expanding relations between Azerbaijan and Ethiopia across various sectors. By Medha Singh (Reuters) - Retail darling GameStop slumped 26% on Friday after the struggling videogame retailer said it would sell up to 45 million shares, taking advantage of the meme-stocks frenzy this week. The company's shares logged their highest trading volume in three years so far this week, following a series of posts from Keith Gill's X account "Roaring Kitty", whose bullish calls on GameStop were a reason for the 2021 meme-stocks frenzy. "If your stock is up, four fold or five fold in very short order, and you're hurting for cash, it makes a lot of sense to go to the equity market and raise some cash," Paul Nolte, senior wealth adviser at Murphy & Sylvest, said. "From a corporate perspective, it makes a ton of sense, but it throws some cold water on the recent rally, because now you're diluting the existing shareholders." GameStop's shares were last trading at $20.56, giving the company a market value of $6.3 billion. The company's market value rose to $19.8 billion earlier this week. The stock is up about 90% so far in May. The company on Friday filed for a mixed-shelf offering, under which a firm can raise capital by selling different types of securities in one or more separate offerings. GameStop also forecast first-quarter net sales to drop to between $872 million and $892 million, from $1.24 billion a year earlier. The company, which largely relies on sales at its brick-and-mortar stores, has been hurt by customers' transition to buying video games and collectibles online. GameStop said it expects first-quarter net loss to narrow from a year earlier as it benefits from cost cuts. "Ultimately, the company must deploy its cash productively or continue to hope that it can issue more shares at elevated levels to forestall the inevitable," Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said. In a similar move, theater chain AMC completed a $250 million "at-the-market" share sale program on Monday. The company has also entered an equity-for-debt swap deal as it attempts to lower its debt. AMC's shares, which hit a record low last month, fell 4% on Friday, taking its monthly gains to 52%. (Reporting by Akash Sriram and Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Ankika Biswas and Johann Cherian; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Shounak Dasgupta) Roaring Kitty Rally Reddit's WallStreetBets meme stock investors are back in full force but their latest ruse isn't playing out as expected. Shares of AMC and GameStop shot up several hundred percent earlier this week, driven by excitement over the return of Keith "Roaring Kitty" Gill, who posted a dumb meme on X-formerly-Twitter, the first account activity in three years. Gill was a key figure in the 2021 coordinated "short squeeze" by Reddit investing enthusiasts, causing the shares of both companies to shoot up and plummet back down, birthing the "meme stock" trend. The story became so big that it was later turned into a Hollywood movie, a 2023 comedy called "Dumb Money," starring Paul Dano as Gill. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down. As expected, shares of both GameStop and AMC have since plummeted this week, with the video game retailer sinking as much as 30 percent on Friday alone. After all, this wasn't about the company suddenly turning things around after years of losses it was a meme stock ruse by a number of redditors who were in it for the "lols." https://twitter.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1791472490637914238 Greater Fools Investors who got bought and then sold at exactly the right moment made a killing but consequently left anyone who didn't time things perfectly out to dry. It's also an unfortunate situation for GameStop. The mall retailer is doing even worse than investors thought, with the announcement that it was expecting a considerable drop in quarter-over-quarter sales pushing its stock even lower than before WallStreetBets even got involved. "I'm not seeing anything in the preannouncement that tells me that the business is turning around," Wedbush managing director Michael Pachter told Yahoo Finance. "But at least they'll raise enough cash to last them another three or four years if they, in fact, continue to fail and try to find a new strategy." GameStop went as far as to warn investors that they "may lose a significant portion of their investments" if shares were to continue to fall. Meanwhile, embattled movie theater chain AMC managed to raise $250 million in new equity and is still up 50 percent week over week, seemingly coming out of the "frenzy" largely unscathed. More on meme stocks: Economist Slams Elon Musk for Making Tesla a "Tech-Bubble" Meme Stock Grant Cardone's Prophecy Rings True: U.S. Mortgage Drop Bolsters Warning On Short-Term Rentals U.S. homebuyers took out 40% fewer mortgages in 2023 than they did a year earlier a figure that appears to be proving real estate mogul Grant Cardone's warning to avoid short-term rental properties is correct. Cardone told his followers on X to steer clear of short-term rentals, stating in an April 27 post, "Real estate is a long-term investment designed to create generational wealth, not a get-rich-quick vehicle." Mortgages for second homes are down 65% from the height of the pandemic housing boom in 2021, according to a Redfin analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data. Don't Miss: Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Here's how you can collect passive rental income without being a landlord. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are bullish on one city that could dethrone New York and become the new financial capital of the US. Investing in its booming real estate market has never been more accessible. In comparison, mortgages for primary residences dropped at half that rate, falling 20% year over year in 2023 and 35% from 2021. Mortgages for second homes dropped more than for primary homes for several reasons Second homes tend to be more expensive a typical vacation home was worth $475,000 in 2021 compared to $375,000 for primary homes. The federal government also increased loan fees for second homes in 2022, making it more costly to buy one. Vacation homes are not an essential as primary homes are, so when prices rise, many prospective buyers back off. Renting out a second home is less attractive because the market has softened from its pandemic peak and properties generate less revenue. "Soaring prices pushed down demand for vacation homes last year, both for cash buyers and those getting a mortgage but the latter pulled back even more because high rates exacerbated high prices," Phoenix Redfin Premier agent Heather Mahmood-Corley said. "There has been a small uptick in interest in second homes this year, mostly from cash buyers who plan to eventually move in full-time. People who would need a mortgage are still sitting on the sidelines, waiting for rates to come down especially because rates are typically high even for second homes than primary homes." With many companies requiring their employees to return to the office, there's less time to spend at a vacation home. Starwood Capital Group CEO Barry Sternlicht recently said that as the labor market softens more employees are returning to the office voluntarily because "there's nothing like being together." Story continues Vacation home demand hasn't picked back up this year, according to the Redfin report. Mortgage-rate locks for second homes have been near their eight-year lows since the beginning of 2024. They declined 7.3% from April a year ago. Rate locks for primary homes declined by 1.6%. Read Next: "ACTIVE INVESTORS' SECRET WEAPON" Supercharge Your Stock Market Game with the #1 "news & everything else" trading tool: Benzinga Pro - Click here to start Your 14-Day Trial Now! Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Grant Cardone's Prophecy Rings True: U.S. Mortgage Drop Bolsters Warning On Short-Term Rentals originally appeared on Benzinga.com 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Half of people aged 16-24 have been left frustrated after finding their local branch closed when they needed it. The claim is made by Nationwide, the UKs largest building society. UK branch density: second lowest in Europe Over 6,000 UK bank and building society branches have closed since 2015. A further 645 branches are set to close this year. Total UK bank branches will fall to around 4,000 once those closures take effect. With a population of 68 million, the UK branch density is about 5.8 branches per 100,000 people. That represents the second-lowest branch density in Europe after the Netherlands. Research revealed by Nationwide reveals that 73% of UK consumers are concerned about the rate of closures. It says that around half (48%) are frustrated to find a branch closed when they needed it. The research found 70% of consumers still value branches. When asked why they valued branches, 41% called out the importance for vulnerable people. More than one in five (21%) 16 to 24s also recognise this as a key reason. This figure rises to 28% for 25 to34s and continues to rise with age. All age groups value the role of branches Nationwides research highlights all age groups value the role of branches. Moreover, they are used for a range of reasons and not just day-to-day transactions. These include cash withdrawals (44%) and checking balances (28%). People also use branches to transfer large amounts of money (19%) and prefer face-to-face help on fraud and scams (38%). The top reasons people aged 25 to 34 use branches include paying cash in and taking cash out (35%) checking balances (26%) and transferring large amounts of money (22%). Nationwide: now the UKs biggest branded branch network Nationwide now has the UKs biggest branded branch network as a result of large-scale bank branch closures in recent years. The building society recently extended its branch promise. That means everywhere it has a branch today, it will remain there until at least the start of 2028. Stephen Noakes, Director of Retail at Nationwide said: Whats clear from our research is that people of all ages are frustrated and concerned about the rate of branch closures. Our own customers tell us how much they rely on them. This is why we are proud to have Britains biggest branded branch network, a manager in every branch and a commitment to stay everywhere we have a branch until at least 2028. "Half of young people left frustrated after finding their local branch has closed, says Nationwide" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. Story continues 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. Image source: Getty Images Some people join Costco for the savings on groceries and household essentials. Others join Costco to save big on one-off purchases, like laptops, furniture, and appliances. Costco currently offers two membership tiers. The basic tier costs $60 a year, while the Executive membership costs $120 a year. At first, you might think that it's silly to pay double for a Costco membership. But you should know that the Executive membership gives you 2% cash back on your Costco purchases. So if you do enough shopping, the Executive membership makes sense. In fact, there's a super-easy way to calculate whether an Executive membership at Costco is right for you. Will you spend more than $3,000 a year at Costco? If you typically spend more than $3,000 a year on Costco purchases, or if you anticipate spending more than $3,000, then you should keep or upgrade to an Executive membership. Why is $3,000 the magic number? It's simple. The cost to upgrade from a basic Costco membership to an Executive membership is $60. And $60 is 2% of $3,000. So if you spend exactly $3,000 at Costco during the year, you'll get exactly $60 back, which pays for your Executive membership upgrade -- only then you've shelled out the extra money upfront. But once your spending exceeds $3,000, the Executive membership pays off. Granted, if you only spend $3,100 a year at Costco, your financial upside with the Executive membership will be limited. In that case, you're getting $62 back, which means that when you subtract the $60 upgrade cost, you're benefiting to the tune of a whopping $2. (Granted, that $2 is enough to buy you a hot dog and soda combo from the Costco food court and bring home some change, but still.) However, let's say you spend $4,000 a year at Costco. Your Executive membership will give you $80 back, so you're coming out ahead $20. That could help buy groceries for the week or simply give you a little extra spending money. Think about larger purchases when making your choice If you're someone who shops at Costco every week, then there's a good chance an Executive membership will make financial sense. If your Costco visits are less frequent, you may need to crunch the numbers more carefully to determine whether you're likely to exceed $3,000 in spending for the year. But in the course of running those numbers, keep larger purchases on your radar, since some of the ones on your list may be items you can turn to Costco for. You may, for example, be looking to replace your patio furniture in the coming year. Buying a $1,000 set from Costco makes it more likely that you'll end up spending more than $3,000. Story continues Similarly, if you're planning a vacation, you may decide to use a Costco travel package. That could potentially push you over the $3,000 threshold alone. It's good to know how much spending it takes to make an Executive membership at Costco worth the money. But also, don't stress the decision too much. If you don't end up spending enough to make back your $60 upgrade fee, you can downgrade to a basic membership and Costco will refund you the difference to make you whole on that $60. So don't sweat it if your initial calculations end up being a bit off. Top credit card to use at Costco (and everywhere else!) If youre shopping with a debit card, you could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year. These versatile credit cards offer huge rewards everywhere, including Costco, and are rated the best cards of 2024 by our experts because they offer hefty sign-up bonuses and outstanding cash rewards. Plus, youll save on credit card interest because all of these recommendations include a competitive 0% interest period. Click here to read our expert recommendations for free! 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.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Here's How Much You Need to Spend at Costco to Make an Executive Membership Worth It was originally published by The Motley Fool Mandell Crawley, the Chief Human Resources Officer of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), executed a sale of 6,954 shares of the company on May 14, 2024. The transaction was filed with the SEC and the shares were sold at a price of $99.61 each. Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm that provides investment banking, securities, wealth management, and investment management services. With a market cap of approximately $161.83 billion, it is one of the largest players in the financial sector. Over the past year, Mandell Crawley has sold a total of 6,954 shares of Morgan Stanley and has not purchased any shares. This recent sale reflects a continuation of the insider's trading activities, aligning with the broader trend observed within the company. The insider transaction history for Morgan Stanley shows a pattern of more sales than purchases among insiders. Specifically, there have been 19 insider sales and no insider buys over the past year. On the valuation front, Morgan Stanley's shares were trading at $99.61 on the day of the insider's sale. The stock's price-earnings ratio is 18.14, which is slightly below the industry median of 19.3. This valuation places the company's earnings multiple slightly above its historical median. According to the GF Value, which is calculated based on historical trading multiples, an adjustment factor from GuruFocus, and future business performance estimates, Morgan Stanley is considered Fairly Valued with a price-to-GF-Value ratio of 1.05. Insider Sale: Mandell Crawley Sells 6,954 Shares of Morgan Stanley (MS) The GF Value suggests that the stock is trading at a fair price, aligning closely with its intrinsic value estimated by GuruFocus. Insider Sale: Mandell Crawley Sells 6,954 Shares of Morgan Stanley (MS) This sale by the insider might be of interest to investors tracking insider behaviors as an indicator of confidence in the firm's current valuation and future prospects. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. bigapple / Getty Images/iStockphoto Elevated mortgage rates, rising home prices and low housing inventory have made it challenging for most prospective homebuyers in New York to afford a home. Home prices are dropping in some parts of the state, but this isnt the case everywhere. Check Out: 7 Locations Where Housing Prices Are Plummeting Post-Pandemic Try This: How To Get $340 Per Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy According to Forbes, the low inventory in many communities, especially those in more affordable markets, sparked competition among buyers. This put upward pressure on home prices, causing prices in nearly half of New Yorks counties to rise during the second quarter of 2023. Data from real estate brokerage Redfin shows that home prices in the Empire State are over $100,000 more expensive than the national median sales price of $433,558. As of April 2024, the median sales price statewide was $541,700, a 5.5% increase year over year. Here are 10 New York areas with the fastest-growing sales price in the state as of April 2024, according to Redfin. 1. Ramapo: 86.2% 2. White Plains: 79.7% 3. New Rochelle: 64.8% 4. Penfield: 53.0% 5. Yonkers: 52.5% 6. Ridge: 34.3% 7. Troy: 33.5% 8. Coram: 32.2% 9. Niagara Falls: 30.4% 10. Dix Hills: 28.5% Buyers are now more hesitant to enter the market, and some homeowners are even staying in their homes longer and waiting for market conditions to improve before selling, according to Forbes. Consequently, home sales are down, but it may not stay that way for long. Jeffrey Decatur, a licensed broker associate at RE/MAX Capital, told Forbes that although home sales are down statewide, the market is still very active and healthy. More buyers are also entering the new construction market as a way to deal with low inventory of existing homes for sale. However, the market likely wont see any major changes as long as demand continues to outpace the housing supply. I dont expect to see a meaningful increase in the supply of existing homes for sale until mortgage rates are back down in the low 5% range, so probably not in 2024, Rick Sharga, founder and CEO of CJ Patrick Company, a market intelligence and business advisory firm, explained to Forbes. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: In Less Than a Decade, You Wont Be Able To Afford Homes in These New York Areas The French side must apologise for the recent remarks about Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson of Azerbaijans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as he responded to a question from the local media regarding the reference to Azerbaijan as a dictatorship by Gerald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior of France. Such statements against Azerbaijan by France are completely unacceptable and have been strongly rejected by us. Fundamental rights and freedoms are completely secured in Azerbaijan, in contrast to France, where human rights are grossly violated, protesters are killed during riots, and there is widespread Islamophobia and attacks on Muslims, as well as anti-Semitism, he said. Azerbaijan has always been shaped and grown as a society committed to democratic values since the restoration of its independence. Azerbaijan is a country where people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds coexist in a friendly and secure environment. The French side must apologize for this remark. Should this not be the case, it will lead to further negative consequences for the relations between Azerbaijan and France, Aykhan Hajizada added. A Utah millennial who was laid off last year has struggled to find a job. He said a concerning health diagnosis could have limited his search. Felipe Martins A Utah millennial was laid off shortly after he received a concerning health diagnosis. He's had little luck in his search for a remote job over the past year. He said he thought ghost jobs and scammers had made his search more challenging. In April 2023, Felipe Martins was recovering from knee-replacement surgery when his surgeon called and said he needed to see him immediately. Tests had identified a non-cancerous tumor in his knee, the 36-year-old told Business Insider via email. If it started to spread, his leg might have to be amputated, and the several months he spent in physical therapy for his knee replacement would be all for nothing. At the time, Martins was working in Utah for the sales department of a tech company, a position he'd held for roughly nine years. He'd kept working while undergoing physical therapy, and he planned to do the same while receiving any necessary treatment related to his diagnosis. But on May 1, Martins got a call from someone he didn't know who worked for his employer. They said they needed to schedule a meeting with him for that afternoon to discuss something. It wasn't good news. Martins, along with a few others in his department, was laid off. He would be given one month of severance pay. "You see memes on the internet saying that companies are not loyal," he said. "And I thought, 'Sure, but my company actually likes and respects me. I'm valued.' No. I wasn't." Martins said that in the 12 months since his layoff, he'd been actively looking and applying for jobs but hadn't had much luck. He said he thought several factors could be working against him, including layoffs in the tech industry, his focus on remote roles, being transparent with employers about his health condition, and the prevalence of "ghost jobs" listings on job platforms that companies are no longer actively hiring for. Martins said that while the "constant rejection" had been discouraging, he planned to keep trying. Most American men who want a job have one the male unemployment rate is low compared with past decades. But Martins is among the men who have struggled to find work recently or have stopped looking entirely. In 1950, about 97% of American men ages 25 to 54 had a job or were actively looking for work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of April, that figure had fallen to about 89%. One of several potential explanations for this decline is that, in recent decades, health issues have kept many men out of the workforce. An analysis of census data by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco found that as of 2022, nearly 40% of US men ages 25 to 54 cited disability or illness as the reason they weren't working. As a result, more men have turned to Social Security disability benefits to help them get by. Story continues In recent years, the rise of remote work and historically high job openings have helped more people with health issues find employment. In 2023, nearly 23% of Americans with a disability were employed the largest share on record since data collection began in 2008, according to the BLS. But remote jobs aren't as common as they used to be and there's competition to land one. The share of US remote job postings on LinkedIn fell from more than 20% in April 2022 to about 10% in December 2023. Despite the decline, LinkedIn said remote roles accounted for 46% of all applications in December. Martins shared how he'd responded to his layoff and the challenges he'd faced during his job search. Ghost jobs and scammers have made the job search more frustrating When Martins was laid off, it wasn't the loss of income he was primarily focused on, he said. "I needed to get through this meeting so I could learn how to continue being insured once the month ended," he said, referring to the meeting in which he learned he lost his job. "I didn't have time to cry and collect myself." When he learned he could retain health insurance through COBRA for $800 a month, he set to work on the paperwork almost immediately to make sure it would be processed quickly and he wouldn't be "left hanging" without insurance if a necessary procedure arose, he said. He said that while the cost was hard to stomach, it was worth it given his health concerns he said he could retain the coverage for up to three years. Thankfully, his tumor hasn't spread, and he hasn't needed surgery. Martins said he'd been getting a checkup every few weeks to monitor its status. But without a job, he's had to deal with some financial stresses. Martins said he'd saved up a fair bit of money and collected unemployment benefits for a while, both of which had helped him pay the bills. He said he was also planning to move to Washington to live with his parents, who wanted to be closer to him as he navigated his health challenges. This would also save him money on housing. In part because of his upcoming move, Martins said, he'd focused his job search on remote roles. He said he hoped to find a job that would allow him to continue his physical therapy and take some time off for treatment if necessary. But his search had been difficult so far, he said, partly because layoffs across the tech industry had heightened the competition for a limited number of jobs. Martins said that when he did come across job postings, he didn't always know whether they were real. He said he thought he'd encountered a lot of ghost jobs. "There are some firms on LinkedIn that are always advertising the same position and have been for almost a year now," he said. "I've applied to these positions at least half a dozen times now." Martins also said he thought some job postings he was seeing were created by "scammers." For example, he said he recently got an email from a company with a website domain name that was the name of a real company, followed by the word "jobs." The real company's website, however, had a different domain name, and the quality of the site made Martins suspicious. Using the Whois lookup tool, he discovered that the suspicious website had been created on April 18th. "I got an email from the scammer on April 19th, so they certainly didn't waste time going after people," he said. Martins said the "company plus jobs" domain-name format was common in his experience with scammers. He added that recruiters who couldn't answer basic questions about a role and pay that seemed too good to be true were red flags. "They hook you in, throw out a huge pay rate, and hope people are too blown away imagining themselves making bank to ask questions," he said. BI has spoken with several people who said they were nearly duped into sending scammers money. The Federal Trade Commission has more information about job scams and how to avoid them. Lastly, Martins said he sometimes wondered how much his health issues, which he was disclosing to potential employers, were working against him in his job search. "Maybe I'm being a bit too honest about my condition, and no one wants someone like me," he said. Despite these challenges, Martins said he planned to continue his job search and explore some in-person roles once he got to Washington. "There's no harm in continuing to try," he said. "What's the worst that can happen? Your resume ends up in the recycle bin." Are you a man who's not looking for work or has struggled to find a job? Are you willing to share your story? If so, reach out to this reporter at jzinkula@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider UK-based supermarket chain Morrisons has announced its decision to trial the sale of New Zealand lamb in 39 of its stores this week. According to the company, the trial comes in response to customer feedback and demand for cheaper prices. Morrisons stated that the trial was the result of an extensive exercise to understand customer preferences, with feedback indicating a strong desire for more affordably priced lamb throughout the year. In the UK, New Zealand lamb can be sold more cheaply due to trade deals in place between the nations. The deal removes tariffs on a larger meat quantity. The cost of producing lamb in New Zealand is lower than in the UK, due to differing regulatory and climatic conditions. This allows New Zealand farmers to minimise their fixed costs. The lamb would be distinctly labelled, allowing customers at Morrisons stores to make informed choices during the trial period. The chain also assured that butcher counters will continue to sell British lamb. The supermarket was quoted by BBC as saying: "We do not intend this move to mean a reduction in the overall volumes of lamb that we buy directly from British farmers." The trial has, however, been met with criticism from local farming organisations. The National Sheep Association (NSA) expressed its disappointment, stating that the supermarket's decision contradicts the principles it has established with the farming community. NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: We learnt of this disappointing news whilst returning from the Field to Fork Summit held yesterday with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street. This is a very poor decision, and something NSA warned could happen during the negotiations around the new trade deals agreed with Australia and New Zealand last year. The National Farmers Union also called the decision disappointing at a time when the British livestock industry is facing challenges. Recently, Morrisons announced the acquisition of 38 convenience stores in the Channel Islands from longstanding partner SandpiperCI. "Morrisons to trial sale of New Zealand lamb in 39 stores " was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. The focus of return-to-office discussions have long focused on the individuals. Why might workers prefer to stay home? Which age groups are most amenable to in-person work, and which are most combative? Does office collaboration make the most sense for creative types or heads-down numbers people? Can workers really be productive left to their own devices? Yet the lingering question of how widespread remote work shapes company outcomes, as well as the wider sector landscape, largely remains unanswered because the whole experiment remains in flux. But a new working paper from researchers at the University of Michigan and University of Chicago, titled Return to Office and the Tenure Distribution, comes fairly close to positing an answer: Return-to-office (RTO) mandates, when theyre not wanted, are bad news for companies looking to keep their talent. The researchers matched 260 million resumes to company data to analyze causal effects of RTO mandates on employees tenure at Microsoft, SpaceX, and Apple. In scientific terms, they found a reduction in counterfactual tenure that increases for employees with longer tenure. In laymans terms: When the firms enacted RTO mandates, senior employees headed for the dooroften to direct competitorswho let them work from home. The number of top-brass employees at Microsoftas a share of the company headcountdropped by over 5% post-mandate; at Apple, it was 4%. (Microsoft mandated 50% of the week in-office; Apple, just one day a week.) SpaceX was the worst of the bunch, with a 15% drop, which the researchers chalk up to its uniquely stringent requirement: Five days a week in-person. That human outflow poses an enduring threat to productivity, innovation, and competitivenessthe component parts that separate a thriving company from one in freefall. Microsofts internal data doesnt align with the papers findings, Amy Coleman, its vice president of human resources and corporate functions, told Fortune via email. The term return to office mandate is also inaccurate, she said, adding that Microsoft is a hybrid workplace that revolves around flexibility and a mix of workstyles across worksite, work location and work hours. In 2022, Microsofts chief human resources officer Kathleen Hogan told Fortune the company considers working from home up to 50% of the time as standard. Representatives for Apple and SpaceX did not respond to Fortunes request for comment, though an Apple spokesperson told the Washington Post that the study drew inaccurate conclusions and does not reflect the realities of Apples business or attrition rates. Story continues The human toll of forcing their hand The statistical analysis came from People Data Labs resume data, David Van Dijcke, a coauthor and University of Michigan economics PhD student, tells Fortune. The takeaway is definitely that the effects [of RTO mandates] are more deleterious than people thought before. Granted, the study is far from all-encompassing; it only studied three major firms, and they were all early movers in the RTO push, Van Dijcke acknowledges, pointing to each of their 2022 mandate announcements. That meant senior employees who left Microsoft, Apple, and SpaceX had pretty good outside options, namely competing companies that offered remote work with far fewer strings attached. If we think of Covid as ending in 2022, that was certainly followed by an influx of people claiming they would leaveand then really leaving when the first return-to-office mandates happened, Anthony Nyberg, a management professor at the University of South Carolinas Darla Moore School of Business, tells Fortune. Apple and Microsoft really agonized over how to change their policiesAmazon, too, made many public comments. To be sure, Nyberg went on, mandating an office return is a major strategic decisionand even in the Michigan study, which found a statistically significant portion of high-earning workers leaving, it remains unclear whether thats necessarily a bad thing for their former companies. A big part of this is likely to become a sorting effect in terms of talent finding their best-fit organizations, Nyberg says. And people going to competing companies has been a truism for all of eternity. Plus, especially within the tech industry, moving to a competitor thats offering to shell out more money is hardly much to write home about. Particularly if you work remotely, changing jobs is no more than getting a new laptop shipped to you, Nyberg says. Its harder at the bottom A major asterisk to the data that Van Dijcke hopes people understand: Senior people may leave after a RTO more often, and in much greater numbers than entry- or mid-level workers, because senior leaders simply have more to gain. Theyre older, theyre more skilled, companies want to hire them for their expertise, Van Dijcke says; greener employees dont command the same sway. We also saw that employees who leave aren't forced to accept suboptimal jobsdemotions, he adds. Earlier literature shows a preference for fully remote jobs is lowest among the youngest employees, who have the most to gain from in-person collaborative work. That seems to explain the pattern we observedthat senior employees leave at higher rates, Van Dijcke says. They have better options, and they also want to work from home more than junior employees do. Even so, no RTO mandate should come at the expense of the bottom line, Nyberg stresses. As soon as an organization can no longer achieve its strategic directives, halt the RTO plan, he says. But even during this period, these organizations keep enacting layoffs, which certainly suggests theyre not in a people shortage yet. And layoffs are much more dangerous, broadly speaking. Indeed, layoffs, especially across Big Tech, often have long-term lagging effects, making workers likelier to leave due to disrupted culture and fractured trust. But mandates are pushing people out, too; poor morale might just be poor morale. (Ninety-nine percent of companies found a drop in employee satisfaction following their RTO mandate issuance, per a recent University of Pittsburgh study.) Many experts see the whole decision simply. An organization is really hurting itself if it forces people to come back, Stephan Meier, chair of the Management Division at Columbia Business School, tells Fortune, adding he personally thinks the future will be hybrid. People are really motivated by having flexibility in how they organize their days. But a lot of leaders grew up in an in-office environmentthat was their way to control employees, thats how they thought the world worked, thats what worked for them and its why theyre on top. Mandates, for the most part, miss the point; workers will come back on their own accord if they feel doing so would bring a material benefitor make it easier to deliver on their own work objectives. Nonetheless, if a company is hellbent on having full officeseven if that can only be accomplished by forceMeier says now is probably a better time [to enact a mandate] than two years ago, owing to the pressure of mass layoffs and dire economic uncertainty. But companies that roll out mandates, he stresses, are missing the point. Being a leader means finding something that benefits everyone, and makes the firm run better, Meier says. And fears of depressed financial outcomes stemming from remote work are far overblown; underperformers existed long before the pandemic, and no change in work arrangements will necessarily create more of them. Before quiet quitting, there was Microsoft solitairea different way of phoning it in, Meier says. All told, the findings in the report dont seem too egregious to Nyberg, the South Carolina professor, whos spent decadesthrough financial crises and boom periodsassessing the flow of human capital. But then again, Im old. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Department of Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell addresses the Executive Council to present $4 million in state contracts for tourism photography on May 15, 2024. The New Hampshire Executive Council shelved an attempt by the Department of Business and Economic Affairs Wednesday to spend more than $4 million in federal money to pay for professional photographs of New Hampshires seasons. In a series of four proposed contracts, the department sought to spend the money which comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to pay four photography companies to develop still images, b-roll video, and produced video segments, according to a written explanation to the council from Commissioner Taylor Caswell. But a number of councilors as well as Gov. Chris Sununu raised objections over the price tag. The contracts have been tabled, and Councilor David Wheeler, a Republican of Milford, has urged the department to find better ways to spend the money. Id like to know: What are we doing with $4 million taking pictures? said Wheeler. What are we getting for $3,000 a day out of this? asked Councilor Cinde Warmington, a Concord Democrat. Under the contracts, the companies would be tasked with creating content to cover New Hampshires seven tourism regions in all four seasons. The content is meant to serve as a free resource for tourism businesses in the state to use in their promotional materials, and could be used by the state in its advertising efforts, too, Caswell said. Caswells department assigned different areas of the state to different contractors. Brian Nevins, a former staff photographer for Surfer and Snowboard magazines, would be awarded $1.3 million to produce content in the Lakes Region, the Dartmouth and Lake Sunapee areas, and the Seacoast. Portland Post Production LLC, which has worked with the University of New Hampshire, L.L. Bean, and Saucony, would be given $860,000 to focus on the Merrimack Valley and Monadnock areas. Meanwhile, Warden Co., which has worked with the department on winter photography in the past, would be awarded $860,000 to take photos and video for the Great North Woods and White Mountains areas. And Dennis Welsh, a professional photographer and videographer, would be paid just under $1.1 million to develop general content for the VisitNH seasonal campaign. Not all councilors appeared opposed. The shelf life: Youre going to get five, six years out of these images, correct? Councilor Janet Stevens, a Republican of Rye, asked Caswell. This is an investment that could span a decade moving forward, she said. Defending the contracts, Caswell said the federal funds have been awarded to the state for very specific purposes, and that when they put the contracts out to bid, the amount reflects the offers received. Story continues These were as a result the best combination of quality and cost that we saw, he said. He said the department chose to split up the money into different contracts so that no one photography business would be tasked with developing content for the whole state. He also said the department is running out of time to spend down the money in that program. I wouldnt necessarily be able to guarantee that well be able to come up with an additional program (in time), Caswell said, responding to Wheelers suggestion that they spend the money otherwise. The contracts can come off the table and receive an up or down from the council in future meetings. But Sununu agreed with councilors that the services were too high, even if they did come from federal funds. I have an iPhone, the governor quipped. And Im like 20 bucks. This story was originally published by the New Hampshire Bulletin. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH Executive Council shelves $4 million for tourism photography New York Community Banks chief operating officer, Julie-Ann Signorille-Browne, has resigned, effective May 24, the bank disclosed in a filing Thursday. In her time at NYCB, Signorille-Browne led the banks integration with Flagstar and, later, the integration of assets and liabilities NYCB bought from the failed Signature Bank, according to a biography on the companys website. Signorille-Browne came to NYCB in September 2021 from Citizens Bank, where she served as chief operating officer of consumer banking, according to her LinkedIn profile. But she cut her teeth in combining banks assets when she worked as a merger integration executive during KeyBanks 2016 purchase of First Niagara Bank. NYCBs rapid growth it bought pieces of Signature less than five months after regulators approved its acquisition of Flagstar has drawn flak from lawmakers who argue Office of the Comptroller of the Currency examiners should have been paying closer attention to the bank as it surpassed the $100 billion-asset threshold. Early this year, NYCB was seen as the most at-risk bank over its exposure to commercial real estate. The bank disclosed a surprise $252 million loss in January, spurring the banks stock to drop precipitously. That, in turn, ushered in a makeover in management. The banks then-CEO, Thomas Cangemi, resigned in February, when the bank amended its fourth-quarter results to include a $2.4 billion goodwill impairment charge. Cangemis replacement, NYCBs then-Executive Chair Alessandro DiNello, hired a new risk chief and audit executive. (The previous occupants of those roles had left before NYCB issued its fourth-quarter earnings which drew more criticism of the bank.) But the makeover hit a higher gear in March, when a group of investors, led by former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, gave NYCB a $1.05 billion cash infusion. The investors repopulated NYCBs board and installed former Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting as the banks third CEO of the young year. Signorille-Brownes departure is just the latest among a raft of executive changes this year. NYCB last month hired a new CFO, general counsel and head of commercial real estate lending. In her role as COO, Signorille-Browne is responsible for human resources and technology, retail and commercial deposits and lending, corporate real estate, sourcing and vendor management, and the enterprise program management office, according to her NYCB bio. This story was originally published on Banking Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Banking Dive newsletter. The owners of one of the smaller Renaissance Center towers in Detroit are asking the city for greater flexibility for possible uses in the building beyond just office space potentially even housing. The RenCen tower in question is Tower 600, which is one of a pair of shorter, 21-story baby towers that are part of the iconic seven-tower complex. They are next door to the original RenCen towers: four 39-story towers surrounding the central 73-story Marriott hotel tower. The 500-600 Renaissance Center towers in downtown Detroit on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023. Previously owned by a New Jersey utility company, Tower 600 was sold in December to a limited liability corporation Michigan Avenue East said to be owned by a group of investors, including Farmington Hills-based Friedman Real Estate. Friedman Real Estate also serves as the building's manager. The original five RenCen towers are still owned by General Motors, even though the automaker last month announced plans to relocate its world headquarters in 2025 out of the RenCen and into a portion of Dan Gilbert's new Hudson's site development on Woodward, also in downtown. Tower 600 is one of two smaller towers at the Renaissance Center complex. The real estate firm's request for Tower 600 comes at a time when the RenCen complex is at a crossroads. GM has said it will work over the next year with Gilbert's real estate firm, Bedrock, to study potential future uses of the Detroit landmark, including the possibility of converting office towers to residential. At a Detroit City Planning Commission meeting Thursday night, two Friedman Real Estate executives made a pitch for an expansion to the permissible zoning uses for Tower 600. The only use allowed in the tower right now is office space, they said, and even restaurants or retail stores aren't permitted. These tight constraints on Tower 600 don't exist for other RenCen towers. If we wanted to put a Jimmy Johns or something like that, that would not be allowed in this current use, John-Paul Wolfe, a director at the real estate firm, told planning commissioners. He was joined by Jared Friedman, the firm's executive managing director and son of co-founder David Friedman. The strict zoning adds to the challenge of attracting tenants, they said. Tower 600 has been down to 10% occupancy since February, when Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan finished relocating staff from the building to the neighboring Tower 500, which is now fully occupied by The Blues under a 15-year lease. Tower 600 has 336,000 total square feet, and is now down to three tenants: Great Expressions Dental Center, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and the Canadian Consulate. The Friedman Real Estate executives asked the planning commission to expand potential uses in Tower 600 to those allowed under "B5" or "Major Business District" zoning, which can include housing and hotels as well as retail and restaurants. Story continues They emphasized that there are no plans yet for reconfiguring the tower with new uses. They just want a full menu of options for the future. There is no plan at this time," Wolfe said. "And the building could remain office. But we want the ability to put in retail, to put in a restaurant, to potentially convert some levels if that presents itself. The commissioners were receptive to the request, approving it by a 9-0 vote. Several even expressed desire to see housing in the tower should the owners decide to go that route. Each floor is about 16,500 square feet in size. "I think apartments would be really nice on the water right there," Commissioner Kenneth Daniels said. Friedman Real Estate has an ownership stake in Tower 600, but is not the majority owner, according to Jared Friedman. "There are several investors in it as well, too," said Friedman, who declined after the meeting to identity the majority owner. Tower 500 also was sold by the New Jersey utility company on the same day Dec. 21 as Tower 600, land records show. Friedman also declined to identify the Tower 500 owner, although Wolfe said during the planning commission meeting that Tower 500's owner "is out of New York." Friedman told the Free Press they are not leaning at the moment toward any particular new or different use for Tower 600. "We just hope we can do something different there to enhance the potential uses of the project," he said. The zoning use expansion request for Tower 600 is still subject to approval by Detroit City Council. More: The RenCen after GM: What the future could hold for Detroit architectural landmark More: Detroit's RenCen history dates to 1977: Key facts about GM's downtown HQ Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on X @jcreindl. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Owners of 1 Renaissance Center tower eying uses besides office The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has proposed that banks and other payment firms participating in CHAPS reimburse their customers who have been victims of authorised push payment (APP) scams. The PSRs direction will underpin the Bank of Englands new CHAPS reimbursement rules. The PSR expects to finalise and publish its specific direction in September 2024. The PSR is proposing 7 October as the go-live date. 30 members of the Payments Association have now sent a letter pushing back against the proposals. It is argued that many banks and payment firms cannot afford to reimburse victims. It is also claimed that as most scams happen on social media platforms, these firms should be held to account. Silvija Krupena, Director, Financial Intelligence Unit at RedCompass Labs argues that banks should focus on investing in new anti-fraud technologies. These can flag suspicious transactions and prevent scams from happening in the first place. PSR rules pile more pressure on banks and payment providers Krupena said: Its no surprise to see UK challenger banks and payment firms push back on the PSR's fraud victim refund plan. Many simply can't afford to do it. They have already made huge investments into fraud prevention. Adopting tools such as confirmation of payee which helped banks stop 650.7m worth of fraud in the first half of 2023. These new rules will pile even more pressure on banks and payment providers in what is already a challenging time for the industry. Liability has shifted from consumers onto banks. They clearly have an important role, but we cant ignore where the majority of fraud originates. A scam often begins with a simple message on social media platforms, which rake in billions of dollars in profits each year. So, it's equally important we hold these firms to account. Banks need to take preventative action To win the fight against fraud, banks need to take preventative action. They need to focus their investment on exploring new technologies such as AI and data-driven, persona-based approaches, which can flag suspicious transactions and stop them before its too late. This will potentially save hundreds of millions of pounds from being stolen. Most importantly, it will protect more people from having their savings stolen and lives turned upside down by fraudsters. "Payments industry pushes back against fraud victim refund plan" was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Exploring the Sustainability and Growth of Dividends Penske Automotive Group Inc (NYSE:PAG) recently announced a dividend of $0.96 per share, payable on June 4, 2024, with the ex-dividend date set for May 17, 2024. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into Penske Automotive Group Inc's dividend performance and assess its sustainability. What Does Penske Automotive Group Inc Do? Warning! GuruFocus has detected 9 Warning Signs with JEF. High Yield Dividend Stocks in Gurus' Portfolio This Powerful Chart Made Peter Lynch 29% A Year For 13 Years How to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock? Penske Automotive Group operates in nearly 20 US states and overseas, boasting about 150 US light-vehicle stores, including in Puerto Rico, as well as 189 franchised dealerships overseas, primarily in the United Kingdom but also in Continental Europe and Japan. The company is the third-largest US-based dealership in terms of light-vehicle revenue and sells more than 35 brands, with over 90% of retail automotive revenue coming from luxury and import names. Other services, in addition to new and used vehicles, are parts and repair and finance and insurance. The firm's Premier Truck Group owns 44 truck dealerships selling mostly Freightliner and Western Star brands, and Penske owns 19 CarShop used-vehicle stores in the US and UK. The company is based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Penske Automotive Group Inc's Dividend Analysis A Glimpse at Penske Automotive Group Inc's Dividend History Penske Automotive Group Inc has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2011, with dividends currently distributed on a quarterly basis. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends. Penske Automotive Group Inc's Dividend Analysis Breaking Down Penske Automotive Group Inc's Dividend Yield and Growth As of today, Penske Automotive Group Inc currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.90% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 2.09%, suggesting an expectation of increased dividend payments over the next 12 months. Over the past three years, Penske Automotive Group Inc's annual dividend growth rate was 49.00%, decreasing to 15.10% per year over a five-year horizon. Over the past decade, the annual dividends per share growth rate stands at an impressive 12.60%. Based on Penske Automotive Group Inc's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of Penske Automotive Group Inc stock as of today is approximately 3.84%. Penske Automotive Group Inc's Dividend Analysis The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. As of March 31, 2024, Penske Automotive Group Inc's dividend payout ratio is 0.21. Penske Automotive Group Inc's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers, ranking 9 out of 10, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported positive net income for each year over the past decade, further solidifying its high profitability. Story continues Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook To ensure the sustainability of dividends, robust growth metrics are essential. Penske Automotive Group Inc's growth rank of 9 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors. Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and Penske Automotive Group Inc's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. Penske Automotive Group Inc's revenue has increased by approximately 19.60% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 78.62% of global competitors. The company's 3-year EPS growth rate showcases its capability to grow its earnings, a critical component for sustaining dividends in the long run. During the past three years, Penske Automotive Group Inc's earnings increased by approximately 32.70% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 67.43% of global competitors. Lastly, the company's 5-year EBITDA growth rate of 32.60%, which outperforms approximately 86.73% of global competitors. Conclusion Considering Penske Automotive Group Inc's strong dividend payments, robust growth rate, conservative payout ratio, and high profitability, the company presents a compelling case for investors seeking stable dividend income. With its consistent performance and strategic positioning in the automotive industry, Penske Automotive Group Inc appears well-equipped to maintain its dividend growth trajectory. For those looking to explore further, GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Petronas Suriname E&P, a subsidiary of Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas, has announced a hydrocarbon discovery at the Fusaea-1 exploration well within Suriname's offshore block 52. The well, located approximately 170km offshore and 9km east of the Roystonea-1 well, was drilled to a total depth of 5,227m, revealing multiple oil and gas-bearing Campanian sandstone reservoirs. Petronas latest discovery follows Roystonea-1 and Sloanea-1 discoveries in the region. Now, the company is evaluating the possibility of an integrated development approach with the adjacent discoveries. Block 52 spans 4,749km and is situated in the promising Suriname-Guyana basin, north of Suriname's capital, Paramaribo. Petronas Suriname E&P operates the block with a 50% interest while US energy major ExxonMobil owns the remaining stake. The partners in the project are now conducting a thorough assessment to ascertain the full potential of the find. Petronas executive vice-president and CEO of upstream Datuk Adif Zulkifli said: "The favourable results attained from the Fusaea-1 exploration well have solidified Petronas' standing in Suriname for material hydrocarbon resource, following the Sloanea-1 and Roystonea-1 discoveries." Petronas vice-president of exploration Mohd Redhani Abdul Rahman said: The success of Fusaea-1 is a testament to the advancements in our geological comprehension of this region, bolstered by recent breakthrough in Roystonea-1 and Sloanea-1. These discoveries have significantly expanded the prospectivity and integrated oil and gas development potential within block 52. Earlier in March, Staatsolie, Suriname's national energy company, signed a letter of agreement with Petronas and ExxonMobil to further investigate the Sloanea-1 well's gas discovery within the same block. Petronas Suriname E&P also operates blocks 48 and 63 with a full interest and maintains a 30% non-operating interest in block 64. "Petronas announces new hydrocarbon discovery offshore Suriname " 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. A former chief financial officer at a Rock Hill business who was convicted in federal court of wire fraud had her first appearance in South Carolina state circuit court Thursday on charges related to the theft of more than $1 million from the company. Lisa Buza Hill is nearing the end of a 57-month federal prison stretch for wire fraud. That was from her time at a Riverwalk company in 2020 where, in court documents, federal prosecutors called Hill a serial embezzler. Then last month, Rock Hill police arrested Hill on charges of money laundering and breach of trust from the same time frame in 2020 when she was in charge of the money at GRH Development. Prosecutors say Rock Hill CFO was serial embezzler who stole $1M to buy car, vacations York County prosecutors said in court Thursday they want more time to review the state charges and get financial records before seeking a trial date. Hill could be released from federal prison by the end of this year. South Carolina law only gives prosecutors 180 days to try a defendant already in custody in another jurisdiction without an extension, court statements Thursday showed. Visiting Judge Mark Hayes told prosecutors he was not going to grant an extension to bring the state case to trial. The law is in place to keep prosecutors from holding charges against someone indefinitely even if the person is already convicted in the federal system. Hill, 44, made her first South Carolina circuit court appearance Thursday. She said she had been enrolled in prison classes at the West Virginia federal detention center where she was serving her sentence before being brought to face the new charges, but made no other comments. Defense attorney Thomas Bowen talks during court Thursday next to his client, Lisa Buza Hill. The new case against Hill Rock Hill police charged Hill with laundering $1.3 million and fraud through breach of trust. Police allege she took the money as Chief Financial Officer at GRH company in the Riverwalk development. Here she is charged with the actual theft of the money, Anderson said. The time frame and circumstances are similar to the federal case, but the state charges are about stealing the money and the federal charge was for wire fraud, Anderson said. Hill laundered the money through several banks to hide the crimes, and prosecutors need to go through all records before a possible trial, Anderson said. The efforts the defendant went through to conceal the information, it was multiple layers, Anderson said. Federal and state court records allege Hill used the Riverwalk company money on a BMW, trips to Disney World, legal fees from her previous arrests for stealing money, and other purchases. Story continues Riverwalk is a huge residential, business and recreational community along the Catawba River. State case carries heavier penalty The penalty for money laundering and fraud in South Carolina state court is more severe than her federal sentence. Hill could face 10 years in state prison or more if convicted of the Rock Hill charges. Hill has three previous federal convictions dating back to 2012, records show. She was convicted of taking over $800,000 from a North Carolina motorcycle company near Charlotte, then for stealing from another Charlotte company in 2019. She pleaded guilty in 2022 to federal wire fraud charges from the 2020 Rock Hill scam, records show. Hills lawyer said told a judge Hill was already sentenced in federal court for her Rock Hill crimes. It is my understanding these same charges were rolled up in her (federal) case, said Thomas Bowen, York County assistant public defender. My client is sitting in here (York County jail) when she needs to be serving a federal sentence. No trial date has been set, and Hill remains at York County jail without bail. By Fatime Letifova Following the terrorist attack against the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran in January of last year, one of the main focus of the negotiations between Baku and Tehran was the issue of security. During the last few months, the expectations of Azerbaijan were conveyed to Tehran within the framework of contacts and negotiations between the officials and relevant institutions of the two countries. Today, Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to the local media inquiry on the work carried out in the direction of restoring the activities of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Iran. He said that the new location of the embassy has already been determined. "Currently, appropriate measures are being taken to create the necessary conditions for the Embassy in the said venue and building. After the mentioned works are completed, it is planned to restore the activity of the Embassy in the new venue, Aykhan Hajizada noted. However, at a time when Tehran wants to normalise relations with Baku, some media outlets affiliated with SEPAH continue to use threatening rhetoric. Thus, Kayhan newspaper, which is the press organ of Iran's religious leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei's office, published threatening statements against Azerbaijan in its article on the Gaza issue. In the article, it reads, "If you ignore it, it's your turn after Israel!" published with the title. Also, in some parts of the article, Israeli-Azerbaijani relations were touched upon, and it was emphasised that more than half of Israel's energy needs are met by Azerbaijani oil. At a time when relations with Azerbaijan are normalising, the irresponsibility of the Tehran office is not accepted unequivocally. Apparently, Iran wants to announce that it will not give up its anti-Azerbaijani policy. In the published blackmail article, it was demanded to stop the transportation of oil from Azerbaijan to Israel. The author of the article claimed that if Azerbaijan stops selling oil to Israel through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Israel's economy will collapse. It is worth noting that the economic and political relations established between Azerbaijan and other countries, as well as trade, should not be in the interest of the third state. It should be taken into account that Iran itself did not raise a voice for Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani lands and the displacement of nearly 1 million people, more than half of whom are Muslims, for 30 years. Tehran seems indifferent to what is happening in the areas close to its border, but it activates the principle of "justice" in the events in distant regions. It should be noted that Azerbaijan voted for the independence of Palestine in the UN vote. Baku is in favour of ending the ongoing war in Gaza, and is even ready to provide financial support for the reconstruction of the region in the future. Tehran ignores these facts and acts only with the thought of doing evil. On the other hand, the arrest of people serving Iran's agency network in Azerbaijan also worries this country. Periodic protests draw the attention of Muslims in Azerbaijan in the wrong direction and create conditions for the implementation of insidious plans under the guise of religion. However, it should not be forgotten that Azerbaijan is one of the countries that shows maximum tolerance for the religious freedom of all its citizens. There are thousands of mosques, churches, and synagogues here. It is unacceptable that Iran is trying to brainwash the Muslim population living in Azerbaijan, turning the Islamic religion and, most importantly, people's beliefs into a tool in politics. The fact that the Islamic Republic did not take any action against Iranian citizens who called Azerbaijanis to "religious brotherhood" on social networks and spread the idea of??establishing a "Karima" state in Azerbaijan is an indication that the steps taken are in line with the state's interests. Iran literally tries to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan through such so-called organisations that raise slogans under the motto of "freedom". Tehran should not forget that the Syrian option does not work in the South Caucasus, and to provoke people with religious slogans, on the contrary, further harms Iran's reputation. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (L) gesticulating in the Federal Chancellery during the visit of the President of the Republic of Moldova. Fabian Sommer/dpa German Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not expect the new lower tax income estimate to have any serious impact on the deliberations on the next federal budget. "As far as the issue of budget consultations in Germany is concerned, we are on schedule," Scholz said at a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Friday in response to a question from journalists. It was not so surprising that the tax estimate was "not quite so favourable," he said, adding that the expected results had therefore already been taken into account beforehand. According to the German chancellor, the draft budget, together with measures to stimulate the economy, will still be adopted at the beginning of July and submitted to parliament. There is a "very concrete agenda" for this, Scholz emphasized. On Thursday, the tax estimators came to the conclusion that the federal, state and local governments will collect some 995 billion ($1.08 trillion) in the coming year - almost 22 billion less than assumed in the autumn. The Cabinet decision is planned for the last meeting before the parliamentary summer break on July 3. The US Supreme Court has rejected an attempt to neuter the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA), a trade association for payday lenders, brought a case against the CFPB. It claimed that the CFPBs funding violated the appropriations clause of the US constitution. The CFPB was created through the Dodd-Frank Act 2010. It is funded by a capped sum provided by the Federal Reserve. Other US federal agencies are funded by Congress. In a statement, the CFPB 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. CFPB delivered $20bn+ in relief to consumers since 2011 Congress created the CFPB to be the primary federal watchdog protecting consumers from predatory and abusive practices in the financial sector. Since the CFPB opened its doors in 2011, it has delivered more than $20bn in consumer relief to hundreds of millions of consumers and has handled more than 4 million consumer complaints. Todays decision is 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. CFPB: funding structure nor novel or unusual This ruling upholds the fact that the CFPBs funding structure is not novel or unusual, but in fact an essential part of the nations financial regulatory system, providing stability and continuity for the agencies and the system as a whole. As we have done since our inception, the CFPB will continue carrying out the vital consumer protection work Congress charged us to perform for the American people. Supreme Court did the correct thing: Lynyak Dorsey & Whitney partner Joseph Lynyak said: The Supreme Court today did the correct thing by rejecting the extremely narrow reading of the Appropriations Clause. The alternative would have thrown congressional funding into a tailspinparticularly considering that Congress has been unable to fulfil its duty to fund the government using the current understanding of the scope of the Appropriations Clause. Had the Supreme Court ruled otherwise, the constitutionality for practically all of the banking agencies would have been directly placed at risk, including immediate challenges to a host of agency past and current actions. Because the lower court opinion voided the CFPBs authority due to the alleged unconstitutional funding by Congress, arguably all CFPB actions since its creation would have been nullified. Story continues The Court, through the majority opinion by Justice Thomas, held that the Appropriations Clause required a simple and straightforward test. That Congress authorise expenditures from a specific source of public monies for a designated purpose. (Justice Thomas analysed the issue from an historical perspective.) Justice Kagan agreed with the majority opinion, but emphasised that flexibility was afforded Congress when making an appropriation, and that the funding for the CFPB clearly fell within the scope of the test approved by the Court. "SCOTUS decision on CFPB: court did the right thing CFPB expert Joseph Lynyak" 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. This embedded content is not available in your region. Uzoma Zo Orchingwa, co-founder of Emerge Career, sat down with Taking the Hire Road host Jeremy Reymer to discuss justice and social change in the context of hiring and career development. Having spent most of his formative years in Nigeria, Orchingwa was always intrigued and concerned by the disparity in living conditions between places like Nigeria and what he saw in American television and movies. Understanding social ills and why things are the way they are formed a through line that connected my life and work, Orchingwa said. Later, he spent his teen years in inner-city Hartford, Connecticut, where he saw many friends and peers incarcerated. He was driven to learn how and why the justice system operated the way it did and why so many lives were affected. In college, Orchingwa was extremely interested in studying what distinguished the American justice system from those of other countries. Many of the conversations on the justice system were focused on policy, but according to Orchingwa, Not enough people were concerned with the in-prison experience what resources folks are getting, what conditions theyre held in and what opportunities they are missing as a result. With the goal of improving conditions for convicts post-release, Orchingwa co-founded Ameelio. The nonprofit tech startup provides free software and technology to disrupt the predatory pricing to which inmates and their families are subjected when they make phone calls and provide educational opportunities to those inmates. My vision was to create a technological bridge that would reconnect the incarcerated with the outside world and get them critical resources that they needed to succeed, Orchingwa said. However, as Ameelio was not a content creator or educational provider, Orchingwa transitioned his focus to Emerge Career. My focus was on connecting the dots and getting folks training as well as supporting the amazing companies that can employ them, Orchingwa explained. Emerge Career is a vocational training and case management platform. Emerge allows us to not only train students, but also provide them the wraparound support and services they need, Orchingwa said. The employment placement component is designed to help reduce recidivism and poverty rates post-incarceration. Were trying to transform vocational education to reach those who are most vulnerable, and provide quality technology and resources to people who have otherwise been abandoned, said Orchingwa. Regarding retention, Orchingwa said that Emerge Career wants to help connect amazing employees with companies that are in dire need of trained help. Were aiming to improve retention and provide a sustainable ecosystem for all stakeholders in the trucking space not just for the employees, but also for the companies, communities and government systems they operate under, he said. Story continues According to Orchingwa, studies show that many people with a criminal record are unemployed, but those who do seek employment opportunities have much higher retention rates than their unincarcerated counterparts. They stay at companies longer and are shown to work longer hours and be more productive. It might seem counterintuitive, but those who have recognized that theyve made a mistake and are seeking opportunities are so grateful for the individual or company that gives them that first hand up, Orchingwa said. We want to get rid of the stigma. We highlight the research that shows that companies are no more likely to be victimized by hiring formerly incarcerated individuals. To address ongoing issues with truck driver recruiting and retention, Orchingwa says the scalable technology of Emerge Career is immensely effective at providing drivers to the trucking industry. What led us to pursue the transportation sector as a career track for our students was that many incarcerated folks were interested in the transportation sector. It can give them freedom to travel and drive but is also blue-collar work that pays a great wage, Orchingwa said. If you work hard in trucking, you can build a career for yourself. Connecting those driven and dedicated individuals with trucking companies is a proven and effective way of providing people with career opportunities and companies with skilled labor. Click here to learn more about Emerge Career. Book recommendation: Platos The Republic Sponsors: The National Transportation Institute, Career Now Brands, Carrier Intelligence, Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, WorkHound, Asurint, Transportation Marketing Group, Seiza, Drive My Way, F|Staff, Trucksafe Consulting, Seated Social, Repowr The post Second chance success with Emerge Career Taking the Hire Road appeared first on FreightWaves. Zora Bar & Rooftop. Zora, the shuttered rooftop bar that occupies a prime corner at the intersection of Ingersoll Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy. in Des Moines, is facing foreclosure after owner Edwin Allen III's lender filed in court to collect on a more than $3 million mortgage. Zora Bar & Rooftop opened in 2021, the product of a $5 million construction project, with features including a two-level rooftop bar with a view of the downtown Des Moines skyline, an indoor-outdoor bar on the ground floor, a $15,000 custom chandelier and a $35,000 griddle stovetop in the kitchen. But it quickly became a frequent source of police calls, including for a November 2022 shooting death in its parking lot. In July 2023, the city filed a nuisance lawsuit against the business and Allen, who was facing personal legal troubles on several fronts. Allen subsequently filed a $10 million countersuit against the city, accusing officials of forcing the bar to limit its hours, leading to its closure last summer and damaging its business prospects without due process. Allen also put the bar up for sale, asking for $4 million more than double the appraised value. Now his lender has come to collect. According to its May 7 filing, Community 1st Credit Union holds a mortgage on the property that is now in default, including $3 million in unpaid principal and $206,000 in accrued interest. The bank is filing for a foreclosure without redemption, meaning the property can be sold promptly after a court judgment. Several years of legal tumult for Zora, Allen Edwin Allen III speaks with the judge during a hearing at the Polk County Criminal Court, Thursday, March 9, 2023. The foreclosure filing is the latest in a long string of financial and legal setbacks for Allen, who also is a landlord with several local residential properties. Other lenders have in recent months filed foreclosures against at least five residential and commercial properties Allen owns, including apartment buildings at 1721 Pleasant St. and 3612 Ingersoll Ave. in Des Moines. In addition, Allen faces several pending lawsuits, including one by a former Zora server who alleged Allen and didn't want Black servers or patrons at the establishment and another by a former apartment tenant who accused him of trying to evict her when she refused to have sex with him. He also sued Waukee in 2023, alleging a code compliance officer for the city had been stalking him. It was subsequently dismissed by the court. In several of his cases, Allen, who has often represented himself, has been sanctioned for failing to follow court orders or respond to discovery requests. He also has faced criminal charges for assisting another controversial Des Moines metro restauranteur, Steve McFadden, in stalking a romantic partner. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and received a suspended sentence and probation; the Iowa Court of Appeals reversed that sentence because, in its view, the district court improperly took into account racist comments Allen allegedly made in the courtroom. He is now appealing again to challenge the court's refusal to cancel a no-contact order from that case. Story continues Allen does not have an attorney listed in the latest foreclosure and did not respond to a message seeking comment. Attorneys for Community 1st also did not respond to messages. William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines bar Zora hit with foreclosure after years of legal setbacks By Nivedita Bhattacharjee BENGALURU (Reuters) - Lokeswara Reddy, an Indian farmer with two decades of experience, has seen his crops flourish after lean years, thanks to earth-observation satellites. Shifting climate patterns, high input costs, a scarcity of labour and erratic weather began to disrupt his earnings about 10 years ago, said Reddy, 52, currently a contract farmer with global giant Syngenta. Satellite data, gathered and crunched by Indian startup Cropin and provided to him by Syngenta, now gives him optimal sowing times, weather warnings, and better use of irrigation and pesticides, he said. Reddy said that over the last decade he has increased his net profit to 20,000 rupees ($240) per acre on corn at his farm in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, up from 5,000 - 10,000 rupees. "We are on a surer footing when it comes to agricultural practices; (using satellite data) safeguards us from climate change, pest and disease, problems with irrigation scheduling," he said. The Indian government, which just relaxed foreign investment rules for the space sector, is leaning heavily into the use of satellite data to solve problems on the ground, with agriculture a key focus. Reuters spoke to 11 experts and farmers, six startups in the industry and three NGOs who said space technology and big data were primed to help Indian agriculture reach new heights. "India's path to leadership in the new space race lies in utilizing the power of data, and applications within the agricultural sector offer immense potential," said Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre, the country's space regulatory body. Market Research Future, an India-based data analysis firm, says the global space agriculture market will be worth $11.51 billion by 2032, up from $4.99 billion in 2023. Although China holds the largest market share, the sector is growing faster in India than anywhere else in the Asia-Pacific region, it said. Cropin, founded in 2010 and backed by both Google and the Gates Foundation, recently signed a deal with Amazon Web Services to crunch satellite data to solve for global food insecurity. Cropin's partnership with farmers, the World Bank and the government of India in 244 villages digitised more than 30,000 farm plots, covering 77 crop varieties across climate-zones, a company project analysis in 2019 showed. The study showed 92% of the farmers involved increased their average yield by 30% and their farm revenue by nearly 37%. The company got similar results in Africa. Story continues AGRITECH PUSH Cropin and others are tapping into a burgeoning sector. The use of satellite data for crop insurance and horticulture has a market potential of about $1.35 billion over the next 5 years, Deloitte said in a report. Baring Private Equity-backed SatSure, another Indian startup, crunches earth observation data to inform loan analysis. Chief Executive Officer Prateep Basu said there are about 70 million active farmer bank accounts in the country, representing roughly 38% of the total pool. That makes up about $200 billion of all lenders' loan books, he said. India has 2,743 agricultural tech startups, many of which incorporate satellite data or other space technology. Funding hit a high of $1.3 billion in 2021; companies gathered $394.4 million in 2023 and $136.7 million so far in 2024. But there are barriers to large-scale adoption of space technology in agriculture. The average landholding size for farmers in India is just 1.08 hectares. That fragmentation, coupled with poverty and low levels of literacy, pose challenges for tech adoption, industry experts said. "Agriculture has never been a tech-forward sector and often farmers want to rely on traditional practices, or the wisdom of their forefathers," said Raghunath Reddy, a Syngenta manager. In India, McKinsey says agricultural technology has the potential to grow farmers' incomes by 25% to 35%. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her 2023 budget speech, announced a 703 million rupee ($8.42 million) accelerator fund to boost agritech startups. In March 2023, the government said the fund was supporting 1,138 such companies. For farmers like Reddy, agriculture tech has meant better living standards - over the past few years he has bought a car and bought a new house in town. "This increase in earnings also means better education for my son, who has plans to be a software engineer abroad, in the U.S. or London. At the end of the day, we want a better future for our kids," Reddy said. ($1 = 83.4680 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Bengaluru. Editing by Gerry Doyle) Spirit AeroSystems To Lay Off Hundreds As Boeing Struggles with Production Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc (NYSE:SPR), a primary supplier of jet fuselages, is reducing its workforce by 400 to 450 employees at its Wichita, Kansas factory. The layoffs are a response to a production deceleration at Boeing Co (NYSE:BA), Spirits largest client. The recent slowdown in the delivery rate on commercial programs compels a reduction to our workforce in Wichita, Spirit stated. Originally part of Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems has faced significant quality challenges with the 737 MAX jets, which has been central to their current struggles. The Wichita facility, which employs about 13,000 workers, is the epicenter of these issues, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The layoffs coincide with delays in Boeings efforts to acquire Spirit due to ongoing negotiations between Spirit and Airbus SE (OTC:EADSY) regarding the control of Spirits factories that manufacture parts for Airbus aircraft. Related Read: United Airlines Set To Expand As FAA Lifts Safety Limits Boeing executives believe acquiring Spirit is crucial for addressing their quality problems. Notably, the Wichita factory produced the fuselage involved in the Alaska Airlines (NYSE:ALK) incident in January, highlighting long-standing issues with defect management. Last month, Boeing committed $425 million in advance payments to help Spirit cover quality-improvement costs. Despite this, Spirit posted significant losses in the first quarter and hinted at potential financial market involvement to raise additional funds. CEO Pat Shanahan mentioned that the company is currently losing money on parts production for Airbuss A350 and A220 jets, and negotiations with Airbus for higher prices have stalled. Boeing has reduced its production rates amid regulatory examinations and efforts to resolve quality issues, resulting in a slowdown of parts orders to manage excess inventory. Although Boeing aims to produce 38 737s per month later this year, current production rates remain lower. Spirit, on the other hand, is equipped to manufacture fuselages for 42 737s monthly. Spirit AeroSystems stock has gained more than 24% in the last 12 months. Investors can gain exposure to the stock via SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSE:XAR) and IShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (BATS:ITA). Price Action: SPR shares were trading lower by 0.55% at $30.82 at the last check on Friday. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Story continues Read Next: Justice Department Accuses Boeing Of 2021 Settlement Breach Photo via Company "ACTIVE INVESTORS' SECRET WEAPON" Supercharge Your Stock Market Game with the #1 "news & everything else" trading tool: Benzinga Pro - Click here to start Your 14-Day Trial Now! Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Spirit AeroSystems To Lay Off Hundreds As Boeing Struggles with Production originally appeared on Benzinga.com 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) Spirit AeroSystems will lay off 400 to 450 employees, according to an internal email sent to employees. It also said the reduction is to the hourly production workforce. Senior Contributing Analyst for the Teal Group Bruce McClelland and Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell agree this is a dicey move for Spirit AeroSystems. Howell said they run the risk of those laid-off employees packing their bags and moving out of state. We have not seen a layoff of 450 employees here in quite a long time, he said. Andover YMCA releases video footage from 2022 tornado, witness shares experience Howell said Wichita has been on an aviation roller coaster for decades, but Spirit AeroSystems has been fairly stable. He thinks employees may decide to head out of state to similar aviation companies that are hiring. They may make a decision to sell their home, move to some place like Georgia, or North Carolina, or California, that has lots of manufacturing, Howell said. Howell believes this move causes harm to the Wichita economy. Every one of these jobs has three to four, maybe even in some cases, five jobs in the community that are impacted by the flow of those dollars through the economy, so its going to have a ripple effect, he said. Haysville school leaders and teachers continue negotiations for new contract McClelland said the move is puzzling. It doesnt seem like this is the time to be laying people off, he said. McClelland said the decision may be tied to Boeings possible acquisition of Spirit AeroSystems, adding that theyll need the workforce back to meet future expectations. Boeing has aspirations of going to 50 units a month. In 2025, 2026, theyre going to certainly need their skilled workers, he said. Howell said the aviation industry is thriving as a whole. He hopes those laid off will choose local companies like Textron. McClelland believes Spirit AeroSystems may try to hire employees back toward the end of the year but fears they may lose out on qualified people who cannot play the waiting game and need a paycheck. 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. GlobalData's Company Filings Analytics Trends & Signals Q1 2024 report has emphasised how the Red Sea Crisis, a result of escalating tensions between Israel and Hamas, and the geopolitical turning points of the Panama Canal and the South China Sea are driving up shipping costs and prolonging delivery times. "Political instability and geopolitical tensions continue to impact business operations," noted Misa Singh, business fundamentals analyst at GlobalData. "Regional conflicts are impacting suppliers and companies in sourcing and delivering products. The persistent tension in the South China Sea has also contributed to disruptions and as these disruptions reshape freight flow, and subsequently the supply of goods may be delayed and result in soaring shipping costs. The report also highlighted specific company experiences, such as Penguin International Limited, which is grappling with supply chain disruptions and increased costs from European suppliers navigating through the Red Sea. In contrast, Airbus SE, an aerospace, defense and security company, is benefiting from the situation due to rising air freight demand and prices, driven by extended container ship voyage times through the Red Sea and Panama Canal blockages. Shipping companies are adapting by taking longer routes around the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Horn and the Suez Canal, further straining logistical networks. These diversions, along with incidents such as the arson attack at Tesla's Gigafactory in Berlin-Brandenburg, have led to factory shutdowns and operational delays. Additionally, the lack of rainfall in Panama has led to a reduction in the number of vessels allowed to transit the Panama Canal each day. The restrictions are causing delays and extended lead times for goods imported from North America, as noted by SLP Resources Berhad. Meanwhile, supplies from the Middle East and Asia Pacific remain largely unaffected. Singh concluded: Years of disruption following the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions have increased the vulnerabilities of global logistics. Many supply chains have become progressively more extensive and interconnected, making them susceptible to disruption and delays and companies will surely keep an eye on how things unfold. In February 2024, Just Style took a deeper dive into the Red Sea crisis to reveal the short and long-term implications for the global apparel supply chain. "Supply chain pressure major concern for apparel amid Red Sea crisis" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand. Story continues 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. Lithuanian company Teltonika has received European CE MDR (Class IIa) certification for its TeltoHeart smart wristband, confirming its compliance with medical device standards. The TeltoHeart smart wristband is designed to assist individuals with heart rhythm disorders and can detect various arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation. It alerts users to abnormal heart rhythms, prompting them to conduct a six-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) using the device. This feature enables healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions effectively. The device combines photoplethysmogram (PPG) technology for long-term monitoring with an integrated six-lead ECG. It can detect atrial fibrillation, even amidst other cardiac irregularities. Initially, the prototype algorithm for the device was developed by KTU (Kaunas University of Technology) researchers, with contributions from Vilnius University and Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, and subsequently, the algorithm was refined by Teltonika Telemedic to meet telemedicine market demands. The product's launch is in line with the European Heart Rhythm Association's (EHRA) 2022 recommendation for patients with infrequent cardiac arrhythmia symptoms to use certified wearable devices capable of performing ECGs or detecting arrhythmias with PPG technology, as an alternative to Holter monitoring. Teltonika Telemedic CEO Martynas Osauskas said: This is an important recognition that we have been working towards since the start of this project in 2020. The CE MDR certification proves that TeltoHeart is a safe and reliable product that delivers correct medical data. It allows our clients medical institutions and their patients to safely use the device to analyse data and make diagnoses. In addition, we will now be able to sell the TeltoHeart wristband in the European Union and many other countries around the world. Last year, Teltonika commenced mass production of the TeltoHeart smart medical wristband. "Teltonikas TeltoHeart smart wristband obtains CE MDR certification" 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. By Alimat Aliyeva Drones of unknown origin, unnoticed by security, filmed in detail the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo, the US nuclear aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and other warships located at the Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo, Azernews reports. The Japanese Ministry of Defense, according to the publication, analyzed the images and practically verified their authenticity. Of particular concern, Nikkei notes, was the fact that a drone equipped with a camera flew unhindered directly over the deck of the Izumo helicopter carrier, which potentially posed a direct threat to its safety. In Japan, a ban on drone flights over important facilities, including military bases, has been introduced since 2016. Restricted areas with a radius of 300 m have been established around them. However, incidents with drones have pointed to difficulties in the practical implementation of such prohibitions, given the small size and high speeds of drones, which cannot always be detected by radar. At the same time, the military authorities, according to the publication, avoid turning on electronic warfare equipment on a regular basis, as this may interfere with communications in adjacent urban areas. The Izumo and Kaga helicopter carriers of the same type are the largest ships of the Japanese Navy, with a displacement of 19.5 thousand tons and a length of 248 m. Now they are capable of carrying 14 helicopters each, delivering 470 military personnel to the place of operations. Now these ships are being converted into light aircraft carriers, after modernization they will be able to receive 10 F-35B combat aircraft. Amidst a backdrop of moderating inflation and record highs in major U.S. indices, global markets are presenting varied opportunities for investors. In this context, growth companies with high insider ownership can be particularly compelling, as they often signal confidence from those who know the company bestits leadersespecially when these firms also demonstrate robust revenue growth. Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth Hartshead Resources (ASX:HHR) 13.9% 86.3% Gaming Innovation Group (OB:GIG) 22.8% 36.2% Calliditas Therapeutics (OM:CALTX) 11.6% 49.9% Elliptic Laboratories (OB:ELABS) 31.4% 124.6% Nordic Halibut (OB:NOHAL) 29.9% 90.7% HANA Micron (KOSDAQ:A067310) 19.8% 67.2% Vow (OB:VOW) 31.8% 99.4% UTI (KOSDAQ:A179900) 34.2% 111.6% EHang Holdings (NasdaqGM:EH) 33% 97.1% OSE Immunotherapeutics (ENXTPA:OSE) 25.1% 92.9% Click here to see the full list of 1503 stocks from our Fast Growing 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: Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. operates in the oil and gas exploration and production sector across Latin America, with a market capitalization of approximately MX$77.06 billion. Operations: The company generates revenue primarily from the exploration and production of crude oil, natural gas, and LPG, totaling $1.17 billion. Insider Ownership: 12.3% Revenue Growth Forecast: 18.5% p.a. Vista Energy, with significant insider ownership, is trading at 39.9% below its estimated fair value, reflecting potential undervaluation. Despite a volatile share price recently, the company's earnings are expected to grow by 28.5% annually, outpacing the MX market average of 11.2%. However, shareholder dilution occurred over the past year. Recently, Vista initiated a US$50 million share buyback program following shareholder approval, underscoring management's confidence in the companys value and future prospects. BMV:VISTA A Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Seojin System Co., Ltd specializes in manufacturing telecom equipment, repeaters, mechanical products, and LED equipment, with a market capitalization of approximately 1.21 billion. Operations: The company's revenue is primarily derived from its EMS, semiconductor, and mechanical products segments, generating 0.85 billion, 0.16 billion, and 0.25 billion respectively. Story continues Insider Ownership: 30.9% Revenue Growth Forecast: 30.8% p.a. Seojin System Ltd is expected to outpace the Korean market with a revenue growth forecast of 30.8% annually, significantly higher than the market's 9.5%. The company is projected to turn profitable within three years, with an anticipated high return on equity of 25.6%. However, its ability to cover interest payments with earnings is weak, and shareholder dilution has occurred over the past year, raising concerns despite strong growth prospects. KOSDAQ:A178320 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Gold Circuit Electronics Ltd., based in Taiwan, specializes in the manufacturing, processing, and trading of multilayer printed circuit boards, with a market capitalization of approximately NT$100.50 billion. Operations: The company primarily generates revenue from the manufacture, processing, and trade of multilayer printed circuit boards. Insider Ownership: 37.1% Revenue Growth Forecast: 15.9% p.a. Gold Circuit Electronics Ltd. has demonstrated robust financial performance, with a significant increase in sales and net income as of the first quarter of 2024. The company's revenue and earnings growth are expected to surpass the Taiwan market average, with forecasts indicating a yearly revenue increase of 15.9% and earnings growth of 23.5%. Despite this positive outlook, the stock is currently trading below analyst price targets and exhibits high share price volatility, which could concern potential investors looking for stability. TWSE:2368 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024 Turning Ideas Into Actions Reveal the 1503 hidden gems among our Fast Growing Companies With High Insider Ownership screener with a single click here. Have you diversified into these companies? Leverage the power of Simply Wall St's portfolio to keep a close eye on market movements affecting your investments. Discover a world of investment opportunities with Simply Wall St's free app and access unparalleled stock analysis across all markets. 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 BMV:VISTA A KOSDAQ:A178320 and TWSE:2368. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com As the German market experiences a robust upswing, with the DAX index gaining 4.28% on better-than-expected corporate earnings and optimism around potential interest rate cuts, investors are increasingly looking at dividend stocks as a reliable source of income. In such an environment, a good dividend stock typically combines consistent payout history with solid financial health and growth prospects, making it an attractive option for those seeking stability amidst market fluctuations. Top 10 Dividend Stocks In Germany Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Edel SE KGaA (XTRA:EDL) 6.38% Sudzucker (XTRA:SZU) 4.98% Brenntag (XTRA:BNR) 3.01% FRoSTA (DB:NLM) 3.03% DATA MODUL Produktion und Vertrieb von elektronischen Systemen (XTRA:DAM) 6.02% MLP (XTRA:MLP) 4.88% SAF-Holland (XTRA:SFQ) 4.82% Mercedes-Benz Group (XTRA:MBG) 7.76% Deutsche Post (XTRA:DHL) 4.59% Uzin Utz (XTRA:UZU) 3.14% Click here to see the full list of 30 stocks from our Top Dividend Stocks screener. Let's explore several standout options from the results in the screener. Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: SAF-Holland SE manufactures and supplies chassis-related assemblies and components for trailers, trucks, semi-trailers, and buses, with a market cap of 799.85 million. Operations: SAF-Holland SE generates revenue from manufacturing and supplying chassis-related assemblies and components for trailers (1.12 billion), trucks (0.63 billion), semi-trailers (0.45 billion), and buses (0.18 billion). Dividend Yield: 4.8% SAF-Holland's dividend payments have increased over the past decade but have been volatile and unreliable. Despite trading at 38.9% below estimated fair value, the company's dividends are well covered by earnings (44.5% payout ratio) and cash flows (31.6% cash payout ratio). Recent Q1 2024 results showed a rise in net income to 26.23 million from 19.56 million, indicating strong performance, although high debt levels remain a concern for investors seeking stability in dividend stocks. XTRA:SFQ Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Sudzucker AG, with a market cap of 2.87 billion, produces and sells sugar products in Germany, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and internationally. Operations: Sudzucker AG's revenue segments comprise 1.57 billion from Fruit, 4.18 billion from Sugar, 1.23 billion from Starch, 1.23 billion from CropEnergies, and 2.42 billion from Special Products (excluding Starch). Story continues Dividend Yield: 5% Sudzucker's dividend payments have been unstable and volatile over the past decade, despite a payout ratio of 22.4% and cash payout ratio of 52.4%, indicating coverage by earnings and cash flows. Trading at 44.6% below estimated fair value, it offers a competitive yield in Germany's top quartile for dividend payers. However, forecasted earnings decline by an average of 45.3% per year raises concerns about future sustainability. Recent board meeting proposed a new dividend ahead of fiscal results release on May 16, 2024. XTRA:SZU Dividend History as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: Overview: Talanx AG is a global provider of insurance and reinsurance products and services with a market cap of approximately 18.59 billion. Operations: Talanx AG generates revenue through several key segments: Reinsurance (24.46 billion), Industrial Lines (9.07 billion), Private and Corporate Insurance Germany (3.56 billion), International Private and Corporate Insurance (7.10 billion), and Corporate Operations (965 million). Dividend Yield: 3.3% Talanx AG's dividend payments have been stable and growing over the past decade, supported by a low payout ratio of 37.9% and a cash payout ratio of 7.5%, indicating strong coverage by both earnings and cash flows. Recent Q1 2024 results showed net income rising to 572 million from 423 million year-over-year, with earnings per share increasing to 2.22 from 1.67, reinforcing its capacity for sustainable dividends despite trading at 62.1% below estimated fair value. XTRA:TLX Dividend History as at May 2024 Next Steps Discover the full array of 30 Top Dividend Stocks right here. Have you diversified into these companies? Leverage the power of Simply Wall St's portfolio to keep a close eye on market movements affecting your investments. Maximize your investment potential with Simply Wall St, the comprehensive app that offers global market insights for free. Ready To Venture Into Other Investment Styles? This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include XTRA:SFQ XTRA:SZU and XTRA:TLX. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com Friday, May 17, 2024 The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY) and Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST), as well a micro-cap stock Koss Corp. (KOSS). These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today. You can see all of todays research reports here >>> Microsofts shares have outperformed the Zacks Computer - Software industry over the past year (+33.2% vs. +31.4%). The companys fiscal third-quarter results gained from strong growth in Intelligent Cloud and Productivity and Business Processes revenues. Productivity and Business Processes revenues rose due to a strong adoption of Office 365 Commercial solutions. Microsoft 365 Consumer subscribers grew to 80.8 million. Continued momentum in the small and medium businesses, frontline worker offerings and a gain in revenue per user drove the top line. Intelligent Cloud revenues were driven by growth in Azure and a rise in AI Copilot business. However, the office's declining commercial licensing has been a headwind due to the continued customer shift to cloud offerings. Higher operating expenses and spending on Azure enhancements amid stiff competition in the cloud space remain a concern. (You can read the full research report on Microsoft here >>>) Shares of Eli Lilly have outperformed the Zacks Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry over the year-to-date period (+32.7% vs. +16.7%). The companys revenue growth is being driven by higher demand for drugs like Mounjaro, Verzenio, Jardiance, Taltz and others. Lillys new tirzepatide medicines, diabetes drug Mounjaro and obesity medicine, Zepbound, are seeing exceptionally strong demand trends. Lilly has also launched some other new products expected to drive Lillys top line in 2024. Lilly is also making rapid pipeline progress in areas like obesity, diabetes and Alzheimers. However, generic competition for some drugs, rising pricing pressure and challenges in meeting strong demand for incretin products like Zepbound and Mounjaro are some top-line headwinds. (You can read the full research report on Eli Lilly here >>>) Costcos shares have outperformed the Zacks Retail - Discount Stores industry over the past year (+64.0% vs. +31.4%). The company, being a consumer defensive stock, has been surviving the market turmoil pretty well. The discount retailers key strengths are strategic investments, a customer-centric approach, merchandise initiatives, and an emphasis on membership growth. These factors have been helping it register decent sales and earnings numbers. This outlook reflects Costcos ability to navigate the challenging operating environment, generate solid sales, and register high membership renewal rates. A favorable product mix, steady store traffic, pricing power and strong liquidity position should help Costco keep outperforming. While trading at a premium to its peers, its long-term growth prospects should help the stock see a solid upside. (You can read the full research report on Costco here >>>) Shares of Koss have outperformed the Zacks Audio Video Production industry over the past year (+24.5% vs. -14.2%). The company maintains financial stability with $2.9 million in cash and $7 million in short-term investments. Its focus on innovation, cost management, and quality ensures that it remains competitive, while its global presence and customer loyalty offer avenues for growth. However, Koss faces challenges in a competitive, evolving earphone market dominated by giants like Sony and Bose. Market saturation and aggressive competition threaten to erode Koss's share and profitability. Financially, Koss reported a revenue decline to $9.4 million from $10 million year-over-year, signaling issues in production cost management and pricing strategies. Legal disputes over patents add financial and reputational risks. Additionally, reliance on Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers exposes Koss to geopolitical risks and supply chain disruptions. (You can read the full research report on Koss here >>>) Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS), Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) and O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY). Mark Vickery Senior Editor Note: Sheraz Mian heads the Zacks Equity Research department and is a well-regarded expert of aggregate earnings. He is frequently quoted in the print and electronic media and publishes the weekly Earnings Trends and Earnings Preview reports. If you want an email notification each time Sheraz publishes a new article, please click here>>> Story continues Today's Must Read Adoption of Cloud & Office 365 Strength Aid Microsoft (MSFT) Lilly (LLY) New Products Hold Key to Sales Growth in 2024 Decent Comparable Sales Run to Fuel Costco's (COST) Top Line Featured Reports UPS Banks on Dividends & Buybacks Amid Shipping Volume Woes The Zacks analyst is impressed with the company's efforts to reward its shareholders. However, shipping volume-related weakness is a concern. Booking Holdings (BKNG) Benefits From Strong Travel Demand Per the Zacks analyst, Booking Holdings is benefiting from growing global leisure travel demand, resulting in substantial improvement in booking trends. Strategic Buyouts to Drive O'Reilly (ORLY) Amid Debt Woes While O???Reilly's international expansion efforts through the Mayasa and Groupe Del Vasto buyouts are boosting sales, the elevated leverage of over 90% concerns the Zacks analyst. Paychex (PAYX) Gains From Diversification Amid Talent Cost Per the Zacks analysts, Paychex's solid business model, diversified products and services have been boosting the top line. A competitive talent market remains a concern. Housing Demand Aids Weyerhaeuser (WY), High Costs Hurt Per the Zacks analyst, Weyerhaeuser is benefiting from the consistent flow of carbon/ESG-related projects and improving housing market. However, increasing costs and expenses are concerning. Investments to Benefit CMS Energy (CMS) Amid Rising Costs Per the Zacks analyst, investments will boost CMS Energy's grid upgrades. Yet rising costs for closure of solid waste disposal facilities for coal ash may hurt the stock. Test Volumes Aid Myriad Genetics (MYGN) Amid Stiff Rivalry The Zacks analyst is impressed with Myriad Genetics rising testing volumes, reflecting market share gains and ongoing initiatives to improve average revenue per test. Stiff rivalry remains a concern. New Upgrades Goldman's (GS) Focus on IB, Trading to Drive Revenue Growth Goldman's focus on its core strengths of investment banking and trading operations and efforts to pivot from the consumer banking business will help it generate more durable and recurring revenues. Growing Top Line, Solid Capital Position Aid RLI Corp. (RLI) Per the Zacks analyst, its rising revenues driven by higher premiums and net investment income have led to significant growth. Moreover, robust capital position continues to be a key catalyst. SM Energy's (SM) Robust Eagle Ford & Permian Presence Aids Per the Zacks analyst, SM Energy's strategic expansion in Texas, particularly in the Permian and Eagle Ford regions, signals growth, leveraging its assets to capitalize on crude price uptrends. New Downgrades Weakness in Safety & Industrial Unit Hurts 3M Company (MMM) Per the Zacks analyst, weak performance in 3M's Safety & Industrial unit due to softness in industrial specialties, electrical markets and personal safety businesses are weighing on its results. Cambium (CMBM) Deterred by Price Wars, High Inventory Levels Per the Zacks analyst, Cambium is likely to be plagued by high inventory levels, supply chain woes, intense price competition from both lower and higher-cost vendors and macroeconomic headwinds. Sluggishness in China Commerce Business Ails Alibaba (BABA) Per the Zacks analyst, Alibaba is suffering from sluggishness in its China Commerce business due to softness in direct sales channels. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) : Free Stock Analysis Report O'Reilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) : Free Stock Analysis Report Koss Corporation (KOSS): Free Stock Analysis Report Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Two Texas billionaires are looming large in North Texas elections, even if you arent seeing them. West Texas oilmen Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, both major Republican donors, have waded into a number of North Texas legislative races, including ones that are in primary runoffs May 28 (early voting is May 20-24). Together theyve spent at least $7.8 million to help elect their lawmakers of choice. Their involvement, direct or indirect, is drawing ire from Republican candidates on the receiving end of the criticism. The candidates say Wilks and Dunn, through groups they support, are flooding voters with false information about their conservative credentials. Im not going to be bought like that, and I think they want candidates that they can control so they can control the Legislature, said DeWayne Burns, a Cleburne Republican who is seeking reelection. A complex web of groups and candidates are backed by Dunn and Wilks. At the top of the list, perhaps, are Defend Texas Liberty PAC and Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC, which have spent upwards of $3.7 million this election cycle. Theyve got the money and theyve got the ear of many conservative Republicans, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor. Thats a recipe for success in primaries that tend to have a small number of very active and partisan constituents Over the past decade the two billionaires have helped push Texas to the right by backing lawmakers who have advocated bills on guns, transgender issues and school vouchers. Farris Wilks watches U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Ted Cruz deliver his remarks in December of 2015 at the Myrtle Wilks Community Center in Cisco. Their influence can be both overstated and understated, said Jim Riddlesperger, a TCU political science professor. Concerns over border security, fight over school vouchers, the influence of Donald Trump and recent scandals around Attorney General Ken Paxton add layers to what has been a heated primary season. There are a whole bunch of dynamics working together in Republican Party politics in Texas, and one of them of course is the contributions of Dunn and others, Riddlesperger said. But there are many other factors as well. Republicans have have held every statewide office since 1998. More top stories from our newsroom: 18-year-old pilot killed in small plane crash in Johnson County Attorneys reach deal on new charges for Timberview school shooter Southlake Carroll says feds didnt provide facts on civil rights complaints [Get our breaking news alerts.] Meet Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks Dunn is the founder and owner of Crownquest, a Midland based oil company. He and his family are worth a combined $2.2 billion, according to Forbes. Wilks, who lives in Cisco and made his fortune in the oil and fracking industry, is worth $1.9 billion, according to Forbes. Story continues Their involvement in Republican politics in Texas and beyond is well-documented. Neither returned requests for comment. Together, theyve donated about $39 million to Texas candidates and political groups that filed with the Texas Ethics Commission over the past decade. Some of the groups theyve backed include Empower Texans, Defend Texas Liberty, and now, Texans United for a Conservative Majority. Little by little, over the years, Dunn, Wilks and their allies have been able to defeat incumbents who are considered moderates and replace them with lawmakers who are more conservative, Riddlesperger said. Its taken this wing of the Republican Party and allied groups a fair amount of time to change Texas politics, but theyve done it, Riddlesperger said. Rep. Lynn Stucky, a Denton Republican whose opponent is backed by groups linked to the prolific donors, says groups supported by the Texas billionaires have had to reinvent themselves after scandals, but the groups remain the same at their core. Former Texas Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen speaks at a news conference in Austin in this file photo from 2020. Empower Texans fizzled after a recording was released in 2019 of a meeting between former House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan in which Bonnen encouraged the group to target some Republicans. In 2020, staff members from the group were caught on a hot mic mocking Gov. Greg Abbotts wheelchair use. Defend Texas Liberty has been under fire since October, when its leader Jonathan Stickland (a former state representative from Bedford) was caught meeting with white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Following backlash from the meeting, the Texans United for a Conservative Majority political action committee was formed. It has donated more than $2 million to candidates between the start of 2023 and the March primary. More recent campaign finance statements havent yet been filed. Donations from Wilks and Dunn make up about 80% of the groups total funding during the 2024 election cycle, according to Transparency USA. Defend Texas Liberty PACs president Luke Macias asked the Star-Telegram to email questions but did not return written responses. The campaign treasurer for Texans United for a Conservative Majority did not return multiple calls seeking comment. Wilks, Dunns North Texas involvement Wilks and Dunn are in the corner of five North Texas House candidates who are on the May 28 runoff ballot: Andy Hopper, who is running against Rep. Lynn Stucky for House District 64 in Denton and Wise County. Cheryl Bean, who is running against John McQueeney for House District 97 in southwest Tarrant County. Helen Kerwin, who is running against Rep. DeWayne Burns in House District 58 in the Cleburne area.. Katrina Pierson, who is running against Rep. Dustin Holland in House District 33 in the Rockwall area. David Lowe, who is running against Rep. Stephanie Klick in House District 91 in North Richland Hills, Haltom City and Watauga. All are running against Republican incumbents, with the exception of Bean, who is running for an open seat after Rep. Craig Goldman opted to run for Congress. (Goldman is also in a runoff.) Texans United for a Conservative Majority have donated $553,000 to the candidates combined. Groups linked to Dunn and Wilks are behind attack mailers that have gone out across the state, according to a San Antonio Express-News report. The mailers are something Stucky, a Denton Republican who is in a runoff with Hopper, says he has seen in his district. He described them as spreading complete lies. People who dont know Lynn Stucky, like in my new part of the district, Wise County, they lay them out on their kitchen table, their bar, their coffee table and they go, Wow, all these different people hate Lynn Stucky, he must be a bad person, Stucky said. All those different people are the same people. Theyre getting bamboozled by the Great Deceiver, is what theyre getting. Dunn and Wilks involvement creates a deeper split within the party, said Stucky, whose opponent has received $280,000 from Texans United for a Conservative Majority. Hopper did not return requests for comment. If youre a billionaire, you can afford to spend several million dollars every election cycle, said Holland, whose opponent Pierson was a spokesperson for Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and has received funds from Texans United for a Conservative Majority. For me, I think its chipping away at democracy. Piersons campaign asked that questions be emailed, but did not return responses. Klick encouraged voters to do their homework. I think that a lot of it is deception, and people need to know that, Klick said. Candidates reached by the Star-Telegram defended their campaigns. Lowe, who has received $125,000 from the Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC, said that hes never met the Wilks or Dunn families and that theyve never asked anything from him. He hadnt even heard of them when he first ran two years ago, he said. Lowe said hes not consulted on any attack mailers or donations. Even though those groups support me, I still have an open mind, and I still think for myself, Lowe said. Im not going to be anybodys lap dog. He also pushed back against being linked to Sticklands meeting with Fuentes calling it a distraction from the issues, and offensive, given that his wife and her family are Jewish. Asked if hes done anything to distance himself from Defend Texas Liberty, which donated to his 2022 campaign, Lowe said hes just focused on the issues. Kerwin, who is running against Burns, has strong and broad support from all manner of Republicans, conservatives, and people who want to see common sense reforms to make the Texas State House more responsive to the priorities of grassroots Texans, campaign spokesperson Chris Homan said in a written statement. Kerwin has raised $415,000 from major donors during the primary, he said. Of that total, $15,000 is from Texans United for a Conservative Majority, according to Texas Ethics Commission records. Kerwin also received nearly $500,000 in in-kind donations from Gov. Greg Abbotts campaign, according to her spokesperson. For the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to try and minimize the enormous and broad-based movement supporting Helen, and many other challenger races, by focusing on a donor or two misses the far larger picture of what is occurring all across Texas during this Republican primary and runoff season, Homan said. This is a movement that starts with the grassroots and is propelled by common sense, conservative leadership of President Donald Trump and Governor Greg Abbott. John McQueeney, who faces Cheryl Bean in a runoff for House District 97 in southwest Fort Worth, said several groups funded by Wilks and Dunn have been involved in the race, including Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and Texans United for a Conservative Majority. This group is known for demanding complete loyalty from their candidates and lying to try to destroy their opponents, McQueeney said in a statement. A spokesperson for Bean asked for written questions but did not respond to them. Why are Dunn, Wilks involved in North Texas? Stucky links the involvement of Wilks, Dunn and affiliated groups in North Texas to Ken Paxtons impeachment vote in the House. Paxton, who is from Collin County and was cleared by the Texas Senate in his impeachment trial, has gotten $400,000 directly from Dunn and Wilks since January 2023. They are trying to retaliate against House members who recommended impeachment, Stucky said. Attorney General Ken Paxton, middle, waits with his attorneys Tony Buzbee, left, and Mitch Little for closing arguments to begin at his impeachment trial at the Capitol on Friday September 15, 2023. Burns said their involvement is about control. They want power, he said. Of the 33 state candidates up for reelection this year and financially supported by Dunn, Wilks, Defend Texas Liberty of Texans United for a Conservative Majority, 18 won, eight are in a runoff and seven lost. Political science experts say their involvement in North Texas likely comes down to the competitive districts in the area. Money goes to swing districts, Riddlesperger said. You dont have to spend money on districts that you have securely. Youre not going to spend money on districts that youre going to lose regardless of how much money you might invest. Primaries and their runoffs tend to draw the most committed, partisan voters. So do Wilks-Dunn backed candidates win on May 28? Its just a matter of who gets their voters out, Riddlesperger said. Ex-White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang were guests at the Fortune Future of Finance conference on Thursday. The subject of the 2024 election came up. When asked about the impact that a return of former President Donald Trump would have on the business landscape if he were reelected, Scaramucci was blunt: terrible. He would be terrible for the economy and terrible for business, said the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge Capital. The economy has been predictable, and favorable for businesses, because of constitutional separation of powers, Scaramucci explained. Trump wants to obliterate those separations and embrace people and functions that would allow him to have total control. So-called unitary executive power would give the president totalitarian powers over the executive branch of government with exclusive rights to shape and enforce laws. It would make Trump uber powerful, said Scaramucci, and throughout history, he said, that has been catastrophic for the economy wherever it has happened. Its a disaster for the economy, a disaster for the world, and a disaster for your business, he said, adding that Trump would be an orange wrecking ball for this society. Similarly, former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said Trump would be a catastrophe for businesses if he were elected president a second time. Hes learned from his mistakes last time, which was hiring responsible adults who tamped down Trumps policy instincts, said Yang, co-chair of the Forward Party, a centrist political party he founded in 2021. Yet, Yang warned that if the election were held today, Trump would certainly win. The only question in his mind is whether something changes in the next six months in swing states, where Yang said Biden is underperforming relative to Trump, despite spending Bidens considerable war chest. Scaramucci noted that there are currently 40 Republicans who are publicly against Trumps reelection bid, including former Vice President Mike Pence. If dozens of people who worked at a company came together and said a product or company was awful and could kill you, he said, people would listen. Yet in this case its a mystery that Trump has garnered such steadfast support, he said. Scaramucci only worked at the White House for 11 days, from July 21 to July 31 in 2017, but related one tale about his time in the Oval Office. Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan and Trump were arguing and Trump was pointing his finger at Ryan saying, You work for me. You work for me, Scaramucci recalled. Ryan told Trump, I dont work for you. Trump then looked to Scaramucci to confirm as if asking, Is that right? He doesnt work for me? Scaramucci remembered. And Trump doesnt like that, Scaramucci added, making a point about Trumps interest in autocratic control. Story continues Scaramucci joked about how his short tenure at the White House has evolved into its own indicator of time. For instance, the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, Liz Truss, lasted 45 days from Sept. 6, 2022 to Oct. 20, 2022. Or, she lasted the equivalent of 4.1 Scaramuccis, he said. People are very sensitive, Scaramucci said; Truss got very upset. Joking aside, Scaramucci warned that there will be two films playing at your local cinema on Election Day. Those films are: Weekend at Bernies or One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, he said. You can either have an elderly guy that is somewhat forgetful, or a lunatic who needs a lobotomy. This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Farheen Sayam, the manager of value chain engagement for non-profit WWF Pakistan, is on a mission to rally industry stakeholders to support regenerative agriculture practices for smallholder farmers and address environmental issues caused by unsustainable practices. An unconventional ally has emerged in the battle against climate change and environmental degradation: regenerative agriculture. This holistic approach to farming, which prioritises soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience, is gaining traction globally as a sustainable solution for the future of cotton production. At the forefront of this movement in Pakistan is the Regenerative Production Landscape Coalition (RPLC) initiative spearheaded by WWF-Pakistan and funded by the climate-positive foundation Laudes Foundation. The project described as a ray of hope by Sayam works directly with cotton farmers in the Punjab and Balochistan provinces and textile brands to change practices and business models. Whilst charitable funding such as the Laudes Foundation is driving progress by supporting cotton farmers to adopt more sustainable and profitable regenerative practices, the long-term success hinges on broader commitment from industry and government stakeholders. The key question is whether major brands, manufacturers and policymakers will dedicate resources to scale up these farmer-centric programmes that safeguard the environment while strengthening supply chain resilience. Multi-stakeholder partnerships key to regenerative agriculture success in Pakistan "The one tagline we have developed here is 'Please come forward to save not only your business but the environment for future generations,'" Sayam implores. "Because in Pakistan, we are not working for ourselves but for the people and the planet." The RPLC is described as an innovative jurisdictional model to promote agricultural systems that conserve natural resources, strengthen communities, and support responsible sourcing for businesses. As a result, smallholder farmers become more resilient to climate change and gain better long-term yields and diversified income streams whilst brands benefit from reduced supply chain risk and disruptions. However, achieving this transformation requires a collaborative effort involving diverse stakeholders. "We're not only working with the public sector, public academia, research, and private sector, but we also have farmer producer organisations on board," Sayam explains. "We are convincing them how these sustainable agricultural practices will be supportive, not just to help the environment but also for cost-cutting in the long run." Story continues She says that the RPLC initiative is not a short-term project, but a long-term beneficial initiative that will help support businesses' environmental impact in the future. Sayam's call to action resonates deeply, as Pakistan grapples with the escalating effects of climate change, including rising temperatures, environmental degradation, and natural disasters like floods. The floods which began in June 2022 killed nearly 1,200 people and the Government of Pakistan estimated that some 40% of the nations annual cotton crop had been affected or lost due to the flooding. "We have gone from climate change to [now] boiling, globally," Sayam warns. The Guardian conducted a poll of hundreds of the worlds top climate scientists who warned that the planet's temperature is expected to rise at least 2.5C (4.5F) above preindustrial levels this century with catastrophic results for humanity. A simple request: please come forward and join Laudes and the WWF Pakistan for this initiative to save your generation," Sayam pleads. Can collaboration overcome Pakistan's regenerative agriculture challenges? Besides areas like finance, convincing farmers to embrace the shift to regenerative agriculture shift is a challenge says Sayam. She acknowledges the need to bridge the gap between traditional and organic farming methods and the regenerative approach. "We are trying to convince the farming community that if you adopt regenerative agriculture, it will not only benefit the environment but also increase your income," she explains. Complex problems in agriculture require big-picture solutions. However, most efforts to help farmers tend to focus on increasing their profits in the short term. While this may boost a farmer's income temporarily, it often leads to practices that damage the land and cannot be sustained in the long run. With climate change causing water scarcity, poor infrastructure, and limited market access addressing systemic issues in agriculture needs holistic, wide-ranging solutions that look at the entire system, not just trying to improve things at the individual farm level. The RPLC initiative hopes to overcome this challenge, by driving the collaborative forward with the hopes of involving influential stakeholders. "We have a great governance structure in this project," Sayam notes. "We want to bring the public sector, agriculture departments, think tanks, academia, research institutes, and value chain stakeholders to convince the farmers and industry partners." Qadir Baksh Pirkani secretary agriculture government of Balochistan says the need to invest in agriculture and build the capacity of vulnerable farmers on sustainable agricultural practices helps mitigate the supply-chain risks caused by climate change. Sayam adds that WWF Pakistan will establish models and demonstrations to showcase to the rest of the farming community and will need the support of investors, as WWF Pakistan are not directly involved in this initiative. Our goal is to bring together the individuals who will engage our stakeholders, she says. Recognising the link between sustainable agriculture and secure supply chains, several major textile brands have joined forces with RPLC Pakistan including Artistic Fabric Mills (AFM), Artistic Milliners and Sapphire. Regenerative cotton producer AFM became the first regen. certified brand in the Pakistan textile sector says Sayam. "AFM will not only provide training but help us with finances, supporting the farming community to convert from traditional or organic to regenerative agriculture." Engaging and empowering local women co-workers Central to the initiative's approach is the active involvement of local farming communities, including female co-workers. Recognising the vital role women play in agricultural communities, the project aims to enhance their participation and ensure fair wages, equal opportunities, and safety. Sayam makes it clear that the initiative emphasises to stakeholders the importance of involving female co-workers when they start integrating RPLC methods into their companies. We do not negotiate on that, stresses Sayam. While integrating women into farm operations remains a societal and religious challenge in some areas where female workers arent even allowed to work on a farm, the initiative is exploring new and innovative ways to support and uplift farming families. The RLPC initiative is doing this by drawing inspiration from its success in regions like India, Brazil, and Tanzania with plans to scale and replicate the project. "Initially, we started as a phase in two districts across two provinces," Sayam says. "Long-term, we plan to expand our project in Punjab, including other districts like South Punjab, more climate and environmentally disturbed areas." Ultimately the objective of the initiative is to better Pakistan's agricultural landscape, aligning with the country's climate change and sustainable development goals. As Sayam poignantly states: "We cannot make an impact overnight, but at least we have started. My grandkids' grandkids may see the difference and proudly say that their grandmother was part of this initiative." "WWF Pakistan: Industry backing needed to unlock regenerative agriculture potential" was originally created and published by Just Style, 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. Exploring the Sustainability and Growth of Wynn Resorts Ltd's Dividends Wynn Resorts Ltd (NASDAQ:WYNN) recently announced a dividend of $0.25 per share, payable on 2024-05-31, with the ex-dividend date set for 2024-05-17. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into Wynn Resorts Ltd's dividend performance and assess its sustainability. What Does Wynn Resorts Ltd Do? Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with WYNN. High Yield Dividend Stocks in Gurus' Portfolio This Powerful Chart Made Peter Lynch 29% A Year For 13 Years How to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock? Wynn Resorts operates luxury casinos and resorts. The company was founded in 2002 by Steve Wynn, the former CEO. The company operates four megaresorts: Wynn Macau and Encore in Macao and Wynn Las Vegas and Encore in Las Vegas. Cotai Palace opened in August 2016 in Macao, and Encore Boston Harbor in Massachusetts opened June 2019. We expect the company to continue to build nongaming attractions in Macao over the next few years. We model Wynn's managed integrated resort in the United Arab Emirates to open in 2027. The company also operates Wynn Interactive, a digital sports betting and iGaming platform. The company received 76% and 24% of its 2019 prepandemic EBITDA from Macao and the US, respectively. Wynn Resorts Ltd's Dividend Analysis A Glimpse at Wynn Resorts Ltd's Dividend History Wynn Resorts Ltd has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2023. Dividends are currently distributed on a quarterly basis. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends. Wynn Resorts Ltd's Dividend Analysis Breaking Down Wynn Resorts Ltd's Dividend Yield and Growth As of today, Wynn Resorts Ltd currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.02% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 1.02%. This suggests an expectation of same dividend payments over the next 12 months. Over the past three years, Wynn Resorts Ltd's annual dividend growth rate was -9.10%. Based on Wynn Resorts Ltd's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of Wynn Resorts Ltd stock as of today is approximately 1.02%. Wynn Resorts Ltd's Dividend Analysis The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of 2024-03-31, Wynn Resorts Ltd's dividend payout ratio is 0.22. Wynn Resorts Ltd's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks Wynn Resorts Ltd's profitability 7 out of 10 as of 2024-03-31, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported net profit in 7 years out of past 10 years. Story continues Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. Wynn Resorts Ltd's growth rank of 7 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors. Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and Wynn Resorts Ltd's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. Wynn Resorts Ltd's revenue has increased by approximately 43.40% per year on average, a rate that outperforms approximately 83.14% of global competitors. Concluding Thoughts on Wynn Resorts Ltd's Dividend Strategy With a stable dividend history and a promising outlook in growth and profitability, Wynn Resorts Ltd appears well-positioned to maintain its dividend payments. The company's strategic operations and expansions into new markets such as the UAE could further bolster its financial stability and attractiveness to investors. As we continue to monitor Wynn Resorts Ltd's performance, investors might consider whether this stock could serve as a sustainable income source in their portfolios. GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. By Alimat Aliyeva The sixth stage of the discharge into the Pacific Ocean of water used to cool the cores of three reactors of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which were disabled as a result of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011, has begun, Azernews reports. Despite strong protests at home and abroad, the station's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), plans to dump 7,800 tons of water into the ocean at this stage. Recall that TEPCO began dumping water from the station into the ocean in August last year. Over the next 30 years, the company plans to dump 1.34 million tons of water used to cool nuclear power plant reactors into the ocean, which accounts for 98 percent of the plant's water reserves. It should be noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has approved the discharge of water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. After the release of the first batch of water, experts from Japan and the UAE said that the results of the analysis of samples taken from the ocean and fish comply with the standards. However, neighboring countries, especially China and Russia, oppose the discharge of water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. Official Beijing, questioning the positive opinion of the UAE, warned several times about the immediate cessation of water discharge into the ocean. China has even stopped importing seafood from Japan. LINCOLN Federal officials allege Nebraska is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by unnecessarily segregating people with serious mental illnesses in assisted-living facilities and day programs. The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to Gov. Jim Pillen Tuesday listing the findings of a three-year federal probe of Nebraskas mental health system and threatening a possible lawsuit. The letter, signed by Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the DOJs civil rights division, expressed hope that Nebraska would agree to make changes, but said the department may take appropriate action including filing a lawsuit if the state does not negotiate or an agreement cannot be reached. Far too often, people with mental health disabilities are institutionalized when they could succeed and thrive in the community, she said. Its time to bring an end to the days of funneling people with disabilities down a dead-end road towards institutionalization and unemployment when they could succeed if provided pathways towards independence and dignity. The investigation found that Nebraskas mental health system relies too much on mini-institutions, particularly assisted living facilities, where people with serious mental illnesses are grouped together, supervised by paid staff, and have little contact with people without disabilities. Residents often leave the homes only for medical appointments, group visits to grocery and convenience stores or to participate in day programs, which often operate under the same organizational umbrella, the investigation said. The day programs provide no path to employment and may offer little beyond supervision and activities such as crafts. According to the letter, about 5,000 Nebraskans with serious mental illnesses live in facilities, many in state-licensed assisted living facilities. At least 19 assisted living facilities primarily house people with serious mental illnesses, with capacity ranging from 10 residents to nearly 250. There are 22 Medicaid- and state-funded day programs for those people. Nebraska officials pushed back on the federal findings. In a statement, the state Department of Health and Human Services expressed disappointment with allegations issued by the Biden administration. The department said Nebraska previously agreed to cooperate with the federal officials based on circumstances that existed within the department at that time. It said the Pillen administration has worked to enhance community-based services. DHHS intends to resolve this matter as expeditiously as possible, and in a manner consistent with law and the best interests of the people of Nebraska, the statement said. (The department) continues to review the DOJ allegations issued today and will consult with the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office regarding next steps. Whats the basis of the allegations? At issue is whether Nebraska complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, and a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C., which require that people with disabilities to be served in the most integrated setting. The federal investigation found Nebraska has the kinds of supportive services that could help people with serious mental illnesses live independently, manage their mental health symptoms, build relationships and find and keep jobs. But the letter said those services are more limited in number and location than facility options. For example, there are only three Assertive Community Treatment teams and six community-based supported employment programs. In addition, the letter said Nebraska severely limits access to those services by using restrictive authorization criteria and by not having the workforce needed to provide the services. The state also fails to ensure that Medicaid managed care organizations and regional services connect people to services in integrated settings and makes it difficult for providers to navigate the payment and authorization system so they can serve people with serious mental illness. Payment structures also favor facilities, the letter said. Nebraska pays $438 a month to assisted living facilities to house people on Social Security disability programs but contributes only $5 a month toward independent housing. By increasing its investment in community-based services for Nebraskans with (serious mental illnesses), the state can help these individuals become engaged and vibrant members of their communities, said Susan Lehr, U.S. attorney for Nebraska. Problems in the past Assisted living facilities serving primarily people with serious mental illnesses have been criticized in the past for substandard living conditions and for abuse, neglect and mismanagement. In 2018, the death of a veteran at a troubled facility in Palmer, Nebraska, prompted the creation of a legislative oversight committee. The woman died following three days of uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea that was left untreated. That facility closed after state officials revoked its license. But several remain open, including a Lincoln facility described that year by a volunteer advocate for a man with mental illness. At a legislative hearing, the advocate told of finding filthy stairs that reeked of urine, a shared bathroom with a toilet black with grime, and a room that lacked window coverings, bedsheets, blankets or pillows. Nebraska, like many states, curtailed the use of state psychiatric hospitals for the care of people with serious mental illnesses but did not follow through with creating the services needed to help people transition to successful community living. As a result, people often end up in jails, homeless shelters and other inappropriate places. People with serious mental illnesses have also had struggles with law enforcement, including Zachary Bear Heels fatal encounter with Omaha police in 2017. Bear Heels, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, died after being shocked with a stun gun. On Tuesday, more than 50 people showed up for a town hall meeting in Lincoln to talk with federal attorneys involved with the Nebraska investigation. Participants shared first-hand accounts of problems within Nebraskas mental health system, particularly the gaps in services and funding. Information gathered at the meeting and others will help the federal attorneys propose potential remedies to the state. People can still comment by emailing Nicole Zeitler, DOJ trial attorney, at: nicole.zeitler@usdoj.gov. With less than 72 hours before the 2024 General Assembly wraps up its regular session, there are still 236 bills, with at least one more coming to finish. Ulviyya Shahin The accreditation commission of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), renowned worldwide in the field of architectural education, has visited the Azerbaijan Architecture and Construction University (AzACU), Azernews reports, citing AzACU. The purpose of their visit is to accredit the Architecture Faculty of AzACU for the next five years. It was noted that the rector of AzACU, Gulchohra Mammadova, met with members of the accreditation commission. The rector stated that RIBA accreditation holds significant importance for AzACU. Professor Gulchohra Mammadova, recalling the accreditation process conducted in 2019, highlighted that this process provided the university with extensive experience, as well as the opportunity to formulate a modern approach to architecture education, develop a competitive strategy, and utilize contemporary teaching methodologies. Professor Gulchohra Mammadova further added that over the past five years, AzACU has achieved significant success. She said, "During the RIBA accreditation, we gained valuable experience. Aligning the criteria of the Architecture Faculty with the criteria of RIBA accreditation laid a solid foundation for our future successes. Over the past five years, the number of students in the Architecture Faculty has increased, the level of competitiveness has risen, new modern specialties have been introduced, the quality of education has been further improved, and bilateral diploma agreements have been signed with two prestigious European universities (Politecnico di Milano in Italy and the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom). I believe that the next accreditation will bring us new successes." Professor Karl Meddings, speaking on behalf of the commission, expressed his gratitude for the conditions created for accreditation and stated his satisfaction with being in Baku. Subsequently, discussions were held regarding accreditation-related matters. During the discussions, clarity was provided on issues such as the university's financial mechanisms, the level of scientific research, development strategy, vision for the future, and other directions. The commission has been reviewing the necessary documents and criteria for accreditation for the past two days and conducting meetings with both the faculty of Architecture and other staff members of the university. It should be noted that AzACU passed the RIBA accreditation for the first time in the EAEU region in 2019 for a period of five years. Following the successful accreditation by internationally influential organizations like RIBA, AzACU stands alongside prestigious architecture education institutions in countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, France, China, South Korea, Denmark, Poland, and others. From the entrance of Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, to the front gate of Fort Carson Army post, to the Veterans Memorial at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs, signs proclaiming the area as a Purple Heart Community are popping up to remember and honor members of a group no one wants to be in, but many are. About 100 signs from the Military Order of the Purple Heart are being installed in Teller and El Paso counties, said Frank Connors, a retired Navy SEAL who is helping orchestrate the project that began about 18 months ago. It is the knowledge of your thoughts and prayers for the Purple Heart recognition, Connors said Thursday at a sign presentation at Andrew Wommack Ministries in Woodland Park. They have the same legacy today that means a service member has greatly sacrificed themselves. The signs connect an invisible trail connecting hearts that are inspired to remember military members who lost their lives or were injured during service. Considered the oldest medal in the U.S. military, having been established in 1782 by Gen. George Washington as a badge of valor and meritorious military service, the Purple Heart is not an award, Connors said. Its a recognition thats either given posthumously after a soldier dies during war or is wounded in action while fighting an enemy of the United States, signifying a meritorious act of essential service. By the end of World War II, more than 1 million Purple Hearts had been presented, Connors said. Three Purple Heart holders all who served as Special Forces Green Berets in the Vietnam War, meaning they operated behind enemy lines spoke at the ceremony of the mettle behind the medal. Retired Capt. John Bartlett said Americans seem to have forgotten that the Purple Heart is the price we pay for our freedoms the right to religion, the right to assembly and here we are today, and we have the right to speak out. Many veterans keep private their deeds and suffering, Bartlett said. It is not earned it is received, he said of the Purple Heart. Its not a winner type of thing. A lot of people put it in their underwear drawer and leave it there, out of humbleness or something. The purpose of the imaginary Purple Heart trail of signs is to remind us of that sacrifice and teach us, said Bartlett, who was described as the motivating force behind the signs being placed around the community. Forty-three signs have been erected in the Pikes Peak region so far, he said. Memorial Park in Colorado Springs got its sign Wednesday. Sign Up for free: Military Brief Your weekly local update on local military news and events, sent straight to your inbox. Sign Up View all of our newsletters. Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. View all of our newsletters. The Military Order of the Purple Heart organization requests that the signs be placed in an honorable and prominent location by the organizations and entities that receive them. Theres a proclamation involved and an official presentation of the sign. Families often attend, Bartlett said, to share their stories. In an emotional retelling, Don Gunney Bartron, who grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation where he learned to be a warrior, took the microphone and said he turned 19 in Vietnam and wasnt sure hed live to see that birthday. His first buddy to die in his arms came just two weeks after they arrived on the battlefield. The soldier had one arm and both legs blown off. When his new friend asked how bad it was, Bartron didnt lie. I said its bad. He said, I thought so, I cant feel anything. I said, Thank you, Lord, Bartron said. His buddy said When you go back to the world (where they called home) you remind people to live, not just exist. To make the best of what you have. Bartron said he watched blood spill from both of their bodies and pool together on the ground. The blood that runs through our veins is the same; it doesnt matter what color your skin is, he said. Bartron was wounded for the second time on his 20th birthday. When he was wounded for the fifth time and his third Purple Heart he returned home for good. Every guy I knew in the Special Forces unit, they were dedicated, they were proud, but they were scared, he said. Courage is when you stand and fight when there is no hope. Andrew Wommack, founder of Andrew Wommack Ministries, an evangelical Christian multimedia organization, and the related Bible college, said the sign his organization was granted Thursday will be seen by tens of thousands of people annually, as it will be placed at the front gate where people enter the large campus. Wommack served as a chaplain in the Vietnam War, and said hes appreciative of the people who serve in the military. He sees the sign as a way for the entire community to honor those who served. Connors nominated Wommacks organization to accept a Purple Heart sign for his property while he was a city councilor. On the morning of Memorial Day, another Purple Heart Community sign will be dedicated at The Grange in Florissant. Gov. Jared Polis is signing some of the most significant bills from the 2024 legislative session into law this week. On Thursday, the governor will sign Senate bills 229 and 230, which form agreements with the oil and gas industry and environmental community. SB 230 will impose production fees on oil and gas drilling, depending on the price of a barrel of oil, with the proceeds directed to improve transit service, frequency, and ridership, fund passenger rail projects, and fund wildlife and land remediation services. The Energy and Carbon Management Commission will adjust the fees quarterly. They range from 4 cents to 24 cents per barrel and are expected to generate about $109 million in 2025-26 and $175 million annually thereafter. The agreement included some of Colorado's largest oil companies Civitas, Chevron, and Oxy and environmental groups Conservation Colorado, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, Green Latinos, CoPIRG, Earthworks, Western Resource Advocates, and Healthy Air and Water Colorado. The two sides agreed to pull ballot measures and other legislation at the state Capitol in exchange for the agreement. SB 229 limits nitrogen oxide emissions from oil and gas operations between May 1 and Sept. 30, to be regulated by the Department of Public Health & Environment. Gun measures On Wednesday, the governor signed two bills into law on firearms, part of his intent to make Colorado one of the "10 safest states" in the country. That signing took place on the day when US News & World Report said Colorado has become the third most dangerous state in the country based on violent and property crimes. Senate Bill 3 allows the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to investigate illegal activity involving firearms. The law requires collaboration between the CBI and local law enforcement. It targets crimes involving illegal firearms components, such as magazines that exceed the state limit of 15 rounds, ghost guns, and attempts by felons to purchase guns in violation of state law. Among the bill's sponsors is Sen. Tom Sullivan, D-Centennial, who has championed some of the prominent gun-related proposals at the state Capitol. Polis also signed House Bill 1348, which requires firearms to be stored inside a locked container if they are left unattended inside a vehicle. The bill was among the last to pass the General Assembly, partly because of Senate efforts to attach an amendment adding additional penalties for stealing a firearm from a motor vehicle. Featured Local Savings Last year, two firearms were stolen from a truck parked at the state Capitol and owned by state Rep. Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland. According to the Denver Police Department, 846 of the 1,221 guns that were reported as being stolen were stolen from vehicles in 2023. Of those stolen firearms, 61% were stolen without stealing the car itself. TABOR and property taxes On Tuesday, Polis signed the session's biggest bipartisan deals contained in Senate Bill 233 and Senate Bill 228. SB 233, which deals with property taxes, reduce the assessment rates for homeowners from 7.06% to 6.8% and the assessed value of homes up to $700,000 by 10%. Multifamily assessment rates would also be reduced from 6.8% to 6.7%. Commercial building assessment rates, excluded from the 2023 property tax fix that voters rejected, will be reduced from 29% to 25% over three years. Sponsors claimed the measure will provide $1.3 billion in property tax relief in the 2024 tax year. They added that the measure protects education funding. It includes $10 million to backfill local governments for lost property tax revenues. The bill was, in part, a response to two ballot measures. One is already on the November ballot, limiting property tax increases to 4% per year. The other measure, still in the petition process, would also lower assessment rates. SB 233 was sponsored by Speaker Pro tem Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy, D-Lakewood, and Rep. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock, as well as by Sens. Chris Hansen, D-Denver and Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Weld County. SB 228, which deals with the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights refund mechanism, brings back the temporary state income tax reduction, lowering it from 4.4% to 4.25%, and offers a temporary reduction in state sales and use tax rates, beginning with the 2024-25 TABOR surplus. The bill gives Republicans a long-sought-after win on income tax rate reductions. Democrats signed on to win Polis' support on tax credit bills that would provide financial support for low-income families. SB 228 was sponsored by deGruy Kennedy, House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs, Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Kyle Mullica, D-Northglenn. 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. Featured Local Savings 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 of the four co-defendants in the Top Dollar Pawn money-laundering case attempted to have his guilty plea withdrawn in court on Friday morning. Walt Mauro, 34, appeared in court on Friday for what was supposed to be a sentencing hearing after previously entering into a plea agreement with the prosecution. Instead, Mauro's attorney, David Miller, told the court he wants to be removed as counsel for Mauro because of a conflict, and that Mauro wants his plea deal revoked and to plead not guilty. Each of the defendants Daria Mauro, Walt Mauro, Mischa Jargowsky and Jack Jargowsky face 29 charges, including a pattern of racketeering and money laundering, after being arrested in 2022. The defendants were accused of laundering money over four years at Top Dollar Pawn locations in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, a scheme investigators say resulted in the transfer of more than $1.3 million in stolen goods. Court records obtained by The Gazette allege Top Dollar Pawn employees knowingly accepted stolen goods still in packaging from "boosters" and would sell those items in their stores or on eBay at a profit. Boosters steal merchandise, usually from retail outlets. They often work in concert with others as part of a "booster crew." Colorado law requires that pawnbrokers must be given a receipt of purchase on all items still considered new and in packaging to confirm that these items were not stolen. Pawnbrokers also are required to keep an electronic record of these items and the identification of the seller. Records allege that Top Dollar Pawn ignored both requirements. The request from Mauro's attorney came as a surprise to Judge David Gilbert. Miller has represented Mauro since his arrest in 2022. Featured Local Savings Miller didn't specify why he was requesting to hold a conflict hearing, but said it was essential to moving the case forward. Mauro also did not say why he was requesting to have his plea deal revoked, but Gilbert expressed concerns he had with the pre-sentence investigation report, or PSIR. Gilbert said the PSIR alleges Mauro took the plea deal primarily because the District Attorney's Office said it would dismiss the case against Mauro's wife and co-defendant Daria Mauro. Gilbert added that Walt Mauro had said that was not the only reason he accepted the plea, but that comment in the PSIR gave him serious pause. To remedy the situation, Walt Mauro's sentencing hearing was postponed until June 4, and a conflict hearing to determine if Mauro needs new representation was held in a different courtroom, but the hearing was sealed to the public. Since their arrests in 2022, the four co-defendants are all at dramatically different points in their cases. Court records show that Mischa Jargowsky went to trial in February, was found guilty of three counts of money laundering and one count of pattern of racketeering, and was sentenced to eight years of community corrections. However, in a hearing on Tuesday, her sentence was postponed by Gilbert because of a continuing appeal. Part of Mischa Jargowsky's sentence includes no longer being able to work in the pawnshop business anymore, which her attorney on Tuesday stated had been causing problems as she attempts to sell Top Dollar Pawn. Jack Jargowsky has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is to begin trial on July 8. There are no longer any criminal filings against Daria Mauro in El Paso County, according to court records, implying her case was dismissed by the District Attorney's Office. On Friday, Gilbert informed Walt Mauro that, if he is able to revoke his guilty plea, the court would set a trial in the near future. One person has been arrested for their part in the shooting at a Colorado Springs bar that left 22-year-old Jahiddi Williams dead, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. We do have a suspect in custody related to the shooting at the Luxe Lounge but not related to the homicide of Jahiddi Williams, CSPD spokesperson Ira Cronin, said. Due to the ongoing homicide investigation, we are not releasing the name of the suspect we do have in custody tied to the shooting. Officials said overnight on March 30 at approximately 12:35 a.m., officers received reports of multiple people shooting at each other outside of the Luxe Daiquiri Lounge at 2945 Galley Road. Featured Local Savings According to a previous report by The Gazette, two people had been shot and were brought to a nearby hospital by other patrons of the lounge with serious injuries. Williams died at the hospital, reports state. According to an autopsy report by the El Paso County Coroners Office, Jahiddi died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head. CSPD is still seeking a suspect in the homicide of Jahiddi Williams, department spokesperson Caitlin Ford said. Anyone carrying pertinent information regarding the investigation is encouraged to contact CSPD at 719-444-7000. Days ahead of Sunday's Colorado College commencement, pro-Palestinian protests on campus have come to a halt as students dismantled an encampment Wednesday afternoon. The fenced-in encampment on the CC Tava Quad was more of a memory by Thursday afternoon, with only two empty tents remaining out of dozen or so that had been stood for the past two weeks on the north side of the campus green. The peaceful end to the protest is in stark contrast with the ongoing situation in Denver, where tensions between protesters, campus officials and law enforcement have been high for weeks on the Auraria campus, home to the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and University of Colorado Denver. According to a social media announcement from the CC Liberation Zone on Instagram Thursday, an agreement was reached following a meeting between protesters and CC administration on Wednesday. "It is official: After 13 days in winds, rain, sun and community, we have de-encamped after a generative second negotiation meeting with President L. Song Richardson and Interim President Elect Manya Whitaker. STAY TUNED for our official updates on the outcomes of our meeting," the announcement reads. On Thursday, students and faculty received an open email from CC leadership regarding protests in support of Palestinians and the college's actions and stance on the continuing conflict in Gaza. "At CC, we believe a liberal arts education must be grounded in humanity, at its core and as its outcome," the letter from Richardson and Whitaker reads. The letter addresses several of the demands the encampment protesters and the Colorado College group Faculty for Palestine had made; among them, that the college leadership "publicly condemns the genocide in Gaza as well as Israeli settler-colonial practices." "In the last eight months, our community has experienced intense grief and anguish as we bear witness to devastating losses of Palestinian, Israeli and other lives in Gaza, Palestine and Israel. The suffering is unbearable, and the death toll continues to rise. We have been asked by students, staff, faculty, alumni and parents to share our view on where we, the president and interim president-elect, stand on genocide, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, and human rights violations. We condemn all these acts," the letter states. The letter also announces a partnership with the Scholars at Risk and the University in Exile programs "to identify a displaced scholar who (the college) could invite as a visiting faculty member." Additionally, the college is planning to leverage its HAVEN program for students affected by the war who wish to transfer to CC to finish their education. The letter also included a promise to bring students' demands for divestment from companies linked to Israel or Israel-Hamas military suppliers to the college's Board of Trustees' Investment Committee, "the same process it followed to respond to requests to divest from fossil fuels." The Instagram account Faculty for Palestine described the college leaders' letter as containing "some important wins!" "Although this is not what we hoped for, this is a welcome first step," the social media post reads. "(We want CC leadership to) take up the responsibility and and moral duty to LEAD rather than hesitantly respond to efforts toward justice in Palestine," the group's response post reads. One of the protesters' demands was an expunging of the disciplinary records of all student activists involved in pro-Palestinian activism. While the leaders' letter seemed to stop short of that, it offered what the Faculty for Palestine characterized as "a good-faith path" to expunging charges, and an offer to include faculty in revising the college's conduct policies in the future. Dialogue with administration On May 1, a class walkout and teach-in at CC attracted hundreds of students, faculty, college alumni and members of the community to the Guava Quad in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, calling for the college to divest funds from all weapons manufacturers and businesses profiting from the Israeli-Hamas war. The demonstration was peaceful. However, it did not elicit a response from college officials. A day later, roughly a dozen tents popped up on the campus green as an established liberation zone to continue demonstrators' call for action. Featured Local Savings On May 2, an Instagram account under the name Colorado College Liberation Zone was created, posting a list of demands and priorities, calling for transparency of college funds, a divestment from all arms companies, companies profiting from the Israeli apartheid and occupation ... and for CC officials to condemn the genocide of Palestinians by the Israeli and United States government, according to the social media post. Additionally an encampment packing sheet was posted, telling students what to bring if they wanted to participate. Scheduled programming for those participating was published as well featuring a plethora of activities, including morning yoga, potlucks, letter writing, poetry readings, open forums, and teach-ins regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. The students' decision to take down the encampment Wednesday afternoon followed at least two meetings between student and faculty protesters and Whitaker. According to social media posts by the group Colorado College Faculty for Palestine, 30 faculty members and 150 members of the student body attended an open forum regarding the protesters' demands with Whitaker and Richardson on May 10. "Over the past three weeks, we have urged you repeatedly to do the necessary and courageous work to urgently and publicly align the administrations stance on the genocide of Palestinians with the colleges stated commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution. Might we all remember that it is the colleges antiracist initiatives that are to be credited at least in part, for the positions that many of us, including you as current and incoming presidents, hold at this institution," the faculty letter to administration reads. "As individuals in the highest administrative positions at CC, and as scholars whose work centers questions of justice, equity, and inclusion, your silence and suppression on a matter of such grave moral and historical significance, not only directly contradicts the colleges antiracist commitment and its pillars of courageous conversations, bold actions, and student transformation, but has left a moral vacuum at this institution." In response to both the faculty and student letters sent to the administration, Song said, "I can not respond to your letter (or demands) because I have not had a chance to read it," according to post online. Demonstrators responded to this claim, saying the most recent letter sent to administration was the fifth of its kind since March. While the post by the faculty organizers following the May 10 forum states Whitaker agreed in a smaller previous forum to "take minor steps" toward some of the stated demands by protesters, she claimed frustration at the May 10 forum, saying, "I met with students and 3 faculty members and said what I have to say. Now it just feels like people want conflict, not resolution." In response, the group replied saying, "Whitaker was too frustrated to repeat words that she uttered a day ago to students for the first time, to a room full of faculty who have their own separate concerns and demands. Faculty have sent five unanswered letters and participated in several dead end meetings over the month, but she maligned our requests for further dialogue as seeking conflict." However, social media posts from the protesting groups indicate talks resumed on May 15, leading to the May 16 letter, and the subsequent encampment closure. CC Dean Pedro de Araujo told The Gazette in an email Friday morning that the college is unaware of any planned demonstrations scheduled during the CC commencement ceremony Sunday, but is prepared. "We communicate our conduct policy to our students in the days leading up to commencement, which includes our freedom of expression policy and code of conduct violations. Whether we are made aware of protest plans or not, we prepare for any scenario at any time," Araujo said. Additionally, Aruajo said, "there were no plans to cancel or change the Class of 2024 commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 19, or any of the weekend events leading up to it regardless of the protest (encampment)." Campus chaos continues The student protests over the past months come a year after a student demonstration at CC's commencement over commencement speaker and CC alumna Liz Cheney. As the former Wyoming congresswoman was introduced at the ceremony, roughly half of the graduating class turned their chairs and sat with their backs to Cheney for the entirety of her speech. CC Dean Pedro de Araujo told The Gazette in an email Friday that the college is unaware of any planned demonstrations scheduled during this Sunday's commencement, but that it is prepared. "We communicate our conduct policy to our students in the days leading up to commencement, which includes our freedom of expression policy and code of conduct violations. Whether we are made aware of protest plans or not, we prepare for any scenario at any time," Araujo said. While the local demonstration at Colorado College has come to an end, student demonstrations and encampments continue throughout multiple academic institutions and universities around the country. At the University of California, Irvine, police ejected student protesters on-campus Thursday from a university lecture hall after demonstrators occupied the space for hours, resulting in, "minimal arrests," reports state. Additionally, approximately 50 pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted Colorado University Denver's commencement ceremony on May 11, for roughly five minutes, according to a report by The Gazette. Meanwhile, the protests at the Auraria Campus home to the Community College of Denver, Metropolitan State University of Denver and University of Colorado Denver continue to escalate. Reportedly costing the campus nearly $300,000 in damages thus far, dozens of student protestors set up tents inside the Tivoli Student Union building Tuesday, despite law enforcement threats of trespassing citations, a report by The Gazette states. Campus officials at Auraria have described escalating health and safety conditions arising out of the encampment, noting that feces and drug paraphernalia now litter the area. Mark Hillman served as Senate majority leader and state treasurer. To read more or comment, go to www.MarkHillman.com. A discussion about the big picture of affordable housing quickly became focused on a local housing development in North Albany. Citing concerns with traffic, infrastructure and impacts to their way of life, North Albany residents are angry after learning last month that a plan for 22 houses had grown into 80 townhome units but there isnt much they can do about it. On Wednesday, May 15, more than 50 people crowded the Riverfront Community Center to discuss with Albany leaders Oregon's new approach to what's called "middle housing," various development types to appeal to people who can't afford the traditional single-family home. Residents in North Albany didn't get the relief they were looking for. Why the change? The meeting followed the recent switch in development plans that originally called for 22 houses that are now 80 townhouses at 3118 Gibson Hill Road. The action was allowed under a 2019 state law to encourage more housing choices to address housing affordability. In 2022, Albany amended its code to comply with the new state requirements in House Bill 2001. The changes allow middle housing types duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, townhouses and cottage clusters to be built in areas that are zoned for single-unit housing. Prior to World War II, middle housing was common in neighborhoods. But many cities, including Albany, prohibited or significantly limited middle housing types in single-family neighborhoods via zoning regulations, according to an FAQ sheet distributed by the city at the Wednesday meeting. The intention behind the recent change is to meet a growing need, the FAQ says. Many residents pay more than they can afford for housing, and households are shifting. More than a quarter of households are people living alone. Improving housing choices in the short term may improve housing affordability in the long term, the document reads. Albany gave the North Albany project the green light in 2022 for the 22 houses, but earlier this year, developer Pacific National Development switched course, informing the city it intended to build 80 townhome units instead. Because of the new rules, the process is not a normal land use process, and the change does not require a public decision. Approval is instead based upon a set of clear and objective criteria. On May 10, the project was administratively approved. City Manager Peter Troedsson acknowledged to the crowd that there is tension amid public policy efforts. Oregonians in general have opposed both sprawl and density, although development in areas mostly already built out usually requires at least one of those. And as Oregon grows in population, it has to grapple with having available housing and housing affordability. With growth brings growing pains; that growth brings problems as well as benefits, Troedsson said. Throughout the discussion, Troedsson wanted the crowd to remember that the city is charged with implementing state law. Concerns After Pacific National Development informed officials of its new plans, the city issued a public notice and gave residents 14 days to comment. A total of 30 comments came in, all of them opposed the project. At the community conversations meeting Wednesday, neighbors repeated their frustration over communication, increased traffic and infrastructure demands the expanded project would require. Many neighbors said they already had issues with traffic in North Albany and felt the added housing would place a further burden on road infrastructure and the ability to get around town. When a developer proposes a middle housing division, the city can only use the review criteria in place by the state, and staff cant require an evaluation of traffic impacts, Albany Transportation Analyst Ron Irish said. Citywide transportation improvements are plotted out in the citys Transportation System Plan, Irish said. The good news was that the city was working on doing a new plan this year, he said. That forward-looking document can help identify which traffic lights and other changes may be needed as areas develop. A few neighbors complained about water runoff from the development area onto their properties, questioning the project's drainage infrastructure. A member of city staff passed their contact information and said they would take a look. Additional concerns included the added townhomes bringing down surrounding property values because they were geared toward low-income individuals. Another person feared the townhomes would attract drugs and violence to the area. Not everyone was on board with that sentiment. I grew up very poor, and if I knew rich people were talking about my family like this, about how having us in their neighborhood was going to be bad for their neighborhood, I would have had to go ask my parents why? We weren't rabble rousers; we didn't cause problems, Rex Watkins said. Watkins owns a local property management company, and what many people were referring to as people who were low income were what he called average people. Some of the comments prompted him to speak up. Many of the people he worked with were hard workers who don't get enough credit, he said. The stereotypes people raised did not describe most people who were low-income, he added. The North Albany townhouses are not subsidized housing but rather fall under naturally occurring affordable housing, according to a fact sheet distributed at the meeting. Watkins has seen the population grow in the last 10 years. Growth is a problem that we have to take care of, in some way, shape or form. And that's either build up, build out or make people closer together, he said. Neighbors also raised concerns over the city's communication with them, notifying only those property owners within 100 feet of the project. They asked if the city could widen the radius to let more neighbors know of possible changes in the future. The city asked that exact question, Community Development Director Matthew Ruettgers. What we got back was, you could, but they would caution against that. And the reason for that caution against that is that it would create a sense of false hope, Ruettgers said. The state rules were created purposely to encourage this type of development, and the approval process has clear objective criteria that makes denial difficult, he said. What can be done? Since North Albany residents found out about the change, theyve sent letters to the city, met with their representatives and attended city meetings to share their concerns. Toward the end of the over two-hour long meeting, residents didn't feel any closer to satisfaction. There is an appeal process for projects: Any person or organization that files written comments during the comment period can file an appeal within 14 days of the mailed notice decision. The appeal must be based on specific requirements in Oregon law and requires a $300 deposit to cover costs. The city then appoints a referee to decide the appeal, which then can be appealed to the Court of Appeals, Ruettgers said. One audience member asked how they could prevent future middle housing developments. If they wanted to change the state law, they would probably need to contact their representative, Ruettgers said. Local representative Shelly Boshart Davis had voted against the bill, said policy director Dru Draper, who works for Boshart Davis. But changing the law is a difficult process, resident Brad Dennis said. He met with Boshart Davis and learned a group would have to collect more than 100,000 signatures to get it on the ballot. It also has to be on the ballot an even year, which makes it too late for this year. Any change would take years. Meanwhile the 80 townhouses approved in North Albany are likely to move forward with the wave of new middle housing development throughout the state. Related stories: Measuring more than five feet tall and ten feet long, the Javan rhinoceros is often called the rarest large mammal on earth. None exist in zoos. Like the Indian rhino, the Javan has only one horn; African and Sumatran rhinos have two. While the Javan rhino habitat once extended across southern Asia, now there are fewer than one hundred of the animals in Indonesia and under a dozen in Vietnam. Very little is known about Javan rhinos because they lead secretive and solitary lives in remote jungles. Until recently, scientists debated whether females even have horns, and most scientific work has had to rely on DNA garnered from dung. The near extinction of the Javan rhino is the direct result of human actions. For centuries, farmers, who favored the same habitat, viewed them as crop eating pests and shot them on sight. During the colonial period, hunters slaughtered thousands. Now, human efforts to save them may well prove futile. The Vietnamese herd is probably doomed, as too few remain to maintain the necessary genetic variation. Rhinos from Java cannot supplement the Vietnamese numbers because in the millions of years since Indonesia separated from the mainland, the two groups have evolved into separate sub-species. In Indonesia, the rhinos are protected on the Ujung Kulon peninsula, which is unsettled by humans, and still have sufficient genetic diversity to have a chance at survival. Ironically, however, the lack of human disturbance allows mature forests to replace the shrubby vegetation the animals prefer. Thus, human benevolence may prove little better for these rhinos than past human maltreatment. One of the MOST endangered? Incorrect CORRECT. Scientists don't have much information. They perform analysis from "dung" for a particular theory. No such information given Most animals is a generalisation. This passage is about Javan rhinos Most important? Exaggerated Show Spoiler B Not at all optismistic Yes its "futile" but not sad Not at all idealistic Yes both problematic and ironical - " Ironically, however, the lack of human disturbance allows mature forests to replace the shrubby vegetation the animals prefer. Thus, human benevolence may prove little better for these rhinos than past human maltreatment " Not at all heroic Show Spoiler D No such contrast mentioned. Its just plain simple information No evolution is demonstrated CORRECT. The author is simply saying that like indian rhinos, Javan rhinos have 1 horn. He further states that african rhinos have 2 horn. There is contrast, no seperate theory. Its simple straightforward No contrast Show Spoiler D Absolutely not. Passage is just about Javan rhinos No, its not the central point of first para CORRECT. Author simply states facts about javan rhino No LOL Show Spoiler C CORRECT. Straight from the passage Are you kidding me? ROFL So what? We dont know about rhinos in vietnam LOL Show Spoiler A " I DONT AGREE WITH THE OA GIVEN FOR THIS OPTION ." This is just an example No This is just an example No Yes its the human activities. Maybe for centuries farmers killed a million of rhinos. And later with much more advanced weaponry the poachers killed a 999,999 (that is still thousands). No concrete reason is given for any particular activity to become the winner Show Spoiler A 1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?A. Javan rhinos are one of the most endangered animals on the planet. -B. More is known about the genetics of the Javan rhino than is known about its mating patterns. -C. Hunters killed more Javan rhinos in Vietnam than in Indonesia.-D. Most animal extinctions are the result of human actions. -E. Genetic diversity is the most important factor for the survival of a species. -2. The authors attitude toward current human efforts to save the Javan rhino can best be described asA. optimistic and worthwhile -B. pointless and doomed -C. idealistic but profitable -D. problematic and ironic -E. confused but heroic -3. The author mentions that the Javan rhino has only one horn in order to do which of the following?A. explain why it is closer to extinction than the African rhino -No comparison for extinctionB. contrast it to the number of horns that the Indian rhino has -C. demonstrate its evolution into a separate sub-species -D. describe the features of the animal -E. contrast it to the number of horns that females have -4. The purpose of the first paragraph is toA. discuss the different types of rhinoceroses that populate the world -B. describe the ways in which human actions have brought the Javan rhino close to extinction -C. outline the few known facts about the Javan rhino -D. discuss the steps taken to save the Javan rhino -E. highlight the differences between the sub-species of Javan rhinos in Vietnam and Indonesia -5. According to the passage, which of the following best explains why the number of Javan rhinos in Vietnam cannot be increased by additions from those in the Ujung Kulon peninsula?A. The Indonesian Javan rhinos constitute a separate sub-species.B. The Javan rhinos cannot swim to Vietnam and have no land route available. -C. Neither Vietnam nor Indonesia has the funds for such a project. -D. Javan rhinos in the Ujung Kulon peninsula are almost impossible to capture.E. Terrorist activity in Indonesia has made such a project too dangerous to attempt. -6. The author states that which of the following was most responsible for the near extinction of the Javan rhino?A. farmers shooting them on sight -B. the separation of Indonesia from the mainland -C. hunters slaughtering thousands -D. current human efforts to save them -E. the cumulative effect of many past human activities - REIDSVILLE On the night of May 2, 2022, inmate Kyle Kepley was delusional and told a jailer at 11:30 p.m. that he wanted to die. But instead of putting Kepley on Special Watch, a detention classification that requires intense prisoner monitoring, Rockingham County Detention Facility staff left Kepley alone for the next 80 minutes. At 12:50 a.m., a jailer found the 35-year-old hanging from his cells top bunk by a bedsheet and without a pulse, according to a federal wrongful death lawsuit brought by Kepleys mother against the county sheriff, jail staff and the facilitys contract health care workers. Kepley would become one of 11 inmates to die at the jail including five from suicide, one from a fentanyl overdose and the remaining six from natural causes since 2021, according to records from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Service Regulation and the State Medical Examiners Office. In fact, three inmates, all under 30, had hanged themselves at the jail in February 2021. Their deaths marked the first suicides at the 239-bed facility in more than a decade, sheriffs officials said. The first inmate to die in 2021 was Ashley Marie Eggleston, 24, of Bassett, Va., a petite blonde whose mother said she had struggled for years with heroin and other drug addictions. Arrested for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia on Feb. 2, Eggleston tried to end her life on Feb. 4 by hanging herself from her top bunk, was transported to a local hospital and died there on Feb. 5. Then on Feb. 10, Seth Alexander King, 25, of Reidsville, was jailed at the facility. On Feb. 12, detention officers found King had tried to hang himself with a pant leg. First responders rushed him to a Triad area hospital where he died Feb. 15. Cameron McKinzie Chance, 29, of Elon, who, like Eggleston, had struggled with heroin and other narcotic use, had been a good friend of King outside the jail, his family said. Chance was discovered by guards Feb. 28 after attempting suicide by hanging. He died that day at an area hospital, records show. Now, Kepleys family and prisoners rights advocates hope the federal suit will cast light on what they say are major problems at Rockingham Countys jail and will be a catalyst for safety reforms in local jails across the state in an era when nearly 60% are failing state inspections, according to Disability Rights of North Carolina attorney Luke Woollard. That percentage was calculated by considering failure rates statewide from 2017 to 2023, Woollard said. DRNC helps monitor prisoner safety and conditions behind bars by analyzing data and advocates for reforms. Any avoidable death is unacceptable, Woollard said. Given the high number of deaths weve seen in North Carolina jails, I would hope that a county of Rockinghams size with this many deaths, coupled with failed inspections all for supervision reasons would give some people pause. Hopefully, by bringing light to it, we can stoke some reforms in Rockingham County and across the state. Thats certainly the hope Jim Chance of Reidsville holds, he said. A great-uncle to Cameron Chance, one of the inmates to commit suicide at the jail in 2021, the 84-year-old said, Something should be done. This lawsuit is very much a relief. I want to see something done about the situation (at the jail). Defendants Charlotte attorney David J. Ventura filed the 43-page lawsuit on behalf of plaintiff Melissa Efird of Reidsville, Kepleys mother and estate representative, on April 17 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The civil action demands a jury trial and seeks compensatory damages in excess of $75,000 from nine defendants, jointly and individually for nine different complaints. They are: Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, who oversees the jail; former RCSO Capt. Marcus Shane Bullins, who headed operations at the jail; RCSO officers Mark Samuel Martin Jr., Orin Spencer Stultz, and Reid James Boyd; RCSO staff member Charvene Michelle Holloway; Southern Health Partners Inc.; and SHP health care providers Elton J. Amos Jr. M.D., and nurse practitioner Reginald Fennell. Ventura and Efird declined to discuss the case. The sheriffs office did not respond to a request for comment. Rockingham County Attorney Clyde Albright declined to comment on the case or answer questions about current jail staffing. He further declined to provide information about how much the county pays insurers for liability coverage for the jail, both before 2021 and since the 12 jail deaths. Albright also declined to respond to a question about who has replaced defendant Bullins at the jail. Bullins, 53, of Stoneville, was charged Feb. 10 by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation with multiple sexual battery and assault offenses, including two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery and four misdemeanor counts of assault on a female, according to authorities. It is common practice for the SBI to handle cases involving law enforcement. The SBI did not respond to questions about the status of the case. Bullins, who turned himself in, was released on his own recognizance, records show. The status of his charges was not immediately available. Albright said in an email that he will answer the complaint on June 8, as legally required. Southern Health Partners Inc. did not respond to requests for comment. The lawsuit The lawsuit alleges in nine complaints that Page and other defendants violated Kepleys Constitutional Rights provided by the Eighth and 14th Amendments by showing deliberate indifference to the 35-year-olds serious mental health needs before he ended his life. The suit additionally alleges Southern Health Partners, the Charlotte-based medical group that contracts with the county to provide care to inmates, failed to order Special Watch Monitoring of suicidal inmates and increased observational rounds and/or protective custody for suicidal inmates. A manager at a Reidsville investment firm, Efird said her son had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder some years ago and had been known to have psychotic and suicidal episodes prior to his arrest on April 30 for failure to appear in court to answer several nonviolent traffic violation charges. Efirds lawsuit comes just two months after sheriffs officials reported another suicide death at the RCDF. The female inmates name, age and the manner in which she took her life were not immediately available and her state autopsy report is pending. Noncompliance Since the string of Rockingham County inmate deaths began in 2021, the longtime sheriff of this rural county of 91,000 and the jail have been under scrutiny. But after each jail death, sheriffs officials go quiet, deferring questions to the State Bureau of Investigation, the agency in charge of supervising all jail death investigations. In 2021 alone, four inmates died at the jail, prompting investigators with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees standards in the states jails, to review the deaths in detail. The agencys Division of Health Service Regulation found that three of the inmates died in 2021 after jailers failed to check on them at least twice an hour as required by state law. And when an inmate is deemed suicidal, jail staff must check on them at least four times per hour, state law holds. Eight days after Kepleys death in 2022, inspectors with DHSR visited the jail to investigate. Chief Jail Inspector Chris W. Wood, who declined to respond to requests for comment, found multiple deficiencies at the facility, records show. He cited the staff for failure to check inmates twice hourly in an irregular pattern as required by state law. The idea behind the law: a more random pattern of checks will prevent inmates from planning suicides or crimes to coincide with a jailers predictable absence. It wasnt the first time Wood had cited the jail for such noncompliance, and it wouldnt be the last. Indeed, the inspector had written up the jail staff for the same problem of failing to adequately monitor inmates after the 2021 suicides, documents show. Two other inmates who died in 2022 did not receive state-required supervision either, according to inspection reports from the DHSR. After each of its investigations since 2021, DHHS required the jail staff to propose plans to remedy deficiencies they found. In turn, former Capt. Bullins authored concise, hand-written reports to the agency about how staff planned to come into compliance. State records show that DHHS was satisfied with Bullinss proposals for corrections submitted in 2021 and in 2022. Nearly all the plans for correction are accepted, Woollard said, but despite that, these jails go on to fail the inspections time and time again. Of the last two male inmates to die in 2022, one prisoner overdosed on fentanyl in his ninth month of incarceration. The State Medical Examiners Office has not yet released the cause of the other inmates death. Also in 2022, another prisoner died while being booked into the jail and in the custody of an officer, a sheriffs spokesman said. In their investigation of seven deaths between 2021-2022, NCDHHS found the jail had failed to adequately supervise staff and inmates in all but one case, inspection reports show. Then in 2023, two more deaths were reported at the facility: a female inmate sheriffs officials said died in her cell from a medical emergency and another inmate whom sheriffs officials said died of medical problems unrelated to suicide or foul play just 17 days later. In their investigations of those deaths, the NCDHHS found nearly identical deficiencies related to failure to those cited in 2021 and 2022. Again, the staff had failed to adequately monitor its prisoners. This, unfortunately, is not uncommon in jail inspections statewide, Woollard of Disability Rights N.C. said. A decent number have chronic safety issues. So what can state inspectors do to demand compliance? Not much, Woollard said. To bring jails into compliance, they only have a nuclear option: to shut down the jail with the big red button on the desk. And thats impractical, because youd have to find somewhere else to put everyone in the jail. And NCDHHS regulators cant punish noncompliant jails with fines and such closures as they can other divisions, Woollard said. They dont have those options, he said, so weve long tried to put it out there that (state government) needs to make changes to the regulator system to give DHHS more tools with which to bring these jails into compliance. The onus is squarely on sheriffs like Page to make sure inmates get the care they need while behind bars, Woollard said. If the jail doesnt have resources to provide mental health care to inmates in crisis, staff should move prisoners to other facilities promptly, Woollard said. For example, the state will allow small jails that are unable to help inmates to send them to Central Prison in Raleigh for temporary stays and mental health or medical treatment, Woollard said, explaining the program can only serve 200 such visiting prisoners. There are ways to get folks out of these jails and get them to facilities where they can be provided adequate care, Woollard said. If a jail truly believes they do not have the resources they need to (keep prisoners safe) they cannot just leave it at that. They have to move to prisoner diversion plans to keep people out of the jail in the first place. The complaints The lawsuits first claim alleges that all the defendants violated Kepleys 8th and 14th Amendment rights by showing deliberate indifference to his medical needs. The second alleges Page and Bullins violated those Constitutional rights by their deliberate indifference to medical needs and enacted unconstitutional policies at the jail. The third alleges Page and Bullins failed to train and supervise jail staff adequately, while the fourth alleges the two failed to maintain monitoring equipment and did not provide adequate staffing. All defendants caused injury to a prisoner, according to the fifth complaint, and the sixth alleges Page, SHP, Amos and Fennell committed medical malpractice. The seventh complaint alleges SHP failed to train, supervise and adequately staff for the jail, the eighth is a claim for relief against all defendants for the wrongful death of Kepley, and the ninth complaint alleges Martin used excessive force and assaulted Kepley. The Details Within the nine complaints are dozens of detailed allegations of neglect While at the jail, the lawsuit alleges, Kepley, who did not have a pacemaker, repeatedly told jail staff and medical staff that he did and that someone was controlling the pacemaker in his head. On May 1, 2022, Kepleys friend called the sheriffs office and told defendant Holloway, an administrative assistant to the sheriff, that Kepley had mental health problems and was suicidal. Holloway either did not pass the information along to jail staff or Holloway provided the information and jail staff failed to take action to protect Kepley, the suit contends. Also on May, 2022, defendant Martin, with no provocation by Kepley, used excessive force, grabbing and lifting Kepley by the throat and slamming him to the concrete floor before placing him in his cell alone, the suit said. Despite knowing Kepley was psychotic, was having paranoid delusions, and was unstable from actively withdrawing from opiates, defendants Amos and Fennell failed to order a suicide watch, protective custody or increased observation of Kepley, the suit detailed. Defendant Boyd heard Kepley repeatedly yelling and banging on his cell door and making delusional psychotic statements, the suit alleges. Boyd should have known Kepley needed increased observation because he was undergoing opiate withdrawal, the suit said. Boyd saw Kepley through his cell door window at 11:30 p.m. as he was laying on his mattress on the floor. ....Kyle Kepley said he was going home and wanted to die, the suit reads. The plaintiff contends the statement should have triggered a Special Watch involving at least four observation rounds per hour. Boyd failed to observe Kepley for more than an hour, discovering him dead at 12:50 a.m., the suit said. Defendants Martin, Stultz and Boyd failed to order a suicide watch, protective custody or increased observational rounds for Kepley, the suit alleges. Before Kepleys death, the facility had a history of multiple deaths associated with a failure to comply with state law on observational rounds, the suit states. It further alleges Page and Bullins failed to comply with state law requiring minimum observational rounds in connection with earlier inmate deaths, including three suicides in 2021 and a 2021 death of an inmate from purported natural causes. All defendants should have known of Kepleys Severe and significant mental health symptoms, but negligently, grossly negligently, willful and wantonly, consciously, deliberately and recklessly failed to provide adequate mental health care to Kepley for his severe and obvious mental health needs, according to the lawsuit. Page and Bullins, the suit contends, failed to properly train and supervise their employees and subordinates to recognize and appropriately respond to mental health care emergencies, including suicide ideation. Before Kepleys death, the suit said, other inmates died at the jail due to Pages and Bullinss failure to train and adequately supervise their employees and that the defendants have engaged in a pattern and practice of Constitutional and Civil Rights law violations at the jail. China urges Philippines to settle maritime differences through negotiation Xinhua) 08:20, May 17, 2024 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. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) DECATUR Cheryl Valdahl was born to be a teacher. She'd line her dolls up on the bed and 'teach' them every day, said her mother, Betty Ganley, smiling at the memory. On Thursday, Valdahl was recognized by the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois with the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, given to one outstanding teacher among the diocese's 36 grade schools and seven high schools. Valdahl received 64 nominations. We've been doing this five years, said Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, who visited Our Lady of Lourdes School, where Valdahl teaches first grade, to surprise her with the award. We have a committee who goes through the nomination forms and the nominations are solicited from all of our schools across the diocese. Elizabeth Ann Seton, born in 1774, was the first American saint in the Catholic church, canonized in September 1975 by Pope Paul VI. She opened the first Catholic school in the United States and is considered the founder of Catholic education in this country. Catholic schools exist, Paprocki said, not only to teach academics, but to train children in the Catholic faith, and the nominations for Valdahl all mentioned her cheerful demeanor and her joy, attributed to her deep faith and desire to share that with her students and colleagues. For a person of faith, where does that joy come from? Paprocki said. Well, it comes from knowing that God loves me and that I'm a child of God, and that's what she teaches the children. God loves you, too, and you're a child of God, and that will bring you happiness. Valdahl was at first at a loss for words when asked to speak after receiving the award, and was emotional as well, but called her work at the school over the last 39 years a privilege. My past and present students are my motivation, she said. You inspire me to do what I do. One of those past students, Alexis Rayhill, is a student at Illinois State University and is studying to be a teacher, one of several of Valdahl's past students who chose that path because watching her teach inspired them to do likewise. She showed me patience and don't sweat the small stuff, Rayhill said. She's so memorable in such a positive way. She's so inspiring for what I want to be as a teacher. Principal Jenny Brummer beamed all the way through the event, and when it was her turn to speak about Valdahl, she crossed herself and said to Paprocki and Our Lady of Lourdes pastor, the Rev. Michael Friedel, Father, forgive me, for I have sinned before confessing that she'd schemed behind Valdahl's back and been a little dishonest to keep the secret of the award. Both men chuckled. Teaching is not just her profession, it's her calling, Brummer said. PHOTOS: Parade at Our Lady of Lourdes to celebrate the end of the school year. 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Emory & Henry College will be hosting a free two-day Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic this weekend. RAMs free clinic will be set up at the college, 12228 Itta Bena Road, Emory, VA 24327, on Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19. This is the third year that Emory & Henry College hosts the RAM Clinic at their Emory, Virginia, campus. Previously the clinic was held in a hangar at the Mountain Empire Airport in Smyth County. Services available at the free RAM clinic include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental X-rays, eyeglass dispensing, womens health exams and general medical exams. Beth Funkhouser, a clinical associate professor at the Emory & Henry College School of Health Sciences, explained that RAM is a national nonprofit organization and that every RAM clinic is focused to the needs of the people in each region where they are hosted. Ours is going to be medical, dental and I think we have limited vision services, Funkhouser said. We struggle really hard to get optometrists unfortunately. If individuals have a vision prescription less than a year old, free glasses can be chosen at the clinic. Vision exams are not available. The clinics doors will open at 6 a.m., each day. The patient parking lot will open no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday night, and will remain open for the duration of the clinic. Sundays clinic operations will be an abbreviated day, so patients are advised to arrive as early as possible, according to a statement from RAM. All services at the RAM clinic are free, and no ID is required. Funkhouser explained that the services they are able to provide are dependent on who volunteers to participate and emphasized that dental is by far the biggest service they provide. What were able to offer in terms of services really is dependent on who we can get to come help us, Funkhouser said. Dental is really our big thing. This year students and faculty from E&Hs health sciences campus in Marion will be participating, as well as local dentists and volunteers from Howard University, who will be traveling from Washington D.C., to provide their services. We think its a great opportunity for the staff and the faculty and our students to get involved and its a great service that were able to work with RAM, Funkhouser said. We love that were able to bring this to the community. GUEST OPINION: The Government overnight published industry responses for reforms to Australias cyber security legislation, including those from Macquarie Technology Group, AWS, CyberCX, AISA, Tech Council of Australia, Telstra, and more. In its submission, Macquarie calls for the creation of a co-regulatory industry group modelled on the existing Communications Alliance, which it says will foster collaboration with the Australian Signals Directorate and National Cyber Coordinator. The company also calls for smaller businesses not to be exempt from reporting rules, enabling better threat intel sharing to support smaller businesses in that regard, for the Governments proposed Cyber Incident Review Board (CIRB) not to be modelled on the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, and for business-critical data to be regulated under the Security Of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act, not the Privacy Act. Macquaries full submission is here and some key points from it below: Australians will have greater choice in buying cars which are cheaper to run and do not generate as much carbon emissions following the passage of the Federal Government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard on Thursday. A joint statement from Transport Minister Catherine King and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen claimed the NVES would cut emissions from new passenger vehicles by more than 60% by 2030. The government passed the NVES after cutting a deal with the Greens in the Senate which involved Labor dropping its offshore gas fast-track plan. The statement said automobile manufacturers would now have an incentive to export their most fuel-efficient vehicles to Australia. Motorists are predicted to save about $95 billion in fuel costs by 2050, with transport sector carbon dioxide emissions to be reduced by about 321 million tonnes. King said: "This is a monumental milestone for Australians, with this standard to pave the way for Australians to access and benefit from the most advanced car, SUV and ute technology offered in other countries which are cheaper to run and better for the environment. At every step of the way, we have listened to the views of Australians on how we can deliver a standard that works uniquely for our country, which is what we have delivered. Bowen added: "The Albanese Government has done what the Coalition tried and failed to do. It marks an end to the decade of delay and denial which put Australian motorists at the back of the global queue for cars that are cheaper and cleaner to run. "This is not just a win for the environment, its a big win for motorists around the country who want access to a bigger variety of more efficient vehicles. The impact of this shift will benefit Australians for decades." Behyad Jafari, chief executive of the Electric Vehicle Council, said: "This is a historic day for Australia. After many attempts by successive governments, the parliament has finally passed New Vehicle Efficiency Standards. "Australian drivers will benefit from access to a greater choice of vehicles, lower fuel bills and real cuts to transport emissions." The NVES will take effect from 2025. (Tama region) Welcome to Shinjuku, the worlds busiest train station. With some two million daily commuters, Tokyos hyperhub is a never-ending bustle. There is, though, a chance to escape this human crush. Twelve train lines are in operation here, and through the crowd one can spy the orange JR Chuo Line and its promise of the natural world beyond. Unfamiliar to many it may be, but west of Shinjuku, Tokyos Tama region is a nature haven; a pot of green gold at the end of Tokyos concrete rainbow. The Chuo Line takes you past already famous spots like Inokashira Park and the ever-popular Ghibli Museum. Treats, to be sure, and well worth the trip. Itll take just under two hours to reach Okutama Station, the westernmost station in the Tama area. Theres little time to waste, so the train keeps going. From Tachikawa, the line changes to the JR Ome Line, a dip into Japans rail history as the line first began operations way back in 1894. The sense of space starts growing on you. The dots of heritage like Maimaizu Well outside of Hamura Station, whose snail-like structure turned out to be an ingenious method of sourcing water from the tough terrain. The nostalgia here continues at Ome where Ome-juku. The area surrounding the station, features hundreds of 1950s Japanese, American and European film posters. Time seems still out here. Its not until you move past Ome that the Tama regions underrated fame really becomes evident. The surroundings turn into a rich gathering of forested hills cut through by lost ravines and hidden valleys. The air is lush with oxygen, fresh with the flavor of cypress and the trickle of mountain water springs. The world here has changed. Tokyo it may be, but at the same it is clearly not. (Tama region) Eventually you arrive at Okutama Station, the end of Tokyos modern world. Further west are the stunning limestone caves of Nippara whose drip-drip action took the patience of a million years to create. Clearly, perseverance is nothing new out here. But it turns out there is a little surprise waiting in the secreted groves of Okutama, stems of green treasure that once commanded the attentionand palatesof the shoguns. The cheap sachets of horseradish and green dye dominating the world are a pale comparison to real wasabi. Cousins to broccoli and kale, wasabi historically found itself paired with fish to prevent spoilage, its antibacterial qualities known for millennia. Grinding its stem also revealed a vibrantly brisk taste, with shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu himself ordering the roots cultivation in Okutamain secrecy no less. Its value was such that Okutama wasabi became known as shogun wasabi. (Wasabi) The shoguns instincts were not misplaced. Okutama is a natural home for wasabi with its mild temperatures, damp shade and fresh mountain waters providing perfect growing conditions. There are over 100 wasabi paddies in Okutama, with some farms putting out up to 50,000 plants. That seems substantial until you consider that mass-production farms in other prefectures regularly reach 300,000 plants. Significant, to be sure, but the unique natural environment and close proximity to the worlds largest market in Tokyo gives Okutama growers some comfort; demand for their efforts is always there. The rough but exceedingly beautiful terrain means that growing plots are necessarily small, requiring extensive local knowledge. Made up of ancient rock and newer volcanic material, the hills here are porous, like giant sponges. The best wasabi areas are where water seeps up from hundreds of meters below the surface. With each plot soaking up its own unique combination of minerals, the flavor of Okutama wasabi comes with a rich variety. There is also a strong communal spirit among wasabi growers in Okutama. Since cultivation began in the Edo period, that sense of heritage has remained but it is hard work enticing new blood into the field. Open about their craft, many growers dream of passing on their knowledge to the next generation. Like many traditions in Japan, finding new enthusiasts can be a challenge. (Wasabi) Wasabi Shokudo represents one of the new breed of enthusiasts eager to preserve their areas food heritage. Crossing Hikawa Gorge takes you to Yamashiro-ya and its century-old history while a few stations away in Kawai, Australian David Hulme has become a passionate local expert. No longer a closed operation, wasabi cultivation has opened up. And though current prices fall short of the heady days of the 1950s and 60s, the quality of produce hasnt missed a beat. Mineral-laden from weeks and months of mountain water trickling down the rocky slopes, Okutama wasabi is imbued with an earthy vitality that is both spicy and firm. Painstakingly maintained and monitored, the wasabi terraces fit lovingly into Okutamas natural contours. Their intimate nature makes them ideal locations during a classic Okutama hike, resulting in the growth of wasabi-themed taste tours and nature treks. Tokyo may be the city that never ends but out west, surrounded by the mountains of Kumotori, Mito, and Odake, the pace of life has a breathable tempo. And just like the wasabi, a visit here is an opportunity to absorb the best of Tokyos natural world. Thanks to the genteel persistence of wasabi growers, the purity of their most famous produce may well be the most honestand flavorfulrepresentation of what is best about Okutama. metropolisjapan.com Flower Village Kamu no Sato (Photos by Yasuhiro Muneno) While spring is flourishing on Japans mainland, youll notice different flowers taking center stage throughout the most refreshing season of the year. Sera Kogen is a short two-hour drive from MCAS Iwakuni and is home to four huge flower farms growing moss phlox, nemophila, roses and wisteria. Sera Fuji-en (Photo by Yasuhiro Muneno) Sera Fuji-en (Photo by Yasuhiro Muneno) Sera Fuji-en (Photo by Yasuhiro Muneno) Flower Village Kamu no Sato will reopen for hydrangea blossoms on June 1, but right now you can enjoy over 1,000 wisteria and 12,000 lupine blossoms at Sera Fuji-en Wisteria Park until May 19. Flower Village Kamu no Sato (Photo by Yasuhiro Muneno) Flower Village Kamu no Sato (Photo by Yasuhiro Muneno) Flower Village Kamu no Sato (Photo by Yasuhiro Muneno) Flower Village Kamu no Sato (Photo by Yasuhiro Muneno) Flower Village Kamu no Sato (Photo by Yasuhiro Muneno) At Sky Flowerbed Hana no Mori you can enjoy 7,200 roses of different varieties year-round. The farms Rose Festival is running until the end of June and offers rose-themed experiences, foods, goods and more. Walk through the spacious farms where colorful flowers spreading as far as the eye can see and enter this springtime dreamland. After youve enjoyed the local blossoms, make a stop for a delicious lunch or early dinner at Ramen Cafe Pig Bone. This ramen shop offers some tasty noodles to make your trip to the area complete. Yasuhiro Muneno of Stars and Stripes Iwakuni Office recommends the ramen lunch set made up of ramen noodles with pig bone broth, karaage fried chicken, salad, steamed rice and pickles for 1,180 yen ($8). The thin but well-springy noodles of ramen paired well with the rich and savory pig-bone broth, Muneno said. The karaage is very crispy and juicy and that goes well with the hot broth with rich flavor. It is a nice lunch set to sample before or after exploring vast flower fields. Make plans for a fun, quick trip for flowers and a side of ramen. Sky Flowerbed Hana no Mori Hours: 9 a.m. 5 p.m. Location: 1405 Tobarisoraguchi, Sera-cho, Sera-gun, Hiroshima Pref. URL Tel: 0847-29-0122 Sera Fuji-en Wisteria Park Hours: 9 a.m. 5 p.m. Location: 1124-11 Bessako, Sera Town, Sera-gun, Hiroshima Pref. URL Tel: 0847-22-0020 Ramen Cafe Pig Bone Hours: Thu Tue, 9 a.m. 2:30 p.m., 3 10:30 p.m. Location: 1012-3 Hongo, Sera Town, Sera-gun, Hiroshima Pref. Instagram Tel: 0847-22-0981 When agtech startup Boston Bioprocess began its HQ relocation search, founder Ted Netland thought they would stay in Massachusetts or move to neighboring New York. Instead, Boston Bioprocess chose to be in Central Illinois. Why? Access to talent and resources. Anchored by the University of Illinois, Netland said the regions vibrant biotech community punches above its weight. Central Illinois beat Boston and New York? Yes. Boston Bioprocess story isnt an anomaly. Companies like Boston Bioprocess are taking advantage of the opportunities that come with investing in the region. In fact, in 2023 company relocations and expansions in Central Illinois totaled $1.1B in investment and created hundreds of new jobs, according to Intersect Illinois data. This year looks even better. Rivian just announced 550 new jobs in Normal. Primient, a leader in sustainable food and industrial ingredient production, announced its commitment to invest more than $400 million at its Decatur facility. Innovafeed, a French agtech company, opened its first North American pilot plant in Decatur, as well. And the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub (iFAB) located in Urbana-Champaign recently secured $680 million in funding commitments key investments that can help Illinois capture the global lead in biomanufacturing. The fact is, Central Illinois is a great place to do business. Need more proof? Look at the workforce. The University of Illinois churns out some of the best talent in the country, graduating more engineers each year than MIT, Stanford and Caltech combined. It is a renewable resource of hard-to-find talent. And its not just the universities. Local community colleges like Richland and Heartland are excellent at training students in the skills that are in demand now, making them a great partner for local employers. Its more than just the workforce. Illinois has a strategic location at the center of the nations infrastructure. It is the only state where all the major rail lines intersect. It has the third-largest highway system in the country. In fact, CNBC ranks the state's infrastructure as the second-best in the nation. Central Illinois is at the center of it all. It is a cost-effective place to bring supplies in and ship products out a great advantage for manufacturers. The unique combination of talent and location keeps Central Illinois at the forefront of innovation in well-established industries like transportation and manufacturing to emerging industries like robotics and biofermentation. From legacy companies like ADM and Caterpillar employing thousands in the region, to industry disruptors like Natural Fiber Welding and AutonomouStuff. And, on top of all that, it is a great place to live. Central Illinois offers a great quality of life at a reasonable price. Something that is getting harder and harder to come by these days. If this story is new to you, youre not alone. We have spent so much time focusing on what is wrong that we have lost sight of what is right about Illinois and Central Illinois. That has made it easier for others to try to define us. We need to take our story back. No region or state is perfect, but we have the people, the resources, and the infrastructure for success and are seeing key industries thrive. All the proof you need is surrounding you in Central Illinois. Lets start telling the story. A Winston-Salem woman was convicted this week of shooting and killing her boyfriend at a local business after they argued about $5. Quensheta Chyann Jackson, 33, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Hubert Alexander Rivers, 28, in Forsyth Superior Court. Judge Jason Ramey sentenced Jackson to serve 18 years and five months to 23 years and two months in prison. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors reduced the initial charge of first-degree murder to second-degree murder. On Jan. 23, 2021, Rivers and Jackson, who were dating, went to the Ocean King, a sweepstakes business on Monmouth Street, said Molly-Catherine Goodson, an assistant district attorney for Forsyth County. At some point, Rivers and Jackson got into an argument over $5, Goodson told the judge. Ocean King employees told them to leave. Rivers, Jackson and another person then went outside, and the couple continued their argument, Goodson said. Rivers then hit Jackson, who fell to the ground, Goodson said. Jackson got up and walked to her car. Rivers followed, Goodson said. Jackson got a gun from her car and chased Rivers as he ran away. Jackson shot Rivers, hitting him in his back, Goodson said. She then walked back to her car and fired the gun once into the ground. Jackson called 911 to report a shooting, Goodson said. Winston-Salem police found Rivers with a gunshot wound in front of Ocean King, and emergency medical technicians pronounced Rivers dead at the scene. An autopsy showed Rivers died from the gunshot wound with excessive blood loss, Goodson said. This is a crime of domestic violence, Goodson told Ramey. A horrific tragedy occurred on this day in which (Jackson) took Mr. Rivers life. Alicia Rivers, Hubert Rivers sister, said that her brother tragically died over an argument about $5. She said Jackson must be held accountable for her actions. Alicia Rivers described Jackson as an intoxicated bully. Its been a living nightmare, and nothing will bring him back, Alicia Rivers said. Dan Anthony of Winston-Salem, Jacksons attorney, read Jacksons statement to Rivers family in the courtroom. Jackson apologized for her actions, and she recognized that her behavior caused pain, Anthony said. I am fully aware that this apology will not bring him (Hubert Rivers) back, Anthony said, quoting Jacksons statement. Lincoln's population grows Lincoln's population growth accelerated last year as the city continues to creep toward the 300,000 mark. According to Census figures released Thursday, the capital city added nearly 2,400 people from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, growing from 292,380 to an estimated 294,757. That was more growth than Lincoln had in the previous two years combined, but it's still well short of growth before the COVID-19 pandemic, when Lincoln used to average more than 3,000 new residents per year. Breaking down Trump vote Former President Donald Trump easily won Tuesdays presidential primary election in Nebraska, collecting more than 80% of the vote. But one in five Republican voters who cast a ballot in a largely uncontested presidential primary opted for another candidate, and thousands of Republicans across the state abstained from voting in the race. Tuesdays results largely reflect primary election outcomes in other states where the former president has struggled to win over more moderate Republicans as he seeks to return to the White House. Trump received 164,817 votes in the May 14 primary, which was good for 80.2% of the vote and victories in each of Nebraskas 93 counties. UNL police chief earns Ph.D. People who know University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department Chief Hassan Ramzah have debated whether to refer to him as Chief Doctor or Dr. Chief, but he says the title makes no difference. Ramzah is graduating on Friday. He earned his Ph.D. in educational studies with a specialization in higher educational leadership from UNL, where his dissertation was on community policing in the higher education environment. Ramzah joined UNL as assistant police chief in August 2016 from Kansas. In 2019, he became the interim police chief before being announced as the first Black police chief in the department's history in 2020. Ramzah will be one of more than 3,500 students who will be awarded degrees from UNL this weekend. Graduation ceremonies will be held at Pinnacle Bank Arena and Memorial Stadium on Friday and Saturday. Thats it for Friday, May 17. Stay in the know with Lincolns longest-standing news source at JournalStar.com and well see you back here Monday. Former President Donald Trump easily won Tuesdays presidential primary election in Nebraska, collecting more than 80% of the vote. But one in five Republican voters who cast a ballot in a largely uncontested presidential primary opted for another candidate, and thousands of Republicans across the state abstained from voting in the race. Tuesdays results largely reflect primary election outcomes in other states where the former president has struggled to win over more moderate Republicans as he seeks to return to the White House. Trump received 164,817 votes in the May 14 primary, which was good for 80.2% of the vote and victories in each of Nebraskas 93 counties. Nikki Haley, despite dropping out of the race more than two months ago, received 36,872 votes in the Republican primary, giving her nearly 18% of the total in the closed primary. Michigan businessman Perry Johnson received 1.8% of the total cast. Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, saw her share of the vote exceed 20% in five counties, including Lancaster County, where nearly one-quarter of Republican voters chose her over Trump. Douglas County, the heart of Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District, which gave an Electoral College vote to President Joe Biden in 2020, also saw 23.2% of its Republican voters go for Haley. Several counties surrounding the Omaha metropolitan area also saw Haley, who is seen as more moderate, outperform her statewide total among Republican voters, including in Dodge (20.6%), Otoe (21%) and Sarpy (20.5%). The roughly 80-20 split between Trump and Haley in the Cornhusker state mirrors the outcomes in other states in recent weeks, including in Maryland, where voters also went to the polls this week, and last week in Indiana, where Haley received 22% of the vote in an open primary. There were also other signs in Nebraska that Republicans are hesitant to support Trumps campaign. On Tuesday, there were a total of 205,478 ballots counted in the Republican presidential primary in Nebraska, which was roughly 8,400 fewer votes cast than in each of the two Republican Senate races. A total of 214,025 voters cast a ballot in the primary race won by Sen. Pete Ricketts over challenger John Glen Weaver, who was endorsed by the Nebraska GOP, while 213,861 ballots were counted in the primary won by Sen. Deb Fischer. Both Ricketts, who received 169,263 votes, and Fischer, who received 170,765 votes, won the primary with 79% support. On the Democratic side, Senate candidate Preston Love Jr. received 79,066 votes, slightly more than President Joe Bidens 78,732. Biden won the Democratic presidential primary with 90% of the vote total over Dean Phillips, who dropped out of the race well before this weeks election. The NEGOP did not answer questions related to the gap between the number of votes cast for Trump and Nebraskas Republican senators, but said in a news release it was concerned by the relatively low participation by voters compared to previous election cycles. Voting numbers were significantly down for all political sides, the NEGOP said. Is this apathy or a disconnect in a Republic? Kevin Smith, the chair of the University of Nebraska-Lincolns Department of Political Science, said the primary election marks the reversal of several studies that have explored why voters make a choice at the top of the ballot but skip lower-tier races. Known as voter roll-off, Smith said researchers have often concluded voters will opt out of down-ballot races because they dont know enough about the candidates or the offices, or simply lack interest. Thats typically not a problem for the presidential election, however, which is often seen as the top-of-the-ticket race for U.S. voters every four years. Skipping out on voting for Trump, who received 91.4% of the primary election vote in 2020 and surpassed then-Sen. Ben Sasses vote total by 28,000, might signal that some Republican voters feel the former president has already locked up the nomination, Smith said. For some voters, it might simply be a case of why bother? he said. Smith said the thousands of Republicans who were willing to vote in largely non-competitive Senate races but withhold their vote from the presidential race could also be seen as some sort of expression of dissatisfaction with the presumptive nominee. Your guess is as good as mine in estimating how widespread that possibility might be, Smith said. 1. Yes. They look better and require less maintenance. Most high-end housing areas have them. 2. Yes. Wood fences can weather and look unsightly, plus masonry walls help to block sound. 3. No. Residents should have a choice of what kind of barriers are put up near their homes. 4. No. Allowing a variety of materials will be better for aesthetics, and costs may be lower. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say. Masonry walls may be sturdier, but mandating them is problematic. Vote View Results Senate Republicans attempt to overturn several of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoes appears to have failed to cross the finish line following inaction from the state Assembly. Senate Republicans voted Tuesday to override nine vetoes issued by Evers, including vetoes of bills aimed at addressing forever chemical contaminants in state waterways and providing funds to western Wisconsin counties burdened by recent hospital closures. That effort failed after the state Assembly took no action on the override attempts before the conclusion of the Wednesday veto review floor period established in state rules. As a result, Evers vetoes remain in place. Lawmakers still have the ability to convene in extraordinary or special session to consider veto overrides, though such a scenario appears unlikely as lawmakers shift from the Capitol to the campaign trail for the November election. While Republicans hold a two-thirds supermajority in the Senate, the GOP is two seats short of a similar majority in the Assembly. A two-thirds vote is needed in both chambers to override a governors veto. The veto overrides passed the Senate largely along party lines. Among the override votes taken Tuesday, one aimed to revive a GOP-authored bill that would have spent $125 million on grants to combat PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in Wisconsins waterways. Evers has instead called on lawmakers to release those finds directly to the state Department of Natural Resources, citing concerns the bill would make it difficult to hold polluters accountable. Other sustained vetoes include those issued to bills that would have provided $15 million to hospitals in Chippewa and Eau Claire counties to help mitigate the impact of recent closures in the area, and would have required a population goal for wolves to be enforced if the gray wolf is delisted as an endangered species. Also standing will be Evers vetoes of bills that would have required the Legislative Audit Bureau to conduct performance audits after every general election in the state; altered requirements for teacher apprenticeship programs; and required the state Department of Transportation to add the words Not valid for voting purposes to identification cards for individuals who are not U.S. citizens. People greet each other in many ways. They might say hello in different languages. They might physically do something like shaking hands, giving hugs, or exchanging kisses. Elephants seem to have many greetings too. A recent study gives new information about these greetings, including how greetings differ depending on the animals sex and whether they are looking at each other. The study was based on observations of African savannah elephants in the Jafuta Reserve in Zimbabwe. Vesta Eleuteri of the University of Vienna in Austria was the lead writer of the study that appeared recently in Communications Biology. "Elephants live in a so-called 'fission-fusion' society, where they often separate and reunite, meeting after hours, days or months apart," Eleuteri said. Elephants are Earth's largest land animals. They are highly intelligent, with strong memories and problem-solving skills, and complex communication. Female elephants of different family groups might have strong social bonds with each other, forming "bond groups." Earlier studies in the wild have reported that when these groups meet, the elephants perform special greeting ceremonies to announce and strengthen their social bonds, Eleuteri said. Male elephants have different social bonds from females. Male greetings may serve to ease possible hostility. Male elephants greet mainly by smelling each other, reaching with their trunks, Eleuteri added. The recent study gives details on around 20 movements tied to greetings. It showed that elephants mix these movements in exact ways with sounds. The different sounds are described as rumbles, roars and trumpets. The study also showed how smell plays an important part in greetings. Elephant greetings include behaviors unusual for humans, including releasing body waste. Elephants can also release secretions from a special gland. Elephants may greet each other by making gestures meant to be seen, like spreading their ears or showing their behinds. The creatures also use movements producing special sounds, or they may use movements that involve touching other elephants. Movements involving touching are known as tactile gestures. Eleuteri suggested that elephants appeared to know what other elephants can see. "They preferred using visual gestures when their partner was looking at them, while tactile ones when they were not," Eleuteri explained. Greeting behavior has been studied in a number of animals. "Many other species greet, including different primates, hyenas and dogs," Eleuteri said. These animal greetings help guide social situations by reducing tension or confirming social bonds, Eleuteri added. The new research builds on earlier studies of elephant greeting behavior. The nine observed elephants - four females and five males - were "semi-captive." That means they freely moved around their natural environment during daytime and stayed in structures at night. Greetings used by the female elephants closely matched the behavior of wild elephants. The greeting behavior of the male elephants appeared to be different from wild male elephants. Wild male elephants are often alone, forming loose connections with other elephants. The temporal gland is midway between the eye and the ear. That gland plays a part in elephant greeting by releasing a substance called temporin. Temporin contains chemical information about an elephant's condition. Elephants often use their trunks to touch the temporal glands of others. Eleuteri said elephant body wastes contain chemical information important for elephants, like the identity of the individual, their reproductive state or even their emotional state." "Maybe they don't need to tell each other how they're doing, as they can smell it," Eleuteri added. Im John Russell. Will Dunham reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. _________________________________________________ Words in This Story greet v. to perform actions or say words on meeting someone fission n. a breaking up into parts of a thing fusion n. a union or merging of more than one thing secretion n. a substance release by the body as the result of a process gland n. a specialized organ that releases a substance used by the body gesture n. a movement that can be repeated and means something to someone who sees it species n. a class of plants or animals having common attributes In last weeks Everyday Grammar, we looked at prefixes in reports of student protests against the war between Israel and Hamas. Then, we asked our readers to use prefixes from that story to write about their experiences with protests in their own countries. Our reader Kaori from Japan wrote to us about her fathers experiences with student protests. She begins: My father experienced anti-war demonstration against Japanese military re-establishment after World War when he was a university student. Use an article before a singular noun First, let us consider some small grammatical corrections. The phrase, anti-war demonstration, needs an indefinite article as in an anti-war demonstration, or it needs to be plural, as in anti-war demonstrations. This is because it is the first time the demonstrations are being described. Remember this rule: Definite or indefinite article + Singular noun (Definite article) + Plural noun Using the definite article can be optional in some cases. Another correction is to the phrase, Japanese military. This is a singular noun phrase, and it should have a definite article before it, as in the Japanese military. The phrase, the Japanese military re-establishment might be unclear to a reader who does not know a lot about the history of Japan. We can change this statement to make it a little easier to understand. Rather than the Japanese military re-establishment, we suggest using a prepositional phrase, the re-establishment of the Japanese military. This kind of possessive structure can help clarify that the process of establishing the military again is being described. Among the prefixes Kaori uses in the statement, we find anti-, which means against and re-, which means do again. Kaori might re-write her statement: My father experienced an anti-war demonstration against the re-establishment of the Japanese military after World War II when he was a university student. Looking back from age 80 Kaori continued, Now, he is over 80 years old and says that it was some stupid memory because he didn't have any anti-war policy and reforming unstable society after war. Here we have the prefix un-, which means the opposite of. A formal way to say how your father sees this experience is he looks back on it with some embarrassment. You say, He didnt have any anti-war policy but usually we talk about a government or organization having a policy. Speaking of an individual, Kaori may re-write this statement: He looks back on the protests with some embarrassment because he did not hold strong anti-war opinions. The next phrase, reforming unstable society after war, is a little unclear. It might mean that Kaoris father did not understand the need to reform Japans society, which was unstable after the war. A clearer way to say this uses the noun form, instability, where the prefix un changes to in-. Then we can use the conjunction nor to connect two negative statements: He looks back on the protests with some embarrassment because he did not hold strong anti-war opinions, nor did he understand the instability of Japans society after the war. Youthful energy Kaoris next statement is, Young power and enthusiastic mood at that time let him to march with his friends near U.S. navy camp in Yokosuka. Let us correct one word choice first. The verb let does not fit well in this statement because it means to permit someone to do something. Led works better because it means to cause someone to do something. Note that we can express young power and enthusiastic mood with the shorter phrase, youthful energy. And remember our rule about the definite article. We need the before U.S. To describe a large group of military structures, we usually use base rather than camp. We should use the adjective form, naval instead of the verb form, navy. Putting these changes together, we can say, His youthful energy led him to march with his friends near the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka. Thank you for writing to us, Kaori. It was good for you to talk with your father about his youthful experience with anti-war protests. And we are grateful to you for sharing it with us. And thats Everyday Grammar! Im Jill Robbins. Jill Robbins wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. _________________________________________________ Words in This Story phrase n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence mention n. an act of saying something about a topic optional adj. available as a choice but not required stable adj. in a good state or condition that is not easily changed or likely to change embarrassment n. the state of feeling foolish in front of others What do you think of the recent student protests of the war between Israel and Hamas? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Data disclosed by the Public Security Police Force (PSP) on border crossings over the holiday of Buddhas Birthday (May 15) shows that 8,632 foreign visitors entered Macau during the 24 hour period. The number accounts for 9.77% of the total number of visitor entries (88,338) on the same day. As the Times had previously reported, during the Labor Day Golden Week (May 1-5), the number of international visitors was already showing growth, having reached 5.99% during that period, an increase of 2% when compared to the Easter and Ching Ming Festival this year. The Times also reported that the influx of foreign visitors was particularly high and noticeable on the last of the five days that comprised the Golden Week, when most of the visitor flow was in the opposite trend, that is, leaving Macau. On May 5, some 9,046 foreign visitors entered Macau, while the average over the five days was 7,238. It is not yet clear if this influx was just occasional or is part of a new trend that might have started early this month. Confirmation of the situation will be possible when the authorities release the full data from this month, which should happen mid-next month. For the time being analyzing only the single day of May 15, some 3,942 of these foreign visitors (45.67%) have entered Macau through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Port, while another 1,616 (18.72%) arrived via the Macau International Airport. The third highest arrival point was the Taipa Ferry Terminal, accountable for 1,134 entries (13.14%). South Koreans dominated Q1 Official statistics released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) and related to the first quarter of this year (January to March) show that visitors from South Korea have topped the ranking of foreign visitors to Macau. In Q1, a total of 129,519 South Koreans visited Macau, followed by those from the Philippines (114,625). Those from Malaysia came third although there is a very significant gap between these and the first two. 39,839 Malaysians entered Macau in Q1, slightly more than the Indonesians (39,294) and the Thailanders (38,638), who complete the top five of the countries supplying the most foreign visitors to Macau. The first of the non-Asian countries is the USA in sixth position (33,383) followed by Australia in ninth position (16,563). The first among the European countries is the UK (9,518), although it is in the twelfth position overall. The Q1 also closed with a total of 584,017 visitors to Macau, a figure that contributes to the optimism expressed recently by the local tourism authorities which have said to be confident Macau will reach its goal of two million international visitors this year. A think-tank based in Singapore has identified the Asia-Pacific region as the fastest growing region due to an expanding middle class and rising household incomes. Giving a presentation on the comprehensive overview of the global economic landscape and its implications for the tourism sector at the Pacific Asia Tourism Association (PATA) annual summit, Andrew Staples, Editorial director of Economist Impact, strongly believes that, based on analyzing the current global economic conditions and outlook, the Asia-Pacific region was the top region as an engine of growth for the world economy. According to the executive, Macau can leverage its unique position in Asia and the Greater Bay Area to benefit from this rapid economic growth through diversifying its economy. Countries within the Asia Pacific region are hotter economies. These are economies that are growing above that average for the global economy in the world. And conversely, if you go to the other side of the globe to the West, those countries are not growing as fast. However, he also highlighted many potential economic risks that he and this think tank agree could pose a risk towards such growth. These include current ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and in Israel, the souring of relations between China and the US, potential changes in US political leadership, and the prevalence and influence of AI, especially for the spread of misinformation, which is seen as a big risk towards these growing economies. PATA, taking place from May 15 to May 18 at the Grand Lisboa Palace, is a membership association working to promote the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region. For the summit, many industry leaders of tourism in Asia have gathered together for exchanges and for networking. During the summit, keynote speakers and other industry leaders are discussing ongoing and future tourism trends in the Asia Pacific region. Macao Government Tourism Office director Helena de Senna Fernandes gave an opening speech, highlighting Macaus visitor arrivals having recovered to 83% of 2019 levels, and Macau is now embracing a new era of leveraging its 1+4 development strategy and leisure industry to diversify its economy. On the sidelines of the event, Fernandes said that following the launch of the Individual Visit Scheme to eight cities in the mainland, the bureau plans to initially launch online promotion and then follow up with offline promotion activities in the latter half of the year, depending on the circumstances. Regarding cities without direct flights to Macau, Fernandes expressed her hope to leverage the resource cooperation within the GBA. This would allow tourists to reach Macau via Guangzhou and Zhuhai, she said. Simultaneously, the GBA will be promoted as a destination with multiple stops in one journey, in collaboration with Macau and Hengqin, to facilitate group travel and provide tourists with the opportunity to explore the tourism resources of Macau and Hengqin, the director added.Howard Tong About 100 Filipino activists on wooden boats have decided not to sail closer to a fiercely disputed shoal in the South China Sea yesterday 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 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 its 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 Wednesdayy on their way to Scarboroughs 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 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 to keep watch on the activists, who set off from western Zambales province. Dozens of journalists joined the three-day voyage. MDT/AP Flarge dinosaur teeth unearthed in Guangdong Province have been confirmed by Chinese scientists to be from the Tyrannosauroidea group dating back 70 million to 66 million years ago, making it the southernmost fossil evidence of this taxon in China. The four teeth can be traced back to the Maastrichtian stage, the most recent phase of the Late Cretaceous period. Three of these specimens were discovered in 2010 in the city of Sihui by an amateur fossil enthusiast who later donated them to a local museum. The other tooth was found at a construction site in the provincial capital Guangzhou in 2020 by one researcher and is currently housed in the collection of Sun Yat-sen University. The three teeth discovered in Sihui were remarkably well-preserved, boasting crowns exceeding 6 cm in length, and the tooth fragment found in Guangzhou is 3.3 cm long. However, all four fossils exhibited similar morphological characteristics, including gently serrated edges and smooth enamel. These features are consistent with those of Tyrannosauroidea teeth and distinguish them from those observed in other large carnivorous dinosaurs, according to a research article recently published in the international journal Cretaceous Research. Lead author Xing Lida, an associate professor at China University of Geosciences (Beijing), said that Tyrannosauroidea is a bipedal predatory dinosaur exhibiting significant variations in body size, making it the dominant group during the middle and late Cretaceous period. Compared with other Tyrannosauroidea teeth found in China, the sizes of the four fossils are small. The research team is facing difficulties in accurately estimating the body lengths of the teeth owners due to the inability to pinpoint the exact locations of the teeth in the mouth. A conservative estimate suggests that the teeth owners measure at least five to six meters in length, according to Wang Donghao, a member of the research team at China University of Geosciences (Beijing). Together with previous records of fossilized dinosaur eggs found in the region, the discovery of the teeth also suggests that a variety of dinosaur species thrived in southern China before the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period, Xing said. By Yuan Quan, MDT/Xinhua A Macau resident has been apprehended by the police on suspicion of defrauding a friend from mainland China of approximately HKD15 million. The suspect, who is 41 years old and reportedly employed in the financial industry, allegedly deceived the victim by falsely promising to invest the funds in a casino for redemption purposes. The incident took place in January of this year, when the suspect convinced the mainland man to invest HKD2 million, assuring him of a monthly profit of MOP50,000. The victim transferred the amount through a bank account and subsequently received a profit of RMB125,000. Encouraged by the suspect, the victim decided to increase the investment and transferred an additional HKD13 million. However, after no updates were provided, the victim became suspicious and reported the case as a suspected fraud. On Wednesday, the police apprehended the suspect at Hengqin Port. During questioning, the suspect confessed to the crime and revealed that he had collaborated with two other individuals to deceive the victim. Staff Reporter The Macau Economic Association (MEA) released a report yesterday forecasting that Macaus economic prosperity index will remain relatively high between May and July. In the report, the off-season for Macaus tourism has been March and April, with a decline in inbound tourists. However, the average length of stay for overnight visitors has increased slightly. The number of hotel guests and hotel occupancy rates have remained at overheating and hot levels respectively. The index is composed of 13 indicators, including visitor numbers and hotel occupancy, and has a maximum score of 10 points. The MEA expects the index to hold steady at 6.6 points over the next three months. The report noted that recent measures by the central government to facilitate travel from mainland China to Macau will provide a further boost to the local economy. The MEA particularly highlighted the addition of eight more mainland Chinese cities to the individual travel scheme as especially beneficial for Macaus economy. With all Chinese provincial capitals now included, this is expected to drive an increase in domestic tourism. Looking back over the past year, the MEA observed that Macaus GDP growth and other key economic indicators have performed well. For instance, the economic prosperity index stood at a stable 6.4 points this March, a significant improvement over the below-average figure of 4.5 points recorded in the same month last year. The central government has recently introduced measures to benefit Macau, including expanding the individual travel scheme to cover all Chinese provincial capital cities. This is expected to significantly boost mainland tourist numbers and provide an economic boost over the next three months, potentially lifting the economic prosperity index to a hot level of 6.6 points. Local enterprises, especially SMEs, are advised to prepare for the anticipated increase in tourists by optimizing their services and competitiveness. As a sign of Macaus economic resurgence, the report also noted that the magazine Global Finance had ranked Macau as the worlds second-richest place, trailing only Luxembourg. Howard Tong Russias Putin expressed gratitude to Xi Jinping for Chinas initiatives to resolve the Ukraine conflict at their Beijing summit yesterday where the Chinese leader said China hopes Europe will return to peace and stability soon and that China will play a constructive role. China last year offered a broad plan for peace outlining general principles for ending the war in Ukraine, and didnt offer new specifics on how Beijing might be prepared to engage with both sides of the conflict. 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. Putin 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. 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 after their initial meeting. Xi said China and Russia will continue to uphold a position of non-alliance and non-confrontation. Putin was greeted by Xi with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People, the massive seat of the ceremonial legislature sitting aside Tiananmen Square in the heart of the capital Beijing. In their following meeting, Xi 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 after it swept to power in a civil war in 1949. Putin faced no credible opposition in the presidential race, and, like Xi, has not laid out any plans for any potential successors. Xi said the two countries were furthering their relationship as good neighbors, 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. 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 Putin as saying that Russia-China relations are not directed against anyone. Our cooperation in world affairs today is one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena. Putin complimented Xi on his signature One Belt One Road initiative that seeks to build roads, ports, power plants and other infrastructure connecting China to its neighbors and soaking up Chinese industrial output at a time of declining demand at home. Our cooperation in world affairs today is one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena, Putin was quoted as saying. The report made no mention of the war in Ukraine that has killed tens of thousands with no resolution on the horizon. 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 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 Moscows contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, despite Putins public avowals of his desire to restore Russias 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. 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. EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA and CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, BEIJING, MDT/AP U.S. officials raised concerns about Chinas misuse of AI while Beijings representatives rebuked Washington over restrictions and pressure on artificial intelligence, the governments said separately yesterday, a day after a meeting in Geneva on the technology. Summaries of the closed-door talks between high-level envoys, which covered AIs risks and ways to manage it, hinted at the tension between Beijing and Washington over the rapidly advancing technology that has become another flashpoint in bilateral relations. China and the United States exchanged perspectives on their respective approaches to AI safety and risk management in the candid and constructive discussions a day earlier, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. Beijing said the two sides exchanged views in-depth, professionally, and constructively. The first such U.S.-China talks on AI were the product of a November meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in San Francisco. The talks testified to concerns and hopes about the promising but potentially perilous new technology. The United States underscored the importance of ensuring AI systems are safe, secure and trustworthy in order to realize these benefits of AI and of continuing to build global consensus on that basis, Watson said. Referring to the Peoples Republic of China, she added: The United States also raised concerns over the misuse of AI, including by the PRC. She didnt elaborate on the type of misuse or other actors behind it. Beijing, meanwhile, expressed a stern stance on the U.S. restrictions and pressure in the field of artificial intelligence against China, the countrys Foreign Ministrys Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs said in a social media post. Beijing has previously lashed out at Commerce Department export controls limiting access to advanced computer chips that can be used for AI. Biden in August signed an executive order to restrict U.S. investments in Chinas AI industry. China also advocates for the United Nations to take a leading role in the global governance of AI, a move that could sideline the U.S. Both sides recognized that while AI presents opportunities, it also poses risks, the Chinese statement said. China has built one of the worlds largest digital surveillance systems, which have an AI component, deploying cameras in city streets and tracking citizens through chat apps and mobile phones. Watson said the U.S. wants to keep communication open with China on AI risk and safety as an important part of responsibly managing competition, an allusion to the multifaceted and growing rivalry between the worlds top two economic powers. Helen Toner, an analyst at Georgetowns Center for Security and Emerging Technology, said that the real verdict on whether these talks were successful will be whether they continue into the future. AI is already having a vast effect on lifestyles, jobs, national defense, culture, politics and much more and its role is set to grow. China warned as far back as 2018 of the need to regulate AI but has nonetheless funded a vast expansion in the field as part of efforts to seize the high ground on cutting-edge technologies. Some U.S. lawmakers have voiced concerns that China could back the use of AI-generated deepfakes to spread political disinformation, though China, unlike the U.S., has imposed a set of new laws banning manipulative AI fakery. JAMEY KEATEN & KELVIN CHAN, GENEVA, MDT/AP The director of Chinas top offices overseeing Hong Kong and Macau affairs visited the Macau Chamber of Commerce on earlier this week, highlighting the citys key strengths and urging continued support for the SAR government. During a recent meeting, Xia Baolong emphasized that President Xi Jinping places great importance on Macaus development and the well-being of its people. He praised Macaus One country, two systems advantages, which according to him, have provided the city with a solid constitutional foundation for long-term stability and prosperity. Xia also highlighted Macaus highly internationalized business environment, noting that the city has established trade relationships with over 120 countries and regions, and is a member of more than 190 international organizations. Macau, he said, is recognized by the World Trade Organization as one of the most open economies for trade and investment in the world, thanks to its simple low tax rates and status as a separate customs territory and free port. Turning to Macaus economic strengths, Xia pointed out that the citys GDP has grown from 51.9 billion patacas in 1999 to 444.5 billion patacas in 2019, with an average annual growth of 11%. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Macaus economy surged 80.5% in 2023, placing it among the top five in the world in terms of per capita GDP. The official also emphasized that Macaus traditional patriotism and loyalty to the country have been crucial in supporting the MSAR governments efforts to implement policies and initiatives. He urged all sectors in Macau to continue advocating patriotism and loyalty, as well as to work together to enhance the citys golden name card as an international metropolitan. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ao Ieong U, echoed Xias sentiments, noting that his visits to local associations and a school reflected Macaus strong patriotic foundation. Ao Ieong said the government will continue leveraging Macaus unique cultural blend of Chinese and Western influences to promote appropriate economic diversification and transform the city into a hub for performing arts and sports. Staff Reporter A Beloit police officer on Thursday afternoon fatally shot a man who had stabbed a woman and was making threats to harm another person, authorities reported. Shortly before 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Beloit police responded to a 911 callers report of a stabbing near the 2000 block of Frederick Street, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement late Thursday night. Officers found a woman who had been stabbed and a man armed with an edged weapon who was making violent threats to harm a second person believed to be in the residence, although investigators later determined that no one else was in the residence, DCI said. One officer used a less lethal option that was not specified, but it was ineffective. A second officer then shot the man. Life-saving measures were performed, but the man died at the scene, DCI said. The woman who had been stabbed was taken to a local hospital and then transferred to a trauma center and is stable, DCI said. Edged weapons were recovered at the scene, DCI said. An officer was treated for minor injuries sustained during the incident, DCI said. The officers involved in the incident, who were wearing body cameras, are on administrative leave, per agency policy, DCI said. No names of those involved were released. DCI said it is leading this investigation and are being assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol Technical Reconstruction Unit, Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory, Rock County Sheriffs Office, Beloit Fire Department, Rock County Medical Examiners Office, Dane County Medical Examiners Office, a DCI Crime Response Specialist, and members of the DCI Digital Evidence Unit. DCI reported all involved law enforcement are fully cooperating with DCI in the investigation. DCI ultimately will turn over investigative reports to the Rock County district attorney. City of Beloit spokesperson Sarah Lock said in a statement that the Beloit Police Department will be unable to provide additional comments or interviews until the conclusion of the DOJ investigation. All questions MUST be directed to the DOJ. Republican lawmakers are looking to tighten rules around obtaining Wisconsin ID cards to make it harder for noncitizens to vote. But at a hearing Thursday, Democrats argued the GOP concerns are overblown, noting there is little evidence theres a problem in Wisconsin. The GOP chairs of the Senate and Assembly elections committees made the comments at an informational hearing on ID cards available to noncitizens, saying some might use the credentials to vote illegally. Sen. Dan Knodl, who chairs the Senate Shared Revenue, Elections and Consumer Protection Committee, said hes concerned there isnt enough clear information on state ID cards and drivers licenses for clerks to quickly determine whether someone is not a citizen and therefore ineligible to vote. Drivers licenses in Wisconsin only note whether someone is only a temporary or limited term resident. And Im looking from a clerks perspective, the Germantown Republican said. A clerk gets this card, an ID card for voting. Theres no indication to that clerk that this could be noncitizen. The hearing comes a little more than a week after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson joined former President Donald Trump in announcing Republicans plan to introduce legislation at the federal level to increase proof of citizenship requirements to register to vote. At Thursdays hearing, state Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Christina Boardman said the department can only put on the card what state and federal law allows. Adding a note that the cardholder is ineligible to vote would require a law change, she said. We should do a bill, Assembly Campaigns and Elections Chair Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, said. We are endeavoring to do just that, and were not getting assistance in the East Wing, Knodl replied, referring to the governors office. Boardman said there have been 23 instances in which people accused of fraudulently requesting voting IDs in the last 10 years were referred to law enforcement for more investigation. But only nine of those people received documents that would have allowed them to register to vote, while the department detected fraud in the 14 other cases before any documents were issued. While DOT has a database of the nearly 90,000 Wisconsinites who are noncitizen residents with drivers licenses or other forms of ID, Boardman said the department is barred by federal law from sharing that information with the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Votes still count Krug said he was going to make it my mission this summer to figure out a way to get state agencies to share information to help ensure noncitizens dont vote. Rep. Lee Snodgrass, D-Appleton, questioned the scale of the problem and why noncitizens would even try to vote. Im trying to wrap my brain around what people think the motivation would be for a noncitizen to go through an enormous amount of hassle to actively commit a felony to vote in an election thats going to end up putting them in prison or be deported, she said. Krug said its a concern hes heard from people around the state and noted some local elections are decided by just one vote. Because the votes still count, he said. You cant take that vote out. We have a one-seat change in any election somewhere and one person got through the system that shouldnt have, thats a big deal in some communities. Thats something we have to deal with. More data sought Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said his office has only seen a handful of voter fraud cases and speculated the number of noncitizens voting illegally is likely even smaller. Im guessing that its very little, and Im guessing its very little just based on some of the numbers that we heard today, he said. But Toney also said its something he would like to see more data on before passing judgment. The voter fraud cases he has handled have involved things like felons who were ineligible to vote or residents registering a post office box as their address, he said. So when we look at the type of election fraud that I see in Fond du Lac County, its very minimal, he said. It would not have changed the results of any election, but it has a greater possibility of doing that when were looking at local elections. And thats why its so important. Conglomerate Ayala Corp. said Friday it is selling its remaining 23.6-percent stake in Manila Water Co. Inc. (MWC) to Trident Water Company Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc., for P14.5 billion. Ayala and its subsidiaries Michigan Holdings, Inc. and Philwater Holdings Company Inc. signed an agreement with Trident to sell 577.997 million MWC common shares and 872.487 million MWC preferred shares. - Advertisement - The transactions are aligned with ACs strategy to rationalize its portfolio and raise P50 billion in proceeds. The proceeds will be used to pare down debt and/or fund future investments, Ayala said in a disclosure to the stock exchange. The acquisition of Ayalas remaining stake will result in Trident Water holding 81.9-percent voting stake and 62.2-percent economic interest in Manila Water, with the remainder to vest upon completion of payments. Prime Infra said the acquisition of Ayalas remaining stake in Manila Water underscores its commitment to strengthening the growth and expansion trajectory of the Philippines leading water utility firm. Manila Water continues to deliver reliable and efficient water and wastewater services to communities in key metros in the Philippines and abroad. We look forward to the companys future as we continue optimizing the business and expanding both our domestic and international operations said Prime Infra and Manila Water chairman Enrique Razon Jr. Manila Water said it would continue to leverage Prime Infras expertise and track record in business development, project delivery, and operation of long-term assets in highly regulated industries and complex geographies. Guillaume Lucci, president and chief executive of Prime Infra, said the move is in line with the intra-group synergy, as it continues to capture opportunities within its different business groups. The development solidifies Prime Infras market leadership in the water sector, driven not only by the performance and potential of Manila Water at home and abroad, but also by its synergy with our other majority-controlled bulk water subsidiary WawaJVCo Inc., he said. WawaJVCo is operating phase 1 of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project, and developing the significantly larger Phase 2 Upper Wawa Dam capable of delivering 710 million liters per day (MLD) of raw water. MWC common shares were priced at P22.361 per share based on a 30-day volume-weighted average price as of May 16,2024, less a 7.2-percent block discount. The preferred shares were priced on a negotiated basis at P1.844 apiece. Ayala said the common shares would be paid through cash settlement, while the preferred shares would be paid in five installment payments of P1.6 billion spread from 2024 to 2029. Ayala formed MWC in 1997 when it participated and won in the bidding for the water distribution in the east zone of Metro Manila. Ayala partially divested from MWC with the sale of 25-percent interest to the Razon Group for P10.7 billion in 2020. Last year, Ayala sold another P5.7 billion worth of MWC shares to the Razon Group. MWC provides water treatment, water distribution, sewerage, and sanitation services to more than seven million people in the eastern side of Metro Manila. The Bureau of Corrections on Friday assured transparency in the investigation launched by the Commission on Human Rights on prison strip searches on visitors of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs). In a statement, BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. debunked claims by militant groups of a possible whitewash in the investigation of strip searches on female visitors of inmates at the New Bilibid Prison. - Advertisement - The Commission on Human Rights, they are at the forefront of this investigation, so how can there be a possibility of whitewash? Let us stick to the facts and not muddle and politicize the issue, he said. We submitted to this investigation to prove that we have nothing to hide, in fact, we welcomed this investigation by the CHR which started Monday afternoon, he added. Catapang said the seven corrections officers involved with the strip cavity search were awaiting the subpoena from CHR for them to submit their sworn statements. He said BuCor is one with the CHR in its mission to recognize and uphold human rights, more so with apersons deprived of liberty. As a matter of fact, in December 2022, just less than two months after I was appointed as BuCor Director General, I signed a memorandum of agreement with CHR Chair Richard Palpal-latoc for closer cooperation and coordination towards ensuring the prevention of violations, and protection of the human rights of PDLs in all our operating prison and penal farms, he said. Meanwhile, Catapang said there are no political prisoners at BuCor-run correctional facilities, saying those jailed in their facilities are convicted by courts due to criminal acts they committed. Based on records, the two complainants in the strip cavity search against the NBP, Gloria Almonte and Maricel Alcantara, have been in and out of the facility 19 times and 16 times, respectively. Almonte began visiting her husband on Nov. 4, 2023. Her husband, Dionisio Almonte, was sentenced to up to 17 years for rebellion. Alcantara, on the other hand, began visiting her husband on Nov. 12, 2023. Her husband, Philip Alcantara, was sentenced to up to nine years for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Manila, PhilippinesThe Philippines has agreed to buy five coast guard patrol ships from Japan in a deal worth more than $400 million, Manila said Friday, as the Southeast Asian country faces growing Chinese pressure in the South China Sea. Japan will loan the Philippines 64.38 billion yen ($413 million) to buy the five 97-meter Multi-Role Response Vessels and pay for the development of the required support facilities, the foreign ministry said in a statement. - Advertisement - This will support the PCG in improving its capabilities for maritime operations particularly in addressing transnational crimes, the statement said, referring to the Philippine Coast Guard. Tokyo is a top provider of overseas development assistance to the Philippines. The Philippine Coast Guard currently has two 97-meter patrol vessels as part of a fleet seen as inadequate for patrolling waters around the vast archipelago nation. In recent months, its vessels have been involved in several collisions with Chinese coast guard ships around disputed reefs in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely. Philippine Coast Guard boats have also been fired on with water cannons by the China Coast Guard, with the latest incident happening on April 30 near the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal. The triangular chain of reefs and rocks that make up Scarborough Shoal lies 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of the Philippines main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers from Hainan, the nearest major Chinese land mass. Japan invaded and occupied the Philippines during World War II, but the two countries have since grown closer due to trade and investment, and more recently, to counter Chinas assertiveness in the region. As part of efforts to deepen their security cooperation, Manila and Tokyo are negotiating a defense pact that would allow the countries to deploy troops on each others territory. Leaders of Japan and the Philippinesboth longtime allies of the United Stateswere in Washington last month for a trilateral summit with US President Joe Biden. Tensions over the South China Sea, combined with saber-rattling over Chinas claims to the self-governing island of Taiwan, have prompted Biden to boost alliances in the region. Beijing claims most of the waterway, brushing off rival claims from other countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. Mission Health announced Wednesday that Lee Higginbotham has accepted the role of CEO at Mission Hospital McDowell (MHM), starting in June. Higginbotham comes to Mission Health from LewisGale Hospital Alleghany in Virginia and has been with HCA Healthcares Capital Division for more than two decades, according to a news release. Higginbotham led LewisGale Hospital Alleghany to achieve incredible growth, cultural transformation, and clinical excellence during his three years as chief executive. Prior to this role, he served as CEO of Dominion Hospital in Falls Church, Va.; chief operating officer and ethics and compliance officer at Frankfort Regional Medical Center in Frankfort, Ky.; and associate administrator of CJW Medical Center in Richmond, Va. We are excited to have Lee fill the CEO role at Mission Hospital McDowell. His years of exceptional leadership will be a tremendous asset to the Marion community, said Greg Lowe, North Carolina division president. Higginbotham earned his Master of health administration from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and received his bachelors degree from Virginia Tech, where he double majored in history and political science. In his spare time, he is an outdoor enthusiast and, for fun, loves mountain biking, fly fishing, and backwoods backpacking and camping. As we welcome Lee to the Mission Hospital McDowell family, we offer our gratitude to Tonia Hale, CEO of Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, for her tireless efforts as interim CEO at MHM, reads the news release. Mission Hospital McDowell, a member of Mission Health, an operating division of HCA Healthcare, is a community hospital serving McDowell, Burke and Rutherford counties. Located in Marion, medical specialties offered include family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, general surgery, orthopedics, urology, obstetrics and gynecology, and walk-in, non-emergency care at Mission My Care Now McDowell. Five of Mission Hospital McDowells primary care practices have been recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as Rural Health Clinics. For more information, visit missionhealth.org/mcdowell. King Mohammed VI has reiterated firm support to the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people to establish their independent, sovereign state on June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the basis of the two-state solution. In a speech read out on his behalf by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch at the 33rd Arab summit convened Thursday in Manama, the Monarch said the current reprisals in the Gaza Strip have revealed grave violations of international law and international humanitarian law. The King reiterated his strong condemnation of the killing of innocent people, saying that imposing a new reality in the Gaza Strip and attempting to forcibly displaced Palestinians are unacceptable acts that will only aggravate the situation and further fuel violence and instability. The Gaza Strip is an integral part of the Palestinian territories and of the unified Palestinian state, reaffirmed the Monarch, stressing the need to accelerate the steady provision of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the entire Gaza Strip, and to make sure defenseless civilians are better protected. As Chairman of the al-Quds Committee, and working in close coordination with my brother, His Excellency Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, I shall continue to exert all possible efforts to preserve the legal, historical and cultural status of the Holy City, said the King. Through the field work carried out by the Bayt Mal al-Quds Agency, which is the executive arm of the al-Quds Committee, I have made sure concrete plans and projects continue to be implemented, underlined the Moroccan Sovereign, noting that the aim is to preserve the cultural identity of the Holy City, improve the social and living conditions of its inhabitants, and support their steadfastness as well as their continued presence in the City. Regarding the crises rocking some Arab nations, the King voices hope that the situation will soon stabilize in these countries, and that dialogue and peaceful initiatives will prevail, instead of the logic of force or military solutions, thereby contributing to practical, effective and sustainable settlements. Inter-Arab economic integration has yet to reach the aspired level despite the fact that Arab countries have all the ingredients for success, deplored the Monarch, affirming that this situation is not an inevitable destiny. The King called, in this regard, for the adoption of a realistic vision firmly based on joint action and a commitment to the principles of good neighborliness, respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Arab states, and a pledge to refrain from interfering in their affairs, or sow the seeds of division and secession. I cannot but regret, once again, that the Arab Maghreb Union has not been able to play its natural role with respect to supporting co-development in the Maghreb countries by ensuring, in particular, the free movement of people, capital, goods and services between the five countries making up the Union, said the Monarch. The future of our Arab Ummah hinges on the formulation of a common strategic vision, making sure there is genuine political will to consolidate its unity and close its ranks in order to serve the common interests of our peoples and fulfil their aspirations for greater understanding and integration among its members, said the King. This means we should devote special attention to our human resources especially Arab youth and enhance their skills and qualifications, added the Monarch, stressing the importance of education & training, and the creation of more job opportunities for young people in various sectors to help them engage in political life and contribute actively to the economic and social development of their countries. Properly trained principled, responsible youth are the true wealth of our nations. Giving them such training is the best way to enhance the standing of our countries and make sure our nations can effectively tackle the crucial issues facing them and be influential actors in their respective regional and international environments, said the King of Morocco. Nearly 2,000 business leaders, political decision-makers, and investors from several African countries flocked to Kigali, Rwanda, to take part in the 2024 edition of the Africa CEO Forum. The Forum, held this year under the theme AI, Leadership, Common Market: How Africa can win its place at the table of tomorrows powers, is the largest international gathering of the African private sector, according to the organizers. In an opening address Thursday, Rwandan President Paul Kagame stressed that the private sector in Africa and the world in general plays a central role in the trajectory of development, underlining the importance of integration in the development of African markets. The multiple crises the world has experienced recently, such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, have shown the need for public and private sectors to work closely together, he said, noting that the integration of the African business community is an opportunity to develop the continents markets and enable Africa to become more competitive. The Forum features more than 60 panels, public-private workshops and roundtables, providing opportunity to participants from different backgrounds to explore the main directions for the continents future, tackle key themes such as leadership, NICTs, economic integration in Africa, finance, and infrastructure. Organized by Jeune Afrique Media Group, in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the event also features a series of high-level conferences, debates, and meetings dedicated to highlighting the driving role of the private sector in Africas development. A large Moroccan delegation, led by Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, and including President of the General Confederation of Moroccan Employers (CGEM), Chakib Alj, Chairman and CEO of Royal Air Maroc (RAM), Abdelhamid Addou, and President of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Hicham El Habti, is taking part in the two-day Forum. The 2024 Economic Report on Africa by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa states that African nations could generate a new revenue stream by leveraging their abundant renewable energy sources, tropical forests, peatlands, and marine ecosystems to export premium carbon credits. Carbon markets could support Africas goals of resilience and prosperity, as outlined in Agenda 2063, and aid in achieving the Paris Agreements climate objectives. However, the report cautions that failure to ensure credit additionality, proper governance, and sufficiently high prices could lead to counterproductive market incentives, increasing carbon emissions and slowing the climate transition in Africa. The report explains that Africa could invest in two types of carbon markets: the regulatory compliance market and the voluntary carbon market (VCM). So far, credits from the VCM, where many African countries participate, have been only a small fraction of those supplied by the overall regulatory compliance market. While the VCMs value was approaching $2 billion in 2022, the value of traded carbon permits in global markets reached a record $909 billion. Estimates project the VCM reaching $10$40 billion by 2030, but Africa contributed only 11% of the VCMs retired credits in 2016, realizing only around 2% of its annual potential for carbon credits. The report suggests that Africa should invest in its untapped renewable energy potential, youthful and rapidly growing workforce, available land and natural assets, and low emissions to capitalize on the potential revenue from carbon credit sales. 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: Integration of novel AI-powered digital interventions in the intraoperative setting. Credit: Nature Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02970-3 You may not think artificial intelligence could have a role in surgery, but new research shows AI can help solve problems for patients, doctors and the health system. A group of researchers led by surgery researcher Dr. Chris Varghese at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland has published an article on artificial intelligence in surgery in Nature Medicine. "I think AI has a role in every part of a patient's surgical journey, before surgery, during surgery and, most interestingly, after surgery," Varghese says. "Each time that we leave hospital, we are at increased risk of having complications from surgery. "AI has got a real potential to provide monitoring and safety-netting to ensure that we can mitigate and prevent some of these complications and enhance the recovery that you're able to achieve at home." Another application for AI is already being used in Aotearoa, New Zealand, where automated algorithms can process very long waiting lists and prioritize them based on need, so the right patients are seen at the right time. An emerging area is the use of AI during surgery using "computer vision." "AI is trying to learn what surgeons see, what the surgical instruments look like, what different organs look like," Dr. Varghese says. "And the potential there is to identify abnormal anatomy and [determine] what the safest approach to an operation might be. "Using virtual reality and augmented reality to plan ahead of surgeries can be really useful for cutting out cancers and more." Credit: University of Auckland However, there are limitations, especially in overcoming issues of data privacy and ethics. "AI is based on building models from lots and lots of data and ensuring that the data we feed into these algorithms are unbiased and are not perpetuating existing inequities in our data sets and our research is essential. "So, really ensuring that what we feed into these models and train these models on, is really robust and achieving the best outcomes for our patients. "In terms of what's next for New Zealand, I think there needs to be a big focus on investing in our digital infrastructure. "Right now we have hospitals across the country using different health care systems that don't communicate with each other. "It is a real potential to unify our health care data systems with Te Whatu Ora and bring in everyone's data in a safe and robust manner to ensure that we can keep abreast and be leaders in the field as we integrate AI technologies into health care." More information: Chris Varghese et al, Artificial intelligence in surgery, Nature Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02970-3 Journal information: Nature Medicine 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 The more time spent on social media, the greater the likelihood that children and young people will both smoke and/or vape, suggests research published online in the respiratory journal Thorax. Clocking up a weekday tally of seven or more hours was associated with a more than a doubling in risk among 10 to 25-year-olds, the findings indicate, reinforcing concerns about the marketing clout of these platforms, say the researchers. The existing body of research on social media use and smoking and vaping mostly concerns the U.S., so to better assess the situation in the UK, the researchers drew on data from 10 to 25-year-olds taking part in the UK Household Longitudinal Study 201521. Participants were asked to report their normal weekday social media use as well as current cigarette smoking and vaping activity. Among 10,808 participants with a total of 27,962 reported observations, just over 8.5% reported current cigarette smoking in at least one survey, and 2.5% reported current vaping. Just over 1% reported dual use. Analysis of the responses showed that cigarette smoking, vaping, and dual use were all more common among participants reporting heavier social media use. Just 2% of those who said they didn't use social media reported current cigarette smoking compared with nearly 16% of those who said they spent seven or more hours/weekday on it. Similarly, current vaping ranged from less than 1% among non-users of social media to 2.5% among those spending seven or more hours on it every weekday. The likelihood of smoking, vaping, and dual use also rose in tandem with the amount of time spent on social media. Those who said they spent less than one hour/day on social media were 92% more likely to be current smokers than those who said they spent no time on it, while those clocking up seven or more hours/day were more than 3.5 times as likely to be current smokers. And those who said they spent one to three hours a day on social media were 92% more likely to report current vaping than those who said they spent no time on it. And those spending seven or more hours/day on social media were nearly three times as likely to report current vaping than those who said they didn't spend any time on these platforms. Heavier social media use was associated with a greater likelihood of dual use. Those reporting spending one to three hours/day on it were more than three times as likely to be dual users as those who said they didn't spend any time on social media. But those spending seven or more hours/day on social media were nearly five times as likely to both smoke and vape. The findings were independent of other factors associated with a heightened risk of smoking and vaping, including age, sex, household income, and parental smoking and vaping. When the analysis was broken down by sex and household income, similar associations emerged for smoking, but not for vaping. Males, those under the legal age of sale, and those from higher income households were more likely to vape. This is an observational study, and as such, no firm conclusions can be drawn about causal factors. The researchers also acknowledge that the study relied on self reported data, and that they didn't have any information on the social media platforms used, or how they were being used. But they proffer some explanations for their findings. "First, and most straightforwardly, there is evidence that the corporations behind cigarette smoking and vaping make use of social media to advertise and promote their products," write the researchers. "This includes direct advertising which is algorithmically targeted and the use of paid social media influencers who present smoking and vaping as a fashionable and desirable activity. Greater time spent on social media is likely to increase exposure to these forms of influence," they explain. "Second, social media use has been shown to have features in common with reward-seeking addictive behavior. High social media use may increase susceptibility to other addictive behaviors like smoking," they add. "Third, as a space that is largely unsupervised by parents/caregivers, social media use may encourage behaviors that are transgressive, including cigarette smoking and vaping." They conclude, "The 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. Voluntary codes seem unlikely to achieve this, and the introduction and enforcement on bans on material that promote this should be considered. "In general, we think that algorithms should not be promoting products to individuals that they cannot legally buy. Legislation and enforcement around this and other corporate determinants of health concerns should be considered a core part of online safety and child protection." In a linked editorial, Dr. Kim Lavoie of the University of Montreal, voices concerns about the popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping products among young people. Aside from the addictive nature of nicotine and the relative affordability and accessibility of these products, "the answer may lie in the subtle and creative ways e-cigarette manufacturers have managed to reach, and entice, youth into taking up vaping," which include social media, she suggests. "The policy implications of this paper are important, particularly as they pertain to regulation of advertising and algorithms targeting under-age users," she writes. More information: Association of time spent on social media with youth cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use in the UK: a national longitudinal study, Thorax (2024). DOI: 10.1136/thorax-2023-220569 Journal information: Thorax 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 Loneliness is not a disease. And yet it is a significant health problem. Depression, heart disease or dementiapeople who are permanently lonely have a higher risk of becoming ill. The team led by Dr. Jana Lieberz from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), who also conducts research at the University of Bonn, and Prof. Dr. Dirk Scheele (Ruhr University Bochum) have investigated how loneliness can be specifically combated. In a controlled study, in which the universities of Oldenburg, Bochum, Freiburg and Haifa (Israel) were also involved, 78 women and men who felt lonely were given the so-called "cuddle hormone" oxytocin as a nasal spray. The paper is published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. Everyone is probably familiar with loneliness, a negative feeling that arises when one's own social relationships are perceived as insufficient in terms of quantity or quality. However, if it persists, it can be associated with many mental and physical illnesses. Despite this, there has been a lack of effective interventions to reduce chronic loneliness in those affected. Senior authors Dr. Lieberz and Prof. Dr. Scheele, together with first author Ruben Berger (UKB), have now investigated whether the bonding hormone oxytocin could help to increase the effectiveness of group therapy against loneliness in a recent study. In the proof-of-concept study, participants underwent five weekly group therapy sessions, which were supplemented by the administration of oxytocin in the form of a nasal spray. A control group received a placebo preparation. Participants' perception of their own feelings of loneliness was assessed at the beginning of the study, after all sessions had been completed and again at two follow-up points (three weeks and three months). In addition, acute feelings of loneliness, stress levels, quality of life and the therapeutic relationship were assessed at each session. The senior author of the study, Dr. Lieberz, summarizes, "The psychological intervention was associated with a reduced perception of stress and an improvement in general loneliness in all treatment groups, which was still visible at the follow-up examination after three months." Oxytocin did not have a significant effect on generally perceived loneliness, quality of life or perceived stress. However, compared to placebo, the participants who had received oxytocin reported a reduced acute feeling of loneliness after the sessions. In addition, oxytocin administration improved positive bonding between group members. "This is a very important observation that we madeoxytocin was able to strengthen the positive relationship with the other group members and reduce acute feelings of loneliness right from the start. It could therefore be helpful to support patients with this at the start of psychotherapy. This is because we know that patients can initially feel worse than before starting therapy as soon as problems are named. The observed effects of administering oxytocin can in turn help those affected to stay on the ball and continue," explains Dr. Lieberz. The psychologist emphasizes that oxytocin should not be seen as a panaceaand that therapy is by no means always necessary to reduce loneliness. Although no long-term effects of oxytocin administration were observed in the study, the results of the study suggest that oxytocin can be used to achieve positive effects during interventions. Further studies are now required to determine optimal intervention designs so that the observed acute effects of oxytocin can be translated into long-term benefits. More information: Ruben Berger et al, Oxytocin-Augmented Modular-Based Group Intervention for Loneliness: A Proof-Of-Concept Randomized Controlled Trial, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (2024). DOI: 10.1159/000538752 Journal information: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A Cleveland Clinic-led team of scientists and physicians have discovered that the immune checkpoint protein VISTA can directly turn off tumor-fighting T-cells during immunotherapy and resist treatment. The study , published in Science Immunology, explains that VISTA can bind to a protein called LRIG1 in T cells, which was previously only thought to promote bone and fat development. When VISTA binds to LRIG1, the researchers found, LRIG1 sends signals that suppress T cell replication, survival and function. This interaction can happen between molecules on tumor cells and on T cells, molecules on healthy cells and T cells and even between molecules on the same T cell. Their preclinical work suggests that blocking LRIG1 function can halt tumor growth in many cancers. In human melanoma and endometrial cancer, LRIG1 expression in tumor-associated T cells was correlated with resistance to immunotherapy. VISTA modulates the immune responses of healthy cells to keep them from attacking our own bodies, protecting us from autoimmune issues. However, studies from a group led by Li Lily Wang, Ph.D., of Cleveland Clinic, have shown that during immunotherapy, VISTA impairs immune activation and prevents T cells from attacking cancer cells. Pharmaceutical companies have tried to make therapeutics to block VISTA from working during immunotherapy. Success has been limited, because the field still does not know exactly how VISTA works. The findings from this study follow another discovery from the laboratory of Dr. Wang, Translational Hematology and Oncology that showed VISTA indirectly suppresses our immune systems by promoting cells called myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that are well known to block T-cell function. "Our two discoveries combined create a paradigm that explains how VISTA can act as a 'super villain' that uses many different weapons to impair antitumor responses during cancer treatments," says Dr. Wang. "This is an insight that drug developers need to consider if they want to boost treatment response rates to their full potential." Immunotherapies and immune checkpoint therapies were a huge breakthrough in cancer treatments, providing hope for individuals affected by previously incurable cancers. But with response rates of only 20%30% and high recurrence rates, Dr. Wang says there is still much room to improve. "Studying the molecular aspect of how LRIG1 functions as VISTA's receptor on T cells can provide insights on how to successfully block VISTA and improve the clinical outcomes of the patients who don't respond to existing immune therapies," says lead first author Hieu Minh Ta, Ph.D. This project was a collaboration between labs led by Dr. Wang and Timothy Chan, MD, Ph.D., Chair of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Immunotherapy & Precision Immuno-Oncology, Director of the Global Center for Immunotherapy and Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Endowed Chair in Immunotherapy. The paper has four co-first authors: postdoctoral fellows Dr. Ta and Dia Roy, Ph.D.; research associate Keman Zhang, Ph.D.; and project staff Tyler Alban, Ph.D. The scientists worked closely with physicians including Brian Gastman, MD, Cleveland Clinic surgical oncologist, and Case Western Reserve University cancer pathologist Stefanie Avril, MD. Drs. Gastman and Avril provided the research team with melanoma and endometrial samples for studying the expression of LRIG1. The results were striking. Patients who had been more resistant to immunotherapy had higher levels of LRIG1 in their tumor-fighting T cells. "Our findings in human cancer samples inform and support the decision to go after LRIG1 as a potential drug target for new immune checkpoint therapies," says study co-first author Dia Roy, Ph.D. The lab is now collaborating with many additional clinicians across Cleveland Clinic to learn more about how the VISTA/LRIG1 axis works in regulating immune responses against different cancer types including lung cancer and breast cancer. They expect that combining VISTA-specific inhibitors with existing immunotherapies may reduce resistance and recurrence and improve cancer patient survival. More information: Hieu Ta et al, LRIG1 engages ligand VISTA and impairs tumor-specific CD8+ T cell responses, Science Immunology (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adi7418. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.adi7418 Journal information: Science Immunology 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: This undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick. Another mild winter and other favorable factors likely means the 2024 tick population will be equal to last year or larger, some researchers say. Credit: CDC via AP, File Tick season is starting across the U.S., and experts are warning the bloodsuckers may be as plentiful as ever. Another mild winter and other favorable factors likely means the 2024 tick population will be equal to last year or larger, some researchers say. "It's very bad and has only been getting worse," said Susanna Visser of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An increasing variety of ticks are pushing into new geographical areas, bringing unusual diseases. Exotic southern species like the Gulf Coast tick and the lone star tick are being detected in New York and other northern states, for example. But the tick that experts warn of the most is a common blacklegged tick, which is found mainly in forests and spreads Lyme disease. Infection rates begin to peak in May, and U.S. health officials estimate nearly half a million Lyme disease infections happen annually. Here's a look at what's expected this year and how you can protect yourself. TICK FACTS Ticks are small, eight-legged bloodsucking parasitesarachnids, not insectsthat feed on animals and sometimes people. Some ticks are infected with germs that can cause illness, and they spread those germs when they bite. There is no widely accepted estimate of how many ticks there are from one year to the next, but there is a scientific consensus that they are an increasingly common health hazard in large portions of the United States. Blacklegged ticksalso known as deer ticks, since they feed on deerare among the most common ticks in the eastern half of the U.S. They were plentiful centuries ago, then diminished when forests were cut down and deer were hunted, and rebounded alongside deer and wooded suburbs. The ticks have spread out from pockets in New England and the Midwest over a wider range, into the South and the Great Plains. Tick populations cycle through the year and their numbers depend on a few factors. They like warm, humid weather, and more can be seen after a mild winter. The more deer and mice available to feed matters, too. Overall, the blacklegged tick population has been expanding for at least four decades, researchers say. "This is an epidemic in slow motion," said Rebecca Eisen, a CDC research biologist and tick expert. Researcher Erik Foster uses a microscope to examine a tick in his laboratory during a tour of the Center for Disease Control laboratory Thursday, April 4, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski 2024 TICK SEASON FORECAST Weather can play a role in the severity of a tick season. Very cold, dry winters can whittle down tick populations, but recent winters have been milda trend some attribute to climate change. As Scott Williams, a tick researcher at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, said, "Winters are no longer limiting the tick population." Ticks can withstand the heat but tend to almost hibernate when it's a dry summer. That happened in Maine in 2020 through 2022, said Chuck Lubelczyk, a vector ecologist at the MaineHealth Institute for Research. But last year was a very wet year, and tick activity multiplied in Mainethe state with the highest incidence of Lyme disease in the country. Weather service predictions call for higher temperatures and precipitation, so "on paper, at least, it could be a very good year for the ticks," Lubelczyk said. In Wisconsin, adult ticks were out longer than usual due to a mild winter. The tick nymphs are starting to emerge, and a wet spring is setting the stage for the possibility that the population will be robust, said Xia Lee, an entomologist at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Ditto New York. "It will be as bad as last year, or worse," said Saravanan Thangamani, who studies ticks and tickborne diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. WHAT IS LYME DISEASE? Not all ticks are infected with disease-causing germsabout 20% to 30% of the blacklegged tick nymphs that emerge in the Northeast and Midwest this spring and into summer will be carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, experts estimate. Lyme disease symptoms tend to start between three and 30 days after a bite occurs and can include fever, headache, fatigue and a bull's-eye-like rash. If you get bitten and develop symptoms, see a doctor to get treated with antibiotics. A tick is viewed atop a pencil eraser in the laboratory of researcher Erik Foster during a tour of the Center for Disease Control laboratory Thursday, April 4, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski HOW TO KEEP TICKS OFF OF YOU Experts say the best thing to do is take steps to avoid a tick bite in the first place. If you go outdoors, make noted of wooded areas and where grassy properties start bleeding into wooded areas. Ticks tend to perch on ankle-level vegetation with their upper legs outstretched, waiting to latch on to an unsuspecting dog or human. Try to walk in the middle of paths, wear light-colored and permethrin-treated clothing and use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents. HOW TO CHECK FOR TICKS When you come inside, check for ticks. They can be found anywhere on the human body, but common spots include around the waist, behind the knees, between fingers and toes, on underarms, in the belly button and around the neck or hairline. They are harder to see when they are young, so look carefully and immediately pull them off with tweezers. The CDC does not recommend sending individual ticks to testing services for analysis, because a person might get more than one tick bite and the results from the tested tick may not be sufficient information. 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A US teenager died of cardiac arrest after taking part in a social media challenge daring people to eat a single extremely hot tortilla chip, an autopsy revealed Thursday. Harris Wolobah, a 14-year-old from Massachusetts, died in September after taking part in the so-called "One Chip Challenge"which involved a single chip produced by Paqui, dusted with Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers. The dare has manifested in several iterations over the years, with the peppers changing each time. The local chief medical examiner determined that Harris died of cardiac arrest after ingesting a food with a large amount of a chili pepper extract called capsaicin, said the autopsy report, seen by AFP. The autopsy also concluded that the teen had an enlarged heart, which could have contributed to his death. Days after his death, Paqui removed the productpackaged in a coffin-shaped box with a red skull and marked 'extreme heat'from store shelves. In California, three youths were hospitalized after taking part in the dare, and seven got sick in Minnesota for the same reason, according to media reports. 2024 AFP The text of the Constitution might not seem like obvious material for a mostly one-person drama, but when filtered through one female playwrights personal details, it can be both memoir, history lesson and fodder for humor. Playwright Heidi Schrecks show, which won awards for her 2019 Broadway performances, takes a personal lens on how the document was written, who it was written by, and who it protects through a very specific framework: looking back at her own years as a teenager competing in speech and debate. The Montana Repertory Theatre is staging the play for a short two-day run Thursday and Friday in the historic Elks Club Ballroom, which functions as a ready-made set. The demanding lead is taken on by Kelly Quinnett, who had roles in the Reps productions of Go. Please. Go., a tricky personal drama, and Re-entry, a script based on contemporary U.S. troops recollections of deployment. Quinnett teaches at the University of Idaho, where she performed the show late last year through the Idaho Repertory Theater. That made a perfect one to transport to Missoula, according to the Montana Reps artistic director, Michael Legg. While the company is, at the end of the day, trying to be entertaining, theyre also interested in theater as civic engagement, he said. Some of the best works of theater live in both of those worlds, he said. Audiences on Broadway responded, too. The 2019 Obie Award for Best New American Play, and it was also a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The story, which requires Quinnett to engage a full room mostly on her own for around 75 minutes, starts with her experiences competing to raise money for college. She was good enough that her winnings covered her tuition. From there, it moves backward exploring how women in her family saw their lives shaped by their rights. Quinnett said that it becomes her personal disclosure of her family trauma, which deals with violence towards women, and how the Constitution was never written through the lens of women, and neither was it a document that protected them. Inside the Elks, Quinnett holds court at the podium, switching tones between her adult and teenage self, who she described as a zealot when it came to the Constitution. Through prompts from a judge, she relays information about specific amendments and segues into memoirish details that are humorous and heart-breaking. Both Quinnett and Legg emphasized that its a very funny show. In the finale of a Thursday run-through, there were arguments about amending the document so that the living aren't ruled by the dead. That leads, naturally, to zombie jokes. A section on the 14th Amendment includes both witty descriptions about a force shield for rights and asterisks about how it only extended rights to men. The description of a long drive to get an abortion at age 21 includes historical facts on the right to privacy and Dirty Dancing references. Statistics about violence against women are laid out with vivid detail, and Schreck points out frequently how people and women of color were denied protections. Descriptions of laws about womens rights going back through history are spun from a personal anecdote about how she was once frightened by a sexual advance. The script isnt all critique, broaching the idea of a positive-rights constitution. Its not a one-person show, but its close. A member of the American Legion is humorously played by Jeff Davis, a visiting Chicago actor, who's given a contemporary monologue as well. The third is Izzy Poteet, a rising senior at Loyola Sacred Heart. The script includes a requirement to hire a local high-school debater or play the part, and she happens to be a member of the schools nationally competitive debate team, charged with delivering rapid-fire debate lines with Quinnett. The written setting is location appropriate to speech and debate contests: an American Legion Hall. Earlier this year, Legg saw a performance by Kinetic Convergence, a new dance group, in the upstairs ballroom at the Elks Club downtown. It struck him as an ideal stage for this show, since they could skip building a set and simply take advantage of the atmosphere thats already there. Im all about the space becoming a character in the play just letting it be itself, he said. Hes looking at producing a Rep show there again in the future. Heartfelt but fun Legg said this type of show, which balances civic engagement with engaging writing and performances, can ask you to contemplate some aspect of your life or your community, in a way thats heartfelt but also fun. Thats the kind of work we want to produce, he said. It deals specifically with how the Constitution does and does not protect women, which I think is relevant in light of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, he said. To Quinnett, it succeeds because of the personal framework. Ultimately, its about the desperate need for everybody to tell their story and for someone to hear them, and I think she does it in a way that doesnt offend anyone, Quinnett said. The show was booked two nights only, this Thursday and Friday, May 16-17, in the Elks Ballroom. For more information on tickets for Friday, go montanarep.com. For Thursdays evenings benefit show, they invited guests Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis and Mae Nan Ellingson, who attended the states Constitutional Convention in 1972 as its youngest delegate at age 24. According to a Missoulian interview last year, she and a colleague co-wrote the documents preamble; helped secure the right to privacy; and a provision regarding a clean and healthful environment. Quinnett, meanwhile, is taking this show to Chicago and Pocatello, Idaho. She felt nervous when preparing to perform on the Idaho campus, since it had been a fraught year in politics and there was still shock over the murder of four students. On show night, the audience surprised her, particularly the number of cisgender white men she saw during the standing ovation. The demographics were amazing, she said. Starting Monday, Lake County officials say they will no longer accept Flathead Reservation tribal members in their jail. The county will not pay costs to house tribal juvenile defenders. And it will stop performing autopsies on tribal members, among other things. The change is the latest consequence of a years-long conflict between Lake County and the state of Montana regarding a nearly 60-year-old law enforcement agreement. On Monday, the state will likely assume felony criminal jurisdiction over tribal members on the Flathead Reservation. Gov. Greg Gianforte has disputed this, citing a technicality. He's also said he intends to pull the state out of the agreement, which would kick jurisdictional authority to the federal government. UCLA law professor Carole Goldberg likened the situation in Montana to a hot potato. Whos going to get caught with it? she asked. Is it the tribes, the feds, the county or the state? The conflict surrounds Public Law 280, which transferred legal authority on some reservations from the federal government to state governments. Six states, not including Montana, were initially required to adopt the law without tribal consent. In those states, if a tribal member commits a felony on a reservation, state law enforcement rather than the Bureau of Indian Affairs or FBI has jurisdiction. The agreement, which did not require tribal consent, has long been controversial. Goldberg, co-author of Captured Justice: Native Nations and Public Law 280, is considered the preeminent authority on Public Law 280. To understand the law, she said one must first look at what was going on in the country when it passed. At the time, the official U.S. policy toward Indian Country was termination, meaning the explicit goal was to disband tribes and sell tribal land. (The intent with Public Law 280) was to impose a criminal law upon tribal members to prepare them for a future time presumably not in the far-distant future when they would no longer be protected by a federal trust responsibility, when they would no longer have land held in trust for the tribe, they would no longer have a government-to-government relationship with the United States, Goldberg said, adding that Public Law 280 was billed as a response to lawlessness on reservations. In effect, Public Law 280 eroded tribal sovereignty, expanded state jurisdiction over tribes and virtually eliminated federal criminal authority on tribal lands. The federal government, however, did not appropriate money for things like police forces, jails or courts to states that enacted Public Law 280. After World War II, President Dwight Eisenhower is trying desperately to reduce expenditures by the federal government, and (Public Law 280) was one to be offloaded, Goldberg said. Today, we would call it an unfunded federal mandate. They didnt have the terminology then. Even as federal policy shifted to support tribal self-determination in the 1970s, termination-era laws, like Public Law 280, remain in effect and have lasting consequences. The federal government has refused to provide financial support on reservations where Public Law 280 prevails, Goldberg explained. (The consequences of that) were never envisioned because Public Law 280 envisioned that these tribes wouldnt even exist in the future. Lake County flip-flops While states in the 1960s largely welcomed the opportunity to police tribes, attitudes have since shifted, mostly due to cost. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have operated under Public Law 280 since 1965, so since then, Lake County law enforcement has exercised jurisdiction over felony crimes committed by tribal members on the Flathead Reservation. The tribes technically share felony jurisdiction with the state, but their police force, courts and sentencing abilities are limited. If a tribal officer charged a tribal member with a felony, the tribal court may be able to sentence the person to a maximum of about nine years assuming the court has the resources to sustain that kind of sentence. Lake County overlaps the Flathead Reservation. Fifty years ago, county officials supported Public Law 280, saying it would help address lawlessness on the reservation. In the decades since, however, the county has lost significant tax revenue, and its attitude toward Public Law 280 has changed. Lake County has said Public Law 280 costs taxpayers about $4 million each year, and the county can no longer afford to pay for it. A 2017 Courthouse News article traces the countys initial frustration with Public Law 280 to 2015 when the CSKT purchased Kerr Dam, a major facility on the Flathead River. Following the transaction, the county lost about $2 million in state tax revenue, according to the article. County officials have tried to get reimbursed for enforcing Public Law 280 through legislation and litigation. Those efforts, however, have largely failed. The complex history of Lake County and PL 280 While some states were required to adopt Public Law 280, in Montana, it was optional. In 1963, the Montana Legislature passed a law allowing counties, or the entire state, to opt in to Public Law 280. Unlike the original law, this one required consent from the involved tribes. Of the 12 tribes in Montana, only the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) on the Flathead Reservation supported it. The CSKT were motivated to do so, according to Goldberg, due to the federal governments failure to police the reservation. The tribes also lacked necessary personnel and funding to enforce jurisdiction. According to Goldberg, the CSKT at the time had just 11 employees, two of whom were tribal police officers. Of the tribes $250,000 annual budget, $25,000 went to law enforcement. In 1965, the tribes agreed to share jurisdiction with the state regarding criminal offenses committed by tribal members on the reservation. However, the tribal council withdrew its consent to Public Law 280 just one year later. But the Bureau of Indian Affairs (which was required to sign off on it) opposed the move. In 1968, a provision in the Indian Civil Rights Act allowed states to retrocede or return criminal jurisdiction over reservations to the federal government. While retrocession means counties and states no longer have to pay for some law enforcement services on reservations, some states have been hesitant to give up jurisdiction over tribal members on reservations. Retrocession, generally, has allowed tribes to build culturally informed systems of rehabilitation, which has strengthened community trust in law enforcement. It has also allowed tribes to respond to and rectify inadequate or discriminatory state policing. Tribes in general feel that to the extent they can take more control over these, theyre better off as a community, Goldberg said. In 1991, CSKT again expressed frustration with the agreement, saying there was a disproportionate number of tribal members in state prison and that tribal members received harsher sentences than non-members, according to Goldberg. By this time, the tribes also had more resources. They had 1,200 employees, a budget of more than $70 million and the largest tribal law force in the state. A state representative brought a bill to allow the tribes to withdraw consent. Officials from Lake County strongly opposed it, arguing that a transfer of jurisdiction back to the federal government would lead to lawlessness. The bill did not pass. In 1993, another bill was proposed. It would allow the tribes to exercise partial criminal jurisdiction over misdemeanors committed by tribal members on the reservation. Lake County officials strongly opposed the bill, and when it died, the tribes declared an economic boycott against the county. The tribes moved their money to banks in Missoula and Kalispell. They also threatened to shut down an airport, to refuse to sign a document affecting drinking water policies and to close the south half of Flathead Lake to non-tribal use. The Legislature later adopted an amended version of the bill, allowing the tribes to reassume exclusive jurisdiction over misdemeanor crimes committed by tribal members on the reservation. To prepare for this, the tribes expanded their court system and legal services. In 1999, the agreement was renewed, though Lake County did not sign. While tribes elsewhere have celebrated retrocession from Public Law 280 as a victory for sovereignty, retrocession looks different everywhere. Though no other reservation in Montana operates under Public Law 280, several tribes in the state have taken issue with the federal government, saying it has not provided adequate law enforcement services on tribal lands. What happens on Monday with Public Law 280? On Monday, Lake County is set to officially withdraw from the agreement. A withdrawal will kick criminal jurisdiction over tribal members to the state. County officials say theyve been left in the dark as to what that will look like on the ground. But Gianforte's legal counsel responded that the state hasn't received the commissioners' official notice of withdrawal. "Without receipt of that resolution, the governor's obligation to issue a proclamation is not triggered," governor's General Counsel Anita Milanovich wrote on Thursday. "As such, I must conclude that a proclamation from the governor is improper at this time." The governor has said the state will likely initiate a retrocession, which would essentially mean the federal government and tribes would share felony jurisdiction on the reservation. If approved by the U.S. Interior Secretary, this means if a tribal member committed a felony on the Flathead Reservation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs or FBI would have jurisdiction not county police or state entities, such as the Montana Highway Patrol. When or if that would happen was left unclear in the Thursday letters from the governor's office. Gianforte did not respond to requests for further clarification. Meanwhile, reservation residents tribal and non-tribal are concerned about how this will affect their community and public safety. Lake County Commissioner Gale Decker said the county is frustrated by the lack of communication from the governor, which he said will have public safety consequences. I guess well wait to see what the future brings, he said. While the tribes have hesitated to weigh in publicly about the dispute, in March, CSKT Chairman Michael Dolson said the tribes would continue to collaborate with all entities and that public safety remains a priority. If retrocession were approved and if the CSKT were given adequate resources to share jurisdiction, Goldberg said she has no doubt that the CSKT could manage shared felony jurisdiction. At the end of the day, though, Goldberg said it all comes back to one thing money. A Helena man who bought fentanyl using cryptocurrency on the "dark web" and distributed some of it was sentenced on May 13 to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Jarek William Hahn, 30, pleaded guilty December to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, the Montana U.S. Attorney's Office said. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided over the case in which the government alleged between December 2022 and December 2023 the defendant acquired the drug through the mail, court documents state. Hahn used unindexed websites via the dark web, a part of the internet that lets people hide their identity and location, to purchase the fentanyl using cryptocurrency. Law enforcement found 64 fentanyl pills after searching his home. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case. The FBI, Missouri River Drug Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Postal Inspection Service did the investigation. Billings resident and Many Hogans Clan member Veronica Willeto DeCrane was appointed to the board of directors for the National Service Office for Nurse-Family Partnership and Child First. DeCrane joins Tolu Thomas and LaKisa Ward as new board members; each offers extensive experience in managing operations and implementing improvements in various organizational settings, the organization said in a release. "Veronica Willeto DeCrane, Tolu Thomas and LaKisa Ward's appointments to our Board of Directors brings a sense of excitement as we welcome their expertise and perspectives, Charlotte Min-Harris, president and CEO of the National Service Office for Nurse-Family Partnership and Child First said. Their collective experience in education, healthcare administration and community empowerment bring invaluable perspectives to our boardroom discussions," she said. "We're thrilled to welcome them and look forward to the impact they will undoubtedly make in advancing our mission." DeCrane, M.Ed., a member of the Many Hogans Clan and born into the Mexican Clan, is a Navajo citizen with deep roots in Ojo Encino, New Mexico. DeCrane lives in Billings with her family, including seven children. With over 13 years of experience in education and youth development, she specializes in creating safe, healing spaces for Indigenous children and integrating cultural and language preservation into youth programs. As the Training and Technical Assistance Manager at the University of Montana's National Native Children's Trauma Center, DeCrane collaborates with Tribal Nations to develop programs supporting the resilience of Indigenous youth. She also serves on several national boards, advocating for trauma-informed care and healthy youth development. NSO is the central, unified operational structure for two evidence-based programs: Nurse-Family Partnership and Child First. In 2020, what was formerly the NSO solely for Nurse-Family Partnership joined forces with Child First, a merger empowering two proven, evidence-based models to share complementary expertise, infrastructure and integrated support services. The resulting unified entity works to ensure that health care, early childhood development and the mental health of the entire family are delivered in proven ways to achieve long-term positive outcomes. DeCrane, Thomas and Ward have demonstrated expertise in operations management, whether in a nonprofit setting, in trauma-informed programs and education or in healthcare management. They have all contributed to improving processes, managing teams, and achieving organizational objectives in their respective fields. Together, they embody NSOs commitment to inclusivity, cultural sensitivity and impactful decision-making, Min-Harris said. 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. LOS ANGELES Characters arent the only ones who change on a television series. Actors can, too, says The Good Doctors Freddie Highmore. Im naturally quite cynical, he says. But Shaun, the character he plays, hopefully has made me a little bit of a better person and a bit more optimistic. Now as the ABC medical drama ends its seven-year run, Highmore marvels at the progress Dr. Shaun Murphy has made as an autistic surgeon at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. In addition to moving up in the ranks professionally, he has found love, marriage and fatherhood. He also has learned the value of friendship and the importance of compromise. This guy (arrived) at the hospital naive, innocent and starting his first job and, all of a sudden, hes married, and he has a kid, Highmore says. Its an incredible journey. When The Good Doctor was pitched, the former child star had just finished five years on Bates Motel. He was looking for a break and, three days after filming ended, started talks with Good Doctor producers. While its unlikely he will jump into another series as quickly, Id be open to more. To me, it feels a little bit like graduation, the 32-year-old says. Its this momentous event that fills you with nostalgia. You realize that bubble, that world you created for seven years will never exist in the same way. The flip side of that is, like graduating, youre excited for new opportunities. During the run of the series, Highmore became a producer, writer and director. Hes been involved in the process since Day One, says Executive Producer David Shore. And thats a tricky situation. Physically, were in different places (Good Doctor filmed in Vancouver while staffers were headquartered in Los Angeles). But Freddie was fantastic. Weve been incredibly lucky. Expanding the world Although everyone in the final cast wasnt there from the beginning there are bleeds between the characters and the actors, says Executive Producer Liz Friedman. Shauns world has expanded over the years and the cast has expanded. Adds Shore: Its very much a show about how Dr. Murphy responds to new challenges and new people and how those people respond to him. So, there is opportunity. While Shore was able to mine medical stories on his previous series, House, he got new perspective with The Good Doctor. Its a crucible and you see what happens to people, he says. Were not doctors telling stories, were just people telling stories. Highmore says much of the series success hinged on smaller moments, not medical breakthroughs. Big things happen to Shaun and all of these characters on the show but, ultimately, theyre often explored through something small and simple that actually speaks to something so much bigger, he says. Learn by doing The medical lessons? They were received by other actors in different ways. It seems like so much of it is guesswork, says Fiona Gubelmann, who stars as Dr. Morgan Reznick. I remember when we had to shock somebody to bring them back to life, she says. After doing it twice, they declared them dead and I got really upset and was like, Wait is that what you do? You get two shocks and youre dead? And one of the (actual) nurses said, No, no. Its 45 minutes. We give them a lot of time. So, they calmed my nerves. According to Bria Samone Henderson, who plays Dr. Jordan Allen, suturing is almost like sewing. Thats fun, sometimes to do. And those relationships? They resonated, too. When Highmores character had a falling out with Richard Schiffs Dr. Aaron Glassman, the emotion was felt. It was real life in a way, Schiff says. How these characters, who have a lot of love for each other, worked through that was a good story to tell. While seven years seems like a long time for a series to run, Highmore says its likely it lasted for a simple reason. Weve always cared deeply about the show. Everyone fought to make it as good as it possibly can be. And it does feel incredibly special and meaningful to have told seven years of stories with Shaun. What TV shows are canceled? We've got a list Worried about your favorite series? Here's a list of those that have recently been canceled (or are about to air their last seasons): Alex Rider (Freevee) (season three) American Born Chinese (Disney+) (one season) Andor (Disney+) (season two) Big Mouth (Netflix) (season eight) Blue Bloods (CBS) (season 14) Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS) (season five) The Brothers Sun (Netflix) (season two) Cobra Kai (Netflix) (season six) CSI: Vegas (CBS) (season three) Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) (season 12) Elite (Netflix) (season eight) Evil (Paramount+) (season four) Extended Family (NBC) (season one) The Flight Attendant (Max) (season two) The Good Doctor (ABC) (season seven) Good Omens (Prime Video) (season three) Grown-ish (Freeform) (season six) Good Trouble (Freeform) (season five) The Handmaids Tale" (Hulu) (after it airs season six) Hightown (Starz) (season three) Home Economics (ABC) (season three) Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge (NBC) (season one) HouseBroken (Fox) Julia (Max) (season two) La Brea (NBC) (season three) L.A. Fire and Rescue (NBC) Magnum P.I. (NBC) (season five) Minx (Starz) (season two) MO (Netflix) (season two) My Brilliant Friend (HBO) (season four) NCIS: Hawaii (CBS) (season three) Not Dead Yet (ABC) (season two) Our Flag Means Death (Max) (season two) Outlander (Starz) (after it airs season eight) Quantum Leap (NBC) Rap Sh!t (Max) (season two) The Rookie: Feds (ABC) (season one) Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+) (season two) SEAL Team (Paramount+) (season seven) So Help Me Todd (CBS) (season two) Sort Of (Max) (season three) Star Trek: Discovery (Paramount+) (after it airs season five) Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+) (season three) Station 19 (ABC) (season seven) Stranger Things (Netflix) (after it airs season five) Superman & Lois (The CW) (season four) Sweet Tooth (Netflix) (season three) The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) (season four) Upload (Prime Video) (after it airs season four) Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix) (season three) What We Do in the Shadows (FX) (season six) The Wonder Years (ABC) (season two) Yellowstone (Paramount Network) (after it airs season five) You (Netflix) (season five) Young Sheldon (CBS) (season seven) Microsoft denies asking AI team to relocate from China 08:26, May 17, 2024 By Ma Si ( Chinadaily.com.cn Microsoft denies rumors that its artificial intelligence team in China has been asked to collectively relocate to the United States or Australia. Microsoft told China Daily in a statement that currently, 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. The rumors of "collective relocation to the US" were exaggerated and inaccurate. Earlier reports claimed that Microsoft headquarters had sent an email notifying several AI research teams in China, such as the C+AI team working on the AI platform AzureML, to relocate entirely to the US or Australia. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing) The Chinese steel industry strongly opposes the U.S. practice of politicizing and instrumentalizing steel trade, said the China Iron and Steel Industry Association (CISA) on Thursday. On top of existing tariffs under Section 301, the United States on Tuesday announced new tariffs on a variety of imports from China, including some steel and aluminum products, saying that "high-quality, while low-emissions U.S. products are undercut by artificially low-priced Chinese alternatives produced with higher emissions." The tariff rate on certain steel and aluminum products under Section 301 will increase from 0-7.5 percent to 25 percent this year. The CISA said China's steel sector has always focused on meeting domestic demand and has been pursuing technological progress and green transformation, galvanizing the global steel sector, as well as upstream and downstream industries. The association said China's steel sector leads the world in many aspects such as plant design, process flow, technical level, manufacturing capacity, product quality and energy consumption. Chinese steel enterprises also have spent heavily on ultra-low emission transformation projects to meet the world's most stringent environmental standards. Ultra-low emission transformation has covered more than 900 million tonnes of production capacity, of which 450 million tonnes have completed such transformation, amid the sector's efforts to boost green and low-carbon production, the CISA said. Meanwhile, the proportion of China's steel exports to the United States is very small, and so is the share of U.S. steel imports from China, the association said. Despite multiple tariffs levied by the U.S. side, some U.S. downstream enterprises are still importing Chinese steel products and these are market behaviors based on their own needs, the CISA noted. In September 2020, a WTO panel ruled that the Section 301 tariffs violated WTO rules. But instead of correcting it, the United States has further hiked tariffs. "The non-market behavior of the United States has distorted the global steel trade order and is not conducive to the healthy development of the global steel industry," the CISA said. The Chinese steel industry urges the United States to abandon the practice of politicizing the steel trade and carry out cooperation that is truly conducive to the development of the industry, the CISA added. Many Kenyans are now taking advantage of the opportunities presented by online trading in financial markets. In todays world, the image of traders in suits shouting on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange is a thing of the past. With the right support, even individuals with limited knowledge of the financial markets can now become successful online traders. In this post, well delve into the factors that are shaping the future of online trading in Kenya. Embracing the convenience of technological advancements Internet access and a trading platform are all you need to start online trading in Kenya. To excel as a trader, youll require guidance and the support of a trustworthy broker. For those who are still unsure about joining the trading revolution, its worth noting that The Modern Trader research reveals a staggering 13.9 million internet traders worldwide. Online trading presents a unique opportunity to achieve financial independence by capitalising on global markets. You have full autonomy over what you choose to include and exclude. Working with a trustworthy broker will help you achieve success as a trader in no time. Economic growth and high returns The Kenyan economy has experienced significant growth in recent years, attracting a growing number of individuals interested in stock trading. There are several factors contributing to the increasing popularity of online trading in Kenya. First and foremost, one can approach making money in a straightforward manner. Forex trading stands out from other investing options like equities and bonds due to its lower initial investment requirement. Trading stocks in Kenya is a compelling factor. If you have a good understanding of the subject, it is possible to generate substantial wealth quickly. Index trading is available Combining a set of equities into an index allows it to be traded similarly to other commodities. For instance, a trader may choose to focus exclusively on investing in technology companies, manufacturing stocks, or commodity groups like metals or grains. After combining these assets into an index, the investor would trade them. Geographic location and market value can also serve as the basis for creating indexes. Some well-known examples include the FTSE100, DAX, and IBEX 35, along with several others. This form of trading is becoming increasingly popular worldwide because it allows traders to speculate on a wider range of assets that pique their interest. Trading on the value of a collection of assets rather than just one makes it less volatile compared to other forms of trading. There are several indexes on an African scale, such as the Kenyan NSE 20, the Nigerian NSE 30, and the NSE All-Share, among others. Opportunities for profit Traders are still making profits amidst the challenges of high petrol prices and market volatility. Volatility presents unique opportunities for online traders, setting their industry apart from others. Youll have the ability to capitalise on economic conditions, regardless of market fluctuations. Experienced traders have a keen eye for spotting trends and making the most of lucrative market opportunities. Finally, just as the future of online trading in Kenya unfolds, local Kenyan brokers are prepared to assist traders in navigating the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Many brokers in Kenya provide traders with the necessary tools and knowledge to succeed in the ever-changing market. They prioritise regulatory compliance, offer reliable trading platforms, and provide extensive educational resources. The State Department for Diaspora has announced the conclusion of negotiations for a job migration framework between Kenya and Germany, with Kenyan job seekers poised to benefit. According to a statement by the State Department, the framework aims to develop guidelines for labor migration between the two countries. The framework is expected to simplify the process for Kenyans to migrate and work for German companies and institutions. As outlined by the government, the deal is expected to be signed in September after both governments approve the framework. The Agreement will provide a framework for cooperation on migration and labor mobility between the two countries. The Kenyan delegation was led by the Principal Secretary for Labour and Skills Development Shadrack Mwadime and PS Roseline Njogu of the State Department for Diaspora Affairs as the lead negotiator. The German delegation was led by Joachim Stamp, the Federal Government Special Commissioner for Migration Agreements, and Holger Schamberg, Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, as the lead negotiator, the statement read. Meanwhile, a job expo will be held in Nairobi to acquaint Kenyans with the opportunities offered in Germany. The Agreement will be implemented progressively starting with a Job Fair in Nairobi. Both countries are committed to the complete implementation of the Agreement by the Joint Implementation Committee, the statement added. In January, President William Ruto announced his efforts to have 250,000 Kenyans employed by German companies. He mentioned that the jobs would target professional, skilled, and semi-skilled Kenyans. PS Roseline just came back from Germany. We are almost completing the agreement with the German government because they have asked us for 250,000 job opportunities. They want us to conclude the agreement before June. The same thing is going on with different countries, he stated. In a joint agreement, Kenya and Uganda have decided to extend the oil pipeline from Eldoret to Uganda, enabling Kampala to import refined petroleum products directly through Kenya. President William Ruto said the extension will enhance trade relations between the two nations. Additionally, the two countries have signed a tripartite agreement, allowing the Uganda National Oil Company to import petroleum products through the port of Mombasa. President Ruto, speaking in Nairobi during a meeting with Ugandas President Yoweri Museveni on a two-day State visit to Kenya, emphasized the significance of the agreement. The Tripartite Agreement on the Importation and Transit of Refined Petroleum Products through Kenya to Uganda whose signing we have just witnessed enables the Uganda National Oil Company Limited to Import refined petroleum commodities directly from producer jurisdictions thus bringing to an end the challenges faced by the sector In Uganda, stated Ruto. President Musevenis visit follows the conclusion of the Uganda-Kenya Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Kampala, where both countries pledged to ensure prompt and full implementation of the decisions taken during the meetings. Dr. Ruto underscored the commitment of the two presidents to provide support for the new agreement to be functional and mutually beneficial. Kenya and Uganda are firmly united by relations deeply rooted in shared history and culture and aspirations for regional peace and prosperity, President Ruto affirmed. Furthermore, Uganda and Kenya have agreed to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to Uganda and eventually to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The meeting also emphasized the importance of extending the SGR not only from Naivasha to Malaba but all the way to Kampala and DRC as an efficient and sustainable Infrastructural artery for the transportation of goods, Ruto said. The Ministry of Roads and Transport has estimated that up to Kes.30 billion is required to rehabilitate critical infrastructure, including roads and bridges, devastated by widespread floods across the country. Speaking in Lamu during the assessment of the Gamba section of the Lamu-Witu-Garsen road, which was destroyed by floods on Wednesday, Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen stated that his ministry had completed the assessment and formulated the estimates. Murkomen announced that discussions with Parliament to allocate the necessary funds would commence soon. Acknowledging the significant economic loss caused by the floods, the CS highlighted the disruption of both people and goods movement within the country, as well as the loss of life and damage to roads. The damage in Lamu has particularly hindered the transportation of goods from Lamu Port in Kililana, just as the port was gearing up to receive goods destined for Ethiopia. Floods have also damaged key infrastructure in other regions, including the Tana River, as well as parts of Central, Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Western regions. Mr. Murkomen emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, Today, were in Lamu. Weve assessed the state of the Gamba section. The volume of the water and the depth of the flow are still high, making it impossible for vehicles to pass. Were in talks with Parliament to have all critical infrastructure destroyed by floods repaired. We need between Sh25 billion to Sh30 billion to undertake full reconstruction and repair of the damaged infrastructure across the country. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has donated 450,000 doses of subcutaneous Depot Medroxy-Progesterone-Acetate (DMPA), valued at Kes.56.4 million, to Kenya. Ministry of Health Director General Patrick Amoth said these contraceptives will help prevent over 122 maternal deaths, 12,310 unsafe abortions, and 42,750 unintended pregnancies. The Ministry of Health views this donation as a significant step in overcoming barriers to commodity security and meeting the unmet need for family planning services. Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha believes this consignment will improve health outcomes for women and families across Kenya. The donation arrives at a time of increasing demand for accessible and convenient contraceptive options, especially since self-injectable contraceptives were approved for use in the country. Under the DESIP programme, the UK Government through UNFPA procured 450,000 doses of DMPA-SC (Sayana Press). These contraceptives were handed over to the #MOH and #KEMSA on 16th May 2024 at the KEMSA Embakasi Supply Chain Centre. #FamilyPlanning #ReproductiveHealth #PSKenya pic.twitter.com/aqx73jxNw3 Population Services (PS) Kenya (@PSKenya_) May 16, 2024 How to Use Birth Control Shot Depot-Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA-SC), known as the birth control shot, is over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy when administered correctly and consistently. It contains progestin, which prevents pregnancy by stopping ovulation, thickening cervical mucus to block sperm, and thinning the uterine lining to prevent implantation. Administered as a single subcutaneous injection, it offers long-lasting protection, requiring only four injections per year. Unlike some other contraceptives, its effects are reversible after discontinuation, although it may cause side effects such as breast tenderness, and mood changes, irregular menstrual bleeding, weight gain, headaches, and in some instances temporary delay in fertility after discontinuation. Due to its simplicity, community health workers, pharmacists, and even women themselves can administer DMPA-SC with minimal training. The Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) highlights its effectiveness, stating it is 99% effective when used correctly every three months. It is reversible and combines the contraceptive drug and needle into a single device that is small, light, and easy to use. It is also 99 percent effective at preventing unintended pregnancies when administered correctly and on time every three months, the network stated. A brand-new Napa neighborhood complete with street signs, sidewalks, crosswalks, a park and freshly planted trees has popped up in the middle of the former Napa Pipe complex south of the city. A sales office for three model homes, located on Goldenstar Way, now welcomes visitors daily to the development. And just a few blocks away, pre-construction at Napas first Costco store has begun. The former Napa Pipe industrial complex has been closed for two decades. Yet today, potential residents, or simply curious locals, can drive past a new roundabout on Kaiser Road, onto new city streets and the future home to more than 900 houses, parks, stores and, of course, Costco. Costco, RiverSound home construction underway at former Napa Pipe Napa Costco and RiverSound home construction is underway at the former Napa Pipe complex. Home prices in this phase start at $1.2 million. Welcome to RiverSound. Costco: coming soon Costco Wholesale. BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS, reads a sign posted on a newly installed chain-link fence at the future membership store on Riversound Way. CONSTRUCTION AREA, a second sign announces. Costco deliveries, reads a hand-printed sign with a red arrow. Within the fenced area, earth has been smoothed out, or graded, in preparation for construction at Costco. According to documents sent by Costco Wholesale Corp. to the city, the Costco store is supposed to open in October. On Monday, construction trailers, equipment, vehicles, storage units and debris collection boxes were visible on site. A construction staffer at the site declined to comment on the progress. Costco said it does not comment on new stores that are more than three months from opening. According to the website for MG2, the company that designs Costco warehouses, it takes just 110 days from the time construction begins to the moment doors open to their members. The Costco is said to include the same services found in most others: a food court, optical shop, hearing aids, a bakery, pharmacy, photo center, tire store and other amenities. According to building permits, the store will feature gasoline pumps and 10 electric-vehicle charging stations. Shoppers can get to the Costco via Kaiser Road and then turn left at a newly installed roundabout onto the former Syar Way (renamed Riversound Way). Customers will also be able to visit Costco through a new street connected to Anselmo Court, which is almost directly across the street from the Meritage Resort and Spa property. New homes in south Napa Over Mothers Day weekend, a sales center and three model homes opened at 324 Goldenstar Way as part of the first phase of the Patina at Riversound home development. The office looks toward the Napa River and a five-story-high seawall crane that is being preserved as nod to Napa Pipe's industrial history. Costco plans October opening in Napa, now hiring 300 employees The Napa Costco will open in October. The warehouse store will be open daily, and is currently hiring for some 300 jobs. The detached single-family homes, ranging from 2,340 to 3,173 square feet and four to five bedrooms, are priced from $982,990 to more than $1.29 million, according to sales documents. These model homes are located on lots ranging from about 2,849 to 3,235 square feet. Some of the models offer an optional third floor and outdoor balcony. Views from the three model homes look down onto a brand-new city park, with picnic benches, a barbecue grill, garbage cans and walkways. The front yard space of the Patina homes is minimal. Garages are accessed via a shared alley. Instead of backyards found in traditional single-family homes, these model homes feature a small courtyard or entry space. Temporary street signs have been installed at RiverSound. At least eight other new streets are planned for the community, including Horseshoe Bend Drive, Hideaway Drive, Clear Stream Avenue, Currant Drive, Splittail Way, Yarrow Way, Sagebrush Drive and Coral Bell Drive. RiverSound is owned by Napa Redevelopment Partners. Catellus Development Corp. of Oakland is the development manager for the project. Brookfield Residential of San Ramon is developing single-family homes at the site. RiverSound will offer more than just million-dollar homes. Other types of residences, such as townhouses and apartments, are also planned. Costco buys its Napa parcel; Napa Pipe project renamed RiverSound Costco has purchased its Napa Pipe parcel for $5 million and the entire Napa Pipe redevelopment project has a brand new name: RiverSound. But when could Costco actually open? With Costco under construction and Brookfield welcoming prospective homebuyers to Patina, their first neighborhood, the vision of RiverSound is becoming reality, said Sean Whiskeman, senior vice president of development for Catellus. We are excited that the promises of a Costco and much-needed housing are being delivered to the residents of Napa. We opened our model homes for the first time last weekend and the feedback thus far has been great, said Michele Joy, Brookfield's vice president of sales and marketing. Home buyers love the contemporary designs and want to be a part of this exciting new community. In December, Costco purchased its designated 16-acre parcel at the former Napa Pipe industrial site. The sale price was $5 million, according to the transfer tax paid for that deed. A second deed of sale for Parcel 3 at the same location was recorded on April 29. Transfer tax of that deed indicates a second sale price of $2.7 million. New homes coming to Napa Pipe/RiverSound in south Napa New homes coming to south Napa New homes coming to south Napa New homes coming to south Napa New homes coming to south Napa New homes coming to south Napa New homes coming to south Napa New homes coming to south Napa New homes coming to south Napa New homes coming to south Napa Judith Loura has joined the American Canyon Community and Parks Foundation as capital campaign director for the Napa River Ecology Center, said a news release. Loura has been hired to lead the efforts of a dedicated fundraising committee established to raise funds for the multi-million dollar project, said the news release. The Napa River Ecology Center repurposes the city of American Canyons maintenance yard into a community conservation and environmental education center. We are at a pivotal point in the development of the project and are thrilled to welcome Judy to the Foundation team, said Parks Foundation Executive Director Janelle Sellick. Loura has over 30 years of experience raising funds for nonprofits, including the Bay Area Urban League, San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Zoo, Planned Parenthood, the Institute on Aging among others. She moved to Napa in 2018. PHOTOS: Watershed Explorers at Wetlands edge Park in American Canyon Watershed Explorers 7 Watershed Explorers 1 Watershed Explorers 2 Watershed Explorers 3 Watershed Explorers 4 Watershed Explorers 5 Watershed Explorers 6 Watershed Explorers 8 Watershed Explorers 9 Watershed Explorers 10 Watershed Explorers 11 Watershed Explorers 12 Watershed Explorers 13 Watershed Explorers 14 Watershed Explorers 15 You are here: Business Robots weld bodyshells of cars at a workshop of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto Inc. in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 10, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] China's value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, went up 6.7 percent year on year in April, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Friday. The growth accelerated 2.2 percentage points from March, NBS spokesperson Liu Aihua told a press conference. On a monthly basis, industrial output edged up 0.97 percent in April from the previous month. From January to April, industrial output rose 6.3 percent year on year, 0.2 percentage points higher than that from January to March. The industrial output is used to measure the activity of enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.82 million U.S. dollars). The latest optimization measures adopted by China's major cities to absorb housing inventory have borne fruit, with buoyant market activity being witnessed, based on which experts said that they expect more policy fine-tuning to be unveiled to unleash even more potential demand, stabilize market expectations and promote real estate market stabilization. The optimized property policies are being introduced in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, Xi'an in Shaanxi province, Chengdu in Sichuan province and Nanjing in Jiangsu province. The moves are in response to the tone-setting conference held by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee late last month, which called for measures to digest housing inventories and optimize new supplies, experts said. Active signs have appeared following the measures introduced by cities across China, as data revealed by real estate organizations showed. New home transactions in 15 major cities reached 14,685 units during the week between May 6 and Sunday, soaring 74.24 percent week-on-week, though registering a dip of 2.51 percent from a year ago, said the Zhuge Real Estate Data Research Center. "Overall, the new home sector is still awaiting further recovery," said Guan Rongxue, a senior analyst at Zhuge. Performance of the pre-owned home market is more encouraging. Trade volume in the 10 major cities surged 184.9 percent from a week ago to reach 19,379 units, up 85.73 percent year-on-year. "With the wrapping up of the May Day holiday, the pre-owned housing market showed rapid resumption, and we believe the measures announced ahead of the holiday contributed to the demand recovery," said Guan. On April 30, immediately after the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau meeting, Beijing announced that qualified households or single adults living in Beijing were now eligible to buy an additional apartment outside the Fifth Ring Road. On May 3, an initiative related to trade-ins of commercial housing units was launched in Shanghai. There was a peak of sorts on May 9 when Hangzhou announced a scrapping of all restrictions on homebuying. Later that afternoon, Xi'an also lifted all its homebuying requirements. The new policies are intended to cushion the Northwest Chinese city's pressure in destocking its housing inventory, said Zhang Hongwei, founder of Jingjian Consulting. "We expect a wave of policy easing in May with regards to property measures," said Yan Yuejin, director of the Shanghai-based E-house China Research and Development Institution. "The recent measures announced by local governments have approached their limits, and these innovative measures will hopefully inspire more creative and targeted policy adjustments," said Yan. "The existing policies will work together to help destock residential properties, greatly boost market sentiment and spur transactions. In general, the upward trend of the real estate sector is likely to take place in a better, steadier and more rapid manner," Yan said. Concerning property supply and demand, the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau meeting said Chinese people's expectations for high-quality housing, measures to digest property inventory and optimization of new demand should be handled in a coordinated manner. "Close attention should be paid to building a new real estate development model and promoting the high-quality development of the property industry," it was stated at the meeting. CNN named Emory University ethnobotanist Cassandra Quave one of its Champions for Change for 2024, citing her state-of-the-art approach to the study of medicinal plants. For the past eight years, CNN has annually featured what the network describes as the extraordinary stories of pioneers who are driving us towards a brighter future and changing the world. Hosted by Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, the primetime special event will air Saturday, May 18, at 9 p.m. ET. Quave is the Thomas J. Lawley, MD Professor of Dermatology, with a joint appointment as associate professor in the School of Medicines Department of Dermatology and Emorys Center for the Study of Human Health. She serves as assistant dean of research cores for the School of Medicine and is curator of the Emory University Herbarium, a 75-year-old natural history museum. As an ethnobotanist, Quave studies the traditional use of medicinal plants to discover antimicrobial compounds that could be developed for modern medicine. Over a million people die every year due to untreatable infections, she explains. So Ive dedicated my life to searching for new medicines from nature to combat the worst of these drug-resistant infections. The segment includes scenes of Quave and her students at work in her labs on the Emory campus and collecting plants at a research field station in south Georgia. The CNN crew traveled to Washington D.C. to gather insights from Craig Hopp, deputy director of the division of intramural research for the National Institutes of Healths National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. We could see a scenario in 10, 20, 30 years where many infections are not responsive to any type of antibiotic, Hopp says. For that reason, Dr. Quaves work is essential to help prevent that from happening. Quave is among 14 of this years Champions for Change, including leaders from across the nation in medicine, business, environmental science, the arts and nonprofit advocacy. 20:58 National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday of dividing the people of the country on the basis of religion, saying his recent statements have even contradicted his own slogan of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas". The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister claimed that the hatred for Muslims has gone up ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power at the Centre in 2014, while people are suffering due to inflation and growing unemployment. "I have heard the (election) speeches of almost all prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru and except Modi, everyone always talked about uniting people as that is the guarantee for our success as a country. "His (Modi's) recent statements where he is talking about Muslims as outsiders, giving birth to more children, frightening Hindus by claiming that their properties, including the mangalsutras of their women, will be taken and distributed among the minority community have no parallel. We Muslims only want our rights and have no intention to usurp the rights of others," Abdullah said, addressing a Lok Sabha poll rally in the Surankote area of Poonch district. The rally was jointly organised by the NC and the Congress in support of Mian Altaf, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) candidate from the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency that is scheduled to go to polls on May 25. "The NC and the Congress have come together to protect the country so that we can live with honour and die respectfully. Our country is still poverty-ridden and we can only overcome our problems when we are united," Abdullah said. He claimed that the winds of change are sweeping the country and the BJP is finding its government dangling, which is evident from the statements of the party's top leaders. "They are talking about 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas', but the prime minister's speeches contradict his oft-repeated slogan. The home minister (Amit Shah) meets specially-invited people in the presence of those close to the BJP with an aim to divide us. "They are doing it in the darkness of night so that nobody can see them in the daytime," the former Union minister said, asking people to pray that the "divisive" government falls and the hatred that was spread after 2014 is replaced with love, brotherhood and respect for each other. He said Islam teaches Muslims to respect other religions and "we do not believe in hatred". "(Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi took out the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to snow-bound Kashmir and later, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Assam to Maharashtra. His only purpose was to unite the country in the face of growing hatred and understand the pain of the public," Abdullah said. He said Jammu and Kashmir acceded to Mahatma Gandhi's India but the BJP has created a trust deficit between the people of the region and New Delhi. -- PTI 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) China's central bank announced on Friday that it would establish a 300-billion-yuan (about 42.25 billion U.S. dollars) relending facility to support the government-subsidized housing project. Local state-owned enterprises are encouraged to use the funds to buy reasonably-priced commercial homes that have completed construction, Tao Ling, an official with the People's Bank of China, told a press conference, adding that these homes will then be used to provide affordable housing. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal reached the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, late on Thursday night after the police filed an FIR based on a formal complaint lodged by her against a close aide of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The AAP MP may undergo a medical checkup at AIIMS, said sources. The Delhi police filed an FIR in connection with the alleged assault on Thursday evening, naming the Delhi CM''s Personal Assistant, Bibhav Kumar. Civil Lines Police have registered a case under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323, among other IPC sections, for offence including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or acts of intent to insult, and assault. In her complaint, Maliwal has alleged she was "slapped, hit on the stomach, and kicked" by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal''s PA, Bibhav Kumar. While giving her statement to the police, Swati Maliwal became emotional and demanded strict action in the case, sources claimed. After complaining to the Delhi police, Swati Maliwal, in a post on X, requested the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) not to politicize the incident. Calling the incident "very bad," Maliwal said that she gave her statement in this regard to the police. "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, saying that she was doing it on the instructions of the other party, may God keep them happy too," the former DCW chief said in a post on Thursday after lodging a formal complaint with the Delhi police. Sources said that Special Cell and Crime Branch teams have been deployed to arrest the accused. His location is being traced, and several teams of the Delhi Police are working on it. 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 BJP accused the AAP of failing to act against Bibhav Kumar, the Personal Assistant to Delhi CM 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. (ANI) PNN Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 17: The National Academy of Cyber Security has invited online applications from all over India for its Government of India Certified Cyber Security & Ethical Hacking Courses Online Training. This is a fantastic chance for people with qualifications 10+2, Degree, Diploma, Engineering, and PG to boost their skills in the exciting field of cyber security. Applicants can choose from a variety of courses, including Cyber Security Officer, PG Certificate in Cyber Security & Ethical Hacking, and Master Program in Cyber Security & Ethical Hacking. These courses have durations ranging from six months to a year, providing ample opportunity to delve deep into this fascinating subject. A special aspect of the program is the financial assistance available to a wide range of applicants. Individuals from diverse backgrounds such as SC, ST, BC, EBC, OBC, Minority communities, Persons with Disabilities (PH), Women candidates, as well as Ex-Servicemen and their children, are entitled to a 50% fee reduction through the Swarna Bharat National Level Skill Development Program. Upon successfully completing the course, participants will receive a Government of India Certificate, recognizing their expertise in cyber security. The need for skilled cyber security professionals is soaring high. Cyber Crime Magazine reports a substantial shortage of talent in major technology and IT/software companies in the U.S., with an estimated 3.5 million job vacancies in cyber security expected by 2025. This demand highlights the vast opportunities for career advancement in this field. Graduates of these courses can anticipate a range of job prospects, including roles like Cyber Security Officer, Information Officer, and Security Analyst, among others. With opportunities available both in India and abroad, now is the perfect time for eligible candidates to kickstart their career journey in cyber security. Online Application website: www.nacsindia.org For details contact on Phone number: 7893141797 VIMALA REDDY (Director) National Academy of Cyber Security, Hyderabad https://www.nacsindia.org (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Social media sensation Nigel Ng, who has been entertaining audience with his comedy, is now all set to showcase his talent to audiences in India. Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng, aka Uncle Roger, will visit India this September with his 'The Haiyaa World Tour'. He has a show lined up in Delhi on September 21 at Bharat Mandapam. Excited for his debut show in India, Nigel Ng in a statement said, "Uncle Roger and I are beyond thrilled to bring The Haiyaa World Tour to India. We've seen phenomenal support from Indian nieces and nephews, and cannot wait to finally meet everyone in person. Wear orange and get ready for some roasting!" Owen Roncon, Chief of Business - Live Events, BookMyShow said, "Laughter is a universal language and we've seen audiences enjoy stand-up comedy by both Indian and international comedians with houseful shows, and Nigel Ng's The Haiyaa World Tour will be no different. There's a strong sense of relatability in his Asian anecdotes that will surely have the audience in splits. The stand-up comedy genre has seen a seismic shift over the last few years in India, and in fact, international artists are increasingly recognising a strong potential from the Indian market. We're excited to bring the talented internet sensation, with his quirky one-liners and funny audience digs, to perform live in India!" In addition to Uncle Roger, Nigel Ng is also known for his TV stint in 2018 on Comedy Central's Stand Up Central, hosting the comedic podcast Rice to Meet You with UK-based Swedish comic Evelyn Mok. (ANI) BJP leader and candidate from Balurghat, Sukanta Majumdar, has said that TMC goons are still threatening women and brutality still exists in Sandeshkhali. The police team is not taking any action against them and hence CBI should look into the matter. This condemnation came after the recent attempt by three individuals to abduct and assault a woman in the Sandeshkhali area of the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. In response to the incident, Sukanta Majumdar stated, "This incident highlights the reality of what actually is happening in Sandeshkhali. Brutality against women still exists in Sandeshkhali. The woman was assaulted by those three individuals. They covered her mouth, and if she and her daughter hadn't screamed, the situation could have escalated further; potentially, things could have gone wrong, and it could lead to rape." He alleged that the police are not taking any strict action against the accusers and hence the CBI should look into the matter more actively. He further added, "A member of the Panchayat Samiti from the TMC has also confirmed that women were assaulted in Sandeshkhali and demanded justice for them. He has already remarked that TMC leaders are running false campaigns, denying the incident." Earlier on Thursday, women of the Battala area near Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas staged a protest against the recent attempt to rape a woman in Sandeshkhali, demanding the arrest of the culprits. According to reports, three individuals recently attempted to abduct a woman in the Sandeshkhali area and assault her. The protesters raised slogans and demanded to arrest the culprits in the recent incident of an alleged attempt to rape a woman. Sandeshkhali, a village in North 24 Parganas district, started hitting the headlines in February this year when villagers, mostly women, came out on the streets against the ruling TMC and Shahjahan (the main accused in the incident). Women accused Shahjahan and his aides of perpetrating atrocities on them along with gobbling up their land. Multiple women on the island accused Shajahan and his aides of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion. (ANI) An angry crowd set a school on fire on Friday morning after the body of a student was found inside a tank inside the school premises in Bihar's capital city Patna, police said. According to the sources, the incident took place in the Ramjichak area under Digha police. Angry locals blocked roads and set the school on fire. The deceased child aged around three had gone to school where he used to take tuition after school hours and when he failed to return home by evening, family members started looking for him. His body was retrieved from inside a tank in the school premises at 3 am today, police added. Following this, locals blocked the road and set fire to the school. Fire tenders that rushed to the site managed to douse the blaze. Senior police officials who arrived at the site initiated an investigation. Patna Superintendent of Police Chandra Prakash detailing the incident said, "We were informed late at night by the parents after which our team reached the spot and started collecting evidence. In the CCTV we saw that the child was entering the school but at no point, he can be seen leaving the school premises... We will investigate it as a murder case as they were hiding the body and it shows criminal intent. We have detained three persons; inquiry is on." (ANI) AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal arrived at the Tis Hazari Court in Delhi to get her statement recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on Friday. Under Section 164, a magistrate can record a person's statement or confession during a police investigation before the trial. An FIR was registered on Thursday in connection with the assault on Maliwal after she filed a complaint with the Delhi Police against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide, Bibhav Kumar for being assaulted at the Chief Minister's House. Kumar has been named in the FIR. According to the police FIR, Maliwal in her complaint said that she was slapped, hit on the stomach, attacked and kicked by Bibhav Kumar at the Chief Minister's residence. The Delhi police filed an FIR in connection with the alleged assault naming Bibhav Kumar. The FIR has been registered under sections 354, 506, 509, and 323 of the IPC, among other sections, for offences including assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, criminal intimidation, word gesture or acts of intent to insult and assault. The Delhi Police has written to the company that has installed CCTVs at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's place to take footage of the incident in which party MP Swati Maliwal was allegedly assaulted at the Chief Minister's house. All CCTV footage related to the incident will be scrutinized by the police, sources added. There are eight CCTV cameras installed outside Kejriwal's house. Around 10 police teams are investigating the entire matter, out of which four teams are trying to find out the accused, Kejriwal's personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar's location. As per available information, Bibhav Kumar is in Punjab. Police teams from the North District and other teams have started investigating the case. Meanwhile NCW Chief Rekha Sharma on Friday said that the commission has asked for an Action taken report from the Deli Police on the case "We have asked for an Action Taken Report from the Police. FIR charges have been framed. A medical examination of Swati Maliwal has also been done today. Bibhav has not replied to our notice," the NCW Chief said. "We took suo moto when we saw this on social media. I was closely watching everything and I requested her to come out and file a complaint. I think she was traumatised because no one could expect that she would be beaten like this at their leader's residence. She is an MP who has always been taking up the issues of women. I told her that I was with her, and you come out and complain. After thinking for a long time, she filed a complaint," she further added. The BJP also attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and accused him of not being able to provide security to women in the National capital. "The women in Delhi are asking - can this CM (Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) even provide security to the women in the city? Arvind Kejriwal is responsible for this incident," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a press conference in Delhi. (ANI) Coming out strongly against the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate from Chennai South, Tamilisai Soundararajan accused the state government of pushing drugs and narcotics into the state and also encouraging a culture of violence that comes with it. Speaking to reporters on Friday, the former Telangana governor said the state was at risk of mainstreaming the drug culture, with the 'office bearers' of the DMK doubling up as 'drug peddlers'. Going all guns blazing at the DMK regime led by Chief Minister MK Stalin, Soundarajan said, "The drug peddlers in Tamil Nadu are members or office-bearers of the DMK. What do they have to say about members and office-bearers of the ruling party encouraging the culture of drugs and violence in the state?" Speaking to ANI, the BJP leader said, "Yesterday, a Tamil Nadu court condemned the government for fostering a nexus between the police and drug peddlers. How does this nexus operate? Now that the Opposition parties and a local court have condemned the rising drug trade, the CM has decided to convene a meeting. What action has been taken so far? There is a nexus between DMK, police and drug peddlers in the state. There should be a crackdown on this nexus." Taking a further swipe at the government, the former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry said, "Drugs, knives, and guns have pervaded every corner of Tamil Nadu. Just yesterday, in Tirunelveli, guns and knives were found hidden below the seats of a bus. Fortunately, I was travelling by the Vande Bharat Express. I could have been on that bus as well." "The culture of drugs and violence is no different from the DMK culture in Tamil Nadu," the BJP's Lok Sabha candidate added. Earlier, BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu alleged that the election team of their state chief Annamalai was receiving threats from the ruling DMK, adding that they were asked to leave Chennai or 'suffer the consequences'. Chennai-based industrialist RN Jayaprakash, who recently joined the BJP in the presence of the party's national president JP Nadda in Chennai, was one of Annamalai's core team members who was allegedly targeted by the DMK during the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. (ANI) Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal hailed the INDIA alliance and said that they are intact and will register victory. "We are intact and we will win. We are winning Amethi and Raebareli," he stated. "You can see the mood of the people wherever you go. The mood is in favour of the INDIA alliance," he added. On being asked about Rahul Gandhi's claim that the BJP won't win more than 150 seats, he said, "Rahul has statistics. He has travelled across the country. He knows people's pulse." Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav held a joint rally in Amethi as part of their campaign for KL Sharma the Congress and INDIA bloc candidate from Amethi. Speaking at the rally Akhilesh Yadav said that the BJP had been defeated after the first 4 phases and would struggle to win even 140 seats. "The four phases of elections are over. Ever since the four phases have been over, the Bharatiya Janata Party has been completely defeated. Their chariot has sunk, is stuck and tell me, have those who were giving the slogan of 400 plus forgotten or not? The people of the country have decided that they will make the BJP yearn for even 140 seats. These people want to change the constitution, they want to change our rights, now the people will change them," he said. Congress' Rahul Gandhi once again alleged that the BJP aimed to change the constitution if they won the election. "BJP leaders have clearly said that if they win the elections, they will change the Constitution. If the constitution ends, PSUs will not exist. There will be no jobs, reservations will be taken away and all your rights will be lost. Without the Constitution, only 22-25 rich people in the country will have power and the rights of all others will be taken away," Rahul Gandhi said. Notably, Amethi and Raebareli -- two constituencies considered old turfs of the Gandhi family has again become the point of focus as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has entered the fray in Raebareli and the family's close aide Kishori Lal Sharma has been fielded against Smriti Irani in Amethi. Congress won just 2 seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2014 (Rae Bareli and Amethi). The tally came down to just one in 2019 after the party lost Amethi. The Congress, on May 3, announced Rahul Gandhi as a candidate from Raebareli and loyalist KL Sharma from Amethi. Rahul Gandhi is a sitting MP in Kerala's Wayanad, where he is seeking a fresh term alongside Rae Bareli. Rahul represented Amethi from 2004 until 2019. He will face Congress defector and three-time MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh of BJP in Raebareli. Raebareli and Amethi constituencies will go to the polls on May 20 in the fifth phase. Polling for 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh is being held across all seven phases. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4. (ANI) Hajipur, the second-fastest-developing city next to Patna in Bihar, is establishing a name for itself overseas by manufacturing footwear such as safety shoes for the Russian army and designer shoes catering to European markets. Hajipur-based Competence Exports, a private limited company, makes safety shoes for companies based in Russia. Speaking about the facility, General Manager Shib Kumar Roy told ANI, "We started the Hajipur facility in 2018, and the main interest is to generate local employment. At Hajipur, we make safety shoes that are meant to be exported to Russia. Total exports are for Russia, and we are also slowly working on Europe and will launch in the domestic market soon." Talking about safety shoe requirements for the Russian army, Roy said, "Their requirements are that shoes should be lightweight, slip-resistant, have special features in the sole, and withstand extreme weather conditions like -40 degrees Celsius. We manufacture the safety shoes, considering these conditions." The response has been tremendous, and his company is one of the largest exporters to Russia. Expectations are that the numbers will expand day by day. Talking about the employment aspect, Roy said, "The ambition of the company's MD, Danesh Prasad, is to make a world-class factory in Bihar and contribute to state employment. We are trying our best to give maximum employment to employees, of which 70 percent are women out of 300 employees." They exported 1.5 million pairs last year, which is worth Rs 100 crores, and their aim is to increase it by 50 percent next year. General Manager Roy further said that the Bihar government has promoted and supported the industries but still needs improvement in infrastructure like roads and better communication so that buyers from Russia can communicate easily. "We also want ready-skilled manpower, and for that, a training institute should be set up so that we get skill-ready manpower, otherwise, we have to train the workers before inducting them," he added. The Hajipur facility also exports luxury designer or fashion shoes to European markets, namely Italy, France, Spain, and the UK. "Our aim is to develop high-end shoes for international brands. We recently started negotiations with a Belgian company as well," said Mazhar Pallumiah, head of fashion development and marketing for the company. Pallumiah did note that initially, foreign companies had some reservations, but when they received the sample, they were assured. We are also expecting some companies to visit the factory next month, he said. "Starting the fashion industry is a challenge in Bihar and in Hajipur but with the vision of promoters and government support, we are confident to continue on this line," he pointed out. (ANI) In a tit-for-tat move, Russia on Thursday expelled UK defence attache Adrian Coghill from Moscow in response to 'unfriendly moves by the UK,' the Russian news agency TASS reported, citing the Russian Foreign Minister's statement. This came in response to the UK decision on May 8 to expel Russia's defence attache, whom the UK accused of being an "undeclared military intelligence officer," and to remove diplomatic status from the Russian-owned Seacox Heath property in Sussex and the Russian embassy's trade and defence section in Highgate. The UK also imposed new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas, including the length of time Russian diplomats can spend in the country. According to the ministry, it summoned a representative of the UK Embassy on May 16 and issued him a protest in connection with the unfriendly decision that was taken by the government of that country on May 8 with respect to the defence attache at the Russian Embassy in London. "The British diplomat was informed that, in response to the said decision, the defence attache at the UK Embassy in Moscow, Adrian Coghill, is declared persona non grata. He must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within a week," the ministry said. "Our reaction to the UK's anti-Russian actions, which were announced on May 8, is not limited to this measure. The instigators of the escalation will be informed about further response steps," the ministry said. TASS reported that the ministry also said Moscow regards London's unfriendly move "as a politically motivated action of a clear-cut Russophobic nature, which causes irreparable damage to bilateral relations." UK Secretary of Defence Grant Shapps called Russia's expulsion of Coghill "a desperate move," Al Jazeera reported. "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. On May 8, the UK announced several measures to target Moscow's intelligence-gathering operations in the United Kingdom. Those included expelling Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the British government termed an "undeclared military intelligence officer," rescinding the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties because they are believed to have been used for intelligence purposes, and imposing new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas and visits, Al Jazeera reported. The government said the measures followed criminal cases in London alleging espionage and sabotage by people acting on behalf of Russia. It also cited allegations that the Russian government planned to sabotage military aid for Ukraine in Germany and Poland and carried out spying in Bulgaria and Italy, along with cyber- and disinformation activities, air space violations and jamming GPS signals to hamper civilian air traffic. The UK has had an uneasy relationship with Russia for years, accusing its agents of targeted killings and espionage, including cyberattacks aimed at British parliamentarians and leaking and amplifying sensitive information to serve Russian interests, Al Jazeera reported. After Russia sent troops into Ukraine, the UK has also sanctioned hundreds of wealthy Russians and moved to clamp down on money laundering through London's property and financial markets. (ANI) 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. South Africa has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Israel to halt its assault on Rafah as part of its case accusing Israel of genocide against the Palestinians, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday. South Africa, which filed its case in January over Israel's war on Gaza, is seeking additional emergency measures over its offensive on Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip where more than one million displaced Palestinians had sought shelter from Israeli attacks on other parts of the enclave. It told the court in The Hague on Thursday that the Palestinian people are facing "ongoing annihilation" and the assault on Rafah was "part of the endgame in which Gaza is utterly destroyed". Israel is pressing on with its attacks in Rafah despite "explicit warnings" that they could carry "genocidal" consequences, South African lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi said. Israel, which has rejected South Africa's claim that it is violating the 1949 Genocide Convention as baseless, will respond on Friday, Al Jazeera reported. Minutes before the court hearings opened, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the widely criticised operation in Rafah "will continue as additional forces will enter" the area. Rafah is a tiny, overcrowded city where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have taken shelter in tents and are facing the rapid spread of diseases and a severe lack of food and clean water. The only hospital in the area has shut down, leaving only a small facility that has been overwhelmed, Al Jazeera reported. Judges at the ICJ have previously issued provisional measures, ordering Israel to take actions to limit humanitarian suffering in Gaza. Among those provisions was for Israel to ensure basic food supplies arrive without delay to the Palestinians in Gaza, all of whom are suffering from severe hunger--some have even faced famine--as a result of Israel's total siege. This month, the Israeli army seized and shut down the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, a vital entry point for humanitarian aid. Aid agencies have warned that the closure has significantly hindered their operations. Because it is Gaza's primary hub for humanitarian assistance, "if Rafah falls, so too does Gaza," South Africa said in a written submission to the court. "The thwarting of humanitarian aid cannot be seen as anything but the deliberate snuffing-out of Palestinian lives. Starvation to the point of famine," lawyer Adila Hassim said. (ANI) The US imposes sanctions on Russian entities for their involvement in the transfer of military equipment and components between North Korea and Russia amid the ongoing war against Ukraine, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Thursday. America also claimed that Russia has relied upon North Korea to wage its war on Ukraine and said that the relationship between the two countries poses a wide-ranging threat to global security and the international non-proliferation regime. "The United States is today imposing sanctions on five Russia-based individuals and entities connected to the transfer of military equipment and components between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Russian Federation in violation of the UN arms embargo on the DPRK. 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 read. "Today's action builds on several sanctions designations over the past year targeting the Russia-DPRK military relationship and highlights our opposition to continued arms transfers and the deepening of defense cooperation between Russia and DPRK. Russia has already used upwards of 40 DPRK-produced ballistic missiles against Ukraine, as well as munitions, which Moscow imported in direct contravention of UNSC resolutions on the DPRK," it added. The US also condemned Russia's exercise of veto at the UN Security Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of the UN 1718 Committee Panel of Experts, a body that documented the DPRK's UN sanction violations. "The deepening DPRK-Russia relationship poses a wide-ranging threat to global security and the international non-proliferation regime. We condemn Russia's veto of the UN Security Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of the UN 1718 Committee Panel of Experts, a body that documented the DPRK's UN sanctions violations. We will continue to take all appropriate steps to counter the destabilizing Russia-DPRK partnership and call on others in the international community to join us," the statement said. Notably, North Korea and Russia have become increasingly close over the past year as Pyongyang advances its weapons and nuclear programmes and Moscow continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The United States and South Korea have raised concerns that North Korea is supplying Russia with weapons to use in its war in Ukraine in return for technological expertise. Russia and China, North Korea's oldest ally, have repeatedly blocked attempts to impose new UN sanctions on North Korea over its banned ballistic missile tests, according to Al Jazeera. South Korea's Ministry of Unification said it had assessed that the gift of the luxury car, Aurus, was also a "violation of UN sanctions." "We condemn North Korea for its brazen attitude of publicly disclosing violations of UN sanctions," a ministry official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Russia should also be aware of its responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and stop an act that undermines international norms," the official added. (ANI) A university student lost his life but killed two suspected muggers in a gun battle near New Sabzi Mandi in Karachi on Superhighway in the early hours of Wednesday, Dawn reported, citing police and his relatives. The Pakistan-based news daily reported that Sheikh Muhammad Nihal, 22, and his uncle, Sheikh Muhammad Ayaz, were returning to their home in North Nazimabad on a motorbike after attending a dinner late on Tuesday night. SITE-Superhighway SHO Zulfiqar Bhangwar said that they were intercepted by armed muggers, also riding a motorcycle, near Jamali Pul. However, Sheikh Nihal, who possessed a licenced pistol, took out his weapon and started firing. The muggers also opened fire, and in an exchange of gunfire, two suspects, Nihal and his uncle, suffered bullet wounds. The police said that both the suspects and Nihal died on the spot, Dawn reported. The bodies and the wounded were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors said that the condition of Sheikh Ayaz was stable as he sustained a bullet wound in the hand. Slain Nihal was a student in the department of architecture at Nazeer Husain University. He was the only son of his parents. Later in the day, his funeral prayers were offered at a local mosque in North Nazimabad amid moving scenes, Dawn reported. A grief-stricken uncle of the victim lamented that the city had been left at the mercy of armed robbers. Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Ali Khurshidi, who also attended the funeral, expressed concern over the alarming rise in the killing of innocent citizens by robbers. He demanded that the governor and other authorities take immediate action to curb street crime in Karachi. Till date, 68 citizens have been shot dead by robbers in Karachi during the first five months of the current year. However, the police claimed that the number of people killed by robbers stood at 52. (ANI) The United States said on Thursday that China cannot have stronger ties with Europe and other countries while supporting Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine. "The People's Republic of China can't have its cake and eat it too. You cannot have it both ways. You want to have good, further stronger, deeper relationships with Europe and other countries. While simultaneously continuing to fuel the biggest threat to European security in a long time. It's important of this is not just the US position, it is one that is shared by our partners in the G7, our partners at NATO and our partners in the EU," US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a daily press briefing. "Fuelling Russia's defence base as the PRC has not only threatened Ukrainian security, it threatens European security. And Beijing can't achieve better relations with Europe will also continuing to support something like this," he added. This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrives in Beijing for a state visit, 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. On May 10, Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a five-day tour of Europe, after visiting France, Serbia and Hungary, where he touted Beijing's vision of a multipolar world and held talks on trade, investments and Russia's war in Ukraine. In France, President Emmanuel Macron feted Xi with gifts of luxury bottles of cognac and a trip to a childhood haunt in the Pyrenees mountains, while in Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic organised a grand welcome, gathering a crowd of tens of thousands of people, who chanted "China, China" and waved Chinese flags in front of the Serbian presidential palace. Xi's main aim with the visit, analysts say, was pushing for a world where the United States is less dominant, and controlling damage to China's ties with the European Union as trade tensions grow amid a threat of European tariffs and a probe into Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles that officials say are hurting local industries, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI) Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda will seek his fourth vote of confidence on Monday amid ongoing disruption and chaos in parliament, officials said. The latest vote of confidence comes after the withdrawal of support by the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and within 18 months of Dahal taking office. "Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has written to House Speaker Debraj Aryal. The PMO sent the letter stating that he (Dahal) will seek a vote of confidence on May 20. Preparations are already underway for the vote of confidence," Shekhar Adhikari, press advisor to House Speaker Ghimire told ANI over the phone. The decision of a trust vote comes at a time when the opposition Nepali Congress have been holding protests within the parliament complex, demanding the formation of a parliamentary investigation committee to probe cooperative fraud allegedly involving Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane. Earlier, on Thursday, a scuffle broke out between lawmakers in the Opposition and the ruling alliance in the Lower House of the Nepalese parliament on the alleged fraud involving the minister. The situation turned tense after Speaker Ghimire invited Deputy PM and Home Minister Lamichhane to the rostrum and address the meeting amid protests by the Nepali Congress. Nepali Congress lawmakers, who had been disrupting the House proceedings for weeks, raised slogans demanding the formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate the alleged cooperative fraud and deliver justice to the victims. Following the announcement by the Speaker, inviting Home Minister Lamichhane to the rostrum, the CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist) lawmakers, seated in the front row of the Opposition benches, erupted in raucous protests. In the live feed from parliament, former prime minister and chairman of CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli, was seen attempting to clear the way for the Home Minister as he was blocked by the agitating Opposition lawmakers. Oli and Congress vice president Dhanraj Gurung were also engaged in a heated argument. Other lawmakers from both sides subsequently joined the melee. The Congress lawmakers were visibly angry after the Speaker read out letters received from the Office of the President amid their protest. Later, the Speaker asked the Home Minister to take his seat and adjourned the meeting. The next session will be convened at 11 am on Friday. The main Opposition has been obstructing the budget session of the parliament since the session commenced on May 10. However, the Opposition members allowed the President to table policies and programmes of the government. Home Minister Lamichhane has been allegedly accused of fraud in a cooperative duping millions of rupees of depositors in conspiracy with others. While Lamichhane denied the allegation claiming he was unaware of the matter, evidence allegedly pointing to his involvement surfaced and an investigation was launched. Lamichhane had earlier worked with GB Rai, one of the alleged conspirators in the fraud, before he entered politics in the last elections. However, the latter has gone underground and the police are on the lookout for him. An investigative report by Pokhara Metropolis in connection with the alleged fraud in the cooperative was submitted before the police last week, in which hundreds of applications named Lamichhane as one of those involved in fraud. Lamichhane has been accused of misusing his authority to transfer top-positioned police personnel investigating the case. It is also alleged that he misused his authority by coercing and forcing the Office of the Attorney General to give him a clean chit in the cooperative 'fraud' case. With the Opposition up in arms and his Home Minister facing serious charges, Dahal decided to take a floor test for the fourth time as per an article in Nepal's constitution, which mandates a sitting prime minister to prove his majority in the event of the exit of any party in the coalition. On March 4, Dahal, in a surprising turn of events, decided to revive a coalition with the CPN-UML which caught the largest coalition partner, NC, off guard. A new coalition including the CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist Center, Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Janata Samajwadi Party took shape. However, the following day, March 5, the Nepali Congress formally withdrew support to the Dahal government. A sitting prime minister is required to cross the threshold of 50 per cent, which comes to 138 votes, to survive a test of strength. The Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal walked out of the government after formally splitting from the ruling coalition and is now in the Opposition. Prachanda came to power in December 2022 when he aligned with arch-rival CPN-UML, upsetting the Nepali Congress with whom he had allied in the November 2022 election. The vote of confidence on January 10, last year, saw Dahal receive a staggering 99 per cent vote, the highest in the history of the Nepali parliament since the establishment of democratic rule in the country. A total of 268 parliamentarians of the 270 present in that meeting voted in favour of Dahal. However, within three months, Dahal dumped CPN-UML and aligned with the Nepali Congress again, managing to secure a majority in the vote of confidence on March 20, last year. In the second vote of confidence, Dahal got 172 votes of the 262 lawmakers present and voting. Only 89 votes were cast against Dahal while one member abstained. (ANI) The Chinese aircraft and vessels were seen until 6 am on Friday. In a post shared on X, Taiwan's MND stated that one of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). However, Taiwan's Armed forces have responded accordingly to the situation. "8 PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," the Taiwan's MND stated. https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1791280285184831849 Earlier on Thursday, Taiwan detected 27 Chinese aircraft and seven naval vessels around the strait until 6 am (local time) on Thursday. 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). On May 15, 45 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected. 26 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. 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. (ANI) The officials from the Indian Embassy in Israel paid their last respects to Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd) who was killed in Gaza as his mortal remains were repatriated to India. The Embassy officials were joined by the senior officials from Israel''s Ministry of External Affairs, Israel Defence Forces and the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS). The Indian Embassy in Israel took to X, and stated, "Embassy officials joined by senior officials from @IsraelMFA, @IDF, @UNDSS and other UN organizations paid their last respects to the mortal remains of Col. Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd.), who lost his life in Gaza. The mortal remains are on their final journey to India." Kale (46) died while travelling in a vehicle to a hospital in the Khan Younis area from Rafah. According to the statement from the world body, Waibhav joined the United Nations as the security service coordinator and was posted a month ago in Gaza. Kale was commissioned into the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army and had taken retirement two years ago to join the UN. The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday said that Indian missions in the UN and in Israel are assisting in bringing back the mortal remains of Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd), who was killed in Gaza while working as a UN staffer. "Our Permanent Mission to the UN in New York and our Missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah are extending all assistance in the repatriation of mortal remains to India and continue to be in touch with relevant authorities regarding the investigation into the incident," the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement. The Secretary-General also came out in condemnation of all such attacks on the UN personnel, calling for a full investigation. "The Secretary-General condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation. He sends his condolences to the family of the fallen staff member," the statement read. (ANI) Nepal Police arrested about 12 students who were protesting outside the country's parliament demanding the resignation of Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane. Members of the Nepal Student Union (NSU) on Friday afternoon chanted slogans demanding the formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate cooperative fraud amounting to millions in which Lamichhane is allegedly involved. The student wing of the opposition Nepali Congress- NSU shouted the slogans "Charge the cooperative fraud", "Justice for cooperative victims" "Where is GB Rai" and others as police detained them. "We have arrested a total of 11 protestors demonstrating in front of parliament, a restricted zone," Nawaraj Adhikari, Spokesperson at District Police Range told ANI over the phone. Nepali Congress has continued to protest in parliament demanding the formation of a parliamentary investigation committee to probecooperative fraud involving Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane. On Thursday, a scuffle broke out between opposition and ruling alliance lawmakers in the lower house of Nepal parliament over the same issue. Nepal's Home Minister Lamichhane has been alleged of fraud in a cooperative duping millions of rupees of savers cons-pirating with others. Lamichhane has been denying the allegation stating he was unaware about it. However, evidence of his involvement in the fraud has come forward with the investigation being conducted. Lamichhane had earlier worked with GB Rai, one of the conspirators in the fraud of millions of rupees before he entered politics in the last election, who as of now has gone underground with police widening search for him. An investigative report conducted by Pokhara Metropolis over the alleged fraud in the cooperative has just been completed this week and submitted to the Police where hundreds of applications naming Lamichhane as one of the involved in fraud havebeen filed. Allegations have been made against Lamichhane for misusing his authority to transfer top-positioned police personnel who have been investigating the case. Apart from this, he has been blamed for misuse of authority by coercing and forcing the Office of the Attorney General to give him a clean chit on the issue of cooperative fraud. (ANI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday received and warmly bid farewell to the Italian Ambassador to India, Vincenzo De Luca during a formal farewell call in Delhi. During their meeting, the Minister also appreciated the Italian envoy's efforts towards strengthening the India-Italy partnership and wished him the best in his future endeavours. EAM Jaishankar also shared details of their meeting on X saying, "Received Ambassador Vincenzo De Luca of Italy for a farewell call. Appreciate his efforts towards strengthening India-Italy partnership and India-Italy ties. Wish him best in his future endeavors." In this response, Italian envoy posted on X, "Great honor to be received for farewell by Honorable Minister Jaishankar. Very grateful for his strong commitment to the growth of relations between Italy and India." Vincenzo de Luca was appointed as the Ambassador of Italy to India on December 18, 2019 and Ambassador of Italy to Nepal on October 22, 2021. He is completing his tenure this year. Previously, he was Director General for the Promotion of the Country System from February 1, 2016, after having served in the same Directorate General with the position of Deputy General Manager and Central Director for the internationalization of the Country System and territorial autonomies (since January 2014), as per the Italian embassy in New Delhi official website. On April 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with his Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni with the two leaders reaffirming their commitment to strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership. The Prime Minister extended his greetings to PM Meloni and the people of Italy on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of Liberation Day. He also thanked PM Meloni for the invite to the G7 Summit Outreach Sessions to be held in June 2024 in Puglia, Italy. "The leaders discussed taking forward the important outcomes from India's G20 Presidency, especially that support the Global South, at the G7 Summit under Italy's Presidency. They reaffirmed their commitment to continue to strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership," a PMO release said. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest. The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal forum that brings together Italy, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The European Union also participates in the Group and is represented at the summits by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. Italy assumed the Presidency of the G7 for the seventh time on January 1 this year. The Italian Presidency will last till December 31, 2024. (ANI) This file photo taken on Nov. 15, 2019 shows the Sinocyclocheilus guiyang, a new fish species without functional eyes. Chinese researchers discovered the new fish species in a subterranean river within a cave in southwest China's Guizhou Province. [Photo/Xinhua] Chinese researchers have discovered a new fish species without functional eyes in a subterranean river within a cave in southwest China's Guizhou Province. In a paper published in the international journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, Sinocyclocheilus guiyang is described as a pinkish fish that belongs to the genus Sinocyclocheilus. It is named after Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, where the species was found in 2019. The fish is blind with its eyes having degenerated into black spots without a complete ocular structure. This is probably a result of the dark environment of its habitat in the underground river, located in a karst cave, said Zhou Jiajun, a co-author of the paper. The species has an extremely small population, with only 25 individuals having been recorded. Recent surveys have indicated a further decline in their number, said Cheng Guangyuan, the co-author who first discovered the fish. Researchers have warned that the new species is at high risk of extinction due to pollution from garbage and invasive crayfish species threatening its cavernous habitat, highlighting the need for immediate habitat protection measures. TOKYO, May 17 (News On Japan) - A protest was held at the University of Tokyo on Thursday, coinciding with "Nakba Day" on May 15, with about 500 students advocating for Palestinian liberation and condemning Israel's actions as "massacres." A participating student stated, "As students receiving a safe education in Japan, we feel a responsibility to use our privilege for a cause. We came here to see if there is anything we can do for Gaza." Inspired by student movements in the United States, a student group at the University of Tokyo has been protesting against Israeli attacks on Palestine by setting up tents on campus since April 26. Shiki Yashijima of the University of Tokyo Komaba Palestine Solidarity Campus Steering Committee said, "We believe that raising our voices here in Japan, not just in the US, can help stop the massacres in Gaza." The student group organizing the protest has demanded that the university sever its ties with Israeli universities and has stated that they will continue their protest until this demand is met. Source: ANN TOKYO, May 17 (News On Japan) - In the era of AI, SoftBank aims to be a leading company in various aspects. Yoshimitsu Goto, CFO of SoftBank Group, expressed their intention to further strengthen their position in the AI field during the earnings announcement on May 13. Despite recording a net loss for the third consecutive year from April last year to March this year, the company achieved a significant improvement in the latest quarter, turning a profit. The improvement was partly due to the strong performance of ARM, a core part of SoftBank Group's AI shift. Goto emphasized the importance of ARM's chip design capabilities in keeping up with the rapidly evolving AI technology and services. SoftBank Group continues to invest heavily in cutting-edge technology, focusing on companies that utilize AI. CEO Masayoshi Son highlighted the potential of AI, predicting that within ten years, AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) would be at least ten times smarter than humans, and within the following decade, it could be 10,000 times smarter. Son stressed the urgency of actively utilizing rapidly advancing AI. However, Japan is lagging behind in AI utilization. According to a survey released by SoftBank on May 8, only 32% of Japanese knowledge workers use AI in their jobs, compared to 91% in China and 71% in the United States. Amid this context, OpenAI announced the release of their new model, GPT-4, on May 13, which significantly improves processing speed and enables near-human reaction speed and natural conversations. Son is deeply concerned about Japan's slow adoption of AI, urging the country to "wake up" and actively embrace AI technology. He likened the situation to choosing between being a human or a goldfish, indicating the vast intelligence gap that could emerge if Japan fails to keep up. Entrepreneur Kohei Morinaga observed that SoftBank is making strategic moves in AI and semiconductor sectors, aiming to establish a strong position akin to selling shovels during the Gold Rush. The company holds over 90% of ARM's shares, a UK-based semiconductor design firm that is expanding robustly. Morinaga noted that AI development relies heavily on semiconductors, and SoftBank's focus on this sector is a wise move. Chai, a tech entrepreneur, commented on the global AI competition, particularly noting Nvidia's dominance in the GPU market. He predicted that the trend towards miniaturization of AI, such as AI-enabled smartphones, would continue, with ARM playing a significant role. Chai also emphasized the importance of infrastructure development, such as data centers, in supporting AI growth. Despite Japan's historically strong position in semiconductors, it has faced challenges from countries like South Korea and Taiwan. Morinaga highlighted the need for Japan to catch up and avoid repeating past mistakes. He stressed the importance of AI in driving future economic growth and the necessity for Japanese companies to integrate AI technology to remain competitive. SoftBank's ambitious AI strategy aims to stay ahead of global trends, with plans extending beyond semiconductor development to include data centers and fusion energy. Morinaga concluded that Japan's future success in AI depends on proactive investment and innovation, guided by visionary leaders like Son. The discussion underscores the critical need for Japan to increase AI adoption and leverage its potential to drive economic growth and innovation. As Son puts it, Japan must "wake up" and embrace the AI era to avoid being left behind. Source: ABEMA TOKYO, May 17 (News On Japan) - A ranking of the 'most livable places' in the Tokyo metropolitan area has been announced. While the top three remained unchanged from last year, Katase-Enoshima Station made its debut at fourth place in this year's survey. Katase-Enoshima Station in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, is the closest station to Enoshima. In addition to the Odakyu Enoshima Line, the area is served by the Enoshima Electric Railway and the Shonan Monorail, providing convenient access to Kamakura and central Tokyo. The Katase area is home to approximately 20,000 residents and boasts several shopping streets. On May 15, Katase-Enoshima Station was ranked fourth in the "Best Places to Live" survey. Previously not included in the survey, the station area qualified this year due to an increase in responses. A person who relocated from Tokyo last year commented, "There are many places to walk, such as parks and the sea, which I think is great for raising children." What makes Katase-Enoshima Station and its surroundings so attractive? Riku Watanabe, 25, who moved from Yamato City six months ago and works at a restaurant in Kamakura, said, "When you go to cafes or restaurants, you often end up chatting with the staff. It happens more frequently here than in Tokyo. These interactions help me learn about local ingredients and the area, which suits me well." Ryo Tanaka, 35, moved here from Tokyo three years ago after getting married and shares his life in the area on social media. Tanaka said, "I often feel refreshed by watching the sunset, Mt. Fuji, the sea, and Enoshima from here. It's my favorite spot." He started posting about the charms of Enoshima right after moving. Over time, he discovered more and more about the area's appeal through his posts. Tanaka added, "Kamakura is nearby, and you can reach extraordinary places within a 5 to 10-minute walk, which is great for a change of pace." Initially, Tanaka had concerns about moving, but now he feels completely settled. "I thought I might move again after a year or so, but now I love it so much that I want to stay here permanently," he said. Fujisawa City Sees Increased Relocations: The Appeal of "Semi-Rural" Living Fujisawa City, where Katase-Enoshima Station is located, has experienced steady population growth, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The city's population increased from about 430,000 in 2019 to over 440,000 as of May this year. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, in the fiscal year 2021, the number of people moving into the city exceeded those moving out by 4,554, ranking it eighth in the nation. The city also had the highest number of new residents under 14 in Kanagawa Prefecture, and seventh nationwide, indicating a trend of families relocating to the area. Fujisawa City supports new residents with subsidies for purchasing homes and medical expense assistance for children, focusing on aiding families. The concept of "semi-rural" living has influenced relocation decisions. Fumihiko Inagaki, Deputy Director of the NPO Furusato Return Support Center, explained, "Previously, relocation was mainly for enjoying rural life after retirement, but the COVID-19 pandemic has popularized telework, prompting younger generations to move to semi-rural areas where they can still commute to the city." Inagaki added, "Many young people who were students or new employees during the pandemic now seek closer community ties, prompting moves from urban areas with sparse human connections to regional cities." Source: ANN TOKYO, May 17 (News On Japan) - Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested three leaders of the political group 'Tsubasa Party' on suspicion of violating the Public Offices Election Act by disrupting the speeches of other candidates during a House of Representatives by-election in Tokyo's 15th district. Investigators view this as a "challenge to democracy" and plan to pursue a thorough investigation. Reporter: "It's 10:45 a.m. The car carrying suspect Kurokawa is entering the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters." The man being taken in with a peace sign, swaying from side to side with a smile, is Atsuhiko Kurokawa, 45, the leader of the Tsubasa Party, arrested on suspicion of violating the Public Offices Election Act. Additionally, the police arrested Secretary-General Ryosuke Nemoto, 29, and senior member Hayato Sugita, 39. The charges involve "obstruction of freedom" during the by-election for Tokyo's 15th district held last month. Kurokawa was seen repeatedly obstructing the campaign car and audience of independent candidate Hirotada Ototake. Climbing onto a phone booth, he shouted, "Ototake!" Nemoto, also a candidate, used a loudspeaker from atop the phone booth to disrupt the speech. These actions were deemed to violate the Public Offices Election Act's "obstruction of freedom" provision. Reporter: "Tokyo Metropolitan Police investigators are entering the Tsubasa Party office for a search." The Second Investigation Division, responsible for probing election violations, has conducted an "unprecedented" investigation. On May 13, the police raided locations related to the Tsubasa Party and seized campaign vehicles and other items used in election activities. That day, Kurokawa stated: Tsubasa Party Leader Atsuhiko Kurokawa: "This was an act based on freedom of speech. While I recognize it was somewhat rough, it is absolutely unacceptable for those in power to stop acts of speech." Kurokawa denied any wrongdoing, citing "freedom of speech." However, a senior investigator from the police department commented: "The actions of the Tsubasa Party go beyond the freedom of election and are seen as a challenge to democracy. The intimidation was severe, and voluntary investigations have their limits." Candidate Ototake, who had his speech disrupted, commented, "I earnestly hope that such malicious actions, which deprive voters of their right to listen, will not be repeated." Witness: "That car over there, stop! Constitutional Democratic Party! Stop the car of the Constitutional Democratic Party! I'm reporting to the police!" The Tsubasa Party has also received numerous complaints from other political camps. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police's Second Investigation Division has established a "special investigation headquarters" to fully uncover the details of this unprecedented election law violation case. Source: TBS Jersey Mikes has come to Council Bluffs. The national submarine sandwich shop opened Wednesday at 3825 Denmark Drive in the Metro Crossing shopping area. We are thrilled to be in your community, said Hani Nachef during a Thursday ribbon-cutting ceremony with the CB Ambassadors and Mayor Matt Walsh. Nachef is the principal partner alongside John Cotter, and Brittney Scott is their operating partner. The hospitality theyve received from local residents has been unmatched anywhere else, Nachef said. People have stopped us and said, Were thrilled you are coming, Nachef told the gathering. Nachef described the food served there as phenomenal. Our (Italian-style) bread is bakery quality and we bake bread several times a day, he said. We have high quality meats and we slice everything to order in front of our customers. The standard builds come with onions, lettuce and tomatoes as well as, to add a certain zing to the sandwich, "the juice" red wine vinegar and an olive oil blend. Nobody serves the juice like Jersey Mikes, Nachef said. The menu at Jersey Mikes includes American classics like ham, roast beef and turkey, each topped with provolone, and tuna subs. There are Italian favorites, plus club subs, chicken cheese steaks, cheese steaks and meatless subs. They all come in mini, regular and giant sizes. The restaurant offers delivery through its app and third-party delivery partners. Curbside pickup, in-store pickup and a dining room are also offered. We do a lot of catering, Hachef said. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and can be reached at 712-796-3020. Beyond serving food, Nachef said the restaurant is getting involved in the community in charitable causes. We like to give back, he said. A grand-opening fundraiser is running through Sunday to support the Council Bluffs Schools Foundation. Participation is limited to customers who present a coupon available via the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce's Facebook page, facebook.com/CouncilBluffsChamber. The restaurant chain has also been heavily involved with the Special Olympics. The owners had been looking at Council Bluffs for quite some time as negotiations were going on to set up shop at their location, Nachef said. We thought it was a good market, he said. This is the first one in Council Bluffs. It may not be the last Jersey Mikes in the community We want to grow as Council Bluffs grows, Cotter said. I want it to be the corner deli in every community we serve, Nachef said. 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. The EU and the US have denounced Tunisian government following the recent spate of arrests of lawyers, journalists and opposition politicians. The EU said it was concerned with the arbitrary arrests, after France 24 filmed live the arrest of lawyers Mahdi Zagrouba and Sonia Dahmani, who were seeking refuge in the Bar association in Tunis. The raids were inconsistent with what we think are universal rights that are explicitly guaranteed in the Tunisian constitution and we have been clear about at all levels, US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said. The Tunisian political class is sensing tough days ahead as Tunisia backpedals into its autocratic past. The Tunisian regime under Kais Saied is doubling down by arresting two IFM radio journalists Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaiss. The arrest of dissidents is seen as a way to pave the way for a second term by Kais Saied, whose leadership eroded Tunisias social, financial and political stability. Earlier, Saadia Mosbah, a pro-migrant rights activist and Tunisian dissident, was arrested on charges of money laundering, which she denied. Her arrest came as Tunisian authorities- encouraged by Kais Saied racist rhetoric- engage in violent raids targeting migrants, thousands of whom are abandoned in harsh conditions on the Algerian and Libyan borders. In 2023, more than 30 journalists were arrested as the country continues to send opposition figures to jail to empty the political arena ahead of October presidential elections. Moroccan ambassador to the UN Omar Hilale asked Algeria to look in the mirror and acknowledge its role as the real party that has blocked any progress towards a political solution of the artificial conflict over the Sahara. The diplomat made the remark while he was responding to the Algerian ambassadors speech or diatribe in which he rehashed the Algerian position in support of separatism in southern Morocco, the Sahara. You talk about the Sahara as if you are not responsible. I have a question for you, Mr. Ambassador: the Arab Group that elected you as the representative of the Arab countries on the Security Council would have liked you to remain in New York to defend the Palestinian cause, said Hilale. You have been here for three days just to read your speech on the Moroccan Sahara. You do not assume your responsibility for which the international community elected you to the Security Council, but you preferred to give priority to your national agenda, that of Algeria on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, the ambassador said. Algeria has rejected to take part in the round table process as recommended by the UN security council. We are here because Algeria refused to return to the third round table of the political process. You talk about peace, but you refuse to assume your role as responsible for a situation that has lasted for half a century, said Hilale. It is your country that is responsible for freezing efforts to resolve this regional dispute, he added. In response to the Algerian ambassadors biased reference to the referendum, Hilale said: You talked about a settlement plan and the referendum, but you forget that the Security Council buried it a quarter of a century ago. Your diplomacy, Mr. Ambassador, suffers from the dwarfism syndrome, Hilale said. This means that Algeria stopped at 1991 with the settlement plan. It has not changed since then. Your country has not seen the world evolve. You didnt see that the Berlin Wall fell. You didnt see that there are 107 countries that support the Moroccan autonomy initiative. You pretend not to see the number of consulates open in the Moroccan cities of Laayoune and Dakhla, he said. Hilale added, Algeria has not seen that the Security Council has moved from the settlement plan to the political solution, which requires negotiation between all parties. Nor has she seen the same resolutions that call on her to return to the round table process, and to which she persists in saying +NO+! While Algeria participated in the first two round tables, it says NO to the third, even though it was required by the Security Council. Reacting to the reference by his Algerian colleague to the alleged occupation of the Moroccan Sahara and the selective use of the right to self-determination, the ambassador said that there is a people in Algeria, the Kabyle people who have been waiting for their self-determination, for more than 150 years and whom you terrorize, you imprison, you deprive of their freedom, and of their most legitimate rights. Abundantly exposing Algerias responsibility in the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, Hilale continued his questioning of his Algerian counterpart by asking who is blocking the UN political process? It is Algeria. Who harbours, arms, finances and diplomatically promotes a terrorist separatist movement? It is Algeria. Who proposed the partition of the Moroccan Sahara between the Kingdom and your terrorist separatist movement in 2002, to the former personal envoy James Baker? It is Algeria through the voice of its former president the late Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Human Rights NGO Equality Now found in a new study that womens rights in most African countries are undermined by discriminatory family laws. The study assesses family codes in 20 African countries, analyzing their compliance with the Maputo Protocol and the UNs Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CEDA as well as other relevant global and regional human rights treaties. Despite reforms in many African family laws, the general trend showed a persistence of inequalities in marriage, divorce, child custody and inheritance and property laws. While the majority of African countries have ratified the protocols that guarantee women rights, including the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa, issues with pluralistic legal systems, where statutory legislation sits alongside customary and religious laws, can make interpretation and application difficult. in some countries, as in other parts of the world, rape is not outlawed in marriage; in others, women are unable to petition for divorce and have no guarantee of inheriting property on the death of a partner. In nations including Algeria, Cameroon and Nigeria, women receive less inheritance than men. Countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Mozambique have banned child marriage. However, Cameroon, Senegal and Tanzania still allow it. Countries such as Nigeria outlawed child marriage in 2003, but the practice continues in the north of the country, where approximately 50% of girls are married before the age of 18. The Financial Times described Morocco as the big newcomer in the list of Africas 125 rapidly growing companies, with 12 firms, compared to just three previously. Moroccos Chari.com, an e-commerce company, was ranked the sixth fastly growing African company at 244%, with a total revenue of $6.4 million in 2022. Marchiche Global Solutions came 22nd with compound growth rate of 122% and an annual revenue of $10.3 million in 2022. Nigerias Omniretail Inc topped the list with a growth of 722% and a revenue of $139 million. The ranking was conducted at a difficult context as African economies struggle to recover from the pandemic, Financial Times said. Cited by the British paper, Abebe Selassie, the head of the IMFs Africa department, acknowledges that Covid-19 set economies back. I worry about the effect that the pandemic has had on poverty, particularly in the most fragile countries, he said. South Sudans transitional government and rebel opposition groups signed a commitment declaration on Thursday (16 May), pledging to support efforts to end hostilities and promote inclusive growth in the conflict-torn country. The peace deal, signed during high-level mediation talks in Kenya, is widely seen as a first milestone, according to Kenyas foreign office, toward reaching lasting peace and stability in a country whose economy has long been crippled by the conflict between the two parties. The rebel opposition groups were not part of the 2018 agreement that ended South Sudans five-year civil war that left 400,000 people dead and millions displaced. By signing the declaration of commitment to the Tumaini Initiative, meaning hope in Swahili, South Sudans Transitional Government of National Unity and opposition groups are committed to addressing the deep-rooted divisions and conflicts in the the landlocked country of about 11 million people to achieve lasting peace. I am pleased that all opposition groups have agreed to engage with the government of South Sudan to address the issues that have led to internal conflicts since 2013, said the chief mediator, General Lazaro Sumbeiywo, who emphasized the importance of embracing a spirit of compromise. Sumbeiywo also urged all parties involved to take a give-and-take approach, emphasizing the importance of resolving the long-standing issues that have plagued South Sudan since its independence in 2011. It is time to put an end to the violence that has ripped communities apart and caused tremendous suffering. The security and political situation in South Sudan remains fragile months before the elections that are due to be held in December this year. Benin and Niger finally appear to have resolved their trade dispute following the mediation by the Chinese government, which has led Benin to lift the blockade preventing Nigers oil export through its territory to China. Tensions between the two West African neighbors began last year after Nigers ruling junta ousted the countrys democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum. After Beninese President Patrice Talon loudly demanded Bazoums reinstatement and even advocated for a military intervention by ECOWAS troops, the juntas leaders directed the closure of the countrys borders. Being a landlocked country, most of Nigers imports went through Benin and the border closure thus affected Benin which earned a significant percentage of its revenue from the arrangement. Benin retaliated by blocking a newly Chinese-built oil pipeline leading from Niger to the port of Seme Kpodji, in southern Benin. Now, following a mediation of the Chinese government and Chinese companies operating the newly inaugurated pipeline, Benin has finally given a green light for the export crude oil from Niger to China. Benins concession is widely welcome as a decisive step toward resolving a trade dispute between the neighbors that threatened to cause significant economic damage to both countries. But Niger, it seems, needs Benin more than vice versa because oil exports can only go through Benin, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel Regional Program at the Bonn-based Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The pipeline was built that way. The oil pipeline, which was supposed to go into operation these days, runs through Beninese territory. Arab leaders lauded Moroccos role, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, in supporting the actions of AL Quds committee, which endeavors to safeguard the authentic civilizational character of Jerusalem and help its Palestinian inhabitants. Following their summit in Manama, Arab Leaders thanked Morocco for contributing to raising the capital of AL Quds and Al Aqsa mosque fund by 12 million dollars. The Summit was marked by an Arab call for sending UN peacekeepers to the occupied Palestinian territories and condemned Israels obstruction of ceasefire efforts. They underlined, in the Final Declaration, the need to deploy International protection and peacekeeping forces of the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian territories until a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict is implemented. 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, said the Final Declaration. Some 35,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war started seven months ago. Approximately 600,000 people have fled the area, according to the UN. Spain issued its third warning in a row asking its citizens not to visit the Tindouf camps, where Algeria has abandoned thousands of Sahrawis to the mercy of a separatist militia, the Polisario, that trades in their suffering. The warning was issued by the Spanish foreign ministry in a context marked by increasing Jihadist and criminal activity. Dim prospects have pushed many Sahraouis to join the ranks of terrorist groups rampant in the Sahel. The case of Adnan Abu Walid Asahrawi, former head of ISIS branch in the greater Sahara, is an abhorrent illustration of how disenchanted youth under the yoke of the Polisario seek salvation by joining terrorist groups. The ministry also warned Spanish activists from offering donations in the camps of Tindouf, where both Algerian authorities and the Polisario have been accused by the EU for embezzling aid. The warnings reflect growing concern by Spanish authorities at insecurity in the camps, as protests against Polisario corruption often turn violent. There is also a risk of kidnapping, as is the case in the wider Algeria desert swathes. In 2011, three European activists were kidnapped in the camps. By the end of 2023, China's more than 7,800 institutions capable of providing integrated medical and elderly care services had 2 million beds in these facilities, according to the National Health Commission on Wednesday. The integration of medical and elderly care is an important approach for China to address its aging population. Currently, there are four relatively mature service models in this regard, including signing agreements for cooperation between medical and elderly care institutions, medical institutions providing integrated medical and elderly care services, elderly care institutions legally providing medical and healthcare services, and extending medical and healthcare services to communities and households. China had 280 million elderly people aged 60 and above by the end of 2022, accounting for 19.8 percent of the total population. The number of those aged 65 and above had reached 209.78 million. Sanders and Biden in 2020. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images Since President Joe Biden has consistently subpar job-approval ratings, to win reelection he will probably need to make the 2024 race a comparative election between him and Donald Trump rather than a referendum on his own presidency. When presidential campaigns consider how to frame the choice before voters, their target is usually swing voters, who fall roughly in the center of the electorate. But 2024 is shaping up to be an odd election. The voters Biden needs to persuade to see him as a better alternative to Trump include many thought to be part of the Democratic Party base, particularly young and Latino voters. Since those voters may be choosing from Biden, a third-party/independent candidate, or nonparticipation, its critical for Democrats to convey a sense of real urgency about the consequences of anything other than a Biden victory. Thats clearly what Bidens most formidable 2020 rival and lefty partner, Bernie Sanders, is trying to do in a Guardian op-ed making the progressive case for the presidents reelection. The Vermont senators argument depends very heavily on raising the stakes of the 2024 election to almost unimaginable heights. He starts by calling the 2024 election a pivotal moment in American history. By pivotal he appears to mean potentially apocalyptic; he compares it to national trials as grave as the Civil War and the fascist assault on democracy in World War II. Sanders is not just fretting about a bad political turn like, say, Ronald Reagans rise to the presidency or George W. Bushs horrific international policies: He wants all hands on deck lest America descend into an unimaginable hellscape of misfortune. Even before he starts discussing the horrors of a Trump comeback, Sanders describes the challenges facing the country as terrifying: He cites corporate-driven inequality; corruption; deteriorating health care and life expectancy; AI and robotics; a war against women; militarism; and climate change. Sanders isnt trying to convince voters that America is actually on the right track. Instead, hes forcefully arguing the opposite while promoting activism, rather than despair or cynicism, as the appropriate response: We cannot simply turn away from the painful and complex realities that we face and bury our heads in the sand. We cannot stop reading the news or turn off the TV. The world is what it is. It is a mess. And the situation is not going to improve unless we do the hard work required. While Sanders does give some limited attaboys to Biden for his performance as president, this is very clearly not an effort to recommend the incumbent based on an upbeat assessment of Americas direction. Indeed, he admits to disappointment with Biden and says he strongly disagree[s] with his policies regarding Israel and this disastrous war in Gaza. But, he argues, a Trump victory would not just be unfortunate or unsettling: Donald Trump [is] the most dangerous president in American history whose second term, if he is reelected, will be worse than his first. And by way of an altar call, Bernie says: On his worst day, Biden is a thousand times better than Trump. Sanderss rundown of what might happen in a second Trump administration tracks his list of urgent challenges for the country. The presumptive Republican nominee wants to give huge tax breaks to billionaires, brags about how he appointed three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, thinks climate change is a hoax, and is all in for the massive destruction of the Palestinian people. All that, and Trump wants to kill the rule of law and democracy itself. Sanders ends this highly unusual pitch for Biden by urging progressives to fight for their position within the Democratic coalition and demanding that Bidens own campaign help move the party in the right direction. It may be the least positive yet most unambiguous candidate-endorsement statement in living memory. Will this approach help Biden with reluctant elements of the Democratic base? Perhaps. We often hear that many alienated 2020 Biden voters are angry at him for not sharing their negative assessment of the economy in particular. Perhaps Sanderss exceedingly downbeat case for reelecting Biden will be compelling, particularly if the voters hes appealing to agree that there will be hell to pay if Trump returns to the White House. According to ChatGPT itself, ChatGPT is a smart assistant that can communicate in natural language, making it easier to interact with technology. According to everyone else, its the amazing somewhat terrifying? artificial-intelligence app that can now do a lot of our writing for us. Anything: bedtime stories, emails, video scripts, invoices, quizzes, essays, lyrics, jokes, speeches, research papers, recipes, therapy sessions, outlines, software code. Its an incredible tutor, explainer, proofreader, debugger, and summarizer. It can also look at a picture and answer questions about it. It can also create art to your specifications, in any artistic style: watercolors, photos, corporate logos, schematic diagrams. Anything. Its all free at ChatGPT.com. You dont even have to log in. The new ChatGPT is at your command Photo: OpenAI/YouTube Maybe you think you know ChatGPT; after all, over half of Americans have tried it or one of its competitors. But this week, a new version debuted that changes ChatGPT from a chatbot into more of a chathuman, by incorporating ingredients like emotion, musicality, lilt, sarcasm, laughter, and attention. Heres what you have to look forward to. Bots are getting brainier The company behind all of this, OpenAI, started up in 2015 with the intention of creating safe and beneficial artificial general intelligence. General is the key word. The AI explosion that began in late 2022 has been very, very impressive narrow AI. Its designed to be good at one skill, like writing or making art. General AI, on the other hand, is Hollywood-style AI, where its just as smart, expansive, and capable as our brains, or better. It would apply knowledge from one field to other fields, learn from unstructured piles of new data, and make a lot of people really worried about humanitys future. Supposedly, well attain general AI in five years, or 20, or 50, or neverpick your favorite expert. But OpenAI intends to get there first. Now, ChatGPT was the fastest adopted software in history (100 million users in two months). No wonder all the big tech companies, and thousands of smaller ones, are chasing OpenAI with ChatGPT-like products of their own. But OpenAI is still charting the course. So when OpenAI announced that it would be making an announcement on Mondaya little meanly, the day before Google would be making its own announcements at its big developer conferencethe world wondered: What will the company do next with its collection of brilliant researchers, its $11 billion in Microsoft investments, its $80 billion valuation? Most people thought that OpenAI would introduce yet another leap forward in quality (ChatGPT 5) or a straight-up internet search engine. For now, those remain up OpenAIs sleeve. Nobody expected what the company did unveil: A new version called ChatGPT 4o. The arrival of less-artificial intelligence ChatGPT 4o may look like ChatGPT forty, but youre supposed to pronounce it ChatGPT four-oh. The oh is supposed to stand for omni. (Someone needs to say it: OpenAI is terrible at naming things. I mean, ChatGPT? Could there be a clunkier name?) In principle, as John Herrman wrote here Monday, ChatGPT 4os big breakthrough is that its equally fluent in text, audio, and imagesboth in accepting that stuff from you, and in using those formats in its responses. (Thus that omni thing.) But in practice, the biggest advance is ChatGPT 4os synthetic personality. It can converse with you aloudhands-free, eyes-freenaturally, freely, and freakishly realistically. You could already speak to ChatGPT, but youd wait four or five seconds for a response, and youd just be listening to a spoken version of ChatGPTs typed response. It was straight-up text-to-speech. It sounded like Siri. Now, though, ChatGPT can whisper, emote, and sing. It clears its throat, giggles, sighs, gasps, slips into sarcasm, expresses skepticism, incorporates vocal fry at the ends of sentences. Sometimes, it laughs. When you speak, it detects your tone and emotion. It shuts up when you interrupt it. It can converse with multiple humans at once. Above all, ChatGPT 4os response time is no longer three to five seconds. Its now a third of a secondthe same response time as a person. Overnight, ChatGPT has nearly become Scarlett Johanssens AI earpiece character in the movie Her. Gifts of the demo gods So how does all of this get us closer to artificial general intelligence? As part of its Spring Update unveiling Monday, OpenAI demonstrated one mind-frying usefulness scenario after another, which you can watch on YouTube: Seeing the world for you. A blind man in London wants to hail a cab. He holds up his phone so that ChatGPT can see the street. The app tells him when a cab is approaching with its rooftop Vacant light on. Its heading your way on the left side of the road, it says. Get ready to wave it down. Real-time language translation. Set your phone between you and the person whos speaking another language; ChatGPTs voice interprets for each of you exactly as a human would, with much better expression, humanity, and speed than Google Translate. Checking your outfit. In this demo, a guy in a T-shirt says hes heading into an important job interview, and wants to know if he looks okay. Well, Rocky and here, she stifles an affectionate giggle you definitely have the Ive been coding all night look down. Maybe just run a hand through your hair? When he puts on a floppy fishing hat, she literally bursts out laughing the only time I worried that ChatGPT might be doing more harm than good. (Sure, maybe he was kidding around but what if he werent? He might have just had his feelings hurt by a robot.) Guiding you through math homework. Using your phones camera to see, ChatGPT can help you work through a problem. Dont tell me the solution; just give me hints along the way, the presenter says as he writes down a linear equation. The first step is to get all the terms with X on one side, and the constants on the other side, says ChatGPT. So what do you think we should do with that +1? (In another video, the founder of Khan Academy watches as ChatGPT gives his son some friendly geometry tutoring.) ChatGPT-4o not only knows the answer it can get you there on your own. Photo: OpenAI/YouTube Assessing your jokes. One presenter asks ChatGPT for feedback on the following joke: What do you call a giant pile of kittens? A meowntain. ChatGPT laughs generously a little too generously, actually and responds, Definitely a top-tier dad joke. Celebrating with you. Two guys ask ChatGPT to assess their surroundings, which includes a pastry with a sad little candle in it. It looks like someones having a birthdayyyyy! ChatGPT singsongs cheerfully. She then sings a quick, bouncy version of Happy Birthday. As he blows the candle out, she adds: Make a good wish, and make it come true! A birthday party, OpenAI style. Photo: OpenAI/YouTube Sitting on hold for you. In this demo, ChatGPT stands in for you on a mindless customer-service call. It babysits the call-center rep, patiently answering questions (which, in this case, is played by ChatGPT on a second phone). Oh God, I want this so much! Until now, you could use a free version of ChatGPT (an older, less awesome version), or you could pay $20 a month for a Plus version. But the new ChatGPT 4o is free for everyone. Theres still a subscription option, but its advantages are fairly minor. Note, too, that the conversation features that OpenAI showed on Monday arent immediately available to everyone. Theyll be trickling out to us over the next couple of weeks, paying subscribers first. I, for one, welcome this chatbot overlord, especially during long drives at night. Why sit through a canned playlist or podcast, when you could hang out with a lively, funny, infinitely wise conversation partner who wants nothing more than to entertain and adore you? Things to freak out about If youve watched a couple of those demo videos, you may have noticed that ChatGPT 4os voice is almost sickeningly perky. Shes adoring, energetic, over-the-top reactive. Listen to her gushing reaction to seeing an engineers dog: Well, hello there, cutie! Whats your name, little fluffball? You can direct her to tone it down a little (or use more sarcasm, or incorporate more drama, or even more drama, or use a funny robot voice). And you can choose a male or gender-neutral voice. But the default persona is so lively, so attentive, that it may give human conversation partners a bad name. To be fair, OpenAI is making all this up as it goes along. What should an AI companion be like? If the goal is to make it as human as possible, should its mind sometimes wander? Should its conversations incorporate drips of passive-aggressiveness, occasional bursts of irritation, and hints of impatience? That doesnt seem right, either. Maybe thats why OpenAI has created a Her-like being, entirely attuned to you, eternally effervescent, effortlessly on all the time. Its like being on a first date that never ends. Keep in mind, too, that ChatGPT 4o is still ChatGPT. It will still eliminate millions of jobs. It still uses appalling amounts of power. Half of college students are still using it to cheat on schoolwork. Its still perfectly happy to spew out false information (hallucinations, as theyre known) with its usual convincing confidence. We have to worry about the whole recursive-learning thing, too. To create a program like ChatGPT, engineers feed incomprehensibly huge amounts of internet data into a machine-learning algorithm, which teaches itself how to write and answer questions. Trouble is, these days, the internet is increasingly full of material thats been generated by AI, including thousands upon thousands of songs on Spotify and crappy books on Amazon. As each successive version of ChatGPT consumes more of its own output, mistakes will get amplified, biases will grow, and the quality will suffer. And we havent even talked about the literal doomsday scenario, the one predicted by Hawking, Musk, Wozniak, and Hollywood, where the AI becomes so good that we, the people, become either irrelevant or extinct. Of course, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and the other big companies are fully aware of these threats. At every opportunity, they talk about the efforts theyre taking to prevent them. OpenAI says, for example, that it red-teamed ChatGPT 4o with 70 experts in social psychology, bias, fairness, and misinformation. (Red-teaming means asking people to hack, attack, and misuse a system deliberately, in hopes of finding its weaknesses before actual bad guys do.) Is this even what we want? In the meantime, ChatGPT 4o is incredible. Its a huge advance, an absolutely jaw-dropping step into humanifying technology. We havent even finished wringing our hands over the rise of generative AI in the first place. If we no longer write, paint, and compose music the old-fashioned way, what happens to our creative skills and accumulated artistic talent? What about the pleasure that comes from the simple act of creating? What about jobs? And now, thanks to ChatGPT 4o, were in for a year of podcasts, articles, and speeches that ask: Do we want our technology humanized? Do we want our AI to have recognizable personalities? Do we want to outsource our social lives? Should we trust our innermosts to a bot? Do we want Her? OpenAI has certainly made clear what it wants: To ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. With ChatGPT 4o, it may as well add: by erasing any differences between the two. Larry Hogan, blue-state Republican. Photo: Wesley Lapointe/The Washington Post via Getty Im Former Maryland governor Larry Hogan didnt waste much time repositioning himself before a tough general-election fight for an open Senate seat. Two days after brushing aside a primary challenge from perennial candidate and MAGA chest-thumper Robin Ficker, Hogan clarified his mushy position on abortion policy, as the New York Times reported: [Hogan] said in an interview on Thursday that he supports legislation to codify abortion rights in federal law, describing himself as pro-choice in a remarkable pivot as he heads into a highly competitive race. Mr. Hogan, who just two years ago vetoed a state law to expand abortion access in Maryland, also said he would vote to enshrine abortion rights in the states Constitution, a measure that will be on the ballot in November. He had previously declined to take a clear stance on either issue. This shift was unsurprising. The Republicans general-election opponent, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks, made it clear in her own primary-night victory statement that she planned to make Hogans membership in Americas anti-abortion party a major issue, the Times noted: Larry Hogan has said hes a lifelong Republican and if hes elected, hell give Republicans the majority they need to pass a national abortion ban, Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince Georges County executive who won the Democratic nomination for the Senate race, warned in her victory speech on Tuesday. He will not oppose anti-choice judges, including nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court even in the wake of the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Alsobrookss comments suggest that Hogan is going to have to go further than making a personal pro-choice statement to neutralize the issue. Even his codify Roe commitment wont answer every question. Hogan told the Times he would not support the chief congressional effort to codify abortion rights, the Womens Health Protection Act. Every Senate Democrat backed the bill, but it failed on a strict party-line vote in May 2022 during the period when a leaked opinion revealed that the Supreme Court was about to reverse Roe. He instead smiled upon the Reproductive Freedom for All Act co-sponsored by Senate Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski and Democrats Tim Kaine and Kyrsten Sinema, which would seek to turn back the clock to the day before the Supreme Court struck down Roe but would not stop states from restricting and undermining abortion rights in as many ways as possible short of a total ban. Its the sort of half-measure that could align Hogan with other Republicans in opposing effective measures to restore or protect the right to choose. Even this cautious pro-choice position makes Hogan a real outlier in his party, beyond the occasional northeastern governor (like Hogan was for eight years) in states where the GOP is so weak that conservatives will tolerate all sorts of heresies in exchange for a chance to obtain power. Its hard to remember now, but pro-choice Republicans used to be a large and hardy tribe, as Aaron Blake explained around the time Roe was about to be reversed: In a 1997 study, Carnegie Mellon University professor Greg D. Adams sought to track abortion votes in Congress over time. His finding: In the Senate, there was almost no daylight between the two parties in 1973, with both parties voting for pro-choice positions about 40 percent of the time. But that quickly changed. There was more of a difference in the House in 1973, with Republicans significantly more opposed to abortion rights than both House Democrats and senators of both parties. But there, too, the gap soon widened. Including votes in both chambers, Adams found that a 22 percentage- point gap between the two parties votes in 1973 expanded to nearly 65 points two decades later, after Casey was decided. The 1992 Casey decision, which reaffirmed Roes holding of a constitutional right to pre-viability abortions, was itself a testimony to the legacy of pro-choice Republicanism: All five justices on the majority in that case were appointed by Republican presidents. And at that time there were a robust number of pro-choice Republicans in the Senate: They included Ted Stevens of Alaska, John Seymour of California, Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, William Cohen of Maine, Bob Packwood of Oregon, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, John Chafee of Rhode Island, Jim Jeffords of Vermont, John Warner of Virginia, and Alan Simpson and Malcolm Wallop of Wyoming. Now the ranks of more-or-less pro-choice Republicans in the Senate is down to Collins and Murkowski, and theyve become extinct altogether in the House. What makes this situation especially anomalous is that there are still a lot of pro-choice Republican voters close to or above a third of them by most measurements who lack much representation thanks to the iron alliance between GOP leaders and the anti-abortion movement, which bore its horrid fruit in 2022. It says a lot about how badly Republicans want to regain Senate control that they are willing to put up with a significant amount of baby-killing heresy from the likes of Collins, Murkowski, and now Hogan. But with or without Hogan in the Senate, theres no question who will be driving party policy on this fraught subject to the extent Republicans are in a position to impose their views: The same forced-birth crowd that fought for nearly five decades to get rid of Roe and that is now prohibiting every abortion it can at the state level and prospectively in Washington as well. Photo: Mike Segar/Getty Images Ask any defense lawyer whether the criminal trial process inherently favors prosecutors, and brace for an earful. Prosecutors get to open first and close last. (Remember the lessons from Psychology 101 about primacy and recency: Whatever an audience hears first and last tends to resonate most.) Judges far more of whom are former prosecutors than defense counsel often show respect and even deference to prosecutors but sometimes treat defense lawyers as pesky interlopers of dubious candor and motive. Prosecutors get to preen about how they represent the people or the United States, while defense lawyers often stand alone for the unsympathetic accused. In many courtrooms, prosecutors occupy the table right next to the jury box, while the defense team sits on the opposite side of the courtroom. As one frustrated defense lawyer memorably said to me, You guys are so spoiled you have every fucking edge. Youd have to be a moron to lose a case. I heard variations of this (eminently fair) complaint countless times. Of course, we prosecutors have our snappy response at the ready: Hey, if you dont like it, youre welcome to carry the burden of proof. (Trust me, its snappier when said among lawyers.) The point is that for all the prosecutors structural advantages, we still bear the heaviest burden of all: We must prove every legal element of our case, beyond a reasonable doubt and to the unanimous satisfaction of the jury. If one juror out of 12 has a mild twinge of uncertainty about one component of a crime, then there can be no conviction. As we enter the homestretch of the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president, the burden of proof looms large. Its such a deeply embedded principle underlying our criminal justice system that we often overlook its importance. Its not simply about whether the defendant is a better person, or worse, or way, way, way worse, than the prosecutions witnesses. Its about whether the prosecution can prove its case which, here, is ultimately a small-bore charge turning on the nuances of internal accounting practices beyond a reasonable doubt. This has become a common retort to the self-evident observation that some of the prosecutions key witnesses have previously lied under oath, are consumed by personal vitriol, and have profiteered around the case: But Donald Trump does all of those things, and more, all the time hes just as bad, if not worse! Sure, the argument goes, Michael Cohen is a proven liar driven by an all-consuming personal vendetta but so is Trump! Sure, Stormy Daniels has made money by selling her story and tacky tchotchkes Trump indictment candle, anybody? but isnt Trump the king of merchandising sleaze? Maybe David Pecker makes a living in checkbook journalism, but Trump was the willing beneficiary! This line of argument is persuasive in a casual setting. You can win a debate in any bar, kitchen, or greenroom with the observation that Trump is a worse human being than any prosecution witness. But that alone doesnt get the job done in court, at least not if the jurors actually follow the law. President Joe Biden is fond of saying, Dont compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative. Its an insightful and persuasive political line, but the opposite applies in a criminal trial. Prosecutors must prove not merely that their case is better than the alternative, but that their evidence satisfies the Almighty burden of proof. Lets consider this: What happens if the jury concludes that both Michael Cohen and Donald Trump are deeply dishonest, immoral fiends? The answer: a not-guilty verdict. If the jury rejects Cohens testimony, then the prosecution cant tie Trump directly to the charged falsification of business records offenses, and he walks even if the jury despises the former president even more than all the prosecutions witnesses combined. Judge Juan Merchan (a former prosecutor, by the way) stepped perilously close to improperly shifting the burden of proof in one recent sidebar. Addressing the kerfuffle about whether Daniels had gone into excessive detail about her 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, Judge Merchan said (outside the jurys presence) that Trumps lawyers denial of the incident in his opening statement puts the jury in a position of having to choose who they believe: Donald Trump, who denies there was an encounter, or Stormy Daniels, who claims that there was. Wrong. Judge Merchan has done an exceptional job running this trial thus far, but hes off base here. Its not about whether the jury believes Daniels or Trump more than the other. Its about whether the prosecution can meet its larger evidentiary burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. If the judge were to instruct the jury to the same effect he wont, hes too good to commit such a glaring error then the result would be an instant reversal by the appeals courts. None of this is to suggest Trump is likely to beat the case. Ive said all along, and I still believe now, that conviction is more likely than not. Cohens testimony is corroborated substantially enough by checks, emails, phone records, and financial records that the jury can reach a guilty verdict without taking a blind leap of faith on Cohens word alone. But a trial isnt a popularity contest, or a morality play, or a who-started-it beef. If the jury concludes that theyre all a bunch of untrustworthy, opportunistic scoundrels, then even if Trump is the worst of the worst the legally mandated verdict is not guilty. This article originally appeared in the free CAFE Brief newsletter. You can find more analysis of law and politics from Elie Honig, Preet Bharara, Joyce Vance, and other CAFE contributors at CAFE.com Photo: Jeenah Moon/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Donald Trump keeps falling asleep during his hush-money trial. This is probably because hes old, he isnt used to being forced to sit through boring events, and he stays up too late posting all-caps rants on Truth Social. But Trump also cant be nodding off all the time, since he likes to pretend hes Superman (sometimes literally) and has already branded his 2024 opponent Sleepy Joe Biden, though theyre about the same age. So whats Trump to do? He could just try to keep his eyes open in court, but apparently, thats not an option. So instead, he and his Republican allies keep offering ludicrous excuses for why reporters are spotting him with his eyes closed, his mouth open, and his chin falling to his chest. Here are some of the most dubious defenses for Sleepy Don. Hes resting his beautiful blue eyes. Following a report that hes furious he got caught sleeping, Trump took to Truth Social to insist hes wide awake at all times; he just likes to listen with his eyes closed. Hes meditating. Fox News host Jesse Watters took Trumps explanation one step further, claiming on Wednesdays edition of The Five that Trump is listening so intensely hes fallen into a meditative trance. You have a guy who said the guys sleeping. Hes meditating, Greg. Hes in a meditative state, he said. Watters added that Trump being comfortable enough to repeatedly shut his eyes in public actually proves hes not a tired old man. When youre defensive about something, you avoid something. Trumps not defensive of being old and tired. He can shut his eyes and not feel bad about it like Sleepy Joe, he said. This is pathetic. The new defense of Trump falling asleep in court by Fox News is Hes not sleeping. Hes meditating. Hes in a meditative state. Please. These Fox hosts are in a cult. They will never hold Trump accountable. Truly embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/64YYyBzzcH Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) May 15, 2024 Hes praying. Maybe you dont buy that Donald Trump is doing something as New Agey as meditating in public. But would you believe that the guy who cited Two Corinthians and wished everyone a Happy Good Friday was actually praying? Thats the excuse Representative Lauren Boebert offered up in a House hearing when a Democratic colleague showed a photo of Trump with his eyes closed. Boebert also gushed about how pretty Trump looks while hes praying and/or sleeping. I think hes praying, but if he is sleeping, [he] certainly looks pretty as he sleeps, Boebert said. I know when I fall asleep on airplanes my mouth kind of drops open. His mouth is kind of tight-lipped, so maybe its just a somber moment of thought. Rep. Lauren Boebert on this picture of Donald Trump (held up by Rep. Robert Garcia): I think hes praying. But if he is sleeping, he looks pretty while he sleeps. Maybe its an endearing moment of prayer though. pic.twitter.com/E1twYiEFMc pic.twitter.com/KLUkEJloY7 Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) May 17, 2024 He is sleeping but anyone would. Like Boebert and a menagerie of other MAGA-y politicians, J.D. Vance visited Trump in court earlier this week. Afterward, the Ohio senator and Trump VP prospect shared several weird observations on X. He complained that the courthouse is dingy compared to Trump Tower and that the former president cant sit close to his friends; this led him to the conclusion that the main goal of this trial is psychological torture. Vance added that media reports about Trumps sleeping are an absurd narrative. Not because theyre untrue, but because no one could keep their eyes open in court. Im 39 years old and Ive been here for 26 minutes and Im about to fall asleep, he said. 3) I saw a media report a few days ago that Trump looked like he was falling asleep or bored or something. The obvious narrative theyre trying to sell is yeah Biden is mentally unfit but this other guy is bad too. Its an absurd narrative. Im 39 years old and Ive been here J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) May 13, 2024 So there you have it: Trumps frequent eye-closing is evidence of either his mental acuity, his deep faith, or the impossibility of anyone staying awake during a trial about hush-money payments to a porn star. Just dont call him a sleepy 77-year-old man! Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer A Thursday evening House Oversight Committee hearing quickly descended into chaos as members on both sides of the aisle hurled personal insults at each other, an explosive example of the deepening tensions on the Hill. The proceedings got off to a rocky start as Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, the ranking member, had his opening remarks continuously interrupted by GOP congresswoman and MAGA celebrity Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. The panel was meeting to markup a Republican-sponsored resolution holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. The markup hearing was originally scheduled for 11 a.m. that morning, but was pushed back to the evening to allow Republican members of the committee to travel to New York to attend Donald Trumps hush-money trial. One of the exchanges began with a mention of Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over the trial, whom Trump and his allies have frequently accused of bias, often citing his daughters work as a Democratic strategist. At one point, Greene, a staunch Trump ally, randomly asked, Id like to know if any of the Democrats on this committee are employing Judge Merchans daughter? Jasmine Crockett, a freshman Democratic congresswoman from Texas, responded, Do you know what were here for?, noting that this was a hearing about Garland. I dont think you know what youre here for. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what youre reading, Greene shot back, causing groans to break out through the room. James Comer, the committee chairman, banged his gavel, trying to call for order as Raskin yelled, Thats beneath even you, Ms. Greene! Crockett was quickly defended by her colleague Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who called for Greenes words to be struck from the record. I would like to move to take down Ms. Greenes words, she said. That is absolutely unacceptable. How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person! Greene was unfazed. Are your feelings hurt? Awww, she said. Ocasio-Cortez retorted, Oh girl, baby girl, dont even play. .@RepMTG: Are your feelings hurt?@AOC: Oh baby girldont even play. How its going in the House Oversight Committee pic.twitter.com/73RYvGhMVK Jay O'Brien (@jayobtv) May 17, 2024 Baby girl? I dont think so, Greene said. After some discussion, Comer asked Greene if she would agree to have her words stricken from the record. Greene agreed, but Ocasio-Cortez called for her to apologize to Crockett, which she refused. Then youre not striking your words!, Ocasio-Cortez said. Greene then turned her focus to the New York congresswoman, asking her Why dont you debate me? I think its pretty self-evident, Ocasio-Cortez shot back. Greene responded, Yeah, you dont have enough intelligence, causing loud protests in the hearing room. AOC: She has to apologize MTG: Im not apologizing. Why dont you debate me! AOC: Thats self evident MTG: Yeah you dont have enough intelligence pic.twitter.com/gBvHGvhFD4 Acyn (@Acyn) May 17, 2024 In another moment, Crockett took her own shot at Greene under the guise of asking a question about a previous ruling from Comer that allowed Greene to continue speaking after the dust-up. Just to better understand your ruling, if someone on this committee then starts talking about somebodys bleached blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct? Crockett asked. Comer seemed confused, asking Uh, what now? as Raskin could be seen appearing to hold back a laugh. Oh wow, Jasmine Crockett goes off on Marjorie Taylor Greene and Luna pic.twitter.com/AShjGfPXoe Acyn (@Acyn) May 17, 2024 The antics continued throughout the rest of the hearing. In a continuation of their ongoing feud, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado voted with Democrats on a measure that would bar Greene from speaking during the remaining parts of the proceedings. At one point, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of Florida referred to New York congressman Dan Goldman as a trust-fund kid. Politico reports that at least one member alleged that there were people in the room who werent on the committee who were drinking. The effects even reverberated into the next day as Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman criticized the hearing, writing on X, In the past, Ive described the U.S. House as The Jerry Springer Show. Today, Im apologizing to The Jerry Springer Show. Ocasio-Cortez responded to Fetterman, who has recently received criticism from progressives for his increasingly moderate stances: I understand you likely would not have stood up for your colleague and seem to be confused about racism and misogyny being a both sides issue. But I stand up to bullies, instead of becoming one. And to the women of Pennsylvania: Id stand up for you too. Enjoy your Friday. https://t.co/cInF4YXO2y Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 17, 2024 Ocasio-Cortez called out the Republican handling of the hearing, saying that Greenes rhetoric against Crockett was allowed by party members and alleged that leadership broke with legislative norms and cut the debate period short and moved straight to the vote. Needless to say, this is not normal at all, she said. By the end of Thursday night, the committee voted along party lines to advance the contempt resolution against Garland, setting up a likely contentious vote with the full House of Representatives. Raskin, who called for the proceedings to adjourn during the back-and-forth, seemed to sum up the evenings events. I think these 17-hour days might not work for us, he said. ...so that shit happened Reply Thread Link Poor Charlyne. I hope they have a good support system. I hope that whoever abused them gets exposed. Reply Thread Link You cannot do your own investigations. FFS. I believe Charlyne and hope they are surrounded by supportive and loving people. Reply Thread Link what do you mean? the police do it all of the time Reply Parent Thread Link And they always manage to determine they did nothing wrong. Reply Parent Thread Link Oh right!!! What ever was I thinking?!?!??! Reply Parent Thread Link Jesus she can not seem to catch a break damn Reply Thread Link from their wiki In 2018, Amber Tamblyn said of her husband David Cross, "Basically he was rightfully accused of doing something racist to the comedian Charlyne Yi," following tweets that Yi had posted on the subject in 2017. wtf Reply Thread Link I mean, at least she didn't deny it but jfc. Reply Parent Thread Link I remember that. Unsurprisingly he's faced zero consequences for it, and all I ever see is praise for Mr. Show. Reply Parent Thread Link https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/charlyne-yi-racist-encounter-david-cross-1201888425/ I can't at him responding in a tweet to her allegations that he's in the middle of buying teething gel and he will get to it later. To let us know what a great Dad he is, I guess! Also kind of hilarious since he's done his own bits about how annoying parents of new babies are what a dick! had to look it up because I hadn't heard of it:I can't at him responding in a tweet to her allegations that he's in the middle of buying teething gel and he will get to it later. To let us know what a great Dad he is, I guess! Also kind of hilarious since he's done his own bits about how annoying parents of new babies arewhat a dick! Reply Parent Thread Link Wow. He had the nerve to say that they misremembered what happened. No one misremembers shit like that. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Yep, this is all I can associate with David Cross now. Charlyne has been through hell :/ Edited at 2024-05-16 11:59 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link David Cross became persona non grata to me after that. His reaction was disgusting. It seems like hes pulled enough shit over the years to knock him off of the pedestal he was once on, but hell still remain respected in the comedy community. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I'd like to chime in with Amber and David both being bad people. The receipts are feet long. Not inches. Reply Parent Thread Link I hate how much of a piece of shit he is. Reply Parent Thread Link Makes you wonder about Odenkirk for hanging with him for so long Reply Parent Thread Expand Link he was also fucking awful to Kelly Marie Tran!!!!! fuck David Cross Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I think Charlyne also spoke out against Marylin Manson being a creep on the set of House. Reply Thread Link ewwwwww, when was Manson on House????? I stopped watching by Season 5ish Reply Parent Thread Link That's awful. Charlyne should have never gone through that, unacceptable. on another note, I had no idea Taika Watiti was adapting a Time Bandits series and idk how I feel about it. Reply Thread Link I know right? Its one of my childhood comfort films. To me its untouchable. Reply Parent Thread Link Charlyne has had a fuck of a time in Hollywood and they don't deserve it at all. Reply Thread Link mte, i was just thinking about them yesterday and how repeatedly mistreated (and outspoken!) they've been Reply Parent Thread Link Damn they haven't had it easy in Hollywood! Looking at the cast list I wonder who it was? Reply Thread Link Man, they cannot catch a break. I hope they have a goof support system. F-ck all abusers. I hope whoever they were talking about get revealed for the pos that they are. Reply Thread Link Goddamn. Charlyne cannot catch a break in Hollywood. Reply Thread Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link I believe them. This sucks so much!!!! I hope they have people in their corner through this. Reply Thread Link Charlyne has been through some serious shit in Hollywood. Reply Thread Link Repeat abuse patterns are fucking awful. It has nothing to do with Charlyne and everything to do with overentitled and dangerous fucks being allowed to act carte blanche Reply Thread Link The more a person faces abuse, the more likely they are to face future abuse. It's a known phenomenon and there are many factors And no matter how much evidence you give, how many papers you cite, people hear about these repeating patterns and best blame the victim, but usually just deny their experience. It's infuriating. I've spent so much time and money on therapy and I still can't fully find it in my heart to believe my own story Reply Parent Thread Link i hate the word repeat victim. it makes me feel even worse about myself. i'm in therapy now and desperate for guidance Reply Parent Thread Link Building a Safety Culture That Works: More Than Just Rules and Procedures Construction safety culture can transform by prioritizing leadership, employee engagement and proactive measures beyond traditional rules and procedures. The construction industry thrives on a robust safety culture. Cultivating an effective safety environment goes beyond adhering to policies and procedures and pursuing incident-free days. While metrics and measures have their place, the genuine concern for the well-being of everyone on the worksite is the real driving force. It is about taking proactive steps to prevent incidents and prioritizing the safety of the individual and the organization. The journey toward effective safety management begins with all employees, from the CEO to the superintendent, acknowledging their responsibility to each other and their loved ones for a safe work environment. Organizations must commit to fostering a safe environment for employees, subcontractors and the community, ensuring everyone returns home. To bring about strategic changes in safety management, organizations must engage and educate leaders, identifying opportunities for improvement within the company. Laying the Groundwork for Effective Safety Management Investing in corporate leaders, field leaders and frontline workers forms the foundation of an effective safety culture. Successful organizations empower their leaders with the right resources, recognizing that strong leadership requires proper support in management, leadership and communication skills, especially in leading safety initiatives. Effective safety management and the systems supporting it hinges on leadership involvement in building genuine and trusting relationships. An elevated level of engagement and commitment throughout the organization is vital for the success of a safety-centric culture. While developing skills and awareness is crucial, soft skills sustain a safe culture over time. Field leadership programs not only enforce hard skills but also teach the soft skills, such as listening and leading, needed to empower individuals to be safety leaders in the field. This approach encourages leaders to pay attention to new employees, foster a supportive environment and instill a top-down commitment to safety through productivity, quality and project management. Establishing strong relationships, starting from the onboarding process, is crucial. According to Tony Govind, director of human resources at Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP), genuine conversations during the onboarding process facilitated by the director of safety build trust, common ground, and a heightened sense of care and concern for one another's safety. This article originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of Occupational Health & Safety. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a congratulatory letter to the eighth China-Russia Expo. The expo opened in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on the same day. Xi said that with the joint efforts of the two countries, China-Russia relations have made solid progress step by step and delivered tangible cooperation outcomes to the benefit of the two peoples. This year marks the 75th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic ties, Xi noted, saying that standing at a new historical starting point, bilateral relations will embrace new historical opportunities and show broader prospects for development. Stressing that after years of cultivation and development, the China-Russia Expo has become an important platform for promoting bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Xi added it is hoped that all sectors of the two countries will make full use of the opportunity presented by the current China-Russia Expo to deepen exchanges and share opportunities, jointly contribute to the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia, and inject new impetus into the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. With a theme of "cooperation, mutual trust, and opportunities," the eighth China-Russia Expo is jointly hosted by China's Ministry of Commerce, the Heilongjiang provincial government, Russia's Ministry of Economic Development, and its Ministry of Industry and Trade. Not all OPEC members were content with their assigned quotas. These quotas are determined by various factors, including the production capacity of individual members, reviewed by OPEC+ and secondary sources. The UAE, in particular, has historically It was the first crack, but it wouldnt be the last. Even OPEC+s ability to control the markets was called into questionand not by the UAE, but by Russia, who didnt want to deepen oil production cuts further at the start of the Covid pandemic. While Saudi Arabia pushed for deeper cuts, Russia refused, with the market seeing firsthand what it looks like when OPEC+ members arent on the same page. Both nations threatened to flood the market with oil, leading to more oversupply and a catastrophic price drop. OPEC+ is once again grappling with familiar challenges: some of its members are eager to increase crude oil production after a prolonged period of restraint. Historically, OPEC has maintained that its primary mission is to balance global supply and demand, not to directly influence prices. However, the rise of U.S. shale oil a few years ago forced OPEC to seek additional support to fulfill thisor any otherprimary mission, leading to the formation of OPEC+. With Saudi Arabia and Russia at the forefront, OPEC+ was able to maintain significant control over the worlds oil markets. But this collaboration underscored a concerning reality: OPEC alone could no longer exert the necessary influence over the oil market. OPEC+ is once again grappling with familiar challenges: some of its members are eager to increase crude oil production after a prolonged period of restraint. Historically, OPEC has maintained that its primary mission is to balance global supply and demand, not to directly influence prices. However, the rise of U.S. shale oil a few years ago forced OPEC to seek additional support to fulfill thisor any otherprimary mission, leading to the formation of OPEC+. With Saudi Arabia and Russia at the forefront, OPEC+ was able to maintain significant control over the worlds oil markets. But this collaboration underscored a concerning reality: OPEC alone could no longer exert the necessary influence over the oil market. Even OPEC+s ability to control the markets was called into questionand not by the UAE, but by Russia, who didnt want to deepen oil production cuts further at the start of the Covid pandemic. While Saudi Arabia pushed for deeper cuts, Russia refused, with the market seeing firsthand what it looks like when OPEC+ members arent on the same page. Both nations threatened to flood the market with oil, leading to more oversupply and a catastrophic price drop. It was the first crack, but it wouldnt be the last. Not all OPEC members were content with their assigned quotas. These quotas are determined by various factors, including the production capacity of individual members, reviewed by OPEC+ and secondary sources. The UAE, in particular, has historically been vocal about its ambitions to increase oil production and has invested in expanding its capacity. Frustrated by its inability to utilize this capacity, the UAE publicly lobbied for an increased production baseline and threatened to leave OPEC if it didnt get it. Although the UAE ultimately denied any plans to exit, it did secure a concession, and its baseline was adjusted. This episode exposed the divisions within OPEC, raising more questions about its ability to maintain unity and influence the market. The market began to demand tangible proof of OPECs actions rather than mere rhetoric before prices would respond. The release of substantial volumes of crude oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) further complicated OPECs task of managing market perceptions and prices. The geopolitical landscape also played a role in OPECs fortunes. Russias invasion of Ukraine reintroduced a geopolitical risk premium into the market, temporarily easing OPECs burden. But this week, recent rumors that Kazakhstan is seeking to increase its oil production next year have reignited market concerns about OPECs stability. Although Kazakhstan denied requesting an output hike, the rumors highlight the ongoing challenges OPEC+ faces in maintaining cohesion and credibility. Iraq has also stated that it has more capacity than OPEC has on its books, and could be the next crack. In another reverberation of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Iraq and Jordan are planning to restart oil talks. Iraq typically supplies Jordan with oil, but frequent disputes often put the deal on pause. Most recently, Iraq suspended exports after Jordan intercepted Iranian missiles bound for Israel. We are not highly confident that talks will proceed as planned given another Jordanian move that will irk some high-level figures in Baghdad: On Wednesday this week, Jordan foiled an attempt by an Iranian-led group to smuggle weapons into the kingdom for sabotage. The US House of Representatives (Republican-led) has now passed a bill to force Biden to deliver weapons to Israel after he postponed bomb shipments to force Netanyahus hand over civilian deaths. Tel Aviv isnt budging, and the House bill has a low probability of becoming law. Its more of a barometer of the intensity of the backlash over the Israel-Hamas conflict playing out in the corridors of DC and on college campuses across the country. As of the time of writing late on Thursday, Israeli tanks had advanced to the center of the northern Gaza town of Jabalia in a standoff with Hamas. Simultaneously, in southern Gaza, Israel continued to shell Rafah but did not make a move to push further into the city. Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict The US House of Representatives (Republican-led) has now passed a bill to force Biden to deliver weapons to Israel after he postponed bomb shipments to force Netanyahus hand over civilian deaths. Tel Aviv isnt budging, and the House bill has a low probability of becoming law. Its more of a barometer of the intensity of the backlash over the Israel-Hamas conflict playing out in the corridors of DC and on college campuses across the country. As of the time of writing late on Thursday, Israeli tanks had advanced to the center of the northern Gaza town of Jabalia in a standoff with Hamas. Simultaneously, in southern Gaza, Israel continued to shell Rafah but did not make a move to push further into the city. In another reverberation of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Iraq and Jordan are planning to restart oil talks. Iraq typically supplies Jordan with oil, but frequent disputes often put the deal on pause. Most recently, Iraq suspended exports after Jordan intercepted Iranian missiles bound for Israel. We are not highly confident that talks will proceed as planned given another Jordanian move that will irk some high-level figures in Baghdad: On Wednesday this week, Jordan foiled an attempt by an Iranian-led group to smuggle weapons into the kingdom for sabotage. In Brazil, President Lula da Silva shook up the leadership of state-run Petrobras this week, dismissing CEO Jean Paul Prates and appointing Magda Chambriand in his place. He then reportedly ordered the new CEO to accelerate investments in refineries and natural gas expansion. Petrobras shares nosedived immediately following news of the dismissal. As of Thursdays close, shares had lost over 12% this week as investors digested the development. Either its going to be an expansion boost for Petrobras, which reported dire earnings this week (38% drop in profits for Q1), or its going to be played out as a significant hit to investor confidence because it lends uncertainty to how or when the president may intervene in the future. Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions Chevron is planning to sell its remaining UK North Sea oil and gas assets, marking its exit from the region after more than 55 years. This decision is part of Chevron's broader strategy, which includes the $53 billion acquisition of Hess and up to $15 billion in asset sales globally. The divestment includes a 19.4% stake in the BP-operated Clair oilfield and interests in the Sullom Voe oil terminal and pipeline systems. This move aligns with the trend of major oil companies withdrawing from the aging North Sea basin. The sale process is expected to begin in June and could raise up to $1 billion. Equinor and Norwegian state-owned Petoro have agreed to swap assets to align their ownership in key fields, enhancing long-term value creation. Equinor will increase its stakes in the Heidrun field and Noatun discovery, while reducing its interests in Tyrihans, Castberg, Carmen, and Beta fields. After the transaction, Equinor will hold 34.4% in Heidrun and 36.3% in Tyrihans, while Petoro will have 36.4% in Heidrun and 22.5% in Tyrihans. Equinor's ownership in Johan Castberg will be 46.3%, with Petoro holding 23.7%. Discovery & Development Russia has reportedly discovered massive oil and gas reserves in British Antarctic territory, potentially paving the way for drilling in the protected region. The reserves are estimated at 511 billion barrels, roughly ten times the North Sea's output over the past 50 years. This revelation came from surveys conducted by Rosgeo's vessel, the Alexander Karpinsky, and was presented to the British Commons Environment Audit Committee. While Russia claims the activities are for scientific research, experts argue it signals a move towards resource extraction, challenging the 1959 Antarctic Treaty's prohibition on oil developments. Exxon and PETRONAS have identified close to 400 million barrels of recoverable oil in Suriname's deepwater blocks, potentially enabling an FPSO with a capacity of 100,000 barrels per day. Since 2019, Suriname has seen the discovery of nine deepwater fields, though none have yet progressed to development. Suriname's known resources now total over 2.4 billion barrels of oil and liquids and 12.5 trillion cubic feet of gas. ExxonMobil, in collaboration with Azule Energy, Equinor, and Sonangol, has made an oil discovery at the Likembe-01 exploration well in Angola's Kizomba B development area, Block 15. Drilled between February and April 2024 in 1,200 meters of water, the well reached a depth of 3,013 meters and encountered Miocene-age reservoirs. The Angolan National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) reported that ExxonMobil found high-quality sand packages containing oil and gas. This marks the first well drilled since Angola's government pledged to increase oil and gas investments under its "Incremental Production" project. A recent report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) reveals that the European Union (EU) has imported EUR 3 billion worth of oil products from Turkish ports that predominantly handle Russian oilports that don't have refining hubs. This trade has effectively bypassed the EU/G7 sanctions on Russian petroleum products. Since the implementation of the EU/G7 petroleum products ban on February 5, 2023, until the end of February 2024, the EU has sourced 5.16 million tonnes of oil products valued at EUR 3.1 billion from the Turkish ports of Ceyhan, Marmara Ere?lisi, and Mersin. These ports, lacking refining capabilities, imported 86% of their oil products from Russia during this period, turning Turkey into a significant re-export hub. Turkey's imports of Russian oil have surged nearly fivefold over the past decade. By 2023, Turkey became the largest global buyer of Russian oil products, importing 18% of Russia's total exports. This reliance has grown from 52% in 2022 to 72% in 2023, indicating a deepening dependency on Russian refined products like diesel, gasoil, and jet fuel. Investigations by CREA and CSD suggest that European entities may have been importing Russian oil products that are either mixed or re-exported from Turkish storage terminals. An example cited is the Toros Ceyhan oil terminal, which received 26,923 tonnes of gasoil from Novorossiysk in May 2023 and subsequently shipped a similar volume to Greece's MOH Corinth refinery. This trade exploits legal loopholes, allowing blended Russian oil products to enter the EU. The rerouting of Russian oil through Turkey has not only circumvented sanctions but also generated significant tax revenues for Russia, estimated at EUR 5.4 billion, supporting its war efforts in Ukraine. To address this, CREA and CSD recommend tightening EU legislation, enforcing strict rules of origin, and investigating shipments to prevent further sanctions evasion. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russia and China expect to finalize soon the preliminary work on the natural gas link Power of Siberia 2 and sign an agreement on the pipelines construction, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said in China this week. We plan to finalize the review of the project and sign soon the deal to build the pipeline with a capacity of 50 billion cubic meters of gas via Mongolia, Novak told Russian television, as carried by news agency Interfax. Russia and China also plan other new projects, Novak, Russias top energy negotiator with OPEC, said while on a visit to China accompanying Vladimir Putin. The Russian president met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week as the two countries are forging closer ties to counter the U.S. and the West. The official visit to China was Putins first foreign trip since he was sworn in for a fifth presidential term earlier this month. Russia bets on selling increased volumes of energy products to China after losing Europe as a key oil export market following Putins war in Ukraine. The Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline has been a topic of discussions between Russia and China for years but no progress has been made. Currently, Russia supplies pipeline gas to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline, one of the biggest projects recently completed by Gazprom and the first conduit for Russian gas to China. Now, theres talk about the Power of Siberia 2, but negotiations between Russia and China havent progressed much. An agreement on the Power of Siberia 2 has not been reached yet due to some sticking points, including the prices at which Gazprom will deliver the gas. The Power of Siberia 2 pipeline was designed to ship gas from Russias Western Siberia Altai region to northeast China via Mongolia. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: In a strategic move to bolster its commitment to sustainable energy, Saudi Aramco (2223.SE) has entered into three significant memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with U.S. companies Aeroseal, Spiritus, and Rondo. The agreements aim to explore and develop lower-carbon energy solutions, as detailed in an official statement released on Friday. Improving Pipeline Integrity The MOU with Aerosealan energy efficiency solutions providerfocuses on the deployment and commercialization of its innovative technology designed to enhance the efficiency of gas pipelines, specializing in leak mitigation solutions. Aeroseal is touted as a leading climate tech innovator specializing in reducing GHG emissions by reducing energy consumption in buildings by sealing air leaks. Direct Air Capture Initiatives In collaboration with Spiritus, Saudi Aramco plans to explore opportunities in direct air capture (DAC) technology. This initiative aims to reduce the energy requirements associated with capturing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, a crucial step in mitigating climate change. Heat Battery Deployment The agreement with Rondo involves the potential deployment of heat battery technology across Aramco's global facilities. These heat batteries are designed to reduce operating costs and emissions, aligning with Aramco's goals of enhancing energy efficiency and lowering its carbon footprint. Strategic Timing These MOUs were signed during the visit of U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to Saudi Arabia, highlighting the strategic importance of international cooperation in addressing global energy challenges. The visit underscores the growing collaboration between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in the energy sector, particularly in the development and deployment of sustainable technologies. Background and Financial Performance Despite the strategic advancements in sustainability, Saudi Aramco has faced financial challenges in recent quarters. The company's net income for Q1 2024 was $27.3 billion, a 14% decline from the $31.9 billion reported in the same period last year, largely due to lower oil prices and production. This performance was in line with analysts' expectations, reflecting the volatility of the global energy market. The oil giant announced that it will be delivering a total of $31 billion in dividends to the Saudi government and other shareholders in Q2, with total dividends of $124.3 billion for the full year. This substantial dividend distribution highlights the company's robust financial health and its ability to navigate through market fluctuations. Strategic Investments Aramco has also been investing heavily in downstream operations and gas discovery and production. In the first quarter of 2024, the company made significant strides in expanding its gas business and growing its globally integrated downstream value chain. Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser emphasized the company's long-term strategy in the earnings release, stating, "We also continue to execute our long-term strategy, and in the first quarter made significant progress on expanding our gas business and growing our globally integrated downstream value chain, while maintaining our focus on consistently delivering value for our shareholders." By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: It appears that Terra Gaucha, a fine-dining Brazilian steakhouse, is poised to move into the building that Charlestons recently vacated at 13851 FNB Parkway. The company has registered its intentions to open there with the state of Nebraska, according to Grow Omaha, an online real estate newsletter. The restaurant has locations in Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida, and Stamford, Connecticut. The Terra Gaucha website says another will open soon in Indianapolis. The menu says the restaurant offers the ultimate Churrasco experience with items such as steaks and other meats; seafood; side dishes such as grilled pineapple, warm parmesan cheese puffs and crispy corn fritters; a gourmet hot and cold table with vegetables, imported cheeses and Brazilian-inspired salads; and desserts such as Brazilian flan and a colossal cheesecake. Once the ceremony was done and the last signatures were in place, a crane hoisted a white steel beam Thursday and placed it atop the structure that has been rising near 85th Street and West Dodge Road since last fall. The topping-out and beam-raising ceremony marked what Omaha philanthropist Ken Stinson, president of the nonprofit Mental Health Innovation Foundation, called a significant milestone in the construction of the much-needed Behavioral Health & Wellness Center at Childrens Nebraska. Stinson noted before the beam was raised that the ceremony had been delayed by the April 26 tornadoes and a muddy construction site. But he said the delay was appropriate. It bumped the event to May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. And Thursdays ceremony fell on Mental Health Action Day for 2024. Its in honor of shifting our mental health culture from awareness to action, he said. And I can tell you, this building behind me is about action. Driving the project, Stinson said, are increases in anxiety, depression and other mental health issues among youth and, most alarming, the significant increase in suicidal ideation and suicide. Capacity for effective treatment has not kept pace with the problem. Scheduled to open in 2026, the $114 million, 107,250-square-foot center will offer a continuum of mental and physical health care for children and teens. The center will house 40 inpatient hospital beds, an increase from the previously planned 38. It also will offer a first-in-the-region behavioral health emergency assessment center, one of a small number in the United States, as well as a pediatric mental health urgent care center and a pediatric primary care clinic with integrated outpatient mental health services. Also included in the center will be an outpatient eating disorder center and an expanded partial hospitalization program for youths who no longer require inpatient treatment yet still need daily support and ongoing therapy. The center will be operated by Childrens Nebraska and is situated on the west edge of its campus. The foundation is managing the planning, design, fundraising and construction of the facility. The center, Stinson said, will be a place of healing for our youth who are in crisis, a place of comfort for their parents and families and a place for collaboration between our pediatric mental health professionals and educators. The project budget has grown by $4 million from an earlier $110 million, he said. The expanded budget largely stems from a decision to build out space that had been intended for possible later expansions in both the inpatient hospital area and in the assessment center. The project, he said, is the result of a public-private partnership that includes support from the City of Omaha and the State of Nebraska. Of the total, $16 million will come from the $40 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds the Nebraska Legislature designated for mental health projects. Childrens is contributing $15 million and the rest is coming from private donors. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert participated in Thursdays event. Attending were State Sens. Lou Ann Linehan and Machaela Cavanaugh, both of Omaha. Also on hand were Omaha City Council President Pete Festersen and council members Ron Hug and Juanita Johnson. As the construction process has been underway, Stinson said in an interview, so, too, has the work of fleshing out the design of the buildings interior. Team members have visited facilities in Ohio and other states to get insights into the best way to design and furnish the center. Each incremental step along the way, were adding to our knowledge of what a state-of-the-art mental health center for kids entails, he said. That work, he noted, has been aided by Renee Rafferty, who was hired last year as Childrens senior vice president of behavioral health. She will oversee the new center after it opens. Rafferty arrived from Anchorage, Alaska in September, where she served as senior director of behavioral health services for Providence Health and Services. What was very visionary was to include so many levels of care in one building and to create opportunities for families to know they can find many services in one location, Rafferty said in an interview. The assessment center is really creating that open door for families. Families, she said, will be able to come to the assessment center if they have a child who needs an evaluation or to seek support. We hope that families dont wait to get care, that they feel comfortable coming ... and that they see that this building is going to be a sign of hope for them, she said. In addition to working toward creating a healing environment inside and outside the building, Rafferty said the team also is working to build relationships with academic partners to enhance pipelines for behavioral health care workers. There is a lot of interest within Childrens in being part of the new center, she said. Its really inspiring that Ken and the Mental Health Innovation Foundation and the community have been willing to commit to the health and well-being of kids, she said. Were working on building those pathways and supporting people who want to get new training. Currently, she said, the team is working to staff the centers leadership team and developing scholarships for people who want to seek further training in behavioral health. Stinson said in an interview that its hard to measure or even convey the excitement about the center in the community. Its visible location on West Dodge Road has generated a lot of interest. This is a labor of love for everyone thats involved in it, theres no question about it, he said. Rafferty said the focus on and discussion of mental health under Stinsons leadership has helped decrease stigma and get the message to families that its OK to seek help. That alone will save lives. Even though the building isnt here yet, she said, that is happening now and thats really powerful. Photos: Final beam added to the Behavioral Health & Wellness Center at Childrens Nebraska Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing on Thursday. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] The two sides had a comprehensive review of the successful experience in developing the China-Russia relationship, and had an in-depth exchange of views on the relationship as well as major international and regional issues of mutual interest, charting the course forward for their cooperation across the board. Fine example of major-country 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, and stood the test of changing international landscape. The relationship has become a fine example for major countries and neighboring countries to treat each other with respect and candor, and pursue amity and mutual benefit. The 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. The most important conclusion drawn from the 75-year history of China-Russia relations is that two neighboring major countries must always promote the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, respect each other on an equal footing, trust each other, accommodate each other's concerns, and truly provide mutual assistance for the development and revitalization of both sides, Xi noted, adding that this is not only the correct way for China and Russia to get along, but also the direction that major-country relations should strive for in the 21st century. Putin expressed his pleasure to visit China again after he was sworn in as Russian president for a new term. Noting that President Xi also paid a state visit to Russia in March last year shortly after his re-election as Chinese president, Putin said that it is a friendly tradition between the two countries, which demonstrates that both sides attach high importance to enhancing the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era. The development of Russia-China ties is not out of expediency or targeted at any third party, Putin said, adding that it benefits international strategic stability. Li Ziguo, director of the Department for European-Central Asian Studies under the China Institute of International Studies, said that both as major countries in the world, China and Russia have been adhering to the principles of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, and finding the right way to get along, which overcomes the outdated mindset that major countries are bound to differ in interests and inevitably become competitors. Commitment to win-win cooperation Xi said that with concerted efforts from both sides, China-Russia relations have been moving forward steadily, with enhanced comprehensive strategic coordination and further cooperation on economy and trade, investment, energy, and people-to-people exchanges, at the subnational level and in other fields. This has made positive contributions to maintaining global strategic stability and promoting greater democracy in international relations. The two sides should take the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic ties as a new starting point, further synergize development strategies, and continue to enrich the bilateral cooperation to bring greater benefits to the two countries and peoples, he said. Last year, China-Russia two-way trade exceeded 240 billion U.S. dollars, close to 2.7 times 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. "Chinese products are renowned for their good quality, extensive variety, and competitive pricing. In recent years, our company has maintained good cooperation with dozens of Chinese suppliers, and the trade volume has increased year by year," said Dmitry Pismennyy, a Russian businessman engaged in foreign trade in southwest China's Chongqing. 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 and close to people's hearts, and encouraged closer interactions between various sectors and at subnational levels to enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples. Putin said that the intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms between Russia and China are functioning well, and bilateral cooperation in such areas as economy, trade, agriculture, industry, energy, and connectivity has grown steadily. He noted that the signing of a series of cooperation documents demonstrates that the two sides are committed to further deepening win-win cooperation. Russia is willing to work with China to implement the pre-2030 development plan on economic cooperation between the two sides, well organize the Russia-China Years of Culture activities, and strengthen the alignment between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative, Putin said, adding that next year, Russia and China will hold events to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the square outside the east gate of the Great Hall of the People, before their talks in Beijing, capital of China, May 16, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] Safeguarding UN-centered international system China and Russia are committed to strategic coordination as an underpinning of relations, and steer global governance in the right direction, Xi said when jointly meeting with the press with Putin. The two countries are firmly committed to safeguarding the UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law. They stay in close coordination and collaboration in multilateral platforms such as the UN, APEC and G20, and advance multipolarity and economic globalization in the spirit of true multilateralism, he said. With Russia chairing BRICS this year and China taking over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 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. China and Russia are committed to fairness and justice as the purpose of relations, and dedicated to the political settlement of hotspots, Xi said. Putin said that Russia and China have maintained close coordination on the international stage and are jointly committed to promoting the establishment of a more democratic multipolar world order. Both sides are willing to continue to strengthen cooperation within the frameworks including BRICS and SCO as well as communication on major international and regional issues, so as to promote regional and world peace and development. Li Yongquan, head of the China Society for Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, said that faced with numerous challenges in global governance, a healthy development of China-Russia relations and their cooperation within such mechanisms as BRICS and SCO are pivotal for maintaining regional and international stability, and improving global governance. After the talks, Xi and Putin 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 bilateral cooperation documents. Prior to the talks, Xi held a grand welcoming ceremony for Putin. Xi also hosted a welcoming banquet for Putin around noon. Senior officials including Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang attended the events. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared President Muhammadu Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the 2019 presidential election, held on Saturday Feb. 23. The Returning Officer for the 2019 presidential elections, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the declaration at 4.37am. He polled 15,191,847 votes to defeat his closest rival, former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the presidential poll conducted on February 23 who had 11,262,978 votes. The INEC chairmain said: That Muhammadu Buhari, having scored the highest number of votes and satisfied the provision of the electoral act is hereby declared the winner of the presidential election. Read also: 2019 Presidential Results He announced that certificate of return will be issued to the President-elect and Vice President-elect by 2 pm on Wednesday. Mondays collation opened with Niger State, which went to the APC with 612,371 votes. PDP scored 218, 052. There were 2,375,568 registered voters across the 15 local government areas of the state and 911, 964 voters were accredited. The state recorded a total vote of 896,976 and 851,937 valid votes. Forty-five votes were rejected; 71,200 were cancelled. In Jigawa State, Buhari scored 794,738 as against Atikus 289, 895 votes. With 27 local government areas, Jigawa had 2,104,889 registered voters; 1,171,801 were accredited to vote; 1,149,922 voted. Of the votes, 1,106,244 were valid and 43, 678 were rejected. The APC candidate also won in Kaduna State with 993,445 votes as against PDPs 640, 612. Atiku fought back in Anambra State, garnering 524,738 votes as against APCs 33,298. He won with a slim margin in Oyo State where the PDP polled 366,690 as against APCs 365,229. Atikus home state, Adamawa, gave the PDP 410,266 votes. Buhari got 378,078. The 21 council areas in Adamawa had 1,959,322 registered voters; 874,920 voters were accredited. There were 811,534 valid votes; 49,222 were rejected. The President won in Bauchi with 798,428 votes. Atiku scored 209,313. Valid votes were 1,024, 307; 37,648 were rejected. Votes cast stood at 1,061, 955 The APC beat the PDP in Lagos State with 580,825 votes; PDP scored 448,015. The ruling party also secured victory for his candidate in Ogun State where it scored 281,762 as against PDPs 194, 655. The registered number of voters in the Gateway State was 2,336,887; 613,399 were accredited and 605,938 voted. Edo State, with 18 local government areas and 2,150,127 registered voters, went to Atiku with 275, 691 votes. Buhari scored 267,842 votes. For the poll, 604,915 were accredited. There were 560,711 valid votes. The rejected ballot stood at 38, 517, leaving the total vote cast at 599, 228. The number of votes that were cancelled in 48 polling units stood at 42,176. In Benue State, PDP got a narrow victory margin over the ruling party with 356,817 votes as against APCs 347,668. Edo, with a voter population of 2, 391,276, has a total vote cast of 763,872. The valid votes were 728,912. The rejected votes were 34,960 and 122,989 votes were cancelled in 172 polling units. Atiku won Imo State with 334,923 votes as against Buharis 140,463 votes. There were 2,037,569 registered would-be voters; 585,741 were accredited to vote. The valid votes were 511,586 and 31,191 votes were rejected. The number of votes cast stood at 542,777; 63,048 were cancelled in 97 polling units in 12 council areas. Plateau State also gave its vote to Atiku who scored 548,665. Buhari scored 468,555. The state had 2,423, 381 registered voters and 1,074,042 were accredited. The valid votes were 1,034,853 of which 1,063,862 voted. The number of rejected votes stood at 28,009. Kano went to Buhari who scored 1,464,768 against Atikus 392,593. The Northwest state, where 5,381,581 were registered to vote, recorded the highest turnout with 2,006,410 accredited voters. The votes cast were 1,964,751. The valid votes were 1,891,134. The rejected votes were 73,617 and the cancelled votes were 43,900, across 69 polling units. Katsina, Buharis home state, also went the way of Buhari, who scored 1,232,133 against Atikus 308,056. It has 3,219,422 registered voters and 1,628,865 were accredited for the election. The total valid votes in Katsina is 1,555,473 and 1,619,185 cast their ballots. The rejected votes were 63,712 and the cancelled votes stood at 12,027. Taraba went to the PDP with 374,743 votes as against APCs 326 996 votes. The total registered votes were 1,777,105. The accredited voters stood at 756 111. The valid votes were 712 877 and 28,687 were rejected. THE FINAL SCORES STATES APC PDP Abia 85,058 219,698 Adamawa 378,078 410,266 Akwa Ibom 175,429 395,832 Anambra 33,298 524,738 Bauchi 798,428 209,313 Bayelsa 118,821 197,933 Benue 347,668 356,817 Borno 836,496 71,788 Cross River 117,302 295,737 Delta 221,292 594,068 Ebonyi 90,726 258,573 Edo 267,842 275,691 Ekiti 219,231 154,032 Enugu 54,423 355,553 Gombe 402,961 138,484 Imo 140,463 334,923 Jigawa 794,738 289,895 Kaduna 993,445 649,612 Kano 1,464,768 391,593 Katsina 1,232,133 308,056 Kebbi 581,552 154,282 Kogi 285,894 218,207 Kwara 308,984 138,184 Lagos 580,825 448,015 Nasarawa 289,903 283,847 Niger 612,371 218,052 Ogun 281,762 194,655 Ondo 241,769 275,901 Osun 347,634 337,377 Oyo 365,229 366,690 Plateau 468,555 548,665 Rivers 150,710 473,971 Sokoto 490,333 361,604 Taraba 324,906 374,743 Yobe 497,914 50,763 Zamfara 438,682 125,423 FCT 152,224 259,997 TOTAL: 15,191,847 11,262,978 Israels national electric company says it has begun reducing power supplies to Palestinian areas of the occupied West Bank because of a financial dispute. The Israel Electric Co said on Sunday (local time) it took the step because the Jerusalem District Electricity Co, the Palestinians main power distributor, has debts of roughly US$485 (A$717) million. Ali Hamodeh, an official with the Palestinian distributor, says power is expected to be cut for two hours daily in several Palestinian towns in the coming weeks. We will sue Israel in international courts for exploiting our land and we will continue our struggle against the occupation on the ground and in international forums. (EPA) He accused Israel of exaggerating the level of debt and called the power cuts a political exploit. The Palestinians rely on Israel for nearly all of their electricity. The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area of Kebbi, has suspended a council chairmanship aspirant, Shafiu Abubakar, for disrespecting Governor Atiku Bagudu. NAN reports that Alhaji Umaru Bakatara, Chairman of Zouro ward in Birnin Kebbi, disclosed this on Sunday in a press briefing in Birnin Kebbi. This is to inform you that following the unguided and disrespectful utterances by Shafiu Abubakar on the government of APC Kebbi State on Saturday through Vision FM Radio interview. The party has, therefore, suspended him from the party and we wish to inform you that APC Zauro ward has disassociated itself and its not in any way in support of his actions. The leadership of the ward wish to register its unflinching support and loyalty to the constituted authorities of the government of Kebbi state under the leadership of Governor Abubakar Bagudu. Abubakar told NAN that his suspension was null and void. He said the Zauro ward executives of the party have no jurisdiction under the law to suspend him for merely expressing his views as enshrined in the constitution. The suspension is baseless, null and void. They do not have the power under our great party, APC to suspend me and Nigerias constitution gave me freedom of speech which I used to express my feelings on issues relating to my state, he said. PV: 0 The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 23 suspected cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been identified in Edo, Lagos, Ogun, FCT and Kano states, out of which one was confirmed positive index case, with no death. NCDC Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, disclosed this while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja, adding that as of March 7, there was no new confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country. NAN reports that this was the eighth national situation report, following the confirmation of the first case of COVID-19 disease in the country on February 27, 2020. Ihekweazu said a total of 219 contacts were identified, including contacts from hotel, workplace and healthcare workers. No new contacts have been reported in Lagos and Ogun states, he stressed. He said the confirmed case was clinically stable at the designated treatment facility for COVID-19 at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, Lagos. He reiterated that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre activated at level three, had continued to coordinate the national response activities, led by NCDC. He noted that the field investigations were ongoing and all contacts were undergoing daily symptom monitoring. According to him, Index patient is currently being managed at IDH, Lagos, while passenger screening is ongoing at all international airports. He added that there was also centralised follow up of Persons of Interests initiated for persons outside Lagos and Ogun states. Testing of samples collected through the national influenza sentinel surveillance system as part of enhanced surveillance is ongoing. A draft tool for tracking and monitoring HCW infection has been developed, he said. Nine countries in Africa with reported cases are Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, and Togo.(NAN) Travel expert Rick Steves recently said, Ive always packed light, but I used to love flying home heavy. Apparently, the guru of European travel enjoyed picking up mementos from his trips. According to his comments in the Wall Street Journal, Steves said, One on trip to Europe, I accumulated two medieval chairs, two sets of bongos, swords, a mace and a camel-hair coat, most of which are now in my attic. He says he got over the need to bring stuff home and considers vivid memories and a broader perspective to be the best souvenirs. Ive never carried bongos in my luggage (castanets once, but they were small), yet I feel Steves pain. Who among us hasnt bought a souvenir we regretted? Maybe its a T-shirt that no longer fits, salt and pepper shakers that looked cute in the gift shop but are now crammed in a drawer, or a piece of jewelry that turns your skin green. The result is the same. You ask, What was I thinking? In 1963 my dad went to Florida and brought home an unexpected souvenir: a live baby alligator. Seriously. The teeny tiny gator came in a plastic bowl with a miniature palm tree. Sadly, it lived just a day or two, but where did Dad expect to keep the reptile if it had survived? The bathtub? Naturally, when you visit someplace new and have a terrific experience, you want to remember it. Thats what the French word souvenir means to see again. But my husband says, Au contraire, ma cherie! Souvenir is French for more junk in the basement. Like the wood and silk parasol I bought in Venice. It didnt occur to me as I stood in St. Marks Square that the beautiful but unbendable item would not fit in my luggage. Rather than accept defeat and discard the awkward item, I toted it with me the rest of the trip. Now it leans in a closet, collecting dust. As the Italians would say, "Molto stupida! Or the wine I had shipped home from a vineyard. The shipment was confiscated by the distributor in Chicago because the vintner owed him money. I never did get my money back. Lesson learned? Shop at your local wine store or have a glass of iced tea instead. Sometimes we travelers acquire souvenirs involuntarily. My good friend Maria Grazia, who lives outside Rome, once presented me with beautiful linens, hand sewn by her mother. On that same trip, I received a separate gift from an Italian friend named Michael. After days of praising his cousins olive grove, which he believes produces the finest olives anywhere, Michael gifted me SIX bottles of extra-virgin olive oil. I accepted them with gratitude, but wondered in silence, How on earth will I get these home? In fact, Michael was driving us to the airport, so there was no polite way of leaving the glass bottles behind. It was a slimy disaster waiting to happen. What if oil leaked and ruined the linens, not to mention the entire contents of my suitcase? After several attempts to "spill-proof my luggage, I finally decided to pack the bottles in a second checked bag, cushioned with dirty clothes. At the airport counter, the attendant took the additional bag and charged me 50 Euros. Seventy bucks for olive oil and my dirty underwear? This better be the worlds finest tasting oil. Ten hours later, standing at the luggage claim at OHare Airport in Chicago, I held my breath as passengers suitcases emerged on the conveyor belt. I dreaded seeing a river of liquid salad dressing cascading down the carousel. Then I spotted my bag. No stains or aroma (from the olive oil, anyway). Cautiously optimistic, I pulled the suitcase aside and unzipped it. Everything was intact! It took us years to consume all that oil, but it was delightful. Some souvenirs, bought in the excitement of the moment, are just bad decisions. But in the case of the extra-virgin oil, olives well that ended well. URBANA Eastern Illinois Foodbank announced results from Feeding America's recently released "Map on the Meal Gap" study, showing food insecurity at the highest level in 20 years. The study is the only of its kind to provide local estimates of food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district, according to a news release. The study found that in EIF's 18-county service area, more than 134,000 people or 12.3% of the population live in food-insecure households, of which 36,000 are children. The food insecurity rates reported in EIF counties are: Piatt County, 9.8% Woodford County, 9.8% McLean County, 10.9% Moultrie County, 10.9% Douglas County, 11% Clark County, 11.4% Cumberland County, 11.5% DeWitt County, 11.7% Jasper County, 11.7% Crawford County, 11.8% Livingston County, 12.2% Champaign County, 12.7% Ford County, 13% Iroquois County, 13% Edgar County, 13.4% Vermilion County, 14.3% Clay County, 15.2% Coles County, 16.1% Watch now: Energy bars created for Central Illinois Foodbank